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THE K I N G ' S B US I NE S S ( 4 ) In sanctifying himself, a saint stands apart; in being sanctified, God sets him apart. (5) When God chooses a man for a king, He gets at the heart of things. (6) God humbles human judgment in the selection of His servants. (7) The sovereignty of God is the se curity of His saints. (8) God attests His choice by the anointing oil. (9) The seal of God’s approval is the shedding forth of His Spirit. Subject illustration—God’s man. A large piece of marble was standing by the roadside at Florence amongst rubbish and covered with dirt,, as Michael Angelo was passing by. It had been partly hacked LESSON about, but rejected, ILLUSTRATIONS by some one. He at W. H. Pike once noticed it, and his eye saw that it could be made to be of service. He had it brought to his studio, and after much persevering labor, transformed it into one of the finest pieces of workmanship, and it can now he seen at Florence as a representation of David. How like David, the King, himself who was taken from tending sheep on the rough hills to reigning in a court of culture. God’s noblemen are often found among the common people. Throwing down his crutches, Private Jesse White, 2nd Welsh Regiment, who had undergone seven operations and had his left leg amputated, jumped into the pond at Radnor Park, Folkestone, and rescued a three-year-old boy. Only a broken down soldier but a noble servant. God always has His man in preparation. God prepares a great man in small ways. Ferguson made his wooden clock, of marvelous accuracy, with only a pen knife. Dr. Wollaston, a famous chem ist, was asked to show seven visitors his laboratory. He pointed to a corner of
his room, where stood an old tea-tray, containing a few watch-glasses, test papers, a small balance, and a blow pipe. Wilkie, the great artist, learned to draw on a barn door with a burnt stick. Benjamin West made his first brushes with hairs from the cat’s tail. Franklin learned the secret of the lightening with a kite and a key. Gif ford worked out his first problem in mathematics on scraps of leather from the cobbler’s shop. David began to reign by mastering the sling and the harp. Spirit and principle make the man. Stephen Girard, the infidel million aire of Philadelphia, one Saturday bade his clerks come next day (Sunday) and unload a vessel which had just arrived. One young man stepped up to the desk, and said, as he turned pale, “ Mr. Girard, I cannot work tomorrow.” “Well, sir, if you cannot do as I wish, we can sepa rate.” “ I know that, sir,” said the young man; “ I also know that I have a widowed mother to care for, but I can not work on Sunday.” “ Very well, sir,” said the proprietor, “ go to the cashier’s desk and he will settle with you. For three weeks the young man tramped the streets of Philadelphia looking for work. One day a bank president asked Mr. Girard to name a suitable person for cashier of a new bank about to be started. He gave this young man’s name. “ But I thought you discharged him?” “ I did,” was the answer", “ be cause he would not work on Sunday; and the man who will lose his situation from principle is the man to whom you can entrust your money.” Great men are often found in seclusion. Lieutenant Victor Blue is one of these secluded heroes. During the Spanish- American war he was sent back of San tiago to spy out the land. He saw the Spanish fleet and ascertained that all of Admiral Cervera’s ships except the Terror were in Commodore Schley’s trap. It was not a very dramatic per-
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