PREFACE by Octavius Winslow

To comply with a frequent request—coming from various quarters—that the author would allow selections from some of his published works to appear in the form of daily readings, he seeks to offer to the Christian church the following pages. They have been gleaned—with care and with regard to both variety and successiveness of topic—to present a spiritual, and occasionally a critical, exposition of each Scripture text. Among the large family of devotional materials, he trusts that his little volume may find a humble place. Should it, with the Holy Spirit's blessing, occasionally drop a Christ-endearing, heart-soothing, soul-guiding word in seasons of daily toil, conflict, or trial, his utmost wish in its publication will be realized.

Robert Hall liked to define secret prayer as the hem that keeps the fabric of my life from unraveling. This beautiful remark applies with equal appropriateness to morning religion. To begin the day with God is the great secret of walking through the day with God. What a privilege this the moment that "slumber's chain" is broken, and we wake to duty and toil (possibly to temptation and trial) to lift the soul to God, and seek—at the Infinite Fountain of life, love, and bliss—to fill it with such thoughts and feelings and purposes as will bring to bear a hallowing, soothing, and controlling influence on the entire day! Before the secular commences, to begin with the spiritual. Before care insinuates, to preoccupy the mind with peace. Before temptation assails, to fortify the heart with prayer. Before sorrow beclouds, to irradiate the soul with Divine sunshine.

What a precious privilege this! A morning without God heralds an uneasy, cloudy, and dark day. It is like a morning around whose eastern horizon thick clouds gather, veiling the ascending sun, and foreshadowing a day of storm. "The first thing I do when I awake in the morning," remarks an aged saint of God, "is to ask the Holy Spirit to take possession of my mind, my imagination, my heart, directing, sanctifying, and controlling my every thought, feeling, and word" (see Life in Jesus, Memoir of Mrs. Mary Winslow). What profound spiritual wisdom there is in this thought! What a God-descending, heaven-returning spirit does it betray! How the well of water in the soul springs up! "In the morning will I direct my prayer unto you, and will look up" (Ps. 5:3 kjv) "Look up!" Ah! here is the true and befitting attitude of the spiritual soul. Looking up for the day's supply of grace to restrain, power to keep, wisdom to guide, patience to suffer, meekness to endure, strength to bear, faith to overcome, love to obey, and hope to cheer. Jesus stands at the Treasury of infinite grace ready to meet every application and to supply every need. All his fullness is available to a poor, needy, asking people. He loves for us to bring the empty vessel. Oh, to have our "morning thoughts" occupied with God, and Christ, and the Holy Spirit, and heaven! Truly this is the hem which keeps the fabric of daily life from unraveling!

Dear reader, let your first thought be of your heavenly Father, your first incense be to Jesus, and your first prayer be to the Holy Spirit. And thus anointed with fresh oil, you will glide serenely and safely through the day—beginning, continuing, and ending it with God.

Octavius Winslow, 1856