Part 53

Retire inwardly; wait to feel somewhat of God's Spirit, discovering and drawing away from that which is contrary to His holy nature, and leading into that which is acceptable to Him. As the mind is joined to this, some true light and life is received.

I. PENINGTON.

Act up faithfully to your convictions; and when you have been unfaithful, bear with yourself, and resume always with calm simplicity your little task. Suppress, as much as you possibly can, all recurrence to yourself, and you will suppress much vanity. Accustom yourself to much calmness and an indifference to events.

MADAME GUYON.

July 15

Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.--PS. xxiv. 9.

Ye are the temple of the living God.--2 COR. vi. 16.

Fling wide the portals of your heart, Make it a temple set apart From earthly use for Heaven's employ, Adorned with prayer, and love, and joy. So shall your Sovereign enter in, And new and nobler life begin.

G. WEISSEL.

Thou art to know that thy soul is the centre, habitation, and kingdom of God. That, therefore, to the end the sovereign King may rest on that throne of thy soul, thou oughtest to take pains to keep it clean, quiet, and peaceable,--clean from guilt and defects; quiet from fears; and peaceable in temptations and tribulations. Thou oughtest always, then, to keep thine heart in peace, that thou mayest keep pure that temple of God; and with a right and pure intention thou art to work, pray, obey, and suffer (without being in the least moved), whatever it pleases the Lord to send unto thee.

M. DE MOLINOS

July 16

Oh how great is Thy goodness, which Thou hast laid up for them that fear Thee; which Thou hast wrought for them that trust in Thee.--PS. xxxi. 19.

I will sing unto the Lord, because He hath dealt bountifully with me.--PS. xiii. 6.

Thy calmness bends serene above My restlessness to still; Around me flows Thy quickening life, To nerve my faltering will; Thy presence fills my solitude; Thy providence turns all to good.

S. LONGFELLOW.

With a heart devoted to God and full of God, no longer seek Him in the heavens above or the earth beneath, or in the things under the earth, but recognize Him as the great fact of the universe, separate from no place or part, but revealed in all places and in all things and events, moment by moment. And as eternity alone will exhaust this momentary revelation, which has sometimes been called the ETERNAL Now, thou shalt thus find God ever present and ever new; and thy soul shall adore Him and feed upon Him in the things and events which each new moment brings; and thou shalt never be absent from Him, and He shall never be absent from thee.

T. C. UPHAM.

July 17

For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.--ROM. viii. 18.

The power of an endless life.--HEB. vii. 16.

Believ'st thou in eternal things? Thou knowest, in thy inmost heart, Thou art not clay; thy soul hath wings, And what thou seest is but part. Make this thy med'cine for the smart Of every day's distress; be dumb, In each new loss thou truly art Tasting the power of things that come.

T. W. Parsons.

Every contradiction of our will, every little ailment, every petty disappointment, will, if we take it patiently, become a blessing. So, walking on earth, we may be in heaven; the ill-tempers of others, the slights and rudenesses of the world, ill-health, the daily accidents with which God has mercifully strewed our paths, instead of ruffling or disturbing our peace, may cause His peace to be shed abroad in our hearts abundantly.

E. B. PUSEY.

July 18

A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.--JOHN xiii. 34.

And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love, one toward another, and toward all men.--I THESS. iii. 12.