XI. Rest Under the Shadow of His Wing.

How

Blessed is the man whom Thou choosest and causest to approach unto Thee that he may dwell in Thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of Thy house, even of Thy holy Temple.—Psalms lxv. 4.

OW good it is to wander in Thy way,
How beautiful upon Thy path to stay.

There is no slip, no falling there
The course runs on without a bending.
Then will I walk Thy way fore'er
My song of praises to Thee sending.

Thou art my hope, my aim in everything,
The anchor of my heart, of life the spring.

I yearn Thee in Thy light to see,
Yet such beseems not me, poor mortal.
When fain my heart would be near Thee,
I step within Thy temple's portal.

JEHUDAH HALEVI.

God has made the heart of man to long after Himself, to be satisfied indeed with nothing else in the whole universe short of seeing Him in all the beauty of His holiness and love, and being bound to Him in tenderest and closest communion. No earthly good or pleasure ever really satisfies the cravings of the human heart. There is still unrest and mortification and failure, not so bad perhaps as to make us cry out in the

language of Ecclesiastes, "All is vanity and vexation of spirit," but bad enough to make us feel that we were born for far higher happiness, and for a far nobler end than for this world's good, or for mere pleasure. And this it is which gives the proof to what I affirmed, viz.: that God has made us for the enjoyment of Himself, has so constituted us by nature that nothing but Himself can ever satisfy our hearts' desire.

XII.

CHARLES VOYSEY.

Discord and Accord.

I know, O Lord, that Thy judgments are right, and that Thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me. Let, I pray Thee, Thy merciful kindness be for my comfort, according to Thy word unto Thy servant.— Psalms cxix. 75, 76.

'S musicians sometimes go through perplexing mazes of discord in order to come to the inexpressible sweetness of aftercords, so men's discord of trouble and chromatic jars, if God be their leader, are only preparing for a resolution into such harmonious strains as could never have been raised except upon such undertones. Most persons are more anxious to stop their sorrow than to carry it forward to its choral outburst. "Now, no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous; nevertheless, afterwards, it yieldeth the peaceable fruits of righteousness unto them that are exercised thereby."

HENRY W. Beecher.

Behold, I will bring them health and cure, and I will cure them; and will reveal unto them the abundance of peace and truth.—Jeremiah xxxiii. 6.

WHEN the spirit, worn and weary,

'Neath its daily load of care,

Treads the pathway long and dreary,
And the burden hard to bear;
Tired with hoping, faint and fearing,
Sighs to reach the golden gate:
Then in accents soft and cheering.
Patience whispers, "Only wait;
For a brighter day is dawning,
Joy awaits us in the morning-
In the beauty of the morning,
Only wait."

XIII.

PET

Inward Rest.

Thus saith the Lord God, the holy one of Israel, in returning and rest shall ye be saved, in quietness and confidence shall be your strength.-Isaiah xxx. 15.

ET us understand the exact kind of rest which is particularly needful, and which is not always included in the popular notions. Everybody is aware of that kind of rest, which is called physical; but there is another kind of rest which may be enjoyed simultaneously with the daily exercise of our working faculties. This is an inward composure, a calm self-possession, a steady adherence to fixed principles. The busy man of the world might acquire it, and is certainly more in need

of it than the hermit or recluse. It is a sort of composure which is quite compatible with outward activity and mental activity too. How much more

easily we could get through the vicissitudes of this earthly career, if only we could preserve the calm, inward self!

ORSAKE me not, my God!

Uphold me in Thy going,

That evermore I may

Please Thee in all well-doing. And that Thy Will, O God,

May never be forgot

In all my works and ways,

My God, forsake me not.

OSWALD JOHN SIMON.

XIV.

The Ever-present Help.

Show me Thy ways, O Lord, teach me Thy paths; lead me in Thy truth and guide me: for Thou art the God of my salvation; on Thee do I wait every day.— Psalms xxv. 4, 5.

PEOPLE say they believe in God; they are sure that

He is the most Perfect Being it is possible to imagine; but they fail to appreciate or even to take account of that wondrous privilege inherent in human nature, namely, that it is possible for us, even in the busy world, to live with Him. In this generation there is especial need of making the Supreme Being a greater reality for us. What we want is God Himself with all

the inward rest and peace which His presence can alone procure. The mere contact with such a presence is likely to light up all dark corners of our secret lives to render glaring to our own perception some of those evils to which we would rather have remained blindfold. OSWALD JOHN SIMON.

MELL may Thy happy children cease

From restless wishes prone to sin,
And in Thine own exceeding peace

Yield to Thy daily discipline.
We need as much the load we bear,
As air we breathe, as light we see;

It draws us to Thy side in prayer,
It binds us to our strength in Thee.

The Merciful One, may He grant us a perfect Sabbath here and rest in the life everlasting.-Ancient Hebrew Prayer.

KNOW not if there be an occupation more fitting the Sabbath than to look into a human heart where peace, content and kindliness reign. It is like coming from the heat, the turmoil and the conflicts of a teeming city to the sweet stillness of the meadow, the hill or the forest; it is like sitting by a brook bubbling its music at our feet, or under shading trees the whisper of whose branches lull us into forgetfulness of the outside world. O happy souls where heavenly peace