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THE K I N G ’ S B U S I NE S S
drifting into a sensual life; in propos ing to bestow the birthright contrary to1God’s way. Abraham lied to Sarah; Isaac lied to Rebekah; Jacob lied to Esau; Jacob’s sons lied to their father. Jacob got the birthright twenty years after he had been compelled to call Esau “ My Lord, Esau,” and after Esau finally renounced the birthright himself. PRACTICAL POINTS (1) Paint the picture of the sorrowful, sinful sinner in the home of the saint. (2) From the seed that is sown, the crop will come. (3) No matter how you plot, you must pay the price. (4) With Esau it was pottage; with Isaac, it was venison; what is it with you? (5) When Jew meets Jew, then comes the tug of war. (6) They played their parts well, but there was an Unseen Hand behind the scenes. (7) “ There is none righteous,-Sno, not one.” (8) Jacob said a bitter goodbye, but without the birthright. Isaac Deceived Through Feelings A number of people think they are saved and safe because they feel saved. Here is a father who was deceived by his feelings and placed his blessing on the wrong son. Feelings LESSON are not a safe guide in ILLUSTRA- spiritual or temporal TIONS decisions; as Charles Kingsley says, “ Feelings are like chemicals— the more you ana lyze them the worse they smell. So it is best not to stir them up very much, only enough to convince oneself that they are offensively wrong, and then look away as far as possible, out of oneself, for a purifying power; and that we know can only come from Him who holds our hearts in His hands, and can turn us whither He will.”
Be Right. Germany had many val uable things but the heart of her whole national life was based, on wrong prin ciples. She could well afford to have many less valuable appliances, and to have been sure that the heart of her national life was right, as Wendell Phillips said, “ Right is the eternal sun; the world cannot delay its com ing.” The worshippers of Baal on Mt. Car mel in Elijah’s time might pray and be very enthusiastic but it was of no avail. Elijah was only one1against a nation, but he was right, and he triumphed. As the Poet F. W. Faber has said, “ For right is right, since God is God, A lawyer once attended a Methodist class meeting, and heard a dozen mem bers tell what God had done for them, and lie said to himself as he sat there, “ If I had a case in court I should like to have these good folks as witnesses. I know them all, they are my neighbors, they are simple-minded people, straight forward and honest, and I know I could carry any case if I had them on my side.” Be Right Today. It pays to live right and be right day by day and moment by moment. A wealthy manu facturer in the midland countries, said to his confidential clerk one Saturday night, “ We cannot settle our accounts tonight, but must do so early in the morning.” On the Lord’s day morning, therefore, they resumed their work, which occupied them until three in the afternoon, when dinner was announced, “ Let us eat and drink,” said Mr. D., “ for tomorrow we die” ; “ not” he added, “ that I have any thought of dying for some years to come.” The next morning when at breakfast with his family, a friend called and said, “ Mr. D., have you heard of the death of Brown?” “No” said he, “ is he dead?” “ It is very different with me, for my And right the day must win; To doubt would be disloyalty, To falter would be sin.”
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