Boast not thyself of to-morrow; For thou knowest not what a day may bring forth. --Proverbs 27. 1. Gracious Father, grant that I may not tarry so long, that when I arrive I will hear, "Too late, too late, ye cannot enter now"; but may I be so persistent with every day that when I arrive I may be ready as well as on time. Amen. AUGUST TWENTY-FIRST Lady Mary Montagu died 1762. Jules Michelet born 1798. John Tyndall born 1820. Let us never be afraid of innocent joy; God is good and what he does is well done; resign yourself to everything, even happiness; ask for the spirit of sacrifice, of detachment, of renunciation, and above all, for the spirit of joy and gratitude. --Amiel. That's the wise thrush; He sings each song twice over, Lest you should think he never could recapture The first fine careless rapture! --Robert Browning. And these things we write, that our joy may be made full. --1 John 1. 4. Lord God, help me to keep the things under my feet that are inclined to destroy happiness. Show me clearly the line which divides right and wrong, that I may not fear the censure of the world. Help me to act with good judgment and be calm in obeying thy laws. Amen. AUGUST TWENTY-SECOND John B. Gough born 1817. Warren Hastings died 1818. G. W. De Long born 1844. I never saw a moor, I never saw the sea; Yet know I how a heather looks And what a wave must be. I never spoke with God, Nor visited in heaven; Yet certain am I of the spot As if the chart were given. --Emily Dickinson. I don't want to possess a faith; I want a faith which will possess me. --Charles Kingsley. Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith Jehovah of hosts. --Zechariah 4. 6. My Father, may there be no room in my soul for doubt. Help me to be cautious and careful that my own neglect and carelessness may not cause the loss of my faith. May I be trustful as I look for the great light that guides me over the uncertain way. Amen. AUGUST TWENTY-THIRD Rowland Hill born 1744. Louis XVI born 1754. William E. Henley born 1849. Out of the night that covers me, Black as the Pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever gods may be For my unconquerable soul. It matters not how strait the gate, How charged with punishments the scroll, I am master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul. --W. E. Henley. A man who has borne himself honorably through a whole life makes an action honorable which might appear ambiguous in others. --Goethe. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable. --1 Corinthians 15. 58.