Chapter 10

--Matthew 6. 25.

My Father, save me from the habit of borrowing. So often I borrow trouble and cannot use it, when the peace that I possess is all that I need. Help me, that I may not miss the glory of to-day, by anticipating the uncertainty of to-morrow; but may I discern my place and have delight in every day. Amen.

JULY FOURTEENTH

Bastille destroyed 1789.

Jane Baillie Welch Carlyle born 1801.

Owen Wister born 1860.

Sail fast, sail fast, Ark of my hopes, Ark of my dreams; Sweep lordly o'er the drowned Past, Fly glittering through the sun's strange beams; Sail fast, sail fast. Breath of new buds from off some drying lea, With news about the Future scent the sea; My brain is beating like the heart of Haste. I'll loose me a bird upon this Present waste; Go, trembling song, And stay not long; O, stay not long; Thou art only a gray and sober dove, But thine eye is faith and thy wing is love.

--Sidney Lanier.

God speed thee, pretty bird; may thy small nest, With little ones all in good time be blest. I love thee much; For well thou managest that life of thine, Well I!--O ask not what I do with mine! Would I were such!

--Jane Welch Carlyle.

Behold the birds of the heaven, that they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; and your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are not ye of much more value than they?

--Matthew 6. 26.

My Father, may I start this day with more faith in myself and greater love for thy world. May my soul be awakened to the highest and be ready for the joys of to-day. Amen.

JULY FIFTEENTH

Inigo Jones born 1573.

Rembrandt born 1607.

Henry Edward Manning born 1808.

William Winter born 1836.

His was the heart that overmuch In human goodness puts its trust, And his the keen, satiric touch That shrivels falsehood into dust.

Fierce for the right, he bore his part In strife with many a valiant foe; But laughter winged his polished dart, And kindness tempered every blow.

--William Winter.

A wise man will so act that whatever he does may rather seem voluntary and of his own free will than done by compulsion, however much he may be compelled by necessity.

--Machiavelli.

Wherefore I saw that there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his works; for that is his portion: for who shall bring him back to see what shall be after him?

--Ecclesiastes 3. 22.

Lord God, may I not forget that it is in the light, and not the darkness, that my work is revealed. I beseech thee to pour in thy light as I plan my life, and open my heart and mind for the reception of thy truth. Amen.

JULY SIXTEENTH

Andrea del Sarto born 1486.

Sir Joshua Reynolds born 1723.

Margaret Fuller Ossoli perished at sea 1850.

Reverence the highest, have patience with the lowest. Let this day's performance of the meanest duty be thy religion. Are the stars too distant? Pick up the pebble that lies at thy feet and from it learn all.

--Margaret Fuller.

The situation that has not its Duty, its Ideal, was never yet occupied by man. Yet, here is this miserable, despicable Actual, wherein thou standest--here or nowhere is thy Ideal! Work it out therefrom!

--Thomas Carlyle.

And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only, in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you he shall in no wise lose his reward.

--Matthew 10. 42.

Great God, may I begin this day bearing in mind that the things which I think and do are my life. I pray that thou wilt keep me from making great efforts for that which is valueless, and thus waste my life. May I watch my pride and indolence that they may not cause me to lose the best. Amen.

JULY SEVENTEENTH

Dr. Isaac Watts born 1674.

Charlotte Corday guillotined 1793.

Paul Delaroche born 1797.

J.A. McNeil Whistler died 1903.

So frail is the youth and beauty of men, Though they bloom and look gay like the rose; But all our fond cares to preserve them is vain, Time kills them as fast as he goes.

Then I'll not be proud of my youth nor my beauty, Since both of them wither and fade; But gain a good name by well doing my duty; For this will scent like the rose when I'm dead.

--Isaac Watts.

Onward, onward may we press Through the path of duty; Virtue is true happiness, Excellence true beauty; Minds are of supernal birth, Let us make a heaven of earth.

--James Montgomery.

All things therefore whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, even so do ye also unto them.

--Matthew 7. 12.

My Lord and my strength, I pray that I may possess that expectancy which comes in joyous hope and have the endurance that is controlled by courage and energy. Grant in the future that I may be less concerned about my living and more anxious for what I make of my life. Amen.

JULY EIGHTEENTH

William Makepeace Thackeray born 1811.

Jane Austen died 1817.

Jean Antoine Watteau died 1721.

Learn to admire rightly: the great pleasure of life is that. Note what great men admired; they admired great things; narrow spirits admire basely and worship meanly.

--W.M. Thackeray.

Our thoughts are often more than we are, just as they are often better than we are. And God sees us as we are altogether, and not in separate feelings or actions, as our fellow men see us. We are always doing each other injustice, and thinking better or worse of each other than we deserve, because we only hear separate feelings or actions. We don't see each other's whole nature.

--George Eliot.

The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose.

--Isaiah 35. 1.

Eternal God, may I become more like thee. Give me the desire to associate myself with people and places where the divine spirit is supreme. May my soul breathe in the influence of all that is good and true; and may I use my life for thy honor and praise. Amen.

JULY NINETEENTH

John Martin born 1789.

Samuel Colt born 1814.

Charles Victor Cherbuliez born 1829.

In love, if love be love, if love be ours, Faith and unfaith can ne'er be equal powers: Unfaith in aught is want of faith in all.

It is the little rift within the lute That by and by will make the music mute, And ever widening slowly silence all. The little rift within the lover's lute, Or little pitted speck in garner'd fruit, That rotting inward slowly molders all.

It is not worth the keeping: let it go: But shall it? Answer, darling, answer no. And trust me not at all or all in all.

--Alfred Tennyson.

Take us the foxes, the little foxes, That spoil the vineyards; For our vineyards are in blossom.

--Song of Solomon 2. 15.

Loving Father, help me to put away the distractions and cares that make me discontented. Grant that I may not set myself in "gilded pride" and keep out the precious things of life. Help me to abandon doubt and suspicion, and keep the faith that is happy to believe and willing to forgive. Amen.

JULY TWENTIETH

Petrarch born 1304.

Thomas Lovell Beddoes born 1803.

John Sterling born 1806.

Jean Ingelow died 1897.

Let thy day be to the night A letter of good tidings! Let thy praise Go up as birds go up--that when they awake, Shake off the dew and soar.

--Jean Ingelow.

I, and the bird, And the wind together, Sang a supplication In the winter weather.

The bird sang for sunshine, And the trees for winter fruit, And for love in the spring time When the thickets shoot.

And I sang for patience When the teardrops start; Clean hands and clear eyes, And a faithful heart.

--Arthur C. Benson.

Unto thee, O Jehovah, do I lift up my soul.

--Psalm 25. 1.

Lord God, if I am discouraged this morning, may I pause for thine encouragement. Grant that the fear of the night may make no decline in my morn, but that "into the future I may fuse the past," and use what is clearest for to-day. Amen.

JULY TWENTY-FIRST

Matthew Pryor born 1664.

William Lord Russell beheaded 1683.

Robert Burns died 1796.

Our heaven must be within ourselves, Our home and heaven the work of faith And thro' this race of life which shelves Downward to death. While over all a dome must spread, And love shall be that dome above; And deep foundations must be laid, And these are love.

--Christina Rossetti.

If happiness has not her seat And center in the breast, We may be wise or rich or great, But never can be blest.

--Robert Burns.

Keep thy heart with all diligence; For out of it are the issues of life.

--Proverbs 4.

My Father, if I choose to be unhappy and miserable, may I not be to myself and friends as "a harp with one string." Help me to free myself from thinking and anticipating things that keep me from the pleasure that I might receive and give. May I have more trust in my friends and in thee. Amen.

JULY TWENTY-SECOND

Sir John Graham killed 1298.

Pilgrims started for America 1620.

Earl of Shaftesbury (Anthony Ashley Cooper) born 1621.

How comes it to pass, then, that we appear such cowards in reasoning, and are so afraid to stand the test of ridicule?

--Earl of Shaftesbury.

He that of such a height hath built his mind, And reared the dwelling of his thoughts so strong, As neither fear nor hope can shake the frame Of his resolved powers; nor all the wind Of vanity or malice pierce to wrong His settled peace, or to disturb the same: What a fair seat hath he, from whence he may The boundless wastes and wilds of man survey?

--Samuel Daniel.

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee; because he trusteth in thee.

--Isaiah 26. 3.

O Lord, it is not that I am ashamed to ask thee for the truth that I do not more diligently seek it, but it is because I fear the sacrifice that may follow in obtaining it. I would that I could understand that thy strength is given in the sacrifice. Make me braver as I seek to live in the truth. Amen.

JULY TWENTY-THIRD

Richard Gibson died 1690.

Charlotte Cushman born 1816.

Coventry Patmore born 1823.

I do not ask, O Lord, that life may be A pleasant road; I do not ask that thou would'st take from me Aught of its load.

For one thing only, Lord, dear Lord, I plead: Lead me aright-- Though strength should falter, and though heart should bleed-- Through peace to light.

--Adelaide A. Procter.

O, why and whither?--God knows all, I only know that he is good, And that whatever may befall Or here or there, must be the best that could.

--John G. Whittier.

Lead me, O Jehovah, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies; Make thy way straight before my face.

--Psalm 5. 8.

Loving Father, may I never fail to ask for thy guidance, for thou hast promised to lead me to the cool springs while I pass through the desert places. Help me to put myself in thy keeping and say, "Thy will be done." Amen.

JULY TWENTY-FOURTH

Rev. John Newton born 1725.

John P. Curran born 1750.

J.G. Holland born 1819.

As the winged arrow flies Speedily the mark to find; As the lightning from the skies Darts and leaves no trace behind; Swiftly thus our fleeting days Bear us down life's rapid stream; Upward, Lord, our spirits raise; All below is but a dream.

--John Newton.

O gentlemen! the time is short; To spend that shortness basely were too long, If life did ride upon a dial's point, Still ending at the arrival of an hour.

--William Shakespeare.

Jehovah, make me to know mine end, And the measure of my days, what it is; Let me know how frail I am.

--Psalm 39. 4.

Lord, forbid that I should overcast my life with intentions, and neglect to put in the deeds. May I not be satisfied to spend my days in being merely occupied, but live to learn and work. May I not be dismayed over what I might have been, but with all my might do what I can now. Amen.

JULY TWENTY-FIFTH

Thomas à Kempis died 1471.

Simon Bolivar born 1783.

Arthur James Balfour born 1848.

Blessed indeed are those ears which listen not after the voice which is sounding without, but after the truth teaching within.

--Thomas à Kempis.

How joyed my heart in the rich melodies That overhead and round me did arise! The moving leaves--the water's gentle flow-- Delicious music hung on every bough. Then said I in my heart, "If that the Lord Such lively music on the earth accord; If to weak, sinful man such sounds are given, O! what must be the melody of heaven!"

--Izaak Walton.

But thou, O Jehovah, knowest me; thou seest me, and triest my heart toward thee.

--Jeremiah 12. 3.

Loving Father, thou hast made it needful for me to know that the songs which are sung by divine love are rarely heard by cruel hearts. Grant that my soul may chord with the sweetest music that vibrates in the beauty and harmony of life. Amen.

JULY TWENTY-SIXTH

Charles Emmanuel died 1630.

John Wilmot died 1680.

George Clinton born 1739.

Quiet minds cannot be perplexed or frightened, but go on in fortune or misfortune at their own private pace, like a clock during a thunderstorm.

--Robert L. Stevenson.

I have learned, as days have passed me, Fretting never lifts the load; And worry, much or little, Never smooths an irksome road; For do you know that somehow, always, Doors are opened, ways are made; When we work and live in patience Under all the cross that's laid.

--Unknown.

But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell securely, And shall be quiet without fear of evil.

--Proverbs 1. 33.

Merciful and just God, I pray that I may regulate my life by thy standards and conform my life to thy laws, that thy goodness and mercy may not be wasted on me. Help me to bear in mind, that willingness is the power that starts the hands to work. May I have thy presence while I wait in quietness, that I may be helped through the anxious moments. Amen.

JULY TWENTY-SEVENTH

Thomas Campbell born 1777.

Alexandre Dumas-fils born 1824.

Dr. John Dalton died 1844.

What's hallowed ground? 'Tis what gives birth To sacred thoughts in souls of worth!-- Peace! Independence! Truth! go forth Earth's compass round; And your high-priesthood shall make earth All hallowed ground.

--Thomas Campbell.

Remember the week day to keep it holy.

--Elbert Hubbard.

The meaning of life comes to us mostly in great revealing flashes and intense emotions.

--Dean Farrar.

To the pure all things are pure.

--Titus 1. 15.

Gracious Father, may I not feel that it is necessary to wait for certain days and ceremonies to prepare to worship thee, while at every moment thy love is pleading for me. May I through the busiest hours and the most perplexing moments serve thee in reverence and obedience, and ever give praise to thy holy name. Amen.

JULY TWENTY-EIGHTH

John Sebastian Bach died 1750.

Robespierre executed 1794.

Jean Baptiste Corot born 1796.

O Light that followest all my way, I yield my flickering torch to thee; My heart restores its borrowed ray, That in thy sunshine's blaze its day May brighter, fairer be.

--George Matheson.

Follow your Star that lights a desert pathway, yours or mine, Forward, till you learn the highest Human Nature is divine. Follow Light and do the Right--for man can half control his doom-- Till you see the deathless Angel seated in the vacant Tomb.

--Alfred Tennyson.

My soul waiteth for the Lord, More than watchmen wait for the morning; Yea, more than watchmen for the morning.

--Psalm 130. 6.

Almighty God, help me to kindle my life by the shining light of thy power and love, that I may be an ambassador for thee. Amen.

JULY TWENTY-NINTH

Andrew Marvell died 1678.

William Wilberforce died 1833.

Dr. Thomas Dick died 1857.

I wrestle not with rage While fury's flame doth burn; It is vain to stop the stream Until the tide doth turn.

But when the flame is out And ebbing wrath doth end I turn a late enraged foe Into a quiet friend.

--Robert Southwell.

If I can lend A strong hand to the fallen, or defend The right against a single envious strain, My life though bare Perhaps of much that seemeth dear and fair To us on earth, will not have been in vain.

--Unknown.

A friend loveth at all times; And a brother is born for adversity.

--Proverbs 17. 17.

Gracious Father of us all, if I may have cause to be provoked to-day, help me to rise above my angry passions, and not from weakness plunge into that for which I may be sorry. Make me self-forgetful, that I may be willing to make peace with those whom I may have displeased. Amen.

JULY THIRTIETH

Samuel Rogers born 1763.

Thomas Gray died 1771.

W.T. Adams (Oliver Optic) born 1822.

Prince Bismarck died 1898.

Sit down, sad soul, and count The moments flying; Come, tell the sweet amount That's lost by sighing! How many smiles?--a score? Then laugh, and count no more; For day is dying.

Lie down sad soul, and sleep, And no more measure The flight of time, nor weep The loss of leisure; But here by this lone stream, Lie down with us, and dream Of starry treasure.

Bryan Waller Procter.

The only thing grief has taught me is to know how shallow it is. Grief will not carry you one step into real nature; grief can teach me nothing.

--Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Leave off, ye simple ones, and live; And walk in the way of understanding.

--Proverbs 9. 6.

God of love, may I come quickly to thee, when I am in need of protection and sympathy. Guard me against sorrow that is drawn from the imagination. May I not allow grief to drag me into misery, but with strength and courage may I find happiness in thy daily will. Amen.

JULY THIRTY-FIRST

John Conybeare died 1775.

John Ericsson born 1803.

Paul B. Du Chaillu born 1835.

Phoebe Cary died 1871.

Be wise to-day; 'tis madness to defer; Next day the fatal precedent will plead; Thus on, till wisdom is pushed out of life. Procrastination is the thief of time; Year after year it steals, till all are fled, And to the mercies of a moment leaves The vast concerns of an eternal scene.

--Dr. Edward Young.

O, my friend, rise up and follow Where the hand of God shall lead; He has brought thee through affliction, But to fit thee for his need.

--Mary Howitt.

For he is our God, And we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. To-day, O that ye would hear his voice! Harden not your heart.

--Psalm 95. 7, 8.

Lord God, I come to thee for help, that I may make more of my life. Steady me, that I may know its value without wavering, and the loss it sustains from wasted days. I pray that I may live more in thy commandments, and with my work accept the joy of thy love. Amen.

AUGUST

Flame-like, the long midday, With not so much of sweet air as hath stirred The down upon the spray, Where nests the panting bird, Dozing away the hot and tedious noon, With fitful twitter, sadly out of tune.

Pleasantly comest thou, Dew of the evening, to the crisped-up grass; And the curled corn-blades bow, As the light breezes pass, That their parched lips may feel thee, and expand, Thou sweet reviver of the fevered land.

So, to the thirsting soul, Cometh the dew of the Almighty's love; And the scathed heart, made whole, Turneth in joy above, To where the spirit freely may expand, And rove, untrammeled, in that "better land."

--William D. Gallagher.

AUGUST FIRST

Andrew Melville born 1545.

Richard Henry Dana, Jr., born 1815.

Maria Mitchell born 1818.

Am I wrong to be always so happy? This world is full of grief; Yet there is laughter of sunshine, to see the crisp green on the leaf, Daylight is ringing with song-birds, and brooklets are crooning at night; And why should I make a shadow when God makes all so bright? Earth may be wicked and weary, yet cannot I help being glad! There is sunshine without and within me, and how should I mope or be sad? God would not flood me with blessings, meaning me only to pine Amid all the bounties and beauties he pours upon me and mine; Therefore I will be grateful, and therefore will I rejoice; My heart is singing within me; sing on, O heart and voice.

--Walter C. Smith.

Rejoice always.

--1 Thessalonians 5. 16.

Gracious Father, my soul floods with joy for the blessings of life. May it be my privilege to be happy in them. Help me not to ask thee for anything which will cause loss to another; may I not delight in a lonely view, but as I see thy glory bring others to the vision also. Amen.

AUGUST SECOND

Thomas Gainsborough died 1788.

Elisha Gray born 1835.

Marion Crawford born 1854.

William Watson born 1859.

The Holy Supper is kept, indeed, In whatso we share with another's need; Not what we give, but what we share, For the gift without the giver is bare; Who gives himself with his alms feeds three, Himself, his hungering neighbor, and me.

--James Russell Lowell.

And when o'er storm and jar I climb, Beyond life's atmosphere, I shall behold the lord of time And space--of world and year.

O vain, far quest! not thus my heart Shall ever find its goal! I turn me home--and there thou art, My Father, in my soul.

--George Macdonald.

That they should seek God, if haply they might feel after him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us; for in him we live, and move, and have our being.

--Acts 17. 27, 28.

O Lord, my gracious Father, may I not be so eager for more, that I feel I have nothing to spare. Help me to realize that if I may be on the mountain-top, or at the level of the sea, thy spirit may dwell in my soul. May I rejoice that I can always receive and share thy grace and love. Amen.

AUGUST THIRD

John Henley born 1692.

Henry Cuyler Bunner born 1855.

Eugene Sue died 1857.

Set out in the very morning of your lives with a frank and manly determination to look simply for what is right and true in all things.... This is the only way to know God's will and do it. You may not find it at once, but you have set your face in the true direction to find it.

--Jeremy Taylor.

The important thing in life is to have a great aim, and to possess the aptitude and perseverance to attain it.

--Goethe.

Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, That seek him with the whole heart.

--Psalm 119. 2.

Lord God, forbid that I should lose the opportunities of making my life by waiting for sudden developments. Cause me to notice that the tree that bears fruit must first grow the blossom before it may be perfected by the sun: whether thou hast made me greater or less, may I be ashamed to live in untruth and wait in idleness. Amen.

AUGUST FOURTH

Percy Bysshe Shelley born 1792.

Edward Irving born 1792.

Walter H. Pater born 1839.

We look before and after, And pine for what is not; Our sincerest laughter With some pain is fraught; Our sweetest songs are those that tell of saddest thought.

Yet if we could scorn Hate and pride and fear, If we were things born Not to shed a tear, I know not how thy joy we ever could come near.

--Percy Bysshe Shelley.

It becomes no man to nurse despair, But in the teeth of clenched antagonisms To follow up the worthiest till he die.

--Alfred Tennyson.

He suffered no man to do them wrong; Yea, he reproved kings for their sakes.

--1 Chronicles 16. 21.