623 priests. Paul was th ru st into th e con flict when th e church was launched. L u th er stood a t th e th reshold of the new era, and Wesley was on time. The world has passed through many crises, w ith th e accelerated speed of six thousand years, and rushes on to its doom. The world faces a crisis today, and so does th e church, and God is lay ing hold of men. There never was a b etter opportunity for men to do things for God th a n today. The doors are wide open everywhere. There are op portunities for all classes and condi tions of men. The foundations are being shaken. Men. are seeking to rob the church of its power; seeking to strip it of its beauty; tearing to pieces the Bible; introducing th e doctrines of the devil. W hat does it mean th a t God perm its us to live in th is present age? “Who knows but thou a rt *come, into the kingdom for such a tim e as th is?” Opportunity implies responsibility. The larg er th e opportunity th e greater the responsibility. (2) THE PER ILS OF OPPORTUN ITY. Mordecai demanded of his foster daughter, E sther, th a t she make a plea for her'people." In doing th is she was to run a great risk. She Was to take h er life in her hands. There were risks anyway. To delay m eant her own de thronem ent, as a Jewess, and her de struction. She nerved herself w ith fasting and prayer. Mordecai’s faith was in God. God’s prom ise is unchanging for Israel (Jer. 30:11) “ F o r I a m w it h thee, s a it h the sa v e t h e e : thou gh I m ak e a f u l l e nations whither I ha ve scatte re d w il l I not m ak e a f u l l e n d o f t h e w i l l cor rec t thee in m ea su re a n d lea ve th e e a lt oge th er unpun ished/ And th is is tru e also concerning His purposes w ith reference to the church, (Matt. 16:18) “ A n d I s a y u n to thee, T ha t th Pete r, a n d u p o n t h is roc k I w i l l
T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S The background of th is sto ry gives us a picture of a feast given by the king to his nobles and princes, a feast -which continued for months. It was carried on in one p a rt of th e palace while Yashti, th e queen, en tertain ed th e women in ano th er part. A fter the king had elated him self in every possible way by exhibiting his riches and treasu res, he though t to climax it all and excite th e ir envy, by showing them his beautiful queen, and so ordered her to appear before them. This she refused to do. No woman, ex cepting an immoral woman, would ap pear w ithout a veil. She held to her b irth rig h t and is an illu stration of a modest woman m aintaining her rights. Had she lived in th is day, no doubt she would have responded to th e call in the scant apparel so fashionable among the “ F ou r H undred.” H er refusal angered th e king, and, acting upon th e advice of his counsel lors, he commanded th a t h er royal es ta te be taken from her. Another queen was chosen in her place,— E sther, th e foster daughter of Mordecai. Haman, who had been advanced to a high position by th e king, enraged at Mordecai’s refu sal to bow before him, procured a decree for th e destruction of all the Jews in the province, promising, in retu rn , to pay $17,000,000.00 into th e king’s treasury. (1) THE PROBLEMS OF OPPOR TUNITY. In th e m idst of th e common sorrow, one man laid it to heart. Mordecai felt th e burden upon himself. He knew the inflexible law of th è Medes and P er sians. He also knew the unfailing law of Jehovah. “He purposed in his h eart to do.” He sent a bold, fearless and faith fu l message to E sther. It was like a summons from God. God p re pares men for emergencies. David was full-fledged when Goliath m et him. E lijah was prepared to meet Baal’s
FOR CHRISTIAN WORK. How? (Read the Inset)
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