SUNDAY READING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 8986, 25 February 1888, Page 4 (Supplement)

SUNDAY READING.

HOW TO CONSECRATE. [RECENT ADDRESS BY MRS. BOOTH.] There is 110 estimating the influence of one fully consecrated man or woman, or of one thoroughly consecrated family; but I think the Salvation Army is something of a criterion of what God can do through such an instrumentality. As we were talking yesterday about wanting more faith, it occurred to me, however little we may have had of this precious gift, yet that has been the inspiring and conquering principle of the Salvation Army— has been the very foundation of it—faith that if we gave ourselves up, our lives up, ourselves up, and renounced every other object in life but the extension of the Kingdom of God, He would receive that offering and bless it to this end, and we have lived to see it largely accomplished. I believe that the Spirit of God does show people how they ought to live, how they ought to labour, and sacrifice and suffer for the salvation of men; but, instead of obeying His teaching and becoming co-workers with God, they say, " Oh, this is too high for me;

IT WILL COST ME TOO MUCH ; it will be too much trouble; it involves too much sacrifice. I cannot do it; I cannot receive that putting of it." So they read books or go to see those who are supposed to be leading Christians in order to get a second opinion after God has given them His opinion. Thev try and find excuses for themselves. I'hoy Know perfectly well what is God's will concerning them ; but they try to find an easier way. I am told that I have a practical mind, and lam glad I have. I hope I shall keep it to the end. I believe that any other kind of mind will be found to have been a snare when we get before the throne of God, because Jesus Christ is going to be intensely practical in that day. He is not going to say, " Inasmuch as ye thought it," or, " Inasmuch as ye felt it," or, "Inasmuch as ye intended it," or, "Inasmuch as ye promised itbut He is going to say, " Inasmuch as ye did it." I want to he amongst the doers, and I want you to be amongst the doers. Now, dear friends, are you prepared to receive this life of absolute, practical bearing of the shame, the losses, anil the suffering, and the crucifixion, involved in following the Christ ? Are you willing to be

CAST OUT 13V FATHERS AND MOTHERS and everybody else, and be boycotted by those round about you, in order that you may thus follow Christ in the regeneration of the Spirit? Are you prepared to accept it? Do we all accept it? or is there a seeking round for excuses to make it a little easier? If you are, that flaw 1:1 the foundation will topple over any edifice of resolutions and determinations, or promises, or prayers, or faith, and you will be no better lor these meetings, but worse. What we have to come to is to accept God's will for our lives; but in many eases people won't do this. They like ease and comfort; but to follow Jesus involves a great deal of hard work, the continual use of all our faculties, not allowing any of them to lie by to rust, not using any of them, either mental or physical, merely for outown gratification. Now, do we accept this? Are we willing to go and work hard for God! Are we willing to use our brains, making them think and plan and scheme for God instead of our own selfish interests? Are we willing to use our time, our influence, our money, for the promotion of His interests? Are wo willing to use our families for this end? Oh, how guilty thousands of Christians will stand before God as to the purpose they have towards their families, the training they have given, and the use they have made of their children ! It is not the first purpose of their hearts to train their children for God. Their great purpose is educating them after the elements and fashion of the world. They make it manifest by devoting six or seven hours a day to having them trained in earthly learning, while they make the impression on the children that the things that belong to the Kingdom of God are only secondary. Do you accept God's plan for yourself, your family, for your business, and for your money? Now, this is the point; it is all in that.

YOU MUST ACCEPT GOD S PLAN,

you must choose it, and say, "Yes, Lord, I will have this one ambition, motive, and desire to live for Thee alone." You must not only say it, but act it out. I say before you to-night, the Salvation Army, with its endless ramifications, its permanent results, and its influence upon the populations of the earth, is the result of the acceptance of this principle by two single individuals. And what could He not do with you ? Ah, but you say, the circumstances are so different, or we are such different individuals. How do you know ? It is not the quality of the instrument you place in the hands of God which determines its usefulness, it is the full surrender you make of it; it is not the quality of the agent, but it is God having the full disposal, the undisputed sway in using it. Sometimes it pleases God to do-more with the weak instruments than He does with the strong ones. Will you let Him have you What God wants is for you to put yourself thus practically into His hands. Are you willing to follow the teaching of the Holy Spirit? Are you willing to take that Harry or that Mary of yours and begin tomorrow a new plan of education—a new system of training—and to train those children only for God and His Kingdom This is the test.

Oh, I covet the children of God! This generation is at the best a poor mongrel affair. I want a generation trained from their babyhood for God, and inspired from the cradle with one ambition, that they are to live, and suffer, and die, if need be, for His glory, and to have 110 other business but the extension of His Kingdom in the world. You can make your children that if you will. lam certain of it. lam as confident of it as that I stand here. You can make such children, if vou will, if you are co-working with God. If you let their practice keep pace with what you teach, you will make them such, and God will use them as saviours of the world; but you must do your part. Will you begin to-morrow? Will you begin with your business tomorrow? How many of you busness men, I wonder, have some that you count littla things that rise up in your consciences to condemn you? Perhaps it is not .an unlawful business. But is there anything unlawful in your mode of doing it? Is there something about which your conscience is constantly saying, "You know that is not square, that i 3 not right; you know you would not like Jesus Christ to investigate that?" Something which you excuse by saying, " But I must live; I could not compete with that shop over the way, or with yonder manufacturer over the water, if I did not allow this; I must do it?" Where is the must ? THIS IS ONE OF THE DEVIL'S MUSTS ! Jesus Christ did not say you must. He said "you must not." He said you must obey Him and keep a conscience void of offence, and be able to look straight up into the face of your Heavenly Father and know that your ways please Him. Do you accept that with its consequences ? Never mind about competing with anybody. God does not keep you in the world to compete with all the rogues and vagabonds in it, but to represent Him to the world who was pure and spotless, undefiled and separate from sinners, and to represent and extend His Kingdom in the earth! No man ever helped His Kingdom by a single dishonest action or by anything that would not bear His smile. Do you accept that? Will you go and begin to-morrow morning by putting out of your mode of doing business those things for which your conscience condemns you? Will you say, "Never mind whether I save or lose money, whether I prosper or fall,

I AM GOING TO BE A JESUS CHRIST MAN in my business, and trust Him to look after the consequences ?" Do you accept that? Yon who work for God, do you accept God's choice for your service?

Oh, what stories I have revealed to me in letters from backsliders and others, who are hid away in holes and corners the world over, who have lost the favour and presence of God in their own souls and all power to serve Him ! And how do you think they lost it ? By refusing to obey God's call for some particular kind of work. They were willing to do anything else, but not that particular thing to which He called them. They were willing to shoulder any other cross, but not that particular one; and so they got wrong, and have been wrong ever since. They are wandering about as poor backsliders, because they would not do that work to which God had called them. Now, some of you have a call in your heart to some special work or field. Do you accept it? If not, your faith will be but faith without works, which will be dead. Faith and obedience must go together. Will you go away believing and resolving, the very farst opportunity, to obey ? That is what God wants. Then you may believe as much as you like. Then you can just put your hand out to God and have what you want. He won't give His Spirit by limit unto you then. He won't hold you back from any of the glorious enterprises to which your soul gushes out, but He will say, " Be It unto thee according to thy faith, ana what you now would deem impossible, what you would look upon as a vain hope, shall be accomplished." Will you say, "I accept Thy plan for myself, my time, my influence, my money, my children, my home, and my future, I accept it." If so, you can take hold of His hand. You will be in perfect harmony, and may claim

EVERT PROMISE MADE TO THE SAINTS. You have then a victorious faith, a faith that dares to presume on the promises of God; a faith that dares to step out when there appears to be no possibility of God performing His word to you: the faith that dares to stand on the naked promise, and say, " Now, Lord, I am right with you, I have given up all, and I claim all. I open my mouth, it is empty. You will fill it. I take this step, I do not know where I am going any more than Abraham did; but you know now I trust you to lead me forth." Does your heart say that ? If so, you may claim the blessing now.

MR. WEBB-PEPLOE ON MANLINESS. He said there could never be such a true man in the highest sense of the word as our Lord Jesus Christ, but the more a young man had of His spirit and followed in His footsteps, the nobler would he become. A very difFerent idea of manliness prevails at the present day. He is thought to be a manly fellow who shows his prowess in running or in any other physical exercise, who can drink excessively, and who lives loosely, who throws aside the religion of his fathers and the study of God's Word, and prefers what he calls the scientific development of the age —Agnosticism. But the Gospel meaning of the word is the true one; he is the most manly who can practise self-denial for another, and can endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. Mr. Webb-Peploe took for example Timothy, who, although he was young, weak, nervous, and had been brought up under female influence, was put forward by Paul as an overseer of the Church at Ephesus, and, relying on the strength which God save him, "was enabled successfully to hold the fort of the Church of God against all the development of the heathen world in that city. He gathered from St. Paul's charge to his young convert that a young man should be : 1. A soldier : to give up all other ideas of service, and put forward his claims to fight for his Master against all the evils that oppose. 2. An athlete: to practise the great art of self-denial, and restrain himself from the momentary pleasures of this life in order to win a crown of glory that fadeth not away. 3. A husbandman : to labour for the sake of others, and patiently wait for the time when God will prosper him and give him the reward. 4. A good workman : to do his best in God's eyes for the end of seeing his work completely and gloriously finished. 5. A vessel purged from all youthful lusts: by God's help to gain a victory over his temper and passions. 6. A good witness : by word and example to win the erring and wandering, and never to be ashamed of testifying of what Christ has done for him. 7. An evangelist: actuated by a sense of duty to go _ forth as a messenger to tell the good tidings of the Gospel. Above all the muscular, agnostic, and scientific ideas of to-day there rises the character of One whom all honest-minded men allow to be the most perfect Man that ever lived. We shall never be truly manly until we try to conform to His example, but we cannot do this by attempting to follow His virtues. It is only by the acceptance of Him in our hearts that we begin to nave His nature, which will enable us to live out His command before all the world.

LIFE. Life is wrought of little things Little joys with azure wings, Little cares with barbed stings. Little moments swarm in showers, Bringing weeds and bringing flowers, Dying in the silent hours. Fall the silent hours away, Clad in white and clad in grey, On the bosom of each day. Every day its burden rearsSorrow, jovance, pleasure, tearsTribute to the hungry years. And the years sweep out to sea, Bearing you and bearing me To the wide eternity.