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THE K I N G ’ S BUS I NE S S
The brothers part; Jacob relieved, to go His way to pay a still further pen alty in the sorrows to come to him through his own sons. PRACTICAL POINTS (1) Jacob may have believed God’s promise, but he was wary of Esau. (2) In this home-coming, Jacob failed to honor God. (3) Human nature never changes. Men need a new nature. (4) God prevails when we permit. (5) Only the power of God can break down the Jacob in us. (6) Limping Jacob was a bigger man than the lying Jacob. (7) The dread and fear of punishment for sin can only be removed by faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. (8) Jacob did not win Esau, but Jehovah did. (9) An all-night ^prayer meeting is good preparation for meeting an enemy. The Past Follows Us. Jacob knew he had wronged Esau twenty-one years before. Now, he fears the wrath of his brother. Jacob plans to bring gifts to him, but he dare not trust in these, also he LESSON brings his brother to ILLUSTRA- God. After Jacob had TIONS brought his Esau to God, he was able to bring his God to Esau. If there is a wrong not righted between us and our friends, let us bring it to God and make it right and then we shall have ready access to bring Christ to them. Are there past Esaus in our life that ought to be brought to God? The Conscience Fund at the U. S. Treasury was enriched by thirty thou sand dollars a few years past. A pack age was received containing currency which was the largest donation of the kind ever received. A letter with it was dated at Philadelphia, but mailed in New York. The sender of the money said, “ This sum makes a total of $80,-
000 which I have returned to the gov ernment or four times the amount I stole years ago.” The letter also stated further, “ I have hesitated about send ing this money because I think it does not really belong to the government, but conscience has given me no rest until I have consumated the fourfold return, like Zaccheus, the publican of old. May every thief understand the awfulness of the sin of stealing is the sincere wish of a penitent.” Repentance Wins. Repentance is always the forerunner of a better and more useful life. A young man sat on a rock at the Montrose Bible Confer ence some years ago and said to God, “ I will repent and make all things right.” This promise meant the confession and paying of $10 which he had taken from his mother, the confession and paying $17 he had taken from a dentist office, the returning of a pin he had taken from a jeweller and the righting of some other wrongs. But he did it and today he is one of the most used evan gelists in the country. Jacob probably felt the reality of the words of Longfellow when he said,— “ Alas! it is not till time with reckless hand had torn out half the leaves from the book of human life, to light the fires of passing with from day to day, that man begins to see that the leaves which remain are few in number, and to remember faintly at first, and then more clearly, that upon the early pages of that book was written a story of happy influence which he would fain read over again.” Jacob was the greater character because he began the settling of the strife. Aristippus and Aeschines have quarrelled. Aristippus came to his opponent and said, “ Aeschines, shall we be friends?” “ Yes,” he replied, “ with all my heart.” “ But remember,” said Aristippus, “ that I being older than you, do make the first motion.” “ Yes” replied Aeschines, “ and therefore I conclude that you are the worthiest
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