339
July 1929
T h e
K i n g ' s
B u s i n e s s
ever so many times, when her uncle entered. Elise turned to him in distress. What had their little one been doing ? “Elise, our prayers have been wonderfully answered! John will preach an atoning Saviour to those young stu dents tonight!” “I told him! I told him what you prayed!” They looked at their lamb—their special darling—what had she done? “I told him, and he went out as fast as Peter, and I think he wept bitterly.” Uncle Alan put his head down on her feverish little pillow and his shoulders shook slightly. Little Sister would be hurt if they laughed. “There, there!” murmured Elise. “If you will bring up a precocious child on the Bible you must expect some thing like this.” On the alert at once, he flung his arm around the dear little figure; but his fears vanished as he heard her say, “I ’m glad I told him, Uncle Alan. Just think; if I ’d had mumps I couldn’t have told him! But God let me have poison oak!” Outside, John Dowling faced his enemy once more. Their most popular alumnus! He knew what that meant, and what he must sacrifice. “All for Jesus—Jesus only!” his heart now cried. And with this came such joy that his spirit rejoiced anew. It was all gloriously worth while —to lay down earthly honors for such a Saviour. Blind! That was what he had been! Blind to this wonderful priv ilege of walking with Him. What other joy could com pare to th is! “What,” asked Lawrence, taking out his notebook, “is to be your subject at Vespers tonight? We’re going to turn out one hundred and fifty per cent.” For a. moment John saw the glitter and glamour of temptation again! That brilliant address he had been go ing to make! As bright and shimmering as a serpent, he thought with a shudder. Only a moment, and then he deliberately put his hand into another Hand that had been pierced for him, and by him, as he answered softly, “I am preaching a Gospel sermon tonight, Lawrence, and the text will be: ‘I f we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.’ ”. The Golden Touch There is a fable of one who could turn everything to gold that he touched. There are those people so unfor tunate in life that everything they touch deteriorates. The Bible teaches that something better than the golden touch becomes the privilege of those who love God; everything they touch does them good— “All things work together for good” to them. Jacob passed to the golden touch period of his life on the night that he wrestled with the angel. His love for God was perfected; and while the shadow of his early mistakes fell on his whole life, God made his sorrows and misfortunes to turn out for his good; they mellowed and enriched his spirit into a radiant beauty that caused the mighty Pharaoh to feel himself in the presence of his superior; and under the blessing of Jacob he must have felt as Abraham did under the blessing of Melchisedek. The loss of Joseph had meant a gain in Jacob’s later life, and caused his sun to set with a more radiant glory— The Christian Witness.
that had been dark indeed,. And the hand of a child had loosed this bolt! Well, he must face it now! Up and down, up and down—twenty times up and down the veranda! And on again in a restless stride! The. decision hour of his life had come. He knew it well. On the one side the sure and shining future, with his mind flashing off its brilliant trenchant utterances for posterity to re member. He could do i t ! He knew he could! But what was this that had happened ? Beside this future there was an old love standing-—pleading with him! Yes, pleading for him ! An old love brought back to him by the lips of a child. It seemed to him as he walked and paced that he had himself pierced this Love—had been long piercing Him. He and others like him had pierced His hands and His feet and His side. * ‘They crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh,’ ” he whispered. Then, dropping to his knees in a dark corner, he groaned out, “Oh, God, help m e! What shall I do?” There comes a time when rusted gates long locked give way with groaning hinge and breaking hasp and the flood pours forth. Such were the utterances that came forth' now from the lips of this young man. Had he been older, only a very little older, perhaps the gates had not given way. But in God’s great mercy it was not too late. Con fession first! j “Oh, God, I have not preached Thy Word that is for ever settled in heaven. God forgive me, I ’ve preached the wisdom of men, and vain it is! And I have feared their faces! Oh, God, forgive m e! For thy Son, our Sav iour Jesus Christ’s sake!” Peace after this, and the consciousness of the presence with him of that One who had been pierced! “And where hast Thou been so long, my Lord ? And is it I who have been keeping Thee shut out? Come in, Lord, to reign forever in my soul!” Joy now, as well as peace, and a deep intent forming in his soul. . Up and down the veranda again ! What should he give the students this afternoon ? A h ! He had i t ! It was God-given! Uncle Alan and Elise ascended the veranda steps rather silently. Each knew the other’s fear for the after noon service. “There he is at the other end. I will speak to him,” and Elise saw her uncle go down the veranda. She could not hear for the sound of many waters but she saw him lay his hand on John’s shoulder. As the young man turned his head, he saw that a great thing had happened. He trembled to know and feared to ask, but finally framed the question “Well?” John’s voice was a little unsteady. “Little Sister stove a fearful hole in me while you were gone,” he said. “A regular broadside was what she turned loose on m e! In her innocence! And—-Alan, it’s hit me right where I live —right where I needed it. And your prayer is answered. I am to preach the blood of Christ tonight—the great touchstone of our Christian faith.” There was just time for the gleaming joy of realiza tion and a grasp of the hand, when, dashing around a sand dune, came Lawrence Haworth with Harold. “We wish to interview our most popular alumnus,” Harold remarked. Alan went to tell his niece. She was beside her little sister. This small member of the family had had much to say of her interview with Uncle’s friend, and had just arrived at the point where he was walking up and down
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