THE K I N G ’ S BUS I NE S S battle to fortify their courage and make them insensible to danger. Experience has shown, however, that it actually lowers the morale of an army. In every action and crisis which calls for intel ligent initiative and dogged endurance, a sober man is worth more than a drunken man. Liquor may spur the faculties to a temporary and unnatural activity, but there is a certain reaction which more than counter balances the apparent gain. Moreover, wounds re ceived in action are more likely to be sepious if not fatal when the powers of resistance are lessened and lowered by artificial stimulants. Victories are more likely to be gained by moral rather than by material incentives. An army of thirty-two thousand by various sifting measures was reduced to a company of three hundred. God selected from the ten thousand who were not afraid, a mere handful who would not indulge themselves unduly in the presence of the enemy. Vs. 5. The character of the instrument does Sot explain the magnitude of the achievement. God is the real worker, and when God works the weak things of the world are able to bring to naught the mighty things. He chose a dozen poor, ignorant men, some of them fish ermen and tax collectors, and when these insignificant and unlettered men turned the world upside down, every one could see that the work was not theirs. Christ started with a multi tude of followers and admirers. They pressed upon Him and thronged Him. He knew that they were good for noth ing in view « f His purpose. They were worthless for conflict and sacrifice. He was constantly sifting them, until He had a little handful of men on whom He could depend. Matt. 8:18-22, Luke 9:57-62. THURSDAY, Sept. 16. Judges 7:1-7. Temperance and Patriotism.
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FRIDAY,-Sept. 17. Ezek. 8:1-12. The Tuner Life. In every man there is an inner and an outer life which may or may not correspond. It is possible to fear the Lord and serve other gods at the same time. 2 Kings 18i33. They paid out ward respect to Jehovah, while their heart allegiance was given to other gods. The Pharisees were rebuked by Jesus because they were one thing in public and another thing in private. They had a reputation for piety, but their inward character did not corre spond. It is the inner life that counts and furnishes the true index of the man. It does not matter so much what we do in public. We are obliged' to conform to the conventionalities of social life. We are more or less arti ficial 1 and constrained. It matters very much what we do in private. When a man is alone and in the dark, the chamber walls of imagery reveal his essential self. This is why' the Bible says that God looketh not upon the out ward appearance, but upon the heart. Out of the heart are the issues of life. SATURDAY,-Sept. 18. 1 Cor. 9:24-27. The Reward of Temperance. Paul compares the Christian life to a race. If discipline and self-denial are necessary to enable an athlete to win a race, they are necessary to a Christian also. If it is worth while for an athlete to sweat and toil and strain to win a wreath of fading laurel, it is surely worth while for a Christian to cheerfully endure all hardships for the sake of an incorruptible crown. It is sometimes said that we should not think of rewards in the Christian life, since it makes salvation a sort of sancti fied selfishness. This savors some what of cant. The Christian doctrine of rewards is simply a statement of the inherent reasonableness of Christian ity. A man is bound to make the best of his life. Why should he enter upon
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