SUNDAY READING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 10479, 26 June 1897, Page 4 (Supplement)

SUNDAY READING.

APPREHENDED TO APPREHEND. [BY REV. V. B. MEYEB, B.A.] "The glorious I.onl will be unto us a place of broad rivers ami strearus."-Isaiah xxxiii. 2l". Yon think that because you are not very bad, that because there arc no special sins in your life, therefore God is indifferent. I want you to understand that ungodliness is perhaps the worst of sins, that an ungodly man, a '.nan or woman living in God's world without care or thought of God, is perhaps worst of sinners. Would that oiiecould make you know what God can be to the soul. You people who are not God's children, who are not religious— sometimes one wants to scare you by fear, unci at other times one longs to attract you by the thought of what you are missing. You are in a most desperate state. You supposo that YOUR LIFE IS RICH and increased with goods, and that you have need of nothing; and know not that in God's sight you are poor, and wretched, and miserable, and blind, and naked. You don't know the infinite loss of your life; and when you oome to the end of this life and have to go to God, into the other life where God is all, and tho things of siu, and society, and occupation are no longer present to engross your attention, I say your state will be irreparably miserable. For the things you have lived for and cared for and spent your energy on will all have passed away as a bubble on the ocean wave, and you will be face to face with blank despair. You will be in a world whero God is all, and you will be without the power of enjoying God. And you who do know something of religion, but haven't yet learned what God can be to the soul, my heart goes out toward you. I can't think what is the matter with you. The only solution—the only possible solution of your position—at any rate, the kindest and most charitable explanation of it is this: either you think yourself too utterly broken to be able to receive anything, or you have not learned how to receive. The solution must lie in either of those two directions. Well, 1 come to you and tell you that God our Father comes nearest those who are most broken. In the Bible it is not the strong, and the athletic, and the clever who get on best with God; but those who are most broken and beaten and at the end of themselves. Have you ever thought of that? Have you ever thought about the lame people in the Bible, aud now they always came off best ? There was Jacob,—when he was lame, he became Israel the Prince; there was Mephibosheth, lame on both his feet, who sat at David's table; there was the lame man at the pool of Bethesda, who after he had been there 38 years was taken up by Christ and restored to health; there was the lame man at the Beautiful Gate whom Peter healed; and there was Paul, who was " lame" in his eyes, and yet had the vision ot God. And if lam addressing, as I expect I am, meu and women who are lame—brokeu and beaten and lame—these are the very ones who are nearest God; these are they to whom God is nearest. Is that not so in home life? To whom do THE FATHER AND MOTHER show their best strength and sweetness ? Is it to that big boy who is now earning his own living? Is it to that girl who has fallen in love and who dreams of a home of her own! The mother or father may be the companion of cither of these; but you don 6 see them at their best with either. But go into the home and see where a little crippled child lies, who during the ten or a dozen years of its life has never walked, or spoken articulately, or been able to help itself to a meal, but lies always in that cot by the fireside. You will find that when the father comes back from his work he will make for that child's cot, and bend over it and tell the little one ajl the little bits in the day that may interest it. And the mother hardly sleeps at night for fear she will miss its whisper or its call; aud all day she is ever at hand to help it. That little child draws out all the strength of the father's manhood, and all the sweetness of the mother's womanhood. So. if you are juet a cr'pple, if you have never been able to understand bow to pray, if you have never been religious as some people are, if you seem to be out of the whole matter, if this is, as it were, a foreign country to you, I want to explain to you that you are the very person whom God is most interested iu. That is just what God does. If there is a man or a woman that is a cripple, that is ou t of it, that is the person that God takes up • can't make it more clear; I really can't. I mow that God is waiting now, with his great heart bending over us all: and I know Uis bauds are just wanting to drop down to us all, tho life, the fullest life that can be lived. If you are fool enough to shut yourself against Him, you will miss it. lint if you will open your being to Him, I tell you from this minute you will have a life so blessed that there won't be much to gain when you come to die. Let us sec how the Bible declares that it is the weak oues, the crippled ones, who receive the greatest blessing. Read in this 33rd chapter of Isaiah, 23rd verse: " Then is the prey of a great spoil divided;

THE LAME TAKE THE PKEY." That is a strange thing, surely. " The lame take the prey!" " The lame take the prey I" In life, lame people don't get much. They generally miss all that is going. I will explain to you how that came about. That chapter was written when Israel was going through a great agony. A large and powerful army was crossing the border; the highways were deserted, and the people left their homesteads and their olive-yards and vineyards and all their property and hid themselves in dens and caves and holes of the

earth. Sennacherib with his army marched on. They sent him bribes. Ho Docketed the money, and marched on. Into Jerusalem all the people were crowded, and in the narrow streets were the camels and the asses. The people slept in the open air, and on the roofs, of houses. Ultimately the bread began to run short, and the water failed. But all round were the soldiers, and Sennacherib r; id lie would stay there until he took the city by assault; and the people know that what ho said ho would do. It was in that terrible time this chapter was written. The only men who kept a level head were Isaiah the prophet and Hezekiah the king. They stayed themselves on God. And Isaiah came and said: "See these troops? They will wither like the leaves in autumn. Don't fear. The bread will last out: the water will be sure. We shall yet see Jernsalem a quiet habitation, a tabernacle that shall not be taken down. And there shall be so much spoil that we shall have plenty to spare. Even the lame people will be able to take it; and this city of Jerusalem which seems so lame and impotent shall take the prey." Now, listen, why was Jerusalem so lame and impotent? I will tell you. Nearly every other great city in the world had a river round it: Thebes had the Nile, Niuevch had the Euphrates, but Jerusalem had no river. And you can see how that maimed her. If Sennacherib liked, hecould brine his battering rams against the city walls and thunder at them, or put his scaling'ladders against the walls and up his soldiers would go. Jerusalem was lame, but Isaiah said she would come off best, because -because-. Now, why? I will explain to you. One day—l am only supposing this—one afternoon, two-thirds of the captains of Israel were gathered together iu the Pahce of Hezekiah.;_ and one saidt'o another, " We had a bud time this morniu;;,' .

. "why,'' exclaimed another, "they got u ladder right against the wall, andthey were nearly into tho city; but luckily we caught them just iu time and hurled them over." , "Yes," said u third, a wise man, " tlie mistake is, <vc have got no river. Had

we a river we would be air*"u!iS%J!i Isaiah comes along, and 11[ mark, he says, " Whatfs ¥hiv h( *" UwSPi a river! Did you say ff e n£d ** **'" • There is no need for us to h»ve a li* *«!' ■ gorious Lord will be I rim n l*-lU V Place of broad rim H5» don't want any riverwhea we Jesns is all round the city hV^ I **. And ■' he added, " Jerusalem* oik **W of by God that she. shall not 1 &*?"*«» served but shall take theTprev *>1| the spoil."- And so it happened V 01 «*§! member that within i few&7* ■ ; the lame city of Jerusalem Now, you are like that city TK. ? **fp days you have been'brjie«d »m) • Mb »j I very sad and M seemed to you as if you * **i | have been hemmed in on &* J* 1 chenb and his hosts are all iS ■ li- ' 1 ters, pitfalls, difficulties, erS VII you id. And you can t see anK , " Ml -]- seems to be nothing between " J' , ■pair. Am I addressing any sneff^A lam. • 'RWieti *■*■'!■ Take that woman, for instance. %■' - a girl. She had her young coXiJT-Sl§ one by one she saw them marrieSM : bl * her. She also had a braX '"N' died, and she had to keen 1, e ?*** ■ father. Her lover wjft vaT fell but married another. Now ffj C >Hi§ I vine utterly alone. And I fin „ » like Jerusalem, hemmed all Mnrid wMvell cu ties and temptations. She lnnk. ■'* ■ other women, and sees that they have a ■** HOME AND A UCSB^d '-'.">;<'•. and children, that are like a river Lip .-''" But she has no river. "Ah I" shlL .S '' 1 do right?; Iwanttkt; vo »"dii ; • stand that the glorious Lord will beta*** ■ place of broad rivers and streams •«&■» husband and home and children are IZ ," ■ women, God will be to that woman tf ft ■ on let Him. Ah! thatVit. I M only let Him! "»ne.»iUMl There is a man who once on a time hid £ ; ■ chauceof making a pie in businessifT ■'■■?■■■■ self, His old uncle, who is a h£Ss&J* ' ' spirit trade, perhaps, made him a" ott going partners. On conscientious *i2 SM . refused it. He is a comparatively '-'' ; ' : ■' has a large family and a great struS ' he hasn't been able to lay un & £•'• ■ pence in the bank. But for hVwS •* " there is nothing between him andS* '■' Now, he is out of a situation- has lTSrt •"■ > : And he says to himself, " What a fa,? ■*' to let my conscience stand in the way of hS position! I might have had a nice ft - balance in the bank by this time, ;* ■ there is nothing betweeu me and beware ! IP have no river." Man, never say thaSi ' Tell me there is nothing between » Denary? I tell you there is theS? Lord. He will be to you also api fof 2' ' rivers and streams. y ' M "f™ : ' What God can be-what God can be tffi! soul which is deprived of everything -1 but which has goc Him all round it • jiup my theme. God is enough for heaven • B.! , enough for earth. He was enough for iS? ' ? He will be enough for you. 0, brothS sisters, yon look at things, at bank™«d balances, and men, and you forget thai J?i - :; " : God. God! God! What He can beS soul which has nothing else! Yetyoii ;t ' wretched people, many of you are awavK Him, and are shutting out of your life ,i; ' ': strong, loving God. What a terrible nk take? The angels must wonder if'lS" • The devils must laugh at you. 0! ehu ■• God would be to you if you would only let Him. ,-';' j Let me tell you how I learned to U. from God. I bad been very disappointed : < with my life. I had come, as it were, toi brick wall. Like Jerusalem, I was striitli shut up, just as you are, and 1 didn't what to do. I went to Keswick at' last I had heard that people got all sorts of bM.M! things there. I might as well have-stayedjt '■' home; God is as near us in London as He ii r ■'■' at Keswick. However, he met me there. My heart was very sad. I had plenty of ' Sennacherib, and very little river. Bat M ~ came to me and showed himself a place of broad rivers and streams ; and I took oat of ' I God something I have never lost. I learned '' ■'■ how to take; and that is what I want to ' teach you. . •■■■*fS«ps One night at Keswick they said they would ■ have a prayer meeting to receive the Hob Spirit, in the tent. I went. There wisi I lot of excitement, a good many "Hallelujah's!" were being shouted; and I felt tiftW it didn't help me much. I was b6rn ; qnietly S| and excitement seems to pat me back rather ; . than help me forward. So, after I had bee ■ there about an hour, I went out into tin quiet evening air. It was a summer night, about eleven o'clock. I said to myeehV'.'ll ' there is a man in all this place who wants'*}*) the fulness of God, it is I; but how on euth to get it I don't know." I went away up fc \ the hills. The clouds were drifting < ore- ' head, and dropping now and again a little . •' shower of rain. As I walked up and down I;': '' said: "0, my God, I have got totheendof myself. What can I do?" And aometbut said: "As you took forgiveness from the-: hand of the dying Christ, now tab tns power of the HolyGhosc from thehiodol v the living Christ." And I said: "I will,Lord, I do now take from Thee Thy bleed-. Holy Spirit to infill me." I remember tin* 1 breathed in a deep breath,and said: "Ai I breathe in this air, so I would breathe in, take in, from Thee, all Thou hast to rive. , " I I waited a little while, and I hen I watt •' : down the bill; and I said, " It is don*? "A " voice said, "It isn't done!" Youkiw*- /;' •Tennyson's " Two Voices. ,, "It isn't dona, ' You don't feel it." " Ho," I said, "Idon't; ■- but God is near; He is all to me; Heu going to be to me ri'/jpls WHAT PEOPLE ABE TO OTHER ME.V. ■' I am going to let God be my broad river." When I got down to the bottom of the hill I met a number of young clergymen, and thej •' ■ said, "Hadn't we a fine time?" Isiid, "I don't know; I was there only half tofff time." And they were sorry tint I had #•: missed it. One said, " I never felt so full of 11 God before." I said, " I don't feel like that 11 But, look you here, men. Do you think job: ';. have got God's best gift because you feel, like it ? How will it be to-morrow morning wfiio jffe you don't feel it? Feeling or no feeliojfj I ' have learned to take God by the act of mj- , will and faith." Joy comes after like theM ; V stream. _ ' c;^| Here is a little incident that may help yon, A friend of mine went to tea with a '%'i. LADY WHO COULDN'T CNDEKSTAXD '' " the difference between praying for a thin? . ■ and taking it. As they sat at table she asked '•:■•-■:;' lim if he would take another cup of tea. .is " Thank you," he said, and passed over nil ssjij cup, She filled it and passed it back. He : ' i didn't appear to notice it; but said," Thank ;: : : -y you: I will take a cup of tea. ,, " Eicnse ;: me," the lady said; " here it is." In a most ;l; ; plaintive way he asked again, " Wonld yon : V kindly give me a cup of tea?" "Mr.—," ■ ,: k she said, " what can you mean ? Here lam ' 'c holding out the cup for you to take, and you ; ■; keep asking-" There she stopped, as he •■;■,; put out his hand and accepted the cup with -'(4 a smile. , ,-. ,\%) Take it! Take it now. And reckon you >j have got it. Believe you have it, whether J| you feel it or not. . ftk