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THE KING’S BUSINESS
is. John McNeill; the Scotch preacher, used to live when a boy several miles from the place where he worked. He would go home on Saturday night late. One night when it was so dark he could not see his hand before his face he heard footsteps. The thought o f robbers and all the fearful stories he had heard o f those woods came before him. His hair nearly turned to wire. Then a voice came out o f the dark ness saying, “John, is that you?” It was his father’s voice. This was a voice. o f comfort, but John’s voice was a voice o f repentance. John was willing to be put in the back ground and Jesus was placed at the front o f his life. r He always exalted Jesus Christ. “There cometh One mightier than I,” was his message. G reat C haracter .—Jesus said in Matt. 11:11: “ Verily I say unto you, among them that are born o f women there hath not risen a greater than John the Bap tist; notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom o f Heaven is greater than he.” It was because he put Jesus'first, as he himself said, “ He (Christ) must increase, I must decrease” (John 3:30). Hon. Charles M. Dickinson, Consul Gen eral o f the Balkan States, also Ambassa dor to Turkey at one time, said: “ I have met most o f the great literary and military leaders o f my time, but I consider the missionaries o f my acquaintance in Tur key and the Balkans head and shoulders in character above the others.” have rendered the perfect service. Son- ship and service always go together. Only a son can be a servant o f God.— Gdebelein. Not by service are we made sons, but by sonship we may become servants.— Jukes. v. 3. Crying in wilderness. The messen gers o f conviction that come to prepare Christ’s way are God’s messengers and must be owned as such. They have need to cry aloud and not to spare.— Henry.
ilege o f presenting the Y. M. C. A. work before the millionaire Cornelius Vander bilt, and he spent six solid hours in prep aration. What a preparation John made in the hearts o f men for the coming o f the Son o f God. P reaching R epentance .—Paul preaching before Felix on righteousness, temperance and judgment till Felix trembled (Acts 24:24-27). John Knox preached before the Queen, bloody Mary, till he nearly shook her off the throne. A boy .in Sunday School, when asked if he would repent o f his sins and let Jesus come into his heart, said, “ No, not today.” That night he knocked at the preacher’s home. He had come all the way across the town to see him. When asked what he wanted he said, “I have changed my mind about Jesus, I want to live for Him.” The preacher knelt with him by the porch rail in the moonlight, and the boy told Jesus he would receive Him as his Saviour. Two little girls were talking about Jesus as they entered the ' postoffice. Their names were Nellie and Mary. Mary met Nellie’s father, who was an infidel. She said, “Why don’t you love Jesus?” He could not answer her question, for no one can give a good excuse for not loving Jesus Christ. He thought about this ques tion for weeks and finally gave his heart to Christ. H umility .—John the Baptist was but a voice. Most ,o f us want to be more than a voice. What a blessing or a curse a voice v. 1. The Gospel. Word “Gospel” occurs eight times in Mark, four in Matthew, and not in Luke or John; frequent in Paul’s writings. Nowhere does it mean a written document. It is the glad news o f salva tion. Acts 20:24; Gal. 2:2, S; Eph. 6:15.— Plummer. The Son o f God. The deity o f our Lord is first emphasized. The Servant is the Son. I f not the Son o f God He could not
COMMENTS FROM SUNDRY SOURCES
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