in us a desire for more of God's fulness and for a more heavenly life. It is
especially helpful to prayer. When the mind is dull and the spirits low and we
have no inspiration for prayer, the reading of a spiritual poem will often so
stimulate the mind, raise the spirits, and animate the soul, as to make it
As to what books to read, the Bible, of course, is the best of all. But we need
others. Although no other book can take the place of the Bible and none of
us should neglect reading it, there are many books that can profitably be
read in connection with it.
But whatever devotional book you are reading, do not read too fast.
Think and digest as you go. Let there be a frequent lifting of the heart to
God in prayer. It is not the bee that flies so swiftly from flower to flower that
gathers the honey, but the bee that goes down into the flower. A
few sentences taken into the mind and heart, and dwelt upon until they
have become a part of us, are better than many pages read superficially.
