412
T H E K I N G ’S B U S I N E S S
W hat God does we know not now but we shall know hereafter. The misuse of God’s gifts brings its punishm ent both here and h ereafter. F o r those who have shown the capacity to use God’s gifts arigh t, th e re will be splen did opportunities in ano th er life. It came about th a t H annah’s trials had th e happy effect of sending h er to God. Blessed fru it of affliction. God closes up the way to eyery broken cis tern, one afte r another, th a t He may induce you, baffled everywhere else, to tak e th e way to th e fountain o f liv ing waters. Behold Hannah overwhelmed w ith distress in th e temple of th e Lord. She asked God for a man child b u t not merely to g ratify h er personal wish. She felt it was His glory and not her personal feelings th a t she was called dhiefly to respect. If God would give her th e child, he would be dedicated to His service. “The woman went her way and did eat, and her countenance was no more sad.” The answer to her prayer was prompt, clear, explicit. The name “Samuel” given by H an nah to her son, in its literal import does not mean “ asked of the Lord” but “ heard of the Lord.” The name was designed to be a perpetual mem o rial of th e circumstances of his birth. The very existence of the child was a perpetual w itness to th e tru th th a t God exists and th a t He is a prayer-hearing A GET-TOGETHER We were delighted to have a recent le tte r from our good friend, Canon Howitt, Rector of St. Thomas Church (Anglican) of St. C atherine’s, Ontario, Canada, telling of th e very successful Week of P rayer services held th ere un der th e auspices of the M inisterial As sociation. Canon How itt says: "A sm all comm ittee co n sistin g of a M ethodist, a B ap tist, a P re sb y te ria n and an A nglican (m yself) w ere appointed, and a t th e first m eetin g it w as su g g ested th a t we select su b jects alo n g orthodox and fu n d am en tal lines. The sp e a k ers chosen w ere only too h a p p y 'to sp eak on th e su b jects chosen, w hich w ere as follow s: The Bible, th e W ord of God. The D eity of C hrist. The V irgin B irth. The A tonem ent. “St. C ath erin e’s is a tow n of some 20,000 in h a b ita n ts w ith a su b u rb an population of ab o u t as m any m ore, w ith fo u r M eth
God. The very name of this child is a rebuke to those paren ts who never th ink of God in connection w ith th eir children. “Lo, children are th e h erit age of th e Lord, and the fru it of the womb is His rew ard.” W hat a blessed th ing when th e grace and blessing of God are sought by parents for th rir children, when all the earnest les sons of childhdod are directed to th is end, and before childhood has passed into youth, th e grace of God rules the young h eart and th e holy purpose is formed . to live in His fear through Jesus Christ, and honor Him forever more. Samuel was one of those who are sanctified from infancy. He took kindly to the duties of th e sanctuary from the first. There were no wayward impulses to subdue, no hankerings afte r worldly freedom, no necessity fo r coercive measures. From- th e first he looked w ith solemn awe and holy in terest on all th a t related to th e wor ship .of God, th a t to him was th e duty above all other duties, th e privilege above all other privileges. God, to him, was not a mere idea, an "abstrac tion, representing merely th e dogmas and services of religion. God was a reality, a Personality, a Being who dealt very closely w ith men and w ith whom they were called to deal very closely too.—W. G. B laikie, D. D., in Expositor’s Bible. odist, fo u r P resb y terian , one B a p tist and six A nglican clergym en, and I am sure a n y one •of them would have d e alt w ith th ese su b jects in th e sam e way. The s e r vices w ere la rg e ly attended, and we had also th e k in d ly an d sym p ath etic a s s is t ance of our local new spaper, th e editor of w hich is a good churchm an and genuinely in te re ste d in th e sp iritu a l w elfare of the city. “P e rh a p s you w ould lik e to pass th is b it of new s on to o th ers th a t th ey m ay be encouraged as we have been.” We surely are glad to “pass it on” and th ank God for th e pastors of St. C atherine’s, of whom Canon How itt is such a splendid representative. We m WARM TJP Don’t w ait un til th e iron ’s hot, But make it hot by muscle; Don’t w ait for wealth your fa th e r’s got Rut tak e off your coat and hustle.
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online