# The Altar on the Hearth

*Exported from [Holy-Writings.com](https://www.holy-writings.com/) on 2026-06-18 — 1 clipping.*

---

> Source: Bahá'í Library Online (bahai-library.com), curated by Jonah Winters. Used by permission of the curator. Original citation: George Townshend, The Altar on the Hearth, bahai-library.com.
> ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
> 
> • Theá
> vf ltar on the Hearth
> By
> 
> The 'R!v.(jeorge Townshend
> M.A.   (Oxon.)
> Canon of Clon/ert
> 
> 'The Talbot 'Press Limited
> Dublin & Cork
> Printei   in Iláeland at THF. TALBOT PRl•:t-s, Dublin
> To
> ul!l Homes that seek
> Felicity
> ult its Source
> CON'T'€.1(TS
> PAGE
> 
> Introduction                                                5
> Prelude                                                     7
> Of   Religion, of Happiness            and      of the
> Modern Home                                            9
> For Bride      and    Groom                                21
> For Father      and    ,\!other                            29
> For Children                                               53
> For the Family                                             63
> 
> For the Aged                                               95
> 
> S,Pecial   PraJers     and    Interce.,s1011s             JOI
> For Individual        Use                                 ! 13
> L'E11voi                                                  135
> 
> Page 4
> Introduction.
> I AM very glad to accede to Canon
> Townshend's request to write a few
> words of introduction to this book.
> In my opinion '' The Altar on the
> Hearth '' supplies a gap in the bookshelves of our Christian homes, and
> the time of its publication is peculiarly
> opportune.     These are days of stress
> and hurry, when all that concerns the
> materialistic    side of life-money,
> business,     amusement-threatens       to
> monopolise the time and thought of
> parents and children alike.
> Homes for many are little more than
> lodgings, places convenient to sleep
> and eat in, but serving no higher purpose than to supply the physical needs
> of the human body.
> We are losing sight of the great
> truth that home is the training grou:1d
> for character; and that pure, noble,
> unselfish characters    are the product
> of homes where first things come first.
> It is because this little book strives
> to uplift the everyday life of home and
> Page s
> family towards a defmitely spiritual
> plane that I welcome most heartily its
> advent.
> While the spirit of this book is essentially devotional, and there is much
> that is poetical and very beautiful in
> its language,        there is no vague
> sentimentalism,     for the writer gives
> meditation    and prayer an intensely
> practical value, and helps us to realise
> that Christianity is a life before it is
> a doctrine.
> I hope this book will find its way
> into many of our homes, for I am
> convinced that it is fraught with fruitfulness, and, under God's blessing,
> will bring to those who read and study
> it fresh inspiration and help.
> B. J. PL UN KET
> (Bishop.)
> St. Anne's,   Clontarf,
> Dublin.
> 
> Page 6
> Prelude.
> BE of good cheer I
> What but the glory of the Light of Light
> Could cast such shadows on a world forlorn?
> If our hearts whispered not the hope of
> morn
> Would we so hate the horror of this night?
> What is it else than desperate bitter fear
> That drives the troops of evil, who know well
> Their hour is come, to vent their dying rage
> Upon the people of this heaven-lit age
> And seek by every means they may to sell
> Their lost dominion dear?
> 
> Be of good cheer !
> The very depth of our perplexity
> Amid this whirling world of strife and care
> Where disillusion beckons to despair
> Is of itself a call for help, a cry
> That angels' hearts will not be slow to hear.
> For it is ever in such a time as ours,
> When man has ransacked sea and land
> for rest
> And never sought the heaven in his own
> breast,
> That God reveals once more His hidden
> powers
> And in His might draws near.
> 
> Page   7
> Be of good cheer I
> Though all things change, Truth's kingdom
> is secure.
> The forms of faith come, go, and are
> forgot,
> But that which they enshrine can perish
> not.
> Altars may crumble, worship will endure.
> Those holy things that God bids man revere
> Reign on unchecked by man's satanic will;
> \Visdom and love are of a higher birth
> Than these frail phantom forces of the
> earth
> And take their deathless power from Him
> Whose will
> Above all change stands clear.
> 
> Be of good cheer !
> What kings desired in vain God gives to you
> And in this wondrous day before our eyes
> Unseals His ancient book of mysteries
> Making all things in earth and heaven new.
> Truth hath come down from some far flaming sphere;
> Lo, in our midst her sa~red fires burn!
> And see-trace    back these countless rays
> of light
> To the One Point wherein they all unite,
> And bow your forehead in the dust to know
> That God Himself is here !
> Page 8
> Of Religion, of Happiness,    and
> of the Modern Home.
> 
> THE    purpose of this book is to bear
> witness to the truth that the power of
> God is now abroad among men in its
> fulness, and that happiness in the
> home (and elsewhere) is to be attained
> only through conscious communion
> with that power.
> Home-life in Christendom to-day is
> by common report not so harmonious
> nor so happy as it ought to be, nor a~
> it used to be. The saQctity of its ties
> has been called in question; the old
> loyalties have been weakened;         authority, discipline and order are held
> in less esteem than formerly.       Since
> the family is the foundation on which
> the fabric of the nation rests, the instability of the home threatens the
> well-being of the whole structure of
> society.
> In the age of transition such as ours,
> a degree of uncertainty in the life of
> the home is doubtless inevitable. Old
> ideas, old sentiments,      old methods
> have ceased to satisfy, and have been
> fage 9
> (D 658)                       B
> suddenly challenged by new knowledge
> and by new conceptions in almost
> every phase of human activity.      The
> home reacts to the general confusion.
> In many ways it suffers as much as the
> rest of society, but in one way it
> suffers more. It is more directly and
> more deeply affected than anyá other
> human institution by the demand for
> a change in the relationship between
> the two sexes. Here in the family
> (unless a hopeless attempt be made to
> preserve the sex-tradition of medirevalism) the whole of the old order and
> the old discipline has at once to be
> modified. A new balance of power has
> to be worked o.ut in detail, and established not only between husband and
> wife, but between father and mother,
> father and daughter, mother and son,
> brother and sister.     The adjustment
> is a complex matter, and one of much
> delicacy. Even with the best intentions
> on all sides, judgment and tact are
> indispensable, and a little humour is
> not amiss.    A just solution of the
> problem enriches, sweetens and uplifts
> the life and the ideals of the family.
> But none will wonder that in such a
> world as we have to-day the process
> of experiment and change produces in
> Pag,1. 10
> the home many difficulties and some
> disasters.
> Behind, however, all other reasons
> for domestic unrest, there is in reality
> one which de>minates, and indeed includes, all others. This is the enfeeblement of our belief in religion and in
> God. Spiritual sloth, covert or open
> faithlessness have spread like a black
> death throughout Christendom,        and
> far beyond its borders. The infection
> has passed from study and council
> chamber, from street and market into
> the home itself.      It has reached the
> minds of young and middle-aged, of
> women and of men. It saturates the
> mental atmosphere which we all
> must breathe.
> Such a condition of heart invariably
> brings upon mankind definite penalties. Nor is the reason for this just
> and terrible retribution far to seek.
> Religion is not one of the aspects of
> life, but a spirit informing all aspects.
> It is an attitude of soul towards Truth
> and God, and only through its energy
> is man guided to make his intelligence
> serve his higher nature instead of serving those desires which come to him
> from below. So long as he remains
> without religion, and shuts himself
> Page u
> from communion with the spiritual
> realm, man is no better than a human
> animal. He lives on the animal plane,
> and is subject to all the limitations
> and defects of animal nature.          His
> mind is engrossed m purely material
> things, and he regards the struggle
> to survive as the highest of all laws:
> he can see nothing beyond it. Selfinterest rules his life, and he esteems
> leadership and power as the greatest
> success. Hence come fear and pride,
> hatred and jealousy, filling the world
> with every form of injustice,         with
> oppression, strife, war and misery.
> True religion is indeed man's sole
> protection against the evil forces of
> his own nature.       When he abandons
> this protection, he quickly finds that
> the lesser constructive forces of life
> lose their vitality and power.        Authority of every kind is weakened.
> The old bonds and loyalties that helped
> to hold society together are challenged
> and rejected.     Indiscipline becomes a
> habit of thought.      A general disintegration of home life, and of the body
> r:olitic sets in, and there ensues such
> a disruption      of the entire     social
> organism as occurred in the early
> centuries of our era, and as we see
> Page   12
> recurring on a larger scale before our
> eyes to-day.     Nowhere in the wide
> earth is help to be found. Ingenuity
> can devise no remedy. Violence cannot cut a path through to safety, nor
> hold at bay the inevitable doom. Progress in material civilisation, however
> great, is not of the least avail. The
> affectation of religion breeds exclusiveness and bigotry, and by introducing into the community another cause
> of dissension only aggravates          the
> disease.
> As there exists but one preventive,
> so there exists but one cure: the reattainment    of spirituality    and the
> return to a pure and practical religion.
> Religion is in truth the most effective
> instrument for the promotion of order
> and harmony in the world. No other
> known force will unite human hearts
> (in the home or in the outer world) so
> closely or so firmly as will religion. A
> community of interest may join together a group of men for a time; but
> such a combination is weak, and will
> endure     no longer     than    common
> advantage    dictates.    Genuine faith
> penetrates to the inmost being of men,
> and makes them truly one in heart and
> will. The power of a common faith is
> Page   13
> like that of fire that will fuse a dozen
> bars of iron into one single piece. The
> power of material interest is like that
> of a rope which will tie together the
> iron bars, but will leave them always
> separate and ready to fall asunder
> when the bond is removed.
> So soon as ever a man turns his
> heart to God he finds himself among
> conditions which are the exact opposite
> of those to which he has been used in
> the lower world of self-centred nature.
> Here in the spiritual realm the influences that play upon his heart move
> him to goodwill, concord and amity.
> The voices of feará and pride are no
> longer heard.      Sweetness and peace
> and love are breathed upon his •soul.
> He has indeed entered a new mental
> world, higher and immeasurably vaster
> and more powerful than that of
> matter.     From the first he knows
> that he belongs to this more exalted
> realm, and under its influence he
> begins to recognise that his own real
> self and essence is not physical but
> spiritual, and that all men being the
> spiritual offspring of one Father are in
> truth one, members of one family, one
> soul in many bodies. The narrow confines of birth and death no longer
> Page 14
> limit his understanding, and he begins
> to descry something of the eternity of
> God and of His creation. By degrees
> he is delivered from the tyranny of
> the Old Adam.        He learns that the
> emotions and desires which once he
> served-ambition,        anxiety,     greed,
> jealousy, hatred-are       born of illusion,
> based on a misunderstanding           of his
> own real nature, and of the infmite
> universe in which his soul and spirit
> dwell. His character changes and is
> transmuted.     Endowed with a wider
> knowledge of life he no longer seeks
> self-expression in acts of egoism and
> usurpation, but proves the reality of
> his faith by the exercise of justice,
> and by deeds of compassion, fellowship and charity towards all.
> Thus does religion annihilate the
> first causes of disunion and ill-will,
> and break up the foundations on which
> all private and public strife are based.
> A group of people bound together by
> a common        spirituality    are proof
> against the estranging influences of
> the material world.         Whether it be
> a family, or a nation, or a scattered
> body of believers representing a crosssection of humanity, like the early
> Christians,   those whom a common
> Page 15
> love for God has joined, men cannot
> put asunder.     When Jesus promised
> (in effect) that if men would seek
> first the kingdom of God material
> well-being would follow, the practical
> wisdom of His assurance is evident.
> Ultimately, it is religion that stabilises
> society. Without it prosperity is never
> secure, and order can never be complete nor be long maintained.
> In the great world, therefore, the
> most vital of all reforms to-day is the
> reattainment of a pure religion. And
> as in the nation, so in its microcosm,
> the household. They who seek to build
> a happy home can in no wise succeed
> unless a mutual human love is strengthened by a common love for Him who
> is the source and cause of all love.
> The task should not be hard. For
> in the home there are tendencies which
> draw man's heart towards higher
> things. Spirituality is less difficult to
> attain here than it is in the countinghouse or camp.        And until religion
> calms and ennobles the inner life of
> the family and its members, there is
> little hope that it will penetrate the
> outer world of politics, letters and
> commerce. Marriage is based on love,
> and begins at the altar of the Most
> Page 16
> High. It evokes in the hearts of lovers
> the fairest hopes and the most beautiful ideals. Instinct and custom unite
> to surround" it with both rejoicing and
> solemnity.     Its earthly blessing of
> children calls through the years for
> self-sacrifice    and forethought,      and
> confers on even thoughtless parents a
> deep sense of responsibility.       Few do
> not strive to protect, to guide and
> train their children to the best of their
> knowledge and power, and to prepare
> them against the moral difficulties and
> dangers which for themselves perhaps
> have proved too strong.        Nor 1s there
> any school in life more important than
> the home. The heart and the soul of
> the child are impressionable         almost
> beyond belief.        The little one who
> seems to be learning no more than
> how to hold a spoon or pencil, and how
> to put on its clothes, is in fact absorbing knowledge more quickly than it
> ever after will from any book or
> teacher. The acts, the words, the very
> character of its elders and companions,
> with .all that makes up its environment, are imprinted on the infant mind.
> And what is thus acquired is never
> forgotten.      As the s:ipling is bent, the
> tree will grow.       "What you teach a
> Page 17
> child," says the Arab proverb, "you
> cut in stone. It will never be erased.".
> Father and mother may-if          it be
> their wish-learn       only less than their
> children.     Spirituality is gained from
> life as well as from books. The simple
> affections of the home call into action
> one's better nature; and as every deed
> has its originating thought, so the
> ceaseless material demands of every
> day have their ideal side, and may be
> used to transform          moral weakness
> into strength, callousness to sensitiveness. If all the members of the family,
> young and old, unite in a common
> faith and a common effort there is
> created a new spiritual power-greater
> than the aggregate of their individual
> powers-and        this may become the
> means of God's descent upon the
> home.
> While the thoughts and sentiments
> conveyed in these pages are one and
> all sincerely the author's own-a transscript from experience, they are not
> intended to be original in the sense of
> being singular or even unusual.         On
> the contrary, the author's effort has
> been to catch and to reflect some of
> the nobler ideals and aspirations current in this extraordinary age, and to
> Page 18
> express these in a form suited for the
> devotional purposes of the modern
> family and its several members.
> The prayers deal in some measure
> with the private experiences of the
> inner religious life, but more particularly and in more detail with the
> vanous relationships to be found in the
> family group. They treat of the central ard vital problems which confront
> husband and wife, father, mother and
> child. They deal more especially with
> those earlier years of married life
> which are the time of experience and
> adjustment,    and are therefore most
> critical. They come out of actual life,
> and (except 'in a few instances) have
> been composed for the use of one
> particular family or of special friends.
> In one or two places there is a local
> reference-the    description of a scene
> or the narration of an incident-but
> the meaning and the emotion which
> make the essence of the piece are, it is
> hoped, the natural property of every
> parent and child everywhere.
> The underlying purpose from beginning to end has been to bear witness in
> the sphere of home life to the truth
> that the spiritual is the real, and to
> offer to those who dwell in homes a
> Page 19
> means of expressing the belief that
> the power of God in its fulness is with
> us now.
> 
> Page 20
> Prayers and Meditations.
> 
> FOR 'BRID€ & G'l(OOM.
> For Bride and Groom.
> I
> 0 GOD, look upon us, Thy servants,
> who have set forth upon this enterprise of married life; and hear our
> common prayer.
> Courtship and wedding- are over, and
> now we kneel alone to Thee upon that
> hearth which is to be henceforth the
> centre of our lives.
> 0 Thou Whose presence we sought
> to pledge our marriage vows- Thou
> Whose blessing we invoked, and in
> Whose Name we made our two lives
> one:
> Grant that we may continue according to this beginning.
> Help us to found in truth an altar
> on this hearth, and sacrifice ourselves
> and our lives to Thee and to Thy
> cause. Amen.
> 0 GOD, look upon us who have undertaken to create a home, and wish to
> build it in Thy Name, and to shape it
> according to Thy Desire.
> Help us from this beginning to the
> very end to turn our hearts to Thee,
> and to seek wisdom and courage and
> strength from Thee,
> .Page 2.3
> Grant that our love, our happiness,
> our delight in each other may increase
> and strengthen,      and become more
> deep and sweet continually.
> Grant that our hearts may grow
> ever more warm, more tender, more
> rich in love, and in love's joy.
> Grant that our love may be the lig-ht
> of our life; that it may fill our dwelling
> with its rays, making our home a place
> of sweetness and delight, or rest and
> spiritual peace.
> Help us to be just to each other; and
> to know ourselves as equal before
> Thee in rights and in importance.
> Help us to find and to preserve that
> poise and mutual helpfulness which
> Thou hast appointed for wedded men
> and women.
> Help us to combine the diverse
> spiritual gifts of manhood and of
> womanhood,       that with a twofold
> strength and a single will we may the
> better seek Thee in Thy heaven and
> serve Thee on Thy earth.
> Teach us who have promised to
> share our earthly things, to share with
> one another heavenly things.
> Let our comradeship be not outward
> only but inward likewise: the hidden
> union of two hearts who share in joy
> Page 24
> a common faith and heavenly knowledge.
> Make Thou this home of ours as
> happy as a home may be, and all our
> sister homes throughout the world as
> happy as our own. Amen.
> 0 THOU Whose name is Love, and
> from Whom alone true love proceeds,
> let this love-bond which in Thy name
> we bind about our lives be a sign and
> proof of Thy Presence. Let it be born
> of Thee; let it be maintained by Thee;
> and let it lead us ever onward together
> into closer communion with Thee,
> through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
> GRANT unto us, who with a common
> aspiration strive to do only Thy will
> and to walk only in Thy way, that we
> may animate, encourage and sustain
> each other, and so through united
> effort may obtain what each unaided
> and alone might never reach nor know.
> For Jesus' sake. Amen.
> 0 GOD of pity, Who knowest that
> human love is of itself frail and
> mutable, lift up our hearts to Thy
> heaven, and make us one in Thee that
> Page 25
> (D 65S)                        C
> -Our love for one another may partake
> of Thine own love's immutability and
> might; through the power of Jesus
> Christ, our Lord. Amen.
> GRANT, 0 God, that we preferring
> each the other's good may share in
> harmony all worldly things, and not
> content with this may seek and share
> together the hidden treasures of Thy
> inner worlds, finding continually new
> fields for search, new ranges of
> spiritual fellowship and love. Through
> Jesus Clirist, our Lord. Amen.
> BIND our souls together, 0 God, with
> cords of affection and bonds of comradeship, and make us one in heart
> and spirit, that Thou Who enterest
> none but lovers' hearts mayst lodge
> with us and bless our home and
> neighbourhood with the sweet radiance of Thy Presence.        Amen.
> GRANT unto us, 0 God, the perfect
> spirit of comradeship that each may
> have at call in time of spiritual trial
> an understanding       heart, a helping
> hand, a cheering voice, a sweetening
> smile. And let the assurance of this
> Page 26
> dear support and sympathy be our
> married strength to win together the
> Goal of Thy good pleasure and Thy
> love; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
> Amen.              •
> 0 SELF-REVEALING     Lord, Who hast
> commanded marriage and ordained the
> Home, reveal Thy will for wedded
> lovers such as we, and guide us upward on this new path of happiness
> and love. For Jesus' sake. Amen.
> IO
> 0 Goo Who hast constituted all things
> for a spiritual purpose, reveal to us
> more and more clearly Thy spiritual
> purpose in a human marriage.
> Grant that by our lives together we
> may prove our marriage was indeed
> made in heaven, that we were wedded
> in Thy name and to Thy glory.
> Train our minds and hearts that
> we may attain more and more fully
> the blessings Thou hast prepared for
> lovers knit in true marriage.
> Let our marriage strike its roots
> deep within our hearts, and grow in
> spiritual strength and beauty till it
> fulfil Thy spiritual purpose and desire.
> Amen.
> Pace 27
> A Husband's     Prayer in Absence
> from Home.
> 
> II
> CUT    me not off, 0 God, from communion with her I love, but let me still
> guard and protect her though she be
> far away.
> Let my homing thoughts be as birds
> that fly to her and sing in her listening
> heart songs of my love. Let them be
> as strong sentinels keeping watch and
> ward that no evil may come near her.
> Let them be as suppliants to Thee
> calling to her aid the angels of Thy
> presence.
> Make my love more strong and
> stedfast, and remove the limits which
> beset it now that I may have power
> from Thee to help those I love though
> I be far away. In Jesus' name.
> Amen.
> 
> Page 28
> FOR Fe/!11JER & MO'l'HER.
> A Morning Prayer.
> 0 WATCHFUL and loving Lord! Keep
> our little ones this day under Thy
> protection. Permit no evil influence to
> reach or to come near them. Preserve
> them from illness, from accident, and
> from all mishap. And in the evening
> bring them home to their rest in safety
> and happiness.     For Jesus'     sake.
> Amen.
> An Evening Prayer.
> PRAISE be to Thee, 0 God, Who hast
> given to these children another day
> of happiness, and brought them free
> from harm through the dangers of their
> waking hours.     Grant to them now
> sweet rest and healthful sleep. And
> through the night,     0 Thou that
> sleepest not, keep them in safety
> beneath the shelter of Thy power and
> Thy love; for Jesus' sake. Amen.
> PRAISE be to Thee, 0 God, Who hast
> given to these children the boon of
> earthly life, and brought them thus
> far upon the road that leads to life
> eternal!
> Page 31
> 0 Thou of many gifts, vouchsafe
> these little ones the mortal boon of
> health, prosperity and happiness; and
> since these blessings soon must pass
> away and be no more, admit them to
> Thy boundless worlds of love, endow
> them wi'th imperishable wealth, and
> baptise them with the spirit of Thine
> own immortal life; through Christ, our
> Lord.
> THIS home is a garden, 0 Lord,
> which Thy hand has planted in the
> world, and the hearts of these children
> are Thy flowers. Do Thou tend them
> and nourish them.
> Pour down the rays of Thy truth
> upon them. Breathe on them with Thy
> Holy Spirit. Let Thy mercy descend
> on them like refreshmg rain.
> So shall these flowers of Thine
> mature, and bloom in beauty, and shed
> afar the fragrance of Thy love; through
> Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
> PRAISE be to Thee, dear Lord, Who
> grantest to Thy servants bounty upon
> bounty.    Thou bestowest on us the
> marriage-blessing of children bringing
> Page 32
> with them a thousand delights; and
> in this very gift Thou openest to us
> of Thy grace a new world of setvice
> to Thee, a new road to Thy good
> pleasure and favour.
> Help us, in love and gratitude to
> Thee, so to direct and train these little
> ones that they may become men and
> women after Thine own heart, and
> may take their place in the world as
> teachers and exemplars of Thy truth:
> through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
> 
> 0 THOU, the Lover, the Creator and
> the Lord of these children, help us
> their parents to guard and train them
> not through human love alone, but as
> an act of love for Thee, and of obedience to Thy command.
> Grant us selflessness and devotion,
> that we may be able in our hearts to
> hear Thy bidding, and understand Thy
> will for these little ones.
> Help us to do for .them our utmost in
> Thy name, and in calm trust to leave
> the rest to Thee, the All-wise Who
> lovest these Thy children better yetfar better-than       any human parent
> may love his child.
> Page 33
> LET    Reverence towards Thee, dear
> Lord, and kindness towards all that
> lives be graven deep into these
> children's hearts.
> Give to us, their parents, wisdom
> and stedfastness, that we may unfold
> to them, little by little, at the right
> time and in the right way, the knowledge of Thy Truth, and by the
> example of our lives may amend
> whatever is amiss in our teaching.
> Let them increase day by day in
> spiritual strength that they may learn
> of Thee the mystery of prayer, and
> may attain the reward of conscious
> communion with Thy Spirit; through
> Christ, our Lord. Amen.
> 0 FATHER in heaven, Who givest to
> a parents' intercession a special privilege, hear Thou our prayer for these
> children whom Thou hast entrusted to
> our care.
> Protect them, we beseech Thee,
> against the evil that arises in their
> own hearts, against the contagion of
> their parents' frailties and imperfections, against the power of those
> whose hearts are turned from Thee.
> Page 34
> Help us to pray for our children
> with concentration and humility of
> spirit, and by force of prayer to keep
> back, far from them, the evil influences that seek their destruction.  In
> Jesus' name. Amen.
> 
> 0 THOU Who hast blessed us with
> Thy gift of children, let not the wonder
> and the happiness of these days of
> their infancy ever pass wholly from
> our hearts!
> Grant us a strong undying memory
> of whatever is most precious in these
> fleeting days, that in the aftertime
> when our little ones are no longer
> little we may still keep in our hearts
> countless images and echoes of their
> babyhood, may see again their open
> innocent faces, may hear their voices
> striving to imitate their elders' speech
> and recall these tireless infant feats
> of growing knowledge and gathering
> strength.
> So shall the unworldly beauty of
> these childhood days abide with us
> forever, and not be wholly lost in the
> ripe happiness of the later time.
> Page 35
> 
> '' Of such is the Kingdom of Heaven.''
> GRANT to these little ones, 0 Lord,
> that the gifts and qualities which now
> are theirs through weakness they may
> make their own by strength. Let them
> through all the years retain this childlike heart, continuing humble and receptive as now, full of wonder, eager
> to learn.    Increase day by day and
> year by year their faith that as the
> children of a Higher Home than •this
> they may inherit the promise of their
> Heavenly Father, and even here on
> earth partake of His Life, His Joy,
> His •Universal Love. Amen.
> 
> HERE, 0 Lord, within the precincts
> of Thy protection, Love is king and
> Faith and Hope are the lords of
> thought.   But in the world without,
> Faith and Hope wander in a wilderness and a stranger sits upon Love's
> throne.
> Be Thou, 0 Lord, theástrength and
> shield of these little ones from their
> life's beginning    to its very end.
> Grant that their love and faith and
> ['age á36
> hope may prevail against every enemy
> and put to shame all doubt and disbelief. Give them fortitude and power
> that through childhood and _manhood,
> in prosperity and in adversity, they
> may' continue that journey toward
> Thee which here they have begun, and
> may to their lives' end bear witness to
> Thy truth; through Christ, our Lord.
> Amen.
> 0 GOD, look on us who with ceaseless care keep watch and ward over
> these children, and suffer not our
> anxiety for them to become a sign of
> lack of trust in Thee.
> We acknowledge that they are in
> Thy safe keeping.     It is for Thee to
> appoint unto them their tasks in life,
> and Thou wilt bestow on them ample
> strength and means to perform all
> that Thou requir~st.
> Help us to pass on to them Thy
> message, to give to them the best we
> have to give, and doing this, to leave
> their souls to Thee in perfect trust.
> Amen.
> PRAISE be to Thee, 0 God, for Thy
> bounty to the weak, the youn_g, the
> Page 37
> humble, and for Thy power whereby
> Thou doest whatsoever Thou wiliest,
> unhelped,      unhindered,    uncomprehended by the thoughts of men !
> Thou puttest down the mighty, and
> dost exalt them of low estate.
> Thou hidest Thy mystery from the
> wise and learned, and revealest it to
> them who are as babes.
> The scholar and philosopher see and
> perceive not, read and understand
> not; the child beholding Thy beauty
> steps into Thy Kingdom.
> 0 Loving Lord, Who hast never
> turned away from a longing heart,
> nor an appealing cry, hear Thou a
> parent's prayer and deal with these
> little ones-these    tender branches of
> the tree of life-according    to Thy all
> perfect knowledge and desire. Amen.
> 
> 0 LORD, look upon these little ones,
> children of Thy covenant born beneath
> the shadow of Thy mercy. Keep them
> from the first unto the last under Thy
> protection and suffer them not to
> follow any desire save what beseems
> a seeker after Thy truth, and a servant
> of Thy love.
> HEAR    Thou, 0 God, our prayer for
> the children of this Age throughout the
> world!
> Look with pity on those whose
> parents have not turned their hearts
> to Thee nor humbled themselves before
> Thy deity. By Thy boundless mercy
> and Thy prevailing will, deliver them
> out of the darkness that surrounds
> them, and draw them toward Thy
> light. Create in their souls a hunger
> and thirst for righteousness, a longing
> for reality and truth; and prepare
> their minds to listen for and welcome
> Thy glad tidings.
> And now, 0 God, we beg Thee for
> these our children and for all others
> born beneath Thy covenant that Thou
> wilt endow them with power to recognise and to use to the utmost the
> blessing Thou hast given them. Grant
> them strength to stand fast by Thy
> truth, to uphold Thy cause, and in
> their time to spread far and near
> the knowledge of Thy glory and
> dominion. Amen.
> FATHER of mine, and of my little son
> who kneels at my side and lifts his
> Page 39
> voice to Thee, hear Thou his prayer
> and mine. Protect those whom he
> loves and prays for. Lead him onward
> and ever onwar<l in Thy way till he
> shall understand that within his weak
> and mortal body is hidden the light of
> Thine imperishable Presence; through
> Jesus Christ, our Lord.
> 
> A Father's Prayer.
> 
> 0 TRANSCENDENT and Incomparable
> Lord!
> Thou hast bidden us look to Thee
> as to our Father in heaven; teach me
> to keep in my heart this chosen Name
> of Thine, that I may discern the true
> ideal of fatherhood, and learn what
> Thou wouldst have an earthly father
> be. Strengthená me with Thy Spirit
> that I may deserve the trust, the
> obedience and the love of my little
> ones. Make me remember that they
> will learn the meaning of fatherhood
> from their earthly father, and forbid,
> 0 Lord, that I by my unworthiness
> should lead Thy children astray in
> their first thoughts of Thee. In Jesus'
> riame. Amen.
> Page 40
> A Confession.
> 
> THERE    was one who, being crossed,
> spoke to his son in anger, and saw the
> child's face change in fear.
> Thereafter, praying in penitence, he
> heard the Voice of the Spirit speak to
> him:
> '' Think not to number this weak
> one among thy possessions,           nor
> imagine him to be thy creation. Thou
> callest him thy son. Yet within his
> infant soul lies hidden that which is
> deeper than thy knowing. In heaven
> his spirit stands now among the angels
> of My presence, and here on earth the
> sword of My justice protects and
> avenges him against all, and especially
> against thee. Love thou thy son, and
> love thyself in him. Teach him My
> way, and walk in it thyself that thou
> mayest be his guide. He is not thine,
> but Mine. Therefore, in all thou dost
> with him keep Me in remembrance, and
> fear Me. This is thy duty. See that
> thou fulfil it always, and slack not
> therein,"
> 
> Page 41
> (n65Sl                         D
> A Baby's Kiss.
> 
> 0 LOVINGLord!
> • To the mountain-stream    Thou hast
> given its bubbles that dance and
> tremble and break in light.
> To the forest depths Thou hast given
> the fresh flowerbuds that burst and
> open and unfold their tender petals in
> perfect beauty.
> To me Thou hast given the first
> baby-kiss of this little one who presses
> her tiny lips upon my lips in love
> LITTLE one, little one of my heart, I
> am thy first love and the first to give
> thee a heart in love.         •
> When I come near, thou smilest and
> stretchest out thy little hands.   And
> when I lift thee to me, thou £oldest
> thine arms about my neck, and
> pressest thy smooth cheek to mine,
> calling me love names in thy babytalk.
> What is there so sweet as love! and
> what love is so sweet as love at its
> dawning, new love, first love!
> Yet night by night I kneel, and beg
> of Him Who answers every prayer that
> Page 4~
> through the coming years He will
> make ever more deep and sweet this
> early love of ours.
> 
> To a Little Girl on Her Third
> Birthday.
> 0 LITTLE one, my Una, April's child,
> thou breath       of the spring wind
> embodied!
> The bluebells cluster about thy
> knees; overhead the giant beech-trees
> spread      their half-unfolded  leaves;
> across the meadow the cuckoo calls,
> and from the distant bog comes the
> curlew's lonely cry.
> How happy art thou, leading the
> revel of the woods, their native queen,
> for whom a thousand springs have
> come and gone to weave thy flowerbeauty, and to find their meaning and
> perfection in these fresh lips and
> laughing eyes of thine.
> 0 little one, joys more rare than
> these await thy wakening heart!        A
> richer spring has cast its bounty at
> thy feet, a greater glory shines from
> another Heaven, And never morning
> Page 43
> breaks nor evening falls but lovers'
> prayers go forth to beg the early
> vision of God's Golden Age for thee
> who playest here thinking all happiness is already thine!
> 
> A Father's Charge.
> 
> CHILD of my heart, call not me your
> Father; and this dear wife of mine that
> gave you birth, call not her your
> mother. Think not the home we make
> for you is your True Home. The life
> that is bestowed on you through us
> will soon pass away and perish; but
> you, my son, you will not perish.
> This life is a steed to bear you to
> the Kingdom of Eternity, of which you
> are born a Prince. The Ruler of that
> Kingdom is your Father.     His Palace
> is your Home. You are heir to a
> mighty princedom because you are
> born His son.
> Ride straight and fast to take your
> heritage.   Fear no danger.    Stop not
> for flood nor foe. Look not to right
> nor left. Your Father waits for you.
> Ride on. Rest not. Remember you
> are the son of a King.
> Page 44
> To a Boy on His Fourth
> Birthday.
> 
> GOODBYE,    ill)" baby boy, goodbye;
> you are gone from us for ever!
> What love did you bring with you
> into the world!
> What love did you stir and quicken
> in your father's heart.
> With what love have I watched
> you, played with you, tended you in
> all conditions, at all hours, by day and
> by night; and who was happier than I!
> How many scenes made beautiful
> by love, and filled with joy unroll
> before my eyes.        Again I see our
> child of longing, the first born in his
> first sleep: the young adventurer
> voyaging from chair to chair: the blueclad boy among the buttercups seeking
> to make playmates of the eluding
> lambs . . . . But all this is past. You
> are gone from us, my baby-boy, and
> have no being now save in the close
> warm strong embrace of your mother's
> memory and mine.
> So must it be.
> The bud perishes that the blossom
> may shed its fragrance, and babyhood
> Page 45
> yields its place to the. larger life of
> the boy.
> And have not you, my little newcomer, my little four-year-old-son,
> have not you all that the baby who
> brought you to me had-and     how much
> more. What was all that babysweetness of yours which is now gone
> by save the light you cast before you
> on your way to me! You too, in your
> turn, will pass away from me, and the
> years will ever bring to you change
> upon change.      Deepening happiness
> awaits you. You will pass from knowledge to knowledge, from strength to
> strength.   And through all the years,
> you arid I, please God, will be the
> closer friends and comrades because
> we have loved each other so dearly m
> the baby-days gone by.
> 
> Mark X., 13.
> 0 MY Sa viour !
> When I read of the children who
> were brought to Thee, and of Thy
> taking them in Thine arms and blessing
> them, I wish that I had seen Thee in
> Thy days on earth, and been permitted
> Page 46
> to_ bring to Thee these little ones of
> mme.
> Alas! that age closed long ago, and
> that Holy Land lies far away from this.
> Yet, my beloved Lord, of a certamty
> Thou lovest this land of mine. Thou
> knowest the scene that stretches before my eyes: these fragrant fields,
> the shining stream, the deep still
> woods.
> Here, 0 Merciful Lord, Beloved One,
> Thy voice has come to me, the touch
> of Thy hand has opened my eyes, and
> Thy finger has pointed me to the
> hidden pathway of Thy Kingdom. Had
> I beheld Thy person on earth, I could
> not have known nor loved Thee better
> than I can now, nor could the sweetness and the glory of Thy presence
> have been to me more precious or more
> near.
> Alas, alas! it is not distance of time
> nor of space that separates me from
> Thee, but only my own unworthiness.
> 0 Merciful Lord, suffer us who have
> wandered far from Thee to approach
> Thy courts, to attain Thy presence,
> and to bring our little ones to kneel
> at our side before Thy Mercy-Seat.
> Amen.
> Page 47
> A Father's Reflection.
> WHILE     they are at your side, love
> these little ones to the uttermost.
> Forget yourself. Serve them; care for
> them; lavish all your tenderness on
> them. Value your good fortune while
> it is with you, and let nothing of the
> sweetness of their babyhood go unprized. Not for long will you keep the
> happiness that now lies within your
> reach.     You will not always walk in
> the sunshine with a little warm, soft
> hand nestling in each of yours, nor
> hear little feet pattering beside you,
> and eager baby voices questioning and
> prattling of a thousand things with
> ceaseless excitement.     Not always will
> you see that trusting face upturned to
> yours, feel those little arms about your
> neck, and those tender lips pressed
> upon your cheek,á nor will you have
> that tiny form to kneel beside you, and
> murmur baby prayers into your ear.
> Love them and win their love, and
> shower on them all the treasures of
> your heart.    Fill up their days with
> happiness, and share with them their
> mirth and innocent delights.
> Childhood is but for a day. Ere
> Page 48
> you are aware it will be gone with all
> its gifts for _ever.
> 
> The First Lesson.
> WE are thy teachers because God has
> appointed -us.    You are to hear us
> because God wishes you to do so. He
> made us your father and mother,
> because He chose that you should be
> taught by us.
> We provide you with food and clothing and warmth.       This is good; but
> the good of it will not last forever.
> The truth we teach you is the greatest
> of all the gifts we have to give you.
> Nothing else is important compared
> with this. Truth and the effects of
> truth last for ever: not only for a little
> time.    The teaching which God has
> told us to give you will make you more
> happy than clothes or houses or
> pleasure or money. People cannot be
> happy without truth, even on this
> earth: in the next world we shall be
> very unhappy without it.
> Remember, these teachings are of
> more value than all else we have to
> give you. We teach you because we
> wish to obey God. We teach you not
> Page 49
> only because we love you very much,
> but for God's sake.
> To teach you as God would have
> you taught is not easy. We are not
> so wise nor so good as we should like
> to be; nor even so wise and good as
> we hope soon to become. God himself
> alone is a perfect teacher.   We pray
> God constantly to help us; and because
> we so truly wish and strive to please
> Him He strengthens us with the power
> and wisdom ot His Spirit. Whatever is
> true in our teaching, and whatever is
> good and right m 1t comes not from
> us, but from God.
> 
> The Greatest Gift.
> THE   greatest benefit which we have
> to confer on you is: Guidance to God.
> When God chose us to be your
> parents He commanded us to offer you
> this guidance. Therefore, it is by His
> will that we give you His Holy Teaching. We speak to you of Him and of His
> prophets, we surround you continually
> with thoughts of faith and worship,
> and we never cease to pray for you.
> We cannot compel you to learn the
> lessons which we teach; we would not
> Page   50
> compel you if we could, for God intends
> our wills to be free. You must choose
> for yourself.    Your mother and I are
> trying-as    best we may-to follow the
> leading of that Guidance, and it is
> our hope and prayer that you will
> travel with us. We should be very
> lonely if we had to take one step without you. For this teaching which God
> has given us to pass on to you is the
> most precious thing we have to give
> you: more precious far than food, or
> clothes or schooling, or even life itself
> --for this knowledge is ETERNAL
> life.
> 
> Page 51
> FOR CHILDREN.
> 0 CHRIST! Thou art the Good Shepherd, and we are Thy little lambs.
> Thou art strong, and we are weak.
> Thou art wise, and we are unwise.
> Guard us and guide us, and keep us
> safe in Thy care and in Thy fold.
> Amen.
> 0 THOU good Shepherd of the sheep!
> Take us to be Thy own, and number
> us among those who know Thy voice
> and follow Thee. Keep us who are such
> little lambs near to Thee that we may
> not stray nor be lost. Lead us in the
> path of Thy choosing that we may
> drink at the Fountain of Truth, and
> feed in 'the pastures of happiness.
> Amen.
> l WHO am but a little child turn to
> Thee, 0 God, and beg Thee to be my
> Guardian and my Guide from the
> beginning that I may grow up as Thy
> child and Thy servant, obeying Thy
> will, seeking Thy approval, hoping for
> Thy heaven: through Jesus Christ,
> our Lord.
> Page 55
> 0 GOD, I am little and weak; I cannot
> help in the work of mankind; I am of
> no account in the world of men.
> But I am Thy child. I am created
> by Thee. My heart is a flower in Thy
> Garden. My hope and my home is Thy
> heaven.
> Strengthen me that I may become
> Thy true servant.    Shine on me with
> Thy truth that I may grow and develop and bear fruit.      Breathe the
> breath of spiritual life into me that
> I may attain immortality; and admit
> me to Thy Kingdom and Thy Presence.
> In Jesus' name. Amen.
> 
> Now in the beginning,       0 God, I
> commit myself to Thee, giving up my
> will to Thy will, my desire to thy
> desire, and all I have and am to Thee.
> Accept the life I cast at Thy feet, my
> Lord. Enter my heart, and live in me
> for ever. For Jesus' sake. Amen.
> 
> HELP me, 0 God, always to speak the
> truth, and to be faithful in a trust.
> Page 56
> Fill my heart with goodwill towards
> all men, and let me cause unhappiness
> to no one. Teach me to look for the
> good in áeveryone, and to be humble.
> Let me fear nothing save Thy displeasure, and let my highest hope be
> to attain Thy favour. For Jesus' sake.
> Amen.
> 0 CHRIST who broughtest heaven down
> to earth for us, help us to love Thy
> children of the East and of the West,
> and to show kindness to all our neighbours that we may find Thy way to
> heaven and kneel at Thy feet to beg
> forgiveness for all others and ourselves.
> 0 GOD, teach me and guide me that I
> may play the part which Thou hast
> assigned me in this home. Help me
> to be reverent before Thee, to honour
> my father and mother, to be unselfish
> with my brothers and sisters, to be
> thoughtful and helpful towards all. 0
> Heavenly Father, bring me up in fear
> of Thee that I may attain true wisdom,
> •and in love of Thee that I may attain
> enduring wealth.
> Page 57
> ID65ij)
> 0 GOD, teach me, Thy servant, to look
> to Thee for guidance, for strength,
> and for the reward of my work. Grant
> that I may do my utmost in whatever
> I undertake, seeking always to worship
> Thee by my actions, and to benefit my
> fellow-men as well as myself. Thine,
> 0 God, is all power and glory and
> happiness and dominion.    Amen.
> 
> PRAISE be to Thee, 0 God, by whose
> bounty I am born into a family where
> Thy Revelation is acknowledged, and
> Thy Name is hallowed. I beg Thee to
> number my father, my mother and
> myself among those true servants who
> love Thy law and live according to Thy
> commandments: through Jesus Christ,
> our Lord.
> 0 GOD, help me to share the faith of
> my father and my mother; to search
> for and find the Truth for myself, as
> they have done before me. Awaken
> the spirit that lies within me that I
> may behold Thy Glory for myself and
> may hear Thy Word with my own ears.
> Teach me to be grateful to those who
> Pace 58
> have pointed me to Thy light, and who
> have begged for me Thy guidance on
> my path. Make me one with them in
> knowledge and love of Thee: through
> Jesus Christ, our Lord.
> 
> TRAIN and strengthen me now, 0 God,
> in heart and mind and body that I may
> be able to play my part manfully in
> the world of men, and may do my full
> duty as a soldier in Thy army. of light.
> Thou broughtest me into this life with
> a soul spotless and unstained. Awaken
> in me now such resolution and force of
> character as will preserve my birthright of virtue in all trials and temptations. Make my faith stedfast, my
> courage proof, my patience infinite,
> my devotion to Thee absolute.        And
> in the pursuit of my work and calling
> let me ever hold fast to Thee in Whose
> hands lies my destiny.
> 
> 0 Goo, pity our perplexity, and grant
> that amid this great multitude of
> guides pointing such diverse paths to
> heaven we may trust those only who
> love the truth for truth's own sake,
> Page 59
> and listening to none other, mcl.J of
> Thy grace find our way home to Thee;
> through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
> 
> 0 Goo, help us to pay heed to the
> teaching which in Thy name and for
> Thy sake our father and mother give
> us, to be grateful for it to Thee and
> also to them, and to make the utmost
> use of the blessings        Thou hast
> showered on us from our baby-days.
> Grant that we may learn now what
> afterwards will not be so easy to learn;
> and that we may here become so
> certain in our knowledge of Thee, and
> so strong in our love for Thee, that
> our faith shall remain all through our
> lives immoveable.
> 
> 0 GOD, grant to me now as a child
> such assurance of faith that it shall
> never be removed nor weakened, even
> for a moment.
> Fill my mind with thoughts of goodwill, kindness, and compassion; teach
> me to love Thee, to love my fellowmen,
> and to love my own better self; and
> help me ever to be content with that
> Pace (>o
> poverty which is the need of Thee, and
> to seek that wealth which is to have in
> my heart no need of anything save of
> Thee alone.
> 0 Goo, I beg Thee to lead me even
> in childhood toward the true knowledge of myself-that    I am a breath
> of Thy spirit, and have for a time this
> body as my servant.       Through the
> understanding    of what I am and
> whence I came, bring me to an ever
> deepening knowledge of Thyself, •0
> God, and of Thy Son our Lord, in
> Whose name I make this prayer. Amen.
> 
> Page 61
> FOR 'I'll€ Fu/MILT.
> A Morning Prayer.
> 
> 0 THOU Who standest now among Thy
> servants at their prayers, let not Thy
> Presence fade from us in the day's
> tasks or pleasures, but bring us home
> to meet again to-night with Thy peace
> unbroken in our hearts.    Amen.
> 
> FILL  Thou, 0 God, our home with
> harmony and happiness, with laughter
> and delight, with radiant kindliness
> and overflowing joy, that in the union
> of our hearts Thy love may find a
> lodging place, and Thou Thyself mayst
> make this home of ours Thine Own !
> Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
> 
> UNTO Thee, 0 God, we dedicate this
> home. Cleanse it from all that is alien
> to Thee that it may become fit for
> Thy acceptance, and may be to friend
> and stranger as to ourselves a place
> of peace, a refuge from materialism, a
> herald of Thy Kingdom; through
> Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
> Page 65
> 0 GOD, make Thou this home of ours
> the garden of affection, a ripening
> place of love, where the hidden powers
> of our hearts may unfold, expand and
> bear the fruit of an abiding joy;
> through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
> 
> 0 GOD, we who apart have made our
> several supplications to Thee now kneel
> together before Thy mercy-seat, that
> with the greater power of united
> prayer we may beg of Thee a special
> blessing on us each and all and Thy
> protection in the tasks and trials of
> the day; through Christ, our Lord.
> Amen.
> MAKE   our religion, 0 God, sincere and
> unobtrusive, a power that quietly shall
> leaven our whole life, showing itself
> in simple happiness, and in deeds of
> goodwill towards all; through Christ,
> our Lord. Amen.
> 
> 0 Goo, teach us to wonder at Thy
> creation, at the visible worlds of Time
> Page 66
> and Space and the hidden worlds of
> the mind, and let thought follow in
> wonder's steps that with uplifted heart
> we may seek the One behind the many,
> the All-Beautiful behind His Beauty,
> the Giver behind His gifts, and within
> the soul of man may behold the living
> presence of Thine own boundless and
> eternal Spirit. Amen.
> 
> 0 GOD, vouchsafe to us who are born
> into this enlightened age an understanding heart that we may perceive
> the real purpose and value of religion,
> may give our minds to the mysteries of
> spirit and of the divine nature not less
> than to the mysteries of matter and
> of human nature, and may render
> ready and complete obedience to the
> laws ordained by Thee, our Creator,
> for Thy creation.    Amen.
> 
> GRANT unto us who live in this great
> Age so clear and strong a sense, 0
> God, of Thy universal Fatherhood, that
> we may know all men of every race
> and every class as our spiritual
> brethren; and when we pray here for
> Page 67
> our home let us not be unmindful of
> those other homes throughout    Thy
> earth which in Thy sight are as dear
> and precious as our own. Amen.
> 0 GOD, Who hast given to us the
> personal knowledge of so many people
> and has permitted us access to so
> many homes, grant that into whatever
> life we may have the privilege of
> entering we shall come as true and
> loyal friends, bringing gifts from Thee
> of hope and harmony and happiness.
> Amen.
> 
> An Intercession.
> 0 GOD of mercy Who hast overcome
> the World, show Thy compassion on
> Thy children who have turned away
> from Thee, and who wander in darkness trusting to the guidance of blind
> guides.
> Let Thy mercy seek them out, dear
> God. Deliver them from their spiritual
> captivity.   Grant to them vision and
> insight that they may themselves
> discern truth from error, glory from
> dishonour, the true shepherd from the
> Page 68
> hireling, the prophet from the dissembler. Guide Thou their feet to the
> highway of Thy kingdom. Open their
> ears that they may hear the music
> which Thy voice breathes in the world.
> Number them in the company of those
> righteous ones who love Thee before
> all things.   Make them as lamps
> shedding Thy light among men and
> vouchsafe them all that behts Thy
> mercy and compassion.     Amen.
> 
> BE Thou, 0 God, our guide, that in all
> relationships towards Thee and towards our fellow men, we may perceive and do that which is pleasing in
> Thy sight.
> Teach us to combine worldly wisdom
> with unworldliness, and to join a spirit
> of confidence and enterprise       to a
> radiant acquiescence in Thy will. Help
> us to sweeten thrift with generosity,
> and if we err to err by giving, not by
> withholding.    Vouchsafe us judgment
> and intuition that amid the divided
> duties of every day we may preserve
> at all times the just and narrow mean
> of righteousness;   through Christ, our
> Lord. Amen.
> Pace 6g
> 0 THOU Who wast a wayfarer on
> earth!
> Kindle in our hearts sympathy and
> love that no servant of Thine may ever
> feel a stranger in this home. Let the
> fires of hospitality burn brightly in
> this hearthstone, and a readv welcome
> wait on every guest.         '
> 
> A Morning Prayer.
> HELP   us this day, 0 Lord, not to let
> our thoughts     wander beyond     the
> borders of the day, but to take each
> task as it comes, and do it with our
> whole might. Then in the evening let
> us render back to Thee an account of
> one day's duty faithfully done as an
> act of praise to Thee; through Christ
> our Lord. Amen.
> 
> An Evening Prayer.
> GRANT that when we lie down to rest
> to-night we may carry into our sleep
> the thought of Thy protecting power;
> and that the first return of consciousness may bring before all else the
> Page 70
> sweet remembrance of Thv nearness
> and Thy love; through Christ, our
> Lord. Amen.
> 0 Goo, let no unhappy nor unlovely
> thought find birth within these walls,
> nor any influence pass out into the
> world from hence, save that which will
> oromote concord and happiness and
> hope.
> Make us one at heart, that through
> our unity of purpose and desire we
> mav become a single spiritual force,
> and ma v shew forth to other homes the
> knowledge of Thy comfort and Thy
> peace; through      Christ, our Lord.
> Amen.
> 0 THOU Who dwellest in the midst of
> Truth!
> Increase in our hearts the love of
> Truth for Truth's own sake. Let this
> desire become so strong that it shall
> consume everv earthly desire, and that
> no human affection or aversion, no
> prejudice nor habit nor tradition, nor
> any worldly lure, may weaken this
> passionate longing, or lead us by one
> steo astray.
> Thou art the Sun of T ru.th and the
> path to Thee is light!
> Page 71
> DIVEST   us of self-interest, 0 Lord, and
> disengage our minds from all desires
> that would distort or dull our understanding.     Vouchsafe us insight to
> know things as they truly are, and
> man as Thou hast made him; and
> enable us to behold amid the growth
> and war of creeds one imperishable
> faith and one self-manifesting       God;
> through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
> IN the moral emergencies of this day,
> in the little trials that tease and weary
> us, it is our desire, 0 God, to remain
> perfectly true to Thee. But since our
> nature is unstable and weak, we beg
> of Thee, in Jesus' name, the aid of
> that infinite near world of Peace from
> which Thou keepest watch and ward
> over those who seek Thee. Amen.
> 
> A Creed.
> THOU     art the One God, animating all
> things     yet self-existent, . absolute.
> Thine is the Command which calleth
> all things from nothingness into being.
> Pace 72
> Thine is the Power that upholdeth all
> things, contro1leth all things, and from
> the beginning ordaineth all that is, and
> is to be.
> Thou art the Boundless, containing
> all existence, and contained of none.
> No want was found in Thy perfection
> nor was any constraint put upon Thy
> will. For love's sake Thou didst create
> the worlds, and all that Thou hast
> made bears witness to Thy love.
> No pathway is there that man has
> trodden, or may tread, but the pathway of Thy love. Thou hast created
> him to know and to adore Thee, and
> to dwell evermore in the joy of union
> with Thee, the One Beloved.
> Thou art exalted above all attributes and hallowed from the comprehension of men.       That which Thy
> prophets proclaim of Thy nature is
> according to the measure of our
> ignorance not of Thy true nature and
> condition.
> No man nor angel nor any created
> being can worthily extol or glorify Thy
> Power. None save Thyself alone can
> perceive or imagine Thy Might, Thy
> Dominion or Thy Majesty.        Amen.
> Page 73
> (D658)                         F
> A Morning Prayer.
> 0 BELOVED Lord, knit our hearts fast
> to Thee, and through the trials and
> mischances of the day let us keep
> Thee ever in remembrance, and remain
> unsevered from Thy love. Amen.
> BESET   from day to day by the practical
> problems of this busy world, we beg
> of Thee, 0 God, two especial gifts.
> Help us to set our hearts in a right
> relation towards all with whom we
> deal, regarding them as verily our own
> kith and kin, as father or mother,
> brother or sister, son or daughter; and
> grant us a clearness of mind and judgment likewise that amid all difficulties
> we may walk in the path of wisdom,
> justice and understanding.
> Vouchsafe us this bounty, 0 Lord,
> according to the measure of our need
> that we may give at all times to Thy
> affairs the best service of our minds
> and hearts; through Jesus Christ, our
> Lord.
> PROTECT     us, 0 God, from misuse of
> the privilege of prayer.  Enable us to
> Page 74
> use it rightly, and to the full extent
> of its power.
> Let us not seek to gain from Thee
> by prayer alone what we ought to gain
> by daily effort, nor to evade the duty
> of helping others by asking Thee to
> help them.              •
> Enable us more and more to submit
> ourselves to Thy good pleasure, and
> to abandon our desires for Thy Desire.
> Teach us so to live and so to pray,
> dear Lord, that Thou mayest accept
> both our lives and our prayers among
> the spiritual forces whereby Thy Cause
> 1s furthered   among men and Thy Will
> done on earth as it is in heaven;
> through Jesus Christ. Amen.
> WE come before       Thee, 0 Lord, to
> confess our forgetfulness, and to crave
> Thy pardon and forgiveness.
> Save what Thou hast bestowed on
> us, we possess nothing.
> Save what Thou hast taught us, we
> I now nothing.
> Save for what Thou hast in store
> for us we shall alway.s find ourselves
> utterly destitute.
> Yet we lightly accept all from Thee
> us though it were nothing, and we look
> Pa;e _75
> on life as though it were our own, and
> we ourselves its creator.
> Deliver us, 0 merciful Saviour, from
> this ingratitude,   this arrogance, this
> isolating selfishness.   Helo us to appreciate and to remember Thv bounty,
> to make confession continually of our
> dependence on Thee, and by happy
> thoug-hts and kindly deeds among Thy
> people to offer Thee our thanks for the
> ceaseless profusion of gifts which Thou
> showerest on mankind. Amen.
> 
> LIGHT   of the world, Whose beams are
> shed on all Thy creatures throughout
> all Thy earth, kindle in our hearts the
> fire of Thine own Universal love that
> we mav become conscious of our unity
> with all mankind, may pray for all
> without regard of race or kin, and seek
> the common good of all who share with
> us the bounty of Thy light. Amen.
> INTO  Thy hands, 0 Lord, we commit
> our future and ourselves.   Thou art
> mighty and canst ordain whatever
> Thou wiliest. .Thou art merciful, and
> wilt guide to Thy Kingdom everyone
> who seeks Thee. • Thou art kind, and
> Page 76
> wilt give us more than we know how
> to seek or to desire for ourselves.
> We will never be sad nor anxious
> again, for Thou art our Friend. We
> will have no more fears, for Thou art
> our Defender. We will never be lonely,
> tor Thou art always our Companion.
> Strengthen in each of us the power
> of love. Teach us to forbear and to
> torgive. Grant us serenity, and let our
> hearts be filled with warm goodwill
> towards all mankind.
> So by Thy help shall our home bear
> to other homes a message of peace
> and of the guidance of God. Amen.
> LORD, Thou knowest we believe; save
> us trom deeds which deny that belief.
> Thou knowest that we desire Thee;
> save us from every alien desire .
> . Thou knowest that we seek Thy
> nghteousness; save us from sins which
> though we hate we yet commit. Amen.
> IN our better moments, 0 God, we
> seek Thee with longing and gladness
> Help us to remember Thee in our
> worse moments.
> We are weak and unmindful and
> Page 77
> need Thy special aid in atl the distractions of every day. Be Thou our
> strength,   0 God, that no passing
> desire may blot even for a moment
> from our sight the fixed ideal of our
> lives; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
> 
> n   GoD, sa, e us from         unhappy
> thoughts,   from idle regrets,     from
> brooding on wrongs, from impatience
> for change.    Kindle in our hearts a
> love that will burn up these vain and
> wasting imaginings, and will light áus
> to the blessedness of heaven; through
> Jesus Christ, our Lord.
> 
> A Litany.
> 0 CHRIST!
> Deliver us from the evil that lies
> entrenched in our hearts.
> Defend us from the evil promptings
> of those whose hearts are given to the
> world.
> Protect us from the perils, bodily
> and spiritual, that throng about us,
> from Thy displeasure and rejection.
> Page 78
> Save us
> from bondage to the past, from ancestor worship, from the idols of custom
> and tradition.
> Save us
> from the persistence of past sins and
> former habits that still with dead
> hands cling about our souls.
> Save us
> from ignorance of our true selves lest
> we end our days without understanding
> either of man or of God.
> Save us
> from covetousness, from ill-will, from
> every trace of envy, lest we burn in
> the fires of spiritual torment.
> Save us
> in weak moments,         in moments of
> forgetfulness, in moments of waywardness.
> Save us
> from vacillation and inconstancy lest
> having followed Thy guidance a little
> while we turn away and perish.
> Save us
> from blindness of heart lest we exalt
> ourselves before Thee, and walking in
> ignorance of Thee amidst Thy words
> we come to our death in utter loss
> and misery.
> Page 70
> Save us
> from the sin that knows no repentance,
> lest having beheld Thee in Thy Glory
> we turn back to the darkness,       and
> enter the night whereon there breaks
> no dawn.
> 0 Christ, save us!
> 
> An Intercession.
> 0 GOD, look on these Thy servants
> who labour and are heavy laden, bearing the grievous yoke and burden of
> the world. Deliver them, we beseech
> Thee, that they may hear instead only
> the easy yoke and the light burden of
> servitude to Thee.    Amen.
> 0 THOU of Whose Will it cometh that
> a home is founded in love, sustained
> by love, and moves from love to further
> love, give ear to the supplication of
> us Thy servants who have turned to
> the Dayspring of Thy Mercy, and who
> in their weakness seek strength fr:.nn
> Thee.
> Protect  us from any sense of
> opposing interests, from the harbouring of any selfish thought,     or the
> Page So
> utterance of any unfitting word by
> which our home might be riven to its
> base.
> Burn and consume out of our hearts
> every cause of difference in the fires
> of our common love for Thee; and
> through Thy bounty pour down on us
> that divine high power of love which
> Thou dost keep for those alone who
> with sincere and lowly hearts give
> themselves up to Thee; through Jesus
> Christ, our Lord.
> () GOD,  keep us ever mindful that in
> Thy kingdom which we fain would
> enter no home can be happy unless all
> homes are happy.      Protect us for
> Jesus' sake from a narrow affection
> or a selfish loyalty,   and let our
> sympathy    and goodwill reach far
> beyond these enclosing walls to other
> homes and other lands.
> Thou art the Father of all people,
> and the wide world is one home for
> Thy children.  Amen.
> 
> A Morning Prayer.
> PROTECT us this day, 0 God, against
> the unhappy   influence   of those who
> Page 81
> have turned away from Thee. Help
> us to give back good in return for
> evil; if we meet a thought of anger,
> to overcome it with a stronger thought
> of peace, and if we meet with hate to
> transform it by the power of a stronger
> love.
> Grant unto all who have sought Thee
> such harmony and faith as shall
> quicken faith in the hearts of the unbelieving, and show forth to all the
> peace and sweetness of Thy Kingdom;
> through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
> VOUCHSAFE to this home, 0 God, the
> protection of Thy mercy and Thy
> presence.
> Let whatever is harsh or unhappy
> in the world fmd no echo within these
> walls. Pour upon us who have turned
> toward Thy Kingdom the spirit of
> peace and unity and joyfulness. Keep
> us, each and all, mindful of our several
> rights and duties, and help us to make
> this a well ordered and harmonious
> household.    Let each of us ever be
> ready to bear a full share in common
> burdens, and without self-regard to
> seek comfort, honour and blessing for
> the rest; through Jesus Christ, our
> Lord.
> Page 82
> 0 LORD of Glory!
> When we look at the lowliness of our
> dwelling, and see our garments bearing
> the mark of much work, and our hands
> roughened by toil, we are ashamed to
> ask Thee to enter our home, or to be
> a guest at our poor table. The best
> our house can hold were too mean a
> gift to offer to our Beloved; and it is
> not in such a place as this one would
> entertain a king.
> Yet, we remember that of old in
> Palestine Thou didst choose for Thyself poverty, and didst not despise the
> poor. It was not the great and mighty
> whose homes Thou didst frequent, nor
> was it in halls of idleness and splendour that Thou wast made a guest.
> Simple and lowly folk who knew hardship and labour were among Thy
> friends, and in their homes Thou didst
> fmd that which was to Thee more
> precious than ease and luxury.
> We, too, will try to make this home
> of ours fit to welcome Thee. We will
> hang our walls with kindly thoughts
> and generous deeds, and will weave
> coverings of thankfulness and praise
> to spread before Thy feet.      Content
> Page 83
> and happiness shall be our servants to
> wait on Thee; and Love will go forth
> as our messenger to beg Thee to enter
> our dwelling.
> A Morning Prayer.
> gr
> To us who now leave our devotions,
> 0 God, to engage in our daily tasks,
> grant Thy especial help that we may
> not become lost amid the frets and
> cares that beset us, but may be able
> at any moment by an act of will to
> recapture the inward peace and sweet
> content which now are ours through
> the power of prayer. For Jesus' sake.
> Amen.
> LORD of the New Covenant l
> Make Thy covenant        to be our
> strength, our glory and our heart's
> true wealth;
> the home wherein we find Thy
> rest;
> the castle to which we flee for
> succour;
> the temple wherein we worship;
> the altar whereon we offer in
> sacrifice to Thee our hopes,
> our desires,   and our lives.
> Amen.
> Page 84
> An Evening Prayer.
> THE   sun has set; the day is gone; the
> light dies in the east. Night bids us
> take our rest in sleep.
> Open, 0 God, our spiritual eyes and
> reveal to our inner vision the Day
> that never fades, the Sun that never
> sets, the Light which is God. Pour
> down on us now the radiance of that
> heaven where there is neither night
> nor weariness; and breathe upon us
> now the Peace of Thy eternity;
> through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
> 
> An Evening Prayer.
> (For use before. other   prayers.)
> 
> 0 GOD, Who has sent evening to bear
> to us her precious gift of peace, let
> not Thy peace be far from us. Heal
> in our hearts the fever of the world,
> and allay every unquiet or distracting
> thought that we may approach Thy
> presence and hold communion with
> Thee; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
> Page 85
> On Reading Scripture.
> 0 THOU Who hast not spoken openly
> of heavenly things, but hast veiled
> them in symbol ;;i.ndallegory, in figure
> and in parable; create in us the eye
> to see, the ear to hear, and give us
> understanding of the mysteries of Thy
> Bible. We know, 0 Lord, that nothing is hidden, save that it may be
> disclosed. Grant us spiritual strength
> to bear revelation and new knowledge.
> We beg Thee, of Thy mercy and Thy
> grace, to uplift and enlighten our
> minds, and to draw our hearts to that
> spiritual condition from which we may
> behold the inner significance of Holy
> Writ, and may discern Truth from
> error, essence from form, the eternal
> from the temporal. Amen.
> DELIVER    us, 0 Lord, from all that
> would cause us to be ungenerousfrom lack of love for others and lack
> of love for Thee.
> Help us to combine simple living
> with bountiful hospitality. Let us give
> after Thy command, witr:out hope of
> return; let usá give in Thy name that
> Pag~ 86
> the outward gift may be a token of
> spiritual goodwill; and let us give for
> Thy sake that for our gifts men may
> glorify Thee; through Jesus Christ,
> our Lord.
> For Content.
> HELP   us if our means be narrow yet
> to be content, and if they are ample
> yet not to be proud.
> Help us to seek our life's work in the
> service of Thy cause on earth, and to
> be assured that our ability is sufficient
> for our appointed task.
> Help us to seek, above all lesser
> forms of wealth, continual gains of
> spirit and of heart, and to count him
> truly rich who is independent of all
> save God; through Jesus Christ, our
> Lord.
> HEAR,    0 God, our prayer for World-
> Peace. We beg Thee, by Thy promise
> of old, now to establish among men
> abiding peace.   Destroy our hatreds
> and blot from our memory our ancient
> quarrels. Help us to work for peace,
> and to promote among men the will
> for peace. Let our own lives be filled
> Page 87
> with the spirit of peace, and make our
> home reflect on earth the peace of Thy
> Kingdom; through Jesus Christ, our
> Lord.
> THOU Who hast revealed Thy proofs
> to our minds, reclaim and convert our
> hearts.
> Thou Whose hand we have descried
> in the changes of history and the fate
> of nations, reveal Thyself to us in the
> work of the passing day.
> Thou Whose presence        we have
> sought in the Temple, do not depart
> from us in our home.
> If we seek Thee not everywhere,
> we shall not find Thee anywhere.      If
> we obey Thee not in little things, if
> we pursue Thee not through the trivial
> and the commonplace, we shall never
> know Thy love, nor behold the open
> vision of Thy beauty.
> Help us day after day by kindly
> deeds and courtesies, by loving comradeship and thoughts of peace, to
> cleanse our hearts for Thy descent,
> and to prepare our home to welcome
> Thee as our guest and our Lord. Amen.
> Page 88
> A Morning Prayer.
> 0 Goo, pour down on us Thy especial
> grace that to-day we may serve Thee'
> better than we have ever served Thee
> yet.
> It is our hope and prayer that we
> shall not linger nor pause upon our
> journey toward Thee, nor neg1ect any
> of the opportunities Thou dost design
> for us.
> Give us strength and constancy that
> we may press ever forward with increasing eagerness     upon Thy way;
> and grant that now and evermore today may draw us nearer to Thee than
> yesterday,    to-morrow   nearer  than
> to-day; through Jesus Christ, our
> Lord.
> IOI
> 0 CHRIST, seeking for Thee we turn
> to Thv Sacred Book. Be Thou our
> Guide," that spiritual     insight may
> enlighten human reason, and through
> the power of both combined we may
> gain an understanding of Thy Truth.
> Thine it is to seal the Scripture, or
> to unseal, and to Thy good pleasure
> we resign our will. Amen.
> Page 89
> (De-58)                        G
> SAVE   us from worry, 0 God. Teach
> us to take life as it comes from Theeone day at a time, and to do each task
> in its turn with our whole might that
> we may make the simplest deed an
> act of worship to Thee, and of service
> to our fellowmen; through Jesus Christ,
> our Lord.
> 
> An Intercession.
> 
> 0 LIGHT that lightest every man who
> cometh into the world: Kindle again
> in our midst a vital and a burning faith
> that shall run like fire through the
> hearts of men, and show its power on
> every hand in deeds of equity, compassion and goodwill. Pour down Thy
> rays upon the souls of all men everywhere that they may put justice and
> honour in the first place before any
> claim of self or kin or friend or
> country, and let all nations and all
> homes reflect at last the open glory of
> Thy pr9mised Reign! Amen.
> I04
> GIVE   us in our need more light, 0
> God, and greater strength of soul to
> bear Thy light. Thou Who of old didst
> find Thy servants too weak to endure
> all truth, grant now to this maturer
> age the knowledge which then Thou
> didst withhold.
> Thou Whose svmbol is the Sun that
> giveth to all things light and life, send
> down from heaven fire that will consume all error and light to guide us
> unto all Thy Truth.
> Thou Who with the fmger of might
> bringest fragrant flowers out of the
> black soil and fire out of the hard rock,
> touch now our hearts, and draw forth
> thence contrition, faith and love.
> Thou Who changest all things, and
> sufferest nothing in Thy creation to
> remain unchanged,       change now our
> sorrow into joy, our warfare into
> peace.    Amen.
> 
> FOR  what blessing shall we ask, or
> what felicity shall we desire?
> What hope shall light our path, and
> in what strength shall we go upon our
> way?
> Page 91
> What knowledge shall open to us
> the gate of truth, and what attainment bring us to Thy peace?
> Leave us not, 0 Lord, our Beloved,
> in a world where none behold Thv
> oresence, nor adore Thv beauty. But
> into a world where light is endless, and
> the glory of Thy heaven is unrolled,
> where freedom and obedience are at
> one and life's power is ever at its full,
> where the desire of all desires is
> attained, where joy overflows and the
> bounty of God's love is complete-into
> that world, 0 Lord, draw us, and
> there make us immortal.
> ro6              .
> GLORY and honour, praise and thanksgiving- be unto Thee for ever from us,
> and from all mainkind !
> Thou art the One God, the Boundless, the Eternal, Who in Thy creation
> hast unveiled Thy Majesty and revealed Thy love.
> For our sakes Thou hast called from
> infinitude this realm of space and
> moulded it to serve the uses of the
> soul.
> For our sakes Thou hast laid upon
> eternity the semblance of bonds, and
> measured Time to us with fingers of
> gold and silver light.
> Page 92
> For our sakes Thou hast brought us
> forth from the void of nothingness,
> and on the mirror of our being cast the
> beauty of Thy Own similitude.
> 
> An Ascription     of Praise.
> PRAISE   be to Thee Who hast called
> into being Thy worlds of Time and of
> Eternity to give utterance to Thy love.
> Thou hast made all things for man
> and man for his own glory and
> blessedness (not for Thine!)     In his
> being Thou hast hidden Thy light; on
> his heart Thou hast printed Thy image.
> Thou hast placed the knowledge of
> Thyself and of Thy heaven before his
> face, and laid the way thereto plain
> and open at his feet.
> Thou hast commanded from the
> beginning Thy covenant with man to
> deliver him from mortality and to
> grant him the freedom of Thy eternal
> Kingdom.
> Age after age Thou hast sent Thy
> prophets to renew the same, to bear
> Thy children love-messages from Thee,
> and to bestow on them new and ever
> richer gifts.
> Page 93
> Praise be to Thee, 0 God, from us
> who remember our benefits, who recount our blessings, and Who from our
> hearts give thanks unto Thee, the
> Beloved.
> Praise be to Thee Who hast granted
> us birth in this time of wonder, this
> great age of breaking light!
> We have walked in pride before
> Thee, but Thou hast overcome us by
> Thy humility.
> We have turned from Thy presence,
> but Thy love has overtaken us, and
> drawn us home to Thee.
> We have earned the wages of sin,
> but Thou hast brought to us Eternal
> Life.
> Praise be to Thee Whose compassion
> has overshadowed us, whose forgiveness has descended upon us, Whose
> mercy has given us life, Whose hand
> has guided us to the highway of Thy
> Kingdom, Who chose the path of
> suffering that Thou mightest redeem
> us.
> 0 Thou Whose holiness and might
> are above Thy.creatures' praise, accept
> from us who love and worship Thee
> this praise we offer. Amen.
> 
> Page 94
> FOR THE ,AGE'D.
> 0 THOU Whose forgiveness is my hope
> and Whose presence is my home, draw
> my thoughts from earth to heaven,
> from the past to the future, from dear
> ones lost and happiness long gone by,
> to the sweet vision of that eternal
> world where there is no parting nor
> sorrow nor infirmity, but the fulfilment of all love's prayers and dreams.
> THE noon of my life is past. Evening
> has come. Soon night will fall, and
> darkness gather me to itself. Grant
> to my heart, 0 Lord, the peace of
> eventide.  Help me, though I be so
> weak, to honour Thy cause, and to
> serve Thy will to the end that I may
> make myself ready for the inevitable
> hour. When night is come, and from
> my soul earth and the things of earth
> fall away for ever, be Thou, 0 Lord,
> my light; and let Thy mercy on its
> angel-wings bear me far hence to Thy
> realm of love and ever-living peace;
> through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
> I IO
> PRAISE be to Thee, 0 God of mercy,
> Who while I was young brought me to
> Page 97
> the knowledge of Thee and guided my
> footsteps to Thy kingdom.
> Hear now the prayer of an old man,
> ?'nd grant me in my age Thy crownmg mercy.
> Lighten my soul with some glimpse
> of that hidden world into which I soon
> shall pass, and let some gleam of the
> sunshine of Thy face float down to me;
> that with a sweeter faith and clearer
> hope I may make ready to obey Thy
> summons and to change my darkness
> for Thy light; through Jesus Christ,
> our Lord.        III
> GRANT,    0 Lord, that to the last
> moment of this fleeting life I may grow
> more rich in divine true love and
> spiritual strength.  And as I look onward to that great assize where soon
> I must give an account in the spirit
> of deeds done here in the body, teach
> me to hope for no reward save that of
> serving Thee in Thy eternal worlds,
> and fear no punishment save that ol
> being shut from Thy light in the prison
> of my own lovelessness; through the
> merits of Jesus Christ, our Lord.
> II2
> FORGIVE me, 0 God of mercy,        for the
> errors   of my past;     for wrong things
> Page 98
> done, and right things left undone.
> Grant me so to serve Thee in the year.:;
> remaining that when my eyes close to
> the light of the sun they may awake
> on the light of paradise; when my ears
> are shut to the sounds of earth, they
> may open to the songs of Thy kingdom; when my body returns to water
> and clay I may soar on my soul's
> wings to Thy deathless worlds of love;
> through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
> 
> Page 99
> S'PeCie./!L
> PRAYERS   & I:J(T€'1(C€SSIONS
> For an Artist or Craftsman.
> GRANT   me Thy aid, 0 God, that in
> my working I may worship Thee. Let
> me not regard the praise of men, nor
> seek my own pleasure.    Keep ever in
> my sight the Beauty and the Truth of
> Heaven, and let the sole motive of my
> art be to create in joy a love-offering
> which I may spread beneath Thy feet.
> Amen.
> 
> For a Teacher of Religion.
> I I4
> 0 GOD! Write Thy glad tidings in my
> eyes, and engrave Thy glory on my
> heart.
> Let my thoughts be drawn from
> Thy deep well of joy, and my desires
> stop not short of heaven.
> Let love keep the door of my lips,
> and in my words let spirit call unto
> spirit.
> So may I be made Thy messenger,
> and both in silence and in speech proclaim Thy Truth among Thy people,
> Amen.                             •
> Page IOJ
> For a Preacher.
> 
> II5
> WITH   my whole heart, 0 God, I turn
> to Thee seeking only to serve Thee.
> Endue me now with radiancy of faith
> and love and ecstasy.     Help me to
> speak in perfect humility, to remember only Thee, to be as a leaf blown
> by the breath of Thy Spirit; that I
> may summon to Thy Kingdom those
> whom Thou dost call, and that Thy
> Glad tidings may quicken every listening heart; through Jesus Christ, our
> Lord.
> 
> A Churchman's    Prayer.
> JI6
> 0 GOD, Who hast set us in so tumultuous an age, give us a wisdom equal
> to the time that we may discover what
> are in truth these forces that now stir
> the minds of men, and through this
> knowledge may under Thee do for the
> world a work to answer its grievous
> need; through Christ, our Lord. Amen.
> Page   104
> A Churchman's Litany.
> 
> II7
> 
> 0 THOU Who art the same for ever!
> Save us from the pride of an age
> that honours man so much and God so
> little.
> Save us from qualifying Thy claims,
> or making light of Thy power.
> Save us from paying court to the
> opinions of the sceptic or the doubter,
> lest we debase Thy teaching to suit
> the thoughts of men.
> Save us from the contagion of the
> indifferent, and from tempering our
> faith to the half-beliefs of a wayward
> age.
> Help us to have no standard of
> truth but Thy word, and to honour
> the knowledge of Thee as the ultimate
> goal of all learning and all attainment.
> Help us to humble ourselves before
> Thy deity, and to submit our wills to
> Thy command.
> Help us to win back the simplicity
> and lowliness,     the sweetness    and
> fellowship, the wisdom and confidence
> that marked Thy faithful ones of old,
> that we like them may bear Thee
> Page     105
> (D6SR)                          II
> witness in deeds and words that none
> may gainsay nor resist; through Jesus
> Christ, our Lord. Amen.
> II8
> 0 CHRIST! Amid the vastness of our
> tradition help me to remember the •
> simplicity of Thy teaching and the
> significance of Thy daily life in rural
> places and in modest homes. Let me
> seek Thee now not in the dust of ages,
> nor in idle discussions, but where all
> Thy saints have found Thee: in my own
> heart.
> Teach me to hold inward communion
> with Thee, and through the power of
> a life lived in Thy presence, let me find
> the peace of those who loved Thee
> when Thy Faith was young; through
> Christ, our Lord. Amen.
> 
> Of Christendom.
> I 19
> 0 FATHER in heaven!          Leave us not
> alone in our divisions, but open to us
> now that untried path which shall lead
> us all out of our difficulties, and guide
> us to concord and to common knowledge of all truth.
> Page io6
> Let not one single soul among us
> rest content with this bewilderment
> and weakness, but kindle in eyery mine!
> a hunger for that inward peace and
> glory, that abounding happiness and
> radiant power which marked         Thy
> saints of old.
> Make every soul a truth-seeking
> soul, and create in each and in all of
> us that yearning and aspiration after
> reality which shall bring us to the
> Land of Divine Knowledge, and make
> us one with all our fellows and with
> Thee; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
> Amen.
> 
> An Irish Churchman's Prayer.
> IN Thy mercy,    0 Christ, look upon us
> who inherit the ages, and make us not
> unworthy of those saints of old in
> whose place we stand.
> Deliver us, as Thou didst deliver
> them, from trust in worldly things,
> that we may be able to attain their
> trust in heavenly things.
> Help us by Thy light to see and learn
> the secret of their spiritual power
> which has won for them fame on earth
> and glory in Thy presence that we in
> fage    107
> this later day may take up the mantle
> of their prophethood, and shew forth
> Thy truth in deeds and lives which
> even they might not disown.
> 
> For Ireland.
> LOOK Thou, 0 Lord, upon this land
> where once Thy name set hearts on
> fire, and Thy light shone in lonely
> splendour across the darkness of the
> west.
> Renew     that    ancient  zeal, that
> spiritual passion for the truth.
> Let not that effort of a bygone day
> be without fruition in this great age of
> crises!   Use once again the spiritual
> gifts Thou hast vouchsafed this people,
> and lead them all as one in the path
> of heavenly knowledge.
> Let all our thoughts       have one
> master-thought,       all our hopes one
> master-hope,      that in the common
> service of one divine ideal we may find
> inward peace and outward concord,
> and amidst the nations of an enlightened ,vorld stand as a pattern of
> humility ari:d of senáice to our fellowmen and God; through Jesus Christ,
> our Lord. Amen.
> Page   108
> 0 Goo, hear my prayer for old friends
> far away!
> We are sundered far and long, and
> the changes of many years divide us
> now. Yet Thou knowest my friendship is as warm and tender as in the
> days gone by, and my heart's longing
> and goodwill flows out towards them
> always.
> Grant that through Thy grace my
> affection may in truth reach them and
> envelop them, and their hearts may be
> conscious of my abiding remembrance.
> 0 Maker and Preserver of friendship, accept my loving thoughts of
> them as a prayer offered on their
> behalf to Thee. Be thou their friend
> and their companion; protect them
> from evil, lead them in the way of light
> and happiness, and teach both them
> and me to know Thee as the Perfect
> Friend, the Cause, the Hope, the Stay
> of human friendship; through Jesus
> Christ, our Lord.
> 
> Intercession for Healing.
> 0 Goo, Whose mercy is from everlasting, an:d Whose Word mak~s all
> Page 109
> things new! Withhold not Thy compassion and Thy healing from this sick
> and suffering     servant    of Thine.
> Cleanse him from all that makes for
> weakness, illness and affliction. Grant
> him throughout      his whole being
> harmony and health. Lord of Destiny,
> give to him now in Thy wisdom according to his need, and bestow on him
> that which will bring him here. and
> hereafter abiding vigour and life and
> happiness; through Jesus Christ, our
> Lord.
> Thou canst change whatever Thou
> wiliest, and all Thy creatures are engulfed in the ocean of Thy mercy.
> 
> An Intercession for an Unbeliever.
> 0 MERCIFUL Lord, Thou Lover of Thy
> creatures, Thou Answerer of prayer,
> hear me when I plead with thee for
> this Thy servant. ....
> Let Thy forgiveness descend upon
> him and engulf him. Cleanse him from
> those sins that stand between him and
> Thy bounty and shut from him the
> tides of Thy beneficence.
> Have compassion upon him, 0 God,
> Page   110
> pardon him, deliver him. Take away
> his weakness. Bestow on him spiritual
> strength. Reveal to.him the mysteries
> of Thy kingdom. Let him be one of
> those who hear Thy call and follow
> Thee. Make him Thy devoted servant,
> a radiant humble messenger on earth
> of Thy truth, Thy power and Thy love.
> 
> LOOK, 0 God, upon this unhappy
> struggling child of Thine, who now by
> devious ways seeks for that content
> and peace which she can never find,
> save in submission to Thy Truth.
> Grant her light and strength that
> she may heed Thy message and turn
> to Thee. Draw her from all blind paths
> into the one true path that leads direct
> to Thee. Unstop her ears that she may
> hear Thy voice. Open her eyes that
> she may behold the light of Thy
> Beauty.    Number her among those
> faithful ones who seek only Thy will.
> Grant that she may find healing in Thy
> word, comfort in Thy love, the end of
> all uncertainty    and sorrow in the
> attainment of Thy kingdom and in the
> service of Thy truth; through Jesus
> Christ, our Lord.
> Page   111
> REMEMBER      for good, 0 Lord, the
> countless deeds of kindness done to
> me by those who now are far away,
> and whom I can never requite save in
> gratitude and prayer .....    If I have
> suffered personal wrong or unkindness
> from any man, lay it not to his charge,
> 0 God, but forgive him. And for whatever unhappiness I have caused to
> others, and for the unjust deeds I have
> committed, do Thou in Thy mercy
> forgive me.
> 
> A Guest's Intercession.
> MAY Thy peace, 0 Christ, descend
> upon this house, and fill all hearts
> within it.
> Thou Who didst command hospitality, look upon these Thy servants
> who obey Thy will. Guide them ever
> onward in Thy way.
> Make me an appreciative and a
> grateful   friend; and help me to
> remember this and all other kindnesses
> both in the world and before Thee.
> 
> Page   112
> FOR INDJJ/IDUAL   USF,.
> Recognition
> 
> HAIL to Thee,    Scion of Glory, Whose
> utterance poureth abroad
> The joy of the heavenly knowledge and
> the light of the greatest of days!
> Poet of mysteries chanting in rapture
> the beauty of God,
> Unto Thee be thanksgiving         and
> praise!
> Child of the darkness that wandered
> in gloom but dreamed of the light,
> Lo! I have seen Thy splendour ablaze
> in the heavens afar
> Showering gladness and glory and
> shattering the shadows of night,
> And seen no other star.
> Thy words are to me as fragrances
> borne from the garden of heaven,
> Beams of a lamp that is hid in the
> height of a holier world,
> Arrows of fire that pierce and destroy
> with the might of the levin
> Into our midmght hurled.
> Page us
> Sword of the Father! none other can
> rend the dark veil from my eyes,
> None other can beat from my limbs
> with the shearing blad:! of God's
> might
> The sins I am fettered withal and giYe
> me the power to rise
> And come forth to the fulness of
> light.
> Lo! Thou hast breathed on my sorrow
> the sweetness of faith and of
> hope,
> Thou hast chanted high paeans of joy
> that my heart's echoes ever repeat
> And the path to the knowledge of God
> begins to glimmer and ope
> Before my faltering feet.
> 
> Weak and unworthy my praise.       Yet,
> as from its throbbing throat
> Some lone bird pours its song to the
> flaming infinite sky,
> So unto Thee in the zenith I lift from
> a depth remote
> This broken human cry.
> 
> page II6
> A Prayer at Dawn.
> 
> ALONE     in the darkness before the
> dawn I repair to Thy shrine, and bow
> before Thy sacred threshold.     In the
> rapture of communion with Thee, self
> and the world momentarily fall away.
> The veil of Thy Beauty is lifted, and
> the sweetness of Thy Mercy enfolds
> me .....
> On the far horizon darkness breaks
> and flees, and through the tracery of
> leafless boughs I watch the brightening sky. Day calls me hence, and I
> must leave Thy sanctuary       for the
> roaring city and the busy mart. Grant
> me, 0 Lord, Thy continuing presence
> and protection, that when night brings
> me back to Thy temple I may not
> come to Thee in estrangement     nor in
> shame.      Vouchsafe me, all the day
> through,     Thy help and strength.
> Above the babel let me hear Thy
> Voice. In the turmoil let Thy Peace
> r.old possession of my heart. When I
> walk among the idols that once I
> worshipped, let me not heed them nor
> remember them, being enrapt with
> utter love of Thee.
> Page 117-
> A Morning Prayer.
> To Thee now, 0 Beloved One, the
> Merciful, I bring my weakness, my
> consciousness     of failure-to    Thee I
> pour out my griefs-to       Thee I confide
> my disappointments;        and from my
> knees I rise leaving behind me all my
> burdens, freed from every sadness,
> strengthened by Thy strength, arrayed
> in faith, seeing Thy sunshine everywhere and desiring to find throughout
> the day opportumties of proving my
> gratitude to Thee for Thy abundant
> gifts.
> I 3I
> IN the growing light of self-knowledge,
> 0 God, I stand revealed to myself, and
> conscience-stricken    I come to Thee in
> horror and contrition. Till now I never
> recognised the baseness of my state
> nor suspected the depth of my guilt in
> Thy eyes.
> Fill my heart so full of love that
> there shall be no room for anger; so
> full of hope that there shall be no room
> for fear; so full of radiant joy that
> sadness may not enter nor approach.
> Deprive me, 0 God, of all the world
> Page u8
> holds dear, and of all that men may
> offer unto men; bestow on me pain,
> penury and humiliation if by this
> means I may be purified of my sm, and
> freed from these anarchic passions.
> Spare me not. But grant me in the
> end attainment to my Goal: the knowledge of Thy Truth, the blessing of
> Thy Love.
> OUT    of the dark depths of my being
> there    well up continually      hateful
> desires. The Enemy of my life has his
> stronghold in the dim mysterious background of my consciousness which lies
> beyond the reach of my will.
> Horrid thoughts and impulses assail
> me unawares, and in weak moments.
> I struggle, and I will not yield; but I
> cannot     conquer.    Legion succeeds
> legion, and the tumult is endless.
> I long for Thee, 0 my God: for Thy
> Truth, Thy Glory and Thy Peace. But
> how can I win my goal while I lie thus
> open to my foes, and the Evil
> Principle has its seat within my heart!
> In desperate     need, in conscious
> impotence I turn to Thee. Make me
> anew, 0 Lord! Leave me not to this
> monster     who harbours     within me,
> Page ng
> Deliver me horn this satanic self.
> Cleanse my whole being, and light
> within me such a flame of love as will
> burn darkness and its brood out of my
> heart for ever.
> 
> 0 MY Lord, how can I ask to be
> delivered from these tests and trials
> that bring me so much suffering and
> anguish!     They come from Thee,
> awakening me from self-delusion, and
> revealing my weakness. I stand before
> Thy Judgment Seat, uncloaked, dishonoured. Horror overwhelms me and
> abases me. Then at last shame stings
> me to life, and remorse spurs me to
> escape from the cause of this misery.
> My Lord, I do not shun pain in Thy
> path.    Whatever it cost me, do not
> permit me to delay on my journey to
> Thee, nor to turn aside from Thy way.
> Send me whatever         difficulties    or
> suffering my soul shall need to cleanse
> and purify it utterly of all that is false
> and wicked. Help me to grow in selfknowledge and wisdom, and to put
> into practice what I learn, till each
> weakness is turned into strength, and
> I pass into the realm of Thy might
> through the gates of victory.
> Page 120
> 0 LORD!
> Thy mercy is endless and Thy love
> cannot be compassed by gratitude or
> praise or knowledge.      I adore Thee
> ever more and more; I am overwhelmed
> with wonder and drawn to Thee in
> longing and rapture.    Yet, this lesser
> self, this narrow I with whom I am
> involved turns from Thee again and
> again and breaks away, flouting Thy
> law in open rebellion. Ashamed and in
> utter misery I turn back. I do not dare
> to approach Thee, but kneel far away
> in a wretched place, an alien. I cannot understand why I fall away from
> what I truly desire; and I despair of
> myself. The desolation of loneliness
> overwhelms me.
> But Thou dost not despair of me.
> Thy forgiveness descends and touches
> me ere I raise my eyes to look towards
> Thee. Thy mercy enlightens me. Thy
> love pours warm hope again into my
> heart, and Thou leadest me back to
> walk in the courts of Thy Spiritual
> Palace.
> Yet, of my own strength I cannot
> make myself an abiding place close to
> Thee. There lingers in me the foreboding that again I shall stumble and
> Page     121
> (D658)                      I
> fall away from the sweetness of this
> commumon with Thy love.
> 0 compassionate almighty God, I
> commit myself in utter humility to Thy
> boundless mercy, begging Thee to
> save me (I know not how) from this
> Horror, and to vouchsafe me that
> which is my true, my only desire-to
> attain to Thy Presence, to know and
> to obey Thy Truth.
> 
> To Assailing Doubts.
> 1 35
> I WILL have God or nothing.
> I will not accept that which you
> offer.
> I will not seek help from the world,
> for it passes and has no strength; nor
> from ambition, for it cannot satisfy;
> nor from money, for no man has that
> to sell which I desire.
> I have beheld the Truth, and I will
> not forget it.
> I have heard the promise of my
> Lord, and I will trust my all to it.
> You afflict me, but you will not
> capture my heart.
> You are many now, but you will
> become few. You seem strong, but
> your strength is already passing away.
> Page 122
> You are God's enemies, liars against
> the Truth, and I am girded with God's
> strength to master and subdue you.
> I will not cease from this battle till I
> have so used you that you will never
> raise your heads from the dust to
> threaten me again.
> 
> 0 Goo!
> Help me to give battle to the Enemy,
> and cease not; but ever to keep my
> heart in peace.
> Help me to be the servant of my
> fellow servants, and to find in this
> servitude infinite freedom.
> Help me to turn away from the
> semblance of beauty which lies about
> me, and to seek in my heart the
> eternal beauty.
> Help me to pass beyond love and
> hate that in self-abandonment     I may
> cast myself at the feet of the Lord of
> Joy.    Amen.
> 
> KEEP   Thou, 0 God, the door of my
> heart that no evil thought proceed
> from it; and guard my lips that they
> utter no uncharitable word.
> Pate   12,3
> Teach me to look for the good in
> others that I may rejoice in it; and for
> the evil in myself that I may amend
> it.
> Watch over my actions that I do no
> injustice, nor cause unhappiness to any
> one.
> Divest me of pride that I may count
> myself less than any other, and may
> become the servant of all for love of
> Thee, my Lord.
> DEAR God of Splendour, Whose light
> is greater than my darkness,         and
> Whose love is stronger than my loneliness, end forever with one shaft
> from the Bow of Thy Glory this night
> of error wherein I wander and am lost.
> Light in my heart the fires of love,
> 0 God, that being delivered from all
> self-centred desire I may love Thee
> for Thine own sole sake without hope
> of reward here or hereafter,           or
> thought of any heaven save this enraptured    abandonment     of love for
> Thee.
> MAKE my heart, 0 God, as this unshadowed mountain lake that sets its
> face forever toward heaven, and in
> Page 124
> its calm depths reflects the peace of
> Thy remote vast worlds of light.
> 
> 0 MY Lord!
> I have sought Thee all my life, yet
> I still wander in a chequered world of
> light and shadow. Oh, lift me at last
> into the pure splendour of Thy Truth
> beyond the reach of any darkness that
> I may behold Thee as Thou art, and
> live in Thy continual presence evermore.
> THE darkness changes and pales, but
> no light breaks.   Error grows intolerable, but Truth still is hidden out of
> sight. I rest not, but I never reach my
> goal.
> Yet, do I not ask anything, but to
> journey onward and onward. My path
> is of Thy making, and Thou leadest
> me on the way. l ask no more, and I
> desire no more.
> 
> I HAVE left behind me impatience and
> discontent. I will chafe no more at my
> lot. I commit myself wholly into Thy
> hands, for Thou art my guide in the
> Page 125
> desert, the teacher of my ignorance,
> the physician of my sickness.
> I am a soldier in my King's Army;
> I have given up my .will to Him, and
> my life is His to dispose of as He may
> please.
> I know not what           fate   Thou
> designest for me, nor what work Thou
> hast ordained for me, nor will I enquire
> nor seek to know. The task of the
> day suffices for me, and all the future
> is Thine.
> Little by little Thou trainest me.
> Little by little Thou changest weakness to strength,      doubt to faith,
> perplexity to understanding.      When I
> am fit to bear the burden Thou wilt lay
> it on my shoulders.     When I am prepared to take the field Thou wilt assign
> me a place in Thy army of Light. Now
> I have no other duty than to equip
> myself for Thy service.
> With eagerness and patience, with
> hope and gratitude I bend to the task
> of the hour lest when Thy call to battle
> comes I be found unready.
> THE task is hard. But I know it has
> come from Thy hand; therefore it shall
> be the choice of my mind, and the
> ,Cage 126
> delight of my heart. I will utter no
> word of complaint, nor admit a thought
> of grief. I will follow in the footprints
> of all those who have sought Thee for
> love of Thee. I will find in effort my
> rest and my peace, and out of pain I
> will wring a hidden joy.
> Thus, 0 Beloved, Whose sweet voice
> I hear calling me, and still calling me,
> I will draw near to Thy abode bearing
> Thee the only gift Thou wilt accept,
> the only gift I have to offer: the gift
> of my heart.
> In Trouble.
> FOR every void there is a filling, and
> to every prayer there is an answer.
> All tribulation has its ending, and
> to every seeking there is a finding.
> For the weary, rest is waiting, and
> for the lonely, love.
> Therefore will I be content, and
> will keep a heart at peace. My faith
> is founded upon Truth, and I will bear
> witness through every trial to the
> goodness and mercy of God.
> SWEETNESS shall be my medicine, and
> kindly deeds my remedy.
> Page   127
> Serenity shall bring me health, and
> a joyful spirit endow me with new
> strength.
> Trust in Thy will shall assure me of
> victory, and firmness in Thy Covenant
> shall draw to me eternal life and
> power.
> I HAVE set forth as Thy pilgrim, my
> Lord; but there are many lands and
> unknown seas to travel before I approach the threshold of Thy Sacred
> Shrine.
> At every step I am admitted into a
> new realm, and at the end of each
> day's wayfaring I pitch my tent in a
> fresh El Dorado.
> What earthly journey could be like
> this Journey: What adventure like this
> Adventure: What were the possession
> of the whole world compared with the
> joy of this Quest for Thee!
> My longing for Thee ever increases.
> Wonder uplifts me. My heart leaps
> with exultation, and trembles in awe.
> This gift of Thine is beyond all my
> hopes and my imagining.      I do not
> dream now of the shining domes of
> Thy far distant sanctuary.     I am no
> longer restless nor impatient.    It is
> Page 128
> enough for me to seek Thee and to
> seek Thee, day after day.
> 0 my God, my Beloved: Grant me
> at Thy hand a draught of the Wine of
> Immortality   that I may seek Thee
> through this world and all Thy hidden
> worlds for ever and for ever.
> 
> The Great Pilgrimage.
> LORD, I have launched out upon the
> vast ocean of Search in the barque of
> Faith. I know that I shall never find
> Thee unless Thy hand direct me, and
> the breath of Thy mercy bear me on
> the way.
> I am weak, and the source of
> strength lies not in me.
> Error perpetually wells up in my
> soul, estranging me from Thee.
> Yet, do I seek Thee for ever!
> Everywhere I find traces of Thee, and
> I cannot refrain from my seeking. Thy
> voice echoes in the still recesses of my
> heart, and my longing for Thee gives
> me no rest.
> 0 beloved One; my heart is emptied
> of all save Thee. Leave me not to my
> loneliness.    Breathe Thy Holy Spirit
> upon me, that I may be borne far away
> Page   129
> from the world, and reach the haven
> of Thy Inner World!
> 0 LORD of love, Giver of Knowledge!
> The twilight of Thy dawn breaks
> upon my soul, and the shadows of
> illusion flee before the white arrows of
> Thy Truth.
> Slowly knowledge      widens.    Unfamiliar meanings gleam from familiar
> things. Hidden chambers of treasure
> open before the outstretched hand of
> thought. I feel like a child carried by
> magic into a far strange land. Breathless with astonishment,        I behold
> wonders leap into being everywhere in
> endless variety. But always the way
> of Truth is love, the key of Truth is
> love, and Truth's own self is love.
> 
> A Vision of God's Triumph.
> OUT   of the depths I greet the sunlit
> heights. Out of gross darkness I sing
> hymns of light.
> Thy Glory has spread across the
> heavens, Thy Beauty has kissed the
> mountain tops, and Thy Love beats
> upon the hearts of men.
> Page   130
> The doom of the Night has sounded.
> The troops of darkness gather in the
> valleys. The stars have fallen. The
> skies are cleft asunder, and far in the
> empyrean from the Fountain of Knowledge pours the river of life, and the
> hosts of heaven chant the Glory and
> the Victory. of God.
> The peoples tremble in their sleep.
> The nations are shaken to their base .
> . The gates of Hell pour forth the last
> of their legions.
> Where can the Night flee, or the
> armies of Satan take refuge?       Death
> descends upon them. Despair hardens
> their hearts.     Breathing destruction
> they are themselves destroyed.
> For the Glory of God has encircled
> the world.     His love has filled the
> earth.     The treasure     chambers   of
> heaven are thrown wide, and the gifts
> of the Most High are showered upon
> Mankind.
> There shall be no more death nor
> oppression     nor   tears.    God has
> ascended His throne.       He has taken
> possession of the hearts of men.
> Therefore from the darkness with
> hymns of light I greet the Source of
> Light, and from the depths give
> answer to the heights.
> Page   131
> A Vision of the Day of Judgment.
> ONE     touched my eyes. I looked and
> saw above the Mountain of Holiness
> the light break. And a Voice above the
> Mountain called to me and said:
> '' That thou seest is the Dawning
> of the Judgment.      Therefore, repent,
> lest thou be found among the workers
> of inquity.
> "Woe to them that have thought
> to hide their evil deeds in the gloom of
> their mis belief, and to keep their
> wickedness secret from their Lord.
> '' Woe to them who through My long
> forbearance have imagined Me forgetful, and ignorant of their guilt.
> " Woe to the oppressors,      and to
> them that wrong the poor, though it
> be in ever so little.
> '' Woe to them that have made My
> Holy Name a cloak for injustice, and
> have stamped on My Truth the image
> of their own base desire.
> '' Woe to them that misguide My
> people, reviling My Messengers and
> traducing My Gifts.
> " Woe to them that lift their
> strength     against My strength,    and
> utter blasphemy against My Word.
> f'age   132
> " Woe to them that turn away from
> My Light, and seek the shelter of the
> darkness.
> '' Their hour is come, and the Seal
> of My Covenant is set upon their
> doom.''
> The Voice ceased.    I watched the
> dawn grow clear, and the risen Sun
> pour its beams from the east to the
> uttermost west, paling the last lone
> star of morning. The glory of the light
> ran burning through the sky. At its
> caress the hidden beauty of the world
> came forth unveiled. The air instinct
> with fire trembled in ecstasy.     The
> winds, the seas joining in nature's
> hymeneal joy chanted the bridal song
> of Earth and Heaven.
> But man, afar, alone, lay unaware,
> dreaming of vanities, drugged in sleep.
> I 5I
> JOY is from Eternity!
> Joy is more ancient than Timevast as infinitude!
> Out of joy doth all proceed, and in
> the arms of joy is Creation upheld!
> Joy is in the Beginning, Joy is before
> the founding of the worlds !
> Joy is the mighty, the impregnable,
> the everlasting.
> Page 133
> Joy is the life and light of all; and
> nought exists that is not filled with
> the breath of joy.
> The voice of joy breaks forth on
> every hand in water, in wind, in rustling leaf and singing bird; and listening
> night lays her hand upon the earth's
> wild heart to hear the universal chant
> of joy float from the fiery stars.
> 
> 0 God, 0 God, the dawn of joy 1s
> broken!
> The flood gates of light are open,
> and joy descends in torrents on the
> earth.
> The frosts of life melt in the sunhhine of Thy joy. Thy kiss of joy has
> touched all, sweetened all!
> Thy joy triumphant conquers the
> heart of man, and in the depth of our
> being joy awakes.
> There is no room for sadness, for
> doubt.   Within, without, joy fills all
> space, all time, all thought.
> The prophet's    voice, the lover's
> heart, proclaim the victory of joy.
> Far and wide, in every clime, in every
> land, the soul of man wakens to join
> at last that triumph song of praise
> which for long ages Truth, unheard of
> men, has sung to God in solitude.
> faie   134
> L'E:J{,VOI.
> 
> Consecration.
> ONLY Beloved!     With a heart on fire
> And all my longings set in one desire
> To make my soul a many-stringed lyre
> For Thy dear hand to play,
> I bend beneath Thy mercy-seat and
> pray
> That in the strength of perfect love I
> may
> Tread with firm feet the red and mystic
> way
> Whereto my hopes aspire.
> 
> I have forgotten all for love of Thee
> And ask no other joy from destiny
> Than to be rapt within Thy unity
> And-whatso'er     befall-
> To hear no voice on earth but Thy
> sweet call,
> To walk among Thy people as Thy
> thrall
> And see Thy beauty breathing throughout all
> Eternal ecstasy.
> Page 135
> Lead me forth, Lord, amid the wide
> world's .ways
> To bear to Thee my witness and to
> raise
> The dawn song of the breaking day
> of days.
> Make my whole life one flame
> Of sacrificial deeds that shall proclaim
> The new-born glory of Thy ancient
> name;
> And let my death lift higher yet the
> same
> Triumphal chant of praise!
> 
> FINIS.
> 
> Page 136
>
> — *The Altar on the Hearth (Used by permission of the curator)*