594
T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
and two skilled mechanics undertook to win a way for th e gospel by th e arts of civilization. At th e end of th irty years toil, Marsden declared th a t civil ization is. not necessary before Chris tian ity , b u t will he found to follow Christianity; and, he added, th a t with all its cannibalism and idolatry, New *■Zealand would yet set an example of Christianity before the world.” Bible Illustration.-—I n 2 K ings 22:8 and, 23:2, 24, 25, H ilkiah, th e High P riest, found the Book of the Law and gave it to Shaphan, the Scribe, and he brought it to King Josiah. The Book was read and caused a g reat revival in Israel. A few decades later, Ezra stood at th e W ater Gate (Neh. 8:1-8) and read th e Book of the Law, and th a t dis couraged company of captives from Babylon were revived. One could also speak of Acts 2:38-47, 8:4-12, 16:12-15, and many other places where th e preach ing or reading of th e Word of God has revived th e people and brought g reat reform s. The Human Touch.— An old potter, who was shaping the clay into the de sired shape by h is hands, was asked by a visitor, “Why don’t you have ma chinery to do th a t? ” The old man re plied, “We have all tried all kinds of machinery, and failed; somehow it needs th e hum an touch.” God has much work th a t cannot be done by machinery. “ I knew of a m iller,” said H. B. Gib- bud, “who w ent from his work, his clothes covered w ith flour, to th e post- office, and edged his way through th e . crowd. He left his m ark on every one he touched.” So in a different way ought every Christian to leave his m ark on the people he meets in th is world. A Word Influences a Life.— The form of a little boy lay in th e casket, su r rounded by mourning friends. A mason came into th e room and asked to look a t th e lovely face. “ You wonder th a t I care so much,” he said, as th e tears rolled down his cheeks, “b u t your boy
was a messenger of God to me. One tim e I was coming down by a long ladder from a very high roof, and found your boy close beside me, when I reached th e ground. He looked up in my face w ith childish wonder and asked frankly, ‘W eren’t you afraid of falling, when you were up so h igh ?’ and before I had tim e to answer, he said, ‘Oh, I know why you were not afraid ! You said your prayers th is morning before you began w ork.’ I had not prayed; bu t I never forgot to pray from th a t day to this, and, by God’s blessing, I never w ill.” Golden Text Illu stration .— “ In th e old Welsh legend,” says Lloyd George, “ th ere is a sto ry of a man who j was given a series of w hat happened tO be impossible task s to perform , ere he could reach th e desires of his heart. Amongst o ther things he had to do, was to recover every grain of seed sown in a large field, and bring it all in, w ithout one missing, by sunset. He came to an ant-hill, and won all the h earts and en listed th e sympathies of the industrious little people. They spread over the field, and' before sundown,-the seed was all in, except one, and as th e sun was setting over th e w estern skies, a lame a n t hobbled along w ith th a t grain also.” Even the smallest service is not ov er looked by Jesus. When Saul Was a Boy. Acts 22 :3 ; Deut. 6:4-9. Memory Verse.— ‘Thy word have I hid in mine h eart, th a t I m ight not sin against th ee.” Psa. 119:11. Approach.—r Boys and girls, where is the best place to live» in a city or out in the country? Most of us like the country because th ere is so much more room to run and BEGINNERS jum p and play and AND PRIMARY have good tim es Mabel L. M errill r i d i n g h o r s e s , watching th e other animals and the birds, and we can have
Made with FlippingBook HTML5