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WOODS SKETCHES
Sy Margaret Seberly Upshalv.
FOR THE NEW YEAR.
A little more sweet and a little less
sour,
A little less weed and a little more
flower,
A little more song and a little less
sigh,
A little less earth and a little more
sky!
Hurrah for 1910! May it be as good
to us as 1909. I didn’t get my New
Year resolutions made, in fact, I was
so overwhelmed with demands during
the closing week of the good year
1909 that I barely had time to stop
long enough to blow it a kiss and
wave a fleeting good-bye. I didn’t
even have time to “count my bless
ings’’ ere the old year tipped out into
the fadeless night. But I am not un
mindful of them, all of them, each of
them, and naturally enough, I am par
ticularly “mindful” of the “GREAT
EST” of them, namely, His Most Wor
shipful Sir, the Editor.
Although I may not be able to keep
them all, I think the following set of
“Post Annum” resolutions might be an
inspiration—certainly an opportunity
for noble striving in the coming year:
Lord, I have tried to do my best.
I have worked and I have waited.
I have kept myself free from selfish
ness.
I have striven with all my might to
deserve esteem.
I have put forth a hand to help
wherever I might.
I have not asked for favors.
I have endeavored to be honest.
I have had the wish to be good, to
be- clean, to be- just. —=
My ambition has been that I might
be useful to the world.
I have hoped to make myself worth
THE BEGINNING OF THE GALILE
AN MINISTRY.
January 16, 1910. Matt. 4:12-25.
Time: 28 A. D.
Place: Capernaum and all Galilee.
Golden Text: “The people which sat
in darkness saw great light.” Matt.
4:16.
SUGGESTIVE THOUGHTS.
What should I do?
First. See how prophecy is fulfilled.
(Vs. 12 to 16.) Our Lord came and
dwelt in Capernaum and thus the
words spoken by the prophet Isaiah
nearly 700 years before His birth were
fulfilled. (Isa 9:1-2. One of the in
fallible proofs of the inspiration of the
Bible is the minute fulfillments of
prophecy. As foretold by the prophet,
the whole district of Galilee was held
in contempt by the other Jews. It
was in this most needy region that
Jesus went to exercise His ministry
when John was arrested. We should
follow this example of our Lord and
take the gospel to the regions and peo
ple that need it most.
Repent ye. (V. 17.) When
the light\came Jesus began to preach,
saying, “fte.pent ye, for the Kingdom
of Heaven is at hand.” (See also Acts
17:30.) John began his preaching with
the same message. (Matt. 3:2.) We
need more of this kind of preaching.
Men need to be made conscious of sin
and of the necessity for its abandon
ment. The Kingdom of Heaven was
at hand because the King himself was
in their midst. They must repent and
put away the deeds of sin and dark
ness before they can receive their
King. So now, men must repent
put away their evil doings, to rece..
while.
I have been patient.
I have worked in the shadows un
observed and seen others singled out
for honors.
I have kept from hating them.
I have tried to believe they were
more deserving than I.
With all my might, with all my
heart, with all my soul, I have done
my best.
But the world has not cared.
My rewards have been few and
small.
I remain unnoticed and unknown.
It must be that I lack somewhere,
somehow.
I have tried to be a friend to the
world, and my friends are few.
It can not be the fault of the world.
I have had my chance.
If I had possessed the genius to be
what I have wished to be the world
would have recognized my worth.
Therefore I acknowledge that the
world is not to blame because I have
failed.
This, then, is my prayer.
Lord, give me courage to hope on,
to strive on.
To bear my disappointments with
out complaining.
To still have faith in myself.
THE REMAINS.
A colored man died without medical
attendance and the coroner went to
investigate.
“Did Samuel Williams live here?”
he asked the weeping woman who
opened the door.
“Yassuh,” she replied between sobs.
”1 want to see the remains.”
. “I is de remains,” she answered
proudly.—Everybody’s Magazine.
SUNDA Y SCHOOL LESSON
By B. Lacy Hoge.
Jesus.
Third. Send the Light. (V. 16.)
There are many parts of the world
that need light as much as those who
dwelt in Capernaum and we are com
manded to send them the Light. Jesus;
is the Light. (John 1:4.) He is the
great need of the world. It is not the
light of science, nor the light of edu
cation the world needs, but Jesus the
true Light. (John 1:9.) In Him is
no darkness. (1 John 1:5). When we
walk with Him we walk in the Light.
(1 John 1:6), (John 8:12), (John 9:5),
(John 12:35-46.) Some of the results
of the shining of this Light will be:
1. The revelation of all sin and un
godliness.
2. The revelation of the way to pass
out of darkness into the heavenly
Kingdom.
3. The fleeing of some from the
Light. (John 3:19-20.)
4. Some becoming followers of Him;
who is the Light.
5. The calling of some obedient ones
into closer fellowship with Himself for
the carrying out of His work.
To walk in the light we must send
the light to those in darkness. When
Jesus was here on the earth He went
to those who sat in darkness and when
He dwells in our hearts in all His full
ness we, too, will go or send the light
to those in darkness. Jesus seeks
those in need. (Matt. 9:12-13.) We
must not shun hard places, but go
where there is need, no matter how
hard and difficult the place and work.
Go where sin has produced its great
est abundance of fruit, the places
that hath most need of Christ and His
The Golden Age for January 6, 1910.
TWENTY-THREE FOR THE BIRD.
A Devonshire man sent his club, on
about Christmas, a fine large swan in
a hamper. The hamper was address
ed to the secretary, who notified the
club members of the treat that was
in store, and a special swan dinner
was arranged for the 23d, says the
New York Times.
The swan came on, at this dinner,
looking magnificent—erect and state
ly on a great silver gilt salver. But
tough! it was so tough you couldn’t
carve the gravy.
A few days later the sender of the
swan dropped in at the club.
“Got my swan all right, I hope?” he
said to the secretary.
“Yes, and a nice trick you played
us.”
“Trick? What do you mean?”
“Why? we boiled that swan for 16
hours, and when it came on the table
it was tougher than a block of gran
ite.”
“Good gracious! Did you have my
swan cooked?”
“Yes, of course.”
The other was in despair.
“Why, that bird was historic,” he
groaned. “I sent him up to be stuff
ed and preserved. He had been in my
family for 200 years. He had eaten
out of the hand of King Charles I.”
ONE DEFINITION.
The teacher was giving a geograph
ical lesson, and the class, having trav
eled from London to Labrador, and
from Thessaly to Timbuctoo, was
thoroughly worn out. “And now,” said
the teacher, “we come to Germany,
that important country governed by
the Kaiser?”
“Yes’m,” yawned Tommy Jones, “a
Fourth. Follow Jesus. (Vs. 18:22.)
To be a true follower of Jesus we
must,
1. Surrender our will to Him even as
He gave up His will to do His Fa
ther’s will. (Heb. 10:7), (John 5:30),
(John 6:38.)
2. We must forsake all for Him, even
as He gave up all for us. (Matt. 16:24-
25), (Luke 14:33), (Matt. 10:37-39),
(Phil. 3:8), (2 Cor. 8:9.) It will pay
to forsake all for Jesus. (Matt. 19:27-
29), (John 12:25-26.) Jesus humbled
Himself and the Father exalted Him.
(Phil. 2:5-9.) If we will humble our
selves God will exalt us. (Matt. 23:
12), (Matt. 18:4), (Ist Peter 5:6),
(James 4:10.)
Fifth. Fish for Men. (V. 19.) These
disciples were called to continue their
old business, only they were hence
forth to fish for men. Instead of catch
ing fish to kill, they were to catch
men to make them live. Instead of
feeding on the fish they caught, they
were to feed the men they caught for
Jesus. (John 21:15-17.) We are call
ed to fish for men and all followers of
Jesus fish for men. It pays to win
souls. (Dan. 12:3.) To make good
fishermen and catch men, we must —
1. Be wise. (Prov. 11:30.) To be
a successful soul winner we must
study the Word of God. (2 Tim. 2:15),
and study men and plan to reach and
win them. (1 Cor. 9:19-23), (2 Cor.
12:16.)
2. Watch for opportunities. (Eph.
5:16, R. V. Margin.)
3. Sacrifice self. (Mark 15:31.) We
can not spare ourselves and save oth
ers. We must sacrifice self and selfish
interests to take advantage of the op-
stream o’ water springin’ up an’ dis
turbin’ the earth.” —The Skit.
“Little boy,” asked the well-mean
ing reformer, “is that your mamma
over yonder with the beautiful set of
furs?”
“Yes, sir,” answers the bright lad.
“Well, do you know what poor ani
mal it is that has had to suffer in or
der that your mamma might have the
furs with which she adorns herself so
proudly?”
“Yes, sir. My papa.”—Chicago Eve
ning Post.
“Some adjectives,” said the teacher,
“are made from nouns, such as dan
gerous, meaning full of danger; and
hazardous, full of hazard. Can any
boy give me another example?” “Yes,
sir,” replied the fat boy at the end of
the form, “pious, full of pie.”
NOT YET.
A Missouri clergyman had in his
pastoral flock a member who was re
luctant about meeting the contribu
tion basket, says Lippincott’s. The
pastor had thrown out many broad
hints, but all to no avail.
One day the member fell ill and
was taken to the Ensworth Hospital.
When the clergyman arrived the man
was delirious. While the pastor was
sitting beside his bed a wild yell of
“Fire! Fire!” came from across the
street.
The sick man drew himself up on
his elbows: “Where —where am I?” he
asked excitedly. '
“Calm yourself, brother,”—soothed
the pastor, with just the faintest twin
kle in his eye. “You are still at the
Ensworth Hospital.”
portunities we have to lead men to
Christ. We, like Paul, must spend and
be spent. (2 Cor. 12:15.)
4. Put good bait on hook. We can
not fish with a naked hook. The hook
must be baited with the kind of bait
that suits the fish we are after.
So in fishing for men we must use
the methods and arguments that are
best suited to reach the men we are
after. Study the example of Jesus on
this point and you will find that His
method of catching men was as va
rious as the people He met and dwelt
with.
Sixth. Bring those in need to Jesus.
(Vs. 23-25.) Jesus went about all Gal
ilee teaching, preaching and healing.
These three things characterized His
whole earthly ministry. “He is just
the same today.” (Heb. 13:8.) He
taught the people then. He commands
His followers to continue to teach the
people all things now. (Matt. 28:20.)
He preached “the Gospel of the King
dom.” He bids us preach the Gospel
to all. (Mark 11:15.) He healed the
sick. He is still the great Physician
that will heal the body as well as save
the soul. (Mark 16:18), Rom. 8:11),
James 5:14-15.) The method of heal
ing by Jesus was altogether different
from Christian Science. There were
no treatments and charges for His
healing. There was nothing akin to
hypnotism or other forms of demon
ism in His healing. All forms of dis
eases were healed at His word. He
bid disease depart and health return
and both obeyed His word. (Matt. 8:8-
9.) The disciples healed all manner
of diseases. (Acts 3:1-8), (Acts 4:29-
(Continued on Page 16.)
