June 1929
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proud, almost every such man has based his life work largely upon the teachings of the Bible. I plead for a closer and wider and deeper study of the Bible, so that our people may be in fact as well as in theory “doers of the word and not hearers only.”— Theodore . Roosevelt. The seed is a thought. A thought is alive. We become what we think. Our thoughts tend to clothe themselves in action. The seed becomes a plant, strong if our thought and love are strong, weak if they are weak. The seed is a person’s dominant passion. Garibaldi’s passion was to unite Italy; that was his ideal. Wash ington’s was to liberate America. Lin coln’s was to preserve the Union and to free the slaves. Moody’s was to save souls. Paul’s was to preach Christ. What is ours ?-— C. E. World. Ours is a Christian republic. It ought not to be necessary to adduce proof of a fact which has been recognized from the beginning of our history until now. The forefathers who founded our institutions were most of them committed to the Christian faith. The laws of our country and its jurisprudence are based upon the Scriptures as the Word of God. Our na tional and state legislatures are opened with prayer to the Christian’s God. We use the Christian calendar. Furthermore, it has been declared over and over again that we are a Christian nation. And it has been so determined by our Supreme Courts. This should make an end of con troversy for loyal citizens. How can that be regarded as an open question which has been so definitely sealed by the logic of events and by formal adjudication? To deny it is impossible to any loyal citizen, because such- a denial would be a blow aimed at the vital sanctions of our na tional life.— Rev. David James Burrell, D.D. “He loves his country, but he loves still more the kingdom of God. He cares too much for his country to uphold her in any wrong. He does not reserve his pa triotism until he has a chance to die for his country; he lives for her. He does not urge the selection of the best men for candidates, and then refuse ;tpj¡serve when called upon, though at the !cost of time and money and inclination. He does not vote for bad men, and then plead that he did not know they were bad. He takes time to investigate the character of can didates.” How wide a Christian are you? As wide as your home ? That is noble. As wide as your town? That is still better. As wide as your state? That is fine. As wide as your nation? How few Christians reach as far as that! But nations are made up of separate citizens. They are not formed in any other way, though men sometimes act as if they thought that na tions had an existence quite apart from men. No one has a right to expect his na tion to be any better than his own deeds as a citizen would warrant.— C, E. World. Not long ago an intelligent Turk raised this question in the Turkish parliament: “Why is there always prosperity in Amer ica? Here we have wars and famines, conspiracies and revolutions. They have none of these things over there; why not?” None could answer. A Japanese visitor to this country several years be fore this question was asked, answered it in these words: “I am no Christian. I do not believe in your Bible nor in your re ligion. I am what you call a heathen. Yet
of his Master’s cause. Death under such circumstances is victory of the highest type.” Dr. Clifford, of London, tells of an English college which was visited by a minister seeking volunteers for a mission field in India. He assured the young men that the work was not difficult, that they would live in a pleasant society, have good homes, and enjoy the services of plenty of servants! Nobody offered to go. But a little while later another mission worker came to the same school seeking men to go out to the Congo. The places that he wanted to fill were vacancies left in the force by death, and the recruiting officer said bluntly to the students: “It will most likely mean death to you, too.” Immediately six men offered themselves for the service. —Herald and Presbyter. S t ir M e , L ord 1 Stir me, oh 1stir me, Lord, I care not how, But stir my heart in passion for the world 1 Stir me to give, to go—but most to pray: Stir, till the blood red banner be unfurled O’er lands that still in deepest darkness lie,. O’er deserts where no cross is lifted high. Stir me, oh 1 stir me, Lord. Thy heart was stirred By love’s intensest fire, till Thou didst give Thine only Son, Thy best beloved One, Even to the dreadful cross, that I might live; Stir me to give myself so back to Thee, That Thou canst give Thyself again through me. — o — July 7, 1929 What Has Made Our Nation What I t is? , Deut. 8:1-14, 17, 18 D a il y R ea d in g s July 1. Men with Ideals. 1 Sam. 12 :l-5. July 2. Fruitful Land. Exod. 3 :8, 17. July 3. Justice. Prov. 14:34. July 4. Welcome to Strangers. Exod. 22: 21-23. Above the flags of all nations, Our beautiful banner floats high; Its stars like the stars of heaven, And its blue as blue as the sky. Long may it wave in its beauty, The symbol of Freedom and Right; Not a star be lost from its azure, Not a blot stain its spotless white. . Every thinking man realizes what many forget, that the teachings of the Bible are so interwoven and entwined with our whole civic and social life that it would be literally—I do not mean figuratively, I mean literally—impossible for us to figure to ourselves what that life would be if these teachings were removed. Almost every man who has by his life work added to the sum of human achievement of which the race is proud, of which our people are July 5. The Bible. Josh. 1 :8. July 6. Law. Rom. 13 :1-8. — o— C h o ic e N uggets
June 28. Peter. Acts 5:29. June 29. Paul. 2 Cor. 11:21-33.
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C h o ic e N uggets Lord, let me be the torch that springs to light And lives its life in one exultant flame, A blaze of living fire against the night, Although it drop to darkness without fame. For I have watched the smoldering, luke warm soul, _ Choked in the ashes that itself hath made, . Despised the grudging measures of its dole, ' . 1 And turned from it bewildered and afraid. Light me with light of love, this my desire, With light of love I pray! Then let me burn My little moment in pulsating fire, j And so perform my mission in my turn. Let me be light-house for some rock or reef, . Shining afar to light a soul s return, That it be saved from shipwreck, loss, and grief: . Make me thy torch, O Lord, to brightly burn! Never was there a time, in the history of the world, when moral heroes were more needed. The world waits for such, the providence of God has commanded science to labor and prepare the way for such. For them she is laying her iron tracks, and stretching her wires, and bridging the oceans. But where are they? Who shall breathe into our civil and po litical relations the breath of a higher life? Who shall touch the eyes of a pa ganized science, and of a pantheistic philosophy, that they may see God? Who shall consecrate to the glory of God the triumphs of science? Who shall bear the life-boat to the stranded and perishing nations ?—Mark Hopkins. “Moffat, looking into the eyes of a savage who threatened his life, calmy said, ‘We are resolved to abide by our post . . . . You may shed our blood or burn us out . . . . Then shall they who sent us know that we are persecuted in deed.’ Mrs. Moffat stood by with her babe in her arms. Moffat threw open his waist coat and said, ‘Now, then, if you will, drive your spears to my heart.’ The Lord again heard prayer. The chief was con founded. He shook his head significantly, and said to his followers, ‘These men must have ten lives when they are so fearless of death. There must be some thing in immortality.” ’ “Carved over the entrance of a certain fort on Europe’s battlefield, are the words: ‘Die under the ruins of this fort rather than surrender.’ These very words thrill one when reading them. No doubt they have served to steel the heart of many a soldier in defending his country. But there is another warfare in which the spirit of these words is to be observed just as loyally. When the Christian is con tending in life’s battle for principle he first puts on the necessary spiritual armor, and having done this, it is his duty to ‘stand’ until struck down in the defense
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