SUNDAY BEADING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XL, Issue 12401, 24 October 1903, Page 4 (Supplement)

SUNDAY BEADING.

" Attempt GREAT THINGS FOR GOD AND EXPECT GREAT THINGS FROM GOD." [by the rev. a. r.. smrsoN.] The theme of that memorable missionary sermon which William Carey preached more than a century ago at the inauguration of modern missions may well s«rve as a fitting expression of our present aspirations and of the inspiration which we must have from above if our purposes and plans are ever to be realised.

ATTEMPT GREAT THINGS FOP. GOD. What shall we attempt; what shall be our highest aim and purpose? 1. A life of victory and praise. Surely the highest thing for any one of us is our own personal life and holy character. Abraham lives to-day in the annals of time and eternity, while Ur, the college city of the Chaidees, whence he came out, is long ago forgotten. The Pharaohs have parsed awav with all their pomp and power, but the character of Moses grows more illustrious as the ages roll. No one cares for Caesar now, but Paul, who stood be tore his tribunal, looms larger in the thoughts ol men and the honours of heaven than all Rome's vanished glory. And above all other live? stands the life of Jesus Christ, Himself a character so supremely exalted above all human ideals or examples, that even infidelity has conceded that to imagine and invent it would be a transcendent miracle. It is what we are that counts first and last, above everything else, even above all we can do or say, and often a little flash of holy light has accomplished more than volumes of theology. The celebrated Dr. Hopkins, the theologian had tried long by learned arguments to lead his brother to Christ, bub utterly in, vain. On the last ocasion on which they discussed it, he displayed so much temper that his brother smiled and told, him that he did not inspire much faith in his own arguments. Do was so humbled by bis failure that it nearly broke his heart, and he went to his room to spend the night in agony and confession, wondering how the Lord could ever forgive him or use him again. Early next morning he hastened to his mother's presence to beg his forgiveness for having so dishonoured his Master and betrayed His cause. The brother listened in astonishment and broke down, before his humbling attitude. "My brother," he said, "must have something that I am a stranger to. I could not thus humiliate myself before another for so slight a cause. J. "must look into this religion that gives him power to rise superior to his own strong nature." And 50 that breakdown and the restoration that followed it had the effect of leading to Christ the brother who could answer all arguments, but had nothing to say against the power of holiness and vici tory.

Let holiness be our first ambition. The gift of the Spirit is betowed, first to baptise our own souls with the cleansing fire, and then to send us as witnesses who have proved the fulness of tho Gospel we proclaim. God help us to take nothing Jess than His best. Ho has it for us, and it is the greatest thing that wa can attempt for Him. 2. A life of usefulness.

We arc saved to serve, and we are illuminated that we might be the lights of the world. Who can measure the influence of a single soul won for Christ. A little street boy went with a village maiden to Sunday School, and out of that one act came Robert Morrison and the evangelisation of China. A farmer's boy was saved in a Scottish village, and the old minister was put to shame because the only addition to his church had been this rude farm labourer; but that boy became Robert Moffat, and out of his life came the redemption of South Africa. How often a single soul led into the deeper lifo of. Christ lias bean multiplied into millions of souls through the new impulse given to the Spiritfilled life! So Aquila. and Priscilla led Apollos into the fulness of Jesus, and Apollos became a second Paul. So two humble Moravians led John Wesley to know the mystic secret of the indwelling Christ, and John Wesley became the father of millions of saved and sanctified souls. So let us attempt for God the highest usefulness, for He will give to every one of us just as much fruit as we are willing to bear. 3. The world's evangelisation in the present generation. This should be the watchword of every Christian, and ought to transform and inspire our lives. It is the greatest and best; work in the world, dearest to the Master's heart, and beyond all comparison the most helpful to tho human race. Perhaps we cannot give ourselves to foreign lands, but if this large and lofty purpose inspires our being it wi> put us in touch with the whole human race, and enable us to live even our obscure lives all round the world. I know a lady who has little to give and nothing to say in public service. I never heard her pray aloud or give a testimony, but I have«seeu her face shine with supernal light as I told of some great thing that God had done; and she has taken me aside afterwards and whispered in my oar that God did this deed through her prayer. There was a sublime egotism about it that was absolutely lovely. To her mind there were (wo people in the world, God and herself, and together they were carrying its burden and accomplishing its redemption! No life can ever be commonplace that has reached that high plane of bolv aspiration and unselfish prayer. You can touch Crfina and India and Africa just as truly as if your feet were treading their shores; and sitting with Christ upon the throne, you can, like the old saint in Ohio, traverse the circumference of the world and cover every mission field in turn with some mighty blessing, some outpouring of the Holy Ghost, and some great ingathering of souls. Others, again, I can give mere definite and personal ministry and claim in fellowship with Christ this mighty promise: "Ask of Me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession." IXSriRATTON COMES FROM GOD. We must learn to say: "All things come cf Thee, and of Tliino own have we not given Thee." What shall we expect from Him 1. The infilling of the Holy Ghost. This is the gift of power for every good word and work._ This is the secret at once of personal holiness and effectual service, and this is the redemption right of every ch:id of God. His command to every disciple is to be filled with the. Spirit, "and the promise is unto you and to your children, and to all that are afar off. even as many as the Lord our God shall call." 2. The personal presence of the living and almighty Christ. Beside His gracious promise of His own indwelling in our hearts, there is even a greater promise: "Lo, I am with vou all the days, even unto the end of the age." 3. Answered prayer. Christ has given us the key to the throne and the unlimited promise: "All things whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive/' He lias connected with the life of abiding in Him tho most extraordinary assurances of access and effectual prayer. "If ye .abide in Me," He says, " and My words abide, in you, ye shall ask what ye will (literally, what ve command) and it shall bo done unto you." The whole story of Christian work and world-

wide evangelisation is full of answered prayer. God will give the world to prayer. 4. The mean? and the men to carry on , His Work. These are at God's command, and the secret of knowing the measure of His re- , i sources is to'give, our weak things first to Him that Hi! may multiply them until they are sufficient to feed the world. St. Theresa opened an orphanage when she had but three pieces of silver. When her friend, remonstrated she said to the Lord, "Lord, Thou knowost that three pieces of silver in the hands of Theresa are not sufficient for much, but three pieces of silver in Thy hand are enough to supply the world." 5. God will work among the nations. He is doing this. Our age is full of the supernatural, traces of His mighty hand. The Ancient of Days has came forth to judge the nations and prepare the kingdom of His Son. His hand is stretched out hi every continent, isle, and ocean. His providence is waiting at the command of the Holy Ghost and the call cf faith and consecretion. 6. Let us expect larger results. He does no"', ask us to labour in vain. How wonderfully He has multiplied tha results of missions. Carey's little band has become an army of 18,000 missionaries and 70,000 native labourers. But let us not be satisfied. When a young lieutenant came to General Napier saying: "Sir, I have taken a standard," he replied: "Sir, go and take another." Let us not be satisfied till "all His enemies are made His footstool." Let lis anticipate our coming inheritance, and in the faith of His mighty promises and the fellowship of Hi.3 mighty presence let its go forth in this age of wondrous possibilities, opportunities, and responsibilities' to "attempt great things for God and expect great things from God." PRIVATE PRATER. Alone with God is the keynote of & holy life, the secret of power, the garden of all useful, beautiful, and fragrant growth*. The school of graduation in this high and holy exercise i 3 private prayer. Without private prayer grace flows in shallows and dries up. A vital connection with God, an ardent de-, sire to know and love Him more and more, and to serve Him better, is the basis of private prayer. Hypocrites have no closet. Formalism knows nothing about being alone with God. Tlk> worldly Christian has never learned or has forgotten the lesson of private prayer. Other motives may draw to public prayers. God only'draws to the closet. The true Christian, like the seraphim, loves to veil his approaches to God. A worldly Christianity is always ostentatious; publicity and parade are its delight

The meaning l of prayer is, personal contact and communion with God. Private prayer is the way to reach God's heart and pet God's best gifts for the world, for the Church, or for the individual life, etc. Place is vita" to private prayer. God is not local, but we are. Bethel to much to God, and moro to Jacob. It will be well if the soul can have the same place for its daily meeting with God. There must be a placea private place— world and all else shut out but God. "We are to pray always and everywhere; but the crystal end overflowing stream, of prayer will evaporate and dry up if it be not constantly replenished by the floods flowing from the closet. A place there must be sacred to God and to the high interest of prayer, where thero may be privacy, closeness, freedom, closeting, and counsel with God, where the fire may be rekindled, love perfected, faith winged, for its heavenly flight. Time is absolutely necessary for the cultivation and suooes of the Divine art of praying. It is true that God does not count values by the clock, or calendar, or numerals. Numbers and length by way of arbitrary enactment do not belong to the law of spiritual life. Number and length spring from our godly desires and needs. The prolifio and insidious cause of failure in religion cornea of neglect to devote suflicient time to our heavenly affairs. Prayer cannot be pushed into a corner. Neither can it be made up of fragments, or wornout, loose ends of time. The freshest, most precious, and fullest time must be given to it. Business, pleasure, interest must be retired, and self-denial seal the time for God. Defections from God begin when we are too busy about business or church to give much time to prayer.