Daily Strength for Daily Needs Part 39

Alas for him who never sees The stars s.h.i.+ne through his cypress trees; Who hath not learned in hours of faith, The truth to flesh and sense unknown, That life is ever Lord of Death, And Love can never lose its own.

J. G. WHITTIER.

While we poor wayfarers still toil, with hot and bleeding feet, along the highway and the dust of life, our companions have but mounted the divergent path, to explore the more sacred streams, and visit the diviner vales, and wander amid the everlasting Alps, of G.o.d's upper province of creation. And so we keep up the courage of our hearts, and refresh ourselves with the memories of love, and travel forward in the ways of duty, with less weary step, feeling ever for the hand of G.o.d, and listening for the domestic voices of the immortals whose happy welcome waits us. Death, in short, under the Christian aspect, is but G.o.d's method of colonization; the transition from this mother-country of our race to the fairer and newer world of our emigration.

J. MARTINEAU.

July 29

_But this I say, brethren, the time is short_.--I COR. vii. 29.

I sometimes feel the thread of life is slender, And soon with me the labor will be wrought; Then grows my heart to other hearts more tender.

The time is short.

D. M. CRAIK.

Oh, my dear friends, you who are letting miserable misunderstandings run on from year to year, meaning to clear them up some day; you who are keeping wretched quarrels alive because you cannot quite make up your mind that now is the day to sacrifice your pride and kill them; you who are pa.s.sing men sullenly upon the street, not speaking to them out of some silly spite, and yet knowing that it would fill you with shame and remorse if you heard that one of those men were dead tomorrow morning; you who are letting your neighbor starve, till you hear that he is dying of starvation; or letting your friend's heart ache for a word of appreciation or sympathy, which you mean to give him some day,--if you only could know and see and feel, all of a sudden, that "the time is short," how it would break the spell! How you would go instantly and do the thing which you might never have another chance to do.

PHILLIPS BROOKS.

July 30

_Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: according to Thy mercy remember Thou me for Thy goodness' sake, O Lord_.--PS. XXV. 7.

When on my aching, burdened heart My sins lie heavily, My pardon speak, new peace impart, In love remember me.

T. HAWEIS.

We need to know that our sins are forgiven. And how shall we know this? By feeling that we have peace with G.o.d,--by feeling that we are able so to trust in the divine compa.s.sion and infinite tenderness of our Father, as to arise and go to Him, whenever we commit sin, and say at once to Him, "Father, I have sinned; forgive me." To know that we are forgiven, it is only necessary to look at our Father's love till it sinks into our heart, to open our soul to Him till He shall pour His love into it; to wait on Him till we find peace, till our conscience no longer torments us, till the weight of responsibility ceases to be an oppressive burden to us, till we can feel that our sins, great as they are, cannot keep us away from our Heavenly Father.

J. F. CLARKE.

July 31

_I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto Me; for I have redeemed thee_.--ISA. xliv. 22.

_He will turn again, He will have compa.s.sion upon us; He will subdue our iniquities; and Thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea_.--MICAH vii. 19.

If my shut eyes should dare their lids to part, I know how they must quail beneath the blaze Of Thy Love's greatness. No; I dare not raise One prayer, to look aloft, lest it should gaze On such forgiveness as would break my heart.

H. S. SUTTON.

O Lord G.o.d gracious and merciful, give us, I entreat Thee, a humble trust in Thy mercy, and suffer not our heart to fail us. Though our sins be seven, though our sins be seventy times seven, though our sins be more in number than the hairs of our head, yet give us grace in loving penitence to cast ourselves down into the depth of Thy compa.s.sion. Let us fall into the hand of the Lord. Amen.

C. G. ROSSETTI.

August 1

_Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools_.--ECCLES. vii. 9.

_Let not the sun go down upon your wrath_--EPH. iv. 26.

Quench thou the fires of hate and strife, The wasting fever of the heart; From perils guard our feeble life, And to our souls Thy peace impart.

J. H. NEWMAN, _Tr. from Latin_.

When thou art offended or annoyed by others, suffer not thy thoughts to dwell thereon, or on anything relating to them. For example, "that they ought not so to have treated thee; who they are, or whom they think themselves to be;" or the like; for all this is fuel and kindling of wrath, anger, and hatred.

L. SCUPOLI.

Struggle diligently against your impatience, and strive to be amiable and gentle, in season and out of season, towards every one, however much they may vex and annoy you, and be sure G.o.d will bless your efforts.

ST. FRANCIS DE SALES.

August 2

_Behold, G.o.d is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; He also is become my salvation_.--ISA.

xii. 2.

_Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith_?--MARK. iv. 40.

Still heavy is thy heart?

Still sink thy spirits down?

Cast off the weight, let fear depart, And every care be gone.

P. GERHARDT.

Go on in all simplicity; do not be so anxious to win a quiet mind, and it will be all the quieter. Do not examine so closely into the progress of your soul. Do not crave so much to be perfect, but let your spiritual life be formed by your duties, and by the actions which are called forth by circ.u.mstances. Do not take overmuch thought for to-morrow. G.o.d, who has led you safely on so far, will lead you on to the end. Be altogether at rest in the loving holy confidence which you ought to have in His heavenly Providence.

ST. FRANCIS DE SALES.

August 3