The Penn's Grove record., 1907-04-12

in every crowd, in the noise and the
roar itself. We need but, in the face
of humanity, to be still before God
and await His revelations in order to
enter into enlarged knowledge and
into the perception of increasing Wis
ions.
In the face of many-sided nature
We may read the lessons God has for
US to learn. But we cannot learn the
most enduring lessons until we see in
nature not an end in herself, but
rather a means to an end. We cannot
enjoy the divinest blessings until we
shut out even nature itself, with all
its loneliness, its beauty and its charm
and in solitude and expectancy wait
in stiffness upon God.
The loudest prayer is not the pray
er that brings the greatest blessing.
The oft repeated words are not the
surest of reply. The prayer that tells
God what we need is not always the
most acceptable or the most ef1ca-
cious. We are most blessed of God
in prayer when we are simply still.
Our Father hath knowledge of III
necessities before We ask. 1t is a
good thing for US to be constantly in
an attitude Of recepti@ty toward God.
If we would talk less to God and let
| God speak more to US W. should be
better off. We learn most of the
facts of the kingdom in prayer that is
not too voluble. He is a wise Chris
tian who lets God speak to him. That
is to say, he is wisest who is prayer
fully eo~ntemplative.
Relaxation is as necessary as rush.
The man who is continually rushing
himself is the man who is cumula-
lively wearing himself out. His end
is at hand. None of US is a better
man because of over-eXercise. Moth
ing is more dangerous than to destroy
to-day the vital forces that are stored
up for to-morrow's use. Men cannot
escape the necessity for quietude.
They cannot live without it for long.
Every man must, for his own self
protection, now and then withdraw
himself from the world. And that
which is true of the physical man in
his material relations is equally so of
humanity in its intellectual and spir-
itual departments. We must have in
tellectual relaxation. To rush the
brain is to invite the madhouse. To
rush the soul is to invite spiritual
WEAKNESS. Men must have relaxa-
ton.
And it is in these hours of stiffness,
of relaxation, of r~ecuperation, of COM
munion and contemplation that the
soul of man enjoys growth and invig-
grafton.
Much as we may grow in the midst
Of the conflict and the noise we do
not expand in the fullest measure ex-
cept in our hours of communion and
contemplation. Then it is that we
see with the clearest vision, then it is
that we comprehend the Vastly truths
of Gods kingdom. And as we do not
enjoy the fullest growth except in our
times of contemplation SO true is 1t
that we are truly ~invigorated by our
moments of communion. The rush
may give US the energy that comes
from excitement and %endeavor, but 1T
is but a momentary strength. 1t IS
inevitably followed by reaction. Fur-
MOL and tremendous endeavor NAY
minister sustentation for the time to
our nervous force, but it is in the
hours of contemplation, of quietude'
of communion that we are really in
yigorated, that we find true rest
"Be still" May God give Us al
the wisdom to be still and learEf roL1
Him, learn that He is God.