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T HE K I N G ’S B U S I N E S S
up th e service of th e Cross? I t pays poor wages; it makes no worldly prom ises; it-te lls a man th a t he will be buf feted and stigmatized and sneered at. Still th e work gets hold of his h ea rt and it is next to impossible to give it up.— People’s Bible. v. 5. P ressed in spirit. Some texts read, “was constrained by th e word.” He felt him self urged bn by God’s Word. — Camb. Bible. “He was apprehended and seized by th e Word”— in th e sense of in te rn al pressure of spirit.—Meyer. Do we go through miles of idolatry, worldliness, sensuality and unbelief, and sit down as if we had been blind folded? F am iliarity has its awful dan gers.— Sel. V. 6 . H e shook h is raim en t. F igu ra tive of en tire renunciation of them. Nothing th a t pertained to them should cling to him, and in like m anner he would cast them off from his thoughts (1 3 :5 1 ).— P arry. I w ill go. Some peo ple th ink th e sun will always shine. They ta k e it for granted th a t th eir mercies, privileges and opportunities will always be available. This is van ity, selfishness and the very sin of sins. We read in Scripture th a t “ th e door was shu t.” Some people th ink they can go to church when they like and tak e up th e broken hymn where they left it. Some day they will find the door shut. They will find th e preacher gone. “Be hold the days come, th a t I will send a fam ine in the land, not a* fam ine of bread, nor a th irst for w ater, bu t of hearing th e words of the Lord”— the fam ine th a t bills th e soul. W hilst Paul is available, make the most of him. Now* is th e accepted time.-:—Parker. , v. 8 . Believed w ith all h is house. The first record of a Jew, w ith all his house, believing.— Reuben. Chief ru le r of th e synagogue. An event felt to be so im p o rtan t th a t th e apostle deviated from his usual practice (1 Cor. 1:14-16) and baptized him as well as Gaius and the household of Stephanus w ith his own hand.— Hows. v. 9. Spake to P au l in th e night. Here are thoughts for th e n igh t of min isterial despondency. Note th e encour aging argum ents against fear supplied by th e divine Master to His servants: (1 ) His presence w ith them (Matt. 28: 2 0 ); (2 ) His protection of them (Matt. 1 6 :1 8 ); (3) Hi's p reparation for them — having souls w aiting to receive th eir word (v. 10, much people); (4 ) His prospering of them— prom ising their
labors should be successful in His sight. — Horn. Com. Be no t afraid. T hat is one of God’s favorite messages. God w ants no frightened soldiers. There was to be opposition bu t P aul must throw fear to th e winds and speak righ t out th e whole message of God.— Torrey. „Hold n o t th y peace. An exhortation to even more continuous preaching than before. Let nothing stop thy testimony. “They th a t be w ith us are more than they th a t be w ith them ” (2 Kings 6 : 16).— Camb. Bible. v. 10. 1 have much people. Whom in v irtu e of th eir election to eternal life He already designates as His (1 3 :4 8 ).— Baumgarten. This is God’s hope, and who bu t th e divine Christ could have had any hope of Corinth? So busy, so wealthy, so gay and so u t terly wicked in its unblushing sensual ity of sin. But “ I have much people here,” said Christ, for through all th eir eager alertness of industry, and beneath th e ir superficial gaiety, and deep down in th e reeking corruption of th e peo ple’s sin, did He not see th a t many h earts were weary of self seeking, and aching despite th eir gaiety, and sick of th e sin to which nevertheless they were selling themselves, body and soul? Over against th eir utmost sin and shame the apostle was to set fo rth God’s utmost and most holy love as manifested in th e Cross. When we look upon the seeth ing m illions we must listen as Christ says, “ I have much people here.”— Lockyer. Subject Illu stration .— Lord Leighton, speaking to a company of artists, said, “As we are, so we work.” . So w ith each Christian, if he is a tent-m aker like Paul, let him LESSON ' do th e work of the ILLUSTRATIONS Lord and work at W. H . P ik e tent-m aking to pay expenses. The “Cullman diamond,” th e largest gem ever found, was discovered in the P rem ier diamond mine, near P reto ria, on th e 26th of Janu ary , 1905. It weighs 3,024 carats, or about 1% pounds; is four inches« long, 2 y2 in ches high, 1 yz inches deep. Which would you ra th e r land in Corinth with, this diamond or th e priceless gospel th a t P au l had? W ith which could you do
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