thing his heart is set on. But God hath better things in reserve for His children, and they must be brought to desire them and to seek them, and this will be through the wreck and sacrifice of all that the heart holds dear. The Christian prays for fuller manifestations of Christ's glory and His love to him. But he is often aware that this is in truth praying to be brought into the furnace; for in the furnace only it is that Christ can walk with His friends to display, in their preservation and deliverance, His own almighty power. Dark and trying dispensations may be needful for some stubborn minds. To such the language of God is of this kind: "I will not wholly hide myself, I will be seen by thee; but thou shalt never meet me, except in a dark night, and in a storm."-CECIL. FEBRUARY 14. I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.-CREED. Of man's whole terrestrial possessions and attainments unspeakably the noblest are his symbols, divine, or divine seeming, under which he marches and fights with victorious assurance in this life's battle: what we can call his realized ideals. Of which realized ideals, omitting the rest, consider only these two: his Church, or spiritual guidance; his kingship, or temporal one. The Church! what a world was there; richer than Golconda and the treasures of the world. Strong was he that had a church, what we can call a church; he stood thereby, though "In the centre of Immensities, on the conflux of Eternities," yet man-like towards God and man. The vague cheerless universe had become for him a firm city and dwelling which he knew. Such virtue was in Belief in these words well spoken, "I believe." Well might men prize their creeds, and raise stateliest temples for it, and reverend hierarchies, and give it the tithe of their substance; it was worth living for, and dying for.-T. CARLYLE. FEBRUARY 15. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.-MATTHEW Xiii. 9. Dreamer, waken! loiterer, hasten! Has the tumult of the market All thy sense confused and drowned ? Oh, beware! lest thy Lord's business Is on every show and pageant Barter not His gold for pebbles, Do not trade in vanities! Pearls there are of price, and jewels For the purchase of the wise. TRENCH. FEBRUARY 16. With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to man. EPHESIANS vi. 7. It is a high, solemn, almost awful thought for every individual man, that his earthly influence which has had a commencement, will never, through all ages, were he the very meanest of us, have an end. What is done, is done; has already blended itself with the boundless, ever-living, ever-working universe, and will also work there, for good or for evil, openly or secretly, throughout all time. Here on earth we are as soldiers fighting in a foreign land, that understand not the plan of the campaign, and have no need to understand it, seeing Iwell what is at our hand to be done. Let us do it like soldiers, with submission, courage, with heroic joy. Behind us lie six thousand years of human effort, human conquest; before us is the boundless time, with its yet uncreated and unconquered continents, which we, even we, have to conquer, to create; and from the bosom of eternity shine for us celestial guiding stars.-T. CARLYLE. FEBRUARY 17. The wellspring of wisdom is as a flowing brook. Wisdom lifteth up the head of him that is of low degree, and maketh him to sit among great men. Commend not a man for his beauty, neither abhor a man for his outward appearance. The bee is little among such as fly, but her fruit is the chief of sweet things. Boast not of thy clothing and raiment, and exalt not thyself in thy day of honour; for the works of the Lord are wonderful, and His works among men are hidden. Many kings have sat down upon the ground; and one that was never thought of hath worn the crown. Many mighty men have been greatly disgraced, and the honourable delivered into other men's hands. Blame not before thou hast examined the truth; understand first, and then rebuke. Answer not before thou hast heard the cause; neither interrupt men in the midst of their talk. Strive not in a matter that concerneth thee not, and sit not in judgment with sinners. My son, meddle not with many matters, for if thou meddle much thou shalt not be innocent. The blessing of the Lord is in the reward of the godly, and suddenly He maketh his blessing to flourish.-ECCLESIASTICUS. FEBRUARY 18. It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn Thy statutes.-PSALM cxix. 71. There is in each one of us a seed of eternal life, which lies dormant whilst we are occupied by seen. things, by this passing world, with its joys and sorrows, but which springs and grows up unto God when we look at the unseen things beyond death. This world is broken and bankrupt; death is through and through in all its parts, it is the valley of the shadow of death. Our life is under the sentence of death, and everything about us has death in it; and there is but one untainted, undying life in this wreck, and that is God; and He is as near us as the death is, for His is that seed of eternal life in us which lies unknown and unnoticed, though it contains the riches of eternity. Now, this is the purpose of pain, that we should be chased by it unto God, forced away from the dying things unto the undying, so that the blessed seed of God within us may spring up unto Him whose seed it is. It is still the voice of this seed, "Come unto me, ye wearied ones, and I will give you rest." This is the voice of Him who is despised and rejected of men, and His voice is not listened to; and yet there is no other rest.-T. ERSKINE. FEBRUARY 19. Hear counsel, and receive instruction, that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end.-PROVERBS xix. 20. Say not, I have enough and possess many things, and what evil can come to me hereafter. In the day of prosperity there is a forgetfulness of affliction; and in the day of affliction there is no more remembrance of prosperity. The affliction of an hour maketh a man forget pleasure. Judge none blessed before his death, for a man shall be known in his children. A friend cannot be known in |