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THE K I N G ’ S BUSINESS
scribes and Pharisees could know so much about the coming Messiah, even the place of His birth, and yet be blind to His character so clearly and minute ly described by the prophets. “ Even unto this day when Moses is read, the veil is upon their heart. Nevertheless when he (that is, the Jew) shall turn to the Lord, the veil shall be taken, away.” 2 Cor. 3:15-16. MONDAY, Nov. 29. Gal. 6:6-10. - Sowing and Reaping. In the kingdom of parables Jesus de clared Himself to be the one that sowed the seed. Does not this fact insure the harvest? The succession of the seasons is confirmed in the covenant give/L to Noah. Gen. 8:22. Are not seed time and harvest equally related in the spiritual world? “ He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing ^precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.” The first advent was the time of sowing. The second advent is the time of reaping. The seed that the Son of man cast into the fallows or time will bring forth a harvest to all eternity. He shall see of the travail qf His soul and shall be satisfied. He shall not fail nor be discouraged till He hath set justice in the earth. The second advent is related to the-first as the harvest time is related to the seed time. The two advents are comple mentary. One pre-supposes the other. TUESDAY, Nov. 30. Acts 11:21-30. The Growth of the Church. The Antioch *revival resulted from the first preaching of the Gospel to Gentiles. In Acts 11:20 the word Gre cians should be translated Greeks. It does not refer to Hellenists, that is, Jews born outside of Palestine. It would be nothing new to preach to them. That was done on the day of Pentecost. It was a new departure to preach to heathen. God signally blessed the undertaking. Jerusalem hears of it and! sends Barnabas down to take charge of it. Barnabas recog nized the hand of God in the work and gave it his hearty endorsement. When it grew beyond his power to manage, instead of going south to get Peter or James to help him, he sent north for Saul of Tarsus. This not only shows that Antioch was much different from Jerusalem but that a new center had been reached in the spread of Christian ity. It is significant that Luke calls
this company of converted heathen a church, a word which had not been applied to any other assembly save once in Acts 9:31. m FETCHING THEM IN During his recent Continental tour, General Booth told some amusing anec dotes about the early days of the Salva tion Army. “ I remember (he said) on one occasion that a clergyman came up to one of our bandmasters and angrily inquired why the band was making ‘all that noise.’ Promptly came the retort, ‘What are the church bells ringing for?’ The cleric replied, ‘To call the people to church.’ The Salvationist’s rejoinder was, ‘Well, while your bells are calling the people to church, our band goes out and fetches them in’.” ■ THE PREACHER’S GARB In the year 1523, Luther laid aside the monk’s costume, and thenceforth dressed according to the fashions of the world. He chose black clothes; and, consequently, that became thè fashion of the clergy. His reason for choosing this color was this: The Elector of Saxony took an interest in him, and now and then sent him a piece of black cloth, being at that time the court fashion, and because Luther pre ferred it; so his scholars thought it would become them to wear the same colors as their master. From that time, black has been the color most worn by the clergy. MORE PRAISE Said Arnot: “ I wonder how it is that Satan has so managed to blindfold me in the past that my whole life is not one note of praise. Oh, stir up every child of God you meet to praise our God more! We little know now much we rob Him by our sad hearts, and dull, thankless lives.”
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