'P" IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-S) 1.0 I.I 1.25 12.8 Im Hf 1^ 1.4 M ||||22 |||M 1= 1.6 V] <^ /} om e". ^2 /: '^ > /A ''W ■rf v .^ ^;o ^^ %^^ »> ^ ;\ 'P" CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHM/ICMH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions Institut Canadian Je microreproductions historiques 1980 Technical Notes / Notes techniques The Institute has attempted to obtain the best original copy available for filming. Physical features of this copy which may alter any of the images in the reproduction are checked below. L'institut a microfilm^ l6 rayer-<]uestion, spoken at a most solemn crisis of life, at the beginning of a new epoch in his career, hy the great Apostle of the Gentiles. It does not matter much whether the sacred historian actually recorded the prayer-question in this |)art of his narrative, about which some doubt exists. Nor does it matter whether the words used by the Ajnxstle were precisely those of this verse. St. Paul himself distinctly asserts that he diur characters. This it is that }ielps us to understand our Lord's otherwise perplexing precept : ''^ He ye perfect ^ even as your Father which is in Heaven is per/ect.'^ Per- fection is to be attained, if ever by men or angels, only by loving and obeying the will of God. I need not stay to show you how the J/ord Himself put this })recept into practice. He dtKjlared His very meat, His daily food, to be '• to do the will oj Hhri tJtat se)d IJlii}.'^ *' / seek iiot^' He said, '■'mine oimi wiUy "/ came front Heaven, not to do mine own wil/J^ And at the last, when thectipof suiireme agony was at His Vv»ry lips, and His suffering humanity would fain, it it wei'e possible, have it taken away. He meekly, submissively, look.s u[) and cries, '* not My will, but Thine be done I ^' Brethren, if such be the precept and example of the Lord, surely the Oiiristian ought to obey and follovv it. And all through the New Testa- ment we have frequent Apostolic exhortations to this effect : that we may " understand what the wdl of the Lord is y (Eph v, 17). That we mity '^ stand complete in all the will of Gody" (Col. iv, 1*2) and " do the will of 8 (iod from tht heart.'^ (Epb. vi. G) aneneath us, a Divine will, which, at any sacrifice, it is of the utmost consequence we should obey ; that it will be of inestimable benefit that we should thoroughly conform to it, and that we have constant need to pray that the Lord may leveal His will and help us to do it. My God, my Father, while I stray, Far from my home on life's rough way, teach me from my heart to say : Thy ivill be done. Renew my will from day to day, Blend it with Thine, and take away All that now makes it hard to say : 7'% will be done. II. — This at once suggests the second lesson of our motto. Let us emphasize another word besides wilt. Let us say, " Lord wJmt wilt Thou have me to do ! " Apply this prayer-question, my dear brother or sister, to your- self, this and every day of the year 1881. Believe me, it will suit every station in life. It will help you in the discharge of every duty. It will show you a way out of every difficulty. It will let the light of Heaven shine upon your path, however dark and gloomy be the 9 surroundings, and it will bring the voice of the Lord to •fe'^j s[)eak to your conscience, as it did to .'■Jmt of Saul, and lead you on to the right and safe issiie. We may, with all reverence, fancy the Lord replying to a few humble (juestioners. To one who is in doubt as to some course of conduct which is to be of public gain or loss, — *• Be just (ind fear not. Be true to principle, and seek not to please men hut God. Leave results to Me^ To another ex- posed to slanders and calumnies, — ** Be patient; return not evil for evil, nor railing for railing. Love your enemies. Bless, and curse not." To another, provoked by angry, exasperating speeches, unkind, untrue accusa- tions, — " A soft answer turneth away wrath. Remember, when I was reviled I reviled, not again." To another, invited to some company or entertainment which stands directly in the way of duties to God, the sacred services of God's Church, the true peace ozone's immortal soul,-tosuch a one asking- *' Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?'*" The Lord says, — ^^ Love not the world, neither the things thai are in the world. The friendship of the world is enmity with God. The world passeth away and, the lust thereof." '* Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do T askg another, hesitating as to whether God's will requi.'e» some personal sacritice, an opposition to the caprice or selfishness, the indifference or unbelief of a husband or a wife, a parent or a child, or of foolish, frivolous friends. The answers comes, ** He that loveth father or mother •more tJian Me, is not worthy of Me. He that loveth son o^ daughter more than Me, is not worthy oj Me. And he that taketh not his cross and Jolloweth after Me, is not worthy of Me.*' Once more. To a Christian with a darkened heart, 10 or in a darkened chamber, bereft of some one truly loved and truly loveable, that made earth bright and beautiful ; to any sorrow-stricken, or suffering, or despairing, or dying Christian, who, in anguish of soul, asks the question — " Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do ?" comes the calm answer, " Ctti*?^ thy burden upon Me^ and I vnll sustain thee. Fear no evil^for I am with thee. My rod mid My staff will comjort thee. None shall pluck thee out of My hand. I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. Thou art Mine." And so we might go on, and find answers from the Lord, answers already written down in the Lord's Book, solving all manner of doubts and difficulties to this prayer-question, " Lord, what wilt Thou have me to dof Aye, and answers too, to the question, " Lord, what wilt thou have me not to do T Yes. We may, all of us, in all times of our tribulation in all times of our health, and even in the hour of death, ask this prayer* question to our profit, and have the Lord giving us His gracious, guiding ans^vers. Only, my brethren, benr it well in mind, that there must be a thorough honesty of heart, a sincerity of desire to obey the will of the Lord when it is revealed ; a thorough submission of one's own will to the Lord's. There must be no guile, no hypo- crisy, no reserve about our readiness to do what we once know to be the will of God. Then, and only then, can we expect the Lord to hear and give an answer and the spiritual direction. III. But now let us eujphasize a different word, and harn one more lesson ^ " Lord, what wilt Thou have me TO Dol" This is really the chief point in the Apostle's 11 prayei-questioii. This it is that makes it so practical and approj)riate a motto to-day. Tiie Lord Christ has, we cannot doubt, some special work for everyone to (/o for Him and His Church here and everywhere, just as He had for the convert Saul. Is there any one Christian, old or young, for whom the Lord has not ap})ointed some work to be done*? Surely not one. Now, dear friends, remember you have been spared to see another year of time. Your day for doing the Lord's work has been graciously prolonged. You can- not but be grateful to God for having it so. He has brought you to see this new year, surrounded by many loving relatives and friends, even tl ough He may have removed some dear ones; and He has blessed you with many sacred privileges and domestic comforts. But you very well know that the Lord expects you, in return, in gratitude for these present benefits, to do something for Him. You will certainly admit this. Sup})ose, then, the Lord to-day putting to you, my brothers, or sisters, the question, " What art thou doing for Me ? I have placed thee in My vineyard of the Church. I have engaged thee as My servant. As such, I have blessed thee exceedingly. I have become thine own human Brother. 1 feed thee bountifully with Heavenly Food. I watch over thee by day and night, never slumbering nor sleeping. I and My angels guard thee and defend thee against the assaults and temptations of the devil and his angels. I am giving thee all thou requirest for thy body and soul on earth, and I have an everlasting, ever-blessed Home prepared for thee, with Me and Mine hereafter. What, then, art thou now doing for Me % Art 12 thou laboring or loitering 1 Art thou careless and luke- warm, indifferent and indolent ; or, art thou earnest and diligent, and fervent in spirit in thy Lord's service ? What arc thou doing? Art thou doing anything; or art thou suffering the few working days and years of thy short life to pass by, doing nothing, or doing little ] And this \vith the night hastening on, the long, dark night fast coming in w.:ich no man can work ?" • Ah, brethren, hear the Lord putting these questions on this first Lord's Day of another year. Perchance — and may the Lord grant it — the consciences of some (like that of Saul, the persecutor, but henceforth to become the devoted Apostle of Christ) are now awakening, and you, too, ask with the same faith and humility, Lord^what wilt Thou have me to do ? May not that Lord give some such answers as these : Disciple of Mine, thou liast work for Me to do both at thy own house and at My House. 1. At Thy Own House. — Ther^ among thy own household thou hast an example to set, and thou may est every day prove thy discipleship by thy consistency, \A\y control of tongue and temper, thy gentleness, thy patience, thy purity, thy faithful performance of little duties, thy self-denial, and self-restraint. And in thy secret cham- l>er, by thy prayer and meditation, and the study of My wordandwill. In thy own houseand household thou mayest shed around the light as of a burning and shining lamp, steadily radiating the love and the life of Christ within thee, so that all may take knowledge of thee that thou 13 art in close and frequent companionship with Me, thy Lord and Saviour. 2. And also at My House. — My sanctuary that T have chosen to place My name there — there is mucli work to he done. Tlie work is threefold. Try and rememher It. In the first j)lace, thou mayest come every day and offer intercession with My Church throughout the worhl. Every day thou mayest offer with tlie ministers and stewai'ds of my mysteries, the sacrifice of prayer and praise on behalf of thy Christian brethren and thyself. Kvery day thou mayest enjoy communion w4th Me, con- fess thy sins, and receive My pardon. Every day thou mayest learn some sacred truths which I have revealed in My written word. But the chief duty to be done and privilege to be enjoyed is, that thou mayest unite with My lioly Church throughout the world — My spiritual body, of which I am Head, — in iittercession vnth the Father, praying for the coming of My etei-nal kingdom, the s[)eedy victoi-y of good over evil, the spread and estab- lishment of the Gospel of My salvation. And there, at least week by week on My own day, need I remind thee of thy duty to attend and worship Me with holy wor- ship, and obey Afy dying command, " Do this in remem- brayice of J/e," offering the great Christian oblation of intercession, even as I offf^r it in Heaven, the same plea, all prevailing, of My body broken and My blood shed for thee and all sinners in the sacrifice of the cross ] This, day by day and week by week, as an unceasing witness for Me before an ungodly and unbelieving world, I will that thou shouldst do at My House — My House oj Prayer. T^ 14 Secondly — Here thou mayest honor Me with thy sub- stance and tlie first fruits of thine increase. I claim from thee a due proportion of what I enable thee to earn, of what I give thee to spend. All thou hast is Mine. Thou art only a steward, not a proprietor. And I ask of thee only a small portion of what I have be- »stowed in return. Thou must know that I could, My- self, support My Church and all the ministrations of My sanctuary, but it is My will this must be done through thee. I require it at thy hands ; and I delight in seeing it done, not grudgingly, nor of necessity, for I love a cheerful giver. This, then, thou mayest also do accord- ing to My will — give of thy money to provide for My ministering servants ; for the maintenance of My holy faith ; for the relief of My poor and needy disciples ; for the extension of My kingdom- on earth. A.nd thirdly — I will have thee to do all thou canst do by this personal work, to assist those set over thee in the Lord. Remember that I have placed thee in a land where I trust much, if not all, to the personal love and devotion of my faithful disciples ; where there are no benefactions inherited from past ages, no great pecuniary prizes or rich emoluments to be enjoyed by the clergy. Here thou and they are laying only the foundation of the future Christian Church. You all must therefore be, and do the- work of, missionaries of the Cross, and be ready to put your hand to any work claiming your co- operation. Here you can help in teaching the lambs of My flock simple Gospel truths. You may use the musical voices with which I have blessed you to unite in ii 16 the Service of praise. Ah, whose fault is it, if that ser- vice is often weak and defective 1 Here you may under- take the management of the secular concerns of the Church. You may look after brethren who are poor and weak, and relieve them, and lovingly keep them safe within the fold of their Church. Here there is abund- ant scope for the exercise of the talents whi^h I have given to both men and women ; all to promote My glory and prove your love to Me, and your value of the precious privileges with which I have blest you, and your reverence for the sanctuary where you and I meet con- tinually, in the House of your Master and only Saviour, Jesus Christ. My dear friends, these are some of the many ways in which the Lord wills you to do something for Him. There are countless others. The Lord will always show them as you always ask humbly and in faith, " Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?" But now, as I conclude, pray keep in mind two things about it all. They are worth rememl)ering. 1. You and I may not have many more years for the doing of arty- thing for the Lord. For some of us — God alone knows how many or how few — this may be the very last year in which we shall have the opportunity and the privilege of doing anything for Him Wno has done and is daily doing such great things for us. Shall we not strive, my brethren, to make the most of the short time that is left us % For, believe me, the time is short. 2. And finally, remember what you do must be real doing ; not talking, or saying, but doing. We have an immense deal of talking and discussing, and arguing in these days. So 16 i. II much time is spent in cavilling and criticising, in dis- putation and controversy, often about the most wretched trifle, some unessential matter of mere taste and fancy, that while this is going on the enemies of God and truth creep in and make havoc of us altogether. They take advantage of our folly, and while we are are talking they are doing — doing irreparable damage to our souls. Take, then, this motto with you, and let this year be a year of doing with you all. Resolve, by the grace of (rod, to keep these words, ^^ Lord, what wilt Tliou have me to do — to do for Thy sake and Thy cause this year T^ ever before your minds during 1881. Busy yourselves in thinking constantly what you, each one, can do for the Lord. So will this year be an imperishable memo- rial before God of your Christian faith and love, and your willingness to do His will. And so, whether you live long or live short, you will, as our old forefathers used to say, live well. The year now begun will be, in- deed, a happy new year, as well as a hopeful year, be it new or old. It will, perhaps, be a short year in passing away, but it will be a long year in its results for good, long in the blessedness that will follow every deed done for Christ and (lis cause. Yes. This will be to live well and live long both in time and eternity. For, " He liveth long., who liveth well ! All other life is short and vain ; He liveth longest who can tell Of living most for Heavenly gain. ''//e liveth long, who liveth ivell! All else is being flung away ; He liveth longest who can tell Of true things truly done each day." Be such a long life yours, my very dear friends, for our Lord Jesus Christ's sake. Amen. in clis- etched fancy, I truth sy take 9 they ear he race of \ave me year /" rselves do for memo- ;'e. and 3r yovi fathers be, in- , be it jassing r good, deed be to For, ds, for BSf