10. This is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, 11. Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not arisen a greater than John the Baptist: yet he that is but little in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12. And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and men of violence take it by force. 13. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. 14. And if ye are willing to receive it, this is Elijah, who is to come. 15. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. 16. But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the market-places, who call unto their fellows, 17. and say, We piped unto you, and ye did not dance; we wailed, and ye did not mourn. 18. For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a demon. 19. The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold, a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners! And wisdom is justified by her works. GOLDEN TEXT-But the witness which I have is greater than that of John; for the works which the Father hath given me to accomplish, the very works that I do bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me.— John 5:36. John the Baptist represents the intellect hemmed in, imprisoned in Castle Malcherus, through seeing sin and evil large, and condemning them. Some people see the evil in the world as a power so formidable that it paralyzes all their efforts, and they accomplish nothing in the service of Truth. To them sin seems a reality, and they fight it and it fights back. In the end it imprisons those who stoop to quarrel with it. Just a few days ago the writer heard some W. C. T. U. workers say that they were almost discouraged in their efforts because the evils of the liquor traffic seemed to be growing in the world faster than their power to meet tl.em. Thus it will ever be among those who make a personal fight against evil-it will build its idea into the mind of the worker until he is bound in the prison of material illusion. Sin and evil cannot be met successfully on their own plane of action-which is in material conscious ness. The Christ does not strive with sin and evil in its many forms, but asserts absolute spirit dominion and "puts out" these "plagues and evil spirits." When intellect (John) sends out its thought of doubt as to the identity of his miracle-worker, the reply is not one of argument, but behold the results-"the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the noor have good tidings preached to them." This is typical of that special development of the individual, where true reform begins. So long as there is a desire in the mind of any man for a drink of whisky that desire will bring the whisky into visibility. That is a law fundamental to Being in its manifesting processes and it cannot be broken. "Blessed is he who shall find no occasion for stumbling in me," means that the one who puts no obstruction of intellectual methods or ways in doing the Spirit's work shall have blessings, or increase, in that which he is doing in the Christ way. Christ commends the one who strives to do good in an intellectual way as the greatest born of women; yet the very least in spiritual understanding is greater than this John the Baptist. Pay as little attention to discouragement as possible. Plow ahead as a steamer does, rough or smooth-rain or shine. To carry your cargo, make your port, is the point. -Maltbie Davenport Babcock. THE FAMILY HARMONY IN THE HOME Home is the nursery of the Infinite.-Channing. Edited by MYRTLE FILLMORE EDITOR'S NOTE-We need higher ideals in our homes. These we can have by setting up beautiful and perfect conceptions of each member of our household, the husband of the wife, and the wife of the husband, and together of the children. Husbands will find a most beautiful conception of wifehood in Lowell's Poem "My Love" which is a tribute to his wife. Wives will do well to hold before themselves the character of "She that to my soul is dear," until they imbibe the qualites of its sweetness. For those who would like the study we reproduce the Poem. MY LOVE Not as all other women are Is she that to my soul is dear; Her glorious fancies come from far, And yet her heart is ever near. Great feelings hath she of her own, God giveth them to her alone And sweet they are as any tone Wherewith the wind may choose to blow. Yet in herself she dwelleth not, Although no home were half so fair; No simplest duty is forgot, Life hath no dim and lowly spot She doeth little kindnesses, Which most leave undone, or despise; Is low-esteemed in her eyes. She hath no scorn of common things, Blessing she is: God made her so, She is most fair, and thereunto She is a woman: one in whom I love her with a love as still And, on its full, deep breast serene, It flows around them and between, And makes them fresh and fair and green, JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL. Begin with your own family. This is the unit. Believe in their nobility, their greatness, their wisdom, their health, their beauty. Never cease believing in it. You have a reason for so believing in them. From them it will slip out to the world. There is a reason for your hope of them. Then, finally, seeing them as they are, all over the planet, you will see no evil to compare the good with, and you will find a world where another quality reigns, unknowing of good and evil, exalted out of their reach. -Emma Curtis Hopkins. PRECEPT AND PRACTICE I want harmony in my home, I want to be loving and patient but my husband is so aggravating, I lose my temper. What thought shall I hold?-C. Temper is a mental force misapplied. Like dynamite it works disastrously in the wrong place, but used intelligently it is mighty. Combined with love and patience it will enable you to overcome all obstacles and bring to light those qualities in your husband which are waiting your recognition. A helpful thought would be: "I rest in the peace love and joy of the Spirit. All things are possible to me through Christ my redeemer." * * * * I like the idea of living the regenerate life. It clears my mind of many unjust things I had laid up against God. But where a wife's husband is not in sympathy with such "new fangled" ideas, what is the wife to do?? ?—M. M. B. The urgency of this question is evinced by the punctuation. When we perceive a truth, our first effort should be to praise God; our next, though not quite so easy, is just as necessary, to have patience with those who have not yet perceived it. "Suffer it to be so," said Jesus the wayshower, when those about him could not grasp his purpose for refusing to follow custom. He could afford to wait, for sooner or later the Eternal Principles which he came to establish should be revealed to every soul. And now to those who begin to perceive them, life and its activities have new interpretations. What we have called lust and passion, we find is really a blind seeking of mankind for the consciousness of Life and Love. Knowing this the wife seeking regeneration will patiently and lovingly help her husband find the better way. He really wants and longs for it, and with her unwavering love and confidence he will seek and find his freedom. Take this statement: |