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leader w orthy of th e name. The people h ad forgotten God and were living in wickedness and sin. God wanted a man who would bring th e people back to' Him, th e tru e Leader. Now listen to these wonderful words which form our memory verse for today: “Here am I; send me.” Isaiah did not w ait to see if some one else would volunteer, bu t he answered a t once. He was ready when God called. How I shall enjoy meeting Isaiah up in heaven and have him tell about th e call to service, and how he answered so promptly. Are we doing w hat God wants us to 'd o rig h t now? He does not w ant us to w ait un til tomorrow , bu t do it today. (Good lesson for decision.) Closing P ray er. jÿifc ¿it. É è m QUICK AND POWERFUL There is a profound significance in th e inspired description of th e Word of God as “a discerner of th e though ts and in ten ts of th e h ea rt.” The Bible is like a beautiful flower which expands, deepens th e richness of its colour, and pours fo rth its frag rance in th e sunshine of faith and tru st; bu t which closes its petals and shrinks when exposed to the cold blast of scepticism and irreverence. Under th e dissecting knife of rationalism its essential life perishes, so far as th e dis sectors are concerned, and nothing but m aterial remains. It is doubtless very valuable m aterial, bu t the sp irit has departed. “The Word bf th e Lord is quick” — “ a living th ing ”— delicately sensi tive, as a th ing w ith life, shu tting Up and concealing its spiritual force and Divine fragrance when it is roughly handled by impious men, and yet work ing m iracles of transform ation m the h earts and lives of those who receive it in th e rig h t sp irit; it is - ‘^powerful’’’ as no hum an production could ever be. —rBenj. I. Greenwood.
obeyed she would have been ready. Lesson Story.— I am afraid some of us too do not always obey promptly, and afte r mother calls us to come in from play, we keep her waiting. Now if you are to be a good soldier, th a t is th e first thing you must learn; to obey and to obey a t once. We have a story about a man who was w illing to obey God, and to obey at once. T h at is the only kind of people th a t God can use. God’s people had been ruled over by King Uzziah, who was only 16 years old when he became king. At first he did th a t which was rig h t in the sight of God, and as long as he did rig h t th e Lord prospered him. He owned great herds of cattle. He loved to sow grain and plant vineyards, and he hired many men to work for him. King Uzziah had a g reat army, and God helped h im in fighting against th e enemies of His peo-i pie. All the nations heard of him, for he became very g reat and strong. But he grew »proud and disobeyed G od . by going into th e temple and burning in cense, which only th e priests could do. When th e priests told the king of his sin, he became very angry, and sud denly leprosy came on his forehead, and he lived th e re st of his days in a house by himself un til he died. Isaiah was th e name of th e prophet of God at this time, and he though t very deeply of what an evil thing pride is, and as he was in th e temple one day, he saw a vision of God on His throne, so glori ous and so m ighty and so holy, w ith g reat angels singing His praises. God was th e great King of kings, who never will die. A fter such a vision Isaiah felt unfit to stand there, b u t then an angel flew and touched his lips w ith a bu rn ing coal from th e temple altar, which did not bu rn him , bu t cleansed him from sin. Then God called to know who would go as a messenger for Him. Isaiah knew it was a hard task. God was calling for volunteers. The nation had lost its king, and was w ithout a
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