SUNDAY READING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9154, 8 September 1888, Page 4 (Supplement)

SUNDAY READING.

COURAGE. [by rev. mark guy pearse.] "Add to your faith virtue."— Peter i., 5.

This word virtue has lost the meaning that anciently belonged to it. Time was when it called up visions of a hardy endurance and heroic bravery ; there was a force in it that stirred men's hearts like the sound of a trumpet. It meant courage, valour, force. The very mention of it suggested the plumed helmet, the dinted shield, the trusty sword. It brought to mind the veteran, his shaggy eyebrows knit with a stern resoluteness ; a face where many a desperate encounter had left its scar; whose memory is all hung about with battle-scenes and furious frays. That was virtue. To the readers of this epistle, who gathered in some upper room, surrounded by perils, it brought to mind the story of some maiden martyr, thrust into the arena, greeted by the thousands of onlookers; waiting with a placid courage for the beast of prey whose impatient thunder rings through the place. Above all, it brought to mind the glorious memory of the great Captain of our salvation—earth's bravest Knight —who saw before Him the gathering darkness, the rugged hill, the dreadful cross ; yet day by day and step by step, all onhastening, as all unhindered, came on doing the will of His Father in Heaven. That was virtue.

To-day it means rather the gentle temper than the brave soul. Virtue suggests goodness, purity, truth. Now, whilst we set the utmost value upon this white-handed gentleness, yet we may well wish for the stern courage and the valour that belonged of old to the word.

The change of meaning in the word indicates the changed estimate and notion of the Christian religion itself. Whatever the Christian was in the early days, he could not well be a coward. He could "not live in any fear as to what people would say about him ; there was no doubt about that. And he could not live with a miserable counting of the loss or gain that religion should bring him. He knew full well that it would mean abuse, loss, danger, perhaps death. So in the old time Christianity first demanded faith that took hold of the promises; and then demanded courage that held on to them at any risk, though earth and hell raged furiously. To-day religion is not so much a battlefield as it is a hospital for sick and disabled folks ; it is very often only a round of poultices and plaster and nourishing diet, where the talk is of troubles and trials and what we have to go through. I have met religion looking very unlike the warrior or the maiden martyr. A poor thing, coughing a feeble apology for its existence, and timidly promising not to get in anybody's way, if we will only let it alone ; that shuts its eves for fear c seeing what is wrong, and holds its tongue for fear of giving offence; a poor, sick, sighing thing that can do nothing in the world but sit by the fire nursing itself, creeping very occasionally into the sunshine, when the wind is not in the east. We do need to add to our faith virtue, to keep alive this spirit of daring—fearless, outspoken, determined. We want a religion that is a thorough nuisance to those who want to do wrong; with an eye like an eagle's for anything that is not straight, and making a hideous noise about it such as will set the Pharisees grumbling indignantly. A courage that can die, but cannot be put down; that can be laughed at and starved { if need be, but cannot do other than the right and speak other than the truth. There is much faith to-day, but we want this courage to go right out to live and dare and endure ; in one word, we want a great enthusiasm for Jesus Christ.

Look at the company in which this valour is found. Add to your faith valour. St. Peter is writing to those who have obtained like precious fa.ith in the Saviour. But it is not good for Faith to be alone. Faith is the queen, and alike her authority, her dignity, and her safety demand that she should have her bodyguard and following. For Faith is not to live in luxurious ease ; hers is a high and sacred calling. So is it that at her right hand must stand the tall and stalwart captain of her guard, Courage, my Lord Courage, strong in action, resolute in danger, and fearless always. And at her left is her Prime Minister and counsellor, old Knowledge, with lofty brow, and ready underStanding of the times and its requirements, and skilful in devices for meeting them. Then comes the Comptroller of the Household, a goodly gentleman of clear eye and of fair complexion, my Lord Temperance. But do not think that he has only to do with the wine-cellar ; he sees to all the expenditure of the household. Then cometh the lady-in-waiting, Patience, fair Patience, _ whose cheery song keepeth the palace bright in troublous times. " Bear bravely,' fair Patience sings; "it is all well that cometh forth from Him; and it is ever well for them that journey up to Him." Then cometh the Queen's chaplain, Godliness, who moveth amidst the rest, having a deep and holy sense of God's claim, a steadfast eye to His commandments, a lofty sense of His greatness, and a glad obedience to His will. Then come the two almoners who dispense the Queen's bounty. Brotherly Kindness and Charity. Brotherly Kindness careth for those that are of the household of faith, but Charity goeth outside, and saith that all are to be loved for Christ's dear sake.

Then only is Faith secure, and tW ~ can she rightly discharge all her d»f- ° n 'y claim all her honours, when she it an 'l by each of these. Take the ii't tlen /M through it carefully day iav day—k an<! ®° for our meditation, a kindling of our i ma . tte and a subject for our pravers. He ul Ires > us faith will give us all the gifts We n?. f i V, ' e secure and satisfy faith. eeti to Once in Northern India a detaeW , soldiers were led against a hand of S of who had entrenched themselves in , * r 3 position at the head of a narrow a or ,, p str y. n g troops were marching alone the v »iT Vl- - the steep sides, when a ser«Mr ? beeleven men separated from the r ♦ 1 taking the wrong side of the ravin* tl 7 othcer in command signalled them r/.V . he They, however, mistook the siL^ re ><. command to charge. For a moment I 4 looked up the rocky heights, and s -u y enemies above the ramparts. Then • • r ringing cheer, they clambered up the* 11 " & side. At the top were seventy r !u fce ' J sheltered behind a breastwork "It desperate encounter, but against Rllf >v! Vls a it could not last lone. Six fell on th P ° dds the rest were hurled backward int/ ! " Jt: depths below. mto trie Now, it was a custom in that nation , i any of their bravest fell in battle t r a tinguish the most valiant bv a thread » round a wrist—a thread of red or , silk, red denoting the greatest „„, greyi Some little time after the English found the twelve bodies stark and ■, j"'' but round the wrist of each was tied • 1 scarlet thread—the distinction of the V"'* So even amongst a wild and savage r'oM horde bravery, the bravery of an enemy • r thing to be reverenced anil honoured ' t' S * you to-day to come and pledge youVs f K the Lord Jesus Christ, because it" does i courage. Not because it means peace* I }"' because it means a fight, a brave eudu>' 1,1 a lofty courage Ido pray you, because ir' a high and noble call to a valiant life- t) 3 day kneel and pledge yourself to 1 Christ in His strength, in everything everywhere to be His faithful soldier W ' servantseeking first of all always the "I^'•' of your King. ' 6 01

THE COST OF COWARDICE. With many here is it not just tinthing : the lack of courage which is the un doing of the life ? L Some want courage to decide for Chrrt They are like the spies when they came W'from the land of Canaan, who had* seen th« great clusters of grapes and the noire granates and the figs, and who cried, "I>V a goodly land, and surely it lloweth wit' milk and honey. But the people are str,;> ' who dwell in the land, and the cities -j. 1 ' walled up to heaven. Moreover, the corsV? Anak are there." Thus is it that iriistand to-day. They have looked into' th» goodly land, the land of God's favour tv land of promise. Its beauty has stlrevl before them, and they have seen its fruits Their longings often go across the border' " It is a goodly land," they say, " but—" hr ,j there they stop, thinking about the sons v Anak and the cities wailed up to heaven And so month after month, it may be veiafter year, goes by—looking, desiring, hopir—and yet never going. There are not many things that men are more ashamed of than cowardice; yet"what is this? Everything within you urjiiu- von to be wholly the conviction" and desire—and yet lacking the courage to come right out and say, " By God's help I will he His soldier and servant." You may try to soften it and colour it a little bit down in your own heart, but it is lack of courage and nothing else. "Well," you say, "sup', posing it is so, how can I get the courage here others have got it, my brother. Come to the great Captain of our'salvation"' He can make you more than conqueror. Again, in these busy times, many a man wants courage to deal with circumstances that hinder him

A man mav easily come to find himself in a position where multiplied cares drive him in a perpetual whirl until anything like a quiet communion with God is a thing a) in - - impossible. The hurried thought, the restless feeling, haunt one even in one's dreams. Such remember times when, as 10 Isaac, there came an eventide in which they could go forth to meditate. Care sank to rest with the sun, and Heaven stole over the soul win the stars, and, as of old, God walked and talked with His child in the cool of the nay. But our busy life, like the great cities, ha; no eventide. We keep alive the day aim hide from Heaven. The freshness of our love to Christ is gone; the hand of faith hangs withered at the side. The vision o: God is faint and dimmed ; and, like a ma 1 tree, the frame remains only because of the life that used to be.

Well," says somebody, indignantly, I "must I sacrifice my business?" Yes: or anything else, if you can dare call it a sacrifice, seeing what infinite gain is in fieri!. Remember those terrible words of the Lor! Jesus Christ: "It is better for thee to enter into life maimed than having two hands to into hell." Be quite sure of this the only possible way in which you can keep up .\n earnest, steadfast life in the soul is to get & clear half hour alone with God at the beginning of the day. A devout meditation on * the Word, not read only, but getting into the heart of it; and getting it into the heart; and then tarrying in the presence of God until our soul rests in Him, and there is the clear vision of the King. Nothing can possibly take the place of that. Secure it at any sacrifice. To your faith add courage. Others need courage to deal with damaging influences about them. There is some companion, or some pursuit, or some pleasure that takes away all the heart and appetite for the service of the Lord Jesus. It leaves you like a garden in winternipped, withered, dead, without bud, or bloom, or beauty. There are things that make prayer such hard work that it seems impossible, and the Bible is a weariness, and the service of God is a dreary restraint. It may be that the world does not. call these things sins. Perhaps even the Church thinks that there is no harm in them. But, whatever they are to others, to you they are hindrances and injuries. The world may call them grapes, but they have pricked you as thistles ; the world may count them figs, but they have poisoned you as thorns. Add to your faith courage. Resolve by God's help to have done with them bravely for the sake of the King. There are others still who need courage to deal resolutely with besetting sins. There are those who know of sins which have ensnared them and threatened to be their eternal ruin. They have struggled from their grasp sorely wounded and almost slain. And yet they trifle with them; they dally and play with them. What dreadful madness is this ! Your only hope is to add _ faith to your courageto have no terms with the enemy. You must perish or your foe: the two cannot live together. Doubt means destruction. What others can do without peril means death to you. In the name of God and in His strength rise up resolutely and defiantly, and resolve in His name to get as far as possible from the threatening evil-To-day gird yourself. Take hold of the strength of Christ. It needs, perhaps, a resolute and a single decisive blow, ana tae victory is assured. Now in Christ your strength be the conqueror, or it mav be that the temptation will meet you day by ua>, hour by hour, in new forms, persistent, subtle, incessant. Make the mighty Saviour your strength. Do not venture out or: Hh presence. You are safe only in His shadow: strong only when holding His hand, by a; the sense of your need, by all the aw nil peril that besets you, keep close to His side. to not venture forth into any day without a sure grip of His hand and a wholehearted reliance upon His help. To faiUi courage.

LET ME SEE THY FACE. When all around is dark as death, And I in vain have peered Along the gloom with failing health, And waited, watched, and feared, To still behold but blackness, l.ord, If Thou reveal Thy face. Its radiant beauties will afford All that I wish to trace. When I have looked in vain to find One face that answered mine, The beaming of a kindred mind, I find them, Lord, in Thine. When other faces pass away, By distance far removed, Or touched by death's dread deep decay, Show me Thy face beloved. And when Thy loving will decrees « That eye shall answer eve. When smiles increase to clieer and please, Still 'mid by joys be nigh. Amid a thousand faces, Thine Will make them ail grow bright, Oh, let me see its beamings shine, And others in its light. In gloom, or sunshine, when alone, Or in the social group, Thine is the brightest face I own, Oh. sweetly o'er me stoop ! And let me see Thee, Saviour, now, As now I best can see; And by-and-bye in Heaven, when Thou With smiles shalt welcome me. LrFF