March 25

Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart.—Ps. xcvii, 11.

Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace.—Rom. xiv, 19.

There is a calm the poor in spirit know

That softens sorrow and that sweetens woe;

There is a peace that dwells within the breast

When all without is stormy and distrest;

There is a light that gilds the darkest hour,

When danger thickens and when tempests lower;

That calm is faith, and hope and love is given;

That peace remains when all beside is riven;

That light shines down to man direct from heaven.

JAMES EDMESTON.

Nothing can produce so great a serenity of life as a mind free from guilt, and kept untainted, not only from actions, but purposes that are wicked. By this means the soul will be not only unpolluted, but not disturbed; the fountain will run clear and unsullied, and the streams that flow from it will be just and honest deeds, ecstasies of satisfaction, a brisk energy of spirit, which makes a man an enthusiast in his joy, and a tenacious memory sweeter than hope. For as shrubs which are cut down with the morning dew upon them do for long time after retain their fragrancy, so the good actions of a wise man perfume his mind, and leave a rich scent behind them. So that joy is, as it were, watered with these essences, and owes its flourishing to them.

PLUTARCH.