THE GARLAND.

Otago Witness, Issue 3280, 24 January 1917, Page 60

THE GARLAND.

FOR THE QUIET HOUR. No. 178. By Duncan Wright, Uunedin. LATITUDE 25, LONGITUDE 54. Ihe Rev. A. G. Brown, when preaching in the East London Tabernacle, related the following: " There- came to me here one day a grand-looking fellow. I did not need to ask whether he did business on the great waters, hecau.se the sea breeze had kissed his cheeks so often that it had its mark there. "I said, 'Where did you find the Lord?' In a moment he answered, 'Latitude 25, longitude 54.' "For a few moments I was rather puzzled. I had heard of people finding the Saviour (or rather of being found of the Saviour) in these galleries and down these church aisles, and in all sorts of places indeed, but here was something quite new. " 'Latitude 25, longitude 54,' I said, 'what do you mean?' " 'I was sitting,' said the open-faced frank sailor boy, 'on deck, and out of a bundle of papers before me I pulled one of Spurgeon's sermons, and I began to read it. And as I read I saw the truth, and I there and then believed the Gospe] message and received Jesus in my heart. I jumped up off the coil of ropes a saved man. I thought if I were on shore I would know where I was saved, and why should I not know on the sea? And so I took my latitude and longitude.' " 0 Hop© of every contrite- heart, O joy of all the meek, To those who fall how kind Thou art, How kind to those who seek. To know, and remember, the time, the place, and all the circumstances connected with what, in John, chapter iii, is termed the new birth, or regeneration, of the soul, as in the casf of the unsophisticated sailor boy, is quite possible, but it is not essential to salvation. Many Christian people can tell the whole story and every particular connected with the great change; but many others cannot do so. But what to those who find? Ah! this Nor tongue nor pen can show; The love of Jesus, what it is None tout His loved ones know. When speaking to or dealing with men and women who are timid and generally reticent on the matter of personal, vital religion, it is really necessary to remember their early training and associations. The environments of the first 20 years of a man's life have much to do with fixing and shaping, all his thoughts and habits both for this life and the life beyond. Not every man can sing: He sought nie—Blessed be His name I It was a lonely path lie trod, From every human soul apart Known only to Himself and God Was all the grief that filled His heart; Yet from the track He turned not hack Till, where 1 lay in want and shame, Ho found me—Blessed be His name 1 Then dawned at last thai day of dread When, desolate, yet undismayed, With wearied frame and thorn-crowned head Ho, now forsaken and betrayed, Went up for me To Calvary, And dying there in grief and shame, He saved nie—Blessed be His name! Long as I live my song shall tell The wonders oi His matchless love; And when at las; I rise to dwell In the bright homo prepared above My joy shall be His face to sco, And bowing then with loud acclaim, I'll praise Him—Blessed be Hl3 name! 1 beg of you, therefore, don't be harsh in judging good old-fashioned people, or think unkindly of timid Christians who are naturally reticent and slow to speak of their personal experiences. And never expect in every case a clear-cut answer, yea, or no, to such clear-cut questions as: "Are you converted?" "Are you saved?" " Are you prepared to die?" and so forth. Why? Partly because the solemn questions may not always bo wisely put ; and partly, also, because many people who sincerely love the Saviour are not in the least demonstrative in showing it, and prefer to be silent as to their inward experiences. On the other hand, wo, in common with others, have been, from observation of men and things both in the Old Land and the New, regretfully forced to conclude that the love of some to the Saviour, notwithstanding their glib utterances and noisy demonstrations, is not specially deep or genuine. The Word of Cod is, however, both full and clear in teaching that sinful meneven the chief of sinners—may be saved, and may know that they aro saved from the pollution, power, and punishment of sin; but at present wo wish to help and encourage trembling, timid souls who as yet are not wholly enlightened regarding God's way of salvation. But wholly apart from creed or outward profession what does your life, or my life, say? Because after all this, is

the sure and infallible test of discipleship. ''lf ye love Me keep my commandments," ' remember all the commandments of the Lord and do them." The dear old Scotch lady, who, with tearful eyes, .-aid to her minister, "Although 1 canna' speak for Jesus, 1 would be gled to dee for Him," put the thing in a nutshell. She is a fair enough representative of a certain class of real good people and type of character. When severely examined and crossexamined by all sorts of fussy, inquisitive people, both friendly and hostile, the blind man in John's Gospel (chapter ix) showed both good sense and caution; lie declined to argue, and would not be drawn into side issues, but put his own case curtly and pointedly in the wellknown sentences, "Once 1 was blind, but now I see." Xo verbiage there, you see. There are, we all know, in the Church of God devout men and women who have not the faculty of theorising and hairsplitting on fine points of theology, and cannot go into the minutiae in connection with the new birth, but who can, and do, quietly and confidently declare : "As to lots of things I am in utter ignorance, and only a pupil in Christ's school; but of one thing I am not at all hazy—and that is this : 'Once I was blind, now I sec.' " Let us suppose a case : —lf a person came to you and said : "I do not remember when light and life came to me; nor can I tell where, or name any special Scripture that helped me; I do not even remember who the special agent was; but that I am really changed in heart, in life, in thought, and in speech, and bear personal love to the Son of God," —could you, would you, do other than gladly recognise that person a 3 a child of Uod ? -'Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ, is a child of God." We Ijave been taught to believe that there is certainly a moment in the history of every new-born soul when the light streams in, but that moment is not always known. There is undoubtedly a moment when life enters the dead soul, but that moment is not always recognised; there is, beyond question, a point of time, too, when the darkened eyes of the spiritually blind are opened, but through sloth and worldliness that point is not always registered. Fifty years ago the grand bid paraphrase with these lines I know that safe with Ilira remains, Protected by His power, What I've committed to Hia trust, Till the decisive hour. was in Scotland a prime favourite amongst all classes of church-going people, and yet if the subjects of saving grace had ventured to say : "We are saved; we are regenerated; we axe redeemed," the cry of many would have been : "What presumption ! Whoever heard of such a thing! How daring! No man can know that he is saved till he dies!" But the whole subject is lifted far and above and beyond all human opinion or theories when we come to God's Book : 1. "They know His voice." 2. "I know that my Redeemer liveth." % 3. "I know Whom I have believed." 4. "We know that we have passed from death unto life." 5. "We know that He abideth in us." 6. "Hereby know we that wo" dwell in Him and He in us." Therefore, let it be known from pole to pole, and round the globe,--flint > sinful man may be renewed and justified instantaneously, and may realise the fact! Whilst making every allowance for the trials, sorrows,* and * crosses of everyday life, and the infirmities of the flesh, let it be clearly understood that the Scriptures everywhere go in for the "We know" principle (of whiclh the happy sailor-boy was a fair sample), and the weakest'child in God's family mav appropriate to his own joy and comfort the promises of the Bible*. If we could do this and be more prayerful, more spiritual, more like the Great Master in aim and action, we could, we might, we would live on the hilltop and not in the valley; in the sunshine, and not tinder (he cloud : in strength and might, and not in doubt and weakness! We are the children of a King, but scarcely believe it! We are of the rovalty of Heaven, and too omch forget the fact! Hitrh is the rank wo now possess, But higher we shall ripe, Tho' what we shall herea'ler bo Is hid from mortal eyes>. A hope so groat and so divine May trials well endure-; And purp-e the soul from sense and sir As Christ Himself is pure!