314 THE LAWGIVER GREATER THAN HIS LAWS. He who has ordained these laws for the necessities of our lower nature will overrule all things for the regeneration of our spirits. They may seem to me, for the moment, to march on with the resistless will of blind, undiscerning fatality; but He who ordained them knew all things from the beginning, and embraced us in the designs of infinite love and mercy. They may seem to me mysterious and inscrutable, but I am sure that all things serve Him, and that all circumstances of life are subordinated to His gracious ends. The Lawgiver is greater than the laws, and I know of Him that His name evermore is love. I know that His are the storm and the earthquake and the fire; but I know also that He whispers to me in the still, small voice of loving regard and care. I know that clouds and darkness are about His seat; but I know also that justice and mercy are the habitation of His throne. He bears up the pillars of the earth, and embraces beneath the shadow of His wings its lowliest inhabitant. "O Thou that hearest prayer, unto Thee shall all flesh come. Into Thy hands I commend my spirit; for Thou hast redeemed me, O Lord, thou God of truth!" The stillness These words, "WHEN I first wake in the morning, I could often weep with pleasure. The holy calm, the stillness, the freshness, thrill through my soul. of an empty house is paradise to me." I think, are Cecil's, and the notion they convey is very pleasing. As a low, sweet prelude flows before a fuller music, so that man's waking is happy when calm thoughts and holy musings spontaneously gather to the soul-when first the sunlight breaks on the oratory of the inner chamber. "Cleanse my first springs of thought and will, And with Thyself my spirit fill," is the language of Bishop Ken; and holy Herbert writes: "Sum up at night what thou hast done by day, And in the morning what thou hast to do; 1 L & m en me of a lit. and fe itself Lasty is a Enie H, ma line i primi my. Laci marring a DET cat les ere" OL fresh fails and passinnire irs of Heaven's Leang o the further boot of lit emmied to us. Deire ve altres pusers to the speech and disBut mum. 1 1 Isten fra vile to the langug it Eaa. Tai vise comed and resolve we should alles ousers : our Christian course, runing as mrt, vil de glow and freshness of morning hours, the path of our pilgrimage. Some consideratios may bere be advanced concoming varies polts of daily reccurrence and everpresent importance vid from day to day meet us in I. II petion these triedy under their several Lal, and with a separate consideration, although y are connected and easily blend into each other. 1. Dally care. Our Blessed Lord has told us that "sufficient for the day is the evil thereof;" that is, a large part of each day's evil is not really to-day's, but we foolishly borrow it from the morrow. For this morrow we may take forethought, but not care; that is, giving the force of the original, "anxious care.” We are unable to add a cubit to our stature, or rather, again seeking to bring out the force of the original, a moment to our life. But these thoughts of our own inability may be comforted by the thought of the omnipotence of God. Our heavenly Father knoweth |