THE BATTLE OF LIFE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 74, Issue 144, 20 June 1931, Page 1 (Supplement)

THE BATTLE OF LIFE

THE PATHWAY OF VICTORY (By H.G.G.) Do you remember that ecntcnco iu Christ’s great intercessory prayer? “1 pray, not that Thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that Thou shouldest keep them from the evil.” Wo are in the world, we have no right to wish to leave it. It is the coward who runs away, makes himself a recluse, and leaves the world to perish. Our place is “in” the world. But the world is full of evil, evil which presses itself, forces itself upon us at every turn. Some people become morbid in contemplating the übiquity of enticements to evil. They are like Carlyle when he lived in London. A neighbour possessed an interesting coop or chickens, whose male member disturbed Carlyle’s slumber by his loud crowing. The owner of the fowls was expostulated with. He replied that there ought not, to be any complaint as the cock crew but three times or more during the night. “That maybe,” replied Carlyle, “but if you only knew how I suffer waiting for him to crow.” That is our trouble. Our Lord said that “it must needs be that occasions of stumbling come.” He nowhere enjoins us to worry ourselves into early graves waiting for it to happen. Betting Yom- Life. Let three simple illustrations show us the true Christian attitude. At the entrance of most harbours you will find a buoy securely anchored. The waves splash around it; it floats serenely in its appointed place. The tide rises and falls; it is still there. The Pacific rollers come racing towards it; it mounts upon them one by one and rides upon them as they roll past. The tempest descends, the billows rush upon the little buoy, and for a moment it is submerged. But immediately it rises to the surface and is in its place again unmoved and unharmed. What a picture of the conquering life! What a power and a privilege for a soul thus to rise lightly above every opponent, every vexation, never to sink into discontent, never to be overwhelmed with fear and doubt, always to be on top of the fretful sea of life. “We have as an anchor of the soul a hope both sure and steadfast and entering into that which is within the veil.” The second thought is that temptation is never unbearable. Have you ever noticed those trucks on the railway and the motor lorries on our roads? You see on one of them 5-3-0. What do the figures mean? They represent what called the “load limit.” That vehicle can only carry five tons three hundredweight. Every man has his “load limit,” and He who permits the temptation will also regulate it. The third illustration comes from the Carthaginian investment of Rome. The spot outside the walls on which stood the tent of the dread invader, Hannibal, was put up for auction in the Forum. After a brisk competition it was knocked down to a citizen, who bid for it a largo sum of money. He and the other bidders had faith in the triumph of their armies, although the foe was thundering at the gates. Such faith CLght 2ve-y Christian to have .in Jesus Christ, who has assured us in every possible way that He will lead us to certain victory. As the “Student-in-Arms” put it: “Religion is betting your life on God.” Aggressive Living. The challenge of the New Testament runs: “Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.” Bo not conquered, but be a conqueror. Be not cast down, but east down the opposing foe. It is taught as an axiom of military practice, that the best form of defence is attack. While one of the great Test matches was in progress in Australia, I read this comment from a Sydney paper: “Woolley’s innings was a model one, almost devoid of defensive play, since the batsman, not the bowler, was the attacking party.” This is in line with the ideals of the great “G.W. ” He had no sympathy with the batsman who plays only to keep up his wicket and does not try to hit; but he did have sympathy with those who. not possessing great hitting power, keep adding quietly, though slowly, to the score as best they can. His chief dictum reads: “'The duty of a batsman i? to make runs.” You may speak of the “Game of Life” or the “Battle of Life” as you please. The New Testament makes frequent use of both figures, particularly so in the Epistles of St. Paul. All through the writings of this vigorous, masculine, robust adviser, you find him taking the athletic, position. Now ho is a boxer: “So fight I. not as one that beateth the air.” Now he is a runner, looking not to the things that are behind, but to the things before, and running, not in one sharp dash, but with patience, the race set before him. It is just as athletic a performance, he thinks, to wrestle, with the prince of the darkness of this world as to wrestle with a champion. Writing to his young friend. Timothy, he describes religion as a branch of athletics and exhorts him to “ gymnasticise ” himself unto godliness. But the culmination of all such striving is summed up in the. adjuration: “So run that ye may attain.” The same note of aggressive triumph pervades the metaphors taken from soldiering. “The weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but mighty before God to the casting down of

strongholds.” Concerning the contest in the arena of his own life, Paul probably combines both metaphors in the declaration: “I have fought the. good fight, J have finished the course, J have kept the faith.” The Mightiest Weapon. But we are to overcome evil with good. It is enlightening and encouraging to discover this as the method of our Master. From the very commencement. of His public ministry, when He was here among men for our salvation, Christ overcame evil with good. He banished darkness by imparting light and knowledge. He met and overthrew all enmity that opposed Him by sheer goodness. Until at Calvary wo see this truth in exeelsis. We see there the principle of Christ’s method as it. is not possible to see it. elsewhere in the whole record of His grace. The-uy Ho overcame evil, when evil imagined it. had overcome Him. There, where evil gave Hirn His seeming death-blow, Ho gave evil its death-blow. He overcame by good. Our Lord calls us to follow Him along this pathway to victory. Along this road are certain enmities, but. more certain victories. “Overcome evil with

AMAZING ‘’CONVICT” CHASE c A theatre manager’s scheme to c advertise a convict film led loan amazing chase by police and a large crowd through the streets of Palmer’s Green, London, recently. The scheme, accordli ing to the manager, Mr. Frederick E. Monek, was for a man dressed as a t convict to be chased by another in the guise of a warder. e “Apparently the make up of the two ! men was a bit too realistic,” Mr. c Monk said. “No sooner had rhe, t couple started to run than a point duty v policeman saw the escaping ‘convict,’ r and promptly joined in tho chase. The s ‘warder’ and the ‘ convict’ became e scared, and ran faster. t “Passers-by joined in, and to make c | matters worse, two more policemen, •- blowing their whistles, took up the l H chase. Then a fourth constable stope ped a motorist, and set off in tin* car p after the escaping * convict. ’ After v about, half a mile, my men, very scared, i) were captured.” lOf the adult male employees of British railways, 1-1.211 have wage rales of less than ’l’>s a w’pk.