THE GARLAND.

Otago Witness, Issue 3556, 9 May 1922, Page 57

THE GARLAND.

FOR THE QUIET HOUR.

By

No. -.~4

Duncan Wright, Dunedin.

“GILDED LIES.” Names of earth, gilded liee, Strutting o’er the world’s dwarf stage; Brief their chatter, deep their sighs, Told on life’s stained, crumpled page. All the glories ’neath the skies Fade like dreams when morning breaks; And the wreaths that men most prize, Wither in the hand that takes. All the pleasures mein devise, Could not still one aching- heart; Every form of sin’s disguise, Hold's concealed some fatal dart. Man predicts some great surprise^ “Better world” and “brighter day;” Mirage to deceive the eyes, Soon, how Soon to pass away! Basting fame its name belies! Say! wi]l history praise or not? poor wight, ere evening dies, E’en thy name will be forgot! Where, then, man despairing cries, Might some lasting good befall ? What Enchanted source supplies. Comfort and content for all? Hark! a voice of Love replies, Only one,can grant thee this, Only one can make thee wise— Jesus, Lord of heav'n’s bliss. He to none that bliss denies; Feed on Him, the Living Bread; Drink the draught that satisfies.; Follow Him, the Lamb who bled. Soon His glory will arise, Cloudless morn, beyond compare, Ever shins in brighter guise, All for his beloved to share. —W. Haste.’ 2, Staverton-rd., N.W. 2. Time is the life of the soul. Manhood talks louder than money. It is a great thing to win love. o eye at all is better than an evil eye. A man never knows what he can do till he tries. Beware of the solemn deceivings of thy vast desires. All .are architects of fate, working on these walls of'time. There are men who spoil their lives by want of concentration. Ihe hearing ear is always found close to the speaking tongue. Gratitude is one of the holiest feelings of our common nature. Ihe mipd stretches an hour to a century, and dwarfs an age to an hour. Do you not know that the harder you are at work, the happier you are ? Sometimes we may learn more from a man’s errors than from his virtures. It does no man good to have bis patience worn out, and’ to think himself ill-used. What we have to do is to turn our faces in the new direction towards Christ, and keep straight on. The best things, and even the holiest things, “hold us off that they may draw us on.” Only that go-od is profitable which we can taste with all doors open, and which serves all men. DIVINE CONSOLATIONS. But now thug saith the Lord that created thee, 0 Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel : Fear not, for I have redeemed thee; I have called thee by thy name, thou- art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee ; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee : when tho-u walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee ... The beasts of the field shall honour me, the jackals and the ostriches : because I give waters in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people, my chosen : the people which I formed for myself, that they might set forth my praise.—Isaiah 43 : 1,2, 20, 21, K.v. “I CAN NEVER STOP PREACHING.” Paternoster Row runs under the shadow of St. Paul's, a.nd is the artery from which flows the printed message of God in many forms, .but it is nevertheless unique to hear the spoken Word publicly proclaimed in that narrow thoroughfare. At the lunch hour, on a recent -Wednesday, however, the strange experience was provided by a massive, happy-faced negro. He stood opposite a large' open-fronted bookshop, where a number of people had halted, and there—just removing his soft hat and taking a Bible from his" pockeb—he preached Christ in fluent and homely English, with vigour and a wealth of vivid illustration. He told how, when he wa-s working in a business house, his Bible was a constant companion in every moment of leisure. People had said to him: “Don’t you get tired of the Bible?” “Tired of the Bible !’’ be exclaimed ; “I can no more get tired of the Bible than I can get tired of food !” He went on to remark that some consider open-air speaking as inopportune for telling of Christ; they maintain that church is the fit and proper place for His name. “But where did Christ and His disciples preach? Was it not in the open air?” responded the preacher. And so this coloured evangelist went on—drawing about him a gathering of listeners; some astonished bv the unusual scene, yet held by the message; others hearing and approving. A policeman approached. “You’ve come to the wrong place!” the speaker was told . . . FTe went away regretfully, saying : “I always pass on when a policeman tells me I must; hut— l can never stop preaching !”

Here in the very heart of the city, from which the cause of missions to the unsaved in foreign fields is persistently urged, co-mes one of the regenerated from a heathen land, to bring back the message that the Londoner often forgets, but that the African remembers. Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn ol Me; tor I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.—Matthew xi, 28-30. Leave God to order all thy ways, And hope in Him whate’er betide, Thou'lt find! Him in thd evil days Thine all-sufficient Strength and Guide: Who trusts in God’s unchanging love, Builds on a rook that nought can move. Only thy restless heart keep still, And wait in cheerful hope—content To take wbate’er His gracious will And all-discerning love hath sent: Doubt not, our inmost wants -are known To Him who chosb u-s for his own. —Geo. Neumarck (tr. C'. Winkwoxth). THE CHRISTIAN'S ATTITUDE TO BUSINESS. (Luke vi, 38.) A great many people are saying to-day that the principles of Jesus apply to private devotion and to public worship on Sunday; but, when it comes to the practical affairs of business, Jesus’ principles have no application at all. “Business is business,” it is said; therefore there is nothing more to be done. Is it true that there is nothing more to be said or done ? This cannot be, for Jesus Christ is the Ruler of the world, and He commands us to bring every thought, word, and deed into subjection to Ilis will. All wealtli,;is capital, which Christ has lent to meni 'to use for His glory, ilk capital must’ be administered with honestv and justice, ,hi the sight of a holy and just God. Let us therefore seek to apply the principles of Jesus to all our money matters, seeing that we are merely stewards of the wealth of God. The Lord Jesus made, happiness dependent, not upon getting rich, but upon being meek and lowly. ‘Blessed are the meek : for they shall inherit the earth.” “Blessed are the poor in spirit : for _theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Our whole modern system of economy requires an enforcement of Christian principles in buying and 'selling. Business is built on faith. When men are faithless, practising deceit by falsifying information about materials and prices, the whole bottom dro-ps out of commerce and trade, because; men begin to lose confidence and will not risk their irTvestments. “Honesty is the bes-t policy,” because it- is the only policy which meets with Cod’s favour. Bishop Weldon, in The Nineteenth Century and After, deplores the fact thatthe Bible has lost its place, in the life of the family and o-f the Nation. Formerly there were prayers and Ribly reading in British homes. That day has passed. Parents consider that they have done their duty when they hand over to the school authorities their boys and girls, and pay the fees —if any. The consequences are the serious decline of religion in the land. “.Disregard or desecration of Sunday; neglect. of public worship by all classes; impaired recognition of God despite the solemn and awful lessons of the Great War; the permeation of British Society by materialism;” the alienation of the people from the interpretation of the moral law laid down by our Lord : all these are daily in evidence. S-av« the Bishop : “To breathe the air of the Bible, is to live in the fear of God, and in the love of Jesus Christ.” - REVIVAL. Revive Me. —Psalm 138, 7. My love is cold, my faith, is small, My zeal is lacking,, doubts appal, My footsteps falter, oft I stray, And weakness marks me for its prey. God of Revival, hear my pleaEmpower, endue, revive e’en me. Revive Us. —Psalm 85, G. With -all Thine own, in Jesus’ name, We would confess our common shame, And! humble bow before Thy face, To seek Thy pardoning, cleansing, gra-ce. God of Revival, God of love, Refresh, revive us from above. Revive Thy Work.—Hab. 3,2. Thy workers’ hearts are filled with dread; Thy lost are left, Thy sheep unfed; Thine enemies Thy work defy, And things are weak, ready to die. God of Revival, now we pray. Visit Thy work in this our day. They Shall Revive.—H-os. 14, 7. Oh for Thy Spirit’s quickening brea-th! Reviving from the sleep of death. Oh for Thy mighty, ancient power! Arousing us this very hour. God of Revival, Thee we praise, For signs of blessing iij our days. —A. Gardner. ABIDING IN PEACE. Dwelling in the secret place of the Most High is different from merely seeking His shelter in time of trouble. The home offers a protection, a quietness, and a comfort to those who live there, that cannot be extended to at passer-by who simply rushes in to escape the storm. Many casual Bible readers fail to make this distinction. “If ye abide in Me” is the Master's condition to many a precious promise of bestowal, but “abiding” means much more than being temporarily sheltered. We mise much of peace and of privilege by living so far away from the great Source of supply. God hears the prayer of the needy soul, and very graciously he answers even the wanderer, but these miss both the strength and the joy of established safety that might be theirs. “What time I am afraid, I will put my trust in Thee,” said the Psalmist. But Isaiah had reached a greater peace and sense of security when he could say, “I will trust, and will not be afraid.”

It is not the deed that we do, Though the deed be ever so fair; But the love that dear Lord 100-keth for Hidden with holy care In the heart of the deed so fair. WHAT WE WANT FROM THE WORD. Tlie truth it teaches. The spirit it breathes. The life it reveals. The character it demands. The portion it promises. The Person it pictures. It ought to be pleasanter than earth, sweeter than liberty, nearer than friends, and dearer than life.