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!
H. E. MANNING.
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.
SUSAN COOLIDGE.
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.
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 beginnings are the life
of perseverance.
E. B. PUSEY.
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.
We 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 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.
H. W. SMITH.
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!
C. WESLEY.
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."
E. B. PUSEY.
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! see
I trust the faithfulness displayed of old,
I trust the love that never can grow cold--
I trust in Thee.
CHRISTIAN INTELLIGENCER.
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?
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
_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.
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.
H. E. MANNING.
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.
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 À 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
_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.
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!
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, surrounded 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.
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.
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 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 considerate small ones.
F. W. ROBERTSON.
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.
J. KEBLE.
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.
A. P. STANLEY.
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 woe
Of every day:
They cannot hurt my soul,
Because in His control:
I leave to Him the whole,--
His children may.
L. GEDICKE.
Why 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 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?
WILLIAM E. CHANNING.
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 cross
I never seek to find;
My Father says, "Leave that to me,
And keep a quiet mind."
ANON.
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.
FRANÇOIS DE LA MOTHE FÉNELON.
Every hour comes with some little fagot of God's will fastened upon its
back.
F. W. FABER.
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 keeps
To 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.
R. W. EMERSON.
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.
JAMES HINTON.
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.
A. L. WARING.
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.
H. W. SMITH.
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 mind
Rest, on Thee alone inclined;
Every anxious thought repress,
Keep our souls in perfect peace.
C. WESLEY.
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.
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 yourself, and resume always with calm simplicity your little
task. Suppress, as much as you possibly 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
_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 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.
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.
M. DE MOLINOS
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.
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.
T. C. UPHAM.
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 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.
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.
E. B. PUSEY.
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.
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
_The Lord is good to all: and His tender mercies 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.
Maker 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;
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 experienced; and a care felt in us, that we do not
lessen that sweetness of life in the animal creation, 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.
July 20
_Then I said, I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for naught,
and in vain_.--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.
Mind, 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 21
_For which cause we faint not; but, though our outward man perish, yet the
inward man is renewed day by day_.--2 COR. iv. 16.
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.
In my attempts to promote the comfort of my family, the quiet of my spirit
has been disturbed. 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 sometimes neglected; shame to me that
it should be so.
This is of great importance, to watch carefully,--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.
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 hundredth time what could be the principle
which, in the wildest, most lawless, fantastically 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 altogether what He wants
us to be, so holy, therefore all His works declare Him in beauty; His
fingers can touch nothing but to mould it into loveliness; and even the
play of His elements is in grace and tenderness of form.
G. MACDONALD.
July 23
_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.