The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-01-05
Selections from the Writings OF
the Right Rev. Philips Brooks, D. D.

You will find the New Year what
the Old Year was in ali it's outward
circumstances. But If you will only
take new light, new resolution. bold
er faith into It, how new and ever
renewing 1t will be fresh already with
the everlasting freshness OF eternity"
In the work of your life you should
look for and find the JOY Of your
life. To do your work as a slavery
and then to look elsewhere for en-
joyment. that makes a very dreary
life. No man who works SO does the
best work. No man who works 50.
fingers lovingly over his work. and
asks himself II there Ia not something
he can do TO make II more perfect.
My meat Is 10 DO the wiz OF Him
that sent fne, and 10 finish a5s work,
said Jesus.
There Is SO little rest. There 10
ouch an unreasonlng passion Tor ac-
tivity. And so we skim the surface
OF things We know no more of the
real depth Of our lives than a child
who crosses 81 frozen lake knows how
deep L Is. We neAer- los uQMn- lnlo
their depths and see the power Of
help and culture which they might
contain. But before our life can get
depth into 1t. il must get God into
1t. A life with no intention OF God
in 1t must be shallow.
What thought can be more rich and
solemn. than that of God so utterly
filling the universe with Himself, that
out of no unexpected corner OF it can
start any anxiety TO surprise Him. His
pure peace in Himself--how it throws
out in contrast the frightened anxious,
nervous lives we live! This is the
peace of God. which passeth all I'M
-derstanding, but but then that peace
Is communicable TO us, not through
the understanding but through love.
49, esr resss .e..t.
You say you can do so little for
any good cause that there is no use
in doing anything Yet you are the
average size of moral and intellectual
humanity. Only when men like you
wake up and shake off the paralysis OF
tneif tsiffianlfy sflaiI we see yfe dawn
OF the mllienni5lrf witch wifi consist
not in the coming forth of few
colossal men to be the patterns and
champions of life-but simply In each
man, in all the length and breadth
OF the great world doing his best
You can test the work that you are
engaged in by seeing whether it IL
restless and cramped without the truth
of an Immortality. If II is not. If you
can do your little hight Just as we'll
without the hope of an eternity, be
sure that the fight is a poor one, is
not worthy Of your highest powers, is
too small a fight for man, child
of God. TO spend his life In lighting.
Crust is not foreign material, but
the thing itself. grown hard and rigid,
shuts the soft. tender and receptive
portions Of the thing away Thus out
of the very substance of a mans life,
out OF the very stuff of what he is
and does. comes the hindrance which
birds itself about hts being, and viii
not let the better influences in. What
Is the crust upon your life that keeps
out holy infiuences7
Is II not wonderful to see how few
sins are done fatty, fairly. blankly as
sins7 Covetousness dresses itself in
the decent robes Of prudence; pro-
digaiity goes CARRIED as generosity;
they all masquerade through society.
and trap the souls Of men. What II
He came--the spirit OF ail-truth.
and wiped out every false name. AMI
wrote up every true one7
All right 10 antagonistic to all
wrong. The stars In their courses
nght against IT as they fought against
Sisera. The duty that they are do
ing cries Shame ON the. duty that