The Altar on the Hearth
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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.
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• 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
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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
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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
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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.
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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.
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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
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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
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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.
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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
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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?
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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.
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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
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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
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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)