September 29
Daily Gleanings of the Saintly LifeEleventh Sunday after Trinity
A contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise. Psalms 51:17.
THE impulses of the heart are nature's instincts. Contrition does not necessarily rise above ordinary sorrows as a sorrow. Sensations vary as the temperament varies. Contrition is not to be measured by the sensible tenderness which accompanies it; its only true test is its strength of purpose. Contrition rises above all other sorrow by the determination of the will, by the inward setting of the silent heart in stern preparation to wait upon God; its power is seen in the changes taking place in the higher regions of the soul, where great resolves maintain their sway, and self is being subdued through the strong grasp of faith fastening upon God. We do not judge of the movements of the great deep by the splash of the waves which make their wild play upon the shore, but by the long silent roll far out at sea. So, likewise, the secret current of the steadfast will, not the impulsive fluctuation of the tender sensibilities, is the true evidence of the requickened soul yielding itself to the inspirations of the Holy Spirit, the inworking presence of God. Wouldst thou undergo all loss, bear all denial, use all effort, rather than knowingly consent to a single sin? Then be assured thou hast passed from death to life, and God has enfolded thee within the powers of the world to come.
We hope to see God's Face, At last, in heaven on high, When we have changed this mortal place For immortality.
S