Chapter 2

It is by doing our duty that we learn to do it. So long as men dispute whether or no a thing is their duty, they get never the nearer. Let them set ever so weakly about doing it, and the face of things alters. They find in themselves strength which they knew not of. Difficulties which it seemed to them they could not get over, disappear. For He accompanies it with the influences of His blessed Spirit, and each performance opens our minds for larger influxes of His grace, and places them in communion with Him.

E. B. PUSEY.

That which is called considering what is our duty in a particular case, is very often nothing but endeavoring to explain it away.

JOSEPH BUTLER.

January 23

_If thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday; and the Lord shall guide thee continually_.--ISA. lviii. 10, 11.

If thou hast Yesterday thy duty done, And thereby cleared firm footing for To-day, Whatever clouds make dark To-morrow's sun, Thou shall not miss thy solitary way.

J. W. VON GOETHE.

O Lord, who art our Guide even unto death, grant us, I pray Thee, grace to follow Thee whithersoever Thou goest. In little daily duties to which Thou callest us, bow down our wills to simple obedience, patience under pain or provocation, strict truthfulness of word and manner, humility, kindness; in great acts of duty or perfection, if Thou shouldest call us to them, uplift us to self-sacrifice, heroic courage, laying down of life for Thy truth's sake, or for a brother. Amen.

C. G. ROSSETTI.

January 24

_I will bless the Lord, who bath given me counsel_.--PS. xvi. 7.

_Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord_.--ROM. xii. 11.

Mine be the reverent, listening love That waits all day on Thee, With the service of a watchful heart Which no one else can see.

A. L. WARING.

Nothing is small or great in God's sight; whatever He wills becomes great to us, however seemingly trifling, and if once the voice of conscience tells us that He requires anything of us, we have no right to measure its importance. On the other hand, whatever He would not have us do, however important we may think it, is as nought to us.

How do you know what you may lose by neglecting this duty, which you think so trifling, or the blessing which its faithful performance may bring? Be sure that if you do your very best in that which is laid upon you daily, you will not be left without sufficient help when some weightier occasion arises. Give yourself to Him, trust Him, fix your eye upon Him, listen to His voice, and then go on bravely and cheerfully.

JEAN NICOLAS GROU.

January 25

_If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them_.--JOHN xiii. 17.

_Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin_.--JAMES iv. 17.

We cannot kindle when we will The fire that in the heart resides, The spirit bloweth and is still, In mystery our soul abides: But tasks in hours of insight willed Can be through hours of gloom fulfilled.

MATTHEW ARNOLD.

Hurt not your conscience with any known sin.

S. RUTHERFORD.

Deep-rooted customs, though wrong, are not easily altered; but it is the duty of all to be firm in that which they certainly know is right for them.

JOHN WOOLMAN.

He often acts unjustly who does not do a certain thing; not only he who does a certain thing.

MARCUS ANTONINUS.

Every duty we omit obscures some truth we should have known.

JOHN RUSKIN.

January 26

_O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are His judgments, and His--ways past finding out_!--ROM. xi. 33.

_It doth not yet appear what we shall be_.--I JOHN iii. 2.

No star is ever lost we once have seen, We always may be what we might have been. Since Good, though only thought, has life and breath, God's life--can always be redeemed from death; And evil, in its nature, is decay, And any hour can blot it all away; The hopes that lost in some far distance seem, May be the truer life, and this the dream.

A. A. PROCTER.

St. Bernard has said: "Man, if thou desirest a noble and holy life, and unceasingly prayest to God for it, if thou continue constant in this thy desire, it will be granted unto thee without fail, even if only in the day or hour of thy death; and if God should not give it to thee then, thou shalt find it in Him in eternity: of this be assured." Therefore do not relinquish your desire, though it be not fulfilled immediately, or though ye may swerve from your aspirations, or even forget them for a time.... The love and aspiration which once really existed live forever before God, and in Him ye shall find the fruit thereof; that is, to all eternity it shall be better for you than if you had never felt them.

J. TAULER.

January 27

_For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones_.--ISA. lvii. 15.

Without an end or bound Thy life lies all outspread in light; Our lives feel Thy life all around, Making our weakness strong, our darkness bright; Yet is it neither wilderness nor sea, But the calm gladness of a full eternity.

F. W. FABER.

O truth who art Eternity! And Love who art Truth! And Eternity who art Love! Thou art my God, to Thee do I sigh night and day. When I first knew Thee, Thou liftedst me up, that I might see there was somewhat for me to see, and that I was not yet such as to see. And Thou streaming forth Thy beams of light upon me most strongly, didst beat back the weakness of my sight, and I trembled with love and awe: and I perceived myself to be far off from Thee in the region of unlikeness.

ST. AUGUSTINE.

January 28

_O fear the Lord, ye His saints: for there is no want to them that fear Him_--PS. xxxiv. 9.

_Thou openest Thine hand, and satisfies the desire of every living thing_.--PS. cxlv. 16.

What Thou shalt to-day provide, Let me as a child receive; What to-morrow may betide, Calmly to Thy wisdom leave. 'Tis enough that Thou wilt care; Why should I the burden bear?

J. NEWTON.

Have we found that anxiety about possible consequences increased the clearness of our judgment, made us wiser and braver in meeting the present, and arming ourselves for the future? If we had prayed for this day's bread, and left the next to itself, if we had not huddled our days together, not allotting to each its appointed task, but ever deferring that to the future, and drawing upon the future for its own troubles, which must be met when they come whether we have anticipated them or not, we should have found a simplicity and honesty in our lives, a capacity for work, an enjoyment in it, to which we are now, for the most part, strangers.

F. D. MAURICE.

January 29

_I the Lord will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee_.--ISA. xli. 13.

_Show Thy marvellous loving-kindness, O Thou that savest by Thy right hand them which put their trust in Thee_.--PS. xvii. 7.

Take Thy hand, and fears grow still; Behold Thy face, and doubts remove; Who would not yield his wavering will To perfect Truth and boundless Love?

S. JOHNSON.

Do not look forward to the changes and chances of this life in fear; rather look to them with full hope that, as they arise, God, whose you are, will deliver you out of them. He has kept you hitherto,--do you but hold fast to His dear hand, and He will lead you safely through all things; and, when you cannot stand, He will bear you in His arms. Do not look forward to what may happen to-morrow; the same everlasting Father who cares for you to-day, will take care of you to-morrow, and every day. Either he will shield you from suffering, or He will give you unfailing strength to bear it. Be at peace then, and put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginations.

ST. FRANCIS DE SALES.

January 30

_If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea: even there shall Thy hand lead me, and Thy right hand shall hold me_.--PS. cxxxix. 9, 10.

I cannot lose Thee! Still in Thee abiding, The end is clear, how wide soe'er I roam; The Hand that holds the worlds my steps is guiding, And I must rest at last in Thee, my home.

E. SCUDDER.

How can we come to perceive this direct leading of God? By a careful looking at home, and abiding; within the gates of thy own soul. Therefore, let a man be at home in his own heart, and cease from his restless chase of and search after outward things. If he is thus at home while on earth, he will surely come to see what there is to do at home,--what God commands him inwardly without means, and also outwardly by the help of means; and then let him surrender himself, and follow God along whatever path his loving Lord thinks fit to lead him: whether it be to contemplation or action, to usefulness or enjoyment; whether in sorrow or in joy, let him follow on. And if God do not give him thus to feel His hand in all things, let him still simply yield himself up, and go without, for God's sake, out of love, and still press forward.

J. TAULER.

January 31

_In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths_.--PROV. iii. 6.

_He leadeth me_.--PS. xxiii. 2.

In "pastures green"? Not always; sometimes He Who knoweth best, in kindness leadeth me In weary ways, where heavy shadows be.

So, whether on the hill-tops high and fair I dwell, or in the sunless valleys, where The shadows lie, what matter? He is there.

HENRY H. BARRY.

The Shepherd knows what pastures are best for his sheep, and they must not question nor doubt, but trustingly follow Him. Perhaps He sees that the best pastures for some of us are to be found in the midst of opposition or of earthly trials. If He leads you there, you may be sure they are green for you, and you will grow and be made strong by feeding there. Perhaps He sees that the best waters for you to walk beside will be raging waves of trouble and sorrow. If this should be the case, He will make them still waters for you, and you must go and lie down beside them, and let them have all their blessed influences upon you.

H. W. SMITH.

February 1

_Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be like-minded one toward another, according to Christ Jesus_.--ROM. xv. 5.

_Let patience have her perfect work_.--JAMES i. 4.

Make me patient, kind, and gentle, Day by day; Teach me how to live more nearly As I pray.

SHARPE'S MAGAZINE.

The exercise of patience involves a continual practice of the presence of God; for we may be come upon at any moment for an almost heroic display of good temper, and it is a short road to unselfishness, for nothing is left to self; all that seems to belong most intimately to self, to be self's private property, such as time, home, and rest, are invaded by these continual trials of patience. The family is full of such opportunities.

F. W. FABER.

Only as we know what it is to cherish love when sore at some unkindness, to overmaster ourselves when under provocation, to preserve gentleness during trial and unmerited wrong,--only then can we know in any degree the "manner of spirit" that was in Christ.

T. T. CARTER.

February 2

_Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feeble-minded, support the weak, be patient toward all men_.--I THESS. v. 14.

The little worries which we meet each day May lie as stumbling-blocks across our way, Or we may make them stepping-stones to be Of grace, O Lord, to Thee.

A. E. HAMILITON.

We must be continually sacrificing our own wills, as opportunity serves, to the will of others; bearing, without notice, sights and sounds that annoy us; setting about this or that task, when we had far rather be doing something very different; persevering in it, often, when we are thoroughly tired of it; keeping company for duty's sake, when it would be a great joy to us to be by ourselves; besides all the trifling untoward accidents of life; bodily pain and weakness long continued, and perplexing us often when it does not amount to illness; losing what we value, missing what we desire; disappointment in other persons, wilfulness, unkindness, ingratitude, folly, in cases where we least expect it.

J. KEBLE.

February 3

_Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting_.--PS. cxxxix. 23, 24.

Save us from the evil tongue, From the heart that thinketh wrong, From the sins, whate'er they be, That divide the soul from Thee.

ANON.

Such as are thy habitual thoughts, such also will be the character of thy mind; for the soul is dyed by the thoughts. Dye it then with a continuous series of such thoughts as these: for instance, that where a man can live, there he can also live well. But he must live in a palace: well, then, he can also live well in a palace.

MARCUS ANTONINUS.

Who is there that sets himself to the task of steadily watching his thoughts for the space of one hour, with the view of preserving his mind in a simple, humble, healthful condition, but will speedily discern in the multiform, self-reflecting, self-admiring emotions, which, like locusts, are ready to "eat up every green thing in his land," a state as much opposed to simplicity and humility as night is to day?

M. A. KELTY.

February 4

_If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body_.--JAMES iii. 2

_Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips_.--PS. cxli. 3.

What! never speak one evil word, Or rash, or idle, or unkind! Oh, how shall I, most gracious Lord, This mark of true perfection find?

C. WESLEY.

When we remember our temptations to give quick indulgence to disappointment or irritation or unsympathizing weariness, and how hard a thing it is from day to day to meet our fellow-men, our neighbors, or even our own households, in all moods, in all discordances between the world without us and the frames within, in all states of health, of solicitude, of preoccupation, and show no signs of impatience, ungentleness, or unobservant self-absorption,--with only kindly feeling finding expression, and ungenial feeling at least inwardly imprisoned;--we shall be ready to acknowledge that the man who has thus attained is master of himself, and in the graciousness of his power is fashioned upon the style of a Perfect Man.

J. H. THOM.

February 5

_Blessed are they that keep judgment, and he that doeth righteousness at all times_.--PS. cvi. 3.

_Thou shalt be stedfast, and shalt not fear: because thou shalt forget thy misery, and remember it as waters that pass away_.--JOB xi. 15, 16.

In the bitter waves of woe, Beaten and tossed about By the sullen winds that blow From the desolate shores of doubt, Where the anchors that faith has cast Are dragging in the gale, I am quietly holding fast To the things that cannot fail.

WASHINGTON GLADDEN.

In the darkest hour through which a human soul can pass, whatever else is doubtful, this at least is certain. If there be no God and no future state, yet even then, it is better to be generous than selfish, better to be chaste than licentious, better to be true than false, better to be brave than to be a coward. Blessed beyond all earthly blessedness is the man who, in the tempestuous darkness of the soul, has dared to hold fast to these venerable landmarks. Thrice blessed is he, who, when all is drear and cheerless within and without, when his teachers terrify him, and his friends shrink from him, has obstinately clung to moral good. Thrice blessed, because _his_ night shall pass into clear, bright day.

F. W. ROBERTSON.

February 6

_Whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe_.--PROV. xxix. 25.

_I will cry unto God most high; unto God, that performeth all things for me_.--PS. lvii. 2.

Only thy restless heart keep still, And wait in cheerful hope; content To take whate'er His gracious will, His all-discerning love hath sent; Nor doubt our inmost wants are known To Him who chose us for His own.

G. NEUMARK.

God has brought us into this time; He, and not ourselves or some dark demon. If we are not fit to cope with that which He has prepared for us, we should have been utterly unfit for any condition that we imagine for ourselves. In this time we are to live and wrestle, and in no other. Let us humbly, tremblingly, manfully look at it, and we shall not wish that the sun could go back its ten degrees, or that we could go back with it. If easy times are departed, it is that the difficult times may make us more in earnest; that they may teach us not to depend upon ourselves. If easy belief is impossible, it is that we may learn what belief is, and in whom it is to be placed.

F. D. MAURICE.

February 7

_Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you_.--JER. vii. 23.

And oft, when in my heart was heard Thy timely mandate, I deferred The task, in smoother walks to stray; But thee I now would serve more strictly, if I may.

W. WORDSWORTH.

Pray Him to give you what Scripture calls "an honest and good heart," or "a perfect heart;" and, without waiting, begin at once to obey Him with the best heart you have. Any obedience is better than none. You have to seek His face; obedience is the only way of seeing Him. All your duties are obediences. To do what He bids is to obey Him, and to obey Him is to approach Him. Every act of obedience is an approach--an approach to Him who is not far off, though He seems so, but close behind this visible screen of things which hides Him from us.

J. H. NEWMAN.

As soon as we lay ourselves entirely at His feet, we have enough light given us to guide our own steps; as the foot-soldier, who hears nothing of the councils that determine the course of the great battle he is in, hears plainly enough the word of command which he must himself obey.

GEORGE ELIOT.

February 8

_He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake_.--PS. xxiii. 2, 3.

He leads me where the waters glide, The waters soft and still, And homeward He will gently guide My wandering heart and will.

J. KEBLE.

Out of obedience and devotion arises an habitual faith, which makes Him, though unseen, a part of all our life. He will guide us in a sure path, though it be a rough one: though shadows hang upon it, yet He will be with us. He will bring us home at last. Through much trial it may be, and weariness, in much fear and fainting of heart, in much sadness and loneliness, in griefs that the world never knows, and under burdens that the nearest never suspect. Yet He will suffice for all. By His eye or by His voice He will guide us, if we be docile and gentle; by His staff and by His rod, if we wander or are wilful: any how, and by all means, He will bring us to His rest.

H. E. MANNING.

February 9

_I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine_.--MATT. xxv. 25.

Time was, I shrank from what was right, From fear of what was wrong; I would not brave the sacred fight, Because the foe was strong.

But now I cast that finer sense And sorer shame aside; Such dread of sin was indolence, Such aim at heaven was pride.

J. H. NEWMAN.

If he falls into some error, he does not fret over it, but rising up with a humble spirit, he goes on his way anew rejoicing. Were he to fall a hundred times in the day, he would not despair,--he would rather cry out lovingly to God, appealing to His tender pity. The really devout man has a horror of evil, but he has a still greater love of that which is good; he is more set on doing what is right, than avoiding what is wrong. Generous, large-hearted, he is not afraid of danger in serving God, and would rather run the risk of doing His will imperfectly than not strive to serve Him lest he fail in the attempt.

JEAN NICOLAS GROU.

February 10

_We have waited for Him, and He will save us: this is the Lord; we have waited for Him, we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation_.--ISA. xxv. 9.

Blest are the humble souls that wait With sweet submission to His will; Harmonious all their passions move, And in the midst of storms are still.

P. DODDRIDGE.

Do not be discouraged at your faults; bear with yourself in correcting them, as you would with your neighbor. Lay aside this ardor of mind, which exhausts your body, and leads you to commit errors. Accustom yourself gradually to carry prayer into all your daily occupations. Speak, move, work, in peace, as if you were in prayer, as indeed you ought to be. Do everything without excitement, by the spirit of grace. As soon as you perceive your natural impetuosity gliding in, retire quietly within, where is the kingdom of God. Listen to the leadings of grace, then say and do nothing but what the Holy Spirit shall put in your heart. You will find that you will become more tranquil, that your words will be fewer and more effectual, and that, with less effort, you will accomplish more good.

FRANÇOIS DE LA MOTHE FÉNELON.

February 11

_I have finished the work which Thou gavest me to do_.--JOHN xvii. 4.

_She hath done what she could_.--MARK xiv. 8.

He who God's will has borne and done, And his own restless longings stilled, What else he does, or has foregone, His mission he has well fulfilled.

FROM THE GERMAN.

Cheered by the presence of God, I will do at each moment, without anxiety, according to the strength which He shall give me, the work that His Providence assigns me. I will leave the rest without concern; it is not my affair. I ought to consider the duty to which I am called each day, as the work that God has given me to do, and to apply myself to it in a manner worthy of His glory, that is to say, with exactness and in peace. I must neglect nothing; I must be violent about nothing.

FRANÇOIS DE LA MOTHE FÉNELON.

It is thy duty oftentimes to do what thou wouldst not; thy duty, too, to leave undone what thou wouldst do.

THOMAS À KEMPIS.

February 12

_Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits_.--PS. lxviii. 19.

_Nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy_.--I TIM. vi. 17.

Source of my life's refreshing springs, Whose presence in my heart sustains me, Thy love ordains me pleasant things, Thy mercy orders all that pains me.

A. L. WARING.

And to be true, and speak my soul, when I survey the occurrences of my life, and call into account the finger of God, I can perceive nothing but an abyss and mass of mercies, either in general to mankind, or in particular to myself; and whether out of the prejudice of my affection, or an inverting and partial conceit of His mercies, I know not; but those which others term crosses, afflictions, judgments, misfortunes, to me who inquire farther into them than their visible effects, they both appear, and in event have ever proved, the secret and dissembled favors of His affection.

SIR T. BROWNE.

February 13

_Let Him do to me as seemeth good unto Him_.--2 SAM. xv. 26.

To have, each day, the thing I wish, Lord, that seems best to me; But not to have the thing I wish, Lord, that seems best to Thee. Most truly, then, Thy will is done, When mine, O Lord, is crossed; It is good to see my plans o'erthrown, My ways in Thine all lost.

H. BONAR.