sister. I never saw a more perfect instance of the spirit of power and of
love, and of a sound mind; intense love, almost to the annihilation of
selfishness--a daily martyrdom for twenty years, during which she adhered
to her early-formed resolution of never talking about herself; thoughtful
about the very pins and ribands of my wife's dress, about the making of a
doll's cap for a child,--but of herself, save only as regarded her ripening
in all goodness, wholly thoughtless; enjoying everything lovely, graceful,
beautiful, high-minded, whether in God's works or man's, with the keenest
relish; inheriting the earth to the very fulness of the promise, though
never leaving her crib, nor changing her posture; and preserved through the
very valley of the shadow of death, from all fear or impatience, or from
every cloud of impaired reason, which might mar the beauty of Christ's
spirit's glorious work.
THOMAS ARNOLD.
August 16
_Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap_.--GAL. vi. 7.
The life above, when this is past,
Is the ripe fruit of life below.
Sow love, and taste its fruitage pure;
Sow peace, and reap its harvest bright;
Sow sunbeams on the rock and moor,
And find a harvest-home of light.
H. BONAR.
The dispositions, affections, inclinations of soul, which shall issue
hereafter in perfection, must be trained and nurtured in us throughout the
whole course of this earthly life. When shall we bear in mind this plain
truth, that the future perfection of the saints is not a translation from
one state or disposition of soul into another, diverse from the former; but
the carrying out, and, as it were, the blossom and the fruitage of one and
the same principle of spiritual life, which, through their whole career on
earth, has been growing with an even strength, putting itself forth in
the beginnings and promise of perfection, reaching upward with steadfast
aspirations after perfect holiness?
H. E. MANNING.
August 17
_O turn unto me, and have mercy upon me; give Thy strength unto Thy
servant, and save the son of Thy handmaid_.--PS. lxxxvi. 16.
Thou art my King--
My King henceforth alone;
And I, Thy servant, Lord, am all Thine own.
Give me Thy strength; oh! let Thy dwelling be
In this poor heart that pants, my Lord, for Thee!
G. TERSTEEGEN.
When it is the one ruling, never-ceasing desire of our hearts, that God may
be the beginning and end, the reason and motive, the rule and measure, of
our doing or not doing, from morning to night; then everywhere, whether
speaking or silent, whether inwardly or outwardly employed, we are equally
offered up to the eternal Spirit, have our life in Him and from Him, and
are united to Him by that Spirit of Prayer which is the comfort, the
support, the strength and security of the soul, travelling, by the help of
God, through the vanity of time into the riches of eternity. Let us have no
thought or care, but how to be wholly His devoted instruments; everywhere,
and in everything, His adoring, joyful, and thankful servants.
WM. LAW.
August 18
_Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward
God_--I JOHN iii. 21.
O Lord, how happy is the time
When in Thy love I rest:
When from my weariness I climb
E'en to Thy tender breast.
The night of sorrow endeth there,
Thy rays outshine the sun;
And in Thy pardon and Thy care
The heaven of heavens is won.
W. C. DESSLER.
Nothing doth so much establish the mind amidst the rollings and turbulency
of present things, as both a look above them, and a look beyond them; above
them to the good and steady Hand by which they are ruled, and beyond them
to the sweet and beautiful end to which, by that Hand, they shall be
brought. Study pure and holy walking, if you would have your confidence
firm, and have boldness and joy in God. You will find that a little sin
will shake your trust and disturb your peace more than the greatest
sufferings: yea, in those sufferings, your assurance and joy in God will
grow and abound most if sin be kept out. So much sin as gets in, so much
peace will go out.
R. LEIGHTON.
August 19
_Teach me Thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain path_.--PS. xxvii. 11.
Lead, kindly Light, amid the encircling gloom,
Lead Thou me on;
The night is dark, and I am far from home,
Lead Thou me on.
Keep Thou my feet; I do not ask to see
The distant scene; one step enough for me.
J. H. NEWMAN.
God only is holy; He alone knows how to lead His children in the paths of
holiness. He knows every aspect of your soul, every thought of your heart,
every secret of your character, its difficulties and hindrances; He
knows how to mould you to His will, and lead you onwards to perfect
sanctification; He knows exactly how each event, each trial, each
temptation, will tell upon you, and He disposes all things accordingly. The
consequences of this belief, if fully grasped, will influence your whole
life. You will seek to give yourself up to God more and more unreservedly,
asking nothing, refusing nothing, wishing nothing, but what He wills; not
seeking to bring things about for yourself, taking all He sends joyfully,
and believing the "one step" set before you to be enough for you. You will
be satisfied that even though there are clouds around, and your way seems
dark, He is directing all, and that what seems a hindrance will prove a
blessing, since He wills it.
JEAN NICOLAS GROU.
August 20
_Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart:
wait, I say, on the Lord_.--PS. xxvii. 14.
_He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might He increaseth
strength_.--ISA. xl. 29.
Leaning on Him, make with reverent meekness
His own thy will,
And with strength from Him shall thy utter weakness
Life's task fulfil.
J. G. WHITTIER.
Should we feel at times disheartened and discouraged, a confiding thought,
a simple movement of heart towards God will renew our powers. Whatever
He may demand of us, He will give us at the moment the strength and the
courage that we need.
FRANÇOIS DE LA MOTHE FÉNELON.
We require a certain firmness in all circumstances of life, even the
happiest, and perhaps contradictions come in order to prove and exercise
this; and, if we can only determine so to use them, the very effort brings
back tranquillity to the soul, which always enjoys having exercised its
strength in conformity to duty.
WM. VON HUMBOLDT.
August 21
_We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not
to please ourselves_.--ROM. xv. 1.
_The Lord God hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know
how to speak a word in season to him that is weary_.
If there be some weaker one,
Give me strength to help him on;
If a blinder soul there be,
Let me guide him nearer Thee.
J. G. WHITTIER.
Ask Him to increase your powers of sympathy: to give you more quickness
and depth of sympathy, in little things as well as great. Opportunities of
doing a kindness are often lost from mere want of thought. Half a dozen
lines of kindness may bring sunshine into the whole day of some sick
person. Think of the pleasure you might give to some one who is much shut
up, and who has fewer pleasures than you have, by sharing with her some
little comfort or enjoyment that you have learnt to look upon as a
necessary of life,--the pleasant drive, the new book, flowers from the
country, etc. Try to put yourself in another's place. Ask "What should I
like myself, if I were hard-worked, or sick, or lonely?" Cultivate the
_habit_ of sympathy.
G. H. WILKINSON.
August 22
_I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present
your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your
reasonable service_.--ROM. xii. 1.
Thou hast my flesh, Thy hallowed shrine,
Devoted solely to Thy will;
Here let Thy light forever shine,
This house still let Thy presence fill;
O Source of Life, live, dwell, and move
In me, till all my life be love!
JOACHIM LANCE.
May it not be a comfort to those of us who feel we have not the mental
or spiritual power that others have, to notice that the living sacrifice
mentioned in Rom. xii. 1, is our "bodies"? Of course, that includes the
mental power, but does it not also include the loving, sympathizing glance,
the kind, encouraging word, _the ready errand for another_, the work of our
hands, opportunities for all of which come oftener in the day than for
the mental power we are often tempted to envy? May we be enabled to offer
willingly that which we have.
ANON.
August 23
_Seekest thou great things for thyself? seek them not_.--JER. xlv. 5.
I would not have the restless will
That hurries to and fro,
Seeking for some great thing to do,
Or secret thing to know;
I would be treated as a child,
And guided where I go.
A. L. WARING.
Oh! be little, be little; and then thou wilt be content with little; and
if thou feel, now and then, a check or a secret smiting,--in _that_ is
the Father's love; be not over-wise, nor over-eager, in thy own willing,
running, and desiring, and thou mayest feel it so; and by degrees come to
the knowledge of thy Guide, who will lead thee, step by step, in the
path of life, and teach thee to follow. Be still, and wait for light and
strength.
I. PENINGTON.
Sink into the sweet and blessed littleness, where thou livest by grace
alone. Contemplate with delight the holiness and goodness in God, which
thou dost not find in thyself. How lovely it is to be nothing when God is
all!
G. TERSTEEGEN.
August 24
_And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go
forth, and are choked with cares, and riches and pleasures of this life,
and bring no fruit to perfection_.--LUKE viii. 14.
Preserve me from my calling's snare,
And hide my simple heart above,
Above the thorns of choking care,
The gilded baits of worldly love.
C. WESLEY.
Anything allowed in the heart which is contrary to the will of God, let it
seem ever so insignificant, or be ever so deeply hidden, will cause us to
fall before our enemies. Any root of bitterness cherished towards another,
any self-seeking, any harsh judgments indulged in, any slackness in obeying
the voice of the Lord, any doubtful habits or surroundings, any one of
these things will effectually cripple and paralyze our spiritual life. I
believe our blessed Guide, the indwelling Holy Spirit, is always secretly
discovering these things to us by continual little twinges and pangs of
conscience, so that we are left without excuse,
H. W. SMITH.
August 25
_See that ye refuse not Him that speaketh_.--HEB. xii. 25.
From the world of sin and noise
And hurry I withdraw;
For the small and inward voice
I wait with humble awe;
Silent am I now and still,
Dare not in Thy presence move;
To my waiting soul reveal
The secret of Thy love.
C. WESLEY.
When therefore the smallest instinct or desire of thy heart calleth thee
towards God, and a newness of life, give it time and leave to speak; and
take care thou refuse not Him that speaketh. Be retired, silent, passive,
and humbly attentive to this new risen light within thee.
WM. LAW.
It is hardly to be wondered at that he should lose the finer consciousness
of higher powers and deeper feelings, not from any behavior in itself
wrong, but from the hurry, noise, and tumult in the streets of life, that,
penetrating too deep into the house of life, dazed and stupefied the silent
and lonely watcher in the chamber of conscience, far apart. He had no time
to think or feel.
G. MACDONALD.
August 26
_Be silent, O all flesh, before the Lord_.--ZECH. ii. 13.
Be earth, with all her scenes, withdrawn;
Let noise and vanity be gone:
In secret silence of the mind,
My heaven, and there my God, I find.
I. WATTS.
It is only with the pious affection of the will that we can be spiritually
attentive to God. As long as the noisy restlessness of the thoughts goes
on, the gentle and holy desires of the new nature are overpowered and
inactive.
J. P. GREAVES.
There is hardly ever a complete silence in our soul. God is whispering to
us wellnigh incessantly. Whenever the sounds of the world die out in the
soul, or sink low, then we hear these whisperings of God. He is always
whispering to us, only we do not always hear, because of the noise, hurry,
and distraction which life causes as it rushes on.
F. W. FABER.
The prayer of faith is a sincere, sweet, and quiet view of divine, eternal
truth. The soul rests quiet, perceiving and loving God; sweetly rejecting
all the imaginations that present themselves, calming the mind in the
Divine presence, and fixing it only on God.
M. DE MOLINOS.
August 27
_Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work
in you will perform it_.--PHIL. i. 6.
_He that endureth to the end shall be saved_.--MATT. x. 22.
Fill with inviolable peace;
Stablish and keep my settled heart;
In Thee may all my wanderings cease,
From Thee no more may I depart:
Thy utmost goodness called to prove,
Loved with an everlasting love!
C. WESLEY.
If any sincere Christian cast himself with his whole will upon the Divine
Presence which dwells within him, he shall be kept safe unto the end. What
is it that makes us unable to persevere? Is it want of strength? By no
means. We have with us the strength of the Holy Spirit. When did we ever
set ourselves sincerely to any work according to the will of God, and fail
for want of strength? It was not that strength failed the will, but that
the will failed first. If we could but embrace the Divine will with the
whole love of ours; cleaving to it, and holding fast by it, we should be
borne along as upon "the river of the water of life." We open only certain
chambers of our will to the influence of the Divine will. We are afraid of
being wholly absorbed into it. And yet, if we would have peace, we must be
altogether united to Him.
H. E. MANNING.
August 28
_They that know Thy name will put their trust in Thee: for Thou, Lord, hast
not forsaken them that seek Thee_.--PS. ix. 10.
_Yea, the Lord shall give that which is good_.--PS. lxxxv. 12.
In Thee I place my trust,
On Thee I calmly rest;
I know Thee good, I know Thee just,
And count Thy choice the best.
H. F. LYTE.
The souls that would really be richer in duty in some new position, are
precisely those who borrow no excuses from the old one; who even esteem
it full of privileges, plenteous in occasions of good, frequent in divine
appeals, which they chide their graceless and unloving temper for not
heeding more. Wretched and barren is the discontent that quarrels with its
tools instead of with its skill; and, by criticising Providence, manages
to keep up complacency with self. How gentle should we be, if we were not
provoked; how pious, if we were not busy; the sick would be patient, only
he is not in health; the obscure would do great things, only he is not
conspicuous!
J. MARTINEAU.
August 29
_Am I my brother's keeper_?--GEN. iv. 9.
Because I held upon my selfish, road,
And left my brother wounded by the way,
And called ambition duty, and pressed on--
O Lord, I do repent.
SARAH WILLIAMS.
How many are the sufferers who have fallen amongst misfortunes along
the wayside of life! "By _chance_" we come that way; chance, accident,
Providence, has thrown them in our way; we see them from a distance, like
the Priest, or we come upon them suddenly, like the Levite; our business,
our pleasure, is interrupted by the sight, is troubled by the delay; what
are our feelings, what our actions towards them? "Who is thy neighbor?" It
is the sufferer, wherever, whoever, whatsoever he be. Wherever thou hearest
the cry of distress, wherever thou seest any one brought across thy path by
the chances and changes of life (that is, by the Providence of God), whom
it is in thy power to help,--he, stranger or enemy though he be,--_he_ is
thy neighbor.
A. P. STANLEY.
August 30
_Walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness
and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love_.--EPH.
iv. 1, 2.
Help us, O Lord, with patient love to bear
Each other's faults, to suffer with true meekness;
Help us each other's joys and griefs to share,
But let us turn to Thee alone in weakness.
ANON.
You should make a special point of asking God every morning to give you,
before all else, that true spirit of meekness which He would have His
children possess. You must also make a firm resolution to practise yourself
in this virtue, especially in your intercourse with those persons to whom
you chiefly owe it. You must make it your main object to conquer yourself
in this matter; call it to mind a hundred times during the day, commending
your efforts to God. It seems to me that no more than this is needed in
order to subject your soul entirely to His will, and then you will become
more gentle day by day, trusting wholly in His goodness. You will be very
happy, my dearest child, if you can do this, for God will dwell in your
heart; and where He reigns all is peace. But if you should fail, and commit
some of your old faults, do not be disheartened, but rise up and go on
again, as though you had not fallen.
ST. FRANCIS DE SALES.
August 31
_Now therefore keep thy sorrow to thyself, and bear with a good courage
that which hath befallen thee_.--2 ESDRAS x. 15.
Go, bury thy sorrow,
The world hath its share;
Go, bury it deeply,
Go, hide it with care.
Go, bury thy sorrow,
Let others be blest;
Go, give them the sunshine,
And tell God the rest.
ANON.
Our veiled and terrible guest [Trouble] brings for us, if we will accept
it, the boon of fortitude, patience, self-control, wisdom, sympathy, faith.
If we reject that, then we find in our hands the other gift,--cowardice,
weakness, isolation, despair. If your trouble seems to have in it no other
possibility of good, at least set yourself to bear it like a man. Let none
of its weight come on other shoulders. Try to carry it so that no one shall
even see it. Though your heart be sad within, let cheer go out from you to
others. Meet them with a kindly presence, considerate words, helpful acts.
G. S. MERRIAM.
September 1
_Let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of
their souls to Him in welldoing, as unto a faithful Creator_.--I PETER iv.
19.
_The Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy_.--JAMES v. 11.
On Thy compassion I repose
In weakness and distress:
I will not ask for greater ease,
Lest I should love Thee less;
Oh, 'tis a blessed thing for me
To need Thy tenderness.
A. L. WARING.
Oh, look not at thy pain or sorrow, how great soever; but look from them,
look off them, look beyond them, to the Deliverer! whose power is over
them, and whose loving, wise, and tender spirit is able to do thee good by
them. The Lord lead thee, day by day, in the right way, and keep thy mind
stayed upon Him, in whatever befalls thee; that the belief of His love and
hope in His mercy, when thou art at the lowest ebb, may keep up thy head
above the billows.
ISAAC PENINGTON
September 2
_Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of
God_.--MATT. v. 6.
Grant us Thy peace, down from Thy presence falling,
As on the thirsty earth cool night-dews sweet;
Grant us Thy peace, to Thy pure paths recalling,
From devious ways, our worn and wandering feet.
E. SCUDDER.
O God, who art Peace everlasting, whose chosen reward is the gift of peace,
and who hast taught us that the peacemakers are Thy children, pour Thy
sweet peace into our souls, that everything discordant may utterly vanish,
and all that makes for peace be sweet to us forever. Amen.
GELASIAN SACRAMENTARY, A. D. 492.
Have you ever thought seriously of the meaning of that blessing given to
the peacemakers? People are always expecting to get peace in heaven; but
you know whatever peace they get there will be ready-made. Whatever making
of peace _they_ can be blest for, must be on the earth here: not the taking
of arms against, but the building of nests amidst, its "sea of troubles"
[like the halcyons]. Difficult enough, you think? Perhaps so, but I do not
see that any of us try. We complain of the want of many things--we want
votes, we want liberty, we want amusement, we want money. Which of us feels
or knows that he wants peace?
J. RUSKIN.
September 3
_The eyes of all wait upon Thee; and Thou givest them their meat in due
season_.--PS. cxlv. 15.
_What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee_.--PS. lvi. 3.
Late on me, weeping, did this whisper fall:
"Dear child, there is no need to weep at all!
Why go about to grieve and to despair?
Why weep now through thy Future's eyes, and bear
In vain to-day to-morrow's load of care?"
H. S. SUTTON.
The crosses of the present moment always bring their own special grace and
consequent comfort with them; we see the hand of God in them when it is
laid upon us. But the crosses of anxious foreboding are seen out of the
dispensation of God; we see them without grace to bear them; we see them
indeed through a faithless spirit which banishes grace. So, everything in
them is bitter and unendurable; all seems dark and helpless. Let us throw
self aside; no more self-interest, and then God's will, unfolding every
moment in everything, will console us also every moment for all that He
shall do around us, or within us, for our discipline.
FRANÇOIS DE LA MOTHE FÉNELON.
September 4
_His delight is in the law of the Lord. And he shall be like a tree planted
by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his
leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper_.--PS. i.
2, 3.
The wind that blows can never kill
The tree God plants;
It bloweth east; it bloweth west;
The tender leaves have little rest,
But any wind that blows is best.
The tree God plants
Strikes deeper root, grows higher still,
Spreads wider boughs, for God's good-will
Meets all its wants.
LILLIE E. BARR.
It is a fatal mistake to suppose that we cannot be holy except on the
condition of a situation and circumstances in life such as shall suit
ourselves. It is one of the first principles of holiness to leave our times
and our places, our going out and our coming; in, our wasted and our goodly
heritage entirely with the Lord. Here, O Lord, hast Thou placed us, and we
will glorify Thee here!
T. C. UPHAM.
It is not by change of circumstances, but by fitting our spirits to the
circumstances in which God has placed us, that we can be reconciled to life
and duty.
F. W. ROBERTSON.
September 5
_O Lord, I am oppressed, undertake for me_.--ISA. xxxviii. 14.
Being perplexed, I say,
Lord, make it right!
Night is as day to Thee,
Darkness is light.
I am afraid to touch
Things that involve so much;--
My trembling hand may shake,
My skill-less hand may break:
Thine can make no mistake.
ANNA B. WARNER.
The many troubles in your household will tend to your edification, if you
strive to bear them all in gentleness, patience, and kindness. Keep this
ever before you, and remember constantly that God's loving eyes are upon
you amid all these little worries and vexations, watching whether you
take them as He would desire. Offer up all such occasions to Him, and
if sometimes you are put out, and give way to impatience, do not be
discouraged, but make haste to regain your lost composure.
ST. FRANCIS DE SALES.
September 6
_If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross
daily, and follow me_.--LUKE ix. 23.
There lies thy cross; beneath it meekly bow;
It fits thy stature now;
Who scornful pass it with averted eye,
'Twill crush them by and by.
J. KEBLE.
To take up the cross of Christ is no great action done once for all; it
consists in the continual practice of small duties which are distasteful to
us.
J. H. NEWMAN.
On one occasion an intimate friend of his was fretting somewhat at not
being able to put a cross on the grave of a relation, because the rest of
the family disliked it. "Don't you see," he said to her, "that by giving up
your own way, you will be virtually putting a cross on the grave? You 'll
have it in its effect. The one is but a stone cross, the other is a true
spiritual cross."
LIFE OF JAMES HINTON.
I would have you, one by one, ask yourselves, Wherein do I take up the
cross daily?
E. B. PUSEY.
Every morning, receive thine own special cross from the hands of thy
heavenly Father.
L. SCUPOLI.
September 7
_Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit
the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself
unspotted from the world_.--JAMES i. 27.
Not to ease and aimless quiet
Doth that inward answer tend,
But to works of love and duty
As our being's end.
J. G. WHITTIER.