God's great elevator carrying us up to the higher chambers of His palace,
without over-laborious efforts, while others struggle up the winding
stairs and faint by the way.

Let us to-day so fully take Him that He can "cause us to walk in His
statutes."

APRIL 29.

"Love never faileth" (I. Cor. xiii. 8).

In our work for God it is a great thing to find the key to men's hearts,
and recognize something good as a point of contact for our spiritual
influence. When Jesus met the woman at Samaria He immediately seized hold
of the best things in her, and by this He reached her heart, and drew from
her a willing confession of her salvation. A Scotchman once said that his
salvation was all due to the fact that a good man (Lord Shaftsbury, we
believe) once put his arms around him and said, "John, by the grace of God
we will make a man of you yet."

The old legend tells the story of a poor, dead dog lying on the street in
the midst of the crowd, every one of whom was having something to say,
until Jesus came along, and immediately began to admire its beautiful
teeth. He had something kind to say even of him.

There is but One can live and love like this;
The Christ-love from the living Christ must spring.
O! Jesus! come and live Thy life in me,
And all Thy heaven of love and blessing bring.

APRIL 30.

"Love believeth all things" (I. Cor. xiii. 7).

Beautiful is the expression in the Book of Isaiah which reflects with
exceeding sweetness the love of our dear Lord. He said, "They are My
people, children that will not lie; so He was their Saviour." They did
lie, but He would not believe it. At least He speaks as if He would not
believe it in the greatness of His love, because they were His people. He
has not seen iniquity in Jacob nor perversity in Israel. There is plenty
of it to see, and the devil sees it all, and a good many people are only
too glad to see it; but the dear Father will not see it. He covers it with
His love and the precious blood of His dear atoning Son. Such a wonderful
love ought surely to make us gentler to others, and more anxious to cause
our Father less need to hide His loving eyes from our imperfections and
faults.

If we have the mind and heart of Christ, we shall clothe even the world
with those graces which faith can claim for them, and try our best to
count them as if they were real, and by love and prayer we shall at length
make them real. "Love believeth all things