Part 16
_Long years thereafter, by a palace door, The footstep of the Master paused once more From whence the old voice answered piteously,-- "Lord, I am poor, my house unfit for Thee; Nor peace nor pleasures bless my princely board, Nor love nor health; what could I give Thee, Lord? Lord, I am poor, unworthy, stained with sin,--" Yet He went in._
MABEL EARLE.
We who are poor in spirit, turn to Thee who art the giver of every good and perfect gift, to hold out our empty hands and pray that Thou wilt make us rich. During the past days and years we have been out in Thy world striving for more things and then more things and yet more things, forgetful of the fact that a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. Now, realizing the poverty of our real lives, we ask Thee to bestow upon us those eternal riches which pertain to the human soul and possessing which we shall have treasure in that heaven within where moth and rust do not corrupt nor thieves break through and steal. So shall we be rich indeed. Amen.
FRANK OLIVER HALL.
October 3
_Be strong! We are not here to play, to dream, to drift. We have hard work to do, and loads to lift. Shun not the struggle; face it. 'Tis God's gift._
_Be strong! Say not the days are evil,--who's to blame? And fold the hands and acquiesce--O shame! Stand up, speak out, and bravely, in God's name._
_Be strong! It matters not how deep intrenched the wrong, How hard the battle goes, the day how long, Faint not, fight on! Tomorrow comes the song._
MALTBIE DAVENPORT BABCOCK.
O our Father, we thank Thee for this new morning. Truly the light is sweet and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the same. Lift Thou upon us the light of Thy countenance and bid us go in peace. So shall we begin the day aright. With gentle skill Thou dost deal with us. Thou art not careless with us or hasty or impatient. Help us to be strong in Thee. May we be able to cast out of our lives everything that would grieve Thee and harm us. With a loving spirit may we serve Thee this day. May we be rooted and grounded in love. However hard the battle may go give us courage and confidence to believe that through Christ, strengthening us, we can do all things required of us. Lord, increase our faith. Amen.
J. E. HAWKINS.
October 4
_Nobody proves God's being. But, suddenly, one sees God is here. One speaks and God answers. Thereafter all is sure._
EDWARD EVERETT HALE.
_There is nothing that so persuades us of the great realities of moral and spiritual being as the man in whom God is manifest, the type of our human nature at its best, and the indorsement of the sublime faith that God in humanity is the supreme revelation of Himself!_
HORATIO STEBBINS.
Blessed Father, as the morning light has triumphed in its struggle to overcome darkness, so Thou dost gently but irresistibly call us from slumber to the glories and duties of the new day. May we be strong in the sweet assurance that the unfolding hours are full of blessing because Thou art caring for us. Help us to do Thy will by enabling us to minister to those around us. May the words of our mouth and the industry of our hands reveal Thy guiding love. Enable us to order our ways by the habit of trust that we have learned through Thy constancy. Wilt Thou disappoint our fears, steady our hearts, and show us the way of obedience, peace and service that we may realize the good through the day and rejoice in it, as disciples of Christ. Amen.
JAMES D. CORBY.
October 5
_Thou knowest not what argument Thy life to thy neighbor's creed hath lent; All are needed by each one; Nothing is good or fair alone._
RALPH WALDO EMERSON.
_Men will not be content to live every man for himself, nor to die every man for himself. In work, in art, in study, in trade--in all life, indeed, the children of God, called by a Saviour's voice, will wish to live in the common cause. They will live for the common wealth,--this is the modern phrase. They will bear each other's burdens,--this is the phrase of Paul. They will live in the life of love. And it will prove true as it was promised, that all things are added to the community which thus seeks the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness._
EDWARD EVERETT HALE.
Eternal God, who dost still create the light, and make the morning and the evening of our days, by Thy light we look to Thee. In Thy light we worship Thee. Gird us with strength to work with Thee to bring Thy Kingdom in. May we lose and find ourselves again in the larger whole of life by ministering to others' needs; by bearing others' burdens; by sharing their joys and tears and the common fruits of toil, thus making our life and faith in Thee become their own. Let Thy work appear unto Thy servants, and establish Thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish Thou it; and let Thy beauty and Thy glory be upon us forever and ever. Amen.
C. E. HOLMES.
October 6
_Master, to do great work for Thee, my hand Is far too weak! Thou givest what may suit, Some little chips to cut with care minute, Or tint, or grave, or polish. Others stand Before their quarried marble, fair and grand, And make a life-work of the grand design Which Thou hast traced; or, many-skilled, combine To build vast temples, gloriously planned. Yet take the tiny stones which I have wrought Just one by one, as they were given by Thee, Not knowing what came next in Thy wise thought. Let each stone by Thy master-hand of grace Form the mosaic as Thou wilt for me And in Thy temple-pavement give it place._
FRANCES RIDLEY HAVERGAL.
Father, we are shortsighted and weak, and hence cannot do our best work without Thine aid. We rejoice in the privileges and opportunities of this day. Thou hast counted us worthy to work for Thee. Thou canst use our loaves and fishes, but dost require us to bring thus our little all for Thy blessing. We are inspired with hope to make our consecration to Thee. Make this a day of glorious service. Guide us in our thoughts and work. Glorify Thyself in our life. And wherever the close of this day may find us may it be with the feeling that we have done our best by Thy blessing and help. Amen.
J. W. FULTON.
October 7
_"Whatever the weather may be," says he-- "Whatever the weather may be, It's the songs ye sing, an' the smiles ye wear, That's a-making the sun shine everywhere; An' the world of gloom is a world of glee, Wid the bird in the bush, an' the bud in the tree An' the fruit on the stim o' the bough," says he, "Whatever the weather may be," says he-- "Whatever the weather may be!"_
JAMES WHITCOMB RILEY.
O Father of Lights, with whom can be no variation, neither shadow that is cast by turning, help us today so to trust Thee that our joy may be unclouded. Thy love is unchanging in its radiance and warmth. Therefore let it glow in me and through me light someone who may be in darkness. O strong Son of God, who art the same, yesterday, today, yea, and forever, enable us, we beseech Thee, to be brave and cheery as though Thyself wast in the darkest hours as in the brightest. Teach us that the storm and trial is just our opportunity to shine. Cleanse us of all disobedience and darkness. Be our constant Comforter. Let others see that it is Christ within us. Amen.
THOMAS W. SMITH.
October 8
_Look up to God, and say, "Make use of me for the future as Thou wilt. I am of the same mind; I am equal with Thee. I refuse nothing which seems good to Thee. Lead me whither Thou wilt. Clothe me in whatever dress Thou wilt. Is it Thy will that I should be in a public or private condition; dwell here, or be banished; be poor or rich? Under all these circumstances I will make Thy defence to men. I will show what the nature of everything is."_
EPICTETUS.
Merciful Father, we begin this day, knowing not what the end may be, with thoughts of Thee and Thy loving kindness. May this be to us a day of joy, a day upon which we can look back and say we have been blessed by Thee. We pray for that spirit that enabled others to labor in the cause of love and righteousness, and while we may not be able to accomplish all the good we have set our hearts upon, may the thought that our lives and our labors have not been in vain, inspire us and others with courage to continue the work of helping and blessing our fellowmen. Amen.
DONALD FRASER.
October 9
_Men deny the Divine Existence with as little feeling as the most assert it. Even in our true systems we go on collecting mere words, playmarks and medals, as the misers do coins; and not till late do we transmute the words into feelings, the coins into enjoyments. A man may for twenty years believe the immortality of the soul; in the one-and-twentieth, in some great moment, he for the first time discovers with amazement the rich meaning of this belief, and the warmth of this naphtha-well._
RICHTER.
O Thou Who slumberest not, nor sleepest, in the dawn of this new day we look trustingly to Thee. While the night has been enfolding us, Thy loving care has held us in the everlasting arms. May this day be for us a fresh consecration. May we be ennobled in Thee. May we share Thy life in things small or great. However humble our lives--however emptied our experience of that which wins the plaudits of men, may we manifest Thee. By us may Thy Kingdom come and Thy will be done. Amen.
GEORGE H. YOUNG.
October 10
_Thou wilt not hold in scorn the child who dares Look up to Thee, the Father,--dares to ask More than Thy wisdom answers. From Thy hand The worlds were cast; yet every leaflet claims From that same hand its little shining sphere Of star-lit dew; thine image, the great sun, Girt with his mantle of tempestuous flame, Glares in mid-heaven; but to his noontide blaze The slender violet lifts its lidless eye, And from his splendor steals its fairest hue, Its sweetest perfume from the scorching fire._
OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES.
Thou great Spirit of life and power, we do not shrink in terror before Thee, but come to Thee in trust and love. Though we cannot fathom the mystery of Thy life nor measure the might of Thy power, yet we have learned to call Thee Father; and even as the violet lifts its face to the noonday sun to find the secret of its life, so we lift our faces to Thee, to find the secret of our lives. Thou answerest us with tenderness. Thou speakest to us in love. Fresh from sleep, we put our hands in Thine to be led forth to the duties of the day. May we go forth with that confidence and hope, which are born of trust in Thee, our Father. Amen.
GEORGE L. PERIN.
October 11
_Now believe me, God hides some ideal in every human soul. 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 that whatever we get short of that will burn up like stubble, though the whole world try to save it._
ROBERT COLLYER.
God of all power and might, come into our lives with Thy might and Thy power. Awaken us from that slumber of death-in-life which easily and sweetly steals through the door, and, like some new Delilah, binds the strong will within. Come, come as the fresh morning sun, to drive away the mist of our sloth and indecision. Come, enter; and bring with Thee the upstirring power and the wide radiance of the life divine. Come, enter, and abide! When Thou art absent, though life be easy, it doth not satisfy us; but when Thou art present, though life be hard, it doth also content us. O God of all power and might, come Thou into our lives with Thy might and Thy power. Amen.
MELVIN BRANDOW.
October 12
_If you really want to help your fellowmen, you must not merely have in you what would do them good if they should take it from you, but you must be such a man that they can take it from you. The snow must melt upon the mountain and come down in a spring torrent, before its richness can make the valley rich. And yet in every age there are cold, hard, unsympathetic wise men standing up aloof, like snow banks on the hill tops, conscious of the locked up fertility in them and wondering that their wisdom does not save the world._
PHILLIPS BROOKS.
O Thou, who hast kept us safely during the unconsciousness of our slumbering hours and brought us refreshed to this morning light, prepare us for the duties of this day by filling us with the assurance that we are Thine, and that Thou lovest us. Help us to be more like Thee, to love Thee more and serve Thee better. May we manifest our love to Thee by our willingness to be of service to our fellowmen. Make us warm-hearted and true, helpful and kind, reflecting Thy love and doing Thy will. We are glad to live in this beautiful world. And we pray that we may be faithful co-laborers with Jesus Christ, in bringing light, love and joy to all lives. Amen.
EUGENE M. GRANT.
October 13
_A few more smiles of silent sympathy, a few more tender words, a little more restraint in temper, may make all the difference between happiness and half-happiness to those I live with._
STOPFORD A. BROOKE.
_Others shall sing the song, Others shall right the wrong, Finish what I begin, And all I fail to win, What matter, I or they, Mine or another's day, So the right word be said, And life the sweeter made?_
JOHN GREENLEAF WHITTIER.
Father, so little of the world in which we live is Thy world, so much our world, the petty, dwarfed world of our own small vision, that we lose heart and fail to do our share. Help us to see that, as in the densest swamps the sweetest flowers grow, so, even in our darkest hours, we still may be sweet at heart, saying the word, doing the deed, giving the sympathy, that will make the world sing and blossom. If there are times when pain and darkness obscure our vision of Thee, help us to look on to the sunset of our day, when the black pall is transfigured at the touch of Thy glory,--when sorrow and failure transcended by gentleness are our beauty and salvation. Amen.
JOHN M. DAVIDSON.
October 14
_There is not a man in the world who is not saved by hope every day of his life. Rob one of hope and you have robbed him of his power. Nothing may so quickly unnerve a man and render him helpless as to take hope out of his heart. What is poverty? What is sickness? What is disaster? What are daily burdens? What signifies the desertion of friends, what of death itself so long as a man can hope? The man who hopes will brush every difficulty out of the way. He will put aside every suggestion of failure. Take hope out of a man's heart and you have taken all. Put hope into a man's heart and you have given all._
GEORGE L. PERIN.
We thank Thee, O God, for the light of another morning, for the privilege of entering upon another day. We shall meet with those who do not understand life nor the world in which we live. It is to them only a place to bear burdens, to toil, to endure. Give us, O Father, understanding minds and hearts. Teach us to know that life is a great opportunity, that Thy plans for each one are very broad, that the world is full of open doors; and inspired by this knowledge may no despondent soul cross our path without being helped and made to feel that every life through the love of God and the guidance of God may be made sublime. Amen.
ALEXANDER DIGHT.
October 15
_Ho! for the bending sheaves, Ho! for the crimson leaves Flaming in splendor! Season of ripened gold, Plenty in crib and fold, Skies with a depth untold Liquid and tender._
JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL.
Source Infinite and Eternal of Light and Life; Creator of being flowing on forever; Minister far and wide of unspeakable bounty; Through whose power rise the riches of Nature; From whose abundance descend all gifts to man; Soul of our souls and safeguard of the world; To whom all Intelligence looks through every dawn; And by whose support the heart of man is stayed; Let there be to our steps paths of brightness; to our lives laws of justice, kindness, and trust, that we may abound in doing good and by grace, mercy, and truth duly shown, may obtain grateful remembrance evermore. Amen.
EDWARD C. TOWNE.
October 16
_There is something in the autumn that is native to my blood Touch of manner, hint of mood; And my heart is like a rhyme, With the yellow and the purple and the crimson keeping time._
_The scarlet of the maples can shake me like a cry Of bugles going by. And my lonely spirit thrills To see the frosty asters like a smoke upon the hills._
RICHARD HOVEY.
O Father, my heart is lonely till I feel Thy spirit near, and then the glory of the season brings a message to my soul. Help me now to see Thy master hand in the great beauty of the world. May my soul that feels the glad riot of color know that he who gives such beauty and bounty has for me far richer blessings in the great fields of the future. May this day, begun with Nature's rhythm be set with the music of holy purpose and noble service. And may the music sound not alone for me, but for others that we together may march forward in the spirit of Him who loved the lilies of the field and the fowls of the air. Amen.
CHARLES E. VARNEY.
October 17
_Thousands of years ago a leaf fell on the soft clay, and seemed to be lost. But last summer a geologist in his ramblings broke off a piece of rock with his hammer, and there lay the image of the leaf, with every line and every vein and all the delicate tracery preserved in the stone through those centuries. So the words we speak and the things we do today may seem to be lost, but in the great final revealing the smallest of them will appear._
JAMES RUSSELL MILLER.
Our Father we thank Thee for the light of this new day. Tenderly Thou hast withdrawn the curtain of the night and shown us the beauties and glories of Nature, reminding us of Thine own blessed verdict in the dawn of creation, "Behold they are very good." Good indeed, is it to live in such a world, and we thank Thee for our being. We ask this morning, dear Lord, not for the perishing things of earth, but for continued power and disposition to enjoy Thee and Thy works, for a faith that never wavers and a hope that never grows dim, for such a portion of this world's goods as the wise may enjoy without harm and the righteous hold without wrong. Amen.
JAMES SALLAWAY.
October 18
_Nay, I wrong you, little flower, Reading mournful mood of mine In your looks, that give no sign Of a spirit dark and cheerless: You possess the heavenly power That rejoices in the hour, Glad, contented, free and fearless,-- Lifts a sunny face to heaven When a sunny day is given; Makes a summer of its own, Blooming late and all alone._
HENRY VAN DYKE.
We thank Thee, O Father, that, to those who obey the command of Jesus to consider them, the flowers become prophets of God and preachers of righteousness. We thank Thee for the worship which They render Thee, so pure, so brave, so glad, and so acceptable. They may not hinder Thee and Thou dost work Thy perfect will in them; O give us the wisdom and the grace to make Thee welcome to our hearts until in us also Thou shalt work Thy perfect will. So may we find our true use and felicity, and render unto Thee the praise that is Thy due. And this we ask through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
CHARLES R. TENNEY.
October 19
_Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness! Close bosom friend of the maturing sun; Conspiring with Him how to load and bless With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eaves run; To bend with apples the moss'd cottage trees, And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core; To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel-shells With a sweet kernel; to set to budding more And still more later flowers for the bees, Until they think warm days will never cease, For summer has o'er brimmed their clammy cells._
JOHN KEATS.
Our dear Heavenly Father, Thou hast ever been wooing us by a thousand influences and voices to Thyself and our souls are ever restless till they rest in Thy love. The voices of nature everywhere speak to us of Thy goodness and Thy power and all verdure and blossom and fruitage is but the answer of the inanimate world to Thy call of life. Shall we do less than these, O God, when upon us Thou hast stamped Thine own image and made our being the house beautiful for Thine indwelling! We are Thy disciples indeed if we bear much fruit and have love one for the other. Mould us, fashion us, mature us, dear Lord, till the angels, watching at the gates and on the towers, say we look like Thee. And this we ask in Jesus' name. Amen.
GEORGE M. SMILEY.
October 20
_I pluck an acorn from the greensward, and hold it to my ear and this is what it says to me: "By and by the birds will come and nest in me. By and by I will furnish shade for the cattle. By and by I will provide warmth for the home in the pleasant fire. By and by I will be shelter from the storm to those who have gone under the roof. By and by I will be the strong ribs of the great vessel, and the tempest will beat against me in vain, while I carry men across the Atlantic." "O foolish little acorn, wilt thou be all this?" I ask. And the acorn answers, "Yes, God and I."_
LYMAN ABBOTT.
Almighty God, we believe that Thou art present and controlling in all the operations of Nature. Not a sparrow falls to the ground without Thy notice. All life is of Thy giving. Plants, animals, and worlds alike are governed by Thy laws. We realize in some measure Thy Omnipotence. We should fear to draw near to Thee if Thou hadst not revealed Thyself to us in Jesus Christ as a God of love. Thou, O God, art love. We believe that Thou wilt give to all Thy children eternal life. As from the acorn comes the oak, clothed in royal beauty, seemingly life from death, so from what seems death shall our immortal spirits rise to dwell forever with Thee. We adore Thee, O God. We love Thee for Thy goodness and Thy love shown to us. Be gracious unto us and bless us for our Saviour's sake. Amen.
CYRUS NORTHROP.
October 21
_I suppose every day of earth, with its hundred thousand deaths and something more of births,--with its loves and hates, its triumphs and defeats, its pangs and blisses, has more of humanity in it than all the books that were ever written, put together. I believe the flowers growing at this moment send up more fragrance to heaven than was ever exhaled from all the essences ever distilled._
OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES.
Our Heavenly Father, Thou art in all nature and in all human history. If we really know our world and our fellowmen and ourselves, we shall know Thee. As we enter upon the work of this new day, we pray that we may feel Thy presence with us. Thou art never far away from us; we cannot get away from our world, and we cannot fly from ourselves. Thou art with Thy world and Thou art with Thy children. We ask not so much for Thy presence, as for the consciousness of Thy presence. May we learn to know Thee in the world about us and in the secret places of our own hearts. Then shall all life be fragrant and beautiful and this day somewhat divine. Amen.
GEORGE L. PERIN.