PARTAKING OF THE WRONG TREE

 PERFECT SUMMARY OF THE GOALS OF COMMUNISM:

"Nothing stands between the people's miserable present and its glorious future, except a minority, perhaps a majority, of perverse or merely ignorant individuals. All that is necessary is to liquidate a few thousands, or it may be a few millions, of these living obstacles to progress, and then to coerce and propagandize the rest into acquiescence. When these unpleasant but necessary preliminaries are over, the golden age will begin. Such is the theory of that secular apocalypticism, which is the religion of revolutionaries. But in practice, it is hardly necessary to say, the means employed positively guarantee that the end actually reached shall be profoundly different from that which the prophetic theorists envisaged."

ALDOUS HUXLEY (1994-1963). "Religion and Time." In Christopher Isherwood, ed., Vedanta for the Western World, 1945

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

RETURN TO OLD SCENES (POEM)

 THE FAMILY ALTAR

August 7.

"Delight thyself also in the Lord, and He shall give thee the

desires of thine heart." Ps. 37:4

The "also" here in our text refers to the command and promise

in the preceding verse: "Trust in the Lord, and do good; so

shalt thou dwell in the land, and, verily, thou shalt be fed/' "The

blessed result of trust and active goodness," says an expositor,

"are stable dwelling in the land and nourishment there from a

faithful God. The thoughts move within the Old Testament circle,

but their substance is eternally true; for they who take God for

their portion have a safe abode, and feed their souls on His un-

alterable adherence to His promise and on the abundance flowing

thence." Now, we all know from experience how easy it is to

trust in the Lord and to delight in Him while He showers on

our path peace and prosperity; but when the evil days come and

the years draw nigh of which we say, we have no pleasure in

them, ah! then it is not so easy for us to sing: "Oh, bless the

Lord, my soul ! His grace to thee proclaim ! And all that is

within me join To bless His holy name! Oh, bless the Lord,

my soul ! His mercies bear in mind ! Forget not all His benefits !

The Lord to thee is kind." Therefore the same expositor truly

says: "The heart that delights in God, finding its truest joy in

Him, and reaching towards Him with the deepest of its desires,

will live far above the region of disappointment. For its desire

and fruition go together. Longings fixed on Him fulfil themselves.

We can have as much of God as we wish. If He is our delight,

we shall wish nothing contrary to nor apart from Him, and wishes

which are directed to Him cannot be in vain."

My Jesus, as Thou wilt!

Oh, may Thy will be mine!

Into Thy hand of love.

I would my all resign.

Through sorrow, or through joy,

Conduct me as Thine own;

And help me still to* say,

My Lord, Thy will be done!

My Jesus, as Thou wilt!

All shall be well for me;

Each changing future scene

I gladly trust with Thee.

Straight to my home above

I travel calmly on,

And sing in life or death,

My Lord, Thy will be done!