SUNDAY READING

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 11854, 4 January 1902, Page 4 (Supplement)

SUNDAY READING

PASSING OF THE YEAR. [SERMON BY EEV. DH. TALHAGE.] , The end of all things is at hand.—l. Peter, iv. 7. '• The end! -Two words what a weight of meaning! To be saved in Christ Jesus—-" the end of that man is peace."f To the rejectors of the Son of God—" the transgressors shall bo destroyed together; the end of the wicked shall be cut off." The earthly end of the righteous, who are termed believers, is/ but an entrance to a spiritual .life which will know no end. " At Thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore." Tho earthly; end / of' tho wicked is an eternity of woe. The .- end! ANOTHER TEAS IS PASSING THE postals OF '■;■;/ '-•-/.',■> :'■ '/ ; ; TIME. . To some of us our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. ', Others—: I ask you in lovo to think of it!—are nearer the; ' end cf their life's journey, but further 'and further from God. " The end of all things is at hand." ; It does not seem to me that the apostle in this passage intended so much.to speak of the end of the world as of the duration of / the earthly existence of those to whom he spoke. As respects "the question whether the world is soon to come to an end j I do not at all undervalue the calculations j of men who,' after laborious ' study/ of the prophecies, announce it to bo their opinion that" very soon the end "of all ;., things will come. At the same time the most important matter for all of us is the question, when will it end for you and for me? '--:. ".[••'.'*" Prophetic investigations may be interesting to us as an abstract study, and ma;j, r "have a .; practical;application; but the question most pertinent in your oase and my cascj. is, how i long will; it be before wo shall pass; off this ' stage of existence, and terminate ' OUR PROBATIONARY LIFE? > , You know that the average •';' length of : human life; is only a •:few years, some! say only fifteen. But, certainly, according to the ordinary calculations of insurance companies, the majority of a large audience will not l reach 40 years of age. I ' suppose that /the vast majority have gone .•?' out of: the world before ■ they have come to 35 years of; age;; and" in all probability the next twenty years will bring an end to most in this audience," and the next ten years .will decide the eternal destiny of many. Yes! there is something that impresses me to say that there are those who are listening , to : their last Gospel ; sermon,' and that this is their last chance for heaven., "While I do not know the casualties that may be around you/and. I have no ; idea : of the healthiness of your occupation or of your profession, and I know nothing regard-, ing your worldly condition, I am very certain,* taking into consideration the brevity of human life, and the rapid rate at which we are hastening on to the eternal world, * the words of the text aro as appropriate to you as they were to the people to whom they were origin-' ally addressed; and so I say to you, as the apostle said to them, " The end of all things is at hand." " < In the first place, we are very rapidly nearin S , ; THE : CONSUMMATION OF OUR USEFULNESS. ' The end of occasions for the alleviation of human-woes will come at last. " I hope that it is the great desire of all in this audience to bo of service to their, race. 7 Yet my. friends,". we are nearing the ; end of all ' such- .• opportunities./ Here we are v to-night, and I have the opportunity of testifying.to you of the gladdest them© of which we can speak So one another, "the Gospel; of the grace • of God," and offering all people pardon, life/ and hea.vsn. You have life and opportunity; but remember that God calls upon you now. Therefore heed the call. You are nearing the terminus of this life's road. , ,' ; ' WBIAT ARE YOU DOING, .PARENTS, about the subject of Christianity? :: Do you bring ; your children under . its especial influence? Seated at your table, have you consul talked to them about their , eternal welfare", or are you neglecting 1 their eternal Interests, while with over-anxiety you ; are looking after their secular education? I pray that your child may never say to * you, as a young man upon his dyjng bed said to his fother, " Father, you have been very good to me. in many respects you have given me ! a • good education; you have brought me into high social position; ; but, father, you have. not taught me how to die.Now I am going away in the dark." Oh, if there is to be any influence brought into the household for God and Christ and tho eternal salvation of your children //■'; you w should be J busy at once. "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with all thy might." : " For there is no knowledge or device in tho grave, whither thou .goest.",:;,,-, 1 . '"-":.' •■- ,'..•','.■.. WE ABE NEARING THE END OF OPPORTUNITIES for Christian work.' The persons with whom you associate daily, and whom you should bring i under your Christian influence, you may soon cease to be associated with. Perhaps they are partners in business, perhaps it was one with whom you walked to the; house of God lately, perhaps it is your life associate, perhaps it is the people with whom you associate every night. Can it bo that you should have walked side by side so many days in business, and he not have seen nor hoard.: that, you were a Christian, or have [felt the influence of your Christian character? Can it be possible that you have never men- 1 tioned the subject to him, and, warned him of his eternal danger? , If Christ saves you, : ; can you not invite others to the same salva- ' tion? We go to church, and" ' ■':* : . : " THE WORLD LOOKS DOWN s " ■'-■■ with its indifferent critical eyes. Shall it know, for the first time that you are a fol- ' lower of Christ, when you should long ago have been "a living epistle, known and read of all men?" not a dead letter in the Dead Letter Office. v So with work in, the Sabbathschool; as the children look into your face ' some of you have the opportunity of making divine and powerful impressions. You must V make some impression; or another; and after .' the children shall have passed out from your guidance and care, and shall be engaged in ; ' the great battle of life, , they shall fight with ' courage, ; if your Christian influence has been what it should have been; ; and, then i their life will be heavenward, and in the culti- l[ vation of their souls their paths shall , shine ' brighter , and brighter until the perfect day. So may your life.light their path, until He ' shall redeem them. ■":,. • ;;: ; i _ HOW RAPIDLY THE TIME GOES! , : It is hard to realise that a year has passed since last Christinas ; ; but what opportunities ' have, passed with that twelvemonth! Soon -''•" these opportunities .'will all have passed, for i ; the end of all things is at hand," we are t . coming hear the termination of opportunities ( for doing good. Th©; Gospel is itself an ever- j fresh and 1 beautiful- Book. ;r It is always a - - proclamation fresh < from the treasure-house ' of good things, "Ho! everyone that thirsteth, ! come;yoito the waters, and ; ho that hath ' no money come ye, buy and eat yea, come ' buy wine and milk without money and with- ' out price." Some suppose that ; the i Bible ' is an obsolete book, an old-fashioned book. ' No; there is no book so new as;this—none ] so especially adapted to all the wants and :' needs of tho soul to-day—it is an open book, ; i not a closed; book. The teaching of its par- % ebles;v miracles, and narratives of both good ] and bad ■•; men is :, especially adapted : to ; the \ ] demands , of our nature.' No wonder that i Christians love this book. -iv; But we are bom- , ing nearer the termination of the Christian [ opportunity of hearing the grand old Gospel. * I don't care who preaches it, it is the-, ~x SAME GOSPEL OF 1 ! SALVATION. -■• ; -: It '■ may meet 5 with • reverses, yet this - grand j old Gospel will go on conquering and to con- \ , quer, amid i the ; shouts I of , God's * redeemed I • people—" Glory to God in r > the highest:« on / oarth and peace and goodwill to men." ■ , l A young lady asked for: a : class -in a Sun- / day-sohool. The superintendent • said, ."You + i had bettor go out on the street and get your own class." Shortly after she brought $ in /a ragged and , filthy boy. The °: superintendent gave him good clothes, *' but in a few Sundays ho ■ absented tl himself. Inquiry; discovered tjiafc in, in

a street fight the lad had • Its clothes torn , . off. He was brought 1:1, and a second. time' respectably clad. After a. few Sundays ho . ; ; again'disappeared,- and it was'found that he v>; "was ragged and wretched. Then said the teacher, "We can'do nothing with him." Bui ; the superintendent fitted him up, once more. After ' awhile the Gospel took hold of him, and his I heart; was changed. Ho started for the ministry, 1 and 5 became a foreign mission- - ' ary, and in heathen lands lived. and translated the * Scriptures, and preached, until : . among , the most' illustrious names of the church on earth is the name of the glorious vßobt. Morrison. - . 3 \ v But tho hearing of this Gospel, and 3 HIIE DURATION OF THIS HEARING, WILL SOON ?' \ END. • t A "'.'.■: «s , Acre are some attending the House of God 3 who" will never enter it again. The : al felsof God may not know who they are, 1 "God knows that tins is the last time that • '" • tn( awill':hear the Gospel. To them "the ■' nd | all things is at hand." And even to " > thos6w-ho realise that they are dying crea- - » turcs,\ ut still have some desire' for* the peace - and -effort; of the Gospel, it is my duty • to sayVe are coming, to the termination of ;| all °PPHunities of repentance and salvation. • JJp you\, low there is a line in everyone's • f j Mo thaftf they pass over that lice imponi- . ." wuW flli ? ring they perish for over! vvnen at weeping over Jerusalem it '~ '•'■ ,; was tortyyears before : it was: destroyed. . Ho cnod P"*' "°> Jerusalem, Jerusalem, .. Thou that \lbst; the prophets, and stoneat" ; them vthat U sent unto-:thee, how often would I haV gathered thy children, as a , - : hen gathereth » cr chickens under ; her winsi , and ye ; would >0 t!" We all know persons ' > who have had 0 d desires, but they refused salvation ; they ecamo hardened, and are -to- ■ day hard of heat, an d the Gospel seems to . make no impresfcn upon them. -■' ■■.'■':■■'■■. > : ■■■ THEY HAV , E .\ASSED THE RUBICON. ; ' . It seems ais thogh the sentence of con- .' demnation . had , *eady been passed use* of t?' ni S"« fc |hy soul may.bo ICf iuaed If my subject \© true, ought it not to ■•'■•':' ; arouse, every , Christy man and .woman? if the harvest is all ihite, and the Lord has put the sickle into ymr hand, ought you nob ' to be using that sickk?; It is high time that : you should be ; aboutyour Master's business* ' .Awake thou that fcepest, and arise from '■ the dead, and Christian give thee light" _,-tho night is far spert, the dayis at hand "\ if you have anything to do in the cultivation - of your family, if you pave anything to do " about the salvation of the people over whom you have ; any influence, * is high time that you were about. the .wore to accomplish it . Would that all Christian }eople were aroused with the culminating thought of my text to be prepared for tho future! AN OLD YEAR'S MEMORY. "They shall abundanUytitter the memory, of Thy great goodness" (fta. cxlv. 7). - ; THE year has gone with till its days Of toil, and tread of beitenways: Its dreadu have. all bean faced; and still Its nappy things' our meaories thrill, ■■ But clearer far than augit besides One blessed memory abhes— A consciousness our hear.s have known That Jesus ruleth from the throne. His goodness went befor«, and planned • Our way; then took us by the hand .And led on softly, till we said . "God's will is sweet J "-heart-comforted; His goodness oft and oft forgave, : ; O'er-ruled mistakes and made us crave , From evil to be separate— ' • ' ' " His gentleness shall make us great." Oh! for an utterance of praise. -'. To Him who. crowns our earthly ■ days! > : - ! '' : '~' Abundant utterance in deed, " , As . well as word—God's best-loved meed. Winifred A. IVEESON. ' 'A WATCHWORD FOP, 1902. "Father!"— vi. 9. ' INTO Thine hand, 0 eternal Father, We would commit all we hold most dear; Thou shalt arrange—we await Thy bidding, ' Bless us, and we shall be blest, this year. "What in the past hath been dark and sir- . stained, , i Freely forgive, for Thy Son's dear sake; Should,' in the future, our course seem doubtful,- . , - Lighten our.eyes, lest we make mistake! - Quicken us each by" Thy Spirit holy; • '■•■ May. we be- filled with power Divine, ' , Strong to do " exploits" if Thou require them, Willing to "tarry" at word of Thine! Teach us. 0 Father, the precious lessons ' • j Thou dost unfold to 'the lowly .heart; ;: May we not hinder Thy patient training, .*' Losing the good Thou would'st fain impart. ' Children we are; very weak and; helpless. - Thou art Almighty, all good and, strong; - ... Hold Thou us up. till we safely enter Into the sunlight of home and song! ■ -. CHARLOTTE MURRAY. . a;.