Newspaper Page Text
December 6, 1911] T H E I
NOT LIKE JONAH.
It ia wid that a preacher in New York recently
resigned his pulpit and went west, assigning
as a reason for leaving the metropolis that it is
the wickedest city in America. Like Jonah, he
preferred to flee from wickedness rather than
to preach repentance. We know nothing about
the case thus cited, but we know that when a
minister, or any one else, for that matter, stops
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wiinuii ius pci'Muiiai uuiuiort or temporal welfare
rather than his calling, the probability is
that he will neglect his duty and go where he
is not wanted?certainly where he is not most
needed. In any case, it is neither loyal nor
heroic to run away from duty. The press of
the city took up the fleeing pastor's argument
for leaving New York, declaring that the need
for a minister's mind is not so much a city in
which there is little or no evil to fight, but one
where its very aggressiveness offers a challenge
to his ability to reform it. That was a wise and
weaitny comment, lull of force and fitness, setting
forth the fact that every minister should
be like Jesus, and not like Jonah. The more
wicked the city, the more need there is for faithful
ministerial service, and the harder the job,
the more honor and opportunity there is in taking
hold of it.?Religious Telescope.
PREACH THE GOSPEL.
Preach the gospel, preach it, preach it.
Because the human kind are sinful and need
deliverance.
Because the gospel is the power of God unto
salvation.
Because the gospel goes to the heart of man,
and there are all the issues of human life.
Because we can have a new kind of world
only by having a new kind of men and women,
and the gospel makes the new creature in Christ.
Because the gospel has converted every type
of human being, from the highest to the lowest.
It has converted the drunkard and the fallen
woman.
It has converted the savage and the cannibal.
It has transformed heathen herds into Christian
communities.
It has abolished the worst abuses that afflicted
peoples and nations.
It is making Christendom ashamed of war
and determined to have peace.
It is the only message to which men and
women will listen week after week, year after
year, generation after generation.
Its songs are the sweetest ever sung at the
cradle of the child, or around the coffin of the
dead.
Its hope is the brightest that ever gleamed
across the river of death and over the hills of
eternity.
Paul preached it and the race is still listening
to his words.
Luther preached it and changed the face of
the world.
Whitfield preached it, and a thousand were
converted in a day.
Spurgeon preached it, and a million of his
sermons have gone out over the earth.
Men without distinction or name are preaching
it, and redeemed souls rejoice in the strength
and courage and hope which it gives to them in
the daily struggle.
IPreaoh the gospel, preach it, preach it.?
The Advance.
ASSISTANT PASTORS.
I would rather have a church paper than an
assistant pastor, who would be in my way. But
a pastor'8 assistant, the silent, unanswerable
a. 1. 1 -i. XL. !
P assistant wno worns at ingot, m me morning
and in the hours of leisure, is the religious
journal. The circulation of our Church
papers is primarily the pastor's job. It is
'
risbtteriam or the bo
not enough for him to stand up and say:
"Brethren, the time is come for you to renew
your subscription to the official paper and
Brother Richard Rowo will be glad to receive
at the close of the service, or at his office, No.
17 Sleepy Street." That will never get you
tiny where. The pastor who does his duty in
this matter is the one who feels enthusiasm, and
will see an advance in the missionary cause, and
will further the prayer meeting, so that he will
not have to say, "Brothers, let us improve the
time," because the people will be on fire with
enthusiasm from reading about the things that
are doing in all the fields. We can set our
churches ablaze if we give them the religious
newspapers in every home.?Dr. H. Stuntz, in
an address at the Methodist Ecumenical Conference.
NEHEMIAH'S EXEMPLARY PRAYER.
Nehemiah showed a remarkahlp interne* v?5?>
own country and church. He was a high official
in a foreign court, "the king's cupbearer.
young, noble, gifted, energetic and of great executive
abilities, his prospects for political preferment
were brilliant. Yet all those qualities
were dominated by a pious zeal that could not
be quenched by many honors and responsibilities
When visitors came from Judea, he solicitously
"asked them concerning the Jews and Jerusalem."
Let us pray that all our influential men
may take a deep interest in the highest welfare of
church and state, may be animated by christian
patriotism. What a great movement grew out of
the zeal of this our pious statesman!
The news was disheartening. It was thirteen
years since Ezra's revival; the Jews were again
depressed; the broken walls and burned gates
were still unrepaired; they were in sore need of
human leadership and divine help.
This "great affliction and reDroach" of his
people Nehemiah made his own. He "sat down
and wept and mourned for days and fasted and
prayed before God" and what a prayer! Among
all the model prayers recorded in the Bible it is
one of the most instructive.
It was pervaded by a spirit of reverence and
godly fear." "I beseech thee, O Lord, God of
heaven, the great and terrible God."
But it was also inspired by hopeful trust in the
God "that keepeth covenant and mercy for them,
that love him and observe his commandments.
There was clear apprehension of covenant faithfulness,
but also recognition of the conditions of
its exercise.
There was intense earnestness, born of great
grief, great desire and great faith. "I beseech
thee?beseech thee?beseech thee."
witn unwearied persistence, "day and night,"
for four months, he '4 prayed with all prayer and
supplication and watched thereunto with all perserverance."
"All prayer" means all kinds of
prayer, and here we have both protracted and
ejaculatory. In the instant between the King's
question and his answer. (2:4), Nehemiah
winged a petition heavenward. He was in constant
prayer-touch with God.
In humble confession he identified himself
with his unworthy people. ""We have sinned
against thee: both I and my father's house have
sinned: we have dealt corruptly, and have not
kept thy commandments." Do we realize our
responsibility for our Church's conditionf
He pleads Qod's covenant promisess "Rer
member thy word. If ye transgress, I will scatter
you; but if ye return unto me, I will gather
you." 2 Chron. 7:14.
He pleads our covenant relations; "These are
thy people, whom thou hast redeemed. Be attentive
to the prayer of thy servants, who desire to
fear thy name."
His petition is definite and practical. Prosper
UTS (1157) 5
thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the
sight of this man." The best way to reach men
is through God. This prayer was followed up by
personal effort. "If it please the King, send me
unto the city that I may build it." He took
practical steps to secure his answer, steps, too,
that involved great personal sacrifice.
It was a prevailing prayer with man and God.
"The King granted me, according to the good
nana of my Uod upon me."
Graham, N. C.
THE WORTH-WHILE LIFE.
BY WILLIAM BARNES LOWER, D .D.
The two great principles which should govern
every young life are willingness to learn
and uprightness in walking. The life that is
worth living is worth living right. The grand
aim to-day is to get rich speedily. The practical
theory is that all business is honorable in
proportion to its revenues; but never was a
theory more false. All honest business is
equally honorable. The young person should
engage in no work which would invoke a violation
of PnllDfinn/in
Do not choose unprincipled, immoral, irreligious
companions." We are influenced and
molded often by our companions. Try every
day to meet and talk with a superior. Spend
some time each day in companionship with
good people, intelligent people, religious people.
Beware of the young person of fashion.
Beware of the skeptical young person. Beware
of the young person of practical immorality,
the Sabbath-breaker, the profane swearer,
the one who has no reputation for purity.
Look for that beardless, self-conceited fellow
who talks about the scientific skepticism
of to-day and could not explain the terms
should you trap him; who pretends to rationalism
and doubts about God's Book and the
cross of Christ; who scoffs at the church and
all things religious?we predict for such a one
a career of failure.
Our life is dependent on industry. It is good
for a man that he should have to labor. Dili
gence applies alike to the business of life
and the concerns of the soul. The law holds
good in common things. The necessity of labor
has become a blessing to man. "If you do not
wait on your business, your business will not
wait on you." To gain in godliness one must
put his soul into the business. When all is
said, the man who is rich in faith and holiness
is the richest man.
The man who sleeps in harvest would be
counted a fool. No less a fool is he who does
not grasp his opportunities and improve his
chances in youth. Youth is the time to buy up
the opportunity, to redeem the time. When
God opens a door he means that we should
go through it. There is a time to wait and a
time to act.
A Scotchman once closed an ordination of a
young preacher with these words: "In conclusion,
you ha' need o' three things, ray young
brother. You ha' need o' Bible, you will ha'
to study for that; and you ha' need o' common
sense, and if you ha' no got that will ha' to go
back to where you came from; and one thing
more, my young brother, wen it rains just let
it rain."
DANIEL'S PRAYER AND THE DEN OP
LIONS.
(Continued from paire 3.1
swer prayer. If Daniel had ceased from praying
when the decree of Darius was made,who knows
whether the attention of Cyrus would ever have
been directed to the prophecy of Isaiah, and
whether the decree for the rebuilding of the Temple
would have been issued!
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