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PINEY WOODS SKETCHES
Wanted: A Ten-Cent Mule
He must be sound, and strong, and
sturdy, and sensible, and sweet-spirit
ed! He must, in fact, be a reincar
nation of the notable beast of Balaam.
Because he’s to be a missionary mule!
Pardon me, did I hear somebody
saying: “Poor thing, she’s lost her
mind?” Not a bit of it, thank you; 1
never felt better nor had less. But 1
mean business, and like Unce Remus’
rabbit that climbed the tree, “I’m
jest erbleeged to have that mule.”
Now, I wish you would just look at
the antics all those men are cutting
up, (tehy have no curiosity, I’ve heard
them say), but if I were a “betting
man,” I’d wager four dollars to a red
apple that every last one of them who
started to read this article, have al
ready begun at the bottom of the
story, reading up, to find out “how it
all turned out.”
Put your finger right here, on this
line, please, brethren, and read down.
You will get the “gism” of the matter
a lot quicker. And I’ll give you an
other tip that may stand you in good
stead when dealing with the subject
in hand—namely Mules. It is always
wiser and safer to handle them in the
orthodox way; beginning at the head
ing and reading down. You may find
the tale “fur to the end,” but you will
find a comfortable absence of “dashes
and exclamations.”
This applies, likewise, to Missionary
Mules. And thereby, also, hangs a
tale.
Everybody ready? All right, lam
going to tell you about it right here,
honest Injun!
Oh, forgive me! I was about to for
get the ‘mainest thing!’ And that is
the collection. Who ever heard of a
missionary story without a collection?
Why, the idea is preposterous and 1
know you would have ousted me on
the spot for being an imposter. At
tention! All hands down! Into pock
ets! Out! One dime only! Sign here,
please:
EZRA’S JOURNEY TO JERUSALEM.
Nov. 19, 1911.
Time —457 B. C.
Ezra. 8-21 to 32.
Place —The River of Sharon.
THE GOLDEN TEXT—“The hand
of our God is upon all them for good
that seek him.” Ezra 8-22.
SUGGESTIVE THOUGHTS.
What should I do?
I. Look to God for Protection. Vs
21 to 23.
Ezra had told the king that God was
for His people and against their ene
mies, therefore he was ashamed to
ask the king for protection. We ought
to be ashamed not to trust God and
look to Him for protection and for all
we need. He has promised to supply
all ou rneels. (Phil. 4-19.) He is able
to do what He has promised and will
do so, if we trust Him.
11. Show What Great Things God
Can Do. Vs. 21 to 23.
Faith without works is dead. A
dead faith will not benefit us or oth
ers. We should show our faith in
God by our works, both for our own
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
By MARGARET BEVERLY UPSHAW
FOR MISSIONARY MULE.
i i, I
j of- I
i hereby will and bequeath one |
? dime (or ten cents) to be ap- ?
i plied on the purchase price of •
? the above mentioned ?
ANIMULE. ?
| May he live long and prosper! ’
i I
Thank you. You did that nicely. 1
want just three thousand of the above
coupons returned to me, at once, ac
companied by just one dime.. Will you
not be one of the Master’s Light Bri
gade, who will come to his brother’s
timely aid, living the law of the Gold
en Rule, by helping to buy a needed
mule?
Lest I weary you, I am giving you,
briefly, the end of “my Mule Tale.”
It came to me in a letter, written
in heart-blood and punctuated with
tears. The pent-up longing and solici
tude that is revealed “between the
lines” is more pathetic and maddening
than the suffering of actual, physical
pain.
“I know you will be surprised,” the
letter ran, “and I am afraid annoyed,
when you read this letter, but remem
ber, dear, that it was a woman who
helped discover America.
“I hardly know how to begin, but
trust and pray that God will reveal to
you what I desire, if it is His good
will to let me have it.
“Seventeen years ago my husband
was called to preach God’s Word to
the hungry multitudes. He had almost
no education, had never had a chance,
and he rebelled against the call, say
ing there were so many others, far
more able than himself, that God could
send out. He battled along, refusing
to go for fourteen years, and God took
our eldest son, the pride and joy of
our heart. This boy was born the
year my husband had that Divine call.
By B. LACY HOGE, Charleiton, 8. C
good and for the good of others, that
they may be led to trust in God. We
should prove to the world what great
things our God can do, by trusting
Him, so He can work for us and in
us and with us, to do the great things
promised in His word. The Philistines
said to Delilah “Entice Samson and
find out the secret of his great
strength.” (Judges 16-5.) Samson
was doing things that they could not
understand or explain. Inerefore they
said, "See wherein his great strength
lieth.” The world is not believing the
Church and her message, because they
can explain all the Church does. We
tell of the great things God can do
through us, but fail to do these great
things. If we will trust God, so He
can do with us and for us tne great
things we have told them of, then the
world will not be able to understand
or explain what we do and will seek to
know the secret of our power and be
ready to believe our testimony that
we have a God-given power. It is not
only in great things, but also in little
things that we can show what God
can do. On the street car, in the
The Golden Age For November 9, 1911.
He says God showed him very plainly
that He took our child for his father’s
disobedience.” (Whom the Lord lov
eth he chasteneth, and scourgeth ev
ery son whom he neceiveth.) “After
that revelation he yielded himself to
the will of God and began to preach
about four months after our darling’s
death. He had no money, not much
education, seven children and an af
flicted wife.
“For three years now he has strug
gled along, but it makes my heart
ache to see him working hard six
days in the week to support his fam
ily of little ones, and trying to study
out and prepare a sincere and honest
gospel to give to his little flock on
Sunday. He has one church and not
one of his members own a foot of
land, consequently they can afford to
pay him little more than his railroad
fare.
“I teach the children, help him on
the farm, milk five cows, tend the
chickens, wash, cook and do every
thing I can think of in order to buy
him some books, and let him have a
little time to read them.
“I was beginning to think we had
gotten a little start, when, lo! our
mule died.
“I have long been a reader of The
Golden Age, and in my despair, the
inspiration came to me—perhaps they
can help me! My husband will not
ask the Association to help him as he
feels they already have all the de
mands they can meet. He does not
know that I am writing this, nor nev
er will, unless I get some help.”
Look here folks! It is time to do
something now. Remember how
Christ said: “Inasmuch as ye have
done it unto one of the least of these,
my brethren, ye have done it unto
me.” And He also said: “In my ser
vice there is fullness of joy.” I know
three thousand, out of the ten times
three thousand readers of The Golden
Age, will be willing to take ten cents’
worth of stock in a Missionary Mule.
The investment is bound to give you
street, at our places of business and in
the home we have the opportunity to
show the power of God to keep us
from doing wrong and enabling us to
do right.
111. Practice What You Preach.
Vs. 22.
Ezra had preached to the king that
his God’s hand was upon his people
for good and that His power was
against their enemies. Therefore he
says, “I was ashamed to ask of the
king a band of soldiers and horse
men to help us against the enemy in
the way.” We should be just as care
ful to put into practice that which we
teach. We teach others to have faith
in God, so when the listing time comes
we should prove our faith by our
works.
We teach that God should be obeyed
in all things, therefore we should be
careful to practice obedience in all
things. We should be careful to see
that our Church membership does not
contradict what we believe and preach
that God’s word teaches. If we are
members of a Church that teaches
things we do not believe are taught
back principal and interest, plus “The
Fullness of Joy.”
My dime feels very timid and lone
ly. Won’t you hurry yours along to
keep it company? God bless you, ev
ery one! I believe in my Golden Age
folks. You are true blue, generous
and “judgmatic.”
THANK YOU! Let ’em jingle.
*
Corning, Nov. 3, 1911.
Below please find the conclusion of
my last article on the “Future of the
Baptist Church:”
The Scriptural Church is organized
for the express purpose of winning
souls to Christ. John 15:8: “Herein is
my Father glorified, that ye bear
much fruit; and so shall ye be my dis
ciples.”
Again, John 15:1-2: “I am the true
vine and My Father is the husband
man. Every branch in me that bear
eth not fruit, He taketh away; and
every branch that beareth fruit, He
cleanseth it, that it may bear more
fruit.”
Now, fruit-bearing is the essential
thing, without which the branch is
taken away. The Church must bear
fruit, or it will be taken away. It may
be intellectually correct in all its
teachings, but unless it bring souls to
Christ, so that they are quickened by
the Divine spark, it shall be taken
away.
Jesus said in John 10:10: "I am
come that they may have life, and
may have it abundantly.” Jesus will
not tolerate a dead Church. Too
many so-called Baptist churches to
day are as cold as a stone and never
win a soul to Christ. They need to
sing old Dr. Watt’s hymn, “Kindle a
flame of sacred love in these cold
hearts of ours,” and get on fire. Dead
things decay, but live ones do some
thing and set things to moving. Pos
sibly some one may have been sigh
ing “Can these bones live?” Prophe
sy unto them. Breathe the Spirit of
God upon them. They may stand up
an exceeding great army. S. V. M.
by the Pible, then we are not practic
ing what we preach. Our failure to
practice what we believe and teach
is the truth, as taught by the word of
God, weakens our testimony and keeps
others from obeying God.
IV. Fast and Pray. Vs. 21 and 23
and 31.
By fasting and praying Ezra obtain
ed the presence and help of the Lord.
The godly men and women of the past
obtained God’s help by fasting and
praying. The way for us to get the
favor, guidance and help of God is
by fasting and praying. (2 Chron. 20-
3. Dan. 9-3. Esther 4-16. Luke, 2-37.
Acts 13-5. Acts 14-23.) As God heard
and protected Ezra and his company
and brought them safe to Jerusalem,
so He will protect us and deliver us
and bring us safe to our Jerusalem.
V. Do God’s Work in a Business
Way. Vs. 24 to 30.
Ezra was a man of prayer and also
a level-headed business man. This
combination Is greatly needed in the
Church today. So you start now to
supply this need by being a level
headed business man of prayer,
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