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T h e ' K i n g ’ s
B u s i n e s s
May 1927
Unconscious Imprints The Shunammite said to her.husband about Elisha: “Behold, now I perceive that this is an holy man of God, which passeth by us continually” (2 Kings 4 :9). Elisha himself was, in his life and spirit, the proof of his mes sage ; if a Christian worker is not so, he has no right to work; it is what we are, and not what we say, which does the most for God. We leave behind us, in every house we enter, some traces; traces of God, traces of ourselves, or traces of the enemy. Some Christians cannot enter a house without leaving behind a wonderful consciousness of God’s nearness; but some leave behind traces of their own personality—talent, will, energy, etc. Others, even believers, leave a strange, terrible unrest behind them; they have served the enemy in sowing strife, bitterness, evil speaking, etc. O, let us never forget that, wherever we go, our message is gauged by what men see in the mes- sengerS-Mry. M. Baxter.
J u n e 6. “Tempted in all points like as we are." — Heb. 4:15.
THE words distil like the soft refreshing dew of Hermon on the fevered, fiercely tempted soul.; To know that He, the Christ, has Himself suffered as we are suffering, “being t emp t e d n a y more, to know that His temptations were not gen eral, but particular—that He was not only tempted in broad outlines as we are, but in all points; that there is no temptation peculiar to us but it has also assaulted Him during His sojourn Upon earth—who shall describe the infinite comfort, the deep well of peace and strength that this revelation contains? My Lord is not ignorant of the agony that besets my soul when it is assaulted by all the hosts of the Pit. No! nor is He indifferent; it is with no passive recollection that He contemplates my pain; He is “touched with the feeling of our infirmities;”
“He, in the days of feeble flesh, Poured out His cries and tears ;. And, though exalted, feels afresh What every member bears.” .
f can rely upon His sympathy, for His heart is a heart of love; I can depend upon His help, for “He is able to succour them that are tempted;” and that help will not be in vain, for His hand is the hand of Omnipotence. Tremble, ye powers of hell! ye are defeated already, since this Great.High Priest is mine.
The Heart o f a Child
J une 7. "I abhor myself."—Job 42:6.
THIS was something fresh for Job. He was a “perfect” man, ’tis true—that is, a righteous and upright man,—but he was not without his faults. Prominent amongst these was his exceed ingly high opinion of himself. His own goodness loomed large upon his horizon and formed a frequent topic of his discourse. It was difficult, if not impossible, to persuade Job that in anything he was to be blamed. Now however the tune is changed. The ecstatic self-glorification becomes a minor strain of modesty and self disparagement; he abhors himself “in dust and ashes.” What is the secret of the transmutation? Just this, that hitherto he had heard of the Almighty “with' the hearing of the ear,” but now his eyes have seen Him. He had striven to keep the Divine Law and, Comparing his conduct with that of his fellow men, he had been more than satisfied with the result. One vision of God as He really is had withered his self-congratulation and shown him his shortcomings. The remedy for Phariseeism is a' vision of the Highest. We may imagine ourselves to be moral giants amongst our neighbors, but we shrink into the veriest pigmies in the realized presence of God. Our garments may appear white indeed when compared with those of our companions; they prove inexpressibly soiled and stained in the pure light of the Divine. The experience is humbling and unpleasing to the flesh, but it is a very wholesome medicine for every soul of man. Not to be Trusted A CANTANKEROUS, argumentative p e r s o n had ■called on the vicar to discuss some local matter. In the course of his remarks he explained most emphatically that he was an atheist. “But, surely,” said the vicar, “you consider tfce Ten Commandments, broadly speaking, to be an excellent rule of life?” “No. sir, I do not!” replied the man, almost savagely. The vicar rang his bell. “Jane,” he said to the servant girl when she appeared, “show this gentleman to the door, and keep your eye on him till he is safely beyond reach of my hat and coat in the hall.”
Photo by William Thompson
M A R G U ER ITE (L u x e m b o u rg M usee, P a ris ) “The heart of a child is a scroll, A page that is lovely and white; And to it as fleeting years roll, Come hands with a story to write— “Be ever so careful, O hand; Write thou with a sanctified pen. Thy story shall live in the land For years in the doings of men. “It shall echo in circles of light, Or lead to the death of a soul. Give here but a message of right, For the heart of a child is a scroll.” —Mrs. Bessie S. Ashton.
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