THE GARLAND.

Otago Witness, Issue 3566, 18 July 1922, Page 56

THE GARLAND.

FOR THE QUIET HOUR. No. 463.

By

Duncan Wright, Dunedin

God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. li’ we say that wo have fellowship with Him, and walk in tho darkness, wo Jie, and do not the truth: But it w« w'alk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus His Son c leanest li us from all sin.—l John i, 5-7, (tt.v.). Give me the wings of faith to rise Within the veil, and see The saints above, how great their joyd, How bright their glories be! Once they were mourning here below, And wet their couch with tears; They wrestled hard, as we do now, "With sins, and doubts, and 4eare. 1 ask them, whence their victory ohiimb ; They, with united breath. Ascribe their conquest to the Lamb, Their triumph to His death. They marked the footsteps that He trod,— Ilia zeal inspired theix breast, — And, following their incarnate God, Possess the promised rest. — lsaac Watta. NOTES FROM'A MINISTER’S DIARY. “A little child shall load them.” For the encouragement of Christian workers among young children, it should often be declared, “lour labour is not in vain in tlie Lord.” Many of the children who attend our schools and other services have parents and elder brothers and sisters, who never go to a place of worship. One cannot help thinking that Sunday School teachers would be greatly helped in their prayer-life, as well as in their teaching ministry, if they more often remembered that behind the small audience of the Sunday School class, is the much larger audience of the homes from whence the children come. The Sunday School class is like the open-air meeting in this, the larger part of the congregation is often unseen, behind doors, front-room and bedroom curtains. The work may be done in such* prayerfulness and devotion as to reach\ that larger audience, in the confidence of that wisdom of God which declares that “a little child shall lead them.’’ I once heard tlie story of a great American forest-clearing. It was a barren and useless tract of land. Many attempts were made to grow corn and other crops upon it. The trouble was this—there was no rain. One owner secured a number of guns and endeavoured to bring ram by shooting in the clouds. It was in vain. One day an old forester said to the owner : “Plant younp nurseries, and you will get the rain.” He did so, and sure enough tlie rain came, and the forests grew. We are in the midst of spiritual drought.and barrenness, and a sure way to secure the showers of God’s blessing is to plant nurseries of young believers all :around us iu the Sunday Schools. Through them a little one may well become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation. A SAVIOUR WHO SAVES. A Saviour Who saves is the Saviour I n(v d, A Saviour Whose promise is proof of His deed: A Saviour who tells me of g-raoe, hope, and joy, And works a salvation not death can destroy. A Saviour Who saves from the anger of God, The curse of His statutes, the stroke of His rod: A, Saviour Who saves from the prison of hell: Who saves a poor sinner with angeU to dwell. A Saviour Who saves every minute and hour, Not only from judgment,, but eaves from sin’# pow' r: A Saviour for drunkards, Who savee from the dlrink : A Saviour for suicides just on death's brink. A Saviour who save* from tlie tempers and tiffs: Who saves from the doubts, peradventurea, and ifs. A Saviour from snareß and the gins Satan seta, ' The deep, / hidden pitfalls, the fiowor-strewn nets. A Saviour Who savee is the Saviour you need, A Saviour in practice, i ntruth, and in deed; A Saviour as good as tlie etorie* I hear— And friend!, Such a Saviour, my Saviour, 1* near. He saves! tlrere are witnesses- men whom you know: He saved them, and still His salvation they show. They used to be—al! that to-day you still are. He saved them—they shine to His pra.ee like a star. A Saviour —their Saviour —my Saviour—and Ho Is ready, my brother, your Saviour to be: To save you, and ©honse you, and keep you as well: Saved ever, till saved in Hie presence to dwell. —William Luff. LOVE-SONGS TO JESUS. By Rkv. T. L. Cutlbb, D.D. At a recent prayer meeting we sang with full hearts and voices that simple heartsong of love : Jesus paid it all, All to Him I owe; Sin had lfft a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow. This is the chorus to a hymn tliaf has more of passionate devotion to Christ in it than it has df aesthetic poetry. It wa* composed for Sunday Schools, and is set to a sweet stirring tune of the best old Methodist stamp. It always rouses our people, and brings back revival joys, and the taste of tlie fruits when we sal in the King’s garden, and his banner wa* over us.

iiieie is a wouaeniii power m a flowing eatatic love-song to oeaus. roe language may not be very artistic; it nray savour ol extravagance to tae sceptical critic. But tire warmer and trie stronger it is tlie better to a genuine chilli ot Jesus. When a eoul is on are and melting it doesn't waait eiauorai-e poetry or ai'tiiicnu tunes. it longs lor simplicity, iervour, ana ecstatic glow, it orates endearing epithets, 'there are moods ot wind wnen a brood-bought believer revels in the love of the (Saviour, and only wants to sit beside the mouth ! of the well, and drink and sing, and sing and drink, until the soul overflows with grateful joy. It was m such moods of rapturous communion that the holy ltutlierford broke out into those passionate words of endearment which rival the Song of Solomon. "O fair Lord Jesus!” he exclaims, “let me wrap my poor withered arms around thy great, broad love! How little of the sea can a child carry- in his hand ! As little am 1 able to carry away of my boundless and running over Christ Jesus. All lovers blush, when ye stand beside Christ; shame for evermore be upon all but Christ’s glory ! Would to Cod that all this kingdom knew what there is betwixt Christ and me in this prison—what kisses, embraeements, and love communions! I would not- exchange Jesus for heaven. Nay. I think that a soul could live eternally blessed on Christ s love, and feed upon no other thing; yea, when Christ in love givetli a blow, it doeth a soul good, and there is a kind of comfort and jov to it to get a cuff with tile sweet soft hand of Jesus.” Of this holy literature of love the Church ought to 1 ead more: and in our devotional meetings we ought to sing more of these love-songs in praise of the Redeemer, who bought us with His bloud. This element of Christliness is wanting too often in the pulpit and in the prayer meeting. For fear of being thought extravagant or enthusiastic, we tame down our language, and stiffen our countenances, until we freeze up the best impulses of the soul. We sacrifice our devotions to our dignity. But the more the love of Jesus abounds and glows within us. the more shall we burst out into those hymns and into those utterances in prayer which are the best foretastes of heaven. The most delightful feature in a time Christian service is when all hearts break out in some strong, rapturous love-chant to our Redeemer. Wesley struck this note when he‘wrote bis mcomparable ‘‘Jesus, lover of my soul.’ ’ We ought to have more of such Diehxlies of Calvary in our prayer-meetings, and sing them with open mouths, and eyes brimming with tears. T confess to a. great liking for the godly old negro ‘‘Uncle Johnson.” who used to say, “Massa. you know de flesh be weak : and when dey begins in de meetin’ to talk and sing about Jesus. 1 begins to fill up, and putty soon I has to holler, and den dey say, ‘carry dat- ole man out ; he ’sturbs de meetin’.’ ” Would to God that all our Church prayer-meetings had a lew more such blessed disturbances ! ‘‘Tlie great want, of the Church is moral power. By this alone can she vindicate before the world her true glory, and fulfil her sublime mission. Without it believers will be but false witnesses of God. But ‘filled with tlie Spirit,’ their influence will Le permeating,—as certainly felt as are those influences that symbolise the Spirit. Dons light make manifest Does fire purify? Does wind winnow the chaff from the wheat? Does rain fertilize? Does dew refreshen ? So does the faithful Christian exert around him a power for lasting good. His holy example, like light, reveals surrounding da>’kne-s. and reproves it—acting, too. like the purging fire and purifying wind ; while wholesome words, nnd deeds of Christ-like love, fall like the refreshing rain, and distill as the dew. Baptized with this power, love will encircle us as an atmosphere; zeal clothes u.s as a garment: unity, like a holy belt , joins differing sects into a divine and peaceful brotherhood: boldness, like a sacred frontlet, make all men take know ledge of us that we have been with Jesus, and are nut ashamed to own it ; while our hearts, filled with joy and praise, will proclaim aloud that our life is a life of thanksgiving—our service ‘ the service of song. ’’ —Anon. -HE'LL DRY A’ YER TEARS.” Hr aye gangs beside ye, Tae bear a’ that grieves ye. He kens a’ yer troubles, yer (.loots, an’ ver fears ; Bereft o’ a" gladness. When crushed doon wi’ sadness, Hae patience, an’ Jestis will dry a’ yer tears. He kens a’ that grieves ye, And langs tae relieve ye, He’s gar,o through the sorrow, the anguish, an’ feare, The trials an’ the losses. Tlie pain ’an the crosses, Hae potienee. an’ Jesus v, ill dry a’ yer tears. W hen lanelv an’ eerie. When heart-sair an’ weary, When dark clouds o' trouble bring sighin’ an’ fears. There's ane gangs beside ye Tae share a’ that grieves ye, Hie patience, an’ Jesus will dry a' yer tears He aye leal an’ faithful. Tho’ ra-t (icon an' waefni. Aye lippeu, tho' burden'd vi‘ sorrow an' fears: When a' seems against ye, He aye bides beside ye. Hae pad'nee, an' Jesus will drv a’ ver tears. —Joseph Wright.