BISHOP

Taranaki Herald, Volume LV, Issue 13983, 14 August 1909, Page 6

BISHOP

The ecclesiastical bishop is a high dignitary of the Church, and performs important duties ; but his chief functidn is to point men and women to the one "Bishop and Shepherd of their souls." Man can render helpful service to his brother man, but there are times when human help is unavailing, and God alone can undertake our cause for us. A remarkable thing happened in the life of Paul Morphy, who some years ago was the greatest chess player in the world. A friend of his invited him to look at a valuable painting he had just purchased called "The Chess Player." It represented Satan playing chess with a young man, the stake being the man's soul. It was the young man's move. He evidently considered himself checkmated, and so did his opponent. There seemed no move that he lould make that would not mean defeat; and upon the man's fare was the look of awful despair as the realisation was. ban* bt upon his mind that his soul w*s lost On the evil face of his opponent opposite him was the diabolical exultation of victory. Paul Morphy studied the picture for a time, then railed for chess Iward ami man. Placing the men in exactly the same position in which they were

in the painting, Xc said, "I'll take the young man's clfence aud mako the move." And .Jposs master that hv was, he made A move which turned defeat into vicUTJ. And there rmiic times in one's life when moral detvat and disaster seem inevitable ; when if God doesn't help us our ruin is sure. Happy is the man who turns to God then and finds in Him "a present Help in time of trouble." And the teaching here is, that no matter how helpless nnd hopeless oui case may seem, we tan come to the "Bishop and Shepherd of our souls,' and placing our* cause in His hands, He will turn defeat into victory. For "him that corncth unto Me 1 trill in no wise cast out."