The Inner Life'.

"God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance — but the Lord looks at the heart." 1 Samuel 16:7

"Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life." Proverbs 4:23

If we keep our heart right — we need not greatly concern ourselves about our outer life. That will take care of itself, or, rather, it will be controlled from within. The trouble with too many people, is that they think only of the outside, trying to make a good appearance — and neglect the culture of the inner life. The result is that the heart, unwatched; goes wrong, and then the whole life loses its beauty.

The ideal Christian life, is one which is beautiful within and without. In the description of the King's daughter, the Bible says she is "all glorious within — her clothing is of wrought gold." The splendor of her spirit within, is matched by her outer clothing.

One day, a number of years ago, a thoughtful girl was reading in an old book. It was time-worn, but on its pages were golden words which enshrined the wisdom of an ancient age. As the girl read, her eyes lingered on one rare sentence, which seemed to have a special message for her that day. As she pondered it, it took fast hold of her thought until she began to breathe it as her own. It was a prayer, "God make me beautiful within!"

It was the beginning of a new life for the earnest spirited girl. God had found her, and touched her heart. She was hearing a voice which called her to an experience which she had not known before. This ancient prayer was the angel of God, sent to lead her to a ministry of blessing to the world, the like of which few lives have attained.

"God make me beautiful within!" All beauty must begin within. The heart must be pure — if the life is to be pure. Unholy thoughts and desires within — soon work their way outward and blot and stain the whole life. But a heart white and unspotted — makes all the life clean.

Nothing is done well, which is not done with the heart. A legend relates that in the later days of Greek art, a prize was offered for the best statue of one of the many deities of Greece. Among those who competed for the prize, was a country boy who greatly loved this god, who believed in him and was ardently devoted to him. As an artist, he lacked the fine skill of many of those who competed, and his work when finished was crude and without the elements of beauty necessary to win for it the first place in the contest. But the god — so the legend relates — seeing the love that was in the boy's heart and how loyally and devotedly he had worked, entered into the stone and by the power of his own life within it, transformed the crudely carved statue into a form of surpassing beauty and grace.

It is only a heathen legend, but it illustrates the power of love which puts a mysterious charm into even commonplace work. What we do with love in our hearts, though it be not according to the rules of art — has in it a beauty which even the most artistic work, done without love, does not possess. Then when love has done its best — the Master comes and enters into the poor, imperfect effort and transfigures it!

We all know that love is the essential quality in our human relations. The gifts which the heart prompts may be poor and valueless in themselves — but to us they are sacred, because of the holy sentiment which they represent. With God, too, it is the same. He wants our hearts. "Not yours — but you," is his claim upon us. He cares not for men's gifts — if they are not gifts of love.

It is the inner life, too, which makes the outer. What we are in the part of our life which people see — is the outworking of the life within, which is hidden from view.

For a time the outer may be better than the inner; men may pass for saints — when they are only common sinners. But ultimately the actual reveals itself. The thing we really are, finds its way through all disguises to the surface.

Or the inner life may be better than the outer, more beautiful, more refined, more winning. Some people's noble hearts lose much in their imperfect interpreting. The medium of expression is not good. Shyness makes many people seem far less gracious than they are. An unattractive face may conceal or distort the lovely heart behind it. There are many people who do not appear at their best in society. The good qualities of their lives do not find suitable and worthy revealing in their words and manner. But heart beauty at length triumphs over all defect and distortion, and writes itself on the external life, in deed, disposition, and character, if not also in the features.

Again, in all life, it is only the inner which really counts with God. We get no credit in Heaven, for the things we pretend to have — but really do not have. Nor are we rewarded for what we do grudgingly or under compulsion.

There is a very homely old story of one who in mistake dropped on a collection plate much larger coin than he meant to give to the Lord that day. He afterwards tried to get the large piece back that he might substitute the smaller one instead. He was not permitted, however, to make the exchange. Then he said, in trying to console himself, that he would at least have the credit of giving more largely than he intended. But he was told that he would have credit only for what he meant to give, not for what he had by accident laid upon the plate. It is so in all life. Only that weighs with God — which we really meant, the thing we intended to do. The motive is the determining factor in heaven's valuation of our acts. Forced service does not count. Only what our hearts inspire, avails.

Jesus said, "The kingdom of God is within you." The people in those days were looking for the coming of a kingdom like this world's empires. They were expecting to see a great King arise, one who would conquer all earth's powers and establish a universal sovereignty. But Jesus told them it was not a material kingdom that he had come to set up — but a kingdom in people's hearts. Wherever Christ rules — there is this kingdom. It comes silently and invisibly, not with noise of marching armies and with pageant and show.

The story of the life of Christ in this world illustrates this truth. He came not with observation. His birth was the world's most wonderful event. It was the coming of God, to make his home among men. It was love — divine love — which was born the first Christmas night. It had a very small and lowly beginning. It was only a little helpless baby sleeping, that the shepherds saw when they came in from the fields after the angels had gone away. But the baby grew into manhood, and the divine love found expression in a life of wondrous beauty, which for three and thirty years moved among men. Other lives which this blessed life touched, received a measure of its virtue, and thus the love began to diffuse itself.

At last this gentle life was ended. That is, it was poured out into the chill and death of this world. But it was not lost. It rose again and became a holy influence among men, an influence which ever since has been passing from life to life. The Holy Spirit who came on the day of Pentecost, was simply this love of God which had been emptied from the heart of Christ on his cross, and had now returned to earth, to be reincarnated in men's hearts and lives!

Every Christian, therefore, should be a new center of Christ-life in this world. That is what Jesus meant when he said, " The kingdom of God is' within you." He wants us to be so filled with his life that his influence shall pour out through our lives for the brightening and sweetening of the world. He wants us to start a new Christmas every day, wherever we are.

"The kingdom of God is within you." That is, Christ is in our hearts. He has his throne there. If this is true — then what will be the effect upon our lives? Recently in one of our cities an Oriental said he had observed that for some time before Christmas, people's faces in this country seemed to have an unusual light in them. They were all bright and shining. Everyone seemed kindly and courteous. Everyone was more thoughtful, more desirous of giving pleasure, than had been his custom. Men who at other seasons of the year are stern and unapproachable, had now become congenial, easily approached. Those who ordinarily are stingy, never opening their hands to charity — had become for the time generous and charitable. Those who had been in the habit of doing small and mean things, when they entered the edge of the warm Christmas zone — began to act like new men, a kindly human interest taking possession of them. The Oriental who made these observations added that it would be a good thing if only the charm of this happy Christmas spirit, could be made to project itself into and through the new year.

That is just what should take place, and would, if the kingdom of God were truly within us, and if it were permitted to hold full and abiding sway in our lives. We all feel very kind and loving in the glad Christmas days. We try to find poor people whom we can help. When we feel like doing anything base or unworthy, something checks us, and we do an unselfish thing instead. Instead of being cross and disagreeable, as probably some of us are at other seasons — we try now to be sweet and patient. Every story of need, touches our hearts and makes us sympathetic. The Christmas spirit is in the air and we are breathing it, and its wholesomeness makes us thoughtful and kind. Nobody is unhappy or ungracious in Christmastime; or if anybody is — he must be a miserable misanthrope, or a pitiable dyspeptic.

What we need to seek is the carrying forward of this spirit into and through the months that follow. Why may not Christmastime be a new beginning of life for every one?

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