1 CHRONICLES 29


2 Now I have prepared with all my might for the house of my God the gold for things to be made of gold, and the silver for things of silver, and the brass for things of brass, the iron for things of iron, and wood for things of wood; onyx stones, and stones to be set, glistering stones, and of divers colours, and all manner of precious stones, and marble stones in abundance.


I have prepared with all my heart 

Science, music, business -all things have their right place when God is on the throne. In the world God is not on the throne. But we are not of the world.

We are striving after conformity to Him who said

"It is my meat and my drink to do the will of Him that sent me."

We are asked to follow him. We excite the world's pity by the effort. Never mind,

"The world passeth away, but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever."

The end will justify all. There is final good in no other. All other paths end in darkness, however bright now. Christ stands at the end of if. Christ is coming.

He will come as surely as the world is filled with the cross of his shame on church spire and prayer book cover, and it will then be manifest to all the world which class have sought good in the right channel - those who see man only in all they do and arrange, or those who have set God before them in the faith of His existence, the belief of His promises, and the obedience of His commandments.

Seasons 2.32


16 O Yahweh our Elohim, all this store that we have prepared to build thee an house for thine holy name cometh of thine hand, and is all thine own.

THERE are moments in every spiritual man's life when gratitude yearns for special vent of utterance--times when he feels strongly what David said on a certain occasion, "I will not offer unto the Lord my God that which hath cost me nothing".

Words in a sense cost him nothing: he longs to do something more than offer praise. It is not that he supposes God can be enriched by anything he can give, or that he can put God under obligation, or that he can establish a claim to His favour by anything he can do: for such a man earnestly recognizes above all things what David also said when he handed over incom-putable treasure of gold and silver to the divine service: "All things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee .... All this store that we have prepared... cometh of thine hand, and is all thine own".

Yet he feels an intensity of gratitude that can only find satisfactory expression in deeds of self-deprivation--above and beyond the freewill and thank offerings of sacrifice provided for in the routine service of the tabernacle.

The Law of Moses Ch 31