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tainly came to include a big what. It is a striking fact, as a mere matter of psychology, just now, that the choice of Christ as a personal Saviour, consistently lived, comes practically to include every moral choice. Whip it out for yourself. It includes those five essentials of belief, and they include those five essen tials of conduct. But, but, now whip out this personal angle a little. Suppose a man honestly rejects Christ as his personal Saviour. I said “honestly.” Yet I don’t see how he can. For that pierced Hand knocks at every man’s door. And the man hears the knock. That clear, patient voice speaks plainly in every man’s inner ear, and the man hears the voice. He feels the inner, gentle, insistent tug at his will to choose. Honestly reject Christ? I don’t see how he can. But let us suppose that he does. By indirection he rejects Christ, that is, he chooses not to choose. He doesn’t choose to choose. And a man’s choice is the one decisive thing.
tiny. All students will agree that the Old Gospel of Christ historically stands for these five essentials of belief. That is mere history, unquestioned and undisputable. And, note keenly, these five essentials of belief lead straight to the five essentials of conduct. What are these? And again all can agree here. They are, first, reverence for authority, whether of the Creator, or parental, or civic. Then the sacredness of human life; rugged honesty in money matters; plain truthfulness in speech; and strict chastity in sexual re lations. T h e U nderpinn ing of C ivilization And, and, will you note sharply, these are the under pinning of Christian civilization. These are the distinctive traits in which Christian civilization stands in sharpest contrast with the common civilization of the race when Christ appeared on the scene; and in sharpest contrast with the non-Christian civilization of the orient and the African continent today. And, and, will you please straighten up a bit, and recall that these are the underpinning of the commercial fabric of the world’s life today. And commercial fabric! Ah, that’s something sacred in the common thought of today. That’s the holy of holies in people’s common thinking today. The life of the world today is essentially commercial. “Touch not that sacred ark,” the leaders of finance and industry all say, and the common folk earnestly re-echo the words. The common attack today is on the sacred Old Book of God. That attack is an attack on the very foundations of our common civilization, and on the whole commercial fabric, which is the very life of the race today. I don’t mean that these critics mean it so. They make one think of the child who has gotten hold of daddy’s razor blade. The shining brightness attracts his eye; he grabs for it. And there may be a badly cut hand, and —fatally worse, if you don’t get it quickly away. Some of these critics in their bland, easy-going, self-confident talk make you think of that child. An attack on the Book is an attack on the distinctive personality of the God-Man, on the singular sacrificial meaning of His death, on the fatal badness of sin, stub born self-will, and on the necessity of personal choice of Christ as a Saviour. Loose ideas on the Book lead straight to this fivefold looseness. And this leads swiftly to the unraveling of those five essentials of personal conduct, and, to the break down from within of so-called Christian civilization, and of our whole commercial fabric.^ And that is actually the common life of the race today. The present world situation is an underscoring of the teaching of the Book regarding our Lord’s return. Plainly it will be for racial salvage. Only so can the race be kept from severing its jugular vein. T h e P ersonal A ngle But, but, there is another angle to this thing, the per sonal angle. It makes a big difference to a man what others believe. For we are all woven up together in the social fabric of the race. But, does it make any difference what you yourself honestly believe personally? And the striking thing is this: It is not a matter of what, but of whom. “What” is included in “whom.” But “whom” comes first. Paul doesn’t say, “I know what I have believed.” No, “whom I have believed.” And in his case “whom” cer
The Lost Prayer (1 S amue ^_7:5; 12:23) I promised my friend I would pray for her, And then forgot all about it; The blessing was missed that prayer would have brought, Her sky was darker without it. I loved her — Oh, yes, but all the day I seemed too busy to stop and pray. ,
I told her I ’d pray for a special need, But—I forgot all about it; . She longed.for the fellowship of prayer, Her heart was lonely without it. But I had so much to think of and do, The hours slipped by almost ere I knew.
I promised — yes, promised I ’d pray for her, Then—I forgot all about it; Who knows what wonders prayer would have wrought Were lost from her life without it? Ah, I shall be sorry for many a day, Because I forgot—just forgot to pray.
For many a day? What .if it should be A loss is mine through eternity, i To know the difference it would have made, If. I had earnestly, truly prayed? Who knows what blessings I ’ll miss up there, For lack of that day’s forgotten prayer.
I promised someone I would pray for her — How could I forget about it? Yes, surely, God, in His infinite love, Would carry her through without it; But I failed my friend, and it grieves me sore ,— I failed my dear Lord, and I love Him more!
He never forgets to pray for His own, He "makes intercession” before the throne; And He calls us often apart to share With Him in this great ministry of prayer.
0 Saviour forgive! May I never say That I am "too busy” or "tired” to pray; A ll clamoring earth-thoughts, whate’er they be, 1 would forget, Lord, while talking with Thee! —E dith L illian Y oung .
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