,transcriber's ,note3 ,in the ,april #ae meditation1 the author mentions reading from ,tennyson's ,palace of ,sin1 which doesn't appear to exist4 ,possibly ,vision of ,sin was meant8 ,,daily ,,meditation ,the greatest living master of the homiletic art4 --,british ,weekly4 by ,j4 ,h4 ,,jowett1 ,d4,d4 ,things ,that ,matter ,most ,devotional ,papers4 ,a ,book of ,spiritual ,uplift and ,comfort4 #abmo1 cloth1 net #a4be ,the ,transfigured ,church ,a ,portrayal of the ,possibilities ,within the ,church4 #abmo1 cloth1 net #a4be ,the ,high ,calling ,meditations on ,st4 ,paul's ,letter to the ,philippians1 #abmo1 cloth1 net #a4be ,the ,silver ,lining ,a ,message of ,hope and ,cheer1 for the ,troubled and ,tried4 #abmo1 cloth1 net #a4jj ,our ,blessed ,dead #afmo1 boards1 net #be;c ,the ,passion for ,souls ,devotional ,messages for ,christian ,workers4 #afmo1 cloth1 net #ej;c ,the ,folly of ,unbelief ,and ,other ,meditations for ,quiet ,moments4 #abmo1 cloth1 net #ej;c 99 99 99 99 99 ,,sentence ,,prayers for ,,every ,,day ,brief1 pertinent1 helpful4 ,each prayer can be read in a minute1 but will give inspiration for the entire day4 ,the ,daily ,altar ,a ,prayer for ,each ,day4 ,cloth1 net #be;c ,leather1 net #ce;c ,yet ,another ,day ,a ,prayer for ,each ,day4 #cbmo1 cloth1 net #be;c ,leather1 net #ce;c ,a new large type edition4 ,cloth1 net #ge;c ,leather1 net #a4jj 99 99 99 99 99 ,,my ,,daily ,,meditation ,,for ,,the ,,circling ,,year by ,,john ,,henry ,,jowett ,new ,york ,chicago ,fleming ,h4 ,revell ,company ,copyright1 #aiad1 by ,fleming ,h4 ,revell ,company ,new ,york3 #aeh ,fifth ,avenue ,chicago3 #abe ,n4 ,wabash ,ave4 ,toronto3 #be ,richmond ,st41 ,w4 ,london3 #ba ,paternoster ,square ,edinburgh3 #ajj ,princes ,street ,,foreword ,the title of this book sufficiently interprets its purpose4 ,i hope it may lead to such practical meditation upon the ,word of ,god as will supply vision to common tasks1 and daily nourishment to the conscience and will4 ,and ,i trust that it may so engage the thoughts upon the wonders of meditation1 as will fortify the soul for its high calling in ,jesus ,christ our ,lord4 ,j4 ,h4 ,,jowett4 ,fifth ,avenue ,presbyterian ,church1 ,new ,york4 ,,january ,the ,first ,,the ,,unknown ,,journey ,he went out not knowing whither he went4 --,,hebrews xi4 #f-aj4 ,abram began his journey without any knowledge of his ultimate destination4 ,he obeyed a noble impulse without any discernment of its consequences4 ,he took one step1 and he did not ask to see the distant scene4 ,and that is faith1 to do ,god's will here and now1 quietly leaving the results to ,him4 ,faith is not concerned with the entire chain2 its devoted attention is fixed upon the immediate link4 ,faith is not knowledge of a moral process2 it is fidelity in a moral act4 ,faith leaves something to the ,lord2 it obeys ,his immediate commandment and leaves to ,him direction and destiny4 ,and so faith is accompanied by serenity4 ,he that believeth shall not make haste--or1 more literally1 shall not get into a fuss4 ,he shall not get into a panic1 neither fetching fears from his yesterdays nor from his to-morrows4 ,concerning his yesterdays faith says1 ,thou hast beset me behind4 ,concerning his to-morrows faith says1 ,thou hast beset me before4 ,concerning his to-day faith says1 ,thou hast laid ,thine hand upon me4 ,that is enough1 just to feel the pressure of the guiding hand4 ,,january ,the ,second ,,the ,,larger ,,outlook ,,genesis xv4 #e-ah4 ,and ,he brought him forth abroad1 and said1 ,look now toward heaven6 ,the tent was changed for the sky6 ,abraham sat moodily in his tent3 ,god brought him forth beneath the stars4 ,and that is always the line of the ,divine leading4 ,he brings us forth out of our small imprisonments and ,he sets our feet in a large place4 ,he desires for us height and breadth of view4 ,for as the heavens are high above the earth so are ,his thoughts higher than our thoughts1 and ,his ways than our ways4 ,he wishes us1 ,i say1 to exchange the tent for the sky1 and to live and move in great1 spacious thoughts of ,his purposes and will4 ,how is it with our love8 ,is it a thing of the tent or of the sky8 ,does it range over mighty spaces seeking benedictions for a multitude8 ,or does it dwell in selfish seclusion1 imprisoned in merely selfish quest8 ,how is it with our prayers8 ,how big are they8 ,will a tent contain them1 or do they move with the scope and greatness of the heavens8 ,do they just contain our own families1 or is ,china in them1 and ,india1 and the uttermost parts of the earth8 ,look now towards the heavens6 ,such must be our outlook if we are the companions of ,god4 ,,january ,the ,third ,,the ,,never-,,failing ,,springs ,,genesis xvii4 #a-h4 ,i will establish ,my covenant4 ,the good promises of ,god are never revoked4 ,they are like springs which know no shrinking in times of drought4 ,nay1 in time of drought they reveal a richer fulness4 ,the promises are confirmed in the hour of my need1 and the greater my need the greater is my bounty4 ,and so it was that the ,apostle ,paul came to rejoice in his infirmities1 for through his infirmities he discovered the riches of ,divine grace4 ,he brought a bigger pitcher to the fountain1 and he always carried it away full4 ,as thy days so shall thy strength be4 ,so ,i need never fear that the promise of yesterday will exhaust itself before to-morrow4 ,god's covenant goes with us like the ever-fresh waters of the wilderness4 ,they drank of that rock which followed them1 and that rock was ,christ4 ,every fulfilment of ,god's promise is the pledge of one to come4 ,god has no road without its springs4 ,if ,his path stretches across the waste wilderness the fountains shall break out in the desert1 and the wilderness shall rejoice and blossom as the rose4 ,,january ,the ,fourth ,,the ,,god ,,of ,,their ,,succeeding ,,race ,,exodus vi4 #b-h4 ,i appeared unto ,abraham4444 ,i will be to you a ,god4 ,the covenant made with the father was renewed to the children4 ,the father's death did not disannul the promise of the ,lord4 ,death has no power in the realms of grace4 ,his moth and his rust can never destroy the ministries of ,divine love4 ,abraham died and was laid to rest1 but the river of life flowed on1 and the bounties of the ,lord never failed4 ,the village well quenches the thirst of many generations3 and so is it through the generations with the wells of grace and salvation4 ,the villagers have not to dig a new well when the patriarch dies3 the river of ,god is full of water4 ,and thus ,i am privileged to share the spiritual resources of ,abraham1 and the still richer resources of the ,apostle ,paul4 ,nothing was given to him that is withheld from me4 ,he is like a great mountaineer1 and he has climbed to lofty heights2 but ,i need not be dismayed4 ,all the strength that was given to him1 in which he reached those lofty places1 is mine also4 ,i may share his elevation and his triumph4 ,for the promise is unto you and your children1 and to all that are afar off4 ,,january ,the ,fifth ,,the ,,flowers ,,that ,,never ,,fade #a ,,peter i4 #a-i4 ,an inheritance incorruptible4 ,i am writing these words in the ,island of ,arran4 ,to-morrow ,i shall leave the land behind1 but ,i shall take the landscape with me6 ,it will be with me in the coming winter1 and ,i shall gaze upon ,goat ,fell in the streets of ,new ,york4 ,the land is a temporary possession1 the landscape abides6 ,the praise of men often dies with the shout that proclaims it4 ,another idol appears and the feverish worship is transferred to him4 ,the world's garland begins to fade as soon as it is laid upon the brow4 ,the morning after the coronation ,i possess a handful of withering leaves4 ,but the garland of ,god's praise acquires new grace and beauty with the years4 ,it is never so fresh and flourishing as just when everything else is fading away4 ,it is glorious in the hour of death6 ,the soul goes1 wearing her garland1 into the presence of the gracious ,lord who gave it4 ,we can begin even now to wear the flowers of ,paradise4 ,we can begin even now to furnish our minds with lovely thoughts and memories4 ,we can have the mind of ,christ4 ,,january ,the ,sixth ,,count ,,your ,,blessings ,,psalm cv4 #a-ae4 ,count your blessings6 ,yes1 but over what area shall ,i look for them8 ,there is my personal life4 ,let me search in every corner4 ,i have found forget-me-nots on many a rutty road4 ,i have found wild-roses behind a barricade of nettles4 ,professor ,miall has a lecture on ,the ,botany of a ,railway ,station4 ,he found something graceful and exquisite in the midst of its soot and grime4 ,so ,i must look even in the dark patches of life1 among my disappointments and defeats1 and even there ,i shall find tokens of the ,lord's presence1 some flowers of ,his planting4 ,and there is my share in the life of the nation4 ,ye seed of ,abraham ,his servant1 ye children of ,jacob ,his chosen4 ,there are hands that stretch out to me from past days1 laden with bequests of privilege and freedom4 ,our feet stand in a large place1 and the place was cleared by the fidelity and the courage of the men of old4 ,i have countless blessings that were bought with blood4 ,the red marks of sacrifice are over all my daily ways4 ,let me not take the inheritance and overlook the blood marks1 and stride about as though it were nought but common ground4 ,mercies abound on every hand6 ,count your blessings6 ,,january ,the ,seventh ,a ,,journal ,,of ,,mercies ,,nehemiah ix4 #f-aa4 ,thou hast performed ,thy words3 for ,thou art righteous4 ,frances ,ridley ,havergal kept a journal of mercies4 ,she had a record book1 and she crowded it with her remembrances of ,god's goodness4 ,she was always on the look-out for tokens of the ,lord's grace and bounty1 and she found them everywhere4 ,everywhere she had communion with a covenant-keeping ,god4 ,the ,bible became to her more and more the history of her own life and experience4 ,promise after promise told the story of her own triumphs4 ,she appropriated the goodness of ,god1 and she set her own seal to the testimony that ,god is true4 ,many a complaining life would be changed into music and song by a journal of mercies4 ,many a fear can be dispersed by a ready remembrance4 ,memory can be made the handmaid of hope4 ,yesterday's blessing can kindle the courage of to-day4 ,that is the purposed ministry of the days that have been4 ,we are to harness the strength of their experiences to the tasks and burdens of to-day2 and in the remembrance of ,god's providences we shall march through our difficulties with singing4 ,,january ,the ,eighth ,,he ,,is ,,faithful6 #a ,,kings viii4 #ed-fa4 ,there hath not failed one word of all ,his good promise4 ,supposing one word had failed1 how then8 ,if one golden promise had turned out to be counterfeit1 how then8 ,if the ground had yielded anywhere we should have been fearful and suspicious at every part of the road4 ,if the bell of ,god's fidelity had been broken anywhere the music would have been destroyed4 ,but not one word has failed4 ,the road has never given way in time of flood4 ,every bell of heaven is perfectly sound1 and the music is full and glorious4 ,god is faithful1 who also will do it4 ,god is love1 and love never faileth4 ,the lamp will not die out at the midnight4 ,the fountain will not fail us in the wilderness4 ,the consolations will not be wanting in the hour of our distresses4 ,love will have all things ready4 ,he has promised1 and shall ,he not do it8 ,all the powers of heaven are pledged to the fulfilment of the smallest word of grace4 ,we can never be deserted6 ,god cannot deny ,himself4 ,every word of ,his will unburden its treasure at the appointed hour1 and ,i shall be rich with the strength of my ,god4 ,,january ,the ,ninth ,,the ,,perils ,,of ,,possessions ,,genesis xiii4 #a-i4 ,there is nothing more divisive than wealth4 ,as families grow rich their members frequently become alienated4 ,it is rarely1 indeed1 that love increases with the increase of riches4 ,luxurious possessions appear to be a forcing-bed in which the seeds of sleeping vices waken into strength4 ,for one thing1 selfishness is often quickened with success4 ,plenty1 as well as penury1 can freeze the genial currents of the soul4 ,and with selfishness comes a whole brood of mean and petty dispositions4 ,envy comes with it1 and jealousy1 and a morbid sensitiveness which readily leaps into strife4 ,so do our possessions multiply our temptations4 ,so does the bright day bring forth the adder4 ,so do we need extra defences when fortune smiles upon us4 ,but our ,god can make us proof against the fiery darts of success4 ,abram remained unscathed in the garish day4 ,the ,lord delivered him from the destruction that wasteth at noonday4 ,his wealth increased1 but it was not allowed to force itself between his soul and ,god4 ,in the midst of all his prosperity1 he dwelt in the secret place of the ,most ,high1 and he abode in the shadow of the ,almighty4 ,,january ,the ,tenth ,,the ,,lust ,,of ,,the ,,eye ,,genesis xiii4 #aj-ah4 ,look at ,lot4 ,he was a man of the world1 sharp as a needle1 having an eye to the main chance4 ,he boasted to himself that he always took in the whole situation4 ,he said that what he did not know was not worth knowing4 ,but such knowing men have always very imperfect sight4 ,lot saw all the well-watered plain of ,jordan1 but he overlooked the city of ,sodom and its exceedingly wicked and sinful people4 ,and the thing he overlooked was the biggest thing in the outlook6 ,it was to prove his undoing1 and to bring his presumptuous selfishness to the ground4 ,look at ,abram4 ,his spirit was cool and thoughtful1 unheated by the feverish yearning after increased possessions4 ,he had a quiet eye1 the fruit of his faithful communion with ,god4 ,he was more intent on peace than plenty4 ,he preferred fraternal fellowship to selfish increase4 ,and so he chose the unselfish way1 and along that way he discovered the blessing of ,god4 ,the ,lord is mindful of ,his own4 ,he remembereth ,his children4 ,in the unselfish way we always enjoy the ,divine companionship1 and in that companionship we are endowed with inconceivable wealth4 ,,january ,the ,eleventh ,,self-,,made ,,or ,,god-,,made ,,matthew vi4 #bf-cc4 ,think of ,lot and then think of a lily of the field6 ,think of the feverishness of the one and of the serenity of the other1 or think of the ugly selfishness of the one1 and of the graceful beauty of the other6 ,look upon avarice at its worst1 upon a ,shylock1 and then gaze upon a lily of the field6 ,how alarming is the contrast6 ,the one is self-made1 guided by vicious impulses2 the other is the handiwork of ,god4 ,the one is rooted in self-will2 the other is rooted in the power of the ,divine grace4 ,god has nothing to do with the one2 ,he has everything to do with the other4 ,so one becomes big and ugly2 the other grows in strength and beauty4 ,now the wonder is this1 that we1 too1 may be rooted in the power from which the lily draws its grace4 ,we may draw into our souls the wealth of the ,eternal1 even the unsearchable riches of ,christ4 ,we may put on the beauty of holiness4 ,we may become clothed in the graces of the ,spirit4 ,when we are in the field of the lilies we may appear unto the ,lord as kindred flowers of ,his own garden4 ,he that abideth in ,me and ,i in him the same bringeth forth much fruit4 ,rooted in ,him1 we shall grow up in all things unto ,him4 ,,january ,the ,twelfth ,,two ,,opposites ,if any man love the world1 the love of the ,father is not in him4 --#a ,,john ii4 #ac-ag4 ,no man can love two opposites any more than he can walk in contrary directions at the same time4 ,no man can at once be mean and magnanimous1 chivalrous and selfish4 ,we cannot at the same moment dress appropriately for the arctic regions and the tropics4 ,and we cannot wear the habits of the world and the garments of salvation4 ,when we try to do it the result is a wretched and miserable compromise4 ,i have seen a shopkeeper on the ,sabbath day put up one shutter1 out of presumed respect for the ,holy ,lord1 and behind the shutter continue all the business of the world6 ,that one shutter is typical of all the religion that is left when a man loves the world and delights in its prizes and crowns4 ,his religion is a bit of idle ritual which is an offence unto ,god6 ,so ,i must make my choice4 ,shall ,i travel north or south8 ,which of the two opposites shall ,i love--,god or the world8 ,whichever love ,i choose will drive out and quench the other4 ,and thus if ,i choose the love of ,god it will destroy every worldly passion1 and the river of my affections and desires will be like the river of water of life1 clear as crystal4 ,,january ,the ,thirteenth ,,the ,,miracle ,,in ,a ,,dry ,,place ,,psalm cvii4 #cc-dc4 ,he turneth 444 the dry ground into water-springs4 ,this is one of the miracles of grace4 ,the good ,lord makes a dry experience the fountain of blessing4 ,i pass into an apparently waste place and ,i find riches of consolation4 ,even in the valley of the shadow ,i come upon green pastures and still waters4 ,i find flowers in the ruts of the hardest roads if ,i am in the way of ,god's commandments4 ,god's providence is the pioneer of every faithful pilgrim4 ,his blessed feet have gone before4 ,what ,i shall need is already foreseen1 and foresight with the ,lord means forethought and provision4 ,every hour gives the loyal disciples surprises of grace4 ,let me therefore not fear when the path of duty turns into the wilderness4 ,the wilderness is as habitable with ,god as the crowded city1 and in ,his fellowship my bread and water are sure4 ,the ,lord has strange manna for the children of disappointment1 and ,he makes water to gush forth from the rock4 ,duty can lead me nowhere without ,him1 and ,his provision is abundant both in the thirsty desert and the dewy mead4 ,there will be a spring at the foot of every hill1 and ,i shall find lilies of peace in the lonely valley of humiliation4 ,,january ,the ,fourteenth ,,forgetting ,,god ,,deuteronomy viii4 #aa-bj4 ,beware 444 lest when thou hast eaten and art full 444 thine heart be lifted up1 and thou forget the ,lord thy ,god4 ,i was in a little cottage near ,warwick4 ,i said to the good man who lived in it1 ,can you see the castle8 and he replied1 ,we can see it best in the winter when the leaves are off the trees4 ,in the summer time it is apt to be hid6 ,the summer bounty hid the castle2 the winter barrenness revealed it6 ,and so it is in life4 ,in the season of fulness we are prone to be blind to the house of many mansions1 and we forget the ,master of the house1 the ,lord our ,god4 ,our material wealth hides our eternal treasure4 ,what1 then1 shall we do in the days of our prosperity1 when all our trees are in full leaf8 ,we must pray that material things may never become opaque1 that they may be always transparent1 so that through the seen we may behold the unseen4 ,this is a gift of the ,spirit1 and it may be ours4 ,he will anoint our eyes with the eye-salve of grace1 and everything will become to us a symbol of something better1 so that even in the midst of material plenty our hearts will be with our treasure in heaven4 ,everything will be to us as it were transparent glass4 ,,january ,the ,fifteenth ,,the ,,ministry ,,of ,,praise ,,psalm cxv4 ,the ,lord hath been mindful of us3 ,he will bless us4 ,in that joyful assurance there is both retrospect and prospect4 ,there is the trodden pathway of ,providence1 and there is the star of hope6 ,the eyes are steadied and refreshed in sacred memories1 and then they gaze into the future with serene and happy confidence4 ,and so the ,ebenezer of the soul becomes both a thanksgiving and a reconsecration4 ,now perhaps our hopes are thin because our praises are scanty4 ,perhaps our expectations are clouded because our memories are dim4 ,there is nothing so quickens hope as a journey among the mercies of our yesterdays4 ,the heart lays aside its fears amid the accumulated blessings of our ,god4 ,worries pass away like cloudlets in the warmth of a summer's morning4 ,and the recollections of ,god's goodness always make summer even in the wintriest day4 ,now ,i see why the ,new ,testament is so urgent in the matter of praise4 ,without praise many other virtues and graces cannot be born4 ,without praise they have no breath of life4 ,praise quickens a radiant company of heavenly presences1 and among them is the shining spirit of hope4 ,,january ,the ,sixteenth ,,the ,,distinction ,,of ,,being ,,recognized ,,john x4 #a-ah4 ,the ,good ,shepherd knows ,his sheep1 and knows them by name4 ,and that is what ,i am tempted to forget4 ,i think of myself as one of an innumerable multitude1 no one of whom receives personal attention4 ,my way is overlooked by my ,god4 ,but here is the evangel--the ,saviour would miss me1 even me6 ,at a great orchestral rehearsal1 which ,sir ,michael ,costa was conducting1 the man who played the piccolo stayed his fingers for a moment1 thinking that his trifling contribution would never be missed4 ,at once ,sir ,michael raised his hand1 and said3 ,stop6 ,where's the piccolo8 ,he missed the individual note4 ,and my ,lord needs the note of my life to make the music of ,his ,kingdom1 and if the note be absent ,he will miss it1 and the glorious music will be broken and incomplete4 ,there is a common vice of self-conceit1 but there is also a common vice of excessive self-depreciation4 ,my ,lord can do nothing with me6 ,yes1 my ,lord knows thee and needs thee6 ,and by the power of ,his grace thou canst accomplish wonders6 ,,january ,the ,seventeenth ,,spiritual ,,discernment ,my sheep hear ,my voice6 --,,john x4 #ai-cj4 ,this is spiritual discernment4 ,we may test our growth in grace by our expertness in detecting the voice of our ,lord4 ,it is the skill of the saint to catch the still small voice amid all the selfish clamours of the day1 and amid the far more subtle callings of the heart4 ,it needs a good ear to catch the voice of the ,lord in our sorrows4 ,i think it requires a better ear to discern the voice amid our joys6 ,the twilight helps me to be serious2 the noonday glare tends to make me heedless4 ,and they follow ,me6 ,discernment is succeeded by obedience4 ,that is the one condition of becoming a saint--to follow the immediate call of the ,lord4 ,and it is the one condition of becoming an expert listener4 ,every time ,i hear the voice1 and follow1 ,i sharpen my sense of hearing1 and the next time the voice will sound more clear4 ,and ,i give unto them eternal life4 ,yes1 life is found in the ways of a listening obedience4 ,every faculty and function will be vitalized when ,i follow the ,lord of life and glory4 ,in ,christ shall all be made alive4 ,my ,saviour1 graciously give me the listening ear6 ,give me the obedient heart4 ,,january the ,eighteenth ,,false ,,shepherds ,,ezekiel xxxiv4 #a-aj4 ,this word of the ,lord puts before me the unlovely lineaments of the false shepherds4 ,they are self-seeking4 ,they feed themselves1 but they feed not the flock4 ,they take up religion for what they can make out of it6 ,it is a carnal ambition1 not a holy service4 ,it is used for getting1 not for giving1 for self-glorification and not for self-sacrifice4 ,it is selfishness masquerading as holiness1 the thief in the garb of the shepherd4 ,and1 therefore1 the false shepherds are devoid of sympathy4 ,the diseased have ye not strengthened1 neither have ye healed that which was sick4 ,selfishness always tends to benumbment4 ,humaneness is fostered by sacrifice4 ,our sympathetic chords are kept refined by chivalrous deeds4 ,drop the deeds and all our refinements begin to coarsen1 and we make no response to our brother's cries of need and pain4 ,and because there is no sympathy there is no quest4 ,my sheep wandered 444 and none did seek after them4 ,how can we seek them if we have never missed them1 if we have no sense that they are lost8 ,our ,lord came in travail of soul to seek that which was lost4 ,and ,i must share ,his travail if ,i would share in the search4 ,,january ,the ,nineteenth ,,the ,,lost ,,sheep ,,ezekiel xxxiv4 #aa-ai4 ,and now1 again1 ,i am bidden to contemplate the gracious ministries of the ,good ,shepherd4 ,the ,good ,shepherd searches the far country for ,his lost sheep4 ,i will bring them 444 out of all places where they have been scattered4 ,he goes into the hard wilderness of cold indifference1 and wasteful pride1 and desolating sin1 searching high and low for ,his foolish sheep4 ,and no place is unvisited by the ,great ,seeker6 ,every perilous ravine1 where a sheep can be lost1 knows the footprints of the ,shepherd4 ,and ,he knows my far-country1 and ,he is seeking me6 ,and the ,good ,shepherd brings ,his wandering sheep back home4 ,i will bring them 444 to their own land4 ,we return from the land of pride to the home of lowliness1 from hard indifference to gracious sympathy1 from the barrenness of sin to the beauty of holiness4 ,we come back to ,god's beautiful lily-land of eternal light and peace4 ,and what nutriment the ,good ,shepherd provides for the home-coming sheep6 ,i will feed them in a good pasture4 ,our wasted powers shall be renewed and strengthened by the fattening diet of grace4 ,love shall be both host and meat6 ,he will satisfy thy mouth with good things4 ,,january ,the ,twentieth ,,the ,,passing ,,of ,,the ,,beast ,,ezekiel xxxiv4 #bc-ca4 ,when the ,good ,shepherd has charge of ,his flock the wild beasts will cease out of the land4 ,all beastly passions shall be destroyed4 ,the fair gardens of our souls shall no longer be ravaged by sleek pride1 or fierce appetite1 or ravenous lust4 ,thou shalt tread upon the lion and the adder1 the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet4 ,and the forces of nature shall be in friendly co-operation4 ,i will cause the shower to come down in his season4 ,we are to have mystic allies in sky and field4 ,nature sides with the man who sides with ,god4 ,our very garden becomes our helpmeet when we are cultivating the fruits of the ,spirit4 ,the heavens assume a friendly aspect when we are marching to beautiful ,zion4 ,but when we are against the ,lord all these forces appear to be hostile4 ,the stars in their courses fought against ,sisera4 ,and we are to have a joyful assurance of the companionship of our ,god4 ,this shall they know1 that ,i1 the ,lord their ,god1 am with them4 ,and in that precious assurance every other treasure is found6 ,only be sure of that1 and we shall walk about as kings and queens6 ,,january the ,twenty-first ,,the ,,value ,,of ,,one ,,soul ,,matthew xviii4 #g-ad4 ,what an infinite value the ,lord attaches to one soul6 ,and one of them be gone astray6 ,i thought ,he might never have missed the one6 ,and yet the ,eastern shepherd says that out of his great flock he can miss the individual face4 ,a face is missing1 as though a child were absent from the family circle4 ,when a soul is wandering in the far country there is an awful gap in the ,father's house6 ,is thy place empty8 ,is mine8 ,and mark the pangs of the ,shepherd's quest4 ,he goeth into the mountain and seeketh6 ,the ,eastern shepherd goes out in tempest1 and in rocky ravine1 or in thorny scrub that tears the hands and feet1 he seeks and finds his sheep4 ,and my ,lord sought me1 in stony and thorny places1 in the darkness of ,gethsemane1 and in the awful desolations of ,the ,hill4 ,and the ,shepherd found ,his sheep1 and ,he returns across the hills singing the song of the triumph of grace-- ,and up from the mountains1 thunder-riven1 ,and up from the rocky steep1 ,a cry arose to the gates of heaven1 ',rejoice6 ,i have found ,my sheep6' ,and the angels echo around the throne1 ',rejoice6 for the ,lord brings back ,his own6' ,,january ,the ,twenty-second ,,my ,,own ,,shepherd ,,psalm xxiii4 ,how shall we touch this lovely psalm and not bruise it8 ,it is exquisite as a violet by a mossy stone6 ,exposition is almost an impertinence1 its grace is so simple and winsome4 ,there is the ministry of rest4 ,he maketh me to lie down in green pastures4 ,the ,good ,shepherd knows when my spirit needs relaxation4 ,he will not have me always on the stretch4 ,the bow of the best violin sometimes requires to have its strings let down4 ,and so my ,lord gives me rest4 ,and there is the discipline of change4 ,he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness4 ,those strange roads in life1 unknown roads1 by which ,i pass into changed circumstances and surroundings6 ,but the discipline of the change is only to bring me into new pastures1 that ,i may gain fresh nutriment for my soul4 ,because they have no changes they fear not ,god4 ,and there is the valley of the shadow1 cold and bare6 ,what matter8 ,he is there6 ,i will fear no evil4 ,what if ,i see no pastures green8 ,thy rod and ,thy staff they comfort me6 ,the ,lord1 who is leading1 will see after my food4 ,thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies4 ,i have a quiet feast while my foes are looking on6 ,,january ,the ,twenty-third ,,the ,,giver',s ,,hand ,,genesis iv4 #c-ae4 ,cain and ,abel both brought an offering unto the ,lord1 but one was accepted and the other rejected4 ,it is the giver who determines the worth or the worthlessness of the gift4 ,god looks not at the gift1 but at the hand that brings it4 ,your hands are full of blood6 ,your hands are unclean6 ,the ,lord demands clean hands4 ,he will not have our compliments if there is defilement behind them4 ,our courtesies are rejected if iniquity attends them4 ,the shining gloss on the linen is an offence if the dirt looks through6 ,who cares for food if presented by unclean hands8 ,be ye clean1 ye that bear the vessels of the ,lord6 ,every gift is welcome to the ,lord if offered with clean hands4 ,a mite1 or a cup of cold water1 or our daily labour1 or the first-fruits of garden or field--all receive the blessing of our ,god if the hands that bring them are free from defilement4 ,so is it with everything we offer to the ,lord4 ,a song of praise makes sweet music in the hearing of our ,god if it come from pure lips6 ,purity1 as ,thomas a' ,kempis says1 gives the wings which carry everything into the ,father's presence4 ,,january ,the ,twenty-fourth ,,the ,,voice ,,of ,,the ,,dead ,,hebrews xi4 #a-f4 ,with what voice shall we speak when we are dead8 ,what will men hear when they turn their thoughts toward us8 ,what part of us will remain alive1 singing or jarring in men's remembrance8 ,it is the biggest part of us that retains its voice4 ,in some it is wealth1 in others it is goodness2 some go on speaking in their cruelty1 others in their gentleness4 ,cain still speaks in his jealous passion4 ,abel speaks in his faith4 ,dorcas speaks in her good works and alms-deeds which she did2 ,judas ,iscariot speaks in his betrayal4 ,yes1 something goes on speaking4 ,what shall it be8 ,but these biggest things not only continue to speak in the ears of memory1 they persist as actual forces in the common life of men4 ,our faith is not buried with our bones1 nor is our avarice or pride4 ,our characters do not die when our hearts cease to beat4 ,the evil that men do lives after them1 and so does the good4 ,but deeper than our deeds1 our dominant dispositions persist and mingle as friends or enemies in the lives of others4 ,by them we1 being dead1 still speak1 and we speak in subtle forces which aid or hinder other pilgrims who are fighting their way to ,god and heaven4 ,,january ,the ,twenty-fifth ,,first1 ,,my ,,brother6 ,,matthew v4 #ag-bd4 ,first be reconciled to thy brother4 ,we are to put first things first4 ,when we bring a gift unto the ,lord ,he looks at the hand that brings it4 ,if the hand is defiled the gift is rejected4 ,wash you1 make you clean4 ,first be reconciled to thy brother1 and then come and offer thy gift4 ,all this tells us why some resplendent gifts are rejected1 and why some commonplace gifts are received amid heavenly song4 ,this is why the widow's mite goes shining through the years4 ,the hand that offered it was hallowed and purified with sacrifice4 ,shall we say that in that palm there was something akin to the pierced hands of the ,lord8 ,the mite had intimate associations with the ,cross4 ,and it also tells me why so much of our public worship is offensive to our ,lord4 ,we come to the church from a broken friendship4 ,some holy thing has been broken on the way4 ,someone's estate has been invaded1 and his treasure spoiled4 ,someone has been wronged1 and ,god will not touch our gift4 ,leave there thy gift2 first be reconciled to thy brother4 ,,january ,the ,twenty-sixth ,,the ,,fire ,,of ,,envy ,where envying and strife is1 there is confusion and every evil work6 --,,james iii4 #ac-ah4 ,in ,milton's ,comus we read of a certain potion which has the power to pervert all the senses of everyone who drinks it4 ,nothing is apprehended truly4 ,sight and hearing and taste are all disordered1 and the victim is all unconscious of the confusion4 ,the deadly draught is the minister of deceptive chaos4 ,and envy is like that potion when it is drunk by the spirit4 ,it perverts every moral and spiritual sense4 ,the envious is more fatally stricken than the blind4 ,he gazes upon untruth and thinks it true4 ,he looks upon confusion and thinks it order4 ,envy is colour-blind4 ,it is like jealousy1 of which it is a blood-relation4 ,it never sees anything in its natural hues4 ,it misinterprets everything4 ,no one can quench the unholy fire of envy but the mighty ,god ,himself4 ,it is like a prairie fire3 once kindled it is beyond our power to stamp it out4 ,but ,god's coolness is more than a match for all our feverish heat4 ,his quenchings are transformations4 ,he converts the perverted and changes envy into goodwill4 ,the bitter pool is made sweet4 ,for confusion ,he gives order1 for ashes ,he gives beauty1 and in the face of an old enemy we see the countenance of a friend4 ,,january ,the ,twenty-seventh ,,the ,,confession ,,of ,,sin ,i acknowledge my transgressions2 and my sin is ever before me4 --,,psalm li4 #a-ab4 ,sin that is unconfessed shuts out the energies of grace4 ,confession makes the soul receptive of the bountiful waters of life4 ,we open the door to ,god as soon as we name our sin4 ,guilt that is penitently confessed is already in the consuming fire of ,god's love4 ,when ,i acknowledge my sin ,i begin to enter into the knowledge of pardon1 joy1 and peace4 ,but if ,i hide my sin ,i also hide myself from the unsearchable riches of ,christ4 ,if we confess our sins ,he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness4 ,i must then make confession of sin in my daily exercises in the presence of the ,lord4 ,i am taking the way to recovered victory when ,i tell the ,lord the story of my defeat4 ,satan strengthens his awful chains when he can induce me to keep silence concerning my sin4 ,all his plans are thrown into confusion as soon as ,i pour out my soul before the ,lord4 ,when ,i fall let me not add to my guilt the further sin of secrecy4 ,unconfessed sin breeds in its lurking-place and multiplies its hateful offspring4 ,the soul that makes confession is washed through and through1 and the seeds of iniquity are driven out of my soul4 ,,january ,the ,twenty-eighth ,,clean ,,and ,,unclean ,,anger ,,ephesians iv4 #be-cb4 ,let all anger be put away from you4 ,and yet only a moment ago the ,apostle had written the words1 ,be ye angry and sin not4 ,my power of anger is not to be destroyed1 it is to be transformed and purified4 ,anger can be like an unclean bonfire2 it can also be like a sea of glass mingled with fire4 ,there can be more smoke than light in it1 more selfish passion than holy purpose4 ,the fuel that feeds it may be envy1 and jealousy1 and spite1 and not a big desire for the good of men and the glory of ,god4 ,worldly anger is set on fire of hell2 holy anger borrows flame from the altar-fires of ,god4 ,our anger reveals our character4 ,what is the quality of our anger8 ,what kindles it8 ,is it incited by our own wrongs or by the wrongs of another8 ,is it set on fire by self-indulgence or by a noble sympathy8 ,here is a sentence which describes the anger of the ,apostle ,paul3 ,who is made to stumble and ,i burn not8 ,paul's holy anger was made to burn by oppression1 by the cruelty inflicted upon his fellow-men4 ,his fire had nothing unclean in it2 it was pure as the flame of oxygen4 ,this is the anger we must cherish4 ,we cannot work ourselves up into it4 ,we must seek to be baptized with the ,holy ,ghost and with fire4 ,,january ,the ,twenty-ninth ,,noble ,,revenge ,i have delivered him that without cause is mine enemy4 --,,psalm vii4 #d4 ,that is the noblest revenge1 and in those moments ,david had intimate knowledge of the spirit of his ,lord4 ,if thine enemy hunger1 feed him6 ,evil for good is devil-like4 ,to receive a favour and to return a blow6 ,to obtain the gift of language1 and then to use one's speech to curse the giver6 ,to use a sacred sword is unholy warfare6 ,all this is devil-like4 ,evil for evil is beast-like4 ,yes1 the dog bites back when it is bitten4 ,the dog returns snarl for snarl1 venom for venom4 ,and if1 when ,i have been injured1 ,i pay a man back in his own coin1 if ,i give him as good as he gave1 ,i am living on the plane of the beast4 ,good for good is man-like4 ,when ,i requite a man's kindness by kindness6 ,when ,i send presents to one who loads me with benefits6 ,this is a true and manly thing to do1 and lifts us far above the beast4 ,good for evil is ,god-like4 ,yes1 that lifts me into the heavenly places in ,christ ,jesus4 ,then ,i have the mind of ,christ4 ,then do ,i unto others as my ,saviour has done unto me4 ,,january ,the ,thirtieth ,,irresistible ,,artillery ,when ,i cry unto ,thee1 then shall mine enemies turn back4 --,,psalm lvi4 ,but it must be a real cry6 ,it must not be an idle recitation which sheds no blood4 ,it must be a cry like the cry of the drowning1 a cry which cleaves the air like a bullet4 ,said a man to me some while ago1 ,assault the heavens with cries for me6 ,that is the cry which takes the kingdom by storm4 ,when such a cry rends the heavens1 my enemies turn back4 ,a secret and irresistible artillery begins to play upon them1 and their strength fails4 ,yes1 believing prayer calls these invisible allies into the field4 ,the mountains are full of horses and chariots of fire round about6 ,and the enemy flies6 ,this ,i know4 ,the psalmist is building upon experience4 ,the miracle has happened a hundred times4 ,many a morning has he seen the enemy vaingloriously tramping the field1 and he has cried unto the ,lord1 and before nightfall there has been a perfect rout4 ,blessed is the man who has had such heartening dealings with the ,lord that he can now face a hostile host in unclouded faith and assurance6 ,,january ,the ,thirty-first ,,under ,,his ,,wings ,in the shadow of ,thy wings will ,i make my refuge4 --,,psalm lvii4 ,could anything be more tenderly gracious than this figure of hiding under the shadow of ,god's wings8 ,it speaks of bosom-warmth1 and bosom-shelter1 and bosom-rest4 ,let me to ,thy bosom fly6 ,and what strong wings they are6 ,under those wings ,i am secure even from the lions4 ,my animal passions shall not hurt me when ,i am hiding in ,god4 ,the fiercest onslaughts of the devil are powerless to break those mighty wings4 ,the tenderest little chick1 one of these little ones1 nestling behind this soft and gentle shelter1 shall be perfectly secure2 none of its bones shall be broken4 ,i do not wonder that this sheltering psalmist begins to sing6 ,i will sing and give praise6 ,i have often listened to the sheltering chicks1 hiding behind the mother's wings1 and ,i have heard that quaint1 comfortable1 contented sound for which our language has no name4 ,it is a sound of incipient song1 the musical murmur of satisfaction4 ,i will sing unto ,thee 444 for ,thy mercy is great4 ,,february ,the ,first ,,the ,,soul ,,in ,,prison ,bring my soul out of prison6 --,,psalm cxlii4 ,i too1 have my prison-house1 and only the ,lord can deliver me4 ,there is the prison-house of sin4 ,it is a dark and suffocating hole1 without friendly light or morning air4 ,and it is haunted by such affrighting shapes1 as though my iniquities had incarnated themselves in ugly and repulsive forms4 ,none but the ,lord can bring me out4 ,and there is the prison-house of sorrow4 ,my griefs sometimes wrap me about like cold confining walls1 which have neither windows nor doors4 ,it seems as though a fluid sorrow can congeal into a cold1 hard temperament1 and hold me in its icy embrace4 ,and none but the ,lord can bring me out4 ,and there is the prison-house of death4 ,i must perforce pass through the gate of death4 ,shall ,i find it a castle of gloom1 or is there another gate through which ,i shall emerge into the fair1 sweet paradise of ,god8 ,my ,master is ,lord of the road6 ,and ,he tells me that death shall not be a castle of captivity1 but only a thoroughfare through which ,i shall pass into the realm of eternal day4 ,,february ,the ,second ,,how ,,to ,,approach ,a ,,crisis ,it shall be given you in that same hour4 --,,matthew x4 #af-bh4 ,and so ,i am not to worry about the coming crisis6 ,god never is before ,his time1 and never is behind6 ,when the hour is come1 ,i shall find that the great ,host hath made all things ready4 ,when the crisis comes ,he will tell me how to rest4 ,it is a great matter to know just how to rest--how to be quiet when all without tumultuous seems4 ,we irritate and excite our souls about the coming emergency1 and we approach it with worn and feverish spirits1 and so mar our ,master's purpose and work4 ,when the crisis comes ,he will tell me what to do4 ,the orders are not given until the appointed day4 ,why should ,i fume and fret and worry as to what the sealed envelope contains8 ,it is enough that ,he knows all1 and when the hour strikes the secrets shall be revealed4 ,and when the crisis comes ,he will tell me what to say4 ,i need not begin to prepare my retorts and my responses4 ,what shall ,i say when death comes1 to me or to my loved one8 ,never mind1 ,he will tell thee4 ,and what when sorrow or persecution comes8 ,never mind1 ,he will tell thee4 ,,february ,the ,third ,,transforming ,,the ,,hard ,,heart ,the ,lord turned the flint into a fountain of waters4 --,,psalm cxiv4 ,what a violent conjunction1 the flint becoming the birthplace of a spring6 ,and yet this is happening every day4 ,men who are as hard as flint1 whose hearts are like the nether millstone1 become springs of gentleness and fountains of exquisite compassion4 ,beautiful graces1 like lovely ferns1 grow in the home of severities1 and transform the grim1 stern soul into a garden of fragrant friendships4 ,this is what ,zacchus was like when his flint became a fountain4 ,it is what ,matthew the publican was like when the ,lord changed his hard heart into a land of springs4 ,no one is too far gone4 ,no hardness is beyond the love and pity of ,god4 ,the well of eternal life can gush forth even in a desert waste1 and where sin abounds grace doth much more abound4 ,let us bring our hardness to the ,lord4 ,let us see what ,he can make of our flint4 ,when we are dry and feelingless1 and desire is dead1 let us bring this ,sahara to the great ,restorer1 and the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the rose4 ,,february ,the ,fourth ,,spiritual ,,buoyancy ,when thou passeth through the waters they shall not overflow thee4 --,,isaiah xliii4 #a-g4 ,when ,mrs4 ,booth1 the mother of the ,salvation ,army1 was dying1 she quietly said1 ,the waters are rising but ,i am not sinking4 ,but then she had been saying that all through her life4 ,other floods besides the waters of death had gathered about her soul4 ,often had the floods been out and the roads were deep in affliction4 ,but she had never sunk6 ,the good ,lord made her buoyant1 and she rode upon the storm6 ,this1 then1 is the promise of the ,lord1 not that the waters of trouble shall never gather about the believer1 but that he shall never be overwhelmed4 ,he shall keep his head above them4 ,yes1 to him shall be given the grace of aboveness4 ,he shall never be under1 always above6 ,it is the precious gift of spiritual buoyancy1 sanctified good spirits1 the power of the ,christian hope4 ,when we are in ,christ ,jesus circumstances shall never be our master4 ,one is our ,master1 and we are more than conquerors in ,him that loved us1 and washed us from our sins in ,his own blood4 ,,february ,the ,fifth ,,everywhere ,,the ,,gate ,,of ,,heaven ,surely the ,lord is in this place1 and ,i knew it not4 --,,genesis xxviii4 #aj-bb4 ,that is the first time for many a day that ,jacob had named the name of ,god4 ,in all the dark story of his wicked intrigue the name of ,god is never mentioned4 ,jacob wanted to forget ,god6 ,god would be a disturbing presence6 ,but here he encounters ,him in a dream1 and in the most unlikely place4 ,and he was afraid1 and said1 ,how dreadful is this place6 ,jacob had yet to learn that there is everywhere a ladder set up on the earth and the top of it reaches to heaven4 ,there was a ladder from the very tent in which he wore his deceptive skin4 ,there was a ladder from the secret place where he and his mother wove their mischievous plot4 ,there is no corner of earth which is cut away from the ,divine vigilance4 ,god gets at us everywhere4 ,but there is a merciful side to all this4 ,if the ladder be everywhere1 and ,god can get at us1 then also everywhere we can get at ,god4 ,there are ascending angels who will carry our confessions1 our prayers1 our sighs and mournings1 to the very heart of the eternally gracious ,god4 ,,february ,the ,sixth ,,the ,,home-,,bird ,,psalm xci4 #a-ab4 ,i read a sentence the other day in which a very powerful modern writer describes a certain woman as having ,god on her visiting list4 ,we may recoil from the phrase1 but it very vitally describes a very awful commonplace4 ,countless thousands have ,god on their visiting lists4 ,they pay ,him courtesy-calls1 and between the calls ,he is forgotten4 ,perhaps the call is paid once a week in the social function of worship4 ,perhaps it is paid more rarely1 like calls between comparative strangers4 ,how great the contrast between a caller and one who dwells in the secret place6 ,it is the difference between a flirt and a home-bird1 between one who flits about on a score of fancies1 and one who settles down in the solid satisfaction of a supreme affection4 ,shall abide under the shadow of the ,almighty4 ,such is the reward of the home-bird1 the settled friend of the ,lord4 ,the shadow of the ,lord shall rest upon him continually4 ,i sometimes read of our monarchs being shadowed by protective police4 ,in an infinitely more real and intimate sense the soul that dwells in the secret place is shadowed by the sleepless grace and love of ,god4 ,,february ,the ,seventh ,,leaving ,,its ,,mark ,fear not1 thou worm ,jacob1 ,i will make thee a threshing instrument with teeth4 --,,isaiah xli4 #h-ad4 ,could any two things be in greater contrast than a worm and an instrument with teeth8 ,the worm is delicate1 bruised by a stone1 crushed beneath a passing wheel2 an instrument with teeth can break and not be broken1 it can grave its mark upon the rock4 ,and the mighty ,god can convert the one into the other4 ,he can take a man or a nation1 who has all the impotence of the worm1 and by the invigoration of ,his own ,spirit ,he can endow them with strength by which they will leave a noble mark upon the history of their time4 ,and so the worm may take heart4 ,the mighty ,god can make us stronger than our circumstances4 ,we can bend them all to our good4 ,in ,god's strength we can make them all pay tribute to our souls4 ,we can even take hold of a black disappointment1 break it open1 and extract some jewel of grace4 ,when ,god gives us wills like iron we can drive through difficulties as the iron share cuts through the toughest soil4 ,i will make thee1 saith the ,lord1 and shall ,he not do it8 ,,february ,the ,eighth ,,revisiting ,,old ,,altars ,i will make there an altar unto ,god1 who answered me in the day of my distress4 --,,genesis xxxv4 #a-g4 ,it is a blessed thing to revisit our early altars4 ,it is good to return to the haunts of early vision4 ,places and things have their sanctifying influences1 and can recall us to lost experiences4 ,i know a man to whom the scent of a white1 wild rose is always a call to prayer4 ,i know another to whom ,grasmere is always the window of holy vision4 ,sometimes a particular pew in a particular church can throw the heavens open1 and we see the ,son of ,god4 ,the old ,sunday-school has sometimes taken an old man back to his childhood and back to his ,god4 ,so ,i do not wonder that ,god led ,jacob back to ,bethel1 and that in the old place of blessing he reconsecrated himself to the ,lord4 ,it is a revelation of the loving-kindness of ,god that we have all these helps to the recovery of past experiences4 ,let us use them with reverence4 ,and in our early days let us make them4 ,let us build altars of communion which in later life we shall love to revisit4 ,let us make our early home the house of ,god and the gate of heaven4 ,let us multiply deeds of service which will make countless places fragrant for all our after years4 ,,february ,the ,ninth ,,the ,,rock ,,and ,,the ,,bowing ,,wall ,,psalm lxii4 ,here are two symbols by which the psalmist describes the confidence of the righteous4 ,he only is my rock4 ,only yesterday ,i had the shelter of a great rock on a storm-swept mountain side4 ,the wind tore along the heights1 driving the rain like hail1 but in the opening of the rock our shelter was complete4 ,and the second symbol is this3 ,he is my high place4 ,the high place is the home of the chamois1 out of reach of the arrow4 ,flee as a bird to your mountain6 ,get beyond the hunter's range6 ,our security is found in loftiness4 ,it is our unutterable privilege to live in the heavenly places in ,christ ,jesus4 ,such is the confidence of the righteous4 ,in this psalm there is also another pair of symbols describing the futility of the wicked4 ,the wicked is as a bowing wall4 ,the wall is out of perpendicular1 out of conformity with the truth of the plumb-line1 and it will assuredly topple into ruin4 ,so is it with the wicked3 he is building awry1 and he will fall into moral disaster4 ,he is also as a tottering fence4 ,the wind and the rain dislodge the fence1 it rots at its foundations1 and one day it lies prone upon the ground4 ,,february ,the ,tenth ,,registering ,a ,,verdict ,the ,lord our ,god will we serve1 and ,his voice will we obey4 --,,joshua xxiv4 #bb-bh4 ,here was a definite decision4 ,our peril is that we spend our life in wavering and we never decide4 ,we are like a jury which is always hearing evidence and never gives a verdict4 ,we do much thinking1 but we never make up our minds4 ,we let our eyes wander over many things1 but we make no choice4 ,life has no crisis1 no culmination4 ,now people who never decide spend their days in hoping to do so4 ,but this kind of life becomes a vagrancy and not a noble and illumined crusade4 ,we drift through our days1 we do not steer1 and we never arrive at any rich and stately haven4 ,it is therefore vitally wise to make a vow unto the ,lord4 ,it is good to pull our loose thinkings together and to gird up the loins of the mind4 ,let a man1 at some definite place1 and at some definite moment1 make the supreme choice of his life4 ,,february ,the ,eleventh ,,the ,,hill ,,country ,,of ,,the ,,soul ,,psalm cxxi4 ,there should be a hill country in every life1 some great up-towering peaks which dominate the common plain4 ,there should be an upland district1 where springs are born1 and where rivers of inspiration have their birth4 ,i will lift up mine eyes unto the hills4 ,the soul that knows no hills is sure to be oppressed with the monotony of the road4 ,the inspiration to do little things comes from the presence of big things4 ,it is amazing what dull trifles we can get through when a radiant love is near4 ,a noble companionship glorifies the dingiest road4 ,and what if that ,companion be ,god8 ,then1 surely1 the common round and daily task have a light thrown upon them from the beauty of ,his countenance4 ,the heavenlies are our salvation and our defence4 ,his righteousness is like the great mountains4 ,the mountains bring forth peace unto ,his people4 ,,february ,the ,twelfth ,,the ,,bulb ,,and ,,the ,,soil ,he that hath ,my commandments1 and keepeth them1 he it is that loveth ,me4 --,,john xiv4 #ae-bd4 ,yes1 but how can ,i keep them8 ,some one sent me a bulb which requires a certain kind of soil1 but he also sent me the soil in which to grow it4 ,he sent instructions1 but he also sent power4 ,and when ,i am bidden to keep a commandment ,i feel as though ,i have received the bulb but not the soil6 ,but is this ,god's way of dealing with ,his people8 ,i will read on if perchance ,i may find the gift of the soil4 ,he that abideth in ,me 444 the same bringeth forth much fruit4 ,that is the gift ,i seek4 ,for the keeping of ,his commandments the ,lord provides ,himself4 ,i am not called upon to raise fruits out of the soil of my own will1 out of my own infirmity of aspiration or desire4 ,i can rest everything in ,god6 ,i can abide in ,him1 and ,i may have the holy energies of the ,godhead to produce in me the fruits of a holy and obedient life4 ,the good ,lord provides both the bulb and the soil4 ,it is the tragedy of life that we forget this1 and seek to make a soil-bed of our own4 ,and thus do we suffer the calamity of fruitless labour1 the heavy drudgery of tasks beyond our strength4 ,come unto ,me1 all ye that labour and are heavy laden1 and ,i will give you rest4 ,,february ,the ,thirteenth ,,grudges ,thou shalt not bear any grudge4 --,,leviticus xix4 #aa-ah4 ,how searching is that demand upon the soul6 ,my forgiveness of my brother is to be complete4 ,no sullenness is to remain1 no sulky temper which so easily gives birth to thunder and lightning4 ,there is to be no painful aloofness1 no assumption of a superiority which rains contempt upon the offender4 ,when ,i forgive1 ,i am not to carry any powder forward on the journey4 ,i am to empty out all my explosives1 all my ammunition of anger and revenge4 ,i am not to bear any grudge4 ,i cannot meet this demand4 ,it is altogether beyond me4 ,i might utter words of forgiveness1 but ,i cannot reveal a clear1 bright1 blue sky without a touch of storm brewing anywhere4 ,but the ,lord of grace can do it for me4 ,he can change my weather4 ,he can create a new climate4 ,he can renew a right spirit within me1 and in that holy atmosphere nothing shall live which seeks to poison and destroy4 ,grudges shall die like cloud-spots in the dawn4 ,revenge1 that awful creation of the unclean1 feverish soul1 shall give place to goodwill1 the strong genial presence which makes its home in the new heart4 ,,february ,the ,fourteenth ,,imperfect ,,consecration ,,matthew xix4 #af-bb4 ,the rich young ruler consecrated a part1 but was unwilling to consecrate the whole4 ,he hallowed the inch but not the mile4 ,he would go part of the way1 but not to the end4 ,and the peril is upon us all4 ,we give ourselves to the ,lord1 but we reserve some liberties4 ,we offer ,him our house1 but we mark some rooms ,private4 ,and that word ,private1 denying the ,lord admission1 crucifies ,him afresh4 ,he has no joy in the house so long as any rooms are withheld4 ,dr4 ,f4 ,b4 ,meyer has told us how his early ,christian life was marred and his ministry paralyzed just because he had kept back one key from the bunch of keys he had given to the ,lord4 ,every key save one6 ,the key of one room kept for personal use1 and the ,lord shut out4 ,and the effects of the incomplete consecration were found in lack of power1 lack of assurance1 lack of joy and peace4 ,the joy of the ,lord begins when we hand over the last key4 ,we sit with ,christ on ,his throne as soon as we have surrendered all our crowns1 and made ,him sole and only ruler of our life and its possessions4 ,,february ,the ,fifteenth ,,the ,,witness ,,of ,,yesterday ,,psalm lxxviii4 #a-h4 ,our yesterdays are to be the teachers of our children4 ,we are to take them over our road1 and show them the pitfalls where we stumbled and the snares that lured us away4 ,and we are to show them how we found the springs of grace1 and how the ,lord made ,himself known to us in daily providence and care4 ,we are to relate ,his exploits1 ,his wonderful dealings with the children of men4 ,we must make our life witness of ,god to our children1 and when their minds roam over our road they must see it radiant with the grace and mercy of the ,lord4 ,the best inheritance ,i can give my child is a steadfast witness of my knowledge of ,god4 ,the testimony of a light that never failed may give him the needful wisdom when his own way becomes troubled with clouds and darkness4 ,and what a story it is1 this story of the deeds of our gracious ,god4 ,it is full of quickening for weary and desponding souls4 ,it is a perfect reservoir of inspiration for those whose desire has failed1 and in whose lives the wells of impulse have become dry4 ,let us bring forward yesterday's wealth to enrich the life of to-day4 ,do ye not remember the miracle of the loaves8 ,,february ,the ,sixteenth ,,crowding ,,out ,,god ,lest thou forget4 --,,deuteronomy iv4 #e-ac4 ,that is surely the worst affront we can put upon anybody4 ,we may oppose a man and hinder him in his work1 or we may directly injure him1 or we may ignore him1 and treat him as nothing4 ,or we may forget him6 ,opposition1 injury1 contempt1 neglect1 forgetfulness6 ,surely this is a descending scale1 and the last is the worst4 ,and yet we can forget the ,lord ,god4 ,we can forget all ,his benefits4 ,we can easily put ,him out of mind4 ,we can live as though ,he were dead4 ,my children have forgotten ,me4 ,what shall we do to escape this great disaster8 ,take heed to thyself6 ,to take heed is to be at the helm and not asleep in the cabin4 ,it is to steer and not to drift4 ,it is to keep our eyes on the compass and our hands on the wheel4 ,it is to know where we are going4 ,we never deliberately forget our ,lord2 we carelessly drift into it4 ,take heed4 ,and keep thy soul diligently4 ,gardens run to seed1 and ill weeds grow apace4 ,the fair things are crowded out1 and the weed reigns everywhere4 ,it is ever so with my soul4 ,if ,i neglect it1 the flowers of holy desire and devotion will be choked by weeds of worldliness4 ,god will be crowded out1 and the garden of the soul will become a wilderness of neglect and sin4 ,,february ,the ,seventeenth ,,blessings ,,and ,,cursings ,he read all the words of the law1 the blessings and the cursings4 --,,joshua viii4 #cj-ce4 ,we are inclined to read only what pleases us1 to hug the blessings and to ignore the warnings4 ,we bask in the light1 we close our eyes to the lightning4 ,we recount the promises1 we shut our ears to the rebukes4 ,we love the passages which speak of our ,master's gentleness1 we turn away from those which reveal ,his severity4 ,and all this is unwise1 and therefore unhealthy4 ,we become spiritually soft and anmic4 ,we lack moral stamina4 ,we are incapable of noble hatred and of holy scorn4 ,we are invertebrate1 and on the evil day we are not able to stand4 ,we must read all the words of the law1 the blessings and the cursings4 ,we must let the ,lord brace us with ,his severities4 ,we must gaze steadily upon the appalling fearfulness of sin1 and upon its terrific issues4 ,at all costs we must get rid of the spurious gentleness that holds compromise with uncleanness1 that effeminate affection which is destitute of holy fire4 ,we must seek the love which burns everlastingly against all sin2 we must seek the gentleness which can fiercely grip a poisonous growth and tear it out to its last hidden root4 ,we must seek that holy love which is as a consuming fire4 ,,february ,the ,eighteenth ,,the ,,subtlety ,,of ,,temptation ,,james i4 #ab-bj4 ,evil enticements always come to us in borrowed attire4 ,in the ,boer ,war ammunition was carried out in piano cases1 and military advices were transmitted in the skins of melons4 ,and that is the way of the enemy of our souls4 ,he makes us think we are receiving music when he is sending explosives2 he promises life1 but his gift is laden with the seeds of death4 ,he offers us liberty1 and he hides his chains in dazzling flowers4 ,things are not what they seem4 ,and so our enemy uses mirages1 and will-o'-the-wisps and tinselled crowns4 ,he lights friendly fires on perilous coasts to snare us to our ruin4 ,and therefore we need clear1 sure eyes4 ,we need a refined moral sense which can discriminate between the true and the false1 and which can discern the enemy even when he comes as an angel of light4 ,and we may have this wisdom from the ,god of all wisdom4 ,by ,his grace we may be kept morally sensitive1 and we shall know our foe even when he is a long way off4 ,,february ,the ,ninteenth ,,the ,,thought ,,afar ,,off ,,psalm cxxxix4 #a-ab4 ,thou knowest my thought afar off4 ,that fills me with awe4 ,i cannot find a hiding-place where ,i can sin in secrecy4 ,i cannot build an apparent sanctuary and conceal evil within its walls4 ,i cannot with a sheep's skin hide the wolf4 ,i cannot wrap my jealousy up in flattery and keep it unknown4 ,thou ,god seest me4 ,he knows the bottom thought that creeps in the basement of my being4 ,nothing surprises ,god6 ,he sees all my sin4 ,so am ,i filled with awe4 ,thou knowest my thought afar off4 ,this fills me also with hope and joy4 ,he sees the faintest1 weakest desire1 aspiring after goodness4 ,he sees the smallest fire of affection burning uncertainly in my soul4 ,he sees every movement of penitence which looks toward home4 ,he sees every little triumph1 and every altar ,i build along life's way4 ,nothing is overlooked4 ,my ,god is not like a policeman1 only looking for crimes2 ,he is the ,god of grace1 looking for graces1 searching for jewels to adorn ,his crown4 ,so am ,i filled with hope and joy4 ,,february ,the ,twentieth ,,tampering ,,with ,,the ,,label #a ,,john iii4 #d-aj4 ,sin is transgression4 ,it is the deliberate climbing of the fence4 ,we see the trespass-board1 and in spite of the warning we stride into the forbidden field4 ,sin is not ignorance1 it is intention4 ,we sin when we are wide-awake6 ,there are teachers abroad who would soften words like these4 ,they offer us terms which appear to lessen the harshness of our actions2 they give our sin an aspect of innocence4 ,but to alter the label on the bottle does not change the character of the contents4 ,poison is poison give it what name we please4 ,sin is the transgression of the law4 ,let us be on our guard against the men whose pockets are filled with deceptive labels4 ,let us vigilantly resist all teachings which would chloroform the conscience4 ,let us prefer true terms to merely nice ones4 ,let us call sin by its right name1 and let us tolerate no moral conjuring either with ourselves or with others4 ,the first essential in all moral reformation is to call sin sin4 ,if we confess our sin ,he is faithful and just to forgive us our sin4 ,,february ,the ,twenty-first ,,grace ,,reigns6 ,,romans v4 #ab-ba4 ,when old ,mr4 ,honest came to the river1 and he entered the cold waters of death1 the last words he was heard to utter by those who stood on the shore were these3--,grace reigns6 ,all through his pilgrimage old ,mr4 ,honest had been in ,emmanuel's land where grace reigned night and day4 ,it was through grace that he had found the way of life4 ,it was through grace that he had been delivered from the beasts and pitfalls of the road4 ,it was grace that had given him lilies of peace1 and springs of refreshment1 and the fine air that inspired him in difficult tasks4 ,and in death he still found grace abounding1 and the ,lord of the changing road was also ,lord of the dark waters through which he passed into the radiant glories of the cloudless day4 ,in every yard of a faithful pilgrimage we shall find the decrees of sovereign love4 ,we are never in alien country4 ,grace reigns in every hill and valley1 through every green pasture and over every rugged road1 in every moment of the day of life1 and in the last sharp passage through the transient night of death4 ,,february ,the ,twenty-second ,,the ,,three ,,gardens ,,revelation xxii4 #a-ad4 ,the ,bible opens with a garden4 ,it closes with a garden4 ,the first is the ,paradise that was lost4 ,the last is ,paradise regained4 ,and between the two there is a third garden1 the garden of ,gethsemane4 ,and it is through the unspeakable bitterness and desolation of ,gethsemane that we find again the glorious garden through which flows the river of water of life4 ,without ,gethsemane no ,new ,jerusalem6 ,without its mysterious and unfathomable night no blessed sunrise of eternal hope6 ,we were reconciled to ,god by the death of ,his ,son4 ,we are always in dire peril of regarding our redemption lightly4 ,we hold it cheaply4 ,privileges easily come to be esteemed as rights4 ,and even grace itself can lose the strength of heavenly favour and can be received and used as our due4 ,gethsemane can ,i forget8 ,yes1 ,i can2 and in the forgetfulness ,i lose the sacred awe of my redemption1 and ,i miss the real glory of ,paradise regained4 ,ye are not your own2 ye are bought with a price4 ,that is the remembrance that keeps the spirit lowly1 and that fills the heart with love for ,him whose ,i am1 and whom ,i ought to serve4 ,,february ,the ,twenty-third ,,the ,,process ,,and ,,the ,,end ,ye have seen the end of the ,lord3 that the ,lord is very pitiful1 and of tender mercy4 --,,james v4 #g-aa4 ,and so we are bidden to be patient4 ,we must wait to the end of the ,lord4 ,the ,lord's ends are attained through very mysterious means4 ,sometimes the means are in contrast to the ends4 ,he works toward the harvest through winter's frost and snow4 ,the maker of chaste and delicate porcelain reaches his lovely ends through an awful mortar1 where the raw material of bone and clay is pounded into a cream4 ,in that mortar-chamber we have no hint of the finished ware4 ,but be patient1 even in this chamber of affliction the ware is on the way to glory6 ,and so it is with the ministries of our ,lord4 ,he leads us through discords into harmonies1 through opposition into union1 through adversities into peace4 ,his means of grace are processes1 sometimes gentle1 sometimes severe2 and our folly is to assume that we have reached ,his ends when we are only on the way to them4 ,the end of the ,lord is very pitiful1 and of tender mercy4 ,be patient1 therefore1 until it shall be spoken of thee and me1 ,and ,god saw that it was good4 ,,february ,the ,twenty-fourth ,,moving ,,towards ,,daybreak ,he hath brought me into darkness1 but not into light4 --,,lamentations iii4 #a-i4 ,but a man may be in darkness1 and yet in motion toward the light4 ,i was in the darkness of the subway1 and it was close and oppressive1 but ,i was moving toward the light and fragrance of the open country4 ,i entered into a tunnel in the ,black ,country in ,england1 but the motion was continued1 and we emerged amid fields of loveliness4 ,and therefore the great thing to remember is that ,god's darknesses are not ,his goals2 ,his tunnels are means to get somewhere else4 ,yes1 ,his darknesses are appointed ways to ,his light4 ,in ,god's keeping we are always moving1 and we are moving towards ,emmanuel's land1 where the sun shines1 and the birds sing night and day4 ,there is no stagnancy for the ,god-directed soul4 ,he is ever guiding us1 sometimes with the delicacy of a glance1 sometimes with the firmer ministry of a grip1 and ,he moves with us always1 even through the valley of the shadow of death4 ,therefore1 be patient1 my soul6 ,the darkness is not thy bourn1 the tunnel is not thy abiding home6 ,he will bring thee out into a large place where thou shalt know the liberty of the glory of the children of ,god4 ,,february ,the ,twenty-fifth ,,the ,,fresh ,,eye ,his compassions fail not3 they are new every morning4 --,,lamentations iii4 #bb-cc4 ,we have not to live on yesterday's manna2 we can gather it fresh to-day4 ,compassion becomes stale when it becomes thoughtless4 ,it is new thought that keeps our pity strong4 ,if our perception of need can remain vivid1 as vivid as though we had never seen it before1 our sympathies will never fail4 ,the fresh eye insures the sensitive heart4 ,and our ,god's compassions are so new because ,he never becomes accustomed to our need4 ,he always sees it with an eye that is never dulled by the commonplace2 ,he never becomes blind with much seeing6 ,we can look at a thing so often that we cease to see it4 ,god always sees a thing as though ,he were seeing it for the first time4 ,thou1 ,god1 seest me1 and ,his compassions fail not4 ,and if my compassions are to be like a river that never knows drought1 ,i must cultivate a freshness of sight4 ,the horrible can lose its horrors4 ,the daily tragedy can become the daily commonplace4 ,my neighbour's needs can become as familiar as my furniture1 and ,i may never see either the one or the other4 ,and therefore must ,i ask the ,lord for the daily gift of discerning eyes4 ,lord1 that ,i may receive my sight4 ,and with an always newly-awakened interest may ,i reveal the compassions of the ,lord6 ,,february ,the ,twenty-sixth ,,the ,,cellars ,,of ,,affliction ,,psalm xxxiv4 #i-bb4 ,samuel ,rutherford used to say that whenever he found himself in the cellars of afflictions he used to look about for the ,king's wine4 ,he would look for the wine-bottles of the promises and drink rich draughts of vitalizing grace4 ,and surely that is the best deliverance in all affliction1 to be made so spiritually exhilarant that we can rise above it4 ,i might be taken out of affliction1 and emerge a poor slave and weakling4 ,i might remain in affliction1 and yet be king in the seeming servitude1 more than conqueror in ,christ ,jesus4 ,it is a great thing to be led through green pastures and by still waters2 ,i think it is a greater thing to have a table prepared before me in the presence of mine enemies4 ,it is good to be able to sing in the sunny noon2 it is better still to be able to sing songs in the night4 ,and this deliverance may always be ours in ,christ ,jesus4 ,the ,lord may not smooth out our circumstances1 but we may have the regal right of peace4 ,he may not save us from the sorrows of a newly-cut grave1 but we may have the glorious strength of the immortal hope4 ,god will enable us to be masters of all our circumstances1 and none shall have a deadly hold upon us4 ,,february ,the ,twenty-seventh ,,the ,,might ,,of ,,frailty ,,psalm cv4 #bc-cf4 ,that is the wonder of wonders1 that the ,almighty ,god will use frail humanity as the vehicles of ,his power1 and will make ,moses and ,aaron shine with reflected glory4 ,man can send an electric current into a fragile carbon film and make it incandescent4 ,he can send his voice across a continent1 and make it speak on a distant shore4 ,and the ,lord ,god can do wonders compared with which these are only as the dimmest dreams4 ,he can send ,his holy power into human speech1 and the words can wake the dead4 ,he can send ,his virtue into the human will1 and its strength can shake the thrones of iniquity4 ,he can send ,his love into the human heart1 and the power of its affection can capture the bitterest foe4 ,and so the word impossible becomes itself impossible when the soul of man is in fellowship with the ,lord of ,hosts4 ,the pliant will becomes an iron pillar4 ,the weak heart becomes as a defended city when it is the home of ,god4 ,dumb lips become the thrones of mysterious eloquence when touched with divine inspiration4 ,,february ,the ,twenty-eighth ,,the ,,test ,,of ,,fulness ,,deuteronomy viii4 #a-aj4 ,and thou shalt eat and be full1 and thou shalt bless the ,lord thy ,god4 ,fulness is surely a more searching test than want4 ,fulness induces sleep and forgetfulness4 ,many a man fights a good fight with ,apollyon in the narrow way1 who lapses into sleepy indifference on the ,enchanted ,ground4 ,men often sit down to a full table without grace4 ,pain cries out to ,god1 while boisterous health strides along in heedlessness4 ,yes1 it is our fulness that constitutes our direst peril4 ,this was the iniquity of ,sodom1 fulness of bread and abundance of idleness4 ,and so our tests may come on the sunny day4 ,a nation's supreme tests may come in its prosperity4 ,the sunshine may do more damage than the lightning4 ,the soul may falter even in ,beulah land1 where the sun shines night and day4 ,prayer must not1 therefore1 tarry until sickness and adversity come4 ,we must pray without ceasing in the cloudless noon1 lest we are stricken with the arrow that flieth by day4 ,we must seek the eternal strength when no apparent enemy crouches at our gate1 and when our easy road is lined with luxuriant flowers and fruit4 ,,february ,the ,twenty-ninth ,,invincible ,,reliance ,,hebrews xi4 #ag-bb4 ,accounting that ,god was able4 ,that is the faith that makes moral heroes4 ,that is the faith that prompts mighty ventures and crusades4 ,it is faith in ,god's willingness and ability to redeem ,his promises4 ,it is faith that if ,i do my part ,he will most assuredly do ,his4 ,it is faith that ,he cannot possibly fail4 ,it is faith that when ,he makes a promise the money is already in the bank4 ,it is faith that when ,he sends me into the wilderness the secret harvest is already ripe from which ,he will give me daily bread4 ,it is faith that all things are now ready1 and in that faith ,i will face the apparently impossible task4 ,and thus the impossible leads me to the prepared4 ,the desert leads me to fields white already4 ,the hard call to sacrifice leads me to the lamb in the thicket4 ,god is able1 and ,he is never behind the time4 ,the critical need unveils ,his grace4 ,faith goes out on this invincible reliance4 ,it is the assurance of things hoped for4 ,and by faith it inherits these things and is rich and strong in their possession4 ,,march ,the ,first ,,overcharging ,,the ,,heart ,,luke xxi4 #be-cf4 ,here is a great peril4 ,our hearts may be overcharged with surfeiting1 and drunkenness1 and cares of this life1 and so that day come upon you unawares4 ,our mode of living may send our spirits to sleep4 ,yes1 we may so ill-use our bodies that the watchman sleeps at his post6 ,we can over-eat1 and dim our moral sight4 ,a man's daily meals have vital relationship with his vision of the ,lord4 ,if ,i would have a clear spirit ,i must not overburden the flesh4 ,and therefore am ,i bidden to take heed to myself4 ,i must exercise common sense1 the most important of all the senses4 ,i must put a bridle upon my appetite1 and hold it in subjection to my ,lord4 ,and ,i must watch6 ,the devil is surpassingly cunning1 and1 if he can1 he will mix an opiate even with the sacramental wine4 ,he will lure me among the winsome poppies1 and put me into a perilous sleep4 ,and ,i must pray6 ,i have a great and glorious ,defender6 ,let me humbly yet confidently use ,him1 and ,i shall be delivered from the snares of appetite1 and from the benumbing influence of all excess4 ,,march ,the ,second ,,the ,,power ,,of ,,the ,,cross ,,john x4 #aa-ah4 ,i lay down my life4 ,in that supreme sacrifice all other sacrifices turn pale4 ,in the power of that sacrifice the blackest guilt finds forgiveness4 ,its energies seek out the ruined and desolate life with glorious offer of renewal4 ,when the ,lord laid down ,his life the entire race found a new beginning4 ,our hope is born at the ,cross4 ,it is there that the burden of our sin rolls away4 ,in ,his night we find daybreak4 ,when ,he said1 ,it is finished1 our soul could sing1 ,life is begun4 ,and so pilgrims gather at the ,cross4 ,songs are heard there1 the sweetest ever sung by mortal tongues4 ,and the power of the ,cross never wanes4 ,its glorious grace reaches the soul to-day as in the earliest days4 ,it inspires the despairing heart4 ,it transforms the mind4 ,it remakes the tissues of the will4 ,there is no shattered power that the power of the ,cross cannot restore4 ,we are complete in ,him4 ,in the ,cross of ,christ ,i glory1 ,towering o'er the wrecks of time2 ,all the light of sacred story ,gathers round its head sublime4 ,,march ,the ,third ,,preparing ,,for ,,the ,,bride ,,john xiv4 #a-ad4 ,our ,lord has prepared a place4 ,it is the ,bridegroom getting the house ready for the bride4 ,and1 therefore1 the preparations are not made grudgingly and with slow reluctance4 ,everything is of the best1 and done with the swift delight of love4 ,come1 for all things are now ready4 ,and our ,lord will fetch ,his bride to the prepared place4 ,i am the way4 ,we become so wrapt up in ,him that nothing else counts4 ,i once travelled through the ,black ,country with a fascinating friend1 and ,i never saw it6 ,and we can become so absorbed in our glorious ,bridegroom that we shall be almost oblivious of adverse circumstances which may beset us4 ,yes1 even this is possible3 ,he that believeth in ,me shall never see death6 ,i will receive you unto ,myself4 ,the last obscuring veil is to be rent1 and we are to see ,him face to face4 ,and that will be home1 for that will be satisfaction and peace4 ,the deepest hunger of the soul will be gratified in a glorious contentment1 and we shall find that the half hath not been told4 ,,march ,the ,fourth ,,the ,,great ,,companion ,,john xiv4 #ae-ca4 ,and so even the road is to have the home-feeling in it4 ,i will not leave you orphans4 ,yes2 there is to be something of home even in the way to it4 ,i find something of ,devonshire even in ,dorsetshire2 ,shropshire gives me a taste of ,wales4 ,my ,lord will not leave me comfortless4 ,heaven runs over1 and ,i find its bounty before ,i arrive at its gate4 ,the ,valley of ,baca becomes a well4 ,and there are to be wonderful visions to speed the pilgrim's feet4 ,i will manifest ,myself unto him4 ,at unexpected corners the glory will break6 ,we shall be assuming that we have picked up a common traveller1 and suddenly we shall discover it is the ,lord1 for ,he will be made known to us in the breaking of bread4 ,and at many risings of the road1 where the climbing is stiff and burdensome1 we shall be inspired with many a glorious view1 and we shall see the land that is very far off4 ,the one condition is1 that ,i keep ,his word4 ,if ,i am obedient1 ,he will appear unto me1 and the humdrum road will shine with miracles of grace4 ,,march ,the ,fifth ,,the ,,tent ,,and ,,the ,,building #b ,,corinthians v4 #a-i4 ,at present we live in a tent--the earthly house of this tabernacle4 ,and often the tent is very rickety4 ,there are rents through which the rain enters1 and it trembles ominously in the great storm4 ,some tents are frail from the very beginning1 half-rotten when they are put up1 and they have no defence even against the breeze4 ,but even the strongest tent becomes weather-worn and threadbare1 and in the long run it falls in a heap6 ,and what then8 ,we shall exchange the frail tent for the solid house6 ,if the earthly house of this tabernacle be dissolved1 we have a building of ,god1 a house not made with hands1 eternal in the heavens4 ,when we are unclothed we shall find ourselves clothed with our house which is from heaven4 ,the glory of this transition can only be confessed by the saints in light4 ,to awake1 and discover that the creaking1 breaking cords are left behind1 that all the leakages are over1 that we are no longer exposed to the cutting wind1 that pain is passed1 and sickness1 and death--this must be a wonder of inconceivable ecstasy6 ,and absent from the body we shall be present with the ,lord4 ,,march ,the ,sixth ,,home-,,life ,,in ,,god ,,john xvii4 #bj-bf4 ,the home-life in ,god is to be a life of perfect union--,i in them1 and ,thou in ,me4 ,home is only another name for union4 ,it is the perfect fusion of life with life1 the harmonizing of differences as many different notes combine to form the mystery of choral song4 ,and so will it be in the home-land6 ,our manifold individualities will be retained1 but we shall fit into one another1 and in the perfect harmony we shall hear the new song of heaven4 ,and we are to prepare that union by the contemplation of the glory of the ,lord4 ,that they may behold ,my glory4 ,yes1 and we can begin to do that now4 ,we can lift our eyes away from the ugly compromises of men and fix them upon the radiant holiness of the ,lord4 ,we can look away from the dirty ,alpine village and gaze upon the virgin snow of the uplifted heights4 ,looking unto ,jesus6 ,and in that contemplation we shall most assuredly become transformed4 ,i have given unto them the glory which ,thou gavest ,me4 ,that is our wonderful possibility4 ,for thee and me is this prize offered1 we can awake in ,his likeness4 ,,march ,the ,seventh ,,things ,,missing ,,in ,,heaven ,,revelation xxi4 #a-g4 ,what a number of conspicuous absences there are to be in the home-land6 ,no more sea6 ,john was in ,patmos1 and the sea rolled between him and his kinsmen4 ,the sea was a minister of estrangement4 ,but in the home-country every cause of separation is to be done away1 and the family life is to be one of inconceivable intimacy4 ,no more sea6 ,and no more pain6 ,its work is done1 and therefore the worker is put away4 ,when the building is completed the scaffolding may be removed4 ,when the patient is in good health the medicine bottles can be dispensed with4 ,and so shall it be with pain and all its attendants4 ,the inhabitant never says3 ',i am sick6' ,and no more death6 ,the last enemy that shall be destroyed is ,death4 ,yes1 he1 too1 shall drop his scythe1 and his lax hand shall destroy no more for ever4 ,death himself shall die6 ,and all things that have shared his work shall die with him4 ,the former things have passed away4 ,the wedding-peal which welcomes the ,lamb's bride will ring the funeral knell of ,death and all his sable company4 ,,march ,the ,eighth ,,the ,,citizens ,,of ,,the ,,home-,,land ,,revelation vii4 #i-ag4 ,the citizen of the home-land wears white robes4 ,his habits are perfectly clean4 ,and the purity which he wears is a ,divine gift and not a human accomplishment4 ,it cannot be attained by self-sacrifice2 it is ours through the sacrifice of our ,lord4 ,they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the ,lamb4 ,and every citizen of the home-land bears a palm in his hand4 ,it is the emblem of conquest and sovereignty4 ,by the grace of ,christ they have been lifted above self and sin1 and the devil1 and death1 and made to sit with ,him on ,his throne4 ,the palm is the heavenly symbol that all their spiritual enemies are under their feet4 ,and every citizen of the home-land takes part in the new song4 ,the home-folk are therefore one in purity1 one in self-conquest1 and one in praise4 ,salvation unto our ,god which sitteth upon the throne6 ,in that melody of thankfulness their union is deepened and enriched4 ,and we1 too1 can begin now to wear the white robe6 ,and even now can we carry the palm6 ,and even now we can join in the song of ceaseless praise4 ,,march ,the ,ninth ,,nearing ,,home6 #b ,,timothy iv4 #a-h4 ,here is a most valiant pilgrim nearing home6 ,by the mercy of ,christ he can look back upon a brave day1 and there's a fine hopeful light in the evening sky4 ,he has fought well6 ,i have fought a good fight4 ,and his has been a hard field4 ,the enemy has ever regarded him as a leader in the army of the ,lord and against him has the fiercest fight been waged4 ,but he has never lost or stained his flag4 ,and he has run well6 ,i have finished my course4 ,there was no melancholy turning back when the feverish start had cooled4 ,there was no shrinking when the biting wind of malice and persecution swept across his track4 ,on and on he ran1 with increasing speed and ardour1 until he reached the goal4 ,and well had he guarded his treasure6 ,i have kept the faith4 ,he was the custodian of unsearchable riches1 and he watched1 day and night1 lest any infernal burglar should despoil him of his wealth4 ,he guarded his gospel1 his liberty1 his hope1 as the sentinels guard the crown jewels in the ,tower4 ,and now the hard day is nearly over4 ,henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness which the ,lord will give me at that day4 ,,march ,the ,tenth ,,exaltation ,,by ,,separation #b ,,corinthians vi4 #aa-ah4 ,when we turn away from the world1 and leave it1 we ourselves are not left to desolation and orphanhood4 ,when we come out from among them the ,lord receives us6 ,he is waiting for us4 ,the new companionship is ours the moment the old companionship is ended4 ,i will not leave you comfortless4 ,what we have lost is compensated by infinite and eternal gain4 ,we have lost the whole world and gained the unsearchable riches of ,christ4 ,and therefore separation is exaltation4 ,we leave the muddy pleasures of ,sodom and we drink of the river of ,his pleasures4 ,we leave the garish day1 and all the feverish life of ,vanity ,fair1 and ,he maketh us to lie down in green pastures1 ,he leadeth us beside the still waters4 ,we leave a transient sensation1 we receive the bread of eternity4 ,we forfeit fireworks1 we gain the stars6 ,what fools we are1 and blind6 ,we prefer the scorched desert of ,sodom to the garden of ,eden4 ,we prefer a loud reputation to noble character4 ,we prefer delirium to joy4 ,we prefer human applause to the praise of ,god4 ,we prefer a fading garland to the crown of life4 ,lord1 that we may receive our sight6 ,,march ,the ,eleventh ,,good ,,and ,,bad ,,roads ,,psalm i4 ,there is nothing breaks up more speedily than a badly-made road4 ,every season is its enemy and works for its destruction4 ,fierce heat and intensest cold both strive for its undoing4 ,and the way of the ungodly is an appallingly bad road4 ,there is rottenness in its foundations1 and there is built into it wood1 and hay1 and stubble1 ,how can it stand8 ,the ,spirit of the ,lord breatheth upon it1 and it is surely brought to nought4 ,all the forces of holiness are pledged to its destruction1 and they shall pick it to pieces1 and shall scatter its elements to the winds4 ,i am the way6 ,that road remains sound in all generations4 ,changing circumstances cannot affect its stability4 ,it is proof against every tempest1 and against the most violent heat4 ,it is a road in which little children can walk in happiness and in which old people can walk in peace4 ,it is firm in the day of life1 and it is absolutely sure in the hour of death4 ,it never yields6 ,thou hast set my feet upon a rock and hast established my goings4 ,this is the way1 walk ye in it4 ,,march ,the ,twelfth ,,the ,,coming ,,of ,,the ,,lord ,,luke xvii4 #bb-cb4 ,in a certain very real way the ,lord is coming every moment4 ,and the great art of ,christian living is to be able to discern ,him when ,he arrives4 ,he may appear as the village carpenter2 or we may suppose ,him to be one of the gardeners1 and we may mistake ,his appearing6 ,he may meet us in some lowly duty1 or in some seemingly unpleasant task4 ,he may shine in the cheeriness of some triumph1 or whisper to us in a message of good news4 ,i come again4 ,and if our eyes are open we shall see ,him coming continually4 ,it is by this perception that the value of our life is measured and weighed4 ,but ,he will also come again suddenly1 when the soul will be translated into unknown climes4 ,he will come again in the sable robes of death4 ,shall we know ,him8 ,will our eyes be so keen and true that we shall be able to pierce the dark veil and say ,it is the ,lord6 ,this has been the joyful experience of countless multitudes4 ,when the summons came their souls went forth1 not as victims to encounter death1 but as the bride to meet the bridegroom6 ,they had intimacy with ,him in life2 they had glorious fellowship with ,him in death6 ,,march ,the ,thirteenth ,,sickness ,,among ,,christ',s ,,friends ,,john xi4 #a-af4 ,and so sickness can enter the circle of the friends of the ,lord4 ,he whom ,thou lovest is sick4 ,my sicknesses do not mean that ,i have lost ,his favour4 ,the shadow is ,his1 as well as the sunshine4 ,when ,he removes me from the glare of boisterous health it may be because of some spiritual fern which needs the ministry of the shade4 ,this sickness is 444 for the glory of ,god4 ,something beautiful will spring out of the shadowed seclusion1 something which shall spread abroad the name and fame of ,god4 ,and1 therefore1 ,i do not wonder at the ,lord's delay4 ,he did not hasten away to the sick friend3 ,he abode two days still in the same place where ,he was4 ,shall ,i put it like this3 the awaking bulbs were not yet ready for the brighter light--just a little more shade6 ,we are impatient to get healthy2 the ,lord desires that we become holy4 ,our physical sickness is continued in order that we may put on spiritual strength4 ,and there are others besides sick ,lazarus concerned in the sickness3 ,i am glad for your sakes ,i was not there4 ,the disciples were included in the divine scheme4 ,their spiritual welfare was to be affected by it4 ,let me ever remember that the circle affected by sickness is always wider than the patient's bed4 ,and may ,god be glorified in all6 ,,march ,the ,fourteenth ,,even ,,now6 ,,john xi4 #ag-ca4 ,let me consider this marvellous confession of ,martha's faith4 ,i know that even now1 whatsoever ,thou wilt ask of ,god1 ,god will give it ,thee6 ,mark the even now6 ,lazarus was dead1 and it was midnight in the desolate home4 ,but even now6 ,beautiful it is when a soul's most awful crises are the seasons of its most radiant faith6 ,beautiful it is when our lamp shines steadily in the tempest1 and when our spiritual confidence remains unshaken like a gloriously rooted tree4 ,beautiful it is when in our midnight men can hear the strains of the even now6 ,and let me consider the wonder of the ,divine response4 ,i am the resurrection and the life4 ,a faith like ,martha's will always win the ,saviour's best4 ,and here is an overwhelming best before which we can only bow in silent homage and awe4 ,he is the ,fountain in whom the stagnant brook shall find currency again4 ,he is the ,life in whom the fallen dead shall rise to their feet again4 ,and what is this8 ,whosoever liveth and believeth in ,me shall never die6 ,we shall go to sleep1 but we shall never taste the bitterness of death4 ,in the very act of closing our material eyes we shall open our spiritual eyes1 and find ourselves at home6 ,,march ,the ,fifteenth ,,jesus ,,at ,a ,,grave ,,john xi4 #cb-de4 ,here is ,jesus weeping4 ,jesus wept4 ,why did ,he weep8 ,perhaps ,he wept out of sheer sympathy with the tears of others4 ,and perhaps1 too1 ,he wept because some of our tears were needless4 ,if we were better men we should know more of the love and purpose of our ,lord1 and perhaps many of our tears would be dried4 ,still1 here is the sweet and heartening evangel4 ,he sympathizes with my grief6 ,never a bitter tear is shed without my ,lord sharing the tang and the pang4 ,here is ,jesus praying6 ,father1 ,i thank ,thee that ,thou hast heard ,me4 ,then it is not so much a prayer as a thanksgiving4 ,he gives thanks for what ,he is about to receive4 ,is this my way8 ,perhaps ,i do it before ,i take a meal4 ,do ,i do it before ,i begin to live the day8 ,in the morning do ,i thank my ,god for what ,i am about to receive8 ,can ,i confidently give thanks before ,i receive the gifts of ,god1 before the dish-covers are removed8 ,can ,i trust ,him8 ,and here is ,jesus commanding1 clothed in sovereign power3 ,lazarus1 come forth6 ,that is the same voice which in the beginning created the heavens and the earth4 ,,march ,the ,sixteenth ,,the ,,nemesis ,,of ,,bigotry ,,john xi4 #df-eg4 ,a fearful nemesis waits upon the spirit of bigotry4 ,oliver ,wendell ,holmes has said that bigotry is like the pupil of the eye1 the more light you pour into it the more it contracts4 ,the scribes and ,pharisees became smaller men the more the ,lord revealed ,his glory4 ,in the raising of ,lazarus they saw nothing of the glory of the resurrection life1 nothing of the joy of the reunited family1 nothing of the gracious ministry of the ,lord6 ,darkness had blinded their eyes4 ,and it is also the nemesis of bigotry to be bitter1 cruel1 and violent4 ,they sought to kill the ,giver of life6 ,it is the ministry of light to ripen and sweeten the dispositions4 ,the fruit of the light is in all goodness4 ,it is the ministry of the darkness to make men sour and unsympathetic1 and revengeful1 and to so pervert the heart as to make it a minister of poison and death4 ,and yet1 how powerless is bigotry in the long run6 ,it can no more stay the progress of the ,kingdom than ,king ,canute could check the flowing tide6 ,bigotry slew the ,lord1 and ,he rose again6 ,and so it ever is4 ,truth crushed to earth shall rise again2 the eternal years of ,god are hers4 ,,march ,the ,seventeenth ,,the ,,commonplace ,,of ,,death ,,luke vii4 #aa-ah4 ,death is never a commonplace4 ,we never become so accustomed to funerals as not to see them4 ,everybody sees the mournful procession go along the street4 ,a momentary awe steals over the flippant thought1 and for one brief season the superficial opens into the infinite abyss4 ,and yet1 while a thousand are arrested1 only a few are compassionate4 ,there can be awe without pity2 there can be interest without service4 ,when this humble funeral train trudged out of the city of ,nain our ,lord halted1 and ,his heart melted6 ,there was an aching void1 and ,he longed to fill it4 ,there was a bleeding1 broken heart1 and ,he yearned to stand and heal it4 ,he found ,his own joy in removing another's tears1 ,his own satisfaction in another's peace4 ,the ,lord hath visited ,his people6 ,that is what the people said1 and ,i do not wonder at the saying6 ,and let me1 too1 be a humble visitor in the troubled ways of men6 ,let my heart be a well of sweet compassion to all the sons and daughters of grief6 ,like ,barnabas1 let me be a son of consolation4 ,,march ,the ,eighteenth ,,serenity ,,in ,,the ,,tempest ,,job xix4 #bc-bg4 ,perhaps ,i am akin to ,job in having experienced the pressure of calamity4 ,i have felt the shock of adverse circumstances1 and the house of my life has trembled in the convulsion4 ,or death has been to my door and has returned again and again1 and every time he has left me weeping6 ,all ,god's billows have gone over me6 ,verily1 ,i can take my place by the patriarch ,job4 ,but can ,i share his witness1 ,i know that my ,redeemer liveth8 ,have ,i a calm assurance that my ruler is not caprice1 and that my comings and goings are not determined by unfeeling chance8 ,when death knocked at my door1 did ,i know that the ,king had sent him8 ,when some cherished scheme toppled into ruin1 had ,i any thought that the ,lord's hand was concerned in the shaking8 ,even when my circumstances are dubious1 and ,i cannot trace a gracious purpose1 do ,i know that my ,vindicator liveth1 and that some day ,he will justify all the happenings of the troubled road8 ,i will pay for this gracious confidence4 ,i would have a firm step even among disappointments2 yea1 ,i would sing songs in the night6 ,,march ,the ,nineteenth ,,death ,,as ,,my ,,servant ,,revelation xx4 #a-f4 ,even now ,i would rise from the dead4 ,even now ,i would know the power of ,his resurrection4 ,even now ,i would taste the rapture of the deathless life4 ,and this is my glorious prerogative in grace4 ,yes1 even now ,i can be risen with ,christ1 and death shall no more have dominion over me6 ,and yet ,i must die6 ,yes1 but the old enemy shall now be my friend4 ,he will not be my master1 but my servant4 ,he shall just be the porter1 to open the door into my ,father's house1 into the home of unspeakable blessedness and glory4 ,death shall not hurt me6 ,i have seen a little child fall asleep while out in the streets of the city1 and the kind nurse has taken charge of the sleeper1 and when the little one awaked she was at home1 and she opened her eyes upon her mother's face4 ,so shall it be with all who are alive in ,christ1 and who have risen from a spiritual grave4 ,they shall just fall into a brief sweet sleep1 and gentle death shall usher them into the glory of the endless day4 ,,march ,the ,twentieth ,,the ,,lord ,,is ,,at ,,hand6 ,ye know not what hour your ,lord doth come4 --,,matthew xxiv4 #db-ea4 ,then let me always live as though my ,lord were at the gate6 ,let me arrange my affairs on the assumption that the next to lift the latch will be the ,king4 ,when ,i am out with my friend1 walking and talking1 let me assume that just round the corner ,i may meet the ,lord4 ,and so let me practise meeting ,him6 ,said a mother to me one day concerning her long-absent boy3 ,i lay a place for him at every meal6 ,his seat is always ready6 ,may ,i not do this for my ,lord8 ,may ,i not make a place for ,him in all my affairs--my choices1 my pleasures1 my times of business1 my season of rest8 ,he may come just now2 let ,his place be ready6 ,if ,he delay1 ,i must not become careless4 ,if ,he give me further liberty1 ,i must not take liberties with it4 ,here is the golden principle1 ever to live1 ever to think1 ever to work as though the ,lord had already arrived4 ,for indeed1 ,he has1 and when the veil is rent ,i shall find ,him at my side4 ,,march ,the ,twenty-first ,,in ,,the ,,golden ,,city ,,isaiah lii4 #a-ab4 ,and so these are the glories of the golden city4 ,there is wakefulness4 ,awake6 awake6 ,in the golden city none will be asleep4 ,everybody will be bright-eyed1 clear-minded1 looking upon all beautiful things with fresh and ready receptiveness4 ,the eyes of them that see shall not be dim4 ,there is strength4 ,put on thy strength6 ,there will be no broken wills in the golden city1 and no broken hearts4 ,no one will walk with a limp6 ,everybody will go with a brave stride as to the strains of a band4 ,and no one will tire of living1 and the inhabitant never says1 ,i am sick4 ,and there is beauty4 ,put on thy beautiful garments4 ,bare strength might not be attractive4 ,but strength clothed in beauty is a very gracious thing4 ,the tender mosses on the granite make it winsome4 ,strength is companionable when it is united with grace4 ,in the golden city there will be tender sentiment as well as rigid conviction4 ,and these glories will be our defence4 ,a positive virtue is our best rampart against vice4 ,a robust health is the best protection against the epidemic4 ,the prince of this world cometh1 and he hath nothing in me4 ,,march ,the ,twenty-second ,,counsel ,,and ,,might ,,psalm cxix4 #cc-dj4 ,the psalmist prays for an illumined understanding4 ,teach me1 ,o ,lord1 the way of ,thy statutes4 ,we are so prone to be children of the twilight1 and to see things out of their true proportions4 ,therefore do we need to be daily taught4 ,i must go into the school of the ,lord1 and in docility of spirit ,i must sit at ,his feet4 ,o1 teach me1 ,lord1 teach even me6 ,and the psalmist prays for rectified inclinations4 ,incline my heart unto ,thy testimonies4 ,we so often have the wrong bias1 the fatal taste1 and our desires are all against the will of the ,lord4 ,if only my leanings were toward the ,lord how swift my progress would be6 ,i strive to walk after holiness1 while my inclinations are in the realm of sin4 ,and so ,i need a clean mouth1 with an appetite for the beautiful and the true4 ,blessed are they that hunger after righteousness4 ,and the psalmist prays for a strenuous will4 ,make me to go in the path of ,thy commandments4 ,he is praying for go1 for moral persistence1 for power to crash through all obstacles which may impede his heavenly progress4 ,and such is my need4 ,good ,lord1 endow me with a will like an iron pillar1 and help me to stand in the evil day4 ,,march ,the ,twenty-third ,,the ,,dark ,,betrayal ,,john xviii4 #a-ad4 ,our ,master was betrayed by a disciple1 one of the twelve4 ,the blow came from one of ,his own household4 ,the world employed a friend to execute its dark design4 ,and so our intimacy with ,christ may be our peril2 our very association may be made our temptation4 ,the devil would rather gain one belonging to the inner circle than a thousand who stand confessed as the friends of the world4 ,what am ,i doing in the kingdom8 ,can ,i be trusted8 ,or am ,i in the pay of the evil one8 ,and our ,master was betrayed in the garden of prayer4 ,in the most hallowed place the betrayer gave the most unholy kiss4 ,he brought his defilement into the most awe-inspiring sanctuary the world has ever known4 ,and so may it be with me4 ,i can kindle the unclean fire in the church4 ,i can stab my ,lord when ,i am on my knees4 ,while ,i am in apparent devotion ,i can be in league with the powers of darkness4 ,and this dark betrayal was for money6 ,the ,lord of ,glory was bartered for thirty pieces of silver6 ,and the difference between ,judas and many men is that they often sell their ,lord for less6 ,from the power of ,mammon1 and from the blindness which falls upon his victims1 good ,lord1 deliver me6 ,,march ,the ,twenty-fourth ,,in ,,gethsemane ,,luke xxii4 #ci-df4 ,surely this is the very ,holy of ,holies6 ,it were well for us to fall on our knees and be silent unto the ,lord4 ,i would quietly listen to the awful words1 ,remove this cup from ,me6 and ,i would listen again and again until never again do ,i hold a cheap religion4 ,it is in this garden that we learn the real values of things1 and come to know the price at which our redemption was bought4 ,no one can remain in ,gethsemane and retain a frivolous and flippant spirit4 ,and there appeared unto ,him an angel from heaven1 strengthening ,him4 ,i know that angel6 ,he has been to me4 ,he has brought me angel's food1 even heavenly manna4 ,always and everywhere1 when my soul has surrendered itself to the ,divine will1 the angel comes1 and my soul is refreshed4 ,the laying down of self is the taking up of ,god4 ,when ,i lose my will ,i gain the ,infinite4 ,the moment of surrender is also the moment of conquest4 ,when ,i consecrate my weakness ,i put on strength and majesty like a robe4 ,and when ,he rose up from ,his prayer--what then8 ,just this1 ,he was quietly ready for anything1 ready for the betraying kiss1 ready for crucifixion4 ,arise1 let us be going4 ,,march ,the ,twenty-fifth ,,the ,,fear ,,of ,,man ,,john xviii4 #ae-bg4 ,and this is the disciple who had been surnamed ,the ,rock6 ,our ,lord looked into the morrow1 and ,he saw ,simon's character1 compacted by grace and discipline into a texture tough and firm as granite4 ,but there is not much granite here6 ,peter is yet loose and yielding2 more like a bending reed than an unshakable rock4 ,a servant girl whispers1 and his timid heart flings a lie to his lips and he denies his ,lord4 ,peter denied the ,master1 not because he coveted money1 but because he feared men4 ,he was not seeking crowns1 but escaping frowns4 ,he was not clutching at a garland1 but avoiding a sword4 ,it was not avarice but cowardice which determined his ways4 ,he shrank from crucifixion6 ,he saw a possible cross1 and with a great lie he passed by on the other side4 ,but the ,lord has not done with ,peter4 ,he is still in the making4 ,some day he will justify his new name4 ,some day we shall find it written3 ,when they saw the boldness of ,peter1 they marvelled6 ,once a maid could make him tremble4 ,now he can stand in high places1 steadfast and unmovable6 ,from the spirit of cowardice and from all temporising1 and from the unholy fear of man1 deliver me1 good ,lord6 ,,march ,the ,twenty-sixth ,,the ,,king ,,of ,,kings ,,john xviii4 #bh-ch4 ,what a strange ,king our ,lord appears1 claiming mystic sovereignty1 and yet betrayed by a false friend6 ,and yet1 even in ,his apparent subjection ,his majestic kingliness stands revealed4 ,when ,i watch the demeanours of ,pilate and ,jesus1 ,i can see very clearly who it is who is on the throne2 ,pilate wears the outer trappings of royalty1 but my ,lord's is the power and the glory4 ,pilate fusses about in a little brief authority1 but my ,lord stands possessed of a serene dominion4 ,even at ,pilate's judgment bar ,jesus is the ,king4 ,but ,his kingdom is not of this world4 ,and therefore this ,king is unlike every other ,king4 ,he seeks ,his possessions not by fighting1 but by lighting2 not by coercion1 but by constraint4 ,his servants do not go forth with swords1 but with lamps2 not to drive the peoples1 but to lead them4 ,his visible throne is a cross1 and ,his conquests are made in the power of sacrifice4 ,and so ,his armaments are the ,truth1 and the ,truth alone4 ,for this cause came ,i into the world1 that ,i should bear witness unto the ,truth4 ,when the ,truth wins and wooes1 the triumph is lasting4 ,garlands won by the sword perish before the evening4 ,to be one of the ,king's subjects is to share ,his nature4 ,everyone that is of the truth heareth ,my voice4 ,,march ,the ,twenty-seventh ,,the ,,silence ,,of ,,jesus ,he answered him nothing6 --,,luke xxiii4 #a-ab4 ,and yet1 ,ask1 and it shall be given you6 ,yes1 but everything depends upon the asking4 ,even in the realm of music there is a rudeness of approach which leaves true music silent4 ,whether the genius of music is to answer us or not depends upon our touch4 ,herod's touch was wrong1 and there was no response4 ,herod was flippant1 and the ,eternal was dumb4 ,and ,i1 too1 may question a silent ,lord4 ,in the spiritual realm an idle curiosity is never permitted to see the crown jewels4 ,frivolousness never goes away from the royal ,presence rich with surprises of grace4 ,thy touch has still its ancient power6 ,so it has1 but the healing touch is the gracious response to the touch of faith4 ,she touched ,him1 and4446 ,and ,herod 444 mocked ,him4 ,that was the real spirit behind the eager curiosity4 ,and ,i1 too1 may mock my ,lord6 ,i may bow before ,him1 and array ,him in apparent royalty1 while all the time my spirit is full of flippancy and jeers4 ,i may lustily sing3 ,crown ,him ,lord of all1 while ,i will not recognize ,his rights on a single square foot of the soil of my inheritance4 ,and this it is to be the kinsman of ,herod4 ,and this1 too1 will be the issue2 the heavens will be as brass1 and the ,lord will answer us nothing4 ,,march ,the ,twenty-eighth ,,the ,,choice ,,of ,,barabbas ,,luke xxiii4 #ac-bd4 ,barabbas rather than ,christ6 ,the destroyer of life rather than the ,giver of life6 ,this was the choice of the people2 and it is a choice which has often stained and defiled my own life4 ,when ,i choose revenge rather than forgiveness1 ,i am preferring ,barabbas to ,christ4 ,for revenge is a murderer1 while forgiveness is a healer and saviour of men4 ,but how often ,i have sent the sweet healer to the cross1 and welcomed the murderer within my gate6 ,when ,i choose carnal passion before holiness1 ,i am preferring ,barabbas to ,christ4 ,for is there any murderer so destructive as carnality8 ,and holiness stands waiting1 ready to make me beautiful with the wondrous garments of grace4 ,but ,i spurn the angel1 and open my door to the beast4 ,the devil is always soliciting my service1 and the devil is a murderer from the beginning4 ,have ,i never preferred him1 and sent my ,lord to be crucified afresh1 and put ,him to an open shame8 ,again let me pray--for all my unholy and unwholesome choices1 for all my preference of the murderer1 forgive me1 good ,lord6 ,,march ,the ,twenty-ninth ,,mystic ,,alarm-,,bells ,,matthew xxvii4 #ai-be4 ,pilate was warned4 ,pilate's wife had a dream1 and in the dream she had glimpses of reality1 and when she awoke her soul was troubled4 ,have thou nothing to do with that just man6 ,and ,i1 too1 have mysterious warnings when ,i am treading perilous ways4 ,sometimes the warning comes from a friend4 ,sometimes the angel of the ,lord stands in the way for an adversary4 ,my conscience rings loudly like an alarm-bell in the dead of night4 ,yes1 the warnings are clear and pertinent1 but4446 ,pilate ignored the warning1 and handed the ,lord to the revengeful will of the priests4 ,pilate defiled his heart1 and then he washed his hands6 ,what a petty attempt to escape the certain issues6 ,and yet we have shared in the small evasion4 ,we have crucified the ,lord1 and then we wear a crucifix4 ,we violate the spirit1 and then we do reverence to the letter4 ,we hand the ,lord over to be crucified1 and then we practise the postures and gait of the saints4 ,yes1 we have all sought an escape in outer ceremony from the nemesis of our shameful deeds4 ,my soul1 attend thou to the mystic warnings1 and play the man6 ,,march ,the ,thirtieth ,,the ,,victory ,,of ,,meekness #a ,,peter ii4 #ag-be4 ,then ,i may be not only the betrayer1 but the betrayed4 ,in my inner circle there may be a friend who will play me false1 and hand me over to the wolves4 ,what then8 ,just this--,i must imitate the grace of my ,lord1 and consider ,him4 ,there must be no violent retaliation4 ,when ,he was reviled1 ,he reviled not again4 ,the fire of revenge may singe or even scorch my enemy1 but it will do far more damage to the furniture of my own soul4 ,after every indulgence in vengeful passion some precious personal possession has been destroyed4 ,the fact of the matter is1 this fire cannot be kept burning without making fuel of the priceless furnishings of the soul4 ,heat not a furnace for your foe so hot that it do singe yourself4 ,there must be a serene committal of the soul to the strong keeping of the ,eternal ,god4 ,he committed ,himself to ,him that judgeth righteously4 ,this is the way of peace1 as this is the way of victory4 ,if ever the enemy is to be conquered this must be the mode of the conquest4 ,when men persecute us1 let us rest more implicitly in our ,god4 ,,march ,the ,thirty-first ,,at ,,the ,,cross6 ,,matthew xxvii4 #ch-ej4 ,let me listen to the ribald jeers which were flung upon my ,lord4 ,and let me listen1 not as a judge1 but as one who has been in the company of the callous crowd4 ,for ,i1 too1 have mocked ,him6 ,i have said3 ,hail1 ,king6 and ,i have bowed before ,him1 but it has been mock and empty homage6 ,i have sung3 ,crown ,him ,lord of all6 but there has been no real recognition of ,his sovereignty2 mine has been a mock coronation4 ,from the seat of the mocker1 deliver me1 good ,lord6 ,and let me stand near the cross while that awful voice of desolation rends the heavens4 ,my ,god1 ,my ,god1 why hast ,thou forsaken ,me8 ,in that agonizing cry ,i am led to the real heart of the atonement4 ,my ,saviour was standing where ,his believers will never stand4 ,that was the real death1 the death of an inconceivable abandonment4 ,and ,he died for me6 ,he so died in order that ,i may never taste death4 ,he that liveth and believeth in ,me shall never die4 ,every believer will go to sleep1 and through a short sleep he will wake in the glory of the ,eternal ,presence4 ,but he will never die3 no1 never die6 ,,april ,the ,first ,,the ,,shadow ,,of ,,the ,,cross ,,luke xxiii4 #cc-dg4 ,look at our ,lord in relation to ,his foes4 ,father1 forgive them2 for they know not what they do6 ,their bitterness has not embittered ,him4 ,the milk of human kindness was still sweet4 ,nothing could sour our ,lord1 and convert ,his goodwill into malice1 ,his serene beneficence into wild revenge4 ,and how is it with me8 ,are my foes able to maim my spirit as well as my body8 ,do they win their end by making me a smaller man8 ,or am ,i magnanimous even on the cross8 ,and look at our ,lord in relation to the penitent thief4 ,to-day shalt thou be with ,me in ,paradise4 ,there was no self-centredness in our ,saviour's grief4 ,he was the good ,physician1 even when ,his body was mangled on the cross4 ,he healed a broken heart even in the very pangs of death4 ,when there was darkness over all the earth1 ,he let the light of the morning into the heart of a desolate thief4 ,and1 good ,lord1 graciously help me to do likewise6 ,and all this amazing graciousness is explained in our ,lord's relation to ,his ,father4 ,father1 into ,thy hands ,i commend ,my spirit6 ,yes1 everything is there6 ,when ,i and ,my ,father are one1 my spirit will remain sweet as the violet and pure as the dew4 ,,april ,the ,second ,,on ,,him6 ,the ,lord hath laid on ,him the iniquity of us all4 --,,isaiah liii4 ,let me tell a dream which was given by night to one of my dearest friends4 ,he beheld a stupendous range of glorious sun-lit mountains1 with their lower slopes enfolded in white mist4 ,lord1 he cried1 ,i pray that ,i may dwell upon those heights6 ,thou must first descend into the vale1 a voice replied4 ,into the vale he went4 ,and down there he found himself surrounded with all manner of fierce1 ugly1 loathsome things4 ,as he looked upon them he saw that they were the incarnations of his own sins6 ,there they were1 sins long ago committed1 showing their threatening teeth before him6 ,then he heard some ,one approaching1 and instinctively he knew it was the ,lord6 ,and he felt so ashamed that he drew a cloak over his face1 and stood in silence4 ,and the ,presence came nearer and nearer1 until ,he1 too1 stood silent4 ,after a while my friend mastered sufficient courage to lift the corner of his cloak and look out upon the ,presence3 and lo6 all the loathsome things were on ,him6 ,the ,lord had laid on ,him the iniquity of us all4 ,,april ,the ,third ,,the ,,stone ,,rolled ,,away ,,mark xvi4 #a-h4 ,i am always wondering who will roll away the stone6 ,there is a great obstacle in the way1 and my frailty is incompetent to its removal4 ,and lo6 when ,i arrive at the place ,i find that the angel has been before me1 and the obstacle is gone6 ,and ,i would that ,i might learn wisdom to-day from the miracle of yesterday4 ,let me not be confounded about a new stone when ,i know that my fears about the old one had no foundation4 ,and then the young man at the sepulchre6 ,he is a type of eternal youth1 and he is sitting serenely in a routed grave4 ,he represents the unwithering in the very home of corruption4 ,and this1 too1 is my hope6 ,it is mine in ,christ to put on incorruption1 and through a brief sleep to become clothed with immortal youth4 ,there everlasting spring abides1 and never withering flowers6 ,and ,i may have the assurance of the coming glory even now4 ,even now may ,i taste the heavenly feast1 and wear some of the unfading flowers of the glorified4 ,yes1 even now my leaf need not wither1 and my hopes may remain unshaken through all my troubled years4 ,,april ,the ,fourth ,,the ,,resurrection ,,morning ,,matthew xxviii4 #a-ae4 ,let me reverently mark the happenings of this most wonderful morn4 ,it began to dawn4 ,yes1 that was the first significance of the resurrection4 ,it was a new day for the world4 ,everything was to be seen in a new light4 ,everything was to wear a new face--,god1 and heaven1 and life1 and duty1 and death6 ,all things are become new4 ,and there was a great earthquake4 ,yes1 and this was significant of the tremendous upheaval implied in the resurrection4 ,the kingdom of the devil was upheaved from its foundations4 ,all the boasted pomp of his showy empire was turned upside down4 ,i beheld ,satan falling6 ,and the angel rolled away the stone4 ,and that1 too1 is significant of the resurrection4 ,the awful barrier was rolled away1 and the grave became a thoroughfare6 ,this is the ,lord's doing2 it is marvellous in our eyes4 ,and there was fear and great joy4 ,and mingled awe and gladness1 a reverential delight4 ,,april ,the ,fifth ,,the ,,empty ,,tomb ,,luke xxiv4 #a-ab4 ,that empty tomb means the conquest of death4 ,the ,captive proved mightier than the captor4 ,he emerged from the prison as the ,lord of the prison1 and death reeled at ,his going4 ,in the risen ,saviour death is dethroned2 he takes his place at the footstool to do the bidding of his sovereign ,lord and ,king4 ,and that empty tomb means the conquest of sin4 ,sin had done its worst1 and had failed4 ,all the forces of hell had been rallied against the ,lord1 and above them all ,he rose triumphant and glorified4 ,a little while ago ,i discovered a spring4 ,i tried to choke it4 ,i heaped sand and gravel upon it2 ,i piled stones above it6 ,and through them all it emerged1 noiselessly and irresistibly1 a radiant resurrection6 ,and so the empty tomb becomes the symbol of a thoroughfare between life in time and life in the unshadowed ,presence of our ,god4 ,death is now like a short tunnel which is near my home2 ,i can look through it and see the other side6 ,in the risen ,lord death becomes transparent4 ,o death1 where is thy sting8 ,o grave1 where is thy victory8 ,,april ,the ,sixth ,,first-,,hand ,,knowledge ,,of ,,christ ,last of all ,he was seen of me also4 --#a ,,corinthians xv4 #a-aa4 ,and by that vision ,saul of ,tarsus was transformed4 ,and so1 by the ministry of a risen ,lord we have received the gift of a transfigured ,paul4 ,the resurrection glory fell upon him1 and he was glorified4 ,in that superlative light he discovered his sin1 his error1 his need1 but he also found the dynamic of the immortal hope4 ,seen of me also6 ,can ,i1 too1 calmly and confidently claim the experience8 ,or am ,i altogether depending upon another man's sight1 and are my own eyes unillumined8 ,in these realms the witness of hear-says counts for nothing2 he only speaks with arresting power who has seen for himself4 ,sayest thou this thing of thyself1 or did others tell it thee of ,me8 ,that is the question which is asked1 not only by the ,master1 but by all who hear us tell the story of the risen ,lord4 ,has ,he been seen of thee also8 ,my ,saviour1 ,i humbly pray ,thee to give me first-hand knowledge of ,thee4 ,let me be a witness who can say1 ,i know that my ,redeemer liveth6 ,before all the doubts and hesitancies of man enable me to answer1 ,have ,i not seen ,jesus ,christ our ,lord8 ,,april ,the ,seventh ,,if ,,christ ,,were ,,dead6 #a ,,corinthians xv4 #ab-bf4 ,if ,christ be not risen6 ,that is the most appalling if which can be flung into the human mind4 ,if it obtains lodging and entertainment1 all the fairest hopes of the soul wither away like tender buds which have been nipped by sharp frost6 ,see how they fade6 ,your faith is vain4 ,it has no more strength and permanency than ,jonah's gourd4 ,nay1 it has really never been a living thing6 ,it has been a pathetic delusion1 beautiful1 but empty as a bubble1 and collapsing at ,joseph's tomb4 ,ye are yet in your sins4 ,the hope of forgiveness and reconciliation is stricken1 and there is nothing left but a certain fearful looking-for of judgment4 ,nemesis has only been hiding behind a screen of decorated falsehoods1 and she will pursue us to the bitter end4 ,we are of all men the most miserable4 ,joy would fall and die like a fatally wounded lark4 ,the song would cease from our souls4 ,the holy place would become a tomb4 ,but now is ,christ risen from the dead6 ,yes1 let me finish on that word4 ,that gives me morning1 and melody1 and holy merriment that knows no end4 ,april ,the ,eighth ,,my ,,inheritance ,,in ,,the ,,risen ,,lord #a ,,peter i4 #a-i4 ,in my risen ,lord ,i am born into a living hope1 a hope not only vital1 but vitalizing1 sending its mystic1 vivifying influences through every highway and by-way of my soul4 ,in my risen ,lord mine is an inheritance incorruptible4 ,it is not exposed to the gnawing tooth of time4 ,moth and rust can not impair the treasure4 ,it will not grow less as ,i grow old4 ,its glories are as invulnerable as my ,lord4 ,in my risen ,lord mine is an inheritance 444 undefiled4 ,there is no alloy in the fine gold4 ,the ,king will give me of ,his best4 ,bring forth the best robe1 and put it on him4 ,the holiest ideal proclaims my possibility1 and foretells my ultimate attainment4 ,heaven's wine is not to be mixed with water4 ,i am to awake in ,his likeness4 ,and mine is an inheritance 444 that fadeth not away4 ,it shall not be as the garlands offered by men--green to-day and to-morrow sere and yellow4 ,its leaf also shall not wither4 ,it shall always retain its freshness1 and shall offer me a continually fresh delight4 ,and these are all mine in ,him6 ,thou1 ,o ,christ1 art all ,i want4 ,,april ,the ,ninth ,,the ,,ever-,,living ,,lord ,,revelation i4 #i-ah4 ,let me take the simple words1 and quietly gaze into the wonderful depths of their fathomless simplicity4 ,an old villager used to tell me it would strengthen my eyes if ,i looked long into deep wells4 ,and it will assuredly strengthen the eyes of my soul to gaze into wells like these4 ,i am ,he that liveth4 ,what a marvellous transformation it worked upon ,dr4 ,dale1 when one day1 in his study1 it flashed upon him1 as never before1 that ,jesus ,christ is alive6 ,christ is alive6 he repeated again and again1 until the clarion music filled all the rooms in his soul4 ,christ is alive6 ,and was dead4 ,yes1 the ,lord has gone right through that dark place4 ,there are footprints1 and they are the footprints of the ,conqueror1 all along the road4 ,christ leads me through no darker room than ,he went through before4 ,and1 behold1 ,i am alive for ever more4 ,jesus has conquered death and all its powers4 ,never more will it sit on a transient throne4 ,its power is broken1 its sting has lost its poison1 there isn't a boast left in its apparently omnivorous mouth6 ,where's thy victory1 ,o grave8 ,and here is the gospel for me--,because ,i live ye shall live also4 ,,april ,the ,tenth ,,resurrection-,,light ,if we believe that ,jesus died and rose again4444 --#a ,,thessalonians iv4 #ac-ah4 ,that is the eastern light which fills the valley of time with wonderful beams of glory4 ,it is the great dawn in which we find the promise of our own day4 ,everything wears a new face in the light of our ,lord's resurrection4 ,i once watched the dawn on the ,east ,coast of ,england4 ,before there was a grey streak in the sky everything was held in grimmest gloom4 ,the toil of the two fishing-boats seemed very sombre4 ,the sleeping houses on the shore looked the abodes of death4 ,then came grey light1 and then the sun1 and everything was transfigured6 ,every window in every cottage caught the reflected glory1 and the fishing-boats glittered in morning radiance4 ,and everything is transfigured in the ,risen ,christ4 ,everything is lit up when the ,sun of ,righteousness arises with healing in ,his wings4 ,life is lit up1 and so is death1 and so are sorrow and daily labour and human friendships6 ,everything catches the gleam and is changed4 ,we are no longer of the night1 but of the day4 ,walk as children of light4 ,awake1 thou that sleepest1 arise from the dead1 and ,christ shall shine upon thee4 ,,april ,the ,eleventh ,,through ,,death ,,to ,,life ,,romans v4 #a-aa4 ,the ,lord went through death to make a path to life4 ,he descended into shame and suffering1 and appalling desolation in order that ,he might open the ,kingdom of ,heaven to all believers4 ,and the way is now open6 ,therefore1 let us have peace with ,god4 ,let us reverently and willingly tread the heavenly road1 and seek the ,king's presence1 and gratefully accept the everlasting covenant4 ,let us go1 as once rebel soldiers1 and let us surrender our arms1 and at ,his bidding take them again1 to fight in ,his service4 ,and let us glory in tribulation4 ,if we are in the ,king's road1 at peace with the ,king1 every stormy circumstance will be made to do us service4 ,yes1 all our troubles will be compelled to minister to us1 to robe us1 and to adorn us1 and to make us more like the sons and daughters of a royal house4 ,out of the eater will come forth meat1 and out of the strong will come forth sweetness4 ,and1 therefore1 let us joy in ,god4 ,don't let us be the ,king's own1 and yet march in the sulks6 ,let us march to the music of grateful song and praise4 ,children of the heavenly ,king1 ,as ye journey1 sweetly sing4 ,,april ,the ,twelfth ,,the ,,lamb ,,on ,,the ,,throne ,in the midst of the throne stood a ,lamb as it had been slain6 --,,revelation v4 #f-ad4 ,how strange and unexpected is the figure6 ,a lamb--the supreme type of gentleness6 ,a throne1 the supreme symbol of power6 ,and the one is in the very midst of the other4 ,the sacrificial has become the sovereign3 the ,cross is the principal part of the throne4 ,i1 if ,i be lifted up1 will draw all men unto ,me4 ,yes1 this sovereign sacrificial ,lord is to receive universal homage and worship4 ,every creature which is in heaven and on the earth is to pay tribute at ,his feet4 ,and this1 not by a terrible coercion1 but by a gracious constraint4 ,we are not to be driven1 we are to be drawn2 we are to move by love--compulsion3 the ,lamb in ,god is to win the wills of men4 ,and ,i1 too1 may take my harp and make melodious praise before my ,king4 ,and ,i1 too1 may fill the golden vials with my grateful intercession1 and heaven shall be the sweeter for the odour of my prayers4 ,and ,i1 too1 may sound my loud ,amen1 the note of gladsome resignation to the sovereign will of ,god4 ,yes1 even now ,i may be one of the multitude whom no man can number1 who1 in a new song1 ascribe all worthiness to the ,lamb that was slain4 ,,april ,the ,thirteenth ,,pure ,,gold ,thou shalt overlay it with pure gold4444 ,and there ,i will meet with thee4 --,,exodus xxv4 #aj-bb4 ,i must put my best into my preparations1 and then the ,lord will honour my work4 ,my part is to be of pure gold if my ,god is to dwell within it4 ,i must not satisfy myself with cheap flimsy and then assume that the ,lord will be satisfied with it4 ,he demands my very best as a condition of ,his enriching ,presence4 ,my prayers must be of pure gold if ,he is to meet me there4 ,there must be nothing vulgar about them1 nothing shoddy1 nothing hastily constructed1 nothing thrown up anyhow4 ,they must be chaste and sincere1 and overlaid with pure gold4 ,my home must be of pure gold if ,he is to meet me there4 ,no unclean passion must dwell there1 no carnal appetite1 no defiling conversation1 no immoderateness in eating and drinking4 ,how can the ,lord sit down at such a table1 or make ,one at such a fireside8 ,let me present to ,him pure gold4 ,let me offer ,him nothing cheap4 ,let me ever make the ark of my best1 and the ,lord will meet me there4 ,,april ,the ,fourteenth ,,religion ,,as ,,mere ,,magic ,and when the ark of the covenant of the ,lord came into the camp1 all ,israel shouted with a great shout4 --#a ,,samuel iv4 #a-aa4 ,they were making more of the ark than of the ,lord4 ,their religion was degenerating into superstition4 ,i become superstitious whenever the means of worship are permitted to eclipse the ,object of worship4 ,i then possess a magic instrument1 and ,i forget the holy ,lord4 ,it can be so with prayer4 ,i may use prayer as a magic minister to protect me from invasive ills4 ,i do not pray because ,i desire fellowship with the ,father1 but because ,i should not feel safe without it4 ,the ark is more than the ,lord4 ,it can be so with a crucifix4 ,a crucifix may become a mere talisman1 and so supplant the ,lord4 ,i may wear the thing and have no fellowship with the ,person4 ,and so may it be with the ,lord's ,supper4 ,i may come to regard it as a magic feast1 which makes me immune from punishment1 but not immune from sin4 ,it may be a minister of safety1 but not of holiness4 ,so let mine eyes be ever unto the ,lord6 ,let me not be satisfied with the ark1 but let me seek ,him whose name is holy and whose nature is love4 ,,april ,the ,fifteenth ,,degrading ,,holy ,,things #a ,,samuel vi4 #a-ae4 ,i must remember that a holy thing can be the minister of a plague4 ,things that were purposed to be benedictions can be changed into blights4 ,the very ark of ,god must be in its appointed place or it becomes the means of sickness and destruction4 ,so it is with all the holy things of ,god3 if ,i dethrone them they will uncrown me4 ,it is even so with music4 ,unless ,i give it its holy sovereignty it will become a minister of the passions1 and the angel within me is mastered by a beast4 ,let me read again ,tennyson's ,palace of ,sin1 and let me heedfully note how music becomes the instrument of ignoble sensationalism1 and aids in man's degradation4 ,but exalt her1 and she shall exalt thee4 ,it is even so with art4 ,it is purposed to be the holy dwelling-place of ,god1 but ,i can so abuse it as to make it the agent of degradation4 ,instead of hallowing the life it will debase and impoverish it4 ,i will therefore remember that1 if ,i infringe the ,divine order1 ,i can turn the sacramental cup into a vehicle of moral poison and spiritual blight4 ,they must be holy who bear the vessels of the ,lord4 ,,april ,the ,sixteenth ,,priests ,,of ,,the ,,lord ,none ought to carry the ark of ,god but the ,levites4 --#a ,,chronicles xv4 #a-c1 #aa-ae4 ,there are prepared people for prepared offices4 ,the ,lord will fit the man to the function1 the anointed and consecrated priest for the consecrated and consecrating ministry4 ,but now1 in the larger purpose of the ,lord1 and in the exceeding riches of ,his grace1 everybody may be a priest of the ,lord4 ,he hath made us to be priests and kings unto ,god4 ,and ,he will prepare us to carry our ark1 and to minister in holy things4 ,i can be ,his priest in the home4 ,he will anoint me as one who is to engage in holy ministries1 and ,i shall be serving at the altar even while engaged in the lowly duties of the house4 ,the humble meal will be sacramental1 and common work will be heavenly sacrifice4 ,i can be ,his priest in my class4 ,the ,lord will clothe me in linen clean and white1 and in my consecrated spirit my scholars shall discern the incense of sacrifice4 ,and woe is me if ,i attempt to fill the godly office without my ,god4 ,and ,i can be ,his priest in my workshop4 ,yes1 in the carpenter's shop ,i may wear the radiant robe of the sanctified4 ,and ,i1 too1 as one of the priests of the ,lord1 can bear the sin of many1 and make intercession for the transgressor4 ,,april ,the ,seventeenth ,,great ,,praise #a ,,chronicles xvi4 #g-cf4 ,great is the ,lord6 ,so many people have such a little ,god6 ,there is nothing about ,him august and sublime4 ,and so ,he is not greatly praised4 ,the worship is thin1 the thanksgivings are scanty1 the supplications are indifferent4 ,all great saints have a great ,god4 ,he fills their universe4 ,therefore do they move about in a fruitful awe1 and everywhere there is only a thin veil between them and ,his appearing4 ,everywhere they discern ,his holy presence1 as the face of a bride is dimly seen beneath her bridal veil4 ,and so even the common scrub of the wilderness is aflame with sacred fire3 the humble primrose on the rock becomes the court of ,deity3 and the strength of the hills is ,his also6 ,yes1 a great ,god inspires great praise1 and in great praise small cares and small meannesses are utterly consumed away4 ,when praise is mean1 anxieties multiply4 ,therefore let me contemplate the greatness of ,god in nature and in providence1 in ,his power1 and ,his holiness1 and ,his love4 ,let me stand in awe before ,his glory3 and in the fruitful reverence the soul will be moved in acceptable praise4 ,,april ,the ,eighteenth ,,mechanical ,,piety ,,philemon #aj-ah4 ,the ,apostle ,paul declares that benefits may be given in one of two ways--of necessity and willingly4 ,one is mechanical1 the other is spontaneous4 ,i once saw a little table-fountain playing in a drawing-room1 but ,i heard the click of its machinery1 and the charm was gone6 ,it had to be wound up before it would play1 and at frequent periods it ran down4 ,a little later ,i saw another fountain playing on a green lawn1 and it was fed from the deep secret resources of the hills6 ,there is a generosity which is like the drawing-room fountain4 ,if you listen you can hear the mechanical click1 and a sound of friction1 arising from murmuring and complaint4 ,and there is a generosity which is like the fountain that is the child of the hills4 ,it is clear1 and sweet1 and musical1 and flows on through every season6 ,one is of necessity2 the other is willingly4 ,and ,god loveth a cheerful giver4 ,and prayer can be of the same two contrary orders4 ,one prayer is mechanical1 it is hard1 formal1 metallic4 ,the other is spontaneous1 forceful1 and irresistible4 ,listen to the ,pharisee--,lord1 ,i thank ,thee that ,i am not as other men are4 ,it is the click of the machine6 ,listen to the publican--,god be merciful to me1 a sinner6 ,it is the voice of the deeps4 ,,april ,the ,ninteenth ,,union ,,in ,,harmony ,be ye all of one mind4 --#a ,,peter iii4 #h-ag4 ,but this is not unison3 it is harmony4 ,when an orchestra produces some great musical masterpiece1 the instruments are all of one mind1 but each makes its own individual contribution4 ,there is variety with concordance3 each one serves every other1 and the result is glorious harmony4 ,by love serve one another4 ,it is love that converts membership into fraternity3 it is love that binds sons and daughters into a family4 ,look at a field of wild-flowers4 ,what a harmony of colour6 ,and yet what a variety of colours6 ,nothing out of place1 but no sameness6 ,all drawing resource from the same soil1 and breathing the vitalizing substance from the same air6 ,and ye1 being rooted and grounded in love1 will grow up1 a holy family in the ,lord4 ,if love be the common ground the varieties in ,god's family may be infinite6 ,and so the unity which the apostle seeks is a unity of mood and disposition4 ,it is not a unity which repeats the exact syllables of a common creed1 but a unity which is built of common trust1 and love1 and hope4 ,it is not sameness upon the outer lips1 but fellowship in the secret place4 ,,april ,the ,twentieth ,,the ,,joy ,,of ,,the ,,lover ,,romans xii4 #i-ah4 ,love finds her joy in seeing others crowned4 ,envy darkens when she sees the garland given to another4 ,jealousy has no festival except when she is ,queen of the ,may4 ,but love thrills to another's exaltation4 ,she feels the glow of another's triumph4 ,when another basks in favour her own time of singing of birds is come6 ,and all this is because love has wonderful chords which vibrate to the secret things in the souls of others4 ,indeed1 the gift of love is just the gift of delicate correspondence1 the power of exquisite fellow-feeling1 the ability to rejoice with them that do rejoice1 and to weep with them that weep4 ,when1 therefore1 the soul of another is exultant1 and the wedding-bells are ringing1 love's kindred bells ring a merry peal4 ,when the soul of another is depressed1 and a funeral dirge is wailing1 love's kindred chords wail in sad communion4 ,so love can enter another's state as though it were her own4 ,our ,master spake condemningly of those who have lost this exquisite gift4 ,they have lost their power of response4 ,we have piped with you1 and ye have not danced2 we have mourned with you1 and ye have not lamented4 ,they lived in selfish and loveless isolation4 ,they have lost all power of tender communion4 ,,april ,the ,twenty-first ,,love ,,as ,,the ,,great ,,magician #a ,,john ii4 #a-aa4 ,a new commandment6 ,and yet it is an old one with a new meaning4 ,it is the old water-pot1 but its water has been changed into wine4 ,it is the old letter with a new spirit4 ,it is the old body with a new soul4 ,love makes all things new6 ,it changes duty into delight1 and statutes into songs4 ,what a magic difference love makes to a face4 ,it at once becomes a face illumined4 ,love makes the plainest face winsome and attractive4 ,it adds the light of heaven1 and the earthly is transfigured4 ,no cosmetics are needed when love is in possession4 ,she will do her own beautifying work1 and everybody will know her sign4 ,what a magic difference love makes in service6 ,the hireling goes about his work with heavy and reluctant feet3 the lover sings and dances at his toil4 ,the hireling scamps his work3 the lover is always adding another touch1 and is never satisfied4 ,just one more touch6 ,and just another6 ,and so on until the good ,god shall say that loving patience has had her perfect work4 ,love lights up everything1 for she is the light of life4 ,let her dwell in the soul1 and every room in the life shall be filled with the glory of the ,lord4 ,,april ,the ,twenty-second ,,speech ,,as ,a ,,symptom ,,of ,,health ,the tongue of the wise is health4 --,,proverbs xii4 #ac-bb4 ,our doctors often test our physical condition by the state of our tongue4 ,with another and deeper significance the tongue is also the register of our condition4 ,our words are a perfect index of our moral and spiritual health4 ,if our words are unclean and untrue1 our souls are assuredly sickly and diseased4 ,a perverse tongue is never allied with a sanctified heart4 ,and1 therefore1 everyone may apply a clinical test to his own life3 ,what is the character of my speech8 ,what do my words indicate8 ,what do they suggest as to the depths and background of the soul8 ,by thy words thou shalt be justified1 and by thy words thou shalt be condemned4 ,god delighteth in truthful lips4 ,right words are fruit from the tree of life4 ,the ,lord turns away from falsehood as we turn away from material corruption1 only with an infinitely intenser loathing and disgust4 ,it is only the lips that have been purified with flame from the holy altar of ,god that can offer words that are pleasing unto ,him4 ,take my lips and let them be ,filled with messages from ,thee4 ,,april ,the ,twenty-third ,,masculine ,,forgiveness ,,colossians iii4 #ab-ag4 ,true forgiveness is a very strong and clean and masculine virtue4 ,there is a counterfeit forgiveness which is unworthy of the name4 ,it is full of buts1 and ifs1 and maybes1 and peradventures4 ,it moves with reluctance1 it offers with averted face1 it takes back with one hand what it gives with the other4 ,it forgives1 but it cannot forget4 ,it forgives1 but it can never trust again4 ,it forgives1 but things can never be the same as they were4 ,what kind of forgiveness is this8 ,it is the mercy of the police-court4 ,it is the remission of penalty1 not the glorious abandon of grace6 ,it is a cold ,don't do it again1 not the weeping and compassionate goodwill of the ,lord4 ,even as ,christ forgave you1 so also do ye4 ,that is to be our motive1 and that is to be our measure4 ,we are to forgive because ,christ forgave us4 ,the glorious memory of ,his grace is to make us gracious4 ,his tender1 healing words to us are to redeem our speech from all harshness4 ,in the contemplation of ,his cross we are to become partakers of ,his sufferings1 and by the shedding of our own blood help to close and heal the alienation of the world4 ,and we are to forgive as ,christ forgave us4 ,resentment is to be changed into frank goodwill1 and filled with the grace of the ,lord4 ,,april ,the ,twenty-fourth ,,limited ,,forgiveness ,,luke xvii4 #c-aj4 ,we are always inclined to set a limit to our moral obligations4 ,we wish1 as we say1 to draw a line somewhere4 ,we want to appoint a definite place where obligation ceases1 and where the moral strain may be released4 ,the ,apostle ,peter wished his ,master to draw such a line in the matter of forgiveness4 ,lord1 how oft shall ,i forgive8 ,till seven times8 ,he wanted a tiny moral rule which he could apply to his brother's conduct4 ,not so the ,lord4 ,our ,master tells ,his disciple that in those spiritual realms relations are not governed by arithmetic4 ,we cannot1 by counting1 measure off our obligations4 ,our repeated acts of forgiveness never bring us nearer to the freedom of revenge4 ,no amount of sweetness will ever permit us to be bitter4 ,we cannot1 by being good1 obtain a license to be evil4 ,the fact of the matter is1 if our goodness is of genuine quality1 every act will more strongly dispose us to further goodness4 ,it is the counterfeit element in our goodness that inclines us to the opposite camp4 ,it is when our forgiveness is tainted that we anticipate the sweetness of revenge4 ,,april ,the ,twenty-fifth ,,the ,,hidden ,,foes ,,matthew v4 #ba-bf4 ,our ,lord always leads us to the secret1 innermost roots of things4 ,he does not concern ,himself with symptoms1 but with causes4 ,he does not begin with the molten lava flowing down the fair mountain slope and destroying the vineyards4 ,he begins with the central fires in which the lava is born4 ,he does not begin with uncleanness4 ,he begins with the thoughts which produce it4 ,he does not begin with murder1 but with the anger which causes it4 ,he pierces to the secret fires6 ,now1 all anger is not of sin4 ,the ,apostle ,paul enjoins his readers to be angry1 and sin not4 ,to be altogether incapable of anger would be to offer no antagonism to the wrongs and oppressions of the world4 ,who is made to stumble1 and ,i burn not8 cries the ,apostle ,paul4 ,if wrong stalked abroad with heedless feet he burned with holy passion4 ,there is anger which is like clean flame1 clear and pure1 as the sea of glass mingled with fire4 ,and there is anger which is like a smoky bonfire1 and it pollutes while it destroys4 ,it is the unclean anger which is of sin4 ,it seeks revenge1 not righteousness4 ,it seeks to get its own back1 not to get the wrong-doer back to ,god4 ,it follows wrong with further wrong4 ,it spreads the devil's fire4 ,,april ,the ,twenty-sixth ,,goliath ,,versus ,,god6 #a ,,samuel xvii4 #a-aa4 ,goliath seemed to have everything on his side except ,god4 ,and the things in which he boasted were just the things in which men are prone to boast to-day4 ,he had physical strength4 ,his height was six cubits and a span4 ,athletics had done all they could for him1 and he was a fine type of animal perfection4 ,he had splendid military equipment4 ,a helmet of brass1 and a coat of mail1 and a spear like a weaver's beam6 ,surely1 if fine material equipment determines combats1 the shepherd-lad from the hills of ,bethlehem will be annihilated4 ,and he enjoyed the enthusiastic confidence of the ,philistines4 ,he was his nation's pride and glory6 ,he strode out amid their shouts1 and the cheers were like iron in his blood4 ,but all this counted for nothing1 because ,god was against him4 ,men and nations may attain to a fine animalism1 their warlike equipment may satisfy the most exacting standard1 and yet1 with ,god against them1 they shall be as structures woven out of mists1 and they shall collapse at the touch of apparent weakness4 ,the issue was not ,goliath versus ,david1 but ,goliath versus ,god6 ,,april ,the ,twenty-seventh ,,obscure ,,birthplaces #a ,,samuel xvii4 #ab-bg4 ,god's champion is at present feeding sheep6 ,who would have expected that ,goliath's antagonist would emerge from the quiet pastures8 ,genius hatches her offspring in strange places4 ,very humble homes are the birthplaces of mighty emancipations4 ,there was a little farm at ,st4 ,ives1 and the farmer lived a quiet and unsensational life4 ,but the affairs of the nation became more and more confused and threatening4 ,monarchical power despoiled the people's liberties1 and tyranny became rampant4 ,and out from the little farm strode ,oliver ,cromwell1 the ordained of ,god1 to emancipate his country4 ,there was an obscure rectory at ,epworth4 ,the doings in the little rectory were just the quiet practices of similar homes in countless parts of ,england4 ,and ,england was becoming brutalized1 because its religious life was demoralized4 ,the ,church was asleep1 and the devil was wide awake6 ,and forth from the humble rectory strode ,john ,wesley1 the appointed champion of the ,lord to enthuse1 to purify1 and to sweeten the life of the people4 ,on what quiet farm is the coming deliverer now labouring8 ,who knows8 ,,april ,the ,twenty-eighth ,,preparing ,,for ,,great ,,encounters #a ,,samuel xvii4 #bh-cg4 ,this young champion of the ,lord had won many victories before he faced ,goliath4 ,everything depends on how ,i approach my supreme conflicts4 ,if ,i have been careless in smaller combats ,i shall fail in the larger4 ,if ,i come1 wearing the garlands of triumph won in the shade1 the shout of victory is already in the air6 ,let me look at ,david's trophies before he removed ,goliath's head4 ,he had conquered his temper4 ,read ,eliab's irritating taunt in the twenty-eighth verse1 and mark the fine self-possession of the young champion's reply6 ,that conquest of temper helped him when he took aim at ,goliath6 ,there is nothing like passion for disturbing the accuracy of the eye and the steadiness of the hand4 ,he had conquered fear4 ,let no man's heart fail because of him4 ,there was no panic1 there was no feverish and wasteful excitement4 ,there was no shouting to keep the spirits up6 ,he was perfectly calm4 ,and he had conquered unbelief4 ,he had a rich history of the providential dealings of ,god with him1 and his confidence was now unclouded and serene4 ,he had known the ,lord's power when he faced the bear and the lion4 ,now for ,goliath6 ,,april ,the ,twenty-ninth ,,the ,,mood ,,of ,,triumph ,i come to thee in the name of the ,lord of ,hosts4 --#a ,,samuel xvii4 #ch-ed4 ,the man who comes up to his foes with this assurance will fight and win4 ,reasonable confidence is one of the most important weapons in the warrior's armoury4 ,fear is always wasteful4 ,the man who calmly expects to win has already begun to conquer4 ,our mood has so much to do with our might4 ,and therefore does the ,word of ,god counsel us to attend to our dispositions1 lest1 having carefully collected our material implements1 we have no strength to use them4 ,and the man who comes up to his foes with holy assurance will fight with consummate skill4 ,he will be quite collected4 ,all his powers will wait upon one another1 and they will move together as one4 ,he is as self-possessed upon the battlefield as upon parade1 as undisturbed before ,goliath as before a flock of sheep6 ,and therefore do ,i say that1 fighting with perfect composure1 he fights with superlative skill4 ,the right moment is seized1 the right stone is chosen1 the right aim is taken1 and great ,goliath is brought low4 ,,april ,the ,thirtieth ,,the ,,test ,,of ,,victory ,david behaveth himself wisely4 --#a ,,samuel xvii4 #ee--xviii4 #e4 ,the hour of victory is a more severe moral test than the hour of defeat4 ,many a man can brave the perils of adversity who succumbs to the seductions of prosperity4 ,he can stand the cold better than the heat6 ,he is enriched by failure1 but spoilt by success4 ,to test the real quality of a man1 let us regard him just when he has slain ,goliath6 ,david behaved himself wisely6 ,he was not eaten up with pride4 ,he developed no side4 ,he went among his friends as though no ,goliath had ever crossed his way4 ,he was not for ever recounting the triumph1 and fishing for the compliments of his audience4 ,he behaved wisely4 ,so many of us tarnish our victories by the manner in which we display them4 ,we put them into the shop-window1 and they become soiled goods4 ,and in this hour of triumph ,david made a noble friend4 ,in his noonday he found ,jonathan1 and their hearts were knit to each other in deep and intimate love4 ,it is beautiful when our victories are so nobly borne that they introduce us into higher fellowships1 and the friends of heaven become our friends4 ,,may ,the ,first ,,the ,,conditions ,,of ,,serenity ,,psalm cxxiv4 ,if ,i would be like the ,psalmist1 ,i must clearly recognize my perils4 ,he sees the waters1 the proud waters4 ,he beholds the enemy1 and his wrath1 and his teeth4 ,he sees the fowler with his snare6 ,i must not shut my eyes1 and make my judgment blind4 ,one of the gifts of grace is the spirit of discernment1 the eyes which not only detect hidden treasure1 but hidden foes4 ,the devil is an expert in mimicry2 he can make himself look like an angel of light4 ,and so must ,i be able to discover his snares1 even when they appear as the most seductive food4 ,and if ,i would be like the ,psalmist1 ,i must clearly recognize my great ,ally4 ,if it has not been the ,lord1 who was on our side6 ,to see the ,ally on the perilous field1 and to see ,him on my side1 gives birth to holy confidence and song4 ,the ,lord is on my side1 whom shall ,i fear8 ,i must make sure of the ,ally1 and victory is secure4 ,and if ,i would be like the ,psalmist1 ,i must not omit the doxology of praise4 ,when the prayer is answered1 ,i am apt to forget the praise4 ,my thanksgivings are not so ready as my requests4 ,and so the apparently conquered enemy steals in again at the door of an ungrateful heart4 ,may ,the ,second ,,the ,,happy ,,warrior ,,ephesians vi4 #aj-ah4 ,here is a portrait of the happy warrior6 ,let me first look at the warrior1 and then at the implements with which he fights4 ,you cannot fight the ,french merely with red uniforms2 there must be men inside them6 ,so said ,thomas ,carlyle4 ,well1 look at this man4 ,strengthened in the ,lord1 and in the power of ,his might4 ,there is a secret communion with the ,almighty1 and he draws his resources from the ,infinite4 ,the water in my home comes from the ,welsh hills2 every drop was gathered on those grand and expansive uplands4 ,and this man's soldierly strength is drawn from the hills of ,god2 every ounce of his fighting blood comes from the veins of the ,lord4 ,and mark the nature of his armoury4 ,his weapons are dispositions4 ,he fights with truth1 and righteousness1 and peace1 and faith1 and prayer6 ,there are no implements like these4 ,a sword will fail where a courtesy will prevail4 ,we can kill our enemies by kindness4 ,and as for the devil himself there is nothing like a grace-filled disposition for putting him to flight6 ,a prayerful disposition can drive him off any field1 at any hour of the day or night4 ,put on the whole armour of ,god4 ,may ,the ,third ,,other ,,gods6 ,thou shalt have no other gods before ,me4 --,,exodus xx4 #a-aa4 ,if we kept that commandment all the other commandments would be obeyed4 ,if we secure this queen-bee we are given the swarm4 ,to put nothing before ,god6 ,what is left in the circle of obedience8 ,god first1 always and everywhere4 ,nothing allowed to usurp ,his throne for an hour6 ,i was once allowed to sit on an earthly throne for a few seconds1 but even that is not to be allowed with the throne of ,god4 ,nothing is to share ,his sovereignty1 even for a moment4 ,his dominion is to be unconditional and unbroken4 ,thou shalt have no other gods beside ,me4 ,but we have many gods we set upon ,his throne4 ,we put money there1 and fame1 and pleasure1 and ease4 ,yes1 we sometimes usurp ,god's throne1 and we ourselves dare to sit there for days1 and weeks1 and years1 at a time4 ,self is the idol1 and we enthrone it1 and we fall down and worship it4 ,but no peace comes from such sovereignty1 and no deep and vital joy4 ,for the real ,king is not dead1 and ,he is out and about1 and our poor little monarchy is as the reign of the midge on a summer's night4 ,our real kingship is in the acknowledgment of the ,king of kings4 ,when we worship ,him1 and ,him only1 ,he will ask us to sit on ,his throne4 ,,may ,the ,fourth ,a ,,healthy ,,palate ,how sweet are ,thy words unto my taste4 --,,psalm cxix4 #ig-ajd4 ,some people like one thing1 and some another4 ,some people appreciate the bitter olive2 others feel it to be nauseous4 ,some delight in the sweetest grapes2 others feel the sweetness to be sickly4 ,it is all a matter of palate4 ,some people love the ,word of the ,lord2 to others the reading of it is a dreary task4 ,to some the ,bible is like a vineyard2 to others it is like a dry and tasteless meal4 ,one takes the word of the ,master1 and it is as honey to the mouth2 to another the same word is as unwelcome as a bitter drug4 ,it is all a matter of palate4 ,but what is a man to do who has got a perverted palate1 and who calls sweet things bitter and bitter things sweet8 ,he must get a new mouth6 ,and where is he to get it8 ,not by any ministry of his own creation2 his own endeavours will be impotent4 ,a healthy moral palate depends upon the purity of the heart4 ,our spiritual discernments are all determined by the state of the soul4 ,if the heart be pure1 the mouth will be clean1 and we shall love ,god's law4 ,if the soul-appetite be healthy1 ,god's words will be sweet unto our taste4 ,and so does the good ,lord give us new palates by giving us new hearts4 ,create within us clean hearts1 ,o ,god1 and renew right spirits within us4 ,,may ,the ,fifth ,,healthy ,,listening ,be ye doers of the word and not hearers only4 --,,james i4 #ba-bg4 ,when we hear the word1 but do not do it1 there has been a defect in our hearing4 ,we may listen to the word for mere entertainment4 ,or we may attach a virtue to the mere act of listening to the word4 ,we may assume that some magical efficacy belongs to the mere reading of the word4 ,and all this is perverse and delusive4 ,no listening is healthy which is not mentally referred to obedience4 ,we are to listen with a view to obedience1 with our eyes upon the very road where the obedient feet will travel4 ,that is to say1 we are to listen with purpose1 as though we were ,ambassadors receiving instructions from the ,king concerning some momentous mission4 ,yes1 we must listen with an eye on the road4 ,doing makes a new thing of hearing4 ,the statute obeyed becomes a song4 ,the commandment is found to be a beatitude4 ,the decree discloses riches of grace4 ,the hidden things of ,god are not discovered until we are treading the path of obedience4 ,and it came to pass that as he went he received his sight4 ,in the way of obedience the blind man found a new world4 ,god has wonderful treasures for the dutiful4 ,the faithful discover the hidden manna4 ,,may ,the ,sixth ,,the ,,perfecting ,,of ,,love ,herein is our love made perfect4 --#a ,,john iv4 #aa-ba4 ,how8 ,by dwelling in ,god and ,god in us4 ,love is not a manufacture2 it is a fruit4 ,it is not born of certain works2 it springs out of certain relations4 ,it does not come from doing something2 it comes from living with ,somebody4 ,abide in ,me4 ,that is how love is born1 for love is of ,god1 and ,god is love4 ,how many people are striving who are not abiding4 ,they live in a manufactory1 they do not live in a home4 ,they are trying to make something instead of to know ,somebody4 ,this is life1 to know ,thee4 ,when ,i am related to the ,lord ,jesus1 when ,i dwell with ,him1 love is as surely born as beauty and fragrance are born when my garden and the spring-time dwell together4 ,if we would only wisely cultivate the fellowship of ,jesus1 everything else would follow in its train--all that gracious succession of beautiful things which are called the fruits of the ,spirit4 ,and herein is our love made perfect4 ,it is always growing richer1 because it is always drawing riches from the inexhaustible love of ,god4 ,how could it be otherwise8 ,endless resource must mean endless growth4 ,our life is hid with ,christ in ,god1 and hence our love will grow in all wisdom and discernment4 ,,may ,the ,seventh ,,in ,,the ,,ways ,,of ,,obedience ,,psalm xix4 #g-ad4 ,let me listen to the exquisite chimes of this wonderful psalm as they ring out the blessedness of the man whose delight is in the law of the ,lord4 ,what shall he find in the ways of obedience8 ,he shall find restoration4 ,restoring the soul4 ,he shall find new stores of food along the way4 ,in every emergency he shall find fresh provision2 every new need shall discover new supplies4 ,when one store is spent1 another shall take its place4 ,thou re-storest my soul4 ,in the ways of righteousness the good ,lord has appointed ample stores for the provision of all ,his faithful pilgrims4 ,he shall find joy4 ,rejoicing the heart4 ,in the way of obedience there shall be springs of delight as well as stores of provision4 ,with joy shall ye draw waters out of the wells of salvation4 ,fountains of delicious satisfaction rise in the realm of duty1 the satisfaction of being right with ,god1 and in union with the eternal will4 ,there is no day without its spring1 and the joy of the ,lord is our strength4 ,he shall find vision4 ,enlightening the eyes4 ,the eyes of the obedient are anointed with the eye-salve of grace1 and wondrous panoramas break upon the sight4 ,visions of grace6 ,visions of love6 ,visions of glory6 ,,may ,the ,eighth ,,how ,,not ,,to ,,forget ,,deuteronomy xi4 #ah-be4 ,if we wish to retain the word of the ,lord everything depends upon where we keep it4 ,if we just keep it in the mind1 a leaky memory may waste the treasure4 ,a ,chinese convert declared that he found the best way to remember the word was to do it6 ,the engraved word became character1 written upon the fleshy tables of the heart4 ,he incarnated the word1 and it became a vital part of his own personality4 ,he lived it and it lived in him4 ,the word became flesh4 ,this is the only really vital way of remembrance1 to convert the word into the primary stuff of the life4 ,there is a secondary way by which we may help our apprehension of ,god's word4 ,ye shall teach them4 ,our hold upon a truth is increased while we impart it to others4 ,the gospel becomes more vivid as we proclaim it to our fellow-men4 ,we see it while we explain it4 ,it grips us the more firmly as we use it to grip our children4 ,this is a great law in life4 ,in these matters it is literally true that memory best retains what she gives away4 ,a truth that is never shared is never really possessed4 ,the word that we teach becomes rooted in our own mind4 ,,may ,the ,ninth ,,loving ,,the ,,lord ,,luke x4 #ba-bh4 ,the secret of life is to love the ,lord our ,god1 and our neighbours as ourselves4 ,but how are we to love the ,lord8 ,we cannot manufacture love4 ,we cannot love to order4 ,we cannot by an act of will command its appearing4 ,no1 not in these ways is love created4 ,love is not a work1 it is a fruit4 ,it grows in suitable soils1 and it is our part to prepare the soils4 ,when the conditions are congenial1 love appears1 just as the crocus and the snowdrop appear in the congenial air of the spring4 ,what1 then1 can we do8 ,we can seek the ,lord's society4 ,we can think about ,him4 ,we can read about ,him4 ,we can fill our imaginations with the grace of ,his life and service4 ,we can be much with ,him1 talking to ,him in prayer1 singing to ,him in praise1 telling ,him our yearnings and confessing to ,him our defeats4 ,and love will be quietly born4 ,for this is how love is born between heart and heart4 ,two people are much together1 and love is born6 ,and when we are much with the ,lord1 we are with ,one who already loves us with an everlasting love4 ,we are with ,one who yearns for our love and who seeks in every way to win it4 ,we love ,him because ,he first loved us4 ,and when we truly love ,god1 every other kind of holy love will follow4 ,given the fountain1 the rivers are sure4 ,,may ,the ,tenth ,,god',s ,,use ,,of ,,men ,i have surely seen the affliction of ,my people 444 come now1 therefore1 ,i will send thee4 --,,exodus iii4 #a-ad4 ,does that seem a weak ending to a powerful beginning8 ,the ,lord ,god looks upon terrible affliction and ,he sends a weak man to deal with it4 ,could ,he not have sent fire from heaven8 ,could ,he not have rent the heavens and sent ,his ministers of calamity and disasters8 ,why choose a man when the arch-angel ,gabriel stands ready at obedience8 ,this is the way of the ,lord4 ,he uses human means to divine ends4 ,he works through man to the emancipation of men4 ,he pours ,his strength into a worm1 and it becomes an instrument with teeth4 ,he stiffens a frail reed and it becomes as an iron pillar4 ,and this mighty ,god will use thee and me4 ,on every side there are ,egypts where affliction abounds1 there are homes where ignorance breeds1 there are workshops where tyranny reigns1 there are lands where oppression is rampant4 ,come now1 therefore1 ,i will send thee4 ,thus saith the ,lord1 and ,he who gives the command will also give the equipment4 ,,may ,the ,eleventh ,,but----6 ,and ,moses answered and said1 ,but---- --,,exodus iv4 #a-i4 ,we know that but4 ,god has heard it from our lips a thousand times4 ,it is the response of unbelief to the divine call4 ,it is the reply of fear to the divine command4 ,it is the suggestion that the resources are inadequate4 ,it is a hint that ,god may not have looked all round4 ,he has overlooked something which our own eyes have seen4 ,the human buts in the ,scriptural stories make an appalling record4 ,lord1 ,i will follow ,thee1 but---- ,there is something else to be attended to before discipleship can begin4 ,obedience is not primary3 it must wait for something else4 ,and so our obedience is not a straight line3 it is crooked and circuitous2 it takes the way of by-path meadow instead of the highway of the ,lord4 ,we do not wait upon the ,lord's pleasure2 we make ,him wait upon ours4 ,there need be no buts in our relationship to the ,king's will4 ,everything has been foreseen4 ,nothing will take the ,lord by surprise4 ,the entire field has been surveyed1 and the preparations are complete4 ,when the ,lord says to thee or me1 ,i will send thee1 every provision has been made for the appointed task4 ,i will not fail thee4 ,,may ,the ,twelfth ,,mouth ,,and ,,matter ,now therefore go1 and ,i will be with thy mouth4 --,,exodus iv4 #aj-ag4 ,and what a promise that is for anyone who is commissioned to proclaim the ,king's decrees4 ,here can teachers and preachers find their strength4 ,god will be with their mouths4 ,he will control their speech1 and order their words like troops4 ,he does not promise to make us eloquent1 but to endow our words with the demonstration of power4 ,and ,i will teach thee what thou shall say4 ,the ,lord will not only be with our mouths1 but with our minds4 ,he will guide our thoughts as well as our words4 ,he will be as sentinel at the lips4 ,he will be our guide in our processes of meditation and judgment1 and ,he will bring us to enlightened ends4 ,all of which is just this3 ,he will give us mouth and matter4 ,this does not put a premium upon idleness4 ,the ,lord guides when men are honestly groping4 ,he gives us fire when we have built the altar4 ,he works ,his miracle when we have provided the five loaves4 ,he sends ,his light through diligent thinking4 ,the divine power is given through the consecrated strength4 ,,may ,the ,thirteenth ,,commonplace ,,fidelities ,,exodus ii4 #aa-be4 ,god prepares us for the greater crusades by more commonplace fidelities4 ,through the practice of common kindnesses ,god leads us to chivalrous tasks4 ,little courtesies feed nobler reverences4 ,no man can despise smaller duties and do the larger duties well4 ,our strength is sapped by small disobediences4 ,our discourtesies to one another impair our worship of ,god4 ,the neglect of the pointing of a house may lead to dampness and fatal disease4 ,and thus the only way to live is by filling every moment with fidelity4 ,we are ready for anything when we have been faithful in everything4 ,because thou hast been faithful in that which is least6 ,that is the order in moral and spiritual progress1 and that is the road by which we climb to the seats of the mighty4 ,when every stone in life is well and truly laid we are sure of a solid1 holy temple in which the ,lord will delight to dwell4 ,the quality of our greatness depends upon what we do with that which is least4 ,,may ,the ,fourteenth ,,calamity ,,as ,,revealer ,in the year that ,king ,uzziah died ,i saw the ,lord4 --,,isaiah vi4 #a-h4 ,he lost a hero1 and he found the ,lord4 ,he feared because a great pillar had fallen3 and he found the ,pillar of the universe4 ,he thought everything would topple into disaster1 and lo6 he felt the strength of the everlasting arms4 ,when ,uzziah lived ,isaiah had forgotten his ,lord4 ,he so depended on the earthly that he had overlooked the heavenly4 ,uzziah concealed his ,lord as a thick veil can hide a face4 ,and when ,uzziah died1 when the earthly king passed away1 the eternal ,king was revealed2 as when by the passing of an earth-born cloud the moon reigns radiant in the open sky4 ,and thus it is that apparent calamity is often the minister of revelation4 ,the great storm clears the air1 and luminous vistas come into view4 ,the howling wind of adversity drives away the earth-born clouds and we see the face of ,god4 ,our sorrows prove the occasion of our visions4 ,we see new panoramas through our tears4 ,bereavement gives us spiritual surprises1 and death becomes the servant of life4 ,and so it happens that days which began in gloom end in revelation1 and we keep their recurring anniversary with deepening praise4 ,,may ,the ,fifteenth ,,god ,,is ,,wide-,,awake ,jeremiah1 what seest thou8 ,and ,i said1 ,i see a rod of an almond tree4 --,,jeremiah i4 #g-ai4 ,and through the almond tree the ,lord gave the trembling young prophet the strength of assurance4 ,the almond tree is the first to awake from its wintry sleep4 ,when all other trees are held in frozen slumber the almond blossoms are looking out on the barren world4 ,and ,god is like that1 awake and vigilant4 ,nobody anticipates ,him4 ,wherever ,jeremiah was sent on his prophetic mission the ,lord would be there before him4 ,before the prophet's enemies could get to work the ,lord was on the field4 ,in the wintriest circumstances of a prophet's life ,god is wide awake3 ,he that keepeth ,israel shall neither slumber nor sleep4 ,and still the almond tree has its heartening significance for thee and me4 ,our ,god is wide-awake4 ,he looks out upon our wintry circumstances1 and nothing is hid from ,his sight4 ,there is no unrecognized and uncounted factor which may steal in furtively and take ,him by surprise4 ,everything is open4 ,he is wide-awake on the far-off field where the isolated missionary is ploughing his lonely furrow4 ,he is wide-awake on the field of common labour where some young disciple finds it hard to keep clean hands while he earns his daily bread4 ,,may ,the ,sixteenth ,,the ,,details ,,of ,,providence ,the very hairs of your head are all numbered4 --,,matthew x4 #bd-ca4 ,providence goes into details4 ,sometimes1 in our human intercourse1 we cannot see the trees for the wood4 ,we cannot see the individual sheep for the flock4 ,we cannot see the personal soul for the masses4 ,we are blinded by the bigness of things2 we cannot see the individual blades of grass because of the field4 ,now ,god's vision is not general1 it is particular4 ,there are no masses to the ,infinite4 ,he calleth ,his own sheep by name4 ,the single one is seen as though he alone possessed the earth4 ,when ,god looks at the wood ,he sees every tree4 ,when ,he looks at the race ,he sees every man4 ,and1 therefore1 ,i need not fear that my way is overlooked by my ,god4 ,he knows every turning4 ,he knows just where the strain begins at the hill4 ,he knows the perils of every descent4 ,he knows every happening along the road4 ,he knows every letter that came to me by this morning's post4 ,he knows every visitor who knocks at the door of my life1 whether the visitor come at the high noon or at the midnight4 ,there is nothing hid4 ,the very hairs of your head are all numbered4 ,,may ,the ,seventeenth ,,my ,,bodily ,,infirmities ,,john ix4 #a-ab4 ,an infirmity becomes doubly burdensome when we give it a false interpretation4 ,the weight of a thing is determined by our conception of it4 ,if ,i look upon my ailment as the stroke of an offended ,god1 ,i wear it like the chains of a slave4 ,if ,i look upon it as the fire of the gracious ,refiner1 ,i can calmly await the beneficent issue4 ,it is my ,lord1 engaged in chastening ,his jewels6 ,and so our ,master first of all relieves the blind man of the false interpretation of his infirmity4 ,neither did this man sin1 nor his parents4 ,that lifts the sorrow out of the winter into the spring4 ,it sets it in the warm1 sweet light of grace4 ,it becomes transfigured4 ,it wears a new face1 placed there in the light of ,his countenance4 ,and then our ,lord relieves the blind man of the infirmity itself4 ,the ministry of blindness was accomplished1 and sight was given4 ,no man is kept in the darkness a moment longer than infinite love deems good4 ,our ,lord does not overlook the prison-house1 and leave us there forgotten4 ,he that keepeth ,israel shall neither slumber nor sleep4 ,so cheer thee1 my soul6 ,the ,lord is on thy side6 ,the ,miracle-worker knows ,his time and the dreariest path1 the darkest way1 shall issue out in heavenly day4 ,,may ,the ,eighteenth ,,blinded ,,judgments ,,john ix4 #ac-be4 ,here is a ceremonialism which is blind to the humane4 ,its scrupulous ritualisms have dried up its philanthropy4 ,it thinks more of etiquette than equity4 ,it esteems genuflexions more than generosity4 ,it values the husk more than the kernel4 ,it is ,sabbatarian but not humanitarian4 ,my ,god1 deliver me from all pious conventionalities which make me indifferent to the ailments and cries of my fellow-men6 ,and here is a dense prejudice which is blind to the evident4 ,they did not believe that he had been blind4 ,a prejudice can deflect the judgment1 as subtle magnetic currents can deflect the needle4 ,the film of an ecclesiastical prejudice can be so opaque as to make us blind to facts4 ,we do not see things as they are4 ,our perverted eyes give us a crooked world4 ,and here is a bitter violence which is blind to the glory of the ,lord4 ,we know that this man is a sinner6 ,and so it comes to that4 ,our judgments can become so warped that when we look upon ,him1 who is the chief among ten thousand and the altogether lovely1 there is no beauty that we should desire ,him6 ,and therefore let this be my daily prayer1 ,lord1 that ,i might receive my sight6 ,,may ,the ,nineteenth ,,the ,,rock ,,of ,,experience ,,john ix4 #bf-da4 ,the ,lord gains a witness1 and a stalwart witness too6 ,first1 he stood upon his own inalienable experience4 ,one thing ,i know1 that whereas ,i was blind1 now ,i see4 ,second1 he drew his own firm inferences from the beneficence of the work4 ,and1 in the third place1 he reached his grand conclusion4 ,if this man were not of ,god1 ,he could do nothing4 ,a grand testimony1 and given by one who dared to stand alone6 ,and the witness gained a ,friend4 ,jesus heard that they had cast him out1 and when ,he had found him4444 ,our ,lord is always seeking the outcasts4 ,he never abandons the abandoned4 ,when the faithful witness is driven into the wilderness he finds a table spread before him in the presence of his enemies4 ,the man who had recovered his sight was cast out1 but on the threshold he met his ,lord6 ,and further sight was given4 ,by the first sight he could see his parents1 by the second sight he saw the ,son of ,god4 ,the film was first removed from his eyes1 and then from his soul1 and he saw the glory of the ,lord4 ,and he said1 ,lord1 ,i believe4 ,and he worshipped ,him4 ,,may ,the ,twentieth ,,the ,,lone ,,cry ,,in ,,the ,,big ,,crowd ,,mark x4 #df-eb4 ,our ,lord hears the cry of need even when it rises from the midst of the tumultuous crowd4 ,a mother can hear the faint cry of her child in the chamber above1 even when the room resounds with the talk and laughter of her guests4 ,and our ,lord heard the wail of poor ,bartimus6 ,that lone1 sorrowful cry pierced the clamour1 and ,jesus stood still4 ,my soul1 cry to ,him6 ,jesus of ,nazareth passeth by4 ,and ,bartimus knew what he wanted4 ,he merged all his petitions in one4 ,lord1 that ,i might receive my sight6 ,and let me1 too1 come to my ,saviour with some great1 dominant1 all-commanding request4 ,i trifle with my ,master4 ,i ask ,him for toys1 for petty things1 while all the time ,he is waiting to give me unsearchable wealth1 sight1 riches1 healing of the mind4 ,the ,lord is great2 and shall ,i add1 and greatly to be prayed6 ,and how delicately gracious it is that our ,lord should attribute the miracle to ,bartimus himself4 ,thy faith hath made thee whole6 ,as though the ,lord had had no share in the ministry6 ,he makes so much of our faith1 and our endeavour1 and our obedience4 ,if ye had faith as a grain of mustard-seed6 ,that's all ,he wants1 and miracles are accomplished4 ,,may ,the ,twenty-first ,,human ,,frailties ,,isaiah xlii4 #a-g4 ,what a winsome revelation of the delicate gentleness of the ,lord6 ,the bruised reed--is it the impaired musical reed1 that cannot now emit a musical sound1 and can only be thrown away8 ,he will not snap it and cast it to the void4 ,the discordant life can be made tuneful again3 ,he will put a new song in my mouth4 ,and the smoking flax--the life that has lost its fire1 and therefore its light1 its enthusiasm1 and therefore its ideals2 the life that is smouldering into the cold ashes of moral and spiritual death6 ,he will not stamp it out with ,his foot4 ,the smouldering fire can be rekindled1 a spent enthusiasm can be revived4 ,he shall baptize you 444 with fire6 ,and so ,he comes to minister to the infirm4 ,he comes to restore injured faculty2 to open blind eyes4 ,he comes to give vision to restored sight3 to be a light of the ,gentiles4 ,and ,he comes to endow the restored life with a rich and gracious freedom3 to bring out the prisoners from the prison4 ,sight1 and light1 and freedom6 ,and my ,lord is at the gate1 and these gifts are in ,his hand4 ,,may ,the ,twenty-second ,,the ,,light ,,as ,,darkness ,,matthew xiii4 #aj-ag4 ,the condition of the heart determines the quality of my discernment4 ,if the heart is waxed gross1 the ears will be dull of hearing1 and the eyes will be closed4 ,my spiritual senses gain their acuteness or obtuseness from my affections4 ,if my love is muddy my sight will be dim4 ,if my love be clear as crystal the spiritual realm will be like a gloriously transparent air4 ,and the awful nemesis of sin-created blindness is this1 that it interprets itself as sight4 ,the light that is in thee is darkness4 ,we think we see1 and all the time we are the children of the night4 ,we think it is the dawn of ,god's sweet morning1 and behold6 it is the perverse flare of the evil one4 ,he has given us a will-o'-the-wisp1 and we boastfully proclaim it to be the morning star4 ,but there is hope for any man1 however blind he be1 who will humbly lay himself at ,jesus' feet4 ,let this be my prayer1 ,o ,lord1 ,cleanse ,thou me from secret faults4 ,deliver me from self-deception1 save me from confusing the fixed light of heaven with the wandering beacon-lights of hell4 ,and again and again will ,i pray1 ,lord1 that ,i might receive my sight6 ,,may ,the ,twenty-third ,,wind ,,and ,,fire ,,acts ii4 #a-ba4 ,the ,holy ,spirit will minister to me as a wind4 ,he will create an atmosphere in my life which will quicken all sweet and beautiful growth4 ,and this shall be my native air4 ,gracious seeds1 which have never awaked1 shall now unfold themselves1 and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose4 ,it was a saying of ,huxley1 that if our little island were to be invaded by tropical airs1 tropical seeds which are now lying dormant in ,english gardens and fields would troop out of their graves in bewildering wealth and beauty6 ,breathe on me1 breath of ,god6 ,and the ,holy ,spirit will minister to me as a fire4 ,and fire is our supreme minister of cleansing4 ,fire can purify when water is impotent4 ,the great fire burnt out the great plague4 ,there are evil germs which cannot be dealt with except by the searching ministry of the flame4 ,he shall baptize you 444 with fire4 ,he will create a holy enthusiasm in my soul1 an intense and sacred love1 which will burn up all evil intruders1 but in which all beautiful things shall walk unhurt4 ,kindle a flame of sacred love ,on these cold hearts of ours4 ,,may ,the ,twenty-fourth ,,calvary ,,and ,,pentecost ,,acts ii4 #bb-cf4 ,the ,apostle ,peter traces the stream of ,pentecostal blessing to a tomb4 ,this river of water of life has its rise in a death of transcendent sacrifice4 ,and ,i must never forget these dark beginnings of my eternal hope4 ,it is well that ,i should frequently visit the sources of my blessedness1 and kneel on the green hill far away4 ,it will save me from having a cheap religion4 ,i shall never handle the gifts of grace as though they had cost nothing4 ,there will always be the marks of blood upon them1 the crimson stain of incomparable sacrifice4 ,and it will save me from all flippancy in my religious life4 ,when ,i visit the cross and the tomb1 life is transformed from a picnic into a crusade4 ,for that is ever my peril1 to picnic on the banks of the river and to spend my days in emotional loitering4 ,after all1 my ,pentecost is purposed to prepare me for my own ,gethsemane and ,calvary6 ,life is given me in order that ,i may spend it again in ready and fruitful sacrifice4 ,,may ,the ,twenty-fifth ,,visions ,,and ,,dreams ,,joel ii4 #ba-cb4 ,and this old-world promise is good for me to-day4 ,it is like some weather-stained well1 whose waters have continued flowing throughout the generations1 right down to my own time4 ,let me drink6 ,holy inspiration will give me insight into the mind of my ,god4 ,your sons and your daughters shall prophesy4 ,the breath of ,god creates an atmosphere in which spiritual realities are clearly seen4 ,it is like the ,sabbath air in some busy city1 when the fumes and smoke of commerce have been blown away4 ,thou shalt behold the land that is very far off4 ,and so in my younger days holy inspiration will give me visions4 ,your young men shall see visions4 ,i shall be an idealist1 and ,i shall see things as they exist in ,god's idea1 even though at present they be maimed and imperfect4 ,i shall see them according to the pattern on the ,mount4 ,and in my later days holy inspiration will give me dreams4 ,your old men shall dream dreams4 ,and what shall they dream about8 ,not like the ,chinese1 of a golden age in a distant past1 but of a golden age to be4 ,their dreams shall have a forward-looking eye4 ,they shall see the new ,jerusalem coming down out of heaven from ,god4 ,,may ,the ,twenty-sixth ,,the ,,uniting ,,of ,,sundered ,,peoples ,on the ,gentiles also was poured out the gift of the ,holy ,ghost4 --,,acts x4 #cd-dh4 ,and this is ever the issue of a true outpouring of the ,spirit3 sundered peoples become one4 ,at low tide there are multitudes of separated pools along the shore3 at high tide they flow together1 and the little distinctions are lost in a splendid union4 ,it is so racially4 ,jew and ,gentile6 ,peter and ,cornelius lose their prejudices in the emancipating ministry of the ,spirit4 ,and so shall it be with ,english and ,irish1 with ,french and ,german1 with ,asiatic and ,european3 they shall be all one in ,christ4 ,it is so socially4 ,bond and free6 ,the master and the servant shall discover a glorious intimacy and union4 ,and so shall rich and poor1 the learned and the illiterate1 the many-talented and the obscure4 ,the pools shall flow together4 ,it is so ecclesiastically4 ,our sectarianisms are always most frowning and obtrusive when spiritually we are at low tide4 ,when the tide rises1 it is amazing how the ramparts are submerged4 ,it is not round-table conferences that we need1 but seasons of communion when together we shall await the outpouring of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,,may ,the ,twenty-seventh ,,receiving ,,the ,,holy ,,ghost ,,acts ii4 #cg-dg4 ,the sacred process by which the ,holy ,spirit is received is the same throughout all the years4 ,first there is repentance4 ,and repentance is not a flow of emotion1 but a certain direction of mind4 ,i may repent with dry eyes4 ,it is not a matter of feeling1 but of willing4 ,it is to lay hold of the aimless1 drifting thought1 and steer it toward ,god6 ,it is a change of mind4 ,second1 there is a definite and avowed choice of my new ,goal1 my new ,lord and ,king4 ,the ,christian life cannot be a subterfuge4 ,it cannot be lived incognito4 ,i cannot be the ,christ's and wear the livery of an alien power4 ,there must be confession1 a bold and clarion-like avowal that henceforth ,i am a soldier of the ,lord4 ,and the spiritual experiences will be sure1 as sure as the law-governed processes of the material world4 ,there will be remission of sins4 ,the old guilt will fall away from my soul as the chains fell from ,peter's limbs when the angel touched them4 ,and there will be the gift of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,a new dynamic is mine6 ,i enter into fellowship with the power of the ascended ,lord4 ,,may ,the ,twenty-eighth ,,the ,,sons ,,of ,,god ,for as many as are led by the ,spirit of ,god they are the sons of ,god4 --,,romans viii4 #i-ag4 ,and how unspeakably wealthy are the implications of the great word6 ,if a son1 then what holy freedom is mine6 ,mine is not the spirit of bondage4 ,the son has the run of the house4 ,that is the great contrast between lodgings and home4 ,and ,i am to be at home with the ,lord4 ,and if a son1 then heir6 ,all things are yours4 ,samuel ,rutherford used to counsel his friends to take a turn round their estate4 ,and truly it is an inspiring exercise6 ,the ,spirit shall lead me over my estate1 and ,i will survey1 with the sense of ownership1 the things which ,god hath prepared for them that love ,him4 ,i wonder if ,i have the manner of a king's son8 ,i wonder if there is anything in my very walk which indicates distinguished lineage and royal blood8 ,or am ,i like a vagrant who has no possessions and no heartening expectations8 ,lord1 ,i would serve1 and be a son6 ,,may ,the ,twenty-ninth ,,many ,,gifts--,,one ,,spirit #a ,,corinthians xii4 #a-ac4 ,there is no monotony in the workmanship of my ,god4 ,the multitude of ,his thoughts is like the sound of the sea1 and every thought commands a new creation4 ,when ,he thinks upon me1 the result is a creative touch never again to be repeated on land or sea4 ,and so1 when the ,holy ,spirit is given to the people1 the ministry does not work in the suppression of individualities1 but rather in their refinement and enrichment4 ,our gifts will be manifold1 and we must not allow the difference to breed a spirit of suspicion4 ,because my brother's gift is not mine ,i must not suspect his calling4 ,to one man is given a trumpet1 to another a lamp1 and to another a spade4 ,and they are all the holy gifts of grace4 ,and thus the gifts are manifold in order that every man may find his completeness in his brother4 ,one man is like an eye--he is a seer of visions6 ,another man is like a hand--he has the genius of practicality6 ,he is a handy man6 ,one is the architect1 the other is the builder4 ,and each requires the other1 if either is to be perfected4 ,and so1 by ,god's gracious ,spirit1 the individual man is only a bit1 a portion1 and he is intended to fit into the other bits1 and so make the complete man of the race4 ,,may ,the ,thirtieth ,,finding ,,the ,,deep ,,things ,the ,spirit searcheth all things1 yea1 the deep things of ,god4 --#a ,,corinthians ii4 #g-ab4 ,the deep things of ,god cannot be discovered by unaided reason4 ,eye hath not seen3 they are not to be apprehended by the artistic vision4 ,ear hath not heard3 they are not unveiled amid the discussion of the philosophic schools4 ,neither hath entered into the heart of man3 even poetic insight cannot discern them4 ,all the common lights fail in this realm4 ,we need another illumination1 even that provided by the ,holy ,spirit4 ,and the ,spirit is offered unto us that we might know the things that are freely given to us of ,god4 ,and here we have the reason why so many uncultured people are spiritually wiser than many who are learned4 ,they lack talent1 but they have grace4 ,they lack accomplishments1 but they have the ,holy ,ghost4 ,they lack the telescope1 but they have the sunlight4 ,they are not scholars1 but they are saints4 ,they may not be theologians1 but they have true religion4 ,and so they have the open vision4 ,they walk with ,god1 and the deep things of ,god are made known to their souls4 ,we must put first things first4 ,we may be busy polishing our lenses when our primary and fundamental need is light4 ,it is not a gift that we require1 but a ,friend4 ,,may ,the ,thirty-first ,,connection ,,and ,,concord ,by one ,spirit are we all baptized into one body4 --#a ,,corinthians xii4 #ab-ai4 ,it is only in the spirit that real union is born4 ,every other kind of union is artificial1 and mechanical1 and dead4 ,we can dovetail many pieces of wood together and make the unity of an article of furniture1 but we cannot dovetail items together and make a tree4 ,and it is the union of a tree that we require1 a union born of indwelling life4 ,we may join many people together in a fellowship by the bonds of a formal creed1 but the result is only a piece of social furniture1 it is not a vital communion4 ,there is a vast difference between a connection and a concord4 ,many members of a family may bear the same name1 may share the same blood1 may sit and eat at the same table1 and yet may have no more vital union than a handful of marbles in a boy's pocket4 ,but let the spirit of a common love dwell in all their hearts and there is a family bound together in glorious union4 ,and so it is in the spirit1 and there alone1 that vital union is to be found4 ,and here is the secret of such spiritual union4 ,by one ,spirit are we all baptized into one body4 ,the ,spirit of ,god1 dwelling in all our spirits1 attunes them into glorious harmony4 ,our lives blend with one another in the very music of the spheres4 ,,june ,the ,first ,,the ,,beauty ,,of ,,variety #a ,,corinthians xii4 #bj-ca4 ,god's glory is expressed through the harmony of variety4 ,we do not need sameness in order to gain union4 ,i am now looking upon a scene of surpassing loveliness4 ,there are mountains1 and sea1 and grassland1 and trees1 and a wide-stretching sky1 and white pebbles at my feet4 ,and a white bird has just flown across a little bank of dark cloud4 ,what variety6 ,and when ,i look closer the variety is infinitely multiplied4 ,everything blends into everything else4 ,nothing is out of place4 ,everything contributes to finished power and loveliness4 ,and so it is in the grander sphere of human life4 ,the glory of humanity is born of the glory of individuals1 each one making his own distinctive contribution4 ,and thus we have need of one another4 ,every note in the organ is needed for the full expression of noble harmony4 ,every instrument in the orchestra is required unless the music is to be lame and broken4 ,god has endowed no two souls alike1 and every soul is needed to make the music of the realm of the blest4 ,,june ,the ,second ,,our ,,spiritual ,,guide ,when ,he1 the ,spirit of truth1 is come1 ,he will guide you into all truth4 --,,john xvi4 #g-ad4 ,how great is the difference between a guide-post and a guide6 ,and what a difference between a guide-book and a companion6 ,mere instructions may be very uninspiring1 and bare commandments may be very cold4 ,our ,guide is an inseparable ,friend4 ,and how will ,he guide us8 ,he will give us insight4 ,he will guide you into all truth4 ,he will refine our spirits so that we may be able to distinguish things that differ1 and that so we may know the difference between the holy and the profane4 ,our moral judgment is often dull and imperceptive4 ,and our spiritual judgment is often lacking in vigour and penetration4 ,and so our great ,spirit-guide puts our spirits to school1 and more deeply sanctifies them1 that in holiness we may have discernment4 ,and ,he will also give us foresight4 ,he will enable us to interpret circumstances1 to apprehend their drift and destiny4 ,we shall see harvests while we are looking at seeds1 whether the seeds be seeds of good or evil4 ,all of which means that the ,holy ,spirit will deliver our lives from the governance of mere whim and caprice1 and that ,he will make us wise with the wisdom of ,god4 ,,june ,the ,third ,,the ,,safety ,,of ,,the ,,occupied ,,heart ,,galatians v4 #af-be4 ,two friends were cycling through ,worcestershire and ,warwickshire to ,birmingham4 ,when they arrived in ,birmingham ,i asked them1 among other things1 if they had seen ,warwick ,gaol along the road4 ,no1 they said1 we hadn't a glimpse of it4 ,but it is only a field's length from the road6 ,well1 we never saw it4 ,ah1 but these two friends were lovers4 ,they were so absorbed in each other that they had no spare attention for ,warwick ,gaol4 ,their glorious fellowship made them unresponsive to its calls4 ,they were otherwise engaged4 ,walk in the ,spirit1 and ye shall not fulfil the lusts of the flesh4 ,that great ,companionship will make us negligent of carnal allurements4 ,the world1 and the flesh1 and the devil may stand by the wayside1 and hold their glittering wares before us1 but we shall scarcely be aware of their presence4 ,we are otherwise engaged4 ,we are absorbed in the ,lover of our souls4 ,this is the only real and effective way to meet temptation4 ,we must meet it with an occupied heart4 ,we must have no loose and trailing affections4 ,we must have no vagrant1 wayward thoughts4 ,temptation must find us engaged with our ,lover4 ,we must offer no occasion to the flesh4 ,walking with the ,holy ,one1 our elevation is our safety4 ,,june ,the ,fourth ,,life',s ,,real ,,values ,,proverbs viii4 #aj-ai4 ,here is a man who knows the relative values of things4 ,instruction is better than silver2 knowledge rather than choice gold2 wisdom is better than rubies4 ,he weighs the inherent worth of things1 and puts his choice upon the best4 ,let me remember that all is not gold that glitters4 ,the leaden casket is often the shrine of the priceless scroll4 ,the glaring and the theatrical have often a ragged and seamy interior1 and won't bear looking into4 ,a man may have much display and be very lonely2 he may have piles of wealth and be destitute of joy4 ,his libraries may cover an acre1 and yet he may have no light4 ,and a man may have only a candle1 and a table1 and a bed1 and he may be the companion of the eternal ,god4 ,i would seek these priceless things4 ,and ,i would seek them early4 ,i have so often been late in the search4 ,i have given the early moments to seeking the world's silver and gold1 and the later weary moments have been idly devoted to ,god4 ,they that seek ,me early shall find ,me4 ,let me put first things first4 ,seek ye first the kingdom of ,god and ,his righteousness4 ,,june ,the ,fifth ,,the ,,speech ,,of ,,events ,,acts xiii4 #ad-bc4 ,do ,i sufficiently remember the witness of history8 ,do ,i reverently listen to the great voice behind me8 ,god has spoken in the speech of events4 ,day unto day has uttered speech4 ,there has been a witness in national life1 sometimes quiet as a fragrance1 and sometimes loud as a vale when storms are gone4 ,is it all to me as though it had never been1 or is it part of the store of counsel by which ,i shape and guide my life8 ,and do ,i sufficiently remember my own providences1 all the way my ,god has led me8 ,when a day is over1 do ,i carry its helpful lamp into the morrow8 ,do ,i learn wisdom from experience8 ,that is surely ,god's purpose in the days2 one is to lead on to another in the creation of an ever brightening radiance1 that so at eventide it may be light4 ,and do ,i sufficiently remember that ,i1 too1 am making history for my fellows who shall succeed me8 ,what kind of a witness will it be8 ,grim and full of warning1 like the pillar of salt1 or winsome and full of heartiness1 like some sweet ,ebenezer built by life's way8 ,let me pray and labour that my days may so shine with grace that all who remember me shall adore the goodness of my ,lord4 ,,june ,the ,sixth ,,love',s ,,expenditures #a ,,john iii4 #aa-ah4 ,hereby perceive we the love of ,god1 because ,he laid down ,his life for us4 ,and the real test of any love is what it is prepared to lay down4 ,how much is it ready to spend8 ,how much will it bleed8 ,there is much spurious love about4 ,it lays nothing down2 it only takes things up6 ,it is self-seeking1 using the speech and accents of love4 ,it is a work of the flesh1 which has stolen the label of a fruit of the ,spirit4 ,love may always be known by its expenditures1 its self-crucifixions1 its ,calvarys4 ,love is always laying down its life for others4 ,its pathway is always a red road4 ,you may track its goings by the red marks of the ,lord ,jesus4 ,and this is the life1 the love-life1 which the ,lord ,jesus came to create among the children of men4 ,it is ,his gracious purpose to form a spiritual fellowship in which every member will be lovingly concerned about his fellows' good4 ,a real family of ,god would be one in which all the members bleed for each1 and each for all4 ,how can we gain this disposition of love8 ,god is love4 ,we love because ,he first loved us4 ,at the fountain of eternal love we too may become lovers1 becoming partakers of the divine nature1 and filled with all the fulness of ,god4 ,,june ,the ,seventh ,,moral ,,surgery ,,galatians vi4 #a-h4 ,this is a surgical operation in the realm of the soul4 ,a man has been overtaken in a fault1 some evil passion has pounced upon him1 and he is broken4 ,some holy relationship has been snapped1 and he is crippled in his moral and spiritual goings4 ,perhaps his affections have been broken1 or his conscience1 or his will4 ,or perhaps he has lost his glorious hope or the confidence of his faith4 ,here he is1 a broken man1 the victim of his own broken vows1 lame and halt in the pilgrim-way6 ,and some surgeon is needed to re-set the dislocation1 and to make him whole again4 ,and who is to be the surgeon8 ,ye which are spiritual restore such a one4 ,the men who live under the control of ,god's ,spirit are to be the surgeons for broken hearts and souls4 ,when a man has fallen by reason of sin1 the ,christian is to be a ,good ,samaritan1 seeking to restore the cripple to health and strength again4 ,we are to kneel and minister to him1 binding up his wounds1 giving him the balm and cordial of oil and wine4 ,and what is to be the spirit of the surgeon8 ,the spirit of meekness4 ,we are not to be supercilious1 for the touch of pride is never the minister of healing4 ,we are to heal as though some day we may need to be healed4 ,,june ,the ,eighth ,,the ,,new ,,birth ,,john iii4 #a-ba4 ,here is the ,life in contact with the icy legalism of the day4 ,nicodemus was a ,pharisee1 and his piety was cold and mechanical4 ,religion had become a bloodless obedience to lifeless rules4 ,men cared more about being proper than about being holy4 ,modes were emphasized more than moods4 ,an external pose was esteemed more highly than an internal disposition4 ,the popular ,saint lived on the outsides of things4 ,then came the ,life4 ,and what will ,he say to the externalist8 ,ye must be born again4 ,nothing else could ,he have said4 ,if the mechanical is to become the vital there is nothing for it but a new birth4 ,to get from the outside into the inside of things1 from the letter into the spirit1 we need the miracle of renewal1 the recreating ministry of grace4 ,and so it is to-day4 ,the ritualistic is vitalized by the evangelistic4 ,if the mechanical is to become the spontaneous1 there is need of the well of living water1 springing up unto eternal life4 ,when we are born again1 ritual becomes helpful trellis for the spiritual flowers2 the outward form becomes the helpmeet of redeeming grace4 ,,june ,the ,ninth ,,the ,,story ,,of ,a ,,sorrowful ,,soul ,,psalm iii4 ,this tearful little psalm tells me where a sorrowful soul found a place of help and consolation4 ,he resorted to ,god4 ,thou art a shield about me4 ,he got the ,lord between him and his circumstances4 ,there is nothing else subtle enough to interpose4 ,our hurtful circumstances are so invasive and so immediate that only ,god can come between us and them4 ,but when ,god gets in between we are immune4 ,though an host should encamp against me1 my heart shall not fear4 ,thou art my glory4 ,and that is an honour that need never be stained4 ,my worldly glory can be besmirched4 ,an evil man throws mud1 and my poor reputation is gone4 ,there's always somebody ready to believe it6 ,but my glory with ,god1 and in ,god--man's mud cannot touch that fair fame6 ,even ,absalom cannot defile that resplendent robe4 ,thou art the lifter-up of my head4 ,the flower is looking up again6 ,in the ,lord's presence we recover our lost spirits4 ,he restoreth my soul4 ,and now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me4 ,,june ,the ,tenth ,,pillars ,,of ,,cloud ,,and ,,fire ,the ,lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud4 --,,exodus xiii4 #ag--xiv4 #d4 ,i need ,his leadership in the daytime4 ,sometimes the daylight is my foe4 ,it tempts me into carelessness4 ,i become the victim of distraction4 ,the garish day can entice me into ways of trespass1 and ,i am robbed of my spiritual health4 ,many a man has been faithful in the twilight and night who has lost himself in the sunshine4 ,he went astray in his prosperity3 success was his ruin4 ,and so in the daytime ,i need the shadow of ,god's presence1 the cooling1 subduing1 calming influence of a friendly cloud4 ,and by night in a pillar of fire4 ,and ,i need ,god's leadership in the night4 ,sometimes the night fills me with fears1 and ,i am confused4 ,the darkness chills me1 sorrow and adversity make me cold1 and ,i shiver along in uncertain going4 ,but my ,god will lead me as a presence of fire4 ,he will keep my heart warm even in the midnight1 and ,he will guide me by the kindlings of ,his love4 ,there shall be nothing hid from the heat thereof4 ,and my bewildering fears shall flee away1 and ,i will sing songs in the night4 ,,june ,the ,eleventh ,,the ,,path ,,across ,,the ,,sea ,thy way is in the sea4 --,,psalm lxxvii4 #aa-bj4 ,and the sea appears to be the most trackless of worlds6 ,the sea is the very symbol of mystery1 the grim dwelling-house of innumerable things that have been lost4 ,but ,god's way moves here and there across this trackless wild4 ,god is never lost among our mysteries4 ,he knows his way about4 ,when we are bewildered ,he sees the road1 and ,he sees the end even from the beginning4 ,even the sea1 in every part of it1 is the ,lord's highway4 ,when ,his way is in the sea we cannot trace it4 ,mystery is part of our appointed discipline4 ,uncertainty is to prepare us for a deeper assurance4 ,the spirit of questioning is one of the ordained means of growth4 ,and so the bewildering sea is our friend1 as some day we shall understand4 ,we love to lie down in green pastures1 and to be led beside the still waters1 and ,god gives us our share of this nourishing rest4 ,but we need the mysterious sea1 the overwhelming experience1 the floods of sorrows which we cannot explain4 ,if we had no sea we should never become robust4 ,we should remain weaklings to the end of our days4 ,god takes us out into the deeps4 ,but ,his way is in the sea4 ,he knows the haven1 ,he knows the track1 and we shall arrive6 ,,june ,the ,twelfth ,,waiting ,,for ,,the ,,spectacular ,the waves covered their enemies4444 ,then believed they ,his words4 --,,psalm cvi4 #a-ab4 ,their faith was born in a great emergency4 ,a spectacular deliverance was needed to implant their trust in the ,lord4 ,they found no witness in the quiet daily providence2 the unobtrusive miracle of daily mercy did not awake their song4 ,they dwelt upon the special blessing1 when all the time the really special blessing was to be found in the sleepless care which watched over them in their ordinary and commonplace ways4 ,it is the old story4 ,we are wanting ,god to appear in imperial glory2 and ,he comes among us as a humble carpenter4 ,we want great miracles1 and we have the daily ,providence4 ,we see ,his dread goings in the earthquake2 we do not feel ,his presence in the lilies of the field4 ,we watch ,him in the smoke and flames of ,vesuvius2 we do not recognize ,his footprints in the little turf-clad hill that is only a few yards from our own door4 ,it is a great day when we discover our ,god in the common bush4 ,that day is marked with glory when our daily bread becomes a sacrament4 ,when we enjoy a closer walk with ,god1 common things will wear the hues of heaven4 ,,june the ,thirteenth ,,clouded ,,but ,,not ,,lost6 ,clouds and darkness are round about ,him4 --,,psalm xcvii4 ,when ,lincoln had been assassinated1 and word of the tragedy came to ,new ,york1 the people were in a state of mind which urges to violence4 ,a man appeared on the balcony of one of the newspaper offices1 waving a small flag1 and a clear voice rang through the air3 ,fellow-citizens6 ,clouds and darkness are round about ,him6 ,his pavilion is dark waters1 and thick clouds of the skies6 ,justice and judgment are the habitation of ,his throne6 ,fellow-citizens1 ,god reigns6 ,it was the voice of ,general ,garfield4 ,that voice proclaimed the divine sovereignty1 even when the heavens were black with the menace of destruction4 ,lincoln had been assassinated1 but ,god lived6 ,human confusion does not annihilate ,his throne4 ,god liveth6 ,the firm foundation standeth sure4 ,this is the only rock to stand upon when the clouds have gathered1 and the waters are out1 and the great deeps are broken up4 ,god's sceptre does not fall from ,his grasp1 nor is snatched by alien hands4 ,the throne abideth4 ,joy will rise from the apparent chaos as springs are unsealed by the earthquake4 ,he will bring fortune out of misfortune2 the darkness shall be the hiding-place of ,his grace4 ,,june ,the ,fourteenth ,,the ,,law ,,in ,,the ,,heart ,i will put ,my laws into their hearts4 --,,hebrews x4 #af-bb4 ,everything depends on where we carry the law of the ,lord4 ,if it only rests in the memory1 any vagrant care may snatch it away4 ,the business of the day may wipe it out as a sponge erases a record from a slate4 ,a thought is never secure until it has passed from the mind into the heart1 and has become a desire1 an aspiration1 a passion4 ,when the law of ,god is taken into the heart1 it is no longer something merely remembered3 it is something loved4 ,now things that are loved have a strong defence4 ,they are in the keep of the castle1 in the innermost custody of the stronghold4 ,the strength of the heart is wrapped about them1 and no passing vagrant can carry them away4 ,and this is where the good ,lord is willing to put ,his laws4 ,he is wishful to put them among our loves4 ,and the wonderful thing is this3 when laws are put among loves they change their form1 and ,his statutes become our songs4 ,laws that are loved are no longer dreadful policemen1 but compassionate friends4 ,o6 how ,i love ,thy law6 ,that man did not live in a prison1 he lived in a garden1 and ,god's will was unto him as gracious flowers and fruits4 ,and so shall it be unto all of us when we love the law of the ,lord4 ,,june ,the ,fifteenth ,,the ,,king',s ,,guests ,who shall ascend into the hill of the ,lord8 --,,psalm xxiv4 ,who shall be permitted to pass into the sanctuary of the cloud1 and have communion with the ,lord in the holy place8 ,he that hath clean hands4 ,these hands of mine1 the symbols of conduct1 the expression of the outer life1 what are they like8 ,your hands are full of blood4 ,those hands had been busy murdering others1 pillaging others1 brutally ill-using their fellow-men4 ,we may do it in business4 ,we may do it in conversation4 ,we may do it in a criminal silence4 ,our hands may be foul with a brother's blood4 ,and men and women with hands like these cannot ascend into the hill of the ,lord4 ,there must be no stain of an unfair and scandalous life4 ,and a pure heart4 ,we need not trouble about the hands if the heart be clean4 ,if all the presences that move in the heart--desires1 and motives1 and sentiments1 and ideals--are like white-robed angels without spot1 or wrinkle1 or any such thing1 everything that emerges into outer life will share the same radiant purity4 ,the heart expresses itself in the hands4 ,character blossoms in conduct4 ,the quality of our current coin is determined by the quality of the metal in the mint4 ,as a man thinketh in his heart1 so is he4 ,,june ,the ,sixteenth ,,sinai ,,and ,,calvary ,,hebrews xii4 #ah-bh4 ,we need not live at the foot of ,mount ,sinai4 ,it is like living at the foot of ,mount ,pelee1 the home of awful eruption1 and therefore the realm of gloom and uncertainty and fear4 ,we are not saved by law1 neither indeed can we be4 ,neither can law heal us after our transgressions and defeats4 ,the law has nothing for prodigal men but blackness1 and darkness1 and tempest4 ,it has no sound but dreaded decree1 no message but menace1 no look but a frown4 ,who will build his house at the foot of ,mount ,sinai8 ,but ye are come unto ,mount ,zion4 ,our true home is not at ,sinai1 but at ,calvary4 ,there is no place for the sinner at the first mount2 at the second mount there is a place for no one else4 ,at ,calvary we may find our way back to the holiness we lost at ,sinai4 ,through grace we may drop the burden of our sin and begin to wear the garments of salvation4 ,the way back to heaven is by the green hill1 without a city wall4 ,it is a mount that can be reached by the most exhausted pilgrim2 and the one who has spent all will assuredly find a full restoration of life at the gate of his ,saviour's death4 ,ye are come to ,jesus1 the mediator of the new covenant4 ,,june ,the ,seventeenth ,,the ,,invisible ,,presence ,show me ,thy glory4 --,,exodus xxxiii4 #ab-bc4 ,moses wist not what he asked4 ,his speech was beyond his knowledge4 ,the answer to his request would have consumed him4 ,he asked for the blazing noon when as yet he could only bear the quiet shining of the dawn4 ,the good ,lord lets in the light as our eyes are able to bear it4 ,the revelation is tempered to our growth4 ,the pilgrim could bear a brightness in ,beulah land that he could not have borne at the wicket-gate2 and the brilliance of the entry into the celebrated city throws the splendours of ,beulah into the shade4 ,yes1 the gracious ,lord will unveil ,his glory as our senses are exercised to receive it4 ,my ,presence shall go with thee4 ,that is all the glory we need upon the immediate road4 ,his companionship means everything4 ,the real glory is to possess ,god2 let ,him show us ,his inheritance as it shall please ,him4 ,life's glory is to feel ,him near4 ,when the loving wife feels that the husband is in the house1 and when the loving husband feels that the wife is in the house1 that is everything6 ,the joy of each other's presence is the crown of married bliss4 ,and so it is with the soul that is married to the ,lord3 ,his presence is the soul's delight4 ,thou1 ,o ,christ1 art all ,i want4 ,o ,master1 let me walk with ,thee4 ,,june ,the ,eighteenth ,,the ,,benefitted ,,as ,,benefactors ,who comforteth us 444 that we may be able to comfort4 --#b ,,corinthians i4 #c-g4 ,and how does the ,lord comfort us8 ,he has a thousand different ways1 and no one can ever tell by what way the comfort will come to his soul4 ,sometimes it comes by the door of memory1 and sometimes by the door of hope4 ,sometimes it is borne to us through the ministry of nature1 and at other times through the ministry of human speech and kindness4 ,but always1 ,i think1 it brings us the sense of a ,presence1 as though we had a great ,friend in the room1 and the troubled heart gains quietness and peace4 ,the mist clears a little1 and we have a restful assurance of our ,god4 ,now comforted souls are to be comforters4 ,they who have received benefits of grace are to be benefactors4 ,they who have heard the sweet music of ,god's abiding love are to sing it again to others4 ,they who have seen the glory are to become evangelists4 ,we must not seek to hoard spiritual treasure4 ,as soon as we lock it up we begin to lose it4 ,a mysterious moth and rust take it away4 ,if we do not comfort others1 our own comfort will turn again to bitterness2 the clouds will lower and we shall be imprisoned in the old woe4 ,but the comfort which makes a comforter grows deeper and richer every day4 ,,june ,the ,nineteenth ,,reckoning ,,up ,,things ,,psalm xc4 #a-ab4 ,numbering things is one of the healthful exercises of the spiritual life4 ,unless we count1 memory is apt to be very tricky and to snare us into strange forgetfulness4 ,unless we count what we have given away1 we are very apt to exaggerate our bounty4 ,we often think we have given when we have only listened to appeals2 the mere audience has been mistaken for active beneficence4 ,the remedy for all this is occasionally to count our benevolences and see how we stand in a balance-sheet which we could present to the ,lord ,himself4 ,and we must count our blessings4 ,it is when our arithmetic fails in the task1 and when counting ,god's blessings is like telling the number of the stars1 that our souls bow low before the eternal goodness1 and all murmuring dies away like cloud-spots in the dawn4 ,and we must also number our days4 ,we are wasteful with them1 and we throw them away as though they are ours in endless procession4 ,and yet there are only seven days in a week6 ,a day is of immeasurable preciousness1 for what high accomplishment may it not witness8 ,a day in health or in sickness1 spent unto ,god1 and applied unto wisdom1 will gather treasures more precious than rubies and gold4 ,,june ,the ,twentieth ,,the ,,revealing ,,presence ,,of ,,the ,,lord ,,ephesians vi4 #a-aj4 ,a starling never reveals the richness of its hues until we see it in the sunlight4 ,a duty never discloses its beauties until we set it in the light of the ,lord4 ,it is amazing how a dull road is transfigured when the sunshine falls upon it6 ,god's grace reveals the graces in all healthy things4 ,hidden lovelinesses troop out when we set them in the presence of the ,lord4 ,and so the ,apostle counsels an obedience which is in the ,lord4 ,he wants us to know how beautiful common things can be when they are linked to ,christ4 ,and what he says about obedience he says about everything4 ,one of the great secrets in the teaching of ,paul is expressed in just this phrase1 in the ,lord1 in ,christ4 ,it meant connection with a power-house whose energy would light up all the common lamps of life--the lamps of hope1 of faith1 of love1 of daily labour1 and of human service4 ,and this is the secret of the ,christian life4 ,we need no other2 at least1 all other secrets are involved in this4 ,if we attend to this little preposition in1 we have entry into the infinite4 ,if we are in ,christ1 we are in the kingdom of everything that endures1 and we are outside nothing but sin4 ,,june ,the ,twenty-first ,,room ,,for ,,the ,,saplings ,children crying in the temple1 saying ,hosanna6 --,,matthew xxi4 #a-af4 ,children's voices mingling in the sounds of holy praise6 ,a little child can share in the consecrated life4 ,young hearts can offer love pure as a limpid spring4 ,their sympathy is as responsive as the most sensitive harp1 and yields to the touch of the tenderest joy and grief4 ,no wonder the ,lord called little children unto ,him6 ,they were unto ,him as gracious streams1 and as flowers of the field4 ,let the loving ,saviour have our children4 ,let there be no waiting for maturer years4 ,maturity may bring the impaired faculty and the embittered emotion4 ,let ,him have things in their beginnings1 the seeds and the saplings4 ,let ,him have life before it is formed1 before it is set in foolish moulds4 ,let us consecrate the cradle1 and the good ,lord will grow and nourish ,his saints4 ,,june ,the ,twenty-second ,,childlikeness ,,mark ix4 #cc-da4 ,it is the child-spirit that finds life's golden gates1 and that finds them all ajar4 ,the proudly aggressive spirit1 contending for place and power1 may force many a door1 but they are not doors which open into enduring wealth and peace4 ,real inheritances become ours only through humility4 ,the proud are1 therefore1 self-deceived4 ,they think they have succeeded when they have signally failed4 ,they have the shadow1 but they have missed the substance4 ,they may have the applause of the world1 but the angels sigh over their defeat4 ,they pride themselves on having got on2 the angels weep because they have gone down4 ,when we grow away from childlikeness we are in a decline4 ,god resisteth the proud2 ,he giveth grace to the humble4 ,the lowly make great discoveries2 to them the earth is full of ,god's glory4 ,,june ,the ,twenty-third ,,the ,,greatest ,,benefactors ,,matthew x4 #bi-db4 ,it is a very wonderful thing that the finest services are within the power of the poorest people4 ,the deepest ministries find their symbols in cups of cold water1 which it is in the power of everybody to give4 ,the great benefactors are the great lovers1 and their coin is not that of material money1 but the wealth of the heart4 ,a bit of affection is worth infinitely more than the gift of a necklace of pearls4 ,to kindle hope in a fainting soul is far more precious than to adorn the weary pilgrim with dazzling gems4 ,he brought me heaps of presents1 but ,i was hungering for love6 ,such was the pathetic cry of one who was clothed in purple and fine linen1 and fared sumptuously every day4 ,cups of cold water1 simple ministries of refreshment1 the love-thought1 the love-prayer1 the love-word--these are the privileged services of all of us4 ,and everybody needs these gentle and gracious services of refreshment1 and often there is greatest need where there seems to be least4 ,,june ,the ,twenty-fourth ,,at ,,ease ,,in ,,zion ,woe to them that are at ease in ,zion6 --,,amos vi4 #a-g4 ,i would be delivered from the folly of confusing ease and rest4 ,there is an infinite difference between comforts and comfort4 ,it is one thing to lie down on a luxurious couch3 it is a very different thing to lie down in green pastures under the gracious shepherdliness of the ,lord4 ,the ease which men covet is so often a fruit of stupefaction1 the dull product of sinful drugs1 the wretched sluggishness of carnal gratification and excess4 ,the rest which ,god giveth is alive and wakeful1 abounding in tireless and fruitful service4 ,oh1 rest in the ,lord4 ,but is it not a strange thing that men can be at ease in ,zion8 ,that they can play the beast in the holy place8 ,zion was full of holy memory1 and abounded with suggestions of the ,divine ,presence4 ,and yet here they could carouse1 and lose themselves in swinish indulgence6 ,a little while ago ,i saw a beautiful old church which had been turned into a common eating-house6 ,my soul1 be on thy guard4 ,be watchful and diligent1 and busy thyself in the practice of self-knowledge1 self-reverence1 self-control4 ,,june ,the ,twenty-fifth ,,desolations ,,wrought ,,by ,,sin ,the ,lord hath spoken this word4 --,,isaiah xxiv4 #a-ab4 ,the ,lord hath spoken this word1 and it is a word of judgment4 ,it unveils some of the terrible issues of sin4 ,see the effects of sin upon the spirit of man4 ,the merry-hearted do sigh4 ,life loses its wings and its song4 ,the buoyancy and the optimism die out of the soul4 ,the days move with heavy feet1 and duty becomes very stale and unwelcome4 ,if only our ears were keen enough we should hear many a place of hollow laughter moaning with troubled and restless sighs4 ,the soul cannot sing when ,god is defied4 ,but see another effect of sin4 ,the earth moaneth4 ,that is a frequent note in ,bible teaching4 ,the forces of nature are mysteriously conditioned by the character of man4 ,when man is degraded1 nature is despoiled4 ,the beauty of the garden is checked when man has lost his crown4 ,the whole creation groaneth in pain1 waiting for the manifestation of the children of ,god4 ,sin spreads desolation everywhere4 ,when ,i sin1 ,i become the centre of demoralizing forces which influence the universe4 ,and so let me ever pray1 ,deliver me from evil4 ,,june ,the ,twenty-sixth ,,crucifying ,,the ,,flesh ,arm yourselves likewise with the same mind4 --#a ,,peter iv4 #a-h4 ,let not the body be dominant1 but the soul4 ,let me study the example and counsel of the ,apostle ,paul4 ,i keep my body under4 ,literally1 ,i pummel it6 ,if it is obtrusive and aggressive1 its appetites clamouring for supremacy1 ,i pummel it6 ,paul was not afraid of severe measures where carnality was concerned4 ,he would fast a whole day in order to put the flesh in its place4 ,and so should it be with all the ,lord's children4 ,we are too self-indulgent4 ,it is well at times to put the body on the cross1 and crucify its cravings4 ,give no occasion to the flesh4 ,do not give it a chance of mastery6 ,and1 therefore1 do not feed it with illicit thought4 ,turn the mind away from the subjects in which the body will find exciting stimulant4 ,it is thought which awakes passion1 and thought can do much to destroy it4 ,set your mind on things which are above4 ,keep the mind pure1 and the swine will never enter the holy place4 ,,june ,the ,twenty-seventh ,,god ,,is ,,light6 ,in ,him is no darkness at all4 --#a ,,john i4 ,that wonderful mansion of ,god's ,being is gloriously radiant in every room6 ,in the house of my life there are dark chambers1 and rooms which are only partially illumined1 the other parts being in the possession of night4 ,some of my faculties and powers are dark ministers1 and some of my moods are far from being homes of light4 ,but ,god is light1 and everything is glorious as the meridian sun6 ,his holiness1 ,his grace1 ,his love1 ,his mercy3 there are no dark corners where uncleanness hides2 everything shines with undimmed and speckless radiancy6 ,and if ,i walk in the light1 ,i1 too1 shall become illumined4 ,they looked unto ,him and were lightened4 ,we are fashioned by our highest companionships4 ,we acquire the nature of those with whom we most constantly commune4 ,and the light ,he gives is also fire4 ,it will burn away our sin4 ,we may measure the reality and strength of our communion by the destruction of our sin4 ,a great burning will be proceeding in our life1 and one evil habit after another will be in the love-furnace of purification4 ,the ,lord still purifies ,jerusalem by the spirit of burning4 ,,june ,the ,twenty-eighth ,,the ,,waiting ,,light #b ,,corinthians iv4 #a-f4 ,i can shut out the sweet light of the morning4 ,i can refuse to open the shutters and draw up the blinds4 ,and ,i can shut out the ,light of life4 ,i can draw the thick blinds of prejudice1 and close the impenetrable shutters of sin4 ,and the ,light of the world cannot get into my soul4 ,and ,i can let in the waiting light of the morning1 and flood my room with its glory4 ,and the ,light is a gracious1 willing guest4 ,no fuss is needed1 no shouting is required4 ,open thy casement1 and the gracious guest is in6 ,and my ,lord has no reluctance in ,his coming2 we have not to drag ,him to our table4 ,open thy heart1 and the ,lord is in6 ,and when the light is within there will be radiance at the windows4 ,and when the ,lord is shining in our hearts there will be a witness in the life4 ,men will see that we are with ,jesus1 because we are light in the ,lord4 ,good ,lord1 deliver me from the god of this world lest ,i be blinded and become unable to see ,thee6 ,i open my heart to ,thee6 ,shine in1 ,thou light of life1 and make my soul the radiant witness of ,thy grace4 ,,june ,the ,twenty-ninth ,,effectual ,,prayers ,the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much4 --,,james v4 #ac-bj4 ,or1 as ,weymouth translates it1 ,the heartfelt supplication of a righteous man exerts a mighty influence4 ,prayer may be empty words1 with no more power than those empty shells which have been foisted upon the ,turks in their war with the ,balkan ,states4 ,firing empty shells6 ,that is what many professed prayers really are2 they have nothing in them1 and they accomplish nothing4 ,they are just forged upon the lips1 and they drop to the earth as soon as they are spoken4 ,effectual prayers are born in the heart2 they are stocked with heart-treasure1 with faith1 and hope1 and desire1 and holy urgency1 and they go forth with power to shake the world4 ,what are my prayers like8 ,if ,i were ,god1 could ,i listen to them8 ,are they mere pretences at prayer1 full of nothing but sound8 ,is there any reasonable ground for assuming that they can accomplish anything8 ,or are my prayers weighted with sincere desire8 ,do they comprehend my brother's good as well as my own8 ,are they spoken in faith8 ,do they go forth in great expectancy8 ,then do they surely exert a mighty influence1 and they become fellow-labourers with all ,god's ministries of grace4 ,the greatest thing ,i can do is greatly to pray4 ,,june ,the ,thirtieth ,,god ,,my ,,strength ,,and ,,song ,the ,lord is my strength and my song4 --,,psalm cxviii4 #ad-ba4 ,yes1 first of all my strength and then my song6 ,for what song can there be where there is languor and fainting8 ,what brave music can be born in an organ which is short of breath8 ,there must first be strength if we would have fine harmonies4 ,and so the good ,lord comes to the songless1 and with holy power ,he brings the gift of saving health4 ,and my song6 ,for when life is healthy it instinctively breaks into song4 ,the happy1 contented soul goes about the ways of life humming its satisfactions to itself1 and is now and again heard by the passer-by4 ,the ,lord fills the life with instinctive music4 ,when life is holy it becomes musical with ,his praise4 ,so here ,i see the appointed order in ,christian service4 ,it is futile to try to make people joyful unless we do it by seeking first to make them strong4 ,first the good1 and then the truly happy6 ,first the holy1 and then the musical4 ,first ,god1 and then the breath of ,his ,holy ,spirit1 and then the new song4 ,,july ,the ,first ,,the ,,life ,,or ,,the ,,light ,,of ,,men ,in ,him was life4 --,,john i4 #a-ah4 ,not merely a pool of life1 but the well-spring4 ,all rivers of enriching vitality have their source in ,him4 ,nowhere is there a crystal stream which was not born at the ,fountain4 ,let us make our claim for the ,lord all-comprehensive and inclusive4 ,whatever energizes body1 mind1 or soul1 has its origin in our ,sovereign ,king4 ,all our springs are in ,thee4 ,thou of life the ,fountain art4 ,and the life was the light of men4 ,and what did ,he not light up8 ,his amazing rays streamed down the darkest ways of men1 and illumined the vast1 sombre chambers of human circumstance4 ,he lit up sin and showed its true colour6 ,he lit up sorrow1 and transfigured it6 ,he lit up duty1 and gave it a new face4 ,he lit up common work1 and glorified it4 ,he lit up death1 and we could see through it6 ,but1 above all1 ,he lit up ,god1 and the people that sat in darkness saw a great light4 ,and the darkness apprehended it not4 ,the darkness could not lay hold of it and quench it6 ,it was not overwhelmed and eclipsed by the murkiest fog of prejudice1 or by the dingiest antagonism of sinful pride4 ,the light showeth in the darkness1 inviolable and invincible6 ,,july ,the ,second ,,light ,,and ,,lightning ,and the spirit of the ,lord shall rest upon ,him4 --,,isaiah xi4 #a-aj4 ,and the spirit is one of light6 ,all the doors and windows are open4 ,his correspondences are perfect and unbroken4 ,he is of quick understanding1 keen-scented to discern the essences of things1 alert to perceive the reality behind the semblance1 to see things as they are4 ,all the great primary senses are awake1 and ,he has knowledge of every secret place4 ,he shall smite 444 with the rod of ,his mouth1 and with the breath of ,his lips shall ,he slay4 ,the spirit of light follows a crusade of holiness4 ,the light becomes lightning6 ,the breathing1 which cools the fever-stricken1 can also become a hot breath1 which wastes and destroys every plant of evil desire4 ,it is an awful thing1 and yet a gracious thing1 that our ,god is a consuming fire4 ,it was foretold of our ,lord that ,he should baptize with fire4 ,and this crusade of holiness is in the ministry of peace4 ,he will burn away all that defileth1 in order that ,he may create a profound and permanent fellowship4 ,when ,his work is done1 there will be a mingling of apparent opposites1 and antagonisms will melt into a gracious union4 ,the sucking child will play on the hole of the asp1 and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder's den4 ,,july ,the ,third ,,my ,,elder ,,brother ,,hebrews ii4 #i-ah4 ,and doth my ,lord call me one of ,his brethren8 ,let me leisurely think upon it1 until my very soul moves amid my affairs in noble and hallowed dignity4 ,if ,i steadily remember who ,i am1 it will assuredly transfigure what ,i am4 ,i lose the sense of my high kinship1 and then ,i am quite content to be sent into the fields to feed swine4 ,and my elder ,brother came to destroy the works of the devil4 ,that is the entire ministry of destruction4 ,nothing beautiful does ,he destroy1 nothing winsome3 only the insidious presences which are the foes of these things4 ,he will destroy only the pestiferous microbes which ravage the vital peace of the soul4 ,our ,lord is the enemy of the deadly1 and therefore of him that had the power of death--that is1 the devil6 ,and in this holy ministry of destruction ,he can defend my soul as one who knows1 ,himself having been tempted4 ,he knows the subtlety of the devil1 and where the soul is most perilously exposed1 and ,he is therefore able to succour them that are tempted4 ,,july ,the ,fourth ,,emptying ,,oneself ,he emptied ,himself4 --,,philippians ii4 #a-aa4 ,in ,mr4 ,silvester ,horne's garden a very suggestive scene was one day to be witnessed4 ,a cricketer of world-wide renown was playing a game with ,mr4 ,horne's little four-year-old son6 ,and the fierce bowler emptied himself1 and served such gentle1 dainty little balls that the tiny man at the wickets was not in the least degree afraid6 ,and the ,lord of glory emptied ,himself1 fashioning ,himself to our low estate1 and in ,his unspeakably gentle approaches we find our peace4 ,and ,i1 too1 am to seek a corresponding lowliness of mind in order that ,i1 too1 may be of service to my weak and needy brother4 ,it is for me to empty myself of the pride of strength1 the brutal aggressiveness of success1 the sometimes unfeeling obtrusiveness of health2 ,i must empty myself1 and get down by the side of weakness and infirmity1 and in gentle fellowship humbly proffer my help4 ,and if the mind is to be in me which was also in ,christ ,jesus1 it is needful for me to commune with ,him without ceasing4 ,his gentleness can make me great4 ,,july ,the ,fifth ,,the ,,discipleship ,,that ,,tells ,he that followeth ,me4 --,,john viii4 #ab-bj4 ,yes1 but ,i must make sure that ,i follow ,him in ,spirit and in truth4 ,it is so easy to be self-deceived4 ,i may follow a pleasant emotion1 while all the time a bit of grim cross-bearing is being ignored4 ,i may be satisfied to be out on the ocean sailing1 singing of a home beyond the tide1 while all the time there is a piece of perilous salvage work to be done beneath the waves4 ,to follow ,jesus is to face the hostility of scribes and ,pharisees1 to offer restoring friendship to publicans and sinners1 to pray in blood-shedding in ,gethsemane1 to brave the derision of the brutal mob1 and to be ready for the appalling happenings on ,calvary6 ,therefore1 following is not a light picnic2 it is a possible martyrdom6 ,but if ,i set my face to go1 the ,lord ,himself will visit me with the light of life4 ,and the resource shall not be broken and spasmodic3 it shall be mine without ceasing4 ,be thou faithful 444 and ,i will give thee 444 life4 ,that life will flow into my soul1 just as the oxygenating air flows down to the diver who is faithfully busy recovering wreckage from the wealth-strewn bed of the mighty sea4 ,let me be faithful1 and every moment the ,lord will crown me with ,his own vitalizing life6 ,,july ,the ,sixth ,,life ,,as ,a ,,voice ,,john i4 #ai-cd4 ,this man humbly desires to be a voice4 ,he has no ambition to receive popular homage4 ,he does not covet the power of the lordly purple4 ,he does not crave to be a great person2 he only wants to be a great voice6 ,he wants to articulate the thought and purpose of ,god4 ,he is quite content to be hidden1 like a bird in a thick bush1 if only his song may be heard4 ,and in order that he may be a voice he retires into the silent solitudes of the desert4 ,he will listen before he speaks4 ,come thou1 my soul1 into his secret6 ,the air is clamorous with speech behind which there has been no hearing4 ,men speak1 and in their words there is no pulse of the ,infinite4 ,in their consolations there is no balm4 ,in their reproaches there is no sword4 ,their words are empty vessels1 full of sound6 ,let my voice be hushed until ,i have heard the voice of the ,highest4 ,he that hath ears to hear1 let him hear4 ,and when he spake1 it was in clear and definite testimony1 ,behold the ,lamb of ,god6 ,the voice succeeded1 for men began to look away from the herald to the herald's ,lord4 ,in forgetting ,john they found the ,king4 ,they passed the signpost1 and arrived at home6 ,,july ,the ,seventh ,,in ,,the ,,golden ,,age ,,isaiah xl4 #a-aj4 ,and so these things are to happen when the ,lord has come to ,his own1 and ,his decrees are honoured in our midst4 ,certain inequalities are to be ended4 ,valleys are to be exalted1 and mountains are to be made low4 ,there is to be a levelling6 ,men are to be equal in freedom and opportunity4 ,certain crookednesses are to be ended4 ,they are to be made straight4 ,society has become warped with the heat of lust1 and the fierce fever of competition1 and the hot1 devouring fires of greed4 ,when the ,lord is enthroned the fires will be put out1 the heat will pass1 and the twisted fellowships will be rectified4 ,certain roughnesses are to be ended4 ,class works against class with jagged edge1 like the teeth of a saw4 ,they tear and rend one another1 and the family of ,god is always bleeding4 ,these rough places are to be made plain4 ,we are to work in to one another1 smoothly1 congenially1 in a frictionless peace4 ,and this ,lord is coming1 coming every day1 and ,his arm shall rule for ,him4 ,say unto the cities of ,judah--,behold your ,god6 ,,july ,the ,eighth ,,what ,,manner ,,of ,,man8 ,,matthew xi4 #g-ae4 ,there are some men who are only as desert reeds6 ,they move to the breath of the desert wind4 ,they bend before it1 no matter in what way it may be blowing4 ,they never resist the wind4 ,they never become hiding places from the wind1 stemming a popular drift4 ,they are the victims of passing opinions1 and are swayed by the current passions4 ,and some men are clothed in soft raiment6 ,they shrink from the rough fustian1 the labourer's cotton smock1 the leather suit of ,george ,fox4 ,they are ultra-finicky4 ,they are afraid of the mire4 ,they touch the sorrows of the world with a timid finger1 not with the kindly1 healing grasp of a surgeon4 ,and other men are prophets6 ,they have a secret fellowship with the ,infinite4 ,when we listen to them it is like putting one's ear to the seashell3 we catch the sound of the ocean roll4 ,the voice of the ,great ,eternal dwells in their mighty tones4 ,and others are children of the ,kingdom4 ,they are greater than the old prophets1 because the mystic voice has become a ,presence1 and they have seen the ,lord4 ,the veil has been rent1 and they walk in the light as children of light4 ,,july ,the ,ninth ,,scholars ,,in ,,christ',s ,,school ,he taught ,his disciples4 --,,mark ix4 #cj-cg4 ,and my ,lord will teach me4 ,he will lead me into the deep things of ,god4 ,there is only one school for this sort of learning1 and an old saint called it the ,academy of ,love1 and it meets in ,gethsemane and ,calvary1 and the ,lord ,himself is the teacher1 and there is room in the school for thee and me4 ,but the disciples were not in the mood for learning4 ,they were not ambitious for heavenly knowledge1 but for carnal prizes1 not for wisdom1 but for place4 ,they disputed one with another who was the greatest4 ,and that spirit is always fatal to advancement in the school of ,christ4 ,our petty ambitions close the door and windows of our souls1 and the heavenly light can find no entrance4 ,we turn ,gethsemane into a place of strife1 and we carry our clamour even to ,calvary itself4 ,from this1 and all other sinful folly1 good ,lord1 redeem us6 ,they who would be great scholars in this school must become as little children4 ,through the child-like spirit we attain unto ,god-like wisdom4 ,by humility is honour and life4 ,,july ,the ,tenth ,,the ,,great ,,renunciation ,,matthew xvii4 #a-ac4 ,what if the ,transfiguration was the type of the purposed consummation of every life8 ,if we had remained without sin1 it may be that we should have gradually ripened up to a moment when we should have become transfigured1 and in the surpassing brilliance have been translated to higher planes of being4 ,perhaps our ,lord had reached this material consummation1 and was now on the wonderful border land1 and could by choice slip into the glory6 ,but ,he made another choice4 ,and this was1 of a truth1 the great renunciation6 ,he turned ,his back on the glory1 and deliberately faced the darkening way which led to ,calvary and the grave4 ,i do not wonder that ,his mysterious visitors spake with ,him of the decease which ,he should accomplish at ,jerusalem4 ,he could talk about nothing else6 ,he set ,his face to go4 ,and in my ,master's choice of death ,i find my hope of life4 ,through the dark gate ,i can find the mount4 ,my transfiguration is made possible in ,his humiliation4 ,if my ,lord had never descended ,i could never have ascended4 ,if ,he had abode on the mount ,i should have remained in my sin4 ,he has opened to me the gates of righteousness4 ,,july ,the ,eleventh ,,the ,,friend ,,of ,,the ,,bridegroom ,he that hath the bride is the bridegroom4 --,,john iii4 #bc-cf4 ,we ministers sometimes speak of my church4 ,i occasionally read of ,mr4 ,so-and-,so's church6 ,i know that the phrase is colloquially used1 but nevertheless1 it is unfortunate4 ,words that are perversely used tend to pervert the spirit4 ,and this phrase tends to displace the ,bridegroom4 ,it helps to make us obtrusive1 unduly aggressive1 when we ought to be reverently hiding our faces with our wings4 ,the ,bride is ,his6 ,but the friend of the bridegroom4 ,that is my place1 and that is my dignity4 ,and what a title it is1 making me a member of the finest and most select aristocracy in heaven or on earth6 ,the friend of the bridegroom used to carry messages to the bride1 to share in the wooing1 and to help to bring the wedding about4 ,and that1 too1 is my gracious office1 to be a match-maker for my ,lord1 to testify concerning ,him1 to speak ,his praises1 until the soul fall in love with ,him4 ,he must increase1 but ,i must decrease4 ,yes1 when the sun is rising the moon becomes dim6 ,when the glory of the ,bridegroom breaks upon the bride ,he becomes all in all1 the chief among ten thousand1 and the altogether lovely4 ,,july ,the ,twelfth ,,preparing ,,his ,,servants ,,john i4 #ce-ea4 ,our ,lord does not stumble upon ,his disciples by accident4 ,his discoveries are not surprises4 ,he knows where ,his nuggets lie4 ,before ,he calls to service ,he has been secretly preparing the servant4 ,i girded thee1 though thou hast not known ,me4 ,he knew all about ,simon4 ,thou art ,simon--just a listener1 not yet a strong1 bold doer3 a man of many opinions not yet consolidated into the truth of experimental convictions4 ,thou shalt be called ,peter4 ,simon become ,peter6 ,loose gravel become hard rock6 ,hear-says become the verilies of unshakable experience6 ,the ,lord proclaims our glorious possibilities4 ,and ,he knew all about ,nathanael4 ,when thou wast under the fig-tree ,i saw thee4 ,in that secret meditation of thine1 when thy wishes and desires were being born1 ',i saw thee6' ,when others saw nothing1 ,i had fellowship with thee in the secret place4 ,and ,he knows all about thee and me4 ,i know ,my sheep4 ,we do not take ,him by surprise4 ,he does not come in late1 and find the performance half over6 ,he is in at our beginnings1 when grave issues are being born4 ,i am ,alpha4 ,,july ,the ,thirteenth ,,plain ,,glass ,they were fishers4 --,,matthew iv4 #ab-bb4 ,and so our ,lord went first to the fishing-boats and not to the schools4 ,learning is apt to be proud and aggressive1 and hostile to the simplicities of the ,spirit4 ,there is nothing like plain glass for letting in the light6 ,and our ,lord wanted transparent media1 and so ,he went to the simple fishermen on the beach4 ,god hath chosen the foolish things of the world4 ,and by choosing labouring men our ,master glorified labour4 ,he ,himself had worn the workman's dress1 and the garment which the ,king wears becomes regal attire4 ,yes1 the workingman1 if he only knew it1 is wearing the imperial robe4 ,he is one of the kinsmen of the ,lord of ,glory6 ,our ,lord took the fisherman's humble calling1 and made it the symbol of spiritual service4 ,i will make you fishers of men4 ,and ,he will do the same for thee and me4 ,he will turn our daily labour into an apocalypse1 and through its ways and means ,he will make us wise in the ministry of the kingdom4 ,he will make the material the handmaid of the spiritual1 and through the letter ,he will lead us into the secret places of the soul4 ,,july ,the ,fourteenth ,,the ,,possibilities ,,of ,,the ,,unlikely ,,matthew ix4 #a-ac4 ,a ,disciple from among the publicans6 ,in what waste places our ,lord ,jesus finds ,his jewels6 ,what exquisite possibilities ,ruskin saw in a pinch of common dust6 ,what radiant glory the lapidary can see in the rough1 unpolished gem6 ,the ,lord loves to go into the unlikely place1 and lead forth ,his saints4 ,in the wilderness shall waters break out6 ,we must prayerfully cultivate this sacred confidence in the possibilities of the unlikely4 ,we can never be successful helpers of the ,lord unless we can see the diamond in the soot1 and the radiant saint in the disregarded publican4 ,it is a most gracious art to cultivate1 this of discerning a man's possible excellencies even in the blackness of his present shame4 ,to see the future best in the present worst1 that is the true perception of a child of light4 ,o give us eyes to see like ,thee6 ,well1 this is the medium of vision3--,blessed are the pure in heart1 for they shall see ,god1 and the god-like1 even in the wilderness of sin4 ,anoint thine eyes with eye-salve1 that thou may'st see6 ,,july ,the ,fifteenth ,,the ,,daily ,,cross ,,luke ix4 #ah-bf4 ,our ,lord never bribes ,his disciples by promising them ways of sunny ease4 ,he does not buy them with illicit gold4 ,he does not put the glittering crown upon the entrance-gate1 and hide the cross behind the wall4 ,no3 on the very first stage of the sacred pilgrimage there falls the shadow of the ,cross4 ,let him take up his cross daily1 and follow ,me4 ,and yet1 the ,lord's blessing is hidden in the apparent curse4 ,in the act of bearing the cross we increase our strength4 ,that is the heartening paradox of grace4 ,virtuous energies pass from our very burdens into our spirits1 and thus out of the eater comes forth meat4 ,we bravely shoulder our load1 and lo6 a mystic breath visits the heart1 and a strange facility attends our goings6 ,the dead cross becomes a tree of life1 and a secret vitality renews our souls4 ,how foolish1 then1 ,o heart of mine1 to avoid and evade ,thy cross6 ,refuse the burden1 and thou declinest the strength6 ,ignore the duty1 and thou shalt feel no inspiration6 ,carefully husband thy blood1 and thou shalt remain for ever anmic6 ,but lose thy life1 and thou shalt find it6 ,,july ,the ,sixteenth ,,the ,,vine ,,and ,,the ,,branch ,,john xv4 #a-af4 ,i need the ,lord4 ,what can a branch do apart from the vine8 ,it may retain a certain1 momentary greenness1 but death is advancing apace4 ,and there are multitudes of professing ,christians who are like detached branches2 their spiritual life is ebbing away3 they do not startle the beholder and cause him to exclaim1 ,how full of life6 ,they do not strike at all6 ,they have no splendid force of character1 and they therefore exercise no arresting witness for the ,king4 ,they are not abiding in the ,eternal1 and therefore there is no powerful pulse from the ,infinite4 ,apart from ,me ye can do nothing6 ,and my ,lord needs me4 ,for the vine has need of the branch6 ,the vine expresses itself in the branch1 and comes to manifestation in leaf1 and flower1 and fruit4 ,and my ,lord would manifest ,himself in me1 and cause my branch to be heavy with the glorious fruits of ,his grace4 ,and if ,i deprive ,him of the branch1 and deny ,him this means of expression1 ,i am limiting the ,holy ,one of ,israel4 ,my son1 give ,me thine heart6 ,lord1 help me to abide in ,thee6 ,save me from the follies of a fatal independence6 ,good ,lord1 ,abide in me4 ,,july ,the ,seventeenth ,,the ,,dying ,,of ,,self ,,john xii4 #ab-cf4 ,except a corn of wheat 444 die6 ,yes1 it is through death we pass to life4 ,discipleship in which there is no death can never be truly alive4 ,the nipping winter is essential to the green and flowery spring4 ,no tomb1 no resurrection glory6 ,in every life there must be a grave1 and self must be buried within it4 ,we must die to self in our prayers4 ,in many prayers self is obtrusive and aggressive from end to end4 ,it is self1 self1 self6 ,that self must be crucified4 ,we must make more room for others in our supplications4 ,on our knees the egotist must die1 and the altruist be born4 ,and if it die1 it bringeth forth much fruit6 ,there are multitudes of professing ,christians who would experience a wonderful resurrection if they were more given to hospitality in their communion with the ,lord4 ,and if self die in our prayers1 nowhere else will it be seen4 ,that which is truly slain when we are upon our knees will not reassert itself when we return to common ways of work and service4 ,and1 therefore1 let the corn of wheat fall into the ground and die6 ,,july ,the ,eighteenth ,,the ,,mesmerism ,,of ,,the ,,world ,,matthew xix4 #bc-cj4 ,material possessions multiply our spiritual difficulties4 ,it is hard for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven4 ,for what is the kingdom8 ,it is righteousness1 and peace1 and joy in the ,holy ,ghost4 ,it is easy for a rich man to appear respectable1 but how hard is it to be holy6 ,he may surround himself with comforts1 but how hard to get into peace6 ,he may move in the cold gleam of a glittering happiness1 but how hard to get into the rich1 warm quietness of an abiding joy6 ,yes1 our material possessions so easily range themselves as ramparts between us and our destined spiritual wealth4 ,and if we find that any material thing so mesmerizes us that we are held in fatal bondage1 we are to sacrifice it4 ,if thine eye offend thee1 pluck it out1 and cast it from thee6 ,whatever interposes itself between us and our ,lord must go6 ,it is a hard way1 but it leads to a sound and boisterous health4 ,we verily receive an hundredfold6 ,we lose a thing1 and gain a grace4 ,we lose fickle sensations and gain abounding inspiration4 ,we lose the world1 and gain the ,lord6 ,,july ,the ,nineteenth ,,the ,,wrath ,,of ,,the ,,lamb ,,john ii4 #ac-bb4 ,the narrative of the cleansing follows the story of the wedding-feast4 ,in the one the ,lord has taken the spirit of the sanctuary into a worldly feast1 and thereby illumined and glorified the feast4 ,in the other1 the spirit of the world has invaded the sanctuary1 and thereby defiled and dishonoured it4 ,the spirit of worldliness1 like an unclean1 insurgent flood1 would enter and possess the entire realm of human life and service4 ,and here it converted a legitimate convenience into an unhallowed business4 ,it transformed a needful expedient into an unholy end4 ,it fixed its tables in the very courts of the ,temple1 and exalted the quest of money above the worship of ,god4 ,and ,he made a scourge of cords4 ,and is this the ,lamb of ,god8 ,yes1 the ,lamb of ,god is also the lion of ,judah4 ,the mild sunshine can become focussed into scorching flame6 ,as soon as blessings touch sin they become curses4 ,for this was the ,son of ,man manifested1 that ,he might destroy the works of the devil4 ,my soul1 remember thou the scourge of thy ,lord1 and do not trifle in ,his holy place6 ,seek thou the clean hands and the pure heart1 and the thunders of ,sinai shall come to thee as beatific music from the hill4 ,,july ,the ,twentieth ,,defiling ,,the ,,holy ,,place ,,mark xi4 #aa-ai4 ,it was a teaching of the old ,rabbis that no one should make a thoroughfare of the ,temple1 or enter it with the dust upon his feet4 ,the teaching was full of sacred significance1 however far their practice may have departed from its truth4 ,let me not use the ,temple as a mere passage to something else4 ,let me not use my religion as an expedient for more easily reaching the chief seats among men4 ,let me not put on the garments of worship in order that ,i may readily and quickly fill my purse4 ,let me not make the sanctuary a short cut to the bank6 ,and let me not carry the dust of the world on to the sacred floor4 ,let me wipe my feet4 ,let me sternly shake off some things--all frivolity1 easeful indifference1 the spirit of haste and self-seeking4 ,let me not defile the courts of the ,lord4 ,and let me remember that the whole earth is full of ,his glory4 ,everywhere1 therefore1 ,i am treading the sacred floor6 ,lord1 teach me this high secret6 ,then shall ,i not demean the ,temple into a market1 but ,i shall transform the market into a temple4 ,lo1 ,god is in this place1 and ,i knew it not6 ,,july ,the ,twenty-first ,,purifying ,,the ,,sanctuary #b ,,chronicles xxix4 #a-aa1 #ae-ai4 ,worship has vital connections with work4 ,there are nerve-relationships between the heart and the hand4 ,the condition of the sanctuary is reflected in the state of the empire4 ,if there is uncleanness in the holy place1 there will be blight and degeneracy among the people4 ,the fatal seeds of national instability and decay are not found in economics2 they are found in the sanctuary4 ,until ,i went into the sanctuary 444 then understood ,i6 ,hezekiah cleansed the house of the ,lord4 ,he cast forth the filthiness out of the holy place4 ,he ushered in his golden age with the reformation of worship4 ,he recalled exiled and white-robed ,piety to her appointed throne4 ,he began the re-establishment of right by recognizing the rights of ,god4 ,he gave the ,lord ,his due6 ,all our rights are born out of our being right with ,god6 ,we begin to be rich when we cease to rob ,god6 ,and when the burnt offering began1 the song of the ,lord began also4 ,that is ever so4 ,our real songs begin with our sacrifices4 ,we enter the realm of music when we enter the realm of self-surrender4 ,a willing offering1 on a clean altar1 introduces the soul into the joy of the ,lord4 ,,july ,the ,twenty-second ,,visions ,,and ,,tasks #b ,,chronicles xxxiv4 #a-aa4 ,josiah began to seek after ,god4 ,the other day ,i saw a young art student copying one of ,turner's pictures in the ,national ,gallery4 ,his eyes were being continually lifted from his canvas to his master4 ,he put nothing down which he had not first seen4 ,he was seeking after ,turner6 ,and thus it was with ,josiah4 ,his eyes were ever toward the ,lord6 ,he studied the ways of the ,lord1 in order that he might incarnate them in national life and practice4 ,wise doings always begin in clear seeing4 ,we should be far more efficient in practice if we were more diligently assiduous in vision4 ,it is never a waste of time to look unto ,him4 ,looking is a most needful part of our daily discipline4 ,what ,i say unto you1 ,i say unto all1 ,watch6 ,and because ,josiah saw the holiness of the ,lord he saw the uncleanness of the people4 ,he had a vision of ,god's holy place1 and he therefore saw the defilement of the material worship4 ,in the twelfth year he began to purge ,judah4 ,yes1 that is the sequence4 ,the reformer follows the seer4 ,we shall begin to sweep the streets of our own city when we have gazed upon the glories of the holy city1 the ,new ,jerusalem4 ,,july ,the ,twenty-third ,a ,,great ,,soul ,,at ,,prayer #b ,,chronicles vi4 #ab-ba4 ,let me reverently study this great prayer in order that1 when ,i go to the house of ,god1 ,i may be able to enrich its ministry by the wealth of my own supplications4 ,solomon prayed that the eyes of the ,lord might be open toward the house day and night4 ,like the eyes of a mother upon her child6 ,like the eyes of a lover upon his beloved6 ,and therefore it is more than protective vision2 shall we reverently say that it is inventive vision1 devising gracious surprises1 anticipating needs1 preparing love-gifts2 it is sight which is both insight and foresight1 ever inspecting and prospecting for the loved one's good4 ,and ,solomon prayed that ,god's ear might be open to the cry of ,his people's need4 ,hear ,thou from ,thy dwelling-place4 ,he prayed that the house of ,god might be the place of open communion4 ,that is ever the secret of peace1 and therefore of power4 ,if ,i know that ,i have correspondence with the ,holy ,one1 ,i shall walk and work as a child of light4 ,if ,god hear me1 then ,i can sing6 ,and ,solomon prays for the grace of forgiveness4 ,he prays for the sense of sweet emancipation which is the gift of grace4 ,it is the miracle of renewal1 and it ought to happen every time we open the doors of the sanctuary4 ,,july ,the ,twenty-fourth ,,love ,,of ,,the ,,sanctuary ,,psalm lxxxiv4 ,gracious is the strength of this man's desire for the holy place4 ,he covets the privilege of the very sparrow which builds its nest beneath the sacred eaves6 ,when he is away from the ,temple its worship and music haunt his mind and soul4 ,it wooes him in the market-place4 ,its insistent call is with him by the fireside4 ,yes1 in his heart are the highways to ,zion6 ,and the permanency of this devotional mood transfigures every place4 ,it turns the valley of weeping into a place of springs4 ,the colour of any place is largely determined by our moods4 ,it is surprising what treasures we find when our soul is full of light4 ,what discoveries old ,scrooge made when the ,christmas mood possessed his own heart6 ,when we carry about the spirit of the sanctuary1 we convert every spot into rich and hallowed ground4 ,i had rather be a door-keeper in the house of my ,god than to dwell in the tents of wickedness4 ,better to have the temple-spirit1 even as a menial1 than the unhallowed heart in the glittering high places of sin4 ,god's worst is better than the devil's best4 ,,july ,the ,twenty-fifth ,,no ,,temple ,,therein ,and ,i saw no temple therein6 --,,revelation xxi4 #bb-bg4 ,and that because it was all temple6 ,every place was hallowed ground4 ,there was no merely localized ,presence1 because the ,presence was universal4 ,god was realized everywhere1 and therefore the little meeting-tent had vanished1 and in place of the measurable tabernacle there were the immeasurable and ,god-filled heavens4 ,even here on earth ,i can measure my spiritual growth by the corresponding enlargement of my temple4 ,what is the size of my sanctuary8 ,am ,i moving toward the time when nothing shall be particularly hallowed because all will be sanctified8 ,are the six days of the week becoming increasingly like the seventh1 until people can see no difference between my ,monday manners and my ,sunday mood8 ,and how about places8 ,do ,i still speak of religion being religion1 and business being business1 or is something of the sanctuary getting into my shop1 and is the exchange becoming a side-chapel of the ,temple8 ,and the ,lamb is the light thereof4 ,when we have done with the local temple we can dispose of its candles4 ,when we pass out of the twilight into the morning the stars retire4 ,the fore-gleams will change into the wondrous glory of the ineffable day4 ,,july ,the ,twenty-sixth ,,the ,,wells ,,of ,,salvation ,,john iii4 #a-ba4 ,the springs of our redemption are found in infinite love4 ,god is love6 ,redemption was not inspired by anger1 but by grace4 ,we do not contemplate an angry ,god1 demanding a victim1 but a compassionate ,father making a sacrifice4 ,at one extreme of our golden text is eternal love1 and at the other extreme is eternal life4 ,what if the two are one8 ,etymologically1 love and life are akin4 ,what if they are only two names for the same thing8 ,to believe in the love is to receive the life4 ,for when ,i believe in a person's love ,i open my doors to the lover4 ,and to believe in the love of ,god is to let the heavenly ,lover in4 ,and with love comes a wonderful tropical air--light1 and warmth1 and air2 and all things become new6 ,it is the letting in of the spring1 and things which have been in wintry bondage awake1 and arise from their graves4 ,and so ,i enter into the kingdom of ,god4 ,i become a native of a new and marvellous country4 ,i begin to be acclimatized in the realm of the blest4 ,and ,i see the kingdom of ,god4 ,spiritual perceptions become mine1 and ,i gaze upon the mystic glories of the home of ,god4 ,,july ,the ,twenty-seventh ,,the ,,work ,,of ,,faith #a ,,john v4 #a-ac4 ,and so by belief ,i find life4 ,i do not obtain the vitalizing air through controversy1 or clamour1 or idle lamentation1 but by opening the window6 ,faith opens the door and window of the soul to the ,son of ,god4 ,it can be done without tears1 it can be done without sensationalism4 ,if any man will open the door1 ,i will come in4 ,and he that hath the ,son hath the life4 ,and by belief ,i gain my victories4 ,who is he that overcometh 444 but he that believeth8 ,it is not by flashing armour that we beat the devil1 but by an invincible life4 ,on these battlefields a mystic breath does more destruction than all our fine and costly expedients4 ,to believe is to obtain the winning spirit1 and every battle brings its trophies to our feet4 ,and by belief ,i gain assurance4 ,he that believeth 444 hath the witness in him4 ,so many ,christians fight in doubt and indecision1 and their uncertainty impairs their strength and skill4 ,it is the man who can quietly say ,i know who is terrible in battle and who drives his foes in confusion from the field4 ,,july ,the ,twenty-eighth ,,all ,,things ,,new6 #b ,,corinthians v4 #ad-ba4 ,here is a new constraint6 ,the love of ,christ constraineth me4 ,the love of ,christ carries me along like a crowd4 ,i am taken up in its mighty movement and swept along the appointed road6 ,or it arrests me1 and makes me its willing prisoner4 ,it lays a strong hand upon me1 and ,i have no option but to go4 ,a gracious necessity is laid upon me4 ,i must6 ,and here is a new world4 ,old things are passed away4 ,the man who is the prisoner of the ,lord's love will find himself in new and wonderful scenery4 ,everything will wear a new face--,god1 man1 self1 the garden1 the sky1 the sea6 ,we shall look at all things through love-eyes1 and it is amazing in what new light a great love will set familiar things6 ,commonplaces become beautiful when looked at through the lens of ,christian love4 ,when we walk in love our eyes are anointed with the eye-salve of grace4 ,and here is a new service4 ,we are ambassadors 444 for ,christ4 ,when we see our ,lord through love-eyes1 and then our brother1 we shall yearn to serve our brother in ,christ4 ,we shall intensely long to tell the love-story of the ,lord our ,saviour4 ,what we have seen1 with confidence we tell4 ,,july ,the ,twenty-ninth ,,names ,,and ,,natures ,,romans viii4 #a-aj4 ,men will recognize my ,christianity by the sign of the ,spirit of ,christ4 ,and they will accept no other witness4 ,i saw a plant-pot the other day1 full of soil1 bearing no flower1 but flaunting a stick on which was printed the word ,mignonette4 ,thou hast a name to live and art dead4 ,the world will take no notice of our labels and our badges3 it is only arrested by the flower and the perfume4 ,if any man hath not the ,spirit of ,christ he is none of ,his4 ,and in the ,spirit of ,christ ,i shall best deal with the things of the flesh4 ,there are some things which are best overcome by neglecting them4 ,to give them attention is to give them nourishment4 ,withdraw the attention1 and they sicken and die4 ,and so ,i must seek the fellowship of the ,spirit4 ,that friendship will destroy the other4 ,ye cannot serve ,god and ,mammon4 ,if ,i am in communion with the ,holy ,one the other will pine away1 and cease to trouble me4 ,lord1 make my spirit a kinsman of ,thine6 ,let the intimacy be ever deeper and dearer4 ,draw me nearer1 blessed ,lord1 until in nearness to ,thee ,i find my peace1 my joy1 and my crown4 ,,july ,the ,thirtieth ,,sin ,,as ,,poison ,,numbers xxi4 #d-i4 ,and this is the familiar teaching1 that sin is a serpent4 ,it possesses a deadly poison4 ,we may give it pleasant names1 but we are only ornamenting death4 ,a chemist might put a poison into a chaste and elegant flask1 but he has in no wise changed its nature4 ,and when we name sin by philosophic euphemisms1 and by less exacting terminologies--such as cleverness1 smartness1 or fault1 or misfortune1 we are only changing the flask1 and the diabolical essence remains the same4 ,and1 then1 sin is a serpent because it is so subtle4 ,it creeps into my presence almost before ,i know it4 ,its approaches are so insidious1 its expedients so full of guile4 ,therefore1 ,i say unto all1 ,watch6 ,but in ,christ the old serpent is dead6 ,christ became sin1 and in ,him sin was crucified4 ,the thing that bit is bitten1 and its nefarious power destroyed4 ,but out of ,christ the serpent is still busy and malicious1 claiming what he presumes to call his own4 ,let me1 then1 dwell in ,christ1 where sin has no more dominion4 ,whosoever believeth shall not perish but have life4 ,,july ,the ,thirty-first ,,the ,,clean ,,flame ,,of ,,love #a ,,john iv4 #d-ad4 ,this aged apostle cannot get away from the counsels of love4 ,all his mental movements circle about this greatest thing in the world4 ,once he would call down fire upon men2 now the only fire he knows is the pure and genial flame of love4 ,beautiful is it when our fires become cleaner as we get older1 when temper changes to compassion1 when malice becomes goodwill1 when an ill-controlled conflagration becomes a homely fireside4 ,and all the love we acquire we must get from the altars of ,god4 ,we love because ,he first loved us4 ,we can find it nowhere else4 ,love is of ,god4 ,why1 then1 not seek it in the right place8 ,why seek for palms in arctic regions1 or for icebergs in the tropics8 ,god is the country of love1 and in ,his deep mines there are riches unsearchable4 ,and the gracious law of life is this1 that every acquisition of love increases our powers of discernment4 ,he that loveth knoweth4446 ,it is as though every jewel we find gives us an extra lens for the discovery of finer jewels still4 ,and thus the love-life is a continual surprise1 and the surprise will be eternal1 for the object of the wonder is the infinite love of ,god4 ,,august ,the ,first ,,god ,,as ,,our ,,ally6 ,,romans viii4 #ca-ci4 ,if ,god is for us6 ,but we must make sure of that4 ,is ,god on the field1 taking sides with us8 ,have we been so busy with our preparations1 so concerned with many things1 and everybody1 that we have forgotten our greatest possible ,ally8 ,is ,he on the field1 and on which side6 ,my soul1 go on thy knees1 and settle this in secret4 ,that purpose of thine6 ,that choice of thine6 ,that work of thine6 ,is it hallowed with thy ,lord's approval and seal8 ,and if ,god is for us1 who can be against us8 ,nothing else counts4 ,it is ever a foolish and futile thing to count the heads in the opposing ranks4 ,god is always on the side of the big battalions6 ,it is a black lie of the devil6 ,we need not fear the big battalions if only we are securely in the right4 ,we are not to count heads1 but to weigh and estimate causes4 ,which of the causes provides a tent for the ,lord of ,hosts8 ,where has the truth its waving flag8 ,stand near that flag1 my soul1 and thou wilt be near thy ,lord6 ,and nothing shall separate thee from ,his love1 and leave thee weak and isolated on the field4 ,thou shalt be more than conqueror in ,him who loves thee1 and will love thee for evermore4 ,,august ,the ,second ,,by ,,jacob',s ,,well ,,john iv4 #a-ae4 ,a weary woman and a weary ,lord6 ,but the ,lord was only weary in body2 the woman was dry and exhausted in soul4 ,her heart was like some charred chamber after a destructive fire4 ,all its furniture was injured1 and some of it was almost burnt away4 ,for sin had been blazing in the secret place1 and had scorched the delicacies of the spirit1 and the inward satisfaction was gone4 ,and now she was very weary1 and her daily walk had become a most tiresome march4 ,and the ,lord1 with sympathetic insight1 discerned the inward dryness4 ,there was no sound of holy contentment1 no melody of joyful1 spiritual desire4 ,there was only the cold1 clammy silence of death4 ,he knew what was in man4 ,and there was no river of water of life making glad the streets of this woman's soul4 ,and so ,he would bring to her the waters of spiritual satisfaction1 the holy well of eternal life4 ,in the wilderness shall waters break out1 and springs in the desert4 ,the ,lord is about to work a miracle of grace1 changing dull pang into healing peace1 and suffocated desire into soaring fellowship with ,god4 ,he is about to transform an outlawed woman into one of the elect saints4 ,how will ,he do it8 ,let us watch ,him4 ,,august ,the ,third ,,changing ,,asking ,,into ,,thirsting ,go1 call thy husband6 --,,john iv4 #af-cj4 ,i never supposed that the transformation would begin here4 ,i thought that there were some words which would remain unspoken4 ,but here our ,master speaks a word which only deepens the weariness of the woman1 and irritates the sore of her galling yoke4 ,what is ,he doing8 ,he is seeking to change the sense of wretchedness into the sense of sin6 ,he is seeking to change weariness into desire6 ,he wants to make the woman thirst6 ,and so ,he puts ,his finger upon her sin4 ,he cannot give the heavenly water to lips that merely ask for it4 ,sir1 give me this water6 ,no1 it cannot be had for the asking1 only for the thirsting6 ,and so the gracious ,lord turns the woman's eyes upon her own sinful life1 in order that in the heat of a fierce shame she might cry out1 ,i thirst for ,god1 for the living ,god6 ,and sure ,i am that1 before the ,lord had done with her1 this quiet1 lone cry leapt from her lips1 and in immediate response to the cry she was given a deep draught from the eternal well4 ,and1 good ,lord1 arouse my sense of my sin that ,i1 too1 may thirst for ,thy water6 ,now1 make me thirst for it1 and in the thirst receive it6 ,,august ,the ,fourth ,,hidden ,,manna ,i have meat to eat that ye know not of4 --,,john iv4 #ca-db4 ,and what sort of meat is this8 ,the ,lord found secret refreshment in feeding other people4 ,in vitalizing the woman of ,samaria ,he restored ,his own soul4 ,the disciples were amazed when they returned to find that the weariness had gone out of ,his face1 and that ,he looked like one who had been at a feast6 ,and that is the law of life4 ,my meat is to do the will4 ,there is a secret nutriment in the bread we give away4 ,the ,lord gives us to eat of the hidden manna whenever we are seeking the refreshment of our fellows4 ,distributed bread has a sacramental efficacy for our own souls4 ,the man who feeds the hungry shall himself be satisfied as with marrow4 ,and these ways of service are open on every side4 ,there are millions of weary people waiting1 like the woman at the well4 ,lift up your eyes1 and look on the fields3 for they are white already to harvest6 ,be it mine to be a minister in the mighty service1 and in the ways of obedience let me find delights and delicacies for my own soul4 ,bread of ,heaven1 ,feed me till ,i want no more6 ,,august ,the ,fifth ,,brooks ,,by ,,the ,,way ,,isaiah xii4 ,the wells of the ,lord are to be found where most ,i need them4 ,the ,lord of the way knows the pilgrim life1 and the wells have been unsealed just where the soul is prone to become dry and faint4 ,at the foot of the hill ,difficulty was found a spring6 ,yes1 these health-springs are lifting their crystal flood in the cheerless wastes of evil antagonisms and exhausting grief4 ,sometimes ,i am foolish1 and in my need ,i assume that the well is far away4 ,i knew a farmer who for a generation had carried every pail of water from a distant well to meet the needs of his homestead4 ,and one day he sunk a shaft by his own house door1 and to his great joy he found that the water was waiting at his own gate6 ,my soul1 thy well is near1 even here6 ,go not in search of ,him6 ,thy pilgrimage is ended1 the waters are at thy feet6 ,but ,i must draw the water out of the wells of salvation4 ,the hand of faith must lift the gracious gift to the parched lips1 and so refresh the panting soul4 ,i will take the cup of salvation4 ,stretch out thy lame hand of faith1 and take the holy1 hallowing energy offered by the ,lord4 ,,august ,the ,sixth ,,waters ,,of ,,contentment ,,isaiah lv4 #a-g4 ,the refreshing waters are offered to everyone that is thirsty4 ,the evangel is like some clear bugle peal1 sounded on some commanding upland1 and which is heard alike in palace and cottage1 in school and at the mill1 by the child of plenty and by the child of want4 ,ho1 everyone6 ,the appeal is to the common heart1 whether the setting be squalor or splendour1 whether the soul faints in the glare of the prosperous noon1 or under the chill of the burdensome night4 ,ho1 everyone that thirsteth6 ,and the waters may be ours without money and without price4 ,we have not to earn them by the sweat of body1 mind1 or soul4 ,we have not to make a toilsome pilgrimage1 on bleeding feet1 to some distant ,lourdes1 where the sacred healer abides4 ,no1 we are asked to pay nothing1 and for the simple reason that we have nothing wherewith to pay4 ,the reviving grace is given to us freely1 and all that we have to present is our thirst4 ,and yet we spend and spend1 we labour and labour1 but we buy no bread of contentment1 and the waters of satisfaction are far away4 ,the satisfying bread cannot be bought2 it can only be begged4 ,the water of life cannot be taken from a cistern2 it must be drunk at the spring4 ,,august ,the ,seventh ,,rivers ,,from ,,the ,,snow ,,revelation xxii4 #a-g1 #ag-ba4 ,the water of life flows out of the throne4 ,grace has its rise in sovereign holiness4 ,this river is born amid the virgin snow4 ,all true love springs out of spotless purity4 ,love from any other source is illegitimately wearing a stolen name4 ,holy1 holy1 holy is the ,lord6 ,that is the first note in the song of redemption4 ,in that burning whiteness ,i discern the possibility of my own sanctification4 ,for the grace which flows out of sovereign holiness is a minister of the holy ,lord to make me holy4 ,if it were not perfectly pure it would itself be an agent of defilement4 ,but it is clear as crystal1 and therefore it purifies and fertilizes wherever it flows4 ,rare trees grow upon its banks1 and grace-fruits make every season beautiful4 ,everything shall live whither the river cometh4 ,but without the river my soul shall be as an unwatered garden4 ,my life shall be a realm of perpetual drought4 ,things may begin to grow1 but they shall speedily droop and die4 ,the heavenly ,husbandman shall find no fruit when ,he walks amid the garden in the cool of the day4 ,and therefore1 my soul1 look to the river which flows from the throne6 ,there is a river1 the streams whereof make glad the city of ,god1 and that river is for thee6 ,,august ,the ,eighth ,,the ,,scarlet ,,sin ,,isaiah i4 #aj-bj4 ,how can we deal with glaring sin1 with sin that is scarlet1 that is red like crimson8 ,and when the red stain has soaked into the very texture of the character1 and every fibre is stupefied1 what can we do then8 ,let me listen4 ,wash you4 ,but ordinary washings will not suffice4 ,the ministry of education will fail4 ,art1 and literature1 and music will leave the internal stain undisturbed4 ,they may impart a polish1 but the polish shall be like the gloss on badly-washed linen4 ,and the ministry of work will fail4 ,work never yet made a foul soul clean4 ,there is a fountain opened for all uncleanness4 ,i must wash in the blood of the ,lamb4 ,that red sacrifice can wash out the deep red stain4 ,cease to do evil4 ,yes1 ,i must turn my back on the roads of defilement4 ,there must be a sharp decision1 and an immediate reversal of my ways4 ,halt6 ,right about turn6 ,quick march6 ,learn to do well6 ,yes1 let me diligently learn1 like a child at school1 until the deliberative becomes the instructive1 and practice makes perfect4 ,,august ,the ,ninth ,,god',s ,,requirements ,what doth the ,lord require of thee8 --,,micah vi4 #a-h4 ,to do justly4 ,then ,i must not be so eager about my rights as to forget my duties4 ,for my duties are just the observance of my neighbour's rights4 ,and to see my neighbour's rights ,i must cultivate his point of view4 ,i must look out of his windows6 ,look not every man on his own things1 but every man also on the things of others4 ,and to love mercy4 ,and mercy is justice plus6 ,and it is the plus which makes the ,christian4 ,his cup runneth over4 ,he gives1 like his ,lord1 good measure1 pressed down1 shaken together1 running over4 ,there is always a little extra for ,christ's sake6 ,and blessed are the merciful4 ,and to walk humbly with thy ,god4 ,and there ,i am at the root of the two graces which have been enjoined upon me4 ,the lowly friend of the ,lord will most surely be both just and merciful4 ,he cannot help it4 ,the fragrance will cling to him as the fragrance of the orange clings to him who labours in the fruitful groves of ,spain4 ,,august ,the ,tenth ,,good ,,fruit ,,luke vi4 #dc-di4 ,my ,lord seeks good fruit4 ,it must be sound4 ,no disease must lurk within it4 ,my virtues are so often touched with defilement4 ,there is a little untruth even in my truth4 ,there is a little jealousy even in my praise4 ,there is a little superciliousness even in my forbearance4 ,there is a little pride even in my piety4 ,it is not whole1 not holy4 ,god demands sound fruit4 ,and good fruit demands a good tree4 ,we must not look for truth from an untrue soul4 ,if the bullet-mould is deformed1 all the bullets will share its deformity4 ,first get the mould right1 and every bullet will share its rectitude4 ,when the soul is true1 all our words1 and deeds1 and gestures will be of the truth1 and will be true indeed4 ,make the tree good4 ,and that is just what our ,lord proclaims ,his willingness to do4 ,he does not begin with effects1 but with causes2 not with fruit1 but with trees4 ,he does not begin with our speech1 but with the speaker2 not with conduct1 but with character4 ,and1 blessed be ,his name1 ,he can transform corrupt trees into good trees1 until it shall be said3 ,he that hath turned the world upside down has come hither also4 ,,august ,the ,eleventh ,,the ,,consecration ,,of ,,the ,,will ,,john v4 #a-ah4 ,my ,lord demands my will in the ministry of healing4 ,art thou willing to be made whole8 ,he will not carry me as a log4 ,when my schoolmaster put a belt around me1 and held me over the water with a rope1 and taught me to swim1 ,i had to use my arms4 ,the condition of help was endeavour4 ,and so in my salvation4 ,i have always will-power sufficient to pray and to try4 ,in the effort of faith ,i open the door to the energies of ,god4 ,grace flows in the channels of the determined will4 ,o1 ,god1 my heart is set6 ,and my ,lord demands my will in the living of the consecrated life4 ,sin no more6 ,i must will to be whole1 and ,i must will to remain holy4 ,and here is the gracious law of the kingdom1 that every time ,i exercise my will ,i add to its power4 ,every difficulty overcome adds its strength to my resources4 ,every enemy conquered marches henceforth in my own ranks4 ,i go from strength to strength4 ,god worketh in me to will6 ,the gracious ,lord ever strengthens the will that is willing4 ,he transforms the frail reed into an iron pillar1 and makes trembling timidity bold as a lion4 ,mighty ,spirit1 dwell with me1 ,i myself would mighty be4 ,,august ,the ,twelfth ,,my ,,life ,,and ,,hope ,,john v4 #ai-cj4 ,here is my reservoir4 ,the ,son hath life in ,himself4 ,all vitality has its source in ,him4 ,he is the enemy of death and the deadly4 ,i can paint the dead to look like life2 ,i can use rouge for blood1 and make the white lips red1 but it all remains clammy and cold4 ,i can galvanize1 but ,i cannot vitalize4 ,i can break the ball of nard1 and make perfume1 but still the sleeper sleeps4 ,in ,him is life4 ,in ,christ shall all be made alive6 ,and here is my hope4 ,the ,son also quickeneth4 ,he is not only a reservoir1 ,he is a river4 ,he is the river of water of life4 ,and ,his blessed purpose is to flow into desolate places1 converting deserts into gardens1 and making wildernesses to blossom as the rose4 ,and ,he will come my way if only ,i will hear and believe4 ,there is a flippant hearing which1 while it listens1 laughs ,him to scorn4 ,there is a cheap hearing which will venture nothing on ,his counsel4 ,and there is the hearing of faith1 which simply takes ,him at ,his word1 and in the glorious venture experiences the unsealing of the fountain of eternal life4 ,whosoever will1 let him take of the water of life freely4 ,,august ,the ,thirteenth ,,the ,,inner ,,rooms ,,john v4 #ca-dg4 ,what should ,i think of a man who was contented to remain in the outer halls and passages of ,windsor ,castle1 when he was invited into the royal precincts to have gracious communion with the ,king8 ,and what shall ,i think of men who are contented to search the ,scriptures and will not come to the ,lord8 ,they spend their life exploring the lobbies1 when the ,host and the feast are waiting in the upper room6 ,and some men spend their days in criticism and they never advance to worship4 ,they are like unto one who should give his strength to the deciphering of some time-worn inscription on the outer wall of some grand cathedral1 and who never treads the sacred floor in fruitful and enriching awe4 ,and some men live in the senses1 and not in the conscience1 in the awful presence of the great white throne4 ,they are for ever seeking sensations1 and avoid the fellowship of duty4 ,they ride about in the channel1 and they never come to the harbour4 ,they have no settled moral home4 ,my ,lord1 help me to regard all good things as merely passages leading to ,thee6 ,let all good things bring me into intimate fellowship with ,thee4 ,,august ,the ,fourteenth ,,the ,,paralysis ,,of ,,the ,,soul ,,luke v4 #ag-bf4 ,the miracle done in the body is purposed to be a symbol of a grander miracle to be wrought in the soul4 ,that ye may know that the ,son of ,man hath power on earth to forgive sins1 then saith ,he4446 ,he heals the paralyzed body that we may know what ,he can do with a paralyzed soul4 ,he liberates the man who is bound by palsy that we may know what ,he can do for a man who is bound by guilt4 ,we are to reason from the less to the greater1 from the material type to the spiritual reality4 ,and so it is with all my ,lord's doings in nature4 ,they are a glorious symbolism of what ,he will do in the spirit4 ,that ye may know how beautiful the ,son of ,man can make the heart of man1 then saith ,he to the seeds of the spring-time1 ,come forth6 ,and so nature becomes a literature1 in which we see our possible inheritance in the ,spirit4 ,but on our side it is all conditioned by faith4 ,there ,he could do no mighty works because of their unbelief4 ,even in the miracles of the ,spirit our faith must co-operate4 ,divine grace and human faith can transfigure the race4 ,lord1 increase our faith6 ,and everywhere1 let palsied souls be delivered1 and attain to glorious freedom6 ,,august ,the ,fifteenth ,,withered ,,limbs ,,mark iii4 #a-h4 ,there are withered limbs of the spirit as well as of the body4 ,there are faculties and powers which are wasting away1 sacred endowments which have lost their vital circulation4 ,in some lives the will is a withered limb4 ,in others it is the conscience4 ,in others1 again1 it is the affections4 ,these splendid moral and spiritual powers are being dried up1 and they hang comparatively limp and useless in the life4 ,they have been withered by sin and sinful negligence4 ,and the ,lord is the healer of withered limbs4 ,he can deal with imprisoned affections as the warm spring deals with the river which has been locked in ice4 ,he can minister to a stricken will1 and make it as a benumbed hand when the circulation has been restored4 ,he can give it grip and tenacity4 ,and so with all our powers4 ,he1 who is the ,life1 can vitalize all6 ,but here again the remnant of our withered endowment must be used in the healing4 ,we must surrender to the ,healer4 ,we must obey4 ,if the ,lord says3 ,stretch forth thy hand1 we must attempt the impossible6 ,in this region the impossible becomes possible in sanctified endeavour4 ,,august ,the ,sixteenth ,,the ,,church ,,as ,,an ,,infirmary ,,luke xiii4 #aj-ag4 ,what infirmities gather together in the synagogue6 ,what moral and spiritual ailments are congregated in every place of worship6 ,if the veil of the flesh could be removed1 and the inward life revealed1 how we should pity one another1 and how we should pray6 ,in how many lives should we behold a spirit bound together1 who could in no wise lift herself up6 ,wills like crushed reeds1 consciences like broken vocal chords1 hopes like birds with injured wings1 and hearts like ruined homes6 ,but the blessed ,lord still goes into the synagogue2 nay1 ,he anticipates our coming4 ,and ,he is present to heal the broken in heart1 and to bind up his wounds4 ,his touch has still its ancient power4 ,still does the gracious ,master speak with authority4 ,woman1 thou art loosed from thine infirmity6 ,and immediately she is made straight4 ,then why do so many spiritual cripples leave the synagogue cripples still8 ,because they do not give the ,healer a chance4 ,no one can remain crooked and broken in conscience and will who grips the hand of the ,lord of ,life4 ,,august ,the ,seventeenth ,,the ,,psalm ,,of ,,praise ,,psalm cvii4 #a-ae4 ,the miracle of deliverance must be followed by the psalm of praise4 ,there are multitudes who cry1 ,god be merciful6 who never cry1 ,god be praised6 ,there were none that returned to give thanks save this ,samaritan4 ,ten cleansed1 and only one grateful6 ,oh1 that men would praise the ,lord for ,his goodness6 ,many a blessing becomes stale because it is not renewed by thanksgiving4 ,graces that are received ungratefully droop like flowers deprived of rain4 ,yes1 gratitude gives sustenance to blessings already received4 ,therefore in everything give thanks4 ,but emancipated lives are not only to break into praise before ,god1 they must exercise in confession before men4 ,let the redeemed of the ,lord say so6 ,unconfessed blessings become like the ,dead ,sea2 refused an outlet they lose their freshness and vitality4 ,i am found by the ,lord in order that ,i1 too1 may be a seeker4 ,i receive ,his peace in order that ,i may be a peacemaker4 ,i am comforted in order that ,i may comfort others with the comfort wherewith ,i am comforted of ,god4 ,have you ever received a blessing2 pass it on6 ,tell the story of thy deliverance to the enslaved1 that he1 too1 may find the iron gate swing open1 and so attain his freedom4 ,,august ,the ,eighteenth ,,the ,,church ,,of ,,the ,,firstborn ,pray for the peace of ,jerusalem4 --,,psalm cxxii4 ,and my ,jerusalem is the church of the living ,god4 ,do ,i carry her on my heart8 ,do ,i praise ,god for her heritage1 and for her endowment of spiritual glory8 ,and do ,i remember her perils1 especially those parts of her walls where the defences are very thin1 and can be easily broken through8 ,yes1 has my ,church any place in my prayer1 or am ,i robbing her of part of her intended possessions8 ,and is the entire ,jerusalem the subject of my supplication8 ,or do ,i only think of a corner of it1 just that part where my own little synagogue is placed8 ,i am a ,congregationalist2 do ,i remember the ,anglican8 ,i am an ,anglican2 do ,i remember the ,quaker8 ,am ,i thus concerned only with a small section of ,jerusalem1 or does my intercession sweep the entire city8 ,they shall prosper that love thee4 ,i cannot be healthy if ,i am bereft of fellowship4 ,if ,i ignore the house of prayer ,i impoverish my home4 ,the peaceful glow of the fireside is not unrelated to the coals upon the common altar4 ,the sacrament is connected with my ordinary meal4 ,to love the ,church of ,christ is to become enriched with the fulness of ,christ4 ,,august ,the ,nineteenth ,,in ,,green ,,pastures ,,psalm xxiii4 ,this little psalm has been called the nightingale of the psalms4 ,it sings in the shade when all things rest4 ,it makes music in the darkness2 it gives me songs in the night4 ,and what does it sing about8 ,it sings of ,god's bounty in food and rest4 ,green pastures2 still waters4 ,my ,lord knows when my heart is faint1 when it needs ,his reviving food4 ,he knows when my heart is tired and needs ,his sweet rest4 ,he restoreth my soul4 ,and it sings of the ,god-appointed way across the hill4 ,he leadeth me in paths of righteousness4 ,he makes the right way clear4 ,he walks the path of duty with me4 ,yea1 though ,i walk through the valley of the shadow ,i will fear no evil1 for ,thou art with me4 ,and it sings of the feast which the ,lord serves in the very midst of my foes4 ,he spreadeth a table before me in the midst of mine enemies4 ,he gives me the fat things of grace in the very presence of frowning circumstances4 ,and it sings of the providence which guards the rear4 ,goodness and mercy shall follow me6 ,god's grace comes between me and my yesterdays4 ,it cuts off the heredity from the old ,adam1 and no far-off plague comes nigh my dwelling4 ,,august ,the ,twentieth ,,feeding ,,the ,,flock ,,isaiah xl4 #a-aa4 ,here is the gracious promise of provision4 ,he shall feed ,his flock like a ,shepherd4 ,he knows the fields where my soul will be best nourished in holiness4 ,i am sometimes amazed at ,his choice4 ,he takes me into an apparent wilderness1 but ,i find rich herbage on the unpromising plain4 ,and so ,i would rest in ,his choice even when it seems adverse to my good4 ,and here is the gracious promise of gentle discrimination4 ,he shall gather the lambs in ,his arm1 and carry them in ,his bosom4 ,says old ,trapp1 ,he hath a great care of ,his little ones1 like as ,he had of the weaker tribes4 ,in their march through the ,wilderness ,he put a strong tribe to two weak tribes1 lest they should faint or fail4 ,yes1 ,he knoweth our frame4 ,he will not lay upon us more than we can bear4 ,at the back of every commandment there is a promise of adequate resource4 ,his askings are also ,his enablings4 ,the big duty means that we shall have a big lift4 ,and when we are tired ,he will lead on gently4 ,such is the grace and tenderness of the ,lord4 ,,august ,the ,twenty-first ,,satisfaction ,my people shall be satisfied with ,my goodness4 --,,jeremiah xxxi4 #aj-ad4 ,and how unlike is all this to the feasts of the world6 ,there is a great show1 but no satisfaction4 ,there is much decorative china1 but no nutritious food or drink4 ,every one that drinketh of this water shall thirst again4 ,we rise from the table1 and our deepest cravings are unappeased4 ,why art thou cast down1 ,o my soul8 ,we know4 ,we have had a condiment1 but no meat2 a showy menu-card1 but no reviving feast4 ,nothing but the goodness of the ,lord can satisfy the soul4 ,whatever else may be on the table of life1 if this be absent we shall go away unfed4 ,we may have money1 and pleasure1 and success1 and fame1 but they are all delusive husks if the grace of the ,lord be absent4 ,this is the real furnishing of the feast4 ,there are vast multitudes of things ,i can do without if only ,i have the holy bread of life in the gracious ,presence of my ,lord4 ,in this sphere it is the ,guest who makes the table6 ,thou1 ,o ,christ1 art all ,i want6 ,having ,him we have all things4 ,a glorious satisfaction possesses the soul1 and though we may not increase our worldly possessions1 we do something better1 we grow in grace and in the knowledge of our ,lord and ,saviour ,jesus ,christ4 ,,august ,the ,twenty-second ,,the ,,sick ,,and ,,the ,,lost ,,ezekiel xxxiv4 #aa-af4 ,surely everybody is included in this redemptive purpose of the ,lord6 ,he is looking for everybody1 for everybody finds a place in ,his holy quest4 ,he is seeking the lost sheep4 ,the one that has wandered far away1 and now no longer hears the sound of the ,shepherd's voice6 ,the one that is carelessly nibbling the herbage on the very edge of perdition6 ,he is looking for this one4 ,is ,he therefore looking for thee and me8 ,he is seeking that which was driven away4 ,some hireling1 some enemy of the shepherd1 drove it far away from the fold4 ,a thief and a robber1 for his own purposes1 hath done this4 ,and the ,lord's sheep are driven away by principalities and powers1 and by the violence of wicked men4 ,some impure and unworthy professor of religion can drive a whole household from the fellowship of the ,church4 ,and the ,good ,shepherd is seeking these4 ,is ,he therefore looking for thee or me8 ,and ,he is seeking that which was sick4 ,and some of the ,lord's sheep are sickly4 ,the chill of disappointment1 or failure1 or bereavement has blown upon them1 and they are down4 ,or they have been feeding on illicit pleasure4 ,and the ,lord is seeking such4 ,is ,he therefore seeking thee or me8 ,,august ,the ,twenty-third ,,not ,,lost ,,in ,,the ,,flock ,i know ,my sheep1 and am known of mine4 --,,john x4 #g-af4 ,there is mutual recognition1 and in that recognition there is confidence and peace4 ,i know my sheep4 ,he knows us one by one4 ,my knowledge of the individual wanes in proportion as the multitude is increased4 ,the teacher with the smaller class has the deepest intimacy with her scholars4 ,the individual is lost in the crowd4 ,but not so with our ,lord4 ,there are no masses in ,his sight4 ,however big the crowd1 even though it be a multitude which no man can number1 we still remain individuals1 known to the ,lord by name1 and face1 and personal need4 ,if thou art away from the fold1 thy face is missed1 and the ,shepherd is away in search of thee6 ,and ,i am known of mine4 ,and the knowledge deepens with every day's experience4 ,there are false shepherds who can subtly mimic the ,good ,shepherd1 and in my early discipleship ,i am liable to be deceived4 ,the devil himself can array himself like a shepherd1 and imitate the very tones of the ,lord4 ,therefore must ,i watch1 and ever watch4 ,but here is my hope and inspiration4 ,every day ,i spend with my ,good ,shepherd sharpens my discernments1 enables me to see through the outer show of things1 and to discriminate between the false and the true4 ,,august ,the ,twenty-fourth ,,the ,,lord',s ,,body ,i have finished the work which ,thou gavest ,me to do4 --,,john xvii4 #a-aa4 ,this quiet confession is in itself a token of our ,lord's divinity4 ,the serenity in which ,he makes ,his claims is as stupendous as the claims themselves4 ,finished1 perfected in the utmost refinement1 to the last1 remotest detail6 ,nothing scamped1 nothing overlooked1 nothing forgotten6 ,everything which concerns thy redemption and my redemption has been accomplished4 ,it is finished6 ,and now 444 ,i come to ,thee4 ,the visible ,presence is withdrawn4 ,there is no longer in our midst a ,jesus whose body we can bruise and crucify4 ,but these are in the world4 ,yes1 and ,his disciples are now ,his body4 ,he becomes reincarnated in them4 ,if they refuse ,him a body1 ,he has none6 ,he looks through their eyes1 listens through their ears1 speaks through their lips1 ministers through their hands1 goes on sacred pilgrimages with their feet6 ,know ye not that ye are the body8 ,does my discipleship offer my ,lord a limb8 ,can ,he communicate with the world through me8 ,does my discipleship multiply ,his powers of expression8 ,has ,he more eyes1 more ears1 more hands because ,i am a member of ,his ,church8 ,or----8 ,,august ,the ,twenty-fifth ,,impotent ,,enemies ,who shall separate us from the love of ,christ8 --,,romans viii4 #ca-ci4 ,who can get between the love of ,christ and me8 ,what sharp dividing minister can cleave the two in twain1 and leave me like a dismembered and dying branch8 ,terrible experiences cannot do it4 ,tribulation1 distress1 persecution1 famine1 nakedness1 peril1 or sword6 ,all these may come about my house1 but they cannot reach the inner sanctuary where my ,lord and ,i are closeted in loving communion and peace4 ,they may bruise my skin1 nay1 they may give my body to be burned1 but no flame can destroy the love of ,jesus which enswathes my soul with invisible defence4 ,and terrible ministers cannot do it4 ,angels1 nor principalities1 nor powers4 ,these mysterious agents of darkness1 for they must be the legions of the evil one1 are unable to quench the light and fire of my ,saviour's love4 ,the devil can never blow out the lamp of grace4 ,and terrible death itself cannot do it4 ,death does not separate me from ,jesus2 death is the ,lord's minister to lead me into deeper privilege and ripe experiences of grace and love4 ,therefore1 ,i will lay me down in peace1 and take my rest4 ,,august ,the ,twenty-sixth ,,missing ,,the ,,lord ,thou knowest not the time of thy visitation4 --,,luke xix4 #cg-dd4 ,yes1 that has been my sad experience4 ,i have wasted some of my wealthiest seasons4 ,i have treated the hour as common and worthless1 and the priceless opportunity has passed4 ,there have been times when my ,lord has come to me1 and ,i have turned ,him away from my door4 ,he so often journeys incognito1 and if ,i am thoughtless ,i dismiss ,him1 and so lose the privilege of heavenly communion and benediction4 ,he knocks at my door as a ,carpenter1 and the humble attire deceives me1 and ,i treat ,him with scant courtesy1 and sometimes with contempt4 ,i know not the time of my visitation4 ,he comes to me in the guise of needy people--as sick1 or hungry1 or a stranger1 and ,i cannot be troubled with ,his presence4 ,i dismissed ,him as a pauper1 little knowing that ,i was turning away a millionaire6 ,i knew not the time of my visitation6 ,i was an hungered1 and ye gave ,me no meat1 and so we missed the bread of life4 ,and so there is nothing for it1 but to be always on the watch4 ,i must treat everybody as though everybody was the ,christ4 ,and ,i must treat every commonplace moment as though it were the home of the eternal4 ,,august ,the ,twenty-seventh ,,what ,,about ,,to-,,morrow8 ,,joshua xxiv4 #a-ae4 ,it is not mine to worry about the coming day1 but to fill the immediate moment with radiant duty4 ,my ,lord is the ,pioneer1 the great ,maker of roads1 and ,he will see to the appointments and provisions of the way4 ,he has ,his scouts1 ,his advance guard1 ,his miners and sappers opening the highway across the waste6 ,i will send mine angel before thee6 ,i will send hornets before you6 ,yes1 the ,lord will look after the road4 ,what1 then1 am ,i called to do8 ,let me find the answer in the #adth verse4 ,fear the ,lord6 ,the ,lord must be the sovereign thought in my life4 ,all true and well-proportioned living must begin in well-proportioned thought4 ,god must be my biggest thought1 and from that thought all others must take their colour and their range4 ,put away the gods4 ,my supreme homage must not be shared among many1 it must be given to ,one4 ,when the ,lord is enthroned as ,king all usurpers must be banished4 ,when ,he comes to ,his own the others go into exile4 ,serve ye the ,lord4 ,my strength must be enlisted with my loyalty4 ,i must not merely shout2 ,i must work4 ,i must not merely clap my hands when the ,king goes by1 ,i must consecrate those hands in sacrificial service4 ,,august ,the ,twenty-eighth ,,wisdom ,,and ,,understanding ,the fear of the ,lord1 that is wisdom4 --,,job xxviii4 #ab-bh4 ,mere learning will not make me wise4 ,the path to wisdom is not necessarily through the schools4 ,the brilliant scholar may be an arrant fool4 ,true wisdom is found1 not in mental acquisitions1 but in a certain spiritual relation4 ,the wise man is known by the pose of his soul4 ,he is inclined toward the ,lord6 ,he has returned unto his rest1 and he finds light and vision in the fellowship of his ,lord4 ,to depart from evil is understanding4 ,yes1 ,i need the lens of purity if ,i am to see the secrets of things4 ,a dirty lens is the explanation of much ignorance and obscurity4 ,i do not think ,i can ever see a flower if my lens is defiled4 ,much less can ,i see the things of others4 ,and still less again can ,i enjoy the secret of the ,lord4 ,what we want is not so much a theological training as a right spirit1 not so much to go to school as to depart from evil4 ,when ,i leave an evil habit worlds unseen begin to show their glory4 ,blessed are the pure in heart1 for they shall see ,god4 ,,august ,the ,twenty-ninth ,,the ,,riches ,,of ,,spirituality ,,proverbs iv4 #a-ac4 ,let me review some of these riches which are conferred upon the man who has made his soul the guest-room of spiritual religion4 ,love her1 and she shall keep thee4 ,spirituality is to be my true defence4 ,all other ramparts are vulnerable4 ,they are the happy hunting-ground of the ravages of time2 they fail in the crisis2 they are the sure victims of moth and rust4 ,but spirituality keeps me from childhood to age1 and its shields are invincible1 even in the hour of death4 ,there shall no evil befall thee4 ,exalt her1 and she shall promote thee4 ,she will lead me in the paths of progress4 ,every day she will lead me to new conquests1 and in constantly enriching character ,i shall move towards life's appointed goal4 ,holiness is the only success worth having4 ,other successes are like lamps whose trembling flames are blown out in the first gusty1 stormy night4 ,but the path of the just is as a shining light that shineth more and more even unto perfect day4 ,she shall give to thine head an ornament of grace4 ,yes1 and her adornments are always beautiful4 ,no beauty ever steals into the human face comparable with the delicate presence of spirituality4 ,it makes plain features lovely1 and transfigures them with the glory of the ,lord4 ,,august ,the ,thirtieth ,,how ,,to ,,delight ,,in ,,the ,,word ,,psalm cxix4 #ig-ajd4 ,a man may measure his growth in grace by his growing delight in the speech of the ,lord4 ,when ,his words are unwelcome in my ears1 when they are an intrusion which mars my pleasures1 it is clear ,i am still in the far country of revolt4 ,but if ,his words make music in my ears1 if the ,lord's conversation is the very marrow of the feast1 then ,i have entered into the circle of ,his intimate friends4 ,when ,his words taste sweet1 even with a bare board1 ,i am in heavenly places with ,christ4 ,and how can ,i attain unto this spiritual delight8 ,well1 first of all ,i must make ,his testimonies my meditations4 ,our doctors tell us that the only way to taste the real savour of food is to masticate it well4 ,bolted food never unlocks its essences4 ,and meditation is just mental mastication4 ,to turn the word over in my mind will help to disburden its treasure4 ,and then ,i must diligently put the word into practice4 ,i have not departed from ,thy judgments4 ,there is nothing like obedience for setting free a spiritual essence4 ,the secret of the ,lord is with them that fear ,him4 ,,august ,the ,thirty-first ,,the ,,real ,,gains ,,and ,,losses ,godliness with contentment is great gain4 --#a ,,timothy vi4 #f-af4 ,and so ,i must go into my heart if ,i would make a true estimate of my gains and losses4 ,the calculation is not to be made in my bank-books1 or as ,i stride over my broad acres1 or inspect my well-filled barns4 ,these are the mere outsides of things1 and do not enter into the real balance-sheet of my life4 ,we can no more estimate the success of a life by methods like these than we can adjudge an oil-painting by the sense of smell4 ,what is my stock of godliness8 ,that is one of the test questions4 ,what are my treasures of contentment8 ,what about peace and joy1 and hallowed and blessed carelessness8 ,how much pure laughter rings in my life8 ,how much bird-music is heard in the chambers of my heart8 ,is the note of praise to be found in the streets of my soul8 ,am ,i rich in these things or pathetically poor8 ,by these things men live1 and therefore of these things will ,i make my balance-sheet and reckon up my gains4 ,,september ,the ,first ,,the ,,virtue ,,of ,,proportion ,,matthew vi4 #be-cd4 ,i must put first things first4 ,the radical fault in much of my living is want of proportion4 ,i think more of pretty window curtains than of fresh air1 more of nice wallpaper than of the moving pageant of the skies4 ,i magnify the immediate desire and minimize the ultimate goal4 ,and so things do not come right6 ,how can they when the apportionment is so perverse1 when everything is topsy-turvy8 ,if ,i want things to be firm and durable ,i must revere the ,divine order1 and must put first things first4 ,seek ye first the kingdom of ,god and ,his righteousness4 ,and1 therefore1 ,i must seek holiness before success4 ,i am to esteem holiness with apparent failure as infinitely better than success with stain and shame4 ,i must seek character before reputation4 ,the applause of the world must be as nothing compared with the approbation of ,god4 ,the favouring voice from heaven must be sweeter to my ears than the noisy cheers of the crowd4 ,and ,i must seek righteousness before quietness4 ,the way of disturbance is sometimes the way to peace4 ,i must not be so concerned for a quiet life as for a life that is right with ,god4 ,,september ,the ,second ,,prayer ,,and ,,revolution ,,john iv4 #dc-ed4 ,this miracle began in a prayer4 ,the nobleman went unto ,jesus and besought ,him4 ,in such apparently fragile things can mighty revolutions be born6 ,prayer1 said ,tennyson1 opens the sluice-gates between us and the ,infinite4 ,it brings the frail wire into contact with the battery4 ,it links together man and ,god4 ,prayer was corroborated by belief4 ,the man believed the word that ,jesus spake unto him4 ,by our faith we cut the channels along which the healing energy will flow4 ,faith prepares the way of the ,lord4 ,our faith is purposed to be a fellow-laborer with grace1 and1 if faith be absent1 grace can do no mighty works4 ,the healing begins with the faith4 ,it was at the same hour in which 444 he himself believed4 ,these coincidences are inevitable happenings in the realm of the ,spirit4 ,when we offer the believing prayer1 ,god's mighty energies begin to besiege the life for which the prayer is made4 ,mr4 ,cornaby1 the ,methodist missionary1 declares how conscious he is in far-away ,china when someone is interceding for him in the home-land6 ,the power possesses him in vitalizing flood6 ,hudson ,taylor's mother shuts herself in a little room to pray1 and eighty miles away her son is converted4 ,,september ,the ,third ,,my ,,share ,,in ,,the ,,miracle ,,john ii4 #a-aa4 ,our ,lord always demands our best4 ,he will not work with our second-best4 ,his gracious extra is given when our own resources are exhausted4 ,we must do our best before our ,master will do ,his miracle4 ,we must fill the water-pots with water6 ,we must bring the five loaves and two fishes6 ,we must let down the net6 ,we must be willing to be made whole1 and we must make the effort to rise6 ,yes1 the ,lord will have my best4 ,our ,lord transforms our best into ,his better4 ,he changes water into wine4 ,he turns the handful of seed into a harvest4 ,our aspirations become inspirations4 ,our willings become magnetic with the mystic power of grace4 ,our bread becomes sacramental1 and ,he ,himself is revealed to us at the feast4 ,our ordinary converse becomes a ,divine fellowship1 and our hearts burn within us as ,he talks to us by the way4 ,and our ,lord ever keeps ,his best wine until the last4 ,greater things than these shall ye do6 ,i will see you again1 and there shall be grander transformations still6 ,the best is yet to be4 ,dreams cannot picture a world so fair4 ,eye hath not seen1 nor ear heard1 neither hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive the things which ,god hath prepared for them that love ,him4 ,,september ,the ,fourth ,a ,,portrait ,,of ,a ,,great ,,suppliant ,,matthew viii4 #e-ac4 ,here we have the grace of sympathy2 one man troubled about the sickness of another4 ,we are drawing very near to the ,lord when our soul vibrates responsively to another man's need4 ,we can measure our likeness to the ,lord by the range of our sensitiveness to the world's sorrow and pain4 ,our ,god is the ,father of pities2 ,he is sensitive in every direction1 no side is numb1 and we are putting on ,his likeness in proportion as we attain an all-round responsiveness to the cries of human need4 ,and here we have the grace of humility4 ,i am not worthy6 ,our pride always blocks the way of the ,lord4 ,our humility makes us porous to the ,divine4 ,the poor in spirit are already in the kingdom1 and the gracious powers of the kingdom are commanded to attend their bidding4 ,and here we have the grace of faith4 ,only say the word6 ,the centurion conceives the ,lord's words as soldiers attending on the ,lord's will4 ,let one be spoken1 and at once the mission is executed4 ,and so it is4 ,the words that ,i speak unto you1 they are spirit and they are life4 ,his words are vehicles of power1 and when they are spoken1 miracles are always wrought4 ,the entrance of ,thy word giveth light4 ,,september ,the ,fifth ,,faith ,,and ,,ridicule ,,matthew ix4 #ah-bf4 ,and1 so one man's faith is more than a match for many people's scorn4 ,the steady trust of the ruler was not shaken by the rude flippancy of the artificial mourners1 and his daughter was brought from the dead4 ,this is the victory that overcometh1 even our faith4 ,everything bows1 like fragile reeds1 before the march of a victorious faith4 ,scorn1 and hatred1 and all manner of devilry1 and death itself1 all lose their power in the presence of a belief which remains steady and steadfast4 ,said ,i not unto thee that1 if thou wouldst believe1 thou shouldst see the glory of ,god8 ,and what an infinite reservoir of power is waiting to be tapped by the hand of faith6 ,a ruler believes and his daughter is vitalized4 ,a poor woman1 bent and broken1 reaches out her thin1 frail hand1 and lo6 she is erect and graceful as the pine6 ,and my sufficiency is of ,god6 ,all that ,i may need is in the same wonderful reservoir of grace4 ,that healing flood is like the ocean fulness1 and it will fill every bay1 and cove1 and creek in the wide-stretching shore of human need4 ,the healing of ,his seamless dress ,is by our beds of pain1 ,we touch ,him in life's throng and press1 ,and we are whole again4 ,,september ,the ,sixth ,,contemptuous ,,words ,,matthew xv4 #ba-bh4 ,i wonder if this word dogs was my ,saviour's word1 or had ,he picked it up from the disciples that ,he might cast it away again for ever8 ,did ,he use it that ,he might reveal its ugliness1 and so banish it from human speech8 ,as ,jesus and ,his disciples came along the road the ,master walked before them4 ,and behold1 a ,canaanitish woman came out from those borders6 ,and the disciples whispered to one another1 ,here comes one of the dogs6 ,and the ,master overheard it1 and ,his tender spirit grieved4 ,and there and then ,he resolved to help the woman and at the same time cleanse the men4 ,is there not therefore something half-ironical in our ,saviour's use of the word8 ,when ,he spake of the woman as a dog1 and of the disciples as the children1 would there not be something significant in ,his very looks and tones8 ,these cold1 unfeeling men the children1 and this tender yearning woman the dog6 ,when the ,lord used the disciples' word they began to be ashamed1 and in the fire of their shame their self-conceit was consumed4 ,he turned with impatient longing to the woman1 ,o1 woman1 great is thy faith2 be it unto thee even as thou wilt4 ,,september ,the ,seventh ,,experiment ,,and ,,experience ,,hebrews xi4 #a-f4 ,i like the marginal rendering of the introductory sentence of this great chapter4 ,faith is the giving substance to things hoped for4 ,faith converts cloudy castles into substantial homes4 ,faith substantiates the unseen4 ,faith sucks the energy out of splendid ideals1 and incorporates it in present and immediate life4 ,faith unfolds the eternal in the moment1 the infinite in the trifle1 the divine in the commonplace4 ,faith incorporates ,god and man4 ,yes1 faith gives substance to things hoped for1 it brings them out of the air1 and gives them reality and movement in the hard and common ways of earth and time4 ,and faith is also the test of things not seen4 ,by a test faith gains a conquest4 ,by an experiment faith acquires an experience4 ,by a great speculation faith makes a great discovery4 ,try me now herewith1 and prove ,me6 ,it is an invitation to humble and sincere assumption4 ,try if it works6 ,make a hallowed experiment with the powers of grace4 ,lord1 incline me to make the gracious test6 ,let me stake my all upon the venture6 ,let me dare all in order that ,i may gain all6 ,let me sow bountifully1 and so reap a bountiful harvest4 ,,september ,the ,eighth ,,the ,,bracing ,,air ,,of ,,publicity ,,romans x4 #a-ac4 ,there is a belief which never registers itself in confession4 ,it never exercises itself in the strong1 bracing air of publicity4 ,it is a cloistered belief1 and suffers from want of ventilation4 ,such ,christians are always anmic2 indeed1 they are always puny1 and never get beyond the stage of spiritual babyhood4 ,ye are yet babes6 ,belief which is never oxygenated by open confession can never nourish the soul into vigorous and exhilarant health4 ,but there is a belief which expresses and confirms itself in confession4 ,with the mouth confession is made unto salvation4 ,such confession is a means of moral and spiritual health4 ,and confession in the early days meant risk1 venture which exposed the life to the shedding of blood4 ,it meant a frank defiance of the world1 and an eager challenge of the devil4 ,and it is on such fields of open encounter for the ,lord that muscle is made1 and the soul goes from strength to strength1 and from glory to glory4 ,my soul1 art thou secretly ashamed of thy ,lord8 ,art thou afraid to lift high ,his royal banner8 ,then thou wilt always be as a feather-bed soldier1 and the trophies of the honourable war are not for thee4 ,stand out in the open1 and boldly testify1 ,as for me and my house1 we will serve the ,lord6 ,,september ,the ,ninth ,,dealing ,,with ,,sin ,,psalm xxxii4 ,here is the burden of unconfessed sin4 ,when ,i kept silence my bones waxed old4 ,there is nothing brings on premature age like secret sin4 ,it keeps the mind in perpetual unrest1 and a troubled mind soon makes the body old4 ,the real nourisher of the body is a quiet and radiant soul4 ,but let the soul be in chaos1 and the body will soon be a ruin4 ,and here1 too1 is the healthy act of confession4 ,i acknowledged my sin unto ,thee1 and mine iniquity have ,i not hid4 ,he retained no single germ of the whole unclean brood4 ,he brought them out into the light one by one1 as though he were emptying a noisome kennel4 ,he brought them out1 and named them1 in the awful ,presence of the ,lord4 ,and here is the ministry of forgiveness1 and therefore the miracle of restored health4 ,let me mark the rich variety of the descriptive words4 ,forgiven6 ,covered6 ,imputed not6 ,it is all removed and obliterated1 and the place of defilement and profanity becomes the holy temple of the ,lord4 ,,september ,the ,tenth ,,criticism ,,and ,,piety ,thinkest thou1 that judgest them that do such things1 that thou shalt escape8 --,,romans ii4 #a-aa4 ,that is always my peril1 to assume that by being severe with others ,i exculpate myself4 ,i go on to the bench1 and deliver sentence upon my brother1 when my proper place is in the dock4 ,and this is the subtlety of the snare1 that ,i regard my criticisms and condemnations of other people as signs of my own innocence4 ,this is the last refinement in temptation1 and multitudes fall before its power4 ,the way to moral and spiritual health is to direct my criticisms upon myself4 ,i must stand in the dock1 and hear the grave indictment of my own soul4 ,unless ,i pass through the second chapter of ,romans ,i can never enter the fifth and sixth1 and still less the glorious forgiveness of the eighth4 ,there is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in ,christ ,jesus4 ,i pass into that warm1 cheery light through the cold road of acknowledged guilt and sin4 ,if we confess our sins ,he is just to forgive us our sins1 and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness4 ,,september ,the ,eleventh ,a ,,fatal ,,divorce ,they feared the ,lord1 and served their own gods4 --#b ,,kings xvii4 #bd-cd4 ,and that is an old-world record1 but it is quite a modern experience4 ,the kinsmen of these ancient people are found in our own time4 ,men still fear one ,god and serve another4 ,but something is vitally wrong when men can divorce their fear from their obedience4 ,and the beginning of the wrong is in the fear itself4 ,fear1 as used in this passage1 is a counterfeit coin1 which does not ring true to the truth4 ,it means only the payment of outward respect1 a formal recognition1 a passing nod which we give on the way to something better4 ,it is a mere skin courtesy behind which there is no beating heart2 a hollow convention in which there is no deep and sacred awe4 ,but the real fear of ,god is a spiritual mood in which virtue thrives1 an atmosphere in which holy living is quite inevitable4 ,the fear of the ,lord is clean4 ,it is not lip-worship1 but heart-homage1 a reverence in which the soul is always found upon its knees4 ,and so the fear of the ,lord is to hate evil2 it is an indignant repulsion from all that is hateful to ,god4 ,it is the sharing of the ,spirit of the ,lord4 ,there cannot be any true fear where the soul does not worship in spirit and in truth4 ,,september ,the ,twelfth ,,the ,,garments ,,of ,,the ,,soul ,,joel ii4 #ab-ai4 ,i am so apt to think that the rending of an outer garment is a token of true penitence and amendment of life4 ,but it is the inner garments ,i must deal with1 the raiments and habits of the soul4 ,some of these robes--such as vanity and pride--are as gay and showy as a peacock2 others are dirty and leprous1 and we should not dare to bring them to the door1 and display them in the light4 ,but all need severe treatment2 they must be torn1 fibre from fibre1 and reduced to rags4 ,but rending must be accompanied by turning4 ,turn unto the ,lord your ,god4 ,for the ,lord our ,god is gracious1 and ,his love will not only provide a new wardrobe1 but a swift furnace in which to burn the remnants of the old4 ,yes1 ,his great kindness will burn away the filth of my alienation1 and will bring forth the best robe and put it on me4 ,the good ,lord will give me new habits4 ,he will cover me with the robe of righteousness1 and the garment of salvation4 ,,september ,the ,thirteenth ,,the ,,clean ,,heart ,,psalm li4 ,what will the ,lord do with my sin1 if in true humility ,i come into ,his ,presence8 ,let me hear the music of the evangel4 ,he will blot out my transgression4 ,he will so erase it that even ,his own holy eyes can see no stain or shame4 ,he will blot it out1 as ,i have seen a gloomy cloudlet blotted out1 and there has been nothing left but radiant sky4 ,and ,he will wash me throughly from mine iniquity4 ,yes1 and that not like the washing of the hands1 but like the washing of clothes1 not like the washing of a surface1 but the removal of uncleanness from a fabric1 the ousting of every germ lurking in the innermost cells of the stuff4 ,when the ,lord washes a soul it is throughly done1 and every strand is white in holiness4 ,so will ,he give me a clean heart2 so will ,he renew a right spirit within me4 ,the very atmosphere of my life shall be as the air after deluges of cleansing rain4 ,it shall be sweet1 and clean1 and clear6 ,i shall walk in a new inspiration1 and ,i shall behold the land that is very far off4 ,,september ,the ,fourteenth ,,the ,,sense ,,of ,,want ,this man went down to his house justified rather than the other4 --,,luke xviii4 #i-ad4 ,the ,master sets the ,pharisee and publican in contrast1 and ,his judgment goes against the man who has made some progress in moral attainments1 and favours the man who has no victories to show1 but only a hunger for victory4 ,the dissatisfied sinner is preferred to the self-satisfied saint4 ,the ,pharisee had gained an inch1 but had lost his sense of the continent4 ,the publican had not pegged out an inch of moral claim1 but he had an overwhelming sense of the untrodden universe4 ,so this1 ,i think1 is the teaching for me4 ,we are justified by the penitent sense of want and not by the boastful sense of possession4 ,our sense of lack is the measure of our hope1 and our measure of hope determines the poverty or fulness of our communion with the ,lord4 ,the ,pharisee had no beyond1 no realm of admiration1 no hope6 ,aspiration was dead1 and therefore inspiration had ceased4 ,our possibilities nestle in our cravings4 ,,september ,the ,fifteenth ,,restoring ,a ,,ruined ,,life ,,psalm ciii4 #a-ah4 ,could there be a sweeter chime than the opening music of this psalm8 ,who forgiveth all thine iniquities4 ,he receives me back home again1 interrupts the broken story of my sin1 and drowns my sobbings in ,his rejoicings4 ,who healeth all thy diseases4 ,he takes in hand the foul complaints which ,i acquired in the far country1 and with ,his powerful medicines1 and ,his wonderful bread of life1 ,he drives the foul things from my soul4 ,who redeemeth thy life from destruction4 ,yes1 with ,his own blood ,he buys me back from a midnight servitude1 strikes every chain and shackle from my limbs1 and makes me dance in the glorious liberty of the children of ,god4 ,who crowneth thee with loving-kindness and tender mercy4 ,he encircles me with the invulnerable army of ,his own love4 ,henceforth if the devil would get at me he must deal with ,god4 ,as the mountains are round about ,jerusalem1 so the ,lord is round about ,his people4 ,who satisfieth thy mouth with good things4 ,he sets before me a glorious table1 and enlivens my spirits with glorious fellowship4 ,that so ,i can be no other than satisfied1 and my heart is at rest in the ,lord4 ,thou1 ,o ,christ1 art all ,i want6 ,,september ,the ,sixteenth ,,the ,,steadfastness ,,of ,,the ,,lord ,my covenant shall stand fast4 --,,psalm lxxxix4 #ai-bi4 ,such a divine assurance ought to make me perfectly quiet in spirit4 ,restlessness in a ,christian always spells disloyalty4 ,the uncertainty is born of suspicion4 ,there is a rift in the faith1 and the disturbing breath of the devil blows through1 and destroys my peace4 ,if ,i am sure of my great ,ally1 my heart will not be troubled1 neither will it be afraid4 ,and such a divine assurance ought to make me bold in will and majestic in labour4 ,i ought to be inventive in chivalrous enterprise1 and ,i ought to covet the hardest parts of the field4 ,if the mighty ,ally will never fail1 ,i should never be afraid of the marshalled hosts of wickedness4 ,one with ,god is in a majority4 ,he always wins who sides with ,god4 ,the ,lord is on my side1 whom shall ,i fear8 ,and such a divine assurance ought to give me a kingly demeanour4 ,the members of the ,court acquire a certain stateliness by their lofty fellowship4 ,and1 surely1 one who walks with ,god should be characterized by something of the ,divine glory1 and men should know that his acquaintances are found in the courts of heaven4 ,,september ,the ,seventeenth ,,the ,,never-,,withering ,,leaf ,,jeremiah xvii4 #e-aa4 ,let me look at the blessed man in the interpreting symbol of this healthy and graceful tree4 ,the blessed life is a life of vast resource4 ,as a tree planted by the waters1 and that spreadeth out her roots by the river4 ,it is not watered by an occasional shower1 it is unceasingly bathed by the vitalizing flood4 ,its rootlets are always drinking the nutritious waters of grace4 ,the blessed life is planted on the banks of that wonderful river which takes its rise in the great white throne4 ,and just because of these boundless supplies1 the blessed life is undisturbed in times of grave crisis and emergency4 ,he shall not see when heat cometh4 ,he shall be cool when the unblessed are hot and fever-stricken4 ,he shall keep his head in times of general panic4 ,his powers of endurance shall make the world wonder6 ,he shall hold out when everybody else is faint4 ,so shall there be nothing sere and yellow about him4 ,his leaf shall be green4 ,his faith1 and hope1 and love shall remain fresh and beautiful even in the dark and cloudy day4 ,,september ,the ,eighteenth ,,the ,,all-,,round ,,defence ,thou hast beset me behind4 --,,psalm cxxxix4 #a-ab4 ,and that is a defence against the enemies which would attack me in the rear4 ,there is yesterday's sin1 and the guilt which is the companion of yesterday's sin4 ,they pursue my soul like fierce hounds1 but my gracious ,lord will come between my pursuers and me4 ,his mighty grace intervenes1 and my security is complete4 ,thou hast beset me 444 before4 ,and that is a defence against the enemies which would impede my advance and frighten me out of the heavenly way4 ,there is fear--fear of the morrow1 fear of consequences1 fear of death6 ,and my ,lord will come between me and them1 and their menace shall be destroyed4 ,the fiery darts shall be quenched before they reach my soul4 ,and laid ,thine hand upon me4 ,and that is a defence against the enemies which may lie in ambush in present and immediate circumstances3 the sudden temptation to passion1 or the temptation to panic1 or the temptation which would snare me to criminal ease4 ,but my ,lord's hand is all-sufficient6 ,and so on every side my defence standeth2 the angel of the ,lord encampeth round about them that fear ,him4 ,,september ,the ,nineteenth ,,the ,,needs ,,of ,,the ,,body ,,john vi4 #a-ba4 ,the ,lord who came to save ,his people was sensitive to ,his people's hunger4 ,in the presence of the supreme need the smaller need was not forgotten4 ,he honoured the body as well as the soul4 ,he ministered to the transient as well as the eternal4 ,and that is ever the characteristic of true kingliness2 it has a kingly way of doing the smaller things4 ,i can measure my own progress toward the throne by my sovereign attention to scruples4 ,he that is faithful in that which is least1 the same also is great4 ,the ,lord is not oppressed by the multitude of ,his guests4 ,he ,himself knew what ,he would do4 ,we need not jostle one another for ,his bounty4 ,we shall not crowd one another out4 ,there is bread enough and to spare4 ,even in the material realm this is true1 and everybody would have his daily bread if the will of the ,lord were done4 ,there is no straitness in the gracious ,host6 ,it is the greed of the guests which mars the satisfaction of the feast4 ,and how careful the ,lord of ,glory was to gather up the fragments6 ,our infinitely wealthy ,lord is not wealthy enough to throw things away4 ,he cannot afford to waste bread4 ,can ,he afford to lose a soul8 ,he goeth out after that which is lost until ,he find it6 ,,september ,the ,twentieth ,,the ,,pathetic ,,multitude ,,mark viii4 #a-i4 ,my ,lord has compassion upon the multitude4 ,and 7shall ,i reverently say it87 ,his compassion was part of ,his passion4 ,his pity was always costly4 ,it culminated upon ,calvary1 but it was bleeding all along the road6 ,it was a fellow-feeling with all the pangs and sorrows of the race4 ,and a pity that bleeds is a pity that heals4 ,in ,his love and in ,his pity ,he redeemed us4 ,and the multitude is round about us still1 and the people are in peril of fainting by the way4 ,there is the multitude of misfortune1 the children of disadvantage1 who never seem to have come to their own4 ,and there is the multitude of outcasts1 the vast army of publicans and sinners4 ,and there are the bewildering multitudes of ,africa1 and ,india1 and ,china1 and they have nothing to eat6 ,how do ,i regard them8 ,do ,i share the compassion of the ,lord8 ,do ,i exercise a sensitive and sanctified imagination1 and enter somewhat into the pangs of their cravings8 ,my ,lord calls for my help4 ,how many loaves have ye8 ,bring out all you have6 ,consecrate your entire resources6 ,put your all upon the altar of sacrifice6 ,and in reply to the call can ,i humbly and trustfully say1 ,o1 ,lamb of ,god1 ,i come6 ,,september ,the ,twenty-first ,,life ,,as ,,bread ,,mark viii4 #aj-ba4 ,it is gracious to know that my ,lord is the ,bread of ,life1 and that ,i can feed on ,him4 ,it is fearful to know that ,i1 too1 am bread1 and that others are feeding on me4 ,am ,i the nutriment of vice or the sustenance of virtue8 ,am ,i an evil leaven1 like the ,pharisees1 or a holy leaven like the ,lord8 ,when little children feed on my presence do they grow in strength and beauty8 ,or do they become relaxed and demoralized8 ,who will feed upon me to-day1 and what will be the end of it8 ,if ,i would have my life to be as hallowed and hallowing leaven ,i must regularly feed upon the ,bread of ,life4 ,if ,i am sustained by the ,lord1 ,i too shall be a sustainer of all who aspire after a true and holy life4 ,my very character will itself become heavenly bread1 and men will be nourished by it even when ,i am unconscious of the ministry4 ,when they have spent a brief hour in my company they will go away refreshed4 ,lord1 evermore give us this bread6 ,so feed us with ,thyself that we may share ,thy nature4 ,let virtue go forth from us1 and let it be as holy bread to all who are heavy-laden1 and ready to faint4 ,,september ,the ,twenty-second ,,the ,,handful ,,of ,,meal #a ,,kings xvii4 #h-af4 ,what marvellous coincidences are prepared by ,providential grace6 ,the poor widow is unconsciously ordained to entertain the prophet6 ,the ravens will be guided to the brook ,cherith6 ,i have commanded them to feed thee there4 ,our road is full of surprises4 ,we see the frowning1 precipitous hill1 and we fear it1 but when we arrive at its base we find a refreshing spring6 ,the ,lord of the way had gone before the pilgrim4 ,i go to prepare 444 for you4 ,but how strange that a widow with only a handful of meal should be commanded to offer hospitality6 ,it is once again the impossible which is set before us4 ,it would have been a dull commonplace to have fed the prophet from the overflowing larder of the rich man's palace4 ,but to work from an almost empty cupboard6 ,that is the surprising way of the ,lord4 ,he delights to hang great weights on apparently slender wires1 to have great events turn on seeming trifles1 and to make poverty the minister of the indescribable riches of ,christ4 ,the poor widow sacrificed her handful of meal1 and received an unfailing supply4 ,and this1 too1 is the way of the ,lord4 ,whatever1 ,lord1 we lend to ,thee1 ,repaid a thousand fold will be4 ,,september ,the ,twenty-third ,,the ,,dedication ,,of ,,substance #b ,,kings iv4 #ch-dd4 ,here is a man recognizing the sacredness of his substance4 ,he saw the seal of the ,lord upon his harvest1 and he offered the first-fruits in token of its rightful ,owner4 ,men go wrong when the only name upon their field is their own4 ,my power1 and the strength of my hand hath gotten me this wealth4 ,it matters nothing what the wealth may be--material substance1 mental skill1 or business sagacity4 ,it becomes unhallowed power when we attach our own label to it1 and erase the name of ,god4 ,this man dedicated his substance1 and the hunger of his fellows was appeased4 ,that is a great principle in human life4 ,one man's satisfaction is dependent on another man's fidelity4 ,his want is to be filled with my fulness4 ,if ,i am selfish he remains hungry4 ,if ,i acknowledge the rights of ,god1 and therefore the rights of man1 he has enough and to spare4 ,if ,i hoard my treasure ,i rob both ,god and man4 ,my gracious ,lord1 remove the scales from my eyes4 ,help me to be sensitive to the obligations of all wealth4 ,let my plenty call me to the children of need4 ,let me acknowledge my stewardship1 and be ,thy fellow minister in the service of man4 ,,september ,the ,twenty-fourth ,,after ,,the ,,triumph6 ,,matthew xiv4 #bc-cc4 ,after the great miracle of feeding the multitude our ,lord went up into a mountain to pray4 ,may we reverently wonder if it was a season of temptation8 ,did they want to make ,him a ,king8 ,was our human ,lord assailed by the destruction that wasteth at noonday8 ,and did ,he shut ,himself up with the ,father8 ,i am so disposed to pray up to my successes1 and to cease to pray in them6 ,i remember ,god in my struggles1 ,i forget ,him in my attainments4 ,i hold fellowship with ,him on the road1 ,i part company with ,him when ,i arrive4 ,i become a practical atheist in the midst of my successes4 ,my only security is to go up into a mountain apart and pray4 ,unless ,i become closeted with ,god1 and see all things in their true colours and proportion1 ,i shall be lifted up in most unholy and destructive pride4 ,and let me notice that our ,lord returned from ,his privacy with the ,father to do even greater miracles still4 ,he had appeased the pangs of hunger2 now ,he appeases the passion of the sea4 ,and so in my degree shall it be with me4 ,if in all my triumphs ,i remain the humble companion of the ,lord1 my triumphs shall be repeated and enriched4 ,greater works than these shall ye do4 ,,september ,the ,twenty-fifth ,,the ,,sense ,,of ,,grace ,,psalm cvii4 #ba-cb4 ,a vital part of all devotion is the remembrance of the goodness of ,god4 ,such a remembrance keeps my soul in the realm of grace4 ,i am so inclined to proclaim my personal rights rather than glorify the favour of ,god1 so inclined to exhibit my own prowess rather than ,god's most gracious bounty4 ,and whenever ,i lose the sense of grace ,i become a usurper and take the throne4 ,our salvation is not of works1 lest any man should boast4 ,and such a remembrance would keep my soul in the mood of humility4 ,nothing in my hands ,i bring4 ,i can no more claim the glory of salvation than a child1 who has cut a shallow trench on the sands1 can claim the glory of initiating the roll of the ocean-tide4 ,i owe all my desires and all my hopes and all my present attainments to the boundless goodness of ,god4 ,and such a remembrance would keep my soul in the dispensation of love4 ,i cannot quietly and steadily contemplate the goodness of the ,lord without my soul being kindled into loving response4 ,without high contemplations love smoulders1 and will eventually die out4 ,but ,god's goodness inflames the soul1 and communicates its own most gracious heat4 ,we love because ,he first loved us6 ,,september ,the ,twenty-sixth ,,my ,,lord ,,as ,,my ,,bread ,,john vi4 #bf-ce4 ,our life's bread is a ,person4 ,we may have much to do with ,christianity and nothing to do with ,christ4 ,the other day ,i was in a great and wonderful bakery1 but ,i never ate nor touched a morsel of bread4 ,i touched the machinery4 ,i was absorbingly interested in the processes1 but ,i ate no bread6 ,and ,i may be deeply interested in the means of grace1 ,i may be familiar with all the ins and outs of ecclesiastical machinery1 and ,i may never handle nor taste the bread of ,god4 ,our religion is dead and burdensome until it becomes a personal relation1 and we have vital communion with ,christ4 ,thou1 ,o ,christ1 art all ,i want4 ,we find everything in ,him4 ,everything else is preliminary1 preparatory1 subordinate1 and to be in the long run dropped and forgotten4 ,a ritual is only a way to the bread1 and by no means essential1 and very often undesirable4 ,the heart can find the ,lord with a look1 with a cry1 and needs no obtrusion of ritual or priest4 ,but how pathetic6 ,to be contented to potter about among the ritual and never to find the ,bread6 ,to be in the house and never to see the ,host6 ,ye search the ,scriptures 444 and ye will not come to ,me4 ,,september ,the ,twenty-seventh ,,take ,,and ,,eat ,,john vi4 #eb-fc4 ,there is1 first of all1 appropriation4 ,i must stretch out lame hands of faith2 and take before ,i eat4 ,in the lives of many ,christians there is too much asking and too little taking4 ,if it were only rightly regarded1 prayer is companionship as well as petition1 and companionship is literally significant of the sharing of bread4 ,in every season of communion a part must be assigned to the taking of the things for which we have prayed4 ,receive ye the ,holy ,ghost4 ,and there is assimilation4 ,we must eat as well as take4 ,it is in the exercises of obedience that we digest and incorporate the bread of life4 ,without our obedience the living ,lord never becomes part of ourselves4 ,we never become one in the bundle of life with the ,lord our ,god4 ,and truth which is not assimilated becomes a drug4 ,instead of being a savour of life unto life1 it becomes a savour of death unto death4 ,and there is vitalization4 ,the assimilated bread of life makes everything alive4 ,every faculty in my being feels the touch of divine inspiration4 ,it is native bread for native power1 and everything is renewed4 ,,september ,the ,twenty-eighth ,,the ,,daily ,,manna ,i will rain bread from heaven for you4 --,,exodus xvi4 #aa-ah4 ,and this gracious provision is made for people who are complaining1 and who are sighing for the flesh-pots of ,egypt6 ,our ,lord can be patient with the impatient3 ,he can be kind to the unthankful4 ,if it were easy to drive the ,lord away ,i should have succeeded long ago4 ,i have murmured1 ,i have sulked1 ,i have turned ,him out of my thoughts1 and ,he stands at the door and knocks6 ,i yearn for the flesh-pots1 ,he sends me manna1 ,was there ever kindest shepherd half so gentle1 half so sweet8 ,and they gathered it every morning4 ,and that ,i think is the best time to gather the heavenly food4 ,at night ,i am weary1 my body is craving sleep1 and ,i am not vitalized in the fields of grace4 ,but in the morning ,i am refreshed1 and ,i can go to the heavenly fields and gather the things which ,god hath prepared for them that love ,him4 ,i can be fed as the day begins1 and ,i can set out to my daily work with the taste of ,god in my mouth1 and ,his mighty grace in my heart1 and ,i shall delight to walk in the paths of ,his commandments4 ,,september ,the ,twenty-ninth ,,the ,,fountain #a ,,john v4 #i-ba4 ,my ,lord is the fountain of life4 ,this life is in ,his ,son4 ,the springs are nowhere else--not in elaborate theologies1 or in ethical ideals1 or in literary masterpieces1 or in music or art4 ,in ,him was life4 ,it is so easy to forget the medicinal spring amid the distractions of the fashionable spa4 ,there are some healing waters at ,scarborough1 but they have been almost crowded out by bands and entertainments4 ,it is possible that the secondary ministries of the ,church may crowd out the ,church's ,lord4 ,i do not object to the entertainment if only it opens out on to the ,spring6 ,to have the ,son is to have life4 ,nothing else is needed4 ,thou1 ,o ,christ1 art all ,i want4 ,ritualisms1 and ecclesiasticisms1 and formal theologies are not requisite4 ,we can be saved without an academic knowledge of the plan of salvation4 ,many a gamekeeper's little child knows all the roads on the estate1 although she would be quite at sea in explaining the plan of the estate which hangs in the house of the steward4 ,this is life eternal1 to know ,thee and ,jesus ,christ whom ,thou hast sent4 ,,september ,the ,thirtieth ,,white ,,robes ,,in ,,the ,,streets ,,john xvii4 #aa-bh4 ,the man who has been fed with the bread of life must remain in the world4 ,the ,lord gives no countenance to the life of the ascetic4 ,our sanctification is not to be gained by withdrawal and retreat4 ,at the best1 that would be a holiness sickly and anmic1 a coddled virtue devoid of firm muscle and iron nerve4 ,our ,lord purposes a holiness which shall wear white robes in the streets1 and shine like virgin snow in the market1 and keep itself chivalrous and stately in the common fellowships of men4 ,in the world1 but not of the world4 ,the man who is fed on the bread of life is endowed with powers of resistance against the noisome pestilence4 ,the germs of worldly epidemics find no nutriment in him4 ,the prince of this world cometh1 and hath nothing in ,me4 ,when an evil microbe finds no foothold it withers away4 ,if ,i am not of the world ,i shall quite naturally and instinctively be able to resist all the wiles of the devil4 ,and my ,lord purposes me to have this positive1 masculine holiness in order that the world may believe4 ,he wants disciples who will arrest the world by their glorious health1 and by their invincible moral defences4 ,he wants my purity to advertise ,his grace2 ,he wants my faith to increase the household of the faith4 ,,october ,the ,first ,a ,,wonderful ,,unbelief ,,psalm lxxviii4 #ae-be4 ,they believed not in ,god 444 though ,he had---- ,let everyone finish that sentence out of his own experience4 ,how much grace can our unbelief withstand8 ,the ,lord had made the rock like unto a spring of water1 and yet these people believed not6 ,what has ,he done for thee and me8 ,let us retrace the pilgrimage of our own years4 ,let us recall the blessings by the way--the streams in the desert1 the pillar of fire that led us in the night4 ,and yet what is the quality of our faith8 ,it is often weak and reluctant1 riddled with timidities1 or moth-eaten with worldly ease4 ,it is not mighty and daring1 riding forth every morning like a chivalrous knight to inevitable conquest4 ,it creeps along1 like ,mr4 ,halting1 and ,miss ,much-,afraid1 and ,mr4 ,little-,faith4 ,he marvelled at their unbelief4 ,the ,lord ,jesus wondered that men and women1 seeing what they had seen1 did not immediately spring to the life and service of faith4 ,perhaps we do not give time for faith to be born6 ,perhaps we do not see because we do not look4 ,perhaps we are blind to ,his mercies and are therefore dead to the faith4 ,and therefore1 perhaps1 our first prayer should be1 ,lord1 that ,i might receive my sight1 and then the prayer1 ,lord1 increase my faith4 ,,october ,the ,second ,,humbling ,,our ,,pride ,,job xxxviii4 #a-ae4 ,i will demand of thee1 and answer thou ,me4 ,when our ,god begins to ask questions our pride is soon humbled1 for the limits of our knowledge and power are speedily reached4 ,the mist is very close to our doors1 and in a very few steps we are lost on a trackless moor4 ,who can trace the real springs of a tear and lay his hand on the emotion that gave it birth8 ,who can lead us into the bright realm where smiles are born8 ,who knoweth the way of a frown1 or who can uncover the secrets of fear8 ,no living man can explain his own breathing1 or can unravel the mysterious decree which moves his own finger6 ,and as there is so much mystery1 it must be surely true that mystery is a very gracious thing4 ,uncertainty is the divine ministry of blessedness4 ,if it were not so1 ,he would have told us6 ,i have many things to say unto you1 but ye cannot bear them now4 ,if it were best for us that the mist should be removed1 ,he would roll it up like a garment and give us the light of unclouded day4 ,but the mist remains1 the home of blessing4 ,he cometh in a thick cloud4 ,the clouds drop fatness4 ,,october ,the ,third ,,watching ,,the ,,creator ,,jeremiah x4 #aj-af4 ,he hath made the earth by ,his power4 ,and ,he is making it still4 ,even in the material world ,his mercies are new every morning4 ,james ,smetham used to speak of going into his garden to see what the ,lord is doing4 ,he would stand on the top of ,highgate ,hill on a blustering night to watch the goings of the ,lord in the storm4 ,and all this means that to ,james ,smetham creation was not merely a single event1 but a process whose countless events are still going on4 ,he watched his ,lord at work6 ,every sunset was a new creation from the ,almighty ,maker's hands4 ,to many of us the ,creator is remote from ,his works4 ,he is not immediately near4 ,and so ,he no longer walks in the garden in the cool of the day4 ,the garden is no longer a holy place4 ,let us recover the sacredness of things4 ,let us practise the presence of ,god4 ,let us link ,his love and power to every flower that blows4 ,and so shall we be able to say1 as we move amid the glories of the natural world1 ,the ,lord is in ,his holy temple4 ,,october ,the ,fourth ,,creator ,,and ,,creature ,,isaiah xl4 #i-bh4 ,let me mark the range of this teaching4 ,who hath measured the waters in the hollow of ,his hand4444 ,he shall feed ,his flock like a shepherd4 ,and let me mark it again4 ,the ,creator of the ends of the earth 444 giveth power unto the faint4 ,almightiness offers itself to carry my burden6 ,the ,creator offers ,himself to re-create me6 ,i can engage the forces of the universe to help me on my journey4 ,emerson counselled us to hitch our wagon to a star4 ,we can do better than that4 ,we can hitch it to the ,maker of the star6 ,we have something better than an ideal2 we have the ,light of the world4 ,we are not left to a radiant abstraction2 we have a gracious ,god4 ,the water flows from the ,welsh hills to every house in ,birmingham4 ,rich and poor alike share the bounty of the mountains4 ,the wealth of the mountains comes to the common thirst4 ,and everybody1 too1 may have the water from the everlasting hills4 ,the water that ,i shall give him shall be in him4 ,the river of life will flow to every soul of man4 ,,october ,the ,fifth ,,the ,,soul ,,and ,,nature ,,psalm cxlviii4 ,praise ye the ,lord4 ,and the ,psalmist calls upon the creation to join in the anthem4 ,and that is the gracious purpose of our ,god1 that the world should be filled with harmonious praise4 ,it is ,his will that the character of man should harmonize with the flowers of the field1 that the beauty of his habits should blend with the glories of the sunrise1 and that his speech and laughter should mingle with the songs of birds and with the melody of flowing streams4 ,but man is too often a discord in creation4 ,the flowers put him to shame4 ,the birds make him sound harsh and jarring4 ,he is out of tune4 ,what then8 ,tune my heart to sing ,thy praise4 ,we must bring the broken strings1 the rusted strings1 the jarring strings to the ,repairer and ,tuner of the soul4 ,it is the glad ministry of ,his grace to re-awaken silent chords1 to restore broken harps1 to put new songs in our mouths4 ,he will make us the kinsfolk of all things bright and beautiful4 ,we shall go forth with joy1 and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands4 ,,october ,the ,sixth ,,he ,,knoweth ,,our ,,frame ,,psalm ciii4 #ac-bb4 ,he knoweth our frame4 ,the ,bible abounds in such gracious and tender words4 ,he remembereth us in our low estate4 ,i have many things to say unto you1 but ye cannot bear them now4 ,he will not permit you to be tempted above that ye are able4 ,the burden is suited to our strength4 ,the revelation is determined by our experience4 ,the pace is regulated by our years4 ,he carrieth the lambs in ,his arms4 ,he leads on softly4 ,nothing is done in ignorance4 ,the ,lord is mindful of ,his own4 ,he remembereth ,his children4 ,and so ,i must practise the belief in ,god's compassionate nearness4 ,in my childhood ,i used to sing ,there's a ,friend for little children1 ,above the bright blue sky4 ,i know better now4 ,he is nearer to me than ,i can dream4 ,i used to sing ,there is a happy land1 ,far1 far away4 ,now ,i sing1 ,there is a happy land1 ,not far away4 ,the good ,father and ,his home are not in some remote realm4 ,they are very1 very near to me1 and ,he knows all about me4 ,he knoweth our frame4 ,,october ,the ,seventh ,,needing ,,and ,,wanting ,,acts xvii4 #bb-ca4 ,as though ,he needed anything4 ,he may not need us2 but does ,he want us8 ,such is the question ,i heard ,dr4 ,parker ask as he preached upon these words4 ,and he took up a handful of flowers which he had upon the pulpit1 and said3 ,these flowers were gathered for me by little hands in a ,devonshire lane4 ,did ,i need them8 ,no4 ,did ,i want them8444 ,your little girl kissed you before you left for business this morning4 ,did you need it8444 ,did you want it8 ,and so ,almightiness may not need our weakness1 but the loving ,father wants ,his children4 ,we are ,his offspring4 ,our ,father delights in the love of ,his children4 ,the ,saviour said to a ,samaritan woman1 ,give ,me to drink4 ,and perhaps it is within the scope of our holy privilege to refresh the heart of our ,lord4 ,perhaps we can give ,him to drink of the well of our affections1 and ,he will see of the travail of ,his soul and be satisfied4 ,,october ,the ,eighth ,,god',s ,,glorious ,,purpose ,i have created him for ,my glory1 ,i have formed him2 yea1 ,i have made him4 --,,isaiah xliii4 #a-g4 ,that is surely a superlative honour6 ,i have created him for ,my glory4 ,i stood before one of ,turner's paintings1 and a man of fine judgment said to me1 ,that is ,turner's glory6 ,he meant that in that picture the genius and the power and the grace of ,turner were most abundantly expressed4 ,and it is the will of ,god that man should express ,his glory1 and by his righteousness and goodness witness to the great ,creator's power and love4 ,amid all the wonders and sublimities of earth1 and sky1 and sea1 man is to be the ,almighty's glory4 ,the contrast is pathetic when we turn from the ,creator's purpose to our immediate life4 ,there is so much that is shameful1 crooked1 and perverse4 ,there is little or nothing of glory4 ,but1 blessed be ,god6 the purpose abides1 and the ,creator's work goes on4 ,in ,his redemptive grace ,he has made provision for marred work1 for spoilt and perverted life4 ,the crooked shall be made straight4 ,i will bring again that which is out of the way4 ,where sin abounds grace doth much more abound4 ,,october ,the ,ninth ,,the ,,larger ,,waters #a ,,thessalonians iv4 #ac-ah4 ,death is not an end2 it is only a new beginning4 ,death is not the master of the house2 he is only the porter at the ,king's lodge1 appointed to open the gate1 and let in the ,king's guests into the realms of eternal day4 ,and so shall we be ever with the ,lord4 ,and so the range of three score years and ten is not the limit of our life4 ,our life is not a land-locked lake enclosed within the shore-lines of seventy years4 ,it is an arm of the sea1 and where the shore-lines seem to meet in old age they open out into the infinite4 ,and so we must build for those larger waters4 ,we must lay our life plans on the scale of the infinite1 not as though we were only pilgrims of time1 but as children of eternity6 ,we are immortal6 ,how1 then1 shall we live to-day in prospect of the eternal morrow8 ,,october ,the ,tenth ,,our ,,refuge ,,and ,,strength ,,psalm xlvi4 ,god is our refuge and strength4 ,and in the varied conflicts and perils of life we need both these resources4 ,we need the refuge4 ,there are times when our mightiest warfare is to lie passive1 to shelter quietly in the strong defences of our ,god4 ,our finest strategy is sometimes to rest in the ,lord and wait4 ,we can slay some of our enemies by leaving them alone4 ,we can starve them out4 ,they can be weakened and beaten by sheer neglect4 ,we feed their strength1 and give them favoured chances1 if we go out and face them actively1 marching as to war4 ,the best way is to hide1 and keep quiet2 and ,god is our refuge4 ,but we also need the strength4 ,this is positive equipment for active service4 ,the defensive is changed to the offensive1 and in the strength of the ,lord we advance against the foe4 ,we ride abroad1 redressing human wrongs4 ,we tread upon the lion and the adder1 the young lion and the dragon we trample under foot4 ,we meet our enemy on the open field1 and we slay him in his pride6 ,and so our ,god is our resource in the double warfare of active and passive crusade4 ,in ,him we can take refuge1 and the enemy withers4 ,in ,him we can find fighting strength1 and the enemy is overthrown4 ,,october ,the ,eleventh ,,the ,,old ,,companion ,,on ,,the ,,new ,,road ,get thee out 444 and ,i will show thee4 ,so ,abram departed 444 and the ,lord appeared4 --,,genesis xii4 #a-i4 ,we must bring these separated passages together if we would appreciate the graciousness of the ,lord's call4 ,they are like the two sides of the same shield4 ,they answer each other as voice and echo4 ,when ,i move in obedience the ,lord moves in inspiration4 ,he never lets me go on my own charges4 ,all things are now ready4 ,before ,he makes me hunger the bread is prepared4 ,before ,i thirst the water is at hand4 ,before ,he calls me ,he has opened springs in difficult places and arbours of rest along the road4 ,when ,abram set out from his own country the ,lord went before him4 ,and so ,i need not fear the arduous call4 ,the very measure of its difficulty is also the measure of the riches of the divine provisions4 ,as thy day so shall thy strength be4 ,at every turning of the winding way the ,lord will appear unto us4 ,at every new demand we shall discover new bounty1 and everywhere in the unfamiliar road we shall gaze upon the familiar and friendly face of the ,lord4 ,,october ,the ,twelfth ,,round-,,about ,,ways ,,acts vii4 #a-g4 ,unto a land that ,i will show thee4 ,but what mysterious windings there often are before that land is reached6 ,but ,god's windings are never wasteful and purposeless4 ,the apparent deviations are always gracious preparations4 ,we are taken out of the way in order that we may the more richly reach our end4 ,george ,pilkington yearned to go to the foreign field1 and ,god sent him to a dairy farm in ,ireland4 ,but the ,irish dairy farm proved to be on the way to ,uganda2 and all the experience and knowledge which ,pilkington picked up in this strange business proved invaluable when he reached his appointed field4 ,he bringeth the blind by a way that they know not4 ,so ,i will remember that the short cut is not always the finest road4 ,god's round-about ways are filled with heavenly treasure4 ,every winding is purposed for the discovery of new wealth4 ,what riches we gather on the way to ,god's goal6 ,the hill of ,zion yields ,a thousand sacred sweets ,before we reach the heavenly fields ,or walk the golden streets4 ,,october ,the ,thirteenth ,,the ,,royal ,,air ,,galatians iii4 #f-ad4 ,emerson says somewhere that he has noticed that men whose duties are performed beneath great domes acquire a stately and appropriate manner4 ,the vergers in our great cathedrals have a dignified stride4 ,it is not otherwise with men who consciously live under the power of vast relationships4 ,princes of royal blood have a certain great air about them4 ,the consciousness of noble kinships has an expansive influence upon the soul4 ,the ,jews felt its influence when they called to mind our ,father ,abraham4 ,so is it with men and women of glorious kinships in the realm of faith4 ,their souls expand in the vast and exalted relations4 ,the children of faith have vital communion with all the spiritual princes and princesses of countless years4 ,they have blood-relationship with the patriarchs1 and psalmists1 and prophets1 and they dwell in heavenly places with ,paul1 and ,augustine1 and ,luther1 and ,wesley4 ,surely1 such exalted kinship should influence our very stride1 and set its mark upon our daily walk and conversation4 ,it ought to make us so big that we can never speak a mean word1 or do a petty and peevish thing4 ,,october ,the ,fourteenth ,,commonplace ,,people ,,john i4 #ce-dg4 ,our ,lord delights to glorify the commonplace4 ,he loves to fill the common water-pots with ,his mysterious wine4 ,he chooses the earthen vessels into which to put ,his treasure4 ,he calls obscure fishermen to be the ambassadors of ,his grace4 ,he proclaims ,his great ,gospel through provincial dialects1 and ,he fills uncultured mouths with mighty arguments4 ,he turns common meals into sacraments1 and while ,he breaks ordinary bread ,he relates it to the blessing of heaven4 ,and this same ,jesus is among us to-day1 with the same choices and delights4 ,he will make a humdrum duty shine like the wayside bush that burned with fire and was not consumed4 ,he will make our daily business the channel of ,his grace4 ,he will take our disappointments1 and1 just as we sometimes put banknotes into black-edged envelopes1 ,he will fill them with treasures of unspeakable consolation4 ,he will use our poor1 broken1 stammering speech to convey the wonders of ,his grace to the weary sinful souls of men4 ,,october ,the ,fifteenth ,,the ,,call ,,and ,,the ,,equipment ,,luke v4 #bg-cb4 ,matthew was very weary1 and the all-seeing ,lord read the signs of his spiritual dissatisfaction and unrest4 ,as ,jesus passed by nothing escaped ,his watchful eye4 ,he saw a look in ,matthew's eye as of some caged creature longing for freedom4 ,matthew's office1 the contempt of his fellows1 and perhaps his own self-contempt held him in imprisoning disquietude4 ,the ,lord knew it all1 and one word from ,him and the iron gate was open1 and the prisoner was free6 ,follow ,me6 ,and he left all1 rose up1 and followed ,him4 ,with the ,lord's command was conveyed the ability to obey1 and ,matthew stepped into the glorious liberty of the children of ,god4 ,and this is the ,master's way4 ,his calls are always equipments4 ,every received commandment is also the vehicle of requisite grace4 ,god's decrees are also promises1 nay1 they are immediate endowments4 ,if we reverently open one of ,his callings we shall find it a store-house of needed strength4 ,and therefore we need not fear the calls of the ,lord4 ,they are not the harsh commandments of a tyrant1 they are the loving invitations of a friend4 ,if we obey them we shall taste the grace of them1 and ,his statutes will become our songs4 ,,october ,the ,sixteenth ,,the ,,inspirations ,,of ,,the ,,past ,,isaiah li4 #a-f4 ,here is a sentence from ,lord ,morley3 ,if a man is despondent about his work the best remedy ,i can prescribe for him is to turn to a good biography4 ,he counsels him to go into the yesterdays to find inspiration for the life of to-day4 ,other men's attainments are bugle-calls to me4 ,look unto ,abraham1 your father4 ,look unto the blessings which waited upon his obedience6 ,see how springs of refreshment broke out in the troubled way6 ,god called him and blessed him4 ,rekindle your hope at his radiant triumph4 ,strengthen your will in his glorious persistence4 ,here do ,i see ,god's mercy in the gift of memory and in the witness of history4 ,i can turn to the yesterdays for light and quickening4 ,do ye not remember the miracle of the loaves8 ,yes1 ,i can recall the grace that met me in my need1 the power that made the crooked straight and the rough places plain4 ,and ,i am privileged to turn the pages of other men's testimonies and read the record of the ,lord's dealings with them4 ,and so do memory and history come as helpful angel-presences to my soul4 ,his love in time past ,forbids me to think ,he'll leave me at last ,in trouble to sink4 ,,october ,the ,seventeenth ,,no ,,quest ,,of ,,god ,he inquired not of the ,lord4 --#a ,,chronicles x4 #f-ad4 ,that was where ,saul began to go wrong4 ,when quest ceases1 conquests cease4 ,he inquired not2 and this meant loss of light4 ,god will be inquired after4 ,he insists that we draw up the blinds if we would receive the light4 ,if we board up our windows ,he will not drive the gentle rays through our hindrance4 ,we must ask if we would have4 ,the discipline of inquiry fits us for the counsel of the ,lord4 ,he inquired not2 and this meant loss of sight4 ,when light fails1 sight fails4 ,the ponies in our pits become blind4 ,when a spiritual power is not exercised in the heavenly1 it is deprived of its appointed functions4 ,and the tragedy is this1 that the blind are deceived into thinking that they still retain their sight4 ,ye say1 we see6 ,he inquired not2 and this meant loss of might4 ,for the light of life is not only illumination2 it is inspiration too4 ,it is both light and heat2 it confers guidance and dynamic4 ,when a man1 therefore1 refuses the light he becomes a weakling1 and he will meet with disaster in the first tempestuous day4 ,,october ,the ,eighteenth ,,unanimity ,,in ,,the ,,soul ,a double-minded man is unstable in all his ways4 --,,james i4 #a-h4 ,if two men are at the wheel with opposing notions of direction and destiny1 how will it fare with the boat8 ,if an orchestra have two conductors both wielding their batons at the same time and with conflicting conceptions of the score1 what will become of the band8 ,and a man whose mind is like that of two men flirting with contrary ideals at the same time will live a life all sixes and sevens1 and nothing will move to purposeful and definite issues4 ,if the mind flirt with ,satan and ,christ1 life will be filled with disastrous instability and confusion4 ,the first thing we need1 therefore1 for influential and impressive living is unanimity4 ,unanimity in the mind is the primary factor in a forceful life4 ,to bring all that is within me into concord1 to make every instrument of the soul bow to one conductor1 to lead all the powers into homage to the ,lord--this is the unanimity which assures the perfection of holiness4 ,unite my heart to fear ,thy name4 ,that is the mood which wins life's prize1 the prize of the high calling of ,god in ,christ ,jesus4 ,,october ,the ,nineteenth ,,ready6 ,let your loins be girded about4 --,,luke xii4 #ce-dj4 ,loose garments can be very troublesome4 ,an ,oriental robe1 if left ungirdled1 entangles the feet1 or is caught by the wind and hinders one's goings4 ,and therefore the wearer binds the loose attire together with a girdle1 and makes it firm and compact about his body4 ,and loose principles can be more dangerous than loose garments4 ,indefinite opinions1 caught by the passing wind of popular caprice1 are both a peril and a burden4 ,many people go through life with loose beliefs and purposes1 and they never arrive at any glorious goal4 ,let your loins be girded about4 ,bind your loose thinkings together with the girdle of truth into firm and saving conviction4 ,and your lights burning4 ,be ready for the emergency4 ,when the darkness falls1 don't have to hasten away to buy oil4 ,look after your resources1 and be competent to meet the crisis when it comes4 ,let the light of conscience be burning with clear flame1 like a brilliant lighthouse on a dangerous shore4 ,let the light of love be burning1 like a lamp which sends its friendly1 cheery beams to the pilgrims of the night4 ,our sufficiency is of ,god1 and the oil of grace will keep the lights burning through the longest night4 ,,october ,the ,twentieth ,,the ,,lord ,,as ,,the ,,servant ,jesus1 knowing that the ,father had given all things into ,his hands1 and that ,he came forth from ,god1 and goeth to ,god4444 --,,john xiii4 #a-bj4 ,and how shall we expect the sentence to finish8 ,what shall be the issue of so vast a consciousness8 ,he took a towel1 and girded ,himself 444 and began to wash the disciples' feet4 ,so a mighty consciousness expresses itself in lowly service4 ,in our ignorance we should have assumed that divinity would have moved only in planetary orbits1 and would have overlooked the petty streets and ways of men4 ,but here the ,lord of ,glory girds ,himself with the apron of the slave1 and almightiness addresses itself to menial service4 ,and that is the test of an expanding consciousness4 ,we may be sure that we are growing smaller when we begin to disparage humble services4 ,we may be sure we are growing larger when we love the ministries that never cry or lift their voices in the streets4 ,when a man begins to despise the towel1 he is losing his kingly dignity1 and is resigning his place on the throne4 ,i have given you an example that ye also should do as ,i have done to you4 ,,october ,the ,twenty-first ,,the ,,contrite ,,heart ,,isaiah lvii4 #ac-ba4 ,let us look at this description of the dwelling-place of the ,eternal ,god4 ,i dwell with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit4 ,and who are the contrite8 ,in the original word there is the significance of pieces of rock or lumps of soil having been crumbled into the finest powder4 ,have ,i not sometimes heard the phrase--,he's just a lump of pride8 ,well1 that pride has to be broken down into the finest powder1 until not a bit of stubborn self-conceit remains4 ,and then the contrite become the humble6 ,our gracious ,lord has sometimes to use heavy hammers in the destruction of this hard and stony pride3 the shock of calamity1 the battering of disappointment and defeat6 ,our pride must be ground to powder4 ,then ,he will come in and dwell with us6 ,and what then8 ,he will revive the spirit of the humble1 and revive the heart of the contrite ones4 ,our broken pride shall be as broken soil in which our ,lord will grow the flowers and fruits of the ,spirit4 ,the death of pride shall be followed by a revival of all things sweet and beautiful4 ,when pride is laid low1 it is a day of resurrection4 ,the wilderness shall blossom as the rose4 ,october ,the ,twenty-second ,,the ,,true ,,standard ,,of ,,greatness ,,matthew xviii4 #a-g4 ,here is our ,lord's estimate of true greatness4 ,how infinite is the contrast between ,his standard and the standards of the world6 ,the world measures greatness by money1 or eloquence1 or intellectual skill1 or even by prowess on the field of battle4 ,but here is the ,lord's standard--,whosoever1 therefore1 shall humble himself as this little child1 the same is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven4 ,those people are greatest who are most like ,god4 ,we become partakers of the ,divine nature through a child-like relationship to ,god4 ,the grace and power of ,god pour into our souls when we wait upon ,him like a little child4 ,child-likeness opens the doors and windows to the incoming of the ,almighty4 ,the child-like is the trustful1 and no barriers of cynical suspicion block the channels of spiritual communion4 ,and the child-like is the docile1 and no boulders of arrogance or self-conceit block the channel of the invigorating waters of life4 ,and so the child-like become the ,god-like1 and1 of course1 they are the greatest among the sons of men4 ,the little child enshrines the secret of the ,god-man1 and we should be infinitely wise if we had the little child always in our midst4 ,,october ,the ,twenty-third ,,masters ,,and ,,servants ,,matthew xx4 #bj-bh4 ,it is always our peril that we hunger for place more than for character1 for position more than for disposition1 for a temporal sceptre more than for a majestic self-control4 ,these disciples coveted places on the right and left of the ,lord1 and they had little or no concern about their worthiness for the posts4 ,temporalities eclipsed spiritualities1 fleeting fireworks hid the quiet stars4 ,they wanted to be great and prominent1 the ,lord wanted them to be pure and good4 ,they longed to be ,prime ,ministers1 the ,lord purposed that they should be glad to be ministers1 working contentedly in an obscure place4 ,now mark our ,lord's response4 ,are ye able to drink of the cup that ,i drink of8 ,they wanted to be the ,king's cup-bearers2 ,he offers them to drink of ,his cup4 ,they call for sovereignty3 ,he asks for sacrifice4 ,they crave sweetness3 ,he offers them bitterness4 ,they seek a life of getting3 ,he demands a life of giving4 ,who has a cup of bitterness to drink8 ,go and share it with him6 ,where are the morally and spiritually anmic8 ,go and give them thy blood6 ,whoever shall lose his life shall find it4 ,through self-sacrifice we pass to our throne4 ,,october ,the ,twenty-fourth ,,push ,,and ,,pull ,,luke xiv4 #a-aa4 ,the world canonizes push4 ,it eulogizes the man of push4 ,it loves to see a man elbowing his way through the jostling crowd1 and gaining for himself a chief seat at life's feast4 ,he is proclaimed a successful man1 and he rises in the chief seat1 and amid loud hurrahs he responds to the toast of his health4 ,yes1 push is the word of the world1 but pull is the word of the ,lord1 and between the two there is the difference of darkness and light4 ,push is selfish and exclusive3 pull is inclusive and neighbourly4 ,push takes as its motto1 ,the weakest to the wall6 ,pull takes as its motto1 ,bear ye one another's burdens1 and so fulfil the law of ,christ4 ,the final verdict upon life will be founded1 not upon our own success in gaining a chief seat1 but upon our success in encouraging the faint and the weakling1 and in helping lame dogs over stiles4 ,my gracious ,lord1 help me to put on a heart of compassion that by neighbourly feeling and ministry ,i may lead my fellows to the choice places of life's feast4 ,,october ,the ,twenty-fifth ,,the ,,robe ,,of ,,humility #a ,,peter v4 #a-aa4 ,let me1 therefore1 learn this lesson1 that if my ,lord should give me prominence in ,his church it is not to feed my lust of dominion1 but in order to strengthen and extend the influence of the church's life4 ,neither as lording it over the charge allotted to you1 but making yourselves ensamples to the flock4 ,the only truly imperial purple is the robe of humility4 ,any other sort of attire may appear to be kingly1 but it has none of the glorious significance which belongs to our sovereign ,lord4 ,when a man puts on the robe of pride1 he immediately belittles his manhood4 ,when a man puts on the robe of humility1 he becomes a greater man4 ,but humility is more than an imperial robe1 it is a complete armour4 ,it is fine for defence6 ,the devil cannot get at the man who is clothed in humility4 ,there is no chink or crevice through which his deadly rapier can pierce4 ,and it is equally fine for offence6 ,wearing this armour we can go out redressing human wrongs4 ,the stroke of pride is ever futile4 ,when the humble man deals a blow1 the power of the ,almighty is in his right hand4 ,humble yourselves1 therefore1 under the mighty hand of ,god4 ,,october ,the ,twenty-sixth ,,the ,,lust ,,of ,,the ,,external ,,matthew xxiii4 #a-ab4 ,pharisaism is the lust of externalities1 and the utter negligence of the inward sanctities of the spirit4 ,it thinks more of decorum than of holiness1 more of etiquette than of equity1 more of ritualism than of the robe of righteousness and the garment of salvation4 ,pharisaism lives in the streets3 it does not dwell in the inner chambers of our mystic life4 ,pharisaism thirsts for the homage of men and not for the approbation of ,god4 ,it is far more alert to the ,rabbi6 ,rabbi6 of the crowd than it is to the secret callings of the ,lord4 ,the path between itself and the highest is unfrequented and grass-grown2 the path between itself and the multitude is a well-trodden and barren road4 ,my ,lord1 let me be warned6 ,let me not pervert the ministries of religion to the aggrandizement of self4 ,let me not1 in appearing to worship ,thee1 be seeking the worship of men4 ,give me singleness of mind4 ,give me purity of heart4 ,and may ,i discover true greatness in seeking greatness for others4 ,,october ,the ,twenty-seventh ,,paying ,,homage ,,to ,,the ,,king ,,proverbs iii4 #a-ab4 ,acknowledge ,him4 ,but not with a passing nod of recognition4 ,i must not merely glance at ,him now and again1 admitting ,his existence on the field4 ,to acknowledge ,him is to acknowledge ,him as ,king1 with the right to control1 and as predominant partner in all the affairs of my life1 even the right to give the determining voice in all my decisions4 ,no1 it is not the recognition paid to an acquaintance1 it is the homage paid to a ,king4 ,and if ,i thus acknowledge ,him1 ,he will direct my paths4 ,life shall always be moving on to its purposed end and glory4 ,the path chosen will not always be the most alluring one1 but it will be the right one1 and therefore the safe one1 and there will be wonderful discoveries on the uninviting track4 ,how will ,he let me know which path to take8 ,i cannot say4 ,we can never anticipate ,god's ways of dealing with us4 ,but if my life is bent to the loving acknowledgment of ,his will1 ,he will assuredly find a way to make ,his will known4 ,the light will always reach the willing mind4 ,,october ,the ,twenty-eighth ,,pleasantness ,,and ,,peace ,her ways are ways of pleasantness1 and all her paths are peace4 --,,proverbs iii4 #ac-bf4 ,in the ways of the ,lord ,i shall have feasts of pleasantness4 ,but not always at the beginning of the ways4 ,sometimes my faith is called upon to take a very unattractive road1 and nothing welcomes me of fascination and delight4 ,but here is a law of the spiritual life4 ,the exercised faith intensifies my spiritual senses1 and hidden things become manifest to my soul--hidden beauties1 hidden sounds1 hidden scents6 ,faith adds a mysterious plus to my powers1 and all things become new4 ,and in the ways of the ,lord ,i shall also find the gracious gift of peace4 ,not that the road will be always smooth1 but that ,i may be always calm4 ,i can be unperturbed when all around tumultuous seems4 ,i can journey in holy serenity1 because the ,lord of the road is with me4 ,for peace consists1 not in friendliness of circumstances1 but in friendship with the ,lord4 ,,october ,the ,twenty-ninth ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,the ,,past ,,deuteronomy xxxi4 #g-ac4 ,and no ears are more receptive to spiritual story than the ears of a little child4 ,it is not needful to open the gate of interest2 it is wide ajar already4 ,and imagination also is there1 ready to busy itself about the story4 ,and so1 too1 is the spirit of homage and adoration4 ,the children are ready for the ,king6 ,suffer little children to come unto ,me1 for of such is the ,kingdom of ,heaven4 ,and1 therefore1 we have need of wise tellers of the story1 who know the story themselves4 ,and in these delicate regions ,i must ever remember how much my spirit shares in the story ,i tell4 ,my spirit is a friend or a foe to my power4 ,my words may be well chosen1 but they may all be light as empty shells1 devoid of all vitality4 ,my words have just the power of their spiritual contents4 ,you cannot fight the ,french with #bjj1jjj red uniforms1 said ,carlyle2 there must be men inside them4 ,and we cannot engage in the evangelization with mere uniforms of words4 ,there must be spirit inside them1 even the spirit of pure and consecrated lives4 ,,october ,the ,thirtieth ,a ,,testimony ,,meeting ,,psalm xxxiv4 #a-aa4 ,this is a little testimony meeting1 in which each of the witnesses tells the story of the ,lord's gracious dealings with him4 ,let me listen to them4 ,he delivered me from all my fears4 ,his fears held him in dungeons4 ,even the noontide was as darkness round about him1 and there was no song in his soul4 ,and the ,lord broke open the prison-gate and let him out to light1 and joy1 and belief4 ,they looked to ,him and were lightened4 ,they looked upon the grace of the ,lord1 and were lit up1 just as ,i have seen humble cottage windows ablaze with the glory of the rising sun4 ,i must set my face towards the ,lord1 and ,i1 too1 shall catch the radiance of ,his glory4 ,this poor man cried 444 and the ,lord saved him out of all his troubles4 ,and these troubles were what ,i should call tight corners1 when the life is hemmed in by unfortunate circumstances1 and there seems no way of escape4 ,disappointment shuts us in4 ,sorrow shuts us in4 ,lack of money shuts us in4 ,let me cry unto the ,lord4 ,he is a wonderful ,friend in the tight corner1 and ,he will bring my feet into a large place4 ,,october ,the ,thirty-first ,,two ,,great ,,mysteries ,,psalm lxxxi4 ,this is an unutterable mystery1 that a man can close his life against ,god4 ,israel would have none of ,me4 ,we can shut out ,god as we can shut out the pure air4 ,we can bar ,his entrance just as we can exclude the light from the chamber4 ,and then the pity is1 we can deceive ourselves into believing that the air is perfectly fresh and that the room is flooded with light4 ,we lose our fine discernment1 and we call evil good1 and the darkness we call day4 ,if we refuse to have ,god in our thoughts ,god gives us over to a reprobate mind4 ,and it is an equally unutterable mystery that a man can open his life to the entertainment of ,almighty ,god4 ,i will dwell with them6 ,that is my supreme honour1 that the ,lord will be my guest4 ,i can hearken to ,him1 and talk to ,him1 and walk with ,him4 ,and ,he offers me protection4 ,he will subdue my enemies4 ,and ,he offers me unfailing provision4 ,the ,guest becomes the ,host6 ,i put my little upon the table1 and lo6 ,i find that the cruse of oil fails not1 and the meal in the barrel is not consumed6 ,,november ,the ,first ,,in ,,the ,,days ,,of ,,youth ,,ecclesiastes xii4 #a-g4 ,in my university days at ,edinburgh there was a young medical student named ,macfarlane4 ,he was one of our finest athletes1 and everybody liked him4 ,one day he was stricken with typhoid1 which proved fatal4 ,macfarlane in his days of boisterous health had neglected his ,lord1 and when one of his friends1 visiting him in his sickness1 led his thoughts to the ,saviour1 he turned and said1 ,but wouldn't it be a shabby thing to turn to ,christ now8 ,yes1 replied his friend1 it will be a shabby thing1 but it will be shabbier not to turn to ,him at all6 ,and ,i believe that poor ,macfarlane turned his shame-filled soul to the ,lord4 ,but it is shabby to offer our ,lord the mere dregs in life's cup4 ,it is shabby to offer ,him the mere hull of the boat when the storms of passion have carried its serviceableness away4 ,let me offer ,him my best1 my finest equipment1 my youth6 ,let me offer ,him the best1 and give ,him the helm when ,i am just setting sail and life abounds in golden promise6 ,remember now thy ,creator in the days of thy youth4 ,,november ,the ,second ,,leading ,,to ,,christ ,suffer little children to come unto ,me4 --,,mark x4 #ac-bb4 ,unto ,me6 ,we must not keep them at any half-way house4 ,we are so prone to be satisfied if only we bring them a little way along the road4 ,if we get them to pray6 ,if we get them to attend the ,lord's house6 ,if we get them to be truthful and gentle6 ,all of which is unspeakably good4 ,it is a blessed thing to be in the ways of ,zion2 it is a far more blessed thing to be in the palace with ,zion's ,king and ,lord4 ,when we are dealing with little children1 every road must lead to ,jesus1 and not until the road is trodden and we arrive at ,him must we think our ministry accomplished4 ,and1 therefore1 if ,i am talking to the little ones about ,samuel1 or ,david1 or ,paul1 ,i must always see the short lane which leads to the ,lord4 ,suffer the little children to come unto ,me6 ,and once they really own ,him1 we may trust their instincts for the rest4 ,the heart in the child will leap to the love of the ,lord1 for of such is the ,kingdom of ,heaven4 ,when a little one sees the ,saviour1 it is love at first sight6 ,,november ,the ,third ,,the ,,lord',s ,,own ,,john xv4 #aa-be4 ,the ,lord's own possess the ,lord's love4 ,i have loved you4 ,and love is not a beautiful sentiment1 a passive rainbow stretched over the realm of human life4 ,it is a glorious1 active energy1 infinitely more powerful than electricity1 and always besieging the gates of the soul1 or ministering to its manifold needs4 ,love is the greatest force in the world4 ,and the ,lord's own are taken into the inner circle of intimacy1 where the deepest secrets dwell4 ,we are not kept on the door-step1 or left standing in the hall1 or limited to one or two public rooms2 we are privileged to enter the ,king's privacy1 and be nourished at the ,king's table1 and listen to the ,king's table-talk concerning all things which ,he has heard of the ,father4 ,we have the glorious liberty of the children of ,god4 ,and the ,lord's own will experience the world's hatred4 ,therefore the world hateth you4 ,our very friendship with the ,lord pronounces judgment on the world1 and its hostility is aroused4 ,if we are partakers of the glory we shall most assuredly be partakers of the sufferings of ,christ4 ,,november ,the ,fourth ,,the ,,holy ,,spirit ,,as ,,witness ,,john xv4 #bf--xvi4 #aa4 ,the ,holy ,spirit is to be a witness of ,jesus4 ,he shall testify of ,me4 ,he shall be the ,friend of the ,bridegroom1 and ,he shall sing the ,bridegroom's grace1 and goodness1 and prowess1 in the eager ear of the bride4 ,and the early love of the bride shall become deeper and richer as more and more she enters into the unsearchable riches of ,christ4 ,and the ,holy ,spirit is thus to be a strengthener of the friends of the ,lord4 ,he will be my ,comforter4 ,by ,his gracious advocacy ,he will make my faith and hope invincible4 ,the best service which can be rendered me is not to change my circumstances1 but to make me superior to them2 not to make a smooth road1 but to enable me to leap like an hart over any road2 not to remove the darkness1 but to make me sing songs in the night4 ,and so ,i will not pray for less burdens1 but for more strength6 ,and this is the gracious ministry of ,the ,comforter4 ,holy ,spirit1 strengthen me6 ,transform my frail opinions into firm convictions1 and change my fleeting1 dissolving views into abiding visions6 ,,november ,the ,fifth ,,the ,,temple ,,of ,,the ,,body ,,romans xii4 #a-i4 ,the ,lord wants my body4 ,he needs its members as ministers of righteousness4 ,he would work in the world through my brain1 and eyes1 and ears1 and lips1 and hands1 and feet4 ,and the ,lord wants my body as a living sacrifice4 ,he asks for it when it is thoroughly alive6 ,we so often deny the ,lord our bodies until they are infirm and sickly1 and sometimes we do not offer them to ,him until they are quite worn out4 ,it is infinitely better to offer them even then than never to offer them at all4 ,but it is best of all to offer our bodies to our ,lord when they are strong1 and vigorous1 and serviceable1 and when they can be used in the strenuous places of the field4 ,and so let me appoint a daily consecration service1 and let me every morning present my body a living sacrifice unto ,god4 ,let me regard it as a most holy possession1 and let me keep it clean4 ,let me recoil from all abuse of it--from all gluttony1 and intemperance1 and riotous living4 ,let me look upon my body as a church1 and let the service of consecration continue all day long4 ,know ye not that your bodies are the temples of the ,holy ,spirit8 ,,november ,the ,sixth ,,peace ,,in ,,tribulation ,,john xvi4 #be-cc4 ,here is a strange medley of experiences6 ,i am to enjoy the gift of peace1 and yet ,i am to be smarting under tribulation6 ,when the ,holy ,spirit is my guest ,i am to enjoy the gift of peace4 ,these things ,i said unto you that ye might have peace4 ,the life of the soul is to move without jar or discord4 ,it shall be like a quiet engine-house1 in which every wheel co-operates with every other wheel1 and there is no waste or friction in the holy place4 ,all that is within me blesses ,god's holy name4 ,and yet1 while peace reigns within1 there may be tribulation without6 ,in the world ye shall have tribulation4 ,here is a peace which is not broken by the noise and assault of brutal circumstance4 ,the most tempestuous wind cannot disturb the quiet serenity of the stars4 ,when the world stones me1 not one grain of its gritty dust need enter the delicate workings of my soul4 ,that was the peace of my ,lord1 and it is my ,lord who says to me3 ,my peace ,i give unto you6 ,so be of good cheer1 my soul6 ,thy ,lord has overcome the world1 and thou shalt share ,his victory4 ,,november ,the ,seventh ,,rejected ,,love ,,isaiah lxiii4 #g-ad4 ,if ,i refuse the friendship of the ,holy ,one ,i inevitably invite ,his hostility4 ,but they rebelled1 and vexed ,his holy ,spirit3 therefore ,he was turned to be their enemy1 and ,he fought against them4 ,and so1 if ,i reject the forces of grace ,i do not turn them from my gate1 ,i convert them into foes4 ,malachi teaches me that rejected sunshine becomes like a burning oven4 ,the ,epistle to the ,hebrews teaches me that rejected love becomes a consuming fire4 ,holiness nourishes virtue1 it withers vice4 ,if ,i offer my ,lord a tender aspiration1 ,his breath wooes it like the balmy air of the spring2 if ,i come before ,him with the weeds of ignoble dispositions1 ,he blights them as with the nipping of the frost4 ,and is it not well1 for thee and me1 that our ,lord is thus fiercely hostile to our sins8 ,is not this consuming fire the friend of my soul8 ,may ,i not pray3 ,burn on1 burn on1 pure flame1 until all the refuse and rubbish of my life are utterly consumed2 burn on1 burn on1 until fierce flame becomes mild light1 flinging its genial radiance over a transfigured desert8 ,,november ,the ,eighth ,,the ,,organ ,,of ,,spiritual ,,vision #a ,,corinthians ii4 #i-af4 ,our finest human instruments fail to obtain for us the things which ,god hath prepared for them that love ,him4 ,art fails6 ,eye hath not seen4 ,the merely artistic vision is blind to the hidden glories of grace4 ,philosophy fails6 ,neither hath ear heard4 ,we may listen to the philosopher as he spins his subtle theories and weaves his systematic webs1 but the meshes he has woven are not fine enough to catch the deep things of ,god4 ,poetry fails6 ,neither hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive4 ,poetic imagination may stretch her wings1 and soar1 but she fails to enter the guest-chamber of the ,lord1 and take an inventory of the things prepared4 ,all these gracious ministries fail to reach life's glorious and purposed end4 ,but ,god hath revealed them unto us by ,his ,spirit4 ,when art1 and poetry1 and philosophy all pitiably fail1 the ,spirit unveils to us the bewildering feast4 ,and so the unlearned has the same ultimate advantage as the learned1 and the cottager has equal privilege with the monarch4 ,the greatest things are not the perquisites of culture1 but the endowments of humility and holy faith4 ,the poor man has access to the many mansions1 and finds a place at the ,king's feast4 ,,november ,the ,ninth ,,the ,,holy ,,spirit ,,as ,,emancipator #b ,,corinthians iii4 #d-ah4 ,in the ,holy ,spirit ,i experience a large emancipation4 ,where the ,spirit of the ,lord is1 there is liberty4 ,i am delivered from all enslaving bondage--from the bondage of literalism1 and legalism1 and ritualism4 ,i am not hampered by excessive harness1 by multitudinous rules4 ,the harness is fitting and congenial1 and ,i have freedom of movement1 and my yoke is easy and my burden is light4 ,and ,i am to use my emancipation of spirit in the ministry of contemplation4 ,i am to behold1 as in a glass1 the glory of the ,lord4 ,my thought has been set free from the cramping distractions devised by men1 and ,i am now to feast my gaze upon the holy splendours of my ,lord4 ,it is like coming out of a little and belittling tent1 to feast upon the sunny amplitude of the open sky6 ,i can cease from man1 and commune with ,god4 ,and the contemplation will effect a transformation4 ,we are changed into the same image from glory to glory4 ,the serene brightness of the sky gets into our faces4 ,the ,lord becomes the health of our countenance1 and we shine with borrowed glory4 ,,november ,the ,tenth ,,nevertheless6 ,,luke v4 #a-aa4 ,here is obedience in spite of the night of failure4 ,nevertheless1 at ,thy word ,i will let down the net4 ,that word nevertheless has always made history4 ,it has been spoken after scourgings1 after bonds and imprisonments4 ,ten thousand times has it been heard in the chamber of bereavement1 the first sound to break the awful silence4 ,at evening my wife died4444 ,in the morning ,i did as ,god commanded me4 ,and may it be true of me6 ,may my nevertheless of willing obedience rise like a lark above the storm4 ,and because there was obedience there came vision4 ,in the wonderful answer to his faith ,peter beheld the glory of his ,lord4 ,and so ,i never know where the unenticing road of obedience will lead me4 ,at the end of the dull road there will be some gracious surprise6 ,it is the rugged path which leads to the summit6 ,the panorama comes as the reward of the toilsome climb6 ,always1 in the realm of the ,spirit1 the dogged nevertheless will lead to the shining tableland to which our ,god ,himself is moon and sun4 ,,november ,the ,eleventh ,,foiling ,,the ,,enemy',s ,,plots ,,luke xxii4 #bd-cd4 ,i do not meet my tempter alone4 ,the engagement has been foreseen by my ,lord4 ,simon1 ,simon1 ,satan hath desired to have you6 ,the tempter's plots1 and wiles1 and ambuscades are all clearly perceived4 ,my ,lord has got the enemy's maps1 and his plan of campaign1 for all things are open to the eyes of ,him with whom we have to do4 ,i do not fight a lonely warfare on a dark and unknown field4 ,my ,lord ,himself both scouts and fights for those who are ,his own4 ,and one great means of ,his co-operation is the mighty ministry of intercession4 ,but ,i have prayed for thee4 ,that but is the massing of the forces of heaven against the black and subtle hordes of hell4 ,let me ever remember that the ,lord's prayers are always the conveyers of holy power to those for whom ,he prays4 ,it is as when ,christian met ,apollyon in the ,valley of ,humiliation3 there comes a sudden accession of strength to the bleeding warrior1 and ,apollyon retires wounded and beaten from the field4 ,and the only way to preserve the fruits of a triumph is by helping other warriors to gain a similar conquest4 ,when thou art converted strengthen thy brethren4 ,i shall retain the hard1 muscular limbs of a soldier if ,i am willing to share my blood with the entire army4 ,,november ,the ,twelfth ,,the ,,fashioning ,,of ,a ,,denial ,,luke xxii4 #ed-fb4 ,from ,peter's denial ,i would learn the peril of the first cowardly surrender to sin4 ,surely ,peter must have trimmed many times in the days which preceded his actual discipleship4 ,great crises do not make men1 they reveal them4 ,the men have been made in the smaller issues which go before4 ,we march to our crises by a gradient1 every step of which is a moral decision4 ,the interior of the tree is secretly eaten away by white ants2 the tempest reveals and completes the destruction4 ,and ,i would learn from ,peter's denial the cumulative power of sins4 ,one sin widens the road for a bigger one to follow4 ,the second denial will be more vehement than the first4 ,the third will add the element of blasphemy4 ,yes1 every sin is a miner and sapper for a larger army in the rear4 ,it not only does its own work1 it prepares the way for its successor4 ,but ,i will connect this dark betrayal night with that sweet after-morning when the ,lord and ,his denier met face to face by the lake4 ,and that sweet morning of reconciliation is a possible experience for all the deniers of the ,lord1 and it is therefore possible for thee and me4 ,,november ,the ,thirteenth ,a ,,transformed ,,fisherman ,simon ,peter saith unto them1 ,i go a fishing4 --,,john xxi4 #a-ad4 ,simon ,peter had often gone a fishing1 but never had he gone as he went in the twilight of that most wonderful evening4 ,he handled the ropes in a new style1 with a new dignity born of the bigger capacity of his own soul4 ,he turned to the familiar task1 but with a quite unfamiliar spirit4 ,he went a fishing1 but the power of the resurrection went with him4 ,this action of ,simon ,peter's is the only true test of the reality of any spiritual experience4 ,how does it fit me for ordinary affairs8 ,a spiritual festival should do for the soul what a day on the hills does for the body--equip it for the better doing of the duties in the vale4 ,this action is also a preparative to a renewal of the gracious experience4 ,the road of common duty was just the way appointed for another meeting with his ,lord1 for in the morning-light there came a voice across the waters3 ,children1 have ye any meat8 ,and that disciple whom ,jesus loved saith unto ,peter3 ',it is the ,lord4' ,,november ,the ,fourteenth ,,the ,,purification ,,of ,,love ,,john xxi4 #ae-be4 ,lovest thou ,me8 ,there was a day1 only a little while back1 when ,simon ,peter's love was not yet purified1 and it indulged itself in loud and empty boasts4 ,true love never blusters and brawls4 ,it is like a stream of water flowing silently underground1 and secretly bathing the roots of things1 and keeping their heads fresh1 and cool1 and sweet4 ,the boast has now dropped out of the love6 ,it is now ashamed of words6 ,lord1 ,thou knowest that ,i love ,thee6 ,yes1 true love expresses itself1 not in clamorous boastfulness1 but in quiet services4 ,it ministers to the ,lord's sheep and the ,lord's lambs4 ,it spends its strength on the mountains1 seeking that which is lost1 and it does this in the darkness1 where there is no applauding crowd4 ,the true lover does not ask for some dramatic scene where he can die for the beloved2 he delights in obscure services1 the feeding and tending of the sheep of the flock4 ,but the love that does the humbler thing will be ready for the greater sacrifice whenever the day shall demand it4 ,some day the once boastful denier shall lay down his life for his ,saviour1 and through martyrdom he shall pass to his crown4 ,,november ,the ,fifteenth ,,the ,,music ,,of ,,reconciliation ,,psalm lxxxv4 ,let me listen to this psalm of reconciliation1 as it makes music for my soul to-day4 ,it tells me of the ,divine favour4 ,lord1 ,thou hast been favourable to ,thy land4 ,as ,i write these words1 the sun has just slipped out from behind the cloud4 ,it has been there all the time1 but the ministry of the cloud was needed1 and so it appeared as though there would be sun and spring no more4 ,behind a frowning ,providence ,he hides a smiling face4 ,and it tells me of the ,divine forgiveness4 ,thou hast forgiven the iniquity of ,thy people4 ,yes1 when the sun appears1 ,he loosens the frozen earth and streams1 and turns the bondage into liberty4 ,the soul that was imprisoned in freezing guilt attains a joyous freedom4 ,and it tells me of revival4 ,wilt ,thou not revive us again8 ,it is the next step in the returning spring4 ,the sleeping1 benumbed things will all awake6 ,the flowers appear on the earth4 ,where grace reigns1 graces spring6 ,forgiveness is attended by renewal1 and the wilderness begins to blossom like the rose4 ,,november ,the ,sixteenth ,,the ,,making ,,of ,a ,,brave ,,man ,,acts iv4 #ac-bb4 ,here is a marvellous transformation6 ,i have been wondering at the littleness of the denier1 and now this same denier is making the world wonder by his majestic boldness6 ,his one resource is now the risen ,christ1 and his one moral standard is whether it be right6 ,once he quailed before an accusing maid2 now he stands undaunted before the rulers of the earth4 ,how has it all come about8 ,he has been to the empty tomb4 ,the awe of the resurrection is upon his spirit4 ,through the once blind cul-de-sac of the grave he has seen the ,king and the great white throne4 ,and he has been by the lake on the morning of reconciliation4 ,the live coal from the altar of his ,lord's love has touched him and has purged away the uncleanness of his denial4 ,and he has been in the upper room at ,pentecost1 and the mighty ,spirit has come upon him like wind and flame1 endowing him with forceful and enthusiastic character4 ,now he can dare for ,god1 now he can work for ,god1 now he can burn for ,god6 ,and this is how he has been transformed4 ,,november ,the ,seventeenth ,,if ,,god ,,be ,,for ,,us----6 ,,romans viii4 #ca-ci4 ,who else is worth naming8 ,how much does anybody count8 ,if the sun be on my side1 why should ,i be dismayed at any icy obstacle that may rear itself in my way8 ,sun versus ice6 ,god versus my impediments6 ,why should ,i fear8 ,if the atmosphere is on my side1 then even the opposing strength of iron will rust away into powder4 ,the breath of the ,lord bloweth upon it1 and if the holy breath1 ,god's ,holy ,spirit1 is for us1 then the apparently invincible obstacle will crumble away into dust4 ,but we are deceived by mass1 and we are forgetful of spirit4 ,mere size affrights us4 ,we are dismayed by numbers4 ,we forget the quiet1 pervasive1 all-powerful ministry of the ,spirit of ,god4 ,we are overwhelmed by the phenomena of tempest and earthquake and fire1 and we forget that almightiness hides in the still1 small voice1 in the sound of a gentle stillness4 ,god's breath is more than the fierce threatenings of embattled hosts4 ,if ,god be for us1 who can be against us8 ,i will hide myself in ,his holy fellowship1 and none shall make me afraid4 ,,november ,the ,eighteenth ,,exhilarant ,,spirits ,he maketh my feet like hinds' feet4 --,,psalm xviii4 #ca-ci4 ,i think of ,wordsworth's lines1 in which he describes a natural lady1 made by ,nature herself3 ,she shall be sportive as the fawn ,that wild with glee across the lawn ,or up the mountain springs4 ,and it is this buoyancy1 this elasticity1 this springiness that the ,lord is waiting to impart to the souls of ,his children1 so that they may move along the ways of life with the light steps of the fawn4 ,some of us move with very heavy feet4 ,there is little of the fawn about us as we go along the road4 ,there is reluctance in our obedience4 ,there is a frown in our homage4 ,our benevolence is graceless1 and there is no charm in our piety1 and no rapture in our praise4 ,we are the victims of the spirit of heaviness4 ,and yet here is the word which tells us that ,god will make our feet like hinds' feet4 ,he will give us exhilaration and spring1 enabling us to leap over difficulties1 and to have strength and buoyancy for the steepest hills4 ,let us seek the inspiration of the ,lord4 ,it is ,god that girdeth me with strength1 and maketh my way perfect4 ,,november ,the ,nineteenth ,,the ,,armour ,,of ,,god ,,ephesians vi4 #aj-ah4 ,the ,word describes the armour1 and it directs us to the armoury4 ,the description would oppress me if the directions were absent4 ,if ,i have to forge the armour for myself ,i should be in despair4 ,but ,i can go to the armoury of grace1 where there is an ever-open door and abundant welcome for every person who fain would be a knight-errant of the ,lord4 ,the ,lord will provide me with perfect equipment suitable for every kind of contest which may meet me along the road4 ,there are no favourites among the pilgrims except1 perhaps1 the neediest1 and to them is given more abundant honour4 ,sometimes one of the ,lord's knights loses one piece of armour1 and he must at once repair to the armoury4 ,perhaps he has lost his helmet1 or his shield1 or even his breastplate1 and the enemy has discovered his vulnerable place4 ,we must never continue our journey imperfectly armed4 ,the evil one will ignore the pieces we have1 and he will direct all his attack where there is no defence4 ,back to the armoury6 ,back to the armoury1 that we may put on the whole armour of ,god4 ,the ,lord is waiting2 let us humbly and penitently ask for the missing piece4 ,,november ,the ,twentieth ,,the ,,real ,,aristocracy ,abraham1 my friend4 --,,isaiah xli4 #h-af4 ,i think that is the noblest title ever given to mortal man4 ,it is the speech of the ,lord ,god concerning one of ,his children4 ,it is something to be coveted even to enjoy the friendship of a noble man2 but to have the friendship of ,god1 and to have the holy ,god name us as ,his friends1 is surely the brightest jewel that can ever shine in a mortal's crown4 ,and such recognition and such glory may be the wonderful lot of thee and me4 ,abraham1 my friend4 ,the ,lord of hosts found delight in human friendships4 ,he comes in to sup with us4 ,he drinks of the cup of our delights4 ,for1 surely1 it is one of the supreme characteristics of true friendship that it rejoices at the other's joy4 ,and my heavenly ,friend is glad in my gladness as well as sympathetic in the day of sadness and tears4 ,yes1 ,he comes in to sup with me1 and ,i may sup with ,him4 ,abraham1 my friend4 ,and ,he shares ,his sweets with ,his friend1 in inward counsels1 and in tender revelations of ,his purposes and in the gifts of joy and peace4 ,there is perfect openness between these friends2 nothing is hid4 ,they have the run of each other's hearts4 ,i tell ,him all my joys and fears1 ,and ,he reveals ,his love to me4 ,,november ,the ,twenty-first ,,the ,,early ,,builders #a ,,kings viii4 #a-ba4 ,it is always a healthy means of grace to link my own accomplishments with the fidelity and achievements of the past4 ,solomon traced his finished ,temple to the holy purpose in the heart of ,david his father4 ,i lay the coping-stone1 but who turned the first sod8 ,i lead the water into new ministries1 but who first dug the well8 ,there is the temple of liberty4 ,in our own day we are enriching it with most benignant legislation1 but we must not forget our dauntless fathers1 in whose blood the foundations were laid4 ,when ,i am walking about in the finished structure1 let me remember the daring architects who did well to have it in their hearts4 ,such retrospect will make me humble4 ,it will save me from the isolation and impotence of foolish pride4 ,it will confirm me in human fellowship by showing me how many springs ,i have in my fellow-men4 ,and such retrospect will make me grateful to my ,god4 ,noble outlooks always engender the spirit of praise4 ,the fine air of wide spaces quickens the soul to a song4 ,,november ,the ,twenty-second ,,recovering ,,lost ,,strength #a ,,kings viii4 #bb-cf4 ,in this portion of this great prayer ,i discern the unalterable mode in which nations and individuals recover their moral health and strength4 ,how do they lose it8 ,two words tell the story4 ,they sin and are smitten4 ,it is an inevitable sequence4 ,every sin is the minister of disease4 ,sometimes we can see it1 when the disease flaunts its flags in the flesh2 lust and drunkenness have glaring placards1 and we know what is going on within4 ,but even when sin makes no visible mark the wasting process is at work4 ,it is as true of falsehood as of drunkenness1 of treachery as of lust4 ,evil shall slay the wicked4 ,and how do we recover our lost estate8 ,there are three words which tell the story4 ,turn6 ,confess6 ,make supplication6 ,the words need no exposition4 ,i must turn my face to my despised and neglected ,lord2 ,i must tell them all about my miserable revolt1 and ,i must humbly crave for ,his restoring grace4 ,and the answer is sure4 ,such humble exercise sets the joy-bells ringing1 and the rich forgiveness of the ,lord fills the soul with peace4 ,o taste and see how gracious the ,lord is4 ,,november ,the ,twenty-third ,,the ,,stranger #a ,,kings viii4 #cg-ec4 ,yes1 indeed1 what space has the stranger in my supplications8 ,has he any place at all8 ,are my intercessions private enclosures1 intended only for the select among my friends8 ,do ,i ever open the door to anyone outside my family circle8 ,are my ecclesiastical sympathies large enough to include outsiders from afar8 ,what do ,i do with the stranger8 ,there is nothing which keeps prayer sweet and fresh and wholesome like the letting in of the stranger6 ,to let a new guest sit down at the feast of my intercession is to give my own soul a most nutritious surprise4 ,it is a most healthy spiritual habit to see to it that we bring in a new stranger every time we pray4 ,let me be continually enlarging the circle of hospitality6 ,let some new and weary bird find a resting-place in the branches of my supplications every time ,i hold communication with ,god4 ,a prayer which has no room for the stranger can have little or no room for ,god4 ,,november ,the ,twenty-fourth ,,the ,,prayer ,,which ,,ends ,,in ,,sacrifice #a ,,kings viii4 #ed-ff4 ,and that is the healthy order of all true worship4 ,it begins in spacious supplication in which the stranger finds a place4 ,then there is a lavish consecration of self and substance4 ,and then the wedding-bells begin to ring1 and the joy of the ,lord is our strength6 ,they went unto their tents joyful and glad of heart for all the goodness that the ,lord had done4 ,but so many suppliants miss the middle term1 and therefore the gladness is wanting4 ,supplication is not followed by consecration1 and therefore there is no exultation4 ,it is a fatal omission4 ,when we are asking for the gift of ,god our request must be accompanied by the gift of ourselves to ,god4 ,if we want the water we must offer the vessel4 ,no gift of self1 no bounty of ,god6 ,no losing1 no finding6 ,when the burnt offering began1 the song of the ,lord began4 ,take my life1 and let it be ,consecrated1 ,lord1 to ,thee4 ,,november ,the ,twenty-fifth ,,after ,,the ,,prayer ,,the ,,fire6 ,when ,solomon had made an end of praying the fire came down from heaven4 --#b ,,chronicles vii4 #a-aa4 ,and the fire is the symbol of the ,holy ,god4 ,pure flame is our imperfect mode of expressing the ,incorruptible4 ,this burning flame is heat and light in one4 ,and when ,solomon had prayed1 the holy ,flame was in their midst4 ,but not only is the flame the symbol of the ,holy2 it also typifies the power which can make me holy4 ,we have no cleansing minister to compare with fire4 ,where water fails fire succeeds4 ,after an epidemic water is comparatively impotent4 ,we commit the infested garments to the flames4 ,it was the great fire of ,london which delivered ,london from the tyranny of the plague4 ,and so it is with my soul4 ,god1 who is holy flame1 will burn out the germs of my sin4 ,he will purify ,jerusalem with the spirit of burning4 ,our ,god is a consuming fire4 ,come to my soul1 ,o holy ,flame6 ,place ,thy burning bliss against my wickedness1 and consume it utterly away6 ,,november ,the ,twenty-sixth ,,unconsecrated ,,souls ,this house which ,i have sanctified will ,i cast out of my sight1 and will make it a proverb and a by-word among all nations4 --#b ,,chronicles vii4 #ab-bb4 ,and thus am ,i taught that consecrated houses are nothing without consecrated souls4 ,it is not the mode of worship1 but the spirit of the worshipper which forms the test of a consecrated people4 ,if the worshipper is defiled his temple becomes an offence4 ,when the kernel is rotten1 and ,i offer the husk to ,god1 the offering is a double insult to ,his most holy name4 ,and yet1 how tempted ,i am to assume that ,god will be pleased with the mere outsides of things1 with words instead of aspiration1 with postures instead of dispositions1 with the letter instead of the spirit1 with an ornate and costly temple instead of a sweet and lowly life6 ,day by day ,i am tempted to treat the ,almighty as though ,he were a child6 ,nay1 the ,bible uses a more awful word2 it says men treat the ,lord as though ,he were a fool6 ,from all such irreverence and frivolity1 good ,lord1 deliver me6 ,let me ever remember that ,thou desirest truth in the inward man4 ,in the hidden parts help me to know wisdom4 ,,november ,the ,twenty-seventh ,,the ,,value ,,of ,,reverence ,,romans xiii4 #a-g4 ,when ,i pay honour to honourable ministers ,i not only honour my ,god1 but ,i enrich and refine my own soul4 ,one of the great secrets of spiritual culture is to know how to revere4 ,there is an uncouth spirit of self-aggression which1 while it wounds and impoverishes others1 destroys its finest spiritual furniture in its own ungodly heat4 ,the man who never bows will never soar4 ,to pay homage where homage is due is one of the exercises which will help to keep us near the great white throne4 ,i know my peril1 for ,i recognize one of the prevalent perils of our time4 ,some of the old courtesies are being discarded as though they belonged to a younger day4 ,some of the old tokens of respect have been banished to the limbo of rejected ritual4 ,dignitaries are jostled in the common crowd4 ,one man is as good as another6 ,and so there is a tendency to strip life of all its reverences1 and venerable fanes become stables for unclean things4 ,my soul1 come thou not into this shame6 ,move in the ways of life with softened tread1 and pay thy respect at every shrine where dwells the grace and power of ,god4 ,,november ,the ,twenty-eighth ,,how ,,to ,,fight ,,evil ,overcome evil with good4 --,,romans xii4 #i-ba4 ,for how else can we cast out evil8 ,satan cannot cast out ,satan4 ,no one can clean a room with a filthy duster4 ,the surgeon cannot cut out the disease if his instruments are defiled4 ,while he removed one ill-growth he would sow the seed of another4 ,it must be health which fights disease4 ,it will demand a good temper to overcome the bad temper in my brother4 ,and therefore ,i must cultivate a virtue if ,i would eradicate a vice4 ,that applies to the state of my own soul4 ,if there be some immoral habit in my life1 the best way to destroy it is by cultivating a good one4 ,take the mind away from the evil one4 ,deprive it of thought-food4 ,give the thought to the nobler mood1 and the ignoble mood will die4 ,and this also applies to the faults and vices of my brother4 ,i must fight them with their opposites4 ,if he is harsh and cruel1 ,i must be considerate and gentle4 ,if he is grasping1 ,i must be generous4 ,if he is loud and presumptuous1 ,i must be soft-mannered and self-restrained4 ,if he is devilish1 ,i must be a ,christian4 ,this is the warfare which tells upon the empire of sin4 ,i can overcome evil with good4 ,,november ,the ,twenty-ninth ,,transforming ,,our ,,foes ,,matthew v4 #ch-dh4 ,love your enemies4 ,it must be the aim of a ,christian to make his enemy lovely4 ,it is not my supreme business to secure my safety1 but to remove his ugliness4 ,he may only annoy me1 but he is destroying himself4 ,he may injure my reputation2 but far worse1 he is blighting his own character4 ,therefore must ,i seek to remove the greater thing1 the corrosive malady in his own soul4 ,i must make it my purpose to recover his loveliness1 and restore the lost likeness of the ,lord4 ,and only love can make things lovely4 ,revenge can never do it4 ,even duty will fail in the gracious work4 ,there is a final touch1 a consummate bloom1 to which duty can never attain1 and which is only attainable by love4 ,all love's ministries are creative of loveliness4 ,wherever her finger rests1 something exquisite is born4 ,love is a great magician3 she transforms the desert into a garden1 and she makes the wilderness blossom like the rose4 ,but where shall we get the love wherewith to make our enemy lovely8 ,from the great ,lover ,himself4 ,we love1 because ,he first loved us4 ,the great ,lover will love love into us6 ,and we1 too1 shall become fountains of love1 for our ,lord will open rivers in the high places1 and fountains in the midst of the valleys4 ,,november ,the ,thirtieth ,,the ,,spring ,,and ,,the ,,river ,with the ,lord there is mercy4 --,,psalm cxxx4 ,that is the ultimate spring4 ,all the pilgrims of the night may meet at that fountain4 ,we have no other common meeting-place4 ,if we make any other appointment we shall lose one another on the way4 ,but we can meet one another at the fountain1 men of all colours1 and of all denominations1 and of all creeds4 ,by ,thy mercy1 ,o deliver us1 good ,lord6 ,there is forgiveness with ,thee4 ,that is the quickening river4 ,sin and guilt scorch the fair garden of the soul as the lightning withers and destroys the strong and beautiful things in woodland and field4 ,the graces are stricken1 holy qualities are smitten1 and the soul languishes like a blasted heath4 ,but from the fountain of ,god's mercy there flows the vitalizing stream of ,his forgiveness4 ,there is a river the streams whereof shall make glad the city of ,god4 ,it is the mystic river of life1 clear as crystal4 ,everything shall live whither the river cometh4 ,with ,him is plenteous redemption4 ,salvation is not merely a recovered flower1 it is a recovered garden4 ,it is not the restoring merely of a withered hand2 ,he restoreth my soul4 ,god does not make an oasis in a surrounding desert2 ,he makes the entire wilderness to rejoice and blossom as the rose4 ,,december ,the ,first ,a ,,faithful ,,friend ,,proverbs xxvii4 #a-aj4 ,a faithful friend is a strong defence4 ,he is a gift of ,god1 and therefore a means of grace4 ,the ,lord's seal is upon his ministry4 ,how we impoverish ourselves by separating these precious gifts from their ,giver8 ,we desecrate many a fair shrine by emptying it of ,god4 ,we turn many a temple into just a common house4 ,when we think of our friend let us link him to our ,father1 and fall upon our knees in grateful praise4 ,he is ,god's minister in his encouragements4 ,when he cheers me1 it is the ,sun of righteousness who rises with healing in ,his wings4 ,all radiant words are just lamps for the light of life4 ,all genial speech carries flame from the altar fire of heaven4 ,and he is ,god's minister in his reproofs4 ,he uses a clean knife3 there is no poison on the blade4 ,and when he does surgeon's work upon me1 it is clean work1 healthy work1 the relentless enemy of disease4 ,some men cut me1 and the wound festers4 ,there is malice in the deed4 ,my friend wounds me in order that he may give me a larger1 sweeter life4 ,,december ,the ,second ,,the ,,lord ,,as ,a ,,friend ,,john xv4 #h-ag4 ,ye are my friends6 ,in my ,lord's friendship there is the ministry of sacrifice4 ,greater love hath no man than this1 that a man lay down his life for his friends4 ,this great ,friend is always giving ,his blood4 ,it is a lasting shame when professed ,christians are afflicted with spiritual anmia4 ,and yet we are often so fearful1 so white-faced1 so chicken-hearted1 so averse from battle1 that no one would think us to be the soldiers of the ,lord4 ,we need blood4 ,except ye drink my blood ye have no life4 ,and in my ,lord's friendship there is the privilege of most intimate communion4 ,all things that ,i have heard of my ,father ,i have made known unto you4 ,he takes us into ,his confidence1 and tells us ,his secrets4 ,it is ,his delight to lift the veil1 and give us constant surprises of love and grace4 ,he discovers flowers in desert places1 and in the gloom ,he unbosoms the treasures of darkness4 ,he is a ,friend of inexhaustible resource1 and ,his companionship makes the pilgrim's way teem with interest1 and abound in the wonders of redeeming grace4 ,,december ,the ,third ,,arms ,,and ,,the ,,man6 #a ,,thessalonians v4 #d-aj4 ,what wonderful armour is offered to me in which to meet the insidious assaults of the devil6 ,there is the armour of light4 ,sunlight is the most sanative energy we know4 ,it is the foe of many a deadly microbe which seeks a lodging in our bodies4 ,light is a splendid armour1 even in the realm of the flesh4 ,and so it is in the soul4 ,if the soul is a home of light1 the eternal light1 evil germs will die as soon as they approach us4 ,they will find nothing to breed on4 ,the prince of this world cometh1 and hath nothing in me4 ,and there is the armour of faith and love4 ,the opposite to faith is uncertainty1 and the opposite to love is cynicism1 and who does not know that uncertainty and cynicism are the very hotbeds for the machinations of the evil one8 ,when faith is enthroned the soul is open to the reception of grace1 and when love shares the throne the sovereignty is invincible4 ,and there is the armour of hope4 ,even in a physical ailment a man has a mighty ally who wrestles in hope4 ,and when a man's hope is in the ,lord his ,god all the powers in the heavenly places are his allies1 and by his hope he shall be saved4 ,,december ,the ,fourth ,,children ,,of ,,light #a ,,thessalonians v4 #e-aa4 ,can we think of a more beautiful figure than this--children of light8 ,as ,i write these words ,i look out upon a building every window of which is ablaze with light1 every room the home of attractive brightness4 ,and my life is to be like that6 ,and ,i look again and ,i see a lighthouse sending out its strong1 pure1 friendly beams to guide the mariner as he seeks his desired haven4 ,and my life is to be like that6 ,and ,i look once more1 and ,i see a common road lamp1 sending its useful light upon the busy street1 helping the wayfarer as he goes from place to place4 ,and my life is to be like that6 ,and if my soul is all lit up in friendly radiance for others1 the light will be my own defence4 ,light always scares away the vermin4 ,lift up a stone in the meadow1 let in the light1 and see how a hundred secret things will scurry away4 ,and light in the soul scares away the unfruitful works of darkness2 they cannot dwell with the light4 ,light repels the evil one2 it acts upon him like burning flame4 ,yes1 we are well protected when we are clothed in the armour of light4 ,but how can we become children of light1 holy homes of protective and saving radiance8 ,happily1 it is not our lot to provide the light1 it is ours to provide the lamp4 ,if we offer the lamp the ,lord will give the flame4 ,,december ,the ,fifth ,,the ,,second-,,best ,,for ,,god #a ,,chronicles xvii4 #a-ae4 ,so the best was for man1 and the second-best for ,god6 ,the cedar for self-indulgence1 and the curtains for the home of worship6 ,it is a marked sign of spiritual awakening when a man begins to contrast his own indulgences with the rights of ,god4 ,there are so many of us who are lavish in our home and miserly in the sanctuary4 ,we multiply treasures which bring us little profit1 and we are niggardly where treasure would be of most gracious service4 ,i dwell in a house of cedar1 and yet ,i am thoughtless about ,god's poor6 ,for ,i must remember that the poor are the arks of the ,lord4 ,i was naked1 and ye clothed ,me not4 ,i dwell in a house of cedar2 my liberties are many and spacious2 and yet there are tribes of ,god's people held in the tyranny of dark and hopeless servitude4 ,i dwell in ,england1 but what about the folk on the ,congo8 ,i dwell in a land of ample religious freedom1 but what about ,armenia8 ,do my sympathies remain confined within my cedar walls1 or do they go out to ,god's neglected ones in every land and clime8 ,,december ,the ,sixth ,,the ,,grace ,,of ,,lowliness #a ,,chronicles xvii4 #af-bg4 ,it is by such lowliness that we arrive at our true sovereignty4 ,all spiritual treasures are hidden along the ways of humility1 and it is meekness which discovers them4 ,the uplifted head of pride overlooks them1 and its finds are only pleasure of the passing day4 ,lowliness is the secret of spiritual perceptiveness4 ,i find my sight in lowly places4 ,the ,sacred ,word speaks of the valley of vision4 ,i usually associate vision and outlook with mountain summits1 but in spiritual realms the very capacity to use the heights is acquired in the vale4 ,lowliness is the secret of spiritual roominess4 ,it is only the humble man who has any room for the ,lord4 ,all the chambers in the proud man's soul are thronged with self-conceits1 and ,god is crowded out4 ,our ,lord always finds ample room for ,himself wherever the heart bows in humility and says3 ,i am not worthy that ,thou shouldst come under my roof4 ,,december ,the ,seventh ,,chosen ,,as ,,builders ,take heed now1 for the ,lord hath chosen thee to build4 --#a ,,chronicles xxviii4 #a-aj4 ,and how must he take heed8 ,for it may be that the ,lord hath also chosen me to build1 and the counsel given to ,solomon may serve me in this later day4 ,let me listen4 ,serve ,him with a perfect heart4 ,god's chosen builders must be characterized by singleness and simplicity4 ,he can do nothing with double men1 who do things only by half1 giving one part to ,him and the other part to ,mammon4 ,it is like offering the stock of a gun to one man and the barrel to another2 and the effect is nil4 ,no1 the entire gun6 ,the perfect heart6 ,and with a willing mind4 ,for the willing mind is the ready mind1 and ,god can do nothing with the unready4 ,i never know just when ,he will call me to add another stone to the rising walls of the ,new ,jerusalem1 and if ,i am otherwise engaged ,i am a grievous hindrance to ,his gracious plans4 ,he must be willing and ready who would be a builder of the walls of ,zion4 ,and to that man the ,lord will entrust the privilege of responsibility4 ,,december ,the ,eighth ,,judged ,,by ,,our ,,aspirations ,thou didst well1 it was in thine heart4 --#b ,,chronicles vi4 #a-ae4 ,and this was a purpose which the man was not permitted to realize4 ,it was a temple built in the substance of dreams1 but never established in wood and stone4 ,and ,god took the shadowy structure and esteemed it as a perfected pile4 ,the sacred intention was regarded as a finished work4 ,the will to build a temple was regarded as a temple built4 ,and hence ,i discern the preciousness of all hallowed purpose and desire1 even though it never receive actual accomplishment4 ,thou didst well1 it was in thine heart4 ,and so the will to be1 and the will to do1 is acceptable sacrifice unto the ,lord6 ,i wish ,i could be a missionary to the foreign field1 but the duties of home forbid4 ,but as a missionary she is accepted of our ,god1 even though she never land on distant shore4 ,our purposes work1 as well as the work itself4 ,desire is full of holy energy as well as fruition4 ,the wish to do good is good itself2 the very longing is a minister in the kingdom of our ,god4 ,if1 therefore1 we are to be judged by our aspirations1 there are multitudes of apparent failures who will one day be revealed as clothed in the radiance of spiritual victory4 ,,december ,the ,ninth ,,national ,,blessedness ,blessed is the people that know the joyful sound4 --,,psalm lxxxix4 #a-ah4 ,blessed is the people who love the sound of the silver trumpet which calls to holy convocation6 ,blessed is the people who are sacredly impatient for the hour of holy communion6 ,blessed is the people in whose heart are the highways to ,zion4 ,and in what shall their blessedness consist8 ,in illumination4 ,they shall walk1 ,o ,lord1 in the light of ,thy countenance4 ,the favour of the ,lord shall shine upon them when they walk through rough and troublous places4 ,there shall always be a sunny patch where the soul is in communion with its ,lord4 ,in exultation4 ,in ,thy name shall they rejoice all the day4 ,there is nothing like sunshine for making the spirits dance6 ,light is a great emancipator1 a great breaker-up of frozen bondages4 ,it thaws the genial currents of the soul1 and the stream of life sings in its progress4 ,in exaltation4 ,in ,thy righteousness shall they be exalted4 ,they will be lifted up above their enemies4 ,in elevation they will find their safety4 ,god lifts us above our passions1 above our cares1 above our little fears and tempers1 and we find our peace upon the heights4 ,,december ,the ,tenth ,,the ,,only ,,wise ,,beginning ,the fear of the ,lord is the beginning of wisdom4 --,,psalm cxi4 ,if ,i want to do anything wisely ,i must begin with ,god4 ,that is the very alphabet of the matter4 ,every other beginning is a perverse beginning1 and it will end in sure disaster4 ,i am ,alpha4 ,everything must take its rise in ,him1 or it will plunge from folly into folly1 and culminate in confusion4 ,if ,i would be wise in my daily business ,i must begin all my affairs in ,god4 ,my career itself must be chosen in ,his presence1 and in the illumination of ,his most holy ,spirit4 ,and in the subsequent days nothing must be done that is not rooted and grounded in ,him4 ,if ,i would be wise as a teacher ,i must begin with ,god4 ,i must not merely call ,him in to bless my lesson when my labour is done4 ,the very beginnings of my thinkings must be in ,him4 ,our ,lord will not write an appendix to a volume about which ,he has never been consulted4 ,they who seek ,me early shall find ,me4 ,and so it is with the varied activities of our multitudinous life4 ,if we would have them shine with quiet wisdom we must light them at the ,sun of glory4 ,,december ,the ,eleventh ,,the ,,speech ,,of ,,the ,,incarnation ,he hath spoken to us in ,his ,son4 --,,hebrews i4 ,and that blessed ,son spake my language4 ,he came into my troubled conditions and expressed ,himself out of my humble lot4 ,my surroundings afforded ,him a language in which ,he made known ,his good news4 ,the carpenter's shop1 the shepherd on the hill1 the ladened vine1 a wayside well1 common bread1 a friend's sickness1 the desolation of a garden1 the darkness of the last things--these all offered ,him a mode of speech in which ,he unveiled to me the heart of ,god4 ,he came as the ,son to make me a son4 ,for ,i had made myself a slave1 and called my bondage freedom4 ,i wore my badge of servitude with unholy pride4 ,but when ,he came and spake to me1 my lost inheritance dawned upon my wondering eyes1 and ,i knew myself to be enslaved4 ,but ,his was the glorious mission not only to awake but to emancipate1 not only to unveil lost splendour but to recover it4 ,he came to set us free1 and if the ,son shall make you free ye shall be free indeed4 ,this my son was lost and is found4 ,has that great word been spoken concerning me in the ,father's home of light8 ,lord1 ,i would serve1 and be a son4 ,dismiss me not1 ,i pray4 ,,december ,the ,twelfth ,,relating ,,everything ,,to ,,god ,whether therefore ye eat1 or drink1 or whatever ye do1 do all to the glory of ,god4 --#a ,,corinthians x4 #bc-cc4 ,and so all my days would constitute a vast temple1 and life would be a constant worship4 ,this is surely the science and art of holy living--to relate everything to the ,infinite4 ,when ,i take my common meal and relate it to the glory of ,god1 the common meal becomes a sacramental feast4 ,when my labour is joined unto the ,lord1 the sacred wedding turns my workshop into a church4 ,when ,i link the country lane to the ,saviour1 ,i am walking in the ,garden of ,eden1 and paradise is restored4 ,the fact of the matter is1 we never see anything truly until we see it in the light of the glory of ,god4 ,set a dull duty in that light and it shines like a diamond4 ,set a bit of drudgery in that light and it becomes transfigured like the wing of a starling when the sunshine falls upon it4 ,everything is seen amiss until we see it in the glory6 ,and1 therefore1 it is my wisdom to set everything in that light1 and to do all to the glory of ,god4 ,,december ,the ,thirteenth ,,the ,,holy ,,and ,,the ,,profane ,put difference between the holy and the unholy4 --,,leviticus x4 #a-aj4 ,the peril of our day is that so many of these differences are growing faint4 ,the holy merges into the unholy1 and we can scarcely see the dividing line4 ,black merges into white through manifold shades of grey4 ,falsehood slopes into truth through cunning expediences and white lies4 ,lust merges into purity through conviviality and geniality and good-fellowship4 ,so is one thing losing itself in another1 and vivid moral distinctions are being obscured and effaced4 ,there is only one way to keep these native contrasts in vivid relief1 and that is by living in the unsullied light of ,god's holy presence4 ,in ,thy light shall we see light4 ,things are seen in their true colours only when we bring them before the great white throne4 ,fabrics seen in the gas-light reveal quite other shades when we bring them into the light of day4 ,we must not make our distinctions in the gas-light of worldly standard and expediency2 we must take them into ,his presence before whose radiance even the angels veil their faces1 and we shall see things as they are1 and we shall know the difference between the holy and the profane4 ,,december ,the ,fourteenth ,,the ,,sacred ,,use ,,of ,,liberty ,take heed lest this liberty of yours becomes a stumbling-block4 --#a ,,corinthians viii4 #h-ac4 ,that is a very solemn warning4 ,my liberty may trip someone into bondage4 ,if life were an affair of one my liberty might be wholesome2 but it is an affair of many1 and my liberty may be destructive to my fellows4 ,i am not only responsible for my life1 but for its influence4 ,when a thing has been lived there is still the example to deal with4 ,if orange peel be thrown upon the pavement1 that is not the end of the feast4 ,the man who slips over the peel is a factor in the incident1 and my responsibility covers him4 ,i am1 therefore1 to consider both my deeds and their influence4 ,how does my life trend when it touches my brother8 ,in what way does he move because of the impact of my example8 ,towards liberty or towards license8 ,to the swamps of transgression or to the fields of holiness8 ,these are determining questions1 and ,i must not seek to escape or ignore them4 ,my brother is a vital part of my life4 ,i must never shut him out of my sight4 ,how is he influenced by my example8 ,if meat make my brother to stumble1 ,i will eat no flesh while the world standeth4 ,,december ,the ,fifteenth ,,what ,,is ,,my ,,tendency8 ,whether we live1 we live unto4444 --,,romans xiv4 #g-ba4 ,unto what8 ,in what direction are we living8 ,whither are we going8 ,how do we complete the sentence8 ,we live unto money6 ,that is how many would be compelled to finish the record4 ,money is their goal1 and their goal determines their tendency4 ,we live unto pleasure6 ,such would be another popular company4 ,we live unto fame6 ,that would be the banner of another regiment4 ,we live unto ease6 ,thus would men and women describe their quests4 ,unto what8 ,that is the searching question which probes life to its innermost desire4 ,for whether we live1 we live unto the ,lord4 ,that was the apostle's unfailing tendency1 increasing in its momentum every day4 ,he crashed through obstacles in his glorious quest4 ,he sought the ,lord through everything and in everything4 ,when new circumstances confronted him1 his first question was this--,where is ,christ in all this8 ,he found the right way across every trackless moor by simply seeking ,christ4 ,,december ,the ,sixteenth ,,the ,,greatest ,,wonders ,,hebrews xi4 #cj-dj4 ,the greatest wonders are not in ,nature but in grace4 ,a regenerated soul is a greater marvel than the marvel of the spring-time4 ,a transfigured face is a deeper mystery than a sun-lit garden4 ,to rear graces in a life once scorched and blasted by sin is more wonderful than to grow flowers on a cinder-heap4 ,if we want to see the realm of surpassing wonders we must look into a soul that has been born again and is now in vital union with the living ,christ4 ,even the angels watch the sight with ever-deepening awe and praise4 ,as the spiritual is the home of wonders1 so also is it the field of brightest exploits4 ,it is not what men have done by the sword that counts in the esteem of heaven--such deeds mean little or nothing2 it is what they have done by faith4 ,weak1 frail men and women have put their faith in ,god1 and have done the impossible6 ,faith unites the weakling with almightiness6 ,faith makes a lonely soul one with the spirits of just men made perfect1 and with them he shares the power and the glory of the eternal ,god4 ,,december ,the ,seventeenth ,,god',s ,,presence ,,our ,,defence ,,exodus xv4 #aa-ah4 ,when we invent little devices to protect us against the evil one1 he laughs at our petty presumption4 ,it is like unto a child erecting sand ramparts against an incoming sea4 ,the only thing that makes the devil fear is the presence of ,god4 ,our money can do nothing4 ,our culture can do nothing4 ,our social status can do nothing4 ,only ,god can deal with devils4 ,by the greatness of ,thine arm they shall be still as a stone4 ,when ,thou art with me ,i will fear no evil2 the fear shall be with my foes4 ,it is1 therefore1 the divine in anything which endows it with a strong defence4 ,if the holy ,god dwells in our culture1 then our culture becomes like an invulnerable fort4 ,if ,god abides in our recreations1 then our very sports are armed against our foes4 ,if the joy of the ,lord is in our festivity1 then our very merriment is proof against the invasion of the world4 ,when the ,lord is in us1 fear dwells in the opposite camp4 ,therefore will not we fear though the earth be removed1 and though the mountains be shaken in the heart of the seas4 ,,december ,the ,eighteenth ,,the ,,sinner',s ,,guest ,he is gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner4 --,,luke xix4 #a-aj4 ,it was hurled as an accusation2 it has been treasured as a garland4 ,it was first said in contempt2 it is repeated in adoration4 ,it was thought to reveal ,his earthliness2 it is now seen to unveil ,his glory4 ,our ,saviour seeks the home of the sinner4 ,the ,best desires to be the guest of the worst4 ,he spreads ,his kindnesses for the outcasts1 and ,he offers ,his friendship to the exile on the loneliest road4 ,he waits to befriend the defeated1 the poor folk with aching consciences and broken wills4 ,he loves to go to souls that have lost their power of flight1 like birds with broken wings1 which can only flutter in the unclean road4 ,he went to ,zacchus4 ,yes1 the ,lord went to be guest with a man that is a sinner1 and ,he changed the sinner into a saint4 ,the worldling found wings4 ,the stone became flesh4 ,gentle emotions began to stir in a heart hardened by heedlessness and sin4 ,restitution took the place of greed4 ,the home of the sinner became the temple of the ,lord4 ,to-day is salvation come to this house forasmuch as he also is a son of ,abraham4 ,,december ,the ,nineteenth ,,the ,,sun ,,of ,,righteousness ,a light to lighten the ,gentiles4 --,,luke ii4 #be-dj4 ,that was the wonder of wonders4 ,hitherto the light had been supposed to be for ,israel alone2 and now a heavenly splendour was to fall upon the ,gentiles4 ,hitherto the light had been thought of as a lamp1 illuming a single place2 now it was to be a sun1 shedding its glory upon a world4 ,the people that sat in darkness are now to see a great light4 ,new regions are to be occupied2 there is to be daybreak everywhere6 ,the ,sun of ,righteousness is arisen1 with healing in ,his wings4 ,to lighten the ,gentiles6 ,and thus the heavenly beams have come to thee and me1 to ,europe and ,america1 and to all the nations of the earth4 ,the amazing privilege is our personal inheritance4 ,we are born to glorious rights in ,christ ,jesus4 ,but a wealthy heir may neglect this inheritance4 ,we may have the light and neglect our garden4 ,we may have all the favours of a blessed clime1 and yet our life may be like a wilderness4 ,the ,gentiles may have the light1 and may yet be children of the darkness4 ,it is ours to believe in the light that our lives may become light in the ,lord4 ,,december ,the ,twentieth ,,the ,,coming ,,of ,,the ,,lord ,,john i4 #a-ad4 ,my ,lord came as the word4 ,he came as the expression of the mind of the eternal ,god4 ,ordinary words could not have carried the good news4 ,ordinary language was an altogether inadequate vessel for this new wine4 ,and so the mighty news was spoken in the incarnation of the ,lord4 ,my ,lord came as life4 ,in ,him was life4 ,but not a mere cupful of life1 or even a cup running over4 ,he came as the fountain of life4 ,nay1 if ,i had the requisite word ,i must get even behind and beyond this4 ,for ,he was the ,creator of fountains4 ,the water that ,i shall give him shall be in him a well4 ,yes1 ,he was the fountain of fountains6 ,the ,lord came as light4 ,the life was the light4 ,true light is always the child of life4 ,our clearest light comes not from speech or doctrine1 still less does it emerge from controversy4 ,it is the fine1 subtle issue of fine living4 ,and my light is to shine before men by reason of the indwelling life of the ,christ4 ,and my ,lord came as power4 ,to them gave ,he power4 ,all the power ,i need for a full1 holy1 healthy life ,i can find in ,him4 ,every obligation has its corresponding inspiration1 and ,i am competent to do ,his will4 ,,december ,the ,twenty-first ,,the ,,lord ,,of ,,working ,,men ,,luke ii4 #h-bj4 ,and so the good news was told to shepherds1 to working men who were toiling in the fields4 ,the coming ,king would hallow the common work of man1 and in ,his love and grace all the problems of labour would find a solution4 ,the ,lord of the ,christmas-tide throws a halo over common toil4 ,even ,christian people have not all learnt the significance of the angels' visit to the lonely shepherds4 ,some of us can see the light resting upon a bishop's crosier1 but we cannot see the radiance on the ordinary shepherd's staff4 ,we can discern the hallowedness of a priest's vocation1 but we see no sanctity in the calling of the grocer1 or of the scavenger in the street4 ,we can see the nimbus on the few1 but not on the crowd2 on the unusual1 but not upon the commonplace4 ,but the very birth-hour of ,christianity irradiated the humble doings of humble people4 ,when the angels went to the shepherds1 common work was encircled with an immortal crown4 ,and it is in the ,lord ,jesus that all labour troubles are to be put to rest4 ,if we work from any other centre we shall arrive at confusion confounded4 ,i have the keys4 ,,december ,the ,twenty-second ,,the ,,lord ,,of ,,the ,,worshipper ,,luke ii4 #be-ce4 ,and so the good news was taken to the worshipper bowing within the gates of the ,temple4 ,the soul of old ,simeon was filled with holy satisfaction and peace4 ,the cravings of the heart were quieted1 and its desires found the coveted feast in the holy ,child of ,god4 ,and thus the ,lord ,jesus was not only to dignify the body but to gratify the soul4 ,he was to be most efficient where ,he was most needed4 ,and this has been the unfailing experience of the years4 ,there is a hunger in my soul for which ,i can find no satisfying bread4 ,i have tried many breads2 ,i have tried nature1 and art1 and music1 and literature1 and ,i have tried human fellowship and social service4 ,but my soul is hungry still6 ,and the ,lord ,jesus comes to me1 as ,i reverently grope in the vast temple1 and ,he satisfies the hungry soul with good things4 ,his bread of life is very wonderful2 it lifts the soul into the restfulness of strength1 and gives me a strange buoyancy1 and the glorious liberty of the children of ,god4 ,my soul1 wait thou only on ,him6 ,he is thy hope1 thy strength1 and thy salvation6 ,he is the desire of all the nations4 ,,december ,the ,twenty-third ,,the ,,lord ,,of ,,the ,,students ,,matthew ii4 #a-ab4 ,and so the good news came to wise men1 shall we say to students1 busying themselves with the vast and intricate problems of the mind4 ,and the evangel offered the students mental satisfaction1 bringing the interpreting clue1 beaming upon them with the guiding ray which would lead them into perfect noon4 ,yes1 our wise men must find the key of wisdom in the ,lord4 ,in a wider sense than the meaning of the original word it is true that the fear of the ,lord is the beginning of wisdom4 ,to seek mental satisfactions and leave out ,jesus is like trying to make a garden and leave out the sun4 ,without ,me ye can do nothing1 not even in the unravelling of the problems which beset and besiege the mind4 ,if my mental pilgrimage is to be as a shining light shining more and more even unto perfect day1 ,i must begin with ,jesus1 and pay homage to ,his ,kingly and incomparable glory4 ,i must lay my treasures at ,his feet1 gold1 and frankincense1 and myrrh4 ,then will ,he lead me into all truth1 and the truth shall make me free4 ,,december ,the ,twenty-fourth ,,entering ,,in ,,at ,,lowly ,,doors ,unto us a ,child is born4 --,,isaiah ix4 #a-g4 ,how gentle the coming6 ,who would have had sufficient daring of imagination to conceive that ,god ,almighty would have appeared among men as a little child8 ,we should have conceived something sensational1 phenomenal1 catastrophic1 appalling6 ,the most awful of the natural elements would have formed ,his retinue1 and men would be chilled and frozen with fear4 ,but ,he came as a little child4 ,the great ,god emptied ,himself2 ,he let in the light as our eyes were able to bear it4 ,unto us a ,son is given4 ,and that is the superlative gift6 ,the love that bestows such gift is all-complete and gracious4 ,and the ,son is given in order that we may all be born into sonship4 ,it is the ,son's ministry to make sons4 ,now are we the sons of ,god1 and we are of ,his creation4 ,lord1 ,i would serve1 and be a son2 ,dismiss me not1 ,i pray4 ,,december ,the ,twenty-fifth ,,christmas ,,cheer ,good will toward men6 --,,luke ii4 #h-bj4 ,the heavens are not filled with hostility4 ,the sky does not express a frown4 ,when ,i look up ,i do not contemplate a face of brass1 but the face of infinite good will4 ,yet when ,i was a child1 many a picture has made me think of ,god as suspicious1 inhumanly watchful1 always looking round the corner to catch me at the fall4 ,that eye1 placed in the sky of many a picture1 and placed there to represent ,god1 filled my heart with a chilling fear4 ,that ,god was to me a magnified policeman1 watching for wrong-doers1 and ever ready for the infliction of punishment4 ,it was all a frightful perversion of the gracious teaching of ,jesus4 ,heaven overflows with good will toward men6 ,our ,god not only wishes good1 ,he wills it6 ,he gave ,his only begotten ,son1 as the sacred expression of ,his infinite good will4 ,he has good will toward thee and me1 and mine and thine4 ,let that holy thought make our ,christmas cheer4 ,,december ,the ,twenty-sixth ,,daybreak ,,in ,,the ,,soul ,,isaiah ix4 #a-g4 ,it is a lonely and a chilling experience to sit in the darkness4 ,and the gloom and the cold are all the more intense when there is death in the house4 ,in such conditions we are in great need of light and fire4 ,and that is how the children of men were feeling before the ,saviour came4 ,they sat in darkness and in the shadow of death4 ,the world was cold1 and sin and death were in it1 and they longed for light and cheer4 ,and the great ,light came1 and ,his wonderful ,presence not only illumines the house but banishes the fear of sin and death4 ,they that dwelt in the land of the shadow of death1 upon them hath the light shined4 ,where can we get this living light except in the ,lord ,jesus ,christ8 ,everything else is candle-light6 ,it fails us in the midnight4 ,it flickers amid conflicting currents4 ,it goes out in the rough blast4 ,the light of art and of literature fails me when ,i need them most4 ,when ,i sit in the darkness1 with death in the house1 these kindly ministers have no effective beams4 ,i turn to the ,master1 and ,he shines upon me1 and it is daybreak in the soul6 ,,december ,the ,twenty-seventh ,,the ,,sunny ,,side ,,of ,,things #a ,,john i4 #a-g4 ,i have just come out of a gloomy room into a sunny room to write these words4 ,i had my choice4 ,i could have stayed in the sombre room1 but ,i choose to come into the sun-lit room and the warm1 cheering beams are even now falling upon my page4 ,walk in the light6 ,and ,i make my choice1 and how often ,i choose to walk without ,christ in the unfertilizing and unfruitful gloom of self-will6 ,in the light of the ,lord ,i could have a garden of ,eden2 how often ,i choose the dingy wilderness where ,i can grow neither flowers nor fruits4 ,walk in the light4 ,the ,lord's companionship always makes the sunny side of the street4 ,it may be that the way is rough and stony and difficult1 but in ,his company there is light that never fails1 compared with which the world's noontide is only as the gloomiest night4 ,and the souls that walk in the light gather sacred sweets all along the way4 ,heavenly fruits grow for the children of light1 fruits of love and joy and peace1 and the favoured pilgrim plucks them as he goes along4 ,all ,i find in ,jesus4 ,the way of light is the way of delight1 and the joy of the ,lord is our strength4 ,,december ,the ,twenty-eighth ,,in ,,him ,,was ,,life ,,john i4 #a-ah4 ,i have heard men speak of wanting to see a bit of life1 and ,i found that what they meant was to see a bit of death4 ,it is as if a man should go to the hospital to see a bit of health1 or as if he should go to a gory battlefield to see the human frame4 ,it is like going to a refuse-heap to see a bit of garden4 ,life is not found in fields of license2 it is not found among the wild oats of a dissipated youth4 ,life is found only in ,christ1 and if we want to see a bit of life we must go to ,him4 ,in ,him was life2 and that not merely to be looked at but to be shared4 ,he is the well to which everybody can bring his pitcher1 and take it away filled4 ,and my pitcher is just my need4 ,all the fitness ,he requires is to feel our need of ,him4 ,the ,life is all-sufficient for the needs of the race4 ,this ,life can vitalize all that is withered and dead2 it can make decrepit wills muscular and mighty1 and it can transfigure the leper with the glow and purity of perfect health4 ,thou of life the ,fountain art1 ,freely let me take of ,thee4 ,,december ,the ,twenty-ninth ,,the ,,love ,,of ,,god #a ,,john iv4 #g-ad4 ,let me more assiduously think of ,god's love4 ,let me sit down to it4 ,in the ,national ,gallery can be seen two sorts of people4 ,there are the mere vagrants1 who are always on the move1 passing from picture to picture1 without seeing any4 ,and there are the students1 who sit down1 and contemplate1 and meditate1 and appropriate1 and saturate4 ,and there are vagrants in respect to the love of the ,lord4 ,they have a passing glimpse1 but the impression is not vital and vitalizing1 and there are the students1 who are always gazing1 and who are continually crying1 ,o the depth of the riches of the love of ,god in ,christ6 ,his riches are unsearchable6 ,and ,god's love is the creator of my love4 ,while ,i muse the fire burns4 ,i am kindled into the same holy passion4 ,that is to say1 contemplation determines character4 ,we acquire the hues of the things to which we cling4 ,to hold fellowship with love is to become loveful and lovely4 ,we love because ,he first loved us4 ,and then1 in the third place1 it is through my love that ,i know my ,lord4 ,everyone that loveth knoweth ,god4 ,love is the lens through which ,i discern the secret things of ,god4 ,,december ,the ,thirtieth ,,the ,,blessedness ,,of ,,forgiveness ,blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven4 --,,psalm xxxii4 ,it is the blessedness of emancipation4 ,the boat which has been tethered to the weird1 baleful shore is set free1 and sails toward the glories of the morning4 ,the man1 long cramped in the dark1 imprisoning pit1 is brought out1 and stretches his limbs in the sweet light and air of ,god's free world4 ,black servitude is ended2 glorious liberty begins4 ,it is the blessedness of education4 ,for when we are freed we are by no means perfected4 ,we are liberated babes2 and our ,emancipator does not desert us in our spiritual infancy4 ,the foundling is not abandoned4 ,having loved ,his own ,he loved them unto the end4 ,he begins with us in the spiritual nursery1 and ,he will train and lead and feed us until we are perfect in ,christ ,jesus4 ,therefore is it the blessedness of exultation4 ,the babe is resting on the bosom of the ,lord1 and the joy of the ,lord is his strength4 ,it is not my emancipation that ensures my joy2 it is the abiding ,presence of the ,emancipator4 ,,december ,the ,thirty-first ,,the ,,rear-,,guard ,goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life4 --,,psalm xxiii4 ,but why follow me8 ,why not go before8 ,because some of my enemies are in the rear2 they attack me from behind4 ,there are foes in my yesterdays which can give me fatal wounds4 ,they can stab me in the back6 ,if ,i could only get away from the past6 ,its guilt dogs my steps4 ,its sins are ever at my heels4 ,i have turned my face toward the ,lord1 but my yesterdays pursue me like a relentless hound6 ,so ,i have an enemy in the rear4 ,but1 blessed be ,his name1 my mighty ,god is in the rear as well as my foe4 ,goodness and mercy shall follow me6 ,no hound can break through that defence4 ,between me and my guilt there is the infinite love of the ,lord4 ,the loving ,lord will not permit my past to destroy my soul4 ,i may sorrow for my past1 but my very sorrow shall be a minister of moral and spiritual health4 ,my ,lord is ,lord of the past as well as of the morrow1 and so to-day ,i will trust and not be afraid4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,devotional ,,robert ,f4 ,,horton ,the ,triumphant ,life3 ,life1 ,warfare and ,victory through the ,cross #afmo1 ,cloth1 net #ej;c4 ,the author1 one of the most influential preachers and devotional writers1 presents an attractive volume of brief counsels on ,faith and ,duty4 ,,charles ,,brown ,lessons from the ,cross #afmo1 ,cloth1 net #ej;c4 ,a volume of remarkable spiritual power which will also prove an incentive to further study of this great subject4 ,,milford ,,hall ,,lyon ,for the ,life ,that ,now ,is #afmo1 ,cloth1 net #ge;c4 ,emphasizes the power and presence of a life hid with ,christ in ,god4 ,it will be a revelation to many that there is such a correspondence between the needs of mankind and the provisions of redeeming grace4--,reformed ,church ,messenger4 ,,hannah ,,whitall ,,smith ,the ,christian's ,secret of a ,happy ,life ,new ,edition1 with ,decorative ,lace ,border and ,lace ,cover ,design4 #ab mo1 ,cloth1 net #a4jj4 ,a ,handsome ,new ,gift ,edition of this famous ,christian classic1 which as a prominent writer once said will transform the dark days of your life1 as it has transformed those of thousands before you4 ,j4 ,h4 ,,jowett ,our ,blessed ,dead #afmo1 ,boards1 #be;c4 ,a booklet of consolation2 suggestive and effective4 ,,cortland ,,myers ,the ,real ,holy ,spirit #abmo1 ,cloth1 net #ej;c4 ,to make this unreality real and mighty in the life of the individual and of the ,church is the purpose of this book1 that is eminently sane and practical1 and will appeal with force to every thoughtful and earnest ,christian4--,christian ,guardian4 ,,the ,,world ,,of ,,religious ,,thought ,,richard ,,roberts ,the ,renascence of ,faith ,with an ,introduction by ,g4 ,a4 ,johnston ,ross4 #abmo1 cloth1 net #a4ej4 ,a fresh and striking contribution to current religious discussion4 ,it is the average man1--the man in the street--who is at once the subject of ,mr4 ,roberts' study4 ,he is keenly alive to and frankly critical of the weaknesses1 shortcomings and divisions of modern ,christianity2 but he has a well-grounded optimism and a buoyant faith which will be found contagious4--,living ,age4 ,,james ,w4 ,,lee ,the ,religion of ,science ,the ,faith of ,coming ,man #abmo1 cloth1 net #a4ej4 ,dr4 ,lee thinks scientifically4 ,he delivers a clear-cut thought product and his powers of intellectual visualization are transferred to the reader4 ,after having read ',the ,religion of ,science1' we can only underwrite the testimony of ,dr4 ,birney1 ,dean of the ,theological ,school of ,boston ,university3 ',it is the finest apologetic for the modern mood of thought concerning things ,christian that ,i have seen4 ,the book in a masterly manner reveals the pathway of triumphant faith4'--,christian ,advocate4 ,,marshall ,p4 ,,talling1 ,ph4 ,d4 ,author of ,extempore ,prayer and ,inter-,communion with ,god ,the ,science of ,spiritual ,life ,an ,application of ,scientific ,method in the ,exploration of ,spiritual ,experience4 ,cloth1 net #a4ej4 ,this comprehensive handbook of theology is a mediatory work of real value1 combining as it does the insight of a spiritually minded man with the keen perception of one who fully recognizes what science has done and is doing to-day4 ,,john ,,douglas ,,adam1 ,d4,d4 ,religion and the ,growing ,mind #abmo1 cloth1 net #ge;c4 ,this stimulating treatise on the development of a science of soul culture is intended primarily for young people4 ,the expansion of the spiritual nature is shown to be the supreme thing in life4 ,in clear1 brief1 logical1 sane manner ,dr4 ,adam describes man's psychical nature and methods of its development in terms of modern psychology4 ,w4 ,h4 ,p4 ,,faunce1 ,d4,d4 ,what ,does ,christianity ,mean8 ,the ,cole ,lectures for #aiab4 #abmo1 cloth1 net #a4be4 ,dr4 ,faunce1 ,president of ,brown ,university1 has chosen an unusually attractive theme which is discussed in this series of lectures on the following subjects3 #a4 ,the ,essence of the ,christian ,faith4 #b4 ,the ,meaning of ,god4 #c4 ,the ,basis of ,character4 #d4 ,the principle of ,fellowship4 #e4 ,the ,aim of ,education4 #f4 ,the ,goal of ,our ,effort4 ,,theological ,,discussion ,,robert ,f4 ,,horton1 ,d4,d4 ,how the ,cross ,saves #afmo1 cloth1 net #ej;c4 ,will bring help and light to minds perplexed and darkened by doubt4 ,it is a clear statement of the central truth of ,christianity4 ,logically and biblically ,dr4 ,horton calls to mind the fact that the atonement is of ,god2 that men need it2 and that man-made atonements which minimize sin will not do4 ,then he discusses the atonement1 the meaning and the victory of the cross4--,advance4 ,,james ,a4 ,,anderson1 ,l4,l4,d4 ,editor of the ,western ,methodist ,religious ,unrest and ,its ,remedy #abmo1 cloth1 net #ge;c4 ,a query raised by theological unrest and an attempt to indicate where rest is found4 ,christian ,faith and ,doctrine ,series #abmo1 cloth1 each net #a4jj4 ,,principal ,w4 ,f4 ,,adeney1 ,d4,d4 ,the ,christian ,conception of ,god ,a vitalizing1 tonic treatise of a fundamental theme4 ,the scholarly author of ,the ,theology of the ,new ,testament needs no introduction4 ,he is a stalwart defender of the essential truths of ,christianity4 ,the ,british ,congregationalist says3 ,this remarkable book will have a place of its own side by side with ,prof4 ,newton ,clarke's more elaborate work4 ,j4 ,,monro ,,gibson1 ,d4,d4 ,the ,inspiration and ,authority of ,holy ,scriptures ,with ,introduction by ,principal ,forsythe ,principal ,forsythe's ,introduction gives the key to the book3 ,there is no more difficult position to-day than that of the minister who has to stand between the world of modern knowledge and the world of traditional religion and mediate between them4 ,its facts have been verified in the writer's own experience1 and they are set down in the precise order that they appear to be necessary in the life of a man who desires to live well and die well4--,expository ,times4 ,,george ,,hanson1 ,d4,d4 ,the ,resurrection and the ,life ,this thorough-going study of the ,resurrection of ,jesus is characterized by a vigorous intellectual grasp of the subject4 ,the author presents a most assuring and comforting contribution to ,christian apologetics4 ,it is a work that will not only meet the demands of the scholarly and thoughtful1 but minister to those who have no questionings4 ,,gift ,,books1 ,,essays1 ,etc4 ,w4 ,j4 ,,dawson1 ,d4,d4 ,the ,book of ,courage #abmo1 decorated cloth1 net #a4be4 ,to meet a present day demand4 ,everyone needs help to live the courageous life--to learn to face life as it is and yet continue to be in love with it4 ,the ,book of ,courage meets the need of all who search for help4 ,it is a mine of inspiration to courageous living4 ,,newell ,,dwight ,,hillis1 ,d4,d4 ,the ,contagion of ,character ,studies in ,culture and ,success4 ,gilt top1 net #a4bj4 ,the ,outlook says3 ,brief1 pungent studies1 sparks struck out on the anvil of events4 ,sparkling indeed they are and likewise full of ethical wisdom and vigor4 ,essays for the times whose lessons are printed and clinched at every turn with personal experiences that grip attention4 ,,prof4 ,,hugh ,,black1 ,d4,d4 ,happiness ,decorated1 #hvo1 cloth1 gilt top1 net #a4ej4 ,this is the fourth in a quartette of gift books which began with ,,friendship and naturally ends with ,,happiness4 ,similar to ,,friendship in its form it is distinct in matters of cloth1 cover design1 title page and decorative page borders4 ,altogether it is one of the season's most delightful gift books--the mechanical setting being worthy of the subject matter in every respect4 ,,herbert ,g4 ,,stockwell ,essential ,elements of ,business ,character #afmo1 cloth1 net #fj;c4 ,the author has won an enviable reputation through his articles on ,business in recent issues of ,the ,outlook4 ,the editors say that the readers of ,the ,outlook have expressed their appreciation in a very unusual way4 ,some of the largest corporations in the country have written asking for permission to reprint extracts in their house organs4 ,,frederick ,a4 ,,atkins ,life ,worth ,while ,a ,volume of ,inspiration for ,young ,men4 ,net #ej;c4 ,this new volume of talks to young men by ,mr4 ,atkins contains the same tonic qualities that made ,,moral ,,muscle1 ,,first ,,battles and ,,aspiration ,,and ,,achievement so truly helpful4 ,the author is a man of magnetic and winning personality4 ,his appeal is particularly to young men4 ,the virile and persuasive tone will stimulate to greater endeavor and higher achievement4