rlML i ! 1 ‘ \'y BV 255 . B27 1923 Barclay, Wade Crawford, 1874 A book of worship ' . Digitized by the. Internet Archive in 2019 with funding from Princeton Theological Seminary Library https://archive.org/details/bookofworshipforOObarc & Poofe of Utorstfrip Jfor fHse at Suable <£>n €berp ©ap of tije S?ear Compiled and Edited by WADE CRAWFORD \ BARCLAY tpEtelR«bOR^RB3 THE ABINGDON PRESS NEW YORK CINCINNATI Copyright, 1923, by WADE CRAWFORD BARCLAY All rights reserved, including that of translation into foreign languages, including the Scandinavian V Printed in the United States of America The Bible text used in this volume, except that appearing in the “Verse for the Day” on pages 27, 77, 107, 182, 200, 212, 270, 288, 338, 360, is taken from the American Standard Edition of the Revised Bible, copyright, 1901, by Thomas Nelson & Sons, and is used by permission. TO THE WIFE AND MOTHER OF OUR HOME WHOSE SPIRIT OF SELF-SACRIFICE, OF FAITH, OF ASSURANCE OF GOD’S PRES¬ ENCE AND OF HIS WILLINGNESS AND POWER TO MEET EVERY NEED MAKES ALL OF LIFE AN ACT OF WORSHIP. CONTENTS PAGES Introduction . vii Aspiration . 1-3 9 Loyalty . 40-69 Awe and Reverence . 70-87 Joy . 88-101 Adoration . 102-118 Consecration . 1 19-150 Courage . 151-159 Praise . 160-175 Brotherliness . 176-193 Faith and Hope . 194-233 Compassion . 234-240 Comradeship . 241-262 Obedience . 263-290 Penitence . 291-305 Trust . 306-320 Gratitude . 321—352 Goodwill . 353-365 Special Days . 366-378 INTRODUCTION This book is designed for use in family worship as a guide to a brief service as the members of the family surround the table at the morning or the evening meal. How often in recent years have we heard ministers and others publicly deplore the decadence of the hallowed custom of family worship! I have long been persuaded that this is due to the changed conditions of our modern life more than to any other one cause. There is in these times probably no less appreciation of the importance and the sanctity of worship than in former times. Certainly, vital religion is not less prevalent among the people generally nor is there less sense of responsibility on the part of parents for the nurture of the religious life of their children. But conditions of life have radically changed. There is less of leisure. The members of the family are not together in the home for as many hours of the day as formerly. More than for any other reason family worship has declined because people have not known how to adapt its form to the seeming necessities of the new conditions and have not been supplied with simple, usable aids. Almost universally, Christian people assent to the importance of the custom. The majority freely express a sense of regret that it does not prevail in their own homes. When they are -asked why it is not observed many give as a reason the lack of sufficient time or of suitable time and their own inability to make a service of worship interesting and inspiring. If these obstacles may be overcome, it is possible, I believe — if our ministers will make the effort — to establish family worship in the majority of homes where both husband and wife are Christian people and in many other homes where only one parent is a professing Christian. The first reason, lack of sufficient time, is due in part at least to a misapprehension. It is possible for a service of worship — reverent, dignified and inspiring — to be conducted in the family circle in a very brief space of time, in five minutes if it is necessary to limit it to that, certainly in eight to ten minutes. The most available time is at the morning or the evening meal; either is entirely suitable. Every family ought to be together at one or the other occasion; there can be little sense of family unity unless this is made possible. There are few families where it would not be possible to extend the period of one or the other meal for five to ten minutes, to call the family to the breakfast table ten minutes earlier in the morning or to remain at the table for ten minutes following the evening meal. There are two generally prevailing causes which give weight to the third reason for the nonobservance of family worship. The first is that most people find difficulty in turning readily to appropriate Scripture pas¬ sages. They are familiar with a few favorite chapters. Apart from these they are at a loss how to proceed in selecting brief readings which offer variety, instruction, and inspiration. Granted that Christian people ought to be thoroughly familiar with the Scriptures, the fact remains that most of them are not. The second cause of failure in making the service of vii worship interesting and inspiring is the fact that great numbers of Christian people find expression in prayer difficult. The reason is not far to seek. The church has never given attention to training its young people in ex¬ tempore prayer. Consequently, when the attempt is made the language of prayer is faltering, or if the phrases come readily, there is likely to be a tendency to the repetition of time-worn petitions, and the result is stilted, formal, more or less meaningless utterances. What is needed in this situ¬ ation is a manual of devotion designed especially for use in family worship. Such a manual I have attempted to prepare, with what success I leave those to judge who use it in the manner intended. The Plan A brief statement is in order concerning the arrangement of material. A Thought for the Day is suggested for each day of the year. These are grouped under several general themes in order that, through repetition, there may be a development of those attitudes which are fundamental in worship and in the nurture of the devotional life. The Verse for the Day is for memorization. When there are children in the home it will usually be found possible to enlist them in learning a verse a day. The value of this for life can hardly be overestimated. In this connection the words of John Ruskin may well be recalled: “All that I have written, every greatness that there has been in any thought of mine, whatever has been done in my life, has been simply due to the fact that when I was a child my mother daily read with me a part of the Bible and daily made me learn a part of it by heart.” Similar testimony from other eminent men might readily be quoted. Comparatively slight special emphasis will avail to impress the verse on the mind, and a few repetitions will make it a permanent possession. Verse memorization should not be made a task and care should be taken that the children do not regard it as such. To do it under protest will, of course, detract from its value. If the parents them¬ selves take the trouble to memorize the verse, they will not only find the exercise profitable but will also by their example incite the children to do likewise. The Lesson for the Day will be found in every case to be directly related to the subject of meditation for the day. All parts of the Bible are repre¬ sented. I have, of course, drawn most heavily upon that supreme treasury of devotional expression, the Psalms. The quotations accompanying the Scripture readings are varied. Some are in the form of comments upon the Scripture; others supplement the thought of the biblical writer. My effort has been to reenforce and supple¬ ment the teaching of Scripture from a wide range of ancient and modern writers — master minds of all ages. The Prayer for the Day likewise is appropriate to the day’s thought or theme. I recognize that custom and feeling differ concerning the use of printed forms of prayer. With the Lord’s Prayer universally used through¬ out Christendom it would scarcely seem that a defense of the use of prayers to be read is necessary. It is agreed that prayer must be sincere and come from the heart, else it is not prayer, but as one has said “a spirit of devotion does not necessarily imply the ability always to give appropriate expression in words.” The prayers herein contained are offered for the use of those who find expression in prayer difficult or who at times desire to turn from an extempore prayer to the rich treasures of devotion found in petitions • • • vm of the friends of God of all ages. Whatever may have been one’s custom one should realize that it is far better reverently and thoughtfully to read a prayer that is an expression of lofty thought and deep devotion than to repeat phrases so worn and trite that they are empty and almost meaningless. Suggestions as to the Method of Use My purpose has been to make possible participation by all members of the family. The ideal should be for everyone to have an active part. Only as actual participation is secured, either audible or silent, does the service really become family worship. While one may follow the entire service attentively without audibly taking part in it, participation on the part of all is much more certain if each has some audible part. One, for example, may read the Scripture, a second read the accompanying selection, all together repeat the verse for the day, and a third, perhaps usually the father, offer the prayer. Or, one of the older children may read the printed prayer and the father or mother follow with a few sentences of extempore prayer. Always it is in order for all to repeat together the Lord’s Prayer or seme familiar words of grace. Following the service, appropriate conversation should be encouraged. Some comment on the Scripture or the accompanying quotation in line with the thought for the day may be made in such a way as to stimulate conversation. Either parent may ask a question or perhaps a series of questions designed to develop a group judgment on the thought for the day. Some effort may be required, but, even so, is it not worth while if thereby dignified, reverent, thoughtful conversation may take the place of the gossip and nonsense which so often form the staple of table talk, even in intelligent Christian family circles? A More Personal Word Credit for the plan of this book is very largely due to my revered personal friend, the late Bishop John H. Vincent. Years ago, through the use in our own home of his The Table Altar: Meditations for a Month of Mornings , the thought came to me that a more extended work consisting not merely of Scripture readings and prayers for a month but of more elab¬ orated services for an entire }^ear would be a valuable means of cultivating the spirit of devotion in the homes of Christian people. Gradually the plan of the present book was evolved and long ago the collection of material was begun. The work of compilation has occupied fragments of time through the intervening years — evening hours as a change from the routine of the day’s work, days of vacation, odd hours and margins of time on trains or in stations waiting for connections — always a labor of love and a means of devotion. A wide variety of sources has been drawn upon for the prayers as well as for the readings which accompany the Scripture selections. Some few of the prayers date from the Middle Ages — those, for example, from the Mozarabic Sacramentary (known to have been in circulation before 700 A.D.), from Saint Anselm, Thomas a Kempis, and others. The period of the Reformation is represented by prayers of Martin Luther, Melanchthon, Calvin, and Knox. The era of the Evangelical revival supplies a few, includ¬ ing several of the prayers of John Wesley and of Whitefield. Through their devout petitions many of the scholars and popular religious leaders of the nineteenth century now fallen on sleep, though they are dead, yet speak. IX Selections have been taken from more than fifty collections of prayers, the larger number of which, out of print, are accessible only in libraries; some, by the generous permission of compilers and publishers, are from books printed in recent years and still in circulation. These are listed in the acknowledg¬ ment, elsewhere printed. Some of the prayers which are printed without credit I have been unable to identify; some I have adapted from various sources and others I have myself written. In the process of editing prayers from the agelong literature of devotion I have not ventured to make many editorial changes, even though in some cases the language is somewhat archaic, except to abbreviate those which in their original form were too long, or to change from the singular to the plural, in order to adapt to family worship, prayers which in the original were the expression of individual aspiration, praise, or petition. Wade Crawford Barclay. x ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The publication of A Book of W orship as issued would have been impossible without the generous cooperation of authors and publishers who have given permission for the use of copyrighted material. Special acknowledgment is due to the following: A. S. Barnes & Co. for W. Russell Bowie — Hymn, “O Holy City, Seen of John,” from Social Hymns. Robert Davis — Hymn, “I Thank Thee, Lord, for Strength of Arm,” from Social Hymns. Congregational Publishing Society for Walter Rauschenbusch — Prayers, from Prayers of the Social Awakening. The Continent for Henry van Dyke — Hymn, “O Lord, Our God, Thy Mighty Hand.” William P. Merrill — Hymn, “We Knelt Before Kings.” Hymn, “Rise Up, O Men of God.” Thomas Y. Crowell Company for J. R. Miller — Prayer, “O God, Our Heavenly Father, We Thy Children Come Now to Thy Feet.” Detroit Free Press for Elizabeth York Case — “There is No Unbelief.” Dodd, Mead & Co. for Lyman Abbott — Prayers, from For Family TV orship. Samuel McComb — Prayers, from A Book of Prayers for Public and Personal Use. George H. Doran Company for John Oxenham — “A Little Word,” from The Vision Splendid. Harper & Brothers for Edward S. Martin — “I pray thee, Lord, when it comes to me.” PIoughton Mifflin Company (by permission of and by special arrangement) . John Hay — “Not in dumb resignation we lift our hands on high.” James Russell Lowell — “And for success I ask no more than this.” — “For this true nobleness I seek in vain.” — “Count me o’er life’s chosen heroes.” — “Then to side with truth is noble.” — “Have ye founded your thrones and altars then,” from A Parable. — “The Holy Supper Is Kept Indeed,” from The Vision of Sir Launfal. E. R. Sill — “Forenoon and afternoon, and night.” — “Yet we must give the children leave to use.” Ralph Waldo Emerson — “For flowers that bloom about our feet.” Oliver Wendell Holmes — Hymn, “O Love Divine.” xi Little, Brown & Company for Dillon Bronson — Prayer from The Optimist’s Good Morning. Edward Everett Hale — Prayer from The Optimist’s Good M orning. Lothrop, Lee, and Shepard Company for Sam Walter Foss — “Let Me Live in a House by the Side of the Road,’’ from Dreams in Homespun. Edwin Markham for — “The crest and crowning of all good,” from The Man with the Hoe and Other Poems. Missionary Education Movement for Robert W. Rogers — Prayer, For Peace, from Thy Kingdom Come. Charles Stelzle — Prayer, For Workingmen, from Thy Kingdom Come. Sidney L. Gulick — Prayer, For International Brotherhood, from Thy Kingdom Come. Presbyterian Board of Publication and Sabbath Scliool Work for Andrew C. Zenos — Prayer, “O Thou Whose Name Is Love,” from Day After Day. Fi /EMing H. Revell Company for Henry Ward Beecher — Prayers, from A Book of Public Prayer. Survey Associates for W. Russell Bowie — Hymn, “God of the Nations Who from Dawn of Days.” Marland W. Rollins for Alice Wellington Rollins — “My faith begins where your religion ends.” Yale University Press for William Alexander Percy — “I heard a bird at break of day.” Many verses and prose quotations have been taken from books and periodicals which give no indication of original source. Effort has been made without success to identify quotations printed anonymously. Possibly in spite of the precaution taken, in some few cases there may have been failure to obtain permission for the use of copyrighted material. If, due to oversight or error, any copyright has been inadvertently infringed, I can only express sincere regret and apology. A large number of quotations, both prose and verse, and by far the larger proportion of the prayers are from British and other foreign authors. Heavy draft has been made upon the writings of Robert Browning, Eliza¬ beth Barrett Browning, Charles Kingsley, Richard Chenevix Trench, George Macdonald, John Henry Newman, F. W. Robertson, Arthur P. Stanley, John Ruskin, Frederick W. Faber, William Cowper, F. W. Farrar, F. D. Maurice, George Herbert, and numerous other writers of note. Among the manuals of devotion and collections of prayers published in Great Britain which have been used as sources, the following are noted : Ancient Collects, Bright, London; Collection of Prayers, Bunsen, London, 1871 I The Book of Private Devotion, A Series of Prayers and Meditations, chiefly from the writings of Hannah More, Robert Carter and Brothers, London, 1869; The Daily Prayer Book, Stoughton, London, Hodder and Stoughton, 1870; Prayers , by George Dawson, London, Kegan Paul, Trench xu & Co., 1882; Family Prayers of the Church of Scotland , Edinburgh, William Blackwood & Sons, 1870; Home Prayers , by James Martineau, London, Longmans, Green & Co., 1913; Prayers from the Poets, Magnus, Edin¬ burgh and London, William Blackwood & Sons, 1899. To all those who have contributed to the enrichment of this manual of devotions the thanks of the compiler are hereby extended. c ASPIRATION JANUARY i iSetones# ot Hitt tn CSttsrt (Ot tjjt “Wherefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature: the old things are passed away; behold, they are become new.” — 2 Corinthians 5- I7* JLt&$on (ot tfjt &>ag: Philip plans 3. 7-^12. 7 Howbeit what things were gain to me, these have I counted loss for Christ. 8 Yea verily, and I count all things to be loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but refuse, that I may gain Christ, 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of mine own, even that which is of the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith: 10 that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, becoming con¬ formed unto his death; n if by any means I may attain unto the resurrection from the dead. 12 Not that I have already obtained, or am already made perfect: but I press on, if so be that I may lay hold on that for which also I was laid hold on by Christ Jesus. “Let us pray for a new birth, not as one experience, but as the perpetual experience of our lives; for such nearness to our God that every day he shall give us something more of himself, be something more to us, so that being ourselves forever new, the whole world may forever have richness and abundance and variety and beauty and interest and joy and education to give us, as long as we live. So may we enter upon a new year with the promise of a new life.” — Phillips Brooks. “I call on you to give this day to a serious review of your life, of what you have been living for, and of what you purpose henceforth to live for. Give one day to this, and let it be this first day of the year: at least begin the year aright. Here you stand at the parting of the ways: some road you are to take; and as you stand here, con¬ sider and know how it is that you intend to live. Carry no bad habits, no corrupt¬ ing 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. ^ZZilpZZ (0t tjjt “Our heavenly Father, thou who art the eternal and unchangeable God, with whom there is no beginning of days or end of years, we humble ourselves in the presence of him who liveth forever and ever. With gratitude in our hearts and thanksgiving upon our lips, our Father, we look back on all the way whereby thou hast led us, and on all the benefits which we have received at thy bountiful hand. From day to day, and from year to year, thou hast preserved our lives and given us richly all things to enjoy. With thankfulness we acknowledge that hitherto thou hast helped us, and that goodness and mercy have followed us all the days of our lives. Impart unto us the grace of thy Holy Spirit, whereby we may be enabled to bring forth fruits meet for repentance, and by sober, righteous and godly lives to glorify thy blessed name. Renew us, O God, in the spirit of our minds and grant that at this new year we may realize newness of life in Christ, our Lord. For his Name’s sake.” Amen. 1 ASPIRATION JANUARY 2 Heatmng to pta# fOt tj)C SDitpt “Lord, teach us to pray.” — Luke n. I. n tot tfje&ap: Matthew 6. 5—15. 5 And when ye pray, ye shall not be as the hypocrites: for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have received their reward. 6 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. 7 And in praying use not vain repetitions, as the Gentiles do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. 8 Be not therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of before ye ask him. 9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven so on earth. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. 14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your tres¬ passes. “We doubt the word that tells us, — Ask, And ye shall have your prayer; We turn our thoughts as to a task, With will constrained and rare. “And yet we have; these scanty prayers Yield gold without alloy; O God! but he that trusts and dares Must have a boundless joy.” — George Macdonald. “We pray without ceasing when we unceasingly retain true love and true desire in our hearts. Love, hidden in the soul, prays constantly, even when the mind is drawn another way.” — Anonymous. ^btoytt fOL “O Lord, we know not what we should ask of thee. Thou only knowest what we need ; and thou lovest us better than we can love ourselves. O Lord, give to us, who desire to be thy children, what is proper, whatsoever it may be. We dare not ask either crosses or com¬ forts. We only present ourselves before thee; we open our hearts to thee. Behold, our wants, which we are ignorant of : but do thou behold, and do according to thy mercy. Smite or heal ; depress or raise up ; we adore all thy purposes, without knowing them; we are silent, we offer ourselves in sacrifice. We abandon ourselves to thee, having no greater desire than to accomplish thy will. Teach us to pray. Pray thou thyself in us.” Amen. — Fenelon (1651-1715). 2 ASPIRATION JANUARY 3 TSiblz &£ a Source ot pergonal potoet U£tg£ tot tf)£ SDa^t “Take . . . the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” — Ephesians 6. 17. 2£eggon tot t fit 2Dag: Psalm 19. 7-1 1. 7 The law of Jehovah is perfect, restoring the soul: The testimony of Jehovah is sure, making wise the simple. 8 The precepts of Jehovah are right, rejoicing the heart: The commandment of Jehovah is pure, enlightening the eyes. 9 The fear of Jehovah is clean, enduring for ever: The ordinances of Jehovah are true, and righteous alto¬ gether. 10 More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the droppings of the honey¬ comb. 11 Moreover by them is thy servant warned: In keeping them there is great reward. “There are great problems before the American people. There are problems which need purity of spirit and integrity of purpose such as have never been called for before in the history of this country. I should be afraid to go forward if I did not believe that there lay at the foundation of all our schooling and of all our thought this incomparable and unimpeachable Word of God. If we cannot derive our strength thence, there is no source from which we can derive it, and so I would bid you go from this place, if I may, inspired once more with the feeling that the providence of God is the foundation of affairs, and that only those can guide, and only those can follow, who take this providence of God from the sources where it is authentically interpreted. “I beseech all my fellow believers to ponder this matter. By the blessing of God, I ascribe to Bible study the help and strength which I have had from God to pass in peace through deeper trials, in various ways, than I had ever had before; and after having now above fourteen years tried this way, I can most fully, invthe fear of God, commend it. A soul that has been refreshed and made happy early in the morning meets the service, the trials, and the temptations of the day with a power how differ¬ ent from that of one that has had no spiritual preparation.” — Woodrow Wilson. Pta^tt (Ot tl)£ jSDajL “We thank thee, O heavenly Father, for thy holy Word. Imprint and seal it, O God, in our hearts, that we may act by it; and live and die by it. Grant us to grow and increase day by day in the knowledge of thee; and let not this knowledge be ours alone, but let it be spread abroad among other nations, that it may touch and water our hearts and those of all our fellow men, even as the rain and the snow water and fertilize the earth. So may we learn to know thee, the Eternal God, aright, to call on thee and to praise thee; and grant us in whatever we do or leave undone to make thy holy commandments our guiding rule. O thou all-suf¬ ficient God, in thee alone can our hearts find rest, and in thy favor is our highest joy. Lord, if we have thee, we have enough. Thy favor is life. Keep us in this peace which passeth all understanding. Strengthen us in all trials by the inner comfort of thy Holy Spirit and grant us at last to behold thy face in righteousness, and to be satisfied from thy eternal fullness.” Amen. 3 ASPIRATION JANUARY 4 iprapet to i fyt €f\ui cj tot tfje £Da#: “I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you the inheritance among all them that are sanctified.” — Acts 20. 32. Acts 14. 19-23. 19 But there came Jews thither from Antioch and Iconium: and having persuaded the multitudes, they stoned Paul, and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead. 20 But as the disciples stood round about him, he rose up and entered into the city: and on the morrow he went forth with Barnabas to Derbe. 21 And when they had preached the gospel to that city, and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, and to Iconium, and to Antioch, 22 confirming the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that through many tribulations we must enter into the kingdom of God. 23 And when they had appointed for them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they had believed. “Oh! where are kings and empires now Of old that went and came? But, Lord, thy church is praying yet, A thousand years the same.” “Let not our hearts be troubled. The Church of Christ was not built on the shifting sand, but founded deep in the living rock. Century after century the rain has descended and the floods risen, and the winds blown and beaten upon it. Century after century the tide of assaulting criticism has ebbed, to rush up again with fiercer surges and more apparently resistless force. But look again. The rock is there, un¬ shaken still. It is but the blustering waves which have been shattered into spray, and dashed into a briny mist upon the winds.” — Frederick IV. Farrar. / Pt Olfftt f0t t!)C “O our Father, bless us and make us a blessing. May our conduct be such as becometh thy servants and thy children. May religion be a reality with us. May it be our stay in trouble, our support through life and the very joy of our hearts. May we not only be Chris¬ tians but holy, happy, rejoicing Christians. Give us that best of all knowl¬ edge, to know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. Bless the church to which we belong and make us true and faithful mem¬ bers of it. Be with the bishops and pastors of thy flock. Give them wisdom and piety and singleness of heart. Clothe thy ministers with righteousness. O thou great and good Shepherd, be with those whom thou sendest forth and enable them faithfully to feed the flocks committed to their care. Let thy blessing rest upon every member of our church, especially those with whom we worship. Add to their number daily such as shall be saved. Heal, O Lord, the unhappy divisions of thy church and make us more united. Hasten the time when we shall be one fold, under one Shepherd. Lord, hear us, and bless us, and be with us, for our Saviour’s sake.” Amen. — Ashton Oxenden. Adapted (1808-1892). 4 ASPIRATION JANUARY 5 8e £>ouV0 f&tiiz&t anti &>attetaction $££££ (Ot tf)£ SDa^t “My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God.” — Psalm 42. 2. fot tljt £Dag: Psalm 63. 1—7. 1 O God, thou art my God ; earnestly will I seek thee : My soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee, In a dry and weary land, where no water is. 2 So have I looked upon thee in the sanctuary, To see thy power and thy glory. 3 Because thy loving-kindness is better than life, My lips shall praise thee. 4 So will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name. 5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; And my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips; 6 When I remember thee upon my bed, And meditate on thee in the night-watches. 7 For thou hast been my help, And in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice. “Do we thirst for God? As the days and months and years pass, do we ever look out of and beyond ourselves upon that vast ocean of Uncreated Life which encircles us, which penetrates our inmost selves? Do we ever think steadily, so as to dwell with a real intellectual interest, upon him who is the first and highest of Truths, to whose free bounty we ourselves owe the gift of existence, and to whom we must one day account for our use of it? Do we ever sincerely desire to love him, and to live for him, or are we hurrying along our solitary path, from one vanishing shape toward another, while we neglect the Alone Unchangeable? Be sure that if we will, in God revealed in Christ, the soul may slake the thirst of the ages; and the dreariest, and darkest, and most restless existence may find illumination and peace.’’ — Henry Parry Liddon. y&ZSiytZ fOt “O God of our life, thou who hast created us, our souls thirst for thee. Apart from thee we find no enduring satisfaction. We cannot feed our souls on material things. In thee alone do we find the answer to our needs. Satisfy us early with thy mercy. Pour out thy Spirit on all who seek thee, that they may praise thee who art the health of their countenance. Unto them that fear thy name may the Sun of Righteousness arise with healing in his wings. When the enemies of our faith reproach us, and we are sorely cast down, forget us not. Chase away the shadows of doubt and give us songs in the night. Visit those who are in the far land of sorrow and trouble and all whose sins have made them exiles from thy joy. When deep calleth to deep, and all thy waves and billows go over their souls, remember them, and bring them again into the light of thy presence. Magnify thy righteousness and thy grace in every land. Accom¬ pany the preaching of the gospel with demonstration of the Spirit and power from on high ; and fulfill the purpose of thy love and establish thy kingdom. We ask it in the everlasting name.” Amen. 5 ASPIRATION JANUARY 6 CSrtet && tfjt ^EDrutfi tPtz&t for tfie Soap: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.” — John 14. 6. fLt&gon fot tfjeSDap: John 1.14—18. 14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father), full of grace and truth. 15 John beareth witness of him, and crieth, saying, This was he of whom I said, He that cometh after me is become before me: for he was before me. 16 For of his fulness we all received, and grace for grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. “The Gospel of John tells us most of what we want to know about the mind of Jesus. The word ‘truth’ is found upon the lips of Jesus only in that book. ... A word of Jesus which most impressed the most sympathetic and spiritual of his disciples will admit us into his heart. It is a word of the intellect. When we find it constantly in the record of that disciple who understood him best, we know that he cared for the intellect of man, that he was not satisfied simply to win man’s affection by kindness, or govern man’s will by authority, but also wished to persuade man’s mind with truth.” — Phillips Brooks. “I have come back again and again to an intensive study of Jesus at intervals of years, and every time he has been to me a fresh revelation, bringing to me a sense of mental exhilaration and a new sense of joy in truth. The main thing to me is the personality of Jesus, his religious and ethical insight into the nature and needs of the social life of mankind, the vital power of religious conviction which he was able to put behind righteousness, and the historical force which he set going through history.” — Walter Rauschenbusch. pta yet tot t fit SDap: “ O Lord, we worship thee as the Eternal Wisdom. Thou art the incarnate Word, the divine Truth of God, through whom grace and truth came to man. No other voice like thine has been heard in all the ages. Thou art the teacher come from God. Help us, we pray thee, that we may have open minds and eager hearts. May our souls be attentive and obedient to thy teaching and guidance. Be thou to us the way, the truth, and the life. So shall we find in thee the answer to our every need. So shalt thou be to us our all and in all. If our lives here may be filled with truth; if we may follow thee every day, living as thou wouldst have us live, loving what thou wouldst have us love — if, indeed, thou mayst live again in us, then shall thy kingdom be come in us, then shall heaven be begun below. Even so come, Lord Jesus. We worship thee, we wait for thee, we adore thee, we acknowledge thee as Lord and Saviour. Blessed Master, hear our prayer.” Amen. 6 ASPIRATION JANUARY 7 Cfje Character C3ots Ifttqtuteg tot tf)l£ SDajU “He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth Jehovah require of thee, but to do justly, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with thy God?” — Micah 6. 8. £on tot t!)c £>ap: Psalm 15. 1 Jehovah, who shall sojourn in thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell in thy holy hill? 2 He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, And speaketh truth in his heart; 3 He that slandereth not with his tongue, Nor doeth evil to his friend, Nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbor; 4 In whose eyes a reprobate is despised, But who honoreth them that fear Jehovah; He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not; 5 He that putteth not out his money to interest. Nor taketh reward against the innocent. He that doeth these things shall never be moved. “Think truly, and thy thoughts Shall the world’s lamine 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.” — Horatius Bonar. “Live for something. Do good, and leave behind you a monument of virtue that the storm of time can never destroy. Write your name in kindness, love, and mercy on the hearts of thousands you come into contact with year after year. Good deeds will shine as the stars of heaven.” — Thomas Chalmers. fOt tf)C “Lord, work in our hearts a true faith, a purifying hope, and an unfeigned love toward thee; give us a full trust on thee, zeal for thee, reverence of all things that relate to thee. Make us fearful to offend thee, thankful for thy mercies, humble under thy corrections, devout in thy service, and sorrowful for our sins, and grant that in all things we may behave ourselves so, as befits a creature to his Creator, a servant to his Lord. . . . Make us diligent in all our duties, watchful against all temptations, perfectly pure and temperate, and so moderate in thy most lawful enjoyments, that they may never become a snare to us; make us also, O Lord, to be so affected toward our neighbors that we never transgress that royal law of thine of loving him as ourselves; grant us exactly to per¬ form all parts of justice, yielding to all whatsoever by any kind of right becomes their due, and give us such mercy and compassion, that we may never fail to do all acts of charity to all men, whether friends or enemies, according to thy command and example.” Amen. — Thomas a Kempis (1379-1471)- 7 ASPIRATION JANUARY 8 ^attaining tge JftiU statute of S^anljooti fot tf)t SDajty “Be not children in mind: yet in malice be ye babes, but in mind be men.” — I Corinthians 14. 20. SC«2»!^OnfOtt6eSDa^: Ephesians 4. 11-16. ir ii And he gave some to be apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 12 for the per¬ fecting of the saints, unto the work of ministering, unto the building up of the body of Christ; 13 till we all attain unto the unity of faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a full-grown man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ; 14 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; 15 but speaking truth in love, may grow up in all things into him, who is the head, even Christ; 16 from whom all the body fitly framed and knit together through that which every joint supplieth, according to the work¬ ing in due measure of each several part, maketh the increase of the body unto the building up of itself in love. “What was that blessedness of which it was said that ‘for the joy that was set before Him/ Christ ‘endured the Cross, despising the shame/ and in the anticipation of which he saw of the travail of his soul, and was satisfied? What but this, that from his life and death was to go forth to mankind through all coming ages a redeeming, saving power, never to be arrested till the human race should grow up to the divine ideal of perfection, to ‘the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ’?” — John Caird. “Let this and every dawn of morning be to you as the beginning of life, and let every setting sun be to you as its close; let every one of these short lives leave its sure record of some kindly thing done for others, some goodly strength or knowledge gained for yourselves; so, from day to day and strength to strength, you shall build up, by art, by thought, and by just will, an Ecclesia of which it shall not be said, ‘See what manner of stones are here!’ but, ‘See what manner of men!’ ” — John Ruskin. Ptapet for tfje 2Dag ♦ “We confess unto thee, O God, how weak we are in ourselves, how powerless to do the work of life, how prone to selfishness and sin. We beseech thee to grant us strength, the strength of thy Spirit, the power of thy Christ, wherein we can do all things. Enable us thus to repress every selfish propensity, every willful purpose, every unkind feeling, every thought and word and deed of anger and impatience, and to cherish perfect love, constant kindness, to think pure thoughts, to speak gentle words, to do helpful and generous deeds. Raise our minds to the contem¬ plation of thy beloved Son, that, seeing his divine beauty, we may be drawn near unto him, and changed into his image, and empowered to bring every thought into obedience to Christ, into harmony to his Spirit and his immortal life; for his sake we ask it.” Amen. — Thomas E. Stone (b. 1801). 8 ASPIRATION JANUARY 9 pairing tlyz 9?mti ot Cfjrtet iPettfe tot fyz 2Dag: But if any man hath not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.” — Romans 8. 9. (ot ti)( iSDag; Philippians 2. 5-1 1. 5 Have this mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 who existing in the form of God, counted not the being on an equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men; 8 and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, becom¬ ing obedient even unto death, yea, the death of the cross. 9 Where¬ fore also God highly exalted him, and gave unto him the name which is above every name; 10 that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven and things on earth and things under the earth, n and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. “In 1725 I resolved to dedicate my life to God: all my thoughts, words, and actions being thoroughly convinced there was no medium, but that every part ot my life must be either a sacrifice to God, or to myself, that is, in effect, to the devil. In 1726 the religion of the heart appeared to me in a stronger light. I saw that simplicity of inten¬ tion, purity of affection, one design in all we say or do, and one desire, ruling our tem¬ pers are the wings of the soul, without which we can never ascend to the mount of God. In 1729 I saw in a clearer light the necessity of having the mind which was in Christ, and of walking as he walked, not only in most respects, but in all things.” — • John Wesley (died March 2, 1781). “Christianity is not a religion of rules. It is the religion of the divine example. Try to follow the blessed steps of the most holy life. Take his advice. Ask yourself, in the moment of perplexity or temptation, what would he do it he were here? Nothing else will so surely lead 11s into the way of holy living.” — George Hodges. Ptapet (or tlje SDap: Thou, O Jesus, didst forsake thine heavenly com¬ pany and of thy great love didst come into the world, and take the form of man, and bear all his sorrows and troubles and sins. Thou didst bear the weary lot of life; thou didst bear the pangs of Gethsemane and the anguish of the cross. Greater love hath no man than that he lay down his life for his friends ; but thou didst lay thine down for thine enemies. All the power of thy nature went forth for others. And now thou hast left thy commandment that we are to walk in thy steps. We are to live, not unto ourselves, but unto thee, and for the sake of those whom we love and for the sake of those who count themselves our enemies. Behold, O Christ, how far we come from this our high calling. Behold how we strive, each for his own good, and each to advance himself or to build his own. See how little we have of disinterestedness, of love for others, of the spirit of sacrifice for others’ good. O blessed Lord, have mercy upon us. As thou dost love us, inspire us by thine own Spirit. O may we yet come to have this mind in us which was also in Christ Jesus. Help us that at last we may have the witness of our consciences that by the grace of God we have been enabled to live nearer, both to the spirit and the example of our Master. In thy name, O Christ. Amen. 9 ASPIRATION JANUARY io Hobt to C(jn0t Pet#* (or t!)e £Da#: “ Simon, son of John, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee,” — John 21. 16. Heston fottljeiaDap: John 14. 21-24. 21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself unto him. 22 Judas (not Iscariot) saith unto him, Lord, what is come to pass that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? 23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my word: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. 24 He that loveth me not keepeth not my words: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s who sent me. “Once earthly joy I craved, Sought peace and rest; Now thee alone I seek, Give what is best: This all my prayer shall be, More love, O Christ, to thee, More love to thee.” — Elizabeth P. Prentiss. “To me Jesus is the Wonderful, the Counselor, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Before him I bow, crying out as I look up to his wounded side, ‘My Lord and my God!’ There is no reverence that I have that goes beyond the reverence I give to him; there is no reverence I ever knew that goes beyond the love I want to offer him; there is no loyalty I have to any being, seen or unseen, known or imagined, that transcends the reverence and the loyalty I wish to pay to him. He is my Lord. He is my Master. I am sorry I do not understand him better; I am sorry I do not love him more; I am sorry my capacity for reverence is so slight; I am sorry I follow him so far off; but he is my all and in all; I have no thought of God that runs beyond him; I have no reverence or affection that ever transcends or can transcend what I want to lay at his feet.” — Lyman Abbott. (Ot tj)* O most gracious Lord Jesus Christ, pour into our souls the most precious gift of thy love, that our hearts may ever long for thee, and desire to be in thy courts and to live with thee. Grant that our souls may hunger after thee, who art full of all pleasure and delight. May we ever thirst for thee, the fountain of life and light. Let us seek thee and find thee, think of thee and speak of thee, and do all things to the praise and glory of thy holy name. Be thou our hope and joy, our rest and peace, our refuge and help, our wisdom and treasure, both now and ever¬ more. Amen. IO ASPIRATION JANUARY ii Conqueroi# Cfjrtet (0t tf)£ £DilJU “Thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” — i Corinthians 15. 57. %Z$£ ion lot tl )Z 2Dag; Romans 8. 31-35, 37~39- 31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not also with him freely give us all things? 33 Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth; 34 who is he that condemneth? It is Christ Jesus that died, yea rather, that was raised from the dead, who is at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or anguish, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? . . . 37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 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. ‘Fight the good fight with all thy might, Christ is thy strength, and Christ thy right; Lay hold on life, and it shall be Thy joy and crown eternally. “Faint not, fear not, his arms are near, He changeth not and thou art dear; Only believe, and thou shalt see That Christ is all in all to thee. “Run the straight race through God’s good grace, Lift up thine eyes and seek his face; Life with its way before thee lies, Christ is the path and Christ the prize.” • — John S. B. Monsell. f0t ff)Z “Blessed Lord, who art of power to establish us according to thy gospel, strengthen our hearts that we fall not from our steadfastness. Hold thou us up, and so we shall be safe. . . . What¬ ever of sin or of infirmity thou seest in us, O Lord, forgive it, and help us to overcome it. Whatever of good thy grace may have wrought in us, be pleased to confirm and complete it unto the day of Christ. . . . O thou , that savest by thy right hand them that put their trust in thee from those that rise up against them, grant us defense and deliverance, . . . that we may in all things be more thaji conquerors through him that loved us. Keep us steadfast and immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord ; and enable us to be faithful unto death, that we may receive the crown of life. In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour.” Amen. — Family Prayers , Church of Scotland (1870). II ASPIRATION JANUARY 12 attempting (feat ^fung# foe (Bob Peegit foe tije SDa^l “And I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then I said, Here am I; send me.” — Isaiah 6. 8. Heston foe ttje SDag: Joshua 1. 1, 2, 5, 6, 9. 1 Now it came to pass after the death of Moses the servant of Jehovah, that Jehovah spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ minister, saying, 2 Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel. ... 5 There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee; I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. 6 Be strong and of good courage; for thou shalt cause this people to inherit the land which I sware unto their fathers to give them. ... 9 Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of good courage; be not affrighted, neither be thou dismayed: for Jehovah thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest. “In life’s small things be resolute and great To keep thy muscle trained; knowest thou when Fate Thy measure takes, or when she’ll say to thee, ‘I find thee worthy; do this deed for me?’ ” — Jaynes Russell Lowell. “Knock impossibilities on the head. Do it now. God with you. You’ll get through.” — Sir Douglas Haig. “Who would sit down and whine for a lost Age of Gold While the Lord of all ages is here? True hearts will leap up at the trumpet of God, And those who can suffer can dare.” — Charles Kingsley. fOt tf)t SD&JH O Lord, our God, dost not thy voice still speak, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” May it not be that thou art even now calling us to undertake some great task for thee? O Lord we pray that our ears may be open to hear thy call; that our hearts may be eager and ready to respond to thee. May we not wait for some great opportunity to offer; make us as diligent to perform whatsoever our hands find to do. Aid us by thy grace, that all our work may be begun, continued, and ended in thee. Preserve us from covetousness and from jealousy. Keep us true and honest, gentle and loving in all the relation¬ ships of life. Give us the spirit of sympathy toward all those who toil with us or for us. Help us to bear one another’s burdens. May all with whom we come into contact find encouragement and inspiration in our ex¬ ample and fellowship. If losses and disappointments come to us, may we neither be embittered nor caused to lose faith in thee. Thus whatever our lot in life may we glorify thee in what we do and what we are. In the name of our Master. Amen. 12 ASPIRATION JANUARY 13 hefting flftltsrtiom Per &t tor tjje SDap: “I am understanding. . . . And those that seek me diligently shall find me.” — Proverbs 8. 14b, 17b. for tfjeSDap: Proverbs 2. I— 9. 1 My son, if thou wilt receive my words, And lay up my commandments with thee; 2 So as to incline thine ear unto wisdom, And apply thy heart to understanding; 3 Yea, if thou cry after discernment, And lift up thy voice for understanding; 4 If thou seek her as silver, And search for her as for hid treasures: 5 Then shalt thou understand the fear of Jehovah, And find the knowledge of God. 6 For Jehovah giveth wisdom; Out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding: 7 He layeth up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to them that walk in integrity; 8 That he may guard the paths of justice, And preserve the way of his saints. * 9 Then shalt thou understand righteousness and justice, And equity, yea, every good path. “Mighty One, before whose face Wisdom had her glorious seat, When the orbs that people space Sprang to birth beneath thy feet! “Source of truth, whose rays alone Light the mighty world of mind! God of love, who from thy throne Kindly watchest all mankind! “Shed on those who in thy name Teach the way of truth and right, Shed that love’s undying flame, Shed that wisdom’s guiding light.” — William Cullen Bryant. y&l&ytZ fOt tf)Z SDttgi “Almighty, everlasting God, source of all light and life, hear our prayers. With all our hearts we would seek after wisdom . Grant, we beseech thee, to enlighten our understanding with true wisdom, that knowledge which cometh from thee, that we may know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. May we love thee with unfeigned sincerity and obey thee with a willing mind. Free us, we beseech thee, from all servile fear, that we may find our happiness in doing our duty, and from overconfidence in self that we may constantly recognize our depend¬ ence upon thee. Guide us, we pray thee, in the paths of justice and righteous¬ ness, through Jesus Christ, our Lord.” Amen. 13 ASPIRATION JANUARY 14 Perfecting flDu t JFattS $eC£»e fflt tf)Z “Looking unto Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.” — Hebrews 12. 2. Ee££on toz tljeSDap: 1 Peter I. 3—9. 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his great mercy begat us again unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 unto an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who by the power of God are guarded through faith unto a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, ye have been put to grief in manifold trials, 7 that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold that perisheth though it is proved by fire, may be found unto praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ: 8 whom not having seen ye love ; on whom, though now ye see him not., yet believing, ye rejoice greatly with joy unspeakable and full of glory: 9 receiv¬ ing the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. “Strong Son of God, immortal Love, Whom we, that have not seen thy face. By faith, and faith alone, embrace, Believing where we cannot prove; “Thou seemest human and divine, The highest, holiest manhood, thou; Our wills are ours, we know not how; Our wills are ours, to make them thine. “Our little systems have their day; They have their day and cease to be. They are but broken lights of thee, And thou, 0 Lord, art more than they. “We have but faith: we cannot know, For knowledge is of things we see; And yet we trust it comes from thee, A beam in darkness; let it grow.” — Alfred Tennyson _ Pta^et f0t tf)C “O Lord Jesus Christ, author and perfecter of our faith, perfect , we beseech thee , the faith of us who believe , and sow the good seed of faith in their hearts who as yet lack it ; that we all may look steadfastly unto thee, and run with patience the race that is set before us. Give us grace to show our faith by our works; be faith to us, evidence of things unseen ; teach us to walk by faith, having respect unto the promises ; which of thy mercy make good to us in thine own good time, O our most gracious Lord God and Saviour.” Amen. — Christina G. Rossetti (1830- 1894). 14 ASPIRATION JANUARY 15 SDdibetance Jftom Sill Ctul for,t§e SDap; ‘ ‘And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of Jehovah shall be delivered.” — Joel 2. 32. ^e^onfoctljeSDap: Psalm 3 4. 15-22. 15 The eyes of Jehovah are toward the righteous, And his ears are open unto their cry. 16 The face of Jehovah is against them that do evil, To cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. 17 The righteous cried, and Jehovah heard, And delivered them out of all their troubles. 18 Jehovah is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart, And saveth such as are of a contrite spirit. 19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous; But Jehovah delivereth him out of them all. 20 He keepeth all his bones: Not one of them is broken. 21 Evil shall slay the wicked; And they that hate the righteous shall be condemned. 22 Jehovah redeemeth the soul of his servants; And none of them that take refuge in him shall be con¬ demned. “Between us and thyself remove Whatever hindrances may be, That so our inmost heart may prove A holy temple, meet for thee.” — Latin Manuscripts of Fifteenth Century. “Make sure that however good you may be you have faults, that however dull you may be you can find out what they are, and that however slight they may be you would better make some patient effort to get quit of them.” — John Ruskin. “Holy living is transcendently dearer to God, and more necessary for man, than theoretic orthodoxy and outward conformities.” — Frederick W. Farrar. Pta^tt (DC tI)C £Da£H “O God, the Father of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, whose name is great, whose nature is blissful, whose goodness is inexhaustible, thou God and Master of all things, who art blessed forever: . sanctify, O Lord, our souls and bodies and spirits, and touch our apprehensions and search out our consciences, and cast out of us every evil thought, every base desire, all envy, and pride, and hypocrisy, all falsehood, all deceit, all worldly anxiety, all covetousness, vainglory, and sloth, all malice, all wrath, all anger, all remembrance of injuries, all blasphemy, and every motion of the flesh and spirit that is contrary to thy holy will. And grant us, O Lord, the Lover of man, with freedom, without condemnation, with a pure heart and contrite soul, without confusion of face and with sanctified lips, boldly to call upon thee, our holy God and Father who art in heaven.” Amen. — Liturgy of Saint James. 15 ASPIRATION JANUARY 16 JUbrng tn Constant JfdIoto0J)tp CLdlttg (Bob tot tl)£ “Our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.” — I John i. 3. E*££0nf0ttbe2Dap: John 17. 1-3, 20-23. i These things spake Jesus; and lifting up his eyes to heaven, he said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that the Son may glorify thee: 2 even as thou gavest him authority over all flesh, that to all whom thou hast given him, he should give eternal life. 3 And this is life eternal, that they should know thee the only true God, and him whom thou didst send, even Jesus Christ. . . . 20 Neither for these only do I pray, but for them also that believe on me through their word; 21 that they may all be one; even as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be in us: that the world may believe that thou didst send me. 22 And the glory which thou hast given me I have given unto them; that they may be one, even as we are one; 23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be perfected into one; that the world may know that thou didst send me, and lovedst them, even as thou lovedst me. “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 up¬ ward glance, or by the overflowing of your heart toward him. Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inward peace for any¬ thing 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 in his eternal love for you; and if you find that you have wandered forth from his 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.” — Saint Francis de Sales. “All men are not spiritual men; but all have spiritual sensibilities which might awake. All that is wanted is to become conscious of the nearness of God. . . . Our souls float in the immeasurable ocean of spirit. God lies around us: at any moment we might be conscious of the contact.” — F. IV. Robertson. ytt C0E t SDftgt Teach us, O Father, how to ask thee each moment, silently, for thy help. Wherein we fail teach us how to come to thee for forgiveness. When we are troubled and anxious enable us, by thy grace, quietly to turn to thee. May nothing this day come between our hearts and thee. May we will, and do, and say just what thou, our loving and tender Father, wiliest us to will and do and say. Work thy holy will in us and through us this day, guiding us, inspiring us, strengthening us, that we may be enabled to do thy service — something that shall please thee and bless our fellow men. Lead us, O Lord, in a straight way. Grant that every day may find us nearer thee, more fully conscious of thy presence, more completely at one with thee, until at last we shall go to be with thee for¬ ever. Amen. 16 ASPIRATION JANUARY 17 Hf) z jRee& (ot IReltgtousi jttiboz $EE£t (0E tt)Z “In diligence not slothful; fervent in spirit, serv¬ ing the Lord.” — Rojnans 12. 11. JLZ&&0ZI (Ot tf)E Revelation 3. 15-19. 15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. 16 So because thou art lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spew thee out of my mouth. 17 Be¬ cause thou sayest, I am rich, and have gotten riches, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art the wretched one and miserable and poor and blind and naked: 18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold refined by fire, that thou mayest become rich; and white garments, that thou mayest clothe thyself, and that the shame of thy nakedness be not made manifest; and eyesalve to anoint thine eyes, that thou mayest see. 19 As many as I love, I reprove and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. “Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson. “Will petitions that do not move the heart of the suppliant, move the heart of Omnipotence ?” — Thompson. “There are martyrs of the devil who put to shame the saints of God, and running as they do with more alacrity to death than these to life, may be proposed to them for imitation. The children of light are rebuked that they give not half the pains to win heaven which men of this world do to win earth; that the world is better served by its servants than God is by his.” — Richard Chenevix Trench . PEftgEE f0E tf)E “Teach us, O Lord, and enable us to live the life of saints and angels. Take us out of the languor, the irritability, the sensi¬ tiveness, the anarchy, in which our souls lie, and fill them with thy fullness. Breathe on us with thy breath which infuses energy and kindles fervor. In asking for fervor we ask for all that we can need and all that thou canst give. In asking for fervor we are asking for faith, hope, and charity, in their most heavenly exercise; we are asking for that loyal perception of duty, which follows on yearning affection; we are asking for sanctity, peace, and joy, all at once. Nothing would be a trouble to us, nothing a difficulty, had we but fervor of soul. Lord, in asking for fervor we are asking for thyself, for nothing short of thee, O God. Enter our hearts, and fill them with fervor by filling them with thee.” Amen. — John Henry Newman (1801-1890). 17 ASPIRATION JANUARY 18 CTOon# Socbotrb to dSob an& lift# &tEbic£ $EE0E (0E tf)E SDa^t “And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, and in the law, and in the commandments, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart, and prospered.” — 2 Chronicles 31. 21. (oe tfjeSDag: Joshua 14. 7— 11. 7 Forty years old was I when Moses the servant of Jehovah sent me from Kadeshbarnea to spy out the land; and I brought him word again as it was in my heart. 8 Nevertheless my brethren that went up with me made the heart of the people melt; but I wholly followed Jehovah my God. 9 And Moses sware on that day, saying, Surely the land whereon thy foot hath trodden shall be an inheritance to thee and to thy children for ever, because thou hast wholly followed Jehovah my God. 10 And now, behold, Jehovah hath kept me alive, as he spake, these forty and five years, from the time that Jehovah spake this word unto Moses, while Israel walked in the wilderness: and now, lo, I am this day four¬ score and five years old. n As yet I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me : as my strength was then, even so is my strength now, for war, and to go out and to come in. “Is it thy meat and drink ‘to do the will of thy Father which is in heaven’? Is thine eye single in all things? Always fixed on him? Always looking unto Jesus? Dost thou point at him in whatsoever thou doest? In all thy labor, thy business, thy conversation? Aiming only at the glory of God in all — ‘whatsoever thou doest, either in word or deed, doing it all in the name of the Lord Jesus; giving thanks unto God, even the Father, through him?’ ” — John Wesley . “Are we willing to give ourselves entirely to God, to let him do with us whatever he pleases, to follow anywhere at his bidding, to renounce anything at his call, ask¬ ing only, in return, that he will give us himself, with all his infinite love, to be ours from this time forever? If we are thus willing, let 11s kneel down this moment and tell him so. Alone with God, let us give him ourselves, all we have and are and shall be, to be unreservedly his.” — William R. Huntington. PEA ytt (OE tf)E “O Lord, our God, we pray that we may be aided by thy grace in being faithful to thee and to thy service. Our desire and purpose is to devote all our days and every talent we possess to the service of him who died that we might live. We are not our own; thine we are and thee would we serve. Defend us, great Captain of our salvation, against the errors which mislead us, the snares which beset us, and the foes that lay in wait for us. Give us a clear eye to see the path of duty and confidence to know that it will prove the path of safety. May self-interest never tempt us from what integrity requires, nor the dread of consequences make our hand falter in doing what is right. Grant us a brave, patient, and hopeful temper ; that whatever trouble may befall, we may seek before everything else the kingdom of God and his righteousness. Hear us, O Lord, and answer us in this our prayer, for Christ’s sake.” Amen. 18 ASPIRATION JANUARY 19 jfinbmg Out iictft m C3o& fot tf )t SDtl^ ♦ “Jehovah, the God of Israel, hath given rest unto his people.’’ — 1 Chronicles 23. 25. 3Lt$$on foe tfjtDap: Psalm 31. 1—5. 1 In thee, O Jehovah, do I take refuge; Let me never be put to shame: Deliver me in thy righteousness. 2 Bow down thine ear unto me; deliver me speedily: Be thou to me a strong rock, A house of defense to save me. 3 For thou art my rock and my fortress; Therefore for thy name’s sake lead me and guide me. 4 Pluck me out of the net that they have laid privily for me; For thou art my stronghold. 5 Into thy hand I commend my spirit: Thou hast redeemed me, O Jehovah, thou God of truth. “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. “Lord, what art thou? pure life, power, beauty, bliss: Where dwellest thou? up above in perfect light: What is thy time? eternity it is: What state? attendance of each glorious spirit: Thyself, thy place, thy days, thy state Pass all the thoughts of powers create. “How shall I reach the Lord? Oh, soar above, Ambitious soul! But which way should I fly? Thou, Lord, art way and end. What wings have I? Aspiring thoughts of faith, of hope, of love, Oh let these wings that way alone Present me to thy blissful throne.” tot ti jt Dap: “ Grant us, O most loving Lord, to rest in thee above all creatures, above all health and beauty, above all glory and honor, above all power and dignity, above all knowledge and subtility, above all riches and above all fame and praise, above all sweetness and comfort, above all hope and promise, above all gifts and favors that thou canst give, and impart to us, above all justice that the mind of man can receive and feel ; and finally, above angels and archangels, and above all the heavenly host, above all things visible and invisible, and above all that thou art not, O our God. It is too small and unsatisfying whatsoever thou bestowest on us apart from thee, or revealest to us, or promisest, whilst thou art not seen, and not fully obtained. For surely our hearts cannot truly rest, nor be entirely contented, unless they rest in thee.” Amen. — Thomas a Kempis (1379-1471). 19 ASPIRATION JANUARY 20 j00lnlit£ of Spirit (0t tf)t j&DftJU “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” — Galatians 6. 2. JLt$&on tot tljeSDap: Romans 12. I — 3 ; 14. 13. 1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service. 2 And be not fashioned accord¬ ing to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God. 3 For I say, through the grace that was given me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but so to think as to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to each man a measure of faith. 13 Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge ye this rather, that no man put a stumbling-block in his brother’s way, or an occasion of falling. “ ‘For this true nobleness Tseek in vain, In woman and in man I find it not; I almost weary of my earthly lot, My life-springs are dried up with burning pain.’ Thou find’st it not? I pray thee look again, Look inward, through the depths of thine own soul. How is it with thee? Art thou sound and whole? Doth narrow search show thee no earthly stain? Be noble! and the nobleness that lies In other men, sleeping, but never dead, Will rise in majesty to meet thine own; Then wilt thou see it gleam in many eyes, Then will pure light around thy path be shed, And thou wilt never more be sad and lone.” — James Russell Lowell. f0t tf)£ “We pray, O God, that thou wilt teach us how to find in every day some occasion of grace. May we cease to look upon things under the ill-named forms of trial, care, trouble and sorrow; may we look upon those things as so many teachings of God and so many lessons to be learned. May we be more brave of heart; may we be more brave in our affections. Take away from us all effeminacy of taste and all effem¬ inacy of love, and all things that shall make us shrink from the battles of life or from any of its experiences. Give us that robustness, that strength, that patience, and that endurance, by which we shall be able to carry our daily experience with great cheerfulness and gladness. May we know how to be content with such things as we have. . . . May we be perfect as God is perfect — not by mere yearnings, not by mere conceptions of superior bliss and holiness, but may we seek perfection by the subjection of our pride and intem¬ perance, and by crucifying all those things that offend love. And so may we come into oneness with thee through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Amen. — u ' man Abbott (1835—1922). 20 ASPIRATION JANUARY 21 t Utttue ot (Ot tf )t “Thy gentleness hath made me great.” — Psalm 18. 35- %Lt&&QlX (Ot (Jt SDfl#; 1 Thessalonians 2. 5-9. 5 For neither at any time were we found using words of flat¬ tery, as ye know, nor a cloak of covetousness, God is witness; 6 nor seeking glory of men, neither from you nor from others, when we might have claimed authority as apostles of Christ. 7 But we were gentle in the midst of you, as when a nurse cherisheth her own children: 8 even so, being affectionately desirous of you, we were well pleased to impart unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because ye were become very dear to us. 9 For ye remember, brethren, our labor and travail: working night and day, that we might not burden any of you, we preached unto you the gospel of God. “As roses grow from rose roots and nettles from nettle roots, because God, the God of order, works in the natural world; so gentleness ot spirit and speech is a tree of Paradise, making a little Eden wherever it grows; whilst anger and hatred ever bring curses and unhappiness in their train.” — /. M. Gibbon. “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. praget toe tlje SDajn “ O Almighty God, give to thy servants a meek and gentle spirit, that we may be slow to anger, and easy to mercy and forgive¬ ness. Give us wise and constant hearts, that we may never be moved to intemperate anger for any injury that is done or offered. Lord, let us ever be courteous, and easy to be entreated ; let us never fall into a peevish or contentious spirit, but follow peace with all men; offering forgiveness, inviting them by courtesies, ready to confess our own errors, apt to make amends, and desirous to be reconciled. Let no sickness or cross accident, no employment or weariness, make us angry or ungentle and discontented, or unthankful, or uneasy to them that minister to us; but in all things make 11s like unto the holy Jesus.” Amen. — Jeremy Taylor (1613-1667). 21 ASPIRATION JANUARY 22 W&z jBeefc toz Courage Wn&t for tf)e Soap: “ 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 31. 6. %e$$on for tf\e £>ap: Psalm 91. 1—8. 1 Pie that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of Jehovah, He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in whom I trust. 3 For he will deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, And from the deadly pestilence. 4 He will cover thee with his pinions, And under his wings shalt thou take refuge: His truth is a shield and a buckler. 5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night, Nor for the arrow that flieth by day; 6 For the pestilence that walketh in darkness, Nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. 7 A thousand shall fall at thy side, And ten thousand at thy right hand; But it shall not come nigh thee. 8 Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold, And see the reward of the wicked. “It does not matter a feather what a man has, if he himself lacks steadfastness and courage.” — Plautus. “Despise nothing in the world except falsehood and meanness, and fear nothing hut cowardice.” — Henry van Dyke . “Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take! The clouds ye so much dread Are big with mercy, and shall break In blessings on your head.” — William Cowper. Pta^ft tOZ tf)t 2Da#* Our heavenly Father, we thank thee for the sleep of the night and for refreshed minds and bodies. We praise thee for what thou art and for the revelation which thou hast made of thyself to us in thy Word and in the person of thy dear Son, our Saviour. Beget within us, we pray thee, strong hearts full of courage and faith. Then shall we be strong and fear not ; then shall we run in the way of thy Com¬ mandments and be eager to do thy will. Use us each one, if it shall please thee, in the accomplishment of thy purpose in the earth. Send forth every¬ where thy servants on errands of mercy and kindly service for thee, that in our own land and in all the countries of the world thy prophetic word shall be fulfilled, and gladness and joy and peace prevail among all the sons of men. Amen. 22 ASPIRATION JANUARY 23 £Ditt jicrts tot ^ttengtf) Ut£0t for tf)t *Dd#t “Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.” — 1 Corinthians 16. 13. Ht££0il t0£tI)C2Da£: 2 Timothy 2. 1-5, 11-13. I Thou therefore, my child, be strengthened in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 And the things which thou hast heard from me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. 3 Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No soldier on service entangleth himself in the affairs of this life ; that he may please him who enrolled him as a soldier. 5 And if also a man contend in the games, he is not crowned, except he have contended law¬ fully. II Faithful is this saying: For if we died with him, we shall also live with him: 12 if we endure, we shall also reign with him: if we shall deny him, he also will deny us: 13 if we are faithless, he abideth faithful ; for he cannot deny himself. “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 to you by the grace of God.” — Phillips Brooks. “As the roots of a tree are out of sight, yet from them it derives its firmness and stability, so upon the hidden life of the Christian, that life which is out of sight of other men, his firmness and stability depend; and as it is through the hidden roots that the nourishment is drawn up to the stem and branches, and the leaf continues green, and the tree does not cease from bearing fruit, even so in the Christian’s life, that life which is ‘hid in Christ with God,’ lie the sources of his strength and of his spiritual pros¬ perity.” — Richard Chenevix Trench. i Ptftgtt tot tl)C “O Lord God! strong and mighty, we would draw near to thee, confessing our weakness, beseeching thee to make us strong. We would be strong in body, that we may do our work in life well and cheerfully; that we may help the weak, and put a strong and willing hand to the burdens of others who have more than they can bear. We would, O Lord, be strong in heart, full of courage, fearless of danger, holding pain and danger cheap when they lie in the way of our duty. We would be strong in love : make us warm-hearted, true friends, tender lovers, loving our neighbors as ourselves, and loving thee with all our heart and soul and strength. We would be strong in faith, believing thy Word and thy promises, ever trusting in the victory of good over evil, ever confident that all things work together for good to them that love thee. We would be strong in hope, undaunted by seeming defeat, ever looking beyond the mists and clouds of time into the clear shining of the eternal life. . . . O Lord, strengthen us daily to do and to bear, to suffer and to hope, to fight the good fight, and at last to lay hold upon the crown of life everlasting. Hear our prayer, O Lord, who art our strength and our Redeemer, for Jesus Christ’s sake.” Amen. — George Dawson (b. 1861). 23 ASPIRATION JANUARY 24 Ptmtp of £>peec!) t tot tlje 2Dap: “ Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thy heart be hasty to utter anything before God ; for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.” — Ecclesiastes 5. 2. JWston for t!)e $Dag: Psalm 24. 1-6. 1 The earth is Jehovah’s, and the fullness thereof; The world, and they that dwell therein. 2 For he hath founded it upon the seas, And established it upon the floods. 3 Who shall ascend into the hill of Jehovah? And who shall stand in his holy place? 4 He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; Who hath not lifted up his soul unto falsehood, And hath not sworn deceitfully. 5 He shall receive a blessing from Jehovah, And righteousness from the God of his salvation. 6 This is the generation of them that seek after him, That seek thy face, even Jacob. “For this is Love’s nobility — Not to scatter bread and gold, Goods and raiment bought and sold, But to bold fast bis simple sense And speak the speech of innocence, For be that feeds men serveth few; He serves all who dares be true.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson. “Let us all resolve: — First, to attain the grace of silence; second, to deem all fault¬ finding that does no good a sin; third, to practice the grace and virtue of praise .” — Mrs. H. B. Stowe. fOt tf)t “God, our heavenly Father, quicken in us, we beseech thee, every good and pure thought, and strengthen us in our devout resolves this day. Let no unhallowed words pollute the tongues which thou hast made to praise and bless thee; no evil action defile the sanctuaries which thou hast, in thy wondrous mercy, chosen for thyself. Remove whatever in us may be a hindrance to holy living, or a stumbling-block in another’s way. May our trust in thee, and our kindness to one another, never fail. May we bring to thee, not only a humble spirit of obedience, but also great love. O Lord God, make us what thou wouldst have us to be, and may we do what thou wouldst have us to do; only be thou ever with us to cleanse and renew, to teach, rule, and sustain us, till at last we come to thee, to dwell forever with thee and thy saints in light.” Amen. — James Martineau (1805—1900). 24 ASPIRATION JANUARY 25 £>ut jReeti ot a pute I^eatt $£E«5rt tOt tt)t SDagt “A new heart also will 1 give you, and a new spirit will I put within you.” — Ezekiel 36. 26. JLt&gon tot t!)t 2Day: Mark 7. 14-17, 20-23. 14 And he called to him the multitude again, and said unto them, Hear me all of you, and understand: 15 there is nothing from without the man, that going into him can defile him: but the things which proceed out of the man are those that defile the man. 17 And when he was entered into the house from the multi¬ tude, his disciples asked of him the parable. 20 And he said, That which proceedeth out of the man, that defileth the man. 21 For from within, out of the heart of men, evil thoughts proceed, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, 22 covetings, wickednesses, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, railing, pride, foolishness: 23 all these evil things proceed from within, and defile the man. “Purer in heart, 0 God, help me to be; May I devote my life wholly to thee. Watch thou my wayward feet; guide me with counsel sweet, Purer in heart, help me to be. “Purer in heart, O God, help me to be; That I thy holy face one day may see. Keep me from secret sin; reign thou my soul within, Purer in heart, help me to be.” — Anna L. Davison. “A holy life is the very gate of heaven. But let us always remember that holiness does not consist in doing uncommon things, but in doing everything with purity of heart. It is made up of relative duties and of habitual devotion. Like the law of gravitation, which universally takes effect where not kept out by special counteraction, so it is with the cares, pleasures, labors, anxieties of life. Nothing but fellowship with God keeps them in check.” — Manning. prayer (or tl )t &>ay: “ O God, make us sensible of our inward wants, indigence, destitution, weakness. Lay open to us our corrupt motives. Ex¬ pose to us our hidden vices in all their depravity. Teach us to look steadily into ourselves, till we shall see, with something of thine own abhorrence, every evil affection. Lead us away from false resources to a sure dependence on thy perfect will, and may this reign supreme within us. Help us to look through the disguises of self-love, to judge ourselves truly, to anticipate the revelations of the last day; and let not this knowledge of our deficiencies and deformities fill us with dejection, but, rather, endear us to thy mercy, and lead us to thy grace, while rousing us to vigilance and to firm and faithful conflict with every irregular desire.” Amen. — William Ellery Charming (1780-1842). 25 ASPIRATION JANUARY 26 SDctfire tot a (Ot tf)C SDa^J “Having therefore these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holi¬ ness in the fear of God.’’ — 2 Corinthians 7. 1. 3£e££onfottj)e&>a£: i Peter i. 13-16, 22, 23. 13 Wherefore girding up the loins of your mind, be sober and set your hope perfectly on the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 14 as children of obedience, not fashioning yourselves according to your former lusts in the time of your ignorance; 15 but like as he who called you is holy, be ye yourselves also holy in all manner of living; 16 because it is written, Ye shall be holy; for I am holy. 22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in your obedience to the truth unto unfeigned love of the brethren, love one another from the heart fervently: 23 having been begotten again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, through the word of God, which liveth and abideth. “Breathe on me, Breath of God, Fill me with thy life anew, That I may love what thou dost love, And do what thou wouldst do. “Breathe on me, Breath of God, Until my heart is pure, Until with thee I will one will, To do or to endure. “Breathe on me, Breath of God, Till I am wholly thine; Till all this earthly part of me Glows with thy fire divine. “Breathe on me, Breath of God, So shall I never die, But live with thee the perfect life Of thine eternity.” — Edwin Hatch. fOt tf)C “We thank thee, O God, we praise thee, we adore thee for thy great goodness. Glory be to thee for all that thou art in thy¬ self and for all that thou hast done for us. O Lord, we earnestly desire to be holy. Help us to attain to a higher state in the Christian life. Enable us to walk in the narrow path. Give unto us thy Holy Spirit. Take away from us the love of sin and stamp thine own image upon our souls. We confess that this present world has too strong a hold upon us. We are tied and bound by its chains. O loose us from them and set us free. Let us engage in nothing that is contrary to thy will. Enable us to do some good every day. Preserve us from all unholy desires. Subdue our unruly wills and bring them into subjection to thy will. All that we ask is in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord.” Amen. — Ashton Oxenden (1808-1892). 26 ASPIRATION JANUARY 27 Spiritual S^mti Wn$t foe t f)t SDajn “ For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spir¬ itually minded is life and peace.” — Romajis 8. 6 (King James version). JLz$&on for tjjeSDap: Romans 8. 12—17. 12 So then, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh: 13 for if ye live after the flesh, ye must die; but if by the Spirit ye put to death the deeds of the body, ye shall live. 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15 For ye received not the spirit of bondage again unto fear; but ye received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16 The Spirit himself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are children of God: 17 and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified with him. “The Lord let the house of a brute to the soul of a man, And the man said, ‘Am I your debtor?’ And the Lord, — ‘Not yet; but make it as clean as you can, And then I will let you a better.’ ” — Alfred Tennyson. “To live content with small means; to seek elegance rather than luxury, and refine¬ ment 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, 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 my symphony.” — William Ellery Channing. * fot SDftg; O God, our Father, may we be delivered, we pray, from the bondage of the material. In the world, may we not be of the world. May we have that spiritual mind which is life and peace. May we be able to make the material world the servant of the spiritual, serving not only our own higher interests but using it in behalf of the higher inter¬ ests of all with whom we have to do. We realize that we shall be able thus to live only as* we live in fellowship with thee. Do thou therefore keep us ever in union with thyself. In thee may we consciously live and move and have our being. More and more may we carry in our personal disposition, in our household, and through every part of our worldly busi¬ ness, this spirit of the divine nature. May we so live that men shall be curious to know from what source we draw the inspiration of our life, and thus seeing our good works be led to glorify our Father which is in heaven. May we have more and more of the knowledge of God ; may we grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, until we are changed from glory into glory, and are permitted to take our place by thy side in heaven, where we will praise thee for ever and ever. Amen. 27 ASPIRATION JANUARY 28 $Dt$itt fot a Sfitlltz Hitt f0t t!)t j&DajU “I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.” — John 10. 10b. tot t&t 2>ap: Isaiah 58. 6— 11. 6 Is not this the fast that I have chosen: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the bands of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? 7 Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? 8 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. 9 Then shalt thou call, and Jehovah will answer; thou shalt cry, and he will say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking wickedly; 10 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 noonday; 11 and Jehovah will guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in dry places, and make strong thy bones; and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not. “These things shall be — a loftier rage Than e’er the world hath known shall rise With flame of freedom in their souls, And light of knowledge in their eyes. “Nation with nation, land with land, Unarmed shall live as comrades free; In every heart and brain shall throb The pulse of one fraternity. “New arts shall bloom of loftier mold, And mightier music thrill the skies, And every life shall be a song, When all the earth is paradise.” — John A. Symonds. tot SDftfU “O Lord Jesus Christ, who hast shared the bur¬ dens and sorrows of thy down-trodden children ; give thine aid, we beseech thee, to all those in the industrial world who are seeking the means to a greater freedom and fuller life. Grant them patience and firmness, that they may gain their just demands without resort to violence. Give wisdom and courage to all who are seeking better ways of making the processes of industry contribute to the highest development of the workers. Open the eyes and enlarge the hearts of all employers, that they may deal in justice, generosity, and love with those whom they employ. And grant to us all a larger sympathy and deeper earnestness, that we may help to bring in the real brotherhood of thy blessed kingdom.” Amen. — Frederick Harris (b. 1873). 28 ASPIRATION JANUARY 29 & SDttptt i&digiou^ experience Uet^e (or t§e SDftJH “Till we all attain unto ... a full grown man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” — Ephesians 4- 1 3* Ee0£on(or tfjeSDa^: Ephesians 1. 3—8. 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ: 4 even as he chose us in him before the founda¬ tion of the world, that we should be holy and without blemish before him in love: 5 having foreordained us unto adoption as sons through Jesus Christ unto himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 to the praise of the glory of his grace, which he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved: 7 in whom we have our redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence. “An alarming weakness among Christians is that we are producing Christian ac¬ tivities faster than we are producing Christian experience and Christian faith; that the discipline of our souls and the deepening of our acquaintance with God are not proving sufficiently thorough to enable us to meet the unprecedented expansion of opportunity and responsibility of our generation.” — John R. Mott. “Everything that raises our personal standard of thought and purpose, everything that brings us nearer to the stature of the completed one in Christ, increases our power for good, and makes us more and more a power in the world about us. When we crave the privilege of doing for others, it is well for us to realize the privilege of being lor .others.” tOC SDflJU “O God, thou art Life, Wisdom, Truth, Bounty, and Blessedness, the Eternal, the only true God. My God and my Lord, thou art my hope and my heart’s joy. I confess with thanksgiving that thou hast made me in thine image, that I may direct all my thoughts to thee, and love thee. Lord, make me to know thee aright, that I may more and more love and enjoy, and possess thee. And since, in the life here below, I can¬ not fully attain this blessedness, let it at least grow in me day by day until it shall be fulfilled at last in the life to come. Here let the knowledge of thee be increased, and there let it be perfected. Here let my love to thee grow, and there let it ripen ; that my joy being here great in hope, may there in fruition be made perfect;” Amen. — Anselm (1033-1109). 29 ASPIRATION JANUARY 30 ^pmtual Bxnetoal l ?tt$t (Ot tf)0 “Create in me a clean heart, O God; And renew a right spirit within me.” — Psalm 51. 10. Heston for 2Dap: Isaiah 40. 27-31. 27 Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from Jehovah, and the justice due to me is passed away from my God? 28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard? The everlasting God, Jehovah, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary; there is no searching of his under¬ standing. 29 He giveth power to the faint; and to him that hath no might he increaseth strength. 30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fail: 31 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. “0 Lord, I call on thee when sore dismayed And thou wilt hear my voice and lend me aid, Nor shall I be of myriads afraid, For thou wilt ever be The portion of my lot — thou savest me. “In troubled times thy mercy’s plenteous store Is full to overflowing evermore, And when in straitness I my plaint outpour, With words entreating thee, Then with enlargement thou dost answer me. “Make known thy love to those that trust and pray, To those who hold thy name their keep and stay, Waiting for thy salvation day by day. Yea, who, 0 Lord, but thee, Shall make me glad, who else deliver me?” — Abraham ben Ezra (Trans. Mrs. Henry Lucas). Pt &}>ZZ (or tf)0 “O Lord, we would rest in thee, for in thee alone is true rest to be found. We would forget our disappointed hopes, our fruitless efforts, our trivial aims, and lean on thee, our Comfort and our Strength. . . . We are weary of our old barren selves. Separate us from our spiritual past, and quicken within us the seeds of a new future. Transform us by the breath of thy regenerating power, that life may seem supremely beautiful and duty our highest privilege, and the only real evil a guilty conscience. Let us be no longer sad, or downcast, or miserable, or despairing. Take from us the old self. Give us a new self, beautiful and vigorous, and joyous. Let old things pass away and let all things become new. Kindle within us a flame of heavenly devotion, so that to us work for thee shall become a happiness, and rest in thee shall become an energy, unchecked by fears within and foes without. Give us love and then we shall have more than all we need, for thou art Love, thyself, the Giver and the Gift.” Amen. ■ — Samuel McComh (b. 1864). 30 ASPIRATION JANUARY 31 Jftlleti lUitlj 1 JFuUnegg 0 1 Goti Cot tfje 2oag; “ For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the God¬ head bodily, and in him ye are made full.” — Colossians 2. 9, 10a. tot tfje&ap: Ephesians 3. 14—21. » 14 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, that ye may be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inward man; 17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; to the end that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be strong to apprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge, that ye may be filled unto all the fullness of God. 20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that work- eth in us, 21 unto him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus unto all generations for ever and ever. Amen. “When the consciousness of the true source of his existence first rises upon him, and he joyfully resigns himself to it, till his being is steeped in the thought, then peace and joy and blessedness flow in upon his soul.” — Fichte. “Be sure that God has so much more for the soul as it goes on, becoming richer and richer; that every new relationship of the soul with God is not merely a sign of thankfulness for that which is passed but a new opening of our nature, into which God shall pour more and more of himself. In each new consecration some new gift becomes possible, and for that new gift some new consecration becomes necessary, and in that new consecration comes some new gift. So the soul goes on entering into God, and receiving God unto himself.” — Phillips Brooks. Pta#tt Cot t “We give thee thanks, Almighty God, for the words spoken by that strong, stout soul, who tells us that we may be filled with the fullness of God, Almighty! When we remember that all the life that has ever been in this world is part of the fullness of God, then, Lord God, we shrink and say, ‘Shall we indeed be filled with the fullness of God?’ Lord God ! we look abroad, and lo ! the little flower that blows is filled with the sunlight; and the few tones of the bird’s song are full of sweet¬ ness, and yet we shrink and say, ‘Our vessel is but earthly, it is small; shall it hold the fullness of God?’ Yea, Lord God, Almighty! our vessel may be small, but if it is of thy fullness to be filled, it is large enough for thee. So be it. Let the fullness of God pass by us, in us, through us, that we may shine with thy fullness; that when we love, it may be with the fullness of thy love; that so, being filled with the fullness of God, we may in this life live in the life of God, and in the world to come know thy fullness forever¬ more. . . . Give us all this hope in thee ; may we cleanse ourselves from those low things that hide thee from us, and rise to the clear vision of God. This do we ask, in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.” Amen. — George Dawson (b. 1861). 31 ASPIRATION FEBRUARY i &tftntes>£ to PtE£>E (Ot tf)C SDftJU “Beloved, now are we children of God, and it is not yet made manifest what we shall be. We know that, if he shall be manifested, we shall be like him; for we shall see him even as he is.” — I John 3. 2. JLe$#OlX tot tfte 2Dap: Romans 8. 26-30. 26 And in like manner the Spirit also helpeth our infirmity: for we know not how to pray as we ought; but the Spirit him¬ self maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered ; 27 and he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know that to them that love God all things v/ork together for good, even to them that are called according to his purpose. 29 For whom he foreknew, he also foreordained to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren: 30 and whom he foreordained, them he also called : and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. “In 1917-1918 I studied the history of all the races of the earth, and became con¬ vinced that the sole solution of the evil of the world is the transformation of human souls, that this cannot be brought about except by means of religion, and that the most perfect and suitable is that taught by Christ.” — Giovanni Papini. “It could be said of him [Henry Drummond, author of The Greatest Thing in the World ] truthfully, as it was said of the early apostles, ‘that men took knowledge of him that he had been with Jesus.’ Some men take an occasional journey into the thirteenth of First Corinthians, but he lived there constantly. As you read what he terms the analysis of love, you find that all its ingredients were interwoven into his daily life, making him one of the most lovable men I have ever known. Was it courtesy you looked for, he was a perfect gentleman. Was it kindness, he was always pre¬ ferring another. Was it humility, he was simple and not courting favor. . . . Never have 1 known a man who, in my opinion, lived nearer the Master, or sought to do his will more fully.” — D. L. Moody. fOE tj)C SDftJU “O our God, we heartily thank thee for the mercies vve are continually receiving and for all thy goodness. We put ourselves into thy hands. Help us to correct all our evil ways. Keep us close to thee. Give us more and more grace. Fill us with thy Holy Spirit. Make Christ very precious to our souls. May we lean upon him day by day and trust him with a simple faith. Breathe into our souls, O God, holy and heavenly desires. Give us clean hearts and renew right spirits within us. Confirm us to thine own image. Make us like our Saviour. Enable us in some measure to live here on earth as he lived, and to act in all things, as he would have acted. Grant that we may profit by what we have read from thy holy Word. We thank thee for all the means of grace which we enjoy. Teach us thine own self and lead us into the knowledge and love of thy truth. Be with our dear relations. May they be very dear to thee. If any of them are afar off, O bring them home, gracious Lord, to thy fold. For Jesus’ sake.” Amen. (Adapted.) — Ashton Oxenden (1808-1892). 32 ASPIRATION FEBRUARY 2 dftrototf) tn d5tace Wzz&z tor tSe SDag; “ Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” — 2 Peter 3. 18. Easton toztf^z SDag; Colossiatis 1. 9—14. 9 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray and make request for you, that ye may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and under¬ standing, 10 to walk worthily of the Lord unto all pleasing, bear¬ ing fruit in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 strengthened with all power, according to the might of his glory, unto all patience and longsuffering with joy; 12 giving thanks unto the Father, who made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light; 13 who delivered us out of the power of darkness, and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of his love; 14 in whom we have our redemption, the for¬ giveness of our sins. “Is your character compacting toward patience, gentleness, truth, love? Or toward impatience, harshness, falsehood, and selfishness? We grow always in the direc¬ tion of our daily living.” — J. R. Miller. “The aspiration of every earnest Christian is to grow every day in holiness and spirituality. This motive is to rule all life. Our business, our associations, our friend¬ ships are to be chosen with reference to this one object. Anything that tarnishes the'-*' luster of our spirituality or hinders the development of our Christian graces, or breaks the inner place of our hearts, or interferes with our communion with God, is harmful and must be excluded from our lives.” — J. R. Miller. J&Z&1PZZ f0t tjjt “Give us grace, O our God, to listen to thy call, to obey thy voice, and to follow thy guiding. Thou leadest us to pleasures that never fade, to riches which no moth nor rust can corrupt or destroy. Unsearchable riches are in thy hand. O give us grace to know the value of them and to covet them. Thou leadest us to fountains of living water, suffer us not to wander or turn aside till we attain unto the pleasures which are at thy right hand for evermore. Establish, settle, strengthen us, that our goodness may not be like the early dew, which passeth away, but make us steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, for¬ asmuch as we know that our labor is not in vain in the Lord. Grant this, we beseech thee, for thy dear Son, Jesus Christ’s sake.” Amen. — Ludovicus Fives (1492-1540). 33 ASPIRATION FEBRUARY 3 W&t jftiutgi ot tlje Spirit fOt tfjt “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long- suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, self-control.” — Gala- turns 5. 22, 23a. 2£t££0n(0tt5e2Dap: Matthew 7. 16-20. 16 By their fruits ye shall know them. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? 17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but the corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits ye shall know them. “It seems as if God gathered into his storehouse, from each of our lives, fruit in which he delights. And the daily cross-bearings and self-denials, the bright word spoken when head and heart are weary, the meek endurance of misunderstanding, the steady going on in one unbroken round, with a patient cheerfulness that knows nothing of ‘moods’ — all these are garnered there, and add to our riches toward him.” — H. Bowman. “Patience, kindness, generosity, humility, courtesy, unselfishness, good temper, guilelessness, sincerity — these make up the supreme gift, the stature of the perfect man. Religion is not a strange or added thing, but the inspiration of the secular life, the breathing of an eternal spirit through this temporal life.” — Henry Drummond. fot tj)£ “O eternal Father, help us, we beseech thee, to bring forth in our lives the fruits of the Spirit: the fruit of Love, that we may love thee above all things, and all others in thee and for thy sake; the fruit of Joy, that we may find thy service our delight; the fruit of Peace, that, pardoned and accepted through thy mercy, we may repose in thy love; the fruit of Long-suffering, that we may bear, with patient submission to thy will, all crosses and afflictions; the fruit of Gentleness, that we may sub¬ due all risings of temper and take calmly and sweetly all trials and provoca¬ tions; the fruit of Meekness, that we may forgive freely all who may hurt us, either by word or deed, and endure with patience all that may be laid upon us; the fruit of Temperance, that we may restrain all our desires, bring¬ ing them into subjection in all things to thy holy will.” Amen. 34 ASPIRATION FEBRUARY 4 Wbe £t?orr ftbuntiant Hite Wcz$t tot tlje 2D ap: “I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.” — John 10. 10b. Easton for tf)e2Dap: 2 Peter 1. 1-4. 1 Simon Peter, a servant and apgstle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained a like precious faith with us in the righteous¬ ness of our God and the Saviour Jesus Christ: 2 Grace to you and peace be multiplied in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord ; 3 seeing that his divine power hath granted unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that called us by his own glory and virtue ; 4 whereby he hath granted unto us his precious and exceeding great promises; that through these ye may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world by lust. “We live in deeds, not years; in thoughts, not breaths; In feelings, not in figures on a dial. We count time by heart-throbs. He most lives Who thinks most, feels the noblest, acts the best.” “Life is what we are alive to. It is not length but breadth. To be alive only to appetite, pleasure, pride, money-making, and not to goodness and kindness, purity, and love, history, poetry, music, flowers, stars, God and eternal hope, is to be all but dead.” — Maltbie D. Babcock. \ > “’Tis life, whereof our nerves are scant, Oh, life, not death, for which we pant, More life, and fuller, that I want.” — Alfred Tennyson. “Pray for and work for fullness of life above everything: full red blood in the body; full honesty and truth in the mind; and the fullness of a grateful love for the Saviour in our heart.” — Phillips Brooks. . $Z&}>ZZ fOt tf)Z 2D&JH “O blessed Father, who dost renew thy mercies with the morning, we praise thee for every good and perfect gift which flows in on us afresh to-day. We thank thee for health and reason and the strength to do our work, for home and friendship and all the gladness of living. We thank thee for the abounding life — life more abundant opened up to us by our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. May we enter fully into our inheritance as his disciples. If our souls lie bound and fettered with some secret evil or sorrow or anxious care, O bring them out of prison now, into the glorious liberty of the children of God. May we know thy truth, and the truth shall make us free. To thy holy keeping, O Christ, we com¬ mend each other, and all who are dear to us, the young and the old, those by our side and those far away. Make us day by day more faithful and humble, more apt to catch thy whisper, more brave to carry thy cross. Purge our hearts from guile and envy and bitterness, and forgive all our sins, O God, who seest how much we need to be forgiven. Through our only Saviour.” Amen. 35 ASPIRATION FEBRUARY 5 Jngpmnfi; (Bootmes# in Otijcr# C?£E£it fOE tl)t jSDttJU “Even so, let your light shine before men; that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” — Matthew 5. 16. HeggottfoE tljcSDap: Philemon 4—7. 4 I thank my God always, making mention of thee in my prayers, 5 hearing of thy love, and of the faith which thou hast toward the Lord Jesus, and toward all the saints; 6 that the fellow¬ ship of thy faith may become effectual, in the knowledge of every good thing which is in you, unto Christ. 7 For 1 had much joy and comfort in thy love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through thee, brother. “A traveler, toiling on a weary way Found in his path a piece of fragrant clay, ‘This seems but common earth,’ says he, ‘but how Delightful! it is full of sweetness now! Whence is thy fragrance?’ From the clay there grows A voice: ‘I have been very near a rose.’ ” — John J . Piatt. “Be noble! and the nobleness that lies In other men, sleeping, but never dead. Will rise in majesty to meet thine own.” — Ja7nes Russell Lowell. “As one lamp lighteth another, nor is less. So nobleness enkindleth nobleness.” $Z&})ZZ for t?)e “O God, our heavenly Father, we thy children come now to thy feet with our supplications. We cannot live without thy blessing. Life is too hard for us, duty is too large. We get discouraged, and our feeble hands hang down. We come to thee with our weakness, asking thee for strength. Help us always to be of good cheer. Let us not be disheartened by difficulties. Let us never doubt thy love or any of thy promises. Give us grace to be encouragers of others, never discouragers. Let us not go about with sadness or fear among men, but may we be a bene¬ diction to everyone we meet, always making life easier, never harder, for those who come within our influence. Help us to be as Christ to others, that they may see something of his love in our lives, and learn to love him in us. We beseech thee to hear us, to receive our prayers, and to forgive our sins, for the sake of Jesus Christ.” Amen. — J. R. Miller (1840-1912). 36 ASPIRATION FEBRUARY 6 ptaget fot tfje /Ration PttjSf foe tlje &>ag: “ Do good in thy pleasure unto Zion : Build thou the walls of Jerusalem.” — Psalm 51. 18. for tljeSDag: Isaiah 54. 13--17. 13 And all thy children shall be taught o£ Jehovah; and great shall be the peace of thy children. 14 In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression, for thou shalt not fear; and from terror, for it shall not come near thee. 15 Be¬ hold, they may gather together, but not by me: whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall because of thee. 16 Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the fire of coals, and bring- eth forth a weapon for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy. 17 No weapon that is formed against thee shall pros¬ per; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of Jehovah, and their righteousness which is of me, saith Jehovah. Address in the Constitutional Convention: “In the beginning of the contest with Britain, when we were sensible of danger, we had daily prayers in this room for divine protection. Our prayers, sir, were heard, and they were graciously answered. All of us who were engaged in the struggle must have observed frequent instances of a superintending Providence in our favor. To that kind Providence we owe this happy opportunity of consulting in peace on the means of establishing our future national felicity; and have we now forgotten this powerful Friend, or do we imagine we no longer need his assistance? I have lived , sir, a long time [eighty-one years] and the longer I live the more convincing proof I see of this truth: that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid?... I therefore beg leave to move that henceforth prayers, imploring the assistance of Heaven and its blessing on our deliberations, be held in this assembly every morning before we proceed to business, and that one or more of the clergy of this city be requested to officiate in that service.” — Benjamin Franklin. for tf)£ SDtljL We give thee thanks, O God, God of our fathers, for our goodly land. The ancients knew no lovelier land than ours. Never were skies more blue nor fruit more fair. And as thou art with us still as a people in all thy works, be in our hearts, even as thou wast in the hearts of thy people in the olden time. O Lord God, God of the nations, bless us and make our nation to continue the ancient glory. In the days of old, when we were few and weak as a people, when nations thundered against us and the ark of our liberty was in peril, thou didst deliver us. Do thou be our help in our present perils, O Lord. Now that we are rich and strong may we put not our trust in riches nor material power. As a nation may we seek thy truth and thy righteousness. May we do justly, and love mercy, and walk humbly with our God. May we put far from us the gain of oppressions and of fraud. May we learn to use our great strength in the service of mankind. Raise up from among us wise and discerning leaders, men who fear God and hate iniquity, men who seek to know thy will for the nation, and to do it. Hear thou, O God, for thy name’s sake. Amen. 37 ASPIRATION FEBRUARY 7 City ot (Bob fOt tf)C “And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.” — Revelation 21. 2. 2£e££onfOttf)tSDa£: Revelation 21. 10-14. 10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, 11 having the glory of God: her light was like unto a stone most precious, as it were a jasper stone, clear as crystal: 12 having a wall great and high; having twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels; and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: 13 on the east were three gates; and on the north three gates; and on the south three gates; and on the west three gates. 14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. “O Holy City, seen of John, Where Christ the Lamb doth reign, Within whose foursquare walls shall come No night, no need, no pain, And where the tears are wiped from eyes That shall not weep again! “Give us, O God, the strength to build The city that hath stood, Too long a dream, whose laws are love, Whose ways are brotherhood, And where the sun that shineth is God’s grace for human good. “Already in the mind of God That city riseth fair — Lo, how its splendor challenges The souls that greatly dare — Yea, bids us seize the whole of life And build its glory there.” — W. Russell Bowie. Pt tiytt fOt SDillG “O God, we praise thee for the dream of the golden city of peace and righteousness which has ever haunted the prophets of humanity, and we rejoice with joy unspeakable that at last the people have conquered the freedom and knowledge and power which may avail to turn into reality the vision that so long has beckoned in vain. We pray thee that we may build on the basis of democracy the firm edifice of a coopera¬ tive commonwealth, in which both government and industry shall be of the people and by the people and for the people. May we, who now live, see the oncoming of the great day of God, when all men shall stand side by side in equal worth and real freedom, all toiling and all reaping, masters of nature but brothers of men, exultant in the tide of common life, and jubilant in the adoration of thee, the source of their blessings and the Father of all.” Amen. — Walter Rails chenbusch (1861—1918). 38 ASPIRATION FEBRUARY 8 Coming of tlje lungfcom of C5ofc fOt tf)E “He will not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set justice in the earth; and the isles shall wait for his law.” — Isaiah 42. 4. 2tc£s>0lt for Isaiah 40. 3-5; 55. 10-13. 3 The voice of one that crieth, Prepare ye in the wilderness the way of Jehovah; make level in the desert a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low; and the uneven shall be made level, and the rough places a plain: 5 and the glory of Jehovah shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of Jehovah hath spoken it. 55. 10 For as the rain cometh down and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it to bring forth and bud, and giveth seed to the sower and bread to the eater; 11 so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. 12 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. 13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree; and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to Jehovah for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off. “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.” — John Ruskin. “No ideal of a perfect state, no dream of a golden age or paradise restored, which has ever visited the imagination of genius, or risen before the rapt gaze of inspired seer or prophet, can surpass that future of universal light and love which Christianity encourages us to expect as the destiny of our race — that time when human society shall be permeated through and through with the spirit of Jesus Christ, and the whole race, and every individual member of it, shall rise to the point of moral and spiritual elevation which that life represents, when we shall ‘all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.’ ” — John Caird. PtagtE (Ot t f)t SDrtJN “O Father of light, and giver of all wisdom, bless every society formed for the spread and advancement of thy truth, at home and abroad. Look with favor on all missionaries. O prepare the way in the wilderness. Let thy word have free course everywhere. May it never return unto thee void, but prosper abundantly, and accomplish all that for which thou dost send it. Give thy servants health and strength, vigor of mind, and devotedness of heart; and may they all be chosen vessels to bear thy name before the gentiles. May the deadening influence of climate, heathen customs, and loss of means of grace be more than counteracted by a special supply of thy Holy Spirit. . . . Grant that thousands and tens of thou¬ sands may rise up to call thee blessed. May the little leaven leaven the whole lump ; and all nations whom thou hast made, worship before thee, and glorify thy name, through thy dear Son.” Amen. — Hannah More (1745-1833), 39 LOYALTY FEBRUARY 9 $Dtu SDailg f0E t!)C SDilJU “Exhort one another day by day, so long as it is called To-day; lest any one of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” — Hebrews 3. 13. I Peter 4. 7“ II* 7 But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore of sound mind, and be sober unto prayer: 8 above all things being fervent in your love among yourselves; for love covereth a multitude of sins: 9 using hospitality one to another without murmuring: 10 ac¬ cording as each hath received a gift, ministering it among your¬ selves, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God; 11 if any man speaketh, speaking as it were oracles of God; if any man ministereth, ministering as of the strength which God supplieth: that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, whose is the glory and the dominion for ever and ever. Amen. “To love some one more dearly every day, To help a wandering child to find his way To ponder over noble thoughts and pray, And smile when evening falls, This is my task. “To follow truth as blind men long for light, To do my best from dawn of day till night, To keep my heart fit for his holy sight, And answer when he calls, This is my task. “And then my Saviour by and by to meet, When faith hath made her task on earth complete And lay my homage at the Master’s feet Within the jasper walls, This crowns my task.” — E. L. Ashford. fOE tj)£ “Almighty and everlasting God, who of thine in¬ finite goodness hast revealed thyself unto us, forgive us all the sins that we have committed against thee, whether by negligence or by ignorance, by omission or commission through overmuch occupation, or by reason of the weakness of human nature. O Lord, we beseech thee to bless, govern and sanctify all schools of sound learning. Raise up faithful members of thy church and prosper all such good works as through thy guidance they shall begin and carry on. Stir up and strengthen our hearts and minds in the true worship of thee by thy Holy Spirit; and let all members of thy church be so enlightened by thy word and gospel that they may neither run after social enticements nor fanatical errors. Give unto us the spirit of wisdom and of a sound mind, not fearing to make a good confession, neither doubt¬ ing nor despising, that we be not like men sporting with divers opinions, and carried about by every wind of doctrine. Control in us all evil desires, and so govern our thoughts and deeds that we may serve thee in righteousness, through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Amen. — Philip Melanchthon (1497—1560). 40 LOYALTY FEBRUARY io SDomg as» Midi a& MU lutoto tPet&e tot tfjt SDap: “ To him therefore that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.” — James 4. 17. Osteon (or tljeSDa#: Luke 12. 42-48. 42 And the Lord said, Who then is the faithful and wise steward, whom his lord set over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season? 43 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. 44 Of a truth I say unto you, that he will set him over all that he hath. 45 But if that servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and the maidservants, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken; 46 the lord of that servant shall come in a day when he expecteth not, and in an hour when he knoweth not, and shall cut him asunder, and appoint his portion with the unfaithful. 47 And that servant, who knew his lord’s will, and made not ready, nor did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes ; 48 but he that knew not, and did things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. And to whom¬ soever much is given, of him shall much be required : and to whom they commit much, of him will they ask the more. “Do all the good you can, By all the means you can, In all the ways you can, At all the times you can, As long as ever you can.” — John Wesley. “I have always taught, and do teach, and shall teach, I doubt not, till I die, that in resolving to do our work well is the only sound foundation of any religion whatso¬ ever.” — John Ruskin. “When we do the best we can, we never know what miracle is wrought in our life, or in the life of another.” — Helen Keller. (or t!)e £>ag: “ O thou plenteous Source of every good and perfect gift, shed abroad the cheering light of thy sevenfold grace over our hearts. Yea, Spirit of love and gentleness, we most humbly implore thy assistance. Thou knowest our faults, our failings, our necessities, the dullness of our understanding, the waywardness of our affections, the perverseness of our will. When, therefore, we neglect to practice what we kno%v, visit us, we beseech thee, with thy grace, enlighten our minds, rectify our desires, correct our wanderings, and pardon our omissions, so that by thy guidance we may be preserved from making shipwreck of faith, and keep a good conscience, and may at length be landed safe in the haven of eternal rest; through Jesus Christ* our Lord.” Amen. — Anselm (1033— 1109). 41 LOYALTY FEBRUARY n Bring flint to <0ttt Mta\$ \Ptl0C fOt tljr “They shall be my people, and I will be their God, in truth and in righteousness. ” — Zechariah 8. 8. JLt$$on for tSr 2Dap: Pkilippians 4. 8, 9. 8 Finally, brethren, 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. 9 The things which ye both learned and received and heard and saw in me, these things do: and the God of peace shall be with you. “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 men’s search to vaster issues.” — George Eliot. “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 I have. ... I am nothing, but truth is every¬ thing.” — Abraham Lincoln. fOt tf)C 2DCIJU “Grant us, we beseech thee, almighty and most mer¬ ciful God, fervently to desire, wisely to search out, and perfectly to fulfill all that is well-pleasing unto thee this day. Order thou our worldly condi¬ tion to the glory of thy Name; and, of all that thou requirest us to do, grant us the knowledge, the desire, and the ability, that we may so fulfill it as we ought ; and may our path to thee, we pray, be safe, straightforward, and perfect to the end. Give us, O Lord, a steadfast heart, which no unworthy affection may drag downward ; give us an unconquered heart, which no tribulation can wear out; give us an upright heart, which no un¬ worthy purpose may tempt aside. Bestow upon us also, O Lord our God, understanding to know thee, diligence to seek thee, wisdom to find thee, and a faithfulness that may finally embrace thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Amen. — Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274). 42 LOYALTY FEBRUARY 12 Elbtltff to t C3oti Utttfe for t&e $Dag: “ For to me to live is Christ.” — Philip plans 1. 21. Heston tot tfje 2Dag; Psalm 63. 1-4, 7, 8. 1 O God, thou art my God; earnestly will I seek thee: My soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee, In a dry and weary land, where no water is. 2 So have I looked upon thee in the sanctuary, To see thy power and thy glory. 3 Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, My lips shall praise thee. 4 So will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name. 7 For thou hast been my help, And in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice. 8 My soul followeth hard after thee: Thy right hand upholdeth me. “God should be the object of all our desires, the end of all our actions, the prin¬ ciple of all our affections, and the governing power of our whole souls.” — Massillon. “The bird let loose in Eastern skies When hastening fondly home, Ne’er stops 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. fOt tfyt “O God, our everlasting hope, who holdest us in life, and orderest our lot; we ask not for any prosperity that would tempt us to forget thee. As disciples of One who had not where to lay his head, may we freely welcome the toils and sufferings of our humanity, and seek only strength to glorify the cross thou layest on us. Every work of our hand may we do as unto thee ; in every trouble trace some lights of thine and let no blessing fall on dry and thankless hearts. Redeeming the time, may we fill every waking hour with faithful duty and well-ordered affec¬ tions, as the sacrifice which thou hast provided. Strip us, O Lord, of every proud thought; fill us with patient tenderness for others, seeing that we also are in the same case before thee, and make us ready to help and quick to forgive. And then fix every grace, compose every fear, by a steady trust in thine eternal realities, behind the changes of time and the delusions of men. Thou art our Rock: we rest on thee.” Amen. — /. Martineau (1805-1900). 43 LOYALTY FEBRUARY 13 W&t lettuce ot £obt iPei&t fot tf)t SDap: “Owe no man anything, save to love one another: for he that loveth his neighbor hath fulfilled the law.” — Romans 13. 8. 3le^^onfottSe2Da?: Matthew 26. 6-13. 6 Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, 7 there came unto him a woman having an alabaster cruse of exceeding precious ointment, and she poured it upon his head, as he sat at meat. 8 But when the disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, To what purpose is this waste? 9 For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor. 10 But Jesus perceiving it said unto them, Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon me. 11 For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always. 12 For in that she poured this ointment upon my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. 13 Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, that also which this woman hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her. “History for these thousand years has not been the history of kindness but of selfishness. An acceptance of the sentiment of love would bring the felon and the outcast to our side in tears. Let our affection flow out to our fellows; it would operate the greatest of revolutions. Let the amelioration in our laws of property proceed from the concession of the rich, not from the grasping of the poor. Let us begin by imparting. The equitable rule is that no one should take more than his share. Let man be a lover. Love would put a new face on this old world in which we dwell as pagans and enemies. It would warm the heart to see the diplomacy of statesmen, the impotence of armies and navies, superseded by this unarmed child. Love would accomplish that which force could never achieve.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson. tot “Gracious and most merciful Father, thou hast been the God of thy people in all generations. The poor have cried unto thee, and thou hast heard them. Help us to lift up our hearts unto thee in prayer; and receive the humble and hearty thanks we give unto thee for all the blessings of another day. For whatever sins we have committed against thee we pray for thy forgiveness. If we have forgotten thee, doubted thee in our hearts, or denied thee with our lips, pardon us, we pray thee, for the sake of Him who came to save even the chief of sinners. O Lord, thou hast seen how we have carried ourselves toward our fellow men to-day. If we have been envious or proud, if we have taken pleasure in the sufferings of any, if we have been hard or unjust to any, pardon us, O Lord. May thy grace be granted unto us that we may be enabled to live in all the relations of life, whether as parents or as children, employers or employees, according to Christ’s law of love. O thou God of loVe, help us that we shall account ourselves servants of all in the spirit of Christ who lived and died for men. In his name.” Amen. 44 LOYALTY FEBRUARY 14 W&t Cfjttetian ^tanbarti ot Paltieg. tot tjjt SDa^t “But now abideth faith, hope, love, these three; and the greatest of these is love.” — 1 Corinthian's 13. 13. JLt$&On tot tjitSDap: Philippians 4. 4-9. 4 Rejoice in the Lord always: again I will say, Rejoice. 5 Let your forbearance be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. 6 In nothing be anxious; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understand¬ ing, shall guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brethren, 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. 9 The things which ye both learned and received and heard and saw in me, these things do: and the God of peace shall be with you. “To weigh the material in the scales of the personal, and measure life by the stand¬ ard of love; to prize health as contagious happiness, wealth as potential service, repu¬ tation 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 myseli 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. Pt &ytl (PE tf) t “Grant us grace, O Lord, we pray, to live our lives in a Christian spirit. May our labors, whether small or great, he ennobled by our loyalty to the principles of the. gospel of Christ. May we honor thee by the uprightness and the integrity of our conduct, by the un¬ selfishness and generosity of our spirit, and by our endeavor in all things to obey the law of Christ. May we not covet the wealth of this world. Whatever we justly gain by our labors may we employ for the good of our fellow men and the service of our Lord. Not slothful in business, may we be fervent in spirit, serving the Lord. Whether we eat or drink, or whatever we do, may we do all for the glory of God. Save us from luxury and display, from pride and vainglory, from the snares of ambition and the desire of human applause, and help us ever to walk humbly with our God. May those who are young especially learn to value everything according to its tendency to make them just and pure and good. May they, and may we all, become truly wise through the teaching of thy Holy Spirit. These blessings we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Amen. 45 LOYALTY FEBRUARY 15 & &ucce££Cul ILUt UtE#E f0E tl)t SDftJU “Fight the good fight of the faith, lay hold on the life eternal.” — 1 Timothy 6. 12. 2lt££i0SXf0Etf)e£Da£: 2 Timothy 4. 5-8. 5 But be thou sober in all things, suffer hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill thy ministry. 6 For I am already being offered, and the time of my departure is come. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith: 8 henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give to me at that day: and not to me only, but also to all them that have loved his appearing. “I pray thee, Lord, that when it comes to me To say if I will follow truth and thee, Or choose, instead, to win, as better worth My pains, some cloying recompense of earth, “Grant me, great Father, from a hard-fought field, Forspent and bruised, upon a battered shield, Home to obscure endurance to be borne Rather than live my own mean ends to scorn.” — Edward S. Martin. “And for success I ask no more than this — To bear unflinching witness to the truth. All true whole men succeed; for what is worth Success’s name unless it be the thought, The inward surety to have carried out A noble purpose to a noble end, Although it be the gallows or the block.” — James Russell Lowell. fOE t Our Father, we pray for the mind of Christ. May our ideals of success be in accord with his character and teachings. Help us to realize that success is to be measured more by what we are than by what man says of us or by the earthly honors and rewards which we win. Above all else may it be our desire and purpose to honor thee by integrity of character, by righteous conduct, by unselfishness of spirit, and by devotion to the rights and welfare of others. Save us from the snares of unworthy ambition and from desire of human applause. May we desire and seek thy approval upon our every word and work. (May those of us who are young in years especially learn to value everything according to its tendency to make us loving and just, pure and good.) May we become truly wise through the guidance and counsel of thine Holy Spirit — the Spirit of eternal wisdom and truth. Forgive us, we pray thee, wherein we have cherished desires or purposes, plans or ideals, that are unworthy of us as thy children, as disciples of thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and keep us by thy power and grace steadfast to the end. Amen. 46 LOYALTY FEBRUARY 16 W&t prate af mtam fat f!)t iiciDttp; “He that trusteth in his riches shall fall.” — Proverbs II. 28. iltstean fat tfjt SDap: 1 Timothy 6. 17—19. 17 Charge them that are rich in this present world, that they be not highminded, nor have their hope set on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; 18 that they do good, that they be rich in good works, that they be ready to distribute, willing to communicate; 19 laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on the life which is life indeed. “Is it to worship earthly, groveling gold, And, dollar-blinded, to look only down, To rake the muck-heap, and forget the crown Until youth’s bounding blood creeps strangely cold: To dwell with envy, arrogance and dread, To barter all benevolence for dross; To lose companionship, nor feel its loss Because the flower of sympathy is dead — Is that success? “With comrade duty in the dark or day To follow truth wherever it may lead, To hate all meanness, cowardice or greed, To look for beauty under common clay, Our brothers’ burdens, sharing when they weep But if we fail, to bear defeat alone; To live in hearts that loved us when we’re gone Beyond the twilight (till the morning break) to sleep — That is success!” — Anonymous. PEft#££ fat tfjt Help us, O Father, to realize each day that what¬ ever strength and talents we have are gifts from thee. Teach us to use them not only that they may grow but that always by them we may know thee. Keep us from losing our heads because some success may have crowned our labors. Let us have no undue sense of our importance. Keep us humble, companionable, and straight. May we ever be friendly with others who have tried and failed. Make us ever ready to help the weak and unfortunate. Save us from having the spirit of a snob or a Pharisee. Help us ever to do our best. If future days have defeat for us, help us to lose bravely, loyally, and as cheerfully as in times of victory. Whatever comes of praise or blame, defeat or distinction, of sacrifice or of service, help us to follow in the foot¬ steps of the Man of Nazareth. In his name. Amen. 47 LOYALTY FEBRUARY 17 Ufje pastor# of t fit a total PEE0E f0E t§£ SDa^J “For what doth it profit a man, to gain the whole world, and forfeit his life?'’ — Mark 8. 36. X^gstonfottljeSDap: Luke 12. 22-28. 22 And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Be not anxious for your life, what ye shall eat; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. 23 For the life is more than the food, and the body than the raiment. 24 Consider the ravens, that they sow not, neither reap; which have no store-chamber nor barn; and God feedeth them: of how much more value are ye than the birds! 25 And which of you by being anxious can add a cubit unto the measure of his life? 26 If then ye are not able to do even that which is least, why are ye anxious concerning the rest? 27 Consider the lilies, how they grow: they toil not, neither do they spin; yet I say unto you, Even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 28 But if God doth so clothe the grass in the field, which to-day is, and to-morrow is cast into the oven; how much more shall he clothe you, O ye of little faith? “Many men are mere warehouses full of merchandise — the head, the heart, are stuffed with goods; . . . there are apartments in their souls which were once tenanted by taste, and love, and joy, and worship, but they are all deserted now, and the rooms are filled with earthy and material things.” — Henry Ward Beecher. “I call that mind free, which escapes the bondage of matter; which, instead of stopping at the material universe and making it a prison-wall, passes beyond it to its Author, and finds, in the radiant signatures which it everywhere bears of the Infinite Spirit, helps to its own spiritual enlargement.” — William Ellery Channing. t0E tf)t “O God, the Creator and Father of all mankind, may we live tnis day in the firm resolve to walk in the paths of thy com¬ mandments. Root out from our hearts all evil passion and vain affection and whatever else might lead us into sin ; and plant in their stead that love of purity and peace which is of the spirit of the gospel. Suffer us not to fall this day into any trial beyond our strength: let not health make us forgetful of our mortality, nor prosperity of our dependence on thy providence; let neither allurement betray us, nor sudden temptation surprise us into sin, nor any vain shows of a deceitful world be permitted to abuse our under¬ standings or corrupt our hearts. In our lives let the spiritual ever exert the mastery over the material. Let us not unduly seek the riches or pleasures of life or be too much moved by its troubles and disappointments. Rather, may we seek such things as please thee, delight in those things which draw us nearer thee. For Jesus’ sake.” Amen. — John McVickar. 48 LOYALTY FEBRUARY 18 bp a (Bnat put po&t Wtz&t tot tf\e Soap: “ And it came to pass, when the days were well- nigh come that he should be received up, he steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem. ” — Luke 9. 51* £tggOn tot tfitSDap: Philippians 3- 12-16. 12 Not that I have already obtained, or am already made per¬ fect: but I press on, if so be that I may lay hold on that for which also I was laid hold on by Christ Jesus. 13 Brethren, I count not myself yet to have laid hold: but one thing I do, forget¬ ting the things which are behind, and stretching forward to the things which are before, 14 I press on toward the goal unto the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let us there¬ fore, as many as are perfect, be thus minded: and if in anything ye are otherwise minded, this also shall God reveal unto you: 16 only, whereunto we have attained, by that same rule let us walk. “I do not want merely to possess a faith; I want a faith that possesses me.” — ■ Charles Kingsley. “It is unworthy of us, it is inexpedient and unprofitable, to be so often discussing little questions of conduct, little matters of casuistry. Cannot we settle these into some grand principle, so that they shall adjust themselves to our life as the waves adjust themselves to the ship that is sailing through them? Sometimes we meet these questions as if they were a swarm of gnats, fighting them one by one; when, it we would only move on, we should leave them behind, and then in the cool clear air we could do the work which we have planned to do.” — Alexander McKenzie. Pta^tt (DC SDa# J “O God, who art the only Saviour of men, deliver us from selfish ambition, and from the pursuit of low and unworthy ideals, and inspire us with a great purpose. For all faithful witnesses who have sealed their testimony with their lives we render thanks to thee : may those who now run the Christian race, and fight the battles of faith, be animated by their example. Give us courage for the difficult duties to which thou hast called us, and may we render ourselves to thee, living sacrifices, glorifying thee in our body and spirit which are thine. Reveal thy universal grace, O God, thy care for all thy creatures, thy will to bless and save. To them that are in danger grant a refuge in thy power, and may those who are appointed to die rest on Him who has taken away the sting of death. In the secret sorrows and heart-breakings of life, in the deep sense of sin and short-coming, let thy grace in Jesus Christ bring the healing balm and sweet assurance of hope. For his sake.” Amen. 49 LOYALTY FEBRUARY 19 ^Dbetcomutg; tijc Mlotlti fOt t!)C 2D ft#: “This is the victory that hath overcome the world, even our faith.” — 1 John 5. 4 1. c. tOO tj)t 2Da#: Revelation 7.9, 10, 1 3~ 1 5- 9 After these things I saw, and behold, a great multitude, which no man could number, out of every nation and of all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, arrayed in white robes, and palms in their hands; 10 and they cry with a great voice, saying, Salvation unto our God who sitteth on the throne, and unto the Lamb. 13 And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, These that are arrayed in the white robes, who are they, and whence came they? 14 And I say unto him, My lord, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they that come out of the great tribulation, and they washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 Therefore are they before the throne of God; and they serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall spread his tabernacle over them. “From strength to strength go on! Wrestle and fight and pray! Tread all the powers of darkness down. And win the well-fought day!” — Charles Wesley. “What is victory over the world? It is to cut off, as far as we may, every hold which everything out of God has over us; to study wherein we are weak, and there seek in his strength to be made strong. Be your temptation the love of pleasure, it is to forego it; if of food, to restrain it; if of praise, to put forward others rather than yourself; if of being right in the sight of men, be content to be misjudged, and to keep silence; if of self-indulgence, use hardness; if of display, cut off the occasions and give to the poor; if of having thine own will, practice the submission of it to the wills of others.” — Edward B. Pusey. Ptapot for tge £Day: “ O God, our Father, accomplish thy perfect work in our souls; let us become day by day purer, freer, more heavenly, more happy, and preserve us unto eternal life. Bless, animate, and sustain us, and raise us mightily above all that would distract us, to thyself and the con¬ sciousness of thy fellowship which gives joy to all who dwell therein. As yet we are bound with many chains; we tarry among things seen and tem¬ poral, and feel their oppression ; we are exposed to the storms of the outer world, and are wrestling with its ills. But we are not dismayed, for we are more than earth and dust, we are akin to thee, O Spirit of the Lord, and can experience thy heavenly influence. Thou bearest witness with our spirits that we are the children of God; when we know not how to pray aright, plead thou for us with sighs that cannot be uttered. . . . For it is from thee, the Spirit of the Lord, whose mighty working fills the holy temple of Christ’s Church on earth, that we expect all good things. Perfect, then, the good work which thou hast begun in us, and seal us unto the day of Jesus Christ.” Amen. — Reinhardt (1753-1813). 50 LOYALTY FEBRUARY 20 d$0t)'£ Eato at lntzta$t f0t tl)t “And to whomsoever much is given, of him shall much be required.” — Luke 12. 48b. Hc&$qi\ for tfje 2Dag; Luke 6. 33-38. 33 And if ye do good to them that do good to you, what thank have ye? for even sinners do the same. 34 And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? even sinners lend to sinners, to receive again as much. 35 But love your ene¬ mies, and do them good, and lend, never despairing; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be sons of the Most High: for he is kind toward the unthankful and evil. 36 Be ye merciful, even as your Father is merciful. 37 And judge not, and ye shall not be judged: and condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: release, and ye shall be released: 38 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. “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. “Make channels for the streams of love, Where they may broadly run; For God has overflowing streams To fill them every one. “But if at any time we cease Such channels to provide, The very founts of love for us Will soon be parched and dried. “For we must share, if we would keep That blessing from above; Ceasing to give, we cease to have, Such is the law of love.” — Richard Chenevix Tre7ich. Cot* £DiI£; “O Lord, our Saviour, who hast warned us that thou wilt require much of those to whom much is given, grant that we whose lot is cast in so goodly a heritage may strive together the more abun¬ dantly by prayer, by almsgiving, by fasting, and by every other appointed means, to extend to others what we so richly enjoy ; and as we have entered into the labors of other men, so to labor that in their turn other men may enter into ours, to the fulfillment of thy holy will, and our own everlasting salvation; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.” Amen. — Saint Augustine (354— 430). 51 LOYALTY FEBRUARY 21 flD tit County fot tfjt “Now, therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be mine own possession from among all peoples; for all the earth is mine.” — Exodus 19. 5. for tl)£ Isaiah 26. 1, 2, 12-15. i In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah: We have a strong city; salvation will he appoint for walls and bulwarks. 2 Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth faith may enter in. 12 Jehovah, thou wilt ordain peace for us; for thou hast also wrought all our works for us. 13 O Jehovah our God, other lords besides thee have had dominion over us; but by thee only will we make mention of thy name. 14 They are dead, they shall not live; they are deceased, they shall not rise: therefore hast thou visited and destroyed them, and made all remembrance of them to perish. 15 Thou hast increased the nation, O Jehovah, thou hast increased the nation; thou art glori¬ fied; thou hast enlarged all the borders of the land. “He serves his country best Who lives pure life, and doeth righteous deed, And walks straight paths, however others stray; And leaves his sons as uttermost bequest A stainless record which all men may read.” The Mayflower Covenant for the establishment of a theocracy on the American continent, written and signed in the cabin of the Mayflower on the Pilgrims’ voyage to America: “In the name of God, Amen. . . . Having undertaken for the glory of God and advancement of the Christian faith and honor of our king and country, a voyage to plant the first colony in the northern parts of Virginia, by these presents do solemnly and mutually, in the presence of God and one another, covenant and com¬ bine ourselves into a civic body politic for our better ordering and preservation and furtherance of the ends aforesaid, and by virtue hereof to enact, constitute, and frame such just and equal laws and ordinances, acts, constitutions and offices, from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the general good of the colony, unto which we promise all due subjection and obedience.” (Ot “Almighty God, who in the foimer times dost lead our fathers forth into a wealthy place; give thy grace, we humbly beseech thee, to us their children, that we may always approve ourselves a people mindful of thy favor, and glad to do thy will. Bless our land with honor¬ able industry, sound learning and pure manners. Defend our liberties, pre¬ serve our unity. Save us from violence, disorder, and confusion, from pride and arrogance and from every evil way. Fashion into one happy people the multitudes brought hither out of many kindreds and tongues. Endue with the spirit of wisdom those whom we intrust in thy name with the authority of governance, to the end that there be peace at home, and that we keep a place among the nations of the earth. In the time of prosperity fill our hearts with thankfulness, and in the day of trouble suffer not our trust in thee to fail; all of which we ask for Jesus Christ’s sake.” Amen. — The Wesley Sunday Service. 52 LOYALTY FEBRUARY 22 ^Lf)t jfottn&n# ot £Dut Ration (Ot tf)£ 2Da^> '‘Righteousness exalteth a nation; But sin is a reproach to any people.” — Proverbs 14. 34. JLt$$ca (or t&tSDap: Romans 13. 1—7. 1 Let every soul be in subjection to the higher powers: for there is no power but of God; and the powers that be are ordained of God. 2 Therefore he that resisteth the power, withstandeth the ordinance of God: and they that withstand shall receive to them¬ selves judgment. 3 For rulers are not a terror to the good work, but to the evil. And wouldest thou have no fear of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise from the same: 4 for he is a minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is a minister of God, an avenger for wrath to him that doeth evil. 5 Wherefore ye must needs be in subjection, not only be¬ cause of the wrath, but also for conscience’ sake. 6 For for this cause ye pay tribute also; for they are ministers of God’s service, attend¬ ing continually upon this very thing. 7 Render to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor. “Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism who should labor to subvert these pillars of human happiness. The mere politician, equally with the pious man, ought to respect and cherish them. ... I make it my earnest prayer that God would most graciously be pleased to dispose us all to do justice, to love mercy, and to demean ourselves with that charity, humility, and pacific temper of mind which were the characteristics of the Divine Author of our blessed religion, without an imitation of whose example in these things, we cannot hope to be a happy nation.” — George Washington (b. February 22, 1732). y&Z&JttZ (Ot (Jt “Father of life, we thank thee that thou hast been with the founders of our nation; 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 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 counselors. Father, to-day, to-morrow, 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 (1822-1909). 53 LOYALTY FEBRUARY 23 Bringing tjje Cfnl&trn to 3le£u0 $£Eetbtct PttjSte fOt tf)t “As for me and my house, we will serve Jehovah.” — Joshua 24. 15. 3£e££0nf0ttI)e£Da£: Acts 16. 28-34- 28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here. 29 And he called for lights and sprang in, and, trembling for fear, fell down before Paul and Silas, 30 and brought them out and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? 31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus, and thou shalt be saved, thou and thy house. 32 And they spake the word of the Lord unto him, with all that were in his house. 33 And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, immediately. 34 And he brought them up into his house, and set food before them, and rejoiced greatly, with all his house, having believed in God. “Each of us is bound to do our part toward making the little circle in which we live better and happier; each of us is bound to see that out of that small circle the widest good may flow; that out of a single household may flow influences which shall stimu¬ late the whole commonwealth and the whole civilized world.” — Arthur P. Stanley. Parents who appreciate the fact that the home is the first and greatest school of religion will endeavor to organize the whole life of the family for religious purposes, for the purpose of growing lives into spiritual wholeness. They will bend every effort to secure a real religious atmosphere and soil in which souls can really grow. They will see the family as the greatest opportunity life affords to grow other lives and to bring them to spiritual fullness by providing those conditions necessary to spiritual life and growth. These conditions are not easily created, they cannot be readily de¬ fined, nor can simple directions be given for their creation, yet to secure and main¬ tain them is the first and greatest responsibdity of Christian parents. ^ZdytZ f 0t “We beseech thee, O Lord, to look mercifully upon this family and to pour thy blessing upon us all. Grant to us severally such measures of thy grace as may fit us for our duties. Make us kind and considerate to the poor and needy, charitable and forgiving to those who do us wrong. Make us to be a household fearing thee and abounding more and more in love to thee and in devotion to thy service ; that this family may1 be, among many others, the humble means of keeping alive a spirit of piety in this nation and people, that thou mayest bless them and visit them with thy salvation. And grant that having dwelt together here in thy fear and love, we may together be received into thine everlasting habitation, which thou hast prepared for thy faithful servants; through the merits of Jesus Christ our Lord.” Amen. — Bishop Hamilton s Manual. LOYALTY FEBRUARY 26 jBDebotion to C5ob'$i CLOocli (Ot tj )t 2DO^t ‘‘They received the word with all readiness of mind, examining the scriptures daily, whether these things were so.” — Acts 17. 11b. Ht££on tot tljeSDag: Psalm 1 19. 9—16. 9 Wherewith shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto according to thy word. 10 With my whole heart have I sought thee: Oh let me not wander from thy commandments. 11 Thy word have I laid up in my heart, That I might not sin against thee. 12 Blessed are thou, O Jehovah: Teach me thy statutes. 13 With my lips have I declared All the ordinances of thy mouth. 14 I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, As much as in all riches. 15 I will meditate on thy precepts, And have respect unto thy ways. 16 I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word. “Read the Holy Bible, ‘the Divine Scriptures,’ as the early Christian writers loved to call them. Let nothing take their place. Let not good books, be they what they may, oust the Book.” — H. C. G. Moule. “Oh, word of God incarnate! Oh, wisdom from on high! Oh, truth unchanged, unchanging! Oh, light of our dark sky! We praise thee for the radiance That from the hallowed page, A lantern to our footsteps, Shines on from age to age.” — Charles How. “I have been acquainted somewhat with men and books, and have had long expe¬ rience in learning, and in the world: there is no book like the Bible for excellent learn¬ ing, wisdom, and use; and it is want of understanding in them that think or speak otherwise.” — Matthew Hale. (Ot Almighty God, our heavenly Father, we render thee most hearty thanks for the spiritual and heavenly nourishment of thy blessed Word, wherewith our souls are constantly refreshed, our faith strengthened, our love kindled, our hope renewed. We humbly beseech thee to give us grace, not only to be hearers of thy Word, but doers of the same; not only to love, but also to live thy gospel; not only to profess, but also to practice thy blessed Commandments; that we may show forth the same in our conversation and living, unto the honor of thy holy name, the comfort and help of our Christian brethren, the health and welfare of our souls. We ask it in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 57 LOYALTY FEBRUARY 27 fe>eaxcf) t!je Scriptures* t^erj^e tot Hje Dap: Ye search the scriptures, because ye think that in them ye have eternal life; and these are they which bear witness of me.” — John 5- 39- for tf)e SDag: 2 Timothy 3. 14-17. 14 But abide thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; 15 and that from a babe thou hast known the sacred writings which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16 Every scripture inspired of God is also profit¬ able for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction which is in righteousness: 17 that the man of God may be complete, furnished completely unto every good work. “At any price, give me the book of God! I have it: here is knowledge enough for me. Let me be homo unius libri. Here, then, I am, far from the busy ways oi men. I sit down alone: only God is here. In his presence I open, I read this book; for this end, to find the way to heaven. Is there a doubt concerning the meaning of what I read? Does any thing appear dark or intricate? I lift up my heart to the Father of lights. Lord, is it not thy word, ‘If any man lack wisdom, let him ask of God’? Thou ‘givest liberally and upbraidest not.’ Thou hast said, ‘If any be will¬ ing to do thy will, he shall know.’ I am willing to do: let me know thy will. I then search after, and consider parallel passages of Scripture, ‘comparing spiritual things with spiritual.’ I meditate thereon, with all the attention and earnestness of which my mind is capable. If any doubt still remains, I consult those who are experienced in the things of God; and then, the writings whereby, being dead, they yet speak. And what I thus learn, that I teach.” — John Wesley. “I speak as a man of the world to men of the world; and I say to you, search the Scriptures! The Bible is the book of all others to be read at all ages, and in all con¬ ditions of human life; not to be read once or twice through, and then laid aside, but to be read in small portions of two or three chapters every day, and never to be inter¬ mitted unless by sound overruling necessity.” — John Quincy Adams. (Ot D&p: “Our Father, we thank thee for the Word of life which thou hast given us. Help us that we may obey the apostolic injunc¬ tion to search the Scriptures. Grant that by thy Holy Spirit enlightening us, we may understand the truth of thy Word and, like Timothy, may we abide in these things which we have learned. Implant in us all that faith which unites the soul to Christ. O our Father, accept in Christ’s name our grateful thanks for thy kindness and care manifested in so many ways toward us. We have not deserved these gifts or thy blessing, yet they have been great and manifold. Accept, O our Father, our grateful thanks. Keep us, we pray thee, in the hour of temptation. Give us grace diligently and faith¬ fully to perform our duties, and to walk before thee in holy fear, and with loving hearts, as thy dear children. In Jesus’ name.” Amen. 58 LOYALTY FEBRUARY 28 E fOE t!)E “Not my will, but thine, be done.” — Luke 22. 42. 2U££0nf0Etf)Ci&Dap: Colossians 1. 9-14, 21-23. 9 For this, cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray and make request for you, that ye may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understand¬ ing, 10 to walk worthily of the Lord unto all pleasing, bearing fruit in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 strengthened with all power, according to the might of his glory, unto all patience and longsuffering with joy; 12 giving thanks unto the Father, who made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light; 13 who delivered us out of the power of darkness, and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of his love; 14 in whom we have our redemption, the forgiveness of our sins. ... 21 And you, being in time past alienated and enemies in your mind in your evil works, 22 yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and without blemish and unreprovable before him: 23 if so be that ye continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel which ye heard, which was preached in all creation under heaven; whereof I Paul was made a minister. “On January 12, 1723, I made a dedication of myself to God, and wrote it down; giving up myself and all I had to God; to be in the future in no respect my own. I solemnly vowed to take God for my whole portion and felicity, and his law for the constant rule of my obedience, engaging to fight with all my might against the world, the flesh, and the devil, to the end of my life. I frequently used to retire on the banks of the Hudson River, at some distance from the city [New York], for contemplation on divine things and secret converse with God, and had many sweet hours there.” — Jonathan Edwards. Pta^EE fOE tf}Z “My adorable God, I humbly beseech thee to ac¬ cept the sacrifice 1 here, in all humility, desire to make thee, of the remainder of my life; to be entirely employed, with the utmost vigor both of my soul and body, in thy service and adoration. Pardon all the sins and offenses of our lives past, and be pleased to bestow upon us a steadfast faith, an ardent love, an humble and perfect obedience, and wills capable of no other inclination than absolute guidance of thy divine will, ... as all our thoughts and actions are continually before thee, so we humbly beseech thee, that they may never be unworthy of thy divine presence, for Jesus Christ’s sake.” Amen. — Charles How. 64 LOYALTY MARCH 6 SDotng (Boob Pettfe tot tfjt 2Dap: “ God . . . will render to every man accord¬ ing to his works: to them that by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and incorruption, eternal life.” — Romans 2. 6, 7. Htggon fot tfje Acts io. 34 1. C.-39. 34 Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: 35 but in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteous¬ ness, is acceptable to him. 36 The word which he sent unto the children of Israel, preaching good tidings of peace by Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all) — -37 that saying ye yourselves know, which was published throughout all Judasa, beginning from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached; 38 even Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil ; for God was with him. 39 And we are witnesses of all things which he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. “ ‘Up and be doing’ is the word that comes from God to each of us. Do some¬ thing worth living lor, worth dying for; something to show that you have a mind and heart and a soul within you. ... Is there no want, no suffering, no sorrow that you can relieve? Is there no act of tardy justice, no deed of cheerful kindness, no long- forgotten duty that you can perform? Is there no reconciliation of some ancient quarrel, no payment of some outstanding debt, no courtesy, or love, or honor to those to whom it has long been due? If there be any such, I beseech you, in God’s name, go and do it.” — Arthur P. Stanley. “We ought to do good to others as simply and as naturally as a horse runs, or a bee makes honey, or a vine bears grapes season after season without thinking of the grapes which it has borne.” — Marcus Aurelius. y&KfllfrZK tf)£ “O Lord Jesus Christ, who went about doing good, by thy most merciful example lead us also, we pray thee, to show mercy and to do good. Fill us with charity that we may, as thou callest us, minister to thy poor, and pray for all men. Though we are weary, keep us from weariness in well-doing; to give, and to believe thy word that it is more blessed to give than to receive. So in the day of thy good pleasure may we rest from our labors, and our works follow us.” Amen. — Christina G. Rossetti (1830-1894). 65 LOYALTY MARCH 7 SDUtp of i^onesitp for t\)t Dap: “ The law of truth was in his mouth, and unright¬ eousness was not found in his lips; he walked with me in peace and uprightness, and turned many away from iniquity.” — Malachi 2. 6. JLt&&on foe tfje 2Dap: Titus 3- 8, 9, 14. 8 Faithful is the saying, and concerning these things I desire that thou affirm confidently, to the end that they who have believed God may be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men: 9 but shun foolish questionings, and genealogies, and strifes, and fightings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain. 14 And let our people also learn to main¬ tain good works for necessary uses, that they be not unfruitful. “I hope I shall always possess firmness and virtue enough to maintain what I consider the most enviable of all titles, the character of an ‘Honest Man.’ ” — George Washington. “It seems to me that the shortest way to check the darker forms of deceit is to set watch more scrupulous against those which have mingled, unregarded and unchastised, with the current of our life. Do not let us lie at all. Do not think of one falsity as harmless and another as slight and another as unintended. Cast them all aside; they may be light and accidental, but they are an ugly soot from the smoke of the pit for all that; and it is better that our heart should be swept clean of them, without over¬ care as to which is largest or blackest. Speaking truth is like writing fair, and comes only by practice; it is less a matter of will than of habit, and I doubt if any occasion can be trivial which permits the practice and formation of such a habit.” — John Ruskin. Pt tX^ZZ fOt t\)Z SDd£« “We bless and praise and magnify thee, O God of our fathers, who hast led us out of the shadows of night once more into the light of day. Unto thy loving-kindness we make our entreaty; be merciful to our misdeeds; accept our prayers in the fullness of thy compassion, for thou art our refuge from one generation to another, O merciful and almighty God. Suffer the true Sun of thy righteousness to shine in our hearts, en¬ lighten our reason, and purify our senses; that so we may walk honestly as in the day, in the way of thy Commandments, and reach at last the life eternal, where we shall rejoice in thy inaccessible life. For thou art the fountain of life and in thy light shall we see light.” Amen. — Greek Church. 66 LOYALTY MARCH 8 Hoy alty to tty tot tty SDap: “ To this end have I been born, and to this end am l come into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth.” — John 1 8. 37. Jteggton fot tt>e SDag: Psalm 119.29-33. 29 Remove from me the way of falsehood ; And grant me thy law graciously. 30 I have chosen the way of faithfulness: Thine ordinances have I set before me. 31 I cleave unto thy testimonies: O Jehovah, put me not to shame. 32 I will run the way of thy commandments, When thou shalt enlarge my heart. 33 Teach me, O Jehovah, the way of thy statutes; And I shall keep it unto the end. “So he died for his faith. That is fine — More than most of us do. But, say, can you add to that line That he lived for it too? In his death he bore witness at last As a martyr to truth. Did his life do the same in the past From the days of his youth? It is easy to die! Men have died For a wish or a whim — From bravado or passion or pride, Was it harder for him? But to live — every day to live out All the truth that he drempt, 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 lived. Never mind how he died.” — Crosby. y&ZOytt fOt tty jDilJN “Father, we thank thee for the vast progress which mankind has made in the ages that are behind us. We bless thee that truth is stronger than error, and justice breaks down every throne of unrighteous¬ ness, and the gentleness of love is far stronger than all the energy of wrath. We thank thee for the philosophers who have taught us truth and for the great poets who have touched men’s hearts with the fire of heaven and stirred to noble deeps the human soul. We thank thee for the goodly fellowship of prophets in all lands; for the glorious company of apostles, speaking in every tongue, and the noble army of martyrs, whose blood, reddening the soil of the whole world, has made it fertile for noble human purposes. We thank thee for the humble toiling millions of men who earnestly looked for the light and finding walked therein. We pray thee that we, too, may walk faithful to the light. So may thy kingdom come and thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Amen .—Theodore Parker ( 1810-1860) . 67 LOYALTY MARCH 9 dSta tt of pettfebetante tDt tf)t jSDajH “He that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved.” — Matthew 10. 22. 2lt£»00n tot tj)E 2Dag: Revelation 3. 1-6. 1 And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars : I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and thou art dead. 2 Be thou watchful, and establish the things that remain, which were ready to die : for I have found no works of thine perfected before my God. 3 Remember there¬ fore how thou hast received and didst hear; and keep it, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee. 4 But thou hast a few names in Sardis that did not defile their garments: and they shall walk with me in white; for they are worthy. 5 He that overcometh shall thus be arrayed in white garments; and I will in no wise blot his name out of the book of life, and I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. 6 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches. “Hast thou attempted greatness? Then go on; Back-turning slackens resolution.” — Herrick. “Say not the struggle naught availeth, The labor and the wounds are vain. The enemy faints not, nor faileth, And as things have been, they remain. For while the tired waves, vainly breaking, ' Seem here no painful inch to gain, Far back, through creeks and inlets making, Comes silent, flooding in, the main.” — A. H. Clough. “In the gallery of the Louvre a cabinet of pottery is shown. The pieces are not particularly beautiful, but they are of thrilling historic interest. This is the set which Bernard de Palissy broke up the furniture of his house to fire, in his extreme poverty and after a long series of harrowing disappointments. In this last experiment he succeeded, rediscovering the glaze which has made the exquisite wares of Sevres possi¬ ble.” — Davis W. Clark. y&Z&ytt tot “Lord Jesus Christ, who lovest those that love thee, and refreshest them with the gift of thy mercy; confirm us, we pray thee, in every good word and work, that our mouth may speak of wisdom, and our heart muse of understanding, so that, setting our whole trust on thee, we may with all thy saints obtain the reward of eternal life.” Amen. — Mozarahic Psalter. 68 LOYALTY MARCH io C5cact of patience Wti&t foe tf\t 2Dap: ‘ ‘And let patience have its perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, lacking in nothing.” — James i. 4. tot tjjtiSDap: James 5. 7-1 1. 7 Be patient therefore, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient over it, until it receive the early and latter rain. 8 Be ye also patient; establish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 9 Murmur not, brethren, one against another, that ye be not judged: behold, the judge standeth before the doors. 10 Take, brethren, for an example of suffering and of patience, the prophets who spake in the name of the Lord. 11 Behold, we call them blessed that endured: ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord, how that the Lord is full of pity, and merciful. “Let no man think that sudden in a minute All is accomplished and the work is done; — Though with thine earliest dawn thou shouldst begin it, Scarce were it ended in thy setting sun.” — Frederic IV. H. Myers. “How many are there who by reason of poverty, obscurity, infirmity of mind or body, can never hope to do much by action, and who often sigh at the contempla¬ tion of their want of power to effect anything! But it is given to them, as to all, to suffer; let them only suffer well, and they will give a testimony for God which all who know them will deeply feel and profoundly respect. It is not necessary for all men to be great in action. The greatest and sublimest power is often simple patience; and for just that reason we need sometimes to see its greatness alone, that we may embrace the solitary, single idea of such greatness, and bring it into our hearts uncon¬ fused with all other kinds of power. Let this be remembered; and let it be your joy, in every trial and grief and pain and wrong you suffer, that to suffer well is to be a true advocate and apostle and pillar of the faith.” — Horace Bushnell. fOt t “We beseech of thee, O Lord our God, that thou wilt grant to every one of us the special mercies which he needs — strength where weakness prevails, and patience where courage has failed. Grant, we pray thee, that those who need long-suffering may find themselves strongly up¬ borne and sustained. Grant if any are heart-weary and sick from hope deferred that they may find rest in thee. Confirm goodness in those that are seeking it. Restore, we pray thee, those that have wandered from the path of rectitude. Give every one honesty. May all transgressors of the law return to the Shepherd and Bishop of their souls with confession of sin, and earnest and sincere repentance.” Amen. — Henry Ward Beecher (1813- 1887). 69 AWE AND REVERENCE MARCH ii tot C$0b tot tf)t j&Dapt “I spread forth my hands unto thee: My soul thirsteth after thee, as a weary land.” — Psalm 143. 6. HtSteOnfOttfiejaDap: Psalm 42. 1-5. 1 As the hart panteth after the water brooks, So panteth my soul after thee, O God. 2 My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: When shall I come and appear before God? 3 My tears have been my food day and night, While they continually say unto me, Where is thy God? 4 These things I remember, and pour out my soul within me, How I went with the throng, and led them to the house of God, With the voice of joy and praise, a multitude keeping holy- day. 5 Why art thou cast down, O my soul? And why art thou disquieted within me? Hope thou in God; for I shall yet praise him For the help of his countenance. “An old mystic says somewhere, ‘God is an unutterable sigh in the innermost depths of the soul/ With still greater justice we may well reverse the proposition and say, The soul is a never-ending sigh after God; because she is from him, she is also for him, and tends to him. In her deepest recesses there lives or slumbers, however hidden, an inextinguishable longing after God. She knows herself, by an inward senti¬ ment, not merely to be dependent on him, but at the same time drawn toward him, and destined for a union with him.” — Theodore Christlieb. “Be sure that if we will, in God revealed in Christ the soul may slake the thirst of the ages; and the dreariest, darkest, and most restless existence may find illumination and peace. With God, the human soul not merely interprets the secret of the uni¬ verse; it comprehends, and is at peace with itself: for God is the satisfaction of its thirst.” — Canon Liddon. fOt tf)Z “O Lord, thy Word is before us. Give us a meek and reverent and teachable mind while we read and study it. Open to us its sacred truths, and enable us to receive it, not as the word of men, but as the Word of God, which liveth and abideth forever. Be thou, O Blessed Spirit, our teacher. Enlighten our minds and prepare our hearts. Shine, O Lord, upon thine own and sacred page, and make it clear to us. What we see not show us, and where we are wrong correct us. Bring home some portion to our soul, and thus make us wise unto salvation; through Jesus Christ our Saviour.” Amen. — Ashton Oxenden (1808-1892). 70 AWE AND REVERENCE MARCH 12 C5otj a£ 1 l)e Supreme Being IPettfe tot t5e SDag: ‘ ‘Jehovah hath established his throne in the heavens; And his kingdom ruleth over all.” Psalm 103. 19. Heston foe tfjeSDag: Job 12. 13-16, 21-23. 13 With God is wisdom and might; He hath counsel and understanding. 14 Behold, he breaketh down, and it cannot be built again; He shutteth up a man, and there can be no opening. 15 Behold, he withholdeth the waters, and they dry up; Again, he sendeth them out, and they overturn the earth. 16 With him is strength and wisdom; The deceived and the deceiver are his. 21 He poureth contempt upon princes, And looseth the belt of the strong. 22 He uncovereth deep things out of darkness, . And bringeth out to light the shadow of death. 23 He increaseth the nations, and he destroyeth them. “Lord of all being, throned afar, Thy glory flames from sun and star; Center and soul of every sphere, Yet to each loving heart how near! “Lord of all life, below, above Whose light is truth, whose warmth is love, Before thy ever-blazing throne We ask no luster of our own. “Grant us thy truth to make us free, And kindling hearts that burn for thee, Till all thy loving altars claim One holy light, one heavenly flame.” — Oliver Wendell Holmes. Prayer tot tfie 2Dag: “ To thee, O Lord, we pray, who art the supreme Truth, for all truth that is, is from thee. Thee we implore, O Lord, who art the highest Wisdom. Through thee are wise, all that are so. Thou art the supreme Joy, and from thee all have become happy that are so. Thou art the highest Good, and from thee all beauty springs. Thou art the intellectual Light, and from thee man derives his understanding. To thee, O God, we call and speak. Hear us, O Lord, for thou art our God and our Lord, our Father and our Creator, our Ruler and our Hope, our Wealth and our Honor, our Home, our Country, our Salvation, and our Life; hear us, O Lord. Few of thy servants comprehend thee — but at least we love thee — yea, love thee above all other things. We seek thee, we follow thee, we are ready to serve thee; under thy power we desire to abide, for thou art the Sovereign of all. We pray thee to command us as thou wilt; through Jesus Christ thy Son, our Lord.” Amen. — King Alfred (849-901). 71 AWE AND REVERENCE MARCH 13 dfliottfjjip ot d50ti PtE£iE tOE tl)E “And after he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into the mountain apart to pray: and when even was come, he was there alone.” — Matthew 14. 23. JLt$&OXl for tljtSDag: I Chronicles 16. 23-29. 23 Sing unto Jehovah, all the earth; Show forth his salvation from day to day. 24 Declare his glory among the nations, His marvelous works among all the peoples. 25 For great is Jehovah, and greatly to be praised: He also is to be feared above all gods. 26 For all the gods of the peoples are idols: But Jehovah made the heavens. 27 Honor and majesty are before him: Strength and gladness are in his place. 28 Ascribe unto Jehovah, ye kindreds of the peoples, Ascribe unto Jehovah glory and strength; 29 Ascribe unto Jehovah the glory due unto his name: Bring an offering, and come before him. “Certainly there never was a busier life than that of Jesus — his whole great mis¬ sion 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 moun¬ tain apart, alone. That is the place of worship in a world of work. It is not a refuge from duty, cr 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. % f0E t f}£ “O thou infinite Spirit who needcst no words for man to hold his converse with thee, we would enter into thy presence, we would reverence thy power, we would worship thy wisdom, we would adore thy justice, we would be gladdened by thy love and blessed by our com¬ munion with thee. We know that thou needest no sacrifice at our hands, nor any offering at our lips; yet we live in thy world, we taste thy bounty, we breathe thine air, and thy power sustains us, thy justice guides, thy good¬ ness preserves, and thy love blesses us forever and ever. O Lord, we cannot fail to praise thee, though we cannot praise thee as we would. We bow our faces down before thee with humble hearts, and in thy presence would warm our spirits for awhile, that the better we may be prepared for the duties of life, to endure its trials, to bear its crosses, and to triumph in its lasting joys. . . . Father, give us strength for our daily duty; patience for our constant or unaccustomed cross, and in every time of trial give us the hope that sustains, the faith that wins the victory and obtains satisfac¬ tion and fullness of joy.” Amen. — Theodore Parker (1810-1860). 72 AWE AND REVERENCE MARCH 14 “mjy dfllili 75t 2D one” $et£e (Ot tf)Z 2Da^t “I delight to do thy will, O my God.” — Psalm 40. 8. JLZ$&0tl fot tf)t 2Dag; Psalm 143. 6, 10. I John 5. 13-15. 6 I spread forth my hands unto thee: My soul thirsteth after thee, as a weary land. 10 Teach me to do thy will; For thou art my God: Thy Spirit is good; Lead me in the land of uprightness. 5. 13 These things have I written unto you, that ye may know that ye have eternal life, even unto you that believe on the name* of the Son of God. 14 And this is the boldness which we have toward him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us: 15 and if we know that he heareth us whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions which we have asked of him. “The will of God will be done; but, oh, the unspeakable loss for us if we have missed our opportunity of doing it!” — Brooke Foss Westcott. “Send me that which Thou knowest is blessing, though it may not seem blessing to me; and deny me that which thou knowest is not blessing, however ready I, in my ignorance, may be to think it so. That is the spirit of prayer. When we are praying for blessings, we ought never to pray for them absolutely; we ought always to pray for them if they be truly good for us; if not, God in answering our prayer would not be blessing us indeed.” — A. K. H. Boyd. “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 . . . Will land me — every peril past — Within the sheltered haven at last. “Then whatsoever wind doth blow, My heart is glad to have it so; And blow it east, or blow it west, The wind that blows, that wind is best.” — Caroline A. Mason. fOt tfje 2Dft#t “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 us as thou thinkest good, and as best pleaseth thee. Set us where thou wilt, and deal with us in all things just as thou wilt. Behold, we are thy servants, prepared for all things; for we desire not to live unto ourselves, but unto thee, and O that we could do it worthily and perfectly!” Amen. — Thomas a Kempis (1379-1471). 73 AWE AND REVERENCE MARCH 15 falianntj) ot fOt tl)£ “Love one another from the heart fervently.” — 1 Peter 1. 22. 1Lt$&on for tty &ap: i Peter 4. 7-1 1. 7 But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore of sound mind, and be sober unto prayer: 8 above all things being fervent in your love among yourselves; for love covereth a multitude of sins: 9 using hospitality one to another without murmuring: 10 according as each hath received a gift, ministering it among your¬ selves, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God; n if any man speaketh, speaking as it were oracles of God; if any man minis- tereth, ministering as of the strength which God supplieth : that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, whose is the glory and the dominion for ever and ever. Amen. “We have not loved thee as we ought, Nor cared that we are loved by thee; Thy presence we have coldly sought, And feebly longed thy face to see. Lord, give a pure and loving heart To feel and own the love thou art. “We have not served thee as we ought; Alas! the duties left undone, The work with little fervor wrought, The battl es lost, or scarcely won! , Lord, give the zeal, and give the might, -yC For thee to toil, for thee to fight.” — Thomas B. Pollock. fOt “O almighty and merciful God, fill our hearts with love and gratitude for the renewal of thy mercies this day and enable us to walk before thee with a deeper sense of trust in thy fatherly goodness and with firmer resolutions of obedience to thy will. In this world in which there is so much of illusion, guard from error our understandings; fill our minds with all useful truth and above all with that which maketh wise unto salvation ; and instill into them all pure and benevolent affections. Regard with compassion our erring judgments; impute not our doubts to indifference nor our slowness of belief to hardness of heart. Send unto us thy Holy Spirit to warm our cold hearts and to aid and quicken us in our devotions, and accept for our blessed Saviour’s sake ever the sigh of penitence and our unexpressed petitions. Give us grace this day to overcome every tempta¬ tion. In all our dealings may we be just and upright, charitable and for¬ giving. In all our family relations may we show forth thy Spirit, O blessed Jesus, and learn of thee to be meek and humble of heart. May we bear one another’s burdens in that spirit of Christian love. So enable us by thy grace that we may lie down this night with conscience void of offense. For our Saviour’s sake who hath left us an example, that we should follow in his steps.” Amen. 74 AWE AND REVERENCE MARCH 16 Etgtemng to Gob tot tfje Day; “I will hear what God Jehovah will speak; For he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints.” — Psalm 85. 8. 2lt£S>0n tot tfyc Day; Psalm 62. 1-7. 1 My soul waiteth in silence for God only: From him cometh my salvation. 2 He only is my rock and my salvation: He is my high tower; I shall not be greatly moved. 3 How long will ye set upon a man, That ye may slay him, all of you, Like a leaning wall, like a tottering fence? 4 They only consult to thrust him down from his dignity; They delight in lies; They bless with their mouth, but they curse inwardly. 5 My soul, wait thou in silence for God only; For my expectation is from him. 6 He only is my rock and my salvation: He is my high tower; I shall not be moved. 7 With God is my salvation and my glory: The rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. “Just as in prayer it is not we who momentarily catch his attention, but he ours, so when we fail to hear his voice, it is not because he is not speaking so much as that we are not listening. We must recognize that all things are in God and that God is in all things, and we must learn to be very attentive, in order to hear God speaking in his ordinary tone without any special accent. A man must not stop listening any more than praying when he rises from his knees. No one questions the need of times of formal address to God, but few admit in any practical way the need of quiet waiting upon God, gazing into his face, feeling for his hand, listening for his voice. ‘I will hearken what the Lord God will say concerning me.’ God has special confidences for each soul. Indeed, it would seem as though the deepest truths came only in moments of profound devotional silence and contemplation.” ■ — Charles H. Brent. PtaytE (0t tfyC Day; “Grant unto us, we pray thee, the lost hunger and thirst after righteousness — the longing for God. Grant unto us that draw¬ ing power by which everything in us shall call for thee. Become neces¬ sary unto us. With the morning and evening light, at noon and at mid¬ night, may we feel the need of thy companionship. . . . Though thou dost not speak as man speaks, yet thou canst call out to us; and the soul shall know thy presence, and shall understand by its own self what thou meanest. Grant unto us this witness of the Spirit, this communion of the soul with thee — and not only once or twice: may we abide in the light.” Amen. — Henry Ward Beecher (1813—1887). 75 AWE AND REVERENCE MARCH 17 ?lt)C tPngt for tfie £Dap; “ But blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear ."—Matthew 13. 16. He££0!t (0tt{)e$Dap: Isaiah 42. 18-22. 18 Hear, ye deaf; and look, ye blind, that ye may see. 19 Who is blind, but my servant? or deaf, as my messenger that I send? who is blind as he that is at peace with me, and blind as Jehovah’s servant. 20 Thou seest many things, but thou observest not; his ears are open, but he heareth not. 21 It pleased Jehovah, for his righteousness’ sake, to magnify the law and make it honorable. 22 But this is a people robbed and plundered; they are all of them snared in holes, and they are hid in prison-houses: they are for a prey, and none delivereth; for a spoil, and none saith, Restore. “So it is. One man walks through the world with his eyes open, another with his eyes shut. I have known sailors who have been in all quarters of the w^orld, and could tell you of nothing but the signs of tippling-houses and the price of the liquor that was sold there. While many a silly, thoughtless youth is whirled through Europe without gaining a single idea, the observing eye and inquiring mind find matter for improvement and delight in every ramble.” — Charles Kingsley. PtagtE (0E tf)E SDftgt “O Lord, thou greatest and most true Light, from whence this light of the day and sun doth spring; O Light, which dost lighten every man that cometh into the world ; O Light, which knowest no night nor evening, but art always a midday most clear and fair, without whom all is most dark darkness, by whom all things are most splendent; O thou Wisdom of the Eternal Father of mercies, lighten our minds, that we may only see those things that please thee, and may be blinded to all other things. Grant that we may walk in thy ways this day, and that nothing else may be light unto us. Lighten our eyes, O Lord, that we sleep not in death, lest our enemy say, ‘I have prevailed against him’; for the sake of Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord.” Amen. — Christian Prayers , 1566. 76 AWE AND REVERENCE MARCH 18 'CTJie ^eabenlp Uteiott DecsJe for tf)c SDap: “ Where there is no vision, the people perish.” — Proverbs 29. 18 (King James version). Eesteon for tjjeSDap: Acts 26. 14-20. 14 And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice saying unto me in the Hebrew language, Saul, Saul, why perse- cutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the goad. 15 And I said, who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. 16 But arise, and stand upon thy feet: for to this end have I appeared unto thee, to appoint thee a minister and a witness both of the things wherein thou hast seen me, and of the things wherein I will appear unto thee; 17 delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom I send thee, 18 to open their eyes, that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive remission of sins and an inheritance among them that are sancti¬ fied by faith in me. 19 Wherefore, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision: 20 but declared both to them of Damascus first, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the country of Judaea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, doing works worthy of repentance. “Whatever appearances may be to-day, whatever may be the religious outlook, however serious may seem the deadly apathy which has stolen over the spiritual natures of our fellow men, this I believe — that if we can only multiply the number of those who have the vision of God, however humble may be their power, however restricted their sphere, the future of the church, the future of the nation and the future of the cause of Christ throughout the world is perfectly safe.” — R. J. Campbell. “Silently now I wait for thee, Ready, my God, thy will to see. Open my eyes, illumine me, Spirit divine.” — Anonymous. fOE tf)E “Almighty God, let it please thee so to illuminate our souls with the grace of thy Holy Spirit that we may be guided in the' paths of righteousness, and brought to know thee and thy Son Jesus Christ, whom to know is life eternal. Deliver us, we pray thee, from ignorance and delusion, from prejudice and passion, from pride and self-confidence — and from every evil influence that opposes the entrance of thy truth into our minds. Give to us humble, teachable, and obedient hearts, that we may meekly receive whatsoever thou hast taught us. Make us ready to believe where we cannot see, and willing to trust where we cannot comprehend. Endue us with a right judgment in all things, that we may know the things that are true and approve the things that are excellent. Send forth the light of thy gospel throughout the world to enlighten and reclaim the nations that are in darkness. Hear and answer us, O Lord, according to the fullness of thy mercy in Christ Jesus.” Amen. 77 AWE AND REVERENCE MARCH 19 Hi )t Mrtcfwngmg; Gob fOt tf)t “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and to-day, yea and forever.” — Hebrews 13. 8. for tlje SDag: Psalm 90. 1-4. 1 Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place In all generations. 2 Before the mountains were brought forth, Or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God. 3 Thou turnest man to destruction; And sayest, Return, ye children of men. 4 For a thousand years in thy sight Are but as yesterday when it is past, And as a watch in the night. “All things are ever God’s; the shows of things Are of man’s fantasy and warped with sin — God, and the things of God, immutable.” — Allingham. “O God, we are but leaves upon thy stream, Clouds on thy sky. We do but move across The silent breast of thine infinitude Which bears us all. We pour out day by day Our long, brief moan of mutability To thine immutable, and cease. “Yet still Our change yearns after thine unchangedness; Our mortal craves thine immortality; Our manifold and multiform and weak Imperfectness requires the perfect One.” — Dinah Muloch Craik. Pt fOt tf)£ UDagi “O God, who remainest the same though all else fades, who changest not with our changing moods, who leavest us not when we leave thee; we thank thee that when we lose faith in thee, soon or late, we come to faith in something that leads us back again with firmer trust and more sincerity. Even if we wander into the far country we take our¬ selves with us; ourselves, who are set toward thee as rivers to the sea. If we turn to foolishness, our hearts grow faint and weary, our path is set with thorns, the night overtakes us, and we find that we have strayed from light and life. Grant to us clearer vision of the light which knows no shade of turning, that we stray not in folly away; incline our hearts to love the truth alone, so that we miss thee not at last; give us to realize of what spirit we are, so that we cleave ever to thee who alone can give us rest and joy.” Amen. — W. E. Orchard (b. 1877). AWE AND REVERENCE MARCH 20 CSjt C5t£atnr££ at C5oti $?£££>£ t0t tf)t SDagt “Wherefore thou art great, O Jehovah God: for there is none like thee, neither is there any God besides thee, according to all we have heard with our ears” — 2 Samuel 7. 22. Heston tar: tfjeSDap: 1 Chronicles 16. 23—27. 23 Sing unto Jehovah, all the earth; Show forth his salvation from day to day. 24 Declare his glory among the nations, His marvelous works among all the peoples. 25 For great is Jehovah, and greatly to be praised: He also is to be feared above all gods. 26 For all the gods of the peoples are idols: But Jehovah made the heavens. 27 Honor and majesty are before him: Strength and gladness are in his place. “ ‘His greatness is unsearchable.’ When we meditate most and search most studiously we shall still find ourselves surrounded with unknowable wonders which will baffle all our attempts. Not all the minds of all centuries shall suffice to search out the unsearchable riches of God; he is past finding out, and, therefore, his deserved praise is above and beyond all that we can render to him.” — C. H. Spurgeon. “As the marsh hen builds securely on the watery sod, Behold I will build me a nest on the Greatness of God: I will fly in the Greatness of God as the marsh hen flies, In the freedom that fills all the space ’twixt the marsh and the skies: By so many roots as the marsh grass sends in the sod I will heartily lay me ahold on the greatness of God: Oh, like to the Greatness of God is the greatness within, The range of the marshes, the liberal marshes of Glynn.” — Sidney Lanier. tOl tf}Z “O God of our life, whom we dimly apprehend and never can comprehend, to whom nevertheless we justly ascribe all good¬ ness as well as all greatness; as a father teaches his children, so teach us, Lord, truer thoughts of thee. Teach us to aspire, so far as man may law¬ fully aspire, to a knowledge of thee. Thou art not only a God to be honored in times of rest and and ease, thou art also the Refuge of the distressed, the Comforter of the afflicted, the Healer of the contrite, and the Support of the unstable. As we sympathize with those who are sore smitten by calamity, wounded by sudden accident, wrecked in the midst of security, so must wc believe that thy mighty all-embracing heart sympathizes. Pitier of the orphan, God of the widow, cause us to share thy pity and become thy mes¬ sengers of tenderness in our small measure. Be thou the Stay of all in life and death. Teach all to know and trust thee, give us a portion here and everywhere with thy saints; through Jesus Christ our Lord,” Amen. — Francis JV . Newmrni ( 1 805—1897) . 79 AWE AND REVERENCE MARCH 21 Wbe Constant presence ot d5oti (Ot tf)t SDa^t “Jehovah is with you while ye are with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you.” — 2 Chronicles 15. 2. Htg»£0rt(ottf)ei&Dag: Psalm 139. 1, 2, 7-12. 1 O Jehovah, thou hast searched me, and known me. 2 Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising; Thou understandest my thought afar off. • «•••••••••• 7 Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence? 8 If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, thou art there. 9 If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; 10 Even there shall thy hand lead me, And thy right hand shall hold me. 11 If I say, Surely the darkness shall overwhelm me, And the light about me shall be night; . 12 Even the darkness hideth not from thee, But the night shineth as the day: The darkness and the light are both alike to thee. “I had been reading in my nearly dark bedroom by an air-tight stove. (I was in my twenty-second year.) I put the book down for what people used to call reflec¬ tion and I saw or perceived or felt that I was not alone and could not be alone. This present Power knows me and loves me. I know him and love him. He is here and I am here. We are together. And it is a companionship much closer than I could have with any human being sitting in that chair.” — Edzvard Everett Hale. “The time of business does not with me differ from the time of prayer; and in the noise and clatter of my kitchen, while several persons are at the same time calling for different things, I possess God in as great tranquillity as if I were upon my knees. . . . We should establish ourselves in a sense of God’s presence by continually conversing with him.”- — Brother Lawrence. (Ot t “We are forced, good Father, to seek thee daily, and thou offerest thyself daily to be found : whensoever we seek we find thee — in the house, in the fields, in the temple, and in the highway. What¬ soever we do, thou art with us; whether we eat or drink, whether we write or work, go to ride, read, meditate, or pray, thou art ever with us; where¬ soever we are, or whatsoever we do, we feel some measure of thy mercies and love. If we be oppressed, thou defendest us; if we be envied, thou guardest us; if we hunger, thou feedest us; whatsoever we want, thou givest us. O continue this thy loving-kindness toward us forever, that all the world may see thy power, thy mercy, and thy love, wherein thou hast not failed us and even our enemies shall see that thy mercies endure forever.” — J. Nor den (1548-1625). 80 AWE AND REVERENCE MARCH 22 W&t $amtp ot €>ppogmQ; (Bob l&tZ&t (Ot t^t “O children of Israel, fight ye not against Jehovah, the God of your fathers; for ye shall not prosper.” — 2 Chronicles 13. 12. 2^00011 (OttljtSDag: Psalm 2. 1-6. 1 Why do the nations rage, And the peoples meditate a vain thing? 2 The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against Jehovah, and against his anointed, saying, 3 Let us break their bonds asunder, And cast away their cords from us. 4 He that sitteth in the heavens will laugh: The Lord will have them in derision. 5 Then will he speak unto them in his wrath, And vex them in his sore displeasure: 6 Yet I have set my king Upon my holy hill of Zion. “The writer of this psalm in his widespread view discerns a perpetual restlessness, a ceaseless movement of discontent, the throbbing of a rebellion that is never appeased, of a vain, bitter, ceaseless revolt against the Ruler of the universe. That rebellion against God, which in the masses is half unconscious, finds utterance in the plans and words of men of power. Why does the world fret against the order of the universe, against the government of God? The psalmist clearly sees its utter futility. He would lead us to realize how vain and futile it is; to discern that in the righteous will of Jehovah, as revealed in Christ and in the laws of his kingdom, is an omnipotent purpose, inflex¬ ible, unchangeable, and certain to prevail.” “The prophets have the sharpest rebuke for those who think of Jehovah as a Deity on whom they can depend whatever their character. Jehovah is a God with a char¬ acter. He is with his people when they are right. He is against them when they are wrong. His people must choose righteousness and follow it if they are to have his favor. Just because God has chosen his people they are the more responsible. Just because he is their God it is all the more necessary that they obey the behests of right¬ eousness.” — Lynn Harold Hough. (Ot tf)t How vain is it, O God, for the children of men to strive against thee ! Thine is omnipotent power. Beside it how frail and weak are the strongest of men ! Yet how prone we are to follow our own devices and to forget thee! Lord, have mercy upon us and in thy long- suffering turn graciously unto us even when we are unmindful of thee. For¬ give us when we are selfish and earthly-minded, when we are forgetful of thy goodness. Forgive us when we are ungrateful, and gloomy, and dis¬ contented. Forgive us also when we are self-satisfied, and vain and friv¬ olous, not perceiving our own folly. Give unto us of thy Spirit that we may earnestly seek to walk in thy ways and to do thy will. Send forth thy Spirit into the hearts of all who wander from thee. Hasten the coming of thy kingdom among men when thy will shall be done throughout all the earth. For thy name’s sake. Amen. 81 AWE AND REVERENCE MARCH 23 Ijmnt j Upon \&ZZ#Z f 0t tf)Z “The hand of our God is upon all them that seek him for good.” — Ezra 8. 22. %Z&&(mtOZti)Z Ezra 7. 6, 8-10. 6 Ezra went up from Babylon. And he was a ready scribe in the law of Moses, which Jehovah, the God of Israel, had given: and the king granted him all his request, according to the hand of Jehovah his God upon him. 8 And he came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king. 9 For upon the first day of the first month began he to go up from Babylon, and on the first day of the fifth month came he 1 6 Jerusalem, according to the good hand of his God upon him. 10 For Ezra had set his heart to seek the law of Jehovah, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and ordi¬ nances. “Of that great change which turned me from one whose business was to shirk into one whose business was to strive and persevere — it seems as though all that had been done by some one else. I was never conscious of a struggle, nor registered a vow, nor seemingly had anything personal to do with the matter. I came about like a well-handled ship. There stood at the wheel that unknown steersman whom we call God.” — Robert Louis Stevenson. “That the Almighty does make use of human agencies and directly intervenes in human affairs is one of the plainest statements of the Bible. I have so many evi¬ dences of his direction, so many instances when I have been controlled by some other power than my own will, that I cannot doubt that this power comes from above. I frequently see my way clear to a decision when I am conscious that I have not sufficient facts upon which to found it. ... I am satisfied that when the Almighty wants me to do or not to do a particular thing he finds a way of letting me know it.” — Abraham Lincoln. f 0t We bless thee, O Lord, for our fellowship in the truth, for the knowledge of thy Son, our all-sufficient Saviour, and for the joy and consolation of thy word. We bless thee for our relation to thy church, for our fellowship with thy people, and for all the means of instruc¬ tion and counsel provided for us. We gratefully acknowledge thee, O our God, to be the unfailing source of these, and our other mercies, from day to day. We have nothing which we have not received; and we bless thee that we are dependent upon thee, that our lives are in thy hands, and that all our need is supplied by thee according to thy riches in glory, by Christ Jesus. Thou hast the greatest claim to our love, to our submission, and to our obedience. O, help me by thy all-sufficient grace, to render unto thee all thou claimest — to love thee with all our hearts, and with all our minds, and with all our souls, and with all our strength. Let us ever feel that loving thee is our chief joy; and let us never doubt thy love, that love of which thou hast given such proof in that thou hast not withheld from us thy Son. Hear us in these our prayers for Jesus Christ’s sake. Amen. 82 AWE AND REVERENCE MARCH 24 )t Srubine SDtectpltnE ®tz$t foE tfje Soap: “ For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth.” — Hebrews 12. 6. Heston tot tfieSDap: John 15. 1—7. 1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he taketh it away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he cleanseth it, that it may bear more fruit. 3 Already ye are clean because of the word which I have spoken unto you. 4 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. 5 I am the vine, ye are the branches; He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same beareth much fruit: for apart from me ye can do nothing. 6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatsoever ye will, and it shall be done unto you. “It is a painful thing, this pruning work, this cutting off of the overluxuriant shoots, in order to call back the wandering juices into the healthier and more living parts. In religion it is described thus: ‘Every branch in me that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.’ The keen edge of God’s pruning-knife cuts sheer through. No weak tenderness stops him whose love seeks goodness, not comfort, for his servants.” — Frederick W. Robertson. “Be not o’ermastered by thy pain, But cling to God, thou shalt 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.” — P. Gerhardt. pEftpEE fsJE tf$E SDiip: “O Father of spirits! Thou lovest whom thou chasteneth ! Correct us in our weakness as the children of men, that we may love thee in our strength as the sons of God. Wake in us a soul to obey thee, not with the weariness of servile spirits, but with the alacrity of the holy angels. Fill it with a contempt of evil pleasures and unfaith¬ ful ease; sustain us in the strictness of a devout life. Daily may we crucify every selfish affection, and delight to bear one another’s burdens, to uphold each other’s faith and charity, being tender-hearted and forgiving as we hope to be forgiven. Hold us to the true humility of the soul that has not yet attained ; and may we be modest in our desire, diligent in our trust, and content with the disposals of thy Providence. O Lord! thy counsels are secret; thy wisdom is infinite; we know not what a day may bring forth; when our hour arrives, may we freely trust ourselves to thee, and say, 'Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.’” Amen. — James Martineau (1805— 1900). 83 AWE AND REVERENCE MARCH 25 CSttet Out JtitJtre PttjS^t fot 2Da#t “He hath appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom he hath ordained.” — Acts 17. 31. Htsteon (or fyt SDap: Acts 10. 39-42. 39 And we are witnesses of all things which he did both in the country of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom also they slew, hang¬ ing him on a tree. 40 Him God raised up the third day, and gave him to be made manifest, 41 not to all the people, but unto wit¬ nesses that were chosen before of God, even to us, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 And he charged us to preach unto the people, and to testify that this is he who is ordained of God to be the Judge of the living and the dead. “Teach us to look in all our ends On thee for Judge, and not our friends, That we, with thee, may walk uncowed By fear or favor of the crowd.” — Rudyard Kipling. “Jesus Christ will judge us. The Judge will be one who knows our human life. The Judge will be one who is our example. Best of all, the Judge will be one who loves us. He who was called the Friend of sinners will be our Judge. He who prayed, ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do,’ will be our Judge. He who gave himself for us, even to the death upon the cross, will be our Judge. He whose hands and feet and side are marked with the prints of the passion, the evidences of his longing and his love for us, will be upon the throne of judgment. That, indeed, is at once the most comforting and the most dreadful fact about the Judgment, that He who will judge us will be no enemy, and no avenger, but a Friend, who love$ us and who gave his life that he might save us.” — George Hodges. ptapet tot tfjt SDap: “ O Lord Jesus Christ, before whose judgment-seat we shall all stand, fill us, we entreat thee, with devout fear and awe of thy most searching and just judgment, but much more fill us with love and longing for thy coming. Now help us to cease from evil and do well; to forgive as we would be forgiven ; to crave forgiveness if we have wronged any; to judge our brother charitably or not at all; to pray for ourselves and for all men ; to plead with exceeding earnestness for every soul which thou hast redeemed ; to hope in thee alone, trust in thee alone, love all in thee and thee above all ; that in the great and terrible day of the Lord we may, of thy free mercy, behold thy hands full of blessing, thy countenance full of grace, and hear thy voice saying, ‘Well done.’ ” Amen. — Christina G. Rossetti (1830-1894). 84 AWE AND REVERENCE MARCH 26 ^DutgelbejS as ^iss aHorfemansSip IPftjSr for tfie &>ap: “ For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works.” — Ephesians 2. 10. Heston for tfje SDap: Deuteronomy 32. 3—7. 3 For I will proclaim the name of Jehovah: Ascribe ye greatness unto our God. 4 The Rock, his work is perfect; For all his ways are justice: A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, Just and right is he. 5 They have dealt corruptly with him, they are not his chil¬ dren, it is their blemish; They are a perverse and crooked generation. 6 Do ye thus requite Jehovah, O foolish people and unwise? Is not he thy father that hath bought thee? He hath made thee, and established thee. 7 Remember the days of old, Consider the years of many generations: Ask thy father, and he will show thee, Thine elders, and they will tell thee. “Great Sculptor! hew and polish us, nor let Hidden and lost thy form within us lie. Spare not the stroke; do with us as thou wilt; Let there be naught unfurnished, broken, marred; Complete thy purpose that we may become Thy perfect image, O our God and Lord.” “If we are to be thus disciplined and trained, as workmen in various orders of work, instruments thus formed for God’s service, what may we look to become here¬ after? May not instruments thus formed, when this passing scene is over, and we appear in God’s presence, cleansed and disciplined, with the true workman’s hand, may we not be set to work in higher spheres, in grander ministries, in a world of nobler service?” — T. T. Carter. f0t tfyt “O Lord Jesus Christ, in whom we are created unto good works, let our weakness move thy strength to succor us. Bless, we beseech thee, those whom we love with special affection; and from the treasure-house of thy bounty supply their wants, enrich and rejoice their spirits, and overflow all their capacities with thy goodness. We pray also for all whom we do not know or specially love. Grant to them, as to us, every blessing; the unbelieving, convert; the vicious, reform; the cold, kindle; the indifferent, rouse; the fallen, raise; the penitent, restore; the lost, find. Intercede for us with God the Father, O thou who art our God and a Man our Brother; and bring us unto the riches of thy glory in thy kingdom.” Amen. — Christina G. Rossetti (1830-1894). 8S AWE AND REVERENCE MARCH 27 ^6 1 SDigmtp anb MortJ ot Suntan Hitt P?E£»C (Ot tf)t “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion.” — Genesis 1. 26. 2£t£0on(0ttf)t£Dap: Psalm 8. 3-6. 3 When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, The moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; 4 What is man, that thou art mindful of him? And the son of man, that thou visitest him? 5 For thou hast made him but little lower than God, And crownest him with glory and honor. 6 Thou makest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands ; Thou hast put all things under his feet. “Our present low civilization, the central idea of which is wealth, cannot last forever; the mass of men are not doomed hopelessly to the degradation in which they are sunk. A new comprehension of the end and dignity of a human being is to remodel social institutions and manners. In Christianity and in the powers of human nature we have promise of something holier and happier than now exists. We have been made drunk with the spirit of rapid accumulation and maddened with prospects of boundless wealth. Nothing but Christianity, which is in direct hostility to the present spirit of accumulation, can heal the woes of society.” — William Ellery Charming. (Dt tf)t “Lord of man, we bless thee that we have lived in this day — this day of the revelation of man in his majesty and man sub¬ ject of redemption and participator in the saving of the world. We thank thee that we are with our eyes beholding what the prophets watched for wet-eyed and dreamfully and saw not, while we their successors see it, though with us it breaks like a dawn of eternity. . . . Man has come to his appointed hour of God. All labor becomes of more consequence than the lineages of kings and the sorry story of other and bruised days. The man who works and the woman who works are seen to be the helpers of the world. Work has become an apocalypse and common men are seen un¬ common and gigantic. It is thy doing. We see how Christ died for all men, that all men might be equals. Thou wast right: human history and procedure were wrong, shamefully and sullenly wrong. Thy way was the way of the soul, and on the heights where deathless glory wakes, there stands man. . . . Lord, help us not to be decoyed into misunderstanding of this high event. Keep us from the poor logic of thinking man has wrought this deliverance. Help us to see the Lord of man and to keep forever before our enraptured understanding that the Son of man is the lifter of man. Help this exultant man, this world man to be God’s man, lest he shame his high estate by trailing a royal banner in the dust. Help this exultant son of man, this interracial giant, to fall in love with Jesus Christ, the Lord, and may there hereafter be no color line nor whisperings of superiors and inferiors, but only a world call with a world voice: ‘Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name.’” Amen. — William A. Quayle (b. i860). 86 AWE AND REVERENCE MARCH 28 Suntan fflieltari anti 3|u£tice for tfje £Dag: “ But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth.” — Isaiah 11. 4. £e££onfOttf)e2Dag: Psalm 72. 1-5, 12-13. 1 Give the king thy judgments, O God, And thy righteousness unto the king’s son. 2 He will judge thy people wjth righteousness, And thy poor with justice. 3 The mountains shall bring peace to the people, And the hills, in righteousness. 4 He will judge the poor of the people, He will save the children of the needy, . And will break in pieces the oppressor. 5 They shall fear thee while the sun endureth, And so long as the moon, throughout all generations. 12 For he will deliver the needy when he crieth; And the poor, that hath no helper. 13 He will have pity on the poor and needy, And the souls of the needy he will save. “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. “The love that builds palatial homes and fills them with luxurious furnishings and costly statuary is not love for God or humanity. I do not envy homes built for family prestige. I tremble for their inmates lest they banish Christ, who loves the lowly, lonely, hungry, shivering, neglected ones. He allows comfort, but not luxury until all God’s claims have been met, and never were more millions facing starvation than to-day right in the heart of Christendom. It is surely not God’s time for build¬ ing fortunes out of his bounty, or for the American people to be untrue to their stew¬ ardship of freedom and equal opportunities for all peoples.” — Earl Cranston. fOt t|)C jSD&JH “O God, give unto all those who frame, interpret, or administer human law the counsel of the Holy Spirit, that they may know themselves thy ministers. Remove from them all pride and vain¬ glory of class, all prejudices of birth and training, all narrowness of place. Enable them so to receive the precepts and examples of the past that they build upon the heritage of the fathers a just and adequate edifice of law for the present. Suffer them neither to be swayed by the prejudices nor to appeal to the weaknesses of others, but to counsel wisely in all matters; to be the servants of all men, but the hirelings of none, and so to hasten the coming of the kingdom of God on earth, for which we pray. In Christs name.” Amen. — Frederick Harris (b. 1873). 87 JOY MARCH 29 3Ioj? anti ap X “O God, we remember with sadness our want of faith in thee. What might have been a garden we have turned into a desert by our sin and willfulness. This beautiful life which thou hast given us we have wasted in futile worries and vain regrets and empty fears. In¬ stead of opening our eyes to the joy of life, the joy that shines in the leaf, the flower, the face of an innocent child, and rejoicing in it as a sacrament, we have sunk back into the complainings of our narrow and blinded souls. O deliver us from the bondage of unchastened desires and unwholesome thoughts. Help us to conquer hopeless brooding and faithless reflection, and the impatience of irritable weakness. To this end increase our faith, O Lord, hill us with a completer trust in thee, and a desire for a more whole-hearted surrender to thy will. Then every sorrow will become a joy. Then shall we say to the mountains, that lie heavy on our souls, ‘Remove and be cast hence,’ and they shall remove, and nothing shall be impossible unto .us. Then shall we renew our strength, and mount up with wings as eagles; we shall run and not be weary; we shall walk and not faint. We offer this prayer in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.” Amen. — Samuel McComb (b. 1864). 90 JOY APRIL i & &oriQ in tty Cot tty SDag: ‘ ‘The joy of Jehovah is your strength.” — Nchemuih 8. io 1. c. JLt$$on (or tty SDap: Psalm 33. 1—5. 1 Rejoice in Jehovah, O ye righteous: Praise is comely for the upright. 2 Give thanks unto Jehovah with the harp: Sing praises unto him with the psaltery of ten strings. 3 Sing unto him a new song; Play skillfully with a loud noise. 4 For the word of Jehovah is right; And all his work is done in faithfulness. 5 He loveth righteousness and justice: The earth is full of the loving-kindness of Jehovah. “Seek to cultivate a buoyant, joyous sense of the crowded kindnesses of God in your daily life.” — Alexander Maclaren. “Having an almighty and most loving Father, in whom we live, and move, and have our being, let us rejoice in him. Having a most loving Saviour, who has made himself our Brother, and feeds us with his life, we ought surely to rejoice in him. Hav¬ ing the Holy Spirit of God with us, making us his temples, and pouring his love into our hearts, we ought certainly to answer his love, and rejoice in his overflowing good¬ ness. ‘Rejoice in the Lord alway, and again I say, Rejoice/ ” — William Bernard Ullathorne. “Give us, 0 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 joyful — a spirit all sunshine, graceful from very gladness, beau¬ tiful because bright.” — Thomas Carlyle. (Dt tty “O Lord God, Fountain of comfort and help, of life and peace, of plenty and pardon, who fillest heaven with thy glory and earth with thy goodness; we give thee the most humble and earnest returns of glad and thankful hearts for the blessings of nature and the blessings of grace, for the support of every minute and the gifts of every day. What are we, O Lord, and what is our father’s house, that the great God of men and angels should multiply upon us the proofs of his loving-kindness? Praised be the Lord daily, even the Lord that helpeth us and poureth his blessings upon us. Blessed be the name of his Majesty forever, and let all the earth he filled with his glory.” Amen. — Martineaus Service Book. 91 JOY APRIL 2 (Bob’*) Jfabor tl)c S>ourte of fl?ur 3log UeesSe for tlje 2Dag: ‘ ‘And he brought forth his people with joy, Arid his chosen with singing.” — Psalm 105. 43. JLt&&on tot tlje&my; Isaiah 12. 1—6. 1 And in that day thou shalt say, I will give thanks unto thee, O Jehovah; for though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortest me. 2 Behold, God is my salva¬ tion; I will trust, and will not be afraid: for Jehovah, even Jehovah is my strength and song; and he is become my salvation. 3 There¬ fore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation. 4 And in that day shall ye sa y, Give thanks unto Jehovah, call upon his name, declare his doings among the peoples, make mention that his name is exalted. 5 Sing unto Jehovah; for he hath done excellent things: let this be known in all the earth. 6 Cry aloud and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great in the midst of thee is the Holy One of Israel. “I look to thee in every need, And never look in vain; I feel thy strong and tender love, And all is well again; The thought of thee is mightier far Than sin and pain and sorrow are.” — Samuel Longfellow. “O God, my Father and my Friend, Ever thy blessings to me send! Let me have virtue for my guide, And wisdom always at my side; Then cheerfully through life I’ll go/ Nor ever feel the sting of woe: Contented with the humblest lot, Happy, though in the meanest cot.” — Mrs. Hemans. tf$Z O God, we daily receive thy fatherly blessings and our lives are sustained by thy mercies. Yet how often do we forget that it is thy hand which so bountifully supplies our wants! Help us, O God, that we may clearly see thy goodness and continually confess that it is not our strength hut thy gracious favor which provides for our happiness and blesses our home. Blessed be thou O Lord, for the mercies of this day. May our hearts be as altars of thanksgiving from which shall rise offerings of praise unto thee. May we show our gratitude by deeds of kindness, so that other hearts may rejoice with ours. And mayest thou be with us in days to come, keeping us faithful unto all the duties of life. Amen. 92 JOY APRIL 3 CStisrtiatVg 31 o? in dSoti Cat tf)£ lIDftJG “The meek also shall increase their joy in Jehovah, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. — Isaiah 29. 19. Cor tljc Dajn Psalm 16. 1, 2, 5, 6, 8, 11. 1 Preserve me, O God; for in thee do I take refuge. 2 O my soul thou hast said unto Jehovah, Thou art my Lord: I have no good beyond thee. 5 Jehovah is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: Thou maintainest my lot. 6 The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; Yea, I have a goodly heritage. 8 I have set Jehovah always before me: Because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. 11 Thou wilt show me the path of life: In thy presence is fullness of joy; In thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore. “Tell them that, until religion cease to be a burden, it is nothing; until prayer cease to be a weariness, it is nothing. However difficult and however imperfect, the spirit must still rejoice in it.” — Edward Irving. “ ‘Live while you live,’ the epicure would say, ‘And seize the pleasures of the present day.’ ‘Live while you live,’ the sacred preacher cries, ‘And give to God each moment as it flies.’ Lord, in my views let both united be; I live in pleasure, while I live in thee.” — Philip Doddridge. % fOt tf)£ “Father, we thank thee for the happiness that attends us in our daily life, for the joys of our daily work, for the success which thou givest to the labors of our hands, and the strength to our souls which comes from our daily toil on the earth. We thank thee for the plain and common household joys of life, for the satisfactions of friendship, for the blessedness of love in all the dear relationships of mortal life. Father, we thank thee that amid the joys of the flesh, amid the delights of our daily work, and all the sweet and silent blessedness of mortal friendship and love upon the earth, thou givest us the supreme joy of knowing thee. We pray that our inner lives may be blameless, and that our outward lives may be useful, and all our existence blameless and beautiful in thy sight, O Lord our strength and our Redeemer. May our lives be marked every day by some new lesson we have learned, some duty that we have done, some faith¬ fulness that we have accomplished. So may we pass from glory to glory, till we are changed into thine own image, and the peace of thy love is made perfect in us. So may thy kingdom come and thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Amen. — (Abbreviated). Theodore Parker (1810-1860). 93 JOY APRIL 4 <&t)e 3 op ot ^rtbice $£££>0 Cot tf)£ “Behold, my servants shall sing for joy of heart.” — Isaiah 65. 14. 2le0£on tot tfje £Dap: Philippians 2. 1-8. i If there is therefore any exhortation in Christ, if any con¬ solation of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any tender mercies and compassions, 2 make full my joy, that ye be of the same mind, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind ; 3 doing nothing through faction or through vainglory, but in lowliness of mind each counting other better than himself ; 4 not looking each of you to his own things, but each of you also to the things of others. 5 Have this mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 who, existing in the form of God, counted not the being on an equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men; 8 and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled him¬ self, becoming obedient, even unto death, yea, the death of the cross. “I thank thee, Lord, for strength of arm To win my bread, And that, beyond my need, is meat For friend unfed: I thank thee much for bread to live, I thank thee more for bread to give. “I thank thee, Lord, for snug-thatched roof In cold and storm, And that, beyond my need, is room For friend forlorn: I thank thee much for place to rest, But more for shelter for my guest. “I thank thee, Lord, for lavish love On men bestowed, Enough to share with loveless folk To ease their load. Thy love to me I ill could spare, Yet dearer is thy love I share.” — Robert Davis. Ptft£££ f0t tf)Z O God, our Father, we would live cheerful and hopeful lives. Inspire our hearts with the joy of thy service. Thou hast said through thy prophet of old, “My servants shall sing for joy of heart.” May this prophetic word be realized in us. Keep us from being weighed down by any discouragement. When we do not see the results of our labors which we crave give us faith to believe that no labor of love for thee can he lost, that in thine own good time the seed which has been sown shall bring forth fruit unto the harvest. Strengthen us in all that we under¬ take in thy name; grant unto us counsel and wisdom, perseverance, faith, and zeal. Give unto us wise and understanding hearts to do thy will. Help us to bear one another’s burdens, and to do good to all men as we have op¬ portunity. Graciously hear our prayer, in Jesus’ name. Amen. 94 JOY APRIL 5 Ufa 3log of t&c Simple Hitt f0E ffyt “Better is a dry morsel, and quietness therewith, Than a house full of feasting with strife.” — Proverbs 17. I. ilestehmfot tfjeSDap: Proverbs 15. 16, 17. 1 Timothy 6. 6-9. 16 Better is little, with the fear of Jehovah, Than great treasure and trouble therewith. 17 Better is a dinner of herbs, where love is, Than a stalled ox and hatred therewith. 6. 6 But godliness with contentment is great gain; 7 for we brought nothing into the world, for neither can we carry anything out; 8 but having food and covering we shall be therewith content. 9 But they that are minded to be rich fall into a temptation and a snare and many foolish and hurtful lusts, such as drown men in destruction and perdition. “Let us learn to be content with what we have. Let us get rid of our false esti¬ mates, set up all the higher ideals — a quiet home, vines of our own planting, a few books full of the inspiration of 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 joy it has.” — David Swing. “On our way rejoicing as we homeward move, Hearken to our praises, O thou God of love! Is there grief or sadness? Thine it cannot be! Is our sky beclouded? Clouds are not from thee! On our way rejoicing as we homeward move, Hearken to our praises, O thou God of love!” — J. B. S. Monsell. y&Z&ytZ fOE tf)C O Lord, how are we lifted up and our souls filled with joy when we realize that our common life is a part of thy great plan. Impress upon us that we may serve thee in our ordinary and daily avoca¬ tions, that no matter how limited the spheres of our lives, how humble our tasks, we may glorify thy name. Aid us by thy grace that we may be rid of all false estimates, of all unworthy standards, of all unchristian ideals. May our measure of values be that which Christ hast given to the world. May we constantly remind ourselves that the daily round, the common task, will furnish all we ought to ask: room to deny ourselves, a road to lead us daily nearer God. Grant unto each of us the grace of a contented mind. Fill our hearts with love and joy and peace. May we be loyal and true and unselfish. May we bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. Hear our petitions and answer our prayers for Jesus’ sake. Amen. 95 JOY APRIL 6 'ZIfie 30^0 ot C5otj^ potttfe Wcz&t tot tl)e 2Dag: Htggonfot tfje&ap: “One thing have I asked of Jehovah, that I will seek after: That I may dwell in the house of Jehovah all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of Jehovah, And to inquire in his temple.” — Psalm 27. 4. Psalm 84. 1-7. 1 How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Jehovah of hosts! 2 My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of Jehovah; My heart and my flesh cry out unto the living God. 3 Yea, the sparrow hath found her a house, And the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, Even thine altars, O Jehovah of hosts, My King, and my God. 4 Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: They will be still praising thee. 5 Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; In whose heart are the highways to Zion . 6 Passing through the valley of Weeping they make it a place of springs; Yea, the early rain covereth it with blessings. 7 They go from strength to strength, Every one of them appeareth before God in Zion. “Great God! attend while Zion sings The joy that from thy presence springs; To spend one day with thee on earth Exceeds a thousand days of mirth. “Might I enjoy the meanest place Within thy house, O God of grace, Nor tents of ease, nor thrones of power, Should tempt my feet to leave thy door.” — Isaac Watts. ^ Pta^EE f0E tt)E SDajG “O God, we rejoice in the invitation thou hast given us, ‘Seek ye my face;’ and our hearts make answer, ‘Thy face, Lord, will we seek.’ One thing have we desired of the Lord , and that ivill we seek after ; that we may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of our lives, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple. “In time of trouble do thou hide us in thine own pavilion. When for¬ saken of all others through change or death, may we never be forsaken of thee. Lead us in a plain path because of our enemies. And as we wait on thee may we renew our strength and mount up on wings as eagles toward thy holy heaven ; may we run our race and not be weary ; may we walk the path of duty and not faint. May courage return ; may the stout heart be given us, so that we shall meet all difficulty, bravely, as becometh saints. We ask it, with the pardon of every sin and shortcoming, for Jesus’ sake.” Amen. 96 JOY APRIL 7 a Contented Spirit Wti0t toe tge £>ap: “ For I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therein to be content.” — Philippians 4. 11. fLt$$on tor tljeSDap: 1 Timothy 6. 6—10. 6 But godliness with contentment is great gain: 7 for we brought nothing into the world, for neither can we carry anything out; 8 but having food and covering we shall be therewith content. 9 But they that are minded to be rich fall into a temptation and a snare and many foolish and hurtful lusts, such as drown men in destruction and perdition. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil: which some reaching after have been led astray from the faith, and have pierced themselves through with many sorrows. “A king 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 heartsease, the king found its bright face uplifted, as full of cheerfulness as ever. Said the king: ‘Well, heartsease, I am glad to find one brave little flower in this general discouragement and dying. You don’t seem to be one bit disheartened.’ ‘No, your majesty. I know I am of small account; but I concluded you wanted a heartsease when you planted me. If you had wanted an oak, or a pine, or a pomegranate, you would have set one out. So I am bound to be the best heartsease that ever I can.’ ” — William Moo die. “Those who repress complaints, murmurs, and peevish bemoanings — better still the vexed feelings which beset us when those around inflict petty annoyances and slights on us — will really find that their little daily worries are turning into blessings.” — H. L. Sidney Lear. tf )t “We confess, O God, that we have been slow of heart to recognize the wisdom and goodness of thy dealings with us; that we have often been discontented with our own condition, and have looked with envy and uncharitableness on the good of others; and that, instead of meekly bowing to thy will, we have, by our repining dispositions and cove¬ tous affections, oftentimes rebelled against thee. . . . Confirm our faith in the assurance thou hast given us, that all thy ways are mercy and truth to such as keep thy covenant and thy testimonies, and that all things work together for good to them that love thee. Grant us deliverance from anxious cares, and envious tempers, and inordinate affections. And teach us in whatsoever state we are therewith to be content; that everywhere and in all things we may be instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. . . . Incline thine ear, O God, to our sup¬ plications, which we offer in the name of thy beloved Son, our Lord and only Saviour.” Amen. — Family Prayers , The Church of Scotland, 1870. 97 JOY APRIL 8 ®f)e IWcljejS of Cjittet UfClSt fOt tfjt SDtipt “And ray God shall supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” — Philippians 4. 19. %t$$on for tl)e2Dap: I Timothy 6. 17—19* 17 Charge them that are rich in this present world, that they be not highminded, nor have their hope set on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; 18 that they do good, that they be rich in good works, that they be ready to distribute, willing to communicate; 19 laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay bold on the life which is life indeed. “His beauty is eternal; his kingdom shall have no end.” — Renan. “Christ is the path — if any be misled; He is a robe — if any naked be; If any chance to hunger — he is bread; If any be a bondman — he is free; If any be but weak — how strong is he? To dead men, life he is; to sick men, health; To blind men, sight; and to the needy, wealth; A pleasure without loss; — a treasure without stealth.” — Giles Fletcher. “Thou, 0 Christ, art all I want; More than all in thee I find: Raise me, fallen; cheer me, faint; Heal me, sick; and lead me, blind; Thou of life the fountain art; Freely let me take of thee; Spring thou up within my heart. Rise to all eternity.” — Charles Kingsley. Cot t!)t “O Lord our God, to thee belong mercies and for¬ giveness. Though we have rebelled against thee grant that we may more and more taste that the Lord is gracious and that thou art the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort. May our whole life be a constant coming to Jesus as unto the living stone. Give unto us of the inexhaustible riches of Christ ; parting with and losing our poverty in his wealth, our sin in his righteousness, our ignorance in his knowledge, our folly in his wisdom, and our weakness in his strength. As he was made sin for us, so may we he made the righteousness of God in him; as he was a man of sorrows for 11s, may we be filled with joy and peace in believing through him. O our God, continually thus supply all our wants out of his fullness; and enable us to receive grace from Jesus to purify our souls, and make us his peculiar people, filled with ardent and intense love to our Saviour, and zealous of good works. May Christ be formed in us, the hope of glory. May we dwell in him and he in us, and may we seek to diffuse continually the knowledge of his grace to others.” Amen. — E. Bickersteth (1786-1850). 98 JOY APRIL 9 Cfjtisst flDut ©utDen ©eatet ©ersSt tor t^e 2Dag: “ He bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.'"’ — Isaiah 53. 1 2. JLe&s ion tor tfie 2Dap: Isaiah 53. 1-6. 1 Who hath believed our message? and to whom hath the arm of Jehovah been revealed? 2 For he grew up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground : he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. 3 He was despised, and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief : and as one from whom men hide their face he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and Jehovah hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. “The way is dark, my child, but leads to light; I would not have thee always walk by sight: My dealings now thou canst not understand; I meant it so; but I will take thy hand, And through the gloom lead safely home my child. “The way is long, my child! but it shall be Not one step longer than is best for thee, And thou shalt know at last, when thou shalt stand Close to the gate, how I did take thy hand, . And quick and straight led to heaven’s gate my child. “The cross is heavy, child! yet there is One Who bore a heavier for thee: my Son, My well-beloved; with him bear thine and stand; With him at last, and from thy Father’s hand, Thy cross laid down, receive thy crown, my child!” — Henry N. Cobb. fOt tf)C O Lord God, we confess with sorrow our transgres¬ sions. The remembrance of them is grievous unto us. We confess that we are numbered among those who have gone astray; often we have turned to our own way. But we are filled with gratitude of heart when we remember that Christ is our Burden Bearer , that he hath borne our sins and that he maketh intercession for us. Have mercy upon us, and for his sake pardon our iniquities. Renew and establish the mind of Christ in us. Bless, we pray thee, all conditions of men. Especially bless the poor and oppressed. Grant that the rich and the powerful may be brought to a new and deeper realization of their responsibility for the welfare of their fellows. May the time not be long delayed when there shall be a more just and equal distribution of the increase of human toil, when all shall have opportunity to live the more abundant life. In the name of Christ. Amen, 99 JOY APRIL 10 tnje IBIcSiSins ot C^risStian jfellotos&ip IPersfe for tt) t 2Dag: “ For I had much joy and comfort in thy love.” — Philemon J. 3Lt£&on (or tfje&ag: Philippians I. 3 — 1 1 . 3 I thank my God upon all my remembrance of you, 4 always in every supplication of mine on behalf of you all making my sup¬ plication with joy, 5 for your fellowship in furtherance of the gospel from the first day until now; 6 being confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ: 7 even as it is right for me to be thus minded on behalf of you all, because I have you in my heart, inas¬ much as, both in my bonds and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers with me of grace. 8 For God is my witness, how I long after you all in the tender mercies of Christ Jesus. 9 And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and all discernment; 10 so that ye may approve the things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and void of offense unto the day of Christ; 11 being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are through Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God. “But as we meet and touch each day The many travelers on our way, Let every such brief contact be A glorious, helpful ministry.” — Susan Coolidge. “We do know that we may receive purification from one another, that the ten¬ derness, and love, and patience of one man act in a marvelous way upon another, when those qualities seem the furthest from him, when he most confesses that they do not belong to him. We do not set ourselves deliberately to follow examples. The -exam¬ ples get the mastery over us; there is a life in the men who exhibit them which awakens life in us.” — F. D. Maurice. (Ot tf)t O Lord, the God of the families of Israel, we lift up our hearts to thee. Accept our thanks for all the blessings of this day. For all bodily comforts we thank thee. Still more, we thank and praise thee for our spiritual privileges. Thou hast granted unto us not only health of body, but soundness of mind. Thou hast provided not merely the bread that nourishes, for the sustenance of our mortal bodies, but the richer food of the Word, bringing to us the bread of life and the water of life, that our souls may be nourished and strengthened. Especially this day do we thank thee for the blessing of Christian fellowship , for the blessing and strength that have come into our lives from association with those. who love and serve Jesus Christ our Lord. Flear us in our prayer for thy blessing this day. Help us in every lawful undertaking, and prosper our labor. May we wisely and truly fill the place assigned to us; may we be blessed in it, and made a blessing. Help us to walk daily with thee. May we serve our day and generation by the will of God, and so, when we fall asleep, may we be with thee forever. We beseech thee to grant us these blessings for the sake of Christ our Saviour. Amen. IOO JOY APRIL ii JFmtung <3Dui Satisfaction m C5oti f?CtSC fOt tj)C SDa^t “Delight thyself also in Jehovah; And he will give thee the desires of thy heart.” — Psalm 37. 4. EtStfon fottljeSDag: Psalm 37. 3-7. 3 Trust in Jehovah, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on his faithfulness. 4 Delight thyself also in Jehovah; And he will give thee the desires of thy heart. 5 Commit thy way unto Jehovah; Trust also in him, and he will bring it to pass. 6 And he will make thy righteousness to go forth as the light, And thy justice as the noonday. 7 Rest in Jehovah, and wait patiently for him: Fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, Because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. “Some one asked Napoleon when he was an exile in Saint Helena what was the happiest day in his life. The questioner, as if to anticipate the commander’s answer, inquired il it was the day of his victory at Lodi, at Jena, at Austerlitz; when he was crowned emperor; or when he entered Vienna, Dresden, or Berlin, in triumph. ‘No,’ said the emperor, ‘it was none of these. It was the day of my first communion. That was the happiest day in all my life.’ The incident has many lessons, the chief being this, that, after all is said, the greatest joy in life is when we realize that God’s smile is upon us, that we can look up into his face and say, ‘Abba, Father.’ And so it will ever be that men, after they have won fame and wealth and position, will look to the time when, as little children, or in the strength of youth, they looked upon God’s recon¬ ciled face. To the true Christian there is no need of looking back to a happy moment long ago, but, rather, is there a looking forward to an increasing joy in fellowship with God, a way that grows ever brighter, shining more and more unto the perfect day.” Ptapet for t^e Soap: “ O eternal and glorious Lord God, since thy glory and honor is the great end of all thy works, we desire that it may be the beginning and end of all our prayers and services. Let thy great name he glorious, and glorified, and sanctified throughout the world. Let the knowl¬ edge of thee fill all the earth as the waters cover the sea. Let thy wisdom, power, justice, goodness, mercy, and truth be evident unto all mankind, that they may observe, acknowledge, and admire it, and magnify the name of thee, the Eternal God. In all the dispensations of thy providence, enable us to see thee, and to sanctify thy name in our hearts with thankfulness, in our lips with thanksgiving, in our lives with dutifulness and obedience. Enable us to live to the honor of that great name of thine by which we are called, and that, as we profess ourselves to be thy children, so we may study and sincerely endeavor to be like thee in all goodness and righteousness, that we may thereby bring glory to thee our Father which art in heaven ; that we and all mankind may ifave high and honorable thoughts concerning thee, in some measure suitable to thy glory, majesty, goodness, wisdom, bounty, and purity, and may in all our words and actions manifest these inward thoughts touching thee with suitable and becoming words and actions ; through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Amen. — Sir Matthew Plale (1609—1676). IOI V ADORATION APRIL 12 SDtbtne Mununatfon (Dt tf)t “In him was life; and the life was the light of men.” — John I. 4. fot tje $Dap: Isaiah 60. 1-3, 19, 20. i Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of Jehovah is risen upon thee. 2 For, behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the peoples: but Jehovah will arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. 3 And nations shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. 19 The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but Jehovah will be unto thee an ever¬ lasting light, and thy God thy glory. 20 Thy sun shall no more go down, neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for Jehovah will be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended. “Thou whose Almighty Word Chaos and darkness heard, And took their flight, Hear us, we humbly pray, And where the gospel day Sheds not its glorious ray, Let there be light. Thou, who didst come to bring On thy redeeming wing Healing and sight, Health to the sick in mind, Sight to the inly blind, 0 now to all mankind Let there be light.” — J. Marriott. “Eternal God! O thou that only art The sacred fountain of eternal light And blessed loadstone of my better part, O thou, my heart’s desire, my soul’s delight! Reflect upon my soul, and touch my heart, And then my heart shall prize no good above thee; And then my trembling thoughts shall never start From thy commands, or swerve the least degree, Or once presume to move, but as they move in thee. — Francis Quarles. Ptapet tot t be SDap: “ Hear us, O never-failing Light, Lord our God, our only Light, the Fountain of light, who hast created the light of thy saints. May our souls be lamps of thine, kindled and illuminated by thee. May they shine and burn with the truth, and never go out in darkness and ashes. May we be thy house, shining from thee, shining in thee ; may we shine and fail not; may we ever worship thee; in thee may we be kindled, and not be extinguished. Being filled with the splendor of thy Son our Lord Jesus Christ, may we shine forth inwardly; may the gloom of sins be cleared away, and the light of perpetual faith abide within us.” — Mozarabic Sac¬ ramentary. 102 ADORATION APRIL 13 Si m#ion ot t& t St?o£t WM tot tf)C “I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions.” — Joel 2. 28. Ht0$on tot tSeSDap: Isaiah 6. 1—8. 1 In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and his train filled the temple. 2 Above him stood the seraphim: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. 3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is Jehovah of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. 4 And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. 5 Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, Jehovah of hosts. 6 Then flew one of the seraphim unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: 7 and he touched my mouth with it, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin forgiven. 8 And I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then I said, Here am I; send me. “O human soul! as long as thou canst so Set up a mark of everlasting light, Above the howling senses’ ebb and flow, To cheer thee, and to right thee if thou roam — Not with lost toil thou laborest through the night! Thou mak’st the heaven thou hop’st indeed thy home.” — Matthew Arnold. “God is here, above, beneath, around us; and the only change that is needed to bring us to the beatific vision of his presence is the quickening and clarifying of human souls. The eternal world embraces time; its light and power are waiting for human souls to welcome it, ready to break through the transparent veil of earthly things, and to suffuse with its ineffable radiance the common life of man.”— John Caird. y&Z&IPZt (Ot SDiipt “We worship thee, O God, as the greatest and best of Beings, the perfection of all excellence, and the source of all goodness. And we beseech thee to manifest thyself to us, in the adorable attributes of thy character, and in the exceeding abundance of thy tender mercies, so that we may be led more heartily to love thee, and more worthily to magnify thy blessed name. Give unto us, we pray thee, visions of thy holiness that we may the more deeply realize our shortcomings and our unworthiness. Cleanse our iniquities and forgive our sins. Pardon all the defects of our love to thee, and all the excesses of our love to earthly things. Give to us clear views of thine excellency; impress us with a lively sense of thy goodness. Above all, teach us to comprehend, with all saints, the breadth, and length, and depth, and height of thine immeasurable love in our redemption. Mercifully hear us, O God, and accept of us, for the Lord Jesus’ sake.” Amen. 103 ADORATION APRIL 14 ^ Itie Character of (30b Pttgit fOt t{)£ 2Da^J “I am Jehovah who exerciseth loving-kindness, jus¬ tice, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things 1 delight.” — Jeremiah 9. 24. 3l£S»£0nf0tt8e2Da£: Psalm 145. 8, 9, 14-19. 8 Jehovah is gracious, and merciful: Slow to anger, and of great loving-kindness. 9 Jehovah is good to all; And his tender mercies are over all his works. • •••••*«»«• 14 Jehovah upholdeth all that fall, And raiseth up all those that are bowed down. 15 The eyes of all wait for thee; And thou givest them their food in due season, 16 Thou openest thy hand, And satisfiest the desire of every living thing. 17 Jehovah is righteous in all his ways, And gracious in all his works. 18 Jehovah is nigh unto all them that call upon him, To all that call upon him in truth. 19 He will fulfill the desire of them that fear him; He also will hear their cry and save them. “The greatness of God is the true rebuke to the littleness of men. The great¬ ness of Christ is the true rebuke to the littleness of Christians.” — Arthur P. Stanley. “For the love of God is broader Than the measure of man’s mind; And the heart of the Eternal Is most wonderfully kind. 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.” ■ — Frederick W. Faber. f 0£ tf)£ “O God, may our souls be warm with life. Save us from an inanimate and sluggish state. Teach us thy purity; how great thy abhorrence of evil, how irreconcilable thy hatred of it; and may we all partake of the same abhorrence of sin. . . . May every day add bright¬ ness and energy to our conceptions of thy lovely and glorious character. Give us a deeper sense of thy presence, and instruct us to nourish our devotions by every scene of nature and every event of Providence. Assist us to con¬ secrate our whole being and existence to thee, our understandings to the knowledge of thy character, and hearts to the veneration and love of thy perfections, our wills to the choice of thy commands, our active energies to the accomplishment of thy purposes, our lives to thy glory, and every power to the imitation of thy goodness. Be thou the center, life and sovereign of our souls.” Amen. — William Ellery Ghanning (1780—1842). 104 ADORATION APRIL 15 USe Immanent (Bob IPetsSe fot tje Dap: “ For in him we live, and move, and have our being.” — Acts 17. 28. fot tf)e2Da#: Psalm 139. 7-12. 7 Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence? 8 If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there : If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, thou art there. 9 If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; 10 Even there shall thy hand lead me, And thy right hand shall hold me. 11 If I say, Surely, the darkness shall overwhelm me, And the light about me shall be night; 12 Even the darkness hideth not from thee. But the night shineth as the day: The darkness and the light are both alike to thee. “The unescapable God! We often speak of our besetting sins; this man remem¬ bers his besetting God. The word which he uses is used of a besieging army; so, like a beleaguered city, the psalmist sees himself hemmed in on every side and his besieger is God. And, be it noted, it is this thought that is the spring of all the psalmist’s joy. What the all-encompassing Presence was to Brother Lawrence in his cell, and to Gen¬ eral Gordon within the walls of Khartoum — ‘my Koh-i-noor’ — so is it to him. Whither shall I flee from thy presence? Go where he may he cannot; there is no getting away from God. And that is the psalmist’s hope.” — Robertson Nicoll. “I can never be alone in the world, for the world itself is the presence of God to my mind and heart. Wherever I turn my feet, wherever I turn my thought, I en¬ counter the besetting God. The morning comes. He floods me with his light; in the evening the heavens are all eyes, through which he gazes as a pitying Father on his child. Every process in nature is the going forth of the Everlasting on his messages of love, and every event in my experience is a message of love fulfilled in me.” — F. H. Hedge. I ^ $ZH1PCZ tot tl)t SDflgJ “O God, who dost brood over thy children like some loving mother, when trust dost tremble and hope is small, with thy tender hand lead us, and when we desire to know thy ways, guide us as far as we can go, teach us all that children can know. If we had thee always near then would the troubles of this world bow us down but little. Thou art very near, but open our eyes that we may behold thee in thy nearness. May this fair world ever show forth its mighty Maker — may all things show us how nigh unto God we are. But come thou very near that we may feel thy presence ; be so close that evil may be far off. Give to each of us a loving heart and a lowly spirit, that the life divine may be even now possessed, through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Amen. — George Dawson (b. 1861). 105 ADORATION APRIL 16 flUmtogial l&ule ot (Boh PtEgfc (0t tj)£ £Dtl#; “O Jehovah, the God of our fathers, art not thou God in heaven? and art not thou ruler over all the kingdoms of the nations?” — 2 Chronicles 20. 6. for tStSDap: Isaiah 45. 18, 20-24. 18 For thus saith Jehovah that created the heavens, the God that formed the earth and made it, that established it and created it not a waste, that formed it to be inhabited: I am Jehovah; and there is none else. 20 Assemble yourselves and come; draw near together, ye that are escaped of the nations: they have no knowledge that carry the wood of their graven image, and pray unto a god that cannot save. 21 Declare ye, and bring it forth; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath shown this from ancient time? who hath de¬ clared it of old? have not I? Jehovah, and there is no God else besides me, a just God and a Saviour; there is none besides me. 22 Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is none else. 23 By myself have I sworn, the word is gone forth from my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, that unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear. 24 Only in Jehovah, it is said of me, is righteousness and strength; even to him shall men come; and all they that were incensed against him shall be put to shame. “Yesterday, to-day and forever Jehovah’s hand is upon history. He controls it: it is the fulfillment of his ancient purpose. He is surely God, and God alone. This is the claim of the prophet, and history has vindicated it.” — George Adam Smith. “O my dear friends, it is a terrible thing when one’s religion is too small for the world, and is always leaving great parts of the world’s life unaccounted for, unillumi¬ nated, and is always dreading to have the world made any larger, lest this religion shall seem even more meager and insufficient. But it is a great thing when the world is too small for one’s religion, and the soul’s sense of the glory and dearness of God is always craving larger and larger regions in which to range. Then welcome all dis¬ coveries, all illuminations, all visions of the greatness of the world of God.” — Phillips Brooks. f0t “Merciful Father, to all thy dispensations we would submit ourselves, not grudgingly, not merely of necessity, but because we believe in thy wisdom , thy universal rule, and thy goodness. In bereavement and in sorrow, in death as in life, in joys and in happiness we would see thy band. Teach us to see it; increase our faith when we cannot see; teach us also to love justice, and to do mercy, and to walk humbly with thee, our God. Make us at peace with all mankind, gentle to those who offend us, faithful in all duties, and sincere in sorrow when we fail in duty. Make us loving to one another, patient in distress, and ever thankful to thy divine power which keeps, and guides, and blesses us every day. Lord, accept our humble prayer; accomplish in us thy holy will. Let thy peace reign in our hearts and enable us to walk with thee in love, through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Amen. — Francis W. Newman (1805—1897). 106 ADORATION APRIL 17 C3od Our Ifttftigc (or tf)t “The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.” — Deuteronomy 33. 27 (King James version). JLtg&otx (or tj)t£Dap: Psalm 46. 1—3, 8— 11. 1 God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. 2 Therefore will we not fear, though the earth do change, And though the mountains be shaken into the heart of the seas ; 3 Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, Though the mountains tremble with the swelling thereof. 8 Come, behold the works of Jehovah, What desolations he hath made in the earth. 9 He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; He breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; He burneth the chariots in the fire. 10 Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. 11 Jehovah of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge. “0 God, our help in ages past, Our hope for years to come, Our shelter from the stormy blast And our eternal home! “Under the shadow of thy throne Thy saints have dwelt secure; Sufficient is thine arm alone, And our defense is sure. # “O God, our helT> in ages past, Our hope for years to come, Be thou our guard while life shall last, And our eternal home.” — Isaac Watts. (Ot “O Lord God, thou art our refuge and our hope; on thee alone we rest; for we find all to be weak and insufficient but thee. Many friends cannot profit, nor strong helpers assist, nor prudent counselors advise, nor the books of the learned afford comfort, nor any precious sub¬ stance deliver, nor any place give shelter, unless thou thyself doth assist, strengthen, console, instruct, and guard us. To thee, therefore, do we lift up our eyes; in thee, our God, the Father of mercies, do we put our trust. Bless and sanctify our souls, that they may become the holy habitation and the seat of thine eternal glory; and let nothing be found in us displeasing in thy sight. Protect and keep us amid all dangers; and, accompany us by thy grace, direct us in the way •of service to thee and to our fellow men to the end of our day, for Jesus’ sake.” Amen. 107 ADORATION APRIL 18 ^amtamtng ^>pmt of ptaptt PtEgit (Ot t|)C SDftJG “But we will continue steadfastly in prayer, and in the ministry of the word.” — Acts 6. 4. JLt00on for tlje $Dap: Acts i. 13, 14; 2. 46-47. 13 And when they were come in, they went up into the upper chamber, where they were abiding; both Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James. 14 These all with one accord continued steadfastly in prayer, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren. 2. 46 And day by day, continuing steadfastly with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread at home, they took their food with gladness and singleness of heart, 47 praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to them day by day those that were saved. “Most men forget God all day, and then ask him to remember them at night.” “If we with earnest effort could succeed To make our lives one long connected prayer, As lives of some, perhaps, have been and are; If, never leaving thee, we had no need Our wandering spirits back again to lead Into thy presence, but continue there Like angels standing on the highest stair Of the Sapphire Throne — this were to pray indeed. “But if distractions manifold prevail, And if in this we must confess we fail, Grant us to keep at least a prompt desire, Continual readiness for prayer and praise, An altar heaped and waiting to take fire With the least spark, and heap into a blaze.” — Richard Chenevix Trench. fOt tt)Z SDilJH “Ah, Lord, unto whom all hearts are open, thou canst govern the vessel of our souls far better than we can. Arise, O Lord, and command the stormy wind and the troubled sea of our hearts to be still, and at peace in thee, that we may look up to thee undisturbed, and abide in union with thee, our Lord. Let us not be carried hither and thither by wandering thoughts, but, forgetting all else, let us see and hear thee. Renew our spirits; kindle in us thy light, that it may shine within us, and our hearts may burn in love and adoration toward thee. Let thy Holy Spirit dwell in us continually, and make us thy temples and sanctuary, and fill us with Divine love and light and life, with devout and heavenly thoughts, with comfort and strength, with joy and peace.” Amen. — Johann Arndt (1555-1621). 108 ADORATION APRIL 19 *£ Puppet \&ZX$t tot tl)t “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not a communion of the body of Christ ?” — 1 Corinthians 10. 16. UrdGon tOt tfjt I Corinthians 11. 23-29. 23 For I received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which he was betrayed took bread; 24 and when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, This is my body, which is for you: this do in remembrance of me. 25 In like manner also the cup, after supper, saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood: this do, as often as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. 26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink the cup, ye proclaim the Lord’s death till he come. 27 Wherefore whosoever shall eat the bread or drink the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. 28 But let a man prove himself, and so let him eat of the bread, and drink of the cup. 29 For he that eateth and drinketh, eateth and drinketh judgment unto himself, if he discern not the body. “The Holy Supper is kept, indeed, In what 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. “Let us come to holy communion in charity with each other and with all; determined henceforth to feel for each other, and with each other; to put ourselves in our neighbors’ places; to see with their eyes, and to feel with their hearts, so far as God shall give us that great grace; determined to make allowances for their mistakes and failings; to give and forgive, even as God gives and forgives, forever; that so we may be indeed the children of our Father in heaven, whose name is Love.” — Charles Kingsley. y&ZtiyZZ (Ot tf)f “Blessed be thy name, O God of our salvation, for the opportunity thou dost give us from time to time of observing the holy sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. Prepare us, we beseech thee, for this ordinance. Inspire us with ardent love to the Saviour. Work in us unfeigned sorrow for our sins. Give us sincere and humble purposes of new obedience, that we may with a true heart devote ourselves to his service. And enable us, when we partake of this ordinance, to feed by faith on the blessings represented by it, so as to promote our spiritual nourishment and growth in grace. Help us to walk before thee in the land of the living, seeking our rest in thee, who dealest bountifully with us, and presenting our bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God, which is our reason¬ able service. Enable us to be steadfast and immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord ; that when our course in this life is ended, we may be admitted to the supper of the Lamb, and may sit down with him in the kingdom of his Father. For his name’s sake.” Amen. 109 ADORATION APRIL 20 <&tjc Eobt of (3ob C?EE£»E fot t!)t “Behold what manner of love the Father hath be¬ stowed upon us, that we should be called children of God.” — I John 3. 1. Easton fot tfjcSDap: I John 4. 7— II. 7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is begotten of God, and knoweth God. 8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. 9 Herein was the love of God manifested in us, that God hath sent his only be¬ gotten Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 Here¬ in is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to he the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. “God! Thou art Love! I build my faith on that! I know thee, thou hast kept my path and made Light for me in the darkness — tempering sorrow, So that it reached me like a solemn joy: It were too strange that I should doubt thy love.” — Robert Browning. “O Love divine, that stooped to share Our sharpest pang, our bitterest tear On thee we cast each earthborn care, We smile at pain while thou art near. “When drooping pleasure turns to grief, And trembling faith is changed to fear, The murmuring wind, the quivering leaf, Shall softly tell us thou art near. “On thee we fling our burdening woe, O Love divine, forever dear, Content to suffer, while we know, Living and dying, thou art near.” — Oliver Wendell Holmes. PEfi^EE fOE tf)E “Lord, give us hearts never to forget thy love; but to dwell therein whatever we do, whether we sleep or wake, live or die, or rise again to the life that is to come. For thy love is eternal life and ever¬ lasting rest; for this is life eternal to know thee and thy infinite goodness. O let its flame never be quenched in our hearts; let it grow and brighten, till our whole souls are glowing and shining with its light and warmth. Be thou our Joy -and Hope, our Strength and Life, our Shield and Shepherd, our Portion forever. For happy are we*if we continue in the love where¬ with thou hast loved us ; holy are we when we love thee steadfastly. There¬ fore, O thou whose name and essence is love, enkindle our hearts, enlighten our understandings, sanctify our wills, and fill all the thoughts of our hearts; for Jesus Christ’s sake.” Amen. — Johann Arndt (1555-1621). HO ADORATION APRIL 2i pur po&t ot tfje d5o£pel Wtz&t tot t!)e $Dag: “ For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of Jehovah, as the waters cover the sea.” — Habakkuk 2. 14. Hts rtfon tot tj)£ SDap; Mark 4. 26-32. 26 And he said, So is the kingdom of God,, as if a man should cast seed upon the earth; 27 and should sleep and rise night and day, and the seed should spring up and grow, he knoweth not how. 28 The earth beareth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. 29 But when the fruit is ripe, straightway he putteth forth the sickle, because the harvest is come. 30 And he said, How shall we liken the kingdom of God? or in what parable shall we set it forth? 31 It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown upon the earth, though it be less than all the seeds that are upon the earth, 32 yet when it is sown, groweth up, and becometh greater than all the herbs, and putteth out great branches; so that the birds of the heaven can lodge under the shadow thereof. “It is a very significant matter in my mind, that the gospel came into the world to save the world as well as to save individual souls. There is one sense in which I have never had very much interest in the task of saving individuals’ souls by merely advising them to run to cover. It has never seemed to me that the isolation of the human soul, its preservation from contamination such as the Middle Ages attempted, or any modern substitute for that, was graced with any dignity at all. If men cannot lift their fellow men in the process of saving themselves, I do not see that it is very important that they should save themselves, because they reduce Christianity by that means to the essence of selfishness, and anything that is touched with selfishness is very far removed from the spirit of Christianity. Christianity came into the world to save the world as well as to save individual men, and individual men can afford in conscience to be saved only as part of the process by which the world itself is regener¬ ated.” — Woodrow Wilson. “The gospel of the Kingdom is a real thing, now in operation. It is within us, and among us, gaining ground in our intellectual life and in our social institutions. It overlaps and interpenetrates all existing organizations, raising them to a higher level when they are good, resisting them when they are evil, quietly revolutionizing the old social order and changing it into the new. It suffers terrible reverses, but it is never defeated. The kingdom of God is always coming.” — Walter Rauschenbusch. Ptapet (ot tfjt £>ap; “ O God who hast made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on the face of the whole earth, and didst send thy blessed Son to preach peace to them that are far off and to them that are nigh: grant that all men everywhere may seek after thee and find thee. We thank thee that thy gracious purpose of the salvation of all peoples is being fulfilled. Thy gospel is being preached throughout the whole earth. Thy servants are going forth, even as thy Son, our Saviour, who didst com¬ mand thy disciples to pray the Lord of the harvest to send forth laborers into his harvest. We beseech thee graciously to increase the number of faithful ministers and teachers of thy Word and to send them forth into all parts of the earth that souls everywhere may be saved and thy kingdom may come among all men. For thy name’s sake.” Amen. ill ADORATION APRIL 22 <3Duz % Time C5tben to (Bob (0t “Every day will I bless thee; And I will praise thy name forever and ever.” — Psaltn 145. 2. 1Lt$$on Cot t$c 2Dap: 1 Timothy 4. 10—16. 10 For to this end we labor and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, especially of them that believe. 11 These things command and teach. 12 Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an ensample to them that believe, in word, in manner of life, in love, in faith, in purity. 13 Till I come, give heed to reading, to exhortation, to teaching. 14 Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery. 15 Be diligent in these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy progress may be manifest unto all. 16 Take heed to thyself, and to thy teaching. Continue in these things; for in doing this thou shalt save both thyself and them that hear thee. “So many golden hours in each bright day, This one for work of hands, and this for play; And this to spend with those who lived and writ Of life — its love and pain, and all of it. One to recall the songs that make us glad; One for a pitying thought for all who’re sad; _ An hour to minister, an hour to pray — And all my golden hours are God’s, this day.” — Edith A. Talbot. PtaptE fOt t|)C “Almighty God, who in thy wise counsels hast ordered all the circumstances of our lot, and determined the bounds of our habitation, help us to occupy contentedly and faithfully the station which thy providence hath assigned to us. Fit us for the discharge of its duties. Strengthen us for the endurance of its trials. Guard us against its dangers and temptations. Dispose us to improve the opportunities which it affords us of glorifying thee, and of doing good to our fellow men. Suffer 11s not to walk disorderly, neglecting our own proper calling, and busying ourselves in other men’s matters. But grant that it may be our study, at all times, to be quiet, and to do our own business, and to work with our own hands, as thou hast appointed us. And enable us to render unto all their dues; fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor, tribute to whom tribute, service to whom service is due; exercising ourselves to have always a conscience void of offense toward God and toward men. Graciously hear us, O God, and have mercy on us, through Jesus Christ, our Saviour.” Amen. — Family Prayers , Church of Scotland , 1870. 1 12 ADORATION APRIL 23 Cfjttet tlje Etgfit ot tijc ClOorlti tot tfje 2E>a^: “I am the light of the world.”— John 9. 5. iles^onfottjje&a#: John 12. 44-50. 44 And Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on me, believeth not on me, but on him that sent me. 45 And he that beholdeth me beholdeth him that sent me. 46 I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me may not abide in the dark¬ ness. 47 And if any man hear my sayings, and keep them not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. 48 He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my sayings, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I spake, the same shall judge him in the last day. 49 For I spake not from myself; but the Father that sent me, he hath given me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. 50 And I know that his com¬ mandment is life eternal; the things therefore which I speak, even as the Father hath said unto me, so I speak. “Jesus, thou joy of loving hearts, Thou Fount of Life, thou Light of men: From the best bliss that earth imparts We turn unfilled to thee again. “O Jesus, ever with us stay, Make all our moments calm and bright; Chase the dark night of sin away, Shed o’er the world thy holy light.” — Bernard of Clairvaux. “The light which Christ brought to the world was the light ‘of life.’ He distin¬ guishes the real and eternal good he bestows from the figure. It is on the true, eternal life of man that he sheds light.” — Marcus Dods. f0t tfjC O Lord Jesus Christ, who art the true Light that lighteneth every one that cometh into the world, shine, we pray thee, into our hearts that all the darkness of evil and of error being driven away, we may see clearly the way of thy commandments and humbly and gladly walk therein to the avoidance of all evil and to the performance of all good and useful works. Enlighten our minds by thy word. Enable us to receive it with simplicity and with sincerity of heart and to keep it whole and unde- filed. Purify our affections that we may daily refuse the evil and choose the good, and give us strength and knowledge that through obedience to thy commandments we may attain unto everlasting life. O thou Light of the world, grant unto us, thy followers, the light of life. Have mercy upon us and hear our prayer for thy name’s sake. Amen. ADORATION APRIL 24 Cljttet t fie Bteats of $££#£ fot tfje 2Da^t “Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall not hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.” — John 6. 35* tot tJtSDa^: John 6. 47-51, 57, 58. 47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth hath eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the bread which cometh down out of heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. 51 I am the living bread which came down out of heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever: yea and the bread which I will give is my flesh, for the life of the world. 57 As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father; so he that eateth me, he also shall live because of me. 58 This is the bread which came down out of heaven: not as the fathers ate, and died: he that eateth this bread shall live forever. “’Twas August, and the fierce sun overhead Smote on the squalid streets of Bethnal Green, And the pale weaver through his windows seen In Spitalfields, looked thrice dispirited. “I met a preacher there I knew, and said: ‘Ill and o’er worked, how fare you in this scene?’ ‘Bravely,’ said he, ‘for I of late have been Much cheered with thoughts of Christ, the Living Bread.’ “O human soul! as long as thou canst so Set up a mark of everlasting light Above the howling senses ebb and flow To cheer thee, and to right thee if thou roam — Not with lost toil thou laborest through the night! Thou makest the heaven thou hop’st indeed thy home.” — Matthew Arnold. “A man who abides in the presence of Jesus Christ in some mystical way appro¬ priates unconsciously and unavoidably, the life and character of Christ, so that he is built up like him. That is the whole process. It is perfectly simple and perfectly natural. . . . Now the great question which we must ask ourselves is this, Have we ourselves, at first hand, learned to draw our nourishment and strength from Christ? Is he the heart and kernel and spring of your life, or is he not? If he is, you need noth¬ ing else, for he is the ‘Bread of life.’ ” — Henry Drummond. Pt fOt ffjC SDft£? “O God, our Father, though we cannot under¬ stand the deep mysteries of Christ, suffer not the dullness of our spirits to blind us to the vision of his grace. Help us in childlike humility and trust to take our Lord’s words and receive his teaching. Then grant us the ex¬ perience which interprets thy secrets. Show us how Christ is indeed the Bread of Life by leading us to feed bn him. We would believe in him, that his eternal life might be ours. Help thou our unbelief; strengthen our grasp of the unseen; bring us into living union with Christ. Grant this great blessing to us because we ask it in the great name of Christ.” Amen. 1 14 ADORATION APRIL 25 Character of Christ lot; tfjc Dap: “ Never man so spake.” — John 7. 46. KfiSgon (or tljeDag: Isaiah n. 1-5. i And there shall come forth a shoot out of the stock of Jesse, and a branch out of his roots shall bear fruit. 2 And the Spirit of Jehovah shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understand¬ ing, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of Jehovah. 3 And his delight shall be in the fear of Jehovah; and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither decide after the hearing of his ears; 4 but with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth; and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. 5 And righteousness shall be the girdle of his waist, and faithfulness the girdle of his loins. “The life and character of Jesus are the sufficient attestation of his profession when he says, ‘I am from above.’ Unfolding as a flower from the germ of perfect youth, growing up to enter into great scenes and have part in great trials, harmonious in all with himself, he is a Lamb in innocence, a God in dignity. He advances the most extravagant pretensions without show of conceit or fault of modesty. He suffers, giving an example of gentleness and patience. He undertakes a plan, universal in extent, perpetual in time, to unite all nations in a kingdom of righteousness, laying his foundations in the hearts of the poor, as no teacher had ever done before. In his teaching he is perfectly original, distinct from his age and from all ages; never warped by the expectation of his friends; always in a balance of truth, running to no extremes, clear of superstition, and equally of liberalism; presenting high doctrines in low and simple forms, establishing a pure, universal morality, never before established; with intense devotion to truth, never anxious, perceptibly, for the success of his doctrine; finally, he grows more great, and wise, and sacred, the more he is known. This is Jesus, the Christ.” — Horace Bushnell. fot tfjt SDa#; “O thou who hast illumined the face of thy Christ, illumine our hearts to see it. In vain shall he come to Galilee if he does not come to our souls ! How shall we see him as he is if we are not like him? How shall his treasures be borne into our spirits if there is no bridge of sympathy between him and us? Build that bridge, O Lord! We cannot read the expression of love on a face except there be love within us. Put love within us, O our Father! Neither sunlight nor moonlight nor starlight can reveal to us the portrait of thy Christ ; only heart-light can. Shine in our hearts, that we may see its glory! Let us feel beforehand that the Christ-life is the heroic life ! Inspire us with the ideal ere we meet the reality! Kindle us with the love of kindness! Stir us with the admiration of sympathy. Haunt us with the beauty of holiness. Teach us the power of peace-making, the strength of sacrifice, the bravery of bending, the cour¬ age of cross-bearing, the devotedness of self-denial, the heroism of a chosen humility. Then shall the threshold of our hearts be lighted for the Master’s coming, and by that light on the threshold we shall meet him at the door; and at the very first sight of his kindred countenance we shall have knowl¬ edge of his glory.” Amen. — George Matheson (1842-1906). 115 ADORATION APRIL 26 Zlljt SDibtne ^>etbant I?EE0E t0E £Dil£? “In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them : in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old.” — Isaiah 63. 9- 1Lt&#on for Isaiah 42. 1—7. 1 Behold, my servant, whom I uphold; my chosen, in whom my soul delighteth: I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the Gentiles. 2 He will not cry, nor lift up his voice, nor cause it to be heard in the street. 3 A bruised reed will he not break, and a dimly burning wick will he not quench: he will bring forth justice in truth. 4 He will not fail nor be dis¬ couraged till he have set justice in the earth and the isles shall wait for his law. 5 Thus saith God Jehovah, he that created the heavens, and stretched them forth ; he that spread abroad the earth and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein: 6 I, Jehovah, have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thy hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; 7 to open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison-house. “In history Jesus Christ has fulfilled this commission both in its national and in its personal aspects. But having illustrated the service of God in the world, Christ did not exhaust it. He returned it to his people, and he also gave them grace to fulfill its demands. That Israel refused God’s service or failed in it only leaves it more clearly to us as duty; that Jesus fulfilled it not only confirms that duty but adds hope and courage to discharge it. Although the terms of this service were published nearly two thousand five hundred years ago they are so adapted to the lasting needs of humanity, they are so universal in their scope, that they come home to heart and conscience to-day with as much tenderness and authority as ever. This, then, is the burden of the work - — to pervade and instruct every nation’s life on earth with the righteousness and piety that are ordained of God, till in every nation justice, humanity, and worship are estab¬ lished as the law of God.’’ — George Adam Smith. Pt&ptE f0E tf)t t We give thee glory and praise, O God, for the gift of thy Son, thy Servant, thy Chosen, the tender and pitiful, the suffer¬ ing and patient Saviour. May his Spirit be manifest in all his disciples, making us true lovers of our fellow men. May we take upon us some share of his burden, that we may do our part in bringing forth justice in the earth. In the daily warfare we will not fear, knowing that One is with us who empowers the weak, whose word revives the timid and faint-hearted. May we not be discouraged by the slow progress of thy truth, or by our own in¬ ability to forward its cause, remembering that a bruised reed will he not break, and a dimly burning wick will he not quench. Strengthen our hearts. Send forth thy light unto the ends of the earth. Open the blind eyes, bring forth the prisoners from the dungeon, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison-house. Give unto thy divine Servant to see of the travail of his soul and to be satisfied in that the nations are turning unto thee. Fulfill to us this day the promises of thy grace in Jesus Christ. Amen. 116 ADORATION APRIL 27 Contemplation ot tljt 2U(t anti Character of CSritft Petite fOt tf)t SDft£? “. . . Consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, even Jesus.” — Hebrews 3. 1. 1Lt$0on for tijeSDap: Hebrews I. 1—4. 1 God, having of old time spoken unto the fathers in the prophets by divers portions and in divers manners, 2 hath at the end of these days spoken unto us in his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the worlds ; 3 who being the effulgence of his glory, and the very image of his sub¬ stance, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had made purification of sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; 4 having become by so much better than the angels, as he hath inherited a more excellent name than they. “When I read again the story of his life and contemplate his teachings, it is as though I were lifted from the valley to the broad tableland, and from thence to suc¬ cessive mountain heights, until I stand at last upon the highest peak above the clouds, where all is clear and radiant with sunlight; and it has been during these mountaintop experiences that I have seemed to behold his face and have attempted to paint his like¬ ness.” — Ernest T. Hofmann. “If we would learn perfect goodness, if we wish to warm our hearts with the love of it, we can adopt no method so excellent as the study, the contemplation, of the life of Jesus. He is the perfect man, a miracle more striking than the most stupendous work of a physical nature, a character such as the evangelists could never have feigned, such as impostors would never have imagined. Never do I feel how lovely is virtue, never do I so earnestly desire to subdue my passions and put on humility and universal love, as when I behold the glory of God in the face, in the actions, in the words of Jesus Christ.” — William Ellery Channing. (Ot tf)C UDajN O God our Father, we give thanks to thee for our Lord and Saviour. We thank thee for his incarnation, and death : especially for his human life and experiences; his growth in wisdom and in knowledge, and in favor both with God and man ; his endurance of temptation and his victory over the tempter; his daily duty and holy fidelity; his nightly prayers and unresting benevolence; his craving for human sympathy in his Passion; his prayer that if possible his cup might pass ; his breaking down under his cross; his cry of desolation upon the cross. For all that made him a man of sorrows; that perfected his sympathy with us in our sorrows; we thank thee as. for the triumph of his death, the victory of his resurrection, the glory of his ascension, and for the gift to him of all power in heaven and on earth so that we may triumph through his strength and partake of his fullness. Aid us that we may hold our Master ever in remembrance ; that we may meditate often on his life, his death, his glorious character, that we may so contempate him in his power, his majesty and his glory, that we may triumph through his strength and partake of his fullness. We ask it for his name’s sake. Amen. 11 7 ADORATION APRIL 28 Communing: ftOitf) Cljttet (Ot tl)t SDftgl “Our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.” — 1 Jolm I. 3. 2U££on (or tf)e 2Dap: Luke 24. 13-15, 29-32. 13 And behold, two of them were going that very day to a village named Emmaus, which was threescore furlongs from Jeru¬ salem. 14 And they communed with each other of all these things which had happened. 15 And it came to pass, while they com¬ muned and questioned together, that Jesus himself drew near, and went with them. 29 And they constrained him, saying, Abide with us; for it is toward evening, and the day is now far spent. And he went in to abide with them. 30 And it came to pass, when he had sat down with them to meat, he took the bread and blessed; and breaking it he gave to them. 31 And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight. 32 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? “Leave us not; when have we heard a voice Like thine? Our hearts burn in us as we go. Stay with us; break our bread; so, for our part, Ere darkness falls, haply we may rejoice, Haply when day has been far spent may know.” — Edward Dowden . “The spirit that was in Christ, and that made all his human life resplendent with the glory and beauty of the eternal light and love, has not passed away. Christ is near us here and now, the light of all our seeing, the ever-present inexhaustible fountain of spiritual life and strength. If we do not realize his presence the hindrance is not in him, but in ourselves. The eye of the soul may be darkened to the heavenly light, the ear dulled or deadened by the tumult of earthly passions to the heavenly voice. But he is never far from any one of us, the divine element of his presence surrounds us, even when in our hardness and coldness we know and think not of it, like light rippling round blind eyes, or sweet music seeking entrance into deaf ears; and nothing but our own moral opacity and dullness hinders it from penetrating and suffusing our souls.” — John Caird. (Ot tf)C “Come thou, O blessed Christ, and abide with us. Sit down with us to meat. Bless our bread and make our hearts to burn within us as thou dost speak to us, opening to us thy truth and teaching us of thy way. Be thou our Counselor. Teach us how to be gentle one to another, how to prefer each other in honor, how to seek the things that belong to others’ welfare and not our own alone. Teach us to be valiant for the defense of all things right, and may we know how to carry our rights in the spirit of love, and to use them for the benefit of others. Remember especially the poor, the outcast, the uneducated child of neglect, and so of vice and of crime. Oh grant that all classes and conditions of men may come up in remembrance before thee. Bless all those agencies that exist for the uplift and improvement of mankind, and may thy kingdom come, thy will be done in all the earth.” Amen. 1 18 CONSECRATION APRIL 29 * SDefcuratton of to C5oti H?EE£t t0E tf)E “Who then offereth willingly to consecrate him¬ self this day unto Jehovah?” — 1 Chronicles 29. 5. %t$$on tot tijeSDap: I Chronicles 29. 10— 14, 18, 19. 10 Wherefore David blessed Jehovah before all the assembly; and David said, Blessed be thou, O Jehovah, the God of Israel our father, for ever and ever, n Thine, O Jehovah, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O Jehovah, and thou art exalted as head above all. 12 Both riches and honor come of thee, and thou rulest over all; and in thy hand is power and might; and in thy hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all. 13 Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name. 14 But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? for all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee. 18 O Jehovah, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Israel, our fathers, keep this forever in the imagination of the thoughts of the heart of thy people, and prepare their heart unto thee; 19 and give unto Solomon my son a perfect heart, to keep thy commandments, thy testimonies, and thy statutes, and to do all these things, and to build the palace, for which I have made provision. “On January 12, 1723, I made a dedication of myself to God, and wrote it down, giving up myself and all I had to God; to be for the future in no respect my own. I solemnly vowed to take God for my whole portion and felicity, and his law for the con¬ stant rule of my obedience, engaging to fight with all my might against the world, the flesh, and the devil, to the end of my life. I frequently used to retire on the banks of the Hudson river, at some distance from the city [New York] for contemplation on divine things and secret converse with God, and had many sweet hours there/’ — Jona¬ than Edwards. “Teach me to do the thing that pleaseth thee; Thou art my God, in thee I live and move; Oh, let thy loving Spirit lead me forth Into the land of righteousness and love.” — J . B. S. Monsell. (OE “Lord Jesus Christ, who art the ineffable joy of Christians, of whose power and peace there shall be no end, make us to receive and to possess thy kingdom, that thou mayest ever rule within us. Take away from us whatever is not thine, and make us thine in all things, that nothing in us may oppose thy power, or resist thy peace, but thou alone mayest possess us who livest and reignest, King of kings, and Lord of lords, now and throughout all ages.” Amen. — Mozarahic Breviary. CONSECRATION APRIL 30 Gibing; to tfic (Blot? of (Bob lUftjSrf fOt tl)t 2Da£t “Whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” — 1 Corinthians 10. 31. ftt$$on fot Ephesians 3. 14—19. •w 14 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, that ye may be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inward man; 17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; to the end, that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be strong to apprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge, that ye may be filled unto all the full¬ ness of God. « “If thou art living a righteous and a useful life, doing thy duty orderly and cheer¬ fully where God has put thee, then thou art making sweeter melody in the ears of the Lord Jesus Christ, than if thou hadst the throat of a nightingale; for then thou in thy humble place art copying the everlasting harmony and melody which is in heaven.” - — Charles Kingsley. “I count this thing to be grandly true: That a noble deed is a step toward God, Lifting the. soul from the common sod To a purer air and a broader view. “Heaven is not reached by a single bound, But we build the ladder by which we rise From the lowly earth to the vaulted skies, And we mount to its summit, round by round.” — J. G. Holland. Pta ytt tot *Dap: “O Eternal God, sanctify our bodies and souls, our thoughts and intentions, our words and actions, that whatsoever we shall think or speak or do may be by us designed for the glory of thy name, and by thy blessing, may be effective and successful, in the work of God, accord¬ ing as it can be capable. Lord, turn our necessities into virtue; the works of nature into the works of grace by making them orderly, regular, temper¬ ate; and let no pride or self-seeking, no covetousness or revenge, no little ends and low imaginations, pollute our spirits and unhallow any of our words and actions; but let our bodies be servants of our spirits and both bodies and spirits servants of Jesus; that, doing all things for thy glory here, we may be partakers of thy glory hereafter through Jesus Christ our Loid. Amen. — Jeremy Taylor (1613—1667). 120 CONSECRATION MAY i honoring C5oti bp £>tit Wtz $e tor tJjr Dap ♦ “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatso¬ ever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” — I Corinthians IO. 31. for tfjeDap: Colossians 3. 12—17. 12 Put on therefore, as God’s elect, holy and beloved, a heart of compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, long-suffering; 13 forbearing one another, and forgiving each other, if any man have a complaint against any; even as the Lord forgave you, so also do ye: 14 and above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfectness. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to the which also ye were called in one body; and be ye thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; in all wisdom teach¬ ing and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts unto God. 17 And v/hatsoever ye do, in word or in deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. “Like the beacon lights in harbors which, kindling a great blaze by means of a few fagots, afford sufficient aid to vessels which wander over the sea, so also a man of bright character in a storm-tossed city, himself content with little, effects great blessings for his fellow citizens.” — Epictetus. “There is a sacredness in individuality of character; each one born into this world is a fresh, new soul intended by his Maker to develop himself in a new, fresh way. We are what we are; we cannot be truly other than ourselves. We reach perfection, not by copying, much less by aiming at originality, but by consistently and steadily working out the life which is common to us all, according to the character which God has given us. The life of God pervades each separate soul; and just in proportion as that life becomes exalted, does it enable every one to shine forth in the distinctness of his own separate individuality, like the stars of heaven.” — Frederick W. Robertson. Ptapet tot tfjt Dap: “ O eternal and glorious Lord God, ... let thy wisdom, power, justice, goodness, mercy and truth be evident unto all mankind, that they may observe, acknowledge, and admire it, and magnify the name of thee, the eternal God. In all the dispensations of thy provi¬ dence, enable us to see thee and to sanctify thy name in our hearts with thankfulness, in our lips with thanksgiving, in our lives with dutifulness and obedience. Enable us to live to the honor of that great name of thine by which we are called, and that, as we profess ourselves to be thy children, so we may study and sincerely endeavor to be like thee in all goodness and righteousness, that - we may thereby bring glory to thee our Father which art in heaven; that we and all mankind may have high and honorable thoughts concerning thee, in some measure suitable to thy glory, majesty, goodness, wisdom, bounty, and purity, and may we in all our words and actions manifest these inward thoughts touching thee with suitable and be¬ coming words and actions, through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Amen. — Sir Matthew Hale (1609-1676). 121 CONSECRATION MAY 2 SDoinff <3Dux OOotft ag» flllnto t&e JLoiti $EE#E (Ot tl)t “Whatsoever ye do, work heartily, as unto the Lord, and not unto men; ... ye serve the Lord Christ.” — Colos- sians 3. 23, 24. %t$&on fat tt>e Soap: Romans 12. 4-13. 4 For even as we have many members in one body, and all the members have not the same office : 5 so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and severally members one of another. 6 And having gifts differing according to the grace that was given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of our faith: 7 or ministry, let us give ourselves to our ministry; or he that teacheth, to his teaching; 8 or he that exhorteth, to his exhorting: he that giveth, let him do it with liberality; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that showeth mercy with cheerfulness. 9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. 10 In love of the brethren be tenderly affec- tioned one to another; in honor preferring one another; 11 in diligence not slothful; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; 12 re¬ joicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing steadfastly in prayer; 13 communicating to the necessities of the saints; given to hospitality. “Teach me, my God and King, In all things thee to see, And what I do in anything, To do it as for thee. “All may of thee partake; Nothing can be so mean, Which, with this tincture, ‘for thy sake/ Will not grow bright and clean. “A servant, with this clause, Makes drudgery divine; Who sweeps a room as for thy laws, Makes that and the action fine.” — George Herbert. (OE tf)E SDftJL “O Lord, who by thy holy apostle hast taught us to do all things in the name of the Lord Jesus and to thy glory; give thy blessing, we pray thee, to our work this day, that we may do it in faith, and heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men. All our powers of body and mind are thine, and we would fain devote them to thy service. Sanctify them and the work in which we are engaged. Let us not be slothful, but fervent in spirit, and do thou, O Lord, so bless our efforts that they may bring forth in us the fruit of true wisdom. Save us from all pride and vanity and reliance upon our own power or wisdom. Teach us to seek after truth, and enable us to gain it. While we know earthly things, may we know thee, and be known by thee through and in thy Son, Jesus Christ, that we may be thine in body and spirit, in all our work and undertakings, through Jesus Christ.” Amen. — Thomas Arnold (1795-1842). 122 CONSECRATION MAY 3 Eagutg &£iibe &tzy CHieigfit ®tz$t for tty 2Dag: “ The night is far spent, and the day is at hand : let us therefore cast off the work of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.” — Romans 13. 12. JLe$$on tot tty 2Dap: Hebrews 12. I— 3. 1 Therefore let us also, seeing we are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, 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, 2 looking unto Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising shame, and hath sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 For consider him that hath endured such gainsaying of sinners against himself, that ye wax not weary, fainting in your souls. “In full and glad surrender we give ourselves to thee, Thine utterly and only and evermore to be! O Son of God, who lovest us, we will be thine alone, And all we are and all we have shall henceforth be thine own.” — Frances Ridley Havergal. “Anything which makes religion its second object makes religion no object. God will put up with a great many things in the human heart, but there is one thing he will not put up with in it — a second place. He who offers God a second place, offers him no place.” — John Ruskin. ^Z&ytt (Ot “O Lord, we desire to draw near unto thee in the name of Him whom thou hearest always, thy blessed Son. We have sinned against light and privilege and warning and mercy. We mourn the feeble¬ ness of our faith, the fitfulness of our love, and the imperfection of our best service, the mingled motives in our holiest duties. We come anew to thee pleading for thy mercy. Forgive our sins. Help us to turn from them and grant us grace to live as thy children, advancing in conformity to thy blessed mind and will. May we earnestly strive after greater spiritual attain¬ ments- — laying aside every weight and running with patience the race that is set before us. O God, our Saviour, dwell in this household. Make every member of it thine. (May those that are absent feel that thou art near them. May those that are in distress of body or mind be blessed and com¬ forted by thee.) Do thou increase the devotedness of thy children. May we grow in likeness to Christ and in fitness for his service. Prosper thy cause and kingdom everywhere. Give to each of us this day thy gracious benediction; and when the days of earth shall for us merge into the ages of eternity, may it be ours to spend them in the full fruition of thee, our God, through Jesus Christ.” Amen. 123 CONSECRATION MAY 4 Cnt in Consecration to d$ob PetSe fOt tje “Who then offereth willingly to consecrate him¬ self this day unto Jehovah?” — 1 Chronicles 29. 5. Wesson tor tfjeSDap; I Timothy 6. 11— 14. 11 But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. 12 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. 13 I charge thee in the sight of God, who giveth life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed the good confession; 14 that thou keep the commandment, without spot, without reproach, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. “Let me get up every morning with this for my instantaneous thought, that my Master wakes me. I wake, I rise, his property. And let me continually, in the habit of my thought, be coming again into that Presence-chamber to renew the act of that dedication and submission.” — H. C. G. Moule. “There was a day when I died, utterly died — died to George Muller, his opinions, preferences, tastes and will — died to the world, its approval or censure — died to the approval or blame even of my brethren and friends — and since then I have studied only to show myself approved unto God.” — George Muller. l&l aptC (DC t j&Dapt “O God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, we would come to thee in entire consecration of ourselves to thee and to thy service. Grant unto us evermore thy strengthening grace that we may glorify thee with our bodies and our spirits, which are thine. Enable us in everything to submit ourselves to thy holy will. Help us to keep back nothing from thee, but to bring all our secret sins into the clear light of thy presence. And do thou so draw us to thyself by the power of thy great love, that we may count nothing dear that thou hatest, not anything hard which thou dost command. Hide us, Lord, under the shadow of thy wings from the enemy who would seek our souls. Thine by creation, thine by redemption, thine by the call of thy Holy Spirit, may we be thine also by the choice of our own hearts. Oh, bring our every wish and our every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. From strong and sudden temptation, from pride and selfishness, from hatred, malice, and envy, from falsehood and hypocrisy, from irreverent thoughts and careless words, from hindering others in good or tempting them to evil, deliver and save us, O Lord our God. We ask it in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Amen. 124 CONSECRATION MAY 5 Consecration to Hotolp lettuce Wtt$t (or tfye 2Dap: “ Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” — Matthew 11. 29. Wesson (or tfjeSDap: Romans 12. 15—21. 15 Rejoice with them that rejoice; weep with them that weep. 16 Be of the same mind one toward another. Set not your mind on high things, but condescend to things that are lowly. Be not wise in your own conceits. 17 Render to no man evil for evil. Take thought for things honorable in the sight of all men. 18 If it be possible, as much as in you lieth, be at peace with all men. 19 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. 20 But if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him to drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head. 21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. “Not mine to mount to courts where seraphs sing, Or glad archangels soar on outstretched wing; Not mine in union with celestial choirs To sound heaven’s trump, or strike the gentler wires; Not mine to stand enrolled at crystal gates. Where Michael thunders or where Uriel waits. But lesser worlds a father’s kindness know; Be mine some simple service here below — To weep with those who weep, their joys to share, Their pain to solace, or their burdens bear; Some widow in her agony to meet; Some exile in her new-found home to greet; To serve some child of thine, and so serve thee, Lo, here am I! To such a work send me!” — Hale. ptaget (ot tlje SDftgt “O most gracious God, from whom every good and perfect gift cometh, we beseech thee to work in us both to will and to do according to thy good pleasure. Enlighten our minds that we may know thee, and let us not be unfruitful in that knowledge. Lord, work in our hearts a true faith, a purifying hope, and an unfeigned love toward thee. Give us a full trust in thee, zeal for thee, reverence of all things that relate to thee. Make us fearful to offend thee, thankful for thy mercies, humble under thy corrections, devout in thy service, and sorrowful for our sins. Make us diligent in all our duties, watchful against all temptations, pure and temperate and moderate in thy most lawful enjoyments, that they may never become a snare to us. Help us, O Lord, to act toward our neighbor, that we may never transgress the royal law of thine, of loving him as ourselves. Finally, we beseech thee, O Lord, to sanctify us throughout, that our whole spirit, soul, and body, may be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ; to whom with thee and the Holy Ghost be all honor and glory forever.” Amen. — Thomas a Kempls (1379-1471)- 125 CONSECRATION MAY 6 designation to tfje dCitU ot C5oti Vn0t for t&e 2Dap: “ Teach me to do thy will; For thou art my God.” — Psalm 143. 10. Wesson torttie 2Dap: Luke 22. 39-43- 39 And he came out, and went, as his custom was, unto the mount of Olives; and the disciples also followed him. 40 And when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation. 41 And he was parted from them about a stone’s cast; and he kneeled down and prayed, 42 saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. 43 And there appeared unto him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. “To fail in finding gifts, and still to give; To count all troubles ease, all loss as gain: To learn in dying as thyself to live — This dost thou do, and seek thy joy in pain? Rejoice that not unworthy thou art found For love to touch thee with his hand divine. Put off thy shoes — thou art on holy ground; Thou standest on the threshold of his shrine. But canst thou wait in patience, make no sign, And where in power thou fail’st — oh, not in will! — See sore need be served by other hands than thine And other hands the dear desires fulfill, Hear others gain the thanks that thou wouldst win, Yet all be joy? Then hast thou entered in.” — Brackett. fOt tj)£ SDapt “O. Lord, our God, let our devout approach to thee be that of the heart, not of the lips .... Thou desirest not temples nor offerings, but the sacrifice of a lowly and grateful heart thou wilt not despise. Merciful Father, to all thy dispensations we would submit our¬ selves, not grudgingly, not merely of necessity, but because we believe in thy wisdom, thy universal rule, and thy goodness. In bereavement and in sorrow, in death as in life, in joys and in happiness, we would see thy hand. Teach us to see it; increase our faith where we cannot see; teach us also to love justice, and to do mercy, and to walk humbly with our God. Make us at peace with all mankind, gentle to those who offend us, faithful in all duties, and sincere in sorrow when we fail in duty. Make us loving to one another, patient in distress; and ever thoughtful to thy divine power, which keeps, and guides, and blesses us every day. Lord, accept our humble prayer, accomplish in us thy holy will. Let thy peace reign in our hearts, and enable us to walk with thee in love, through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Amen. — Francis W . Newman (1805-1897). 126 CONSECRATION MAY 7 Significance ot 1 6e Common ®n$t for tge 2Dap: ‘ ‘Whatsoever ye do, work heartily, as unto the Lord, and not unto men.” — Colossians 3. 23. UnsrgionfortSrSDag: 2 Timothy 2. 15-17, 19-21. 15 Give diligence to present thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, handling aright the word of truth. 16 But shun profane babblings: for they will proceed further in ungodliness, 17 and their word will eat as doth a gan¬ grene. ... 19 Howbeit the firm foundation of God standeth, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his: and, Let every one that nameth the name of the Lord depart from unright¬ eousness. 20 Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some unto honor, and some unto dishonor. 21 If a man therefore purge him¬ self from these, he shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified, meet for the master’s use, prepared unto every good work. “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 regula¬ tion 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 what¬ soever miseries one has in this world.” — Thomas Carlyle. “Good habits are not made on birthdays, nor Christian character at the new year. The workshop of character is everyday life. The uneventful and commonplace hour is where the battle is lost or won.” — Maltbie D. Babcock. Pta^Ct (Ot tjt $Da#t “Our. heavenly Father, we give thee humble and hearty thanks for all the sacred traditions which have come down to us from the past — for the glorious memories of ancient days, concerning that divine light in which men have been conscious of thy presence and assured of thy grace. But we would not content ourselves with memories. O thou who art not the God of the dead, but the God of the living, manifest thyself unto us in a present communion. Teach us, by the spirit of Christ, the sacred¬ ness of common duties, the holiness of the ties that bind us to our kind, the divinity of the still small voice within that doth ever urge us in the way of righteousness. So shall our hearts be renewed by faith; so shall we ever live in God.” Amen. — John Hunter (b. 1849). 127 CONSECRATION MAY 8 dClotlti ot ti)t Cfjutcl) ot C8n£t (Ot tl)E &)&£♦ “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a testimony unto all the nations.” — Matthew 24. 14. ^f!^!£»0n tot 2Da^: Matthew 28. 16-20; Isaiah 42. 4. 16 But the eleven disciples went into Galilee, unto the moun¬ tain where Jesus had appointed them. 17 And when they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came to them and spake unto them, saying, All authority hath been given unto me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit: 20 teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. 42. 4 He will not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set justice in the earth; and the isles shall wait for his law. “O Zion, haste, thy mission high fulfilling, To tell to all the world that God is Light; That he who made all nations is not willing One soul should perish, lost in shades of night. “Proclaim to every people, tongue, and nation, That God, in whom they live and move, is Love: Tell how he stooped to save his lost creation. And died on earth that man might live above. “Give of thy sons to bear the message glorious; Give of thy wealth to speed them on their way; Pour out thy soul for them in prayer victorious; And all thou spendest Jesus will repay. “He comes again: O Zion, ere thou meet him, Make known to every heart his saving grace; Let none whom he hath ransomed fail to greet him, Thro’ thy neglect unfit to see his face.” — Mary A. Thompson. (Ot tjt O God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, we thank thee that thou hast been pleased to show thyself, and to reveal thy will in thy Son. May the glorious gospel of Christ be preached in the whole world, and every¬ where among the nations may thy church be established. We praise thee for the prosperity of thy church. Open every door that is now closed to the preaching of the gospel and give to thy servants the faith and zeal to enter in. May the study and understanding of the Scriptures be greatly advanced, that the minds of thy people may be filled with thy truth, and their lives may be more worthy of thy name. Take away, O Lord, the many faults that mar thy church ; and especially, we pray thee, take away those that thou seest in us. And grant that we may be kept from falling, till we come into the presence of thy glory, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. 128 CONSECRATION MAY 9 3ftttle0 (at CJttettan Eibing tot tlje SDag: “ He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also to walk even as he walked.” — 1 John 2. 6. JLt&$o n fot t!)t2Dag: Romans 12. 9—21. 9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. 10 In love of the brethren be tenderly affectioned one to another; . . . 11 in diligence not slothful; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; 12 rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing steadfastly in prayer; 13 communicating to the necessities of the saints; given to hospitality. 14 Bless them that persecute you; bless, and curse not. 15 Rejoice with them that rejoice; weep with them that weep. 16 Be of the same mind one toward another. Set not your mind on high things, but con¬ descend to things that are lowly. Be not wise in your own con¬ ceits. 17 Render to no man evil for evil. Take thought for things honorable in the sight of all men. 18 If it be possible, as much as in you lieth, be at peace with all men. 19 Avenge not your¬ selves, beloved, but give place unto the wrath of God : for it is written, Vengeance belongeth unto me; I will recompense, saith the Lord. 20 But if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him to drink; for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head. 21 Be not overcome of evil but overcome evil with good. “Love is life, and lovelessness is death. As the grace of God changes a man’s heart and cleanses and sanctifies him, this is the great evidence of the change, this is the great difference which it makes;. that he begins to grow in love, to lay aside self-seeking, and to live for others — and so he may know that he has passed from death unto life. He may know it even here and now — yes, that great discovery of love, that learning to live for others and finding the grace and gentleness that God is keeping up all over the world — even now it is the way from death to life. Even now it changes homes, it lightens every burden, it brings peace and gladness into the hardest days; it alters the tone of a man’s voice and the very look of his face.” — Francis Paget. ptaper tot t&e 2Dap; “ O God, purify our hearts, that we may entirely love thee, and rejoice in being loved by thee. May we never sink into an undue love of anything here below, nor be immoderately oppressed with the cares of this life, but teach us ever to ‘abhor that which is evil, and cleave to that which is good.’ May we use this world as not abusing it. May we be endowed with true humility of spirit, and never be allowed to think more highly of ourselves than we ought to think. Make us kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love, delighting to do good, and ever showing all meekness to all men. May we rejoice to owe no man anything, but to love one another, to bless those that curse us, to do good to them that hate us, to rejoice with them that do rejoice, and to weep with them that weep. Help us to pray always, and not faint, in everything giving thanks, offering up the sacrifice of praise continually, possessing our souls in patience, and learning in whatsoever state we are therewith to be content ; for the sake of Jesus Christ, our Lord, and Master.” Amen. — Fielding Ould (1864). 129 CONSECRATION MAY io SDoutg: tty flfllotft of CSrigt fOt t j)£ SDftJH “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven ; but he that doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven.” — Matthew 7. 21. ilejsitfonfottljtSDa#: Luke 6. 46-49. 46 And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? 47 Every one that cometh unto me, and heareth my words, and doeth them, I will show you to whom he is like: 48 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. 49 But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that built a house upon the earth without a foundation; against which the stream brake, and straightway it fell in; and the ruin of that house was great. “The smallest things become great when God requires them of us: they are small only in themselves: they are always great when they are done for God, and when they serve to unite us with him eternally. — Fenelon. “ ‘Lord, I would follow, but, First, I would see the end of this high road That stretches straight before me, fair and broad; So clear the way, I cannot go astray, It surely leads me equally to God. “ ‘Lord, I would follow — yea, Follow I will — but first so much there is That claims me in life’s vast emergencies — Wrongs to be righted, great things to be done — Shall I neglect these vital urgencies?’ “ ‘Who answers Christ’s insistent call Must give himself, his life, his all, Without one backward look; Who sets his hand unto the plow And glances back with anxious brow His calling hath mistook. Christ claims him, wholly, for his own — He must be Christ’s, and Christ’s alone.’ ” — John Oxenham. fOt tf)t Our Lord and Master, we entreat thee to impart to us thy grace and to strengthen us by thy Spirit, that we might not only hear thy words but that we may do them. May we build our house upon the rock. Help us to be diligent in all duty, faithful in all the relations of life, and earnest in all that we undertake. Incline our hearts to keep thy laws. Restrain in us all unholy tendencies and desires. Strengthen us for the enduring of whatever temptations come to us. Fill us with thy love, that we may be always gentle, patient, thoughtful, and kind. May we have grace to show, not in our words only, but in our disposition, in our conduct, the Spirit of our Master. For thy name’s sake. Amen. 130 CONSECRATION MAY n (TOmo; ftll Cot Cfjttet tot tt>e 2Dap: “ Yea verily, and I count all things to be loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I suffered the loss of all things, . . . that I may gain Christ, and be found in him.” — Philippians 3. 8, 9. Bleggon CottfjejaDag: Matthew 19. 16-22. 16 And behold, one came to him and said, Teacher, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? 17 And he said unto him, Why askest thou me concerning that which is good? One there is who is good: but if thou wouldest enter into life, keep the commandments. 18 He saith unto him, Which? And Jesus said, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, 19 Honor thy father and thy mother; and, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. 20 The young man saith unto him, All these things have I observed: what lack I yet? 21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wouldest be per¬ fect, go, sell that which thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me. 22 But when the young man heard the saying, he went away sorrowful ; for he was one that had great possessions. “I would rather die for Christ than rule the world.” — Ignatius. “For the most part we go at half pressure through a pale world, but sometimes some poignant love, joy, beauty, or suffering lifts up the everlasting gates of our blind¬ ness, and the King of Glory comes in. . . . He will never come in a timid, artificial, selfish, and ease-loving existence. ... It is when we voluntarily strip ourselves of the little selfish timidities for a great cause, that this mysterious King of Glory comes in most radiantly. The saints and mystics knew this. They were not in pursuit of a pale negation; they were furiously and gloriously crucifying the smaller self, that the larger might be set free.” — Anonymous. Pt OlpZt COE tf)E “Almighty God, thou hast fashioned us for thyself, and we cannot find rest till we find it in thee. Frail and sinful, mortal as all things on earth are mortal, yet thou hast taught us to live as creatures cap¬ able of immortality and eternal life. We bless thee for these inner visions, these heavenly promptings, these spiritual instincts, these inextinguishable hopes. We recognize ourselves as heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Jesus Christ of a kingdom yet to be revealed. O, teach us then the gravity and seriousness of life; teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. May we be so enamored of all things right, and pure, and lovely, and of good report, that evil shall not be able to gain dominion over us. Fill our whole hearts with thyself, that there shall be no room for any other tenant. May we count all thmgs to be loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus our Lord. We know not what temptations shall meet us this day, but we know that thou art able to keep us from fall¬ ing, if we are willing to be kept. Vouchsafe then, O Lord, to keep us this day without sin, for the sake of Jesus Christ our one Lord and Saviour.” Amen. CONSECRATION MAY 12 Clati fltllttf) t!)e &tntot of C5od fOE tf)t “Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God.” — Ephesians 6. io, na. for tfje $Dap: Ephesians 6. 13—18. 13 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. 14 Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and hav¬ ing put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 withal taking up the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one. 17 And take the helmet of sal¬ vation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: 18 with all prayer and supplication praying at all seasons in the Spirit, and watching thereunto in all perseverance and supplication for all the saints. “Stand then in his great might, With all his strength endued; But take, to arm you for the fight, The panoply of God. Leave no unguarded place, No weakness of the soul; Take every virtue, every grace, And fortify the whole/’ — Charles Wesley. “My son, thou art never secure in this life but, as long as thou livest, thou shalt always need spiritual armor.” — Thomas a Kempis. “To be good requires an effort; it requires the girded loin and the burning lamp; it requires the soldier’s armor and the athlete’s nerve; but to be bad, to be treacherous, to be soft, to be lazy, to be impure — that needs nothing but the vainest, the silliest, the emptiest, the most degraded natures.” — Frederick W. Farrar. fOC tfj t “Blessed Lord, who hath power to establish us according to thy gospel, strengthen our hearts, that we fall not from our steadfastness. Hold thou us up and we shall be safe. Suffer us no more to wander from thy ways, or to grow weary in keeping thy Commandments. Whatever of sin or of infirmity thou seest in us, O Lord, forgive it, and help us to overcome it. Whatever of good thy grace may have wrought in us, be blessed to confirm and complete it unto the day of Christ. Make us watchful against temptation, strong in faith, diligent in duty, patient in trial, and fervent in prayer. Teach us to endure hardness as good soldiers of Jesus Christ; and to take unto us the whole armor of God, that we may be able to withstand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand. Let thy divine power so strengthen our weakness that neither the allure¬ ments of the world nor the evil desires of our own hearts may prevail against us, but that we may in all things be more than conquerors through him that loved us. Keep us steadfast and immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord; and enable us to be faithful unto death. In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour.” Amen. 132 CONSECRATION MAY 13 & ®$ozt Cfittetfan Character IPtZ&t tot t fie 2Dag: “Every one therefore that heareth these words of mine, and doeth them, shall be likened unto a wise man, who built his house upon the rock.” — Matthew 7. 24. Heston tot tljeSDag: 1 Peter 1. 5-11. 5 [We] by the power of God are guarded through faith unto a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, ye have been put to grief in manifold trials, 7 that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold that perisheth though it is proved by fire, be found unto praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ: 8 whom not having seen ye love; on whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice greatly with joy unspeakable and full of glory: 9 receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. 10 Concerning which salvation the prophets sought and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: 11 searching what time or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ that was in them did point unto, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glories that should follow them. “The world is full of hatred and strife and murder to-day because of the incapacity of millions of people in organized states to receive the truth that is being spread through¬ out all civilization and which is to be theirs in centuries to come — but they are not ready for it. “This is a matter not of intellectual power, it is not a matter of learning, it is not a matter of precept; it is a matter of the development of character. All the sermons ever preached, all the orations ever delivered, all the books ever printed, working through the brain of man, cannot fit him for the acceptance of the highest tasks that man is capable of. The development of character must come through exercise by them of the virtues that make human character — ’mercy, compassion, kindly consideration, broth¬ erly affection, sympathy with fellowmen, unselfish willingness to sacrifice for others. “The exercise among the people of those qualities is the essential and the only way by which the character of a people may be developed, so that they may become truly civilized and truly Christian.” — Elihu Root. I^ta^tt fOt tjt “We beseech thee that thou wilt forgive us our selfishness, and our pride, and our sordidness, and our abandonment of things spiritual, and our inordinate attachment to things carnal and temporal. For¬ give, we beseech of thee, our unkindness one to another. Forgive us that in honor we have sought our own selves first, and not others; that we have not borne one another’s burdens, and fulfilled the law of God. Forgive us that we have made ourselves unlovely by our evil carriage. Forgive us that we have failed to discharge these obligations of love and gratitude which thy sufferings and thy death and thy resurrection have laid every one of us under. Open the way of the future for us, that we may walk without stumbling; that we may live with a higher purpose and better accomplish¬ ment; that we may not only be forgiven for past sin, but be cured of sin, and of those infirmities out of which so many transgressions spring.” Amen. — Henry Ward Beecher (1813—1887). 133 CONSECRATION MAY 14 C&ztattz Zeal toz tf\e dUlorK ot C5oti fot tl)t “For the zeal of thy house hath eaten me up.” — Psalm 69. 9'. toz tf)t i&Dap: Psalm 1 19. 1 37-141. 137 Righteous art thou, O Jehovah, And upright are thy judgments. 138 Thou hast commanded thy testimonies in righteousness And very faithfulness. 139 My zeal hath consumed me, Because mine adversaries have forgotten thy words. 140 Thy word is very pure; Therefore thy servant loveth it. 141 I am small and despised; Yet do I not forget thy precepts. “Take, O Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my will, all that I have and possess. Thou hast given it to me; to thee, O Lord, I restore it; all is thine, dispose of it according to thy will. Give me thy love and thy grace, for this is enough for me.” — Ignatius Loyola. “Go, labor on; spend and be spent, Thy joy to do the Father’s will; It is the way the Master went; Should not the servant tread it still? “Go, labor on; ’tis not for naught; Thine earthly loss is heavenly gain; Men heed thee, love thee, praise thee not; The Master praises; what are men? “Go, labor on; your hands are weak; Your knees are faint, your soul cast down; Yet falter not; the prize you seek Is near — a kingdom and a crown! “Toil on, and in thy toil rejoice: For toil comes rest, for exile, home: Soon shalt thou hear the bridegroom’s voice, The midnight peal, ‘Behold, I come.’ ” — Horatius Bonar. Reaper tor tjr SDap: “ O most merciful Father, we confess that we have done little to forward thy kingdom in the world, and to advance thy glory. We would humble ourselves before thee for our past neglects, and seek for thy forgiveness. Pardon our shortcomings. Give us greater zeal for thy glory. Make us more ready and more diligent by our prayers, by our aims, and by our examples, to spread abroad the knowledge of thy truth, and to enlarge the boundaries of thy kingdom. May the love of Christ constrain us, and may we do all to thy glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Amen. — Walsham How (1823-1897). T34 CONSECRATION MAY 15 lettuce $tt£t tot tj)t SDOgt “Whatsoever ye do, work heartily, as unto the Lord, and not unto men.” — Colossians 3. 23. JLt$$on tot tfje∓ 2 Chronicles 29. 1-3; 31. 20, 21. 1 Hezekiah began to reign when he was five and twenty years old; and he reigned nine and twenty years in Jerusalem: and his mother’s name was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah. 2 And he did that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah, according to all that David his father had done. 3 He in the first year of his reign, in the first month, opened the doors of the house of Jehovah, and repaired them. 31. 20 And thus did Hezekiah throughout all Judah; and he wrought that which was good and right and faithful before Jeho¬ vah his God. 21 And in every work that he 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. “Never shrink from deep devotion, because you fear its trials or its sacrifices. Paul, in martyrdom, was unspeakably happier than God’s half-hearted servants.” — William R. Huntington. “Every position, great or small, may be made almost as great or as little as we design to make it, according as we make the most of it or the least of it. To do the necessary duties of any station, that is easy enough; but to gather up all its outlying opportunities, to be ready to lend a helping hand here, to give a kind word and a wise counsel there; to fill, as we say, ‘our place in life’ instead of leaving it half empty; to be entirely in our work for the time being — this is what makes all the difference.” — Arthur P. Stanley. iPtftptt fot tf )t “O God, who has commanded that no man should be idle, give us grace to employ all our talents and faculties in the service appointed for us, that, whatsoever our hand findeth to do, we may do it with our might. Cheerfully may we go in the road which thou hast marked out, not desiring too earnestly that it should be either more smooth or more wide; but, daily seeking our way by thy light, may we trust ourselves and the issue of our journey to thee the fountain of joy, and sing songs of praise as we go along. Then, O Lord, receive us at the gate of life which thou hast opened for us in Christ Jesus.” Amen. — Martineau s Common Prayers , 135 CONSECRATION MAY 16 tfje St?og»t ot fOt tf)£ SDCip ♦ “Consecrate yourselves to-day to Jehovah.” — Exodus 32. 29. 3teg»js»on for tfjeSDap; Hebreivs 3. 12—15. 12 Take heed, brethren, lest haply there shall be in any one of you an evil heart of unbelief, in falling away from the living God: 13 but exhort one another day by day, so long as it is called To-day; lest any one of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin: 14 for we are become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our confidence firm unto the end: 15 while it is said, To-day if ye shall hear his voice, Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation. “Put out of your thoughts 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. “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. — E. R. Sill. Ptaptt fOt tf)C ^a#t Almighty Father, unto whom all souls belong, we come as thy children to worship thee and give thee thanks. We know not what a day may bring forth : we only know that the hour for serving thee is always present and that now is the accepted time. Help us that we may make the most of this day, knowing that the present is the only time in which we may ever serve thee. Yesterday is gone and to-morrow never comes; help us that in the living present we may do thy will. Encourage in us, we beseech thee, every good resolve, and strengthen us to do the right. Give us grace to overcome the sin that doth so easily beset us. Let no unhallowed words pollute the tongues which thou hast made to praise and bless thee, no evil action defile the bodies which thou hast taught us are the temples of the Holy Ghost. From idleness and carelessness, from vanity and a too great love of praise, from evil thoughts and angry words deliver and save us, O Lord, our God. Help us to render thee a loving service with a willing mind. May we rejoice to do what thou wouldst have us to do, and may it be done heartily as to the Lord and not to men. Let thy loving-kindness lead us forth into the paths of righteousness and service, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. 136 CONSECRATION MAY 17 string a Spiritual JLite (Ot tf)£ ^a#J . . . We . . . pray . . . that ye may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, to walk worthily of the Lord unto all pleasing, bearing fruit in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God.” — Colossians 1. 9, 10. JLt$$0rt fot t f)t SDap: Romans 8. 5-1 1. 5 For they that are after the flesh mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. 6 For the mind of the flesh is death; but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace: 7 because the mind of the flesh is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can it be: 8 and they that are in the flesh cannot please God. 9 But ye are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you. But if any man hath not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. 10 And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the spirit is life because of righteousness, n But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwelleth in you, he that raised up Christ Jesus from the dead shall give life also to your mortal bodies through his Spirit that dwelleth in you. “God be praised to-day! From God he came; with God he walked; God’s world he loved; God’s children he helped; God’s church he led; God’s blessed Son he followed; God’s nearness he enjoyed; with God he dwells.’’ — Arthur Brooks’ tribute to his brother , Phillips Brooks. “True Christianity ennobles all who possess it, and makes even inferior minds and characters to glow as with sacred fire, and this alone will help you to become what it is certain you wish to be — true-hearted, useful and happy.” — Marianne Farningham. “With all the infinite possibilities of spiritual life before you, do not settle down on a little patch of dusty ground at the mountain’s foot in restful content. Be not content until you reach the mountain’s summit.” — J. R. Miller. foj; ff)t “Shine into our hearts, O loving Master, by the pure light of the knowledge of thyself, and open the eyes of our mind to the contemplation of thy teaching, and put into us the fear of thy blessed Commandments, that , trampling down all that is worldly , we may follow a spiritual life , thinking and doitig all things according to thy good pleasure. For thou art our sanctification and our illumination, and to thee we render glory, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages.” Amen. — Eastern Church Liturgy ; Daybreak Office, Third Century. 13 7 CONSECRATION MAY 18 fejutttttaUsmg flDut Social Contacts C?£tj3r£ (Ot tf)t SDa#; “I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift.” — Romans i. n. Heggonfott&eSDap: Luke 10.38-42. 38 Now as they went on their way, he entered into a certain village : and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at the Lord’s feet, and heard his word. 40 But Martha was cumbered about much serving; and she came up to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister did leave me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. 41 But the Lord answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art anxious and troubled about many things: 42 but one thing is needful: for Mary hath chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her. “The main business of life is seeing folks. In city and in village and in country the same law of life holds. Life consists in social contacts, and every moment of life is a link in the endless process of seeing folks. Social contact ends either in the enrich¬ ment or the impoverishment of the mind and the heart. In this unceasing helter-skelter, hurly-burly process of seeing folks which we call life it is the motive in your own soul which determines whether you are a menace or a ministering angel, an iconoclast or a princely builder of humanity. . . . Make it the rule of your life never to come into touch with any person without giving him a little gift out of the spiritual and you have contributed in the most significant manner to the upbuilding of the world. You give a man a coat and you have one coat less. But you give him a new idea, a new hope, a new enthusiasm, a new grip on God, and you multiply the treasures of your own life. Your giving has made you great. The way of spiritual evangelism is the only way of your own spiritual redemption.” — John Bayne Ascham. t0t tl )Z O God, our Father, who lovest us with an ever¬ lasting love, we praise thee for thy great and abiding goodness to us and our home. We bless thee for our many family joys, and chiefly for the love that knits us together in peace and joy. May no selfish or thoughtless conduct ever mar the harmony of our home life. We thank thee too for our friend¬ ships and the joys of intercourse with our fellow men. May it be our rule of life unto whomsoever we meet in our daily round to impart some spiritual gift. Aid us, we pray thee, that we may cultivate the spirit of sympathy that wins friends and binds them in sure bonds. Save us from the cruel folly of jealousy; save us from the dark sin of envy. Deliver us from all gloomy and selfish thoughts. Grant us the peace of self-forgetfulness, the joy of losing ourselves in caring for others. Enlarge our hearts, we beseech thee; and give us the mind of Christ, who was rich and for our sakes became poor, that we through his poverty might be made rich. Hear us, we beseech thee, in his name. Amen. 138 CONSECRATION MAY 19 Peking jfutft tf)e I&tng&ont ot C3oti $EE;Srt fOE t f)E SDft#} “But seek ye first his kingdom, and his righteous¬ ness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” — Matthew 6. 33. fDEtjjeSDap: Matthew 5. 6, 10-16, 20. 6 Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness; for they shall be filled. 10 Blessed are they that have been persecuted for righteous¬ ness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 Blessed are ye when men shall reproach you, and persecute you, and say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. 12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets who were before you. 13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost its savor, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out and trodden under foot of men. 14 Ye are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. 15 Neither do men light a lamp, and put it under the bushel, but on the stand; and it shineth unto all that are in the house. 16 Even so let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. 20 For I say unto you, that except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven. “Behold Christianity in its native form, as delivered by its great Author! This is the genuine religion of Jesus Christ! . . . How venerable, how lovely the holiness! This is the spirit of religion: the quintessence of it. These are indeed the fundamentals of Christianity.” — John Wesley. “Rise up, O men of God! Have done with lesser things; Give heart and soul and mind and strength To serve the King of kings. “Rise up, O men of God! His kingdom tarries long: Bring in the day of brotherhood And end the night of wrong. “Lift high the cross of Christ! Tread where his feet have trod: As brothers of the Son of man. Rise up, O men of God! — William P. Merrill. PtagtE tOE tl)E O Lord, who hast promised a blessing to those who first seek thy kingdom and righteousness, enlighten, we pray thee, our hearts, that we be not entangled among the things of this world. Teach us, as those who are risen with thee, so to set our affections on things above that our life even now may be truly hid with thee, O Christ, in God. Show us, O Lord, the path of life, the fullness of joy in thy holy presence, that we may set thee alway before us, and have no good beyond thee, the true portion of our inheritance and our God, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 139 CONSECRATION MAY 20 >e JfuUitejSiS of tf)f fepmt JPettfe tot tj )e 2Dap: “I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep mine ordinances, and do them.” — Ezekiel 36. 27. JLe&$OntOlti)t%Day: Ephesians 3. 14-19. 14 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, that ye may be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inward man; 17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; to the end that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be strong to apprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge, that ye may be filled unto all the fullness of God. “Eternal Spirit! by whose power Are burst the bands of death, On our cold hearts thy blessing shower, Revive them with thy breath. “’Tis thine to bring God’s sacred Word, And write it on our heart; There its reviving truths record, And there its peace impart. “Almighty Spirit! visit thus Our hearts, and guide our ways; Pour down thy quickening grace on us, And tune our lips to praise.” — William H. Bathurst. “Have you never stood by some arm of the sea which penetrates far inland, and seen its emptiness and ugliness? There is only the oozy, miry bed of the creek; the blue line of ocean is far away on the horizon. There is no human power by which it can be filled with water. The little streams from the hillside could never fill the thousand empty indentations in our coast. But the great unquiet ocean begins to creep in. It sprea'ds slowly over the flat bottom, and winds into every bend of the shore, and fills every crevice of the rocks; it covers the long grasses, it drives you back step by step; it surges in lifting itself with quiet strength, until the little gulf is filled to the brim, and the bow¬ ing billows come over the surface, and the ships are lifted from their beds and sail away to their appointed havens. The inlet is full; it is filled with all the fullness of the ocean, and with its mighty power. So we are empty till we are filled with the power of God.” — George Harris. (OE tl)t “Pour upon us this day, O Lord, thy Holy Spirit. Spirit of illumination, Spirit of courage, Spirit of aspiration, Spirit of love, Spirit of human brotherhood, Spirit of great Christlike yearning for the souls of men, Spirit of vision to see the whole round world waiting to be laid at the feet of our divine Lord, Spirit of faith, Spirit of power — O God send all upon us to-day in the plenitude of thine own powers, for thine own sake.” Amen. — Thomas Nicholson (b. 1862). 140 CONSECRATION MAY 21 Being WL&cb of C5oti fOC tf)£ iSDftpt “Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt speak.” — Exodus 4. 12. %e$#on for tfie SDap; Jeremiah 1. 4, 5b, 6— 10. 4 Now the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying, 5 ... I have appointed thee a prophet unto the nations. 6 Then said I, Ah, Lord Jehovah! behold, I know not how to speak; for I am a child. 7 But Jehovah said unto me, Say not, I am a child; for to whomsoever I shall send thee thou shalt go, and whatsoever I shall command thee thou shalt speak. 8 Be not afraid because of them; for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith Jehovah. 9 Then Jehovah put forth his hand, and touched my mouth; and Jehovah said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth: 10 see, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down and to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant. “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! . . . 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 Master meant. — Susan Coolidge. “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.’ ’’ — Charles Kingsley y&txlVtZ f0t tf)t “Use us then, our Saviour, for whatever purpose, and in whatever way, thou mayest require. Here are our poor hearts, empty vessels: fill them with thy grace. Here are our sinful and troubled souls; quicken them and refresh them with thy love. Take our hearts for thine abode; our mouths to spread abroad the glory of thy name; our love and all our powers for the advancement of thy believing people; and never suffer the steadfastness and confidence of our faith to abate — that so at all times we may be enabled from the heart to say, ‘Jesus needs us, and we him.’” Amen. — D. L. Moody (1837—1899). CONSECRATION MAY 22 ^Diligence m SDailp CZliPtfe (Ot tf)t 2Da#t “And let us not be weary in well-doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. — Galatians 6. 9. JLt$&on for tl)e 2Dag: Proverbs 6. 6 — 1 1 . 6 Go to the ant, thou sluggard; Consider her ways, and be wise: 7 Which having no chief, Overseer, or ruler, 8 Provideth her bread in the summer, And gathereth her food in the harvest. 9 How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? When wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? 10 Vet a little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to sleep: 11 So shall thy poverty come as a robber, And thy want as an armed man. “To live well in one’s place in the world, adorning one’s calling, however lowly, giving oneself with diligence to the daily task, and dwelling in love and unselfishness with all men, is to live grandly. To fight well the battle with one’s own lusts and tem¬ pers, and to be victorious in the midst of the temptations and provocations of daily life, is to be a Christian hero.” — J. R. Miller. “Is it the work that makes life great and true? Or the true soul that, working as it can, Does faithfully the task it has to do, And keepeth faith alike with God and man.” — W. C. Smith. “Nothing to do in this world of ours, Where weeds spring up with the fairest flowers, Where smiles have only a fitful play, And hearts are breaking every day. “Nothing to do! Thou Christian soul, Wrapping thee ’round in thy selfish stole. Off with the garments of sloth and sin, Christ, thy Lord, hath a kingdom to win.” (0t t! )t O Lord our God, by thy renewed kindness unto us thou hast put a new song into our mouth, even praise unto our God. We thank thee for our daily bread, for our safety and preservation, for the strength for our daily labor, and for the measure of success which thou hast granted to the work of our hands. Help us, our Father, that we may not be weary in well doing; that we may be diligent in labor, and that we may seek in all that we do to please thee. Let us not prefer our own ease or worldly comfort, when thou dost claim our service. Help us to encourage one another in every self-denying work for thee and thy cause. Let none of our number hold back or turn aside; but let us all go hand in hand in our covenant of love and service, to be faithful witnesses for him who hath given himself for us. O Lord, quicken us after thy loving-kind¬ ness, that we keep thy testimonies. In the name of Christ our Saviour. Amen. 142 CONSECRATION MAY 23 SDrbotion to IRtffSt $£££»£ tOC tj )C SDftgi “Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.” — Romans 12. 9. 2U££on tor tjjeSDa#: Romans 2. 4— 11. 4 Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and long-suffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? 5 but after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up for thyself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God^ 6 who will render to every man according to his works: 7 to them that by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and incorruption, eternal life: 8 but unto them that are factious, and obey not the truth, but obey unright¬ eousness, shall be wrath and indignation, 9 tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that worketh evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Greek; 10 but glory and honor and peace to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek: 11 for there is no respect of persons with God. “If any man convince me and bring home to me that I do not think or act aright, gladly will I change; for I search after truth, by which man never yet was harmed. But he is harmed who abideth on still in his deception and ignorance.” — Marcus Aure¬ lius. “The child that speaks truth for the sake of the praise of truth is not truthful. A man who is honest because honesty is the best policy has not integrity in his heart. He who endeavors to be humble and holy and perfect in order to win heaven has only a counterfeit religion. God for his own sake, goodness because it is good, truth because it is lovely — this is the Christian’s aim. The prize is only an incentive.” — Frederick IV. Robertson. • ' / for tj) t jSDft#! O God, our Father, we thank thee that thy right hand is strong to uphold all them that put their trust in thee. Beget within our hearts, we pray thee, a love for that which is true and right. May we love righteousness and abhor iniquity. May we put away from us all policy and cunning, and all spirit of compromise for the sake of selfish gain. May we be sincerely devoted to the right, desiring o?ily to know the right in order to do it. Come to our aid in the hour of temptation to strengthen the good and to drive from our hearts all inclinations to evil. May every day wit¬ ness new victories over evil desires and passions within, and over the evil that is in the world. Bless our state and nation : may the time come when our people shall all be righteous and the Spirit of God rule in all hearts. In Jesus’ name. Amen. 143 CONSECRATION MAY 24 OOotfuno; Ofllttf) £>ue St?iQ;!)t PttgiE fOE tf)t “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might.”; — Ecclesiastes 9. 10. for tfjeSDap: Proverbs 13. 4, 7> II ; Colossiajis 3. 22—24. 4 The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing; But the soul of the diligent shall be made fat. 7 There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing: There is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great wealth. 11 Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished; But he that gathereth by labor shall have increase. 3. 22 Servants, obey in all things them that are your masters according to the flesh; not with eye-service, as men-pleasers, but in singleness of heart, fearing the Lord: 23 whatsoever ye do, work heartily, as unto the Lord, and not unto man; 24 knowing that from the Lord ye shall receive the recompense of the inheritance: ye serve the Lord Christ. “To look at the Light, To keep my thoughts white, To fight the great fight; To do with my might What is good in God’s sight; To follow the Christ, the King.” — John Oxenham. “He who believes is strong; he who doubts is weak. Strong convictions precede great actions. The man strongly possessed of an idea is the master of all who are un¬ certain or wavering. Clear, deep living convictions rule the world.” — James Freeman Clarke » PEft^EE fOC tf)E SDO#* “Preserve us blameless, O Lord, in our goings out and comings in this day. Fill us with the simplicity of a divine purpose, that we may be inwardly at one with thy holy will and lifted above vain wishes of our own. Set free from every detaining desire or reluctance, may we heartily surrender all our powers to the work which thou hast given us to do ; rejoicing in any toil and fainting under no hardness that may befall us as good soldiers of Jesus Christ; and counting it as our crown of blessing if we may join the company of the faithful who have kept thy name and witnessed to thy kingdom in every age. Prepare us to seek our rest, not in outward ease, but in inward devotedness: only fulfill to us the word of the Chief of Saints; leave us his peace, while we remain here, and then receive us unto thyself, to mingle with the mighty company of our forerunners.” . Amen. — James Martineau (1805—1900). 144 CONSECRATION MAY 25 l&eHffion m t Se jfamilg (Ot tf)t SDa^t “As for me and my house, we will serve Jehovah.” — Joshua 24. 15. fot tl)t SDfl#: Deuteronomy 6. 4, 5; II. 18-21. 4 Hear, O Israel: Jehovah our God is one Jehovah: 5 and thou shall love Jehovah thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. 18 Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul ; and ye shall bind them for a sign upon your hand, and they shall be for frontlets between your eyes. 19 And ye shall teach them your children, talking 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. 20 And thou shalt write them upon the door-posts of thy house, and upon thy gates; 21 that your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which Jehovah sware unto your fathers to give them, as the days of the heavens above the earth. * “The best that parents can do for their children is to drill the great chapters into the minds of their children. No parent has done his duty until he has firmly fixed in his children’s minds the great essentials of the Christian faith.” — Newell Dwight Hillis . “To make the family a place of permanent love, peace, and spiritual beauty is now, and always will be, a great moral achievement and one of the highest triumphs of per¬ sonality. If any one will pass in review the families he has known intimately, he will realize that religion is often the decisive factor in the character of a home. Every Christianized family leaves traditions in the hearts of its children which they will seek to realize in their own homes, and it sets the standard a little higher for all who come in contact with it. By such precedents public opinion and custom are formed, and ulti¬ mately law follows custom. Religion always does its most powerful and permanent social work when it supports and invigorates the wholesome tendencies in the common life of men.” — Walter Rauschenbusch. “It concerns the nation that each family be a world, profound, respected, commu¬ nicating to its members an ineffaceable moral imprint. We who from transforming our cities, our houses, our customs and creeds have not where to lay our heads, let us not add to the pathos and emptiness of our changeful existence by abandoning the life of the home. Let us light the flame put out on our hearths, make sanctuaries for ourselves, warm nests where the children may grow into men, where love may find privacy, old age repose, prayer an altar, and the fatherland a cult.” — Charles Wagner. (Ot tf)t “O thou of whom every family in earth is named, preserve, strengthen, and sanctify to us, we beseech thee, all the bonds of affection and fellowship with which thou hast girt our life; let the love which is natural be molded and made mightier through a deepening sense of thy Fatherhood and our brotherhood with men in Jesus Christ, that lifted into the community of thy saints, and fostered in the family of thy little ones, we may draw near to thee in him whose Spirit cries within us, Abba, Father.” Amen. r45 CONSECRATION MAY 26 Eibtno: Jiite eternal Ptt!S?t (Ot tf)e SDiip; “And this is life eternal, that they should know thee the only true God, and him whom thou didst send, even Jesus Christ.” — John 17. 3. tortljeSDap: John 17. n-18. 11 Holy Father, keep them in thy name which thou hast given me, that they may be one, even as we are. 12 While I was with them, I kept them in thy name which thou hast given me: and I guarded them, and not one of them perished, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled. 13 But now I come to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy made full in themselves. 14 I have given them thy word; and the world hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 15 I pray not that thou shouldest take them from the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them in the truth: thy word is truth. 18 As thou didst send me into the world, even so sent I them into the world. “Religion is living the life eternal in the midst of time, under the eyes and by the favor of God.” “There is but one thing needful — to possess God. Religion is not a method: it is a life — a higher and supernatural life, mystical in its root and practical in its fruits; a communion with God, a calm and deep enthusiasm, a love which radiates, a force which acts, a happiness which overflows.” — Amiel. (Ot if)t “Thou, O God, hast exalted us so that no longer we walk with prone head among the animals that perish. Thou hast or¬ dained us as thine own children, and hast planted within us that spiritual life which ever seeks, as the flame, to rise upward and mingle with thee. Every exaltation, every pure sentiment, all urgency of pure affection, and all yearning after things higher and nobler, are testimonies by which thou art drawing us away from sense, away from the earth, away from things coarse and unspiritual, and toward the ineffable. We rejoice that we have in us the witness of the Spirit, the indwelling of God. For although we are temples defiled, though we are unworthy of such a Guest, and though we perpetually grieve thee, and drive thee away from us, so that thou canst not do the mighty work that thou wouldst within us, yet we rejoice to believe that thou dost linger near us. Thou art evermore striving to im¬ bue us with thyself, and to give us that divine nature which shall triumph over time and sense and matter; and we pray that we may have an enlight¬ ened understanding of thy work in us and upon us, and work together with thee.” Amen. — Henry Ward. Beecher (1813—1887). 146 CONSECRATION MAY 27 faring tfie Sacrifice of 3|r0ti$> WtZ$t for tjje SDftg: “Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows.” — Isaiah 53. 4. for tfie £Dap: Isaiah 53. 1-3, 7-10. i Who hath believed our message? and to whom hath the arm of Jehovah been revealed? 2 For he grew up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. 3 He was despised, and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief : and as one from whom men hide their face he was despised; and we esteemed him not. 7 He was oppressed, yet when he was afflicted he opened not his mouth; as a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and as a sheep that before its shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth. 8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who among them considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living for the transgression of my people to whom the stroke was due ? 9 And they made his grave with the wicked, and with a rich man in his death; although he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. 10 Yet it pleased Jehovah to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of Jehovah shall prosper in his hand. “In every nation, in every family, the innocent suffer for the guilty. Vicarious suffering is not arbitrary or accidental; it comes with our growth; it is of the very nature of things. It is that part of the service of man, to which we are all born, and of the reality of which we daily grow more aware. Vicarious suffering is not a curse. It is a service — service for God. It proves a power where every other moral force has failed. By it men are redeemed on whom justice and their proper punishment have been able to effect nothing. Greater service can no man do to men than to serve them in this way.” — George Adam Smith. fot tf)t SDftJH “Almighty God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, God of mercy and of comfort, with humble confidence and reverent thank¬ fulness do we approach thee. We thank thee for the love wherewith thou hast loved us. Thy mercy is from everlasting, thy compassions fail not. We bless thee for the gift of thy dear Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ, through whose poverty we have been made rich. We deplore our weakness and sinfulness, and desire that thou, who art faithful and just to forgive, wilt accept our contrition and. penitence. We pray that thou wilt strengthen us that if need be we may be willing to suffer for the good of others, in some small way sharing the sacrifice of lesus. We yield ourselves in loving obedience unto thee, and we pray that we may be found faithful. May our lives be fashioned in his likeness. O, we entreat thee, let our lives be con¬ formed unto his, and as he is so may we be in this world. Help us to bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. May we receive not the spirit of this world but the Spirit which is God, and may we in all things grow up unto Him who is our Head, even Jesus Christ our Saviour.” Amen. 147 CONSECRATION MAY 28 Sl?mt£tty of 3jntetce££ioit fOt tf)E “I exhort, therefore, first of all, that supplications, prayers, intercessions, thanksgivings, be made for all men.” — 1 Timothy 2. I. ^£0£»on for tl)£2Dap: Ephesians 1. 15-23. 15 For this cause I also, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which is among you, and the love which ye show toward all the saints, 16 cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him; 18 having the eyes of your heart enlightened, that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, 19 and what the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to that working of the strength of his might 20 which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and made him to sit at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule, and authority, and power, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: 22 and he put all things in subjection under his feet, and gave him to be head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all. “I think my soul was never so drawn out in intercession for others as it has been this night; I hardly ever so longed to live to God, and to be altogether devoted to him; I wanted to wear out my life for him. ... I wrestled for the ingathering of souls, for multitudes of poor souls, personally, in many distant places. I was in such an agony, from sun half-an-hour high till near dark, that I was wet all over with sweat; but O, my dear Lord did sweat blood for such poor souls: I longed for more compassion.” — David Brainerd. “To pray for others is an indispensable duty. We cannot be Christians without intercessory prayer. We should be breaking a primary law of love which our Lord has given us. He has hedged us in by his prayer which he gave us. We cannot say an ‘Our Father’ without doing it, at least with our lips. We must have emptied our blessed Lord’s prayer of its meaning, before we can have ceased intercessory prayer. We ask in it for exactly the same gifts for others as for ourselves.” — Edward B. Pusey. Prayer (or tje 2Day: “ O Lord, our God, who hast bidden the light to shine out of darkness, who hast again wakened us to praise thy goodness and ask for thy grace: accept thou, in thy endless mercy, the sacrifice of our worship and thanksgiving, and grant unto us all such requests as may be wholesome for us. Make us to be children of the light and of the day, and heirs of thy everlasting inheritance. Remember, O Lord, according to the multitude of thy mercies, thy whole church; all who join with us in prayer ; all our brethren by land or sea, or wherever they may be in thy vast kingdom, who stand in need of thy grace and succor. Pour out upon them the riches of thy mercy, so that we, redeemed in soul and body, and steadfast in faith, may ever praise thy wonderful and holy name.” Amen. — Manual of Prayers of the Greek Church. 148 CONSECRATION MAY 29 W&t Appeal ot t f\t (Boe»pel $£££>£ Cot tl )t HDflJG “For I am not ashamed of the gospel: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth.” — Romans 1. 16. %t$$0n Cor tt)Z 2Dap: 2 Corinthians 4. 1-6. 1 Therefore seeing we have this ministry, even as we obtained mercy, we faint not: 2 but we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by the manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. 3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled in them that perish: 4 in whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of the unbe¬ lieving, that the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should not dawn upon them. 5 For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6 Seeing it is God, that said, Light shall shine out of darkness, who shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. ‘Let me point you to a power which even to-day can cope with any emergency: Christ, the power of righteousness. He makes men right with God. He places them in harmony with the eternal, in tune with the infinite. He takes the weary, wayward child by the hand and leads it back to the Father’s house. He clears the conscience of the awful, raking, embittering, debilitating consciousness of unforgiven guilt. He gives peace to the soul, peace that makes us calm and strong. He blots out the record of our folly and sir and shame which we wrote down upon the pages of life’s story. He brings us into fellowship with God, so that his life becomes ours and our life is wrapped up in his.”— John L. Nuelsen. ‘‘The greatest monuments of art shelter his sacred images; the most magnificent ceremonies assemble the people under the influence of his name; poetry, music, painting, sculpture, exhaust their resources to proclaim his glory, and to offer him incense worthy of the adoration which ages have consecrated to him. And yet upon what throne do they adore him? Upon a Cross!” — Pire Lacordaire. l&Z&VZt tot t!)t “Our heavenly Father, we bless thee for the gospel of Christ which appeals, not to the base, the small, the selfish that there is in us, but to the larger and nobler motives. We thank thee that Jesus Christ within us turns our hearts toward our fellow men. O that we may love like thee ! O that we may have thy passion for men ! O that we may see the needs of the world as thou dost see them, and in the very spirit of our Master give ourselves to prayer and service, becoming all things to all men, if by any means we may save some. We ask it in Jesus’ name.” Amen. Herbert Welch (b. 1862). 149 CONSECRATION MAY 30 3fn S^emoEiam $£E£t fOE tf)E jSDftJH “And this day shall be unto you for a memorial. ” — Exodus 12. 14. IU££»0n for tfie 2Dap: Joshua 4. 4-8. 4 Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, out of every tribe a man: 5 and Joshua said unto them, Pass over before the ark of Jehovah your God into the midst of the Jordan, and take you up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according unto the number of the tribes of the children of Israel; 6 that this may be a sign among you, that, when your children ask in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones? 7 then ye shall say unto them, Because the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of Jehovah; when it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel forever. 8 And the children of Israel did so as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the midst of the Jordan, as Jehovah spake unto Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel; and they carried them over with them unto the place where they lodged, and laid them down there. “There is no death! the stars go down To rise upon some fairer shore, And bright in heaven’s jeweled crown They shine forever more. And ever near us, though unseen, The dear immortal spirits tread; For all the boundless universe Is life — there are no dead.” — James M’Creery. tOE tj)E “O Thou Lord of all worlds, we bless thy name for all those who have entered into their rest, and reached the promised land, where thou art seen face to face. Give us grace to follow in their footsteps, as they followed in the footsteps of thy Holy Son. Encourage our wavering hearts by their example, and help us to see in them the memo¬ rials of thy redeeming grace, and pledges of the heavenly might in which the weak are made strong. Keep alive in us the memory of all those dear to ourselves whom thou hast called out of this world, and make it powerful to subdue within us every vile and unworthy thought. Grant that every remem¬ brance which turns our hearts from things seen to things unseen, may lead us always upward to thee, till we too come to the eternal rest which thou hast prepared for thy people; through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Amen. — F. J. A. Hort (1828-1892). COURAGE MAY 31 Courage and fejtrengtf) Uet£e for tfje SDa^t “Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.” — 1 Corinthians 16. 13. for tfie SDap: Ephesians 6. 10-13. 10 Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 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. It 1S impossible for that man to despair who remembers that his Helper is omnipo¬ tent.” — Jeremy Taylor. “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 wh en 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. PtaptE fOE tf)E “Almighty Father, thou art a God afar off as well as nigh at hand. ... Be pleased to strengthen us now, O Lord, to bear our cross and surrender ourselves for duty and for trial unto thee. Teach us that it is far better to die in thy service than to live for our own. Rebuke within us all unmoderate desires, all unquiet temper, all presump¬ tuous expectations, all ignoble self-indulgence, and, feeling on us the embrace of thy Fatherly hand, may we meekly and with courage go into the darkest ways of our pilgrimage, anxious not to change thy perfect will, but only to do and bear it worthily. May we spend all our days in thy presence, and meet our death in the strength of thy grace, and pass thence into the nearer light of thy knowledge and love.” Amen. — John Hunter (b. 1849). COURAGE JUNE i CSrigttan Courage C?et£e (or tf)e “Stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.” — i Corinthians 16. 13. (or tfje 2Dap: Acts 5. 24-29. 24 Now when the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these words, they were much perplexed concerning them whereunto this would grow. 25 And there came one and told them, Behold, the men whom ye put in the prison are in the temple standing and teaching the people. 26 Then went the captain with the officers, and brought them, but without violence; for. they feared the people, lest they should be stoned. 27 And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest asked them, 28 saying, We strictly charged you not to teach in this name: and behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us. 29 But Peter and the apostles answered and said, We must obey God rather than men. “Gideon Ousley, a Methodist itinerant in Ireland, was often mobbed. It was bis custom, however, to hire the village crier to announce his meetings. In a certain place he heard the man call faintly on account of fear. Ousley took the bell out of his hand, rang it himself, calling in clear tones, ‘This is to give notice that Gideon Ousley, the Irish missionary, will preach to-night! And I am the man myself!’” — Stephens. “Then to side with Truth is noble when we share her wretched crust, Ere her cause brings fame and profit, and ’ tis prosperous to be just; Then it is the brave man chooses, while the coward stands aside, Doubting in his abject spirit, till the Lord is crucified, And the multitude make virtue of the faith they had denied.” James Russell Lowell. (Ot tf)£ SDftJU “Blessed Lord, who wast tempted in all things like as we are, have mercy upon our frailty. Out of weakness give us strength. Grant to us thy fear, that we may fear thee only. Support us in time of temptation. Embolden us in the time of danger. Help us to do thy work with good courage, and to continue thy faithful soldiers and servants unto our life’s end; through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Amen. — Brooke Foss Westcott (1825-1901). I52 COURAGE JUNE 2 Coutafftou# Effort t^rrj^t (or ttjr SDtl^t “Be strong, and let thy heart take courage.” — Psalm 27. 14b. fLt$#on (or tfjeSDap: 2 Chronicles 32. 5-8. 5 And he took courage, and built up all the wall that was broken down, and raised it up to the towers, and the other wall without, and strengthened Millo in the city of David, and made weapons and shields in abundance. 6 And he set captains of war over the people, and gathered them together to him in the broad place at the gate of the city, and spake comfortably to them, say¬ ing, 7 Be strong and of good courage, be not afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria, nor for all the multitude that is with him: for there is a greater with us than with him: 8 with him is an arm of flesh; but with us is Jehovah our God to help us, and to fight our battles. And the people rested themselves upon the words of Iiezekiah king of Judah. “Th e 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. “It is great to be out where the fight is strong. To be where the heaviest troops belong, And to fight there for man and God. Oh, it seams the face and it tries the brain, It strains the arms till one’s friend is Pain, In the fight for man and God. But it’s great to be out where the fight is strong, To be where the heaviest troops belong, And to fight there for man and God.” — Cleland B. McAfee. y&Z&ytZ (Ot tt)Z SDftJU “Almighty and eternal God, who fillest all space, whom nevertheless no space can contain ; from thee, as the source of all things, we have our being; to thee, as the end of all things, we draw near. We acknowledge that every good and perfect gift is from above. May thy blessing, therefore, descend upon us thy servants who apply ourselves to our work or studies; inspire us in our enterprises, help on our endeavors, pro¬ mote our designs, purify our minds that yearn to know themselves and thee. Be present with us and direct such works as we undertake in dependence on thee and devote to thy honor. O Father of lights, give us discernment to know the truth. O Father of spirits, give us courage to uphold what we know to be true. O Prince of Peace, grant us wisdom to labor for peace, to uproot evil, to worship thee with one heart and one mouth, and to pay thee due reverence, to the glory of thy Name, the good of thy church, the increase of piety, and the salvation of our own souls; through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord.” Amen. — John Pearson (1613-1686). 153 COURAGE JUNE 3 a ^Daring Spirit (Ot t l)t 2Da^* “Be strong and of good courage. . . With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is Jehovah our God to help us, and to fight our battles.” — 2 Chronicles 32. 7 f .cl., 8. 3Lt0&tmioz t f)e 2Dap: Joshua I. 5-9. 5 There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. 6 Be strong and of a good courage: for thou shalt cause this people to inherit the land which I sware unto their fathers to give them. 7 Only be strong and very courageous, to observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest have good success whither¬ soever thou goest. 8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. 9 Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not affrighted, neither be thou dismayed: for Jehovah thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest. “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.” “Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much because they live in gray twilight that knows neither victory nor de¬ feat.” — Theodore Roosevelt. (0t tf)t “Almighty God, our Father in heaven, thou hast set before us a goodly heritage, and the lines have fallen to us in pleasant places. We thank thee for the peace and happiness of this our home; and we praise thee for the better blessings of thy kingdom which thou hast given us in Jesus Christ. Grant us rightly to receive what thou dost give. We con¬ fess our faint-heartedness and our unbelief. Give unto us more of the spirit of thy servant of old; the spirit of holy daring. When thou dost call us to possess the promised land of thy gospel privileges we scarcely have the courage to enter in. Make us strong and of a good courage. Lord, we believe; help thou our unbelief. Too often have we failed before our foes. Help us to face this day’s temptations in thy strength. Let not the power of the enemy cast us down. And suffer us not to grow weary in our pil¬ grimage. So when all our days on earth are ended bring us safely over the Jordan of death into thy land of promise. There at last, where some of our dear ones have gone before, may we and all we have loved here on earth be gathered home through thy great love in Jesus Christ our Saviour.” Amen. 154 COURAGE JUNE 4 Being billing to £>tanb alone Pet #e tot tge SDap: “Though a host should encamp against me, My heart shall not fear.” — Psalm 27. 3. %e$#on foe tfje 2Dap: Psalm 3. 1—3, 6. 1 Jehovah, how are mine adversaries increased! Many are they that rise up against me. 2 Many there are that say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. 3 But thou, O Jehovah, art a shield about me; My glory, and the lifter up of my head. 6 I will not be afraid of ten thousands of the people, That have set themselves against me round about. “ ‘All the world is against you,’ they said to John Knox; and he retorted, ‘Then I am against all the world.’ ” “Count me o’er earth’s chosen heroes — they were souls that stood alone While the men they agonized for hurled the contumelious stone, Stood serene, and down the future saw the golden beam incline To the side of perfect justice, mastered by their faith divine, By one man’s plain truth to manhood and to God’s supreme design.” — James Russell Lozuell. fdt tj)£ “O merciful God, be thou now unto us a strong tower of defense, we humbly entreat thee. Give us grace to await thy leisure, and patiently to bear what thou doest unto us, nothing doubting, or mistrusting thy goodness toward us; for thou knowest what is good for us better than we do. Therefore do with us in all things what thou wilt; only arm us, we beseech thee, with thine armor, that we may stand fast; above all things, taking to us the shield of faith, praying always that we may refer ourselves wholly to thy will, abiding thy pleasure, and comforting ourselves in those troubles which it shall please thee to send us, seeing such troubles are profitable for us. We are assuredly persuaded that all thou doest cannot but be well ; and unto thee be all honor and glory, both now and ever.” Amen. — Lady Jane Grey (1537—1554). 155 COURAGE JUNE 5 Hfetotem m (Kbtrptiap Hitt H?EES>E fOt tf)E “And he said unto all, If any man would come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” — Luke 9. 23. fOttfltSDap: Luke 9. 57-62. 57 And as they went on the way, a certain man said unto him, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. 58 And Jesus said unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the heaven have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. 59 And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. 60 But he said unto him, Leave the dead to bury their own dead; but go thou and publish abroad the kingdom of God. 61 And another also said, I will follow thee, Lord; but first suffer me to bid farewell to them that are at my house. 62 But Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. “The opportunities of generously serving Jesus Christ are few; perhaps not more than one in a lifetime. They come, they do not return. What we do upon a great occasion will probably depend upon what we already are; what we are will be the result of previous years of self-discipline under the grace of Christ, or of the absence of it.” — Henry Parry Liddon. fOE “O Lord, our God, from whom cometh every spir¬ itual gift, enable us so to live that we may exemplify the spirit of Christian courage in everyday living. Help us that we may deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow thee. Grant unto us the spirit of true religion. Dis¬ pose us to be kind and gentle, tender and compassionate, patient and for¬ giving, just and upright, loving our fellow men as thou hast loved us. When trouble comes help us to bear it without complaint. If weakness overtakes us, be thou our strength. Empower us by thy Holy Spirit that we may so bravely, fearlessly, joyfully live and serve that we shall glorify thee. Bless us as we are assembled here in this family circle and grant that every unholy thought and desire being put away we may worthily utter thy praise, meekly learn thy word, and render thanks for all thy mercies. For thy name’s sake.” Amen. COURAGE JUNE 6 £>tta&ta£tiu£g Wtz&e tor tjje 2Dap: ‘ ‘Wherefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord.” — i Corinthians 15. 58. JLt$&onioz tfjt &>ap: Colossians I. 9—14. 9 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray and make request for you, that ye may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and under¬ standing, 10 to walk worthily of the Lord unto all pleasing, bear¬ ing fruit in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 strengthened with all power, according to the might of his glory, unto all patience and long-suffering with joy; 12 giving thanks unto the Father, who made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light; 13 who delivered us out of the power of darkness, and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of his love; 14 in whom we have our redemption, the forgiveness of our sins. ‘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 a hero leaves his race Is to have been a hero.” — George Eliot. PE&^EE COE tfjt Our Father, grant us this day and every day thy guidance. While we pursue our various duties may we have a single eye to thy glory; and may we undertake no employment in which we cannot hope for thy blessing. May no spirit of self-indulgence, no love of ease, no dread of opposition, no fear of shame prevent our giving ourselves heartily to thy service. Make us willing to deny ourselves that we may live unto thee. Teach us to enter into the spirit of those Christians and apostles of old who counted not their lives dear unto themselves, so that they might finish their course with joy. Grant unto every member of this family thy peace, and all thy heavenly consolations; and make us to be of one heart and one mind, praising thee for thy mercies, looking unto thee for thy grace, and uniting in the confession of our daily sins to thee. Establish us by thy faith, and fear, and love ; and enlighten us that we may understand thy whole will concerning us. Where we mistake have pity on our errors, and if we have wandered from the right way, do thou in mercy bring us back. May we watch our hearts, and bridle our tongues, and govern our tempers. May we be ready to forgive, even as we hope to be forgiven. May we be steadfast and immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that our labor shall not be in vain in the Lord. For Jesus’ sake. Amen. COURAGE JUNE 7 potoet of a SDetramneb MUU H^EEjSrE fOt tl)E SDftJU “But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the king’s dainties, nor with the wine which he drank.” — Daniel I. 8. iUgiSiOnfOttfjeSDap: Daniel I. 1 1— 14, 18-20. 11 Then said Daniel to the steward ... 12 Prove thy ser¬ vants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink. 13 Then let our countenances be looked upon before thee, and the countenance of the youths that eat of the king’s dainties; and as thou seest, deal with thy servants. 14 So he hearkened unto them in this matter, and proved them ten days. 18 And at the end of the days which the king had appointed for bringing them in, the prince of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. 19 And the king communed with them; and among them all was found none like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: therefore stood they before the king. 20 And in every matter of wisdom and understanding, concerning which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were in all his realm. “There is no chance, no destiny, no fate, Can circumvent or hinder or control The firm resolve of a determined soul. Gifts count for nothing; will alone is great; All things give way before it, soon or late. What obstacle can stay the mighty force Of the sea-seeking river in its course, Or cause the ascending orb of day to wait? Each well-born soul must win what it deserves, Let the fool prate of luck. The fortunate Is he whose earnest purpose never swerves, Whose slightest action or inaction serves The one great aim. Why, even Death stands still, And waits an hour sometimes for such a will.” — Ella Wheeler Wilcor. tOE tf)t O God, our Father, the source of our strength, we seek thy help that we may face our duties and our difficulties without fear. Save us from the miserable sin of cowardice. When times of testing come may we have the courage of our convictions; may we stand fast; may we prove true. We would not pray that all the danger should be removed from our path. Rather we would beseech thee to strengthen our wills, that we may stand like the brave men of former times unafraid in the face of the foe, witnessing for principle and for truth. Especially we beseech thee to give us the high privilege of strength with which to rescue the weak. We ask not only for our own triumph, we seek not only success in our own way. We would be succorers of others. Teach us to take our part in the great crusade against evil in the world, and with thine own mighty hand grant vic¬ tory, we pray thee, through Christ our Lord. Amen. 158 COURAGE JUNE 8 Sin ^Unconquerable Spirit Petgie Cor t^e 2Da^* “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 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 8. 38, 39. HeggOnfortljeSDap: 2 Corinthians I. 8-10; 12. 9-10. 8 For we would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning our affliction which befell us in Asia, that we were weighed down exceedingly, beyond our power, insomuch that we despaired even of life: 9 yea, we ourselves have had the sentence of death within ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God who raiseth the dead: 10 who delivered us out of so great a death, and will deliver: on whom we have set our hope that he will also still deliver us. 9 And he hath said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my power is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Wherefore I take pleasure in weaknesses, in injuries, in necessities, in persecu¬ tions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong. “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. Cot tj )t O Lord, our God, we thank thee for the love of God made manifest to us in Christ Jesus our Lord. With the conscious¬ ness of thy love ever present in our minds, strengthened by thy Spirit in the inner man, may we stand firm against all encroachment of evil, undaunted by difficulties and by all manner of circumstance. May no bodily infirmities overcome us, nor weakness of will or of knowledge. Amid all adversities and trials may we steadfastly endure as seeing the invisible. May we be enabled to bear patiently every sorrow, if sorrows shall come upon us; to resist firmly every temptation, if we shall be tried ; and to discharge faith¬ fully every duty, however many and difficult our responsibilities may be. Our faith is in thee; we trust in the sufficiency of thy grace; guide us by thy counsel and bring us off more than conquerors through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 159 PRAISE JUNE 9 jRature'0 Call to ptaige $t££it tot tl)t SDa#i “Bless Jehovah, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless his holy name.” — Psalm 103. 1. 2lt£i£i0it tot tfie 2Dap: Psalm 148. 1, 3-5, 7-10, 13. i Praise ye Jehovah. Praise ye Jehovah from the heavens: 3 Praise ye him, sun and moon: Praise him, all ye stars of light. 4 Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, And ye waters that are above the heavens. 5 Let them praise the name of Jehovah: For he commanded, and they were created. 7 Praise Jehovah from the earth, Ye sea monsters, and all deeps; 8 Fire and hail, snow and vapor; Stormy wind, fulfilling his word; 9 Mountains and all hills; Fruitful trees and all cedars; 10 Beasts and all cattle; Creeping things and flying fowl; 13 Let them praise the name of Jehovah; For his name alone is exalted; His glory is above the earth and heaven. “The wind that blew from the sunrise made me hope in the God who had first breathed into my nostrils the breath of life — that he would at length so fill me with his breath that I should think only his thoughts, and live his life, finding therein my own life, only glorified infinitely. What should we poor humans do without our God’s nights and mornings?’’ — George MacDonald. “‘Bless the Lord, 0 my soul!’ For doth not all nature around me praise him? If I were silent, I should be an exception to the universe. Doth not the thunder praise him as it rolls like drums in the march of the God of armies? Do not the mountains praise him when the woods upon their summits wave in adoration? Does not the lightning write his name in letters of fire? Hath not the whole earth a voice, and shall I, can I, be silent? Bless the Lord, O my soul!’’ — Charles II. Spurgeon. ^tagtt fot tl$C “O Lord we bless thee for the life which teems in the waters about us, and in the little brooks which run among the hills, which warbles in the branches of the trees, and hums with new-born insects throughout the peopled land. O Lord, we thank thee for days that are sweet and fair, 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. May we so live that every day we learn some new truth, practice some new virtue, and become dearer and more beautiful in thine own sight. For thy name’s sake.” Amen. — Theodore Parker (1810— i860). 160 PRAISE JUNE io Beaut# ot ligature tOC tf)£ jdDajU “He hath made everything beautiful in its time.” — Ecclesiastes 3. 11a. JLt$$on tor tjje 2Da#: Psalm 19. 1-6. 1 The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament showeth his handiwork. 2 Day unto day uttereth speech, And night unto night showeth knowledge. 3 There is no speech nor language; Their voice is not heard. 4 Their line is gone out through all the earth, And their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, 5 Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, And rejoiceth as a strong man to run his course. 6 His going forth is from the end of the heavens, And his circuit unto the ends of it; And there is nothing hid from the heat thereof. “For flowers that bloom about our feet; For tender grass so fresh and sweet; For song of bird and hum of bee; For all things fair we hear and see, Father in Heaven, we thank thee! “For blue of stream and blue of sky; For pleasant shade of branches high; For fragrant air and cooling breeze; For beauty of the blooming trees, Father in Heaven, we thank thee! — Ralph Waldo Emerson. fOt tf)Z £Da#J “Almighty God! We do well to mark thy won¬ drous works and to gladden our souls with the marvelous beauty of the things thou hast made. If we neglect to do this, pity us, and grant us a fuller knowledge of thee. When we see thy works and the wondrous beauty which with open hand thou hast put into all that thou hast made, shall we not desire to know thee? Help us to make our lives more like thy works — a thought of God. Let us ask ourselves whether we give forth any fra¬ grance of holy life, like the sweet flowers thou hast made, whether we give to others poison to their souls or sweetness. Make us more fruitful in charity, so that it may be a good thing to know us. Grant that we may be like sweet music to the soul and drink to the thirsty. Press these things home to us as good thoughts, and if they bring pain and tears, let us remember that out of wounding comes true healing and through thy pitiful love grant that we may rise on our past sins to heights we have never known before. Give us the true birth of the soul into charity and self-negation which make the higher life. Thou hast set thy lesson before us in the life of our Lord. So let us look forward to the day when we shall enter into the larger life which thou hast prepared for those who love thee.” Amen. — George Dawson (b. 1861). 161 PRAISE JUNE ii jfdlototfljtp dfilttj) Mature $££#£ tOE tj)E SDftJU “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.” — Job 12. 7, 8. for tfje 2Dap: Job 38. 16-18, 31-33* 16 Hast thou entered into the springs of the sea? Or hast thou walked in the recesses of the deep? 17 Have the gates of death been revealed unto thee? Or hast thou seen the gates of the shadow of death? 18 Hast thou comprehended the earth in its breadth? Declare, if thou knowest it all. 31 Canst thou bind the cluster of the Pleiades, Or loose the bands of Orion? 32 Canst thou lead forth the Mazzaroth in their season? Or canst thou guide the Bear with her train? 33 Knowest thou the ordinances of the heavens? Canst thou establish the dominion thereof in the earth? “If I had but two loaves of bread, I would self one and buy hyacinths, for they would feed my soul.” — Koran. “So, then, believe that every bird that sings, And every flower that stars the elastic sod. And every thought that happy summer brings, To the pure spirit, is a word of God.” — Hartley Coleridge. “Come forth into the light of things; let nature be your teacher.” — William Words¬ worth. y&Z&ytt fOt SDapJ “O God, we thank thee for this universe, our great home ; for its vastness and its riches, and for the manifoldness of the life which teems upon it and of which we are part. We praise thee for the arch¬ ing sky and the blessed winds, for the driving clouds and the constellations on high. We praise thee for the salt sea and the running water, for the everlasting hills, for the trees, and for the grass under our feet. We thank thee for our senses by which we can see the splendor of the morning, and hear the jubilant songs of love, and smell the breath of the springtime. Grant us, we pray thee, a heart wide open to all this joy and beauty, and save our souls from being so steeped in care or so darkened by passion that we pass heedless and unseeing when even the thornbush by the wayside is aflame with the glory of God. When our use of this world is over and we make room for others, may we not leave anything ravished by our greed or spoiled by our ignorance, but may we hand on our common heritage fairer and sweeter through our use of it, undiminished in fertility and joy, that so our bodies may return in peace to the great mother who nourished them and our spirits may round the circle of a perfect life in thee.” Amen. — Walter Rauschenbusch (1861-1918). PRAISE JUNE 12 Tlfjt Common 3og£ of JLitz 1&ZZ&Z fOt tf)£ “Better is little with the fear of Jehovah, Than great treasure and trouble therewith.” — Proverbs 15. 1 6. fLz&gon for tfje t>ap: Philippians 4. 4-7. 4 Rejoice in the Lord always: again I will say, Rejoice. 5 Let your forbearance be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. 6 In nothing be anxious; but in everything by prayer and suppli¬ cation with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus. “What seems to grow fairer to me as life goes by, is the love and peace and tender¬ ness 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 cozy talk of the fireside, and the sight of flowers and the sound of music.” — J. R. Green. “The best things are nearest: breath in your nostrils, light in your eyes, flowers at your feet, duties at your hand, the path of God just before you. Then do not grasp at the stars, but do life’s plain, common work as it comes, certain that daily duties and daily bread are the sweetest things of life.” — Anonymous. Ptapet tot tlje 2Dap: “ Our heavenly Father, give unto ns more of the spirit of rejoicing and gratitude for the common joys and blessings of life. We have been too ready with complaint of our lot in this world ; we have been too prone to overlook and to forget thy daily mercies. Give us a deeper power of appreciation ; show us what blessings, manifold and unde¬ served, we enjoy, and grant that we may realize how much love thou hast mingled with our experience. We have been careful about many things which have no profit in them, seeking wealth that can never enrich, and joy which has no divine spring. Lead us to the wells of salvation, that we may draw and thirst no more. Teach the whole world thy redeeming truth and fill the hearts of men with thy gladness. May there be new songs this day in praise of thy merciful providence, and the glorious gospel of the cross. Give the bereaved thy consolation, and hear all cries that come from the depths of human woe; and may the peace of God, which passeth all under¬ standing, keep our hearts and minds, through Jesus Christ, now and forever.” Amen. PRAISE JUNE 13 <3DjjanfttuUu00 to t 2DiuIp Blessing** (Ot tf)C &)&#♦ “It is a good thing to give thanks unto Jehovah, And to sing praises unto thy name, O Most High; To show forth thy loving-kindness in the morning, And thy faithfulness every night.” — Psalm 92. I, 2. JLt$0On tot tf)t2Dag: Psalm 145. 1, 2, 14-19. ♦ 1 I will extol thee, my God, O King! And I will bless thy name for ever and ever. 2 Every day will I bless thee; And I will praise thy name for ever and ever. 14 Jehovah upholdeth all that fall, And raiseth up all those that are bowed down. 15 The eyes of all wait for thee; And thou givest them their food in due season. 16 Thou openest thy hand, And satisfiest the desire of every living thing. 17 Jehovah is righteous in all his ways, And gracious in all his works. 18 Jehovah is nigh unto all them that call upon him. To all that call upon him in truth. 19 He will fulfill the desire of them that fear him; He also will hear their cry, and will save them. “New every morning is the love Our wakening and uprising prove; Through sleep and darkness safely brought, Restored to life and power and thought. “New mercies, each returning day, Hover around us while we pray; New perils past, new sins forgiven, New thoughts of God, new hopes of heaven.” — John Keble. (Ot tjt 2D OJU "O God, our heavenly Father, by whose love all creatures are blessed, we give thanks for thy daily mercies. Thy grace is new every morning and renewed every evening. For all thy gifts we bless thy name: for our parents and teachers, our companions and friends; for our homes and our work, and all that makes us happy. We bless thee for thy tender care, for thine eye upon us by day and by night, for thy Holy Spirit in our hearts, for thy correction when we err, and thy forgiveness when we repent, and for the Saviour who turns us from evil ways to thy holy and blessed service. We pray thee for a pure heart and a right spirit, that we may ever do that which is pleasing unto thee. Make us careful not to offend in thought or word or deed. May we speak the truth always and love it forever. As we grow in years may we grow in wisdom and in favor with God and man. Keep alive in our hearts the spirit of deep and abiding gratitude for thy constant mercies, through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Amen. 164 PRAISE JUNE 14 (Bon 3$ (Boot) tot tt>e 2Dap: “ O give thanks unto Jehovah; for he is good; For his loving-kindness endureth forever.” — Psalm 106. I. Ht$$0Xl (ot tjjt 2Dap: Psalm 106. 1-5. 1 Praise ye Jehovah. O give thanks unto Jehovah; for he is good; For his loving-kindness endureth forever. 2 Who can utter the mighty acts of Jehovah, Or show forth all his praise? 3 Blessed are they that keep justice, And he that doeth righteousness at all times. 4 Remember me, O Jehovah, with the favor that thou bearest unto thy people; O visit me with thy salvation: 5 That I may see the prosperity of thy chosen, That I may rejoice in the gladness of thy nation, That I may glory with thine inheritance. “The love of God is the love of goodness. The old Saxon word God is identical with Good: God the Good one — personified goodness. There is in that derivation not a mere play of words — there is deep truth. None loves God but he who loves good.” — Frederick IF. Robertson. “From Thee is all that soothes the life of man — His high endeavor, and his glad success, His strength to suffer, and his will to serve. But oh, thou bounteous Giver of all good, Thou art of all thy gifts thyself the crown! Gi ve what thou canst, without thee we are poor, And with thee rich, take what thou wilt away.” — Cowper. — • “I see the wrong that round me lies, I feel the guilt within; I hear with groan and travail cries The world confess its sin. “Yet, in the maddening maze of things, And tossed by storm and flood, To one fixed stake my spirit clings; I know that God is good.” — John Greenleaf Whittier. ^btOyt t fOt “O eternal light, shine into our hearts. O eternal Goodness, deliver us from evil. O eternal Power, be thou our support. Eternal Wisdom, scatter the darkness of our^ ignorance. Eternal Pity, have mercy upon us. Grant unto us that with all our hearts, and minds, and strength, we may evermore seek thy face; and finally, bring us, in thine in¬ finite mercy, to thy holy presence. So strengthen our weakness that, follow¬ ing in the footsteps of thy blessed Son, we may obtain thy mercy, and enter into thy promised joy.” Amen. — Alcuin (735-804). PRAISE JUNE 15 d 5od $Duz HiQfyt Verge (or t!)e SDag: “Jehovah will be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory.” — Isaiah 60. 19. £r££on tortfjeSDap: Psalm 27. 1-6. 1 Jehovah is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? Jehovah is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid? 2 When evil-doers came upon me to eat up my flesh, Even mine adversaries and my foes, they stumbled and fell. 3 Though a host should encamp against me, My heart shall not fear: Though war should rise against me, Even then will I be confident. 4 One thing have I asked of Jehovah, that will I seek after: That I may dwell in the house of Jehovah all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of Jehovah, And to inquire in his temple. 5 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. 6 And now shall my head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me ; And I will offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto Jehovah. “Thou art, 0 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. (Ot tt)e “O thou whose name is Love, with the returning light of day we adore thee as the Light in whom is no darkness at all. In thy light enable us to see light for ourselves this day. We are unworthy of thy favor, for we have sinned against thee. Purge us of our sins, and grant that we may enter into the full enjoyment of our privileges as thy children. Bless our home; grant to our loved ones a sense of thy near¬ ness; help them to cast themselves upon thee. May the risen Christ be held up this day before men as their only and allsufficient Saviour, and may the world be advanced nearer to the glorious time of the coming of thy kingdom. When the evening shadows betoken the end of the day, may we have the consciousness that it has been a day of gladness and peace, a foretaste of the peace and joy of thy presence forevermore.” Amen. — Andrew C. Zenos (b. 1855). l66 PRAISE JUNE 16 % lie Kotung:fUntme00 ot C5oti Wti&t (ot tj)t SDag: “For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is his loving-kindness toward them that fear him.” —Psalm 103. 11. 2tt£»0on (ot tjjt Psalm 107. 1-3, 21, 22, 43. 1 O give thanks unto Jehovah; for he is good; for his loving-kindness endureth forever. 2 Let the redeemed of Jehovah say so, Whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the adversary, 3 And gathered out of the lands, From the east and from the west, From the north and from the south. 21 O that men would praise Jehovah for his loving-kindness, And for his wonderful works to the children of men! 22 And let them offer the sacrifices of thanksgiving, And declare his works with singing. 43 Whoso is wise will give heed to these things; And they will consider the loving-kindness of Jehovah. “Thou grace divine, encircling all, A soundless, shoreless sea Wherein at last our souls shall fall; O love of God, most free! “But not alone thy care we claim Our wayward steps to win; We know thee by a dearer name, O love of God, within! “And filled and quickened by thy breath Our souls are strong and free; To rise o’er sin, and fear, and death, O love of God, to thee.” — Eliza Scudder. y&ZHyZZ (Ot tl )t “Our Father in heaven, look down upon us thy children and help us to worship thee. Put out of our minds all foolish thoughts, teach us thy will concerning us and incline us to learn. May we love thy truth and seek to live by it every day. Our Father, we know that we need have no fear of thee. Thy thoughts toward us are full of pitiful and tender love. Thou hast spoken to us by the voice of Jesus and he has told us of thy loving-kindness. Thy gentleness makes us great. Help us to show our thankfulness and unwearying love by ever seeking to please thee in all things. Help us to fight against our faults, that they may not grow into bad habits which will cling to us all our days. May we always speak the truth and never be guilty of deceit. May we be kind and gentle and not easily angered. May we never neglect our duties. May we think little about ourselves but ever strive to do what we can for others, and to hurt no one by word or by deed. May we grow more like Jesus every day we live and become children with whom thou art ever well pleased, through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Amen. — John Hunter (b. 1849). 167 PRAISE JUNE 17 d 5oW& d5tactougi Snbitatton C?£E£it fOt tjjt SDa^t “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” — Matthew 11. 28. %t &&on for tfjeSDap: Isaiah 55. 1—3, 6—8. 1 Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. 2 Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labor for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. 3 Incline your ear, and come unto me; hear, and your soul shall live. 6 Seek ye Jehovah while he may be found; call ye upon him while he is near: 7 let the wicked forsake his way, and the un¬ righteous man his thoughts; and let him return unto Jehovah, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abun¬ dantly pardon. 8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith Jehovah. “I am the Fountain of Life, that cannot be exhausted. “Whosoever is sorrowful, let him come to me that he may be comforted; “Whosoever is dry, let him come that he may be filled with the richness and full¬ ness of the Spirit; “Whosoever is wearied, let him come that he may be refreshed with joy.” — Thomas a Kempis. “The world proposes rest by the removal of a burden. The Redeemer gives rest by giving us the spirit and power to bear the burden. The rest of Christ is not that of torpor, but of harmony; it is not refusing the struggle, but conquering in it; not resting from duty, but finding rest in duty.” — Frederick W. Robertson. f 0t tf)t j&DajH Our loving heavenly Father, we come to thee with gladness of spirit and lowliness of heart. We thank thee that thou hast drawn us by thy Holy Spirit to lay hold on eternal life, which is to know thee and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. We thank thee for thy gracious invitation with promise. We have been weary and faint — burdened we come unto thee for rest. Fulfill in us thy promise. May we find rest unto our souls. We bless and praise thee that thou hast not dealt with us after our sins nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. We thank thee for life and immortality brought to light through the gospel. We long to serve thee more faithfully and to render to thee an obedience more complete. Save us, we beseech thee, from ourselves. Give to us the Holy Spirit with power. Let the fruits of that Spirit be apparent in our hearts and lives. We pray that thy word may accomplish in us that whereto thou hast sent it. And unto thee shall be the glory through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen, 168 PRAISE JUNE 18 ap: “ Father, with thankful and humble hearts we ap¬ pear before thee. We would thank thee for all the benefits that we have received from thy goodness. It is to thy blessing we owe what success we have found — every opportunity for doing good, every impulse in the right way, each victory we have gained over ourselves, every thought of thy presence, O Father, every silent but loving glance on the example of our Pattern, thy Son our Lord — all are alike thy gifts to us. Give us strength and wisdom to walk faithfully and joyfully in the way of willing obedience to thy laws, and cheerful trust in thy love. The best thanksgiving we can offer to thee is to live according to thy holy will; grant us every day to offer it more perfectly, and to grow in the knowledge of thy will and the love thereof evermore; for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour.” Amen. — Michael Sailer (1751-1832). 170 PRAISE JUNE 20 <&t) t tteng;tf) (Ot t J)t SDagt “Fear thou not, for I am with thee; be not dis¬ mayed, 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.” — Isaiah 41. 10. 3Lt&$0n fot tlje SDag: Psalm 86. 1 1— 1 3, 16, 17. 11 Teach me thy way, O Jehovah; I will walk in thy truth: Unite my heart to fear thy name. 12 I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with my whole heart; And I will glorify thy name for evermore. 13 For great is thy loving-kindness toward me; And thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest Sheol. 16 O turn unto me, and have mercy upon me; Give thy strength unto thy servant, And save the son of thy handmaid. 17 Show me a token for good, That they who hate me may see it, and be put to shame, Because thou, Jehovah, hast helped me, and comforted me. “At even, ere the sun was set, The sick, O Lord, around thee lay; ( 0 in what divers pains they met! O with what joy they went away! “O Saviour, Christ, our woes dispel, For some are sick, and some are sad, And some have never loved thee well, And some have lost the love they had. ‘Thy touch has still its ancient power; No word from thee can fruitless fall; Hear in the solemn evening hour, And in thy mercy heal us all.” — Henry Twells. “Existence comes to feel to many of us like a great river, which is always flowing with unbroken force downward to the sea. It never stops. It is always pushing its life outward. It gives the sea no chance to flow up into it. So is the ever energetic life of one whose sole idea is to exert influence, to make himself felt in some result. How often the river must long to pause! How often it must become aware that its impetu¬ ous rush is losing for it the richness of the great deep salt sea! How often the busy life of man becomes aware that somewhere round it there is richness which it does not get because it opens outward only, and not inward! . . . There is need of rest and recep¬ tivity.” (Ot tf)C Almighty God, who art the only source of health and healing, the spirit of calm and the central peace of the universe; grant to us, thy children, such a consciousness of thy indwelling presence as may give us utter confidence in thee. In all pain and weariness and anxiety may we throw ourselves upon thy besetting care, that knowing ourselves fenced about by thy loving omnipotence, we may permit thee to give us health and strength and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 173 PRAISE JUNE 23 Ok Uiii'nt of Urot Persst for tlje &>ag: “ Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and 1 will give you rest.” — Matthew 11. 28. 3lz$&on (or tfjr SDap: Psalm 1 16. 1—7. 1 I love Jehovah, because he heareth My voice and my supplications. 2 Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, Therefore will I call upon him as long as I live. 3 The cords of death compassed me, And the pains of Sheol gat hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow. 4 Then called I upon the name of Jehovah; O Jehovah, I beseech thee, deliver my soul. 5 Gracious is Jehovah, and righteous; Yea, our God is merciful. 6 Jehovah preserveth the simple: I was brought low, and he saved me. 7 Return unto thy rest, O my soul ; For Jehovah hath dealt bountifully with thee. “My spirit longeth for thee Within my troubled breast, Although I be unworthy Of so divine a Guest. “Of so divine a Guest, Unworthy though I be. Yet has my heart no rest, Unless it come from thee. “Unless it come from thee. In vain I look around; In all that I can see, No rest is to be found. “No rest is to be found But in thy blessed love; O! let my wish be crowned And send it from above!” — John Byrom . ^ZSlJftZ (Ot tf)t SDft#* “O Lord, our God, teach us, we beseech thee, to ask aright for the right blessings. Steer thou the vessel of our soul toward thyself , thou tranquil Haven of all storm-tossed souls. Show us the course wherein we should go. Renew a willing spirit within us. Let thy Spirit curb our wayward senses, and guide and enable us unto that which is our true good, to keep thy laws, and in all our works evermore to rejoice in thy glorious and gladdening presence. For thine is the glory and praise from all thy saints forever and ever.” Amen. — Saint Basil (329-379). I74 PRAISE JUNE 24 % lf)t ^Lpo^tolic Blabot# anti Sacrifice Wti&t tot t f\t 2Dap: “ For to this end we labor and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God.” — 1 Timothy 4. 10. tot tSeSDap: 2 Corinthians 11. 23—28. 23 Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as one beside him¬ self) I more; in labors more abundantly, in prisons more abun¬ dantly, in stripes above measure, in deaths oft. 24 Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. 25 Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day have I been in the deep; 26 in journeyings often, in perils of rivers, in perils of robbers, in perils from my country¬ men, in perils from the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; 27 in labor and travail, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. 28 Besides those things that are without, there is that which presseth upon me daily, anxiety for all the churches. “A man of liberal attainments addicted himself to the gospel, traveling from country to country, enduring every species of hardship, encountering every extremity of danger, assaulted by the populace, punished by the magistrates, scourged, beaten, stoned, left for dead, expecting wherever he came a renewal of the same treatment, yet when driven from one city preaching in the next, spending his whole time in the employment, sacrificing to .it his ease, his safety, persisting in the course to old age, unaltered by the experience of perverseness, ingratitude, prejudice, desertion, unsubdued by anxiety, want, labor, persecutions, unwearied by long confinements, undismayed by the prospect of death. Such was Paul.” — William Paley. fPt tf)Z SDftJU O God, we thank thee for all good and faithful men, for the power of true words, and holy lives, and unselfish love, by which thou dost commend thy gospel. Especially do we thank thee for the example of the apostle Paul, his spirit and his labors. Maintain this divine influence among us. In the midst of worldliness, may the patient and generous labor of those who have the Spirit of Jesus bear testimony that cannot be gainsaid. Let the wise and courageous preaching of thy word rouse the consciences of men, and bring them to the cross. We thank thee for all who believe. In¬ crease their faith. May they trust in thee when their work appears to be in vain, and disappointments befall them. Let the discipline of pain and loss be sanctified to us. May we not measure thy grace by the hours of happi¬ ness we have, nor attribute our sorrow to thy neglect. Show us the perfect life which is through fellowship with Christ and conformity to his death. Rekindle the hopes of those who have been cast down by scorn, and treachery, by infirmities of body or mind. When our lives pass into the shadow, and we grope for the wall like the blind, bear us to thy dwelling-place, and make us at home with thee, through Christ. Amen. 175 BROTHERLINESS JUNE 25 fit) t XMng&om of C5oti fOt t f)£ “Seek ye first his kingdom, and his righteousness.” Matthew 6. 33. HegigfOnfOttSeSDa^: Matthew 13. 31, 32, 45-50. 31 Another parable set he before them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like unto a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: 32 which indeed is less than all seeds; but when it is grown, it is greater than the herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the heaven come and lodge in the branches thereof. 45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is a merchant seeking goodly pearls: 46 and having found one pearl of great price, he went and sold all that he had, and bought it. 47 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: 48 which, when it was filled, they drew up on the beach; and they sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but the bad they cast away. 49 So shall it be in the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the righteous, 50 and shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth. “God framed Mankind to be one mighty family, Himself our Father, and the world our home.” — Coleridge. “I hear men speak continually of going to a better world, rather than of its coming to them: but in that prayer, which they have straight from the lips of the Light of the World, there is not anything about going to another world; only of another government coming into this, which will constitute it a world indeed; new heavens and a new earth. Thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” — John Ruskin. fDt tl)C SDftg? “O Christ, thou hast bidden us pray for the com¬ ing of thy Father’s kingdom, in which his righteous will shall be done on earth. We have treasured thy wTords, but we have forgotten their mean¬ ing and thy great hope has grown dim in thy church. We bless thee for the inspired souls of all ages who saw afar the shining city of God and by faith left the profit of the present to follow their vision. We rejoice to-day that the hope of these lonely hearts is becoming the clear faith of millions. Help us, O Lord, in the courage of faith to seize what has now come so near, that the glad day of God may dawn at last. As we have mastered nature that we might gain wealth, help us now to master the social relations of mankind that we may gain justice and a world of brothers. For what shall it profit our nation if it gain numbers and riches and lose the sense of the living God and the joy of human brotherhood? Our Master, once more we make thy faith our prayer : ‘Thy kingdom come ! Thy will be done on earth!’” — Walter Rauschenbusch (1861-1918). 176 BROTHERLINESS JUNE 26 Eobe a£ tfie may to C$oti $£££>? (Ot tfyt “Everyone that loveth is begotten of God, and knoweth God.” — 1 John 4. 7. 3Lt$$on tot tfjeSDap: 1 John 3. 18-24. 18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither with the tongue; but in deed and truth. 19 Hereby shall we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our heart before him: 20 be¬ cause if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. 21 Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, we have boldness toward God ; 22 and whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do the things that are pleasing in his sight. 23 And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, even as he gave us commandment. 24 And he that keepeth his commandments abideth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he gave us. “O Love that wilt not let me go, I rest my weary soul in thee; I give thee back the life I owe, That in thine ocean depths its flow May richer, fuller be. “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. “O cross that liftest up my head, I dare not ask to fly from thee; I lay in dust life’s glory dead, And from the ground there blossoms red Life that shall endless be.” — George Matheson. ^taytt tot tljt O God, our Father, may these words we have read live in our minds and hearts. May we so love thee with pure hearts fervently and our neighbors for thy sake that we shall in very truth abide in thee and thou in us. May love be to us something more than words; may it be con¬ duct — may it be the supreme motive and the constant expression of our living. To this end may all envy, jealousy, harshness, and ill will die in us, and feelings of kindness, compassion, and helpfulness only abide. Thus in dis¬ position and in deed, in character and in service may we follow Jesus Christ, the true and perfect expression of thine eternal love. In his name. Amen. 177 BROTHERLINESS JUNE 27 ?lt)t Spirit of £>tlf=^arafice (Ot tf)t SDtT^ ♦ “But I hold not my life of any account as dear unto myself, so that I may accomplish my course, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus.” — Acts 20. 24. Jlt&&an tor tl)e £Dap: Matthew 16. 21-25. 21 From that time began Jesus to show unto his disciples, that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and the third day be raised up. 22 And Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall never be unto thee. 23 But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art a stumbling-block unto me: for thou mindest not the things of God, but the things of men. 24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man would come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 25 For whosoever would save his life shall lose it: and whosoever shall lose his life for my sake shall find it. “Oh, where are those noble souls to be found, who, all unconscious of themselves, daily pursue their career like the sun, which rises each morning in the heavens, and scatters its gold to the left and to the right, on the mountains and in the valleys — those noble souls that, by an inward necessity, here create and renew, there beautify and heal, and everywhere bless, like the sun, that cannot but give light? There is but One in whom such an image of high love has appeared to us in its entire purity; and it is only by faith in him that such self-sacrificing love is produced.’ — Tholuck. “Be of good comfort, Master Ridley, play the man! We shall this day light such a candle, by God’s grace, in England, as I trust shall never be put out.” — Latimer. fDt t SDtljP; Our heavenly Father, we are moved to repentance for our self-indulgent lives as we read of our Lord and Saviour turning with steadfast will toward Jerusalem and the cross. Remembering his sac¬ rifice for us, and the spirit of heroic consecration that animated the apostles and that has burned in the hearts of great Christian leaders of later days, we are bowed in humility and shame. O Lord , beget in us something of this same spirit. May we truly deny ourselves and take up our cross and follow thee. Help us so to do for his name’s sake. Make this home the seat of domes¬ tic peace and happiness where the law of kindness and forbearance shall reign and where selfishness shall be unknown. May all our thoughts he pure, and our words truthful and loving. May we hate sin with a perfect hatred. Let it be our delight to do the will of our Father who is in heaven. To this end may we grow daily in the knowledge of thy Word and will ; and, with deeper convictions of obligation and duty, more heartily love and serve thee. Grant us these blessings, and all others that we need for the sake of thy dear Son, our Lord and Saviour. Amen. vs BROTHERLINESS JUNE 28 JLato of fe>trbtc£ for tlje SDap: “ 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 20. 28. &t£>£0n tot tf)C Soap: Luke 22. 24-27. 24 And there arose also a contention among them, which of them was accounted to be greatest. 25 And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles have lordship over them; and they that have authority over them are called Benefactors. 26 But ye shall not be so: but he that is the greater among you, let him become as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve. 27 For which is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? is not he that sitteth at meat? but I am in the midst of you as he that serveth. “I am certain that it is impossible to keep the law toward one’s neighbor except one loves him. The law itself is infinite, reaching to such delicacies of action that the man who tries most will be the man most aware of defeat. We are not made for law, but for love. Love is law, because it is infinitely more than law.” — George MacDonald. “The principle is, that God is the ungrudging bestower of blessings, and that men are his stewards to distribute these blessings. So far as they enter into his mind, the delight will be in spreading abroad, not in accumulating. Their reward will be a contin¬ ually growing knowledge of his character and purposes. Their treasure will be in what¬ ever things are good, pure, true; their heart will be occupied with these.” — F. D. Mau¬ rice. fOC t!)t “Almighty God, our heavenly Father, we beseech thee to send forth thy light and thy truth. May they lead us. Teach us how to spend our days. Increase our confidence in thy love, wisdom, and justice, that so we may live trusting in thee. Whatsoever our hands find to do may we do it with our might. Preserve us from all sloth and idleness, and from the misuse of any of the powers thou hast committed unto us. Llelp us, whatsoever we do, that we may bring all under Christ’s law of service. Hasten the time when all who labor and all who engage in trade shall think of their work and their business, not as means of private gain merely, but as means of serving thee and their fellow men. For thou hast taught us not to think of ourselves only, but to love our neighbors as our¬ selves; not to seek alone our own good but the good of all men. Help us to live and to love, to labor and to strive for the welfare of our fellows; to spend and be spent for others that thus we may enter into fellowship with our Lord who counted his own life not dear unto himself but freely gave him¬ self for us. In his name.” Amen. 179 BROTHERLINESS JUNE 29 'Efjc ^ttbitc ot SIDtficcjsi tfjc Supreme Cooti Uft£>C (Ot tl)C “Through love be servants one to another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” — Galatians 5. 13 1. c., 14. 2tt£i£i0n (0t tljr SDap; 1 Corinthians 9. 19-22. 19 For though I was free from all men, I brought myself under bondage to all, that I might gain the more. 20 And to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, not being myself under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; 21 to them that are with¬ out law, as without law, not being without law to God, but under law to Christ, that I might gain them that are without law. 22 To the weak I became weak, that I might gain the weak: I am become all things to all men, that I may by all means save some. “My own happiness is something to desire, and yet I know that I must win it in ministry to others.” — /. G. Holland. “Every individual will be happier the more clearly he understands that his vocation consists, not in exacting service from others, but in ministering to others, in giving his life the ransom of many. A man who does this will be worthy of his food and will not fail to have it.” — Tolstoy. “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 defense. 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. Ptaptt (0t tl)e O Lord, our God, teach us that the law of loving service is the supreme law of thy kingdom. Moved by the example of Christ, our minds imbued with love to him, may we, like the apostle of old, free from all men, bring ourselves under bondage to all. Make us kindly affec- tioned one toward another, ever ready to minister and to do good to all as we have opportunity. May we never be weary in well-doing, knowing that we shall reap if we faint not. Father of all, receive our intercessions for all sorts and conditions of men. Bless the citizenship of this nation; may thy kingdom come and thy will be done in our neighborhood, and country, and in all the world. In Jesus’ name. Amen. 180 BROTHERLINESS JUNE 30 foetal ^oltoanty of humanity Wtl&t tOZ tf)e Day: “Verily 1 say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it unto one of these my brethren, even these least, ye did it unto me.” — Matthew 25. 40. Jit £>£>011 fOE tl)t Day l 1 Corinthians 12. 14, 20—27. 14 For the body is not one member, but many. ... 20 But now they are many members, but one body. 21 And the eye can¬ not say to the hand, I have no need of thee : or again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. 22 Nay, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be more feeble are necessary: 23 and those parts of the body, which we think to be less honor¬ able, upon these we bestow more abundant honor; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness; 24 whereas our comely parts have no need: but God tempered the body together, giving more abundant honor to that part which lacked; 25 that there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. 26 And whether one member suffereth, all the members suffer with it; or one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. 27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and severally members thereof. “The social unity of the race was fundamental to Jesus. None ever felt it more deeply. To him it was sacred and divine. Anything that substitutes antagonism for fraternity is evil to him. The natural social cohesion of men, the blind instinct of h uman nature, he lifted by the insight of religion and constituted it a fundamental principle of life. He made it the business of Christianity to widen the area of com¬ radeship.” — IV alter Rauschenbusch. “Jesus taught us to make every human interest we touch as precious as our own, and to treat all persons with whom we deal as members of that beneficent system of mutual good will which is the kingdom of heaven.” — IVilliam DeJVitt Hyde. prayer for tljt Day: O God, our Father, we thank thee for universal brotherhood. Thou hast made of one every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth. Thou art the common Father of us all, and all we are brethren. O God, give us grace to realize this great truth in all its impli¬ cations. May we labor to make real among men everywhere the sense of human brotherhood and the practice of brotherliness. As we look out upon men in suffering, in destitution, in ignorance, in sin, may we realize that they are members of our family, thy children, and that they rightfully claim our love, our sympathy, our service. Even as Christ identified himself with us, taking upon himself the form of a servant and being made in the likeness of them, so may we identify ourselves with the poorest and neediest of our brethren, making their wants our own, taking their burdens upon our shoul¬ ders and seeking to lead them into the larger and fuller life which we, as especially blessed of thee, are privileged to enjoy. All this we ask in the name of Christ our Lord. Amen. BROTHERLINESS JULY i Mntbergal Brotfjetfjood fOt tj)0 j3Dft£t ‘‘God . . . hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth.” — Acts 17* 26 (King James version). Jlt0$on tor tfje SDap: Isaiah 2. 2—4. 2 And it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of Jehovah’s house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills ; and all nations shall flow unto it. 3 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of Jehovah, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of Jehovah from Jerusalem. 4 And he will judge between the nations, and will de¬ cide concerning many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks ; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. “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. Ptapet foi tljt 2Dap: “ O Thou who hast made of one blood all nations of men, help us to see the largeness and wisdom of thy ways. Thou dost love all men and dost yearn to bring them into the fullness of thine own rich life. They are all enfolded in thy plans. While we glory in the Christ whom thou hast given to us, preserve us, heavenly Father, from spiritual arrogance and race pride. May our eyes not be dim to the goodness and truth which thou hast revealed to others. Make us more like Christ who rejoiced in the faith of the Roman centurion and praised the noble deeds of the good Samaritan. Open our eyes, O Lord, to the mystery revealed in Christ and now proclaimed afresh in the contact of the races, the mystery that in thy kingdom Gentiles are fellow heirs with the Jews, heathen nations with the Christian. May the day soon come when race pride and prejudice shall vanish from the earth and universal good zvill prevail. Forgive, O Lord, our narrowness, our selfishness, our pride, and lead us into the fullness of thine own large heart and infinite life. Make us in truth thy children, through Christ our Lord.” Amen. — Sidney L. Gulick (b. i860). 182 BROTHERLINESS JULY 2 %Mn$ at prace mm m fOt tj)£ SDagJ “If it be possible, as much as in you lieth, be at peace with all men.” — Romans 12. 18. ioz tfjeSDap: Ephesians 4. 29—31. . 29 Let no corrupt speech proceed out of your mouth, but such as is good for edifying as the need may be, that it may give grace to them that hear. 30 And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, in whom ye were sealed unto the day of redemption. 31 Let all bit¬ terness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and railing, be put away from you, with all malice: 32 and be ye kind one to another, ten¬ derhearted, forgiving each other, even as God also in Christ for¬ gave you. “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 quar¬ rels alive because you cannot quite make up you 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 to-morrow 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. Ptaptt tot tl )z SDag: ‘ ‘Almighty God, our heavenly Father, fill us with love to thee who hast first loved us. And teach us, as becometh the children of so many mercies, to be kind and compassionate toward our fellow men, loving them out of a pure and fervent heart and doing them good as we have opportunity. Above all, give us a deep and abiding sense of the love of Christ which passeth knowledge; and grant that it may constrain us by thy grace to walk in love, as Christ also loved us. Dispose us to bear one another’s burdens, so as to fulfill the law of Christ. Help us to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that it is more blessed to give than to receive; and make us willing if need be, to deny ourselves, so as the more abundantly to supply the wants of others. Teach us, as much as lieth in us, to live peace¬ ably with all men, recompensing to no man evil for evil, but overcoming evil with good. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil¬ speaking be put away from us, with all malice; and make us kind, tender¬ hearted, and forgiving, even as thou for Christ’s sake forgivest us. We pray for the peace and prosperity of our country; for the speedy enlightenment and conversion of all nations. And now, O God, we commend ourselves to thee. Watch over us; deliver us from all danger; aid us in all our lawful occupations; and keep our souls unspotted from the world. In the name of thy beloved Son, our Lord and Saviour.” Amen. BROTHERLINESS JULY 3 prace dOlttfi Btot^etfioob fot “He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth ; He breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder.” — Psalm 46. 9. JLc$&on for tficSDap: Micah 4. 1-4. 1 But in the latter days it shall come to pass, that the moun¬ tain of Jehovah’s house shall be established on the top of the moun¬ tains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and peoples shall flow unto it. 2 And many nations shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of Jehovah, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths. For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of Jehovah from Jerusalem; 3 and he will judge between many peoples, and will decide concerning strong nations afar off ; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks ; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. 4 But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig-tree; and none shall make them afraid; for the mouth of Jehovah of hosts hath spoken it. “Men pray for peace, and still retain and express those racial prejudices that are one of the most prolific causes of war. They ask for human brotherhood to come, but they are most unbrotherly to the foreigners within their own communities. Women piously frame petitions in behalf of the day when there shall be no barbarian, Scythian, bondman, freeman; but Christ all and in all, but all the while they violate every Christian principle in their dealings with their servants, their social inferiors, or the aliens of their city. Their prayers are long-range dreams that do not touch their lives. And least of all do many of us, when we pray for peace, purge our own hearts of that rancor that lies behind all war.” — Harry Emerson Fosdick. ptapct tot t$e SDap: “ O Lord, since first the blood of Abel cried to thee from the ground, this earth of thine has been defiled with the blood of man shed by his brother’s hand. The centuries sob with the ceaseless horrors of war. . . . Our spirits cry out to thee in revolt against it, and we know that our righteous anger is answered by thy holy wrath. . . . Grant to the rulers of nations faith in the possibility of peace through justice, and grant to the common people a new and stern enthusiasm for the cause of peace. Bless our soldiers and sailors for their swift obedience and their willingness to answer to the call of duty, but inspire them none the less with a hatred of war, and may they never for love of private glory or advancement provoke its coming. May our young men still rejoice to die for their country with the valor of their fathers, but teach our age nobler methods of matching our strength and more effective ways of giving our lives for the flag. O thou strong Father of all nations , draw all thy great family together with an in¬ creasing sense of our common blood and destiny, that peace may come on earth at last, and thy sun may shed its light rejoicing on a holy brotherhood of peoples.” Amen. — Walter Rausclienbusch (1861—1918). 184 BROTHERLINESS JULY 4 /Rational OtRclfare OccjSe for t&r 2Dag: “ Hearken unto my voice, and 1 will be your God, and ye shall be my people; and walk ye in all the way that 1 command you, that it may be well with you.” — - Jeremiah 7. 23. Psalm 33. 12-15, 18. 12 Blessed is the nation whose God is Jehovah, The people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance. 13 Jehovah looketh from heaven; He beholdeth all the sons of men; 14 From the place of his habitation he looketh forth Upon all the inhabitants of the earth, 15 He that fashioneth the hearts of them all, That considereth all their works. • ••••••••••• 18 Behold, the eye of Jehovah is upon them that fear him, Upon them that hope in his loving-kindness. “O Lord, our God, thy mighty hand Hath made our country free; From all her broad and happy land May worship rise to thee. Fulfill the promise of her youth. Her liberty defend; By law and order, love and truth, America befriend! “The strength of every State increase In Union’s golden chain; Her thousand cities fill with peace. Her million fields with grain! The virtues of her mingled blood In one new people blend; By unity and brotherhood, America befriend! “Through all the waiting land proclaim The gospel of good will; And may the joy of Jesus’ name In every bosom thrill. O’er hill and vale, from sea to sea, Thy holy reign extend; By faith and hope and charity, America befriend !” — Henry van Dyke. (Ot tfjt “O Lord of hosts, who didst guide our fathers out of the house of bondage, bind up the nation’s wounds and make us whole. Save us from arrogance, intolerance, self-deception and greed. Help us to close the widening chasm between the strong and weak, the rich and poor, and to cast into it all pride and prejudice, luxury and lust, envy and covetous¬ ness, the insolence of riches with the rancor of poverty. So may we establish the brotherhood of the Kingdom, and build in our land the City of God foretold by the mouth of all the holy prophets since the world began. We ask this in his name who maketh to be of one mind in a house, the Desire of all nations, Jesus Christ.” Amen. — Frederick Harris (b. 1873). 185 BROTHERLINESS JULY 5 £Dut /Ration a£ a Cjjttettan ^tate IPtEgi? tot tj)E SDflJG “In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression, for thou shalt not fear; and from terror, for it shall not come near thee.” — Isaiah 54. 14. 3 lt$$an tot tjjcSDap; Exodus 19. 3-8. 3 And Moses went up unto God, and Jehovah called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel: 4 Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself. 5 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be mine own possession from among all peoples: for all the earth is mine: 6 and ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel. 7 And Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and set before them all these words which Jehovah commanded him. 8 And all the people answered together, and said, All that Jehovah hath spoken we will do. “Our country hath a gospel of her own To preach and practice before all the world — The freedom and divinity of man, The glorious claims of human brotherhood, . . . And the soul’s fealty to none but God.” — James Russell Lowell. “Let us not forget the religious character of our origin. Our fathers were brought here by their high veneration for the Christian religion. They journeyed by its light, and labored in its hope. They sought to incorporate its principles with the elements of their society, and to diffuse its influence through all their institutions — civil, political, and literary. Let us cherish these sentiments, and extend this influence still more widely, in the full conviction that this is the happiest society, which partakes in the highest degree of the mild and peaceable spirit of Christianity.” — Daniel Webster. pea yzi (or t SDajn “ Our Father, we thank thee for the great land in which we live. We bless thee for all the good institutions which are estab¬ lished here. We thank thee for whatsoever of justice is made into law of the state, for all of piety, of loving-kindness, and tender mercy which are taught in many a various church, and practiced by noble women and earnest men. We bless thee for the great men whom thou gavest us at every period of our nation’s history; we thank thee for such as were wise in council, those also who were valiant in fight, and by whose right arm our redemption was wrought out. We bless thee for the schools which let light in on many a dark and barren place; and we thank thee for noble and generous men and women in our own day, who speak as they are moved by the Holy Spirit, and turn many unto righteousness. But we mourn over the wickedness that is still so common in our land. May there be in us such a reverence for thy being that every day we shall serve thee with blameless fidelity and grow constantly in grace. So may thy kingdom come, and thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Amen. — Theodore Parker (1810-1860). 186 BROTHERLINESS JULY 6 spimsittp to tf>t poor and t&e flDppteg^td s' tPtt&t tot tge 2Dap: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, Because he anointed me to preach good tidings to the poor.” — Luke 4. 18. itejs»js»on for tfie 2Da^: Matthew 25. 34-40- 34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 for I was hungry, and ye gave me to eat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me to drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in; 36 naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. 37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee hungry, and fed thee? or athirst, and gave thee drink? 38 And when saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? 39 And when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 40 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. “The bravely dumb that did their deed, And scorned to blot it with a name — Men of the plain heroic breed, That loved Heaven’s silence more than fame: Such lived not in the past alone, But thread to-day the unheeding street, And stairs to Sin and Famine known Sing with the welcome of their feet. — James Russell Lowell. “Each year we should see more and more of ourselves in the lives of others; we should identify ourselves more closely with them. Here, in this crowded city, where- ever we walk, wherever we look; in the thick, swarming street, in the busy offices, in the low stifling dens, we should say: ‘There am I. I see myself in all these tribes: I am one with all these poor suff erers. They work for me; our souls run together; we are one. The whole teeming life is my life; I fling myself into all these efforts — its hopes, its labors, its weariness, its pain, its undying hope. I grow with its growth; I feel my¬ self alive in it: and therefore I am utterly committed to it. I am at its disposal. These weary folk shall have my very best; and if the wolf comes to devour them, it is I who ought to die.’” — II. Scott Holland. (Ot tf)t “Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us; comfort the orphan, the needy, the afflicted, the stranger, the sorrowful, and the fallen ; relieve the oppressed, gather together the dispersed, recall the captives, visit the sick, blot out the sins of the penitent; pour out on all Christian people the abundance of thy help. Grant that we, thy servants , may minister in thy name to all who are poor and oppressed. Give unto us of thy spirit that of our substance we may relieve the wants of many. Wipe out our many offenses, and of thy great mercy, grant to the departed eternal rest.” Amen. — Mozarahic Breviary. IS 7 BROTHERLINESS JULY 7 feKtbice to iUttle Cfjilbten fot tf)t “And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.” — Matthew 18. 5. ilejOjSionfoctbtSDap: Mark 10. 13-16. 13 And they were bringing unto him little children, that he should touch them: and the disciples rebuked them. 14 But when Jesus saw it, he was moved with indignation, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me; forbid them not: for to such belongeth the kingdom of God. 15 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall in no wise enter therein. 16 And he took them in his arms, and blessed them, laying his hands upon them. “Dear Lord, I do not ask That thou shouldst give me some high work of thine, Some noble calling or some wondrous task — Give me a little hand to hold in mine. “The only crown I ask, dear Lord, to wear Is this — that I may teach a little child How beautiful, oh how divinely fair Is thy dear face, so loving, sweet, and mild! “I do not need to ask for more than this. My opportunity! ’Tis standing at my door. What sorrow if this blessing I should miss! A little child! Why should I ask for more?” • — Marion B. Craig. fot tf}Z “O God, we pray thee for those who come after us, for our children, and the children of our friends, and for all the young lives that are marching up from the gates of birth, pure and eager, with the morning sunshine on their faces. We remember with a pang that these will live in the world we are making for them. We are wasting the resources of the earth in our headlong greed, and they will suffer want. We are building sunless houses and joyless cities for our profit, and they must dwell therein. . . . Save us from maiming the innocent ones who come after us by the added cruelty of our sins. Help us to break the ancient force of evil by a holy and steadfast will and to endow our children with purer blood and nobler thoughts. Grant us grace to leave the earth fairer than we found it ; to build upon it cities of God in which the cry of needless pain shall cease; and to put the yoke of Christ upon our business life, that it may serve and not destroy. . . . Grant us a vision of the far-off years as they may be if redeemed by the sons of God, that we may take heart and do battle for thy children and ours.,, Amen. — Walter Rauschenbusch (1861- 1918). BROTHERLINESS JULY 8 Brotjjtrlg Jlobt PEEgfE (0E tj)E “By this shall all men know that ye are my dis¬ ciples, if ye have love one to another.” — John 13. 35. JLt& 0on tot t&eSDap: John 15. 12—17. 12 This is my commandment, that ye love one another, even as I have loved you. 13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. 14 Ye are my friends, if ye do the things which I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I heard from my Father I have made known unto you. 16 Ye did not choose me, but I chose you, and appointed you, that ye should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should abide: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. 17 These things I command you, that ye may love one another. “Love as many persons and as many creatures as you possibly can. Love is the only power by which you can make yourself rich in a moral world.” — John Stuart Blackie. “We may, if we choose, make the worst of one another. Everyone has his weak points; everyone has his faults; we may make the worst of these. But we may also make the best of one another. 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.” — Arthur P. Stanley. Ptapcc tor tf)t 2Dap: “ O blessed Lord and Saviour, who hast commanded us to love one another, grant us grace that, having received thine undeserved bounty, we may love every man in thee and for thee. We implore thy clemency for all; but especially for the friends whom thy love has given to us. Love thou them, O thou Fountain of love, and make them to love thee with all their heart, with all their mind, and with all their soul, that those things only which are pleasing to thee they may will and speak and do. And though our prayer is cold, because our charity is so little fervent, yet thou art rich in mercy. Measure not thy goodness to them by the dullness of our devotion; but as thy kindness surpasseth all human affection, so let thy hearing transcend our prayer. Do thou to them what is expedient for them, according to thy will, that they being always and everywhere ruled and pro¬ tected by thee, may attain in the end to everlasting life; and to thee, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, be all honor and praise forever and ever.” Amen. — Anselm (103 3- 1109). 189 BROTHERLINESS JULY 9 Cf)ttetian 2Dutp ot 2Stotf)etl£ Binlme££> (ot tf)t 2Da^: “Be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted, for¬ giving each other, even as God also in Christ forgave you.” — Ephesians 4. 32. 3Lt$$on (Ot (fit 2Dap: Isaiah 58. 6-1 1. 6 Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the bands of the yoke, and to let the op¬ pressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? 7 Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? 8 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. 9 Then shalt thou call, and Jehovah will answer; thou shalt cry, and he will say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking wickedly; 10 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 noonday; 11 and Jehovah will guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in dry places, and make strong thy bones; and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not. “Brotherhood means a mutuality of respect among all nationalities; for the Nor¬ wegians, the Hungarians, the Poles, and all the oppressed races that seek our shores, for in many respects they are more deserving than we are. The Italian may bring us the Black Hand, but he brings us also a love of art; the Scandinavian brings industry and thrift, the Negro brings his sunny disposition, and the Chinese brings us patience and economy, which we Americans are sorely deficient in. Each brings us something besides cheap labor. . . . We must recognize in them the elements of humanity that we lack. . . . What are we doing to them? The merchant owes more than a weekly salary to his employee; the head of the house owes something more than wages to the cook. The man in the factory, the boy or girl behind the counter, all whom we meet on the street are our brothers and sisters and deserve our love and sacrifice.” — Lyman Abbott. ^Z&ptZ (Ot tl)t “Giver of all good, and Fountain of all joy, what rich feasts for our senses and our souls does thy Fatherly love offer anew with each returning morning! We see thy mercy freshly revealed in the light and privilege of this new day. Teach us, O Father, to imitate thine own boundless beneficence. Freely as we have received, so freely may we give. We would not selfishly appropriate thy favor, but would know the deeper joy of ministering to others’ needs. Quicken within us the fountains of generosity; warm our sympathies toward the sufferer of every class and clime; let no unbrotherly prejudice ever close our homes or hearts against any child of thine. May our faith in Christ be no empty profession, but lead us to honor him in the persons of the sick, the imprisoned, the unfor¬ tunate — his brethren and ours. Following in the footsteps of his self-denial and brotherly service, may we become the almoners of thy bounty and sav¬ iors of souls.” Amen. 190 BROTHERLINESS JULY io CSttetfan Soutg oC Social gugtice $ee£e Coe tjje Soap: “ Seek justice, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.” — Isaiah i. 17. Cot tf)t 2Dap: Exodus 3. 7—12. 7 And Jehovah said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people that are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; 8 and I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaan- ite, and the Hittite, and the Amorite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite. 9 And now, behold, the cry of the chil¬ dren of Israel is come unto me: moreover I have seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them. 10 Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt. 11 And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt? 12 And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be the token unto thee, that I have sent thee : when thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain. “Comfort the poor, protect and shelter the weak, and with all thy might right that which is wrong. Then shall the Lord love thee, and God himself shall be thy great reward.” — Last words of Alfred the Great. “This very earth, now outraged by wars and clouded with armaments, might be an earth of peace and good will. These cities that now sprawl like rubbish heaps, might easily be human homes, light and bright and sound and lovable. This commerce might be a network of intelligent cooperation instead of a savage strife of competitive interests. Trade might be open and honest and human-hearted. Wealth might be tempered, thoughtful, widespread, and sacrificial. The nation might be of one heart and one mind. And all men and women might feel themselves free in a free land which was their own.” — II. Scott Holland. COE t l)E “O God of our fathers, we desire to make before thee a solemn act of penitence on behalf of the church. We her children have done little to further thy kingdom on earth by the establishment of social justice.' We humble ourselves before thee for our past neglect, and seek for thy forgiveness. We confess that we have often forgotten that since thou art our Father all men are our brethren, and that we are stew¬ ards and not owners of all that thou hast given us. Pardon any indifference and apathy toward the sufferings of those who labor. Pardon any bitter¬ ness toward those who abound. Forgive us for having allowed injustice and oppression to remain too often unrebuked and unredressed. These and all other sins we confess with grief and shame. Endue thy holy Church with power to break every yoke and to let the oppressed go free. May the love of Christ constrain us, and may thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven, through Jesus Christ, our Lord.” Amen. — Charles Gore (b. 1853). 191 BROTHERLINESS JULY n flDut to t f>t jBationg (Ot tjt “For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.’’ — I Corinthians 2. 2. iltjOSUmfOttSeSDap: Acts 16. 6-10. 6 And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden of the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia; 7 and when they were come over against Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia; and the Spirit of Jesus suffered them not; 8 and passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas. 9 And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: There was a man of Macedonia standing, beseeching him, and saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us. 10 And when he had seen the vision, straightway we sought to go forth into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel unto them. “Behold the millions in their tears Of sorrow, slavehood, sin, and shame! Th ey grope through superstitious fears; Unloved; unknown is Jesus’ name. “Dull worshipers of stone and trees, Blind children of a blinder god, Weary they crawl on hands and knees, But know not why they toil and plod. “O Master of the ransomed life, Give me the word to set them free; Let thy sweet calm replace the strife; Teach them the joy of trust in thee. “No cost too great to make them thine, These hungry crowds that seek in vain. O, fill thy church with power divine, The clamoring millions to reclaim.” — Fred Fisher. (Ot tf)£ 2Dag» “O thou who hast made all nations of men to seek thee and to find thee: bless , we beseech thee , thy sons and daughters who have gone forth into distant lands , bearing in their hands thy W ord of Life. We rejoice that, touched with the enthusiasm of Christ, so many have con¬ secrated their lives to proclaiming the message of thy love to those other sheep of thine who are not in our fold, that they may be united with us and that there may be one flock and one Shepherd. Help thy ministering servants to recognize the fragments of truth and goodness that are ever found when men are sincere and to claim these glimpses of thyself as the prophecies of a fuller revelation. When discouraged by the hardness of their task, and the meager fruit of all their labor, give them faith to see the far-off whiten¬ ing harvest. Inspire them with thy gracious promise that though the sower may go forth weeping, bearing precious seed, he will come again with joy, bringing his sheaves with him. Comfort them in their exile and loneliness with a sense of thy companionship and with the prayers and sympathy of their brethren at home. Through them let thy Word have free course and be glorified, and so let thy kingdom come and thy will be done on earth as in heaven, for Jesus Christ’s sake.” Amen. — Samuel AicComb (b. 1864). }92 BROTHERLINESS JULY 12 US c CStotomg of JFree&om (Pettfe tot tge 2Dap: “ Is not this the fast that I have chosen : to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the bands of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?’’ — Isaiah 58. 6. JLt$#on for tfie &>ap: Isaiah 1. 11, 15—18. 11 What unto me is the multitude of your sacrifices? saith Jehovah: I have had enough of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he-goats. 15 And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you; yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood. 16 Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; 17 learn to do well; seek justice, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. 18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith Jehovah: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. “We knelt before kings; we bent before lords; For theirs were the crowns, and theirs were the swords; But the times of the bending and bowing are past, And the day of the people is dawning at last! “The strength of the state we’ll lavish on more Than making of wealth and making of war; We are learning at last, though the lesson comes late, That the making of man is the task of the state. “Great Day of Jehovah, prophets and seers Have sung of thy coming thousands of years; Thank God for each sign that the dark night is past, And the day of the people is dawning at last!” — William Pearson Merrill. y&l&ytl tot tf)t “O thou great Champion of the outcast and the weak, we . . . bless thee for all that America has meant to the alien folks that have crossed the sea in the past, and for all the patient strength and God¬ fearing courage with which they have enriched our nation. We rejoice in the millions whose life has expanded in the wealth and liberty of our country, for we too are the children of immigrants, who came with anxious hearts and halting feet on the westward path of hope. . . . In a nation dedicated to liberty may they not find the old oppression and a fiercer greed. Help our whole people henceforth to keep in leash the cunning that would devour the simple. May they feel here the pure air of freedom and face the morning radiance of a joyous hope. For all the oppressed afar off who sigh for liberty ; for all lovers of the people who strive to break their shackles ; for all who dare to believe in democracy and the kingdom of God, make thou our great com¬ monwealth once more a sure beacon light of hope and a guide on the path which leads to the perfect union of law and liberty.” Amen. — Walter Rauschenbusch (1861—1918). 193 FAITH AND HOPE JULY 13 ?lt)e &me tlTttump!) of Cfjtttf t'g I&mgbom fOt tt)£ jSDapt “The kingdom of the world is become the kingdom of our Lord, and of his Christ: and he shall reign for ever and ever.” — Revelation 11. 15b. J2LejS»0On for t|)e 2Da^: Isaiah 42. 1-4; Matthew 28. 16-20. 1 Behold, my servant, whom I uphold; my chosen, in whom my soul delighteth: I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the Gentiles. 2 He will not cry, nor lift up his voice, nor cause it to be heard in the street. 3 A bruised reed will he not break, and a dimly burning wick will he not quench: he will bring forth justice in truth. 4 He will not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set justice in the earth; and the isles shall wait for his law. 28. 16 But the eleven disciples went into Galilee, unto the moun¬ tain where Jesus had appointed them. 17 And when they saw him, they worshiped him: but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came to them and spake unto them, saying, All authority hath been given unto me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit: 20 teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. “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. prayer for tfie 2Day: “ Eternal God, who art constantly adored by thrones and powers, by seraphim and cherubim, we confess that thou art most worthy to be praised, but we of all others are the most unworthy to be employed in showing forth thy praise. How can we praise thee, the pure and holy Majesty of Heaven? Yet how can these bodies which thou hast wonder¬ fully formed, and these souls which thou hast inspired, which owe entirely to thine unmerited favor all that they are, all that they possess, and all that they hope for, forbear praising thee, their wise and bountiful Creator and Father? Let our souls, therefore, and all that is within us, bless thy holy Name; yea, let us say, O Lord, who is like thee, who is like unto thee? Let our most gracious King and Redeemer dwell and reign within us; may he take full possession of us by his Spirit, and govern all our actions. May he extend his peaceable and saving kingdom throughout the whole habitable world, from the rising of the sun till the going down thereof. Let the na¬ tions acknowledge their King, and the isles be glad in him. . . . Bless this nation. May it be continually watered with the dew of thy Spirit, and plentifully produce fruit acceptable in thy sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Amen. — Archbishop Leighton (1611—1684). !94 FAITH AND HOPE JULY 14 W&t jReto Jiiit m Cfjntft (Ot “He that hath the Son hath the life; he that hath not the Son of God hath not the life.” — 1 John 5. 12. 3l£!2i£0n£Dtt&e2Da£; Ephesians 2. 1-7. 1 And you did he make alive, when ye were dead through your trespasses and sins, 2 wherein ye once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the powers of the air, of the spirit that now worketh in the sons of disobedience; 3 among whom we also all once lived in the lusts of our flesh, doing the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest: — 4 but God, being rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5 even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace have ye been saved), 6 and raised us up with him, and made us to sit with him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus: 7 that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. “Five years ago I came to believe in Christ’s teaching, and my life suddenly became changed: I ceased desiring what I had wished before, and began to desire what I had not wished before. What formerly had seemed good to me appeared bad, and what had seemed bad appeared good. . . . The direction of my life, my desires became different: what was good and bad changed places.” — Tolstoy. “We must stir up the gift within us. Within us we have the Spirit of power, the Spirit of Jesus, the life of Jesus. It remains to us to appeal to it; in constant acts of faith to draw upon it and to use it. Thus it will become to each of us as much a truth of experience as it was to Saint Paul, and no vague language of metaphor, that ‘it is no longer merely I that live, but Christ that liveth in me.’ ” — Charles Gore. l&Z&IpZt (Ot tf)t “O Lord God Almighty, whose most blessed Son did burst the bands of death and rise again for us: grant for his sake that we may pass through the grave and gate of death to our joyful resurrection. And, that we may do so, make us while here on earth to rise from the death of sin unto the life of righteousness that, being risen with Christ, we may seek those things which are above where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. May we set our affections on things above, not on things on the earth, and may our life be so hid with Christ in God now, that when he, who is our life, shall appear, we may also appear with him in glory; through the same our only Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” Amen. — The Book of Com¬ mon Prayer. 195 FAITH AND HOPE JULY 15 on tot tfje 2Dap: i John 3. 21-24. 21 Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, we have boldness toward God; 22 and whatsoever we ask we receive of him, because we keep his commandments and do the things that are pleasing in his sight. 23 And this is his commandment, that we should be¬ lieve in the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, even as he gave us commandment. 24 And he that keepeth his commandments abideth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he gave us. ‘‘God’s plans, like lilies, pure and white unfold; We must not tear the close-shut leaves apart. Time will reveal the calyxes of gold; And if through patient toil we reach the land Where tired feet with sandals loosed may rest, Where we shall clearly know and understand, I think that we shall say, ‘God knew the best.’ ” — Anonymous. “Thou alone knowest what is good for me; thou alone art Lord of all; do therefore what seemeth to thee best. Give to me or take from me; conform my will to thine; and grant that with humble and perfect submission and in holy confidence I may be disposed to receive the orders of thy eternal providence, and may equally adore every dispensation which shall come to me from thy hand.” — Pascal. PtftpeC fot tj)e SDiiyt “Almighty God, who art the confidence of all the ends of the earth, and of them that are afar off upon the sea — our Sun and Shield, our refuge and defense, the strength of our heart, and the Rock of Salvation — enable us to put our trust in thee. . . . Pardon, O God, for the sake of thy beloved Son, whatever want of confidence we have shown toward thee; and lead us henceforth by the teaching of thy Holy Spirit to trust in thee with all our hearts. Help us to rely on the goodness of thy providence. Increase our faith in the promises of thy Word. Dispose us cheerfully to cast upon thee all our cares, humbly to commit to thy keeping all our interests, and earnestly to seek the aid of thy strength and the guid¬ ance of thy wisdom in all our undertakings. . . . And cause us to know him whom we have believed, so as to be persuaded that he is able to keep unto the great day that which we have committed to him. For his name’s sake.” Amen. — Family Prayers , Church of Scotland 1870. 1 200 FAITH AND HOPE JULY 20 CI5oti €>ut Jfortretfg (Ot tljt “Jehovah is my rock, and my fortress, and my de¬ liverer.” — 2 Samuel 22. 2. il*!S»S»0n (Dtt&eSDap: Psalm 91. 1-6, 10, II. 1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of Jehovah, He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in whom I trust. 3 For he will deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, And from the deadly pestilence. 4 He will cover thee with his pinions, And under his wings shalt thou take refuge: His truth is a shield and a buckler. 5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night, Nor for the arrow that flieth by day; 6 For the pestilence that walketh in darkness, Nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. 10 There shall no evil befall thee, Neither shall any plague come nigh thy tent. 11 For he will give his angels charge over thee, To keep thee in all thy ways. “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. ptajft tot t Jt &>ag: O Lord, our God, thou art a tower of strength to all those who put their trust in thee, a refuge and fortress to those who dwell in the secret place. Receive, we beseech thee, our heartfelt thanks for thy gracious protection and for all the daily bounties of thy providence. Above all we thank thee for thy spiritual care and love; that thou hast guarded us from evil and strengthened us to walk with willing steps in the path of duty and obedience. O be thus to us evermore a shield and buckler against the darts of the enemy; and fulfill unto us who have chosen thee as our house of defense, all the gracious promises which of old were made unto thy faithful servants. Forgive, we beseech thee, whatever amiss thou seest in us — whatever sinful pride or vanity we have indulged, whatever hasty words we have spoken, whatever unkind acts we have done, whatever kindness we have failed to do toward the sick, the poor, the unfortunate, or any others whom thou hast brought within our circle of possible service. Increase in us, we beseech thee, all Christian graces; may we forgive as we hope to be forgiven; may we love others even as Christ loved us; in all things may we deny ourselves that we may serve thee and our fellow men. For Jesus’ sake. Amen. 201 FAITH AND HOPE JULY 21 l&efuge Jftont trouble Wn&t for tfjt $Dap: JLt^on (at tfjeSDap: “God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.” — Psalm 46. I. Isaiah 35. 3—10. 3 Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. 4 Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God : he will come and save you. 5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. 6 Then shall the lame man leap as a hart, and the tongue of the dumb shall sing; for in the wilder¬ ness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert. 7 And the glowing sand shall become a pool, and thirsty ground springs of water: in the habitation of jackals, where they lay, shall be grass with reeds and rushes. 8 And a highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for the redeemed : the wayfaring men, yea fools, shall not err therein. 9 No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast go up thereon; they shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there: 10 and the ransomed of Jehovah shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their heads: they shall obtain glad¬ ness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. “Everlasting arms of love Are beneath, around, above; God it is who bears us on, His the arm we lean upon. He, our ever-present Guide, Faithful is, whate’er betide; Gladly, then, we journey on, With his arm to lean upon.” “I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go. My own wisdom and that of all about me seemed insuffi¬ cient for that day.” — Abraham Lincoln. “0 Lord God, thou art our refuge and our hope; on thee alone we rest, for we find all to be weak and insufficient but thee. Many friends cannot profit, nor strong helpers assist, nor prudent counselors advise, nor the books of the learned afford comfort, nor any precious substance deliver, nor any place give shelter, unless thou thyself dost assist, strengthen, console, instruct, and guard us.” — James Alartineau (1805-1900). y&Z&VtZ (Ot 2Da#t “Almighty God, the refuge of all that are distressed, grant unto us that, in all trouble of this our mortal life we may flee to the knowledge of thy loving-kindness and tender mercy; that so, sheltering our¬ selves therein, the storms of life may pass over us, and not shake the peace of God that is within us. Whatsoever this life may bring us, grant that it may never take from us the full faith that thou art our Father. Grant us thy light, that we may have life, through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Amen. — George Dawson (b. 1861). 202 FAITH AND HOPE JULY 22 a l^optlul anb Courageouss feipitit PttsSe fat t!>e &>ag: “ Be strong, and let your heart take courage, All ye that hope in Jehovah.” — Psalm 31. 24. fOt Deuteronomy 31. 6-8. 6 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. 7 And Moses called unto Joshua, and said unto him in the sight of all Israel, Be strong and of good courage; for thou shalt go with this people into the land which Jehovah hath sworn unto their fathers to give them; and thou shalt cause them to inherit it. 8 And Jehovah, 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. “We cannot rightly carry out any true or noble object in life in a spirit of despond¬ ency. ... A depressed life — a life which has ceased to believe in its own sacredness, its own capabilities, its own mission — a life which contentedly sinks into querulous ego¬ tism or vegetating aimlessness — has become, so far as the world is concerned, a maimed and useless life. All our lives are in some sense a ‘might have been’; the very best of us must feel, I suppose, in sad and thoughtful moments, that he might have been tran- scendently nobler, and greater, and loftier than he is; but while life lasts every ‘might have been’ should lead, not to vain regrets, but to manly resolutions; it should be but the dark background to a ‘may be’ and ‘will be yet.’” — Frederick W. Farrar. ^Z&jPtZ (Ot Our heavenly Father, our assurance is that thou knowest all our strength and weakness, and that thou wilt be our helper in all. Thou knowest also our ignorance and folly; the ways in which we delude ourselves; the power which our sinful desires give to temptation; and how blind and faltering our faith is in the midst of the things of sense. We cast ourselves upon thy mercy. Help us that we may trust in the love that never fails, that we may be strengthened by the holy principles and pur¬ poses and feelings which thy word inspires. Thou hast a work for us to do. May we hear thy voice saying unto us, “Be strong and of good courage, fear not nor be affrighted.” Help us that every day we may listen for thy voice. Be with us in all the experiences of life. Help us to find great lessons in even the commonest things. May our hearts and tempers bear the test of little things. Let no eagerness of business beguile us into forgetfulness of thee. Let no household cares divert our calm religious faith. Let no fret or worry or provocation iritate or make us impatient. May our souls be kept in perfect peace, stayed upon thee. May we offer unto thee as service and sacrifice everything we do, even the least and most commonplace. And do thou accept our service and our praise through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 203 FAITH AND HOPE * JULY 23 ^Lf\t of t fjt laiffjteousi fot tf)t 2Dap; “The wicked are overthrown, and are not; But the house of the righteous shall stand.” — Proverbs 12. 7. ILtg&im tor tf)e2Dap: Psalm 34. 16-22. 16 The face of Jehovah is against them that do evil, To cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. 17 The righteous cried, and Jehovah heard, And delivered them out of all their troubles. 18 Jehovah is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart, And saveth such as are of a contrite spirit. 19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous; But Jehovah delivereth him out of them all. 20 He keepeth all his bones: Not one of them is broken. 21 Evil shall slay the wicked ; And they that hate the righteous shall be condemned. 22 Jehovah redeemeth the soul of his servants; And none of them that take refuge in him shall be con¬ demned. “When we plunge ourselves into a difficulty by a neglect of the means or by a misuse of the faculties which God has bestowed upon us, it is to be expected that he w ill leave us to our own devices. But when in the honest discharge of our duties we find our¬ selves in circumstances beyond the reach of human aid, we then may look confidently up to God for deliverance. He will always take care of us while we are in the spot where he has placed us. When he appoints for us trials he also appoints for us the means of escape. The path of duty, though it may seem arduous, is ever the path of safety. We can more easily maintain ourselves in the most difficult position, God being our helper, than in apparent security relying on our own strength.” — Francis Wayland,. pra yet for tfje £d ay: “ O Almighty God, who in thy mercy hast not only delivered unto us a rule of godly living, but hast revealed thyself in the Lord Jesus Christ as our Father, with intent to write thy law in our hearts; suffer us not by our ingratitude or sloth to cast away this inestimable blessing, but may we offer ourselves unto thee, our souls and bodies, to be a reasonable, true, and lively sacrifice, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Take from us all hardness of heart; save us from all hypocrisy and feigned service. May we give up ourselves wholly unto thee, and seek to profit more and more by the knowledge of thy heavenly doctrine, till at the end we attain unto the fullness of thy light. ... So guide us in our journey that we stray not, neither depart from the way; but keep us ever looking forward to the prize of our high calling, until we shall have finished our course with joy. May we behold by faith things invisible; and may our dependence be upon thee alone; may we so trust to thy gracious providence as ?iot to doubt our safety, since life and salvation are thy care. So, when storms or troubles assault us, we shall still remain in peace, till we finally enjoy that blessed and eternal rest which thou hast prepared for us in heaven, through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Amen. — John Calvin (1509-1564). 204 FAITH AND HOPE JULY 24 I&dp ^bailable Ubtougb ptapet tot tfit SDap: ‘ The supplication of a righteous man availeth much in its working.” — James 5. 16. JLt$$on tor tfjeSDap: Matthew 7. 7— 11. 7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: 8 for every one that asketh re- ceiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 9 Or what man is there of you, who, if his son shall ask him for a loaf, will give him a stone; 10 or if he shall ask for a fish, will give him a serpent? 11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? “Hopefulness of final victory is ours, if we only remember that we are fighting God’s battles. Keep thy will united to the will of God, and final defeat is impossible; for he is invincible.” — George Body. “Lord, what a change within us one short hour Spent in thy presence will avail to make! What heavy burdens from our bosoms take! What parched ground refresh, as with a shower! We kneel, and all about us seems to lower, We rise, and all the distance and the near Stands forth in sunny outline, brave and clear. We kneel, how weak! We rise, how full of power! Why, therefore, do 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 helpless be, Anxious or troubled, when with us is prayer, And joy, and strength and courage are with thee?” — Richard Chenevix Trench. prater for tf\t SDap: “ Most holy and merciful God, the Strength of the weak, the Rest of the weary, the Comfort of the sorrowful, the Saviour of the sinful, the Refuge of thy children in every time of need, hear us while we pray for thy help in all the circumstances and experiences of our life. When our hearts are growing cold, and we are losing the vision of thy face, and living as though life had no spiritual reality, help us, O God. When evil memories of the past trouble us, and we mourn over early dreams and hopes unrealized, our light within us turned to darkness, and strength to weakness; when we are tempted to mean and wicked ways, and sin puts on the allurements which make it less sinful in our sight ; when we are called to difficult duty, to work in loneliness, and to bear burdens that are hard to be borne; when we are weary of our work and think it fruitless, and duty is painful because it seems unprofitable; when the unknown future troubles us, and amid our cares and anxieties we forget the eternal love and care, do thou help us, O God, and aid us, our Father, whatever our circumstance or need, ever to remember that there is for as help available through prayer , through Jesus Christ, our Lord.” Amen. 205 FAITH AND HOPE JULY 25 ^trengtf) Jftont d5ots ^tottgD Pta^t fOt tf)C SDa^t “. . . If any man be a worshiper of God, and do his will, him he heareth.” — John 9. 31. Eetfsfonfot tf)c 2Dap: James 5- 13—18. 13 Is any among you suffering? let him pray. Is any cheerful? let him sing praise. 14 Is any among you sick? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil -in the name of the Lord: 15 and the prayer of faith shall save him that is sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, it shall be forgiven him. 16 Confess therefore your sins one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The supplication of a righteous man availeth much in its working. 17 Elijah was a man of like passions with us, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain; and it rained not on the earth for three years and six months. 18 And he prayed again; and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her . fruit. “As torrents in summer Half dried in their channels, Suddenly rise, though the Sky is still cloudless, For rain has been falling Far off at their fountains; So hearts that are fainting Grow full to o’erflowing, And they that behold it Marvel, and know not That God at their fountains Far off has been raining.” “Of far greater service than any array of learning or gifts of eloquence, more to be desired than gold and fine raiment, more to he sought than a great name, or apparent opportunities for large usefulness, of deeper significance than high intellectual attain¬ ment, or power of popular influence, is this gilt — may God give it to each of us! — the secret and sweetness of unceasing, prevailing, triumphant prayer for the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ.” — Robert E. Speer. Ptapet for tfj t $Dap: “ O Lord God Almighty, who givest power to the faint and increaseth strength to them that have no might: without thee we can do nothing, but by thy gracious assistance we are enabled for the per¬ formance of every duty laid upon us. Lord of power and love, we come trusting in thine almighty strength, and thine infinite goodness, to ask of thee what is wanting in ourselves, even that grace which shall help us such to be, and such to do, as thou wouldst have us. O our God, let thy grace be sufficient for us, and ever present with us, that we may do all things as we ought. We will trust in thee, in whom is everlasting strength. Be thou our helper, to carry us on beyond our own strength, and to make all that we think and speak and do acceptable in thy sight, through Jesus Christ.” Amen. — Benjamin J enks (1646). 206 FAITH AND HOPE JULY 26 Co&’sJ KiffllteDUiS MltU fOt tf)t SDtlg: “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so on earth.” — Matthew 6. io. 3Lt&&0n tot tj)f 2Dap: Romans 12. i, 2; 16. 25-27. 1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service. 2 And be not fashioned accord¬ ing to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is the good and acceptable and per¬ fect will of God. 16. 25 Now to him that is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the reve¬ lation of the mystery which hath been kept in silence through times eternal, 26 but now is manifested, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, is made known unto all the nations unto obedience of faith: 27 to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever. Amen. “God is too wise not to know all about us, and what is really best for us to be, and to have. And he is too good, not to desire our highest good; and too powerful, desiring, not to effect it.” — Henry Parry Liddon. “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, 0 Lord, be there, thine arm made bare, thy righteous will be done.” — John Hay. fOC t! )t “Almighty God, of whose grace alone it is that thy people are able to do any good thing; help us in all our actions to maintain a strict regard to thy revealed will, and carefully to shun every false and wicked way. Teach us to renounce the hidden things of dishonesty; to have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness; and to abstain from all appearance of evil. Make us watchful against temptation; provident of our time; circumspect in our walk; diligent, just, and prudent in our busi¬ ness; temperate in our enjoyments, and patient in our trials. And whether we eat or drink, or whatsoever we do, enable us to do all to thy glory. . . . And now, O our God, we commit ourselves to thee. Show us thy ways; teach us thy paths; lead us in thy truth, and teach us; for thou art the God of our salvation; on thee would we wait all the day. Graciously hear us, and grant an answer of peace, through Jesus Christ, our Lord.” Amen. — Family Prayers , Church of Scotland. 207 FAITH AND HOPE JULY 27 Hflt 25ible a£ tf\t Mlotb of d5oti $££#£ fOt tjt “Ye accepted it not as the word of men, but, as it is in truth, the word of God.” — 1 T hessalonians 2. 13. 2Ll$£>0n for tj)£ 2Dap: 2 Timothy 3. 14-17; 2 Peter I. 19-21. 14 But abide thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; 15 and that from a babe thou hast known the sacred writings which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16 Every scripture inspired of God is also profit¬ able for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction which is in righteousness: 17 that the man of God may be complete, fur- nished-'completely unto every good work. 1. 19 And we have the word of prophecy made more sure; where- unto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day-star arise in your hearts: 20 knowing this first, that no prophecy of scripture is of private interpretation. 21 For no prophecy ever came by the will of man: but men spake from God, being moved by the Holy Spirit. “This holy Book, on every line Marked with the seal ol high Divinity, On every leaf bedewed with drops of love Divine, and with the eternal heraldry And signature ot God Almighty stamped From first to last.” — Robert Pollok. “All that I have written, every greatness that there has been in any thought of mine, whatever has been done in my life, has been simply due to the fact that when I was a child, my mother daily read with me a part of the Bible and daily made me learn a part of it by heart.” — John Ruskin. fOt tf)t SDtip; “O gracious God and most merciful Father, who has vouchsafed us the rich and precious jewel of thy holy Word, assist us with thy Spirit, that it may be written in our hearts to our everlasting com¬ fort, to reform us, to renew us according to thine own image, to build us up, and edify us into the perfect building of thy Christ, sanctifying and increas¬ ing in us all heavenly virtues. Grant this, O heavenly Father, for Jesus Christ’s sake.” Amen. 208 FAITH AND HOPE JULY 28 SDitune ^Direction of flDttt fOf tf)0 jSDft^t “For this God is our God for ever and ever: He will be our guide even unto death.” — Psalm 48. 14. JLt$$0n lot t\ )t 2Da#t Psalm 32. 8-1 1. 8 I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will counsel thee with mine eye upon thee. 9 Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no under¬ standing ; Whose trappings must be bit and bridle to hold them in, Else they will not come near unto thee. 10 Many sorrows shall be to the wicked; But he that trusteth in Jehovah, loving-kindness shall com¬ pass him about. 11 Be glad in Jehovah, and rejoice, ye righteous; And shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart. “God has a purpose for each one of us, a work for each one to do, a place for each one to fill, an influence for each one to exert, a likeness to his dear Son for each one to manifest, and then, a place for each one to fill in his holy temple.” — Arthur C. A. Hall. “Father, I know that all my life Is portioned out for me; The changes that are sure to come, I do not fear to see: I ask thee for a present mind Intent on blessing thee. I ask thee for the daily strength To none that ask denied, A mind to blend with outward life, While keeping at thy side; Content to fill a little space, If thou be glorified.” — Anna L. Waring. y&tdytZ f0t “May the favor of the Father govern us. May the wisdom of the Son enlighten us. May the operation of the Holy Spirit quicken us. O God, we beseech thee, guard our souls; sustain our bodies; exalt our senses; direct our course; regulate our manners; bless our under¬ takings; fulfill our petitions; inspire us with holy thoughts; pardon what is past; rectify what is present; order what is to come; and all for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour, who alone can make us perfect even as he is perfect.” Amen. — Bishop Andrews (1555). 209 FAITH AND HOPE JULY 29 2Dtbet£itie£ ot drifts? fOt tj)C “Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.” — 1 Corinthians 12. 4. H££g0nf0tt8e2Dap: I Corinthians 12. 15-20. 15 If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; it is not therefore not of the body. 16 And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; it is not therefore not of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? 18 But now hath God set the members each one of them in the body, even as it pleased him. 19 And if they were all one member, where were the body? 20 But now they are many members, but one body. “One thing is indisputable: the chronic mood of looking longingly at what we have not, or thankfully at what we have, realizes two very different types of character. And we certainly can encourage the one or the other.” — Lucy C. Smith. “As to equality and inequality, all the beauty and glory of life come from inequal¬ ities. 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. Praprt for t&e &>ag: “ O Thou who by thy Spirit dost endow thy servants with diversities of gifts, grant unto us, whatever may be our calling, the qualities and powers that shall fit us to do our work well, and to glorify thee in our lot whatever it may be. Make plain to us the way of our duty, and give wisdom and faith, strength and endurance, decision of mind and faithfulness in action, that in all we do we may honor thee. Let there be no complaining of thy providence; no jealousy, no detraction, no envy or bitterness of spirit. Kindle in all our hearts the ambition of loving best and serving most. Baptize all with the one Spirit of the Lord Jesus. Pre¬ serve those who are in high position from ..the pride of success, and those who are obscure from unquiet thoughts. May sympathy, the purpose to bear one another’s burdens, and fellowship in holy things bind together all sorts and conditions of men. And may thy kingdom come and thy will be done in all the earth.” Amen. 210 FAITH AND HOPE JULY 30 jfaitS ®jat ^LU <3HjfoQ£ &£Hotk tlEagTtfjet fat Out d5oob Ptt£it fOt tf)t “And we know that to them that love God all things work together for good.” — Romans 8. 28. ILt$&0n for tf)t SDap: Romans 8. 31-34. 31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He that spared not his own Son, but deliv¬ ered him up for us all, how shall he not also with him freely give us all things? 33 Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth; 34 who is he that condemneth? It is Christ Jesus that died, yea rather, that was raised from the dead, who is at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. “Believe and fear not! in the blackest cloud A sunbeam hides; and from the deepest pang, Some hidden mercy shall our God declare.” “The firm persuasion that all things that concern us are completely, every moment, in the hands of our Father above, infinitely wise and merciful; that he disposes all events in the best possible manner, and that we shall one day bless him for even his most dis¬ tressing visitations — such a sublime persuasion will make the heart and the character sublime.” — John Foster. pr aytz tot tfje SDap; “ O Lord God, who art a tower of strength to those that put their trust in thee, we render thanks to thee for thy continued gra¬ cious protection, and for all the daily bounties of thy providence. Bless unto us, we beseech thee, all the events of life; may we read in them thy wisdom and love; whatever trial meets us, may it strengthen our trust in thee; what¬ ever sorrow, may it wean us from the world ; whatever joy, may it fill our hearts with praise. Forgive, we beseech thee, whatever sinful pride or vanity we have indulged, whatever hasty words we have spoken, whatever unkind acts we have done, and whatever kindness we have failed to do toward the sick, the poor, or the unfortunate. Increase in us, we beseech thee, all Chris¬ tian graces: may we forgive, as we hope to be forgiven; may we love others, even as Christ hath loved us; in all our living may we deny our¬ selves, that we may have to give to him that needeth. Take from us all anxious care: may it be our constant faith that thou dost make all things work together for our good , and as we trust, so may we also obey thee and walk daily and diligently in the path of thy Commandments. Above all, sanctify with Christian peace and love our domestic circle, and receive now our united prayers, through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Amen. — John McVickar. 211 FAITH AND HOPE JULY 31 25utUitng of tljt temple of d5ob $£££»£ tOZ ti)Z SDftJK “Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God.” — Revelation 3. 12 (King James version). 3fe££onfot tf)t2Dap: Revelation 21. i~5* 1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth are passed away; and the sea is no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a great voice out of the throne saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he shall dwell with them, and they shall be his peoples, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God: 4 and he shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and death shall be no more; neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, any more: the first things are passed away. 5 And he that sitteth on the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he saith, Write: for these words are faith¬ ful and true. “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 catcji 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.” — Phillips Brooks. “When the heavenly city, the New Jerusalem, shall at last appear, that honest effort of ours, which seemed so ineffectual, shall be found to be a brick built into that eternal and celestial fabric.” — Charles Gore. ^Z&VtZ fot “O Lord, we acknowledge thy dominion over us; our life, our death, our soul and body, all belong to thee. Oh, grant that we may willingly consecrate them all to thee, and use them in thy service. Let us walk before thee in childlike simplicity, steadfast in prayer; looking ever unto thee, that whatsoever we do or abstain from, we may in all things follow the least indications of thy will. Become Lord of our hearts and spirits; that the whole inner man may be brought under thy rule, and that thy life of love and righteousness may pervade all our thoughts and energies, and the very ground of our souls; that we may be wholly filled with it. Come, O Lord and King, enter into our hearts, and live and reign there for ever and ever. O faithful Lord, teach us to trust thee for life and death, and to take thee for our All in All, thou who art the Son of God, our Lord and Saviour.” Amen. — Gerhard T ersteegen (1697-1769). 212 FAITH AND HOPE AUGUST i SDdifcmnce Jftom Jfeat (0E tf)t 2Da$H “Fear thou not, for I am with thee; be not dis¬ mayed, 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.” — Isaiah 41. 10. for tjje 2Dap: Psalm 34. 1-8. 1 I will bless Jehovah at all times: His praise shall continually be in my mouth. 2 My soul shall make her boast in Jehovah: The meek shall hear thereof, and be glad. 3 Oh magnify Jehovah with me, And let us exalt his name together. 4 I sought Jehovah, and he answered me, And delivered me from all my fears. 5 They looked unto him, and were radiant; And their faces shall never be confounded. 6 This poor man cried, and Jehovah heard him, And saved him out of all his troubles. 7 The angel of Jehovah encampeth round about them that fear him, And delivereth them. 8 Oh taste and see that Jehovah is good: Blessed is the man that taketh refuge in him. “Give to the winds thy feafs; Hope and be undismayed: God hears thy sighs, and counts thy tears: God shall lift up thy head. Through waves, through clouds and storms, He gently clears the way. Wait thou his time; so shall the night Soon end in joyous day.” — Gerhardt. (Ot tyt “We give thee thanks — yea, more than thanks — O Lord our God, for all thy goodness at all times, and in all places, because thou hast shielded, rescued, helped, and guided us all the days of our lives, and brought us unto this hour. We pray and beseech thee, merciful God, to grant in thy goodness that we may spend this day, and all the time of our lives, without sin, in fullness of joy, holiness, and reverence of thee. But drive away from us, O Lord, all envy, all fear, and all temptations. Bestow upon us what is good and meet. Whatever sin we commit in thought, word, or deed, do thou in thy goodness and mercy be pleased to pardon. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil; through the grace, mercy, and love of thine only begotten Son.” Amen. — Liturgy of Saint Mark, 175 A. D. 213 FAITH AND HOPE AUGUST 2 Eobe 'ZITtiumpSant tot t!)f SDftJG “Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love.” — J eremiah 31. 3. JLz&$mx tot t$z SDag: John 15. 9-15. 9 Even as the Father hath loved me, I also have loved you: abide ye in my love. 10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love, n These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full. 12 This is my commandment, that ye love one another, even as I have loved you. 13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. 14 Ye are my friends, if ye do the things which I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I heard from my Father I have made known unto you. “Love is kind, and suffers long; Love is meek, and thinks no wrong; Love than death itself more strong; Therefore give us love. “Faith will vanish into sight; Hope be emptied in delight; Love in heaven will shine more bright; Therefore give us love.” — Chr. Wordsworth. “Think what it is to be full of love to every creature; to be frightened at nothing, to be sure that all things will turn to good, not to mind pain, because it is our Father’s will; to know that nothing could part us from God who loves us, and who fills our souls with peace and joy, because we are sure that whatever he wills is holy, just and good.” — Georgs Eliot. y&Z&ytt (Ot tf)t Our heavenly Father, we bring to thee our praise and thanksgiving for thy abundant mercy which is new every morning and renewed at every evening tide. May the appreciation of thy goodness so grow upon us that we may love thee more and serve thee better. May nothing separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus. May we lay aside every weight and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and may we run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despised the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. And as thou hast promised to give the Holy Spirit to them that ask, we humbly pray for this gift, that we may be kept from carelessness and hardness of heart, from fretfulness and impatience, from vanity and pride, from self-seeking and covetousness, and from the unhappy desire of obtaining honor and fame. And as thou dost keep us from these, wilt thou grant unto us such love and joy, such peace and long-suffering, such gentleness and good¬ ness, such faith, meekness and temperance that we may daily live our lives in the spirit and mind of Christ, and this we ask in the name of Him who hath loved us, even Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. 214 FAITH AND HOPE AUGUST 3 'Eg t ot pain and ^ottoto fOt tf)t SDapt “For it became him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering.” — Hebrews 2. 10. JLt^on (ot tf\t 2Dap: Hebrews 5. 7— IO. 7 Who in the days of his flesh, having offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and having been heard for his godly fear, 8 though he was a Son, yet learned obedience by the things which he suffered; 9 and having been made perfect, he became unto all them that obey him the author of eternal salvation; 10 named of God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek. “I said to Pain, ‘I will not have thee here! The nights are weary and the days are drear In thy hard company!’ He clasped me close and held me still so long I learned how deep his voice, how sweet his song, How far his eyes can see.” — Alice Freeman Palmer. “Why is so much undeserved suffering in the world? I do not know. But this seems clear, that when any part of that suffering is taken up and borne for love’s sake, a new portion of moral health and hopefulness comes in to strengthen and bless the world.” — Warner. Ptagtt (ot tf)t “O Thou who art the only sin-bearer and burden- bearer of the world, unto thee, O Christ of God, the Anointed One, per¬ fected through suffering, and still bearing the cross for all humanity, we come to thee and unto thee we bring our burdens and our sins; the sorrows that are laid upon us; the griefs that are wrought in us. We do not ask thee to take burdens from us, but to teach us how to bear them. Make us strong, we pray thee, through bearing them. May we know how to be profited by them. May the tears that fill our eyes be not in vain. If sorrow plow deep furrows in our hearts may they not plow in vain. May we be made per¬ fect through suffering. May we learn patience and gentleness and courage and fidelity and heroism, and above all may we learn godliness and devout and humble trust in thee. We welcome storms if they but bring us nearer the desired haven. We welcome even hardness if so be it may bring us nearer to thee, the everlasting Light. Comfort all those who mourn, lift up those that are fallen down, strengthen the weak, guide the perplexed, illumine those that are in darkness, be all and in all to all thy children. Sanctify, bless, and save us and to thy name, Father, Son, and Spirit, will we give praise and glory forever.” Amen. — Abbott. 215 FAITH AND HOPE AUGUST 4 Casting £Du r Button flllpon tlje 2f0tl> IPtt&t far t fjt 2Dap; for tSeSDap: “Cast thy burden upon Jehovah, and he will sustain thee : He will never suffer the righteous to be moved.” — Psalm 55. 22. Isaiah 25. 1—5, 8. 1 O Jehovah, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things, even counsels of old, in faithfulness and truth. 2 For thou hast made of a city a heap, of a fortified city a ruin, a palace of strangers to be no city; it shall never be built. 3 Therefore shall a strong people glorify thee; a city of terrible nations shall fear thee. 4 For thou hast been a stronghold to the poor, a stronghold to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall. 5 As the heat in a dry place wilt thou bring down the noise of strangers; as the heat by the shade of a cloud, the song of the terrible ones shall be brought low. ... 8 He hath swallowed up death for¬ ever; and the Lord Jehovah will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the reproach of his people will he take away from off all the earth: for Jehovah hath spoken it. “I have no cares, O blessed Will! For all my cares are thine. I live in triumph, Lord, for thou Hast made thy triumphs mine.” — A. W. Faber. “We are not only permitted, we are commanded, to cast all our care upon God; and that, too, upon the very principle of his caring for us. All our care! Oh that we might learn to keep no care to ourselves, to commit our least anxieties to God, to lean upon his assistance in the performance of our least duties, upon his strength in the en¬ durance of our least trials, upon his comforts for the soothing of our least sorrows! If we would not exclude God from anything little, we should find him with us in every¬ thing great. If we thought nothing beneath God, we should find nothing above him.” — Henry Melville. ^Eft£EE (OE tfjt “O Lord, let us think on those words: ‘Cast thy burden upon the Lord/ The burden of life is hard to be borne; we stoop, we stumble, we fall, but we have thee to turn to. Our burden is unto thee as naught: we will cast it on thee, then we shall not find it heavy; or if it is still heavy to be borne, it will be only heavy to cause our better going. Whatsoever be our weary weight of hidden care, thou only canst know, and thy mighty strength will bear us up, for thy Son didst say those blessed words, that no sparrow even shall fall to the ground without thee. The comforts of God are always given to those who truly need them. The Good Shepherd calleth his sheep by name. Oh, call us each by name! the young, the old, the sad, the glad. Teach us how to weave a sorrow into a strength. In sickness and in sadness may our footsteps become stronger because thou art with us. Forgive our sins. Guide us, uphold us, and when we lay down this weary burden of this life and its cares, take us through thy great love to dwell with thee forevermore.” Amen. — George Dawson (b. 1861). 216 FAITH AND HOPE AUGUST 5 Shafting flDu z Burbengi Blestertnotf iPeitfe (oc tj)e £Dag: “ For our light affliction, which is for the moment, worketh for us more and more exceedingly an eternal weight of glory.” — 2 Corinthians 4. 17. lUsigon (or tijeSDag: Hebrews 12. 9— 1 3. 9 Furthermore, we had the fathers of our flesh to chasten us, and we gave them reverence : shall we not much rather be in sub¬ jection unto the Father of spirits, and live? 10 For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed good to them; but he for our profit, that we may be partakers of his holiness, n All chas¬ tening 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. 12 Wherefore lift up the hands that hang down, and the palsied knees; 13 and make straight paths for your feet, that that which is lame be not turned out of the way, but rather be healed. “Why should we, then, burden ourselves with superfluous cares, and fatigue and weary ourselves in the multiplicity of our ways? Let us rest in peace. God himself inviteth us to cast our cares, our anxieties upon him.” — Madame Guyon. “Every trouble is an opportunity to win the grace of strength. Whatever else trouble is in the world for, it is here for this good purpose — to develop strength. For a trouble is a moral and spiritual task. It is something which is hard to do. And it is in the spiritual world as in the physical, strength is increased by encounter with the difficult. A world without any trouble in it would be, to people of our kind, a place of spiritual enervation and moral laziness. Fortunately, every day is crowded with care. Every day to every one of us brings its questions, its worries, and its tasks, brings its sufficiency of trouble. Thus we get our daily spiritual exercise. Every day we are blessed with new opportunities for the development of strength of soul.” — George Hodges. (Ot j£Da#$ “Our Father, who hast made this wonderful and beautiful world for the use and benefit of man, who giveth us all things richly to enjoy, grant that the burdens and the trials of life may not, through any spirit of ingratitude or any defect of will, be allowed to become to us sources of unhappiness or misery. Help us to keep ever in remembrance that every burden may become to us a means of increasing our strength, and that every trial may be a blessing in disguise, sent to develop in us likeness to our Master. Give us grace to accept all the experiences of life with cheer¬ fulness; teach us, in whatsoever state we are, therewith to be content; and help us, O our Father, by our gladness of heart to add somewhat to the peace and joy of life of all with whom we meet.” Amen. 217 FAITH AND HOPE AUGUST 6 'flTfjc Care (or tj)£ 2Da^: “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd layeth down his life for the sheep.” — John io. II. JLz&$on (or tlje SDap: Psalm 23. 1 Jehovah is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; He leadeth me beside still waters. 3 He restoreth my soul: He guideth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 4 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. 5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: Thou hast anointed my head with oil; my cup runneth over. 6 Surely goodness and loving-kindness shall follow me all the days of my life; And I shall dwell in the house of Jehovah forever. “Lo, my Shepherd’s hand divine! Want shall never more be mine. In a pasture fair and large He shall feed his happy charge; And my couch, with tenderest care, Mid the springing grass prepare.” — M errick. “He is our Shepherd, going before us and never behind; calling, but never driving, bearing all the losses he calls us to bear; meeting all the dangers, suffering all the cruelties and pains which it is given us to suffer, and drawing us to follow where he leads.” — Horace Bushnell. “Try to feel, by imagining what the lonely Syrian shepherd must feel toward the helpless things which are the companions of his daily life, for whose safety he stands in jeopardy every hour, and whose value is measured to him not by price, but by his own jeopardy, and then we have reached some notion of the love which Jesus meant to rep¬ resent; that Eternal tenderness which bends over us, and knows the name of each and the trials of each, and thinks for each with a separate solicitude, and gave itself for each with a sacrifice as special, and a love as personal, as if in the whole world’s wilder¬ ness there were none other but that one.” — Frederick W. Robertson. (Ot tfjZ 2D a#* “O Shepherd of the sheep, who didst promise to carry the lambs in thine arms, and to lead us by the still waters, help us to know the peace which passeth understanding. Give us to drink that heavenly draught which is life, the calm patience which is content to bear what God giveth. Have mercy upon us, and hear our prayers. Lead us gently when we pass through the valley of the shadow of death. Guide us, till at last, in the assembly of thy saints, we may find rest forevermore; for thine own Name’s sake.” Amen. — George Dawson (b. 1877). 218 FAITH AND HOPE AUGUST 7 Cfjrtet ag tfie WHa# Cot tfjt SDa^t “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.” — John 14. 6. Cot CSt 2Dap: Hebrews 10. 19-25. 19 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holy place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the way which he dedicated for us, a new and living way, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; 21 and having a great priest over the house of God; 22 let us draw near with a true heart in fullness of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience: and having our body washed with pure water, 23 let us hold fast the confession of our hope that it waver not; for he is faithful that promised: 24 and let us con¬ sider one another to provoke unto love and good works; 25 not for¬ saking our own assembling together, as the custom of some is, but exhorting one another; and so much the more, as ye see the day drawing nigh. “Thou art my Way; Without thee, Lord, I travel not, but stray. “My Light thou art; without thy glorious sight, Mine eyes are darkened with perpetual night. My God, thou art my Way, my Life, my Light. Thou art my Way; I wander if thou fly; Thou art my Light; if hid, how blind am I! Thou art my Life; if thou withdraw, I die.” — Francis Quarles. “We have been placed upon the Way. We have been taught the Truth. We have been made partakers of the Life. The Way must be traversed; the 1 ruth must be pursued; the Life must be realized. Then cometh the end. Our pilgrimage, long as it may be or short, if we have walked in Christ, will leave us by the throne of God; our partial knowledge, if we have looked upon all things in Christ, will be lost in open sight; our little lives, perfected, purified, harmonized in him whom we have trusted, will be¬ come, in due order, parts of the One Divine Life, when God is all in all.” — Brooke Foss Westcott. pt Cot “O Lord Jesus Christ, who has consecrated for us a new and living way, be thou to every one of us, we entreat thee, the W ay and Door of heaven , Bread of our life, Light of our goings, Stay of our weakness. Give us grace daily to walk in thy lovely footsteps, and in our several degrees to go about doing good. When we give alms let not our left hand know what our right hand doeth ; when our light shines let it so shine that men may glorify our Father which is in heaven. By thy death save us; by thy resurrection raise us up into life eternal : in our death, love and com¬ fort us; in thy judgment, love and justify us.” Amen. — Christina G. Rossetti (1830-1894). 219 FAITH AND HOPE AUGUST 8 Waiting Opon Got} (0t t|)t D&p: “It is good that a man should hope and quietly wait for the salvation of Jehovah.” — Lamentations 3. 26. He££on tor tlje Dap: Psalm 37. 7-9. 27. 13, 14. 7 Rest in Jehovah, and wait patiently for him: Fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, Because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. 8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: Fret not thyself, it tendeth only to evil-doing. 9 For evil-doers shall be cut off ; But those that wait for Jehovah, they shall inherit the land. 27. 13 I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of Jehovah In the land of the living. 14 Wait for Jehovah: Be strong and let thy heart take courage; Yea, wait thou for Jehovah. ‘‘When I consider how my light is spent Ere half my days in this dark world and wide, And that one Talent which is death to hide Lodged with me useless, though my soul more bent To serve therewith my Maker, and present My true account, lest he returning chide, ‘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. Ptap*t (at tjje Dap: O God of infinite wisdom and goodness, we ac¬ knowledge our debt to thee for all we have and all we are. It is thine to bestow and thine to withhold. Thou givest far more than thou takest away; and howsoever much thou dost withhold we are indebted to thee for more than we can compute. For all we thank thee. Especially do we thank thee for Christ and for the light and life that is in him. Though we cannot under¬ stand all that we are called upon to experience and to endure we can trust thee. Aid us by the Spirit so to trust thee that all the discipline of life may work out for our good. Whatsoever trial or affliction may come upon us help us to remember that it is good that a man should hope and quietly wait for the salvation of Jehovah. We do wait upon thee for the revealing of thy will. Grant to bless this day all who seek to know and do thy bidding. May faith and hope have a new birth this day in the hearts of many. We ask it through Jesus Christ. Amen. 220 FAITH AND HOPE AUGUST 9 jfaitf) m Cfirisrt Wtz&t (or tf)e £Dag: ‘ ‘And this is his commandment, that we should be¬ lieve in the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another.” — i John 3- 23. fot tf)£ John 14. 1, 11, 12; Galatians 2. 16, 20. i Let not your heart be troubled: believe in God, believe also in me. . . . n Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very work’s sake. 12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; be¬ cause I go unto the Father. 2. 16 Yet knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, even we believed on Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ, and not by the works of the law: because by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. ... 20 I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I that live, but Christ liveth in me : and that life which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, the faith which is in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself up for me. “Next to the revelation of God as a loving heavenly Father, the most important insight of the apostolic church was that of the brotherhood of all men in Christ.” — Sidney L. Gulick. “Strong Son of God, immortal Love, Whom we, that have not seen thy face, By faith, and faith alone, embrace, Believing where we cannot prove; “Thou seemest human and divine. The highest, holiest manhood, thou: Our wills are ours, we know not how; Our wills are ours, to make them thine. “We have but faith: we cannot know: For knowledge is of things we see; And yet we trust it comes from thee, A beam of darkness: let it grow.” — Alfred Tennyson. i ^ZfiyZZ Cot tf)Z $Da$* “Almighty God, Father of mercies, from whom cometh every good and perfect gift, give unto us, we beseech thee, grace to believe on the name of Christ. 1 believe : Lord, help thou my unbelief ! Let us be strong in faith, giving glory to thee, and having a full persuasion that thou wilt perform all that thou hast promised. O, help us to count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus our Lord. Enable us so to believe, that Christ may dwell in our hearts; and we may supremely love thee, our God, and unfeignedly love all our fellow creatures. Hear us for Christ’s sake.” Amen. — E. Bickersteth (1786-1850). 221 FAITH AND HOPE AUGUST io TLi )t Hxrbelation Cljttet $£££»£ tot tljt “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father), full of grace and truth.” — John i. 14. %c$$on tot tgeSDap: Hebrews 1. 1—4, 7~9- 1 God, having of old time spoken unto the fathers in the prophets by divers portions and in divers manners, 2 hath at the end of these days spoken unto us in his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the worlds; 3 who being the effulgence of his glory, and the very image of his sub¬ stance, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had made purification of sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; 4 having become by so much better than the angels, as he hath inherited a more excellent name than they. 7 And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels winds, And his ministers a flame of fire: 8 But of the Son he saith. Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever; And the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of thy kingdom. 9 Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; Therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee With the oil of gladness above thy fellows. “God, it may be, has other words for other worlds, But for our world the word of God is Christ.” “And this is life eternal — to know him. . . . Always I am trying to understand the truth of Christ, the truth in Christ; always I am trying to master Christ’s program and purpose, to know fully what he intended and intends to do in the world; always I am trying to become acquainted with him. For this triple purpose many times and in many ways each year I read and study the four Gospels, and seek all light from all sources upon these problems. . . . What truth, what activities, what a Person! It is the truth best worth learning. It is the thing best worth doing. He is the person best worth knowing.” — William Fraser McDowell. draper tot tfjt SDaju “ O Lord, whom to believe is the root of all right¬ eousness, whom to know is life eternal, open, we pray thee, our understand¬ ings that we may perceive the meaning of thy holy Word. Thou, O God, by thy gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, hast revealed unto men the mystery which was hidden from the beginning of the world ; but who can search out thy counsel unless thou give wisdom through thy Spirit from on high? O glorious Father, bestow upon us, then, the spirit of wisdom and revelation, that we may know thee, and know Christ and the fellowship of his sufferings, and be filled with the knowledge of his will. May we be rich in all comfort and knowledge and true doctrine. Let the preaching of thy Son become a living energy within us, that we may bring forth the fruit of good works. Fo thee be all honor, through Jesus Christ our Lord, forever and ever.” Amen. — Albinus (1697-1770), 222 FAITH AND HOPE AUGUST ii USe COurtfi ot C&rtgt Uttsfe tor tOe &>ag: “The church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.” — I Timothy 3. 15. EtjSgonfoc tO 1 2Dag: Ephesians 5. 25-27. 25 Christ also loved the church, and gave himself up for it; 26 that he might sanctify it, having cleansed it by the washing of water with the word, 27 that he might present the church to him¬ self a glorious church , not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. “The Church’s one foundation Is Jesus Christ her Lord: She is his new creation By water and the Word; From heaven he came and sought her To be his holy bride. With his own blood he bought her And for her life he died. “Elect from every nation, Yet one o’er all the earth, Her charter of salvation One Lord, one Faith, one Birth; One holy name she blesses, Partakes one holy food, And to one hope she presses, With every grace endued. “The church shall never perish! Her dear Lord to defend. To guide, sustain, and cherish, Is with her to the end: Though there be those who hate her, And false sons in her pale, Against her foe or traitor She ever shall prevail.” — Samuel John Stone. ptagft foe tljc t>ag: “ O God, the Creator and Preserver of all man¬ kind, we humbly beseech thee for all sorts and conditions of men; that thou wouldest be pleased to make thy ways known unto them, thy saving health unto all nations. More especially, we pray for . . . the church, that it may be so guided and governed by thy good Spirit that all who profess and call themselves Christians may be led into the way of truth, and hold the faith in unity of spirit, in the bond of peace, and in righteousness of life. We commend to thy fatherly goodness all those who are in any ways afflicted or distressed in mind, body, or estate, that it may please thee to comfort and relieve them, according to their several necessities, giving them patience under their sufferings and a happy issue out of all their afflictions. And this we beg for Jesus Christ’s sake.” Amen. — Book of Common Prayer. 223 FAITH AND HOPE AUGUST 12 goatling ot t§e <£io$& (Ot tf)C “But far be it from me to glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.” — Galatians 6. 14. %t$$ontoi tijcSDap: 1 Corinthians 1. 18—25. 18 For the word of the cross is to them that perish foolish¬ ness; but unto us who are saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And the discernment of the discerning will I bring to nought. 20 Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For seeing that in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom knew not God, it was God’s good pleasure through the foolishness of the preaching to save them that believe. 22 Seeing that Jews ask for signs, and Greeks seek after wisdom: 23 but we preach Christ crucified, unto Jews a stumbling-block, and unto Gentiles foolishness; 24 but unto them that are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. 25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weak¬ ness of God is stronger than men. “When I survey the wondrous cross On which the Prince of glory died. My richest gain I count but loss, And pour contempt on all my pride. “Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast, Save in the death of Christ, my God; All the vain things that charm me most, I sacrifice them to his blood. “See from his head, his hands, his feet, Sorrow and love flow mingled down: Did e’er such love and sorrow meet, Or thorns compose so rich a crown? “Were the whole realm of nature mine, That were a present far too small: Love S3 amazing, so divine. Demands my soul, my life, my all.” — Isaac Watts. Ptagft fot Soap: “ O God, we thank thee for the cross of Christ. In that cross we shall glory forever. And while we cannot understand it, and while we can frame no theory that will satisfy ourselves, and while it seems a hardship to us to take up thy cross, may we nevertheless realize that in some fashion out of the burning life there comes the light of life, and out of our self-sacrifice there comes the light that reaches to all thy children. Be with us through this day and through all the days, and may the light of the self-sacrificing Son of God become the light of our lives. We ask thee in Christ’s name.” Amen. — Francis J. McConnell (b. 1871). 224 FAITH AND HOPE AUGUST 13 'flTfje l&ttfurtecton o( Cjjrtet (0£ tf)£ “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth on me, though he die, yet shall he live; and whosoever liveth and believeth on me shall never die.” — John 11. 25, 26. for Matthew 28. 1-10. i Now late on the sabbath day, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. 2 And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled away the stone, and sat upon it. 3 His appearance was as lightning, and his raiment white as snow: 4 and for fear of him the watchers did quake, and became as dead men. 5 And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye; for I know that ye seek Jesus, who hath been crucified. 6 He is not here; for he is risen, even as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. 7 And go quickly, and tell his disciples, He is risen from the dead; and lo, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you. 8 And they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring his disciples word. 9 And behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and took hold of his feet, and worshiped him. 10 Then saith Jesus unto them, Fear not: go tell my brethren that they depart into Galilee, and there shall they see me. “Christ’s grave was the birthplace of an indestructible belief that death is van¬ quished and there is life eternal. . . . On the conviction that Jesus lives we still base those hopes of citizenship in an Eternal City which make our earthly life worth living and tolerable. ‘He delivered them who, through fear of death, were all their lifetime subject to bondage,’ as the writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews says. That is the point; and although there be exceptions to its sway, wherever, despite all the weight of nature, there is a stong faith in the infinite value of the soul; wherever death has lost its terrors; wherever the sufferings of the present are measured against a future of glory, this feeling of life is bound up with the conviction that Jesus Christ has passed through death, that God has awakened him and raised him to life and glory. It is not by any specula¬ tive ideas of philosophy, but by the vision of Jesus’ life and death and by the feeling of his imperishable union with God that mankind, so far as it believes in these things, has attained to that certainty of eternal life for which it was meant, and which it dimly discerns — eternal life in time and beyond time.” — Adolph Harnack. Pt (0t tjjt “With thee, O Christ, we would arise indeed to newness of life. We beseech thee to make all things new to us. Let the old duties, the old work, the old burdens, the old friendships be transfigured as thou dost touch them. Let the resurrection joy lift us from loneliness and weakness and despair to strength and beauty and happiness. We would fain live the risen life. Help us by thy call, by thy message, by thy beauty, by thy goodness, to be thy true children, looking to thee and serving thee, until at last we see thee face to face.” Amen. — Floyd W. Tomkins (b. 1850). 225 FAITH AND HOPE AUGUST 14 ag: Proverbs 4. 1-9. 1 Hear, my sons, the instruction of a father, And attend to know understanding: 2 For I give you good doctrine; Forsake ye not my law. 3 For I was a son unto my father, Tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother. 4 And he taught me, and said unto me: Let thy heart retain my words; Keep my commandments, and live; 5 Get wisdom, get understanding; Forget not, neither decline from the words of my mouth; 6 Forsake her not, and she will preserve thee; Love her, and she will keep thee. 7 Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom; Yea, with all thy getting get understanding. 8 Exalt her, and she will promote thee; She will bring thee to honor, when thou dost embrace her. 9 She will give to thy head a chaplet of grace ; A crown of beauty will she deliver to thee. “It is of all importance that we should know that the Christian life is a life of knowl¬ edge, not of ignorance. It is a separate, a higher region of knowledge than that to which we generally give the name; but it is knowledge still. It is the apprehension of truths, of those vast truths which the senses cannot discover, nor the intellect evolve, but which through the open avenues of the spirit enter in and occupy the life ” — Phillips Brooks. fDt tf)t SDa#? In thee, O God, are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Thou art the Counselor. None teacheth like thee. We come unto thee seeking that wisdom which is from above. Help us that seeking we shall find ; that coming unto thee continually as the source of light and life, our search shall be rewarded. O leave us not in darkness and ignorance. May we hear thy voice in thy Word, and in the daily dealing of thy providence. Keep us by thy Spirit, and impress deeply thy divine les¬ sons upon our hearts. Uphold us when we slip. Restore us when we fall. Guide us, by thy counsel here, train and teach us in thy ways; and afterward, in thine own good time, take us to our heavenly home. We ask, O Lord, the same blessings for others. Bestow them on all who are dear to us,' and especially on all about us and around us who are yet strangers to thee. May the day soon come when the knowledge of the Lord shall fill the earth and every knee shall bow to thee as King of kings and Lord of lords. In Jesus’ name. Amen. 226 FAITH AND HOPE AUGUST 15 SDtbtne CStubance tot Soap: “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go : I will counsel thee with mine eye upon thee.” — Psalm 32. 8. 3Le$$0n for tf )t SDap: Isaiah- 58. 9b-i2. 9b I£ thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the put¬ ting forth of the finger, and speaking wickedly; 10 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 noonday; 11 and Jehovah will guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in dry places, and make strong thy bones; and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not. 12 And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places; thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in. “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.” — Reginald Heber. “When I look back on those days I have no doubt that Providence guided us, not only across those snowfields, but across the storm-white sea that separated Elephant Island from our landing place on South Georgia. *1 know that during that long and racking march of thirty-six hours over the unnamed mountains and glaciers of South Georgia it seemed to me often that we were four, not three. . . . One feels ‘the dearth of human words,’ the roughness of mortal speech in trying to describe things intangible, but a record of our journey would be incomplete without a reference to a subject very near to our hearts.” — Ernest L. Shackleton. PtftgtE (DC “O God, our Lord, the stay of all them that put their trust in thee, wherever thou leadest we would go, for thy ways are perfect wisdom and love. Even when we walk through the dark valley, thy light can shine into our hearts and guide us safely through the night of sorrow. Be thou our Friend, and we need ask no more in heaven or earth, for thou art the comfort of all who trust in thee, the hope and defense of all who hope in thee. O Lord, we would be thine; let us never fall away from thee. We would accept all things without murmuring from thy hand, for whatever thou doest is right. Blend our wills with thine, and then we need fear no evil nor death itself, for all things must work together for our good. Lord, keep us in thy love and truth, comfort us with thy light, and guide us by thy Holy Spirit, through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Amen. — S. Weiss. 227 FAITH AND HOPE AUGUST 16 £0lt fot tf)C £Dap: Matthew 17. 14-16, 18-20. 14 And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a man, kneeling to him, and saying, 15 Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is epileptic, and suffereth grievously; for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and ofttimes into the water. 16 And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him. 18 And Jesus rebuked him; and the demon went out of him: and the boy was cured from that hour. 19 Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast it out? 20 And he saith unto them, Because of your little faith: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impos¬ sible unto you. “Oh! world, thou chooseth not the better part, It is not wisdom to be only wise, And on the inner vision close the eyes; But it is wisdom to believe the heart. Columbus found a world and had no chart Save one that Faith deciphered in the skies; To trust the soul’s invincible surmise Was all his science and his only art. Our knowledge is a torch of smoky pine That lights the pathway but one step ahead Across the void of mystery and dread. Bid, then, the tender light of faith to shine By which alone the mortal heart is led Into the thinking of the thought Divine.’ — Santayana. “When Admiral Dupont explained to Admiral Farragut the reason for his failure to enter Charleston Harbor with his fleet of ironclads, Farragut is reported to have said, “Ah, Dupont, there is one more reason.’’ “What is it, sir?” asked Dupont. “You did not believe you could do it.” prayer fot tfjt 2Day: Our heavenly Father we ask thee to increase our faith. We confess that we have not the strong and abiding faith that we should have had. Look upon us in mercy and though the faith now in our hearts be but as a grain of mustard seed within us, may we exercise it, so that it shall grow, and wax strong, and shelter many under its branches. Teach us, O Holy Spirit, our own unworthiness and imperfection. We are still unprofitable servants, even when we have done our very best. Thy work unfinished meets us in the eventide at home as well as in the fields at noonday. May we never grow weary of our work, though sometimes we may be weary in the doing of it. And keep each of us faithful to his own duty through all the hours of this day, for thine own name’s sake. Amen. 230 FAITH AND HOPE AUGUST 19 Unconquerable #aitb PersSe £ot tf>e 2Dag: “ Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace; and he will deliver us.” — Daniel 3. 17. 3Lt�lX tot t1)Z SDftg; Romans 8. 18, 19, 31, 32, 35-39. 18 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. 19 For the earnest expectation of the creation waiteth for the revealing of the sons of God. 31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He that spared not his own Son, but deliv¬ ered him up for us all, how shall he not also with him freely give us all things?. . . 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or anguish, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 Even as it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; We were accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37 Nay, in all things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other crea¬ ture, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. “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 . “Some men live near to God, as my right arm Is near to me, and thus they walk about Mailed in full proof of faith, and bear a charm That mocks at fear, and bars the door on doubt, And dares the impossible.” — Anonymous. ptaget tot tfje 2Dag: “ How great are the mercies, O Lord our God, which thou hast prepared for all that put their trust in thee. . . . Thou hast all blessings that are needed and standest ready to be all things to all, and in all. And yet, with bread enough and to spare, with raiment abundant, and with all medicine, how many are there that go hungry and naked and sick and destitute of all things! We desire, O Lord, that thou wilt, to all thine other mercies, add that gift by which we shall trust in thee — faith that works by love, faith that abides with us, faith that transforms material things and gives them to us in their spiritual meanings; faith that illumines the world by a light that never sets, that shines brighter than the day, and that clears the night out of our experience. This is the portion that thou hast pro¬ vided. for thy people. We beseech of thee, grant us this faith, that shall give us victory over the world and over ourselves; that shall make us valiant in all temptation and bring us off conquerors and more than conquerors through him that loved us.” Amen. — Henry Ward Beecher (1813— 1887) • 231 FAITH AND HOPE AUGUST 20 GDuz Kmmottalitg tot tl)e £Dap: “ The free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” — Rornans 6. 23b. Btestfon tor tjje SDap: 1 Corinthians 15* 50-57, 50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot in¬ herit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incor¬ ruption. 51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We all shall not sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 But when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written, Death is swal¬ lowed up in victory. 55 O death, where is thy victory? O death, where is thy sting? 56 The sting of death is sin; and the power of sin is the law: 57 but thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. “We know not what we shall be — only this — That we shall be made like Him — as he is.” — John Oxenham. “That for which we were made is immortality; and our journey is rough, strait, sharp, burdensome, with many tears Our journey is not to the grave. I am not growing into old age to be blind, and to be deaf, and to be rheumatic, and to shrink a miserable cripple into the corner, shaking and tottering, and forgetting all that I ever knew. The best part of me is untouched. 1 sit enshrined within the me. The soul, th e reason, the moral sense, the power to think, the power to will, the power to love, the power to admire purity and to reach out after it — that is not touched by time, though its instrument and means of outer demonstration be corroded and failing. No physical weakness touches the soul.” — Henry Ward Beecher. y&Z&ytZ (Ot SDflgL “Blessed Father, in the midst of change and mor¬ tality we thank thee for him through whom death is swallowed up in victory. Deliver us from the bonds of earthliness and the darkness of the natural mind. Let the heavenly light shine on us, and heavenly beauty attract us, and thy Divine Spirit re-create our souls. Believing in thy eternity, looking for the resurrection of life which is through Jesus Christ, may we abound in thy work and know that our labor is not in vain in the Lord. Open doors of usefulness to us, that our love may reach the hearts of those that are in need of it, and our example be a light to those who are out of the way. May the strength of sin be broken, and thy sovereign righteous¬ ness revealed. Prepare men for the great day when the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised, and the throne of judgment shall be set. Let the nations turn to him who has come, not to condemn, but to save the world. And by his grace may we all bear the image of the heavenly at last. For thy name’s sake,” Amen. FAITH AND HOPE AUGUST 2i Ifeabenlp ^ome l&CZ&Z fOt tf)t “For we know that if the earthly house of our tabernacle be dissolved, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal, in the heavens.” — 2 Corinthians 5. 1. JLt$&0n for tjjt 2Dag: Revelation 21. 23-27. 22. 5. 23 And the city hath no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine upon it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the lamp thereof is the Lamb. 24 And the nations shall walk amidst the light thereof : and the kings of the earth bring their glory into it. 25 And the gates thereof shall in no wise be shut by day (for there shall be no night there) : 26 and they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it: 27 and there shall in no wise enter into it anything unclean, or he that maketh an abomination and a lie: but only they that are written in the Lamb’s book of life. 5 And there shall be night no more; and they need no light of lamp, neither light of sun; for the Lord God shall give them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever. “Life changes all our thoughts of heaven; At first we think of streets of gold, Of gates of pearl and dazzling light, Of shining wings and robes of white, And things all strange to mortal sight. But in the afterward of years It is a more familiar place; A home unhurt by sighs or tears, Where waiteth many a well-known face. With passing months it comes more near. It grows more real day by day; Not strange or cold, but very dear — The glad homeland not far away, Where none are sick, or poor, or lone, The place where we shall find our own. And as we think of all we knew Who there have met to part no more, Our longing hearts desire home too, With all the strife and trouble o’er.” — Robert Browning. lot tfjt 2Dap: “ O God, we thank thee for the assurance thou hast given us, that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. Enable us, by the grace of thy Holy Spirit, to walk by faith, not by sight, and to look, not at the things which are seen and temporal, but at the things which are unseen and eternal. Pardon wherein we have walked unworthily of the hope which is laid up for us in heaven. We pray for the whole human race, that it may please thee to make thy ways known unto them, and to show thy saving health among all nations. Turn men everywhere from dark¬ ness unto light, that they may receive forgiveness of their sins and inherit¬ ance among them that are sanctified. Give ear, we pray thee, to our humble supplications, which we offer in the name of thine only-begotten Son, our Lord and Saviour.” Amen. 233 COMPASSION AUGUST 22 C5oti*£i £>pntpatf)£ for CJilbten ®tz$t fot tt\c SDay: “But thou, O Lord, art a God merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and abundant in loving-kindness and truth.” — Psalm 86. 15. Heston for tf\t HDap: Psalm 145- 3, 4, 7~ 9* 3 Great is Jehovah, and greatly to be praised; And his greatness is unsearchable. 4 One generation shall laud thy works to another, And shall declare thy mighty acts. 7 They shall utter the memory of thy great goodness, And shall sing of thy righteousness. 8 Jehovah is gracious, and merciful; Slow to anger, and of great loving-kindness. 9 Jehovah is good to all; And his tender mercies are over all his works. “What can it mean? Is it aught to Him That the nights are long and the days are dim? Can he be touched by the griefs I bear, Which sadden the heart and whiten the hair? Around his throne are eternal calms, And strong glad music of happy psalms, And bliss unruffled by any strife; How can he care for my little life? “When shadows hang o’er me the whole day long, And my spirit is bowed with shame and wrong; When I am not good and the deeper shade Of conscious sin makes my heart afraid, And the busy world has too much to do To stay in its course to help me through, And I long for a Saviour — can it be That the God of the universe cares for me?” (Ot tfjt “Our Father, we thank thee for thy loving com¬ passion and thy sympathy for thy children. Give us, we pray thee, thy help and blessing in our sorrows, our faintness, our failure and sin. Thou knowest that we cannot bear our burdens alone. We are only little children, and the world sometimes seems dark to us, and our path very hard if we are alone. But we are thy little children, and so we know we can come to our Father, to ask thee to help us, and enliven us, and strengthen us, and give us hope. We are not ashamed of our tears, for our Lord has wept with us. We do not ask thee to take away our sorrow, for he was made perfect through suffering; but we do ask thee to be with us as thou wert with him, our Father, close to thy little ones, even as he has promised us.” Amen. 234 COMPASSION AUGUST 23 Spmpatlig Mlttl) ^tljersf UrrsJc tot tf)c 2Dag: “ Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” — Galatians 6. 2. fDt tl)t 1 Tliessalonians 3. 12; 4. 9, 10; 5. 14-22. 12 And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we also do toward you. 4. 9 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; 10 for indeed ye do it toward all the brethren that are in all Macedonia. But we exhort you, brethren, that ye abound more and more. 5. 14 And we exhort you, brethren, admonish the disorderly, en¬ courage the faint-hearted, support the weak, be long-suffering toward all. 15 See that none render unto anyone evil for evil; but always follow after that which is good, one toward another, and toward all. 16 Rejoice always; 17 pray without ceasing; 18 in everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus to you-ward. 19 Quench not the Spirit; 20 despise not prophesy- ings; 21 prove all things; hold fast that which is good; 22 abstain from every form of evil. ‘Love one another in spite of your differences, in spite of your faults. Love one another, and make the best of one another, as he loved us, who, for the sake of saving what was good in the human soul, forgot, forgave, put out of sight what was bad — who saw and loved what was good even in the publican Zacchaeus, even in the penitent Mag¬ dalen, even in the expiring malefactor, even in the heretical Samaritan, even in the Pharisee Nicodemus, even in the heathen soldier, even in the outcast Canaanite. It is very easy to fix our attention only on the weak points of those around us, to magnify them, to irritate them, to aggravate them; and, by so doing, we can make the burden of life unendurable, and can destroy our own and others’ happiness and usefulness wher¬ ever we go. But this was not the love wherewith Christ loved us; this is not the new love wherewith we are to love one another. — Arthur P. Stanley. ptaget for t&e 2Dajn “ O Father, dispose us to a sincere sympathy with all men, not only to see extraordinary excellence with joy, but to take pleasure in the humblest improvements of our fellow creatures, in the beginnings of everlasting life wdthin them. Incline us to respect the feelings of others, so that we may never wound, nor tempt, nor depress a human being. May we understand the sublime heights of benevolence to which we are called by the gospel, and aim at perfection in all our social relations. . . . May we learn to lose ourselves in disinterested services from generous ardor, and to delight in imitating thee, and in promoting the great ends of thy providence, and the blessedness of creation.” Amen. — William Ellery Channing (1780— 1842). 235 COMPASSION AUGUST 24 ot (?££#£ (Ot tf)t 3Dil#J “He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well. Was not this to know me? saith Jehovah.’’ — Jeremiah 22. 16. Heston (ot tjjeSDap: Isaiah 10. 1—3; J ere?niah 22. 3, 5. 1 Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, and to the writers that write perverseness: 2 to turn aside the needy from justice, and to rob the poor of my people of their right, that widows may be their spoil, and that they may make the fatherless their prey! 3 And what will ye do in the day of visitation, and in the deso¬ lation which shall come from far? to whom will ye flee for help? and where will ye leave your glory? 22. 3 Thus saith Jehovah: Execute ye justice and righteousness, and deliver him that is robbed out of the hand of the oppressor: and do no wrong, do no violence, to the sojourner, the fatherless, nor the widow; neither shed innocent blood in this place. 5 But if ye will not hear these words, I swear by myself, saith Jehovah, that this house shall become a desolation. “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.” — William Shakespeare . “Let thy love our pattern be; Let thy mercy teach one brother To forgive and love another; That copying thy mercy here Thy goodness may hereafter rear Our souls unto thy glory when Our dust shall cease to be with men.” Ptapet (ot tljz SDap: “ Our Father who art in heaven, we thank thee for thy providence which cares for the grass in the fields and adorns every little flower that fringes the hedgerows of life. Thou art not hard to find, nor far to seek, but art with every living soul of man. We ask thy blessing on all sorts and conditions of men. We remember the poor and needy in our prayers. Yea, Lord, our prayer goes up before thee asking that thou wilt defend the rights of men which thou didst give them at their birth but which the oppressor has so fraudulently and forcibly rent away. O Lord, we are all sinners before thee, but we remember those who with unashamed counte¬ nance tread down thy law. Father, we pray thee, that thou wilt pity those who have shown no pity, and wilt love those who to their brothers show only hate, treading them with bloody hoofs into the ground. O Lord, thy charity never faileth. Touch the hearts of men with humanity, that they may learn justice and to love their brothers. Make us nobler and braver and holier. In our daily living teach us to be honest, to respect the integrity of our own souls, and never waver, turned this side by fear of men and that side by the lust for their praise and their admiration. Teach us to love all men. So may thy kingdom come and thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Amen. — Theodore Parker (1810— 1860). 236 COMPASSION AUGUST 25 W&t at Comtott Wtz&t tot tjje 2Da#: “ Blessed be . God . . . who comfort- eth 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 com¬ forted of God.” — 2 Corinthians 1. 3, 4. 2W£on (or tf)e $Dap: Isaiah 61. 1—4, 10, 11. 1 The spirit of the Lord Jehovah is upon me; because Jehovah hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; 2 to proclaim the year of Jehovah’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; 3 to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them a garland for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of Jehovah, that he may be glorified. 4 And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the deso¬ lations of many generations. 10 I will greatly rejoice in Jehovah, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with a garland, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels. 11 For as the earth bringeth forth its bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord Jehovah will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations. “I want to give the oil of joy for tears, The faith to conquer crowding doubts and fears; Beauty for ashes may I give alway: I’m sure I shall not pass again this way. “I want to give to others hope and faith; I want to do all that the Master saith; I want to live aright from day to day: I’m sure I shall not pass again this way.” prapft fot tfje SDag: “ O thou loving and tender Father in heaven, we confess before thee, in sorrow, how hard and unsympathetic are our hearts; how often we have sinned against our neighbors by want of compassion and tenderness; how often we have felt no true pity for their trials and sorrows, and have neglected to comfort, help, and visit them. O Father, forgive this our sin, and lay it not to our charge. Give us grace ever to alleviate the crosses and difficulties of those around us, and never to add to them; teach us to be consolers in sorrow, to take thought for the stranger, the widow, and the orphan ; let our charity show itself not in words only, but in deed and truth. For the sake of Jesus Christ thy Son, who loved us and gave himself for us.” Amen. — Johann Arndt (1555—1621). 237 COMPASSION AUGUST 26 Social Ofllrongtf anti 3fn/u0tfce (0t tl)C 2Da^: “What mean ye that ye crush my people, and grind the face of the poor? saith the Lord, Jehovah of hosts.” — Isaiah 3. 15. %e$$on fat tfjeSDap: Isaiah 10. 1—4. 1 Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, and to the writers that write perverseness; 2 to turn aside the needy from justice, and to rob the poor of my people of their right, that widows may be their spoil, and that they make the fatherless their prey! 3 And what will ye do in the day of visitation, and in the desola¬ tion which shall come from far? to whom will ye flee for help? and where will ye leave your glory? 4 They shall only bow down under the prisoners, and shall fall under the slain. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still. “Have ye founded your thrones and altars, then, On the bodies and souls of living men? And think ye that building shall endure, Which shelters the noble and crushes the poor? With gates of silver and bars of gold Ye have fenced my sheep from their Father’s fold; I have heard the dropping of their tears In heaven these eighteen hundred years.” — James Russell Lowell. “ ‘What injustice is there,’ you ask, ‘in my diligently preserving my own as long as I do not invade the property of others?’ Shameless saying! My own\ What is it? From what sacred place hast thou brought it into the world? Thou who hast received the gifts of God, thinkest thou that thou committest no injustice in keeping for thyself alone what would be the means of life to many? It is the bread of the hungry that thou keepest! It is the clothing of the naked thou lockest up; the money that thou buriest is the redemption of the wretched.” — Ambrose, Bishop of Milan. Ptagrt for tfje Soag: “ O God, our Father, our souls are made sick by the sight of hunger and want and nakedness; of little children bearing on their bent backs the burden of the world’s work; of motherhood drawn under the grinding wheels of modern industry; and of overburdened man¬ hood, with empty hands, stumbling and falling. Help us to understand that it is not thy purpose to do away with life’s struggle, but that thou desirest us to make the conditions of that struggle just and its results fair. Enable us to know that we may bring this to pass only through love and sympathy and understanding; only as we realize that all are alike thy children — the rich and the poor, the strong and the weak, the fortunate and the unfortunate. And so, our Father, give us an ever truer sense of human brotherhood; that with patience and steadfastness we may do our part in ending the injustice that is in the land, so that all may rejoice in the fruits of their toil and be glad in thy sunshine. Keep us in hope and courage amid the vastness of the undertaking and the slowness of the progress, and sustain us with the knowl¬ edge that our times are in thy hand.” Amen. — Helen Ring Robinson. 238 COMPASSION AUGUST 27 Care (or tfje poor anti jRee&g Per $t (Or tfie 2Da^: “Jehovah, who is like unto thee, Who deliverest the poor from him that is too strong for him, Yea, the poor and the needy from him that rob- beth him.” — Psalm 35. 10. £e££on(ortf)e&)a£: Isaiah 25. 1-4. 1 O Jehovah, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things, even counsels of old, in faithfulness and truth. 2 For thou hast made of a city a heap; of a fortified city a ruin, a palace of strangers to be no city; it shall never be built. 3 Therefore shall a strong people glorify thee, a city of terrible nations shall fear thee. 4 For thou hast been a stronghold to the poor, a stronghold to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall. “When wilt thou save the people? O God of mercy, when? Not kings and lords, but nations! Not thrones and crowns, but men! Flowers of thy heart, 0 God, are they; Let them not pass, like weeds away — God save the people! “When wilt thou save the people? O God of mercy, when? The people, Lord, the people, Not thrones and crowns, but men! God save the people; thine they are, Thy children, as thy angels fair; Save them from bondage and despair! God save the people!” — Ebenezer Elliott. pta yet foi tfie j&Dag: O God, our Father, we bow before thee in grateful praise. We thank thee that thou causeth thy sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sendeth rain on the just and the unjust. Thy mercy reacheth into the heavens, and thy faithfulness to all generations. Especially do we thank thee that ever thou art a stronghold to the poor and to the needy in his distress. We too have experienced thy love. Thou hast done for us great things, and holy is thy name. Thou hast satisfied us out of thy good¬ ness, and hast enriched us with uncounted blessings. Our table has been spread by thy hand. The raiment that clothes us and the dwelling that shelters us are of thy giving. The faith which enables us to grasp thy promises and the grace which guides and keeps us in the narrow way are of thy giving. We magnify thee, O Lord, for these and all thy mercies. Help us, heavenly Father, to consecrate ourselves, body, soul, and spirit, more lovingly and obediently than ever to thy service and to the service of those who are in distress and need. Help us to deny ourselves and bear the cross of Christ. In his name we ask it. Amen. 239 COMPASSION AUGUST 28 to Cfjil&jjoob (Ot tf)t “Suffer the little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for to such belongeth the kingdom of heaven.” — Matthew 19. 14. !£t$»£on fottfjt &>ap: Matthew 18. 1-7, 10. i In that hour came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven? 2 And he called to him a little child, and set him in the midst of them, 3 and said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye turn, and become as little children, ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whosoever there¬ fore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is the great¬ est in the kingdom of heaven.. 5 And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me: 6 but whoso shall cause one of these little ones that believe on me to stumble, it is profitable for him that a great millstone should be hanged about his neck, and that he should be sunk in the depth of the sea. 7 Woe unto the world because of occasions of stumbling! for it must needs be that the occasions come ; but woe to that man through whom the occasion cometh! 10 See that ye despise not one of these little ones: for I say unto you, that in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven. “Thou Healer, Teacher, Comforter divine! I could not love thee with such tender love Hadst thou not friendship for the children shown. O Jesus, this, thy title, would I bear — The sweetest, dearest name e’er given thee — As Friend of children would I too be known.” — Anonymous. “He who helps a child helps humanity with a distinctness, with an immediateness, which no other help given to human creatures in any other stage of their human life can possibly give again.”- — Phillips Brooks. y&Z&ytZ fOt tf)Z SDa#; “O thou great Father of the weak, lay thy hand tenderly on all little children on earth and bless them. Bless our own children who are the life of our life and who have become the heart of our heart. . . . But bless with a threefold blessing the young lives whose slender shoulders are already bowed beneath the yoke of toil, and whose glad growth is being stunted forever. Let not their little bodies be utterly sapped, and their minds given over to stupidity and the vices of an empty soul. We have all jointly deserved the millstone of thy wrath for making these little ones to stumble and fall. Grant all employers of labor stout hearts to refuse enrichment at such a price. Grant to all the citizens and officers of states which now permit this wrong the grace of holy anger. Help us to realize that every child in our nation is in very truth our child, a mem¬ ber of our great family. By the holy Child that rested in Mary’s bosom, by the memories of our own childhood joys and sorrows, by the sacred possi¬ bilities that slumber in every child, we beseech thee to save us from killing the sweetness of young life by the greed of gain,” Amen. — Walter Rauschen- busch (1861-1918). 240 COMRADESHIP AUGUST 29 prayer && jfellototfStp emits C5oti $rr#e tOC tj)t SDa^t “My soul waiteth for the Lord More than watchmen wait for the morning; Yea , more than watchmen for the morning.” — Psalm 130. 6. Eeggon tor t&e 2Day: Psalm 5. 1-3, 7, n, 12. 1 Give ear to my words, O Jehovah, Consider my meditation. 2 Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God; For unto thee do I pray. 3 O Jehovah, in the morning shalt thou hear my voice; In the morning will I order my prayer unto thee, and will keep watch. 7 But as for me, in the abundance of thy loving-kindness will I come into thy house : In thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple. 11 But let all those that take refuge in thee rejoice, Let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: Let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee. 12 For thou wilt bless the righteous; O Jehovah, thou wilt compass him with favor as with a shield. “Prayer involves far more than we ordinarily think — a certain necessary relation between the soul and God. The condition of prayer is personal; it looks to character. How this rebukes our ordinary slipshod notions of what it is to prayl God’s mercy-seat is no mere stall set by the vulgar roadside, where every careless passer-by may put an easy hand out to snatch any glittering blessing that catches his eye. It stands in the holiest of holies. We can come to it only through veils and by altars of purification. To enter into it, we must enter into God.” — Phillips Brooks. “Say what is prayer, when it is prayer indeed? The mighty utterance of a mighty need, The man is praying, who doth press with might Out of his darkness, into God’s own light.” Pr ayer (0t t &Dayt “We rejoice that in all time men have found a refuge in thee, and that prayer is the voice of love, the voice of pleading, and the voice of thanksgiving. Our souls overflow toward thee like a cup when full; nor can we forbear, nor shall we search to see if our prayers have been registered, or whether of the things asked we have received much, or more, or anything. That we have had permission to feel ourselves in thy presence, to take upon ourselves something of the light of thy countenance, to have a consciousness that thy thoughts are upon us, to experience the inspi¬ ration of the Holy Spirit in any measure — this is an answer to prayer tran¬ scending all things that we can think of. We are glad that we can glorify thee, that we can rejoice thee, that it does make a difference to thee what we do, and that thou dost enfold us in a consciousness of thy sympathy with us, of how much thou art to us, and of what we are to thee.” Amen. — Henry Ward Beecher (1813-1887). 241 COMRADESHIP AUGUST 30 Communion dlitfi (Bob (or (Jt “I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee.” — Exodus 25. 22. JtrtftfontortljeSDag: Psalm 105. 1-8. * 1 Oh give thanks unto Jehovah, call upon his name; Make known among the peoples his doings. 2 Sing unto him, sing praises unto him; Talk ye of all his marvelous works. 3 Glory ye in his holy name: Let the heart of them rejoice that seek Jehovah. 4 Seek ye Jehovah and his strength; Seek his, face evermore. 5 Remember his marvelous works that he hath done, His wonders, and the judgments of his mouth, 6 O ye seed of Abraham his servant, Ye children of Jacob, his chosen ones. 7 He is Jehovah our God: His judgments are in all the earth. 8 He hath remembered his covenant forever, The word which he commanded to a thousand generations. “Getting quiet does one good — it is impossible to hear God’s voice in a whirl of visits — you must be more or less in the ‘desert’ to use the scales of the sanctuary, to see and weigh the true value of things and sayings.” — “ Chinese ” Gordon. “Make use even of those times in the day when you are only partially occupied with external things to occupy yourself inwardly with God; for instance, while doing needlework, maintain a close sense of the presence of God. The thought of his presence is less easily preserved in conversation, but even then you can frequently recall a general consciousness of it, overruling your every word.” — Fenelon. “We say that when we are uttering words of prayer we are in communion with him. But when and where are we out of communion with him? . . . Oh, our Father, we are with thee when we know it not! All our springs are in thee. Make us clean, make us strong, that all our life may speak to thee and answer back thy love.” — Mary Emily Case. ptagft for tljr “ O God, who art, and wast, and art to come, before whose face the generations rise and pass away; age after age the living seek thee, and find that of thy faithfulness there is no end. Our fathers in their pilgrimage walked by thy guidance, and rested on thy compassion; still to their children be thou the cloud by day, the fire by night. In our manifold temptations, thou alone knowest and art ever nigh ; in sorrow thy pity revives the fainting soul; in our prosperity and ease, it is thy Spirit only that can wean us from our pride and keep us low. O thou sole source of peace and righteousness! take now the veil from every heart; and join us in one communion with thy prophets and saints who have trusted in thee and were not ashamed. Not of our worthiness, but of thy tender mercy, hear our prayer.” Amen. — James Martineau (1805-1900). 242 COMRADESHIP AUGUST 31 (Bot 1 in £Dut IPtt&t fOt tj)t “And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he gave us.” — 1 John 3. 24. %t$&on (ot tSeSDap: I John 4. 12—16. 12 No man hath beheld God at any time: if we love one another, God abideth in us, and his love is perfected in us: 13 hereby we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have beheld and bear witness that the Father hath sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. 15 Who¬ soever shall coniess that Jesus is the Son of God, God abideth in him, and he in God. 16 And we know and have believed the love which God hath in us. God is love ; and he that abideth in love abideth in God, and God abideth in him. “I sought thee at a distance, and did not know that thou wast near, abroad, and behold! thou wast within me.” — Augustine. I sought thee God leads us by inwardly enlightening us, by communicating to us his own per¬ ceptions of right and wrong, and by creating within us such a disposition that we nat¬ urally choose what is good. External guidance might at first thought seem most desirable, but reflection will teach us that a God within is the real illumination. “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 doest 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.” — William Law . Ptapet (ot t SDap: ‘ ‘Almighty God, enter thou our hearts and so fill us with thy love, that, forsaking all evil desires, we may embrace thee, our only good. Show unto us, for thy mercies’ sake, O Lord and God, what thou art unto us. Say unto our souls, T am thy salvation.’ So speak that we may hear. Our hearts are before thee; open thou our ears; let us hasten after thy voice and take hold on thee. Hide not thy face from us, we beseech thee, O Lord. Enlarge thou the narrowness of our souls, that thou mayest enter in. Repair the ruinous mansions, that thou mayest dwell there. Hear us, O heavenly Father, for the sake of thine only Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, now and forever.” Amen. — Augustine (354-430). 243 COMRADESHIP SEPTEMBER i W&t Waning anti MlottJ ot Eabot C?EEg>t Cot t!)C SDa^t “And let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us ; And establish thou the work of our hands upon us; Yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.” — Psalm 90. 17. JLt$&0n Cot tf)t E>a#: Proverbs 10. 16; Ecclesiastes 5. 10-12, 18. 16 The labor of the righteous tendeth to life; The increase of the wicked to sin. 5. 10 He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this also is vanity. 11 When goods increase, they are increased that eat them: and what advantage is there to the owner thereof, save the beholding of them with his eyes? 12 The sleep of a laboring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much: but the fullness of the rich will not suffer him to sleep. 18 Behold that which I have seen to be good and to be comely is for one to eat and to drink, and to enjoy good in all his labor, wherein he laboreth under the sun, all the days of his life which God hath given him: for this is his portion. “The beauty of life is to be found Not in luxury, but in simplicity, In sweat of the hand, sweat of the brow, and sweat of the heart; In pride of work, without greed of gold; In thoughts that rise above the needs of self; In loving-kindness to one’s fellow men. To be honest in handicraft, loyal in friendship, strong in suffering, and rich in laughter, Is to be a good comrade in the workshops of life, And to such faithful servants God will pay fair wages of peace and joy.” PE fl£EE COE tf)E SDa#; “O Lord, who by thy holy apostle hast taught us to do all things in the name of the Lord Jesus and to thy glory; give thy blessing, we pray thee, to our work, that we may do it in faith, and heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men. All our powers of body and mind are thine, and we would fain devote them to thy service. Sanctify them and the work in which we are engaged ; let us not be slothful, but fervent in spirit, and do thou, O Lord, so bless our efforts that they may bring forth in us the fruit of true wisdom. Strengthen the faculties of our minds, and dispose us to exert them for thy glory and for the furtherance of thy King¬ dom. Save us from all pride and vanity and reliance upon our own power or wisdom. Teach us to seek after truth, and enable us to gain it; while we know earthly things, may we know thee, and be known by thee through and in thy Son Jesus Christ, that we may be thine in body and spirit in all our work and undertakings, through Jesus Christ.” Amen. — Thomas Arnold (1795-1842). 244 COMRADESHIP SEPTEMBER 2 jfellotogjtp CHlitS ( Bob m JLabot fOt tj)t “My father worketh even until now, and I work.” — John 5. 17. ileggon tot tljeSDap: John 14. 10-14. 10 Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I say unto you I speak not from myself: but the Father abiding in me doeth his works, n Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake. 12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto the Father. 13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If ye shall ask anything in my name, that will I do. “Let us begin from this moment to acknowledge Him in all our ways, and do every¬ thing, whatsoever we do, as service to Him and for His glory, depending upon Him alone for wisdom, and strength, and sweetness, and patience, and everything else that is necessary for the right accomplishing of all of our living.” — Hannah Whitall Smith. ‘They who tread the path of labor follow where my feet have trod; They who work without complaining do the holy will of God. Wh ere the many toil together, there am I among my own; Where the tired workman sleepeth, there am I with him alone. I, the Peace that passeth knowledge, dwell a id the daily strife; I, the Bread of heaven, am broken in the sacrament of life.” tot 2Da^> O God, our Father, we thank thee for the assur¬ ance that thou who art the maker of all things worketh even until now. It is our lot to labor. Help us, O God, ever to realize that in our labor we enter into fellowship with thee. Grant unto us that in all our tasks we may- have the consciousness that thou art with us and that we are with thee. Whatsoever our hands find to do may we do it as unto God and not unto man. Suffer not our toil to be stained by dishonesty or degraded through the selfish pursuits or use of gain. Assist us to seek in all our labor the wel¬ fare of others, the service of our fellow men, and thy glory who hast set us in our several callings. We pray for our fellow workers; for every lawful industry and useful art; for those who till the soil, for those who delve in mines; for those who labor in factory and mill, for those whose labor is of the brain. May all workers everywhere share with us the service of fellow¬ ship with thee. This blessing we ask in the name of the Carpenter of Naza¬ reth, even Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. / 245 COMRADESHIP SEPTEMBER 3 €W&t mm Cot tf)t “Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my word : and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.” — John 14. 23. Jit ££on tot tlje £Da#: Revelation 3. 20-22; Galatians 2. 20. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. 21 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. 22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches. 2. 20 I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I that live, but Christ liveth in me : and that life which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, the faith which is in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself up for me. “The day is long, and the day is hard; We are tired of the march and of keeping guard; Tired of the sense of a fight to be won, Of days to live through, and of work to be done; Tired of ourselves and of being alone: Yet all the while, did we only see, W 1 e walk in the Lord’s own company. We fight, but ’tis he who nerves our arm; He turns the arrows that else might harm, And out of the storm he brings a calm; And the work that we count so hard to do, He makes it easy, for he works, too: And the days that seem long to live are his — • A bit of his bright eternities — And close to our need his helping is.” — Susan Coolidge. ^zaytz for tfie Soap: Blessed Lord, we claim thy gracious promise. We love thee. Fulfill in us thy word , “If a man love me, . . . my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.” Aid us, by thy Spirit, that we may keep thy word and that ever we may love thee more and more, that on our part the condition being fulfilled thou mayest do as thou hast said. May our home be sanctified and blessed by thy presence as our divine Guest. May we show by our lives that we daily live in association with thee. May love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentle¬ ness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance bear flower and fruit in our lives. Bless us in our daily work; yea, do thou work in us and through us, that thy kingdom may come, thy will be done. For thy name’s sake. Amen. 246 COMRADESHIP SEPTEMBER 4 ifdlo&tffjip CtfUitf) CSrigt Dtt $z for tfje “ God is faithful, through whom ye were called into the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.” — 1 Corinthians 1. 9. %Lt$$0n f 0t t Se SDap; Romans 8. 35-39. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribu¬ lation, or anguish, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 Even as it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; We were accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other crea¬ ture, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. “Ten minutes spent in Christ’s society every day; aye, two minutes, if it be face to face and heart to heart, will make the whole life different.” — Henry Drummond. “In the twentieth century the Lord still calls for men whose master passion it shall be to introduce into every department of life the ethical ideals of Jesus Christ, and who will bring to all men the glad word of the gospel, that this master passion can be kept strong and efficient by association with the personality of the living Lord, Jesus Christ.” — E , I. Boszuorth. “Happy who walks with Him! whom, what he finds Of flavor or of scent, in fruit or flower, Or what he views of beautiful or grand In nature, from the broad majestic oak To the green blade that twinkles in the sun, Prompts with remembrance of a present God.” — William Cozvper. “The most important part of the training of the Twelve was one which was perhaps at the time little noticed, though it was producing splendid results — the silent and con¬ stant influence of His character on them. It was this which made them the men they became.” — James Stalker. Pt>t f0t tijt 2D&#: We return unto thee hearty thanks, O Lord our God, for thy great goodness to us. Mercifully assist us in every duty each one of us has to do. O thou blessed Christ, we seek thy presence! Do thou make thyself real unto us this day. Be our companion every day, from morn¬ ing to night, and night to morning, that our fellowship with thee may be continuous and that we may know the blessedness and power that come through personal association with thee. Thus may we live to honor thee in character and in service and to have some part in the coming of thy king¬ dom in the earth. For thy name’s sake. Amen. 247 COMRADESHIP SEPTEMBER 5 jFrtentijErtnp CSttet fOt f f)C SDa^: “Even as the Father hath loved me, I also have loved you; abide ye in my love/’ — John 15. 9. for tf)c &>ap; John 15. n-17. 11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full. 12 This is my com¬ mandment, that ye love one another, even as I have loved you. 13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. 14 Ye are my friends, if ye do the things which I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth : but I have called you friends; for all things that I heard from my Father I have made known unto you. 16 Ye did not choose me, but I chose you, and appointed you, that ye should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should abide: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. 17 These things I command you, that ye may love one another. “Love him ?nd keep him for thy friend, who, when all go away, will not forsake thee, nor suffer thee to perish in the end.” — Thomas a Kempis. “I’ve found a Friend; 0 such a Friend! He loved me ere I knew him; He drew me with the cords of love, And thus he bound me to him; And round my heart still closely twine Those ties which naught can sever, For I am his, and he is mine, Forever and forever.” — James F. Small. “We offer Christ the submission of our hearts, and the obedience of our lives; and he offers us his abiding Presence. We take him as our Master, and he takes us as his friends. Our Lord takes us up into a relationship of love with himself, and we go out into life inspired with his spirit to work his work. It begins with the self-surrender of love; and love, not fear or favor, becomes the motive. To feel thus the touch of God on our lives changes the world. Its fruits are joy and peace, and confidence that all the events of life are suffused, not only with meaning, but with a meaning of love. The soul that is bound by this personal attachment to Jesus has a life in the eternal, which transfigures the life in time with a great joy.”- — Hugh Black. fOt “We adore thee, O Christ, Son of the living God. . . . Enter thou within the chamber of our hearts and say unto us, ‘Peace be unto you.’ Give us the grace to see thee, Blessed Saviour, the eyes of our understanding being enlightened, that we may know thee walking by our side, in this our earthly pilgrimage. Come unto us, O our Lord, and dwell within us. Abide with us through our night of weeping. Make thyself known to us in the breaking of bread. Teach us, O blessed Lord God most high, to look and see thee beyond this dark, tempestuous sea, standing on the everlasting shore of peace ; and suffer us to come unto thee through the waters. Give us grace, O Lord our God, to leave all for thee, that we may be made like unto thee, that we may follow thee, O thou Blessed Lamb of God, whithersoever thou goest.’’ Amen. — Treasury of Devotion , 1872. 248 COMRADESHIP SEPTEMBER 6 ag; O God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, we come to thee in the name of thy dear Son and ever-present Lord and Master. We pray that we may have the consciousness that he is with us to-day; we would spend all the hours of the day in his presence. In the midst of our busy cares we too often forget him. Pardon us this sin and all the sins to which it has given rise. In thy tender compassion suffer us once again to seek our Lord and Saviour. Help us to see his mighty works in our midst, and may they testify to us of his present power. If dark doubts invade our spirits, open our eyes to the assurance of faith in the triumphs of Christ among men of our own day. When we read the Scriptures, may they speak to us of Christ. When we assemble ourselves together with our brethren in his name may he come and stand in our midst, and may we hear his gracious greeting, “Peace be with you.” We pray for this and all other needful blessings on ourselves and all mankind, in the Name that is above every name. Amen. 250 COMRADESHIP SEPTEMBER 8 pmt (0t tfjt “He shall give you another Comforter, that he may be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth ... ye know him; for he abideth with you, and shall be in you.” — John 14. 16, 17. Romans 8. 9-10, 12-17. 9 But ye are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you. But if any man hath not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. 10 And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the spirit is life because of right¬ eousness. 12 So then, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh: 13 for if you live after the flesh, ye must die; but if by the Spirit ye put to death the deeds of the body, ye shall live. 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15 For ye received not the spirit of bondage again unto fear; but ye received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16 The Spirit himself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are children of God: 17 and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified with him . “Gracious Spirit, dwell with me: I myself would gracious be; And with words that help and heal, Would thy life in mine reveal; And with actions bold and meek, Would for Christ my Saviour speak. “Truthful Spirit, dwell with me: I myself would truthful be; And with wisdom kind and clear, Let thy life and mine appear; And with actions brotherly, Speak my Lord’s sincerity. • “Holy Spirit, dwell with me: I myself would holy be; Separate from sin, 1 would Choose and cherish all things good, And, whatever I can be. Give to Him who gave me thee.” — Thomas T. Lynch. ^ZHgtZ (0t tty SDOgJ; “O Thou whose eye is over all the children of men, and who hast called them by thy Prince of Peace into a kingdom not of this world, send forth thy Spirit into all the dark places of life. Let him still the noise of our strife, and the tumult of the people, carry faith to the doubting, hope to the fearful, strength to the weak, light to the mourners, and more and more increase the pure in heart who see their God. Commit thy Word, O Lord, to the lips of faithful servants, that soon the knowledge of thee may cover the earth, as the waters cover the channels of the deep, and so let thy kingdom come, and thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven ; through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Amen. — James Martineau (1805-1900). 253 COMRADESHIP SEPTEMBER n Jn&todltnff £>pmt fOt tj)£ “Know ye not that ye are a temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” — i Corinthians 3. 16. (Ot t$Z SDap: Romans 8. 1-11. 1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus made me free from the law of sin and of death. 3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God, send¬ ing his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, con¬ demned sin in the flesh: 4 that the ordinance of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 5 For they that are after the flesh mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6 For the mind of the flesh is death; but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace; 7 because the mind of the flesh is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can it be: 8 and they that are in the flesh cannot please God. 9 But ye are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you. But if any man hath not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. 10 And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwelleth in you, he that raised up Christ Jesus from the dead shall give life also to your mortal bodies through his Spirit that dwelleth in you. "0 living Spirit, O falling of God-dew, O grace which does console us and renew, O vital light, O breath of angelhood, O generous ministration of things good, Creator of the visible, and best, Upholder of the great unmanifest, Power infinitely wise, new boon sublime, Of science and of art, constraining might, In whom I breathe, live, speak, rejoice and write — Be with us in all places, for all time!” — Manuel Phile {Trans. Elizabeth Barrett Browning.) y&Z&ytZ tot tf)Z “Almighty and eternal God, there is no number of thy days or of thy mercies; thou hast sent us into this world to serve thee, and to live according to thy laws. O Lord, look upon us in mercy and pity. Let thy Holy Spirit lead us through this world with safety and peace, with holiness and religion, with spiritual comforts and joy in the Holy Ghost; that when we have served thee in our generation, we may be gathered into our eternal home; 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, may be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Amen. — Jeremy Taylor (1613-1667). 254 COMRADESHIP SEPTEMBER 12 fepmt ot Cljngrt in flDur SDatlg motk tot tjt jSDagt “And he said unto all, If any man would come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” — Luke 9. 23. £t0£0nf0ttl)t2Dai?: Luke 12. 35-40. 35 Let your loins be girded about, and your lamps burning; 36 and be ye yourselves like unto men looking for their lord, when he shall return from the marriage feast; that, when he cometh and knocketh, they may straightway open unto him. 37 Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them sit down to meat, and shall come and serve them. 38 And if he shall come in the second watch, and if in the third, and find them so, blessed are those servants. 39 But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what hour the thief was coming, he would have watched, and not have left his house to be broken through. 40 Be ye also ready: for in an hour that ye think not the Son of man cometh. “He is a Christian who tries to be the kind of neighbor Christ would be, and the kind of citizen Christ would be, and who asks himself in all the alternatives of his business life, and his social life, and his personal life, What would the Master do in this case? The best Christian is he who most reminds the people with whom he lives of the Lord Jesus Christ. He who never reminds anybody of the Lord Jesus Christ is not a Christian at all.” — George Hodges. “To love some one more dearly every day, To help a wandering child to find his way, To ponder o’er a noble thought, and pray, And smile when evening falls, This is my task. “To follow truth as blind men long for light, To do my best from dawn of day till night, To keep my heart fit for his holy sight, And answer when he calls, This is my task.” ■ — Maude Louise Ray. pt f0t tjjt SDa#; “O God we thank thee for the sweet refreshment of sleep and for the glory and vigor of the new day. As we set our faces once more toward our daily work, we pray thee for the strength sufficient for our tasks. May Christ’s spirit of duty and service ennoble all we do. Uphold us with the consciousness that our work is useful work and a blessing to all. If there has been anything in our work harmful to others and dishonorable to ourselves, reveal it to our inner eye with such clearness that we shall hate it and put it away, though it be at a loss to ourselves. When we work with others help us to regard them, not as servants to our will, but as brothers equal to us in human dignity, and equally worthy of their full reward. May there he nothing in this day's work of which we shall be ashamed when the sun has set , nor in the eventide of our life when we go to our long home to meet thy face.” Amen. — Walter Rauschenbusch (1861—1918). 255 COMRADESHIP SEPTEMBER 13 €>ut Hongmg tot C5od tot tf)t “I spread forth my hands unto thee: My soul thirsteth after thee, as a weary land.” — Psalm 143. 6. %e&$on for tj)t 2Dap: Psalm 119. 169-174. 169 Let my cry come near before thee, O Jehovah: Give me understanding according to thy word. 170 Let my supplication come before thee: Deliver me according to thy word. 171 Let my lips utter praise; For thou teachest me thy statutes. 172 Let my tongue sing of thy word; For all thy commandments are righteousness. 173 Let thy hand be ready to help me; For I have chosen thy precepts. 174 I have longed for thy salvation, O Jehovah; And thy law is my delight. “My spirit longeth for thee, Within my troubled breast, Although I be unworthy Of so Divine a Guest. “Of so Divine a Guest Unworthy though I be, Yet has my heart no rest Unless it come from thee. “Unless it come from thee. In vain I look around; In all that I can see No rest is to be found. “No rest is to be found But in thy blessed love: Oh, let my wish be crowned, And send it from above!” — John Byrom. l&KfiyZX (Ot “Almighty God and heavenly Father, we would obey the instinct that impels us toward thee as the little child creeps to its mother and the far wandering boy thinks of his home. Wilt thou draw us by this fine strong thread which thou hast spun around our hearts until we rest in thine arms? Breathe upon us through thy Holy Spirit and mold and temper us to thy will. May we grow intimate with Christ, until our lives are hid with his in thee. So may we be filled with thy fullness; and then from our hearts may we send forth streams of sympathy and service and sacrifice to enrich other lives and bless the great wide world. And this we ask in Jesus’ name.” Amen. 256 COMRADESHIP SEPTEMBER 14 pme Ofilfjtc!) pagstetl) flUn&trgtantuno; tot tf)e SDag: “And the peace of God, which passeth all under¬ standing, shall guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.” — Philippians 4. 7. JLt&$on tot tljeSDap: John 14. 25-29. 25 These things have I spoken unto you, while yet abiding with you. 26 But the Comforter, even the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said unto you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be fearful. 28 Ye heard how I said to you, I go away, and I come unto you. If ye loved me, ye would have rejoiced, because I go unto the Father: for the Father is greater than I. 29 And now I have told you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye may believe. “Give me a heart of calm repose Amid the world’s loud roar; A life that like a river flows, Along a peaceful shore. “Above the scenes of storm and strife, There spreads a region fair; Give me to live that higher life And breathe that purer air. “Allay this feverish, restless mood, Arrest life’s eager chase, And quench the thirst for earthly good With thy bedewing grace!’’ “This peace is more than silence after storms. It is as the concord of all melodious sounds; a season when, in the fullest flow of thought and feeling, in the universal action of the soul, an inward calm, profound as midnight silence, yet bright as the still summer noon, full of joy, but unbroken by one throb of tumultuous passion, is breathed through the spirit, and a glimpse and presage given of the serenity of a happier world. Of this character is the peace of religion. It is a conscious harmony with God and the cre¬ ation, an alliance of love with all beings, a sympathy with all that is pure and happy, a surrender of every separate will and interest, a participation of the spirit and life of the universe, an entire concord of purpose with its Infinite Original.” — William Ellery Charming. fOt tf)t “Almighty God! fill us with thy Spirit as thou didst fill the men of old. They saw thee in all the relations of life; then God was all in all. They looked on the flock, and on the tender green pasture, and saw thee. They said, ‘God is my shepherd.’ Let their spirit be ours. O Shepherd of the sheep ! who didst promise to carry the lambs in thy arms, and to lead us by the still waters, help us all to know the peace which passeth understanding . Let thy gentleness make us great. Show us thy Son, and abiding in him, may we abide in thee. Have mercy upon us and hear our prayers. Guide us, till at last, in the assembly of thy saints, we may find rest forevermore.” Amen. — George Dawson (b. 1861). 257 COMRADESHIP SEPTEMBER 15 peace $ets»e tot t f\t 2Dap: “ Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways.” — 2 T hessalonians 3. 16. 2les I0on to t t$e 2Da^: Isaiah 26. 1-6. i In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah: We have a strong city; salvation will he appoint for walls and bulwarks. 2 Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth faith may enter in. 3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee; because he trusteth in thee. 4 Trust ye in Jehovah forever; for in Jehovah, even Jehovah, is an everlasting rock. 5 For he hath brought down them that dwell on high, the lofty city: he layeth it low, he layeth it low even to the ground; he bringeth it even to the dust. 6 The foot shall tread it down; even the feet of the poor, and the steps of the needy. “The cause of discontent is not in men’s circumstances, but in their own spirit and temper. Get the song into your heart, and you will hear songs all about you. Even the wailing storm will make music for you. Get the beauty and the good into your own soul, and into your own life, and you will find peace in every lot.” — J . R. Miller. “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. Ilavergal. Ptaptt fat tj)t 2Da#> “Oh, Lord, unto whom all hearts are open, thou canst govern the vessels of our souls far better than we can. Arise, O Lord, and command the stormy wind and the troubled sea of our hearts to be still, and at peace in thee , that we may look up to thee undisturbed, and abide in unison with thee, our Lord. Let us not be carried hither and thither by wandering thoughts, but, forgetting all else, let us see and hear thee. Renew our spirits; kindle in us thy light, that it may shine within us, and our hearts may burn in love and adoration toward thee. Let thy Holy Spirit dwell in us continually, and make us thy temples and sanctuary, and fill us with divine love and light and life, with devout and heavenly thoughts, with comfort and strength, with joy and peace.” Amen. — Johann Arndt (1555-1621). COMRADESHIP SEPTEMBER 16 ?lt)t jfaitf) ot C?£££»£ fOt tjjt “Without faith it is impossible to be well-pleasing unto him; for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that seek after him.” — Hebrews n. 6. 3^££0nf0ttf)eS)ap: Hebrews II. 32-40. 32 And what shall I more say? for the time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah; of David and Samuel and the prophets; 33 who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, waxed mighty in war, turned to flight armies of aliens. 35 Women received their dead by a resurrection : and others were tortured, not accepting their deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection : 36 and others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprison¬ ment: 37 they were stoned, they were sawn asunder, they were tempted, they were slain with the sword : they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated 38 (of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves, and the holes of the earth. 39 And these all, having had witness borne to them through their faith, received not the promise, 40 God having provided some better thing concern¬ ing us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect. “For ail the saints who from their labors rest, Who thee by faith before the world confessed, Thy name, O Jesu, be forever blest. “Thou wast their Rock, their Fortress, and their Might; Thou, Lord, their Captain in the well-fought fight; Thou in the darkness drear their one true Light. “0 may thy soldiers, faithful, true, and bold, Fight as the saints who nobly fought of old, And win with them the victor’s crown of gold. “0 blest communion, fellowship divine, We feebly struggle, they in glory shine; Yet all are one in thee, for all are thine.’’ — Walsham How. Pta ytv tot tjje $Dap: We are reminded, O God, of the faith of the mighty men of olden time. May the remembrance of them inspire our hearts with courage and strength; so that we too may be prepared for valiant service for thee. Uphold us that we may walk undaunted in the path of duty and loyalty, even though it cost all that we hold dear. Even amid grief and suffering may we continue to cling to thee and perform our appointed tasks in trust and cheerfulness. Strengthen us to combat injustice and oppression, and to strive unceasingly in behalf of truth, and righteousness. Fill our hearts with love and compassion for the needy and distressed, that we may gladly share with them the bounties we enjoy. Make us truly conscious that thou art the loving Father of all men and that it is thy will that thy children be not divided by distrust and strife, but united in an eternal covenant of brotherhood and peace. Then will deliverance be the portion of thy people and salvation the heritage of all who put their trust in thee. Amen. 259 COMRADESHIP SEPTEMBER 17 ^8 1 flUnfatltng Counsel ot d5ob Wtt&t (ot tSt 2Dap: %t$$on (ot tf)t SDap: “The counsel of Jehovah standeth fast forever, The thoughts of his heart to all generations.” — Psalm 33. 11. Proverbs 19. 20— 23. 20 Hear counsel, and receive instruction, That thou mayest be wise in thy latter end. 21 There are many devices in a man’s heart; But the counsel of Jehovah, that shall stand. 22 That which maketh a man to be desired is his kindness; And a poor man is better than a liar, 23 The fear of Jehovah tendeth to life; And he that hath it shall abide satisfied; He shall not be visited with evil. “Sometime, when all life’s lessons have been learned, And sun and stars forevermore have set, The things which our weak judgment here has spurned, The things o’er which we grieved with lashes wet, Will flash before us out of life’s dark night, As stars shine most in deeper tints of blue; And we shall see how all God’s plans were right, And how what seemed reproof was love most true.” — M. R. Smith. Ptapet (or tfje 2Dag: “ Almighty God ! we are children of change, whose days are short, whose purposes are many; yet our eternal joy is to remernber that thy counsel standeth forever , the thoughts of thy heart to all generations. For, Lord God, what matter that we pass away so quickly if we are in thee? What matter whether we live or die. If we are within thy loving care, it shall be well with us. And we beseech thee that amid all chance and change of this our fleeting life, we may ever rest in God, and wait patiently for thee, whose counsel standeth forever. Lord ! we look upon nations that have existed, and are passed away, the ruins of ancient things, the dim fame of the things the world has counted great, and we turn and remember that thy counsel standeth forever. When we would lay hold upon life and strength, let us know that thy counsel standeth forever, for only in that which abideth can we abide. When we remember how much of the misery of life has come from our foolish neglect of thy counsel; how we have known the true light and turned against it, beheld thy glory and closed our eyes, known thy love and shut our hearts, heard thy warning and risked the sin, have mercy upon us, and let our doubting hearts be comforted, in that thy counsel stand¬ eth forever. O Lord God, when we count the little things of this life to be of much value, and the sorrows that torment us in this world to be very great, teach us to smile as we think how small these things be when we remember that thy counsel abideth forever. May our hearts learn to be quiet. *. . . So trusting not in knowledge, nor in vision, but simply knowing that ‘Thou art there,’ grant that all these things may bring us to the peace of God, which passeth understanding, through Jesus Christ, our Lord.” Amen. — George Dawson (b. 1861). 260 COMRADESHIP SEPTEMBER 18 Tltit ot tSe lftig;f)teou£> Perge (ot tfje £Dag: “Blessed is the man unto whom Jehovah imputeth not iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no guile.” — Psalm 32. 2. JLt$$on to t tjjeSDap: Psalm I. 1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the wicked, Nor standeth in the way of sinners, Nor sitteth in the seat of scoffers: 2 But his delight is in the law of Jehovah; And on his law doth he meditate day and night. 3 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. 4 The wicked are not so, But are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. 5 Therefore the wicked shall not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. 6 For Jehovah knoweth the way of the righteous; But the way of the wicked shall perish. “The serene, silent beauty of a holy life is the most powerful influence in the world next to the might of the Spirit of God.” “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?” — Thoreau. (ot tfjt 2Dap: Grant unto us, O Lord, that by thy grace we may so live as to know the blessedness of the righteousness of which the psalmist speaks. We are dependent upon thee for aid; we need the inspiration and the help of thy Spirit. We lift up our eyes unto the hills from whence cometh our help; our help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. Only our sins separate us from thee, our loving Father, and we be¬ seech thee to blot these out for thy name’s sake. Pardon our infirmities, strengthen us in all goodness, and establish us in the ways of righteousness and true holiness. Bless our fellow men. May thy gracious favor rest upon our community, our State, and our nation. Give peace in our time, O Lord, and incline the hearts and minds of all those who are in places of respon¬ sibility to that which is just and lawful in thy sight. Have mercy upon the poor, the afflicted, the solitary, the bereaved, and cause that the grace and truth of thy gospel shall go forth everywhere to heal the errors and the sins and the sorrows of all mankind. For Jesus’ sake. Amen. 261 COMRADESHIP SEPTEMBER 19 fDt ifyt “For our citizenship is in heaven.” — Philippians 3. 20. JLt$$0l\ fOttjjeSDap: Colossians 3- 1-4, 12-17. i If then ye were raised together with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated on the right hand of God. 2. Set your mind on the things that are above, not on the things that are upon earth. 3 For ye died, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is our life, shall be manifested, then shall ye also with him be manifested in glory. 12 Put on therefore, as God’s elect, holy and beloved, a heart of compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, long-suffering; 13 for¬ bearing one another, and forgiving each other, if any man have a complaint against any; even as the Lord forgave you, so also do ye: 14 and above all these things put on love, which is the bond of per¬ fectness. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to the which also ye were called in one body; and be ye thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts unto God. 17 And what¬ soever ye do, in word or in deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. “Oh! Thou who taught my infant eye To pierce the air and view the sky, To see my God in earth and seas, To hear him in the vernal breeze, To know him midnight thoughts among, O guide my soul and aid my song. Spirit of Light, do thou impart Majestic truths and teach my heart: How vain my powers, how weak my frame; Teach me celestial paths untrod — The ways of glory and of God.” — George Crabbe. ptaget for tl&e amp: O Lord, our God, enable us to worship thee in reverent and holy fear, with true confidence and holy joy, according to thy word. Thou art very great and very good. Lord, thou art not far from every one of us; for in thee we live, and move, and have our being. Make us to believe thy greatness and thy goodness, as shown by thy providential care and bounty continually. Especially make us to know thee better as thou makest thyself known to us in thy holy Word. And O, grant unto us thatj seeking the things that are above , our minds may be set on heavenly things. Deliver us, we pray thee, from all coarse and low thought and speech. Help us that we may each have that heart of compassion, of kindness, of meekness and of long-suffering which we are enjoined by thy apostles to possess. O our gracious God, thy tender mercies are over all thy works. Thou art the God of all the families of the earth. We pray that thou wilt bless others as well as ourselves. Help us, both as individuals and as a nation, to give ourselves in service to mankind in the name of Jesus Christ. For his sake we ask it. Amen. 262 OBEDIENCE SEPTEMBER 20 m\ )c ^atS o( SDtttp IP£££>£ t0t tpt “For the ways of Jehovah are right, and the just shall walk in them.” — Hosea 14. 9b. JLtffton tottfjtSDap; Luke 9. 51-53, 59-62. 51 And it came to pass, when the days were well-nigh come that he should be received up, he steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusa¬ lem, 52 and sent messengers before his face: and they went and entered into a ' village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him. 53 And they did not receive him, because his face was as though he were going to Jerusalem. 59 And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. 60 But he said unto him, Leave the dead to bury their own dead; but go thou and publish abroad the kingdom of God. 61 And another also said, I will follow thee, Lord, but first suffer me to bid farewell to them that are at my house. 62 But Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. “If man aspire to reach the throne of God, O’er the dull plains of earth must lie his road. He who best does his lowly duty here Shall mount the highest in a nobler sphere; At God’s own feet our spirits seek their rest, And he is nearest him who serves him best.” — Anonymous. “Not once or twice in our fair island-story, The path of duty was the way of glory; He, that ever following her commands, On with toil of heart, and knees, and hands, Through the long gorge to the far light has won His path upward, and prevail’d, Shall find the toppling crags of duty scaled Are close upon the shining table-lands To which our God himself is moon and sun.” — Alfred Tennyson. ptapet tot tfie 2Dag: “ Most merciful Father, in whom we live and move and have our being, glorify thyself in us. Instruct us in thy faith, purify us by thy Spirit, destroy the evil that lurks in our members, kindle in us holy aspiration, teach us to be loving and sincere, make us fruitful in every good work. We do not know how to guide our lives: take thou the control of them. Make the path of duty clear to us , and give us the heart to do it. Lead us in pleasant paths, if it be thy gracious will; or if thou givest us some daily round of irksome labor to be done in the shadow, may we do it bravely for thy sake, and sing at our toil. From the bitter and foolish judg¬ ments of men, from worldly snares and enticements, from the errors that lead to unbelief and despair, grant us joyful deliverance. May thy gospel be preached among the heathen, and thy love and righteousness exalted in the sight of all nations. Let the new song arise, because thy right hand and thy holy arm have gotten the victory in Jesus Christ.” Amen. 263 OBEDIENCE SEPTEMBER 21 Cfie IQtoe ZX$z ot Himt $0t£0 (Ot t!)0 “Look therefore carefully how ye walk, not as un¬ wise, but as wise; redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” — Ephesians 5. 15? 16. 3lt&$0X\ (ot tl)e 2Dttp: Psalm 90. IO-I2, 16, 17. 10 The days of our years are threescore years and ten, Or even by reason of strength fourscore years; Yet is their pride but labor and sorrow; For it is soon gone, and we fly away. 11 Who knoweth the power of thine anger, And thy wrath according to the fear that is due unto thee? 12 So teach us to number our days, That we may get us a heart of wisdom. 16 Let thy work appear unto thy servants, And thy glory upon their children. 17 And let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us; And establish thou the work of our hands upon us; Yea, the work of our hands establish thou it. “Lo, here hath been dawning Another blue day; Think, wilt thou let it Slip useless away?” — Thomas Carlyle. “Fill up each hour with what will last; Buy up the moments as they go; The life above, when this is past, Is the ripe fruit of life below.” — Horatius Bonar. “Believe me when I tell you that thrift of time will repay you in after life, with a usury of profit beyond your most sanguine dreams, and that waste of it will make you dwindle alike in intellectual and moral station beyond your darkest reckoning.” — Wil¬ liam E. Gladstone. (Ot “O Lord, in whose hands are life and death, by whose power we are sustained, and by whose mercy we are spared, look down upon us with pity. Forgive us that we have until now so much neglected the duty which thou hast assigned to us, and suffered the days and hours of which we must give account to pass away without due endeavor to accom¬ plish thy will. Make us to remember, O God, that every day is thy gift to be used according to thy command. Grant us, therefore, so to repent of our negligence that we may obtain mercy from thee, and pass the time which thou shalt yet allow us in diligent performance of thy command, through Jesus Christ.” Amen. — Samuel Johnson (1708—1784). 264 OBEDIENCE SEPTEMBER 22 Cbnr JLiit a plan ot C5oli \&ZZ$Z fat tf)£ 2Dagt “O Jehovah, I know that the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.” — Jeremiah 10. 23. HfggonfortljeSDap: Psalm 37. 23-28. 23 A man’s goings are established of Jehovah; And he delighteth in his way. 24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For Jehovah upholdeth him with his hand. 25 I have been young, and now am old; Yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, Nor his seed begging bread. 26 All the day long he dealeth graciously, and lendeth; And his seed is blessed. 27 Depart from evil, and do good; And dwell forevermore. 28 For Jehovah loveth justice, And forsaketh not his saints; They are preserved forever: But the seed of the wicked shall be cut off. “God has a definite life-plan set for every man; one that, being accepted and fol¬ lowed, will conduct him to the best and noblest end possible. And so, as you pass on, stage by stage, in your courses of experience, it is made clear to you that whatever you have laid upon you to do or suffer, whatever to want, whatever to surrender or conquer, is exactly best for you. Your life is a school, exactly adapted to your lesson, and that to the best, last end of your existence. No room for a discouraged or depressed feeling, therefore, is left you. Enough that you exist for a purpose high enough to give meaning to life, and to support a genuine inspiration. If your sphere is outwardly humble, God understands it better than you do, and it is part of his wisdom to bring out great senti¬ ments in humble conditions, great characters under great adversities and heavy loads of incumbrance.” — Horace Bushnell. (Ot tfjt O God, our Father, we thank thee for the assur¬ ance that thou dost regard us with more than a father’s care. We need thy counsel and thy direction. May we hold fast our confidence that thou dost appoint unto us our work and that, bending our wills to thine, thou dost help us to perform our tasks and to guide our affairs with wisdom. Grant unto us, we pray thee, such success as seemeth best to thee. There is joy and satisfaction in feeling that thy divine will is being realized in our lives. Help us so to live in dependence upon thee that this may be our confidence. Suffer us not to be overburdened, but aid us that we may know the secret of casting our burdens upon the Lord. Receive our intercessions for all man¬ kind. Help us that we may make our neighborhood and our nation a part of thy Kingdom. May thy kingdom come in the lives of all our people. Bless our home and grant that righteousness and peace and joy in thee may rule in all our lives through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 265 OBEDIENCE SEPTEMBER 23 lutotoletig* of C&ob fOt t §£ “For I desire goodness, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.” — Hosea 6. 6. i2LejS»jGrPn for tSe Proverbs 2. 1-9. 1 My son, if thou wilt receive my words, And lay up my commandments with thee; 2 So as to incline thine ear unto wisdom, And apply thy heart to understanding; 3 Yea, if thou cry after discernment, And lift up thy voice for understanding; 4 If thou seek her as silver, And search for her as for hid treasures: 5 Then shalt thou understand the fear of Jehovah, And find the knowledge of God. 6 For Jehovah giveth wisdom; Out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding: 7 He layeth up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to them that walk in integrity; 8 That he may guard the paths of justice, And preserve the way of his saints. 9 Then shalt thou understand righteousness and justice, And equity, yea, every good path. “The moral content of life is based not on ritual and ecclesiastical law, but on reason and conscience, and these are the gift of God. We have here, on the one hand, the recognition of the mind of man as a source of truth, and, on the other hand, the asser¬ tion that the moral potency of the mind is the creation of God. Jehovah is the source of wisdom. . . . He who seeks wisdom will understand the fear or knowledge of God, because all knowledge comes from him. The reference is probably to the whole moral thought and conduct of man — human instincts, the results of experience, the common- law of morality, as well as the ethical prescriptions contained in the Israelitish canonical and oral codes.” — C. H. Toy. y&Z&IPtZ fOZ tf)C “Almighty God, who givest to thy creatures life and breath and all things, we acknowledge thy sovereignty, and bow before the throne of thy holiness. Ignorantly have we worshiped thee, often have we sought thee, as if thou wert far away. Yet thou art ever near, sustaining our spirits; we are kept as in the hollow of thy hand. Grant unto us that we may attain, in increasing measure, to the knowledge of God. For the revela¬ tion of thy wisdom and goodness in the works of the creation, we praise thee : and still more for the unfolding of thy will and of thy mercy in Jesus Christ. Give us to see our God in the Word who was made flesh, and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth. Grant that the nations, whom thou hast taught to seek after thee, may find thee in Him who is the brightness of thy glory, and the very image of thy substance. Call them by thy gospel, enlighten them by thy spirit, redeem them from the long tyranny of the powers of darkness. Raise up preachers and missionaries of thy word, who in the seats of ancient unbelief shall plant the foundations of faith, and build temples to thy Christ. For His name’s sake.” Amen. 266 OBEDIENCE SEPTEMBER 24 & dSDb'&jpjmntcfci rCasfc Pttgrt (Ot “Here am I; for thou calledst me.” — 1 Samuel 3. 5. tor tfje 2Dap: Acts 13. 1-5; 14- 25-28. 1 Now there were at Antioch in the church that was there, prophets and teachers, ... 2 And as they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. 3 Then, when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. 4 So they, being sent forth by 'the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia; and from thence they sailed to Cyprus. 5 And when they were at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews: and they had also John as their attendant. 14. 25 And when they had spoken the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia; 26 and thence they sailed to Antioch, from whence they had been committed to the grace of God for the work which they had fulfilled. 27 And when they were come, and had gathered the church together, they rehearsed all things that God had done with them, and that he had opened a door of faith unto the Gen¬ tiles. 28 And they tarried no little time with the disciples. “Get your spindle and your distaff ready, and God will send you flax.” — J. G. Holland. “Let me but do my work from day to day In field or forest, at the desk or loom, In roaring market place or tranquil room Let me but find it in my heart to say, When vagrant wishes beckon me astray, ‘This is my work; my blessing, not my doom, Of all the world, I am the one by whom This work can best be done, in the right way.’ So shall I find it not too great, nor small To suit my spirit and to prove my powers. So shall I cheerful greet the laboring hours, And cheerful turn, when the long shadows fall At eventide, to play, and love, and rest, Because I know for me my work is best.” — Anonymous. Pt iiytZ tot tf)C “O God, from whom we have received life and all earthly blessings, vouchsafe to give unto us each day what we need. Give unto all of us strength to perform faithfully our appointed tasks ; bless the work of our hands and of our minds. Grant that we may ever serve thee, in sickness and in health, in necessity and in abundance; sanctify our jo)^s and our trials, and give us grace to seek first thy kingdom and its righteous¬ ness, in the sure and certain faith that all else shall be added unto us ; through Jesus Christ, thy Son, our Lord and Saviour.” Amen. — Eugene Bersier (1831-1889). 267 OBEDIENCE SEPTEMBER 25 Cljaritp anb JLobt tot &\l tot tf)t 2Da^> “Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” — 1 John 4. 11. JLt&gon tot tije SDap: 1 John 2. 7—1 1 ,* 3. 17. 7 Beloved, no new commandment write I unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning: the old com¬ mandment is the word which ye heard. 8 Again, a new command¬ ment write I unto you, which thing is true in him and in you; because the darkness is passing away, and the true light already shineth. 9 He that saith he is in the light and hateth his brother, is in the darkness even until now. 10 He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is no occasion of stumbling in him. 11 But he that hateth his brother is in the darkness, and walketh in the darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because the dark¬ ness hath blinded his eyes. 3. 17 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? “Pour thy blessings, Lord, like showers. On these barren lives of ours; Warm and quicken them with grace Till they bloom and bear apace Fruit of prayer and fruit of praise, Holy thoughts and kindly ways, Loving sacrifices shown Wheresoever need is known.” — Miss H. McE. Kimball. “There lived in the Middle West a few years ago a woman who was known as ‘Aunt Emm.’ If there were sickness in any home she was the first to offer help. If death brought sadness and sorrow, Aunt Emm was always present to bring hope, comfort, and courage. Her baskets of provisions found their way to the homes of the poor. She opened her home for meetings and gatherings of all sorts. Her flower gardens yielded, their fragrance and color to sick room, library, and church. She entertained lecturers, concert singers, and visiting clergymen. She gave generously to all good causes, sup¬ porting the church and all its enterprises. She was envied because of her acquaintance with missionaries who had labored among strange peoples. Those missionaries visited her on their furloughs and were refreshed by rest in friendly surroundings. In this beau¬ tiful life sympathy was extended until it touched the whole circumference of experience.” — Ralph E. Diffendorfer. PtapCC fdt tl)? “Most loving Jesus, Pattern of Charity, who makest all the commandments of the law to consist in love toward God and toward man, grant to us so to love thee with all our heart, and with all our mind, and all our soul, and our neighbor for thy sake; that the grace of charity and brotherly love may dwell in us, and all envy, harshness, and ill-will may die in us; and fill our hearts with feelings of love, kindness, and compassion, so that by constantly rejoicing in the happiness and good success of others, by sympathy with them in their sorrows, and putting away all harsh judgments and envious thoughts, we may follow thee, who art thyself the true and perfect love.” Amen. •268 OBEDIENCE SEPTEMBER 26 lEUgiiStance to 'JEemptation Pettfe fot tlje 2Dap: “ Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” — James 4. 7* 1Lt$$on tot tfieSDap: James 1. 12—18. 12 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. 13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God; for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempteth no man: 14 but each man is tempted, when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed. 15 Then the lust, when it hath conceived, beareth sin: and the sin, when it is full grown, bringeth forth death. 16 Be not deceived, my beloved brethren. 17 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. 18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures. “When I’m tempted to do wrong, Make me steadfast, wise and strong; And when all alone I stand Shield me with thy mighty hand.” “Why comes temptation but for 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 hand and hair, Reluctant dragons, up to who dares fight, That so he may do battle and have praise.” — Robert Browning. (Ot tf)t “O Almighty God, the Father of mercies, source of holiness, the fountain of strength, grant us power to resist and overcome all temptations, and to guard against all dangers, that we may not be the slaves of accident or violence, of interest or passion, of fear or desire. We are encompassed by infirmities, surrounded by many dangerous allurements; our hearts are deceitful, our passions awake, our duties are many and difficult, and our resolutions weak. O be thou unto us as wisdom, righteousness, sanc¬ tification, and redemption. Thou hast promised thy Spirit to those who seek it. Grant that it may dwell with us; instruct, support, and encourage us in holiness, resignation, and every Christian virtue, that we, being prepared for every good work, may grow to that full measure of the stature and fullness of thee, our Saviour. Grant that our infirmities may be fewer and our graces stronger, so that we may walk steadfastly, . . . and finally through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ attain to that heavenly kingdom where is fullness of joy and pleasure forevermore.” Amen. — Mrs. Cornwallis. 26g OBEDIENCE SEPTEMBER 27 25dno; Mot Contormrt* to 'Ctji# dCloclb tot tjt “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.” — Romans 12. 2 (King James version) . JLt&$0\\ tot tlje 2Dap: 1 John 2. 14-17. 14 I have written unto you, fathers, because ye know him who is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, be¬ cause ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the evil one. 15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the vainglory of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever. “Are we assimilating his mind, his way of looking at things, his judgments, his spirit? Is the Christ-conscience being developed in us? Have we an increasing interest in the things which interest him, an increasing love of the things that he loves, an in¬ creasing desire to serve the purposes he has at heart? ‘Ye are my friends, if ye do what¬ soever 1 command you,’ is the test by which we can try ourselves.” — Hugh Black. “Life is what we are alive to. To be alive only to appetite, pleasure, pride, money¬ making, and not to goodness and kindness, purity and love, history, poetry, music, flowers, stars, God, and eternal hopes, it is to be almost dead.” “They ‘who hunger and thirst after righteousness,’ whose consciousness will not let them rest, who seek after a better standard of right and wrong, truth and falsehood, purity and impurity, justice and injustice, than they find in the world around them; to whom justice is a positive joy, and injustice a deep and rankling grief; who long with the longing of the psalmist, in a dry and thirsty land, to be better themselves, and to make others better also — these ‘shall be satisfied.’ ” — Arthur P. Stanley. pt aytz tot tt}c j&Dag: “ O thou great Companion of our souls, do thou go with us to-day and comfort us with the sense of thy presence in the hours of spiritual desolation. Give us a single eye for duty. Guide us by the voice within. May we take heed of all the judgments of men and gather patiently whatever truth they hold, but teach us still to test them by the words and the Spirit of the One who alone is our Master. May we not be so wholly of one mind with the life that now is that the world can fully approve us, but may we speak the higher truth and live the purer righteousness which thou hast revealed to us. If men speak well of us, may we not be puffed up; if they slight us, may we not be cast down ; remembering the words of our Master who bade us rejoice when men speak evil against us and tremble if all speak well, that we may have evidence that we are still soldiers of God.” Amen. — W alter Raus chenbusch (1861—1918). 270 OBEDIENCE SEPTEMBER 28 d5oti*£ fDt tf)C “Fear not, for I have redeemed thee; I have called thee by thy name, thou art mine.” — Isaiah 43. 1. 2le$»£0n for tjje 2Dap: Isaiah 43. 10-13. 10 Ye are my witnesses, saith Jehovah, and my servant whom I have chosen; that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he : before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. 11 I, even I, am Jehovah; and besides me there 'is no saviour. 12 I have declared, and I have saved, and I have showed; and there was no strange god among you: therefore ye are my witnesses, saith Jehovah, and I am God. 13 Yea, since the day was I am he; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand: I will work, and who can hinder it? “His testimony all the time is sure; The smallest star that keepeth in the night His silver candle bright, And every deed of good that anywhere Maketh the hands of holy women white; All sweet religious work, all earnest prayer Of uttered or unutterable speech; Whatever things are peaceable and pure, Whatever things are right — These are his witnesses, ay, all and each.” — Alice Cary. “How is it,” said the cloud to the evening star, “that while the sun is here you are but a faint vaporlike spot on the clear, blue sky, but no sooner is he gone than you shine out with a splendor that fringes us with silver as we pass by?” “It is thus,” said the star: “when the source of all my glory is present, what need is there that I should testify to his light? It is when he is absent that I gratefully pour forth the rays I have received from him, showing to all how glorious he must be from whom they first issued.” — Author Unknown. tot tj)e O God, the everlasting Father, thou who art never far from any one of thy children, we lift up our hearts unto thee. Receive our thanksgiving and hear us while we pray. For life and strength, for the comfort and shelter of this house, for the love that binds us to one another and to thee, we give thee thanks. Strengthen and guard us by thy grace, make us to know the way wherein we should walk. We too would be thy witnesses. We would hear thy voice speaking unto us, owning us as thine and directing our paths, that we may do thy will and service. We commend to thee our neighbors and our friends, our church and our community, our state and our nation. Guide by thy counsel all who are enlisted in thy service. Purify and enrich thy church. Establish our nation in righteous¬ ness and in the fear of God. Give power to the preaching of thy word, and to the teaching of thy truth throughout the world. So may thy kingdom come, thy will be done in all the earth. Amen. 271 OBEDIENCE SEPTEMBER 29 SDofng tf\t Oftlork of C5oti Cot tf)£ “I glorified thee on the earth, having accomplished the work which thou hast given me to do.” — John 17. 4. 2U£g>on Cottle 2Dap: John 4. 30-35* 30 They went out of the city, and were coming to him. 31 In the meanwhile the disciples prayed him, saying, Rabbi, eat. 32 But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not. 33 The disciples therefore said one to another, Hath any man brought him aught to eat? 34 Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to accomplish his work. 35 Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh the harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields, that they are white already unto harvest. “They are doing the work of the Lord who sweep a floor, or guide a plow, or sit over a desk, with a desire so to do their work that God may thereby be glorified. All work done from such motives, and for such an end, becomes the work of the Lord; and thus our life, in all its phases, entirely spent in the work of the Lord, should flow on like a river, which, however rough its bed, short or long its course, tame or grand the scene through which it passes, springs from a lofty mountain, and, born of the skies, bears blessings in its waters, and heaven reflected in its bosom.” — Thomas Guthrie. y&ZSLytt Cot ifyz SDagt O Lord, our God and Father, every new day is an invitation to thy service; may we hear thy voice in each opportunity we have for doing good. Our work is thy gift; we thank thee for it and for the knowledge and strength that makes us able to do it. May we be con¬ scientious and thorough in everything, so that all we do may be done well. May we have a strong and constant purpose to accomplish the work which thou hast given us to do. May it be our highest desire to do the will of God. We pray for those who are unemployed because they cannot find work; and for those who are idle because of sickness, accident, or distress. May the causes of these troubles be more and more removed ; especially do thou give thy blessing to all those, thy servants, who labor to do away with the causes of unemployment and of all undue risk and uncertainty in industry. Hear us in these our prayers for Jesus’ sake. Amen. 272 OBEDIENCE SEPTEMBER 30 SDOtng (Bob’sS MUU Ho-tsat to t tl)f 2D0J! “I delight to do thy will, O my God.” — Psalm 40. 8. 1Lt6$on tor tfjc 2Dag: James 4. 13-15. 13 Come now, ye that say, To-day or to-morrow we will go into this city, and spend a year there, and trade, and get gain: 14 whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. What is your life? For ye are a vapor that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. 15 For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall both live, and do this or that. “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.” — Fenelon . “Thy will, O God, is joy to me, A gladsome thing; For in it naught but love I see Whate’er it bring. “Within the circle of thy will All things abide; So I, exulting, find no ill When thou dost guide. “In that resplendent will of thine I calmly rest; Tri umphantly I make it mine, And count it best.” — James Mudge. Prayer for tjje 2Day: “ Eternal God, who committest to us the swift and solemn trust of life; since we know not what a day may bring forth, but only that the hour for serving thee is always present, may we wake to the instant claims of thy holy will, not waiting for to-morrow, but yielding to¬ day. Consecrate with thy presence the way our feet may go, and the hum¬ blest work will shine, and the roughest place be made plain. Lift us above unrighteous anger and mistrust, into faith, and hope, and charity, by a simple and steadfast reliance on thy sure will. In all things draw us to the mind of Christ, that thy lost image may be traced again, and thou mayest own us as at one with him and thee, to the glory of thy great Name.” Amen. — James Martineau (1805-1900). 273 OBEDIENCE OCTOBER i l&uting; Our Oton H>n^e for tl)e 2Dap: “He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; And he that ruleth his spirit, than he that taketh a city.” — Proverbs 16. 32. 3Lt&&on for tlje Soap: i Peter i. 13-19. 13 Wherefore girding up the loins of your mind, be sober and set your hope perfectly on the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 14 as children of obedience, not fashioning yourselves according to your former lusts in the time of your ignorance; 15 but like as he who called you is holy, be ye yourselves also holy in all manner of living; 16 because it it written, Ye shall be holy; for I am holy. 17 And if ye call on him as Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to each man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning in fear: 18 knowing that ye were redeemed, not with corruptible things, with silver or gold, from your vain manner of life handed down from your fathers; 19 but with precious blood, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot, even the blood of Christ. “What can be more unkind than to communicate our low spirits to others, to go about the world like demons, poisoning the fountains of joy? Have I more light because I have managed to involve those I love in the same gloom as myself? Is it not pleasant to see the sun shining on the mountains, even though we have none of it down in our valley? Oh, the littleness and the meanness of that sickly appetite for sympathy, which will not let us keep our sorrows to ourselves! Let us hide our pains and sorrows. But, while we hide them, let them also be spurs within us to urge us on to all manner of over¬ flowing kindness and sunny humor to those around us. When the very darkness within us creates a sunshine around us, then has the spirit of Jesus taken possession of our souls.” — Frederick W. Faber. Pmprc tot tfje 2Dap: “ O Lord, lift up the light of thy countenance upon us; let thy peace rule our hearts; and may it be our strength and our song in the course of our pilgrimage. We commit ourselves to thy care and keeping. Let thy grace be mighty in us, and may it work both to will and to do of thy good pleasure; and grant us strength for all the duties of the day. Keep us from sin; give us the rule over our oivn spirits ; and keep us from speaking unadvisedly with our lips. May we live together in peace and holy love, and do thou command thy blessing upon us, even life forever¬ more. Give us grace to deny ourselves; to take up our cross daily, and to follow in the steps of our Lord and Master.” Amen. — Matthew Henry (1672-1714). 274 OBEDIENCE OCTOBER 2 putting €>u i Petgte fot tty SDag: %e&$on tot tty 2Dap: “If iniquity be in thy hand, put it far away, And let not unrighteousness dwell in thy tents.” — Job II. 14. Ephesians 4. 17—24. 17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye no longer walk as the Gentiles also walk, in the vanity of their mind, 18 being darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardening of their heart; 19 who being past feeling gave them¬ selves up to lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. 20 But ye did not so learn Christ; 21 if so be that ye heard him, and were taught in him, even as truth is in- Jesus: 22 that ye put away, as concerning your former manner of life, the old man, that waxeth corrupt after the lusts of deceit; 23 and that ye be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and put on the new man, that after God hath been created in righteousness and holiness of truth. “Who hath a greater combat than he that laboreth to overcome himself?” — Thomas a Kempis. “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.” — J. H. Newman. “Do not keep company with any sin. It may surprise thee as an enemy some¬ times, but let it not lodge with thee as a friend.” — Archbishop Leighton. fot tty “Almighty and merciful God, the Fountain of all goodness, who knowest the thoughts of our hearts, we confess unto thee that we have sinned against thee and done evil in thy sight. Wash us, we beseech thee, from the stains of our past sins, and give us grace and power to put away all hurtful things , so that, being delivered from the bondage of sin, we may bring forth worthy fruits of repentance. O Eternal Light shine into our hearts. O Eternal Goodness, deliver us from evil. O Eternal Power, be thou our support. Eternal Wisdom, scatter the darkness of our ignorance. Eternal Pity, have mercy upon us. Grant unto us, that with all our hearts, and minds, and strength, we may evermore sjeek thy face; and finally, bring us, in thine infinite mercy, to thy holy presence. So strengthen our weak¬ ness that, following in the footsteps of thy blessed Son, we may obtain thy mercy and enter into thy promised joy; through the same Jesus Christ, our only Saviour and Redeemer.” — F. A. Alcuinus (735-804). 275 OBEDIENCE OCTOBER 3 Ptapet a£ a 9?ean£ of lettuce (Ot t fjt SDa^t “Unceasingly I make mention of you, always in my prayers. ” — Romans 1. 9. (DC tfje SDa^: Matthew 9. 35-38. 35 And Jesus went about all the cities and the villages, teach¬ ing in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of disease and all manner of sickness. 36 But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion for them, because they were distressed and scattered, as sheep not having a shepherd. 37 Then saith he unto his disciples, The har¬ vest indeed is plenteous, but the laborers are few. 38 Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he send forth laborers into his harvest. “Prayer was to Christ the means, not only of helping individuals, but of dealing with intricate social problems. When he had been healing and teaching in the cities of Galilee, and was moved with compassion for the distressed multitudes, he saw with deeper insight than his disciples, that the real difficulty was not with the multitudes: ‘The harvest indeed is plenteous, but the laborers are few.’ For this reason he turned to the fundamental lack, commanding: ‘Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he send forth laborers into his harvest.’ This diagnosis is correct for the world to-day; this remedy applies to all social disorders. Christ goes to the heart of present problems when he calls his disciples to pray for laborers who share his spirit and who will employ his methods.” Ptapet (DC tf)C Soap; “Almighty God, who by thy Son Jesus Christ didst give commandment to the holy apostles that they should go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature, grant to us whom thou hast called to follow thee, a ready will to obey thy Word, and fill us with a hearty desire to make thy way known upon earth, thy saving health among all nations. Look with compassion upon all who are living without thee, and on the mul¬ titudes who even in this land are scattered abroad as sheep having no shepherd, or who in strange lands are far from the church of their fathers. Visit them with thy salvation. O heavenly Father, Lord of the harvest, have respect, we beseech thee, to these our prayers, and send forth laborers into thy harvest. Fit and prepare them by thy grace for the work of their ministry. Give them the spirit of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. Strengthen them to endure hardness, and grant that both by their life and doctrine they may set forth thy glory and set forward the salvation of all men ; through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Amen. — Prayer Book of the Church of Ireland , 1877. 276 OBEDIENCE OCTOBER 4 Hiking M flDne'g 75e0 1 (Ot tj)0 2D&yt “Ye therefore shall be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” — Matthew 5. 48. JLt$&on tor tljeSDay: 2 Peter 1. 5-11. 5 Yea, and for this very cause adding on your part all dili¬ gence, in your faith supply virtue; and in your virtue knowledge; 6 and in your knowledge self-control; and in your self-control pa¬ tience; and in your patience godliness; 7 and in your godliness brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness love. 8 For if these things are yours and abound, they make you to be not idle nor unfruitful unto the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For he that lacketh these things is blind, seeing only what is near, having forgotten the cleansing from his old sins. 10 Wherefore, brethren, give the more diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never stumble: 11 for thus shall be richly supplied unto you the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. “There is only one real failure in life possible; and that is not to be true to the best one knows.” — Frederick W. Farrar. “ ‘Am I really what I ought to be? Am I what, in the bottom of my heart, I honestly wish to be? Am I living at my best? My secret nature, the true complexion of my character, is hidden from all men, and only I know it. Is it such as I should be willing to show? Is my soul at all like what my kindest and most intimate friends believe? Is my heart at all such as I should wish the Searcher of Hearts to judge me by? Is every year adding to my devotion, to my unselfishness, to my conscientiousness, to my freedom from the hypocrisy of seeming so much better than I am? When I compare myself with last year, am I more ready to surrender myself at the call of duty? am I more alive to the commands of conscience? have I shaken off my besetting sins?’ These are the questions which we ought to be putting fairly and honestly to our hearts.” — Frederick Temple. prayer (or tije SDay: “ O God, when we remember our thoughtless lives, our low desires, our impatient temper, our ungoverned wills, we know that thou hast left us without excuse. . . . We are not our own, and are ashamed to have lived unto ourselves. Thou hast formed us for thy service and we must hide our face that we have shrunk from the glorious hardships of our task, and slumbered on our holy watch. Our daily work has not been wrought as in thy sight; and we have not made the outgoings of the morning and the evening to praise thee. The trials of our patience we have received as earthly pains of nature, not as the heavenly discipline of faith ; and the fullness of our bounties has come to us as a dead comfort, not as the quickening touch of thy everlasting love. O our true and only God ! we have lived in a bondage of the world that giveth no content; and the passions we serve are as strange idols that cannot deliver. Awake, awake, O Arm of the Lord ! and burst our bonds in sunder ; and help the spirit that struggles within us to turn unto thee with a pure heart, and serve thee in newness of spirit.” Amen. — James Martineau (1805-1900). 277 OBEDIENCE OCTOBER 5 ft ItidlglOUSi polite (or tfje Soap; “Train up a child in the way he should go, And even when he is old he will not depart from v yy it. — Proverbs 22. 6. fOE tf)C Deuteronomy 6. 4-9. 4 Hear, O Israel: Jehovah our God is one Jehovah: 5 and thou shalt love Jehovah thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. 6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be upon thy heart; 7 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. 8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thy hand, and they shall be for frontlets between thine eyes. 9 And thou shalt write them upon the door-posts of thy house, and upon thy gates. “I cannot flow name any time, day, or place when I was converted. It was my faithful mother’s steady and constant influence that led me gradually along, and I grew into a religious life under her potent training, and by the power of the Holy Spirit working through her agency. I feel now that the happy fifty-six years that I have spent in the glorious ministry of the gospel of redemption is the direct outcome of that beloved mother’s prayers, teaching, example, and holy influence.” — Theodore Cuyler. “The sweetest memories of our lives cluster about the scenes of family life. The rose-embowered cottage of the poet is not the only spot that claims affection and grat¬ itude. Wherever it may have been, if it sheltered love and held a shrine where the altar fires of family sacrifice burned, earth has no fairer or more sacred spot.” — Henry F. Cope. for tjje £>ap: “ O Lord, our heavenly Father, by whose mercy we are enabled to meet together in this our family circle, we would offer unto thee our united prayer and praise. We thank thee for thy word, for the privilege of worship, and for all the means which thou hast appointed for our spiritual instruction and the attainment of wisdom and righteousness and eternal life. Help us, that we may ever hold in sacred remembrance thy counsel to thy people of old. Thy commandments would we hide in our hearts; upon them would we meditate from day to day; by them would we be governed, and to others would we commend them. Bless us now, we beseech thee, as we bow before thee as a family. Enable us to worship thee in spirit and in truth. Grant that thy word, taught in its purity, may be received in humble and willing hearts. May thy words so abide in us that we may abide in thee. Awaken and strengthen in us a more enduring inter¬ est in what is spiritual and eternal and a deeper and truer love for thee and for our fellow men. Grant that our precious heritage of the knowledge and the love of God may be handed down by us to our children and to our children’s children.” Amen. 278 OBEDIENCE OCTOBER 6 keeping <0ttt Ifea zt& CUitt) #11 ^Diligence fOE “Keep thy heart with all diligence; For out of it are the issues of life.” — Proverbs 4. 23. for tfjeSDap: Proverbs 3. 1-6. 1 My son, forget not my law; But let thy heart keep my commandments: 2 For length of days, and years of life, And peace, will they add to thee. 3 Let not kindness and truth forsake thee: Bind them about thy neck; Write them upon the tablet of thy heart: 4 So shalt thou find favor and good understanding In the sight of God and man. 5 Trust in Jehovah with all thy heart, And lean not upon thine own understanding: 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, And he will direct thy paths. “The only failure a man ought to fear is failure in cleaving to the purpose he sees to be best.” — George Eliot. “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. for t!)e 2Da$: “ O Lord, our God, teach us, we pray thee, the great forces there are in Christ’s gospel to assist those who strive to overcome their sins. Make us to search our hearts diligently, knowing the great issues of life do all go forth from them. Save us from all false notions of our duties; especially save us from measuring our own duties by our neighbors’ shortcomings. Save us from that unprofitabe state of conscience which would lead us to suppose that because others are doing evil we are excused from obeying the truth and walking in the paths of holiness. Grant that we may look to our own eyes rather than to the eyes of others. Help us to root out the pestilent habit of constantly intermeddling with the sins and doings of others, which turning us into Pharisees, hides from us the blessed thoughts of God, because we are only contemplating evil. Do thou help us when thou seest help is needed; teach us to keep our hearts with all diligence, at all times, because out of them are the issues of life. Hear these, our prayers, through Jesus Christ, our Lord.” Amen. — George Dawson (b. 1861). 279 OBEDIENCE OCTOBER 7 fepmt ot $£££»£ (0t tf)£ SDftJU “But thou, O man of God, . . . follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.” — I Timothy 6. n. (or tf)t 2Dag: James 3. 13—18. 13 Who is wise and understanding among you? let him show by his good life his works in meekness of wisdom. 14 But if ye have bitter jealousy and faction in your heart, glory not and lie not against the truth. 15 This wisdom is not a wisdom that cometh down from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. 16 For where jealousy and faction are, there is confusion and every vile deed. 17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, with¬ out variance, without hypocrisy. 18 And the fruit of righteous¬ ness is sown in peace for them that make peace. “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.” — John Milton. “It is hard work sometimes to pocket our pride, and stand being scolded and snub¬ bed without resenting it angrily. God knows all that, and ‘he resisteth the proud and giveth grace to the humble.’” — M. E. Briscoe. “The meek, the disinterested, the unselfish, those who think little of themselves and much of others — who think of the public good and not of their own — who rejoice in good done, not by themselves, but by others, by those whom they dislike as well as by those whom they love — these shall gain far more than they lose; they shall ‘inherit the earth’ and its fullness.’” — Arthur P. Stanley. Pta ytz tot ifyt £oap: “ O Lord, who art a God ready to pardon, slow to anger, and of great kindness, remove far from us all occasions and effects of causeless and immoderate anger; all pride and prejudice, and too much con¬ cern for the things of this world ; all intemperate speeches and indecent passions. Give us, O God, a mild, a peaceable, a meek, and a humble spirit, that remembering our own infirmities, we may bear with those of others: that we may think lowly of ourselves, and not be angry when others think lowly of us ; that we may be patient toward all men ; gentle and easy to be entreated, that God, for Christ’s sake, may be so toward us.” Amen. — Thomas Wilson (1663-1755). 280 OBEDIENCE OCTOBER 8 Poict of MItetiom fOC tj)£ “For Jehovah giveth wisdom; Out of his mouth cometh knowledge and under¬ standing.” — Proverbs 2. 6. for tfie 2Da^: Proverbs 8. i-6, IO, II. 1 Doth not wisdom cry, And understanding put forth her voice? 2 On the top of high places by the way, Where the paths meet, she standeth; 3 Beside the gates, at the entry of the city, At the coming in at the doors, she crieth aloud; 4 Unto you, O men, I call; And my voice is to the sons of men. 5 O ye simple, understand prudence; And, ye fools, be of an understanding heart. 6 Hear, for I will speak excellent things; And the opening of my lips shall be right things. 10 Receive my instruction, and not silver; And knowledge rather than choice gold. 11 For wisdom is better than rubies; And all the things that may be desired are not to be com¬ pared unto it. “Wisdom took up her torch, and stood in place Of frequent concourse — stood in every gate. By every way, and walked in every street; And, lifting up her voice, proclaimed: ‘Be wise, Ye fools! Be of an understanding heart. Forsake the wicked; come not near his house; Pass by; make haste; depart, and turn away. Me follow— me, whose ways are pleasantness, Whose paths are peace, whose end is perfect joy.’ ” — Pollok. “Religion, morality, and knowledge being necessary for good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged.” — The Ordinance of 1787. ptaget tot the SDap: O God, who giveth wisdom to men and from whom cometh knowledge and understanding, we pray that knowledge may be in¬ creased. Prosper the researches of science; and give advancement to every useful art. Bless all those who teach in schools and colleges; and give to all scholars and pupils that wisdom which is from above. May our under¬ standing of nature be enlarged ; and may all that thou givest be used for thy glory, and for the welfare of mankind. We look forward to the time when the darkness of ignorance everywhere shall be dispelled ; when schools and institutions of higher learning shall be within reach of all who thirst for knowledge. Bless especially, we pray thee, all schools of religion and those who teach therein. May thy church be enabled to bring the knowledge of thy Word, of the principles of righteous and holy living to all. May there be none who are left without instruction. Graciously grant unto us and to all thy children an ever-growing understanding of thy will and purpose, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 281 OBEDIENCE OCTOBER 9 W&t C5tace£ ot a CJttetian mtc fOt tf)C 2Da^> “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long- suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, self-control.” — Galatians 5* 22, 23a. 3Lt&$0l\ (ot tj)C SDag; 2 Corinthians 6. I, 3-10, 1 And working together with him we entreat also that ye re¬ ceive not the grace of God in vain. 3 Giving no occasion of stumbling in anything, that our min¬ istration be not blamed; 4 but in everything commending ourselves, as ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, 5 in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in watchings, in fastings; 6 in pureness, in knowledge, in long- suffering, in kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in love unfeigned, 7 in the word of truth, in the power of God; by the armor of righteous¬ ness on the right hand and on the left, 8 by glory and dishonor, by evil report and good report; as deceivers, and yet true; 9 as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as chastened and not killed; 10 as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet pos¬ sessing all things. “It seemed to me that holiness brought an inexpressible purity, brightness, peace¬ fulness, and nourishment to the soul; that it made the soul like a field or garden of God, with all manner of pleasant flowers.” — Jonathan Edwards. “A trifling good action done for love of God is worth far more than something great in which love has a smaller share. Everybody wants to attain to conspicuous and shining virtues, but very few seek after the lowly graces, the thyme and sweet herbs which grow beneath the shadow of the life-giving tree.” — Francis de Sales. “Disinterested love and self-denying service to our fellow creature are the most acceptable worship we can offer our Creator. Genuine greatness is marked by sim¬ plicity, unostentatiousness, self-forgetfulness, a hearty interest in others, a feeling of brotherhood with the human family.” — William E. Channing. Pt (0t tf)t “Grant thy servants, O God, to be set on fire with thy Spirit, strengthened by thy power, illuminated by thy splendor, filled with thy grace, and to go forward by thine aid. Give them, O Lord, a right faith, perfect love, true humility. Grant, O Lord, that there may be in us simple affection, brave patience, preserving obedience, perpetual peace, a pure mind, a right and honest heart, a good will, a holy conscience, spiritual strength, a life unspotted and unblamable; and after having manfully finished our course, may we be enabled happily to enter into thy kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Amen. 282 OBEDIENCE OCTOBER io ^onoting C5oti bg flDttt Contmct Cot tfje SD ap; “ Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” — I Corinthians io. 31. lUggon Cot tljeSDap: Titus 3. 1-7. 1 Put them in mind to be in subjection to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready unto every good work, 2 to speak evil of no man, not to be contentious, to be gentle, showing all meek¬ ness toward all men. 3 For we also once were foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. 4 But when the kindness of God our Saviour, and his love toward man, appeared, 5 not by works done in righteousness, which we did ourselves, but accord¬ ing to his mercy he saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, 6 which he poured out upon us richly, through Jesus Christ our Saviour; 7 that, being justified by his grace, we might be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. “It is not necessary that I should live but it is necessary that I be true.” — Martin Luther. “Teach me to do the thing that pleaseth thee; Thou art my God, in thee I live and move; O let thy loving Spirit lead me forth Into the land of righteousness and love. “My highest hope to be where, Lord, thou art; To lose myself in thee my richest gain. To do thy will the habit of my heart, To grieve the Spirit my severest pain.” — John S. B. Monsell. “ ‘Conduct is three fourths of life.’ What we have to do is to bring the great principles of the gospel to bear upon our small duties, and day by day to feel that be¬ cause we say that we have faith in Jesus Christ therefore we are bound to cultivate all manner of holiness and purity.”' — Alexander McLaren. Cot tj)t “O God our Father, we would seek to live to thy praise. Help us that through all our days this purpose may be strong in all our hearts. May we honor thee by the purity of our purposes, by the up¬ rightness and integrity of our conduct, by the unselfishness and generosity of our spirit, and by our endeavor in all things to live in accord with the example and teaching of our Lord. While not slothful in our daily tasks, may we be fervent in spirit, serving the Lord. We pray that in our home life we may act worthily of thee. May we ever be conscious of thy presence and of thy help, and seek to manifest thy spirit. May we be gentle and forbearing toward each other and faithful in rendering to others their dues. May we constantly minister to the welfare of others and may we be kept from selfishness in thought and word and deed. May we become truly wise through the teaching of the Holy Spirit. Grant unto us all thine aid, with¬ out which we cannot rightly live, we ask in Jesus’ name.” Amen. 283 OBEDIENCE OCTOBER ii SDomO tfje of dJ5oti I for tije Soap; fLt$&on for tljtSDap: “Teach me to do thy will; For thou art my God. Psalm 40. 6— 11. — Psalm 143. IO. 6 Sacrifice and offering thou hast no delight in; Mine ears hast thou opened: Burnt-offering and sin-offering hast thou not required. 7 Then said I, Lo, I am come; In the roll of the book it is written of me: 8 I delight to do thy will, O my God; Yea, thy law is within my heart. 9 I have proclaimed glad tidings of righteousness in the great assembly ; Lo, I will not refrain my lips, O Jehovah, thou knowest. 10 I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation; I have not concealed thy loving-kindness and thy truth from the great assembly. 11 Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O Jehovah; Let thy loving-kindness and thy truth continually preserve me. “When God commands to take the trumpet And blow a dolorous or thrilling blast, It rests not in man’s will what he shall do Or what he shall forbear.” —John Milton . “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.” — /. Ingelow. “Th ere never has been a great and beautiful character which has not become so by filling well the ordinary and smaller offices appointed of God.” — Horace Bushnell. PtOptE fOt tljt j&DOp; “Oh, send thy light and thy truth, that we may live always near to thee, our God. Let us feel thy love, that we may be, as it were, already in heaven, that we may do all our work as the angels do theirs; and oh! let us be ready for every work! be ready to go out or go in, to stay or depart, just as thou shalt appoint. Lord, let us have no wills of our own ; or consider our true happiness as depending, in the smallest degree, on anything that can befall us outwardly, but as consisting altogether in conformity to thy will.” Amen. — Henry Martyn (1781-1812). 284 OBEDIENCE OCTOBER 12 Control ot tlje temper tot t&t 2Dap: “He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; And he that ruleth his spirit, than he that taketh a city.” — Proverbs 1 6. 32. JLt##0\\ for tf)£ SDft# * Ecclesiastes 7. 8, 9; Ephesians 4. 26, 27. 8 Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof : and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. 9 Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry, for anger resteth in the bosom of fools. 4. 26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: 27 neither give place to the devil. “No form of vice, not worldliness, not greed of gold, not drunkenness itself, does more to unchristianize society than evil temper. . . . How many prodigals are kept out of the kingdom of God by the unlovely character of those who profess to be inside.” — Henry Drummond. “You insist upon it, that we are saved by faith: and undoubtedly, so we are. But consider, meantime, that let us have ever so much faith, and be our faith ever so strong, it will never save us from hell, unless it now save us from all unholy tempers; from pride, passion, impatience; from all arrogance of spirit, all haughtiness and overbearing; from wrath, anger, bitterness; from discontent, murmuring, fretfulness, peevishness. We are of all men most inexcusable, if having been so frequently guarded against that strong delusion, we still, while we indulge any of these tempers, bless ourselves, and dream we are in the way to heaven!” — John Wesley. ^toyn (ot t Se SDay: “ O thou whose name is Love, who never turned away from the cry of thy needy children, give ear to our prayers. O God, help us to control our tempers. May we check the first risings of anger or sullenness. If we meet with unkindness or ill-treatment, give us that charity which suffereth long and beareth all things. If we are treated wrongfully, may we endure it with patience and meekness, remembering that thou, our Lord and Master, didst suffer before us. Give us grace to deny self, to take up the cross and follow thee. May we be kind and gentle toward all, loving even those who love us not. Lord, let us live this day as if it were to be our last. Keep us from wasting any precious hours, remembering that our time is short. Holy Father, let thy will be done concerning us. Let thy purpose be accomplished. Lord, hasten thine own kingdom. Let thy truth at length triumph. Bless the preaching of thy gospel in this and other lands. Send forth laborers into thy harvest and save us now and save us through¬ out eternity for Jesus Christ’s sake.” Amen. — Ashton Oxenden, Adapted ( 1808-1892). a85 OBEDIENCE OCTOBER 13 $1 Conscience P0U1 of Offense Perse for tf)e SDtlJH “Herein I also exercise myself to have a conscience void of offense toward God and men always.” — Acts 24. 16. Wesson for tljeSDap: 2 Timothy 1. 1—7. 1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God, according to the promise of the life which is in Christ Jesus, 2 to Timothy, my beloved child: Grace, mercy, peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. 3 I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers in a pure conscience, how unceasing is my remembrance of thee in my supplications, night and day 4 longing to see thee, remembering thy tears, that I may be filled with joy; 5 having been reminded of the unfeigned faith that is in thee; which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and, I am persuaded, in thee also. 6 For which cause I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee through the laying on of my hands. 7 For God gave us not a spirit of fearfulness; but of power and love and discipline. “Nothing matters when one comes to the last hour but a clear conscience before God.” — Edith Cavell. “Leave consequences to God but do right. Be genuine, real, sincere, true, upright, godlike. The world’s maxim is, Trim your sails and yield to circumstances. But if you would do any good in your generation, you must be made of sterner stuff, and help make your times rather than be made by them.” — Charles H. Spurgeon. “Blest is the man whose head and hands are pure! He hath no sickness that he shall not cure, No sorrow that he may not well endure; His feet are steadfast, and his hope is sure. “Through clouds and shadows of the darkest night He will not lose a glimmering of the light, Nor, though the sun of joy be shrouded quite, Swerve from the narrow path to left or right.” — John Addington Symonds. y&Z&jPCZ tot tf)t SDftJH “Almighty and Everlasting God, we are humbled when we remember our sins. Even this day we have done things which we ought not to have done, and we have left undone things which we ought to have done. We confess that though we are sometimes agitated by the fear of thine anger, and are saddened that by our wrong doings we should grieve thee, we are strangely insensible to our guilt. We know so little of what it is to abhor that which is evil ; we do not cleave with our whole heart to that which is good. Have mercy upon us, O God, according to thy loving¬ kindness, and according to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out our transgressions. Aid us by thy grace- that each one of us may keep his con¬ science void of offense; help us that we may keep a clear conscience before God. Wherein we fall short do thou forgive us. Daily may we grow in thy grace and in the likeness of our Lord and Master. For his sake.” Amen. 286 OBEDIENCE OCTOBER 14 ^bottling Cbtl ^goctatfong $£££»£ fOt tf)£ SDa^t “My son, if sinners entice thee, Consent thou not.” — Proverbs I. 10. %e#&on toz tjje&ap: Proverbs 4. 10-18. 10 Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; And the years of thy life shall be many. 11 I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in paths of uprightness. 12 When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; And if thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble. 13 Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go; Keep her; for she is thy life. 14 Enter not into the path of the wicked, And walk not in the way of evil men. 15 Avoid it, pass not by it; Turn from it, and pass on. 16 For they sleep not, except they do evil; And their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall. * 17 For they eat the bread of wickedness, And drink the wine of violence. 18 But the path of the righteous -is as the dawning light, That shineth more and more unto the perfect day. “You feel your weakness; you fear to be overcome by temptation; then keep out of the way of it. This is watching. Avoid associations which are 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.” — J. H. Newman. “Fight the good fight with all thy might, Christ is thy strength, and Christ thy right; Lay hold on life, and it shall be Thy joy and crown eternally.” — John S. B. Monsell. Pt ftgtE fOt tl)0 Our Father, as thou hast joined us in one house¬ hold, be pleased to join us in thy fear and love. Enable us to serve one another, and so to serve thee. May none make it harder for another to live as becomes the children of God. Put far from us, O Lord, unkind thoughts and harsh tempers ; and may unloving words and unhelpful ways be unknown in our home. Make us true, faithful, helpful and unselfish. Help us that we may avoid every evil path. May we have no association with sinful men save that alone which is for the purpose of leading them into the ways of righteousness. May we find the satisfactions of life in communion with thee and in the fellowship of the pure, the wise, and the good. May we so live as to commend thee, our Father, and Jesus Christ, our Saviour, to all with whom we meet. In his name. Amen. 287 OBEDIENCE OCTOBER 15 appcobeb ffllnto C5ob ©ftlSE tOC tt)C 2Ddp! “Study to show thyself approved unto God.” — 2 Timothy 2. 15 (King James version). JLtg&on for tfjeSDag: Proverbs I. 7—9; Philippians 1. 9— 11. 7 The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of knowledge; But the foolish despise wisdom and instruction. 8 My son, hear the instruction of thy father, And forsake not the law of thy mother; 9 For they shall be a chaplet of grace unto thy head, And chains about thy neck. 1. 9 And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and all discernment; 10 so that ye may approve the things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and void of offense unto the day of Christ; 11 being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are through Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God. “God is in the home where parental love and filial virtues abound, and such a home b^omes a veritable paradise. It is the symbol of the heavenly home — the Father’s house — in which true fellowship abounds. Such a home is worth striving for. It represents the highest values, the moral and spiritual values, which alone abide.” — George Hodges. “The real object of education is to give children resources that will endure as long as life endureth; habits that time will ameliorate, not destroy; occupation that will render sickness tolerable, solitude pleasant, age venerable, life more dignified and useful, and death less terrible.” — Sydney Smith. “The entire object of true education is to make people not merely do the right things, but enjoy them; 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. pE 0£EE fDE tf)E “O Lord, in these difficult times, when there is a seeming opposition of knowledge and faith, and an accumulation of facts beyond the power of the human mind to conceive; and good men of all religions, more and more, meet in thee ; and the strife between classes in society, and between good and evil in our own souls, is not less than of old ; and the love of pleasure and the desires of the flesh are always coming in between us and thee; and we cannot rise above these things to see the light of Heaven, but are tossed upon a sea of troubles — we pray thee be our guide and strength and light, that, looking up to thee always, we may behold the rock on which we stand, and he confident in the word which thou hast spoken.” Amen. — Benjamin Jowett (1817—1893). 288 OBEDIENCE OCTOBER 16 &cfcnotoletiQ;mQ; C5oti in &ll GDuv ®tt$t for tfje 2Dap: “ Commit thy way unto Jehovah; Trust also in him, and he will bring it to pass. — Psalm 37. 5. (Ot tf)t SDapt Psalm 145. 1-5, 10-12. 1 I will extol thee, my God, O King; And I will bless thy name for ever and ever. 2 Every day will I bless thee; And I will praise thy name for ever and ever. 3 Great is Jehovah, and greatly to be praised; And his greatness is unsearchable. 4 One generation shall laud thy works to another, And shall declare thy mighty acts. 5 Of the glorious majesty of thine honor, And of thy wondrous works, will I meditate. 10 All thy works shall give thanks unto thee, O Jehovah; And thy saints shall bless thee. 11 They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, And talk of thy power; 12 To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, And the glory of the majesty of his kingdom. “The trivial round, the common task, Will furnish all we ought to ask; Room to deny ourselves; a road To bring us, daily, nearer God. “Only, O Lord, in thy dear love, Fit us for perfect rest above; And help us, this and every day, To live more nearly as we pray.” — John Keble. “How often do we sigh for opportunities of doing good whilst we neglect the open¬ ings of Providence in little things which would frequently lead to the accomplishment of most important usefulness! He who waits to do a great deal of good at once will never do any! Good is done by degrees.” ptapet (or tjje Snap: “ O Lord, hear our prayer, we beseech thee. We would put ourselves and all that concerns us into thy hands and ask thee to be our Guide and Counselor. I?j all our ways we desire to acknowledge thee ; and do thou direct our paths. Keep us, we beseech thee, from all evil, that we, being ready both in body and soul, may cheerfully accomplish those things that thou wouldst have us do. Fit us, O Lord, for all the events of this short and uncertain life. If prosperity be our portion, keep us humble and watchful in the midst of it; or, if sorrows and trials come upon us, give us grace cheerfully to submit, saying, ‘Father, not my will, but thine be done.’ Be very gracious to our friends: grant to them health and prosperity in this life, and make them meet for the life everlasting. And, O Lord, bless and save the whole world. We ask all these blessings in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour.” Amen. — John H. Vincent (1832-1920), 289 OBEDIENCE OCTOBER 17 Bearing t&r Untage ot