Chapter 4

Now, believe me, God hides some ideal in every human soul. At some time in our life we feel a trembling, fearful longing to do some good thing. Life finds its noblest spring of excellence in this hidden impulse to do our best. There is a time when we are not content to be such merchants or doctors or lawyers as we see on the dead level or below it. The woman longs to glorify her womanhood as sister, wife, or mother. Here is God,--God standing silently at the door all day long,--God whispering to the soul, that to be pure and true is to succeed in life, and whatever we get short of that will burn up like stubble, though the whole world try to save it.

ROBERT COLLYER.

March 6

_The shadow of a great rock in a weary land_.--ISA. xxxii. 2.

_In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength_.--ISA. xxx. 15.

O Shadow in a sultry land! We gather to Thy breast, Whose love, enfolding like the night, Brings quietude and rest, Glimpse of the fairer life to be, In foretaste here possessed.

C. M. PACKARD.

Strive to see God in all things without exception, and-acquiesce in His will with absolute submission. Do everything for God, uniting yourself to Him by a mere upward glance, or by the overflowing of your heart towards Him. Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inward peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset. Commend all to God, and then lie still and be at rest in His bosom. Whatever happens, abide steadfast in a determination to cling simply to God, trusting to His eternal love for you; and if you find that you have wandered forth from this shelter, recall your heart quietly and simply. Maintain a holy simplicity of mind, and do not smother yourself with a host of cares, wishes, or longings, under any pretext.

ST. FRANCIS DE SALES.

March 7

_There are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all_.--I COR. xii. 6.

_I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things_.--ISA. xlv. 7.

"All is of God that is, and is to be; And God is good." Let this suffice us still, Resting in childlike trust upon His will, Who moves to His great ends, unthwarted by the ill.

J. G. WHITTIER.

This, then, is of faith, that everything, the very least, or what seems to us great, every change of the seasons, everything which touches us in mind, body, or estate, whether brought about through this outward senseless nature, or by the will of man, good or bad, is overruled to each of us by the all-holy and all-loving will of God. Whatever befalls us, however it befalls us, we must receive as the will of God. If it befalls us through man's negligence, or ill-will, or anger, still it is, in every the least circumstance, to us the will of God. For if the least thing could happen to us without God's permission, it would be something out of God's control. God's providence or His love would not be what they are. Almighty God Himself would not be the same God; not the God whom we believe, adore, and love.

E. B. PUSEY.

March 8

_Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed_.--2 TIM. ii. 15.

_And let us not be weary in well-doing: for in due season we shall reap if we faint not_.--GAL. vi. 9.

The task Thy wisdom hath assigned, Oh, let me cheerfully fulfil; In all my works Thy presence find, And prove Thine acceptable will.

C. WESLEY.

"What is my next duty? What is the thing that lies nearest to me?" "That belongs to your every-day history. No one can answer that question but yourself. Your next duty is just to determine what your next duty is. Is there nothing you neglect? Is there nothing you know you ought not to do? You would know your duty, if you thought in earnest about it, and were not ambitious of great things." "Ah, then," responded she, "I suppose it is something very commonplace, which will make life more dreary than ever. That cannot help me." "It will, if it be as dreary as reading the newspapers to an old deaf aunt. It will soon lead you to something more. Your duty will begin to comfort you at once, but will at length open the unknown fountain of life in your heart."

G. MACDONALD.

March 9

_Thou shalt rejoice before the Lord thy God in all that thou puttest thine hands unto_.--DEUT. xii. 18.

_Be ye thankful_.--COL. iii. 15.

Thou that hast given so much to me, Give one thing more, a grateful heart. Not thankful when it pleaseth me, As if thy blessings had spare days; But such a heart, whose pulse may be Thy praise.

G. HERBERT.

If any one would tell you the shortest, surest way to all happiness and all perfection, he must tell you to make it a rule to yourself to thank and praise God for everything that happens to you. For it is certain that whatever seeming calamity happens to you, if you thank and praise God for it, you turn it into a blessing. Could you, therefore, work miracles, you could not do more for yourself than by this thankful spirit; for it heals with a word speaking, and turns all that it touches into happiness.

WM. LAW.

March 10

_When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee_.--ISA. xliii. 2.

_I am with thee to deliver thee_.--JER. i. 8.

When through the deep waters I call thee to go, The rivers of sorrow shall not overflow; For I will be with thee thy troubles to bless, And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.

ANON.

Turn it as thou wilt, thou must give thyself to suffer what is appointed thee. But if we did that, God would bear us up at all times in all our sorrows and troubles, and God would lay His shoulder under our burdens, and help us to bear them. For if, with a cheerful courage, we submitted ourselves to God, no suffering would be unbearable.

J. TAULER.

Learn to be as the angel, who could descend among the miseries of Bethesda without losing his heavenly purity or his perfect happiness. Gain healing from troubled waters. Make up your mind to the prospect of sustaining a certain measure of pain and trouble in your passage through life. By the blessing of God this will prepare you for it; it will make you thoughtful and resigned without interfering with your cheerfulness.

J. H. NEWMAN.

March 11

_Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee: He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved_.--PS. lv. 22.

Now our wants and burdens leaving To His care who cares for all, Cease we fearing, cease we grieving, At His touch our burdens fall.

S. LONGFELLOW.

The circumstances of her life she could not alter, but she took them to the Lord, and handed them over into His management; and then she believed that He took it, and she left all the responsibility and the worry and anxiety with Him. As often as the anxieties returned she took them back; and the result was that, although the circumstances remained unchanged, her soul was kept in perfect peace in the midst of them. And the secret she found so effectual in her outward affairs, she found to be still more effectual in her inward ones, which were in truth even more utterly unmanageable. She abandoned her whole self to the Lord, with all that she was and all that she had; and, believing that He took that which she had committed to Him, she ceased to fret and worry, and her life became all sunshine in the gladness of belonging to Him. H. W. SMITH.

March 12

_The Lord bless thee, and keep thee: the Lord make His face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: the Lord lift up His countenance upon thee, and give thee peace_.--NUM. vi. 24-26.

O Love, how cheering is Thy ray! All pain before Thy presence flies; Care, anguish, sorrow, melt away, Where'er Thy healing beams arise. O Father, nothing may I see, Nothing desire, or seek, but Thee.

P. GERHARDT.

There is a faith in God, and a clear perception of His will and designs, and providence, and glory, which gives to its possessor a confidence and patience and sweet composure, under every varied and troubling aspect of events, such as no man can realize who has not felt its influences in his own heart. There is a communion with God, in which the soul feels the presence of the unseen One, in the profound depths of its being, with a vivid distinctness and a holy reverence, such as no words can describe. There is a state of union with God, I do not say often reached, yet it has been attained in this world, in which all the past and present and future seem reconciled, and eternity is won and enjoyed; and God and man, earth and heaven, with all their mysteries, are apprehended in truth as they lie in the mind of the Infinite.

SAMUEL D. ROBBINS.

March 13

_He that abideth in me, and I in him, bringeth forth much fruit_.--JOHN xv. 5.

_Let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us_.--PS. xc. 17.

As some rare perfume in a vase of clay Pervades it with a fragrance not its own, So, when Thou dwellest in a mortal soul, All Heaven's own sweetness seems around it thrown.

H. B. STOWE.

Some glances of real beauty may be seen in their faces, who dwell in true meekness. There is a harmony in the sound of that voice to which Divine love gives utterance, and some appearance of right order in their temper and conduct whose passions are regulated.

JOHN WOOLMAN.

I believe that no Divine truth can truly dwell in any heart, without an external testimony in manner, bearing, and appearance, that must reach the witness within the heart of the beholder, and bear an unmistakable, though silent, evidence to the eternal principle from which it emanates.

M. A. SCHIMMELPENNINCK.

March 14

_I have called upon Thee, for Thou wilt hear me, O God: incline Thine ear unto me, and hear my speech_.--PS. xvii. 6.

_Ye people, pour out your heart before Him: God is a refuge for us_.--PS. lxii. 8.

Whate'er the care which breaks thy rest, Whate'er the wish that swells thy breast; Spread before God that wish, that care, And change anxiety to prayer.

JANE CREWDSON.

Trouble and perplexity drive us to prayer, and prayer driveth away trouble and perplexity.

P. MELANCTHON.

Whatsoever it is that presses thee, go tell thy Father; put over the matter into His hand, and so thou shalt be freed from that dividing, perplexing care that the world is full of. When thou art either to do or suffer anything, when thou art about any purpose or business, go tell God of it, and acquaint Him with it; yea, burden Him with it, and thou hast done for matter of caring; no more care, but quiet, sweet diligence in thy duty, and dependence on Him for the carriage of thy matters. Roll thy cares, and thyself with them, as one burden, all on thy God.

R. LEIGHTON.

March 15

_Hear me, O Lord. for Thy loving-kindness is good: turn unto me according to the multitude of Thy tender mercies_.--PS. lxix. 16.

_Let, I pray Thee, Thy merciful kindness be for my comfort, according to Thy word unto Thy servant_.--PS. cxix. 76.

Love divine has seen and counted Every tear it caused to fall; And the storm which Love appointed Was its choicest gift of all.

ANON.

O that thou couldst dwell in the knowledge and sense of this! even, that the Lord beholds thy sufferings with an eye of pity; and is able, not only to uphold thee under them, but also to do thee good by them. Therefore, grieve not at thy lot, be not discontented, look not out at the hardness of thy condition; but, when the storm and matters of vexation are sharp, look up to Him who can give meekness and patience, can lift up thy head over all, and cause thy life to grow, and be a gainer by all. If the Lord God help thee proportionably to thy condition of affliction and distress, thou wilt have no cause to complain, but to bless His name.

I. PENINGTON.

March 16

_Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God_.--I COR. x. 31.

_With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not unto men_.--EPH. vi. 7.

A Servant, with this clause, Makes drudgery divine: Who sweeps a room, as for Thy laws, Makes that and th' action fine.

G. HERBERT.

Surely the truth must be, that whatsoever in our daily life is lawful and right for us to be engaged in, is in itself a part of our obedience to God; a part, that is, of our very religion. Whensoever we hear people complaining of obstructions and hindrances put by the duties of life in the way of devoting themselves to God, we may be sure they are under some false view or other. They do not look upon their daily work as the task God has set them, and as obedience due to Him. We may go farther; and say, not only that the duties of life, be they never so toilsome and distracting, are no obstructions to a life of any degree of inward holiness; but that they are even direct means, when rightly used, to promote our sanctification.

H. E. MANNING.

March 17

_Where hast thou gleaned to-day_?--RUTH ii. 19.

What have I learnt where'er I've been, From all I've heard, from all I've seen? What know I more that's worth the knowing? What have I done that's worth the doing? What have I sought that I should shun? What duties have I left undone?

PYTHAGORAS.

All of this world will soon have passed away. But God will remain, and thou, whatever thou hast become, good or bad. Thy deeds now are the seed-corn of eternity. Each single act, in each several day, good or bad, is a portion of that seed. Each day adds some line, making thee more or less like Him, more or less capable of His love.

E. B. PUSEY.

There is something very solemn in the thought that that part of our work which we have left undone may first be revealed to us at the end of a life filled up, as we had fondly hoped, with useful and necessary employments.

SARAH W. STEPHEN.

March 18

_Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous_.--I PETER iii. 8.

Make us of one heart and mind; Courteous, pitiful, and kind; Lowly, meek, in thought and word, Altogether like our Lord.

C. WESLEY.

A little thought will show you how vastly your own happiness depends on the way other people bear themselves toward you. The looks and tones at your breakfast-table, the conduct of your fellow-workers or employers, the faithful or unreliable men you deal with, what people say to you on the street, the way your cook and housemaid do their work, the letters you get, the friends or foes you meet,--these things make up very much of the pleasure or misery of your day. Turn the idea around, and remember that just so much are you adding to the pleasure or the misery of other people's days. And this is the half of the matter which you can control. Whether any particular day shall bring to you more of happiness or of suffering is largely beyond your power to determine. Whether each day of your life shall give happiness or suffering rests with yourself.

GEORGE S. MERRIAM.

March 19

_Showing all good fidelity, that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things_.--TITUS ii. 10.

If on our daily course our mind Be set to hallow all we find, New treasures still, of countless price, God will provide for sacrifice.

J. KEBLE

If content and thankfulness, if the patient bearing of evil, be duties to God, they are the duties of every day, and in every circumstance of our life. If we are to follow Christ, it must be in our common way of spending every day.

WM. LAW.

He who is faithful over a few things is a lord of cities. It does not matter whether you preach in Westminster Abbey, or teach a ragged class, so you be faithful. The faithfulness is all.

G. MACDONALD.

I would have you invoke God often through the day, asking Him to kindle a love for your vocation within you, and saying with St. Paul, "'Lord, what wouldst Thou have me to do?' Wouldst Thou have me serve Thee in the lowest ministries of Thy house? too happy if I may but serve Thee anyhow." And when any special thing is repugnant to you, ask "Wouldst Thou have me do it? Then, unworthy though I be, I will do it gladly."

ST. FRANCIS DE SALES.

March 20

_Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve_.--MATT. iv. 10.

_Blessed are they that keep His testimonies, and that seek Him with the whole heart_.--PS. cxix. 2.

The comfort of a mind at rest From every care Thou hast not blest; A heart from all the world set free, To worship and to wait on Thee.

A. L. WARING.

Resign every forbidden joy; restrain every wish that is not referred to His will; banish all eager desires, all anxiety. Desire only the will of God; seek Him alone, and you will find peace.

FRANÇOIS DE LA MOTHE FÉNELON.

"I've been a great deal happier since I have given up thinking about what is easy and pleasant, and being discontented because I couldn't have my own will. Our life is determined for us; and it makes the mind very free when we give up wishing, and only think of bearing what is laid upon us, and doing what is given us to do."

GEORGE ELIOT.

March 21

_Your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things_.--MATT. vi. 32.

All as God wills, who wisely heeds To give or to withhold; And knoweth more of all my needs Than all my prayers have told.

J. G. WHITTIER.

Lord, I know not what I ought to ask of Thee; Thou only knowest what I need; Thou lovest me better than I know how to love myself. O Father! give to Thy child that which he himself knows not how to ask. I dare not ask either for crosses or consolations; I simply present myself before Thee; I open my heart to Thee. Behold my needs which I know not myself; see, and do according to Thy tender mercy. Smite, or heal; depress me, or raise me up; I adore all Thy purposes without knowing them; I am silent; I offer myself in sacrifice; I yield myself to Thee; I would have no other desire than to accomplish Thy will. Teach me to pray; pray Thyself in me.

FRANÇOIS DE LA MOTHE FÉNELON.

March 22

_He that contemneth small things shall fall by little and little_.--ECCLESIASTICUS xix. I.

One finger's-breadth at hand will mar A world of light in heaven afar, A mote eclipse a glorious star, An eyelid hide the sky.

J. KEBLE.

A single sin, however apparently trifling, however hidden in some obscure corner of our consciousness,--a sin _which we do not intend to renounce_,--is enough to render real prayer impracticable. A course of action not wholly upright and honorable, feelings not entirely kind and loving, habits not spotlessly chaste and temperate,--any of these are impassable obstacles. If we know of a kind act which we might, but do not intend to, perform,--if we be aware that our moral health requires the abandonment of some pleasure which yet we do not intend to abandon, here is cause enough for the loss of all spiritual power.

F. P. COBBE.

It is astonishing how soon the whole conscience begins to unravel, if a single stitch drops; one little sin indulged makes a hole you could put your head through.

CHARLES BUXTON.

March 23

_Beloved, thou doest faithfully whatsoever thou doest_.--3 JOHN 5.

_And this also we wish, even your perfection_.--2 COR. xiii. 9.

In all the little things of life, Thyself, Lord, may I see; In little and in great alike Reveal Thy love to me.

So shall my undivided life To Thee, my God, be given; And all this earthly course below Be one dear path to heaven.

H. BONAR.

In order to mould thee into entire conformity to His will, He must have thee pliable in His hands, and this pliability is more quickly reached by yielding in the little things than even by the greater. Thy one great desire is to follow Him fully; canst thou not say then a continual "yes" to all His sweet commands, whether small or great, and trust Him to lead thee by the shortest road to thy fullest blessedness?

H. W. SMITH.

With meekness, humility, and diligence, apply yourself to the duties of your condition. They are the seemingly little things which make no noise that do the business.

HENRY MORE.

March 24

_I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for Thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety_.--PS. iv. 8.

_He giveth His beloved sleep_.--PS. cxxvii. 2.

He guides our feet, He guards our way, His morning smiles bless all the day; He spreads the evening veil, and keeps The silent hours while Israel sleeps.

I. WATTS.

We sleep in peace in the arms of God, when we yield ourselves up to His providence, in a delightful consciousness of His tender mercies; no more restless uncertainties, no more anxious desires, no more impatience at the place we are in; for it is God who has put us there, and who holds us in His arms. Can we be unsafe where He has placed us?

FRANÇOIS DE LA MOTHE FÉNELON.

One evening when Luther saw a little bird perched on a tree, to roost there for the night, he said, "This little bird has had its supper, and now it is getting ready to go to sleep here, quite secure and content, never troubling itself what its food will be, or where its lodging on the morrow. Like David, it 'abides under the shadow of the Almighty.' It sits on its little twig content, and lets God take care."

MARTIN LUTHER.

March 25

_I will hear what God the Lord will speak: for He will speak peace unto His people_.--PS. lxxxv. 8.

There is a voice, "a still, small voice" of love, Heard from above; But not amidst the din of earthly sounds, Which here confounds; By those withdrawn apart it best is heard, And peace, sweet peace, breathes in each gentle word.

ANONYMOUS.

He speaketh, but it is with us to hearken or no. It is much, yea, it is everything, not to turn away the ear, to be willing to hearken, not to drown His voice. "The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him." It is a secret, hushed voice, a gentle intercourse of heart to heart, a still, small voice, whispering to the inner ear. How should we hear it, if we fill our ears and our hearts with the din of this world, its empty tumult, its excitement, its fretting vanities, or cares, or passions, or anxieties, or show, or rivalries, and its whirl of emptinesses?

E. B. PUSEY.

March 26

_Are they not all ministering spirits_?--HEB. i. 14

May I reach That purest heaven, be to other souls The cup of strength in some great agony, Enkindle generous ardor, feed pure love, Be the sweet presence of a good diffused, And in diffusion ever more intense! So shall I join the choir invisible Whose music is the gladness of the world.

GEORGE ELIOT.

Certainly, in our own little sphere it is not the most active people to whom we owe the most. Among the common people whom we know, it is not necessarily those who are busiest, not those who, meteor-like, are ever on the rush after some visible charge and work. It is the lives, like the stars, which simply pour down on us the calm light of their bright and faithful being, up to which we look and out of which we gather the deepest calm and courage. It seems to me that there is reassurance here for many of us who seem to have no chance for active usefulness. We can do nothing for our fellow-men. But still it is good to know that we can be something for them; to know (and this we may know surely) that no man or woman of the humblest sort can really be strong, gentle, pure, and good, without the world being better for it, without somebody being helped and comforted by the very existence of that goodness.

PHILLIPS BROOKS.

March 27

_If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and His love is perfected in us_.--I JOHN iv. 12.

_And he that keepeth His commandments dwelleth in Him, and He in him. And hereby we know that He abideth in us, by the Spirit which He hath given us_.--I JOHN iii. 24.