July 17

I have very often said unto thee, Forsake thyself, resign thyself, and thou shalt enjoy great peace within.

WE should be astonished, at the end of the day, to know how perpetually our thoughts, desires, and feelings have revolved within self's tiny circle, for how long a time the smallest, meanest personal cares have engrossed us. . . . To banish selfishness at once, for ever, and completely, may be impossible, humanly speaking, nor may it be compatible with the divine method of working. But does it make no difference whether we treat the egoist within us as a friend or as a foe, whether we are guided by his counsels or utterly reject them; whether we give him the place of honour or the place of scorn? Can we not turn our thoughts and actions persistently outward, and when, like homing doves, they fly back to the self again, can we not refuse the stealthy welcome or mute acquiescence in their return? If the prayer, "Thy will be done," seems far beyond us, yet can we not, in the very next choice we make, surrender our own will, just now? With no thought for the morrow, can we not take from God to-day the daily bread of sacrifice?

MAY KENDALL

SELF AND PENITENCE