,transcriber's ,note3 ,bold text is surrounded by equal signs and italic text by underscores4 ,,thoughts ,,for ,,the ,,quiet ,,hour ,edited ,by ,d4 ,l4 ,moody ,illustration ,fleming ,h4 ,revell ,company ,,chicago 3 ,,new ,,york 3 ,,toronto ,publishers of ,evangelical ,literature ,copyrighted #aijj by ,fleming ,h4 ,revell ,company ,,to ,,the ,,reader ,one of the brightest signs of the times is that many ,christians in our ,young ,people's ,societies and churches are observing a ,quiet ,hour daily4 ,in this age of rush and activity we need some special call to go apart and be alone with ,god for a part of each day4 ,any man or woman who does this faithfully and earnestly cannot be more than twenty-four hours away from ,god4 ,the selections given in this volume were first published in the monthly issues of the ,record of ,christian ,work1 and were found very helpful for devotional purposes4 ,they are also a mine of thoughts1 to light up the verses quoted4 ,being of permanent value1 it has been thought desirable to transfer them from the pages of the magazine to this permanent volume4 ,may they have a helpful ministry1 leading many into closer communion with ,god6 ,illustration3 ,d4 ,l4 ,moody ,index of ,texts ,quoted in ,this ,volume4 ,genesis #a3 #d1 #cd #b3 #g1 #cf #c3 #c1 #ga #i1 #e #bd1 #aji #d3ae1 #aje #f3 #h1 #abh #ab3 #a1 #ah #ac3ab1 #abd #ae1 #cg #af3 #i1 #id #ah3ag1 #if #be3 #h1 #ah1 #bh #aa1 #fh #bh3ab1 #ajb #ae1 #fj #af1 #fi1 #ajb #cb3 #a1 #bd #cb1 #aai #cc3 #a1 #aaa ,exodus #b3 #c1 #cb #d3ac1 #cb #ad3ac1 #f #ai1 #aab #bj3 #c1 #ha #bd3ah1 #aa #bh3 #b1 #ab #cc3ad1 #hh #cd3 #b1 #be ,numbers #i3bc1 #bj #aa3ad1 #ea #ac3bg1 #ch #bh1 #ch ,deuteronomy #a3 #b1 #bf #d3 #a1 #ajb #ah3ad1 #hj #cc3be1 #fc1 #fi ,joshua #d3ba1 #bj #e3ad1 #bf #bc3aa1 #g #bd3ae1 #aad ,judges #f3ad1 #gh #h3ah1 #ch ,i4 ,samuel #a3aj1 #abh #ac1 #abh #bg1 #ej #bh1 #ej #b3 #c1 #bc #ab3bd1 #dc ,,ii4 ,samuel #e3ai1 #eg #bb3cf1 #bd ,i4 ,kings #b3cd1 #ajf #h3ab1 #id #ac1 #id #ag3 #c1 #eb #aj1 #aac ,,ii4 ,kings #f3ag1 #aa #aj3 #e1 #gd #be3cj1 #ci1 #aac ,i4 ,chronicles #d3bc1 #ib ,job #e3ag1 #ajj ,psalms #e3 #c1 #ab #af3aa1 #aaj #ai3ab1 #gd1 #abd #ba3 #d1 #ij #bc3 #b1 #ch #c1 #ca #be3 #d1 #ab #cb3 #h1 #ic #cd3 #a1 #ea #ai1 #f #ci3 #c1 #eb #ee3bb1 #eh #fb3 #e1 #dj #fc3 #a1 #de #fe3 #c1 #aab #gh3ad1 #ia #ij3 #a1 #aad #ab1 #if #ia3 #c1 #ajd #i1 #aai #aa1 #ih #ajj3b1 #ie #ajc3b1 #abb #d1 #abb #ai1 #ec #aah3ad1 #f #aai3aag1 #gb #acd3 #a1 #ag #c1 #ag #ade3 #b1 #i #af1 #ag ,proverbs #d3ah1 #cd #bc1 #ec #aa3be1 #aba #ac3be1 #dg #af3cb1 #ej #bg3 #a1 #ba ,ecclesiastes #i3aj1 #gh ,song of ,solomon #a3 #e1 #eg #f1 #cg #b3 #c1 #ac #ae1 #ce #c3 #a1 #cj #d3af1 #gj #g3aj1 #eg ,isaiah #f3 #e1 #ea #cj3ah1 #ai #cb3bj1 #gb #dj3 #h1 #ajd #ca1 #aj1 #ca1 #db1 #hj #da3ac1 #dc #ad1 #ba #dc3 #b1 #aab #dh3aj1 #id #di3 #e1 #ad #bc1 #dd #ej3aj1 #aje #ef3 #b1 #gb ,jeremiah #ah3 #d1 #aac #bb3ba1 #ajd ,ezekiel #ab3 #h1 #cf #cd3bf1 #he #cf3cg1 #hh #cg3 #c1 #aja ,daniel #e3 #a1 #abb #f3bj1 #ae #i3 #i1 #hi #aj3 #h1 #aji ,hosea #f3 #c1 #ah ,jonah #a3aa1 #abe ,micah #g3 #h1 #ajj ,zechariah #d3aj1 #fd1 #aaf #ac3 #a1 #ef ,malachi #c3 #f1 #he #ah1 #abc ,matthew #b3aj1 #ajj #ac1 #ajf #e3ad1 #de1 #ee #af1 #ajf #de1 #ce #dh1 #fe #f3 #f1 #ie #cb1 #ge #cc1 #cj #h3 #f1 #gb #aj3 #h1 #fh #db1 #eb #ad3ad1 #ha #bc1 #ha #bb1 #ei #ae3bh1 #dd #bj3ah1 #ib #bh1 #ic #be3ba1 #ei #bf1 #ei #bd-bf1 #dd #bf3ci1 #ae #dj1 #dj #bg3cb1 #ed #bh3af1 #ajg #ah1 #ajg #ai1 #ajg #bj1 #da ,mark #b3 #c1 #abb #e3cf1 #ii #f3da1 #abc #g3cd1 #df #aj3ag1 #abj #ac3cd1 #bb #ad3da1 #fe #ej1 #aba ,luke #b3aj1 #ajg #ac1 #abf #ad1 #abf #e3 #c1 #gg #e1 #he #g3 #e1 #ai #aj3bi1 #aae #ci1 #ih #ad3aj1 #abf #aa1 #di #bg1 #fb #af3aj1 #h #bd3af1 #ca #ah1 #ac #ca1 #cb #cd1 #dg ,john #a3 #d1 #de #cf1 #ga #cg1 #ga #de1 #bc #df1 #bc #b3c-e1 #dh1 #gf #aa1 #ia #c3 #h1 #bc #d3 #f1 #fg #h1 #fg #ci1 #fg #cd1 #dj1 #gj #f3eg1 #bi #h3 #i1 #aaj #bi1 #bg #aa3 #i1 #ad #ba-bd1 #eh #ab3 #d1 #fh #f1 #f #bj3ba1 #ef #be1 #abd #bg1 #abd #bi1 #i #ba3 #c1 #cg #aj1 #bb #ab1 #aja ,acts #a3 #c1 #fg #d1 #fa1 #ig #h1 #bh1 #fj #b3 #a1 #fa #d1 #fa #da1 #dg #d3aj1 #fd #ac1 #gi1 #ii #f3 #e1 #bj #h3ba1 #fd #ai3ch1 #id #aa3bf1 #abc #ac3 #b1 #fd #dg1 #fj #ad3h-aj1 #eg #ag3 #f1 #fc1 #aai #bj3ai1 #hb #bd1 #aai #bh1 #ij #bg3bc-be1 #db ,romans #e3 #c1 #df #f3 #d1 #ae #g3aa1 #ge #h3bh1 #aa1 #ca #ac3aa1 #hi #ae3ac1 #ij ,i4 ,corinthians #a3 #g1 #cj #bh1 #ie #c3aj1 #fi #g3cb1 #hg #aj3ab1 #gf #aa3 #a1 #hb #ac3ac1 #abd #ae3eh1 #df ,,ii4 ,corinthians #a3ba1 #aaf #bb1 #aaf #ac3e1 #aad #ag1 #fe ,galatians #a3 #d1 #ee #b3bj1 #if1 #ajc1 #aae #c3bg1 #eh #f3 #b1 #cc1 #ci #g1 #be #i1 #hh #ad1 #abg ,ephesians #a3ac1 #ba #ag1 #aji #ah1 #aji #b3aj1 #gh1 #hd #ab1 #abj #ba1 #af #d3ae1 #aac #e3h1 #g1 #gg #ae1 #cb ,philippians #a3ba1 #bg #b3ab #ci1 #da1 #gc #ac1 #ci1 #da1 #gc #c3ac1 #bd #ad1 #bd #d3 #f1 #db #ab1 #dh #ac1 #ee1 #fc #ai1 #h ,colossians #a3bg1 #if #c3 #b1 #df1 #gh #c1 #ge #aa1 #af #ae1 #hg #af1 #aah #ag1 #ed #bd1 #hg #d3 #b1 #af1 #gf1 #abf ,i4 ,thessalonians #e3 #f1 #ff #h1 #ajc #ai1 #bg #bd1 #aah ,i4 ,timothy #a3ae1 #gc #ag1 #gc ,,ii4 ,timothy #a3ab1 #fa #b3 #c1 #fb #ab1 #ec1 #hf #ae1 #fj ,hebrews #d3 #i1 #ac #f3ab1 #abe #ai1 #abh #g3be1 #abg #aj3 #e1 #bg #ai1 #da #bb1 #da #cb1 #bc1 #aah #aa3 #g1 #hc #h1 #bb #ab3 #a1 #gi #b1 #gi #b1 #ad #f1 #dg1 #ajg1 #aag #ac3 #e1 #aah ,james #a3 #b1 #h #d1 #gb #bc1 #abe #be1 #abe #d3 #d1 #abg #ad1 #abc1 #abe ,i4 ,peter #a3af1 #if #ba1 #aba #bc1 #hf #b3 #e1 #bj #ba1 #ha #e3 #e1 #aaa ,,ii4 ,peter #a3 #e1 #gj #ba1 #aba #c3ah1 #dd1 #gd ,i4 ,john #a3 #g1 #dh #i1 #bf #b3 #f1 #ah #ae1 #ag1 #hg #c3 #b1 #ia #d3ad1 #hh #af1 #fa1 #ih #ah1 #db #e3 #d1 #ig ,jude #ba1 #bh ,revelation #a3aj1 #aag #aa1 #aag #ag1 #ff #b3aj1 #aje #c3ai1 #bj #d3 #h1 #cj #g3 #i1 #cd #bb3ab1 #e #ad1 #aji ,illustration3 ,,january ,january #ast4 ,come up in the morning 4 4 4 and present thyself 4 4 4 to me in the top of the mount4 ,ex4 xxxiv4 #b4 ,my ,father1 ,i am coming4 ,nothing on the mean plain shall keep me away from the holy heights4 ,help me to climb fast1 and keep ,thou my foot1 lest it fall upon the hard rock6 ,at ,thy bidding ,i come1 so ,thou wilt not mock my heart4 ,bring with ,thee honey from heaven1 yea1 milk and wine1 and oil for my soul's good1 and stay the sun in his course1 or the time will be too short in which to look upon ,thy face1 and to hear ,thy gentle voice4 ,morning on the mount6 ,it will make me strong and glad all the rest of the day so well begun4--,joseph ,parker4 ,january #bnd4 ,my reward is with me4 ,rev4 xxii4 #ab4 ,we are to be rewarded1 not only for work done1 but for burdens borne1 and ,i am not sure but that the brightest rewards will be for those who have borne burdens without murmuring4 ,on that day ,he will take the lily1 that has been growing so long among thorns1 and lift it up to be the glory and wonder of all the universe2 and the fragrance of that lily will draw forth ineffable praises from all the hosts of heaven4--,andrew ,bonar4 ,january #crd4 ,where art thou8 ,gen4 iii4 #i4 ,art thou hiding thyself away from ,him who would send thee forth to do ,his own blessed work in ,his own way8 ,oh1 let me say to thee this morning1 ,the ,lord hath need of thee4 ,it may seem to be only a little thing ,he has for you to do1 but it is an important one4 ,he has need of thee4 ,turn not thy back upon ,him2 put not thyself out of the way of being employed by ,him2 do not begin by laying down laws for thyself as to what thou wilt do and what thou wilt not do2 but cry out from the very depth of thy heart1 ,here am ,i1 send me1--,w4 ,hay ,aitken4 ,january #dth4 ,many are the afflictions of the righteous1 but the ,lord delivereth him out of them all4 ,psa4 xxxiv4 #ai4 ,all the afflictions of the righteous open out into something glorious4 ,the prisoner is not merely delivered1 but he finds an angel waiting for him at the door4 ,and with every deliverance comes a specific blessing4 ,one angel is named faith2 another1 love2 another1 joy2 another1 longsuffering2 another1 gentleness2 another1 goodness2 another1 meekness2 another1 temperance2 another1 peace4 ,each of these graces says1 ,we have come out of great tribulation4--,g4 ,bowen4 ,january #eth4 ,the ,lord is my 4 4 4 song4 ,psa4 cxviii4 #ad4 ,let us think of ,god ,himself becoming our song4 ,this is the fulness and perfection of knowing ,god3 so to know ,him that ,he ,himself becomes our delight2 so to know ,him that praise is sweetest1 and fullest1 and freshest1 and gladdest1 when we sing of ,him4 ,he who has learned this blessed secret carries the golden key of heaven--nay1 he hath fetched heaven down to earth1 and need not envy the angels now4--,mark ,guy ,pearse4 ,january #fth4 ,fear ye not1 stand still1 and see the salvation of the ,lord4 ,ex4 xiv4 #ac4 ,often ,god seems to place ,his children in positions of profound difficulty--leading them into a wedge from which there is no escape2 contriving a situation which no human judgment would have permitted1 had it been previously consulted4 ,the very cloud conducts them thither4 ,you may be thus involved at this very hour4 ,it does seem perplexing and very serious to the last degree2 but it is perfectly right4 ,the issue will more than justify ,him who has brought you hither4 ,it is a platform for the display of ,his almighty grace and power4 ,he will not only deliver you1 but in doing so ,he will give you a lesson that you will never forget2 and to which1 in many a psalm and song in after days1 you will revert4 ,you will never be able to thank ,god enough for having done just as ,he has4--,f4 ,b4 ,meyer4 ,january #gth4 ,now are ye light in the ,lord3 walk as children of light4 ,eph4 v4 #h4 ,the influence we exert in the world is created by our relationship to ,jesus ,christ2 and our relationship to ,jesus ,christ is revealed by our influence4--,selected4 ,january #hth4 ,take good heed therefore unto your souls4 ,josh4 xxiii4 #aa4 7,margin47 ,gold cannot be used for currency as long as it is mixed with the quartz and rock in which it lies imbedded4 ,so your soul is useless to ,god till taken out from sin and earthliness and selfishness1 in which it lies buried4 ,by the regenerating power of the ,spirit you must be separated unto ,christ1 stamped with ,his image and superscription1 and made into a divine currency1 which shall bear ,his likeness among men4 ,the ,christian is1 so to speak1 the circulating medium of ,christ1 the coin of the realm by whom the great transactions of mercy and grace to a lost world are carried on4 ,as the currency stands for the gold1 so does the ,christian stand for ,christ1 representing ,his good and acceptable will4--,a4 ,j4 ,gordon4 ,january #ith4 ,he that is faithful in that which is least1 is faithful also in much4 ,luke xvi4 #aj4 ,the least action of life can be as surely done from the loftiest motive as the highest and noblest4 ,faithfulness measures acts as ,god measures them4 ,true conscientiousness deals with our duties as ,god deals with them4 ,duty is duty1 conscience is conscience1 right is right1 and wrong is wrong1 whatever sized type they be printed in4 ,large and small are not words for the vocabulary of conscience4 ,it knows only two words--right and wrong4--,alex4 ,mc,laren4 ,january #ajth4 ,my ,god shall supply all your need according to ,his riches in glory by ,christ ,jesus4 ,phil4 iv4 #ai4 ,what a source--,god6 ,what a standard--,his riches in glory6 ,what a channel--,christ ,jesus6 ,it is your sweet privilege to place all your need over against ,his riches1 and lose sight of the former in the presence of the latter4 ,his exhaustless treasury is thrown open to you1 in all the love of ,his heart2 go and draw upon it1 in the artless simplicity of faith1 and you will never have occasion to look to a creature-stream1 or lean on a creature-prop4--,c4 ,h4 ,m4 ,january #aath4 ,count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations4 ,james i4 #b4 ,we cannot be losers by trusting ,god1 for ,he is honored by faith1 and most honored when faith discerns ,his love and truth behind a thick cloud of ,his ways and providence4 ,happy those who are thus tried6 ,let us only be clear of unbelief and a guilty conscience4 ,we shall hide ourselves in the rock and pavilion of the ,lord1 sheltered beneath the wings of everlasting love till all calamities be overpast4--,selected4 ,january #abth4 ,blessed are they that have not seen1 and yet have believed4 ,john xx4 #bi4 ,the seen are shadows3 the substance is found in the unseen4 4 4 4 ,no doubt1 in ,christ1 the foundation of our faith is unseen2 but so is that of yonder tower that lifts its tall erect form among the waves over which it throws a saving light4 ,it appears to rest on the rolling billows2 but1 beneath these1 invisible and immovable1 lies the solid rock on which it stands secure2 and when the hurricane roars above1 and breakers roar below1 ,i could go calmly to sleep in that lone sea tower4 ,founded on a rock1 and safer than the proudest palace that stands on the sandy1 surf-beaten shore1 it cannot be moved4 ,still less the ,rock of ,ages6 ,who trusts in that is fit for death1 prepared for judgment1 ready for the last day's sounding trumpet1 since1 ,the ,lord redeemeth the soul of ,his servants1 and none of them that trust in ,him shall be desolate4--,guthrie4 ,january #acth4 ,herein is my ,father glorified that ye bear much fruit4 ,john xv4 #h4 ,what a possibility1 what an inspiration1 that we can enhance the glory of our ,father6 ,our hearts leap at the thought4 ,how can this be done8 ,by bearing leaves1--a profession of love for ,him8 ,no4 ,by bearing some fruit8 ,no4 ,that ye bear much fruit4 ,in the abundance of the yield is the joy1 the glory of the husbandman4 ,we should1 therefore1 aim to be extraordinary1 hundred-fold ,christians1 satisfied with none but the largest yield4 ,our lives should be packed with good deeds4 ,then at harvest time we can say1 ,father1 ,i have glorified ,thee on the earth6--,w4 ,jennings4 ,january #adth4 ,every day will ,i bless ,thee2 and ,i will praise ,thy name for ever and ever4 ,psa4 cxlv4 #b4 ,there is a very beautiful device by which the ,japanese are accustomed to express their wishes for their friends4 ,it is the figure of a drum in which the birds have built their nest4 ,the story told of it is that once there lived a good king1 so anxiously concerned for the welfare of his people that at the palace gate he set a drum1 and whoever had any wrong to be redressed or any want1 should beat the drum1 and at once1 by day or night1 the king would grant the suppliant an audience and relief4 ,but throughout the land there reigned such prosperity and contentment that none needed to appeal for anything1 and the birds built their nests within it and filled it with the music of their song4 ,such gracious access is granted to us even by the ,king of ,heaven1 and day and night ,his ready hearing and ,his help are within the reach of all that come to ,him2 but of all men most blessed are they who have found on earth a blessedness in which all want is forgotten1 and trust rests so assured of safety in the ,father's care that prayer gives place to ceaseless praise4 ,they rejoice in the ,lord alway4--,mark ,guy ,pearse4 ,january #aeth4 ,they shall mount up with wings as eagles2 they shall run1 and not be weary2 they shall walk1 and not faint4--,isa4 xl4 #ca4 ,this1 my soul1 is the triumph of thy being--to be able to walk with ,god6 ,flight belongs to the young soul2 it is the romance of religion4 ,to run without weariness belongs to the lofty soul2 it is the beauty of religion4 ,but to walk and not faint belongs to the perfect soul2 it is the power of religion4 ,canst thou walk in white through the stained thoroughfares of men8 ,canst thou touch the vile and polluted ones of earth and retain thy garments pure8 ,canst thou meet in contact with the sinful and be thyself undefiled8 ,then thou hast surpassed the flight of the eagle6--,george ,matheson4 ,january #afth4 ,and ,moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights4 ,ex4 xxiv4 #ah4 ,the life of fellowship with ,god cannot be built up in a day4 ,it begins with the habitual reference of all to ,him1 hour by hour1 as ,moses did in ,egypt4 ,but it moves on to more and longer periods of communion2 and it finds its consummation and bliss in days and nights of intercession and waiting and holy intercourse4--,f4 ,b4 ,meyer4 ,january #agth4 ,elisha said1 ,lord1 ,i pray thee1 open his eyes that he may see4 #b ,kings vi4 #ag4 ,this is the prayer we need to pray for ourselves and for one another1 ,lord1 open our eyes that we may see2 for the world all around us1 as well as around the prophet1 is full of ,god's horses and chariots1 waiting to carry us to places of glorious victory4 ,and when our eyes are thus opened1 we shall see in all the events of life1 whether great or small1 whether joyful or sad1 a chariot for our souls4 ,everything that comes to us becomes a chariot the moment we treat it as such2 and1 on the other hand1 even the smallest trial may be a ,juggernaut car to crush us into misery or despair if we so consider them4 ,it lies with each of us to choose which they shall be4 ,it all depends1 not upon what these events are1 but upon how we take them4 ,if we lie down under them1 and let them roll over us and crush us1 they become ,juggernaut cars1 but if we climb up into them1 as into a car of victory1 and make them carry us triumphantly onward and upward1 they become the chariots of ,god4--,smith4 ,january #ahth4 ,all things work together for good to them that love ,god4 ,rom4 viii4 #bh4 ,in one thousand trials it is not five hundred of them that work for the believer's good1 but nine hundred and ninety-nine of them1 ,,and ,,one ,,beside4--,george ,mueller4 ,january #aith4 ,thou shalt make holy garments for ,aaron4 ,ex4 xxviii4 #b4 ,have we no garments of blue1 and purple1 and beautiful suggestiveness8 ,we have garments of praise2 we are clothed with the ,lord ,jesus4 ,and have we no ornaments8 ,the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit is1 in the sight of ,god1 of great price4 ,and have we no golden bells8 ,we have the golden bells of holy actions4 ,our words are bells1 our actions are bells1 our purposes are bells4 ,whenever we move1 our motion is thus understood to be a motion towards holy places1 holy deeds1 holy character4--,joseph ,parker4 ,january #bjth4 ,my voice shalt thou hear in the morning1 ,o ,lord2 in the morning will ,i direct my prayer unto ,thee1 and will look up4 ,psa v4 #c4 ,the morning is the gate of the day1 and should be well guarded with prayer4 ,it is one end of the thread on which the day's actions are strung1 and should be well knotted with devotion4 ,if we felt more the majesty of life we should be more careful of its mornings4 ,he who rushes from his bed to his business and waiteth not to worship is as foolish as though he had not put on his clothes1 or cleansed his face1 and as unwise as though he dashed into battle without arms or armor4 ,be it ours to bathe in the softly flowing river of communion with ,god1 before the heat of the wilderness and the burden of the way begin to oppress us4--,spurgeon4 ,january #bast4 ,show me ,thy ways1 ,o ,lord2 teach me ,thy paths4 ,psa4 xxv4 #d4 ,there is a path in which every child of ,god is to walk1 and in which alone ,god can accompany him4--,denham ,smith4 ,january #bbnd4 ,there remaineth therefore a rest to the people of ,god4 ,heb4 iv4 #i4 ,how sweet the music of this first heavenly chime floating across the waters of death from the towers of the ,new ,jerusalem4 ,pilgrim1 faint under thy long and arduous pilgrimage1 hear it6 ,it is ,,rest4 ,soldier1 carrying still upon thee blood and dust of battle1 hear it6 ,it is ,,rest4 ,voyager1 tossed on the waves of sin and sorrow1 driven hither and thither on the world's heaving ocean of vicissitude1 hear it6 ,the haven is in sight2 the very waves that are breaking on thee seem to murmur--,so ,he giveth ,his beloved ,,rest4 ,it is the long-drawn sigh of existence at last answered4 ,the toil and travail of earth's protracted week is at an end4 ,the calm of its unbroken ,sabbath is begun4 ,man1 weary man1 has found at last the long-sought-for rest in the bosom of his ,god6--,macduff4 ,january #bcrd4 ,under ,his shadow4 ,song of ,sol4 ii4 #c4 ,frances ,ridley ,havergal says3 ,i seem to see four pictures suggested by that3 under the shadow of a rock in a weary plain2 under the shadow of a tree2 closer still1 under the shadow of ,his wing2 nearest and closest1 in the shadow of ,his hand4 ,surely that hand must be the pierced hand1 that may oftentimes press us sorely1 and yet evermore encircling1 upholding and shadowing6 ,january #bdth4 ,he made as though ,he would have gone further4 ,luke xxiv4 #bh4 ,is not ,god always acting thus8 ,he comes to us by ,his ,holy ,spirit as ,he did to these two disciples4 ,he speaks to us through the preaching of the ,gospel1 through the ,word of ,god1 through the various means of grace and the providential circumstances of life2 and having thus spoken1 ,he makes as though ,he would go further4 ,if the ear be opened to ,his voice and the heart to ,his ,spirit1 the prayer will then go up1 ,lord1 abide with me4 ,but if that voice makes no impression1 then ,he passes on1 as ,he has done thousands of times1 leaving the heart at each time harder than before1 and the ear more closed to the ,spirit's call4--,f4 ,whitfield4 ,january #beth4 ,my ,god shall be my strength4 ,isa4 xlix4 #e4 ,oh1 do not pray for easy lives6 ,pray to be stronger men6 ,do not pray for tasks equal to your powers2 pray for powers equal to your tasks6 ,then the doing of your work shall be no miracle4 ,but you shall be a miracle4 ,every day you shall wonder at yourself1 at the richness of life which has come in you by the grace of ,god4--,phillips ,brooks4 ,january #bfth4 ,despising the shame4 ,heb4 xii4 #b4 ,and how is that to be done8 ,in two ways4 ,go up the mountain1 and the things in the plain will look very small2 the higher you rise the more insignificant they will seem4 ,hold fellowship with ,god1 and the threatening foes here will seem very1 very unformidable4 ,another way is1 pull up the curtain and gaze on what is behind it4 ,the low foot-hills that lie at the base of some ,alpine country may look high when seen from the plain1 as long as the snowy summits are wrapped in mist2 but when a little puff of wind comes and clears away the fog from the lofty peaks1 nobody looks at the little green hills in front4 ,so the world's hindrances and the world's difficulties and cares look very lofty till the cloud lifts4 ,but when we see the great white summits1 everything lower does not seem so very high after all4 ,look to ,jesus1 and that will dwarf the difficulties4--,alex4 ,mc,laren4 ,january #bgth4 ,are there not twelve hours in the day8 ,john xi4 #i4 ,the very fact of a ,christian being here1 and not in heaven1 is a proof that some work awaits him4--,william ,arnot4 ,january #bhth4 ,not as ,i will1 but as ,thou wilt4 ,matt4 xxvi4 #ci4 ,there are no disappointments to those whose wills are buried in the will of ,god4--,faber4 ,january #bith4 ,the living ,god4 ,dan4 vi4 #bj4 ,how many times we find this expression in the ,scriptures1 and yet it is just this very thing that we are so prone to lose sight of6 ,we know it is written the living ,god2 but in our daily life there is scarcely anything we practically so much lose sight of as the fact that ,god is ,,the ,,living ,,god2 that ,he is now whatever ,he was three or four thousand years since2 that ,he has the same sovereign power1 the same saving love towards those who love and serve ,him as ever ,he had1 and that ,he will do for them now what ,he did for others two1 three1 four thousand years ago1 simply because ,he is the living ,god1 the unchanging ,one4 ,oh1 how therefore we should confide in ,him1 and in our darkest moments never lose sight of the fact that ,he is still and ever will be ,,the ,,living ,,god6--,george ,mueller4 ,january #cjth4 ,therefore we are buried with ,him by baptism into death2 that like as ,christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the ,father1 even so we also should walk in newness of life4 ,rom4 vi4 #d4 ,that is the life we are called upon to live1 and that is the life it is our privilege to lead2 for ,god never gives us a call without its being a privilege1 and ,he never gives us the privilege to come up higher without stretching out to us ,his hand to lift us up4 ,come up higher and higher into the realities and glories of the resurrection life1 knowing that your life is hid with ,christ in ,god4 ,shake yourself loose of every incumbrance1 turn your back on every defilement1 give yourself over like clay to the hands of the potter1 that ,he may stamp upon you the fulness of ,his own resurrection glory1 that you1 beholding as in a mirror the glory of the ,lord1 may be changed from glory to glory as by the ,spirit of the ,lord4--,w4 ,hay ,aitken4 ,january #cast4 ,christ is all1 and in all4 ,col4 iii4 #aa4 ,the service of ,christ is the business of my life4 ,the will of ,christ is the law of my life4 ,the presence of ,christ is the joy of my life4 ,the glory of ,christ is the crown of my life4--,selected4 ,illustration ,february #ast4 ,continue in prayer4 ,col4 iv4 #b4 ,dost thou want nothing8 ,then ,i fear thou dost not know thy poverty4 ,hast thou no mercy to ask of ,god8 ,then may the ,lord's mercy show thee thy misery4 ,a prayerless soul is a ,christless soul4 ,prayer is the lisping of the believing infant1 the shout of the fighting believer1 the requiem of the dying saint falling asleep in ,jesus4--,spurgeon4 ,february #bnd4 ,in whom all the building1 fitly framed together1 groweth unto an holy temple in the ,lord4 ,eph4 ii4 #ba4 ,the life-tabernacle is a wondrous building2 there is room for workers of all kinds in the uprearing of its mysterious and glorious walls4 ,if we cannot do the greatest work1 we may do the least4 ,our heaven will come out of the realization of the fact that it was ,god's tabernacle we were building1 and under ,god's blessing that we were working4--,joseph ,parker4 ,february #crd4 ,love not the world4 #a ,john ii4 #ae4 ,love it not1 and yet love it4 ,love it with the love of ,him who gave ,his ,son to die for it4 ,love it with the love of ,him who shed ,his blood for it4 ,love it with the love of angels1 who rejoice in its conversion4 ,love it to do it good1 giving your tears to its sufferings1 your pity to its sorrows1 your wealth to its wants1 your prayers to its miseries1 and to its fields of charity1 and philanthropy1 and ,christian piety1 your powers and hours of labor4 ,you cannot live without affecting it1 or being affected by it4 ,you will make the world better1 or it will make you worse4 ,god help you by ,his grace and ,holy ,spirit so to live in the world as to live above it1 and look beyond it2 and so to love it that when you leave it1 you may leave it better than you found it4--,guthrie4 ,february #dth4 ,thou openest thine hand1 and satisfiest the desire of every living thing4 ,psa4 cxlv4 #af4 ,desire1 it is a dainty word6 ,it were much that ,he should satisfy the need1 the want2 but ,he goeth far beyond that4 ,pity is moved to meet our need2 duty may sometimes look after our wants2 but to satisfy the desire implies a tender watchfulness1 a sweet and gracious knowledge of us1 an eagerness of blessing4 ,god is never satisfied until ,he has satisfied our desires4--,mark ,guy ,pearse4 ,february #eth4 ,ye servants of the ,lord1 which by night stand in the house of the ,lord4 4 4 4 ,the ,lord that made heaven and earth bless thee out of ,zion4 ,psa4 cxxxiv4 #a1 #c4 ,if ,i would know the love of my friend1 ,i must see what it can do in the winter4 ,so with the divine love4 ,it is very easy for me to worship in the summer sunshine1 when the melodies of life are in the air and the fruits of life are on the tree4 ,but let the song of the bird cease1 and the fruit of the tree fall2 and will my heart still go on to sing8 ,will ,i stand in ,god's house by night8 ,will ,i love ,him in ,his own night8 ,will ,i watch with ,him even one hour in ,his ,gethsemane8 ,will ,i help to bear ,his cross up the ,via ,dolorosa8 ,my love has come to ,him in ,his humiliation4 ,my faith has found ,him in ,his lowliness4 ,my heart has recognized ,his majesty through ,his mean disguise1 and ,i know at last that ,i desire not the gift1 but the ,giver4 ,when ,i can stand in ,his house by night1 ,i have accepted ,him for ,himself alone4--,george ,matheson4 ,february #fth4 ,he that saith he abideth in ,him ought himself also so to walk even as ,he walked4 #a ,john ii4 #f4 ,the preaching that this world needs most is the sermons in shoes that are walking with ,jesus ,christ4--,selected4 ,february #gth4 ,then shall we know1 if we follow on to know the ,lord4 ,hosea vi4 #c4 ,the ,lord has brought us into the pathway of the knowledge of ,him1 and bids us pursue that path through all its strange meanderings until it opens out upon the plain where ,god's throne is4 ,our life is a following on to know the ,lord4 ,we marvel at some of the experiences through which we are called to pass1 but afterwards we see that they afforded us some new knowledge of our ,lord4 4 4 4 ,we have not to wait for some brighter opportunity2 but by improvement of the present are to build for ourselves a bridge to that future4--,g ,bowen4 ,february #hth4 ,get thee out of thy country1 and from thy kindred1 and from thy father's house4 ,gen4 xii4 #a4 ,abraham 4 4 4 was gathered to his people4 ,gen4 xxv4 #h4 ,after all communion we dwell as upon islands1 dotted over a great archipelago1 each upon his little rock with the sea dashing between us2 but the time comes when1 if our hearts are set upon that great ,lord whose presence makes us one1 there shall be no more sea and all the isolated rocks shall be parts of a great continent 4 4 4 ,if we cultivate that sense of detachment from the present and of having our true affinities in the unseen1 if we dwell here as strangers because our citizenship is in heaven1 then death will not drag us away from our associates nor hunt us into a lonely land1 but will bring us where closer bonds shall knit the sweet societies together1 and the sheep shall couch close by one another because all gathered round the one ,shepherd4 ,then many a tie shall be re-woven1 and the solitary wanderer meet again the dear ones whom he had loved long since and lost awhile4--,alex4 ,mc,laren4 ,february #ith4 ,therefore will the ,lord wait1 that ,he may be gracious unto you4 ,isa4 xxx4 #ah4 ,this is ,god's way4 ,in the darkest hours of the night ,his tread draws near across the billows4 ,as the day of execution is breaking1 the angel comes to ,peter's cell4 ,when the scaffold for ,mordecai is complete1 the royal sleeplessness leads to a reaction in favor of the threatened race4 ,ah1 soul1 it may have come to the worst with thee ere thou art delivered2 but thou wilt be6 ,god may keep thee waiting1 but ,he will ever be mindful of ,his covenant1 and will appear to fulfil ,his inviolable word4--,f4 ,b4 ,meyer4 ,february #ajth4 ,he loveth our nation and he hath built us a synagogue4 ,luke vii4 #e4 ,marble and granite are perishable monuments1 and their inscriptions may be seldom read4 ,carve your names on human hearts2 they alone are immortal6--,theodore ,cuyler4 ,february #aath4 ,as many as ,i love ,i 4 4 4 chasten4 ,rev4 iii4 #ai4 ,i once saw a dark shadow resting on the bare side of a hill4 ,seeking its cause ,i saw a little cloud1 bright as the light1 floating in the clear blue above4 ,thus it is with our sorrow4 ,it may be dark and cheerless here on earth2 yet look above and you shall see it to be but a shadow of ,his brightness whose name is ,love4--,dean ,alford4 ,february #abth4 ,what means these stones8 ,josh4 iv4 #ba4 ,ye also as living stones4 #a ,pet4 ii4 #e4 7,r4 ,v47 ,there should be something so remarkable1 so peculiar about the life and conversation of a ,christian that men should be compelled to ask1 ,what does this mean84 4 4 4 ,is there anything in your character1 words1 and habits of life so different from the world around you that men are involuntarily compelled to ask themselves or others1 ,what does this mean8 ,not that there is to be a forced singularity1 a peculiarity for the sake of being peculiar2 that were merely to copy the pharisaism of ancient days4 4 4 4 ,oh1 that we might realize that this is the purpose for which ,god sends us into the world1 as ,he sent ,his only begotten ,son6--,s4 ,a4 ,blackwood4 ,february #acth4 ,all 4 4 4 saw his face as it had been the face of an angel ,acts vi4 #ae4 ,the face is made every day by its morning prayer1 and by its morning look out of windows which open upon heaven4--,joseph ,parker4 ,february #adth4 ,at the commandment of the ,lord they rested in the tents1 and at the commandment of the ,lord they journeyed4 ,num4 ix4 #bc4 ,this is the secret of peace and calm elevation4 ,if an ,israelite1 in the desert1 had taken it into his head to make some movement independent of ,jehovah2 if he took it upon him to move when the crowd was at rest1 or to halt while the crowd was moving1 we can easily see what the result would have been4 ,and so it will ever be with us4 ,if we move when we ought to rest1 or rest when we ought to move1 we shall not have the divine presence with us4--,c4 ,h4 ,m4 ,february #aeth4 ,in whom also1 after that ye believed1 ye were sealed with that holy ,spirit of promise4 ,eph4 i4 #ac4 ,the ,lord puts a seal upon ,his own1 that everybody may know them4 ,the sealing in your case is the ,spirit producing in you likeness to the ,lord4 ,the holier you become1 the seal is the more distinct and plain1 the more evident to every passer-by1 for then will men take knowledge of you that you have been with ,jesus4--,andrew ,bonar4 ,february #afth4 ,boast not thyself of to-morrow4 ,prov4 xxvii4 #a4 ,the only preparation for the morrow is the right use of to-day4 ,the stone in the hands of the builder must be put in its place and fitted to receive another4 ,the morrow comes for naught1 if to-day is not heeded4 ,neglect not the call that comes to thee this day1 for such neglect is nothing else than boasting thyself of to-morrow4--,g4 ,bowen4 ,february #agth4 ,i will help thee1 saith the ,lord4 ,isa4 xli4 #ad4 ,o my soul1 is not this enough8 ,dost thou need more strength than the omnipotence of the united ,trinity8 ,dost thou want more wisdom than exists in the ,father1 more love than displays itself in the ,son1 or more power than is manifest in the influences of the ,spirit8 ,bring hither thine empty pitcher6 ,surely this well will fill it4 ,haste1 gather up thy wants1 and bring them here--thine emptiness1 thy woes1 thy needs4 ,behold1 this river of ,god is full for thy supply2 what canst thou desire beside8 ,go forth1 my soul1 in this thy might4 ,the eternal ,god is thine helper6--,spurgeon4 ,february #ahth4 ,to every man his work4 ,mark xiii4 #cd4 ,he does the most for ,god's great world who does the best in his own little world4--,selected4 ,february #aith4 ,bring of the fish which ye have now caught4 ,john xxi4 #aj4 ,why was this8 ,oh1 the ,lord wants us to minister to ,him as well as to receive from ,him1 and our service finds its true end when it becomes food for our dear ,lord4 ,he was pleased to feed on their fish while they were feeding on ,his4 ,it was the double banquet of which ,he speaks in the tender message of revelation1 ,i will sup with him1 and he with ,me4--,a4 ,b4 ,simpson4 ,february #bjth4 ,by faith ,abraham1 when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance1 obeyed4 ,heb4 xi4 #h4 ,whither he went1 he knew not2 it was enough for him to know that he went with ,god4 ,he leant not so much upon the promises as upon the ,promiser4 ,he looked not on the difficulties of his lot1 but on the ,king1 eternal1 immortal1 invisible1 the only wise ,god1 who had deigned to appoint his course1 and would certainly vindicate ,himself4 ,o glorious faith6 ,this is thy work1 these are thy possibilities3 contentment to sail with sealed orders1 because of unwavering confidence in the love and wisdom of the ,lord ,high ,admiral3 willinghood to rise up1 leave all1 and follow ,christ1 because of the glad assurance that earth's best cannot bear comparison with heaven's least4--,f4 ,b4 ,meyer4 ,february #bast4 ,the ,lord is a ,god of knowledge1 and by ,him actions are weighed4 #a ,sam4 ii4 #c4 ,god does not measure what we bring to ,him4 ,he weighs it4--,mark ,guy ,pearse4 ,february #bbnd4 ,after ye were illuminated ye endured a great fight of afflictions4 ,heb4 x4 #cb4 ,our boldness for ,god before the world must always be the result of individual dealing with ,god in secret4 ,our victories over self1 and sin1 and the world1 are always first fought where no eye sees but ,god's4 4 4 4 ,if we have not these secret conflicts1 well may we not have any open ones4 ,the outward absence of conflict betrays the inward sleep of the soul4--,f4 ,whitfield4 ,february #bc;d4 ,philip findeth ,nathaniel and saith unto him1 ,we have found ,him of whom ,moses in the law and the prophets did write4 4 4 4 ,come and see4 ,john i4 #de1 #df4 ,the next thing to knowing that we have found ,him is to find someone else1 and say1 ,come and see4--,frances ,ridley ,havergal4 ,february #bdth4 ,the wind bloweth where it listeth1 and thou hearest the sound thereof1 but canst not tell whence it cometh and whither it goeth2 so is every one that is born of the ,spirit4 ,john iii4 #h4 ,we know that the wind listeth to blow where there is a vacuum4 ,if you find a tremendous rush of wind1 you know that somewhere there is an empty space4 ,i am perfectly sure about this fact3 if we could expel all pride1 vanity1 self-righteousness1 self-seeking1 desire for applause1 honor1 and promotion--if by some divine power we should be utterly emptied of all that1 the ,spirit would come as a rushing mighty wind to fill us4--,a4 ,j4 ,gordon4 ,february #beth4 ,thy gentleness hath made me great4 #b ,sam4 xxii4 #cf4 ,the gentleness of ,christ is the comeliest ornament that a ,christian can wear4--,william ,arnot4 ,february #bfth4 ,jacob went on his way1 and the angels of ,god met him4 ,gen4 xxxii4 #a4 ,it is in the path where ,god has bade us walk that we shall find the angels around us4 ,we may meet them1 indeed1 on paths of our own choosing1 but it will be the sort of angel that ,balaam met1 with a sword in his hand1 mighty and beautiful1 but wrathful too2 and we had better not front him6 ,but the friendly helpers1 the emissaries of ,god's love1 the apostles of ,his grace1 do not haunt the roads that we make for ourselves4--,alex4 ,mc,laren4 ,february #bgth4 ,i am the way1 the truth1 and the life3 no man cometh unto the ,father but by me4 ,john xiv4 #f4 ,heaven often seems distant and unknown1 but if ,he who made the road thither is our guide1 we need not fear to lose the way4 ,we do not want to see far ahead--only far enough to discern ,him and trace ,his footsteps4 4 4 4 ,they who follow ,christ1 even through darkness1 will surely reach the ,father4--,henry ,van ,dyke4 ,february #bhth4 ,forgetting those things which are behind 4 4 4 ,i press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of ,god in ,christ ,jesus4 ,phil4 iii4 #ac1 #ad4 ,it is not by regretting what is irreparable that true work is to be done1 but by making the best of what we are4 ,it is not by complaining that we have not the right tools1 but by using well the tools we have4 ,what we are1 and where we are1 is ,god's providential arrangement--,god's doing1 though it may be man's misdoing4 ,life is a series of mistakes1 and he is not the best ,christian who makes the fewest false steps4 ,he is the best who wins the most splendid victories by the retrieval of mistakes4--,f4 ,w4 ,robertson4 ,illustration3 ,,march ,march #ast4 ,come up in the morning 4 4 4 and present thyself unto me in the top of the mount4 ,ex4 xxxiv4 #b4 ,the morning is the time fixed for my meeting the ,lord4 ,this very word morning is as a cluster of rich grapes4 ,let me crush them1 and drink the sacred wine4 ,in the morning6 ,then ,god means me to be at my best in strength and hope4 ,i have not to climb in my weakness4 ,in the night ,i have buried yesterday's fatigue1 and in the morning ,i take a new lease of energy4 ,sweet morning6 ,there is hope in its music4 ,blessed is the day whose morning is sanctified6 ,successful is the day whose first victory was won in prayer6 ,holy is the day whose dawn finds thee on the top of the mount6 ,health is established in the morning4 ,wealth is won in the morning4 ,the light is brightest in the morning4 ,wake1 psaltery and harp2 ,i myself will awake early4--,joseph ,parker4 ,march #bnd4 ,whatsoever a man soweth1 that shall he also reap4 ,gal4 vi4 #g4 ,the most common actions of life1 its every day and hour1 are invested with the highest grandeur1 when we think how they extend their issues into eternity4 ,our hands are now sowing seeds for that great harvest4 ,we shall meet again all we are doing and have done4 ,the graves shall give up their dead1 and from the tombs of oblivion the past shall give up all that it holds in keeping1 to bear true witness for or against us4--,guthrie4 ,march #crd4 ,there are eleven days' journey from ,horeb1 by the way of mount ,seir1 unto ,kadesh-barnea4 ,deut4 i4 #b4 ,eleven days1 and yet it took them forty years6 ,how was this8 ,alas6 we need not travel far for the answer4 ,it is only too like ourselves4 ,how slowly we get over the ground6 ,what windings and turnings6 ,how often we have to go back and travel over the same ground1 again and again4 ,we are slow travelers because we are slow learners4 ,our ,god is a faithful and wise1 as well as a gracious and patient ,teacher4 ,he will not permit us to pass cursorily over our lessons4 ,sometimes1 perhaps1 we think we have mastered a lesson and we attempt to move on to another1 but our wise ,teacher knows better1 and ,he sees the need of deeper ploughing4 ,he will not have us mere theorists or smatterers2 ,he will keep us1 if need be1 year after year at our scales until we learn to sing4--,c4 ,h4 ,m4 ,march #dth4 ,if we confess our sins1 ,he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins1 and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness4 #a ,john i4 #i4 ,the same moment which brings the consciousness of sin ought to bring also the confession of it and the consciousness of forgiveness4--,smith4 ,march #eth4 ,as captain of the host of the ,lord am ,i now come4 ,josh4 v4 #ad4 ,surely ,israel might now face the foe with unwavering confidence1 and sing of victory even before the battle was gained4 ,and so may the ,christian4 ,it is to no conflict of uncertain issue that he advances2 the result of the battle is not doubtful4 ,the struggle may be severe1 the warfare long2 he may sometimes1 like the pilgrim1 be beaten to the ground1 and well-nigh lose his sword2 but though cast down he is not destroyed4 ,the ,captain of salvation is on his side1 and in the midst of sharpest conflict he can say1 ,thanks be unto ,god1 who giveth us the victory through our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4--,s4 ,a4 ,blackwood4 ,march #fth4 ,to me to live is ,christ1 and to die is gain4 ,phil4 i4 #ba4 ,live in ,christ1 and you are in the suburbs of heaven4 ,there is but a thin wall between you and the land of praises4 ,you are within one hour's sailing of the shore of the new ,canaan4--,william ,rutherford4 ,march #gth4 ,he that sent me is with me2 the ,father hath not left me alone1 for ,i do always those things that please ,him4 ,john viii4 #bi4 ,he who holds nearest communion with heaven can best discharge the duties of everyday life4--,selected4 ,march #hth4 ,quench not the ,spirit4 #a ,thess4 v4 #ai4 ,in order that you may not quench the ,spirit1 you must make it a constant study to know what is the mind of the ,spirit4 ,you must discriminate with the utmost care between ,his suggestions and the suggestions of your own deceitful heart4 ,you will keep in constant recollection what are the offices of the ,spirit as described by ,christ in the ,gospel of ,john4 ,you will be on your guard against impulsive movements1 inconsiderate acts1 rash words4 ,you will abide in prayer4 ,search the ,word4 ,confess ,christ on all possible occasions4 ,seek the society of ,his people4 ,shrink from conformity to the world1 its vain fashions1 unmeaning etiquette4 ,be scrupulous in your reading4 ,what ,i say unto you1 ,i say unto all1 watch6 ,have oil in your lamps4 ,quench not the ,spirit4--,bowen4 ,march #ith4 ,when ,he cometh into the world1 ,he saith1 4 4 4 ,a body hast ,thou prepared me4 ,heb4 x4 #e4 ,this word of ,christ must be adopted by each of ,his followers4 ,nothing will help us to live in this world and keep ourselves unspotted but the ,spirit that was in ,christ1 that looked upon ,his body as prepared by ,god for ,his service2 that looks upon our body as prepared by ,him too1 that we might offer it to ,him4 ,like ,christ1 we too have a body in which the ,holy ,spirit dwells4 ,like ,christ1 we too must yield our body1 with every member1 every power1 every action1 to fulfil ,his will1 to be offered up to ,him1 to glorify ,him4 ,like ,christ1 we must prove in our body that we are holy to the ,lord4--,andrew ,murray4 ,march #ajth4 ,full of satisfied with years4 ,gen4 xxv4 #h4 ,scaffoldings are for buildings1 and the moments and days and years of our earthly lives are scaffolding4 ,what are you building inside it8 ,what kind of a structure will be disclosed when the scaffolding is knocked away8 ,days and years are ours1 that they may give us what eternity cannot take away--a character built upon the love of ,god in ,christ1 and moulded into ,his likeness4 ,has your life helped you to do that8 ,if so1 you have got the best out of it1 and your life is completed1 whatever may be the number of its days4 ,quality1 not quantity1 is the thing that determines the perfectness of a life4 ,has your life this completeness8--,alex4 ,mc,laren4 ,march #aath4 ,keep yourselves in the love of ,god4 ,jude #ba4 ,fruit ripened in the sun is sweetest4--,selected4 ,march #abth4 ,ye shall receive power after that the ,holy ,ghost is come upon you1 and ye shall be witnesses unto ,me4 ,acts i4 #h4 ,look at it6 ,think of it6 ,a hundred and twenty men and women having no patronage1 no promise of any earthly favor1 no endowment1 no wealth--a company of men and women having to get their living by common daily toil1 and busied with all the household duties of daily life--and yet they are to begin the conquests of ,christianity6 ,to them is entrusted a work which is to turn the world upside down4 ,none so exalted but the influence of this lowly company shall reach to them1 until the throne of the ,caesars is claimed for ,christ4 ,none so far off but the power of this little band gathered in an upper room shall extend to them until the whole world is knit into a brotherhood6 ,not a force is there on the earth1 either of men or devils1 but they shall overcome it1 until every knee shall bow to their ,master1 and every tongue shall confess that ,he is ,lord4 ,a thing impossible1 absurd1 look at it as you will1 until you admit this--they are to be filled with the ,holy ,ghost4 ,then difficulties melt into the empty air4 ,then there is no limit to their hopes1 for there is no limit to their power4 ,their strength is not only as the strength of ten1 it is as the strength of the ,almighty4 ,this is ,christ's idea of ,christianity2 the idea not of man--it is infinitely too sublime--the idea of ,god6--,mark ,guy ,pearse4 ,march #acth4 ,he that abideth in ,me1 and ,i in him1 the same bringeth forth much fruit3 for without ,me ye can do nothing4 ,john xv4 #e4 ,too much taken up with our work1 we may forget our ,master2 it is possible to have the hand full1 and the heart empty4 ,taken up with our ,master we cannot forget our work2 if the heart is filled with ,his love1 how can the hands not be active in ,his service8--,adolphe ,monod4 ,march #adth4 ,he that eateth ,me1 even he shall live by ,me4 ,john vi4 #eg4 ,to feed on ,christ is to get ,his strength into us to be our strength4 ,you feed on the corn field1 and the strength of the corn field comes into you1 and is your strength4 ,you feed on ,christ1 and then go and live your life2 and it is ,christ in you that lives your life1 that helps the poor1 that tells the truth1 that fights the battles1 and that wins the crown4--,phillips ,brooks4 ,match #aeth4 ,i sought ,him1 but ,i found ,him not4 ,song of ,sol4 iii4 #a4 ,tell me where you lost the company of ,christ1 and ,i will tell you the most likely place to find ,him4 ,have you lost ,christ in the closet by restraining prayer8 ,then it is there you must seek and find ,him4 ,did you lose ,christ by sin8 ,you will find ,him in no other way than by the giving up of the sin1 and seeking by the ,holy ,spirit to mortify the member in which the lust doth dwell4 ,did you lose ,christ by neglecting the ,scriptures8 ,you must find ,him in the ,scriptures4 ,it is a true proverb1 ,look for a thing where you dropped it2 it is there4 ,so look for ,christ where you lost ,him1 for ,he has not gone away4--,spurgeon4 ,march #afth4 ,come behind in no gift4 #a ,cor4 i4 #g4 ,the ,scripture gives four names to ,christians1 taken from the four cardinal graces so essential to man's salvation3 ,saints for their holiness1 believers for their faith1 brethren for their love1 disciples for their knowledge4--,thomas ,fuller4 ,march #agth4 ,they rest not day and night4 ,rev4 iv4 #h4 ,o blessed rest6 ,when we rest not day and night1 saying1 ,holy1 holy1 holy1 ,lord ,god ,almighty6--when we shall rest from sin1 but not from worship2 from suffering and sorrow1 but not from joy6 ,o blessed day1 when ,i shall rest with ,god2 when ,i shall rest in knowing1 loving1 rejoicing1 and praising2 when my perfect soul and body shall together perfectly enjoy the most perfect ,god2 when ,god1 who is love itself1 shall perfectly love me1 and rest in ,his love to me1 and ,i shall rest in my love to ,him2 when ,he shall rejoice over me with joy1 and joy over me with singing1 and ,i shall rejoice in ,him6--,baxter4 ,march #ahth4 ,they that wait upon the ,lord shall renew their strength2 they shall mount up with wings as eagles2 they shall run1 and not be weary1 and they shall walk1 and not faint4 ,isa4 xl4 #ca4 ,the eagle that soars in the upper air does not worry itself as to how it is to cross rivers4--,selected4 ,march #aith4 ,their eyes were holden4 ,luke xxiv4 #af4 ,their eyes were opened4 ,luke xxiv4 #ca4 ,there is much precious significance in this4 ,the ,lord is often present in our lives in things that we do not dream possess any significance4 ,we are asking ,god about something which needs ,his mighty working1 and the very instrument by which ,he is to work is by our side1 perhaps for weeks and months and years all unrecognized1 until suddenly1 some day it grows luminous and glorious with the very presence of the ,lord1 and becomes the mighty instrument of ,his victorious working4 ,he loves to show ,his hand through the unexpected4 ,often he keeps us from seeing ,his way until just before ,he opens it1 and then1 immediately that it is unfolded1 we find that ,he was walking by our side in the very thing1 long before we even suspected its meaning4--,a4 ,b4 ,simpson4 ,march #bjth4 ,all things work together for good to them that love ,god4 ,rom4 viii4 #bh4 ,if our circumstances find us in ,god1 we shall find ,god in all our circumstances4--,selected4 ,march #bast4 ,he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for ,his name's sake4 ,ps4 xxiii4 #c4 ,he always has a purpose in ,his leading4 ,he knows where the bits of green pasture are1 and ,he would lead ,his flock to these4 ,the way may be rough1 but it is the right way to the pasture4 ,paths of righteousness may not be straight paths2 but they are paths that lead somewhere--to the right place4 ,many desert paths are illusive4 ,they start out clear and plain1 but soon they are lost in the sands4 ,they go nowhere4 ,but the paths of righteousness have a goal to which they unerringly lead4--,j4 ,r4 ,miller4 ,march #bbnd4 ,and he said1 ,o my ,lord1 send1 ,i pray thee1 by the hand of him whom thou wilt send4 ,ex4 iv4 #ac4 ,it was a very grudging assent4 ,it was as much as to say1 ,since ,thou art determined to send me and ,i must undertake the mission1 then let it be so2 but ,i would that it might have been another1 and ,i go because ,i am compelled4 ,so often do we shrink back from the sacrifice or obligation to which ,god calls us1 that we think we are going to our doom4 ,we seek every reason for evading the divine will1 little realizing that ,he is forcing us out from our quiet homes into a career which includes1 among other things1 the song of victory on the banks of the ,red ,sea2 the two lonely sojourns for forty days in converse with ,god2 the shining face2 the vision of glory2 the burial by the hand of ,michael2 and the supreme honor of standing beside the ,lord on the ,transfiguration mount4--,f4 ,b4 ,meyer4 ,march #bcrd4 ,see then that ye walk circumspectly4 ,eph4 v4 #ae4 ,there is no such thing as negative influence4 ,we are all positive in the place we occupy1 making the world better or making it worse4--,t4 ,de,witt ,talmage4 ,march #bdth4 ,she took for him an ark of bulrushes 4 4 4 and she laid it in the flags by the river's brink4 ,ex4 ii4 #c4 ,the mother of ,moses laid the ark in the flags by the river's brink4 ,ay1 but before doing so1 she laid it on the heart of ,god6 ,she could not have laid it so courageously upon the ,nile1 if she had not first devoutly laid it upon the care and love of ,god4 ,we are often surprised at the outward calmness of men who are called upon to do unpleasant and most trying deeds2 but could we have seen them in secret1 we should have known the moral preparation which they underwent before coming out to be seen by men4 ,be right in the sanctuary1 if you would be right in the market-place4 ,be steadfast in prayer1 if you would be calm in affliction4 ,start your race from the throne of ,god itself1 if you would run well1 and win the prize4--,joseph ,parker4 ,march #beth4 ,bear ye one another's burdens1 and so fulfil the law of ,christ4 ,gal4 vi4 #b4 ,by lifting the burdens of others we lose our own4--,selected4 ,march #bfth4 ,i have finished the work which ,thou gavest ,me to do4 ,john xvii4 #d4 ,was the work of the ,master indeed done8 ,was not its heaviest task yet to come8 ,he had not yet met the dread hour of death4 ,why did ,he say that ,his work was done8 ,it was because ,he knew that1 when the will is given1 the battle is ended4 ,he was only in the shadows of the garden2 but to conquer these shadows was already to conquer all4 ,he who has willed to die has already triumphed over death4 ,all that remains to ,him is but the outer husk1 the shell4 ,the cup which our ,father giveth us to drink is a cup for the will4 ,it is easy for the lips to drain it when once the heart has accepted it4 ,not on the heights of ,calvary1 but in the shadows of ,gethsemane is the cup presented2 the act is easy after the choice4 ,the real battle-field is in the silence of the spirit4 ,conquer there1 and thou art crowned4--,george ,matheson4 ,march #bgth4 ,a great multitude 4 4 4 stood before the throne4 ,rev4 vii4 #i4 ,a station on the feet in front of the throne in heaven is the effect of being often on the knees before the throne on earth4--,selected4 ,march #bhth4 ,god saw the light1 that it was good3 and ,god divided the light from the darkness4 ,gen4 i4 #d4 ,no sooner is there a good thing in the world than a division is necessary4 ,light and darkness have no communion2 ,god has divided them1 let us not confound them4 ,sons of light must not have fellowship with deeds1 doctrines1 or deceits of darkness4 ,the children of the day must be sober1 honest1 and bold in their ,lord's work1 leaving the works of darkness to those who shall dwell in it forever4 ,we should by our distinct separation from the world divide the light from the darkness4 ,in judgment1 in action1 in hearing1 in teaching1 in association1 we must discern between the precious and the vile1 and maintain the great distinction which the ,lord made upon the world's first day4 ,o ,lord ,jesus1 be ,thou our light throughout the whole of this day1 for ,thy light is the light of men4--,spurgeon4 ,march #bith4 ,the path of the just is as the shining light1 that shineth more and more unto the perfect day4 ,prov4 iv4 #ah4 ,have ,i begun this path of heavenly love and knowledge now8 ,am ,i progressing in it8 ,do ,i feel some dawnings of the heavenly light1 earnests and antepasts of the full day of glory8 ,let all ,god's dealings serve to quicken me in my way4 ,let every affection it may please ,him to send1 be as the moving pillar-cloud of old1 beckoning me to move my tent onward1 saying1 ,arise ye and depart1 for this is not your rest4 ,let me be often standing now on faith's lofty eminences1 looking for the day of ,god--the rising sun which is to set no more in weeping clouds4 ,wondrous progression6 ,how will all earth's learning1 its boasted acquirements and eagle-eyed philosophy sink into the lispings of very infancy in comparison with this manhood of knowledge6 ,heaven will be the true ,excelsior1 its song1 a song of degrees1 ,jesus leading ,his people from height to height of glory1 and saying1 as ,he said to ,nathaniel1 ,thou shalt see ,,greater things than these6--,macduff4 ,march #cjth4 ,take us the foxes1 the little foxes1 that spoil the vineyards2 for our vineyards are in blossom4 ,song of ,sol4 ii4 #ae4 7,r4 ,v47 ,how numerous the little foxes are6 ,little compromises with the world2 disobedience to the still1 small voice in little things2 little indulgences of the flesh to the neglect of duty2 little strokes of policy2 doing evil in little things that good may come2 and the beauty1 and the fruitfulness of the vine are sacrificed6--,j4 ,hudson ,taylor4 ,march #cast4 ,the children of your ,father which is in heaven4 ,matt4 v4 #de4 ,the best name by which we can think of ,god is ,father4 ,it is a loving1 deep1 sweet1 heart-touching name1 for the name of father is in its nature full of inborn sweetness and comfort4 ,therefore1 also1 we must confess ourselves children of ,god1 for by this name we deeply touch our ,god1 since there is not a sweeter sound to the father than the voice of the child4--,martin ,luther4 ,illustration3 ,,april ,april #ast4 ,in the morning came the word of the ,lord unto me4 ,ezek4 xii4 #h4 ,a quiet hour spent alone with ,god at the beginning of the day is the best beginning for the toils and cares of active business4 ,a brief season of prayer1 looking above for wisdom and grace and strength1 and seeking for an outpouring of the ,holy ,spirit1 helps us to carry our religion into the business of the day4 ,it brings joy and peace within the heart4 ,and as we place all our concerns in the care and keeping of the ,lord1 faithfully striving to do ,his will1 we have a joyful trust that however dark or discouraging events may appear1 our ,father's hand is guiding everything1 and will give the wisest direction to all our toils4--,selected4 ,april #bnd4 ,the ,lord ,god formed man out of the dust of the ground1 and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life2 and man became a living soul4 ,gen4 ii4 #g4 ,and so this soul of mine is a compound of two worlds--dust and deity6 ,it touches the boundary line of two hemispheres4 ,it is allied on one side to the divine2 on the other1 to the beast of the field4 ,its beginning is from beneath1 but its culmination is from above2 it is started from the dust of the ground1 but it is finished in the breath of ,god4 ,my soul1 art thou living up to thy twofold origin8 ,art thou remembering thy double parentage1 and therefore thy double duty8 ,thou hast a duty to thy ,god1 for ,his breath is in thee2 thou hast a duty to the earth1 for out of it wast thou taken4--,george ,matheson4 ,april #crd4 ,always rejoicing4 #b ,cor4 vi4 #aj4 ,no ,christian can ever know what is meant by those two little words1 always rejoicing1 but the ,christian who takes up his cross and follows ,jesus4--,w4 ,hay ,aitken4 ,april #dth4 ,all the land which thou seest1 to thee will ,i give it1 and to thy seed forever4 ,gen4 xiii4 #ae4 ,god's promises are ever on the ascending scale4 ,one leads up to another1 fuller and more blessed than itself4 ,in ,mesopotamia ,god said1 ,i will show thee the land4 ,at ,bethel1 ,this is the land4 ,here1 ,i will give thee all the land1 and children innumerable as the grains of sand4 ,and we shall find even these eclipsed4 ,it is thus that ,god allures us to saintliness4 ,not giving anything till we have dared to act--that ,he may test us4 ,not giving everything at first--that ,he may not overwhelm us4 ,and always keeping in hand an infinite reserve of blessing4 ,oh1 the unexplored remainders of ,god6 ,whoever saw ,his last star8--,f4 ,b4 ,meyer4 ,april #eth4 ,that night they caught nothing4 ,john xxi4 #c4 ,god may let the sinful world succeed in their forbidden schemes1 but1 blessed be ,his name1 ,he does not allow ,his chosen ones to prosper in the path which leads them out of ,his holy will6 ,he has a storm to send after every ,jonah1 and an empty net for every unbelieving and inconsistent ,simon4--,a4 ,b4 ,simpson4 ,april #fth4 ,they made me keeper of the vineyards2 but mine own vineyard have ,i not kept4 ,song of ,sol4 i4 #f4 ,our attention is here drawn to a danger which is preeminently one of this day3 the intense activity of our times may lead to zeal in service to the neglect of personal communion2 but such neglect will not only lessen the value of the service1 but tend to incapacitate us for the highest service4--,j4 ,hudson ,taylor4 ,april #gth4 ,we came unto the land whither thou sentest us 4 4 4 we saw the children of ,anak there4 ,num4 xiii4 #bg1 #bh4 ,it is when we are in the way of duty that we find giants4 ,it was when ,israel was going forward that the giants appeared4 ,when they turned back into the wilderness they found none4--,selected4 ,april #hth4 ,each one resembled the children of a king4 ,judg4 viii4 #ah4 ,frances ,ridley ,havergal says3 ,if the ,king is indeed near of kin to us1 the royal likeness will be recognizable4 ,april #ith4 ,he maketh me to lie down in green pastures3 ,he leadeth me beside the still waters4 ,psa4 xxiii4 #b4 ,this suggests the rest into which our ,good ,shepherd leads ,his flock4 ,life is not all toil4 ,god gives us many quiet resting-places in our pilgrim way4 ,night is one of these1 when1 after the day's toil1 struggle1 and exhaustion1 we are led aside1 and the curtains are drawn to shut out the noise1 and ,he giveth ,his beloved sleep1 in sleep giving the wonderful blessings of renewal4 ,the ,sabbath is another of these quiet resting-places4 ,god would have us drop our worldly tasks1 and have a day for the refreshing of both body and soul4 4 4 4 ,friendship's trysts are also quiet resting-places1 where heart may commune with heart1 where ,jesus comes1 too1 unseen1 and gives ,his blessing4 ,all ordinances of ,christian worship--seasons of prayer and devotion1 hours of communion with ,god--are quiet resting-places4 ,far more than we are apt to realize do we need these silent times in our busy life1 needing them all the more the busier the life may be4--,j4 ,r4 ,miller4 ,april #ajth4 ,a daily rate for every day4 #b ,kings xxv4 #cj4 ,one staff aids a traveler1 but a bundle of staves is a heavy burden4--,spurgeon4 ,april #aath4 ,bear ye one another's burdens1 and so fulfil the law of ,christ4 ,gal4 vi4 #b4 ,however perplexed you may at any hour become about some question of truth1 one refuge and resource is always at hand3 you can do something for some one beside yourself4 ,at the times when you cannot see ,god1 there is still open to you this sacred possibility1 to show ,god3 for it is the love and kindness of human hearts through which the divine reality comes home to men1 whether they name it or not4 ,let this thought1 then1 stay with you3 there may be times when you cannot find help1 but there is no time when you cannot give help4--,george ,merriam4 ,april #abth4 ,work out your own salvation with fear and trembling3 for it is ,god which worketh in you both to will and to do of ,his good pleasure4 ,phil4 ii4 #ab1 #ac4 ,it is not your business and mine to study whether we shall get to heaven1 or even to study whether we shall be good men2 it is our business to study how we shall come into the midst of the purposes of ,god and have the unspeakable privilege in these few years of doing something of ,his work4--,phillips ,brooks4 ,april #acth4 ,god 4 4 4 hath shined in our hearts1 to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of ,god in the face of ,jesus ,christ4 #b ,cor4 iv4 #f4 ,christian6 rest not until thou knowest the full1 the unbroken shining of ,god in thy heart4 ,to this end1 yield to every stirring of it that shows thee some unconquered and perhaps unconquerable evil4 ,just bring it to the light2 let the light shine upon it1 and shine it out4 ,wait upon the ,lord more than watchers for the morning1 for the path of the just is as the shining light1 shining more and more unto the perfect day4 ,count upon it that ,god wants to fill thee with the light of ,his glory3 wait on ,him more than watchers for the morning4 ,wait1 ,i say1 on the ,lord4--,andrew ,murray4 ,april #adth4 ,my soul1 wait thou only upon ,god4 ,psa4 lxii4 #e4 ,did it ever occur to you that if you do not hear ,god's answer to prayer1 it may be not because ,he is dumb1 but because you are deaf2 not because ,he has no answer to give1 but because you have not been listening for it8 ,we are so busy with our service1 so busy with our work1 and sometimes so busy with our praying1 that it does not occur to us to stop our own talking and listen if ,god has some answer to give us with the still small voice2 to be passive1 to be quiet1 to do nothing1 say nothing1 in some true sense think nothing2 simply to be receptive and waiting for the voice4 ,wait thou only upon ,god1 says the ,psalmist2 and again ,wait on the ,lord4--,selected4 ,april #aeth4 ,could ye not watch with me one hour8 ,matt4 xxvi4 #dj4 ,oh6 ye who sigh and languish1 and mourn your lack of power1 ,heed ye this gentle whisper1 ,could ye not watch one hour8 ,to fruitfulness and blessing1 there is no royal road2 ,the power for holy service is intercourse with ,god4 --,selected4 ,april #afth4 ,my meat is to do the will of ,him that sent me4 ,john iv4 #cd4 ,seek your life's nourishment in your life's work4--,phillips ,brooks4 ,april #agth4 ,it is ,god which worketh in you1 both to will and to do of ,his good pleasure4 ,phil4 ii4 #ac4 ,full salvation is to realize that everything we see in ,christ1 our ,example1 may be ours1 not by imitation1 but by reproduction4--,selected4 ,april #ahth4 ,lo1 ,i am with you all the days4 ,matt1 xxviii4 #bj4 7,r4 ,v41 margin47 ,,all ,,the ,,days--in winter days1 when joys are fled2 in sunless days1 when the clouds return again and again after rain2 in days of sickness and pain2 in days of temptation and perplexity1 as much as in days when the heart is as full of joy as the woodlands in spring are full of song4 ,that day never comes when the ,lord ,jesus is not at the side of ,his saints4 ,lover and friend may stand afar1 but ,he walks with them through the fires2 ,he fords with them the rivers2 ,he stands by them when face to face with the lion4 ,we can never be alone4 ,we must always add ,his resources to our own when making our calculations4--,f4 ,b4 ,meyer4 ,april #aith4 ,having 4 4 4 boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of ,jesus 4 4 4 let us draw near with a true heart4 ,heb4 x4 #ai1 #bb4 ,oh1 the glory of the message6 ,for fifteen centuries ,israel had a sanctuary with a ,holiest of ,all1 into which1 under pain of death1 no one might enter4 ,its one witness was3 ,man cannot dwell in ,god's presence2 cannot abide in ,his fellowship4 ,and now how changed is all6 ,as then the warning sounded3 ,no admittance6 enter not6 so now the call goes forth3 ,enter in6 the veil is rent2 the ,holiest is open2 ,god waits to welcome you to ,his bosom2 henceforth you are to live with ,him4 ,this is the message4 ,child6 thy ,father longs for thee to enter1 to dwell1 and to go out no more forever4--,andrew ,murray4 ,april #bjth4 ,there stood by me this night the angel of ,god 4 4 4 saying1 ,fear not1 ,paul4 4 4 4 ,god hath given thee all them that sail with thee4 ,wherefore 4 4 4 be of good cheer3 for ,i believe ,god1 that it shall be even as it was told me4 ,acts xxvii4 #bc1 #bd1 #be4 ,an active faith can give thanks for a promise1 though it be not yet performed2 knowing that ,god's bonds are as good as ready money4--,matthew ,henry4 ,april #bast4 ,in everything by prayer and supplication1 with thanksgiving1 let your requests be made known unto ,god4 ,phil1 iv4 #f4 ,the natural temptation with every difficulty is to plan for it1 to put it out of the way yourself2 but stop short with all your planning1 your thinking1 your worry1 and talk to ,him6 ,cast thy burden upon the ,lord1 and ,he shall sustain thee4 ,you may not always be able to do this in a moment or two4 ,then keep on with supplication until you know ,he has it1 and prayer becomes praise4 ,rest1 trust1 and wait1 and see how ,he does that which you wanted to do1 and had so much care about4 ,stand still and see the salvation of the ,lord4--,a4 ,e4 ,funk4 ,april #bbnd4 ,they that wait upon the ,lord shall 4 4 4 mount up with wings as eagles4 ,isa4 xl4 #ca4 ,all creatures that have wings can escape from every snare that is set for them1 if only they will fly high enough2 and the soul that uses its wings can always find a sure way to escape from all that can hurt or trouble it4--,smith4 ,april #bcrd4 ,perfect love casteth out fear4 #a ,john iv4 #ah4 ,fear and love rise up in antagonism to each other as motives in life1 like those two mountains from which respectively the blessings and curses of the old law were pronounced--the ,mount of ,cursing all barren1 stony1 without verdure and without water2 the ,mount of ,blessing green and bright with many a flower1 and blessed with many a trickling rill4 ,fear is barren4 ,love is fruitful4 ,the one is a slave1 and its work is little worth4 ,the other is free1 and its deeds are great and precious4 ,from the blasted summit of the mountain which gendereth to bondage may be heard the words of the law2 but the power to keep all these laws must be sought on the sunny hill where liberty dwells in love and gives energy to obedience4 ,therefore1 if you would use in your own life the highest power that ,god has given us for our growth in grace1 draw your arguments1 not from fear1 but from love4--,alex4 ,mc,laren4 ,april #bdth4 ,the love of ,christ constraineth us4 #b ,cor4 v4 #ad4 ,the love of ,christ is too large for any heart to hold it4 ,it will overflow into others' hearts3 it will give itself out1 give itself away1 for the enriching of other lives4 ,the heart of ,christ is a costly thing for any one to have4 ,it will lead those who have it where it led ,him4 ,if it cost ,him the cross1 it will cost them no less4--,j4 ,m4 ,campbell4 ,april #beth4 ,i the ,lord thy ,god will hold thy right hand1 saying unto thee1 ,fear not1 ,i will help thee4 ,isa4 xli4 #ac4 ,don't try to hold ,god's hand2 let ,him hold yours4 ,let ,him do the holding1 and you do the trusting4--,h4 ,w4 ,webb ,peploe4 ,april #bfth4 ,consider how great things ,he hath done for you4 #a ,sam4 xii4 #bd4 ,look back on all the way the ,lord your ,god has led you4 ,do you not see it dotted with ten thousand blessings in disguise8 ,call to mind the needed succor sent at the critical moment2 the right way chosen for you1 in stead of the wrong way you had chosen for yourself2 the hurtful thing to which your heart so fondly clung1 removed out of your path2 the breathing-time granted1 which your tried and struggling spirit just at the moment needed4 ,oh1 has not ,jesus stood at your side when you knew it not8 ,has not ,infinite ,love encircled every event with its everlasting arms1 and gilded every cloud with its merciful lining8 ,oh1 retrace your steps1 and mark ,his footprint in each one6 ,thank ,him for them all1 and learn the needed lesson of leaning more simply on ,jesus4--,f4 ,whitfield4 ,april #bgth4 ,he 4 4 4 said 4 4 4 ,i 4 4 4 hid thy talent in the earth4 4 4 4 ,his ,lord answered and said unto him1 ,thou wicked and slothful servant4 ,matt4 xxv4 #bd-bf4 ,between the great things we cannot do and the small things we will not do1 the danger is that we shall do nothing4--,monod4 ,april #bhth4 ,to ,him be glory both now and forever4 #b ,pet4 iii4 #ah4 ,believer1 you are anticipating the time when you shall join the saints above in ascribing all glory to ,jesus2 but are you glorifying ,him now8 ,the apostle's words are1 ,to ,him be glory both now and forever4--,c4 ,h4 ,spurgeon4 ,april #bith4 ,thou shall know that ,i am the ,lord3 for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me4 ,isa4 xlix4 #bc4 ,j4 ,hudson ,taylor says3 ,quiet waiting before ,god could save from many a mistake and from many a sorrow4 ,april #cjth4 ,be it unto thee even as thou wilt4 ,matt4 xv4 #bh4 ,oh1 the victories of prayer6 ,they are the mountain-tops of the ,bible4 ,they take us back to the plains of ,mamre1 to the fords of ,peniel1 to the prison of ,joseph1 to the triumphs of ,moses1 to the transcendent victories of ,joshua1 to the deliverances of ,david1 to the miracles of ,elijah and ,elisha1 to the whole story of the ,master's life1 to the secret of ,pentecost1 to the key-note of ,paul's unparalleled ministry1 to the lives of saints and the deaths of martyrs1 to all that is most sacred and sweet in the history of the ,church and the experience of the children of ,god4 ,and when1 for us1 the last conflict shall have passed1 and the footstool of prayer shall have given place to the harp of praise1 the spots of time that shall be gilded with the most celestial and eternal radiance1 shall be those1 often linked with deepest sorrow and darkest night1 over which we have the inscription1 ,jehovah-,shammah3 ,the ,lord was there6--,a4 ,b4 ,simpson4 ,illustration3 ,,may ,may #ast4 ,thou art my ,god3 early will ,i seek ,thee4 ,psa4 lxiii4 #a4 ,in a world where there is so much to ruffle the spirit's plumes1 how needful that entering into the secret of ,god's pavilion1 which will alone bring it back to composure and peace6 ,in a world where there is so much to sadden and depress1 how blessed the communion with ,him in whom is the one true source and fountain of all true gladness and abiding joy6 ,in a world where so much is ever seeking to unhallow our spirits1 to render them common and profane1 how high the privilege of consecrating them anew in prayer to holiness and to ,god4--,archbishop ,trench4 ,may #bnd4 ,in ,him was life2 and the life was the light of men4 ,john i4 #d4 ,ye are the light of the world4 ,matt4 v4 #ad4 ,in the light we can walk and work4 ,we walk in the light and become entirely children of light4 ,we let our light1 the light of ,god1 shine1 so that men may see our good works1 and glorify our ,father in heaven4 ,gently1 silently1 lovingly1 unceasingly1 we give ourselves to transmit the light and the love ,god so unceasingly shines into us4 ,our one work is to wait1 and admit1 and then transmit the light of ,god in ,christ4--,andrew ,murray4 ,may #c;d4 ,be ye steadfast1 unmovable1 always abounding in the work of the ,lord4 #a ,cor4 xv4 #eh4 ,activity in doing good is one recipe for being cheerful ,christians2 it is like exercise to the body1 and it keeps the soul in health4--,bishop ,ryle4 ,may #dth4 ,looking up to heaven ,he sighed4 ,mark vii4 #cd4 ,too often we sigh and look within2 ,jesus sighed and looked without4 ,we sigh1 and look down2 ,jesus sighed1 and looked up4 ,we sigh1 and look to earth2 ,jesus sighed1 and looked to heaven4 ,we sigh1 and look to man2 ,jesus sighed1 and looked to ,god4--,stork4 ,may #eth4 ,we glory in tribulations4 ,rom4 v4 #c4 ,have you ever thought that some day you will never have anything to try you or anybody to vex you again8--,a4 ,b4 ,simpson4 ,may #fth4 ,set your affection on things above1 not on things on the earth4 ,col4 iii4 #b4 ,he who has his affections set on things above is like one who hangs on by the skies2 and1 having a secure hold of these1 could say1 though he saw the world roll away from beneath his feet1 ,my heart is fixed2 my heart is fixed2 ,o ,lord1 ,i will sing and give praise6--,guthrie4 ,may #gth4 ,the ,lord is risen indeed1 and hath appeared to ,simon4 ,luke xxiv4 #cd4 ,they 4 4 4 gladly received 7,peter's7 word2 and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls4 ,acts ii4 #da4 ,before the ,lord can use us in ,his service we must have close individual dealing with ,himself4 ,he always will have to do in secret with that soul that ,he intends to use in blessing others4 ,do you want to speak for ,jesus to those around you8 ,then you must go to ,jesus ,himself for your message4 ,what you say for ,jesus must be got from ,jesus4 ,oh1 how much breath falls powerless on every side because it has not been inhaled in the sanctuary6 ,we want more secret dealing with the living ,god4 ,we run without being sent3 we speak before ,god has spoken to us3 no wonder we so often fail4 ,oh1 what secret prayer and what heart-searching discipline the heart needs before ,god can use it6--,f4 ,whitfield4 ,may #hth4 ,the righteous eateth to the satisfying of his soul4 ,prov4 xiii4 #be4 ,christ must satisfy2 then1 if we are not satisfied1 it must be because we are not feeding on ,him wholly and only4 ,the fault is not in the provision which is made4--,frances ,ridley ,havergal4 ,may #ith4 ,whom the ,lord loveth ,he chasteneth4 ,heb4 xii4 #f4 ,it has been well said that earthly cares are a heavenly discipline1 but they are even something better than discipline2 they are ,god's chariots1 sent to take the soul to its high places of triumph4 ,in the ,canticles we are told of a chariot paved with love4 ,we cannot always see the love lining to our own particular chariot--it often looks very unlovely2 but every chariot sent by ,god must necessarily be paved with love1 since ,god is love4 ,it is ,his love1 indeed1 that sends the chariot4 ,look upon your chastenings1 then1 no matter how grievous they may be for the present1 as ,god's chariots1 sent to carry your souls into the high places of spiritual achievement and uplifting1 and you will find that they are1 after all1 paved with love4--,smith4 ,may #ajth4 ,the blood of ,jesus ,christ1 ,his ,son1 cleanseth us from all sin4 #a ,john i4 #g4 ,learn a lesson from the eye of the miner1 who all day long is working amid the flying coal dust4 ,when he emerges in the light of day his face may be grimy enough2 but his eyes are clear and lustrous1 because the fountain of tears in the lachrymal gland is ever pouring its gentle tides over the eye1 cleansing away each speck of dust as soon as it alights4 ,is not this the miracle of cleansing which our spirits need in such a world as this8 ,and this is what our blessed ,lord is prepared to do for us by ,his cleansing blood1 if only we will trust ,him4--,f4 ,b4 ,meyer4 ,may #aath4 ,whatsoever ,he sayeth unto you1 do it4 ,john ii4 #e4 ,florence ,nightingale said3 ,if ,i could give you information of my life1 it would be to show how a woman of very ordinary ability has been led by ,god in strange and unaccustomed paths to do in ,his service what ,he has done in her4 ,and if ,i could tell you all1 you would see how ,god has done all1 and ,i nothing4 ,i have worked hard1 very hard1 that is all2 and ,i have never refused ,god anything4 ,may #abth4 ,i know how to abound4 ,phil4 iv4 #ab4 ,it is a dangerous thing to be prosperous4 ,the crucible of adversity is a less severe trial to the ,christian than the refining-pot of prosperity4 ,it needs more than human skill to carry the brimming cup of mortal joy with a steady hand2 yet ,paul had learned that skill1 for he declares1 ,in all things ,i am instructed both to be full and to be hungry4 ,when we have much of ,god's providential mercies it often happens that we have but little of ,god's grace2 satisfied with earth1 we are content to do without heaven4 ,rest assured1 it is harder to know how to be full than it is to know how to be hungry1 so desperate is the tendency of human nature to pride and forgetfulness of ,god4 ,take care that you ask in your prayers that ,god would teach you how to be full4--,spurgeon4 ,may #acth4 ,whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased2 and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted4 ,luke xiv4 #aa4 4 4 4 ,if you ask the way to the crown--'tis by the cross2 to the mountain--'tis by the valley2 to exaltation 'tis he that humbleth himself4--,j4 ,h4 ,evans4 ,may #adth4 ,for their sakes ,i sanctify myself1 that they also might be sanctified through the truth4 ,john xvii4 #ai4 ,do you remember1 when ,jesus was sitting with ,his disciples at the last supper1 how ,he lifted up ,his voice and prayed1 and in the midst of ,his prayer there came these wondrous words3 ,for their sakes ,i sanctify myself1 that they also might be sanctified8 ,is there anything in all the teachings that man has had from the lips of ,god that is nobler1 that is more far-reaching than that--to be my best not simply for my own sake1 but for the sake of the world8 ,you can help your fellow-men--you must help your fellow-men2 but the only way you can help them is by being the noblest and the best man that it is possible for you to be4--,phillips ,brooks4 ,may #aeth4 ,he that is slow to anger is better than the mighty2 and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city4 ,prov4 xvi4 #cb4 ,more dear in the sight of ,god and ,his angels than any other conquest is the conquest of self1 which each man1 with the help of heaven1 can secure for himself4--,dean ,stanley4 ,may #afth4 ,for this child ,i prayed1 and the ,lord hath given me my petition which ,i asked of ,him3 therefore also ,i have lent him to the ,lord2 as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the ,lord4 #a ,sam4 i4 #bg1 #bh4 ,god sometimes bestows gifts just that love may have something to renounce4 ,the things that ,he puts into our hands are possibly put there that we may have the opportunity of showing what is in our heart4 ,oh1 that there were in us a fervor of love that would lead us to examine everything that belongs to us1 to ascertain how it might be made a means of showing our affection to ,christ6--,george ,bowen4 ,may #agth4 ,seek ye first the kingdom of ,god and ,his righteousness1 and all these things shall be added unto you4 ,matt4 vi4 #cc4 ,we need have only one care1 that we put the first thing first--faithfulness to ,god4 ,then all else we need for both worlds will be supplied4 ,god will never fail us2 but we forget1 sometimes1 in our rejoicing over such an assurance1 that we must fulfil our part if we would claim the divine promise4 ,it will not always be easy4 ,to-morrow it may mean a distasteful task1 a disagreeable duty1 a costly sacrifice for one who does not seem worthy4 ,life is full of sore testings of our willingness to follow the ,good ,shepherd4 ,we have not the slightest right to claim this assurance unless we have taken ,christ as the guide of our life4--,j4 ,r4 ,miller4 ,may #ahth4 ,his praise shall continually be in my mouth4 ,psa4 xxxiv4 #a4 ,let not thy praises be transient--a fit of music1 and then the instrument hung by the wall till another gaudy day of some remarkable providence makes thee take it down4 ,god comes not guestwise to ,his saints' house1 but to dwell with them4 ,david took this up for a life work3 ,as long as ,i live1 ,i will praise thee4--,gurnall4 ,may #aith4 ,i am not able to bear all this people alone1 because it is too heavy for me4 ,num4 xi4 #ad4 ,it is most needful for all servants of ,christ to remember that whenever the ,lord places a man in a position of responsibility1 ,he will both fit him for it and maintain him in it4 ,it is1 of course1 another thing altogether if a man will rush unsent into any field of work1 or any post of difficulty or danger4 ,in such a case we may assuredly look for a thorough breakdown1 sooner or later4 ,but when ,god calls a man to a certain position1 ,he will endow him with the needed grace to occupy it4 ,this holds good in every case4 ,we can never fail if we only cling to the living ,god4 ,we can never run dry if we are drawing from the fountain4 ,our tiny springs will soon dry up2 but our ,lord ,jesus ,christ declares1 ,he that believeth in ,me1 as the ,scripture hath said1 out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water4--,c4 ,h4 ,m4 ,may #bjth4 ,then said ,i1 ,woe is me1 for ,i am undone3 because ,i am a man of unclean lips1 and ,i dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips2 for mine eyes have seen the ,king1 the ,lord of hosts4 ,isa4 vi4 #e4 ,it is not the sight of our sinful heart that humbles us2 it is a sight of ,jesus ,christ4 ,i am undone because mine eyes have seen the ,king4--,andrew ,a4 ,bonar4 ,may #bast4 ,while ,i was musing the fire burned4 ,psa4 xxxix4 #c4 ,my soul1 if thou wouldst muse more1 the fire would burn more4 ,why dost thou not retire oftener with thyself8 ,thou wouldst be better fitted for the world if thou wert less worldly4 ,if thou hadst more heavenly fire thou wouldst have more earthly power4 ,is there no secret pavilion into which thou canst go and warm thyself8 ,is there no holy of holies where thou canst catch a glow of impulse that will make thee strong8 ,is it not written of the ,son of ,man that as ,he prayed the fashion of ,his countenance was altered8 ,yes2 it was from ,his prayer that ,his transfigured glory came4 ,it was from the glow of ,his heart that there issued the glow of ,his countenance4 ,it was when ,he was musing that the fire kindled4 ,o my soul1 wouldst thou have thy life glorified1 beautified1 transfigured to the eyes of men8 ,get thee up into the secret place of ,god's pavilion1 where the fires of love are burning4 ,thy life shall shine gloriously to the dwellers on the plain4 ,thy prayers shall be luminous2 they shall light thy face like the face of ,moses when he wist not that it shone4 ,thy words shall be burning2 they will kindle many a heart journeying on the road to ,emmaus4 ,thy path shall be lambent2 when thou hast prayed in ,elijah's solitude thou shalt have ,elijah's chariot of fire4--,george ,matheson4 ,may #bbnd4 ,whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple1 verily ,i say unto you1 he shall in nowise lose his reward4 ,matt4 x4 #db4 ,we are in danger of looking too far for opportunities of doing good and communicating4 ,in reaching for rhododendrons we trample down the daisies4--,selected4 ,may #bcrd4 ,hide thyself by the brook4 #a ,kings xvii4 #c4 ,not by the river1 but by the brook4 ,the river would always contain an abundant supply1 but the brook might dry up at any moment4 ,what does this teach us8 ,god does not place ,his people in luxuriance here4 ,the world's abundance might withdraw their affections from ,him4 ,he gives them not the river1 but the brook4 ,the brook may be running to-day1 to-morrow it may be dried up4 ,and wherefore does ,god act thus8 ,to teach us that we are not to rest in ,his gifts and blessings1 but in ,himself4 ,this is what our hearts are always doing--resting in the gift1 instead of the ,giver4 ,therefore ,god cannot trust us by the river1 for it unconsciously takes up ,his place in the heart4 ,it is said of ,israel that when they were full they forgot ,god4--,f4 ,whitfield4 ,may #bdth4 ,his kingdom ruleth over all4 ,psa4 ciii4 #ai4 ,his kingdom ruleth over all--therefore thou canst find nothing which is not matter for praise1 since there is nothing which is not the matter of thy ,lord's gracious permission1 or planning1 or control4 ,over all--nowhere canst thou step outside ,his realm1 nor in anything get beyond ,his care and government4 ,over all--therefore take all as from ,god2 hold all as from ,god2 and by thy gratitude give all back to ,god again1 and thus complete the circle1 making ,him the ,alpha and ,omega1 the ,beginning and the ,ending of all things4--,mark ,guy ,pearse4 ,may #beth4 ,if we suffer we shall also reign with ,him4 #b ,tim4 ii4 #ab4 ,the highest bidder for the crown of glory is the lowliest wearer of the cross of self-denial4--,a4 ,j4 ,gordon4 ,may #bfth4 ,keep thy heart with all diligence3 for out of it are the issues of life4 ,prov4 iv4 #bc4 ,he who would keep his heart pure and holy1 must plant a sentinel at every avenue by which sin may find access there1 guarding against none more than the little sins1 as they are called4 ,the man of ,god has his eyes to keep1 and so ,job said1 ,i have made a covenant with mine eyes--his tongue1 and hence the exhortation1 ,keep thy tongue from evil1 and thy lips from speaking guile--his ears1 and hence the warning1 ,cease1 my son1 to hear the instruction that causeth to err--his feet1 and hence ,david says1 ,i have refrained my feet from every evil way1 that ,i might keep ,thy word4 ,and since there is no gate of the five senses by which the enemy may not come in like a flood1 unless the ,spirit lift up a standard against him1 we have need to guard every port1 and write over every portal1 ,here there entereth nothing to hurt or to defile4--,guthrie4 ,may #bgth4 ,whatsoever ye do1 4 4 4 do all in the name of the ,lord ,jesus4 ,col4 iii4 #ag4 ,do little things as if they were great1 because of the majesty of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 who dwells in thee2 and do great things as if they were little and easy1 because of ,his omnipotence4--,pascal4 ,may #bhth4 ,him they compelled to bear ,his cross4 ,matt4 xxvii4 #cb4 ,there are many ,christians of whom this is true4 ,they are compelled to bear the cross1 but how does it come8 ,it comes by their running away from it4 ,they make up their minds they won't have ,christ's cross2 and they find when the cross does come that it comes in a more terrible form1 with a more crushing weight than ever it would have come had they only been content to submit themselves to the divine direction2 for the cross has to come to all who are to be prepared for glory hereafter4--,w4 ,hay ,aitken4 ,may #bith4 ,our ,lord ,jesus ,christ 4 4 4 gave ,himself for our sins that ,he might deliver us from this present evil world4 ,gal4 i4 #d4 ,attachment to ,christ is the only secret of detachment from the world4--,a4 ,j4 ,gordon4 ,may #cjth4 ,ye are the light of the world4 ,a city that is set on an hill cannot be hid4 ,matt4 v4 #ad4 ,lamps do not talk1 but they do shine4 ,a lighthouse sounds no drum1 it beats no gong2 and yet far over the waters its friendly spark is seen by the mariner4 ,so let your actions shine out your religion4 ,let the main sermon of your life be illustrated by all your conduct4--,spurgeon4 ,may #cast4 ,without me ye can do nothing4 ,john xv4 #e4 ,i can do all things1 through ,christ which strengtheneth me4 ,phil4 iv4 #ac4 ,apart from ,him we can do nothing4 ,whilst we are abiding in ,him nothing is impossible4 ,the one purpose of our life should therefore be to remain in living and intense union with ,christ1 guarding against everything that would break it1 employing every means of cementing and enlarging it4 ,and just in proportion as we do so1 we shall find ,his strength flowing into us for every possible emergency4 ,we may not feel its presence2 but we shall find it present whenever we begin to draw on it4 ,there is no temptation which we cannot master2 no privation which we cannot patiently bear2 no difficulty with which we cannot cope2 no work which we cannot perform2 no confession or testimony which we cannot make1 if only our souls are living in healthy union with ,jesus ,christ2 for as our day or hour1 so shall our strength be4--,f4 ,b4 ,meyer4 ,illustration3 ,,june ,june #ast4 ,as my ,father hath sent me1 even so send ,i you4 ,john xx4 #ba4 ,we should never leave our room until we have seen the face of our dear ,master1 ,christ1 and have realized that we are being sent forth by ,him to do ,his will1 and to finish the work which ,he has given us to do4 ,he who said to ,his immediate followers1 ,as my ,father hath sent me1 even so send ,i you1 says as much to each one of us1 as the dawn summons us to live another day4 ,we should realize that we are as much sent forth by ,him as the angels who do ,his commandments1 hearkening unto the voice of ,his word4 ,there is some plan for each day's work1 which ,he will unfold to us1 if only we will look up to ,him to do so2 some mission to fulfil2 some ministry to perform2 some lesson patiently to learn1 that we may be able to reach others also4 ,as to our plans we need not be anxious2 because ,he who sends us forth is responsible to make the plan1 according to ,his infinite wisdom2 and to reveal it to us1 however dull and stupid our faculties may be4 ,and as to our sufficiency1 we are secure of having all needful grace2 because ,he never sends us forth1 except ,he first breathes on us and says1 ,receive ye the ,holy ,ghost4 ,there is always a special endowment for special power4--,f4 ,b4 ,meyer4 ,june #bnd4 ,a fountain 4 4 4 for sin and for uncleanness4 ,zech4 xiii4 #a4 ,you that have faith in the ,fountain1 frequent it4 ,beware of two errors which are very natural and very disastrous4 ,beware of thinking any sin too great for it2 beware of thinking any sin too small4 ,there is not a sin so little1 but it may be the germ of everlasting perdition2 there is not a sin so enormous1 but a drop of atoning blood will wash it away as utterly as if it were drowned in the depths of the sea4--,james ,hamilton4 ,june #crd4 ,i am black 4 4 4 as the tents of ,kedar4 ,song of ,sol4 i4 #e4 ,i am my beloved's1 and his desire is toward me4 ,song of ,sol4 vii4 #aj4 ,nothing humbles the soul like sacred and intimate communion with the ,lord2 yet there is a sweet joy in feeling that ,he knows all1 and1 notwithstanding1 loves us still4--,j4 ,hudson ,taylor4 ,june #dth4 ,david enquired of the ,lord4 #b ,sam4 v4 #ai4 ,christian1 if thou wouldst know the path of duty1 take ,god for thy compass2 if thou wouldst steer thy ship through the dark billows1 put the tiller into the hand of the ,almighty4 ,many a rock might be escaped if we would let our ,father take the helm2 many a shoal or quicksand we might well avoid if we would leave it to ,his sovereign will to choose and to command4 ,the ,puritan said1 ,as sure as ever a ,christian carves for himself he'll cut his own fingers4 ,i will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go1 is ,god's promise to ,his people4 ,let us1 then1 take all our perplexities to ,him and say1 ,lord1 what wilt thou have me to do8 ,leave not thy chamber this morning without enquiring of the ,lord4--,spurgeon4 ,june #eth4 ,a certain man 4 4 4 who never had walked 4 4 4 heard ,paul speak3 who 4 4 4 perceiving that he had faith to be healed1 said 4 4 4 ,stand upright on thy feet4 ,and he leaped and walked4 ,acts xiv4 #h1 #i1 #aj4 ,where true faith is1 it will induce obedience and where it does induce obedience1 it will always1 in one form or another1 bring a blessing4--,w4 ,hay ,aitken4 ,june #fth4 ,then said ,martha unto ,jesus1 ,lord 4 4 4 ,i know that 4 4 4 whatsoever thou wilt ask of ,god1 ,god will give it thee4 ,jesus saith unto her1 ,thy brother shall rise again4 ,martha saith unto ,him1 ,i know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day4 ,john xi4 #ba1 #bb1 #bc1 #bd4 ,beware1 in your prayer1 above everything1 of limiting ,god1 not only by unbelief1 but by fancying that you know what ,he can do4 ,expect unexpected things1 above all that we ask or think4 ,each time you intercede1 be quiet first and worship ,god in ,his glory4 ,think of what ,he can do1 of how ,he delights to hear ,christ1 of your place in ,christ2 and expect great things4--,andrew ,murray4 ,june #gth4 ,as many of you as have been baptized into ,christ have put on ,christ4 ,gal4 iii4 #bg4 ,not simply the righteousness of our ,savior1 not simply the beauty of ,his holiness or the graces of ,his character1 are we to put on as a garment4 ,the ,lord ,himself is our vesture4 ,every ,christian is not only a ,christ-bearer but a ,christ-wearer4 ,we are so to enter into ,him by communion1 to be so endued with ,his presence1 and embued with ,his ,spirit that men shall see ,him when they behold us1 as they see our garments when they look upon our bodies4--,a4 ,j4 ,gordon4 ,june #hth4 ,thou shalt never wash my feet4 ,john xiii4 #h4 ,whatever hinders us from receiving a blessing that ,god is willing to bestow upon us is not humility1 but the mockery of it4 ,a genuine humility will ever feel the need of the largest measures of grace1 and will be perfected just in the degree in which that grace is bestowed4 ,the truly humble man will seek to be filled with all the fulness of ,god1 knowing that when so filled there is not the slightest place for pride or for self4--,george ,bowen4 ,june #ith4 ,cast thy burden upon the ,lord1 and ,he shall sustain thee4 ,psa4 lv4 #bb4 ,he that taketh his own cares upon himself loads himself with an uneasy burden4 ,the fear of what may come1 expectation of what will come1 desire of what will not come1 and the inability to redress all these1 must needs bring him continual torment4 ,i will cast my cares upon ,god3 ,he hath bidden me4 ,they cannot hurt ,him3 ,he can redress them4--,hall4 ,june #ajth4 ,well done1 good and faithful servant4 4 4 4 ,thou wicked and slothful servant4 ,matt4 xxv4 #ba1 #bf4 ,god holds us responsible not for what we have1 but for what we might have2 not for what we are1 but for what we might be4--,mark ,guy ,pearse4 ,june #aath4 ,jesus constrained ,his disciples to get into a ship4 ,matt4 xiv4 #bb4 ,jesus constrained them to go6 ,one would think that if ever there was the certain promise of success in a mission1 it was here4 ,surely1 here1 if anywhere1 a triumphant issue might have been confidently predicted2 and yet here1 more than anywhere1 there was seeming failure4 ,he sent them out on a voyage1 and they met such a storm as they had never yet experienced4 ,let me ponder this1 for it has been so with me1 too4 ,i have sometimes felt myself impelled to act by an influence which seemed above me--constrained to put to sea4 ,the belief that ,i was constrained gave me confidence1 and ,i was sure of a calm voyage4 ,but the result was outward failure4 ,the calm became a storm2 the sea raged1 the winds roared1 the ship tossed in the midst of the waves1 and my enterprise was wrecked ere it could reach the land4 ,was1 then1 my divine command a delusion8 ,nay2 nor yet was my mission a failure4 ,he did send me on that voyage1 but ,he did not send me for my purpose4 ,he had one end and ,i had another4 ,my end was the outward calm2 ,his was my meeting with the storm4 ,my end was to gain the harbor of a material rest2 ,his was to teach me there is a rest even on the open sea4--,george ,matheson4 ,june #abth4 ,study to shew thyself approved unto ,god1 a workman that needeth not to be ashamed1 rightly dividing the word of truth4 #b ,tim4 ii4 #ae4 ,have thy tools ready2 ,god will find thee work4--,charles ,kingsley4 ,june #acth4 ,come out from among them1 and be ye separate4 #b ,cor4 vi4 #ag4 ,with all the world in his choice1 ,god placed ,his ancient people in a very remarkable situation4 ,on the north they were walled in by the snowy ranges of ,lebanon2 a barren desert formed their eastern boundary2 far to the south stretched a sterile region1 called the howling wilderness2 while the sea--not then1 as now1 the highway of the nations1 facilitating rather than impeding intercourse--lay on their west1 breaking on a shore that had few harbors and no navigable rivers to invite the steps of commerce4 ,may we not find a great truth in the very position in which ,god placed ,his chosen people8 ,it certainly teaches us that to be holy1 or sanctified1 we must be a separate people--living in the world1 but not of it--as oil1 that may be mixed1 but cannot be combined with water4--,guthrie4 ,june #adth4 ,i am with thee1 and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest1 and will bring thee again into this land4 ,gen4 xxviii4 #ae4 ,with thee1 companionship2 ,keep thee1 guardianship2 ,bring thee1 guidance4 ,june #aeth4 ,i have set thee 4 4 4 that thou shouldst be for salvation unto the ends of the earth4 ,acts xiii4 #dg4 ,ye shall be witnesses unto me 4 4 4 unto the uttermost parts of the earth4 ,acts i4 #h4 ,men are questioning now1 as they never have questioned before1 whether ,christianity is1 indeed1 the true religion which is to be the salvation of the world4 ,christian men1 it is for us to give our bit of answer to that question4 ,it is for us1 in whom the ,christian church is at this moment partially embodied1 to declare that ,christianity1 that the ,christian faith1 the ,christian manhood can do that for the world which the world needs4 ,you ask1 ,what can ,i do8 ,you can furnish one ,christian life4 ,you can furnish a life so faithful to every duty1 so ready for every service1 so determined not to commit every sin1 that the great ,christian church shall be the stronger for your living in it1 and the problem of the world be answered1 and a certain great peace come into this poor1 perplexed1 phase of our humanity as it sees that new revelation of what ,christianity is4--,phillips ,brooks4 ,june #afth4 ,i know whom ,i have believed4 #b ,tim4 i4 #ab4 ,personal acquaintance with ,christ is a living thing4 ,like a tree that uses every hour for growth1 it thrives in sunshine1 it is refreshed by rain--even the storm drives it to fasten its grip more firmly in the earth for its support4 ,so1 troubled heart1 in all experience1 say1 ,this comes that ,i may make closer acquaintance with my ,lord4--,selected4 ,june #agth4 ,wait for the promise of the ,father4 ,acts i4 #d4 ,when the day of ,pentecost was fully come1 they were all with one accord in one place 4 4 4 and they were all filled with the ,holy ,ghost4 ,acts ii4 #a1 #d4 ,obedience to a divine prompting transforms it into a permanent acquisition4--,f4 ,b4 ,meyer4 ,june #ahth4 ,we have known and believed the love that ,god hath to us4 #a ,john iv4 #af4 ,the secret of walking closely with ,christ1 and working successfully for ,him1 is to fully realize that we are ,his beloved4 ,let us but feel that ,he has set ,his heart upon us1 that ,he is watching us from those heavens with tender interest1 that ,he is working out the mystery of our lives with solicitude and fondness1 that ,he is following us day by day as a mother follows her babe in his first attempt to walk alone1 that ,he has set ,his love upon us1 and1 in spite of ourselves1 is working out for us ,his highest will and blessing1 as far as we will let ,him1 and then nothing can discourage us4 ,our hearts will glow with responsive love4 ,our faith will spring to meet ,his mighty promises1 and our sacrifices shall become the very luxuries of love for one so dear4 ,this was the secret of ,john's spirit4 ,we have known and believed the love that ,god hath to us4 ,and the heart that has fully learned this has found the secret of unbounded faith and enthusiastic service4--,a4 ,b4 ,simpson4 ,june #aith4 ,endure 4 4 4 as a good soldier of ,jesus ,christ4 #b ,tim4 ii4 #c4 ,life is not victory1 but battle4 ,be patient a little longer4 ,by and by1 each in his turn1 we shall hear the sunset gun4--,selected4 ,june #bjth4 ,whosoever doth not bear his cross and come after me1 cannot be my disciple4 ,luke xiv4 #bg4 ,there is always the shadow of the cross resting upon the ,christian's path4 ,is that a reason why you should avoid or not undertake the duty8 ,have you made up your mind that you will follow your ,master everywhere else1 save when he ascends the path that leads to the cross8 ,is that your religion8 ,the sooner you change it1 the better4 ,the religion of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ is the religion of the cross1 and unless we take up our cross1 we can never follow ,him4--,w4 ,hay ,aitken4 ,june #bast4 ,these 4 4 4 have turned the world upside down4 ,acts xvii4 #f4 ,the serene beauty of a holy life is the most powerful influence in the world next to the might of ,god4--,pascal4 ,june #bbnd4 ,what ,i do thou knowest not now2 but thou shalt know hereafter4 ,john xiii4 #g4 ,god keeps a school for ,his children here on earth and one of ,his best teachers is ,disappointment4 ,my friend1 when you and ,i reach our ,father's house1 we shall look back and see that the sharp-voiced1 rough2 visaged teacher1 ,disappointment1 was one of the best guides to train us for it4 ,he gave us hard lessons2 he often used the rod2 he often led us into thorny paths2 he sometimes stripped off a load of luxuries2 but that only made us travel the freer and the faster on our heavenward way4 ,he sometimes led us down into the valley of the death-shadow2 but never did the promises read so sweetly as when spelled out by the eye of faith in that very valley4 ,nowhere did he lead us so often1 or teach us such sacred lessons1 as at the cross of ,christ4 ,dear1 old1 rough-handed teacher6 ,we will build a monument to thee yet1 and crown it with garlands1 and inscribe on it3 ,blessed be the memory of ,disappointment6--,theodore ,cuyler4 ,june #bcrd4 ,as thy days1 so shall thy strength be4 ,deut4 xxxiii4 #be4 ,i can do all things through ,christ which strengtheneth me4 ,phil4 iv4 #ac4 ,he will not impose upon you one needless burden4 ,he will not exact more than ,he knows your strength will bear4 ,he will ask no ,peter to come to ,him on the water1 unless ,he impart at the same time strength and support on the unstable waves4 ,he will not ask you to draw water if the well is too deep1 or to withdraw the stone if too heavy4 ,but neither at the same time will ,he admit as an impossibility that which1 as a free and responsible agent1 it is in your power to avert4 ,he will not regard as your misfortune what is your crime4--,macduff4 ,june #bdth4 ,thy heart is not right in the sight of ,god4 ,acts viii4 #ba4 ,the worst of all mockeries is a religion that leaves the heart unchanged3 a religion that has everything but the love of ,christ enshrined in the soul4--,f4 ,whitfield4 ,june #beth4 ,the ,holy ,ghost said1 ,separate me ,barnabas and ,saul for the work whereunto ,i have called them4 ,acts xiii4 #b4 ,we have such a nice little quiet1 shady corner in the vineyard1 down among the tender grapes1 with such easy little weedings and waterings to attend to4 ,and then the ,master comes and draws us out into the thick of the work1 and puts us in a part of the field where we never should have thought of going1 and puts larger tools into our hands1 that we may do more at a stroke4 ,and we know we are not sufficient for these things1 and the very tools seem too heavy for us1 and the glare too dazzling and the vines too tall4 ,ah6 but would we dally1 go back8 ,he would not be in the shady corner with us now2 for when ,he put us forth ,he went before us1 and it is only by closer following that we can abide with ,him4--,frances ,ridley ,havergal4 ,june #bfth4 ,small things4 ,zech4 iv4 #aj4 ,it is the little words you speak1 the little thoughts you think1 the little things you do or leave undone1 the little moments you waste or use wisely1 the little temptations which you yield to or overcome--the little things of every day that are making or marring your future life4--,selected4 ,june #bgth4 ,be perfect1 be of good comfort4 #b ,cor4 xiii4 #aa4 ,a glance at the words is enough to make us feel how contradictory they are4 ,be perfect--that is a word that strikes us with despair2 at once we feel how far away we are from our own poor ideal1 and alas6 how much further from ,god's ideal concerning us4 ,be of good comfort--ah1 that is very different6 ,that seems to say1 ,do not fret2 do not fear4 ,if you are not what you would be1 you must be thankful for what you are4 ,now the question is this--,how can these two be reconciled8 ,it is only the religion of ,jesus ,christ that reconciles them4 ,he stands in our midst1 and with the right hand of ,his righteousness ,he pointeth us upward1 and saith1 ,be perfect4 ,there is no resting-place short of that4 ,yet with the left hand of ,his love ,he doth encompass us1 as ,he saith1 ,soul1 be of good comfort2 for that is what ,i came to do for thee4--,mark ,guy ,pearse4 ,june #bhth4 ,be ye therefore perfect1 even as your ,father which is in heaven is perfect4 ,matt4 v4 #dh4 ,seeking the aid of the ,holy ,spirit1 let us aim at perfection4 ,let every day see some sin crucified1 some battle fought1 some good done1 some victory won2 let every fall be followed by a rise1 and every step gained become1 not a resting-place1 but a new starting-point for further and higher progress4--,guthrie4 ,june #bith4 ,sleep on now1 and take your rest4 ,mark xiv4 #da4 ,never did that sacred opportunity to watch with ,christ return to ,his disciples4 ,lost then1 it was lost forever4 ,and now when ,jesus is still beholding the travail of ,his soul in the redemption of the world1 if you fail to be with ,him watching for souls as they that must give account1 remember that the opportunity will never return4 ,watch1 therefore1 says your ,lord1 lest coming suddenly1 ,he may find you sleeping4--,a4 ,j4 ,gordon4 ,june #cjth4 ,let us not sleep1 as do others4 #a ,thess4 v4 #f4 ,there are many ways of promoting ,christian wakefulness4 ,among the rest1 let me strongly advise ,christians to converse together concerning the ways of the ,lord4 ,christian and ,hopeful1 as they journeyed towards the ,celestial ,city1 said to themselves3 ,to prevent drowsiness in this place1 let us fall into good discourse4 ,christians who isolate themselves and walk alone are very liable to grow drowsy4 ,hold ,christian company1 and you will be kept wakeful by it1 and refreshed and encouraged to make quicker progress in the road to heaven4--,spurgeon4 ,illustration3 ,,july ,july #ast4 ,he laid ,his right hand upon me1 saying unto me1 ,fear not4 ,rev4 i4 #ag4 ,one of ,wellington's officers1 when commanded to go on some perilous duty1 lingered a moment as if afraid1 and then said3 ,let me have one clasp of your all-conquering hand before ,i go2 and then ,i can do it4 ,seek the clasp of ,christ's hand before every bit of work1 every hard task1 every battle1 every good deed4 ,bend your head in the dewy freshness of every morning1 ere you go forth to meet the day's duties and perils1 and wait for the benediction of ,christ1 as ,he lays ,his hands upon you4 ,they are hands of blessing4 ,their touch will inspire you for courage and strength and all beautiful and noble living4--,j4 ,r4 ,miller4 ,july #bnd4 ,being seen of them forty days1 and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of ,god4 ,acts i4 #c4 ,this lingering for forty days is the crowning proof of ,christ's tender regard for ,his little flock4 ,he who had laid down ,his life for them is loath to leave them4 ,though they had forsaken ,him1 and doubted ,him1 they had not wearied1 much less had they worn out1 ,his love4 ,he stays to look again1 and yet again1 and yet again1 upon them1 as if turning back and lingering to bless them4 ,it is all of a piece with ,his life of love4 ,everywhere ,he meets them without a touch of upbraiding1 without recalling a single memory of all ,his bitter suffering1 revealing ,himself to the disciples with a tenderness and blessedness indescribably beautiful4 ,how can ,he go till ,he has healed the ,magdalene's broken heart8 ,he must linger till poor ,peter can venture near to have his forgiveness assured4 ,he must stay to strengthen ,thomas' faith4 ,he must tarry with them till ,he has made them feel that ,he is just the same friendly1 brotherly ,jesus that ,he has ever been1 caring for them in their work1 watching them with a yearning pity1 stooping to kindle a fire for their warmth1 and to cook the fish for their meal1 and then to bid them come and dine4--,mark ,guy ,pearse4 ,july #crd4 ,jesus1 4 4 4 being wearied with ,his journey1 sat thus on the well4 4 4 4 7,for ,his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat47 4 4 4 ,and many of the ,samaritans of that city believed on ,him for the saying of the woman1 which testified1 ,he told me all that ever ,i did4 ,john iv4 #f1 #h1 #ci4 ,the bits of wayside work are very sweet4 ,perhaps the odd bits1 when all is done1 will really come to more than the seemingly greater pieces6 4 4 4 ,it is nice to know that the ,king's servants are always really on duty1 even while some can only stand and wait4--,frances ,ridley ,havergal4 ,july #dth4 ,peace ,i leave with you1 my peace ,i give unto you 4 4 4 let not your heart be troubled1 neither let it be afraid4 ,john xiv4 #bg4 ,dark hours come to us all2 and if we have no clew to a peace that can pass unbroken through their murky gloom1 we shall be in a state of continual dread4 ,any stone flung by a chance passer-by may break the crystal clearness of the ,lake of ,peace and send disturbing ripples across it1 unless we have learnt to trust in the perpetual presence of ,him who can make and keep a great calm within the soul4 ,only let nothing come to you which you shall not instantly hand over to ,him--all petty worries1 all crushing difficulties1 all inability to believe4--,f4 ,b4 ,meyer4 ,july #eth4 ,isaac dwelt by the well ,lahai-roi4 ,gen4 xxv4 #aa4 ,isaac dwelt there1 and made the well of the living and all-seeing ,god his constant source of supply4 ,the usual tenor of a man's life1 the dwelling of his soul1 is the true test of his state4 ,let us learn to live in the presence of the living ,god4 ,let us pray the ,holy ,spirit that this day1 and every other day1 we may feel1 ,thou ,god seest me4 ,may the ,lord ,jehovah be as a well to us1 delightful1 comforting1 unfailing1 springing up unto eternal life4 ,the bottle of the creature cracks and dries up1 but the well of the ,creator never fails4 ,happy is he who dwells at the well1 and so has abundant and constant supplies near at hand6 ,glorious ,lord1 constrain us that we may never leave ,thee1 but dwell by the well of the living ,god6--,spurgeon4 ,july #fth4 ,judas ,iscariot 4 4 4 was a thief1 and had the bag1 and bore what was put therein4 ,john xii4 #d1 #f4 ,freely ye have received1 freely give4 ,matt4 x4 #h4 ,ah1 but if we should go thoroughly into this matter1 should we not probably find that many of us are guilty1 in some modified and yet sufficiently alarming sense1 of treachery to the poor8 ,are we not1 some of us1 sent to them with benefactions which never reach them1 and are only unconscious of guilt because so long accustomed to look upon the goods as bestowed on us1 whereas the light of ,god's word would plainly reveal upon those goods the names of the poor and needy8--,george ,bowen4 ,july #gth4 ,let every man take heed how he buildeth4 #a ,cor4 iii4 #aj4 ,our business is not to build quickly1 but to build upon a right foundation1 and in a right spirit4 ,life is more than a mere competition as between man and man2 it is not who can be done first1 but who can work best2 it is not who can rise highest in the shortest time1 but who is working most patiently and lovingly in accordance with the designs of ,god4--,joseph ,parker4 ,july #hth4 ,as thy days1 so shall thy strength be4 ,deut4 xxxiii4 #be4 ,no day without its duty2 no duty without strength to perform it4--,selected4 ,july #ith4 ,surely the ,lord is in this place1 and ,i knew it not4 ,gen4 xxviii4 #af4 ,surely the ,lord was in this place1 and ,i knew it not4 ,my soul1 this is also thine experience6 ,how often hast thou said in thy sorrow1 ,verily thou art a ,god that hidest ,thyself6 ,how often hast thou slept for very heaviness of heart1 and desired not to wake again6 ,and when thou didst wake again1 lo1 the darkness was all a dream6 ,thy vision of yesterday was a delusion4 ,god had been with thee all the night with that radiance which has no need of the sun4 ,o my soul1 it is not only after the future thou must aspire2 thou must aspire to see the glory of thy past4 ,thou must find the glory of that way by which thy ,god has led thee1 and be able even of thy sorrow to say1 ,this was the gate of heaven6--,george ,matheson4 ,july #ajth4 ,my meat is to do the will of ,him that sent me4 ,john iv4 #cd4 ,the real secret of an unsatisfied life lies too often in an unsurrendered will4--,j4 ,hudson ,taylor4 ,july #aath4 ,giving all diligence1 add to your faith virtue4 #b ,pet4 i4 #e4 ,you will find it less easy to unroot faults than to choke them by gaining virtues4 ,do not think of your faults1 still less of others' faults2 in every person who comes near you look for what is good and strong2 honor that2 rejoice in it1 and1 as you can1 try to imitate it2 and your faults will drop off1 like dead leaves1 when their time comes4--,john ,ruskin4 ,july #abth4 ,awake1 ,o north wind2 and come1 thou south2 blow upon my garden1 that the spices thereof may flow out4 ,song of ,sol4 iv4 #af4 ,sometimes ,god sends severe blasts of trial upon ,his children to develop their graces4 ,just as torches burn most brightly when swung violently to and fro2 just as the juniper plant smells sweetest when flung into the flames2 so the richest qualities of a ,christian often come out under the north wind of suffering and adversity4 ,bruised hearts often emit the fragrance that ,god loveth to smell4 ,almost every true believer's experience contains the record of trials which were sent for the purpose of shaking the spice tree4--,theodore ,cuyler4 ,july #acth4 ,awake1 ,o north wind2 and come1 thou south2 blow upon my garden1 that the spices thereof may flow out4 ,song of ,sol4 iv4 #af4 ,there are two winds mentioned in this beautiful prayer4 ,god may send either or both1 as seemeth ,him good4 ,he may send the north wind of conviction1 to bring us to repentance1 or ,he may send the south wind of love1 to melt us into gratitude and holy joy4 ,if we often require the sharp blasts of trial to develop our graces1 do we not also need the warm south breezes of ,his mercy8 ,do we not need the new sense of ,christ's presence in our hearts and the joys of the ,holy ,ghost8 ,do we not need to be melted1 yes1 to be overpowered by the love of ,jesus8--,theodore ,cuyler4 ,july #adth4 ,behold the man6 ,john xix4 #e4 ,behold the man6 was ,pilate's jeer4 ,that is what all the ages have been doing since1 and the vision has grown more and more glorious4 ,as they have looked1 the crown of thorns has become a crown of golden radiance1 and the cast-off robe has glistened like the garments ,he wore on the night of the transfiguration4 ,martyrs have smiled in the flames at that vision4 ,sinners have turned at it to a new life4 ,little children have seen it1 and have had awakened by it dim recollections of their heaven-home4 ,toward it the souls of men yearn ever4--,robert ,e4 ,speer4 ,july #aeth4 ,he 7,john7 saith1 ,behold the ,lamb of ,god6 ,and the two disciples heard him speak1 and they followed ,jesus4 ,john i4 #cf1 #cg4 ,to be a ,christian means to know the presence of a true personal ,christ among us1 and to follow4--,phillips ,brooks4 ,july #afth4 ,ye shall not eat of it4 ,gen4 iii4 #c4 ,the ,sin of ,paradise was eating the tree of knowledge before the tree of life4 ,life must ever be first4 ,knowing and not being1 hearing and not doing1 admiring and not possessing1 all are light without life4--,selected4 ,july #agth4 ,let patience have her perfect work1 that ye may be perfect and entire1 wanting nothing4 ,james i4 #d4 ,are you where ,god would have you be8 ,if not1 come out1 and at once1 for you certainly ought not to be there4 ,if you are1 then be afraid to complain of circumstances which ,god has ordained on purpose to work out in you the very image and likeness of ,his ,son4--,mark ,guy ,pearse4 ,july #ahth4 ,sow beside all waters4 ,isa4 xxxii4 #bj4 ,never mind whereabouts your work is4 ,never mind whether it be visible or not4 ,never mind whether your name is associated with it4 ,you may never see the issues of your toils4 ,you are working for eternity4 ,if you cannot see results here in the hot working day1 the cool evening hours are drawing near1 when you may rest from your labors and then they will follow you4 ,so do your duty1 and trust ,god to give the seed you sow a body as it hath pleased ,him1--,alex4 ,mc,laren4 ,july #aith4 ,hold thou me up1 and ,i shall be safe4 ,psa4 cxix4 #aag4 ,do not spoil the chime of this morning's bells by ringing one half a peal6 ,do not say1 ,hold thou me up1 and stop there1 or add1 ,but all the same ,i shall stumble and fall6 ,finish the peal with ,god's own music1 the bright words of faith that ,he puts into your mouth3 ,hold thou me up1 and ,i shall be safe6--,frances ,ridley ,havergal4 ,july #bjth4 ,lord1 my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy4 ,matt4 viii4 #f4 ,we1 in this age of the church1 are in the position of that sick servant at ,capernaum4 ,to the eye of sense we are separated from the ,savior4 ,we see ,him not--we can touch ,him not--the hand cannot steal amid the crowd to catch ,his garment hem--we cannot hear ,his loved footsteps as of old on our threshold2 but faith penetrates the invisible2 the messenger--prayer--meets ,him in the streets of the ,new ,jerusalem2 and faith and prayer together1 the twin delegates from ,his church below1 ,he has never yet sent empty away4--,macduff4 ,july #bast4 ,work out your own salvation with fear and trembling3 for it is ,god which worketh in you1 both to will and to do of ,his good pleasure4 ,phil4 ii4 #ab1 #ac4 ,what a staggering weight of thought is excited by these words6 ,stay1 my soul1 and wonder that the ,eternal ,god should stoop to work within thy narrow limits4 ,is it not a marvel indeed1 that ,he1 whom the heavens cannot contain1 and in whose sight they are not clean1 should trouble ,himself to work on such material1 so unpromising1 and amidst circumstances so uncongenial8 ,how careful should we be to make ,him welcome1 and to throw no hindrance in ,his way6 ,how eager to garner up all the least movements of ,his gracious operation1 as the machinist conserves the force of his engine2 and as the goldsmith1 with miserly care1 collects every flake of gold leaf6 ,surely we shall be sensible of the fear of holy reverence and the trembling of eager anxiety2 as we work out1 into daily act and life1 all that ,god our ,father is working in4--,f4 ,b4 ,meyer4 ,july #bbnd4 4 4 4 ,sinners of whom ,i am chief4 4 4 4 ,now unto the ,king1 eternal1 immortal1 invisible1 the only wise ,god1 be honor and glory for ever and ever4 ,amen4 #a ,tim4 i4 #ae1 #ag4 ,only those who have struck the deepest note of penitence can reach the highest note of praise4--,a4 ,j4 ,gordon4 ,july #bcrd4 ,blessed is the man 4 4 4 that keepeth the ,sabbath4 ,isa4 lvi4 #b4 ,the ,sabbath is the savings-bank of human life1 into which we deposit one day in seven to be repaid in the autumn of life with compound interest4--,selected4 ,july #bdth4 ,cleanse thou me from secret faults4 ,psa4 xix4 #ab4 ,the world wants men who are saved from secret faults4 ,the world can put on an outside goodness and go very far in uprightness and morality1 and it expects that a ,christian shall go beyond it1 and be free from secret faults4 ,a little crack will spoil the ring of the coin4 4 4 4 ,the world expects1 and rightly1 that the ,christian should be more gentle1 and patient1 and generous1 than he who does not profess to be a disciple of the ,lord ,jesus4 ,for the sake of those who take their notion of religion from our lives1 we need to put up this prayer earnestly1 ,cleanse thou me from secret faults4--,mark ,guy ,pearse4 ,july #beth4 ,do thou that which is good4 #b ,kings x4 #e4 ,keep as few good intentions hovering about as possible4 ,they are like ghosts haunting a dwelling4 ,the way to lay them is to find bodies for them4 ,when they are embodied in substantial deeds they are no longer dangerous4--,william ,arnot4 ,july #bfth4 ,grow in grace1 and in the knowledge of our ,lord and ,savior1 ,jesus ,christ4 #b ,pet4 iii4 #ah4 ,grace has its dawn as well as day2 grace has its green blade1 and afterwards its ripe corn in the ear2 grace has its babes and its men in ,christ4 ,with ,god's work there1 as with all ,his works1 in all places of ,his dominion1 progress is both the prelude and the path to perfection4 ,therefore we are exhorted to grow in grace1 and in the knowledge of our ,lord and ,savior ,jesus ,christ1 to go on to perfection1 saying with ,paul1 ,i count not myself to have apprehended2 but this one thing ,i do1 forgetting those things which are behind1 and reaching forth unto those things which are before1 ,i press towards the mark for the prize of the high calling of ,god in ,christ ,jesus4--,guthrie4 ,july #bgth4 ,sin1 taking occasion by the commandment1 deceived1 and by it slew me4 ,rom4 vii4 #aa4 ,christian1 beware how thou thinkest lightly of sin4 ,take heed lest thou fall by little and little4 ,sin1 a little thing8 ,is it not a poison8 ,who knows its deadliness8 ,sin1 a little thing8 ,do not the little foxes spoil the grapes8 ,doth not the tiny coral insect build a rock which wrecks a navy8 ,do not little strokes fell lofty oaks8 ,will not continual droppings wear away stones8 ,sin1 a little thing8 ,it girded the ,redeemer's head with thorns1 and pierced ,his heart6 ,it made ,him suffer anguish1 bitterness and woe4 ,could you weigh the least sin in the scales of eternity1 you would fly from it as from a serpent1 and abhor the least appearance of evil4 ,look upon all sin as that which crucified the ,savior1 and you will see it to be exceeding sinful4--,spurgeon4 ,july #bhth4 ,your heavenly ,father knoweth4 ,matt4 vi4 #cb4 ,the ,master judges by the result1 but our ,father judges by the effort4 ,failure does not always mean fault4 ,he knows how much things cost1 and weighs them where others only measure4 ,your ,father6 ,think how great store ,his love sets by the poor beginnings of the little ones1 clumsy and unmeaning as they may be to others4 ,all this lies in this blessed relationship1 and infinitely more4 ,do not fear to take it all as your own4--,mark ,guy ,pearse4 ,july #bith4 ,ye are dead1 and your life is hid with ,christ in ,god4 ,col4 iii4 #c4 ,it is neither talent1 nor power1 nor gifts that do the work of ,god1 but it is that which lies within the power of the humblest2 it is the simple1 earnest life hid with ,christ in ,god4--,f4 ,w4 ,robertson4 ,july #cjth4 ,the mother of ,jesus saith unto ,him1 ,they have no wine4 ,jesus saith unto her1 ,woman1 what have ,i to do with thee8 ,mine hour is not yet come4 ,his mother saith unto the servants1 ,whatsoever ,he saith unto you1 do it4 ,john ii4 #c1 #d1 #e4 ,in asking for temporal blessings1 true wisdom lies in putting the matter into the ,lord's hand1 and leaving it there4 ,he knows our sorrows1 and1 if ,he sees it is good for us that the water should be turned into wine1 ,he will do it4 ,it is not for us to dictate3 ,he sees what is best for us4 ,when we ask for prosperity1 perhaps the thing which we should have is trial4 ,when we want to be relieved of a thorn in the flesh1 ,he knows what we should have is an apprehension of the fact that ,his grace is sufficient for us4 ,so we are put into ,his school1 and have to learn the lessons ,he has to teach us4--,w4 ,hay ,aitken4 ,july #cast4 ,let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall4 #a ,cor x4 #ab4 ,angels fell in heaven1 ,adam in paradise1 ,peter in ,christ's presence4--,theophilus ,polwheile4 ,illustration3 ,,august ,august #ast4 ,continue in prayer4 ,col4 iv4 #b4 ,the greatest and the best talent that ,god gives to any man or woman in this world is the talent of prayer4 ,and the best usury that any man or woman brings back to ,god when ,he comes to reckon with them at the end of this world is a life of prayer4 ,and those servants best put their ,lord's money to the exchangers who rise early and sit late1 as long as they are in this world1 ever finding out1 and ever following after better and better methods of prayer1 and ever forming more secret1 more steadfast1 and more spiritually fruitful habits of prayer1 till they literally pray without ceasing1 and till they continually strike out into new enterprises in prayer1 and new achievements1 and new enrichments4--,alex4 ,whyte4 ,august #bnd4 ,he entered into one of the ships 4 4 4 and 4 4 4 sat down4 ,luke v4 iii4 ,when ,jesus sits in the ship everything is in its right place4 ,the cargo is in the hold1 not in the heart4 ,cares and gains1 fears and losses1 yesterday's failure and today's success do not thrust themselves in between us and ,his presence4 ,the heart cleaves to ,him4 ,goodness and mercy shall follow me1 sang the psalmist4 ,alas1 when the goodness and mercy come before us1 and our blessings shut ,jesus from view6 ,here is the blessed order--the ,lord ever first1 ,i following ,him1 ,his goodness and mercy following me4--,mark ,guy ,pearse4 ,august #crd4 ,now are ye light in the ,lord3 walk as children of light4 ,eph4 v4 #h4 ,we do not realize the importance of the unconscious part of our life ministry4 ,it goes on continually4 ,in every greeting we give to another on the street1 in every moment's conversation1 in every letter we write1 in every contact with other lives1 there is a subtle influence that goes from us that often reaches further1 and leaves a deep impression than the things themselves that we are doing at the time4 ,it is not so much what we do in this world as what we are1 that tells in spiritual results and impressions4--,j4 ,r4 ,miller4 ,august #dth4 ,created in ,christ ,jesus unto good works4 ,eph4 ii4 #aj4 ,let us ask ,him to work in us to will those good works1 so that our will1 without being impaired in its free operation1 may be permeated and moulded by ,his will1 just as light suffuses the atmosphere without displacing it4 ,and let us also expect that ,he will infuse into us sufficient strength that we may be able to do ,his will unto all pleasing4 ,thus1 day by day1 our life will be a manifestation of those holy volitions and lovely deeds which shall attest the indwelling and inworking of ,god4 ,and men shall see our good works1 and glorify our ,father which is in heaven4--,f4 ,b4 ,meyer4 ,august #eth4 ,go in this thy might 4 4 4 have not ,i sent thee8 ,judges vi4 #ad4 ,god never leaves ,his child to fail when in the path of obedience4--,theodore ,cuyler4 ,august #fth4 ,set your affection on things above1 not on things on the earth4 ,col4 iii4 #b4 ,whatsoever thy hand findeth to do1 do it with thy might4 ,eccles4 ix4 #aj4 ,if we are to live separate from the world1 how1 since men only do well what they do with a will1 are we1 with affections fixed on things above1 to perform aright the secular1 ordinary duties of life8 ,if our hearts are engrossed with heavenly things1 how are we to obey this other1 and equally divine1 commandment1 ,whatsoever thy hand findeth to do1 do it with thy might8 ,the two are perfectly consistent4 ,man standing between the celestial and terrestrial worlds is related to both2 and resembling neither a flower1 which1 springing from the dust and returning to it1 belongs altogether to the earth1 nor a star which1 shining far remote from its lower sphere1 belongs altogether to the heavens1 our hearts may be fitly likened to the rainbow that1 rising into heaven but resting on earth1 is connected both with the clods of the valley and the clouds of the sky4--,guthrie4 ,august #gth4 ,let us lay aside every weight1 and the sin which doth so easily beset us1 and let us run with patience the race that is set before us1 looking unto ,jesus4 ,heb4 xii4 #a1 #b4 ,think1 as you sit here1 of anything that you are doing that is wrong1 of any habit of your life1 of your self-indulgence1 or of that great1 pervasive habit of your life which makes you a creature of the present instead of the eternities1 a creature of the material earth instead of the glorious skies4 ,ask yourself of any habit that belongs to your own personal life1 and bring it face to face with ,jesus ,christ4--,phillips ,brooks4 ,august #hth4 ,they took knowledge of them1 that they had been with ,jesus4 ,acts iv4 #ac4 ,if ,i think of the world1 ,i get the impress of the world2 if ,i think of my trials and sorrows1 ,i get the impress of my trials and sorrows2 if ,i think of my failures1 ,i get the impress of my failures2 if ,i think of ,christ1 ,i get the impress of ,christ4--,selected4 ,august #ith4 ,ye call me ,teacher1 and ,lord3 and ye say well2 for so ,i am4 ,john xiii4 #ac4 7,r4 ,v4 margin74 ,how wonderful a ,teacher we have6 ,sometimes we seek ,him in the house1 but ,he is not there4 ,we go forth seeking ,him and find ,him perhaps in the wilderness or on a mountain praying1 or leading some poor blind man by the hand1 or eating with publicans or sinners1 or asleep in a storm or conversing with a ,samaritan woman1 or surrounded by wrathful men1 or bearing a cross4 ,it is not merely ,his words that instruct4 ,his place1 ,his occupation1 ,his companions1 ,his environment1 ,his garment1 ,his silence1 ,his submission--all teem with instruction4 ,and they that learn of ,him are made like unto ,him4--,george ,bowen4 ,august #ajth4 ,the ,father sent the ,son to be the ,savior of the world4 #a ,john iv4 #ad4 ,it is a sweet thought that ,jesus ,christ did not come forth without ,his ,father's permission1 authority1 consent1 and assistance4 ,he was sent of the ,father that ,he might be the ,savior of men4 4 4 4 ,didst thou ever consider the depth of love in the heart of ,jehovah1 when ,god the ,father equipped ,his ,son for the great enterprise of mercy8 ,if not1 be this thy day's meditation4 ,the ,father sent ,him6 ,contemplate that subject4 ,think how ,jesus works what the ,father wills4 ,in the wounds of the dying ,savior see the love of the great ,i ,,am4 ,let every thought of ,jesus be also connected with the eternal1 ever-blessed ,god4--,spurgeon4 ,august #aath4 ,they that wait upon the ,lord shall change their strength4 ,isa4 xl4 #ca4 7,r4 ,v47 ,lord1 what a change within us one short hour ,spent in ,thy presence will prevail to make6 ,what heavy burdens from our bosoms take6 ,what parched grounds refresh as with a shower6 ,we kneel--and all around us seems to lower4 ,we rise--and all the distant and the near ,stand forth in sunny outline1 brave and clear4 ,we kneel--how weak3 we rise--how full of power4 ,why1 therefore1 should we do ourselves this wrong ,or others--that we are not always strong2 ,that we are ever overborne with care2 ,that we should ever weak or heartless be1 ,anxious or troubled1 while with us is prayer1 ,and joy and strength and courage are with ,thee8 --,archbishop ,trench4 ,august #abth4 ,as for thee1 the ,lord thy ,god hath not suffered thee so to do4 ,deut4 xviii4 #ad4 ,what a stepping-stone6 ,we give thanks1 often with a tearful1 doubtful voice1 for our spiritual mercies positive2 but what an almost infinite field there is for mercies negative6 ,we cannot even imagine all that ,god has suffered us not to do1 not to be4--,frances ,ridley ,havergal4 ,august #acth4 ,jesus went forth1 and saw a great multitude1 and was moved with compassion toward them1 and ,he healed their sick4 4 4 4 ,and when ,he had sent the multitudes away1 ,he went up into a mountain apart to pray3 and when the evening was come ,he was there alone4 ,matt4 xiv4 #ad1 #bc4 ,do we1 like ,him1 combine the two great elements of human character8 ,are our public duties1 the cares1 and business1 and engrossments of the world1 finely tempered and hallowed by a secret walk with ,god8 ,if the world were to follow us from its busy thoroughfares1 would it trace us to our family altars and our closet devotions8 ,action and meditation are the two great components of ,christian life1 and the perfection of the religious character is to find the two in unison and harmony4--,macduff4 ,august #adth4 ,leaving you an example1 that ye should follow ,his steps4 #a ,pet4 ii4 #ba4 7,r4 ,v47 ,i have long since ceased to pray1 ,lord ,jesus1 have compassion on a lost world6 ,i remember the day and the hour when ,i seemed to hear the ,lord rebuking me for making such a prayer4 ,he seemed to say to me1 ,i have had compassion upon a lost world1 and now it is for you to have compassion4--,a4 ,j4 ,gordon4 ,august #aeth4 ,thou shalt have no other gods before me4 ,ex4 xx4 #c4 ,if you find yourself beginning to love any pleasure better than your prayers1 any book better than your ,bible1 any house better than ,god's1 any table better than the ,lord's1 any person better than your ,savior1 any one better than your soul1 a present indulgence better than the hope of heaven--take alarm6--,guthrie4 ,august #afth4 ,be ye followers of me1 even as ,i also am of ,christ4 #a ,cor4 xi4 #a4 ,when in the ,mexican war the troops were wavering1 a general rose in his stirrups and dashed into the enemy's line1 shouting1 ,men1 follow6 ,they1 seeing his courage and disposition1 dashed on after him1 and gained the victory4 ,what men want to rally them for ,god is an example to lead them4 ,all your commands to others to advance amount to nothing so long as you stay behind4 ,to effect them aright1 you need to start for heaven yourself1 looking back only to give the stirring cry of ,men1 follow6--,t4 ,de,witt ,talmage4 ,august #agth4 ,serving the ,lord with all humility of mind4 ,acts xx4 #ai4 ,there is a legend of an artist who long sought for a piece of sandalwood1 out of which to carve a ,madonna4 ,he was about to give up in despair1 leaving the vision of his life unrealized1 when in a dream he was bidden to carve his ,madonna from a block of oak wood1 which was destined for the fire4 ,he obeyed1 and produced a masterpiece from a log of common fire-wood4 ,many of us lose great opportunities in life by waiting to find sandalwood for our carvings1 when they really lie hidden in the common logs that we burn4--,orison ,swett ,marden4 ,august #ahth4 ,my grace is sufficient for thee3 for my strength is made perfect in weakness4 #b ,cor4 xii4 #i4 ,god's way of answering ,his people's prayers is not by removing the pressure1 but by increasing their strength to bear it4 ,the pressure is often the fence between the narrow way of life and the broad road to ruin2 and if our ,heavenly ,father were to remove it1 it might be at the sacrifice of heaven4 ,oh1 if ,god had removed that thorny fence in answer1 often to earnest prayers1 how many of us would now be castaways6 ,how the song of many a saint now in glory would be hushed6 ,how many a harp would be unstrung6 ,how many a place in the mansions of the redeemed would be unfilled6 ,if ,god answered all the prayers we put up to heaven1 we should need no other scourge4 ,blessed it is that we have ,one who is too loving to grant what we too often so rashly ask4--,f4 ,whitfield4 ,august #aith4 ,abide in me1 and ,i in you4 ,as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself1 except it abide in the vine1 no more can ye1 except ye abide in me4 ,john xv4 #d4 ,from moment to moment1 and from hour to hour1 the inner nature of man is to be continuously sustained with the life of ,god4 ,only as ,i am constantly receiving ,his fulness into my emptiness am ,i really living in the true1 full1 deep sense of the word1 that life of eternity1 which is my privilege now1 and will be my glory hereafter4--,w4 ,hay ,aitken4 ,august #bjth4 ,by faith ,noah 4 4 4 prepared an ark to the saving of his house4 ,heb4 xi4 #g4 ,what a humble1 what a modest sphere for the exercise of faith6 ,one would have said that the purpose was quite disproportionate to the work4 ,the ark was a great undertaking1 but what was it undertaken for8 ,to save his own family4 ,is so narrow a sphere worthy to be the object of faith8 ,is so commonplace a scene as the life of the family circle fit to be a temple for the service of ,god8 4 4 4 ,my soul1 when thou hast finished thy prayers and ended thy meditations1 do not say that thou hast left the house of ,god4 ,god's house shall to thee be everywhere1 and thine own house shall be a part of it4 ,thou shalt feel that all the duties of this place are consecrated2 that it is none other than the house of ,god and one of the gates to heaven4 ,thou shalt feel that every one of its duties is an act of high communion4 ,therefore be it thine to make thy house ,his house4 ,be it thine to consecrate each word and look and deed in the social life of home4 ,be it thine to build thine ark of refuge for the wants of common day2 verily1 thy labor of love shall be called an act of faith4--,george ,matheson4 ,august #bast4 ,we are ,his workmanship1 created in ,christ ,jesus unto good works which ,god hath before ordained that we should walk in them4 ,eph4 ii4 #aj4 ,no man is born into the world whose work is not born with him4 ,there is always work1 and tools to work withal1 for those who will4--,j4 ,b4 ,lowell4 ,august #bbnd4 ,he 4 4 4 began to wash the disciples' feet4 ,john xiii4 #e4 ,we forget that ,jesus ,christ is the same to-day1 when ,he is sitting on the throne1 as ,he was yesterday1 when ,he trod the pathway of our world4 ,and in this forgetfulness how much we miss6 ,what ,he was1 that ,he is4 ,what ,he said1 that ,he says4 ,the ,gospels are simply specimens of the life that ,he is ever living2 they are leaves torn out of the diary of ,his unchangeable ,being4 ,to-day ,he is engaged in washing the feet of ,his disciples1 soiled with their wilderness journeyings4 ,yes1 that charming incident is having its fulfilment in thee1 my friend1 if only thou dost not refuse the lowly loving offices of ,him whom we call ,master and ,lord1 but who still girds ,himself and comes forth to serve4 ,and we must have this incessant cleansing if we would keep right4 ,it is not enough to look back to a certain hour when we first knelt at the feet of the ,son of ,god for pardon2 and heard ,him say1 ,thy sins1 which are many1 are all forgiven4 ,we need daily1 hourly cleansing--from daily1 hourly sin4--,f4 ,b4 ,meyer4 ,august #bcrd4 ,i am the ,lord1 ,i change not4 ,mal4 iii4 #f4 ,our hope is not hung upon such untwisted thread as ,i imagine so1 or it is likely2 but the cable1 the strong rope of our fastened anchor1 is the oath and promise of ,him who is eternal verity4 ,our salvation is fastened with ,god's own hand and ,christ's own strength to the strong stake of ,god's unchanging nature4--,william ,rutherford4 ,august #bdth4 ,i will cause the shower to come down in his season2 there shall be showers of blessing4 ,ezek4 xxxiv4 #bf4 ,what is thy season this morning8 ,is it the season of drought8 ,then that is the season for showers4 ,is it a season of great heaviness and black clouds8 ,then that is the season for showers4 ,as thy days so shall thy strength be4 ,i will give thee showers of blessing4 ,the word is in the plural4 ,all kinds of blessings ,god will send4 ,all ,god's blessings go together1 like links in a golden chain4 ,if ,he gives converting grace1 ,he will also give comforting grace4 ,he will send showers of blessings4 ,look up to-day1 ,o parched plant1 and open thy leaves and flowers for a heavenly watering4--,spurgeon4 ,august #beth4 ,nevertheless1 at thy word4 ,luke v4 #e4 ,oh1 what a blessed formula for us6 ,this path of mine is dark1 mysterious1 perplexing2 nevertheless1 at ,thy word ,i will go forward4 ,this trial of mine is cutting1 sore for flesh and blood to bear4 ,it is hard to breathe through a broken heart1 ,thy will be done4 ,but1 nevertheless1 at ,thy word ,i will say1 ,even so1 ,father6 ,this besetting habit1 or infirmity1 or sin of mine1 is difficult to crucify4 ,it has become part of myself--a second nature2 to be severed from it would be like the cutting off of a right hand1 or the plucking out of a right eye2 nevertheless1 at ,thy word ,i will lay aside every weight2 this idol ,i will utterly abolish4 ,this righteousness of mine it is hard to ignore2 all these virtues1 and amiabilities1 and natural graces1 it is hard to believe that they dare not in any way be mixed up in the matter of my salvation2 and that ,i am to receive all from first to last as the gift of ,god1 through ,jesus ,christ my ,lord4 ,nevertheless1 at ,thy word ,i will count all but loss for the excellency of ,his knowledge4--,macduff4 ,august #bfth4 ,if we suffer1 we shall also reign with ,him4 #b ,tim4 ii4 #ab4 ,the photographer must have a negative1 as he calls it1 in order to furnish you with a picture4 ,now1 the earthly cross is the negative from which the heavenly crown is to be made2 the suffering and sorrow of the present time determining the glory1 honor and immortality of the life to come4--,a4 ,j4 ,gordon4 ,august #bgth4 ,the word of ,god1 which liveth and abideth forever4 #a ,pet4 i4 #bc4 ,the ,word abideth4 ,the ,jew hated it--but it lived on1 while the veil was torn away from the shrine which the ,shekinah had forsaken1 and while ,jerusalem itself was destroyed4 ,the ,greek derided it--but it has seen his philosophy effete and his ,acropolis in ruins4 ,the ,romans threw it into the flames--but it rose from its ashes1 and swooped down upon the falling eagle4 ,the reasoner cast it into the furnace1 which his own negligence had heated seven times hotter than its wont--but it came out without the smell of fire4 ,the formalist fastened serpents around it to poison it--but it shook them off and felt no harm4 ,the infidel cast it overboard in a tempest of sophistry and sarcasm--but it rode gallantly upon the crest of the proud waters4 ,and it is living still--yet heard in the loudest swelling of the storm--it has been speaking all the while--it is speaking now6--,punshon4 ,august #bhth4 ,let the peace of ,god rule in your hearts4 ,col4 iii4 #ae4 ,years ago one of our fleets was terribly shattered by a violent gale--but it was found that some of the ships were unaffected by its violence4 ,they were in what mariners call the eye of the storm4 ,while all around was desolation1 they were safe4 ,so it is with him who has the peace of ,god in his heart4--,pilkington4 ,august #bith4 ,ye serve the ,lord ,christ4 ,col4 iii4 #bd4 ,our business as ,christians is to serve the ,lord in every business of life4--,mark ,guy ,pearse4 ,august #cjth4 ,love not the world1 neither the things that are in the world4 #a ,john ii4 #ae4 ,if you will go to the banks of a little stream1 and watch the flies that come to bathe in it1 you will notice that1 while they plunge their bodies into the water1 they keep their wings high out of the water2 and1 after swimming about a little while1 they fly away with their wings unwet through the sunny air4 ,now1 that is the lesson for us4 ,here we are immersed in the cares and business of the world2 but let us keep the wings of our soul1 our faith and our love1 out of the world1 that1 with these unclogged1 we may be ready to take our flight to heaven4--,j4 ,inglis4 ,august #cast4 ,i would have you without carefulness4 #a ,cor4 vii4 #cb4 ,do not look forward to the changes and chances of this life in fear4 ,rather look to them with full hope that1 as they arise1 ,god1 whose you are1 will deliver you out of them4 ,he has kept you hitherto--do you but hold fast to ,his dear hand1 and ,he will lead you safely through all things2 and when you cannot stand1 ,he will bear you in ,his arms4 ,do not look forward to what may happen to-morrow4 ,the same everlasting ,father who cares for you to-day will take care of you to-morrow1 and every day4 ,either ,he will shield you from suffering1 or ,he will give you unfailing strength to bear it4 ,be at peace then1 and put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginations4--,francis de ,sales4 ,illustration3 ,september ,september #ast4 ,thus saith the ,lord ,god1 ,i will yet for this be inquired of by the house of ,israel1 to do it for them4 ,ezek4 xxxvi4 #cg4 ,prayer is the forerunner of mercy4 ,turn to sacred history and you will find that scarcely ever did a great mercy come to this world unheralded by supplication4 ,prayer is always the preface to blessing4 ,it goes before the blessing as the blessing's shadow4 ,when the sunlight of ,god's mercies rises upon our necessities it casts the shadow of prayer far down upon the plain4 ,or1 to use another illustration1 when ,god piles up a hill of mercies ,he ,himself shines behind them1 and ,he casts on our spirits the shadow of prayer so that we may rest certain1 if we are much in prayer1 our pleadings are the shadows of mercy4 ,prayer is thus connected with the blessing to show us the value of it4--,spurgeon4 ,september #bnd4 ,let us not be weary in well doing1 for in due season we shall reap if we faint not4 ,gal4 vi4 #i4 ,the hours of this present life are the ages in embryo of the life to come4--,a4 ,j4 ,gordon4 ,september #crd4 ,my presence shall go with thee4 ,ex4 xxxiii4 #ad4 ,we should never leave our prayer closets in the morning without having concentrated our thoughts deeply and intensely on the fact of the actual presence of ,god there with us1 encompassing us1 and filling the room as literally as it fills heaven itself4 ,it may not lead to any distinct results at first1 but1 as we make repeated efforts to realize the presence of ,god1 it will become increasingly real to us4 ,and1 as the habit grows upon us1 when alone in a room1 or when treading the sward of some natural woodland temple1 or when pacing the stony street--in the silence of night1 or amid the teeming crowds of daylight--we shall often find ourselves whispering the words1 ,thou art near2 thou art here1 ,o ,lord4--,f4 ,b4 ,meyer4 ,september #dth4 ,to the ,lord our ,god belong mercies and forgiveness4 ,dan4 ix4 #i4 ,as a spring lock closes itself1 but cannot be unlocked without a key1 so we ourselves may run into sin1 but cannot return without the key of ,god's grace4--,cawdray4 ,september #eth4 ,it is high time to awake out of sleep4 ,rom4 xiii4 #aa4 ,i have heard of a painter who loved to work by the morning light4 ,he said that the colors were better understood by the light of the early day1 and so he was wont to be in his studio waiting for the rising of the sun4 ,then every moment it grew lighter1 and he found he could accomplish things which he could not reach if he waited till the day had advanced4 ,is there not work waiting for us--work that no one else can do--work1 too1 that the ,master has promised to help us perform8 ,shall ,he come and find that we still sleep8 ,or shall the ,son of ,righteousness1 when ,he appears1 find us waiting1 as that painter waited1 looking and longing for the first gleam of day8 ,surely those of us who thus wait on the ,lord shall renew our strength1 and1 eagle-like1 rise to greet the ,sun4--,thomas ,champness4 ,september #fth4 ,the church of ,god1 which ,he hath purchased with ,his own blood4 ,acts xx4 #bh4 ,surely ,he may do what ,he will with ,his own4 ,the price ,he has paid to make them ,his own is a sufficient guarantee that ,he will never make light of anything in which their welfare is at all concerned4 ,we are precious to ,him by the virtue of the blood which ,he has shed for us1 and for ,him to be found at any time wanting in solicitude for our happiness would be for ,him to treat that blood of ,his as the sinners of this world treat it4 ,the persuasion of ,christ's love must be graven in our hearts so deeply that no semblance of indifference on ,his part will ever make the slightest impression upon us4 ,this is the victory which overcometh the world4--,george ,bowen4 ,september #gth4 ,the ,god of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing1 that ye may abound in hope1 through the power of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,rom4 xv4 #ac4 ,in spiritual as in earthly things there is great strength in hope1 and1 therefore1 ,god's people are carefully to cultivate that grace4 ,a well-grounded hope that1 having been made new creatures in ,jesus ,christ1 we are ,his2 that with our names1 though unknown to fame1 written in the ,book of ,life1 we have grace in possession and heaven in prospect2 that after a few more brief years1 pure as the angels that sing before the throne1 we shall be brought with gladness into the palace of the ,king1 to be like ,christ and with ,christ1 seeing ,him eye to eye and face to face--such hopes are powerful springs of action4--,guthrie4 ,september #hth4 ,he asked life of ,thee1 and ,thou gavest it him1 even length of days or ever and ever4 ,psa4 xxi4 #d4 ,when poor men make requests of us we usually answer them as the echo does the voice--the answer cuts off half the petition4 ,we shall seldom find among men ,jael's courtesy1 giving milk to those that ask water1 except it be as this was1 an entangling benefit1 the better to introduce a mischief4 ,there are not many ,naamans among us1 that1 when you beg of them one talent1 will force you to take two2 but ,god's answer to our prayers is like a multiplying glass1 which renders the request much greater in the answer than it was in the prayer4--,bishop ,reynolds4 ,september #ith4 ,this beginning of miracles did ,jesus4 ,john ii4 #aa4 ,it was out of the common thing that the precious thing was brought2 and it is out of the common things of daily life1 presented obediently to ,jesus and laid at ,his feet1 that ,he brings ,his own glorious gifts1 so that our whole lives become one great sacrament4--,w4 ,hay ,aitken4 ,september #ajth4 ,in the daytime 4 4 4 ,he led them with a cloud1 and all the night with a light of fire4 ,psa4 lxxviii4 #ad4 ,my day is my prosperity2 it is the time when the sun of fortune is bright above me1 and1 therefore1 it is the time when ,i need a shade4 ,if my sunshine were not chequered ,i would forget ,thee1 ,o my ,god4 ,but ,i have nights to meet as well as days4 ,the night is my adversity2 it is the time when the sun of fortune has gone down behind the hills1 and ,i am left alone1 and then it is1 ,o my ,father1 that ,i need the light of ,thy fire6 ,my light of fire for the night is the vision of ,calvary--the vision of ,thy love in the ,cross4 ,i need the light of ,thy fire all the night4--,george ,matheson4 ,september #aath4 ,now are we the sons of ,god3 and it doth not yet appear what we shall be2 but we know that when ,he shall appear1 we shall be like ,him1 for we shall see ,him as ,he is4 #a ,john iii4 #b4 ,now are we the sons of ,god4 ,that is the pier upon one side of the gulf4 ,it doth not yet appear what we shall be1 but when ,he shall appear we shall be like ,him4 ,that is the pier on the other4 ,how are the two to be connected8 ,there is only one way by which the present sonship will blossom and fruit into the future perfect likeness1 and that is1 if we throw across the gulf1 by ,god's help day by day1 the bridge of growing likeness to ,himself1 and purity therefrom4--,alex4 ,mc,laren4 ,september #abth4 ,behold1 we go up to ,jerusalem4 ,matt4 xx4 #ah4 ,never had there been such a going up to ,jerusalem as that which ,jesus here proposes to ,his disciples4 ,he goes up voluntarily4 ,the act was not enforced by any external compulsion4 ,jerusalem might at this time have been avoided4 ,it was deliberately sought4 ,it was a going up to a triumph to be reached through defeat1 a coronation to be attained through ignominy and humiliation4 ,o believer1 in your walk through the world to-day1 be strengthened1 be comforted1 be inspired1 by the spectacle of the ,captain of your salvation thus going up to ,jerusalem6 ,and remember1 in all those apparently downward passages of life1 where sorrow1 and it may be death1 lie before you1 that all such descents1 made or endured in the ,spirit of ,jesus1 are really upgoing steps1 leading you to the mount of ,god and the resurrection glory4--,j4 ,b4 ,stratton4 ,september #acth4 ,these were the potters1 and those that dwelt among plants and hedges3 there they dwelt with the king for his work4 #a ,chron4 iv4 #bc4 ,anywhere and everywhere we may dwell with the ,king for ,his work4 ,we may be in a very unlikely or unfavorable place for this2 it may be in a little country life1 with little enough to be seen of the goings of the ,king around us2 it may be among hedges of all sorts1 hindrances in all directions2 it may be1 furthermore1 with our hands full of all manner of pottery for our daily task4 ,no matter6 ,the ,king who placed us there will come and dwell there with us2 the hedges are all right1 or ,he would soon do away with them2 and it does not follow that what seems to hinder our way may not be for its very protection2 and as for the pottery1 why1 this is just exactly what ,he has seen fit to put into our hands1 and therefore it is1 for the present1 ,his work4--,frances ,ridley ,havergal4 ,september #adth4 ,i will instruct thee1 and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go2 ,i will guide thee with mine eye4 ,psa4 xxxii4 #h4 ,when ,god does the directing1 our life is useful and full of promise1 whatever it is doing2 and discipline has its perfecting work4--,h4 ,e4 ,cobb4 ,september #aeth4 ,the ,son of man came not to be ministered unto1 but to minister1 and to give ,his life a ransom for many4 ,matt4 xx4 #bh4 ,we are so to surrender ourselves to ,christ that this great purpose of ,his coming shall claim and possess the whole life4 ,we are to live1 like ,god1 to bless others4 ,this is ,his will1 ,his purpose concerning us4 ,this is what ,his power waits to do for us4 ,and this too1 is the claim of ,his great love upon us4 ,do not sigh a poor assent to the truth of it1 and then pass by neglectfully on the other side4 ,do not think about it and pray about it without even a passing hope that the prayer will be answered4 ,do not gather yourself up in great resolutions to be good and useful4 ,kneel in sight of the ,crucified4 ,in the cross of ,christ spell out ,his great purpose and yearning love to men4 ,let the heart feel all the might of the appeal that comes to us from those torn hands and feet and bleeding brow1 from all the dreadful shame and agony of our dear ,lord4 ,and1 bought and bound by all this1 surrender yourself to ,him for ,his great purpose4 ,take ,him as your strength for this life-work4--,mark ,guy ,pearse4 ,september #afth4 ,jesus 4 4 4 went about doing good4 ,acts x4 #ch4 ,the finest of all fine arts is the art of doing good2 and yet it is the least cultivated4--,t4 ,de,witt ,talmage4 ,september #agth4 ,and the angel of the ,lord said unto her ,hagar1 ,return to thy mistress1 and submit thyself under her hands4 ,gen4 xvi4 #i4 ,,submission is a great ,christian law1 but we find it early in ,genesis1 early in the history of mankind1 and angel-given4--,selected4 ,september #ahth4 ,then spake ,solomon 4 4 4 ,i have surely built thee an house to dwell in4 #a ,kings viii4 #ab1 #ac4 ,solomon1 the prince of peace1 alone could build the temple4 ,if we would be soul-winners and build up the church1 which is ,god's temple1 let us note this2 not by discussion nor by argument1 but by lifting up ,christ shall we draw men unto ,him4--,j4 ,hudson ,taylor4 ,september #aith4 ,i have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction4 ,isa4 xlviii4 #aj4 ,does not the word come like a soft shower1 assuaging the fury of the flame8 ,yea1 is it not an asbestos armor1 against which the heat hath no power8 ,let affliction come--,god has chosen me4 ,poverty1 thou mayest stride in at my door--but ,god is in the house already1 and ,he has chosen me4 ,sickness1 thou mayest intrude1 but ,i have a balsam ready--,god has chosen me4 ,whatever befalls me in this vale of tears ,i know that ,he has chosen me4 ,fear not1 ,christian2 ,jesus is with thee4 ,in all thy fiery trials ,his presence is both thy comfort and safety4 ,he will never leave one whom ,he has chosen for ,his own4 ,fear not1 for ,i am with thee1 is ,his sure word of promise to ,his chosen ones in the furnace of affliction4--,spurgeon4 ,september #bjth4 ,base things of the world and things which are despised hath ,god chosen4 #a ,cor4 i4 #bh4 ,in some of the great halls of ,europe may be seen pictures not painted with the brush1 but mosaics1 which are made up of small pieces of stone1 glass1 or other material4 ,the artist takes these little pieces1 and1 polishing and arranging them1 he forms them into the grand and beautiful picture4 ,each individual part of the picture may be a little worthless piece of glass or marble or shell2 but1 with each in its place1 the whole constitutes the masterpiece of art4 ,so ,i think it will be with humanity in the hands of the great ,artist4 ,god is picking up the little worthless pieces of stone and brass that might be trodden under foot unnoticed1 and is making of them ,his great masterpiece4--,bishop ,simpson4 ,september #bast4 ,serve the ,lord with gladness2 come before ,his presence with singing4 ,psa4 c4 #b4 ,god wants our life to be a song4 ,he has written the music for us in ,his ,word and in the duties that come to us in our places and relations in life4 ,the things we ought to do are the notes set upon the staff4 ,to make our life beautiful music we must be obedient and submissive4 ,any disobedience is the singing of a false note1 and yields discord4--,j4 ,r4 ,miller4 ,september #bbnd4 ,when thou prayest1 enter into thy closet1 and when thou hast shut thy door1 pray to thy ,father1 which is in secret4 ,matt4 vi4 #f4 ,this is faith's stronghold2 here she weapons herself for the daily conflict4 ,silence in that closet of prayer bespeaks death throughout all the house4 ,when that door is suffered to rust on its hinges1 and that chamber is deserted1 then the heart-house is soon retaken by ,satan1 and evil spirits come in and dwell there4--,theodore ,cuyler4 ,september #bcrd4 ,be ye holy2 for ,i am holy4 #a ,pet4 i4 #af4 ,the highway of holiness is along the commonest road of life--along your very way4 ,in wind and rain1 no matter how it beats--it is only going hand in hand with ,him4--,mark ,guy ,pearse4 ,september #bdth4 ,and the ,lord said1 ,shall ,i hide from ,abraham that thing which ,i do8 ,gen4 xviii4 #ag4 ,abraham1 in communion with ,god1 knew long before ,lot1 in ,sodom1 of the destruction of that city4 ,oh for more communion6--,selected4 ,september #beth4 ,the life which ,i now live in the flesh4 ,gal4 ii4 #bj4 ,i expect to pass through this world but once--therefore1 if there be any kindness ,i can show or any good thing ,i can do to any fellow human being1 let me do it now2 let me not defer or neglect it1 for ,i shall not pass this way again4--,marcus ,aurelius4 ,september #bfth4 ,so teach us to number our days1 that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom4 ,psa4 xc4 #ab4 ,every day is a little life2 and our whole life is but a day repeated3 whence it is that old ,jacob numbers his life by days2 and ,moses desires to be taught this point of holy arithmetic--to number not his years1 but his days4 ,those1 therefore1 that dare lose a day1 are dangerously prodigal2 those that dare misspend it1 desperate4--,bishop ,hall4 ,september #bgth4 ,christ in you the hope of glory4 ,col4 i4 #bg4 ,religion is not the simple fire-escape that you build in anticipation of a possible danger1 upon the outside of your dwelling1 and leave there until danger comes4 ,you go to it some morning when a fire breaks out in your house1 and the poor old thing that you built up there1 and thought that you could use some day1 is so rusty and broken1 and the weather has so beaten upon it and the sun so turned its hinges1 that it will not work4 ,that is the condition of a man who has built himself what seems a creed of faith1 a trust in ,god in anticipation of the day when danger is to overtake him1 and has said to himself1 ,i am safe1 for ,i will take refuge in it then4 ,but religion is the house in which we live1 it is the table at which we sit1 it is the fireside at which we draw near1 the room that arches its graceful and familiar presence over us2 it is the bed on which we lie and think of the past1 and anticipate the future1 and gather our refreshment4--,phillips ,brooks4 ,september #bhth4 ,wait for the promise of the ,father4 ,acts i4 #d4 ,tarry at a promise till ,god meets you there4 ,he always returns by way of ,his promises4--,selected4 ,september #bith4 ,this is the victory that overcometh the world1 even our faith4 #a ,john v4 #d4 ,the world conquers me when it succeeds in hindering me from seeing1 loving1 holding communion with1 and serving my ,father1 ,god4 ,i conquer it when ,i lay my hand upon it and force it to help me to get nearer ,him1 to get more like ,him1 to think oftener of ,him1 to do ,his will more gladly and more constantly4 ,the one victory over the world is to bend it to serve me in the highest things--the attainment of a clearer vision of the divine nature1 the attainment of a deeper love to ,god ,himself1 and a more glad consecration and service to ,him4 ,that is the victory--when you can make the world a ladder to lift you to ,god4 ,when the world comes between you and ,god as an obscuring screen1 it has conquered you4 ,when the world comes between you and ,god as a transparent medium you have conquered it4 ,to win victory is to get it beneath your feet and stand upon it1 and reach up thereby to ,god4--,alex4 ,mc,laren4 ,september #cjth4 ,he shall give ,his angels charge over thee to keep thee in all thy ways4 ,psa4 xci4 #aa4 ,count no duty too little1 no round of life too small1 no work too low1 if it come in thy way1 since ,god thinks so much of it as to send ,his angels to guard thee in it4--,mark ,guy ,pearse4 ,illustration3 ,october ,october #ast4 ,at ,jesus' feet4 ,luke x4 #ci4 ,at ,jesus' feet--that is our place of privilege and of blessing1 and here it is that we are to be educated and fitted for the practical duties of life4 ,here we are to renew our strength while we wait on ,him1 and to learn how to mount on wings as eagles2 and here we are to become possessed of that true knowledge which is power4 ,here we are to learn how real work is to be done1 and to be armed with the true motive power to do it4 ,here we are to find solace amidst both the trials of work--and they are not few--and the trials of life in general2 and here we are to anticipate something of the blessedness of heaven amidst the days of earth2 for to sit at ,his feet is indeed to be in heavenly places1 and to gaze upon ,his glory is to do what we shall never tire of doing yonder4--,w4 ,hay ,aitken4 ,october #bnd4 ,god is love2 and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in ,god1 and ,god in him4 #a ,john iv4 #af4 ,god is love2 and it is good1 as it is true1 to think that every sun-ray that touches the earth has the sun at the other end of it2 so every bit of love upon ,god's earth has ,god at the other end of it4--,mark ,guy ,pearse4 ,october #crd4 ,they took knowledge of them that they had been with ,jesus4 ,acts iv4 #ac4 ,a ,christian should be a striking likeness of ,jesus ,christ4 ,you have read lives of ,christ1 beautifully and eloquently written1 but the best life of ,christ is ,his living biography1 written out in the words and actions of ,his people4 ,if we were what we profess to be1 and what we should be1 we would be pictures of ,christ2 yea1 such striking likenesses of ,him that the world would not have to hold us up by the hour together1 and say1 ,well1 it seems somewhat of a likeness3 but they would1 when they once beheld us1 exclaim1 ,he has been with ,jesus2 he has been taught of ,him2 he is like ,him2 he has caught the very idea of the holy ,man of ,nazareth1 and he works it out in his life and every day actions4--,spurgeon4 ,october #dth4 ,be not afraid1 only believe4 ,mark v4 #cf4 ,be not downcast if difficulties and trials surround you in your heavenly life4 ,they may be purposely placed there by ,god to train and discipline you for higher developments of faith4 ,if ,he calls you to toiling in rowing1 it may be to make you the hardier seaman1 to lead you to lift up the hands which hang down1 and the feeble knees1 and1 above all1 to drive you to a holier trust in ,him who has the vessel and its destinies in ,his hand1 and who1 amid gathering clouds and darkened horizon and crested billows is ever uttering the mild rebuke to our misgivings--,said ,i not unto thee1 if thou wouldest believe1 thou shouldst see the glory of ,god4--,macduff4 ,october #eth4 ,happy is the man whom ,god correcteth4 ,job v4 #ag4 ,happy1 because the correction is designed to bring him into paths of blessedness and peace4 ,happy1 because there is no unnecessary severity in it4 ,happy1 because the chastisement is not so much against us1 as against our most cruel enemies--our sins4 ,happy1 because we have abundant words of consolation4 ,happy1 because whom the ,lord loveth ,he chasteneth4 ,happy1 because our light affliction is but for a moment4--,george ,bowen4 ,october #fth4 ,when they saw the star they rejoiced with exceeding great joy4 ,matt4 ii4 #aj4 ,we who look for ,jesus ought to be joyful2 it is no credit to our ,lord when we look as though we were seeking ,his grave4 ,the dull looks of ,christ's followers have injured ,him in the sight of the world4 ,let us1 then1 smile as we go1 for we have the star if we will look up and put ourselves in the right path4--,thos4 ,champness4 ,october #gth4 ,when ,i sit in darkness the ,lord shall be a light unto me4 ,micah vii4 #h4 ,if you are willing to choose the seeming darkness of faith instead of the illumination of reason1 wonderful light will break out upon you from the ,word of ,god4--,a4 ,j4 ,gordon4 ,october #hth4 ,i 7,daniel7 was left alone1 and saw this great vision4 ,dan4 x4 #h4 ,solitude is the antechamber of ,god2 only one step more and you can be in ,his immediate presence4--,landor4 ,october #ith4 ,come and dine4 ,john xxi4 #ab4 ,this morning the voice of the ,beloved of our soul is heard giving us ,his invitation4 ,children1 ,he asks1 have ye any meat8 ,we answer1 ,no2 of ourselves we have nothing but hunger and starvation4 ,o ,god1 we cannot feed ourselves6 ,then it is that ,his own sweet voice replies1 ,come and dine6--,w4 ,hay ,aitken4 ,october #ajth4 ,o ,lord ,god1 ,thou knowest6 ,ezek4 xxxvii4 #c4 ,here is the response of faith4 ,thou knowest6--what a pillow for the heart to repose upon6 ,thou knowest6--what few but comprehensive words to sum up and express the heart's difficulties and perplexities and trials4 ,thou knowest6--what an inexpressibly sweet resting-place in the midst of life's tumultuous heavings2 in the midst of a sea that knows no calm2 in the midst of a scene in which tossings to and fro are the hourly history6 ,what an answer they contain for every heart that can find no words to express its big emotions2 for a heart whose sorrows are too deep for language to find its way to ,god6 ,oh1 that they were ever uppermost in the soul1 as the response to every difficulty in our path6 ,they are ,god's answer to everything we cannot fathom2 ,god's answer for our hearts to rest upon1 and our lips to utter1 when every way is hedged up so that we cannot pass4 ,o ,lord ,god1 thou knowest6 ,rest here1 believer4 ,lean thy soul on these words4 ,repose calmly on the bosom of thy ,god1 and carry them with thee into every scene of life4 ,o ,lord ,god1 thou knowest4--,f4 ,whitfield4 ,october #aath4 ,behold1 a ladder set up on the earth1 and the top of it reached to heaven4 ,gen4 xxviii4 #ab4 ,think of that mystic ladder1 which descends from the throne of ,god to the spot1 however lowly1 where you may be4 ,it may be a moorland waste2 a humble cottage2 a ship's cabin2 a settler's hut2 a bed of pain2 but ,jesus ,christ finds you out1 and comes just where you are4 ,the one pole of this ladder is the gold of ,his deity2 the other is the silver of ,his manhood2 the rungs are the series of events from the cradle of ,bethlehem to the right hand of power1 where ,he sits4 ,that ladder sways beneath a weight of blessing for you4 ,oh1 that you would send away your burdens of sin1 and care1 and fear1 by the hands of the ascending angels of prayer and faith6--so as to be able to receive into your heart the trooping angels of peace1 and joy1 and love1 and glory4--,f4 ,b4 ,meyer4 ,october #abth4 ,surely ,god is in this place1 and ,i knew it not4 ,gen4 xxviii4 #af4 ,the ,parish ,priest1 of austerity1 ,climbed up in the high church steeple ,to be nearer ,god1 that he might hand ,his word down to the people4 ,and in sermon script he daily wrote ,what he thought was sent from heaven2 ,and he dropped it down on the people's heads ,two times one day in seven4 ,in his age ,god said1 ,come down and die4 ,and he cried out from the steeple3 ,where art thou1 ,lord8 ,and the ,lord replied3 ,down here among ,my people4--,selected4 ,october #acth4 ,now therefore1 hearken1 ,o ,israel1 unto the statutes and unto the judgments which ,i teach you1 for to do them1 that ye may live1 and go in and possess the land which the ,lord ,god of your fathers giveth you4 ,deut4 iv4 #a4 ,hearken and do1 that ye may live and possess4 ,this is a universal and abiding principle4 ,it was true for ,israel1 and it is true for us4 ,the pathway of life and the true secret of possession is simple obedience to the holy commandments of ,god4 ,we see this all through the inspired volume1 from cover to cover4 ,god has given us ,his ,word1 not to speculate upon it or discuss it1 but that we may obey it4 ,and it is as we1 through grace1 yield a hearty and happy obedience to our ,father's statutes and judgments1 that we tread the bright pathway of life1 and enter into the reality of all that ,god has treasured up for us in ,christ4--,c4 ,h4 ,m4 ,october #adth4 ,i live2 yet not ,i1 but ,christ liveth in me2 and the life which ,i now live in the flesh ,i live by the faith of the ,son of ,god1 who loved me1 and gave ,himself for me4 ,gal4 ii4 #bj4 ,the man who lives in ,god knows no life except the life of ,god4--,phillips ,brooks4 ,october #aeth4 ,let us who are of the day be sober1 putting on the breastplate of faith and love1 and for a helmet1 the hope of salvation4 #a ,thess4 v4 #h4 ,faith1 love1 hope--these three form the defensive armor that guards the soul2 and these three make self-control possible4 ,like a diver in his dress who is let down to the bottom of the wild1 far-weltering ocean1 a man whose heart is girt by faith and charity1 and whose head is covered with the helmet of hope1 may be dropped down into the wildest sea of temptation and of worldliness1 and yet will walk dry and unharmed through the midst of its depths1 and breathe air that comes from a world above the restless surges4 ,faith will bring you into communication with all the power of ,god4 ,love will lead you into a region where all the temptations round you will be touched as by ,ithuriel's spear1 and will show their own foulness4 ,and ,hope will turn away your eyes from looking at the tempting splendor around1 and fix them upon the glories that are above4 ,and so the reins will come into your hands in an altogether new manner1 and you will be able to be king over your own nature in a fashion that you did not dream of before1 if only you will trust in ,christ and love ,him1 and fix your desires on the things above4 ,then you will be able to govern yourself1 when you let ,christ govern you4--,alex4 ,mc,laren4 ,october #afth4 ,the word of our ,god shall stand forever4 ,isa4 xl4 #h4 ,the ,word of ,god is the water of life2 the more ye lave it forth1 the fresher it runneth4 ,it is the fire of ,god's glory2 the more ye blow it1 the clearer it burneth4 ,it is the corn of the ,lord's field2 the better ye grind it1 the more it yieldeth4 ,it is the bread of heaven2 the more it is broken and given forth1 the more it remaineth4 ,it is the sword of the ,spirit2 the more it is scoured1 the brighter it shineth4--,bishop ,jewel4 ,october #agth4 ,i spake unto thee in thy prosperity4 ,jer4 xxii4 #ba4 ,we shade our eyes with the hand to shut out the glare of the strong daylight when we want to see far away4 ,god thus puts1 as it were1 ,his hand upon our brows1 and tempers the glow of prosperity1 that we may take in the wider phases of ,his goodness4 ,it is a common experience that1 looking out from the gloom of some personal affliction1 men have seen for the first time beyond the earth plane1 and caught glimpses of the ,beulah ,land4 ,let us not shrink from the ,hand which we know is heavy only with blessing4--,ludlow4 ,october #ahth4 ,surely ,he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler4 ,psa4 xci4 #c4 ,he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler4 ,that is1 from the little things1 the hidden traps and nets that are set for us4 ,great sins frighten where little snares entangle4 ,it is easier to escape the huntsman's arrow than the crafty lure4 ,and where are they not set8 ,riches and poverty1 sickness and strength1 prosperity and adversity1 friendship and loneliness1 the work and the want of it--each has its snare1 wherein not only are the unwary caught1 but the wise and the watchful sometimes fall a prey4 ,little things1 mere threads1 hardly worth guarding against--yet they are strong enough to hold us and hinder us1 and may be the beginning of our destruction4--,mark ,guy ,pearse4 ,october #aith4 ,the ,lord set a mark upon ,cain4 ,gen4 iv4 #ae4 ,we speak of the mark of ,cain as if it was the mark of a curse4 ,in reality it was the mark of ,god's mercy1 a defence against his enemies4--,d4 ,j4 ,burrell4 ,october #bjth4 ,who is among you that feareth the ,lord 4 4 4 that walketh in darkness1 and hath no light8 ,let him trust in the name of the ,lord1 and stay upon his ,god4 ,isa4 l4 #aj4 ,in fierce storms1 said an old seaman1 we can do but one thing1 there is only one way2 we must put the ship in a certain position and keep her there4 ,this1 ,christian1 is what you must do4 ,sometimes1 like ,paul1 you can see neither sun nor stars1 and no small tempest lies on you2 and then you can do but one thing2 there is only one way4 ,reason cannot help you4 ,past experiences give you no light4 ,even prayer fetches no consolation4 ,only a single course is left4 ,you must put your soul in one position and keep it there4 ,you must stay upon the ,lord2 and1 come what may--winds1 waves1 cross seas1 thunder1 lightning1 frowning rocks1 roaring breakers--no matter what1 you must lash yourself to the helm1 and hold fast your confidence in ,god's faithfulness1 ,his covenant engagement1 ,his everlasting love in ,christ ,jesus4--,richard ,fuller4 ,october #bast4 ,be thou faithful unto death1 and ,i will give thee a crown of life4 ,rev4 ii4 #aj4 ,there is a heaven at the end of every faithful ,christian's journey4--,cuyler4 ,october #bbnd4 ,flee into ,egypt4 ,matt4 ii4 #ac4 ,why8 ,because there is a cruel king who will seek the young child's life4 ,is ,christ born in thee8 ,is thy life like that manger--precious as a casket1 because of what it holds8 ,then have a care2 for1 craftier and more unscrupulous than ,herod1 the destroyer of souls will seek to destroy thee4 ,there is a day coming when they shall say1 ,they are dead which sought the young child's life4 ,grace shall survive the foe1 and we shall yet return to enjoy the comforts of life1 with no ,herod to threaten us4 ,after all1 it is sin which is short-lived1 for goodness shall flourish when the evil one is chained up for ever4--,thos4 ,champness4 ,october #bcrd4 ,as my lord the king hath said1 so will thy servant do4 #a ,kings ii4 #ch4 ,there is something infinitely better than doing a great thing for ,god1 and the infinitely better thing is to be where ,god wants us to be1 to do what ,god wants us to do1 and to have no will apart from ,his4--,g4 ,campbell ,morgan4 ,october #bdth4 ,let your light so shine before men1 that they may see your good works1 and glorify your ,father which is in heaven4 ,matt4 v4 #af4 ,they say the world has an eagle eye for anything inconsistent1 an eye sharp to discover the vagaries and inconsistencies in the defaulty and the unworthy4 ,it has an eagle eye2 but the eagle winks before the sun1 and the burning iris of its eye shrinks abashed before the unsullied purity of noon4 ,let your light so shine before men1 that others1 awed and charmed by the consistency of your godly life1 may come to enquire1 and to say you have been with ,jesus4--,punshon4 ,october #beth4 ,the eleven disciples went 4 4 4 into a mountain where ,jesus had appointed them 4 4 4 ,jesus came and spake unto them saying 4 4 4 ,go ye and teach all nations4 ,matt4 xxviii4 #af1 #ah1 #ai4 ,the considerable actions in the world have usually very small beginnings4 ,of a few letters1 how many thousand words are made6 ,of ten figures1 how many thousand numbers6 ,a point is the beginning of all geometry4 ,a little stone flung into a pond makes a little circle1 then a greater1 till it enlarges itself to both the sides4 ,so from small beginnings ,god doth cause an efflux through the whole world4--,charnock4 ,october #bfth4 ,behold1 ,i bring you good tidings of great joy1 which shall be to all people4 ,luke ii4 #aj4 ,it is true that these good tidings of great joy were to be for all people1 but not first4 ,the message falls on our own ears1 and is first for our own souls4 ,oh1 ponder this well6 ,take all ,god's truths home first to thine own heart4 ,ask in earnest prayer that the ,spirit may write them with the pen of heaven on thine own conscience4 ,then wilt thou be a vessel fitted for the ,master's use1 and carry ,his message with spiritual power to the souls of others4--,f4 ,whitfield4 ,october #bgth4 ,whom the ,lord loveth ,he chasteneth4 ,heb4 xii4 #f4 ,earthly prosperity is no sign of the special love of heaven3 nor are sorrow and care any mark of ,god's disfavor1 but the reverse4 ,god's love is robust1 and true1 and eager--not for our comfort1 but for our lasting blessedness2 it is bent on achieving this1 and it is strong enough to bear misrepresentation and rebuke in its attempts to attune our spirits to higher music4 ,it therefore comes instructing us4 ,let us enter ourselves as pupils in the school of ,god's love4 ,let us lay aside our own notions of the course of study2 let us submit ourselves to be led and taught2 let us be prepared for any lessons that may be given from the blackboard of sorrow3 let us be so assured of the inexhaustible tenacity of ,his love as to dare to trust ,him1 though ,he slay us4 ,and let us look forward to that august moment when ,he will give us a reason for all life's discipline1 with a smile that shall thrill our souls with ecstasy1 and constrain sorrow and sighing to flee away forever4--,f4 ,b4 ,meyer4 ,october #bhth4 ,whatsoever ye shall ask the ,father in my name1 ,he will give it you4 ,john xvi4 #bc4 ,prayer must be based upon promise1 but1 thank ,god1 ,his promises are always broader than our prayers6 ,no fear of building inverted pyramids here1 for ,jesus ,christ is the foundation4--,frances ,ridley ,havergal4 ,october #bith4 ,he riseth from supper1 and laid aside ,his garments2 and took a towel1 and girded ,himself4 ,after that ,he poureth water into a basin1 and began to wash the disciples' feet1 and to wipe them with the towel wherewith ,he was girded4 ,john xiii4 #d1 #e4 ,acts are common and mean because they are ordinarily expressive of the common and mean thoughts of men4 ,let us not accuse the acts that make up our daily life of meanness1 but our ignoble souls that reveal themselves so unworthily through those acts4 ,the same act may successively mount up through every intermediate stage from the depth of unworthiness to a transcendent height of excellence1 according to the soul that is manifested by it4 ,one of the glorious ends of our ,lord's incarnation was that ,he might propitiate us with the details of life1 so that we should not disdain these as insignificant1 but rather disdain ourselves for our inability to make these details interpreters of a noble nature4 ,oh1 let us then look with affectionateness and gratitude upon the daily details of life1 seeing the sanctifying imprint of the hand of ,jesus upon them all6--,george ,bowen4 ,october #cjth4 ,he placed 4 4 4 cherubims1 and a flaming sword 4 4 4 to keep the way of the tree of life4 ,gen4 iii4 #bd4 ,blessed are they that do ,his commandments1 that they may have right to the tree of life4 ,rev4 xxii4 #ad4 ,how remarkable and how beautiful it is that the last page of the ,revelation should come bending round to touch the first page of ,genesis4 ,the history of man began with angels with frowning faces and flaming swords barring the way to the ,tree of ,life4 ,it ends with the guard of cherubim withdrawn2 or rather1 perhaps1 sheathing their swords and becoming guides to the no longer forbidden fruit1 instead of being its guards4 ,that is the ,bible's grand symbolical way of saying that all between--the sin1 the misery1 the death--is a parenthesis4 ,god's purpose is not going to be thwarted4 ,the end of ,his majestic march through history is to be men's access to the ,tree of ,life1 from which1 for the dreary ages--that are but as a moment in the great eternities--they were barred out by their sin1--,alex4 ,mc,laren4 ,october #cast4 ,that the ,god of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 the ,father of glory1 may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of ,him3 the eyes of your understanding being enlightened4 ,eph4 i4 #ag1 #ah4 ,we were coming down a mountain in ,switzerland one evening1 when a black thunder-storm blotted out the day1 and all things were suddenly plunged into darkness4 ,we could only dimly see the narrow1 dusty footpaths1 and the gloomy sides that were swallowed up in deeper gloom4 ,what1 then1 of the majesty all about us1 heights1 and depths1 and wonders8 ,all was darkness4 ,then came the lightning--not flashes1 but the blazing of the whole sky1 incessant1 and on every side4 ,what recesses of glory we gazed into6 ,what marvels of splendor shone out of the darkness6 ,think how with us1 in us1 is ,one who comes to make the common1 dusty ways of life resplendent1 illuminating our dull thoughts by the light of the glory of ,god2 clearing the vision of the soul1 and then revealing the greatness of the salvation that is ours in ,christ4--,mark ,guy ,pearse4 ,illustration3 ,november ,november #ast4 ,jesus was left alone1 and the woman standing in the midst4 ,john viii4 #i4 ,alone with ,jesus6 ,what a sweet and holy spot6 ,what a blessed refuge to which the soul may betake itself from the charges of ,satan1 the accusations of the world1 and the sorrows of life6 ,sweet spot for the heart to unfold itself1 to tell its hidden tale in the ear of ,infinite love1 tenderness1 and compassion6 ,alone with ,jesus6 ,how different a front would ,christianity present to the world if the ,lord's people were oftener there6 ,what humility1 and gentleness1 and love1 would characterize all their dealings6 ,what holiness stamped on the very brow1 that all might read6 ,what few judgments passed on others1 how many more on ourselves6 ,what calmness and resignation and joyful submission to all the ,lord's dealings6 ,be much alone with ,jesus6 ,then will the passage to glory be one of sunshine1 whether it be through the portals of the grave or through the clouds of heaven4--,f4 ,whitfield4 ,november #bnd4 ,thou wilt shew me the path of life3 in ,thy presence is fullness of joy2 at ,thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore4 ,psa4 xvi4 #aa4 ,the man who walks along the path of life lives in the presence of the joy-giving ,god4 ,just in so far as he is true to that path of life1 and wanders neither to the right hand nor to the left1 his joy becomes deeper1 nay6 he becomes partaker of that very fullness of joy in which ,god ,himself lives1 and moves1 and has ,his being4 ,and while such is his experience in the midst of all the trials of life1 he has also the privilege of looking forward to grander things yet in store for him1 when that higher world shall be reached1 and the shadows of time have passed away forever4 ,at ,thy right hand1 exclaims the psalmist1 there are pleasures for evermore4--,w4 ,hay ,aitken4 ,november #crd4 ,be clothed with humility4 #a ,pet4 v4 #e4 ,is it not one of the difficulties of church work that we have more officers than men8 ,we need more of the rank and file1 who are willing to march anywhere1 and to do the lowliest of tasks4 ,we shall succeed in doing greater things when we are all of us willing to be subject4 ,it is the bayonet rather than the gold lace which is wanted when the enemy is to be subdued4--,thomas ,champness4 ,november #dth4 ,jacob lifted up his eyes1 and looked1 and behold1 ,esau came1 and with him four hundred men4 ,gen4 xxxiii4 #a4 ,do not lift up your eyes and look for ,esaus4 ,those who look for troubles will not be long without finding trouble to look at4 ,lift them higher--to ,him from whom our help cometh4 ,then you will be able to meet your troubles with an unperturbed spirit4 ,those who have seen the face of ,god need not fear the face of man that shall die4 ,to have power with ,god is to have power over all the evils that threaten us4--,f4 ,b4 ,meyer4 ,november #eth4 ,let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit1 perfecting holiness in the fear of ,god4 #b ,cor4 vii4 #a4 ,the ,tree of ,life1 according to some of the old rabbinical legends1 lifted its branches1 by an indwelling motion1 high above impure hands that were stretched to touch them2 and until our hands are cleansed through faith in ,jesus ,christ1 its richest fruit hangs unreachable1 golden above our heads4 ,the fullness of the life of heaven is only granted to those who1 drawing near ,jesus ,christ by faith on earth1 have thereby cleansed themselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit4--,alex4 ,mc,laren4 ,november #fth4 ,the pillar of the cloud went from before their face1 and stood behind them4 ,ex4 xiv4 #ai4 ,it is not always guidance that we most need4 ,many of our dangers come upon us from behind4 ,they are stealthy1 insidious1 assaulting us when we are unaware of their nearness4 ,the tempter is cunning and shrewd4 ,he does not meet us full front4 ,it is a comfort to know that ,christ comes behind us when it is there we need the protection4--,j4 ,r4 ,miller4 ,november #gth4 ,iniquities prevail against me3 as for our transgressions1 ,thou shall purge them away4 ,psa4 lxv4 #c4 ,there is much earnest religion that lives in the dreary compass of these first four words1 ,iniquities prevail against me1 and never gets a glimpse beyond it4 ,but do not put a full stop there4 ,fetch in ,one who can help4 ,as for our transgressions1 ,,thou shalt purge them away4 ,the moment we bring the ,lord in1 that moment defeat is turned to triumphant deliverance6 ,write that up in golden letters--,,thou6 ,and do not find in this word only a trembling hope1 or a wondering wish4 ,listen to its full assurance--,,thou ,,shalt6 ,there is but one result that can warrant the agony of ,calvary2 there is but one result that can satisfy either our blessed ,savior or ourselves2 and that is our being conquerors over sin4--,mark ,guy ,pearse4 ,november #hth4 ,speaking the truth in love4 ,eph4 iv4 #ae4 ,the best way of eradicating error is to publish and practice truth4--,w4 ,arnot4 ,november #ith4 ,so he arose1 and went to ,zarephath4 #a ,kings xvii4 #aj4 ,let it be equally said of you to whatever duty the ,lord may call you away1 ,he arose and went4 ,be the way ever so laborious or dangerous1 still arise1 like ,elijah1 and go4 ,go cheerfully1 in faith1 keeping your heart quietly dependent on the ,lord1 and in the end you will surely behold and sing of ,his goodness4 ,though tossed on a sea of troubles you may anchor on the firm foundation of ,god1 which standeth sure4 ,you have for your security ,his exceeding great and precious promises1 and may say with the psalmist1 ,why art thou cast down1 ,o my soul8 and why art thou disquieted within me8 ,hope thou in ,god1 for ,i shall yet praise ,him who is the health of my countenance1 and my ,god4--,f4 ,w4 ,krummacher4 ,november #ajth4 ,a daily rate for every day4 #b ,kings xxv4 #cj4 ,the acts of breathing which ,i performed yesterday will not keep me alive to-day2 ,i must continue to breathe afresh every moment1 or animal life ceases4 ,in like manner yesterday's grace and spiritual strength must be renewed1 and the ,holy ,spirit must continue to breathe on my soul from moment to moment in order to my enjoying the consolations1 and to my working the works of ,god4--,toplady4 ,november #aath4 ,and when the vessel that he made of the clay was marred in the hand of the potter1 he made it again another vessel1 as seemed good to the potter to make it4 ,jer4 xviii4 #d4 7,r4 ,v47 ,god's fairest1 highest place of service in the land that lies beyond will be filled by the men and women who have been broken upon the wheel on earth4--,g4 ,campbell ,morgan4 ,november #abth4 ,examine yourselves4 #b ,cor4 xiii4 #e4 ,if your state be good1 searching into it will give you that comfort of it4 ,if your state be bad1 searching into it cannot make it worse2 nay1 it is the only way to make it better1 for conversion begins with conviction4--,bishop ,hopkins4 ,november #acth4 ,choose you this day whom ye will serve4 ,josh4 xxiv4 #ae4 ,,choice ,,and ,,service--these were demanded of the ,israelites2 these are demanded of you1 these only4 ,choice and service--in these are the whole of life4--,mark ,hopkins4 ,november #adth4 ,lord1 thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations4 ,psa4 xc4 #a4 ,you cannot detain the eagle in the forest4 ,you may gather around him a chorus of the choicest birds2 you may give him a perch on the goodliest pine2 you may charge winged messengers to bring him choicest dainties2 but he will spurn them all4 ,spreading his lordly wings1 and with his eye on the ,alpine cliff1 he will soar away to his own ancestral halls amid the munitions of rocks and the wild music of tempest and waterfall4 ,the soul of man1 in its eagle soarings1 will rest with nothing short of the ,rock of ,ages4 ,its ancestral halls are the halls of heaven4 ,its munitions of rocks are the attributes of ,god4 ,the sweep of its majestic flight is ,eternity6 ,lord1 ,,thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations6--,macduff4 ,november #aeth4 ,he hath said4 ,heb4 xiii4 #e4 ,if we can only grasp these words of faith1 we have an all-conquering weapon in our hand4 ,what doubt is there that will not be slain by this two-edged sword8 ,what fear is there which shall not fall smitten with a deadly wound before this arrow from the bow of ,god's covenant8 ,he hath said6 ,yes2 whether for delight in our quietude1 or for strength in our conflict1 ,he hath said6 must be our daily resort4 ,since ,he hath said is the source of all wisdom1 and the fountain of all comfort1 let it dwell in you richly1 as a well of water1 springing up unto everlasting life4 ,so shall you grow healthy1 strong1 and happy1 in the divine life4--,spurgeon4 ,november #afth4 ,not ,i1 but ,christ liveth in me4 ,gal4 ii4 #bj4 ,the wonder of the life in ,jesus is this--and you will find it so1 and you have found it so1 if you have ever taken your ,new ,testament and tried to make it the rule of your daily life--that there is not a single action that you are called upon to do of which you need be1 of which you will be1 in any serious doubt for ten minutes as to what ,jesus ,christ1 if ,he were here1 ,jesus ,christ being here1 would have you do under those circumstances and with the material upon which you are called to act4 ,the soul that takes in ,jesus' word1 the soul that through the words of ,jesus enters into the very person of ,jesus1 the soul that knows ,him as its daily presence and its daily law--it never hesitates4--,phillips ,brooks4 ,november #agth4 ,who is my neighbor8 ,luke x4 #bi4 ,who is thy neighbor8 ,it is the sufferer1 wherever1 whoever1 whatsoever he be4 ,wherever thou hearest the cry of distress1 wherever thou seest anyone brought across thy path by the chances and changes of life 7that is1 by the ,providence of ,god71 whom it is in thy power to help--he1 stranger or enemy though he be--he is thy neighbor4--,a4 ,p4 ,stanley4 ,november #ahth4 ,he which stablisheth us 4 4 4 in ,christ1 and hath anointed us1 is ,god2 who hath also sealed us1 and given the earnest of the ,spirit in our hearts4 #b ,cor4 i4 #ba1 #bb4 ,when a ,christian is sealed by the ,holy ,ghost1 sealed as the property of his ,master1 there will be no need to ask1 ,whose image and superscription is this upon the sealed one8 ,the ,king's1 of course4 ,anyone can see the image4 ,of what use is a seal if it cannot be seen8 ,is the ,king's image visibly1 permanently1 stamped upon us8 ,it is on every ,spirit-filled1 sealed believer4--,john ,mc,neil4 ,november #aith4 ,they shall rejoice1 and shall see the plummet in the hand of ,zerubbabel4 ,zech4 iv4 #aj4 ,it is joy to the ,christian to know that the plummet is now in the hands of our great ,zerubbabel1 and that when ,he comes forth1 the world's misrule shall be over4 ,the false standards and false estimates of men shall be swept away4 ,the standards of expediency1 of conscience1 of every man thinking as he likes1 if he is only sincere--these1 and all similar refuges of lies shall be like a spider's web4 ,the measure of all things will be ,christ1 and ,christ the ,measurer of all things4 ,how everything will be reversed6 ,what a turning upside down of all that now exists6 ,blessed day1 and longed for--the world's great jubilee1 the earth's long-looked-for ,sabbath1 groaning creation's joy1 and nature's calm repose6 ,who would not cry1 ,come1 ,lord ,jesus1 and end this troubled dream6 ,shatter the shadows of the long1 dark night of sin and sorrow1 sighing and tears1 despair and death6--,f4 ,whitfield4 ,november #bjth4 ,in the world ye shall have tribulation3 but be of good cheer2 ,i have overcome the world4 ,john xvi4 #cc4 ,tribulation is ,god's threshing--not to destroy us1 but to get what is good1 heavenly1 and spiritual in us separated from what is wrong1 earthly1 and fleshly4 ,nothing less than blows of pain will do this4 ,the evil clings so to the good1 the golden wheat of goodness in us is so wrapped up in the strong chaff of the old life that only the heavy flail of suffering can produce the separation4--,j4 ,r4 ,miller4 ,november #bast4 ,i 4 4 4 heard behind me a great voice1 as of a trumpet1 saying 4 4 4 ,write4 ,rev4 i4 #aj1 #aa4 ,it is very sweet to note that a voice from heaven said to ,john1 ,write4 ,does not that voice come to us8 ,are there not those who would taste the joys of heaven if we wrote them words of forgiveness and affection8 ,are there not others who would dry their tears if we would remind them of past joys1 when we were poor as they are now8 ,nay1 could not some1 who read these plain words1 place inside the envelope something bearing their signature which would make the widow's heart dance for joy8 ,what is our pen doing8 ,is it adding joy to other men's lives8 ,if so1 then angels may tune their harps when we sit at our desk4 ,they are sent to minister to the heirs of salvation1 and would be glad to look upon our pen as writing music for them to sing1 because what we write makes their client's joy to be full4--,thomas ,champness4 ,november #bbnd4 ,whom the ,lord loveth ,he chasteneth4 ,heb4 xii4 #f4 ,we should ever bear in mind that the discipline of our heavenly ,father's hand is to be interpreted in the light of our ,father's countenance2 and the deep mysteries of ,his moral government to be contemplated through the medium or ,his tender love4--,selected4 ,november #bcrd4 ,faithful is ,he that calleth you1 who also will do it4 #a ,thess4 v4 #bd4 ,earthly faithfulness is possible only by the reception of heavenly gifts4 ,as surely as every leaf that grows is mainly water that the plant has got from the clouds1 and carbon that it has got out of the atmosphere1 so surely will all our good be mainly drawn from heaven and heaven's gifts4 ,as certainly as every lump of coal that you put upon your fire contains in itself sunbeams that have been locked up for all these millenniums that have passed since it waved green in the forest1 so certainly does every good deed embody in itself gifts from above4 ,and no man is pure except by impartation2 and every good thing and every perfect thing cometh from the ,father of lights4--,alex4 ,mc,laren4 ,november #bdth4 ,singing with grace in your hearts to the ,lord4 ,col4 iii4 #af4 ,remember your life is to be a singing life4 ,this world is ,god's grand cathedral for you4 ,you are to be one of ,god's choristers1 and there is to be a continual eucharistic sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving going up from your heart1 with which ,god shall be continually well pleased4 ,and there should be not only the offering of the lips1 but the surrender of the life with joy4 ,yes1 with joy1 and not with constraint4 ,every faculty of our nature should be presented to ,him in gladsome service1 for the ,lord ,jehovah is my song as well as my strength4--,w4 ,hay ,aitken4 ,november #beth4 ,call to remembrance the former days4 ,heb4 x4 #cb4 ,the former days--times of trial1 conflict1 discouragement1 temptation4 ,did we oftener call these to remembrance1 with how much more delight would we make the covert of ,god's faithfulness our refuge1 exclaiming with the psalmist1 ,because ,thou hast been my help1 therefore in the shadow of ,thy wings will ,i rejoice4--,r4 ,fuller4 ,november #bfth4 ,the ,lord 4 4 4 thy habitation4 ,psa4 xci4 #i4 ,we go home without arrangement4 ,we plan our visits1 and then go home because they are over4 ,duty1 want1 a host of things1 lead us forth elsewhere2 but the heart takes us home4 ,blessed1 most blessed is he whose thoughts pass up to ,god1 not because they are driven like a fisherman's craft swept by the fierceness of the storm1 not because they are forced by want or fear1 not because they are led by the hand of duty1 but because ,god is in his habitation and his home4 ,loosed from other things1 the thoughts go home for rest4 ,in ,god the blessed man finds the love that welcomes4 ,there is the sunny place4 ,there care is loosed and toil forgotten4 ,there is the joyous freedom1 the happy calm1 the rest1 and renewing of our strength--at home with ,god4--,mark ,guy ,pearse4 ,november #bgth4 ,these have turned the world upside down4 ,acts xvii4 #f4 ,none of these things move me4 ,acts xx4 #bd4 ,the men that move the world are the ones who do not let the world move them4--,selected4 ,november #bhth4 ,he touched the hollow of ,jacob's thigh in the sinew that shrank4 ,gen4 xxxii4 #cb4 ,whatever it is that enables a soul1 whom ,god designs to bless1 to stand out against ,him1 ,god will touch4 ,it may be the pride of wealth1 or of influence1 or of affection2 but it will not be spared--,god will touch it4 ,it may be something as natural as a sinew2 but if it robs a man of spiritual blessing ,god will touch it4 ,it may be as small a thing as a sinew2 but its influence in making a man strong in his resistance of blessing will be enough to condemn it--and ,god will touch it4 ,and beneath that touch it will shrink and shrivel1 and you will limp to the end of life4 ,remember that the sinew never shrinks save beneath the touch of the angel hand--the touch of tender love4--,f4 ,b4 ,meyer4 ,november #bith4 ,with ,god all things are possible4 ,mark x4 #bg4 ,unbelief says1 ,how can such and such things be8 ,it is full of hows2 but faith has one great answer to the ten thousand hows1 and that answer is--,,god6--,c4 ,h4 ,m4 ,november #cjth4 ,ye are the temple of the living ,god2 as ,god hath said1 ,i will dwell in them1 and walk in them4 #b ,cor4 vi4 #af4 ,these temples were reared for ,him4 ,let ,him fill them so completely that1 like the oriental temple of glass in the ancient legend1 the temple shall not be seen1 but only the glorious sunlight1 which not only shines into it1 but through it1 and the transparent walls are all unseen4--,a4 ,b4 ,simpson4 ,illustration3 ,,december ,december #ast4 ,without ,christ4 ,eph4 ii4 #ab4 ,without a hope to cheer1 a ,pilot to steer1 a ,friend to counsel1 grace to sustain1 heaven to welcome us1 and ,god to console6--,selected4 ,december #bnd4 ,when ,i am weak1 then am ,i strong4 #b ,cor4 xii4 #aj4 ,this is ,god's way4 ,we advance by going backwards1 we become strong by becoming weak1 we become wise by being fools4--,f4 ,whitfield4 ,december #crd4 ,holy men of ,god spake as they were moved by the ,holy ,ghost4 #b ,pet4 i4 #ba4 ,the ,bible is the writing of the living ,god4 ,each letter was penned with an almighty finger4 ,each word in it dropped from the everlasting lips4 ,each sentence was dictated by the ,holy ,spirit4 ,albeit that ,moses was employed to write his histories with his fiery pen1 ,god guided that pen4 ,it may be that ,david touched his harp1 and let sweet psalms of melody drop from his fingers2 but ,god moved his hands over the living strings of his golden harp4 ,solomon sang canticles of love and gave forth words of consummate wisdom2 but ,god directed his lips1 and made the preacher eloquent4 ,if ,i follow the thundering ,nahum1 when his horses plough the waters2 or ,habakkuk1 when he sees the tents of ,cushan in affliction2 if ,i read ,malachi1 when the earth is burning like an oven2 if ,i turn to the smooth page of ,john1 who tells of love2 or the rugged chapters of ,peter1 who speaks of fire devouring ,god's enemies2 if ,i turn aside to ,jude1 who launches forth anathemas upon the foes of ,god--everywhere ,i find ,god speaking2 it is ,god's voice1 not man's2 the words are ,god's words2 the words of the ,eternal1 the ,invisible1 the ,almighty1 the ,jehovah of ages4 ,this ,bible is ,god's ,bible2 and when ,i see it1 ,i seem to hear a voice springing up from it1 saying1 ,i am the ,book of ,god4 ,man1 read me4 ,i am ,god's writing4 ,study my page1 for ,i was penned by ,god4 ,love me1 for ,he is my ,author1 and you will see ,him visible and manifest everywhere4--,spurgeon4 ,december #dth4 ,they all forsook ,him1 and fled4 ,mark xiv4 #ej4 ,separation never comes from ,his side4--,j4 ,hudson ,taylor4 ,december #eth4 ,belshazzar the king made a great feast4 ,dan4 v4 #a4 ,there was one ,guest not invited1 but ,he came1 and the work of ,his finger glowed upon the wall4--,selected4 ,december #fth4 ,he that watereth shall be watered also himself4 ,prov4 xi4 #be4 ,the effective life and the receptive life are one4 ,no sweep of arm that does some work for ,god but harvests also some more of the truth of ,god1 and sweeps it into the treasury of life4--,phillips ,brooks4 ,december #gth4 ,and they came unto ,him1 bringing one sick of the palsy4 ,mark ii4 #c4 ,had it not been for the palsy1 this man might never have seen ,christ6--,selected4 ,december #hth4 ,bless the ,lord1 ,o my soul1 and forget not all ,his benefits 4 4 4 who crowneth thee with loving kindness and tender mercies4 ,ps4 ciii4 #b1 #d4 ,we talk about the telescope of faith1 but ,i think we want even more the microscope of watchful and grateful love4 ,apply this to the little bits of our daily lives1 in the light of the ,spirit1 and how wonderfully they come out6--,frances ,ridley ,havergal4 ,december #ith4 ,when thou passest through the waters ,i will be with thee4 ,is4 xliii4 #b4 ,god's presence in the trial is much better than exemption from the trial4 ,the sympathy of ,his heart with us is sweeter far than the power of ,his hand for us4--,selected4 ,december #ajth4 ,then shall ye discern between the righteous and the wicked4 ,mal4 iii4 #ah4 ,said ,anne of ,austria to ,cardinal ,richelieu3 ,god does not pay at the end of every week1 but ,he pays at last6--,selected4 ,december #aath4 ,what is your life8 ,it is even a vapor1 that appeared for a little time1 and then vanisheth away4 ,james iv4 #ad4 ,only one life2 'twill soon be past-- ,and only what's done for ,christ will last4--,selected4 ,december #abth4 ,he 7,jesus7 4 4 4 looked up to heaven4 ,mark vi4 #da4 ,in working for ,god1 first look to heaven4 ,it is a grand plan4 ,over and over again our ,lord ,jesus ,christ looked to heaven and said1 ,father4 ,let us imitate ,him2 although standing on the earth1 let us have our conversation in heaven4 ,before you go out1 if you would feed the world1 if you would be a blessing in the midst of spiritual dearth and famine1 lift up your head to heaven4 ,then your very face will shine1 your very garments will smell of myrrh and aloes and cassia out of the ivory palaces where you have been with your ,god and ,savior4 ,there will be stamped upon you the dignity and power of the service of the ,most ,high ,god4--,mc,neil4 ,december #acth4 ,the disciples were called ,christians first in ,antioch4 ,acts xi4 #bf4 ,this name suggests that the clear impression made by our character1 as well as by our words1 should be that we belong to ,jesus ,christ4 ,he should manifestly be the center and the guide1 the impulse and the pattern1 the strength and reward1 of our lives4 ,we are ,christians4 ,that should be plain for all folks to see1 whether we speak or be silent4 ,is it so with you8--,alex4 ,mc,laren4 ,december #adth4 ,having therefore these promises4 #b ,cor4 vii4 #a4 ,the forests in summer days are full of birds' nests4 ,they are hidden among the leaves4 ,the little birds know where they are2 and when a storm arises1 or when night draws on1 they fly1 each to his own nest4 ,so the promises of ,god are hidden in the ,bible1 like nests in the great forests2 and thither we should fly in any danger or alarm1 hiding there in our soul's nest until the storm be overpast4 ,there are no castles in this world so impregnable as the words of ,christ4--,j4 ,r4 ,miller4 ,december #aeth4 ,now abideth faith1 hope1 love1 these three2 but the greatest of these is love4 #a ,cor4 xiii4 #ac4 7,r4 ,v47 ,love is the greatest thing that ,god can give us3 for ,himself is ,love2 and it is the greatest thing we can give to ,god3 for it will give ourselves1 and carry with it all that is ours4--,jeremy ,taylor4 ,december #afth4 ,he 7,thomas7 4 4 4 said1 ,except ,i shall see 4 4 4 ,i will not believe4 4 4 4 ,jesus 4 4 4 said 4 4 4 ,be not faithless1 but believing4 ,john xx4 #be1 #bg4 ,every doubt in the heart of a ,christian is a dishonor done to the ,word of ,god1 and the sacrifice of ,christ4--,selected4 ,december #agth4 ,lot 4 4 4 pitched his tent toward ,sodom4 ,gen4 xiii4 #ab4 ,and soon ,lot moved into ,sodom2 and before long ,sodom moved into him4--,theodore ,cuyler4 ,december #ahth4 ,cleanse ,thou me from secret faults4 ,psa4 xix4 #ab4 ,the world needs men who are free from secret faults4 ,most men are free from gross1 public faults4--,selected4 ,december #aith4 ,a hearer of the word 4 4 4 a doer of the work4 ,jas4 i4 #bc1 #be4 ,religion may be learned on ,sunday1 but it is lived in the week-day's work4 ,the torch of religion may be lit in the church1 but it does its burning in the shop and on the street4 ,religion seeks its life in prayer1 but it lives its life in deeds4 ,it is planted in the closet1 but it does its growing out in the world4 ,it plumes itself for flight in songs of praise1 but its actual flights are in works of love4 ,it resolves and meditates on faithfulness as it reads its ,christian lesson in the ,book of ,truth1 but faithful is that faithful does4 ,it puts its armor on in all the aids and helps of the sanctuary as its dressing-room1 but it combats for the right1 the noble1 and the good in all the activities of practical existence1 and its battle ground is the whole broad field of life4--,john ,doughty4 ,december #bjth4 ,ye know not what shall be on the morrow4 ,james iv4 #ad4 ,to-morrow is the devil's great ally--the very ,goliath in whom he trusts for victory4 ,now is the stripling sent forth against him4 4 4 4 ,the world will freely agree to be ,christians to-morrow if ,christ will permit them to be worldly to-day4--,william ,arnot4 ,december #bast4 ,the sea wrought1 and was tempestuous4 ,jonah i4 #aa4 ,sin in the soul is like ,jonah in the ship4 ,it turns the smoothest water into a tempestuous sea4--,selected4 ,december #bbnd4 ,be not doubtful1 but followers of them also1 through faith and patience1 inherit the promises4 ,heb4 vi4 #ab4 ,god makes a promise4 ,faith believes it4 ,hope anticipates it4 ,patience quietly awaits it4--,selected4 ,december #bcrd4 ,go and sit down in the lowest room4 ,luke xiv4 #aj4 ,he who is willing to take the lowest place will always find sitting room2 there is no great crush for the worst places4 ,there is nothing like the jostling at the back there is at the front2 so if we would be comfortable1 we shall do well to keep behind4--,thomas ,champness4 ,december #bdth4 ,continue in prayer4 ,col4 iv4 #b4 ,our prayers often resemble the mischievous tricks of town children1 who knock at their neighbor's houses and then run away2 we often knock at heaven's door and then run off into the spirit of the world2 instead of waiting for entrance and answer1 we act as if we were afraid of having our prayers answered4--,williams4 ,december #beth4 ,a multitude of the heavenly host praising ,god1 and saying1 ,glory to ,god in the highest4 ,luke ii4 #ac1 #ad4 ,angels had been present on many august occasions1 and they had joined in many a solemn chorus to the praise of their ,almighty ,creator4 ,they were present at the creation3 ,the morning stars sang together1 and all the sons of ,god shouted for joy4 ,they had seen many a planet fashioned between the palms of ,jehovah1 and wheeled by ,his eternal hands through the infinitude of space4 ,they had sung solemn songs over many a world which the ,great ,one had created4 ,we doubt not1 they had often chanted1 ,blessing and honor1 and glory1 and majesty1 and power1 and dominion1 and might1 be unto ,him that sitteth on the throne1 manifesting ,himself in the work of creation4 ,i doubt not1 too1 that their songs had gathered force through ages4 ,as when first created1 their first breath was song1 so when they saw ,god create new worlds1 then their song received another note2 they rose a little higher in the gamut of adoration4 ,but this time1 when they saw ,god stoop from ,his throne and become a babe hanging upon a woman's breast1 they lifted their notes higher still2 and reaching to the uttermost stretch of angelic music1 they gained the highest notes of the divine scale of praise and they sang1 ,glory to ,god in the highest1 for higher in goodness they felt ,god could not go4 ,thus their highest praise they gave to ,him in the highest act of ,his ,godhead4--,spurgeon4 ,december #bfth4 ,god forbid that ,i should glory save in the cross of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,gal4 vi4 #ad4 ,the cross is the great center of ,god's moral universe6 ,to this center ,god ever pointed1 and the eye of faith ever looked forward1 until the ,savior came4 ,and now we must ever turn to that cross as the center of all our blessing1 and the basis of all our worship1 both on earth and in heaven--in time and throughout all eternity4 ,december #bgth4 ,he ever liveth4 ,heb4 vii4 #be4 ,it is our hope for ourselves1 and for ,his truth1 and for mankind4 ,men come and go4 ,leaders1 teachers1 thinkers1 speak and work for a season1 and then fall silent and impotent4 ,he abides4 ,they die1 but ,he lives4 ,they are lights kindled1 and therefore1 sooner or later quenched1 but ,he is the true ,light from which they draw all their brightness1 and ,he shines for evermore4--,alex4 ,mc,laren4 ,december #bhth4 ,the friendship of the world is enmity with ,god4 ,james iv4 #d4 ,it is like the ivy with the oak4 ,the ivy may give the oak a grand1 beautiful appearance1 but all the while it is feeding on its vitals4 ,are we compromising with the enemies of ,god8 ,are we being embraced by the world by its honors1 its pleasures1 its applause8 ,this may add to us in the world's estimation1 but our strength becomes lost4--,denham ,smith4 ,december #bith4 ,she 7,hannah7 4 4 4 prayed unto the ,lord1 and wept sore 4 4 4 she spake in her heart4 #a ,sam4 i4 #aj1 #ac4 ,for real business at the mercy-seat give me a home-made prayer1 a prayer that comes out of the depths of my heart1 not because ,i invented it1 but because ,god the ,holy ,ghost1 put it there1 and gave it such living force that ,i could not help letting it out4 ,though your words are broken1 and your sentences disconnected1 if your desires are earnest1 if they are like coals of juniper1 burning with a vehement flame1 ,god will not mind how they find expression4 ,if you have no words1 perhaps you will pray better without them than with them4 ,there are prayers that break the backs of words2 they are too heavy for any human language to carry4--,spurgeon4 ,december #cjth4 ,noah found grace in the eyes of the ,lord4 ,gen4 vi4 #h4 ,noah found grace in the same way that ,paul obtained mercy 7#a ,tim4 #a3 #af71 namely1 by mercy's taking hold of him4--,selected4 ,december #cast4 ,which hope we have as an anchor to the soul4 ,heb4 vi4 #ai4 ,anchor to the throne of ,god1 and then shorten the rope6--,selected4 99 99 99 99 99 ,transcriber's ,notes3 ,obvious punctuation errors repaired4 ,page #d1 there was a reference #aa3aj listed under ,ephesians4 ,as ,ephesians doesn't have eleven chapters1 the transcriber checked page #gh4 ,ephesians #b1 written as ii1 is on page #gh and is already listed under ,ephesians4 ,the reference to #aa3aj being on page #gh was removed4 ,page #d1 ,i4 added to ,thessalonians4 ,pge #bd1 regetting changed to regretting 7by regretting what is7 ,page #fc1 ,jnue changed to ,june 7,june #bbnd7 ,page #fd1 closee changed to closer 7by closer following7 ,page #aaj1 porals changed to portals 7portals of the grave7