der fully anticipates the mind of Christ and saves us from two errors; on the one hand so to dwell upon God's omnipotence that human life is belittled, narrowed and do-graded; or to dismiss the. thought God and, forgetting all reverence, and gratitude, make the most we can of bodily existence in work and in pleasure. That is equally the way to belittle life, to narrow and degrade it. But the true point of view is that of the psalm—to Worship the majesty and power of God, then to trust His purpose and 'His' pity, and finally to take His Spirit into the life, to become the expression of His Will. "Let Thy work appear upon Thy servants, and let the beauty of the Lord: our God be upon us."
If this is true that "the Mighty God who feeds the strength of every Saint" occupies human life not only in the name of His pity but of His purpose, if He makes life worth living by living within us Himself, then indeed we may count our days, and use them to such purpose and with such economy that life becomes rich in Wisdom.
(1) First number your days so as to insure them, It is reckoned to be one of a man's tasks, as trustee for his home, to see that provision is made against loss, that steps are taken to reduce the risks of uncertainty. And should we not count our days for a similar Purpose of spiritual insurance?
Trials come along to rob us of our buoyancy, our chivalry, our enthusiasm and faith—the treasures we started with. Take care to guard against these losses by which so many that you and I know are ready impoverished; remembering that days of depression, of suspicion, days spent in nursing a grievance or cherishing a grudge, are wasted days, stolen from God' and spent in the dark. Insure against these moral and" spiritual losses. Get Christ to make them good to you. You will certainly cease to Count for the Kingdom if you carry about an unforgiving heart or a disappointed spirit. "Let God's work appear upon you, in the cauterizing of your wounds, in the healing of your broken heart, "He shall be to thee fike the sea, and thou: shalt} surely feel His wind that bloweth healthily thy sicknesses to heal."
Investing Our Days (2) But there is another reason for counting your days and reckoning your powers, not only to insure them but also' to invest them.
Life is not meant to be only on the defensive. Insurance may be vastly strengthened by investment. was one of the commanding thoughts of Jesus Christ that what we have of time and talents be longs ultimately to God, and we must invest them in the work and adventures of his Kingdom. Suppose it is the advance of truth that in question; well, that may seem 8 venturesome project. Never mind, it is God's work and you can bank' on it with all your resources, knowing it will not fail. All wi ness for truth makes some mark on the human mind. It may be resented, contradicted, cast out, but there it is, it cannot be broken. It is God's word and it will not return to Him void. That is one invest-mem.
Or it may be the advancement of charity. Again you know it is the Will of God. The conquest of pride and prejudice that keep souls apart is His own work and always succeeds in the end. Kindness convices a heart unexpectedly. Grati-ind tude can turn pride to tears. For giveness has wonderful powers of Persuasion. These are the things of real Wisdom because they do not fail. Therefore in the great business of life we have no right to be disconsolate or doubling, hoarding leven a single talent as if it was only worth keeping to ourselves. But let us count it as something to invest with courage in divine ventures of human service, for. this is the wisdom and the wealth of
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.