May 30
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.
Zebulon and Naphtali were a people that jeoparded 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,—'Tis man's perdition to be safe,When for the truth he ought to die.
Some say that the age of chivalry is past. The age of chivalry is never past, so long as there is a wrong left unredressed on earth, or a man or woman left to say, "I will redress that wrong, or spend my life in the attempt." The age of chivalry is never past, so long as we have faith enough to say, "God will help me to redress that wrong; or, if not me, He will help those that come after me, for His eternal Will is to overcome evil with good."
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.
May 31
Let all those that put their trust in Thee rejoice: … 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 chorusTo the sky's benediction above;And we all are together lyingOn 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?
What inexpressible joy for me, to look up through the apple-blossoms and the fluttering leaves, and to see God's love there; to listen to the thrush that has built his nest among them, and to feel God's love, who cares for the birds, in every note that swells his little throat; to look beyond to the bright blue depths of the sky, and feel they are a canopy of blessing,—the roof of the house of my Father; that if clouds pass over it, it is the unchangeable light they veil; that, even when the day itself passes, I shall see that the night itself only unveils new worlds of light; and to know that if I could unwrap fold after fold of God's universe, I should only unfold more and more blessing, and see deeper and deeper into the love which is at the heart of all.
June 1
One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in His temple.—PS. xxvii. 4.
Thy beauty, O my Father! All is Thine;But there is beauty in Thyself, from whenceThe beauty Thou hast made doth ever flowIn 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!
Consider that all which appears beautiful outwardly, is solely derived from the invisible Spirit which is the source of that external beauty, and say joyfully, "Behold, these are streamlets from the uncreated Fountain; behold, these are drops from the infinite Ocean of all good! Oh! how does my inmost heart rejoice at the thought of that eternal, infinite Beauty, which is the source and origin of all created beauty!"
June 2
We all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.—2 COR. iii. 18.
Then every tempting form of sin,Shamed in Thy presence, disappears,And all the glowing, raptured soulThe likeness it contemplates wears.
Then does a good man become the tabernacle of God, wherein the divine Shechinah does rest, and which the divine glory fills, when the frame of his mind and life is wholly according to that idea and pattern which he receives from the mount. We best glorify Him when we grow most like to Him: and we then act most for His glory, when a true spirit of sanctity, justice, and meekness, runs through all our actions; when we so live in the world as becomes those that converse with the great Mind and Wisdom of the whole world, with that Almighty Spirit that made, supports, and governs all things, with that Being from whence all good flows, and in which there is no spot, stain, or shadow of evil; and so being captivated and overcome by the sense of the Divine loveliness and goodness, endeavor to be like Him, and conform ourselves, as much as may be, to Him.
June 3
The righteous shall be glad in the Lord, and shall trust in Him.—PS. lxiv. 10.
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,Whatever to-day, to-morrow brings,It is His will.
He will weave no longer a spotted life of shreds and patches, but he will live with a divine unity. He will cease from what is base and frivolous in his life, and be content with all places, and with any service he can render. He will calmly front the morrow, in the negligency of that trust which carries God with it, and so hath already the whole future in the bottom of the heart.
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.
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, 'Twas all in vain,The anguish and the darkness and the strife;Love thrown upon the waters comes againIn quenchless yearnings for a nobler life.
Did you ever hear of a man who had striven all his life faithfully and singly toward an object and in no measure obtained it? If a man constantly aspires, is he not elevated? Did ever a man try heroism, magnanimity, truth, sincerity, and find that there was no advantage in them,—that it was a vain endeavor?
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.
June 5
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 earIt whispers soft and low;Though dropping, as the manna fell,Unseen, yet from above,Noiseless as dew-fall, heed it well,—Thy Father's call of love.
This is one result of the attitude into which we are put by humility, by disinterestedness, by purity, by calmness, that we have the opportunity, the disengagement, the silence, in which we may watch what is the will of God concerning us. If we think no more of ourselves than we ought to think, if we seek not our own but others' welfare, if we are prepared to take all things as God's dealings with us, then we may have a chance of catching from time to time what God has to tell us. In the Mussulman devotions, one constant gesture is to put the hands to the ears, as if to listen for the messages from the other world. This is the attitude, the posture which our minds assume, if we have a standing-place above and beyond the stir and confusion and dissipation of this mortal world.
June 6
Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God.—REV. iii. 12.
In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.—EPH. ii. 22.
None the place ordained refuseth,They are one, and they are all,Living stones, the Builder choosethFor the courses of His wall.
Slowly, through all the universe, that temple of God is being built. Wherever, in any world, a soul, by free-willed obedience, catches the fire of God's likeness, it is set into the growing walls, a living stone. When, in your hard fight, in your tiresome drudgery, or in your terrible temptation, you catch the purpose of your being, and give yourself to God, and so give Him the chance to give Himself to you, your life, a living stone, is taken up and set into that growing wall. Wherever souls are being tried and ripened, in whatever commonplace and homely ways;—there God is hewing out the pillars for His temple. Oh, if the stone can only have some vision of the temple of which it is to be a part forever, what patience must fill it as it feels the blows of the hammer, and knows that success for it is simply to let itself be wrought into what shape the Master wills.
June 7
Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day.—I THESS. v. 5.
Light is sown for the righteous, and 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.
Nothing can produce so great a serenity of life, as a mind free from guilt, and kept untainted, not only from actions, but purposes that are wicked. By this means the soul will be not only unpolluted, but not disturbed; the fountain will run clear and unsullied, and the streams that flow from it will be just and honest deeds, ecstasies of satisfaction, a brisk energy of spirit, which makes a man an enthusiast in his joy, and a tenacious memory, sweeter than hope. For as shrubs which are cut down with the morning dew upon them do for a long time after retain their fragrancy, so the good actions of a wise man perfume his mind, and leave a rich scent behind them. So that joy is, as it were, watered with these essences, and owes its flourishing to them.
June 8
Who hath despised the day of small things? ZECH. iv. 10.
Little thingsOn little wingsBear little souls to heaven.
An occasional effort even of an ordinary holiness may accomplish great acts of sacrifice, or bear severe pressure of unwonted trial, specially if it be the subject of observation. But constant discipline in unnoticed ways, and the spirit's silent unselfishness, becoming the hidden habit of the life, give to it its true saintly beauty, and this is the result of care and lowly love in little things. Perfection is attained most readily by this constancy of religious faithfulness in all minor details of life, consecrating the daily efforts of self-forgetting love.
Love's secret is to be always doing things for God, and not to mind because they are such very little ones.
There may be living and habitual conversation in heaven, under the aspect of the most simple, ordinary life. Let us always remember that holiness does not consist in doing uncommon things, but in doing everything with purity of heart.
June 9
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!
Let this truth be present to thee in the excitement of anger,—that to be moved by passion is not manly, but that mildness and gentleness, as they are more agreeable to human nature, so also are they more manly. For in the same degree in which a man's mind is nearer to freedom from all passion, in the same degree also is it nearer to strength.
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.
June 10
Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of His servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon his God.—ISA. I. 10.
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.
He has an especial tenderness of love towards thee for that thou art in the dark and hast no light, and His heart is glad when thou dost arise and say, "I will go to my Father." For He sees thee through all the gloom through which thou canst not see Him. Say to Him, "My God, I am very dull and low and hard; but Thou art wise and high and tender, and Thou art my God. I am Thy child. Forsake me not." Then fold the arms of thy faith, and wait in quietness until light goes up in the darkness. Fold the arms of thy Faith, I say, but not of thy Action: bethink thee of something that thou oughtest to do, and go and do it, if it be but the sweeping of a room, or the preparing of a meal, or a visit to a friend; heed not thy feelings: do thy work.
June 11
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 ThouWilt be my strength; it is not that I seeLess sin; but more of pardoning love with Thee,And all-sufficient grace. Enough! And nowAll fluttering thought is stilled; I only rest,And feel that Thou art near, and know that I am blest.
Yea, though thou canst not believe, yet be not dismayed thereat; only do thou sink into, or at least pant after the hidden measure of life, which is not in that which distresseth, disturbeth, and filleth thee with thoughts, fears, troubles, anguish, darknesses, terrors, and the like; no, no! but in that which inclines to the patience, to the stillness, to the hope, to the waiting, to the silence before the Father.
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.
June 12
Then answered he me, and said, This is the condition of the battle which man that is born upon the earth shall fight; that, if he be overcome, he shall suffer as thou hast said: but if he get the victory, he shall receive the thing that I say.—2 ESDRAS vii. 57, 58.
One holy Church, one army strong,One steadfast high intent,One working band, one harvest-song,One King omnipotent.
We listened to a man whom we felt to be, with all his heart and soul and strength, striving against whatever was mean and unmanly and unrighteous in our little world. It was not the cold clear voice of one giving advice and warning from serene heights to those who were struggling and sinning below, but the warm living voice of one who was fighting for us and by our sides, and calling on us to help him and ourselves and one another. And so, wearily and little by little, but surely and steadily on the whole, was brought home to the young boy, for the first time, the meaning of his life; that it was no fool's or sluggard's paradise into which he had wandered by chance, but a battle-field ordained from of old, where there are no spectators, but the youngest must take his side, and the stakes are life and death.
June 13
If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another.—I JOHN i. 7.
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 doFor the Lord on whom I wait.
We do not always perceive that even the writing of a note of congratulation, the fabrication of something intended as an offering of affection, our necessary intercourse with characters which have no congeniality with our own, or hours apparently trifled away in the domestic circle, may be made by us the performance of a most sacred and blessed work; even the carrying out, after our feeble measure, of the design of God for-the increase of happiness.
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.
June 14
The Lord shall give thee rest from thy sorrow, and from thy fear, and from the hard bondage wherein thou wast made to serve.—ISA. xiv. 3.
To-day, beneath Thy chastening eye,I crave alone for peace and rest;Submissive in Thy hand to lie,And feel that it is best.
O Lord, who art as the Shadow of a great Rock in a weary land, who beholdest Thy weak creatures weary of labor, weary of pleasure, weary of hope deferred, weary of self; in Thine abundant compassion, and unutterable tenderness, bring us, I pray Thee, unto Thy rest. Amen.
Grant to me above all things that can be desired, to rest in Thee, and in Thee to have my heart at peace. Thou art the true peace of the heart, Thou its only rest; out of Thee all things are hard and restless. In this very peace, that is, in Thee, the One Chiefest Eternal Good, I will sleep and rest. Amen.
Thou hast made us for Thyself, O Lord; and our heart is restless until it rests in Thee.
June 15
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. 1,2.
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.
Your external circumstances may change, toil may take the place of rest, sickness of health, trials may thicken within and without. Externally, you are the prey of such circumstances; but if your heart is stayed on God, no changes or chances can touch it, and all that may befall you will but draw you closer to Him. Whatever the present moment may bring, your knowledge that it is His will, and that your future heavenly life will be influenced by it, will make all not only tolerable, but welcome to you, while no vicissitudes can affect you greatly, knowing that He who holds you in His powerful hand cannot change, but abideth forever.
June 16
Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.—EPH. iii. 20, 21.
We would not meagre gifts down-callWhen Thou dost yearn to yield us all;But for this life, this little hour,Ask all Thy love and care and power.
God so loveth us that He would make all things channels to us and messengers of His love. Do for His sake deeds of love, and He will give thee His love. Still thyself, thy own cares, thy own thoughts for Him, and He will speak to thy heart. Ask for Himself, and He will give thee Himself. Truly, a secret hidden thing is the love of God, known only to them who seek it, and to them also secret, for what man can have of it here is how slight a foretaste of that endless ocean of His love!
June 17
Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow.—MATT. vi. 28.
They do not toil:Content with their allotted taskThey do but grow; they do not askA 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.
Interpose no barrier to His mighty life-giving power, working in you all the good pleasure of His will. Yield yourself up utterly to His sweet control. Put your growing into His hands as completely as you have put all your other affairs. Suffer Him to manage it as He will. Do not concern yourself about it, nor even think of it. Trust Him absolutely and always. Accept each moment's dispensation as it comes to you from His dear hands, as being the needed sunshine or dew for that moment's growth. Say a continual "yes" to your Father's will.
Thine own self-will and anxiety, thy hurry and labor, disturb thy peace, and prevent Me from working in thee. Look at the little flowers, in the serene summer days; they quietly open their petals, and the sun shines into them with his gentle influences. So will I do for thee, if thou wilt yield thyself to Me.
June 18
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 us, on joys and sorrows past,We know that all is mercy now, and shall be well at last;Calmly we look before us,—we fear no future ill,Enough for safety and for peace, if Thou art with us still.
Neither go back in fear and misgiving to the past, nor in anxiety and forecasting to the future; but lie quiet under His hand, having no will but His.
I saw a delicate flower had grown up two feet high, between the horses' path and the wheel-track. An inch more to right or left had sealed its fate, or an inch higher; and yet it lived to flourish as much as if it had a thousand acres of untrodden space around it, and never knew the danger it incurred. It did not borrow trouble, nor invite an evil fate by apprehending it.
June 19
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 heart rejoicing in God delights in all His will, and is surely provided with the most firm joy in all estates; for if nothing can come to pass beside or against His will, then cannot that soul be vexed which delights in Him and hath no will but His, but follows Him in all times, in all estates; not only when He shines bright on them, but when they are clouded. That flower which follows the sun doth so even in dark and cloudy days: when it doth not shine forth, yet it follows the hidden course and motion of it. So the soul that moves after God keeps that course when He hides His face; is content, yea, even glad at His will in all estates or conditions or events.
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.
June 20
Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me; for my soul trusteth in Thee: yea, in the shadow of Thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast.—PS. lvii. I.
My God! in whom are all the springsOf boundless love and grace unknown,Hide me beneath Thy spreading wings,Till the dark cloud is overblown.
In time of trouble go not out of yourself to seek for aid; for the whole benefit of trial consists in silence, patience, rest, and resignation. In this condition divine strength is found for the hard warfare, because God Himself fights for the soul.
In vain will you let your mind run out after help in times of trouble; it is like putting to sea in a storm. Sit still, and feel after your principles; and, if you find none that furnish you with somewhat of a stay and prop, and which point you to quietness and silent submission, depend upon it you have never yet learned Truth from the Spirit of Truth, whatever notions thereof you may have picked up from this and the other description of it.
June 21
Thou calledst in trouble, and. I delivered thee.—PS. lxxxi. 7.
Be strong, and of good courage; dread not, nor be dismayed.—I CHRON. xxii. 13.
Thou canst calm the troubled mind,Thou its dread canst still;Teach me to be all resignedTo my Father's will.
Though this patient, meek resignation is to be exercised with regard to all outward things and occurrences of life, yet it chiefly respects our own inward state, the troubles, perplexities, weaknesses, and disorders of our own souls. And to stand turned to a patient, meek, humble resignation to God, when your own impatience, wrath, pride, and irresignation attack yourself, is a higher and more beneficial performance of this duty, than when you stand turned to meekness and patience, when attacked by the pride, or wrath, or disorderly passions of other people.
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. 13, 14.
Not so, not so, no load of woeNeed bring despairing frown;For while we bear it, we can bear,Past that, we lay it down.
Everything which happens, either happens in such wise that them art formed by nature to bear it, or that thou art not formed by nature to bear it. If then, it happens to thee in such way that thou art formed by nature to bear it, do not complain, but bear it as thou art formed by nature to bear it. But, if it happens in such wise that thou art not able to bear it, do not complain; for it will perish after it has consumed thee. Remember, however, that thou art formed by nature to bear everything, with respect to which it depends on thy own opinion to make it endurable and tolerable, by thinking that it is either thy interest or thy duty to do this.
June 23
Why art than cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God; for I shall yet praise Him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.—PS. xlii. 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.
Beware of letting your care degenerate into anxiety and unrest; tossed as you are amid the winds and waves of sundry troubles, keep your eyes fixed on the Lord, and say, "Oh, my God, I look to Thee alone; be Thou my guide, my pilot;" and then be comforted. When the shore is gained, who will heed the toil and the storm? And we shall steer safely through every storm, so long as our heart is right, our intention fervent, our courage steadfast, and our trust fixed on God. If at times we are somewhat stunned by the tempest, never fear; let us take breath, and go on afresh. Do not be disconcerted by the fits of vexation and uneasiness which are sometimes produced by the multiplicity of your domestic worries. No indeed, dearest child, all these are but opportunities of strengthening yourself in the loving, forbearing graces which our dear Lord sets before us.
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;Be still;What God hath ordered must be right,Then find in it thine own delight,My will.
If we listen to our self-love, we shall estimate our lot less by what it is, than by what it is not; shall dwell on its hindrances, and be blind to its possibilities; and, comparing it only with imaginary lives, shall indulge in flattering dreams of what we should do, if we had but power; and give, if we had but wealth; and be, if we had no temptations. We shall be forever querulously pleading our difficulties and privations as excuses for our unloving temper and unfruitful life; and fancying ourselves injured beings, virtually frowning at the dear Providence that loves us, and chafing with a self-torture which invites no pity. If we yield ourselves unto God, and sincerely accept our lot as assigned by Him, we shall count up its contents, and disregard its omissions; and be it as feeble as a cripple's, and as narrow as a child's, shall find in it resources of good surpassing our best economy, and sacred claims that may keep awake our highest will.
June 25
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 knowThat 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.
"We mustn't be in a hurry to fix and choose our own lot; we must wait to be guided. We are led on, like the little children, by a way that we know not. It is a vain thought to flee from the work that God appoints us, for the sake of finding a greater blessing to our own souls; as if we could choose for ourselves where we shall find the fulness of the Divine Presence, instead of seeking it where alone it is to be found, in loving obedience."
Everywhere and at all times it is in thy power piously to acquiesce in thy present condition, and to behave justly to those who are about thee.
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.
'Tis not enough to weep my sins,'Tis but one step to heaven:—When I am kind to others,—thenI know myself forgiven.
Every relation to mankind, of hate or scorn or neglect, is full of vexation and torment. There is nothing to do with men but to love them; to contemplate their virtues with admiration, their faults with pity and forbearance, and their injuries with forgiveness. Task all the ingenuity of your mind to devise some other thing, but you never can find it. To hate your adversary will not help you; to kill him will not help you; nothing within the compass of the universe can help you, but to love him. But let that love flow out upon all around you, and what could harm you? How many a knot of mystery and misunderstanding would be untied by one word spoken in simple and confiding truth of heart! How many a solitary place would be made glad if love were there; and how many a dark dwelling would be filled with light!
June 27
The kingdom of God is within you.—LUKE xvii. 21.
Oh, take this heart that I would giveForever to be all Thine own;I to myself no more would live,—Come, Lord, be Thou my King alone.
Herein is the work assigned to the individual soul, to have life in itself, to make our sphere, whatever it is, sufficient for a reign of God within ourselves, for a true and full reign of our Father's abounding spirit,—thankful, unutterably thankful, if with the place and the companionship assigned to us we are permitted to build an earthly tabernacle of grace and goodness and holy love, a home like a temple; but, should this be denied us, resolved for our own souls that God shall reign there, for ourselves at least that we will not, by sin or disobedience or impious distrust, break with our own wills, our filial connection with our Father,—that whether joyful or sorrowing, struggling with the perplexity and foulness of circumstance, or in an atmosphere of peace, whether in dear fellowship or alone, our desire and prayer shall be that God may have in us a realm where His will is law, and where obedience and submission spring, not from calculating prudence or ungodly fear, but from communion of spirit, ever humble aspiration, and ever loving trust.
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.
This deliverance of the soul from all useless and selfish and unquiet cares, brings to it an unspeakable peace and freedom; this is true simplicity. This state of entire resignation and perpetual acquiescence produces true liberty; and this liberty brings perfect simplicity. The soul which knows no self-seeking, no interested ends, is thoroughly candid; it goes straight forward without hindrance; its path opens daily more and more to "perfect day," in proportion as its self-renunciation and its self-forgetfulness increase; and its peace, amid whatever troubles beset it, will be as boundless as the depths of the sea.
June 29
Let not him that girdeth on his harness boast himself as he that putteth it off.—I KINGS xx. 11.
Put on the whole armor of God.—EPH. vi. 11.
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!
Oh, be at least able to say in that day,—Lord, I am no hero. I have been careless, cowardly, sometimes all but mutinous. Punishment I have deserved, I deny it not. But a traitor I have never been; a deserter I have never been. I have tried to fight on Thy side in Thy battle against evil. I have tried to do the duty which lay nearest me; and to leave whatever Thou didst commit to my charge a little better than I found it. I have not been good, but I have at least tried to be good. Take the will for the deed, good Lord. Strike not my unworthy name off the roll-call of the noble and victorious army, which is the blessed company of all faithful people; and let me, too, be found written in the Book of Life; even though I stand the lowest and last upon its list. Amen.
June 30
And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever.—ISA. xxxii. 17.
The heart that ministers for TheeIn Thy own work will rest;And the subject spirit of a childCan serve Thy children best.
It matters not where or what we are, so we be His servants. They are happy who have a wide field and great strength to fulfil His missions of compassion; and they, too, are blessed who, in sheltered homes and narrow ways of duty, wait upon Him in lowly services of love. Wise or simple, gifted or slender in knowledge, in the world's gaze or in hidden paths, high or low, encompassed by affections and joys of home, or lonely and content in God alone, what matters, so that they bear the seal of the living God? Blessed company, unknown to each other, unknowing even themselves!
July 1
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;A hope for me and a hope for you.
Be patient with every one, but above all with yourself. I mean, do not be disturbed because of your imperfections, and always rise up bravely from a fall. I am glad that you make a daily new beginning; there is no better means of progress in the spiritual life than to be continually beginning afresh, and never to think that we have done enough.
Because perseverance is so difficult, even when supported by the grace of God, thence is the value of new beginnings. For new beginnings are the life of perseverance.
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.
We need only obey. There is guidance for each of us, and by lowly listening we shall hear the right word.
The heights of Christian perfection can only be reached by faithfully each moment following the Guide who is to lead you there, and He reveals your way to you one step at a time, in the little things of your daily lives, asking only on your part that you yield yourselves up to His guidance. If then, in anything you feel doubtful or troubled, be sure that it is the voice of your Lord, and surrender it at once to His bidding, rejoicing with a great joy that He has begun thus to lead and guide you.
July 3
He shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.—PS. cxxx. 8.
Be it according to Thy word;Redeem me from all sin;My heart would now receive Thee, Lord,Come in, my Lord, come in!
When you wake, or as soon as you are dressed, offer up your whole self to God, soul and body, thoughts and purposes and desires, to be for that day what He wills. Think of the occasions of the sin likely to befall you, and go, as a child, to your Father which is in heaven, and tell Him in childlike, simple words, your trials—in some such simple words as these—"Thou knowest, good Lord, that I am tempted to—[then name the temptations to it, and the ways in which you sin, as well as you know them]. But, good Lord, for love of Thee, I would this day keep wholly from all [naming the sin] and be very [naming the opposite grace]. I will not, by Thy grace, do one [N.] act, or speak one [N.] word, or give one [N.] look, or harbor one [N.] thought in my soul. If Thou allow any of these temptations to come upon me this day, I desire to think, speak, and do only what Thou willest. Lord, without Thee I can do nothing; with Thee I can do all."
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. 10.
Remember, O Lord, Thy tender mercies, and Thy loving-kindnesses; for they have been ever of old.—PS. xxv. 6.
My Father! seeI trust the faithfulness displayed of old,I trust the love that never can grow cold—I trust in Thee.
Be not so much discouraged in the sight of what is yet to be done, as comforted in His good-will towards thee. 'Tis true, He hath chastened thee with rods and sore afflictions; but did He ever take away His loving-kindness from thee? or did His faithfulness ever fail in the sorest, blackest, thickest, darkest night that ever befell thee?
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.
July 5
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.
We never have more than we can bear. The present hour we are always able to endure. As our day, so is our strength. If the trials of many years were gathered into one, they would overwhelm us; therefore, in pity to our little strength, He sends first one, then another, then removes both, and lays on a third, heavier, perhaps, than either; but all is so wisely measured to our strength that the bruised reed is never broken. We do not enough look at our trials in this continuous and successive view. Each one is sent to teach us something, and altogether they have a lesson which is beyond the power of any to teach alone.
July 6
I 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.
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.
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.
July 7
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.
Whatever troubles come on you, of mind, body, or estate, from within or from without, from chance or from intent, from friends or foes—whatever your trouble be, though you be lonely, O children of a heavenly Father, be not afraid!
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?
How God rejoices over a soul, which, surrounded on all sides by suffering and misery, does that upon earth which the angels do in heaven; namely, loves, adores, and praises God!
July 8
Be ye kind one to another.—EPH. iv. 32.
She doeth little kindnessesWhich most leave undone or despise;For nought which sets one heart at ease,And giveth happiness or peace,Is low-esteemed in her eyes.
What was the secret of such a one's power? What had she done? Absolutely nothing; but radiant smiles, beaming good-humor, the tact of divining what every one felt and every one wanted, told that she had got out of self and learned to think of others; so that at one time it showed itself in deprecating the quarrel, which lowering brows and raised tones already showed to be impending, by sweet words; at another, by smoothing an invalid's pillow; at another, by soothing a sobbing child; at another, by humoring and softening a father who had returned weary and ill-tempered from the irritating cares of business. None but she saw those things. None but a loving heartcouldsee them. That was the secret of her heavenly power. The one who will be found in trial capable of great acts of love, is ever the one who is always doing considerate small ones.
July 9
Love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.—I JOHN iv. 7.
Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel (or "complaint") against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.—COL. iii. 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.
We may, if we choose, make the worst of one another. Every one has his weak points; every one has his faults: we may make the worst of these; we may fix our attention constantly upon these. But we may also make the best of one another. We may forgive, even as we hope to be forgiven. We may put ourselves in the place of others, and ask what we should wish to be done to us, and thought of us, were we in their place. By loving whatever is lovable in those around us, love will flow back from them to us, and life will become a pleasure instead of a pain; and earth will become like heaven; and we shall become not unworthy followers of Him whose name is Love.
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;Let Him choose the joy or woeOf every day:They cannot hurt my soul,Because in His control:I leave to Him the whole,—His children may.
Why is it that we are so busy with the future? It is notourprovince; and is there not a criminal interference with Him to whom it belongs, in our feverish, anxious attempts to dispose of it, and in filling it up with shadows of good and evil shaped by our own wild imaginations? To do God's will as fast as it is made known to us, to inquire hourly—I had almost said each moment—what He requires of us, and to leave ourselves, our friends, and every interest at His control, with a cheerful trust that the path which He marks out leads to our perfection and to Himself,—this is at once our duty and happiness; and why will we not walk in the plain, simple way?
July 11
When 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 crossI never seek to find;My Father says, "Leave that to me,And keep a quiet mind."
Let us then think only of the present, and not even permit our minds to wander with curiosity into the future. This future is not yet ours; perhaps it never will be. It is exposing ourselves to temptation to wish to anticipate God, and to prepare ourselves for things which He may not destine for us. If such things should come to pass, He will give us light and strength according to the need. Why should we desire to meet difficulties prematurely, when we have neither strength nor light as yet provided for them? Let us give heed to the present, whose duties are pressing; it is fidelity to the present which prepares us for fidelity in the future.
Every hour comes with some little fagot of God's will fastened upon its back.
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 forsake 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 keepsTo spy what danger on his pathway creeps;Go where he will, the wise man is at home,His hearth the earth,—his hall the azure dome;Where his clear spirit leads him, there's his road,By God's own light illumined and foreshowed.
Though I sympathize, I do not share in the least the feeling of being disheartened and cast down. It is not things of this sort that depress me, or ever will. The contrary things, praise, openings, the feeling of the greatness of my work, and my inability in relation to it, these things oppress and cast me down; but little hindrances, and closing up of accustomed or expected avenues, and the presence of difficulties to be overcome,—I'm not going to be cast down by trifles such as these.
July 13
And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought.—ISA. lviii. 11.
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.
Abandon yourself to His care and guidance, as a sheep in the care of a shepherd, and trust Him utterly. No matter though you may seem to yourself to be in the very midst of a desert, with nothing green about you, inwardly or outwardly, and may think you will have to make a long journey before you can get into the green pastures. Our Shepherd will turn that very place where you are into green pastures, for He has power to make the desert rejoice and blossom as a rose.
July 14
Be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.—ROM. xii. 2.
Father, let our faithful mindRest, on Thee alone inclined;Every anxious thought repress,Keep our souls in perfect peace.
Retirement from anxieties of every kind; entering into no disputes; avoiding all frivolous talk; and simplifying everything we engage in, whether in a way of doing or suffering; denying the, imagination its false activities, and the intellect its false searchings after what it cannot obtain,—these seem to be some of the steps that lead to obedience to the holy precept in our text.
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.
July 15
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.
Ye are the temple of the living God.—2 COR. vi. 16.
Fling wide the portals of your heart,Make it a temple set apartFrom 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.
Thou art to know that thy soul is the centre, habitation, and kingdom of God. That, therefore, to the end the sovereign King may rest on that throne of thy soul, thou oughtest to take pains to keep it clean, quiet, and peaceable,—clean from guilt and defects; quiet from fears; and peaceable in temptations and tribulations. Thou oughtest always, then, to keep thine heart in peace, that thou mayest keep pure that temple of God; and with a right and pure intention thou art to work, pray, obey, and suffer (without being in the least moved), whatever it pleases the Lord to send unto thee.
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 aboveMy 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.
With a heart devoted to God and full of God, no longer seek Him in the heavens above or the earth beneath, or in the things under the earth, but recognize Him as the great fact of the universe, separate from no place or part, but revealed in all places and in all things and events,moment by moment. And as eternity alone will exhaust this momentary revelation, which has sometimes been called the ETERNAL Now, thou shalt thus find God ever present and ever new; and thy soul shall adore Him and feed upon Him in the things and events which each new moment brings; and thou shalt never be absent from Him, and He shall never be absent from thee.
July 17
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; thy soul hath wings,And what thou seest is but part.Make this thy med'cine for the smartOf every day's distress; be dumb,In each new loss thou truly artTasting the power of things that come.
T. W. Parsons.
Every contradiction of our will, every little ailment, every petty disappointment, will, if we take it patiently, become a blessing. So, walking on earth, we may be in heaven; the ill-tempers of others, the slights and rudenesses of the world, ill-health, the daily accidents with which God has mercifully strewed our paths, instead of ruffling or disturbing our peace, may cause His peace to be shed abroad in our hearts abundantly.
July 18
A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.—JOHN xiii. 34.
And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love, one toward another, and toward all men.—I THESS. iii. 12.
Let love through all my conduct shine,An image fair, though faint, of Thine;Thus let me His disciple prove,Who came to manifest Thy love.
Simon Browne.
We should arrive at a fulness of love extending to the whole creation, a desire to impart, to pour out in full and copious streams the love and goodness we bear to all around us.
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.
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.