Speculum Animae: Four Devotional Addresses

SATURDAY EVENING

The Addresses are not the main part of our devotional meeting. We have been discussing to-day and yesterday certain problems of our work as teachers; and now, before we disperse, we want to be for a little while alone with God, and to help each other to be alone with God — a paradox, but true. The sympathy of a friend never yet came between a man and his Maker; we can pray best when others are kneeling by our side. Common prayer and intercession, including meditation, which is a part of prayer, are our business for the next twenty-four hours. We are staying on for that. If this is remembered, the Addresses will fall into their place. They may, please God, suggest lines of thought and subjects for prayer. Any sincere words may do this; for it is God, and not the speaker, who can make the poor sounds of the human voice the vehicles of grace, and it is the sincere word, not the clever one, wMch is most likely to be thus honoured. I will promise to be simply sincere; and you for your own sakes will, I am sure, try not to be critical.