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Les diegrammes suivants illuatrant la m*thode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 MICBOCOPY RESCHUTION TIST CHART (ANSI and ISO [eST CHART No. 2) Li^ |2.8 so •■■ 1^ - JUm 1^ ■ |3j6 ■ 1*0 i2.0 ^ >^PPLIED IM /^GE 1653 Cost Main S'-- Rochester. New Y (716) 482 - 030 (716) 288- 598 < - . / (.' -' r ! 1 ^0 mp 3<^x\i^ an> lfio(^«. Dep.rt«.at of AtricuUu" '^ """' ^"'P'»>'' ^-A.. i t lh« TI)e a^ of Life « Or Gotpel Meuages to Believen and Unbelievers "y Rev. Arthur Murphy, M.A. Ti.. Bryant Presn Toronto ■J &«"«•# H I 3. ^. i. 5. «. 7. 1. 0. 10. 11. 12. 13. U. IS. 16. 17. 18. 19. 4i TaRAHLK or TMK HOWKR Him . . . ^ The Gracb ok r.o,, Naaman The Syrian The akk The Parable or ritv. Great K\thkr THE BRAXSM SERPK.NT ; OR TMK SAVING S.OHT The Paekover JEROVAH-JIRER The Ge^at SrppER Ceomino The Red Sea Zaccraeue l>oEo's Hopper jB«r« AT THE D(M»R Call op Abraham OoD's Jewels Waiting oh god The Three Rbsuerkctio.vs Conformity to Christ - :«) r, .»i 71 H-2 108 va 135 lo6 m 171 I i ♦ i mm'^^m- Preface ' N the following: addresses no attempt has been made to produce literarN effect, but to publish them as nearly as possible i„ the form i„ which thev were delivered. These «™„„s „„, p„^^„^„ .__ ^^^^^^^.^^ w.th P„ochiaI Missions co„d„cted in Canada and knowing .Hey were used of God to bring bles^-ng to many, it has been dee.ned prndent to Publish them in book form that further bles,i„„ ■nay be brought to those who read them. A. ill. M?^ PARABLE OF THE SOWER " ^'^°^^' " ^°^'^^ ^■^"t forth to sow."-Matt. xiii. 3. o^'i^'^^J'^i;:^tJT^^y'-S '^y the side by a niulti^ide of p'eopTwh^;^'^^' surrounded have Him address them r? T ^"^^°"^ ^o could hear He su'DDed 7nf T^^ •'" ^^^^^ all anchored in a sml^f^nl^f "" "" ^''^^' ^^^^^'^ ^^X the slanting :horroVetl' s^^ Xftf"^ ^°^ numerous boulders of hnt i/ ' ^^ ^^^'^^ are people c„„,d be crnfttatlv 'eaTed »1^!;"\ ""^ that 5tJ°s:izz "■' """'"'""^ "' ""w and otUrs Lf and tH' ,'j;°"''' ■>' Messed al..e^v,:i4'™4^!;;-- -^„th|^Jo™ Of a pa. »owi„g grain i„ an adjacent litld ^ * '"^» enSL^7; srtt. 'i^L'.s-uhr r^H-"' £3evrrav:'rid-rix^^^ m grasping the principles contained in the par ons 01 land, and if speaking to this congrega- tion to-day He might divide you into the same four classes. In business it is necessary to locate onesell; to know the exact amount of indebtedness and what there is to meet it with. In the spiritual life it is even more necessary that we should know our position. As we consider each class, may the Holy Spirit enable us to place ourselves. The first class is called "the wayside hear- er." "And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the wayside, and the fowls came and devoured them up." That is the road running diagonally across the piece of land. The seed sown remain- ed on the hard surface till it was picked up by the birds. When the Gospel is preached to this class of hearers it remains on their hardened hearts till earned away by the birds which St. Matthew describes as "the evil one." The birds which picked up the sown seed are the thoughts which Satan puts into the heart to crowd out the impressions and thoughts of the sermon and consequently there is no fruit, therefore no blessing. ^ , , If 1 am speaking to this class of hearers when the sermon and service is over, you will com- mence talking to this one and that one, and be- fore vou reach nome will have forgotten all about the sermon; it will have made no im- pression upon vour life, no reform in your char- acter, because' your heart is like the wayside and the thoughts which now occupy the mind, like the fowls of the air, will carry away the seed that was sown, and consequently you will bear no fruit. Your heart, like this road, was not alwavs hard. There must have been causes for this which may have had their counterpart in the induration of your heart. wheels'o7lXrons"c:r/"^'^"^"^^'^ "^ ^^^^ The fro would soon maS 7 h"^ Jierchandise to and seed sown b/^th^twtrtouw'r' ''" '''''' '''^ surface till carried awav T^t ""'^'" ''" ^^^-^ "^ay be made hard by th^ l^^uT'f ""^ ^'^'^^^t^'* business, allowing ourserve?tn k ^'°''^'' °^ this roaa. A hereof Lt'll^'"^^' ^^""^^ ^^^^-^^^ driven up and down a nu 'h'';: %^ "'^ °^ ^^^^P soon make a ro^cT so har f h .""^ i^"''"" ^«"»S could not penetrate T ^hat the seed sown which will^harden the hni;: """l ^""'^ "^ ^"""^Is feet of sin. ^verv sin Tit" ^'''^^- ^ '"^"'^» the [eet, and fouf bl^feet Ther l'''^' l^"^'^ ^^" ^«"^ honesty, blasp. emy imnurit^' '^^ ^"^^^ "^ d^^- nxight mentioi whkh /f n i^^ f "'^ °^^^^-'' ^^'« a heart will mike it L«'''''^ ^° ^^^^^^ "^^r the preachimr of th. P """"Pressionable to to t£e sowil^of {^"iSr' "' '^" ^^^-^•^^^''-' -- hoSanThii? f4tned^ ^'^^^"l. «^ ^ ^^'^^^^» nifc^ht, and wherever X' if^T '^^ ^''^'^' bv ground it was hliXlJ ^'''^•' ^""^hed the same again Sin ffke thrs"h "''''' ^.''^^'"^ ^^^ lowed to traverse tL., ^°'"^^' ^^henever al- though redeemed by the w""a ""fl^V'' '^' -"^ dying day besetting'':i '\^°fi 1?^"'^'' ''' ^^'^ much sorrow. "^ ^"^ <^ause of Third. — The fep+ r>f +1,^ down the saL place woulT'' P^''^'?^ "^' ^"^ road, and the longer Zl V ^^^^ "" ''^^d would become. Prelchers ofTh ' r^' 'T'^'' '^ sowers, the seed is the word^o? P "f '^ ^/^ ^^^ hearts are the field y. 'J^'^d of God, and your iieJd. It IS a great privilege to listen to Iht- preaching of the Gospel, but with it is equally as great a responsibility, for if the Gospel is not softening vour heart, and reform- ing your eharacter, it is making it harder. Ihe same sun that melts the wax will harden the clav. The proclamation of the Gospel that will save souls will also harden men's hearts, so that the most difficult class of people on God's earth to reach are the Gospel-hardened, those who have sat under its preaching iin years. The second class described bv our Master in this parable is "the stony-hearted hearej.'' "Some fell upon stony places where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprang up because thev had no deepness of earth: and when the sun was up they were scorched; and because thev had no root they withered away. A hard rock under a thin covering of soil is the picture. The seed sown on this portion of the field sprang up quickly but soon died away. This represents the emotional class; a class you meet verv often in evangelistic v/ork. Thev are converted every time a special effort is made to save souls. Thev go on well for a short time but afterwards are back where they were be- fore A look at the context explains the reason. The sun, penetrating through the light covering of soil, reaches the rock, which becomes warm, and the heat o the rock causes the gr iin to spring up rapidly, but the same sun when he comes out in his noon-day strength causes it to wither. It is the preaching of the Gospel, such texts as "God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son" that causes him to lead a different life, but it is the same Gospel which causes him to backslide. The Gospel of Christ is broad The same gospel which proclaims "Him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out," also says "If anv man will come amonii thor*i«- an^^i! TJ ■^"" ^""^^ fell choked tl em '' k/v. ' ^^^'^'^ 'P^^"g "P and riches" and "th. «T ' V'"-' ^eceitlulncss of xi«.iies ana the pleasures of this lifp " m-,,,^ vou not seen these crowd out all the earlv r? Jiirious impressions? I have seen i hi ^"^ SKirS?- ■"'=■=£■! rn.u !?i • -^?'"^ woman and even the vounir ?f J T'"^ '^^' pleasures of the world ^o ab? the Chon-ir L ''^"■^ ^■''^ ""'"^ had for N„i,„ ^f ' A ""Vces and blessed priviloees fruit In St M»,JS'". 'l^"'" jays, we cannot even .see the Kingdom 'otHe:- When the ground is prepared it is necessarv to sZn^^^m r"'"' '"■• .-'«"^ver kind o 'S i^ sown %vil| re-appear in correspondine fruit If barky ,s ,,own. barlev will come up If red •'Be yf^kMv \TT "!,«tJ^^^«- We also rea? «e ye kindly affectioned one to another in geT in'to'^'^^h""^^ """i*^^"" WheT^thaT'se 3 more Wi^i v'^ ^"^ ^^^'^''^ ^^ere will be more love in my disposition towards my fellow- When the farmer has his land prepa-ed and good seed sown, he is careful to erect a fence fnr ?,"l'l"''''^ ^° ^° ^'^^^^ it an open common for all the animals of the country.^ Sepa?aSoS ^ most essential in the Christian Hff There must be separation from the sins of the world we must be a distinct people ' What next? The careful husbandman will do some watching. He will get up on thT Lee u and look over the crop to see if any bad seeds are growinj^. Should he perceive any wild must- ard or other noxious growth he will carefully pull it up so that ho may have a clean harvest. We '-'.ewise ?nust watch lest S(nne evil habit manifest itself in oar character. When we see such we should go direct to the Saviour and have Him remove the sin with His wounded hand. "And I will turn my hand upon thee, and ])urelv pnrge awav thv dross, and take away all thy tin." The farmer cannot prevent these weeds from getting into his crops. The birds will carry the seeds into his field. The wind will carry the Canada thistle in its feathery enclosure till it drops on the soft ground. We cannot stop evil thoughts from entering our minds, nt) more than we can the birds from flying over our heads, but as we can hinder them from making nests in our hair so we can prevent ourselves from mcd Hating upon evil thought.s till they grow iuc > the sins of action. What does the farmer do now? He just leaves it alone. He canno'. make his grain grow any mure than you can make yourselves grow in grace. He just brings the ingredients of growth together and leaves the result with God. The bright days and dark nights are sent. The strong and balmy winds beat upon the grain, and it grows and grows till it bends beneath the breeze, and his heart is cheered with ^^•'c rich crop. God is the great Husbandman. When our hearts are regenerated by His Holy Spirit, the word of God received into them, and prayer- fully meditated upon, He sends the bright days and the dark nights, the strong winds and the gentle showers and the Christ-life grows in us, and God our Father looking do\vn is delighted with our Christian walk. He .sees of the travail of His soul and is satisfied. 12 SIN And it c«me to pass afterward, that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.-JudKes xvi. 4. Someone has said that the sweetest word in the world i« "lumie;" someone else has thought It was mother " but this has been contradicted by others who have declared "Jesus" to be the most endeannjj word. I can toll you the most offensive word It is spelt with three letters-S-I-N. It is a sibilant. You cannot pronounce it without the "hiss" of the snake and the "siss" of the fire. To-night, I am going to introduce' you to the most awful subject that was ever brought be- fore humanity— the subject of sin The persons I have selected to illustrate some of Its charactmstics are Delilah and Samson. bin IS deceitful Delilah deceived Samson. She pretended to reciprocate his love, but did not. How could she when she had entered into a contract ^vlth the Philistines for eleven hundred pieces of silver to find out the secret of his mar- vellous strength, that they might put out his ^ In the East Indies there is a tree known as . the Judas tree." It resembles our peach tree inasmuch as the blossoms appear before the leaves. These blossoms are of brilliant hue, with a variety of beautiful colors, but principallv of a bright crimson. When the rays of the 'sun stnke them, the bees, flies and other insects lor a radu of manv rods are attracted to the tree by its beauty. Thev light upon - ^lowers imbibe their opiate and in a few ds fall 13 i, i dead upon the jjround. Hencuth each tree you will find the ^Tound covered several inches ffeep with the victims of this poison. What an apt illustration of sin which has at- tracted billions hv its deceptive fascination only to end in death. It wears a mask like Judas, It ki.sses and then ki.ls. "The soul that sinneth it shall die." Sin is not only deceitful, hut powerful. Sam- son at times po.ssessed superhuman strength. We see him going down to Timnath with his parents. He leaves them a little space and goes alone into the woods, where a furious young lion springs upon him. The spirit of the Lord came mightily upon Samson, who, with no defensive weapon in his hand, seizes the lion with both hands and dashes the King of the Forest lifeless upon the ground as he would a kid. This sturdy giant of Timnath-Serah goes up to the rock Etam. With his consent, three thousand armed men of Judah bind him and deliver him U> the Philistines at Lehi. He breaks the strong ropes wherewith he is bound as easily as though they were burnt flax. The Philistines attack him. His weapon is the jaw-bone of an ass. The battle is fierce; it is soon over, and the broken, tumbled carcases of a thousand Philisti.ies strew the ground. The city of Gaza is visited. He remains till midnight. The gates arc closed. Samson, instead of bribing the gate-keepers, as the modern poli- tician would, lays a hand ov each ponderous post, lifts them up and carries them with the huge iron door on his shoulder' to the top of the hill that is before Hebron. Yes., Samson was a strong man, yet notwith- standing it all, he was powerless in the hands u Mm^^i.^-^' •* of the qinck-bra.ned Delilah. His s,ml was help- lessly entrapped ,n the snare of the fowler ^ Ivulk'd into a dreamy, voluptuous sleep, this naKn.f.cent tnfler lay with his head in the lap of a luereenary wanton. He was dallvin^r with sin, playniir w,th the temptress. "O impotence of mmd in l)odv strong." "npoienct And while he slept the stealthy, glitterinir m VrL M • "^ '"' ^'''''^' ^»'' ^'"^-'*^" outward Si^^iW i '"•V""**^''"'"^,^^""' '»« Klorious locks, fell 'Wh- 1 " "r ''"'.^' '^^.•"'>1^'»"'' of the brilliant might have been" of this life now "lost to use and name and fame." untn ho ^//^-^^«"d from its victim, fans him until he falls mto a deep slumber, from which he never wakes. Even so, sin deadi^ns the Tensi- bihties. It shuts the eyes in soft slumber while iLn?'./'^ ^a'-u T'^/ ,^^ ^'^ ^^^ ^^adly night ro^v • V i'»^^ «e*-7"g they see and do not per- mvts and hearing they hear, and do not under- wX^ t' '"^''^ ^'^' ''"'>' •'" ^^^' ^°r I am strong- willed I can rise in my strength when I please and throw off these Withes and ropes "^Tlte drunken Rip Van Winkle, as played bv' Joseph Jefferson, excuses himself for every fresh fill by saying, "I won't count this time." Still he was counting, for his nerve cells and fibres were registering it against iiim to be used when the next temptation came, for in strict scientific literalness, nothing we ever do is wiped out. ^h.T -n ""''^ ^'"' ""^y^ ^" old writer, "and fhev S "'""^ more beggars to your door, and they will come with a stronger plea thaA the lA former." Man wists not that his power is pass- ing from him until some great crisis reveals the fact. Another characteristic of sin is blindness. Samson appears to be totally blind to all De- lilah's attempts to work his ruin. After closing the bargain with the Philistines we see her pleading with Samson for the secret of his strength. He tells her, "If thev bind me with seven green withes that were never dried, then shall I be weak and like another man." And she binds him and says, "The Philistines be upon thee, Samson," 'and he breaks the wooden bands like threads of tow when they touch the flame. Defeated in the first attempt. Delilah again approaches Samson. With facile tongue and silken manner she pleads more (earnestly than before, till he tells her that if thev l)ind him fast with new ropes that were never occupied, then should he become weak as other men. And Delilah bound him while the lords of the Philis- tines hid in the next room waiting for an op- portunity to destroy him. Again, with a crv of alarm she rouses him from his slumbers, 'and he snaps the ropes from. off his arms like thread. This Satanic woman charges him with false- hood, and demands the secret. He replies, "If thou wcavest the seven locks of my head with the v/eb, and fasten it with a pin to the beam, then shall I become weak." Again he goes asleep in the lap of temptation, all the while soothed by a cruel hand that was soft as the breast of a dove. The Philistines are once more disappointed, for being awakened, Samson carries off both pin and beam. All the persua- sive powers and blandishments of Delilah are now brought into play to discover the secret of the Nazarite's strength. She spends several davs 16 pleading with him "so that his soul was vexed unto death." Vou would have thought LtMs t me he would have seen through all her ma chinations to ruin him. No! with stupendous fol y he un olds the great secret. This ruler of a match': iT-"^' ,^" the verge of manhoid had matched himself with a lion, now through an unholy love, falls before a scheming haS He who had escaped the greatest rocks in H e's "a IS at last wrecked on the sands he^f'lfh"??^^""- "f , ^"-^ swilt-coming destruction he falls asleep in the arms of an enemv. Mavhao she simg a soothing lullaby which cliarmJa h?s ear. Ihe locks of his dedication are cut his face IS shaven and the herculean strength is '^one The Philistines seize him and put out his e?es °%^' 'i'f ^'''^''' ^'^^'^i^" i^^^^ it, "gouge'' thern out, with hot irons. Could you imagine blind nes.s like this.^ Yes, there is even a frelter k IS the blinding power of sin. It is a powtfr more cruel than the Philistines, for it puts oiit the read "?'' f'^ ^''']1^' '^'' ■'^P^^^t in chains. We Krt ,' , ft '^^'°"' ^^"^ ^°^ "f this world hath fi'tt^il?"";':."' f^""^ ^'"^^ believe not, wf ^ ■ . P^^ ""^ the glorious gospel of Christ who^ IS the image of God, slfould shine xmto This is the reason why men are so indifferent heir' minds""^W '''^^^'^-^- ^^tan has blTnded v^n .M ^^''""^ '^ ''^^ ^^°' no unsaved soul sTep Vd^at^i^ "''''' ^^^^ '' '^^-^^^ P-- thi infal'e W If'"^' i"?""" "'^""^^y ^^^" the night- ingaJe, but place him in a cage and he will re- resun." T^- ''"' ^"^ ^"^^ hi' ^y- ^nd he wHl resume his song. An unregenerate man with proud sense of self-sufficienc^ often bo^^ts Thlt he IS perfectly happy and desires no further joy than he possesses. This is the damning stated 1" i f I ' ment. It is the nightingale singing without eyes. Again, sin is degrading. Samson for twenty years judged Israel. He was practically their king. His name was not only the terror of the Philistines, but the praise of his own nation. His strength was divine strength given on spir- itual conditions and depended upon his obedience to God. He represented in his body the connec- tion between physical strength and the power of the Holy Ghost. God had intended that he should check the proud oppression of his people, Israel, but from this pinnacle of glory on which he had been placed see him down in Gaza, the laughing-stock of the uncircumcised, the sport of worldlings, for he had torn himself from the very hands of God. It is a black picture. Rising from his coarse debauch, and shorn of his locks, which he had vowed to keep, he strides out to perform great feats, for Samson "wist not that the Lord had departed from him." Perhaps, like this giant, some who arc listen- ing to me have ,this same history, the same spiritual declension. You do not apply these words to yourself because you know not that the Lord has departed from you. Some fleshly animalism, some raging corruption has stolen away y ur strength. You are like a man who is dying from loss of blood, and who has swooned before death. I pray you ask God to show y-o-u if this be your position. Then repent and take courage, for though you be disfigured and your hair cut, thank God the roots " are there and it will grow again. Down in Gaza Samson's eyes were seared out. Clad in coarse raiment that is only sufficient to cover his nakedness, bound with fetters of brass, he is put under the lash to servile toil- is ^jjp^i ^ bein,r mocked by the ;ni;'v'^:;^'' ^^^"l'^ ^^e if drunkards," a scoff and h7' ^^ "^^^^^ ^^ the daVinci. It is reoorterl Tif ; u ^'^ ^-^ ^veonardo «:^» t: .t Paintfn^^he ,earc,^^^'/ '^^ '^''^'^ Re- model irom whom tS paint ti""^ '" ""^^ ^ Christ. The most bcaiUifnr ..• . f-, P^^^rait of could find in Italv was " V ' P^""""" ^^ Peter Baudinelli. Ln a cho;?f "^^ 'r"' "^^"^d edraJ, and it was Vee [^arr'" ''"^^" ^^^^- Ood-man in that famoir^icttt^e ^'P'''*^'"'"^ ^^^ for^r ia^:^r.J;:^-^^Vinci ou.ht a model diligent search^ was made '^'ri:^'"'' ^\'^"°^- ^ humanity to find oL "n L•^?"^^ ^^^ ^"^'^ "f f ct as a model for this 1 , '"'^7 ^'^'^'^^^^'^'d to become a svnonVm W 1 ."'^^'"'^^ "^me hns finallv feJJ upon-rm,n • ^"^fhery. The cho:,. One dav whiL the art i t . "^T' ^^ ^^^^1^"- hellish features of iS'Vnodd" ,1^^''^"'"^^^ ^^« down the man's face and to h' v- ' •^.^^'"•' ^""^^^' he said, "I am Pe?er fitmlir. if-^'T.'"" " enquiries face vou painted the nor^ -1 /^ '''^'•' ^^"'" "^V I^et us rememtr tha wh^^^ "-^ '^^ ^^^^^'^t." '"^ youth it will do wHh each of?' "^'.^ '''''^' ^^"'^ degredation is the ^re-^? i "'• ^ continued Could you see BaucfhielH .f/f ^^^^^^^'^ "^ "i"' would see him mor dc^lrac/ea T"'u^''' >^«" him thousands of vears"l^\'r ""'"^ >^°" ^^^ him still further debased fnrif',.-°" .'"^""^^ «"d I have to tell vou that sL'" '' "7 '"^^^ured. universal "^11 Ko • }^ ^^ "ot local It is the .lo?y of God .•■'' """"^ ""^' -"^^ ^hort oj 19 Valeiis, the Kmperor, was told that there was some one in his realm that would usurp the throne and that the name of the man would be- irin with the letters T. H. E. O. D. An edict went forth from the Emperor "Kill everybody whose name begins with T. H. E. 0. D., and hundreds were slain, hoping by that massacre to put an end to that usurper. But sin is more terrific in its denunciations. It matters not how vou spell vour name. You come under its knife, under its 'doom unless divine relief is brought to the rescue. Were I to conclude now this would be a sad sermon, for we have all sinned, but before I stop, I want to tell >ou there is a perfect rem- edy for sin. In the West Indies there is a tree called the manchineal, the juice cf which is deadlv poison. Its fruit resembles our "golden pippen. The In- dians in warfare dip their arrows into the ]mce of this fruit. Wherever it strikes the wound is poisoned and the victim dies in a short time un- less the antidote is applied. There is only one remedy for this poison and that is the fruit ot the whitewood tree which always grows close to the manchineal, and wherever you find the one vou will find the other within a few rods. Surelv this is a fit emblem of sin and the remedv. Satan's arrows are all poisoned and humanity has been fatally wounded by them Beside each of us is the Tree of Life, wnose leaves are for the healing of the nations— Christ is that tree. He is the one perfect and immedi- ate cure for sin. Come sin-sick soul sit thee down under His shadow with great delight and the fruit will be sweet to thy taste. Pluck of it, eat of it, and live forever. Come now ere it be too late.' ■-a ■ ,,»? ^^m ¥i His wounds. Amen! ''"'^ ^'"^ ^^^^^n^ in a »f-4K^n^ THE GRACE OF GOD " And llu' king i^aid, Is there not any of the lio«se of Saul that I may shew the kin^lness of God unto him? '—2 Sam. ix : 6. The Hebrew word for kindness is "khesed," and one oi its radical meanings is 'grace''-- I,et me read the text with this change: 'And the King said, Is there not any of the house ot Saul that I may shew the 'grace' of God unto \n speaking upon any subject it is helpful to both hearer and speaker to have a concrete con- ception of it. Now, I have heard several defini- tions for the grace of God. One, that it is unde- serveu favor; another, that it is unlimited love, but I once heard a better one. It was given by a school-bov, who, when asked by his teacher what the "grace of God was, replied, "It is get- ting evervthing from God for nothing." Grace is one of those words we often use but do not understand. It is a sermon in itself. A banker ?ives what he calls "three days grace, but he makes vou pav interest for those three davs. That is not grace. Grace would be giving yoii the interest, principal and revenue stamp. In going from place to place, I am sometimes asked to preach nothing about hell or the judg- ments, but simplv to talk of the love of God. These people ask an impossibility. You might as well go to an artist and request him to paint a radiant angel of light on a white background, as to ask a preacher to declare the love of God 22 * A j--74'SBa^ir'j*'«iL'9«sii'rf.vr4.Y jr*» »vj-^j • j v W^^ "k^:: ^w ;*•* l'^i^?MJi^' i« rude outline, a picture "f VI "P°" '^ ^^^tch I" so doing, I shall at oncP n ' ^'^"" °^ ^od. young man Mephibosheth wr''"^' J" >^°" the ,^J^- - is a -ri.in;^i.r^\%l^;„ti;t- Mephibosheth dwelt at T ^^ t a place "without pasture °?^'' '''^'''^' ^»^^ns comprehend what al^and witl '? ^'"^ ^^^^ to l^e for cattle, we can w ^^'thout grass would ^vljat there is in this ,vorld ^T ^°"^^Ption o^ "al for all out of ChriTt 1 ^""""^^^^ ^'^^ eter- ^vith teeming plentv bit IV^u'"'' ^"^ ^^^elled -absolutely nothinglto V.?. .T?^7^ ^'^ «°thing txred souls of Junnanity toward '/^""^^^^ ^«d Mephibosheth wac ^^ towards heaven. He was li^in^ in theT^.''^ ^^°«^ the King other side of tie Jordt f"^ °', ^^^^^^^' «" "£ palace. Is not this the "i'tu;;"'' '"^.^"^^^ ^^^^ the erate. He is i„ "the far . ."" ^^ the unregen- ated from the Father L'?""*.^^^"" "^ is separ- Hnd made one with him ' ""^'"' "«to Sat'an, - V(%^--^^"1^S^^ -- -e re- -^' notia-r b:r~ -^^^^^i wo„l,l have livcl witl, tl. • ,""'" ^'"^ vouth ^« a portrait of f al " h ™-'" '='»"^- li- thj* 2.? ! "1S^fe.-4 Tlxn^i^i^^amtiuwf. s'sr ii;^;.^ ' > .:!¥r£5i«i!^»:««»«M« ini innii iii iii^Wfi n I. ^^,1 "What is thy servant irt Xu''Z.^^'tl% u^o'irlucU /aeaa dog '\l troOrient a live ^-g w- Joo^f -jtht socially "' ^"''"'Vv'^ipon Ms «^ '" value aer=nds ?,'"-'"'y,"P?you are worth just God. Beecher has saul, lo" •"« how good you are." when Saul was Mephibosheth was helpless. W"^" •; ^^.^, defea'ied - /'""f paUce°with to Sd news, dispatched to the pala« ™"" ,,jn jiephibo- a„d the i--i^%ti,°" irs rfd and his nurse, sheth was then ''^^ y="^ ° stumbled and fell i„ her haste t° f ' "^^ X'^vards^e was latne ""n i'oth'ht Te-el Evlnt the s, „ is a crip- "T .""H 'j^s"kV""he w*hoU heartXnt. Every renrr'u Irl'i^J'ird Ije i-"„tV\.^gtlr°'' o! s r._on it let'us portray what David dul f or Vibosheth, -^.Vh" eraclTGod" 'IZt. 'T'ntrd" n^d'e^ncSfrifs^V r^'eton'' fomd out where he lived, and ='"tj\\^ '°^f; ^";vrw*:*^^^rght"o'u\':'nd%^ri^vuS^ ffv':n\; us^Meph^osheth would never have fome of his oxvn accord ^ Davtd nor s,„„e^s 4^ f^Viriw,^:i. i By going to the lowest stratum of society He gave us startling and revoh-tionary ideas of man's value. Others cared for the riL^itious and bum Hi?[f • S"^ "^ ''^'''' ^- ^J>^ -""-" and built His kingdom out of the refuse of society v.rtvtn'J T'v '"^ Mephibosheth all the p^: He s^air "T ■]? '^'^"^^ '^' ^'^^^^ ol SauL S^urthy fitter '."■'^'^^^ ^^^^ ''' ^'^ ^-^ oi ^iwn r^'u^"" °^ ^i' patrimonial inheritance was given to him, and not that only, for he actu UW given us is more th " Jm^ ^a vation God has No words Si, express ^thf'^'''; ''^^^^^^■" that fall. Every death .,V '''''^"' ^^''^^^ts of pestilence and war hl«i If"' ^^^^' ^^'"i»c, «i" is a leprosv y , '"" ^'^" outcome of it everyth ng that 'niJ i'^' ^ '"'•''-'' ^ "^^^^'^leress, standing ^alf thi^ w ^'i '' '"■" ^'^ ^oUvith- higher posit/on hat If ^t'-^ / '^"P>' ^ ^""^h the law, for Adam I . ut''' ^''''^ ""* broken but through the m Jv.ii ^ ^ 7"^^"^^^ «f God. l.ord Jesuf Chris? we'a?:'ex:u"?f"".°^ '''' je.stic position of Sons of God ' V-"^ • '^'^ "'^■ with Jesus Christ "LI ^"^ -'"^"^ ^^^^-^ sons of God." Beloved now are we the 3- Mephibosheth wa«? a,^mi+* a ^ t'.e roya> prerogative of S"':irrst,r"l!;',o"/ 11 ' ':\i'^.y^<^^:ms^^^'^^^^^^- ■I Mt'pbiboseth," said the kinK, "he shall cat bread at my table as one of the king's sons." This is what God does lor the sinner. He adopts him. "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons ol God." This sonship is unchanging. It is abso- lute. It is for eternity. Let us turn back for a little while and observe Mephibosheth's conduct more clo.sely. When Ziba told Mephibocheth that the king was anxious to adopt him, and restore him all the property of Saul, he made no excuse, but went at once and as he was. I stand to-day in the place of Ziba, I have a royal invitation from the King of kings. He wants vou, Mephibosheth, to come to Himself just now. H« wants to make you an heir of the divine life. Do not stop your ears and run, as the Jews did, when Stephen preached. Be not like Manasseh, who would not hearken. "To-day II ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts." It is the voice of the Beloved. The weary-laden hear it and find rest unto their souls"; His sheep hear it and follow Him; the dead listen and arise. The greatest sin is to turn a deaf ear and "refuse Him that speaketh froflu heaven." When Mephibosheth came to the court, he was presented with all the property of Saul in a tangible way. If they had en- velopes in those days the titles of the estates would be placed in them. He would simply reach out his hand and receive them as a gift from the king and that moment they were his. The registration of the titles would be attended to by David. I^iicewise, the salvation God offers to the sin- ner is put in a tangible form so that each soul can appropriate by the hand of faith. It is all as 1^ ,._.:. ..j:^mmwMm3^^:'i>^&/ centred in Christ. If I mi^jht l,c .illowed to use tl.em this' a"sw?r "VVe™"l"„";"'A""""' '■'r' If Mepliibosheth, when irvifprl f^ B'eL^:\^nstfHr;"-S-:f Me,hiboshe"h S fai/e^^ fV'^m ^"V 1"" ''^"^^• to a low one frnm !V "".^'^^ position grandson of a kine^oHv '''\u ^ P""^^ ^"^ an object of charif; ThT. T*^ a stranger as keenly than ift never Sc^'pled'rllJr^ "^°^^ tion. He is now withr.«TvrP ^ higher posi- earn his own iTveHhooS ^7^ '"^ """'^^ ^° presents itself in wWrh»,« ^!! opportunity the former positi^r anH '^" ^' "'^^^^^ ^° wealth than Ff ' 'i^\^^::X^^-^ 27 it tlglp" i , currcd. Had he refused, your reply is, "Should he starve to death, Uavid would not be to blame." It there is any soul in the world lost, and we are told there' is, one thing is certain God is not to blame. licfore leaving this question let me give vou stmie more information. It was an Oriental custom lor all claimants to the Throne to be put to death. Mephibosheth was an heir to the Throne of Israel, and, according to the cus- tom of the age, should have been executed. In the face of all this, had he refused to ac- cept David's ^anerous gift, what would you think ? "I never heard of such foolishness," would be vour answer. Yes! There is foolish- ness ^^rcater than this. You who will go out of this church to-night, without accepting Christ as your »Savinur, will act more idiotically than if Mephibosheth had done as suggested. You say, "We are practical people and desire to know what security Mephibosheth !m''. for his safety when he accepted the king's gift." I replv, two things: First; David's power. Any attack upon Meph- ibosheth would be considered an insult to the royal family and a subject for war, so he could rely upon the king's army to protect him. Second ; David had made a covenant with Jonathan, which was sealed with an oath, that if ever he came to the throne he would protect Jonathan's children. When we accept God's gift to the world, we have the same two great securities: the power of God and the covenant of Jesiis Christ. "All that the Father hath given me have I kept." This is the covenant Christ made with the Father, and it is sealed with an oath. Some years ago there w^as an insurrection in 2S 1 ]Z: e deer ;"Si?/:d "'S'"i"^ '"'"l"'"' '" •No! He must Z'" ^''••' '>I"""a'-d,s said, ish tidiL'rui^ rur.^i°r„d"^"'- '■'"■ «""■ in line a few „ac'/f"l, '■''''.'•'''"•■ ^t^l-oneJ fore the ord^r ?o "t^r^" "■ ■'"""• ■'•'^' l"^- The Briti^,^.°? "■*'>''" l"s slioulder. iardT'We^'dJrvlu^tf*/ ""' "'" '" ''" «P- We dire you to vioL e I" "f f " l""^' *">"«»■ and immcdratelveitiri',: '"?,''';■ sanctity, •■ necausc there stood bac^ or ,, "'",■ ^l-^' two most powerful natlnt. J,"' ^'"'^ ""e Will vou iinf l'„ P"','""'' '" "« World. Jesus a^, vo^r ptr,oLl s'"""" ''"^■'>' ^Lrist banners of vo„f s'^m .t.?,??"' "■> "" twin yon,- the banner orG's.:i' ..,':! "•"J"!"'" of Christ Ol trod s power and the ban covenant. Oh! aoout ner C^od reach your hearts this very hour ^"'''" °^ 29 i^:Ajup^-*^JR •^1 NAAMAN, THE SYRIAN " Wash and be clean."— 2 Kings v. 13. " Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved."— Acts xvi : 31. Whenever von come across a trttth in the Old Testament, von will generally find the same trnth in the "New. In the Old we have the bud, and in the New the blossom. In the one we have the tvpe, in the other the anti-type. Some kinds of invisible writing have to be placed under a strong light before the letters appear clear.Thiis the Old Testament becomes clear when read in the light of the New. I have selected two .short texts, one from each Testament. The former contains the com- mand "Wash," and the promise, "be clean. The latter contains the same; "beli^sve, and "be saved." A careful consideration of the con- text of the first will greatly assist us in nnder- standing the second. The snbject is that of Naaman. The story is full of bewitching interest. He was a man who possessed personal qualities which made him most successful. He was energetic, generous, courageous, and everv inch a soldier. His char- acter was in keeping with the opening words of the narrative, "He was a mighty man m valour." , , Bv genuine merit he rose to be commander-in- chief of the Syrian army. He was a great man in a great position. At Ramoth, he scattered like sheep the combined forces of Ahab and Jehosaphat. He broke the power of the Syrian oppressors and asserted his nation's supremacy in the West. So sitccessful was he m war. that 30 m kiwiiim^m^.m? ■1 I ^:^^'f^ !Sf.i!:::Tj'^ - ^^elr greatest had xvon such h< no th i ' I, " !' ' "' '^^1^^'^'' ^'^ favorite, and the ^-inio n i^:tor'Ti '^^' ^^"^"'^ his vcrv name— N -^^ii^ ster ot State. Kven Not onlv^icl hrpi';;';^^";)"' "pleasantness." he was favored bv Sen, ,1 •'' ^'"^^'^^'^'■^. but was surrounded Lln'rl ^'T"^} ""'''''■ ^e lived iu perhiTK, J^o* - /"^^ altluence. He tiful citv on earth n ;'■''•' '^''''] ^^^'^^ ^""^^ beaii- cradleoftlllS^l^^;^^--— •^-^ tiS:u:s;^^if,^:^::!;^-''"-."ific.^ each^othcr to d honor 10/,"""^"^^ '''''^ ^^'^h closest to the throne TTr? ,"' ^'""^ '''^''' •'^^ood Bnt wait! Ther 7s ^„ "n'^' ^Y'^fr ^*^ "^"^t be! Jly in the ointment- V sfoiV ^"'^ .^^^^"^lenr-a The basest seumon'i„'\st-d';" " ,.''^^ ^''^^^'^• chan-e skins with him "^J^^^ '^^^^ ^'^'M not ex- Jyin,. piecemeal He wa^ a bit' I "f ''^' '''^' hnncled leper Plismnl?/ Notched and car- over all h^ c;rea ness ^^'und^:' /^ ^^^^'^^^"1 -^l^a^'ow the loathsome iJe^Uo^ ate 1"^ ffay clothing, t-c^ioii^^ssues-^^^^^^^ ro:?ls^t,:^';;i-;"^;^-i/^-thatlep- separatinir deform in „-ll^ • ' '^ ^'^ eontagious, the hand'of God y/t n^ tre'.r '^^'- ^"?P^ ^-^ even joke about t w '^^ "'" I'ffhtlv. We that we fan to'realizT that ^^ m"^^°^-^ to it sis, pollution, deat 't iV s „':"onr^' ^f '"'^■ nt^T:!: °^ ^^^' -^- ^nows"?hrr;al1wLT -^v prei: t^rreafth^^oV^h^kt^- h°M'- ^^^ may occupv the positioi; Vf p Rothschilds; you 31 V- ^ I ^1 I 3 His first mistake could be purchased. tells him there is a cure him. The kim your position is unenviable if you are not re- generate, for a leprous body is nothing in com- parison with a leprous soul. In seeking for a physical cure, Naaman made a few sad mistakes,' and it is quite possible some of vou may have the same spiritual ana- logies. 7i'ns in thinkhif: the cure He goes to tjhe king and man in Samaria who can gives him a letter, an im- posing document bearing a great seal, and addressed to Joram, King of Israel. Naaman also takes with him ten talents of silver and six thousand pieces of gold and ten changes of raiment. He rides in a grand chariot, attended bv a splendid cavalcade. To sum the position u]), he had a letter to demand tiie cure, monev to purchase it, md a splendid retinue to enhance Its im]H)rtance, but alas! it all lament-' ablv failed, because the cure came from .Tehovah and could not be purchased. The spiritual teaching of this incident is not far to seek. It lies on the surface. It declares th.it vou can make no greater mistake than to trv to l)uy salvation. Cleansing from sin is God's prerogative. You cannot buy it. What have you to give? — vvorks! Your best are filthy rags, come em])ty-handed. Salvation is free; it is ''without money and without price." In mentioning his second mistake, let us view him leaving Damascus, "the Queen of cities." Perchance he leaves the metropolis in the early light and drives on through streets whose white glare is softened by masses of green foliage; under the shadow of glittering domes and minarets; past walls decked with the trophies of his battles and on, still on, till he enters the King's Higliwav. The hoof*. ..t +j, *• ring out sliarnlv on J? ^''*' ^'^^""y ^^^^'^^ hours of wcarv trave h P^^^'^^'"^'?^, till after speeded on for ^S" "^^.^i'^^"^'^-', l^orses are death. Here is a m n « , '^'"'■^"'^ "^ ^i^'^' ^^"d henntstdrtolesS;"'" '"""'^' '^^^^" ^^^^-t this man .lohsenl ,,?,!,"''"''' ''''''''^ »»■''"". 'li''t of hi.s k-prosy acc 'o„^i?,;;"'r" ^^ "''■' and see how he soek-o/i, ^°"-^'*'^^' ^ Pray vou, wit's o,X He T,','? '•'^■""''' '^ "°^^ ^t W» all further quesi """■" ""<' abandon «. .ToraS she har::„',i"i;o":;:'„r^'iLsr''°- fays.'-I am tl" do"" ,v me i?'°,'-y'^'"''- Christ he shall be saved "'It = 1 j ""y. man enter in admit all. "If anv m-.n''' i^ ♦1"°'' '""''' '"""l^^ «" its portals ■ "^ *''" superscription on inf V fea'td"hea1i„'J^„"ir ?"°" ^*-'>- tt-rntr^^enl t^F Vt °Sd Z Hs si,Ht • ,,-:L't°h'e^:ar;'oit?o^^l':.?^^ door, for Vulcan was unable lo hcip him. Plac- inj^f one of the grimy god'6 workmen on his shoulder to guide him, the handsome giant went to a place where the risi * g t.un was seen to the greatest advantage. Here, he turned his face to- wards the luminary and immediately received his sight. After death, Orion was placed in heaven, where one of the constellations still bears his name. Thi., fable has its counterpart in the story of Naaman. If rightly read it will direct you to the only salvation, the rfun of Righteousness. To-night I come to you as Orion's guide, or as Gchazi, and bid you come to Christ for sight and healing. Naaman accepted the invitation, and in a short time the imposing retinue is halted oppo- site the prophet's cottage. A servant is sent out to tell the Syrian to wash seven times in the River Jordan and he should be clean. A flush of angry carmine comes to Naaman's face. He is enraged and exclaims, "Behold I thought he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God and strike his hand over the place and recover the leprosv. Are not Abana and Pharpar rivers of Damascus better than all the rivers of Israel? Mav 1 not wash in them and be clean? So he went awoy in a rage." This was l/.is third mistake. Re :'- ^^^^^ Christ is goin<^ to vv?.h ''' ^'"""^ believing in dear people vour ..T /■ '''"^■''y "^-^ «i»-" Wv your "^sedng k but ^f, Z ^'^ "°' ^^'^^^"^ "Pon Christ's commami whic ?. f \u' 'l'"^^^^^ to Naaman wouM Vuc I . I" ^^^'^ ^"^^n- cure is too Smple - Tlfi? '° ^'^'^^^f' "The peat stumblin?-b ock ^iV^^I'Pff" to be his is the simplicity of the nl ,n n7'^t''^- ^''^' ^^ causes so naany^o hes ta ' to dlv ^Th"" ^^^'^^ of the cross his nr.f ^ ^"-^ to uay. ihe offence easy terms. m;"\\,nTw;/.-P^%f ^like '^'^ an^er only to see thdr sSw '^Th^' '"" ^" salvation" is too humbH^t ? ., • ^ common tnres. They wCuId r.f "^ l'"'" ^^^^'^ P^«"d na- merit in the^cuTe ^^^^ ^^'' ^° ^^'^^^"^ ^ kittle It is a good thing to look at a man after he S7 i 5- I I is saved. The soul of this Syri ui warrior ap- pears to have experienced as remarkable a change as his body. He is delivered from all the haughtiness and stubborness which hitherto distinguished him. The first thing he does is to make a request to Elisha. "And Naaman said, shall there not then I pray thee be given to thy servant two mules' burden of earth? P'or thy servant will henceforth offer neither burnt offer- ing nor sacrifice unto other Gods but unto the Lord." Why did he ask this? That he might «rect an altar in Damascus where he and the little maid might worship Jehovah. This, I believe, will always be one of the first marks of a new-born soul— the erection of the family altar. If I am addressing any who have been redeemed and have not yet instituted family prayer, I ask of you to' commence to-night. When you go home "get your household together and ask God's blessing upon each member of it, as well as upon yourself. Live so, that should you be called to stand over the clay of your dead child, vou may never hear a voice crying, "Father, thy want of prayer was the instru- ment of my "destruction." Philip Henry has said, "If th"e worship of God be not in the house, write 'Lord have mercy upon tis' on the door, for there is a plague, a curse upon it." Naaman, like many young converts, had a little trouble of conscience. He began to con- sider how he had hazarded his position. He was in mental perplexitv, and began to count the cost. He decided to make a compromise. He comes to Elisha and tells him that his liege-lord, the king, is an idolater and he is ob- liged to accompany him to the place of wor- ship. He assures Elisha that for the future when he goes into the Temple of Rimmon, it R8 5^<;:y:^m^i>^^yt:^^ than Jehovah. ^"^ worship none other /tS\td^!;t^!;r;^,--cI. for they are those does not for! id hi u for > ^""verts. He new-born joy in'hH: ti : 'tl^do^' '^'^^^^^ ^^^ to the proposition, for th// *;!; ""^ ^^^^^nt tenanced idolatry II i,^^,^^ T""^^ ^^^^^ '^^^n- P-^<^?-" In other^words '^N. ' ""''' "^" i" hjs ory of hi, country a once" w' ""' °^' ^^^^ of him again, in a -^d of that Naanmn feJI "nto dS '"'""'^'^ ^° «av position rather than sin /"'' ""'"'^ ^''''^ "P his God,rnewtt:pLT^r/^^ ^^-^^' ''"t a new which to estimat?'i°s'otvn''h-f''^"^P"^"^ ^'^^ there be au^rht i, '"4^>y,"J^f^\ Kvenso, if peace of God in your so ' .^^^ • " ^^"^"^ the -; though it be^sV:r;';f T4,;>P>/^-J ^it f^r^^^^^^'^'c^:^^ ^"/— .ot Jhis IS all God iTives us w" .^"^ ^ Promise, do with the prom^ise That Ts Go? "°'^^"^ ^° duty IS with the command ^ ' P^"*' Our PjaifTh^: ?" hi^coT^^^e^^^^^ to ex- illusfration: '\Sunno.e Sf '°"' ^"^ "'^^d this hundred yards lonrffftl fLM •\'*^"^ ^^^" a feet thick. God tdis ml t^ -'""^^ ^"^ twenty '•^ ""^ to jump throuffh it. on My duty is to jump at the wall; my going through belongs to God." So when we are told to believe on Jesus Christ, that is our duty; tlie act of saving be- longs to the Deity. Will vou not take that stand to-night, and God will save and cleanse you, and finally pre- sent vou to the Father without spot or wrinkle or any such thing. I! 4C ts^iU" §2£m THE ARK "A"jiven lunonjf men whereby we must be saved." Apart from Christ, like the antediluvians separated from tlie ark, Hare js no salvation for us. III. /{( cause th ark rcis a trial of faith All Noah had to sustain his heart during those one hundred and twenty years of service was the sheer sinijjle word of God. He was told to urge the people to repent of their great wickedness and for over a century he preached this doctrine in the face of the world's coiitra' ^^"^^^^I^^ the miuoritv." A t Ird er f' ^"'''''''' "^^'^ •'^*^ '» o"-s. woulcl likelv l! e t ' H^^ ""^ ^^ contcmptu- a thin^ could nt^^-tr t'ke nl. V'"""^" '^'''^ ^"^'^ too ^rradous to nun th ^ ""' ''■'""'^" ^^^ ^^as people livin^r to dJivJ^ W?"---''-^? ^^^' ""t stateiuentsMiut r 1 t .: . "^'""- '^'''"^ ^^^^'^ When the f.nn.utfnf of Thr'.rta T "'"^'^^"' broken up and God'^ ixr,J,i f' ^"^^^ ^^^'^P '^vcre so will it be wUh X\i ^' ^'''^'^"■' '■"^'■•""J- scoffiuK at Go rs nro n,-. .'^'' ^aviUiu^r ^nc entered the a^l^U" Noah t ' rT'"' •^'" ^^^- had to go throuLrh H,ic ^^"^ ^^"^^'^^ "'"^^'^t, was no other ^ ^^"' °"' entrance, for ther^ Historians tell us that fi,» n • was surrounded by a great wal?; r? T' '^^"^ one gateway Yon n, Li f '^ ^^''^^"^^ '^ad but and %ou would nf J? '^'"'' ^^"^^ ^^"»^I H through it rifthe tho'sa^'ds who'T?""^' ^^"^ the city had to pass ^''"''^ ^^^ ^aily entered desybe^l^rs^'afc^r' "^/i; k^^^'^"' ^--" - In other places^aav f il calkd '"c^ir^P^^""^^'" are eternity-hiLrh -ind fh.t • i "^-^ "^^^^ ^^^^^ I^ord Jesus^ClifsV^'I Im fh'%^"^ ^'"^-^ door-the -an enter in l^'^ij bTslytd'' °'' ''' '''' '^ ->' 41 i" I would pursue this correspondence one step further. "The door was in the "ide of the ark." I have sometimes wondered if this door were in the shape of a cross. "And the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof." Why was this? Was it simply a unique architectural de- sign? No! It was by divine appointment. I be- lieve it was prophetic, to tvpifv that we enter heaven not only by Christ, who' is the door, but bv the side of Christ. I mean Hi^ wounded side. His crucified side. His heart side. When that coarse, burly Roman soldier thrust his sword into the Master's side, he let out the water and the blood, but in so doing, he made a wound so great as to admit all the millions who have en- tered or ever shall enter heaven. Observe, here, in passing that the ark had three stones. "With lower, second and third stones shallt thou make it." I believe these three tiers represent three classes of Christians por- trayed in St. John's Gospel— those in the lower story representing the third chapter of St. John Christians, the Nicodemus class. They are born of God but have not advanced far in the Chris- tian life. They live, so to speak, on the ground- floor of their soul-house. Second story— the fourth chapter of St. John believer. They are compared to the well of water bubbling up, or water seeking its level. This is the life of com- munion and victorv. The uppermost story— the seventh chapter, "He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his body shall flow rivers of living water." This is the spirit- filled life— the overflowing life. Concerning the safety of these three classes there can be ro dif- ference, but affecting their coii.i'ort there is much. The light, we are told, came through a win- 44 dow in the top of the ark, consequently those in the upper story would have more light than more ILi'u ''T^' "^^ ^^^°^^ ^^ ^^'e seconS more light than the people in the third. It IS the same with Christians. Those living in ^h^nf""'?,'^' '^' -P^"" °^ ^^- J«^"^ have more s^un th rd but i'h"''"'' '^^" \^"^^ "^ '^^ f°"^th or tnira, but they are no safer. These three stories in the ark correspond to our steerage, intermediate and saloon passages Those of you who have crossed the ocean kn^c'w ^if.f7i .1 ''''*' '^ ""^ difference concerning the safety of the passengers, there is a vast differ- ence regarding their comfort. I.et us be am- heaven steerage, or even intermediate, but saloon-the upper story of the ark. Turning now to another aspect of the subject, ?n thof r ^^ '"'^^^ '^^^^ ^^^^^ thou shallt take of beasts^ that are not clean, bv two the male and his female.- You will observe that all the animals of the world were divided int two classes Both had to get into the ark to be sav? ed The dean would have perished as quick] v as the unclean. Thus we may divide all wh are not Christians into two classes-the moral and immoral. Out of Christ the most self r?gh cms rnd""iaH;r"i" 'r\ r ^^^'^^"^>^ ^^ ^^^ p-^S" and harlot I should not wonder if there are ^h^n, ''',•;" f^'^ '^^''- '^^^^ h^^d, then thit thy morality be not thv snare. bT?/°/if^ ^'''^"^■'' """ '" themselves commendable but they can never give thee spiritual life. An Ts aTn r '"-^.\ '"^^' T^"^ °^ ^ ^^"^^-d hear? f, 1 ^^ I ,"?" ^^^ "'°'"^' ^"^n's pen, that blurs and blots his copy when he writes fairest. His 45 uprightness does others more good in the world than himself in the next." Now let us come nearer our text: "And the Lord shut hmi in." There is a world of infinite meamng in these words. I like to repeat them over and over, The Lord shut him in. ^ That is with one omnipotent hand He clo-.ed the door of the ark and with the other, opened the hea- vens, and for forty days and forty nights the waters descended, and the fountains of the ereat deep were broken up. As one hand is able to hold back what might interfere with the other, so Jehovah held the ark with its living freight in one hand, while with the other He loosed the flood-gates. Of themselves they could do nothin^^ ^^^ ^^'^^ "shutteth and no man openeth. There is no burglar's kev that can un- lock it, nor any swarthy arm of" hell that can door """^^^ ^^^ ^°'"'^ ^""^ ^^"^ ^« ^^^ Notice the condition upon which Noah's fam- other. It was not even a matter of knowledge. Ihere must have been a number of ship car- penters to complete this vessel. These craftsmen ^^ ^''?"^ ^^•^ construction and mechanical difficulties of the ark as Noah, and could perhaps defeat him in an argument about Its nbs, wales and beams, but notwithstanding all their intimate knowledge they were lost be- 46 m i I ■ cause they were not inside. Remember a man may be a profound theologian and an able preacher and yet live and die without Christ and perish eternally. Moses brought the child- ren of Israel to the Promised lyand, but could not enter himself. A lens of ice may focus the sun's rays with such power as to kindle a flame, while it remains frozen itself. There have been cases of wreck when all on board escaped ex- cept the captain, Alas! if having "preached to others, I myseilf should be a castaway." Two years ago, while visiting the South Ken- sington Museum in London, I was very deeply impressed by a painting of Louthenbourg's, en- titled "The Last Man." The backgrounc' of inky blackness was scarred with jagged glares of lightning that stabbed the night. The ocean had burst its bounds and "Sea covered sea, sea without a shore." It was a portrayal of human- ity in its death throes, for a jar had shuddered through the quiet frame of nature and a night of death raged over a world surrendered to its doom. In the foreground, upon the pinnacle of the last rock, the last man clung to the last shrub, which was being surely uprooted by his weight. His wife had slipped from his "tired grasp and was sinking into the maw of the hun- gry waves. Their faces were contorted with despair and dumb agony. It was an awful pic- ture—a picture that confounded the heart and preyed on the soul because it was doubtless a reality, when in that appalling catastrophe ter- ror-stricken men fled hither and thither to escape the resistless death march of the waters. But the Bible tells us that a more terrible day is coming when men out of Christ shall call for the rocks and mountains to fall upon them and hide them from the face of God. «ffT 'S .K?,!""^" n!!"^. ^^°"^en, I beseech you come and you^ then to be reconciled^ with God ';hfs very fU^^i-u^ '^\^^'i y°"^ attention to two orders in the Bible which are su^r.ested by this subject L Genesis vii.: "And the I. or d said unto Noah come thou and all thy house into the a?k " This ren Th. "f"'' P^''"V' ^'''' ^"^ then the chi?d! ren The same truth is found in Acts xvi ^i shaltT °" ?\^"^^ J^^^^ Chr^ and ihou Shalt be saved thou and thy house." We have cWld'ren '«.?'^°'^'y ^°^ '^^ salvation of our children as for our own. Parents bellievinjr in So /.t"". "^^^"^ ^°d's promise for the sflvL tiou of their children, and although they mav ?^ ^!u ^^'? ^^onght into the Kingdom be?ore they themselves leave this world,vet Xrs wX for God must be faithful to His word ' v/rv"lY • ^^l^^'^'S to some parents who are very anxious about their children. The boys are arme^'"^%.^'''^P^'^^ ^"^ y°" ^^e grea^fy a]! cSs ffnXd^wrrA^ortiff ^?r^'"^ ^^ with the children, b^^' ^Jt^h^o^r' f .'^l?\Ve^^^^^^^^^ a^^tr/lt^vTb: T ''^ '"'^^ ^'' worse tlan lo knew JLT ^° ^""^ ^°"^ ^hiJd there, and not ac eDt ChX°t" ^'V° ?^^^^^ ^^^^^"'^^ yo^ did the c^ld^s sdvat'ion."' ^'""^ ^^^ P^^^^ ^- II. The other orJer- i^ +1,^4. precedes judgment. For a hundred ^"S twenty years Noah preached the doctrine of r. pentance. During all\his time the door Sf mercy was open to the antediluvians. Had th^^ re^ 48 pented God would have saved them but tli^ door of mercy closed when the door of the Irk wfthotr-ltr"^ ''^'"^" "^ excTusfoVt^^l^ ComrJ*^ ^^^^,J^^« judgment fodlowing mercy ChTJ^^ °r" ^^^ .^^^^^^" o^ time to the davs of 'a^?m%r% ;r„/^- -i^«^, - the cit/of J^ru-^ uuL Lnere came a dav when it was cIospH it was when in 72 An +u -r. *-iosea. it were s airi'''°,L°"'' """""O thou.said peop e the heels of mercy ''^ "^^^ judgment on in^VhV?'''"?^ y^^^ ^^^ ^^"^'^ns ^vhen conquer- th!v clnT.^t ""^^^'^ ^^^^ ^^thod. Whenever men womLV„'dirttl"VM'd«T't"l ™ft^ToT,?' is'?hfCorXt?oT^%^l%T£S hear His voice harden not vour hearts '^ If ^ Tod '""""-tf •™'" '«"« and bow vour w li'^?o God, you will then be adopted as a eh"" of God! 49 I- i- : //l""** .»T SZT' "JE^^ r Hi^ Do not delay till the black flag appears. "My spirit," says the All-just, "shall not always strive with man." Too late! Judgment has fol- lowed mercy. m i" S! (ill f\ so THE PARABLE OF THE GREAT FATHER " ini „l,c„ ho camo to l.i,„»](."_Lukc. ,v. l". Great Father," for ilasVwl,;! .,. "^'''^ °' "" ^ach sons there are ^e^ su^ f *,^."' "? ■"""'y • parable that can sta^d tS. f"""*' " "" » Uvron declared to ho H..- • *"° '"^'^ ^''■■•^h literary creatLs-U pkasTs SSI" 1'"=, T'"' °' pleases permanently mmed.ately and goods^'S,at faMeth to "e "'" "" '"" """'^ °' He''is''a^„":s'':ow^ tdtilifr^^ «■= '="^"- -oV; l^^^Kf4 « »° -"ai^S^ a?: He desires more ,bem"anV"' ",?'" ""^ '""•"• ertine. He desirls fr„ t'l u"" ''ecomes a lib- free liver But tS^i ?! """"Sht, and becomes a ing rearonr"why"hr rerCe'Tt """"'^r nature. ueaves home. It was his sin. "AllvWHke.; '\^^' beginning of all have tufned eve^ one to hf^ ^°"' ^"^^^y- ^^ p«+ t, t y^^y one to his own wav " tiorr-^d^u-rh1■«a,..^h.^ 51 m without his father's goods. "Cowardly, mean, unmanly," you say. \ts, but wait; be sparing in your epithets. Is your heart estranged from God? Are you unwiilling to be subject to His rule? If so, over against the prodigal's cry, "Give me," may be placed your cry, "Give me this day my daily bread, my raiment, my money," for these are all God's possetJsions. And so Jie story goes on to tell how the father divided unto them his living, literally "his life," and is not that what the Heavenly Father has done ? He has given His only begot- ten Son — His dife. Next, we are. told that the prodigal "gathered all together and took a journey into a far coun- try." See him leaving home carolling, in the morning sunshine. He turns away from the father with a light hea,rt, and may we not add, with a light head. He is probably going to Alexandria. It is one of the great cities. He is out for "a short life and a merry one," forgetting the long eternity and a sad one. If you take the pendulum off the hook, the works of the clock go fast and merrily, but they will soon run down. It may be that I am addressing some one who has reached this stage. You are enjoying all the delirium of self-indulgence, and you are perfect- ly satisfied with your privileged condition. You are a prosperous prodigal. Bear in mind, the youth of the parable was as much a prodigal the moment he rebelled against the father as later when he was feeding swine. Apostasy of flife is always preceded by apostasy of heart. Then come with me, and let us see him in his downward career. Let us watch this waif drift- as and when he had ^^t aH Uki" '^"'""^ '^^^"^^> famine in that ian a d t 7'"'' ^ ''''^^''^ want." This is h.\ i,.' < ^"^."^ ''^iJan to be in falJs riot at the eel ''V^ ^" a "tashcll. <'iiuin tune was not n hit he u. "r^^'''^"^ ^"^ ^■^^- iumd, anandhet,rh-:.l-Ct&J^^^ must Jeam one dav iIinT • • ,""" P-'odigals ne goes and hires himself to a citizen. A3 Every man away from Christ is attached to a citizen. What is the name of your citizen i* Is it disJionesty, opium, scandal? Whose swine are you feeding ? Nor is this all. We see that unsatisfied hunger was the constant accompaniment of his low drudgery, "lie would fain have filled i?is belly with the husks that the swine did eat." r^otice, that there was no famine of husiks. This starvel- ing who has lowered his ma' .hood to the level ol beasts can eat in plenty the rough pods of the carob tree on whien the citizen fodders the swine— dry husks which, when he bit them, turned to powder. het us learn here that in the far country, Satan has plenty of husks and plenty of swine to eat them, but learn also that the food of a beast can never satisfy the soul of a man. True, nianv learn to dress their husks till they look fairly palatable, but to the taste they are as the api)les of Sodom. The words of our t^xt, "And when he came to himself," give us the key to his lost ondi- tion. He had been demented. Before, in hi wift race, he was acting like a man who, spi cd by appetite, has thrown the bridle of rea on on the neck of passion. When a man was freed from the thrall of a magician it was said that "he came to him- self." Mythology tells us that Circe changed the sensdial veterans of the Trojan war into filthy swine, but Ulysses, who was fortified against her enchar^Tients by a certain flower, compelled her to bre .; the spell and restore them to their former state. So here, we see the fascinating trance of the prodigal has vanished, for there is nothintr like hunger to clear away the vapors of the brain. 54 i I ci^i^aurXnf r"7' /^!^ ^^-^ of Coa Clares that "madLt i. -"'^'^ . ^^ plainly de they Jive.' "^^^'"^^'^ ^^ iu tJicir hearts while sp^'in7l'^tse^vo?dl'^ '''"^^'?'^' ^ was wnh a radiant face stored '''' ^^^^ ^ "'^« and said; "/.ast ni^ht iT^ /"',°" ^''*^ street I. heard you tell about th- """^'^ ^ "*^w man. J'^^al and, li,e hin T^w ul^ri''-' "' '''^ ^^^O" ^^y a species of fren/v and I .. '''''' ^^^"^^'-^'i to the Father/' "iV' nr 1 ""^^^ ^^"^ returned '^?lfe?P^f "^'^^----you^ that the same ^^^^a^ir-^e^^af^^^^^^e'S &er." ^''^^^ and I pensh with hun- ondria." He t;^I r.c '^"^•^-^' a divine hvnnrJi a circnmsp^ect^':. the""^?er;: ^l/^^ P-'- re thiit they arc nuule for nd so ihcy ainount to no- iponed are lies. JScnne day is prodigal doi-s not wait to (itecusncss or dilly-dally till IK I t.oes he v-vn l)ark'y with the ' '■ I . V ' .Alt just cancels his 1 • av. ' im to-ni|;ht. Arise .1 with delays. Don't »s. Put yourself a/ once the 'a'holc mailer —i\\')S iW strikes while most re;'ilu some futu thinjj. Re.'' . no day. No v weave a rob he feels holi i citizen, or \i,\ ■ '■ i indentures . . i • O younj; ui m; 1 ' now. Don't Ij'iool halt between cWg ■ into Cod's hands. This only but all this. You have perhaps heard the story of the artist wlio was goiJiJI to paint the picture of "A Rainy Day in I^ondon." He w.inted a suitable model to express the misery of the situation. One day, on the street, he met a ])inched- looking, dishevelled beggar. He bargained with him for a sovereign that he should come next day for a sitting. The beggar came, but his appearance was bettered, he having washed and brushed himself in the meantime. The artist had to reject him because he did not come as he was. Man can make no greater mistake than wait- ing until he has reformed. He must come as a lost sinner, for "Christ came not to ca'l the righteous but sinners to reiientance." "Just as I am, without one plea. But that Thy blood was shed for me. And that Thou bidd'st me come to Thee, O Lamb of God, I come." Weill, the prodigal would never have reached home if he had not started. Neither will yon. S3 !■! tVe-'jj;;;L;'r' ^"^^ "^^^' ^^^^ -«- with u. o„ liis mind filled w », . ' , •\^'^''''^' I'e hinps n.'oni: Will he sh "t, ;^ ,^"^'^. '>»«• ^s father aliv"? reproached?" I is wo ,r r- ^''''- ^V'" ^ be 1 nMc and d.uht ^,nd thcv 1 L'?!''"'""^'"''* ^^"^" pose every rctur .in., s nn^/":,^,, !' ''''" '^'-^^ "P" in his moral conflict is i, ^^'''^^' ^-^ a spjemlor A moral coward maV^eTh '"""^ ''^'" ^«"^''^- '•^t onl:- a here, w" 1' tur^ f'J' 'v'"^? '^ »«0"th. And wJiiile he vv ? *" ^'-^ ■'^"'•'^• father saw him, and' jI-h "" ^^'"''^ '^'^^^ ^^^ ^^'^ and ran and fell'on st,e. '^^"^J;^ .«i"n «« i'im, Mark the word " Z "'-'^^•.■""' l<"^sed him " sion with - Tr '<.„? •^'''"^"'" ^^^^t Is "p^,. "-nt.thefatW..^S';^J];^^h/-inthatC ••^on, ju«t as at this i n "., ''%r^^'''"8s ^^ the enters imo your f^dinl';^ '^"' "^^^-'z leather to^^Srrs!:rn;o:l^;;; ir '^^^^ ' ^-- ^^m-en ''"t have alwavs fa ed" t r"??'^'*^"'""' "^' ^'^^J a': y beyond mv reach rJ '^','' ^^^ ""^'""k- ;;;''l be our stupendot.s '.nrl "' ^"''" °^ ^'«^' throu^out the l.,es "f J^^^i^^'^'"^ ^^•^'"^'- -iw:^:nrtLn.,:'^';;^7v-'--na„did 't not well th It tho ( X father's love. Was not have rece vU'n, fch oV^" "\'''"^ " "^ ^^^^ brother. "'"''^ ^^ a welcome from hi.s n-;v'.%J'e\:,1Vi-]- ->■- we read of God I'ut when H, run " t k ?„ ""''."'S "'"' ^valld.,;;, "". 'or "God ia":,;V%o° n-" S™"!,; -■ ".-,•, out swift to m mercy." To meet such an one. He comes all th" way from His rainbow-circled throne to tho cross of Calvary. The moment you start out for the cross that instant God g^oes to meet you. "Draw nigh to God and He will draw nigh to you." IvCt us get up closer and listen to the family prayer that morning in the old homestead. Mayhap they are reading the 130th Psahu, "Out of the depths have 1 cried unto Thee, O I/ord." The father re- turns thanks and then prays for the elder son and the servants. He brings all the difficulties that are pressing upon the household before Je- hovah, and then he pauses, for he has come to the place where the hurt is deepest. His voice trembles as the tears break their restraint and he prays, "Oh God, send home my bov,'* and it came to pass that before he had called the Lord had answered, and while he was yet speaking the lyord had heard. The father goes up on the flat roof and looks towards the far-off country. In the distance he sees someone coming. He puts his hands over his eyes to shade them and takes a long, pierc ing look. He needed no telescope, for the eyes of love are far-sighted. We are not told the pro- digal saw the father, but that makes no differ- ence; the father sees the son and so he rushes to meet him. The spirit of youth is on the old man. He rushes down the steps, takes a short cut across the lawn and out into the highway. The servants are amazed. They never saw the master running before. He does' not shrink back from the reek of the swine trough, but falling on the youth's neck "he kisses the past into forgetfulness." Bygones are to be bygones. 68 hiSr'ttre'wc™t?e'''^^ ^^r- "«'^ '-'"er saw werr:j?deeds "fie'r' y' O wha'tl V°d'^f' '""= he is! " ^^i^y- u wtiat a God of mercy iororthVU'e'ls iTnTn'^'" ^f i» he--; the the joy of the- hea^enty host^wto, .t'"= "'"■■'''' born and the inv o^.^r ^ " Jesus was at;V;rtHe'U?^;™'haffenvk when le ca.ne b^I^^l^wa!^?^: he^lr';."-^* bassado..etrnSrg1rt"Tre^4i\:^-''-- mide' I'tVoTCe t„d^ '-' "---^ to be forth in the strain.; ^flr .'"''''"''' ""<' b^alts forth the best robe {ndnu^Tt'"^ ".'""■«y' ' '^""^ a ring on his ha„d JL,i' ,. ' °" ''l'"i '"«' P«« bring^ither the fatteS cah'an.?"! "j^-/"*^ ''»<' us eat and be merrv f„, Ti • ^ '■'" "t; and let and is aiive^aValHe ts'ttTnl°^ ro^^d"^?"* si^n«er.'°sXa''til':''H: ll^i^^ fn^^"^^" ""*'■= ••i-™,sothat^;i^^therFo«S',;rStfseil n i t him clean and white, "without spot or wrinkle." Not only did the prodigal get a robe, but a ring. In all countries the ring is the symbol of eternity, it being round and therefore without end. To express this idea, the Egyptians in their hierogilyphics twist h snake so that its tail meets its mouth, and thus forms a circle. Now, if you come to God you are adopted as a son, and that sonship is for eternity. "And I give unto them eternal life and they shall never perish." See further from this, that all was done for the prodigal. He just came into the father's presence and asked for forgiveness. Salvation is very simple. God loves and gives. The sinner believes and receives. That is all. There are two voices speaking to you at this moment. One is from the far-off country. It is discordant, sharp, imperative. It comes from the degradation, from the husks, from the citi- zen. Do you know what it is? I/isten! It is, "Go home," "Go home." The other voice is of celestial sweetness. It is gentler than the tenderest notes of music. It thrills the spirit and breaks it into awe. It is the voice that comes from the father's heart, from the festal light, from the chorus of singers. Do you know what it is.^* I^isten! It is "Come home. ' 'Come home." A story is tolld of a poor woman whose only daughter wandered from home and was brought low by sin. Her sorrowing mother sought her day after day and tried various expedients to dis- cover her whereabouts. At last she got a num- ber of the girl's photographs struck off from one she had in her possession. These she placed in the windows of a city where she thousrht hor »s! ••s uSL":-.- ="" -^" ^-^ -- i^^' I^leave yot, to iu,asi„e the welcome Xlw^rv the'Sc^'u're ^? * l'l'°':°H'-apl' gallery. It contains a man borne down with terrible burdens ih.^ x ^;: i^l^l:^!;'^ '^ conLS/L^lr^i.l lurn with me to Matthew vi oq j will find vour ijortrait ' r^ . ' ^""^ y°" who lnhr.1,^ . ^""^fi^- Ci7»«^ unto me aJl ve 7on rest/"' ^"'^ ^^^ heavy-laden and I will givl eifh^roTLf"%"'^^'''' "^^" not look like :4tLnl^^^^nu^tTudi/o":' Tiir ^'^-^ ^^^"?,- searlet iluv .l^^^^°''^' *^T?^^^ >'°"^ ^"^^^s be as thevbe red HI • ' ""^ ^\^'^^ ^^ «"«w; though If I have nnl ^r'"'°"' '^^^-^^ ^^^^^^ ^^ ^« ^ooL" 61 Ml Ml, The invitation is a .standing one. The door is not closed till death. At Cambridge, the college authorities close the gates against strangers one day every year to preserve their rights over the grounds, and to show that -when they, are open it is an act of grace on the part of the college. This is man's grace, but not God's. His door of mercy is open to the linner 365 days in the year and a day longer in leap-year. I imagine some of you saying, "Just tell me how I can come to God." When the prodigal was "yet a great way off," the father saw him. He was looking for his boy to return in a cer- tain road. As soon as he entered it, the father not only saw him, but ran and met him in the way. Our heavenly Father is looking for every pro- digal to return in a certain road, which is Christ. "I am the way, the truth and the life. No man cometh to the Father but by me." The moment a sinner comes to Christ by faich that moment the Father meets him in Christ, gives him the kiss of reconciliation and adopts him as a son. There is an instrument invented by Edison called the microphone. It augments sound to .such an extent that the tread of a fly on paper is as the march of an army. It increases sound so that the grazing of cattle can be heard sev- eral miles. The augmentation of the feeble effort of any soul to come to God is much greater. If you vvill sent up an earnest petition for help, it will ring out in the Father'.s ear louder than thun- der and sweeter than seraphim, and there will be joy in the presence of the angels of God over a sinner who has repented. THE BRAZEN SERPENT ; OR THE SAVING -«st'tt^roV5l^.?SSt?d7r4i" the wilderness, even so about the reqtaremenfs for th° F.^ ^^"^^^''*^J.?e Master after listenfnl. [ -^^ ^"^"^^ ^'^^- The him by decTJn^TeZust tV'"''''''"'''' ''^''^'^' once became anxion. T^ i ^?''" ^^^^"- He at ceive this change oi 1 ea f aL^Tr '^ "^J^""' ''' plain it in a olain w.l .. ^r"^ ^'^^' ^"^ to ex- tention to the cure oi7h'w.f^^%''' ^"^^' ^is at- ject with which Vili ^'^^^" Israelites, a sub- his childhood ^^'^^^^^""^ ^as familiar from iik?N^Su'! r aiVou^^^"^^"^^^^-' ^^■'-• birth. If there are Zl?u ^° ^^'"^^ ^^is new tration and prav thaT a nt bf '^^^ ^'"^^^^ ''^"- to your souls^s^t dtd to thnf o7 v"^ T^^' ^^'"^ we believe that „ o-hV ' '^^ ^ ^'icodemus, for day is wuh the Tirij':::r "'"'"'''' -^ •"- by way of the Red Sea Z H^"" ""r" "°^' people spake apainsfGod »L '"""''■ " ''''"' They murmured ,r,L ? f^ aRa.nst Mose.-." They »e^ trav'elW ,.™';^''"'"S. rebellious. pro^ised"1aurit"1,o;rt^r*rrd'-T,lr..''' •-arts sick. In the wiidVss\":?e wfs „o w " 83 ter, or it was bitter; Moses was getting old and some oi their leaders had died ; they were ex- posed to their enemies ; then there was no bread, or it was light bread and so, forgetful of God's deliverances in the past, they cried out, " Would God we had died in the land of Kgypt," and the prayer was ansrvered for God sent fiery serpents among them, which Lit tnem so that " much people of Israel died." In their great torment tlxe stricken Israelites called unto God and said, " We have sinned," and (;od commanded Moses to make a serpent of brass to put on a pole so that every wound- ed person might look upon it and receive healing. This was the subject Christ opened out to Nic- odemus and made explanation that " As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoso- ever believeth on Ilim should not perish." Nico- demus at once understood this great Evangeli- cal type. He stood in the shadow of the cross. Now, this truth is the central truth of the world's history. It is the very foundation stone of our history. The Christian's life is Christ's deatli. The Christian's title to heaven is Christ's cross. In the light of the Scriptures let us observe some of the correspondences between this type and the antitype, between the remedy for the bitten Israelite and the one for sin. I. The disease 7vas fatal. Whenever an Israel- ite was bitten, the virulent poison sped on its deadly progress through the veins, turning the currents of life into swelling tides of fire. The body became intensely inflamed ; the victims writhed with the scorching of an insatiable thirst, and in a short time died. 6i bu/Ttirs" Paul Lo %?"^^'^^^°" '' - true, mans to proved v?. /^""^ -chapters of Ro^ the nery cfarTs of " tha? nu" ^'^ ^"" ^^^''^ ^^ devil.-' No tit°e betw m'^ '^^'"^ '^^^^^^ i^ the than this U 7i "^"^ describes his cliaracter any beS Xl eVd^"^ jj i'^T "'^'^'^ ^^-" can ''ontclimb the 1 onkev n ;'^'-''' ^'" "^ ^^ path t./ore 'i ,pri„„t ^v^ " '?°"''"-» '" °»■■ deadlv kiss is clutc^^lf o[,'-,™™'" '«"- 'ts tlieir burnini lieit anM r L '^ ' seraphnn," for old fiery seUT-l'utL d Ja'tl '" f}i """^ The sim,cr° do th Z'"' " ?]'*" '»^" that of the Israelites oL" °'"" ''■''"''"' «» 1 knew hini well fnr- i,^ , "->'"'^- my church- L Ha ^ ^^ '""^f ^» attendant of liberaHy to our d ffL^nf7 !," ^'= ^'^ contributed world h^e wa^L exemDlar^ '^^ '^' ^-^^'' «^ the I enterprlTh-f"i 1 P, '^-^ voun^ man. .yUaU^'trie tt:!t l?Z::' "■■■;" '-in, aud of Jesus. '^ approaching end, dropp.„,^f„„hispa,,id7a^en„d't,';:d'teTot say ' I can't d was le, dyiiiff. he wailed, " Oh ! I can't die. .fl; It 65 ?4 '' U See ! I haven't a pain. I,eave me ! I,eave me ' Your b ack clothes makes me think of death and Oh ! I have not looked to Jesus." In vain I tried to soothe his dying moments as one comforts a distracted child, but I had to leave him praying that a kind God would have mercy on his soul. Like the priest in Marmion 1 was forced to confess, " By many a deathbed I have been. And many a sinner's parting seen, But never aught like this." Ere I reached home, his soul had passed to its eternal doom. His last words were, " Tell Mr. Murphy, I believe there is a God, but I never prayed." I could not write one word to comfort the heart of the sorrowing mother across the seas in her English home. Yes ! the death of the sin-stung soul is pain- ful. II. It is noteworthy that God did not remove the disease He answered not in the letter, but in the spirit of the prayer for the snake-demons were allowed to remain. He simply provided a remedy. Is not this what he has done with sin ? The same evil is in the world that existed before Christ was lifted up on the cross. In His omnipotent wisdom, He has left the disease and provided the salvation. III, There was a resemblan •>. between the mal- ady and the cure. God commanded Moses to make a "fiery serpent and set it upon a pole," This was to be of brass, the colour of the reptii, and was made into the same shape. Sin is OUT fatal sickness and when God provid- ed the restorative. He had His beloved Son 66 ■"?". ""t was yet without s?,; '" '"'""'" ^■'' » immodSc 7:"'" ^rVT',"": They wanted au ?ie .?.:i; £rtF ™^™=^ "^«s qtiirements a"ii-»iy mei: dii these re- «° ">^ '--.V,Patriarch,°the"learn"d pVuS^^' fac lo tjf^n f °^ liRhtninff. What can be more ThV, [^ V"^ moment for thee. rniL^'- """r- '°°^ ""^° Him and be sav'd Lnto Kim who was nailed to the tree " .7^^ 1^^''' "'f^ "" ^'^'^'' remedy. No doubt thev It is a strange fact that the adoration of •7 Aesculapius, the Greek God of healing, was al- ways connected with serpent worship. In many of the ethnic religions the serpent was adored as the symbol of life. In the case of the Israel- ites, they could only be healed by looking at the serpent of brass. Regarding sin, there is but one healing balm : it is believing in Jesus Christ. Some folk con- tend if they pay their debts, or follow the dic- tates of their conscience, or lead a good moral life, these things will save them. They are very reasonable, I admit, but utterly futile to save the soul. You can have no health but from the cross. " Neither is there salvation in any other; for there is none other name under heaven giv- en among men whereby we must be saved." This salvation ir more than this. It is a death-blow to Satan. It is the bruising of the serpent's head. VI. The remedy had to be used by the people. They had to look to be saved. Not only this, but each Israelite had to look individually. He could not look by proxy. There was life in a look but the look had to be given. Though God has provided the remedy for sin, we have a personal part to perform, for Faith, Repentance and Salvation must, by their very nature, be individual. VII. Before an Israelite would look upon the serpent, he had to be convinced of his need. It would be necessary for him to know that in a few moments he would die unless cured. The application of this is exceedingly simple. Unless the sinner is persuaded of his need, he will not accept the divine healing. How hard it is to convince men, the fangs of the world's opiates are so deeply fixed in their souls. With (SK SeSfn,°' ',Z'' ?S;.!>; JSj^tenth hou. of Ti^e'. sounded in your ears Thl *' ^" ^'^a^X even now on the wTn?" 2 m.^^'i °' ^«^^^ ^^ aside the worldrSnsel ;.?h ^*"** ^oaxtn, push the Saviour. I would en.t /*"°" *»^ ^urS to and bloody sUat bv h'? ^°" ^y- «» *gony that you come thi, V I "°" ^^^ passion clefts ^f the Rock ?iltcIL'?i '^"^ '^^^^^ i" the Just here. I wo,,ih r, * *"°^ ^* moved, was looking at tSe ser^oent °"'. '° ^'^^ ^»»*t it or even at Moses tV^fT^li^"'* "°^ *t the pole ^ Christ «aysT;ach 'orus ''Lfn.'^" P^°P^^ be ye saved, for I am p«5 ' /'^^^ ""to Me and side Me the^e is no Sod°' T f^'lt '^'^ ^"^^ ^e- souls look on Him who is .^^ ^^^^h our sin-sick our eyes only toThrMan ot, r^' ^" '""^ ^^^^ the clergyman, nor even in .iP^ou^'"^- ^^^'^^ i" save, but onlv in the tvpffi^' ^^""^ ^^^^ «°t be a purblind, dim si^^tl!^ ? -^^'^l"^' ^^ »"*y true, it will brinHife^ Dr r**^^' ^"* ^^ »t be Jay dying, cried out rw S"^"S«»^. when he «/>/.. «^ '•IbelieWw^,/'*'^*'^,^'''. ^''^ with such a faith asTt is •• "^"^^ ^*^^^' ^"^ the?eTs\°'„,*i;L?/Lrwr.°^ *^^ ^^^^^^ states Phic paintinV o? Mo window which has a gra^ to the%r\';:L°erp^„T'«"„VT '^^ ^^^^^^it- three groups. One ^roun l^ '^"""^ f^^^^^ts of who are bitten and^are ^alieadv^r,^'^ °i «^" but have their hacks tnrnl?^^.?^^^ '" ^«ath, other is of men and women J? ^^l P°^"- '^^^ are too much engrossed wTf'w?°/ ^^°"^^ «tung. time to look up^ The tWrH^ ''^'" "^^^^ to take ten, but in the writhfnl AP?"P ^^« also bit- have lifted bloodshot "o5 .,**'"'' ^^^th agonies emblem, and akeadv Srf^^^^"\^° the sacred ances. aireaay joy flushes their counten- 69 m We have these three classes in our churches to day. Not painted on glass windows, but sit- ting in the pews. Those who have turned their backs on the Cross of Christ, we call the infi- dels. We have in the second class the man of the world, and the woman of fashion, too busi- ly occupied to look to Christ, and in the lust group those who have believed savingly. There is yet another class not delineated in this window. The deadly virus has penetrated their central springs. They are those who are looking only at cheir wounds. Oh, the unutter- able pathos of it! Beecher says, "A shipmaster might as well look down into the hold of his ship for the North Star, as a Christian look down into his own heart for the Sun of Right- eousness, Out and beyond is the shining." A celebrated English surgeon used to say to his patients, "Take a good look at the wound and then fix your eyes on me and don't take tnem off till I get through." IvCt me affectionately ask, which class are YOU in? Be honest with your heart. Do not rest satisfied with a doubtful "hope," or a "maybe." vSettle the matter now and for eternity. May you be led to look with soul-saving trust upon the Cross, and drink into your in- most soul the precious mystery there presented. Amen. Ttf THE PASSOVER xiLlT"" ' '^ "'« '''-^^ I -i" -- over yo„.--Kxodu« Plete than he o.^ to „ llf ' n""' '" ^nor.%m. brutally oX""l them"'"^^^ ''' ''"^^"'•- -'- I should obey H rt^i::';'„ 7^ ^1- Lord that not the I.ord neUherlln r i^^^l ^'"^ ^ '^"o^' let IsraelVo '' ?Iere w^ / ^ °nu^ ^^" ^^^^ to positively th.t h^A ^ '"''''^ Pharaoh declaritiir In John i ^lo we retd ''h'^''"' ^'' ^"^'^^«*- and the xvoTld\,y^m!A^u ^^."^^ J" the world knew Him notT' You see ^t^r* ^",^. '^^ ^^'"^^ cognized Christ. We a^e told T'n J^^T' "^- world is vSatan f« «?», ^^ told the God of this bondage ' ^ '"^^"'^ ^^^ unconverted are in th^saf„:^^:f^^[,^%?--/.^tes were guilty of -re their g^ an^^^^r^iS^'i^^ '^'^ Joshua xxiv ta "p,.^^ ^K>pts sins, their sins. fathers irvVd on tL nf.^^ ^^^ *^°^^ ^^^^h your in Kgypt - - In E vnt tf ''''^^ "^ the flood, and peopirwhich^i. ^^r.:i^^^^^^^^^^^^ li < h I :' i '.I i V-l chapter of Kzekiel. Before conversion, believers were guilty of the same sins as the unconverted. They look back with deepest sorrow when the iniquities of the world were theirs. Take one more analogy. While in Egypt, the Israelites were exposed to the condemnation of Kgypt. God said, "Upon all the gods of Egypt will I execute judgment." It was not until they took refuge beneath the blood that they were safe. Ivikewise, all out of Christ before they had accepted Him, were under the judgment of God. John i. i8. "He that believeth not is condemned already." Whereas, the position of Israel in Egypt corresponds to the situation of the unre- deemed, we must remember that their deliver- ance is typical of the salvation by the blood of Christ. I Peter i. i8, 19, "Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed by corruptible things such as silver and gold from your vain conversa- tion, received by the tradition of your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot." In Corinthians v. 7, we read, "C .r -t our Passover is sacrificed for us." Again, there must have been a quarter of a million lambs slain on that night, and yet, we never find the word "lambs." "KilJ iV — one grand unblemished substitute of the Ivamb of God. We need no further evidence to show us that the Passover is symbolic of salvation. The salvation of the Israelites depended upon one thing. They were commanded to kill the lamb, put the blood in a basin and go inside. In all, they were told to do twenty things, *»««— taking refuge beneath the blood. God did not say "When I see you with staff in your hand," but 72 H:dX"o\Lte?\r oti^^^^^ ^-» -- you... ted this ine. the W w ""^eteen and omit- by a sudden'suok'^^fi-^nel^e? '*^" ^'^^^ ^'^^ upon one. It is tSf r.?°'' ^"^""^^ ^^^^g^. but You ask, to whS \e^^"n ^*^"\^^ the blood. things reference.? I reDlvU ^^^^ ^^^^ nineteen important part in th^dhHef *^*7 ^^^^ * ^«'y before us is that of ! hf ^" ^*^^- ^^^ picturV pi^e. ree y for se^vite ?^i°^^*^" ^« P^^^"*^'^ God's Commandment?' fu^ t^° ''^ ^^^ way of fession of salvatTon 1"^ ^"^^ ^ ""^ *^"'" P^^" dependent upon tWs ^^ salvation is not ''S^et^rdaytereat^nV^"^'/"^ upon the first day of the we.i ^^i?^ ^^^^d' «^en eaven out of your houL^ fn/^t" ^^ P"* away leaven bread from the se!^n.r^?°'^^' ^^^eth shall be cut off from the con7r.l .-^^^ ^^^^ ^^^^ . teaven in the Bible is T^F^^}''''' of Israel." " emblematical of eViJ ^^^T °^ ^^^^^dness; it couimanded to put all sin nf f f ^"' therefore, salvation is not dependent Z f u"^ ^'''^^- ^u^ fication is. for if ^w" are ch.r-^V • "^ °"^ ^*«<=ti- hearts. we shall be c^t ^':f,^^^"«hiug sin in our God. This is an Siom ?n th^^ •'^'°^M«ion with be engraved on our heats' Th.'"^'"^ ^'^*- ^^y it salvation, though intimntliJ ^"J^^"'^"* of our sonal noliness. is not ?hf ^^ connected with per- Being under the coveV of ^'th'.'nf^ ""/''' ^h^"^- would not save him ^'^^'ZJZ',^^ 73 1 II ■w 'lis I it 1«: '■■ appointed victim was slain and the blood sprink- led on the door-posts: he must take shelter therein. dear soul, it will not save you to un- derstand that Christ has been crucified; and His blood shed for your sins, you must take your position beneath it. Remember, the Jews knew Christ under the veil of types, but were ignorant of His person when He came among them. Judas had great knowledge of Christ, but was a traitor, and your knowledge may only be a torch to light you hellwards. How useless is knowledge without practice, as if we should know a sovereign batei and not use it. You ask me to tell you how you can come into this refuge. It is a noteworthy fact that one of the radical meanings for faith is that of "taking shelter beneath." So when we receive Christ as our Saviour, and put all our trust in Him, we are then taking shelter beneath His blood. We are fleeing from God by fleeing to God. TTi^ Israelites were commandid to apply the blood with hyssop Whv? Because hyssop was the commonest plant in all Egypt. It was acces- sible to everyone. Now, hyssop is symbolical of faith, and God wants us to applv His blood by that which we all pos.sess. Nothing so common as faith! It is the instinct of all humanity. In faith the farmer sows his seed when yet there are frosty skies and naked trees. The sailor has faith in his compass needle, and so he ventures into the pathless seas without fear. The backbone of the social and commercial fabric is faith. It is the foundation stone of every hapnv home. It is the pillow we sleep on. "Faith is the vital arterv of the soul." Now, bv this same common faith we must appropriate Christ to be ours. Then take God at His word and te- 74 ceive the full message— nothing short of it, "He that belie veth in Jesus shall never perish,'' It might be advisable just here to consider the fundamental principles of the Israelites' deliver- ance. They consisted of three things: I. The blood being sprinkled upon the lintel and door-posts. II. Their taking refuge beneath that blood. III. The word of God. Our salvation includes the same three charac- teristics, viz.: the blood of Christ which has been shed upon Calvary; our t; king refuge beneath it, and the testimony of Goa which says, "When I see the blood, I will pass over you." It is quite possible, then, that we may know that we are safo. And suffer me now to halt before taking you a stage further, for there is a sad lack of soundness and clearness on this vital part. There are many good people who confound sal- vation and assurance. They tell us that it is mipossible to know that we are saved, and there are others equally positive and equally good who say that we cannot be saved unless we are sure of it. Let us suppose that we are out in Egypt on that terrible night in which all the first-born were laid low by the stern messenger of eternal justice. We are sight-seeing. Let us enter this tent. There is a great deal of blood on the door. We notice the mother's face has a haunted look, one of dumb fear, and the father is di.«^ racted bv uncertainty. We ask if tl ey are safe, and they reply. "We wish it were morning." With them it is night of darkest portent. Their souls shrink from the hurricane of vengeance that is to sweep vehemently over Egypt at the midnight hour. We leave them and go into another blood-be- < tb *cirt ??i **?*V,^*^ ^^ *^* '*'^*' i^ h« " safe, Certainly" he replies, "Did you not see the blood on the hntel and door-posts as you came m? and Ood has said, 'When I see the blood, I will pass over you.' We have come in here to feast, not to fret." All is profound peace and tranquility within this blood-stained lintel. Thev cannot see the blood for they are inside, but Je- hovah can see it, and that is sufficient. They set It to their seal that God was true Now, which of these families is the safer? There is no difference. Their salvation is not dependent upon their feelings, it is resting upon no such sandy foundation. God did not tell the angel to consider their feelings-«^Mm^ ^/ /yj^ mark of the blood But which of these families IS the happier? Ah! there is a great difference! Ihe one with assurance has much more joy than the other, but mark you, no more security. Learn, then, O Christian, that it is your privi- lege to have assurance. This is no nineteenth century discovery "patented" by any body of Uinstians. It is the same age as the Passover. It was upon this rock that St. Paul built his letter to the Romans. Salvation Is a matter of position, assurance is one of knowledge The Christian with assurance can say "We know that we have passed from death unto life," and again We hiow that we are of God," but let us be- ware lest we clip the fair proportions of the tTOspel and measure the knowledge of poor be- lieving souls troubled with doubts and misgiv- ings, with the faith of our own, or other Chris- tians^ If the faith of such an one only enables him to touch the hem of Christ's garinent, he Shall be saved as completely and eternally as St. As the Patriarchs of old had money in their 7C i5nn«Nv«" MICROCOPY RESOLUTION TEST CHART (ANSI and ISO TEST CHART No. 2) 1^ 130 2.8 3.2 1 4.0 2.5 2.0 1.8 ^ APPLIED IM/IGE Ir 1653 East Main street Rochester. New York 14609 USA (716) 48J - 0300 - Phone (716) 288- 5989 - Fox 1. 1 e .• ^ the Orient day-spring. There is a quietus to each mistrustful thought. True, every fibre of his affection is wrung, but his faith does not totter. Jehovah- J ireh sustains him. He believes that God will provide even if He has to raise Isaac from the dead. Abraham's religion is no modern-day emasculated thing. The trial is long and painfully drawn out, but the tragic mountain is reached at last. An altar is built of clay and stones. Then comes the final tug. Abraham tells his son of the divine man- date, and Isaac submits himself to be bound hand and foot like an animal, and to be laid upon the altar. Josephus says he was five-and twenty; the Rabbins make him older. A supple - sinewed youth, full of lusty courage, he could have beaten his way free from the detaining hand of his aged father, but he does not resist. He is silent "as a lamb to the slaughter." There is a deep quiet for a moment. Abraham looks up and listens, but the skies are brass. The awful com- mand is not countermanded. Legend says: "Tears of angels fell upon his face and made his countenance ever afterwards sad." A moment only, the death-dealing blade flashes in the sun like the flaming sword that kept the way of the tree of life. It descends strong and sure in horrible stroke of immola- tion, but never was falling hand caught more suddenly. Twice was his name spoken as in thunder, but clear and startling, "Abraham, Abraham, lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou anything unto him; for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not with- held thy son, thine only son, from me." The bitterness of death is past. The joy 84 r ""ith 'thr^v of "aat» "n "".' -"parable arch's "ei°remiU-"was "S'""- '^^^ '»'"" goats of the rock V. faj J^?deH ""'' "" *"'' »ide, Lari4 Hi.^wrcro"," F?o'J;%r''»'^'" ence called Jehovah T,>Jh«\.? ""^ '"""- across the vale of th.™'.! ■*'"'aham looked of Christ This s wh»t A''^^""" ^aw the day said, "Your father lKf,''"^*.'"=»"t »''■»» hi day; and h/saw^U a^d'wXaa'""" " ^" »>- ed;!,p:tS„vi«ra&t^-,?"'^-^^ own ^"^^^^ the dyitiff agonies of a child of mv girl, if such could be NoTtni7h..'^-f?' ^'\^^ somethiuff of theJron^ • -V ^ « ''^^ ^ ^^^lize "ling oi tfte strong, virile suffering of God, 85 m 'i^ t the Father. We talk of this subject as if it were not anything very particular; we have heard it so often that it sounds commonplace. It should not be so. It is a subject that thrills the angels with wonder. lyct us observe, in the second place, that God is a provision for salvation. None else could atone for sin. You doubtlesi have heard the atonement illustrated by the ca.'^e of an innocent school-boy offering himself to be whipped in the place of a guilty one. This, to my mind, is an unfair illustration of the vicarious sufferings of Christ. It is not in harmony with it. God did not provide any man, or even an angel. This had been a great injustice. No! He provided Him- self. It was God in Christ who made the sacri- fice, and this is the reason why God is not only just, but the Justifier of all who believe in Him. God has a right to do an injustice to Himself: He would not have been in tormenting an angel who gave himself up for the good of humanity. The Unitarian professes an inability to accept the doctrine of substitution on the premises that it violates his sense of moral justice. He re- volts, he says, from the doctrine of an innocent victim bearing the sins of the world. In other words, the Unitarian would, measure God's love and wisdom with his own little measure. It was the tfme of the plague. There was no remed}' except what might be found by examin- ing the body of one who had died of the loath- some disease. It meant certain death to the operator. Dr. Guyon said, "T ^v'\\\ attempt it in the name of humanity and re jn." He did so, put his observations on paper, and in twelve hours was dead. No one blamed him or said the sacrifice was too great, but had Dr. Guyon fore- ed a subordinate to perform the work it had then been quite a different matter. ' ^^ Jiut why quibble or worry about the m^/A^^ to have aThe^?.''f''^ T ?°^"^' ^° ^ laboratory n eL pail w^i T^^'''' ?^ th« -ater he had water %Lr. . u^ '''^''^^ '^ to drink the Thoidd bf Z f°' ^° ^^ practical, the atonement sliould be made a matter of personal appropria- sorof'chH!i".*K ''^\t ^^°"°"^ °"^- I" the per- There neve?Hv.d ^^f'' ^^^^ "^ ^ P^^^^^t man. xnere never lived such a man before or since He snrpassed the perfection of Adam in the maiestic unocence of Eden. When viewed as maT^even the unbelievers admired his excellence S) greatly that they almost adored Him. They said ^'Never man spake like this man." Christ was not only perfect man, but perfect God so Tn order morr^impl^.^^ Provide^God. I LTot^u^t difnot^dk'' tII°? provided was effective. Isaac vlin nt,!' ^^^.l^"^^ provided did not bleed in vam. One sacrifice sufficed. This is our rr.-^ fort m the death of Christ. We benevinn„" Jesus Christ, shall not be punished for ou" ^sii ^^^::^^prti^^Smr^.t:i^:-^ change was .submitted to Napolean and accented" A battle took place and the man was shot ^nZ. wSi'tef '' '"°!,''^. ^'^'' --'^ made fnd r; wanted a second time to takp fho «iot t ^ substitute was killed. He rlttJt go" He'd" 87 clared he was legally dead, because his substi- ture was shot. The matter was submitted to the Emperor once more, who, faithful to his own word and justice, said the man was right. I imagine some of you are reasoning thus: "If Christ has already taken our place and the Father has accepted His death as a sufficient atonement for sin, then all the human race are saved." Let me answer this by another illustra- tion. At the close of the Indian Mutiny, Queen Vic- toria signed an act of indemnity to all the mutineers. As far as the Queen was concerned, her part was complete, but not one of those men enjoyed the efiect of that pardon until they ac- celled to her appointed terms, which were, throw- ing down their arms and submitting to her auth- ority. Though Christ's atonement is a finished work, we do not benefit thereby until we cease to rebel and come under His rule. Will you not do so now? Will you not rise up early and obey? I would persuade you to cast aside every pretext, to break through every bar- rier and come under His government. You will find His yoke easy and His burden light, and the peace that passeth all understanding will abund- antly possess your soul. Learn, in the third place, that Christ will pro- vide in everv extremity of life. "God did tempt Abraham." The word "tempt" here should read "try." Abraham had accepted God for the sake of His gifts, now he is asked to give up the gifts and accept God for Himself alone Abraham was outwardlv a prosperous man, and yet his life was one long succession of trials. It was a trial when he left his father's home to seek a home in Mesopotamia— a trial when he left Egypt— a trial when he parted from I.ot-a trial about S>odom and Gomorrah-a trial over Haear and no IS'.lr /.'^l7^'^ °^^ ^^^ ^^« «^<=hed and Ibraw"^ ^ "" '''''' '^^"^^ ^°^ ''^^ ^""I^^ "Trials," says Meyer, "are God's vote of con- fidence in us " Without trials we can be but theorists. God tries us that we m- y rise on the fhiSr."^"^ °'''' °^ °"^ '^'^^ ''^ ^« t° nobler ioir? riU°" ^" undergoi.g trial to-night, re- joice. God has a great blessing in store for you His provision is near at hand-the ram in tlie v^^i .V^''^°'^^>^• ^^°"Sli you see it not. Be- nind the frowning providence God has veiled a shining face. We get our best things in life out of sufiering and pain. Has the Lord called you to lav your most costly thing on the altarf Has He Vequired you your affections, to support and care for those to whom you are naturally bound? Without a word of cheer, are you standing unnoticed at the post of duty, pouring out your very heart's blood? Are you broken under some crushing calamitv to ^ch'i^ «5'^'^ ^°^^ ^'^'' ^"d brlin a^d Lu° ache under the merry laugh that covers the raw soreness it would hide? Then do not falter. The quality of the metal IS ascertained by what it can do and bear Do not stop short of the mount of sacrifice for there there. Like .-.braham, withhold nothing, and voii will gam everything. ^ - ^ It is said that gardeners, when they would bring a rose to fuller bloom deprive uTor a season of light and moisture. Silent and dark it stands drooping, one leaf fading after another lv\ ti iff (I'M »*9 i Wf and seeming to go patiently down to death. But when every leaf has fallen and the plant stands stripped to the uttermost, a new life is even then working in the buds, from which shall spring the tender foliage and a brighter wealth of flowers. So often in celestial garden- ing every leaf of earthly joy must drop before a new and divine bloom visits the soul. Grecian mythology said that the fountain of Hippocrene was struck out by the foot of the winged horse Pegasus. I have often noticed in life tliat the brightest and most beautiful fount- ains of spiritual life have been struck out by the iron-shod hoof of some calamity or disaster. Bunyan, in his prison, could not understand why God should thus allow him to be shut up from his work for the best twelve years of his life, his soul longing to preach the gospel, and thousands waiting to hear. He could not see then what is now plain, that by the "Pilgrim's Progress" he there wrote, he has been preaching to millions instead of thousands, and for centuries instead of years. If you go to the engine rooms where the elec- tric force is generated for our trolleys, you will find it is generated entirely by friction. Great wheels are constantly revolving and producing the electric force by rubbing together. So God often deepens our spiritual force ^y tests and trials which throw us upon Him, and compel us to take more of His life and strength. "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations," for "Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried he shall receive a crown of life." ,S^ so I » I THE GREAT SUPPER " Come ; for all things are now ready."— Luke xiv. 17. a J?^® ;s the invitation incorporated in the Par- tvt n }u' f'^^J- ^"PP^^- ^l^i^l^ parable is a iinr« i^ treatment the gospel receives. It is mi^H f f ^ '"''^* practical and interesting manner. A common action of everyday life is used to explain the different features of God's salvation for sinners. The circumstance is that of a ^reat feast to rnrlnl T'^^'^'^'^J ^^*^ ^^^^"' «°«^ ^i whkh are on. ^ 1 r^°*'''" "j""^^^- Th« type is a good one. A feast at once suggests the supplying of an essential need-food. The nourishmenVfor^he f\tl« '^°^'" ° ./" ^^' ^'^^' ^« "marrow and "wine on the lees well refined." It is a "ereat" he?^'«nd''^T'.li' '•'^' ^°"^^ ^^^ treasures of grace here and all the inconceivable glories of grace hereafter. It was provided by ''a certain man ' who represents the Creator."^ But leaving the drapery of the parable, let us attend to the in terpretation thereof. The guests are bidden to "come." In the Bible this imperial word occurs six hundred ind seventy-eight times. In Genesis we hear its per- TZ" 'T'^ "^r^ *^°" ^"'l a" thy house^n. D the ark," and in Revelations its trumpet- Laven""?^h°"' ''T f' u'^^^^^'' thronS of ^ ,;..., *P^^'^* ^"^ the bride say 'Come ' and let him that heareth say 'come.' an^d Ittum 91 that is athirst cone." Other words push, this beckons. Yet, sometimes, it almost commands, and then it means that there is pleasure and provision held in store for you. When King Ed- ward invites quests to his royal banquets, h»^ "commands" their presence— an" exact parallel of the invitation to the gospel feast. See first in this subject that the invitation was treated as a matter of no moment. "They all with one consent began to make excuse." Note the word "make." Their excuses were manufac- tured. The first man said, "I have bought a piece of ground and must needs go and see it; I pray thee have me excused." What a flimsy apology! The land was not rolling stock and would ha/e stayed where it was. This was a costly piece of ground. It weighed just as much as his soul. Esau got a mess of pottage, and the price of Judas was 517.20. sirs, how much do you cost? The second pretext v^as, "I have bought five yoke 01 oxen and I go to prove them." Quite as frivolous an excuse! The time to try the oxen was before he purchased them. The third puts forth the plea, "1 have married a wife and therefore I cannot come." "I will not," says an o. preacher, clothes itself '"n "I ^u"^,°^" J'^^ ^^^'^ *^"^ "s *hat "A man's foes shall be those of his own household." Thus Peter would have held Christ back from the cross There is sometimes an insidious danger in a happy home. Loving friends often restrain one from what they call "sacrifices." When Palamedes came to Ithaca to invite I lysscs to join the expedition against Trov, the latter unwilling to engage in the undertaking^, betook himself to ploughing the sand and so. - 92 ing salt, on the pretence of being visited with msanity. There are multitudes as insane as 'Jlysses who hetake themselves to work as in- sane, and all in the way of pretence, to excuse themselves from th. call of God. Now these three men ollered "excuses," not "reasons," for there is a diderence. Reason pre- cedes a conclusion, an excuse follows one. Eve partook of the tree of life because it was plea- sant to the taste— this was her reason, but she gave as excuse "The serpent be^'uiled me," When we excuse ourselves, we accuse ourselves. It is Satan's trade to help us with excuses. "If you will fire the gun, Satan will alwavs keep vou provided with ammunition " Now, the excuses that kept these invited guests away all relate to objects laudable in themselves, but the heart will smother under laudable things almost as quicklv as under sin. If vou are hon- est with yourself you will find that the objections which hold you back resolve themselves into the exci:ses of those who were bidden to the feast. The piece of land represents the excuse Wealth oilers, but it is an evasion which will burn up like chaff in the fiery ordeal of the last day, for many rich men such as Solomon, Da id and Abraham served God Do not, I beseech vou, trample on your never- dving souls for the ' hings of time and sense which perish with the usinji Do not reject the feast for husks and speno "money upon that which is not bread and labor ior that which satisfieth not." Let not the fal?* glare of wealth dazzle you with its gilded vision and its treacherous glow. Its lights lead n where, and" are quenched in darkness. The plea of the five yoke of oxen is the business excuse of the twentieth c_ntury. Business ever t-l our cJe?it V ?th ' '"' '°"T" ^''^"^ reputation. «vmVi?Ki ^ ?^ »o"ety, and undertaking of un vortl^ ^*r "'''.• ^ ""^•"•^^ «^" is invofved in a vortex of anxieties. The din and whirl of lifj ^How'ilZ'nkf"' r ^" '-'ymanLod' ,..«♦' i '.*"'?'**' »^ >t possible that I can ac- cept an invitation to the gospel feast be it ever so pressinfT. No! I pray thee have me'e^uid^'' ur^ed? ""rhJ" ^^"^ ^*''* ^^'"'^ ^^°"t t^»e ^ife often re?v\'no^L?oTd%r tt^^?. °' ^^^ ^--'-^'> m JJ'^^iw? "'^-^L "^"^^' ^* "°^ and then hear Jibtlefv ^£" ?h'. ^^^'^ »°"^^ metaphysical doctriii o? -Ii '♦•' *° ^^'' °^ P^'^aPS it is the Th.:« , ^ ejection over which they stumble These clever people say, "If I am born to be hou?d°J t"^r'^ ^",i ^%*^^ °"*^°*"^ *«^ why fir off i ^u ^"-^ *'^°''*- " ^«t me say to you wfth f M *^' ^^' ""^°n^erted have nothing to do with this doctrine. It is a household truth for Fn !f7" ^^Tti ^* " °'^Jy mentioned in the Thi If' t"^.*?'r *^« adaressed to the Church The gospel with its "whosoevers" is for you ,•», ♦»."'%f' '^*^* ^^^"-^^ t^at there are hypocrites with it^K"''^ ^"^'^^y ^^" ^^^'^ n°thin7 to do ^itht because o such. We sorrowfully admit , t v^'J ^^^ allegation, but answer that iris tv Thf ^ iT'°" ^?' '^' ^^J^^ti°" of Christiai itv The existence of counterfeit money would be no reason for refusing genuine coin. Indeed the strongest proof that could be produced for the 1^uT\''^ good money is that there is counter! eit afloat, and the fact that there are hypocrites IS a strong argument for true Christianity ••But," savs another, "there are «n t^a«,, thing, in the creed to which I can„"t a«^nt "^ You need believe but two things-nSmelyf ?hat " Christ Jesus came into the world tc save si.iners and tliat you are one of tl"?m. In the course of my pastoral i; istry, 1 hud many strmfje excuses fjiven me. vJne mar iaid he had alwavs been accustomed to wear a .silk hat to church in his younjjer davs but now that he had fallen on bad time.s and could not afford one, he must not think of poinjj. Another, who has since passed to the judgment bar of Uod. gave as his exr for refusing Christ's -j^I- vation, the "injus\ < of the verse in Exouus which reads, "And ' . Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh." The truth of the matter is, if you pull down the fence from a man's excuse, he immediately g-ets behmd another. They are but the dams that hold back smful lusts. People want this and want that, but what they want— is the will You do not desire to follow Christ. Who will dare to state the real facts? In the hidden recesses of your inmost being, you know it is because you are a worldling, a drunkard, ambitious, self- ughteous, that you follow after hectic lust. You unde stand quite well that you are in eager cha: >f the gilded baubles the world is holding out its deluded myriads. You are pursuing the will-o-the-wisps and wilfully shutting your eyes to the day-star. Perhaps I" have not touch- ed your excuse but God can see through your coat or cape to the secret reason written on your heart. There is another excuse. It is not often given in words but is expressed in action. It IS the excuse that the future will do to accept God's invitation. The call does not admit of such a reply. It is "Come for all things are now ready." Delay is the craftiest net of Satan. 95 It IS a terrible quicksand out of which there are few escapes. If you are hugging to your heart this enormous folly, let me tell you what is hard to-day will be harder to-morrow. Pro- crastination is the fatal cradle wherein Satan will rock you off to sleep and death. Resolve now to come and do not let your resolve erow mouldy "To-day if you will hear His voice, harden not your heart." It mav be too late to- morrow for "The Bird of Time'has but a little way to flutter— and the bird is on the wing." Uarn further from this subject that the prayer of the invited guests was answered. They said 1 pray thee have me excused," and the host ex- u ,?"! ' . ^"it"^ °^ ^^""^^ *»en which were bidden shall taste of my supper." Thev despised grace and so forfeited it. Do not, mv brethren, offer this praver a moment longer. God swore that Israel should not enter into His rest, and it might be possiblr that you, too, could finally outrage His love. God may take you at vour word and nail you to the cross of your sin. Ivearn once more from the subject that the feast was furnished. The master bade his ser- vants go out into the highwavs and bring in the fJn7^|j"f P^"""' }^^ common beggars, and the wild Bedomns of the streets. "Grace," says irencn, no more endures a vacuum than na- u *^o ^ ?: ^^ ^^^^ "° provision for defeat, but Satan has always a few ghosts of dead dan- gers to scare timid saints in the night. The servants were bidden to "compel" the peo- ple to come in. This is the Church's work-to compel men to come to Christ, not by the com- pulsion of force but by the urgency of love for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal And as the church is made up of individuals, it means 96 that this work is to be done by you or the blood of souls will be on your skirts. Our prayers need feet. We are all suffering from the torpor bred by decrepitude. We are asking, "How shall we gain the masses?" We need to lay to our hearts the practical, if rough advice of an American, "Go for them." Too often we are compelling them to stay away. W^e compel the poor to stay away from the services of God's house by our high pew rents. A man who gets ten or twelve dollars a week with which to support his family, and has to pay a quarter of his income in rent, cannot be a heavy contributor to church fimds. Or if the pew rents are moderate, he cannot afford to be bullied into buying tickets to church entertainments. The laborers are coming to look upon religion as a rich man's luxury. They say we clergy talk too mxich about heaven and too often dodge the is- sues of earth. We do not live enough in the throbbing present. It is astonishing how many congregations are preached out of church by those of us who have mediaeval temperaments and tastes. Chauncey Depew rightly observes, "Doctrinal differences which were so prominent in times past and were so well studied and Under- stood, no longer interest the pews." If we could look into the hearts of the people before us, with their tragedies, temptations, foul sins, hid- den secrets, lofty inspirations, and feverish anx- ieties, how differently we would meet them! We lack imagination. We lack love. It is only when the ministers of Christ are lovingly inter- ested in the poor and the outcast that they will in turn be interested in the cause of religion. Before leaving this subject of the great supper, I would like to lay before you two documents for 97 fc your signature. They were drawn up by the late ^^li °°1y u^^"" ^^ P"*^h«d on this subject 1 shall quote his words. "Suppose here wc iust K^Tt,^ '''"^^^ °^ the invitation. ^To-'S fraver on tT'"-" ^^^'^^^"i"^ i« your house of FnX.- f^ ^''^"'"^ °^ ^ received a pressing seni ft H ^''''" °"" °^ >^°"^ «^^^^"ts to^be pre? teS Son I T'"'T '"PP^^ °^ >'°"^ °«^y begot- wL, 11 P^^y t^ee accept my excuse.' Now k fn^h^ -T"" ^?'^^"^ ^"d t^ke a pen and dTt; It in the ink and put his name to that? I can magine you saying, Xet this right hand for/et mv mout"lf' 'h'f ^^^V°"^"^ '''^-' t« the roo?o toy mouth, before I would be guilty of such a thing; ten thousand times, no.' But I wi?l teU you what you will do. You will ^It up andiro out and make light of the whole thing^ I "t us write out an acceptance: 'To the Kin|' of Hea ^y ^resl'inf iiv?t^?-''^ "^^^^^"^ I rfcefvel't very pressing invitation from one of your mf< sengers to be present at the marriage sunned of your only begotten Son. I hasten tfrepfy^Bv tn^t'hat'%?°'' ' ^^" ^^ P^^-^^»^' Who' wTi^ ThLl 0^?°""^°"^ "P'there says, yes, I will ' Thank God for that. Why shouldnot one Der.on speak for the whole audience?" ^ 9S CROSSING THE RED SEA. "And Mos«s said unto the children of Israel, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord which He will shew to you to-day : for the Eg3q>tiAii8 whom ye have seen to- day, ye shall see them again no more for ever.'' " Wherefore criest thou unto me ? Speak unto the children of Israel that they go forward."— Exodus xiv. 13, 15. These verses have reference to the deliverance of the Israelites from the bondage of Pharaoh, and while their miraculous crossing is not a type of God's salvation for sinners, vet it is a clear and full illustration thereof. Let us study it in this light. The Israelites were a band of fugi- tives fleeing from a murderous enemy. Phar- aoh's intention was to put them to death and to accomplish this he took with him "six hundred chosen chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt and captains over every one of them." Like this people, you who are out of Christ are pursued by your sins. Each one has the mission of death. •'The wages of sin is death." Some of you have begun to feel the terrors of the law. You are not as formerly, a contented bondsman. You pant to be delivered from sin and its consequences. You have been fleeing as best yon can, but as the chasing sins come close your conscience with a quick-ear can hear the cracks of their whips and the sounds of threatening judgment. Your whole being is crying out "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me 99 from the body of this death." Every power of hJ^'"^®/^ ^"Sitive legions were not only pursued by ruthless despots, but they were hopelessly encompassed by insurmountable difficulties Their encampment was besid. the Red Sea betwL two i^r^'j;*''^^"^'!^^^^ "nscalable rocks near JVIig- dol. The sea in front of them was twelve miles rrfd./^or r^^'^^°"' feet deep, with neitheJ bridge nor boats to cross it. To retrace their s eps would be marching into the jaws o'deatT dan.er^? r°P'^.^" ^^' ^^'^ ^^ "^°^^ appalling te?: /^* ^^^" ^''^"^ ^ "^°^« crucial test? Their best prowess was vain. Fear and panic take possession of them and the panting, fright- gulsh^^T^plrS'" °"^ ^^^^"^^ ^-- - '^-r an. souP ' VnV^!^ illustrate your position, un.saved with « ?,. "^ „"" ^^f unhappy border-land hot hrLfi /^ ^"" °^ ^*a^- You can feel the hot breath of your pursuing sins as they strain to strike you with their forked tongues. To face them IS to enter hell. On each side of you are nvl^fJ^^" '''"^^'* '^^"'^ **^ ^i^in« judgment and over these you cannot pass. In front is the aw- ful sea of God's wrath, the waters of which weTe ".^VJ^'i ^J *^' ^^* °^ ^h"«t- "What, then dS tJ yo" say. Just what the Israelites .1 \a I , ^ ^I^Z^^ *° ^°^ because none other could help. And what answer will God irive to your prayer.? The same that He gave the Isra- tZT V l""x? '''^} ^"^ ^^ '^' salvation of the Lord which He will show to you to-day." .^^J^^A^''^^^""^- *^'® '"'^"^^ appear an unwise command. It is as if a general should call a 103 halt just as a charge of cavalry was ibotit to dash down upon his unarmed host It was a command not calculated to tranquilize 'he snir Its of this people. Human nature nu .t' .ter be do^^ something. I„ the anticipat; m oi diffku! %uieTf"^''^V^ "^ legitimate use of means '^ Quiet to qmck bosoms is hell." We have not learned yet that the T.ord shall f.ght for us ^nd Trint ^?°^^ °"^ P^^^^> ^"^ thus we stan.l siX Sao^:^sTo';t;'^^^^^^^^^ -^ ^--t.^. ;;atand stilI,..\inS^ our t^ comSd."T^- faith's supreme moment When the Israelites got quiet they were in a was o°rder?d T ""."'^ ^^^'^^'-- Thrn Mo"et ■ n^ • . ^,^° stretch his rod over the water p?eV U e'.'e''' '"r^, ''''' ^^^"^ t« clutch tleT; prey, the sea sundered and piled up into walls of towering crystal, and the King's highway o saletv and separation was open to Israd ^ ci'^l ^ command to them was to stand still and Z.h "^^^^t.^°" He rco^M provide. His com- t^on He° r' '' '^^'/"'^ ^^^" ^"^ ^^^ the saC Lrus ob/r..F'°I-''''^- . ^^"^^ ^^^th me now and let us obey this divine injunction. In Isaiah IJII:6 we read, "All we like sheen have gone estray we have' turned every man tS his own wav, and the Lord hatli laid on Him the ZT^ .°[ "' ^"•" ^^J^^t is wrong wTth a Sheep that has gone estray ? It is lost Cali vou cfntr^o;"'"^''"^^' ^^"^^"'^ - the cross^? J^an >ou see your sins laid upon Him- all of IT'^ "?.' f, ^'^'^ ^^ ^^^^ ^ I'^t "« hear what was done with them . ' 'He w .ounded for our tr^ns! gressions, He was bruise, for our iniquities the chastisement of our peace was npon^Hm 'and with His stripes xve were healed." Wound for wound, stripe for stripe has already beenlaid on 101 Christ our substitute, lie bured His bosom to re- ceive the stonu of wrath that on His people no blast of the awful temiwst mlKl't strike. "Jehovah bade His sword awake— O Christ, it woke 'jrainst Thee! Thy blood the nainiiijr sword inu.st slake; f hy heart its sheath must be-- AH for mv sake my peace to make, Now sleeps that sword for mt." Look ajrain at God's provided salvation in 2 Cor. V. 21. . . r i.« "For He hath made Him to be sm for us who knew no sin; that we miRht be made the nght- eousness of God in Hitn." Can you see Christ on the cross not only l)carin}: your sin, but made your sin? Then read the punishment for sin "The soul that sinncth it shall die" Was not Christ when He was made vour sin pat to death. Do you not see how God's law was perfectly obcvcd and that God is "the .Tustiiic" of him that believcth in Jesus ?" , . ,, , ri t.i«:f It was at this time, iK-cau.sc of sm that t hrist Tittered that piercinjr cry of at^-ony that has ciird- led the blood of all a.ijes with horror "Mv God! my God! why hast thou forsaken me?" God tlie Father never looked or never will look upon sin and when His beloved Son was made such. He had to forsake Him. Look aizain! See Him there, hanjrinjr for you Tinder the frown of heaven, M^e taunt and sneer of the passer-bv. the sour oi the drunkard in the street See His face marred more than anv mans Look at the lacerated vein, crushed tendon, and the mortification of rr.iMii- wounds Hear Him crv out under the intolerable pan^s ol a burninjj and rapinj^ thirst and then think that it was not physical pains tliat slew him but the lOS ...nc i„„ o. .„„,, u,e b«rd.„ of y„„r ,i„ and my sent. ti\r I i" ° ''°',"'- ^^°'''"' "'"'■ r'-prc h.« ^yo„ heliove savi„„y on ,71s S™ ^ is The Israelites were called to "do btisinoK^ ,-« ^neat waters." They were called to see ''Hi, wonders in the deep,- and so the inn assable b^ V:'TArtTil' '"' ''T "^"^ ^'ownint^ti; •^ > l:cart of the sea, and the wa.ers became 10? I ^it»^?^i;ii I walls and by the grace of God were made into safeguards. Your myrmidon sins have pursued you to this point, for they follow you up to the cross and there lose yon. You remember when the Knglish wanted to capture Bruce, they went to Sterlni); and relea.-ed from the royal konne's Bruce s bloodhounds ; and the bloodhounds, with a deep bay, started on their royal master's trail. When Bruce and his attc ulant in the forest heard the sounds of the mouthing dogs, the servant said "We are lost. "Not so " s id Bruce. There was a stream that flowed through the forest and Bruce drew his servant with him into the crystal waves. Thev went up stream a little way and plunged into the forest again. The panting hounds came on, fast following the scent until they came to the bank. What has happened? Lash them on. Tell them to take up the scent. The beasts iier- vouslv defeated run up and down the banks. What" has happened? The trail is broken. The water has carrieA the scent away, and three davs afterwards, Bruce sweeps his foemen from the field Ah! your sins are on you very hard. Hell s bloodhounds are unleashed and they are coming up, up, up. Will you not then "go forward into the Red Sea of deliverance and throw them on their trail? GO FORWARD! Obedience to this means the salvation of your soul. It makes the difference between life and death-perdition and redemption. What took place then? The cloud which had led them on became their rear guard and came and stood between them and their enemies. God dwelt in that cloud, and so it was a «?avor of life to the Israelites and a savor ot death to the Egyptians. Jesus always goes be- goe's beh?„d''uV"""" °" '"" """"^ "^' '"'" "= As soon as a sinner takes his prouer nlace n"tt"fiZ'^^°r V"^'^'"*^°"' ^'>^'^-* who^chWneth between hLI'^h v° "?^" '^" approach, comes neiween 1 im and his sins. "Rehold for near*. 7 had perfect bitterness; but thotrhast in Tove to my soul delivered it from the pit of corrimt'ou for thou has cast all my sins belm.d thv back .J The Israelites were assured that thev would never see their old enemies ajjain --ror the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day ye shall see thein Pffain no more for p-er." This was filffn Go.'°ton\7 '"'%'' '^^ ^^'-^^'-^ ^he otl^r ho '; Goj^ told Moses to stretch his rod ever the sea cZriot'. ""'^T'u '^"^^ '°^'^^''^^ ^"^ -verecl ,: chariots and horsemen of the Kjrvptians The whh"Th^e7'^' TT ''^ -"-^-f-^^ten Ihore strewn witn the dead bodies of Eirvnt s chivalry o«^ t?r,f f r '^^ ^°^^" ant^t^un\lercar?ass' o1 the dead king, a feast of carrion to the motlev fw^' tiT"^'"""^ ^"^ ^'i^^' beasts that .ned th'e shore. When you put your trust in Christ all your sins are forgiven and you never see them pSlm Cnrx", "a"%' ^""*^" ^^°^" God's word w«l / u^' ;^^ ^^"^ ^' '^^^ Kast is from the West, so far hath He removed our trans^re^ions W if'i;'*u^''^^^' XXXlII:i6 "None ofTs J^ns unto him^ ^ M^r'^rfr ^'"" ^^ ^^'^" mentioned unto him. ' Micah Vll.ig "Thou wilt cast all their sms into the depths of the sea " «o^f.r?. ^^^'''"^- ^i"^". ^^bj^'^*- I ^o"W have you notice three periods in the salvation of the iJra t nn^' Vu ^ P"""^^".^' continuous, and final salva- ^rovidJS \"'°"'r^*^!>^ "*^PP^d i"to the God. ?rnm ftlv f^""'^^"^ *^" ^^°^^ intercepted then^ 105 ^ The continuous now commenced for they had twelve miles to march and never for one moment were they independent of this channel. At ast they reached the other shore which was their final salvation. A clipper ship crossing the banks of Newfound- land in fojjKy weather struck an iceberg and be- gan to sink rapidly at tl-c bow. The Hfeb^at was lowered and the important question ' What must we do to be saved" was promptly answer- ed by the captain and crew jumping mto the boat. In a few ser.onds the forsaken vessel went down The men had an immediate and present salvation. However, they had many miles to row before they reached the shore and now came the continuous salvation. They had to pull at the oars to keep the boat out of the trough of the sea Thev worked out their salvation with tear and trembling. At last aHer long and weary work they reached the shore and had their tmal salvation. The same three conditions apply to the salvation of every man. The first stage when he accepts Christ as his Saviour, the second or continuous period is during his Christian life, and thi* final when he reaches the shores of heaven . What we witnessed at the Red Sea is just what we have been endea voting to accomplish in these mission services— the bringing of ,t.od and man together. At the Red Sea an anxious people and a powerful God met, and it was not long until the impossibilities became possibil- ities This same God is present to-night to de- liver vou from your sins. You may have ob- stacles"' in the way but they cannot be greater than those of the Israelites. You need not seek for human aid, but just go alone with Christ and 106 it will not be long until you have freedom. When Napoleon talked of going into Italy, they said You cannot get there. It 13 madness to think of crossing the Alps. You can't get your ammu- nition wagons over the Alps." Then the great general rose in his stirrups and waving his iiand towards the mountains, he said "There shall be no Alps." And you tell me that there are mount- ains of dimcultie.s and sins between your .soul and God. Then hear Him say "I will come over the mountain.s of the sin and the hills of thine iniquities"— there shall be no Alps. Come this very hour and cast the tangled skein of your life at the feet of our sweetest Mas- ter. It IS knotted, broken and stained, I know, but with infinite patience He will straighten out Its tangled chaos and catch up its broken strands and weave them into the glorious texture and pattern I'e has designed for you. Will vou not? 1M M ZACCHAEUS " And wlien JfRus came to the place, He lixiVcd up and taw him. and Haid iiuto him. Zaccheiis, make liOHte, and coine down ; (or to-day I muHt abide at thy houw!. And he made hoate and came down, and received him joyfully. "For the Son of Man is come to fcek and to save that which WUH lost.— Luke xix. 5, 0. and 10. We are told that Zacchaeus was "The chief among publicans and he was rich." He had con- tracted with the Roman Government lor the taxes of a larjjc and wealthy district, for which he paid a iixed sum, -nd then farmed out the taxe.s to others. He was receiver-general. His people lookod upon him as case-hardetied, rene- gade, turncoat— an extortioner, a man lost to all patriotic and religious feeling. Having taken this short look at his character, let us observe the steps which led to his salva- tion. ^. He had a strong curiosity to see Jesus. The efforts he put forth prove this. He had heard of wonderful miracles wrought "And he sought to see Jesus who he was." Curiosity led Eve es- tray, for sinful curiosity is the spiritual drunk- ene.^s of the soul, but God sometimes breaks Sa- tan's power with his own weapons, and so Christ used curiosity to lead Zacchaeus to salva- tion. Thank God for curiosity! Moses purposed in his heart, to see a curious sight in nature, lit- tle dreaming that he was standing face to face with God. If curiosity has led you here to-night God grant that you may see Christ and stop to Zacchaeus havlnjr this desire, an opportunity was soon ^ivcn him, for Jesus is jfoin^r to visit Jcrusiilein and takes the road that leads through Jericho /acchacus hears this, and makes up his mind that he will see Ilim. But there are some (liincultics in the way. The press is so Rreat that he cannot ^et a look at Christ The people coi between him and the Saviour. I doubt not but the crowd is a dinicultv in the way of your sahation. It is in the wav of every one that wants to fr^i to Christ. There is the crowd of Olo-ie;,. and critics, and sects, that sur- round the Saviour. When you start out to sec some great worldling, Satan will pay no atten- tion to vou, but once you start out to see Christ he will form a "pre.ss" against vou and .so ob- scure your vision of Him. A .second dinicultv Zacchaeus had to contend with was his stature. He was undersized, a little man. We are all in .some wav too little of ourselves to see Christ. Our low spiritual .stature hinders us. Zacchaeus made a great effort to overcome the.se difRculties. He decided to get in some coign of vantage over the heads of the people and so hf runs till he reaches a .sycamore tiee, which he Ci.mbs, and then .seats himself on a limb. No doubt the people laughed at the rich, little man running ahead and climbing a tree. One com- mentator thinks the boys cried out, "Look! Look! Can't little Zacchy run?" But this only shows the force and fibre of the man. It was this stepping out of the beaten track, without any concern of the sneers and criticism of the crowd, this "running" and "climbing" that made him in everyday life the ruler over other men, and it was these same qualities that led him at this time to contact witJi Christ. los I!: Are you willing to do the same? Willinpf to make an effort to overcome your difficulties whatever they are? There are sycamores in the road by which Christ will pass. Everyone knows of places where he can put himself in the way of the Saviour. It mav be that you will expose yourself to the ridiciile of your companions, but remember, "he laughs best who laughs last." "He that sitteth in tne heavens shall laugh." If you will now make an honest effort, God will re- cognize such and will deal with you as He did with this publican. We read "When Jesns came to the place. He looked up, and saw him, and said Zacchaeus make haste and come down for to-day I nnist abide at thy house." Zacchaeus' action was really a praver, which Jesus answered in His own "wav. The eyes of the seeker and sought met and there was life. Christ called him by name. He always does. When His voice touches your heart and ear you know you are called. He" is calling you to-night. "The hour cometh and now is when the dead shall hear the voice of the vSon of God and they shall hear and live." Demosthenes in reply to his enemies once boasted that there were days when Athens had but one voice within her walls, and the strangers entering her gates were astonished at the silence, and upon enquiries were told that Demosthenes was speaking to the assembly of the people. Keep silent! a greater than this ancient orator is calling you by name. Listen what he says- "And Christ said 'make haste.' " There is alwavs haste in Christ's calls. There is not a moment to lose. Delays are dangerous. This was Zacchaeus' last opportunity, for seven days afterwards, Christ was crucified. Let us 110 !i Z^"!,^^^^ ^'''^" "°^ ""^^s^s ^^ Nazareth pass- eth by. Come now. "The clock says 'now ' your pulse says 'now,' your heart says 'now ' '" You may never have another chance, and the place where you are sitting may be your soul's sepulchre. Just under the dome of St. Paul's Cathedral there is a mark of a workman's ham- mer, and It IS .said that years ago, one who was engaged m the roof fell down there and met his death. It is the place where a soul departed, where a man died. I do not know where that solemn spot is in this church to-night— the pla-^e where a soul may be lost eternally. Maybe the moment has come when conscience leaves you forever in peace, and only in hell shalt thou open thy eyes. God grant you may "make haste" in time. Christ told Zacchaeus to "come down." lie is always calling people to come down. Jt is a low pla e where He stands to receive sinners. The place of self-abasement and penitence. He calls people to come down from hcadiness, legal ( n- deavors, self-importance, high-mindedness and carnal confidence. It is not safe to he higher than Christ. Zacchaeus obeyed the call, and he came down. The prodigal was converted when he said "I will arise," Zacchaeus when he said "I will go down." There was no interval between surrender and conversion. It was what some people call "a sudden conversion," for the eye and voice of the Son of God Hashed life into the soul of Zac- chaeus. It just took a glance. I/Ct us now observe the -marks of his salvation, for a conversion that does not affect the life is useless. He said "Behold, Lord, the half of my goods, I give to feed the poor," not "I will m ■il; give " He didn't defer his gifts until Ins deith- bed, and then ofier something he could keep no longer No! Zacchaeus didn't put it in his last will and testament, but became his own execu- tor It has been said that "a personal consecra- tion" should be spelled "a purse-and-all-consecra- tion." Nor was this all. He stood forth and said, "If I have taken anything from any man h\ false accusation, I restore him four-fold,'' By this he acknowledged that some of his wealth was acquired by theft, and therefore resolved to make restitution. A couple of minutes ago you said to yourself, "I don't elieve in this theory of sudden conversion." I wish we had a lew more of them. conversion that makes a man put away his i.-oi at one stroke, a conversion that makes a man repent, confess, and make res- titution is not to be sneered at. Do you thiuk when Zacchaeus paid the Jews back their money and fed the hungry poor of Jericho, that they had anv doubts regarding his sudden conversion? Not a bit of it ! Now this question of restitution is one that puzzles many good people. I have only one opin- ion about it. It is not enough to confess to yod you must also confess to man if you have sinned against him. You must leave your gift at the altar and be reconciled to your brother. Joy will never live, no matter how loudly you call it forth until vou have rolled the stone of restitu- tion from its grave. If you have defrauded any- one, compensate him for his loss. Ihis kind ot restitution wouH soon seriously impoverish the bank account of some people. A little Kaffir girl in South Africa came one day to the missionary and brought four six- pences, saying "This money is yours." "No, 112 ■WSf said the missionary, "It is not mine " "Yes " persisted the little black girl, "you must take'it. At the examination of the school you gave me sixrence as a prize for good writing; but the writing was not mine; I got some one else to do It for mc. 5^o here are the foi,r sixpences." She had read the story of Zacchaeus and "went and did likewise." The inspired narrative goes on to tell us that when Christ went home with Zacchaeus, all the people murmured. These narrow-souled, censor- ious Jews found fault with Clirist, because He went home with the publicans. In their bitter spite they meant this for a reproach, but it was blesse( Iv tn e. :\.^oody says that if Christ had de- clined to associate with sinners, He would have had a lonely time on earth. The Master was the inend of sinners, but not of sin. He alwavs wanted to help them. He did not confine His eltorts as we do, to a sermon of twentv-five min- utes twice a week, but nearly all His works were done "bv the way." We have so little of the Master that we can pass along the highways of lue and never notice a sinner anxious to see Crr::-t. iw the loth verse, we have Christ's mission. ihe bon of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost." The whole Gospel is told out in this short ver.se. In all other religions man tries to find his gods, but iu Christianity Lrod tries to find men. One of the sheep— poor, foolish thing— wanders away and the shepherd leaves the hundred in the fold and goes after the lost one. He finds it lying on the jagged rocks, faint, hungry and torn. He washes awav the dark stains of sin's woundings and lays it on His omnipotent shoul- 113 fSB ;f Cl-friMB:iKlf*i: -iSriT.-"*. .r-- -T^^-'t^:'-^ ders. He carries it safely through the lairs where the wild beasts of temptation crouch, oyer the snows of doubt and cold-hearted dulness through the thickets of the sense-loving life, down the valley where the clinging mists oi miasma drowse the soul, over the mountain-torrents on whose banks the robber-fiends of passion lurk privily," and up, on up, to the bright, strong glad life of the fold-to the shelter, food, light and love. , , "But none of the ransomed ever knew How deep were the waters He crossed. Nor how dark was the night that the Lord pass ed firo'<^h, i , ,, Ere He fot ud the sheep that was lost. In the heart of this great city, someone has wandered astray. Is it you? Does God care ? Does He miss vou among so many .-' Yes, tne pitiful compassionate lover of men misses even vou. Was there ever child wandered from home that its mother did not miss it ? Christ's search for you is untiring and persistent. Your soul leaves a blank in His treasury. He calls you by name Will you not answer, as did Zacchaeus ." He will not drive you home, but with exceeding tenderness will car'ry vou all the way. He tviU whisper in sweet tones known only tc Christ and your own soul, "Child of mv love lean hard. Yet closer come— Thou art not near enough. I would embrace Thee and Thy care, So I might, feel mv child reposing on my breast. Thou lovest me ? I know it. Doubt not then. But loving me, lean hard." 114 Hil mmmm THE LORD'S SUPPER you : this do in remembrance of u7e ^"^^ ''^'''^' '' ^''^'' ^'"^ floating down often get j. . up and it^ b^ comes necessary to find the mber which is a keystone and stops all the rest. Once dctacS ieadrontT^^ t'^ '^^^^^^^ ^^""k^- thunderhg Headlong down the rapids. The Lord's Supper has been the centre of much religious controversy. False doctrines haveTm med the stream of divine truth. Christians "^f^r an^l l?ili i?^''' ^^^°'"^^ ^° ""^°^^^ the difficulty and still the river is obstructed. The best way to get a clear view of a reli-ious doctrine like the Holy Communion, around whioh so much conlroversv has raged, is to go back to the be^nnning and dispossess our minds of all prejudices and notions, and start afresh from first principles and facts.' In so doing we shall be able to dislodge the keystone errors called Transubstantiation, and the Lord's Supper as a sacrifice. When this is accompli.shed the Holy Communion will accomplish in the Cln-rrli ?.TiIi. 115 i m m\ tant that for which it was designed. The doctrine oMransubstantiation is that the bread and ^,„e lie hy ^he consecration of the ministrant chan^ tdas^o their essence i^^o the very body and ^11 «f Christ In this dogma the divine is material zed Tnd the material is spiritualized^ ?hesign1s turned into the thing signihed, and hence becomes no sacrament. Those who hold to this error quote John vi. 51^'Tam the living ^read which cajndv from heaven; if any man eat of this b^ead, he ''Tr^^y this text to the Holy Communion is an enUrl perversion of its meaning-is an utter misinterpretation of its metaphor^ ^^^^ Thp iifvssa<^e from which tnis xcxu la >-" Chri^ is s>;o;™K,t'-',H%- t eatiy'^nd thus Sr'ame icsh "nd Wood to the Israelites as cb-rth^icvri-a^^on,-™.^^^^ have no reference to the ceremonial act 116 erally. When Christ savs " i an, *i, • " I am the door " it wo«i^ k *"*/^? vine," or them the actual 'boiy 3 lloo^" T.'^-^ *° *=^" jay.the bread and w'^^nTlre ^uch C^"?^ «^ ^^ Christ pronounced did not alter tZt .^^"'"^ the elements. They were sti'iH^c S "*.*''" °^ bread and wine,' b'ut Tc^S'l.J^^'^ ^' to'i^SrA^oSe/tho'r "r ^ ^^ -- ^p-^i-ir the Hebr^ew an Ja ^e hI '^^^^ ^"^^^^erstood derstand that the b^ead^n/*"*^^ *^^^ *° "«- sent His body and blood ^u "^'"^ ^.'" *° '^P^^' language the^eTs no ^r^i whicr''^'^- ^" ^^^^ so, speaking to th?m in^; J CritT"'"^' '''" ^ naturally takes the impress o?!^.^^!;^"^^.' "' to "signify., or '. de^Jte .' wL„ t/T '^^°"^ the original wp fit,ri ;♦ vvnen we look at the verf L p^t in thiVK°''?'P°"^^ ^^^^ this, for "My body ^S ch is Lw°^-'' Pf^^^'^* ^"d reads bioo^d whL i^tlng sSC" ^°/.r":' -• r^^y ties would then understand fJiL."., P^ ^^P"^"^" wine were to represent WicK ^^ ^^/ ^""^^^ '^"d crucified. ThereTnothW ^"^^ ^"^ ^'°°^ ^'^»^" anything mo::\nZl\TsJ:/lrtHX ''T' ^j wine bv a clerjrvmL ?i, ^ , ^"^ bread and bles.sed by Chrht^^ ^" ^^"" ^^^^ ^^ere is any changirth^ell^^tra trLoV'd-Vs'^" •Things aLve 01^^ reason th.p 1.7 ^^^'^' ^° *'^- believe, but we are never ^fn^/'^"'"'' "' *° thing that contra'SictTo'r'e'is '° ^"^^^ ^"^- bodies-His body which was "eJore'rh: talle "a? w lill ■ H. uttered th.«-rds and His body in^th. co^^ derated element. " * J"/'„o\ ^ human body perfectly 'l'".""**, ?,'.t Sever for one moment like ours. This, we must never ■ christia- ^^i^:: ^^^t^Xr^^'^^'^ as well a, per- "othert; there -, who J^ot' 'n 'upP^ of th.^ doctrine of transubstantiation the ve ^^^^ """^ "'to'The Holy Communion. The ihol. US refers to the noiy vu i„t_jpretation. It context contradicts «^«*^,^. ^J^^^'"^^^^ man who were a glaring .^f «>"f ^^f ^^f this "^atne epistle, wrote chapters vn and viu oi i ^^^^ ^itar. to tolerate the revival of th.sa ^ ^^.^^^^ The Church of fng and emphatic.^>^^ P^^ this doctrine as a J^^^^ coemption of crude gerous deceit," as a f o^\f°7 g^t the cross, liaterialism We have no altar ^ .^^ ^^^. and the Holy Communion has ^ ^^^ ^^^^.^^ tnent only «o far as we offer to ^^^.^^ „ of ''ourselves our souls, and^^^. ^^^ .^ -sacrifice of Praise anci t^ s ^^.^ ^^^^^ ^j sacrifice of o^^^^^^^'^^J^ " Sacrifice, is to set making the ford's Sup^r a =, ^^^ ^^ ^^_ SyS.' 'tro»k .u«e°:^U"to TheV, r to-^move V-lin-ds of God. d.al back 'two thousand years. ^.^^^_ in Hebrews vi^ we are^oWt^^^^^^^^ hood has been changed i^om • to trace Seek. Therefore, those who^«^^^,^h^^ upon Christ oi wuv^"* . ^ \o be clear on this ^^^t^^^^^l^i^Vo il^^ the Passover and consider its reiaii lis ■'liA angel of death spread ir^^K"^ "^^^^ ^^^" ^^« land of e/> pt aSd ?orwLrH ♦"!. "^'"^^ °^^' ^^« of the Ma^'-S'od on Calvary ''°""^ ''"'' ^^.^'fof'w'e ^^ftheT/^ ':»,''" ""^^^''^ '- '^ both. In ea^h, Chrfst'is s^t' 'orT ''fn^^'^ ^"^ of sinners. In each ^hr1!^ • ^^ ^^^ Saviour The reading of the' B^ble is V.T^'t ''^ ■ '^''^■ us by the operation of tJ^ SorSpidt Th"^ '° ticipation of the Holv rm^2^„«^ • ^^^ P^' blessing to US by%he sl„feTp?rit7s'th "^^^l ^ word appeals to. the ear L fi^ ^^^ spoken visible word which scales forHM '"^"^f"'- ^^ ^ ially to the eye. ^ forcibly and pictor- wiiie ourTei:;S"'ctr?h t-e:tsX''^do:{ '''''''i transubstantiation, she reSs ^L % %?^ nt ft; ■^p ihould l«d upon Christ oy '»""' j^,^ Christ " '"-""J-l.^rruTur faitr,T«l ^ ^^^^ Covenant, as the wedding ring is ^^^ ^^^^ of the marriage ^of . ^J^^^ " contract al- ward cleclaratmn of the mvis ble ^^^^ readv entered into. ]^f wea^^^^^ but it is the make the love nor the covenant d Ttward declaration ^«^:"^^^;,S,3\^;ivear'the ring Let us suppose the bnde refuses to^^^^^ of her betrothal, bheow^^j^^^^^^de willing to enter into the covena ^.^^ .^ ^^ proom in heart' J>ut does ^^^.^^^^ ^^^ ^^^^ tL^tr r;:r ruirbf saUed w^h the se- 190 cret knowledge of her love. What would voii YeT ?Lr'' " l'\^'- ^°" ^-"''^ '^"'^'i- h r" Christ «nM u^ believers who are wedded to Lhnst and absent themselves from the Lords bo?Sr;h'^r ''^"=^^"^' '° ^^" ^h« outward sy„. do! of the divine covenant. Or what, may I ask, would be vour opinion ol marrie P /"'"' ' ,""'^''"»^' ^'"^ '^"'* ^^-" n"v r f?ar hercVrl ^''"i.^ " f -'' "*'" ''^ Presumptuous. I of [h! H 1 n ^"'^ '"'''^ '^'^^^ the outward sium of the Holy Communion who have never entertd the divine relation.ship with Christ. A very important question to ask is how shoud we partake of the Lords SupL? OuT text ffives us the answer: "This do in remei - brance of Me." Many come as if it read ''Tl s do in remembrance of yoursehes. Thev look at their sins or their own feelings. Thet look in- ward instead of upward. Don't drag' selHn o merft7s"';r<:n ' °^ 'f^^^^on. Herein luiman merit is trodden out. "We do not presume to come to this Thy table, O merciful Lord Trust ng m our own righteousness, but in Thy mani- I^rifofff'^' mercies." Do not come^nThe spirit of the young man who said "Good Master ^«^^'•f ?°^ V^T^ i^^^ ^ '^° '^^' I "^^v have e or: nal life?" John Bunyan describes this as ' run- ,nS^nff"r'^'''^''"^'' ^*'" °^^ covenant, and liv- ing off from Christ, even when we think we are coming close to Him." As vou look upon the bread broken, thmk of the body that was l.ruised to the very death for you. As you .see the cup of blood-red wme, think of the blood that was shed to wash away your sins. Think of Jesus onlv not as a mere mental act of recollection, but a.s the whole being going out in remembrance of Him who lairl flr>«T„ XT,„ i:r_ t ..... _^' /ho laid down Hi.s life fo or you Willi the m «flBSnifiMEfi^@E@§7,^E^-aa •1 ft. mind Mntered on Christ, •n»y'"l\>'"'r'f.X'e''- "■"• 'td'of ^UTarl "i; ifr^la^Mfyon r« or th°nk you Kar, the roaring ol Ihe sur ««' after tV^ shell has been taken ,rom the beach, so 'n the cnp of Comn^mion you may hear ?orth the words of inenable tenderness, 1 his .lo ^"/^r^^n^JJluahle love will borst forth in floods upon your waiting sou . ^^f^^^K \ °fi r ^^ oTt .^'^tT^ly fl'thoi^ :^:rz. )'Zt tr\iow could%Vu remember a person iur whom you were not acquamled? 1 h^s feast is not a saving ordinance: it relates to J ose who are saved. A consideration of the first coiumumcants wih show us that all God's children should be ParU- rt^ Jnfw-bS SS'e of r.nrn. "a^i;. S|=i?b;txro?^.^:^,2L^a%« lArsook Hi^ and fled. Even P«ter P«r,nred Mmwll All this their Master knew well. The ^iLftion of their hearts was not hid from Him. and stm He did not withold the bread and wine from them. This shows ns that we mnat not m»ke erelt knowledge and a great measure of Trace, in«s^n.ahle>aliHcations for eommo- 13S nicants. A man may know very little, and be no stronger than a child in spiritual strength, still he must not on that account l)« excluded, for while we must not admit an unconverted per- son, neither must we refuse those whom Christ has not rejected. In most congregations the numbers who re- main for Communion are much smaller than those who go away. Question them as thev pass out and one will say, "I do not i)hue much stress upon the Lord's Supper." To I'sice little weigh c upon a divine mandate, is indeed a se rious thing. Can we ignore what a loving Sa- viour with well-nigh dying lips commanded ns to do "on the same night in which He was be- trayed"? Nay! But whether von ]dace stress on the sacrament or not, neglect of it is denving Christ to the world. It is a mark of indwelling sin, and proves disaffection and disloyalty. Another ab.sentee, if que.stioned, will sav, "I am not good enough." This is an objection that sounds well, but in plain English it is to declare unfitness for death, for the preparation requisite for death and the Lord's Sujiper are the same— a saving faith in Christ. A third recreant Christian will sav," I do not feel like coming." Feeling has nothing to do "vith obedience. Perhaps a fourth will give as excuse, "I am weak in my spiritual life." Then like the back- slidden Peter leap into the sea and .swim to the feet of Christ for warmth and strength. You used to take the sacrament when you were newly confirmed, but like Lot's wife, you looked back and you are spiritually a pillar of salt. No apology can be offered for neglect of this ordi- nance. 41 •i' :^mm2M?.M '.^» j..--^ kirtw. h But why should you make it a duty? Why should it be irksome? It is an unspeakable pri- vilege. It is your birthright. It is a thriving gladness. Come then, "Eat friends; drn-., ■ e.^ drink abundantly, O beloved." Christ is the "bread that strengtheneth man's heart,' ai /l the "wine that maketh glad the heart of mni ' He is the heavenly manna— the sweet food— mt honey in the cleft of the rock. Come then, bow your wills, ycur lives to Him who is your Redeemer, Sanctifier, and Keeper, so that "with the great army of saints you may "Drink the wine and break the bread Sweet memorials— till the Lord Call us round His heavenly board Some from earth, from glory some. Severed only 'till He come." i»- 24 «^mBanw?mmmp^:t.mnm^ JESUS AT THE DOOR my v'o^t^^h oSl?door'r;S? t^"r •>- '' }^ -^ -„ hear sup with him and he with me.>'-ii;v ^20" '"' ^""^ ""'" There are many good people who are continual ly talking about "the earlv Chnrrh •- 1 odd ideas they seem to have oMt Onr ,'-''^ would^lead us- to believe that it'Vas no t enS^ what they would have us believe I am not rl^ ^v""\'° the earliest Church of all-it vasanT thing but lukewarm-but to the one 1 h«t f ^" mediately succeeded it, and of whi " th"^^ Churdi' of Laodicea was a fair example. Th^et"'" irt"^-"?^"' ""^^^ ^ profession of religion, the/ .v!r^ X ""''" church-members, but that Jhon ^"^,^^^^^«^- I know thv woiks tnat thou art neither cold nor" hot" Moderation seems to have been their peXriti^s"""^- '''^^- ^^P^^^^^^^ -trem" peculiarities, narrow-mindedness. They called their lukewarmness by the well-sounding- titles of charity humilitv, largeness of soul. They }Lm J!ul Tu"" "^^^ V'^^ "^^^ ^» its place,- but it must not be pressed too far. It was bad orm to ?enre.°PtfrT"'^^- ^" ^^'' ^^^^ "^'^^^ certainly represent the average church-goer of to-da/ whose religion is a soft inoffensive thing-lnke- warm. True, they come regularly to a Jiouse of i?s ;5».^ prayer. Their mothers taught them to come. It Fs not respectable to stay away They really must be ors^eaking terms with religion to have a decent burial service when they die, but at heart f -/ care nothing for the worship ol C^od. Whether 'L sermon bt orthodox or heterodox Tow or jrosDcl it is all the same to them, .hey thev paint God on one side o their shield ana the^devil on the other, and write underneath the motto, "Readv for both; catch who can. These folk can be enthusiastic about stocks, wheat, old china, elections, b«at-races art^ eat- ing and drinking, but they hate ^^bme a^ll else a elow about religion. Here thev like to be can tious They have a distinct preference for a scr^ vke which thev can call "aesthetic," and like to dine lie clergvman if he be not ; fanatica . Not this jeliv-fish religion, this spiritual sloth fs the worst disposition in the world. Here is no room for indifierence. If Christiam^^- is worth anything, it is worth everything. Lukewarmness is nauseous to G. ^" „^" because thou art lukewarm and neivuer cold nor hot, I will spue thee out oi my mouth. God ^s a livine God and loves not sleepy saints. It has been slid that we must not -Iv seg^ Him m this life, but we must have ^^/.^^ ^fj^^^f^f \'he It is not virulent opposition that troubles tne Church, but this awful apathv. this stohdness o hpart this indifference to Christ, that is in an our congregations. We have the idea that it takes some great scarlet sin to bring us to destruction Xn we only need to sit quietlv. What we want Ts to get close to the Sun of Righteousness, to have Christ dwell in our hearts in all ^^l^f ^^ ^ Christian never falls asleep m the fire, but gets iw drowsy in the sunshine. I prav v.>ii, then, be out- and-out on God's side. Don't be afraid of being called ''a fanatic." They said Paul was mad, but It has been pointed out "If he was mad, he had a good keeper on the way, and i jrood asvlum at the end of the route." The Bible declares that one shall chase a thousand, but now-a-davs it takes a thousand to chase one. Astronomers tell us that the planet nearest the sun is called Mer- cury. It shines with a peculiarly vivid or rose- coiored light and exhibits no spots. Its proxim- ity to the sun causes it to be extremely hot Be- ings constituted as we are could not exist upon it The outmost planet of the solar svstem is called Neptune. It is three thou.sand million miles Irom the sun. Its extreme remoteness from the heat cause ■ it to be very cold and possibly bar- ren. Now don't be a Christian of the Neptune type, and get away three hundred million miles from your centre. Be a warm glowing Christian. Note further that these Laodiceans were well- satisfied with themselves. "Becau.se thou .sav.-st I am rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing, and knowest not that thou art wretched and miserable, and poor, and blind " Surely, a very great contrast between what they thought of themselves and what God did. Is there any parallel to this in our souls to-day' Are we self-satisfied? self-deluded? Can it be .said of us as of Ephraim, "strangers have devoured his strength and he knoweth it not; yea, gray hairs are here and there upon him?" Let us pass on now and see how they treated the L^essage. I presume when they heard it read some would say, "It must be t.ue, for God re- vealed it to John," and others would reply, "We will attend to it by and by." However, they for- 12T ^^^^^w^mz^^ r::.Mi-M got it and some years afterwards the ^lohamme- Lns came down upon them, put them to the sword, destroyed their church and from that day until this not a single vestige of their churches are to be found. God's dealings with individuals is the same as with the church. You have been warned but >cu Turn a deaf ear to it and listen to the syren songs of the world. Perhaps, you purpose see ng to this in a more convenient season but the flesh whispers difT.culties, and Satan lures you back into a false and fatal stupor-then you lea-.e the warning unheeded. Some of vou may say, "But these Laodiceans mu.s^ have been Christians. This was a ciuirch. Yes, 'but it was a church without Christ He was outside "Behold I stand at the door and knock. The lineal descendants of the Lord to-dav are mere professors-nothing more. 1 his is the dU- ference between the Christians and nominal Chr'tianl In our congregations. The former hear Christ's voice and open to receive Him while the latter hear Him but do not receive. The nomina Christians have everything in Christianity but Christ Himself. They have an ""J-^^f^^f^^^^^^^,' of doctrine, but know nothing of the W^ ete^"^\ At this verv hour the Lord stands at the heart of each nominal Christian and asks admission. He has always left man the power of exerusing his free will." He does not deal with hnn as a mere passive subject, as a sculptor does with a Xne The Laodiceans had the power of receiv- ing or rejecting Christ, and you have the same^ ySu can shut the omnipotent Saviour out of your life He does not force men to be saved^ He is too gentle to thrust Himself unon vou. Many of you have in your homes the picture entitled, 128 n,Ttc%^?K^^°^ ^^' ^°'"^^'" by Holman Hunt. htntern Th^'^' ''\"^' '^^ ^^"^^ ^^^^^ ^ lighted lantern. The door has neither knob nor handle on the outside-it can only be opened from with- ^a. The picture is most suggestive. Our salva- tion hmges on the will. l^r% thou unlatch tl^ door.'' Christ is asking for admission. He has been knocking by the hand of providence hv sor row, on the bed of sickness, in open graves L •'mourners" going "about the streets, '- and now by His word he is knocking once more. He is close upon you Does your heart reproach vou.;> That IS Christ knocking. - " 'Tis I thy Ivord, who stand and wait Beneath the darkening skv. Arise, unbar, unclose the gate. Fear nothing; it is I." We do no keep a friend we love waiting long at our door. With glad and blithsome feet, we haste to open the portals. Will vou not with re- cipient spirit become pliant to "the Divine Ten- ant.'' He promises if you open, He will come in and sup %yith you. Oh, what condescension! Will you not then dethrone all usurpers that vou mav enjoy this intimate intercourse.? Offer up'vourself in the words of consecration, "Take xny will and make it Thine. It shall be no longer mine. Take my heart, it is Thine own. It shall be Thy royal throne." Let me say once more, that it is a great un- kindness for you not to so do. What would we think of you if King Edward came from England to the door of your humble cottage, and stood knocking and pleading for admission, and ycu 129 :.^-'..^-'I^^9^^«!^i -: Z ■«.nt on with your work inside and vaid no at- re"uon%:hu'^.ntreati.s. We would aid - seSr^d tbis is how you have answered H.» °^"Tar Thr-T O I.ord! I an, coming soon *°"Z"i'have waited long and often have I '"rgifn\^o"Vep?v,"°Go°ortord, wait for .ne a lituf lonWr I hive been so very busy, I have some Imlu iw-RU™"^* f I'lUt'i:" be ready. I prav Thee wait a little. •Cn to L now. I have brought thee a feat trea^re I am come with rich gifts. I ^^^^^^^J reproach thee for thy delays, if now thou wilt °Tgain%ormake answer, "What hast Thou brought ine?" "Salvation!" _ 4. „„^ t ..Yes Lord, °< ^^Vild^fi:" Vefy°soo*n. Tarn ^nTsoVoiras't'-Jd^lptel^ch ajreat .fes^ing^ I»*«*. I - ^'«t^„lv'Tar?o^.rof 'business some gold, and I "i"""' °" ^^en I shall come put away that gold saleiy ine.. Lck. I'shall «ot forget the S^^l' J ^S^l.^^^o kind and pat>en^ Th°" "*„ J^f^e other door, awav. good ly/rd. jcou g . tt^ _-,.^ "Thev and as the dear Master leave:. He sa>.s, me. ISO M wm not come unto me that they might have Let me remind you that it is most profitable to receive Lhrist. If an earthly sovereign with all his wealth and royal desires took up his t .°d^ 'I r"' i?""^' . ^^^* ^ ^^^"ge it would ^hfit\, nothing m comparison with that which takes place in an ordinary life wlien Christ Jesus IS permitted to enter. I heard of a clergyman in England who received a certain sum of money to devote to whatever charitable object he deemed best. He decided to give It to a poor woman who lived in the slums of the great city of London. He went to her room and knocked, but the, c was no response He called and received no answer, then he went away and gave the money to someone else. The next week, he met this voman begging on the street. He told her of his visit, and .she replied. I was m the house that day and heard you knocking, but I thought it was the sheriff, and so I remained quiet." The sheriff, however, came and sold her little furniture, and then she was out on the cold streets begging for her livelihood. What an op- portunity lost! If she had only opened the door she would have been comfortable all her days. It may be with some of you this moment is just as important. Like the poor woman, you are a bankrupt, not financially, but spiritually Every sm you have committed is a debt. It must all one day be paid. The Lord Jesus comes to your heart and knocks at the door. He has brought the price with Him, not only to settle your past indebtedness, but to keep vou in the future. He has gold tried in the fire to make ycu rich— the currency of heaven. He has white rai- 131 ment to clothr you. He has costly salve to anoint your e, es that you may f^^- Open and let Him in. A Saviourless neart how dreary and desolate a heart! He will add a smile to your face, and a kindly tone to yo^rvoice. Let Him put His finger on your heart as He did into The ear of the deaf man, and say, '^'P^^^^^J- . and it shall be opened. He may not knocK much loneer but may say, "Let him alone let him alone '• Take hied, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief." If vou refuse one day the scene will chanRc It will "be another door, and Christ will be on the Tther side of it. Your cry "Lord, Lor ii/^^,^c.iJimm '- ;aB'' day, he was led to the scafiold and executed. Oh what an opportune moment lost! ^^^ That voune man's position is «^" ."'"•^"'^ „„ j max. youiiK «-„ J, condemned and of all out of Christ "^ ;\^... . ^^^ „s -He flwaitinc h s execution. The liime i^eiir> fhLT believeth not is condemned already. Ihe that »>»-"f^^^" . . vvaitinc the r dving day for unconverted are J f/^,!^J^"^B„t at 'this critical vhe se,aenc. to take^ncct^J has power to ac- ^"^\^^t^teceive t from Himself personallv. ^t;r>4 not P^ow open your heart and re- ceiveHim into your life!" 1S4 ^Mm-s', THE CALL OF ABRAHAM "Now till' Lord lias paid muu Abraiii l'cI ilii'iif nf M,« unt« a land tliat I will show thee."— Ciom'sis xii. 1. Let us observe two thinjjs ir this call. I. Separation. Abraham was called upon to leave us home a.ul kindred. lie was from first to fast a separated man, and separation is the base fact ol ti.e Cliri.slian \\w. -\ have .separate.) >ou from other people and ye .shall be holv " the Knjrhsh House of Cor mons, com,>ellinK every man to take a side, and so the outsiretch nv^n'r^ V-^ cross are the lines of division be- tween Christians and unl)elievers between dark- ness and light life and death homes and friends, but we arc bidden to forsake unhallowed companionships, irreligious associa- tions, and everything Qod condemns. This should not be an irksome experience, for It is the joyous separation of the bride whose heart is locked in love to her bridegroom it must begin in love and end in love To separate a thing is to set it Iree for a cer- tain purpose, and God wants us to be a separat- ed, called-out people that we may be conformed glove with the world. We are to be "a garden walled around, chosen and made pecuS w"n1„" ^f ^'^1 ''^ '^""^'^"^ Church ^coqt?s with sin and people are not joined to her because 135 i^mr^t.. she joined the world. Let us be tenderly lealous of our separation. The true conception of t is wriUen in John xvii. 15, 'T prav not that thou shonldst take them out o the world but that thou shoulde.st keep them from the evil. Let us notice in the second place that the call wTa t>Ul of faith God told him to leave Ur ^ Chil.lei amUro into Canaan. Not many can endure a test so searchin^^. Like the voun^ man t le ,'0 awav sorrowfully. Like Pliable thev ^et out^f the slonjrh bv the ^i^^V'''''?'tV. Kithful '' but Abraham was the "Father of the a thful a man whose history is worth the world's hear- tuL^ All sncceedinjj ajics have been innuenced ly him. More space is Riven to the telling of the ast half of his life than to the record of crea- tion and all human progres. before hinu Other characters stand out in profile, he stands out a iwW man. . , Tn the eleventh chapter of Hebrews ^^^ faith of this first PilKM-im Father is recorded as an ex- ample of saving faith, showinjj us }1'^ Z'} i^ ^^^^^ to salvation is likewise a trial of faith. We are told to accept Christ as our Saviour, separate from sin, and make His life the pattern of ours. It is not my intention to-nijiht to preach a ser- n'on to theunre.?enerate, but to speak to those who are Christians, and may God jnve me j^race and wisdom to do so plainlv. Observe the place to which Abraham was call- ed It was to Canaan. Now Canaan is "ot sym- bolical of heaxen as manv have ^eP^-^'^^^tf ' ^^^- cause in Canaan there was sin, war and blood- The best commentary on the Bible is tlie Bible itself and wherever you find a truth enunciated there is a corresponding text somewhere to give Its interpretation. In the third and lonrth chap- ters of Hebrews, we have Canaan represented as rest. In several places "rest" us Riven as one oi the synonymous tirnis for cotisecration liurc fore, as God called Abraham out of Ur into Canaan He calls t-verv unsaved sonl to come out of the old life of bondage into the new and blessed life of consecration. Abraham in leavinjr Ur started oil with the full intention of jroin^ dircctlv to Canaan- that was Cod s command, hut he halted on the wav I believe every new con^ert Ih-^mus tlic Christian life with the earnest desire to be lullv consecrat- ed to Cc.I hut, alas! thcv make Abraham's mis- take and fall far short oi that position. In Afri- ca .some of the rivers are at first deep, wide, and arrow sv.ift, hut follow tliem for a .score of miles and they dwindle, and then are lost in the il- limitable sands of the de.sert- (it pictures of many younjr , inverts Dr. Ilud.son Taylor .savs, If you do not crown Him I.ord of all, you do not crown Him Lord at all r Jesus will have all or none. If you hold hack some one thin- it mars the whole. "In conversion," writes ^Dr Chalmers. "God gives to me, but in conseora- \ ,^m''^° !'°^'" ^'°" •''^>'' "Of»' this is hard, so hard. Perhaps it is, but if you cannot tive all ask the Lord to take all. If we had a deeper realization of the personality of God, con.seora- tion would he a more definite thing We need more realism in spiritual things to enable us to believe and act as seeing Him who is invisible As flowers cry out for sun, our hearts should crv out for the personal Saviour. If vou give any- thing vou know you have performed a dehnite act. Even so, make vour consecration definite Give the personal Christ evelrvthing— ask Him (o take everything. m ■i| ...Now, let US come and see wherein Abraham faileH in attaining this life of consecration. Cod told him to leave all his kindreu behind except Sarah, for they were one flesh. Instead of so doin,, he brings Terah and Lot Is not tht the mistake many make m the Christian life? God commands them to "lay aside every weight and the sin which doth so easily beset," «'"t they begin their pilgrim march by only partially obeying. They try to bring some companionship or worldly amusement with them- some .mpty delight which is seconded by sorrow and which estranges their heart from God. Oh dear soul, be careful regarding your pleasures. It is said wnere the most beautiful cacti grow, there the ycnem- ous Serpents are to be found at the root of every Xnt and so is it with sin. Your fairest plea- SrL'will harbor your S---\^^- .^^X^^ asp was introduced in a basket of flowers Uo Tot make Abraham's mistake. Obey whoUy cut loose from these things. It is said fifty times oi Mos^s that he "did %s the Lord commanded him." Obedience, it seems to me, is the climax of all graces. If you do not obev, all your talk- ing praying. a"d singing go for nothing. Let Sf^brmorf' practical and ask "fe you obedi- St'" You sav "Obedient to what?" Oh you know wen well enough. You know m what you a?e sa^^ng "no" to God. Don't say it any Wer -No^t only obey wholly but obey cheer- fX The Rev J. O. Miller says, "Real obedi- ence^ is always cheerfully given. He who grumbles at an order and only does it through fear is not obedient." Let us follow on and see the result of Abra- ham's partial obedience. , , „ ^ With Terah, Lot, and^ Sarah he left Ur to go 118 direct to Canaan, and after ffoinjr but half the distance, I can imagine a conversation some- thing like this taking place: "Abram," reasons Lot and Terah, 'your father does not look well. He has aged much on this journey. Really, we are alarmed' about him. We doubt if he will reach Canaan. You know there is that Syrian desert before us, and the great Euphrates Kiver to be crossed. He will never stand the journey. Besides, you surely do not believe in the verbal inspiration of God's word. You do not imagine that when God said Canaan, He meant Canaan? Do you not think that Haran is near enough? Then Abram we have done remarkably well to have come so far with vou. There should be a compromise on your part," and so Abraham lis- tens and a cpmpromise is made, and he halts at Haran, only half-way to Canaan. This is where the great mass of Christians are— living at Haran, a mere wilderness life. Things God bade them separate from forever, thev have brought with them on their Christian journey until they are compelled to make a compromise. Their re- ligion is one of mere form. The jov they once ex- perienced is gone. The sweet fellowship recorded m God's Book, with, them is only a platitude their lives are sad, their spirits fail and faint. They, perhaps, do not possess as much happiness as many people of the world. Some writers affirm that Abraham lived at H^ran twenty years, but there are decisive mo- ments m all lives, and so Abraham one day left Haran and travelled on till he at last reached Canaan. What then occurred? Immediately, '-the Lord appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thv seed will I give this land." Can you imagine the joy which must have filled his soul when God 139 in came to him and promised such wonderful pos- session? It is a repetition of the throbbing rap- ture, he experienced when God first spoke to him in Ur. Nor was this the only time God came to Abraham in Canaan. It was a continuation of revelations. He now has" the sweet communion with Jehovah which was his privilege to liave possessed all the years spent at Haran. When Abraham reached Canaan a new name was given him. The Canaanites watched his char- acter, and summed up their opinion of him in a nickname. Nicknames are not always euphonious but they are very expressive. The words Quaker, Puritan, Roundhead, were all nicknames. Burke was nicknamed "The Dinner Bell." The Athen- ians summed up the character of Aristides and called him "The Just," in the same way as we to-day call Queen Victoria "the good." The witty and idle Antiochians coined the name of Christians. Now, the nickname the Canaanites gave Abram was "Abraham, the Hebrew," meaning thereby "Abraham, the come-across man," one who had crossed the River Euphrates, one who had emigrated. Are you aware that the fundamental fact of the Christian life is emigra- tion, coming out of the old Hie into the new? Were I wanting to ascertain if you were a Christian, I should not ask yourself, but I would go to your husband, your wife, your family, or those with whom you are doing business and find out their estimate of your character. They may not give you a nickname, but if you are living the consecrated life, they will have their impres- sions of you, and they will be correct. There were several things in Abraham's life which would designate his as Abraham the He- brew. If you saw him on the street, you would 140 - IWPi'v=?fi.' say ''Who is that man over there?" You see he would naturally have a strong preference for cer tain styles of clothing, such LVe wore in Chal"- dea So he would be recognized on the street as fu'r^foThis^t.^^^^^-' '^ ''' distinctivffea! show'^ft^'r ^i'"'^ ^'^ ^'"^ "^^'' °"^ clothing will Show It. I do not mean our outwarl raiment but that portion of our life which the worM^e. ' The consecrated life must manifest itself in our actions and character. Our spirituaf garmeSS wxl be of ''pure linen," of "wVought gotd^- We sha -walk with Jesus in white." Our garments lardis " "cS' /"'• ^''"^r' ^P*^^' "-^« i» ?u J Character is a fabric built up of a stkche'"'^'""'\^"^ P"^ together by uncTun eS stitches. Some characters are strongly sewed others are onlv bast«»H a rh^;c..J- ^^ sewea, nnUr t« u L.^ oasted. A Christian ought not W^klnf 7 ^'' .spiritual garments well sewed, 5esus C Lis '^"h "" ^ff ^' ^ representative o trlcHv. ' 1 "u^}'^ t° P^^^«t such an at- tractive apparel before the world that others should say to nim, "Where did you ge? thil? " want one just like it.' " ^ I might mention another way in which Ahra ham would be known as an emigrated man^^" ve«r. nf ""^u^^"^^",""^^^ ^'^ ^as seventy-five years of age he would always speak the new wST ^'i^-^ f.''°"^ ^^^ld^'^» accent T?er^ would be certain liquid turns, falls, and cadences by 'h^: 7,Tcl' °^ "^^"^ ''■ ''^ -"^^ ^e^n^n^ onr Zl ^'"^ H'''"^ l^°^y "^^ '^ ^i" be known by our conversation. There will be something about t that will savor of the Master. When the doc- tor comes to your sick bed he looks at your tongue, because it shows the state of the who"e 141 l)odv. He can tell what is the matter with you. I could almost do the same. Your tongue will tell me about vour whole character. It shows what is within. When the phonograph of eternity is put to our conversations on earth, I lear manv of them will sound more like the language of the pit, than of the followers of Christ. Let us be more careful for the Recording Angel is taking down our words. Bishop Latimer when examined before Bonner at first answered with- out much thought, but hearing the noise of a pen behind the curtain, he concluded his words were being written down and he became more cautious. . J i.u Abraham made a second mistake. 'And there was a famine in the land and Abraham went down into Egvpt to sojourn there.' God intended him to dwell continually m Can- aan but there came a time of testing. The crops failed n Canaan, but there was plenty mi^gypt. The Egyptians boasted that they could "feed all men an^'^feast all gods," and so Abraham goes down to sojourn there. He leaves the land ot promise to dwell in the land of carnality. He gets into trouble, ana God never appears to him oncJ. He has a repetition of the old Haran life but as soon he returns to Canaan communion is re-established, and God says to him, Li t up thou thine eyes from the place where thou art for all the land that thou seest to thee will I give it, and to thy seed forever." Egvpt is a tvpe of the world and it is quite possible to be living a consecrated life to-da^^ knd to-morrow backslide. Remember there is often a fall from almost the gates of heaven to ?he mouth of hell. Should I be addressmg any who have backslidden, who are standing with U2 the enemies of the cross, or following like Peter, alar-ofi," let me urge you to return to the life of consecration and God will at once take vou into fellowship. ^ We mijrlit profitably ask what kept Abraham at Haran all these years? He was chained by a certain tie-his father. Terah had to die before Abraham could jjet out of Canaan. If you are at Haran, you are anchored there bv some sins and It is necessary that you should .separate from them. Perhaps you are unwilling to yield up the chain like an old man, the guards pointed to me in Kingston Penetentiary. He was eighty years of age and was serving his tentli term. He' was first imprisoned in 1845, and since then to the present, a period of fifty-seven years, he has spent forty-eight of them in prison. During one of his first terms he wore a chain which was fas- tened from his waist to his foot. This he kept polished like a silver dollar, and when a new warden relieved him of the chain, he was very angry and unwilling to part with it. He had grown proud of his shame. A few years ago two men came over from De- troit in a row boat. They became intoxicated, and about three in the morning got into the boat, one at the bow and the other at the stern They pulled and pulled at the oars but the boat made no progress. After some time the effects of the intoxicants began to wear off and the dark- ness was scattering, they tlien discovered that the boat was still chained to the wharf. They un- loosed the chain, got into the boat, laid hold on the oars and both pulled together. The boat shot forward, and in a short time they were at their •destination. Many Haranites arc pulling at the oar of reso- lution, and the oar of prayer, and they are just where they were years ago — chained by sin. Separate from them and then pull on the oars and it will not be long till you reach the land of consecration. t44 GOD'S JEWELS press t,. <.eeran°e:ljor„rrre;Vrr *"'^" '- pre".: ^: ^r^::^'^^r^^r^"^^ - tutes others as in ™^ ,"'*', ^'"' ■'"' ""= ^"!"^'i- ■■jewels.'' Whe,, sne^kLl • "'.'r<^ ""= "^""^ *''^•'■• word, hut the How rh„"? °"f" "'" "'= '"™e His words convevrii^^'- """^"^ "° «istaltes He calls H^bX "rs eweT ^^^^l"!?' ^"i.^hen sider that name Jewels, ^^ e may well con- diamond .lots t th n„ ^'hT^; l.'u 'fla ,','" r^r „■;?„" 1t""i^d^'„o"'t'- ^° '^^ '- -^" U6 worlds was insufficient to pay the redemption of one soul. Jewels have always been associated with jjreat worth. The term conveys to our mind an amount much greater than the denomination of any cur- rency. The Orliff diamond belongi»?i; to the Rus- sian crown jewels is worth over half a million dollars. It came from a Persian prince, who called it "The Moon of the Moimtains." It is related that the Kinjj of Cevlon refused a city from Kubli-Khan for a jewel he had in his' i)ps- session. Thus we glean a faint idea of the value of a re- deemed sonl in God's estimation. When He made the worlds, He spake and it was done, but it took Him three-and-thirty years to redeem hu- manity. Some of you who have come here this morning may feel" despondent; you may possess vdry little of this world's opulence, but if you are a Christian you are more valuable than this universe. The carnal man does not grasp this truth, for "the natural man receiveth not the things of the spirit of God; for they are foolish- ness unto him." The half-savage New Zealander considers a piece of shining tin of more value than the rarest sapphire, just as the unredeemed despise God's peculiar people, but to the All- wise there is no carat standard capable of e. - pressing their worth. Jewels are carefully pre.served. Thev are not thrown down carelessly as worthless trinkets, but are deposited in places of security. It is reported that the Duke of Brunswick had a number of costly jewels which he protected with great vigilance. Special vaults were made for them but one morning they were, all missing. A trusted servant had stolen them. This cannot 146 happen to Gods goodly jewels. They cannot be snatched out of His hand. Thc•^ are guarded nof by men, but by the angels of the I.ird who en camp round about them. " >vno en 'F"/vVnr''^''l'^.^-'P''^'^^'^'' ^^°n» the throne I'ly to their stations assigned And an^rels elect are sent down ' To guard the elect of mankind." fi£M'bL'?'ft^',""/ ^^'''^' " '''* ^"^""^^ fierceness was one nr I ''"'^T'"^ emi.ssaries of Satan. Tt ThJ^t V'?*' '''""'"J^ o'"'s from the throne that arrested Abraham's descending blade Tey do^ ^"^/d^,^" a'^els that took I.St out of So^ oZ' , H '"'^'"'^ ^•'^^^^ t''^ fountain. An angel opened the prison doors to Peter, an angel shut the hons mouth for Daniel, and it was one of these mighties who slew 185.000 men of Senna- itte city IS besieged by the Syrian army The prophet asks God to open the eyes of h[ slryan His prayer is answered. The servant looks up and round about the city, between the csvrian of^fvine'^' 'T "' ^"'' ^^ ^-^ the squadrons ot divine ministrants protecting Elisha Jehov-ah charges the wicked to touch not His hSrcl ndreif' K:"^ ""V'^^'^ -" - fatherViUes nis cmidren. He oyershac'ows them with the ^lact the r pavilion of safety, tlieir rock and sriVete-Z'^eSh.""^-^- "' «'^ "-" ^'^'^ "^ David Brewster said that a comet beloneine- to ought to have appeared thirteen times .1 J - »ias not appeared at all. What are consia, red ' -'^xed stars may be lost, but not a soul -'ho '. .nfst 147 I ing in Jesus. "And I give unto them eternal lite and they shall never perish." If vou go to a lapidary with a small quantity of black soot and ihe diamond known as the KoHinoor, or "Moimtain of Light," and ask him to give them a careful analysis and tell you how their parts differ, his reply Will he that the pro- perties of the one are the properties of the other. Still there is a difference, for one reflects the light of the sun and the other does not. Likewise if you bring two men to a physician, one a Chris- tian and the other not, and ask him to give you from his standpoint the difference between them, he will answer that there is none. The component parts of the one are the component parts of the other. They are both composed of sinew, bone, blood, and flesh. Yet we know there is a difler- encc, for one in evervday life reflects the char- acter of the Sun of Righteousness and the other does not. To be a Christian is to reproduce the character of Jesus Christ, for Chris ianity is not a creed, it is a life. A man may assent to all the creeds in the world, and his character be as lack as sackcloth. Jewels can be increased in value. Taking into consideration its brilliancy, purity of color, free- dom from flaws and specks, its shape and size, a diamond's value depends upon the number of its facets and its polishing. The most valuable dia- monds have as many as thirty-eight facets, each reflecting the light. Scarcely any gem re- veals its beauty in its natural state. The diamond in the rough is most unattractive and would be thrown awav by a casual observer as a worthless pebble. Tts perfections are hidden under a rough-surfaced crust which can only be removed by its own powder. The deep violet of i:3 th..r excrescences, and smoothing their Tcet, ' „i- „' '1"?M *^>' '^°<' fashions believers to His the facet^ or tr»f,. '^ *"'' ""^ ""'I P^l'^hes ev r jr„,p --: - Xcrth:°„:\ti" ^l- tta°t"'^ ^i*""^^ ^"onldrdiate" rom" hcrift:: £ nMrhr^Hhrir^x^^^^^^^ wnr:h^'ot"o^^h"th'e''^"de^f ^t- ?' -? '^"3' fe;nr,'"the^^?ir„^r""^h^"^--'-°'-"o^^^^ part to make us more valuable for His use Jewels are frequently counterfeiteH ru^4. or slr''^ '"■■."- "'*"'°"" -nav o",;' be JiatI some compos,t,on ot ,oaterials mgenionsly 1(9 Ifl sr I ilA k.^ J tm P*' tjy wrought so that their apparent resemblance de- ceive the unwary. The whole country is flooded with counterfeit jewels. In Bohemia, Nurem- berg, and Switzerland, there are factories work- ing day and night mauulatturing artiticial jew- els. The Church is frequently deceived by those who are "not of them," who become troublers in Israel. Some have entered the Church from mere excitement and some from mercenary or social motives, but they soon lose their assumed lustre and stand forth in their real character . Mere outward decorum and religious decency are too often presented to God in lieu ot the beauty of holiness. Counterfeit jewels are not easily detected. You see one in a beautiful setting of i8-carat gold and you say, "What a beautiful gem," whereas it may be only a miserable imitation. See a counterfeit Christian in the good setting of the rector of a church, a supermtendent of a Sunday-school, of a churchwarden, a communi- cant, or of a mission-preacher, and they may be only hypocrites or mere formalists — Satan s manufacture ! Your presence here this morning, as professing Christians, gives me the opportunity of asking, " What are you ? " Remember, you are either one or the other. You will find counterfeit jew- els in shops and on the persons of multitudes, but go into the Tower of London and look at the crown-head jewels of Britain— you will never find one there. They are all examined by expert lapidaries. You will see counterfeit Christians presiding at the orean, taking up the offertory, or teach- ing in the Sunday-school, but one will never be i&o ii i,i. 1 of love oetce llS ^,? '"""•^'ot-ed spectrum as great sins. almost as much bul'Tnlv f'5-tr^"fparent, admitting h^ht stone ?s\^eTga?r^ ^h'""^ °'*^^^^- ^^^ ^ varionclv !o!or.H k ''/'"^ varieties of quartz earths -Thevnt '"^ admixtures of different .apphire, and ?„hv° ^"rllii^^^':." "A"-,""!- J^^P?-. raby. They are the ''eautiful ut p I i i i stained-glass windows of the temple, but do not admit light as clearly as the others. Fourth, the opaque, those that admit no light. They are not as valuable as the trans- parent, but they are, nevertheless, jewels. Such stones are the jet, bloodstone, tourmaline, and turquoise. They correspond to the babes in Christ who have not grown in grace. Their light is marred by carnality and besetting sins. The ideal type of perfection > is found in no in- dividual character, but in all God's saints col- lectively, each contributing the qualities which distinguishes him, and all united by charity, the bond of perfectness. The New Jerusalem will be a glorious city, because they will all be gathered together in the varied, but harmonious, splen- dor of xhe diamond. That is the time when the saints shall " be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hai J of God." On earth they were blemished in their lives, but in the "day of their manifestation" they shall have neither spot, nor wrinkle, nor any such thing. They will be conformed to the glorious body of Jesus ; they will bear the im- age of the heavenly. Were I to go to a sculptor and ask him to carve me a perfectly white angel, without flaw or speck, he would reply, " Then I must have a piece of marble without a single defect." Not so with the heavenly sculptor. He takes, "the castaways" that are lost among vile iniquities, and washes them by His blood, and makes them fit for the kingdom. John Ruskin tells us, in " Modern Painters," that the black mud taken from the footpaths of manufacturing towns is composed of four ele- ments, water, clay, sand, and soot. These may 163 be separated each from the. other. The water separated from the other three becomes a dew- drop or a crystalline star of snow. The clay separated from the others and left to follow its own instinct of unity, becomes a clear, hard substance, so that it can deal with J^^ht in a wonderful way, taking from it the beautiful blue rays and refusing the rest — this we call the sapphire, The sand particles, when separated, arrange themselves into mysterious, infinitely fine paral- lel lines, which reflect blue, green, purple and red in marvellous burning changes— this we call the opal. The soot, when separated like the others, be- comes the hardest thing in the world and for blackness ; it retains the power of reflecting all the rays of the sun at once in the most vivid blaze that any solid thing can scintilate — this we call the diamond. What power is it that takes the mud and fashions it into jewels ? It is the power of the same Omnipotence which takes men and women from the slums from the tragic hearts of great cities, and trans- forms them into his crown- jewels. A lady leaving a house in the dark lost from her finger a diamond ring of great value It fell on the footpath and rolled into the gutter Stooping down, she plunged her white delicate hand into the mud in search of the ^em She cared not, for the filth if she could but recover her lost treasure. So Jehovah's jewels are quar- ried from refuse and rubbish. Tliev are shut up in hearts of stone, but He sends His Son down to seek them, and to walk in the slimy river- beds and gloomy mines to find and pluck them us ii from their sins. By Divine alchemy, the most unpromising material is converted into the pure gold of the sanctuary. "Though ye have lien among the pots, yet sh_ll ye be as the wings of a dove covered with silver, and her feathers with yellow gold." Jewels are used for different purposes. Some are used for rings, others for bracelets, brooches, or watches. Likewise God has different uses for His jewels. He used Latimer, Huss and Ridley to witness for Him even to the death; and Athanasius to construct a creed; and Luther to break the spell of ages. He used the eloquence of Apollos, the fearlessness of Knox, the zeal of Paul, and the subtlety of Origen, to advance His kingdom among men. He wants to use your life if you are willing to be guided by the Holv Spirit as to the work you should perform. Christ will use crude material when it is unreservedly placed in His hands. I read of a lady who went into a jewellers' to look at certain gems. Among others she was shown an opal. As it lay on the velvet it was dull and hueless. She did not like it, but the jeweller understood the nature of the stone and took it up and held it in his warm palms. When he again showed it to his customer, it glowed with a wonderful play of color, and prismatic hues of dazzling brilliancy. There are human lives everywhere rich in their possibilities of beauty, and glory, but they need only the touch of the hand of God to bring out the radiancy of the Divine image. There is an ancient legend that Mohammed once touched a plant of mallows and it became a geranium, and has ever since been a p^eranium delighting men with its beauty and fragrance. IM No matter about the legend, when Christ touches a sinful soul it is transformed into beauty. Will you not place your lustreless, jagged life in the Hand of Christ, and as the artificer brings out the ruddy flame of the topaz, the milk-white filminess of the onyx, the shining gold of the jasper, and the soft blue of the sapphire, so will He develop in your life the fair colors of grace in all their sparkling brightness. 1 1 WAITING ON GOD "But they timt wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength ; they shall mount up with wings as eagles ; they shall run and not be weary ; and they shall walk and not faint."— Isaiah xl. 31. There are few commands in the Bible given to believers, less obeyed than the one incorporated in our text— Waiting on God. We have waited on everybody save the I^ord. We have waited, too, on theologv, and revivals, and churches. We need no wings for that, but we have never grasped what waiting on Go^^^«^y- W^'^e is hioo^rSH? tS " ^?^^ ^^ "^t- Where was he brooded? None know. They only know that above the cloud, above the reach of tempest above the tumult of trSs^ verse currents, this bird of heaven-so let us^H him-on self-supporting vanes that disdain to beat^the axr on wnich they rest, moves gradual ♦ J fi^" ^®, "" "^^ ^*"y storms-the domestic sa^s ?fTe^l?f ^ '^^4^°'"^ °^ ^i<^kness and God says If we wait on Him we shall have victory Zf ,*AV* "^'^"^ *^^* liJ'e the ocean eagle w^ should bathe our wings in rarer atmosphefes ourflVhT'w.^! 1*^°"^' the loftier should be re/t unon it tJ^"^"^ «^\"Pon it, ride upon it, hSher^e.'-' ' '' ^^*' ^^ ^^^"* ^^ "t^^e III. IVat/tp^ on God means icy. Michelet savs f^rK"°/^'^!l^" ^°^ ^^« created is so happy L S^ht''i°^*^' r"^' ^^« ^°«^^«t she takes to flight she feels herself strong beyond the limU hiti? fi'**°"-, ,Th^ ^^^ ^i«5les within her The burning fires of life. Poised on motionless winls of Ve^v^^^Vo^^rf ^ ? ^.'/ ^^^^ ^'"-p"'^^^ ox neaven. po not be afraid to eive vourw^lf wing-room m this element of joy. Pl^ny^tdls us of some strange tribes that dwelt in caves be aS'^;^ were afraid of the sunshiSe Be „ot afraid of joy. Wait silently on God and you wfll find your place in the heavenlies. - IV. Waiting on God means beautv No timp fh^ bird IS so beautiful as when on ^he winl On Xl fonTblii^'lhort'^^^T ^^ ^" -^y^^rTll. 2L'': no feeJ On /i"'"^' Pf^Jf ting eyes and almost no feet. On the ground she is awkward and a U8 prey to other birds, but in flight she is called "the thin-winged swallow skating on the air." She floats and rises without efiort. With scythe-like wings she sweeps tlirough the skies. She bathes while flying and drinks while flying. She is the queen of the air. Faithful picture of many a human lite! Take the homeliest man in your city and let him be regenerate, and spend much time in wait- ing on God and he will become handsome. His face may be seamed and furrowed, it may have no classic outlines, but there will be a gentleness and sweetness about it that all must admire. It will bear "the marks of the Lord Jesus." We read much now-a-days about wonderful cosme- tics, and facial treatments that are guaranteed to give a glow to the eye, eradicate wrinkles, and keep us young indefinitely. I have no quarrel with "Beauty Doctors," but let me tell you that nothing will ever glorify the human fa6e like a beautiful soul behind it. The soul's deeds are put down, added up, brought forward, and register- ed on the living page of the face. It has been pointed out that there never v as a beautiful fool; there never can be a handsome idiot. Have you ever noticed how, after years of life in each other's company, husband and wife look alike They have thought the same thoughts, hoped the same things, wept and laughed together, till they are changed into the same image. Nov . tf we wait on God in close communion, w wil' grow like Him, we will be transfigurea frort glory to glory. When Moses came down frotu tne Mount, he was so long waiting on God that his very face shone. When a ray of brightness from heaven feU on the features of the dying Stephen, they were so irradiated that they appeared like the features of an angel: ISO 1 \:m :,i II,. f^ill ml 'At " 'Till men beheld his angel face All radiant with celestial grace." Such a comeliness is a sacrament. It is for this beauty we are taught to pray, "Let the beauty of the Lord God be upon us." When health fails, this beauty does not fade. When the withering touch of the years blanches the face, it only grows the lovelier, 'till at last in death, it shall be a beauty just like Christ's, for "we shall see Hiir as He is." V. Waiting on God means not to grow weary. We are not always flying. There are times when we have to run. "They shall run and not be weary." The business man understands well what this means. He finds in the rush and push of life, with its innumerable demands, that from early in the morning until late at night, it is a constant run. Men and women over-burdened with work, whose life is well expressed in the simile of running, often grow tired and weary. They long for a holiday, and frequently when they do not get such, break down. This would be avoided, were they to obey the teaching of our text. "They that wait upon the Lord shall run and not be weary." VI. IVaiting on God means not to faint. But we are not always running There are times when the wheels of life move slowly; when life's duties are not only monotonous, but apparentlv no results are seen. Manv mothers experience this and hosts of others whose lot is cast in quiet and uninteresting spheres. Their lives become sadden- ed nd disappointed. They lose courage. In the wc: s of our text, they "faint." He who fore- ords^ned and located them in these surroundings has provided the antidote, waiting silently upon HimSelf. "They shall walk and not faint." 100 th«f^? r "P, V^^ widgs!" These words imply souli^ /°r^ ^^'. ^^"^^- The Greek worifoJ aS« 'rif '"*''■ ^",^ °"^ °^ ^ts meanings is as/n'rl ?f .-fi^* ?**"* °^ ^^« Grecian Goddess pXhe Krw/n'gs!^"'- ^'^ ^^ ^'-^y^ repri^JeTt' Speaking figuratively, every soul has two has'dVsf'on'f"' Obedience.-l/ut alas! our sou° No .^^,^ . '^ '^'"^^' °^ ^he ^inps are folded No soul cart rise in the Christian life unless the '^!tLrZTtHel ''^^^' ^"^ ^^^^-- - "ut'in hir5 i: i\u "^^ ^^^ °"ly one wing. The male bird had the wmg on h^-, right sidt.and the fe^ male on her eft. Separated they could not fly t^« ^l ^'^' "^' °^ ^^^ °«^ a«d on the right of wanteJ [oTv'%r"'P°"'f^ ^°°^^- Wherthey wanted to fly, these were fastened to^ethpr rui male bird then reached out hfs rIgh/wSf:' l^^ the female her left, and immediately thev rnl higher and higher, and together wLalle to ride npon the most terrific storm. ATaptillus Ind OK A- '^' ^"^^° *°"1- The wfngs ^of fa\th and obedience must be put into motion together l^v. 7\'^" "^^'^ "P°° the Christian life ' iJ^^ f '^vu °^ ^'.'■'^ ^^" ^e impaired by the cut- lo"w^flyin7''' ''^ ""' ^° ^'^^^ ^^ ^'" -^ One day in Devonshire I saw a lad using a pair h said" ram Zr"' ''? """^^^ '^ ^y ^^^^tL^ let the bird ?n«i"fu'*^ ™^'" ^^^er a bit h^ TTr. Jt% A ^°1 *"^ *^^ Poo^ thing tried to fly Up and down It went, up and down. It was ve^ bad flymg and very hard on the bird ^ wiW« ^^Jr*^°"^^"^ y^^""^ S^t^« has been cutting wings. He came to Adam in the garden and cut 161 IF m II the wing of obedience and thus Adam fell. Some- times, he cuts the wing of faith, and the believer begins to doubt (strange contradiction of terms —"believer" and "doubt") and the consequence is, he falls from the pure air and clearer vision to the fogs and mists below. The victory, joy, and beauty of his life disappear. It is the up- and-down life. Some of you have read the story of the gen- tleman who had a valuable eagle and resolvrd to give it liberty. He took the cage out on the lawn. The gentleman opened the cage door and stood back to see what the bird would do. After a few minutes it came out and then went be :k again. Again the bird came out, walked round the cage and stood for a time, as if it di'd not know it had wings. It was a cloudy day, and about 12 o'clock. Suddenly a cloud parted, and through the rift, the nooiidav stm fell on the eagle. It was an inspiration. Immediately the eagle lifted both pinions together, rose up into the air, higher and higher in majestic flight, and his master watched him till he soared out of sight in the far-off blue. Many souls are like this. They have wings but do not know it. But one day the Holy Spirit causes the light of the Son of Righteousness to fall on them, perhaps through a parted cloud. The wing of faith accepts Christ as his Saviour, and the wing of obedience obeys His commands. This is regeneration. They .rise into a new atmosphere. This is the Chris- tian life. But one day they become careless, and fly low. Satan clips one wing, or perhaps both, and like the raven Noah sent out from the Ark, they wander to and fro on the earth and feed on carrion. O Christian, if your wings are cut, if you have 162 X»SS9^:^W and tell God alf about it L.iT *^ >^°"' '°°°» let Him renew voSr^i^^luP *SJ° ^» '*« *nd fore Him " **""«th. Wait silently be- la ^1 ;'t: THE THREE RESURRECTIONS "Verily, vcrUv, I f»y unto you, The hour is coming and now is, when the dead shall hear the voce of the Son of God ; and they that hear shall live."— John v. 25. That hour has been running on for nearly two thousand years, and we know a great many dea' dead. I open my Bible and lit A a'''' »"«^aiues whore Omnipotence raised thL .? ^*"'' T^^ '"^''^ ^"t ^'^^ will notice soi^L .'^Vr '""" ?""-^ °^ *^« salvation of f^r of T i"'""- '"'■'"' ^*^«- 1" the 8th chap- ter of Luke w' ^. <.,. fhe account of the raisins' of Jai . ,:„,,,„/ She is a little gW SLn'S^^X" ;'^' "':*>-- 'lied. There ^^^ bef Tru. fS^n '■■ " '^' ^^^y ^^ if i" slum- ♦ mI It.' *^*^ ""'^■'•' •'--'• ■*• ■' ftigh spirits are tlllnJl^ ^^^f^- ' '-■• ^irlisli pe^rsonamv IS about her .still. vSvicnasts tell us that the echoes of life ring in the body much longer than IS commonly supposed; that for a time it is full of the remmiscences of life. This may explain how o en It comes about that when the pan^" of death are past, the beauty of bygone yeafs ?rs: fzz i^gii^ '-' -' -'^- ^^ Now this young girl was dead, but she looked w ^ as though she were sleeping. Her physical death represents the spiritual death of children and others. You see no marks of sin, no grave clothes about them but they are dead— spiritually dead. In the case of the little maid the death is con- fined to the chamber, and so is it with the class she represents; their deeds of wickedness are not yet apparent, b'ut their carnal minds are ft enmity against God. Their hearts are quiet vol- canoes that one day may belch forth hot streams of corruption. Though the serpent be dormant and you stroke its shiny back, it is nevertheless a serpent. It is quite possible that a child may grow up in the fear of the lyord, like John the Baptist, and Timothy, and not know such an experience as conversion. Such is the ideal life, but this is not so frequent as we could expect even in Christian homes, and it becomes necessary for a definite step to be made. Polycarp took this step at nine years of age, Matthew Henry at eleven, Robert Hall at twelve. The Church has placed a great instrimient for power in the hands of the clergy in the Rite of Confirmation, but that is often made a mere empty ;orm as evidenced by the fact that com- paratively so few of our young people conform to tht sacred vows and profession they have outwardly made before the congregation. We do not need more machinery in our Church, but a better and more thorough use of what we have. Verv tender are the words Jesus speaks to this dead child. "Talitha cumi." It contains a term of endearment meaning "lamb." "It is as if the Good Shepherd had saidiin bringing back in His bosom to the fold of the living, this lost IM nemnn W— WS^WPi lamb that had wandered into the land of for- getfulness, 'My little lamb, 1 say unto thee, arise.' By the word of love and the touch of power, the spirit is re-called from the everlast- mg spring, and the hills of myrrh, to the for- saken tabernacle. The wave of life rushes back to the quiet heart, the pulse is set beating anew a warm glow diffuses itself through the frame and mantles on the cheeks and lips. She rises from the couch as from a profound, dreamless sleep, in mute astonishment at the strange scene around her, all the feebleness of her illness gone. The sun of her life— as happens in the natural world on the borders of the Arctic regions in summer— just dipped below the horizon for a little, and then rose again; and dawn and sun- set shone in the same sky." Our blessed Lord commanded her parents to give the young girl food, and this is the first thing that should be done when a yoimg convert is brought into the kingdom. The Church, which IS the nursing mother, too often neglects to feed the babes in Christ. It is said the Duke of Alva starved his prisoners after he had given them quarter, saying, "Though I promised your lives I promised not to find your food." In the same manner we often act with "the newly enlisted " To become strong Christians they should be fed on the Bread of I/ife and the sincere milk of the Word. Nothing else can satisfy the soul. Other things are like the curry-powder, with which the Duke of Norfolk tried to satisfy the cravings of hunger in the Irish peasants in the famine of 1849— mere mockeries of unsatisfying food. The bone and sinew of spiritual life is formed by daily feeding on the "Word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." "Thy words were found and I did eat them." M!!K"^*9l- M'l Leaving this first resurrection, let us look at the second one. You find it in the 7th chapter of St. Ivuke. It is the raising of the son of the widow of Nain. Now this youth is dead, but no more so than the young girl, though death has gone a little further. He is wrapped in grave clothes, and has got as far as the city gate. The greatest diffi- culty in raising the widow's son was with the young men who we|re carrying him away. They wanted to bear him straight to the cemetery, but the Lord had to stop them. I believe there are many in our midst who are being borne away by ungodly companions to Hell. They aie the chief obstacles in salvation. It is easy to go with the crowd, eas^y to follow the devil's scrip- ture, "When you are in Rome, do as the Romans do." It is a smart thing to be "posted," "to know the ropes," so much easier than to buffet the body and bring it into subjection. But alas! the easy way to perdition is free, straight, and downgrade. How many mothers are following the living death of their boys. Sons dead to entreatieb, dead to amMtion, dead to heaven — twice dead — only a corpse of their former selves. All over Canada to-night, there are mothers who will wait up till well-nigh dawn for their boys. All else may sleep, but aot the mothers, for a true woman never gives her son up. We try to interest these spiritually dead ones in this, and that, and the other way, but what we want is to bring them to the Lord Jesus. He alone can raise them from the death of sin. If you, my hearer, are in this class let me tell you that life for a man or woman is to hear and obey the voice of God. Arise then and glorify Him. 168 ;W5r,T8!D0VJTr^ vJ,f;1?^ '/ ^P" "^'^ ^^^ ^'^ ^■oi^'-* harden not your hearts." The third resurrection is in St. John, the nth tTll- ^l/' ^^^* °^ ^^^^"'«- He was no more dead than the^litt e girl, no more dead than the widow's son, but longer dead. Everyone knew it -a type of the wickedness that leaves no room for even chanty to cover its hideous nakedness. f h?"h ^l^ T^'if ^f l^ing with some friends along the bank of the St. Clair river, we found th! ahnnt^fi"^ f^^^ ""^"T^ stalwart yotmg fellow of about thirty >cars of age. He had been mate on a passing merchantman, and a couple of davs before had fallen from his vessel while trying to cast anchor, and so was drowned. Forty-eight rZ'r ^^i^T^^d^' he had been taken out^ol ?he river and thrown on the bank by careless hands to await the arrival of the undertaker. He was lying alone on the white sands. There was no ooze and clammy slime of the river-bed His boyish face was torn with the grappling hooks and h,s hair matted with blood Tnd sJd A water snake crept out from his feet From a u^ .v.'"''^ Tl ""'"'■^^ ^ ^°P^ to decently com- pose the outstretched arms, and a blanket to h^was'^So^bod^^'r 1°' ^^^ August^ii^-fo? sf,rf^ f« »?T ^u^l'" darling." Ave! It was a sight to make the heart sick. But to the eye of the omniscient God there are just such spldtual wrecks, men and women that carry a Te 11 ?n their bosoms hearts of stygian blackness, fu of blasphemy, ust, mnrder, and all uncharitable Ml that the I/ord can save the first two classes re- presented by the child, and younjr men, but they have very serious doubts about His power when it comes to the third class. Like Martha, they say, "But Lord he has been dead four days and decay has fastened upon him. And there is the great stone of habit before his grave, it cannot be rolled away," but when Christ came to the tomb there w^as life, and He said "Loose him and let him go." Now, let me read the words of my text over once more: "The hour cometh and now is when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God. and they that hear shall live." You remember in each of these cases, the Lord Jesus spoke to them. To the young, girl He said "Talitha cumi," to the yoimg man, "Arise, and to Lazarus, "Come forth." When tliey heard that voice they were restored to life. In the 24th verse of this chapter it reads, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that heareth my word and be- lieveth on Him that sent me, hath everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life." Let not, I pray you the oppressive nearness of the world's roar and turmoil dull your ears to the voice of the blessed Lord. Do not, like the deaf adder, stop your ears. Listen, to "the still small voice, re- verence it, obey it, and the Prince of Life who hath the keys of the grave will quicken you who are "dead in trespasses and sins." 170 CONFORMITY TO CHRIST " For whom He did foreknow He also did pre-destinate to be conformed to the image of His Son."— Romans viii. 29. Here we have expressed the will of God con- cerning each of uS; not that we should become rich, or even great in the eyes of the world, but that our lives should be conformed to the image of Christ Jesus. Every life has an ideal of which it should be. but is not. These ideals are the main incitements to our progress. They are the soul hungers that lure us on to greater "heights. Themistocles, when a lad, was so fired by the deeds of his contem- poraries, that he longed to distinguish himself in like manner, in the service of his country .This became his burning ideal, and so a few years later we find him at the head of the Athenian army, that defeated the Persian fleet of Xerxes. This being the case, it is very essential that every life should have a perfect example before it, and our text gives us the one splendid ideal which God has willed to be the pattern of each life. It is, that we be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. The pattern for our life is not that of Peter, nor Paul, nor even Mary. The best of all human lives have had their defects, some more and others less, but the only All-Perfect life the world has ever seen is that of the Lord Jesus. In considering this unique life, we must re- member there was in it a process which must m r"T' !- ' * have its counterpart in our lives if we are to fulfil this divinely appointed plan. Process first, His birth When God entered in- to fellowship with man, the first thing he did was to take upon Himself man's nature. The union of these natures was called a birth. Like- wise before man can enter into fellowship with God, he must ta;ke upon himself God's nature. The work of uniting these dual natures in the person of Christ was performed by God, the Holy Ghost, Joseph having no part in it. When man and God are brought into living contact, it is also entirely the work of the Holy Spirit, so that man can lay no claim whatever to any merit in regeneration. The joining of the.se lives, humanity with Deity, was designated as a birth. "When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea." In like man- ner the union of man and God is termed a birth. "Mar\'el not that I said unto you ye must be born again." At the close of one of our services in England, I asked an old man his age. He replied, "I am eighty." To the question as to his birthplace, he said, "I was born twice over there on Main St. The first time eighty years ago, and the second time thirty-six years afterwards." The first birth made him a citizen of that town, and the second an heir of God's kingdom. At Christ's incarnation these two natures were not co-mingled; they always remained separate. "One altogether; not by confusion of substance, but bv unity of person for as the reasonable soul and flesh is one man; so God and man is one Christ." But the human nature was kept under the perfect control of the divine bv the power of the Holy Ghost, who dwelled in Him in all fnl- m ness. This explains Gal. v. 17: "For the flesh lusteth against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary the one to the other so that ye cannot do the things that ye would." The child of God, like his Master, has two natures which are distinct and separate — the flesh and the Spirit. Every Christian is dual and the higher and spiritual nature must fight to free itself from the fierce grip of the lower and sensual. In the tropics there is a latitude where two zones meet, and cause a constant storm. Just as the Spiritual and carnal meet in man. The flesh can never be improved into the Spirit. It can never be stamped out until death, because it is ourselves^ our e^o. It is only as we walk by the Spirit that we shall not fulfil the lusts of the flesh. Every Chris- tian has the Spirit and lives by the Spirit, but does not walk by the Spirit, and so their spiri- tuality becomes paralyzed. The second period we shall consider is His life. Here we must be carefril, for this opens up material for many sermons. We shall, however, briefly confine ourselves to three phases of it. (l) The position prayer occupied. Every hard day's work in Christ's life was preceded and succeeded by prayer. We find Him rising up long before day-break for intercession, and it is re- corded that He spent whole nights in prayer. If we are to follow in His footsteps this form of devotion must have a prominent place in our life. The other day I read of an address given on prayer at a convention, where several thousand people were present. The speaker asked all in the vast audience who devoted twenty minutes 173 1,1* !f each day to prayer to hold up their hands. Sev- eral hands went up. He then asked a show of hands for those who spent ten minutes each day in prayer; more hands appeared. Then he asked for all who spent one day with another, three minutes in prayer; fully half the hands of the audience were raised. In poing home from the meeting, one of the audience said to the speaker, •'My conscience smites me because I held up my hand as an expression of spending three minutes every day in prayer, and I believe I do not even spend that time," This man is not alone in his experience. There are many who call themselves Christians who do not spend even three minutes in earnest prayer one day with another. Yet the Master fotmd it necessary to devote whole nights to sup- plication. Great pianists carry a dumb piano with them, which is simply a mechanical keyboard for the exercising of the fingers. Rubenstein used it, and on one occasion he said, "If I neglect practise a single day I notice it, and if for two days mv friends notice it, and if for three days the people notice it." Every Christian has a dumb piano upon which he ought to practise. True, it gives out no utterance that the world can hear, but it is mighty in accomplishment, it is the instru- ment of silent prayer. McCheyne said that he be- lieved no one ever became a lost soul who praved daily to God. When tempted to be neglectful, think of this, and use your dumb piano. (2) 77ie position of service. Take one example from the 13th chapter of St. John's Gospel. It is an evening meal. The night before His cruci- fixion. The disciples and their Master are present. It is customary on occasions like this for their m feet to be washed. No slave is prcr-ent. The dis- ciples look askance at each other, as much as to say, "I shall not wash your leet." The Master takes in the situation, rises up, lays aside the outer ^'arment, and takes a basin of water in one hand, and a towel in the other. He stoops down and with His own hallowed hands washes the soiled feet of the disciples. The old paintings represented Chri.st as kneeling at His task, while an angel stands beside Him holding a second towel, thus throwing into strong relief "the humility of Him whom the angels serve." He comes to Peter, who will deny Him before an- other sunrise, yet He washes his feet and wipes them with the towel. He kneels before Judas, whom he knows in a few hours will betray Him. treat Him more basely than ever man was treated, but with unparalleled love and forgive- ness, the Holy One of God stoops and washes even his feet. It is a subject too tender for a cold and critical study we can only be still and mar- vel. Then the towel and basin are laid aside and sitting down, He said, "If I, then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet, ye ought also to wash one another's feet, for I have given you an example that ye should do as I have done to you." It is this Spirit of service which will win the world for Christ. If the followers of Jesins would only put into practice this object lesvson, no power could resist the projrrc.'>s ->f Christian- ity. The enemies of Christ would e'er long be- come sincere followers oi Kim whose life was perfect. (3) His life of entire dependence uPi^'n the Father In St. John's Gospel, we hav^ Christ saying, "The Son can do nothir^ of Hi'xs'}f." 176 "I seek not mine own wfll, but the will of the Father which hath sent me." Not manv of us like to say we can do nothing ol ourselves. We think we are capable of some few things, but it was not so of Christ. All through His life He fulfilled not His own will, but that of His Father. It was the Father's interests He sought, and the Father's power He relied upon. Pliny tells us of a mongrel eagle he saw which had one foot web-foot and the other natural. This bird, he said, ai)peared to have a decided advantage over all birds, as it was suitable for both water and air, but on the contrary, it was a victim for all birds. Manv Christians are rest- ing partly on Christ and partly on themselves. This will always be the life of failure. To imi- tate the Master we must depend altogether on Christ. (4) The death and resurrection of Christ, which I believe are inseparably connected, next claim our attention. But as time will only per- mit us making a mere mention of them, we shall pass on to the ascension of Christ, and descent of His Holy Sp rit on Pentecost. (5) His ascinsion and descent of the Holy Spirit. After His resurrection we hear Christ saying, "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth." Possessing this power He takes His exalted position at the Father's right hand. (I Peter iii. 22.) "Who is gone into heaven and is on the right hand of God; angels and authori- ties and powers being made subject unto Him." Having taken His proper and legitimate posi- tion, and all things being placed in obedience to Him, He proceeds to send the Holy Spirit forth on Pentecost. (Acts ii. 33.) "Therefore, being by the right hand of God, exalted, and having re- 176 ceived of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost ITe hath shed forth this which ye now see and hear." This was the Holv Spirit's descent on Pentecost. This is Gods order; ascension first and then pentecost. Christ had to be exalted before the Holy Spirit could descend. There is, I am plad to say, an ardent desire on the parts of many Christians for a deeper spiri- tual life. Great numbers are prayinjr for the Pentecostal baptism of the Holv Spirit, but I fear that some are making the mistake of revers- ing Ciod's order, ind exi)ectinj!: Pentecost before Ascension. I do not think it is necessary to pray and plead to be filled with the Holy Spirit. When we enthrone Christ on our hearts and in our lives, so that all the powers we possess are placed in perfect submission to Him, He will fill our lives with His Holy Spirit as He did the three thousand at Pentecost. You have doubtless heard of the story of a Christian named Taulor, who, like many \^hris- tians. had his doubts and fears. He prayed earn- estly for some Pricilla or Aquila to teach him the way more prrfectlv. One day on the road he overtook an old man and saluted him, saying 'God give thee a good day." "Thank God," replied the old man, "I never had a bad day." Changing the salutation, he said, "God make thee happy, my friend." Again the old man replied, "I am never un- happy." "How is that?" "When it rains, sir, I thank God, and when the sun shines I thank Him; when I am hungry I thank God, and when I have plenty to eat 1 m thank God; when I am sick or when I am well I thank Him, because God's will is my will, and what pleases God pleases me; therefore why should I say I am unhappy?" After a few minutes Taulor said to him again, "If your God should cast >ou into hell, how "Were my God to cast me into hell, I have two arms to embrace Him with, the arm of my love wherewith I am united to His inefiable deity, and the arm of my faith whereby I lean upon His holy humanity, and thus one with Him I would descend into the bottomless pit oi ttell, and I would infinitely rather be there with my God than any place else without Him." "Who are you?" asked the amazed listener. "I am a king." "Where, tell me, is your kingdom?" Putting his hand on his breast, the old man made answer, "The Kingdom of God is withm tne " This story just illustrates what I want. The aeed saint had enthroned Christ on his heart, given Him His proper place in his life, and in return the Saviour filled him with the Holy Spirit and made his life a kingdom. It is our privilege to belong to the greatest kingdom this world has ever seen. But I believe it is God's intention that each one of us should become a kingdom vastly greater that Britain I know I am addressing those who have accepted Christ as their Saviour, but how many of you have gone a step further and received Him as ^°Let me lovin»^ly persuade you to enthrone Him on vour heart. Let everything in your life be placed at His feet. Remember He is a jealous m God. He wants every colony in your life, every room that is locked. He wants to take posses- sion of yonr whole life. Let Him be exalted now. He will then (ill yon with His fulness and your life will f become conformed to the image of God's Son. m