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THE KING’S BUSINESS ILLUSTRATIVE AND OTHERWISE
E arth ly an d H eavenly T re a su re (M a tth ew 6 :1 9 )
T h reefo ld P u rp o se of P re a ch in g Prove, i.e. appeal to the reason. Paint, i.e. appeal to the imagination. Persuade, i.e. appeal to the affections. —Dr. Guthrie. C u re fo r L oneliness A poor woman living alone in the middle of a dense forest, in a small cottage, was once asked if she did not feel the loneli ness very much. “Oh, no!” was the reply, “for Faith closes the door every night, and Mercy opens it every .morning.” D o u b t an d U nbelief Christ never failed to distinguish, between doubt and unbelief. Doubt is "can’t believe;” unbelief is “won’t believe.’’ Doubt is honesty; unbelief is obstinacy. Doubt is looking for the light; but unbelief is content with darkness. W h at Is C h a ra c te r? The original word for character signi fies; “I engrave on the marble.” Character is what we are; not what we do, nor what we say; that is profession. Character1 is what we a re; not what we seem—that is appearance; not what people think we are— that is reputation. “Therefore, O Lord, L will not fail, nor ' falter, Nay, but I ask it, nay, but I desire, Lay on my lips Thine embers of the altar, Beal with the sting and furnish with the fire. , Quick, in a moment, infinité for ever, Send an arousal better than I pray, Give me Thy grace upon my faint endeavor, Soûls for my hire and Pentecost today.”
The treasures of earth are evanescent. The lawful possession of earthly treasures is no sin. Lay up treasures in heaven, because its bank is strong in its inde pendence. The omniscience of the Banker is the very best security, .because this bank can never be broken into. It is the only bank that <^in keep you at death. You can not well trade with English money in France; you must change it into French money. No earthly bank can change coin to ferry you across Jordan. Bank not with evil any longer. The religion of Mohammed admits of no progress. Progress implies change, and to change concedes the incomplete. The result is that the Moslem faith remains the same through all the centuries. Not only this, but all that it touches becomes as conserva tive as itself. War is where it was in 'the days of the Prophet. The awful massacres now going on in Turkey are only old times brought down to the present. And yet there are those who place Jesus and Mohammed in the same class. C o n ten tm en t a n d C ovetousness Contentment turns want into wealth. Covetousness is a canker, which eats into the richest robes and thè most costly treas ures.: Contentment is the philosopher’s stone, which turns all it toucheth into gold. The poor man is rich with it, and the rich man is- poor without it. He has most who coveteh least. He that knows not, and knows not that he knows not, is a fool—shun him. He that knows not, and knows that he knows not, is. simple—teach him. He that knows, and knows not that he knows, is asleep —i wake him. He that knows, and knows that he knows, is wiser^follow him.—Arabian Proverb.
S teps in A c h a n ’s Sin (Jo sh u a 7 ) I saw! Brings discontent. . I coveted 1 Brings uneasiness. I took! Brings disaster. I hid 1 Brings discovery. I 3rd punished) Brings death.
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