The Richmond Virginian., August 19, 1910, CITY EDITION, Page 8, Image 8

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JESUS NEARING JERUSALEM
By Edward Leigh Pell, D. D.
The Sunday-school lesson for August "1 Matthew 20. 17-24.
Doctor Pell » Notes on the l^»»on* ere copyrighted on<l mutt not be reprinted
Passing through Ptrw Jesus crow
ed the Jordan at the Jericho font --
hi* fact'..set steadfastly toward Jeru
salem
Golden TeiL —The Soil of man came
not to be ministered unto, hut to min
ister, and to give his Hie a ransom
'or many.—Malt. 2t>. 2F
J: Historical Setting. Time—March.
A 1* Jti. Place—Perhaps not lar
from Jericho.
The la-swn Text in Kxrrjday l>rv-<~.
< >m day white Jesus was on his
1 way to Jerusalem, the wife of Zebe
dee, accompanied by her two sons.
James and John, • ame to him. and,
prostrating herself at his feet, asked
e. that her sons he given the highest
places oi honor in hie kingdom, which,
f It was believed, he was about to set
1 up Jesus, knowing that it was not
only h*r own desire but the ambition
s' of her sons also, turned to them and
said. “You do not know what you
ask. Are you aide to drink of the
rup that 1 shall drink ot to jihs*
through what I shall pass through—
to endure the baptism of suffering
which 1 shall endure' Their an
swer proved that they Indeed did not
know what they were asking Vie ,
are able.'' Then said Jesus. “You
shall indeed drink of my cup; you
shall share* my lot of suffering, but
'.he highest places in my kingdom are
not like the places in earthly king
-tfnrns, v. bvh -are distributed by the
king among his friends at will, but
they are reserved for whom they have
been prepared'; meaning that they
arc not to he obtained by mere ap- j
pomtment, as a king appoints men to j
itflu-e. but by hollnes In other words,
It is h* that becomes most like Christ 1
that occupies th' position earest to j
Christ in hi* kingdom.
some one ovenieaiu the lonxersa- ,
lion and told it to ihe rest. oi the
ataciplea, arm they were all very In
dignant, although every one or them |
chertsnea the samp selfish ambition, i
Jesus, knowing their thoughts, vaileu 1
them to nim and said to tnem. "\ou j
know now tt is in the kingdoms of
the world—how those who sit In the
seals oi authority lord u over their
people, and love to snow their author
ity, but this is not the way In my
kingdom. lnrteyd. it is just the rt
> verse, lor he that w’ould be great in
my kingdom must be the servant ot
his feiiowmtn, and he that would be
greatest ot all must lie the bondslave j
i of his fellow men. For even the Son j
of man, who came down iroin heaven,
came not to be waited upon by men, I
but to serve men. even to the extent
ot paying with his life the price of j
the deliverance of men.'"
As Jesus continued on nls way to
ward Jerusalem, his little hand was I
jail} augmented by pilgrims w ho j
wolf bound for the Passover, and by)
the time he reached Jericho his tol- ;
lowing had become a multitude. As j
he passed out of the city two blind j
beggars, one of whom ’ was named .
Bartlmeus. heard the commotion of !
the accompanying throng and asked i
what it meant. Some one told them l
that it was Jesus of Naxareth. Evt
dently they had not only heard of j
,, . -ti>« Nasarene before, but they had In
some way become convinced that he
was the 'Messiah; and they were no
sooner told that it was Jesus than
they set up a loud cry for mercy:
‘Son of David. Jesus, have mere}’
upon me.!'* Some well meaning but
officious persons In the crowd, desir
ing to protect the Master from an- ;
noyance, bade the men hold their
tongues, but the}- only cried tne more
vehemently. Presently the Master
stopped and directed some one to call
the men. whereupon those who had a
moment before told the beggars to
bold their peace hastened to them and
said, "All right, cheer up, he Is call
ing for you." in an Instant Barti
meiis had sprung to his feet, and cast
ing aside his loose outer garment, has
tened with hie companion as fast as
he could be guided into the Master's j
presence. “What would you have me j
to do for you,' asked Jesus. "Lord, ;
that I might receive my sight " And •
Jesus touched hlw ryes and said, "t}o j
-your' Tayrrm—faith has mwde y-oi-j
whole." And immediately his eye- [
aight, as well as that of hlw com
panion, was restored, and he went his j
way. But hlw way was now to follow
Jesus.
Questions to Get at tlie Meaning.
The mother of James and John
came to Ji-sus with her two sons to i
ask a favor What did she want? j
What had encouraged her to ask such :
a favor? < Apparently she was the
sister of his mother. Moreover,
James and John, with Peter, had for
some time formed the Innermost cir
cle of the Master's disciples. > Was
her desire shared b> her sons? Was
their ambition anything more than a
selfish de»ire for preferment? How
dld our laird answer her request?
Notice the use of the word "cup" In
the Bible-—the cup of suffering the
cup of joy ("my cup runneth over"!,
the cup of saltation. They wanted to
share In his glory. Would they have
been so anxious to share jn hts glory
If they had known through what seas
- of blood and fire they would have to
go with him before he should come
into his glory .'
The Father had provided that the j
places next to Christ should be filled ;
by those who were most like Christ, j
and therefore he could not use these
■ daces as so man\ ulums to be divided
among his friends. What effect did
this incident have npoh the other dis
ciples? How natural it Is to criticise
others for doing the verj things vv<
have done ourselves, or to rebuke
others for expressing those feelings
which we have kept In our own
hearts.
s Hut while Jesus rebuked their sal
tish ambition, he would have them
understand that the sin or ambition
Is not In desiring to be truly great
andg ood. but in desiring preferment
above our fellow men for the gratifi
cation of our selfish nature. And so,
Instead of warning them against the 1
desire to be great, he proceeds to tell ,
them how-they may he great. What ,
Is true greatness? (See Heart of the
ljsson.) Note that while the great
ones in hi* kingdom are those who
serve their fellow-men, the greatest In
kingdom are those who make
- Themselves absolute 'staves for their
fellowmen.
Was there ever a truly great man
who spent his time loosing out mr ‘
his own Interests? Was there ever a
truly gTeat man who did not sac-rt- I
flee himself for his people? Who, 1
above all men, made himself a com
plete sacrifice for his people? And '
* yet Jesus was the one being of all
a other* who had the right to command i
tile service of hit fellowmen. If he i
came Into the world not to be mints- -
tered unto, but to minister. Is it pot- i
t glbte for me to be Christ-like If I
L. devote my life to my selfish Interests
F rather than to the interests of my
Ki fellowmen?
0t, Who are these men sitting by the
L,- wayside? When they hear that Jesus
passlnk hfir/.what do they do?. Why j
tfcttor sms*.: jUjuuk *04.1 ;
realized our blindness and poverty,
and we felt that Jesus the Messiah
was within hearing distance, would
we not cry for mercy? Could »e do
anything: else, but cry for mercy?
-Could we offer him anything to tome
and help us? Is there anyone else to
whom we might cry for help? What
effect does the cry of the blind men
hate upon the multitude? They think
the Master Is as they are. they think
he win bze annoyed by the beggars
try, as we are annoyed by the cries
of men for whom we have no sym
pathy. What rffect does their cry
hate upon Jesus? Suppose they had
not tried out? Suppose they had not
persisted in crying out0 Suppose they
had waited for a better opportunity?
Suppose they had allowed themselves
It- he silenced hy the frowns and
sneers of the crowd- Why does Jesus
stop” Are there not many other blind
beggars needing help? After all that
we hate learned about Jesus, can we
imagine him going on and shutting
his ears to this cry for mercy? IVves
It not seem the most natural thing In
the world that he should stop? Why
then should we eter question In our
hearts whether he will hear our own
erv for merry? What does Jesus do
for the blind men” Note that he Is
not a mere dispenser of charity, bu*
that he Is a helper of the helpless: he
lifts men out of their helplessness. He
does not give the man a. handful of
pennies; he gives him that with which
he can earn his pennies. What does
Jesus mean by telling the blind men
that their faith has niade them whole
—ther faith in Jesus? Note that
their faith leads them to Jesus and
leads Jesus to heal them
Here Is a sinful man out on the
world's highway. In what particulars
Is he like Rartlmeus? What is his
only hope? What can he do? What
is Jesus ready to do?
When Rartlmeus receives his sight,
what does he do? Could he do less
than follow Jesus? Can we who have
received as great blessings from him
as Rartlmeus ever received—can wc
do less than follow him”
Tlie Heart of the lesson.
It was natural that the chosen
twelve should allow themselves to
think that they were superior to the
other disciples, and 1t was Just as
natural that Jams and John should
Imagine that they were worthy of
greater honors than the rest of the
twelve. And why should not Salome
think so too ?
Rut the very fact that It was natu
ral made It all the more dangerous,
and our I/ord lost no time in showing
these men their peril and pointing
out a better way. Such a spirit, he
told them plainly, was of the earth
earthy. Heathen kings were accus
tomed to contend for place and to lord
It over men. and among little men of
the world the man who lorded It over
others was vailed a benefactor; twit
that was not the way In which It
would he looked upon in his kingdom.
There Is no greatness in sticking one's '
self up on a pedestal to receive the
enforced homage of the great or the
voluntary homage or the smalt. No
man is great who calls himself great
or insists on being regarded as great.
The ambtlon to lord It over others
Is born only In small men. True great
ness shows itself In service. Jt Is ser
vice. In the eyes of God and in the
judgment of all good rrjen the man
who gets himself up. sets himself up
because he Is too small to be seen
otherwise. That man Is great who
serves and thereby deserves to be en
shrined In the hearts of the people,
whether he is enshrined or not. In a
word, that man is great who most re
sembles Christ, the servant of men.
For though he was in "the form of
God,” yet “he made himself of no
reputation, and took upon himself the
form of a servant.” He was conscious
of his equality with God, but he did
not regard It as something to be held
on to at all hazards, and so he used
It, not as an opportunity for self-ex
altation, but as an opportunity for
self-abasement. Being exalted, he
could afford to humble himself. Is
the Idea plain? You and I think, per
haps, that we~are the people, that our
church Is the church, our doctrines
the doctrines; very well. Instead of
using all this as an opportunity for
self-exaltation, why not use it as an
opportunty for self-abasement? Why
not do as Jesus did? Why not come
down from the heights and take upon
ourselves the form of a servant and
look on the things of others? If we
are re.ally so high can we lose any
thing by self-abasement? IMd Jesus
lose anything” He who caine down
lowpr and lower and lower until he
became obedient unto death, even the
death of the crives — has not God high
ly exalted him and given him a name
which Is above every name? Is there
any other way than the way of humil
ity for us who would be "blameless
and harmless, the sons of God with
out rebuke. In the mid?,* of a crooked
and perverse nation" <among whom we
would shine as lights in the world?
The story of the healing of the blind
men (caches us that His ear Is ever
open to our cry.
Here Is Jesus on. his way to Jeru
salem to accomplish the mission for
which he came form heaven. We can
not conceive of a mind being occu
pied by a greater matter. In a few
days all will be finished. Yonder is
utter povertv and helplesness. A
poor blind beggar nils the air with
cries for help. Men round about the
Master hid the beggar hush. They
would not have the "beacher disturbed.
Presently he stops, turns about, calls
the pitiful beggar to him, and with In
finite tendernes asks him what he
would have. The great throng must
wait: everything must stop until this
helpless one Is helped And the de
spised beggar gets his heart's deepest
desire Now let us ask these questions
all over again I>nes Ood care? Is
he concerned about nls people? How
silly It all sounds' Suppose Jesus bad
not been moved by the beggar’s cry?
Suppose he had allowed his followers
to silence the man? Suppose he had
gone on with the cry ringing In hl«
ears” What would we think of htm?
Would we believe him to he the
Christ’ Is not his conduct Just what
we would expect of the Christ'’ Was
It pot the most natural thing In the
world? Would it not nave neen the
most unnatural thing for him to have
done anything else? And why? 'Is It
not because we feel In our hearts that
It is the very nature of Ood to love—
to he concerned about his people* Is
It out of his very essence to care?
Now the question comes home to our
hearts If It seems perfectly natural
that Jesus should turn aside to listen
to the cry of this beggar and to give
him his heart’s deepest desire, should
It not be difficult for ua to Imagine
for a moment that he may not care
others who are In need of help we
for us? When we see him helping
do not doubt his sympathy: Why
should we doubt his sympathy when
we need help?
When Jesus called Kartlmeus to
him. It was as If he had said: "I1
cannot turn a deaf ear to your cry.
I My heart Hue* out towards you In
rympathj. 1 want to help you. What
i an 1 do tor you?’’ And when he
stretched out hlshand and touched
the eyes of the blind mart, Jt was as
If he had said to all the throng
around him. and to you and to me.
"Oh. my people, my heart goes out to
you! l*t me help you! l^et me
touch your blind eyes and give you
sight!"
tttlier Iiii|M>rtant Truths.
1. Jesus did not mean that his dls
, dples should have no ambition. A
man without ambition is aa useless to
Christ as a mummy. Hut he meant
that they should turn their ambition
from themselves, and fix tt on God,
It Is the ambition that makes us self
centered, that shuts us out from the
kingdom of heaven The apostles
were seeking to save their lives, and
were In danger of losing everything:
not until they could lose sight of
themselves could they even see the
kingdom.
». Ther is no grace so little under
stood as humility Young people,
generally, mistake It for humiliation.
Many a young man will not come to
| Christ because he has got It Into his
head that an act of submission Is Ini
mitable t‘> one's self-respect. That Is
because his sense of self-respect Is
more highly developed than his sense
of the respect that Is due to God. If
a man thinks more highly of himself
than he ought to think he cannot
kneel to another, without a sense of
shame, In other words, a proud man
cannot humble himself: he can only
humiliate himself. Nor can he under
stand humility; ho only knows of
humiliation. Humility Is not stooping
to unworthy things; It is not that spirit
which leads us to do anything we are
ashamed of It Is simply love having
Its way in lowly spheres. Jesus wash
ed his disciples' feet because he loved
his disciples to the uttermost. If you
love your child a little you will serve
him In some things, but you will h,ave
a servant to attend to lowly duties.
Hut If you love your child unto the
uttermost you will find delight in serv
ing him In lowly ways; and when he
Is very sick and your love Is thereby
drawn out to the uttermost you will
want to do the utmost for him with
your own hands; and you will delight
In doing for him things which you
would he ashamed to do for one whom
you loved less. Humility has no con
nection with sharne; where shame Is
there is noly humiliation.
3. Rut while Jesus urges them not
to strive among themselves for the
chief places here, he assures them that
those who have continued with him In
his trials shall have honors hereafter
that are worth seeking. If we serve
here, we shall rule there. In some
sense, which we cannot understand
now, his own disciples shall eat and
drink at his table and sit on thrones
judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
1 -ife* Is for conquests, not for corona
tions. We serve, now, we sit at the
table by and by.
4. We would never have known
bow Jesus loves us if he had never
humbled himself. Where pride Is there
is self-sacrifice and love.
OBEY HIS WIL.
I said: "T,et me walk In the fields."
He said, “Nay, wslk In the town;”
I said, “There are no flowers there:''
He said, “No flowers, but a crown.”
t said. “But the skv is blark.
There Is nothin* tp‘t noise and din;''
But He wept as He sent me back—
“There is more.” He said, “there Is
sin.”
I said. “But the air Is thick.
And fogs are veiling: the sun;”
He answered. “Yet souls are sick.
And souls In the dark undone. '
I said, "I shall miss the light,
And friends will miss me, they say;"
He answered me, "Choose to-night
If I am to miss you, or they. '
I pleaded for time to he given:
He said: "Is It. hard to decide?
It will not seem hard in heaven
To have follow the steps of your
Guide.”
I east one look at the field.
Then set my face to town;
He said: "My child, do you yield?
Will you leave the flowers for the
crown ?"
Then Into his hand went mine.
And into my heart came He,
And I walk in a light divine
The path 1 had feared to see.
—George McDonald.
Ignorance of tile Bible.
At a time when enthusiasm for
missionary service Is on the Increase,
and many Christian workers are com
ing forward as candidates for ihe mis
sion field, it is perhaps not generally
known that one of the commonest
disqualifications of otherwise suitable
candidates Is defective knowledge of
the Bible. A recent memorandum
from the candidates committee of
the C. M. 8.. has called attention to
this fact in relation to their society,
and It Is more than probable that the
boards of other missionary societies
could corroborate this from their own
parallel experience The memoran
dum In question affirms that the Ig
norance of the Bible still displayed
by not a few missionary candidates
"may without exaggeration be de
scribed as appalling. " No uncom
monly a candidate has left consider
able tracts of the Bible totally unex
plored. A large number of camll,
Ha tfonnrt to bf» miltp unahlp to
distinguish one Epistle from another,
"and only known them In a vacua
way as being the part of the Bible
In which a few favorite texts may be
found; and even the finding of these
would often be a difficult task. If the
candidate had had to use any other
copy of the Bible than his own In
which they have been marked. Such
Ignorance In those who desire to be
come missionaries and are in most
cases Sunday-school teachers, district
\ Isltors. etc., is certainly most grave
nnd deplorable. We are grateful to
the ('. M.~ S. Review for drawing at
tention to the matter, and we endorse
the suggestion that there might well
be "more expository preaching, more
systematic courses of Bible Insrtuo
ttnn. and more demonstration from
the pulpit of how to study the Bible."
—The Bible of the World
The Return of the Jews.
Palestine in rapidly becoming a
Jewish country again on account of
the buying up of land everywhere
and the swelling immigration of Jews
from all parts of the Old World—
e. g., from Asiatic Russia and Per
sia. The Jordan Valley, with Its rich
soli, has been bought of the late sul
tan; the great Plain of Eadraelon has
become Jewish property; and there
la a chain of Jewish colonies from
Dan to far beyond Beersheha. The
Turkish government does not like
that at all, but its dislike will be
cured by the well-known remedy—
gold dust wrapped in greenbacks.—
The Dutheran
Prayers, like morning mists, rise up
where man himself ranno' go, only
to return again In the pure mountain .
stream, full of ref; eshme^t, to1 thei
spot whence they started.
i
Heartsease
j Sunday, August 7. We are the clay,
i and thou our potter; and we are all
• the work of thy hand.—l»a. 64; *.
May Uod make us patient to live,
j Not that we should not have aeplra
| tlons. but till the flying comes let ua
j t>rood contentedly upon our nesta.
Monday. August S. I am Jehovah,
thy (iod, who teacheth thee to profit,
who leadeth thee by the way that thou
shouldest go.—Isa. 4$; 17.
He went over the way himself—.
-we shall ttnd his shoe-prints at every
step. He has a definite way for each
one of us. "Ever) mile of the Jour
ney he has chosen, and every place
where I pitch my tent he has selected
for me.”—J. R. Miller.
Tuesday, August 9. By faith Abra
ham. when he was called, obeyed to
go out unto a place which he was to
receive for an Inheritance; and he
went out, not knowing whither he
went.—Heh. 11; 8.
"1 suppose that is life; Just falling,
and trying to make the best of It all
through." Now. my dear friend, you ,
are all wrong. Life Is nothing of the '
kind. It Is a series of glorious sue- I
cesses, with growing love, and more ;
fervent seal, and hnppy hope. Doing j
your best Is satisfying to God, even i
If it Is not satisfying to you. And i
when you see it all as God sees It. |
and intends you to see it some day,
you will know how all the while you
were making great strides, and win
ning noble vletortes. If every man
tried to do his best earth would turn
Into heaven.— Floyd TV. Tomkins.
Wednesday, August 10. Which of
you by being anxious can add a cubit
unto the measure of his life?—Luke
12: 25.
God Is a kind Father. He sets us
all In the places where he wishes us
to be employed: and that employment
Is truly "our Father's business." He |
chooses work for evprv creature which
will he delightful to them (f they do it
simply and humbly He gives us al- j
w ays strength enough for w hat he i
want* us to do; If wo either tiro our
selves or puxsie uurte.-ves, It is our
own lault. And we may always do
sure, whatever we ar* Qumi, that we
cannot be pleasing him it we are not
happy ourselves.—Husklu.
Thursday, August li. Our lignt af
fliction, wntch Is for the moment,
worketh for us more and more ex
ceedingly an eternal weignt of glory.—
3 Cor. 4; 17.
How will it bo when thp woods turn
brown,
Their gold and their crimson all drop
ped down,
And crumbled to dust? Oh, then as
we lay
Our car to earth's lips, we shall hear
her say.
"in the dark 1 am seeking new gems
for my crown."
We will dream of green leaves when
the woods turn brown.
—Lucy Larcom.
Friday, August 12. To them that
love Ood all things work together for
good.—Rom. 8: 28.
Bvegy tragedy In the home circle,
every hour of agony througn whlcn
you pass, every wrong that you must
endure In silence—for there Is no re
dress upon this side of the grave—
Is not purposeless or accidental. It Is
a great privilege to which you are
called—the high prerogative of suf
fering. Some day we shall see the
meaning of It all. and never regret a
moment of it.—R. J. Campbell.
Saturday, August 13. 1 seek not
mine own will, but the will of him
that sent me.—John b: 30.
"I come to d<> the will of him that
sent me." He believed that behind all
these phenomena tKere Is an intelli
gent and moral purpose. He believed
In Hod And he believed that Included [
In that Infinite purpose there was a j
particular purt>ose for hls Individual I
life. He found the essentia! aim of j
hls own existence In the fulfilment of
that purpose which lies behind all we i
see. I come to act. to think, to grow. •
to live In the fulfilment of an eter- :
nal purpose underlying my life and
all lives-—here we find an aim worthy
to take command of our best serength
—Charles R Brown.
FOR THE LITTLE ONES
My Friend.
My mother fays if I don’t grow
I'p honest, brave and true,
1 must be awfully stupid, for
1 have a Rood friend who
Sets me a pattern every day
To help mo in my work and play.
Although he’s smaller than I am
And only half as old.
He knows a lot of things I don’t—
He doesn't fret nor scold:
No matter what he’s told to do
He minds before you • an count "two.”
Besides he's learned what mother says
Some grown up folks don't know—
He won’t look at what he can't have;
I've held some candy so,
Beneath his very nose and he
Will turn his head so he can't see.
He’s kind to little heipdess things.
Babies and puppies, too;
He doesn’t tease the kitten as
Sometimes I’m apt to do;
And once—I'm 'shamed—hut T was
mad,
I struck him and he Just looked sad.
And when I'm kept in after school
And he waits faithfully.
And won't play with the other hoys,
My mother says to nte,
"you'll have to try hard, boy, to
Just
Be worthy of your good dog Trust.”
—Elizabeth West Parker.
A Frog Concert.
■'Ldsten!” said Tess, one moist,
warm evening, dropping down on
the fresh grass where Tim and Jack
were stretched at ease. "The con
cert's beginning ”
"What concert?" demanded Tim,
rising on one elbow.
— "Why, the nrog concert." respond
ed Tess.
"A Frog Concert! Who ever heard
of such a thing. I'd like to know?"
said he, derisively.
"Well, you just keep still and lis
ten, and you'll hear one now. There,
Isn’t that just the Way the orchestra
tune up before they start?”
The denizens of the pond did In
deed suggest the ludicrous resem
blance Teas had remarked. At first
a single scrape was heard, then sev
eral of them uttered their notes at
Intervals, like the performers in an
orchestra tuning their instruments;
then they all as if by one Impulse,
joined in the ■ horns, deep and loud,
from the thinn.-st of shrill pipes to
the booming base notes of the oldest
bullfrog In the puddla. who filled in
his parts with regular intervals of
"My. doesn't that old fellow think
he's got a voice!" said Tim. "He just
spoils the whole thing, though.”
"Do you know what the frogs say?”
asked Jack, after a few minutes.
"No. do th« > say anything?" asked
Tim. with sudden Interest.
"Well, we hot s used to think the
little shrill fellows sang, ‘Cut across'.
Cut across' Cut across!’ and the old.
wise ones piped, Go round! Go round!
Go round!’ "
"What does that old bass frog say?"
inquired Teas
" ‘Snakes! Snakes! Snakes!' " said
Jack.
"Why, what have frogs to do with
snakes?" she asked, in astonishment
"A great deal more than they like,
often,” laughed Jack. "Snakes never
want any other rood if they can get
a nice, live frog to swallow."
"Oh, Jack, they don't swallow It
alive!"
"That's their favorite wav of din
ing," he returned. "I’ve often seen
a snake with a frog’s head and three
legs projecting from its mouth, and
they were gradually disappearing.
Sometimes the frog is alive when it
reaches the snakes stomach."
"How dreadful!" shuddered Tess.
"Poor, poor frogs. No wonder the
old ones croak Snakes!’,T "
"The frog htmself subsists in his
turn on slugs, snails, beetles and
such Insects.' went on Jack. "He
can whip an insect down his throat
like magic. You see. his sticky
tongue points backward. He cap
tures the prey by suddenly throwing
the tip of hts tongue forward upon
the insect, covering it with this
slime, and. quickly drawing It back,
tosses the insect down his thrpat «d
swiftly that it requires sharp eyes to
see it.”
"I saw a lot of frog's eggs In the
pond one day ' remarked Tim. ’"Lit
tle dark specks in queer slimy stuff,
like jelly."
"Yes. that dark color of the yolk
attracts the heat of the sun. which
hatches out the young tadpoles. The
spawn ia deposited at the bottom of
the pond at first, hut in a little while
floats to the top.”
“Oh, 1 saw some young ones yes
terday," broke in Teas, eagerly.
Queer little black things with long
i tails, w riggling through the w ater.
What happens to their tails. Jack?
J Do they drop off. or do they pull
them off as the mosquitoes do their
|skins?”
■'Neither." smiled Jack. "First, the
hind legs appear, and a short time
after the front ones grow out. and
1 then the tail Is gradually absorbed
into the body. When this is com
pleted, the young frog ventures for
the first time to leave the water It
is during thp breeding season that
what Tess calls the Frog Concerts^
take place, when the males perform
their loudest and most musical feats
in croaking.”
"Where do they stay all winter?”
j asked Tim.
"When winter approaches they all
cuddle down together, embracing each
, other In the mud at the bottom of
the pond so closely as to appear like
one continuous mass. Here they re
i main in a torpid state until the ice
breaks up In the spring. You know
we have a saying In the country that
the frogs must croak and he frozen j
j under three times before spring is
really here.”
I "Teas.” murmured Tim. sleepily,
, “I'm going to have frogs' legs for
supper to-morrow night."
"You may eat them yourself, then,
for I shan't." retorted that small
maiden, with some scorn. “Come in
doors. or you'll dream you are a frog
| yourself before morning."—Kuria, in
The Christian Guardian.
NEVER TROUBLE TROUBLE.
There's a cheery little proverb__
It is very well to heed
In a world where pain and sorrow
Are quite plentiful indeed.
If you would not have them double.
Then keep this well In view;
To never trouble trouble
Until trouble troubles you.
Don't think when storm clouds gather
You are certain to be drowned;
The very darkest tempest
May quickly blow around.
And up above the blackness
Shines evermore the blue;
So never trouble trouble
Until trouble troubles you.
Oftttmes a gloomy morning
Precedes a sunny day;
So. without word of warning,
Our trials slip away.
Wnat pangs we oft have suffered
From Ills we never knew I
So never trouble trouble
j Until trouble troubles you.
Quit counting all the bridges
You may never have to cross.
Quit climbing all the ridges
Of future pain and loss.
Trudge oh and do your duty.
To God and conscience true;
And never trouble trouble
Until trouble troubles you.
—Anna R. Henderson.
Looking Away Krom Difficulties.
Most difficulties can be met by look
ing In some other direction. Many
difficulties, indeed, come into being
simply because we are looking in a :
wrong direction, and they cense to!
exist when we turn our eyes in the
right direction. A man was riding in a ]
i subway car who had a special dread I
of being caught underground In the ' ,
I subway, even by a temporary block. :
; Suddenly his train slowed down and ; ,
came to a full stop. The blank side
wall of the subway confronted him, ;
1 close to the windows of the car, and
he realised that the thing he had
feared had come to pass: he was shut ,
i in helplessly in an underground block- .
ade. Then he happened to turn his
! head; and as he looked out of the ■
! other aide of the car, he found he. ]
j was at a station, with doors and ■
: exits wide open for one to step out into |
; the upper air. He had been looking
in the wrong direction; that was all.
The difficulty that seemed to render
i him helpless vanished into thin air
when he faced another w-ay. Peter
was sinking when he looked at the !
waves; he was safe when he looked at
Christ. Difficulties that block what 1
we ought to do >can always be done
away with when we face arlgm.—
Selected.
The maelstrom attracts more no
tice than the quiet fountain; a comet
draws more attention than the steady
star. Bu* it la better to be the foun
tain than the maelstrom, and star
than comet, following out the sphere
and orbit of quiet usefulness In which
aod Dlacss us.—Dr. John Hall.
VI - ■;\v;:- \
THE VIRGINIAN'S WEEKLY SERMON
THE MINISTRY OF THE LAYMAN
By Rev. W. W. Landrum, D. D.
preached at the Second Baptist Church. Sunday. August 1*.
1 Cor. VII.: 24 Brethren, let every
man wherein he is called, therein
abide with dod."
Suppose we call this text the gospel
of the secular life. Or the gospel
for all callings, for all pursuits and
employments of men.
When men are called to service
as disciples of Christ they are not
caJled to anything strange or un
natural.
There Is a French painting called
I^a Hellgeuse. meaning the religious
woman. The artist's Idea is untrue
and hurtful. He has painted a wo
man who spends her time replenish
ing the oil in a lamp before an image.
Tne religious woman, as the artist
sees her, is a caricature. She Is not
the faithful wife, sharing the burdens
of her husband. She Is not the Joy
ful mother of children training them
for usefulness. She is not the school
teacher giving up ner very soul to
the puptls under her charge. She Is
not a trained nurse, not tne matron
of an orphan asylum, nor a work
ing woman, nor a thrifty and economi
cal housekeeper. On the contrary
she is a woman who spends her whole
time in replenishing oil in a lighted
lamp before a dead image.
A religion as unworldly as that is
of very tntle value In so practical a
world as that In which we live.
When 1 was a boy it was common
for ministers to say with great
solemnity: "I shall preach to you
as a dying man to dying men.” They
meant well but Is not this better":
"1 preach to you as a living man to
living men. the message of the living I
Christ concerning our duty In the liv
ing present?"
Present day religion seeks to take
care of one world at a time. IT we j
will only do our duty In this world
we shall not fall of appreciation in
the world to come.
The apostle In this chapter, is
plain the gospel of the secular life.
"Away with your artificial distinc
tions he practically says." Let us not
talk of holy callings and unholy call
ings. sacred buildings and secular ;
buildings, holy tones and unholy tones,
ecclesiastical garments and worldly
clothing Qet away from the notion
that business is business and religion
is religion. Say rather that business
is religion and religion the business
of good men whatever their means of
earning a livelihood, "l^et every man
wherein he is called, therein abide
with Qod.”
First then I wish to state and em
phasize this neglected truth, that every |
disciple of Jesus Christ here present
at this hour is in the ministry. You
are a royal priesthood, ev ery one of i
you. young and old men and women.
Every one of you is vailed. Every one
of you is ordained. You may not bo
required to exercise the functions of j
the pastoral office but you are specially
delegated to communicate the gospel i
to lost men. Not all disciples have :
the same employment but all are j
charged with the same high spiritual I
duty.
Every man Is called of Qod who is j
doing the thing Qod would have him j
do. The blacksmith and the states- j
man. the mill hand and the million- j
a Ire. may each be as divinely directed |
as the evangelist or the missionary. |
Qod made some men to paint plo- I
ttires and some men to hang pic- ]
tures. Some men are called to write j
songs and some to print songs and j
song to sing songs. Some men are j
called to use axe and hammer and j
plow and plane. Others are required 1
to use pen and voice. There ts diver- ,
sity of operations hut the same call
to duty.
Nature shows the same variety of j
ministry. A violet may not be so j
large as a rose but Its mission is as
holy. Brooks are smaller than rivers j
but they- are more numerous and Just
as necessary A candle Is infinitely
smaller than the sun but In the sick
chamber or the prisoner's cell It is 1
more helpful. Common things are
valuable things. Common every- I
Sail Christians are the priceless
riches of Qod the Father Almighty.
What this community needs rs to
remember that character. Christian
character, with a high sense of re
sponsibility to Qod, Is absolutely
necessary to business stability and
prosperity.
Called of Qod—Suppose every lay- :
man In Richmond believed that he
was called of Qod to the work he Is
doing. And yet salvation is noth
ing less than a call from Qod to be
i worker with Qod. Surely the vail
is from no other source. It was not ]
the frail fallible man who preached ;
>o you the gospel that called you out I
>f darkness into light out of slavery >
,nto freedom, out of death Into life.
It was the Holy Spirit. If you re
pented of sins it was the Holy Spirit j
who led you to penitence and prayer.
If you have submitted yourself once j
»nd forever to the Lordship of Jesus
Christ It is for the reason that me
Holy Spirit hath implanted confl
uence In your breast. Only the in
visible power of God can regenerate
:he invisible soul of man.
How high and responsible there
fore your daily task. However ordi
nary and obscure your vocation you
ire called of God. Continue to buy
md sell, if that be your work. Prac
tice medicine or law. write, speak,
“rank an electric car, cook, clean
house, sew, keep up your ordinary
smployment. They are every one of
hem holy. They are a ministry. In
:hem you are to show forth by exam
ple, by word and by the spirit and
tenor of your life your mission as
witnesses for Christ and winners of
iouIs to his glorious gospel.
To what then more particularly are
,ou called of God’ Wherein you are
called therein abide wth God. Where
in are ye called? What are all dis
•iples called of Gods
When the late Karl Cairns was a
It tie boy he heard three words that
•nade a great impresson on him:
■God claims you." Then came the
lucstion "What am I going to do
vith the claim?"
He went home and told his mother
'God claims me," At school and col
rge hi* motto was "God claims me"
.Vlhen he was appointed lord chan
cellor of Kngland he was teacher of a
arge Bible class. His pastor, think
ng he would have no time to devote
0 that purpose said to him: "I sup
)ose you will give up your class."
’No,” was the reply, 'God claims
ne.”
So God claims every one of us. and
1 is claim Is just and reasonable. The
nost Interesting, problem In your life
ind mine Is this: "What response
m I making to God's claim?”
One thlng-4b sure: we are every one
•f us called to personal consecration—
hat Is, to be a whole man at our bust
iesi for the Kord.
Ye are the temples of the Holy
Ihost; ye, not shrines, church buildings
md cathedrals. And ths temple of
Jod must, be holy. Ye are in the
vorld. bat y* cannot bs of the world.
A
1.
P
li
8
n
l!
o
i "
! t
ii
n
a
f
the world of dishonesty, criminal
speculation, financial crookedness and
crime. Christ said to the Father con
cerning us: "I pray not that thou
shuuldest take them out of the world,
but that thou shouldest keep them
from the evil one."
Our Lord encouraged no exclusive
theory of life, no hermit mode of liv
ing. None the less he did preach the
doctrine of a separated life. Never
mind about the fanaticism or even the
immorality too often found In the con
duct of those who claim to be Inti
mate with the Holy Spirit. You and l,
without cant and without hypocrisy,
are under inviolable “obligations to be
aeparate from the world In the Inner
man.
We need not concern ourselves with
matters of dress and attitude, phrase
and form. Separation is deeper. It is
a difference in life.
Listen and I will seek ter Illustrate.
The boundary between the United
States and Canada for thousands of
miles Is an Imaginary line. Two men
live on farms separated only by this
line. In dally affairs they seem to be
alike. They are Interested In the same
problems, are doing the same work
under the same sky. Yet there Is a
vital difference between them. What is
it? They are citizens of different
countries. They owe allegiance to dif
ferent governments. They llvo under
different laws. The capital of one ia
Washington, of the other Ottawa Po
litically they have a different center.
Much deeper the difference between
the Christian and the man of the world.
They have different eentera The one
has citizenship in heaven, while the
other is a child of this present evil
world. Truly they live under different
laws, they acknow ledge a different sov -
ereignty, they are moved by impulses
wholly unlike. To personal consecra
tion must be added personal evangeli
zation. very one of you is called to
preach the gospel of the Son of God to
those who have never felt its power
or experienced Its blessings of peat*
and joy. No man Is excused, no wo
man is excused. How many preachers
should there be In this chunh? Call
the roll. Just as many as truly love
our Lord Jesus Christ, and lor that
reason unselfishly love the souls of
men. Conversion is a call to the min
istry. In New Testament times no
ordination was necessary to qualify
one w ho “knew the Lord to introduce
another to him. Mary and Martha had
as many rights In that particular as
Peter or John. Nowhere in the Scrip
tures are we led to believe that the
coming of the kingdom of God Is shut
up to the efforts of the ordaned minis
try. The revival «» need right now
is the quickened Interest of every
Christian in personal work to lead sin
ners to Christ.
Personal beneficence follow * personal
consecration anti evangelization. M's
are called to give of our substance for
the purposes of the kingdom on earth.
To Caesar, of the civil government, ws
must render the things that are Cae
sar's. or the government's -namely,
loyalty, obedience and taxes Every
citizen, willingly or unwillingly, is re
quired to do Just that thing No on*
Is excused, hut all are equally under
obligation. To G<*d we must render
:he things that are God’s- namely
love, obedience, offerings. Caeaar col
lects hi* tribute by force: Christ re
ceives it as he received the gold and
frankincense and myrrh front the wise
men who bowed at the cradle as the
unsolicited expression of gratitude and
affection.
Abide with God. That is the crown
ing force of the apostle's admonitlon.
"I,*t every man wherein he is called,
therein abide with God." Culled to
abide with God; such is our distinc
tion. our peace, our power.
Phillips Brooks Illustrated the dif
ference between Internal and external
strength in this way: To make a build
ing strong we hut tress It from the
outside To make a man strong we
feed Him. The strength of what is
made lie* In It* construction The
strength of what is horn lies In the
luaJIty and volume of its life. Jesus
saidh "1 am come that they might
have life.’" TTow'T~First by ~be:nig b<• rni
sgaln. How* Jesus said: "I am the
bread of life: except a man eat my
flesh and drink my blood he can not
ive." The character of Christ, there
fore. is the food and life of the Chris
tian. "My meat," said Jesus. “Is to
lo the will of, him that sent me.” Tn«
strength of the Christian, therefore,
s the strength of God. The soul that
feeds upon the living bread Is made
strong both to will and to do the will
>f God. In the spiritual world, as In
:he physical, we eat to live rather than
ive to eat.
Abide with God "Wherein you arg
ailed, therein abide with God.”
Do you Imagine, my brother, yog
would be a better man If you were en
raged in acme other calling? Do yog
sometimes feel the delusion that you,
vf all men, are surrounded by eondl
:tons unfavorable to godly living?
Even ministers of Christ have felt
he same. No. If you will only abide
■vith God in your present calling yog
will discover that It Is good for you,
ndecd peculiarly favorable to rlghd
King. The change you and 1 n«g|
s not in our circumstances, but In ouf
tAlvgg' nnt In ntn> FAla Mmt tr« th* wnwl4
lut In our relation to God.
An Inventor sal recently talking
ibout Imperfect conduit* During the
•onvenation he said: "Do you know
hat great power-houae of the trac
lon company? Well, the manager will
el! you that forty per cent, of the
:!ecty|clty manufactured there la lost
>ecau*e of Imperfect conduit#." Think
>f that prodigious waste! Almost half
>f that great plant counts for nothing.
iVasted power. 80 the power of God'*
loly Spirit leaks out by the way. it
Iocs not reach men. Your life and
nine are Imperfect conduit* because of
>ur worldlines* and lack of consecta
lon Christ is a constant quantity,
esu# Christ Is the same yesterday and \
orever. He saya, "Abide In me." “As ']
he branch cannot bring forth except It
ibtde in the vine, so ye cannot bring
orth fruit except ye abide In me.”
Abide With God." Abide with God.
)pen-the day and close It with rell
nce on God. Then the power of God
dll possess us. flow through us and **
trsams of salvation sweep . through_
iur streets and Into our homes.
►f What Arc You Thinking A* Yog
Model?
No model yet of anything ever
prang Into existence. The vision of*
: may come in some moment of in
piration, but never the model itself.
. model worthy of the name mean*
mg hours of planning, and months—.
erhaps years—of hard mechanical
ibor. but if you are building up «
rand and nobla model, you will not
itnd the hard work. When the Brook
n bridge was building. Bishop Nlch
laqn said to a man covered with dirt,
orklng on one of the abutments of
te bridge. That’s pretty dirty work,
n’t it?”,"Yea." was the answer, "but
e aren’t thinking about the dirt. bag.
bout the bridge.” H