The Richmond Virginian., March 12, 1910, LAST EDITION, Image 7

About The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920

Image provided by: Library of Virginia; Richmond, VA

                
A PARALYTIC FORGIVEN AND HEALED
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON FOR MARCH 20
LESSON TEXT, MATTHEW »:M3
PREPARED BY EDWARD LEIGH PELL, D. D.
Dr. PeU’e aotaa am tha hmon urn copyrighted «ad must aot be iQprfiited.
..—.. .... 'i" .
Tfa* Heart ot the Lmb.
Thn friends of the ptnljrtlo are
looking to tkt Teacner to restore him
w haalth. The paralytic himself, ly
UW heipleee before the Master. la an
eloquent prayer for restoration to
health. Bat Jesus look# deeper and
flndh at the very bottom of the poor
maa'a heart a longing to be made
wlMde In aplrlt, and he satisfies that
flrat He forgives hla sins.
If the man of faith does not al
ways get what he goes for. It U be
cause Jeaua has something better for
him. We have often gone with eur
Imaginary want# and had our real
wants supplied. We have often gone
w|»h a beadaohe and he has cured our
hearts obe. We have bftan gene for
better food end ho has given uo grati
tude—a sauce which makes a hone At
for % king. Inetead of healing for
thp hedp, he has sometimes chosen to
give healing for the soul—and some
times hath. Seeing our faith, he is
mooed to look for our deepest need;
and he never make# a mistake; he
alaragn dtp our cnee; Ha always goes
to the htttpm of things end Hnds whst
wo need moot.
Surely here Is encouragement
enough te go to Jssus with our deep
est desires. And hers Is ell we need
to know about the way to him. Let
age..
Other Important Truths.
1. Jesus forgives and cleanses. He
washes out the dark spots. Ah. that
Is whst you end I need. We have
tried to get rid of the spots by for
getting them. We have tried to cover
up our bad deeds by pious deeds. We
have tried te cover up eur lies by
lying about them. We have tried to
blot out the Mack spots by white
washing them. But the spots are still
there. What we need IS not to be
whitewashed, but to be washed white.
;_Oujr Jesus can wash us white.
2, He forgives sins. That Is to say,
he meets the deepest want of the hu
man heart. Here Is the limit of man's
need and men's longing: hie re la noth
Inf beyond that If Jeaua can forgive
eur sins, then he can do anything else
for us, for nothing Is greater than
• that. If he forgives our sins, there
Is no danger that we will ever have a
longing which he cannot satisfy, for
the soul Is not capable of a deeper
longing. The deepest desire that the
soul of man has ever felt Is the desire
>to make peace with God, to hear hi*
pardoning word, to be received back
Into his favor.
_?, Mow and then a sinner finds the
way to Christ without direct help from
any one, but as p rule when s sinner
gees to Christ somebody has a hand
in his going. Happtly this man had
friends who were glad to bring Aim
to Jesus. Not every man has such
friends. Have you a neighbor who
may go up to the throne of God and
declare that no man cared for hla
•out?
4. "Berne of four." Every man took
a corner. Job’s friends would never
hgve taken a corner. They had other
work to do; they wore searchers after
truth! This mho's friends were not
philosophers; they had not learned the
dignity of sitting still and telling oth
ers bow to do U. And they were not
aheent-mlnded. Many a poor ainner
has not been brought to Christ be
cause somebody thinks that somebody
•Its Will look after him—rather be
cause somebody forgets to think at
::::..
I. Prayer Is the language of faith,
but fgith, like love, can speak with
out the tongues of men or of angels.
t. If there Is any one thing in
wblah most of us fall It Is In our at
tempts at prayer. We know how to
•ay our prayers, but how many of us
realiy go' to God ? All true efforts to
pray are efforts to draw near unto
God. A man may say his prayers and
think on other thins* to pray one
Trust Your Boy
It takes a food deal of wisdom and
Insight to know when to let thoae
whom we love alone, and In the
case of an Immature boy U call#
Cor a targe amount of faith. Phil
lips Byooka' mother understood this
and wrote these word* of counsel
out of her own experience:
'There is an age when it is not
wa|| to follow or question your boy
too closely- Up to that time you may
carefully instruct and direct him; you
are hie bast friend; he is never happy
unluft the story of the day has been
told; you muat hear about his
frLynda. Ms school; all that interest*
blmmiwt to your Interest kuddeit
r to practice wisdom by lovins
iraying for apd absolutely trust
ir son- The faUhful instruction
lawful training during hU early
the son can hover forget; that
tposelale. Therefore trust not
rgur Heavenly Father, but ypus
At period of which I apeak
his tadmduallty rises up before him
and be Is dssed and almost over
•helmt^. by hl» first conacloueneai
of himself I nave always believe!
that l| wag then that the Creatoi
wag wanking with my aons, and li
l».W snsh.
•1 of epaedomtc
the niit Surir i
ty can never'egt- t
rular following’ of 1
IsaB—■■ i .FtoirB w4t
must lone for Qo4> ana nut drop,
everything and eeek to bo atone with
Qod, and to apeak face to face with
him as * man speaks with hie friend*.
There la no raygtsry about title mat.
ter. Thee® men were full of deatre
and full of faith, and they sot what
they came for. If my heart if long
Inc for forstveneaa or for any other
blessing* and t believe that I can set
what 1 Ions for front Jeeua, I will
«nd away Into hie pretence, "hut
my desires are to faint." Then eU
down and read about Jeeua, and aee
If youy heart will not hunser. "hut
»y faith la ao weak!” Than alt down
and read about Jeeua and aee If you
will not believe In hint more ac yon
learn of him more.
. T- 5d«tpn ■ea!4: "We want this mao
healed.'1 Faith stepped In nmd said:
Very well, then, come on/’ Then d«
Ire was transformed into bop* and
hope and faith helped each other
alonf the way.
8- "Did not Jeoua associate with
publican* and •timers?"* "Tea my
son; and if you associate with bad
boys with the earn# motive that led
Jeaus to keep company with publi
cans and tinner*, you cpn associate
with a* many bad boy* a* you please.
But do you keep company with Bob
Smith because you want to save him
«tr fand
from hts
nya; ot" bipoauee you
Uke hi* bad ways? Do you associate
with him In order to make him lit
for companionship or becaua# ho Is
already a consents! companion?
Does Bob Smith quit his meannem
when you come around, or do you
set together to plot more meanness?"
9. Other rabbis had passed that way
and looked upon Matthew, the publi
can, and had drawn their robes closer
about them, and had passed by oh
the other side. They could see noth
1ns in Matthew but a vile sinner, a
social outcast, a hopeless case. Jesus
looked upon Matthew and caned him
to Join the Inner drcle of hi*"-asso
ciate* and to become an apostle. Peo
ple paeelns along the streets Of Glou
cester saw a youns "beer seller in the
doorway and passed on. They could
see nothin# but a beer seller, but
Christ saw him and drew him to him
self, and sent him out Into the world
a (lamina evangel to tell the story
of the cross, and Georse Whitfield
became .the most eloquent preacher
of Christ the world has ever known.
10. Mercy Is better than sacrifice—
not the spirit of sacrlfloe, but the of
fering of sacrifice*—the formal wor
ship of God. God has no use for
our worehtp if we are not run of
mercy toward our fellow-men. Every
body knows old Phil Pharisee, who
praises the Lord every Sunday out of
his hymn book with the tears run
ning down his cheeks, and puts the
thumb screw* on His poor neighbor
on Monday and aqueeses from him
the money that the poor fellow owes
him.
Heartsease
The wsy U (trance to me, but not
I to Christ.—Richard Baxter.
TUI we obtain cuch a fixed view of
I our (}od and aueh Arm persuasion of
: his truth and power and goodness, it
[ will never be right with us; there will
be nothing but wavering and unset
tled n tag In our spirits and our ways.
Every little discouragement from
within or from without that meets
us will be likely to turn us over. We
shall not walk in an even couree.
but still be reeling and staggering,
till faith be set wholly upon its own
basis, the. proper foundation of it;
not set bqfwist two, upon one strong
5rop and another that is rotten, part
' on God and partly on creature
helps and encouragements, or our
own strength.—Robert Leighton.
Thy eelmnesa bends serene above
My restlessness to sthi;
Around me flows thy quickening life.
To nerve my faltering will;
Thy preeence Alls my solitude;
Thy providence turns ail to good.
Embosomed deep in thy dear love,
Held in thy law, 1 stand;
Thy hand in all things I behold.
And all things in thy hand;
Thou leadest me by unsought ways
And turn’st my mourning into praise.
—Samuel Longfellow.
ever dull you may be. you oan find
out wbftt ttnar MM* WMH. hswover
wight they may he. you would hollar
ipake some patient effort to get quit
of them-—Ruskin.
nestle speaks of “the un
d unstable” In the same
and in such terms as to
i conclusion that the in
i deprecates tg the fruit
»ra»oo |e voluntary.
»M free. Salvation
nUneas had gotten
sender that ho qp
It la beautiful to see that faith la
the source and foundation of ail hops
and eumfMt_an# ttfimhws and dlU
|0*oo in oMthlv M Well as heavenly
**y to you of Ood. every change »
token of his fatherly counsel. What
ever obyouftty. darkness, trial, suffer
ing falls upon you; your defeats,
losses, injuries; your outward state,
employment, relatione; What seems
hard, unaccountable, severe, or, as
Nature might say. vexatious—*11 these
you will see ss parts or constituatlvs
elements in God’s beautiful and good
plan for" you. sad a* such are to be
accepted with a smile. Trust aod!
Have an Unpltott faith in aodl sad
these very things Will impart the high
est seat to life.—Horace Bushnell.
/If anyone here is troubled with
doubts about prayer, those two simple
words, “Our Father,” if we can once
really believe them In their full rich
ness and depth, will make the doubts
vanish la a moment and prayer seem
the most natural and reasonable of all
auts.—Kingsley.
i
Tin? VIROKOAM’S WEEKLY SERMON
Besetfings Sins; How to Overcome Them
HJJB. 12-1-3
Rev. J. N. Lathan, D. D.
^ Partor of Ctnlmwy M. E Church, Btehnej
<$>
Dwtb Ml universal; ao If temptsAlon.
N« one OM escape death, neither oan
temptation be escaped. It hu been
ihld. “God had one Son Without ala,
b^t none without temptation." Ton
<**• *£• Y**** ot *** morals*
and dwell In the uttermost parts of
“*• bn5 tvw ihore temtftatlon
Will come. In the Corcoran Art Oai
iery in Washington there la a picture
which represents a hermit In 1U« fall
in the wilderness. He is mpmad In
his evening devotions; around hie
head mt MU a«d owls, amt with hie
Up« thrust Cloee to the ear of the
holy man 1# seen the hideoue face ox
a Send* St. Anthony, after hl« eon
version, turned hie hack upon hi#
gay and reckless Mr* in Alexandria,
and fled for eafety to the desert; but
he found the temptations of eolltude
worse than those of the crowded elty.
But while temirtaiion ie universal,
there are certalp specific temptation#
that And each one of ue; we are prone
to these, we yield to theee; amt OUT
l.nglieh Bible, which haa ao influenced
our everyday speech, ha# given ue A
tdvid term for these specific tempta
tions, ‘our besetting sins, the gfens
that cling to us like a close-fltUng
garment.
We And that nations have their ho
ly Influenced the thought of to-day.
In religion the Hebrew, in aft and
of Joshua's army was checked fay the
Homan—each of these "«<<»»■ had its
besetting sin. The sin ot the Hebrew
*'•* avarice. The viatortous advance
of Jnshuals army was checked by the
covetousness of A chan. Elisha's man
tle might have fallen upon Ochoa!,
but covetousness had defllet ha soul;
his leprosy was a symbol of the #in
of his soul. It Is a strange fact that
among the men who walked with
Jesus could be found one who would
sell Tils Master for thirty pieces of.
stiver. The sin or the Oreek wM
sensuality. Swest was the grove of
I"-»•** pa ve us u«
Daphne by Orontea, a paradise of
beauty, but it was consecrated to the
service of foulness and vies, from
Corinth, a Greek city, 8t. Paul wrote
his epistle to the Romans; the first
chapter contains an awful catalogue
of the sins of the flesh of that dv
lllratlon, whose rulers were Roman,
but whose spirit was Greek. The be
setting sin of the- Roman was cruelty.
Woe to the nation that opposed the
advance of Imperial Rome; beneath
her victorious chariot It was ground
to powder. A people mar be Judged
by tta amusements; even Roman ma
U-en* watched with delight tbs bloody
combat of gladiators upon the eands
of the arena. It was the cruel spirit
oi ancient Rome, and not the spirit
ot Christ, that caused the Church at
one time in Its history to burn here
tics at the stake or stretch them upon
the tack.
Nations are compoaed of Individ
uals, and these besetting sins of na
tions are the besetting sins of indi
viduals. Looking upon some drunk
en) neUng down the street, we may
rsjetee the* drunkenness is not our
besetting sin. but an wo free from
Avarice or sensuality or prido? Tho
Pharisee in tho parable thanked God
that he was not as other men, or even
s* the publican. He enumerated the
teoettiny tins of which other men
aen guilty, and from which he
doubtless was free, but did not real
ise that his besetting sin was self
satisfaction, a sin which shuts God
>ut of the heart, for God cannot
Help a soul that feels no need of him.
■cl. J. V. UtkJBU
What advantage It It for a man to
booat that ha ha* not heart disease
whan he haa Bright's dlaeaae? What
advantage to ha free from Bright hi
disease when one has consumption?
So. though one may he free from
drunkenness or liwt. falsehood or av
arice may ha Just aa fatal to the soul.
But there la a eure for all theee die
eaaea of the eoul; the Bible Is a hook
at hope for the hopelesa; the Ooapel
Is, Indeed, the good news of aelva
tton: It SM*»Tlow our besetting
alns may be vanquished. Leoooon,
with hopeless anguish upon hta face,
atruggted to extricate himself and hta
sons from the folds of the terrible
■erpenta that oama up from the sea,
but we have a strong Deliverer even
the Lord Christ, who bruised the ser
pent’s head. Thinking of our own
weak wills, w« cry, “O. wretched man
that I am! Who shall deliver mo from
the body of this death?'' Thinking of
pur wills empowered by Christ we
cry. "I thank God through Jesus
Christ our Lord.'* In the Inspired
words of the writer of the Epistle to
the Hebrews we And a method where
by we may overcome our besetting
tins. He bide us “Dav them aside.”
Here Is a ringing call to manhood.
No man can ovarcomo sin unless ha
resolves to overcome. The difficulty
with many la that they simply desire
to be goaf without wilting to be good.
Dreams without action accomplish
nothing In the natural world; they are
ilso fruitless in the spiritual world,
the will must be surrendered to Christ
that It may be empowered by him to
overcome sln.
"Our wills are oura, we know not how,'
Oar wills are oura, to make them
thine.”
"Run,” says the inspired writer of
this groat epistle. We must be In ear
nest. Let the man who would over
some etn remember that he Is not on
Irens parade, but In a campaign that
tnows no armistice. Was not the run
i#r desperately m earnest who run
’or a crown? Was he not temDerate
THE LAYMEN’S PROGRESS
The Ujram't fwpm
The Laymsn's Missionary Movement
la like the expanding river of Eseklel's
vision. Whatever the local setbacks
here and there, It haa already assumed
proportions which Insure It a per
manent place In the religious history
of the twentieth century. Great meet
ings of men have been held during
the last month In St. Louis, Kansas
City, Wichita, Oklahoma City and
other centers beyond the Mississippi,
and more are scheduled all along the
Pacific coast. In tba South the Inter
est is shown by large gatherings and
enthusiastic pledges to double gifts
for missions. At the convention in
Memphis the total registration of dele
gates was 1.363. Methodists led with
603, sad Presbyterians neat with 413.
live States were represented. At Lit
tle Rock 600 men were at the open
ing dinner, and on the seoosd day
over 1,000 were assembled. The
churches of that district gave 13.036
for missions last year, and this year
It Is proposed to salse 116.300. At
Dallas. Texas, about 1.600 dais
war# present and many visitors. Is
New
SWL
Swiljriit toft mm #*
per member, and *p«M«MUnn* It
cento At Houston, Tags* Iff dela
satee registered, and it was resolved
to raise last year's gifts of l».M» to
flT.lfO. At dan Antonio laymen oc
cupied all the Protestant pulpits eg
Sunday, and Bishop Johnstoa. of the
Episcopal Churoh. and the pastor of
the First Presbyterian church, ex
changed pulpits nt the morning ser
vice, the Presbyterian pastor preach
ing In St. Mark’s church. President
Capon, of tho Amartoan Board, who
la chairman of the National Commit
tee, was given an enthusiastic ova
tion at the dose of hts address. the
delegates sheering for several min
utes. In his opinion the movement
is doing a great deal to break down
denomtoatlonal harriers la the South
and to hind the North and South to
gether. The Churchman is giving
much space to reports of them con
ventions and aeaouragliig Episcopa
lians to tsks part in then), while the
Living Church is not a bis to approve
of them.
• to where a WwT
(fitly with hie
with
to ma-r-a
Rlaoe where a Father above deals dif
trefitly with nia different ohlldton,
hut with all in love. A place where
•f tot
true boys
and
when ail
hang on material
all the
while the
Fact thgt God, our Father, is oh hie
throne Unas every cloud with a
gold.
it means a chance t6% everyone to be
helping lame dogs over stiles, a
chance to ha cheering and helping to
bear the burdens of others, a fteldfor
fhe tranelaOen of unfailing faith t»
. the
look
poor Ufa
unattainable.
Ifttth, mrrMhtbfi _
for, la not *‘a place to rest and he idle
in," but |a "a place where We shall
run and not be weary.** *
Beyond all thiw life to me la fi
tch ool in which to learn bow heat to
serve, a school In which we may be
taught how beat to employ and de
velop our special talent*—for aervlce
here—and 1 believe hereafter. In
order to achieve result* call It senti
mentality or what you will, rather
than accept any or all the "Isms” for
my teacher I prefer to go to Jesus
Christ and learn of him—he who
brought us the good news of Qod's
love to ua—Individually—who showed
that even a shameful death and a de
spised Ilf* doesn’t affsot the real value
gnd Joy of a life of iove, and who
dignified each human life by saying It
even can be useful In that way to
God above. Meanwhile he seems to
fue to teach, first, last and always^
that It’s better not to exist at all than
not to love; and this 1 most flrmly
believe, for
“The night hath a thousand eyes.
And day but one;
Yft the light of the whole world dies
With the setting sun.
'Thf mind hath a thousand eyes,
' **•**?*„
Origin of Ons XstdSBSI Hymn.
“My country, ’U# of the*.
Sweet land of lihsity.
Of thee I sing.”
Hew these words havs thrilled us!
A*d yst how few are familiar with
the story of the origin of our na
tional hymn.
The author was Bsmuel Francis
Smith, who some years ago passed
way at his home In Newton Center,
|Ei
He was born In 18M, was a gradu
ate of Harvard College and a class
mate of Oliver Wendsy Holmes. He
was a Baptist minister far some years
and a journalist of prominence. The
missionary hymn, "The Morning
Light Is Breaking," was written by
him. but his nams la Immortalised
hr virtu* of our national hymn, and
(n a tour of Europe same rear* be
fore his death he received signal hon
ors from many rulers and in num
erous court* 2d
Some one has said, "Let ms writ*
a nation’s song, and i ears not who
mnkes it* taws.” It mtiUld he diffl
cult to estimate the lulmnii of this
beautiful national hfiwi.
"TUI the day dawn," is th* in
scription on Dr- Smith’s tomb, and
while with his life’s companion he
sleep* waiting for Urn dawning of
the resurrection day. through alt the
age* generation after generation,
will take up the thrilling words
“My country,
Sweet land
Of then t
Ypn thought »
r one wham »
Lt you were Hasty in pour
'gia 'i, —iLe - * -
--TWW'W ••'W'W . w
.... no harm or dlaenttrtJM? _
in intended. Hear In mind what
■ -year.Kate Of nond,—«ta
n> no
•
In pH things that hi might obtain
tpe martary? It earn art effort lb re
to obtain a corruptible cvown,
uoh more la It required- to obtain an
ruptible. With what earnestness
the atck man seek fo* a euro
for hla dieses* No Journey Is too
tong, It It will but bring him to tne
fountain of health; no price too high
to pag 11 It will bring him health, for
health la more precious than gold.
Sow purblind our rape to seek thus
earnestly for health of body, and to
be unmindful of the dleeaee of the
eoul. The apoetolle writer counsels
earnestness without despair. l;R»n
With patience." Back of the thing*
vo do so easily now, Ho mator failures.
We have forgotten how hard tt was to
learn to talk; wo do not remember
how many falls we had before we
learned to walk. When we fell, wo got
■p and tried again, do if We have
been defeated in the oonfltot, let ns
else In the strength which pfcrtet will
give us and battle with our besetting
If your besetting sin is
Impatience, yon cannot expect to be
come patient In a day; if It Is covet
ousness, you cannot expect to become
generous In a week; but by exercising
self-oontrol we become a little more
patient, by herolo giving we become
a little more generous. Bach tims ws
that—seueh—efco
stronger, oven as the Indian believed
that the strength of each vanquished
adversary entered Into bis own arm.
In the conflict with our besetting
sins we are to keep In mind those
“men of like passions with ourselves,"
who have overcome. "Therefore, aes
ing we also are compassed about with
so great a cloud of witnesses, let ha
lay aside the sin that doth so easily
beset us. and let us run with patlenoe
the race that la set before us. look
ing unto Jesus."
“Uvea git great men all remind.
We can make our lives sublime.
The great cloud of witnesses i| the
heroes of faith, whose names are re
corded In tke eleventh chapter, “Who
through rSith subdued kingdoms,
wrought righteousness, obtained
promises, stopped the mouths of
Hons.” If Jacob, the cheat, overcame
his besetting sin of seeking to gain
his desired aim by craft, and becajn*
Israel, the hero, that hath power
with God, surely no man need de
spair. If the name of Rehab, the
harlot appears In this golden roster*
there Is hope for the most abandon
ed. But the last Injunction Is the most
Important; unless we give heed to It,
we shall surely fall—“Looking unto
Jesus.” I have read of a merchant
who. kept a little store, who when
tempted to do a mean or dishonorable
thing, would go Into the little back
room of his store, and look at a pic
ture of Frederick W. Robertson. A
look at that saintly face would keep
him strong- It ip well to think of
such a strong soldier of the cross as
Frederick W. Robertson, but better to
look to Robertson’s Master. We “look
unto Jesus” for forgiveness, for “the
Boa of man hath power on earth to
forgive etna"; we "look unto Jeans”
as our Great Exemplar, “for In him. Is
no sin"; we "Took unto Jesus" as
our Helper, for we can do all things
through Christ which etrengtheneth
un
“The dearest Idol I have known,
Whate’er that Idol be.
Help me to tear It from thy throne.
And worship only thee.”
What Christ Wants
Ia there nothing that Christ,
your friend, your Lord, your Saviour,
wants you to do that you are leaving
undone to-day? Do you doubt one
instant that it is his will that you
should honor and help and bless ali
the men Jabout yoo-Vwho are his
brethren? And are you puret Vo
you doubt one instant that his ooth
mand is for you openly to own him.
and declare that you are his servant
before all the world? And have you
done it? These are questions wbloh
make the whole matter olear. No,
not in quiet lanes nor in bright tem
ple courts, as once hq spake, and not
from biasing heavens as men 'some
times seem to expect—not so does
Christ speak to ua
And yet he speaks! I know what
he—there in all his glory—he here
in my heart—wants me to do to-day,
and I know that I am not mistaken
in my knowledge. It la no guess of
mine. It Is his voles that tells me.
Phillips Brooks.
StP
a. One dominant purpose underlie*
prophecy and history, parable f and
poem. Although it took 1,«M war
to write the Bible, and although per
I * '
baps
:orty human writers, represent
ing ail degrees of social life. Intellec
tual ci“— r‘
culture and spiritual attainment,
w»re employed In this sacred com
i, stilt a- " '
Itlon. stilt a complete unity marks
the entire book. There Is, Indeed a
great difference between the Psalms
of David and the Epistle* of Pauli hut
It is the difference between the moon
SffiS
dawn of the tooralng and the splen
dor of qooaday. One thought - —
vadea the book as the diapason
vades, unifies and dominated a
oratorio. ...
The unity of the Bible, censlde
the manner of ltd human origin.
sr "«i? .2
divine Inspiration, it sshou ImpOsrible
to account lor its historic and rgT*tHTn
r%5K”S&ll*!3V^
ratal. spiritual raUftr than
literary.
We cannot too
■sixes and one anoi
of purpose
(ton of true spiritual
promise Is as
human spirits
is the unfailing eondi
splritual peroeptlen. The
ss wld. M the needs ef
ts: they that Wtli do Ood's
la td Ip traced to thta point.
_ vote* from heaven thgt bids us
hnt open the door to
where enmity exists es
nnSaune
The blearing of Christian bsnedesnos
measured not by the amount but
motive pf the giv«r.. Tho,
• this connection
> dtsripls's hood.
la haU to
OUR CHUiDREX'B SERMON.
By James M. Farrar, D. V.
Fault Finders wad Fault Receivers.
Text: They Found Faith.—Mark 7:S.
A secret for my Juniors;: We usual
ly nd that for which we are looking.
If we are looking for nickels we will
find a number of them during the
year. If we are looking for faults.
We will be sure to find plenty of
them. If we could find nickels as
easily g* w eflnd faults we would soon
be millionaires. If we were witling
to give away the nickels as freely as
we give away the faults of our friends,
then fault receivers would soon be
automobile riders. Fault finders are
not the meanest people In the world.
Fault receivers, people who listen to
fault finders, are very much meaner.
John finds a fault tn his friend,
Robert—probably not hard to find—
and then he find sa boy willing to
bear about it, probably not hard to
find. The beg who hears It would not
Spy anything against Robert, but feels
free to tell all his companions what
John said about Robert. He cam have
the fun of telling, and then have the
fun of eeelng John and Robert fight
It out
The man who gathers cigar butts
from the gutter is a mean fellow,
but not so moan as the man who
makes thsm into cigarettes. $The man
who smokes them gets all the mean
ness. The butt gatherer is the fault
finder. The man who wraps up the
faults in the tissue paper of *'I heard"
Is' the cigarette maker, and the smok
er Is the fault receiver who blows
(he Hngs oT scandnl like smoke. T
want my juniors to decide to-day not
to find fault with any one, not even
a little fault, until after Easter.
Probably your father and mother,
when children, were fault finders and
fault receivers. Have you noticed
that they now never find fault with
any one, and that they now refuse to
listen to the fault finder? Ask father
and mother how they got rid of this
had habit.
A long time ago, tn the far, far
away, there were hlldren, now all
dead, who went home from church
and-poisoned their parents at the din
ner table—-poisoned their minds by
finding fault with the church. If you
Should ever find any fault with the
church, do not tell your parents, as
It might keep your father and mother
away from the church- Particularly,
let here be no fault finding until af
ter Easter. Let me tell you a story:
A boy who had the habit of fault
finding died and was admitted into
Paradise on the express condition that
he was not to Indulge this habit of
censuring and criticising. He saw
two angels carrying a beam cross
wise and knocking it against every
object they met, but said nothing,
lie wanted to find fault, but did not.
He next saw two other angels draw
ing water from a fountain and pour
ing It Into a cask which had holes
tn the bottom, but he still held his
peace. At many other things or the
same kind he also suppressed his
laughter and remarks, apprehending
that ho might otherwise be expelleu
from thw place.
At last he saw a cart stuck fast In
the mire, with one pair of horses yok
ed Into It before and another pair be
hind, and the carter urging both for
ward at the same time. It was more
than this boy could do to refrain
from finding fault, and the conse
quence was that he was seised by
two angels and turned to the door.
Before It closed behind him, however,
he looked back, and perceived that
the horses were winged and had suc
ceeded In drawing the caft out of the
mud Into the air; nor can there be
any doubt that, In the other ease* ->
the beam and of the cask, there were
equally good reasons lor what was
done.
' Fault finders remain for a long
time on earth, but they cannot stay
long In heaven.
A Culand Caw.
Pussy caught a mouse for ..dinner.
But the mouse was wise and old,
"Walt a bit,” spoke he unto her.
"Have you never yet been told
That there Is a law tn Mouseland
That pronounces it disgrace
To begin to eat your dinner
Ere you go and wash your face ?"
Pussy felt ashamed. "A cat should
Do as well's a mousle can!"
Loosed her claws-^and In a jiffy
OS the wise mouse lightly ran.
Very vexed, the pussy scolded:
"Mouseland laws would work dis
grace.
This shall be the law in Catland—
'After eating wash your face!’ ’’
—Christian Commonwealth.
"As Good As Gold."
The day that I was five years old
I thought I’d be as good as gold.
I promised mother, as I stood there.
All dressed up. on a parlor chair.
That I would do my very best
To act as well as I was dressed.
JEWS REPEOPLING PALESTINE 1
fcM Kepcopltng Palestine.
The ballet in many part* of the
world that when the Jews have re
turned to the Holy Land the milieu
alum will come will lend interest to
the faot that there la now a general
drift among the Jews in many na
tions hack to their fatherland. Dis
patches from Jerusalem tell of the re
markable strides made during the last
few years in the repeopllng of Pales
tine with Jewa The proclamation of
the constitution in Turkey threw
open the doors of Palestine and led
fo an enormous influx of Jewish col
onists. In Jerusalem alone four-fiftha
of the population now belong to the
JfWish faith- Large tracts of land
around Lake Tiberias and in many
other parts have teen bought up from
poor natives and converted into pros
perous farms Almost the whole of
the extensive plain of Ksdraelon has
been bought up by Jews. Their pros
perous colonies spread from Dan to
Peamhnbu, and even further south to
the outskirts of Egypt Thousands
ere escaping from Persia to And sh«£
ter and protection in the Holy Land,
while every Ship from Odessa oarrlea
tome of them. The Jordan Valley,
once the property of the ex-sultan,
Abdul Hamit la being eagerly sought
after by Jewish capitalists. The Zion
ism, whose agents are distributed all
the land, are buying up the rich
properties of the Mohammedan effen
Bif. Whose incomes since the revolu
61* Wve lessened. ' Towns Uke B*
ss'ijsrt.jsfisr
tm *g*fj&2*** •*** *»**• WOW
nelr Jewish quarters and synagoguea
am Whole City of Jerusalem is emeo
tially n Jewish town. Banking as
Well a* trade and commerce la mo
nopolised by Jaws. Hundreds of thou
lands of pounds are annually asnt
Crom JBuropo and America to enable
the eolenisto to hwM
: i ■
To let my visitor* go first.
To take the smallest piece Mid «M|t
And see that others had enough -/ ■
And not be greedy, cross or rosglk,
But I forgot It onoe or twice.
And then my manners were not nice.
So When they'd gone she shook hef
heed;
"As good as silver,” mother said.
But—when I grow to six years old,
I know I’ll be "as good as gold,”
—St. Nloholafc.
“I Sing When I *vei Bad.”
A little seven-year-old boy fell
one of the deep excavations for tl|e
New York subway one day, and
taken, bruised and suffering, to the
nearest hospital. When the doctor
began to examine hla Injuries little
James drew a deep breath. ”1 wlab
I could alng,” he aald, looking up at
the big doctor. "I think I'd feel
weller then.”
"All right, you can sing,” said tha
doctor; and James began. Ho brave
and sweet was the childish voice that
After the flrst verse there was a
round of applause from the listeners.
As the doctor went on with his ex
amination the boy winced a little, but
struck up his singing again. The
nurse and attendants, hearing the
sweet, clear soprano, gathered from
a., parts of the building. Through
all the pain of the examination tha
child never lost the tune, and every
body rejoiced when the doctor an
nounced:
— ‘‘WqlL l Aueaa. ya __
man; I can’t And any broken bones/'
“I guess It was the stagin' that fix
ed me,” said James. "I always sing
when I feel bad," he added simply.
Then he was taken home, not
knowing In the least what a cour
ageous lesson he had taught everyone
within the sound of his voice—and to.
many beyond It, for a newspaper re
porter told the story In on# of tha
big dallies next day. Many a reads*
felt the inspiration of that boyish sen
tence, “I always stag when I feel bad,*
—Christian Observer.
Wnifi the Church Cannot Have g
Revival.
When the pastor is not In harmons
with revival work.
When the pastor Is not willing to
preach simple Gospel sermons.
When the pastor is not willing to go
to sinners single-handed and talk ta
them about their soule.
When the pastor spends mors Urns
grieving over the bad treatment tag
has received than he spends in griev
ing over the aad condition of his
church and tha unsaved.
When the membership of the
church thinks more of social enter
tainments than of revivals.
When the members and pastor iff
afraid and ashamed to sea tha chil
dren coming to Christ.
When the pastor and members
out the impression that there Is a
certain class of sinners not Welcome
In their church.
When pastor and people wait until
everything else is out of the way be
fore they commence the meeting.
When the Holy 8plrit Is not given
the right of way ta preacher and pee*
pie.—Robert Stephens.
The Baptist churches of New York
city have a membership of 40,064.
They expended on general expenses
last year 40«,f»7; missionary and elm
cational work ta America, 1110,110;
foreign missions, $30,783; average fog
foreign missions per member, 77 eents.
All the Protestant churches have a
membership of 224,401. They
for general expenses, 14,120,002:
sionary and educational wot- w
America, $1,286,405; foreign missions,
$400,116; average for foreign mis
sions, $1.23.
At the recent meeting of the student
volunteer movement there were pres
ent 3,624 delegates from 722 institu
tions of learning. 40 States and pro
vinces and 20 countries. This num
ber Included 2,676 students, 220 pro
fessors and teachers. 165 missionaries
and 06 board secretaries.
When Alaska was acquired by the
United States there was not, nor had
there ever been, one Protestant mis
sionary within that great territory.
Years passed and still no AmerteuT'
Christian church had responded to
Alaska's mute appeal. Then came t&*
first missionary, a Presbyterian wo
man, Mrs. A. R. McFarland. Hav
ing been a missionary In other Helds
She knew how to address herself to
her great task.—Women's Home Mil*
■ion Monthly.
The Methodist Year Book for 151*
gives the following information!
Northern Methodists have 15,557 min
isters; 15,030 lay preachers; 3.113,535
full members; 3,358,162 Sunday school
scholars and 367,511 officers and.
teachers. They gave for foreign mis*
sions last year 11.236.570; for home
missions. *872.000; a grand total U
Of over (16,005,(g*
a great ponatltuency,
and a peat responstblll
ala, schools and Invalid home*. Ovm
190 Jewish schools already exist Xr
Jerusalem alone. Synagogues are rts*
In* up everywhere. The value of land
throughout Palestine has risen fours
fold.
Transformed Into a Heroine.
She was of rospeotable family,
had a perfectly blameless past
man had paid attention to her,
she had oonae to love him. "The ■
man I ever cared for," she said, d
a while he ceased to visit her,
■he learned that he had tranafei
his attention* to some one else. C
with jealousy—there had been
For the Influence that
exert to improve the qua
reading don* by your Me:
la never put forth by ys