_For I, a man, with men am linked, And not a brute with brutes; no gain That I experience must remain Unshared; but should my best endeavor To share it, fail--subsisteth ever G.o.d"s care above, and I exult That G.o.d, by G.o.d"s own ways occult, May--doth, I will believe--bring back All wanderers to a single track._
ROBERT BROWNING.
Father of all souls in all worlds, our best friend forever, in Thy good keeping we cannot wander beyond Thy loving care. We thank Thee for life, for the fair world we live in, enriched by Thy countless benefits, for the glad tidings of Thy fatherly love that never fails, for the brotherhood that binds together all Thy children, and for the immortal hope that beckons us up and on. By faithful living may we make life divine, and by brotherly service show Thee our grat.i.tude and love. May the gospel of Jesus prevail in all hearts, speedily bring all wanderers home, draw our souls heavenward, and prepare us for higher and larger realms of service, where we shall forever live to Thy glory. Amen.
RUSH R. SHIPPEN.
July 18
_That man has a liberal education who has been so trained in youth that his body is the ready servant of his will, and does with ease and pleasure the work that it is capable of; whose intellect is a clear logic engine, ready to spin the gossamer as well as forge the anchors of the mind--one full of life and fire but whose pa.s.sions are trained to come to heel by a rigorous will; the servant of a tender conscience; who has learned to love beauty, to hate vileness and to respect others as himself; such a one is in harmony with nature; they will get on together._
THOMAS HENRY HUXLEY.
Our Father, we would face this day in conscious companionship with Thee.
Give us to know Thy will, to do Thy work. Help us to interpret aright Thy constant revelation of love in nature and in the experiences of life. Give us strength so to will and so to act that we may make this day rich in the joy that comes from helpful living. May divine impulse find quick expression in righteous deed. In Thine unresting effort to make this world Thine own may we join with glad hearts. Rejoicing in Thy love, strong in the consciousness of Thy presence, may we go to our day"s work with unwavering purpose to do Thy will. Amen.
LATHAN A. CRANDALL.
July 19
_A lily grows mysteriously, pushing up its solid weight of stem and leaf in the teeth of gravity. Shaped into beauty by secret and invisible fingers, the flower develops we know not how. But we do not wonder at it. Every day the thing is done; it is Nature, it is G.o.d. We are spiritual enough at least to understand that. But when the soul rises slowly above the world, pushing up its delicate virtues in the teeth of sin, shaping itself mysteriously into the image of Christ, we deny that the power is not of man. A strong will, we say, a high ideal, the reward of virtue, Christian influence--these will account for it. Spiritual character is merely the product of anxious work, self-command, and self-denial. We allow, that is to say, a miracle to the lily, but none to the man.
The lily may grow; the man must fret and toil and spin._
HENRY DRUMMOND.
This morning, our G.o.d, we need Thee! Give us Thyself afresh in the holy inspiration of heart warmth and burning love, that today we may have power from above while we walk and toil with things and folks of earth.
May we be the vase to hold the blossoming beauty of Thy unfolding. So may that beauty which Thou givest unfold in acts which we are led to perform, and the holiness of this day set fast character drawn from Thee. Thus may we all who are Thy children gladden the earth with unfolding beauty and kindness and shut out the things that are earthy.
Amen.
E. E. SMALL.
July 20
_The more simply you live, the more secure is your future; you are less at the mercy of surprises and reverses. An illness or a period of idleness does not suffice to dispossess you; a change of position, even considerable, does not put you to confusion. Having simple needs, you find it less painful to accustom yourself to the hazards of fortune. You remain a man, though you lose your office or your income, because the foundation on which your life rests is not your table, your cellar, your horses, your goods and chattels, or your money. In adversity you will not act like a nursling deprived of its bottle and rattle. Stronger, better armed for the struggle, presenting like those with shaven heads, less advantage to the hands of your enemy, you will also be of more profit to your neighbor._
CHARLES WAGNER.
O Thou who art ever the same, with the growing light of a new day, we would again take Thy name upon our lips; and again invite the dear consciousness of Thy presence. We do not know what this day may yield us. It may bring disaster; perhaps cherished hopes must be surrendered; plans may miscarry, clouds may gather, and storms may rage, but we will not be unmanned. We will not surrender our hold upon Thee. May we thus be enabled to meet disaster with courage, and unlooked for joy with the poise of humility. Guard our goings-out and our comings-in, and lead us into the beauteous paths of ripe content. Amen.
JAMES HARRY HOLDEN.
July 21
_Love wore a suit of hodden gray And toiled within the fields all day._
_Love wielded pick and carried pack And bent to heavy loads the back._
_Though meagre fed and sorely lashed, The only wage Love ever asked,_
_A child"s wan face to kiss at night, A woman"s smile by candle light._
MARGARET SANGSTER.
Our Father in Heaven, we thank Thee for love. How rich a gift it has been to us, and how exhaustless. It has been the source of all other gifts. We thank Thee for the brightness and gladness with which love invests the sunny day, and more for the patience and hope which it inspires when the sky is overcast and the way grows weary. In joy or sorrow we can ask nothing better than that it be our constant guest. We thank Thee for home life which offers us every hour its opportunity to give and to receive love. May it be to us the symbol of Thy great household which Thy love pervades. And as we thus think of it may our home life grow to us more holy and divine and Thy love for all Thy children more personal and tender until Thy kingdom come and Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Amen.
VINCENT E. TOMLINSON.
July 22
_The entire object of true education is to make people not merely do the right things, but enjoy the right things--not merely industrious, but to love industry--not merely learned, but to love knowledge--not merely pure, but to love purity--not merely just, but to hunger and thirst after justice._
JOHN RUSKIN.
O Father, fill us with Thy love today, with love for Thee, and love for the morning light and all Thy glory. Fill us with love for the work that Thou dost give us to do, with love for the truth that Thou dost reveal to us and with love for the ideals of purity and righteousness that Thou dost set before us. May we have love for all Thy children. Make us realize that they are all our brothers and sisters. Make us strive to have Thy will done in their lives. Make us eager to have them know Thee.
Amen.
CHARLES B. BLISS.
July 23
_If you were toiling up a weary hill, Bearing a load beyond your strength to bear.
Straining each nerve untiringly and still Stumbling and losing foothold here and there And each one pa.s.sing by would do so much As give one upward lift and go his way, Would not the slight reiterated touch Of help and kindness lighten all the day?_
_If you were breasting a keen wind which tossed And buffeted and chilled you as you strove, Till baffled and bewildered quite, you lost The power to see the way, and aim and move, And one, if only for a moment"s s.p.a.ce, Gave you a shelter from the bitter blast, Would you not find it easier to face The storm again when the brief rest was past?_
SUSAN COOLIDGE.
Our Father, as we thank Thee for the friendly service and sympathy that bless and strengthen our daily lives, we pray that our grat.i.tude may move us to give a like service and sympathy as freely as we receive. In the day to whose beginning Thou hast brought us, let our hearts and hands be ready to meet the needs of those with whom we come in touch. So influence our wayward wills that we shall not walk in selfish ways, nor forget the ties that bind us to one another, and to Thee. Keep us conscious of our birthright as Thy children, that our acts and aims may be filial and fraternal and loyal to Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen.
COSTELLO WESTON.
July 24
_It matters little where I was born, Whether my parents were rich or poor, Whether they shrank from the cold world"s scorn Or walked in the pride of wealth secure; But whether I live an honest man, And hold my integrity firm in my clutch, I tell you brother, plain as I am, It matters much._
FROM THE SWEDISH.
Dear Father in Heaven, good Giver of all, For birth in a land fair and free, For parents with pluck, if not the best luck, Who toiled and who suffered for me.
Who never knew fear, though the scorners were near, Whom circ.u.mstance filled not with pride, I thank Thee! These gifts, more than all on the lists, Have mattered with me, and abide.
While striving and struggling my manhood to build, To live like Thine own perfect Son, I find on Earth"s face not just one single place Where such work so well can be done As in the fair land which from Thy gracious hand Comes to me a home to enjoy, Where man, who should grow, may all liberty know In seeking the soul"s high employ.