for a
good time coming, friend, when thou shalt know as thou art known? Let
the joy of thy hope stream forth upon thy neighbours. Fold them round in
that which maketh thyself glad. Let thy nature grow more expansive and
communicative. Look like the man thou art--a man who knows something
very good. Thou believest thyself on the way to the heart of things:
walk so, shine so, that all that see thee shall want to go with thee.

What light issues from such as make their faces long at the very name of
death, and look and speak as if it were the end of all things and the
worst of evils? Jesus told his men not to fear death; told them his
friends should go to be with him; told them they should live in the
house of his father and their father; and since then he has risen
himself from the tomb, and gone to prepare a place for them: who, what
are these miserable refusers of comfort? Not Christians, surely! Oh,
yes, they are Christians! 'They are gone,' they say, 'to be for ever
with the Lord;' and then they weep and lament, and seem more afraid of
starting to join them than of aught else under the sun! To the last
attainable moment they cling to what they call life. They are
children--were there ever any other such children?--who hang crying to
the skirts of their mother, and will not be lifted to her bosom. They
are not of Paul's mind: to be with Him is not better! They worship
their physician; and their prayer to the God of their life is to spare
them from more life. What sort of Christians are they? Where shines
their light? Alas for thee, poor world, hadst thou no better lights than
these!

You who have light, show yourselves the sons and daughters of Light, of
God, of Hope--the heirs of a great completeness. Freely let your light
shine.

Only take heed that ye do not your righteousness before men, to be seen
of them.

_THE RIGHT HAND AND THE LEFT._

Take heed that ye do not your righteousness before men to be seen of
them; otherwise ye have no reward of your father which is in heaven....
But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand
doeth; that thine alms may be in secret; and thy father which seeth in
secret, himself shall reward thee.--_Matthew_ vi. I,3.

Let your light out freely, that men may see it, but not that men may see
you. If I do anything, not because it has to be done, not because God
would have it so, not that I may do right, not because it is honest, not
that I love t