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Of 1 LLI N O i 5 
 PRESENTED 5Y 
 
 THE ESTATE 
 OF 
 
 DR. AND MRS. S. M. WYLIE 
 1950 
 
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Daily Strength for Daily Needs 
 
 
 ^ >- 
 
 C 
 
 / 
 
 yC? 
 
Daily Strength 
 
 / 
 
 for Daily Needs 
 
 Selected by 
 
 / 
 
 Mary W. Tileston 
 
 Editor of “Joy and Strength for the Pilgrim’s 
 
 Day,” etc. 
 
 “ As thy days, so shall thy strength be ,e 
 
 Boston 
 
 Little, Brown, and Company 
 
 1910 
 
Copyright , 1884, ipoi. 
 By Mary W. TilestoWc 
 
 All rights reserved 
 
 Punters 
 
 S. J. Parkhill & Co., Boston, D. S. A. 
 
T¥Scl 
 
 /9lb 
 
 PREFACE 
 
 T HIS little book of brief selections in prose 
 and verse, with accompanying texts of 
 \ -gScripture, is intended for a daily companion and 
 .. counsellor. These words of the goodly fellow- 
 ^ Oship of wise and holy men of many times, it is 
 52 hoped may help to strengthen the reader to 
 | cn perform the duties and to bear the burdens of 
 ■ f each day with cheerfulness and courage. 
 
 5 £? MARY WILDER TILESTON. 
 
 S 
 
 y 
 
 R 
 
 * 
 
 V 
 
 \ 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 . 
 
 
 
 
January i 
 
 i 
 
 They go from strength to strength. — Ps. 
 lxxxiv. 7 . 
 
 , 4 
 
 First the blade , then the ear , after that the full 
 corn in the ear. — Mark iv. 28. 
 
 Build thee more stately mansions, O my soul, 
 
 As the swift seasons roll ! 
 
 Leave thy low-vaulted past ! 
 
 Let each new temple, nobler than the last, 
 
 Shut thee from heaven with a dome more vast, 
 
 Till thou at length art free, 
 
 Leaving thine outgrown shell by life’s unresting sea ! 
 
 O. W. Holmes. 
 
 H IGH hearts are never long without hear¬ 
 ing some new call, some distant clarion 
 of God, even in their dreams; and soon 
 they are observed to break up the camp of ease, 
 and start on some fresh march of faithful ser¬ 
 vice. And, looking higher still, we find those 
 who never wait till their moral work accumu¬ 
 lates, and who reward resolution with no rest; 
 with whom, therefore, the alternation is instan¬ 
 taneous and constant ; who do the good only to 
 see the better, and see the better only to achieve 
 it; who are too meek for transport, too faithful 
 for remorse, too earnest for repose; whose wor¬ 
 ship is action, and whose action ceaseless aspira¬ 
 tion. 
 
 J. Martineau. 
 
2 
 
 January 2 
 
 The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy 
 coming in from this time forth , and even for ever¬ 
 more. — Ps. cxxi. 8. 
 
 Lord, Thou hast been our dwelling-place in all 
 generations. — Ps. xc. I. 
 
 With grateful hearts the past we own ; 
 
 The future, all to us unknown, 
 
 We to Thy guardian care commit, 
 
 And peaceful leave before Thy feet. 
 
 P. Doddridge. 
 
 W E are like to Him with whom there is 
 no past or future, with whom a day 
 is as a thousand years, and a thousand 
 years as one day, when we do our work in the 
 great present, leaving both past and future to 
 Him to whom they are ever present, and fearing 
 nothing, because He is in our future as much as 
 He is in our past, as much as, and far more than 
 we can feel Him to be, in our present. Par¬ 
 takers thus of the divine nature, resting in that 
 perfect All-in-all in whom our nature is eternal 
 too, we walk without fear, full of hope and 
 courage and strength to do His will, waiting for 
 the endless good which He is always giving as 
 fast as He can get us able to take it in. 
 
 G. Macdonald. 
 
January 3 
 
 3 
 
 As thy days , so shall thy strength he. — Deut. 
 xxxiii. 25. 
 
 Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. — 
 
 Matt. vi. 34. 
 
 Oh, ask not thou, How shall I bear 
 The burden of to-morrow ? 
 
 Sufficient for to-day, its care, 
 
 Its evil and its sorrow ; 
 
 God imparteth by the way 
 Strength sufficient for the day. 
 
 J. E. Saxby. 
 
 H E that hath so many causes of joy, and so 
 great, is very much in love with sorrow 
 and peevishness, who loses all these 
 pleasures, and chooses to sit down upon his little 
 handful of thorns. Enjoy the blessings of this 
 day, if God sends them ; and the evils of it bear 
 patiently and sweetly : for this day only is ours, 
 we are dead to yesterday, and we are not yet 
 born to the morrow. But if we look abroad, 
 and bring into one day’s thoughts the evil of 
 many, certain and uncertain, what will be and 
 what will never be, our load will be as intoler¬ 
 able as it is unreasonable. 
 
 Jeremy Taylor. 
 
4 
 
 January 4 
 
 If we sin , we are Thine , knowing Thy power : 
 but we will not sin , knowing that we are counted 
 Thine. For to know Thee is perfect righteousness: 
 yea , to know Thy power is the root of immortality . 
 — Wisdom of Solomon xv. 2, 3. 
 
 Oh, empty us of self, the world, and sin, 
 
 And then in all Thy fulness enter in ; 
 
 Take full possession, Lord, and let each thought 
 Into obedience unto Thee be brought ; 
 
 Thine is the power, and Thine the will, that we 
 Be wholly sanctified, O Lord, to Thee. 
 
 C. E. J. 
 
 T AKE steadily some one sin, which seems 
 to stand out before thee, to root it out, 
 by God’s grace, and every fibre of it. 
 Purpose strongly, by the grace and strength of 
 God, wholly to sacrifice this sin or sinful in¬ 
 clination to the love of God, to spare it not, 
 until thou leave of it none remaining, neither 
 root nor branch. 
 
 Fix, by God’s help, not only to root out this 
 sin, but to set thyself to gain, by that same help, 
 the opposite grace. If thou art tempted to be 
 angry, try hard, by God’s grace, to be very 
 meek; if to be proud, seek to be very humble. 
 
 E. B. Pusey. 
 
January 5 
 
 5 
 
 ‘That He might present it to Himself a glorious 
 church , not having spot , or wrinkle , or any such 
 thing; but that it should be holy and without 
 blemish. — Eph. v. 27. 
 
 Te also , as lively stones , built up a spiritual 
 
 house. — 1 Peter ii. 5. 
 
 One holy Church of God appears 
 Through every age and race, 
 
 Unwasted by the lapse of years, 
 
 Unchanged by changing place. 
 
 S. Longfellow. 
 
 A TEMPLE there has been upon earth, a 
 spiritual Temple, made up of living 
 stones; a Temple, as I may say, com¬ 
 posed of souls; a Temple with God for its light, 
 and Christ for the high priest; with wings of 
 angels for its arches, with saints and teachers for 
 its pillars, and with worshippers for its pave¬ 
 ment. Wherever there is faith and love, this 
 Temple is. J. H. Newman. 
 
 To whatever worlds He carries our souls when 
 they shall pass out of these imprisoning bodies, 
 in those worlds these souls of ours shall find 
 themselves part of the same great Temple; for 
 it belongs not to this earth alone. There can 
 be no end of the universe where God is, to 
 which that growing Temple does not reach, — 
 the Temple of a creation to be wrought at last 
 into a perfect utterance of God by a perfect 
 obedience to God. Phillips Brooks. 
 
6 
 
 January 6 
 
 In all ages entering into holy souls , she [ WIs- 
 dom~\ rnaketh them friends of God , and prophets . — 
 Wisdom of Solomon vii. 27. 
 
 Meanwhile with every son and saint of Thine 
 Along the glorious line, 
 
 Sitting by turns beneath Thy sacred feet 
 We ’ll hold communion sweet, 
 
 Know them by look and voice, and thank them all 
 For helping us in thrall, 
 
 For words of hope, and bright examples given 
 To shew through moonless skies that there is light in 
 heaven. J. Keble. 
 
 I F we cannot live at once and alone with Him, 
 we may at least live with those who have 
 lived with Him; and find, in our admiring 
 love for their purity, their truth, their goodness, 
 an intercession with His pity on our behalf. 
 To study the lives, to meditate the sorrows, to 
 commune with the thoughts, of the great and 
 holy men and women of this rich world, is a 
 sacred discipline, which deserves at least to rank 
 as the forecourt of the temple of true worship, 
 and may train the tastes, ere we pass the very 
 gate, of heaven. We forfeit the chief source of 
 dignity and sweetness in life, next to the direct 
 communion with God, if we do not seek con¬ 
 verse with the greater minds that have left their 
 vestiges on the world. J. Martineau. 
 
 Do not think it wasted time to submit your¬ 
 self to any influence which may bring upon you 
 any noble feeling. J. Ruskin. 
 
January 7 
 
 7 
 
 The exceeding greatness of His power to us - 
 ward who believe , according to the working of His 
 mighty power. — Eph. i. 19. 
 
 The lives which seem so poor, so low, 
 
 The hearts which are so cramped and dull. 
 The baffled hopes, the impulse slow, 
 
 Thou takest, touchest all, and lo ! 
 
 They blossom to the beautiful. 
 
 Susan Coolidge. 
 
 A ROOT set in the finest soil, in the best 
 climate, and blessed with all that sun 
 and air and rain can do for it, is not in 
 so sure a way of its growth to perfection, as 
 every man may be, whose spirit aspires after all 
 that which God is ready and infinitely desirous 
 to give him. For the sun meets not the spring¬ 
 ing bud that stretches towards him with half 
 that certainty, as God, the source of all good, 
 communicates Himself to the soul that longs to 
 partake of Him. 
 
 Wm. Law. 
 
 If we stand in the openings of the present 
 moment, with all the length and breadth of our 
 faculties unselfishly adjusted to what it reveals, 
 we are in the best condition to receive what God 
 is always ready to communicate. 
 
 T. C. Upham. 
 
8 
 
 January 8 
 
 As we have therefore opportunity , let us do good 
 unto all men . — Gal. vi. 10. 
 
 Let brotherly love continue. — Heb. xiii. I. 
 
 I ask Thee for a thoughtful love, 
 
 Through constant watching wise, 
 
 To meet the glad with joyful smiles. 
 
 And to wipe the weeping eyes, 
 
 And a heart at leisure from itself, 
 
 To soothe and sympathize. 
 
 A. L. Waring. 
 
 S URELY none are so full of cares, or so 
 poor in gifts, that to them also, waiting 
 patiently and trustfully on God for His 
 daily commands, He will not give direct ministry 
 for Him, increasing according to their strength 
 and their desire. There is so much to be set 
 right in the world, there are so many to be led 
 and helped and comforted, that we must con¬ 
 tinually come in contact with such in our daily 
 life. Let us only take care, that, by the glance 
 being turned inward, or strained onward, or lost 
 in vacant reverie, we do not miss our turn of 
 service, and pass by those to whom we might 
 have been sent on an errand straight from God. 
 
 Elizabeth Charles. 
 
 Look up and not down ; look forward and not 
 back ; look out and not in ; and lend a hand. 
 
 Edward E. Hale. 
 
January 9 
 
 9 
 
 And in every work that he began in the service 
 of the house of God , and in the law , and in the 
 commandments , to seek his God , did it with all 
 his heart , aW prospered. — 2 Chron. xxxi. 2lo 
 
 JVhat shall we do , ^><7/ might work the 
 works of God? — John vi. 28. 
 
 Give me within the work which calls to-day, 
 
 To see Thy finger gently beckoning on ; 
 
 So struggle grows to freedom, work to play, 
 
 And toils begun from Thee to Thee are done. 
 
 J. F. Clarke. 
 
 G OD is a kind Father. He sets us all in 
 the places where He wishes us to be em¬ 
 ployed ; and that employment is truly 
 cc our Father’s business.” He chooses work for 
 every creature which will be delightful to them, 
 if they do it simply and humbly. He gives us 
 always strength enough, and sense enough, for 
 what He wants us to do; if we either tire our¬ 
 selves or puzzle ourselves, it is our own fault. 
 And we may always be sure, whatever we are 
 doing, that we cannot be pleasing Him, if we 
 are not happy ourselves. 
 
 J. Ruskin. 
 
I o 
 
 January 10 
 
 Because Thy loving-kindness is better than life , 
 my lips shall praise Thee. — Ps. lxiii. 3. 
 
 Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose 
 it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve 
 it. — Luke xvii. 33. 
 
 O Lord ! my best desires fulfil, 
 
 And help me to resign 
 Life, health, and comfort, to Thy will. 
 
 And make Thy pleasure mine. 
 
 Wm. Cowper. 
 
 W HAT do our heavy hearts prove but 
 that other things are sweeter to us 
 than His will, that we have not at¬ 
 tained to the full mastery of our true freedom, 
 the full perception of its power, that our sonship 
 is yet but faintly realized, and its blessedness 
 not yet proved and known ? Our consent 
 would turn all our trials into obedience. By 
 consenting we make them our own, and offer 
 them with ourselves again to Him. 
 
 H. E. Manning. 
 
 Nothing is intolerable that is necessary. 
 Now God hath bound thy trouble upon thee, 
 with a design to try thee, and with purposes to 
 reward and crown thee. These cords thou 
 canst not break; and therefore lie thou down 
 gently, and suffer the hand of God to do what 
 He please. Jeremy Taylor. 
 
January n 
 
 ii 
 
 I will be glad , and rejoice in Thy mercy: for 
 Thou hast considered my trouble ; Thou hast known 
 my soul in adversities. — Ps. xxxi. 7. 
 
 Nay, all by Thee is ordered, chosen, planned j 
 Each drop that fills my daily cup Thy hand 
 Prescribes, for ills none else can understand : 
 
 All, all is known to Thee. 
 
 A. L. Newton. 
 
 G OD knows us through and through. Not 
 the most secret thought, which we most, 
 hide from ourselves, is hidden from Him. 
 As then we come to know ourselves through 
 and through, we come to see ourselves more as 
 God sees us, and then we catch some little 
 glimpse of His designs with us, how each order¬ 
 ing of His Providence, each check to our desires, 
 each failure of our hopes, is just fitted for us, 
 and for something in our own spiritual state, 
 which others know not of, and which, till then, 
 we knew not. Until we come to this knowl¬ 
 edge, we . must take all in faith, believing, 
 though we know not, the goodness of God 
 towards us. As we know ourselves, we, thus 
 far, know God. 
 
 E. B. Pusey. 
 
12 
 
 January 12 
 
 Let the words of my mouth , and the meditation 
 of my heart , he acceptable in "Thy sight , O Zm/, 
 my strength , wy redeemer. —Ps. xix. 14. 
 
 The thoughts that in our hearts keep place, 
 
 Lord, make a holy, heavenly throng, 
 
 And steep in innocence and grace 
 The issue of each guarded tongue. 
 
 T. H. Gill. 
 
 T HERE is another kind of silence to be 
 cultivated, besides that of the tongue as 
 regards others. I mean silence as re¬ 
 gards one’s self, — restraining the imagination, 
 not permitting it to dwell overmuch on what we 
 have heard or said, not indulging in the phantas¬ 
 magoria of picture-thoughts, whether of the past 
 or future. Be sure that you have made no 
 small progress in the spiritual life, when you can 
 control your imagination, so as to fix it on the 
 duty and occupation actually existing, to the ex¬ 
 clusion of the crowd of thoughts which are per¬ 
 petually sweeping across the mind. No doubt, 
 you cannot prevent those thoughts from arising, 
 but you can prevent yourself from dwelling on 
 them; you can put them aside, you can check 
 the self-complacency, or irritation, or earthly 
 longings which feed them, and by the practice 
 of such control of your thoughts you will attain 
 that spirit of inward silence which draws the 
 soul into a close intercourse with God. 
 
 Jean N. Grou. 
 
January 13 
 
 !3 
 
 Speak not evil one of another , brethren . — James 
 
 iv. 11. 
 
 Let all bitterness , and wrath , anger, and 
 clamor , *w 7 speaking , from you , 
 
 with all malice. — Eph. iv. 31. 
 
 If aught good thou canst not say 
 Of thy brother, foe, or friend. 
 
 Take thou, then, the silent way, 
 
 Lest in word thou shouldst offend. 
 
 Anon. 
 
 I F there is any person to whom you feel dis¬ 
 like, that is the person of whom you ought 
 never to speak. 
 
 R. Cecil. 
 
 To recognize with delight all high and gener¬ 
 ous and beautiful actions; to find a joy even in 
 seeing the good qualities of your bitterest oppo¬ 
 nents, and to admire those qualities even in 
 those with whom you have least sympathy, this 
 is the only spirit which can heal the love of 
 slander and of calumny. 
 
 F. W. Robertson, 
 
January 14 
 
 H 
 
 *Thy servants are ready to do whatsoever my lord 
 the king shall appoint . — 2 Sam. xv. 15. 
 
 I love to think that God appoints 
 My portion day by day ; 
 
 Events of life are in His hand, 
 
 And I would only say. 
 
 Appoint them in Thine own good time, 
 And in Thine own best way. 
 
 A. L. Waring. 
 
 I F we are really, and always, and equally ready 
 to do whatsoever the King appoints, all the 
 trials and vexations arising from any change 
 in His appointments, great or small, simply do 
 not exist. If He appoints me to work there, 
 shall I lament that I am not to work here ? If 
 He appoints me to wait in-doors to-day, am I to 
 be annoyed because I am not to work out-of- 
 doors ? If I meant to write His messages this 
 morning, shall I grumble because He sends in¬ 
 terrupting visitors, rich or poor, to whom I am 
 to speak them, or u show kindness ” for His 
 sake, or at least obey His command, tc Be cour¬ 
 teous ? ” If all my members are really at His 
 disposal, why should I be put out if to-day’s ap¬ 
 pointment is some simple work for my hands or 
 errands for my feet, instead of some seemingly 
 more important doing of head or tongue ? 
 
 F. R. Havergal. 
 
January 15 
 
 15 
 
 For this is the will of God , even your sancti¬ 
 fication. — 1 Thess u iv. 3. 
 
 Between us and Thyself remove 
 Whatever hindrances may be, 
 
 That so our inmost heart may prove 
 A holy temple, meet for Thee. 
 
 Latin Mss. of 15TH Century. 
 
 B EAR, in the presence of God, to know 
 thyself. Then seek to know for what 
 God sent thee into the world; how thou 
 hast fulfilled it; art thou yet what God willed 
 thee to be; what yet lacketh unto thee; what 
 is God’s will for thee now; what thing thou 
 mayest now do, by His grace, to obtain His 
 favor, and approve thyself unto Him. Say to 
 Him, “ Teach me to do Thy will, for Thou art 
 my God,” and He will say unto thy soul, u Fear 
 not; I am thy salvation.” He will speak peace 
 unto thy soul; He will set thee in the way; He 
 will bear thee above things of sense, and praise 
 of man, and things which perish in thy grasp, 
 and give thee, if but afar off, some glimpse of 
 His own, unfading, unsetting, unperishing bright¬ 
 ness and bliss and love. 
 
 E. B. Pusey. 
 
i 6 
 
 January 16 
 
 Now our Lord fesus Christ , Himself,\ and God , 
 even our Father , which hath loved us , hath 
 
 given us everlasting consolation and good hope 
 through grace , comfort your hearts , stahlish 
 
 you in every good word and work. -— 2 Thess. 
 ii. 16, 17. 
 
 When sorrow all our heart would ask, 
 
 We need not shun our daily task, 
 
 And hide ourselves for calm j 
 The herbs we seek to heal our woe 
 Familiar by our pathway grow, 
 
 Our common air is balm. 
 
 J. Keble. 
 
 O H, when we turn away from some duty 
 or some fellow-creature, saying that our 
 hearts are too sick and sore with some 
 great yearning of our own, we may often sever 
 the line on which a divine message was coming 
 to us. We shut out the man, and we shut out 
 the angel who had sent him on to open the door. 
 There is a plan working in our lives; and if 
 we keep our hearts quiet and our eyes open, 
 it all works together; and, if we don’t, it all 
 fights together, and goes on fighting till it comes 
 right, somehow, somewhere. 
 
 Annie Keary 
 
January 17 
 
 17 
 
 Beloved ,, think it not strange concerning the fiery 
 trial which is to try you , as though so?ne strange 
 thing happened unto you: hut rejoice , inasmuch 
 as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings. —» 
 
 1 Peter iv. 12, 13. 
 
 We take with solemn thankfulness 
 Our burden up, nor ask it less, 
 
 And count it joy that even we 
 May suffer, serve, or wait for Thee, 
 
 Whose will be done ! 
 
 J. G. Whittier. 
 
 R ECEIVE every inward and outward 
 trouble, every disappointment, pain, un¬ 
 easiness, temptation, darkness, and desola¬ 
 tion, with both thy hands, as a true opportunity 
 and blessed occasion of dying to self, and enter¬ 
 ing into a fuller fellowship with thy self-denying, 
 suffering Saviour. Look at no inward or out¬ 
 ward trouble in any other view; reject every 
 other thought aboutrit; and then every kind of 
 trial and distress will become the blessed day of 
 thy prosperity. That state is best, which exer- 
 ciseth the highest faith in, and fullest resignation 
 to God. 
 
 Wm. Law. 
 
i8 
 
 January 18 
 
 Thou shalt rejoice in every good thing which the 
 Lord thy God hath given unto thee. —DEUT.xxvi. 11. 
 
 Rejoice evermore. In everything give thanks „ — 
 i Thess. v. 16, 18. 
 
 Grave on thy heart each past “ red-letter day ” ! 
 Forget not all the sunshine of the way 
 By which the Lord hath led thee; answered prayers. 
 And joys unasked, strange blessings, lifted cares, 
 
 Grand promise-echoes ! Thus thy life shall be 
 One record of His love and faithfulness to thee. 
 
 F. R. Havergal. 
 
 G RATITUDE consists in a watchful, 
 minute attention to the particulars of 
 our state, and to the multitude of God’s 
 gifts, taken one by one. It fills us with a con¬ 
 sciousness that God loves and cares for us, even 
 to the least event and smallest need of life. It 
 is a blessed thought, that from our childhood 
 God has been laying His fatherly hands upon 
 us, and always in benediction; that even the 
 strokes of His hands are blessings, and among 
 the chiefest we have ever received. When this 
 feeling is awakened, the heart beats with a pulse 
 of thankfulness. Every gift has its return of 
 praise. It awakens an unceasing daily converse 
 with our Father,— He speaking to us by the 
 descent of blessings, we to Him by the ascent 
 of thanksgiving. And all our whole life is 
 thereby drawn under the light of His counte¬ 
 nance, and is filled with a gladness, serenity, and 
 peace which only thankful hearts can know. 
 
 H. E. Manning. 
 
January 19 
 
 19 
 
 Let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord . 
 «—Ps. cv. 3. 
 
 The joy of the Lord is your strength. — Neh. 
 viii. 10. 
 
 Be Thou my Sun, my selfishness destroy, 
 
 Thy atmosphere of Love be all my joy ; 
 
 Thy Presence be my sunshine ever bright, 
 
 My soul the little mote that lives but in Thy light. 
 
 Gerhard Tersteegen. 
 
 I DO not know when I have had happier 
 times in my soul, than when I have been 
 sitting at work, with nothing before me but 
 a candle and a white cloth, and hearing no sound 
 but that of my own breath, with God in my soul 
 and heaven in my eye. ... I rejoice in being 
 exactly what I am, — a creature capable of lov¬ 
 ing God, and who, as long as God lives, must 
 be happy. I get up and look for a while out of 
 the window, and gaze at the moon and stars, 
 the work of an Almighty hand. I think of the 
 grandeur of the universe, and then sit down, 
 and think myself one of the happiest beings in 
 it. 
 
 A Poor Methodist Woman, i8th Century. 
 
20 
 
 January 20 
 
 The Lord taketh pleasure in His people : He will 
 beautify the meek with salvation. —Ps. cxlix. 4. 
 
 Long listening to Thy words, 
 
 My voice shall catch Thy tone, 
 
 And, locked in Thine, my hand shall grow 
 All loving like Thy own. 
 
 B. T. 
 
 I T is not in words explicable, with what di¬ 
 vine lines and lights the exercise of godliness 
 and charity will mould and gild the hardest 
 and coldest countenance, neither to what dark¬ 
 ness their departure will consign the loveliest. 
 For there is not any virtue the exercise of which, 
 even momentarily, will not impress a new fair¬ 
 ness upon the features; neither on them only, 
 but on the whole body the moral and intellect¬ 
 ual faculties have operation, for all the move¬ 
 ments and gestures, however slight, are different 
 in their modes according to the mind that gov¬ 
 erns them — and on the gentleness and decision 
 of right feeling follows grace of actions, and, 
 through continuance of this, grace of form. 
 
 J. Ruskin. 
 
 There is no beautifier of complexion, or 
 form, or behavior, like the wish to scatter joy 
 and not pain around us. 
 
 R. W. Emerson. 
 
January 21 
 
 21 
 
 Even the youths shall faint and be weary , and 
 the young men shall utterly fall: but they that wait 
 upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall 
 mount up with wings as eagles ; they shall run , 
 and not be weary ; and they shall walk and not 
 faint . — Isa. xl. 30, 31. 
 
 Lord, with what courage and delight 
 I do each thing. 
 
 When Thy least breath sustains my wing ! 
 
 I shine and move 
 Like those above, 
 
 And, with much gladness 
 Quitting sadness, 
 
 Make me fair days of every night. 
 
 H. Vaughan. 
 
 M AN, by living wholly in submission to 
 the Divine Influence, becomes sur¬ 
 rounded with, and creates for himself, 
 internal pleasures infinitely greater than any he 
 can otherwise attain to — a state of heavenly 
 Beatitude. J. P. Greaves. 
 
 By persisting in a habit of self-denial, we 
 shall, beyond what I can express, increase the 
 inward powers of the mind, and shall produce 
 that cheerfulness and greatness of spirit as will 
 fit us for all good purposes ; and shall not have 
 lost pleasure, but changed it; the soul being then 
 filled with its own intrinsic pleasures. 
 
 Henry More. 
 
22 
 
 January 22 
 
 Then shall we know , if we follow on to know 
 the Lord. — Hose a vi. 3. 
 
 And, as the path of duty is made plain, 
 
 May grace be given that I may walk therein, 
 
 Not like the hireling, for his selfish gain, 
 
 With backward glances and reluctant tread. 
 
 Making a merit of his coward dread, — 
 
 But, cheerful, in the light around me thrown, 
 Walking as one to pleasant service led ; 
 
 Doing God’s will as if it were my own, 
 
 Yet trusting not in mine, but in His strength alone ! 
 
 J. G. Whittier. 
 
 I T is by doing our duty that we learn to do it. 
 So long as men dispute whether or no a 
 thing is their duty, they get never the 
 nearer. Let them set ever so weakly about 
 doing it, and the face of things alters. They 
 find in themselves strength which they knew 
 not of. Difficulties which it seemed to them 
 they could not get over, disappear. For He 
 accompanies it with the influences of His blessed 
 Spirit, and each performance opens our minds 
 for larger influxes of His grace, and places them 
 in communion with Him. 
 
 E. B. Pusey. 
 
 That which is called considering what is 
 our duty in a particular case, is very often 
 nothing but endeavoring to explain it away. 
 
 Joseph Butler- 
 
January 23 
 
 23 
 
 If thou draw out thy soul to the hungry , and 
 satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in 
 obscurity , and thy darkness be as the noonday ; and 
 the Lord shall guide thee continually . — Isa. lviii. 
 
 10, II. 
 
 If thou hast Yesterday thy duty done, 
 
 And thereby cleared firm footing for To-day, 
 Whatever clouds make dark To-morrow's sun, 
 Thou shalt not miss thy solitary way. 
 
 J. W. von Goethe. 
 
 O LORD, who art our Guide even unto 
 death, grant us, I pray Thee, grace to 
 follow Thee whithersoever Thou goest. 
 In little daily duties to which Thou callest us, 
 bow down our wills to simple obedience, patience 
 under pain or provocation, strict truthfulness of 
 word and manner, humility, kindness; in great 
 acts of duty or perfection, if Thou shouldest 
 call us to them, uplift us to self-sacrifice, heroic 
 courage, laying down of life for Thy truth’s 
 sake, or for a brother. Amen. 
 
 C. G. Rossetti. 
 
(24 
 
 January 24 
 
 I will bless the Lord ,, who hath given me counsel. 
 — Ps. xvi. 7. 
 
 Not slothful in business ; fervent in spirit; serv•> 
 ing the Lord. — Rom. xii. 11. 
 
 Mine be the reverent, listening love 
 That waits all day on Thee, 
 
 With the service of a watchful heart 
 Which no one else can see. 
 
 A. L. Waring. 
 
 N OTHING is small or great in God’s 
 sight; whatever He wills becomes great 
 to us, however seemingly trifling, and if 
 once the voice of conscience tells us that He 
 requires anything of us, we have no right to 
 measure its importance. On the other hand, 
 whatever He would not have us do, however 
 important we may think it, is as nought to us. 
 How do you know what you may lose by 
 neglecting this duty, which you think so trifling, 
 or the blessing which its faithful performance 
 may bring ? Be sure that if you do your very 
 best in that which is laid upon you daily, you 
 will not be left without sufficient help when 
 some weightier occasion arises. Give yourself 
 to Him, trust Him, fix your eye upon Him, 
 listen to His voice, and then go on bravely and 
 cheerfully. 
 
 Jean Nicolas Grou. 
 
January 25 
 
 2 5 
 
 If ye know these things , happy are ye if ye do 
 them. —-John xiii. 17. 
 
 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good , and 
 doeth it not , to him it is sin. -—James iv. 17. 
 
 We cannot kindle when we will 
 The fire that in the heart resides. 
 
 The spirit bloweth and is still, 
 
 In mystery our soul abides : 
 
 But tasks in hours of insight willed 
 Can be through hours of gloom fulfilled. 
 
 Matthew Arnold. 
 
 H URT not your conscience with any 
 known sin. 
 
 S. Rutherford. 
 
 Deep-rooted customs, though wrong, are 
 not easily altered; but it is the duty of all to be 
 firm in that which they certainly know is right 
 for them. 
 
 John Woolman. 
 
 He often acts unjustly who does not do a 
 certain thing; not only he who does a certain 
 thing. 
 
 Marcus Antoninus. 
 
 Every duty we omit obscures some truth we 
 should have known. 
 
 John Ruskin. 
 
2 6 
 
 January 26 
 
 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and 
 knowledge of God! how unsearchable are His 
 judgments , and His ways past finding out ! — 
 Rom. xi. 33. 
 
 It doth not yet appear what we shall be. — I 
 John iii. 2. 
 
 No star is ever lost we once have seen. 
 
 We always may be what we might have been. 
 
 Since Good, though only thought, has life and breath, 
 God’s life — can always be redeemed from death ; 
 And evil, in its nature, is decay, 
 
 And any hour can blot it all away ; 
 
 The hopes that lost in some far distance seem, 
 
 May be the truer life, and this the dream. 
 
 A. A. Procter. 
 
 S T. BERNARD has said : “ Man, if thou 
 desirest a noble and holy life, and unceas- 
 ingly prayest to God for it, if thou con¬ 
 tinue constant in this thy desire, it will be 
 granted unto thee without fail, even if only in 
 the day or hour of thy death ; and if God should 
 not give it to thee then, thou shalt find it in 
 Him in eternity : of this be assured.” There¬ 
 fore do not relinquish your desire, though it be 
 not fulfilled immediately, or though ye may 
 swerve from your aspirations, or even forget 
 them for a time. . . . The love and aspiration 
 which once really existed live forever before 
 God, and in Him ye shall find the fruit thereof; 
 that is, to all eternity it shall be better for you 
 than if you had never felt them. J. Tauler. 
 
January 27 
 
 27 
 
 For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhab¬ 
 ited eternity , whose name is Holy; I dwell in the 
 high and holy place , with him also that is of a con¬ 
 trite and humble spirit , to revive the spirit of the 
 bumble , and to revive the heart of the contrite ones. 
 — Isa. lvii. 15. 
 
 Without an end or bound 
 Thy life lies all outspread in light; 
 
 Our lives feel Thy life all around, 
 
 Making our weakness strong, our darkness bright \ 
 Yet is it neither wilderness nor sea, 
 
 But the calm gladness of a full eternity. 
 
 F. W. Faber. 
 
 O TRUTH who art Eternity ! And 
 Love who art Truth! And Eternity 
 who art Love ! Thou art my God, to 
 Thee do I sigh night and day. When I first 
 knew Thee, Thou liftedst me up, that I might 
 see there was somewhat for me to see, and that 
 I was not yet such as to see. And Thou 
 streaming forth Thy beams of light upon me 
 most strongly, didst beat back the weakness of 
 my sight, and I trembled with love and awe : 
 and I perceived myself to be far off from Thee 
 in the region of unlikeness. 
 
 St. Augustine. 
 
28 
 
 January 28 
 
 O fear the Lord , ye His saints: for there is he 
 want to them that fear Him. —Ps. xxxiv. 9. 
 
 'Thou openest 'Thine hand , and satisfest the desire 
 of every living thing. — Ps. cxlv. 16. 
 
 What Thou shalt to-day provide. 
 
 Let me as a child receive; 
 
 What to-morrow may betide, 
 
 Calmly to Thy wisdom leave. 
 
 ’T is enough that Thou wilt care ; 
 
 Why should I the burden bear ? 
 
 J. Newton. 
 
 H AVE we found that anxiety about possible 
 consequences increased the clearness of 
 our judgment, made us wiser and braver 
 in meeting the present, and arming ourselves for 
 the future ? If we had prayed for this day’s 
 bread, and left the next to itself, if we had not 
 huddled our days together, not allotting to each 
 its appointed task, but ever deferring that to the 
 future, and drawing upon the future for its own 
 troubles, which must be met when they come 
 whether we have anticipated them or not, we 
 should have found a simplicity and honesty in 
 our lives, a capacity for work, an enjoyment in 
 it, to which we are now, for the most part, 
 strangers. 
 
 F. D. Maurice, 
 
January 29 
 
 29 
 
 1 the Lord will hold thy right hand , saying unto 
 thee , Fear not; I will help thee. —Isa, xli. 13. 
 
 Show Thy marvellous loving-kindness , O Thou 
 that savest by Thy right hand them which put their 
 trust in Thee. — Ps. xvii. 7. 
 
 I take Thy hand, and fears grow still ; 
 
 Behold Thy face, and doubts remove ; 
 
 Who would not yield his wavering will 
 To perfect Truth and boundless Love ? 
 
 S. Johnson. 
 
 D O not look forward to the changes and 
 chances of this life in fear; rather look 
 to them with full hope that, as they arise, 
 God, whose you are, will deliver you out of 
 them. He has kept you hitherto, — do you 
 but hold fast to His dear hand, and He will lead 
 you safely through all things; and, when you 
 cannot stand, He will bear you in His arms. 
 Do not look forward to what may happen to¬ 
 morrow; the same everlasting Father who cares 
 for you to-day, will take care of you to-morrow, 
 and every day. Either He will shield you from 
 suffering, or He will give you unfailing strength 
 to bear it. Be at peace then, and put aside all 
 anxious thoughts and imaginations. 
 
 St. Francis de Sales. 
 
30 
 
 January 30 
 
 If I take the wings of the morning , and dwell 
 in the uttermost parts of the sea : even there shall 
 Thy hand lead me , and Thy right hand shall hold 
 me. — Ps. cxxxix. 9, 10. 
 
 I cannot lose Thee ! Still in Thee abiding, 
 
 The end is clear, how wide soe’er I roam ; 
 
 The Hand that holds the worlds my steps is guiding. 
 And I must rest at last in Thee, my home. 
 
 E. Scudder. 
 
 H OW can we come to perceive this direct 
 leading of God ? By a careful looking 
 at home, and abiding within the gates of 
 thy own soul. Therefore, let a man be at home 
 in his own heart, and cease from his restless 
 chase of and search after outward things. If 
 he is thus at home while on earth, he will surely 
 come to see what there is to do at home,— 
 what God commands him inwardly without 
 means, and also outwardly by the help of means ; 
 and then let him surrender himself, and follow 
 God along whatever path his loving Lord thinks 
 fit to lead him : whether it be to contemplation 
 or action, to usefulness or enjoyment ; whether 
 in sorrow or in joy, let him follow on. And if 
 God do not give him thus to feel His hand in 
 all things, let him still simply yield himself up, 
 and go without, for God’s sake, out of love, and 
 still press forward. 
 
 J. Tauler. 
 
January 31 
 
 3 i 
 
 In all thy ivays acknowledge Him , and He shall 
 direct thy paths. — Prov. iii. 6. 
 
 He leadeth me. — Ps. xxiii. 2 . 
 
 In “ pastures green” ? Not always ; sometimes He 
 Who knoweth best, in kindness leadeth me 
 In weary ways, where heavy shadows be. 
 
 So, whether on the hill-tops high and fair 
 I dwell, or in the sunless valleys, where 
 The shadows lie, what matter ? He is there. 
 
 Henry H. Barry. 
 
 T HE Shepherd knows what pastures are 
 best for his sheep, and they must not 
 question nor doubt, but trustingly follow 
 Him. Perhaps He sees that the best pastures 
 for some of us are to be found in the midst of 
 opposition or of earthly trials. If He leads you 
 there, you may be sure they are green for you 0 
 and you will grow and be made strong by feed¬ 
 ing there. Perhaps He sees that the best waters 
 for you to walk beside will be raging waves of 
 trouble and sorrow. If this should be the case, 
 He will make them still waters for you, and you 
 must go and lie down beside them, and let them 
 have all their blessed influences upon you. 
 
 H. W. Smith. 
 
February i 
 
 32 
 
 Now the God of patience and consolation grant 
 you to be like-minded one toward another , according 
 to Christ jfesus. — Rom. xv. 5. 
 
 Let patience have her perfect work. — James 
 
 i. 4. 
 
 Make me patient, kind, and gentle, 
 
 Day by day 5 
 
 Teach me how to live more nearly 
 As I pray. 
 
 Sharpe’s Magazine. 
 
 T he exercise of patience involves a con¬ 
 tinual practice of the presence of God ; 
 for we may be come upon at any moment 
 for an almost heroic display of good temper, and 
 it is a short road to unselfishness, for nothing is 
 left to self; all that seems to belong most inti¬ 
 mately to self, to be self’s private property, such 
 as time, home, and rest, are invaded by these 
 continual trials of patience. The family is full 
 of such opportunities.- F. W. Faber. 
 
 Only as we know what it is to cherish love 
 when sore at some unkindness, to overmaster 
 ourselves when under provocation, to preserve 
 gentleness during trial and unmerited wrong, — 
 only then can we know in any degree the 
 u manner of spirit ” that was in Christ. 
 
 T. T. Carter. 
 
February 2 
 
 33 
 
 Now we exhort you , brethren , warn them that 
 are unruly , comfort the feeble-minded , support the 
 weak , be patient toward all me?i. — I Thess. v. 14. 
 
 The little worries which we meet each day 
 May lie as stumbling-blocks across our way, 
 
 Or we may make them stepping-stones to be 
 Of grace, O Lord, to Thee. 
 
 A. E. Hamiliton 
 
 W E must be continually sacrificing out 
 own wills, as opportunity serves, to the 
 will of others; bearing, without notice, 
 sights and sounds that annoy us; setting about 
 this or that task, when we had far rather be 
 doing something very different; persevering in 
 it, often, when we are thoroughly tired of it; 
 keeping company for duty’s sake, when it 
 would be a great joy to us to be by ourselves ; 
 besides all the trifling untoward accidents of 
 life ; bodily pain and weakness long continued, 
 and perplexing us often when it does not amount 
 to illness; losing what we value, missing what 
 we desire; disappointment in other persons, 
 wilfulness, unkindness, ingratitude, folly, in 
 cases where we least expect it. 
 
 J. Keble. 
 
34 
 
 February 3 
 
 Search me , O God , know my heart: try me , 
 
 ray thoughts: and see if there be any 
 wicked way in me , and lead me in the way ever¬ 
 lasting. — Ps. cxxxix. 23, 24. 
 
 Save us from the evil tongue, 
 
 From the heart that thinketh wrong, 
 
 From the sins, whate’er they be, 
 
 That divide the soul from Thee. 
 
 Anon. 
 
 S UCH as are thy habitual thoughts, such 
 also will be the character of thy mind; 
 for the soul is dyed by the thoughts. Dye 
 it then with a continuous series of such thoughts 
 as these : for instance, that where a man can 
 live, there he can also live well. But he must 
 live in a palace: well, then, he can also live 
 well in a palace. 
 
 Marcus Antoninus. 
 
 Who is there that sets himself to the task of 
 steadily watching his thoughts for the space of 
 one hour, with the view of preserving his mind 
 in a simple, humble, healthful condition, but 
 will speedily discern in the multiform, self- 
 reflecting, self-admiring emotions, which, like 
 locusts, are ready to “ eat up every green thing 
 in his land,” a state as much opposed to sim¬ 
 plicity and humility as night is to day ? 
 
 M. A. Kelty. 
 
February 4 
 
 35 
 
 If any man offend not in word , the same is a 
 perfect man , and able also to bridle the whole 
 body. — James iii. 2 
 
 Set a watch , O Lord , before my mouth; keep the 
 door of my lips. — Ps. cxli. 3. 
 
 What ! never speak one evil word, 
 
 Or rash, or idle, or unkind ! 
 
 Oh, how shall I, most gracious Lord, 
 
 This mark of true perfection find ? 
 
 C. Wesley. 
 
 W HEN we remember our temptations to 
 give quick indulgence to disappoint¬ 
 ment or irritation or unsympathizing 
 weariness, and how hard a thing it is from day 
 to day to meet our fellow-men, our neighbors, 
 or even our own households, in all moods, in all 
 discordances between the world without us and 
 the frames within, in all states of health, of soli¬ 
 citude, of preoccupation, and show no signs of 
 impatience, ungentleness, or unobservant self-ab¬ 
 sorption,— with only kindly feeling finding ex¬ 
 pression, and ungenial feeling at least inwardly 
 imprisoned; — we shall be ready to acknowledge 
 that the man who has thus attained is master of 
 himself, and in the graciousness of his power is 
 fashioned upon the style of a Perfect Man. 
 
 J. H. Thom. 
 
3^ 
 
 February 5 
 
 Blessed are they that keep judgment, and he that 
 doeth righteousness at all times. — Ps. cvi. 3. 
 
 'Thou shah be stedfast , and shalt not fear : be¬ 
 cause thou shalt forget thy misery , and remember 
 it as waters that pass away. —Job xi. 15, 16. 
 
 In the bitter waves of woe, 
 
 Beaten and tossed about 
 By the sullen winds that blow 
 
 From the desolate shores of doubt, 
 
 Where the anchors that faith has cast 
 Are dragging in the gale, 
 
 I am quietly holding fast 
 
 To the things that cannot fail. 
 
 Washington Gladden. 
 
 I N the darkest hour through which a human 
 soul can pass, whatever else is doubtful, this 
 at least is certain. If there be no God and 
 no future state, yet even then, it is better to be 
 generous than selfish, better to be chaste than 
 licentious, better to be true than false, better to 
 be brave than to be a coward. Blessed be¬ 
 yond all earthly blessedness is the man who, in 
 the tempestuous darkness of the soul, has dared 
 to hold fast to these venerable landmarks. Thrice 
 blessed is he, who, when all is drear and cheerless 
 within and without, when his teachers terrify 
 him, and his friends shrink from him, has obsti¬ 
 nately clung to moral good. Thrice blessed, 
 because his night shall pass into clear, bright day. 
 
 F. W. Robertson. 
 
February 6 
 
 3 ? 
 
 Whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be 
 safe. — Prov. xxix. 25. 
 
 I will cry unto God most high ; unto God , that 
 performeth all things for me. —Ps. lvii. 2. 
 
 Only thy restless heart keep still, 
 
 And wait in cheerful hope ; content 
 To take whate’er His gracious will, 
 
 His all-discerning love hath sent; 
 
 Nor doubt our inmost wants are known 
 To Him who chose us for His own. 
 
 G. Neumark. 
 
 G OD has brought us into this time; He, 
 and not ourselves or some dark demon. 
 If we are not fit to cope with that which 
 He has prepared for us, we should have been 
 utterly unfit for any condition that we imagine 
 for ourselves. In this time we are to live and 
 wrestle, and in no other. Let us humbly, 
 tremblingly, manfully look at it, and we shall 
 not wish that the sun could go back its ten 
 degrees, or that we could go back with it. If 
 easy times are departed, it is that the difficult 
 times may make us more in earnest; that they 
 may teach us not to depend upon ourselves. If 
 easy belief is impossible, it is that we may learn 
 what belief is, and in whom it is to be placed. 
 
 F. D. Maurice. 
 
38 
 
 February 7 
 
 Obey my voice , and I will be your God , and ye 
 shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways 
 that I have commanded you , that it may be well 
 unto you. — Jer. vii, 23. 
 
 And oft, when in my heart was heard 
 
 Thy timely mandate, I deferred 
 
 The task, in smoother walks to stray 5 
 
 But thee I now would serve more strictly, if I may. 
 
 W. Wordsworth. 
 
 P RAY Him to give you what Scripture calls 
 “ an honest and good heart,” or u a per¬ 
 fect heart; ” and, without waiting, begin 
 at once to obey Him with the best heart you 
 have. Any obedience is better than none. You 
 have to seek His face; obedience is the only 
 way of seeing Him. All your duties are obedi¬ 
 ences. To do what He bids is to obey Him, 
 and to obey Him is to approach Him. Every 
 act of obedience is an approach — an approach 
 to Him who is not far off, though He seems so, 
 but close behind this visible screen of things 
 which hides Him from us. J. H. Newman. 
 
 As soon as we lay ourselves entirely at His 
 feet, we have enough light given us to guide 
 our own steps; as the foot-soldier, who hears 
 nothing of the councils that determine the course 
 of the great battle he is in, hears plainly enough 
 the word of command which he must himself 
 obey. George Eliot. 
 
February 8 
 
 39 
 
 He leadeth me beside the still waters. He re~ 
 storeth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of 
 righteousness for His name's sake. — Ps. xxiii. 2, 3, 
 
 He leads me where the waters glide. 
 
 The waters soft and still, 
 
 And homeward He will gently guide 
 My wandering heart and will. 
 
 J. Keble. 
 
 O UT of obedience and devotion arises an 
 habitual faith, which makes Him, though 
 unseen, a part of all our life. He will 
 guide us in a sure path, though it be a rough 
 one: though shadows hang upon it, yet He will 
 be with us. He will bring us home at last. 
 Through much trial it may be, and weariness, 
 in much fear and fainting of heart, in much sad¬ 
 ness and loneliness, in griefs that the world 
 never knows, and under burdens that the near¬ 
 est never suspect. Yet He will suffice for all. 
 By His eye or by His voice He will guide us, if 
 we be docile and gentle; by His staff and by 
 His rod, if we wander or are wilful: any how, 
 and by all means, He will bring us to His rest. 
 
 H. E. Manning 
 
40 
 
 February 9 
 
 I was afraid , and went and hid thy talent in the 
 earth : lo , there thou hast that is thine. — Matt. 
 xxv. 25. 
 
 Time was, I shrank from what was right, 
 
 From fear of what was wrong ; 
 
 I would not brave the sacred fight, 
 
 Because the foe was strong. 
 
 But now I cast that finer sense 
 And sorer shame aside 5 
 Such dread of sin was indolence, 
 
 Such aim at heaven was pride. 
 
 J. H. Newman. 
 
 I F he falls into some error, he does not fret 
 over it, but rising up with a humble spirit, 
 he goes on his way anew rejoicing. Were 
 he to fall a hundred times in the day, he would 
 not despair, — he would rather cry out lovingly 
 to God, appealing to His tender pity. The 
 really devout man has a horror of evil, but he 
 has a still greater love of that which is good; 
 he is more set on doing what is right, than 
 avoiding what is wrong. Generous, large- 
 hearted, he is not afraid of danger in serving 
 God, and would rather run the risk of doing 
 His will imperfectly than not strive to serve 
 Him lest he fail in the attempt. 
 
 Jean Nj colas Grou. 
 
February 10 
 
 41 
 
 TV ? have waited for Him , and He will save us: 
 this is the Lord; we have waited for Him , we will 
 be glad and rejoice in His salvation. — Isa. xxv. 9. 
 
 Blest are the humble souls that wait 
 With sweet submission to His will ; 
 Harmonious all their passions move, 
 
 And in the midst of storms are still. 
 
 P. Doddridge. 
 
 D O not be discouraged at your faults ; bear 
 with yourself in correcting them, as you 
 would with your neighbor. Lay aside 
 this ardor of mind, which exhausts your body, 
 and leads you to commit errors. Accustom 
 yourself gradually to carry prayer into all your 
 daily occupations. Spea*k, move, work, in peace, 
 as if you were in prayer, as indeed you ought to 
 be. Do everything without excitement, by the 
 spirit of grace. As soon as you perceive your 
 natural impetuosity gliding in, retire quietly 
 within, where is the kingdom of God. Listen 
 to the leadings of grace, then say and do noth¬ 
 ing but what the Holy Spirit shall put in your 
 heart. You will find that you will become more 
 tranquil, that your words will be fewer and 
 more effectual, and that, with less effort, you 
 will accomplish more good. 
 
 FRAN9OIS DE LA MOTHE FeNELON 
 
42 
 
 February n 
 
 / have finished the work which Thou gavest mt 
 to do. —John xvii. 4. 
 
 She hath done what she could . — Mark xiv. 8 
 
 He who God's will has borne and done, 
 
 And his own restless longings stilled, 
 
 What else he does, or has foregone, 
 
 His mission he has well fulfilled. 
 
 From the German 
 
 C HEERED by the presence of God, I will 
 do at each moment, without anxiety, 
 according to the strength which He shall 
 give me, the work that His Providence assigns 
 me. I will leave the rest without concern ; 
 it is not my affair. I ought to consider the 
 duty to which I am called each day, as the 
 work that God has given me to do, and to 
 apply myself to it in a manner worthy of His 
 glory, that is to say, with exactness and in 
 peace. I must neglect nothing; I must be 
 violent about nothing. 
 
 Francois de la Mothe Fenelon. 
 
 It is thy duty oftentimes to do what thou 
 wouldst not; thy duty, too, to leave undone 
 what thou wouldst do. 
 
 Thomas a Kempis. 
 
February 12 
 
 43 
 
 Blessed be the Lord , who daily loadeth us with 
 benefits . -—Ps. lxviii. 19. 
 
 Nor trust in uncertain riches , but in the living 
 God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy .— 
 
 1 Tim. vi. 17. 
 
 Source of my life’s refreshing springs, 
 
 Whose presence in my heart sustains me. 
 
 Thy love ordains me pleasant things, 
 
 Thy mercy orders all that pains me. 
 
 A. L. Waring. 
 
 A ND to be true, and speak my soul, when 
 I survey the occurrences of my life, and 
 call into account the finger of God, I can 
 perceive nothing but an abyss and mass of 
 mercies, either in general to mankind, or in 
 particular to myself; and whether out of the 
 prejudice of my affection, or an inverting and 
 partial conceit of His mercies, T know not; 
 but those which others term crosses, afflictions, 
 judgments, misfortunes, to me who inquire 
 farther into them than their visible effects, they 
 both appear, and in event have ever proved, the 
 secret and dissembled favors of His affection. 
 
 Sir T. Browne 
 
44 
 
 February 13 
 
 Let Him do to me as seemeth good unto Him. — 
 2 Sam. xv. 26. 
 
 To have, each day, the thing I wish, 
 
 Lord, that seems best to me ; 
 
 But not to have the thing I wish, 
 
 Lord, that seems best to Thee. 
 
 Most truly, then, Thy will is done, 
 
 When mine, O Lord, is crossed j 
 ’T is good to see my plans o’erthrown, 
 
 My ways in Thine all lost. H. Bonar. 
 
 O LORD, Thou knowest what is best foe 
 us ; let this or that be done, as Thou 
 shalt please. Give what Thou wilt, and 
 how much Thou wilt, and when Thou wilt. 
 Deal with me as Thou thinkest good. Set me 
 where Thou wilt, and deal with me in all things 
 just as Thou wilt. Behold, I am Thy servant, 
 prepared for all things : for I desire not to live 
 unto myself, but unto Thee; and oh, that I 
 could do it worthily and perfectly! 
 
 Thomas a Kempis. 
 
 Dare to look up to God, and say, “ Make 
 use of me for the future as Thou wilt. I am 
 of the same mind ; I am one with Thee. I 
 refuse nothing which seems good to Thee. 
 Lead me whither Thou wilt, clothe me in 
 whatever dress Thou wilt. Is it Thy will that 
 I should be in a public or a private condition, 
 dwell here, or be banished, be poor or rich ? 
 Under all these circumstances, I will testify 
 unto Thee before men.” Epictetus. 
 
February 14 
 
 45 
 
 / would have you without carefulness . — 1 Cor. 
 Hi. 32. 
 
 O Lord, how happy should we be 
 If we could cast our care on Thee, 
 
 If we from self could rest; 
 
 And feel at heart that One above, 
 
 In perfect wisdom, perfect love, 
 
 Is working for the best. 
 
 J. Anstice. 
 
 C AST all thy care on God. See that all 
 thy cares be such as thou canst cast on 
 God, and then hold none back. Never 
 brood over thyself; never stop short in thyself; 
 but cast thy whole self, even this very care which 
 distresseth thee, upon God. Be not anxious 
 about little things, if thou wouldst learn to trust 
 God with thine all. Act upon faith in little 
 things; commit thy daily cares and anxieties to 
 Him ; and He will strengthen thy faith for any 
 greater trials. Rather, give thy whole self into 
 God’s hands, and so trust Him to take care of 
 thee in all lesser things, as being His, for His 
 own sake, whose thou art. 
 
 E. B. Pusey. 
 
46 
 
 February 15 
 
 If ye fulfil the royal law according to the Scrip - 
 ture , Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself ye do 
 well. — James ii. 8. 
 
 Come, children, let us go ! 
 
 We travel hand in hand ; 
 
 Each in his brother finds his joy 
 In this wild stranger land. 
 
 The strong be quick to raise 
 The weaker when they fall ; 
 
 Let love and peace and patience bloom 
 In ready help for all. 
 
 G. Tersteegen. 
 
 I T is a sad weakness in us, after all, that tht 
 thought of a man’s death hallows him anew 
 to us; as if life were not sacred too, — as 
 if it were comparatively a light thing to fail in 
 love and reverence to the brother who has to 
 climb the whole toilsome steep with us, and all 
 our tears and tenderness were due to the one 
 who is spared that hard journey. 
 
 George Eliot. 
 
 Would we codify the laws that should reign 
 in households, and whose daily transgression 
 annoys and mortifies us, and degrades our house¬ 
 hold life, — we must learn to adorn every day 
 with sacrifices. Good manners are made up of 
 petty sacrifices. Temperance, courage, love, 
 are made up of the same jewels. Listen to 
 every prompting of honor. R. W. Emerson. 
 
February 16 
 
 47 
 
 Serve Him with a perfect heart , and with a 
 willing mind. — i Chron. xxviii. 9. 
 
 And if some things I do not ask, 
 
 In my cup of blessing be, 
 
 I would have my spirit filled the more 
 With grateful love to Thee, — 
 
 More careful, — not to serve Thee much. 
 
 But to please Thee perfectly. 
 
 A. L. Waring. 
 
 L ITTLE things come daily, hourly, within 
 our reach, and they are not less calculated 
 to set forward our growth in holiness, than 
 are the greater occasions which occur but rarely. 
 Moreover, fidelity in trifles, and an earnest seek¬ 
 ing to please God in little matters, is a test of 
 real devotion and love. Let your aim be to 
 please our dear Lord perfectly in little things, 
 and to attain a spirit of childlike simplicity and 
 dependence. In proportion as self-love and self- 
 confidence are weakened, and our will bowed to 
 that of God, so will hindrances disappear, the 
 internal troubles and contests which harassed the 
 soul vanish, and it will be filled with peace and 
 tranquillity. 
 
 Jean Nicolas Grou, 
 
4 8 
 
 February 17 
 
 My brethren , count it all joy when ye fall into 
 divers temptations [or u trials ”] , knowing this , that 
 the trying of your faith worketh patience. —• James 
 i. 2, 3* 
 
 For patience, when the rough winds blow ! 
 
 For patience, when our hopes are fading, —- 
 When visible things all backward go, 
 
 And nowhere seems the power of aiding ! 
 
 God still enfolds thee with His viewless hand, 
 
 And leads thee surely to the Fatherland. 
 
 N. L. Frothingham, from the German . 
 
 W E have need of patience with ourselves 
 and with others; with those below, and 
 those above us, and with our own 
 equals; with those who love us and those who 
 love us not; for the greatest things and for the 
 least; against sudden inroads of trouble, and 
 under our daily burdens; disappointments as to 
 the weather, or the breaking of the heart; in the 
 weariness of the body, or the wearing of the soul; 
 in our own failure of duty, or others’ failure 
 toward us; in every-day wants, or in the aching 
 of sickness or the decay of age; in disappoint¬ 
 ment, bereavement, losses, injuries, reproaches; 
 in heaviness of the heart; or its sickness amid 
 delayed hopes. In all these things, from child¬ 
 hood’s little troubles to the martyr’s sufferings, 
 patience is the grace of God, whereby we endure 
 evil for the love of God. 
 
 E. B. Pusey. 
 
February 18 
 
 49 
 
 It is good for me that 1 have been afflicted; that 
 I might learn Thy statutes . — Ps. cxix. 71. 
 
 But though He cause grief yet will He have 
 compassion , according to the multitude of His mercies. 
 
 ■— Lam. iii. 32. 
 
 And yet these days of dreariness are sent us from above ; 
 They do not come in anger, but in faithfulness and love ; 
 They come to teach us lessons which bright ones could 
 not yield, 
 
 And to leave us blest and thankful when their purpose 
 is fulfilled. 
 
 Anon. 
 
 H EED not distressing thoughts when they 
 rise ever so strongly in thee; nay, though 
 they have entered thee, fear them not, 
 but be still awhile, not believing in the power 
 which thou feelest they have over thee, and it 
 will fall on a sudden. It is good for thy spirit, 
 and greatly to thy advantage, to be much and 
 variously exercised by the Lord. Thou dost 
 not know what the Lord hath already done, 
 and what He is yet doing for thee therein. 
 
 I. Penington. 
 
 Why should I start at the plough of my 
 Lord, that maketh deep furrows on my soul ? 
 I know He is no idle husbandman, He purposeth 
 a crop. 
 
 S. Rutherford. 
 
5 ° 
 
 February 19 
 
 My meat is to do the will of Him that sent me 
 and to finish His work . —John iv. 34. 
 
 I am glad to think 
 
 I am not bound to make the world go right ; 
 
 But only to discover and to do, 
 
 With cheerful heart, the work that God appoints. 
 
 I will trust in Him, 
 
 That He can hold His own ; and I will take 
 His will, above the work He sendeth me, 
 
 To be my chiefest good. 
 
 J. Ingelow. 
 
 D ON’T object that your duties are so insig¬ 
 nificant ; they are to be reckoned of 
 infinite significance, and alone important 
 to you. Were it but the more perfect regula¬ 
 tion of your apartments, the sorting-away of 
 your clothes and trinkets, the arranging of you r 
 papers, — u Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, 
 do it with all thy might,” and all thy worth 
 and constancy. Much more, if your duties are 
 of evidently higher, wider scope ; if you have 
 brothers, sisters, a father, a mother, weigh 
 earnestly what claim does lie upon you, on be¬ 
 half of each, and consider it as the one thing 
 needful, to pay them more and more honestly 
 and nobly what you owe. What matter how 
 miserable one is, if one can do that ? That is 
 the sure and steady disconnection and extinction 
 of whatsoever miseries one has in this world. 
 
 T. Carlyle. 
 
February 20 
 
 5 1 
 
 Let us not therefore judge one another any more : 
 hut judge this rather , that no man put a stumbling- 
 block , or an occasion to fall , in his brother’s way. — 
 Rom. xiv. 13. 
 
 Them that were entering in , ye hindered. — 
 Luke xi. 52. 
 
 My mind was ruffled with small cares to-day, 
 
 And I said pettish words, and did not keep 
 Long-suffering patience well, and now how deep 
 My trouble for this sin ! in vain I weep 
 For foolish words I never can unsay. 
 
 H. S. Sutton. 
 
 A VEXATION arises, and our expressions 
 of impatience hinder others from taking 
 it patiently. Disappointment, ailment, or 
 even weather depresses us; and our look or 
 tone of depression hinders others from main¬ 
 taining a cheerful and thankful spirit. We say 
 an unkind thing, and another is hindered in 
 learning the holy lesson of charity that thinketh 
 no evil. We say a provoking thing, and our 
 sister or brother is hindered in that day’s effort 
 to be meek. How sadly, too, we may hinder 
 without word or act! For wrong feeling is more 
 infectious than wrong doing; especially the 
 various phases of ill temper, — gloominess, 
 touchiness, discontent, irritability, — do we not 
 know how catching these are ? 
 
 F. R. Havergal. 
 
 * of ill ua 
 
S ' 1 
 
 February 21 
 
 If ye then , being evil , how to give good 
 
 gifts unto your children , how much more shall your 
 Father which is in heaven give good gifts to them 
 that ask Him ? -— Matt. vii. 11. 
 
 For His great love has compassed 
 Our nature, and our need 
 We know not ; but He knoweth. 
 
 And He will bless indeed. 
 
 Therefore, O heavenly Father, 
 
 Give what is best to me ; 
 
 And take the wants unanswered, 
 
 As offerings made to Thee. Anon. 
 
 W HATSOEVER we ask which is not for 
 our good, He will keep it back from us. 
 And surely in this there is no less of 
 love than in the granting what we desire as we' 
 ought. Will not the same love which prompts 
 you to give a good, prompt you to keep back 
 an evil, thing ? If, in our blindness, not know¬ 
 ing what to ask, we pray for things which would 
 turn in our hands to sorrow and death, will 
 not our Father, out of His very love, deny us ? 
 How awful would be our lot, if our wishes 
 should straightway pass into realities ; if we were 
 endowed with a power to.bring about all that 
 we desire ; if the inclinations of our will were 
 followed by fulfilment of our hasty wishes, and 
 sudden longings were always granted. One day 
 we shall bless Him, not more for what He has 
 granted than for what He has denied. 
 
 H. E. Manning. 
 
February 22 
 
 53 
 
 i*s. . . . -■ 
 
 Be careful for nothing; hut in everything by 
 tgrayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your 
 requests be made known unto God. — Phil. iv. 6. 
 
 We tell Thee of our care, 
 
 Of the sore burden, pressing day by day, 
 
 And in the light and pity of Thy face, 
 
 The burden melts away. 
 
 We breathe our secret wish, 
 
 The importunate longing which no man may see ; 
 
 We ask it humbly, or, more restful still, 
 
 We leave it all to Thee. 
 
 Susan Coolidge. 
 
 T HAT prayer which does not succeed in 
 moderating our wish, in changing the 
 passionate desire into still submission, the 
 anxious, tumultuous expectation into silent sur¬ 
 render, is no true prayer, and proves that we 
 have not the spirit of true prayer. That life is 
 most holy in which there is least of petition and 
 desire, and most of waiting upon God ; that in 
 which petition most often passes into thanks¬ 
 giving. Pray till prayer makes you forget your 
 own wish, and leave it or merge it in God’s 
 will. The Divine wisdom has given us prayer, 
 not as a means whereby to obtain the good 
 things of earth, but as a means whereby we 
 learn to do without them; not as a means 
 whereby we escape evil, but as a means whereby 
 we become strong to meet it. 
 
 F. W. Robertson 
 
54 
 
 February 23 
 
 Let the Lord do that which is good in His sight . 
 — 1 Chron. xix. 13. 
 
 Let Thy mercy , O Lord , «/><?« wr, according as 
 
 we hope in Thee. — Ps. xxxiii. 22. 
 
 I cannot feel 
 
 That all is well, when darkening clouds conceal 
 The shining sun ; 
 
 But then, I know 
 
 He lives and loves ; and say, since it is so, 
 
 Thy will be done. 
 
 S. G. Browning. 
 
 N O felt evil or defect becomes divine until 
 it is inevitable ; and only when resistance 
 to it is exhausted and hope has fled, does 
 surrender cease to be premature. The hardness 
 of our task lies here ; that we have to strive 
 against the grievous things of life, while hope 
 remains, as if they were evil; and then, when the 
 stroke has fallen, to accept them from the hand 
 of God, and doubt not they are good. But to 
 the loving, trusting heart all things are possible; 
 and even this instant change, from overstrained 
 will to sorrowful repose, from fullest resist¬ 
 ance to complete surrender, is realized without 
 ■convulsion. 
 
 J. Martineau. 
 
February 24 
 
 55 
 
 These things I have spoken unto you that in me 
 ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have 
 tribulation : but be of good cheer ; I have overcome 
 the world. —John xvi. 33. 
 
 O Thou, the primal fount of life and peace, 
 
 Who shedd’st Thy breathing quiet all around, 
 
 In me command that pain and conflict cease, 
 
 And turn to music every jarring sound. 
 
 J. Sterling. 
 
 A CCUSTOM yourself to unreasonableness 
 and injustice. Abide in peace in the 
 presence of God, who sees all these evils 
 more clearly than you do, and who permits 
 them. Be content with doing with calmness 
 the little which depends upon yourself, and let 
 all else be to you as if it were not. 
 
 FRAN9OIS DE LA MoTHE FeNELON. 
 
 It is rare when injustice, or slights patiently 
 borne, do not leave the heart at the close of the 
 day filled with marvellous joy and peace. 
 
 Gold Dust 
 
56 
 
 February 25 
 
 But now thus saith the Lord that created thee , 0 
 ’Jacob , and He that formed thee , O Israel , 
 
 / have redeemed thee , / called thee 
 
 by thy name; thou art mine. — Isa. xliii. I. 
 
 Thou art as much His care as if beside 
 
 Nor man nor angel lived in heaven or earth ; 
 
 Thus sunbeams pour alike their glorious tide, 
 
 To light up worlds, or wake an insect’s mirth. 
 
 J. Keble. 
 
 G OD beholds thee individually, whoever 
 thou art. “ He calls thee by thy name.” 
 He sees thee, and understands thee. He 
 knows what is in thee, all thy own peculiar feel¬ 
 ings and thoughts, thy dispositions and likings, 
 thy strength and thy weakness. He views thee 
 in thy day of rejoicing and thy day of sorrow. 
 He sympathizes in thy hopes and in thy tempta¬ 
 tions ; He interests himself in all thy anxieties 
 and thy remembrances, in all the risings and 
 fallings of thy spirit. He compasses thee round, 
 and bears thee in His arms ; He takes thee up 
 and sets thee down. Thou dost not love thy¬ 
 self better than He loves thee. Thou canst not 
 shrink from pain more than He dislikes thy 
 bearing it, and if He puts it on thee, it is as 
 thou wilt put it on thyself, if thou art wise, for 
 a greater good afterwards. 
 
 1 . H. Newman. 
 
February 26 
 
 57 
 
 ‘The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon 
 Him , to all that call upon Him in truth. — Ps. 
 cxlv. 18. 
 
 I sought the Lord , and He heard me , and de¬ 
 livered me from all my fears. — Ps. xxxiv. 4. 
 
 Be Thou, O Rock of Ages, nigh ! 
 
 So shall each murmuring thought be gone j 
 And grief and fear and care shall fly. 
 
 As clouds before the mid-day sun. 
 
 C. Wesley. 
 
 T AKE courage, and turn your troubles, 
 which are without remedy, into material 
 for spiritual progress. Often turn to our 
 Lord, who is watching you, poor frail little being 
 as you are, amid your labors and distractions. 
 He sends you help, and blesses your affliction. 
 This thought should enable you to bear your 
 troubles patiently and gently, for love of Him 
 who only allows you to be tried for your own 
 good. Raise your heart continually to God, 
 seek His aid, and let the foundation stone of 
 your consolation be your happiness in being His. 
 All vexations and annoyances will be compara¬ 
 tively unimportant while you know that you 
 have such a Friend, such a Stay, such a Refuge. 
 May God be ever in your heart. 
 
 St. Francis de Sales. 
 
58 
 
 February 27 
 
 Trust in the Lord , and do good; so shalt thou 
 dwell in the land , and verily thou shalt be fed. — 
 Ps. xxxvii. 3. 
 
 Build a little fence of trust 
 Around to-day ; 
 
 Fill the space with loving work, 
 
 And therein stay ; 
 
 Look not through the sheltering bars 
 Upon to-morrow, 
 
 God will help thee bear what comes, 
 
 Of joy or sorrow. 
 
 Mary Frances Butts. 
 
 L ET us bow our souls and say, “ Behold the 
 handmaid of the Lord ! ” Let us lift up 
 our hearts and ask, cc Lord, what wouldst 
 thou have me to do ? ” Then light from the 
 opened heaven shall stream on our daily task, 
 revealing the grains of gold, where yesterday all 
 seemed dust; a hand shall sustain us and our 
 daily burden, so that, smiling at yesterday’s fears, 
 we shall say, “ This is easy , this is light; ” every 
 “ lion in the way,” as we come up to it, shall 
 be seen chained, and leave open the gates of the 
 Palace Beautiful; and to us, even to us, feeble 
 and fluctuating as we are, ministries shall be as¬ 
 signed, and through our hands blessings shall be 
 conveyed in which the spirits of just men made 
 perfect might delight. 
 
 Elizabeth Charles. 
 
February 28 
 
 59 
 
 Beloved , let us love one another: for love is of 
 God; and every one that loveth is horn of God , and 
 knoweth God. — i John iv 0 7. 
 
 So to the calmly gathered thought 
 The innermost of life is taught. 
 
 The mystery dimly understood. 
 
 That love of God is love of good $ 
 
 That to be saved is only this, —- 
 Salvation from our selfishness. 
 
 J. G. Whittier. 
 
 T HE Spirit of Love, wherever it is, is its 
 own blessing and happiness, because it is 
 the truth and reality of God in the soul; 
 and therefore is in the same joy of life, and is 
 the same good to itself everywhere and on every 
 occasion. Would you know the blessing of all 
 blessings? It is this God of Love dwelling in 
 your soul, and killing every root of bitterness, 
 which is the pain and torment of every earthly, 
 selfish love. For all wants are satisfied, all dis¬ 
 orders of nature are removed, no life is any 
 longer a burden, every day is a day of peace, 
 everything you meet becomes a help to you, be¬ 
 cause everything you see or do is all done in the 
 sweet, gentle element of Love. 
 
 Wm. Law. 
 
6o 
 
 February 29 
 
 Unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of 
 Righteousness arise with healing in his wings. —■ 
 Mal. iv. 2. 
 
 O send out Thy light and Thy truth : let them 
 lead me. — Ps. xliii. 3. 
 
 Open our eyes, thou Sun of life and gladness, 
 
 That we may see that glorious world of Thine ! 
 
 It shines for us in vain, while drooping sadness 
 Enfolds us here like mist 5 come, Power benign, 
 Touch our chilled hearts with vernal smile, 
 
 Our wintry course do Thou beguile, 
 
 Nor by the wayside ruins let us mourn, 
 
 Who have th' eternal towers for our appointed bourn. 
 
 J. Keble. 
 
 B ECAUSE all those scattered rays of beauty 
 and loveliness which we behold spread up 
 and down over all the world, are only the 
 emanations of that inexhausted light which is 
 above; therefore should we love them all in that, 
 and climb up always by those sunbeams unto the 
 eternal Father of lights : we should look upon 
 Him, and take from Him the pattern cf our lives, 
 and always eying Him, should, as Hierocles 
 speaks, w polish and shape our souls into the 
 clearest resemblance of Him ; ” and in all our 
 behavior in this world (that great temple of His) 
 deport ourselves decently and reverently, with 
 that humility, meekness, and modesty that be¬ 
 comes His house. 
 
 Dr. John Smith. 
 
March i 
 
 61 
 
 'Take no thought for your life , what ye shall eat , 
 or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your hody % what 
 ye shall put on. — Matt. vi. 25. 
 
 One there lives whose guardian eye 
 Guides our earthly destiny ; 
 
 One there lives, who, Lord of all, 
 
 Keeps His children lest they fall ; 
 
 Pass we, then, in love and praise, 
 
 Trusting Him through all our days, 
 
 Free from doubt and faithless sorrow, — 
 
 God provideth for the morrow. 
 
 R. Heber. 
 
 I T has been well said that no man ever sank 
 under the burden of the day. It is when 
 to-morrow’s burden is added to the burden 
 of to-day that the weight is more than a man 
 can bear. Never load yourselves so, my friends. 
 If you find yourselves so loaded, at least remem¬ 
 ber this : it is your own doing, not God’s. He 
 begs you to leave the future to Him, and mind 
 the present. 
 
 G. Macdonald. 
 
 Cast thy burdens upon the Lord , — hand it over, 
 heave it upon Him, — and He shall sustain thee; 
 shall bear both, if thou trust Him with both, 
 both thee and thy burden : He shall never suffer 
 the righteous to be moved. 
 
 Robert Leighton. 
 
6 2 
 
 March 2 
 
 But to do good and to communicate forget not: 
 for with such sacrifices God is well pleased. —■ 
 Heb. xiii. 16. 
 
 For this is the message that ye heard from the 
 beginning , that we should love one another. — I 
 John iii. 11. 
 
 Be useful where thou livest, that they may 
 Both want and wish thy pleasing presence still. 
 
 . . . Find out men’s wants and will, 
 
 And meet them there. All worldly joys go less 
 To the one joy of doing kindnesses. 
 
 G. Herbert. 
 
 L ET the weakest, let the humblest remem¬ 
 ber, that in his daily course he can, if he 
 will, shed around him almost a heaven. 
 Kindly words, sympathizing attentions, watch¬ 
 fulness against wounding men’s sensitiveness, — 
 these cost very little, but they are priceless in 
 their value. Are they not almost the staple of 
 our daily happiness ? From hour to hour, from 
 moment to moment, we are supported, blest, by 
 small kindnesses. F. W. Robertson. 
 
 Small kindnesses, small courtesies, small 
 considerations, habitually practised in our social 
 intercourse, give a greater charm to the charac¬ 
 ter than the display of great talents and accom¬ 
 plishments. M. A. Kelty. 
 
March 3 
 
 63 
 
 / made haste , and delayed not to keep Thy com¬ 
 mandments. — Ps. cxix. 6o« 
 
 Te know not what shall be on the morrow .— 
 James iv. 14. 
 
 Never delay 
 
 To do the duty which the hour brings, 
 
 Whether it be in great or smaller things ; 
 
 For who doth know 
 What he shall do the coming day ? 
 
 Anon. 
 
 I T is quite impossible that an idle, floating 
 spirit can ever look up with clear eye to 
 God ; spreading its miserable anarchy before 
 the symmetry of the creative Mind; in the 
 midst of a disorderly being, that has neither 
 centre nor circumference, kneeling beneath the 
 glorious sky, that everywhere has both; and for 
 a life that is all failure, turning to the Lord of 
 the silent stars, of whose punctual thought it is, 
 that u not one faileth.” The heavens, with 
 their everlasting faithfulness, look down on no 
 sadder contradiction, than the sluggard and the 
 slattern in their prayers. 
 
 J. Martineau. 
 
6 4 
 
 March 4 
 
 But the souls of the righteous are in the hand of 
 God , and there shall no torment touch them. In 
 the sight of the unwise they seemed to die: and 
 their departure is taken for misery , and their going 
 from us to be utter destruction: but they are in 
 peace. —Wisdom of Solomon iii. 1-3. 
 
 But souls that of His own good life partake, 
 
 He loves as His own self; dear as His eye 
 They are to Him : He ’ll never them forsake : 
 When they shall die, then God Himself shall die ; 
 They live, they live in blest eternity. 
 
 Henry More. 
 
 T HOUGH every good man is not so logi¬ 
 cally subtile as to be able by fit mediums 
 to demonstrate his own immortality, yet 
 he sees it in a higher light: his soul, being 
 purged and enlightened by true sanctity, is more 
 capable of those divine irradiations, whereby it 
 ‘feels itself in conjunction with God. It knows 
 that God will never forsake His own life which 
 He hath quickened in it ; He will never deny 
 those ardent desires of a blissful fruition of 
 Himself, which the lively sense of His own 
 goodness hath excited within it: those breath¬ 
 ings and gaspings after an eternal participation 
 of Him are but the energy of His own breath 
 within us; if He had had any mind to destroy 
 it, He would never have shown it such things 
 as He hath done. Dr. John Smith. 
 
March 5 
 
 65 
 
 And every man that hath this hope in him puri - 
 fieth himself, even as He is pure .— i John iii. 3. 
 
 Now, Lord, what wait I for? 
 
 On Thee alone 
 My hope is all rested, — 
 
 Lord, seal me Thine own ! 
 
 Only Thine own to be, 
 
 Only to live to Thee. 
 
 Thine, with each day begun. 
 
 Thine, with each set of sun. 
 
 Thine, till my work is done. 
 
 Anna Warner. 
 
 N OW, believe me, God hides some ideal in 
 every human soul. At some time in our 
 life we feel a trembling, fearful longing 
 to do some good thing. Life finds its noblest 
 spring of excellence in this hidden impulse to do 
 our best. There is a time when we are not 
 content to be such merchants or doctors or 
 lawyers as we see on the dead level or below it. 
 The woman longs to glorify her womanhood as 
 sister, wife, or mother. Here is God, — God 
 standing silently at the door all day long,— God 
 whispering to the soul, that to be pure and true 
 is to succeed in life, and whatever we get short 
 of that will burn up like stubble, though the 
 whole world try to save it. 
 
 Robert Collyer. 
 
 5 
 
66 
 
 March 6 
 
 The shadow of a great rock in a weary land. —— 
 Isa. xxxii. 2. 
 
 In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in 
 quietness and in confidence shall be your strength. — 
 Isa. xxx. 15. 
 
 O Shadow in a sultry land ! 
 
 We gather to Thy breast, 
 
 Whose love, enfolding like the night. 
 
 Brings quietude and rest, 
 
 Glimpse of the fairer life to be, 
 
 In foretaste here possessed. 
 
 C. M. Packard. 
 
 S TRIVE to see God in all things without 
 exception, and acquiesce in His will with 
 absolute submission. Do everything for 
 God, uniting yourself to Him by a mere upward 
 glance, or by the overflowing of your heart 
 towards Him. Never be in a hurry ; do every¬ 
 thing quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose 
 your inward peace for anything whatsoever, even 
 if your whole world seems upset. Commend all 
 to God, and then lie still and be at rest in His 
 bosom. Whatever happens, abide steadfast in a 
 determination to cling simply to God, trusting 
 to His eternal love for you ; and if you find that 
 you have wandered forth from this shelter, recall 
 your heart quietly and simply. Maintain a holy 
 simplicity of mind, and do not smother yourself 
 with a host of cares, wishes, or longings, under 
 any pretext. St. Francis de Sales. 
 
March 7 
 
 b 7 
 
 'There are diversities of operations , but it is the 
 same God which worketh all in all. — I Cor. 
 xii. 6. 
 
 I form the light , and create darkness: I make 
 peace , and create evil: I the Lord do all these 
 things. — Isa. xlv. 7. 
 
 “ All is of God that is, and is to be ; 
 
 And God is good.” Let this suffice us still, 
 
 Resting in childlike trust upon His will, 
 
 Who moves to His great ends, untnwarted by the ill. 
 
 J. G. Whittier. 
 
 T HIS, then, is of faith, that everything, the 
 very least, or what seems to us great, 
 every change of the seasons, everything 
 which touches us in mind, body, or estate, 
 whether brought about through this outward 
 senseless nature, or by the will of man, good or 
 bad, is overruled to each of us by the all-holy 
 and all-loving will of God. Whatever befalls 
 us, however it befalls us, we must receive as the 
 will of God. If it befalls us through man’s 
 negligence, or ill-will, or anger, still it is, in 
 every the least circumstance, to us the will of 
 God. For if the least thing could happen to us 
 without God’s permission, it would be something 
 out of God’s control. God’s providence or His 
 love would not be what they are. Almighty 
 God Himself would not be the same God; not 
 the God whom we believe, adore, and love. 
 
 E. B. Pusey. 
 
68 
 
 March fc 
 
 Study to show thyself approved unto God, a work¬ 
 man that needeth not to be ashamed .— 2 Tim. 
 ii. 15. 
 
 And let us not be weary in well-doing : for in 
 due season we shall reap if we faint not. — Gal. 
 y\. 9. 
 
 The task Thy wisdom hath assigned, 
 
 Oh, let me cheerfully fulfil ; 
 
 In all my works Thy presence find, 
 
 And prove Thine acceptable will. 
 
 C. Wesley. 
 
 “TT THAT is my next duty ? What is the 
 \\ thing that lies nearest to me?” 
 w That belongs to your every-day his¬ 
 tory. No one can answer that question but 
 yourself. Your next duty is just to determine 
 what your next duty is. Is there nothing you 
 neglect ? Is there nothing you know you ought 
 not to do ? You would know your duty, if you 
 thought in earnest about it, and were not ambi¬ 
 tious of great things.” w Ah, then,” responded 
 she, cl I suppose it is something very common¬ 
 place, which will make life more dreary than 
 ever. That cannot help me.” “ It will, if it 
 be as dreary as reading the newspapers to an old 
 deaf aunt. It will soon lead you to something 
 more. Your duty will begin to comfort you at 
 once, but will at length open the unknown foun¬ 
 tain of life in your heart.” 
 
 G. Macdonald. 
 
March g 
 
 69 
 
 Thou shalt rejoice before the Lord thy God in 
 all that thou puttest thine hands unto. — Deut. 
 xii. 18. 
 
 Be ye thankful. —Col. iii. 15. 
 
 Thou that hast given so much to me, 
 
 Give one thing more, a grateful heart. 
 
 Not thankful when it pleaseth me, 
 
 As if thy blessings had spare days ; 
 
 But such a heart, whose pulse may be 
 
 Thy praise. 
 
 G. Herbert. 
 
 I F any one would tell you the shortest, surest 
 way to all happiness and all perfection, he 
 must tell you to make it a rule to yourself to 
 thank and praise God for everything that hap¬ 
 pens to you. For it is certain that whatever 
 seeming calamity happens to you, if you thank 
 and praise God for it, you turn it into a blessing. 
 Could you, therefore, work miracles, you could 
 not do more for yourself than by this thankful 
 spirit; for it heals with a word speaking, and 
 turns all that it touches into happiness. 
 
 Wm. Law. 
 
7 ° 
 
 March io 
 
 When thou passest through the waters , / will be 
 with thee; and through the rivers , they shall not 
 overflow thee : when thou walkest through the fire , 
 thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame 
 kindle upon thee. — Isa. xliii. 2. 
 
 1 am with thee to deliver thee. — Jer. i. 8. 
 
 When through the deep waters I call thee to go, 
 The rivers of sorrow shall not overflow ; 
 
 For I will be with thee thy troubles to bless, 
 
 And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress. Anon. 
 
 T URN it as thou wilt, thou must give thy¬ 
 self to suffer what is appointed thee. But 
 if we did that, God would bear us up at 
 all times in all our sorrows and troubles, and 
 God would lay His shoulder under our burdens, 
 and help us to bear them. For if, with a cheer¬ 
 ful courage, we submitted ourselves to God, no 
 suffering would be unbearable. J. Tauler. 
 
 Learn to be as the angel, who could descend 
 among the miseries of Bethesda without losing 
 his heavenly purity or his perfect happiness. 
 Gain healing from troubled waters. Make up 
 your mind to the prospect of sustaining a certain 
 measure of pain and trouble in your passage 
 through life. By the blessing of God this will 
 prepare you for it ; it will make you thought¬ 
 ful and resigned without interfering with your 
 cheerfulness. J. H. Newman- 
 
March n 
 
 7 i 
 
 Cast thy burden upon the Lord , and He shall 
 sustain thee: He shall never suffer the righteous 
 to be moved. — Ps. lv. 22. 
 
 Now our wants and burdens leaving 
 To His care who cares for all, 
 
 Cease we fearing, cease we grieving, 
 
 At His touch our burdens fall. 
 
 S. Longfellow. 
 
 T HE circumstances of her life she could not 
 alter, but she took them to the Lord, and 
 handed them over into His management; 
 and then she believed that He took it, and she 
 left all the responsibility and the worry and 
 anxiety with Him. As often as the anxieties 
 returned she took them back ; and the result 
 was that, although the circumstances remained 
 unchanged, her soul was kept in perfect peace 
 in the midst of them. And the secret she found 
 so effectual in her outward affairs, she found to 
 be still more effectual in her inward ones, which 
 were in truth even more utterly unmanageable. 
 She abandoned her whole self to the Lord, with 
 all that she was and all that she had ; and, 
 believing that He took that which she had com¬ 
 mitted to Him, she ceased to fret and worry, 
 and her life became all sunshine in the gladness 
 of belonging to Him. 
 
 H. W. Smith. 
 
72 
 
 March 12 
 
 The Lord bless thee , and keep thee: the Lord 
 make His face shine upon thee , and be gracious unto 
 thee : the Lord lift up His countenance upon thee , 
 and give thee peace. —-Num. vi. 24—26. 
 
 O Love, how cheering is Thy ray ! 
 
 All pain before Thy presence flies j 
 Care, anguish, sorrow, melt away, 
 
 Where’er Thy healing beams arise. 
 
 O Father, nothing may I see, 
 
 Nothing desire, or seek, but Thee. 
 
 P. Gerhardt. 
 
 T HERE is a faith in God, and a clear per¬ 
 ception of His will and designs, and 
 providence, and glory, which gives to its 
 possessor a confidence and patience and sweet 
 composure, under every varied and troubling 
 aspect of events, such as no man can realize 
 who has not felt its influences in his own heart. 
 There is a communion with God, in which the 
 soul feels the presence of the unseen One, in 
 the profound depths of its being, with a vivid 
 distinctness and a holy reverence, such as no 
 words can describe. There is a state of union 
 with God, I do not say often reached, yet it 
 has been attained in this world, in which all 
 the past and present and future seem reconciled, 
 and eternity is won and enjoyed; and God and 
 man, earth and heaven, with all their mysteries, 
 are apprehended in truth as they lie in the mind 
 of the Infinite. Samuel D. Robbins. 
 
March 13 
 
 73 
 
 He that abideth in me , and I in him , bringeth 
 forth much fruit. — John xv. 5. 
 
 Let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us. 
 
 — Ps. xc. 17. 
 
 As some rare perfume in a vase of clay 
 Pervades it with a fragrance not its own, 
 
 So, when Thou dwellest in a mortal soul, 
 
 All Heaven’s own sweetness seems around it thrown. 
 
 H. B. Stowe. 
 
 S OME glances of real beauty may be seen in 
 their faces, who dwell in true meekness. 
 There is a harmony in the sound of that 
 voice to which Divine love gives utterance, and 
 some appearance of right order in their temper 
 and conduct whose passions are regulated. 
 
 John Woolman. 
 
 I believe that no Divine truth can truly dwell 
 in any heart, without an external testimony in 
 manner, bearing, and appearance, that must reach 
 the witness within the heart of the beholder, and 
 bear an unmistakable, though silent, evidence to 
 the eternal principle from which it emanates. 
 
 M. A. SCHIMMELPENNINCK. 
 
74 March 14 
 
 1 have called upon Thee , for Thou wilt hear me , 
 O God: incline Thine ear unto me , and hear my 
 speech. —Ps. xvii. 6. 
 
 Ye people , out your heart before Him : God 
 
 is a refuge for us. — Ps. lxii. 8. 
 
 Whate’er the care which breaks thy rest, 
 Whate’er the wish that swells thy breast; 
 
 Spread before God that wish, that care, 
 
 And change anxiety to prayer. 
 
 Jane Crewdson. 
 
 T ROUBLE and perplexity drive us to 
 prayer, and prayer driveth away trouble 
 and perplexity. 
 
 P. Melancthon. 
 
 Whatsoever it is that presses thee, go tell thy 
 Father; put over the matter into His hand, and 
 so thou shalt be freed from that dividing, per¬ 
 plexing care that the world is full of. When 
 thou art either to do or suffer anything, when 
 thou art about any purpose or business, go tell 
 God of it, and acquaint Him with it; yea, 
 burden Him with it, and thou hast done for 
 matter of caring; no more care, but quiet, 
 sweet diligence in thy duty, and dependence on 
 Him for the carriage of thy matters. Roll thy 
 cares, and thyself with them, as one burden, all 
 on thy God. 
 
 R. Leighton. 
 
March 15 
 
 75 
 
 Hear me , O Lord , for Thy loving-kindness is 
 good: turn unto me according to the multitude of 
 Thy tender mercies. — Ps. lxix. 16, 
 
 Let , I pray Thee , Thy merciful kindness be for 
 my comfort , according to Thy word unto Thy 
 servant. — Ps. cxix. 76. 
 
 Love divine has seen and counted 
 Every tear it caused to fall 5 
 And the storm which Love appointed 
 Was its choicest gift of all. 
 
 Anon. 
 
 O THAT thou couldst dwell in the knowl¬ 
 edge and sense of this ! even, that the 
 Lord beholds thy sufferings with an eye 
 of pity; and is able, not only to uphold thee 
 under them, but also to do thee good by them. 
 Therefore, grieve not at thy lot, be not discon¬ 
 tented, look not out at the hardness of thy con¬ 
 dition ; but, when the storm and matters of 
 vexation are sharp, look up to Him who can 
 give meekness and patience, can lift up thy head 
 over all, and cause thy life to grow, and be a 
 gainer by all. If the Lord God help thee pro- 
 portionably to thy condition of affliction and 
 distress, thou wilt have no cause to complain, 
 but to bless His name. 
 
 Penington, 
 
7 6 
 
 March 16 
 
 IVhether therefore ye eat , or drink , or whatso¬ 
 ever ye do , ^/o all to the glory of God. — I Cor. 
 x. 31. 
 
 IVith good will doing service , to the Lord , 
 
 »o/ —Eph. vi. 7. 
 
 A servant, with this clause, 
 
 Makes drudgery divine : 
 
 Who sweeps a room, as for Thy laws, 
 
 Makes that and th’ action fine. 
 
 G. Herbert. 
 
 S URELY the truth must be, that whatsoever 
 in our daily life is lawful and right for us 
 to be engaged in, is in itself a part of our 
 obedience to God ; a part, that is, of our very 
 religion. Whensoever we hear people complain¬ 
 ing of obstructions and hindrances put by the 
 duties of life in the way of devoting themselves 
 to God, we may be sure they are under some 
 false view or other. They do not look upon 
 their daily work as the task God has set them, 
 and as obedience due to Him. We may go 
 farther; and say, not only that the duties of 
 life, be they never so toilsome and distracting, 
 are no obstructions to a life of any degree of 
 inward holiness; but that they are even direct 
 means, when rightly used, to promote our 
 sanctification. 
 
 H. E. Manning. 
 
March 17 
 
 77 
 
 Where hast thou gleaned to-day ? — Ruth ii. 19. 
 
 What have I learnt where’er I’ve been, 
 
 From all I’ve heard, from all I’ve seen ? 
 
 What know I more that’s worth the knowing? 
 What have I done that ’s worth the doing ? 
 
 What have I sought that I should shun ? 
 
 What duties have I left undone ? 
 
 Pythagoras. 
 
 A LL of this world will soon have passed 
 away. But God will remain, and thou, 
 whatever thou hast become, good or bad. 
 Thy deeds now are the seed-corn of eternity. 
 Each single act, in each several day, good or 
 bad, is a portion of that seed. Each day adds 
 some line, making thee more or less like Him, 
 more or less capable of His love. 
 
 E. B. Pusey. 
 
 There is something very solemn in the 
 thought that that part of our work which we 
 have left undone may first be revealed to us at 
 the end of a life filled up, as we had fondly 
 hoped, with useful and necessary employments. 
 
 Sarah W. Stephen. 
 
78 
 
 Marcn ib 
 
 Finally , be ye all of one mind , having compassion 
 one of another , brethren , ^ pitiful , 
 
 courteous. — i Peter iii, 8. 
 
 Make us of one heart and mind ; 
 Courteous, pitiful, and kind $ 
 Lowly, meek, in thought and word, 
 Altogether like our Lord. 
 
 C. Wesley. 
 
 A LITTLE thought will show you how 
 vastly your own happiness depends on the 
 way other people bear themselves toward 
 you. The looks and tones at your breakfast- 
 table, the conduct of your fellow-workers or 
 employers, the faithful or unreliable men you 
 deal with, what people say to you on the street, 
 the way your cook and housemaid do their work, 
 the letters you get, the friends or foes you meet, 
 — these things make up very much of the pleas¬ 
 ure or misery of your day. Turn the idea 
 around, and remember that just so much are 
 you adding to the pleasure or the misery of other 
 people’s days. And this is the half of the mat¬ 
 ter which you can control. Whether any par¬ 
 ticular day shall bring to you more of happiness 
 or of suffering is largely beyond your power to 
 determine. Whether each day of your life shall 
 give happiness or suffering rests with yourself. 
 
 George S. Merriam. 
 
March 19 
 
 79 
 
 Showing all good fidelity , that they may adorn 
 the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things. — 
 Titus ii. io. 
 
 If on our daily course our mind 
 Be set to hallow all we find. 
 
 New treasures still, of countless price, 
 God will provide for sacrifice. t 
 
 Keble. 
 
 I F content and thankfulness, if the patient 
 bearing of evil, be duties to God, they are 
 the duties of every day, and in every circum¬ 
 stance of our life. If we are to follow Christ, 
 it must be in our common way of spending every 
 day. Wm. Law. 
 
 He who is faithful over a few things is a lord 
 of cities. It does not matter whether you preach 
 in Westminster Abbey, or teach a ragged class, 
 so you be faithful. The faithfulness is all. 
 
 G. Macdonald. 
 
 I would have you invoke God often through 
 the day, asking Him to kindle a love for your 
 vocation within you, and saying with St. Paul, 
 “‘Lord, what wouldst Thou have me to do?’ 
 Wouldst Thou have me serve Thee in the low¬ 
 est ministries of Thy house ? too happy if I may 
 but serve Thee anyhow.” And when any spe¬ 
 cial thing is repugnant to you, ask “Wouldst 
 Thou have me do it? Then, unworthy though 
 I be, I will do it gladly.” S t. Francis DE SaLESc 
 
8o 
 
 March 20 
 
 Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God , and Him 
 only shalt thou serve. — Matt. iv. 10. 
 
 Blessed are they that keep His testimonies , and 
 that seek Him with the whole heart. —Ps. cxix. 2. 
 
 The comfort of a mind at rest 
 From every care Thou hast not blest ; 
 
 A heart from all the world set free, 
 
 To worship and to wait on Thee. 
 
 A. L. Waring. 
 
 R ESIGN every forbidden joy ; restrain every 
 wish that is not referred to His will; ban¬ 
 ish all eager desires, all anxiety. Desire 
 only the will of God; seek Him alone, and you 
 will find peace. 
 
 Francois de la Mothe Fenelon. 
 
 w I ’ve been a great deal happier since I have 
 given up thinking about what is easy and pleas¬ 
 ant, and being discontented because I couldn’t 
 have my own will. Our life is determined for 
 us; and it makes the mind very free when we 
 give up wishing, and only think of bearing what 
 is laid upon us, and doing what is given us to 
 do.” 
 
 George Eliot 
 
March 21 
 
 81 
 
 Tour heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need 
 of all these things .— Matt. vi. 32. 
 
 All as God wills, who wisely heeds 
 To give or to withhold $ 
 
 And knoweth more of all my needs 
 Than all my prayers have told. 
 
 J. G. Whittier. 
 
 L ORD, I know not what I ought to ask of 
 Thee ; Thou only knowest what I need ; 
 Thou lovest me better than I know how 
 to love myself. O Father! give to Thy child 
 that which he himself knows not how to ask. 
 I dare not ask either for crosses or consolations ; 
 I simply present myself before Thee ; I open 
 my heart to Thee. Behold my needs which I 
 know not myself; see, and do according to Thy 
 tender mercy. Smite, or heal; depress me, or 
 raise me up; I adore all Thy purposes without 
 knowing them ; I am silent; I offer myself in 
 sacrifice ; I yield myself to Thee; I would have 
 no other desire than to accomplish Thy will. 
 Teach me to pray ; pray Thyself in me. 
 
 Francois de la Mothe Fenelon. 
 
 6 
 
82 
 
 March 22 
 
 He that contemneth small things shall fall by 
 little and little. — Ecclesiasticus xix. 1. 
 
 One finger’s-breadth at hand will mar 
 A world of light in heaven afar, 
 
 A mote eclipse a glorious star, 
 
 An eyelid hide the sky. 
 
 J. Keble 
 
 A SINGLE sin, however apparently trifling, 
 however hidden in some obscure corner 
 of our consciousness, — a sin which we 
 do not intend to renounce , — is enough to render 
 real prayer impracticable. A course of action 
 not wholly upright and honorable, feelings not 
 entirely kind and loving, habits not spotlessly 
 chaste and temperate, — any of these are impas¬ 
 sable obstacles. If we know of a kind act 
 which we might, but do not intend to, perform, 
 — if we be aware that our moral health re¬ 
 quires the abandonment of some pleasure which 
 yet we do not intend to abandon, here is cause 
 enough for the loss of all spiritual power. 
 
 F. P. Cobbe. 
 
 It is astonishing how soon the whole con¬ 
 science begins to unravel, if a single stitch 
 drops ; one little sin indulged makes a hole you 
 could put your head through. 
 
 Charles Buxton. 
 
March 23 
 
 83 
 
 Beloved , thou doest faithfully whatsoever thou 
 doest. — 3 John 50 
 
 And this also we wish , even your perfection. •— 
 2 Cor. xiii. 9. 
 
 In all the little things of life, 
 
 Thyself, Lord, may I see ; 
 
 In little and in great alike 
 Reveal Thy love to me. 
 
 So shall my undivided life } - 
 To Thee, my God, be given 5 
 And all this earthly course below 
 
 Be one dear path to heaven. H. Bonar. 
 
 I N order to mould thee into entire conformity 
 to His will, He must have thee pliable in 
 H is hands, and this pliability is more quickly 
 reached by yielding in the little things than even 
 by the greater. Thy one great desire is to 
 follow Him fully; canst thou not say then a 
 continual u yes” to all His sweet commands, 
 whether small or great, and trust Him to lead 
 thee by the shortest road to thy fullest blessed¬ 
 ness ? 
 
 H. W. Smith. 
 
 With meekness, humility, and diligence, 
 apply yourself to the duties of your condition. 
 They are the seemingly little things which make 
 no noise that do the business. 
 
 Henry More. 
 
8 4 
 
 March 24 
 
 I will both lay me down in peace , and sleep: for 
 Thou , Lord , only makest me dwell in safety . — 
 
 Ps. iv. 8. 
 
 He giveth His beloved sleep . — Ps. cxxvii. 2. 
 
 He guides our feet, He guards our way, 
 
 His morning smiles bless all the day-; 
 
 He spreads the evening veil, and keeps 
 The silent hours while Israel sleeps. 
 
 I. Watts. 
 
 W E sleep in peace in the arms of God, 
 when we yield ourselves up to His 
 providence^ in a delightful conscious¬ 
 ness of His tender mercies; no more restless 
 uncertainties, no more anxious desires, no more 
 impatience at the place we are in; for it is God 
 who has put us there, and who holds us in His 
 arms. Can we be unsafe where He has placed us ? 
 
 Francois de la Mothe Fenelon. 
 
 One evening when Luther saw a little bird 
 perched on a tree, to roost there for the night, 
 he said, w This little bird has had its supper, 
 and now it is getting ready to go to sleep here, 
 quite secure and content, never troubling itself 
 what its food will be, or where its lodging oh 
 the morrow. Like David, it ‘abides under the 
 shadow of the Almighty.’ It sits on its little 
 twig content, and lets God take care.” 
 
 Martin Luther, 
 
March 25 
 
 85 
 
 1 will hear what God the Lord will speak: 
 for He will speak peace unto His people. — Ps. 
 lxxxv. 8. 
 
 There Is a voice, “a still, small voice” of love, 
 
 Heard from above 5 
 
 But not amidst the din of earthly sounds. 
 
 Which here confounds 5 
 By those withdrawn apart it best is heard, 
 
 And peace, sweet peace, breathes in each gentle word. 
 
 Anonymous. 
 
 H E speaketh, but it is with us to hearken or 
 no. It is much, yea, it is everything, 
 not to turn away the ear, to be willing to 
 hearken, not to drown His voice. u The secret 
 of the Lord is with them that fear Him.” It is 
 a secret, hushed voice, a gentle intercourse of 
 heart to heart, a still, small voice, whispering to 
 the inner ear. How should we hear it, if we 
 fill our ears and our hearts with the din of this 
 world, its empty tumult, its excitement, its fret¬ 
 ting vanities, or cares, or passions, or anxieties, o 
 show, or rivalries, and its whirl of emptinesses ? 
 
 E. B. Pusey. 
 
86 
 
 March 26 
 
 Are they not all ministering spirits ? — Heb 
 
 l * I ^* May I reach 
 
 That purest heaven, be to other souls 
 The cup of strength in some great agony, 
 
 Enkindle generous ardor, feed pure love, 
 
 Be the sweet presence of a good diffused, 
 
 And in diffusion ever more intense ! 
 
 So shall I join the choir invisible 
 Whose music is the gladness of the world. 
 
 George Eliot. 
 
 C ERTAINLY, in our own little sphere it 
 is not the most active people to whom we 
 owe the most. Among the common 
 people whom we know, it is not necessarily 
 those who are busiest, not those who, meteor¬ 
 like, are ever on the rush after some visible 
 charge and work. It is the lives, like the stars, 
 which simply pour down on us the calm light of 
 their bright and faithful being, up to which we 
 look and out of which we gather the deepest 
 calm and courage. It seems to me that there is 
 reassurance here for many of us who seem to 
 have no chance for active usefulness. We can 
 do nothing for our fellow-men. But still it is 
 good to know that we can be something for them ; 
 to know (and this we may know surely) that no 
 man or woman of the humblest sort can really 
 be strong, gentle, pure, and good, without the 
 world being better for it, without somebody 
 being helped and comforted by the very exist¬ 
 ence of that goodness. Phillips Brooks 
 
March 27 
 
 87 
 
 If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and 
 His love is perfected in us. — I John iv. 12. 
 
 And he that keepeth His commandments dwelleth 
 in ‘Hun, and He in him. And hereby we know 
 that He abideth in us, by the Spirit which He 
 hath given us. — i John iii. 24. 
 
 Abide in me ; o’ershadow by Thy love 
 
 Each half-formed purpose and dark thought of sin j 
 
 Quench, ere it rise, each selfish, low desire, 
 
 And keep my soul as Thine, calm and divine. 
 
 H. B. Stowe 
 
 T HE Spirit of Love must work the works, 
 and speak the tones, of Love. It cannot 
 exist and give no sign, or a false sign. 
 It cannot be a spirit of Love, and mantle into 
 irritable and selfish impatience. It cannot be a 
 spirit of Love, and at the same time make self 
 the prominent object. It cannot rejoice to lend 
 itself to the happiness of others, and at the same 
 time be seeking its own. It cannot be generous, 
 and envious. It cannot be sympathizing, and 
 unseemly ; self-forgetful, and vain-glorious. It 
 cannot delight in the rectitude and purity of 
 other hearts, as the spiritual elements of their 
 peace, and yet unnecessarily suspect them. 
 
 J. H. Thom. 
 
88 
 
 March 28 
 
 Giving thanks always for all things unto God. 
 •— Eph. v. 20. 
 
 For blessings of the fruitful season, 
 
 For work and rest, for friends and home, 
 
 For the great gifts of thought and reason, — 
 
 To praise and bless Thee, Lord, we come 
 
 Yes, and for weeping and for wailing, 
 
 For bitter hail and blighting frost, 
 
 For high hopes on the low earth trailing, 
 
 For sweet joys missed, for pure aims crossed. 
 
 E. Scudder. 
 
 N otwithstanding ail that 1 have 
 
 suffered, notwithstanding all the pain and 
 weariness and anxiety and sorrow that 
 necessarily enter into life, and the inward errings 
 that are worse than all, I would end my record 
 with a devout thanksgiving to the great Author 
 of my being. For more and more am I unwill¬ 
 ing to make my gratitude to Him what is com¬ 
 monly called u a thanksgiving for mercies,” — 
 for any benefits or blessings that are peculiar to 
 myself, or my friends, or indeed to any man. 
 Instead of this, I would have it to be gratitude 
 for all that belongs to my life and being, — for 
 joy and sorrow, for health and sickness, for suc¬ 
 cess and disappointment, for virtue and for temp¬ 
 tation, for life and death; because I believe that 
 all is meant for good. 
 
 Orville Dewey 
 
March 29 
 
 89 
 
 There shall no evil befall thee .— Ps. xci. io. 
 
 Whoso hearkeneth unto Me shall dwell safely , 
 and shall be quiet from fear of evil. — Prov. i. 33. 
 
 I ask not, “ Take away this weight of care j” 
 
 No, for that love I pray that all can bear, 
 
 And for the faith that whatsoe’er befall 
 Must needs be good, and for my profit prove, 
 
 Since from my Father’s heart most rich in love, 
 And from His bounteous hands it cometh all. 
 
 C. J. P. Spitta. 
 
 B E like the promontory, against which the 
 waves continually break; but it stands 
 firm, and tames the fury of the water 
 around it. Unhappy am I, because this has 
 happened to me ? Not so, but happy am I, 
 though this has happened to me, because I con¬ 
 tinue free from pain, neither crushed by the 
 present, nor fearing the future. Will then this 
 which has happened prevent thee from being 
 just, magnanimous, temperate, prudent, secure 
 against inconsiderate opinions and falsehood ? 
 Remember, too, on every occasion which leads 
 thee to vexation to apply this principle : that 
 this is not a misfortune, but that to bear it nobly 
 is good fortune. 
 
 Marcus Antoninus. 
 
9 o 
 
 March 30 
 
 Thou shalt guide me with Thy counsel , and 
 afterward receive me to glory. — Ps. lxxiii. 24. 
 
 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of 
 God. — Heb. iv. 9. 
 
 Guide us through life 5 and when at last 
 We enter into rest, 
 
 Thy tender arms around us cast. 
 
 And fold us to Thy breast. 
 
 H. F. Lyte. 
 
 G O forth to meet the solemnities and to 
 conquer the trials of existence, believing 
 in a Shepherd of your souls. Then faith 
 in Him will suppo r t you in duty, and duty firmly 
 done will strengthen faith ; till at last, when all 
 is over here, and the noise and strife of the 
 earthly battle fades upon your dying ear, and you 
 hear, instead thereof, the deep and musical sound 
 of the ocean of eternity, and see the lights of 
 heaven shining on its waters still and fair in 
 their radiant rest, your faith will raise the song 
 of conquest, and in its retrospect of the life 
 which has ended, and its forward glance upon 
 the life to come, take up the poetic inspiration 
 of the Hebrew king, u Surely goodness and 
 mercy have followed me all the days of my life, 
 and I will dwell in the house of the Lord 
 forever.” 
 
 Stopford A. Brooke. 
 
March 31 
 
 9 1 
 
 Thou shalt be in league with the stones of the 
 field , and the beasts of the field shall be at peace 
 with thee. And thou shalt know that thy tabernacle 
 shall be in peace. — Job v. 23, 24. 
 
 Love had he found in huts where poor men lie $ 
 
 His daily teachers had been woods and rills, 
 
 The silence that is in the starry sky. 
 
 The sleep that is among the lonely hills. 
 
 W. Wordsworth. 
 
 T HAT spirit which suffices quiet hearts, 
 which seems to come forth to such from 
 every dry knoll of sere grass, from every 
 pine-stump, and half-embedded stone, on which 
 the dull March sun shines, comes forth to the 
 poor and hungry, and to such as are of simple 
 taste. If thou fill thy brain with Boston and 
 New York, with fashion and covetousness, 
 and wilt stimulate thy jaded senses with wine 
 and French coffee, thou shalt find no radiance 
 of wisdom in the lonely waste of the pine-woods. 
 
 R. W. Emerson. 
 
 As a countenance is made beautiful by the 
 soul’s shining through it, so the world is beauti¬ 
 ful by the shining through it of a God. 
 
 Friedrich Heinrich Jacobi. 
 
92 
 
 April i 
 
 For Thou lovest all the things that are , and 
 abhorrest nothing which Thou hast made: for 
 never wouldest Thou have made any thing , if Thou 
 hadst hated it. But Thou sparest all: for they 
 are Thine , O Lord, Thou lover nf souls. — Wisdom 
 of Solomon xi. 24, 26. 
 
 He prayeth well who loveth well 
 Both man and bird and beast ; 
 
 He prayeth best who loveth best 
 All things both great and small ; 
 
 For the dear God who loveth us, 
 
 He made and loveth all. 
 
 S. T. Coleridge. 
 
 T O know that Love alone was the begin¬ 
 ning of nature and creature, that nothing 
 but Love encompasses the whole uni¬ 
 verse of things, that the governing Hand that 
 overrules all, the watchful Eye that sees through 
 all, is nothing but omnipotent and omniscient 
 Love, using an infinity of wisdom, to save every 
 misguided creature from the miserable works 
 of its own hands, and make happiness and glory 
 the perpetual inheritance of all the creation, is 
 a reflection that must be quite ravishing to every 
 intelligent creature that is sensible of it. 
 
 Wm. Law. 
 
April 2 
 
 93 
 
 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God , and 
 that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? — I Cor. 
 iii. 16. 
 
 Father ! replenish with Thy grace 
 This longing heart of mine 5 
 Make it Thy quiet dwelling-place, 
 
 Thy sacred inmost shrine! 
 
 Johann Scheffler. 
 
 N OT man’s manifold labors, but his mani¬ 
 fold cares, hinder the presence of God. 
 Whatsoever thou doest, hush thyself to 
 thine own feverish vanities, and busy thoughts, 
 and cares ; in silence seek thy Father’s face, and 
 the light of His countenance will stream down 
 upon thee. He will make a secret cell in thine 
 heart, and when thou enterest there, there shalt 
 thou find Him. And if thou hast found Him 
 there, all around shall reflect Him, all shall speak 
 to Him, and He will speak through all. Out¬ 
 wardly thou mayest be doing the work of thy 
 calling ; inwardly if thou commend thy work to 
 God, thou mayest be with Him in the third 
 Heaven. 
 
 E. B. Pusey. 
 
94 
 
 April 3 
 
 As for thee , the Lord thy God hath not sujfered 
 thee so to do. — Deut. xviii. 14. 
 
 Lord, for the erring thought 
 Not into evil wrought 5 
 Lord, for the wicked will 
 Betrayed and baffled still 5 
 For the heart from itself kept, 
 
 Our Thanksgiving accept. 
 
 W. D. Howells. 
 
 W HAT an amazing, what a blessed dis¬ 
 proportion between the evil we do, and 
 the evil we are capable of doing, and 
 seem sometimes on the very verge of doing ! 
 If my soul has grown tares, when it was full of 
 the seeds of nightshade, how happy ought I to 
 be ! And that the tares have not wholly strangled 
 the wheat, what a wonder it is ! We ought to 
 thank God daily for the sins we have not 
 committed. F. W. Faber. 
 
 We give thanks often with a tearful, doubt¬ 
 ful voice, for our spiritual mercies positive ; but 
 what an almost infinite field there is for mercies 
 negative ! We cannot even imagine all that 
 God has suffered us not to do, not to be. 
 
 F. R. Havergal. 
 
 You are surprised at your imperfections — 
 why ? I should infer from that, that your self- 
 knowledge is small. Surely, you might rather 
 be astonished that you do not fall into more 
 frequent and more grievous faults, and thank God 
 for His upholding grace. Jean Nicolas Grou. 
 
April 4 
 
 95 
 
 Well done , good and faithful servant; thou hast 
 been faithful over a few things , I will make thee 
 ruler over many things : enter thou into the joy of 
 thy Lord. — Matt. xxv. 23. 
 
 O Father! help us to resign 
 
 Our hearts, our strength, our wills to Thee ; 
 
 Then even lowliest work of Thine 
 Most noble, blest, and sweet will be. 
 
 H. M. Kimball. 
 
 N OTHING is too little to be ordered by 
 our Father; nothing too little in which 
 to see H is hand ; nothing, which touches 
 our souls, too little to accept from Him ; noth¬ 
 ing too little to be done to Him. 
 
 E. B. Pusey. 
 
 A -soul occupied with great ideas best per¬ 
 forms small duties; the divinest views of life 
 penetrate most clearly into the meanest emer¬ 
 gencies ; so far from petty principles being best 
 proportioned to petty trials, a heavenly spirit 
 taking up its abode with us can alone sustain 
 well the daily toils, and tranquilly pass the 
 humiliations of our condition. 
 
 J. Martineau. 
 
 Whoso neglects a thing which he suspects he 
 ought to do, because it seems to him too small a 
 thing, is deceiving himself; it is not too little, 
 but too great for him, that he doeth it not. 
 
 E. B. Pusey. 
 
9 6 
 
 April 5 
 
 Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel , all 
 the knees which have not bowed unto Baal , and 
 every mouth which hath not kissed him. — I Kings 
 xix. 18. 
 
 H E went down to the great school with 
 a glimmering of another lesson in his 
 heart, — the lesson that he who has 
 conquered his own coward spirit has conquered 
 the whole outward world ; and that other one 
 which the old prophet learnt in the cave in 
 Mount Horeb, when he hid his face, and the 
 still small voice asked, “ What doest thou here, 
 Elijah ? ” that however we may fancy ourselves 
 alone on the side of good, the King and Lord 
 of men is nowhere without His witnesses; for 
 in every society, however seemingly corrupt 
 and godless, there are those who have not 
 bowed the knee to Baal. Thomas Hughes. 
 
 So, then, Elijah’s life had been no failure, 
 after all. Seven thousand at least in Israel had 
 been braced and encouraged by his example, 
 and silently blessed him, perhaps, for the cour¬ 
 age which they felt. In God’s world, for those 
 who are in earnest there is no failure. No work 
 truly done, no word earnestly spoken, no sacri¬ 
 fice freely made, was ever made in vain. 
 
 F. W, Robertson, 
 
April 6 
 
 97 
 
 In the multitude of my thoughts within me ‘Thy 
 comforts delight my soul. — Ps. xciv. 19. 
 
 Perplexed , but not in despair; cast down , but 
 not destroyed. — 2 Cor. iv. 8, 9. 
 
 Discouraged in the work of life, 
 
 Disheartened by its load, 
 
 Shamed by its failures or its fears, 
 
 I sink beside the road ; — 
 
 But let me only think of Thee, 
 
 And then new heart springs up in me. 
 
 S. Longfellow. 
 
 D iscouragement is an inclination 
 
 to give up all attempts after the devout 
 life, in consequence of the difficulties by 
 which it is beset, and our already numerous 
 failures in it. We lose heart; and partly in ill- 
 temper, partly in real doubt of our own ability 
 to persevere, we first grow querulous and peev¬ 
 ish with God, and then relax in our efforts to 
 mortify ourselves and to please Him. It is a 
 sort of shadow of despair, and will lead us into 
 numberless venial sins the first half-hour we 
 give way to it. F. W. Faber. 
 
 Never let us be discouraged with ourselves; 
 it is not when we are conscious of our faults 
 that we are the most wicked ; on the contrary, 
 we are less so. We see by a brighter light; 
 and let us remember, for our consolation, that 
 we never perceive our sins till we begin to cure 
 them. Francois de la Mothe Fenelon. 
 
9 8 
 
 April 7 
 
 That ye may prove what is that good , and accept¬ 
 able , and perfect will of God. — Rom. xii. 2. 
 
 Thou knowest what is best ; 
 
 And who but Thee, O God, hath power to know ? 
 
 In Thy great will my trusting heart shall rest ; 
 
 Beneath that will my humble head shall bow. 
 
 T. C. Upham. 
 
 T O those who are His, all things are not 
 only easy to be borne, but even to be 
 gladly chosen. Their will is united to 
 that will which moves heaven and earth, which 
 gives laws to angels, and rules the courses of 
 the world. It is a wonderful gift of God to 
 
 man, of which we that know so little must 
 
 needs speak little. To be at the centre of that 
 motion, where is everlasting rest; to be sheltered 
 in the peace of God; even now to dwell in 
 heaven, where all hearts are stayed, and all 
 
 hopes fulfilled. w Thou shalt keep him in 
 
 perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee.” 
 
 H. E. Manning. 
 
 Study to follow His will in all, to have no 
 will but His. This is thy duty, and thy wis¬ 
 dom. Nothing is gained by spurning and 
 struggling but to hurt and vex thyself; but by 
 complying all is gained — sweet peace. It is 
 the very secret, the mystery of solid peace 
 within, to resign all to His will, to be disposed 
 of at His pleasure, without the least contrary 
 thought. R. Leighton. 
 
April 8 
 
 99 
 
 The Lord is .ny shepherd; I shall not want. — 
 Ps. xxiii. i. 
 
 They that seek the Lord shall not want any good 
 thing. — Ps. xxxiv. 10. 
 
 God, who the universe doth hold 
 In his fold, 
 
 Is my shepherd kind and heedful. 
 
 Is my shepherd, and doth keep 
 Me, his sheep, 
 
 Still supplied with all things needful. 
 
 F. Davison. 
 
 is it that is your shepherd? 
 The Lord! Oh, my friends, what 
 a wonderful announcement ! The 
 Lord God of heaven and earth, the almighty 
 Creator of all things, He who holds the uni¬ 
 verse in His hand as though it were a very 
 little thing, —• He is your shepherd, and has 
 charged Himself with the care and keeping of 
 you, as a shepherd is charged with the care and 
 keeping of his sheep. If your hearts could 
 really take in this thought, you would never 
 have a fear or a care again ; for with such a 
 shepherd, how could it be possible for you ever 
 to want any good thing ? 
 
 H. W. Smith. 
 
IOO 
 
 April g 
 
 Wiatch and pray , that ye enter not Into temptation . 
 — Matt. xxvi. 41. 
 
 I want a sober mind, 
 
 A self-renouncing will, 
 
 That tramples down and casts behind 
 The baits of pleasing ill j 
 A spirit still prepared, 
 
 And armed with jealous care, 
 
 Forever standing on its guard, 
 
 And watching unto prayer. C. Wesley, 
 
 W HEN you say, ct Lead us not into tempta¬ 
 tion,” you must in good earnest mean 
 to avoid in your daily conduct those 
 temptations which you have already suffered 
 from. When you say, u Deliver us from evil,” 
 you must mean to struggle against that evil in 
 your hearts, which you are conscious of, and 
 which you pray to be forgiven. To watch and 
 pray are surely in our power, and by these 
 means we are certain of getting strength. You 
 feel your weakness ; you fear to be overcome by 
 temptation : then keep out of the way of it. 
 This is watching. Avoid society which is 
 likely to mislead you ; flee from the very 
 shadow of evil; you cannot be too careful; 
 better be a little too strict than a little too 
 easy, — it is the safer side. Abstain from read¬ 
 ing books which are dangerous to you. Turn 
 from bad thoughts when they arise. 
 
 J. H. Newman. 
 
April io 
 
 IOI 
 
 Not with eye-service , as men-pleasers; but in 
 singleness of heart , fearing God . Whatsoever ye 
 do , do it heartily , as to the Lord , and not unto men. 
 — Col. iii. 22, 23. 
 
 Teach me, my God and King, 
 
 In all things Thee to see, 
 
 And what I do in anything, 
 
 To do it as for Thee. 
 
 G. Herbert. 
 
 T HERE is no action so slight nor so mean 
 but it may be done to a great purpose, 
 and ennobled thereby; nor is any pur¬ 
 pose so great but that slight actions may help it, 
 and may be so done as to help it much, most 
 especially, that chief of all purposes — the pleas¬ 
 ing of God. 
 
 J, Ruskin. 
 
 Every duty, even the least duty, involves the 
 whole principle of obedience. And little duties 
 make the will dutiful , that is, supple and prompt 
 to obey. Little obediences lead into great. 
 The daily round of duty is full of probation and 
 of discipline ; it trains the will, heart, and con¬ 
 science. We need not to be prophets or 
 apostles. The commonest life may be full of 
 perfection. The duties of home are a discipline 
 for the ministries of heavetiu 
 
 H. E. Manning. 
 
102 
 
 April ii 
 
 Wherefore , beloved ... be diligent that ye may 
 be found of Him in peace , without spot , and blame¬ 
 less. — 2 Peter iii. 14. 
 
 His conscience knows no secret stings, 
 
 While grace and joy combine 
 To form a life whose holy springs 
 Are hidden and divine. 
 
 I. Watts. 
 
 E VEN the smallest discontent of conscience 
 may render turbid the whole temper of 
 the mind; but only produce the effort 
 that restores its peace, and over the whole atmo¬ 
 sphere a breath of unexpected purity is spread ; 
 doubt and irritability pass as clouds away; the 
 withered sympathies of earth and home open 
 their leaves and live; and through the clearest 
 blue the deep is seen of the heaven where God 
 resides. 
 
 J. Martineau. 
 
 The state of mind which is described as 
 meekness, or quietness of spirit, is characterized 
 in a high degree by inward harmony. There is 
 not, as formerly, that inward jarring of thought 
 contending with thought, and conscience assert¬ 
 ing rights which it could not maintain. 
 
 T. C. Upham. 
 
April 12 
 
 103 
 
 Be perfect , be of good comfort , be of one mind, 
 live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall 
 be with you. — 2 Cor. xiii. 11. 
 
 He that loveth not his brother whom he hath 
 seen , how can he love God whom he hath not seen ? 
 
 — 1 John iv. 20. 
 
 Lord ! subdue our selfish will ; 
 
 Each to each our tempers suit, 
 
 By Thy modulating skill, 
 
 Heart to heart, as lute to lute. 
 
 C. Wesley. 
 
 I T requires far more of the constraining love 
 of Christ to love our cousins and neighbors 
 as members of the heavenly family, than to 
 feel the heart warm to our suffering brethren in 
 Tuscany or Madeira. To love the whole 
 Church is one thing; to love that is, to de¬ 
 light in the graces and veil the defects—of the 
 person who misunderstood me and opposed my 
 plans yesterday, whose peculiar infirmities grate 
 on my most sensitive feelings, or whose natural 
 faults are precisely those from which my natural 
 character most revolts, is quite another. 
 
 Elizabeth Charles. 
 
104 
 
 April 13 
 
 In all these things we are more than conquerors 
 through Him that loved us. — Rom. viii* 37. 
 
 Thus my soul before her God 
 Lieth still, nor speaketh more. 
 
 Conqueror thus o’er pain and wrong, 
 
 That once smote her to the core ; 
 
 Like a silent ocean, bright 
 
 With her God’s great praise and light. 
 
 J. J. WlNCKLER. 
 
 M Y mind is forever closed against embar- 
 rassment and perplexity, against uncer¬ 
 tainty, doubt, and anxiety; my heart 
 against grief and desire. Calm and unmoved, I 
 look down on all things, for I know that I can¬ 
 not explain a single event, nor comprehend its 
 connection with that which alone concerns me. 
 In His world all things prosper; this satisfies 
 me, and in this belief I stand fast as a rock. 
 My breast is steeled against annoyance on ac¬ 
 count of personal offences and vexations, or 
 exultation in personal merit; for my whole per¬ 
 sonality has disappeared in the contemplation of 
 the purpose of my being. 
 
 J. G. Fichte. 
 
April 14 
 
 io 5 
 
 All thing are yours; whether Paul , or Apollos , 
 or Cephas , or the world , or life , or death , or things 
 present , or things to come; all are yours; and ye 
 are Christ's; and Christ is God’s. — 1 Cor. iii. 
 21, 22, 23. 
 
 As having nothing , possessing all things. 
 
 ■— 2 Cor. vi. 10. 
 
 Old friends, old scenes, will lovelier be, 
 
 As more of heaven in each we see : 
 
 Some softening gleam of love and prayer 
 Shall dawn on every cross and care. 
 
 J. Keble. 
 
 O UT of love and hatred, out of earnings, 
 and borrowings, and lendings, and losses ; 
 out of sickness and pain; out of wooing 
 and worshipping ; out of travelling, and voting, 
 and watching, and caring; out of disgrace and 
 contempt, comes our tuition in the serene and 
 beautiful laws. Let him not slur his lesson ; 
 let him learn it by heart. Let him endeavor 
 exactly, bravely, and cheerfully, to solve the 
 problem of that life which is set before him. 
 And this, by punctual action, and not by 
 promises or dreams. Believing, as in God, in 
 the presence and favor of the grandest influences, 
 let him deserve that favor, and learn how to 
 receive and use it, by fidelity also to the lower 
 observances. 
 
 R. W. Emerson. 
 
io6 
 
 April 15 
 
 We know that all things work together for good 
 to them that love God. — Rom. viii. 28. 
 
 As for you , ye thought evil against me; but God 
 meant it unto good . —Gen. 1 . 20. 
 
 Ill that He blesses is our good, 
 
 And unblest good is ill ; 
 
 And all is right that seems most wrong, 
 
 If it be His sweet Will. F. W. Faber. 
 
 T O those who know themselves, all things 
 work together for good, and all things 
 seem to be, as they are to them, good. 
 The goods which God gives seem “ very good,” 
 and God Himself in them, because they know 
 that they deserve them not. The evils which 
 God allows and overrules seem also w very 
 good,” because they see in them His loving 
 hand, put forth to heal them of what shuts out 
 God from the soul. They love God intensely, 
 in that He is so good to them in each, and 
 every, the least good, because it is more than 
 they deserve : how much more in the greatest! 
 They love God for every, and each, the very 
 greatest of what seem evils, knowing them to 
 be, from His love, real goods. For He by whom 
 u all the hairs of our head are numbered,” and 
 who w knoweth whereof we are made,” directs 
 everything which befalls us in life, in perfect 
 wisdom and love, to the well-being of our souls. 
 
 E. B. Pusey. 
 
April 16 
 
 107 
 
 The very God of peace sanctify you wholly , and 
 I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be 
 preserved blameless. Faithful is He that calleth 
 you , who also will do it. — 1 Thess. v„ 23, 24. 
 
 Be still, my soul ! — the Lord is on thy side ; 
 
 Bear patiently the cross of grief and pain ; 
 
 Leave to thy God to order and provide, — 
 
 In every change He faithful will remain. 
 
 Hymns from the Land of Luther. 
 
 I T was no relief from temporal evils that the 
 Apostle promised. No; the mercy of God 
 might send them to the stake, or the lions; 
 it was still His mercy, if it but kept them u un¬ 
 spotted from the world.” It might expose them 
 to insult, calumny, and wrong; they received it 
 still as mercy, if it u established them in every 
 good word and work.” O brethren ! how many 
 of you are content with such faithfulness as this 
 on the part of your heavenly Father ? Is this, 
 indeed, the tone and tenor of your prayers? 
 
 Wm. Archer Butler. 
 
 The highest pinnacle of the spiritual life is 
 not happy joy in unbroken sunshine, but abso¬ 
 lute and undoubting trust in the love of God. 
 
 A. W. Thorold. 
 
io8 
 
 April 17 
 
 Blessed is that man that maketh the Lord his 
 trust. — Ps. xl. 4. 
 
 That we may lead a quiet and peaceable life. — 
 1 Tim. ii. 2. 
 
 Just to let thy Father do 
 What He will 5 
 Just to know that He is true, 
 
 And be still 5 
 
 Just to trust Him, this is all ! 
 
 Then the day will surely be 
 Peaceful, whatsoe’er befall, 
 
 Bright and blessed, calm and free. 
 
 F. R. Havergal. 
 
 E VERY morning compose your soul for a 
 tranquil day, and all through it be careful 
 often to recall your resolution, and bring 
 yourself back to it, so to say. If something 
 discomposes you, do not be upset, or troubled ; 
 but having discovered the fact, humble yourself 
 gently before God, and try to bring your mind 
 into a quiet attitude. Say to yourself, “ Well, I 
 have made a false step ; now I must go more 
 carefully and watchfully.” Do this each time, 
 however frequently you fall. When you are at 
 peace use it profitably, making constant acts of 
 meekness, and seeking to be calm even in the 
 most trifling things. Above all, do not be dis¬ 
 couraged ; be patient; wait ; strive to attain a 
 calm, gentle spirit. 
 
 St. Francis de Sales. 
 
April 18 
 
 109 
 
 What doth the Lord thy God require of thee , but 
 to fear the Lord thy God , to walk in all His ways , 
 and to love Him , and to serve the Lord thy God 
 with all thy heart and with all thy soul ? — Deut. 
 x. 12. 
 
 What asks our Father of His children save 
 Justice and mercy and humility, 
 
 A reasonable service of good deeds, 
 
 Pure living, tenderness to human needs, 
 Reverence, and trust, and prayer for light to see 
 The Master’s footprints in our daily ways ? 
 
 No knotted scourge, nor sacrificial knife, 
 
 But the calm beauty of an ordered life 
 Whose every breathing is unworded praise. 
 
 J. G. Whittier. 
 
 G IVE up yourself to God without reserve; 
 in singleness of heart meeting everything 
 that every day brings forth, as something 
 that comes from God, and is to be received and 
 gone through by you, in such an heavenly use 
 of it, as you would suppose the holy Jesus would 
 have done in such occurrences. This is an at¬ 
 tainable degree of perfection. Wm. Law. 
 
 We ought to measure our actual lot, and to 
 fulfil it; to be with all our strength that which 
 our lot requires and allows. What is beyond it, 
 is no calling of ours. How much peace, quiet, 
 confidence, and strength, would people attain, if 
 they would go by this plain rule. 
 
 H. E. Manning. 
 
IIO 
 
 April 19 
 
 The hand of our God is upon all them for good 
 that seek Him. — Ezra viii. 22. 
 
 Into Thy hand I commit my spirit. — Ps. 
 xxxi. 5. 
 
 Thou layest Thy hand on the fluttering heart, 
 
 And sayest, “ Be still ! ” 
 
 The silence and shadow are only a part 
 Of Thy sweet will 5 
 
 Thy presence is with me, and where Thou art 
 I fear no ill. 
 
 F. R. Havergai 
 
 B E still and cool in thy own mind and spirit 
 from thy own thoughts, and then thou 
 wilt feel the principle of God, to turn thy 
 mind to the Lord God, from whom life comes; 
 whereby thou mayest receive His strength, and 
 power to allay all blustering storms and tempests. 
 That is it which works up into patience, into 
 innocency, into soberness, into stillness, into 
 stayedness, into quietness, up to God with His 
 power. Therefore be still awhile from thy own 
 thoughts, searching, seeking, desires, and imag¬ 
 inations, and be stayed in the principle of God 
 in thee, that it may raise thy mind up to God, 
 and stay it upon God; and thou wilt find 
 strength from Him, and find Him to be a God 
 at hand, a present help in the time of trouble 
 and need. 
 
 Qsorge Fox. 
 
April 20 
 
 hi 
 
 I waited patiently for the Lord; and He in - 
 clined unto me , and heard my cry. — Ps. xl. i. 
 
 Tribulation worketh patience ; and patience , ex~ 
 perience; and experience , hope , — Rom. v. 3, 4. 
 
 Lord, we have wandered forth through doubt and sorrow, 
 And Thou hast made each step an onward one ; 
 
 And we will ever trust each unknown morrow, — 
 
 Thou wilt sustain us till its work is done. 
 
 S. Johnson. 
 
 I T is possible, when the future is dim, when 
 our depressed faculties can form no bright 
 ideas of the perfection and happiness of a 
 better world, — it is possible still to cling to the 
 conviction of God’s merciful purpose towards 
 His creatures, of His parental goodness even in 
 suffering; still to feel that the path of duty, 
 though trodden with a heavy heart, leads to 
 peace; still to be true to conscience; still to do 
 our work, to resist temptation, to be useful, 
 though with diminished energy, to give up our 
 wills when we cannot rejoice under God’s mys¬ 
 terious providence. In this patient, though "un¬ 
 cheered obedience, we become prepared for light. 
 The soul gathers force. 
 
 Wm. E. Channing. 
 
11 2 
 
 April 21 
 
 Be ye therefore perfect , even as your Father which 
 is in heaven is perfect. — Matt. v. 48. 
 
 As for me , I wilt behold Thy face in righteous¬ 
 ness ; 1 shall be satisfied , when I awake , with Thy 
 likeness. — Ps. xvii. 15. 
 
 The righteousness he marks in Thee 
 H is will to right doth win ; 
 
 Delighting in Thy purity, 
 
 He deeply drinks it in. 
 
 T. H. Gill. 
 
 T O love God is to love His character. 
 For instance, God is Purity. And to be 
 pure in thought and look, to turn away 
 from unhallowed books and conversation, to ab¬ 
 hor the moments in which we have not been 
 pure, is to love God. God is Love; and to 
 love men till private attachments have expanded 
 into a philanthropy which embraces all, — at 
 last even the evil and enemies with compassion, 
 — that is to love God. God is Truth. To be 
 true, to hate every form of falsehood, to live a 
 brave, true, real life, — that is to love God. 
 God is Infinite; and to love the boundless, 
 reaching on from grace to grace, adding charity 
 to faith, and rising upwards ever to see the Ideal 
 still above us, and to die with it unattained, aim¬ 
 ing insatiably to be perfect even as the Father is 
 perfect, —- that is to love God. 
 
 F. W. Robertson 
 
April 22 
 
 n 3 
 
 hVhom having not seen , y<? love ; in whom , though 
 now ye see Him not , believing , rejoice with 
 
 joy unspeakable and full of glory. — i Peter i. 8. 
 
 If our love were but more simple, 
 
 We should take Him at His word j 
 And our lives would be all sunshine 
 In the sweetness of our Lord. 
 
 F. W. Faber. 
 
 W HAT would it be to love absolutely a 
 Being absolutely lovely, — to be able to 
 give our whole existence, every thought, 
 every act, every desire, to that adored One, —- 
 to know that He accepts it all, and loves us in 
 return as God alone can love ? This happiness 
 grows forever. The larger our natures become, 
 the wider our scope of thought, the stronger 
 our will, the more fervent our affections, the 
 deeper must be the rapture of such God-granted 
 prayer. Every sacrifice resolved on opens wide 
 the gate; every sacrifice accomplished is a step 
 towards the paradise within. Soon it will be no 
 transitory glimpse, no rapture of a day, to be 
 followed by clouds and coldness. Let us but 
 labor, and pray, and wait, and the intervals of 
 human frailty shall grow shorter and less dark, 
 the days of our delight in God longer and 
 brighter, till at last life shall be nought but His 
 love, our eyes shall never grow dim, His smile 
 never turn away. F. B. Cobbe. 
 
April 23 
 
 114 
 
 'These were the potters , and those that dwelt 
 among plants and hedges: there they dwelt with 
 the king for his work. — 1 Chron. iv. 23. 
 
 A lowlier task on them is laid, 
 
 With love to make the labor light 5 
 And there their beauty they must shed 
 On quiet homes, and lost to sight. 
 
 Changed are their visions high and fair, 
 
 Yet, calm and still, they labor there. 
 
 Hymns of the Ages. 
 
 A NYWHERE and everywhere we may 
 dwell u with the King for His work.” 
 We may be in a very unlikely or unfavor¬ 
 able place for this ; it may be in a literal country 
 life, with little enough to be seen of the “ go¬ 
 ings ” of the King around us ; it may be among 
 hedges of all sorts, hindrances in all directions ; 
 it may be, furthermore, with our hands full of 
 all manner of pottery for our daily task. No 
 matter ! The King who placed us “there ” will 
 come and dwell there with us; the hedges are 
 all right, or He would soon do away with them; 
 and it does not follow that what seems to hinder 
 our way may not be for its very protection ; 
 and as for the pottery, why, that is just exactly 
 what He has seen fit to put into our hands, 
 and therefore it is, for the present, “ His work.” 
 
 F. R. Havergal. 
 
April 24 
 
 nj 
 
 Bear ye one another’s burdens , and so fulfil the 
 law of Christ. — Gal. vi. 2. 
 
 Is thy cruse of comfort wasting ? 
 
 Rise and share it with another, 
 
 And through all the years of famine, 
 
 It shall serve thee and thy brother. 
 
 Is thy burden hard and heavy ? 
 
 Do thy steps drag heavily ? 
 
 Help to bear thy brother’s burden 5 
 God will bear both it and thee. 
 
 Elizabeth Charles. 
 
 H OWEVER perplexed you may at any hour 
 become about some question of truth, one 
 refuge and resource is always at hand : 
 you can do something for some one besides your¬ 
 self. . When your own burden is heaviest, you 
 can always lighten a little some other burden. 
 At the times when you cannot see God, there 
 is still open to you this sacred possibility, to 
 show God ; for it is the love and kindness of 
 human hearts through which the divine reality 
 comes home to men, .whether they name it or 
 not. Let this thought, then, stay with you : 
 there may be times when you cannot find help, 
 but there is no time when you cannot give help. 
 
 George S. Merriam. 
 
April 25 
 
 116 
 
 Surely, I have behaved and quieted myself, as a 
 child that is weaned of his mother: my soul is even 
 as a weaned child. — Ps. cxxxi. 2. 
 
 Quiet, Lord, my froward heart, 
 
 Make me teachable and mild, 
 
 Upright, simple, free from art, 
 
 Make me as a weaned child ; 
 
 From distrust and envy free, 
 
 Pleased with all that pleaseth Thee. 
 
 J. Newton. 
 
 O H ! look not after great things : small 
 breathings, small desires after the Lord, 
 if true and pure, are sweet beginnings 
 of life. Take heed of despising “the day of 
 small things,” by looking after some great visita¬ 
 tion, proportionable to thy distress, according to 
 thy eye. Nay, thou must become a child ; thou 
 must lose thy own will quite by degrees. Thou 
 must wait for life to be measured out by the 
 Father, and be content with what proportion, 
 and at what time, He shall please to measure. 
 
 I. Penington. 
 
 “When Israel was a child, then I loved him ” 
 (Hosea xi. 1). Aim to be ever this little child, 
 contented with what the Father gives of pleasure 
 or of play; and when restrained from pleasure 
 or from play, and led for a season into the 
 chamber of sorrow, rest quiet on His bosom, 
 and be patient, and smile, as one who is nestled 
 in a sweet and secure asvlum. Anon. 
 
April 26 
 
 117 
 
 If we hope for that we see not , then do we with 
 patience wait for it . — Rom. viii. 25. 
 
 One day is with the Lord as a thousand years , 
 and a thousand years as one day. — 2 Peter iii. 8. 
 
 Lord ! who Thy thousand years dost wait 
 To work the thousandth part 
 Of Thy vast plan, for us create 
 With zeal a patient heart. 
 
 J. H. Newman. 
 
 I BELIEVE that if we could only see before¬ 
 hand what it is that our heavenly Father 
 means us to be, — the soul beauty and per¬ 
 fection and glory, the glorious and lovely spiritual 
 body that this soul is to dwell in through all 
 eternity, — if we could have a glimpse of this, 
 we should not grudge all the trouble and pains 
 He is taking with us now, to bring us up to that 
 ideal, which is His thought of us. We know 
 that it is God’s way to work slowly, so we must 
 not be surprised if He takes a great many years 
 of discipline to turn a mortal being into an im¬ 
 mortal, glorious angel. 
 
 Annie Keary 
 
118 
 
 April 27 
 
 Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbor. — 
 Zech. viii. 16. 
 
 For our rejoicing is this , the testimony of our con¬ 
 science ., that in simplicity and godly sincerity . . . 
 we have had our conversation in the world. — 2 
 Cor. i. 12. 
 
 Appear I always what I am ? 
 
 And am I what I am pretending ? 
 
 Know I what way my course is bending? 
 
 And sound my word and thought the same ? 
 
 Anon. 
 
 A M I acting in simplicity, from a germ of 
 the Divine life within, or am I shaping 
 my path to obtain some immediate result 
 of expediency ? Am I endeavoring to compass 
 effects, amidst a tangled web of foreign influ¬ 
 ences I cannot calculate; or am I seeking simply 
 to do what is right, and leaving the consequences 
 to the good providence of God ? 
 
 M. A. SCHIMMELPENNINCK. 
 
 Let it not be in any man’s power to say truly 
 of thee that thou art not simple, or that thou art 
 not good; but let him be a liar whoever shall 
 think anything of this kind about thee; and this 
 is altogether in thy power. For who is he that 
 shall hinder thee from being good and simple ? 
 
 Marcus Antoninus. 
 
April 28 
 
 119 
 
 1 The Lord is thy keeper : the Lord is thy shade 
 upon thy right hand. —Ps. cxxi. 5. 
 
 Great peace have they which love 'Thy law : and 
 nothing shall offend them. — Ps. cxix. 165. 
 
 I rest beneath the Almighty’s shade, 
 
 My griefs expire, my troubles cease ; 
 
 Thou, Lord, on whom my soul is stayed. 
 
 Wilt keep me still in perfect peace. 
 
 C. Wesley. 
 
 O NE great sign of the practical recognition 
 of the u divine moment,” and of our find¬ 
 ing God’s habitation in it, is constant 
 calmness and peace of mind. Events and things 
 come with the moment; but God comes with 
 them too. So that if He comes in the sunshine, 
 we find rest and joy; and if He comes in the 
 storm, we know He is King of the storms, and 
 our hearts are not troubled. God Himself, 
 though possessing a heart filled with the tender- 
 est feelings, is, nevertheless, an everlasting tran¬ 
 quillity; and when we enter into His holy 
 tabernacle, our souls necessarily enter into the 
 tabernacle of rest. T. C. Upham. 
 
 My soul was not only brought into harmony 
 with itself and with God, but with God’s provi¬ 
 dences. In the exercise of faith and love, I en¬ 
 dured and performed whatever came in God’s 
 providence, in submission, in thankfulness, and 
 silence. Madame Guyon. 
 
120 
 
 April 29 
 
 I will arise and go to my Father. — Luke xv. 18. 
 
 O my God, my Father ! hear. 
 
 And help me to believe ; 
 
 Weak and weary I draw near $ 
 
 Thy child, O God, receive. 
 
 I so oft have gone astray ; 
 
 To the perfect Guide I flee ; 
 
 Thou wilt turn me not away, 
 
 Thy love is pledged to me. 
 
 Hymns of the Spirit. 
 
 O CHILD, hast thou fallen ? arise, and 
 go, with childlike trust, to thy Father, 
 like the prodigal son, and humbly say, 
 with heart and mouth, lt Father, I have sinned 
 against heaven, and before Thee, and am no 
 more worthy to be called Thy son ; make me 
 as one of Thy hired servants.” And what will 
 thy heavenly Father do but what that father did 
 in the parable ? Assuredly He will not change 
 His essence, which is love, for the sake of thy 
 misdoings. Is it not His own precious treasure, 
 and a small thing with Him to forgive thee thy 
 trespasses, if thou believe in Him ? for His hand 
 is not shortened that it cannot make thee fit to 
 be saved. 
 
 John Tauler. 
 
April 30 
 
 121 
 
 Speak unto the children of Israel , that they go 
 forward. — Ex. xiv. 15. 
 
 No man , having put his hand to the plough , and 
 looking back , is fit for the kingdom of God. — Luke 
 ix. 62. 
 
 Be trustful, be steadfast, whatever betide thee, 
 
 Only one thing do thou ask of the Lord, — 
 Grace to go forward wherever He guide thee, 
 Simply believing the truth of His word. 
 
 Anon. 
 
 T HE soul ceases to weary itself with plan¬ 
 ning and foreseeing, giving itself up to 
 God’s Holy Spirit within, and to the 
 teachings of His providence without. He is 
 not forever fretting as to his progress, or look¬ 
 ing back to see how far he is getting on ; rather 
 he goes steadily and quietly on, and makes all 
 the more progress because it is unconscious. So 
 he never gets troubled and discouraged ; if he 
 falls he humbles himself, but gets up at once, 
 and goes on with renewed earnestness. 
 
 Jean Nicolas Grou. 
 
122 
 
 May i 
 
 1 will bless the Lord at all times : His praise 
 shall continually be in my ?nouth. — Ps. xxxiv. I. 
 
 I will praise Thee , O Lord , with my whole 
 heart; I will show forth all Thy marvellous works. 
 — Ps. ix. i. 
 
 Thrice blest will all our blessings be, 
 
 When we can look through them to Thee ; 
 When each glad heart its tribute pays 
 Of love and gratitude and praise. 
 
 Jane Cotterill. 
 
 T HAT which befits us, embosomed in beauty 
 and wonder as we are, is cheerfulness, and 
 courage, and the endeavor to realize our 
 aspirations. Shall not the heart which has re¬ 
 ceived so much, trust the Power by which it 
 lives ? May it not quit other leadings, and listen 
 to the Soul that has guided it so gently, and 
 taught it so much, secure that the future will be 
 worthy of the past ? 
 
 R. W. Emerson. 
 
 I have experienced that the habit of taking 
 out of the hand of our Lord every little blessing 
 and brightness on our path, confirms us, in an 
 especial manner, in communion with His love. 
 
 M. A. ScHIMMELPENNINCK. 
 
May 2 
 
 123 
 
 The ornament of a meek and quiet spirit , which 
 is in the sight of God of great price . — 1 Peter 
 iii. 4. 
 
 To present you holy , and unhlameahle , and un¬ 
 reprove able in His sight. — Col. i. 22. 
 
 Thy sinless mind in us reveal, 
 
 Thy spirit’s plenitude impart ! 
 
 Till all my spotless life shall tell 
 The abundance of a loving heart. 
 
 C. Wesley. 
 
 H OLINESS appeared to me to be of a 
 sweet, pleasant, charming, serene, calm 
 nature. It seemed to me, it brought an 
 inexpressible purity, brightness, peacefulness, and 
 ravishment to the soul ; and that it made the 
 soul like a field or garden of God, with all 
 manner of pleasant flowers, that is all pleasant, 
 delightful, and undisturbed; enjoying a sweet 
 calm, and the gently vivifying beams of the sun. 
 The soul of a true Christian appeared like such 
 a little white flower, as we see in the spring of 
 the year, low and humble on the ground, open¬ 
 ing its bosom to receive the pleasant beams of 
 the sun’s glory ; rejoicing, as it were, in a calm 
 rapture; diffusing around a sweet fragrancy; 
 standing peacefully and lovingly in the midst of 
 other flowers round about, all in like manner 
 opening their bosoms to drink in the light of the 
 sun. Jonathan Edwards. 
 
124 
 
 May 3 
 
 The Lord is good , a stronghold in the day of 
 trouble; and He knoweth them that trust in Him . 
 — Nahum i. 7. 
 
 Leave God to order all thy ways, 
 
 And hope in Him, whate’er betide ; 
 
 Thou ’It find Him in the evil days 
 
 Thy all-sufficient strength and guide ; 
 
 Who trusts in God’s unchanging love, 
 
 Builds on the rock that nought can move. 
 
 G. Neumark. 
 
 O UR whole trouble in our lot in this world 
 rises from the disagreement of our mind 
 therewith. Let the mind be brought to 
 the lot, and the whole tumult is instantly hushed; 
 let it be kept in that disposition, and the man 
 shall stand at ease, in his affliction, like a rock 
 unmoved with waters beating upon it. 
 
 T. Boston. 
 
 How does our will become sanctified ? By 
 conforming itself unreservedly to that of God. 
 We will all that He wills, and will nothing that 
 He does not will; we attach our feeble will to 
 that all-powerful will which performs everything. 
 Thus, nothing can ever come to pass against our 
 will; for nothing can happen save that which 
 God wills, and we find in His good pleasure an 
 inexhaustible source of peace and consolation. 
 
 Francois de la Mothe Fenelon. 
 
I2 5 
 
 May 4 
 
 Who through faith subdued kingdoms , wrought 
 righteousness , obtained promises , stopped the mouths 
 of lions , y' weakness were made strong. — Heb. 
 
 xi - 33 > 34 - 
 
 She met the hosts of Sorrow with a look 
 
 That altered not beneath the frown they wore, 
 
 And soon the lowering brood were tamed, and took, 
 Meekly, her gentle rule, and frowned no more. 
 
 Her soft hand put aside the assaults of wrath, 
 
 And calmly broke in twain 
 The fiery shafts of pain, 
 
 And rent the nets of passion from her path. 
 
 By that victorious hand despair was slain j 
 With love she vanquished hate, and overcame 
 Evil with good, in her great Master’s name. 
 
 W. C. Bryant. 
 
 A S. to what may befall us outwardly, in this 
 confused state of things, shall we not 
 trust our tender Father, and rest satisfied 
 in His will? Shall anything hurt us? Can 
 tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, naked¬ 
 ness, peril, or sword, come between the love of 
 the Father to the child, or the child’s rest, con¬ 
 tent, and delight in His love? And doth not 
 the love, the rest, the peace, the joy felt, swallow 
 up all the bitterness and sorrow of the outward 
 condition ? 
 
 I. Penington. 
 
126 
 
 May 5 
 
 If thou hast run with the footmen , and they have 
 wearied thee , then how canst thou contend with 
 horses ? and if in the land of peace , wherein thou 
 trustedst , they wearied thee , then how wilt thou do 
 in the swelling of for dan ? — Jer. xii. 5. 
 
 How couldst thou hang upon the cross, 
 
 To whom a weary hour is loss ? 
 
 Or how the thorns and scourging brook, 
 
 Who shrinkest from a scornful look ? 
 
 J. Keble. 
 
 A HEART unloving among kindred has 
 no love towards God’s saints and angels. 
 If we have a cold heart towards a servant 
 or a friend, why should we wonder if we have 
 no fervor towards God ? If we are cold in our 
 private prayers, we should be earthly and dull in 
 the most devout religious order; if we cannot 
 bear the vexations of a companion, how should 
 we bear the contradiction of sinners ? if a little 
 pain overcomes us, how could we endure a 
 cross ? if we have no tender, cheerful, affection¬ 
 ate love to those with whom our daily hours are 
 spent, how should we feel the pulse and ardor 
 of love to the unknown and the evil, the un¬ 
 grateful and repulsive? 
 
 H. E. Manning. 
 
May 6 
 
 127 
 
 Be kindly ajfectioned one to another with brotherly 
 love. — Rom. xii. 10. 
 
 In her tongue is the law of kindness. — Prov. 
 xxxi. 26. 
 
 Since trifles make the sum of human things, 
 
 And half our misery from our foibles springs ; 
 
 Since life’s best joys consist in peace and ease, 
 
 And though but few can serve, yet all can please ; 
 Oh, let the ungentle spirit learn from hence, 
 
 A small unkindness is a great offence. 
 
 Hannah More. 
 
 A LL usefulness and all comfort may be pre¬ 
 vented by an unkind, a sour, crabbed 
 temper of mind, — a mind that can bear 
 with no difference of opinion or temperament. 
 A spirit of fault-finding; an unsatisfied temper; 
 a constant irritability; little inequalities in the 
 look, the temper, or the manner; a brow cloudy 
 and dissatisfied — your husband or your wife 
 cannot tell why — will more than neutralize all 
 the good you can do, and render life anything 
 but a blessing. 
 
 Albert Barnes. 
 
 You have not fulfilled every duty, unless you 
 have fulfilled that of being pleasant. 
 
 Charles Buxton. 
 
128 
 
 May 7 
 
 He healeth the broken in heart , and bindeth up 
 their wounds . He telleth the number of the stars ; 
 He calleth them all by their names. —Ps. cxlvii. 
 
 h 4 - 
 
 Teach me your mood, O patient stars ! 
 
 Who climb each night the ancient sky, 
 
 Leaving on space no shade, no scars, 
 
 No trace of age, no fear to die. 
 
 R. W. Emerson, 
 
 I LOOKED up to the heavens once more, 
 and the quietness of the stars seemed to re¬ 
 proach me. “ We are safe up here,” they 
 seemed to say ; u we shine, fearless and confi¬ 
 dent, for the God who gave the primrose its 
 rough leaves to hide it from the blast of uneven 
 spring, hangs us in the awful hollows of space. 
 We cannot fall out of His safety. Lift up your 
 eyes on high, and behold ! Who hath created 
 these things — that bringeth out their host by 
 number ? He calleth them all by names. By 
 the greatness of His might, for that He is strong 
 in power, not one faileth. Why sayest thou, O 
 Jacob ! and speakest, O Israel ! my way is hid 
 from the Lord, and my judgment is passed over 
 from my God ? ” 
 
 G. Macdonald. 
 
May 8 
 
 129 
 
 This is the day which the Lord hath made; we 
 will rejoice and be glad in it. — Ps. cxviii. 24. 
 
 Why stand ye here all the day idle ? — Matt. 
 xx. 6. 
 
 So here hath been dawning another blue day 5 
 Think, wilt thou let it slip useless away ? 
 
 Out of eternity this new day is born ; 
 
 Into eternity at night will return. T. Carlyle. 
 
 S MALL cares, some deficiencies in the mere 
 arrangement and ordering of our lives, 
 daily fret our hearts, and cross the clear¬ 
 ness of our faculties; and these entanglements 
 hang around us, and leave us no free soul able 
 to give itself up, in power and gladness, to the 
 true work of life. The severest training and 
 self-denial, — a superiority to the servitude of 
 indulgence, — are the indispensable conditions 
 even of genial spirits, of unclouded energies, of 
 tempers free from morbidness, —much more of 
 the practised and vigorous mind, ready at every 
 call, and thoroughly furnished unto all good 
 works. J. H. Thom. 
 
 True, we can never be at peace till we have 
 performed the highest duty of all, —— till we have 
 arisen, and gone to our Father; but the per¬ 
 formance of smaller duties, yes, even of the 
 smallest, will do more to give us temporary 
 repose, will act more as healthful anodynes, 
 than the greatest joys that can come to us from 
 any other quarter. G. Macdonald. 
 
 9 
 
1 3 ° 
 
 May g 
 
 The Lord gave , and the Lord hath taken away * 
 blessed be the name of the Lord . — Job i. 21. 
 
 What Thou hast given. Thou canst take, 
 
 And when Thou wilt new gifts can make. 
 
 All flows from Thee alone ; 
 
 When Thou didst give it, it was Thine ; 
 
 When Thou retook 1 st it, ’t was not mine. 
 
 Thy will in all be done. 
 
 John Austin. 
 
 W E are ready to praise when all shines 
 fair ; but when life is overcast, when 
 all things seem to be against us, when 
 we are in fear for some cherished happiness, or 
 in the depths of sorrow, or in the solitude of a 
 life which has no visible support, or in a season 
 of sickness, and with the shadow of death ap¬ 
 proaching, — then to praise God; then to say, 
 This fear, loneliness, affliction, pain, and trem¬ 
 bling awe are as sure tokens of love, as life, 
 health, joy, and the gifts of home : w The Lord 
 gave, and the Lord hath taken away ; ” on either 
 side it is He, and all is love alike; u blessed be 
 the name of the Lord,” — this is the true sacri¬ 
 fice of praise. What can come amiss to a soul 
 which is so in accord with God ? What can 
 make so much as one jarring tone in all its 
 harmony? In all the changes of this fitful life, 
 it ever dwells in praise. 
 
 H. E. Manning. 
 
May io 
 
 13 1 
 
 The Lord redeemeth the soul of His servants ; 
 and none of them that trust in Him shall be deso¬ 
 late. — Ps. xxxiv. 22. 
 
 Though He slay me , yet will I trust in Him. — 
 Job xiii. 15. 
 
 I praise Thee while my days go on ; 
 
 I love Thee while my days go on : 
 
 Through dark and dearth, through fire and frost, 
 With emptied arms and treasure lost, 
 
 I thank Thee while my days go on. 
 
 E. B. Browning. 
 
 T HE sickness of the last week was fine 
 medicine; pain disintegrated the spirit, 
 or became spiritual. I rose, — I felt 
 that I had given to God more perhaps than an 
 angel could, — had promised Him in youth that 
 to be a blot on this fair world, at His command, 
 would be acceptable. Constantly offer myself 
 to continue the obscurest and loneliest thing 
 ever heard of, with one proviso, — His agency. 
 Yes, love Thee, and all Thou dost, while Thou 
 sheddest frost and darkness on every path of 
 mine. 
 
 Mary Moody Emerson. 
 
132 
 
 May ii 
 
 Shall we receive good at the hand of God , and 
 shall we not receive evil ? — Job ii. io. 
 
 'Thou hast dealt well with Thy servant , 0 Lord , 
 according to Thy word. — Ps. cxix. 65. 
 
 Whatsoe’er our lot may be, 
 
 Calmly in this thought we ’ll rest, — 
 
 Could we see as Thou dost see, 
 
 We should choose it as the best. 
 
 Wm. Gaskell. 
 
 I T is a proverbial saying, that every one 
 makes his own destiny; and this is usually 
 interpreted, that every one, by his wise or 
 unwise conduct, prepares good or evil for him¬ 
 self : but we may also understand it, that what¬ 
 ever it be that he receives from the hand of 
 Providence, he may so accommodate himself to 
 it, that he will find his iot good for him, how¬ 
 ever much may seem to others to be wanting. 
 
 Wm. von Humboldt. 
 
 Evil, once manfully fronted, ceases to be 
 evil; there is generous battle-hope in place of 
 dead, passive misery; the evil itself has become 
 a kind of good. 
 
 T. Carlyle. 
 
May 12 
 
 i 33 
 
 Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: 
 ... ye shall have tribulation ten days : be thou 
 faithful unto death , and I will give thee a crown 
 of life. — Rev. ii. 10. 
 
 T hen, O my soul, be ne’er afraid, 
 
 On Him who thee and all things made 
 Do thou all calmly rest ; 
 
 Whate’er may come, where’er we go, 
 
 Our Father in the heavens must know 
 In all things what is best. 
 
 Paul Flemming. 
 
 G UIDE me, O Lord, in all the changes and 
 varieties of the world; that in all things 
 that shall happen, I may have an even¬ 
 ness and tranquillity of spirit ; that my soul may 
 be wholly resigned to Thy divinest will and 
 pleasure, never murmuring at Thy gentle chas¬ 
 tisements and fatherly correction. Amen. 
 
 Jeremy Taylor. 
 
 Thou art never at any time nearer to God 
 than when under tribulation; which He permits 
 for the purification and beautifying of thy soul. 
 
 M. De Molinos. 
 
 Prize inward exercises, griefs, and troubles ; 
 and let faith and patience have their perfect work 
 in them. 
 
 I. Penington. 
 
134 
 
 May 13 
 
 I pray not that Thou shouldest take them out of 
 the world , but that Thou shouldest keep the?n from 
 the evil. — John xvii. 15. 
 
 In busy mart and crowded street, 
 
 No less than in the still retreat, 
 
 Thou, Lord, art near, our souls to bless, 
 
 With all a Father’s tenderness. 
 
 I. Williams. 
 
 O NLY the individual conscience, and He 
 who is greater than the conscience, can 
 tell where worldliness prevails. Each 
 heart must answer for itself, and at its own risk. 
 That our souls are committed to our own keep¬ 
 ing, at our own peril, in a world so mixed as 
 this, is the last reason we should slumber over 
 the charge, or betray the trust. If only that 
 outlet to the Infinite is kept open, the inner 
 bond with eternal life preserved, while not one 
 movement of this world’s business is interfered 
 with, nor one pulse-beat of its happiness re¬ 
 pressed, with all natural associations dear and 
 cherished, with all human sympathies fresh and 
 warm, we shall yet be near to the kingdom of 
 heaven, within the order of the Kosmos of God 
 — in the world, but not of the world — not 
 taken out of it, but kept from its evil. 
 
 J. H. Thom. 
 
May 14 
 
 l 3 5 
 
 And what doth the Lord require of thee , but to 
 do justly , and to love mercy , walk humbly 
 
 with thy God? — Micah vi. 8. 
 
 Put on therefore . . . kindness , humbleness of 
 mind , meekness , long-suffering. — Col. iii. 12. 
 
 Plant in us an humble mind, 
 
 Patient, pitiful, and kind ; 
 
 Meek and lowly let us be, 
 
 Full of goodness,, full of Thee. 
 
 C. Wesley. 
 
 T HERE is no true and constant gentleness 
 without humility; while we are so fond 
 of ourselves, we are easily offended with 
 others. Let us be persuaded that nothing is due 
 to us, and then nothing will disturb us. Let us 
 often think of our own infirmities, and we shall 
 become indulgent towards those of others. 
 
 FRAN5OIS DE LA MOTHE FeNELON. 
 
 Endeavor to be patient in bearing with the 
 defects and infirmities of others, of what sort 
 soever they be; for that thyself also hast many 
 failings which must be borne with by others. 
 If thou canst not make thyself such an one as 
 thou wouldest, how canst thou expect to have 
 another in all things to thy liking ? 
 
 Thomas a Kempis. 
 
May 15 
 
 My presence shall go with thee , and I will give 
 thee rest. — Ex. xxxiii. 14. 
 
 Thou wilt show me the path of life: in Thy 
 presence is fulness of joy ; at Thy right hand there 
 are pleasures for evermore. — Ps. xvi. 11. 
 
 Thy presence fills my mind with peace, 
 Brightens the thoughts so dark erewhile, 
 
 Bids cares and sad forebodings cease, 
 
 Makes all things smile. 
 
 Charlotte Elliott. 
 
 H OW shall we rest in God ? By giving 
 ourselves wholly to Him. If you give 
 yourself by halves, you cannot find full 
 rest; there will ever be a lurking disquiet in 
 that half which is withheld. Martyrs, confes¬ 
 sors, and saints have tasted this rest, and 
 cc counted themselves happy in that they en¬ 
 dured.” A countless host of God’s faithful 
 servants have drunk deeply of it under the 
 daily burden of a weary life, — dull, common¬ 
 place, painful, or desolate. All that God has 
 been to them He is ready to be to you. The 
 heart once fairly given to God, with a clear 
 conscience, a fitting rule of life, and a steadfast 
 purpose of obedience, you will find a wonderful 
 sense of rest coming over you. 
 
 Jean Nicolas Grou. 
 
May 16 
 
 1 37 
 
 Finally , my brethren , be strong in the Lord ,, and 
 in the power of His might. — Eph. vi. io. 
 
 No man can serve two masters. — Matt. vi. 24. 
 
 Oh, there are heavenly heights to reach 
 In many a fearful place, 
 
 Where the poor timid heir of God 
 Lies blindly on his face 5 
 Lies languishing for grace divine 
 That he shall never see 
 Till he go forward at Thy sign, 
 
 And trust himself to Thee. 
 
 A. L. Waring. 
 
 R ESERVATIONS lie latent in the mind 
 concerning some unhallowed sentiments 
 or habits in the present, some possibly 
 impending temptations in the future; and thus 
 do we . cheat ourselves of. inward and outward 
 joys together. We give up many an indulgence 
 for conscience’ sake, but stop short at that point 
 of entire faithfulness wherein conscience could 
 reward us. If we would but give ourselves 
 
 wholly to God, — give up, for the present and 
 the future, every act, and, above all, every 
 thought and every feeling, to be all purified to 
 the uttermost, and rendered the best, noblest, 
 holiest we can conceive, — then would sacrifice 
 bear with it a peace rendering itself, I truly be- 
 li 
 
 eve, far easier than before. 
 
 F. P. Cobbe. 
 
13 8 
 
 May 17 
 
 Wherefore comfort yourselves together , edify 
 
 one another , ^ do. — I Thess. v. II. 
 
 Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself — Matt. 
 xix. 19. 
 
 So others shall 
 
 Take patience, labor, to their heart and hand, 
 
 From thy hand, and thy heart, and thy brave cheer, 
 And God’s grace fructify through thee to all. 
 
 The least flower with a brimming cup may stand, 
 
 And share its dewdrop with another near. 
 
 E. B. Browning. 
 
 W HAT is meant by our neighbor we can¬ 
 not doubt; it is every one with whom 
 we are brought into contact. First of 
 all, he is literally our neighbor who is next to us 
 in our own family and household; husband to 
 wife, wife to husband, parent to child, brother 
 to sister, master to servant, servant to master. 
 Then it is he who is close to us in our own 
 neighborhood, in our own town, in our own 
 parish, in our own street. With these all true 
 charity begins. To love and be kind to these 
 is the very beginning of all true religion. But, 
 besides these, as our Lord teaches, it is every 
 one who is thrown across our path by the 
 changes and chances of life; he or she, whoso¬ 
 ever it be, whom we have any means of helping, 
 — the unfortunate stranger whom we may meet 
 in travelling, the deserted friend whom no one 
 else cares to look after. A. P. Stanley. 
 
May 18 
 
 l 39 
 
 JVe know that we have passed from death unto 
 life , because we love the brethren. — i John iii. 14. 
 
 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God 
 is love. — 1 John iv. 8. 
 
 Mutual love the token be, 
 
 Lord, that we belong to Thee ; 
 
 Love, Thine image, love impart ; 
 
 Stamp it on our face and heart 5 
 Only love to us be given ; 
 
 Lord, we ask no other heaven. 
 
 C. Wesley. 
 
 O H, how many times we can most of us 
 remember when we would gladly have 
 made any compromise with our con¬ 
 sciences, would gladly have made the most 
 costly sacrifices to God, if He would only have 
 excused us from this duty of loving, of which 
 our nature seemed utterly incapable. It is far 
 easier to feel kindly, to act kindly, toward those 
 with whom we are seldom brought into contact, 
 whose tempers and prejudices do not rub against 
 ours, whose interests do not clash with ours, than 
 to keep up an habitual, steady, self-sacrificing 
 love towards those whose weaknesses and faults 
 are always forcing themselves upon us, and are 
 stirring up our own. A man may pass good 
 muster as a philanthropist who makes but a 
 poor master to his servants, or father to his 
 children. F. D. Maurice. 
 
140 
 
 May 19 
 
 Rest in the Lord , and wait patiently for Him. 
 — Ps. xxxvii. 7. 
 
 'Trust in Him at all times. — Ps. lxii- 8. 
 
 Dost thou ask when comes His hour ? 
 
 Then, when it shall aid thee best. 
 
 Trust His faithfulness and power, 
 
 Trust in Him, and quiet rest. Anon. 
 
 I HAD found [communion with God] to 
 consist, not only in the silencing of the out¬ 
 ward man, but in-the silencing also of every 
 thought, and in the concentration of the soul 
 and all its powers into a simple, quiet watching 
 and waiting for the food which its heavenly 
 Father might see fit either to give or to with¬ 
 hold. In no case could it be sent empty away ; 
 for, if comfort, light, or joy were withheld, the 
 act of humble waiting at the gate of heavenly 
 wisdom could not but work patience in it, and 
 thus render it, by humility and obedience, more 
 u meet to be a partaker of the inheritance of the 
 saints in light,” and also more blessed in itself. 
 
 M. A. Kelty. 
 
 “ Rest in the Lord ; wait patiently for 
 Him.” In Hebrew, “ be silent to God, and let 
 Him mould thee.” Keep still, and He will 
 mould thee to the right shape. 
 
 Martin Luther 
 
May 20 
 
 Hi 
 
 To be spiritually minded is life and peace. — 
 Rom. viii. 6. 
 
 Stilled now be every anxious care ; 
 
 See God’s great goodness everywhere ; 
 
 Leave all to Him in perfect rest : 
 
 He will do all things for the best. 
 
 From the German. 
 
 W E should all endeavor and labor for a 
 calmer spirit, that we may the better 
 serve God in praying to Him and 
 praising Him; and serve one another in love, 
 that we may be fitted to do and receive good; 
 that we may make our passage to heaven more 
 easy and cheerful, without drooping and hang¬ 
 ing the wing. So much as we are quiet and 
 cheerful upon good ground, so much we live, 
 and are, as it were, in heaven. 
 
 R. Sibbes. 
 
 Possess yourself as much as you possibly can 
 in peace; not by any effort, but by letting all 
 things fall to the ground which trouble or excite 
 you. This is no work, but is, as it were, a 
 setting down a fluid to settle that has become 
 turbid through agitation. 
 
 Madame Guyon. 
 
142 
 
 May 21 
 
 The beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safety by 
 Him ; and the Lord shall cover him all the day 
 long. —Deut. xxxiii. 12. 
 
 Whate’er events betide, 
 
 Thy will they all perform ; 
 
 Safe in Thy breast my head I hide. 
 
 Nor fear the coming storm. 
 
 H. F. Lyte. 
 
 I HAVE seemed to see a need of everything 
 God gives me, and want nothing that He 
 denies me. There is no dispensation, 
 though afflictive, but either in it, or after it, I 
 find that I could not be without it. Whether 
 it be taken from or not given me, sooner or 
 later God quiets me in Himself without it. I 
 cast all my concerns on the Lord, and live 
 securely on the care and wisdom of my heavenly 
 Father. My ways, you know, are, in a sense, 
 hedged up with thorns, and grow darker and 
 darker daily; but yet J distrust not my good 
 God in the least, and live more quietly in the 
 absence of all by faith, than I should do, I am 
 persuaded, if I possessed them. 
 
 Joseph Eliot, 1664, 
 
May 22 
 
 143 
 
 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most 
 High shall abide under the shadovj of the Almighty. 
 
 — Ps. xci. 1. 
 
 They who on the Lord rely, 
 
 Safely dwell though danger’s nigh ; 
 
 Lo ! His sheltering wings are spread 
 O’er each faithful servant’s head. 
 
 When they wake, or when they sleep, 
 
 Angel guards their vigils keep ; 
 
 Death and danger may be near, 
 
 Faith and love have nought to fear. 
 
 Harriet Auber. 
 
 cc rnpHERE shall no evil befall thee, neither 
 shall any plague come nigh thy dwell¬ 
 ing,” is a promise to the fullest extent 
 verified in the case of all cc who dwell in the 
 secret place of the Most High.” To them 
 sorrows are not u evils,” sicknesses are not 
 u plagues; ” the shadow of the Almighty ex¬ 
 tending far around those who abide under it, 
 alters the character of all things which come 
 within its influence. 
 
 Anon. 
 
 It is faith’s work to claim and challenge lov¬ 
 ing-kindness out of all the roughest strokes of 
 
 God. 
 
 S. Rutherford. 
 
144 
 
 May 23 
 
 Be content with such things as ye have . — Heb. 
 xiii. 5. 
 
 / learned , /« whatsoever state I am , therein 
 
 to be content. — Phil. iv. 11 ( R. V.). 
 
 No longer forward nor behind 
 I look in hope or fear 5 
 But, grateful, take the good I find, 
 
 The best of now and here. 
 
 J. G. Whittier. 
 
 I F we wished to gain contentment, we might 
 try such rules as these : — 
 
 1. Allow thyself to complain of nothing, 
 not even of the weather. 
 
 2. Never picture thyself to thyself under any 
 circumstances in which thou art not. 
 
 3. Never compare thine own lot with that of 
 another. 
 
 4. Never allow thyself to dwell on the wish 
 that this or that had been, or were, otherwise 
 than it was, or is. God Almighty loves thee 
 better and more wisely than thou dost thyself. 
 
 5. Never dwell on the morrow. Remember 
 that it is God’s, not thine. The heaviest part 
 of sorrow often is to look forward to it. w The 
 Lord will provide.” 
 
 E. B. Pusey. 
 
May 24 
 
 *45 
 
 Now ao chastening for the present seemeth to hi 
 joyous , hut grievous: nevertheless afterward it 
 yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto 
 them which are exercised thereby .— Heb. xii. 11. 
 
 I cannot say, 
 
 Beneath the pressure of life’s cares to-day, 
 
 I joy in these ; 
 
 But I can say 
 
 That I had rather walk this rugged way, 
 
 If Him it please. 
 
 S. G. Browning. 
 
 T HE particular annoyance which befell you 
 this morning ; the vexatious words which 
 met your ear and u grieved ” your spirit; 
 the disappointment which was His appointment 
 for to-day; the slight but hindering ailment; 
 the presence of some one who is u a grief of 
 mind” to you, — whatever this day seemeth not 
 joyous, but grievous, is linked in “the good 
 pleasure of His goodness ” with a corresponding 
 afterward of “peaceable fruit,” the very seed 
 from which, if you only do not choke it, this 
 shall spring and ripen. 
 
 F. R. Havergal. 
 
146 
 
 May 25 
 
 O my Father , if it he possible , /<?/ cup pass 
 from me: nevertheless not as I will , but as Thou 
 wilt. — Matt. xxvi. 39. 
 
 O Lord my God, do Thou Thy holy will, — 
 
 I will lie still. 
 
 I will not stir, lest I forsake Thine arm. 
 
 And break the charm 
 
 Which lulls me, clinging to my Father’s breast, 
 
 In perfect rest. J. Keble. 
 
 R esignation to the will of God is the 
 
 whole of piety ; it includes in it all that is 
 good ; and is a source of the most settled 
 quiet and composure of mind. Our resignation 
 to the will of God may be said to be perfect, 
 when our will is lost and resolved up into His; 
 when we rest in His will as our end, as being 
 itself most just, and right, and good. And 
 where is the impossibility of such an affection to 
 what is just and right and good, such a loyalty 
 of heart to the Governor of the universe, as shall 
 prevail over all sinister indirect desires of our 
 own ? Joseph Butler. 
 
 There are no disappointments to those whose 
 wills are buried in the will of God. 
 
 F. W. Faber. 
 
 Lord, Thy will be done in father, mother, 
 child, in everything and everywhere; without a 
 
 or a limit. 
 
 St. Francis de Sales. 
 
 reserve, without a but, an if, 
 
May 26 
 
 147 
 
 The Lord heareth your murmurings , which ye 
 murmur against Him . — Ex. xvi. 8. 
 
 Without murmur, uncomplaining 
 In His hand, 
 
 Leave whatever things thou canst not 
 Understand. 
 
 K. R. Hagenbach. 
 
 NE great characteristic of holiness is never 
 to be exacting —never to complain. 
 Each complaint drags us down a degree, 
 in our upward course. If you would discern in 
 whom God’s spirit dwells, watch that person, 
 and notice whether you ever hear him murmur. 
 
 Gold Dust. 
 
 When we wish things to be otherwise than 
 they are, we lose sight of the great practical 
 parts of the life of godliness. We wish, and 
 wish — when, if we have done all that lies on 
 us, we should fall quietly into the hands of God. 
 Such wishing cuts the very sinews of our privi¬ 
 leges and consolations. You are leaving me 
 for a time; and you say that you wish you could 
 leave me better, or leave me with some assist¬ 
 ance : but, if it is right for you to go, it is right 
 for me to meet what lies on me, without a wish 
 that I had less to meet, or were better able to 
 meet it. 
 
 R. Cecil. 
 
148 
 
 May 27 
 
 He that is faithful in that which is least is 
 faithful also in much . — Luke xvi. 10. 
 
 The Lord preserveth the faithful. — Ps. xxxi. 23 
 
 The trivial round, the common task, 
 
 Would furnish all we ought to ask.; 
 
 Room to deny ourselves ; a road 
 To bring us, daily, nearer God. 
 
 J. Keble. 
 
 E XACTNESS in little duties is a wonderful 
 source of cheerfulness. 
 
 F. W. Faber. 
 
 The unremitting retention of simple and 
 high sentiments in obscure duties is hardening 
 the character to that temper which will work 
 with honor, if need be, in the tumult or on the 
 scaffold. R. W. Emerson. 
 
 We are too fond of our own will. We want 
 to be doing what we fancy mighty things; but 
 the great point is, to do small things, when 
 called to them, in a right spirit. R. Cecil. 
 
 It is not on great occasions only that we are 
 required to be faithful to the will of God ; occa¬ 
 sions constantly occur, and we should be sur¬ 
 prised to perceive how much our spiritual 
 advancement depends on small obediences. 
 
 Madame Swetchine. 
 
May 28 
 
 149 
 
 Strengthened with all might , according to His 
 glorious power , unto all patience and long-suffering 
 with joyfulness . — Col. 1. i i. 
 
 God doth not need 
 
 Either man’s works or His own gifts ; who best 
 Bear His mild yoke, they serve Him best $ His state 
 Is kingly ; thousands at His bidding speed, 
 
 And post o’er land and ocean without rest ; 
 
 They also serve who only stand and wait. 
 
 J. Milton. 
 
 W E cannot always be doing a great work, 
 but we can always be doing something 
 that belongs to our condition. To be 
 silent, to suffer, to pray when we cannot act, is 
 acceptable to God. A disappointment, a con¬ 
 tradiction, a harsh word, an annoyance, a wrong 
 received and endured as in His presence, is 
 worth more than a long prayer; and we do not 
 lose time if we bear its loss with gentleness and 
 patience, provided the loss was inevitable, and 
 was not caused by our own fault. 
 
 Francois de la Mothe Fenelon. 
 
May 29 
 
 150 
 
 Be not slothful , hut followers of them who 
 through faith and patience inherit the promises. 
 — Heb. vi. 12. 
 
 Where now with pain thou treadest, trod 
 The whitest of the saints of God ! 
 
 To show thee where their feet were set, 
 
 The light which led them shineth yet. 
 
 J. G. Whittier. 
 
 L ET us learn from this communion of 
 saints to live in hope. Those who are 
 now at rest were once like ourselves. 
 They were once weak, faulty, sinful; they had 
 their burdens and hindrances, their slumbering 
 and weariness, their failures and their falls. 
 But now they have overcome. Their life was 
 once homely and common-place. Their day ran 
 out as ours. Morning and noon and night 
 came and went to them as to us. Their life, 
 too, was as lonely and sad as yours. Little 
 fretful circumstances and frequent disturbing 
 changes wasted away their hours as yours. 
 There is nothing in your life that was not in 
 theirs ; there was nothing in theirs but may be 
 also in your own. They have overcome, each 
 one, and one by one ; each in his turn, when 
 the day came, and God called him to the trial. 
 And so shall you likewise. 
 
 H. E, Manning. 
 
May 30 
 
 I 5 I 
 
 And thus this man died , leaving his death for an 
 example of a noble courage , and a memorial of 
 virtue , not only unto young men , but unto all his 
 nation. — 2 Mac. vi. 31. 
 
 Xebulon and Naphtali were a people that jeop¬ 
 arded their lives unto the death in the high places 
 of the field. — Judges v. 18. 
 
 Though Love repine, and Reason chafe, 
 
 There came a voice without reply, — 
 
 ’T is man’s perdition to be safe, 
 
 When for the truth he ought to die. 
 
 R. W. Emerson. 
 
 S OME say that the age of chivalry is past. 
 The age of chivalry is never past, so long 
 as there is a wrong left unredressed on 
 earth, or a man or woman left to say, “ I will 
 redress that wrong, or spend my life in the at¬ 
 tempt.The age of chivalry is never past, so 
 long as we have faith enough to say, “ God will 
 help me to redress that wrong ; or, if not me, 
 He will help those that come after me, for His 
 eternal Will is to overcome evil with good.” 
 
 C. Kingsley. 
 
 Thus man is made equal to every event. 
 He can face danger for the right. A poor, 
 tender, painful body, he can run into flame or 
 bullets or pestilence, with duty for his guide. 
 
 R. W. Emerson. 
 
152 
 
 May 31 
 
 Let all those that put their trust in Thee re~ 
 joice : . . . let them also that love Thy name be 
 joyful in Thee. —Ps. v. 11. 
 
 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures. — 
 Ps. xxiii. 2. 
 
 I can hear these violets chorus 
 To the sky’s benediction above ; 
 
 And we all are together lying 
 On the bosom of Infinite Love. 
 
 Oh, the peace at the heart of Nature ! 
 
 Oh, the light that is not of day ! 
 
 Why seek it afar forever, 
 
 When it cannot be lifted away ? 
 
 W. C. Gannett. 
 
 W HAT inexpressible joy for me, to look 
 up through the apple-blossoms and the 
 fluttering leaves, and to see God’s love 
 there; to listen to the thrush that has built his 
 nest among them, and to feel God’s love, who 
 cares for the birds, in every note that swells his 
 little throat ; to look beyond to the bright blue 
 depths of the sky, and feel they are a canopy of 
 blessing, — the roof of the house of my Father; 
 that if clouds pass over it, it is the unchange¬ 
 able light they veil; that, even when the day 
 itself passes, I shall see that the night itself only 
 unveils new worlds of light; and to know that if 
 I could unwrap fold after fold of God’s universe, 
 I should only unfold more and more blessing, 
 and see deeper and deeper into the love which 
 is at the heart of all. Elizabeth Charles. 
 
June i 
 
 l 53 
 
 One thing have I desired of the Lord , that will 1 
 seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the 
 Lord all the days of my life , to behold the beauty 
 of the Lord , and to enquire in His temple . — Ps. 
 xxvii. 4. 
 
 Thy beauty, O my Father ! All is Thine ; 
 
 But there is beauty in Thyself, from whence 
 The beauty Thou hast made doth ever flow 
 In streams of never-failing affluence. 
 
 Thou art the Temple ! and though I am lame, — 
 Lame from my birth, and shall be till I die, —- 
 I enter through the Gate called Beautiful, 
 
 And am alone with Thee, O Thou Most High ! 
 
 J. W. Chadwick. 
 
 C ONSIDER that all which appears beauti¬ 
 ful outwardly, is solely derived from the 
 invisible Spirit which is the source of 
 that external beauty, and say joyfully, tc Behold, 
 these are streamlets from the uncreated Foun¬ 
 tain ; behold, these are drops from the infinite 
 Ocean of all good ! Oh ! how does my inmost 
 heart rejoice at the thought of that eternal, in¬ 
 finite Beauty, which is the source and origin of 
 all created beauty ! ” 
 
 L. Scupoli. 
 
I S 4 
 
 June 2 
 
 IV ? #//, with open face beholding as in a glass 
 the glory of the Lord , are changed into the same 
 image from glory to glory , even as by the Spirit of 
 the Lord. — 2 Cor. iii. 18. 
 
 Then every tempting form of sin, 
 
 Shamed in Thy presence, disappears. 
 
 And all the glowing, raptured soul 
 The likeness it contemplates wears. 
 
 P. Doddridge. 
 
 T HEN does a good man become the taber¬ 
 nacle of God, wherein the divine She- 
 chinah does rest, and which the divine 
 glory fills, when the frame of his mind and 
 life is wholly according to that idea and pattern 
 which he receives from the mount. We best 
 glorify Him when we grow most like to Him : 
 and we then act most for His glory, when a 
 true spirit of sanctity, justice, and meekness, 
 runs through all our actions; when we so live 
 in the world as becomes those that converse 
 with the great Mind and Wisdom of the whole 
 world, with that Almighty Spirit that made, 
 supports, and governs all things, with that Be¬ 
 ing from whence all good flows, and in which 
 there is no spot, stain, or shadow of evil; and 
 so being captivated and overcome by the sense 
 of the Divine loveliness and goodness, endeavor 
 to be like Him, and conform ourselves, as much 
 as may be, to Him. Dr. John Smith. 
 
June 3 
 
 155 
 
 'The righteous shall be glad in the Lord , and 
 shall trust in Him. —Ps. lxiv. io. 
 
 Whoso trusteth in the Lord , happy is he. — 
 Prov. xvi. 20. 
 
 The heart that trusts forever sings. 
 
 And feels as light as it had wings, 
 
 A well of peace within it springs, — 
 
 Come good or ill, 
 
 Whate’er to-day, to-morrow brings, 
 
 It is His will. 
 
 I. Williams. 
 
 H E will weave no longer a spotted life of 
 shreds and patches, but he will live with 
 a divine unity. He will cease from what 
 is base and frivolous in his life, and be content 
 with all places, and with any service he can 
 render. He will calmly front the morrow, in 
 the negligency of that trust which carries God 
 with it, and so hath already the whole future in 
 the bottom of the heart. R. W. Emerson. 
 
 He who believes in God is not careful for the 
 morrow, but labors joyfully and with a great 
 heart. “For He giveth His beloved, as in 
 sleep.” They must work and watch, yet never 
 be careful or anxious, but commit all to Him, 
 and live in serene tranquillity ; with a quiet heart, 
 as one who sleeps safely and quietly. 
 
 Martin Luther. 
 
156 
 
 June 4 
 
 ' Therefore , my beloved brethren , be ye stedfast , 
 unmoveable , always abounding in the work of the 
 Lord , forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not 
 in vain in the Lord. — I Cor. xv. 58. 
 
 Say not, ’T was all in vain, 
 
 The anguish and the darkness and the strife $ 
 Love thrown upon the waters comes again 
 In quenchless yearnings for a nobler life. 
 
 Anna Shipton. 
 
 D ID you ever hear of a man who had 
 striven all his life faithfully and singly 
 toward an object and in no measure ob¬ 
 tained it ? If a man constantly aspires, is he 
 not elevated ? Did ever a man try heroism, 
 magnanimity, truth, sincerity, and find that 
 there was no advantage in them, — that it was 
 a vain endeavor ? 
 
 H. D. Thoreau. 
 
 Do right, and God’s recompense to you will 
 be the power of doing more right. Give, and 
 God’s reward to you will be the spirit of giving 
 more : a blessed spirit, for it is the Spirit of God 
 himself, whose Life is the blessedness of giving. 
 Love, and God will pay you with the capacity 
 of more love; for love is Heaven — love is God 
 within you. 
 
 F. W. Robertson. 
 
June 5 
 
 1 57 
 
 Speak , Lord; for Thy servant heareth .— i 
 Sam. iii. 9. 
 
 Though heralded with nought of fear, 
 
 Or outward sign or show : 
 
 Though only to the inward ear 
 It whispers soft and low 5 
 Though dropping, as the manna fell. 
 
 Unseen, yet from above, 
 
 Noiseless as dew-fall, heed it well, — 
 
 Thy Father’s call of love. 
 
 J. G. Whittier 
 
 T HIS is one result of the attitude into 
 which we are put by humility, by dis¬ 
 interestedness, by purity, by calmness, 
 that we have the opportunity, the disengage¬ 
 ment, the silence, in which we may watch what 
 is the will of God concerning us. If we think 
 no more of ourselves than we ought to think, if 
 we seek not our own but others’ welfare, if we 
 are prepared to take all things as God’s dealings 
 with us, then we may have a chance of catching 
 from time to time what God has to tell us. In 
 the Mussulman devotions, one constant gesture 
 is to put the hands to the ears, as if to listen for 
 the messages from the other world. This is the 
 attitude, the posture which our minds assume, 
 if we have a standing-place above and beyond 
 the stir and confusion and dissipation of this 
 mortal world. 
 
 A. P. Stanley. 
 
i 5 8 
 
 June 6 
 
 Him that overcometh will I make a -pillar in the 
 temple of my God. — Rev. iii. 12. 
 
 In whom ye also are huilded together for an habi¬ 
 tation of God through the Spirit. ■—Eph. ii. 22. 
 
 None the place ordained refuseth, 
 
 They are one, and they are all, 
 
 Living stones, the Builder chooseth 
 For the courses of His wall. 
 
 Jean Ingelow. 
 
 S LOWLY, through all the universe, that 
 temple of God is being built. Wherever, 
 in any world, a soul, by free-willed obedi¬ 
 ence, catches the fire of God’s likeness, it is set 
 into the growing walls, a living stone. When, 
 in your hard fight, in your tiresome drudgery, or 
 in your terrible temptation, you catch the pur¬ 
 pose of your being, and give yourself to God, 
 and so give Him the chance to give Himself to 
 you, your life, a living stone, is taken up and set 
 into that growing wall. Wherever souls are 
 being tried and ripened, in whatever common¬ 
 place and homely ways; — there God is hewing 
 out the pillars for His temple. Oh, if the stone 
 can only have some vision of the temple of 
 which it is to be a part forever, what patience 
 must fill it as it feels the blows of the hammer, 
 and knows that success for it is simply to let 
 itself be wrought into what shape the Master 
 wills. Phillips Brooks. 
 
June 7 
 
 *59 
 
 Ye are all the children of light , and the children 
 of the day . — ■ I Thess. v. 5. 
 
 Light is sown for the righteous , gladness for 
 
 the upright in heart. — Ps. xcvii. 11. 
 
 Serene will be our days and bright, 
 
 And happy will our nature be, 
 
 When love is an unerring light, 
 
 And joy its own security. 
 
 W. Wordsworth. 
 
 N OTHING can produce so great a seren¬ 
 ity of life, as a mind free from guilt, and 
 kept untainted, not only from actions, 
 but purposes that are wicked. By this means 
 the soul will be not only unpolluted, but not 
 disturbed; the fountain will run clear and un¬ 
 sullied, and the streams that flow from it will be 
 just and honest deeds, ecstasies of satisfaction, 
 a brisk energy of spirit, which makes a man an 
 enthusiast in his joy, and a tenacious memory, 
 sweeter than hope. For as shrubs which are 
 cut down with the morning dew upon them do 
 for a long time after retain their fragrancy, so 
 the good actions of a wise man perfume his 
 mind, and leave a rich scent behind them. So 
 that joy is, as it were, watered with these 
 essences, and owes its flourishing to them. 
 
 Plutarch. 
 
i6o 
 
 June 8 
 
 Who hath despised the day of small things ? 
 Zech. iv. io. 
 
 Little things 
 On little wings 
 
 Bear little souls to heaven. Anon. 
 
 A N occasional effort even of an ordinary 
 holiness may accomplish great acts of sac¬ 
 rifice, or bear severe pressure of unwonted 
 trial, specially if it be the subject of observation. 
 But constant discipline in unnoticed ways, and 
 the spirit’s silent unselfishness, becoming the 
 hidden habit of the life, give to it its true saintly 
 beauty, and this is the result of care and lowly 
 love in little things. Perfection is attained most 
 readily by this constancy of religious faithfulness 
 in all minor details of life, consecrating the daily 
 efforts of self-forgetting love. T. T. Carter. 
 
 Love’s secret is to be always doing things for 
 God, and not to mind because they are such 
 very little ones. F. W. Faber. 
 
 There may be living and habitual conversa¬ 
 tion in heaven, under the aspect of the most 
 simple, ordinary life. Let us always remember 
 that holiness does not consist in doing uncommon 
 things, but in doing everything with purity of 
 heart. , H. E. Manning. 
 
June 9 
 
 It>I 
 
 He that is slow to anger is better than the 
 mighty ; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that 
 taketh a city. — Prov. xvi. 32. 
 
 Purge from our hearts the stains so deep and foul, 
 
 Of wrath and pride and care ; 
 
 Send Thine own holy calm upon the soul, 
 
 And bid it settle there ! 
 
 Anon. 
 
 L ET this truth be present to thee in the ex¬ 
 citement of anger, — that to be moved by 
 passion is not manly, but that mildness 
 and gentleness, as they are more agreeable to 
 human nature, so also are they more manly. 
 For in the same degree in which a man’s mind 
 is nearer to freedom from all passion, in the 
 same degree also is it nearer to strength. 
 
 Marcus Antoninus. 
 
 It is no great matter to associate with the 
 good and gentle, for this is naturally pleasing to 
 all, and every one willingly enjoyeth peace, and 
 loveth those best that agree with him. But to 
 be able to live peaceably with hard and perverse 
 persons, or with the disorderly, or with such as 
 go contrary to us, is a great grace, and a most 
 commendable and manly thing. 
 
 Thomas a Kempis. 
 
 11 
 
162 
 
 June io 
 
 Who is among you that feareth the Lord , that 
 obeyeth the voice of His servant , that walketh in 
 darkness , and hath no light ? let him trust in the 
 name of the Lord , and stay upon his God . — Isa, 
 
 1. io. 
 
 The Lord my God will enlighten my darkness. 
 — Ps. xviii. 28. 
 
 When we in darkness walk, 
 
 Nor feel the heavenly flame, 
 
 Then is the time to trust our God, 
 
 And rest upon His name. 
 
 A. M. Toplady. 
 
 H E has an especial tenderness of love 
 towards thee for that thou art in the 
 dark and hast no light, and His heart is 
 glad when thou dost arise and say, u I will go 
 to my Father.’’ For He sees thee through all 
 the gloom through which thou canst not see 
 Him. Say to Him, u My God, I am very dull 
 and low and hard ; but Thou art wise and high 
 and tender, and Thou art my God. I am Thy 
 child. Forsake me not.” Then fold the arms 
 of thy faith, and wait in quietness until light 
 goes up in the darkness. Fold the arms of thy 
 Faith, I say, but not of thy Action: bethink 
 thee of something that thou oughtest to do, and 
 go and do it, if it be but the sweeping of a 
 room, or the preparing of a meal, or a visit to a 
 friend ; heed not thy feelings: do thy work. 
 
 G. Macdonald. 
 
June ii 
 
 In the day when I cried Thou answeredst me , 
 and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul. — 
 Ps. cxxxviii. 3. 
 
 It is not that I feel less weak, but Thou 
 Wilt be my strength ; it is not that I see 
 Less sin ; but more of pardoning love with Thee, 
 
 And all-sufficient grace. Enough ! And now 
 All fluttering thought is stilled; I only rest, 
 
 And feel that Thou art near, and know that I am blest. 
 
 F. R. Havergal. 
 
 Y EA, though thou canst not believe, yet be 
 not dismayed thereat; only do thou sink 
 into, or at least pant after the hidden 
 measure of life, which is not in that which dis¬ 
 tressed, disturbeth, and filleth thee with thoughts, 
 fears, troubles, anguish, darknesses, terrors, and 
 the like; no, no! but in that which inclines to 
 the patience, to the stillness, to the hope, to the 
 waiting, to the silence before the Father. 
 
 I. Penington. 
 
 We have only to be patient, to pray, and to 
 do His will, according to our present light and 
 strength, and the growth of the soul will go on. 
 The plant grows in the mist and under clouds 
 as truly as under sunshine. So does the 
 heavenly principle within. 
 
 W. E. Channing. 
 
164 
 
 June 12 
 
 Then answered he me , and said. This, is the con¬ 
 dition of the battle which man that is born upon the 
 earth shall fight; that , if he be overcome , he shall 
 suffer as thou hast said: but if he get the victory , 
 he shall receive the thing that I say. — 2 Esdras 
 vii, 57, 58. 
 
 One holy Church, one army strong, 
 
 One steadfast high intent, 
 
 One working band, one harvest-song, 
 
 One King omnipotent. S. Johnson. 
 
 W E listened to a man whom we felt to be, 
 with all his heart and soul and strength, 
 striving against whatever was mean and 
 unmanly and unrighteous in our little world. 
 It was not the cold clear voice of one giving 
 advice and warning from serene heights to 
 those who were struggling and sinning below, 
 but the warm living voice of one who was fight¬ 
 ing for us and by our sides, and calling on us to 
 help him and ourselves and one another. And 
 so, wearily and little by little, but surely and 
 steadily on the whole, was brought home to the 
 young boy, for the first time, the meaning of his 
 life ; that it was no fool’s or sluggard’s paradise 
 into which he had wandered by chance, but a 
 battle-field ordained from of old, where there 
 are no spectators, but the youngest must take 
 his side, and the stakes are life and death. 
 
 Thomas Hughes. 
 
June 13 
 
 l6 S 
 
 If we walk in the light as He is in the light , we 
 have fellowship one with another. — 1 John i. 7. 
 
 « t 
 
 God is not unrighteous to forget your work and 
 labor of love , which ye have showed toward His 
 name , in that ye have ministered to the saints , and 
 do minister .— Heb. vi. 10. 
 
 Wherever in the world I am, 
 
 In whatsoe’er estate, 
 
 I have a fellowship with hearts, 
 
 To keep and cultivate, 
 
 And a work of lowly love to do 
 For the Lord on whom I wait. 
 
 A. L. Waring. 
 
 W E do not always perceive that even the 
 writing of a note of congratulation, the 
 fabrication of something intended as an 
 offering of affection, our necessary intercourse 
 with characters which have no congeniality with 
 our own, or hours apparently trifled away in 
 the domestic circle, may be made by us the 
 performance of a most sacred and blessed 
 work; even the carrying out, after our feeble 
 measure, of the design of God for the increase 
 of happiness. Sarah W. Stephen. 
 
 Definite work is not always that which is cut 
 and squared for us, but that which comes as a 
 claim upon the conscience, whether it’s nursing 
 in a hospital, or hemming a handkerchief. 
 
 Elizabeth M. Sewell. 
 
166 
 
 June 14 
 
 The Lord shall give thee rest from thy sorrow , 
 and from thy fear , and from the hard bondage 
 wherein thou wast jnade to serve. — Isa. xiv. 3. 
 
 To-day, beneath Thy chastening eye, 
 
 I crave alone for peace and rest j 
 Submissive in Thy hand to lie, 
 
 And feel that it is best. 
 
 J. G. Whittier. 
 
 O LORD, who art as the Shadow of a great 
 Rock in a weary land, who behoMest Thy 
 weak creatures weary of labor, weary of 
 pleasure, weary of nope deferred, weary of self; 
 in Thine abundant compassion, and unutterable 
 tenderness, bring us, I pray Thee, unto Thy 
 rest. Amen. 
 
 Christina G. Rossetti. 
 
 Grant to me above all things that can be 
 desiied, to rest in Thee, and in Thee to have 
 my heart at peace. Thou art the true peace of 
 the heart, Thou its only rest; out of Thee all 
 things are hard and restless. In this very peace, 
 that is, in Thee, the One Chiefest Eternal Good, 
 I will sleep and rest. Amen. 
 
 Thomas a Kempis. 
 
 Thou hast made us for Thyself, O Lord ; and 
 our heart is restless until it rests in Thee. 
 
 St. Augustine. 
 
June 15 
 
 I67 
 
 God is our refuge and strength , a very present 
 help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear , though 
 the earth be removed , and though the mountains be 
 carried into the midst of the sea. — Ps. xlvi. I, 2. 
 
 Though waves and storms go o’er my head, 
 
 Though strength and health and friends be gone, 
 Though joys be withered all, and dead, 
 
 Though every comfort be withdrawn, 
 
 On this my steadfast soul relies, — 
 
 Father ! Thy mercy never dies. 
 
 Johann A. Rothe. 
 
 Y OUR external circumstances may change, 
 toil may take the place of rest, sickness 
 of health, trials may thicken within and 
 without. Externally, you are the prey of such 
 circumstances; but if your heart is stayed on 
 God, no changes or chances can touch it, and 
 all that may befall you will but draw you closer 
 to Him. Whatever the present moment may 
 bring, your knowledge that it is His will, and 
 that your future heavenly life will be influenced 
 by it, will make all not only tolerable, but wel¬ 
 come to you, while no vicissitudes can affect you 
 greatly, knowing that He who holds you in 
 His powerful hand cannot change, but abideth 
 forever. 
 
 Jean Nicolas Grou. 
 
168 
 
 June 16 
 
 Mow unto Him that is able to do exceeding abun¬ 
 dantly above all that we ask or think , according to 
 the power that worketh in us , unto Him be glory in 
 the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages , 
 world without end . Amen. — Eph. iii. 20, 21. 
 
 We would not meagre gifts down-call 
 When Thou dost yearn to yield us all 5 
 But for this life, this little hour, 
 
 Ask all Thy love and care and power. 
 
 J. Ingelow. 
 
 G OD so loveth us that He would make all 
 things channels to us and messengers of 
 H is love. Do for His sake deeds of love, 
 and He will give thee His love. Still thyself, 
 thy own cares, thy own thoughts for Him, and 
 He will speak to thy heart. Ask for Himself, 
 and He will give thee Himself. Truly, a secret 
 hidden thing is the love of God, known only to 
 them who seek it, and to them also secret, for 
 what man can have of it here is how slight a 
 foretaste of that endless ocean of His love! 
 
 E. B. Pusey. 
 
June 17 
 
 169 
 
 Consider the lilies of the field , how they grow. — 
 Matt. vi. 28. 
 
 They do not toil: 
 
 Content with their allotted task 
 They do but grow ; they do not ask 
 A richer lot, a higher sphere, 
 
 But in their loveliness appear, 
 
 And grow, and smile, and do their best, 
 
 And unto God they leave the rest. 
 
 Marianne Farningham. 
 
 I NTERPOSE no barrier to His mighty life- 
 giving power, working in you all the good 
 pleasure of His will. Yield yourself up 
 utterly to His sweet control. Put your grow¬ 
 ing into His hands as completely as you have 
 put all your other affairs. Suffer Him to man¬ 
 age it as He will. Do not concern yourself 
 about it, nor even think of it. Trust Him ab¬ 
 solutely and always. Accept each moment’s 
 dispensation as it comes to you from His dear 
 hands, as being the needed sunshine or dew for 
 that moment’s growth. Say a continual “yes” 
 to your Father’s will. H. W. Smith. 
 
 Thine own self-will and anxiety, thy hurry 
 and labor, disturb thy peace, and prevent Me 
 from working in thee. Look at the little flow¬ 
 ers, in the serene summer days; they quietly 
 open their petals, and the sun shines into them 
 with his gentle influences. So will I do for 
 thee, if thou wilt yield thyself to Me. 
 
 G. Tersteegen. 
 
June 18 
 
 170 
 
 Wherefore , if God so clothe the grass of the field , 
 which to-day is , and to-morrow is cast into the oven , 
 shall He not much more clothe you , O ye of little 
 faith ? — Matt. vi. 30. 
 
 I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever. —- 
 Ps. lii. 8. 
 
 Calmly we look behind os, on joys and sorrows past, 
 We know that all is mercy now, and shall be well at 
 last; 
 
 Calmly we look before us, — we fear no future ill, 
 Enough for safety and for peace, if Thou art with us 
 still. 
 
 Jane Borthwick. 
 
 N EITHER go back in fear and misgiving 
 to the past, nor in anxiety and forecast¬ 
 ing to the future; but lie quiet under 
 His hand, having no will but His. 
 
 H. E. Manning. 
 
 I saw a delicate flower had grown up two 
 feet high, between the horses’ path and the 
 wheel-track. An inch more to right or left had 
 sealed its fate, or an inch higher; and yet it 
 lived to flourish as much as if it had a thousand 
 acres of untrodden space around it, and never 
 knew the danger it incurred. It did not bor¬ 
 row trouble, nor invite an evil fate by appre¬ 
 hending it. 
 
 Henry D. Thoreau, 
 
June 19 
 
 171 
 
 The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: He 
 shall preserve thy soul. — Ps. cxxi. 7. 
 
 Under Thy wings, my God, I rest, 
 
 Under Thy shadow safely lie; 
 
 By Thy own strength in peace possessed, 
 
 While dreaded evils pass me by. 
 
 A. L. Waring. 
 
 A HEART rejoicing in God delights in all 
 His will, and is surely provided with the 
 most firm joy in all estates; for if noth¬ 
 ing can come to pass beside or against His will, 
 then cannot that soul be vexed which delights 
 in Him and hath no will but His, but follows 
 Him in all times, in all estates; not only when 
 He shines bright on them, but when they are 
 clouded. That flower which follows the sun 
 doth so even in dark and cloudy days: when it 
 doth not shine forth, yet it follows the hidden 
 course and motion of it. So the soul that 
 moves after God keeps that course when He 
 hides His face; is content, yea, even glad at 
 His will in all estates or conditions or events. 
 
 R. Leighton. 
 
 Let God do with me what He will, anything 
 He will; whatever it be, it will be either heaven 
 itself or some beginning of it. 
 
 Wm. Mountfcrd. 
 
17 2 
 
 June 20 
 
 Be merciful unto me , 0 GW, ^ merciful unto 
 me; for my soul trusteth in 'Thee: yea , in the 
 shadozu of Thy zvings will I make my refuge , until 
 these calamities he overpast. — Ps. lvii. I. 
 
 My God ! in whom are all the springs 
 Of boundless love and grace unknown. 
 
 Hide me beneath Thy spreading wings, 
 
 Till the dark cloud is overblown. 
 
 I. Watts. 
 
 I N time of trouble go not out of yourself to 
 seek for aid ; for the whole benefit of trial 
 consists in silence, patience, rest, and resig¬ 
 nation. In this condition divine strength is 
 found for the hard warfare, because God Him¬ 
 self fights for the soul. 
 
 M. de Molinos. 
 
 In vain will you let your mind run out after 
 help in times of trouble; it is like putting to sea 
 in a storm. Sit still, and feel after your princi¬ 
 ples ; and, if you find none that furnish you with 
 somewhat of a stay and prop, and which point 
 you to quietness and silent submission, depend 
 upon it you have never yet learned Truth from 
 the Spirit of Truth, whatever notions thereof 
 you may have picked up from this and the 
 other description of it. 
 
 M. A. Kelty. 
 
June 21 
 
 i 73 
 
 Thou calledst in trouble , and I delivered thee. — 
 Ps. Ixxxi. y. 
 
 Be strong , and of good courage ; dread not , nor 
 be dismayed. — 1 Chron. xxii. 13. 
 
 Thou canst calm the troubled mind, 
 
 Thou its dread canst still ; 
 
 Teach me to be all resigned 
 To my Father’s will. 
 
 Heinrich Puchta. 
 
 T HOUGH this patient, meek resignation is 
 to be exercised with regard to all outward 
 things and occurrences of life, yet it 
 chiefly respects our own inward state, the 
 troubles, perplexities, weaknesses, and disorders 
 of our own souls. And to stand turned to a 
 patient, meek, humble resignation to God, when 
 your own impatience, wrath, pride, and irresig- 
 nation attack yourself, is a higher and more 
 beneficial performance of this duty, than when 
 you stand turned to meekness and patience, when 
 attacked by the pride, or wrath, or disorderly 
 passions of other people. 
 
 Wm. Law. 
 
*74 
 
 June 22 
 
 There hath no temptation taken you , but such as 
 is common to man : but God is faithful , who will 
 not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able ; 
 but will with the temptation also make a way to 
 escape, that ye may be able to bear it. — I Cor. x. 
 
 J 3> H- 
 
 Not so, not so, no load of woe 
 Need bring despairing frown $ 
 
 For while we bear it, we can bear, 
 
 Past that, we lay it down. 
 
 Sarah Williams. 
 
 E VERYTHING which happens, either hap¬ 
 pens in such wise that thou art formed 
 by nature to bear it, or that thou art not 
 formed by nature to bear it. If then, it happens 
 to thee in such way that thou art formed by 
 nature to bear it, do not complain, but bear it as 
 thou art formed by nature to bear it. But, if it 
 happens in such wise that thou art not able to 
 bear it, do not complain ; for it will perish after 
 it has consumed thee. Remember, however, 
 that thou art formed by nature to bear every¬ 
 thing, with respect to which it depends on thy 
 own opinion to make it endurable and tolerable, 
 by thinking that it is either thy interest or thy 
 duty to do this. 
 
 Marcus Antoninus. 
 
June 23 
 
 1 1S 
 
 Why art thou cast down , O my soul ? and why 
 art thou disquieted within me ? hope thou in God; 
 for I shall yet praise Him , who is the health of my 
 countenance , and my God. — Ps. xlii. 11. 
 
 Ah ! why by passing clouds oppressed, 
 
 Should vexing thoughts distract thy breast ? 
 
 Turn thou to Him in every pain. 
 
 Whom never suppliant sought in vain ; 
 
 Thy strength in joy’s ecstatic day, 
 
 Thy hope, when joy has passed away. 
 
 H. F. Lyte. 
 
 B EWARE of letting your care degenerate 
 into anxiety and unrest; tossed as you are 
 amid the winds and waves of sundry 
 troubles, keep your eyes fixed on the Lord, and 
 say, cc Oh, my God, I look to Thee alone ; be 
 Thou my guide, my pilot; ” and then be com¬ 
 forted. When the shore is gained, who will 
 heed the toil and the storm ? And we shall 
 steer safely through every storm, so long as our 
 heart is right, our intention fervent, our courage 
 steadfast, and our trust fixed on God. If at 
 times we are somewhat stunned by the tempest, 
 never fear; let us take breath, and go on afresh. 
 Do not be disconcerted by the fits of vexation 
 and uneasiness which are sometimes produced 
 by the multiplicity of your domestic worries. 
 No indeed, dearest child, all these are but oppor¬ 
 tunities of strengthening yourself in the loving, 
 forbearing graces which our dear Lord sets be¬ 
 fore us. St. Francis de Sales. 
 
i 7 6 
 
 June 24 
 
 Even so , Father; for so it seemed good in Thy 
 sight. — Matt. xi. 26. 
 
 Let nothing make thee sad or fretful, 
 
 Or too regretful 5 
 Be still ; 
 
 What God hath ordered must be right, 
 
 Then find in it thine own delight, 
 
 My will. P. Flemming. 
 
 I F we listen to our self-love, we shall estimate 
 our lot less by what it is, than by what it is 
 not; shall dwell on its hindrances, and be 
 blind to its possibilities; and, comparing it only 
 with imaginary lives, shall indulge in flattering 
 dreams of what we should do, if we had but 
 power; and give, if we had but wealth; and be, 
 if we had no temptations. We shall be forever 
 querulously pleading our difficulties and priva¬ 
 tions as excuses for our unloving temper and un¬ 
 fruitful life; and fancying ourselves injured 
 beings, virtually frowning at the dear Providence 
 that loves us, and chafing with a self-torture 
 which invites no pity. If we yield ourselves 
 unto God, and sincerely accept our lot as as¬ 
 signed by Him, we shall count up its contents, 
 and disregard its omissions ; and be it as feeble 
 as a cripple’s, and as narrow as a child’s, shall 
 find in it resources of good surpassing our best 
 economy, and sacred claims that may keep 
 awake our highest will. J. Martineau. 
 
June 25 
 
 177 
 
 My times are in Thy hand. — Ps. xxxi. 15. 
 Every purpose of the Lord shall be performed. —• 
 
 Jer. li. 29. 
 
 I am so glad ! It is such rest to know 
 That Thou hast ordered and appointed all, 
 
 And wilt yet order and appoint my lot. 
 
 For though so much I cannot understand, 
 
 And would not choose, has been, and yet may be, 
 Thou choosest, Thou performest, Thou, my Lord. 
 This is enough for me. 
 
 - F. R. Havergal. 
 
 “IITE mustn’t be in a hurry to fix and 
 Vi/ choose our own lot; we must wait to 
 be guided. We are led on, like the 
 little children, by a way that we know not. It 
 is a vain thought to flee from the work that 
 God appoints us, for the sake of finding a 
 greater blessing to our own souls; as if we could 
 choose for ourselves where we shall find the 
 fulness of the Divine Presence, instead of seek¬ 
 ing it where alone it is to be found, in loving 
 obedience.” 
 
 George Eliot. 
 
 Everywhere and at all times it is in thy 
 power piously to acquiesce in thy present con¬ 
 dition, and to behave justly to those who are 
 about thee. 
 
 Marcus Antoninus. 
 
178 * June 26 
 
 And when ye stand praying , forgive , if ye have 
 ought against any: that your Father also which is 
 in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if 
 ye do not forgive , neither will your Father which is 
 in heaven forgive your trespasses. — Mark. xi. 
 25, 26. 
 
 ’T is not enough to weep my sins, 
 
 ’T is but one step to heaven : — 
 
 When I am kind to others, —then 
 
 I know myself forgiven. F. W. Faber. 
 
 E VERY relation to mankind, of hate or 
 scorn or neglect, is full of vexation and 
 torment. There is nothing, to do with 
 men but to love them; to contemplate their 
 virtues with admiration, their faults with pity 
 and forbearance, and their injuries with forgive¬ 
 ness. Task all the ingenuity of your mind to 
 devise some other thing, but you never can find 
 it. To hate your adversary will not help you ; 
 to kill him will not help you; nothing within 
 the compass of the universe can help you, but 
 to love him. But let that love flow out upon 
 all around you, and what could harm you ? 
 How many a knot of mystery and misunder¬ 
 standing would be untied by one word spoken in 
 simple and confiding truth of heart! How 
 many a solitary place would be made glad if 
 love were there ; and how many a dark dwell¬ 
 ing would be filled with light! 
 
 Orville Dewey. 
 
June 27 
 
 179 
 
 The kingdom of God is within you. — Luke 
 xvii. 21. 
 
 Oh, take this heart that I would give 
 Forever to be all Thine own ; 
 
 I to myself no more would live,— 
 
 Come, Lord, be Thou my King alone. 
 
 G. Tersteegen. 
 
 H EREIN is the work assigned to the in¬ 
 dividual soul, to have life in itself, to 
 make our sphere, whatever it is, suffi¬ 
 cient for a reign of God within ourselves, for a 
 true and full reign of our Father’s abounding 
 spirit, — thankful, unutterably thankful, if with 
 the place and the companionship assigned to us 
 we are permitted to build an earthly tabernacle 
 of grace and goodness and holy love, a home 
 like a temple; but, should this be denied us, 
 resolved for our own souls that God shall reign 
 there, for ourselves at least that we will not, by 
 sin or disobedience or impious distrust, break 
 with our own wills our filial connection with 
 our Father, — that whether joyful or sorrowing, 
 struggling with the perplexity and foulness of 
 circumstance, or in an atmosphere of peace, 
 whether in dear fellowship or alone, our desire 
 and prayer shall be that God may have in us a 
 realm where His will is law, and where obe¬ 
 dience and submission spring, not from calcu¬ 
 lating prudence or ungodly fear, but from 
 communion of spirit, ever humble aspiration, 
 and ever loving trust. J. H. Thom. 
 
i8o 
 
 June 28 
 
 The Lord preserveth the simple. — Ps. cxvi. 6. 
 
 Thy home is with the humble, Lord ! 
 
 The simple are Thy rest ; 
 
 Thy lodging is in childlike hearts ; 
 
 Thou makest there Thy nest. 
 
 F. W. Fabei* 
 
 T HIS deliverance of the soul from all use¬ 
 less and selfish and unquiet cares, brings 
 to it an unspeakable peace and freedom > 
 this is true simplicity. This state of entirr 
 resignation and perpetual acquiescence pro' 
 duces true liberty ; and this liberty brings pen 
 feet simplicity. The soul which knows nd 
 self-seeking, no interested ends, is thoroughly 
 candid ; it goes straight forward without hin¬ 
 drance ; its path opens daily more and more to 
 u perfect day,” in proportion as its self-renunci¬ 
 ation and its self-forgetfulness increase; and its 
 peace, amid whatever troubles beset it, will be 
 as boundless as the depths of the sea. 
 
 Francois de la Mothe Fenelon, 
 
June 29 
 
 181 
 
 Let not him that girdeth on his harness boast 
 himself as he that putteth it off'. — i Kings xx. i i. 
 
 Put on the whole armor of God. — Eph. vi. n. 
 
 Was I not girded for the battle-field ? 
 
 Bore I not helm of pride and glittering sword ? 
 Behold the fragments of my broken shield, 
 
 And lend to me Thy heavenly armor, Lord ! 
 
 Anon. 
 
 O H, be at least able to say in that day,— 
 Lord, I am no hero. I have been care¬ 
 less, cowardly, sometimes all but mutin¬ 
 ous. Punishment I have deserved, I deny it 
 not. But a traitor I have never been; a de¬ 
 serter I have never been, I have tried to fight 
 on Thy side in Thy battle against evil. I have 
 tried to do the duty which lay nearest me; and 
 to leave whatever Thou didst commit to my 
 charge a little better than I found it. I have 
 not been good, but I have at least tried to be 
 good. Take the will for the deed, good Lord. 
 Strike not my unworthy name off the roll-call 
 of the noble and victorious army, which is the 
 blessed company of all faithful people ; and let 
 me, too, be found written in the Book of Life ; 
 even though I stand the lowest and last upon 
 its list. Amen. 
 
 C. Kingsley. 
 
i 82 
 
 June 30 
 
 And the work of righteousness shall be peace ; 
 and the effect of righteousness , quietness and assur¬ 
 ance forever . — Isa. xxxii. 17. 
 
 The heart that ministers for Thee 
 In Thy own work will rest ; 
 
 And the subject spirit of a child 
 Can serve Thy children best. 
 
 A. L. Waring. 
 
 I T matters not where or what we are, so we 
 be His servants. They are happy who 
 have a wide field and great strength to fulfil 
 His missions of compassion ; and they, too, are 
 blessed who, in sheltered homes and narrow 
 ways of duty, wait upon Him in lowly services 
 of love. Wise or simple, gifted or slender in 
 knowledge, in the world’s gaze or in hidden 
 paths, high or low, encompassed by affections 
 and joys of home, or lonely and content in God 
 alone, what matters, so that they bear the seal 
 of the living God ? Blessed company, unknown 
 to each other, unknowing even themselves ! 
 
 H. E. Manning. 
 
July i 
 
 183 
 
 In the morning , then ye shall see the glory of the 
 Lord .— Ex. xvi. 7. 
 
 Serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope. — Rom. 
 xii. 11, 12. 
 
 Every day is a fresh beginning, 
 
 Every morn is the world made new. 
 
 You who are weary of sorrow and sinning, 
 
 Here is a beautiful hope for you 5 
 
 A hope for me and a hope for you. 
 
 Susan Coolidge. 
 
 B E patient with every one, but above all 
 with yourself. I mean, do not be dis¬ 
 turbed because of your imperfections, and 
 always rise up bravely from a fall. I am glad 
 that you make a daily new beginning; there is 
 no better means of progress in the spiritual life 
 than to be continually beginning afresh, and 
 never to think that we have done enough. 
 
 St. Francis de Sales. 
 
 Because perseverance is so difficult, even 
 when supported by the grace of God, thence is 
 the value of new beginnings. For new begin¬ 
 nings are the life of perseverance. 
 
 E. B. Pusey. 
 
184 
 
 July 2 
 
 Herein do I exercise myself, \ to have always a 
 conscience void of offence toward God , and toward 
 men . — Acts xxiv. 16. 
 
 I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way 
 which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine 
 eye. — Ps. xxxii. 8. 
 
 Oh, keep thy conscience sensitive ; 
 
 No inward token miss ; 
 
 And go where grace entices thee $ — 
 
 Perfection lies in this. 
 
 F. W. Faber. 
 
 W E need only obey. There is guidance 
 for each of us, and by lowly listening 
 we shall hear the right word. 
 
 R. W. Emerson. 
 
 The heights of Christian perfection can only 
 be reached by faithfully each moment following 
 the Guide who is to lead you there, and He re¬ 
 veals your way to you one step at a time, in the 
 little things of your daily lives, asking only on 
 your part that you yield yourselves up to His 
 guidance. If then, in anything you feel doubt¬ 
 ful or troubled, be sure that it is the voice of 
 your Lord, and surrender it at once to His bid¬ 
 ding, rejoicing with a great joy that He has be¬ 
 gun thus to lead and guide you. 
 
 H. W. Smith. 
 
July 3 
 
 185 
 
 He shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities. —- 
 Ps. cxxx. 8. 
 
 Be it according to Thy word ; 
 
 Redeem me from all sin 5 
 My heart would now receive Thee, Lord, 
 Come in, my Lord, come in ! 
 
 C. Wesley. 
 
 W HEN you wake, or as soon as you are 
 dressed, offer up your whole self to God, 
 soul and body, thoughts and purposes 
 and desires, to be for that day what He wills. 
 Think of the occasions of the sin likely to befall 
 you, and go, as a child, to your Father which is 
 in heaven, and tell Him in childlike, simple 
 words, your trials — in some such simple words 
 as these — “Thou knowest, good Lord, that I 
 am tempted to — [then name the temptations to it , 
 and the ways in which you sin , as well as you know 
 them\. But, good Lord, for love of Thee, I 
 would this day keep wholly from all [ naming the 
 sin^ and be very faming the opposite grace ] . I 
 will not, by Thy grace, do one [N.] act, or 
 speak one [N.] word, or give one [N.] look, 
 or harbor one [N.] thought in my soul. If 
 Thou allow any of these temptations to come 
 upon me this day, I desire to think, speak, and 
 do only what Thou wiliest. Lord, without 
 Thee I can do nothing; with Thee I can do 
 all.” E. B. Pusey, 
 
186 
 
 July 4 
 
 Look at the generations of old , and see ; did ever 
 any trust in the Lord , and was confounded? or 
 did any abide in His fear , and was forsaken? or 
 whom did He ever despise , that called upon Him ? 
 — Ecclesiasticus ii. io. 
 
 Remember , O Lord , Thy tender mercies , and 
 Thy loving-kindnesses ; for they have' been ever of 
 old. —Ps. xxv. 6. 
 
 My Father ! see 
 
 I trust the faithfulness displayed of old, 
 
 I trust the love that never can grow cold — 
 
 I trust in Thee. 
 
 Christian Intelligencer. 
 
 B E not so much discouraged in the sight of 
 what is yet to be done, as comforted in 
 His good-will towards thee. ’T is true, 
 He hath chastened thee with rods and sore 
 afflictions; but did He ever take away His 
 loving-kindness from thee ? or did His faithful¬ 
 ness ever fail in the sorest, blackest, thickest, 
 darkest night that ever befell thee ? 
 
 I. Penington. 
 
 We call Him the “ God of our fathers and 
 we feel that there is some stability at centre, 
 while we can tell our cares to One listening at 
 our right hand, by whom theirs are remembered 
 and removed. 
 
 J. Martineau. 
 
July 5 
 
 187 
 
 He stayeth His rough wind in the day of the 
 east wind . — Isa. xxvii. 8. 
 
 A bruised reed shall He not break. — Isa. xlii. 3, 
 
 All my life I still have found, 
 
 And I will forget it never ; 
 
 Every sorrow hath its bound. 
 
 And no cross endures forever. 
 
 All things else have but their day, 
 
 God’s love only lasts for aye. 
 
 P. Gerhardt. 
 
 W E never have more than we can bear. 
 
 The present hour we are always able to 
 endure. As our day, so is our strength. 
 If the trials of many years were gathered into 
 one, they would overwhelm us; therefore, in 
 pity to our little strength, He sends first one, 
 then another, then removes both, and lays on a 
 third, heavier, perhaps, than either; but all is so 
 wisely measured to our strength that the bruised 
 reed is never broken. We do not enough look 
 at our trials in this continuous and successive 
 view. Each one is sent to teach us something, 
 and altogether they have a lesson which is be¬ 
 yond the power of any to teach alone. 
 
 H. E. Manning 
 
188 
 
 July 6 
 
 / the Lord have called thee in righteousness , and 
 will hold thine hand , and will keep thee. — Isa. 
 xlii. 6. 
 
 O keep my soul , and deliver me: for I put my 
 trust in Thee. — Ps. xxv. 20. ' 
 
 I do not ask my cross to understand, 
 
 My way to see ; 
 
 Better in darkness just to feel Thy hand. 
 
 And follow Thee. 
 
 Adelaide A. Procter. 
 
 O LORD, if only my will may remain 
 right and firm towards Thee, do with me 
 whatsoever it shall please Thee. For it 
 cannot be anything but good, whatsoever Thou 
 shalt do with me. If it be Thy will I should 
 be in darkness, be Thou blessed; and, if it be 
 Thy will I should be in light, be Thou again 
 blessed. If Thou vouchsafe to comfort me, be 
 Thou blessed; and, if Thou wilt have me 
 afflicted, be Thou equally blessed. O Lord ! 
 for Thy sake I will cheerfully suffer whatever 
 shall come on me with Thy permission. 
 
 Thomas a Kempis. 
 
 My soul could not incline itself on the one 
 side or the other, since another will had taken 
 the place of its own ; but only nourished itself 
 with the daily providences of God. 
 
 Madame Guyon. 
 
July 7 
 
 189 
 
 The Lord is my light and my salvation ; whom 
 shall I fear ? The Lord is the strength of my life; 
 of whom shall I be afraid? — Ps. xxvii. I. 
 
 Thou hidden Source of calm repose. 
 
 Thou all-sufficient Love divine, 
 
 My Help and Refuge from my foes. 
 
 Secure I am while Thou art mine : 
 
 And lo ! from sin, and grief, and shame, 
 
 I hide me, Father, in Thy name. 
 
 C. Wesley. 
 
 W HATEVER troubles come on you, of 
 mind, body, or estate, from within or 
 from without, from chance or from 
 intent, from friends or foes — whatever your 
 trouble be, though you be lonely, O children of 
 a heavenly Father, be not afraid ! 
 
 J. H. Newman. 
 
 Whatsoever befalleth thee, receive it not 
 from the hand of any creature, but from Him 
 alone, and render back all to Him, seeking in 
 all things His pleasure and honor, the purifying 
 and subduing oF thyself. What can harm thee, 
 when all must first touch God, within whom 
 thou hast enclosed thyself? R. Leighton. 
 
 How God rejoices over a soul, which, sur¬ 
 rounded on all sides by suffering and misery, 
 does that upon earth which the angels do in 
 heaven ; namely, loves, adores, and praises God ! 
 
 G. Tersteegen. 
 
190 
 
 July 8 
 
 Be ye kind one to another . — Eph. iv. 32. 
 
 She doeth little kindnesses 
 
 Which most leave undone or despise ; 
 
 For nought which sets one heart at ease, 
 
 And giveth happiness or peace, 
 
 Is low-esteemed in her eyes. 
 
 J. R. Lowell. 
 
 W HAT was the secret of such a one’s 
 power ? What had she done ? Abso¬ 
 lutely nothing ; but radiant smiles, beam¬ 
 ing good-humor, the tact of divining what every 
 one felt and every one wanted, told that she had 
 got out of self and learned to think of others; 
 so that at one time it showed itself in deprecat¬ 
 ing the quarrel, which lowering brows and 
 raised tones already showed to be impending, by 
 sweet words; at another, by smoothing an 
 invalid’s pillow; at another, by soothing a 
 sobbing child; at another, by humoring and 
 softening a father who had returned weary and 
 ill-tempered from the irritating cares of business. 
 None but she saw those things. None but a 
 loving heart could see them. That was the 
 secret of her heavenly power. The one who 
 will be found in trial capable of great acts of 
 love, is ever the one who is always doing con¬ 
 siderate small ones. 
 
 F. W. Robertson. 
 
July 9 
 
 191 
 
 Love is of God; and every one that loveth is 
 born of God , and knoweth God. — 1 John iv. 7. 
 
 Forbearing one another , and forgiving one another , 
 if any man have a quarrel (or u complaint ”) 
 against any: even as Christ forgave you ? so also 
 doye. — Co'L. iii. 13. 
 
 Oh, might we all our lineage prove, 
 
 Give and forgive, do good and love $ 
 
 By soft endearments, in kind strife, 
 
 Lightening the load of daily life. 
 
 J. Keble, 
 
 W E may, if we choose, make the worst of 
 one another. Every one has his weak 
 points ; every one has his faults ; we 
 may make the worst of these ; we may fix our 
 attention constantly upon these. But we may 
 also make the best of one another. We may 
 forgive, even as we hope to be forgiven. We 
 may put ourselves in the place of others, and 
 ask what we should wish to be done to us, and 
 thought of us, were we in their place. By lov¬ 
 ing whatever is lovable in those around us, love 
 will flow back from them to us, and life will 
 become a pleasure instead of a pain ; and earth 
 will become like heaven ; and we shall become 
 not unworthy followers of Him whose name is 
 Love. 
 
 A. P. Stanley. 
 
192 
 
 July 10 
 
 The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me : 
 Thy mercy , O Lord , endureth forever: forsake not 
 the works of Thine own hands. — Ps. cxxxviii. 8. 
 
 As God leads me, will I go, — 
 
 Nor choose my way 5 
 Let Him choose the joy or woe 
 Of every day : 
 
 They cannot hurt my soul, 
 
 Because in His control : 
 
 I leave to Him the whole, — 
 
 H is children may. 
 
 L. Gedicke. 
 
 W HY is it that we are so busy with the 
 future ? It is not our province ; and is 
 there not a criminal interference with 
 Him to whom it belongs, in our feverish, anxious 
 attempts to dispose of it, and in filling it up with 
 shadows of good and evil shaped by our own 
 wild imaginations? To do God’s will as fast 
 as it is made known to us, to inquire hourly — 
 I had almost said each moment — what He re¬ 
 quires of us, and to leave ourselves, our friends, 
 and every interest at His control, with a cheer¬ 
 ful trust that the path which He marks out 
 leads to our perfection and to Himself,—this 
 is at once our duty and happiness ; and why 
 will we not walk in the plain, simple way ? 
 
 William E. Channing. 
 
July ii 
 
 193 
 
 IVhen He giveth quietness , who then can make 
 trouble ? — Job xxxiv. 29. 
 
 None of these things move me. — Acts xx. 24. 
 
 I ’ve many a cross to take up now, 
 
 And many left behind ; 
 
 But present troubles move me not, 
 
 Nor shake my quiet mind. 
 
 And what may be to-morrow’s cross 
 I never seek to find j 
 My Father says, “Leave that to me, 
 
 And keep a quiet mind ” Anon. 
 
 L ET us then think only of the present, and 
 not even permit our minds to wander with 
 curiosity into the future. This future is 
 not yet ours; perhaps it never will be. It is 
 exposing ourselves to temptation to wish to 
 anticipate God, and to prepare ourselves for 
 things which He may not destine for us. If 
 such things should come to pass, He will give 
 us light and strength according to the need. 
 Why should we desire to meet difficulties pre¬ 
 maturely, when we have neither strength nor 
 light as yet provided for them ? Let us give 
 heed to the present, whose duties are pressing; 
 it is fidelity to the present which prepares us for 
 fidelity in the future. 
 
 Francois de la Mothe Fenelon. 
 
 Every hour comes with some little fagot of 
 God's will fastened upon its back. 
 
 F. W. Faber. 
 
194 
 
 July 12 
 
 Be strong , and of a good courage, fear not , nor be 
 afraid . . . for the Lord thy God , He it is that 
 doth go with thee ; He will not fail thee , nor for¬ 
 sake thee . — Deut. xxxi. 6. 
 
 The timid it concerns to ask their way. 
 
 And fear what foe in caves and swamps can stray, 
 
 To make no step until the event is known, 
 
 And ills to come as evils past bemoan. 
 
 Not so the wise $ no coward watch he keeps 
 To spy what danger on his pathway creeps j 
 Go where he will, the wise man is at home, 
 
 His hearth the earth, —his hall the azure dome ; 
 Where his clear spirit leads him, there’s his road, 
 
 By God’s own light illumined and foreshowed. 
 
 R. W. Emerson. 
 
 T HOUGH I sympathize, I do not share in 
 the least the feeling of being disheartened 
 and cast down. It is not things of this 
 sort that depress me, or ever will. The con¬ 
 trary things, praise, openings, the feeling of the 
 greatness of my work, and my inability in re¬ 
 lation to it, these things oppress and cast me 
 down ; but little hindrances, and closing up of 
 accustomed or expected avenues, and the pres¬ 
 ence of difficulties to be overcome, — I’m not 
 going to be cast down by trifles such as these. 
 
 James Hinton. 
 
July 13 
 
 *95 
 
 And the Lord shall guide thee continually , and 
 ~ tisfy thy soul in drought .— Isa. lviii. II. 
 
 Wherever He may guide me. 
 
 No want shall turn me back ; 
 
 My Shepherd is beside me, 
 
 And nothing can I lack. 
 
 His wisdom ever waketh, 
 
 His sight is never dim, —■ 
 
 He knows the way He taketh. 
 
 And I will walk with Him. 
 
 A. L. Waring. 
 
 A BANDON yourself to His care and guid¬ 
 ance, as a sheep in the care of a shepherd, 
 and trust Him utterly. No matter though 
 you may seem to yourself to be in the very 
 midst of a desert, with nothing green about you, 
 inwardly or outwardly, and may think you will 
 have to make a long journey before you can 
 get into the green pastures. Our Shepherd will 
 turn that very place where you are into green 
 pastures, for He has power to make the desert 
 rejoice and blossom as a rose. 
 
 H. W. Smith. 
 
196 
 
 July 14 
 
 Be not conformed to this world: hut he ye trans¬ 
 formed by the renewing of your mind. — Rom. 
 xii. 2. 
 
 Father, let our faithful mind 
 Rest, on Thee alone inclined ; 
 
 Every anxious thought repress, 
 
 Keep our souls in perfect peace. 
 
 ' C. Wesley. 
 
 R ETIREMENT from anxieties of every 
 kind ; entering into no disputes ; avoiding 
 all frivolous talk; and simplifying every¬ 
 thing we engage in, whether in a way of doing 
 or suffering; denying the imagination its false 
 activities, and the intellect its false searchings 
 after what it cannot obtain, — these seem to be 
 some of the steps that lead to obedience to the 
 holy precept in our text. James P. Greaves. 
 
 Retire inwardly ; wait to feel somewhat of 
 God’s Spirit, discovering and drawing away from 
 that which is contrary to His holy nature, and 
 leading into that which is acceptable to Him. 
 As the mind is joined to this, some true light 
 and life is received. I. Penington. 
 
 Act up faithfully to your convictions; and 
 when you have been unfaithful, bear with your¬ 
 self, and resume always with calm simplicity 
 your little task. Suppress, as much as you pos¬ 
 sibly can, all recurrence to yourself, and you 
 will suppress much vanity. Accustom yourself 
 to much calmness and an indifference to events. 
 
 Madame Guyon. 
 
July 15 
 
 197 
 
 Lift up your heads , O ye gates ; even lift them 
 up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory 
 shall come in. — Ps. xxiv. 9. 
 
 Te are the temple of the living God. — 2 Cor. 
 vi. 16. 
 
 Fling wide the portals of your heart. 
 
 Make it a temple set apart 
 
 From earthly use for Heaven’s employ. 
 
 Adorned with prayer, and love, and joy. 
 
 So shall your Sovereign enter in, 
 
 And new and nobler life begin. 
 
 G. Weissel» 
 
 T HOU art to know that thy soul is tne 
 centre, habitation, and kingdom of God. 
 That, therefore, to the end the sovereign 
 King may rest on that throne of thy soul, thou 
 oughtest to take pains to keep it clean, quiet, 
 and peaceable, — clean from guilt and defects ; 
 quiet from fears; and peaceable in temptations 
 and tribulations. Thou oughtest always, then, 
 to keep thine heart in peace, that thou mayest 
 keep pure that temple of God ; and with a right 
 and pure intention thou art to work, pray, obey, 
 and suffer (without being in the least moved), 
 whatever it pleases the Lord to send unto thee. 
 
 M. de Molinos. 
 
198 
 
 July 16 
 
 Oh how great is Thy goodness , which Thou hast 
 laid up for them that fear Thee; which Thou 
 hast wrought for them that trust in Thee. — Ps. 
 xxxi. 19. 
 
 I will sing unto the Lord , because He hath dealt 
 bountifully with me. — Ps. xiii. 6. 
 
 Thy calmness bends serene above 
 My restlessness to still ; 
 
 Around me flows Thy quickening life. 
 
 To nerve my faltering will ; 
 
 Thy presence fills my solitude ; 
 
 Thy providence turns all to good. 
 
 S. Longfellow. 
 
 W ITH a heart devoted to God and full of 
 God, no longer seek Him in the heavens 
 above or the earth beneath, or in the 
 things under the earth, but recognize Him as 
 the great fact of the universe, separate from no 
 place or part, but revealed in all places and in 
 all things and events, moment by moment. And 
 as eternity alone will exhaust this momentary 
 revelation, which has sometimes been called the 
 Eternal Now, thou shalt thus find God ever 
 present and ever new ; and thy soul shall adore 
 Him and feed upon Him in the things and 
 events which each new moment brings; and 
 thou shalt never be absent from Him, and He 
 shall never be absent from thee. 
 
 T. C. Upham. 
 
July 17 
 
 l 99 
 
 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present 
 time are not worthy to be compared with the glory 
 which shall be revealed in us. — Rom. viii. 18. 
 
 The power of an endless life . — Heb. vii. 16. 
 
 Believ’st thou in eternal things ? 
 
 Thou knowest, in thy inmost heart. 
 
 Thou art not clay 5 thy soul hath wings, 
 
 And what thou seest is but part. 
 
 Make this thy med’cine for the smart 
 Of every day’s distress ; be dumb, 
 
 In each new loss thou truly art 
 
 Tasting the power of things that come. 
 
 T. W. Parsons. 
 
 E VERY contradiction of our will, every little 
 ailment, every petty disappointment, will, 
 if we take it patiently, become a blessing. 
 So, walking on earth, we may be in heaven ; 
 the ill-tempers of others, the slights and rude¬ 
 nesses of the world, ill-health, the daily accidents 
 with which God has mercifully strewed our 
 paths, instead of ruffling or disturbing our peace, 
 may cause His peace to be shed abroad in our 
 hearts abundantly. 
 
 E. B. Pusey. 
 
200 
 
 July 18 
 
 A new commandment 1 give unto you , That ye 
 love one another; as I have loved you , that ye also 
 love one another . — John xiii. 34. 
 
 And the Lord make you to increase and abound in 
 love , one toward another , and toward all men. — 
 1 Thess. iii. 12. 
 
 Let love through all my conduct shine. 
 
 An image fair, though faint, of Thine 5 
 Thus let me His disciple prove, 
 
 Who came to manifest Thy love. 
 
 Simon Browne. 
 
 W E should arrive at a fulness of love ex¬ 
 tending to the whole creation, a desire 
 to impart, to pour out in full and copious 
 streams the love and goodness we bear to all 
 around us. J. P. Greaves. 
 
 Goodness and love mould the form into their 
 own image, and cause the joy and beauty of love 
 to shine forth from every part of the face. 
 When this form of love is seen, it appears 
 ineffably beautiful, and affects with delight the 
 inmost life of the soul. E. Swedenborg. 
 
 The soul within had so often lighted up her 
 countenance with its own full happiness and joy, 
 that something of a permanent radiance remained 
 upon it. Sarah W. Stephen. 
 
July 19 
 
 201 
 
 The Lord is good to all: and His tender merciei 
 are over all His works. — Ps. cxlv. 9. 
 
 For every beast of the forest is Mine , and the 
 cattle upon a thousand hills. — Ps. 1 . 10. 
 
 Marer of earth and sea and sky, 
 
 Creation’s sovereign Lord and King, 
 
 Who hung the starry worlds on high, 
 
 And formed alike the sparrow’s wing 5 
 Bless the dumb creatures of Thy care, 
 
 And listen to their voiceless prayer. 
 
 Anon, 
 
 I '"BELIEVE where the love of God is verily 
 perfected, and the true spirit of government 
 watchfully attended to, a tenderness towards 
 all creatures made subject to us will be experi¬ 
 enced ; and a care felt in us, that we do not 
 lessen that sweetness of life in the animal crea¬ 
 tion, which the great Creator intends for them 
 under our government. To say we love God 
 as unseen, and at the same time exercise cruelty 
 toward the least creature moving by His life, or 
 by life derived from Him, was a contradiction 
 in itself. 
 
 John Woolman. 
 
 I would give nothing for that man’s religion 
 whose very dog and cat are not the better for it. 
 
 Rowland Hill. 
 
202 
 
 July 20 
 
 Then I said , I have labored in vain , I have 
 spent my strength for nought , /# iw/w. — Isa. 
 
 xlix. 4. 
 
 Because I spent the strength Thou gavest me 
 In struggle which Thou never didst ordain, 
 
 And have but dregs of life to offer Thee — 
 
 O Lord, I do repent. 
 
 Sarah' Williams. 
 
 M IND, it is our best work that He wants, 
 not the dregs of our exhaustion. I 
 think He must prefer quality to quantity. 
 
 George Macdonald. 
 
 If the people about you are carrying on their 
 business or their benevolence at a pace which 
 drains the life out of you, resolutely take a 
 slower pace; be called a laggard, make less 
 money, accomplish less work than they, but be 
 what you were meant to be and can be. You 
 have your natural limit of power as much as an 
 engine, — ten-horse power, or twenty, or a 
 hundred. You are fit to do certain kinds of 
 work, and you need a certain kind and amount 
 of fuel, and a certain kind of handling. 
 
 George S. Merriam. 
 
 In your occupations, try to possess your soul 
 in peace. It is not a good plan to be in haste 
 to perform any action that it may be the sooner 
 over. On the contrary, you should accustom 
 yourself to do whatever you have to do with 
 tranquillity, in order that you may retain the 
 possession of yourself and of settled peace. 
 
 Madame Guyon 
 
July 2i 
 
 203 
 
 For which cause we faint not; but , though our 
 outward man perish , yet the inward man is re¬ 
 newed day by day. — 2 Cor. iv. l6. 
 
 Let my soul beneath her load 
 
 Faint not through the o’erwearied flesh ; 
 
 Let me hourly drink afresh 
 
 Love and peace from Thee, my God ! 
 
 C. F. Richter. 
 
 I N my attempts to promote the comfort of my 
 family, the quiet of my spirit has been dis¬ 
 turbed. Some of this is doubtless owing to 
 physical weakness ; but,* with every temptation, 
 there is a way of escape ; there is never any need 
 to sin. Another thing I have suffered loss from, 
 — entering into the business of the day without 
 seeking to have my spirit quieted and directed. 
 So many things press upon me, this is some¬ 
 times neglected ; shame to me that it should 
 be so. 
 
 This is of great importance, to watch care¬ 
 fully, — now I am so weak —■. not to over¬ 
 fatigue myself, because then I cannot contribute 
 to the pleasure of others ; and a placid face and 
 a gentle tone will make my family more happy 
 than anything else I can do for them. Our 
 own will gets sadly into the performance of our 
 duties sometimes. 
 
 Elizabeth T. King. 
 
204 
 
 July 22 
 
 Whoso is wise , and will observe these things , 
 even they shall understand the loving-kindness of 
 the Lord . — Ps. cvii. 43. 
 
 What channel needs our faith, except the eyes? 
 
 God leaves no spot of earth unglorified ; 
 
 Profuse and wasteful, lovelinesses rise ; 
 
 New beauties dawn before the old have died. 
 
 Trust thou thy joys in keeping of the Power 
 
 Who holds these changing shadows in His hand ; 
 Believe and live, and know that hour by hour 
 Will ripple newer beauty to thy strand. 
 
 T. W. Higginson. 
 
 I WONDERED over again for the hun¬ 
 dredth time what could be the principle 
 which, in the wildest, most lawless, fan¬ 
 tastically chaotic, apparently capricious work of 
 nature, always kept it beautiful. The beauty 
 of holiness must be at the heart of it somehow, 
 I thought. Because our God is so free from 
 stain, so loving, so unselfish, so good, so alto¬ 
 gether what He wants us to be, so holy, there¬ 
 fore all His works declare Him in beauty ; 
 His fingers can touch nothing but to mould it 
 into loveliness; and even the play of His ele¬ 
 ments is in grace and tenderness of form. 
 
 G. Macdonald. 
 
July 23 
 
 205 
 
 Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy 
 heart , and with all thy soul , and with all thy 
 strength , and with all thy mind. — Luke x. 27. 
 
 O God, what offering shall I give 
 
 To Thee, the Lord of earth and skies? 
 
 My spirit, soul, and flesh receive, 
 
 A holy, living sacrifice. J. Lange. 
 
 T O love God u with all our heart,” is to 
 know the spiritual passion of measureless 
 gratitude for loving-kindness, and self¬ 
 devotedness to goodness; to love Him M with 
 all our mind,” is to know the passion for Truth 
 that is the enthusiasm of Science, the passion 
 for Beauty that inspires the poet and the artist, 
 when all truth and beauty are regarded as the 
 seif-revealings of God; to love Him u with all 
 our soul,” is to know the saint’s rapture of de¬ 
 votion and gaze of penitential awe into the face 
 of the All-holy, the saint’s abhorrence of sin, 
 and agony of desire to save a sinner’s soul; and 
 to love Him u with all our strength,” is the 
 supreme spiritual passion that tests the rest; the 
 passion for reality, for worship in spirit and in 
 truth, for being what we adore, for doing what 
 we know to be God’s word; the loyalty that 
 exacts the living sacrifice, the whole burnt-offer¬ 
 ing that is our reasonable service, and in our 
 coldest hours keeps steadfast to what seemed 
 good when we were aglow. J. H. Thom. 
 
206 
 
 July 24 
 
 Walk worthy of God , who hath called you unto 
 His kingdom and glory. — 1 Thess. ii. 12. 
 
 Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew ii 
 not. — Gen. xxviii. 16. 
 
 Thou earnest not to thy place by accident. 
 
 It is the very place God meant for thee ; 
 
 And shouldst thou there small scope for action see. 
 
 Do not for this give room to discontent. 
 
 R. C, Trench. 
 
 A CCEPT the place the divine providence 
 has found for you, the society of your 
 contemporaries, the connection of events. 
 
 R. W. Emerson. 
 
 /idapt thyself to the things with which thy 
 lot has been cast; and love the men with whom 
 it is thy portion to live, and that with a sincere 
 affection. No longer be either dissatisfied with 
 thy present lot, or shrink from the future. 
 
 Marcus Antoninus. 
 
 I love best to have each thing in its season, 
 doing without it at all other times. I have never 
 got over my surprise that I should have been 
 born into the most estimable place in all the 
 world, and in the very nick of time too. 
 
 H. D. Thoreau 
 
July 25 
 
 207 
 
 He knoweth the way that I take. — Job xxiii. 10. 
 
 Man s goings are of the Lord; how can a man 
 then understand his own way ? — Prov. xx. 24. 
 
 Be quiet, why this anxious heed 
 About thy tangled ways ? 
 
 God knows them all. He giveth speed, 
 
 And He allows delays. 
 
 E. W. 
 
 W E complain of the slow, dull life we are 
 forced to lead, of our humble sphere of 
 action, of our low position in the scale 
 of society, of our having no room to make our¬ 
 selves known, of our wasted energies, of our 
 years of patience. So do we say that we have 
 no Father who is directing our life; so do we 
 say that God has forgotten us; so do we boldly 
 judge what life is best for us ; and so by our com¬ 
 plaining do we lose the use and profit of the 
 quiet years. O men of little faith ! Because 
 you are not sent out yet into your labor, do you 
 think God has ceased to remember you ? Be¬ 
 cause you are forced to be outwardly inactive, 
 do you think you, also, may not be, in your 
 years of quiet, u about your Father’s business ” ? 
 It is a period given to us in which to mature 
 ourselves for the work which God will give us 
 to do. 
 
 Stopford A. Brooke. 
 
208 
 
 July 26 
 
 They that trust in the Lord shall be as Mount 
 Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever. 
 As the mountains are round about "Jerusalem, so the 
 Lord is round about His people from henceforth 
 even for ever . —Ps. cxxv. 1, 2. 
 
 How on a rock they stand, 
 
 Who watch His eye, and hold His guiding hand ! 
 Not half so fixed amid her vassal hills, 
 
 Rises the holy pile that Kedron’s valley fills. 
 
 J. Keble 
 
 T HAT is the way to be immovable in the 
 midst of troubles, as a rock amidst the 
 waves. When God is in the midst of a 
 kingdom or city, He makes it firm as Mount 
 Sion, that cannot be removed. When He is in 
 the midst of a soul, though calamities throng 
 about it on all hands, and roar like the billows 
 of the sea, yet there is a constant calm within, 
 such a peace as the world can neither give nor 
 take away. What is it but want of lodging 
 God in the soul, and that in His stead the world 
 is in men’s hearts, that makes them shake like 
 leaves at every blast of danger? 
 
 R. Leighton. 
 
July 27 
 
 209 
 
 He that received seed into the good ground is 
 he that heareth the word , and understandeth it; 
 which also beareth fruit , and bringeth forth , some 
 an hundredfold , some sixty , some thirty. — Matt. 
 xiii. 23. 
 
 Then bless thy secret growth, nor catch 
 At noise, but thrive unseen and dumb ; 
 
 Keep clean, bear fruit, earn life, and watch 
 Till the white-winged reapers come. 
 
 H. Vaughan. 
 
 H E does not need to transplant us into a 
 different field, but right where we are, 
 with just the circumstances that sur¬ 
 round us, He makes His sun to shine and His 
 dew to fail upon us, and transforms the very 
 things that were before our greatest hindrances, 
 into the chiefest and most blessed means of our 
 growth. No difficulties in your case can bafffe 
 Him. No dwarfing of your growth in years 
 that are past, no apparent dryness of your in¬ 
 ward springs of life, no crookedness or deform¬ 
 ity in any of your past development, can in the 
 least mar the perfect work that He will ac¬ 
 complish, if you will only put yourselves abso¬ 
 lutely into His hands, and let Him have His 
 own way with you. 
 
 H. W. Smith. 
 
210 
 
 July 28 
 
 But I would not have you to be ignorant , breth¬ 
 ren , concerning them which are asleep , that ye sor¬ 
 row not , even as others which have no hot>e. — I 
 Thess. iv. 13. 
 
 Yet Love will dream, and Faith will trust 
 (Since He who knows our need is just), 
 
 That somehow, somewhere, meet we must. 
 
 Alas for him who never sees 
 The stars shine through his cypress trees j 
 Who hath not learned in hours of faith, 
 
 The truth to flesh and sense unknown, 
 
 That life is ever Lord of Death, 
 
 And Love can never lose its own. 
 
 J. G. Whittier. 
 
 W HILE we poor wayfarers still toil, with 
 hot and bleeding feet, along the high¬ 
 way and the dust of life, our com¬ 
 panions have but mounted the divergent path, 
 to explore the more sacred streams, and visit 
 the diviner vales, and wander amid the everlast¬ 
 ing Alps, of God’s upper province of creation. 
 And so we keep up the courage of our hearts, 
 and refresh ourselves with the memories of love, 
 and travel forward in the ways of duty, with 
 less weary step, feeling ever for the hand of 
 God, and listening for the domestic voices of 
 the immortals whose happy welcome waits us. 
 Death, in short, under the Christian aspect, is 
 but God’s method of colonization; the transi¬ 
 tion from this mother-country of our race to the 
 fairer and newer world of our emigration. 
 
 J. Martineau. 
 
July 29 
 
 211 
 
 But this I say , brethren , the time is short. — I 
 Cor. vii. 29. 
 
 I sometimes feel the thread of life is slender, 
 
 And soon with me the labor will be wrought5 
 Then grows my heart to other hearts more tender. 
 
 The time is short. 
 
 D. M. Craik. 
 
 O H, my dear friends, you who are letting 
 miserable misunderstandings run on from 
 year to year, meaning to clear them up 
 some day ; you who are keeping wretched quar¬ 
 rels alive because you cannot quite make up 
 your mind that now is the day to sacrifice your 
 pride and kill them; you who are passing men 
 sullenly upon the street, not speaking to them 
 out of some silly spite, and yet knowing that it 
 would fill you with shame and remorse if you 
 heard that one of those men were dead to¬ 
 morrow morning; you who are letting your 
 neighbor starve, till you hear that he is dying 
 of starvation; or letting your friend’s heart ache 
 for a word of appreciation or sympathy, which 
 you mean to give him some day, — if you only 
 could know and see and feel, all of a sudden, 
 that “the time is short,” how it would break 
 the spell! How you would go instantly and 
 do the thing which you might never have an¬ 
 other chance to do. 
 
 Phillips Brooks. 
 
212 
 
 July 30 
 
 Remember not the sins of my youth , nor my trans¬ 
 gressions : according to Thy mercy remember Thou 
 me for Thy goodness' sake , O Lord. — Ps. xxv. 7. 
 
 When on my aching, burdened heart 
 My sins lie heavily, 
 
 My pardon speak, new peace impart, 
 
 In love remember me, 
 
 T. Haweis. 
 
 W E need to know that our sins are for¬ 
 given. And how shall we know this? 
 By feeling that we have peace with 
 God, — by feeling that we are able so to trust 
 in the divine compassion and infinite tenderness 
 of our Father, as to arise and go to Him, when¬ 
 ever we commit sin, and say at once to Him, 
 “Father, I have sinned; forgive me.” To 
 know that we are forgiven, it is only necessary 
 to look at our Father’s love till it sinks into our 
 heart, to open our soul to Him till He shall 
 pour His love into it; to wait on Him till we 
 find peace, till our conscience no longer tor¬ 
 ments us, till the weight of responsibility ceases 
 to be an oppressive burden to us, till we can 
 feel that our sins, great as they are, cannot keep 
 us away from our Heavenly Father. 
 
 J. F. Clarke. 
 
July 31 
 
 213 
 
 I have blotted out , as a thick cloud , thy trans¬ 
 gressions , and , a cloud , ^ r/Vzr; return unto Me\ 
 for I have redeemed thee . — Isa. xliv. 22. 
 
 will turn again , He will have compassion 
 upon us; He will subdue our iniquities ; and Thou 
 wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. — 
 Micah vii. 19. 
 
 If my shut eyes should dare their lids to part, 
 
 I know how they must quail beneath the blaze 
 Of Thy Love’s greatness. No $ I dare not raise 
 One prayer, to look aloft, lest it should gaze 
 On such forgiveness as would break my heart. 
 
 H. S. Sutton. 
 
 O LORD God gracious and merciful, give 
 us, I entreat Thee, a humble trust in Thy 
 mercy, and suffer not our heart to fail us. 
 Though our sins be seven, though our sins be 
 seventy times seven, though our sins be more in 
 number than the hairs of our head, yec give u. 
 grace in loving penitence to cast ourselves down 
 into the depth of Thy compassion. Let us fall 
 into the hand of the Lord. Amen. 
 
 C. G. Rossetti. 
 
August i 
 
 *14 
 
 Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry : for anger 
 resteth in the bosom of fools. — Eccles. vii. 9. 
 
 Let not the sun go down upon your wrath. — 
 Eph. iv. 26. 
 
 Quench thou the fires of hate and strife, 
 
 The wasting fever of the heart j 
 From perils guard our feeble life. 
 
 And to our souls Thy peace impart. 
 
 J. H. Newman, Tr. from Latin 
 
 W HEN thou art offended or annoyed by 
 others, suffer not thy thoughts to dwell 
 thereon, or on anything relating to them. 
 For example, “that they ought not so to have 
 treated thee; who they are, or whom they think 
 themselves to be; ” or the like ; for all this is 
 fuel and kindling of wrath, anger, and hatred. 
 
 L. Scupoli. 
 
 Struggle diligently against your impatience, 
 and strive to be amiable and gentle, in season 
 and out of season, towards every one, however 
 much they may vex and annoy you, and be sure 
 God will bless your efforts. 
 
 St. Francis de Sales. 
 
August 2 
 
 215 
 
 Behold , God is my salvation ; I will trust , and 
 not he afraid: for the Lord 'Jehovah is ?ny strength 
 and my song; He also is become my salvation .— 
 
 Isa. xii. 2. 
 
 Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye 
 have no faith ? — Mark iv. 40. 
 
 Still heavy is thy heart ? 
 
 Still sink thy spirits down ? 
 
 Cast off the weight, let fear depart, 
 
 And every care be gone. 
 
 P. Gerhardt. 
 
 G O on in all simplicity; do not be so anx¬ 
 ious to win a quiet mind, and it will be 
 all the quieter. Do not examine so 
 closely into the progress of your soul. Do not 
 crave so much to be perfect, but let your spirit¬ 
 ual life be formed by your duties, and by the 
 actions which are called forth by circumstances. 
 Do not take overmuch thought for to-morrow. 
 God, who has led you safely on so far, will lead 
 you on to the end. Be altogether at rest in the 
 loving holy confidence which you ought to have 
 in His heavenly Providence. 
 
 St. Francis de Sales. 
 
7l6 
 
 August 3 
 
 Thou hast made him exceeding glad with Thy 
 countenance . — Ps. xxi. 6. 
 
 My heart for gladness springs, 
 
 It cannot more be sad, 
 
 For very joy it laughs and sings, 
 
 Sees nought but sunshine glad. 
 
 P. Gerhardt. 
 
 A NEW day rose upon me. It was as if 
 another sun had risen into the sky; the 
 heavens were indescribably brighter, and 
 the earth fairer ; and that day has gone on bright- 
 ening to the present hour. I have known the 
 other joys of life, I suppose, as much as most 
 men ; I have known art and beauty, music and 
 gladness; I have known friendship and love and 
 family ties; but it is certain that till we see God 
 in the world — God in the bright and boundless 
 universe — we never know the highest joy. It 
 is far more than if one were translated to a world 
 a thousand times fairer than this; for that 
 supreme and central Light of Infinite Love and 
 Wisdom, shining over this world and all worlds, 
 alone can show us how noble and beautiful, how 
 fair and glorious they are. Orville Dewey. 
 
 When I look like this into the blue sky, it 
 seems so deep, so peaceful, so full of a mys¬ 
 terious tenderness, that I could lie for centuries 
 and wait for the dawning of the face of God out 
 of the awfu) loving-kindness. G. Macdonald. 
 
August 4 
 
 217 
 
 He satisfieth the longing soul , and the hungry 
 )oul He filleth with good. — Ps.-cvii. 9 (R. V.). 
 
 That ye might be filled with all the fulness of 
 God. — Eph. iii. 19. 
 
 Enough that He who made can fill the soul 
 Here and hereafter till its deeps o’erflow $ 
 Enough that love and tenderness control 
 Our fate where’er in joy or doubt we go. 
 
 Anon. 
 
 O GOD, the Life of the Faithful, the Bliss 
 of the righteous, mercifully receive the 
 prayers of Thy suppliants, that the souls 
 which thirst for Thy promises may evermore be 
 filled from Thy abundance. Amen. 
 
 Gelasian Sacramentary, a. d. 490. 
 
 God makes every common thing serve, if 
 thou wilt, to enlarge that capacity of bliss in 
 His love. Not a prayer, not an act of faithful¬ 
 ness in your calling, not a self-denying or kind 
 word or deed, done out of love for Himself; 
 not a weariness or painfulness endured pa¬ 
 tiently ; not a duty performed; not a temptation 
 resisted ; but it enlarges the whole soul for the 
 endless capacity of the love of God. 
 
 E. B. Pusey. 
 
21 8 
 
 August 5 
 
 O receive the gift that is given you , and be glad , 
 giving thanks unto Him that hath called you to the 
 heavenly kingdom. — 2 Esdras ii. 37. 
 
 Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift . — 
 2 Cor. ix. 15. 
 
 O Giver of each perfect gift ! 
 
 This day our daily bread supply ; 
 
 While from the Spirit’s tranquil depths 
 We drink unfailing draughts of joy. 
 
 Lyra Catholica. 
 
 T HE best way for a man rightly to enjoy 
 himself, is to maintain a universal, ready, 
 and cheerful compliance with the divine 
 and uncreated Will in all things; as knowing 
 that nothing can issue and flow forth from the 
 fountain of goodness but that which is good ; 
 and therefore a good man is never offended with 
 any piece of divine dispensation, nor hath he 
 any reluctancy against that Will that dictates 
 and determines all things by an eternal rule of 
 goodness ; as knowing that there is an unbounded 
 and almighty Love that, without any disdain or 
 envy, freely communicates itself to everything 
 He made; that always enfolds those in His 
 everlasting arms who are made partakers of His 
 own image, perpetually nourishing and cherish¬ 
 ing them with the fresh and vital influences of 
 H is grace. 
 
 Dr. John Smith. 
 
August 6 
 
 219 
 
 Bless the Lord , O my soul , and forget not all 
 His benefits. — Ps. ciii. 2. 
 
 Wiser it were to welcome and make ours 
 Whate’er of good, though small, the Present brings,—- 
 Kind greetings, sunshine, song of birds, and flowers. 
 With a child’s pure delight in little things. 
 
 R. C. Trench. 
 
 I NTO all our lives, in many simple, familiar, 
 homely ways, God infuses this element of 
 joy from the surprises of life, which unex¬ 
 pectedly brighten our days, and fill our eyes 
 with light. He drops this added sweetness into 
 His children’s cup, and makes it to run over. 
 The success we were not counting on, the 
 blessing we were not trying after, the strain of 
 music, in the midst of drudgery, the beautiful 
 morning picture or sunset glory thrown in as 
 we pass to or from our daily business, the un¬ 
 sought word of encouragement or expression of 
 sympathy, the sentence that meant for us more 
 than the writer or speaker thought, — these and 
 a hundred others that every one’s experience 
 can supply are instances of what I mean. You 
 may call it accident or chance — it often is; 
 you may call it human goodness — it often is; 
 but always, always call it God’s love, for that is 
 always in it. These are the overflowing riches 
 of His grace, these are His free gifts. 
 
 S, Longfellow. 
 
220 
 
 August 7 
 
 If thou canst believe , all things are possible to 
 him that believeth. — Mark ix. 23. 
 
 Nothing shall be impossible unto you. — Matt. 
 xvii. 20. 
 
 So nigh is grandeur to our dust, 
 
 So near is God to man. 
 
 When Duty whispers low, Thou must , 
 
 The youth replies, I can. 
 
 R. W. Emerson. 
 
 K NOW that cc impossible,” where truth and 
 mercy and the everlasting voice of nature 
 order, has no place in the brave man’s 
 dictionary. That when all men have said u Im¬ 
 possible,” and tumbled noisily elsewhither, and 
 thou alone art left, then first thy time and pos¬ 
 sibility have come. It is for thee now: do thou 
 that, and ask no man’s counsel, but thy own 
 only and God’s. Brother, thou hast possibility 
 in thee for much: the possibility of writing on 
 the eternal skies the record of a heroic life. 
 
 T. Carlyle. 
 
 In the moral world there is nothing impos¬ 
 sible, if we bring a thorough will to it. Man 
 can do everything with himself; but he must 
 not attempt to do too much with others. 
 
 Wm. von Humboldt. 
 
August 8 
 
 221 
 
 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith 
 Christ hath made us free , and be not entangled 
 again with the yoke of bondage. — Gal. v. i. 
 
 I believed, and therefore have I spoken. — 2 Cor. 
 iv. 13. 
 
 They are slaves wfio fear to speak 
 For the fallen and the weak ; 
 
 They are slaves who will not choose 
 Hatred, scoffing, and abuse, 
 
 Rather than in silence shrink 
 
 From the truth they needs must think ; 
 
 They are slaves who dare not be 
 In the right with two or three. 
 
 J. R. Lowell. 
 
 T HE real corrupters of society may be, not 
 the corrupt, but those who have held 
 back the righteous leaven, the salt that 
 has lost its savor, the innocent who have not 
 even the moral courage to show what they think 
 of the effrontery of impurity, — the serious, who 
 yet timidly succumb before some loud-voiced 
 scoffer, — the heart trembling all over with 
 religious sensibilities that yet suffers itself through 
 false shame to be beaten down into outward 
 and practical acquiescence by some rude and 
 worldly nature. 
 
 J. H. Thom, 
 
222 
 
 August 9 
 
 The things which are impossible with men are 
 possible with God .— Luke xviii. 27. 
 
 Unless the Lord had been my help , my soul had 
 almost dwelt in silence. — Ps. xciv. 17. 
 
 When obstacles and trials seem 
 Like prison-walls to be, 
 
 I do the little I can do, 
 
 And leave the rest to Thee. 
 
 F. W. Faber. 
 
 T HE mind never puts, forth greater power 
 over itself than when, in great trials, it 
 yields up calmly its desires, affections, 
 Interests to God. There are seasons when to 
 be still demands immeasurably higher strength 
 than to act. Composure is often the highest 
 result of power. Think you it demands no 
 power to calm the stormy elements of passion, 
 to moderate the vehemence of desire, to throw 
 off the load of dejection, to suppress every re¬ 
 pining thought, when the dearest hopes are 
 withered, and to turn the wounded spirit from 
 dangerous reveries and wasting grief, to the 
 quiet discharge of ofdinary duties ? Is there no 
 power put forth, when a man, stripped of his 
 property, of the fruits of a life’s labors, quells 
 discontent and gloomy forebodings, and serenely 
 and patiently returns to the tasks which Provi¬ 
 dence assigns ? 
 
 Wm. E. Channing. 
 
August io 
 
 22J 
 
 The cup which my Father has given me , shall 1 
 not drink it ? — John xviii. 11. 
 
 Whatsoever is brought upon thee , take cheerfully . 
 — Ecclesiasticus ii. 4. 
 
 Every sorrow, every smart, 
 
 That the Eternal Father’s heart 
 Hath appointed me of yore, 
 
 Or hath yet for me in store, 
 
 As my life flows on, I ’ll take 
 Calmly, gladly, for His sake, 
 
 No more faithless murmurs make 
 
 P. Gerhardt. 
 
 T HE very least and the very greatest sorrows 
 that God ever suffers to befall thee, pro¬ 
 ceed from the depths of His unspeakable 
 love; and such great love were better for thee 
 than the highest and best gifts besides that He 
 has given thee, or ever could give thee, if thou 
 couldst but see it in this light. So that if your 
 little finger only aches, if you are cold, if you 
 are hungry or thirsty, if others vex you by their 
 words or deeds, or whatever happens to you 
 that causes you distress or pain, it will all help 
 to fit you for a noble and blessed state. 
 
 J. Tauler. 
 
224 
 
 August ii 
 
 The Lord thy God shall bless thee in all thy 
 works , and in all that thou puttest thine hand 
 unto . — Deut. xv. 10. 
 
 Mv place of lowly service, too, 
 
 Beneath Thy sheltering wings I see ; 
 
 For all the work I have to do 
 
 Is done through strengthening rest in Thee. 
 
 A. L. Waring. 
 
 I THINK I find most help in trying to look 
 on all interruptions and hindrances to work 
 that one has planned out for oneself as dis¬ 
 cipline, trials sent by God to help one against 
 getting selfish over one’s work. Then one can 
 feel that perhaps one’s true work — one’s work 
 for God—consists in doing some trifling hap¬ 
 hazard thing that has been thrown into one’s 
 day. It is not waste of time, as one is tempted 
 to think, it is the most important part of the 
 work of the day, — the part one can best offei 
 to God. After such a hindrance, do not rush 
 after the planned work; trust that the time to 
 finish it will be given sometime, and keep a 
 \uiet heart about it. 
 
 Annie Keary. 
 
August 12 
 
 225 
 
 Master , what shall I do to inherit eternal life ? 
 
 — Luke x. 25. 
 
 Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do , do it with 
 thy might. —Eccles. ix. 10. 
 
 “ What shall I do to gain eternal life ? ” 
 
 “ Discharge aright 
 
 The simple dues with which each day is rife, 
 
 Yea, with thy might,” 
 
 F. von Schiller. 
 
 A MAN is relieved and gay when he has 
 put his heart into his work, and done his 
 best; but what he has said or done other¬ 
 wise, shall give him no peace. 
 
 R. W. Emerson. 
 
 Be diligent, after thy power, to do deeds of 
 love. Think nothing too little, nothing too low, 
 to do lovingly for the sake of God. Bear with 
 infirmities, ungentle tempers, contradictions; 
 visit, if thou mayest, the sick; relieve the 
 poor; forego thyself and thine own ways for 
 love; and He whom in them thou lovest, to 
 whom in them thou ministerest, will own thy 
 love, and will pour His own love into thee. 
 
 E. B. Pusey. 
 
226 
 
 August 13 
 
 In your patience possess ye your souls. — Luke 
 xxi. 19. 
 
 What though thy way be dark, and earth 
 With ceaseless care do cark, tiil mirth 
 To thee no sweet strain singeth j 
 Still hide thy life above, and still 
 Believe that God is love ; fulfil 
 Whatever lot He bringeth. 
 
 Albert E. Evans 
 
 T HE soul loses command of itself when it 
 is impatient. Whereas, when it submits 
 without a murmur it possesses itself in 
 peace, and possesses God. To be impatient, 
 is to desire what we have not, or not to desire 
 what we have. When we acquiesce in an evil, 
 it is no longer such. Why make a real calam¬ 
 ity of it by resistance ? Peace does not dwell 
 in outward things, but within the soul. We 
 may preserve it in the midst of the bitterest 
 pain, if our will remains firm and submis¬ 
 sive. Peace in this life springs from acquies¬ 
 cence even in disagreeable things, not in an 
 exemption from bearing them. 
 
 Francois de la Mothe Fenelon. 
 
 The chief pang of most trials is not so much 
 the actual suffering itself, as our own spirit of 
 resistance to it. 
 
 Jeai* Nicolas Grou. 
 
August 14 
 
 227 
 
 I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills , from 
 whence cometh my help. —-Ps. cxxi. 1. 
 
 My grace is sufficient for thee. —- 2 Cor. xii. 9. 
 
 I lock to Thee in every need, 
 
 And never look in vain 5 
 I feel Thy touch, Eternal Love, 
 
 And all is well again : 
 
 The thought of Thee is mightier far 
 Than sin and pain and sorrow are. 
 
 S. Longfellow.. 
 
 H OW can you live sweetly amid the vexa¬ 
 tious things, the irritating things, the 
 multitude of little worries and frets, 
 which lie all along your way, and which you can¬ 
 not evade ? You cannot at present change your 
 surroundings. . Whatever kind of life you are to 
 live, must be lived amid precisely the experiences 
 in which you are now moving*, Here you must 
 win your victories or suffer your defeats. No 
 restlessness or discontent can change your lot 
 Others may have other circumstances surround¬ 
 ing them, but here are yours. You had better 
 make up your mind to accept what you cannot 
 alter. You can live a beautiful life in the midst 
 of your present circumstances. J. R. Miller. 
 
 Strive to realize a state of inward happiness, 
 independent of circumstances. J. P. Greaves. 
 
228 
 
 August 15 
 
 God hath not given us the spirit of fear; hut 
 of power , and of love , and of a sound mind . —• 
 2 Tim. i. 7. 
 
 We cast behind fear, sin, and death ; 
 
 With Thee we seek the things above ; 
 
 Our inmost souls Thy spirit breathe, 
 
 Of power, of calmness, and of love. 
 
 Hymns of the Spirit. 
 
 1 MUST conclude with a more delightful sub¬ 
 ject, — my most dear and blessed sister. I 
 never saw a more perfect instance of the 
 spirit of power and of love, and of a sound 
 mind ; intense love, almost to the annihilation 
 of selfishness — a daily martyrdom for twenty 
 years, during which she adhered to her early- 
 formed resolution of never talking about herself; 
 thoughtful about the very pins and ribands of 
 my wife’s dress, about the making of a doll’s cap 
 for a child, — but of herself, save only as re¬ 
 garded her ripening in all goodness, wholly 
 thoughtless; enjoying everything lovely, grace¬ 
 ful, beautiful, high-minded, whether in God’s 
 works or man’s, with the keenest relish; inherit¬ 
 ing the earth to the very fulness of the promise, 
 though never leaving her crib, nor changing her 
 posture; and preserved through the very valley 
 of the shadow of death, from all fear or im¬ 
 patience, or from every cloud of impaired 
 reason, which might mar the beauty of Christ’s 
 spirit’s glorious work. Thomas Arnold. 
 
August 16 
 
 2 29 
 
 Whatsoever a man soweth , that shall he also 
 reap . — Gal. vi. 7. 
 
 The life above, when this is past, 
 
 Is the ripe fruit of life below. 
 
 Sow love, and taste its fruitage pure ; 
 
 Sow peace, and reap its harvest bright j 
 Sow sunbeams on the rock and moor, 
 
 And find a harvest-home of light. 
 
 H. Bonar. 
 
 T HE dispositions, affections, inclinations of 
 soul, which shall issue hereafter in per¬ 
 fection, must be trained and nurtured in 
 us throughout the whole course of this earthly 
 life. When shall we bear in mind this plain 
 truth, that the future perfection of the saints is 
 not a translation from one state or disposition of 
 soul into another, diverse from the former; but 
 the carrying out, and, as it were, the blossom 
 and the fruitage of one and the same principle 
 of spiritual life, which, through their whole 
 career on earth, has been growing with an even 
 strength, putting itself forth in the beginnings 
 and promise of perfection, reaching upward 
 with steadfast aspirations after perfect holiness ? 
 
 H. E. Manning. 
 
230 
 
 August 17 
 
 0 turn unto me , and have mercy upon me; give 
 Thy strength unto Thy servant , and save the son 
 of Thy handmaid. —Ps. lxxxvi. 16. 
 
 Thou art my King — 
 
 My King henceforth alone ; 
 
 And I, Thy servant. Lord, am all Thine own. 
 
 Give me Thy strength $ oh ! let Thy dwelling be 
 In this poor heart that pants, my Lord, for Thee ! 
 
 G. Tersteegen. 
 
 W HEN it is the one ruling, never-ceasing 
 desire of our hearts, that God may be 
 the beginning and end, the reason and 
 motive, the rule and measure, of our doing or 
 not doing, from morning to night; then every¬ 
 where, whether speaking or silent, whether in¬ 
 wardly or outwardly employed, we are equally 
 offered up to the eternal Spirit, have our life in 
 Him and from Him, and are united to Him by 
 that Spirit of Prayer which is the comfort, the 
 support, the strength and security of the soul, 
 travelling, by the help of God, through the van¬ 
 ity of time into the riches of eternity. Let us 
 have no thought or care, but how to be wholly 
 His devoted instruments; everywhere, and in 
 everything, His adoring, joyful, and thankful 
 servants. 
 
 Wm. Law. 
 
August 18 
 
 231 
 
 Beloved , if our heart condemn us not , then have 
 we confidence toward God. — 1 John iii. 21. 
 
 O Lord, how happy is the time 
 When in Thy love I rest : 
 
 When from my weariness I climb 
 E’en to Thy tender breast. 
 
 The night of sorrow endeth there, 
 
 Thy rays outshine the sun 5 
 And in Thy pardon and Thy care 
 The heaven of heavens is won. 
 
 W. C. Dessler. 
 
 N OTHING doth so much establish the 
 mind amidst the rollings and turbulency 
 of present things, as both a look above 
 them, and a look beyond them; above them to 
 the good and steady Hand by which they are 
 ruled, and beyond them to the sweet and beauti¬ 
 ful end to which, by that Hand, they shall be 
 brought. Study pure and holy walking, if you 
 would have your confidence firm, and have bold¬ 
 ness and joy in God. You will find that a little 
 sin will shake your trust and disturb your peace 
 more than the greatest sufferings : yea, in those 
 sufferings, your assurance and joy in God will 
 grow and abound most if sin be kept out. So 
 much sin as gets in, so much peace will go out. 
 
 R. LEIGiprON. 
 
23 2 
 
 August 19 
 
 Teach me Thy way , O Lord , and lead me in a 
 plain path. — Ps. xxvii. 11. 
 
 Lead, kindly Light, amid the encircling gloom, 
 Lead Thou me on ; 
 
 The night is dark, and I am far from home, 
 
 Lead Thou me on. 
 
 Keep Thou my feet 5 I do not ask to see 
 The distant scene j one step enough for me. 
 
 J. H. Newman. 
 
 G OD only is holy; He alone knows how 
 to lead His children in the paths of holi¬ 
 ness. He knows every aspect of your 
 soul, every thought, of your heart, every secret 
 of your character, its difficulties and hindrances; 
 He knows how to mould you to His will, and 
 lead you onwards to perfect sanctification ; He 
 knows exactly how each event, each trial, each 
 temptation, will tell upon you, and He disposes 
 all things accordingly. The consequences of 
 this belief, if fully grasped, will influence your 
 whole life. You will seek to give yourself up 
 to God more and more unreservedly, asking 
 nothing, refusing nothing, wishing nothing, but 
 what He wills; not seeking to bring things 
 about for yourself, taking all He sends joyfully, 
 and believing the u one step ” set before you to 
 be enough for you. You will be satisfied that 
 even though there are clouds around, and your 
 way seems dark, He is directing all, and that 
 what seems a hindrance will prove a blessing, 
 since He wills it. Jean Nicolas Grou. 
 
August 20 
 
 233 
 
 Wait on the Lord: be of good courage , and He 
 shall strengthen thine heart : wait , 1 say , on the 
 Lord. — Ps. xxvii. 14. 
 
 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that 
 have no might He increaseth strength. — Isa. xl. 29. 
 
 Leaning on Him, make with reverent meekness 
 His own thy will, 
 
 And with strength from Him c hall thy utter weakness 
 Life’s task fulfil. 
 
 J. G. Whittier. 
 
 S HOULD we feel at times disheartened and 
 discouraged, a confiding thought, a simple 
 movement of heart towards God will re¬ 
 new our powers. Whatever He may demand 
 of us, He will give us at the moment the strength 
 and the courage that we need. 
 
 Francois de la Mothe Fenelon. 
 
 We require a certain firmness in all circum¬ 
 stances of life, even the happiest, and perhaps 
 contradictions come in order to prove and exer¬ 
 cise this; and, if we can only determine so to 
 use them, the very effort brings back tranquillity 
 to the soul, which always enjoys having exercised 
 its strength in conformity to duty. 
 
 Wm. von Humboldt, 
 
*34 
 
 August 21 
 
 W ? then that are strong ought to bear the in¬ 
 firmities ofi the weak , and not to please ourselves. — 
 Rom. xv. i. 
 
 1 The Lord God hath given me the tongue ofi the 
 learned , that I should know how to speak a word 
 in season to him that is weary. — — Isa. 1, 4. 
 
 If there be some weaker one, 
 
 Give me strength to help him on 5 
 If a blinder soul there be, 
 
 Let me guide him nearer Thee. 
 
 J. G. Whittier. 
 
 A SK Him to increase your powers of sym¬ 
 pathy : to give you more quickness ^nd 
 depth of sympathy, in little things as well 
 as great. Opportunities of doing a kindness 
 are often lost from mere want of thought. 
 Half a dozen lines of kindness may bring sun¬ 
 shine into the whole day of some sick person. 
 Think of the pleasure you might give to some 
 one who is much shut up, and who has fewer 
 pleasures than you have, by sharing with her 
 some little comfort or enjoyment that you have 
 learnt to look upon as a necessary of life, — the 
 pleasant drive, the new book, flowers from the 
 country, etc. Try to put yourself in another’s 
 place. Ask u What should I like myself, if I 
 were hard-worked, or sick, or lonely ? ” Culti¬ 
 vate the habit of sympathy. 
 
 G. H. Wilkinson. 
 
August 22 
 
 *35 
 
 I beseech you therefore , brethren , £y mercies 
 of God , that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice , 
 holy , acceptable unto God , which is your reasonable 
 service . — Rom. xii. 1. 
 
 Thou hast my flesh, Thy hallowed shrine. 
 Devoted solely to Thy will ; 
 
 Here let Thy light forever shine, 
 
 This house still let Thy presence fill 5 
 O Source of Life, live, dwell, and move 
 In me, till all my life be love ! 
 
 Joachim Lange. 
 
 M AY it not be a comfort to those of us 
 who feel we have not the mental or 
 spiritual power that others have, to 
 notice that the living sacrifice mentioned in 
 Rom. xii. 1, is our “ bodies ” ? Of course, that 
 includes the mental power, but does it not also 
 include the loving, sympathizing glance, the 
 kind, encouraging word, the ready errand for 
 another , the work of our hands, opportunities for 
 all of which come oftener in the day than fol 
 the mental power we are often tempted to envy? 
 May we be enabled to offer willingly that which 
 we have. 
 
 Anon, 
 
236 
 
 August 23 
 
 Seekest thou great things for thyself f seek them 
 not. — Jer. xlv. 5. 
 
 I would not have the restless will 
 That hurries to and fro, 
 
 Seeking for some great thing to do, 
 
 Or secret thing to know ; 
 
 I would be treated as a child, 
 
 And guided where I go. 
 
 A. L. Waring. 
 
 O H ! be little, be little ; and then thou wilt 
 be content with little; and if thou feel, 
 now and then, a check or a secret smit¬ 
 ing,— in that is the Father’s love; be not over¬ 
 wise, nor over-eager, in thy own willing, running, 
 and desiring, and thou mayest feel it so ; and by 
 degrees come to the knowledge of thy Guide, 
 who will lead thee, step by step, in the path of 
 life, and teach thee to follow. Be still, and 
 wait for light and strength. 
 
 I. Penington, 
 
 Sink into the sweet and blessed littleness, 
 where thou livest by grace alone. Contemplate 
 with delight the holiness and goodness in God, 
 which thou dost not find in thyself. How 
 lovely it is to be nothing when God is all! 
 
 G. Tersteegen. 
 
August 24 
 
 237 
 
 And that which fell among thorns are they , 
 which , they have heard , go forth , 
 
 choked with cares , and riches and pleasures of this 
 life , aW bring no fruit to perfection. — Luke 
 viii. 14. 
 
 Preserve me from my calling’s snare, 
 
 And hide my simple heart above, 
 
 Above the thorns of choking care, 
 
 The gilded baits of worldly love. 
 
 C. Wesley. 
 
 A NYTHING allowed in the heart which 
 is contrary to the will of God, let it seem 
 ever so insignificant, or be ever so deeply 
 hidden, will cause us to fall before our enemies. 
 Any root of bitterness cherished towards another, 
 any self-seeking, any harsh judgments indulged 
 in, any slackness in obeying the voice of the 
 Lord, any doubtful habits or surroundings, any 
 one of these things will effectually cripple and 
 paralyze our spiritual life. I believe our blessed 
 Guide, the indwelling Holy Spirit, is always 
 secretly discovering these things to us by con¬ 
 tinual little twinges and pangs of conscience, so 
 that we are left without excuse. 
 
 H. W. Smith. 
 
23 8 
 
 August 25 
 
 See that ye refuse not Him that speaketh , — 
 Heb. xii. 25. 
 
 From the world of sin and noise 
 And hurry I withdraw ; 
 
 For the small and inward voice 
 I wait with humble awe $ 
 
 Silent am I now and still, 
 
 Dare not in Thy presence move j 
 To my waiting soul reveal 
 The secret of Thy love. 
 
 C. Wesley 
 
 W HEN therefore the smallest instinct or 
 desire of thy heart calleth thee towards 
 God, and a newness of life, give it time 
 and leave to speak; and take care thou refuse 
 not Him that speaketh. Be retired, silent, pas¬ 
 sive, and humbly attentive to this new risen light 
 within thee. 
 
 Wm. Law. 
 
 It is hardly to be wondered at that he should 
 lose the finer consciousness of higher powers and 
 deeper feelings, not from any behavior in itself 
 wrong, but from the hurry, noise, and tumult in 
 the streets of life, that, penetrating too deep into 
 the house of life, dazed and stupefied the silent 
 and lonely watcher in the chamber of conscience, 
 far apart. He had no time to think or feel. 
 
 G. Macdonald. 
 
August 26 
 
 2 39 
 
 Be silent , O all flesh, before the Lord. — Zech 
 ii. 13. 
 
 Be earth, with all her scenes, withdrawn ; 
 
 Let noise and vanity be gone : 
 
 In secret silence of the mind, 
 
 My heaven, and there my God, I find. 
 
 I. Watts, 
 
 I T is only with the pious affection of the will 
 that we can be spiritually attentive to God. 
 As long as the noisy restlessness of the 
 thoughts goes on, the gentle and holy desires of 
 the new nature are overpowered and inactive. 
 
 J. P. Greaves. 
 
 There is hardly ever a complete silence in 
 our soul. God is whispering to us wellnigh in¬ 
 cessantly. Whenever the sounds of the world 
 die out in the soul, or sink low, then we hear 
 these whisperings of God. He is always whis¬ 
 pering to us, only we do not always hear, be¬ 
 cause of the noise, hurry, and distraction which 
 life causes as it rushes on. F. W. Faber. 
 
 The prayer of faith is a sincere, sweet, and 
 quiet view of divine, eternal truth. The soul 
 rests quiet, perceiving and loving God; sweetly 
 rejecting all the imaginations that present them¬ 
 selves, calming the mind in the Divine presence, 
 and fixing it only on God. M. de Molinos. 
 
240 
 
 August 27 
 
 Being confident of this very thing , that He which 
 hath begun a good work in you will perfoi m it. — 
 Phil. i. 6. 
 
 He that endureth to the end shall be saved.-* 
 Matt. x. 22. 
 
 Fill with inviolable peace j 
 
 Stablish and keep my settled heart $ 
 
 In Thee may all my wanderings cease, 
 
 From Thee no more may I depart : 
 
 Thy utmost goodness called to prove, 
 
 Loved with an everlasting love ! C. Wesley. 
 
 I F any sincere Christian cast himself with his 
 whole will upon the Divine Presence which 
 dwells within him, he shall be kept safe unto 
 the end. What is it that makes us unable to 
 persevere ? Is it want of strength ? By no 
 means. We have with us the strength of the 
 Holy Spirit. When did we ever set ourselves 
 sincerely to any work according to the will of 
 God, and fail for want of strength ? It was not 
 that strength failed- the will, but that the will 
 failed first. If we could but embrace the Divine 
 will with the whole love of ours; cleaving to it, 
 and holding fast by it, we should be borne along 
 as upon “the river of the water of life. ,> We 
 open only certain chambers of our will to the 
 influence of the Divine will. We are afraid 
 of being wholly absorbed into it. And yet, if 
 we would have peace, we must be altogether 
 united to Him. H. E. Manning 
 
August 28 
 
 241 
 
 They that know Thy name will put their trust 
 in Thee : for Thou , Lord , hast not forsaken them 
 that seek Thee. — Ps. ix. 10. 
 
 Yea, the Lord shall give that which is good. — 
 Ps. lxxxv. 12. 
 
 In Thee I place my trust. 
 
 On Thee I calmly rest ; 
 
 I know Thee good, I know Thee just. 
 
 And count Thy choice the best. 
 
 H. F. Lyte. 
 
 T HE souls that would really be richer in 
 duty in some new position, are precisely 
 those who borrow no excuses from the 
 old one ; who even esteem it full of privileges, 
 plenteous in occasions of good, frequent in 
 divine appeals, which they chide their graceless 
 and unloving temper for not heeding more. 
 Wretched and barren is the discontent that 
 quarrels with its tools instead of with its skill; 
 and, by criticising Providence, manages to keep 
 up complacency with self. How gentle should 
 we be, if we were not provoked; how pious, if 
 we were not busy; the sick would be patient, 
 only he is not in health ; the obscure would do 
 great things, only he is not conspicuous ! 
 
 J. Martineau, 
 
 16 
 
August 29 
 
 242 
 
 Am I my brother's keeper? — Gen. iv. 9. 
 
 Because I held upon my selfish road, 
 
 And left my brother wounded by the way, 
 
 And called ambition duty, and pressed on — 
 
 O Lord, I do repent. 
 
 Sarah Williams. 
 
 OW many are the sufferers who have 
 fallen amongst misfortunes along the 
 wayside of life ! u By chance ,” we 
 come that way ; chance, accident, Providence, 
 has thrown them in our way ; we see them from 
 a distance, like the Priest, or we come upon 
 them suddenly, like the Levite; our business, 
 our pleasure, is interrupted by the sight, is 
 troubled by the delay ; what are our feelings, 
 what our actions towards them? w Who is 
 thy neighbor ? ” It is the sufferer, wherever, 
 whoever, whatsoever he be. Wherever thou 
 hearest the cry of distress, wherever thou seest 
 any one brought across thy path by the chances 
 and changes of life (that is, by the Providence 
 of God), whom it is in thy power to help, — 
 he, stranger or enemy though he be,— he is thy 
 neighbor. 
 
 A. P. Stanley. 
 
August 30 
 
 243 
 
 Walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are 
 called , with all lowliness and meekness , with long - 
 suffering , forbearing one another in love. — Eph. 
 iv. 1, 2. 
 
 Help us, O Lord, with patient love to bear 
 
 Each other’s faults, to suffer with true meekness ; 
 Help us each other’s joys and griefs to share. 
 
 But let us turn to Thee alone in weakness. 
 
 Anon. 
 
 Y OU should make a special point of asking 
 God every morning to give you, before 
 all else, that true spirit of meekness which 
 He would have His children possess. You 
 must also make a firm resolution to practise 
 yourself in this virtue, especially in your inter¬ 
 course with those persons to whom you chiefly 
 owe it. You must make it your main object to 
 conquer yourself in this matter ; call it to mind 
 a hundred times during the day, commending 
 your efforts to God. It seems to me that no 
 more than this is needed in order to subject 
 your soul entirely to His will, and then you will 
 become more gentle day by day, trusting wholly 
 in His goodness. You will be very happy, my 
 dearest child, if you can do this, for God will 
 dwell in your heart; and where He reigns all is 
 peace. But if you should fail, and commit 
 some of your old faults, do not be disheartened, 
 but rise up and go on again, as though you had 
 not fallen. St. Francis de Sales, 
 
2-44 
 
 August 31 
 
 Now therefore keep thy sorrow to thyself and 
 hear with a good courage that which hath befallen 
 thee. — 2 Esdras x. 15. 
 
 Go, bury thy sorrow, 
 
 The world hath its share $ 
 
 Go, bury it deeply, 
 
 Go, hide it with care. 
 
 Go, bury thy sorrow, 
 
 Let others be blest ; 
 
 Go, give them the sunshine, 
 
 And tell God the rest. 
 
 Anon. 
 
 O UR veiled and terrible guest [Trouble] 
 brings for us, if we will accept it, the 
 boon of fortitude, patience, self-control, 
 wisdom, sympathy, faith. If we reject that, 
 then we find in our hands the other gift,— 
 cowardice, weakness, isolation, despair. If 
 your trouble seems to have in it no other pos¬ 
 sibility of good, at least set yourself to bear it 
 like a man. Let none of its weight come on 
 other shoulders. Try to carry it so that no one 
 shall even see it. Though your heart be sad 
 within, let cheer go out from you to others. 
 Meet them with a kindly presence, considerate 
 words, helpful acts. 
 
 G. S. Merriam. 
 
September i 
 
 2 45 
 
 Let them that suffer according to the will of God 
 commit the keeping of their souls to Him in well¬ 
 doing , as unto a faithful Creator. —- 1 Peter iv. 19. 
 
 7 he Lord is very pitiful , and of tender mercy. 
 
 — James v. i i. 
 
 On Thy compassion I repose 
 In weakness and distress : 
 
 I will not ask for greater ease, 
 
 Lest I should love Thee less ; 
 
 Oh, ’tis a blessed thing for me 
 To need Thy tenderness. 
 
 A. L. Waring. 
 
 O H, look not at thy pain or sorrow, how 
 great soever; but look from them, look 
 off them, look beyond them, to the De¬ 
 liverer ! whose power is over them, and whose 
 loving, wise, and tender spirit is able to do thee 
 good by them. The Lord lead thee, day by 
 day, in the right way, and keep thy mind stayed 
 upon Him, in whatever befalls thee; that the 
 belief of His love and hope in His mercy, when 
 thou art at the lowest ebb, may keep up thy 
 head above the billows. 
 
 Isaac Penington. 
 
246 
 
 September 2 
 
 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall hi 
 \alled the children of God . — Matt. v. 6 . 
 
 Grant us Thy peace, down from Thy presence falling, 
 As on the thirsty earth cool night-dews sweet ; 
 
 Grant us Thy peace, to Thy pure paths recalling, 
 
 From devious ways, our worn and wandering feet. 
 
 E. Scudder. 
 
 V 
 
 O GOD, who art Peace everlasting, whose 
 chosen reward is the gift of peace, and 
 who hast taught us that the peacemakers 
 are Thy children, pour Thy sweet peace into 
 our souls, that everything discordant may utterly 
 vanish, and all that makes for peace be sweet 
 to us forever. Amen. 
 
 Gelasian Sacramentary, a. d. 492. 
 
 Have you ever thought seriously of the mean¬ 
 ing of that blessing given to the peacemakers ? 
 People are always expecting to get peace in 
 heaven ; but you know whatever peace they get 
 there will be ready-made. Whatever making of 
 peace they can be blest for, must be on the earth 
 here : not the taking of arms against, but the 
 building of nests amidst, its u sea of troubles ” 
 [like the halcyons]. Difficult enough, you 
 think ? Perhaps so, but I do not see that any 
 of us try. We complain of the want of many 
 things — we want votes, we want liberty, we 
 want amusement, we want money. Which of 
 us feels or knows that he wants peace ? 
 
 J. Ruskin. 
 
September 3 
 
 247 
 
 The eyes of all wait upon Thee ; and Thou giv - 
 est the?n their meat in due season. — Ps. cxlv. 15. 
 
 What time I am afraid , I will trust in Thee . 
 
 — Ps. lvi. 3. 
 
 Late on me, weeping, did this whisper fall : 
 
 (( Dear child, there is no need to weep at all ! 
 
 Why go about to grieve and to despair ? 
 
 Why weep now through thy Future’s eyes, and bear 
 In vain to-day to-morrow’s load of care ? ” 
 
 H. S. Sutton. 
 
 T HE crosses of the present moment always 
 bring their own special grace and conse¬ 
 quent comfort with them ; we see the 
 hand of God in them when it is laid upon us. 
 But the crosses of anxious foreboding are seen 
 out of the dispensation of God ; we see them 
 without grace to bear them ; we see them indeed 
 through a faithless spirit which banishes grace. 
 So, everything in them is bitter and unendur¬ 
 able; all seems dark and helpless. Let us 
 throw self aside; no more self-interest, and then 
 God’s will, unfolding every moment in every¬ 
 thing, will console us also every moment for all 
 that He shall do around us, or within us, for 
 our discipline. 
 
 FRAN9OIS DE LA MOTHE FeNELON. 
 
248 
 
 September 4 
 
 His delight is in the law of the Lord. And he 
 shall he like a tree planted by the rivers of water , 
 that bringeth forth his fruit in his season ; his leaf 
 also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth 
 shall prosper. — Ps. i. 2, 3. 
 
 The wind that blows can never kill 
 The tree God plants j 
 It bloweth east ; it bloweth west 5 
 The tender leaves have little rest, 
 
 But any wind that blows is best. 
 
 The tree God plants 
 Strikes deeper root, grows higher still, 
 
 Spreads wider boughs, for God’s good-will 
 Meets all its wants. 
 
 Lillie E. Barr. 
 
 I T is a fatal mistake to suppose that we can¬ 
 not be holy except on the condition of a 
 situation and circumstances in life such as 
 shall suit ourselves. It is one of the first prin¬ 
 ciples of holiness to leave our times and our 
 places, our going out and our coming in, our 
 wasted and our goodly heritage entirely with the 
 Lord. Here, O Lord, hast Thou placed us, 
 and we will glorify Thee here ! 
 
 T. C. Upham. 
 
 It is not by change of circumstances, but by 
 fitting our spirits to the circumstances in which 
 God has placed us, that we can be reconciled to 
 life and duty. F„ W. Robertson. 
 
September 5 
 
 249 
 
 O Lord , I am oppressed; undertake for me. —■ 
 Isa. xxxviii. 14. 
 
 Being perplexed, I say. 
 
 Lord, make it right ! 
 
 Night is as day to Thee, 
 
 Darkness is light. 
 
 I am afraid to touch 
 
 Things that involve so much ; — 
 
 My trembling hand may shake, 
 
 My skill-less hand may break : 
 
 Thine can make no mistake. 
 
 Anna B. Warner. 
 
 T HE many troubles in your household will 
 tend to your edification, if you strive to 
 bear them all in gentleness, patience, and 
 kindness. Keep this ever before you, and re¬ 
 member constantly that God’s loving eyes are 
 upon you amid all these little worries and vex¬ 
 ations, watching whether you take them as He 
 would desire. Offer up all such occasions to 
 Him, and if sometimes you are put out, and 
 give way to impatience, do not be discouraged, 
 but make haste to regain your lost composure. 
 
 St. Francis de Sales. 
 
250 
 
 September 6 
 
 If any man will come after me , let him deny 
 himself and take up his cross daily , and follow me. 
 — Luke ix. 23. 
 
 There lies thy cross ; beneath it meekly bow ; 
 
 It fits thy stature now $ 
 
 Who scornful pass it with averted eye, 
 
 ’T will crush them by and by. 
 
 J. Keble. 
 
 T O take up the cross of Christ is no great 
 action done once for all \ it consists in 
 the continual practice of small duties 
 which are distasteful to us. J. H. Newman. 
 
 On one occasion an intimate friend of his 
 was fretting somewhat at not being able to put 
 a cross on the grave of a relation, because the 
 rest of the family disliked it. u Don’t you see,” 
 he said to her, u that by giving up your own 
 way, you will be virtually putting a cross on the 
 grave? You’ll have it in its effect. The one 
 is but a stone cross, the other is a true spiritual 
 cross.” Life of James Hinton. 
 
 I would have you, one by one, ask your¬ 
 selves, Wherein do I take up the cross daily ? 
 
 E. B. Pusey. 
 
 Every morning, receive thine own special 
 cross from the hands of thy heavenly Father. 
 
 L. Scupoli. 
 
September 7 
 
 251 
 
 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the 
 Father is this , To visit the fatherless and widows 
 in their affliction , and to keep himself unspotted 
 from the world .— -James i. 27. 
 
 Not to ease and aimless quiet 
 Doth that inward answer tend, 
 
 But to works of love and duty 
 As our being’s end. 
 
 J. G. Whittier. 
 
 I T is surprising how practical duty enriches 
 the fancy and the heart, and action clears 
 and deepens the affections. Indeed, no one 
 can have a true idea of right, until he does it; 
 any genuine reverence for it, till he has done it 
 often and with cost; any peace ineffable in it, 
 till he does it always and with alacrity. Does 
 any one complain, that the best affections are 
 transient visitors with him, and the heavenly 
 spirit a stranger to his heart ? Oh, let him not 
 go forth, on any strained wing of thought, in 
 distant quest of them; but rather stay at home, 
 and set his house in the true order of conscience ; 
 and of their own accord the divinest guests will 
 enter. 
 
 J. Martineau. 
 
2 5 2 
 
 September 8 
 
 Continue in prayer , and watch in the same with 
 thanksgiving . — Col. iv. 2. 
 
 Watch ye , /« the faith , quit you like 
 
 men , strong. — i Cor. xvi. 13. 
 
 We kneel how weak, we rise how full of power. 
 
 Why therefore should we do ourselves this wrong, 
 
 Or others — that we are not always strong, 
 
 That we are ever overborne with care, 
 
 That we should ever weak or heartless be, 
 
 Anxious or troubled, when with us is prayer, 
 
 And joy and strength and courage are with Thee ? 
 
 R. C. Trench. 
 
 I T is impossible for us to make the duties of 
 our lot minister to our sanctification without 
 a habit of devout fellowship with God. 
 This is the spring of all our life, and the strength 
 of it. It is prayer, meditation, and converse 
 with God, that refreshes, restores, and renews 
 the temper of our minds, at all times, under all 
 trials, after all conflicts with the world. Bv 
 this contact with the world unseen we receive 
 continual accesses of strength. As our day, so 
 is our strength. Without this healing and re¬ 
 freshing of spirit, duties grow to be burdens, 
 the events of life chafe our temper, employments 
 lower the tone of our minds, and we become 
 fretful, irritable, and impatient. 
 
 H. E. Manning. 
 
September 9 
 
 253 
 
 This is a faithful saying , and these things I will 
 that thou affirm constantly , that they which have 
 believed in God might be careful to maintain good 
 works. — Titus iii. 8. 
 
 Faith’s meanest deed more favor bears 
 Where hearts and wills are weighed. 
 
 Than brightest transports, choicest prayers, 
 Which bloom their hour and fade. 
 
 J. H. Newman. 
 
 O NE secret act of self-denial, one sacrifice 
 of inclination to duty, is worth all the 
 mere good thoughts, warm feelings, pas¬ 
 sionate prayers, in which idle’ people indulge 
 themselves. J. H. Newman. 
 
 It is impossible for us to live in fellowship 
 with God without holiness in all the duties of 
 life. These things act and react on each other. 
 Without a diligent and faithful obedience to the 
 calls and claims of others upon us, our religious 
 profession is simply dead. To disobey con¬ 
 science when it points to relative duties irritates 
 the whole temper, and quenches the first begin¬ 
 nings of devotion. We cannot go from strife, 
 breaches, and angry words, to God. Selfishness, 
 an imperious will, want of sympathy with the 
 sufferings and sorrows of other men, neglect of 
 charitable offices, suspicions, hard censures of 
 those with whom our lot is cast, will miserably 
 darken our own hearts, and hide the face of 
 God from us. H. E. Manning. 
 
254 September io 
 
 Lord ., not my feet only , but also my hands and 
 my head. — John xiii. 9. 
 
 Take my hands, and let them move 
 At the impulse of Thy love. 
 
 Take my feet, and let them be 
 Swift and “ beautiful ” for Thee. 
 
 Take my intellect, and use 
 Every power as Thou shalt choose. 
 
 F. R. Havergal. 
 
 I F a man may attain thereunto, to be unto 
 God as his hand is to a man, let him be 
 therewith content, and not seek further. 
 That is to say,* let him strive and wrestle with 
 all his might to obey God and His command¬ 
 ments so thoroughly at all times, and in all 
 things, that in him there be nothing, spiritual or 
 natural, which opposeth God ; and that his whole 
 soul and body, with all their members, may 
 stand ready and willing for that to which God 
 hath created them; as ready and willing as his 
 hand is to a man, which is so wholly in his 
 power, that in the twinkling of an eye, he 
 moveth and turneth it whither he will. And 
 when we find it otherwise with us, we must 
 give our whole diligence to amend our state. 
 
 Theologia Germanica. 
 
 When the mind thinks nothing, when the 
 soul covets nothing, and the body acteth nothing 
 that is contrary to the will of God, this is perfect 
 sanctification. Anonymous, in an old Bible, 1 599. 
 
September n 
 
 *55 
 
 Thy kingdom come . — Matt. vi. io. 
 
 The kingdom of established peace, 
 
 Which can no more remove ; 
 
 The perfect powers of godliness, 
 
 The omnipotence of love. 
 
 C. Wesley. 
 
 M Y child, thou mayest not measure out 
 thine offering unto me by what others 
 have done or left undone; but be it 
 thine to seek out, even to the last moment of 
 thine earthly life, what is the utmost height of 
 pure devotion to which I have called thine own 
 self. Remember that, if thou fall short of this, 
 each time thou utterest in prayer the words, 
 u Hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come,” 
 thou dost most fearfully condemn thyself, for 
 is it not a mockery to ask for that thou wilt not 
 seek to promote even unto the uttermost, within 
 the narrow compass of thine own heart and 
 spirit ? 
 
 The Divine Master. 
 
 If you do not wish for His kingdom, don’t 
 pray for it. But if you do, you must do more 
 than pray for it; you must work for it. 
 
 J. Ruskin, 
 
256 
 
 September 12 
 
 She obeyed not the voice ; she received not correc¬ 
 tion ; she trusted not in the Lord; she drew not 
 near to hGod . — Zeph. iii. 2. 
 
 Oh ! let ns not this thought allow ; 
 
 The heat, the dust upon our brow, 
 
 Signs of the contest, we may wear ; 
 
 Yet thus we shall appear more fair 
 In our Almighty Master’s eye, 
 
 Than if in fear to lose the bloom, 
 
 Or ruffle the soul’s lightest plume, 
 
 We from the strife should fly. 
 
 R. C. Trench. 
 
 I F God requires anything of us, we have no 
 right to draw back under the pretext that we 
 are liable to commit some fault in obeying. 
 It is better to obey imperfectly than not at all. 
 Perhaps you ought to rebuke some one de¬ 
 pendent on you, but you are silent for fear of 
 giving way to vehemence; — or you avoid the 
 society of certain persons, because they make 
 you cross and impatient. How are you to attain 
 self-control, if you shun all occasions of practis¬ 
 ing it ? Is not such self-choosing a greater 
 fault than those into which you fear to fall f 
 Aim at a steady mind to do right, go whereve 1 * 
 duty calls you, and believe firmly that God will 
 forgive the faults that take our weakness by 
 surprise in spite of our sincere desire to please 
 Him. 
 
 Jean Nicolas Grou. 
 
September 13 
 
 257 
 
 It is good that a man should both hope and quietly 
 wait for the salvation of the Lord. — Lam. iii. 26. 
 
 Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from Him 
 cometh my salvation. — Ps. lxii. 1. 
 
 Not so in haste, my heart ; 
 
 Have faith in God, and wait j 
 Although He linger long, 
 
 He never comes too late. 
 
 Anon. 
 
 T HE true use to be made of all the imper¬ 
 fections of which you are conscious is 
 neither, to justify, nor to condemn them, 
 but to present them before God, conforming 
 your will to His, and remaining in peace; for 
 peace is the divine order, in whatever state we 
 may be. 
 
 FRAN9OIS DE LA MOTHE FeNELON. 
 
 You will find it less easy to uproot faults, 
 than to choke them by gaining virtues. Do 
 not think of your faults; still less of others’ 
 faults; in every person who comes near you 
 look for what is good and strong : honor that; 
 rejoice in it ; and, as you can, try to imitate it; 
 and your faults will drop off 7 , like dead leaves, 
 when their time comes. 
 
 17 
 
 J. Ruskin. 
 
258 
 
 September 14 
 
 Call unto me , and I will answer thee, and show 
 thee great and mighty things which thou knowest 
 not. — Jer. xxxiii. 3. 
 
 And I have also given thee that which thou hast 
 not asked. — 1 Kings iii. 13. 
 
 No voice of prayer to Thee can rise, 
 
 But swift as light Thy Love replies j 
 Not always what we ask, indeed, 
 
 But, O most Kind ! what most we need. 
 
 H. M. Kimball. 
 
 I F you have any trial which seems intolerable, 
 pray, — pray that it be relieved or changed. 
 There is no harm in that. We may pray 
 for anything, not wrong in itself, with perfect 
 freedom, if we do not pray selfishly. One dis¬ 
 abled from duty by sickness may pray for health, 
 that he may do his work; or one hemmed in 
 by internal impediments may pray for utterance, 
 that he may serve better the truth and the right. 
 Or, if we have a besetting sin, we may pray to 
 be delivered from it, in order to serve God and 
 man, and not be ourselves Satans to mislead and 
 destroy. But the answer to the prayer may be, 
 as it was to Paul, not the removal of the thorn, 
 but, instead, a growing insight into its meaning 
 and value. The voice of God in our soul may 
 show us, as we look up to Him, that His 
 strength is enough to enable us to bear it. 
 
 J. F. Clarke. 
 
September 15 
 
 259 
 
 Can ye drink of the cup that I drink of? and he 
 baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with ? 
 — Mark x. 38. 
 
 Whate’er my God ordains is right; 
 
 Though I the cup must drink 
 That bitter seems to my faint heart, 
 
 I will not fear nor shrink. S. Rodigast. 
 
 T HE worst part of martyrdom is not the 
 last agonizing moment; it is the wearing, 
 daily steadfastness. Men who can make 
 up their minds to hold out against the torture of 
 an hour have sunk under the weariness and the 
 harass of small prolonged vexations. And there 
 are many Christians who have the weight of 
 some deep, incommunicable grief pressing, cold 
 as ice, upon their hearts. To bear that cheer¬ 
 fully and manfully is to be a martyr. There is 
 many a Christian bereaved and stricken in the 
 best hopes of life. For such a one to say 
 quietly, “Father, not as I will, but as Thou 
 wilt,” is to be a martyr. There is many a 
 Christian who feels the irksomeness of the 
 duties of life, and feels his spirit revolting from 
 them. To get up every morning with the firm 
 resolve to find pleasure in those duties, and do 
 them well, and finish the work which God has 
 given us to do, that is to drink Christ’s cup. 
 The humblest occupation has in it materials of 
 discipline for the highest heaven. 
 
 F. W. Robertson, 
 
i6o 
 
 September 16 
 
 For the whole world before thee is as a little grain 
 of the balance , yea , as a drop of the morning dew 
 that falleth down upon the earth. But Thou hast 
 mercy upon all. For Thou lovest all the things 
 that are . — Wisdom of Solomon xi. 22-24. 
 
 Oh ! Source divine, and Life of all. 
 
 The Fount of Being’s fearful sea, 
 
 Thy depth would every heart appal, 
 
 That saw not love supreme in Thee. 
 
 J. Sterling. 
 
 H E showed a little thing, the quantity of a 
 hazel-nut, lying in the palm of my hand, 
 as meseemed, and it was as round as a 
 ball. I looked thereon with the eye of my 
 understanding, and thought, ct What may this 
 be?” and it was answered generally thus, u It 
 is all that is made.” I marvelled how it might 
 last; for methought it might suddenly have fallen 
 to naught for littleness. And I was answered 
 in my understanding, u It lasteth , and ever shall: 
 For God loveth it. And so hath all thing being by 
 the Love of God.” In this little thing I saw 
 three properties. The first is, that God made 
 it. The second is, that God loveth it. The 
 third is, that God keepeth it. For this is the 
 cause which we be not all in ease of heart and 
 soul: for we seek here rest in this thing which 
 is so little, where no rest is in : and we know 
 not our God that is all Mighty, all Wise, and 
 all Good, for He is very rest. 
 
 Mother Juliana, 1373. 
 
September 17 261 
 
 Whosoever will be great among you , shall be your 
 minister: and whosoever of you will be the chiefest, 
 shall be servant of all. For even the Son of man 
 came not to be ministered unto , but to minister , and 
 to give his life a ransom for many. — Mark x. 
 
 43 - 45 - 
 
 A child’s kiss 
 Set on thy sighing lips, shall make thee glad ; 
 
 A poor man served by thee, shall make thee rich ; 
 
 A sick man helped by thee, shall make thee strong j 
 Thou shalt be served thyself by every sense 
 Of service which thou renderest. 
 
 E. B. Browning. 
 
 L ET every man lovingly cast all his thoughts 
 and cares, and his sins too, as it were, on 
 the Will of God. Moreover, if a man, 
 while busy in this lofty inward work, were called 
 by some duty in the Providence of God to cease 
 therefrom, and cook a broth for some sick per¬ 
 son, or any other such service, he should do so 
 willingly and with great joy. If I had to for¬ 
 sake such work, and go out to preach or aught 
 else, I should go cheerfully, believing not only 
 that God would be with me, but that he would 
 vouchsafe me it may be even greater grace and 
 blessing in that external work undertaken out of 
 true love in the service of my neighbor, than I 
 should perhaps receive in my season of loftiest 
 contemplation. 
 
 John Tauler, 
 
262 
 
 September 18 
 
 All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth 
 unto such as keep His covenant and His testimo¬ 
 nies .— Ps. xxv. 10. 
 
 Speak, Lord, for Thy servant heareth, 
 
 Speak peace to my anxious soul, 
 
 And help me to feel that all my ways 
 Are under Thy wise control ; 
 
 That He who cares for the lily, 
 
 And heeds the sparrows’ fall, 
 
 Shall tenderly lead His loving child : 
 
 For He made and loveth all. 
 
 Anon. 
 
 I T. is not by seeking more fertile regions 
 where toil is lighter — happier circumstances 
 free from difficult complications and trouble¬ 
 some people — but by bringing the high courage 
 of a devout soul, clear in principle and aim, to 
 bear upon what is given to us, that we brighten 
 our inward light, lead something of a true life, 
 and introduce the kingdom of heaven into the 
 midst of our earthly day. If we cannot work 
 out the will of God where God has placed us, 
 then why has He placed us there ? 
 
 J. H. Thom. 
 
September 19 263 
 
 Pray for us unto the Lord thy God . . . that 
 the Lord thy God may show us the way wherein 
 we may walk , and the thing that we may do. — 
 
 Jer. xlii. 2, 3. 
 
 That which I see not , teach Thou me. — Job 
 xxxiv. 32. 
 
 O Father, hear ! 
 
 The way is dark, and I would fain discern 
 What steps to take, into which path to turn ; 
 
 Oh ! make it clear. 
 
 Christian Intelligencer. 
 
 “XI^TE can’t choose happiness either for 
 
 VV ourselves or for another; we can’t 
 tell where that will lie. We can 
 only choose whether we will indulge ourselves 
 in the present moment, or whether we will re¬ 
 nounce that, for the sake of obeying the Divine 
 voice within us, — for the sake of being true to 
 all the motives that sanctify our lives. I know 
 this belief is hard; it has slipped away from me 
 again and again ; but I have felt that if I let it 
 go forever, I should have no light through the 
 darkness of this life.” George Eliot. 
 
 There was a care on my mind so to pass my 
 time, that nothing might hinder me from the 
 most steady attention to the voice of the true 
 Shepherd. John Woolman. 
 
264 
 
 September 20 
 
 'Thou shalt hide them in the secret of Thy pres¬ 
 ence from the pride of man : Thou shalt keep them 
 secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues. 
 — Ps. xxxi. 20. 
 
 The praying spirit breathe, 
 
 The watching power impart, 
 
 From all entanglements beneath 
 Call off my anxious heart. 
 
 My feeble mind sustain. 
 
 By worldly thoughts oppressed ; 
 
 Appear, and bid me turn again 
 To my eternal rest. 
 
 C. Wesley. 
 
 A S soon as we are with God in faith and in 
 love, we are in prayer. 
 
 FRANfOIS DE LA MOTHE FeNELON. 
 
 If you could once make up your mind in the 
 fear of God never to undertake more work of 
 any sort than you can carry on calmly, quietly, 
 without hurry or flurry, and the instant you feel 
 yourself growing nervous and like one out of 
 breath, would stop and take breath, you would 
 find this simple common-sense rule doing for you 
 what no prayers or tears could ever accomplish. 
 
 Elizabeth Prentiss. 
 
September 21 
 
 265 
 
 How excellent is Thy loving-kindness , O God! 
 therefore the children of men put their trust under 
 the shadow of Thy wings. — Ps. xxxvi. 7. 
 
 The eternal God is thy refuge , and underneath 
 are the everlasting arms. — Deut. xxxiii. 27. 
 
 Within Thy circling arms we lie, 
 
 O God ! in Thy infinity : 
 
 Our souls in quiet shall abide. 
 
 Beset with love on every side. 
 
 Anon. 
 
 “ F | "AHE Everlasting Arms.” I think of that 
 whenever rest is sweet. How the whole 
 earth and the strength of it, that is 
 almightiness, is beneath every tired creature to 
 give it rest; holding us, always! No thought 
 of God is closer than that. No human tender¬ 
 ness of patience is greater than that which 
 gathers in its arms a little child, and holds it, 
 heedless of weariness. And He fills the great 
 earth, and all upon it, with this unseen force of 
 His love, that never forgets or exhausts itself, 
 so that everywhere we may lie down in His 
 bosom, and be comforted. 
 
 A. D. T. Whitney. 
 
266 
 
 September 22 
 
 The word is very nigh unto thee , in thy mouthy 
 and in thy heart , that thou mayest do it. — Deut. 
 xxx. 14. 
 
 But, above all, the victory is most sure 
 For him, who, seeking faith by virtue, strives 
 To yield entire obedience to the Law 
 Of Conscience ; Conscience reverenced and obeyed, 
 
 As God’s most intimate presence in the soul. 
 
 And His most perfect image in the world. 
 
 W. Wordsworth. 
 
 W HAT we call Conscience is the voice of 
 Divine love in the deep of our being, 
 desiring union with our will; and 
 which, by attracting the affections inward, in¬ 
 vites them to enter into the harmonious con¬ 
 tentment, and u fulness of joy ” which attends 
 the being joined by u one spirit to the Lord.” 
 
 J. P. Greaves. 
 
 I rejoice, that God has bestowed upon you a 
 relish and inclination for the inner life. To be 
 called to this precious and lofty life is a great 
 and undeserved grace of God, to which we 
 ought to respond with great faithfulness. God 
 invites us to His fellowship of love, and 
 wishes to prepare our spirit to be His own 
 abode and temple. 
 
 Gerhard Ters^eegen. 
 
September 23 
 
 267 
 
 Show me Thy ways , O Lord; teach me Thy 
 paths. — Ps. xxv. 4. 
 
 When we cannot see our way, 
 
 Let us trust and still obey $ 
 
 He who bids us forward go, 
 
 Cannot fail the way to show. 
 
 Though the sea be deep and wide. 
 
 Though a passage seem denied ; 
 
 Fearless let us still proceed, 
 
 Since the Lord vouchsafes to lead. 
 
 Anon.. 
 
 T HAT which is often asked of God, is not 
 so much His will and way, as His ap¬ 
 proval of our way. 
 
 S. F. Smiley. 
 
 There is nothing like the first glance we get 
 at duty, before there has been any special plead¬ 
 ing of our affections or inclinations. Duty is 
 never uncertain at first. It is only after we 
 have got involved in the mazes and sophistries 
 of wishing that things were otherwise than they 
 are, that it seems indistinct. Considering a 
 duty is often only explaining it away. Delib¬ 
 eration is often only dishonesty. God’s guid¬ 
 ance is plain, when we are true. 
 
 F. W. Robertson. 
 
i 6 8 September 24 
 
 When I awake , / still with Thee. — Ps. 
 cxxxix. 18. 
 
 Let the glow of love destroy 
 Cold obedience faintly given ; 
 
 Wake our hearts to strength and joy 
 With the flushing eastern heaven. 
 
 C. K. Von Rosenroth. 
 
 W ITH his first waking consciousness, he 
 can set himself to take a serious, manly 
 view of the day before him. He ought 
 to know pretty well on what lines his difficulty 
 is likely to come, whether in being irritable, or 
 domineering, or sharp in his bargains, or self- 
 absorbed, or whatever it be; and now, in this 
 quiet hour, he can take a good, full look at his 
 enemy, and make up his mind to beat him. It 
 is a good time, too, for giving his thoughts a 
 range quite beyond himself, — beyond even his 
 own moral struggles, — a good time, there in 
 the stillness, for going into the realm of other 
 lives. His wife, — what needs has she for help, 
 for sympathy, that he can meet? His children, 
 — how can he make the day sweeter to them ? 
 This acquaintance, who is having a hard time; 
 this friend, who dropped a word to you yester¬ 
 day that you hardly noticed in your hurry, but 
 that comes up to you now, revealing in him 
 some finer trait, some deeper hunger, than you 
 had guessed before, — now you can think these 
 things over. G. S, Merriam. 
 
September 25 
 
 269 
 
 Te shall rejoice in all that ye put your hand 
 unto , ye and your households , wherein the Lord thy 
 God hath blessed thee. — Deut. xii. 7. 
 
 Sweet is the smile of home 5 the mutual look 
 When hearts are of each other sure , 
 
 Sweet all the joys that crowd the household nook, 
 The haunt of all affections pure. 
 
 J. Keble. 
 
 I S there any tie which absence has loosened, 
 or which the wear and tear of every-day 
 intercourse, little uncongenialities, uncon¬ 
 fessed misunderstandings, have fretted into the 
 heart, until it bears something of the nature of 
 a fetter ? Any cup at our home-table whose 
 sweetness we have not fully tasted, although it 
 might yet make of our daily bread a continual 
 feast ? Let us reckon up these treasures while 
 they are still ours, in thankfulness to God. 
 
 Elizabeth Charles. 
 
 We ought daily or weekly to dedicate a little 
 time to the reckoning up of the virtues of our 
 belongings, — wife, children, friends,— con¬ 
 templating them then in a beautiful collection. 
 And we should do so now, that we may not 
 pardon and love in vain and too late, after the 
 beloved one has been taken away from us to a 
 better world. 
 
 Jean Paul Richter. 
 
270 
 
 September 26 
 
 Tea , though I walk through the valley of the 
 shadow of death , / w/// fear no evil: for Thou art 
 with me ; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me. 
 — Ps. xxiii. 4. 
 
 O Will, that wiliest good alone, 
 
 Lead Thou the way, Thou guidest best ; 
 
 A silent child, I follow on, 
 
 And trusting lean upon Thy breast. 
 
 And if in gloom I see Thee not, 
 
 I lean upon Thy love unknown ; 
 
 In me Thy blessed will is wrought. 
 
 If I will nothing of my own. 
 
 Gerhard Tersteegen 
 
 T HE devout soul is always safe in every 
 state, if it makes everything an occasion 
 either of rising up, or falling down into 
 the hands of God, and exercising faith, and 
 trust, and resignation to Him. The pious soul, 
 that eyes only God, that means nothing but 
 being His alone, can have no stop put to its 
 progress; light and darkness equally assist him : 
 in the light he looks up to God, in the darkness 
 he lays hold on God, and so they both do him 
 the same good. 
 
 Wm. Law. 
 
September 27 
 
 271 
 
 When I sit in darkness , the Lord shall he a light 
 unto me. — Micah vii. 8. 
 
 c fhere be many that say , Who will show us any 
 good? Lord , lift Thou up the light of Thy counte¬ 
 nance upon us. — Ps. iv. 6. 
 
 How oft a gleam of glory sent 
 
 Straight through the deepest, darkest night, 
 
 Has filled the soul with heavenly light. 
 
 With holy peace and sweet content. 
 
 Anon. 
 
 S UPPOSE you are bewildered and know not 
 what is right nor what is true. Can you 
 not cease to regard whether you do or not, 
 whether you be bewildered, whether you be 
 happy ? Cannot you utterly and perfectly love, 
 and rejoice to be in the dark, and gloom-beset, 
 because that very thing is the fact of God’s 
 Infinite Being as it is to you ? Cannot you 
 take this trial also into your own heart, and be 
 ignorant, not because you are obliged, but be¬ 
 cause that being God’s will, it is yours also ? 
 Do you not see that a person who truly loves is 
 one with the Infinite Being — cannot be un¬ 
 comfortable or unhappy ? It is that which is 
 that he wills and desires and holds best of all to 
 be. To know God is utterly to sacrifice self. 
 
 James Hinton. 
 
2J2 
 
 September 28 
 
 My little children , let us not love in word , neither 
 in tongue 1 hut in deed , and in truth. — I John 
 iii. 18. 
 
 But be ye doers of the word , and not hearers 
 only , deceiving your own selves. — James i. 22. 
 
 Thrice blest whose lives are faithful prayers, 
 Whose loves in higher love endure ; 
 
 What souls possess themselves so pure, 
 
 Or is there blessedness like theirs ? 
 
 A. Tennyson. 
 
 L ET every creature have your love. Love, 
 with its fruits of meekness, patience, and 
 humility, is all that we can wish for to 
 ourselves, and our fellow-creatures ; for this is 
 to live in God, united to Him, both for time 
 and eternity. To desire to communicate good 
 to every creature, in the degree we can, and it 
 is capable of receiving from us, is a divine 
 temper ; for thus God stands unchangeably dis¬ 
 posed towards the whole creation. 
 
 Wm. Law. 
 
 What shall be our reward for loving our 
 neighbor as ourselves in this life ? That, when 
 we become angels, we shall be enabled to love 
 him better than ourselves. 
 
 E. Swedenborg. 
 
September 29 273 
 
 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see 
 God. —Matt. v. 8. 
 
 Follow peace with all men , and holiness , without 
 which no man shall see the Lord. — Heb. xii. 14. 
 
 Since Thou Thyself dost still display 
 Unto the pure in heart, 
 
 Oh, make us children of the day 
 To know Thee as Thou art. 
 
 For Thou art light and life and love $ 
 
 And Thy redeemed below 
 May see Thee as Thy saints above, 
 
 And know Thee as they know. 
 
 J. Montgomery. 
 
 D OUBT, gloom, impatience, have been 
 expelled ; joy has taken their place, the 
 hope of heaven and the harmony of a 
 pure heart, the triumph of self-mastery, sober 
 thoughts, and a contented mind. How can 
 charity towards all men fail to follow, being the 
 mere affectionateness of innocence and peace ? 
 Thus the Spirit of God creates in us the sim¬ 
 plicity and warmth of heart which children have, 
 nay, rather the perfections of His heavenly hosts, 
 high and low being joined together in His mys¬ 
 terious work ; for what are implicit trust, ardent 
 love, abiding purity, but the mind both of little 
 children and of the adoring seraphim ! 
 
 J. H. Newman. 
 
•274 
 
 September 30 
 
 Lord, who shall abide in Thy tabernacle ? who 
 shall dwell in Thy holy hill ? He that walketh 
 uprightly , and worketh righteousness , and speaketh 
 the truth in his heart . —Ps. xv. I, 2. 
 
 How happy is he born or taught, 
 
 That serveth not another’s will, 
 
 Whose armor is his honest thought, 
 
 And simple truth his utmost skill. 
 
 H. WOTTON. 
 
 I F thou workest at that which is before thee, 
 following right reason, seriously, vigorously, 
 calmly, without allowing anything else to 
 distract thee, but keeping thy divine part pure as 
 if thou shouldest be bound to give it back imme¬ 
 diately, — if thou holdest to this, expecting noth¬ 
 ing, fearing nothing, but satisfied with thy 
 present activity according to nature, and with 
 heroic truth in every word and sound which thou 
 utterest, thou wilt live happy. And there is no 
 man who is able to prevent this. 
 
 Marcus Antoninus. 
 
October i 
 
 275 
 
 Be strong , all ye people of the land , saith the 
 Lord , and work : for I am with you , saith the 
 Lord of hosts. —Haggai ii. 4, 
 
 Yet the world is Thy field, Thy garden ; 
 
 On earth art Thou still at home. 
 
 When Thou bendest hither Thy hallowing eye, 
 
 My narrow work-room seems vast and high, 
 
 Its dingy ceiling a rainbow-dome, — 
 
 Stand ever thus at my wide-swung door, 
 
 And toil will be toil no more. 
 
 L. Larcom. 
 
 T HE situation that has not its duty, its 
 ideal, was never yet occupied by man. 
 Yes, here, in this poor, miserable, ham¬ 
 pered, despicable Actual, wherein thou even now 
 standest, here or nowhere is thy Ideal: work it 
 out therefrom; and working, believe, live, be 
 free. Fool! the Ideal is in thyself, the impedi¬ 
 ment too is in thyself: thy condition is but the 
 stuff thou art to shape that same Ideal out of: 
 what matters whether such stuff be of this sort 
 or that, so the form thou givest it be heroic, be 
 poetic. O thou that pinest in the imprisonment 
 of the Actual, and criest bitterly to the gods for 
 a kingdom wherein to rule and create, know 
 this of a truth : the thing thou seekest is already 
 with thee, u here or nowhere,” couldst thou 
 only see! 
 
 T. Carlyle. 
 
27 6 
 
 October 2 
 
 > 
 
 I am purposed that my mouth shall not trans¬ 
 gress. — Ps. xvii. 3. 
 
 In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: 
 hut he that refraineth his lips is wise. — Prov, 
 
 x. 19. 
 
 Prune thou thy words; the thoughts control 
 That o’er thee swell and throng ; 
 
 They will condense within thy soul, 
 
 And change to purpose strong. 
 
 J. H. Newman. 
 
 F EW men suspect how much mere talk 
 fritters away spiritual energy, — that which 
 should be spent in action, spends itself in 
 words. Hence he who restrains that love of 
 talk, lays up a fund of spiritual strength. 
 
 F. W. Robertson. 
 
 Do not flatter yourself that your thoughts are 
 under due control, your desires properly regu¬ 
 lated, or your dispositions subject as they should 
 be to Christian principle, if your intercourse 
 with others consists mainly of frivolous gossip, 
 impertinent anecdotes, speculations on the char¬ 
 acter and affairs of your neighbors, the repetition 
 of former conversations, or a discussion of the 
 current petty scandal of society ; much less, if 
 you allow yourself in careless exaggeration on 
 ail these points, and that grievous inattention to 
 exact truth, which is apt to attend the statements 
 of those whose conversation is made up of these 
 materials. H. Ware, Jr. 
 
October 3 
 
 277 
 
 'Judge not , that ye be not judged. — Matt. vii. I. 
 
 Why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy 
 brother’s eye , but perceivest not the beam that is 
 in thine own eye ? •— Luke vi. 41. 
 
 Judge not $ the workings of his brain 
 And of his heart thou canst not see ; 
 
 What looks to thy dim eyes a stain, 
 
 In God’s pure light may only be 
 A scar, brought from some well-won field, 
 
 Where thou wouldst only faint and yield. 
 
 Adelaide A. Procter. 
 
 W HEN you behold an aspect for whose 
 constant gloom and frown you cannot 
 account, whose unvarying cloud exas¬ 
 perates you by its apparent causelessness, be 
 sure that there is a canker somewhere, and a 
 canker not the less deeply corroding because 
 concealed. Charlotte Bronte. 
 
 While we are coldly discussing a man’s ca¬ 
 reer,sneering at his mistakes,blaming his rashness, 
 and labelling his opinions — u Evangelical and 
 narrow,” or (t Latitudinarian and Pantheistic,” 
 or u Anglican and supercilious ” — that man, in 
 his solitude, is perhaps shedding hot tears because 
 his sacrifice is a hard one, because strength and 
 patience are failing him to speak the difficult 
 word, and do the difficult deed. 
 
 George Eliot. 
 
278 
 
 October 4 
 
 > 
 
 Be strong , and of a good courage ; be not afraid , 
 neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is 
 with thee whithersoever thou goest. — Josh. i. 9. 
 
 By Thine unerring Spirit led, 
 
 We shall not in the desert stray $ 
 
 We shall not full direction need, 
 
 Nor miss our providential way $ 
 
 As far from danger as from fear, 
 
 While love, almighty love, is near. 
 
 Charles Wesley. 
 
 W ATCH your way then, as a cautious 
 traveller; and don’t be gazing at that 
 mountain or river in the distance, and 
 saying, u How shall I ever get over them ? ” but 
 keep to the present little inch that is before you, 
 and accomplish that in the little moment that 
 belongs to it. The mountain and the river can 
 only be passed in the same way; and, when you 
 come to them, you will come to the light and 
 strength that belong to them. 
 
 M. A. Kelty. 
 
 Let not future things disturb thee, for thou 
 wilt come to them, if it shall be necessary, hav¬ 
 ing with thee the same reason which thou now 
 usest for present things. 
 
 Marcus Antoninus. 
 
October 5 
 
 279 
 
 Say to them that are of a fearful hearty 
 strong , fear not . — Isa. xxxv. 4. 
 
 Why shouldst thou fill to-day with sorrow 
 About to-morrow, 
 
 My heart ? 
 
 One watches all with care most true, 
 
 Doubt not that He will give thee too 
 Thy part. 
 
 Paul Flemming. 
 
 T HE crosses which we make for ourselves 
 by a restless anxiety as to the future, are 
 not crosses which come from God. We 
 show want of faith in Him by our false wisdom, 
 wishing to forestall His arrangements, and strug¬ 
 gling to supplement His Providence by our own 
 providence. The future is not yet ours; per¬ 
 haps it never will be. If it comes, it may come 
 wholly different from what we have foreseen. 
 Let us shut our eyes, then, to that which God 
 hides from us, and keeps in reserve in the 
 treasures of His deep counsels. Let us worship 
 without seeing ; let us be silent; let us abide 
 in peace. 
 
 FRAN9OIS DE LA MOTHE FeNELON, 
 
28o 
 
 October 6 
 
 > 
 
 I had fainted , unless I had believed to see the 
 goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. 
 — Ps. xxvii. 13. 
 
 I will surely do thee good. — Gen. xxxii. 12. 
 
 Thou know’st not what is good for thee. 
 
 But God doth know, — 
 
 Let Him thy strong reliance be, 
 
 And rest thee so. 
 
 C. F. Gellert. 
 
 L ET us be very careful of thinking, on the 
 one hand, that we have no work assigned 
 us to do, or, on the other hand, that what 
 we have assigned to us is not the right thing for 
 us. If ever we can say in our hearts to God, 
 in reference to any daily duty, cc This is not my 
 place ; 1 would choose something dearer; I am 
 capable of something higher; ” we are guilty 
 not only of rebellion, but of blasphemy. It is 
 equivalent to saying, not only, w My heart re¬ 
 volts against Thy commands,” but ct Thy com¬ 
 mands are unwise; Thine Almighty guidance is 
 unskilful; Thine omniscient eye has mistaken 
 the capacities of Thy creature ; Thine infinite 
 love is indifferent to the welfare of Thy child.” 
 
 Elizabeth Charles. 
 
October 7 
 
 281 
 
 And because ye are sons , God hath sent the Spirit 
 of His Son into your hearts, crying , Abba , Father, 
 
 — Gal. iv. 6. 
 
 O Lord, forgive my sin, 
 
 And deign to put within 
 A calm, obedient heart, a patient mind j 
 That I may murmur not, 
 
 Though bitter seem my lot ; 
 
 For hearts unthankful can no blessing find. 
 
 M. Rutilius, 1604. 
 
 R esignation to the Divine will signi¬ 
 fies a cheerful approbation and thankful 
 acceptance of everything that comes from 
 God. It is not enough patiently to submit, but 
 we must thankfully receive and fully approve of 
 everything that, by the order of God’s provi¬ 
 dence, happens to us. For there is no reason 
 why we should be patient, but what is as good 
 and as strong a reason why we should be thank¬ 
 ful. Whenever, therefore, you find yourself 
 disposed to uneasiness or murmuring at any 
 thing that is the effect of God’s providence 
 over you, you must look upon yourself as deny¬ 
 ing either the wisdom or goodness of God. 
 
 Wm. Law. 
 
282 
 
 October 8 
 
 Te shall not go out in haste , for the Lord will 
 go before you ; and the God of Israel will be your 
 rearward. — Isa. lii. 12. (R. V.). 
 
 He that believeth shall not make haste. — Isa. 
 xxviii. 16. 
 
 Holy Spirit, Peace divine ! . 
 
 Still this restless heart of mine ; 
 
 Speak to calm this tossing sea, 
 
 Stayed in Thy tranquillity. 
 
 S. Longfellow. 
 
 I N whatever you are called upon to do, en¬ 
 deavor to maintain a calm, collected, and 
 prayerful state of mind. Self-recollection 
 is of great importance. cc It is good for a man 
 to quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.” 
 He who is in what may be called a spiritual 
 hurry, or rather who runs without having evi¬ 
 dence of being spiritually sent, makes haste to 
 no purpose. T. C. Upham. 
 
 There is great fret and worry in always run¬ 
 ning after work j it is not good intellectually or 
 spiritually. Annie Keary. 
 
 Whenever we are outwardly excited we 
 should cease to act; but whenever we have a 
 message from the spirit within, we should exe¬ 
 cute it with calmness. A fine day may excite 
 one to act, but it is much better that we act 
 from the calm spirit in any day, be the outward 
 what it may. J. P. Greaves, 
 
October 9 
 
 As Jor me and my house , we will serve the Lord, 
 — Josh. xxiv. 15. 
 
 O happy house ! and happy servitude ! 
 
 Where all alike one Master own ; 
 
 Where daily duty, in Thy strength pursued. 
 
 Is never hard or toilsome known 3 
 Where each one serves Thee, meek and lowly. 
 Whatever Thine appointment be, 
 
 Till common tasks seem great and holy. 
 
 When they are done as unto Thee. 
 
 C. J. P. Spitta. 
 
 A T Dudson there was no rushing after any¬ 
 thing, either worldly or intellectual. It 
 was a home of constant activity, issuing 
 from, and retiring to, a centre of deep repose. 
 There was an earnest application of excellent 
 sense to the daily duties of life, to the minutest 
 courtesy and kindness, as well as to the real 
 interests of others. Everything great and every¬ 
 thing little seemed done in the same spirit, and 
 with the same degree of fidelity, because it was 
 the will of God 3 and that which could not be 
 traced to His will was not undertaken at all. 
 Nothing at Dudson was esteemed too little to 
 be cared for, and nothing too great to be under¬ 
 taken at the command of God 3 and for this 
 they daily exercised their mental and bodily 
 powers on the things around them3 knowing 
 that our Lord thoroughly furnishes each of His 
 soldiers for his work, and places before each the 
 task he has to do. M. A. Schimmelpenninck, 
 
284 
 
 October 10 
 
 Now the Lord of peace Himself give you peace 
 always by all means. — 2 Thess. iii. 16. 
 
 The Lord will give strength unto His people; 
 the Lord will bless His people with peace. —— Ps. 
 xxix. il. 
 
 In the heart’s depths a peace serene and holy 
 Abides, and when pain seems to have its will, 
 
 Or we despair, — oh, may that peace rise slowly, 
 Stronger than agony, and we be still. 
 
 S. Johnson. 
 
 B UT if a man ought and is willing to lie 
 still under God’s hand, he must and ought 
 also to lie still under all things, whether 
 they come from God, himself, or the creatures, 
 nothing excepted. And he who would be 
 obedient, resigned, and submissive to God, 
 must and ought to be also resigned, obedient, 
 and submissive to all things, in a spirit of yield¬ 
 ing, and not of resistance; and take them in 
 silence, resting on the hidden foundations of 
 his soul, and having a secret inward patience, 
 that enableth him to take all chances or crosses 
 willingly; and, whatever befalleth, neither to 
 call for nor desire any redress, or deliverance, 
 or resistance, or revenge, but always in a loving, 
 sincere humility to cry, “Father, forgive them, 
 for they know not what they do ! ” 
 
 Theologia Germanica- 
 
October u 
 
 a8j 
 
 And when the people complained, it displeased the 
 
 Lord . — Num. xi. j. 
 
 When thou hast thanked thy God 
 For every blessing sent, 
 
 What time will then remain 
 For murmurs or lament ? 
 
 R. C. Trench. 
 
 L ET him, with a cheerful and thankful spirit, 
 yield himself up to suffer whatever God 
 shall appoint unto him, and to fulfil, ac¬ 
 cording to his power, by the grace of God, all 
 His holy will to the utmost that he can discern 
 it, and never complain of his distresses but to 
 God alone, with entire and humble resignation, 
 praying that he may be strong to endure all his 
 sufferings according to the will of God. 
 
 John Tauler. 
 
 He who complains, or thinks he has a right to 
 complain, because he is called in God’s Provi¬ 
 dence to suffer, has something within him which 
 needs to be taken away. A soul whose will is 
 lost in God’s will, can never do this. Sorrow 
 may exist; but complaint never. 
 
 Catherine Adorna. 
 
285 
 
 October 12 
 
 Singing and making melody in your heart to the 
 Lord. — Eph. v. 19. 
 
 Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts . -— 1 
 Peter iii. 15. 
 
 There are in this loud stunning tide 
 Of human care and crime, 
 
 With whom the melodies abide 
 Of th’ everlasting chime 5 
 Who carry music in their heart 
 Through dusky lane and wrangling mart, 
 Plying their daily task with busier feet, 
 
 Because their secret souls a holy strain repeat. 
 
 J. Keble. 
 
 S TRIVE to carry thyself with a total resig¬ 
 nation to the Divine Will, that God may 
 do with thee and all thine according to His 
 heavenly pleasure, relying on Him as on a kind 
 and loving Father. Never recall that intention, 
 and though thou be taken up about the affairs 
 of the condition wherein God hath placed thee, 
 yet thou wilt still be in prayer, in the presence 
 of God, and in perpetual acts of resignation. 
 u A just man leaves not off to pray unless he 
 leaves off to be just.” He always prays who 
 always does well. The good desire is prayer, 
 and if the desire be continued so also is the 
 prayer. 
 
 M. de Molinos. 
 
October 13 
 
 287 
 
 We desire that every one of you do show the 
 same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the 
 
 end. — Heb. vi. 11. 
 
 The Lord is faithful , who shall stahlish you , and 
 keep you from evil. — 2 Thess. iii. 3. 
 
 Long though my task may be, 
 
 Cometh the end. 
 
 God ’t is that helpeth me, 
 
 His is the work, and He 
 New strength will lend. 
 
 Anon,' 
 
 S ET yourself steadfastly to those duties which 
 have the least attractive exterior; it matters 
 not whether God’s holy will be fulfilled in 
 great or small matters. Be patient with your¬ 
 self and your own failings ; never be in a hurry, 
 and do not yield to longings after that which 
 is impossible to you. My dear sister, go on 
 steadily and quietly ; if our dear Lord means 
 you to run, He will w strengthen your heart.” 
 
 St. Francis de Sales. 
 
 Always begin by doing that which costs me 
 most, unless the easier duty is a pressing one. 
 Examine, classify, and determine at night the 
 work of the morrow; arrange things in the 
 order of their importance, and act accordingly. 
 Dread, above all things, bitterness and irritation. 
 Never say, or indirectly recall anything to my 
 advantage. Madame Swet chine. 
 
288 
 
 October 14 
 
 He that sinneth against Me wrongeth his own 
 soul: all they that hate Me love death. —Prov. 
 viii. 36. 
 
 But now being made free from sin , and become 
 servants to God , ye have your fruit unto holiness , 
 and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin 
 is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through 
 Jesus Christ our Lord. — Rom. vi. 22, 23. 
 
 O Sovereign Love, to Thee I cry ! 
 
 Give me Thyself, or else I die ! 
 
 Save me from death ; from hell set free ! 
 
 Death, hell, are but the want of Thee. 
 
 Quickened by Thy imparted flame, 
 
 Saved when possessed of Thee, I am : 
 
 My life, my only heaven Thou art ; 
 
 O might I feel Thee in my heart ! 
 
 C. Wesley. 
 
 S IN itself is hell, and death, and misery to the 
 soul, as being a departure from goodness 
 and holiness itself; I mean from God, in 
 conjunction with whom the happiness, and 
 blessedness, and* heaven of a soul doth consist. 
 Avoid it, therefore, as you would avoid being 
 miserable. Samuel Shaw. 
 
 u I could n’t live in peace if I put the 
 shadow of a wilful sin between myself and God.” 
 
 George Eliot. 
 
 Unholy tempers are always unhappy tempers. 
 
 John Wesley. 
 
October 15 
 
 289 
 
 Mine Iniquities have taken hold upon me , so that 
 I am not able to look up ; therefore my heart faileth 
 me. Be pleased , O Lord , to deliver me: 0 Lord , 
 make haste to help me. — Ps. xl. 12, 13. 
 
 Sin shall not have dominion over you . — Rom. 
 
 vi. 14. 
 
 O Thou, to whose all-searching sight 
 The darkness shineth as the light ! 
 
 Search, prove my heart ; it pants for Thee : 
 
 Oh, burst these bonds, and set it free ! 
 
 G. Tersteegen. 
 
 Y ES, this sin which has sent me weary- 
 hearted to bed and desperate in heart to 
 morning work, that has made my plans 
 miscarry until I am a coward, that cuts me off 
 from prayer, that robs the sky of blueness and 
 the earth of springtime, and the air of freshness, 
 and human faces of friendliness, — this blasting 
 sin which perhaps has made my bed in hell for 
 me so long, — this can be conquered. I do not 
 say annihilated, but, better than that, conquered , 
 captured and transfigured into a friend: so that 
 I at last shall say, u My temptation has become 
 my strength 1 for to the very fight with it I owe 
 my force.” 
 
 W. C. Gannett. 
 
290 
 
 October 16 
 
 1 am not worthy of the least of all the mercies , 
 and of all the truth , which Thou hast showed unto 
 Thy servant. — Gen. xxxii. 10. 
 
 Some murmur if their sky is clear. 
 
 And wholly bright to view, 
 
 If one small speck of dark appear 
 In their great heaven of blue : 
 
 And some with thankful love are filled. 
 
 If but one streak of light, 
 
 One ray of God’s good mercy, gild 
 The darkness of their night. 
 
 R. C. Trench. 
 
 H ABITUAL sufferers are precisely those 
 who least frequently doubt the Divine 
 benevolence, and whose faith and love 
 rise to the serenest cheerfulness. Possessed by 
 no idea of a prescriptive right to be happy, their 
 blessings are not benumbed by anticipation, but 
 come to them fresh and brilliant as the first 
 day’s morning and evening light to the dwellers 
 in Paradise. With the happy it is their con¬ 
 stant peace that seems to come by nature, and to 
 be blunted by its commonness, — and their griefs 
 to come from God, sharpened by their sacred 
 origin; with the sufferer, it is his pain that 
 appears to be a thing of course, and to require 
 no explanation, while his relief is reverently 
 welcomed as a divine interposition, and, as a 
 breath of Heaven, caresses the heart into 
 melodies of praise. J. Martineau. 
 
October 17 
 
 291 
 
 Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings 
 and sacrifices , as in obeying the voice of the Lord? 
 Behold , to obey is better than sacrifice . — I Sam. 
 xv. 22. 
 
 Fear ye not , stand stilly and see the salvation of 
 the Lord , which He will show to you to-day. —- 
 Ex. xiv. 13. 
 
 The folded hands seem idle : 
 
 If folded at His word, 
 
 *T is a holy service, trust me, 
 
 In obedience to the Lord. 
 
 Anna Shipton. 
 
 I T is not the multitude of hard duties, it is 
 not constraint and contention that advance 
 us in our Christian course. On the con¬ 
 trary, it is the yielding of our wills without re¬ 
 striction and without choice, to tread cheerfully 
 every day in the path in which Providence leads 
 us, to seek nothing, to be discouraged by noth¬ 
 ing, to see our duty in the present moment, to 
 trust all else without reserve to the will and • 
 power of God. 
 
 Francois de la Mothe Fenelon. 
 
 Godliness is the devotion of the soul to God, 
 as to a living person whose will is to be its law, 
 whose love is to be its life. It is the habit of 
 living before the face of God, and not the simply 
 doing certain things. J. B. Brown. 
 
292 
 
 October 18 
 
 Except your righteousness shall exceed the right¬ 
 eousness of the scribes and Pharisees , ye shall in 
 no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. — Matt. 
 v. 20. 
 
 The freedom from all wilful sin. 
 
 The Christian’s daily task, — 
 
 Oh these are graces far below 
 What longing love would ask ! 
 
 Dole not thy duties out to God. 
 
 F. W. Faber. 
 
 Y OU perhaps will say that all people fall 
 short of the perfection of the Gospel, and 
 therefore you are content with your fail¬ 
 ings. But this is saying nothing to the purpose : 
 for the question is not whether Gospel perfec¬ 
 tion can be fully attained, but whether you come 
 as near it as a sincere intention and careful dili¬ 
 gence can carry you. Whether you are not in 
 a much lower state than you might be if you 
 sincerely intended and carefully labored to ad¬ 
 vance yourself in all Christian virtues. 
 
 Wm. Law. 
 
 We know not exactly how low the least 
 degree of obedience is, which will bring a man 
 to heaven; but this we are quite sure of, that 
 he who aims no higher will be sure to fall short 
 even of that, and that he who goes farthest 
 beyond it will be most blessed. 
 
 John Keble 
 
October 19 
 
 2 93 
 
 Thus saith the Lord ,, thy Redeemer, the Holy 
 One of Israel; I am the Lord thy God which 
 teacheth thee to profit , which leadeth thee by the 
 way that thou shouldest go . — Isa. xlviii. 17. 
 
 I seek Thy aid, I ask direction, 
 
 Teach me to do what pleaseth Thee ; 
 
 I can bear toil, endure affliction, 
 
 Only Thy leadings let me see. 
 
 Anon. 
 
 O F all paths a man could strike into, there 
 is, at any given moment, a best path for 
 every man ; a thing which, here and now, 
 it were of all things wisest for him to do; which 
 could he but be led or driven to do, he were 
 then doing “ like a man,” as we phrase it. His 
 success, in such case, were complete, his felicity 
 a maximum. This path, to find this path, and 
 walk in it, is the one thing needful for him. 
 
 T. Carlyle. 
 
 Every man has his own vocation. There is 
 one direction in which all space is open to him. 
 He has faculties silently inviting him thither to 
 endless exertion. He is like a ship in a river; 
 he runs against obstructions on every side but 
 one; on that side all obstruction is taken away, 
 and he sweeps serenely over a deepening chan¬ 
 nel into an infinite sea. 
 
 R. W. Emerson. 
 
294 
 
 October 20 
 
 Be not overcome of evil , but overcome evil with 
 good. — Rom. xii. 21. 
 
 Come, in this accepted hour ; 
 
 Bring Thy heavenly kingdom in $ 
 
 Fill us with Thy glorious power, 
 
 Rooting out.the seeds of sin. 
 
 C. Wesley. 
 
 I F we wish to overcome evil, we must over¬ 
 come it by good. There are doubtless 
 many ways of overcoming the evil in our 
 own hearts, but the simplest, easiest, most uni¬ 
 versal, is to overcome it by active occupation in 
 some good word or work. The best antidote 
 against evil of all kinds, against the evil thoughts 
 which haunt the soul, against the needless per¬ 
 plexities which distract the conscience, is to 
 keep hold of the good we have. Impure 
 thoughts will not stand against pure words, and 
 prayers, and deeds. Little doubts will not avail 
 against great certainties. Fix your affections 
 on things above, and then you will be less and 
 less troubled by the cares, the temptations, the 
 troubles of things on earth. 
 
 A. P. Stanley. 
 
October 21 
 
 295 
 
 I am the Almighty God; walk before me , and 
 be thou perfect. —- Gen. xvii. i. 
 
 Consecrate yourselves to-day to the Lord. — Ex. 
 xxxii. 29. 
 
 Take my life, and let it be 
 Consecrated, Lord, to Thee. 
 
 Take my moments and my days ; 
 
 Let them flow in ceaseless praise. 
 
 F. R. Havergal. 
 
 I HAVE noticed that wherever there has been 
 a faithful following of the Lord in a con¬ 
 secrated soul, several things have inevitably 
 followed, sooner or later. Meekness and quiet¬ 
 ness of spirit become in time the characteristics 
 of the daily life. A submissive acceptance of 
 the will of God as it comes in the hourly events 
 of each day ; pliability in the hands of God to do 
 or to suffer all the good pleasure of His will; 
 sweetness under provocation; calmness in the 
 midst of turmoil and bustle ; yieldingness to the 
 wishes of others, and an insensibility to slights 
 and affronts ; absence of worry or anxiety; de¬ 
 liverance from care and fear; — all these, and 
 many similar graces, are invariably found to be 
 the natural outward development of that inward 
 life which is hid with Christ in God. 
 
 H. W. Smith, 
 
296 
 
 October 22 
 
 Father , if Thou he willing , remove this cup 
 from me * nevertheless not my will , but Thine , 
 ^ done. — Luke xxii. 42. 
 
 Just as Thou wilt is just what I would will $' 
 
 Give me but this, the heart to be content, 
 
 And, if my wish is thwarted, to lie still, 
 
 Waiting till puzzle and till pain are spent, 
 
 And the sweet thing made plain which the Lord meant. 
 
 Susan Coolidge. 
 
 L ET your will be one with His will, and be 
 glad to be disposed of by Him. He will 
 order all things for you. What can cross 
 your will, when it is one with His will, on which 
 all creation hangs, round which all things re¬ 
 volve ? Keep your hearts clear of evil thoughts ; 
 for as evil choices estrange the will from His 
 will, so evil thoughts cloud the soul, and hide 
 Him from us. Whatever sets us in opposition 
 to Him makes our will an intolerable torment. 
 So long as we will one thing and He another, 
 we go on piercing ourselves through and through 
 with a perpetual wound; and His will advances 
 moving on in sanctity and majesty, crushing 
 ours into the dust. 
 
 H. E. Manning. 
 
October 23 
 
 297 
 
 Teach me to do Thy will', for Thou art my God: 
 Thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of 
 uprightness. —- Ps. cxliii. io. 
 
 The battle of our life is won, 
 
 And heaven begun, 
 
 When we can say, “ Thy will be done ! ” 
 
 But, Lord, until 
 
 These restless hearts in Thy deep love are still, 
 
 We pray Thee, “ Teach us how to do Thy will! ” 
 
 Lucy Larcom. 
 
 u '\^ r OU are seeking your own will, my daugh¬ 
 ter. You are seeking some good other 
 than the law you are bound to obey. 
 But how T will you find good ? It is not a thing 
 of choice; it is a river that flows from the foot 
 of the Invisible Throne, and flows by the path 
 of obedience. I say again, man cannot choose 
 his duties. You may choose to forsake your 
 duties, and choose not to have the sorrow they 
 bring. But you will go forth, and what will 
 you find, my daughter ? Sorrow without duty 
 — bitter herbs, and no bread with them.” 
 
 George Eliot. 
 
 However dark and profitless, however pain¬ 
 ful and weary, existence may have become, 
 life is not done, and our Christian character is 
 not won, so long as God has anything left for 
 us to suffer, or anything left for us to do. 
 
 F. W. Robertson. 
 
298 
 
 October 24 
 
 The Lord is my strength , and my shield; my 
 heart trusted in Him , and I am helped: therefore 
 my heart greatly rejoiceth ; and with my song will 
 ip raise Him. — Ps. xxviii. 7. 
 
 Well may Thy happy children cease 
 From restless wishes, prone to sin, 
 
 And, in Thy own exceeding peace, 
 
 Yield to Thy daily discipline. 
 
 A. L. Waring. 
 
 T ALK of hair-cloth shirts, and scourgings, 
 and sleeping on ashes, as means of saint- 
 ship ! there is no need of them in our 
 country. Let a woman once look at her do¬ 
 mestic trials as her hair-cloth, her ashes, her 
 scourges, — accept them, — rejoice in them, — 
 smile and be quiet, silent, patient, and loving 
 under them, — and the convent can teach her 
 no more; she is a victorious saint. 
 
 H. B. Stowe. 
 
 Perhaps it is a greater energy of Divine 
 Providence, which keeps the Christian from day 
 to day, from year to year — praying, hoping, 
 running, believing — against all hindrances-—- 
 which maintains him as a living martyr, than 
 that which bears him up for an hour in sacrific¬ 
 ing himself at the stake. 
 
 R. Cecii. 
 
October 25 
 
 299 
 
 For I am persuaded that neither death , nor life , 
 nor angels , principalities , wr powers , wor things 
 
 present , wr things to come , height , depth, 
 
 nor any other creature , /<? separate us 
 
 from the love of God , which is in Christ Jesus our 
 Lard. — Rom. viii. 38, 39. 
 
 I know not what the future hath 
 Of marvel or surprise, 
 
 Assured alone that life and death 
 His mercy underlies. 
 
 J. G. Whittier. 
 
 B E of good faith, my dear Friends, look not 
 out at any thing; fear none of those 
 things ye may be exposed to suffer, either 
 outwardly or inwardly ; but trust the Lord over 
 all, and your life will spring, and grow, and 
 refresh you, and ye will learn obedience and 
 faithfulness daily more and more, even by your 
 exercises and sufferings; yea, the Lord will 
 teach you the very mystery of faith and obedi¬ 
 ence ; the wisdom, power, love, and goodness 
 of the Lord ordering every thing for you, and 
 ordering your hearts in every thing. 
 
 I. Penington. . 
 
3 °° 
 
 October 26 
 
 Turn you to the strong hold , ye prisoners of hope. 
 — Zech. ix. 12. 
 
 O POWER to do ; O baffled will ! 
 
 O prayer and action ! ye are one. 
 
 Who may not strive, may yet fulfil 
 The harder task of standing still, 
 
 And good but wished with God is done. 
 
 J. G. W HITTIER. 
 
 T HAT God has circumscribed our life may 
 add a peculiar element of trial, but often 
 it defines our way and cuts off many 
 tempting possibilities that perplex the free and 
 the strong; whilst it leaves intact the whole 
 body of spiritual reality, with the Beatitude 
 thereon, u that if we know these things, happy 
 are we if we do them.” We know that God 
 orders the lot; and to meet it with the energies 
 it requires and permits, neither more nor less, 
 — to fill it at every available point with the 
 light and action of an earnest and spiritually 
 inventive mind, though its scene be no wider 
 than a sick chamber, and its action narrowed 
 to patient suffering, and gentle, cheerful words, 
 and all the light it can emit the thankful quiet 
 of a trustful eye, — without chafing as though 
 God had misjudged our sphere, and placed us 
 wrong, and did not know where we could best 
 serve Him, — this is what, in that condition, we 
 have to do J. H. Thom. 
 
October 27 
 
 301 
 
 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities , in re¬ 
 proaches^ in necessities , in persecutions , distresses 
 for Christ’s sake : for when I am weak , then am 
 1 strong. — 2 Cor. xii. 10. 
 
 Whate’er God does is well 
 In patience let us wait $ 
 
 He doth Himself our burdens bear, 
 
 He doth for us take care. 
 
 And He, our God, knows all our weary days. 
 Come, give Him praise. 
 
 B. Schmolck. 
 
 N ^OTHING else but this seeing God in 
 everything will make us loving and 
 patient with those who annoy and 
 trouble us. They will be to us then only the 
 instruments for accomplishing His tender and 
 wise purposes towards us, and we shall even 
 find ourselves at last inwardly thanking them 
 for the blessings they bring us. Nothing else 
 will completely put an end to all murmuring or 
 rebelling thoughts. H. W. Smith. 
 
 The subjection of the will is accomplished by 
 calmly resigning thyself in everything that in¬ 
 ternally or externally vexes thee ; for it is thus 
 only that the soul is prepared for the reception 
 of divine influences. Prepare the heart like 
 clean paper, and the Divine Wisdom will im¬ 
 print on it characters to His own liking. 
 
 M. de Molinos. 
 
302 
 
 October 28 
 
 / know the thoughts that I think toward you , 
 salth the Lord , thoughts of peace , and not of evil , 
 /a jwzz an expected end. — Jer. xxix. 11. 
 
 Thy thoughts are good, and Thou art kind, 
 
 E’en when we think it not; 
 
 How many an anxious, faithless mind 
 Sits grieving o’er its lot. 
 
 And frets, and pines by day and night, 
 
 As God had lost it out of sight, 
 
 And all its wants forgot. 
 
 P. Gerhardt. 
 
 Y OU are never to complain of your birth, 
 your training, your employments, your 
 hardships; never to fancy that you could 
 be something if only you had a different lot and 
 sphere assigned you. God understands His 
 own plan, and He knows what you want a 
 great deal better than you do. The very things 
 that you most deprecate, as fatal limitations or 
 obstructions, are probably what you most want. 
 What you call hindrances, obstacles, discourage¬ 
 ments, are probably God’s opportunities. Bring 
 down your soul, or, rather, bring it up to receive 
 God’s will and do His work, in your lot, in 
 your sphere, under your cloud of obscurity, 
 against your temptations, and then you shall 
 find that your condition is never opposed to 
 your good, but really consistent with it. 
 
 H. Bushnell. 
 
October 29 
 
 303 
 
 Behold , I have refined thee , but not with silver; 
 I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction. — 
 
 Isa. xlviii. 10. 
 
 Be patient, suffering soul ! I hear thy cry. 
 
 The trial fires may glow, but I am nigh. 
 
 I see the silver, and I will refine 
 Until My image shall upon it shine. 
 
 Fear not, for I am near, thy help to be $ 
 
 Greater than all thy pain, My love for thee. 
 
 H. W. C. 
 
 G OD takes a thousand times more pains 
 with us than the artist with his picture, 
 by many touches of sorrow, and by 
 many colors of circumstance, to bring man into 
 the form which is the highest and noblest in 
 His sight, if only we received His gifts and 
 myrrh in the right spirit. But when the cup 
 is put away, and these feelings are stifled or 
 unheeded, a greater injury is done to the soul 
 than can ever be amended. For no heart can 
 conceive in what surpassing love God giveth us 
 this myrrh; yet this which we ought to receive 
 to our soul’s good, we suffer to pass by us in 
 our sleepy indifference, and nothing comes of 
 it. Then we come and complain : cc Alas, 
 Lord ! I am so dry, and it is so dark within 
 me ! ” I tell thee, dear child, open.thy heart to 
 the pain, and it will do thee more good than if 
 thou wert full of feeling and devoutness. 
 
 I. Tauler. 
 
3°4 
 
 October 30 
 
 That good thing which was committed unto thee 
 keep by the Holy Ghost which divelleth in us. — 
 
 2 Tim. i. 14. 
 
 Oh that the Comforter would come ! 
 
 Nor visit as a transient guest, 
 
 But fix in me His constant home, 
 
 And keep possession of my breast: 
 
 And make my soul His loved abode, 
 
 The temple of indwelling God ! 
 
 C. Wesley. 
 
 T HY spirit should become, while yet on 
 earth, the peaceful throne of the Divine 
 Being; think, then, how quiet, how 
 gentle and pure, how reverent, thou shouldst be. 
 
 Gerhard Tersteegen. 
 
 I cannot tell you how much I love you. 
 But that which of all things I have most at 
 heart, with regard to you, is the real progress of 
 your soul in the divine life. Heaven seems to 
 be awakened in you. It is a tender plant. It 
 requires stillness, meekness, and the unity of the 
 heart, totally given up to the unknown workings 
 of the Spirit of God, which will do all its work 
 in the calm soul, that has no hunger or desire 
 but to escape out of the mire of its earthly life 
 into its lost union and life in God. I mention 
 this, out of a fear of your giving in to an eager¬ 
 ness about many things, which, though seem¬ 
 ingly innocent, yet divide and weaken the 
 workings of the divine life within you. 
 
 Wm. Law. 
 
October 31 
 
 3°5 
 
 And Enoch walked with God : and he was not} 
 for God took him. — Gen. v. 24. 
 
 Oh for a closer walk with God, 
 
 A calm and heavenly frame j 
 A light to shine upon the road 
 That leads me to the Lamb! 
 
 W. Cowper, 
 
 I S it possible for any of us in these modern 
 days to so live that we may walk with God ? 
 Can we walk with God in the shop, in the 
 office, in the household, and on the street ? 
 When men exasperate us, and work wearies us, 
 and the children fret, and the servants annoy, 
 
 and our best-laid plans fall to pieces, and our 
 
 castles in the air are dissipated like bubbles that 
 break at a breath, then can we walk with God ? 
 That religion which fails us in the every-day 
 trials and experiences of life has somewhere in 
 it a flaw. It should be more than a plank to 
 sustain us in the rushing tide, and land us ex¬ 
 hausted and dripping on the other side. It 
 
 ought, if it come from above, to be always, day 
 by day, to our souls as the wings of a bird, bear¬ 
 ing us away from and beyond the impediments 
 which seek to hold us down. If the Divine 
 Love be a conscious presence, an indwelling 
 force with us, it will do this. 
 
 Christian Union. 
 
3°6 
 
 November x 
 
 Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth 
 is named. — Eph. iii. 15. 
 
 One family, we dwell in Him ; 
 
 One church above, beneath ; 
 
 Though now divided by the stream, — 
 
 The narrow stream of death. 
 
 One army of the living God, 
 
 To His command we bow : 
 
 Part of His host has crossed the flood, 
 
 And part is crossing now. 
 
 C. Wesley. 
 
 L ET us, then, learn that we can never be 
 lonely or forsaken in this life. Shall they 
 forget us because they are w made per¬ 
 fect ” ? Shall they love us the less because they 
 now have power to love us more ? If we forget 
 them not, shall they not remember us with God ? 
 No trial, then, can isolate us, no sorrow can 
 cut us off from the Communion of Saints. 
 Kneel down, and you are with them ; lift up 
 your eyes, and the heavenly world, high above 
 all perturbation, hangs serenely overhead ; only a 
 thin veil, it may be, floats between. All whom 
 we loved, and all who loved us, whom we still 
 love no less, while they love us yet more, are 
 ever near, because ever in His presence in whom 
 we live and dwell. 
 
 H. E. Manning. 
 
November 2 
 
 307 
 
 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about 
 with so great a cloud of witnesses , let us lay aside 
 every weight , and the sin which doth so easily beset 
 us , and let us run with patience the race that is set 
 before us. — Heb. xii. I. 
 
 When the powers of hell prevail 
 O’er our weakness and unfitness. 
 
 Could we lift the fleshly veil, 
 
 Could we for a moment witness 
 Those unnumbered hosts that stand 
 Calm and bright on either hand ; 
 
 Oh, what joyful hope would cheer, 
 
 Oh, what faith serene would guide us ! 
 
 Great may be the danger near, 
 
 Greater are the friends beside us. Anon. 
 
 W E are compassed about by a cloud of 
 witnesses, whose hearts throb in sym¬ 
 pathy with every effort and struggle, 
 and who thrill with joy at every success. How 
 should this thought check and rebuke every 
 worldly feeling and unworthy purpose, and en¬ 
 shrine us, in the midst of a forgetful and un¬ 
 spiritual world, with an atmosphere of heavenly 
 peace! They have overcome — have risen — 
 are crowned, glorified; but still they remain to 
 us, our assistants, our comforters, and in every 
 hour of darkness their voice speaks to us : u So 
 we grieved, so we struggled, so we fainted, so 
 we doubted ; but we have overcome, we have 
 obtained, we have seen, we have found, — and 
 in our victory behold the certainty of thy own.” 
 
 H. B. Stowe. 
 
3°8 
 
 November 3 
 
 Wherefore putting away lying , speak every man 
 truth with his neighbor: for we are members one 
 of another. — Eph. iv. 25. 
 
 In conversation be sincere ; 
 
 Keep conscience as the noontide clear; 
 
 Think how All-seeing God thy ways 
 And all thy secret thoughts surveys. 
 
 Thomas Ken. 
 
 1 
 
 T HE essence of lying is in deception, not 
 in words \ a lie may be told by silence, 
 by equivocation, by the accent on a syl¬ 
 lable, by a glance of the eye attaching a peculiar 
 significance to a sentence; and all these kinds 
 of lies are worse and baser by many degrees than 
 a lie plainly worded ; so that no form of blinded 
 conscience is so far sunk as that which comforts 
 itself for having deceived because the deception 
 was by gesture or silence, instead of utterance. 
 
 J. Ruskin. 
 
 He that is habituated to deceptions and artifi¬ 
 cialities in trifles, will try in vain to be true in 
 matters of importance; for truth is a thing of 
 habit rather than of will. You cannot in any 
 given case by any sudden and single effort will 
 to be true, if the habit of your life has been 
 insincerity. 
 
 F. W. Robertson. 
 
November 4 
 
 3°9 
 
 A soft answer turneth away wrath : hut griev¬ 
 ous words stir up anger . — Prov. xv. i v 
 
 Doest thou well to be angry ? — Jonah iv. 4. 
 
 Renew Thine image, Lord, in me, 
 
 Lowly and gentle may I be ; 
 
 No charms but these to Thee are dear ; 
 
 No anger mayst Thou ever find, 
 
 No pride in my unruffled mind, 
 
 But faith, and heaven-born peace be there. 
 
 P. Gerhardt. 
 
 N EITHER say nor do aught displeasing to 
 thy neighbor; and if thou hast been 
 wanting in charity, seek his forgiveness, 
 or speak to him with gentleness. Speak always 
 with mildness and in a low tone of voice. 
 
 L. Scupoli. 
 
 Injuries hurt not more in the receiving than 
 in the remembrance. A small injury shall go 
 as it comes; a great injury may dine or sup with 
 me; but none at all shall lodge with me. Why 
 should I vex myself because another hath vexed 
 me ? Grief for things past that cannot be rem¬ 
 edied, and care for things to come that cannot 
 be prevented, may easily hurt, can never benefit 
 me. I will therefore commit myself to God in 
 both, and enjoy the present. 
 
 Joseph Hall, 
 
3 l ° 
 
 November 5 
 
 The temple of God is holy , which temple yt 
 are. — 1 Cor. iii. 17. 
 
 Now shed Thy mighty influence abroad 
 On souls that would their Father’s image bear j 
 Make us as holy temples of our God, 
 
 Where dwells forever calm, adoring prayer. 
 
 C. J. P. Spitta. 
 
 T HIS pearl of eternity is the church or 
 temple of God within thee, the conse¬ 
 crated place of divine worship, where 
 alone thou canst worship God in spirit and 
 in truth. When once thou art well grounded 
 in this inward worship, thou wilt have learned 
 to live unto God above time and place. For 
 every day will be Sunday to thee, and, wherever 
 thou goest, thou wilt have a priest, a church, 
 and an altar along with thee. For when God 
 has all that He should have of thy heart, when 
 thou art wholly given up to the obedience of 
 the light and spirit of God within thee, to will 
 only in His will, to love only in His love, to be 
 wise only in His wisdom, then it is that every¬ 
 thing thou dost is as a song of praise, and the 
 common business of thy life is a conforming to 
 God’s will on earth as angels do in heaven. 
 
 Wm. Law. 
 
November 6 
 
 3 11 
 
 He will fulfil the desire of them that fear Hi?n : 
 He also will hear their cry , and will save them. — 
 Ps. cxlv. 19. 
 
 Delight thyself also in the Lord; and He shall 
 give thee the desires of thine heart. — Ps. xxxvii. 4. 
 
 Though to-day may not fulfil 
 All thy hopes, have patience still ; 
 
 For perchance to-morrow’s sun 
 Sees thy happier days begun. 
 
 P. Gerhardt. 
 
 H IS great desire and delight is God ; and 
 by desiring and delighting, he hath Him. 
 Delight thou in the Lord , and He shall give 
 thee thy heart* s desire, — Himself; and then surely 
 thou shalt have all. Any other thing commit it 
 to Him , and He shall bring it to pass. 
 
 R. Leighton. 
 
 All who call on God in true faith, earnestly 
 from the heart, will certainly be heard, and will 
 receive what they have asked and desired, 
 although not in the hour or in the measure, or 
 the very thing which they ask ; yet they will 
 obtain something greater and more glorious than 
 they had dared to ask. 
 
 Martin Luther. 
 
3 12 
 
 November 7 
 
 I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision. — 
 Acts xxvi. 19. 
 
 The Lord our God will we serve , and His voice 
 will we obey. — Josh. xxiv. 24. 
 
 I will shun no toil or woe. 
 
 Where Thou leadest I will go, 
 
 Be my pathway plain or rough { 
 
 If but every hour may be 
 Spent in work that pleases Thee, 
 
 Ah, dear Lord, it is enough ! 
 
 G. Tersteegen. 
 
 A LL these longings and doubts, and this in¬ 
 ward distress, are the voice of the Good 
 Shepherd in your heart, seeking to call 
 you out of all that is contrary to His will. Oh, 
 let me entreat of you not to turn away from 
 His gentle pleadings. 
 
 H. W. Smith. 
 
 The fear of man brings a snare. By halting 
 in our duty and giving back in the time of trial, 
 our hands grow weaker, our ears grow dull as 
 to hearing the language of the true Shepherd; 
 so that when we look at the way of the right¬ 
 eous, it seems as though it was not for us to 
 follow them. 
 
 J. Woolman. 
 
November 8 
 
 3*3 
 
 Lo , I come to do Thy will , O GW. — Heb. x. 9, 
 
 Teach me to do Thy will , for Thou art my 
 God. — Ps. cxliii. 10. 
 
 Lo ! I come with joy to do 
 The Father’s blessed will $ 
 
 Him in outward works pursue, 
 
 And serve His pleasure still. 
 
 Faithful to my Lord’s commands, 
 
 I still would choose the better part 5 
 Serve with careful Martha’s hands, 
 
 And loving Mary’s heart. 
 
 C. Wesley. 
 
 A SOUL cannot be regarded as truly sub¬ 
 dued and consecrated in its will, and as 
 having passed into union with the Divine 
 will, until it has a disposition to do promptly 
 and faithfully all that God requires, as well as 
 to endure patiently and thankfully all that He 
 imposes. T. C. Upham. 
 
 When we have learned to offer up every duty 
 connected with our situation in life as a sacrifice 
 to God, a settled employment becomes just a 
 settled habit of prayer. Thomas Erskine. 
 
 cc Do the duty which lies nearest theef which 
 thou knowest to be a duty. Thy second duty 
 will already have become clearer. T. Carlyle. 
 
3H 
 
 November g 
 
 Say not thou , I will hide myself from the Lord: 
 shall any remember me from above ? I shall not 
 be remembered among so many people : for what 
 is my soul among such an infinite number of 
 creatures ? — Ecclesiasticus xvi. 17. 
 
 Among so many, can He care ? 
 
 Can special love be everywhere ? 
 
 A myriad homes, — a myriad ways, — 
 
 And God’s eye over every place ? 
 
 I asked : my soul bethought of this ; — 
 
 In just that very place of His 
 Where He hath put and keepeth you, 
 
 God hath no other thing to do ! 
 
 A. D. T. Whitney 
 
 G IVE free and bold play to those instinct's 
 of the heart which believe that the Cre¬ 
 ator must care for the creatures He has 
 made, and that the only real effective care for 
 them must be that which takes each of them 
 into His love, and knowing it separately sur¬ 
 rounds it with His separate sympathy. There 
 is not one life which the Life-giver ever loses 
 out of His sight; not one which sins so that He 
 casts it away ; not one which is not so near to 
 Him that whatever touches it touches Him with 
 sorrow or with joy. 
 
 Phillips Brooks. 
 
November io 
 
 3i5 
 
 In Him we live , and move , and have our being . 
 — Acts xvii. 28. 
 
 Whither shall I go from Thy spirit ? or whither 
 shall I fee from Thy presence ? — Ps. cxxxix. 7. 
 
 Yea ! In Thy life our little lives are ended. 
 
 Into Thy depths our trembling spirits fall 5 
 In Thee enfolded, gathered, comprehended, 
 
 As holds the sea her waves — Thou hold’st us all. 
 
 E. Scudder. 
 
 W HERE then is our God ? You say, He 
 is everywhere: then show me anywhere 
 that you have met Him. You declare 
 Him everlasting: then tell me any moment that 
 He has been with you. You believe Him ready 
 to succor them that are tempted, and to lift those 
 that are bowed down : then in what passionate 
 hour did you subside into His calm grace ? in 
 what sorrow lose yourself in His “ more exceed¬ 
 ing”.) 0 )^ These are the testing questions by 
 which we may learn whether we too have raised 
 our altar to an w unknown God ” and pay the 
 worship of the blind; or whether we commune 
 with Him u in whom we live, and move, and 
 have our being.” 
 
 J. Martineau. 
 
3 l6 
 
 November n 
 
 IValk ivorthy of the Lord unto all pleasing , 
 being fruitful in every good work , and increase 
 ing in the knowledge of God; strengthened witn 
 all might , according to His glorious power , unt< 
 all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness . —* 
 Col. i. io, ii. 
 
 To be the thing we seem, 
 
 To do the thing we deem 
 Enjoined by duty $ 
 
 To walk in faith, nor dream 
 Of questioning God’s scheme 
 Of truth and beauty. 
 
 Anon. 
 
 T O shape the whole Future is not our prob¬ 
 lem ; but only to shape faithfully a small 
 part of it, according to rules already 
 known. It is perhaps possible for each of us, 
 who will with due earnestness inquire, to ascer¬ 
 tain clearly what he, for his own part, ought to 
 do; this let him, with true heart, do, and con¬ 
 tinue doing. The general issue will, as it has 
 always done, rest well with a Higher Intelligence 
 than ours. This dav thou knowest ten com- 
 
 j 
 
 manded duties, seest in thy mind ten things 
 which should be done for one that thou doest! 
 Do one of them ; this of itself will show thee 
 ten others which can and shall be done. 
 
 T. Carlyle. 
 
November 12 
 
 3i7 
 
 I must work the works of Him that sent me , 
 while it is day : the night cometh , when no man 
 can work . —John ix. 4. 
 
 Wherefore have ye not fulfilled your task? — 
 
 Ex. v. 14. 
 
 He who intermits 
 
 The appointed task and duties of the day 
 Untunes full oft the pleasures of the day $ 
 
 Checking the finer spirits that refuse 
 To flow, when purposes are lightly changed. 
 
 W. Wordsworth. 
 
 B Y putting off things beyond their proper 
 times, one duty treads upon the heels of 
 another, and all duties are felt as irksome 
 obligations,—a yoke beneath which we fret and 
 lose our peace. In most cases the consequence 
 of this is, that we have no time to do the work 
 as it ought to be done. It is therefore done 
 precipitately, with eagerness, with a greater desire 
 simply to get it done, than to do it well, and 
 with very little thought of God throughout. 
 
 F. W. Faber. 
 
 Sufficient for each day is the good thereof, 
 equally as the evil. We must do at once, and 
 with our might, the merciful deed that our hand 
 findeth to do, — else it will never be done, for 
 the hand will find other tasks, and the arrears 
 fall through. And every unconsummated good 
 feeling, every unfulfilled purpose that His spirit 
 has prompted, shall one day charge us as faith¬ 
 less and recreant before God. J. H. Thom. 
 
November 13 
 
 Blessed, is the man whom Thou chastenest , O 
 Lord , and teachest him out of Thy law. — Ps. 
 xciv. 12. 
 
 Truly this is a grief and 1 must hear it. —Jer. 
 x. 19. 
 
 Hold in thy murmurs, heaven arraigning ! 
 
 The patient see God’s loving face 5 
 Who bear their burdens uncomplaining, 
 
 ’T is they that win the Father’s grace. 
 
 Anon. 
 
 D O not run to this and that for comfort 
 when you are in trouble, but bear it. Be 
 uncomfortably quiet — be uneasily silent 
 • — be patiently unhappy. J. P. Greaves. 
 
 Hard words will vex; unkindness will pierce ; 
 neglect will wound ; threatened evils will make 
 the soul quiver; sharp pain or weariness will 
 rack the body, or make it restless. But what 
 says the Psalmist ? u When my heart is vexed, 
 I will complain.” To whom? Not of God, but 
 to God. E. B. Pusey. 
 
 Surely, I have thought, I do not want to 
 have a grief which would not be a grief. I feel 
 that I shall be able to take up my cross in a 
 religious spirit soon, and then it will be all right. 
 
 James Hinton. 
 
November 14 
 
 3 l 9 
 
 Thou art my servant: I have formed thee ; thou 
 art my servant: O Israel , thou shalt not be for¬ 
 gotten of me. — Isa. xliv. 21. 
 
 Oh, give Thy servant patience to be still, 
 
 And bear Thy will ; 
 
 Courage to venture wholly on the arm 
 That will not harm 5 
 The wisdom that will never let me stray 
 Out of my way ; 
 
 The love, that, now afflicting, knoweth best 
 When I should rest. 
 
 J. M. Neale. 
 
 S UPPOSING that you were never to be set 
 free from such trials, what would you do ? 
 You would say to God, U I am Thine — 
 if my trials are acceptable to Thee, give me 
 more and more.” I have full confidence that 
 this is what you would say, and then you would 
 not think more of it — at any rate, you would 
 not be anxious. Well, do the same now. Make 
 friends with your trials, as though you were 
 always to live together; and you will see that 
 when you cease to take thought for your own 
 deliverance, God will take thought for you; and 
 when you cease to help yourself eagerly, He will 
 help you. 
 
 St. Francis de Sales. 
 
 Ah, if you knew what peace there is in an 
 accepted sorrow ! Madame Guyon. 
 
3 2 ° 
 
 November 15 
 
 Fear thou not; for 1 am with thee: he not dis¬ 
 mayed ; for 1 am thy God: 1 will strengthen thee ; 
 yea , I will help thee; yea , I will uphold thee with 
 the right hand of my righteousness. — Isa. xli. io. 
 
 Lord, be Thou near and cheer my lonely way ; 
 
 With Thy sweet peace my aching bosom fill ; 
 Scatter my cares and fears ; my griefs allay, 
 
 And be it mine each day 
 To love and please Thee still. 
 
 P„ Corneille. 
 
 W HAT if the wicked nature, which is as a 
 sea casting out mire and dirt, rage 
 against thee ? There is a river, a 
 sweet, still, flowing river, the streams whereof 
 will make glad thy heart. And, learn but in 
 quietness and stillness to retire to the Lord, and 
 wait upon Him ; in whom thou shalt feel peace 
 and joy, in the midst of thy trouble from the 
 cruel and vexatious spirit of this world. So, 
 wait to know thy work and service to the Lord 
 every day, in thy place and station ; and the 
 Lord make thee faithful therein, and thou wilt 
 want neither help, support, nor comfort. 
 
 I, Penington. 
 
November ib 
 
 321 
 
 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace , whose mind 
 is stayed on Thee : because he trusteth in Thee. — 
 Isa. xxvi. 3 . 
 
 What comforts, Lord, to those are given. 
 
 Who seek in Thee their home and rest ! 
 
 They find on earth an opening heaven. 
 
 And in Thy peace are amply blest. 
 
 W. C. Desslev 
 
 G OD is a tranquil Being, and abides in a 
 tranquil eternity. So must thy spirit 
 become a tranquil and clear little pool, 
 wherein the serene light of God can be mir¬ 
 rored. Therefore shun all that is disquieting 
 and distracting, both within and without. 
 Nothing in the whole world is worth the loss 
 of thy peace; even the faults which thou hast 
 committed should only humble, but not disquiet 
 thee. God is full of joy, peace, and happiness. 
 Endeavor then to obtain a continually joyful 
 and peaceful spirit. Avoid all anxious care, 
 vexation, murmuring, and melancholy, which 
 darken thy soul, and render thee unfit for the 
 friendsnip of God. If thou dost perceive such 
 feelings arising, turn gently away from them. 
 
 G. Tersteegen. 
 
322 
 
 November 17 
 
 Every day will 1 bless Thee ; and I will praise 
 Thy name for ever and ever „ — Ps. cxlv. 2. 
 
 Commit thy works unto the Lord , and thy 
 thoughts shall be established. — Prov. xvi. 3. 
 
 Lord, I my vows to Thee renew ; 
 
 Disperse my sins as morning dew ; 
 
 Guard my first springs of thought and will, 
 
 And with Thyself my spirit fill. 
 
 Thomas Ken. 
 
 M ORNING by morning think, for a few 
 moments, of the chief employments of 
 the day, any one thing of greater mo- 
 ment than others, thine own especial trial, an y 
 occasions of it which are likely to come that 
 day, and by one short strong act commend thy¬ 
 self beforehand in all to God; offer all thy 
 thoughts, words, and deeds to Him — to be 
 governed, guided, accepted by Him. Choose 
 some great occasions of the day, such as bring 
 with them most trial to thee, on whicl\ above 
 others, to commend thyself to God. 
 
 E. B. Pusey. 
 
 Will you not, before venturing away from 
 your early quiet hour, u commit thy works” to 
 Him definitely, the special things you have to 
 do to-day, and the unforeseen work which He 
 may add in the course of it ? 
 
 F. R. Havergal. 
 
November 18 
 
 3*3 
 
 Hereby know we that we dwell in Him , and 
 He in us , because He hath given us of His Spirit . 
 
 — i John iv. 13 . 
 
 Within ! within, oh turn 
 Thy spirit’s eyes, and learn 
 Thy wandering senses gently to control $ 
 
 Thy dearest Friend dwells deep within thy soul, 
 
 And asks thyself of thee, 
 
 That heart, and mind, and sense, He may make whole 
 In perfect harmony. 
 
 G. Tersteegen. 
 
 W AIT patiently, trust humbly, depend 
 only upon, seek solely to a God of 
 Light and Love, of Mercy and Good¬ 
 ness, of Glory and Majesty, ever dwelling in 
 the inmost depth and spirit of your soul. There 
 you have all the secret, hidden, invisible Up¬ 
 holder of all the creation, whose blessed opera¬ 
 tion will always be found by a humble, faithful, 
 loving, calm, patient introversion of your heart 
 to Him, who has His hidden heaven within 
 you, and which will open itself to you, as soon 
 as your heart is left wholly to His eternal, ever- 
 speaking Word, and ever-sanctifying Spirit within 
 you. Beware of all eagerness and activity of 
 your own natural spirit and temper. Run not 
 in any hasty ways of your own. Be patient 
 under the sense of your own vanity and weak¬ 
 ness; and patiently wait for God to do His 
 own work, and in His own way. Wm. Law. 
 
3 2 4 
 
 November ig 
 
 If any man among you seem to be religious , and. 
 bridleth not his tongue , but deceiveth his own hearty 
 this man s religion is vain. — James i. 26. 
 
 I said, I will take heed to my ways , that I sin 
 not with my tongue. — Ps. xxxix. 1. 
 
 No sinful word, nor deed of wrong, 
 
 Nor thoughts that idly rove ; 
 
 But simple truth be on our tongue. 
 
 And in our hearts be love. 
 
 St. Ambrose. 
 
 L ET us all resolve, — First, to attain the 
 grace of silence ; Second, to deem all 
 fault-finding that does no good a sin, 
 and to resolve, when we are happy ourselves, 
 not to poison the atmosphere for our neighbors 
 by calling on them to remark every painful and 
 disagreeable feature of their daily life ; Third, to 
 practise the grace and virtue of praise. 
 
 Harriet B. Stowe. 
 
 Surrounded by those who constantly exhibit 
 defects of character and conduct, if we yield to 
 a complaining and impatient spirit, we shall 
 mar our own peace without having the satisfac¬ 
 tion of benefiting others. 
 
 T. C. Upham 
 
November 20 
 
 3^5 
 
 Te have need of patience , that , after ye have 
 done the will of God , ye might receive the promise. 
 Heb. x. 36. 
 
 Sweet Patience, come : 
 
 Not from a low and earthly source, — 
 
 Waiting, till things shall have their course, — 
 Not as accepting present pain 
 In hope of some hereafter gain, — 
 
 Not in a dull and sullen calm, —• 
 
 But as a breath of heavenly balm. 
 
 Bidding my weary heart submit 
 To bear whatever God sees fit: 
 
 Sweet Patience, come ! 
 
 Hymns of the Church Militant. 
 
 P ATIENCE endu es her scholars with con¬ 
 tent of mind, and evenness of temper, 
 preventing all repining grumbling, and 
 impatient desires, and inordinate affections; 
 disappointments here are no crosses, and all 
 anxious thoughts are disarmed of their sting ; 
 in her habitations dwell quietness, submission, 
 and long-suffering, all fierce turbulent inclina¬ 
 tions are hereby allayed. The eyes of the 
 patient fixedly wait the inward power of God’s 
 providence, and they are thereby mightily enabled 
 towards their salvation and preservation. 
 
 Thomas Tryon. 
 
326 November 21 
 
 Man shall not live by bread alone , but by every 
 word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. — 
 Matt. iv. 4. 
 
 A man s life consisteth not in the abundance of 
 the things which he possesseth. — Luke xii. 15. 
 
 Whate’er God does is well. 
 
 Whether He gives or takes ! 
 
 And what we from His hand receive 
 Suffices us to live. 
 
 He takes and gives, while yet He loves us still; 
 Then love His will. 
 
 B. Schmolck. 
 
 I S that beast better, that hath two or three 
 mountains to graze on, than a little bee, 
 that feeds on dew or manna, and lives upon 
 what falls every morning from the storehouse 
 of heaven, clouds, and providence ? 
 
 Jeremy Taylor. 
 
 For myself I am certain that the good of 
 human life cannot lie in the possession of things 
 which for one man to possess is for the rest to 
 lose, but rather in things which all can possess 
 alike, and where one man’s wealth promotes his 
 neighbor’s. B. Spinoza. 
 
 • Every lot is happy to a person who bears it 
 with tranquillity. Boethius. 
 
November 22 
 
 327 
 
 Tour Father knoweth what things ye have need 
 
 of. — Matt. vi. 8. 
 
 Seek ye first the kingdom of God , and His right¬ 
 eousness j and all these things shall he added unto 
 you . — Matt. vi. 33. 
 
 Thy kingdom come, with power and grace. 
 
 To every heart of man ; 
 
 Thy peace, and joy, and righteousness 
 In all our bosoms reign. 
 
 C. Wesley. 
 
 G OD bids us, then, by past mercies, by 
 present grace, by fears of coming ill, by 
 hopes in His goodness, earnestly, with 
 our whole hearts, seek Him and His righteous¬ 
 ness, and all these things, all ye need for soul 
 and body, peace, comfort, joy, the overflowing 
 of His consolations, shall be added over and 
 above to you. E. B. Pusey. 
 
 Grant us, O Lord, we beseech Thee, always 
 to seek Thy kingdom and righteousness, and of 
 whatsoever Thou seest us to stand in need, mer¬ 
 cifully grant us an abundant portion. Amen. 
 
 Be content to be a child, and let the Father 
 proportion out daily to thee what light, what 
 power, what exercises, what straits, what fears, 
 what troubles He sees lit for thee. 
 
 I. Penington. 
 
328 November 23 
 
 I have taught thee in the way of wisdom $ 
 have led thee in right paths. —Prov. iv. II. 
 
 We know not what the path may be 
 As yet by us untrod $ 
 
 But we can trust our all to Thee, 
 
 Our Father and our God. 
 
 Wm. J. Irons. 
 
 W E have very little command over the cir¬ 
 cumstances in which we may be called 
 by God to bear our part — unlimited 
 command over the temper of our souls, but 
 next to no command over the outward forms 
 of trial. The most energetic will cannot order 
 the events by which our spirits are to be perilled 
 and tested. Powers quite beyond our reach — 
 death, accident, fortune, another’s sin — may * 
 change in a moment all the conditions of our 
 life. With to-morrow’s sun existence may have 
 new and awful aspects for any of us. 
 
 J. H. Thom. 
 
 Oh, my friend, look not out at what stands 
 in the way; what if it look dreadfully as a lion, 
 is not the Lord stronger than the mountains of 
 prey ? but look /«, where the law of life is 
 written, and the will of the Lord revealed, that 
 thou mayest know what is the Lord’s will con¬ 
 cerning thee. 
 
 I. Penington. 
 
November 24 
 
 329 
 
 Be of good courage , and He shall strengthen your 
 heart , all ye that hope in the Lord. — Ps. xxxi. 24. 
 
 Let not your heart be troubled , neither let it be 
 afraid. — John xiv. 27. 
 
 In heavenly love abiding, 
 
 No change my heart shall fear 5 
 And safe is such confiding, 
 
 For nothing changes here. 
 
 A. L. Faring. 
 
 A TRUE Christian, that hath power over 
 his own will, may live nobly and happily, 
 and enjoy a clear heaven within the se~ 
 •enity of his own mind perpetually. When the 
 sea of this world is most rough and tempestuous 
 about him, then can he ride safely at anchor 
 within the haven, by a sweet compliance of his 
 will with God’s will. He can look about him, 
 and with an even and indifferent mind behold 
 the world either to smile or f own upon him ; 
 neither will he abate of the leasi of his content¬ 
 ment for all the ill and unkind usage he meets 
 withal in this life. He that hath got the mas¬ 
 tery over his own will feels no violence from 
 without, finds no contests within; and when 
 God calls for him out of this state of mortality, 
 he finds in himself a power to lay down his 
 own life; neither is it so much taken from him, 
 as quietly and freely surrendered up by him. 
 
 Dr. John Smith. 
 
33° 
 
 November 25 
 
 And the Lord , He it is that doth go before thee , 
 He will be with thee , He will not fail thee , neither 
 forsake thee : fear not , neither be dismayed . — 
 Deut. xxxi. 8. 
 
 Know well, my soul, God’s hand controls 
 Whate’er thou fearest ; 
 
 Round Him in calmest music rolls 
 Whate’er thou hearest. 
 
 J. G. Whittier. 
 
 T HE lessons of the moral sentiment are, 
 once for all, an emancipation from that 
 anxiety which takes the joy out of all 
 life. It teaches a great peace. It comes itself 
 from the highest place. It is that, which being 
 in all sound natures, and strongest in the best 
 and most gifted men, we know to be implanted 
 by the Creator of men. It is a commandment 
 at every moment, and in every condition of life, 
 to do the duty of that moment, and to abstain 
 from doing the wrong. 
 
 R. W. Emerson. 
 
 Go face the fire at sea, or the cholera in 
 your friend’s house, or the burglar in your own, 
 or what danger lies in the way of duty, know¬ 
 ing you are guarded by the cherubim of Destiny. 
 
 R. W. Emerson. 
 
November 26 
 
 33 1 
 
 Behold\ 1 am with thee , and will keep thee in all 
 places whither thou goest . — Gen. xxviii. 15. 
 
 Be quiet, soul : 
 
 Why shouldst thou care and sadness borrow. 
 Why sit in nameless fear and sorrow. 
 
 The livelong day ? 
 
 God will mark out thy path to-morrow 
 In His best way. 
 
 Anon. 
 
 I HAD hoped, Madame, to find you here, 
 and was rejoicing in that hope; but God 
 has sent you elsewhere. The best place is 
 wherever He puts us, and any other would be 
 undesirable, all the worse because it would please 
 our fancy, and would be of our own choice. 
 Do not think about distant events. This un¬ 
 easiness about the future is unwholesome for 
 you. We must leave to God all that depends 
 on Him, and think only of being faithful in all 
 that depends upon ourselves. When God 
 takes away that which He has given you, He 
 knows well how to replace it, either through 
 other means or by Himself. 
 
 Franjois de la Mothe Fenelon, 
 
332 November 27 
 
 The Lord hath been mindful of us; He will 
 bless us. — Ps. cxv. 12. 
 
 My Father ! what am I, that all 
 Thy mercies sweet like sunlight fall 
 So constant o’er my way ? 
 
 That Thy great love should shelter me, 
 
 And guide my steps sc tenderly 
 
 Through every changing day ? Anon. 
 
 W HAT a strength and spring of life, what 
 hope and trust, what glad, unresting 
 energy, is in this one thought,-—to 
 serve Him who is u my Lord,” ever near me, 
 ever looking on; seeing my intentions before 
 He beholds my failures; knowing my desires 
 before He sees my faults; cheering me to en¬ 
 deavor greater things, and yet accepting the 
 least; inviting my poor service, and yet, above 
 all, content with my poorer love. Let us try 
 to realize this, whatsoever, wheresoever we be. 
 The humblest and the simplest, the weakest 
 and the most encumbered, may love Him not 
 less than the busiest and strongest, the most 
 gifted and laborious. If our heart be clear 
 before Him; if He be to us our chief and 
 sovereign choice, dear above all, and beyond all 
 desired ; then all else matters little. That which 
 concerneth us He will perfect in stillness and in 
 power. 
 
 H. E, Manning. 
 
November 28 
 
 333 
 
 Tea , I have loved thee with an everlasting love : 
 therefore with loving kindness have I drawn thee. 
 — Jer. xxxi. 3. 
 
 On the great love of God I lean, 
 
 Love of the Infinite, Unseen, 
 
 With nought of heaven or earth between 
 This God is mine, and I am His § 
 
 His love is all I need of bliss. 
 
 H. Bonak. 
 
 I F ever human love was tender, and self- 
 sacrificing, and devoted ; if ever it could 
 bear and forbear; if ever it could suffer 
 gladly for its loved ones ; if ever it was willing 
 to pour itself out in a lavish abandonment for 
 the comfort or pleasure of its objects; then in¬ 
 finitely more is Divine love tender, and self- 
 sacrificing, and devoted, and glad to bear and 
 forbear, and to suffer, and to lavish its best of 
 gifts and blessings upon the objects of its love. 
 Put together all the tenderest love you know of, 
 the deepest you have ever felt, and the strongest 
 that has ever been poured out upon you, and 
 heap upon it all the love of all the loving human 
 hearts in the world, and then multiply it by 
 infinity, and you will begin, perhaps, to have 
 some faint glimpse of what the love of God is. 
 
 H. W. Smith, 
 
334 
 
 November 29 
 
 My sons , be not now negligent: for the Lord 
 hath chosen you to stand before Him , to serve Him . 
 —- 2 Chron. xxix. 11. 
 
 Bright be my prospect as I pass along ; — 
 
 An ardent service at the cost of all,— 
 
 Love by untiring ministry made strong, 
 
 And ready for the first, the softest call. 
 
 A. L. Waring. 
 
 T HERE are many things that appear trifles, 
 which greatly tend to enervate the soul, 
 and hinder its progress in the path to 
 virtue and glory. The habit of indulging in 
 things which our judgment cannot thoroughly 
 approve, grows stronger and stronger by every 
 act of self-gratification, and we are led on by 
 degrees to an excess of luxury which must 
 greatly weaken our hands in the spiritual war-' 
 fare. If we do not endeavor to do that which 
 is right in every particular circumstance, though 
 trifling, we shall be in great danger of letting 
 the same negligence take place in matters more 
 essential. Margaret Woods,. 
 
 The will can only be made submissive by 
 frequent self-denials, which must keep in sub¬ 
 jection its sallies and inclinations. Great weak¬ 
 ness is often produced by indulgences which 
 seem of no importance. M. de Molinos. 
 
November 30 
 
 335 
 
 Why art thou cast down , O my soul ? and why 
 art thou disquieted in me ? hope thou in God; for 
 I shall yet praise Him for the help of His coun¬ 
 tenance. — Ps. xlii. 5. 
 
 W ? are troubled on every side , yet not distressed. 
 
 — 2 Cor', iv. 8. 
 
 Oh, my soul, why art thou vexed ? 
 
 Let things go e’en as they will ; 
 
 Though to thee they seem perplexed, 
 
 Yet His order they fulfil. 
 
 A. H. Francke. 
 
 T HE vexation, restlessness, and impatience 
 which small trials cause, arise wholly from 
 our ignorance and want of self-control. 
 We may be thwarted and troubled, it is true, 
 but these things put us into a condition for exer¬ 
 cising patience and meek submission, and the 
 self-abnegation wherein alone the fulness of 
 God is to be found. De Renty. 
 
 Every day deny yourself some satisfaction ; 
 -—bearing all the inconveniences of life (for the 
 love of God), cold, hunger, restless nights, ill 
 health, unwelcome news, the faults of servants, 
 contempt, ingratitude of friends, malice of ene¬ 
 mies, calumnies, our own failings, lowness of 
 spirits, the struggle in overcoming our corrup¬ 
 tions ; -— bearing all these with patience and 
 resfgnation to the will of God. Do all this as 
 unto God, with the greatest privacy. 
 
 Thomas Wilson 
 
336 
 
 December i 
 
 Charity envieth not , . . . thinketh no evil. —. 
 i Cor. xiii. 4, 5. 
 
 Why dost thou judge thy brother ? or why dost 
 thou set at nought thy brother ? — Rom. xiv. 10. 
 
 He that despiseth his neighbor sinneth. — Prov. 
 xiv. 21. 
 
 Look thou with pity on a brother’s fall, 
 
 But dwell not with stern anger on his fault 5 
 The grace of God alone holds thee, holds all; 
 
 Were that withdrawn, thou too wouldst swerve and halt. 
 
 J. Edmeston. 
 
 I F, on hearing of the fall of a brother, however 
 differing or severed from us, we feel the 
 least inclination to linger over it, instead of 
 hiding it in grief and shame, or veiling it in the 
 love which covereth a multitude of sins ; if, in 
 seeing a joy or a grace or an effective service 
 given to others, we do not rejoice, but feel de¬ 
 pressed, let us be very watchful; the most dia¬ 
 bolical of passions may mask itself as humility, 
 or zeal for the glory of God. 
 
 Elizabeth Charles. 
 
 Love taketh up no malign elements ; its spirit 
 prompteth it to cover in mercy all things that 
 ought not to be exposed, to believe all of good 
 that can be believed, to hope all things that a 
 good God makes possible, and to endure all 
 things that the hope may be made good. 
 
 J. H. Thom, 
 
December 2 
 
 331 
 
 'Therefore thou art inexcusable , 0 man , whoso¬ 
 ever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judg- 
 est another , thou condemnest thyself; for thou that 
 judgest doest the same things. — Rom. ii. i. 
 
 Search thine own heart. What paineth thee 
 In others, in thyself may be ; 
 
 All dust is frail, all flesh is weak ; 
 
 Be thou the true man thou dost seek. 
 
 J. G. Whittier. 
 
 A SAINT’S life in one man may be less 
 than common honesty in another. From 
 us , whose consciences He has reached 
 and enlightened, God may look for a martyr’s 
 truth, a Christian’s unworldly simplicity, before 
 He will place us on a level even with the aver¬ 
 age of the exposed classes. We perhaps think 
 our lives at least harmless. We do not con¬ 
 sider what He may think of them, when com¬ 
 pared with the invitations of His that we have 
 slighted, with the aims of His Providence we 
 are leaving without our help, with the glory for 
 ourselves we are refusing and casting away, 
 with the vast sum of blessed work that daily 
 faithfulness in time can rear without overwork 
 on any single day. 
 
 J. H. Thom 
 
December 3 
 
 33 8 
 
 Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and 
 peace in believing , that ye may abound in hope , 
 through the power of the Holy Ghost. — Rom. 
 xv. 13. 
 
 To heaven I lift my waiting eyes $ 
 
 There all my hopes are laid ; 
 
 The Lord that built the earth and skies 
 Is my perpetual aid. 
 
 I. Watts. 
 
 G ROVEL not in things below, among 
 earthly cares, pleasures, anxieties, toils, 
 if thou wouldst have a good strong hope 
 on high. Lift up thy cares with thy heart to 
 God, if thou wouldst hope in Him. Then see 
 what in thee is most displeasing to God. This 
 it is which holdeth thy hope down. Strike 
 firmly, repeatedly, in the might of God, until 
 it give way. Thy hope will soar at once with 
 thy thanks to God who delivereth thee. 
 
 E. B. Pusey. 
 
 The snares of the enemy will be so known 
 to thee and discerned, the way of help so mani¬ 
 fest and easy, that their strength will be broken, 
 and the poor entangled bird will fly away sing¬ 
 ing, from the nets and entanglements of the 
 fowler; and praises will spring up, and great 
 love in thy heart to the Forgiver and Redeemer. 
 
 I. Penington. 
 
December 4 
 
 339 
 
 # 
 
 Fight the good fight of faith , lay hold on eternal 
 life,whereunto thou art also called .— I Tim. vi. 12. 
 
 Oh, dream no more of quiet life ; 
 
 Care finds the careless out ; more wise to vow 
 Thy heart entire to faith’s pure strife 5 
 So peace will come, thou knowest not when or how. 
 
 Lyra Apostolica. 
 
 W HO art thou that complainest of thy 
 life of toil ? Complain not. Look 
 up, my wearied brother; see thy fel¬ 
 low-workmen there, in God’s Eternity; surviv¬ 
 ing there, they alone surviving; sacred band of 
 the Immortals, celestial body-guard of the em¬ 
 pire of mankind. To thee Heaven, though 
 severe, is not unkind; Heaven is kind, — as a 
 noble mother; as that Spartan mother, saying 
 while she gave her son his shield, “With it, my 
 son, or upon it.” Thou too shalt return home in 
 honor; to thy far-distant Home, in honor; 
 doubt it not, — if in the battle thou keep thy 
 shield! Thou, in the Eternities and deepest 
 death-kingdoms art not an alien ; thou every¬ 
 where art a denizen. Complain not. 
 
 T. Carlyle. 
 
34 ° 
 
 December 5 
 
 The God of all grace , who hath called us unto 
 His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye 
 have suffered a while , make you perfect , stablish , 
 strengthen , jwh.— I Pet. v. 10, 
 
 Take heed , tfW ^ ; fear not , neither be 
 
 faint-hearted. — Isa. vii. 4. 
 
 How shalt thou bear the cross that now 
 So dread a weight appears ? 
 
 Keep quietly to God, and think 
 
 Upon the Eternal Years. F. W. Faber. 
 
 G OD forgive them that raise an ill report 
 upon the sweet cross of Christ; it is but 
 our weak and dim eyes, that look but tc 
 the black side, that makes us mistake; those 
 that can take that crabbed tree handsomely upon 
 their backs, and fasten it on cannily, shall find 
 it such a burden as wings unto a bird, or sails 
 to a ship. S. Rutherford. 
 
 Blessed is any weight, however overwhelm¬ 
 ing, which God has been so good as to fasten 
 with His own hand upon our shoulders. 
 
 F. W. Faber. 
 
 We cannot say this or that trouble shall not 
 befall, yet we may, by help of the Spirit, say, 
 nothing that doth befall shall make me do that 
 which is unworthy of a Christian. R. Sibbes. 
 
December 6 
 
 34i 
 
 This God is our God for ever and ever : He will 
 be our guide even unto death . — Ps. xlviii. 14. 
 
 For the Lord shall be thy confidence. — Prov. 
 iii. 26. 
 
 Be still, my soul ! Thy God doth undertake 
 To guide the future, as He has the past : 
 
 Thy hope, thy confidence, let nothing shake, 
 
 All now mysterious shall be bright at last. 
 
 J. Borthwick. 
 
 H E has kept and folded us from ten thous¬ 
 and ills when we did not know it: in 
 the midst of our security we should have 
 perished every hour, but that He sheltered us 
 M from the terror by night and from the arrow 
 that flieth by day” —from the powers of evil 
 that walk in darkness, from snares of our own 
 evil will. He has kept us even against ourselves, 
 and saved us even from our own undoing. Let 
 us read the traces of His hand in all our ways, 
 in all the events, the chances, the changes of 
 this troubled state. It is He that folds and 
 feeds us, that makes us to go in and out,— to 
 be faint, or to find pasture, — to lie down by 
 the still waters, or to walk by the way that is 
 parched and desert. H. E. Manning. 
 
 We are never without help. We have no 
 right to say of any good work, it is too hard for 
 me to do, or of any sorrow, it is too hard for 
 me to bear; or of any sinful habit, it is too hard 
 for me to overcome. Elizabeth Charles. 
 
3 42 
 
 December 7 
 
 Acquaint now thyself with Him , and be at peace. 
 — Job xxii. 21. 
 
 2/// thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and 
 great shall be the peace of thy children. — Isa. 
 liv. 13. 
 
 Unite, my roving thoughts, unite 
 In silence soft and sweet ; 
 
 And thou, my soul, sit gently down 
 At thy great Sovereign’s feet. 
 
 P. Doddridge. 
 
 Y ES ! blessed are those holy hours in which 
 the soul retires from the world to be alone 
 with God. God’s voice, as Himself, is 
 everywhere. Within and without, He speak? 
 to our souls, if we would hear. Only the dir 
 of the world, or the tumult of our own hearts 
 deafens our inward ear to it. Learn to com¬ 
 mune with Him in stillness, and He, whom 
 thou hast sought in stillness, will be with thee 
 when thou goest abroad. E. B. Pusey. 
 
 The great step and direct path to the fear 
 and awful reverence of God, is to meditate, and 
 with a sedate and silent hush to turn the eyes of 
 the mind inwards; there to seek, and with a 
 submissive spirit wait at the gates of Wisdom’s 
 temple; and then the Divine Voice and Distin¬ 
 guishing Power will arise in the light and centre 
 of a man’s self. Thomas Tryon. 
 
December 8 
 
 343 
 
 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord 
 Jesus Christ , who hath blessed us with all spiritual 
 blessings. — Eph. i. 3. 
 
 As sorrowful , yet alway rejoicing. — 2 Cor. 
 
 vi. 10. 
 
 It is not happiness I seek, 
 
 Its name I hardly dare to speak j 
 It is not made for man or earth, 
 
 And Heaven alone can give it birth. 
 
 There is a something sweet and pure, 
 
 Through life, through death it may endure ; 
 
 With steady foot I onward press, 
 
 And long to win that Blessedness. 
 
 Louisa J. Hall. 
 
 T HE elements of happiness in this present 
 life no man can command, even if he 
 could command himself, for they depend 
 on the action of many wills, on the purity of 
 many hearts, and by the highest law of God the 
 holiest must ever bear the sins and sorrows of 
 the rest; but over the blessedness of his own spirit 
 circumstance need have no control; God has 
 therein given an unlimited power to the means 
 of preservation, of grace and growth, at every 
 man’s command. J. H. Thom. 
 
 There is in man a higher than love of hap¬ 
 piness : he can do without happiness, and instead 
 thereof find blessedness ! T. Carlyle. 
 
344 
 
 December g 
 
 For this shall every one that is godly pray unto 
 Thee in a time when Thou mayest he found : surely 
 in the foods of great waters they shall not come 
 nigh unto him. — Ps. xxxii. 6. 
 
 Be not o’ermastered by thy pain, 
 
 But cling to God, thou shalt not fall ; 
 
 The floods sweep over thee in vain, 
 
 Thou yet shalt rise above them all ; 
 
 For when thy trial seems too hard to bear, 
 
 Lo ! God, thy King, hath granted all thy prayer : 
 
 Be thou content. 
 
 P. Gerhardt. 
 
 I T is the Lord’s mercy, to give thee breath¬ 
 ings after life, and cries unto Him against 
 that which oppresseth thee ; and happy wilt 
 thou be, when He shall fill thy soul with that 
 which He hath given thee to breathe after. Be 
 not troubled ; for if troubles abound, and there 
 be tossing, and storms, and tempests, and no 
 peace, nor anything visible left to support; yet, 
 lie still, and sink beneath, till a secret hope stir, 
 which will stay the heart in the midst of all 
 these; until the Lord administer comfort, who 
 knows how and what relief to give to the 
 weary traveller, that knows not where it is, nor 
 which way to look, nor where to expect a path. 
 
 I. Penington. 
 

 December 10 
 
 345 
 
 Behold , we count them happy which endure. —< 
 
 James v. i i. 
 
 If ye endure chastening , God dealeth with you as 
 with sons . — Heb. xii. 7. 
 
 Trials must and will befall; 
 
 But with humble faith to see 
 Love inscribed upon them all. 
 
 This is happiness to me. 
 
 W. COWPER. 
 
 B E not afraid of those trials which God may 
 see fit to send upon thee. It is with the 
 wind and storm of tribulation that God 
 separates the true wheat from the chaff*. Always 
 remember, therefore, that God comes to thee in 
 thy sorrows, as really as in thy joys. He lays 
 low, and He builds up. Thou wilt find thyself 
 far from perfection, if thou dost not find God in 
 everything. 
 
 M. de Molinos. 
 
 God hath provided a sweet and quiet life for 
 H is children, could they improve and use it; 
 a calm and firm conviction in all the storms and 
 troubles that are about them, however things go, 
 to find content, and be careful for nothing. 
 
 R. Leighton 
 
346 December 11 
 
 0/6, that Thou wouldest bless me indeed , and 
 that Thine hand might be with me , and that Thou 
 zvouldest keep me from evil , that it may not grieve 
 me! — 1 Chron. iv. 10. 
 
 Te shall serve the Lord your God , and He shall 
 bless thy bread and thy water. —Ex. xxiii. 25. 
 
 What I possess, or what I crave, 
 
 Brings no content, great God, to me, 
 
 If what I would, or what I have, 
 
 Be not possest, and blest, in Thee ; 
 
 What I enjoy, O make it mine, 
 
 In making me that have it, Thine. 
 
 J. Quarles. 
 
 O FFER up to God all pure affections, de 
 sires, regrets, and all the bonds which 
 link us to home, kindred, and friends^ 
 together with all our works, purposes, and labors. 
 These things, which are not only lawful, but 
 sacred, become then the matter of thanksgiving 
 and oblation. Memories, plans for the future, 
 wishes, intentions; works just begun, half done, 
 all but completed ; emotions, sympathies, affec¬ 
 tions, — all these things throng tumultuously 
 and dangerously in the heart and will. The 
 only way to master them is to offer them up to 
 Him, as once ours, under Him, always His by 
 right. 
 
 H. E. Manning. 
 
December 12 
 
 347 
 
 / delight to do Thy will , O my God: yea , Thy 
 law is within my heart. — Ps. xl. 8. 
 
 A patient, a victorious mind, 
 
 That life and all things casts behind, 
 
 Springs forth obedient to Thy call j 
 A heart that no desire can move. 
 
 But still to adore, believe, and love, 
 
 Give me, my Lord, my Life, my All. 
 
 P. Gerhardt. 
 
 T HAT piety which sanctifies us, and which 
 is a true devotion to God, consists in do¬ 
 ing all His will precisely at the time, in 
 the situation, and under the circumstances, in 
 which He has placed us. Perfect devotedness 
 requires, not only that we do the will of God, 
 but that we do it with love. God would have 
 us serve Him with delight; it is our hearts that 
 He asks of us. Francois de la Mothe Fenelon. 
 
 Devotion is really neither more nor less than 
 a general inclination and readiness to do that 
 which we know to be acceptable to God. It 
 is that u free spirit,” of which David spoke when 
 he said, u I will run the way of Thy command¬ 
 ments, when Thou hast set my heart at liberty.” 
 People of ordinary goodness walk in God’s way, 
 but the devout run in it, and at length they 
 almost fly therein. To be truly devout, we 
 must not only do God’s will, but we must do 
 it cheerfully. St. Francis de Sales. 
 
348 
 
 December 13 
 
 So teach us to number our days , that we may 
 apply our hearts unto wisdom. — Ps. xc. 12. 
 
 Seek not ye what ye shall eat , or what ye shall 
 drink , neither be ye of doubtful mind. — Luke 
 xii. 29. 
 
 Our days are numbered : let us spare 
 Our anxious hearts a needless care : 
 
 'T is Thine to number out our days ; 
 
 *T is ours to give them to Thy praise. 
 
 Madame Guyon. 
 
 E VERY day let us renew the consecration 
 to God’s service; every day let us, in His 
 strength, pledge ourselves afresh to do 
 H is will, even in the veriest trifle, and to turn 
 aside from anything that may displease Him. 
 He does not bid us bear the burdens of to¬ 
 morrow, next week, or next year. Every day 
 we are to come to Him in simple obedience 
 and faith, asking help to keep us, and aid us 
 through that day’s work ; and to-morrow, and to¬ 
 morrow, and to-morrow, through years of long 
 to-morrows, it will be but the same thing to 
 do ; leaving the future always in God’s hands, 
 sure that He can care for it better than we. 
 Blessed trust ! that can thus confidingly say, 
 u This hour is mine with its present duty ; the 
 next is God’s, and when it comes, His presence 
 will come with it.” 
 
 W. R. Huntington. 
 
December 14 
 
 349 
 
 And as many as walk according to this rule , 
 peace be on them , and mercy , and upon the Israel 
 of God .— Gal. vi. 16. 
 
 Lord, I have given my life to Thee, 
 
 And every day and hour is Thine, — 
 
 What Thou appointest let them be ; 
 
 Thy will is better. Lord, than mine. 
 
 A. Warner. 
 
 B EGIN at once 5 before you venture away 
 from this quiet moment, ask your King to 
 take you wholly into His service, and 
 place all the hours of this day quite simply at 
 His disposal, and ask Him to make and keep 
 you ready to do just exactly what He appoints. 
 Never mind about to-morrow; one day at a 
 time is enough. Try it to-day, and see if it is 
 not a day of strange, almost curious peace, so 
 sweet that you will be only too thankful, when 
 to-morrow comes, to ask Him to take it also, 
 — till it will become a blessed habit to hold 
 yourself simply and u wholly at Thy command¬ 
 ment for any manner of service.” The u what¬ 
 soever ” is not necessarily active work. It may 
 be waiting (whether half an hour or half a life¬ 
 time), learning, suffering, sitting still. But shall 
 we be less ready for these, if any of them are 
 His appointments for to-day ? Let us ask Him 
 to prepare us for all that He is preparing for us. 
 
 F. R. Havergal. 
 
350 December i$ 
 
 Return unto thy rest , 0 my soul; for the Lord 
 hath dealt bountifully with thee. — Ps. cxvi. 7. 
 
 We which have believed do enter into rest. 
 Heb. iv. 3. 
 
 Rest is not quitting 
 The busy career ; 
 
 Rest is the fitting 
 Of self to its sphere. 
 
 *T is loving and serving 
 The highest and best ! 
 
 *T is onwards, unswerving, — 
 
 And that is true rest. 
 
 J. S. Dwight. 
 
 A S a result of this strong faith, the inner 
 life of Catherine of Genoa was character¬ 
 ized, in a remarkable degree, by what 
 may be termed rest, or quietude ; which is only 
 another form of expression for true interior 
 peace. It was not, however, the quietude of a 
 lazy inaction, but the quietude of an inward 
 acquiescence; not a quietude which feels noth¬ 
 ing and does nothing, but that higher and divine 
 quietude which exists by feeling and acting in 
 the time and degree of God’s appointment and 
 God’s wilL It was a principle in her conduct, 
 to give herself to God in the discharge of duty ; 
 and to leave all results without solicitude in His 
 hands. 
 
 T. C. Upham. 
 
December 16 351 
 
 Thou understandest my thought afar off. -— Ps. 
 cxxxix. 2o 
 
 Who can understand his errors ? cleanse Thou 
 ?ne from secret faults . — Ps. xix. 12» 
 
 My newest griefs to Thee are old ; 
 
 My last transgression of Thy law, 
 
 Though wrapped in thought’s most secret fold. 
 Thine eyes with pitying sadness saw. 
 
 H. M. Kimball. 
 
 L ORD our God, great, eternal, wonderful 
 in glory, who keepest covenant and 
 promises for those that love Thee with 
 their whole heart, who art the Life of all, the 
 Help of those that flee unto Thee, the Hope of 
 those who cry unto Thee, cleanse us from our 
 sins, secret and open, and from every thought 
 displeasing to Thy goodness,—cleanse our 
 bodies and souls, our hearts and consciences, 
 that with a pure heart, and a clear soul, with 
 perfect love and calm hope, we may venture 
 confidently and fearlessly to pray unto Thee. 
 Amen. Coptic Liturgy of St. Basil. 
 
 The dominion of any sinful habit will fear¬ 
 fully estrange us from His presence. A single 
 consenting act of inward disobedience in thought 
 or will is enough to let fall a cloud between 
 Him and us, and to leave our hearts cheerless 
 and dark. H. E. Manning. 
 
35 2 
 
 December 17 
 
 The fruit of the Spirit is love , joy , peace , /awg’- 
 sujfering , gentleness , goodness , faith , meekness , 
 perance .— -Gal. v. 22, 23. 
 
 Herein is my Father glorified , that ye hear much 
 fruit 1 so shall ye he my disciples. —John xv. 8. 
 
 O Breath from out the Eternal Silence ! blow 
 Softly upon our spirits’ barren ground ; 
 
 The precious fulness of our God bestow, 
 
 That fruits of faith, love, reverence may abound. 
 
 G. Tersteegen. 
 
 I S it possible we should be ignorant whether 
 we feel tempers contrary to love or no ? — 
 whether we rejoice always, or are burdened 
 and bowed down with sorrow? — whether we 
 have a praying, or a dead, lifeless spirit ? — 
 whether we can praise God, and be resigned in 
 all trials, or feel murmurings, fretfulness, and 
 impatience under them ? — is it not easy to 
 know if we feel anger at provocations, or 
 whether we feel our tempers mild, gentle, 
 peaceable, and easy to be entreated, or feel 
 stubbornness, self-will, and pride? whether we 
 have slavish fears, or are possessed of that per¬ 
 fect love which casteth out all fear that hath 
 torment ? 
 
 Hester Ann Rogers. 
 
December 18 
 
 353 
 
 We trust in the living God. — i Tim. iv. io. 
 
 Thy secret judgment’s depths profound 
 Still sings the silent night ; 
 
 The day, upon his golden round. 
 
 Thy pity infinite. 
 
 I. Williams. Tr. from Latin. 
 
 OW that I have no longer any sense for 
 
 the transitory and perishable, the uni¬ 
 
 verse appears before my eyes under a 
 transformed aspect. The dead, heavy mass 
 which did but stop up space has vanished, and 
 in its place there flows onward, with the rush¬ 
 ing music of mighty waves, an eternal stream 
 of life, and power, and action, which issues 
 from the original source of all life, — from Thy 
 life, O Infinite One ! for all life is Thy life, 
 and only the religious eye penetrates to the 
 realm of true Beauty. J. G. Fichte. 
 
 What is Nature? Art thou not the “Liv¬ 
 ing Garment ” of God ? O Heavens, is it, in 
 very deed, He then that ever speaks through 
 thee; that lives and loves in thee, that lives and 
 loves in me ? Sweeter than dayspring to the 
 shipwrecked in Nova Zembla; ah! like the 
 mother’s voice to her little child that strays 
 bewildered, weeping, in unknown tumults; like 
 soft streamings of celestial music to my too ex¬ 
 asperated heart, came that Evangel. The Uni¬ 
 verse is not dead and demoniacal, a charnel-house 
 with spectres; but godlike, and my Father’s. 
 
 T. Carlyle 
 
354 December 19 
 
 And now , Lord , what wait I for ? my hope is 
 in Thee. — Ps. xxxix. 7. 
 
 O Lord , be gracious unto us; we have waited 
 for Thee. — Isa. xxxiii. 2. 
 
 He never comes too late ; 
 
 He knoweth what is best $ 
 
 Vex not thyself in vain ; 
 
 Until He cometh, rest. B. T. 
 
 W E make mistakes, or what we call such. 
 
 The nature that could fall into such 
 mistake exactly needs, and in the good¬ 
 ness of the dear God is given, the living of it 
 out. And beyond this, I believe mote. Thai; 
 in the pure and patient living of it out we come 
 to find that we have fallen, not into hopeless 
 confusion of our own wild, ignorant making ; 
 but that the finger of God has been at work 
 among our lines, and that the emerging is into 
 H is blessed order; that He is forever making up 
 for us our own undoings; that He makes them 
 up beforehand; that He evermore restoreth our 
 souls. A. D. T. Whitney. 
 
 The Lord knows how to make stepping- 
 stones for us of our defects, even ; it is what 
 He lets them be for. He remembereth — He 
 remembered in the making — that we are but 
 dust; the dust of earth, that He chose to make 
 something little lower than the angels out of. 
 
 A. D. T. Whitney. 
 
December 20 
 
 355 
 
 Take no thought how or .what ye shall speak : 
 for it shall be given you in that same hour what 
 ye shall speak . —Matt. x. 19. 
 
 Just to follow hour by hour 
 As He leadeth ; 
 
 Just to draw the moment’s power 
 As it needeth. 
 
 F. R. Havergal. 
 
 Y OU have a disagreeable duty to do at 
 twelve o’clock. Do not blacken nine, 
 and ten, and eleven, and all between, with 
 the color of twelve. Do the work of each, and 
 reap your reward in peace. So when the dreaded 
 moment in the future becomes the present, you 
 shall meet it walking in the light, and that light 
 will overcome its darkness. The best prepara¬ 
 tion is the present well seen to, the last duty 
 done. For this will keep the eye so clear and 
 the body so full of light that the right action 
 will be perceived at once, the right words will 
 rush from the heart to the lips, and the man, 
 full of the Spirit of God because he cares for 
 nothing but the will of God, will trample on 
 the evil thing in love, and be sent, it may be, 
 in a chariot of fire to the presence of his Father, 
 or stand unmoved amid the cruel mockings of 
 the men he loves. 
 
 G. Macdonald, 
 
356 
 
 December 21 
 
 Hast thou not known ? hast thou not heard , 
 that the everlasting God , the Lord , the Creator 
 of the ends of the earth , fainteth not , neither is 
 weary ? He giveth power to the faint; and to 
 them that have no might he increaseth strength . — 
 Isa. xl. 28, 29. 
 
 Workman of God ! oh, lose not heart. 
 
 But learn what God is like ; 
 
 And in the darkest battle-field 
 
 Thou shalt know where to strike. 
 
 F. W. Faber. 
 
 F OR the rest, let that vain struggle to read 
 the mystery of the Infinite cease to harass 
 us. It is a mystery which, through all 
 ages, we shall only read here a line of, there 
 another line of. Do we not already know that 
 the name of the Infinite is Good, is God? 
 Here on earth we are as soldiers, fighting in a 
 foreign land, that understand not the plan of the 
 campaign, and have no need to understand it; 
 seeing well what is at our hand to be done. 
 Let us do it like soldiers, with submission, with 
 courage, with a heroic joy. Behind us, behind 
 each one of us, lie six thousand years of human 
 effort, human conquest: before us is the bound¬ 
 less Time, with its as yet uncreated and un¬ 
 conquered continents and Eldorados, which we, 
 even we, have to conquer, to create ; and from 
 the bosom of Eternity there shine for us celes¬ 
 tial guiding stars. T. Carlyle. 
 
December 22 
 
 357 
 
 I will wait upon the Lord , that hideth His fact, 
 from the house of Jacob , and I will look for Him, 
 — Isa. viii. 17. 
 
 What heart can comprehend Thy name, 
 
 Or, searching, find Thee out ? 
 
 Who art within, a quickening flame, 
 
 A presence round about. 
 
 Yet though I know Thee but in part, 
 
 I ask not. Lord, for more : 
 
 Enough for me to know Thou art. 
 
 To love Thee and adore. 
 
 F. L. Hosmer 
 
 S TAND up, O heart ! and yield not one 
 inch of thy rightful territory to the usurp¬ 
 ing intellect. Hold fast to God in spite 
 of logic, and yet not quite blindly. Be not torn 
 from thy grasp upon the skirts of His garments 
 by any wrench of atheistic hypothesis that seeks 
 only to hurl thee into utter darkness; but refuse 
 not to let thy hands be gently unclasped by that 
 loving and pious philosophy that seeks to draw 
 thee from the feet of God only to place thee in 
 His bosom. Trustfully, though tremblingly, let 
 go the robe, and thou shalt rest upon the heart 
 and clasp the very living soul of God. 
 
 James Hinton, 
 
35 8 
 
 December 23 
 
 Thou therefore endure hardness , as a good soldier 
 of fesus Christ . — 2 Tim. ii. 3. 
 
 Where our Captain bids us go, 
 
 ’T is not ours to murmur, “ No.’* 
 
 He that gives the sword and shield, 
 Chooses too the battle-field 
 On which we are to fight the foe. 
 
 Anon. 
 
 O F nothing may we be more sure than this; 
 that, if we cannot sanctify our present 
 lot, we could sanctify no other. Our 
 heaven and our Almighty Father are there or 
 nowhere. The obstructions of that lot are 
 given for us to heave away by the concurrent 
 touch of a holy spirit, and labor of strenuous 
 will ; its gloom, for us to tint with some celes¬ 
 tial light; its mysteries are for oui worship ; 
 its sorrows for our trust; its perils for our cour¬ 
 age ; its temptations for our faith. Soldiers of 
 the cross, it is not for us, but for our Leadei 
 and our Lord, to choose the field ; it is ours, 
 taking the station which He assigns, to make 
 it the field of truth and honor, though it be the 
 field of death. 
 
 J. Martineau. 
 
December 24 
 
 359 
 
 Giving thanks unto the Father , which hath made 
 us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the 
 saints in light .— Col. i. 12. 
 
 The souls most precious to us here 
 May from this home have fled $ 
 
 But still we make one household dear $ 
 
 One Lord is still our head. 
 
 Midst cherubim and seraphim 
 They mind their Lord’s affairs ; 
 
 Oh ! if we bring our work to Him 
 Our work is one with theirs. 
 
 T. H. Gill. 
 
 W E are apt to feel as if nothing we could 
 do on earth bears a 'relation to what 
 the good are doing in a higher world ; 
 but it is not so. Heaven and earth are not so 
 far apart. Every disinterested act, every sacri¬ 
 fice to duty, every exertion for the good of a one 
 of the least of Christ’s brethren,” every new 
 insight into God’s works, every new impulse 
 given to the love of truth and goodness, associ¬ 
 ates us with the departed, brings us nearer to 
 them, and is as truly heavenly as if we were 
 acting, not on earth, but in heaven. The 
 spiritual tie between us and the departed is not 
 felt as it should be. Our union with them daily 
 grows stronger, if we daily make progress in 
 what they are growing in. 
 
 Wm. E. Channing. 
 
j6o 
 
 December 25 
 
 That ye, being rooted and grounded in love , may 
 be able to comprehend with all saints what is the 
 breadth , and length , and depth , and height; and 
 to know the love of Christy which passeth knowl¬ 
 edge , that ye might be filled with all the fulness 
 of God.- —Eph. iii. 17-19. 
 
 O love that passeth knowledge, thee I need ; 
 
 Pour in the heavenly sunshine ; fill my heart ; 
 
 Scatter the cloud, the doubting, and the dread, — 
 The joy unspeakable to me impart. 
 
 H. Bonar. 
 
 T O examine its evidence is not to try Chris¬ 
 tianity ; to admire its martyrs is not to 
 try Christianity; to compare and esti¬ 
 mate its teachers is not to try Christianity; to 
 attend its rites and services with more than 
 Mahometan punctuality is- not to try or know 
 Christianity. But for one week, for one day, 
 to have lived in the pure atmosphere of faith 
 and love to God, of tenderness to man ; to have 
 beheld earth annihilated, and heaven opened to 
 the prophetic gaze of hope; to have seen evermore 
 revealed behind the complicated troubles of this 
 strange, mysterious life, the unchanged smile of 
 an eternal Friend, and everything that is difficult 
 to reason solved by that reposing trust which is 
 higher and better than reason, — to have known 
 and felt this, I will not say for a life, but for a 
 single blessed hour, that , indeed, is to have made 
 experiment of Christianity. 
 
 Wm. Archer Butler. 
 
December 26 
 
 361 
 
 The peace of God , which passeth all understand¬ 
 ing, shall keep your hearts and minds through 
 Christ Jesus. —Phil. iv. 7. 
 
 Let the peace of God rule in your hearts . — 
 
 Col. iii. 15. 
 
 Drop Thy still dews of quietness, 
 
 Till all our strivings cease j 
 Take from our souls the strain and stress, 
 
 And let our ordered lives confess 
 The beauty of Thy peace. 
 
 J. G. Whittier. 
 
 “ r | AHESE things write we unto you, that 
 your joy may be full.” What is fulness 
 of joy but peace ? Joy is tumultuous 
 only when it is not full; but peace is the privi¬ 
 lege of those who are u filled with the knowl¬ 
 edge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters 
 cover the sea.” u Thou wilt keep him in per¬ 
 fect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee, 
 because he trusteth in Thee.” It is peace, 
 springing from trust and innocence, and then 
 overflowing in love towards all around him. 
 
 J. H. Newman. 
 
 Through the spirit of Divine Love let the 
 violent, obstinate powers of thy nature be 
 quieted, the hardness of thy affections softened, 
 and thine intractable self-will subdued ; and as 
 often as anything contrary stirs within thee, 
 immediately sink into the blessed Ocean of 
 meekness and love. G. Tersteegen. 
 
3&2 
 
 December 27 
 
 Wherefore thou art no more a servant , hut a 
 son ; and if a son , then an heir of God through 
 Christ. — Gal. iv. 7. 
 
 Not by the terrors of a slave 
 God’s sons perform His will, 
 
 But with the noblest powers they have 
 His sweet commands fulfil. 
 
 Isaac Watts. 
 
 O UR thoughts, good or bad, are not in our 
 command, but every one of us has at all 
 hours duties to do, and these he can do 
 negligently, like a slave, or faithfully, like a true 
 servant. u Do the duty that is nearest thee ” — 
 that first, and that well; all the rest will disclose 
 themselves with increasing clearness, and make 
 their successive demand. Were your duties 
 never so small, I advise you, set yourself with 
 double and treble energy and punctuality, to do 
 them, hour after hour, day after day. 
 
 T. Carlyle. 
 
 Whatever we are, high or lowly, learned or 
 unlearned, married or single, in a full house or 
 alone, charged with many affairs or dwelling in 
 quietness, we have our daily round of work, 
 our duties of affection, obedience, love, mercy, 
 industry, and the like; and that which makes 
 one man to differ from another is not so much 
 what things he does, as his manner of doing 
 them. H. E. Manning. 
 
December 28 
 
 363 
 
 Now the God of peace make you perfect in every 
 good work , to do His will , working in you that 
 which is well-pleasing in His sight , through Jesus 
 Christ .— Heb. xiii. 20, 21. 
 
 Be ready to every good work . —Titus iii. 1. 
 
 So, firm in steadfast hope, in thought secure, 
 
 In full accord to all Thy world of joy, 
 
 May I be nerved to labors high and pure, 
 
 And Thou Thy child to do Thy work employ. 
 
 J. Sterling. 
 
 B E with God in thy outward works, refer 
 them to Him, offer them to Him, seek to 
 do them in Him and for Him, and He 
 will be with thee in them, and they shall not 
 hinder, but rather invite His presence in thy 
 soul. Seek to see Him in all things, and in all 
 things He will come nigh to thee. 
 
 E. B. Pusey. 
 
 Nothing less than the majesty of God, and 
 the powers of the world to come, can maintain 
 the peace and sanctity of our homes, the order 
 and serenity of our minds, the spirit of patience 
 and tender mercy in our hearts. Then will 
 even the merest drudgery of duty cease to 
 humble us, when we transfigure it by the glory 
 of our own spirit. 
 
 i. Martineau. 
 
364 December 29 
 
 Finally , brethren , whatsoever things are true , 
 whatsoever things are honest , whatsoever things 
 are just , whatsoever things are pure , whatsoever 
 things are lovely , whatsoever things are of good 
 report , — these things . — Phil. iv. 8. 
 
 yft thinketh in his heart , 50 ;V he, — Prov. 
 xxiii. 7. 
 
 Still may Thy sweet mercy spread 
 A shady arm above my head, 
 
 About my paths 5 so shall I find 
 
 The fair centre of my mind 
 
 Thy temple, and those lovely walls 
 
 Bright ever with a beam that falls 
 
 Fresh from the pure glance of Thine eye, 
 
 Lighting to eternity. 
 
 R. Crashaw. 
 
 M AKE yourselves nests of pleasant 
 thoughts. None of us yet know, for 
 none of us have been taught in early 
 youth, what fairy palaces we may build of 
 beautiful thought — proof against all adversity. 
 Bright fancies, satisfied memories, noble his¬ 
 tories, faithful sayings, treasure-houses of pre¬ 
 cious and restful thoughts, which care cannot 
 disturb, nor pain make gloomy, nor poverty 
 take away from us, — houses built without 
 hands, for our souls to live in. 
 
 J. Ruskin. 
 
December 30 
 
 365 
 
 O Lord , I know that the way of man is not in 
 himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct 
 his steps. — Jer. x. 23. 
 
 I will direct all his ways. —Isa. xlv. 13, 
 
 Come, Light serene and still ! 
 
 Our darkened spirits fill 
 With thy clear day : 
 
 Guide of the feeble sight, 
 
 Star of grief’s darkest night. 
 
 Reveal the path of right, 
 
 Show us Thy way. 
 
 Robert II. of France. 
 
 T HERE had been solemn appointed seasons 
 in Anna’s life, when she was accustomed 
 to enter upon a full and deliberate survey 
 of her business in this world. The claims of 
 each relationship, and the results of each occu¬ 
 pation, were then examined in the light of 
 eternity. It was then, too, her fervent prayer 
 to be enabled to discern the will of God far 
 more perfectly, not only in the indications given 
 of it for her guidance through each day’s occu¬ 
 pations, but as it might concern duties not yet 
 brought home to her conscience, and therefore 
 unprovided for in her life. 
 
 Sarah W. Stephen, 
 
j66 
 
 December 31 
 
 Forgetting those things which are behind , and 
 reaching forth unto those things which are before , 
 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high 
 calling of God in Christ Jesus . — Phil. iii. 13, 14. 
 
 Yet I argue not 
 
 Against Heaven's hand or will, nor bate a jot 
 Of heart or hope ; but still bear up and steer 
 Right onward. 
 
 J. Milton 
 
 I T is not by regretting what is irreparable that 
 true work is to be done, but by making the 
 best of what we are. It is not by com¬ 
 plaining that we have not the right tools, but by 
 using well the tools we have. What we are, 
 and where we are, is God’s providential arrange¬ 
 ment, — God’s doing, though it may be man’s 
 misdoing; and the manly and the wise way is to 
 look your disadvantages in the face, and see 
 what can be made out of them. Life, like war, 
 is a series of mistakes, and he is not the best 
 Christian nor the best general who makes the 
 fewest false steps. He is the best who wins 
 the most splendid victories by the retrieval of 
 mistakes. Forget mistakes; organize victory 
 out of mistakes. 
 
 F. W. Robertson. 
 
INDEX OF AUTHORS 
 
 -♦- 
 
 prose Selections 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Adorna, St. Catharine (1447-1510).285 
 
 Anonymous .116, 143, 235, 254, 327 
 
 Antoninus, Marcus Aurelius (121-180) 25, 34, 89,118, 
 
 161, 174, 177, 206, 274, 278 
 
 Arnold, Rev. Thomas (1795-1842).228 
 
 Augustine, St. (354-430).27, 166 
 
 Basil, Coptic Liturgy of St. (about 370) . . . 351 
 
 Barnes, Rev. Albert (1798-1870).127 
 
 Boethius (about 470-524) 326 
 
 Boston, Rev. Thomas (1676-1732).124 
 
 Bront£, Charlotte (Mrs. Nicholls) (1816-1855) . 277 
 
 Brooke, Rev. Stopford Augustus (b. 1832). . 90, 207 
 Brooks, Bishop Phillips (1835-1893) 5, 86,158, 211, 314 
 Brown, Rev. James Baldwin (1820-1884) ... 291 
 
 Browne, Sir Thomas (1605-1682).43 
 
 Bushnell, Rev. Horace (1802-1876).302 
 
 Butler, Bishop Joseph (1692-1752) .... 22,146 
 
 Butler, Rev. William Archer (1814-1848) . . 107,360 
 Buxton, Charles (1822-1871).82,127 
 
 Carlyle, Thomas (1795-1880) 50,132, 220,275,293, 313, 
 
 3 i6 > 339> 343> 353> 35^, 362 
 
 Carter, Canon Thomas Thelluson (b. 1808) 32, 160 
 
 Cecil, Rev. Richard (1748-1810) . . 13,147, 148, 298 
 
36S 
 
 INDEX OF AUTHORS 
 
 PAGt 
 
 Channing, Rev. William Ellery (1780-1842) m, 163, 
 
 192, 222, 359 
 
 Charles, Mrs. Elizabeth (Rundle) (1827-1896) 8, 58, 
 
 103, 152, 269, 280, 336, 341 
 Clarke, Rev. James Freeman (1810-1888) . 212, 258 
 
 Cobbe, Frances Power (b. 1822).82, 113, 137 
 
 Collyer, Rev. Robert (b. 1823).65 
 
 Dewey, Rev. Orville (1794-1882) ... 88, 178, 216 
 
 Edwards, Rev. Jonathan (1703-1758).123 
 
 Eliot, Rev. Joseph (d. 1694).142 
 
 Eliot, George (Marian Evans Cross) (1819— 
 
 1880).38, 46, 80, 177, 263, 277, 288, 297 
 
 Emerson, Mary Moody (1774-1863).131 
 
 Emerson, Ralph Waldo (1803-1882) 20,46,91,105,122, 
 
 148, 151, 155, 184, 206, 225, 293, 330 
 Epictetus (1st and 2d centuries of Christian era) . 44 
 
 Erskine, Thomas (1788-1870).313 
 
 Faber, Rev. Frederick William (1815-1863) 32,94,97, 
 
 146, 148, 160, 193, 239, 317, 340 
 Fenelon, Archbishop Franqois de Salignac de 
 LA MOTHE (1651-1715) 41,42,55,80,81,84,97, 124, 135, 
 149, 180, 193, 226, 233, 247, 257, 264, 279, 291, 331, 347 
 Fichte, Johann Gottlieb (1762-1814) . . . 104,353 
 
 Fox, George (1624-1690).no 
 
 Gannett, Rev. William Channing (b. 1840) . . 289 
 Gelasian Sacramentary, compiled 492 . . . 217,246 
 
 Germanica, Theologia, written about 1350 . 254, 284 
 
 Gold Dust, pub ^ 1880.55, 147 
 
 Greaves, James Pierrepoint (1777-1842) 21, 196, 200, 
 
 227, 239, 266, 282, 318 
 
PROSE SELECTIONS 
 
 3*59 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Grou, P£re Jean Nicolas (1731-1803) 12, 24,40, 47,94, 
 
 121, 136, 167, 226, 232, 256 
 
 Guyon, Madame Jeanne Marie BouvifeRE de la 
 Mothe (1648-1717) . . . 119,141,188,196,202,319 
 
 Hale, Rev. Edward Everett (b. 1822) .... 8 
 
 Hall, Bishop Joseph (1574-1656).309 
 
 Havergal, Frances Ridley (1836-1879) 14, 51, 94, 114, 
 
 145- 3 22 > 349 
 
 Hill, Rev. Rowland (1744-1833) .201 
 
 Hinton, James (1822-1875) . . 194, 250, 271, 318, 357 
 
 Hughes, Thomas (1823-1896).96, 164 
 
 Humboldt, Karl Wilhelm von (1767-1835) 132, 220, 
 
 2 33 
 
 Huntington, Rev. William Reed (b. i 8 ? 3 ) . . 348 
 
 Jacobi, Friedrich Heinrich (1743-1819) . ... 91 
 
 Juliana, Mother, written 1373.260 
 
 Keary, Annie (1825-1879) . . .16, 117, 224, 282 
 
 Keble, Rev. John (1792-1866).33, 292 
 
 Kelty, Mary Ann (1789-1873) , 34, 62, 140, 172, 278 
 
 Kempis, Thomas A (1380-1471) 42, 44, 135, 161, 166, 188 
 
 King, Mrs. Elizabeth Taber (1820-1856) . . . 203 
 
 Kingsley, Rev. Charles (1819-1875) . . . 151, 181 
 
 Law, Rev. William (1686-1761) 7,17,59, 69,79,92, 109, 
 
 i73> 230, 238, 2 70. 2 72, 281, 292, 304, 310, 323 
 Leighton, Archbishop Robert (1611-1684) 61, 74, 98, 
 
 171,189, 208, 231, 311, 345 
 Longfellow, Rev. Samuel (1819-1892) .... 219 
 
 Luther, Dr. Martin (1483-1546) . . 84, 140, 155, 311 
 
 Macdonald, George (b. 1824) 2, 61, 68, 79,128, 129, 162, 
 
 202, 204, 216, 238, 355 
 
370 
 
 INDEX OF AUTHORS 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Manning.. Cardinal Henry Edward (1808-1892) 10, 
 
 18, 39> 5 2 > 76, 98,101,109,126,130,150,160,170,182,187, 
 229, 240, 252, 253, 296, 306, 332, 341, 346, 351, 362 
 Martineau, Rev. James (1805-1900) 1, 6, 54,63, 95, 102, 
 
 176, 186, 210, 241, 251, 290, 315, 358, 363 
 Master, The Divine, pub . about 1850 ..... 255 
 
 Maurice, Rev. Frederick Denison (1805-1872) 28, 
 
 37 , 139 
 
 Melanchthon, Dr. Philip (1497-1560) .... 74 
 
 Merriam, Rev. George Spring (b. 1843) 78,115,202,244, 
 
 268 
 
 Miller, Rev. James Russell (b. 1840).227 
 
 Molinos, Rev. Miguel de (1627-1696) 133,172,197, 239, 
 
 286, 301, 334, 345 
 
 More, Rev. Henry (1614-1687).21, 83 
 
 Mountford, Rev. William (1816-1885) . . . . 171 
 
 Newman, Cardinal John Henry (1801-1890) 5, 38, 56, 
 
 70, 100, 189, 250, 253, 273, 361 
 
 Penington, Isaac (1617-1679) 49, 75, 116, 125, 133, 163, 
 186, 196, 236, 245, 299, 320, 327, 328, 338, 344 
 
 Plutarch (about 45-120).159 
 
 Prentiss, Mrs. Elizabeth (1818-1878).264 
 
 Pusey, Rev. Edward Bouverie (1800-1882) 4, it, 15, 22, 
 45, 48, 67, 77, 85, 93, 95, 106, 144, 168, 183, 185, 199,217, 
 
 225, 250, 318, 322, 327, 338, 342, 363 
 
 Renty, Gaston Jean Baptiste, Baron de (1611- 
 
 1648).335 
 
 Richter, Jean Paul Friedrich (1763-1825) . . 269 
 
 Robbins, Rev. Samuel Dowse (1812-1884) • • • 7 2 
 
 Robertson, Rev. Frederick William (1816-1853) 13, 
 
 3 6 , 53» 62, 9 6 > II2 , j 56> 190, 2 48, 259, 267, 276, 297, 308, 
 
 366 
 
PROSE SELECTIONS 
 
 371 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Rogers, Mrs. Hester Ann (1756-1794) .... 352 
 Rossetti, Christina Georgina (1830-1894) 23, 166, 213 
 Ruskin, John (1819-1900) 6, 9, 20, 25, 101, 246, 255, 257, 
 
 308, 364 
 
 Rutherford, Rev. Samuel (1600-1661) . 25,49,143,340 
 
 Sales, St. Francis de (1567-1622) 29,57,66, 79,108,146, 
 J 75, i8 3> 2I 4> 215, 243, 249, 287, 319, 347 
 SCHIMMELPENNINCK, MRS. MARY ANNE (1778- 
 
 1856).73, 118, 122, 283 
 
 Scupoli, Father Lorenzo (1530-1610) 153, 214, 250, 309 
 
 Sewell, Elizabeth Missing (b. 1815).165 
 
 Shaw, Rev. Samuel (1635-1691) .288 
 
 Sibbes, Rev. Richard (1577-1635) .... 141,340 
 
 Smiley, Sarah Y.,pub. 1876 267 
 
 Smith, Mrs. Hannah Whitall, pub. 1875 31, 71,83, 
 
 99, 169, 184, 195, 209, 237, 295, 301, 312, 333 
 Smith, Rev. John (1618-1652) . . 60, 64, 154, 218, 329 
 
 Spinoza, Benedict (1632-1677) 326 
 
 Stanley, Dean Arthur Penrhyn (1815-1882) 138, 
 
 15 7, i9L 242, 294 
 
 Stephen, Sarah W. (1815-1895) . 77, 165, 200, 365 
 
 Stowe, Mrs. Harriet Beecher (1812-1896) 298,307, 
 
 324 
 
 Swedenborg, Emanuel (1688-1772) . . . 200, 272 
 
 Swetchine, Madame Anne Sophie (1782-1857) 148, 
 
 287 
 
 Tauler, Rev. John (1290-1361) 26, 30, 70, 120, 223, 261, 
 
 285, 303 
 
 Taylor, Bishop Jeremy (1613-1667) . 3, 10, 133,326 
 
 Tersteegen, Gerhard (1697-1769) 169,189, 236, 266, 304, 
 
 321, 361 
 
 Thom, Rev. John Hamilton (1808-1894) 35, 87, 129, 
 
 134, i79, 205, 221, 262, 300, 317, 328, 336, 337, 343 
 
372 
 
 INDEX OF AUTHORS 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Thorold, Bishop Anthony Wilson (1825-1895) 107 
 
 Thoreau, Henry David (1817-1862) . . 156, 170, 206 
 Tryon, Thomas (1634-1703).325,342 
 
 Union, Christian .305 
 
 Upham, Rev. Thomas Cogswell (1797-1872) 7,102,119, 
 
 198, 248, 282, 313, 324, 350 
 
 Ware, Rev. Henry, Jr. (1794-1843).276 
 
 Wesley, Rev. John (1703-1791).288 
 
 Whitney, Mrs. Adeline D. T. (b. 1824) . 265, 354 
 
 Wilkinson, Bishop George Howard (b. 1833) . 234 
 
 Wilson, Bishop Thomas (1663-1755).335 
 
 Woman, A Poor Methodist (18th century) . . 19 
 
 Woods, Margaret, written 1771.334 
 
 Woolman, John (1720-1772) . . 25, 73, 201, 263, 312 
 
POETICAL SELECTIONS 373 
 
 INDEX OF AUTHORS 
 
 -♦- 
 
 poetical ^election 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Ages, Hymns of the.114 
 
 Ambrose, St. (340-397).324 
 
 Anonymous 13, 34, 49, 52, 63, 70, 75, 85, 118, 121, 140, 
 160, 161,181, 193, 200, 201, 217, 243, 244, 257, 262, 265, 
 267, 271, 287, 293, 307, 316, 318, 331, 332, 358 
 
 Anstice, Joseph (1808-1836).45 
 
 Apostolica, Lyra.339 
 
 Arnold, Matthew (1822-1888).25 
 
 Auber, Harriet (1773-1862).143 
 
 Austin, John (1613-1669).130 
 
 Barr, Lillie E.248 
 
 Barry, Henry H.31 
 
 Bonar, Rev. Horatius (1808-1889) 44,83,229,333,360 
 
 Borthwick, Jane (b. 1813).170, 341 
 
 Browne, Rev. Simon (1680-1732).200 
 
 Browning, Mrs. Elizabeth Barrett (1809-1861) 131, 
 
 138, 261 
 
 Browning, S. G.. 54, 145 
 
 Bryant, William Cullen (1794-1878) .... 125 
 
 Butts, Mrs. Mary Frances (b. 1836).58 
 
 C., H. W.303 
 
 Carlyle, Thomas (1795-1880).129 
 
374 
 
 INDEX OF AUTHORS 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Catholica, Lyra .218 
 
 Chadwick, Rev. John White (b. 1840) .... 153 
 
 Charles, Mrs. Elizabeth (Rundle) (1827-1896) . 115 
 Clarke, Rev. James Freeman (1810-1888) ... 9 
 
 Coleridge, Samuel Taylor (1772-1834) ... 92 
 
 Coolidge, Susan.7, 53, 183, 296 
 
 Corneille, Pierre (1606-1684) 320 
 
 Cotterill, Mrs. Jane (1790-1825).122 
 
 Cowper, William (1731-1800) .... 10, 305, 345 
 
 Craik, Mrs. Dinah Maria (Mulock) (1826-1887) 211 
 Crashaw, Rev. Richard (about 1610-1650) . . 364 
 
 Crewdson, Mrs. Jane (1809-1863).74 
 
 Davison, Francis (1575-1618). 99 
 
 Dessler, Wolfgang Christoph (1660-1722) 231,321 
 
 Doddridge, Rev. Philip (1702-1751) . 2,41,154,342 
 
 Dwight, John Sullivan (1813-1893).350 
 
 Edmeston, James (1791-1867).336 
 
 Eliot, George (Marian Evans Cross) (1819- 
 
 1880).86 
 
 Elliott, Charlotte (1789-1871).136 
 
 Emerson, Ralph Waldo (1803-1882) . . . 128,151, 
 
 194, 220 
 
 Evans, Rev. Albert Eubule (1868).226 
 
 Faber, Rev. Frederick William (1815-1863) 27,106, 
 
 113, 178, 180, 184, 222, 292, 340, 356 
 
 Farningham, Marianne .169 
 
 Flemming, Paul (1609-1640) .... 133,176,279 
 
 Francke, Rev. August Hermann (1663-1727) . 335 
 
 Gannett, Rev. William Channing (b. 1840) . . 152 
 
 Gaskell, Rev. William (1805-1884).132 
 
 Gedicke, Rev. Lampertus (1683-1735) .... 192 
 
 Gellert, Christian Furchtegott (1715-1769) . 280 
 
POETICAL SELECTIONS 
 
 375 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Gerhardt, Rev. Paul (1606-1676) 72, 187, 215, 216, 223, 
 
 3°2, 3°9, 3 11 , 344, 347 
 
 German, From the. 42, 48, 141 
 
 Gill, Thomas Hornblower (b. 1819) . . 12, 112,359 
 
 Gladden, Rev. Washington (b. 1836) .... 36 
 
 Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von (1749-1832) . 23 
 
 Guyon, Madame Jeanne Marie Bouvi£re de la 
 
 Mothe (1648-1717).348 
 
 Hagenbach, Karl Rudolph (1801-1874) ... 147 
 
 Hall, Mrs. Louisa Jane (1802-1892).343 
 
 Hamilton, Anna E. (1846-1876).33 
 
 Havergal, Frances Ridley (1836-1879) 18, 108, no, 
 
 163, 177, 254, 295, 355 
 
 Haweis, Rev. Thomas (1732-1820).212 
 
 Heber, Bishop Reginald (1783-1826) .... 61 
 
 Herbert, Rev. George (1593-1632) . 62, 69, 76, 101 
 
 Higginson, Thomas Wentworth (b. 1823) . . 204 
 
 Holmes, Oliver Wendell (1809-1894) .... 1 
 
 Hosmer, Rev. Frederick Lucian (b. 1840). . . 357 
 Howells, William Dean (b. 1837).94 
 
 Ingelow, Jean (1820-1897).50, 158, 168 
 
 Intelligencer, Christian.186, 263 
 
 Irons, Rev. William Josiah (1812-1883) • • • 3 2 % 
 
 J., C. E. 4 
 
 Johnson, Rev. Samuel (1822-1882) . . 29, in, 164, 284 
 
 Keble, Rev. John (1792-1866) 6,16, 39, 56,60, 79, 82, 96, 
 105, 126, 146, 148, 191, 208, 250, 269, 286 
 Ken, Bishop Thomas (1637-1711) .... 308,322 
 
 Kimball, Harriet McEwen (b. 1834) . . 95, 258, 35c 
 
 Lange, Rev. Joachim (1670-1744) . . . . 20, 205,235 
 Larcom, Lucy (1824-1893).275, 297 
 
376 
 
 INDEX OF AUTHORS 
 
 PAGH 
 
 Latin MSS. of 15TH Century.15 
 
 Longfellow, Rev. Samuel (1819-1892) 5,71,97,198, 227, 
 
 282 
 
 Lowell, James Russell (1819-1891) . . . 190, 221 
 
 Luther, Hymns from the Land of.107 
 
 Lyte, Rev. Henry Francis (1793-1847) 90, 142, 175, 241 
 
 Militant, Hymns of the Church.325 
 
 Milton, John (1608-1674).149, 366 
 
 Montgomery, James (1771-1854) ....... 273 
 
 More, Hannah (1745-1833).127 
 
 More, Rev. Henry (1614-1687).64 
 
 Neale, Rev. John Mason (1818-1866) .... 319 
 
 Neumark, Georg (1621-1681).37, 124 
 
 Newman, Cardinal John Henry (1801-1890) 40, 117, 
 
 214, 232, 253, 276 
 
 Newton, Adelaide Leaper (1824-1854) .... 11 
 
 Newton, Rev. John (1725-1807).28, 116 
 
 Packard, Caroline M.66 
 
 Parsons, Thomas William (1819-1892) .... 199 
 
 Procter, Adelaide Anne (1825-1864) . . 26, 188, 277 
 
 Puchta, Rev. Chr. Rudolph Heinrich (1808-1858) 173 
 Pythagoras (570-504 b. c.).77 
 
 Quarles, John (1624-1665).346 
 
 Richter, Christian Friedrich (1676-1711) . . 203 
 
 Robert II. of France (972-1031).365 
 
 Rodigast, Samuel (1649-1708).259 
 
 Rosenroth, Christian Knorr von (1636-1689) . 268 
 
 Rothe, Rev. Johann Andreas (1688-1758) . . . 167 
 
 Rutilius, Rev. Martin (1550-1618) .281 
 
POETICAL SELECTIONS 
 
 377 
 
 PAGB 
 
 Saxby, Mrs. Jane Euphemia (b. i8ii) .... 3 
 
 SCHEFFLER, REV. JOHANN (ANGELUS SlLESIUS) 
 
 (1624-1677).93 
 
 Schiller, Friedrich von (1759-1805) .... 225 
 
 Schmolck, Rev. Benjamin (1672-1737) . . 301, 326 
 
 Scudder, Eliza (1821-1896).30,88,246,315 
 
 Sharpe’s Magazine.32 
 
 Shipton, Anna (1869).156,291 
 
 Spirit, Hymns of the.120, 228 
 
 Spitta, Rev. Carl Johann Philipp (1801-1859) 89, 
 
 283, 310 
 
 Sterling, Rev. John (1806-1844) .... 55, 260, 363 
 
 Stowe, Mrs. Harriet Beecher (1812-1896) . 73, 87 
 
 Sutton, Henry Septimus, pub. 1854 . . 51, 213, 247 
 
 T.,B.354 
 
 Tennyson, Alfred, Lord (1810-1892).272 
 
 Tersteegen, Gerhard (1697-1769) 19, 46, 179, 230, 270, 
 
 289, 312, 323, 352 
 
 Toplady, Rev. Augustus Montague (1740-1778) . 162 
 
 Trench, Archbishop Richard Chevenix (1807- 
 1886).. . 206, 219, 252, 256, 285, 290 
 
 Upham, Rev. Thomas Cogswell (1799-1872) . . 98 
 
 Vaughan, Henry (1621-1695).21, 209 
 
 W., E.207 
 
 Waring, Anna L^titia (b. 1820) 8,14, 24,43,47, 80,137, 
 165, 171, 182, 195, 224, 236, 245, 298, 329, 334 
 Warner, Anna Bartlett (b. 1820) ... 65, 249, 349 
 
 Watts, Rev. Isaac (1674-1748) 84,102,172, 239,338,362 
 
 Weissel, Rev. Georg (1590-1635).197 
 
 Wesley, Rev. Charles (1708-1788) 35, 57,68, 78,100,103, 
 119, 123, 135, 139, 185, 189, 196, 237, 238, 240, 255, 264, 
 
 278, 288. 294, 304, 306, 313, 327 
 
378 
 
 INDEX OF AUTHORS 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Whitney, Mrs. Adeline D. T. (b. 1824) .... 314 
 Whittier, John Greenleaf (1807-1892) 17, 22, 59, 67, 
 
 81, 109, 144, 150, 157, 166, 210, 233, 234, 251, 299, 300 
 
 33°, 337, 36 1 
 
 Williams, Rev. Isaac (1802-1865) . . . 134, 155, 353 
 
 Williams, Sarah (d. 1868) ....... 174,202,242 
 
 Winckler, Rev. Johann Joseph (1670-1722) . . 104 
 
 Wordsworth, William (1770-1850) 38,91, 159, 266, 317 
 Wotton, Sir Henry (1568-1639). 274