LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. Chap.1_.r_T_, Copyright No*. ShelL_Jm_ UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. HELPFUL THOUGHTS An Every-day Book A«U9P CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS 1897 TL\\'0.\ -*-* f ft Copyright, 1897 By the University Press Slnttaitg ^ress John Wilson and Son, Cambridge, U.S.A. HELPFUL THOUGHTS. iflamiarp i. Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. Gal. vi. 2. " Speak a shade more kindly than the year before, Pray a little oftener, love a little more, Cling a little closer to the Father's love ; Life below shall liker grow to the life above." — -~ — — — 3Iamtart? 2. -^~— ~v~^ What doth it profit though a man say he have faith, and have not works? can faith save him? James ii. 14. An abstract thought or theory is of no mo- ment unless it lead to some deed or work. Bacon. HELPFUL THOUGHTS. ^anuarp 3. Whether therefore ye eat or drink, or whatso- ever ye do, do all to the glory of God. 1 Cor. x. 31. Teach me, my God and King, In all things Thee to see ; And what I do in anything, To do it as for Thee. A servant with this clause Makes drudgery divine, Who sweeps a room as for Thy laws Makes that and th' action fine. George Herbert. — — — — iflanuan? 4. ■ A just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again. Proverbs xxiv. 16. " You must resolve not to be disheartened, but, even if you were to fall a hundred times a day, determine to rise up each time and go onwards." 31anuan> 5- — ~— — • Be still, and know that I am God. Psalm xlvi. 10. The wise man does not search for the Truth : he listens for it. Emerson. HELPFUL THOUGHTS. 2flanuarE 6. Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Eph. vi. 10. When we put ourselves into right relations with God, with truth, and the laws of the universe, all things are working with us and for us. Then, hav- ing nothing, we possess all things. James Freeman Clarke. iflanuarp 7- — — — — Be strong and of good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them : for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee ; he will not fail thee nor forsake thee. Deut. xxxi. 6. Fear enslaves, courage liberates — and that always. F. W. Robertson. — -— — ifiamiary 8. ^—^ — ^^ In your patience possess ye your souls. Luke xxi. 19. Let patience have her perfect work, and bring forth her celestial fruits. Trust to God to weave your threads into the great web, though the pattern shows it not yet. George Macdonald. " Consecration is not something done once for all — but is a maintained habit of the soul." HELPFUL THOUGHTS. 3fianuarp 9. ~ Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine ; continue in them : for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself and them that hear thee. i Tim. iv. 16. Others shall Take patience, labor, to their heart and hand From thy hand, and thy heart, and thy brave cheer, And God's grace fructify through thee to all. The least flower with a brimming cup may stand, And share its dew-drops with another near. Mrs. E. B. Browning. — — Jlamian? 10. — — — — And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you : seek, and ye shall find : knock, and it shall be opened. Luke xi. 9. " He needs no special place of prayer Whose hearing ear is everywhere." — — ~— Jlamtary xi. — — — — Therefore take heed to your spirit. Mal. ii. 15. For I am the Lord, I change not. Mal. Hi. 6. Results are not the true test of your course : the thing is to do right, and trust all consequences to God. And having come to a decision with full reference then made to God, do not suffer yourself to be disturbed whatever the result may be. Light of the Conscience. HELPFUL THOUGHTS. Jlanuarp 12. With what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. Matt. vii. 2. Freely ye have received, freely give. Matt. x. 8. " He who would grow in wisdom, must give wis- dom ; he who would grow in love, must give love ; he who would grow in power of spirit, must give out power of spirit ! " — -— — Jianuarp 13. ~— -— The servant of the Lord must not strive, but be gentle unto all, apt to teach, patient. 2 Tim. ii. 24. Then deem it not an idle thing, A pleasant word to speak, The face you wear, the thoughts you bring, A heart may heal or break. Whittier. ^ ^lanuarp i 4 . ~ Walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called. Eph. iv. 1. Use well the moment ; what the hour Brings for thy use is in thy power ; And what thou best canst understand, Is just the thing lies nearest to thy hand. Goethe. HELPFUL THOUGHTS. Jlanuarp 15. Serve him with a perfect heart, and with a willing mind. i Chron. xxviii. 9. " Little things come daily, hourly, within our reach, and they are not less calculated to set forward our growth in holiness than are the greater occasions which occur but rarely. Let your aim be to please our deai Lord perfectly in little things, and to attain a spirit of childlike simplicity and dependence." 31anuari? 16. — ~— Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect. Phil. iii. 12. " As whole acres of Persian roses are required to make a single ounce of pure ottar : so the soul's balm is the slow product of a long course of right living and thinking, every separate act and thought of which contributes its own minute but precious particle of sweetness to the rich result." — — ™ 31amtan? 17- — It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. John vi. 45. That which we are, we shall teach, not volun- tarily, but involuntarily. r. w. Emerson. HELPFUL THOUGHTS. ifianuarp 18. It is expedient for you that I go away, for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you, but if I depart, I will send him unto you. John xvi. 7. I believe that there is no away, that no love, no life goes ever from us ; it goes as He went, that it may come again, deeper, and closer, and surer, to be with us always even to the end of the world. George Macdonald. 3|anuar? 19. — — — ~ But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Phil. iv. 19. As you grow ready for it, somewhere or other you will find what is needful for you in a book, or a friend, or, best of all, in your own thoughts — the Eternal speaking in your thoughts. George Macdonald. — - — — 31amtarp 20. — — ~^~ Every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. l John iv. 7. The end of learning is to know God, and out of that knowledge to love Him and imitate Him. Milton. HELPFUL THOUGHTS. iflamtan? 21. Blessed is the man that maketh the Lord his trust. Psalm xl. 4. That we may lead a quiet and peaceable life. 1 Tim. ii. 2. Just to let thy Father do What He will ; Just to know that He is true, And be still ; Just to trust Him, this is all ! Then the day will surely be Peaceful, whatsoe'er befall, Bright and blessed, calm and free. Havergal. — — ~~ — 31anuan? 22. — The Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with thee. Zech. xiv. 5. " Those that live in the Lord never see each other for the last time." ————— iflanuarp 23. -— - — ~ For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. Gal. iii. 26. " We shall never be able to rest in the bosom of the Father till the fatherhood is fully revealed to us in the love of the brothers. For He cannot be our Father save as He is their Father.' 7 HELPFUL THOUGHTS. 31anuarp 24. Let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth ; that thine alms may be in secret. Matt. vi. 3, 4. This is the law of benefits between men : the one ought to forget at once what he has given, and the other ought never to forget what he has received. Seneca. .^■^~^~^ Klanuarp 25. — — ~^~ The Lord alone did lead him. Deut. xxxii. 12. " My bark is wafted to the strand By breath divine ; And on the helm there rests a hand Other than mine. One who has known in storms to sail I have on board ; Above the raging of the gale I hear my Lord." ~— — iflamtarp 26. — ^_^__ Many that are first shall be last and the last shall be first. Matt. xix. 30. All sendee ranks the same with God : There is no last nor first. Robert Browning. HELPFUL THOUGHTS. iflamtari? 27. Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves ; but our sufficiency is of God. 2 Cor. iii. 5. O Light Divine ! we need no fuller test That all is ordered well. We know enough to trust that all is best, Where Love and Wisdom dwell. C. P. C RANCH. 31anuarp 28. ~— — ^^ Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. Jer. xvii. 7. Though at times my spirit fails me And the bitter tear-drops fall, Though my lot be hard and lonely, Yet I hope — I hope through all. Mrs. Norton. -— — — - 31anuar^ 29. Heredj is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit. John xv. 8. The effective life and the receptive life are one. No sweep of arm that does some work for God but harvests also some more of the truth of God, and sweeps it into the treasury of the life. Phillips Brooks. HELPFUL THOUGHTS. iflanuarp 30. Be ye strong, therefore, and let not your hands be weak ; for your work shall be rewarded. 2 Chron. xv. 7. It is never too late to be what you might have been. George Eliot. iflamtarp 31- — — — Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Eph. vi. 23. Drop Thy still dews of quietness, Till all our strivings cease ; Take from our souls the strain and stress, And let our ordered lives confess The beauty of Thy peace. Whittier. jftbruarp i Let no man seek his own pleasure, but the good of others. i Cor. x. 24. Follow with reverent steps the great example Of Him whose holy work was doing good ; So shall the wide earth seem our Father's temple, Each loving life a psalm of gratitude. J. G. Whittier. JF*bruan> 2. They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength ; they shall mount up with wings as eagles ; they shall run and not be weary ; and they shall walk and not faint. Isa. xl. 31. " Nerve thee yet stronger, Resolute mind ! Let care no longer Heavily bind. Rise on thy eagle wings Gloriously free ! Till from material things Pure thou shalt be ! " HELPFUL THOUGHTS. 13 jfebruatE 3- -— — — Strait is the gate and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life. Matt. vii. 14. " The denial of self leads to the narrow way." jfebruarp 4. Give, and it shall be given unto you. Luke vi. 38. A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another. John xiii. 34. Learn that to love is the one way to know Or God or man ; it is not love received That maketh man to know the inner life Of them that love him ; his own love bestowed Shall do it. Jean Ingelow. j?ebrttar£ 5. In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength. Isa. xxx. 15. Let man then learn, — that the Highest dwells with him ; that the sources of nature are in his own mind, if the sentiment of duty is there. But if he would know what the great God speaketh, he must go into his closet and shut the door, as Jesus said. Emerson. 14 HELPFUL THOUGHTS. ————— j?ebruar£ 6. Ask, and it shall be given you ; seek, and ye shall find. Matt. vii. 7. More than our feeble hearts can ever pine For holiness, Our Father, in His tenderness divine, Yearneth to bless. f. P. Cobbe. - — - jfebruarp 7- - By love serve one another. Gal. v. 13. Human conduct maintains right relations when it finds an inspiration large enough to raise service to the dignity of affection. T. R. Slicer. . ifebmarp 8. — — ~— The Lord is my strength and my shield : my heart trusted in him, and I am helped ; therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth ; and with my song will I praise him. Psalm xxviii. 7. Let us be like the bird, for a moment perched On a frail branch, while he sings ; Though he feels it bend he continues his song, For he knows that he has wings. Victor Hugo. HELPFUL THOUGHTS. 15 jfebruarp 9. They that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever. Dan. xii. 3. We are taught, and we teach, by something about us that never goes into language at all. Bishop Huntington. — — - jfebruarp 10. Thou art careful and troubled about many things ; but one thing is needful. Luke x. 42, 42. Cheered by the presence of God, I will do at the moment, without anxiety, according to the strength which He shall give me, the work that His providence assigns me. I will leave the rest ; it is not my affair. Fenelon. ~— — — jfrinruarp «. — ~ - Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. Matt. xxii. 39. Hold fast upon God with one hand, and open wide the other to your neighbor : that is religion, that is the law and the prophets, and the true way to all better things that are yet to come. George Macdonald. 1 6 HELPFUL THOUGHTS. ~— ~~ — ~ jFebman? 12. Give diligence to present thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not be ashamed, handling aright the word of truth. 2 Tim. ii. 15. Principles are furrows to plant practice in. H. A. H. ifebruarp 13- He that ruleth his spirit is greater than he that taketh a city. Proverbs xvi. 32. No man or woman can really be strong, gentle, pure and good, without the world being better for it. Phillips Brooks. jfebruarp 14. O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth? Gal. iii. i. Eager ye cleave to shadows, dote on dreams ; A false self in the midst ye plant, and make A world around which seems Blind to the height beyond, deaf to the sound Of sweet airs breathed from far past India's sky, Dumb to the summons of the true life kept For him who false puts by. Edwin Arnold. HELPFUL THOUGHTS. 17 jfebruarp 15- — — — - Blessed is the man that maketh the Lord his trust. Psalm xl. 4. " Grant me, with faith unshaken, To rest upon Thy grace, Until my soul is given To see Thee face to face." •^~n~~~ jMbruarp 16. — - — — - Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Matt. v. 8. " Our power lies in the strength of our intui- tions. We see God, truth, justice, and beauty as realities, not as probabilities." jfcbruarp 17. — ~ Stand fast, therefore, in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Gal. v. i. They are slaves who will not choose Hatred, scoffing, and abuse Rather than in silence shrink From the truth they needs must think ; They are slaves who dare not be In the right with two or three. J. R. Lowell. 1 8 HELPFUL THOUGHTS. - — — n — —. jfebmar^ 18. There is no fear in love ; but perfect love casteth out fear. i John iv. 18. Fear makes man a slave to others. This is the tyrant's chain. Anxiety is a form of cowardice, embittering life. Channing. -— ~— — jfebmarp 19. Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God ; . . . upon this rock will I build my church. Matt. xvi. 16, 18. Truth is tough. It will not break, like a bubble, by a touch ; nay, you may kick it about all day like a foot-ball, and at night it will be plump and full as ever. O. W. Holmes. jfebmar^ 20. The labor of the righteous tendeth to life : the fruit of the wicked to sin. Proverbs x. 16. Free men freely work. Whoever fears God, fears to sit at ease. . . . Let us be content, in work, To do the thing we can, and not presume To fret because it 's little. E. B. Browning. HELPFUL THOUGHTS. 19 jfebruarp 21. — -— — When he giveth quietness, who then can make trouble. Job xxxiv. 29. " When Christ across the tempest of our will Walketh in grandeur, saying, ' Peace, be still,' Then shall the surging cares within us cease, And we find peace." jpebmarp 22. — We are of God. Hereby know we the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. i John iv. 6. Were half the power that fills the world with terror, Were half the wealth bestowed on camps and courts, Given to redeem the human mind from error ! There were no need of arsenals or forts. H. W. Longfellow. — ~~ — ~^^ jfebruarp 2 3- ~— — — Give us this day our daily bread. Matt. vi. n. For whatever happens to me each day is my daily bread, provided I do not refuse to take it from Thy hand, and to feed upon it. Fenelon. HELPFUL THOUGHTS. Jfebmarp 24. The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart. Romans x. 8. If that thou seekest thou findest not within thee, thou wilt never find it without thee. From the Arabian. ~ ~— — ~- ifebruar^ 25. ~— Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. i John iv. n. In all things throughout the world, the men who look for the crooked will see the crooked, and the men who look for the straight will see the straight. Ruskin. v^s^sJsssjvk jfcbruarp 26. wvwww* The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Matt. iii. 2. How far from here to Heaven? Not very far, my friend ; A single hearty step Will all thy journey end. Hold then ! Where runnest thou ? No — Heaven is in thee, Seek'st thou for God elsewhere His face thou 'It never see. Angelus Silesius (1620). HELPFUL THOUGHTS. jfebruarE 27. Should he reason with unprofitable talk ? or with speeches wherewith he can do no good ? Job xv. 3. Reason cannot show itself more reasonable than to cease reasoning on things that are above reasoning. Sir Philip Sidney. -~^~-~^- jfebmarp 28. He that loveth not, knoweth not God ; for God is love. 1 John Lv. 8. Be strong to love, O heart ! Love knows not wrong ; Didst thou love — creatures even, Life were not long ; Didst thou love God in heaven, Thou wouldst be strong ! Adelaide Procter. For whatsoever is not of faith is sin. Romans xiv. 23. There is no sin but selfishness, and all selfishness is sin. j. Muller. Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. Eph. vi. 10. Let us lie low in the Lord's power, and learn that truth alone makes rich and great. Emerson. $&Utt\) 3. Perfect love casteth out fear. 1 John iv. 18. O wondrous casting out of fear as love grows perfect ! O death to sin, which comes by the new birth to righteousness ! O everlasting assurance, that evil has of right no place in the world ; and that if good would only lift itself up to its complete- ness, it might claim the whole world and all of man- hood for itself! Phillips Brooks. HELPFUL THOUGHTS. 23 The Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations. Psalm c. 5. My own hope is, a sun will pierce The thickest cloud earth ever stretched ; That after Last, returns the First, Though a wide compass round be fetched ; That what began best, can't end worst, Nor what God blessed once, prove accurst. Robert Browning. sparclj 5- Lo, I am with you alway. Matt, xxviii. 20- "The very thinking of the thought, Even without praise or prayer, Gives light to know, and life to do, And marvellous strength to bear." ~-^^~^~^ ©arclj 6. — Rejoice in the Lord always : and again I say, Rejoice. Phil. iv. 4. Take thy self-denials gayly and cheerfully, and let the sunshine of thy gladness fall on dark things and bright alike, like the sunshine of the Almighty. J. F. Clarke. 24 HELPFUL THOUGHTS. -^^^^^~ sparct) 7. If God be for us, who can be against us? Romans viii. 31. For right is right, since God is God ; And right the day must win ; To doubt would be disloyalty, To falter would be sin ! f. W. Faber. $$m\) 8. Take therefore no thought for the morrow : for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Matt. vi. 34. It is a happy thing for us that this is really all we have to concern ourselves about, — what is to do next. No man can do the second thing. He can do the first. George Macdonald. sparct) 9. For wisdom is better than rubies ; and all the , things that may be desired are not to be compared to it. Proverbs viii. 11. " I ask not wealth, but power to take And use the things I have aright; Not years, but wisdom that shall make My life a profit and delight." HELPFUL THOUGHTS. 25 $$m\) 10. — — — ~- — He that loveth his brother abideth in the light. 1 John ii. 10. We grow in elevation and nobleness of nature just in proportion as we merge our individual life and happiness in the happiness and life of others. Dr. Baird. — — — — -— sparct) 11. — — — — Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. Jas. i. 17. Indestructible, Learn thou, the Life is, spreading life through all ; It cannot anywhere, by any means, Be any wise diminished, stayed, or changed. Edwin Arnold. — -— — spardj 12. — ~— ~ ~~, Thy kingdom come. Matt. vi. 10. " The kingdom of heaven is not come, even when God's will is our law : it is come when God's will is our will. While God's will is our law, we are but a kind of noble slaves ; — when his will is our will we are free children." 26 HELPFUL THOUGHTS. ————— spare!) 13- Let all your things be done with charity. i Cor. xvi. 14. Put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. Col. iii. 14. Contempt is murder committed by the intellect as hatred is murder committed by the heart. Charity, having life in itself, is the opposite and destroyer of contempt as well as hatred. George Macdonald. Judge not, that ye be not judged Matt. vii. 1. " The highest culture is to speak no ill ; The best reformer is the man whose eyes Are quick to see all beauty and all worth, And by his own discreet, well-ordered life Alone reproves the erring." =— ~— ~~. spard) 15. — — — ^~^ Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump ? 1 Cor. v. 6. " Every one who does anything helpful in the simplicity of love is helpful quite beyond his thought, and helps more than he purposed." HELPFUL THOUGHTS. 27 ^^v^^v^^ -^ ^patci) 16. —— ~— -— , Wisdom is the principal thing : therefore get wis- dom : and with all thy getting get understanding. Proverbs iv. 7. Knowledge is said to be power. Knowledge is power in the same sense that wood is fuel. Wood on fire is fuel. Knowledge on fire is power. There is no more power in knowledge than there is in the stones or stars which you know, unless there be a spirit and life in the knowledge, which give it its energy. Alexander McKenzie. Faith which worketh by love. Gal. v. 6. " For lo ! with hidden deep accord, The servant may be like his Lord, And our love, Thy love shining through, May tell the world that Thou art true ; Till those that see us see Thee too." ^^/^^-v^^- sparci) 18. -v~-v~-^^~^. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God. Romans viii. 16. We are haunted by an ideal life, and it is be- cause we have within us the beginning and the possibility of it. Phillips Brooks. 28 HELPFUL THOUGHTS. ~^-^v/x^/=w^ $)arct) ig- The people which sat in darkness saw great light ; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up. Matt. iv. 16. Through the harsh noises of our day A low, sweet prelude finds its way ; Through clouds of doubt and creeds of fear, A light is breaking, calm and clear. Whittier. -— ^— — — ^ ^arct) 20. -~^^^~^. The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil ; he shall preserve thy soul. Psalm cxxi. 7. The heart that trusts forever sings, And feels as light as it had wings ; A well of peace within it springs ; Come good or ill. Whate'er to-day, to-morrow, brings, It is His will. I. Williams. — — ~ — - £pardj 21. -^^~v~^^- By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, and honor, and life. Proverbs xxii. 4. Only he who puts on the garment of humility finds how worthily it clothes his life. Phillips Brooks. HELPFUL THOUGHTS. 29 But without faith it is impossible to please him ; for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is the rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Heb. xi. 6. Faith, — it is what you need ; and if you have it wholly, it is all you need. It is mighty. E. B. Hall. aparclj 23. Beareth all things. 1 Cor. xiii. 17. Gently I took that which ungently came, And without scorn forgave ; — Do thou the same. A wrong done to thee think a cat's eye spark Thou wouldst not see were not thine own heart dark. Samuel Taylor Coleridge. ^-~^~^~^- sparcl) 24. — ~ — ■ He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. Matt. xi. 15. " Whether life be bright or drear, There 's a message sweet and clear Whispered down to every ear — Hear it." SO HELPFUL THOUGHTS. sparrf) 25. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. Matt. vi. 34. One of the weightiest rules of the spiritual life is to abide in the present moment, without looking beyond. Fenelon. That ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work. 2 Cor. ix. 8. Have thy tools ready — God will find thee work. Kingsley. £^arctj 27. But Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. Luke ix. 62. " Never reflect on a past action which was done with a good motive, and with the best of judgment at the time." HELPFUL THOUGHTS. 3 1 Sparc!) 28. v/v/wv/x/vX/v/w For we walk by faith, not by sight. 2 Cor. v. 7. Yes : walk by faith, and not by sight, Fast clinging to My Hand ; Content to feel My love and might, Nor yet to understand. Havergal. spared 29. Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit into unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently. 1 Peter i. 22. As the body is purified by water, so is the soul by truth. Hindu. -^~ — ~v~v ~~- sparcl) 30. — — To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven. Ecc. iii. 1. Ours is the seed-time ; God alone Beholds the end of what is sown ; Beyond our vision, weak and dim, The harvest time is hid with Him. Whittier. 32 HELPFUL THOUGHTS. Serve the Lord with gladness ; come before his presence with singing. Psalm c. 2. All godlike things are joyous. They have touched God, and so they carry with them an irre- sistible gladness everywhere. Faber. april i. If any man will do his will he shall know of the doctrine. John vii. 17. Every duty omitted obscures some truth we should know. Ruskin. Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear. Psalm xxvii. 3. Though hosts encamp around me, Firm in the fight I stand ; What terror can confound me With God at my right hand. Montgomery. 3prtl 3- The Word was God. John i. 1. Who God possesseth In nothing is wanting ; Alone God sufnceth. H. W. Longfellow. 3 34 HELPFUL THOUGHTS. — — — ^~ — #prii 4. The light of the body is the eye j if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. Matt. vi. 22. So long as a man is able to do right Godward, to keep his conscience pure and true and reverent, set upon doing the best things on the highest grounds, he carries with him an eye, through which the everlasting light may, and assuredly will, shine in upon his soul. Phillips Brooks. As therefore we have opportunity let us do good unto all men. Gal. vi. 10. I expect to pass through this life but once. If therefore there be any kindnesses I can show, or any good thing I can do to my fellow beings, let me do it now. Let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again. Mrs. A. B. Hegeman. If ye have faith, nothing shall be impossible unto you. Matt. xvii. 20. Faith makes a sword out of a wisp of straw ; but the sword becomes a wisp of straw in the hands of an unbeliever. O. B. Frothingham. HELPFUL THOUGHTS. 35 #prtl 7. — — — — I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not ; I will help thee. Isa. xli. 13. No star is ever lost we once have seen. We always may be what we might have been. Since Good, though only thought, has life and breath, God's life — can always be redeemed from death ; And evil in its nature is decay, And any hour can blot it all away ; The hopes that lost in some far distance seem, May be the truer life, and this the dream. A. A. Procter. This is the way, walk ye in it. Isa. xxx. 21. We lie in the lap of immense intelligence, which makes us receivers of its truth and organs of its activity. Emerson. But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. I SA . x i. 3I . " No life is so safe as to avoid all slips and defec- tions, but the really good one has a quick and certain power of recuperation." 36 HELPFUL THOUGHTS. He that keepeth the law, happy is he. Proverbs xxix. 18. While I sought happiness she fled Before me constantly. Weary I turned to duty's path And happiness sought me, Saying, " I walk this road to-day, I '11 bear thee company." h. R. Eliot. £pril ii. And every man that hath this hope in him puri- fieth himself, even as he is pure. i John iii. 3. " It is by rooting out our selfish desires, even when they appear to touch no one but ourselves, that we prepare a chamber of the soul in which the Divine Presence may dwell." - 0prtl 12.- Casting all your care upon him, for he careth for you. 1 Peter v. 7. " Only one day : To-morrow's care, To-morrow, if it come, shall bear." HELPFUL THOUGHTS. 37 Be still, and know that I am God. Psalm xlvi. 10. " Remember your strength is to sit still : and in all doubtful questions or emergencies, wait quietly until reason is silenced and the mind is emptied of human thought : then ask God to put His thought into your mind, and write His law upon your heart.'' Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. John xiv. 27. If our love were but more simple We should take Him at His word ; And our lives would be all sunshine In the sweetness of our Lord. F. w. Faber. Set your affections on things above, not on things on the earth. Col. iii. 2. Things earthly we must know ere love them : \ is alone Things heavenly that must first be loved, and after known. Trench. 38 HELPFUL THOUGHTS. ^3pril 1 6. Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people. j E r. vii. 23. As soon as we lay ourselves entirely at His feet, we have enough light given us to guide our own steps, as the foot-soldier, who hears nothing of the councils that determine the course of the great battle he is in, hears plainly enough the word of command which he must himself obey. George Eliot. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him ; and he shall bring it to pass. Psalm xxxvii. 5. " For fresh duties there will be granted all need- ful strength. If I am to encounter new tempta- tions, I shall be endued with fresh resolve ; as fresh difficulties arise, there will be granted me wisdom from above." Judge not, that ye be not judged. Matt. vii. 1. What 's done we partly may compute ; But know not what 's resisted. Burns. HELPFUL THOUGHTS. 39 aprtl ig.— ^— — — I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one. John xvii. 23. And this deep power in which we exist, and whose beatitude is all accessible to us, is not only self- sufficing and perfect in every hour, but the act of seeing and the thing seen, the seer and the spec- tacle, the subject and the object are One. Emerson. #pril 20.— —~—— Say ye to the righteous that it shall be well with him : for they shall eat the fruit of their doings. Woe unto the wicked : it shall be ill with him : for the reward of his hands shall be given him. Isa. iii. 10, 11. We shape ourselves the joy or fear Of which the coming years are made, And fill our future's atmosphere With sunshine or with shade. Whittier. Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith. Proverbs xv. 17. The man who wishes to be happy should not enlarge his estate, but contract his desires. Plato. 40 HELPFUL THOUGHTS. — — — — £lprtl 22. Without me ye can do nothing. John xv. 5. What a long time it takes to come down to the conviction , and still more to the realization of the fact, that without Him we can do nothing, but that He must work all our works in us. Havergal. aiptil 23.^ Bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. 2 Cor. x. 5. " Great may he be who can command And rule with just and tender sway, Yet is diviner wisdom taught Better by him who can obey." -3prtl 24.- Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. Matt. v. 16. " Be a lamp in the chamber, if you cannot be a star in the sky." HELPFUL THOUGHTS. 41 ■atprtl 25.———— Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer ; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. Isaiah lviii. 9. " Every inmost aspiration is God's angel undefiled, And in every ' O my Father ! ' slumbers deep a ' Here, my child ! ' " Out of weakness were made strong. Heb. xi. 34. Strive manfully ; habit is overcome by habit. Thomas A Kempis. 3pril 27.—— — O death, where is thy sting? 1 Cor. xv. 55. Nay, but as when one layeth His worn-out robes away, And, taking new ones, sayeth " These will I wear to-day ! " So putteth by the spirit Lightly its garb of flesh, And passeth to inherit A residence afresh. Song Celestial. 42 HELPFUL THOUGHTS. — aprtl 28. He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much. Luke xvi. 10. The humblest man or woman can live splendidly. That is the Royal Truth we need to believe, you and I, who have no " mission " and no great sphere to move in. Wm. Gannett. 3pril 29. So shall I keep thy law continually forever and ever. And I will walk at liberty, for I seek thy precepts. Psalm cxix. 44, 45. Wouldst thou have thy flesh obey thy spirit? Then let thy spirit obey thy God. Thou must be governed, that thou may est govern. St. Augustine. Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into tempta- tion. The spirit truly is ready but the flesh is weak. Mark xiv. 38. ' " Let the day have a blessed baptism by giving your first waking thoughts into the bosom of God. " The first hour of the morning is the rudder of the day." Thou shalt also seek strength. Nahum iii. n. We ask not that our path be always bright, But for Thine aid to walk therein aright ; That Thou, O Lord ! through all its devious way Wilt give us strength sufficient to our day ; For this we pray. William Burleigh. sing unto the Lord a new song ; sing unto the Lord, all the earth. Psalm xcvi. i. " Let us try to make our lives like songs, brave, cheery, tender, and true, that shall sing themselves into other lives, and so help to lighten burdens and cares." For thou art my hope, O Lord God : thou art my trust from my youth. Psalm lxxi. 5. 1 believe in God, and I trust myself in His hands. J. A. Garfield. 44 HELPFUL THOUGHTS. O send out thy light and thy truth. Psalm xliii. 3. " The light pours down from heaven And enters where it may ; The eyes of all earth's children Are cheered with one bright day. So let the mind's true sunshine Be spread o'er earth as free, And fill men's waiting spirits, As the waters fill the sea." ^^^^-^•~-~-~~~^ 9D3£ 5- ^~~-^^-^^^^^- r If ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others ? Matt. v. 46, 47. "What makes us cowardly is the fear of losing love. Never forget this : a selfish heart desires love for itself; a Christian heart delights to love without return." With thee is the fountain of life. Psalm xxxvi. 9. From the gift looking to the Giver, And from the cistern to the River, And from the finite to Infinity, And from man's dust to God's divinity. Robert Browning. HELPFUL THOUGHTS. 45 Lead me in thy truth, and teach me. Psalm xxv. 5. I have a power in my soul which enables me to perceive God : I am as certain as that I live that nothing is so near to me as God. . . . Man is more or less blessed in the same measure as he is aware of the presence of God. It is not because God is in him, and so close to him, and he hath God, that he is blest, but because he perceives God's presence, and knows and loves Him. Tauler. My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning ; I say, more than they that watch for the morning. Psalm cxxx. 6. I look to Thee in every need, And never look in vain ; I feel Thy touch, Eternal Love, And all is well again. The thought of Thee is mightier far, Than sin, and pain, and sorrow are. Samuel Longfellow. 9- My grace is sufficient for thee. 2 Cor. xii. 9. The realization of God's presence is the one sovereign remedy against temptation. Fenelon. HELPFUL THOUGHTS. He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good ; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God ? Micah vi. 8. Whatever any one does or says, I must be good ; just as if the emerald were always saying this : " Whatever any one does or says, I must be emerald and keep my color." Marcus Aurelius Antoninus. II. But to do good and to communicate forget not : for with such sacrifices God is well pleased. Heb. xiii. 16. Turn your quick eye to find life's noblest things, Fetter the self and give the angel wings. H. W. Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God : thy spirit is good ; lead me into the land of uprightness. Psalm cxliii. 10. " Perhaps the very best idea of prayer is just thinking towards God ; and a waiting for what He will think back to us, and do ; not a trying to tell Him anything." HELPFUL THOUGHTS. 47 In him we live, and move, and have our being. Acts xvii. 28. Speak to Him thou, for He hears, and Spirit with spirit can meet, Closer is He than breathing, and nearer than hands and feet. Alfred Tennyson. Spi? 14. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart ; and lean not unto thine own understanding. Proverbs iii. 5. " Really great men have a curious undersense of powerlessness, feeling that the greatness is not in them but through them ; that they could not do or be anything else than God made them." 15. Not as I will, but as thou wilt. Matt. xxvi. 39. " Not as I will ! " The sound grows sweet Each time my lips the words repeat. " Not as I will ! " The darkness feels More safe than light, when this thought steals Like whispered voice to calm and bless All unrest and all loneliness. H. H. 48 HELPFUL THOUGHTS. 16. God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work. 2 Thess. ii. 16, 17. There is a plan working in our lives : and if we keep our hearts quiet and our eyes open it all works together ; and if we don't, it all fights to- gether, and goes on fighting till it comes right, somehow, somewhere. Annie Keary. . $pa£ 17. ■ And he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it. Matt. x. 39. The man who renounces himself comes to himself. Emerson. The liberal soul shall be made fat ; and he that watereth shall be watered also himself. Proverbs xi. 25. " Love divine will fill thy storehouse, Or thy handful still renew. Scanty fare for one will often Make a royal feast for two." HELPFUL THOUGHTS. 49 9W x 9- ~ For who hath despised the day of small things ? for they shall rejoice. Zech. iv. 10. Good taste rejects excessive nicety ; it treats little things as little things, and is not hurt by them. Fenelon. For unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul. Psalm lxxxvi. 4. If we look down, then our shoulders stoop. If our thoughts look down our character bends. It is only when we hold our heads up that the body becomes erect. It is only when our thoughts go up that our life becomes erect. McKenzie. And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men. Col. iii. 23. Aim above morality. Be not simply good. Be good for something. H. D. Thoreau. 4 5© HELPFUL THOUGHTS. Teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain path. Psalm xxvii. n. " Have Thou Thy way with me, O Lord, Although I beg my own ; Heed not the body's noisy cry, But the soul's undertone. Have Thou Thy way with me, O Lord, And, O my soul, take care To have thy daily attitude In keeping with thy prayer." Likewise also the good works of some are mani- fest beforehand; and they that are otherwise can- not be hid. i Tim. v. 25. In Thy book, Lord, are written all that do what they can though they cannot do what they would. St. Bernard. 24. Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. 1 Cor. x. 12. We may be intoxicated with the pleasure of not being intoxicated with pleasure. Fenelon. HELPFUL THOUGHTS. 5 1 )ap 25. For God giveth to a man that is good in his sight, wisdom, and knowledge, and joy. Ecc. ii. 26. Freely ye have received, freely give. Matt. x. 8. " Never, never, desire to get knowledge or power for any other purpose than to give it, for thus alone can it be saved to you." Not one of them is forgotten before God. Luke xii. 6. I just fold my wings at nightfall Wherever I happen to be : For the Father is always watching ; No harm can happen to me. N. V. W. ^^^^~^-~^^-^^ £]D3^ 27. ^ /v ^ N ^ /syN ^ >yN/N/Nj Whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil. Proverbs i. 33. We are immortal now and here. Chances and changes, night and day, Are landmarks in the eternal way ; Our fear is all we have to fear. Alice Cary. 52 HELPFUL THOUGHTS. — — — — — spa^ 28. Give us this day our daily bread. Matt. vi. 11. " Love is God's loaf : and this is that feeding for which we are taught to pray." 29. I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. John xiv. 6. " Walk in the Way ; Think in the Truth ; Live in the Life." Q0d% 30. Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord. They may rest from their labors ; and their works do follow them. Rev. xiv. 13. Gone ? — in a noble form they rise ; Dead ? — we may clasp their hands in ours, And catch the light from their glorious eyes, And wreathe their brows with immortal flowers. Wherever a noble deed is done, There are the souls of our heroes stirred \ Wherever a field for truth is won, There are our heroes' voices heard. Edna Dean Proctor. HELPFUL THOUGHTS. 53 )a^ 31. ~~~v~~~^^, Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love. Romans xii. 10. " It was only a glad ' Good morning,' As she passed along the way ; But it spread the morning's glory Over the livelong day." 31tme i. And this is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God. John xvii. 3. " I am bound to believe that the eternal life into which the righteous go, is that knowledge of God which is eternal life." 3flune 2. The Lord is my shepherd j I shall not want. Psalm xxiii. 1. " Away with every anxious fear ! I cannot want while He is near." iflune 3. A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver. Proverbs xxv. ii. "Strengthen me by sympathizing with my strength, not my weakness." HELPFUL THOUGHTS. 55 3| une 4 . ~__~-^^— ^ And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. Luke vi. 31. " Give like a Christian, speak in deeds ; A noble life 's the best of creeds ; And he shall wear a royal crown Who gives a lift when men are down ! " iflune 5- The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee. Obad. i. 3. Let no man deceive himself. 1 Cor. ill. 18. We are never deceived : we deceive ourselves. Goethe. 2f|une 6. Now the God of peace be with you all. Romans xv. 33. " Peace, doubting heart ; distrust not God ; Though dark the valley, steep the way, Still lean upon His staff and rod, Still make His providence thy stay, A sudden calm thy soul shall fill — ? T is God who whispers, ' Peace : be still.' " 56 HELPFUL THOUGHTS. — — -— 3f] une 7 . That they should seek God, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he is not far from each one of us • for in him we live and move and have our being. Acts xvii. 27, 28. We turn from seeking Thee afar And in unwonted ways, To build from out our daily lives The temples of Thy praise. And nobler yet shall duty grow, And more shall worship be, When Thou art found in all our life, And all our life in Thee. F. L. Hosmer. I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. John x. 10. " What men need is God, — not plans of living, but Life." Fear not, only believe. Luke viii. 50. " A perfect faith would lift us absolutely above fear. Fear is faithlessness." HELPFUL THOUGHTS. 57 -3iune ic^-^wv^ ^ For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. i John iii. n. Love is the life of the soul. It is the harmony of the universe. Channing. 3|une ix. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Phil. iv. 13. A man can do what he ought to do ; and when he says he can not, he will not. Fichte. ifltme 12. Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. Heb. x. 35. " There is always power where there is faith and action. Faith in a higher than mortal power is needed, and is mighty. There is no power but that of omnipresence ; there is no faith but the highest : that is sufficient for all wants and all souls." 58 HELPFUL THOUGHTS. — ^3|une 13.- Love worketh no ill to his neighbor ; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. Romans xiii. 10. All true science begins in the love, not the dis- section, of your fellow-creatures ; and it ends in the love, not the analysis, of God. Ruskin. For ye are all the children of God. Gal. Hi. 26. We grow only when we become more and more ourselves, our best selves, our truest selves that God made us to be. James Freeman Clarke. 3une 15- Take therefore no thought for the morrow, for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Matt. vi. 34. " Let nothing make thee sad or fretful, Or too regretful : Be still. Why shouldst thou fill to-day with sorrow About to-morrow." HELPFUL THOUGHTS, 59 -3|une i6.-~-~>~— — . Consider the lilies, how they grow. Luke xii. 27. * It is not best to think too much about being good : do the best we can, minute by minute, hour by hour, and we insensibly grow to goodness." I can do all things through Christ which strength- eneth me. Phil. iv. 13. Let us have faith that right makes might, and in that faith let us to the end dare to do our duty as we understand it. Abraham Lincoln. Their strength is to sit still. Isa. xxx. 7. Be still in love ! Be like the dew That, falling from the skies On meadows green, in thousand cups, At morning, twinkling lies ! Be still in conduct ! — striving not For honor, wealth, or might ; Who in contentment breaks his bread Finds favor in God's sight. From the German of Julius Sturm. 60 HELPFUL THOUGHTS. — — — — 31une 19. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. 1 John iv. 16. Faults perceived in peace, in the spirit of love, are immediately consumed by love itself. Fenelon. Perfect love casteth out fear. 1 John iv. 18. And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee : he will be with thee ; he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee : fear not, neither be dismayed. Deut. xxxi. 8. Love and courage are the spirit's wings, raising to nobler actions. Goethe. Judge not, that ye be not judged. Matt. vii. 1. What man can judge his neighbor aright, save he whose love makes him refuse to judge him? George Macdonald. HELPFUL THOUGHTS. 61 3|tme 22. — — — — ~ Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart. Deut. vi. 5. Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. Matt. xix. 19. The measure of the love of God is to love with- out measure. Francis de Sales. Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Matt. xxv. 40. " An arm of aid to the weak, A friendly hand to the friendless, Kind words, so short to speak, But whose echoes are endless, — The world is wide, these things are small, They may be nothing — but they are all! " Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. Gal. vi. 7. If while we are in the flesh we accomplish not the things in the flesh, after the manner of humanity, we shall enter the life of the spirit as one maimed or blind, for our part is not fulfilled. Zoroaster. 62 HELPFUL THOUGHTS. « ^3|une 25.^ One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. Eph. iv. 6. " The real world is the inside world. God is not up nor down, but in the midst." -31 une 26. Beloved, let us love one another : for love is of God : and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. 1 John iv. 7. " Our dear earthly loves become celestial by- ways beyond our understanding. God's own love comes to us through the lowliest door, — and the arms of the Eternal embrace us in the babe's clasp." 31ime 27.^ There is no fear in love : but perfect love casteth out fear; . . . and he that feareth is not made perfect in love. 1 John iv. 18. A truce to fear ! Frost and storm are but the portal We must pass ere June befall, And the Lord is love through all ! Edna Dean Proctor. HELPFUL THOUGHTS. 6$ 3flime 2 8.~— — ~— - 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. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Matt. xi. 29, 30. When the service of the Lord seems hard, it is because we are but imperfectly performing it. L. P. Mercer. In him was life ; and the life was the light of men. John i. 4. Worship God with what He most delights in : with aspiration for spiritual light and life. Channing. The Lord is my shepherd ; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures : he leadeth me beside the still waters. Psalm xxiii. 1, 2. Green pastures are before me, Which yet I have not seen ; Bright skies will soon be o'er me Where darkest clouds have been. My hope I cannot measure, My path in life is free ; My Father has my treasure, And he will walk with me. A. E. Waring. 3uls That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. John iii. 6. Of the deepest and truest in us we have no other demonstration than our own consciousness, suffi- cient unto us, but unavailable to others. It is only the superficial facts that we can prove : the realities are always lived. E. F. Hayward. What thing soever I command you, observe to do it : thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it. Deut. xii. 32. The whatsoever is not necessarily active work. It may be waiting (whether half an hour or half a lifetime), learning or sitting still. Havergal. —————— 3lul2 3 . — — The Lord is my light and my salvation ; whom shall I fear ? The Lord is the strength of my life ; of whom shall I be afraid ? Psalm xxvii. 1. Confidence is the secret of strength. A. Monod. HELPFUL THOUGHTS. 65 W&t 4. — — — That I may rejoice in the gladness of thy nation, that I may glory with thine inheritance. Psalm cvi. 5. " O Beautiful my Country ! " Be thine a nobler care Than all thy wealth of commerce, Thy harvests waving fair : Be it thy pride to lift up The manhood of the poor : Be thou to the oppressed Fair Freedom's open door. F. L. Hosmer. ^^™ 3uly> 5- — Blessed are the poor in spirit ; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matt. v. 3. " The lowly spirit God hath consecrated As His abiding rest ; An angel by some patriarch's tent hath waited, When kings had no such guest." Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might. Ecc. ix. 10. The one secret of life and development is not to desire and plan, but to fall in with the forces at work — to do every moment's duty aright. George Macdonald. 5 66 HELPFUL THOUGHTS. 3| U ty 7. Thou hast made him a little lower than the angels ; thou crovvnedst him with glory and with honor, and didst set him over the works of thy hand s. Heb. ii. 7. The strength of man consists in finding out the way in which God is going, and going in that wa y to °- H. W. Beecher. — 3|uli? 8. ^_^_^_ For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Phil. ii. 13. I am satisfied that I am on the right path so long as I can see anything to make me happier; any- thing to make me love man, therefore God, the more. God is not far from that heart to which man is near. James Russell Lowell. —-—<-——— 3|uIb 9- -— ~— ~— The Lord looketh from heaven, he beholdeth all the sons of men. He fashioneth their hearts alike ; he considereth all their works. Psalm xxxiii. 13, 15. Is it not senseless, let alone wrong, to fidget and worry about any one thing at all, when He says His covenant is ordered in all things and sure, and that all things are for your sakes? We do specially want to remember that all things means all things. Havergal. HELPFUL THOUGHTS. 67 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. John xv. 7. You want to be true and you are trying to be. Learn these two things, never to be discouraged because good things get on slowly here, and never fail daily to do that good which lies next your hand. Do not be in a hurry, but be diligent. Enter into that sublime patience of the Lord. George Macdonald. 3ul£ 11. ^~— — For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Romans viii. 6. Whilst a man seeks good ends, he is strong by the whole strength of nature. In so far as he roves from these ends he bereaves himself of power. R. W. Emerson. — — — - 31ul£ 12. -^~— ^ For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. Col. iii. 3. " There is but one thing wanting. That one thing is a true and total surrender of the heart. Think not of making it, but make it ; calculate no consequences, but do it, and leave all to Him who knows our secret conflicts even better than we know them ourselves." 68 HELPFUL THOUGHTS. —————— aui^ 13. I have covered thee in the shadow of mine hand. Isa. li. 16. " Hidden in the hollow Of His blessed hand, Never foe can follow, Never traitor stand. Not a surge of worry, Not a shade of care, Not a blast of hurry Touch the spirit there." -— — 3f|ul2 i 4 . ~^~^~~_ And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God. Romans viii. 28. He who believes in goodness has the essence of all faith. He is a man of cheerful yesterdays and confident to-morrows. J. F. Clarke. ~~ ~~ -— 3fiul2 i 5 . _~^~^~^~ Let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice : ... let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee. Psalms v. 11. " We need the emotion of joy in our own faces, in order that its reflected light may brighten other lives. A sunny, joyous, contented man is himself a public benefit." HELPFUL THOUGHTS. KlulB 16. And this is his commandment. That we should love one another. i John iii. 23. Do not look for wrong and evil — You will find them if you do ; As you measure for your neighbor He will measure back to you. Look for goodness, look for gladness, You will meet them all the while ; If you bring a smiling visage To the glass, you meet a smile. Alice Cary. Whatsoever thy hand nndeth to do, do it with thy might. Ecc. ix. 10. " If you 've any task to do, Let me whisper, friend, to you, Do it." Love as brethren, ... be courteous. 1 Peter iii. 8. Life is not so short but that there is always time enough for courtesy. r. w. Emerson. 70 HELPFUL THOUGHTS. 3Iul^ 19. Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord. Hosea vi. 3. " And, as the path of duty is made plain, May grace be given that I may walk therein. Not like the hireling for his selfish gain, With backward glances and reluctant tread, Making a merit of his coward dread, — But, cheerful, in the light around me thrown, Walking as one to pleasant service led ; Doing God's will as if it were my own, Yet trusting not in mine but in His strength alone ! " ~~ — — — 31ul£ 20. . Thou shalt come into the Ark. Gen. vi. 18. "There is no sadder word in the Bible than * Ye will not come to me, that ye might have life/ But if you are saying, ever so feebly and faintly, ' I will,' God meets it with His strong and gracious 'Thou shalt.'" By love serve one another. Gal. v. 13. There is no service like his that serves because he loves. Sir Philip Sidney. HELPFUL THOUGHTS. 71 31ul£ 22. Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven. Matt. xix. 21. Any man who is not prepared to recognize the claims of God to his body, soul, and spirit, to his time, influence, and talents, and to his money also, cannot be His disciple. Dr. T. Smith. • 31ul£ 2 3- And God saw everything that he had made, and behold it was very good. Gen. i. 31. Prayer is the Spirit of God pronouncing His works good. As soon as man is at one with God he will not beg. He will then see prayer in all action. R. w. Emerson. — — — 31ul£ 24. — — — To die is gain. Phil. i. 21. I don't believe in death ; If hour by hour I die, 'T is hour by hour I gain A better life thereby. Angelus Silesius, 162a 72 HELPFUL THOUGHTS. — — — 31ul2 25. There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing : there is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great riches. Proverbs xiii. 7. In this world, it is not what we take up, but what we give up, that makes us rich. H. W. Beecher. —————— 31ul£ 26. ^~~^— Be still, and know that I am God. Psalm xlvi. 10. Be still in God ! who rests on Him Enduring peace shall know, And with a spirit fresh and free Through life shall cheerly go. Be still in faith ! forbear to seek Where seeking naught avails ; Unfold thy soul to that pure light From Heaven which never fails. From the German of Julius Sturm. _______ 3(ul2 27. Whatsoever thy hand fmdeth to do, do it with thy might. Ecc. ix. 10. " The reward of doing one duty is the power to perform another." HELPFUL THOUGHTS. 73 \3|ul£ 28.- For none of us liveth to himself. Romans xiv. 7. Blessed influence of one true, loving, human soul on another. Not calculable by algebra, not deducible by logic, but mysterious, effectual, mighty as the hidden process by which the tiny seed is quickened and bursts forth into tall stem and broad leaf and glowing, tasselled flower. George Eliot. ~^ — — - — -3luli? 29.^—— My speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass. Deut. xxxii. 2. Speak gently ! 't is a little thing Dropped in the heart's deep well ; The good, the joy that it may bring, Eternity shall tell. Langford. ^ 31^1^ 30. Godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 1 Tim. vi. 6, 7. The man who has begun to live more seriously within, begins to live more simply without. Phillips Brooks. 74 HELPFUL THOUGHTS. — — — 31ul£ 31. What is man that thou art mindful of him? Thou madest him a little lower than the angels ; thou crownedst him with glory and honor, and didst set him over the works of thy hands. Heb. ii. 6, 7. Do not let circumstances conquer you. Stand upon the belief of your indestructibility, and chal- lenge events to do their worst. Oh, the freedom of such an attitude ! The attitude alone is victory. Helen Wilmans. august i.- That was the true Light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. John i. 9. From within or from behind, a light shines through us upon things, and makes us aware that we are nothing, but the light is all. Emerson. ~—~ August 2.— ^^~ They shall perish, but thou shalt endure. Psalm cii. 26. It fortifies my soul to know, That though I perish, Truth is so ; That, howsoe'er I stray and range, Whate'er I do, Thou dost not change. I steadier step when I recall That, if I slip, Thou dost not fall. Arthur Hugh Clough. August 3. For the Lord giveth wisdom. Proverbs ii. 6. "Effort for wisdom is help for all; he who thinks wisely does a deed of beneficence." 76 HELPFUL THOUGHTS. ^-^^ — august 4. I can do all things through Christ which strength- ened me. Phil. iv. 13. What I can do with my single arm may be mean enough ; but that is not the question. The thing to consider is, What can I do with God to help me? And the difference of the one and the other way is just the difference between a man trying to push a train of cars up grade, and the same man on a locomotive with the steam up, moving the whole mass by a turn of the wrist. Robert Collyer. — — ~ August 5- — — — — Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? 1 Cor. v. 6. No life can be pure in its purpose and strong in its strife and all life not be purer and stronger thereby. Owen Meredith. — — ^-^— August 6. — — ^ Thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things. Matt. xxv. 21. Do the best you can where you are, and when that is accomplished, God will open a door for you, and a voice will call, " Come up hither into a higher sphere." H. W. Beecher. HELPFUL THOUGHTS. 77 August 7. ^v^^~^^ Rest in the Lord. Psalm xxxvii. 7. Possess yourself as much as you possibly can in peace ; not by any effort, but by letting all things fall to the ground which trouble or excite you. This is no hard work, but is, as it were, a setting down a fluid to settle that has become turbid through agitation. Madam Guyon. ————— £tUgUSt 8. — — ~~~ Forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forward unto those things which are before. Phil. iii. 13. In opinions, look not always back ; Your wake is nothing, mind the coming track • Leave what you Ve done for what you have to do ; Don't be " consistent," but be simply true. O. W. Holmes. — —~ August 9. ~~ ~~ ~n ~ For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this ; Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. Gal. v. 14. He who cannot feel the humanity of his neigh- bor because he is different from himself in edu- cation, habits, opinions, morals, circumstances, objects, is unfit, if not unworthy, to aid him. George Macdonald. 78 HELPFUL THOUGHTS. — — — — — August io. Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. James ii. 17. It is a perilous thing to separate feeling from action ; to have learnt to feel rightly without acting rightly. Truth is given, not to be contemplated, but to be done. F. W. Robertson. Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. Fear ye not, therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows. Matt. x. 29, 31. I am only a little sparrow, A bird of low degree, But I know that the Father loves me ; Doth thou know His love for thee ? Mrs. N. V. Walker. — —August 12. ~~~ Love worketh no ill to his neighbor : therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. Romans xiii. 10. There would be no need for any other law if we only obeyed perfectly the law of love. Bishop How. HELPFUL THOUGHTS. 79 I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. Psalm cxxi. 1, 2. " Remember, to get above the clouds you must ascend the mountain : so with the soul — it must rise to the summit where it is lighted by supreme truth before the mists of error and ignorance vanish." -v~^~^/-v~-^- #UgU0t 14. v/x/xy^xyw^/-^ Great peace have they which love thy law, and nothing shall offend them. Psalm cxix. 165. A soul occupied with great ideas best performs small duties ; the divinest views of life penetrate most clearly into the meanest emergencies. James Martineau. -^~^-~^^- August 15. ^~~ ~ In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust. Psalm Ixxi. 1. Live as it were on trust. All that is in you and all that you are is only loaned to you. Make use of it according to the will of Him who lends it, but never regard it for a moment as your own. 80 HELPFUL THOUGHTS. ~~-~~~— 3ttgU0t 16. Consider the lilies. Matt. vi. 28. " They do not toil. Content with their allotted task They do but grow ; they do not ask A richer lot, a higher sphere, But in their loveliness appear, And grow, and smile, and do their best, And unto God they leave the rest." -august 17. According to your faith be it unto you. Matt. ix. 29. " There is unfailing and perennial joy in believ- ing ; and whoever has the root of faith in his heart should carry the unfolded blossom of it in a radiant and unfading joy in his life." august 18. Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me. Psalm ci. 6. It is not healthy to dwell on one's own feelings and conduct, but only to try to live more faithfully and lovingly every fresh day. George Eliot. HELPFUL THOUGHTS. 81 - aiugu^t 19. — — — — ~^~ And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. John viii. 32. " Think truly, and thy thought Shall the world's famine feed ; Speak truly, and each word of thine Shall be a fruitful seed ; Live truly, and thy life shall be A great and noble creed." — — — ^^-— august 20. — Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews iv. 16. Boldness and faith go together ; fear and unbe- lief go together. If ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be established. It is always want of faith that is at the bottom of all fear. Why are ye fearful ? Havergal. ———--— 3tlgU0t 21.— ~— — ^ Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright ; for the end of that man is peace. Psalm xxxvii. 37. To persevere in one's duty and to be silent is the first answer to calumny. Washington. 6 82 HELPFUL THOUGHTS. ■~v~^~ ^^ ^— August 22. - I will dwell in them and walk in them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 2 Cor. vi. 16. And I paused to think God's greatness flowed around our incompleteness, Round our restlessness His rest. Mrs. Browning. #UgU0t 23.-———— Cease from anger, and forsake wrath : fret not thyself in any wise. Psalm xxxvii. 8. Whenever you are sincerely pleased you are nourished. The joy of the spirit indicates its strength. All healthy things are sweet-tempered. Emerson. — — — ^~ August 24. ~ Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself : I am the Lord. Lev. xix. 18. To avenge one's self is to confess that one has been wounded ; but it is not the part of a noble mind to be wounded by an injury : a great mind, and one which is conscious of its own worth, does not avenge an injury, because it does not feel it. Seneca. HELPFUL THOUGHTS. 83 #UgU0t 25.- ^^s^ We beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more ; And that ye study to be quiet. 1 Thess. iv. 10, 11. " He that believeth shall not make haste." That is, he shall not be in confusion, running hither and thither, as one who has no resource. He shall stand still and wait for divine teaching, not like one who is insensible, but like one who is dependent. Cecil. — — — ~~~v. #ugu0t 26. ./v/s/v^~n~ s~ I can do all things through Christ which strength- eneth me. Phil. iv. 13. If thou art pained by any external thing, it is not this thing that disturbs thee, but thy judgment of it, and it is in thy power to wipe out this judgment now. M. Aurelius Antoninus. ~~ — — — August 27. — — - .~>~v A sound heart is the life of the flesh : but envy the rottenness of the bones. Proverbs xiv. 30. To see, without envy, others acquire what we are striving for, is greatness of mind. Marie Eschenbach. 84 HELPFUL THOUGHTS. ^-^~^~w^ August 28. Be quiet ; fear not. Isaiah vii. 4. " Thou layest Thy hand on the fluttering heart And sayest, ' Be still ! ' The silence and shadow are only a part Of Thy sweet will. Thy presence is with me, and where Thou art I fear no ill." August 29. The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup. Psalm xvi. 5. God is continually giving. He will not withhold from you, or me. I hold up my little cup. He fills it full. If yours is greater, rejoice in that, and bring it to the same urn. Were your little cup to become as large as the Pacific sea, He still would fill it. Theodore Parker. August 30. The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it. Proverbs x. 22. " As ripples follow the waves at sea — So may God's blessings follow thee." HELPFUL THOUGHTS. 85 -3tlgU£t 31.————— I can do all things through Christ which strength- ened me. Phil. iv. 13. The man who unites with his Source may attain such a degree of activity and wisdom that every breath which proceeds out of his mouth may pro- duce and shed abroad a glorious influence, the quintessence of the universal balm of purifying. Saint Martin. September i Know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind, for the Lord searcheth all hearts. i Chron. xxviii. 9. There are no disappointments, it has been said, to those whose wills are bound up in the will of God. Light of the Conscience. ~~> September 2. — — ~— Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer. Psalm xix. 14. They who are sincere are not willing to speak, or even to think, anything but what others may know, even the whole world, or the whole heaven. SWEDENBORG. — — — ~ September 3- — — — -- As in water face answereth to face, so the heart of man to man. Proverbs xxvii. 19. Trust men and they will be true to you ; treat them greatly and they will show themselves great. Emerson. HELPFUL THOUGHTS, 87 September 4- — —~ — Faith if it hath not works is dead. James ii. 17. Discharge aright The simple duties with which day is rife, Yea, with thy might. Ere perfect scheme of action thou devise Will life be fled ; While he who ever acts as conscience cries, Shall live tho' dead. Schiller. — — — September 5- — — — - The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. Deut. xxxiii. 27. " And though we turn us from Thy face, And wander wide and long, Thou hold'st us still in Thine embrace, O Love of God, most strong." -~~ — ~ ^~ - September 6. -— — — ~ Behold, now is the accepted time ; behold, now is the day of salvation. 2 Cor. vi. 2. Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year. No man has learned anything rightly until he knows that every day is Doomsday. Emerson. HELPFUL THOUGHTS. September 7- Be content with such things as ye have. Hebrews xiii. 5. I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, there- with to be content. Phil. iv. 11. Never dwell on the morrow. Remember that it is God's, not thine. The heaviest part of sorrow often is to look forward to it. "The Lord will provide." E. B. Pusey. September 8. — — — - If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in the darkness, we lie, and do not the truth. i John i. 6. Do not let your dreams soar to the skies, while your duties wallow in the mire. O. B. Frothingham. -— - — — September g- — — — When he giveth quietness, who then can make trouble ? Job xxxiv. 29. What dost thou fear? His wisdom reigns Supreme confessed : His power is infinite : His love Thy dearest, fondest dreams above ; — So Trust and Rest. A. A. Procter. HELPFUL THOUGHTS. 89 September 10. — ~-— — ~- But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith with- out works is dead ? James ii. 20. " No answer comes to those that pray And idly stand And wait for stones to roll away At God's command. He will not break the binding cords Upon us laid, If we depend on pleading words And do not aid." September n. He that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. 1 John iv. 16. The desire to be beloved is ever restless and unsatisfied ; but the love that flows out upon others is a perpetual well-spring from on high. L. M. Child. September 12. Seek, and ye shall find. Matt. vii. 7. Each can have what inspiration each will take. Theodore Parker. 90 HELPFUL THOUGHTS. — ~ — — September 13. If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine. John vii. 17. " Remember this : that as you live your life each day with an uplifted purpose and unselfish desire, each and every event will bear for you a deep significance, — a hidden meaning, — and as you learn their import, so do you fit yourself for higher work." September 14- ^^ ~ ~^^ God is love ; and he that dwelleth in love dwell- eth in God, and God in him. i John iv. 16. Hopeful, trustful, full of cheer, And the love that casts out fear. Whittier. -~- ~ — ~ — - September 15. — — — - I was eyes to the blind and feet was I to the lame ; I was a father to the poor. Job xxix. 15, 16. Empty hands are sometimes the powerful wea- pons of God ; it is not what we have but what we have not that giveth effectual strength. It is not human might, but divine power, that tells. Kingsley. HELPFUL THOUGHTS. 9 1 September 16 -— — - I can do all things through Christ which strength- ened me. Phil. iv. 13. Let me truly feel that in myself I am nothing ; and at once, through every inlet of my soul, God comes in and is everything to me. And as soon as I feel this, the Almightiness of God pours through my spirit like a stream, and I can do all things through Him that strengthened me. MOUNTFORD. — — — — September 17. — — ~— For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. Romans viii. 2. Ye are not bound ! The Soul of Things is sweet, The Heart of Being is celestial rest, Stronger than woe is will : that which was Good Doth pass to Better — Best. Edwin Arnold. September 18. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Matt. vi. 10. " To will as God doth will, is the only science that can give us any rest." 92 HELPFUL THOUGHTS. ^s^r^sss^s^. September 19. So speak ye, and so do ye, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty. James ii. 12. Just as soon as a man gets into such a condition that every freedom sets towards duty, then evi- dently he will need no law except that freedom, and all duty will be reached and done. Phillips Brooks. — -~ September 20. ~> — -^~^ Blessed is that man that maketh the Lord his trust. Psalm xl. 4. Just to leave in His dear hand little things ; All we cannot comprehend, all that stings ; Just to let Him take the care sorely pressing ; Finding all we let Him bear changed to blessing ; — This is all ! and yet the way Marked by Him who loves the best ; Secret of a happy day, Secret of His promised rest. Havergal. &>tpttmhtt 21. Where the word of a king is, there is power. Ecc. viii. 4. " There is nothing so kingly as kindness, And nothing so royal as truth." HELPFUL THOUGHTS. 93 September 22. — — — - Be not many teachers, my brethren, knowing that we shall receive heavier judgment. For in many things we all stumble. James iii. i, 2. " Remember then, that all men have judgment, and that they should be perfected to see things from their own standpoint and not from thine. Consider then how unjust it is to foist thy own opinion on any man uncalled for." - — — ~- September 23. ~^~^~x~ As having nothing, yet possessing all things. 2 Cor. vi. 10. To have what we want is riches, but to be able to do without is power. George Macdonald. ~ ~ ~ September 24. — — — — Thou, O Lord, art our Father. Isaiah lxiii. 16. Friend : All that is, at all, Lasts ever, past recall ; Earth changes, but thy soul And God stand sure : What entered into thee, That was, is, and shall be. Robert Browning. 94 HELPFUL THOUGHTS. September 25. Blessed is the man that endureth temptation. James i. 12. As the Sandwich Islander believes that the strength and valor of the enemy he kills passes into himself, so we gain the strength of the tempta- tion we resist. Emerson. g>qptembn: 26. In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin : but he that refraineth his lips is wise. Proverbs x. 19. Few men suspect how much mere talk fritters away spiritual energy ; that which should be spent in action, spends itself in words. Hence he who restrains that love of talk, lays up a fund of spiritual strength. f. W. Robertson. — — — - September 27. — — ~~~ Whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not unto men. Col. iii. 23. The rest of Christ is not that of torpor, but of harmony ; it is not refusing the struggle, but con- quering in it ; not resting from duty, but finding rest in duty. F. W. Robertson. HELPFUL THOUGHTS. 95 September 28. ~- — For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not ; I will help thee. Isaiah xli. 13. " So for to-morrow and its needs I do not pray : But keep me, guide me, love me, Lord, Just for to-day." — — ~— September 29. ~^— — — For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power. 1 Cor. iv. 20. Now it may be asked, what is the state of a man who followeth the true Light to the utmost of his power? I answer, he who is not such a man can neither understand nor know it, and he who is knoweth it indeed ; but he cannot utter it, for it is unspeakable. Theologia Germanica. v^^x. ^ ^~. September 30. - — According to your faith be it unto you. Matt. ix. 29. There is no law so high, no truth so pure, no idea so transcendental that may not be put in prac- tice the very moment it is believed in, but then it must be vitally believed in. O. B. Frothingham. October i. Why dost thou judge thy brother ? Romans xiv. 10. That only which we have within, can we see without. Emerson. — — — ~ October 2. — And now I exhort you to be of good cheer. Acts xxvii. 22. You find yourself refreshed by the presence of cheerful people ; why not make earnest effort to confer that pleasure on others ? You will find half the battle is gained, if you never allow yourself to say anything gloomy. L. M. Child. — -— ~ — — ~ October 3- — — — ^— First cast the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye. Matt. vii. 5. He who discommendeth another, thereby obliquely commendeth himself. Browne. HELPFUL THOUGHTS. 97 October 4- — - — - — That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God. Col. i. 10. Find full reward Of doing right in right ! Let right deeds Be thy motive, not the fruit that comes from them, And live in action. Song Celestial. — ~~ — ~v October 5- -~~ ~~ -— Commit thy way unto the Lord. Psalm xxxvii. 5. I will lead them in paths that they have not known. Isaiah xlii. 16. I go to prove my soul ! I see my way as birds their trackless way. I shall arrive : what time what circuit first I ask not ; In some time — His good time — I shall arrive ; He guides me and the birds. Robert Browning. ^— — — — - October 6. — — — — The Lord of hosts is with us. Psalm xlvi. n. It is impossible for that man to despair who remembers that his Helper is omnipotent. Jeremy Taylor. 7 HELPFUL THOUGHTS. October 7- For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath and not according to that he hath not. 2 Cor. viii. 12. All virtue consists in having a willing heart. God will lead you as if by the hand, if only you do not doubt and are filled rather with love for Him than with fear for yourself. Fenelon. — ~ — — October 8. Surely the Lord is in this place, and I knew it not. Genesis xxviii. 16. Thou earnest not to thy place by accident, It is the very place God meant for thee ; And shouldst thou there small scope for action see, Do not for this give room to discontent. R. C. Trench. — ~— . ®ctobtx 9. Be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted, for- giving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. Eph. iv. 32. Be noble, and the nobleness that lies In other men, sleeping, but never dead, Shall rise in majesty to meet thine own. James Russell Lowell. HELPFUL THOUGHTS. 99 (Bttohtv io. — — — ~ He that followeth after righteousness and mercy findeth life, righteousness, and honor. Proverbs xxi. 21. Freedom from low necessities can only come by reaching after higher satisfactions. Phillips Brooks. October n. For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world ; and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. i John v. 4. For the Lord God will help me. Isaiah 1. 7. Be but faithful, that is all ; Go right on, and close behind thee There shall follow still, and find thee Help, sure help. Arthur H. Clough. ~— —-— ^— October 12. — — — — - And unto you that hear shall more be given. For he that hath to him shall be given. Mark iv. 24, 25. New light is added to the mind in proportion as it uses that which it has. R. W. Emerson. HELPFUL THOUGHTS. October 13- In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul. Psalm xciv. 19. So far from petty principles being best propor- tioned to petty trials, a heavenly spirit taking up its abode with us can alone sustain well the daily toils, and tranquilly pass the humiliations of our condition. j. Martineacj. October 14 ™ — — And every man that hath this hope in him puri- fieth himself, even as he is pure. 1 John iii. 3. By two wings a man is lifted up from things earthly : namely, by simplicity and purity. Sim- plicity doth tend toward God ; purity doth appre- hend and (as it were) taste Him. Thomas A Kempis. October 15- Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down : for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand. Psalm xxxvii. 24. Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall. Confucius. HELPFUL THOUGHTS. October 16. Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee ; because he trusteth in thee. Isaiah xxvi. 3. " Build a little fence of trust around to-day, Fill the space with loving works, and therein stay; Look not through the sheltering bars upon to- morrow — God will help thee bear what comes, if joy or sorrow." - October 17- -— - — — Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love. Romans xii. 10. You have not fulfilled every duty unless you have fulfilled that of being pleasant. Charles Buxton. Go from the presence of a foolish man, when thou perceivest not in him the lips of knowledge. Proverbs xiv. 7. " There are more true sayings in the world than we can ever remember. So it is n't worth while to heed the false." HELPFUL THOUGHTS. October 19. And ye shall know that I am the Lord. Ezek. vii. 4. Lowest of all men are they who live only to gratify their senses. Highest of all they who live in the faith of Eter- nal thought, and are ready to pour out their very life as a sacrifice, if so they may inspire others with the same holy, everlasting faith. Kings ley. ~— -— ~-^~- October 20.— Beloved, let us love one another : for love is of God ; and every one that loveth is bom of God, and knoweth God. i John iv. 7. Seldom can the heart be lonely, If it seek a lonelier still, Self-forgetting, seeking only Emptier cups of love to fill. Havergal. <^^^^^^ October 21. -w^^^/x^^ And thy gentleness hath made me great. 2 Sam. xxii. 36. Nothing is so strong as gentleness, Nothing so gentle as real strength. St. Francis de Sales. HELPFUL THOUGHTS. 103 October 22. Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. 1 Cor. xii. i. Oh ! brother man, fold to thy heart thy brother. Where pity dwells, the peace of God is there ; To worship rightly is to love each other, Each smile a hymn, each kindly deed a prayer. Whittier. -v~-^~^x~^ October 23. -^~-^~^~^- I can of mine own self do nothing ; as I hear, I judge : and my judgment is just ; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me. John v. 30. The blindness of the intellect begins when it would be something of itself. The weakness of the will begins when the individual would be something of himself. Emerson. -v^~v~^~— October 24. -~s^~^~-^ Be careful for nothing. Phil. iv. 6. He that taketh his own cares upon himself, loads himself in vain with an uneasy burden. Bishop Hall. 104 HELPFUL THOUGHTS. -^^x^^^^ October 25. Beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. Isaiah lxi. 3. Everywhere the gate of beauty Fresh across the pathway swings, As we follow truth or duty Inward to the heart of things. W. C. Gannett. —^—— October 26. -~^-^~^~^ For now we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord. 1 Thess. iii. 8. True worth is in being, not seeming, In doing, each day that goes by, Some little good — not in dreaming Of great things to do — by and by. Alice Cary. ———-October 27. ~ — ^~~^ > I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Be strong and of a good courage. Joshua i. 5, 6. " Are you in earnest? Seize this very minute, What you can do, or dream you can, begin it." HELPFUL THOUGHTS. 105 October 28.—-—— Love worketh no ill to his neighbor ; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law. Romans xiii. 10. Therefore, come what may, hold fast to love. Though men should rend your heart, let them not embitter or harden it. We win by tenderness ; we conquer by forgiveness. Robertson. — — — -— October 29.———— For with God all things are possible. Mark x. 27. As a plant upon the earth, so a man rests upon the bosom of God ; he is nourished by unfailing fountains, and draws, at his need, inexhaustible power. Who can set bounds to the possibilities of man? Emerson. — — — — — October 30. But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Be- hold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee ; how much less this house that I have builded? i Kings viii. 27. There is no unbelief: Whoever plants a seed beneath the sod And waits to see it press away the clod — He trusts in God. Bulwer. 106 HELPFUL THOUGHTS. —^——— October 3*-^ — Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Matt. vi. 25. It has been well said that no man ever sank under the burden of the day. It is when to-mor- row's burden is added to the burden of to-day that the weight is more than a man can bear. God begs you to leave the future to Him, and mind the present. George Macdonald. Thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory- through our Lord Jesus Christ. i Cor. xv. 57. Truth is stronger than error, righteousness is stronger than evil, life is stronger than death. Phillips Brooks. — jpofeember 2. — — ~ — - Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. Luke xv. 31. " O ye that faint and die, arise and live ! Sing ye, that all things have a charge to bless ! If He is faithful who hath sworn to give, Then be ye also faithful, and possess." -* jftoferatber 3- -~ ^~ ~ ^^ And this mortal must put on immortality. i Cor. xv. 53. Immortality and resurrection begin here ; we rise with Christ into a higher life with every right word, act, purpose, and affection. James Freeman Clarke. 108 HELPFUL THOUGHTS. — — — jpofeember 4. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad : for great is your reward in heaven. Matt. v. 12. I fully participate in the belief that the only heaven here or hereafter is to be found in con- formity with the will of the Supreme : a continual aiming at the attainment of the perfect ideal, the true logos that dwells in the bosom of the one Father. George Eliot. — ~-~ -~ — ^ofcember 5- — — — ~ Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment. John vii. 24. " The discord is within, which jars So sadly in life's song ; 'T is we, not they, who are in fault, When others seem so wrong." ~~ j^otwnber 6. -— — ~ I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. John x. io. We must escape from the limitations which gall our freedom, by outgrowing them, by rising above them. The life more abundant is the only remedy for what we call evil. Charles G. Ames. HELPFUL THOUGHTS. 109 jftotambn: 7. — — And he hath confirmed his words. Daniel ix. 12. " The words of a wise man are as nails ; his example, the hammer that drives them home." — —- — j^otiember 8. — — — ~ - For to be carnally minded is death ; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Romans viii. 6. This is peace To conquer love of self and lust of life, To tear deep-rooted passion from the breast, To still the inward strife ; For love to clasp eternal beauty close ; For glory to be lord of self, for pleasure To live beyond the gods ; for countless wealth To lay up lasting treasure Of perfect service rendered, duties done In charity, soft speech, and stainless days : These riches shall not fade away in life, Nor any death dispraise. Edwin Arnold. jpotiembrr 9. — — ' Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. Matt. v. 48. " The aim (if reached or not) makes great the life." HELPFUL THOUGHTS. jliobember 10. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it ; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it. Mark viii. 35. So long as a man seeketh his own will and his own highest good, because it is his, and for his own sake, he will never find it ; for so long as he doeth this, he is not seeking his own Highest Good, and how then should he find it. Theologia Germanica. -— — — - jl^obcmber xx. — — ~— For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth. 2 Cor. xiii. 8. Truth crushed to earth shall rise again — The eternal years of God are hers ; But Error, wounded, writhes with pain, And dies among his worshippers. William Cullen Bryant. ~ -~~ ~~ ~ jl^otiember 12. — - ~ ~~> > My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God. Psalm xlii. 2. Whoever is satisfied with what he does has reached his culminating point — he will progress no more. Man's destiny is to be not dissatisfied, but forever unsatisfied. F. W. Robertson. HELPFUL THOUGHTS. ^otientber 13. God forbid : yea, let God be true, but every man a liar, as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged. Romans iii. 4. Never believe what you feel, if it contradict God's word. Ask yourself, Can what I feel be true, if God's word is true ? and if both cannot be true, believe God, and make your own heart a liar. Brownlow North, B. A. jl^obember 14- -~ — — — - Wait on the Lord : be of good courage and he shall strengthen thine heart : wait, I say, on the Lord. Psalm xxvii. 14. Place on the Lord reliance ; My soul with courage wait ; His truth be thine affiance, When faint and desolate. Montgomery. — — — — jl^otientber 15. — — ^— - Let brotherly love continue. Hebrews xiii. i. If instead of a gem or a flower we could cast the gift of a lovely thought into the heart of a friend that would be giving as the angels must give. George Macdonald. HELPFUL THOUGHTS. j^obember 16. Arise, therefore, and be doing, and the Lord be with thee. i Chron. xxii. 16. A true man never frets about his place in the world, but just slides into it by the gravitation of his nature, and swings there as easily as a star. Chapin. jjiotoember 17- Let us go on unto perfection. Hebrews vi. i. Build thee more stately mansions, O my soul, As the swift seasons roll ! Leave thy low-vaulted past ! Let each new temple, nobler than the last, Shut thee from heaven with a dome more vast, Till thou at length art free, Leaving thine outgrown shell, by life's unresting sea ! Oliver Wendell Holmes. j^obember 18. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. Matt. vi. 34. He has not learned the lesson of life who does not every day surmount a fear. Emerson. HELPFUL THOUGHTS. 113 jliotrnnber 19. — — — — That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. 1 Cor. ii. 5. " We need not be afraid of anything — Because we are the children of the King." — — ^^— — jpofcember 20. -^~^~^~ Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children. Eph. v. i. Every morning, before we cross our threshold, before we make a single plan or appointment for the day, we must give ourselves unto our Father's business. We are not, as we do sometimes, to determine what we will do and then devote it to God ; but we are first to devote ourselves to God, and then ask Him what we shall do ? Rev. A. McKenzie. — — jl^otoember 21. -^~— ~~^ For not he that commendeth himself is ap- proved, but whom the Lord commendeth. 2 Cor. x. 18. No good* that has been truly meant, even though it be in the midst of mistakes, shall, in any upshot of life, be wholly lost. A. D. T. Whitney. H4 HELPFUL THOUGHTS. -— -~~ — ~~ jl^otientber 22. None of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself. Romans xiv. 7. For even Christ pleased not himself. Romans xv. 3. " God wills that in a ring His blessings should be sent, From living thing to thing, And nowhere stayed or spent. And every soul that takes And gives not on again, Is so a link that breaks In heaven's love-made chain." ~— — ~ — - jftotamber 23. — ~ — — - They which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize. So run, that ye may attain. 1 Cor. ix. 24. Duty is the measure of ability, not ability the measure of duty. Kant. -^^v^~v~ j^obember 24. Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding. Proverbs iii. 13. " The wisdom of hearty happiness ; the wisdom of being glad and gladly showing it." HELPFUL THOUGHTS. 115 jpotintitar 25. He that abideth in me and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit ; without me ye can do nothing. John xv. 5. The man has begun to be strong who has begun to know that, separated from life essential, that is God, he is weakness itself, but of strength inexhaus- tible if he be one with his origin. George Macdonald. - jliotmnber 26. — ~ ~^^ Neither shall they say Lo here ! or, lo there ! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you. Luke xvii. 21. Take all in a word : the truth in God's breast Lies trace for trace upon ours impressed : Though He is so bright and we so dim, We are made in His image to witness Him. Robert Browning. — — — jfeotamber 27. — - — — - There are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. i Cor. xii. 6. Were not the eye made to receive the rays of the sun it could not behold the sun ; if the peculiar power of God lay not in us, how could the God- like charm us. Goethe. n6 HELPFUL THOUGHTS. — -— ~— j^obcmber 28. Lead me in thy truth and teach me; for thou art the God of my salvation ; on thee do I wait all the day. P SALM xxv . 5 . " My Father God, lead on ! Calmly I follow where Thy guiding hand Directs my steps. I would not trembling stand, Though, all before, the way Is dark as night : I stay My soul on Thee, and say, Father, I trust Thy love : lead on." — ~— — ~~ ji^obmtbrr 29. — — — — Turn not to the right hand nor to the left : remove thy foot from evil. Proverbs iv. 27. A straight line is the shortest in morals, as in mathematics. Maria Edgeworth. — —~-~ j^otonubtr 30- -~~~ — -— - Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Matt. xi. 28. If thou canst not worship steadfastly, Work for Me, toil in works pleasing to Me, For he that laboreth right for love of Me Shall finally attain ! But, if in this thy faint heart fails, bring Me thy failures ! Find refuge in Me. From the Sanscrit. SDecember i. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord. Lam. iii. 26. In every act consciously and devoutly done for God's sake, God gives himself to the soul and feeds it, in the act ; not after it and in reward of it, but tn it. Phillips Brooks. — ~ -~ — — Wtttmbtt 2. — — — ~~ The laborer is worthy of his hire. Luke x. 7. The greatest homage we can pay to truth is to use it. Emerson. ~— -— — SDecemfaer 3- ~— ~— — - Sing unto the Lord, bless his name ; show forth his salvation from day to day. Psalm xcvi. 2. " Resolve to see the world on the sunny side, and you have almost won the battle of life at the outset.'* n8 HELPFUL THOUGHTS. — -— — - December 4- For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself. Romans xiv. 7. Others are affected by what I am, and say, and do. And these others have also their sphere of influence. So that a single act of mine may spread in widening circles through a nation, or humanity. W. E. Channing. — — — December 5- Rejoice with them that do rejoice. Romans xii. 15. tl If thou art blest, Then let the sunshine of thy gladness rest On the dark edges of each cloud that lies Black in thy brother's skies. If thou art sad, Still be thou in thy brother's gladness glad." — — ~— December 6. — He will guide you into all truth. John xvi. 13. We are bound to obey the truth and to the full extent of our knowledge thereof, however little that may be. This obligation acknowledged and obeyed, the road is open to all truth, and the only road. The way to know is to do the known. George Macdonald. HELPFUL THOUGHTS. 119 2Decnnber 7. ■ — — — - My son, forget not my law ; but let thine heart keep my commandments : For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee. Proverbs iii. i, 2. "To live simply and contentedly, striving to please God rather than man, to be rather than to seem, and to do to-day the duties of to-day and not those of to-morrow, — this is the secret of living well and long." — ~— — - SDecembet 8. — — — ~ 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. Rev. iii. 20. " That man who finds not God in his own heart will find Him nowhere, and he who finds Him there will find Him everywhere." ^.^.^-^^ December 9. — — — - Be silent, O all flesh, before the Lord. Zech. ii. 13. Let it make no difference to thee whether thou art cold or warm, if thou art doing thy duty : and whether thou art drowsy or satisfied with sleep, and whether ill spoken of or praised. M. Aurelius Antoninus. HELPFUL THOUGHTS. December 10. God the Lord, the strength of my salvation, thou hast covered my head in the day of battle. Psalm cxl. 7. God is my strong salvation ; What foe have I to fear ? In darkness and temptation, My Light, my Help, is near. Montgomery. -— — December n. ~v~^x,wv The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life. Job xxxiii. 4. 1 would rather be what God chose to make me than the most glorious creature that I could think of. For to have been thought about — born in God's thoughts — and then made by God, is the dearest, grandest, most precious thing in all thinking. George Macdonald. — ~- < December 12. — — — ^ Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer. Psalm xix. 14. " Let me no wrong or idle word Unthinking say : Set Thou a seal upon my lips Just for to-day." HELPFUL THOUGHTS. Wtttmbtt 13. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. Rev. iii. 6. Let us then labor for an inward stillness, An inward stillness and an inward healing, That perfect silence where the lips and heart Are still, and we no longer entertain Our own imperfect thoughts and vain opinions, But God alone speaks in us, and we wait In singleness of heart, that we may know His will, and in the silence of our spirits, That we may do His will, and do that only. John Endicott. SDecnttber 14- ^^ ~ ^^^^. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. i John iv. n. Have love ! not love alone for one ; But man as man thy brother call ; And scatter like the circling sun Thy charities on all. Schiller. Wtttmbtt 15. He which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. 2 Cor. ix. 6. "He is great who confers the most benefits." HELPFUL THOUGHTS. December 16. And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God. Rev. xxii. i. " Duty is the River that runs through life. Its tide is silvery to those who are on it, but threaten- ing to those who approach it seldom." ~— December 17. -~ — I am the light of the world : he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. John viii. 12. This is the way, walk ye in it. Isaiah xxx. 21. " We, dearest, who in life's rough path Walk laden heavily, Should ever face the light, so that, Wherever we may be, The heavy burden which we bear Its shadow dim may cast Not on our forward steps, but on The portion we have passed." — — — — December 18. Fight the good fight of the faith, lay hold on the life eternal. 1 Timothy vi. 12. " Advance towards the Eternal, and the transient will imperceptibly drop away from you." HELPFUL THOUGHTS. 123 December ig- v~^-^~~^ My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest. Exodus xxxiii. 14. How shall we rest in God ? By giving ourselves wholly to Him. If you give yourself by halves, you cannot find full rest. There will ever be a lurking disquiet in that half which is withheld. Jean Nicolas Grou. ~~ ~~ — ~ December 20. — — ~~^~ The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing. Phil. iv. 5, 6. Belief and love — a believing love — will re- lieve us of a vast load of care. O my brothers, God exists. There is a soul at the centre of nature and over the will of every man, so that none of us can wrong the universe. Emerson. - — December 21. He that is faithful in that which is least, is faith- ful also in much. Luke xvi. 10. " Character is measured, not by results, but by quality. Appearances deceive us; God searches the motive. Not by the little or much we do or fail to do, are we judged, but by our intentions, by our fidelity or unfaithfulness." 124 HELPFUL THOUGHTS. -~ — December 22. Now, therefore, be content. Job vi. 28. The common Problem, yours, mine, every one's, Is — not to fancy what were fair in life, Provided it could be, — but finding first What may be, then find how to make it fair. Robert Browning. — — — December 23. -wv^^n^^n. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory ; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Phil. ii. 3. " Stronger than steel Is the sword of the Spirit ; Swifter than arrows The light of the truth is ; Greater than anger Is love, that subdueth." — ~~-~ — December 24. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. John xvii. 15. It is easy in the world to live after the world's opinion ; it is easy in solitude to live after our own ; but the great man is he who, in the midst of the crowd, keeps with perfect sweetness the independ- ence of solitude. Emerson. HELPFUL THOUGHTS. 125 SDecntiber 25. — ~— — And lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them. When they saw the star they rejoiced with ex- ceeding great joy. Matt. ii. 9, 10. To-day be joy in every heart, For, lo, the angel throng Once more, above the list'ning earth, Repeats the advent song. " Peace on the earth, good-will to men ! " Before us goes the star That leads us on to holier births And life diviner far ! F. L. Hosmer. -*———— SDecember 26. — — Behold, thou desireth truth in the inward parts : and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. Psalm li. 6. Goodness consists not in the outward things we do, but in the inward things we are. To be is the great thing. E. H. Chapin. — — — S>ecember 27. — - — Thy years are throughout all generations. Psalm cii. 24. Each year should find us better, wiser, and stronger, more ready for the life that is not mea- sured by human calendars. Charles F. Deems. 126 HELPFUL THOUGHTS. - — ~ ^ December 28. For thou art my hope, O Lord God, thou art my trust from my youth. Psalm lxxi. 5. " If thou couldst trust, poor soul ! In Him who rules the whole, Thou wouldst find peace and rest. Wisdom and sight are well, but trust is best." December 29. Be strong, all ye people of the land, saith the Lord, and work : for I am with you, saith the Lord of hosts. Haggai ii. 4. There is nothing like this constant sense that we are one with God, in communion with Him, listen- ing to Him, obeying Him, and going out to do His will, sure that there is no man who is faithful to his Father's business, but shall know the doctrine and shall do the work. A. McKenzie. -^~n~^~^. December 30- ~~ *■ They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength ; they shall mount up with wings as eagles ; they shall run and not be weary ; and they shall walk, and not faint. Isaiah xl. 31. We shall find then, an incentive, an inspiration, the very nobility of our career, when we are work- ing with God, and feeling the strength of that divine life breathe into our purposes and flow along the channels of our life. A. McKenzie. HELPFUL THOUGHTS. 127 SDmmber 31. ~^ As for God, his way is perfect ; the word of the Lord is tried ; he is a buckler to all them that trust in him. 2 Samuel xxii. 31. Then wherefore should we do ourselves this wrong, Or others, — that we are not always strong, That we are ever overborne with care, That we should ever weak or heartless be, Anxious or troubled, — when with us is prayer, And joy and strength and courage are with Thee ! Trench.