QUIET HOUR

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 24 December 1925, Page 8

QUIET HOUR

Standing at the portal Of the opening year, Words of comfort meet us, Hushing every fear, Spoken through the silence By our Bather’s voice, Tender, strong, and faithful, . Making us rejoice. Onward, then, and fear not, Children of the day, For His word shall never, Never pass away. ‘I, the Lord, am with thee, Be thou not afraid; I will help and strengthen, Be thou not ’dismayed; Yea, I will uphold thee With My own right hand; Thou art called and chosen In My sight to stand.’ For the year before us O what rich supplies! For the poor and needy Living streams shall rise; For the sad and sinful Shall His grace abound, For the faint and feeble Perfect strength be found. He will never fail us, He will not forsake; His eternal covenant He will never break. Resting on His promise, What have we to fear? God is all-sufficient For the coming year. —F. R. Havergal. IN THE BEGINNING. '•ln the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” —John I, 1. Life is full or Beginnings. w e are now at the beginning of a year.. But here is a beginning that carries our thoughts back beyond all years, all dates of history, all imaginable periods of time, beyond the beginnings of creation. Then Christ was. What a sublime stretch of being, these words give to Him, who is our Saviour! Wc cannot grasp the thought, but we can find security and comfort in it when wo think of Christ, and when we rest in Him as our nope and salvation. We trust in human friends, and the' comfort is very sweet; yet we can never forget that they are creatures of a day, and that we cannot be sure of having them even for to-morrow. But we trust in Christ and know that from eternity to eternity He is the same, and therefore our confidence forever sure and strong. Our trust is still more stable and firm when wc read on and find who this Person is and in whom we are confiding. “The Word was God.” There is nothing doubtful in this language. No kind of exegesis can blot from this brief clause the truth of Christ’s divinity. The Saviour, into whose hands you have committed your life is the eternal God. Earthly trusts are never secure, for everything human is mortal; but those who commit themselves to the keeping of Christ arc saxO forever. It is very sweet to think of Christ’s humanity. It brings him near to us. He is like one of ourselves. He is our own brother, with tender sympathies and warm affections. We study the gospel and learn of the graciousness of His character as seen in His compassion, His tears, His love. Then when wo know that behind these qualities are the Divine attributes, that He is very God, what glorious confidence it gives us. Let us set this glorious truth at the gate of the New Year; it is a shining point from which to start.

FRAGMENTS OF THOUGHT. "Seeing” the Gospel. The Day of Days. A poor Chinaman came to a missionary to ask for baptism. When asked where he had heard the gospel, he answered he had never heard the gospel, but he had seen it. He then told of a poor man at Ningpo who had once been a confirmed opium-smoker, and a man of violent temper. This man had learned about the Christian religion, and his whole life was altered; he gave up the opium, and 'became loving and amiable. "Oh,” said the candidate for baptism, "I have not heard the gospel, but I have seen it.” I have seen a picture which, by the genius of the artist, told at least one chapter of the story of a poor man who was confined for years in a cold, dark dungeon. '■ There was but one little opening in the wall, and through that a sunbeam came for out a few minutes every day, making a white patch of light on the opposite side of the cell. Often and often the lonely man gazed on that little spot which was thus daily illuminated, and at length a purpose tc make something on it grew within his soul. Groping on the ground, which was his only floor, he found a nail and a stone, and with these for chisel and mallet he set to work on that bright little patch for the brief time of every day that it was kissed by the sunlight, until at length he brought out upon it

in sculptured relief a rude representation of Christ upon the cross. Let us imitate that prisoner. Our sphere may be circumscribed, our life chamber may be dark; our surroundings may be dreary; yet if we be truly set on following Christ, we shall discover some tiny chink through which the sunshine of His guiding providence shall come; and on the spot where its directing light shall fall, lot us, with such means as we find at our hand, hew out, not in cold stone, but in living love, the likeness of the sacrifice of Christ. Thus shall we attain the loftiest greatness! It is difficult to think of any privilege greater than the personal presence and fellowshij) of Jesus Christ. No. wonder that it needed the unwonted asseveration of their divine Lord to convince the incredulous hearts of the disciples that there would be a greater. However, others might have regarded Him, cast Him out, sought to stone Him, crucified Him, these poor' disciples had learned to love and worship Him. They had found His bosom a pillow for their cares, His heart a sanctuary for their affections. Ho had taught them the divinest truths; He had filled them with spiritual strength. His life had been to them a luminous glory, a pattern for their piety, a sure ground for their faith. He had wrought miracles for their need; He had knelt for them in prayer. He had inspired them with human love and brotherhood. He was to them both earthly friend and heavenly guide. They had seen Him tempted of the devil, refusing earthly glory. ] He had been transfigured before' them, and they had worshipped Him as the Son of God; they ‘beheld His Glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. ’ They had seen His works of power and blessing, His life of sanctity and love. ‘Blessed were their eyes, for kings and priests and righteous men had desired to see what they saw.' And through all they had found Him

the most thoughtful, tender, patient friend. Had He not loved John, and taught Peter, and gratefully said of them all, ‘Ye are they who have continued with Me in My temptation’? Was ever such tenderness poured forth from so full a heart, as on this night when He was betrayed; were ever such words uttered- by human lips? It is the Holy of Holies of the temple of His teaching. No wonder that sorrow should fill their hearts. Wonderful must the blessing be that could overpass the presence of their Lord. What is it?—Henry Allqn.

How slow we are to trust Jesus, and trusting, to rest in Him. A small steam packet was crossing a, stormy bay. Her engine suddenly stopped. For a 'little while the peril was great. An old lady rushed to the captain to aslc whether there was any danger. ‘Madame,’ he replied, ‘wo must .trust in God.’ ‘O dear,’ she cried, ‘has it come to that?’ A good many Chris tians are like that terrified lady. In times of peril they are willing to trust in everything—except God. He is their last resource. Yet no one but ITe can either give them peace, or keep them peaceful.—A. C. Price.