THE SUNDAY CIRCLE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22498, 16 February 1935, Page 23

THE SUNDAY CIRCLE

RELIGIOUS READING FOR THE HOME MY RETREATS. I bless Thee, Lord, that, when my life Is as a troubled sea, I have, remote from its rough strife, Harbours to shelter me. I bless Thee for my home, where Love Her sweet song ever sings, And Peace spreads, like a nesting dove. Her gentle, brooding wings. And for this chamber of desire Where my dear books abide, My constant friends that never tire. Teachers that never chide. But chiefly for the Mercy-seat, Where every weary load I lay down at Thy gracious feet, Jesus, my King, my God. . . . —David Smith. A PRAYER. Almighty God, most 'good and. beneficent Maker, gracious Lord and merciful preserver of all things, iniufee into our hearts those heavenly graces of meekness, patience and benignity; grant US and Thy whole Church and all Thy‘ creation to serve Thee quietly here and a blissful rest to praise and magnify Thee forever.—lsaac "Barrow; . i • A TfexT FOR EACH DAY’S MEDITATION.; , Sunday.— ' Grace be to you and peqce from God the Father and from our Lord Jesus- Christ. ' ;r, ; 4 Who gave Himself for our sins that He might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of-,'God our Father. To whom be glory, for-.ever and. ever. Amen.”—Galatians 1: 3-5. Monday.—“ Whosoever of you will be the chiefest shall be servant of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many.” —Mark 10: 44-45. “Now thanks be unto God which causeth us to triumph in Christ.” —2 Corinthians 2: 4. Tuseday.—“ We pray you in Christ’s stead be ye reconciled to God. For He bath made Him to be sin for us. Who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.” —2 Corinthians 5: 20-21. “ Christ has redeemed us from tne curse of the law.”—Galatians 3; 13. - Wednesday.—“ God our Saviour, Who will have all men to. be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus. Who gdve Himself a ransom for all to be testified in due time. —1 Timothy 2: 3-6. Thursday. —“ If ye continue in My word, then are ye My disciples indeed. And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” —John 8: 31, 32, and 36, Friday.—“ Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect? It is God \that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died. Yea, rather that is risen again, Who is even at the right hand of .God, Who also maketh intercession for us. —Romans 8: 33-34. Saturday.—“ God also hath, highly exalted Him and given Him a name which is above every name. ’ That at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow. And every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.”—Philippians 2: 9 to 11. —H. R. Higgens, in A. C. W. CHRISTIAN MYSTICISM. Dean Inge had an intense interest in Christian mysticism. It was there that he found the quintessence of Christianity. His belief in its validity was intellectually based. He felt, and still feels, that God is not only transcendent, but immanent; that He not only rules “ beyond the farthest star,” but actually enters into the inmost life of the humblest of human beings. The effort of the' Christian life is, therefore, not simply to. -Meal- beyond', us,-rrbiit ;to allow the divine within us to express itself in our outward life and action. —Archbishop Wand. PITHY PARS, Our hope is not hung upon such an untwisted thread as, “ 1 imagine so,” or, “It is likely;” but the cable, the strong tower of our fastened anchor, is the | oath and promise of Him who is eternal verity.—Samuel Rutherford. The life must be given. You must expend it. You cannot keep it. It is going. What is there to show for it at the end? Phillips Brooks. The humblest occupation has in it materials of discipline for the ’"’highest heaven.—F. W. Robertson. 0 thou that pinest in the imprisonment of the Actual, and criest bitterly to the gods for a kingdom wherein to rule and create, know this of a truth: j the thing, thou seekest is already with' thee, “here or nowhere,” couldst thou only see! —Carlyle. ; A STRANGE OBJECTION. ; “'lt is not fair to suggest,” says St. Mart n’s Review, in a survey 'of ten years religious broadcasting from St Martin’s -in-the-Fields, “ that the objectors then, and those who dislike the broadcasting Of religion, were or are old-fashioned and reactionary. “ But as a strange instance of the mentality of some .religious people towards -broadcasting ten years ago, we cannot resist instancing the well-known ecclesiastic who refused to be broadcast from his cathedral on the grounds that ‘ someone might listen in a public house with his hat on! ’ ” FIGHTING AGAINST GOD. Wordsworth, in one of his poems, tells about a bird that was carried from Norway by a storm. It fought hard against the gale in its effort to win its way back to Nor-way, but all in vain. At last it ■yielded to the- wind, and instead of being carried to destruction, it was borne to the warm shores of England, to green meadows and forests. So when we try to fight against God’s will we are making efforts which will come to_ naught, and are doing so to our own injury and loss.

BIBLE TEACHING FOR CHILDREN. "Let us teach our children these six things,” says the Rev. Amos R. Wells, “before we trouble them with questions about two Isaiahs or the date of Deuteronomy.” Hie six things to teach are the following:—(1) Bible history taught for the purpose of showing God’s clear leading in all history. (2) Bible literature taught as God’s Word to men. His authentic message, the fountain of all literature in beauty, variety, and worldwide perennial power. (3) Bible ethics, as the source of our human laws, as the one sufficient guide of human life. (4) Bible revelation, the teaching of the Bible about hidden things, about immortality. heaven and hell, about the nature of God, about sin, conscience, penalty, conversion, regeneration, sanctification, and inspiration. (5) Christ, the climax and sum of revelation. (6) The history of the Book—how if was made, its unity. A FINE RECORD. On the little isle of St Martin’s, Scilly, only a few trees grow. Each year they number one less. In the Methodist schoolroom a tall pine tree stands, and tire children gather with toys and place them on the tree. They have never seen a slum: many of them have never seen the mainland; but they have heard of children hungry and toyless at Christmas. From this tiny community, just 120 people, living far out at sea, nearly a hundred toys go as a Christmas present to the poor.

CHRISTIAN SCIENCE CHURCHES. “ Soul ” is the subject of the lessonsermon in all Churches of Christ, Scientist, to-morrow.

The golden text is: “ Set your heart and your soul to seek the Lord your God.” (1 Chron. 22: 19.) Among, the citations which comprise the lesson-sermon are the following:— “ Thou wilt shew me the path of life; in thy-presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” (Psalm 16: 11.) “It is our ignorance of God, the Divine Principle, which produces apparent discord, and : the right understanding of Him restores harmony. Truth will at length compel us all to exchange the pleasures and pains of sense for the joys of soul.” {“ Science and Health, with Key to the Scriptures/' by Mary Baker Eddy; page 390 i 7).