Precept and Practice – JUNE 30 – Silence

….As there is a silence of the body, the will, and the mind, so also there is a deeper silence which is often the best of activity, and yet is little understood.

It is of quite unsuspected value to take, even for a minute or two, a complete rest, not trying to pray or think, not even to wander in reverie, but remaining quite passive and quiet in the presence of God.   Often when thought and prayer are impossible, this passive form of refreshment lies near at hand, and there are many who have found in it the best and most healing kind of devotion, not only for occasions of special weariness, but for the normal life of every day.   The justification of this practice of spiritual silence lies very deep down in our nature.   It is clearly parallel to a law of physical life:  namely, that when the body is allowed an absolute rest from conscious muscular effort, the vital energy works with freedom through the channels of reflex, unconscious activity, repairing and replacing tissue, calming and strengthening the nerves.   So when the mind is hushed, the soul which is waiting upon God is not really idle, but the power of repair and refreshment works upon it freely through the channels of an activity lying quite below the surface of consciousness, deeper than words or definite expressible thought.

The Reverend H. N. Bate (The Healthful Spirit)

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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