THE KING’S BUSINESS
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nothing but leaves, and the Lord pro nounced a curse upon it and it withered and died. The lesson is obvious, and it is searching in its intensity. Nothing hut leaves means a sham life, a pretense, an hy pocrisy. Nothing but leaves, means a pro fessing Christian without the fruit of a Christian life. Nothing but leaves means a Sunday school teacher without a Christ life to give emphasis to the teaching. Nothing but leaves means a professed evangelical preacher with a message of glittering gen eralities, a message of sophistry. A scholar attending a Bible class has a right to expect a message from the Bible. An attendant upon an evangelical Church has a right to expect a Gospel message, a message from God, glad tidings of good things. A mail may write a book on prayer without being a praying man. One may talk about per sonal work without being a soul winner. Men and women must be judged as you do a tree. If it is an apple tree and does not bear apples, why an apple tree cumbering the ground? Bark and leaves may deceive at a distance but character is to be judged by the supreme test of habitual fruit. Leaves may be beautiful in themselves but they do not, they cannot, supply the place of fruit. Fruit is the ultimate pur pose for which the tree is planted. How can a hungry man feed upon leaves? This fig tree was an imposter. Are you? You are a lamp stand. Christ says, “Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Men are to see our works, the fruit of our lives, not to glorify us but our Father. “Herein is my Father glorified that ye bear much fruit.” Men are known by their deeds. Christ said to the Jews, “Many good works have I showed you from my Father, for which of those good works do you stone me?” You can judge any system of religion by its fruit. Put the test to Christian Science or Confucionism. Put the test to Moham medanism or Mormonism. Apply it to Uni- tarianism or Theosophy. Put the test to Roman Catholicism. For four hundred
over. All were clad in their gay garments and together they formed a royal proces sion. The rulers had forbidden the people to confess Him but unbridled enthusiasm possessed them and from the lips of thou sands rang out the cry of Hozanna. For the one time He was acclaimed Saviour and King and they looked unto Him for salva tion and relief from all their burdens. The garments and palm branches spread in His way were appropriate only to the Messiah of Israel. If He was not the Son of God, if He was not the King of Israel promised in the Scriptures, how could He have accepted their worship and praise? This scene is prophetic. When the Lord comes to our hearts He comes as the meek and lowly One. He comes with the wounds in His hands and feet that speak of the cross, but He comes also as the triumphant One to give power and victory to our lives and His coming is the source of joy and praise in our hearts and we can hail Him daily with our Hozannas. We can make Him glad of heart with our homage and worship. But their is an onward look to this pro phetic scene. He must yet come and Jeru salem the Golden City shall be the scene of a gathering such as the universe has never known. With the hosts of heaven and His bride the Church He will come to claim the city as His metropolis. He will come rid ing upon the clouds of glory. He will be star-crowned in place of thorn-crowned, and “every knee shall bow—things in heaven— things in earth and things under the earth and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Fa ther.” We will be with Him; we will be like Him; we will reign with Him. Hal lelujah to the Lamb ! Lesson VI.—August 9, 1914 Golden Text,—Matthew 7:20. “By their fruits ye shall know them.” . The lesson concerns the barren fig tree with its green leaves which gave promise of ripe fruit. The voice of • the tree was, “Come to me for ripe figs,” but there was
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