SUNDAY READING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13745, 9 May 1908, Page 4 (Supplement)

SUNDAY READING.

" FOLLOW ME!" [lit Girsv SMITH.] And us Jesus passed by lie saw a man, called Matthew, Bitting at the place 01 toll, and He saith unto him. , ' Follow Me. .Ami he arose, and followed liim* Mult. ix. ? (R.V.i. I This is Matthew's modest way of lolling the world the story of his conversion. Matthew could have made a good deal more of that epoch-making event, but lie just tells you the story in these words. I do not think Matthew could trust himself to say more than he did. He does not even , till you that he left all. He leaves that to others. Ho simply says ho arose. Now, Matthew had a good deal to leave, and he left it. lie. does not tell you of a great feast in a great house, because you cull only have a great feast in a great house. Ho must have lived in a big house. Ho says there was a fea*t, and lit? leaves others to tell that Ho does not tell you )i.- went to Jesus and said: "Master, since you have come to me, since you have turned mv darkness into day, my sorrow into joy, my sighing into song, since you have changed me and everything for me, if you will only come to my house, 1 will invite all my I acquaintances and my companions—and 1 j know so many—and I will fill the house j with just the kind of men that need you." ; And so it happened', for there were many publicans and sinners, and they came when they were invited. They felt a throb, a new heart, a new impulse, a new power coming in contact, with (hem, and they came and sat down with Him. And who can toll what this meant for this man, anil for the men who sat down with Him? You and 1 will never know how much these words mean till we grasp the hand of Matthew and the story is told up there. If you have an imagination sit down quietly, and you will see so much in these words. As .losus passed by Ho saw a man called Matthew sitting at his business, in I ho ordinary place of his business. And Jesus called to him. and Jesus spoke to him. And .lesus said: "Matthew, Matthew, I want you. The world wants you. Heaven needs you. Matthew, follow''Me!" A wonderful moment, and, wonderful as that moment was to this man, this service will be the same to you. 1 want you to follow that for a moment. Jesus, Jesus in ' passing by. We know it, some of us. No human hand lias brought you and me face to face. 1 believe in t»od. I see Him J I everywhere. 1 see Him in the planets J above me. in lie marshalling of a const.ella- : tion, in the movements and onward march i of worlds of light. 1 sec Him in the > I rhythmic swing of an atom in the sunshine. and there is much there. I see God i in the lovely flowers, and in the dainty little > pansy, for the dainty pansy would not have , grown if He had not fixed lhe place. I [ see (rod in the wing of the archangel, I see Him in the wing of the sparrow, and ' the sparrow is not buried without He goes to the funeral, and not one falls" to the ' ground without your Father's notice. I ' see (rod in the opening of the gates of the , morning without, a crack on their hinges. ' 1 see liod in the bringing ot-you and me 3 together. t My brother, listen ! Ood has a divine I purpose in this service. Do not thwart Him. : Learn what that purpose is for you. Jesus is passing by. Jesus, Jesus, Who is the . jewel for which this universe is but the 3 setting. Jesus, Jesus, the joy of that world j and the salvation of this, is passing by. And Jesus does not take idle walks. He r lias come for somebody. He called here be--1 cause He knew there was somebody waiting , for Him. s I believe Matthew was an anxious inquirer. I believe he had heard John the » j Baptist preach. I am not sure but that he , had heard him say. " Behold the Lamb of <;.«!!" and those words had sunk into his | conscience, softened his soul, opened up i>osr sihilities. vista?, visions in him, and so he f lunged for the chance to behold for himself, 1 o see (rod's Lamb. 1 am not sure that, ] blinded with his tears as he sat over his books at the place of toll, the figures going into a blot, he said: "1 wonder if He will come mv way? Surely I am the man. I wish He would come my way." And, with i his head in his hands, burying his grief, Jo-us saw the. sinner then and there, and s He said, "Matthew." 1 And Jesus is nearer than the seat you - sit upon, nearer than the handkerchief that t wipes the tears away. He is nearer than - I he arm of the loved one upon which you p lean. Jesus is where you are at this moY mi nt. He is passing by. He is going to t "speak to you. lie is going to lay that i wounded hand on your heart to arrest your c attention and open your eyes, to awaken i new ideas, new loves, new fountains. He - is going to touch new springs.. He is going y to she you a chance, dud help you to 0 take it! :1 It was a wonderful moment when Jesus i! came to that man; and when Christ comes s to any of us He gives a chance for this i, world and the world to erne. He knows r where you are. Matthew, lie knows. You rt may bo at the place of toll. He knew Mat's thew was in a tight place. Matthew was J in a tangle. His whole plan and schema s had conspired to make the way as difficult i as it could be. Jesus knew it. Uud has ■, many .i diamond in a black hole. There 1 are stupendous jxissibilities in the gutters, |) There are preachers in prison, if they were only converted. Among the little street tl arabs there, arc jewels which' will shine on i- the brow of Emmanuel, if you will only J save them. There aro tremendous depths i. of which you have never dreamed. y Matthew, where are you? Your life a tangle. You look at it sometimes, and, , blinded by your grief, you say: "I wonder

how* lam to get out" of this m iidrlle» I w-ijtjfW i who. ia-/.going: to extricate ma from this &£& Who is going to untie these knots? IVII mo to, believe! Tell mo to. lie sckkJ; me to bo a Christian Look "hern; § -If at these - knots! V 'Look at the*> ch»tt»«» f <;; - Look at this awful busings! How can f ' hope to get free? Listen! Wh*n Hn (•peaks to Matthew there is hope.' t } o not t,*ive grief He cannot relieve. !{<, not create hopes that He never maim ia satisfy. Tie d'">es not give hunger that He has no food for. _ No. bb}s»ed | K (Jotfi ;; • J When He speak* to Matthew there ii i>op»". Jesus knew where Matthew via*. ||e tno* where Zaccheus was. He knew t?»*t eheuM had climbed up. Some of you ],»•.* been climbing up. Jesus. knows About jo»u i* climbing and desire, and to-day v«ot if. ■' .- demption is nigh. He sees yon. He knewwhere /.atriums was. He knew where Xictj. -V" detnua was. under the fig tree. J<-.(. TJj , ahvjy* - J knows where there is a seeking soul. Rhd;it'*fi£® does not matter whether it it in St. i'suj's Cathedral, the toll-booth, tin* fig irr-e. „f .-}< the sycamore. or the gip«y tent. He knows;* "*Hv Jesus ...ew tins man was in a tight So are some of yon. Nobody e>>tild deliver ' '' • Matthew but Jesus, and ii"b"d\ can deli ret you but Jesus. You are horn wrong. Y<s<j '• .' fi are wrong within and wit bout. Von »r? | wrong, so am I. anil the i.rily one drat (r#tj J help you is Jc*u*. on c<»11 ton- the - verse. Mid climb the stars in una si nation, and fathom the depth*. but there , s 01| j T ' one place for the sinner to get right. sii<j it is at the tool of the ('rose.. Only im? , : cure; but, blessed be God, li. i- titer.-' ' Now. let me ray something; ••!><>. Jejm [ needed Matthew. I know Matthew Herded : Jesus. .Icstis needed Matth-w. and He ' needs you. I.* the despised publican there ' was a man who would tell »'>e first tlospel, " r ,. a man who would make hi*tor). Yon would not have (jimp to tins siioi for thi^* man. You would never seel, nuv-«it t - tli^r,. f. able to write a gospel. .hi would *et> somebody to pass by. But .Je*n« s«w some. ; body in that poor sinner. He «ss « publi-* can. He saw what might be when grace hat! a chance. - Listen! There is a young mun here. : J? Hod wants you t.> be « prete her. to some v-f. day stand by and take the place of .en- .if the leaders when they full in the ti~ln. It. , v may be there is a future Dr. I'.irkrr listen- s ing to me. It may !s*■• there i» B future - ; ,1. H. .towel! listening to me. It may !>o <'/ there is an undiscovered ('. 11. Spnrgcnn r": somewhere among*! tlu-M- lads. There may .. s - lie listening to me now a tJeneral booth, who will help to sweep sabatiou over eitiei ; - and bring tin- fallen to .le.«>i- Chrut. It f.;;, may be there is a D. 1.. Moody, a might; evangelist. It may be He may want yot ' to succeed your own pastor some day. IV. not thwart Him. Do not frustrate Him. lit i that sweet girl at your side there may be an Elizabeth Pry. a Florence Nightingale, a Catherine Booth. Oh, sweet, pure, lovely ■ .; youth, if Jesus speaks to you. rise and follow Him, so much donendf anon >t' Supposing when .Icons looked at this man and said, " Matthew, 1 want you to come . to me. I want yon, Matthew; follow Me"--. supposing Matthew had said. " Blessed Jesus, let me put my books right. 1 live ' at a certain house, in such an avenue. In the cool of the day, when the excitement _■ is over, call on me. and we will dine to- -;V gether. We will discuss matters quietly." ;!i: Supposing he talked that way, he would .v' never have written this story. Yon wonli? Jj never have heard of it. Jesus says "Now.' 1 ft The devil says "To-morrow," and "to-mor-row" is the ghost of time which never appears, the incubator that hatches the worm that never dies. .Jesus says " Now." Jesus mav want vou to write a message that will V. thrill the heart of humanity, to give the f world a gospel in a beautiful life, to sing some triumphant note of music which shali startle to life, and inspire, unci make angeb listen. Do not prevent Him if He asks for your life, your service. It is no mere thing, If lie says "Arise!" He means it. It it every way arise. It is all upward, all up when Christ speaksupward, heavenward What did you say? _ There is nothing worth saving in von. What do you knew! He knows. He died for you. j UK KNOWS better THAN Tor. j He sees far more than anybody else doe* in you, blessed be (Joel! That thought is important. It is very comforting. He sees me at my worst, and yet lie loves me. He " does see the worst. He sees the sinner; but He sees the man. and He loves him. He does see the sin, but He does love the man covered by sin. lie wants to save / and deliver him. There are plenty of poo- ■; pie around you you do not tee much m. -h Ho does. He does not look with your eye?. ' And when you are made a new creature you will look with new eyes. When you have been led to Calvary, and looked througl Gethsemane to the Cross, you will see its every poor lost soul on your streets something worth saving. ~f-: A little while ago the world looked an old swearing tinker, and what did it teeV «/ Somebody to fight shy of. somebody to slum, somebody to keep away from. And he says of himself, when lie became a swearer, hit companions in sin were afraid of him. Jcsttj V looked at that swearer, and loved him and , ; '-N saved him. His name was John Bunyuii. It took Jesus to see the immortal dreamer in that swearer. A little while ago there was u drunken ~ sailor, filthy ' and vile of line, bloody ol - cheek, a 'drill, sot. tJocl looked at liiir ( and saved him. And his name was Join V. Newton. ■ A little while ago there wa« a collier, full' of vile devilry and mischief, and God looked g at him and saved him. And his name wai - Peter Mackenzie, who became a sunbeam in . £ the life of thousands. A little while ago there was a young ntflti in a shoe shop selling boots and shoes, and that was all the world saw. (Sod saved linn, t saved him out and out, and when he of- -v. fered himself to the Church, the Church saw nothing in him. It saw nothing in him. It saw so little in him that they stated they hoped be was converted. They would not accept him for Church membership for• a ; year. His name was D. L. Moody. D. ~-s L. Moody preached from one end of the • j Western 'Continent of America to another, in England, and they pulsated for God. It takes love to see. *t A little while ago there was a gipsy-tent, ; and in that old smoky hut there was a father and five motherless children, and no 5 Bible, and no schooling. Nobody saw any- ~ thing in that gipsy-tent. The Christians s the ministers of the churches, passed that g tent by. There was gloom and sadness and ~f sin in that gipsy-tent: and in the heart of £/, that rough gipsy nomed there was a great cry y flk|- (Jod. and Jesus heard the cry. And he Voiced on. that father and those five mother- v| less children when nobody saw them, and v lie said, there are six preachers there, and He put those wounded hands around that y tent and saved them. All the six of them. It takes love to see. Brother. Jesus sees something in you. He speaks to thee now. and says, follow « Me! Follow Me!" I am giving yon t .% chance. What is your answer? This mat) | left all. This man arose. This man got j up and he followed, and you have that etorj j as the result. And w hen you get to heaven, and have an introduction to Matthew, am ask him to tell you a little bit about thill - story, he will say. it will take eternity to i do it, because this story is going on, antl ■; it will roll and gather momentum and power as it -roes, until its waves beat triumphant jj music at the throne of (Jod. WMiat will yon j do? Jesus wants you, calls thee. " 1 " A you arise? God help thee! ; One other thought. Listen! Matthew .. took Jesus home with him. He had got a home, and Jesus got there. Take Him to «• vour home, my brother. Take Hun to >" v >- home, my sister. There will not tie muctt , chance for the children until He has become the children's guest. (Jive vour ctil a chance by taking Jesus home, l ake .'C.n. home to sit down (it the table. Blessed IK the homestead where Jesus situ, if only l be the cottage or tent! If Jesus is there ; is a palace, a cathedral. ,v. I think of m) dear father. He gave me a chance to come into this pulpit thai >"g» c s when he came home to that -it anil »a ; down and called his motherless children i , him one by one, and put his arms as W around his five children a. they would „ • And he sat there. God had made that father a new man. lie dropped on n»» knees.-and prayed for the fiist time. '?! that first prayer lives today m the life m every child, and when you do what t J father did there will be hope for y-mr homeTake Christ with you. Take Hun 1; , Matthew, Matthew, where art thou. Jc«u- ~ is calling for thee.