SUNDAY READING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13650, 18 January 1908, Page 4 (Supplement)

SUNDAY READING.

DEPARTING FROM GOD.

Heb. iii 22, 13.

Bt THE LATE PR. ANDREW A. BONAB.

Having spoken of our confidence, the.inspired writer warns us to take heed, for wo may look off from Christ ore over we are aware. That "take lived is startling. It is the cry on the vessel"Bocks ahead !*' And this, too. among brethren, tho family of God; jes, and "any of you," for it may be the least likely who is in most, danger! It is a kindly warning to "brethren, 1 yet earnest, and urgent also. (1) The danger of which we are warned is so far the same in every time, " tho evil heart"—tinder, if a. spark come; and it has also special reference, to that time, its opposition and persecutions. Our corruptions are like mud at the bottom of the well, and our evil heart is wrought on by unbelief. As in the Garden of Eden Satan came with his "Yea, hath God said.' pointing to tho tree, so ho comes to tho believer, and says, Yea, hath God enjoined you to be so separate from the wot Id, to bo so free from its ways. Or perhaps something- pleasant has come in your way, something' attractive, but inartful to grace. Unbelief begins to ask, "Yea, hath God forbidden?" and no sooner is tho suggestion made than the "evil heart" is ingenious in finding- out modifications of, or exceptions to, His Word. , Or (2.) the beginning of "departing' --may bo simpler. still. "Are you sure there is a. Mount Zion? Are the promises literally true?'' is.whispered in the soul; and forthwith begins a parley with the tempter, then a fall. In our day we aro asking: "Is there any need of so much doctrine— not the Incarnation enough without the Sacrifice?" etc. And so the- soul is cooled; it " departs" from tho living God. In the fullest sense, the word means " apostatises;" but it may mean less, for it is " to stand oft from." As if you were the other day. very near God, far up the hill with tho 70 elders, near tho glory. But to-day you are drawing off; you have lost sight of tho blood and its power; you are absent from God and His presence— your right poeition is far up the hill, up with Moses in tho holiest, in communion, with "tho living God." , -EXAMINATION-. If you sec any symptom, of such " departing," 0 brethren, take heed! Nothing is 1 so insidious as lukewarmuess; it comes on ere over you aro aware. Watch See"? to your knowledge and your, creed. Do you hold truth, truth ,as to Christ's righteousness and atoning death? . See to your practice,in private, in business, in the country. See whether you are failing to attend to some part of God's will, neglecting some duty. Notice (3) the means* Of averting this danger. Of course it is taken for granted that if is the Holy Ghost who , must keep our hearts fixed, but-there are moans for us to use. God's dec-roe caused Paul's safety in the ship, but he and the ship's company had to me the moans nevertheless (Acts xxvii.). The means specially mentioned hero are not what wo would perhaps have -thought of—"exhort one another daily, while it is called to-day." Stir up each other, stir the flame, by every means in your power. It is a great kindness to point out to a brother an error in doctrine which is poisoninghis soul. "Thou shalt in any. wise rebuke thy neighbour and not suffer sin upon him" (Lev. xix. 17). It is not censoriousness to {joint to palpable facte (not judging motives) in practice. "Exhort" has something in it of comfort (cf. the original parakaleo); it is tho opposite of scolding and grumbling, or of the lament: "There is no good doing!" as you hear it sometimes. We stir up ourselves by so stirring up others— being (as wo are called to be) our "brother's keeper." And if others are infected by disease it may soOn spread to ourselves—at any rate, nothing will so safeguard us as helping others. And we must use right means and a right manner; our voice, our tone, our daily diligence, our happy frame, a look of interest, or sympathy | even—all may help. We may use prayer, I exhortation, song (Eph. v. 19). " Iron sbarponeth iron." With gloomy looks, work gofrt on coldly. We may use useful conversation when we meet at meals, or elsewhere ; we may use the weekly prayer-meet-ing or family worship. You notice it is daily, whenever ve meet each other. And that "daily" is followed by "while it is called to-day," reminding its, as Owen says, that we have "an uncertain season for a certain work." Tiie day of life is short, the day of Christ's coming is near, our opportunity is now. And when wo foci it difficult, lot us remember this, arid say— but tho time is short, to-day is soon over." Do it, with your oyo on that other day, th© day of" Christ, " so much the more, as ye sec tho day approaching"' (Heb. x. 25). Lot us watch against unbelief and departing from God, reminding each other of the great. Object of faith. Prayer will help, reading will hplp, but in addition wo must speak to each other, as those in Malachi's days did: that "keeps drowsy saints awake," as Bunyan says. If the two Emimaus disciples had been' silent would Jesus have come and walked with them A FAITHFUL WARNING. Remember (4) the sad consequences of neglecting this means. If w© will not exhort one another, there is a danger of our being "hardened through the dcceitfulnees of sin." Ice cannot be formed so long as water is kept in motion. The pool not kept in motion by other streams becomes stagnant. So with the soul. Wo often notice th© effect on one of going awav to a cold .congregation, or to some neighbourhood where there are few helps. And if >ou ask what is_ the force of speaking here' of the deceit turners of sin' it mav be answered to guard against self-partiality. ' You cannot see your own face. Let others exhort you, for you may not notice your own defects. You know how one falling asleep does not notice his own tendency till another rouses him. Sin is as deceitful as sleep. Habits growneglect of prayer, inattention to the Word, and the like; and others seo this in you when you fail to see it in yourself. A Kaffir warned a brother: There is grass growing on Your path to the bush —prayer was being neelecied. ° n The "hardening" is a dreadful thing—it is iK-coming like Israel in the desert hearing of the Good Land, but not drawn to it (Psa. xcv. 8). Th© Lord upbraided the eleven, wo read, with their "unbelief and hardness of heart" (Mark xvi. 14). Sad is it, indeed, if a believer grows senseless towards the world's sin. so as not to loathe but rather to love it. "He that will not give up his sin for his religion's sake will give up his religion for hks sin's sake." "He that, can do wicked practices will toon embrace wicked opinions." Believer, this warning will always lie needed, to the end. Backslider, if voii have departed, return by again believing. " Believing"' is thft sou coming near to God? on the ground of what it sees in His Sou. Face your sin, and face the blood, and M? 0 bow the world will-change look 1 -

1 ' PAIN. ftv S. J). oohvov. Pais is a* common in life a? .*»lt in the fry and ha* tho same bitter tang, and the **m<» power to purify. It stand* with hungry, hawk eves at both ends of a man's !iK It-comes ahead of isiol at birfh. is nwisllj felt at death, and keeps close by with haunt ing vigilance all' the, way between. it has all tho qualities of th« fire tlw burns, of the knife that cut.*, of the bitter drink that, makes you shrink hack, and oi tbo acid that eats .its way insistently in. And some have found that it lis* other eon>pauion qualities, For fire tleatisef. the suntwo's knife cuts out the bad, the bittei drink tone-, up, and the acid neutralise the evil. Every body ha.* differed pain, and doc and will. It if a.-> common as fin, and ha; tho .same biting t«te. One can ffsrwh walk the streets, a or attend a church j-er vice, without seoittg the badge of pain in face, or form, or dress. The mail coming in, and the calling cards contain the sumr dark reminder. Kter since Kde». the broken sob of its music has sounded through time as a minor dirge, but with the cor. slant interruption of discord, and ot loss o; all sense of rhrthm. ... Pain is the distressed outcry of a broken order. Pain of hodv come* through wm" breaking of Nature's arrangements tlier®. Pain of spirit comes through conseioiiMie.of elements within or without that strain and jar. and clash and break. Ail pain is a result of .•"in, somebody's sin. #ometiui>\ somewhere. The connection can be rarely traced, and never traced fully, but it there. That connection may be direct, where a man's own actions cause the break that cries out its distress in pain. Through ignorance of the body's nature and i -red-, or through thoughtlessness or passionate desire where we do know, the break is made. The pain does not always c»me at Once. Nature is very patient and long-suffering. But rome it will, however the wait, for Nature is likewise very oxa-ctirifc. . Countless instances of so-called " mysterious providences" are a result of hardship we thoughtlessly or wilfully inflict upon our bodies. For a number of years I have been trying to observe closely instances where sicklies. 4 and death have come, causing a great shock and deep sorrow, and either criticisms <">• God or a long-drawn sob over the atraiis* dispensations of Providence. Yet from the bits of information available, it was, in each instance, clearly evident that the deal! that seemed so untimely and strange could be traced directly to the person's own acts, done in ignorance; but most times, if not always, a thoughtless ignorance that a bit of thinking could have prevented. Then there is the indirect or more remote connection. Whatever we belie about original sin as a teaching of mora; truth, we are all compelled to believe in a transmission, through tho blood, of trait' that arc a result of sin in those who hn\e lived before us, either near or remote. That physical traits and ailments pass faith fully and ruthlessly on through generation! is familiar enough. Most men coino ink. life with the story of somebody'# sin. wheher through carelessness or wilfulness, written down on tho tablet of their bodies. But there is a, gladder message vet for the bells to ring out- tunefully to all men. It is thisthere is to be victory over pain. It will be a full victory, tco, with the .flap;* flying, and the music filling all the air. and sweetest in its filling of all the heart. There are certain foretastes of victory. The nearer wo come to living in full touch with God, with intelligent knowledge of the nature and needs of our bodies, the nearei shall we conic? to a life free from bodil j pain. This will not remove bodily pain aiu discomfort, wholly, for we are a bit of al that has. gone before. Each man is a connect] ns link between two generations. Hi may change tho stream of life flowing int< tho next generation, and he may change » good bit the stream of life he received from his fathers, but. never wholly. _ Neither does this affect the pain of spirit through the contract of culture with men and conditions around us. The nearer God one gets, and the closer to His ideal for us ho grows, the greater is the pain over tho ravages of sin, but. the shadier, too, tho faith that sees through to the end of the victory. There is, through Jesus, victory in pain over puin. The hurt remains, but th© sting is extracted. With Him alongside, clow up, and the clearer vision of the > great purpose, and through to the end, tno pain of pain lessons and softens, even while th* outer pain remains. Then there is the final victory. Jesus resurrection is called a ,fin.t-frufts by Paul. It is a wondrous conception of a winsome truth. First-fruits is the language .of.harvest. The first,-fruits is the beginning of the harvest; the great crop remains to be gathered. . There has been a harvest of pain; there is to bo a harvest of painlessness. There, has been a harvest of sorrow; there, will be one of joy. There has been a, harvest of death, of 'separation, of breakings; there is to be a greater harvest of lifo, of reunion, of trying up of all the old breaks into kno>ttij|t no fingers will ever undo.