SUNDAY READING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume L, Issue 15411, 20 September 1913, Page 4 (Supplement)

SUNDAY READING.

TRUSTING GOD IN THE DARKNESS, BY. CHAELES K. SCTTBGEON. * "; '-' Christ, passed through the dark for ths? glory of God. The lesson that He set as there was that He still believed. Rga£ Ps. 22. Bead there the faith of Chr'.-t on the Cross. "Thou art He that took Me out of the womb." He goes bat!: * to His early infancy, when God cared for Him. "Our fathers trusted in Th<«; they trusted, anil Thou didst delra*them." He dwells upon God'? goodness. Our Lord had abundant faith, and I dwell only upon one instance of it— faith in prayer to God. There are two parts in that wonderful prayer of His is. the Garden: "My Father, if it be possible, let this trap pass from Me; never- : theless, not as I will, but as Thou wilt;" We ' dwell too often, or too exclusively, upon the fall surrender at the last. Notice the prayer. itself: "If it be' possible,-.- let thisoup pass from me." When/we aieia* the dark, we may go to God and plead with Him to take" the dark away. ; I remember a week of ccesewl pain, i .and scarcely .any sleep. I was sitting up as best I could one morning in an agony of pain. I cried to the Lord for deliver- • ance. 1 believed fully that there and then He would hear me, and I put it to Him ■ thus: "Thou art my Father, I know} and, if this were my child that suffers so, I would not let him suffer any longer. By Thy Fatherhood,! beseech Thee,'.heat,]: the prayer of Thy child." I will e.w;' 'Nevertheless, not as I will, but 'as Thou 1 wilt.'" I did not dwell upon that last part. When I really believed God tote my Father, and threw myself upon i I, after a few minutes, leaned back up i my pillowthe pain gone, and I fell? asleep. God loves us to believe Himj and to take Him at His word; because we cani always go on- to " number two"?—" Never-;: theless, not as I will, but as Thou wilt." But wo cannot go on to that, it seems to me, until we have tried the first parkPray about the matter, right up to that; hilt: lay it before God up to the Mis.) One of the greatest blessings that Goi sends man is health; perhaps it is the greatest blessing we have, except sickness, which has often been an infinitely; greater blessing than health. So that we may" be praying against ourselves—wham'; we are praying for health—and asking; for loss. i p Still, perhaps the best way that we arej permitted to take is to go right op:;to] the very point in prayer, and then come;; like our Master, with the sweat, entire, perfect surrender of will. Let us leant this last lesson. "Nevertheless, not as' I will, but as Thou wilt." Ido not seehow you can emphatically resign a matter:; into the hand of God, until, first of aH»; you have had your turn with Him'.,ln; prayer; but, when, in full conviction thai; He can do what He likes, and can torn.;, darkness into day, you have spread the whole case before Him, leave it there. Oh, that the Lord our God may be with; you in the day of trouble, if it is now!; If it be not now, it may be very soon, for it is a queer world. -But settle it in your minds—come fair, come foul, i.or ■ rain, thunder, lightning, or sunlight, you will rest in Him who died for you. ~ LOVE OF CHILDREN. If V";i BY DB. SMBLLIE. ' 13 Whoso shall receive one such little' cJiilu in My -Name receiveth Me.—Matt. :raii...0..-^ There is no cruelty worse than cruelty to a child. His helplessness, his winsome-: ness, his innocence, should all make appeal on his behalf. Pharaoh's decree, would have been inhuman if it had been enacted, against men; it is douhtly inhuman because it is enacted against babes.. Aht let me never offend against the youngest " Dear little life, my care to keep from: every spot and stain of sin ! Dread mysta* cal life!" ' f There is no love mightier than mother* love. It fears nothing. It dares every* thing. For the children's sake it is _prs§ pared to -go through fire and water: it is; ready to welcome self-sacrifice and death. This mother was not afraid of the king's? commandment, though the king was a das| pot whose anger was terrible. No gratitude I feel, and show will ever repay the; mother-heart that watched over me, andplanned for me, and toiled, and suffered. Its affection is fathomless There is no wisdom more amazing and] victorious than the wisdom of God. In) the very household of the en«my He discovers a protectress for that infant vhO is by and by to be the deliverer of :am people. He changes foes into friends,; How futile it is to contend against Him'. How safe they are who are screened and: sheltered beneath His wings! First of all, let me put my heart and life into His keeping. And then let mo know myself perfectly secure, so long as I walk in ~&\ way and, fulfil His work, g