Part 51

July 7

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?--PS. xxvii. I.

Thou hidden Source of calm repose, Thou all-sufficient Love divine, My Help and Refuge from my foes, Secure I am while Thou art mine: And lo! from sin, and grief, and shame, I hide me, Father, in Thy name.

C. WESLEY.

Whatever troubles come on you, of mind, body, or estate, from within or from without, from chance or from intent, from friends or foes--whatever your trouble be, though you be lonely, O children of a heavenly Father, be not afraid!

J. H. NEWMAN.

Whatsoever befalleth thee, receive it not from the hand of any creature, but from Him alone, and render back all to Him, seeking in all things His pleasure and honor, the purifying and subduing of thyself. What can harm thee, when all must first touch God, within whom thou hast enclosed thyself?

R. LEIGHTON.

How God rejoices over a soul, which, surrounded on all sides by suffering and misery, does that upon earth which the angels do in heaven; namely, loves, adores, and praises God!

G. TERSTEEGEN.

July 8

Be ye kind one to another.--EPH. iv. 32.

She doeth little kindnesses Which most leave undone or despise; For nought which sets one heart at ease, And giveth happiness or peace, Is low-esteemed in her eyes.

J. R. LOWELL.

What was the secret of such a one's power? What had she done? Absolutely nothing; but radiant smiles, beaming good-humor, the tact of divining what every one felt and every one wanted, told that she had got out of self and learned to think of others; so that at one time it showed itself in deprecating the quarrel, which lowering brows and raised tones already showed to be impending, by sweet words; at another, by smoothing an invalid's pillow; at another, by soothing a sobbing child; at another, by humoring and softening a father who had returned weary and ill-tempered from the irritating cares of business. None but she saw those things. None but a loving heart could see them. That was the secret of her heavenly power. The one who will be found in trial capable of great acts of love, is ever the one who is always doing considerate small ones.

F. W. ROBERTSON.

July 9

Love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.--I JOHN iv. 7.

Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel (or "complaint") against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.--COL. iii. 13.

Oh, might we all our lineage prove, Give and forgive, do good and love; By soft endearments, in kind strife, Lightening the load of daily life.

J. KEBLE.

We may, if we choose, make the worst of one another. Every one has his weak points; every one has his faults: we may make the worst of these; we may fix our attention constantly upon these. But we may also make the best of one another. We may forgive, even as we hope to be forgiven. We may put ourselves in the place of others, and ask what we should wish to be done to us, and thought of us, were we in their place. By loving whatever is lovable in those around us, love will flow back from them to us, and life will become a pleasure instead of a pain; and earth will become like heaven; and we shall become not unworthy followers of Him whose name is Love.

A. P. STANLEY.

July 10

The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me: Thy mercy, O Lord, endureth forever: forsake not the--works of Thine own hands.--PS. cxxxviii. 8.

As God leads me, will I go,-- Nor choose my way; Let Him choose the joy or woe Of every day: They cannot hurt my soul, Because in His control: I leave to Him the whole,-- His children may.

L. GEDICKE.

Why is it that we are so busy with the future? It is not our province; and is there not a criminal interference with Him to whom it belongs, in our feverish, anxious attempts to dispose of it, and in filling it up with shadows of good and evil shaped by our own wild imaginations? To do God's will as fast as it is made known to us, to inquire hourly--I had almost said each moment--what He requires of us, and to leave ourselves, our friends, and every interest at His control, with a cheerful trust that the path which He marks out leads to our perfection and to Himself,--this is at once our duty and happiness; and why will we not walk in the plain, simple way?