The Altar on the Hearth

• Theá vf ltar on the Hearth By

The 'R!v.(jeorge Townshend M.A. (Oxon.) Canon of Clon/ert

'The Talbot 'Press Limited Dublin & Cork Printei in Iláeland at THF. TALBOT PRl•:t-s, Dublin To ul!l Homes that seek Felicity ult its Source CON'T'€.1(TS PAGE

Introduction 5 Prelude 7 Of Religion, of Happiness and of the Modern Home 9 For Bride and Groom 21 For Father and ,\!other 29 For Children 53 For the Family 63

For the Aged 95

S,Pecial PraJers and Interce.,s1011s JOI For Individual Use ! 13 L'E11voi 135

Page 4 Introduction. I AM very glad to accede to Canon Townshend's request to write a few words of introduction to this book. In my opinion '' The Altar on the Hearth '' supplies a gap in the bookshelves of our Christian homes, and the time of its publication is peculiarly opportune. These are days of stress and hurry, when all that concerns the materialistic side of life-money, business, amusement-threatens to monopolise the time and thought of parents and children alike. Homes for many are little more than lodgings, places convenient to sleep and eat in, but serving no higher purpose than to supply the physical needs of the human body. We are losing sight of the great truth that home is the training grou:1d for character; and that pure, noble, unselfish characters are the product of homes where first things come first. It is because this little book strives to uplift the everyday life of home and Page s family towards a defmitely spiritual plane that I welcome most heartily its advent. While the spirit of this book is essentially devotional, and there is much that is poetical and very beautiful in its language, there is no vague sentimentalism, for the writer gives meditation and prayer an intensely practical value, and helps us to realise that Christianity is a life before it is a doctrine. I hope this book will find its way into many of our homes, for I am convinced that it is fraught with fruitfulness, and, under God's blessing, will bring to those who read and study it fresh inspiration and help. B. J. PL UN KET (Bishop.) St. Anne's, Clontarf, Dublin.

Page 6 Prelude. BE of good cheer I What but the glory of the Light of Light Could cast such shadows on a world forlorn? If our hearts whispered not the hope of morn Would we so hate the horror of this night? What is it else than desperate bitter fear That drives the troops of evil, who know well Their hour is come, to vent their dying rage Upon the people of this heaven-lit age And seek by every means they may to sell Their lost dominion dear?

Be of good cheer ! The very depth of our perplexity Amid this whirling world of strife and care Where disillusion beckons to despair Is of itself a call for help, a cry That angels' hearts will not be slow to hear. For it is ever in such a time as ours, When man has ransacked sea and land for rest And never sought the heaven in his own breast, That God reveals once more His hidden powers And in His might draws near.

Page 7 Be of good cheer I Though all things change, Truth's kingdom is secure. The forms of faith come, go, and are forgot, But that which they enshrine can perish not. Altars may crumble, worship will endure. Those holy things that God bids man revere Reign on unchecked by man's satanic will; \Visdom and love are of a higher birth Than these frail phantom forces of the earth And take their deathless power from Him Whose will Above all change stands clear.

Be of good cheer ! What kings desired in vain God gives to you And in this wondrous day before our eyes Unseals His ancient book of mysteries Making all things in earth and heaven new. Truth hath come down from some far flaming sphere; Lo, in our midst her sa~red fires burn! And see-trace back these countless rays of light To the One Point wherein they all unite, And bow your forehead in the dust to know That God Himself is here ! Page 8 Of Religion, of Happiness, and of the Modern Home.

THE purpose of this book is to bear witness to the truth that the power of God is now abroad among men in its fulness, and that happiness in the home (and elsewhere) is to be attained only through conscious communion with that power. Home-life in Christendom to-day is by common report not so harmonious nor so happy as it ought to be, nor a~ it used to be. The saQctity of its ties has been called in question; the old loyalties have been weakened; authority, discipline and order are held in less esteem than formerly. Since the family is the foundation on which the fabric of the nation rests, the instability of the home threatens the well-being of the whole structure of society. In the age of transition such as ours, a degree of uncertainty in the life of the home is doubtless inevitable. Old ideas, old sentiments, old methods have ceased to satisfy, and have been fage 9 (D 658) B suddenly challenged by new knowledge and by new conceptions in almost every phase of human activity. The home reacts to the general confusion. In many ways it suffers as much as the rest of society, but in one way it suffers more. It is more directly and more deeply affected than anyá other human institution by the demand for a change in the relationship between the two sexes. Here in the family (unless a hopeless attempt be made to preserve the sex-tradition of medirevalism) the whole of the old order and the old discipline has at once to be modified. A new balance of power has to be worked o.ut in detail, and established not only between husband and wife, but between father and mother, father and daughter, mother and son, brother and sister. The adjustment is a complex matter, and one of much delicacy. Even with the best intentions on all sides, judgment and tact are indispensable, and a little humour is not amiss. A just solution of the problem enriches, sweetens and uplifts the life and the ideals of the family. But none will wonder that in such a world as we have to-day the process of experiment and change produces in Pag,1. 10 the home many difficulties and some disasters. Behind, however, all other reasons for domestic unrest, there is in reality one which de>minates, and indeed includes, all others. This is the enfeeblement of our belief in religion and in God. Spiritual sloth, covert or open faithlessness have spread like a black death throughout Christendom, and far beyond its borders. The infection has passed from study and council chamber, from street and market into the home itself. It has reached the minds of young and middle-aged, of women and of men. It saturates the mental atmosphere which we all must breathe. Such a condition of heart invariably brings upon mankind definite penalties. Nor is the reason for this just and terrible retribution far to seek. Religion is not one of the aspects of life, but a spirit informing all aspects. It is an attitude of soul towards Truth and God, and only through its energy is man guided to make his intelligence serve his higher nature instead of serving those desires which come to him from below. So long as he remains without religion, and shuts himself Page u from communion with the spiritual realm, man is no better than a human animal. He lives on the animal plane, and is subject to all the limitations and defects of animal nature. His mind is engrossed m purely material things, and he regards the struggle to survive as the highest of all laws: he can see nothing beyond it. Selfinterest rules his life, and he esteems leadership and power as the greatest success. Hence come fear and pride, hatred and jealousy, filling the world with every form of injustice, with oppression, strife, war and misery. True religion is indeed man's sole protection against the evil forces of his own nature. When he abandons this protection, he quickly finds that the lesser constructive forces of life lose their vitality and power. Authority of every kind is weakened. The old bonds and loyalties that helped to hold society together are challenged and rejected. Indiscipline becomes a habit of thought. A general disintegration of home life, and of the body r:olitic sets in, and there ensues such a disruption of the entire social organism as occurred in the early centuries of our era, and as we see Page 12 recurring on a larger scale before our eyes to-day. Nowhere in the wide earth is help to be found. Ingenuity can devise no remedy. Violence cannot cut a path through to safety, nor hold at bay the inevitable doom. Progress in material civilisation, however great, is not of the least avail. The affectation of religion breeds exclusiveness and bigotry, and by introducing into the community another cause of dissension only aggravates the disease. As there exists but one preventive, so there exists but one cure: the reattainment of spirituality and the return to a pure and practical religion. Religion is in truth the most effective instrument for the promotion of order and harmony in the world. No other known force will unite human hearts (in the home or in the outer world) so closely or so firmly as will religion. A community of interest may join together a group of men for a time; but such a combination is weak, and will endure no longer than common advantage dictates. Genuine faith penetrates to the inmost being of men, and makes them truly one in heart and will. The power of a common faith is Page 13 like that of fire that will fuse a dozen bars of iron into one single piece. The power of material interest is like that of a rope which will tie together the iron bars, but will leave them always separate and ready to fall asunder when the bond is removed. So soon as ever a man turns his heart to God he finds himself among conditions which are the exact opposite of those to which he has been used in the lower world of self-centred nature. Here in the spiritual realm the influences that play upon his heart move him to goodwill, concord and amity. The voices of feará and pride are no longer heard. Sweetness and peace and love are breathed upon his •soul. He has indeed entered a new mental world, higher and immeasurably vaster and more powerful than that of matter. From the first he knows that he belongs to this more exalted realm, and under its influence he begins to recognise that his own real self and essence is not physical but spiritual, and that all men being the spiritual offspring of one Father are in truth one, members of one family, one soul in many bodies. The narrow confines of birth and death no longer Page 14 limit his understanding, and he begins to descry something of the eternity of God and of His creation. By degrees he is delivered from the tyranny of the Old Adam. He learns that the emotions and desires which once he served-ambition, anxiety, greed, jealousy, hatred-are born of illusion, based on a misunderstanding of his own real nature, and of the infmite universe in which his soul and spirit dwell. His character changes and is transmuted. Endowed with a wider knowledge of life he no longer seeks self-expression in acts of egoism and usurpation, but proves the reality of his faith by the exercise of justice, and by deeds of compassion, fellowship and charity towards all. Thus does religion annihilate the first causes of disunion and ill-will, and break up the foundations on which all private and public strife are based. A group of people bound together by a common spirituality are proof against the estranging influences of the material world. Whether it be a family, or a nation, or a scattered body of believers representing a crosssection of humanity, like the early Christians, those whom a common Page 15 love for God has joined, men cannot put asunder. When Jesus promised (in effect) that if men would seek first the kingdom of God material well-being would follow, the practical wisdom of His assurance is evident. Ultimately, it is religion that stabilises society. Without it prosperity is never secure, and order can never be complete nor be long maintained. In the great world, therefore, the most vital of all reforms to-day is the reattainment of a pure religion. And as in the nation, so in its microcosm, the household. They who seek to build a happy home can in no wise succeed unless a mutual human love is strengthened by a common love for Him who is the source and cause of all love. The task should not be hard. For in the home there are tendencies which draw man's heart towards higher things. Spirituality is less difficult to attain here than it is in the countinghouse or camp. And until religion calms and ennobles the inner life of the family and its members, there is little hope that it will penetrate the outer world of politics, letters and commerce. Marriage is based on love, and begins at the altar of the Most Page 16 High. It evokes in the hearts of lovers the fairest hopes and the most beautiful ideals. Instinct and custom unite to surround" it with both rejoicing and solemnity. Its earthly blessing of children calls through the years for self-sacrifice and forethought, and confers on even thoughtless parents a deep sense of responsibility. Few do not strive to protect, to guide and train their children to the best of their knowledge and power, and to prepare them against the moral difficulties and dangers which for themselves perhaps have proved too strong. Nor 1s there any school in life more important than the home. The heart and the soul of the child are impressionable almost beyond belief. The little one who seems to be learning no more than how to hold a spoon or pencil, and how to put on its clothes, is in fact absorbing knowledge more quickly than it ever after will from any book or teacher. The acts, the words, the very character of its elders and companions, with .all that makes up its environment, are imprinted on the infant mind. And what is thus acquired is never forgotten. As the s:ipling is bent, the tree will grow. "What you teach a Page 17 child," says the Arab proverb, "you cut in stone. It will never be erased.". Father and mother may-if it be their wish-learn only less than their children. Spirituality is gained from life as well as from books. The simple affections of the home call into action one's better nature; and as every deed has its originating thought, so the ceaseless material demands of every day have their ideal side, and may be used to transform moral weakness into strength, callousness to sensitiveness. If all the members of the family, young and old, unite in a common faith and a common effort there is created a new spiritual power-greater than the aggregate of their individual powers-and this may become the means of God's descent upon the home. While the thoughts and sentiments conveyed in these pages are one and all sincerely the author's own-a transscript from experience, they are not intended to be original in the sense of being singular or even unusual. On the contrary, the author's effort has been to catch and to reflect some of the nobler ideals and aspirations current in this extraordinary age, and to Page 18 express these in a form suited for the devotional purposes of the modern family and its several members. The prayers deal in some measure with the private experiences of the inner religious life, but more particularly and in more detail with the vanous relationships to be found in the family group. They treat of the central ard vital problems which confront husband and wife, father, mother and child. They deal more especially with those earlier years of married life which are the time of experience and adjustment, and are therefore most critical. They come out of actual life, and (except 'in a few instances) have been composed for the use of one particular family or of special friends. In one or two places there is a local reference-the description of a scene or the narration of an incident-but the meaning and the emotion which make the essence of the piece are, it is hoped, the natural property of every parent and child everywhere. The underlying purpose from beginning to end has been to bear witness in the sphere of home life to the truth that the spiritual is the real, and to offer to those who dwell in homes a Page 19 means of expressing the belief that the power of God in its fulness is with us now.

Page 20 Prayers and Meditations.

FOR 'BRID€ & G'l(OOM. For Bride and Groom. I 0 GOD, look upon us, Thy servants, who have set forth upon this enterprise of married life; and hear our common prayer. Courtship and wedding- are over, and now we kneel alone to Thee upon that hearth which is to be henceforth the centre of our lives. 0 Thou Whose presence we sought to pledge our marriage vows- Thou Whose blessing we invoked, and in Whose Name we made our two lives one: Grant that we may continue according to this beginning. Help us to found in truth an altar on this hearth, and sacrifice ourselves and our lives to Thee and to Thy cause. Amen. 0 GOD, look upon us who have undertaken to create a home, and wish to build it in Thy Name, and to shape it according to Thy Desire. Help us from this beginning to the very end to turn our hearts to Thee, and to seek wisdom and courage and strength from Thee, .Page 2.3 Grant that our love, our happiness, our delight in each other may increase and strengthen, and become more deep and sweet continually. Grant that our hearts may grow ever more warm, more tender, more rich in love, and in love's joy. Grant that our love may be the lig-ht of our life; that it may fill our dwelling with its rays, making our home a place of sweetness and delight, or rest and spiritual peace. Help us to be just to each other; and to know ourselves as equal before Thee in rights and in importance. Help us to find and to preserve that poise and mutual helpfulness which Thou hast appointed for wedded men and women. Help us to combine the diverse spiritual gifts of manhood and of womanhood, that with a twofold strength and a single will we may the better seek Thee in Thy heaven and serve Thee on Thy earth. Teach us who have promised to share our earthly things, to share with one another heavenly things. Let our comradeship be not outward only but inward likewise: the hidden union of two hearts who share in joy Page 24 a common faith and heavenly knowledge. Make Thou this home of ours as happy as a home may be, and all our sister homes throughout the world as happy as our own. Amen. 0 THOU Whose name is Love, and from Whom alone true love proceeds, let this love-bond which in Thy name we bind about our lives be a sign and proof of Thy Presence. Let it be born of Thee; let it be maintained by Thee; and let it lead us ever onward together into closer communion with Thee, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. GRANT unto us, who with a common aspiration strive to do only Thy will and to walk only in Thy way, that we may animate, encourage and sustain each other, and so through united effort may obtain what each unaided and alone might never reach nor know. For Jesus' sake. Amen. 0 GOD of pity, Who knowest that human love is of itself frail and mutable, lift up our hearts to Thy heaven, and make us one in Thee that Page 25 (D 65S) C -Our love for one another may partake of Thine own love's immutability and might; through the power of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. GRANT, 0 God, that we preferring each the other's good may share in harmony all worldly things, and not content with this may seek and share together the hidden treasures of Thy inner worlds, finding continually new fields for search, new ranges of spiritual fellowship and love. Through Jesus Clirist, our Lord. Amen. BIND our souls together, 0 God, with cords of affection and bonds of comradeship, and make us one in heart and spirit, that Thou Who enterest none but lovers' hearts mayst lodge with us and bless our home and neighbourhood with the sweet radiance of Thy Presence. Amen. GRANT unto us, 0 God, the perfect spirit of comradeship that each may have at call in time of spiritual trial an understanding heart, a helping hand, a cheering voice, a sweetening smile. And let the assurance of this Page 26 dear support and sympathy be our married strength to win together the Goal of Thy good pleasure and Thy love; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. • 0 SELF-REVEALING Lord, Who hast commanded marriage and ordained the Home, reveal Thy will for wedded lovers such as we, and guide us upward on this new path of happiness and love. For Jesus' sake. Amen. IO 0 Goo Who hast constituted all things for a spiritual purpose, reveal to us more and more clearly Thy spiritual purpose in a human marriage. Grant that by our lives together we may prove our marriage was indeed made in heaven, that we were wedded in Thy name and to Thy glory. Train our minds and hearts that we may attain more and more fully the blessings Thou hast prepared for lovers knit in true marriage. Let our marriage strike its roots deep within our hearts, and grow in spiritual strength and beauty till it fulfil Thy spiritual purpose and desire. Amen. Pace 27 A Husband's Prayer in Absence from Home.

II CUT me not off, 0 God, from communion with her I love, but let me still guard and protect her though she be far away. Let my homing thoughts be as birds that fly to her and sing in her listening heart songs of my love. Let them be as strong sentinels keeping watch and ward that no evil may come near her. Let them be as suppliants to Thee calling to her aid the angels of Thy presence. Make my love more strong and stedfast, and remove the limits which beset it now that I may have power from Thee to help those I love though I be far away. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Page 28 FOR Fe/!11JER & MO'l'HER. A Morning Prayer. 0 WATCHFUL and loving Lord! Keep our little ones this day under Thy protection. Permit no evil influence to reach or to come near them. Preserve them from illness, from accident, and from all mishap. And in the evening bring them home to their rest in safety and happiness. For Jesus' sake. Amen. An Evening Prayer. PRAISE be to Thee, 0 God, Who hast given to these children another day of happiness, and brought them free from harm through the dangers of their waking hours. Grant to them now sweet rest and healthful sleep. And through the night, 0 Thou that sleepest not, keep them in safety beneath the shelter of Thy power and Thy love; for Jesus' sake. Amen. PRAISE be to Thee, 0 God, Who hast given to these children the boon of earthly life, and brought them thus far upon the road that leads to life eternal! Page 31 0 Thou of many gifts, vouchsafe these little ones the mortal boon of health, prosperity and happiness; and since these blessings soon must pass away and be no more, admit them to Thy boundless worlds of love, endow them wi'th imperishable wealth, and baptise them with the spirit of Thine own immortal life; through Christ, our Lord. THIS home is a garden, 0 Lord, which Thy hand has planted in the world, and the hearts of these children are Thy flowers. Do Thou tend them and nourish them. Pour down the rays of Thy truth upon them. Breathe on them with Thy Holy Spirit. Let Thy mercy descend on them like refreshmg rain. So shall these flowers of Thine mature, and bloom in beauty, and shed afar the fragrance of Thy love; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. PRAISE be to Thee, dear Lord, Who grantest to Thy servants bounty upon bounty. Thou bestowest on us the marriage-blessing of children bringing Page 32 with them a thousand delights; and in this very gift Thou openest to us of Thy grace a new world of setvice to Thee, a new road to Thy good pleasure and favour. Help us, in love and gratitude to Thee, so to direct and train these little ones that they may become men and women after Thine own heart, and may take their place in the world as teachers and exemplars of Thy truth: through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

0 THOU, the Lover, the Creator and the Lord of these children, help us their parents to guard and train them not through human love alone, but as an act of love for Thee, and of obedience to Thy command. Grant us selflessness and devotion, that we may be able in our hearts to hear Thy bidding, and understand Thy will for these little ones. Help us to do for .them our utmost in Thy name, and in calm trust to leave the rest to Thee, the All-wise Who lovest these Thy children better yetfar better-than any human parent may love his child. Page 33 LET Reverence towards Thee, dear Lord, and kindness towards all that lives be graven deep into these children's hearts. Give to us, their parents, wisdom and stedfastness, that we may unfold to them, little by little, at the right time and in the right way, the knowledge of Thy Truth, and by the example of our lives may amend whatever is amiss in our teaching. Let them increase day by day in spiritual strength that they may learn of Thee the mystery of prayer, and may attain the reward of conscious communion with Thy Spirit; through Christ, our Lord. Amen. 0 FATHER in heaven, Who givest to a parents' intercession a special privilege, hear Thou our prayer for these children whom Thou hast entrusted to our care. Protect them, we beseech Thee, against the evil that arises in their own hearts, against the contagion of their parents' frailties and imperfections, against the power of those whose hearts are turned from Thee. Page 34 Help us to pray for our children with concentration and humility of spirit, and by force of prayer to keep back, far from them, the evil influences that seek their destruction. In Jesus' name. Amen.

0 THOU Who hast blessed us with Thy gift of children, let not the wonder and the happiness of these days of their infancy ever pass wholly from our hearts! Grant us a strong undying memory of whatever is most precious in these fleeting days, that in the aftertime when our little ones are no longer little we may still keep in our hearts countless images and echoes of their babyhood, may see again their open innocent faces, may hear their voices striving to imitate their elders' speech and recall these tireless infant feats of growing knowledge and gathering strength. So shall the unworldly beauty of these childhood days abide with us forever, and not be wholly lost in the ripe happiness of the later time. Page 35

'' Of such is the Kingdom of Heaven.'' GRANT to these little ones, 0 Lord, that the gifts and qualities which now are theirs through weakness they may make their own by strength. Let them through all the years retain this childlike heart, continuing humble and receptive as now, full of wonder, eager to learn. Increase day by day and year by year their faith that as the children of a Higher Home than •this they may inherit the promise of their Heavenly Father, and even here on earth partake of His Life, His Joy, His •Universal Love. Amen.

HERE, 0 Lord, within the precincts of Thy protection, Love is king and Faith and Hope are the lords of thought. But in the world without, Faith and Hope wander in a wilderness and a stranger sits upon Love's throne. Be Thou, 0 Lord, theástrength and shield of these little ones from their life's beginning to its very end. Grant that their love and faith and ['age á36 hope may prevail against every enemy and put to shame all doubt and disbelief. Give them fortitude and power that through childhood and _manhood, in prosperity and in adversity, they may' continue that journey toward Thee which here they have begun, and may to their lives' end bear witness to Thy truth; through Christ, our Lord. Amen. 0 GOD, look on us who with ceaseless care keep watch and ward over these children, and suffer not our anxiety for them to become a sign of lack of trust in Thee. We acknowledge that they are in Thy safe keeping. It is for Thee to appoint unto them their tasks in life, and Thou wilt bestow on them ample strength and means to perform all that Thou requir~st. Help us to pass on to them Thy message, to give to them the best we have to give, and doing this, to leave their souls to Thee in perfect trust. Amen. PRAISE be to Thee, 0 God, for Thy bounty to the weak, the youn_g, the Page 37 humble, and for Thy power whereby Thou doest whatsoever Thou wiliest, unhelped, unhindered, uncomprehended by the thoughts of men ! Thou puttest down the mighty, and dost exalt them of low estate. Thou hidest Thy mystery from the wise and learned, and revealest it to them who are as babes. The scholar and philosopher see and perceive not, read and understand not; the child beholding Thy beauty steps into Thy Kingdom. 0 Loving Lord, Who hast never turned away from a longing heart, nor an appealing cry, hear Thou a parent's prayer and deal with these little ones-these tender branches of the tree of life-according to Thy all perfect knowledge and desire. Amen.

0 LORD, look upon these little ones, children of Thy covenant born beneath the shadow of Thy mercy. Keep them from the first unto the last under Thy protection and suffer them not to follow any desire save what beseems a seeker after Thy truth, and a servant of Thy love. HEAR Thou, 0 God, our prayer for the children of this Age throughout the world! Look with pity on those whose parents have not turned their hearts to Thee nor humbled themselves before Thy deity. By Thy boundless mercy and Thy prevailing will, deliver them out of the darkness that surrounds them, and draw them toward Thy light. Create in their souls a hunger and thirst for righteousness, a longing for reality and truth; and prepare their minds to listen for and welcome Thy glad tidings. And now, 0 God, we beg Thee for these our children and for all others born beneath Thy covenant that Thou wilt endow them with power to recognise and to use to the utmost the blessing Thou hast given them. Grant them strength to stand fast by Thy truth, to uphold Thy cause, and in their time to spread far and near the knowledge of Thy glory and dominion. Amen. FATHER of mine, and of my little son who kneels at my side and lifts his Page 39 voice to Thee, hear Thou his prayer and mine. Protect those whom he loves and prays for. Lead him onward and ever onwar<l in Thy way till he shall understand that within his weak and mortal body is hidden the light of Thine imperishable Presence; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

A Father's Prayer.

0 TRANSCENDENT and Incomparable Lord! Thou hast bidden us look to Thee as to our Father in heaven; teach me to keep in my heart this chosen Name of Thine, that I may discern the true ideal of fatherhood, and learn what Thou wouldst have an earthly father be. Strengthená me with Thy Spirit that I may deserve the trust, the obedience and the love of my little ones. Make me remember that they will learn the meaning of fatherhood from their earthly father, and forbid, 0 Lord, that I by my unworthiness should lead Thy children astray in their first thoughts of Thee. In Jesus' riame. Amen. Page 40 A Confession.

THERE was one who, being crossed, spoke to his son in anger, and saw the child's face change in fear. Thereafter, praying in penitence, he heard the Voice of the Spirit speak to him: '' Think not to number this weak one among thy possessions, nor imagine him to be thy creation. Thou callest him thy son. Yet within his infant soul lies hidden that which is deeper than thy knowing. In heaven his spirit stands now among the angels of My presence, and here on earth the sword of My justice protects and avenges him against all, and especially against thee. Love thou thy son, and love thyself in him. Teach him My way, and walk in it thyself that thou mayest be his guide. He is not thine, but Mine. Therefore, in all thou dost with him keep Me in remembrance, and fear Me. This is thy duty. See that thou fulfil it always, and slack not therein,"

Page 41 (n65Sl D A Baby's Kiss.

0 LOVINGLord! • To the mountain-stream Thou hast given its bubbles that dance and tremble and break in light. To the forest depths Thou hast given the fresh flowerbuds that burst and open and unfold their tender petals in perfect beauty. To me Thou hast given the first baby-kiss of this little one who presses her tiny lips upon my lips in love LITTLE one, little one of my heart, I am thy first love and the first to give thee a heart in love. • When I come near, thou smilest and stretchest out thy little hands. And when I lift thee to me, thou £oldest thine arms about my neck, and pressest thy smooth cheek to mine, calling me love names in thy babytalk. What is there so sweet as love! and what love is so sweet as love at its dawning, new love, first love! Yet night by night I kneel, and beg of Him Who answers every prayer that Page 4~ through the coming years He will make ever more deep and sweet this early love of ours.

To a Little Girl on Her Third Birthday. 0 LITTLE one, my Una, April's child, thou breath of the spring wind embodied! The bluebells cluster about thy knees; overhead the giant beech-trees spread their half-unfolded leaves; across the meadow the cuckoo calls, and from the distant bog comes the curlew's lonely cry. How happy art thou, leading the revel of the woods, their native queen, for whom a thousand springs have come and gone to weave thy flowerbeauty, and to find their meaning and perfection in these fresh lips and laughing eyes of thine. 0 little one, joys more rare than these await thy wakening heart! A richer spring has cast its bounty at thy feet, a greater glory shines from another Heaven, And never morning Page 43 breaks nor evening falls but lovers' prayers go forth to beg the early vision of God's Golden Age for thee who playest here thinking all happiness is already thine!

A Father's Charge.

CHILD of my heart, call not me your Father; and this dear wife of mine that gave you birth, call not her your mother. Think not the home we make for you is your True Home. The life that is bestowed on you through us will soon pass away and perish; but you, my son, you will not perish. This life is a steed to bear you to the Kingdom of Eternity, of which you are born a Prince. The Ruler of that Kingdom is your Father. His Palace is your Home. You are heir to a mighty princedom because you are born His son. Ride straight and fast to take your heritage. Fear no danger. Stop not for flood nor foe. Look not to right nor left. Your Father waits for you. Ride on. Rest not. Remember you are the son of a King. Page 44 To a Boy on His Fourth Birthday.

GOODBYE, ill)" baby boy, goodbye; you are gone from us for ever! What love did you bring with you into the world! What love did you stir and quicken in your father's heart. With what love have I watched you, played with you, tended you in all conditions, at all hours, by day and by night; and who was happier than I! How many scenes made beautiful by love, and filled with joy unroll before my eyes. Again I see our child of longing, the first born in his first sleep: the young adventurer voyaging from chair to chair: the blueclad boy among the buttercups seeking to make playmates of the eluding lambs . . . . But all this is past. You are gone from us, my baby-boy, and have no being now save in the close warm strong embrace of your mother's memory and mine. So must it be. The bud perishes that the blossom may shed its fragrance, and babyhood Page 45 yields its place to the. larger life of the boy. And have not you, my little newcomer, my little four-year-old-son, have not you all that the baby who brought you to me had-and how much more. What was all that babysweetness of yours which is now gone by save the light you cast before you on your way to me! You too, in your turn, will pass away from me, and the years will ever bring to you change upon change. Deepening happiness awaits you. You will pass from knowledge to knowledge, from strength to strength. And through all the years, you arid I, please God, will be the closer friends and comrades because we have loved each other so dearly m the baby-days gone by.

Mark X., 13. 0 MY Sa viour ! When I read of the children who were brought to Thee, and of Thy taking them in Thine arms and blessing them, I wish that I had seen Thee in Thy days on earth, and been permitted Page 46 to_ bring to Thee these little ones of mme. Alas! that age closed long ago, and that Holy Land lies far away from this. Yet, my beloved Lord, of a certamty Thou lovest this land of mine. Thou knowest the scene that stretches before my eyes: these fragrant fields, the shining stream, the deep still woods. Here, 0 Merciful Lord, Beloved One, Thy voice has come to me, the touch of Thy hand has opened my eyes, and Thy finger has pointed me to the hidden pathway of Thy Kingdom. Had I beheld Thy person on earth, I could not have known nor loved Thee better than I can now, nor could the sweetness and the glory of Thy presence have been to me more precious or more near. Alas, alas! it is not distance of time nor of space that separates me from Thee, but only my own unworthiness. 0 Merciful Lord, suffer us who have wandered far from Thee to approach Thy courts, to attain Thy presence, and to bring our little ones to kneel at our side before Thy Mercy-Seat. Amen. Page 47 A Father's Reflection. WHILE they are at your side, love these little ones to the uttermost. Forget yourself. Serve them; care for them; lavish all your tenderness on them. Value your good fortune while it is with you, and let nothing of the sweetness of their babyhood go unprized. Not for long will you keep the happiness that now lies within your reach. You will not always walk in the sunshine with a little warm, soft hand nestling in each of yours, nor hear little feet pattering beside you, and eager baby voices questioning and prattling of a thousand things with ceaseless excitement. Not always will you see that trusting face upturned to yours, feel those little arms about your neck, and those tender lips pressed upon your cheek,á nor will you have that tiny form to kneel beside you, and murmur baby prayers into your ear. Love them and win their love, and shower on them all the treasures of your heart. Fill up their days with happiness, and share with them their mirth and innocent delights. Childhood is but for a day. Ere Page 48 you are aware it will be gone with all its gifts for _ever.

The First Lesson. WE are thy teachers because God has appointed -us. You are to hear us because God wishes you to do so. He made us your father and mother, because He chose that you should be taught by us. We provide you with food and clothing and warmth. This is good; but the good of it will not last forever. The truth we teach you is the greatest of all the gifts we have to give you. Nothing else is important compared with this. Truth and the effects of truth last for ever: not only for a little time. The teaching which God has told us to give you will make you more happy than clothes or houses or pleasure or money. People cannot be happy without truth, even on this earth: in the next world we shall be very unhappy without it. Remember, these teachings are of more value than all else we have to give you. We teach you because we wish to obey God. We teach you not Page 49 only because we love you very much, but for God's sake. To teach you as God would have you taught is not easy. We are not so wise nor so good as we should like to be; nor even so wise and good as we hope soon to become. God himself alone is a perfect teacher. We pray God constantly to help us; and because we so truly wish and strive to please Him He strengthens us with the power and wisdom ot His Spirit. Whatever is true in our teaching, and whatever is good and right m 1t comes not from us, but from God.

The Greatest Gift. THE greatest benefit which we have to confer on you is: Guidance to God. When God chose us to be your parents He commanded us to offer you this guidance. Therefore, it is by His will that we give you His Holy Teaching. We speak to you of Him and of His prophets, we surround you continually with thoughts of faith and worship, and we never cease to pray for you. We cannot compel you to learn the lessons which we teach; we would not Page 50 compel you if we could, for God intends our wills to be free. You must choose for yourself. Your mother and I are trying-as best we may-to follow the leading of that Guidance, and it is our hope and prayer that you will travel with us. We should be very lonely if we had to take one step without you. For this teaching which God has given us to pass on to you is the most precious thing we have to give you: more precious far than food, or clothes or schooling, or even life itself --for this knowledge is ETERNAL life.

Page 51 FOR CHILDREN. 0 CHRIST! Thou art the Good Shepherd, and we are Thy little lambs. Thou art strong, and we are weak. Thou art wise, and we are unwise. Guard us and guide us, and keep us safe in Thy care and in Thy fold. Amen. 0 THOU good Shepherd of the sheep! Take us to be Thy own, and number us among those who know Thy voice and follow Thee. Keep us who are such little lambs near to Thee that we may not stray nor be lost. Lead us in the path of Thy choosing that we may drink at the Fountain of Truth, and feed in 'the pastures of happiness. Amen. l WHO am but a little child turn to Thee, 0 God, and beg Thee to be my Guardian and my Guide from the beginning that I may grow up as Thy child and Thy servant, obeying Thy will, seeking Thy approval, hoping for Thy heaven: through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Page 55 0 GOD, I am little and weak; I cannot help in the work of mankind; I am of no account in the world of men. But I am Thy child. I am created by Thee. My heart is a flower in Thy Garden. My hope and my home is Thy heaven. Strengthen me that I may become Thy true servant. Shine on me with Thy truth that I may grow and develop and bear fruit. Breathe the breath of spiritual life into me that I may attain immortality; and admit me to Thy Kingdom and Thy Presence. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Now in the beginning, 0 God, I commit myself to Thee, giving up my will to Thy will, my desire to thy desire, and all I have and am to Thee. Accept the life I cast at Thy feet, my Lord. Enter my heart, and live in me for ever. For Jesus' sake. Amen.

HELP me, 0 God, always to speak the truth, and to be faithful in a trust. Page 56 Fill my heart with goodwill towards all men, and let me cause unhappiness to no one. Teach me to look for the good in áeveryone, and to be humble. Let me fear nothing save Thy displeasure, and let my highest hope be to attain Thy favour. For Jesus' sake. Amen. 0 CHRIST who broughtest heaven down to earth for us, help us to love Thy children of the East and of the West, and to show kindness to all our neighbours that we may find Thy way to heaven and kneel at Thy feet to beg forgiveness for all others and ourselves. 0 GOD, teach me and guide me that I may play the part which Thou hast assigned me in this home. Help me to be reverent before Thee, to honour my father and mother, to be unselfish with my brothers and sisters, to be thoughtful and helpful towards all. 0 Heavenly Father, bring me up in fear of Thee that I may attain true wisdom, •and in love of Thee that I may attain enduring wealth. Page 57 ID65ij) 0 GOD, teach me, Thy servant, to look to Thee for guidance, for strength, and for the reward of my work. Grant that I may do my utmost in whatever I undertake, seeking always to worship Thee by my actions, and to benefit my fellow-men as well as myself. Thine, 0 God, is all power and glory and happiness and dominion. Amen.

PRAISE be to Thee, 0 God, by whose bounty I am born into a family where Thy Revelation is acknowledged, and Thy Name is hallowed. I beg Thee to number my father, my mother and myself among those true servants who love Thy law and live according to Thy commandments: through Jesus Christ, our Lord. 0 GOD, help me to share the faith of my father and my mother; to search for and find the Truth for myself, as they have done before me. Awaken the spirit that lies within me that I may behold Thy Glory for myself and may hear Thy Word with my own ears. Teach me to be grateful to those who Pace 58 have pointed me to Thy light, and who have begged for me Thy guidance on my path. Make me one with them in knowledge and love of Thee: through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

TRAIN and strengthen me now, 0 God, in heart and mind and body that I may be able to play my part manfully in the world of men, and may do my full duty as a soldier in Thy army. of light. Thou broughtest me into this life with a soul spotless and unstained. Awaken in me now such resolution and force of character as will preserve my birthright of virtue in all trials and temptations. Make my faith stedfast, my courage proof, my patience infinite, my devotion to Thee absolute. And in the pursuit of my work and calling let me ever hold fast to Thee in Whose hands lies my destiny.

0 Goo, pity our perplexity, and grant that amid this great multitude of guides pointing such diverse paths to heaven we may trust those only who love the truth for truth's own sake, Page 59 and listening to none other, mcl.J of Thy grace find our way home to Thee; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

0 Goo, help us to pay heed to the teaching which in Thy name and for Thy sake our father and mother give us, to be grateful for it to Thee and also to them, and to make the utmost use of the blessings Thou hast showered on us from our baby-days. Grant that we may learn now what afterwards will not be so easy to learn; and that we may here become so certain in our knowledge of Thee, and so strong in our love for Thee, that our faith shall remain all through our lives immoveable.

0 GOD, grant to me now as a child such assurance of faith that it shall never be removed nor weakened, even for a moment. Fill my mind with thoughts of goodwill, kindness, and compassion; teach me to love Thee, to love my fellowmen, and to love my own better self; and help me ever to be content with that Pace (>o poverty which is the need of Thee, and to seek that wealth which is to have in my heart no need of anything save of Thee alone. 0 Goo, I beg Thee to lead me even in childhood toward the true knowledge of myself-that I am a breath of Thy spirit, and have for a time this body as my servant. Through the understanding of what I am and whence I came, bring me to an ever deepening knowledge of Thyself, •0 God, and of Thy Son our Lord, in Whose name I make this prayer. Amen.

Page 61 FOR 'I'll€ Fu/MILT. A Morning Prayer.

0 THOU Who standest now among Thy servants at their prayers, let not Thy Presence fade from us in the day's tasks or pleasures, but bring us home to meet again to-night with Thy peace unbroken in our hearts. Amen.

FILL Thou, 0 God, our home with harmony and happiness, with laughter and delight, with radiant kindliness and overflowing joy, that in the union of our hearts Thy love may find a lodging place, and Thou Thyself mayst make this home of ours Thine Own ! Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

UNTO Thee, 0 God, we dedicate this home. Cleanse it from all that is alien to Thee that it may become fit for Thy acceptance, and may be to friend and stranger as to ourselves a place of peace, a refuge from materialism, a herald of Thy Kingdom; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. Page 65 0 GOD, make Thou this home of ours the garden of affection, a ripening place of love, where the hidden powers of our hearts may unfold, expand and bear the fruit of an abiding joy; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

0 GOD, we who apart have made our several supplications to Thee now kneel together before Thy mercy-seat, that with the greater power of united prayer we may beg of Thee a special blessing on us each and all and Thy protection in the tasks and trials of the day; through Christ, our Lord. Amen. MAKE our religion, 0 God, sincere and unobtrusive, a power that quietly shall leaven our whole life, showing itself in simple happiness, and in deeds of goodwill towards all; through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

0 Goo, teach us to wonder at Thy creation, at the visible worlds of Time Page 66 and Space and the hidden worlds of the mind, and let thought follow in wonder's steps that with uplifted heart we may seek the One behind the many, the All-Beautiful behind His Beauty, the Giver behind His gifts, and within the soul of man may behold the living presence of Thine own boundless and eternal Spirit. Amen.

0 GOD, vouchsafe to us who are born into this enlightened age an understanding heart that we may perceive the real purpose and value of religion, may give our minds to the mysteries of spirit and of the divine nature not less than to the mysteries of matter and of human nature, and may render ready and complete obedience to the laws ordained by Thee, our Creator, for Thy creation. Amen.

GRANT unto us who live in this great Age so clear and strong a sense, 0 God, of Thy universal Fatherhood, that we may know all men of every race and every class as our spiritual brethren; and when we pray here for Page 67 our home let us not be unmindful of those other homes throughout Thy earth which in Thy sight are as dear and precious as our own. Amen. 0 GOD, Who hast given to us the personal knowledge of so many people and has permitted us access to so many homes, grant that into whatever life we may have the privilege of entering we shall come as true and loyal friends, bringing gifts from Thee of hope and harmony and happiness. Amen.

An Intercession. 0 GOD of mercy Who hast overcome the World, show Thy compassion on Thy children who have turned away from Thee, and who wander in darkness trusting to the guidance of blind guides. Let Thy mercy seek them out, dear God. Deliver them from their spiritual captivity. Grant to them vision and insight that they may themselves discern truth from error, glory from dishonour, the true shepherd from the Page 68 hireling, the prophet from the dissembler. Guide Thou their feet to the highway of Thy kingdom. Open their ears that they may hear the music which Thy voice breathes in the world. Number them in the company of those righteous ones who love Thee before all things. Make them as lamps shedding Thy light among men and vouchsafe them all that behts Thy mercy and compassion. Amen.

BE Thou, 0 God, our guide, that in all relationships towards Thee and towards our fellow men, we may perceive and do that which is pleasing in Thy sight. Teach us to combine worldly wisdom with unworldliness, and to join a spirit of confidence and enterprise to a radiant acquiescence in Thy will. Help us to sweeten thrift with generosity, and if we err to err by giving, not by withholding. Vouchsafe us judgment and intuition that amid the divided duties of every day we may preserve at all times the just and narrow mean of righteousness; through Christ, our Lord. Amen. Pace 6g 0 THOU Who wast a wayfarer on earth! Kindle in our hearts sympathy and love that no servant of Thine may ever feel a stranger in this home. Let the fires of hospitality burn brightly in this hearthstone, and a readv welcome wait on every guest. '

A Morning Prayer. HELP us this day, 0 Lord, not to let our thoughts wander beyond the borders of the day, but to take each task as it comes, and do it with our whole might. Then in the evening let us render back to Thee an account of one day's duty faithfully done as an act of praise to Thee; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

An Evening Prayer. GRANT that when we lie down to rest to-night we may carry into our sleep the thought of Thy protecting power; and that the first return of consciousness may bring before all else the Page 70 sweet remembrance of Thv nearness and Thy love; through Christ, our Lord. Amen. 0 Goo, let no unhappy nor unlovely thought find birth within these walls, nor any influence pass out into the world from hence, save that which will oromote concord and happiness and hope. Make us one at heart, that through our unity of purpose and desire we mav become a single spiritual force, and ma v shew forth to other homes the knowledge of Thy comfort and Thy peace; through Christ, our Lord. Amen. 0 THOU Who dwellest in the midst of Truth! Increase in our hearts the love of Truth for Truth's own sake. Let this desire become so strong that it shall consume everv earthly desire, and that no human affection or aversion, no prejudice nor habit nor tradition, nor any worldly lure, may weaken this passionate longing, or lead us by one steo astray. Thou art the Sun of T ru.th and the path to Thee is light! Page 71 DIVEST us of self-interest, 0 Lord, and disengage our minds from all desires that would distort or dull our understanding. Vouchsafe us insight to know things as they truly are, and man as Thou hast made him; and enable us to behold amid the growth and war of creeds one imperishable faith and one self-manifesting God; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. IN the moral emergencies of this day, in the little trials that tease and weary us, it is our desire, 0 God, to remain perfectly true to Thee. But since our nature is unstable and weak, we beg of Thee, in Jesus' name, the aid of that infinite near world of Peace from which Thou keepest watch and ward over those who seek Thee. Amen.

A Creed. THOU art the One God, animating all things yet self-existent, . absolute. Thine is the Command which calleth all things from nothingness into being. Pace 72 Thine is the Power that upholdeth all things, contro1leth all things, and from the beginning ordaineth all that is, and is to be. Thou art the Boundless, containing all existence, and contained of none. No want was found in Thy perfection nor was any constraint put upon Thy will. For love's sake Thou didst create the worlds, and all that Thou hast made bears witness to Thy love. No pathway is there that man has trodden, or may tread, but the pathway of Thy love. Thou hast created him to know and to adore Thee, and to dwell evermore in the joy of union with Thee, the One Beloved. Thou art exalted above all attributes and hallowed from the comprehension of men. That which Thy prophets proclaim of Thy nature is according to the measure of our ignorance not of Thy true nature and condition. No man nor angel nor any created being can worthily extol or glorify Thy Power. None save Thyself alone can perceive or imagine Thy Might, Thy Dominion or Thy Majesty. Amen. Page 73 (D658) F A Morning Prayer. 0 BELOVED Lord, knit our hearts fast to Thee, and through the trials and mischances of the day let us keep Thee ever in remembrance, and remain unsevered from Thy love. Amen. BESET from day to day by the practical problems of this busy world, we beg of Thee, 0 God, two especial gifts. Help us to set our hearts in a right relation towards all with whom we deal, regarding them as verily our own kith and kin, as father or mother, brother or sister, son or daughter; and grant us a clearness of mind and judgment likewise that amid all difficulties we may walk in the path of wisdom, justice and understanding. Vouchsafe us this bounty, 0 Lord, according to the measure of our need that we may give at all times to Thy affairs the best service of our minds and hearts; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. PROTECT us, 0 God, from misuse of the privilege of prayer. Enable us to Page 74 use it rightly, and to the full extent of its power. Let us not seek to gain from Thee by prayer alone what we ought to gain by daily effort, nor to evade the duty of helping others by asking Thee to help them. • Enable us more and more to submit ourselves to Thy good pleasure, and to abandon our desires for Thy Desire. Teach us so to live and so to pray, dear Lord, that Thou mayest accept both our lives and our prayers among the spiritual forces whereby Thy Cause 1s furthered among men and Thy Will done on earth as it is in heaven; through Jesus Christ. Amen. WE come before Thee, 0 Lord, to confess our forgetfulness, and to crave Thy pardon and forgiveness. Save what Thou hast bestowed on us, we possess nothing. Save what Thou hast taught us, we I now nothing. Save for what Thou hast in store for us we shall alway.s find ourselves utterly destitute. Yet we lightly accept all from Thee us though it were nothing, and we look Pa;e _75 on life as though it were our own, and we ourselves its creator. Deliver us, 0 merciful Saviour, from this ingratitude, this arrogance, this isolating selfishness. Helo us to appreciate and to remember Thv bounty, to make confession continually of our dependence on Thee, and by happy thoug-hts and kindly deeds among Thy people to offer Thee our thanks for the ceaseless profusion of gifts which Thou showerest on mankind. Amen.

LIGHT of the world, Whose beams are shed on all Thy creatures throughout all Thy earth, kindle in our hearts the fire of Thine own Universal love that we mav become conscious of our unity with all mankind, may pray for all without regard of race or kin, and seek the common good of all who share with us the bounty of Thy light. Amen. INTO Thy hands, 0 Lord, we commit our future and ourselves. Thou art mighty and canst ordain whatever Thou wiliest. .Thou art merciful, and wilt guide to Thy Kingdom everyone who seeks Thee. • Thou art kind, and Page 76 wilt give us more than we know how to seek or to desire for ourselves. We will never be sad nor anxious again, for Thou art our Friend. We will have no more fears, for Thou art our Defender. We will never be lonely, tor Thou art always our Companion. Strengthen in each of us the power of love. Teach us to forbear and to torgive. Grant us serenity, and let our hearts be filled with warm goodwill towards all mankind. So by Thy help shall our home bear to other homes a message of peace and of the guidance of God. Amen. LORD, Thou knowest we believe; save us trom deeds which deny that belief. Thou knowest that we desire Thee; save us from every alien desire . . Thou knowest that we seek Thy nghteousness; save us from sins which though we hate we yet commit. Amen. IN our better moments, 0 God, we seek Thee with longing and gladness Help us to remember Thee in our worse moments. We are weak and unmindful and Page 77 need Thy special aid in atl the distractions of every day. Be Thou our strength, 0 God, that no passing desire may blot even for a moment from our sight the fixed ideal of our lives; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

n GoD, sa, e us from unhappy thoughts, from idle regrets, from brooding on wrongs, from impatience for change. Kindle in our hearts a love that will burn up these vain and wasting imaginings, and will light áus to the blessedness of heaven; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

A Litany. 0 CHRIST! Deliver us from the evil that lies entrenched in our hearts. Defend us from the evil promptings of those whose hearts are given to the world. Protect us from the perils, bodily and spiritual, that throng about us, from Thy displeasure and rejection. Page 78 Save us from bondage to the past, from ancestor worship, from the idols of custom and tradition. Save us from the persistence of past sins and former habits that still with dead hands cling about our souls. Save us from ignorance of our true selves lest we end our days without understanding either of man or of God. Save us from covetousness, from ill-will, from every trace of envy, lest we burn in the fires of spiritual torment. Save us in weak moments, in moments of forgetfulness, in moments of waywardness. Save us from vacillation and inconstancy lest having followed Thy guidance a little while we turn away and perish. Save us from blindness of heart lest we exalt ourselves before Thee, and walking in ignorance of Thee amidst Thy words we come to our death in utter loss and misery. Page 70 Save us from the sin that knows no repentance, lest having beheld Thee in Thy Glory we turn back to the darkness, and enter the night whereon there breaks no dawn. 0 Christ, save us!

An Intercession. 0 GOD, look on these Thy servants who labour and are heavy laden, bearing the grievous yoke and burden of the world. Deliver them, we beseech Thee, that they may hear instead only the easy yoke and the light burden of servitude to Thee. Amen. 0 THOU of Whose Will it cometh that a home is founded in love, sustained by love, and moves from love to further love, give ear to the supplication of us Thy servants who have turned to the Dayspring of Thy Mercy, and who in their weakness seek strength fr:.nn Thee. Protect us from any sense of opposing interests, from the harbouring of any selfish thought, or the Page So utterance of any unfitting word by which our home might be riven to its base. Burn and consume out of our hearts every cause of difference in the fires of our common love for Thee; and through Thy bounty pour down on us that divine high power of love which Thou dost keep for those alone who with sincere and lowly hearts give themselves up to Thee; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. () GOD, keep us ever mindful that in Thy kingdom which we fain would enter no home can be happy unless all homes are happy. Protect us for Jesus' sake from a narrow affection or a selfish loyalty, and let our sympathy and goodwill reach far beyond these enclosing walls to other homes and other lands. Thou art the Father of all people, and the wide world is one home for Thy children. Amen.

A Morning Prayer. PROTECT us this day, 0 God, against the unhappy influence of those who Page 81 have turned away from Thee. Help us to give back good in return for evil; if we meet a thought of anger, to overcome it with a stronger thought of peace, and if we meet with hate to transform it by the power of a stronger love. Grant unto all who have sought Thee such harmony and faith as shall quicken faith in the hearts of the unbelieving, and show forth to all the peace and sweetness of Thy Kingdom; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. VOUCHSAFE to this home, 0 God, the protection of Thy mercy and Thy presence. Let whatever is harsh or unhappy in the world fmd no echo within these walls. Pour upon us who have turned toward Thy Kingdom the spirit of peace and unity and joyfulness. Keep us, each and all, mindful of our several rights and duties, and help us to make this a well ordered and harmonious household. Let each of us ever be ready to bear a full share in common burdens, and without self-regard to seek comfort, honour and blessing for the rest; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Page 82 0 LORD of Glory! When we look at the lowliness of our dwelling, and see our garments bearing the mark of much work, and our hands roughened by toil, we are ashamed to ask Thee to enter our home, or to be a guest at our poor table. The best our house can hold were too mean a gift to offer to our Beloved; and it is not in such a place as this one would entertain a king. Yet, we remember that of old in Palestine Thou didst choose for Thyself poverty, and didst not despise the poor. It was not the great and mighty whose homes Thou didst frequent, nor was it in halls of idleness and splendour that Thou wast made a guest. Simple and lowly folk who knew hardship and labour were among Thy friends, and in their homes Thou didst fmd that which was to Thee more precious than ease and luxury. We, too, will try to make this home of ours fit to welcome Thee. We will hang our walls with kindly thoughts and generous deeds, and will weave coverings of thankfulness and praise to spread before Thy feet. Content Page 83 and happiness shall be our servants to wait on Thee; and Love will go forth as our messenger to beg Thee to enter our dwelling. A Morning Prayer. gr To us who now leave our devotions, 0 God, to engage in our daily tasks, grant Thy especial help that we may not become lost amid the frets and cares that beset us, but may be able at any moment by an act of will to recapture the inward peace and sweet content which now are ours through the power of prayer. For Jesus' sake. Amen. LORD of the New Covenant l Make Thy covenant to be our strength, our glory and our heart's true wealth; the home wherein we find Thy rest; the castle to which we flee for succour; the temple wherein we worship; the altar whereon we offer in sacrifice to Thee our hopes, our desires, and our lives. Amen. Page 84 An Evening Prayer. THE sun has set; the day is gone; the light dies in the east. Night bids us take our rest in sleep. Open, 0 God, our spiritual eyes and reveal to our inner vision the Day that never fades, the Sun that never sets, the Light which is God. Pour down on us now the radiance of that heaven where there is neither night nor weariness; and breathe upon us now the Peace of Thy eternity; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

An Evening Prayer. (For use before. other prayers.)

0 GOD, Who has sent evening to bear to us her precious gift of peace, let not Thy peace be far from us. Heal in our hearts the fever of the world, and allay every unquiet or distracting thought that we may approach Thy presence and hold communion with Thee; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Page 85 On Reading Scripture. 0 THOU Who hast not spoken openly of heavenly things, but hast veiled them in symbol ;;i.ndallegory, in figure and in parable; create in us the eye to see, the ear to hear, and give us understanding of the mysteries of Thy Bible. We know, 0 Lord, that nothing is hidden, save that it may be disclosed. Grant us spiritual strength to bear revelation and new knowledge. We beg Thee, of Thy mercy and Thy grace, to uplift and enlighten our minds, and to draw our hearts to that spiritual condition from which we may behold the inner significance of Holy Writ, and may discern Truth from error, essence from form, the eternal from the temporal. Amen. DELIVER us, 0 Lord, from all that would cause us to be ungenerousfrom lack of love for others and lack of love for Thee. Help us to combine simple living with bountiful hospitality. Let us give after Thy command, witr:out hope of return; let usá give in Thy name that Pag~ 86 the outward gift may be a token of spiritual goodwill; and let us give for Thy sake that for our gifts men may glorify Thee; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. For Content. HELP us if our means be narrow yet to be content, and if they are ample yet not to be proud. Help us to seek our life's work in the service of Thy cause on earth, and to be assured that our ability is sufficient for our appointed task. Help us to seek, above all lesser forms of wealth, continual gains of spirit and of heart, and to count him truly rich who is independent of all save God; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. HEAR, 0 God, our prayer for World- Peace. We beg Thee, by Thy promise of old, now to establish among men abiding peace. Destroy our hatreds and blot from our memory our ancient quarrels. Help us to work for peace, and to promote among men the will for peace. Let our own lives be filled Page 87 with the spirit of peace, and make our home reflect on earth the peace of Thy Kingdom; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. THOU Who hast revealed Thy proofs to our minds, reclaim and convert our hearts. Thou Whose hand we have descried in the changes of history and the fate of nations, reveal Thyself to us in the work of the passing day. Thou Whose presence we have sought in the Temple, do not depart from us in our home. If we seek Thee not everywhere, we shall not find Thee anywhere. If we obey Thee not in little things, if we pursue Thee not through the trivial and the commonplace, we shall never know Thy love, nor behold the open vision of Thy beauty. Help us day after day by kindly deeds and courtesies, by loving comradeship and thoughts of peace, to cleanse our hearts for Thy descent, and to prepare our home to welcome Thee as our guest and our Lord. Amen. Page 88 A Morning Prayer. 0 Goo, pour down on us Thy especial grace that to-day we may serve Thee' better than we have ever served Thee yet. It is our hope and prayer that we shall not linger nor pause upon our journey toward Thee, nor neg1ect any of the opportunities Thou dost design for us. Give us strength and constancy that we may press ever forward with increasing eagerness upon Thy way; and grant that now and evermore today may draw us nearer to Thee than yesterday, to-morrow nearer than to-day; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. IOI 0 CHRIST, seeking for Thee we turn to Thv Sacred Book. Be Thou our Guide," that spiritual insight may enlighten human reason, and through the power of both combined we may gain an understanding of Thy Truth. Thine it is to seal the Scripture, or to unseal, and to Thy good pleasure we resign our will. Amen. Page 89 (De-58) G SAVE us from worry, 0 God. Teach us to take life as it comes from Theeone day at a time, and to do each task in its turn with our whole might that we may make the simplest deed an act of worship to Thee, and of service to our fellowmen; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

An Intercession.

0 LIGHT that lightest every man who cometh into the world: Kindle again in our midst a vital and a burning faith that shall run like fire through the hearts of men, and show its power on every hand in deeds of equity, compassion and goodwill. Pour down Thy rays upon the souls of all men everywhere that they may put justice and honour in the first place before any claim of self or kin or friend or country, and let all nations and all homes reflect at last the open glory of Thy pr9mised Reign! Amen. I04 GIVE us in our need more light, 0 God, and greater strength of soul to bear Thy light. Thou Who of old didst find Thy servants too weak to endure all truth, grant now to this maturer age the knowledge which then Thou didst withhold. Thou Whose svmbol is the Sun that giveth to all things light and life, send down from heaven fire that will consume all error and light to guide us unto all Thy Truth. Thou Who with the fmger of might bringest fragrant flowers out of the black soil and fire out of the hard rock, touch now our hearts, and draw forth thence contrition, faith and love. Thou Who changest all things, and sufferest nothing in Thy creation to remain unchanged, change now our sorrow into joy, our warfare into peace. Amen.

FOR what blessing shall we ask, or what felicity shall we desire? What hope shall light our path, and in what strength shall we go upon our way? Page 91 What knowledge shall open to us the gate of truth, and what attainment bring us to Thy peace? Leave us not, 0 Lord, our Beloved, in a world where none behold Thv oresence, nor adore Thv beauty. But into a world where light is endless, and the glory of Thy heaven is unrolled, where freedom and obedience are at one and life's power is ever at its full, where the desire of all desires is attained, where joy overflows and the bounty of God's love is complete-into that world, 0 Lord, draw us, and there make us immortal. ro6 . GLORY and honour, praise and thanksgiving- be unto Thee for ever from us, and from all mainkind ! Thou art the One God, the Boundless, the Eternal, Who in Thy creation hast unveiled Thy Majesty and revealed Thy love. For our sakes Thou hast called from infinitude this realm of space and moulded it to serve the uses of the soul. For our sakes Thou hast laid upon eternity the semblance of bonds, and measured Time to us with fingers of gold and silver light. Page 92 For our sakes Thou hast brought us forth from the void of nothingness, and on the mirror of our being cast the beauty of Thy Own similitude.

An Ascription of Praise. PRAISE be to Thee Who hast called into being Thy worlds of Time and of Eternity to give utterance to Thy love. Thou hast made all things for man and man for his own glory and blessedness (not for Thine!) In his being Thou hast hidden Thy light; on his heart Thou hast printed Thy image. Thou hast placed the knowledge of Thyself and of Thy heaven before his face, and laid the way thereto plain and open at his feet. Thou hast commanded from the beginning Thy covenant with man to deliver him from mortality and to grant him the freedom of Thy eternal Kingdom. Age after age Thou hast sent Thy prophets to renew the same, to bear Thy children love-messages from Thee, and to bestow on them new and ever richer gifts. Page 93 Praise be to Thee, 0 God, from us who remember our benefits, who recount our blessings, and Who from our hearts give thanks unto Thee, the Beloved. Praise be to Thee Who hast granted us birth in this time of wonder, this great age of breaking light! We have walked in pride before Thee, but Thou hast overcome us by Thy humility. We have turned from Thy presence, but Thy love has overtaken us, and drawn us home to Thee. We have earned the wages of sin, but Thou hast brought to us Eternal Life. Praise be to Thee Whose compassion has overshadowed us, whose forgiveness has descended upon us, Whose mercy has given us life, Whose hand has guided us to the highway of Thy Kingdom, Who chose the path of suffering that Thou mightest redeem us. 0 Thou Whose holiness and might are above Thy.creatures' praise, accept from us who love and worship Thee this praise we offer. Amen.

Page 94 FOR THE ,AGE'D. 0 THOU Whose forgiveness is my hope and Whose presence is my home, draw my thoughts from earth to heaven, from the past to the future, from dear ones lost and happiness long gone by, to the sweet vision of that eternal world where there is no parting nor sorrow nor infirmity, but the fulfilment of all love's prayers and dreams. THE noon of my life is past. Evening has come. Soon night will fall, and darkness gather me to itself. Grant to my heart, 0 Lord, the peace of eventide. Help me, though I be so weak, to honour Thy cause, and to serve Thy will to the end that I may make myself ready for the inevitable hour. When night is come, and from my soul earth and the things of earth fall away for ever, be Thou, 0 Lord, my light; and let Thy mercy on its angel-wings bear me far hence to Thy realm of love and ever-living peace; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. I IO PRAISE be to Thee, 0 God of mercy, Who while I was young brought me to Page 97 the knowledge of Thee and guided my footsteps to Thy kingdom. Hear now the prayer of an old man, ?'nd grant me in my age Thy crownmg mercy. Lighten my soul with some glimpse of that hidden world into which I soon shall pass, and let some gleam of the sunshine of Thy face float down to me; that with a sweeter faith and clearer hope I may make ready to obey Thy summons and to change my darkness for Thy light; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. III GRANT, 0 Lord, that to the last moment of this fleeting life I may grow more rich in divine true love and spiritual strength. And as I look onward to that great assize where soon I must give an account in the spirit of deeds done here in the body, teach me to hope for no reward save that of serving Thee in Thy eternal worlds, and fear no punishment save that ol being shut from Thy light in the prison of my own lovelessness; through the merits of Jesus Christ, our Lord. II2 FORGIVE me, 0 God of mercy, for the errors of my past; for wrong things Page 98 done, and right things left undone. Grant me so to serve Thee in the year.:; remaining that when my eyes close to the light of the sun they may awake on the light of paradise; when my ears are shut to the sounds of earth, they may open to the songs of Thy kingdom; when my body returns to water and clay I may soar on my soul's wings to Thy deathless worlds of love; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Page 99 S'PeCie./!L PRAYERS & I:J(T€'1(C€SSIONS For an Artist or Craftsman. GRANT me Thy aid, 0 God, that in my working I may worship Thee. Let me not regard the praise of men, nor seek my own pleasure. Keep ever in my sight the Beauty and the Truth of Heaven, and let the sole motive of my art be to create in joy a love-offering which I may spread beneath Thy feet. Amen.

For a Teacher of Religion. I I4 0 GOD! Write Thy glad tidings in my eyes, and engrave Thy glory on my heart. Let my thoughts be drawn from Thy deep well of joy, and my desires stop not short of heaven. Let love keep the door of my lips, and in my words let spirit call unto spirit. So may I be made Thy messenger, and both in silence and in speech proclaim Thy Truth among Thy people, Amen. • Page IOJ For a Preacher.

II5 WITH my whole heart, 0 God, I turn to Thee seeking only to serve Thee. Endue me now with radiancy of faith and love and ecstasy. Help me to speak in perfect humility, to remember only Thee, to be as a leaf blown by the breath of Thy Spirit; that I may summon to Thy Kingdom those whom Thou dost call, and that Thy Glad tidings may quicken every listening heart; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

A Churchman's Prayer. JI6 0 GOD, Who hast set us in so tumultuous an age, give us a wisdom equal to the time that we may discover what are in truth these forces that now stir the minds of men, and through this knowledge may under Thee do for the world a work to answer its grievous need; through Christ, our Lord. Amen. Page 104 A Churchman's Litany.

II7

0 THOU Who art the same for ever! Save us from the pride of an age that honours man so much and God so little. Save us from qualifying Thy claims, or making light of Thy power. Save us from paying court to the opinions of the sceptic or the doubter, lest we debase Thy teaching to suit the thoughts of men. Save us from the contagion of the indifferent, and from tempering our faith to the half-beliefs of a wayward age. Help us to have no standard of truth but Thy word, and to honour the knowledge of Thee as the ultimate goal of all learning and all attainment. Help us to humble ourselves before Thy deity, and to submit our wills to Thy command. Help us to win back the simplicity and lowliness, the sweetness and fellowship, the wisdom and confidence that marked Thy faithful ones of old, that we like them may bear Thee Page 105 (D6SR) II witness in deeds and words that none may gainsay nor resist; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. II8 0 CHRIST! Amid the vastness of our tradition help me to remember the • simplicity of Thy teaching and the significance of Thy daily life in rural places and in modest homes. Let me seek Thee now not in the dust of ages, nor in idle discussions, but where all Thy saints have found Thee: in my own heart. Teach me to hold inward communion with Thee, and through the power of a life lived in Thy presence, let me find the peace of those who loved Thee when Thy Faith was young; through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Of Christendom. I 19 0 FATHER in heaven! Leave us not alone in our divisions, but open to us now that untried path which shall lead us all out of our difficulties, and guide us to concord and to common knowledge of all truth. Page io6 Let not one single soul among us rest content with this bewilderment and weakness, but kindle in eyery mine! a hunger for that inward peace and glory, that abounding happiness and radiant power which marked Thy saints of old. Make every soul a truth-seeking soul, and create in each and in all of us that yearning and aspiration after reality which shall bring us to the Land of Divine Knowledge, and make us one with all our fellows and with Thee; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

An Irish Churchman's Prayer. IN Thy mercy, 0 Christ, look upon us who inherit the ages, and make us not unworthy of those saints of old in whose place we stand. Deliver us, as Thou didst deliver them, from trust in worldly things, that we may be able to attain their trust in heavenly things. Help us by Thy light to see and learn the secret of their spiritual power which has won for them fame on earth and glory in Thy presence that we in fage 107 this later day may take up the mantle of their prophethood, and shew forth Thy truth in deeds and lives which even they might not disown.

For Ireland. LOOK Thou, 0 Lord, upon this land where once Thy name set hearts on fire, and Thy light shone in lonely splendour across the darkness of the west. Renew that ancient zeal, that spiritual passion for the truth. Let not that effort of a bygone day be without fruition in this great age of crises! Use once again the spiritual gifts Thou hast vouchsafed this people, and lead them all as one in the path of heavenly knowledge. Let all our thoughts have one master-thought, all our hopes one master-hope, that in the common service of one divine ideal we may find inward peace and outward concord, and amidst the nations of an enlightened ,vorld stand as a pattern of humility ari:d of senáice to our fellowmen and God; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. Page 108 0 Goo, hear my prayer for old friends far away! We are sundered far and long, and the changes of many years divide us now. Yet Thou knowest my friendship is as warm and tender as in the days gone by, and my heart's longing and goodwill flows out towards them always. Grant that through Thy grace my affection may in truth reach them and envelop them, and their hearts may be conscious of my abiding remembrance. 0 Maker and Preserver of friendship, accept my loving thoughts of them as a prayer offered on their behalf to Thee. Be thou their friend and their companion; protect them from evil, lead them in the way of light and happiness, and teach both them and me to know Thee as the Perfect Friend, the Cause, the Hope, the Stay of human friendship; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Intercession for Healing. 0 Goo, Whose mercy is from everlasting, an:d Whose Word mak~s all Page 109 things new! Withhold not Thy compassion and Thy healing from this sick and suffering servant of Thine. Cleanse him from all that makes for weakness, illness and affliction. Grant him throughout his whole being harmony and health. Lord of Destiny, give to him now in Thy wisdom according to his need, and bestow on him that which will bring him here. and hereafter abiding vigour and life and happiness; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Thou canst change whatever Thou wiliest, and all Thy creatures are engulfed in the ocean of Thy mercy.

An Intercession for an Unbeliever. 0 MERCIFUL Lord, Thou Lover of Thy creatures, Thou Answerer of prayer, hear me when I plead with thee for this Thy servant. .... Let Thy forgiveness descend upon him and engulf him. Cleanse him from those sins that stand between him and Thy bounty and shut from him the tides of Thy beneficence. Have compassion upon him, 0 God, Page 110 pardon him, deliver him. Take away his weakness. Bestow on him spiritual strength. Reveal to.him the mysteries of Thy kingdom. Let him be one of those who hear Thy call and follow Thee. Make him Thy devoted servant, a radiant humble messenger on earth of Thy truth, Thy power and Thy love.

LOOK, 0 God, upon this unhappy struggling child of Thine, who now by devious ways seeks for that content and peace which she can never find, save in submission to Thy Truth. Grant her light and strength that she may heed Thy message and turn to Thee. Draw her from all blind paths into the one true path that leads direct to Thee. Unstop her ears that she may hear Thy voice. Open her eyes that she may behold the light of Thy Beauty. Number her among those faithful ones who seek only Thy will. Grant that she may find healing in Thy word, comfort in Thy love, the end of all uncertainty and sorrow in the attainment of Thy kingdom and in the service of Thy truth; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Page 111 REMEMBER for good, 0 Lord, the countless deeds of kindness done to me by those who now are far away, and whom I can never requite save in gratitude and prayer ..... If I have suffered personal wrong or unkindness from any man, lay it not to his charge, 0 God, but forgive him. And for whatever unhappiness I have caused to others, and for the unjust deeds I have committed, do Thou in Thy mercy forgive me.

A Guest's Intercession. MAY Thy peace, 0 Christ, descend upon this house, and fill all hearts within it. Thou Who didst command hospitality, look upon these Thy servants who obey Thy will. Guide them ever onward in Thy way. Make me an appreciative and a grateful friend; and help me to remember this and all other kindnesses both in the world and before Thee.

Page 112 FOR INDJJ/IDUAL USF,. Recognition

HAIL to Thee, Scion of Glory, Whose utterance poureth abroad The joy of the heavenly knowledge and the light of the greatest of days! Poet of mysteries chanting in rapture the beauty of God, Unto Thee be thanksgiving and praise! Child of the darkness that wandered in gloom but dreamed of the light, Lo! I have seen Thy splendour ablaze in the heavens afar Showering gladness and glory and shattering the shadows of night, And seen no other star. Thy words are to me as fragrances borne from the garden of heaven, Beams of a lamp that is hid in the height of a holier world, Arrows of fire that pierce and destroy with the might of the levin Into our midmght hurled. Page us Sword of the Father! none other can rend the dark veil from my eyes, None other can beat from my limbs with the shearing blad:! of God's might The sins I am fettered withal and giYe me the power to rise And come forth to the fulness of light. Lo! Thou hast breathed on my sorrow the sweetness of faith and of hope, Thou hast chanted high paeans of joy that my heart's echoes ever repeat And the path to the knowledge of God begins to glimmer and ope Before my faltering feet.

Weak and unworthy my praise. Yet, as from its throbbing throat Some lone bird pours its song to the flaming infinite sky, So unto Thee in the zenith I lift from a depth remote This broken human cry.

page II6 A Prayer at Dawn.

ALONE in the darkness before the dawn I repair to Thy shrine, and bow before Thy sacred threshold. In the rapture of communion with Thee, self and the world momentarily fall away. The veil of Thy Beauty is lifted, and the sweetness of Thy Mercy enfolds me ..... On the far horizon darkness breaks and flees, and through the tracery of leafless boughs I watch the brightening sky. Day calls me hence, and I must leave Thy sanctuary for the roaring city and the busy mart. Grant me, 0 Lord, Thy continuing presence and protection, that when night brings me back to Thy temple I may not come to Thee in estrangement nor in shame. Vouchsafe me, all the day through, Thy help and strength. Above the babel let me hear Thy Voice. In the turmoil let Thy Peace r.old possession of my heart. When I walk among the idols that once I worshipped, let me not heed them nor remember them, being enrapt with utter love of Thee. Page 117- A Morning Prayer. To Thee now, 0 Beloved One, the Merciful, I bring my weakness, my consciousness of failure-to Thee I pour out my griefs-to Thee I confide my disappointments; and from my knees I rise leaving behind me all my burdens, freed from every sadness, strengthened by Thy strength, arrayed in faith, seeing Thy sunshine everywhere and desiring to find throughout the day opportumties of proving my gratitude to Thee for Thy abundant gifts. I 3I IN the growing light of self-knowledge, 0 God, I stand revealed to myself, and conscience-stricken I come to Thee in horror and contrition. Till now I never recognised the baseness of my state nor suspected the depth of my guilt in Thy eyes. Fill my heart so full of love that there shall be no room for anger; so full of hope that there shall be no room for fear; so full of radiant joy that sadness may not enter nor approach. Deprive me, 0 God, of all the world Page u8 holds dear, and of all that men may offer unto men; bestow on me pain, penury and humiliation if by this means I may be purified of my sm, and freed from these anarchic passions. Spare me not. But grant me in the end attainment to my Goal: the knowledge of Thy Truth, the blessing of Thy Love. OUT of the dark depths of my being there well up continually hateful desires. The Enemy of my life has his stronghold in the dim mysterious background of my consciousness which lies beyond the reach of my will. Horrid thoughts and impulses assail me unawares, and in weak moments. I struggle, and I will not yield; but I cannot conquer. Legion succeeds legion, and the tumult is endless. I long for Thee, 0 my God: for Thy Truth, Thy Glory and Thy Peace. But how can I win my goal while I lie thus open to my foes, and the Evil Principle has its seat within my heart! In desperate need, in conscious impotence I turn to Thee. Make me anew, 0 Lord! Leave me not to this monster who harbours within me, Page ng Deliver me horn this satanic self. Cleanse my whole being, and light within me such a flame of love as will burn darkness and its brood out of my heart for ever.

0 MY Lord, how can I ask to be delivered from these tests and trials that bring me so much suffering and anguish! They come from Thee, awakening me from self-delusion, and revealing my weakness. I stand before Thy Judgment Seat, uncloaked, dishonoured. Horror overwhelms me and abases me. Then at last shame stings me to life, and remorse spurs me to escape from the cause of this misery. My Lord, I do not shun pain in Thy path. Whatever it cost me, do not permit me to delay on my journey to Thee, nor to turn aside from Thy way. Send me whatever difficulties or suffering my soul shall need to cleanse and purify it utterly of all that is false and wicked. Help me to grow in selfknowledge and wisdom, and to put into practice what I learn, till each weakness is turned into strength, and I pass into the realm of Thy might through the gates of victory. Page 120 0 LORD! Thy mercy is endless and Thy love cannot be compassed by gratitude or praise or knowledge. I adore Thee ever more and more; I am overwhelmed with wonder and drawn to Thee in longing and rapture. Yet, this lesser self, this narrow I with whom I am involved turns from Thee again and again and breaks away, flouting Thy law in open rebellion. Ashamed and in utter misery I turn back. I do not dare to approach Thee, but kneel far away in a wretched place, an alien. I cannot understand why I fall away from what I truly desire; and I despair of myself. The desolation of loneliness overwhelms me. But Thou dost not despair of me. Thy forgiveness descends and touches me ere I raise my eyes to look towards Thee. Thy mercy enlightens me. Thy love pours warm hope again into my heart, and Thou leadest me back to walk in the courts of Thy Spiritual Palace. Yet, of my own strength I cannot make myself an abiding place close to Thee. There lingers in me the foreboding that again I shall stumble and Page 121 (D658) I fall away from the sweetness of this commumon with Thy love. 0 compassionate almighty God, I commit myself in utter humility to Thy boundless mercy, begging Thee to save me (I know not how) from this Horror, and to vouchsafe me that which is my true, my only desire-to attain to Thy Presence, to know and to obey Thy Truth.

To Assailing Doubts. 1 35 I WILL have God or nothing. I will not accept that which you offer. I will not seek help from the world, for it passes and has no strength; nor from ambition, for it cannot satisfy; nor from money, for no man has that to sell which I desire. I have beheld the Truth, and I will not forget it. I have heard the promise of my Lord, and I will trust my all to it. You afflict me, but you will not capture my heart. You are many now, but you will become few. You seem strong, but your strength is already passing away. Page 122 You are God's enemies, liars against the Truth, and I am girded with God's strength to master and subdue you. I will not cease from this battle till I have so used you that you will never raise your heads from the dust to threaten me again.

0 Goo! Help me to give battle to the Enemy, and cease not; but ever to keep my heart in peace. Help me to be the servant of my fellow servants, and to find in this servitude infinite freedom. Help me to turn away from the semblance of beauty which lies about me, and to seek in my heart the eternal beauty. Help me to pass beyond love and hate that in self-abandonment I may cast myself at the feet of the Lord of Joy. Amen.

KEEP Thou, 0 God, the door of my heart that no evil thought proceed from it; and guard my lips that they utter no uncharitable word. Pate 12,3 Teach me to look for the good in others that I may rejoice in it; and for the evil in myself that I may amend it. Watch over my actions that I do no injustice, nor cause unhappiness to any one. Divest me of pride that I may count myself less than any other, and may become the servant of all for love of Thee, my Lord. DEAR God of Splendour, Whose light is greater than my darkness, and Whose love is stronger than my loneliness, end forever with one shaft from the Bow of Thy Glory this night of error wherein I wander and am lost. Light in my heart the fires of love, 0 God, that being delivered from all self-centred desire I may love Thee for Thine own sole sake without hope of reward here or hereafter, or thought of any heaven save this enraptured abandonment of love for Thee. MAKE my heart, 0 God, as this unshadowed mountain lake that sets its face forever toward heaven, and in Page 124 its calm depths reflects the peace of Thy remote vast worlds of light.

0 MY Lord! I have sought Thee all my life, yet I still wander in a chequered world of light and shadow. Oh, lift me at last into the pure splendour of Thy Truth beyond the reach of any darkness that I may behold Thee as Thou art, and live in Thy continual presence evermore. THE darkness changes and pales, but no light breaks. Error grows intolerable, but Truth still is hidden out of sight. I rest not, but I never reach my goal. Yet, do I not ask anything, but to journey onward and onward. My path is of Thy making, and Thou leadest me on the way. l ask no more, and I desire no more.

I HAVE left behind me impatience and discontent. I will chafe no more at my lot. I commit myself wholly into Thy hands, for Thou art my guide in the Page 125 desert, the teacher of my ignorance, the physician of my sickness. I am a soldier in my King's Army; I have given up my .will to Him, and my life is His to dispose of as He may please. I know not what fate Thou designest for me, nor what work Thou hast ordained for me, nor will I enquire nor seek to know. The task of the day suffices for me, and all the future is Thine. Little by little Thou trainest me. Little by little Thou changest weakness to strength, doubt to faith, perplexity to understanding. When I am fit to bear the burden Thou wilt lay it on my shoulders. When I am prepared to take the field Thou wilt assign me a place in Thy army of Light. Now I have no other duty than to equip myself for Thy service. With eagerness and patience, with hope and gratitude I bend to the task of the hour lest when Thy call to battle comes I be found unready. THE task is hard. But I know it has come from Thy hand; therefore it shall be the choice of my mind, and the ,Cage 126 delight of my heart. I will utter no word of complaint, nor admit a thought of grief. I will follow in the footprints of all those who have sought Thee for love of Thee. I will find in effort my rest and my peace, and out of pain I will wring a hidden joy. Thus, 0 Beloved, Whose sweet voice I hear calling me, and still calling me, I will draw near to Thy abode bearing Thee the only gift Thou wilt accept, the only gift I have to offer: the gift of my heart. In Trouble. FOR every void there is a filling, and to every prayer there is an answer. All tribulation has its ending, and to every seeking there is a finding. For the weary, rest is waiting, and for the lonely, love. Therefore will I be content, and will keep a heart at peace. My faith is founded upon Truth, and I will bear witness through every trial to the goodness and mercy of God. SWEETNESS shall be my medicine, and kindly deeds my remedy. Page 127 Serenity shall bring me health, and a joyful spirit endow me with new strength. Trust in Thy will shall assure me of victory, and firmness in Thy Covenant shall draw to me eternal life and power. I HAVE set forth as Thy pilgrim, my Lord; but there are many lands and unknown seas to travel before I approach the threshold of Thy Sacred Shrine. At every step I am admitted into a new realm, and at the end of each day's wayfaring I pitch my tent in a fresh El Dorado. What earthly journey could be like this Journey: What adventure like this Adventure: What were the possession of the whole world compared with the joy of this Quest for Thee! My longing for Thee ever increases. Wonder uplifts me. My heart leaps with exultation, and trembles in awe. This gift of Thine is beyond all my hopes and my imagining. I do not dream now of the shining domes of Thy far distant sanctuary. I am no longer restless nor impatient. It is Page 128 enough for me to seek Thee and to seek Thee, day after day. 0 my God, my Beloved: Grant me at Thy hand a draught of the Wine of Immortality that I may seek Thee through this world and all Thy hidden worlds for ever and for ever.

The Great Pilgrimage. LORD, I have launched out upon the vast ocean of Search in the barque of Faith. I know that I shall never find Thee unless Thy hand direct me, and the breath of Thy mercy bear me on the way. I am weak, and the source of strength lies not in me. Error perpetually wells up in my soul, estranging me from Thee. Yet, do I seek Thee for ever! Everywhere I find traces of Thee, and I cannot refrain from my seeking. Thy voice echoes in the still recesses of my heart, and my longing for Thee gives me no rest. 0 beloved One; my heart is emptied of all save Thee. Leave me not to my loneliness. Breathe Thy Holy Spirit upon me, that I may be borne far away Page 129 from the world, and reach the haven of Thy Inner World! 0 LORD of love, Giver of Knowledge! The twilight of Thy dawn breaks upon my soul, and the shadows of illusion flee before the white arrows of Thy Truth. Slowly knowledge widens. Unfamiliar meanings gleam from familiar things. Hidden chambers of treasure open before the outstretched hand of thought. I feel like a child carried by magic into a far strange land. Breathless with astonishment, I behold wonders leap into being everywhere in endless variety. But always the way of Truth is love, the key of Truth is love, and Truth's own self is love.

A Vision of God's Triumph. OUT of the depths I greet the sunlit heights. Out of gross darkness I sing hymns of light. Thy Glory has spread across the heavens, Thy Beauty has kissed the mountain tops, and Thy Love beats upon the hearts of men. Page 130 The doom of the Night has sounded. The troops of darkness gather in the valleys. The stars have fallen. The skies are cleft asunder, and far in the empyrean from the Fountain of Knowledge pours the river of life, and the hosts of heaven chant the Glory and the Victory. of God. The peoples tremble in their sleep. The nations are shaken to their base . . The gates of Hell pour forth the last of their legions. Where can the Night flee, or the armies of Satan take refuge? Death descends upon them. Despair hardens their hearts. Breathing destruction they are themselves destroyed. For the Glory of God has encircled the world. His love has filled the earth. The treasure chambers of heaven are thrown wide, and the gifts of the Most High are showered upon Mankind. There shall be no more death nor oppression nor tears. God has ascended His throne. He has taken possession of the hearts of men. Therefore from the darkness with hymns of light I greet the Source of Light, and from the depths give answer to the heights. Page 131 A Vision of the Day of Judgment. ONE touched my eyes. I looked and saw above the Mountain of Holiness the light break. And a Voice above the Mountain called to me and said: '' That thou seest is the Dawning of the Judgment. Therefore, repent, lest thou be found among the workers of inquity. "Woe to them that have thought to hide their evil deeds in the gloom of their mis belief, and to keep their wickedness secret from their Lord. '' Woe to them who through My long forbearance have imagined Me forgetful, and ignorant of their guilt. " Woe to the oppressors, and to them that wrong the poor, though it be in ever so little. '' Woe to them that have made My Holy Name a cloak for injustice, and have stamped on My Truth the image of their own base desire. '' Woe to them that misguide My people, reviling My Messengers and traducing My Gifts. " Woe to them that lift their strength against My strength, and utter blasphemy against My Word. f'age 132 " Woe to them that turn away from My Light, and seek the shelter of the darkness. '' Their hour is come, and the Seal of My Covenant is set upon their doom.'' The Voice ceased. I watched the dawn grow clear, and the risen Sun pour its beams from the east to the uttermost west, paling the last lone star of morning. The glory of the light ran burning through the sky. At its caress the hidden beauty of the world came forth unveiled. The air instinct with fire trembled in ecstasy. The winds, the seas joining in nature's hymeneal joy chanted the bridal song of Earth and Heaven. But man, afar, alone, lay unaware, dreaming of vanities, drugged in sleep. I 5I JOY is from Eternity! Joy is more ancient than Timevast as infinitude! Out of joy doth all proceed, and in the arms of joy is Creation upheld! Joy is in the Beginning, Joy is before the founding of the worlds ! Joy is the mighty, the impregnable, the everlasting. Page 133 Joy is the life and light of all; and nought exists that is not filled with the breath of joy. The voice of joy breaks forth on every hand in water, in wind, in rustling leaf and singing bird; and listening night lays her hand upon the earth's wild heart to hear the universal chant of joy float from the fiery stars.

0 God, 0 God, the dawn of joy 1s broken! The flood gates of light are open, and joy descends in torrents on the earth. The frosts of life melt in the sunhhine of Thy joy. Thy kiss of joy has touched all, sweetened all! Thy joy triumphant conquers the heart of man, and in the depth of our being joy awakes. There is no room for sadness, for doubt. Within, without, joy fills all space, all time, all thought. The prophet's voice, the lover's heart, proclaim the victory of joy. Far and wide, in every clime, in every land, the soul of man wakens to join at last that triumph song of praise which for long ages Truth, unheard of men, has sung to God in solitude. faie 134 L'E:J{,VOI.

Consecration. ONLY Beloved! With a heart on fire And all my longings set in one desire To make my soul a many-stringed lyre For Thy dear hand to play, I bend beneath Thy mercy-seat and pray That in the strength of perfect love I may Tread with firm feet the red and mystic way Whereto my hopes aspire.

I have forgotten all for love of Thee And ask no other joy from destiny Than to be rapt within Thy unity And-whatso'er befall- To hear no voice on earth but Thy sweet call, To walk among Thy people as Thy thrall And see Thy beauty breathing throughout all Eternal ecstasy. Page 135 Lead me forth, Lord, amid the wide world's .ways To bear to Thee my witness and to raise The dawn song of the breaking day of days. Make my whole life one flame Of sacrificial deeds that shall proclaim The new-born glory of Thy ancient name; And let my death lift higher yet the same Triumphal chant of praise!

FINIS.

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