A curious child, who dwelt upon a tract
Of inland ground, applying to his ear
The convolutions of a smooth-lipped shell;
To which, in silence hushed, his very soul
Listened intensely; and his countenance soon
Brightened with joy; for from within were heard
Murmurings, whereby the monitor expressed
Mysterious union with its native sea:
Even such a shell the universe itself
Is to the ear of Faith; and there are times,
I doubt not, when to you it doth impart
Authentic tidings of invisible things;
Of ebb and flow, and ever-during power;
And central peace, subsisting at the heart
Of endless agitation._
WILLIAM WORDSWORTH.
Father of Lights, with whom can be no variation or shadow that is cast
by turning, give to me the joy of the love that endures as seeing Him
who is invisible; that where Thy speaking voice is, there may be my
listening ear; that above the waste and clamor of the tasks that exhaust
me in bodily strength, there may be supplied a power of will to do the
right and a fellowship with all righteous men everywhere. Help me to
remember that Life consists not in the abundance of the things I
possess. Let my faith see through doubt, endure through temptation and
privation, and cleave steadfastly to God, remembering that Love
believing is Love triumphing. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
ADOLPH A. BERLE.
November 13
_When Jeremy Taylor had lost all--when his house had been plundered
and his family driven out of doors, and all his worldly estate had
been sequestered--he could still write thus: "I am fallen into the
hands of publicans and sequesterers, and they have taken all from
me. What now? Let me look about me. They have left me the sun and
moon, a loving wife and many friends to pity me, and some to
relieve me; and I can still discourse, and, unless I list, they
have not taken away my merry countenance and my cheerful spirit and
a good conscience; they have still left me the providence of God,
and all the promises of the Gospel, and my religion, and my hopes
of heaven, and my charity to them, too; and still I sleep and
digest, I eat and drink, I read and meditate--and he that hath so
many causes of joy and so great, is very much in love with sorrow
and peevishness, who leaves all these pleasures, and chooses to sit
down upon his little handful of thorns."_
SAMUEL SMILES.
Father of all mercies, Who Thyself art more to us than the utmost of Thy
gifts; we thank Thee for those blessings of our life which come like the
manna fresh every morning and pass with the passing day. Still more we
thank Thee for the blessings which abide, like a pillar of cloud by day
and fire by night, witness of Thine own presence ever continuing with
us. Give us grace and wisdom so to receive the ministries of this new
day, that by means of them we may enter more fully into the Divine
friendship and the everlasting habitations. Whatever may fail us, grant
us such hold upon Thyself as shall be the having of all things, through
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
JAMES FAIRBAIRN BRODIE.
November 14
_Native goodness is unconscious, asks not to be recognized;
But its baser affectation is a thing to be despised.
Only when the man is loyal to himself shall he be prized._
* * * * *
_If I live the life He gave me, God will turn it to His use._
BAYARD TAYLOR.
_Live not without a friend! the Alpine rock must own
Its mossy grace or else be nothing but a stone._
_Live not without a God! however low or high,
In every house should be a window to the sky._
WILLIAM WETMORE STORY.
Eternal God, who hast neither dawn nor evening, yet sendest us alternate
mercies of the darkness and the day; there is no light but Thine,
without, within. As Thou liftest the curtain of night from our abodes,
take also the veil from our hearts. Rise with Thy morning upon our
souls: quicken all our labor and our prayer: and though all else
declines, let the noontide of Thy grace and peace remain. May we walk,
while it is yet day, in the steps of Him who, with fewest hours,
finished Thy divinest work. Amen.
JAMES MARTINEAU.
November 15
_I found it difficult the other night to cross a muddy street
because of the deep shadow cast by my own body which stood between
the electric light and the walk over which I was crossing. Not a
little of the time, I fear, do we stand in our own spiritual light,
making our own pathway black with ugly shadows cast by our own
personality, while the light flashes all around us. If you would
avoid the shadows walk toward the electric light in the heavens and
let its beams fall in your face._
GEORGE L. PERIN.
Our pathway, Heavenly Father, is dark and lone. Sad and sinister
suggestions born in our own hearts blind our souls and stay our steps.
But with Thee there is no night. Light is Thy shadow. Unto Thee,
therefore, we would turn in the sweet surrender of the spirit. In our
darkness which leadeth unto death show us the way. Walking by Thy
guidance, intent upon Thy will, may we rest with unforgetting memory
upon Thy sevenfold promise of life. Give us the gift of the morning
star. With Thee by our side may this new day bring us a new vision of
duty, a larger girding for life, the nobler hope, the truth that makes
men free. And unto Thee be thanks, praise and glory.
Amen.
FRANKLIN HAMILTON.
November 16
_The first principle of Christianity is to forget one's self. When
Wilberforce was straining every energy to get his bill for the
emancipation of slaves passed, a lady once said to him, "Mr.
Wilberforce, I'm afraid you are so busy about those slaves that you
are neglecting your own soul." "True, madam," he said; "I had quite
forgotten that I have one." That remark contains one of the deepest
truths of Christianity._
HENRY DRUMMOND.
O Lord, give us the mind of the Master! We would look on our fellow
creatures as he looked on them. We would be free from all taint of envy,
jealousy, and sin. We would have his single eye and his hearing ear. We
know that Thou art in man, for it is Thy spirit which quickens within
him every pure thought and moves to every unselfish deed. Give us a due
sense of humility and appreciation that we may enter into the secret
thought and understand the sincere purpose of all the toilers of this
present world! Thus would we abide forever with the saints, the seers,
and the singers, of all climes and ages!
Amen.
EBEN H. CHAPIN.
November 17
_Do we not know that more than half our trouble is borrowed? Just
suppose that we could get rid of all unnecessary and previous
terror; just suppose that we could be sure of final victory in
every conflict, and final emergence out of every shadow into
brighter day; how our hearts would be lightened! How much more
bravely we should work and fight and march forward! This is the
courage to which we are entitled and which we may find in the
thought that God is with us everywhere._
HENRY VAN DYKE.
O Gracious and Infinite Presence, Thou art the peace that dwells in the
shade of night and the brightness and hope of this new day. We are
gratefully conscious of the loving strength that stands ever ready to
help. The call of the day's work is in our ears and the courage manfully
to labor is in our hearts. Strengthen us, Father, when weariness of toil
dissolves our noble resolutions; calm us when petty vexations distract
from our holy purposes. May midday find us refreshed by Thy grace and
eventide solaced by Thy benediction. And now as we go forth to duty let
our hearts know no terror but the fear of wrong-doing and our minds no
anxiety but the earnest desire to toil fruitfully. Grant that we may see
beneath life's busy activities the great good Thou art working out among
men and to this end learn to labor and to wait. Amen.
CHARLES R. EAST.
November 18
_There is no thing we cannot overcome.
Say not thy evil instinct is inherited,
Or that some trait inborn makes thy whole life forlorn,
And calls down punishment that is not merited.
Back of thy parents and grandparents lies
The Great Eternal Will. That, too, is thine
Inheritance, strong, beautiful, divine,
Sure lever of success, for him who tries.
Pry up thy faults with this great lever, Will,
However deeply bedded in propensity,
However firmly set, I tell thee firmer yet
Is that strange power that comes from truth's immensity!_
ELLA WHEELER WILCOX.
O Eternal Goodness, help us now, as another morning dawns, to readjust
ourselves to Thy purpose of blessing. We believe that the most certain,
significant and permanent fact of the universe is that Thou art our
Father. Thus we are the heirs of Thy sufficient grace. There is no curse
of ancestry for him who knows Thee as His parent. There is no weakness
of the flesh for him who, through touch with Thee, becomes strong in the
spirit. Help us all through this day to deny the chain of every earthly
folly and sin, to stand erect and free as becometh children of the
Infinite. So, finding and using the wisdom of our Master, who, most of
all men, gained success, may we overcome the world. Amen.
GEORGE E. HUNTLEY.
November 19
_All things seem rushing straight into the dark--
But the dark still is God._
GEORGE MACDONALD.
_Love is and was my king and lord,
And will be, tho' as yet I keep
Within the court on earth, and sleep
Encompass'd by his faithful guard,_
_And here at times a sentinel
Who moves about from place to place,
And whispers to the worlds of space,
In the deep night, that all is well._
ALFRED TENNYSON.
O God, our Heavenly Father, we thank Thee that Thou hast led us into
this new day. We thank Thee also, that, though its experiences are
untried and its issues involved in uncertainty, we are unafraid, full
indeed of glad expectation, because we know Thee as our King and Lord.
Help us in obedience and love to keep close to Thee, so that, if ever
quick darkness shall come upon us, we may still be undisturbed because
of Thy presence, to whom the darkness and the light are both alike. This
we ask in the name of Him who loved us and gave Himself for us. Amen.
CHARLES R. TENNEY.
November 20
_Let thy day be to thy night
A letter of good tidings. Let thy praise
Go up as birds go up, that when they wake
Shake off the dew and soar; so take joy home
And make a place in thy heart for her,
And give her time to grow and cherish her;
Then will she come and oft will sing to thee
When thou art working in the furrows; ay,
Or weeding in the sacred hour of dawn.
It is a comely fashion to be glad--
Joy is the grace we say to God._
JEAN INGELOW.
Our Father, we thank Thee for the blessings of night. In this new
morning hour, we pray for stout hearts and strong to meet the day's
work. May we go forth with a song on our lips and the joy of renewed
youth in our souls. Amid the tumults of the day enable us to hear Thy
becalming voice. Then, though in dreariest labor, we shall have glad
hearts, though pressed by dullest cares, we shall keep uncrushed hopes,
though distracted by earth's din, we shall hear heaven's music. Abide
with us, Benign Spirit. Inspire us to do our duty, and to learn that
therein, alone, may true joy be found. Amen.
GEORGE RUNYON LONGBRAKE.
November 21
_The weather-prophet tells us of an approaching storm. It comes
according to the programme. We admire the accuracy of the
prediction, and congratulate ourselves that we have such a good
meteorological service. But when, perchance, a bright crystalline
piece of weather arrives instead of the foretold tempest, do we not
feel a secret sense of pleasure which goes beyond our mere comfort
in the sunshine? The whole affair is not as easy as a sum in simple
addition, after all,--at least not with our present knowledge. It
is a good joke on the Weather Bureau. "Aha, Old Probabilities!" we
say, "You don't know it all yet; there are still some chances to be
taken!"_
HENRY VAN DYKE.
Our Heavenly Father, Thou hast covered us with the darkness and we have
slept under the shadow of Thy care. Thou hast opened for us again the
gates of the morning, and refreshed, we rise to praise Thee. The memory
of mercies past inspires our hope for today. Reveal Thyself to us by Thy
spirit and through Thy word; make nature to minister to us in the
heavens above and the fields below; let every experience lead us toward
Thyself. Help us to see Thy face in those about us, and honor Thee in
loving, helpful ministry to them. Bring to us today a fresh and larger
sense of Thy presence, forgiveness, and care, and so the assurance that
all things are working together for our good. In the name of Jesus
Christ our Saviour. Amen.
SAMUEL H. GREENE.
November 22
"_I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills._"
PSALM cxxi. 1.
_Peace is the message of the hills,
A peace that broods
Upon their mighty heads, and fills
Their forest solitudes;
The leaping mountain waterfalls,
As each unto the other calls,
Blend in a murmuring noise
Whose silver rushing music stills
The pretty play of human moods,
And bids the calmed soul rejoice
In the deep secrets of the woods,
The majesty of Nature's voice._
PRISCILLA LEONARD.
Dear God and Father of us all, Who maketh Thy sun to rise out of the sea
and tintest the hills with the rosy promise of the day, we look up when
we awake and seeing the light upon the mountains know that the day is
coming to fill the world with beauty and glory. With thankful hearts we
praise Thee, and pray that to us may be granted that loftiness of
nature, that stability of character, that repose of mind and heart and
life that is prefigured to us in the natural world. Grant that we may
each become mediums of Thy love and hope to all who may chance to look
up to us for guidance along the shores of life's tempestuous ocean. May
the spirit of the Eternal find such expression in us and through us,
this day, that all who come within the radiance of our joy may come into
the consciousness of the joy of the Eternal. Amen.
THOMAS J. HORNER.
November 23
_And he said unto me, O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, understand
the words that I speak unto thee, and stand upright: for unto thee
am I now sent, and when he had spoken this word unto me, I stood
trembling. Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel, for from the
first day that thou didst set thy heart to understand and to
chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come
for thy words.... Then there came again and touched me one like the
appearance of a man and he strengthened me and said, O man, greatly
beloved, fear not: peace be unto thee, be strong, yea, be strong._
BOOK OF DANIEL.
Our Heavenly Father, we thank Thee that Thou art not far from us at any
time. We have only to look up reverently and to our imagination Thou art
standing near. We have only to wait in the darkness of the night to feel
Thy presence with us. We have only to listen at any time to hear Thy
voice. Thou deignest to stop and speak to us when we are in trouble, to
guide our footsteps when we have lost our way, to renew our courage when
we have become disheartened. O Lord, speak to us this day, saying to us,
as unto him of old, "Peace be unto thee, be strong, yea, be strong."
Amen.
George L. Perin.
November 24
_Let star-wheels and angel-wings, with their holy winnowings,
Keep beside you all the way:
Lest in passion you should dash, with a blind and heavy crash.
Up against the thick-bossed shield of God's judgment in the field._
ELIZABETH BARRETT BROWNING.
_Be diligent and faithful, patient and hopeful, one and all of you;
and may we all know, at all times, that verily the Eternal rules
above us, and that nothing finally wrong has happened or can
happen._
THOMAS CARLYLE.
Almighty God, our Father in heaven, the giver of every good and perfect
gift, teach us, we pray Thee, how to do Thy will on earth as it is done
in heaven, as the goal of our lives. Send down exceeding, abundantly
above all that we can ask or think, the blessed influences of Thy Holy
Spirit, to transform each heart and all the world into the kingdom of
heaven. Give us the Morning Star of Hope. Feed us from the Tree of Life.
Teach us Thy redeeming love. Grant that we may have some part with Thee
in the redemption of the world, and be permitted to join with the whole
glad earth in the chorus, "Blessing and honor and glory and power be
unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb forever and
ever." Amen.
F. N. PELOUBET.
November 25
_What is the crown of the whole of life lived faithfully here? It
is not a crown of gold or gems in another life; it is simply more
life; a broader use of power, a healthier capacity, a larger
usefulness. You are faithful unto death, through the
misapprehensions and imperfections and absence of appreciation or
gratitude in this preparatory world, and then there is offered to
you inevitably and legitimately the crown of a larger, more
serviceable, more effective life._
FRANCIS G. PEABODY.
To Thee, O Author of our lives, we speak thanksgiving and gratitude for
Thy gifts of love and trust. Help us to bring them into full exercise
this day. By them may we know the experience of burdens made light and
yokes made easy. With them, let us realize that we are effective workers
with Thee. Because of them, show us how all our tasks are transformed to
divine endeavors. Through them, set free all other of our highest
impulses. So, O God, shall we know the fulness of life, we and all our
loved ones. So shall we see doubt change to faith and blindness to
vision. So shall our influence through word and work be the ministry of
hope and of joy to any disconsolate, and to any who are a weak guide to
the source of strength. For newness of life, for all the fruits of the
spirit, whereby the heart is ever young and in joyous companionship with
the Christ, for all this we pray now and ever. Amen.
WILLIAM H. MCGLAUCHLIN.
November 26
_The child frightened in his play runs to seek his mother. She
takes him upon her lap and presses his head to her bosom; and with
tenderest words of love, she looks down upon him and smooths his
hair and kisses his cheek, and wipes away his tears. Then, in a low
and gentle voice, she sings some sweet descant, some lullaby of
love; and the fear fades out from his face, and a smile of
satisfaction plays over it, and at length his eyes close, and he
sleeps in the deep depths and delights of peace. God Almighty is
the mother and the soul is the tired child; and He folds it in His
arms and dispels its fears, and lulls it to repose, saying "Sleep,
my darling, sleep! It is I who watch thee."_
HENRY WARD BEECHER.
Blessed Master! we thank Thee that every tired and weary child may find
rest in the bosom of the Father. Each morning brings with it new cares,
new duties, new privileges, new responsibilities; for all these, we need
Thy protecting care, and pray for Thy divine guidance. When wearied and
burdened with the cares of daily life, wilt Thou help us to flee to Thee
as the frightened child flees to the loving mother; and wilt Thou
encircle us with Thine arms of love, and whisper in our ears words of
comfort and cheer and of forgiveness. Teach us to trust Thee in the
morning, to walk with Thee through the day, and to commit our ways to
Thee at all times. Amen.
SAMUEL M. DICK.
November 27
_Certainly there never was a busier life than that of Jesus,--His
whole great mission bounded by three hurried years. Yet in the
morning He says to His friends: "Let us come apart and rest
awhile;" and again when the evening is come He is in the mountain
apart, alone. That is the place of worship in a world of work. It
is not a refuge from duty, or a shirking of it; it is the renewal
of power to meet one's duty and do it. The work of life is not to
be well done with a hot, feverish, overwhelmed, and burdened mind;
it is to be well done with a mind calmed and fortified by moments
of withdrawal; and it is to be best done by one who from time to
time pulls himself up in his eager life and permits God to speak to
his soul._
FRANCIS G. PEABODY.
O Spirit of grace, who withholdest Thy blessing from none, take from us
the tediousness and anxiety of a selfish mind, the unfruitfulness of
cold affections, the weakness of an inconstant will. With the simplicity
of a great purpose, the quiet of a meek temper, and the power of a
well-ordered soul, may we pass through the toils and watches of our
pilgrimage; grateful for all that may render the burden of duty light;
and even in strong trouble rejoicing to be deemed worthy of the severer
service of Thy will. Amen.
JAMES MARTINEAU.
November 28
_God gives to every man
The virtue, temper, understanding, taste,
That lifts him into life, and lets him fall
Just in the niche he was ordain'd to fill._
WILLIAM COWPER.
_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?_
HENRY DAVID THOREAU.
Holy Father, help us to be thankful that no life is beneath Thy notice.
If a sparrow cannot fall without Thee, how much more is Thine eye fixed
upon Thy child. Teach us, O Lord, that there is a divine purpose in each
life. But may we not try to choose this without Thee. Show us how to
wait upon Thee in holy silence till Thou dost make it known to us. O
Master, say to us: "As the Father hath sent me into the world even so
have I sent you." When we have found at the Cross our little mission, O
sustain us and help us to keep it steadily in view--let us share Thy
holy enthusiasm when Thou didst say: "My meat is to do the will of Him
that sent me and to finish His work." O Father, when we are depressed
whisper to us: "Your labor is not in vain in the Lord." May our mission
transform us into the likeness of Jesus, and may we say with Him at
evening: "I have glorified Thee on the earth; I have finished the work
Thou gavest me to do." Amen.
L. P. JOHNSON.
November 29
_Though wrong may win, its victory is brief,
The tides of good at first no passage find;
Each surge breaks, shattered, on the sullen reef,--
Yet still the infinite ocean comes behind._
_The road of Right has neither turn nor bend,
It stretches straight unto the highest goal;
Hard, long, and lonely?--yes, yet never soul
Can lose its way thereon, nor miss the end._
PRISCILLA LEONARD.
We thank Thee, Heavenly Father, that awaking, we are conscious that Thou
art near. Walk with us, through the untried path of this day's duty and
service. We rejoice that Thou art in Thy world. Within its striving is
Thy calm. Around its restlessness is Thy rest. Thy purpose fashions its
achievements; Thy love shapes its future. Help us to see it with clearer
vision, to hold it fast with firmer faith. When wrong seems to triumph,
may we know that it is already perishing, and hold hard by truth and
love and faith. Give us grace to spend this day as becometh children of
God in honor, in courtesy, in sympathy, in confident trust. When the way
seems long and lonely, straight and steep, help us to sing as we march
forward, since Thou art with us, Who hast said, "I will never leave thee
nor forsake thee." Amen.
CHARLES C. P. HILLER.
November 30
_She was a droll little figure of a girl with a quaint old face,
that showed too early the lines of care and work, and her clothing
betokened a poverty-stricken home. Evidently not much of brightness
had touched her life, but her face always lightened up when she
mentioned her school or her teacher. "Why is it that you love your
teacher so well?" she was asked one day. Her eyes shone and her
lips smiled happily as she replied, "Because she's glad to me!"
What a tribute was that! What an evidence was that of a happy heart
that radiated its gladness! If we cannot bring other offerings of
much value to the children and the poor among us, how blessed are
we if we can bring gladness!_
ESTELLE M. HART.
Almighty God, teach us how to be glad. Put some gladness into our
hearts. Show us where gladness is hidden in our little world about us,
so that we may find it and use it. Give us the wisdom of Jesus, who,
although a Man of Sorrows, yet spake ever of His joy and His peace. We
feel that the secret of things must be gladness, that somehow there is a
covered joy even in what we call our sufferings. Let us find that. Keep
our hearts pure of the soiling of evil desire, for we know that no
gladness can come from the muddy fountains of sin. Let our hands be busy
at some good part of the world's work, for we know that idleness never
went hand in hand with joy. Let our minds be open to acknowledge, love
and obey the truth, for we feel that truth alone can satisfy our hearts.
And let us feel to-day the duty of gladness we owe to our
fellow-creatures. Let us give to them what we would receive from Thee.
Amen.
FRANK CRANE.
December 1