Acceptance in Christ.
An Indian convert in a prayer meeting in London, began: “O God, we come into Thy presence in the Shoes of Christ.” It was explained that an Indian servant, on entering his master’s presence removes his shoes. But a son keeps them on.
J. RITCHIE
Accounts, God’s.
“Sir,” wrote an infidel farmer to an American paper, “I have been trying an experiment. I have a field of Indian corn which I plowed on Sunday. I planted it on Sunday; I did the cultivating on Sunday; I gathered the crop on Sunday, and on Sunday I hauled it into my barn. And I find I have more corn per acre than has been gathered by any of my neighbors during this October.” The Editor added nine words as a footnote: “God does not always settle His accounts in October.”
Adorning the Doctrine of God our Savior.
How can you adorn the doctrine of God? What can we do to add to the doctrine of God? It cannot mean that, because we cannot add anything to it. But we can illustrate it, and I always think of that word carrying the meaning of ‘illustrate.’ It is the all-round Christian that illustrates the teaching of God.
There is a certain magazine which carries every month—I suppose it does so now—descriptions of recent inventions, but letterpress only: there are no illustrations. It requires great mental effort to try and picture the machine or the gadget that is being described, without any illustration to help. One often wishes there were just an illustration so that one could say, “Yes, that is just where that wheel is. ‘A’ is that particular wheel, and ‘B’ is that particular spindle.” It would make it so much easier to understand. That is why we illustrate school books for children, that they may understand them better. So to you and to me is given the privilege of illustrating the doctrine of God our Savior, so that others may understand, who otherwise would never understand it.
Ambassadors for Christ.
A well-known American missionary in Turkey was offered a consulship in one of the chief Turkish cities at what would be to him a princely salary. He declined, and was asked why. “I declined to step down from an ambassadorship to a consulship,” he replied.
Amusements—Influence of Worldly.
“I think a Christian can go anywhere,” said a girl, who was defending her continued attendance at a very doubtful place of amusement. “Certainly,” replied her friend, “but let me tell you what happened when I went with some friends to explore a coalmine. One of the party was dressed in a white gown. Her friends remonstrating, she appealed to the guide, an old miner. “Can’t I wear a white dress down into the mine?” “Yes, Miss,” replied he, “there’s nothing to prevent you from wearing a white frock down there, but there’ll be everything to keep you from wearing a white one back!”
Appearances—Keeping up.
One asked in a children’s meeting: “If this gold watch will not go, of what use can it be?” A boy called out, quite seriously, “To swank with.” What is keeping up a show of spiritual appearances when the power has gone but swank?
Assurance.
A woman who ‘hoped to be saved’ said: “The older I grow, the more doubtful I get.” In secular things, how true this is! At a certain age one knows everything! But we become less sure. Not so in the things of God.
Assurance in Life’s Storms.
A ship was drifting upon a rockbound coast one stormy night. The passengers were Delow, paralyzed with fear. Among the passengers was Mr. Stevenson, father of the famous writer R.L.S. Mr. Stevenson went on deck. There was the pilot, erect and firm, fighting inch by inch to turn the ship from the dreaded rocks. The pilot, seeing Mr. Stevenson, looked up and smiled. Not a word was spoken; the look was enough. It spoke of victory and safety. Going below to the trembling passengers, he said: “It is all right; I have seen the pilot’s face, and he smiled.” “Thank God!” was the reply. They needed no further assurance that all would soon be well.
Atheism—Folly of.
(a) In the churchyard at Tewin, Hertfordshire, is the tomb of Lady Anne Grimston, a notorious atheist, who died more than 200 years ago. “It is as likely that I should rise again,” she had said, “as that a tree should grow out of the middle of my coffin.” A tree has done that very thing. Indeed, two trees, an oak and a sycamore. The vault is square, of granite and brick. The trees filled the interior before they could find a way out. When they burst through the masonry, they so spread as to envelop the grave completely. They broke the iron railings, grew round them, and carried them skywards in their growth.
(b) The infidel Countess of Hanover was a violent opposer of Christianity. She had her tomb erected out of solid granite, and had inscribed on one of the great granite blocks: THIS TOMB SHALL REMAIN UNDISTURBED THROUGHOUT ETERNITY Years after, God looked down at that tomb, and said to the frost, “Mock this infidel and her boastful assumption.” And the frost heaved and heaved till in the masonry of the tomb there was a crack. Then God said to the wind, “Mock her”; and the wind blew loose soil into the crack filling it up. God said to the rain and the sun, “Mock her,” and the rain and sun worked and prepared the ground for a seedling which the birds dropped, and in time a tree lifted its trunk above the tomb, carrying with it the granite block with the inscription. And today in that cemetery can be seen the tree holding up the block with the arrogant inscription.
Atheist—Confession of.
Proctor, the great astronomer, dying of yellow fever in a hospital in New York, after a generation of boasted atheism, cried: “There is a God! there is a future! there is a hell!”
Atheist Confuted.
A preacher in Hyde Park had just finished what he had to say, when a man stepped from the crowd and addressed the company in this strain: “Ladies and gentlemen, you have been listening to this lap talking about God, Heaven, and Jesus Christ. He has had a lot to say about sin and death, the devil and hell. I hope you won’t believe a word of it. I don’t. I refuse to believe what I cannot see.” And in this manner he went on or some time ridiculing faith in anything that could not be seen.
As he finished, another man elbowed his way forward and in this wise he, too, addressed the company.
“Friends, I hear that not far from here runs a river. I don’t believe it. Many declare the grass hereabouts is a beautiful green. I don’t believe it. And some also say that by these walks are pretty shrubs which yearly blossom forth to please the eye of man and make pleasant the surroundings. Again, let me declare, I don’t believe it! By all of this, however, I am sure that most of you standing here will decide that I am talking like a fool. Really, I am serious.
“I have never seen the river. I have never seen the grass; never looked upon a beautiful flower, for I was born blind. The more I talked to you in this strain, the more it would appear to you that I must be blind, and unless sight is given to me, I shall never see the flowers, the grass, and the river flowing silently to the sea.
“But that does not justify my insisting that what I cannot see I will not believe? Certainly not!”
Turning in the direction of the other man, the blind man went on: “You, sir, by your statements, disprove nothing that has been said. What you do prove, however, is that you are blind—spiritually blind—and that is why you do not understand what many people here know to be true.”