Earth—Pull of the.
In the old days of gas balloons, before the modern airplane was thought of, they were anchored to earth by strong ropes. One, destined to rise higher and higher, would reveal, a certain amount of restlessness to be free for its flight, but, no matter how it tugged and swayed, it was held a prisoner till the ropes were released. One wonders if the earth pull is not too strong in some lives.
Earth—Riches of.
A traveling Russian bought a very large pearl from an Arab trader. Neither had any idea of its value. When the Russian reached his home at St. Petersburg he showed it, a dirty little ball as it appeared, to a man who offered him a substantial profit on his purchase. Its new owner had indeed secured a prize. He kept it in a strong box on a marble table, and people came from far and near to see it, among them the Czar himself, who offered wealth and rank to the owner for it, but this was refused. Then came trouble. He was accused of complicity in a plot. He fled with his treasure, and made his way to Paris. There he declined to show the pearl to anyone. At length, yielding to urgent requests, he fixed a day for exhibiting it to a select company of bankers and traders in gems. He opened the box before them. His face turned deadly pale. The pearl was found to be badly diseased, and soon it crumbled to powder. His immense fortune was a heap of dust!
Earthly Interests Shutting out Christ.
A man built a house on a spot commanding a beautiful view. Then he said: “I must have trees to make it more lovely.” So he planted a number of fine trees, which grew up and were much admired. Their branches interlaced and shut out the distant view. Men gather earthly interests about them, until after a while the glorious highlands of spiritual experience are shut out, and heaven itself is hidden from the soul’s view.
Ends—Contrasted.
When the godly Haldane stood by the bed of his dying wife, as she closed her eyes in death, a single tear gushed from her eye and ran down her pale cheek. He tenderly wiped it away, saying: “It is the last tear she will ever shed; God shall wipe all tears from their eyes.”
A young lady lay dying, her friends around her. Dipping her finger in a glass of water, she let the drop at the end of it fall on her tongue, saying: “That is the last drop of water I shall ever have. I shall want it, but shall not have it.”
Environment—Our True.
Away in the North a gentleman found an eaglet lying at the foot of a high cliff, helpless. He could not replace it in the nest, and had not the heart to leave it to die. He took it home and put it with some chickens at the same stage of life. The mother hen took kindly to it, and it was soon full grown. One morning the gentleman thought: God never meant an eagle to be shut up in a hen house I He took it out into a field. It stretched its wings, mounted up and soared away.
Envy—its Reward.
A great preacher once pictured a little wrist watch, envious of the position of Big Ben, being raised to that height and being thus completely lost to view. “It’s elevation,” said he, “had been its annihilation.”
Estimate—God’s.
A little boy was on the scales. Being anxious to outweigh his playmate and create an impression, he puffed out his cheeks and swelled himself out almost like a little frog. But his wiser young friend only said in scorn “That doesn’t make any difference; you only weigh what you are.” Lesson: Let us have done with make-believe. What I am in God’s sight is what I really am.
Eternal—Importance of the.
Over the triple door of Milan Cathedral there are three inscriptions, which in English read thus:
(1) “All that pleases is but for a moment.”
(2) “All that troubles is but for a moment.”
(3) Over the central arch: “That only is important which is eternal.”
Evangelical or Evangelistic.
We must be evangelistic as well as evangelical. ‘Evangelical’ is a reservoir of pure water without a pipe running anywhere. Climb the embankment and you will get a good drink. But ‘evangelistic’ is the reservoir with a pipe to every heart and nation in the world. ‘Evangelical’ may mean truth on ice; ‘evangelistic’ means truth on fire. ‘Evangelical’ sings “Hold the fort for I am coming”; ‘evangelistic’ sings, “Storm the fort, for God is leading.” The need today is not evangelicalism as a thing to fight for; but evangelism as a force to fight with.
Evolution Confuted.
Dr. Alfred R. Wallace, coadjutor of Darwin, cast aside the Evolution theory when at the age of 87, and returned to his earlier faith in creation as told in Genesis 1. He left two statements on record:
(1) “Nothing in evolution can account for the Son of man. The difference between man and the other animals is unbridgeable.”
(2) “An honest scrutiny of Nature forces upon the mind this certain truth, that at some period of the earth’s history there was a CREATION, a giving to the earth of something which before it had not possessed, and from that gift, the gift of LIFE, has come the infinite and wonderful population of living forms.”
Example—Bad.
The head of a large firm often went to the railway station in connection with the arrival and dispatch of goods. He came to use as much freedom as the officials in crossing the line. One day, having crossed, he was in the act of stepping up on to the platform when he heard a scream from the waiting passengers and, turning, he saw his own child cut to pieces by an engine. The child had followed him, and met his death by walking in his father’s footsteps.
Example—Influence of.
A mother was telling her minister about her two daughters: “I cannot understand why they are so different. Both have had the same education and home training.” But it transpired that in the bedroom of the elder girl was a picture of Florence Nightingale; in that of the younger, the picture of an ill-famed actress of past days.
Example—Influence of.
In a European gallery there is an old Greek statue, a beautiful figure of physical perfection. A visitor stood watching others. If one stood long enough before it, almost invariably he would begin to straighten up. He did not try to be straight, but did it unconsciously.
Example—Influence of.
Mr. Spurgeon at Menton used to saunter and sit in the beautiful Casino grounds. One day the manager addressed him and expressed his pleasure in seeing him there. “But you derive no revenue from me, for I never enter the Casino.”
“But many who see you enter the grounds follow your example. They do not, however, stop where you do! They enter the Casino, and contribute to its business. So I trust, sir, that you will not imagine that you are an unpaying guest.”
Mr. Spurgeon left the grounds as quickly as his rheumatism would allow, and never entered them again.
Example or Savior?
A man said to a minister of the Gospel. “I don’t like your preaching. You are far too morbid. Instead of constantly harping on the death of Christ you would do much more good by emphasizing the challenge of Jesus as Master and Example.”
“Would you, then, be ready,” he was asked, “if I preached Christ as Example, to follow Him?”
“Yes, I would follow His steps.”
“Good. Let us take the first step. Here it is: ‘Who did no sin.’ Can you take that step?”
“No, I sin; I admit it.”
“Then you do not need Christ as Example, but as Savior.”
Exponents—Living.
In fashion magazines are descriptions of dresses. The writers are expositors, and they illustrate their expositions with pictures. But in the great saloons of the West End of London, and of Paris, you can see the dresses worn by living exponents (mannequins).
Eyes Fixed on Christ.
When a twenty-one-year-old youth was brought into a court on a charge of driving at ninety miles an hour, he readily admitted his guilt, but he had a good excuse ready.
“When I drive fast,” said he, “I watch the road and nothing happens. But when I drive slow, my eyes wander about, and I get involved in accidents.”
This is also true in a spiritual sense. For when we keep our eyes fixed on Christ, we make good progress, and really get somewhere spiritually. But when we slow up spiritually, and do not keep our eyes on Him, our eyes begin to wander about; we take more interest in the things of the world, and before we realize it, we are involved in temptations of one kind or another.