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PRACTICAL POINTS (1) Parents who miss their children three days, may find them in mischief. (2) Many a lad and many a lassie has been lost by supposing they were in right company. (3) Painstaking parents will find that their children have “ growing pains.” (4) The fear of God in the heart will overcome fear at the hand of man. (5) If you know the doctrine you need not fear the doctors. (6) The world is still amazed at the wisdom of His words. (7) The burdens of every believer’s heart should be “ the Father’s business.” (8) As you add to your faith you will subtract from your failures, and multiply your faithfulness. (9) Grow, go, get and give. Everything that has life is either growing or retarding. A garden that is drying up may have life, but it is not of much use; neither is a Christian who is not growing PERTINENT in grace. LESSON The Necessity of ILLUSTRATIONS Growth. Longfellow was asked how he could keep so vigorous and write so beautifully: Pointing to a blossoming apple tree nearby, the poet replied: “ That apple tree is very old, but I never saw prettier blossoms upon it than those which it now bears. The tree grows a little new wood every year, and I sup pose it is out of that new wood that those blossoms come. Like the apple tree, I try to grow a little new wood every year.” We cannot stop the flight of time; we cannot head off the one event that happeneth to all; but we can keep on “ growing new wood,” and in that way keep on blossoming until the end.
the instruction natural to the Jewish boy, and in a measure, no doubt, not accorded to all boys. Where would you expect to find Him, when you missed Him? In His Father’s house, doing His Father’s business. His heart was there. Where would you expect to'find Him during the eighteen ‘years of His obscurity? At the daily tasks, submissive to His parents, learn ing those homely but great lessons essential to be learned, through years of suffering, and burden-bearing in the humdrum of life of a mechanic. In those daily experiences there was the enlargement of His sympathies, the deepening of the channels of His being. He was growing. He did not stand still. He grew daily, naturally, steadily. He touched His fellows at every stage of human experience. He learned to weep with those who wept, and to rejoice with those who rejoiced. He grew as we must grow through daily toil, through evil and good report, through sorrow and suffering. Pity the Christian who does not grow and wax strong— “ Strong in the Lord and in the power of His might” ; “ Strong and very courageous.” God needs strong men. God uses strong men, “ Strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” He grew in wisdom. We must know and do the will of God if we are to grow in wisdom. We must let His word dwell in us in all wisdom, (Col. 3:16). We must have that wisdom which is from above, (Jas. 3:17) If we ask for it, we will receive it (Jas. 1 :5). There must be no slackers among God’s chil dren. If we are to be like Him, we must take the means so simple and so ade quate for our development. We must cease to be children. We must grow. We must be strong. We must be wise with heavenly wisdom. If we seek and desire this, we will, like our Master, show forth the graces of the life of God. We shall grow wise and strong in the power of His Spirit.
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