‘May God bless you and prosper your work. You look to me too eager,—will you understand my word? Try to feel more what I was saying to-day, that work is not ours but God’s, and so we may look up peacefully, trustingly, committing our work to Him. If we try to serve Him in sincerity, He will perfect that which is lacking. Are not those chapters in Ezekiel comforting, when we feel our shortcomings, and that we sometimes lead children wrongly? Because the shepherds made them to err—“I myself will be their shepherd.”’ * * * * * ‘_June 1881._ ‘I wish I could help you, my dear child. I have copied out for you parts of an address given to teachers some years ago by Mr. Body.[75] I took notes of it and send some to you. You must not let your spiritual life die down, you must get oil to burn in the lamp of your being: that spirit of grace and life and light of the soul. Such times of dryness do seem to be sent at times to try our faith; whether we serve God for His gifts and the joys of religion, but often they are the result of disobedience to the Voice of the Spirit. “Because I called and ye refused,” etc. Some unfaithfulness to what we knew to be right, some self-indulgent ways, some sloth. Sometimes there is a sin unknown, and God would make us search it out; sometimes hidden like Achan’s piece of gold, it causes us to turn our backs on our enemies. We have to find out and acknowledge the sin. ‘I don’t understand about your Sundays. I find I need so much that quiet day. I think you should _resist_ making it a _social_ day, as friends expect,—have a good portion alone for prayer and study—for the study of rather deep books. “Build yourselves up, beloved, in your most holy faith.” Take portions of the Bible and work them out with good commentaries, above all with prayerful study. ‘Do you intercede enough? If our prayers become selfish they lose life. Remember the cruse of oil. ‘I wonder if you could sometimes go to St. Peter’s, Eaton Square, to a Bible class, which Mr. Wilkinson holds generally once a fortnight on Fridays after afternoon service. I should like you to see him; but I care for his teaching on Sundays less than on week-days. It is a fashionable congregation and the church crowded, still I wish you would go, because he seems to feel the presence of a living God more than almost any one I have heard. ‘Do you go to Church now or to the Brethren’s services? To me the Church services and seasons, and especially the silent half-hour while others are communicating, is full of teaching. “I will come to them and make them to sit down to meat and will serve them.” Do you know the “Imitation”? If not, let me send you a copy. Perhaps God speaks to _you_ better in other ways.