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THE K I N G ’ S BUS I NESS
it would have been wiser and better had they remained on watch for the enemy. Among the soldiers was a little drum mer boy whose eyes were fast asleep, but just before he fell asleep he had been eating his rations, and some crumbs of bread had dropped on the head of his drum. >A little wren perched overhead, saw the crumbs and flew down to eat them, and as the wren hopped about on the drum the tapping of its beak wakened the little drum mer. He opened his eyes and was startled to see the enemy advancing; quickly he beat the signal of alarm and aroused the soldiers. The little wren won the battle of the Boyne on July 12, 1690. Parables Are Like Something.—Rob ert Hall, criticising a fellow clergyman, said, “You have no Tikes’ in your ser mons. Christ taught that the Kingdom of heaven was ‘like’ to leaven hid in meal; ‘like’ to a grain of mustard seed, • etc. You tell us what things are but not what they are like.” A dear Christian, describing Chris tians who say much but help little, used to add, “The Good Samaritan didn’t maul the wounded Jew with texts!” The story is told of a wise Nathan who used to instruct men by putting on coarse garments, and using harsh words, but men ran from him, and left him vexed and alone. After a miserable night he Was led by the Spirit of God to a pomegranate tree, bearing flowers and fruit at the same time. He con templated it, and saw the fruit con cealed among the leaves. Then the Word of the Lord came from the pome granate tree saying, “Behold, Nathan! thus nature promises the delicious fruit by simple flower, and offers it from the shade of leaves concealing her hand.” Nathan was cheered, and henceforth taught by parables, winning many to the ways of truth.—Krummacher. Golden Text Illustration.—In a ven erable old mansion, so the story goes, was an old high clock standing stately
in the hallway. It had but one kind of tick. At noon or at midnight it was al ways saying, “Go-slow!” "Go-slow!” But on the'mantel was a little round clock with a happy face and whenever you listened its message was always with quickness, “Fret not!” “Fret not!” “Fret not!” v. 24. The kingdom of heaven. The scene where the authority of Christ is acknowledged. All that portion of the world geographically covered by Christ ianity, commonly COMMENTS FROM termed Christen- MANY SOURCES dom. This sphere Keith L. Brooks on earth is one of profession, b o t h real and false. The true church, on the other hand, is the aggregate of the saved —those truly regenerated by the Holy Ghost.—Scott. v. 25. While men slept. Our Saviour here shows that His servants ought to be watchful.—Ward. Satan .watches all opportunities to propagate profaneness. He takes us off our guard. He comes at the sleeping time. He rules in the darkness of this world.—Henry. His enemy ;cam«. There is a deep signifi cance in these two words- “his enemy.” The devil is one of our enemies but he is primarily Christ’s enemy, for Christ will receive what the devil aspired to, the worship of the universe. (Heb. 1:6; Rev. 5:11-13 ; cf. Matt. 4:9; Ezek. 28:16, 17). He seeks to caricature and thwart Christ’s work at every step.— Torrey. Sowed tares. The present age will be marked to its end by the pres ence of both professors of religion and possessors. The believer’s work is to sow the Word in faith, not expecting thereby to convert the whole world but in expectation of Him who at the end of the age will come with His angels to make an end of sinners and set up His glorious kingdom.—Sum. Bible. This weed closely resembles wheat in the earlier stages.of its growth, indeed it can scarcely be distinguished from it.— Carr.. There is a vital difference. The tares have no kernel and the lack is not manifest until the- harvest. The tares stand erect and prominent while the wheat droops with clusters of fruit (type of humility). Furthermore, as the wheat ripens, its roots become loose from the earth while the tares become
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