Pir(9atirB^attttful

PHILURA GOULD BALDWIN

MEMORIAL LIBRARY

In memoiy of Dr. John Marting

1353-I9a

DR.

J.

R.

MILLER'S BOOKS

CJ)e

<ate irautiful

BY
J.

R.

MILLER

AUTHOR OP "silent TIMES," " UPPER CURRENTS,' "making the most of life," etc.

LieftART

THOMAS

Y.

CROWELL &

CO.

PUBLISHERS

Copyright, 1909, hy

Thomas

Y. Crorvell

Co.

Published, September. 1908

LIBBARY

li i:

THE REASON
HESE

WHY

chapters treat of some of the simple^

life.

practical things of daily

Nearly
to

all

of

them have been

tiojis

icritten in

answer

actual ques-

from

persojis either in perplexity or st/ivLife's

O 3

ing after

better things in Christian Life.

same everywhere, and if these answers prove helpful to any the book will be
questions are the

worth while.
J.

R.

M.

Philndelphia, U. S. A.

.1

TITLES OF CHAPTERS

I.

II.

III.

Thk Gate Beautiful The Call to Pkalse The Desiees of Thy Heart
Called to Be Saints Guarding Our Thoughts Points of Departure Building Again the Home Nest "Behold, Thy Mother" What God Thinks of Us Hating One's Life

Paqe

3
19

33
47

IV.
V.

6S
77
91

VI.

VII.

VIII.

105

IX.

119
133
147
161

X.
XI.

The Making of Men

Christian Manliness

XII.
XIII.

XIV.

Misunderstood Service Declined

175

189

XV.
XVI.
XVII. XVIII.

How Can We Know ?

203

Does God Care? Thou Shalt Know Herr.a.fteb The Practice of Immortality XIX. Looking Unto the Hills XX. No Miracle, But Power XXI, The Work of the Lord

219
233 247
261

275 289

C^e

dDiate

OBeautfful

1]

''Into the secret

chamber of my heart, Wherein no mortal enters, Lord, come thou And make thy dwelling place ere day depart/
thou who didst create the

"0

human

heart,

Didst thou not make one sure place for thyself?

It is

high sanctuary where thou art/"

[2]

CHAPTER FIRST
Cl^e (Kate I3eautiful

HE

Gate Beautiful

in

the

temple cannot certainly be

identified.

We

know

it

was

very costly, made probably

of

Corinthian

brass

and

in the

highest style of art.

Everything about the temple was beautiful,

and

this

gate was probably one of the most

splendid ornaments of the house.

God

loves

beauty.

If he

did not, he would not have

full

made
blind,

this

world so

of
see

lovely

things.

Everywhere

we

go

we

beauty.

The

whose eyes are

Beautiful
for

closed, are sore losers

in their great deprivation.

The Gate
suggestions

has

many

interesting
It

our thought.

was the

gate into the temple of God.

Everything
be
beautiful.

about God's

worship
is

should

God

himself

beautiful.
his

When

Charles
his

Kingsley was dying,

daughter saw

[3]

Cl^e (Kate CBeautiful

lips

moving, and bending her ear close to

him, heard him say, "

is
!

"

as

How beautiful God Some people think of God as terrible, a being who is angry, vengeful, not a
friend,

gentle

but

stem,

severe

judge.

They think of him with thinks of God in this way

was
ing,

fear.

One who

wrote, " I love

Jesus Christ, but I cannot love God." Jesus

beautiful
pitiful.

gentle,

compassionate,
loved

lov-

The

children

him and

nestled in his arms.

None were

afraid of him.

But God
hath seen

is

the same. Jesus said, "

He

that

was the
Christ.

me hath seen the human expression

Father." Jesus
of

God.

It

is

God's beauty that we see

in the face of

Jesus

Since

God

is

beautiful,

we should make

his

house beautiful.

When David had

fine

built for

himself a palace of cedar, his heart smote

him that while he had such a

himself,
tent.

dwelling for

God was

living in a weather-beaten

He

resolved to build a glorious temple

for God.

An

English writer says, " It

is

ever

a fatal sign when men permit the house of

[4]

Cl^c
God
line

(late

iscauttful

to

be

meaner than their own."

We

should make our churches beautiful in every

and

feature.

We
It

should keep them clean,

is

bright, attractive.

dishonoring to

God
it

to let his house fall into decay, to allow

to

have broken windows, stained walls, unswept

floors,

faded carpets, tawdry furniture.

The

Beautiful Gate should always open into a

beautiful sanctuary.

God

will

meet

his

people

in a tent, in a hall, in a barn, in the rudest

place, in the

open

field, if

that

is

the best they

can do

but we should always prepare for the

meeting place with him the most beautiful

temple we can provide.
of God should be beautiful. In one of the Psalms the poet speaks of " the

The worship

beauty of holiness."

When we

enter at the

Gate Beautiful into the Lord's house, our behavior should be beautiful, and every part
of the service we render should be in keep-

ing with the sanctity of the place.

the presence of

We

are in

Almighty God.

In Isaiah's

wonderful vision the prophet saw the sera-

phim, each with six wings. With two of their

[5]

Cl^e (Kate 'Beautiful

wings they covered their faces

reverence
covered their

they were not worthy even to look upon the

divine splendor.
feet

With two they

humility; they would hide their unfit-

ness in God's presence.

Then with two they

did

fly

service;

going instantly wherever

they were sent.

We

should be reverent and

humble and obedient before God.

We

need often to remind ourselves of this duty of reverence for God's house, " lest we
forget."

We

should have the same spirit in

all religious meetings, as well as in formal

church services. One of the Hebrew prophets

has this w^ord to which we should always
listen

when we enter any room where God

:

is

being worshiped
temple:
let all

"

The Lord

is

in his holy

the earth keep silence before

him." Every part of our worship should be

rendered to God.

the secret of her wonderful

Jenny Lind, when asked power in song,

in worship,

swaying thousands, answered, " I sing to

God."
sing

When we sing to God. When

should be sincere

prayer

is

offered,

we should we

^we are

talking to God.

[6]

Ci^e (Kate ^Beautiful

" Worsliip the Lord in the beauty of hoHness." " Keep thy foot when thou goest to
the house of God."

The Gate
into

Beautiful, through which

we enter

the

temple,

suggests
lives
is

that

we should

make our Christian

beautiful.

beautiful.
It

God
is

is

Holiness

beautiful.
in

not

enough that we worship

and that our worship
vout, reverent.
beautiful.

a beautiful house,
orderly, dealso

shall be

Our character

must be

Some

of the ancient Christian fa-

thers taught that in his personal appearance

Jesus was not lovely.

interpreted a word in Isaiah to

'*

They seem to have mean this:

His visage was so marred more than any

his

man, and

form more than the sons of

men." They said that his face was repulsive. " Base of aspect," said one. " His body devoid even of

human

loveliness," said another.

But this was not true. Jesus was beautiful. The heart makes the face, and his heart was
full of all beautiful quahties.

We

are to be
lives.

like Christ,

not in our faces, but in our

He

was gracious, and we are to be gracious.

[7]

Cl^e

(lE>ate

'Beautiful
love.

He

loved,

and we are to

St. Paul, in

one of his great pictures of worthy Christian life, names " whatsoever things are
lovely " as part of his description of a true
life.

Only lovely things should be

Christ should be
Christ's
spirit,

in

our

life.

The beauty of One who bears

beautiful
in
his

upon us. name and is not

dishonoring the

is

Master.
In
St.

Paul's great chapter about love, he

mentions some qualities that are not part

of love.

Love

is

not provoked

bad

tem-

per

is

not beautiful.
flies

You do

not admire a
of anger at

man who
behave
tifully.

into a passion

the slightest provocation.

itself

Love doth not

is,

unseemly
is

that

not unbeauis

Selfishness
is

not beautiful, greed

not, irritability

not,

anger

is

not, dishon-

esty and falsehood are not.

We

admire the
insults

man

or the

woman who

bears

pa-

tiently,
reviles

quietly, meekly, who,

when

reviled,

not again, who overcomes

evil

with

good.

The Beatitudes show lines and [8]

traits

of


C^e
beauty.

(Bate iBeautifui
for us toin disposi-

The Beautiful Gate opens

all

day to
tion,

beautiful things in

life,

in

conduct, in behavior, in character.

know a man who

George Macdonald says, "I should like to just minded his duty and
;

troubled himself about nothing

who did

his

own work and

did not interfere with God's.

How
How
What

nobly he would work

it

working not
will of

for

a reward, but because

was the

God
God!

happily he would take his food and

receiving

clothing,

them

as

gifts

of

peace would be his!

What
!

a sober

gaiety!
ter
his
!

How

hearty and infectious his laugh-

What

a friend he would be

How

sweet

sympathy!

And

his

mind would be so

clear he would understand everything. His eye being single, his whole body would be
full

of light.

Xo

fear of his ever doing a

die in a ditch, rather.

mean thing he would

It
is

fear of want that makes

men do mean

things."

The

life

of faith

is

always beautiful

unbe-

lief is

never beautiful.

Peace

is

beautiful

unrest, distraction, anxiety, fret, worry, dis-

[91

Ci^e (Bate "Beautiful

content,

are unlovely.

We

should set

for

ourselves the ideal of beauty for every act,

every word, every disposition, every feeling

and thought of our

lives.

At

the Beautiful Gate Peter and

John saw

a beggar.

For years
left

this

man had been

brought every morning by

place,

his friends to this

and

there all day to ply his task.

No

doubt he was there when Jesus used to

pass and repass, entering and leaving the

temple. Perhaps he had reached out his
ofttimes and

hand
from

may have

received alms

him.

But not having

faith to ask for healall

ing, he

had remained unhealed

the while.
lie

So

3^ear after

year multitudes of people

unblessed and unhealed about the very gates

of God's sanctuary, while the Healer
tinually passing.
It
is

is

con-

not enough to live

near a church, even close to a church door.

Some one

tells

of a sexton

who has cared

for
is

one church more than thirty years, and yet

not a Christian.

The beggar saw Peter and John coming up to the church door. He did not know who rioi

m^t
alms.

(Bate QBeauttful

they were, but he readied out his hand for He expected to get a little money. He

know they were able to do something far better for him than drop a coin into his hand. So always in our prayers we
did not

ask for httle things, bits of coin or bread, or some mere earthly thing, not knowing,

not realizing that there are infinitely better things we might ask for and get. We are
fooled

by

life's illusions.

The

things

we think

are the most important are really the least important. kneel in the morning and ask

We

for daily bread, for

little

things

comfort, health, a day of success

pleasure,

these are

good enough things

is

in their

way, but think of

the things we might ask for and get,

when

it

God

at whose feet

we are bowing.

Many people pay no heed to beggars, do not even deign to give them a kindly look or a gracious word. How do we know who this
beggar may he? At
is

least we are sure that he a child of God, though perhaps a prodigal

child. The beggar that sits by the wayside and holds out his hand to you may meet you

[11]

Ci^e ate laeauttfui

in

heaven

some
least

day,

wearing

white

gar-

you know what Jesus said, " I was hungry, and ye did not give me to eat I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink I was a stranger, and ye took me not in. Inasmuch as ye did it not unto one of
ments.
;
.

At

these least, ye did

it

not unto me."

Notice the
this

fine

courtesy which Peter shows to

at the

poor beggar

Gate Beautiful.

We

need not always give money to beggars Peter gave no money to this man. Nevertheless

he did not ignore him, did not pass him

Peter was not too
little

by with contempt.
the beggar.

fine

gentleman to stop and have a

talk with

He

did not forget that he, too,

was a man, a gentleman, with a human heart

under
his rags,

a heart that would be hurt

a discourtesy.

by a rough word, by
It

Peter's

treatment of this beggar was very beautiful.

showed nobility that was very

Christlike.

We

should treat even a beggar as we shall

if

wish we had done

we learn some day that

he was an angel in disguise, or Jesus himself.

[12]

Clje ate Beautiful

way of helping was also beautiful. " Look on us," he said kindly. The beggar
Peter's

began to hope for money. Instead, however,

of giving a coin, Peter said, " I do not have

any
the

silver or

gold." Yet he did not pass the

beggar by because he could not give him

money he wanted.

He

said,

"

What

have, that give I thee."

lame man, " In the

Nazareth, walk."

Then he said to the name of Jesus Christ of

There are many people who cannot give

money even
nothing at

to those

who need money help

the are

yet they need not conclude that they can do

money is usually poorest alms we can give. Kind words

all.

Indeed,

So far as we know, Jesus never gave anyone money, yet there

better,

love

is

better.

never was such a giver as he.

He

gave

love,
is

he gave sympathy, he gave thought. It

not monc}^ people usually need most, even

when they think nothing

they really need
is

else will do.

What

sympathy, cheer, encour-

agement.

In one of the Psalms is the striking expression, " Blessed is he that consid-

[13]

Ci^e (Bate TSeautiful

ereth the poor."
It is not,

" Blessed

is

he

that giveth to," but " he that considereth

the poor."

Many who

give largely to char-

ity never consider the poor, never give

them

a moment's thought.

They

fling the

beggar
con-

a coin, but they have no interest in him, not a particle of sympathy with him.
sider
is

To

to think about, to take

it is

up

the case

and ask what

best to do for the person.

To

consider the

poor

is

to

become

their

friend, to love them, to

make plans

for their

good.

What

did Peter do for this lame man.?

He

bade him to walk. So the man stood up and

walked away. If Peter had given him a coin,
it

would only have helped him along a

a beggar.

little

But when he healed him, the man did not need to be helped any more. He was now able to take care of himfarther as
self.

Was

that not a truer, better, wiser,

to help him than to have left

kindlier

way
relief.?

him

helpless, giving

him only a

little

tem-

porary
There

is

something

else

that Peter did.

He

[14]

Ci^e (Bate ^Beautiful

gave the man
his

hand.

The human
is

is

needed

as well as the divine. It

only a pitiful

mockery to pray for one who needs help, and then do nothing for him. We must take
him by the hand and help him.

[15]

Cl^e Call to

pvaiH

[17]

f*

The truest words we ever speak Are words of cheer.

Life has
its

shade,

its

valleys deep

But round our feet the shadows To prove the sunlight near.

creep.

Between the hills those valleys sleep The sun-crowned hills,

And down

their sides will those who seek With hopeful spirit, brave though meek, Find gently flowing rills."

[18]

CHAPTER SECOND
Cl^e Call to

pvaiH
are
in
calls

HERE

the

Bible

many more

to praise

than to prayer.

Prayer
is

is

continually urged. It

es-

sential. It is the Christian's

vital breath.

The man who

off

does

not pray
all

cuts

himself

from the
is

source of

good.

day without prayer

a day without protection, a day of

peril.

Prayer
be no

is

essential.

Yet praise would seem to

less

a duty than prayer.

is

Everything that hath breath

to praise

commanded
fire

God, and not only things animate,

but things inanimate

hail,

"

all

deeps,

and
all

snow and vapor; stormy wind, moun-

tains

and

all

hills

fruitful

trees

and

cedars."

The poet
that
is

in

one of the Psalms

calls

upon
name.
ties

all

within him to praise God's

He

thinks of the powers and capaciall

of his nature and would have them

[19]

Ci^e 0atc Beautiful

waked up
self also

to join in the song.

He

exhorts him-

not to forget God's benefits.

What

are some of these?

''

Who Who Who Who

forgiveth all thine iniquities ;

healeth all thy diseases

;
;

redeemeth thy

life

from destruction

crowneth thee with lovingkindness and

tender mercies."

These are only a few of God's

are

benefits.

They

coming

to us continually.
It

Nothing but

^ood

ever comes to us.

would seem that

da^', the fairest

there never could be anything but praise in

our hearts. Yet

listen

on any

day of the

3'ear,

the day

when the sun

shines

the brightest and the skies are bluest, to the

complainings, the murmurings, of the people

you

meet. It seems that almost nothing goes

well with them.

The
in

habit of discontent has

grown

so strong

them that they are never

In

quite pleased or satisfied with anything.

the most perfect circumstances they alwa3^s

find

some

flaws.

In the most lovely charac-

ter they discover

some lack or blemish. The

[20]

\)t Call to j^raijse

trouble
really
is,

however,

in

the

persons
in

themselves

who complain and not

lives.

the

providence that blesses their

If they

were

in

heaven, and had the same disposi-

tions they

now

have, they would find some-

thing even there to fret them or irk them

and would not be altogether happy.

What
their

such people need

all

is

not more agreeable

different

cij-cumstances,
tastes

things

to

suit

and whims, but a new heart,

being born again with a contented mind, a

praising, thanksgiving spirit.

The

fact

is,

there are a thousand beautiful

life

things in any outlook on

to one unpleasant thing.

we may have,
should be able

We

easily to forget the one little thorn in such

a mass of
fits,"

roses.

" Forget not

tliis

all his
is

bene-

the lesson runs, but

thing

we do

we

the very

forget

God's

wonderful

mercies, the countless blessings that flood our

days with sunshine and strew our nights with

stars.

An

hour's pain, even a moment's twinge

of suffering, blots out the

memory

of a whole

year of best health.

[21]

^]^c (0atc iseautiful

There
rounds
prayers
ings.
is

a legend of two angels that come

from heaven every morning and go on their

all
;

day long.

One

is

the angel of

the other the angel of thanksgivcarries a great basket.

his

Each

Soon the
filled
it

angel of requests has

overflowing.

basket
into

to

Everybody pours

great
is

handfuls of requests. But Tvhen the day

ended the angel of thanksgivings has only

two or three

little

contributions of gratitude

in his basket.

This

is

not a caricature. Most of us do more

it
is

or less praying, but

nearly

all

the un-

loading of burdens, fears, wants, and clamorous requests for favors, with only here and
there a feeble
received.

word of thanks for blessings

of statis-

Some ingenious gatherer

tics tells us

that during a recent year thou-

sands of letters from children, addressed to

y Santa Claus,
before

reached the Dead Letter Office

Christmas,

but

that

in

the

whole

month
thanks.

after Christmas only one letter

came

addressed to Santa Claus, with a message of

Ten

lepers were cleansed, all receiv-

[22]

\)t Call to pxai$t

ing the same great blessing, but only one of
the ten returned to thank the Healer.

Where

were the nine?

We
ing

must confess that we are

in gratitude.
lips.

pitifully want-

Thanksgivings languish on
little

our

Some
the

of us do

but complain.

Nothing altogether pleases

eyes
for

us.

We

have no
love

good things of
lives.

divine

which really flood our

We

ought to

pray for a power of

vision that will enable

us to behold the beauties of this world, for

a love that will show us the noble and worthy

quahties in the people about us, and a faith
that
will

help
in

us

to

believe

in

the

divine

goodness
unkindl3\

the events which seem to be most

The
It
is

praising spirit
his best

is

essential in
in

him who
of
life.

would do

work

any

line

said that

Leonardo da Vinci held a

lyre

in his

hand while he painted. Music inspired

This was one of the secrets of
his

his art.

superb work as an artist

his heart

was glad

and praising.
a sad heart.

No

one can do good work with

need not go with a grieving

You

[23]

Cl^e (Batt TBeautiful

spirit to comfort one who jou can help him only with
is

in trouble, for

cheer.

If

you are

in sorrow, another's

grief will not comfort

you.
lifter,

He who
of

would come to you as an up^ must have joy to bring to 3^ou. " The
the

joy

Lord

is

your strength," said

Nehemiah

to his people

when he found them

life.

weeping, and exhorted them to a better

They must dry

It
is

their tears if they

would

at-

tain anything noble

and
life

beautiful.

always

so.

No

ever reached

its

best

possibilities in sadness.

The men who have

done the noblest and worthiest things, who

have achieved the most, whose work shines
as beautiful ried a

and radiant

in the world, car-

harp

in their hands.

They sang

at their

work. Pessimism has never done any lovely

things
;

only he

who works with a song adds

and beauty of the world.
are per\^erting their powers,
roses.

to the brightness

Gloomy people

growing thorns instead of

The
it

joyless

man
for

is

a misanthrope.

He makes
He

harder
less

other people to

live,

makes them
chills

strong to bear their burdens.

the

[24]

C^e Call

to i^raijse

ardor he ought to kindle to a redder glow. He is a discourager and thus a hindcrer of every

man he meets. On the other hand,

is

he who sings as he works

a blessing to every man.

himself, paints

He

does better
pictures,

work

more beautiful
is

sings sweeter songs,

a better teacher, a

better lawyer, a better merchant, an infinitely

better physician.

No man
is

should ever go into

a sick room as a doctor who has not music in

his heart.

No man

ever

fit

to be a preacher

who

is

not a joyous man, a praising man.

singing at one's work

the

Carlyle has a strong word on the value of " Give us, oh, give us
:

man who
who
will

sings at his
it

work
is

Be

his occu-

pation what
those

may, he
will
it

equal to any of

follow the same pursuit in silent

sullenness.

he

He
do
is

do more
better

in the
will

he

same time
persevere
fatigue
stars

longer.

One

scarcely sensible to

whilst he marches to music.

The very

are said to
their

make harmony spheres. Wondrous [25]

as they revolve in
is

the strength of

cheerfulness; altogether past calculation are

C]^e (0ate 'Beautiful

its

powers of endurance.
spirit all sunshine

Efforts to be per-

manently useful, must be uniformly joyous

gladness

graceful
life
is

from very

beautiful because bright."

Joy

is

a splendid inspirer.

The emblem
light

of Christian
praise.

light,

and

means joy,

There used to be

people who thought that solemnity was an

essential quality of religion.

The man who

the holy day.

smiled on

Sunday desecrated

He who

was glad-hearted in worship lacked

reverence.

There are some persons who would

is

banish flowers from churches. But there

really

no piety in long-facedness.
first
is

Indeed

one of the
life is

things required in Christian

joy. It

named

as second

among

the

fruits

of the

Spirit.

Jesus said he would

If you you must

have his joy

fulfilled in his followers.

would become a beautiful Christian,

be a joyous Christian.
It shines. It
is

Joy
is

is

always lovely.

fragrant. It makes the air

brighter and sweeter. It

spirer of
life.

a wondrous in-

You

can do twice as much work

when you are glad and praising as when you

[26]

Cl^e Call to ptai&t

are

gloomy and downcast; and you can do

other day a Christian

it

twice as well.

The

woman

told of

starting out sad and heav^^-hearted in the

morning, with no song, no praise, not a

thought of gladness

in

her heart.

Every-

thing dragged. There seemed nothing worth

living
for.

Circumstances were distressing.

There appeared only blackness before her

eyes.

Then suddenly, unexpectedly, someall

thing happened which changed

look.

the out-

Light broke
if

friend said that

upon the gloom. The an angel of God had come

in

into the dreadful tangle with light

and song

the effect could not have been more marvelous.

It

was joy that came, and the joy

life

changed everything. The

despair.

was saved from

The

clouds and shadows rolled

away

and the blue sky hung everywhere. The same

miracle-story
is

told in a

little

poem from one

of the magazines
"

Going up the hill, I found Until I met a merry song

That kissed mine eyes

it

long,

to

blind me.

[27

Cl^e

(t5ate

oscautiful

It mocked at me, and turned and fled, But played on, fluttering overhead,

Till I forgot I

went

footsore,

And the dusty hill that rose before Was the blue hill far behind me."

writer

tells

of a

boy who was sunny and

ills

brave.

He met

the

of

life,

which too
tragedies,

many people regard

with courage.

as

almost

Notliing ever daunted him.

are afraid or break into

Where most boys

tears,

he was undismayed and untroubled.

serious

But one day something

happened.

He and
our

a playmate climbed a tree. Just when

little

philosopher had reached the top,

his foot slipped

and he

fell

to the ground.

He
cry.

lay there, evidently hurt, but uttered no

It

was the playmate that screamed.

the leg badly broken.

The doctor found

The

boy bore the setting patiently without a

whimper. The mother slipped out of the room
to hide her

own

tears

she couldn't stand

it

as well as her boy did. Outside the door she

heard a faint sound and hurried back, almost

hoping to

find

him crving.

[28]

Cl^e Call to i^raijse

"

My

boy " she

!

said,

" do jou want somecall."

call.

thing? I thought I heard you

" Oh, no, mother," he

said,

" I didn't
bit."

I just thought I'd try singing a

And

he went on with the song.

When you
load,

have pain, or struggle, or a heavy

or a great anguish, don't complain,

don't cry out, don't sink don't be afraid

down
bit.

in

despair,

try singing a

Trust God

and

praise.

[29

Ci^c

J^ejsireis

of Ci^t f^tart

[81]

*'Cast out all envy, bitterness

and

hate;

And

keep the mind's fair tabernacle pure.

Shake hands with Pain, give greeting unto Grief, Those angels in disguise, and thy glad soul

From

height to height, from star to shining star,

Shall climb and claim blest immortality."

[32

CHAPTER THIRD
Ci^e cjstrcjs of .\)v i$tan

HE
in
in.

test of one's character

is

the things one dehghts

Hence

also

one's

de-

sires are

prophetic of one's

future.

We

will

grow

into

that which we long for.

In

one of the Psalms we read, " Delight thyself

in the

Lord

and he

will give thee the desires like to

of thy heart."
this

Most of us would
is

have

promise for ourselves. In the Arabian

the strange story
of a

Nights' Entertainment
of Aladdin's lamp.
in

The son

poor widow
services of

China became possessed of a magic lamp

and ring, which commanded the

certain powerful
genii.

By rubbing
got

the

lamp
he

with

the

ring,

Aladdin

whatever

wished, and grew rich and great.

is

only an impossible story of

is

But that magic. Yet

tell

here

a promise which seems to

us of a

way

in which

we can get everything we wish.

[33

Ci^e

dEiate

TBeawttful
Lord
;

" Delight thyself also in the

will give thee the desires of

and he
It is

thy heart."

not by rubbing a ring on a lamp that we can

get what we desire. Religion
is

not magic.

Simon Magus thought

buy the
secret for

it

was, and tried to

it is

money. But

not thus

that desires for

gratified.

life's

good things can be

it

We

all

have wants which

would

please us beyond measure to have supplied.

It

would mean a great deal to us to know a

in

way

which we could have

all

our desires

realized. And that is what we seem to have here. " Dehght thyself also in the Lord and
;

he

will

give thee the desires of thy heart."

is it

What
It

to delight ourselves in the Lord.'*

means to love God, to love to please him,

to love his ways, his service, his wilL

We

know what it is to delight ourselves in a human friend. We love our friend so much that when we are with him we are perfectly
happy, have no wish ungratified, need nothing else to complete our contentment. This
is

the ideal in marriage

^that the

two who

wed

shall delight in each other.

They should

[34]


Clje ejsiresi of Cl^v 1$tavt
meet
each
other's
desires
in

and

yearnings.

They should
in all the

be one
life.

interest, in

purpose,
con-

aims of

young woman,

sidering the question of marriage and speak-

ing of the young man she had in mind, writes " I love him very dearlj^ and yet I
:

hesitate to give
is

my

life

into his keeping.

He

noble, kind, worthy, but in

is

some respects
always had in

he

far from being the

in

man

mind
in

thinking

of
in

marriage.
him. There

There
is

is

something lacking

a need

my

life

which

is

not fully met in him

perfect union in consecration to God." Evi-

dently there

is

not yet

full,
is

undisturbed denot
full

light in this friend.

There

accord,
is

there

is

not perfect confidence, there

not

absolute trust. All these elements are essential in

perfect delight in a friend.

To
ties

delight in

God

implies also all the quali- ^

will.
is

of love, trust, confidence, accord of

this

Connected with

promise

in

the Psalm

a cluster of counsels which belong together

" Trust in the Lord," " Delight thyself also in the Lord," " Commit thy way unto the

[35]

W^t
Lord," " Rest
.

(^att TBeautifttl
in the

Lord."
if

You

cannot de-

light yourself in

the Lord

him.

Trust implies

you do not trust confidence. John leaned

dark night of
disciples

upon
was

his Master's breast that

the betrayal.
terrible.

The

distress

of the

It looked as if all their hopes

had

fallen into ruin.

Yet behold John lean-

ing on the Master's bosom, calm, quiet, unafraid.

Jesus sought to quiet his disciples

that same hour with the words, " Let not

-

your heart be troubled;

lieve also in

believe in

God, be-

me." They were to trust with-

out question, without doubt, without fear.

Trust is necessary to delight. " Commit thy way unto the Lord." There
will

come hours of uncertainty

in every

life,

hours when we shall not know what to do,

which way to take, where to find help. Then

we learn that the Lord

all

is

not only our Sav-

iour from sin, but also the

God who

orders

our ways. There seem to be a great many

people who trust

God

for the salvation of

to

their

souls,

but who have not learned

trust him with the choosing of their ways,

[36]

C^e
the
their lives.

^mm
of

of Ci^r i^cart
affairs,

direction

their

the

care

of

They worry

continually.

We

have

not learned the full meaning of trust until we have formed the habit of committing our ways without question unto the Lord. The
reason for worrying, which
habit,
is
is

so

that people do not roll their

common a way
knew
the

upon

the

Lord.

If

only

they

blessed secret they would not worry any more.

Think what
ple
if

it

would mean to worrying peothis,

if

they

understood

instead

of

being anxious about every

little

thing, the}"
it

would take
If

it

to the

Lord and

leave

there.
will

we commit our way unto the Lord, we

will

not go on making blunders, we

spoil the

no longer

web by ignoring the pattern and

in

weaving our own way.

Another of the words of trust

Psalm
is,

the old

" Rest in the Lord." A marginal reading is, " Be silent to the Lord." Never

answer

the

Lord

in

the

way

of

protest

against his guidance, never question the wis-

dom and goodness

in

of his providence. Never

trial

the

day of cross-bearing or
[37
1

ask,

Cl^e (Kate Beautiful

"

Why?

"

Some

of us are not silent to

God

when he does things that are hard, when he leads us in the ways that are rough and steep.

To

be silent to
to

the

Lord means complete

without
question,

submission

his

will,

without doubt, without fear, " I was dumb,

I opened not
it."

my mouth;

because thou didst

These are suggestions of the meaning of the words, " Delight thyself also in the Lord."

We

are to be at home with God.

is

The
no

ideal

home

a place of perfect love, perfect acis

cord, perfect confidence. There

strife,

no doubt, no
telling us these

fear,

no bitterness.

Men

are

days that we should get and

tune with God. This means with

keep our
that

lives in

we should

fall in line

God

in every-

thing.

We are not
;

to

demand that God

to suit our

shall

bring his
fancies

way down

whims and

but rather that we shall always bring

our feelings, our desires, our ambitions, into

harmony with his will. The lesson is not easy.

good mah

said the

other day, " It takes a long time to learn to

[38]

Ci^e

j^esfirejS

of Ci^v l$tan

he kind." It takes so long, indeed, that not

many persons really ever learn it. There are not many kind people that is, people who

are always kind to everyone, to disagreeable

people as well as those who are agreeable, to

enemies as well as friends, to bad as well as

good

and

that

is

what the

New Testament

means when

it tells

us to be kind. It takes a

gi'eat while to learn to be kind.

The same

is

time of every phase of the will

of God. It takes a great while to l^arn to be

patient, .to learn to be

absolutely true, to

learn to trust God, to be rejoicing followers

of Christ, to be helpers of others. Nevertheless,

these are the lessons that are set for us

learn. It will take all
well,

and which we arc to

our
life

to learn
is

them

but really to learn

all

these

lessons
all

better

than

riches,

all

power,

fame.
it is

This

is

what

to delight ourselves in

God,
that

to find our
if

joy

in

him.

we have
for.

this delight

The promise is in him, God will

give

us the desires of our heart, the things

we

long

This

may seem
[39]

rather an unusual

Ci^e dPate Beautiful

promise, but
it

is

really given over

and over

again in the Bible. The Lord said to Solo-

mon,
shall

as he

began

his

reign, "

Ask what
said

give thee."

Anything Solomon would

hfe
portion,

choose

for

his

God
:

he

would give him. In the

New
;

have this from the Master himself

Testament, we " Ask,

and
find
;

it

shall be given 3^ou

it

seek,

and ye

shall

knock, and

shall be

opened unto you

for every one that asketh, receiveth; and he

that seeketh, findeth

eth
of
it

and

to

him that knock-

shall

be opened." Could any promise

God

be fuller, more unreserved, more ab-

solute ?

We

must remember that one condition

is,

" Delight in the Lord."

premely.

You

love

God

su-

You

have committed your way to

trust-

him without doubt or question. You are

ing him without
fear.

You

are being silent

to him, accepting his will for

you without a

murmur
make
all

of insubmission, never asking

why

or how. This attitude of mind and heart will

your
all

desires holy. It will silence in

your heart

unworthy wishes.

It will quell

[40]

Cl^e CiSircsi of W)ii i^cart

all sinful

longirgs.

You
all

will

not long for

evil

things, or for worldly things.

You
for

will seek

God's guidance
things. It
is

in

desires

earthly

not always the things we want

that we ought to desire

if

the things we

want

might work our ruin

ought to
in

we had them.

We

desire the things that will bless us

life,

our inner

and make us beautiful and

desires

Christlike.

We

cannot ourselves be sure as to

the

wisdom of our

and therefore we
God.

must refer them to the

promise
is

will of

When

the

given that
it

God
is

will

give us the

desires of our heart,

implied that these

desires will be such as

Desires

turned

God approves. toward God are prayers.

that they are praying

Some people suppose

ing to
tion.

only when they are on their knees, or speak-

God

in

some reverent attitude of devothe most real

But many of

and most

acceptable prayers are never voiced in words.

They

are only breathings of the soul, long-

ings of the heart, yearnings and aspirations

which cannot be put into language. One of

the Lord's Beatitudes was for those

who have

[41]

Ci^e (Kate 'Beautiful

longings in their hearts, " Blessed are they
that hunger and thirst after righteousness:
for they
thirstings
shall

be

filled."

Hungerings and
to

after

God,

desires

be better,

longings for more holiness, wishes for closer

communion with God,

promises to answer.
health.
illness.

are prayers which

God

Hunger

is

a mark of
indicates

Not
It
it is
is

to

hunger

any more
it
is

so in the body,

so in the

mind,

so in the soul.

The

true spiritual

life is full

of longings.

We
will

should remember, too, that whether we or not, the things we desire are really

given to us.

We

get them into our

is

life,

and

they make us what we are. It

so of pure

and good

desires.

" The thiTig we long

for, that we are^ For one transcendent moment."

holy longing makes us holy. Longing for

Christ brings us into Christ's presence and

fills

us with his spirit, his love.

righteousness makes us

Longing righteous. But

for
the

same

is

true also of evil desires. If we let

[42]

Ci^e

J^cjSircsi

of

W)v

J^tart

sinful wishes into

we

will

our mind and cherish them, grow corrupt in heart. " As a man
is

thinketh in his heart, so

he." If you,

by
will

day and by night, cherish wrong

get your desires, and your

desires, im-

pure feelings, unholy imaginings, you

life will rot.

Let

wrong, lustful desires stay

in

your mind, and

you

will

soon be, in the sight of angels, a

mass of corruption and death.

desires, for they are

We
the

should

keep a double watch upon our thoughts and

making us

man

or

woman we
up
in

shall be

by and by. Keep your

will build

thoughts clean and white and they

3'our

desires

you a temple of snowy purity. Keep fixed upon holy things, right

things, whatsoever things are pure, whatso-

ever things are lovel}-, then

desires of

you

will

have the

your hearts
they

unto you

and

God

will

give them
life

will build

up your
is

into beauty

and holiness.
for us, therefore, that we

The great need

likeness.

cultivate our desires into hohness

and Christ-

What

are the dominant desires in

your heart to-day?

What
[43]

are you living for?

C]^e (Kate 'Beautiful

are jour most earnest wishes? When you are alone, and your mind is free, where do your thoughts turn ? If the Lord came to you in a vision, as he came to Solomon at Gibeon, and said, " Ask what I shall give you, what I shall do for you," what would

What

your answer be? If you delight yourself in the Lord, then he will give you what you desire.

This
din's

is

a thousand times better than Alad-

lamp.

Abide
in you,

in

Christ,

let

Christ's

words abide
will

and no

desire of yours
will

remain unsatisfied. That

All
life will

be happifullness of

ness.

then be a song

good

here, eternal blessing in heaven.

44]

Callen to TBe ^aint$

[45]

"Never in a costly palace did I rest on golden bed, Never in a hermit's cavern have I eaten idle bread.
i'Born within a lowly
stood
stable,

where the

cattle

round me
toiled

Trained a carpenter in Nazareth, I have

and

found

it

good.

"They who

tread the path of labor follow where

my

feet

have trod

They who work without complaining do

of God.

the holy will

" Where the

many toil

together, there

Where

the tired

workman

sleepeth, there

am I among my own ; am I with him

alone.

"/, the peace that passeth knowledge, dwell

daily
I,

amid

the

strife,

the bread of heaven,

am broken in the sacrament of life."

[46

CHAPTER FOURTH
Callet) to T5t

^a(nw

the

Roman Catholic
is

Church the act of canonization

the enrollment of

beatified persons
saints.
till

among
fifty

the

It cannot take place

more than

years

after

the persons have died, except in the

case of martyrs, nor until the

most searching
into their life

investigations have been

made

and character. In the New Testament, how-

word saints is used of living believers. The meaning is not that the Christians of those early days were perfect. They were faulty, incomplete in life and character, just
ever, the

as Christians are in every age. All

who

love

and follow Christ are called to be saints. The form of Christian life changes from time to
time.

The type
days
is

that stands in highest honor

the strenuous. Activity
is

in these

the

word. People who do things are the people

[*7]

W^t
who

(Kate 'Beautiful
all

count, not only in business and in

is

secular lines, but also in religion. It

not

the saint of the closet, the devout

man who
is

spends hours at his devotions, in pious meditations, in

secret prayer.

The man who

commended to-day as the greatest Christian the man who is always abounding in the work of the Lord. The best Christian life is
is

the one devoted to service of love.

We

say
is

we are saved
disciples

to serve.

We

say our mission

to carry the gospel to every man, to of

all

the nations.

We

are

make to go

about doing good. Richard Burton writes of

The Modem

Saint

No monkish
Nor
is

garb he wears, no heads he

tells,

immured in
humanely

walls remote from strife

But from

his heart deep

mercy ever

wells ;
life.

He

looks

forth

on human

He

looks not holy, simple is his belief

His creed for mystic visions do not scan ; His face shows lines cut there by other's grief

And

in his eyes

is love of

brother-man.

[48]


CalleD to TBe ^afntis
Not
self

nor self-salvation
to

is his

care ;

He
To

yearns

make

the world

a sunnier clime

live in,

and

his mission everywhere

Is strangely like to Christ's in olden time.

Dr. James Denney says,

Life of Christ as
it

in

speaking of the
in the

appears

Gospels:

" The only Person

whom the New Testament calls the Saint of God lived in the fields and in the streets, mingling in the common life of man at the common level; and what strikes us most as we contemplate Him is not
a monotonous and conventionally expressed
sanctity,

however deeply

felt,

but the spon-

taneity, the liberty, the unexpectedness,

and
a

yet
life."

the

thorough

naturalness

of

such

One of the great present-day words of

liness is

saint-

Brotherhood. It

is

to

pronounce

not a hard word

musical.
It
is

it

is

rather

coming

to be

fashionable

word among
use
it

Christian people.
it

Orators
It

like to
is

is

an inspiring word.
practice.

something we

ought to

Men

are talking in these

[49]

Cl^e (Bate iseautiful

days about practicing the presence of God,
living every
side them.

moment
Httle

as

if

they saw

God

be-

book has been published

as segments of eter-

on the practice of immortality, thinking of

the
little

common days

we really believe Some one writes also of practicing the Incarnation. The Incarnation was God coming down and living in human flesh, the highest, the most divine, coming down to help the lowest. We open the New Testament and we see the Eternal God
nity, of eternal life, as if
shall live forever.

we

comforting a sorrowing mother, taking a

cooing baby in his arms, looking into
its

deep eyes, and laying his hand on

its

head;

we

see the infinite

God

curing a blind

man

by putting clay on his eyes, healing a lame man by a touch or by a word. This is very
beautiful, very wonderful.

Now
life.

practice the

Incarnation in your own

the law of love requires.

That

is

what

The

angels must

look upon manifestations of love in self-denial

and

service as finer than the finest disskill.

plays of eloquence or

An

act of love,

[50]

CallcD to ise ^aintjs

says
St.

Paul,

is

greater than tongues of

angels, exhibitions of vast learning, the giv-

ing of a fortune in philanthropy, or dying as

a martyr.

Thus
ness,
tions,

saintliness

is

shown

in love, in helpful-

rather than in the practice of devo-

^t
is

that

we are

to be less prayerful,

or to cease to read the Bible

waiting upon
the
life

God

always

essential

in

that

pleases God.

We

cannot be saints and not

there can

commune much with God. Before

be activity
a true abiding in Christ.
self

in Christian service, there

must be

Our Master him-

abounded

in

the work of the Lord.

He

was intensely

active.

But he

also spent

much

time in prayer.
fore day, that he
his

He

arose a great while be-

might be a long time with

Father before going out to the day's

tasks. Saintliness begins, therefore, in devotion, in

communion with God. But

is

its

mani-

festation

in active life, in service.

Another

essential

mark

of saintliness

is

holiis

ness of life

and character.
the church

No

accusation

made against

by the world more

[51]


C]^e (ate 'Beautiful
frequently than this, that the professed followers of Christ are not living

up

to their

profession. Is the accusation just? "

You

are

not as good as your Book," said a great Hindu. " If you were as good as your Book,
Christianity

would

soon

conquer

India."

What
all,

does our

Book

require of us? First of

Christ demands implicit obedience.

" If

ye love me, keep

are those

my commandments."
it.

Saints

who ask always

for the will of the

Lord, and instantly do

Christ wants to see the print of the nails in

pur hands.

What
meant
It

does

this

mean

in

life?

The
no

cross

love, love that

stopped at

sacrifice.

meant vicarious suffering

Christ gave himself for his people.

We

some-

times get sentimental ideas of the cross and

of the print of the nails.

The

old

monk

said

he had looked so long and so intently at the

crucifix, that

the nail marks came into the

that
is

palms of

his

own hands. But

not what

Christ means. If to-day and to-morrow you

deny yourself to do some

another;
if,

service of love for

is

to rest one

who [52]

overwrought,

CalleD to T5e
you take
hands.
his place

^afnw

and do the work yourself,

Christ will see the prints of the nails in your

When

the

young

minister nursed the

poor woman's baby himself that the weary

mother might get out
in the fresh air for

an

hour, when the Prime Minister was missing

from Parliament that he might

his garret, the
cross.

visit

and pray
his

beside the poor old dying crossing sweeper in

Master saw the marks of

Saintliness
life.

is

shown

also in the culture of

The

Bible speaks of the beauty of holi-

ness.

Sometimes,

however,
is

what

is

called

holiness

by men

not really beautiful.

The

Pharisees in our Lord's day thought themselves holy.

They were very

in

exact in certain

forms of obedience,

some respects going

beyond what the law required.

everything, even

They

tithed

down

to the tiny anise

and

cummin,

little

garden herbs,

giving every

tenth sprig to God, but they failed utterly in

the weightier matters of the law

judgment,

mercy and

faith.

They made long prayers

in the

in the streets

and

synagogues, assumed

[53]

Ci^e (Batt I3eautiful

attitudes of great piety

and devotion, and

were rigidly severe on other people who did

not follow
the

all

the Pharisaic rules.

were hard in their dealings.

poor,

Then they They oppressed

downtrodden,
cruel.

they

crushed

the

they were unjust, grasping,

holiness

Their
not

was not beautiful.

God

does

care for long prayers,

much church going,

Sabbath keeping,
backbiting,
life.

approved orthodoxy,
with meanness,

strict

selfishness,

criti-

cism, dishonesty, in the everyday

True

sainthness

is

beautiful.
is

" Whatsoever things

are lovely,"

one of the marks of the Hfe

that pleases God.

It
is

not religion for a boy to join the church

to-

and come to the communion, and then

morrow get angry when he is beaten game, or sulk when some other one
of holiness.

in

gets

something he wanted. These are not beauties

The work
is

of a church in

all its

departments
not good

the

making of

beautiful lives,

lives

only, but beautiful as well.

There are some who cannot be condemned on

moral grounds, but are not attractive Chris-

[54]

Called to lot ^aintis

tians.

They

are honest, upright, just, but

are not kind, thoughtful, winning in their

spirit,
finest

not lovable.
Christian

Christ himself was the gentleman the world ever

saw.

He
in

thing

was gentle to all men. He did everya gracious way. Let us strive to at-

tain the saintliness that Jesus

his teaching

commends

in

and

illustrates in his life.

There

is

too

much

counterfeit saintliness.
in doctrine,

It
it

lacks love.
is

It is

orthodox

but

not pleasant to

live with.
it
is

It

is

clean cut

as a marble statue, but

ble. Saintliness

as cold as
is

mar-

that pleases Christ

is

flesh

and

blood, not stone. It

it
it.

human,

it is

Christly,

has the whole Thirteenth of Corinthians in It has a heart, is self-forgetful, is lowly.

things spoil saintliness. It
is

Many
pride.

spoiled
is

by
the

One of the
doing good

secrets of saintliness

absence of self-consciousness.

He who knows

he

is

good.

is not doing the highest Moses wist not that his face shone. is

The
of

saintliness that

most divine

is

unaware

its

radiance.

Saintliness

must be helpful. Nothing

is

made

[55]

W)z
ness
is

(Kate iseautiful
its

beautiful merely for

own

sake.
life.

Fruitful-

the test of a Christian

it

Fruit

is

beautiful as

hangs on the
It

tree or vine,

but

who

ever supposed beauty to be the chief

of
fruit
is
.^

purpose

is

not for the tree's

Saintliness

adorning
is

it

to feed hunger.

not merely for spiritual adornment.

We

fulfill

God's purpose for our

lives

when our
lives

holiness,

our goodness, our spiritual beauty,

helpful to others,

make us
useful.

make our

Some one
This
is

says,

"

God

is

loving service."
St.
is

really only

an expansion of
love," for love
service
Is

John's
service.

definition, "

God
is

is

Love that

not

not

genuine.

and served to the uttermost, withheld nothing. There is no true spiritual culture which does not add to our power of
Christ loved

serving

others.

The prayer

of

saintHness

should always be:

" // there he some weaker one,

Give
If

me

strength to help

him on;
thee.

a blinder soul there

he,

Let

me

guide him nearer

[56]

CallcD to I5t ^aintsi

"

mortal dreams come true work I fain would do; Clothe ivith life my weak intent,

Make my
With
the

Let

me

he the thing I

meant;

"Let me find in thy employ, Peace that dearer is than joy;

Old

of self to love he led,

Until all things sweet and good

Seem my

nature's habitude."

There are many more

than we think.
concerning goodness.

saints

in

the world

'

Some people

are pessimists

We

think most people

are bad, very few, at least, good.

We may

not claim sainthood for

all

men and women,

is

but

let

us think of the homes of any Chris-

tian community,

and the good that

is

in

them, the love that

ever ministering.

Think

of the mothers always serving and blessing

their children, of the wives

who

live for their

husbands, of the way

wives

many husbands

care for

who

are frail or invalids, of the noble

service thousands of children render to their

parents.

Think of the

sacrifices

cheerfully

[57]

Ci^e

dEfate

Beautiful

made, of the devotion almost divine, of the

tenderness shown

by those who care for the

and the marvelous patience
pain, loss of rest, trial

weak and
of those

feeble,

who endure
of

of

all

kinds, in serving others.

Think of the
their lives

way thousands

men pour out

year after year in caring for their families,

working long hours, and then working over

themselves,

how they deny how they scale their own indulgences down to the last penny, that they may
hours to add to their income,
feed and clothe their children and educate

Think, too, how the poor help each Think of the heroisms of labor, of the way men risk life to save other lives. Every day you read of the way some brave fellow
them.
other.

throws himself into peril that a train

may

be stopped, a runaway horse halted, a child

snatched from death on the street; of the

way a doctor puts

for his patient
self to
;

his

of the
life.

own life in jeopardy way a nurse offers herEverywhere we

the
see the

prolong a

conscious and unconscious saintships which

redeem

this

world from

accusation of

[58]

CallcD to lot ^aintsi

selfishness, lovelessness

and godlessness which

are

made against
are

it.

We

need not say that

men

They
enough

bad enough

wc

are not sinners.

are

all

bad
bless-

but
days.

we should magnify the

ings of the divine redemption

derful love seen in the

and the wonlife

common
sea,

of the

common
rifice

For

all

these heroisms of sac-

in the

home, on the

on the

street,

and

in all life,

get their inspiration from the

cross of Christ.

We

are called to be saints.

We

may

be only

at the foot of the

mountain now, but we are

yet to reach the summit.

call

Every moment the

breaks anew upon our ears, bidding us

press forward.

This ought to keep us cour-

ageous and determined, so that we never lose

heart, never be content to stay

on low

levels,

but always be reaching up to the possibilities

of sainthood.

.'59

(KuarDing flDur Ci^ouQi^tjs

til

'

These are the sins I fain

Would have
Hot anger,
Scorn

thee take

away

Malice and cold disdain,

sidlen hate.
of the lowly,

envy of the great.

And discontent that casts a shadow gray On all the brightness of a common day.'*

[62]

CHAPTER FIFTH

is

a busy hive we have

brain,

in

our

where

our

thoughts play. They never

rest,

never sleep, keep no

Sundays.
j

We
they

cannot
came,

tell

whence

these

rushing swarms of thoughts, sometimes bright

like

sweet singing birds, and sometimes black

sad.

and

Did you ever try

direct

to control

your
in

thoughts, to

them, to keep them

regular order, to shut out the dark thoughts,

the
evil

thoughts,
is

the

bitter

thoughts?

Thought mastery
of
life.

the highest attainment

it
is

We may

think

impossible to

keep out the wrong, the unworthy thoughts. But St. Paul gives us the secret: " The peace
of

God

shall

guard your thoughts.'*

tlie

Have you
you.

ever considered
life?

importance of

thoughts in your

Your thoughts make

up

They

are the builders which build

[63]

Cl^e (0ate 'Beautiful

the fabric of your character.

The thought
make

habits

you are forming

these dei^s will

your disposition, shape your character, build

your manhood or womanhood, for
all

future.

Let your thoughts in the early years be occupied with yourself, your brightness, your
beauty, your attainments and achievements,
the

worthy things you do, and you are maka paragon of self-conceit.
If

ing of yourself for coming days a vain egotist,

you allow

your thoughts to run

tent

in the line of discon-

criticism, of dissatisfaction
life,

and unhappiness, of complaining and with your lot in

of impatience and fretfulness,

all

you

will

build

these unbeautiful qualities into the

will be in a

man
you

or

woman you

few years. If
if

think cheerfully, contentedly, happih^

your thoughts are trained and disciplined to

courage, hope, joy, to self-forgetfulness, to
kindness,
if

you habitually think

of brave

things, lovely things, noble things, j^ou will

make for yourself a life strong, riclx, courageous, loving and true. Charles Kingsley says, " Think about your[64
1

self;

about what you want, what you

like,

what respect people ought to pay you, and

then to you nothing will be pure.
spoil everything
sin

Youwill

will

you touch; you

make

and misery for yourself out of everything

which
as

God

sends

you you
;

will

be as wretched

you choose, on earth or in heaven either." But think of others and think lovingly and generously of them, and you will make your own heart a flower garden and will be a benediction wherever you go. St. Paul gives us a splendid programme for
our thought
life
:

" Finally, brethren, what-

soever things are true, whatsoever things are

honorable, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are
lovely,

whatsoever things are of good reif

port;

there be

any

virtue,

and

if

there be

any

praise,

think

on

these

things "

the

good, the true, the beautiful, the

praise-

worthy things.

Do

not think on things that

are false, dishonorable, unjust, impure, unlovely, of evil report.

Some people

see

al-

ways and think only of things that are un-

[65]

Cl^e ate I3eautiful

worthy.

They read

in the

newspapers only

the scandal columns and bits of unsavory gossip.

You

are to refuse to see this unlovely side

of the blue skies

of

life.

Think

and the

stars,

not of the swamps, the bogs, and the street

puddles.

Think

in the

evening of the pleasant

things you have heard during the day, not of

the evil stories.

them

in

worthy and wholesome

life.

Guard your thoughts. School lines, for you

are building

" Souls are built as temples are

Based on
Sure and

truth's eternal law,

steadfast, without flaw.

Through

the sunshine, through the snows,

Up and
Every

on

the building goes;

fair thing finds its place,

Every hard thing lends a grace,

Every hand

may make

or mar.''

But

is it

possible for us to control

and school

thoughts.?

Can we keep out unworthy by many considerations in the words we allow ourselves to speak, in the things we allow ourselves to do,
our thoughts?

We

are influenced

[66]

but we are not restrained

in the

same way
sees

in the matter of our thoughts.

Nobody

them, and so

it

does not seem to matter.

An

angry man
that
is

will

not speak the wrathful word

trembling

on

his

lips,

for

people

would be shocked and would condemn him;

but nobody can hear the wrathful thought
that
is

in his heart,

and so he does not try

are invisible

to restrain that.
elusive.

Thoughts

and

They

are light and airy.

They do

not seem to be within control.

Nevertheless,

we can control them

responsible for them.

if

we

will,
is
it

and we are
no
is

" There

sin in a

thought," says some one. Yes,

think
evil.

a sin to

If j^ou cherish anger, envy, re-

sentment, you are sinning against others. If you allow unclean and impure thoughts to nest in your mind, you are simply making it

a den of unclean things.

sinful.

The beloved

disciple said, "

is

ever hateth his brother

tred
is

Bad thoughts are Whosoa murderer." Haevil

only a thought; thus even an

is

thought

sin.

You
[67]

are responsible for

your thoughts.

Cl^e ate iseautiful

" But," some one says, " the
are already
in.

evil

thoughts

You

have opened to them,

is

and now your mind

in

their possession.

How

shall 3^ou expel

full

them ? " If your house

has become

of fumes of smoke or gas,

what do you do to get them out? You open

the windows and
in
let

the pure, fresh air

come
will
full

from outside, and soon the house

be sweet again. If your mind has become

of evil thoughts, open the windows and let

in heaven's

sweet breath.

our mind empty, however.

thinking.
If

We We

cannot keep

cannot help

" Nature abhors a vacuum."

evil

you have formed the habit of thinking

it

thoughts, impure thoughts,

is

not enough

to shut the door to keep out all such evil

thoughts in the future.

You must

bring in

sweet, good, pure thoughts, to take the place

of the evil thoughts.

Begin to think about

get their

good
noble

things.

Read good books and

thoughts into

your mind. Associate

friends.
its

with

worthy people, choose good

the Bible, and meditate

Read
words.

upon

holy

Read

clean,

pure,

inspiring

books.

[68]

(KuarDing Dut Cljougl^tji

Get Christ into jour
life,

and think on
entirely
it

his

beautiful character, his love, his grace.

will

So

you get your heart bad thoughts by having

St.

free

from

filled

with good

thoughts.

Paul has a word about overcoming

is filled

evil

with good. If your heart

with a feelit

ing of anger against another, overcome

with an opposite desire of kindness.
ful

A
A

joygen-

thought

will drive
will

out a sad one.

a

erous

impulse

correct

hurt feeling.

Some boys had played a game. One little fellow came home gloomy and cast down. His side had lost. But that was not the cause of
his dejection.

" Mother," he said, "

of the
see,

God was on the side bad boys to-day, and they won. You

hard and not get

we fellows thought we would try awfully mad or cheat or say bad

words, and not one fellow did.

side
did.

But

the other

They swore and got

cross

and
their

cheated, and they won.

side,

God was on

and it wasn't fair." The mother was perplexed

she

could not

[69]

Ci^e (5att 'Beautiful

comfort her boy.

The

father came in pres-

ently, and the mother drew him aside and

quietly told

him of the

state of things.

Pres-

ently the father said

" Well,

my

boy, I hear you won out to-

day." " Well," in a very solemn voice, " you heard

wrong, because we were beaten."

" But I heard there were two games. I heard
that you lost the match, but

won

the big, imyourselves.

portant

thing

you
my

conquered

You

didn't beat the other fellows, but

you
of

conquered your tempers and bad language.

Congratulations,

boy

am proud

you."

The
that

boj^'s
is

face

began to change. " Why,

he said happily. " I
in that

so,

father,"
it

didn't think of

way.

God was on

our

side, after all,

wasn't he? "

well-known author, writing of Alice FreePalmer,

tells

man
a

of the almost marvelous inlittle

fluence

upon him of a

talk with her, at

critical

time in his career.

He

was

in

a de-

spairing state regarding his literary work.

[70]

Somehow Mrs. Palmer

his state of mind.

instinctively perceived

" Then," he said, " she be-

gan at once to kindle me, and before I knew what was happening, I was afire to do a man's work again." A few strong, cheerful
words from that rich-hearted woman changed
the depression of the

man

into

hope and

life.

thought of encouragement drove out the

are encouragers

thought of dejection. There are some people

who wherever they go

of

others with their brave optimism and with

their unconquerable faith,

and no thought of
the tonic air

weakness or failure can

of their victorious
life.

live in

No

one can measure

lives

the influence of strong,

good

over those

who

are weak or tempted, or those

who are
infirmi-

discouraged.

Thoughts of
ties of those

love

and power cure the

who are under the tempers, of unhappy chafing

There are some people with
easy to
live.

influence of
dispositions.
it is

whom

not

They

are critical, censorious,

fault.

unhappy, always finding

Perhaps they

have been soured by wrongs they have en-

[71]

Ci^e (Bate I3eauttful

dured.
It
is

not easy to

live

with such peoit

is

ple sweetly.

Even

in a

home

not easy
live

always for the members of a family to

together without friction or mutual offense.

There
all

is

one secret

love, love that beareth

things, endureth all things, never faileth.

The good must overcome

It
is

the

evil.

the peace of

God

which

St.
is

Paul says
es-

will

guard our thoughts.

He

speaking
is

pecially of anxiety,

and the meaning

keep us from

that

the peace of

God

will

all

wor-

ry, all pain, all foreboding.

We

cannot be

anxious or chafe or doubt or be in distress

about our food, our raiment, our health, our

affairs, if this

marv^elous peace of

God

fills

our hearts.

The whole problem,

then,

is

how

to get the

peace of God. Never by fleeing from our

troubles, our dangers.

In one of the Psalms,

the

writer

wishes

he had the wings of a

fly

dove, that he might

derness
to
a
shelter

away
is

into the wil-

from

the

wind

and

stormy tempests, but there

in

no such shelter
is

any wilderness.

The only way [72]

by ac-

cepting the will of God, and then fleeing to

God
^'

himself.

How How How

shall I quiet
it

my
its

heart?

How shall

I keep

still?

shall I

hush
ill

tremulous

start at tidings

of good or

shall I gather

and hold contentment and

on
fold, over

peace

and

rest,

Wrapping

their sweetness, fold

my

troubled breast ?

" The Spirit of

God

is still,

and

gentle

and mild

and sweet;

What time

his omnipotent, glorious will guideth

the worlds at his feet,

Controlling all
heart of

lesser

things,

this

turbulent

mine

He

keepeth as under his folded wings in a peace

serene, divine."

[78]

pofntis of ?epattut:e

75

i'One stitch dropped as the weaver drove

His nimble
In and

shuttle to

and

fro,

out, beneath, above.

seemed to bud and grow had helping been One small stitch which could scarce be seen; Bui the one stitch dropped pulled the next stitch And a weak spot grew in the fabric stout; A nd the perfect pattern was marred for aye
Till the pattern
if the fairies

As

out,

By

the one small stitch that

was dropped

that day.*

[76]

CHAPTER SIXTH
i^otntjs of

j^epamtte
of
life
is

HE

way

straight.
It

It does not

wind about.

does
path.

not

make a zigzag Our experience in

To-day we have
the road runs in

passing through the world

is

variable.

joy, to-morrow sorrow.

the sunshine, again
it

Now

takes us into the storms.

vicissitudes

We
ease,

pass

through a thousand

every year

health, sickness, pleasure, pain,

hardness, prosperity, adversit^s

gain,
is

loss

but

all

the while the path of duty

di-

rect,

straight as an arrow's flight.

life

Yet

in

every

there are points at which

it is

easy

to depart,

to turn aside.

when there are strong temptations There are certain points, too,

many persons do turn aside. The first leaving of home is a time full of dan^r. Home is a warm sanctuary of love. Esat which
pecially
is

a true Christian

home a

place of

[77]

W)t

dPate 'Beautiful

sacred fellowship.

Many

of the departures

from the right path date from the day when

a boy leaves his mother and goes out into the
world, where, henceforth, he will not have her

guidance.

Going away
danger.

to school

is

for

The

hfe of the old

many a time home begins

of
to

seem narrow when young people are out in

their
It
is

new environment and look back upon laughed at and represented as not up
Its habits of pra^-er, for
at.

it.

to

date.

example, are

sneered

Many young

people find a serious

first

testing waiting for

them the

night in the
retir-

boarding school or dormitory, when the

ing hour comes.

Will they keep up the old

home habit
prayer
.f^

of kneeling
battles

by the bedside
are
lost

in

Many
is

fought at that

hour

many fought, how many sadly

another time of danger.
life

Marriage

It

is

time of joy. It ought to be a time of blessing.

It

ought to be the gate into a

of ideal

beauty.

Nothing good that has been learned should be lost when two young people leave their old homes and enter
in the years before

[78]

pointjS of
a home of their own.

^tpavtmt
Every beautiful thing
do they should conthey

they have been taught to

tinue to do in the holy
gether.
It
is

life

now begin

to-

told of a Christian girl recently

first

married, that the

ple were in their
sitting

evening the young couhouse, when they were

own

quietly

down to their first meal, the wife said: "In my old home we never began
first

a meal without

either

bowing our heads

silent grace. It

and asking grace, or having a

must be the same

reverently

in

my

home." So the two

heads

bent

their

and

sought

first meal. That is the way it always should be when two Christian young people begin their life together. Some-

God's blessing on their

times this beautiful custom

is

not observed,

and the event

is

grieved over by angels as a

point of departure from God.

Sometimes prosperity proves to be a point of

disaster to a
life.

The man who

in the

days

of bare and pinched living, when there was no

luxury, and sometimes was want, was faithful

to

God, when money increases and

life

grows

sumptuous, forgets

God and
[79]

turns away from

Cl^e (Kate ^Beautiful

the divine commandments.
versity brings defection.

Or sometimes adMost people have

the impression that trouble always makes people better.

The
life

other day, one speaking of a

man whose

for a

number of years has been

very bad, said, " I have been praying

God

that he might become sick or might have some

great sorrow, for I think that would save

him."
still

But

it

might not

it

might lead him

farther

away from God. Bereavement,

sometimes
failed

which ought to soften hearts and sweeten

lives,

has

to

bring

the

mourner nearer to and prayer

fore,
in the

Christ, or to restore faith

home.

Sickness has oft-

times left one less prayerful than he was be-

and with a

life less

beautiful.

One

said the other

day

in talking to a friend,

" I have given up God."

prayer. "

The

friend spoke of
.^^

have not given up prayer Do you not pray any more? " " No," the person replied, " I used to be an earnest Christian,

You

but

five

years ago I had a great disappoint-

ment, a crushing sorrow.

minent, I prayed

While

it

was im-

God most
[80]

earnestly to save

^ointjS of
me from
I

JBtpattmt
He
did not do
it,

the calamity.

and

have never believed in him nor prayed to

since.

him

I do not think

The

losing of a friend

God cares." may prove the

know

occa-

sion of turning aside.

Moses

said to his peo-

ple in his farewell address, " I

that after

my

death, ye will utterly corrupt yourselves,

and turn yourselves from the way which I have commanded you and evil will befall you
;

in the latter days."

The day

a strong, guid-

ing friend was taken away has proved to

many the beginning of departure from God. A man with a great temptation said to his friend, who was trying to help him in his
struggle toward a better
only
live
life,

" If I could

with you, or even come to you

always when I

am tempted
The
feel

I could live no-

bly and worthily."

to

friend said, "

Come

me any

hour, day or night, when you

the temptation com-

need me, when you

ing on, and we

will talk

and pray together."

his friend

For
and

several years he
lived bravely,

went often to
failing.

not once

friend died, and almost at once the

Then the man sank

[81]

Ci^e (Kate iseautiful

away into sin and failure. He had depended too much upon the human friend and not
enough on Christ.
There
is

not a daj^ which does not bring some

or
occasion
if
it

opportunity
Business
is

of

turning aside.

right,

be a right business,

but continual!}^ men are tempted to depart

from the right way

in

in business.
sa^^s,

Owen Wister,
is

one of his books,

"

The American had

having

rather be rich than good, and he

his

wish."

Pleasure

is

right.

Our Master

wants us to enjoy ourselves, but there are

good people who are

pleasure, perhaps
its

led
its

by

away from God by excess, perhaps by

charm,

its

enamoring.

God

is

driven out
per-

of

many
is
is.

hearts

by amusements, which
absorption
that
the

haps are altogether harmless

It in

in themselves.

the

dan-

ger

What
ship.'^

is more sacred than friendOf course friendships are sometimes formed with unworthy people, and these cannot but lead awa}- from God. There are

in all life

friendships which one cannot have

and main-

[82]

pointjS of

J^zpattmt
Such friendships
life.

tain friendship with Christ.

never can help one into true and noble

But pure, true and worthy

also

friendships
lives

may
away
two

become the means of turning

It should

from God.

not be

so.

When

Christians love each other their love should

make

their lives purer,

richer, better.

But

sometimes a friendship becomes so intense, so

absorbing, so satisfying that
it

leads to the

forgetting of God.
said
:

Only the other day one " Before I was married I loved Christ
active in his service.
I

and was
with

was so happy

my
and

husband, however, after

my mar-

riage, that
less

my

need of Christ seemed to grow

less,

and soon, instead of an hour

for

my

Bible and prayer, only a few hurried

moments were given, and after a while Christ was left out of the day altogether." Too
often this
is

the story.

There
est

is

another way also in which our dear-

friends

may become

hinderers

of

our

Christian

life.

Jesus says in one place, that

in certain experiences, a man's foes shall be

they of his own household.

He

is

referring to

[83]

;i)e (Bate

iseautiful
There
is

persecutions for his sake.

wa}', however, in

another
true.

which

this

may become
gravest

Our

dearest friends

may

unwittingly become
the
liarm.

our enemies, doing us

Their love for us

may tempt

us to slacken

our love for Christ.

We

remember how Pesought to

ter, in his intense love for Jesus,

keep him from doing his Father's

will.

When

Jesus told his disciples that he must be crucified,

Peter sought to hold him back from his cross and cried, " Lord, this shall not be
!

unto thee " Jesus rebuked Peter, saying, " Get thee behind me, Satan " Thus Peter's
!

friendship was doing Satan's work

Jesus.

l^em.pting

There are friends who, because of their

love, seek to dissuade those they love

from

service

for

Christ

that

demands

sacrifice.

Thus

love

may become

a peril,

and lead men

to turn aside

from complete consecration.

Christian mother has been

known

to keep her

son from becoming a missionary, causing him

to turn aside from the life to which the ]\Iaster

had

called him.

young
1

Christian wife

has been known, by her love for her husband,

[84

j^oinw of J^tpattutt
to influence

him to give up

his devotion to

Christian work and

service.

to cease his self-denying

Turning

aside in whatever Hne of Hfe usually

begins in a small and imperceptible way.

No

one turns entirely away from right in a moment.

When

one seems to depart suddenly

from

close following of

God

to complete de-

sertion, there

has alwaj^s been a slow and

final

gradual departure preceding the

ing.

breakit

The

first

turning was so slight that

It

was scarcely noticeable.

perceptible
obedience.
is

was only an imstringency

of

relaxing
Still, it
is

in

the

was a departure, and what

never reclaimed, and next
further relaxing.

once given up
is

week there

still

Take

the matter of honesty.

is

man's simple After a time

promise

as

good

as his note.

he begins to be a
self.

little less

exacting with him-

He

has debts and he neglects to pay

them on the day they are due.

be
less

He

begins to

watchful in his business dealing.

is

In

a few months he
reliable,

quoted on the street as un-

then as slow, and at last as a

man

[85]

Ci^e (0ate I3eautiful

pay only under compulsion. His turning away was gradual. He failed in a trifling matter and did not catch himself up, and now his one-time splendid name for honwill

who

esty

is

gone.
is

In the Epistle to the Hebrews there

word which explains

this process.

The

writer

says we ought to give earnest heed to the

things that were heard,

lest

haply we drift

away from them. Drift

boat
is

is

just the word.

The
sea.

not moored and drifts out to

fall into

Lives continually
drift away.

some current and

They

are not quite so conscien-

tious in their habits as they were last year

drifting.

They

are not quite so loving as they

little

were, not so patient, a

more
so

irritable,

not so kindly, so forbearing,

spirit, so

sweet

in

ready to serve

drifting.

It is the

beginning of the departure against which we need to guard. " Turn not from it
to the right
of caution.

hand or to the

left," is the

word
is

That
evil

is,

do not deviate
right.

in the

most minute degree from the

beginning of

It

the

we need to avoid

if

we

[86]

|0o(nt!3 of

j^epatture
final

would never reach the

Kttle deflection against
if

step.

It

is

the

which we must watch

we would never

find ourselves in

open

re-

bellion against the right.

Httle girl

was

overheard telling her mother about a naughty

child that

grew naughtier and naughtier

is

till

at last he struck God. It

sin

thus always that

makes

its

progress.

It begins only with

a shade of departure, but ends in defiant rebellion.

The

safety of Christian life depends on the

first

avoidance of the

steps

away from God.

Instead of being
less

To make
take
it

this course really effective, we must

in a positive

way.

satisfied

with not growing

life,

beautiful in

Christian

we

should seek to

make ever a

progress toward higher, better things.

We

can always

live better

than we have yet done.

We
our

can make to-morrow better than to-day.

of us has reached the possibilities of

Not one

lives in

attainment and achievement.

us of certain birds which in

Scientists

tell

their wild state do not sing, but which have

in their throats fine

song muscles, showing

1

[87

Ci^e (Kate ^Beautiful

that
if

they had had favorable environment,

is

they might have been good singers. There

no one who has not more hfe muscles than

he has learned to use.

We have

capacities for

obedience, for^semce, for beautiful living, for

usefulness, which
lie

undeveloped in

us.

In-

stead of letting ourselves slacken in the doing

of our duty, we should set ourselves ever a

higher work and every day add a

the quahty of our
life

line

to

and the worthiness of

is

our character. There

old

little

prayer

in

an

Psalm which would Hft us ever up" Lead me in the way everlasting," it The way everlasting leads ever toward

ward.
runs.

God.

[88]

TButlDfng again t^e

f ome HHm

[89

^'Hurt as

it

may, love on,

love forever

Love for lovers sake, like the Father above, But for whose brave-hearted Son we had never

Known

the sweet hurt of the sorrowful love."

[90

CHAPTER SEVENTH
TSuilDtns again
tl^e

i^omc Bt^t
should always
is

EDDED

life

be happy. That

the ideal.
its holi-

Love should reach

est

and best

in the

marriage

relation.

There

St. Paul's

alized

J vision of love should be re" Love suff ereth long, and is kind

love envieth not; love vaunteth not itself,

is

not puffed up, doth not behave

seemly, seeketh not
its

itself

un-

own,

is

not provoked,

taketh not account of evil; rejoiceth not in

unrighteousness,
truth
;

but

rejoiceth

with

the

beareth all things, believeth all things,

all

hopeth

things, endureth
its

all

things."

Marriage, in
is

full

beauty and blessedness,

not something one can come into in a day.

all

Like

holy friendships,

it

must be a growth.

President

King

says, speaking of personal as:

sociation in friendship
into larger

"

He who would grow

and richer friendship must recog-

[91]

l^e

dDiate

'Beautiful
friend
is

nize first of all that,

if his

in truth

worthy of such a friendshrp

as he seeks, the

by personal cannot grab up and hurry

great
is

way
of

association.
off

One
fine

with the

fruits

friendship.

No

friendship

that

much with either men or God can become one's own without the giving of time,
counts for
of thought, of attention, of honest response."

Marriage, as the highest

friendships,
is

and best of

all

no exception.

It takes time for

even the truest and wisest lovers to be fully,

wholly married.

Then

there must be constant,

patient, thoughtful culture.

Something new
in each.

must be discovered every day by each

The

possibilities of
infinite.

happiness in marriage are

simply

Phillips Brooks' picture of

growth
marriage

in friendits

ship through personal association finds

most perfect realization

ly there
all this
is

in

" Suresee in

no more beautiful sight to

world

full as it is of beautiful

ad-

justments and mutual ministrations

than the

growth of two

friends' natures

who, as they

grow old together, are always fathoming with

[92]

IsmlDing again

tl^e

i^ome

0m

newer needs deeper depths of each other's

life,

and opening richer veins of one another's

helpfulness.

And

this best culture of personal

its infinite

friendship

is

taken up and made in

completion the gospel method of the progressive saving of the soul

by Christ."

Such words give us a glimpse of the possibilities

of marriage, what

it

may

attain to,

what every wedded pair should

alize in their

strive to re-

own

case.

But

there are marideal.

riages

which do not reach such an

that a sweet and

Young
member
It does

people entering marriage must re-

happy home

is

not

necessarily the sequel to a brilliant wedding.

not come as a matter of course after

vows,

wedding ring, benediction and con-

gratulations.

happy wedded
it

life

must be
one, not

made by

the parties themselves.

No

even God, can make

for them.

beauti-

ful house with luxurious

furniture and apit.

pointments does not guarantee

Love

is

the essential element, but love, holy and ten-

der as

it

may

be, needs

cultivation.

Then
it

wedded love requires

infinite

care that

be

[93]

Cl^e (Kate iseautiful

not marred, that
turbed.
frosts
It
is

its

sweetness be not dis-

a heavenly plant which earth's

may

hurt or earth's

droughts

may

wither.

Sometimes the home nest gets

thing goes wrong and there
instead of happiness.
so.

ruffled.
is

Some-

unhappiness

It

ought never to be
true, so con-

Wedded

life

ought to be so
happiness.

stant, so patient, so unselfish, that

nothing
love

could ever

mar

its

Wedded

ought to be equal to any

be required of
to be
it,

sacrifice that

may

and no

sacrifice is

too great

made

that the

home gladness be not

broken.

The following letter was sent by a friend to one home into which trouble had come. The young husband and wife had been married for several years. They were both Christians.

Two

little

children

had come into

their

home,

bringing joy and gladness.

very happy until recently.

They had been Then something

had happened which caused misunderstanding.

No

matter which was to blame, but the

difference

was not

settled in Christ's

way, and

[94

-Butiuing again
the trouble grew until

t\)t

f ome

Bm
serious.
letter

it

became very

Then a

friend sought to save the home, and

the two were brought together.

The

was sent to the

fully

wife.

It was received so grate-

and proved

so welcome

and

so helpful

in restoring the happiness of the

home

that,
in

with very slight changes,

the hope that
it

it

is

given here

may

help to build again some

other

home
is

nest, or help in saving happiness

that

in

danger of being destroyed:

" "

My

dear Friend

You do

not begin to understand

my

loving

interest in

you and your husband, and my

It

desire for the complete restoration of the hap-

piness of

your home.

must not be possible

for

you two dear

lovers to fall apart.

Noth-

ing really serious has happened to

fellowship.

mar your
you
and

You

have not understood each

other quite perfectly

that

is

all

and
little,

have not had quite patience enough with each

other, so things have

gone wrong a
bit

your relations have become a

tangled.

But

it is

going to be

all

right now.

You

will

195]

Ci^e (3att 'Beautiful

not
let

anything so small do you both and

of going out one morning,

your home such harm.

" Longfellow
after
tells

heavy

night

storm,

and

walking

through

his garden.

Under a

tree he

saw a
pitied

birds' nest lying on the ground.

He

the birds,

and stood there thinking sadly of

their misfortune.
in his

But while he was musing

little

sad mood, he heard a chattering overbirds

head, and, looking up, saw the

busy building

their nest again.

They were

not defeated nor greatly discouraged by the

disaster.

That is what band are doing

"

you and your husalready. The storm came and

I

am

sure

swept your nest to the ground. Yesterday

it

seemed to you that

it

could not be restored.

to think,

But now you have taken time

is

and
it

are bravely building the nest again.

And

going to be more beautiful, and

joy and song, than ever
it

fuller of

love,

has been

before.

" It

may

not seem very easy to save your

home

after all that has happened, but no mat-

[96]

BuilDfng again
ter

tl^e

i^ome

0m
means

what

it

costs,

it

will
is

be a thousand times

worth doing.

Love

the sweetest thing in

the world, but love

is

not easy.

It

much self-denial, much forgetting of one's own wishes, much restraining of one's own impulses, much curbing and checking of one's own feelings. St. Paul tells us that love suf*

fereth long,

and

is

kind;

doth not beits

have

itself

unseemly, seeketh not

own,

is

not provoked, taketh not account of

. .
.

evil

beareth
all

all

things, believeth all things,

It
is

hopeth

things, endureth all things.'

in this

not easy to love

grace of

way.

It takes the

God

in

our hearts to enable us to

love after this fashion.

You and your husband You have not forgotten the

you were
first

"

love

each other.

lover days.

When

married, your love was deep

and tender.
to

Somehow you have not always

been happy since. Little things have come in

make you unhapp^^ some days. But your is really true and strong as ever. It would break your hearts to be separated. All you want is to get this love into the common
love

[97]

Clje (Bate I3eaut<ful

relations of

jour

lives.

You

have not quite

learned yet

how

to deny yourselves and give

up
"

for each other.

few years ago a happy young wife told

this stor3^

me

She had been married about a

fever,

year.

She was recovering from typhoid

her.

and I was talking with

from a table a
the words,
' '

She picked up

little

illuminated card, bearing

What would
tell

Jesus do?

'

and

said,

you about this card, for it saved my marriage and my home.' Then she
I

want to

gave me

this story

'
:

When my husband
in
little tiff

and

I were married

we were both hasty

temper
before

and speech.

We

had many a
first

our wedding, and the

soon over,

evening we had

quite a serious quarrel, which, however, was

like all

our differences.

When we

new home, we had a disagreement one day at luncheon. My husband left the table in anger, and went out without
had come
into our

kissing

me good-by, and
eye
fell

came up

to

my

room
and

to cry.

After a time of tears, I got up

on this card.

my

I had never

noticed the words before, but

now

the ques-

[98]

BuilDing again
tion spoke right to

ti^e

!^ome

il^esst

my heart and demanded What would Jesus do ? " I began to think and to try to answer. What would Jesus really do? He surely would not do as I am doing be so impatient and iran answer, "

ritable,

so easily
I fell on
I

vexed,

so

hasty

and ex-

acting.

my

knees and fought the

it

battle out.
I

and then that would never again have any angry words
settled

there

with

my

husband, that

would be patient,

loving and sweet in spirit and in speech.

"'
*

I rose

from

my

knees, washed

away the

tears, dressed for dinner,

and when
at the

my

husin

band came home, I met him most loving

upstairs
wa}'.

door

After dinner I brought him

this card, telling

and showed him

him

the whole story of what I had done.

He saw

that he, too, had been hasty, quick in temper,

sharp in speech, willful and impatient.

knelt together

We

and told Christ

all

about our

mistakes, asking his forgiveness,

and promis-

ing never again to repeat the mistakes.'

"'

The

lesson

never has been forgotten by

these

two

lovers.

They

are

among

the hap-

[99]


Cl^e ate QBeautiful
plest

young people in the circle where they belong. The little card has indeed saved their
marriage and their home.
" I have told you this
little

story in the belief

that

it will

help you.

You

are a Christian.

To

be a Christian means that you will do w^hat

Christ would do
if

he were in your place.

this,

Perhaps

3'ou

have not always thought of

and sometimes have been hasty and impa-

Love does not demand everything of the other person, but it does demand everytient.

thing of
'

itself.

It

'

seeketh not its own.'

It

beareth

all things.'

" There are wondrous possibilities in your

married

life.

You two

dear

be the happiest in the city, and your

may become
ize these

the sweetest,

young people may home happiest home in all

love

the community. All you need in order to realpossibilities

is

worked out in

thought, in word, in

act, in disposition.

Do

not blame each other when things go awry

blame, each, yourself. Never allow yourself to
be vexed or hurt, at least to show
ter
it,

no mat-

how much you think you have been

[

100

BuilDfng again

tl^e

i^omc

il^e^t

wronged, or how unjustly 3'ou think you have

been treated. Love each other as Christ loves
you.

Repay unkindness with

kindness. If

you

think you have been unfairly treated, or unkindly, be especially kind in return.

That

is

the

way

to

pay back an

evil

thing done to

you.
"

God

bless you. I believe that a

will tell

year from

me you have had the hapyou ever have had; that the nest which the storm tore down has been built again, and is more beautiful than ever it was
piest year

now you

before.

"Faithfully your friend."

101

^f

Tdt^oih,

c^v

0iot\itv

[103]

'

When

school is out,' she said, 'once

more

I'll rest

My tired head

upon

my

mother's breast.

And feel her tender cheek against it pressed, And there, at last, I shall find perfect rest.'"
"

We

sigh for the tou/:h of a vanished hand.

And we And

think ourselves sincere;

of the friends that about

But what

us stand,

the touch of the

hand

that's

here?"

104

CHAPTER EIGHTH

NE

of the words

from the
thy

cross

was mother "

!

" Behold,

The word was

spoken to John, the beloved

Mary was standing near the cross. The sword

disciple.

was slowly piercing through her was giving her child to God

soul, as

Sim-

eon had foretold that day when the mother

in the temple.

Think of the anguish of her

was
silent

heart.
is

Yet she

the deepest grief

always most

quiet.

She could do nothing to soothe or help.

his cross,

She stood by

watching. Oh, friend-

ship, constant, faithful,

undying!

But what of
his mother.''

the love of the dying

Son for
then.'*,

His own ang-uish was unspeak-

able those hours.

Did he think

of her

Or was
notice

his

pain so absorbing that he forgot

her? She was standing near his cross

her.''

did he
Jesus^

Here

is

the answer

"

When

[105]

Cl^e (Bate iBeautiful

therefore saw his mother,

and the

disciple

standing by

mother. he to the disciple. Behold, thy mother "

! !

whom he loved, he saith unto his Woman, behold, thy son Then saith
She

Jesus had always cared for his mother.

was the
is

first

friend he ever had.

first friend.

The mother
Only a few

always her child's

is

times

the veil lifted to give us glimpses

of this mother and her child.

We

know

that

Jesus was the ideal son in his love and faithfulness.

Few

things in

tliis

world are more

beautiful than such friendships as one some-

times sees between mother and son.

The two

enter into the closest friendship.

inviolable intimacy
is

A sacred and
tell-

formed between them.

The boy opens

all his

heart io his mother,

ing her everything; and she, blessed woman,

knows how to be a boy's mother, and how to

keep a mother's place without ever startling
or checking the boy's confidences, or causing

him to want to hide anything from

It
is

her.

almost certain that sorrow entered the

Nazareth home while Jesus was only a boy.

Joseph

is

not mentioned after the

visit

to

[106]

Jerusalem, when Jesus was twelve, and

it is

supposed that he died soon after that, leaving

Mary

a widow.

No

doubt Jesus became

his

mother's caretaker.

He
late,

was the eldest son.

he wrought with his

He

had learned the carpenter's trade, and day

after day, early

and

hands to provide for her wants. The thirty

silent years of

preparation closed, and Jesus

his public ministry.
filled his

went forth to begin

Father's business
the Messiah
his

The

now

hands

but we

he was

are sure that his love for

mother never

failed.

Love for God does

all

not keep us from loving our mothers and

friends

it

makes us love them

the
duties

the more.
less

Doing

the Father's

work does not make us

of earthly
better.
life

interested in

it

teaches us to do
It
is

all

duty

beautiful to see this love manifesting

it-

self in his

dying hours. His heart was

as he

full

of

love

and sympathy

saw

his

mother so

stricken with grief,

as she

and then thought of her

far,
;

would be when he was gone, desolate

and

bereft.

Thus

he himself had been

near her in

all

her need

now, when the burden

1

[107

i)t (Bate Beautiful

grew heavy, he would not be with
death
the thought of those
her.

One

of the bitterest elements in the experience of

is

who

will

be left

behind when we are gone. One tells of a man, a happy Christian, with wife and children in
his

home, who lay very

sick.

The

doctors said

he could scarcely recover.

When
wife,

they told

him
was

so,

he showed no fear of death, but there

his

young and tender

who had

leaned on him in loving trust, and there were

his children,

who needed

a father's care.

He
is

side his bed,

looked into the eyes of the and said, " Ah, the outlook

woman who

sat be-

very bright, very bright, only " fare with you and the boys ?
It

how
was

will it

was a feeling much

his

like this that

in the

heart of Jesus that morning on the cross,

when he saw

mother standing

close by.

He had

a vision of her loneliness when he

would be gone.
shelter for her.

He knew how

she would miss

him. Before he went away, he must provide a

So he committed her to John, who was standing by her, asking him to be a son to her henceforth. He thought not only

[108]

of his mother's physical needs, but of her

heart's longings as well.

She would

find love

and

all

gentleness in John's home. It would

not be merely a boarding house, where daily

food would be given to her, and where she

could sleep at nights.
It

would be a home

in

which there would be sympathy and tenderness.

He knew

his

mother would be reverently

cherished in John's house as long as she lived.

"

Woman,
;

behold thy son " Part of the an!

guish of dying was now gone from the heart

of Jesus
his

mother would have shelter and

Jesus and his mother

most tender

care.
is

While

this picture of
it

before us,

is

natural that we should think

of our mothers, too, and of our duty to give

them love and thought and gentle cherishing.

" Behold, thy mother "
!

When

Jesus spoke

these words to John, he was giving him an-

other mother to care for, to watch over, to

shelter, to comfort.
is

To

be a friend of Christ

to stand ready to use all

have to help his friends. It

we are and all we was a most sacred

all

honor to John to be chosen from

the

[109]

C]^e (Kate OBeautiful

Master's friends to be intrusted with the care
of Christ's

own very mother.

!

" Behold, thy mother " Think what we owe

to our mothers.

strings

of the

They tell us that into of some old Cremona violin, the master who has played upon it
it

the
life

for

years has passed, so that

is

as if his very

soul breathed out at every skillful touch of

the instrument. This
is

only a poet's fancy

is

but when a child in a mother's bosom

nursed,
caressed,

loved, heart,

held

close

to

her

prayed over, wept over, talked with, days,

weeks, months and years,
it is

no mere fancy
in the

to say that the mother's life has indeed passed

into the child's soul
child's life.

and breathes out

We

grown-up people do not begin

us,
lives to us

what our mothers have done for

have given their
debt of a child to a mother

to know how they and for us. The

is

one that never

can be fully discharged. It dates from the

first

moment

of being;

it

accumulates as the

days go on. There are the years^of iniaaPy with their sgligiiades, their broken nights and

[1101

fi

"Bel^olD,

Cl^r iHoti^ct;

toilsome days, their unsleeping watchfulness,

their patient nursing.
trgLining

There are the years of and J^aching think how much a

child has to be taught in its first five years.

There are the times of skkness when the lamp

never goes out and the pale, weary watcher
accepts no relief
till

the danger

is

past.

There

is

a story of an artist

who wanted to

freshen the old mother's photograph, taking

out the lines and wrinkles, to make it look brighter and younger. " No, no," said the
son. "Leave it just as it is, lines and all." Then he explained how the Hnes and traces of

age in

his

mother were the most sacred things

in the picture.

They were

the etchings of suf-

fering and endurance, the grave records of

love's cost,

her children.

when the woman was mothering Not a line or a mark must be

if

taken from the old photograph. It would not

be a true picture of the mother of pain were washed out.
these traces

The son was

tude,
is

right.

Old age, with

its

its

decrepi-

its

bent form,

faded, shrunken cheeks,

not dishonorable when the years have been

[111]

Ci^e (Kate QBeautiful

filled

with love. Wrinkles and lines made by

care

and

self-denial are honorable' credentials,

records of holy ser^dce of love. Perhaps your

mother

is

prematurely gray, has lost someearlier years

what of the freshness of her

is

crippled, partly paralyzed, her hands feeble

and trembling, her speech uncertain; have you ever thought that these physical effects
are the results of her
denial for
toil, loss

of rest, self-

you ?
!

" Behold, thy mother " Look at her

living, think of her reverently if she

if
is

she

is

gone.

Sometimes we forget. Sometimes one hears of

men and women even

forgetting their mothers,

for,

leaving them uncared

to

suffer

want,

while they themselves have plenty, and could

easily

supply their simple needs. Then some-

times mothers are well

enough cared for

so

far as earthly comforts are concerned

and yet

neglected, starved, so far as love

is

concerned.

We
day
as a

sometimes hear of people setting apart a

in the

year when they wear a white flower

for a mother.

mark of honor

That

is well.

But

while your mother lived, did

you strew

[112]

the path of her feet with flowers? If she

lives,

still

do

3'ou

honor her with flowers of love?

Do

3'ou

show her kindness?

Do you

speak

gently to her, and make her glad with your

love ?

The white flower is an emblem of her purity. That is well. A true mother is like an angel of God in the whiteness and luster of her life.
In the schoolroom of the
little

Princes of

Germany,

it

is

said this incident occurred:

all

The
know
er.

teacher was saying that

people are
to

sinners.

The

little

Crown Prince wanted

if this was true of people of royal rank, or only of the lowly. " Of all," said the teach-

" Well," said the

little

Prince, speaking

slowly but very positively, "

my

father
is

may
not."

be a sinner, but I

know my mother

God
lives.

bless the true mothers, with their white

Wear

the white flower in honor of your

mother's purity of soul.

you wear ought also to own life. In no other way can you honor your mother so well as by a spotless character. There are too many chilthe white flower

But

be an emblem of your

[1131

W^t

dPate Beautiful

dren who are kind to their mothers in a way,

doing many things for them, giving them

presents, then breaking their hearts

by Hves

The mother of Jesus had poignant sorrow that day when she stood near the
of sin.
cross

and beheld her son

in

anguish there.

But

there were no bitter drops in her grief.

all

His Hfe had been

never

holy and pure.

done an unkindness.

He had He had never

their

spoken a harsh word.

If boys

and young men would honor

mothers in the true waj^, they must do more

than wear a white carnation on their breast

one day in the year. They must wear the

white flower of a blameless
all
life all

the days of

the years.

mother said the other day to

a friend, " I

would rather a hundred times

me dead." Her boy of seventeen had been brought home the night before, drunk. A boy who loves his
he had been brought home to

mother should never give her such grief as

that to bear.

The boys do not know how

what
bril-

proud
liant

their mothers are of them,

dreams they dream for them as they

[114]

f(

OBel^olD,

Ci^r ^otf^tr
how they pray
for them,

think of their future,

how they

love them.

They must not

is

disap-

point their mothers.

Perhaps your mother

gone. She cannot see

how you Hve At cannot see. One

:

least so far as

you know she

friend asked another, "

in

Do

you think our mothers

and know how we
always as
live.''

heaven see us here,

" The friend replied

thoughtfullj^, " I do not know.

if

But

let

us live
is

we knew they did." That

life.
!

safe rule of

" Behold, thy mother "

One

of the great

things Jesus did that day when redeeming the

world was to think of his mother, and provide

that the cold storms should not blow sharply

upon her
fit

frail,

sorrowful

life.

If this

was a
it is

thing for Jesus to do for his mother,

fit

thing for us to do for our mothers,

us.

if

we

have them yet with

is

Then,

if

your mother

in heaven,

and you cannot go to her with

find some other one to whom you can show kindness for your mother's

any fresh honor,

sake.

Jesus asked John to take his place, and love

[115]

Ci^c (Kate Beautiful

and honor
and
his

mother for him. There may be

feeble

somewhere an aged mother, or a mother

lonely,

who has no

child of her

own

to

show the kindness of God

to you, " Behold,

to her. Jesus says

!

thy mother "

116]

^^at

mn

%\)itib of

[117],

'

God reads and very truly reads Our motives under all our deeds

And
Yet

if,

I seek

but seem
I,

with purpose pure, to-day

to

miss ?ny way,

am

in the courts above,

the perfect

Judged by

law

of love/'*

[118]

CHAPTER NINTH

WW

dPoD Cl^fnSg of

NE

of the most important

questions we can ask ourselves

us.
is

what God thinks of

Dr. Stalker has pointed

out that in every

are four different

man men

there

the

man
sees,

the neighbors see, the

timate friends see, the

and the

man one's most inman the person himself man God sees. The community'
in a general

knows us only

way,

superficially.
call
is

What

people think of us we sometimes

reputation

what we are reputed

all

to be. It

a composite made up of

that people

know

about
acts,

us,

gathered from our conduct, our

our dispositions, our words, the impres-

sions of ourselves

we give to

others.

A man
est,

becomes known, for example, as hon-

because he pays his debts, never defrauds

fails

another, never
tion.

in

any

financial obliga-

Men

learn to

know
[119]

that he can be de-

Ci^e (Bate ^Beautiful

peiided upon.

They say

his

word

is

as his oath, his simplest promise as

his

as good good as

bond. Or, he gets the reputation of not

his debts, of not

paying
tions,

meeting his obhga-

of not being dependable in financial

ways. One

man through

years of

life

becomes

known
table.
close,

as generous, kind, liberal, faithful in

his friendships, obliging, self-denying, chari-

Another wins the reputation of being

mean, grasping, miserly.
the knowledge the community has of a

Thus

man
is

is

only superficial. It

is

evident that the

is

world's opinion about people

not infallible,

not complete,

is

not

final.
;

person

may

be

better than his reputation

his

manner may do
of their

him

injustice.

Some men, by reason

fail

shyness, their awkwardness, or some limitation

in

power of expression,

to

appear at their

true value.

The world knows only a man's outward life, and there may be good things in him which it does not know. Then some
Their photograph
120
flatters

people, on the other hand, are not as good as

their reputation.

them.

What

they pretend to be exceeds the

r
1


w^at
reality.

mn

C]^(n60 of
tricks

eiEi

They

practice

which give a

glamour
veils

to their lives, so that they pass in

public for more than they are.

They wear
in

which hide defects and faults

them,
are.

and thus they seem better than they

Hence we cannot accept the judgment of the

community regarding anyone

true, fair,

as

absolutely

and

final.

There

is

another photograph

what

our

in-

timate friends think of us.

ter than

They know

us betdo.

the people of the

community

They understand
love's eyes,

They see us with without prejudice. They know the

us better.
in us,

good things

which only close associa-

tion could bring to light.

They saw

us in

some times of sore testing, when we showed

ourselves true
at great cost.
ried

and faithful under

difficulty

or

woman who had been marto a

I

little

more than a year wrote

friend, " I

thought

knew
him.

my husband
He had

per-

fectly before I married him, but I did not

I did not half

know

faults of

which I never dreamed

fect,

thought he was per-

but he was not. Then the year has also

[121]

Cl^e (Bate iseauttful

sho^v-n

in

him constant new revealings of

I

beautiful and noble qualities, of which I had

no conception.
did not

knew he was good, but I

discovering in him."
find the worst

know

the thousandth part of the

goodness I

am now

Those who know us intimately

in us, of course,

but they also find the best.

Friends ought to learn to be very patient

with each other.

We

ma^^ not always expect

our mere neighbors to look upon our faults

graciously,

with tolerance, but we have

right to expect our close friends to deal leniently with us. "
St.

Love
is

suifereth long," says

Paul, " and

life

kind." Especially in the

love suffer in

sacred
silence

of the

home should

and patiently and not judge harshly.

this

In an English religious paper which has a de-

partment for questions and answers,

peared " I live with a brother and a
:

ap-

sister,

both of
life

full

age. But we do not lead the happy

live.

we should

My

sister

has got into the

habit of thinking that pretenses, subterfuges,

prevarications, are not

lies in

God's sight, and

[122]

^^at
that

mn

cijtnfejs of asi
things are of
little

fidelities in

common

account. I get so impatient with her. Yet I

do not know but

her.

my

impatience with her

is

as bad in God's sight as the faults I see in

Should I just be quiet when I

leave
it

see it all,

and

sisterly

God? How, then, can we have communion with this barrier between
to
is

us?"
Surely this not the best that the grace of

God and
to

the love of Christ can do or

lives in the

ought

do with Christian

sacredness of

the home.

To

be Christians ought to bring us

so close together that

we

shall never

judge

each other any more. Instead of one sister

seeing great blots and flaws in the other,
all

should have that inexhaustible love which sees

its

own

imperfections, but sees only the

good

things in the other. In the closeness of the

home

relation

it is

easy to discover faults and

is

criticise

each other. It

easy to overlook the

good and the beautiful, when defects are so manifest. But the very essence of love is to cover up mistakes and shortcomings in others, and to see everything in the light of patience
[123]

Ci^c (Kate TSeautiful

and forbearance. Even
in ordinary relations

with others, a loving nature should always

look for the good and overlook the blemishes.

great warrior had an ugly scar on one

cheek and the artist who painted his picture

so posed the
seen.

emperor that the scar was not

treat our friend, or even

So should we

our neighbor. But especially at home, which

is

to be love's garden, should the flaws be

veiled

and the lovely things be brought out

in full light.

Whatever the world's judgment

be,
is
it

upon men may

not time that the

friends of Christ should cease to deal unfairly,

unjustly, unrighteously with each

other.''

Yet the judgment

friends
is

of even the truest, closest

not

final.

There

is,

a third tribunal

our

own

conscience.
St.

ourselves see.

There is the man we Paul could say, " I know

nothing against myself." That was a great

thing for him to say.

Many

of us do

know
which

things against ourselves, things that others

do not know.

We are conscious of

faults

even our nearest friends do not see in us.

When

others are praising us for something

we

[124]

^i^at (Boa c^m6)8 of

have done we know that
are giving us.
it is

aijs

overpraise they

We

are not as

good

as those

who
page

love us think
see

we

are.

Few

of us would

hke to

our thoughts written out on a white

to be read of all men.

We

are aware of

evil in ourselves tliat others,

even those

who
say

know most

of us, do not suspect.

On
evil
it

the other hand,

when people blame

us,

things of us, charge us with doing wrong,

is

a comfort for us to know in our own

hearts that the things they say are not true.

It gives peace to our spirits to be able to say

we know nothing against ourselves. But there is another man in us the man God sees. And this is most important of all. We do not know all the secret things of our own

hearts.

There

is

an Eye that sees deeper than

ours.

We may

claim to be without fault, but

say.
St.

we must know what God has to

says, " I

Paul
;

know nothing against myself

:

yet

am
me
St.
is

I not hereby justified

is

but he that judgeth

the Lord."
this

Paul knew
before

Even conscience may err. by terrible experience. It

[

God

that we are really living our

125
1

Ci^e ate oseautiful

life.

It

is

pleasant to have people

commend

us when we have tried to do our dut}-. It gives

us great joy to have the approval of our own

hearts.

But

tion of the

we do not have the commendaMaster, human praise and selfif

approval amount to nothing. "

What
final

does
ques-

God
tion.

think of jou? "

is

always the

Some one may say

and
sees into the

that since

God

is

so holy,

depths of our being, and

it is

perceives every blemish,

impossible for us
is,

to win his

commendation. But holy as he

God

is

merciful, gracious

and compassionate.
itself,

He

accepts our service not for

it

but for

what
tion.

means

in the

way

of desire and inten-

It is easier to live for the eye of

God than

for

the eye of man. David,

when him the choice of three penalties after he had seven years sinned in numbering the people
the

Lord gave

of famine, three months' flight before his ene-

mies in war, or three days' pestilence, answered, " Let us fall now into the hand of the

Lord; for

his mercies are great;

and

let

me

[126]

^^at
not
fall

(Bod Cl^infi^ of

m
cruel.

into the

hand of man." Men are

us.

They judge

often harshly.

part of the truth concerning

They know only They are not

the worst in
best.

patient with our infirmities. But we are safe

in the

hands of God.

He knows
also
all

us

and our deeds, but he and has

knows the

Christ has been tempted in

are,

points as we

suffered, being tempted; he un-

derstands, therefore, the power of temptation

and can pity us

ness.

in

our weakness and faintour repentance

is

He knows when

true,

and when we

really love

him though we have

so grievously sinned. Peter,

when the quesLovest

tion was put to

him after

his fall, "

thou

" could make his appeal to his Master's own knowledge " Yea, Lord thou
me.'^
:

knowest that I love thee."

We may

safely

make our plea before God

than before man.

himself, rather

We may
flaws.
all

trust our lives, therefore, to God's

if

judgment, even

they are
all,

full

of defects and

He knows

and

will

bring to light
of the most

the hidden things.

Many

beautiful ministries of love are hidden.

We

[127]

C]^e (Kate 'Beautiful

scarcely

know that we
will

are of any use in the

world.

We

sometimes think that when the

King comes, he
have done so
to

have no reward for us, we

for him.
lovely

little

We

do not begin

know how many

things we have

We have wrought humbly, quietly, obscurely. We sometimes think our efforts have
done.
failed
see the harv^est
will
all

light

but some we do not hidden things be brought day our dreams good which have missed
these

to

of

fulfillment, the things

we wanted

to do and

were not able to accomplish, the kindnesses

shown to people almost unconsciously. Not one of these things is lost. The Master will
say to this and that lowly one, in the great day of revealing, " I was hungry and ye fed

me."
St. Paul assures us of praise from God. " Then shall each man have his praise from

God." Think of having God praise you.

" Come, ye blessed of

my

Father." "

Thou

hast been faithful." There are some faithful

Christians
praise

who do not often get a word of from human lips for what they do. [128]

^l)at OoD
They
hardl}^

Cljinfijs of

m
in the

ever hear a sentence of com-

mendation.

Nobody

ever brings them a rose.

Nobody
world.

tells

them they are doing good

In their own lowly way they make

countless lives better and happier, their bur-

dens lighter, and yet they rarely ever hear a " Thank you." It will be very sweet, in the

day of revealing, for these

plain,

humble ones

who give out their lives in love, and scarcely know they are doing anything for Christ it

will

be very sweet, when, before

all

the uni-

verse, the secret things they

have done shall

be brought out and they shall receive their

praise from God.

129]

l^atfng )ne'!S titt

[131]

"Somebody near you

Over
life's desert

is

struggling alone

sand ;
:

Faith, hope and courage together are gone

Reach him a helping hand ;

Turn on
Kindle,

his darkness a

beam

of

your light;
:

to

guide him, a beacon

fire bright

Cheer his discouragement, soothe his

Lovingly help him
to

affright,

stand."

[132]

CHAPTER TENTH
l^attng C^ne'jS Life

ESUS
his

said, "

He that
it;

loveth

life

loseth

and he
unto

that hateth his Hfe in this

world

shall

keep

it

life

eternal." In

what sense are

we
not to despise our
count.

to hate our life ?

We

are

life,

regard

it

as of

no ac-

Sometimes we hear discouraged and despairing men say, " My life is of no value.
I cannot be of

any

use. I

can never do anyas well die." Jesus

to hate our life in
life

thing worth while. I

did not
this

may

mean that we are

way.

God

never made a

that needs to

be useless.

Jesus said elsewhere that we

may
but a

not accept even the whole world in exchange

for our
little
life.

The

Bible says that

man

is

lower than God.

We

understand what

Jesus thought of the worth of

human

lives,

when he
them.

laid

down

his

own

life

to redeem

It is a sin to hate one's life, to esteem

[

133

m^t
it

<5att 'Beautiful
it

as of

no value, to throw
life,

away.

We
it,

ought

to love our

prize

it

and keep

cherish

it and guard it. What, then, does Jesus mean when he

says,

"

He

that loveth his

life

loseth

it

and he that
it

hateth his hfe in this world shall keep

life

unto

eternal "

He means

loving

life

more than

duty, more than obedience to God's

ments.

To

hate one's

life

is

to give

commandit up
it

gladly in service of others, even to lose

in
re-

saving others.

An

English medical journal

cently reported that Dr.

Waddell was attendneces-

ing a poor woman's child with diphtheria

when the operation of tracheotomy was

sary.

The

instant clearing of the tube became

life

a matter of
his

and death, and at the

risk of

own

life,

the doctor sucked the tube free

of the diphtheritic membrane.

The

child re-

covered, but the doctor contracted the disease.

He

hated his

life,

that

is,

he thought

it

not

too valuable to sacrifice in the doing of his

duty as a physician. The records of every

day are
in

full of incidents in

which, in hospitals,
in mines,

homes, on railway trains,

.

and

in

134

l^attng ne'!S titt

men and women are illusThe highest example the world ever saw was in Christ's own case, when the Son of God hated his own life in order to
all

kinds of

serv^ice,

trating this lesson.

save the world.

It is

easy enough to think of this law of

life

in a large

way, as a theory.

Now

and then

there comes an opportunity also to illustrate

it

in a

grand way, as some nurse does, as some

doctor does, as a mother does, as an engineer

on a railway train does. But how are we going to

live this life in the

common

experiences

of every day.?
this

We

ought to try to interpret

it

law of the cross so as to make

ap-

pHcable in the home, the neighborhood, the

school, the business
office.

Victor

Hugo

at-

tempts
life.
lie,

it

He

speaking of the philosophy of says " Men hate, are brutes, fight,
in
:

leave their

dream of beautiful Hfe unto the

little

shadows. But share you your bread with

children
;

see that
;

no one goes about you with

naked
their

feet

look kindly upon mothers nursing

children

on the doorsteps of humble

cottages; do not knowingly crush the

hum-

[135]

C]^e (Bate TBtantitnl

blest flower; respect the needs of birds.
like

Be

him who has a watering pot

let

in his

hand,

only

your watering pot be

of the lesson

filled

with good

deeds and good words."

The keynote
is

is

self-denial,

which

not merely doing without meat in Lent, giv-

ing up some customary indulgence for a few

weeks, sacrificing a few things
care

much

for to get a little

you do not money for the

missionary collection. There are few farces

enacted in the world equal to the emptiness
of pious self-denial, as
it is

played by a good

many

people,

for

example, in the Lenten

all

days, meanwhile living selfishly in

tions of the

the rela-

common

days.

Hating your life means, among other things, stooping down and considering the needs of
little

children,
It

and the

loneliness of old peoelse

ple.
is

means thinking of persons no one

;

likely to think of or care for

being patient

with disagreeable people, even cranky people,

and kind to them

to be obliging to one

going far out of your way who perhaps would not

inch to do a good turn
.

go out

of his

way an

['36]

i^ating <S>m'^ Lift

for

you

not noticing slights, inattentions,

;

offensive things, or even slurs

striving to be
treats

more Christlike
ungraciously
;

to the person

who

you

saying particularly kind things

of the person

who has been saying unkindly

things of you.

One of
of the

the magazines recently told the story

way a young man gave

himself.

He

^as poor, and had a great desire to get an

education and to become a lawyer.

He

saved

enough money by hard work and

close econin a self-

omy

to carry him

through college
first

denying way.
friend, a
well,

In his

year he made a

young man,
also

brilliant,

and noble

as

who

had

all

the

money he

needed.
close

The two were roommates and became

position.

personal friends, in spite of their difference in

During

the

first

the father of the well-to-do

his son

summer vacation, boy died, leaving

his

no money, however, to continue

course.

The young man wrote

his

to his friend
college,

and told him he could not return to

and that he must abandon
taining an education, and
\

dream of obto work.

go

The

137

\)t <^att iBeawtiful

friend wrote to

him about

in this

have
if

fine

capacity and will

way " You make a useful man

:

you have education. I have found out that I would make only a fourth-rate lawyer at best. It will be far better for you to be educated than for me. I have money enough saved to carry you through college. You must take my money and complete your course. I
inclose a draft for the amount.

I will drof)

out of sight altogether and lose myself.

Do

me it will be of no use. Do not refuse the money you never can return it to me." That was self-denial of the noblest
not try to find

kind.

" Impracticable," some one says.

impracticable, at least in spirit.

No it is You do
;

not not

begin to know^ how

many

chances you will

have every day next year of hating your own

life in this

world, abandoning things pleasant

and agreeable, and giving yourself, to help some other one upward. In the home life, the
chance comes every hour, the chance of giving

up your own way

to

make another happier,

of keeping gentle and sweet instead of becom-

ri38l

fating

!ne'j8 life

ing irritated and provoked; of speaking a

soft

answer instead of a cutting one

of tak-

ing the heavy end of some burden, that a

frailer

one

may
who

not be crushed; of giving

is

cheer to one

discouraged, thus saving

him from despair.

There are a hundred opportunities every day
of dropping yourself out and putting another
in the

way

of receiving a favor which other-

wise would have been yours, of laying selfishness on the cross and nailing it there,

and
in-

showing love instead. There

finite field of

is

an almost

opportunities for hating your

own life, denying yourself, sacrificing your own feelings, impulses, desires, preferences, to make life easier, happier, more joyous and
more worth while to
Jackson says
// I

others.

Helen Hunt

can

live

To make some

pale face brighter,

to

and

to give

second luster

some tear-dimmed

eye,

Or e'en impart One throb of comfort to an aching heart, Or cheer some wayworn soid in passing by;

[139]

LIBRARY

Ci^e CSate TSeauttful

If I

can lend

strong

hand

to the fallen, or

defend

The

right against

a single envious strain,

My life,
Perhaps

though hare

of much that seemeth dear and fair To us on earth, will not have been in vain.
is

There

another sphere of opportunities for

"

living out the doctrine of the cross in every-

day

life.

Do

justice

and judgment," runs

ever think

the Bible teaching.

Do you

how

grievously some of us
others?

fail in

being just to

We

are unreasonable, exacting, un-

fair, partial in

our judgment.

We

criticise
few-

others unmercifully.

We

commend very

people; we condemn almost everybody

something.

for

What

unchristly judges
!

of the

acts of others

we are

Then do you

ever think
is

how
us,

little

of real forgiveness there

among
talk
it

even

among

Christian people?

We

much

about forgiveness, and

we pray

time we say the Lord's Prayer

" Forgive us

every

our debts, as we forgive our debtors," but how

much

Christian forgiveness do we practice?

it

No

doubt

is

hard to forgive one who has

[140]


fating One'0 Hife
treated us unjustly, unkindly, meanly. Forgiveness
it is
is

not a natural disposition or act

it is

divine
this is

Christ working in us.

Yet
is

part of our lesson.

Not
is

to forgive to lose
it.

to love 3^our

own

life,

and that

To

forgive

is

to hate

your own

life,

not in-

sisting

on having your own way, or demand;

ing your rights

but to bear the wrong, the

insult, the injustice, to return

good for

evil,
is

to

turn the other cheek when one cheek

already smarting with the smiting.

What

good world we Christians would make of this old earth if we would only get the law of the
cross into our lives
!

What

heart-burnings we

should cure!
heal!

What

hurts of love we should

One
is,

of the fine things attributed to

Lincoln
of

" Die when I may, I want

it

said

me by

those

who know me
thistle

best, that I al-

ways plucked a

and planted a flower

life in

where I thought a flower would grow." That

is

one of the ways of hating one's own

It
is

this world.

very easy to plant thistles

is

instead of plucking them up. It

easy to
is

pluck up roses instead of planting them. It

[141]

Cl^e (Bate I3eaut(ful

easy not to deny ourselves, but just to
let the

old unregenerate self rule our spirit and

go

on with our bitter jealousies, envyings, resentments, injustices, believing evil of others,

judging

others.
little

We
"

ought to think a
that loveth
liis

of the outcome.
it."

He

hfe loseth
all.

If

we

love self,

we

shall lose
it.

we

shall

keep

we hate our life, The hfe given up and deIf

voted to

God and

duty, sacrificed in doing

good, coming to nothing perhaps before men,

shall

grow

into eternal blessedness, shall rise

life,
:

to nobleness, beauty, splendor of

in the

heavenly glory.

A man said recently

" I have

worked

all

my

life,

but have never got ahead,

have never gathered any money. There has

always been some

human need waiting when

little,

I had begun to accumulate a

to use

and

had

my

savings to give help." That

man
and
for

has made a great deal of money, but he has

little in

hand.
all

He

has hated his own

life

has given

been losing

to help others.
^he

Yet he has not

life

has been keeping his

eternity. Christ says of those

[

who

serve

him

142

gating

)tte'ss
I

Life

and follow him, " Where

am, there shall also

my servant be." Think of being with Christ when you have finished your life of serving, self-denial and sacrifice in following him here.
Think of where you
will

be and what you will

be after you are dead.

"

Think Think

that the grass

upon thy grave

is

green
chair

that thou seest thine

own empty

The empty garments thou wast wont to wear. The empty room where long thy haunt hath been ;
"

Think

that the lane, the

meadow and

the

wood

And mountain summit know

Nor
the loud thoroughfare, nor

thy feet no more.

sounding shore

All mere blank space where thou

stood.

thyself hast

"

Amid

this thought-created silence,

say
I

To thy stripped soul: What

ichere f

am

now and

Then turn, and face the petty, narrowing care Which has been gnawing thee for many a day,

And

it

will die, as dies

a wailing

breeze,

Lost in the solemn roar of bounding seas,'*

[143]

Cl^e iWaSing of jtten

[143]

"Tis the front toward life that matters mostThe tone, the -point of view, The conMancy that in defeat Remains untouched and true ;
^For death in patriot fight

may

be

Less gallant than a smile,

And

high endeavor,
itself

to the

gods,

Seem in

worth while!'*

146

CHAPTER ELEVENTH
Ci^e

jWaMns
HE

of

pLm
age by
growth.
of

tree registers its

circles

annual

The year that leaves no mark cannot be a worthy

year.
Pliidias
still

put himself

under
motto was, "
be a
little

severer test.

His

No day

without a line."

He must

better artist every evening than he

was
is

in the

morning. Life that

is

not growing
like to

decaying.

Some people do not

admit

their age

they

cannot endure the thought

that they are growing older.

But our only

true and beau-

concern need be to put so

tiful living into

much

every passing year that the

shall never fret us.

coming of a new birthday

We

should be truly ashamed of any birthday,

however, which marks an empty year, with

nothing worth while in

lived.

it

to

show that we have

The one

real business of life is

[

making men.

147

C]^e (5att I5tanti(nl

St.

Paul

tells
is

us this in a noble passage in

which he

speaking of Christ's work after his

ascension.

He

gave some to be apostles, some

giving of divinely endowed
saints,

prophets,

some pastors and teachers. The

all this

purpose of
ministries

was for the perfecting of

till

unto the work of ministering

the church

we

all

attain

unto a full-grown man. Thus the mission of

is

the

making

of meii.

Its minis-

trations are for our perfecting.

It
is

for this that we are to read the Scrip-

tures.

The

Bible shows us God. It keeps ever

life

before us the

of Jesus Christ,

manifestation of God. It

who was the makes known to us

is

the will of God. It keeps us familiar with the

true standards and ideals of living. It
this also that

for

up

we are to pray. Prayer lifts us communion with God and kindles longings and aspirations in our hearts. It brings heaven down into our earthly lives and
into

thus

helps

toward our growth. Perfection

nearer to
Life
a school

seems beyond our reach, but every day should

bring us a

little

it.

is

and we are always to be learners. [148]

We

have to

Ci^e ittafitng of jWien

learn to be content, to be patient, to be kind.

All heavenly virtues and graces are lessons set for us, and as
perfection.

we learn them we grow toward

to

Another part of the work of the church

train us in the
ister is to serve.

is

work of ministerin g. To min-

We

are to learn to be always

doing good. There are human needs and sorrows about us continually and part of our
business in this world
is

to be helpers of need

and comforters of sorrow. No man is growing toward full manhood who is not becoming
tions

more sympathetic toward all human condiand more helpful toward all who are

weak or

in want. It

is

important that Chris-

tians shall be honest, true, just

and upright,
and yet

But they may be not reach up to the measure

patnotic.
others.

all this

of the stature of

the fullness of Christ in loving and serving

" Just the art of being kind

Is all this sad world needs."

Some people become discouraged because they

seem to be effecting so
little in

impressing or

[149]

Cl^e (Kate TBeautiful

influencing others, but

ofttimes

the

things

which appear to us so small are really of

greatest value in the end.

He who

gives but

the faintest touch of beauty to another life

does something which will last forever; and

he

who

strives to

do good, though he seem to

fail, is rewarded. There is a legend of a monk, Fra Bernardo. The monastery to which he be-

longed had vowed to erect a carved altar at

monks had finished Fra Bernardo. On Christmas Eve he knelt and told his Lord that he had failed he had tried to do something worthy, but he had no skill. Then he prayed once more
Christmastide.

All the

their part save

that he
heart's

might be given

skill

to

carve

his

dream of beauty that very night, that

fail,

he might not altogether

for he loved his

Lord.

In the morning the monks found Fra

in his cell,

Bernardo

''

Dead, smiling

still,

and

prostrate as in prayer ;

While

at his side

a wondrous carving lay

face of Christ sublimely tender, sweet.

of

The work

Fra Bernardo was

complete.*'

[150]

Cl^e jmafeins of
So
will
it

pim
to fail but

be with

all

who appear

who continue
the last

to strive and do their best.

At
failfin-

it will

be seen that what seemed

ure

is

full of the

beauty of Christ.

God

ishes the

work

his faithful ones try to

do for

him.
Christ takes us,
first,

as children, with our life

immature, undeveloped,

imperfect,

but

his

work

in us will

not be complete until we have

tall,

become men, strong,

noble, full-grown

men. The sculptor, before he strikes a blow

upon

his marble,

has in mind a vision of what

is

he means to make, and every stroke

toward
for

the fashioning of the stone into the beauty of

his

thought.
life.

God
is

likewise

has a plan

every

It

never haphazard work that he

does at any point.

to

From
in

first

to last he seeks
to

bring the

man

us

up

the grace,

strength, and nobleness of full-grown man-

hood.

This making of men

services, at

is

not

all

done

in

church

prayer meetings, at communions,

Christ
is

in places of devotion.
all

making men

the while, in their homes, out in their

[151]

Cl^e (Kate iseautiful

places of toil
the

and struggle. The business of

make the things carpenters usually make. But in Christ's purpose it is the making of a man. The business of the farmer is to till his soil and gather good harvests. But God's higher thought for the farmer in all his work is the making of a man. The merchant supposes he
carpenter,

we should say,

is

to

is

conducting

his business for the

convenience

of his patrons and for his

if

own
of

enriching.

meanwhile he

is

not himself being built

character,
is

But up
not
not

in

strength and beauty

growing toward Christly manhood, he

entirely
successsful,
is

not

quite

reaching

God's thought for him, however prosperous

he

may be in a commercial way. The same is true of all kinds of callings and occupations. A man was not thought about
God's plans and then made, endowed with

in

gifts

and

faculties, primarily that he

might

be a builder, erecting so
lifetime, or a painter,

many

houses in his

ornamenting a certain
artist
shall

number of buildings, or an
[152]

putting

on canvas noble pictures which

win him

Cl^e jHafitng of

jEen A man's

fame and give pleasure and ennobling of mind

and heart to those who look

farming, his work as an

at them.

carpentering, his building, his painting, his

artist, as

a teacher,

as a merchant, as a seaman, all the things

he

does

among men
his life

are only incidents in the real

his

work of
acter.

growing into

ideal char-

Religious teachers speak of certain exercises

;gajer, Bible reading, acts of devotion, the

sacraments, as " means of grace," acts of worship in which

we

receive divine blessing

and

are helped in spiritual growth.

to this
list

We may

add

of

means of grace

all life's affairs

and occupations.
principles

It is in these that

we have

the opportunity of applying the truths and

we learn

in the

Holy

Scriptures,

and of putting

in practice the lessons

we are

taught by the great Teacher.

All of what we call our secular
sort of scaffolding on which
life is

really a

we work day after

day, while we are rearing, beautifying, and

at last finishing within, the temple of our
life

own

and character.

[153]

%})z (Bate iseautiful

Thus
of all

the

making

of

men

is

the ultimate end

life,

and the

test of all that

we do

is

not the material results achieved, the things

people see and note in footing

up what we
St.

have done, but the results we have wrought

in ourselves, in this

our own

life.

Paul has

truth in mind when he says that the

things which are seen are temporal, while the

things which are not seen are eternal.

The personal
thought of as
which

experiences of
all

life

are also to be

belonging to the processes in

God

is

at

work on

us, training

and

dis-

ciplining us into full-grown men.

]\Iany have

sorrows, sufferings, losses and distresses in

their
It

common days. Some find life very hard. may be sickness, with its pain and depression. It may be bereavement which brings It may be loss of loneliness and sorrow.
money which sweeps away
the earnings of

years and leaves want. It

may

be the failure of

friendships which have not proved true,

ing the heart sore and empty.

are heard asking
fer so if

makSome people

why

it is

that they must suf-

God

really loves them.

We may

not

[154]

Ci^e ittafiiUQ of jtten

try to answer the question, for

attempt to speak for God.

we may not But we may alat his

ways say, " God

ble,

is

Michael Angelo, as

making us." he hewed away

fly

mar-

would watch the cHppings

under the

heavy strokes of his mallet, and would say, " As the marble wastes, the image grows." In the making of men there is much to be cut

away before the hidden beauty will appear. The marble must waste while the image
grows.

We

never need be afraid of the hard

If the marble

days and the painful things.

had a heart and could think and speak, it might complain as the sculptor's cutting and
hewing go on
of the
is

so unfeelingly, but
is

when
plain.

at last

the magnificent statue

finished, the
is

mystery
This

hammer and
artist

chisel

made

what the

was doing
in

all

the while.

God's ways with us

his

providences are

incomprehensible. But when the hfe stands at

last before

God, complete, there

will

no longer
In
all

be any amazement, any asking why.

the strange and hard experiences

God

has

been making men of

us.

[155]

C^e
Knowing
fully
this,

(Kate oseauttful
we should be able to submit our

lives to the divine will

and

discipline, cheerit

and

implicitly,

however painful

may

be for us.

Many
They

people seem never to think

of themselves as being thus in the process of

making.
pose.
lence

live aimlessly,

without a pur-

We

should be done forever with indo-

or haphazardness in our living.

We

should learn to

work with God

in his

purpose

for us in every day's

work and experience,

seeking to become ever somewhat better men,

to

come a

little
is

nearer to the full-grown man-

hood which
If

Christ's final vision for us.

we grasp the truth that the purpose of God for us in all our experiences is^ the making of
it will

us,

greatly simplify our

life.

It will

make plain to us the meaning of many things which now trouble and perplex us. It will
give us an inspiring thought concerning the

meaning of our common work, our business,

our occupation and calling.
unity to the meaning of
all

It

will give

our experiences.

None

of

them are

accidental.

They

are not

derelicts drifting into

our

lives

and harming

[156]

Ci^e ittafimg of

jmen
What-

or destroying us, as the derelicts on the sea

harm or wreck
ever

vessels in their course.

may

be the source of the hard things,

they are taken into the hands of Christ and do their part in the making of us. Nothing
can harai us
if

we

believe

on Christ and are

faithful to him.
"

The wind The

It

that blows

can never
;

kill

tree

God

plants
it

bloweth east,

bloweth west

The tender leaves have little rest, But any wind that blows is best. The tree God plants
Strikes deeper root, grows higher
still,

Spreads

ivider boughs, for God's

all its wants.''

good wUl

Meets

[157]

Cl^rtsitfan iWanUne)3j5

[159]

''Give us

men!

Strong and stalwart ones

Men whom
Men whom

highest hope inspires,

purest honor

fires,

Men who trample self beneath them, Men who make their country wreathe
As
her iwhle sons
of their sires
!

them

Worthy

Men who Men who

never

shame

their mothers,

never fail their brothers,

True, however false are others ;

Give us

men

/ say again,

Give us

men /"

160

CHAPTER TWELFTH

HEN
I
'

St.

Paul would

stir

up

Christians to their best, he

bade them quit themselves

like

men.

He meant

that

if

they would be manly and

act manfully, they

would be

No ideal is higher than just to be a man. What is manliness.'' There is no one exact model. No two men are preworthy Christians.
cisely alike, for every

man

has his own indi-

viduality, which modifies the expression of his

life.

Besides, no

man

at his best

is

any more
lines

than a fragment of a man.

We find some

of beauty in almost every man, but in no one

do we
It has

find all the qualities of ideal manliness.

been suggested that

if it

were possible
all

to gather,

through

all

the centuries, from

the individuals of the whole

human

race all the

fragments of manly character that through

the ages have existed in
all,

and combine these

[161]

Cl^e (&att TBeautiful

in

one composite character, that would be the

ideal

man.

"V^Tiile

men

differ

in

their individual lives,

there are certain great qualities which are essential in all noble

manhood.

Truth
life.

is

one

of these.
parts.

God

desires truth in
all

the inward
It is

He

wants truth in

the

great thing to be able to say of a

man

that

you may depend absolutely on any statement

he makes to you.

What he

tells

you of another

person or of any event or occurrence, you

may be positively sure is a fact. Then an3^thing a man promises

should do.

to

do, he

He

should never break a promise

to anyone, however

unimportant the thing

promised

may

be.

Failing to keep one's word

little
it it

may

be counted a

thing, but
is

it is

really

a great thing.

If

onl}'

a penny

you

day you said you would. If it is only a postal card you promised to write to-morrow, w^rite it. Let your
agreed to pay, pay
the

word be absolutely kept

ter.

in the smallest

mat-

Fulfill

your

lightest engagements.

Do

always precisely what you said you would.

[162]

Honesty

also

is

essential in

manly character.
dishonest boy will

And

the time to begin to build honesty into a

is

character

in

boyhood.

not grow up into an honest man.

We

should

make

it

absolutely impossible for us to touch

or even to think of touching or even desiring

an3rthing that
is

not our own.

An

explorer in

the Arctic regions tells of burying a

fish in the ice,

box of
it

meaning

to send for

later.

He

did not return to the place for a consider-

able time.

Meanwhile a famine came

on.

The

people knew where the food was concealed.

Yet
"

in all their suffering

Why

did you not eat the

no one touched it. fish ? " asked the

explorer in surprise, when he came back and

where he had left it. " It was not ours," was the answer, " and we could

found the food

still

not touch

What

is

That is the law of honesty. not ours, we should never think of

it."

appropriating, whatever our need.

Justice
ness.
is

another essential quality of manliis

Justice

part of love.

We

should never
dic-

wrong

another.

The Golden Rule should

tate all our treatment of others.

We

should

[163]

Cl^e (Bate "Beautiful

never take advantage of another's ignorance
of values to drive a sharp bargain.

We should
Or way
if

never put blame upon others when probably

the fault was ours as
it

much

as theirs.

was the
it

others', it is the Christian

to

take

justly

upon ourselves. when we judge

We

always judge un-

harshly.

We

do not
secret

know

in

our judgments of others the

cause of the unbeautiful thing

the mood, or
in

temper, or
them.

fret,

which displeases us so
if
it

We

blame others, too, when,

we knew

the facts,

we would pity them. Or

in its full light,

may

be
if

something we condemn in another, which,

we saw

it

wouid reveal beauty,

a splendor of

self-sacrifice.

Some young men

censured one of their number for niggardliness,

because he dressed plainly and lived

cheaply. Later, they learned that he was car-

ing for an invalid and suffering

that
it

sister,

and

was

in

order to provide comforts for

her that he stinted himself.

ored him as a hero.

We

Then they honmay set it down as

other,

a rule that harsh judgments are never just.

If

we would always be just to each

we

[164]

must never judge them, but must love them

rather, dealing charitably with them, leaving

judgment
Purity
is

to

God, who knows

all,

and never

can be unjust. another quality of manliness.

The

New Testament
cleanness of

has a great deal to say about

life.

This

is

not a clean world

It is full of

through which we are passing.

evil.

Yet the problem of Christian living is go through the world, keeping our garments clean. " But," some one asks, " how is it possible for anyone to do his work in this world, living amid unclean things, and never take any stain on his own life ? "
to

Some one answers

reach

in this

way.
the

Just out of
writer
says,

from

his

window,

stretches a wire which carries a

heavy current
death would

of electricity for light and power. If he could

lean far

enough out to touch

him swifter than a

it,

come

to

tiger's leap.

Yet

the doves light on that wire every fair

day

and are not harmed.

Why

would the wire

mean death to the man if he could reach out from his window and touch it, and why is it [165]


Cl^e
dSJate

^Beautiful
The
the
se-

a safe resting place for the doves?

cret
is

that when the doves

sit

there they
if

touch nothing but the wire. But

reaches out of his

man

window and touches the

wire with his fingers, he would also be touch-

ing the walls of his house, and would thus

form a

circuit

and the deadly current would

in the

flow through his body.

We may

touch the worst

evil

world

without harm or pollution so long as we are

given wholly up to God.

But

if

our own
it

hearts are in contact with sin, clasping

and

cherishing
this
evil

it,

we cannot move safely through

Jesus said of his disciples,

world.

when he sent them out to carry the gospel to men, " They shall take up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall in no
wise hurt them."

man who

is

given

up

wholly to Christ can go through this world

serving his Master and blessing his fellows,

and nothing

shall

harm

him.

Beauty
It
is

is

another quality of true manliness.

not enough for a

man

to be true, to live

honorably, to be just, to be pure and clean

[166]

he must also have in his

life

whatsoever things

are lovely. All God's works are beautiful.

He

never
It
is

made
lives

an3rthing that was not beautiful.

sin that spoils everything.

There are

many
ture.

that are not lovely in every feasee things in others

You
is

which you can-

not admire, things which are not beautiful.

Fretting
lovely.

not beautiful.

Bad temper

is

un-

Discontent, jealousy, irritability, unIt is the

kindness, selfishness are unseemly.

work

of grace to

make
is

lives beautiful.

All

that grace does in us

toward the fashion-

ing of beauty

in us.

On a florist's signboard are the words, " Ugly corners made beautiful." The florist
had reference
to

what he could do to beautify

an ugly spot or a piece of landscape.

He

would trim out the weeds, plant flowers and

shrubs, and transform a wilderness into a garden.

That

is

what grace can do

in

our

lives,

our homes, our communities and

in the world.

Some men seem

to think that the fine

and

graceful things are only for women, not for

men. But Christ was a man, a perfect, com-

[167]

Ci^e
plete

dBiate

TScautiful

man, and there was not a single unlovely

life.

thing in his
tle.

He was

strong, but also gen-

He

was just, but kindly.

He was
all

firm,

but patient.

He

was righteous, and

fire

his indig-

nation burned like

all

against

hypocrisy,

oppression of the poor,

all injustice,

but
is

his tenderness

never failed. Fine manliness

beautiful, like Christ's own.

We

should seek

ever for beautiful things, and wherever

find
it

we

anything lovely, we should at once take

our
life.

into

We

should make our re-

ligion beautiful in every feature.

Only thus

can we truly honor Christ in this world.

lives

Our
read.

are the only Gospels

many men

Let us be sure we do not misrepresent the

Master

whom we would recommend and show

wrong examples
is

to the world

of him.

Love

is

also essential to manliness.

There

is

no complete manliness that

is

not loving.

God

love,

and we grow

into true Godlikeness

only as we grow in lovingness. One wT-iter says, " If we knew our brother as God knows
him, we should never dare to despise him any

more."

God

sees

something to admire and

ri68l

love in the most faulty

all

and imperfect man

in

the world.

Christ saw in the worst

man

that which

made him

willing to die for him.

Men

should love one another. They should be

friends to each other.

other to

live.

They should help each Some of ^^our brothers find it

fallen

hard to be good, to be true, to be beautiful

in
spirit.

Some men have

it

into

bad
steel.

habits

and

seems that they cannot overcome

to,

them.

They want

but the chains are

Help them.

Some men get discouraged.

hard, their battle
fierce,

Their work

is

and they scarcely ever

Fulton, the great inlife,

hear a word of cheer. " In

ventor, near the close of his

wrote this

pathetic sentence
to

all

my

long struggle

work out the principles of the steam enopposing

but never
failure,

gine, I received innumerable jeers,

arguments, prophecies of

once an encouraging word." There are

many
un-

men battling hard,

tain

striving to live well, to atleft

something worth while, who are

helped, with only discouragement, and with

rarely ever a

word of

cheer.

There

is

nothing

[169]

Ci^e
that Christian
task that will

mtz

I3eautiful

men can set themselves as a mean more to their brothers

a

than to become encouragers, givers of cheer.

Some one suggests

new Beatitude: "Blessmorning."

finest

ed are the cheer-makers, for they shall be

called the sons of the

Love
ness.

is

an essential quality of the

is

manli-

Unlovingness
it is

always unmanly, be-

cause

Then It always does harm in it is also a mistake. two ways. It harms the person to whom it is done, and it also harms the person who does
always unchristlike, undivine.
Charles Kingsley says, the unloving thing. " Whenever we have failed to be loving, we

have also failed to be wise

whenever we have
interests,
;

been blind to our neighbor's

we

have been blind also to our own

whenever we

have hurt others, we have hurt ourselves much

more."

We do
mean
us.

not begin to understand what our

lives

to others
is

who

see us

and are touched by

It

possible to do too

much advising or
blessed

exhorting of others, but we never can do too

much

beautiful living.

One can send a

[170]

C^rtjStian jHanlfnejSSJ
influence

out through a whole community,

he

just

by being a splendid man. He may not be

;

eloquent or brilliant

may

not be a states-

man, an architect, a distinguished leader, a

noted physician or surgeon, a gifted orator but simply to be a worthy, noble, good man,
for ten, twenty, thirty years in a community,
is

an achievement gloriously worth

while.

Men who

are living nobly do not begin to

know how many

It is

others are living well, too,

just because they are.

a great thing to beheve in others.

We
to

cannot do anything for others by doubting

and distrusting them.

Men

are

coming
is

know
love
in

that the only

way

to help others

to

them and believe in them. Aldis Dunbar, The Century, writes of what believing in
will

another

do for him:

Because

of

your strong

faith, I kept the track

Whose

sharp-set stones

my
if

strength

had

well-

nigh spent.
I could not meet your eyes
I turned back
:

So on I

went.
f

171]

Cl^e (Bate "Beautiful

Because you would not yield
belief

in me,

The

threatening

crags

that

rose,

my way
to see

to bar,

I conquered inch by crumbling inch

The goal

afar.

And
Or
"

though I struggle toward

years,

it

through hard

flinch, or falter blindly, yet within,

You can /" unwaveringly my And I shall win.

noblest thing a

spirit hears

The
is

to be a man, such

man can do in this world a man as God has planned

be.

in his

thought for him to

He

need not

be a famous man, a

man

noted

among men,
streets,

one whose praise

is

sung on the

but a

man who
ful

is

true, brave, pure, just, beautilives for

and lo\dng, a man who

God and

for his fellows.

172]

iEijiundetjStooii

[173]

The
Is

life of

man
flight

an arrow^s
of darkness

Out

Into light

And

out of light

Into darkness again ;

Perhaps

to pleasure,
to

Perhaps

pain.

'

There must be something,

Above, or below ;

Somewhere unseen A mighty Bow,

A Hand that tires not, A sleepless Eye

That
sees the

arrows

Fly, and

fly ;

One who knows Why we live and

die.*

174 I

CHAPTER THIRTEENTH
ittijSunDersitooD

jijHERE

is

a strange story or

tradition of a stone which

was originally meant for an important place in the temple,

but which was misun-

derstood
the builders.
finished,

and rejected by

When
it,

the temple was about to be

one stone of pecuhar shape was need-

and this stone could not be found. There was great excitement. " Where
is

ed to complete

the capstone.?" the builders asked.

The

ceremonies

waited

while

search

was made

everywhere for the missing block.

suggested,
builders

Some one "Perhaps the stone which the condemned and threw away among

the rubbish

is the one needed now for the place of honor." It was found and brought,

perfectly. The stone was misunderstood by the builders. It came nigh being missed altogether, and if it had been there
it fitted

and

[175]

Ci^e (Bate iscautifttl

would have been an unfilled space and an incomplete building.
Continually the same occurs in
are man}" people
in the wall

life.

There

who do not seem to fit into any place among men. They do not appear
to have ability for anything worth while, to

possess qualities

which

will

make them

of

value to the world.

They

are not brilHant, or

strong, or

skillful,

nor do they seem Hkely to

Perlater,

do anything to distinguish themselves.

haps they seem peculiar, eccentric. Yet

greatness, and

they develop strength, ability, wisdom, even

fill

important places in the

world.

In a recent book, a number of pages

are devoted to an account of eminent

men

for

whom
lards,

in their early years their friends

and
dul-

teachers

predicted

failure.

They were

not

showing

capacity.

Afterwards,

however, when they found themselves, these

men became
at
first

distinguished.
if

Parents need not be discouraged

children

seem unpromising, not caring for

study.

There may be hidden

possibihties of

in their brain
will

and heart

power which

be

[176]

jwiisiuntiersitooti

brought out

in certain circumstances, after-

wards
men.

fitting

them for important

is

duties.
is

God

knows what he

doing when he

making
life,
it

He
is

never makes one he has no place

for in the world.

there

Even

if it is
it,

a broken

some place for

some work

is

specially fitted to do.

This truth
tions.

is

illustrated in life's

common

rela-

There are many who are misunderstood and unappreciated, who do not get their
proper meed of praise and commendation. It
is

so in

many

homes. There are men who do

not half understand the nobleness of their

wives and the delicate beauty of their lives,

nor appreciate the worth of

self-sacrifices

self-denials

and

which they continually make for

love.

their

homes and for those they

There

are

many women who

who

receive little

commenda-

tion,

rarely hear even a kind, approving

word, but who are honored by the angels because of the genuineness of their service and
its

lowliness

and

unselfishness.

They have not

found their true honor on earth, but some day

it

will

be seen that their lives are for high

[177]

Cl^e (Kate iBeawtifm

places in the temple of
rising.

God

that

is

slowly

great
as

well

many people everywhere men as women are not well understood.

They have
of their

peculiarities
qualities.

which neutralize some

good

They

are uncouth

and

unattractive in some ways.

the

People do not see

good that

is

in

them, do not value them

at their true worth, underestimate

and misin his

understand them. Here

of his neighbors do not

is

man whom many

Something
in

like.

manners offends them, excites

kindly thoughts toward him. he
is

them un-

not sincere,

They say that that he does not mean what

as lacking the ele-

he says.

They judge him

ments of character which are essential to the

best

and most beautiful

the man's inner

life.

Yet those who

know

life

are sure that his

neighbors

are

mistaken in their judgment

concerning him, that he has in him

many
His

good

qualities.

He

is

misunderstood.

neighbors'

opinion

about him

are unjust.
is

The

best in

him does not appear. He

re-

jected by the builders as unfit for any place

[178]

jttfjsuntierjStooti
in the temple.

He

is

not to men's tastes and

is

thrown

aside.
that

"0

God!

men would

see

little

clearer

Or judge less harshly when they cannot see. God I that men might draw a little nearer

To one

another.

They'd then be nearer

thee,

And

understood.^'

A
are

strong plea should be made for the mis-

understood and the unappreciated

and

there

They are not taken into honored places. They are not elected to official positions, named on committees, nor called to act in conspicuous roles. They are left to work in obscurity, rejected by the
of them.
builders

many

and

cast aside.

We

can do no better

service than to

become the friends of these

appreciation, to

who miss human favor and

which others overlook, and
to recognition

seek to be discoverers of worth

and goodness

to strive to bring

and

into active, useful service

those

who

are in danger of being lost, for-

gotten, passed

by and

left to failure.

We

should pray that we

may

see people as

[179]

Ci^e (Kate TBeauttful

God
ties

sees them, for he

always sees the good,

the best in everyone.

He
love

sees

our

possibili-

not

what we are to-day, but what we

and patience
to-

may become through

morrow.

We

need to learn to be very patient

the worthy in them comes to

with people
its best.

till

Some fruits are not sweet until the late fall. Some people also ripen slowly, and it takes
a long time before they become sweet, beautiful, helpful.

We

should not reject any

it

life,

because

it is

not yet beautiful, because

does

not yet seem lovely.

and
it

discipline it in

Wait and let God train his own way, and some day
fill

may

be ready to

an important

place.

The

stone which the builders of society would

reject as unfit,

God may want

ornaments in

at length as

one of the

finest

his temple.

Let
Per-

us be more patient with people whose

faults

oifend us,

who seem

unfit

or unworthy.

haps their faults are only unripenesses, or

perhaps they are not faults at
dividualities,
all,

only in-

which

will

prove to be elements

of strength

and beauty when the persons

[180]

jHijsuntierjgtooJj
find their true recognition.

God

has a place
will be

and a work for everyone.

There

place by and by for the misunderstood

life,

and the stone which the builders despise God

will use to be the

head of the corner somehimself that

where.

Sometimes

it

is

God

is

misun-

derstood. Troubles come

into our lives,

and

we ask, " Is

God

really always

he indeed never cease to be

care.'*

kind.''

Does he
If he

feel

with us in

good ? Does Does he griefs and our

disappointments?
lives.?
is

Has

he an interest in our

our Father and cares, why does he permit us to suffer so ? " We are in danger of misunderstanding God and not accepting
the
love

and care which are

us

in

his

heart

for us.

But God's work with

is

not yet finished.

We
seen

misunderstand
it all.

it

because we have not yet

criticise

It

is

not just to

a picture

when the

artist's

work
all

is

not

completed.
at the

Sometimes you read a

of a certain chapter

stor}^,

and

end

seems wrong.
feel

If the

book ended there you would [181]

that

God was

Ci^e (Kate I3eautiful

not kind.

But there are other chapters yet to come, and as you read on, you learn how good came out of all that seemed hard, even
unjust. Lives are serial stories.

We may

tell

the bereft one

who

is

questioning the divine

goodness in the providence which so emptied

her
her,
life,

that

God

will stay

with her, comfort

and help

her, causing all things to

work
If

together for good, and that some day she will

find the love

which she cannot now

see.

the story of Joseph had closed with the sale

boy into Egypt, or when he was cast into the dungeon on a false accusation, we could not have claimed that good is the final outcome of God's care. We must finish the
of the

story and then we shall find that there

is

Hand which

directs

all
all

human
evil.

affairs

and
life

brings good out of

Many

times we think our circumstances in

anything but kindly.

It does not seem to us

possible that these rough, unseemly things

can be built into the temple of our

be some threatening

lives as

beautiful stones. In our experiences there

loss,

may

some

bitter trial im-

[182]

jEijSunDeriStDoD
pending, or some painful thing that has
al-

ready come upon us which we

feel

we cannot

possibly build into the perfect temple.

this

Yet
all
it,

may

be the very stone which

God had
say of

prepared for the most important place in

the building.

Some day you

I,

will

" The stone which

rejected, has

the builder, would have

become the head of the comer. and

it is

This
in

is

the Lord's doing,

eyes."

marvelous

my

Do

not reject, then, the experiences of sor-

row, pain, adversity.

You do

not see how

these can become a good, a joy, a blessing in

your

life.

But wait
is

till

his plan to completion.

in all providences

God has worked out The divine purpose

to

making

is

very good.

that the very stone

make men, and all his Doubt not, therefore, which to your eye and
so

thought seems so
will use to

unfit,

unsuitable
life,

for

building into the temple of your

fill

God

an essential place by and by, perhaps to be the chiefest adornment in your

in the Gospels used the incident of

character when complete.

Our Lord

[183]

Cl^e (Kate iseautiful

the rejected stone as appl34ng to himself.

He

was the stone which the builders rejected, but

which

God made

to be the head of the comer.

The
siah.

rulers

had a mistaken idea of the MesThey thought he would be a mighty

earthly king,

subject condition and

who would free them from their make them a great nathe sacrificial idea of

tion that should conquer the whole world.

They had not learned

the Messiah, given in such prophecies as the

fifty-third chapter of Isaiah.

So when Jesus

came, lowly, meek, loving, unresisting, they

did not believe that he was the promised Messiah

and would not accept him.

They

mis-

understood him.

There are many people to-day who do not

approve of Christ. They do not
of helping and saving.
like his way They do not think he is the Friend they need. The life to which he invites them does not attract them. They do

not think he can lead them to the best things,

the best character, the deepest joy, the truest

In the tradition, there came a day when one particular stone was needed, must [184]
usefulness.

jWitjsunDerjstooD
be had, or the building would not stand complete.

Then

the stone which had been de-

spised,

which had been thrown away, proved

fit

to be the only one that would

place.

and

fill

the

The teaching

is

simple and plain.

Men

despise and reject Jesus Christ, but there will

come a time when no one but Christ

into their soul's need.

will fit

For example, Saul did not think Jesus was

Messiah.

the
in

He

was sincere and conscientious

his persecution of him.

He

regarded him as

an impostor and rejected him.

destroy
all

who

believed on him.

He sought to He thought

One day near Damascus he had a wonderful vision. He saw a divine Being shining in heavenly
in his persecutions.

he was pleasing

God

was startled, amazed, and fell to " Who a/t thou. Lord.? " he asked. the earth. " I am Jesus," was the answer. Instantly Saul
glory.

He

saw that Jesus was no impostor, but the Son

of God.

He

From
place

that
in

accepted him now as the Messiah. moment Jesus took the supreme Saul's life. The stone which the

builders rejected became the head of the cor-

[185]

Cl^e (0ate 'Beautiful

ner, the
soul.

glory of his

life,

the hope of his

They only misunderstand Christ who think he is not all they need. Your life will always be
incomplete, unfinished, until Christ
into his
is

received

own place

in

it.

186

^nUct

J^ecUneD

[187]

'/

would have gone; God bade me stay I would have ivorked ; God bade me

rest.

He broke my will from day to day, He read my yearnings unexpressed, And said them nay.
'Now
I would stay ; God bids me go : Noiu I would rest ; God bids me work.

He

breaks

my

heart, tossed to

and

fro,

My soul is wrung with

And
vex
it so.

doubts that lurk

I go, Lord, where tJwu sendest rne

and n^oU : But, Christ my God, when will it be

after

Day

day

I plod

That I

may

let

alone

my

toil,

And

rest in

thee?"

[188]

CHAPTER FOURTEENTH

T seems strange to

have

God

refuse service oiFered to him.

David had been king for a number of years and had

built for himself a

house of

cedar.
his luxurious

One day

as he sat in

home, a shadow
feel fine

fell

over him. he

He began
himself,

to

a sense of shame as

thought of the

house he had built for

and then,

in contrast,

thought of the

weather-beaten tent in which the ark of

God

was dwelling.

He

felt

that a dwelling place

should be provided for the holy ark at least

as costly

and

as beautiful as the house

living.

in

which he himself was

We

get a lesson right here for ourselves.

We

ought not to think of our own comfort and

then give no thought to

God and

his

work.

There

is

no word of Scripture which forbids

us to live comfortably ourselves.

But when

[189]

'

Ci^e (Kate iseatttiful

we are able
to do well for ourselves,

we may

not rob God, nor stint his service.

of cedar for our

house

own home, and an

is

old tat-

tered tent for

God

not

fit,

not worthy. Job

speaks deprecatingly of eating one's morsel

alone while the fatherless shared
it

not.

If

we use only for ourselves the comforts we

have, not thinking of those

who have not

the

bread of
"
'

life,

we are

living unworthily.
'

// /

have eaten

my

morsel alone

The

'patriarch spoke in scorn.

What would

he think of the church, were he

shown Heathendom, huge,

While

forlorn,

Godless, Christless, with soul unfed.

the church's ailment is fullness of bread,
f

Eating her morsel alone

"
'

am

debtor alike to the

Jew and
;

the Greek

The mighty For

apostle cried

Traversing continents souls

to seek,*

the love of the Crucified.

;

Centuries, centuries, since have sped

Millions are famishing, we have bread,

But we

eat

our morsel alone.

[190]

^ettiicc J^eclmeli
"' Freely, as ye have received, so give/

He

bade who hath given us

shall the soul in
to their
lis

all.

How

longer

live,

Deaf For whom

starving call

the hlood of the

Lord
?

uhxs shed,

And
If

his body broken to give

them bread,
"

we

eat

our morsel alone

It seems pathetic to read that after

David had
out. as

conceived such a noble thought for the honor

of God,

God

declined to let him carry

it

"

Thou

shalt not build

me

a house."

Yet

we read the story through, we

decision was right.
his desire.

see that the

David was not blamed for

Indeed, his thought was accepted.

God
it. it.

did not refuse the temple

he approved
be done by

He

only said that David should not build

There may be some noble work you long

It

to do.
it,

may

not be permitted to you to do

will

yet

it is

commendable and

another.
place in

We
life,

should be content with our own

and our own work.

We

should

not fret because we are not allowed to do

some particular piece of work that we had

our hearts on doing.
[

set

It is

glory enough to

191

Ci^e (Kate I3eauttful

have anything, even the smallest task, to do
in the building of

God's great temple. If some

other one has a paii: which seems greater,

more conspicuous, we need not complain.

ought to be
satisfied

We

to have the beautiful

it.

work done, whoever may do

lines tell the story:

Whittier's

Others shall sing the song,

Others shall right the wrong,

Finish ivhat I begin,

And

all

I jail of loin.

What

matter I or they,

Mine, or another's day] So the right word is said

And
Hail

life the

sweeter

made

to the

coming singers

Hail

to the

brave light-bring ers

Forward I reach and share All that they sing and dare.

The Lord

also

encouraged David by the

as-

surance that while he would not be permitted

to build the temple, his desire to do so was

[192]

^crtitce
approved.
"

eclmeD
it

Whereas

was in thy heart

to

build a house for

my

name, thou didst well

David's purpose

that

it

was

in

thy heart."

received divine commendation.

will for the deed.

God took

the

We

Our minds are As one suggests, we think in marble and build in brick. Of only one Man who ever lived could
all

have our limitations.

greater than our powers to achieve.

it

be said that he had accomplished

all

that

had been given him to do.

Christ ever

made

his achievements

None but Jesus up to his

finely
skill

dreams and intentions.

as

No

one of us has lived

as

nobly or has wrought as

we

intended to do.
ion
all

We have not the

all

to fash-

the loveliness that our souls dream.

the beaut}^ of

No
pen

poet writes in his verse

in his

thought that shines

is

glowing mind

his

not equal to the task.

his

No
is

artist puts

upon

canvas

all

the splendor he conceives

as

in his vision.

No

one of us

good any
in

day as we meant

to

be when we bowed

our

morning prayer. But it is well the beauty is in our heart, that we mean to please God.
[193]

Ci^e (Bate TStantitul God

accepts what we want to do as
if it

were

done.
''

God

finishes the

work by noble souls begun.**

God
is

treated

David very graciously when he David offered him. God

His

declined the service

a most gentle Master.

No

is

sweeter

and more cheering than the Yes of other

masters.

He

could not accept David's desire

to build a temple, but he so lifted

up

his

heart with joy and hope that he almost for-

got

David could not build the temple but, instead, God would
his

disappointment.

build him a

house, that

is,

make him

the

head of a
the

line

of kings, ending at last in

Whatever disappointment he had at God's declining the sen-ice he meant to do, he is made now to rejoice at God's wonMessiah.
derful goodness.

All of us

sometimes have our desires and

hopes thwarted.
for

God he

declines to have us do.

will

The things we want to do The renot grant to

quests we

make of him he [194]

^eriice J^eclineD
us.
will

The temple we

seek to build for

him he

not allow us to build. Earnest prayers of

ours he will return unanswered.

But he

will

deal with us so patiently, so graciously, so

gently, with such kindness, in declining our
wishes, that

we

will

forget our requests have

been decHned.
It
is

told of President Lincoln that in one of

the dark days of the Civil

War

a poor

woman

came to plead that her husband or one of her

five

sons in the
little

army might be

released to care
her.

for the

farm and be a comfort to

Mr. Lincoln spoke to her with deep emotion

of the great crisis through which the country

was passing, telling her that not one soldier

could be spared.

Then he spoke

of the noble

part she was doing in sparing her husband

and

all

her sons to the country.

He

told her

he thought that in the great need she would

not want to take back even one of them. As
she listened, her patriotism rose,

and she with-

drew her request, and went back home to

share loyally and gladly in the saving of the

country. So

it is

that

God

appeals to us when

[195]

Ci^e (Kate I3eautiful

we seek
life

relief

from crosses or sorrows,

his sake to

until

we are ready for

go on

in

our

of greatest self-denial and sacrifice.

if

Our
they

unanswered prayers seem better than

were answered.

We are

not permitted to build

the temple for God, to render the service

we

wanted to render, but we

are able to rejoice

and

praise, seeing that God's

way

is

better

than ours.

We may
plan of

learn then to take our place in the

God and

to do

what he has purposed

large, because

for us to do.

No

one can do everything.

God's plan for no

is

life is

no one

we can do great things, but when we try we soon find that we

able to do much.

We think

are very small and can do but

little.

The

best

and greatest of us are only

of men.

little

fragments

One can do one

little

piece of work,

another can do another

little bit.

" There are

no all-round men." All that most of us can

do
All
is

to start one

little

thing in the world.

is

God
is

expects of any of us

just some

fragment of the whole. All that some of us

can do
to have a

good purpose
[196]

in

our heart

^zttitt J^eclineD
which some other, wiser and better than we,

coming after us may work

great world and
of us can do
is

out.
is

This
;

is

its

vast

work

one

all

any

just a few strokes, a block

or two in the wall, a touch in the adornment

of some panel, or perhaps only a

word of

cheer to the builders.

Yet no

life is

unimportant.
its

The

smallest inIf

dividual Hfe has

essential place.
little

drop out, no matter how

fill,

the place

you you

you
is

will leave that place

empty. Our part

given you to do.

then

simple faithfulness. Accept your place

in life

and the work that

is

Have

large plans and great purposes.

Seek

to build temples for God.

But

if

he declines

offer, do not fret, do not be Perhaps your limitations may make it impossible for you to do the thing you long to do. One would preach, but lacks

the service

you

discouraged.

the qualities that are essential in a preacher.

One would go

as a missionary to a heathen

land, but he has not the strength for en-

durance, and his consecration

is

declined.

young man

offered himself as

a volunteer

[m]

Ci^e (Kate TBeautfful

missionary.
the
his
field

He

was almost ready to go to

when

his father died

and

it

became

duty to stay at home and care for his

;

widowed mother and the children

so his de-

votion to missionary work must be given up.

He

grieved, but the other duty was as saservice could have

cred as the missionary

been.

Life

is full

of rejected service, of thwarted in-

tentions.

Thousands and thousands of peoon doing.

ple are not permitted to do the things they

had

set their hearts

What

then.''

Let them do what God plans for them to do

instead of what they had planned for themselves.

The thing you thought you were made

some other one's task, as the
thus:

to do, was really

temple was Solomon's work, not David's. Mr.

Sill, in

a little poem, puts

Fret not that the day

it

is

gone

And

thy task is

still

undone.
at all
fall,

'Twas not thine, it seems, Near to thee it chanced to

Close enough
to stir

thy brain

And

vex thy heart in vain.

[198]

^ettice ccltnet)
Somewhere, in a nook
forlorn,

Yesterday a babe was born

He

shall do thy waiting task ;

All thy questions he shall ask,

And

the

answers will be given

lightly out of heaven.

Whispered

'Tis enough of joy for thee

His high purpose

to foresee.

Sitting in our house of cedar, with mai*velous

goodness filHng

all

our

life,

let

us look out
us.

and

see the needs of

God's work about

Let

us think of the

many

things which wait for

loving hearts and willing hands and promise

God our best, all we can do. Let him choose what he would have us do, and because our
particular dream of service
is

decHned,

let

us

not fold our hands and close our heart

rather
let

us pour out our Hfe in the work

the Master sets for us to do.

199]

i^oiaj

Can Wt

ISnoto

[201]

"/
think

find enough good people in the world to

make me
was a
not for-

God

is

good, though a few years ago there

life

period in

my

gotten me, or

if

when I wondered if God had he was just." Private Letter.

[202]

CHAPTER FIFTEENTH
I^DtD

Can Wt
ESUS

JfenotD?

had just

said,

"If ye

had known me, ye would have known my Father

also:

from henceforth ye

have known him, and have

seen him."

The words

be-

wildered

Philip.

He

could not understand

them.

"

Ye

have seen the Father," Jesus

That was just what Philip was longing for to see the Father. So he inhad
said.

terrupted the Master, saying, " Lord, show

us the Father."

He

wished that Jesus might

make the mystery

There are many
long for clearer,

plainer.

sincere Christians

the same desire that Philip expressed.

fuller revealing of
tells

who have They

God.

writer in a religious paper

of two girls

walking home from their work one evening,

talking earnestly together.

One of them was

overheard saying to the other, " Yes, but

[203]

Cl^e (Bate "Beautiful

why
all

has no one ever seen God? "

This was

the gentleman heard, as he stood waiting

car,

for his

but even this single sentence

showed what had been the burden of the conversation. Evidently the girls

had been

talk-

ing about the apparent unreality of spiritual

things.

Why

had nobody ever seen

God.'^

They had heard

affairs,

a great deal about God, his

love, his care, his interest in

human

lives

and

and

his

promises of help and direc-

tion,

but they had never had even a glimpse

of him.

How

could they

know
is

that

all

they
could

had heard about him was true?

they be sure that there really
a

How

God? Had

anybody ever seen him?

How

then could they

know

that the things of the Christian faith

realities?

and hope were

In a private

letter

from an earnest Christian

the longing takes this

form

"

For

the last

month or more I have been drifting away from God and have not been able to drop anchor. The more I read and study the life
of Jesus, the farther I seem to drift. I find

myself asking the question continually,

[

'

Are

204

]potD
all

Can Wt
true?

ISnotD?
certainly

these things

They

are

beautiful to read about, but are they true?

How
There

do we know they are true ?

is

'

"

nothing wrong

in such feeling as this

felt

writer expresses. Philip, Christ's apostle,

the same yearning. There come times in the

life

of almost every thoughtful Christian

arise.

man
" Is

and woman when such questions

there a

God who
me?
is

is

our Father? Does God

really love

If he does,

why must

I suffer

so ? " Christ
tions

not impatient with our ques-

when we cannot understand.

We rememThomas

ber his wonderful gentleness with

when that

disciple could not accept the fact

of his Master's resurrection. Jesus was not

grieved with Thomas.

patiently, he showed
nail prints,

He
him

dealt with his

his

doubt

hands with the

bring

and thus proved to him that he

risen.

was indeed

He

wants

us, also, to
will

our questions to him, and he

answer them

for us and give us joy and peace.

It
is

not surprising, either,

if

sometimes we

cannot understand the mysteries of the Christian faith. All hfe

is

full

of things too hard

[205]

UiiRAKr

b;8A, OHIO

Ci^e (Kate ^Beautiful

for us to comprehend.

Can you

tell

the bush

in

your garden on which

in

how on March

are only briars will be in June clusters of

glorious roses?

Can you

tell

how

the food

eaten to-day will be to-morrow in the la.bor-

ing

man

strength for work, in the poet beau-

tiful fancies, in the singer sweet

songs?

great botanist said there was mystery enough

in

a handful of moss to give one a whole

life-

time of study. There are really few things

anywhere that we can

does the eye see?

fully understand.

How

How

does the ear hear?

How
less

does the nose smell?

How

can the wire-

instrument on a ship in mid-ocean send a

re-

message which the operator on the coast

ceives and reads?

We

wonder at these things,

but we do not doubt them.

Why,

then, should

we question the
little

fact that as a mother, the

other night, stood by her sick child when the

one was hovering between

life

and death,

and pleaded with God, her prayer reached the

ear of the heavenly Father ?

Why -should
You

we

doubt that God loves us when we believe that

our

human

friends love us?

cannot see

[206]

fotD

Can Wt MotD?
You
is

the love in jour friend's heart.

friend
is

say the
a tower

true, patient, kind, that he

of strength to you.

You cannot
travels

see these

quahties in him, but you do not question their

existence.

Your

friend

abroad, and
is

you cannot be with him

ful to you.
liim

to see that he

faith-

You do
is

not have anyone to watch

;

when he

absent

how, then, do you know

that he

is true.'^

You

believe in him.

Can you
do not

not believe also in God,

see.^*

whom you

Is the fact that

loA^e

you cannot understand

the divine

any reason for your not be-

lieving in it?

We

say

God

does not manifest himself to us,

but he does reveal himself far more actually

than we think. There
tine
is

a picture of

Augus-

and

his

mother which represents them

for

looking up to heaven with deep longing and

great eagerness, as
thing.
if

listening

someonly

One
is
!

is
!

saying, " If

God would
replies,

speak to us " and the other

" Per-

haps he

speaking to us now and we do not hear him "

Philip said, " Lord, show us the Father," and
[

207

Ci^e <^att ^Beautiful

Jesus replied, "

Have

I been

so long time

with you, and dost thou not

know me,

Philip ?

He
how

that hath seen

sayest

thou,

me hath seen the Father Show us the Father? "

Phihp thought he had never seen the Father,

and Jesus told him he had been seeing the

him for three years. What Philip mind was some revealing of visible glory, some outshining of majesty and splenFather
in

had

in

dor, a transfiguration

that was
When
life

the

way he

thought God must appear.

"

Jesus said,

He

that hath seen

me hath

seen the Father,"

he referred to his daily

with his disciples.

The very purpose of the Incarnation was to show God to men in a common everyday human life, which they could understand. Jesus was showing God to men when he was patient
with their dullness, gentle with their faults,
long-suffering and merciful with their sins,

compassionate toward their sorrows.

We

see

God

continually in the same familiar

ways.
ligious

writer says that most

men

are re-

when they look upon the

208

faces of their

dead babies. The materialism which at other

f

i^otp

Can Wt

Itnotu?

times infects them with doubts of immortality, drops away from them in this holy hour.

" There's a narrow ridge in the graveyard

Woidd
Bid
to

scarce stay a child in

its

race

me and my

thought

it is

wider

Than

the star-sown vagues of space."

People say, " If we could see miracles we would believe." But it was not miracles to which Jesus referred in his own life when he said he had been revealing the Father all the
time he had been with the disciples.
ferred to the kindnesses he

He

re-

had shown, and

the gentle things he had done continually in his associations with the people in the common
life

of his everydays.

Have you never seen God.? If you think of God as only burning majesty, shining glory,
you
is

will say,

" No, I never saw God."

But
fires

the splendor of Sinai clouds and flaming

not

God

God

is

love.

You remember

Eli-

jah's vision on Horeb.

great wind swept

in

through the mountains, but God was not

[209]

Ci^e <Batt 'Beautiful

the wind.
ble,
fire

An

earthquake made the

hills

trem-

but God was not

in the earthquake.

swept down among the crags, but

fire.

God
small

was not in the

voice, a

Then came a
stillness

still,

sound of gentle

breathing

through space, and that was God.

really seen

You

have
in

God

a thousand times in

love.,

peace, in goodness.

You

have seen him in

daily providential care, in the sweet things of

your home,

in

sacred

friendships,

and
in

in

countless revealings of goodness.

Think how

you have been

ways.
is

blessed all

your

life

many
there

Do

not

call it chance,

or luck

no such thing.

ever seen God.'^ "

You You

ask, "

Why

has no one

were in danger the

other day and a mysterious protection shel-

you from harm. You had a great sorrow which you thought you could not possibly endure, and there came a sweet comfort
tered

which

filled

your heart with peace. There was

affairs

a strange tangle of

which seemed about

life,

to wreck everything in your

all

and

it

was

straightened out as by invisible hands, in

of.

a way you never dreamed

You had a

[210]

i^otD

Can Wt

l^nott)?

crushing loss which seemed about to over-

whelm you, and lo, the loss proved a gain. You were wrongly treated by a pretended
friend,

and the

stars all seemed to have

out of your sky.

praising

gone To-day you are quietly

all,

God

for

it

for

it

delivered

you

from what would have been a

tune,

terrible misfor-

and gave you instead a true

fills

friendship,
life.

a rich happiness which

all

your

You
in

had a painful sickness which shut you away

the darkness for weeks,

and you thought it a To-day you thank God for it, for you learned new lessons in the darkness. All your years have been full of great
sore experience.
deliverances,

remarkable

guidances,
sweet

gentle
friend-

comforts,

answered

pra3^ers,

ships, divine love and care. Yet you say you have never seen God, and you ask, " How

may
the

know

that the beautiful things which

tells

New Testament

me about
reality

Christ are

true.?"

How may
things.?

we learn the

of spiritual

Only by experience.

In one of the

Psalms are these words, " They that know thy

[211]

Ci^e (0ate iseauttful

name
will

put their trust

are

in thee."

Human

friendships

formed

in

experience.

We

meet one we have never seen before. Little by

little

we

learn to

know

him, finding in him

us,

qualities

which

please

and coming at
In

length to love and trust him as a friend.

the same
love God.

way only can we

learn to

know and

We

read of his goodness, his juslovingkindness, his faith-

tice, his truth, his

But we must come into personal relahim before we can know that these qualities are in him. We can learn to know
fulness.

tions with

him only

in experience.

The

story of
is

Lady Aberdeen's
indecisive,

conversion to
in

Christ

very suggestive.

She was long

not

doubt

wavering,
do.

knowing

what to
sat one

In the time of her perplexity she

tree in her garden, in

day under a

deep thought.

She had been asking, "

How

can I know that these things are true.'^ Is Christ real.? " She could not be sure. " Act as if I were," said a mystic voice, " and you
will find

that I am."

Nothing could have

She did not

been more

fair or reasonable.
[

212

i^otw

can Wt

IttoH)?

stay to ask whether the voice she heard was

real
it

and divme, or only an

" Act as

illusion.

To

her

was the voice of Christ, and he was bidif I were.

ding her try him.

You
know
not.

do not know whether I

am

or not.

I offer

you

life, rest,

joy, peace; you do not

whether there are

such blessings

or

Act as
pointed.

if

there

were.

Test

my

promises.

Try me." She

did,

and she was not disapinvisible things

is

How
are

do we know that these

real.^

How
is

do we know that God

real,

God? Some one asked a devout Arab this question. The sun was just
that there
a
setting,

pouring

its

glorious beams in floods

over the desert.

He

answered, "

How

do I

know whether
passed

it

was a man or a camel that

I

my

tent last night?

footprints."

Then

flinging his

know by the arm toward

footprint

the setting sun, he asked, "

is

Whose

that? "

We need not seek

of
is.

proofs that there

is a God; the Bible know the character

offers none.

How

do we

God? The

Bible does

not

tell

us what

it

When

Philip asked,

[213]

Cl^e (Bate 'Beautiful

" Lord, show us the Father/' Jesus replied,

"

He that

hath seen

me hath

seen the Father."

In Jesus Christ, therefore, we see God.

He
God
will

was

the highest, fullest revelation that

himself.

made of
see

Look

at Christ and

you

God.
liide

Let no one think that God wants to

self,

him-

wants to be only dimly, obscurely seen.

He
and

wants
close.

his

friendship with us to be real

He

does not want us to walk in

darkness, to grope in gloom.

He

does not

want

to be unreal to us.

He

wants us to know

him as we know no other

with any
its

friend.

He

wants

prayer to be real to us, to be as real as talk

human

friend, as the child's talk with

are real.?

mother. But do we know that these things " They are very beautiful, but are
true.f^

they

" Yes, they are the truest, realest

things in the world.

real to ourselves.''

How
Christ

shall

we make them

is real,

he

is

our

Saviour, our Master, our Friend.

How,

then,

shall we make him more real to our faith.'* Trust him, love him. Some one asked, " How

can I learn to love Christ more?"

"Trust

[214]

J^otD

Can Wt

l&noMol

him more," was the answer. " How can I trust him more ? " " Love him more." Loving and trusting go together. The more you
love

him the more

will

will

you trust him, and the

him to
There
love.
is

more

you

find in

He
The

will

never disappoint you.

friend of

no human
best,

whom you
time,
in

can say that.

the truest, the most faithful will disappoint

you some

something.

never has disappointed in the

But Christ smallest way

anyone who has trusted him.

[215

J^oejs (0oti

Care?

[217

''And
In

is there

not in every day

day

Earth's beauty and sweet love's caress,

health, in books, in childhood's

More than enough

for happiness f

'/And though our petty plans

All noble deeds that

fall

through,

All noble deeds that have been done,

we may

do,

Shall help the triumph to be won.

i'Our Shepherd watches where we lie;

He

guards us

if

we wake

or sleep

Green pastures spread before the eye ; Still waters in the sunshine sleep."

218

CHAPTER SIXTEENTH
oejs C0OD Care?

like to

think

about

know that people us. Even a

postal card coming in the

mail from a friend far away, saying only, " I am think-

ing of you," brings you a

strange uplift.

You

were sick for a time and

could not see your friends.

lonely days a rose was sent

On one
up
to

of your

your room

with a card and a message of love, and you

remember how

it

cheered you.

Some one was

thinking of you.
little

You

were in sorrow and a

note came in with just a verse of Scripture, or a " God bless you," and a name. It
if

was almost as
visited

an angel from heaven had

you, strengthening you.

Somebody

was thinking of you.

You

have not forgotten

how
"

it

helped you.

me,

How precious also are thy thoughts unto O God " So God thinks of you, too. In
!

219

Ci^e (Kate iseautiful

the previous verses of the

Psalm the poet

tells

us that
tells

God knows

all

our thoughts. Here he

us of God's own thoughts for us

of us, thinks of us

he
His
not

thinks

with love.

thoughts are precious,

are without

like gold.
is,

Then they
does

number

that

he

think of us merely
tinually.

once in a while, but con-

The

Bible

teaches

unmistakably that
writer
is

God

cares for us.

scientific

^aid to

have declared that the greatest discovery of

the twentieth century will be the discovery of

God, and then it will be known that God does not care. It would be very sad if this should
prove to be true. But we do not need to wait
for a

new discovery of God.

has already been made, and

The discovery God does care.

Not only
as a race.

are we in God's thoughts, but he

thinks about us as individuals, not merely

The Father

never forgets one of

his children, even the least.

Though you
the
are,

are

cast

friend

upon a bare rock knows where you

in

sea

and no
in

you are

God's thought.

He

is

watching and caring.

1

[220

'

j^oejs (15oD

Care?

Though you

are carrying to-day some secret

grief or trouble which no one on earth can

know, he knows, he sympathizes, he

ing of you.

is

think-

*^*

Among so many, can he care ? Can special love he everywhere f

/ asked.

My soul bethought

of this

In just that very place of his Where he hath put and keepeth you, God hath no other thing to do.^^

If

you actually

believe this, all

life's

your troubles
will all

will

be made light and

meaning

be changed for you.

Providence
special

is

full

of_ illustrations

of God's

thought for his children.

in

In an ad-

dress

made

Glasgow before an Insurance

and Actuarial Society, on The Incalculable

Elements of Business, James Byers Black
told the story of the escape of the one

who survived
years since.
it

man Tay Bridge disaster, some This man left the train when
the

stopped

for

moment
[

at

Fort Street

221

Cl^e

dEfate
it

"Beautiful
started on its jouroif
it.

Station, just before

ney to death.
instant the train
left

His hat blew

and he

yielded to his impulse to follow

moved

off

and the

At that man was

standing alone at the

little

wayside sta-

tion,

on a dark, tempestuous night.

He was
left

vexed and greatly irritated at being thus

behind.

Within a very few minutes the train

had crashed through the broken bridge and

had carried seventy-four persons
on board

down
sole

everyone

to death in the remorseless

waters of the Tay.

off

The man whose hat blew

survivor of that night's

was the

tragedy.
It

would be interesting to know

this

man's

subsequent history.

Why

was he spared?

What work was

dence, no doubt

there for

him to

do.'^

If

we

could understand the mystery of divine provi-

we should
of this

learn the reason

why God thought

providence.

man and kept him

call this

off the ill-fated train.

We
this

a special

But was

a providence any

more than a thousand other things that have

no tragic importance
[

in

our
]

lives.''

Some one

222

JBOC0 (KoD Care?

once asked George Macdonald
in special providences.
if

he believed

He

said, " Yes, in the

providences, but not in the special."

Not now
a divine

and

then, in some remarkable instance, but in

is

every event and occun-ence there

providence.
life is

God
is

is

always on the

field.

Our

full of

God.

We

do not always

see his

hand, but he

never absent.
life.

There are no

accidents, no chances, in

God
all

thinks of

us continually and watches over

our move-

ments.

We
any

call it

a providence when there

is

a disasIs it

ter on the railway

less

and we are not hurt.

a providence when the train runs

disaster,

through with no

destination uninjured.?

and we come to our One man asked in a meeting that thanks be given because when
his horse

stumbled on the edge of a great

precipice he escaped being dashed to death.

Another man arose and asked to be included

in the

thanksgiving because he passed over

the same mountain road

and

his horse did

not

stumble.

Not only does God

[223]

deliver us in

danger, but he guards us from danger.

Ci^e (Pate iseautiful

God's thoughts for our hfe

may
are

not always be

our thoughts, but

thoughts.
says, "

they

ahvays

good

There

is

a word in Isaiah which

My

thoughts are not your thoughts,

neither are

your

waj^s

my

ways, saith the

Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the

earth, so are

my

thoughts higher than your

God's thought we want for

thoughts."

It is

our hfe, rather than our own. God's thought

for us
is

higher than ours, that

is,

wiser, bet-

ter, safer,

than ours.
life.

We

will all assent to

this as

a theory of

But when we come

we

to

the acceptance of God's thought, his waj' , his

plan, instead of our own, sometimes
fail.

We
us.

are not willing to accept his thought for

If

you were directing your own life, you would leave out some disappointment, perhaps, some loss or sorrow. You would not have had this year's pinching times, or some
if you were changing things to But would your Hfe be better that way? Perhaps the best things will come out of the things you would omit if you

special trial,

your mind.

were planning.

[224]

?oej( (BoD

Care?

"// some things were omitted, or altered as we would.

The whole might he

good.

unfitted to

work

for perfect

Our plans may

rest

be disjointed, hut

we may calmly
than our

What God has once appointed

hest."

is hetter

When we

say, "

thoughts unto me,

How precious also are thy O God!" we should be

ready to accept them, to yjelci^ourselves to them. Have you ever thought what a glorious thing
it is

to have

God plan

for your

life,

to know that he thought about you before you were made, and then made you according to his thought? No wonder George Mac-

donald said he would rather be the being

God

made him

to be than the most glorious crea-

ture he could think of.

No

possible

human

plan for your

noble,

life

could be half so high, so

as

so

beautiful,

God's thought for

you.

This

is

true, not only of the plan of

our

life

in general,

but of each detail of

\

it.

We

are

225

Ci^e (Bate iseautifui

coming
life

all

the while to certain experiences

which so break into our thought for our own

that

we are

startled,

and say, " Surely

this

cannot be God's thought for me." Some-

times we have pleaded with

God

to withhold
loss,

from us something

some pain

which

some sorrow, some

request.
in spite of

seemed to be impending,

and we did not get our

impended came on
that
it

That which
our prayers
really hap-

might not come.

on in our

What
life

pened? God's perfect thought for us at that

point went
instead of

our

lower

thought.

And

that

was

best.

Our

desire should always be that God's

thought

slialLbe realized

and not

ours.

One was speaking of unanswered prayer. There had been the most passionate pleading
for something without which
it

seemed that

the person's happiness and

good would be
it

most incomplete.
would be nothing
thought for the
disaster.

It appeared, indeed, that

less

than disaster

if

the re-

quest were not granted.

life,
it

But

if it

was God's

would have been no

The

disaster
[

would have been the

]

226

j^oess cKoD
granting of

Care?
"

my

friend's request.

My

ways

are higher than

better,

your ways," that is, wiser, more glorious. One puts it thus
" 'Twas long ago.

When

I was young.

Alas

I did not
so,

know

better

way.

I said, 'It

must he

Or God cannot
Alas
!

he good.'

Alas

my

poor weak

How

differently
If I

woidd I had understood.

I hear

human pride I have quiMy cried

"

And now
it

thankfid heart for that

so I think
will be

unanswered prayer.
there,

And

when, up

Where all is upon the things we longed for so, And see how little were they worth, and know

known,

We

look

How

soon they were outgrown.''

God's thoughts for us are always good. Jeremiah, in comforting the exiles in captivity, said, " I know the thoughts that I think to-

ward you,

saith the Lord, thoughts of peace,

evil."
[

and not of

When you
227
]

are passing

Ci^e dPate "Beautiful

through some great sorrow, some overwhelming
loss,

some sore

trial,

God's thought for

you always is peace, good, blessing. If only we would believe_this, if only we would be
sure of
it,

whatever the experiences

us.

nothing ever could disturb

always been so?

may be, Has it not

God
of

never had a thought

his

toward any

child

that

was not a

thought of peace.
Christ, terrible as

He
it

always means good

trials.

even in the most painful

The

cross of

was, was a thought of

infinite blessing

God and we know what

pointment of yours
is

the

cross brought to the world.

Every disapif

a thought of love,

you understood
"

it.

How
!

precious are thy thoughts unto me,

O God
life?

"

What

is

God's thought for your

perfect.
life

Something beautiful,
is

God's
life

thought for you

VA,

eternal
service

of

blessing glory.

and holy
not
fail

here,

and then
not disap-

Do

to be what
be.

God made you

to be and wants

you to
love,

Do

point God.

Some people
[228

do.

His thought for

holiness,

them

is

beauty,

obedience,
]

oesi

(Boti

Care?
They
insist

glory, and at the end they bring him nothing

but

sin,

marring,
for

ruin.

reject

his

higher

way

them and
the end
is

on having

their own.

And

disaster, not

good

or blessing.

[229]

C^ou

^]^alt ISnotD J^et:eafter

231

*'

Home !

the safe and blissful shelter

where

is

glad

and fvU

content,

And companionship of
rent

kindred; and the treasures early

From your
than
in

holding shall be given back more precious

before.

Oh, you will not mind the journey with such blessedness
store,

When
t'Oh,

the road leads home.

you

will not

mind

the roughness nor the steepness of

the way,

Nor

the chill, unrested morning, nor the drearness of

the

day

And you will

But go
night,

not take a turning

to the left

or to the right,

straight ahead, nor tremble at the

coming

of the

For

the road leads home.'*

232

CHAPTER SEVENTEENTH
Cl^ott ^l^alt fenotD J^ereafter

> Iv^
:
13.

ETER

drew

up

his

feet

when Jesus was about to

wash them and said, " Lord, " dost thou wash m j feet ?

He
feet.

could not bear to have

those blessed hands on his

Jesus
I

insisted,

however,

and
;

said,

"

What

do thou knowest not now

but thou

shalt

understand hereafter."
in

There was a

purpose

what he was doing which Peter

Still

could not understand.

the

he should accept

service without question,

and sometime

the reason would appear.

These words are always on Christ's Hps as he

comes to us
in

our anxieties, our perplexities

over the mysteries of life, our sorrows and disappointments. " What I am doing you do

not

now understand.

It

seems to you unneces-

sary, perhaps even severe

and unkind.

You
caa-

cannot see goodness and love jn jt.

You

[233]

Ci^e (Kate "Beautiful

not conceive
blessing in
it

how

it

ever can prove to have

you
this

will

But wait some day understand. Then you will find that
for you.

strange,

hard thing

is

really

full

of

love."

We
How

cannot understand

all

that

God

does.

could we? Consider his greatness. Thetell

ologians

us that

God

is

infinite, eternal,

omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient.

first

In the

verse of the Bible

we are
itself

told that

God

created the heavens and the earth, that

the universe.

is, all

Our earth

seems big to us,

but
all

it is

only a mere speck in comparison with

that

God made. They

tell

us we can see

about

five

or six thousand stars with our

naked eye on a clear night. Lord Kelvin says

that in the system right round us there are at
least a

thousand million
little

stars.

And

these be-

long only to one

corner of the universe.

Truly God

is

great.

So perfect

also are the

stars, planets

movements of all the and moons that there is not a

moment's variation in their motions.

in all the countless millions is ever

No

star

a second

[234]

Cl^ou ^l^alt lanoH)

late in rising

l^ereaftet;

or setting.

Eclipses, transits,
in

and conjunctions are calculated centuries

advance, and there
is

never a fraction of a

second of failure in their occurring.

great and wise

How

God
!

is,

and how vast are the

affairs he controls

Is it

any wonder that we

Could we expect

are puzzled

and perplexed sometimes concernus.f"

ing his dealings with

to understand all the reasons for his actions,

and always to
"

see at once the

wisdom and

beauty in his vast and complex purposes?

What

I do thou knowest not now."

We

are assured that

God

has a plan for our

lives,

for each individual hfe.

Jesus had a

purpose in washing the

that night.
It

feet of his disciples

idle

was not an

thing he was
a great
smallest
is full

doing.
lesson.

He meant to teach these men He has a purpose in every

His plans run on through
events of our

thing, in each event in our lives.

Life

of God.

all

the

years and are woven of the threads of the

common
the

lives.

We

do not know
in

meaning of the small things

our everyis

day experiences, but the least of them [235 ]

in

Ci^e (Kate iseautiful

some way connected with the great divine
plan.

We

need to be careful never to

fail in

the smallest duty, for the minutest failure

may
life,

be the dropping of a stitch which will

leave a

marred place

in the

web of some other

or our own.
life

God's plan for each

affairs of that hfe.

includes the smallest

The

things that come into

our

experience
is

are

not

mere happenings.

Happen

not a good word. At least we must

lives

not think that anything comes into our

as a mere happening, without God's knowl-

edge and permission.

Chance
into

is

not a good
it

word; at

least

we may not use

broke
our

to

mean
inde-

something that

life

pendently of God. The old poet's way of putting

it is

better:

"

It

chanced

Eternal God that chance did guide.'*

into our experience
it is

Nothing ever comes

purpose for our
trol.

by

chance, in the sense that

life

outside of God's

and beyond God's con-

[236]

Cl^ou ^i^alt fenotD "^tvtatttt

Suppose some one wrongs you,
unkindly, cruelly.
of God's doing?
Is that
;

treats

you

wrong or

cruelty

No God

never did anything

that was not love.

good woman met with

two great troubles

in a single fortnight.

Her
in

husband
charge of

died, leaving his

family well pro-

vided for.

Within two weeks the person

his estate

embezzled his whole for-

tune, leaving the

widow and little children without money enough even to pay the funeral expenses.
It
is

easy to say that the

will.

death of the husband was God's

He

was

God's child and his work was done. But can we say that the embezzlement was God's will?
Surely not in the sense that

God

directed

it

or

approved of
crime.

it.

But

the

God never is the author of a moment the sin was comit

mitted

God

took

into his

hand

" Eternal
it

God

that chance did guide," and thus

his

be-

came part of
good.

plan and began to work for

That was the way God did with the

crime of the brothers of Joseph

it

he

caused

to

work for Joseph's good, and for the

of his people.

good

That was the way he did

[237]

Ci^e (Bate 'Beautiful

with the crime against Jesus

he made

it

to

work for the saving and blessing of the world. It will be the same in your case if anyone wrongs you or treats you unjustly. The wrong or the injustice is not God's act, but if you are God's child, your Father takes the evil into his hands, when it has been committed, and
of blessing;
it

becomes thenceforth, a secret

be overruled so as to be things " that work together

it will

among the "

for good.

all

We may

go a step farther and say that the

is

purpose of God

always good, always love.

It could not be otherwise, for

God

is

love.

This does not mean

that his plan for us never

it

involves suffering. Ofttimes

does. It brings

death to a mother and pain and grief to her

family.
It took the

baby out of the young

It leaves the
little chil-

mother's arms the other night.

young widow broken-hearted, with

dren to provide for. It permits loss of property to come, leaving a family to suffer pinch-

ing want and hard struggle. It allows a

to lose his

man

work

in the time of financial de[

238

Cl^ou ^l^alt

JS;notD i^eteafter

pression and to endure experience of sore

need.
cost.

It brings sickness with its pain

It lets us

and

have bitter days of suffering.

Saintly people ofttimes have to endure things

which are hard and most trying.

less,

Nevertheis

the plan of

God

for our lives

good.
it is

It

is

a plan of love.

"

What

I do "

the Master

who says

this,

and what he does

be good to endure

must be good.
Is affliction

good? Can
shall
life

it

bereavement, to suffer injustice, to bear pain?

Some day we
best things in

know that many

of the

are the fruit of these very

experiences.

The
sorrow

world's redemption comes

from
Christ.

the

and

suffering

of

Jesus
holiest

The

best blessings

and the

beauties of God's saints are the harvest of

pain.

The

pleasant things are the easiest for

us to accept

and

these, too, are parts

of
his

Christ's purpose.
will

We

must not think that

always means hard things. Some people always say, " Thy will be done," as if God's
were something
terrible.

will

But we have a
one that

thousand glad experiences

in life to

[239]

Ci^e
is

(I5ate

'Btautitul

sad, a thousand days of bright blue skies

is

to the one that

dark and cloudy.

And

the

joyous things bring their blessings, too.

We

must not get the impression that

cred things of Christian
pain, that
life

all

the sa-

come through

we are enriched and made more worthy only when we are suffering. We receive countless joys. The sunshine, too, is
and
full of life.

full of love

But we must not forget that

the things which

are painful are also parts of Christ's chosen

way
In

for us,

and that they are always good.

Christ
is

all

our

life

making us

making
In the

men

of us, fashioning character, transforming

us into moral and physical beauty.

Hebrews there
suffering.

is

a wonderful word which says

that Jesus himself was

made perfect through

pains and trials dis-

Let not

life's

may

you.

Submit to God, accept the provi-

dences that come as part of his disciphne and

take the good, the lessons, the enrichings

which he sends. Some day you will know that you have learned many of your sweetest
songs in the darkness.

[240]

Ci^ott ^l^alt ISnotti l^ereaftet;

In the advertising circular that came with a

new canary

bird, there

is

a description of the

way

the birds are educated.

They

are raised

in the

peasant districts of Germany.

is

When
in

they are to be trained, each bird

little

put

box cage, with only a small hole to give him just hght enough to see to eat and drink. These cages are then put in a room from
which
gives
all

light

is

excluded, and their teacher

the birds a lesson

every two hours.

First they get a lesson on the flute, then on

the violin, then on bells, and last of

all

nightingale
ful notes

is

brought

in to sing its

wonder-

and then to teach the birds to sing

to be noted
is

at night.

The point

that the birds must

be taught their lessons in the darkness.

They
is

would not learn them

in the light.

It

with

many

people also as with the birds.

There

are certain songs we cannot learn to sing in

the sunshine.

So the great Teacher calls us apart and shuts the door, to keep out the
and exclude the world's noises and then

light

teaches us the songs of peace, of joy, of trust,

[241]

--^

^
^

m^t
life

(Kate 'Beautiful

of peace, of love.

Thus painful things

of

have their place in the divine training

lives.

of our

But all the mysteries in our lives will some day be revealed. They will not always be inexplicable to us.

"

What
see

do thou knowest
this or that

not now; but thou shalt understand hereafter."

We

do not

now how
is

experience can be well and can do good, but

after a time the mystery

explained.

" All

chastening seemeth for the present to be not

j

oy ous but grievous

yet afterward

it

yield-

eth peaceable fruit."

The plow

cuts rudely

through the

field.

It seems only destructive.

But afterwards
It is

there waves
all

a harvest of
first.

golden grain where

seemed ruin at

only afterwards that

many

of God's
It

providences can be clearly understood.

takes time for the full meaning to be
out.

wrought

We

do not know in the days of sorrow

will

what shining blessing

final

be revealed as the
see in

outcome.

We

do not

midwinter

the roses that are hidden under the snow,

which after a while

will

unfold their beauty.

[242]

Ci^ott ^l^alt J^notj)

"

"^tuattn
know

The year

is

young.

It does not

What

roses sleep beneath the snow.

for

Waiting

June^s

soft breeze to blow.

Our souls are young. We do not know What power is ours for joy or woe.

We
There
is

wait.

Another

life will

show."

a distinct promise that the mysteries

of Hfe will be

made

clear sometime.

Ofttimes
life's

this is realized soon.

There are some of

mysteries,

however, which are

never made
is

plain in this present world. Life

too short.

Men and women

ties

die sometimes with perplexi-

unexplained.
are immortal.

But

there

is

another

life.

We

We

shall live a

thousand

years, ten thousand years, after leaving earth.

There
"

will

be time enough then for the deep-

est mysteries to be

made

plain.
;

What

do thou knowest not now

but thou

shalt understand hereafter." Believe this.

lieve that the clouds will lift

Be-

and that a whole

heavenful of sunshine and blue sky will appear.

Believe that beyond to-day's sorrow
it

and out of
lieve

will

come comfort and joy. Be-

that to-day's stress and strain, pinching

[243]

Cl^e (0ate Beautiful

and anxiety,
have
rest,

will

pass

away and that you

will

will

plenty and gladness.

Believe that

your present burdens

lift
life.

become wings to

you upward

into the blessings of eternal

Believe that the buds under the snow

will be glorious roses in

little while.

244]

Ci^e ptactict of SlmmortaUtt

[245]

V To live for common ends is to be common, The highest faith makes still the highest man ! For we grow like the things our souls believe, And rise or sink as we aim high or low.

No

As faith we

mirror shows such likeness of the face live by of the heart and mind.
are in very truth that which we love,
love, like noblest deeds, is

We

And

born of

faith.''

[246]

CHAPTER EIGHTEENTH
Cl^e practice of gimmortalftr

EARLY
in

everybody believes
although

immortality,
is

not everyone

enthusiastic

over the subject.

since,

Not long

when a distinguished

if he beHeved in personal immortahty, he is said to have answered " Yes, I cannot help believing
:

man was asked

in

it.

Everything points to
it."

it.

But

do not

want
faith,
tal.

He

does not accept the Christian

believes that

and yet he

man

is

immor-

But

the behef has no comfort for him.

live forever.

He
ity,

does not want to

Immortal-

however,

is

forever
lives

that alone might give no joy. Some have been so sad here that the thought

not merely continuance of Hfe

of living ten thousand years in the same

way

would be

intolerable.

There

is

a story of one

who prayed that he might never die, but forgot to pray that he might not grow old. His [247]

Cl^e (Bate Beautiful

pra^^er was granted,
after century,

and he

lived

on century
feeble

becoming more and more

continually, all the infirmities of age increas-

ing in their burdensomeness until he prayed

to die.

blessing.

Mere prolonged life would not be a We must die to attain an immor" This corruptible must
. .
.

tality of blessedness.

put on incorruption.

Then

shall

come
is

to pass the saying that

is

written,

Death

swallowed up in victory."

But immortality ought to have a meaning for us now while we are in this world. We say we are immortal how then should an immortal

man

or

woman
The

live

here and

now?

We

have

the answer suggested in one of St.

epistles.

Paul's

writer

is

speaking of Christ's
believers are

resurrection,

and he says that

risen too, in Christ.

Then he

adds, " If then

ye were raised together with Christ, seek the

things that are above, where Christ
is,

is." That you are risen with Christ. You have not gone to heaven with him yet. He has left you here for a while. You have a work to do in

this

world for him, and there

is

also a

work to

[248]

Cl^e ptactict of 9!wtttotrtaUtr

be done in you before
heaven.
are
the

But you

are to

you will be ready for remember that you

and are now living
sort
is

now

risen with Chnst,

life.

resurrection

What
live

of a

life

ought that to be ? The question

sort of a
life will

not, "

What

you

when you get to

heaven?" but

"What

kind of a Hfe should

you live right world?"

here, right now, in the present

When
said, "

Jesus

was speaking of eternal

life

which those who believed should enter into, he

eth

He that heareth my word, and behevhim that sent me, hath eternal life." He
He
will

did not say, "

have eternal

life

when
is,

he enters heaven," but he " hath

it,"
is

that

from the moment he

wait
till

believes.

He

not to

he reaches heaven before he begins

to live his eternal life. He is on the earth yet and cannot get away from his earthly relations. He must take up his tasks, he must do
his duties

having

eternal

life

does not re-

lease

him from

these.

He

is

to practice eter-

nal
If

life

now and

continually.

you

die to-morrow, being a child of

God,

[249]

W^t
you

dE-ate

Beautiful
life.

will enter at

once upon the heavenly

We
is,

do not know just what the heavenly

it is

life

but we do know that

It

loving, unselfish,
It
is

holy, without sin.

tented.

is

joyous.

con-

We

cannot -think of anyone in heaven

fretful.
is

being unhappy, discontented,

bod}'

No-

there grumbles, complains,

a mur-

murer.

Nobody
live as

in

heaven ever worries. "When

will

you

die

and go to heaven, you

easy to
fall into

begin at
live.

once to

other people in heaven

You

will find it

the heavenly

Heaven is a holy place. Nobody sins there, nobody lies, nobody gets angry, nobody does a mean thing, nobody speaks evil of another. If 3'ou die to-night and go to
habits.

heaven,

you

will

begin to Hve to-morrow

morning the heavenly life. But if you do not die to-night, but stay
world longer, Hving the eternal
that
live

in this

life will

mean
be,

you
that
live

shall rise
life
it

to-morrow morning and

wherever you

here,

may
if

and

just as you would do

lived

you

had died and

how
[250]

in heaven.

In the

story of our Lord's last night with his dis-

Cl^e ptattict of 31mmortaUtt

ciples,

we have this remarkable statement, " Knowing that he came forth from God, and goeth unto God, he took a towel and girded
himself and began to wash the disciples' feet."

He knew

the glorious being he was, that he

was the Son of God, divine, and yet, with this consciousness fully in his mind, he performed
the lowliest service for his disciples that any

man could do for others. You know that you are risen

with Christ, that

you are immortal, that you have eternal life now what are fit things for one to do who
knows that there
in his life?
is

such glory, such splendor

all,

First of
life

no service of love

is

beneath him. His

should be devoted to the

sweetest, most helpful ministries of kindness

that his hand can find to do.

John the Baptist, in the gloom of his dungeon at Machasrus, began to wonder if after all Jesus was the Messiah, and sent some of
his disciples to ask him.

When
set

Jesus did not enter

upon a
just

the men came, programme to

his

show

his

deity

he

went on with

everyday work of kindness and then told the

[251]

Ci^e (Pate I5eautiful

men
to

go back

to their master

what they had seen and heard

and

tell

him

the blind re-

ceive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are

cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised,

and the poor have good tidings preached

unto them.

These were the truest and best

evidences of Messiahship.

That
the

is

the

way

man who knew he was lived his common days.

the

Son of God
his divine

For another

thing, Jesus,

knowing

glory, did not separate himself from other

people to show that he was not an ordinary

man.

He

did not live in a

way

that would

demonstrate to the world his divine character

in unearthly ways.

He

took his place

among

workingmen.

He

was a carpenter, and for

eighteen years wrought at his lowly trade. It

scarcely seems to us quite fitting that the

Son

of

God

should be a carpenter, but there was

left

nothing undivine in that. It

no dishonor

on him, and indeed

it

made

his glory all the

life

more radiant.

In

all his

earthly

we

see

in Jesus his divine life.

He was
]

always praclife.

ticing immortality, living eternal

This

[252

'

Cl^e pvactict of Simmottalitt

suggests to us
life here.

how we may
not do

live the
it

heavenly

We may

in

any strained
in the sim-

or unnatural efforts at holiness or heavenliness,

but by doing the

will of

God

plest

way, which
tasks

will

always mean the comas they

mon
will

and duties of the days

heavenliest
life

come

to us.

The

we can hve here

fulfill

be the one that will best

our com-

mon

duties in our natural relationships.

"

Do

to-day the nearest duty.

for

Our work counts

Three
thiiigs

more than

talk.

are great
will

Conscience,

and

and courage

to

Fidfill the duties they create.'

We,

too,

may

live the resurrection, life in

the

shop, at a trade, in the kitchen, in any lowly

work or
ever we

calling.

Doing

the will of

God wher-

may be is the immortal life. The Apocryphal Gospels are a number of stories about Jesus written by men who
thought that a divine being never should do
anything natural or common.
[

So they

in-

253]

Cl^e (Bate ^Beautiful

ness,

to

our

offices

and shops and farms.

life

We

are to live the immortal

wherever

we go.
Perhaps we ought to think more of the glory
of our lives.

We

do not think half enough

of ourselves

of our greatness, of the glory

of our being, of the divineness of our destiny.

ficient

It

is

not self-conceit in which we are deis

there

enough of that hateful thing

in the most of us

not

self-conceit,

but

self-

honoring, self-reverencing.

Not many

of us

honor and reverence ourselves as we should

do. Perhaps the greatness of our being
is

not

often enough impressed

upon

us.

We

are not

accustomed to think of the splendor of our

nature.

We
little

The
vised

old

were made in the image of God. Psalm says that " Man was made
lower than the angels."

only a

The Re-

Version
it

makes

changes this, however, and read, " but little lower than God."

Jesus said that a

this

man

is

worth more than

whole great world, and that anyone,

even the lowliest, would

if

make a bad bargain

he sold himself for the whole world.

[256]

]^e pvactkt of 3iittniortalit^

Now
life

what are you doing with

this glorious

of yours?

The

beloved disciple in one of

are*

his letters says,

" Beloved, now

is

we

chil-

dren of God." That

surely
is

the

first

glory.
is

That

great glory.
is

But there

more of
future

the honor. It

not yet made manifest clearly

shall be

and

fully
in

what we
mystery
is

veiled

him "
like

that
tells

but

the

is

" we

shall

be

like

the final glor3^

We

shall be

Christ in our heavenly

us

life.

Then

the

writer

how we should
set

if this is

to be

live in this world our future distinction. " Every

one that hath this hope

himself, even as he
is

on him purifieth
is

pure." It

pitiful

how

men throw away

little

their crowns.

Made

only a

lower than God, children of God, des-

tined to be like Christ at length, they yield

to

appetite,

lust,

and passion, and debase

themselves in the dust.

With

this

glory set

before us, we should keep ourselves pure and

our

lives white,

and should

strive even here to

is

reach
us.

up

to the honor that

prepared for

[257]

Loosing anto

ttjz

i^iUjs

[259]

"Lord, wheJi I look on high,

Clouds only meet my sight Fears deepen with the night

But yet it is thy sky. Help me to trust thee, Wait in the dark and

then, I pray.
tearfully obey.

260]

CHAPTER NINETEENTH

ought to learn to loflt^

up.

Many

people

dwarf

their lives

and hinder the

best possibilities of growth

in

their

souls

by looking
their

downward. They keep

scenes,

eyes entangled ever in mere earthly sights and

and miss seeing the glory of the

hills

that pierce the clouds, and of the heavens

that bend over them.

We

grow

in the direc-

tion in which our eyes habitually turn.

We

become

like

that toward which

we look much

and

intently.^

Yet there are those who never look upward at

all.

They never

see

anything but the things

They never $ee the They never think of God. They do not pray. They have no place in their scheme of
that are on the earth.
stars.
life

for divine things.

There are two conceptions of the universe

[261]

Cl^e
the scientific

(!Eate

'Beautiful
Sir

and the rehgious.

" Orthodox

OHver

Lodge

says

modem

science shows

us a self-contained and self-sufficient universe,

not in touch with anything above and beyond

itself.
.

Religion, on the other hand, re-

quires us constantly

and consciously to be

in

touch, even affectionately in touch, with a

power, a mind, a being, or beings, entirely

out of our sphere, entirely beyond our scientific

ken.
is

The
it

universe contemplated by reself-contained or selfits

ligion

by no means

sufficient

is

as dependent for
as

origin

we are for our daily bread upon the power and the good will of
and maintenance
a being or beings of which science has no knowledge."

The
is

latter of these conceptions of the

world
is

the one that the Bible gives.

This

our
it,

Father's world.

He made

it,

he sustains

he

lives in it, all its affairs are in his

hands.

One

of

the

Psalms
life
:

gives

us

this

devout

thought of

" I will hft up mine eyes

unto the mountains." It was to

God

that the

poet looked. The mountains are a symbol of

[262]

loosing aJnto
God. The writer says
keeping
Psalm.

tl^e

i^illjs

also, "

My

help cometh

from the Lord." The minuteness of the divine

is

beautifully brought
will

out in the

"

He

not suffer thy foot to be

moved." On mountain paths a great disaster

may
a

result

from the slipping of a

foot.

Many
the
to the

life

has been lost by a misstep

among

crags.

But God's keeping extends even

is

feet of his children.

There
beauty

another

assurance

of

exquisite

in

the Psalm.

No human

love can

watch over a friend unintermittingly.

The

most devoted mother sometimes

suffering
cliild.

sleeps

by her

But

there

is

an Eye that

never closes, that always watches.

Psalm shows the safety of those

their eyes unto the hills.
all evil.

The whole who lift up

They are kept from They are guarded when they go out and when they come in. We never can get away from the divine keeping unless we give up God and go out into sin. The greatest mistake anyone can make is to leave God out
of his faith and out of his
life.

To

those

who

live

thoughtfully

life is full

of

[263]

Ci^e dPatc QScautiful

God. Even
if

there were no assurances in the

Bible, telHng us of his love,

no promises of
is

his

care, c ommo n daily provi dence

so fu ll of

God
is

that a thoughtful person could not doubt

his existence

or his care for his children.

God

the most real Friend in all the world, though we have never seen him. We can see
his footprints everywhere.

We

find evidences

of his love, his interest, his kindness, in people's lives all

about

us.

If one says he has

never seen God, he has at least seen God's

faithfulness, evidences of his love, his interest.

We may
we

not hear his answer in words when

talk to

him
since

in prayer, but

we

see the an-

swer in what he does to bless us.

Some time

two men met on a vessel cross-

ing the Atlantic.

They soon

discovered that

they had both been in the American Civil

War, one

fighting with the North, the other

with the South.

They

discovered, too, that

they had taken part, on one occasion, in the

same

battle.

Then

this incident

came out as

they talked together reminiscently. One night

the Northern soldier was on sentry duty on

[264]

iLoofiing
one side of a
soldier
river,

anto
river,

t^e

i^illjS

little

and the Southern

was a sharpshooter just across the

picking off soldiers on the other side

at every opportunity.

The

sentry was sing-

ing softly, " Jesus, Lover of

my

Soul," as he

kept his watch, and the words of the old

were heard in the
still

hymn

night over the stream.

The sharpshooter was taking aim and was

about to
fire

on the sentry.

Just then he

heard the words, " Cover

with the

my

defenseless head

shadow of thy wing."

not shoot a

dropped

he dare

His

rifle

man praying

that prayer.

" I could as soon have shot

said.

my

own mother," he
whole incident?
night.?

Was

not

God

in this

Was

he not a reality that

We

need not ask why no one has ever

Lift

seen God.
tains
in

up your

eyes unto the

mounwill

every time of need, and

God

always help.

Every Christian should

to look up.
ally,

train himself always

U
"

Some people look down

life

continu-

watching for thorns and

briars.

They

never see anything in

things.

but the unpleasant

They

are always looking for troubles.

[

265

Ci^e ate l3eautiful

Thej
find

them, too, on the brightest days, in

the loveliest places.

beautiful.

They

never see anything

But that is not the way to go through life. Lift up your eyes and look for roses, not for thorns. Once when a voice was
speaking to Jesus, some people said
it

thun-

dered, while others said an angel spoke to

him. So

it is

always with people

some never
think peo-

hear anything but thunder.

They

ple are all like snarling wild beasts.

They do
discords,

not love anybody, nor trust anybody, nor

care for anybody.

They hear only

wolf notes.

They do not

believe in people,
all

even the best of them.

liars,

To them
They

men

are
all

thieves, robbers.

claim that

Christians are hypocrites, all merchants dishonest,

homes bedlams, that nobody is pure, and nobody is unselfish. Can you think of any other way of making one's life miserable that equals this.^ Rather, lift up your
all

eyes unto the

hills,

where the air

is

sweet, the

light clear, the music like angels' songs.

will

This

change

all

the world for you.

Of course

there are discordant notes in the music of a

[266

ILooliinQ
great
about.
city

Onto

tl^e

i^(ll0
surging
all

where throngs

are

But why should we hear the discords there is so much sweet music in life to when
be heard everywhere?

We

are exhorted to

overcome

evil

with good, bitter with sweet,

love.
hills

sorrow with joy, hate with

Lift

up your

eyes unto the

when you

think of your

own

circumstances.

They may
hear people

not seem bright or hopeful.

You

talk about the sore troubles they have.

There

always are

difficulties,

discouragements, disap-

pointments, and we can easily find them when

we look for them.

yourself
instead
to

But can you not

find

train

something

good,

something beautiful, something cheering, and

inspiring.'^

There always

is

at least a

gleam

of light in even the darkest night.

the
little

When
chill

dog, lying in the parlor upon a

day, saw a spot of sunshine on the floor, he

was wise to leave

lie

his cold corner

and go and
If there

down

in

it.

His was good philosophy for a

is

dog, and good also for a man.

only one spot of happiness in
world, find
it

all

your
it.

httle

and

set

your chair

in

[267]

W)t

dSate QBeautiful

Some one tells of a poor crip pled shoe maker who never could go out anywhere. His little
shop was in the heart of the great
houses on
lived,
all sides

city,

with

of the poor place where he

shutting out every beautiful sight, with

visible
life

no sky

from

his httle

window, with not

dis-

a hint of

to be seen.

But one day he

covered that from a certain place in the shop

he could catch a mere glimpse of blue sky.

He

set his

shoemaker's bench right there, so

lift

that while he cobbled away, he could

his eyes at every resting
bit of beauty.
life!

up

moment and

see the

How

it

brightened his dreary

in the hardest ex-

There
in

is

some point
life

perience

your

where something

of

heaven

may

be seen.

Find

it

and

set

your
that
see

stool there.

We
we

do not begin to know how true

it is

noake.

pur own world. The sunshine we

is

about us daily

in ourselves.

It shines out

from within

us.

We

are not to

go about de-

manding that others shine on us, on our field, and on our home. We are not to blame other people when we are peevish, fretful, discon[

268

JLoofeing
tented,

anto

tl^e

i^illjS

or

touchy.

great

teacher

said,

*^Vhen things go wrong, don't blame somebody else; blame yourself." It is usually our

V^

own

fault that

we are not happy.

Even

if
if

people do not treat us as they should do,

they are unjust to us, unkind, disobhging,

selfish,

exacting, that will not

right or beautiful for us to

or to go about sour and sad.

make it either grow unhappy,

We should never We

allow anybody, any circumstances, or any-

thing that happens to spoil our hfe.

ought to resolve to keep sweet whatever the circumstances may be. That is what being a
Christian means.

That
hills.

is

wjiat itis

to^ lift

up_.

our eyes unto the

If

we are looking to
wje

God, we cannot do mean things,

cannot

lie,

we cannot be
lift

selfish,

grasping, or greedy,

whatever the provocation

may

be.

If

we truly

up our

e^'es

unto God, we

will

get some-

thing of God's beauty into our soul, will be-

come imbued with God'sholiness, God' truth, God's love, and get grace enough to enable us
to live the Christlike
life.

"

The mountains

are places of strength.

They -^

[269]


Ci^e (Bate TBeautiful

cannot be moved.

They

are stable

and
are

sure.

They

are places of safety.

They
it

above the floods and dangers of earth.

higher our hfe
rises,

the safer

is.

power of temptation grows less and less go up nearer to Christ. Our faults, infirmities, vices, lose their power over us as we rise

away The The as we

up into and die

the mountain air

there.
It
is

they
No

will

choke

said that telescopes have

detected birds flying six miles above the earth.

How
same

safe they are

up

there!

arrow can

reach them.
is

No enemy
it,

can find them.

flies

The

true of the soul that

far above

no trapper can catch

it.

no tempter can reach

The mountains The mountains are

are places of safety.

places of peace.

There

is

a point in the heavens, above the clouds,

where no storm ever blows, where no tempest

ever breaks.
heights,
If

we

rise into these

calm, holy

we

shall find peace.

An

ancient leg-

end relates that every morning at sunrise a

handful of dew
fell

from Mount Hermon

upon the church of

it

St.

Mary, where

at once

was gathered by the Christian physicians

[270]

iLooSmg Onto t^e

(llsJ

and proved a sovereign remedy for all manner of diseases. This dew from the sacred mountain represents the love of Christ which comes

down perpetually from heaven, which not

only nourishes the
all diseases.

lives

of

men but

also heals

[271

00

iEitaclc, I3ut po>a>tt

273

'

//

we

sit

down

at set of

sun

And
One

count the things that we have done,

And
That eased
That

counting, find

self-denying act, one word

the heart of him who One glance most kind

heard,

fell like

sunshine where
that

it

went,

Then we may count

'

day

well spent.

But,

if

through

all the livelong

day,

We've eased no heart by yea or nay,

If,

through

it all.

We've nothing done that we can trace That brought the sunshine to a face ; No act most small.
That helped some soul and nothing
cost.

Then count

that

day as worse than

lost."

[274]

CHAPTER TWENTIETH

jj
Xff-^

^0

^ivaclz, T5ut

i^otpet;

is

said of

John the Baphe said about

tist

that he did no miracles,

all

but that

Christ was true.

Therefore

one

may

not be a miracle

worker,
very useful.

and yet may be

Perhaps we think that most of

the things of love

were miracles.

and mercy which Jesus did He had divine power, and

many

of his works were supernatural.

his

He

power over nature when he made showed the water wine, when he stilled the stormy sea, when he multiplied the loaves. He showed his power over
healed
all

sickness

and

disease

when he

manner of human
in

ailments.

He
cast

showed

his

power over demons when he

them out of those

whom
in

they were living.

He

showed

his

power over the Tempter when

the
wilderness.

he vanquished him

He

showed

his

power over death when he rose

[

275

W)t

(Kate Beautiful

from the grave.

Christ's miracles

We may

not make

little

of

he did many things which

tells

no man could do.

An

English preacher

of a visit paid by a

party of Americans to the wonderful royal

grapevine at
rich

Hampton
clusters.

Court. It

hung

full of

One of the party asked the keeper, " Could you not give us a few of

summer

those

grapes.'^

"
is

teously, "

There

The keeper replied couronly one man in the kingthis

in-

dom,

sir,

vine."

who could give you grapes from "And who is he.'*" the visitor

quired.

" His Majesty, the King," was the

answer. There are things which only the

King

can do. There are blessings which only Christ

can bestow. There are fruits of grace which

you can

receive

from no hand but

his.

His

miracles were wonderful.

Yet only a small proportion of the things

Jesus did were unusual, supernatural
;

ninety-

nine hundredths of his acts were simple, com-

mon

kindnesses which

it

did not need divinity

all

to perform.

His words were

gracious and

inspiring.

He wrought

only one, miracle in

[276]

00
the

jWiracle, I3ut faotoet

in his frequent visits,

Bethany home, but

sitting with the family

by the hearth, or

at

the table, talking with

ings, walking with

them

in the quiet even-

them

in the garden, shar-

ing with them the tender things of friendship

and

affection, there

must have been

in their

hearts ever after a thousand memories of his

love which
sides the
It

made his name sacred memory of his raising

all

to them, be-

of Lazarus.

was so in

Christ's life

there were a

few miracles, showing divine power in marked

and undoubted way; there were countless revealings of kindness, gentleness, sympathy,
thoughtfulness,

encouragement, mere com-

mon

kindnesses, which were as full of

God

as the miracles.

When
me?
acles

Jesus said to Philip, "

Have

I been so

long time with you, and dost thou not know

He

that hath seen

me hath
there was

seen the

Father," he did not refer merely to the mir-

he had wrought

quite as

much
life

of the Father revealed in his everyday

with his friends

his

unbroken peace,

his

never- failing

patience,

his

abounding joy,

[277]

Cl^e

(I5ate

'Beautiful
moment, as

in his gracious helpfulness every

in his great signs.

Indeed the Incarnation

itself

was just the

coming of God down out of

into

invisible glory,

common human

life,

reveahng himself in

simple, homely

ways that we might underclose to him, that

stand him, that he might get close to us, that

we might come

we might
was in
disciples

know him
Christ's

intimately

and

familiarly. It

most human ways that the

saw most of God. His miracles dazzled their

eyes

and awed them.

and

Mary

could not have

sat at his feet

if

listened calmly to his

words

he had appeared transfigured. John could

not have leaned on his breast at supper, restfully

and

quietly, if glory

had been shining

in his face.

Christ's deepest revealings to us

are

made

in

humanest ways.
it

writer in

The

Outlook puts

thus:

They hade me lift my Lord and King,

Enthroned above
sing.
I

eyes to thee,

who

art great

the cherubim,

who praise

eternal

278

j^o iHfracle, l5\xt po'mtv

And eagerly

I gazed above, as other mortals dare

light

Such radiant

was

all too bright

/ could not

find thee there.

And

blinded,

and with downcast

eyes, I scarcely

saw

the

man
me on my way,
there
:

Who

walked beside

though close

our pathways ran.

No pomp, no kingly pride was

pressed the road
;

his footsteps

staff like

mine was in

his

hand ;

his shoulders

bore their load.

One day
''

I turned

and saw

his face

the pitying,
hand; and

human brow ;
Brother," he said, with outstretched
I,

''Why,

this is thou!''

The same is true of others as well as Master. One may be a true witness for

of the Christ

and yet not be a worker of miracles. Or to bring it into the language of every day, one

may not be brilliant, may not be eloquent, may not do great or conspicuous things, and yet may do much worthy and blessed service
for the Master and for men.

Many

people are

hero worshipers.

They admire and magnify

[279]

Cl^e (Kate 13eautiful

work done by the miracle workers. The popular preacher wins attention by his eloquence, and everybody praises him. Meanwhile, plain, commonplace preachers toil away
the
in

obscurity,

not drawing crowds to hear

them, not winning commendation, never mentioned in the newspapers.

Yet they go about,

Their

seven days in the week, giving out their lives

in all

manner

of kindly service to men.

They carry benedictions into people's homes. They pray beside sick beds and comfort mourners. They
lives are full of self-denials.

carry their people in their hearts and arc

friends to the need}', the poor, the children.

They

are not eloquent,

their public ministry,

and no one praises and yet they may be ten

miracles, but they

times the blessing in the world the brilliant

orators are.

They do no

are Christ's beloved servants, messengers of

his love to the world.
It is the

same

in all callings.

There are those

worship
them.
in un-

who do
them,

spectacular things, and people praise

follow

them,

almost

There are

certain persons
[

who do good

280]

00

jEimcle,
They

But ^oMotv
tendthese

usual ways.

are benevolent, and are

ency

known everywhere as great givers. The is to pay a great deal of honor to

Perhaps the honor

miracle workers.

is

not

too great, not more than they deserve.

We

must not envy those who do great and beautiful things

and get much praise of men.

But meanwhile there is a great multitude of people who are not brilliant, not eloquent, who do no unusual or striking things, but who are among the most useful persons in the community where they live. They do no miracles,

but their

lives are full of blessing.

Indeed, the fact that a person works quietly,

without noise, without fame, never doing anything startling or sensational,

may
is

indicate
easier to

greatness rather than smallness. It

work amidst cheers and huzzas than

ity,

in

obscur-

where one never hears a commendation.

A
is

writer says, "

One

test of the religious life

in its willingness to

occupy a subordinate

place and to
is

work

faithfully in it."

The

story

told of a

young man who was

people's

president of

young

organization,

and who

[281]

C^e

(Bate ^Beautiful

greatly liked prominence.

He had

a genius

for keeping always in the limelight.

as he could lead

As long

happy, cheerful,

and be prominent he was enthusiastic and interested.

in

But when he was not

some conspicuous

position he was not a comfortable

man

to get

along with. One of his friends described and characterized him thus " He has plenty of
:

religion to lead, but not

enough to follow."
this type.

There always are good people of

They work

splendidly

when they

are in a con-

spicuous place, with others under them, but

when they are second or down somewhere

the

in It

common

ranks, they are of

little

use.

takes

more grace to shine

in the lowly places

than in places of prominence. In the immortal Thirteenth of First Corinthians St. Paul draws a distinction between
the miracle workers
acle.

and those who do no mir" If I speak with the tongues of men

love, I

and of angels, but have not

sounding brass, or a clanging cymbal.

if

am become And
all

I have the gift of prophecy,

all
;

and know
if

mysteries and

knowledge and

I have

aU

[282]

00
love, I

jmitacle, Tsnt ^otoer

remove mountains, but have not

faith, so as to

am

nothing.

And

if

I bestow all

goods to feed the poor, and

if

I give
it

my my body
profiteth

to be burned, but have not love,

me nothing." Here we have

list

of miracles

speaking with the tongues of

men and

angels, having great knowledge, having faith, that can do impossible things, giving away

milHons, devoting one's

body
of

in

martyrdom.

But

all

these

miracles

attainment

and

achievement in themselves amount to nothing. In striking contrast with these conspicuous

things St. Paul sets love.
acle,
it

is

lowly,

Love does no mirhumble, hiding away from

observation, desiring no praise, vaunting not

itself,

its own, and yet it is honheaven and blessed on the earth far ored in above the starthng miracles of genius and

seeking not

brilliancy which lack love.

It
is

fitting that

we sing the praise of the

lowly

who

love

and serve without fame, with-

out noise, ofttimes even without appreciation.

It

was thus that Jesus himself lived and wrought. He never did anything to get peo-

[283]

W)t
pie's praise.

(Bate 'Beautiful
miracles,

He wrought many
He

but
all

never one to make a sensation.

miracles of love, of kindness.
tised himself.

His were

never adver-

He worked

quietly, without

wish to gain fame.

All that came into his

presence were better for meeting him

life

meant more
that

to

them ever

after.

without noise. His influence

is

But he worked was like the dew

forgotten but leaves refreshing and

benediction everywhere.

Think of the mothers, the mothers who

with their children and for them.
miracles, but their hands are ever

live

They do no
performing

the homely things of love. Think of the great

company
are not

of Chnstian

are plain and commonplace in their

men and women who lives, who

little circle

known beyond

the

in

which

they live, who have no earthly honor and who " leave no memory but a world made better

by

their li\'es."

They do no

miracles, but

their

names are known

in heaven.

Angels are
honored by

familiar with their deeds.

their noble Hves.

God

is

So we do not have

to do great
[

and startHng

284]

00

pLitaclt, I3ut potoer

lives

things to make our

impressive and un-

usual. We do not have to do miracles in order to commend Christ to others. We may not be able to do anything great or startling. We cannot give much money. We cannot speak eloquently. We cannot go as missionaries.

Some people have

cause

the impression that be-

they cannot do miracles of service,

they

cannot

do

anything to

add
the

to

the

honor of Christ's name.

beautiful thing

But

smallest

we do for Christ makes him

as

little

more glorious

men

see him.

preacher went back after forty years to the

college from which he

had been graduated

and spoke one Sunday to the students. He talked to them of the kind of friend Christ would be to them. At the close of the sermon
he said, " I have tried to speak a good word

to-day for Jesus Christ."

should try to do every day
for our Master.

That

is

what we

say a good word

great.

Be go od, though you cannot be

sweetly,

Live

though you cannot

285']

live

brilliantly.

Do

well

your lowly task s wherever you

[

are.

Cl^e (Bate iseawttful

Never long for honor, for praise of the world,
for distinction

among men. Live

for the eye

pier.

make people better and hapShow no discontent with your quiet, obscure lot. Envy no one who does things that men praise while you are unpraised. The
of Christ and to
noblest
life is

the one that puts a

little

glory

on the name of Christ and makes some other human being a little better, truer, more worthy. It is enough for any day if you say in
some ear a good word for Jesus Christ.

[286]

C^e ^ot6

of

tl^e

iLotJD

[287]

'Do

the work that's nearest, Though ifs dull at whiles, Helping when you meet them

Lame

dogs over

stiles,

See in every hedgerow

Marks

of angels' feet,

Epics in each pebble

Underneath our

feet."

[288]

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIRST
Ci^e

^or6
AST

of tl^e

tovb

at Lake Mohonk the guests would

summer

gather on the west porch

every evening to watch the
sunset.
derful.
It

was always won-

the sun had sunk out of sight there would frequently be a

When

marvelous afterglow. But the splendor did not

last long.

While we watched,

it

faded. While

the

wondrous beauty was

in

the

heavens,

groups of earnest people

sat

on the porches
conscious

and
of

in the parlors talking quietly of matters

that interested them.

They were not

making impressions on each other by the words they were speaking. But touches were put upon lives in those conversations which
never shall fade out.

We

are always impress-

ing other

lives.

The touches

of beauty which
life

the mother puts into a child's

will

in her

home

never fade.

The influences [289]

of friendship

Ci^e dSate I3eautiful

are immortal.
It is diviner

work which we do

upon each

other's lives in our

if

gling together than

common minwe could help God

called to

paint clouds in the skies.

In one sense

all

the

work we are ever

do

is

work of the Lord

the

affairs of busi-

ness, the housekeeper's tasks, the mechanic's

labors.

Jesus said at the age of twelve that

he must be about his Father's business. Then

common tasks of home and worked in the carpenter's a boy at shop. All this lowly, common work was his
for eighteen years he did the

Father's business.

In a more definite sense, the work of the Lord

is

what we do

in the church,

and through the

joins a church

church.

The young man who

all

becomes a partner with

bers

fellow church-mem-

and is assigned to some particular place and duty. The young woman who becomes a Christian enters the kingdom of Christ and
has her part to do in the Father's business.

She

is

not merely a boarder

she

is

one of

the family,

and there

is

nothing in the house-

hold of

God

that does not concern her.

[290]

Cl^e
The

Wotb
are to do

of tl^e
is

lotD
to

mission of the church

save the
in

world.

We

good

to

men

every

possible way.

When

two young people love

their own, they

each other and enter into the marriage relation, starting a

home of

want

to be

happy. They build their nest primarily

for their

own enjoyment. But

their

if

they love

Christ, they have a wider desire

and purpose
spot

they want
blessing.
better,
in

home
to

to

become a center of
little

They want
every
is

make one

about them brighter, sweeter, purer, gladder,

"

Each
is

of us

Dean Stanley says, bound to make the small cirway.

cle in

which he

lives better

and happier each

;

of us

bound

to see that out of that small

circle the widest

good may

flow."

The home

you build only for yourself, to shut out the cold and roughness only from you and your household, to shelter you and yours alone
from the storm, to be a
little

refuge for

self-

ishness, is not a home at all. make a home, and love is always

Only love can

unselfish, al-

ways thinks of others, always seeks to share

its

best with those

who

lack.

[291]

Ci^c (Bate TBcautiful

Tliis

principle
life.

runs through

all

phases of

Christian

We are to conduct our business

not only to make a living for ourselves and

our household, but also to make our com-

munity more prosperous and more

attractive.

We are to
in every

seek the

way.

good of our neighborhood good Christian should alcitizen.

ways be a public-spirited
house

He who
will

plants a tree or a row of trees before his

is

doing something which

garden,
only

be a

blessing to his neighbors.

The woman who

jfive

has her
or

little

if

feet square,
filled

who has but her window box

makes the world a
little

with

flowers,

brighter. Re-

ligion thinks always of others

and seeks to

make
It
is

the place in which one lives brighter and

sweeter.

not enough for us to be good

we must
cause, of

also

do good. This means,

first,

that we are

to be on the side of every

good

every true reform, of every effort to drive out

from the community. Whatever concerns the good of men, the safeguarding and sweetevil

ening of our homes, the protection of our

[292]

Ci^e ^01:6 of t^e lortj

children, the upbuilding of the

kingdom
itself

of

God among
Lord.
"

us

is

part of the work of the

with

The gospel must concern

impure

politics,

with dishonest commercialism,

relations.

and with improper marital

refuses to put on

It

is

dwarfed, unmanly, unchristian gospel which

its

armor and

fight for truth

and God."

It

ought never to need inquiry or

investigation to find out where a Christian

stands regarding any moral question or re-

form.

To

be engaged in the work of the Lord means,

also, that

we are always to be doing good

in

What was Jesus Christ in the place he lived ? What was his attitude toward the needs of the people.? What did he think
practical ways.

of the suffering about him, and what did he

do to

relieve it?

Where

did he stand regard-

ing the wrongs and oppressions of the people.?

Did he

spised, the

care when he saw the poor deweak crushed, the laborer robbed

of his wages.?

Did he look with

indifference

on the sorrowing, the

bereft, the lonely, the

tempted, the misled, the unled, children beaten

[293]

m^t
of man's greed

(Siatt

Beautiful

and abused, widows and orphans the victims and avarice?

The

story of Christ in the Gospels answers

these questions.

The

ideal church should be

as Christ himself living in the place where the

church stands.
of the

To

be abounding in the work

Lord

is

to be the friend of men, a

refuge for the storm-tossed, a shelter for the

unsheltered, a comforter of sorrow, a succorer

of the tempted.
"

Quit you like men, he strong

There's a burden to hear,

There's a grief to share,

There's a heart that hreaks 'neath a load of care

But fare ye
" Quit

forth with

a song.

you

like

men, he strong

There's a battle to

fight.

There's a wrong to right.

There's a

God who

blesses the

good with might

So

fare ye forth with

a song."

There

is

call

to-day for a higher type of

Christian conduct and character, for a diviner

[294]

Cl^e

Woth

of ti^e iLorD

conception of the duties of church-membership than has ever yet been realized.

The
Such

world

is

growing better every day.

achievements of Christianity as we are

witnessing were never witnessed before.
cent years have
ier

now
Re-

marked

the rising of a loft-

sentiment regarding pubhc and private

felt.
is,

morals than was ever before

Bad

as

much

in

our

politics

undoubtedly

there are

foretokens of a better day coming. There are

indications that

commerciahsm
captains
of

is

being

bom
and

again.
railroad

This

is

not saying that politicians,

industry,

kings,

statesmen and
saints
;

leaders of finance are becoming

it is

saying, however, that the religion

at

of Christ

is

work with mighty,

life

resistless

energy in

all

the world's

and that out of

birth of a better

the travail of souls the

new

righteousness

is

coming.

Never was so much demanded of Christian

men and women

as to-day.

Those who profess

in the fierce light

to live religiously are

now

of public sentiment as never before.

We
life

must
is

prove our faith and our creed by a

that

[295]

W)t
worthy and
profession.

(Bate istantilnl
It
is

true.

life itself

that makes

the deepest impression

upon men, not mere

influence
is

Our unconscious
in

a tre-

mendous factor
himself alone.

our

life.

No

one

lives to

Have you ever thought of what lives mean to you, how they impress you, how you are sometimes kept from giving up by the example of another man who does not give up, how you are saved
other people's

sometimes from falling by another person's

belief in you.^

A
:

young man

said the other

day, referring to the young woman he expected to marry " I would not dare do a

unworthy thing, while I call her my friend. She never preaches to me, she never says a word about what I do, but her
thing, an
life
is

mean

so beautiful, so spotless, so true, so

strong, that I could not consciously do any-

thing wrong and look into her face afterward.

She believes in me, and her

to strive to be

belief in

me compels me
I

what she thinks

am."
is

There
fierce

many

man
life
(

out in the midst of the

struggles of

who
]

is

holding firmly

^96

C]^e
to the true

Wovb

of t^e

lotD
his feet

and the right and keeping

in the clean

path of honor and faithfulness,

because some quiet, noble friend believes in

him and expects him to be loyal and strong.

He

could never look into the face of this

if

friend

he failed or faltered.

When

others

believe that

we

will

be true we must be true.

When worthy

friends are confident of our

power, know that we can accomplish certain

results, reach certain ends, their faith in us

compels us to be true and do our best.

It
is

a great thing to be believed

in.

We We
are

should ever keep in mind the influence on

others of our faith or our belief in them.

do not begin to

realize

how

it

weakens the

faith of others about us to have us

who

Christians lose heart, show the white feather,

in

some time of testing.

it

Nor can we
If

ever

know how

cheers others and makes them

brave to have us keep brave.

you have a

friend carrying a heavy burden, or

waging

hard battle and growing faint and discouraged, you must be careful
do, or
lest

something you

some word you say

shall cause

him

to

[297]

LIBHARV

uLyii-ttiig[
BEREA,
OiiiO

mm

Ci^e (Bate Jdtautitul

give

up and

sink down.

Do

not for the world

say a timid word then, a word sympathizing

with his discouragement.

courageously, inspiringly,

You must speak then. You have

your hand.

your

friend's success or failure in

To

be a discourager in such an hour would

be a crime against love.

"

Turn
There

to the is

world a courage brave, some one you may inspire."

Part of the work of the Lord always

guardianship of other
lives.

is

the
is

Of course

this

true of parents and the children committed to

them, also of teachers and the

that are intrusted to them.
in the

young lives But it is true also widest way. When we have a friend,
life is in

the friend's sense

our keeping,

in a

deeper

than we dream.

We

must beware that

never by a word, by a touch, by an act, by an

influence,

we harm or weaken our

friend's life,

or in any

way

misdirect him.

We must be

sure

that we always shelter, guard, keep inalien-

ably and inspire the

life

committed to

us.

[298]

C^e Wov^
A

of

tl^e

tovn

business man who employs a number of young persons has a responsibility for them
far

beyond the paying of

their weekly salaries

and the providing of physical safety and comfort for them while they are at work for
him.

He

is

responsible also for the moral ensets

vironment he

about them, the influences

amidst which he places them.

of
all

who become

in

The same is true any way the caretakers

of others.

We

are responsible to the full ex-

tent of our ability for the keeping, the pro-

tection

from harm and the advancement of

the interests of all

to us.

who

are thus intrusted

" Keep

this

man," was the charge "

;

if

by any

means he be missing, then

his life."

shall

Later, the

man

be for " As thy reports,

life

thy

servant was

busy here and there, he was

thus that

gone."

It

is

God

is

continually

putting others into our care, bidding us keep

them, guard them, influence them for good.

Are we

faithful to our

trust.''

There

is

not

one of us without some such responsibility.

God

is

always sending people to us in provi-

[299]

Ci^e dPate I3caut(ful

dential ways.

We do not know why they come

to us,

influence.

to

why they pass within the range of our But in whatever way they are sent us we have some errand to them. They may

need our sympathy, our encouragement, our

comfort, our protection, the influence of our
friendship.

Let us be careful

lest

while

we

are busy here and there they are gone without

having received from us the help, the blessing,

the influence which

God

intended us to give

Ihem.

300

This book

may

be kept

Fourteen Days

A
will

fine of

two cents a day

be charged for each day the book is kept overtime

248

Miller
The gate beautiful

M648g cop.l

Miller
The gate beautiful

248

Mo46g cop.l

LOANED

BORROWER'S NAME
'H"

Mr

i.

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