Babes and Sucklings—Revelation to.
The great Earl of Chatham once went with a Christian friend to hear Mr. Cecil preach. The sermon was on the Holy Spirit’s work in the hearts of believers. On coming out, the statesman confessed that he had not understood it at all, and asked if his friend supposed that anyone in the audience had. “Why, yes,” he replied, “there were many plain, unlettered men and women, and some children, who understood every word, and heard it with joy.”
Backsliding—Cause of.
“Why did you fall out of bed, sonny?” a small boy was asked. “Because I stayed too close to the getting inside.”
Backsliding—Description of.
A preacher called upon a Christian who had been neglecting the weeknight meetings, and went to the fireplace, and with the tongs removed a live coal and placed it on the hearth by itself. He watched it as it changed from the red glow to a cold, black mass. The other carefully observed, and said: “You need not say a word, I’ll be there on Wednesday evening.”
Backsliding—Remedy for.
A certain general had a horse of which he was very fond. One day it ran away with him, and he was unable to check it. On, on it rushed, towards an awful precipice. Twenty yards from the brink he drew his sword, slew the horse, and saved his life.
Slay the thing that is heading you to spiritual disaster.
Backsliding—Tragedy of.
Two lovers got separated, and lost their reason in consequence. Both were in the same asylum, and often passed each other when walking in the garden, but did not know each other though they once had been all in all to one another.
Baptism—its meaning.
A missionary in Central Africa, who had been used to the conversion of a young chief, broached the subject of baptism. To his surprise, he grasped the truth readily. Later he said: “You know, we practice baptism, When a chief dies, all his wives are shut up till the funeral rites are over. Then they are taken to the lake and immersed in the water, after which they are reckoned to be dead to the old chief, and may marry again.”
Baptism—what age?
A missionary in India was requested to visit a distant village where some people were desirous of being baptized and forming a Christian Church. Immediately on his arrival, more than fifty men and women came together and were catechized.
Then, noticing a lad standing by, the missionary went up to him and said: “Well, my boy, and why have you come?” “To be baptized, sir,” he replied.
“You are very young, and I fear that you may not understand what it means,” the missionary said. He then asked the boy a few questions, which he answered quite satisfactorily.
“You seem to understand,” he added, “but I think it will be better for you to wait until I come again, and if you are still of the same mind, you shall be baptized.” On hearing this, some of the men came forward and said: “Sir, all that we know about Jesus, that boy has taught us.” And they went on to explain that no missionary had ever visited that village, but that the boy had once gone to a distant town to work, and there he had heard the Gospel message, and received a Bible, which, on his return, he had read to them, with the result that they believed the message; and they hoped that the boy might be baptized and become a member of the new church. Needless to say, the missionary decided that the boy should be the first to be baptized.
Best—The Way to God’s.
God has His best things for the few, who dare to stand the test;
God has His second choice for those, who will not have the best!
It is not always open sin, with which our souls are pressed;
The better sometimes is the foe, that keeps us from the BEST.
Beyond!
On the ancient coinage of Spain, when she was one of the great world-powers, you may see the two pillars of Hercules, which were then considered to be the western limit of the habitable earth. With these there were, as her national motto, the Latin words, Ne plus ultra-nothing beyond. But there was one man who did not accept that as final. Away over the trackless Atlantic went Columbus, leaving the pillars of Hercules and the fancied end of all things, to discover a new land of wealth. Spain has had to alter her motto, so that today it reads Plus ultra. And in the ancient capital of Castile Valladolid, there stands a modern monument, depicting the lion of Castile striking the negative from the national motto, tearing away the word that stood as a veto upon enterprise and discovery.
Bible—a Mirror.
The story is told in Spanish history of a young prince who was smitten in early years with smallpox. He was cured, but permanently and badly scarred. His parents, thinking to spare him a good deal of self-depreciation, removed every mirror from the palace in which he lived, with the consequence that he grew up filled with self-importance. He became arrogant in the extreme. At last the servants thought of a way in which to cure him of his arrogance and his overbearing attitude to others.
One evening when the prince had retired to his room, they put outside and opposite his door a large mirror. When the prince stepped out next morning he had the greatest shock of his life. He who had heretofore thought of himself as some great one, to be admired and respected, discovered that he was in himself a most abhorrent creature. If we are wise, we shall hold the mirror of God’s Word before us every day.
Bible—Attitudes to It.
The writer of a certain book divides people into three classes, according to their attitude to the Bible:
(1) Those who neglect it altogether.
(2) Those who try to put it right.
(3) Those who wish it to put them right.
Bible—Best Book.
Some men of infidel principles were wont to ridicule the Scriptures when in one another’s company, and at last decided to burn the Bible. A large fire was prepared, and the task was voted to a very gay and vivacious young member. After a drink or two of spirits he took up the Bible and walked toward the fire. But as he looked at it he was seized with a strange trembling; he returned to the table, laid down the Book and said: “Gentlemen, we will not burn that Book till we get a better.”
Bible—Fruit of an Uninspired.
“In our garden, in North Africa, for years we had a prosperous vine, which produced an abundance of fruit. Then one year it failed; there were no grapes. The following year it wilted, and the third year found it dead. We had consulted native and European gardeners, but their remedies produced no effect, and the problem remained unsolved. We decided to put in a new vine. When digging a hole for this purpose my man struck a layer of boards. When these were removed we found a pit some fifteen feet deep. Then we knew why the vine had died. Its roots and feeders had found their way into this pit, and being unable to reach its bottom, or throw themselves across to the other side to grip the soil there, were hanging in a tangled mass in the vacuum created by the pit. Not a few churches are wilting and dying, because they have pushed their feeders into the empty pit of a Bible to which they deny Divine inspiration.”
Bible—Guidance of the.
A man wandering in the woods was overtaken by night. Feeling certain he was going in the right direction, he neglected his compass. At last he consulted it. It showed he was going west, when he believed he was going east. Disgusted, he was about to throw it away, but thought: “It has never deceived me yet: I’ll trust it now.” He did so; turned round; followed its guidance, and came out right.
Bible—In Practice.
A Christian in a Korean village learned the whole of the “Sermon on the Mount” by heart, and then tramped 100 miles to recite it to the missionary. When he had finished, he was exhorted to put it into practice. “But that is the way I learned it,” he replied. “At first I tried simply to commit it to memory, and it would not stick.
“So I tried this plan: I would learn a verse, and then go out and find a heathen neighbor and practice that verse on him.
“Then I found that it would stick!”
T. H. DARLOW
Bible— “It Works Out all Right.”
A mechanic was engaged by an astronomer to do some work in connection with instruments in his observatory. He was several days upon the task. One day during dinner hour he brought out a well-worn Bible, and was reading its pages when the astronomer came in, and seeing the Book, asked him what he was reading. With a smile on his face and a light in his eyes, the man replied: “The Bible, sir.”
The astronomer lifted his eyes in astonishment.
“The Bible! An intelligent man like you reading the Bible! Why, you know it is scientifically obsolete.”
“I didn’t know that, sir.”
“Do you know who wrote the Bible?” asked the astronomer.
“I can’t say I do,” was the man’s reply. “I believe that Moses wrote the first five books, and then there are fine passages by Isaiah, David and Daniel—”
“Daniel!” said the astronomer. “Daniel never wrote the book of Daniel: that is a legend.”
“Well, it is fine writing, anyway,” said the man.
“I am surprised,” the astronomer went on, “that you should read the Bible when you do not know who wrote it.” “May I ask you a question, sir?” responded the man. “Certainly.”
“I suppose you use the multiplication table in your calculations?”
“Yes,” was the reply, “of course we do.”
“Will you tell me, then, who wrote it?” pursued the mechanic.
The astronomer was surprised and annoyed. “That is a stupid question,” he said. “I don’t know, and I don’t think anybody knows.”
“I am surprised,” said the mechanic, “that you rely on something of whose authorship you know nothing.”
“That is altogether different,” said the astronomer. “We use the multiplication table—well—because it works out all right.”
“Yes,” said the mechanic, “and for the same reason I believe the Bible. It works out all right.”
Bible—its Contradictions.
It is common in Courts of Law to hear statements which seem to be contradictory, but which on explanation are found to be quite consistent. A barrister who had for many years listened to evidence in the courts, remarked that apparent contradictions in the Bible would not at all tend to shake his belief in its inspiration.
Bible—its Promises.
The promises of God scattered throughout the Bible are like stars in the firmament; if it were always day we should not know that the sky is so full of them, but when night approaches they begin to shine. When the night of affliction overtakes the child of heaven, the promises of God are seen to shine forth one after another in the firmament of His Word.
Bible—Knowing it at First Hand.
At a meeting of Bible students, a Christian gentleman referred to something that had happened in his early youth. “I remember,” said he, “in my boyhood an old minister asking me a question, which did me much good, though it greatly annoyed me at the rime. I had had little or no access to general literature, but my father’s house was rich in religious and Biblical literature. It was no merit of mine (for there were no counter-attractions); I had to read that or nothing. So, for a youth, I had read a good deal on Scriptural subjects; and I suppose, in my folly, I had been parading my remarkable learning in this department, no doubt to the great amusement of the old minister. Presently he said: ‘My boy, you seem to have read a lot about the Bible; but, tell me, do you ever by any chance read the Bible itself?’ That was an annoying question, because he had put his finger on something I had not noticed. I knew a great deal of what people had said and written about the Bible, but I knew very little of personal, firsthand touch with the Bible.”
Bible—Power of the.
Bishop Taylor Smith, whey speaking at Keswick, told of the ‘stage fright’ he had when for the first time he was asked to read a lesson in church. HE said: “So great it was, that I retreated into the vestry as the service was proceeding, and kneeled down, and asked that I might be helped to read that lesson. And then I came back and read it, and the lesson was from the Epistle to the Romans ‘There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.’ A few weeks afterward the vicar told ME that the churchwarden had been converted through the reading of that lesson! I realized the power of God’s Word as never before, and I think I can say that I have never read a lesson in church from that day to this without first reading it over, praying over it, and having confidence that God can bless His own Word.”
Bible—Reading of the.
A minister in Australia noticed in a railway carriage a young lady reading her Bible. He asked if he might look at it. On the title page the words ‘in churches’ were crossed out, and the word ‘everywhere’ substituted.
Bible—Reading the.
A young lady asked her friend what is meant by ‘devotional reading’ of the Bible. She replied: “Yesterday I received a letter from my fiancé. I will confide to you that I have read it five times; not because I did not understand it at the first reading, nor because I expected to commend myself to the writer by frequent reading. It was not a question of duty. I read it so many times because I am deeply attached to the one who wrote it.”
Bible—Reading the.
Dr. Gray, the well-known Bible teacher, prayed for guidance as to how best to read. The answer came through a Christian friend who said: “I was going to spend Sunday with my family in the country. In the afternoon I lay down under a tree and read the Epistle to the Ephesians right through twelve or fifteen times. When I got up, not only was I in possession of the Epistle to the Ephesians, but it was in possession of me.” Dr. Gray began applying this principle to the whole Bible, beginning at Genesis; and read and mastered each book before beginning work on the next.
Bible—Tested.
Which crucible tests the Scriptures most severely? Not that of unholy criticism. In those ‘refining pots’ the precious metal is treated as if it were dross. The severest test to which the precepts and promises, and the revelations of Holy Writ, can be put is the test of our experience.
Bible—Words of the.
An Irishman picked up the leaves of a torn Testament, and read: “And Jesus said...”; “Jesus answered and said....” He thought: “What! Has the blessed Savior said so many things and I don’t know them?”
Birth—the New.
A little girl had a birthday book and whenever anyone came to see her father and mother she brought out her book and got them to write their names in it and in that way obtained quite a number of signatures. One day a Christian gentleman came to the home, and, as usual, the birthday book was brought out and the gentleman was asked to write his name in it. After he had done so the little girl put out her hand to take the book back again but instead of handing the book back at once the gentleman said: “Wait a moment, I have another birthday.” The little girl watched with astonishment as the gentleman turned over the pages of the book and when he came to another date wrote his name over against it adding the words, “Born again.” Then he handed the book back to the little girl who was so surprised that she forgot to say, “Thank you.” Not long after that an aunt came to visit the little girl’s parents and she also was asked to put her name in the birthday book. She did so, and then offered the book to the girl. But instead of taking it from her aunt the little girl just looked at her and said: “Please write your name opposite your other birthday.” Astonished beyond measure the aunt said: “My other birthday! What do you mean?”
“Oh,” replied the little girl, “Mr. So-and-So has two birthdays; I’ll show you.” She opened the book and showed where the gentleman in question had written his name and then she turned over the pages and pointed out the other entry with the additional words, “Born again.”
“Now,” said the little girl, “please write your name opposite your other birthday.” That was the arrow of conviction that entered into the conscience of that aunt. She knew something of the Gospel message, and understood, in a little measure at least, the necessity of the new birth, but had not yet received Christ as Savior and Lord. But shortly afterward she did so and then was able to write her name twice in a birthday book.
Blessing Shared.
Huber, the great naturalist, says that if a wasp discovers a deposit of honey or other food, it returns to its nest and imparts the good news to its fellows, who then sally forth in great numbers to partake of the fare discovered for them.
C. H. SPURGEON
Blindness Removed.
A little girl lost her sight when a baby. She was loved and cared for in a special way by her father. Years later, a clever surgeon operated upon her and her sight was restored. When the bandages were removed, she ran to her father, gazed on him, and exclaimed: “To think I had this splendid father so many years, and never knew him!”
Blotting Out Our Sins.
Little Chrissie was very naughty and rude to her mother before she left for school one morning. During the later part of the day her mother was taken so ill that no one was allowed to see her. Chrissie was told when she came home that she could not see her mother, and her misdeeds of the morning caused her some agitation. Would her mother die without forgiving her? Nurse suggested that she should send in a message on her slate, and this is what she wrote:
“Dearest Mother,
“I am so sorry you are sick, and I am sorry I was such a naughty girl. Will you please forgive me? If you can’t talk to me and say you forgive me, just rub this all out and I’ll know you do.
“With fondest love,
“Chrissie.”
A little while later the slate came out clean. That is just what Jesus does when He forgives our sins, and that knowledge brings peace.
Building Wisely.
A child builds a sand castle. The tide comes in and demolishes it. He builds another beyond the reach of the tide.