Precept & Practice – MAY 30 – Rejoicing

One of the elements in the nature of St. Paul which most endears him to us is his capacity for joyfulness, and the conviction which he had that rejoicing was a necessity for life, and therefore a duty.   He did not say, like so many religious teachers, and like so many others not religious, Wail evermore;  but, Rejoice evermore.   Nor did he think that sitting in one’s own soul over the hearth where the fires of youth have grown cold, or wringing one’s hands in impotent pity over the miseries of man, was the way to help oneself or to help mankind.   As to mourning over one’s sins, it was no doubt a good thing for a short time, till we realised how sternly we should leave them;  but when we had left them, the next thing was to rejoice in forgiveness, and, in that enchantment of love to the Forgiver, to go forward with exultation to do the good things which were in direct opposition to our sins.   To cast off the works of darkness was not enough, we were to put on the armour of light.

Reverend Stopford A. Brooke

It is not only our right, it is our duty to enjoy and be happy.   Pleasure does us good if gratefully and lovingly accepted;  the nature often expands and blossoms under it as under no other influence.

J. Hinton

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From the Introduction to Precept and Practice

The kindly welcome given to my other little books, ‘Being and Doing’ and ‘Character and Conduct,’ must be my excuse for adding another collection of extracts to the number now in circulation.

The quotations are gathered from the books of many earnest thinkers, and deal with Life in all its length and breadth, with ourselves, our characters, our plain unvarnished faults and weaknesses, our often untoward circumstances, and with all that drags us down;-  with our purposes, our religion, our love and friendships, and with all that uplifts us;-  with our relation to others, our influence and responsibilities, and finally with those stages of our journey which bring us to the Road’s Last Turn and to the Silent Land.

CONSTANCE  M. WHISHAW