Page:Meditations For Every Day In The Year.djvu/395

 learned tongue,  that  I  should  know  how  to  uphold  by word  Him,  that  is  weary. In the  morning  He  wakeneth my ear,  that  I  may  hear  Him  as  a  master."    (Is.  1.  4.)

III. The preparations  necessary  for  receiving  this guest are,  1. Frequent prayer,  for  the  disciples  in  the Gospel of  to-day,  "  besought  Him  to  lay  His  hands  upon them." 2. Retirement  from  the  noise  and  bustle  of  the world, for  Christ  did  not  cure,  the  dumb  man,  until  He had  "taken  him  aside  from  the  crowd." 3. Humility, for "  wisdom  openeth  the  mouth  of  the  dumb,  and  makes the  tongues  of  infants  eloquent." (Wis. x.  21.)  Be, therefore, an  infant,  that  is,  without  deceit  and  little  in your  eyes,  in  order  that  you  may  deserve  to  be  rendered eloquent in  the  praises  of  your  Lord.

I. "John  heard  in  prison  the  works  of  Christ." (Matt, xi. 2.)  Ponder  the  admirable  courage  of  this  precursor of the  Messias. He was  not  afraid  of  publicly  reprehending the  impious  marriage  of  the  wicked  king,  but preferred chains,  and  prison,  and  death  itself  to  the weakness of  dissembling  or  betraying  the  truth. Such ought to  be  the  character  of  all  good  Christians,  particularly of  apostolic  men. They ought  to  be  full  of zeal  for  the  cause  of  God,  to  be  constant  and  firm  in asserting  his  rights,  and  they  ought  not  to  know  how  to yield  either  to  threats  or  flattery.

II. John being  in  prison,  sent  two  of  his  disciples  to ask  of  Christ,  "  Art  Thou  He,  that  art  to  come?" The Baptist did  not  himself  doubt  whether  Christ  was  the