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THE K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
not all who realize th eir sin, not all who are convicted by the Holy Spirit, are saved. W hat is sadder th an to see one almost saved but lost? Usually there is one dom inating sin th a t keeps th e unsaved away from God. In th is case it was per haps Drusilla. In the case of the rich young ruler it was his love of w e a lth .® Neighbor. Preachers who make men trem ble are the kind needed today. P aul be fore Felix wohld be a stim ulating study for a m ultitude of vacillating preachers of this day.—Tucker. Convenient season. Felix was a polife unbeliever.. He did not arrogantly contradict the tru th but simply delayed action upon it. W hat he said was an opiate to his conscience and a clever way to get rid of the message of God. Modern procrastinators say, “ Some other tim e.” God says, “ Now is th e ac cepted tim e ” (2 Oor. 6:2).—Hottel. Subject Illustration.—Paul seemed to travel a path lined w ith thorns. Sorrows and afflictions met him a t every turn. Of w hat use are they? We today th an k God for his sorrows. A little girl was LESSON w alking by a hedge ILLUSTRATIONS of thorns. She slip- W . H . P ik e ped and fell against * it. She wept b i t terly, and looking a t the hedge, she said: “ You nasty, ugly hedge! Of w hat use can you be? I wish you were burned down a t once.” The next day as she passed along the hedge, she saw a flock of sheep w ith a shepherd behind them. The sheep kept close by the hedge, and le ft little tu fts of wool sticking on the thorns. A t once some birds came and picked up th e wool, w ith which they flew away as quickly as they could to make nests for th eir little ones. As she saw w hat the birds were doing, she said: “ How .thankful I am th a t my wish has not been fulfilled, nor th e hedge burned down.” Probably P aul and' we ourselves will say some day th a t we are so thankful God le ft the thorns remaining in our lives. Bible Illustration.—Exo. 14:10-15:21. Dr. P ark er once said: “ I f we tak e God into our counsels, we need not fe a r what man can do unto us. The enemy said,
‘I will pursue, I will overtake.’ B ut the voice from heaven said, ‘No, I will cast th e enemy into the m ighty w aters.’ ” M att. 5:10-12. Blessed are ye when men shall persecute you. Paul must have been blessed most of the time. Acts 4:1-22. P eter and Jphn had much the same experience as Paul. A Christian P risoner’s Influence.—Paul moved west w ith the gospel, but he went in chains as a prisoner. But centuries afte r in 1878, when C leopatra’s needle was brought to London and set ' up on the Thames embankment, they placed a num ber of articles under it. Among them was a copy of John 3:16 translated into 215 languages. The gospel P au l preached is still alive. S. S. Teacher Take Courage.—Paul sowed the seed in weakness, and trusted God to bring the results. On the Hudson River, a man, in indignation, tore up the tra e t which was handed him, and pitched it into the river. But one of the pieces was blown back, and fell on his coat sleeve. That piece contained the word, eternity, by means of which he was at once 'aroused-to his godless condition, and led to seek the Lord. Devotion to Service.—A brilliant Ox ford student, who w ent to A frica, and died afte r a y e a r’s work, said: “ I think it is w ith A frican missions as w ith the building of a g reat bridge. You know how many stones have to be buried in the earth, all unseen, for a foundation. I f Christ w ants me to be one of the unseen stones, lying in an A frican grave, I am content, for the final result will be a Christian A frica.” Paul, A Soulwinner.—Success in soul winning is only given to skill, earnestness, sympathy and perseverance. Men are saved not in-masses, but by careful study and well-directed effort. I t is. said th a t such is the eccentric flight of the snipe when it rises from the earth, th a t it com pletely puzzles the sportsman; .and some who' are capital shots a t other birds, are u tterly baffled here.
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