THE SUNDAY CIRCLE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21994, 1 July 1933, Page 19

THE SUNDAY CIRCLE

RELIGIOUS READING FOR THE HOME

THE INVINCIBLE ARMY. Strange ranks I see that like an army pass; But all unarmed, weary, their raiment rent— . ~ , • Yea, some are naked to the blustering wind —■ And none unwounded in their sad array. Men mock them as they go, contemptuously, , Yet still they smile nor falter in their tread; . Wound them anew, yet still their steadfast eyes Look ever forward to some goal unseen. “What ranks are these?” my spirit, wondering, Makes silent question; but swift answer comes: “ These are the rank* of that eternal throng , Whose march nor strife nor death itself can stay . Love’s great, supreme, invincible reserve, Where only wounded soldiers serve.” —Reginald C. Eva.

PRAYER. 0 Lord, we commend to Thee all who specially need Thy buccohf, the weary and the sad, the solitary and the perplexed, the bereaved and those that have no help of man. We ask that our hearts may be made sympathetic and soft; that Thy sympathetic heart and Thy soft hand may minister consolation and ,bind up the broken in heart. Guide all Thy servants who in divers fashions may be seeking to follow out the example of the Master and to fulfil the purpose of His life and death. Grant that in our several ways we may all be so doing and may exalt our daily avocations by feeling that they are done in the Name and after the pattern and for the sake of the Lord. Through Jesus Christ our Lord.. Amen. '■ A TEXT FOR EACH DAY’S MEDITATION. Go Forward “ Trusting in the Lord.” Sunday.—" Be strong and of good courage; fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, He it is that doth go before thee; He will not fail thee nor forsake thee.” —Deut. 31:6. Monday.—“ The Lord He it is that doth go before thee; He will be with thee, He will not fail thee, neither forsake thee; fear not, neither be dismayed.”— Deut. 31:8. “ But cleave unto the Lord your God.’ —Joshua 23:8. Tuesday—“ Take good heed therefore unto yourselves that ye love the Lord your God.” —Joshua 23:11. “ When He giveth quietness, who then can make trouble? and when He hideth His 'face, who then can behold Him? whether it be done against a‘ nation, or against'a man .only,”—Job 34:29. Wednesday.—" Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it. -1 will praise Thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvellous are Thy works, and that my soul knoweth right well.”—Psalm 139:6 and 14. Thursday.—“ Thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying: This is the wav, walk ye in it; when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left,” —Isaiah 30:21, . T . , “ He giveth power to the faint. ■ —lsaiah 40:29. , , Friday.—" Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the. voice of His .servant, that walketh. in darkness,’ arid hath no light? Let him trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon his God.” —Isaiah 50:10. Saturday.—" Prove the sincerity of your love. For y# know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He become .poor, that ye through Mis poverty might be rich.”~2 Corinthians, 8:8 and 9, H. R. Higgens, in A.C.W. WHAT? i And 10, there came a dream to Shakum, and in his dream he beheld all the field of the world, and everywhere Christians were sowing, sowing, sowing every day of their lives. And in his dream he perceived that the seed sown and the consequent crop obtained greatly. varied. For some were trying to sow : success, and some were sowing display, and some with weary hands were scattering stores of dry habitual thought, and others were dropping clean, rich, living grain into the furrow-ways, and this, springing up, was feeding a hungry world. And Shakum heard a voice saying, “What are you sowing?” “What have you in your bag? ”—M., in C.W. SEEN FROM AN AEROPLANE. The Cairo correspondent of The Times reports that an. R.A.F. officer stationed at Amman, while flying over the southern part of the Dead Sea some while ago, distinctly saw a towm lying beneath the water. The surface of the sea is usually ruffled and covered with scum from submarine bitumen deposits, but on this occasion. it was exceptionally, calm and clear. The correspondent adds: “It is surmised by some that the origin of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah may here be revealed.” MISSIONARY ZEAL. One of the most remarkable stories of missionary zeal in modern days ia that of Apolo Kivebulaya, a Muganda clergyman, who, many years ago, crossed the mountains into the primeval forest, which has since become Belgian territory, in order to evangelise the Pigmy and other tribes. Time and again he was cruelly ill-treated and driven out. only to return as soon as he found opportunity. His heroism at length won the confidence of the wild forest tribes within a wide radius round Mboga, hia headquarters. Such large nunmbers have become Christians that this great pioneer employs no fewer than 58 converts as teachers. Now Apolo, who is in his seventieth year, is found to have heart trouble, and there is no one to take his place. The Belgian Government refuse to allow natives to be sent to Uganda to be trained, and no trained teachers from Uganda are allowed into Mboga, In fact, the work will lapse unless a white missionary can be sent. MAN’S REAL ENEMIES. At a service held at St. Mary’s Church, Dover, in memory of the men of the Dover Patrol who fell in the Zeebrugge attack, the Bishop of Dover (Dr J. V, Macmillan), who preached the sermon, said that of all the events of the war the Zeebrugge action was probably the one which had most stirred the imagination. In some directions men were beginning again to think of war as the one breeding ground of the fighting qualities of human nature. He asked: Could there be any greater repayment, of the debt owed to the Zeebrugge heroes .than that we should set ourselves to combat man’s real enemies—disease, ignorance, and whatever impoverished the life of the masses. The service was followed by a short but impressive ceremony at St. James’s Cemetery, where the Zeebrugge, heroes were bpried. A WARRIOR EVANGELIST. Writing in the New Outlook, Canada, Mr W. P. Livingstone says:—“An outstanding figure, not only in the religious life of Scotland but of the world has gone with the passing of John M’Neill. Ever youthful, restless, and forceful, he- never seemed to belong to the past, though the first time 1 heard him preach was when . 1 was a 1 boy. And he was just the same when I heard him later in London and New York, and again in Scotland. Age could not quench the fervour wf his spirit or dull the fresh flow ot his racy illustration. He was a natural orator with a gift of humour which could be both tender and biting. One always thought of him as a warrior evangelist who (ought gallantly for his Master. He was laid to rest at Inverkip Inside his father and mother, and, in addition to the funeral service,’ there were memorial services in Glasgow' and Edinburgh attended by many distinguished personages. THE QUESTION OF PRAYER. In our day, says the New Outlook, Toronto, most of us would claim the privilege of praying for any one upon whom we were moved to ask the divine blessing, but it may be well to remember that there have been times when such liberty was not at all granted. In Henry VIII’s reign prayer for the Pope was ■ counted high treason. Under Croirnvell prayers for Charles II were uncondition- | ally forbidden. The Scotch fondness for

the young pretender tended to embarrass some Scotch ministers in their praying, but one ingenious divine got around the difficulty by adding after his invocation of the blessing of God upon ih’e Kin" the words, “Thou kenst which King we mean.”