SUNDAY READING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13781, 20 June 1908, Page 4 (Supplement)

SUNDAY READING.

THE TRUE ROCK OF THE CHRISTIANS. BY REV. DR. i ; A. TORKKT.

For their rock is mi, as our Rock, even our enemies themselves; being judges.—Duct, xxxii. 31. 1 i, The Israelites, the people of God, were surrounded by many energies. Their enemies wore ve»y loth to admi) that the Israelites had anything bettor titan they had; but they couldn't help seeing that the God of the Israelites did more fyr them than their false gods did for thcm-Was Moses put it, "Their rock is not as our Rock, even our onomies themselves being Judges." IT IS JUST THK BAM 3 TO-DAT. Christians are surrounded\by people who don't sympathise with thcin; -by people, oftentimes, who are bittciW opposed to them; by worldlings, imptnitent sinners, and unbelievers. And worldlings, impenitent sinners, and unbeliever! are very un- ; willing to admit that the Christian has any- j thing better than they have. \ But if they are honest, the), have to admit it. "Their rock is not dp our Rock, even our enemies themselves being judges." The real Christian has so mu\h a better portion in the life that now is,\to say nothing about the life that is to come, that worldlings and unbelievers who ke«p their eyes open are bound to admit thai, whether Christianity is true or false, the Christian has the best of it. 4 Now I want to tell you six points myhieli, the believer, in Christ has the best o*. — that whether Christianity, is true orivrhothere it is false—whether there is anyJhell hereafter to shun, or any heaven to arn, or not —six points in which the real believer in Christ, the true, open, confessed, cut-and-out follower of Christ, has the better of it over the' worldling and over the infidel, First of all, the real Christian has a pe««o of conscience that the worldling and the unbeliever knows nothing about. - Now, yo» may account for it as you will, that js a fact. Thousands, and tens of thousands, and hundreds of thousands _ of mon and women who have lived in sin— down, some of them, into the deepest depths of sin—have turned from pin and taken Christ, and, as a result of their taking Christ, thenaccusing conscience has been put to rest, and they have a peace of he-art that nothing can disturb. Why, a Christian knows that his sins'are all forgiven; that, no matter how many they are, no matter how great they have been, every one of them is blotted out. HE KNOWS IT. He knows it, first of ali, because God says so. He reads in God's Word, in Acts xiii. 39: "And by Him all that believe are justified from all things," and he knows upon the authority of God's suro Word that he is justified from all things: that every sin is pardonedblotted out: that no matter what his past lias been, there is not a cloud between him and God. < Then _he knows it again, because the Holy Spirit bears testimony in himself that his sins are all forgiven, that he is a child of God, that he is saved and has everlasting life. And, friends, there isn't a man anywhere that can't have the same peace. No worldling has peace: no unbeliever has peace of conscience. You may try to make yourself believe there is no God; you may try to make yourself believe there is no hell; you may even try to make yourself believe that there is no wrong in sin. But your conscience- cannot rest. There isn't a, worldling or an unbeliever on earth that has rest of conscience. Your rock is not as our Rock, even you yourselves being judges. In the second place, a Christian has a joy as well as a peace that the worldling and the unbeliever knows.nothing about. Now, you may account for it as you please; but if you have gone through the world with your eyes open, and if you aro an honest man, you know that the real Christian has a joy that is deeper, a joy that is higher, a joy that is more constant, a joy that is more lasting, a joy that is more overflowing, a joy that is more wonderful in every way than anything that the worldling and the unbeliever knows anything about. The, happy man is the Christian man; the joyful man is the Christian man. You may not believe in the Bible: you may not believe in the divinity of Christ; you may question whether there is a God. But if you are an honest man you art? bound to admit thrtfc one who does believe in Christ, and docs. believe in the Bible, and does live for Christ, and does live according to the Bible, has a joy that you know nothing about. The third place where the real Christian has the better of the worldling and the unbeliever is that the real Christian has a comfort in sorrow that the worldling and the unbeliever knows nothing about. Why. our God is just what Pauls calls Him in*2 Cor. i. 3 and 4: ' The God of all comfort; who comforteth us in all our tribulations, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort where- i with we ourselves are comforted of God." It is true. There can no sorrow come- to a < real Christian where God will not give him j abundant comfort.

I remember when I was a boy THE ONE THING I DREADED was the possible death of my mother. 1 remember long before there was any indication of failing health on her part, when she seemed full of strength and robust health, how I would go alone as a boy to my room, and sit downNud think— would life be if my mother should die? And many a lonely, homesick hour did I have thinking; about the possible death of my mother. I remombor one- Sunday, when I was nine or ten years of age, when wo came- horn© from morning service, my mother was taken suddenly ill, and we

iSISSSSSSSSSSSSSISSSSSSSSSB thought she had few minutes to Uvt, or an hour or two it the most, and idi* gathered us ail arointdf the bed, sad g*.TO •■■' us what- wo thought tjrotjlct ho Lor parting ,; word?. I shall neve- forget -how dark that day «*s.«, But. God jo His great 'merry ■ spared her fife. She-did not 'die ihen; »J» lived, and' was resist and strong again, until after my rorjv>r»*on> "roiifbomb!" '■ But ■»■ few months I after my eotr.orsio;» 1 received a telegram pie day: "Mother •as .had a stroke ot apoftcxy. and wiii probably .-■:■■ only live <* tow bonis.'" I was hundreds of miles away. But (10l spared for for four- ■ teen months after tutt; sue was ap agithi, and able to walk. I had gone out West, four or five hundred miles away from home. One evening, when Ilttent into the house. ' where ! was stopping,pie gentleman of the house handed mo a tie-grain. I tore it open, and it. said: "Mother passed away at; < " such and suclnn hour, signed bj one of my brother*. I lent up to my room , ;';> alone, and 1 spread tut telegram before .the Lord, end looked «> to "the God of all comfort" to comfort &* in my loneliness, for my mother was at tilts time the dearest one I had on earth. An! lis T knelt ther« ■with that telegram, farelto fare with the God of «li comfort, God filled my heart with it comfortye*, a joy4tkat I had never ktnoirii before. I think thn\«i till that, time that was the most supremely nappy moment ' oil my life. 1 knelt there bone with r.h&fc ." j telegram before me nnnourtcro my mother's | departure, but so comforted* >y the- God of ! all comfort! Men and women out of Christ, I worldlings, impenitent; sinner*, unbelievers. j we Christians have a comfort u* matter what i comes. There can nothing tox-h us where Cod cannot comfort us. When the loved ones are t«k<.t away from you there is no comfort. there is no fc«!tn for your broken heart, there istio hop.- !••».- the resurrection—absolutely comfort lies-*. But the real Christian is alniiilantly coin fortcd. Your rock is not as out Rock, you yourselves being judges. Again, a real Christian has 'a'confidence . in death that a worldling and an unbeliever knows nothing about. Why, here i-s no terror in dentil for a Christian. For a real Christian death is simply tocsin; from our moorings and .starting out for«■ fetter country. . What men call death i* t> tho real j Christian simply departing " ft) be with Christ, which is very far better.' I ,' Why, for an intelligent Christian the moratnt of approaching' death is one of tho plaltiest and most triumphant momenta of life. It moans t : ie warfare is over; it mean* the dctery it comingis just ahead. When the Rev. (Albert Cook man lay a-dying, he shotted, "1 am sweeping through the gates to he New Jerusalem!" THE LAST WORM OF MOODY were: "This is my coronation day. I hare long been looking forward to it." Thousands «nd tens of thousand*, and hutched! of thousands, have looked Death right. in the , eye, met him without a. fear, and passer triumphantly from the life that now is tc the more abundant life which is to fjpinc. You worldlings have no such confideice a* that. You tin believer* have no such confidence as that. You may put ft bold facvupoi; it, you may try to show no fear of dent I, but you haw no confidence in death,, Wlrweer knew an infidel to die a triumphant thaih? Whoever knew a worldling to dm a triumphant death? Hundreds of infidels who have died you have known. Did you ever know one to die triumphantly? It you did. I'd like to know his name. I am listening. Will you name one infidel who over died triumphantly? Of course you can't. One infidel sail'., "I am taking a leap in the dark." Was that triumphant? I challenge any man to name one infidel who ever died a triumphant death. It can't bo done Von can name infidels who brazened it. out,, but you can't nemo one, nor one worlding, who died triumphantly or exultantly one. Your roek is not as our Hock, you yourselves being judges. THE CHRISTIAN'S HOI'S. There is another place where the Christian has the best of it. The Christian ha* a hope that the unbeliever audi the worldling - knows nothing about. Whmtis the Christian's hope? Look at. Titusw 2: "In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began," Look at Romans viii. 17: " Heirs of Cod, and jointheirs with Christ." Look at 1 Peter i. 4 : "An inheritance, incorruptible and undefiled, and that fadcth not away, reserved in heaven for you." Has the worldling any such hope? When one of your English dukes—a Christian man—lay dying, ho called his brotherfor ho had no child—to hi* bedside, and ho said to his brother: "Brother, in a few moments you will be a duke, and I wiil be a king. "An inheritance incorruptible and undofiled, and that fadcth not. away" laid up in store in heaven. I stepped out of it yacht recently up on one of the Scotch lochs, and went into a beautiful place; a beautiful home, with lovely parks, ninety-five thousand acres of • land. But it. is for dale. Why? Because the owner is a lunatic, his brother who lives up on the hill is a lunatic, and his sister i* " queer."__ What, are the inheritance of thisUnvorld worth, anyhow? ("Nothing.") That's rightnothing. But before us who are in Christ, we look out u little way, and i just beyond that narrow river—it is very, narrow and very shallow— .men call death, over yonder we see our inheritance that is incorruptible, -.undented, that fudet.h not away. Your rock is not, as our Roek. you yourselves being judges. Six place*— might mention more, but here are enough to show that a Christian has the better of it. Wo have a peace of conscience, a joy, victory over sin, a comfort in sorrow, a confidence in death, and a hope for eternity, that the worldling and the unbeliever knows nothing about. NO SATISFACTION' IX WORtDUNKSS, Oh, men and women, trying to find heart satisfaction in worldlinoss, you never will; trying to find heart satisfaction in unbelief, you never will; trying to 'ibid heart satisfaction in sin, you newsr will. Your rock is not cs our Rock. Your rock is a hog. Our Rick is the Rock of Ages. Throw, away 1 your worklliness, throw away your initio- ; lief, throw away your sin. Even though there, ho no heaven to gait! land hell to shunthank God there is a j heaven to gain: ftlas! there is, a hell to shun j —but even if there were not, we have the j test of it. Come over on our side I | ' WOMEN'S j LETTERS. \ [By " A Friend."] No vomau can afford to remain in igna» | ranee of the benefit to be derived from taking Wirner's Safe Core, and, in order thai as maty women as possible may be enlightened, we quote the following specimen letters t— From Mrs. McLaughlin, 1C», Sims-street, Surrey Hills, Sydney, N.S.W. A few years ago I suffered from Mi un- > bearable pun in tho head, extreme lassi- . ! tude, and depression of spirits. Specks floated before my eyes, and 1 was much troubled by ileepk-ssness. My kidney were , diseased and my feet were always cold. - v jMy constitution was affected to such an ex- %i tent that my,strength declined, and I was in a very precarious state of health. Failing | to get relief from the many medicines I j took, I reiserte4 to Warner's Safe Cure. 4 j After taking a few bottles of this medij cine I experienced a decided improvement in my condition, to I continued, to take it for some time longer, when my health hecame completely restored. lam now frc« "i from aches mid pains, , and can eat and Bleep well." From Mm. Louisa "Waganer, Fisher- street. ; East Brisbane, Q. , '•■ "About two years ago I was troubled with my heart. I had »lso dreadful pains in both my sides and in my hips and hack. I suffered, too, a groat d«al with .sick headache, and my sight grow very dim. This went on for some time, the palpitation of tho heart growing worse. When in this condition or heslth a friend advised met > try a course of 'Warner's Safe Cure. I did so, and in about a fortnight the pain'ha ! greatly diminished. Then, I am pleased t '.I state, the fearful tremblings of the hear; ceased. The medicine cured mv periodical 4 headaches, and I am rally restored to health." > >> From Mrs. H. Withers, J4, Nicholsonstreet, South Yarra, Vic. "It is with a sense of gratitude that 1 tender my testimony as to tie merits oi Warner's Safe Cure. For several years 1 "« had very indifferent i health, .ind suffered severely from pain in tho back and sick - and dizzy headaches. The pains in the head and back became more fever when ; that critical period' known as chinge of life '■ arrived. During that time I thought I ; should have to give up altogether, as I became so weak. I tried many;:advertised remedies with little or .10 benefit, until 1 w*s advised to take a course of Warner's Sat-." Cure. The effect <k the medicine was most gratifying, the dw*j attacks became lots frequent and lasted a shorter time. 1 continued to take the medicine,' »nd the pains in the back and head ceased altogether. Since that time I have been in - the enjoyment of good health. I»m eonvinced that if all women were to take Warner's Safe Cure during this critical ' ~ ; period there would bo far less suffering-" In addition to the regular Ss and 2s 9d bottles of Warner's Safe Cure, a eoiuvn- , trcted form of the medicine is now issued i; at 2s 6d per bottle. Warner's Safe Cure (Concentrated) is ilot compounded with alcohol, and contains the same number of , . " doses as the 5s bottla of Warner's Safe Cure. ' H. Hi Warner and jCo., Ltd., Australasia? K, I Branch, Melbourne. < I . '. ':. ' t{ '