Chapter 12

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.

It is surprising how practical duty enriches the fancy and the heart, and action clears and deepens the affections. Indeed, no one can have a true idea of right, until he does it; any genuine reverence for it, till he has done it often and with cost; any peace ineffable in it, till he does it always and with alacrity. Does any one complain, that the best affections are transient visitors with him, and the heavenly spirit a stranger to his heart? Oh, let him not go forth, on any strained wing of thought, in distant quest of them; but rather stay at home, and set his house in the true order of conscience; and of their own accord the divinest guests will enter.

J. MARTINEAU.

September 8

_Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving_.--COL. iv. 2.

_Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong_.--I COR. xvi. 13.

We kneel how weak, we rise how full of power. Why therefore should we do ourselves this wrong, Or others--that we are not always strong, That we are ever overborne with care, That we should ever weak or heartless be, Anxious or troubled, when with us is prayer, And joy and strength and courage are with Thee?

R. C. TRENCH.

It is impossible for us to make the duties of our lot minister to our sanctification without a habit of devout fellowship with God. This is the spring of all our life, and the strength of it. It is prayer, meditation, and converse with God, that refreshes, restores, and renews the temper of our minds, at all times, under all trials, after all conflicts with the world. By this contact with the world unseen we receive continual accesses of strength. As our day, so is our strength. Without this healing and refreshing of spirit, duties grow to be burdens, the events of life chafe our temper, employments lower the tone of our minds, and we become fretful, irritable, and impatient.

H. E. MANNING.

September 9

_This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works_.--TITUS iii. 8.

Faith's meanest deed more favor bears Where hearts and wills are weighed, Than brightest transports, choicest prayers, Which bloom their hour and fade.

J. H. NEWMAN.

One secret act of self-denial, one sacrifice of inclination to duty, is worth all the mere good thoughts, warm feelings, passionate prayers, in which idle people indulge themselves.

J. H. NEWMAN.

It is impossible for us to live in fellowship with God without holiness in all the duties of life. These things act and react on each other. Without a diligent and faithful obedience to the calls and claims of others upon us, our religious profession is simply dead. To disobey conscience when it points to relative duties irritates the whole temper, and quenches the first beginnings of devotion. We cannot go from strife, breaches, and angry words, to God. Selfishness, an imperious will, want of sympathy with the sufferings and sorrows of other men, neglect of charitable offices, suspicions, hard censures of those with whom our lot is cast, will miserably darken our own hearts, and hide the face of God from us.

H. E. MANNING.

September 10

_Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head_.--JOHN xiii. 9.

Take my hands, and let them move At the impulse of Thy love.

Take my feet, and let them be Swift and "beautiful" for Thee.

Take my intellect, and use Every power as Thou shall choose.

F. R. HAVERGAL.

If a man may attain thereunto, to be unto God as his hand is to a man, let him be therewith content, and not seek further. That is to say, let him strive and wrestle with all his might to obey God and His commandments so thoroughly at all times, and in all things, that in him there be nothing, spiritual or natural, which opposeth God; and that his whole soul and body, with all their members, may stand ready and willing for that to which God hath created them; as ready and willing as his hand is to a man, which is so wholly in his power, that in the twinkling of an eye, he moveth and turneth it whither he will. And when we find it otherwise with us, we must give our whole diligence to amend our state.

THEOLOGIA GERMANICA.

When the mind thinks nothing, when the soul covets nothing, and the body acteth nothing that is contrary to the will of God, this is perfect sanctification.

ANONYMOUS, _in an old Bible_, 1599.

September 11

_Thy kingdom come_.--MATT. vi. 10.

The kingdom of established peace, Which can no more remove; The perfect powers of godliness, The omnipotence of love.

C. WESLEY.

My child, thou mayest not measure out thine offering unto me by what others have done or left undone; but be it thine to seek out, even to the last moment of thine earthly life, what is the utmost height of pure devotion to which I have called _thine own self_. Remember that, if thou fall short of this, each time thou utterest in prayer the words, "Hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come," thou dost most fearfully condemn thyself, for is it not a mockery to ask for that thou wilt not seek to promote even unto the uttermost, within the narrow compass of thine own heart and spirit?

THE DIVINE MASTER.

If you do not wish for His kingdom, don't pray for it. But if you do, you must do more than pray for it; you must work for it.

J. RUSKIN.

September 12

_She obeyed not the voice; she received not correction; she trusted not In the Lord; she drew not near to her God_.--ZEPH. iii. 2.

Oh! let us not this thought allow; The heat, the dust upon our brow, Signs of the contest, we may wear; Yet thus we shall appear more fair In our Almighty Master's eye, Than if in fear to lose the bloom, Or ruffle the soul's lightest plume, We from the strife should fly.

R. C. TRENCH.

If God requires anything of us, we have no right to draw back under the pretext that we are liable to commit some fault in obeying. It is better to obey imperfectly than not at all. Perhaps you ought to rebuke some one dependent on you, but you are silent for fear of giving way to vehemence;--or you avoid the society of certain persons, because they make you cross and impatient. How are you to attain self-control, if you shun all occasions of practising it? Is not such self-choosing a greater fault than those into which you fear to fall? Aim at a steady mind to do right, go wherever duty calls you, and believe firmly that God will forgive the faults that take our weakness by surprise in spite of our sincere desire to please Him.

JEAN NICOLAS GROU.

September 13

_It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord_.--LAM. iii. 26.

_Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from Him cometh my salvation_.--PS. lxii. I.

Not so in haste, my heart; Have faith in God, and wait; Although He linger long, He never comes too late.

ANON.

The true use to be made of all the imperfections of which you are conscious is neither to justify, nor to condemn them, but to present them before God, conforming your will to His, and remaining in peace; for peace is the divine order, in whatever state we may be.

FRANÇOIS DE LA MOTHE FÉNELON.

You will find it less easy to uproot faults, than to choke them by gaining virtues. Do not think of your faults; still less of others' faults; in every person who comes near you look for what is good and strong: honor that; rejoice in it; and, as you can, try to imitate it; and your faults will drop off, like dead leaves, when their time comes.

J. RUSKIN.

September 14

_Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not_.--JER. xxxiii. 3.

_And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked_.--I KINGS iii. 13.

No voice of prayer to Thee can rise, But swift as light Thy Love replies; Not always what we ask, indeed, But, O most Kind! what most we need.

H. M. KIMBALL.

If you have any trial which seems intolerable, pray,--pray that it be relieved or changed. There is no harm in that. We may pray for anything, not wrong in itself, with perfect freedom, if we do not pray selfishly. One disabled from duty by sickness may pray for health, that he may do his work; or one hemmed in by internal impediments may pray for utterance, that he may serve better the truth and the right. Or, if we have a besetting sin, we may pray to be delivered from it, in order to serve God and man, and not be ourselves Satans to mislead and destroy. But the answer to the prayer may be, as it was to Paul, not the removal of the thorn, but, instead, a growing insight into its meaning and value. The voice of God in our soul may show us, as we look up to Him, that His strength is enough to enable us to bear it.

J. F. CLARKE.

September 15

_Can ye drink of the cup that I drink of? and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with_?--MARK. x. 38.

Whate'er my God ordains is right; Though I the cup must drink That bitter seems to my faint heart, I will not fear nor shrink.

S. RODIGAST.

The worst part of martyrdom is not the last agonizing moment; it is the wearing, daily steadfastness. Men who can make up their minds to hold out against the torture of an hour have sunk under the weariness and the harass of small prolonged vexations. And there are many Christians who have the weight of some deep, incommunicable grief pressing, cold as ice, upon their hearts. To bear that cheerfully and manfully is to be a martyr. There is many a Christian bereaved and stricken in the best hopes of life. For such a one to say quietly, "Father, not as I will, but as Thou wilt," is to be a martyr. There is many a Christian who feels the irksomeness of the duties of life, and feels his spirit revolting from them. To get up every morning with the firm resolve to find pleasure in those duties, and do them well, and finish the work which God has given us to do, that is to drink Christ's cup. The humblest occupation has in it materials of discipline for the highest heaven.

F. W. ROBERTSON.

September 16

_For the whole world before thee is as a little grain of the balance, yea, as a drop of the morning dew that falleth down upon the earth. But Thou hast mercy upon all. For Thou lovest all the things that are_.--WISDOM OF SOLOMON xi. 22-24.

Oh! Source divine, and Life of all, The Fount of Being's fearful sea, Thy depth would every heart appal, That saw not love supreme in Thee.

J. STERLING.

He showed a little thing, the quantity of a hazel-nut, lying in the palm of my hand, as meseemed, and it was as round as a ball. I looked thereon with the eye of my understanding, and thought, "What may this be?" and it was answered generally thus, "It is all that is made." I marvelled how it might last; for methought it might suddenly have fallen to naught for littleness. And I was answered in my understanding, "It lasteth, and ever shall: For God loveth it. And so hath all thing being by the Love of God." In this little thing I saw three properties. The first is, that God made it. The second is, that God loveth it. The third is, that God keepeth it. For this is the cause which we be not all in ease of heart and soul: for we seek here rest in this thing which is so little, where no rest is in: and we know not our God that is all Mighty, all Wise, and all Good, for He is very rest.

MOTHER JULIANA, 1373.

September 17

_Whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister: and whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all. For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many_.--MARK x. 43-45.

A child's kiss Set on thy sighing lips, shall make thee glad; A poor man served by thee, shall make thee rich; A sick man helped by thee, shall make thee strong; Thou shalt be served thyself by every sense Of service which thou renderest.

E. B. BROWNING.