Page:Spiritual Reflections for Every Day in the Year - Vol 1.pdf/281

 signified by the hands, were free from the crime of shedding innocent blood. In a spiritual or religious sense, the lovers of evil seek to destroy the truth, as the Jews did Jesus, in order that their false persuasions and destructive evils, denoted by Barabbas, may come forth at large, that they might thus revel more freely in their sins; for truth puts a restraint on falsehood as good does on evil.

Dear reader! let thy hands, the powers of thy mind, be free from this deadly sin! for "who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place?" the answer is, "he that hath clean hands and a pure heart." (Psalm xxiv. 3, 4.) Pervert not the truth, nor seek, by evils of life, to destroy its influence in thy soul; but rather say with David, "I will wash mine hands in innocency; so will I compass thine altar, O Lord." (Psalm xxvi. 6.) Keep thy soul from this deadly sin of destroying the truth in thyself, and thou "shalt be innocent from the great transgression." (Psalm xix. 13.) Remember that thy reward hereafter will be according to the cleanness of thy hands in the sight of God." (Psalm xviii. 20.)

HE gift of speech, which the Creator in his goodness has bestowed on man, is among our choicest blessings. By speech we carry on a kind of intellectual commerce with each other, and thus acquire wisdom, which Solomon says "is the principal thing." (Prov. iv. 7.)