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July 5, 1911 J T H E I
asked what he thought of the sermon and replied:
"The little man may argue against inspiration
as much as he wants to, but for satis
factory reasons I believe in it, and he has said
nothing to alter my opinion."
"The 'little man' had stated his opponent's
side so much stronger than his own that his
audience had mistaken which side he was on!"
Possibly, Bishop Parent's answer and Dr.
Nelson's anecdote both contain verv wise teach
ing for the present juncture. The average congregation
wants from its pulpit something to
live by and to help in the daily struggle of
life; not futile discussions of utterly impracticable
theories.
"It, may possibly he in our day, as in the
time of John Milton: 'The hungry sheep loik
up, and are not fed.' "?Southern Churchman
"I HAVE CALLED YOU FRIENDS."
Friend of all friends art thou to me,
Whom, loving, yet I cannot see;
For thy felt presence doth Impart
The sweetest sunshine to my heart;
And love lifts up the inward eye,
Thee to discern, and own thee nigh.
And thou blest vision of my soul!
Hast made my broken nature whole;
Hast purified my base desires,
And kindled passion's holiest fires;
My nature thou hast lifted up,
And filled me with a glorious hope.
Nearer and dearer still to me.
Thou living, loving Saviour be:
Brighter the vision of thy face,
More charming still thy words of grace;
Till life shall be transformed to love?
A heaven below, a heaven above.
RELIGION AND THE PHYSICAL LIFE.
Religion is good for the body. To some this
may seem like a strange proposition, for is not
religion wholly spiritual? Is it not with the
spirit alone that we draw near to God? Yes,
but the spirit exerts a powerful influence over
the body. These two are so intimately joined
together that whatever touches the one touches
the other also. They are two parts of one being
.
There is a doctrine that the spirit and the
body are not only separate and distinct essences,
but they are also antagonistic in their
nature, and one cannot attain the highest and
purest spiritual life without mortifying the
body. The man who draws near to God must
despise the body, starve the body, sacrifice the
body. What has religion to do with the body,
anyway? And what has the body to do with
religion? "Much every way," as Paul would
say. The body is the temple of the Holy Ghost.
Paul offers this remarkable prayer for the Thessalonians:
"I pray God your whole spirit, soul
and body may be preserved blameless unto the
coming of the Lord Jesus."
A life of Godliness promotes health of body.
Temperance, purity, chastity, patience, trust
in God, confidence and assurance are good for
the nerves and the brain and the heart. Just
as a clean city insures the health of the citizens,
so a clean life means health to the body.
Dr. D. K. Pearsons, who has given nearly
ten million dollars to the small colleges of the
country, is over ninety-one years old and in
excellent health. Not long ago he gave this
counsel to young people who love life, "Keep
the Ten Commandments. Go to bed early and
sleep eight hours. Don't worry. Bat moderately
of wholesome food. Sleep with your windows
open. Avoid ill temper and extremes of
emotion. Honesty, chastity, sobriety; these are
the essentials of a successful career." Dr. Pearsons
seems to think that moral character and
upright conduct have much to do with physical
.health and strength. Spjpe men, who do many
EESBYTERIAN OF Tfl? S C
wicked things, may enjoy good health, but they
are sowing seed which will bring forth a harvest
of pain and death sooner or later.
Dr. Simon Patten, professor of economics 111
the University of Pennsylvania, is reported to
have said, recently: "Wherever the Christian
religion has flourished there has been ? otonHv
rise in the average length of life in society.
It was so in the past ages; it is so today. Christian
people are today away ahead of the pagan
races in this regard. The average length ot
life in Christian countries is five to fifteen
years more than in pagan countries. During
the last four decades the average length of life
of the individual in advanced Christian countries
has risen about six years. Forty years
ago the average length of life was thirty years;
today it is about thirty-six years. This will not
stop. There is no doubt that within another
ten years the average length of life will go up
to forty years, and within the next fifty years
I think it is likely that the jump will be to
about sixty or sixty-five years." Dr. Patten
is a scientist and a specialist who for many
years has made the problem of the duration of
life a study. He has reached the conclusion
that where Christianity has the deepest hold
on the community health is better, life longer
and eases of extreme longevity more common.
It has come to pass, then, in these latter days
that science and the Bible unite in the testimonv
that "The wicked shall not live out half their
days," and that Jehovah has fulfilled His promise
to the righteous man, "With long life 1
satisfy him, and will shew him my salvation."
?Christian Advocate.
THE NEW HOLIDAY.
C. C. WYUE.
John Cameron was sitting in the first class
coach of the train which was speeding westward.
He was returning from the great curling bonspiel.
He had not played on a winning rink, but
they had done fairly well and had had a royal
holiday. That was the second bonspiel he had
attended this year and there was still another in
a couple of weeks.
He was buried in his newspaper and did not
notice two ladies come in and take the seat in
front of him, but as the train slowed up to take
water he caught some of their conversation and
discovered they were from his own town. Hi. was
.surprised to learn that he was the object of their
discussion.
une was saying: " 1 caught sight of Jack Cameron
yesterday. I do think he is the most selfish
man I know. He goes off two or three times
each winter for a week or ten days and leaves
his wife to look after the place. How she has
changed since she came west and no wonder! I
know for the last three winters she has been craving
to visit her old home in Ontario, but Jack
had to curl and that was the end of it. It is no
wonder she is growing thin and the black circles
are widening under her eyes."
Then the train started and John Cameron
slipped back to the smoking compartment and
did some hard thinking. His vanity was sorely
wounded, but the more he thought of it the more
convinced he became that the judgment was not
too severe.
As the express hurried him homewards he
made some resolutions and vowed to keep them.
That night after supper was over, he helped his
wife do the dishes and noticed how the little attention
brought the color to her cheek and she
laughed as he had not heard her for months.
When everything was cleared away h^ gathered
her in his strong arms and sitting down before
the fire told her of what he had overheard in the
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train, how he knew it was all true, and when
she tried to interrupt he made her hear him to
the end. By the time he had finished she was
sobbing on his shoulder. He kissed away the
tears and pulling two tickets from his pocket he
said, "See little wife, on Monday we start for
Ontario and please God a new life will begin for
us."?Toronto Presbyterian.
CURIOUS BIBLE FACTS.
The learned Prince of Granada, heir to the*
Spanish throne, imprisoned by order of the
crown for fear he should aspire to the throne,
was kept in solitary confinement in the old prison
at "The Place of Skulls," Madrid. After thirtv
?: - a
three years in this living tomb, death came to his
relief. The following remarkable researches,
taken from the Bible, and marked with an old
nail on the rough walls of his cell, told how the
brain sought employment through the weary
years. In the Bible the word Lord is found
1,853 times, the word Jehovah, 6,855 times, and
the word reverend but once, and that in the
ninth verse of the 11th Psalm; the eighth verse
of the 117th Psalm is the middle verse of the
Bible; the ninth verse of the eighth chapter of
Esther is the longest verse; the thirty-fifth verse
of the eleventh chapter of John is the shortest;
in the 170th Psalm four verses are alike?the
eignin, fifteenth, twenty-first and thirty-first;
each verse of the 136th Psalm ends alike; no
names or words with more than six syllables are
found in the Bible; the thirty-seventh chapter of
Isaiah and the nineteenth chapter of 2 Kings
are alike; the word girl occurs but once, and
that in the third chapter of Joel; there are found
in both books of the Bible, 3,586,483 letters,
773,693 words, 31,373 verses, 1,179 chapters and
66 books.
TO KNOW GOD.
One who sees nothing more in Jesus than
pure humanity sees, in truth, only a reflected
light. And yet, even so it is a light purer and
more perfect than that reflected by the imperfect
souls of His brethren whose darkness He
came to lighten. "This is life eternal," He
said, "that they might know Thee, the only
true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast
sent." There can be no eternal life i 1^
ing solely upon the measure of divine light
revealed in the person of Jesus Himself. It
is only Jesus who can say: "I am the light
of the world; he that followeth me shall not
walk in the darkness, but shall have the light
of life."
When the true light has shone upon a human
soul, the soul may in truth reflect something of
the divine upon the world yet in darkness. So
Jesus said: "Ye are the light of the world."
So much of Jesus as may be seen in the humanity
of His disciples is indeed the glimpse
that the world may have of the Deity, who has
chosen to reveal Himself in humanity. But the
world that would see God must look for Him
revealed in His own Son, whose life and light
the truest disciple can only reflect.
The thought of the world's need of the true
light must stir the disciples of Jesus to such
a dwelling in His light, such a receiving and
absorption of His revelation of God as may
make them living witnesses of the whole truth
set forth in their Master. So the half-truth
of those who find their only reflection of Deity
in human souls may lead them to see the true
light and rejoicing in it, to have life.?The
Presbyterian.
When the devil robs a boy, the last thing he
takes from him is the early impressions made
by his father or mother.?George R. Stuart.
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