[1] The world is God's journal, wherein He writes His thoughts
and traces His tastes. The world overflows with beauty.
Beauty should no more be called trivial, since it is the
thought of God.--_Beecher._
[2] There are no such promises to those who are free from
sorrow and trial as are full and abundant to the afflicted.
A good country physician in New England went to a
neighbour's house to tell a wife and mother of the sudden
death of her absent husband. She was more than ordinarily
frail and dependent. She had a large family. Her husband
had acquired no property. The fresh blow was indeed
terrible to her. When the first wild burst of sorrow was
over, she looked up through her tears to her sympathising
friend, and said in agony, "But, Doctor, _what_ shall I
do?" "My dear woman, I don't know," said the kind-hearted
physician. "All I can say is, I only wish I had as many
promises of God to take right home to myself as you have
just now. The Bible is full of promises to those who are in
your case." And the stricken woman lived to realise the
truth and preciousness of the richest of those
promises.--_Trumbull._