[Songs in the Night - December 12]
Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart. Proverbs 3:3
FOR one to keep the principles of truth and of
righteousness before his own mind is to be a thoroughly
upright man or woman, one in whom truth,
purity, goodness, will be in control.
But a person who
has merely these principles in control should cultivate
more and more the quality of mercy.
We should bind
these about our neck.
The thought is that of a necklace,
or ornamental band.
As a man puts around his
neck a cravat, with a jewel in it as an ornament,
placed where it will be displayed, so these qualities
of character are jewels.
Give them a prominent
place; for they will help to make you better, help to
make you more acceptable to the Lord.
The preferable
place for the display of a jewel is the neck.
There a jewel is especially conspicuous and ornamental.
So we should fasten these noble qualities of character
where they will be manifest in all the affairs of life.
Whether we buy or sell, or whatever we do, we should
wear these ornaments.
They will show what is the
character of the man or woman—right on the outside,
in the very front.
They should be seen as we
meet others.
There should be nothing mean, nothing
contemptible, nothing niggardly about us. Z'13-275 R5309:2 (Hymn 311)