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 BV 198 .B877 1911 
 Burrell, David James, 1844 
 
 1926. 
 The home sanctuary 
 
THE HOME SANCTUARY 
 
'kl ^i^^ 
 
 THE 
 HOME SANCTUARY 
 
 a companion volume to 
 
 The Cloister Book 
 completing a year of 
 services for shut-in worshipers 
 and pastorless congregations 
 
 y BY 
 
 DAVID JAMES BURRELL, D.D., LL.D. 
 
 Minister to the Marble Collegiate Churchy 
 New York 
 
 AMERICAN TRACT SOCIETY 
 
 150 NASSAU STREET, NEW YORK CITY 
 
Copyright, iqii 
 By American Tract Society 
 
DEDICATION 
 
 To the members of my Cloistered Congregation, 
 who, by reason of age or sickness or homes remote, 
 are deprived of the privileges of public worship. 
 May they find herein some comfort for their lonely 
 hours, some courage for the burden-bearing of their 
 secluded lives, some touch of the friendliness of 
 Christ. 
 
FOREWORD 
 
 The readers of "The Cloister Book"* will need no 
 introduction to "The Home Sanctuary." It con- 
 tains a full Order of Service for twenty-six Sab- 
 baths, so arranged that shut-in worshipers may 
 have not only the sermon but appropriate prayers, 
 Scripture lessons and hymns. 
 
 While this volume is quite independent of "The 
 Cloister Book," the two together will be found to 
 furnish services for a year. 
 
 It is hoped that many who are deprived of the 
 privilege of public worship may thus be enabled, 
 in their homes, to unite in spirit with the assembled 
 people of God. 
 
 The book may be found useful also in conduct- 
 ing the worship of congregations that are without 
 pastors, the service being so arranged that any suit- 
 able person can lead It.f 
 
 * The Cloister Book: For Shut-in Worshipers and Pastorless Con- 
 gregations. By David James Burrell, D.D., LL.D. Published by the 
 American Tract Society. 
 
 t The hymns used in these services may be found in almost any of 
 the hymn-books. They are all in "The Good News," published by the 
 American Tract Society, 25 cents, postpaid. 
 
There is a Httle lonely fold 
 
 Whose flock one Shepherd keeps 
 
 Through summer's heat and winter's cold 
 With eye that never sleeps. 
 
 By evil beast, or burning sky, 
 
 Or damp of midnight air, 
 None in that lonely flock shall die 
 
 Beneath that Shepherd's care. 
 
 For if, unheeding or beguiled, 
 
 In danger's path they roam. 
 His pity follows through the wild 
 
 And bears them safely home. 
 
 O gentle Shepherd, still behold 
 
 Thy helpless charge in me. 
 And take a wanderer to Thy fold 
 
 That trembling turns to Thee. 
 
INDEX OF SERVICES 
 
 AGE 
 
 First Service ii 
 
 The Home Sanctuary. 
 
 Second Service 25 
 
 The Palm Tree. 
 
 Third Service 37 
 
 The Foolishness of Solomon. 
 
 Fourth Service 50 
 
 The Poverty of Croesus. 
 
 Fifth Service 64 
 
 The Doiible-Minded Man. 
 
 Sixth Service . 77 
 
 Behold, zvhat Manner of Love! 
 
 Seventh Service 90 
 
 The Tabernacles of Tabor. 
 
 Eighth Service 103 
 
 The Wells of the Desert. 
 
 Ninth Service 117 
 
 Tempted and Tried. 
 
 Tenth Service 130 
 
 A Triple Tragedy. 
 
 Eleventh Service 143 
 
 The Great Healer. 
 
 Twelfth Service 156 
 
 The Kindest Word ever Spoken. 
 
 Thirteenth Service 167 
 
 The Higher Life. 
 
 Fourteenth Service 180 
 
 The Jubilee in the Father's House. 
 9 
 
10 Index of Services 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Fifteenth Service i94 
 
 The Timid Soul. 
 
 Sixteenth Service 207 
 
 Assurance. 
 
 Seventeenth Service 220 
 
 The Witch of Endor. 
 
 Eighteenth Service 234 
 
 The Golden Altar. 
 
 Nineteenth Service 247 
 
 The Lazv of Liberty. 
 
 Twentieth Service 259 
 
 A Patchwork Religion. 
 
 Twenty-first Service 271 
 
 Bad Habits. 
 
 Twenty-second Service 283 
 
 A Sinful Thought. 
 
 Twenty-third Service 296 
 
 The Golden Silence. 
 
 Twenty-fourth Service 309 
 
 The Messages of the Snow. 
 
 Twenty-fifth Service 321 
 
 The Prayers of David. 
 
 Twenty-sixth Service 332 
 
 The Number of Our Days. 
 

 
 FIRST SERVICE 
 
 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 1. INVOCATION 
 
 God, be with me* and bless me, and cause 
 thy face to shine upon me, and be gra- 
 cious unto me. I invoke thy presence accord- 
 ing to thy promise, "If ye seek me I will be 
 found of you." Make me sensible of thy 
 nearness and of thy willingness to bless; for 
 Jesus' sake. Amen. 
 
 2. HYMN : "Come, thou Fount of every bless- 
 
 ing." 
 
 3. SCRIPTURE LESSON 
 
 Job 14:1-14. 
 Luke 12 :23-32. 
 
 4. PRAYER 
 
 O God, I thank thee for the privilege of 
 calling thee Father. I thank thee for the 
 sweet and helpful friendship of thine only- 
 begotten Son, who has made me acquainted 
 with thee. I pray for the filial spirit that not 
 only loves but trusts and obeys. Make me 
 content with my lot and ever willing to suffer 
 
 *The services in this book, like those of "The Cloister Book," are 
 arranged for individual use; but they can easily be adapted to the 
 needs of the Family Circle or the Congregation by changing singular 
 pronouns to plural. In this case the prayer would be "God be with us 
 and bless us," etc. 
 
12 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 or to serve, as may please thee. Give me the 
 open mind of childhood in the presence of 
 truth ; for I know that only those who become 
 as little children shall see the Kingdom of 
 God. Save me from the intellectual pride 
 that insists on having its own way. Speak, 
 Lord; thy servant heareth. What wilt thou 
 have me to do ? Is there a sick friend whom I 
 ought especially to remember to-day? Is 
 there a sinner in need of salvation, whom I 
 can lead to the Saviour? I am under com- 
 mission to do good as I have opportunity. 
 Send me on errands of love, and make me 
 ever willing and glad to go. If I can not go, 
 let my sympathy and prayers go for me. I 
 want to believe what thou teachest; I want to 
 obey thy slightest wish; I want to follow in 
 thy steps. Lead on, O blessed Master, and 
 point the way. Make me subservient to thy 
 holy will. Thou hast prepared a great salva- 
 tion for me ; help me to work it out with fear 
 and trembling, knowing that thou workest in 
 and through me. Forgive my sins, for Jesus* 
 sake. Forgive my shortcomings. Forgive 
 my near-sighted views of the great verities of 
 the spiritual life. Forgive my apathy and in- 
 difference in the face of duty and responsibil- 
 ity. Give me brighter hopes, clearer visions, 
 and holier aspirations. Be thou my great Ex- 
 emplar, and enable me to draw nearer to thy 
 likeness every day. And what I ask of thee 
 for myself I ask also for my friends, and for 
 
The Home Sanctuary 13 
 
 all who belong to the household of faith. 
 Bless thy Church everywhere, and give saving 
 power to thy Word. Come, Holy Spirit, 
 come ; and bring the seed-sowing to a glorious 
 harvest. For Paul may plant and ApoUos 
 water; but thou alone givest the increase. 
 Hear this prayer and grant me thy peace — 
 that divine peace which passeth all under- 
 standing; for Jesus' sake. Amen. 
 
 5. HYMN : "Just as I am, without one plea." 
 
 6. OFFERING'' 
 
 7. THE SERMON 
 
 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 "Salute Prisca and Aquila, my fellow-workers 
 In Christ Jesus, who for my life laid down their 
 own necks ; and salute the church that is in their 
 house." (Romans 16: 3-5.) 
 
 The Church is a fact — an obvious, potential 
 fact ; a fact that must be reckoned with by any who 
 would comprehend the logic of events. It was be- 
 cause Hume was unwilling to recognize the Church 
 in its relation to progress that his "History of Eng- 
 land" is like a labyrinth without a clue. He might 
 as well have undertaken to prepare an exhaustive 
 treatise on light without a reference to the sun. 
 
 The franchise of the Church is given in the 
 
 *"Upon the first day of the week, let each one of you lay by him in 
 store as he may prosper." (i Cor. 16:2.) 
 
14 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 Scriptures; and on reading it we can not but be 
 struck by its close adherence to the lines of domes- 
 tic life. 
 
 At the outset we have the Church in the house 
 of Jdafn and Eve. An altar stands in the midst 
 of the family circle, the religious life of which is 
 centered in the prophecy of the Seed of Woman 
 who is expected, in the fullness of time, to bruise 
 the serpent's head. As we follow the history 
 of the Church along the centuries, we shall find a 
 continuance of this seminal idea, which found ex- 
 pression in the blood-stained altar and the hope of 
 the coming Christ. 
 
 In the reconstruction of things after the Deluge, 
 we find the Church in the house of Noah. On the 
 summit of Ararat, with his family about him, "he 
 builded an altar unto the Lord and offered burnt- 
 offerings upon it." The altar was spanned by a 
 rainbow, which was the token of a covenant be- 
 tween God and his people or the transmission of 
 the Messianic hope along the succeeding ages. 
 
 And then came the Church in the house of Abra- 
 ham. He heard the Voice and journeyed along the 
 Great River, building an altar at every resting-place 
 to perpetuate the rudimental thought of blood 
 atonement, and receiving ever and anon a renewal 
 of the prophecy of Christ as "his Seed, In whom all 
 the nations of the earth were to be blessed." He 
 saw Christ afar off and was glad. 
 
 As time passed, the simplicity of the primitive 
 Church was succeeded by an elaborate ceremonial 
 
The Home Sanctuary 15 
 
 code. At its center stood the temple, around which 
 was formulated the most magnificent system of 
 rites and ceremonies that the world ever saw. This, 
 however, was merely temporary; its purpose being 
 to carry on the Messianic hope until the advent of 
 Christ. At his appearing, these provisional expedi- 
 ents were to vanish — vanish as darkness vanishes 
 at the break of day. 
 
 The first Church of the Christian era was the 
 Church in the house of Joseph of Nazareth. The 
 great promise was now fulfilled. Behold the Man- 
 ger in the midst of the household, and over it the 
 shadow of the Cross ! 
 
 A little later we have the Church in the house 
 of Mary of Jerusalem. In an upper room sits 
 Christ himself in the midst of his disciples. Not 
 far away is the temple, the "house magnifical"; 
 but over its doorway is written, "The glory is de- 
 parted." The Church is not there: it is in the up- 
 per room, with its informal welcome and loving 
 salutations. 
 
 A little farther on we come upon the apostolic 
 group of Churches, like that in the house of Aquila 
 and Priscilla. Our first acquaintance with these 
 itinerant tent-makers is at Corinth. A year later 
 they were at Ephesus, where there was not only a 
 Church but a modest theological seminary in their 
 house. After this they drifted to Philippi, where 
 mention is again made of the Church in their house. 
 And still later they were settled at Rome, where 
 our text mentions the Church in their house. Other 
 
1 6 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 examples of like character are "the Church In the 
 house of Philemon" at Corinth, and "the Church 
 in the house of Nymphas" at Laodlcea. 
 
 As the centuries pass, we note a departure from 
 the admirable simplicity of these Churches. We 
 have pomp and pageantry; cloisters, cathedrals, 
 and tinsel canonicals. But have we anything to 
 show that can outvie the unpretentious beauty of 
 holiness that marked the beginnings of Christian 
 progress? And would It not be wise to surrender 
 somewhat of our elaborate display in exchange for 
 the sweet simplicity and rare fellowship of those 
 early days? 
 
 As I sat recently near the tribune of Saint Peter's 
 at Rome during the canonization of a saint, I was 
 overwhelmed with the sensuous Impresslveness of 
 the service. The Pope was borne aloft In his 
 palanquin toward the high altar, with a retinue of 
 cardinals about him, while Incense rose in fragrant 
 clouds, and the great arches reverberated with the 
 wonderful Gregorian chants, and all the people 
 bowed In breathless awe. Then I remembered that 
 it was just here, in Rome, two thousand years ago, 
 that the Church of Christ was in the house of 
 Aqulla and Prisca, the tent-makers; and I won- 
 dered If God did not smile more complacently on 
 that humble company of worshipers than upon 
 those who murmur beautiful liturgies and swing 
 golden censers in the magnificence of these last 
 days. 
 
 I believe there is something significantly Impor- 
 
The Home Sanctuary 17 
 
 tant In this original Idea of "the Church In the 
 house." Let us see. 
 
 To begin with, observe the emphasis which It 
 puts on the simplicity of an acceptable approach to 
 God. 
 
 Our word "Church," by the way. Is not found In 
 the Scriptures. It Is a pagan word, kuriakon, used 
 by the Greeks with reference to the altars of their 
 false gods. The Scriptural word for the Church Is 
 ecclesia, which means simply a company of people 
 come together for divine service. It contains no 
 suggestion of elaborate form, but rather of plain- 
 ness and Informality. The God whom we worship 
 Is a Spirit, and must be worshiped In spirit and In 
 truth. 
 
 There Is also In this phrase, "the Church In the 
 house," a suggestion of the oneness of the historic 
 Church. 
 
 As there Is only one God, there can be only one 
 religion; and as there Is but one religion there can 
 be but one Church. It Is a mistake to speak of the 
 Jewish Church and the Christian Church as If they 
 were essentially different, or as If one had sup- 
 planted the other because they were somehow at 
 odds. There never has been, and there never will 
 be, but one Church In this world of ours. 
 
 The Church In the house of Adam and Eve was 
 gathered about an altar that spoke eloquently of 
 the Lamb of God; and the same Is true of every 
 assembly of true worshipers at this day. It Is an 
 error to speak of the day of Pentecost as "the birth- 
 
1 8 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 day of the Christian Church." On that occasion 
 the Church, which had been from the beginning, 
 received a baptism of fire and power, by the de- 
 scent of the Spirit, for the carrying on of the great 
 work of the Kingdom of God. 
 
 We have, also, a side-light here into the normal 
 diversity which prevails in the Church of these 
 days. 
 
 I have a friend who built for himself, years ago, 
 a home on the upper Hudson. As his children 
 grew up and were married, one by one, he declined 
 to receive them under the paternal roof, but instead 
 built for each happy pair a separate home nearby. 
 And therein he showed himself a wise man; for 
 true is the proverb, "Fences make good neighbors." 
 A man of less discernment might have insisted that 
 his children and grandchildren should abide under 
 the same roof with him; just as there are people 
 who clamor for ecclesiastical uniformity, and 
 mourn because the denominations are called by dif- 
 ferent names. But this was not the thought of our 
 Father when he "set the solitary in families." 
 
 We are made, like sheep, to segregate : like seeks 
 like. We shall never all agree; but in the good 
 time coming we shall agree to differ. There is 
 room for a difference of opinion in matters of doc- 
 trine — not, however, as to the great fundamentals, 
 such as the virgin birth of Jesus, on which rests his 
 Messianic claim, or the vicarious Atonement, on 
 which rests the world's hope of salvatioji, or the 
 miracle of Christ's Resurrection, by which life and 
 
The Home Sanctuary 19 
 
 immortality are brought to light, but on minor 
 points, which are in no wise necessary to the in- 
 tegrity of our faith. 
 
 And there is room also for a difference of opin- 
 ion in matters of polity. There must, as a matter 
 of course, be law and order in the Church; but 
 Scripture has little to say of forms of government: 
 these are most largely left to us. Some believe in 
 prelatical, others in presbyterial, and still others 
 in independent forms of government. Why not 
 let all suit themselves? It is the way of the world. 
 Do we lament the fact that some secular states are 
 monarchical, others republican, and still others dem- 
 ocratic? Are we foolish enough to urge that this 
 interferes with the solidarity of the race? Why, 
 then, should we be troubled on account of minor 
 divisions In the Church, or why should we en- 
 deavor, by mechanical compression, to bring about 
 abnormal uniformity instead of falling In with the 
 sensible view of the household of God? 
 
 We are, furthermore, reminded here of the true 
 fellowship which should prevail in the Church. 
 
 We sing "Blest be the tie that binds our hearts 
 In Christian love." But what Is that tie? It is 
 not our common acceptance of the Fatherhood of 
 God. The doctrine of the divine Fatherhood Is 
 not peculiar to Christianity. It was recognized 
 centuries ago In the Norse mythology, where we 
 read of "Al-fadir," the Father of All. It may be 
 doubted if there Is any of the false religions, ex- 
 cept Confucianism, which does not suggest It. But 
 
20 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 the singular and differentiating fact In Christianity 
 is its belief In the brotherhood of Christ. He is 
 "the first-born among many brethren/' the Elder 
 Brother of us all. "For this cause," says Paul, "I 
 bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus 
 Christ, of whom the whole family In heaven and 
 earth Is named." Thus Christ, as the manifesta- 
 tion of the Father, Is our bond of union. 
 
 And this Is the touchstone of legitimacy In the 
 household of God. There Is a proverb which ema- 
 nates from the Vatican, Ubi ecclesia, ibi Christiis, — 
 that Is, "Where the Church Is, there Is Christ," 
 — but precisely the reverse Is true : where Christ Is 
 there Is the Church. For In any Church which Is 
 truly Christian he Is first, last, midst and all In all. 
 
 And with this bond of fellowship goes the 
 thought of equality. 
 
 There are no "holy orders" in the True Church. 
 The word "laity" Is not found In the Scriptures. 
 There Is Indeed a distinct call to the ministry; but 
 It permits no pride of station, as If men in canoni- 
 cals were appointed to lord It over God's heritage. 
 The true idea of the ministry was set forth in the 
 Master's words, "The Son of man Is come not to 
 be ministered unto but to minister" ; and It was ex- 
 emplified In the upper room where he girded him- 
 self with a towel and washed his disciples' feet, 
 saying, "I have given you an example, that ye 
 should do as I have done to you." The supercili- 
 ous affectation of greatness and pontifical prece- 
 dence on the part of certain functionaries of the 
 
The Home Sanctuary 21 
 
 Church Is at an Infinite remove from the conception 
 of their office which was in the mind of Christ 
 when he said, "He that would be greatest among 
 you, let him be servant of all." 
 
 As there Is no distinction between clergy and 
 laity in point of superiority, so there Is no room In 
 this atmosphere for the adventitious distinctions of 
 social life. This Is the one place on earth where 
 rich and poor should meet together and acknowl- 
 edge the Lord as Maker of them all. For the 
 Church is a family circle; It is the household of 
 God. The recognition of that fact Is not always 
 easy. In view of certain conditions that prevail 
 among us ; but It is always wise, because it prepares 
 us for the fellowship of our Father's house. We 
 are fond of speaking of the recognition of friends 
 In heaven; but why not more of such recognitions 
 here and now? 
 
 Still further, In this domestic conception of 
 Church life we best realize the thought of co- 
 operation. 
 
 The ultimate purpose aimed at Is the conquest 
 of the world. To that end we are trying to per- 
 suade the world to come and worship with us. 
 This Is one of our great problems: how to get the 
 people everywhere to honor the ringing of the 
 church-bell. But suppose we return to the thought 
 of Christ himself, which was not to get the house 
 to the Church, but to get the Church to the house. 
 
 His great word was, "Go." He was constantly 
 urging his disciples to go out as fishers of men. He 
 
22 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 had little or nothing to say about "the regeneration 
 of society" or of the community, but much to say 
 about the rescue of one. Welcome the day when 
 the people shall no longer stand in their church- 
 doors with words of welcome, but venture forth to 
 the capture of prisoners of hope ! 
 
 The Church of the dark ages was lost In spiritual 
 torpor and corruption till the call of the crusades 
 was heard, "God wills it!" whereupon forces were 
 set in motion that ultimately brought the Reforma- 
 tion to pass. Go, therefore; go out Into the high- 
 ways and hedges; go to the uttermost parts of the 
 earth : it matters little where you go, so that you go 
 somewhere for the Master In the quest of souls. 
 
 To this work the Church In the house is per- 
 fectly adjusted. 
 
 A sacerdotalist, on hearing this, would be likely 
 to say, "Your Church In the house has no organiza- 
 tion." No organization? It has the best in the 
 world. It is the living organism which Ezekiel saw 
 in his vision, of which every household Is a wheel, 
 and the Spirit moves within them all. 
 
 A Church operating from one great center or 
 from a few splendid centers of radiating power is 
 not calculated to bring the world to God. I re- 
 member when It was thought that the best illumina- 
 tion for our cities was furnished by a great arc- 
 light shining from a steel tower in some central 
 square; but we have learned that the best street- 
 lighting Is by lamps at frequent Intervals, or by 
 lights shining from many windows and open door- 
 
The Home Sanctuary 23 
 
 ways. It Is not the great temples and cathedrals 
 of the world that are controlling the enterprises of 
 Christ's Kingdom. The saving factor of Chris- 
 tian progress Is In "the back districts," where con- 
 gregations gather In humble places of worship, of- 
 ten In schoolhouses at the cross-roads. Here de- 
 scends the promise, "Where two or three are met 
 together In my name, there will I be." 
 
 ^ This Is our coign of vantage In the work of the 
 kingdom. Let us realize that the Church Is the 
 family of God. Let It be understood that he cares 
 little for^ elaborate form and ceremony, but much 
 for the simple beauty of holiness. The man who 
 issues from the Church In the House with a sickle 
 in hand and his face toward the harvest-field is 
 greater, in God's sight, than a procession of 
 hierophants In purple canonicals. I believe that a 
 truer conception of the Church along the lines 
 originally marked out for It would mean a mighty 
 impulse in universal evangelization. 
 
 We are looking forward to the Millennium, 
 when Christ shall reign over all nations and peoples 
 of the earth. It will be heralded by the descent 
 of the Tabernacle of God. The dreamer in 
 Patmos saw no temple in heaven, and he saw no 
 temple on earth In the latter day; but he heard a 
 voice prophesying that the tabernacle, the old "tent 
 of meeting," should descend upon the earth, and 
 that the God of glory would abide therein; saying, 
 "The tabernacle of God shall be with men and he 
 will dwell with them, and they shall be his people : 
 
24 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 yea, God himself shall be with them and be their 
 God." 
 
 8. PRAYER 
 
 Blessed be thy name, O gracious Father, 
 for the assurance of the things which thou 
 hast prepared for them that love thee. Help 
 me to live so well, so patiently, so usefully, 
 here and now, that I may be found worthy of 
 promotion to larger tasks in heaven; for thy 
 Name's sake. Amen. 
 
 9. HYMN : "From every stormy wind that 
 
 blows." 
 
 10. BENEDICTION 
 
 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the 
 love of God the Father and the communion 
 of the Holy Spirit be with you. Amen. 
 
SECOND SERVICE 
 The Palm- Tree 
 
 1. INVOCATION 
 
 T/f/^HAT shall I render unto thee, O 
 f"^^ Lord, for all thy benefits? I will take 
 the cup of thy salvation and pay unto thee my 
 solemn vows. Help me to dedicate myself 
 anew to thy service. Here, Lord, I give my- 
 self to thee; 'tis all that I can do. Amen. 
 
 2. HYMN: "The morning light is breaking." 
 
 3. SCRIPTURE LESSON 
 
 Psalm 92. 
 John 15:1-11. 
 
 4. PRAYER 
 
 O God who dwellest in light and glory un- 
 approachable, there is no measuring thy 
 knowledge, because all things are naked and 
 open before thee. Thine eyes run to and fro 
 through all the earth to behold the evil and 
 the good. Thou seest into the heart of every 
 mystery, so that even the darkness is light be- 
 fore thee. I pray that thou wilt have com- 
 passion upon my ignorance. I am living down 
 here in the valleys of mist and shadow, com- 
 25 
 
26 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 passed about by problems which I can not 
 solve. Truth comes like a far-off brightness, 
 glimmering through the twilight of doubt. 
 Have pity on my poor, blinking eyes. Give 
 me clearer vision. Help me to see Christ, 
 who said, "I am the truth," and to find in sit- 
 ting at his feet the key that opens all the mys- 
 teries of life. Enable me to be silent when he 
 speaks, and may his word be an end of all con- 
 troversy. If he says thou art my Father, help 
 me to believe it and henceforth obey thee in 
 filial love. If he says the Bible is true, help 
 me to receive it as my infallible rule of faith 
 and practice, whatever others may say. If 
 he assures me of salvation by faith, help me 
 to rest in that assurance and fear no more. If 
 he bids me work in his vineyard, help me to 
 get busy at once in my appointed place. For- 
 give my sins and shortcomings for his sake, 
 and make me ever more and more careful to 
 keep thy holy law. Remember all my friends, 
 particularly those who suffer in mind, body, or 
 estate. Go out, O thou seeking Saviour, af- 
 ter all who wander on the dark mountains. 
 Bless those who minister in thy Name, and 
 touch their lips with heavenly fire, that they 
 may preach the simple Gospel with power to 
 save. Remember those who are in authority 
 and enable them to rule righteously. Hasten 
 the day when the kings of the earth shall 
 bring their honor and their glory unto thee. 
 
The Palm-Tree 27 
 
 Hasten the coming of the time when no man 
 shall need to say to his neighbor, "Know thou 
 the Lord," because all shall know thee from 
 the least to the greatest. Show thyself in thy 
 majesty, O King of kings and Lord of lords, 
 and ride gloriously through this sin-stricken 
 and suffering world. And the praise and 
 power and dominion shall be thine forever 
 and ever. Amen. 
 
 5. HYMN: "In the Cross of Christ I glory." 
 
 6. OFFERING 
 
 7. THE SERMON 
 
 The P aim-Tree 
 
 "The righteous shall flourish like the palm- 
 tree." (Psalm 92.) 
 
 The Psalter was the Hymn-book of the Jews. 
 It contains one hundred and fifty devotional lyrics, 
 of which eighty are ascribed to David, "the mas- 
 ter-singer"; twelve to Asaph, the choir-leader; 
 fourteen to the "sons of Korah," a family of sac- 
 erdotal poets; two to Solomon; and one to Moses. 
 The others are anonymous, among them this 
 ninety-second. It is entitled "A Song for the Sab- 
 bath." In its opening verse it strikes the major 
 key, "It is a good thing to give thanks unto 
 Jehovah!" 
 
 Though the author's name Is unknown, we may 
 be sure that he belonged to the school of nature- 
 
2 8 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 lovers, who hear voices everywhere and are able to 
 interpret them. For it is a true saying, "There are 
 so many voices in the world, and none of them is 
 without signification." At night this minstrel 
 heard the stars singing, "The Hand that made us 
 is divine!" In the fields the flowers preached to 
 him of the beneficent wisdom of their Creator. 
 Like the exiled duke in the Forest of Arden, he 
 found "tongues in trees"; the rugged oak, the pli- 
 ant willow and the lofty pine all speaking with 
 voices of their own. If he trudged through the 
 desert, staff in hand, the lonely palm-tree broke the 
 silence with its homily: "Pause, traveler; let me 
 tell thee of The Righteous Man!" 
 
 The three factors of Righteousness are Strength, 
 Beauty and Usefulness. Behold them in the palm- 
 tree! 
 
 First, Strength. Its roots are so deep beneath 
 the earth that it can venture with its sinewy trunk 
 and gallant fronds to cleave the upper air. It de- 
 fies the sirocco, before which other trees would 
 snap like pipe-stems, saying, "Bend me you may; 
 but break me, never!" 
 
 The great Humboldt, viewing a group of palm- 
 trees on their native heath, exclaimed, "Mark how 
 yon pillars seem to be upholding the sky!" 
 
 Secondly, Beauty. Observe Its stately grace, its 
 lines of symmetry. Little wonder that Solomon 
 in the building of the "House Magnllical" adorned 
 its walls with carvings of palm-trees, overlaid Its 
 doors with gold spread upon palm branches, and 
 
The Palm-Tree 29 
 
 supported Its porch with two pillars crowned with 
 lily-work, typifying strength and beauty, after the 
 simihtude of the palm ! Even so, — 
 
 The plants of grace shall ever live ; 
 Nature decays, but grace doth thrive; 
 Time, that doth all things else impair, 
 Still makes them flourish strong and fair. 
 
 Thirdly, Usefulness. The Arab who lives in the 
 shelter of the palm is wont to speak of its three 
 hundred uses. There are trees that always take 
 and never give, living on the fructifying factors of 
 the soil but yielding no return, good only for the 
 woodman's ax. But give the Bedouin his palm and 
 he is content to let the world sweep by. 
 
 To him the tree is a gift divine. 
 Wherein all uses of man com.bine, 
 House and raiment and food and wine. 
 
 Of threads of palm was the carpet spun 
 Whereon he kneels when the day is done 
 And the foreheads of Islam are bowed as one. 
 
 And In the hour of his great release 
 His need of the palm shall onl}'^ cease 
 With the shroud wherein he lieth in peace. 
 
 "Allah il Allah !" he sings his psalm 
 On the Indian Sea by the Isles of balm; 
 "Thanks to Allah who gives the palm!" 
 
 So flourishes the palm-tree. In the face of riot- 
 ing storms It glories in strength. In a scene of 
 naked desolation it presents a vision of surpassing 
 grace. In a dry and thirsty land where no water 
 
30 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 is, it bids the weary traveler "Rest and be thank- 
 ful." 
 
 And, behold, "the righteous shall flourish like 
 the palm-tree." 
 
 I. His strength is the strength of faith. 
 
 His faith is rooted and grounded in truth. One 
 who can say "I know" can also say "I stand" ; for 
 as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he. 
 
 The Word of God is the authority for the Chris- 
 tian's faith; wherefore he can confidently say, "He 
 only is my rock and my salvation; I shall not be 
 greatly moved!" As the palm-tree stands before 
 the sirocco, gently swaying and bending but ever 
 righting itself, so the righteous man, while contro- 
 versies rage on every side, rests in "the eye of the 
 storm." He has duly considered the problems of 
 faith in the light of Revelation, and has formed 
 convictions that are proof against the fashions and 
 opinions of the world about him. 
 
 He has chosen his way at the bidding of his Mas- 
 ter, and the shouting of the crowd can not swerve 
 him. He has committed his soul to the guidance 
 of One who makes no mistakes; wherefore he is 
 able to affirm, "I know Him whom I have believed, 
 and I am persuaded that He is able to guard that 
 which I have committed unto Him against that 
 day !" He has no armor of his own; but, panoplied 
 in the whole armor of God — girdle of truth, breast- 
 plate of righteousness, sandals of the preparation 
 of the Gospel, shield of faith, helmet of salvation 
 
The Palm-Tree 31 
 
 and sword of the Spirit — -he is able to withstand in 
 the evil day and, having done all, to stand. In no 
 spirit of bravado, but of humble dependence on the 
 Omnipotence by which he is buttressed, he plants 
 himself upon his convictions, saying, "Here I 
 stand; I can not otherwise; God help me!" 
 
 The strength of the Christian is downward and 
 upward. His aspirations are measured by his 
 creed. He is an idealist because he is a realist. He 
 is an optimist because he is a believer. He hopes 
 for heaven because he knows he Is living In God's 
 world here and now. He is ambitious to make 
 the most of himself because he has surrendered 
 himself to the mastery of Christ. The roots 
 of his faith are deep down In divine grace; 
 wherefore the stamen of the character Is superior 
 to adversity and his virtues grow upward like the 
 fronds of the palm; as It Is written, "If ye then be 
 risen with Christ, seek those things w^hich are above 
 where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God." 
 
 II. His beauty is the beauty of holiness. 
 
 The one green thing in the desert Is the palm- 
 tree. It lifts its fronds so far above the arid waste 
 that, when the strength of the simoom Is spent, 
 there is no trace of dust upon Its foliage. So does 
 the Christian seek to keep himself "unspotted from 
 the world." He Is In the world, yet not of it. 
 
 This is the Ideal; It never was realized, however, 
 save once. Christ was a Christian. He was the 
 One Christian of all history In whom the world 
 iinds "no fault at all." 
 
32 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 All others are simply measuring up to him. We 
 count not ourselves to have apprehended; but this 
 one thing we do : forgetting the things which are be- 
 hind, we press toward the mark for the prize of the 
 high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Our high call- 
 ing is his "Come up higher!" From the stain of 
 past sin he has cleansed us by his blood; from its 
 penalty he has delivered us by his vicarious sacri- 
 fice ; from its bondage he would fain free us. His 
 word Is, "Sin no more!" And this Is possible to 
 those who realize his ever-present help. No sin is 
 unavoidable. Indeed, no sin Is possible except as 
 we fling him off. The moment a Christian parts 
 company with Christ his strength to resist goes 
 from him. So long as he continues with Christ he 
 Is striving to be like him. This Is character. The 
 likeness of Christ is the beauty of holiness. 
 
 And the beauty of holiness, like that of the palm- 
 tree, is perennial. The summers of prosperity and 
 the winters of adversity are alike to it. If all goes 
 well. It makes merry and thanks God; if the skies 
 lower and the winds blow It braces itself for strug- 
 gle and still thanks God. What says the Psalmist 
 of the righteous man? "He shall be like a tree 
 planted by the streams of water, that bringeth forth 
 Its fruit In its season; whose leaf also doth not 
 wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper." 
 
 One of the best definitions of the Christian Is that 
 of Milton, "He who can consider vice with all her 
 baits and yet refrain, and yet distinguish, and yet 
 prefer, that which Is better, he is a true Christian/* 
 
The Palm-Tree 33 
 
 We are bound to keep on living in a sinful world; 
 but "to refrain, to distinguish and to choose that 
 which is better," this is to live as Christ lived, to 
 live as a Christian should, to be in the world yet 
 not of it. 
 
 III. His usefulness is the usefulness of service. 
 
 He ''serves the Lord Christ"; and, by the same 
 token, he is "debtor unto all." The rule of his life 
 is the Golden Rule. 
 
 That man may breathe but never lives, 
 Who much receives but nothing gives, 
 Whom none can praise, whom none can thank; 
 Creation's blot, creation's blank. 
 
 In our Lord's last interview with his disciples he 
 gave them a parable containing In brief the phi- 
 losophy of the Christian life: "I am the vine, ye 
 are the branches. He that abldeth In me and I in 
 him, the same beareth much fruit; for apart from 
 me ye can do nothing." In this parable he em- 
 phasizes again and again the importance of fruit- 
 fulness — "fruit" — "much fruit" — for "herein Is 
 my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit." 
 
 What is this fruit? "The fruit of the Spirit," 
 we are told, "is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, 
 kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, self- 
 control: against such there is no law"; and again, 
 "As we have opportunity let us work that which 
 is good toward all men." 
 
 So runs the Sermon of the Palm-Tree. 
 
 And the secret of Its strength, beauty and useful- 
 
34 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 ness Is not far to seek. No sooner does the shoot 
 leave the parent seed than it begins prospecting for 
 the spring. Downward it makes its way, down and 
 ever farther down, until it finds the living stream; 
 and thenceforth it lives and thrives upon it. 
 
 In like manner the Christian finds the source of 
 his spiritual life in Christ. 
 
 He is strong only In the strength of Christ; as 
 Paul testifies, "I take pleasure in weaknesses, In 
 injuries, in necessities, in persecutions. In distresses, 
 for Christ's sake; for when I am weak then am 1 
 strong"; and again, "Most gladly therefore will I 
 rather glory In my weaknesses, that the power of 
 Christ may rest upon me." (2 Corinthians 
 12 :9-io.) 
 
 He Is holy so far forth as he succeeds in imitat- 
 ing the character of Christ, and no farther: where- 
 fore Peter exhorts us to become "partakers of the 
 divine nature" through the experimental knowl- 
 edge of Christ; adding, "And for this very cause 
 adding on your part all diligence, In your faith sup- 
 ply virtue; and In your virtue knowledge; and In 
 your knowledge self-control; and in your self-con- 
 trol patience; and in your patience godliness; and 
 in your godliness brotherly kindness; and in your 
 brotherly kindness love. For if these things are 
 yours and abound, they make you to be not idle 
 nor unfruitful unto the knowledge of our Lord 
 Jesus Christ." (2 Peter 1:5-8.) 
 
 And the usefulness of the Christian is measured 
 by his co-operation with Christ in the work of his 
 
The Palm-Tree 35 
 
 kingdom. The coming of Christ Into our world 
 was for the purpose of ultimately establishing a 
 kingdom of truth and righteousness on the ruins of 
 sin. He said to his disciples, "As my Father hath 
 sent me, even so send I you." This, then. Is the 
 business of all Christians, to hasten the coming of 
 the Kingdom. All other Interests must be subor- 
 dinated to this; as he said, "Seek ye first the king- 
 dom of God." Wealth Is nothing, pleasure is 
 nothing, earthly emoluments are nothing. In com- 
 parison. All such works as hasten the coming of 
 the Kingdom are "good works"; and these were in 
 the mind of the Master when he said, "Herein Is 
 my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit." 
 
 So Christ is all. He Is made unto us Avisdom 
 and righteousness, sanctlfication and redemption. 
 Our strength, beauty and usefulness are In him. 
 
 The enigma of our life is quaintly solved by 
 George Herbert In this wise : 
 
 Jesu is in my heart, his sacred name 
 
 Is deeply carved there. But the other week 
 
 A great affliction broke the little frame 
 E'en all to pieces ; which I went to seek. 
 
 And first I found the corner where was J 
 
 After where was ES, and next where U was graved. 
 
 When I had got these parcels, instantly 
 
 I sat me down to spell them, and perceived 
 
 That to my broken heart, He was / ease you; 
 
 And to my whole heart Is JESU. 
 
 This, then. Is the peroration of the Sermon of 
 the Palm-Tree : "Blessed are they whose lives are 
 hid with Christ In God." 
 
36 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 8. PRAYER 
 
 Father in Heaven, be pleased to sanctify 
 me wholly by the indwelling of thy Spirit. 
 Help me to grow daily in grace and in the 
 knowledge of Jesus Christ. Grant that my 
 whole spirit and soul and body may be pre- 
 served blameless unto his coming, and that, 
 awaking in his likeness, I may dwell forever 
 with him. Amen. 
 
 9. HYMN: "Guide me, O thou great Jehovah !" 
 
 10. BENEDICTION 
 
 The Lord bless thee and keep thee: the 
 Lord make his face shine upon thee and be 
 gracious unto thee: the Lord lift up his coun- 
 tenance upon thee and give thee peace. Amen. 
 
THIRD SERVICE 
 
 The Foolishness of Solomon 
 
 1. INVOCATION 
 
 /^ Lord, thou hast promised to be nigh 
 ^^ unto all that call upon thee. Help me 
 now to lift up holy hands with my heart unto 
 thee in the heavens; and be pleased to bow 
 thy heavens and come down unto me. Let 
 the words of my mouth and the meditations 
 of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, 
 my Strength and my Redeemer! Amen. 
 
 2. HYMN: "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Al- 
 
 mighty." 
 
 3. SCRIPTURE LESSON 
 
 2 Chronicles i :i-i2. 
 Luke 1 1 :29-54. 
 
 4. PRAYER 
 
 O Lord, help me to forget myself to-day. 
 Thou knowest how many things I need : par- 
 don and sanctifying grace, patience in suffer- 
 ing, light and power and holy zeal ; and thou 
 lovest me enough to grant them all. But I am 
 thinking, Lord, of those who are in deeper 
 distress than mine. Oh, pity the sick, the 
 
 37 
 
38 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 lonely and discouraged. Go up and down the 
 aisles of hospitals, and lay thy gentle, healing 
 hand on those who languish on restless beds. 
 Thou art the great Physician; there is healing 
 in thy touch. And have compassion on those 
 who continue in their sins, because they know 
 thee not. Thou wast wounded for our trans- 
 gressions and bruised for our iniquities, that 
 by thy stripes we might be healed; but. Lord, 
 there are millions on millions in the world 
 who have never heard this good news. Thy 
 people have known it for nineteen hundred 
 years, and have not sufficiently told it. Thou 
 didst give them the message and bid them 
 carry it to the uttermost parts of the earth; 
 but they have stopped short. There are re- 
 gions beyond still waiting and dying for want 
 of it. Send abroad thy mighty Gospel. Stim- 
 ulate thy Church to carry it even to the last 
 man. Enable me to do my part. Mine is only 
 a little parish; but help and strengthen me to 
 be faithful in it. Bless all those who minister 
 in the pulpits of the world to-day. Keep them 
 loyal to thy Word and to the faith once for 
 all delivered to the saints. Anoint their eyes 
 that they may see the full glory of the Gospel, 
 and touch their lips with fire that they may 
 faithfully and effectually declare It. Open the 
 hearts of the people, that they may joyously 
 receive it, and incline their steps to a con- 
 sistent walk. So glorify thyself this day, O 
 
The Palm-Tree 39 
 
 Lord, in all thy servants and in me; for Jesus' 
 sake. Amen. 
 
 5. HYMN : "He that goeth forth with weeping." 
 
 6. OFFERING 
 
 7. THE SERMON 
 
 The Foolishness of Solomon 
 
 ''And God gave Solomon wisdom and under- 
 standing exceeding much, and largeness of heart, 
 even as the sand that is on the sea-shore. And 
 Solomon's wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the 
 children of the east, and all the wisdom of Egypt. 
 For he was wiser than all men ; than Ethan the 
 Ezrahite and Heman and Calcol and Darda, the 
 sons of Mahol ; and his fame was in all the na- 
 tions round about." (i Kings 4:29-31.) 
 
 The wisdom of Solomon is proverbial. It was 
 a heavenly gift. The youthful king, on the day of 
 his coronation, made this prayer: "O my God, I am 
 but a little child. I know not how to rule this so 
 great people. I know not how to go out or come 
 in before thee. Give me, therefore, an understand- 
 ing heart." The answer came as a matter of 
 course; for here is the promise, "If any of you lack- 
 eth wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all 
 liberally and upbraideth not, and it shall be given 
 him." (James 1-5.) 
 
 As Solomon eventually did many foolish and 
 wicked things, it Is Important to ascertain the na- 
 ture of this wisdom with which he was so richly 
 endowed. Obviously it had its limitations. We 
 
40 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 shall see, if I mistake not, that it had little or noth- 
 ing to do with that spiritual wisdom that has for 
 its supreme end the perfection of character and the 
 attainment of eternal life. 
 
 I. He was a scientist; probably the leading sci- 
 entist of his time. ^'He spake of trees, from the 
 cedar that is in Lebanon even unto the hyssop that 
 springeth out of the wall; He spake also of beasts 
 and of birds and of creeping things and of fishes." 
 It has even been inferred from his reference to the 
 loosing of the silver cord and the breaking of the 
 golden bowl, and to the pitcher at the fountain and 
 the wheel at the cistern, that as an anatomist he 
 was acquainted with the intricate functions of our 
 physical life, such as the circulation of the blood, 
 thus anticipating Harvey's discovery by some thou- 
 sands of years. 
 
 II. He was a philosopher also. 
 
 While the business of a scientist is to discover 
 and assemble facts, that of the philosopher is to 
 get back of those facts and discover their causes. 
 This is precisely what Solomon did; ^'I applied my 
 heart," he says, "to seek and to search out by wis- 
 dom concerning all that is done under heaven." 
 There is a tradition that his manuscripts fell into 
 the hands of Aristotle, who derived from them the 
 rudimental principles of a system of philosophy 
 which is current even in these days. 
 
 III. He was furthermore a master of litera- 
 ture. His reign is as celebrated in Jewish history 
 
The Palm-Tree 41 
 
 as Is the Augustan Age in Roman history. He 
 built a royal library, known as "The House of 
 Wisdom." Whether he Insisted on having his 
 name written over Its doorway Is not known ; but It 
 probably contained a famous collection of scrolls 
 in many tongues. He was not only a generous 
 patron of learning, but a voluminous author as 
 well. He wrote three thousand proverbs, truths 
 compressed Into portable form and convenient for 
 the needs of common life. He wrote a thousand 
 and five poems; among them an Epithalamium, 
 which is rightly called "The Song of Songs." Who 
 has ever sung so sweetly of the springtime? 
 
 My beloved spake and said unto me, 
 
 "Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away! 
 
 For lo, the winter is past ; 
 
 The rain is over and gone; 
 
 The flowers appear on the earth; 
 
 The time of the singing of birds is come, 
 
 And the voice of the turtle dove is heard in our land. 
 
 The fig-tree ripeneth her green figs, 
 
 And the vines are in blossom ; 
 
 They give forth their fragrance. 
 
 Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away!" 
 
 IV. He was a master of economics ^ too; par- 
 ticularly of that personal sort of economics which 
 used to be called "Mer chantry," or the art of 
 feathering one's own nest. He was the prince of 
 merchant princes. He had at Ezlon-geber an ex- 
 tensive shipyard, from which his fleets sailed out to 
 Ophrah and Sheba, bearing wine and cereals In re- 
 turn for the commodities of those distant lands. 
 
42 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 This maritime traffic, besides an extensive commerce 
 with Egypt and Phoenicia and the Valley of the 
 Euphrates, was under his personal control. Wealth 
 poured into his exchequer. He built for himself 
 a magnificent palace, which had pillars of cedar 
 crowned with capitals of gold, and a thousand 
 golden shields suspended on its outer walls. His 
 feasts were superb : the drinking vessels were of 
 gold; none were of silver, because "silver was noth- 
 ing thought of." The daily allowance of his house- 
 hold was a hundred sheep and thirty oxen, with 
 hart and fallow deer and fatted fowl. His gar- 
 dens were called "paradises"; his stables were fur- 
 nished with four thousand stalls. It is difficult, In 
 these times of republican simplicity, to form a just 
 conception of so magnificent an establishment. But 
 grander than all was the king himself sitting on his 
 Ivory throne or riding forth in his chariot of state, 
 scepter In hand, sword upon thigh, guards sur- 
 rounding him, his robes perfumed with myrrh and 
 aloes and his hair powdered with dust of gold. 
 Such was the personage who has passed Into history 
 as "Solomon In all his glory." 
 
 V. But the wisdom with which he was particu- 
 larly endowed was such as he needed for the gov- 
 erning of "this so great a people." He was pre- 
 eminent in statecraft — a great lawmaker, a great 
 judge, and a great administrator. He saw to it 
 that the various functions of his government — legis- 
 lative, judicial and executive — were all centered in 
 him. The years of his administration were char- 
 
The Palm-Tree 43 
 
 acterlzed by an unwonted peace and an unparal- 
 leled prosperity. His people "dwelt safely, every 
 man under his vine and under his fig tree, from 
 Dan even to Beer-sheba." The king's name was It- 
 self a salaam: "Shelomoh," the peaceful. The 
 neighboring tribes were either allied In friendly In- 
 tercourse or held In check by a vigorous display of 
 force. This was Indeed Israel's Golden Age. 
 
 But here we call a halt. The wisdom of Solo- 
 mon was not omniscience. It Is recorded that the 
 Queen of Sheba, hearing of his wisdom, came a 
 distance of fifteen hundred miles to prove him with 
 hard questions; and he seemed to her a very encyclo- 
 pedia of knowledge Insomuch that she said, "It 
 was a true report that I heard In mine own land 
 of thine acts and of thy wisdom. Howbelt I be- 
 lieved not the words until I came, and mine eyes had 
 seen It, and, behold, the half was not told me!" 
 Nevertheless, had this pagan queen been moved to 
 question him along some of the lines of higher think- 
 ing, she must have discovered that his wisdom broke 
 down at the vital point. For Indeed he was In many 
 ways "the wisest, brightest, meanest, of mankind." 
 With all his knowledge, there were many of the 
 most Important things of which he had practically 
 no knowledge at all. 
 
 ( I ) He did not know God. It Is true he knew 
 much about him. He could have talked theology 
 by the hour, and orthodox theology at that; but 
 practically he did not know God. He did Indeed 
 build a temple for the worship of Jehovah, prob- 
 
44 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 ably the most magnificent sanctuary ever seen in 
 this world. And he was scrupulous in paying his 
 devotions there. He was most generous in obla- 
 tions and sacrifices. If God could be satisfied with 
 the fat of rams and fed beasts, then Solomon was 
 an exceedingly pious man. Yet with all this pomp 
 and circumstance of worship his religion was mere 
 make-believe. The proof is on record : "He loved 
 the Lord, only he sacrificed and burned incense in 
 the high places." Observe the fatal significance of 
 that word ''only." There were shrines and altars 
 on all the surrounding hills, some left over from 
 preceding reigns, but many more erected by him, 
 in honor of pagan gods. Like Redwald the Saxon, 
 he faced both ways. And all the while he wore 
 upon his forehead the shema on which was in- 
 scribed, "Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is 
 one Lord; and thou shalt have no other gods be- 
 fore him!" 
 
 (2) Nor did he believe in Immortality. In all 
 his writings there Is nothing to indicate that he ex- 
 pected to live anywhere except here and now. Lis- 
 ten to this: "The sun ariseth and the sun goeth 
 down and hasteth to its place where it arlseth. The 
 wind goeth about continually in the course and the 
 wind returneth again to its circuits. All the rivers 
 run Into the sea." — "Then said I in my heart, as it 
 happeneth to the fool, so will It happen even to 
 me. . . . There Is nothing better for a man 
 than that he should eat and drink and make his 
 soul enjoy good In his labor. . . . For that 
 
The Palm-Tree 45 
 
 which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; 
 as the one dieth, so dieth the other. . . . All go 
 unto one place; all are of the dust, and all return 
 to dust again. . . . Wherefore I saw that there 
 is nothing better than that a man should rejoice in 
 his works; for who shall bring him back to see what 
 shall be after him? . . . Vanity of vanities, saith 
 the preacher: all is vanity." Job, Moses, David 
 and other of the ancient worthies had spoken of a 
 life farther on ; and they lived accordingly, as if they 
 were expecting it. But Solomon invested his as- 
 sets for present pleasure and emolument. God 
 once gave to Abraham a great command witK 
 promise, saying, ''Get thee out of thy country and 
 from thy father's house unto the land that I will 
 show thee"; and we know that he believed that 
 promise from the fact that as he journeyed along 
 the Euphrates he built no abiding-place by the way, 
 but dwelt in tents, as one ''looking for a better 
 country." By the same token we know that Solo- 
 mon had no practical thought of immortality, be 
 cause he lived as if this life were all. 
 
 (3) He was singularly regardless of the princi- 
 ples which underlie moral character. His three 
 thousand proverbs, like the maxims of "Poor 
 Richard," have to do chiefly with temporal things: 
 such as, "Go to the ant, thou sluggard: consider 
 her ways and be wise." The substance of them is, 
 "Be virtuous and you will be happy." He doubt- 
 less knew the rules of right conduct; but they were 
 not interwoven with the fiber of his life. He had 
 
46 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 impressions, but apparently no convictions. He 
 had much to say about personal purity and the 
 avoidance of strange women; yet In his own harem 
 there were seven hundred wives and three hundred 
 concubines. *'0 Solomon," cries Bishop Hall, 
 "where was thy wisdom while thy vain affections 
 were running away with thee into such vile voluptu- 
 ousness? Thine eye might be clear; but thy hand 
 was palsied. How many a man have I known 
 whose head was thus broken with his own rib !" 
 
 (4) He had, furthermore, no practical acquaint- 
 ance with benevolence. His life was self-centered 
 to the last degree. He wrote many proverbs with 
 reference to the "square deal"; but in business 
 everything was grist that came to his mill. He 
 lived apparently without regard for the other man. 
 "His god was his belly and his glory was in his 
 shame." He formed an industrial alliance with 
 Hiram of Tyre which quite eclipsed all the capi- 
 talistic combines of these days. That was a great 
 syndicate : "Solomon & Hiram." They "cornered" 
 the commodities of the world. They stretched 
 forth Briarlan hands and gathered in the treas- 
 ures of all lands and seas. 
 
 (5) But, most important of all, Solomon was 
 practically as oblivious of "the Hope of Israel" as 
 if he had never heard of it. The Hope of Israel 
 was the coming of Christ. The Oracles were full 
 of it. The Lord had set apart Israel as a chosen 
 people to keep these Oracles and hand down their 
 Messianic prophecy to succeeding ages. In the 
 
The Palm-Tree 47 
 
 farewell charge of David to Solomon he said: "I 
 am going the way of all the earth: be thou strong, 
 therefore, and show thyself a man; and keep the 
 charge of Jehovah thy God." But Solomon was 
 recreant to that charge. He forgot the Oracles, 
 and, so far as the records show, utterly forgot that 
 Christ was coming. In all his writings you will not 
 find the faintest gleam of the Messianic hope. Had 
 he been loyal to his trust, the people for whom he 
 was officially responsible might never have crucified 
 Christ! But he defaulted. His confession is in 
 the Book of Ecclesiastes, where, after swinging 
 around the whole circle of sordid pursuits and 
 pleasures, he records the utter vanity of life. Not 
 even in that confession does he betray the faintest 
 hope of the coming of Christ or the slightest re- 
 gard for the charge which had been so solemnly 
 committed to him. The best that he can say is, 
 "Vanity of vanities: all is vanity! This is the end 
 of the matter: Fear God and keep his command- 
 ments; for this is the whole duty of man." 
 
 There is nothing sadder than the story of Solo- 
 mon's fall, — so gloriously endowed, so splendidly 
 equipped, so singularly blessed, yet going down to 
 his grave with "Wise Fool" written across his 
 brow. Mene, inene, tekel, iipharsin! We have 
 seen Adam hiding his shame among the trees of the 
 garden; Noah, drunken and uncovered at noon- 
 day; Samson, blind and bound with fetters, grind- 
 ing like a woman at the mill; David, playing the 
 jdiot and scrabbling on the gates of Gath; but 
 
48 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 never was a sadder or more painful sight than this : 
 Solomon among his concubines, spending his 
 strength In sensuous pleasure and bowing before 
 the smoking altars of false gods. 
 
 So fallen, so lost! The light withdrawn 
 
 Which once he wore ; 
 The glory from his gray hairs gone 
 
 Forevermore. 
 Of all we loved and honored naught 
 
 Save power remains; 
 A fallen angel's pride of thought 
 
 Still strong in chains. 
 All else is gone. From those great eyes 
 
 The soul has fled. 
 When faith is lost, when honor dies, 
 
 The man is dead! 
 Then pay the reverence of old days 
 
 To his dead fame; 
 Walk backward with averted gaze, 
 
 And hide the shame! 
 
 We are told of One who claimed to be "a greater 
 than Solomon." His training had been In a car- 
 penter shop. In his preaching he had little to say 
 of science or philosophy or literature or economics 
 or statecraft, but much about truth and righteous- 
 ness. God, Immortality, character and usefulness 
 filled the horizons of his life. "I am the way," 
 said he, "and the truth and the life: no one cometh 
 unto the Father but by me." He claimed to be the 
 Wisdom that "standeth at the corner of the street," 
 with riches In his left hand and In his right length 
 of days. Happy is the man that findeth wisdom In 
 
The Palm-Tree 49 
 
 him! Aye, and he too is wiser than Solomon; be- 
 cause to sit as a disciple at Jesus' feet is to be "wise 
 toward God." 
 
 On one occasion the Great Teacher took a child 
 upon his knee and, looking around upon the assem- 
 bled company, said something which is of more 
 practical importance than all the three thousand 
 proverbs of Solomon rolled into one. It was this : 
 "Verily I say unto you : Except ye turn and become 
 as little children" — in simplicity, freedom from 
 guile, docile humility and faith — "ye shall in no 
 wise enter into the Kingdom of heaven." 
 
 8. PRAYER 
 
 O God, make me wise unto salvation. Give 
 me light for my journey, step by step. There 
 are many things which I can not know; but I 
 must know thee. For this is life eternal — to 
 know thee, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast 
 sent. Wherefore be pleased to unveil thyself 
 unto me. Show me thy fullness in Christ ; for 
 thy Name's sake. Amen. 
 
 9. HYMN: "How firm a foundation." 
 
 10. BENEDICTION 
 
 Now unto Him that is able to keep you 
 from falling and to present you faultless in 
 the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, 
 to the only wise God our Saviour, be glory 
 forever. Amen. 
 
FOURTH SERVICE 
 
 The Poverty of Crccsiis 
 
 I. INVOCATION 
 
 "^OW amiable are thy tabernacles, O 
 
 //' 
 
 Lord of hosts. My soul longeth, yea, 
 fainteth, for thy courts. My heart and my 
 flesh cry out for the living God. Quicken me, 
 and I will call upon thy name. Open thou 
 mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things 
 out of thy law. Draw nigh, that I may com- 
 mune with thee; and thy name shall have con- 
 tinual praise. Amen. 
 
 2. HYMN: "All hail the power of Jesus' Name !" 
 
 3. SCRIPTURE LESSON 
 
 Proverbs 30:1-9. 
 Luke 12 : 13-34. 
 
 4. PRAYER 
 
 To thee, O God, be praise and honor and 
 thanksgiving for all thy benefits. I thank 
 thee for life; for in thee I live and move and 
 have my being. If thou wert to withdraw thy 
 hand for a moment I should sink into nothing- 
 ness, as when a drop of dew exhales into the 
 air. I thank thee for all that makes life worth 
 living: for home and kinship and loving 
 50 
 
The Poverty of Crcesus 51 
 
 friends; for happiness and hope and the op- 
 portunity of doing good. Give me, I pray 
 thee, a right conception of life. Forbid that 
 I should bound it by the narrow circum- 
 scriptions of time and space. I am made in 
 thy likeness, wherefore I can not die. I met 
 thee on my birthday, and, behold! I go on 
 with thee forever. Blessed be thy name for 
 life and immortality brought to light in the 
 Gospel. And blessed be thy name for con- 
 stant aid as I journey toward the immortal 
 life. Pardon my sins, for Jesus' sake; that I 
 may go without dragging a hopeless chain af- 
 ter me. Sanctify me by thy Spirit, that I may 
 run joyously in the way of thy command- 
 ments. Enlarge my heart, that I may do good 
 as I have opportunity unto all men. Give me 
 a clear vision of Christ, the great Exemplar, 
 and enable me to grow daily more and more 
 like him. Bless all thy people, of whatever 
 name or tongue, who worship in thy courts 
 to-day. Look graciously on the sick and suf- 
 fering; and enable them to realize that all 
 things work together for good to them that 
 love thee. Incline the hearts of those who 
 know thee not to come running unto thee. 
 Show them thy beauty In the face of thy be- 
 loved Son, so that he shall appear as the chlef- 
 est among ten thousand and altogether lovely. 
 Send thy Gospel to the regions beyond, to 
 those who dwell In darkness and the shadow 
 
52 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 of death. Give them the light of the great 
 salvation, O thou God of all the children of 
 men, and bring them speedily to thy feet, a 
 nation in a day. Let thy word, wherever it 
 is taught or preached, run and be glorified. 
 Let thy grace be magnified in the conversion 
 of multitudes. Make use of all Christians as 
 fishers of men, and make me willing to be used 
 that way. Hear and answer. Father of all 
 mercy; not for any worth or worthiness of 
 mine, but because I ask in the all-prevailing 
 name of Christ, my divine Brother and thy 
 beloved Son. Amen. 
 
 5. HYMN: "There is a Fountain filled with 
 
 Blood." 
 
 6. OFFERING 
 
 7. THE SERMON 
 
 The Poverty of Croesus 
 
 "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord 
 Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with every 
 spiritual blessing in heavenly places in Christ: 
 even as he chose us in him before the foundation 
 of the world, that we should be holy and w^ith- 
 out blemish before him in love; having foreor- 
 dained us unto adoption as sons through Jesus 
 Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure 
 of his will ; to the praise of the glory of his grace 
 wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved ; 
 in whom we have redemption through his blood, 
 the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of 
 his grace. (Eph. i : 2-7.) 
 
The Poverty of Crcesus 53 
 
 Out of the dim shadows of the past emerges the 
 figure of Croesus, the King of ancient Lydia. His 
 claim to immortality lies in the fact that he was the 
 richest of men. "As rich as Crcesus" is a current 
 proverb even in these days. But, notwithstanding 
 his immense wealth, all did not go well with him. 
 Of his two sons one was born dumb and the other 
 was slain in early youth. This man had everything 
 that gold could purchase; yet his life was not worth 
 living. His crown being lost in battle, he passed 
 his declining years in lonely exile. His funeral was 
 celebrated with splendid pomp and circumstance. 
 Tradition says that his personal possessions were 
 heaped together and burned in a lofty pyre: over 
 it towered a cloud of smoke, while from beneath 
 issued a stream of molten gold. So passes the dream 
 of treasure. Poor Croesus ! He brought nothing 
 into this world and carried nothing out of it. 
 
 I see another figure, in striking contrast with 
 this: an old man, bearing in his body the scars of 
 many scourgings, chained to his Roman guard, 
 poor and lonely, shivering for the want of an old 
 cloak which he had left at Troas in more prosper- 
 ous days; yet protesting, "I have all and abound!" 
 His life has been passed "in labor and travail, in 
 hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and 
 nakedness" ; yet he is content and happy, "as poor 
 yet making many rich, as having nothing and yet 
 possessing all things." This man was rich — aye, 
 richer than Croesus; because he was rich toward 
 God I 
 
54 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 He was now writing to a company of other poor 
 folk at Ephesus. His letter might appropriately 
 be entitled "The Riches of Grace." In it he gives 
 the inventory of his possessions, of things that gold 
 could not buy. 
 
 All these have come to him through grace; that 
 is, the unmerited favor of God. 
 
 For merit lives from man to man, 
 But never, Lord, from man to thee. 
 
 It is the "unearned Increment" that makes our mil- 
 lionaires. (If their only wealth were such as had 
 been acquired in accordance with the primal law 
 of nature, "by the sweat of thy face," it would in 
 most cases be an easy matter to count it.) God's 
 millionaires are made in the same way; and this 
 Paul the prisoner was one of them. 
 
 His sign manual was "grace." His balance- 
 sheet was an account of Profit and Loss. All that 
 he had ever earned was entered as loss; and his 
 only profit was the unearned increment which God 
 had graciously bestowed upon him. He had some 
 skill as a tent-maker, perhaps some modest savings 
 laid by for a rainy day, a considerable amount of 
 book learning as a university graduate and pupil 
 of the illustrious Gamaliel, a valuable franchise of 
 Roman citizenship, and an honorable position as 
 chief inquisitor under the Jewish Sanhedrin. By 
 most men such acquisitions are treasured as hold- 
 ings; but Paul did not so estimate them. "Yea, 
 verily," he says, "I count all things to be loss for 
 
The Poverty of Crcesus 55 
 
 the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus 
 my Lord, for whom I suffered the loss of all things, 
 and do count them but refuse that I may gain 
 Christ and be found in him!" He laid everything 
 of this sort at the feet of Jesus when he entered 
 Into covenant with him. 
 
 So much for the "loss"; what was the profit? 
 It was briefly comprehended in one word; "that I 
 may win Christ and be found in him." In Christ 
 he found a competence and an independent for- 
 tune. "All things are yours," he wrote to the Cor- 
 inthians, "whether the world, or life, or death, or 
 things present, or things to come; all are yours, 
 and ye are Christ's, and Christ is God's." 
 
 In our text he itemizes the Riches of Grace. 
 
 The first item is Redemption — "In whom we 
 have redemption through his blood, the forgive- 
 ness of our trespasses." 
 
 The word "redemption" means a buying 
 back. Paul thinks of himself as having been 
 "sold under sin" ; but, having been bought back out 
 of this bondage, he has entered into "the glorious 
 liberty of the children of God." 
 
 And this is altogether of grace; or, as he puts it, 
 "according to the riches of his grace wherein he 
 hath abounded toward us." A few years before he 
 wrote this letter, while preaching in Jerusalem, he 
 had been arrested, carried to the castle of Antonia 
 and delivered to the scourge. At this juncture he 
 quietly asked, "Is it lawful to scourge a freeman, 
 without trial?" The chief captain said, "Tell me, 
 
5 6 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 art thou a Roman?" He answered, "I am." The 
 captain said, "With a great sum obtained I this 
 freedom." His prisoner repHed proudly, "But I 
 was born free!" While this was true of his civil 
 franchise, he would not for a moment have af- 
 firmed it of that freedom wherewith Christ had 
 made him free. For this he was wholly indebted 
 to Christ, who had sacrificed his own life to ran- 
 som him from the bondage of sin. All that Paul 
 had ever done in these premises was simply to be- 
 lieve. And even for this he claimed no credit, say- 
 ing, ''By grace have ye been saved, through faith; 
 and that not of yourselves; It Is the gift of God." 
 
 The same condition is affixed to redemption in 
 every case. We are redeemed from bondage as 
 the Jews were delivered out of Egypt. Not one 
 of them bought his way to freedom or escaped by 
 his own effort. God "with a mighty hand and a 
 stretched-out arm" set them free. 
 
 The blood of the Passover was the visible sign 
 of their ransom; but the blood itself was ineifec- 
 tive save as it was sprinkled upon the lintels of their 
 doors. Faith is the hyssop branch with which the 
 blood is applied to the hearts of men. 
 
 The second item in the Inventory of Grace is 
 Adoption — "the adoption of children, by Jesus 
 Christ himself, according to the good pleasure of 
 his will." Any man can say "God"; but no man 
 can say "Father" who has not been received by the 
 Spirit of adoption Into the household of God. 
 
 This also is of grace, since we have neither done 
 
The Poverty of Crcesus 57 
 
 nor can do anything to deserve It. The penitent 
 thief had no time to make merit or to repair the 
 damages of a life of sin. He had only an hour to 
 live. Yet he went to Paradise as an adopted son 
 of God. It Is obvious that, In his case, there could 
 be no personal desert; and, so far as adoption Is 
 concerned, the most righteous saint on earth has 
 done no more than he to deserve It. We are all 
 alike "chosen according to the good pleasure of his 
 will." 
 
 And the choosing Is "through Christ," who Is 
 the Elder Brother of us all. In the very article of 
 death he reached out his pierced hand to the peni- 
 tent thief, and so Introduced him Into God's fam- 
 ily as an adopted son. He alone could do this, 
 because he Is God's "only begotten" or unadopted 
 Son. In the Epistle to the Romans it is written 
 that we are "foreordained to be conformed to the 
 Image of his Son, that he might be the first-born 
 among many brethren." A great multitude whom 
 no man can number pay tribute in heaven to the 
 love of this Elder Brother, who has brought them 
 Into the Father's house. 
 
 And this adoption Is on one condition; to wit, 
 faith. The desire of Christ, in offering himself as 
 a ransom, was that all sinners should enter into this 
 high privilege ; but not all are willing to have it so. 
 There are multitudes who prefer to stand upon 
 their own merit, as It is written, "He came 
 unto his own, and they that were his own received 
 him not. But as many as received him, to them 
 
58 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 gave he the right to become children of God, even 
 to them that believe on his name; who were born 
 not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the 
 will of man, but of God." The penitent thief was 
 not translated to Paradise without a confession of 
 his faith. It was briefly comprehended In one word, 
 "LoRD^ remember me when thou comest Into thy 
 kingdom!" But volumes could not have expressed 
 more. It meant : 
 
 Thee my new Master now I call, 
 And consecrate to thee my all. 
 
 The third item in the Inventory of Grace is 
 Sanctification — ''He chose us In him before the 
 foundation of the world; that we should be holy 
 and without blemish before him." 
 
 No one Is made perfect at conversion. Min- 
 erva is said to have leaped full-armed from the 
 forehead of Jove; but no Christian Is born that 
 way. Character Is a development under the Influ- 
 ence of the Spirit of God. No one Is a true Chris- 
 tian who Is not growing better every day. He may 
 not be conscious of It, may lament that he Is "liv- 
 ing at a poor dying rate"; but grow he must. He 
 cannot stand still. Living is growing. Following 
 Christ is moving on. The seagulls In the wake of 
 a steamer which Is making thirty knots an hour 
 seem to poise on motionless wings; nevertheless, 
 though noiselessly and Imperceptibly, they are 
 keeping pace with the ship. So does the humblest 
 Christian advance In his spiritual life; and the fact 
 that he mourns his Imperfection and Is ambitious 
 
The Poverty of Crcesus 59 
 
 to "fly up the heavenly way," Is proof presumptive 
 of his growing toward God. 
 
 This, too, is of grace; wherefore sanctlfication is 
 called "growth in grace." And every new attain- 
 ment is reckoned among the gifts of the Spirit, 
 who is himself fittingly called "the gift of 
 God." 
 
 And whatever attainments we make in the higher 
 life are through Christ; for the function of the 
 Spirit is to take of the things of Jesus and show 
 them unto us. The Master said, "He shall bring 
 to your remembrance all that I said unto you." It 
 is thus that he is ever kept before us as our Lord 
 and Exemplar; so that the truths of his preaching 
 become our Creed and its precepts become our 
 Moral Code ; and our growth In character Is meas- 
 ured by our earnestness in striving to be like him. 
 
 And faith is the vital nexus by which we are 
 bound to him. It is obvious then that everything 
 depends on our believing. The faith on which our 
 growth is conditioned must be a living faith; that 
 Is, a faith expressing Itself in works. A moral life 
 has Its beginning In faith. It Is recorded that when 
 one came to Jesus asking, "What must we do that 
 we might work the works of God?" that is, "How 
 shall we do such works as will commend us to 
 God?" he answered, "This Is the work of God, 
 that ye believe In Him whom he hath sent." No 
 man can expect to be on friendly terms with the 
 King while rejecting the King's son. No one who 
 refuses to believe in the only-begotten Son of God 
 
6o The Home Sanctuary 
 
 can reasonably hope to build up such a character 
 or to perform such works as shall make him worthy 
 of the complacent love of God. 
 
 The fourth item in the Inventory is Glorifica- 
 tion. This means heaven; for in due time the 
 riches of grace become the riches of glory. Here 
 are the links of the living chain: "Whom God 
 foreknew he also foreordained to be conformed to 
 the image of his Son; . . . and whom he fore- 
 ordained, them he also called ; and whom he called, 
 them he also justified; and whom he justified, them 
 he also glorified." 
 
 This glorification is also of grace. Heaven is re- 
 ferred to as our "purchased possession''; but the 
 purchase price is never paid by us. The Land of 
 Promise which was apportioned among the chil- 
 dren of Israel was not held by them in fee simple. 
 Every farm was a leasehold held for God. In like 
 manner the better country for which we look is 
 not for those who claim it by right of ownership 
 or merit, but for such as are willing to hold it as an 
 inheritance received through the unmerited favor 
 of God. 
 
 And this again is through Christ. The counter- 
 sign at heaven's gate is, "In His Name!" A 
 stranger came to my study to see me recently, and, 
 as it chanced to be my busy hour, I felt obliged to 
 say no. On being informed, however, that he was 
 a friend of my son I laid everything by and gave 
 him a cordial welcome. He who would get into 
 heaven must do it In like manner. The door is al- 
 
The Poverty of Crcesus 6i 
 
 ways open to those who can claim a cordial ac- 
 quaintance with the King's Son. 
 
 But that claim must be substantiated by faith in 
 him. In heaven there are "ten thousand times ten 
 thousand and thousands of thousands" of saints 
 triumphant; but there is not one among them who 
 can not join in the song, 'Worthy art thou; for 
 thou wast slain and didst purchase unto God with 
 thy blood men of every tribe and tongue and peo- 
 ple and nation, and madest them to be unto our 
 God a kingdom and priests!" 
 
 Such is the Inventory of Grace. Its increment 
 is all unearned, all of grace, through Christ by 
 faith in him. 
 
 But responsibilities as well as privileges are in- 
 volved in these possessions. A cab-driver, sitting 
 drowsily aloft with his lines in hand, was aroused 
 by a voice saying, ''Are you thus and so?" The 
 speaker was an attorney, who, on receiving an af- 
 firmative answer, added, "I have a letter stating 
 that your uncle in England has left you twenty 
 thousand pounds." The man seemed dazed for 
 a moment; then realizing his good fortune he un- 
 covered himself, saying simply, "Good-by, hat!" 
 No more cab-driving for the heir of a fortune! If 
 once we could realize what it means to be pos- 
 sessed of the riches of grace, we should be able to 
 put a truer estimate on the beggarly things of the 
 lower life. We should be moved to say, like Paul, 
 "I count all things to be loss . . . that I may 
 gain Christ and be found in him !" For if Christ be 
 
62 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 ours, all things are ours. We are "children of 
 God; and if children, then heirs; heirs of God and 
 joint-heirs with Christ" to "an inheritance incor- 
 ruptible and undefiled and that fadeth not away." 
 This being so, what manner of persons ought we 
 to be? God help us to value aright our present 
 privileges and the purchased possession that awaits 
 us! 
 
 Our treasure is laid up in bags that wax not old. 
 We are richer than Croesus ! Our wealth is ex- 
 pressed in terms of eternal life. Fire cannot burn 
 it; death cannot deprive us of it. Aye, richer than 
 Croesus, a thousandfold, is the man who is rich 
 toward God ! 
 
 8. PRAYER 
 
 O Lord, give me a sincere ambition to 
 make the most of myself and do my utmost 
 for thee. And, having done my best, make 
 me content with my lot. Give me enough of 
 food convenient for me. Enrich me with the 
 treasure which this world can neither give nor 
 take away. Give me to know the riches of 
 thy grace. Be thou my all in all; for Christ's 
 sake. Amen. 
 
 9. HYMN: "Father, whate'er of earthly bliss." 
 
 10. BENEDICTION 
 
 Now may the God of peace, who brought 
 again from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ, 
 
The Poverty of Crcesus 63 
 
 that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the 
 blood of the everlasting covenant, make you 
 perfect in every good work to do his will, 
 through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for- 
 ever. Amen. 
 

 
 FIFTH SERVICE 
 
 The Double-Minded Man 
 
 I. INVOCATION 
 
 THOU Eternal and Ever-blessed God ! 
 
 I confess my inability to approach thee 
 aright. Give me a spirit of humble faith and 
 reverent boldness as I draw near in the Name 
 of Christ. Teach me my need and thy suf- 
 ficiency; and permit me to enrich my soul with 
 thee; for Jesus* sake. Amen. 
 
 a. HYMN: "Hark, ten thousand harps and 
 voices." 
 
 3. SCRIPTURE LESSON 
 
 I Kings 18:17-21. 
 Luke 16 :i-i3. 
 
 4. PRAYER 
 
 O God, my Father, I thank thee for the 
 revelation of thy love. I know thou art the 
 adorable One, Infinite, eternal, and unchange- 
 able in all thy glorious attributes. Angels 
 and archangels worship thee with veiled faces, 
 crying, "Holy, holy, holy. Lord God Al- 
 mighty!" I am affrighted when, bearing the 
 shameful burden of sin, I venture to lift my 
 eyes toward thee. But, blessed be thy Name, 
 64 
 
The Double-Minded Man 65 
 
 thou hast declared thy willingness in Christ 
 to remove that burden. In his Name I ap- 
 proach thee; and, in the spirit of adoption, 
 call thee Father. Thou lovest me. Oh, won- 
 derful grace ! What manner of love is this, 
 that I should be called a child of God ! And 
 thou hast a blessed surprise in store for me 
 farther on. Now are we sons of God; but 
 it doth not yet appear what we shall be. Eye 
 hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have en- 
 tered into the heart of man the things which 
 thou hast prepared for those that love thee. 
 And meanwhile thou leadest me through 
 green pastures and by still waters toward the 
 apocalypse of thy grace. I am assured that 
 all things, here and now, are working to- 
 gether for my good, because I love thee. Are 
 my pains and sorrows, my failures and dis- 
 appointments, my long nights and weary 
 days, all included in thy blessed plan for me ? 
 Then, Lord, if I must needs glory, I will 
 glory in tribulation; for tribulation worketh 
 patience, and patience experience, and experi- 
 ence hope; and hope maketh not ashamed. 
 Help me ever to see the bright light in the 
 cloud of thy Providence. Enable me to rest 
 and be quiet. Teach me to pray with faith — 
 not for myself only, but for all who are in 
 trouble and calling upon thee. Enlarge my 
 heart in self-forgetfulness, and make me more 
 like Christ, who came not to be ministered 
 
66 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 unto, but to minister. Make me of some use 
 in this world ; and to that end make me ready 
 to go wherever I am sent to do thy holy will ; 
 for Jesus' sake. Amen. 
 
 5. HYMN: "Oh, could I speak the matchless 
 
 worth!" 
 
 6. OFFERING 
 
 7. THE SERMON 
 
 The Double-Minded Man 
 
 "If any of you lacketh wisdom, let him ask of 
 God, who giveth to all liberally and upbraideth 
 not ; and It shall be given him. But let him ask 
 in faith, nothing doubting: for he that doubteth 
 is like a surge of the sea driven by the wind and 
 tossed. For let not that man think that he shall 
 receive anything of the Lord; a double-minded 
 man, unstable in all his ways." (James i : 5-8.) 
 
 It is quite certain that nobody would ever charge 
 James with being a double-minded man. He had 
 one mind, and It was usually made up. His colors 
 were nailed to the mast : there was no question as 
 to what he believed; and he was ever ready to give 
 a reason for the faith that was In him. 
 
 He was pastor of the church In Jerusalem and, 
 by reason of the Importance of his parish, was 
 probably regarded as the leading preacher of his 
 time. He has left nothing but a brief epistle In five 
 chapters, which is called "general" because It Is ad- 
 
The Double-Minded Man 67 
 
 dressed not to any particular church, but to Chris- 
 tians of all time. We gain from this epistle an ink- 
 ling of his homiletic method; for it appears to be 
 largely made up of sermon "briefs." There is one 
 on The Tongue, another on Doing versus Talking, 
 another on Faith without Works. 
 
 In our text we have the outline of a sermon on 
 The Double-Minded Man. His name is given. 
 As the Greek furnished the preacher with no suit- 
 able name, he was obliged to coin one; to wit, 
 "Dipsychus," the man with two minds, and neither 
 of them made up. 
 
 The sermon is in the nature of a character study. 
 The artist paints, like an impressionist, in bold out- 
 lines, beginning a long way off. My purpose is 
 simply to fill out the syllabus which he here gives 
 us. 
 
 I, ^Y/ any of you lacketh wisdom,** 
 
 Our mental equipment is made up of two things : 
 Knowledge and Wisdom. By knowledge is meant 
 all that we acquire through the five physical senses ; 
 by wisdom all that lies beyond the province of the 
 physical senses and within the purview of faith, a 
 sixth sense which is given us for the apprehension 
 of spiritual things. Knowledge is important; but 
 "wisdom is the principal thing." It has to do with 
 the great problems that take hold of eternal life. 
 One can get along without solving the secrets of 
 nature ; but to know about God and the Atonement, 
 Immortality, Character and Usefulness — this is of 
 vital moment. Wherefore, get wisdom; and with 
 
68 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 all thy getting get understanding as to the great 
 questions that center In God. 
 
 But who Is this that "lacketh wisdom"? You 
 and I ; everybody. There are three kinds of people 
 in the world. First, those who lack wisdom and 
 are not aware of It. These are the sciolists, who 
 can not be taught anything, because they Imagine 
 they know It all. Secondly, those who lack wisdom 
 and don't care. These are the agnostics, which Is 
 the Greek equivalent of the Latin Ignoramuses. 
 The great problems of life and Immortality are 
 nothing to them ; they have glanced at them, seen the 
 difficulty of solution, and given them up. Thirdly, 
 those who lack wisdom and would give anything In 
 the world for It. They know how much depends 
 upon it. Are they doubters ? Yes. Every thinker 
 Is a doubter. There Is no harm In that; the harm 
 Is In keeping on doubting and never getting over 
 It. The honest doubter Is In agony until he has 
 solved the questions that perplex him. He can not 
 sleep until he has found out. The man, on the 
 contrary, who nurses his doubts and makes a display 
 of them is not a doubter at all, but an unbeliever. 
 He plays with great problems and fancies he Is 
 thinking them out. He denies truth while insist- 
 ing that he Is trying to discover it. But suppose a 
 man Is really an honest doubter and eager to get 
 wisdom, what shall he do? 
 
 II. '7/ any of yoii lacketh wisdom^ let him — '^ 
 What? Think? By all means. And here again 
 
The Double-Minded Man 69 
 
 there are three kinds of people. First, those who 
 think they are thinking when they are doing noth- 
 ing of the kind. They do not grapple with a ques- 
 tion, but skim along the surface of it. A butterfly 
 makes its way from one flower to another in the 
 same way, hovering over each for an instant and 
 then speeding on; but here comes a busy bee, who 
 goes down into an apple blossom and stays there 
 till, when he comes forth, his thighs are laden with 
 sweetness. He has something to show for it. Sec- 
 ondly, those who do not take the trouble to think at 
 all. Thinking means brain-sweat. It is easier to 
 farm out their thinking than to do it themselves. 
 The minister, the book-writer, and the newspaper 
 man stand ready to frame opinions for them. The 
 result is that their confession of faith is merely an 
 echo, not a voice from the depths of their own souls. 
 They are "taken up in the lips of talkers" and on 
 they go — 
 
 Crooked or straight, through quags or thorny dells, 
 True to the jingling of their leader's bells. 
 
 Thirdly, those who really think — think down into 
 the depths of a problem, and keep on thinking un- 
 til they have thought to the end of it. With what 
 result? Do they arrive at wisdom? Oh, no! The 
 problems of the spiritual realm can not be solved 
 by the unaided mind of man. A question in natural 
 science may be satisfactorily answered on the evi- 
 dence of the physical senses; but when a man gets 
 beyond the circumscription of his finger-tips and 
 wrestles with the questions of the unseen world he 
 
70 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 must have help. His thinking is not in vain; since 
 it leads him to a deeper conviction of his lack of 
 wisdom and a profound sense of his need of divine 
 help to supply it. Therefore — 
 
 III. 'Y/ any of you lacketh wisdom, let him ask 
 of Godr 
 
 But why of God? Why not ask of those who 
 call themselves philosophic experts? Because, 
 while they are subject to the same limitations that 
 hamper us, God, who lives in the realm of the 
 spiritual, knows all about it. Yes, God knows, if 
 only he can be induced to tell. He knows all about 
 himself, about immortality and about the redemp- 
 tive work which he has wrought in our behalf 
 through his only-begotten Son. He knows every- 
 thing ! 
 
 Eternity with all its years 
 
 Stands present to thy view; 
 To thee there's nothing old appears, 
 
 Great God, there's nothing new ! 
 
 He not only knows, but, If he can be induced to 
 speak, he will speak with authority. In the divine 
 terminology there are no ifs or peradventures; only 
 Yea and Amen. 
 
 It Is at this very point, however, that an objec- 
 tion Is interposed by those who want a religion with 
 authority left out. How preposterous that Is ! A 
 government without authority is a government 
 without statutes or ordinances. Navigation with- 
 out authority is sailing without chart or compass. 
 
The Double-Minded Man 71 
 
 Trade without authority is buying and selling with- 
 out a poundweight or a yardstick. It Is like fishing 
 without a line, bob or sinker, voting without a bal- 
 lot, eating without food, and living without breath. 
 A religion without authority Is simply no religion. 
 
 But will God speak? If the man who lacks wis- 
 dom makes a humble prayer, Is there reason to 
 suppose that God will answer It? 
 
 IV. '^Let him ask of God, who giveth to all 
 liberally and upbraideth not; and it shall be given 
 himJ' There Is a definite promise, one of a thou- 
 sand, and the petitioner may depend upon It. 
 
 But how will God answer? Will he pour wis- 
 dom Into the heart of a man, or by a direct revela- 
 tion instruct him? Not at all. He will refer him 
 to his Word. The Scriptures were given to this 
 very end; and we are divinely enjoined to search 
 them, because In them we rightly "think we have 
 eternal life." The solution of spiritual problems 
 given in the Scriptures is upon the authority of a 
 "Thus salth the Lord"; for the Book was "written 
 by holy men as they were moved by the Spirit of 
 God." 
 
 "Aye; but," they say, "this begs the whole ques- 
 tion. You ask us to go to God, when as yet we 
 are not sure there Is a God, and to accept the state- 
 ments of the Bible while we are still In doubt as 
 to whether It is really the Word of God." 
 
 Very well: the pastor of the Jerusalem Church 
 had evidently anticipated an objection of this sort; 
 for he continues : 
 
72 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 V. ^^Biit let him ask in faith.'' 
 
 This means that there Is something for a man 
 to beheve, at the very outset of his quest. The first 
 thing to beheve is that there is a God. For "he 
 that cometh to God must beheve that he is, and 
 that he is the rewarder of them that seek after 
 him." If a man is an atheist his search for wisdom 
 Is a hopeless one; for he who hath said in his heart 
 "There is no God" is pronounced to be a fool; and 
 "Though thou shouldest bray a fool in a mortar, 
 yet will not his foolishness depart from him." 
 
 But how about the Scriptures? It is here that 
 the Lord shows himself "the rewarder of them that 
 diligently seek him"; for the Bible is his overture 
 to all truth-seekers. If there is a God anywhere 
 In the universe and we are his offspring, is it likely 
 that he would leave us without guidance, like ship* 
 wrecked sailors on a boundless sea? The sugges- 
 tion Is not only contrary to Instinct, but to reason as 
 well. 
 
 Here is a Book that claims to be the authorita- 
 tive Word of God. What shall we do with it? 
 The least that can be expected is that we shall ap- 
 proach It as we would any other book; that is, 
 without prejudice. How does a man read Dana's 
 Geology or a volume of Macaulay's History? 
 Does he begin by assuming that it can not be relied 
 upon? On the contrary, he assumes Its truth un- 
 til he has found something within to discredit it. 
 The trouble is that in these controversial days, 
 when men imbibe their views of Inspiration from 
 
The Double-Minded Man 73 
 
 its enemies, they read the Bible with a preliminary 
 conviction that they can not believe it. What can 
 God reveal to a man with such a hoodwink over 
 his eyes? I do not believe that anybody ever read 
 his Bible with a mind free from prejudice and open 
 to conviction who did not conclude his search for 
 wisdom by saying, "This is the veritable Word of 
 God." 
 
 VI. But, adds James, the prayer for wisdom 
 must be made ^^ without douhtingJ' Why so? Be- 
 cause '%e that douhteth is like a surge of the sea 
 driven by the wind and tossed/' 
 
 A wave does not travel; it gets nowhere. The 
 winds move, the waters move ; but the wave simply 
 marks time. It is a local disturbance, nothing more. 
 So is he that doubteth. He wonders, vacillates 
 and decides nothing either way. ^^Let not that 
 man think that he shall receive anything of the 
 Lord/' And the fault is not the Lord's, but his. 
 He Is not in a receptive mood, wherefore the Lord 
 has nothing for him. He is a coquette between two 
 charmers. Truth and Error, with neither yes nor 
 no for either of them. 
 
 VIL This is Dipsychus, ^Uhe double-minded 
 man'' ; and he is ^'unstable in all his ways." 
 
 The ways of a man are briefly comprehended in 
 his creed and his conduct. Dipsychus has no creed; 
 and, not having any creed of his own, he is fond of 
 insisting that nobody else shall have one. He Is a 
 free-thinker. Ask him what he believes about God, 
 or the divinity of Christ, or the Atonement, or the 
 
74 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 Inspiration of the Scriptures, or the Life Beyond, 
 and he will tell you that he has not decided about 
 these matters, and will be likely to add that In his 
 opinion these are riddles which can not be found 
 out. 
 
 The result Is that, having no creed, he has no 
 code of morals; for a man's moral principles are 
 built upon his convictions of truth. The free- 
 thinker Is therefore a free-liver; and If his life Is not 
 so lawless as his manner of thought, It is simply be- 
 cause a sense of expediency and common decency 
 controls him. The logical sequence of Thlnk-as- 
 you-please Is Go-as-you-please. 
 
 So Dipsychus Is ^'unstable in all his ways!^ He 
 Is like Reuben, of whom Jacob said, ''Boiling over 
 as water, thou shalt not have the pre-eminence." 
 To have pre-eminence Is to reach the highest levels 
 of life; and the double-minded man Is Incapable 
 of doing It. 
 
 What, then. Is the conclusion of the matter? It 
 Is found in the words which Elijah addressed to 
 the multitudes on the day of the Lord's Contro- 
 versy: "How long go ye limping between the two 
 sides?" The figure is of one crossing from side to 
 side and resting nowhere. "How long go ye limp- 
 ing between the two sides? If Jehovah be God, 
 follow him ; but If Baal, then follow him !" Choose, 
 one way or the other. Be a Christian If you can, 
 or an Infidel if you must; In any case do not con- 
 tinue to be forever divided betwixt the two. 
 
 The great problems are before you. Face them, 
 
The Double-Minded Man 75 
 
 my friend, and look them in the eyes. What do 
 you think of God? What do you think of the 
 Bible? What do you think of Christ? What do 
 you think of the Passion of the Cross ? What do you 
 think of heaven and hell? You don^t know? You 
 haven't made up your mind? Yet these are the 
 problems of life ! I pray you do not sleep to-night 
 until you have grappled with them. Think some- 
 thing to the end. Arrive somewhere. Be able to 
 give a reason for the faith or for the un faith that 
 is in you. Get a foothold, a place to stand on. Be 
 in a position to say of something, "This I know!" 
 Find some place on terra firma as a standpoint for 
 the solution of problems farther on; and, having 
 found a standpoint, hold it ! Let no passing wind 
 of controversy swerve you. Put your feet in your 
 coign of vantage and quit yourself there like a man 
 with a mind of his own. And be ready on occasion 
 to speak up like Luther, "Here I stand! I can not 
 otherwise : God help me !" 
 
 8. PRAYER 
 
 Good Lord, deliver me from a double 
 mind. Show me the solid ground of truth 
 and righteousness, and help me to plant my 
 feet upon it. Give me the grace of steadfast- 
 ness that I may hold out. Make me faithful 
 even unto death; and then, for Jesus' sake, 
 give me an abundant entrance into life. Amen. 
 
 9. HYMN: "Jesus, Saviour, pilot me!" 
 
76 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 lo. BENEDICTION 
 
 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the 
 love of God the Father and the communion 
 of the Holy Ghost be with you. Amen. 
 
SIXTH SERVICE 
 
 Behold, What Manner of Love! 
 
 I. INVOCATION 
 
 God, my refuge and strength, incline 
 
 
 
 my heart to seek thy presence in Jesus' 
 Name. Thou hast said, "When the poor and 
 needy seek water and there is none, I will hear 
 them and not forsake them." My fainting 
 soul crieth out unto thee, as in a dry and 
 thirsty land. Oh, give me to drink of the liv- 
 ing waters of thy Grace. Be near to bless 
 me; for in thy presence is fullness of joy. 
 Amen. 
 
 2. HYMN: "Come, Holy Spirit, heavenly 
 
 Dove!" 
 
 3. SCRIPTURE LESSON 
 
 Psalm 103. 
 Luke 15 :ii-32. 
 
 4. PRAYER 
 
 Father in Heaven, what more couldst thou 
 have done for me that thou hast not done? 
 Thy loving-kindnesses are as the sands of the 
 seashore for multitude. Thou hast breathed 
 into my nostrils the breath of life, fed me and 
 
 77 
 
78 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 clothed me, lulled me to sleep at night, and 
 waked me every morning to a new day of 
 privilege and opportunity. I have sinned 
 against thy holy law; but thou hast not dealt 
 with me after my sins, nor rewarded me ac- 
 cording to mine iniquities. Thou hast so loved 
 me as to give thine only-begotten and well- 
 beloved Son to pay my ransom from the 
 shame, the penalty, and the power of sin; and 
 thou hast promised all the benefits of his vi- 
 carious death on the sole and simple condition 
 that I believe in him. What manner of love is 
 this? What shall I render unto thee for all 
 thy tender mercies ? I will take the cup of thy 
 salvation and pay unto thee my solemn vows. 
 I can do no more. Help me to do no less. I 
 have vowed to follow Christ as my Prophet, 
 Priest and King. Help me to keep that sol- 
 emn vow. I would take my full salvation and 
 follow closely in his steps. He went about 
 doing good; help me to go about in the same 
 way. He came Into the world to seek and to 
 save the lost; and he said, "As the Father 
 hath sent me, so send I you"; wherefore I 
 would make it my first business to seek and to 
 save. I have friends who know thee not; 
 help me to bring them to thee. Make me a 
 minister of thy grace. Show me how to 
 preach the evangel in my walk and conversa- 
 tion. Bless all who profess thy Name and 
 make them faithful. Deepen their convic- 
 
Behold, what Manner of Love! 79 
 
 tlons of truth and righteousness. Make them 
 ever loyal to thee. Make them deaf to the 
 clamor of unbelief and blind to the allure- 
 ments of sin. Serve thyself with them and 
 with me also as long as life endures. And 
 when the time comes for promotion, see to it, 
 dear Lord, that I am fully prepared to meet 
 the larger tasks of the life beyond. This I 
 ask in the name of Jesus Christ, my Lord and 
 Redeemer. Amen. 
 
 5. HYMN: "Jesus, lover of my soul.'' 
 
 6. OFFERING 
 
 7. THE SERMON 
 
 ^^Behold, what Manner of LoveF^ 
 
 "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath 
 bestowed upon us, that we should be called 
 children of God ; and such we are. For this 
 cause the world knoweth us not, because it knew 
 not him. Beloved, now are we children of God, 
 and it is not yet made manifest what we shall be. 
 We know that, if he shall be manifested, we shall 
 be like him ; for we shall see him even as he is. 
 And every one that hath this hope set on him 
 purifieth himself, even as he is pure." (i John 
 3: 1-3.) 
 The keynote here is struck In the word "Be- 
 hold!" It Is like an Index-finger pointing to some- 
 thing worth seeing. It Is as If the writer cried, 
 "Attention! I show you a wonderful thing!" 
 
 What is the wonderful thing to which our minds 
 are thus directed? Is it the love of God? Not at 
 
8o The Home Sanctuary 
 
 all. To say that God Is love is to say what every- 
 body knows. It Is written across the skies. The 
 birds sing it, the brooks murmur it. The common- 
 est gifts of Providence bear witness to it. Every 
 pulsation of life manifests it. 
 
 But the reference here is to a significant phase of 
 the Divine love. "Behold, what manner of love!" 
 And, reading on, we perceive that our attention is 
 called to that gracious "manner" or manifestation 
 of love by which we, undeserving sinners that we 
 are, are restored to our original and normal place 
 in the family of God. 
 
 A picture of this "manner of love" was drawn 
 In vivid colors by our Lord in the Parable of the 
 Prodigal Son.* A young man is sitting at table 
 In his father's house. He Is pale, haggard, scarred 
 with the signs of a misspent life. What right has 
 he here ? He had been happy In his boyhood under 
 the old roof-tree; but the Wanderlust seized him. 
 He said to his father, "Give me the portion of thy 
 substance that falleth to me" ; and thereupon he 
 took his journey Into a far country, where he 
 wasted his substance In riotous living. Then came 
 the famine, the famine that Inevitably comes In 
 every wayward life; and he began to be In want. 
 Out In the swine-field, friendless and famishing, he 
 came to himself and said, "I will arise and go to 
 my father." And, strange to say, his father re- 
 ceived him. Behold, what manner of love ! His 
 
 *It may be remarked, in passing, that the best exposition of the 
 Parable oi the Prodigai Son is found in the passage before us. 
 
Behold, what Manner of Love! 8i 
 
 father saw him when he was yet a great way off, 
 and ran and fell upon his neck and kissed him. So 
 here sits the profligate, clothed in the best robe 
 and wearing the signet ring, with sounds of music 
 and merry-making all about him. What right has 
 he here ? That is the point. By all the standards 
 of human judgment he should be reaping the har- 
 vest of his vices; but the father welcomed him 
 with open arms, saying, "It Is meet to make merry 
 and be glad." In this complete restoration of the 
 prodigal to all filial privilege we have an illustra- 
 tion and clear Interpretation of the adopting love 
 of God. 
 
 The whole episode is so strange, so contrary to 
 our usual canons of fair-dealing, that it may be well 
 to inquire a little further into this "manner of love" 
 and the singular features that characterize It. 
 
 I. Let it be noted, at the outset, that it is an un- 
 changing and imperishable love. 
 
 There was never a moment when the father of 
 the prodigal did not yearn with tender affection 
 over his wayward son. He must have known of 
 the wretched life In the far country; but that did 
 not cool the ardor of his paternal affection. It is 
 safe to say that, over and over again, he looked be- 
 yond the hills and sighed, "Oh, that my boy would 
 come home!" Most wonderful is such love; many 
 waters can not quench It. 
 
 So Is God's love toward all sinners. No man can 
 wander away so far as to loose the hold of the 
 Father's heart. He may be a thief, a drunkard or 
 
82 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 a murderer, still God loves him. A woman may 
 defile the purity of her womanhood so that more 
 respectable sinners look askance at her; but God 
 still loves her. His love is the most persistent, in- 
 destructible thing in the universe. You may keep 
 on sinning, die impenitent, and go into the outer 
 darkness; but even there God's love will follow 
 you. I do not say that it will save you ; for in the 
 Covenant of Salvation there is, in legal phraseol- 
 ogy, a "party of the second part," without whose 
 consent all overtures of mercy are ineffectual: but 
 I do say that there never yet was a man created in 
 God's likeness who sinned so far or so utterly ex- 
 patriated himself that the Infinite Love does not 
 ever and forever follow him. 
 
 II. And then this singular ^^manner of love^^ is 
 wholly gratuitous; that is, unmerited on the sin- 
 ner's part. It is "without money and without 
 price." 
 
 The prodigal was quite right when he said to his 
 father, "I am no more worthy to be called thy 
 son." He had gone away of his own accord, had 
 taken his patrimony with him and squandered it, 
 had forfeited every natural or reasonable claim to 
 his father's consideration; yet, on his return, he 
 was welcomed to the old home and restored to all 
 the privileges that he had voluntarily and recklessly 
 given up. 
 
 The same is true of every penitent sinner who 
 comes home to God. He knows he is not worthy 
 
Behold, what Manner of Love! 83 
 
 to gather up the crumbs that fall from the table; 
 yet all the food and fruits of grace are richly spread 
 before him by the Father. 
 
 While all our hearts and all our songs 
 
 Join to admire the feast, 
 Each of us cries with thankful tongue, 
 
 Lord, why was I a guest? 
 
 A sense of ill-deserving is the very heart of peni- 
 tence; and, as such, it is one of the vital evidences 
 of faith. As in heaven all worthiness is ascribed "to 
 Him that sitteth upon the throne," so here the 
 true follower of Christ is frank to confess that, of 
 himself, he deserves none of the blessings lavished 
 upon him. 
 
 Why was I made to hear thy voice 
 
 And enter while there's room, 
 While thousands make a wretched choice 
 
 And rather starve than come ? 
 
 The point so often urged by non-Christians, that 
 "there are better people outside of the Church 
 than in it," is well taken; since in the fellowship 
 of Christ there is none self-righteous, — no, not one, 
 — but all are confessedly sinners, sinners without 
 merit, only sinners saved by grace. 
 
 'Twas the same love that spread the feast 
 
 That sweetly drew us in; 
 Else had we still refused to taste, 
 
 And perished in our sin. 
 
 III. But, notwithstanding this ill-deserving on 
 our part, the adopting love of God is a just and 
 equitable love. 
 
84 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 There Is one figure In the drama of salvation 
 which does not appear in the Parable of the Prodi- 
 gal Son; that Is, the figure of the only-begotten Son 
 of God. It Is his appearance that must furnish the 
 missing link of justice in this transaction; for It is 
 only through his interposition that the prodigal can 
 rightly and properly be restored to the privileges of 
 his Father's house. "God so loved the world that 
 he gave his only-begotten Son, that whosoever be- 
 lleveth on him should not perish, but have eternal 
 life." This only-begotten Son goes out Into the 
 far country to make expiation for sin, and, having 
 paid his ransom, he takes the sinner's hand and 
 leads him home — providing, always, that the sin- 
 ner Is willing to go. At the doorway of the 
 Father's house he pleads, "For my sake receive 
 him." It Is only so that God can be "just and yet 
 the justlfier of the ungodly." It Is only so that the 
 forefeited birthright can be restored to the way- 
 ward son. And when all the parties In the trans- 
 action are willing — to wit, the Father, the Saviour 
 and the sinner — where In the universe is there one 
 competent to criticise the justice of It? 
 
 IV. Again, this singular love of the Father is 
 an open and avowed love. "Now are we called 
 the children of God." 
 
 Who calls us so ? As for ourselves, we hesitate. 
 As for the world, typified by the envious and angry 
 brother of the prodigal looking In at the window 
 upon the festivities at the father's house, It refuses 
 
Behold, what Manner of Love! 85 
 
 so to characterize us. It is the Father who calls 
 us children. Behold, what manner of love is here! 
 And the soul of the penitent responds, Yea and 
 Amen; for "we have received the Spirit of Adop- 
 tion whereby we cry, Abba, Father!" The Spirit 
 itself beareth witness with our spirit that we are the 
 children of God. Here is the secret of assurance. 
 There is no assurance but the assurance of faith — 
 the faith that lays hold on Christ as "the first-born 
 among many brethren," by whom we are brought 
 back and restored to the birthright which we had 
 forfeited through sin. Thus, as Wesley sings 
 
 The Spirit answers to the blood, 
 And tells me I am born of God. 
 
 V. Furthermore, this is an immeasurable love. 
 
 It begins here and reaches out into eternity. 
 "Now are we children of God." Heaven begins at 
 conversion. "He that believeth on the Son hath 
 everlasting life." Had the elder brother been 
 asked what treatment might properly be accorded 
 to the prodigal, he would probably have said, "Let 
 him be taken back on probation for awhile; let 
 him toil in the fields and eat with the servants. 
 Having wasted his patrimony, he should be treated 
 accordingly; give him his just due." Not so, how- 
 ever, does God deal with his penitent children 
 when they return to him. "Now are we children 
 of God"; and "if children, then heirs, heirs of God 
 and joint-heirs with Christ." The best robe is 
 ours ; the signet ring is ours ; the record of our sins 
 
86 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 Is blotted out, so that they are remembered no more 
 against us. All this here and now. 
 
 But beyond — oh, there Is something vast, un- 
 veiled as yet and wonderful to dream of. "Now 
 are we children of God; but It Is not yet made 
 manifest what we shall be." There are Illimitable 
 vistas of life and character and usefulness before 
 us. So runs the hymn of the early Church : 
 
 ''Things which eye saw not and ear heard not, 
 And which entered not into the heart of man, 
 Whatsover things God prepared for them that love him." 
 
 VI. It must he added, however, that this partic- 
 ular phase of the Divine love is provisional. A 
 condition Is affixed to it; namely, that the sinner 
 must accept It. 
 
 Therein Is a full statement of the great doctrine 
 of Justification by Faith; for "saving faith" Is sim- 
 ply an acceptance of the grace of God. The prodi- 
 gal might have remained In the far country all his 
 life, despite his shame and remorse, had he not 
 said, "I will arise and go." As he had of his own 
 accord abandoned the old home and squandered his 
 Inheritance, so must he return of his own accord or 
 he will never see his home again. 
 
 The love of God Is Immeasurable ; but, were It so 
 a thousand times. It could not save the sinner 
 against his will. The hand that was pierced for 
 our deliverance Is extended In vain unless we grasp 
 It. "I will arise and go!" Is the Open Sesame of 
 all the treasures in the Father's house. 
 
 And when the sinner resolves to return, It Is ob- 
 
Behold, what Manner of Love! 87 
 
 vious that he must return by the way marked out 
 for him. ^'I am the way," said Jesus: ''no man 
 Cometh unto the Father but by me." Absolutely 
 there is no other way. Again, "I am the door." 
 Aye, the door is open; but, so far as the salvation 
 of the sinner is concerned, it might as well have re- 
 mained shut, unless, of his own volition, he passes 
 through it. 
 
 VII. One thing more about this wonderful love: 
 It is self -evidencing; that is, it produces certain 
 necessary and obvious results. "Every one that 
 hath this hope set on Him purifieth himself, even 
 as He is pure." 
 
 Had the prodigal on his return appeared at the 
 doorway of his father's house with a harlot by his 
 side, one with whom he had consorted in the far 
 country, do you suppose the hospitality of the home 
 would have been extended him? Sin is the harlot 
 of the world. He who comes home from the far 
 country must abjure it. Not a word is said of the 
 subsequent life of the prodigal; but it goes without 
 saying that his former habits were given up. No 
 more wasting of his substance in riotous living; no 
 more habitual indulgence in sin. This is what is 
 expected of those who enjoy and appreciate the 
 high privileges involved in a true filial relation with 
 God. Character is the visible test of a Christian 
 profession. "By their fruits ye shall know them." 
 We are saved by faith in Christ; but "faith with- 
 out works is dead." In faith alone there is no life, 
 no truth — no reality. 
 
88 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 We have been contemplating a singular manifes- 
 tation of the love of God. Oh, the length and 
 breadth and depth and height of that love ! To 
 think that we who were alienated by sin, our birth- 
 right squandered, and without the shadow of a 
 claim on the consideration of our Father, should be 
 called his sons ! Behold what manner of love he 
 hath bestowed upon us! 
 
 It is related that a native helper in India, when 
 engaged in assisting the missionary in translating 
 the Scriptures into his native tongue, paused at this 
 passage and said brokenly, "I can not write it. O 
 master, let me rather write, 'What manner of love 
 the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should 
 be permitted to kiss his feet!' " But the Father 
 will not have it so. By faith in Christ we are re- 
 stored to every privilege of sonship, — the ring, the 
 best robe, and the inheritance, — and by the Spirit of 
 Adoption we are taught to say, "Abba, Father!" 
 
 Behold, what manner of love is this ! What shall 
 we render unto the Lord for his loving-kindness? 
 All that we can do is to take of the cup of his sal- 
 vation and pay unto him our solemn vows. 
 
 It passeth knowledge, that dear love of thine, 
 My Jesus, Saviour; yet this heart of mine 
 Would sing a love so rich, so full, so free. 
 Which brought an undone sinner such as me 
 Right home to God. 
 
 In the hour of temptation, in the stress of sorrow, 
 in the face of strenuous duty, let us contemplate 
 this love that passeth knowledge. Living and dy- 
 
Behold, what Manner of Love ! 89 
 
 Ing, let us behold it, until the day break and the 
 shadows flee away, and we awake in the likeness of 
 our Lord and Saviour; for we shall be like him 
 then — when we see him as he is. 
 
 8. PRAYER 
 
 O God, give me a clear vision of thy won- 
 derful love. Let it break down all the stub- 
 born barriers of my unbelief and bring me 
 sobbing with penitence to thy feet. I want 
 all the rich blessings of adoption In the house- 
 hold of faith. I want the ring and the robe 
 and a place at thy table. I want to serve thee 
 henceforth; not from a sense of duty, but for 
 Jesus' sake, and because I love thee. Amen. 
 
 9. HYMN: "Awake, my soul, to joyful lays!" 
 
 10. BENEDICTION 
 
 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you, 
 through the knowledge of God and of Jesus 
 Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
SEVENTH SERVICE 
 
 The Tabernacles of Tabor 
 
 1. INVOCATION 
 
 OTHOU, who dwellest In the high and 
 holy place, bow thine ear unto my sup- 
 plication. Search me, and know my heart; 
 try me and know my thoughts, and see If there 
 be any evil way In me. Purge me with hys- 
 sop, that I may be clean; for Jesus' sake. 
 Amen. 
 
 2. HYMN: "Awake, my soul, stretch every 
 
 nerve!" 
 
 3. SCRIPTURE LESSON 
 
 Isaiah 62 :i-9. 
 Luke 9 :i8-36. 
 
 4. PRAYER 
 
 O thou Eternal and Ever-blessed God, 
 help me to praise thee and magnify thy Name 
 and give thanks to thee for thy great good- 
 ness. Thou hast watched over me In the de- 
 fenseless hours of sleep, and dost graciously 
 offer thy Hand to guide me through the duties 
 of another day. Manifold are the gifts of 
 thy Providence; but who shall measure thine 
 unspeakable Gift? Blessed be thy Name for 
 90 
 
The Tabernacles of Tabor 91 
 
 the salvation that has been accomplished 
 through the sacrifice of thy beloved Son. I 
 thank thee that whosoever will may come unto 
 thee through him. Father, I come. I come 
 for salvation. I come for service. I come 
 to pour out my soul in praise and prayer be- 
 fore thee. Give me not only the pardon of 
 sin, but sanctifying grace, for Jesus' sake. 
 Teach me to be poor In spirit, mourning for 
 sin, hungering and thirsting after righteous- 
 ness. Make me patient In suffering and 
 faithful in thy service. Let the mind that was 
 In Christ Jesus be also in me. Give me some 
 measure of his self-forgetfulness. Forbid 
 that I should constantly brood on my own 
 sorrows, unmindful of those whose pains are 
 more intense, whose burdens are heavier, 
 whose loneliness is more forlorn, than mine. 
 I thank thee that, whatever I may lack, I am 
 rich In Christ. He Is made unto me wisdom 
 and righteousness and sanctificatlon. In him 
 I am complete, and he Is mine forever. Not 
 life nor death, things present nor things to 
 come, shall separate me from thy love which 
 is in Christ Jesus my Lord. For this, help me 
 to sing Hallelujah. But forbid that this 
 should content me. Help me to distribute 
 among others the bread which thou hast 
 broken for me. Lord, pity those who have 
 no Christ; no Saviour from sin, no helper in 
 trouble, no light on the eternal path. Oh, 
 
92 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 would that I might to-day lead some sinner to 
 thee. Help me to live so that my word and 
 my example may have saving grace. Give 
 me souls for my hire, stars in my heavenly 
 crown. I would not go to heaven alone. I 
 want to be able to say, "Here, Lord, am I 
 and they whom thou hast given me." For I 
 am thine, not only to be saved, but to be used 
 in saving others. Serve thyself with me, Lord; 
 and grant me not a salvation "so as by fire" 
 but an abundant entrance Into thine Eternal 
 Kingdom, through Jesus Christ. Amen. 
 
 5. HYMN: "How sweet the name of Jesus 
 
 sounds!" 
 
 6. OFFERING 
 
 7. THE SERMON 
 
 The Tabernacles of Tabor 
 
 "And Peter said, 'Lord, It Is good for us to be 
 here: if thou wilt, I will make here three taber- 
 nacles ; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one 
 for Elijah.' While he was yet speaking, behold, 
 a bright cloud overshadowed them : and behold ! 
 a voice out of the cloud, saying, 'This is my be- 
 loved Son, in whom I am well pleased ; hear ye 
 him.'" (Matt. 17: 4, 5.) 
 
 What a Triumvirate! Jesus, the God-man; 
 Moses, the Lawgiver (dead now fifteen hundred 
 years) ; and Elijah, the Prophet of the Chariot of 
 fire. 
 
 And what a Conference! Never was Council 
 
The Tabernacles of Tabor 93 
 
 of State like this. For these heavenly visitants 
 ''spake with Jesus of the decease which he was to 
 accomplish at Jerusalem." Nearby stood another 
 triumvirate: John, the beloved; James, who was 
 destined to be the proto-martyr; and Peter, "the 
 Stone-man." 
 
 No wonder they were dazed and bewildered; 
 for, as they looked, the Lord was transfigured be- 
 fore them, so that his garments were white and 
 glistening and his face did shine as the sun. Two 
 of them were silent; but Peter, ever impulsive and 
 outspoken, said, "Lord, it is good for us to be here I 
 If thou wilt, I will make here three tabernacles; 
 one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for 
 Elijah." 
 
 All the world loves Peter, a diamond in the 
 rough, bold, headstrong — "a plain, blunt man," 
 wearing his heart upon his sleeve. He was a great 
 blunderer, no doubt, much given to leaping before 
 he looked and firing before he had taken aim. If 
 ever there was a sound of slipping or stumbling in 
 their ranks, the disciples said with one accord, 
 "That's Peter!" It is recorded that in the present 
 instance he spoke impulsively, "not knowing what 
 he said." It does not follow, however, that his 
 words were ill-advised. 
 
 So far as his longing to abide in the Mount of 
 Vision is concerned, that was most natural. Are 
 there not hours in the trysting-place and the sanctu- 
 ary which seem to us like foretastes of heaven, 
 moving us to sing — ^ 
 
94 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 My willing soul would stay 
 
 In such a frame as this, 
 And sit and sing herself away 
 
 To everlasting bliss? 
 
 And though the call of duty makes this impossible, 
 though the demoniac at the foot of the mountain 
 cries out for healing, though the white fields de- 
 mand the sickle, who shall blame us for loving the 
 golden hour and desiring to prolong It? 
 
 And with respect to the suggestion of the three 
 tabernacles, though It Is recorded that Peter ^'wlst 
 not what he said," It Is quite presumable that on 
 reflection he might still have said It. 
 
 He wanted one tabernacle for Moses. Why 
 not? Moses stood for the Law. 
 
 And "the Law Is good." Who finds fault with 
 the Decalogue? It has never been abrogated and 
 never can be. It did not originate with Moses; but 
 was Interwoven in the beginning with the very 
 nerve and fiber of the human constitution. If there 
 ever was a time when the sanctity of law needed 
 to be emphasized. It Is just now. In an age when 
 loose thinking has brought forth a bountiful har- 
 vest of loose hving. It Is Immensely Important that 
 men should be reminded of the ethical Imperative ; 
 to wit, that there Is no escaping "Thou shalt!" and 
 "Thou shalt not!" 
 
 But the Law can not save. Why not? Because 
 nobody keeps It. To the young ruler who came 
 running to Jesus with the question, "What shall I 
 do to Inherit eternal life?" he answered, "Thou 
 
The Tabernacles of Tabor 95 
 
 knowest the commandments," adding, "This do 
 and thou shalt live." Why then did the coun- 
 tenance of the young ruler fall, and why did he cry, 
 "What lack I yet?" Because, thinking that he had 
 not transgressed, he was at his wit's end. The Law 
 Is good; but, In the nature of the case, it can offer 
 no Immunity to those who violate It. 
 
 Of what advantage, then. Is the Law? Much, 
 every way. It Is written, "By the Law Is the 
 knowledge of sin." A man goes to his looking- 
 glass, not to wash his face, but to discover that there 
 is occasion for washing It. No one who thought- 
 fully ponders the Decalogue can fall to arrive at 
 this conclusion, "I have left undone the things 
 which I ought to have done and have done the 
 things which I ought not." What then? "By the 
 works of the Law shall no flesh be justified." The 
 moralist who builds this tabernacle and dwells 
 therein Is making a fatal blunder. If there Is any- 
 where a fountain opened for uncleanness, it be- 
 hooves him as a reasonable man to find it. 
 
 A second tabernacle was proposed for Elijah. 
 And again, why not? Elijah stood for Doctrine. 
 He was one of the faculty of Prophets who were 
 divinely ordained and equipped to Instruct the peo- 
 ple In the great verities of the spiritual life. 
 
 And doctrine, like ethics. Is good. To a thought- 
 ful man the popular outcry against creeds Is incom- 
 prehensible. Credo means "I believe." A man 
 who has no convictions of truth Is simply an inverte- 
 brate. The butcher, the baker, and the candlestick 
 
g6 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 maker would be without friends or patronage did 
 they not hold to certain commercial dogmas that 
 commend them to the confidence of their fellow- 
 men. Is It not obviously demanded of us, created 
 In the divine Image and moving on to a divine heri- 
 tage, that we should rest our character In the great 
 fundamentals that have their source and center In 
 God? Alas for one who, amid the conflicting 
 winds of controversy, can not plant his feet some- 
 where on terra firma and say, "This I know." 
 
 But there Is no salvation In a creed. An Intel- 
 lectual acceptance of the fundamental truths of the 
 Christian religion, however Important It may be 
 otherwise, has no power to absolve a sinful soul or 
 commend It to God. 
 
 If a man be starving, he will count himself most 
 fortunate to come Into possession of a bank note; 
 but whether that bank note will relieve his hunger 
 depends on three things: First, it must be backed 
 by capital; secondly. It must be convertible Into 
 bread; and, thirdly, the bread must be eaten; other- 
 wise the hungry man will die in spite of It. In like 
 manner a creed must have Divine authority behind 
 It, must be convertible Into the terms of practical 
 life, and must express itself in character and use- 
 fulness. 
 
 It Is Important that we should believe in the doc- 
 tlne of the Atonement; but an Intellectual appre- 
 hension of that doctrine will avail us nothing un- 
 less we vitally appropriate Christ and follow him. 
 This Is the meaning of that profound saying of his, 
 
The Tabernacles of Tabor 97 
 
 '^Except ye eat the flesh and drink the blood of the 
 Son of Man ye have no life in you." He must be 
 taken, as the loaf is eaten, so that his very being 
 shall be assimilated with ours. In other words, the 
 only creed that can effect our salvation is not a creed 
 on parchment, but one that goes about on two feet 
 and makes its profession not only with two eloquent 
 lips but with two beneficent hands. 
 
 It was to an orthodox professor that the Apostle 
 James wrote, "Thou believest that there is one 
 God. Thou doest well ; the devils also believe and 
 tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that 
 faith without works is dead"? If a mere subscrip- 
 tion to doctrinal symbols could open the gate of 
 Heaven, there would be no souls in outer darkness ; 
 for in that region of hopelessness there is not one 
 who does not perceive, through the irresistible logic 
 of his environment, that there is one God who has 
 made provision for universal salvation through the 
 sacrifice of his only-begotten Son. But how can that 
 avail for those who have rejected Christ and whose 
 hearts are still at enmity with God? 
 
 A third tabernacle proposed by Peter was for 
 the worship of Christ. And again why not? The 
 Church, as the seat of worship, rests on divine au- 
 thority ; being founded on the impregnable rock of 
 the Saviourship of Christ so firmly that the gates of 
 hell shall not prevail against it. 
 
 And the Church is good. It affords a place for 
 a Christian to show his colors and, better still, gives 
 him a vantage-ground to work for God. 
 
98 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 It Is not claimed that the Church Is perfect — 
 claimed only that the Church Is the great organism 
 through which God Is working, by the power of his 
 Spirit and through the co-operation of his people, 
 for the setting up of a kingdom of truth and right- 
 eousness In this world of ours. 
 
 It Is easy to find fault; yet the fact remains that 
 there is more strength for humanity and progress 
 In the little finger of the Church than in the loins of 
 those who oppose It. The very fact that Its mem- 
 bers are so freely criticised for not living up to 
 their profession is proof positive that the fault-find- 
 ers themselves have a high estimate of the Church. 
 And the wiser course for those who are thus dis- 
 posed to criticise would be to come Into our fellow- 
 ship and show us how to do It. 
 
 But the Church can not save. The rites and 
 ceremonies of worship give no title to eternal life. 
 How was It in Israel? "To what purpose, saith 
 the Lord, is the multitude of your sacrifices unto 
 me? I am full of the burnt-offerings of rams and 
 the fat of fed beasts. Bring no more vain obla- 
 tions. Your Incense is an abomination unto me. 
 Your appointed feasts my soul hateth; I am 
 weary to bear them. When ye spread forth your 
 hands, I will hide mine eyes from you. Yea, 
 when ye make many prayers, I will not hear. 
 Your hands are full of blood! Wash you; make 
 you clean; put away the evil of your doings from 
 before mine eyes. Cease to do evil, learn to do 
 well.'' 
 
The Tabernacles of Tabor 99 
 
 A man may cry, ''Church! Church!" 
 With no more piety than other people: 
 
 A daw's not counted a religious bird 
 Because it keeps a-cawing from a steeple. 
 
 In other words, the most elaborate forms of wor- 
 ship, like the most rigid subscriptions of orthodoxy, 
 are of themselves impotent to save. 
 
 If Church-members were consistent, that would 
 answer the requirements of the case; but, unfortu- 
 nately, there is no such thing as "consistency." 
 Where Is there a church-member who brings the 
 bottom of his life up to the top of his life? 
 
 So, while It Is Important to be a member of the 
 Church, the one thing that Is vitally necessary Is to 
 be a member of Christ; as he said, "except ye abide 
 In me and my words abide In you, ye have no life 
 within you." A name on an ecclesiastical roster Is 
 of no value except that It stands for a correspond- 
 ing name In the Lamb's book of life. 
 
 In all the teaching of Jesus there Is nothing more 
 significant than this: "Not every one that salth 
 unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter Into the Kingdom 
 of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father 
 which Is In heaven. Many will say unto me In that 
 day. Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name and 
 In thy name cast out devils and in thy name done 
 many wonderful works; and then will I profess 
 unto them, I never knew you." 
 
 Well, If Law can not save, and If doctrine can 
 not save, and If Church-membership can not save, 
 what can? Jesus only. The vision of the three 
 
loo The Home Sanctuary 
 
 tabernacles vanishes into thin air. *'And when 
 they hfted up their eyes the disciples saw none save 
 Jesus only." So far as salvation Is concerned, he Is 
 Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. 
 
 We need three helpers on our way to heaven's 
 gate; and Jesus wears the triple crown. 
 
 First, He is our Priest. The Law stands as the 
 Ideal of righteousness In the mind of God; but 
 when the Law Is broken there Is no alternative for 
 the sinner but retribution, unless expiation shall be 
 made In some way. And Christ, In his priestly of- 
 fice, has made such expiation by bearing our sins In 
 his own body on the bitter tree. So It Is written, 
 *'There Is therefore now no condemnation to them 
 that are In Christ Jesus. For what the Law could 
 not do In that It was weak through the flesh, God, 
 sending his own Son In the likeness of sinful flesh 
 and for sin, condemned sin In the flesh: that the 
 ordinance of the Law might be fulfilled In us." 
 
 Secondly, we need a Prophet to instruct us In 
 truth. And Christ wears the prophetic crown. He 
 said not only "I am come to bear witness of truth," 
 but "I am the truth." Here Is the touchstone for 
 determining upon all creeds and upon all doctrinal 
 symbols. Let them be accorded their full value as 
 representing the earnest quests and controversies 
 of the ages; yet must they all alike be estimated by 
 their conformity to the teaching of Christ. So that, 
 when we have learned our utmost at all other ora- 
 cles, we must still count It our supreme privilege to 
 sit as disciples at Jesus' feet and learn of him. His 
 
The Tabernacles of Tabor loi 
 
 school is our Court of Final Appeal. The last 
 word is spoken in any argument when he has said 
 "This is false" or "This is true." If he affirm the 
 personality of God, his own deity and the validity 
 of his Atonement, the trustworthiness of Scripture, 
 the Resurrection and the life eternal, this for his 
 disciples is an end of controversy. We can do no 
 otherwise than believe what he tells us. 
 
 Thirdly, we need a King, to protect, control, and 
 conduct us in the pathway of life. And Christ is 
 "King in Zion." His commands are ultimate for 
 those who sincerely profess to believe in him. He 
 Is sole and supreme Lord of the Mind and Lord of 
 the Conscience for those who love him : 
 
 I'll go where you want me to go, dear Lord, 
 Over mountain, and plain, and sea; 
 
 I'll do what you want me to do, dear Lord, 
 I'll be what you want me to be. 
 
 It has been said that Peter made no mistake when 
 he proposed the three tabernacles; but, whether It 
 was a mistake or not, we know that, as to the main 
 issue, his heart was In the right place. He believed 
 In Christ as his Prophet, Priest and King. 
 
 It was he who, in answer to his Lord's question, 
 "Who do ye say that I am?" made answer, "Thou 
 art the Christ, the Son of the living God!" For 
 this he was called the "Stone-man." On that good 
 confession as on a mighty rock he built his faith so 
 firmly that, after bravely living for it, he crowned 
 his life by dying for it. 
 
102 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 We can make no mistake by following his exam- 
 ple thus far. He who builds his life and character 
 on Christ Is safe forever. The rains may descend, 
 the floods come, the winds blow and beat upon his 
 house; but it can not fall, because It Is founded upon 
 a rock. Wherefore, In our walk and conversation. 
 In our worship and orthodoxy. In our Influence In 
 time and our hope for eternity, let us make Christ 
 first, last, midst and all in all. 
 
 8. PRAYER 
 
 O God, give me an undivided heart; a 
 heart so full of devotion to Christ that every 
 thought and Impulse shall bow down In sub- 
 jection to him. Help me to follow In his steps 
 until, going on from grace to grace and from 
 glory to glory, I shall at length behold his 
 face, be changed Into his likeness, and abide 
 with him forever. Amen. 
 
 9. HYMN: "When I survey the Wondrous 
 
 Cross.*' 
 
 10. BENEDICTION 
 
 Peace be unto you, and love with faith, 
 from God the Father and the Lord Jesus 
 Chwst. Amen. 
 
EIGHTH SERVICE 
 
 The Wells of the Desert 
 
 1. INVOCATION 
 
 OLoRD, thy mercies are new every morn- 
 ing and fresh every evening; wherefore 
 let the outgoings of the morning and of the 
 evening praise thee. Fill my heart with grati- 
 tude for countless loving-kindnesses, as I ap- 
 proach thee; and let my worship come up be- 
 fore thee as sweet Incense ; for the Redeemer's 
 sake. Amen. 
 
 2. HYMN: "To-day the Saviour calls." 
 
 3. SCRIPTURE LESSON 
 
 Isaiah 12. 
 John 4:1-26. 
 
 4. PRAYER 
 
 O God, I address thee with fear and trem- 
 bling, because thou reignest in light and glory 
 unapproachable; but when I remember thy 
 love as revealed in thy dearly beloved Son, I 
 draw nigh with confidence and boldness. His 
 Name Is my all-prevailing plea. He ever 
 llveth to make intercession as my Advocate 
 at the Throne of Heavenly Grace. I thank 
 103 
 
I04 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 thee for the atonement which he wrought for 
 me. Blessed he thy Name for the Cross and 
 the River of Comfort that Hows from it. I 
 thank thee for my assurance that on his ac- 
 count my sins, which have been many, are all 
 blotted out, so that there is no more condem- 
 nation. My life is hid with Christ in thee. 
 I thank thee also for the influence of the sancti- 
 fying Spirit by which I am enabled to grow 
 toward his likeness day by day. I thank thee 
 for the Bible and the Sabbath and the fellow- 
 ship of saints. Thou hast many people in the 
 world, worshiping in many lands and many 
 languages, and calling themselves by many de- 
 nominational names. Bless them all, O Lord. 
 Bless those who gather in temples where im- 
 posing choirs and orchestras, the concord of 
 many voices, make a joyful sound before thee. 
 Bless those who assemble in the little Churches 
 by the crossroads on the frontier, a feeble folk 
 like the conies, but lifting up holy hands with 
 their hearts unto thee in the heavens. Bless 
 the lone sufferers who in thousands of sick- 
 rooms, racked with pain and overborne with 
 weariness, look to thee for help and comfort 
 and the peace that passeth all understanding. 
 And. O Lord, in great mercy remember those 
 who live in the light of the Gospel, and are 
 yet without hope because they have not ac- 
 cepted thine overtures of grace. Incline their 
 ears to hear, and draw them that they may 
 
The Wells of the Desert 105 
 
 run after thee. Say to them, "Come, now, 
 let us reason together; though your sins be as 
 scarlet they shall be as white as snow, and 
 though they be red like crimson they shall be 
 as wool." Be with me in this hour of wor- 
 ship and help me to carry its lessons Into my 
 life. If thou hast any errand for me, help me 
 to do it joyously. Where thou biddest me to 
 go, I will go, dear Lord; over mountain and 
 plain and sea ; I'll do what you want me to do, 
 dear Lord; I'll be what you want me to be. 
 Try me to-day in the field of duty. Use me as 
 long as I live ; wear me out in thy service, every 
 atom of energy that I have; wear me all out 
 in serving thee; then graciously say "Well 
 done!" and give me larger tasks to do. And 
 the praise of my salvation shall be thine for- 
 ever. In Christ Jesus. Amen. 
 
 5. HYMN: "Did Christ o'er sinners weep?" 
 
 6. OFFERING 
 
 7. THE SERMON 
 
 The JVells of the Desert 
 
 "Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out 
 of the wells of salvation." (Isaiah 12: 3.) 
 
 The mischievous critics have played havoc with 
 this twelfth chapter of Isaiah. To begin with, 
 they say It Is wholly out of place. It is Indeed like a 
 Lohgesaug In the midst of a miserere. The 
 Prophet has been recording a series of doleful vl- 
 
io6 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 sions. He has mourned over the nation as a pa- 
 tient afflicted unto death: "From the sole of the 
 foot even unto the head there is no soundness, but 
 wounds, and bruises, and fresh stripes." He has 
 seen the altars of Baal smoking on the hilltops and 
 the people kissing their hands to the golden horses 
 of the sun; while the hypocritical priests of Je- 
 hovah were offering vain oblations in the Temple 
 with unclean hands, and incense which gave "a 
 stinking savor in the nostrils of God." He has 
 pointed with alarm at the armies of Assyria, whose 
 banners were waving in the distance like the wings 
 of a foul bird hastening to the prey. On every 
 hand there was nothing In sight but trouble and 
 darkness, dimness and anguish. Then suddenly 
 this song: "Cry aloud and shout, thou inhabitant 
 of ZIon; for great in the midst of thee Is the Holy 
 One of Israel!" It Is as if a procession on its way 
 to the graveyard were all at once to cease weeping 
 and break Into Hallelujahs. 
 
 And this Is one reason why these mischievous 
 critics Insist that Isaiah did not write It. The hand 
 of a hypothetical "redactor," they say, has Inter- 
 jected the song at this inappropriate place. But 
 why could not Isaiah have written it? "Because 
 the Internal evidence is against it." What do they 
 mean by that? "It does not sound like him: Its 
 style is so different." But if that proves anything 
 It proves too much; it is like saying that a singer 
 can not sing In two keys. Nevertheless, for this 
 reason they have invented a writer called "Deutero- 
 
The Wells of the Desert 107 
 
 Isaiah," whom they hold responsible for every- 
 thing In Isaiah that "does not sound like him." 
 
 It might be affirmed on similar grounds that the 
 author of the majestic measures of "Paradise Lost" 
 could not have written L' Allegro : 
 
 Haste thee, nymph, and bring with thee 
 Jest and youthful Jollity, 
 Sport that wrinkled care derides. 
 And laughter holding both his sides ! 
 
 For to a certainty this does not sound like John 
 Milton; wherefore, let us have a Deutero-MIlton 
 to account for It. 
 
 And It might just as reasonably be Insisted that 
 the author of the somber "Macbeth" could not 
 have written Ann Hathaway : 
 
 She hath a way to chase despair. 
 To heal all griefs, to cure all care. 
 Turn foulest night to fairest day; 
 Thou knowest, fond heart, she hath a way; 
 Ann hath a way. 
 
 The "internal evidence" here is so conclusive 
 against Shakespeare that a Deutero-Shakespeare 
 must be called in to explain it. 
 
 By a corresponding line of argument we are 
 bound to conclude that the Professor of the Higher 
 Mathematics who is commonly supposed to have 
 written "Alice in Wonderland" could never have 
 done It. There must be a Deutero-Lewls Carroll. 
 The same sort of logic makes It impossible that the 
 author of "The Innocents Abroad" should have 
 
io8 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 produced such a serious biography as *'Joan of 
 Arc" : wherefore, give us a Deutero-Mark Twain 
 to account for it. 
 
 But suppose for a moment that Isaiah did not 
 write it; what difference does it make? The song 
 is there, and in it is the breath of inspiration. Oh, 
 these paltering critics! These hair-splitters and 
 wire-drawers, who strain at a gnat of difficulty and 
 swallow a camel of unbelief! These catch-penny 
 "experts,'^ who bring all their optical instruments 
 to bear upon the analysis of a fly speck in the mar- 
 gin of the Book while overlooking the wonderful 
 outlines of the great verities within it ! The moun- 
 tain verily "travails and brings forth a mouse." 
 What are sacred authors, anyway, but mediums 
 through whom God breathes his truth toward men ? 
 The evidence is all in favor of the authorship of 
 Isaiah; but whether he wrote this outburst of mel- 
 ody or not, the song is there and the song is ours. 
 Bring your harps and cymbajs; and let us sing, "I 
 will trust and not be afraid; for the Lord Jehovah 
 is my strength; he also is become my salvation !" 
 
 In any case one thing is certain. This song was 
 written by a pilgrim going through a dry and 
 thirsty land to a better country, famishing for water 
 and longing for the fountains and wells. And, so 
 far forth, we are at one with the singer; for we are 
 all pilgrims and sojourners, like Israel in the Des- 
 ert. The suns are blazing above and the sands 
 scorching beneath; but, blessed be God, there are 
 elims all along the way! The palm-groves in the 
 
The Wells of the Desert 109 
 
 distance wave and beckon as if to say, "Come, rest 
 in our shadow, and drink of the wells I" 
 
 These wells of salvation are seven, like those of 
 Beersheba ; and all alike yield the water of life. 
 
 The first is the well of Faith, 
 
 At the very outset of the journey we come upon 
 it; for faith marks the beginning of Christian ex- 
 perience. He that believeth shall enter into life. 
 
 I knew a lad, about fifty years ago, who could 
 not sleep for thirst. He had listened to the Gos- 
 pel in the village church and heard it at his 
 mother's knee ; but, as for seeing and believing, he 
 could not. Christ was no personal Saviour for 
 him. But one bright day the veil was lifted and 
 he saw. Oh, happy day! It was up in a hay-loft; 
 and the vision came when he was kneeling on the 
 hay. He saw and believed. For half a century 
 he has known the sweet waters ; and : 
 
 My soul shall at that fountain drink 
 When all the springs are dry. 
 
 The second of the wells is Prayer. 
 
 To your knees, O friend, when "oppressed by 
 noon-day's scorching heat!" Kneel down and 
 drink! To philosophize about the rationale of 
 prayer is not drinking. Satisfy the longing of your 
 soul. Drink deep ! Let the peace of God that pass- 
 eth all understanding come into your soul; then 
 sing— 
 
no The Home Sanctuary 
 
 Sweet hour of prayer, sweet hour of prayer ; 
 
 May I thy consolation share, 
 
 Till from Mount Pisgah's lofty height 
 
 I view my home and take my flight! 
 
 This robe of flesh I'll drop, and rise 
 
 To seize the everlasting prize. 
 
 And shout, while passing through the air, 
 
 Farewell, farewell, sweet hour of prayer! 
 
 For faith shall ultimately be lost In sight, and hope 
 in open vision, and prayer in everlasting praise. 
 
 The third of the wells on our journey is the 
 Bible. 
 
 A deep well this, springing from the very heart 
 of the Rock of Ages; for the Bible is more than 
 *'a book among books," having been "written by 
 holy men as they were moved by the Spirit of 
 God." Its waters are not like those of other books, 
 cisterns hewn out by art and man's device, often- 
 times brackish and unwholesome. There is no sur- 
 face-drainage of human wisdom here. To the 
 weary and heavy laden there can be no sweeter 
 draught than a promise from the Word of God. 
 
 A lady and her daughter, who had been paying 
 kindly visits to an old woman in a humble cottage, 
 found her always with a Bible on her knees. One 
 day the daughter said, "Ask her, mother, if she 
 never gets tired of it." The cottager overheard 
 and answered, "No, dearie, never! It grows 
 fresher every day." 
 
 You need this water, my friend. You have spent 
 enough of your time in the vain effort to analyze 
 
The Wells of the Desert hi 
 
 It. If you are thirsty, just drink; and see for your- 
 self how It satisfies the soul. Drink and sing — 
 Word of the everlasting God! 
 
 Will of his glorious Son ! 
 Without thee, how could earth be trod, 
 Or Heaven itself be won? 
 
 The fourth of the wells is Fellowship. 
 
 We do not kneel alone at this well. There are 
 many thirsty ones who bend beside us; and "as 
 Iron sharpeneth Iron so a man sharpeneth the face 
 of his friend." Blessed be God who hath made us 
 sit together In heavenly places ! Don't look at your 
 neighbor, now, to find fault with him. Doubtless 
 he Is not the sort of Christian he ought to be; but 
 no more are you. Of all who crowd about this well 
 not one Is a perfect saint as yet : all are but sinners 
 saved by grace. Move up a little closer, then ; and 
 drink and sing — 
 
 Blest be the tie that binds 
 Our hearts in Christian love: 
 
 The fellowship of kindred minds 
 Is like to that above! 
 
 The fifth of the wells is Service. 
 
 This Is close by the edge of a harvest-field; and 
 those who approach It come with sleeves rolled up 
 and sickles In hand, wiping the perspiration from 
 their brows. But, oh, how great to be In such ser- 
 vice! It is blessed to get weary for a Lord like 
 ours. It Is a foretaste of heaven to feel, at the 
 close of a busy day, that we have not merely said 
 our prayers and repeated our creeds, but have done 
 
112 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 faithful reaping for him. How grateful, then, the 
 waters of this well! We return to our tasks re- 
 freshed and strengthened, singing — 
 
 One more day's work for Jesus! 
 Oh, yes, a weary day ; 
 But heaven shines clearer. 
 And rest comes nearer 
 At each step of the way. 
 And Christ in all — 
 Before his face I fall. 
 
 Oh, blessed work for Jesus! 
 Oh, rest at Jesus' feet! 
 There toil seems pleasure, 
 My wants are treasure, 
 And pain for him is sweet. 
 Lord, if I may, 
 I'll serve another day. 
 
 And sixth, the well of Consolation. 
 
 You will find it in Baca, the Valley of Tears. 
 Here is where Hagar found it when wandering in 
 the Wilderness with her little son. The water- 
 skin was empty and the child was famishing. "And 
 she went and sat her down over against him a good 
 way off, as it were a bowshot, saying, Let me not 
 look upon the death of the child." And the angel 
 of God called unto Hagar and said unto her, 
 "What alleth thee, Hagar ? Fear not !" And her 
 eyes were opened and "she saw a well of water and 
 gave the lad to drink." Are you, too, wandering in 
 the Valley of Tears? Listen and you shall hear 
 God speak. Listen again and you shall hear the 
 murmur of water. Brood no more ov,er your sor- 
 
The Wells of the Desert 113 
 
 rows. Stoop down and drink and go your way, 
 singing — 
 
 Joy of the desolate, light of the straying, 
 Hope of the penitent, fadeless and pure! 
 
 Here speaks the Comforter, tenderly saying, 
 Earth has no sorrows that heaven can not cure. 
 
 The seventh of the wells is Hope. 
 
 Its waters are clearest of all; so clear that If you 
 look down Into them you shall see heaven reflected 
 there; a vision of "the city which hath the founda- 
 tions, whose builder and maker is God." If this life 
 were all, then should we be, indeed, of all men 
 most miserable; but ours is "the hope that maketh 
 not ashamed." There is something beyond I Eye 
 hath not seen nor ear heard, neither have entered 
 into the heart of man the things which God hath 
 prepared for them that love him. Drink of this 
 well when the sordid world has gripped you hard ; 
 and, still drinking, keep your eyes on the vision; 
 while you sing — 
 
 O mother dear, Jerusalem, 
 
 When shall I come to thee? 
 When shall my sorrows have an end ? 
 
 Thy joys when shall I see ? 
 
 Thy walls are made of precious stones, 
 Thy bulwarks diamonds square; 
 
 Thy gates are of right Orient pearl; 
 O God, if I were there! 
 
 These are the seven Wells of the Desert. 
 
 But there is yet another — deeper, clearer and 
 more refreshing than all. It is the well for which 
 David longed, when hunted like a bird among the 
 
114 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 mountains: "Oh, that one would give me water to 
 drink of the well of Bethlehem, which Is by the 
 gate!" There is no other like the well of Bethle- 
 hem. Christ himself is our Fountain of Life. 
 
 The singular thing about this well is that, like 
 the water that gushed forth at Merlbah, where 
 Moses smote the rock, it follows the pilgrim all 
 along the way. "For they drank," says Paul, "of 
 a spiritual Rock that followed them: and the rock 
 was Christ." There are no long stretches of thirst 
 between the wells of the desert for those who keep 
 In vital touch with him. 
 
 It was "the last day, the great day of the feast" 
 in Jerusalem. The concluding ceremony, known 
 as "the Effusion of Waters," had just been enacted: 
 the high priest coming up from the Pool of Siloam 
 with a pitcher on his shoulder had emptied it upon 
 the pavement of Solomon's Porch, to signify the 
 pouring out of the souls of the people before their 
 God. Then the benediction, and all would be over; 
 the people were about to disperse to their homes. 
 At this juncture the voice of Jesus was heard, cry- 
 ing: "If any man thirst, let him come unto me and 
 irink. He that belleveth on me, as the Scripture 
 ath said, from within shall flow rivers of living 
 
 iter!" Aye, water of life! The life that no 
 ,ater can give but that which gushes from the 
 smitten Rock of Ages ! 
 
 Have you heard his voice? Have you refreshed 
 your soul with the strengthening and healing 
 waters of the King's well? 
 
The Wells of the Desert 115 
 
 The weary Christ who paused at Jacob's well In 
 Sychar asked a drink of the woman who came to 
 draw. When she hesitated he said, "If thou knew- 
 est the gift of God, and who It Is that salth to thee 
 *GIve me to drink,' thou wouldst have asked of him 
 and he would have given thee living water." Oh, 
 If thou knewest! For whosoever drinketh of this 
 water shall never thirst ; but It shall be In him a well 
 of water springing up unto everlasting life. 
 
 The world Is full of Invitations to the King's 
 well. "The Spirit and the bride say Come, and he 
 that heareth, let him say Come, and he that Is 
 athlrst let him come : and he that will let him take 
 the water of life freely." 
 
 The water Is free; but one may stand by the 
 King's well and perish of spiritual thirst, If he will 
 not drink. Wherefore drink, my friend, and 
 quench the longing of your soul. The Invitation 
 has come to you again and again. Here Is a verse 
 you surely can sing : 
 
 I heard the voice of Jesus say, 
 
 Behold, I freely give 
 The living water, thirsty one; 
 
 Stoop down, and drink, and live. 
 
 But can you go on singing? There Is life In the 
 next verse for you : 
 
 I came to Jesus; and I drank 
 Of that life-giving stream; 
 My thirst was quenched, 
 My soul revived. 
 And now I live in him! 
 
ii6 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 8. PRAYER 
 
 Lord, refresh me with thy grace. The 
 journey Is long and the sun hot and the bur- 
 den heavy. Oh, for a drink of water from 
 the well beside the gate of Bethlehem! Tell 
 me again that all things are working for my 
 good. Walk thou with me, so that heart and 
 flesh fall not. I can do all things when thou 
 strengthenest me. Be thou my strength and 
 my exceeding great reward; for thy Name's 
 sake. Amen. 
 
 9. HYMN: "I heard the voice of Jesus say." 
 
 10. BENEDICTION 
 
 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with 
 your spirit. Amen. 
 
' NINTH SERVICE 
 Tempted and Tried 
 
 1. INVOCATION 
 
 ^LMIGHTY God, Source of all good and 
 -^^ Fountain of blessing, look upon me 
 with favor In this hour. I confess my per- 
 sonal unworthlness, but plead the righteous- 
 ness of Christ. For his sake graciously re- 
 ceive me Into thy presence and accept my 
 worship. Amen. 
 
 2. HYMN: ^Take my heart, O Father, take It!" 
 
 3. SCRIPTURE LESSON 
 
 Genesis 3 :i-6. 
 James i. 
 
 4. PRAYER 
 
 Have mercy upon me, O God, according 
 unto thy lovIng-klndness, and according unto 
 thy tender mercies blot out my transgression. 
 Purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean; 
 wash me and I shall be whiter than snow. I 
 believe In the purifying virtue of the Foun- 
 tain filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel's 
 veins. I am trusting only In him whose blood 
 117 
 
ii8 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 cleanseth from sin. Blessed be thy Name for 
 the assurance of faith. There is no more 
 condemnation to them that are In Christ 
 Jesus, who walk not after the flesh but after 
 the Spirit. Baptize me with the Influence of 
 thy sanctifying Spirit, that I may continually 
 grow In grace and In the knowledge of Christ. 
 Make me submissive under chastisement, 
 faithful In service, and acquiescent In thy holy 
 will. Give me a broad heart of sympathy, 
 and eagerness to help all who need me. Make 
 me charitable toward sinners, but Intolerant 
 toward sin. Keep me loyal to the truth as 
 thou hast given me to see It. Strengthen thy 
 Church for the propagation of the Gospel. 
 Stretch her curtains and enlarge her borders. 
 Put down wickedness In high and low places. 
 Make a speedy end of war, and hasten the 
 time when men and nations shall rest in the 
 truce of God. To this end put the spirit of 
 peace with righteousness Into the hearts of all 
 rulers and potentates. Speed thy coming, O 
 Prince of Peace, to rule in equity from the 
 river unto the ends of the earth. For thou 
 art worthy to receive glory, and honor, and 
 dominion and power forever and ever. Amen. 
 
 5. HYMN : "Lord, I hear of showers of bless- 
 
 ing." 
 
 6. OFFERING 
 
Tempted and Tried 119 
 
 7. THE SERMON 
 
 Tempted and Tried 
 
 "Count ft all joy, my brethren, when ye fall 
 into manifold temptations; knowing that the 
 proving of your faith worketh patience. But let 
 patience have its perfect work, that ye may be 
 perfect and entire, lacking in nothing." (James 
 1:2-4.) 
 
 In one of Paul's letters to the Christians at 
 Corinth he says, "There has no temptation taken 
 you but such as is common to man." The same 
 might be written to the people of any modern com- 
 munity. Were there wineshops along the streets 
 of Corinth? So there are, In horrid multiplicity, 
 along the streets of New York. Were there 
 painted women leering at the open windows? So 
 there are among us. Were there Idol-meats for 
 sale In the shambles? So there are now. Tempta- 
 tion Is "common to man." Adam was tempted In 
 Paradise; Abraham at Beersheba; Lot in Sodom; 
 Moses In MIdlan; Daniel In Babylon; and Christ 
 In the Wilderness. There Is no escaping It. 
 
 And temptation is as necessary as It Is common 
 to man. It Is built Into the constitution of the 
 race. In the case of Adam It was necessary for the 
 cultivation of character. He was created Innocent; 
 but Innocency is not character. A graven image Is 
 free from sin. If Adam was to be a man he must 
 be positively one thing or the other; either good 
 or bad. To that end he must be tested; wherefore 
 he was told not to eat of the fruit of the forbidden 
 
i2o The Home Sanctuary 
 
 tree. A tree would answer as well as anything 
 else ; the point being that he must be put through 
 some sort of ordeal to determine whether or not 
 he would obey the behest of God. Unfortunately 
 both for him and for us he fell; and in falling he 
 put himself and his children after him in the way 
 of contracting the habit of sin. 
 
 In the case of Christ — who is called "the second 
 Adam," because he also stood as the representative 
 man — temptation was necessary for a different rea- 
 son. He had come Into the world to be the knight- 
 errant of our fallen race, that he might deliver us 
 from the penalty and the power of sin. To this 
 end he must enter into full fellowship with hu- 
 manity, in order that he might become a high- 
 priest, able to be "touched with the feeling of our 
 infirmities." He was, therefore, "in all points 
 tempted like as we are." But, unlike the first 
 Adam, he stood the test. He was "in all points 
 tempted like as we are, yet without sin." 
 
 In your case and mine temptation Is necessary 
 for the development of the graces that constitute 
 character; wherefore, It is written, "We also re- 
 joice in our tribulation; knowing that tribulation 
 worketh steadfastness; and steadfastness, approved- 
 ness; and approvedness, hope; and hope putteth 
 not to shame." A ship swinging at anchor in the 
 bay Is of little or no use. Out yonder on the open 
 seas there Is danger; there are fogs and gales and 
 hidden reefs; but what matters it? The ship must 
 hoist anchor and venture forth, or she will take no 
 
Tempted and Tried 121 
 
 part In the commerce of the world. So must a 
 man meet the grapple of adverse forces if he would 
 make his life tell. "The North wind makes 
 Vikings." A man of spirit will not shrink from 
 taking heaven with the wind in his face. 
 
 It is a great thing, in point of fact, to be capable 
 of trial. "How much better is a man than a 
 sheep?" We are made in the likeness of God. 
 And, though we have fallen from our high estate, 
 there are possibilities of goodness and greatness in 
 us, which must somehow be brought out. And 
 God our Father is profoundly interested in do- 
 ing it.^ 
 
 This brings us directly to the matter in hand. 
 We want to know precisely what God's relation is 
 to the temptations that beset us. And the Scrip- 
 tures are very clear on this point. 
 
 First. We are advised that God does not tempt 
 any man. It is written, "Let no man say when he 
 is tempted, I am tempted of God; for God can not 
 be tempted with evil, and he himself tempteth no 
 man." 
 
 Secondly. It is equally clear from the teaching 
 of Scripture that God leads us into temptation. 
 The Evangelists agree in saying that Jesus was 
 "led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be 
 tempted of the devil." One of them puts it in even 
 more emphatic form, saying, "The Spirit driveth 
 him forth." And, for reasons already indicated, 
 we are treated in the same way. 
 
 It must be understood that there is no sin in 
 being tempted. A man may be compassed about 
 
122 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 by devils with no fault of his own. If Samson had 
 been called down to TImnath on business It would 
 have been no sin to pass Delilah on the street; but 
 it was a different matter when he went to TImnath 
 for the express purpose of meeting her, called at 
 her house and laid his head in her lap. Luther 
 says, "We can not prevent the birds from flying 
 over our heads; but we can prevent them from 
 building their nests in our hair." So God does not 
 lead us into sin when he leads us Into temptation. 
 
 It Is related that when the Black Prince had ar- 
 rived at years of discretion his father, Edward III, 
 deeming It necessary to wean him from the ef- 
 feminate pleasures of the court, placed him In com- 
 mand of a troop at the battle of Crecy. In the 
 heat of conflict a messenger came riding in great 
 haste to say that the prince was surrounded by the 
 enemy. The king asked, "Is he wounded?" The 
 answer was, "Nay; but in mighty peril." Then the 
 king said, "Tell him that he hath this day an 
 opportunity to win his spurs; and bid him not call 
 upon me until he is in mortal extremity." For a 
 like reason we are divinely led Into temptation, 
 that we may win our spurs ; but our Father Is ever 
 near at hand and ready to help us. 
 
 Thirdly. God could lead us around temptation, 
 were he so disposed, and could wholly avert it. 
 This Is taught In the words of Jesus, "And when 
 ye pray say, 'Our Father who art in heaven, lead 
 us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.' " 
 
 The question at once arises. If God leads us into 
 
Tempted and Tried 123 
 
 temptation, how can we pray, "Lead us not into 
 it" ? But, inasmuch as we are not acquainted with 
 the Divine plan concerning us, why should we not 
 pray to be saved from the peril of temptation so 
 far as this may be consistent with our good and the 
 glory of God? Is it not a most natural thing to 
 ask? Do we not pray in like manner to be de- 
 livered from pain and sickness and adversity? All 
 such prayers, be it remembered, are offered in the 
 filial spirit and only by such as can say "Our 
 Father." By that token they are always acqui- 
 escent in the Divine will. 
 
 If we go to Gethsemane we shall find the only- 
 begotten Son making just such a prayer. When 
 the purple cup of death was pressed to his lips 
 every nerve and sinew quivered and shrank from 
 it. "O my Father," he cried, "if it be possible, let 
 this cup pass from me." And sweating as it were 
 great drops of blood he cried again, "O my Father, 
 if it be possible, let this cup pass from me." That 
 cup was filled with the death that was due to us. 
 He as our substitute must drink it or else we our- 
 selves must drink it. Wherefore, he cried again, 
 "O my Father, if it be not possible, thy will be 
 done !" In a like filial spirit we pray, "Lead us not 
 into temptation." But observe, the prayer does 
 not end that way: let us have the whole of it: 
 "Lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from 
 evil." It is precisely as if we said, "O Father, if 
 It be possible, save us from the bitter hour of trial; 
 but in any case save us from sin !" 
 
124 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 It is recorded that Jesus said to Peter, in antici- 
 pation of his approaching hour of temptation in 
 the judgment hall, "Watch and pray, that ye enter 
 not into temptation." (Matt. 26:41.) And 
 again, with the same trial in view, he said to 
 Peter, "Satan hath desired to have you that he may 
 sift you as wheat ; but I have prayed for thee that 
 thy faith fail not." It thus appears that, while 
 Peter was advised to pray that he might not enter 
 into temptation, the prayer of the far-seeing Christ 
 was that in the hour of temptation the faith of 
 Peter might not fail. The result makes it appear 
 that Peter was tried and did temporarily fall, in 
 denying his Lord; but also that he learned his les- 
 son and was thereby enabled to "strengthen the 
 brethren," and that his faith failed not. 
 
 Fourthly. We are advised that in the hour of 
 temptation we 7nay be divinely sustained if we will 
 have it so. Thus it is written, "God is faithful, 
 who will not suffer you to be tempted above that 
 ye are able, but will with the temptation make the 
 way of escape, that ye may be able to endure it." 
 (i Cor. 10:13.) 
 
 The stress of temptation is never beyond our 
 strength. "God tempers the wind to the shorn 
 lamb." His promise is, "As thy day so shall thy 
 strength be." I have no sympathy with a drunk- 
 ard, who says, "I can't help it." He can ; he simply 
 doesn't want to. No doubt a man can by habitual 
 indulgence so vitiate and enfeeble his will that it is 
 a frightfully hard thing to resist the intoxicating 
 
Tempted and Tried 125 
 
 cup; but there Is no one but himself to blame for 
 that. And, even In this case, there Is a definite hope 
 in Divine help If he chooses to accept It. The 
 gates of hell can not prevail against a man who Is 
 buttressed by the power of God. 
 
 In all the universe there Is no force that can 
 compel a man to sin. The most that Satan could 
 say to Christ In the Wilderness was, "Cast thyself 
 down." He could not cast him down, nor could 
 he oblige Christ to do It. Every sin Is, In the na- 
 ture of the case, voluntary — never Involuntary. 
 No man Is responsible for what he can not avoid; 
 but no full-grown man ought to be willing to plead 
 the baby act. "The fault, dear Brutus, is not in 
 our stars, but In ourselves If we are underlings." 
 We have Infinite resources at our command In the 
 promise of Divine help; wherefore "Be strong! 
 Quit you like men!" 
 
 The old story of the Babylonish youths In the 
 furnace Is full of suggestion. (Dan. 3.) For 
 refusing to bow down before the golden Image 
 they were summoned before the king, who gave 
 them the choice of Idolatry or death. Their an- 
 swer was, "We have no need to answer thee In this 
 matter. If It be so, our God whom we serve Is 
 able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace; 
 and he will dehver us out of thy hand, O king. 
 But If not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we 
 will not serve thy gods nor worship the golden 
 Image which thou hast set up !" That was enough ; 
 they were bound and cast into the furnace. The 
 
126 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 king looked In and was astonished. He said to his 
 counselors, "Did we not cast three men bound into 
 the midst of the fire?" They answered, "True, 
 O king!" He said, "Lo, I see four men loose, 
 walking in the midst of the fire and they have no 
 hurt! and the aspect of the fourth is like a son 
 of the gods." Here is our defense in Temptation: 
 the fourth Man in the fire. God is faithful, and 
 he has said, "I will deliver thee in six troubles; yea. 
 in seven there shall no evil touch thee." 
 
 Fifthly. We triumph over temptation when we 
 thus allow God to help us. "Blessed is the man 
 that endureth temptation; for when he hath been 
 approved he shall receive the crown of life which 
 the Lord hath promised to them that love him." 
 (Jamics I : 12.) 
 
 Of all the joys that are possible to mortal man 
 there is none to be compared with that which we 
 experience in triumphing over a besetting sin. So 
 did the 3^oung stripling rejoice when he brought the 
 gory head of Goliath up to the king's tent, saying, 
 "I have overcome in the name of the God of 
 Israel!" 
 
 It is recorded that, when the temptation of Jesus 
 in the Wilderness was over, "angels came and 
 ministered unto him." In the struggle of life we 
 are "compassed about with a great cloud of wit- 
 nesses." Ail heaven is interested in seeing us get 
 the better of our sins. 
 
 And every such victory adds to our strength of 
 character. The Moslems say that the man who 
 
Tempted and Tried 127 
 
 slays his enemy in battle absorbs the strength of 
 his vanquished foe. There is a truth here for every 
 earnest soul in the grapple with sin. Great are 
 the promises to him who triumphs. "To him that 
 overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, 
 which is in the Paradise of God." — "He that over- 
 cometh shall not be hurt of the second death." — 
 "To him that overcometh will I give the morning 
 star." — "He that overcometh shall be arrayed in 
 white garments; and I will confess his name before 
 my Father and before his angels." — "He that over- 
 cometh, I will make him a pillar in the temple of 
 my God." — "He that overcometh I will give to 
 him to sit down with me in my throne, as I also 
 overcame and sat down with my Father in his 
 throne." — "To him that overcometh, to him will 
 I give of the hidden manna; and I will give him 
 a white stone, and upon the stone a new name 
 wTitten which no one knoweth but he that receiveth 
 it." Oh, blessed overcoming! Oh, glorious crown 
 of Hfel 
 
 It may be that some one now reading these 
 words is facing a fierce temptation. How shall he 
 meet it? By self-dependence? Shall the oft- 
 taught lesson of experience go for naught? "Is 
 any tempted, let him pray." There is "a way of 
 escape"; but it is not the path of self-reliance. 
 Resolutions fail when there is no strong staff to 
 lean on. Prayer is the secret passage to the light. 
 Try prayer, my friend — and see Christ coming to 
 your aid! Lean hard on him. He has been 
 
128 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 through temptation and "can be touched with a 
 feehng of our Infirmities." His arm is an almighty 
 arm. He never failed a man yet. He not 
 only pardons, but saves from the power of sin. 
 He enables us to say, "I know whom I have be- 
 lieved and am persuaded that he is able to keep 
 that which I have committed unto him against that 
 day." 
 
 The shining seats of heaven are full of sinners 
 who have passed through the hard grapple with 
 temptation, and are "more than conquerors" by the 
 grace of God. Listen to this : "I saw, and behold, 
 a great multitude, which no man could number, 
 . . . standing before the throne and before the 
 Lamb, arrayed in white robes, and palms in their 
 hands; and they cry with a great voice, saying, 
 Salvation unto our God! . . . And one of the 
 elders answered, saying unto me, These that are 
 arrayed in the white robes, who are they, and 
 whence came they? And I say unto him. My 
 lord, thou knowest. And he said to me. These are 
 they that come out of the great tribulation" — out 
 of the harrowing of trial — "and they washed their 
 robes and made them white in the blood of the 
 Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of 
 God." 
 
 Oh, for the white robes and the palm of 
 victory! Blessed is the man that endureth temp- 
 tation! The possibilities of character and life 
 and the unfading crown are In it. God help 
 us to endure and to come off victorious, that 
 
Tempted and Tried 129 
 
 we, too, may wave palm branches before the throne 
 of God! 
 
 8. PRAYER 
 
 I need thee every hour, most gracious 
 Lord. In the stress of temptation grant thine 
 Immediate help, so that I yield not. Help me 
 to see sin as thou seest It. Help me to hate 
 and abhor and flee from It. Show me the 
 beauty of holiness, so that I shall be enam- 
 oured of It. Make me more like Jesus In faith 
 and power and steadfastness. And thou shalt 
 have everlasting praise. Amen. 
 
 9. HYMN: ''Am I a soldier of the Cross?" 
 
 10. BENEDICTION 
 
 Grace, mercy and peace be with thee. 
 Amen. 
 
TENTH SERVICE 
 A Triple Tragedy 
 
 1. INVOCATION 
 
 T roLY. holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, 
 J^ which was and Is and Is to come! 
 Thou art of purer eyes than to behold In- 
 iquity ; wherefore purge me from my sins, for 
 Jesus' sake, that I may worthily draw near. 
 Be pleased to fill this hour with blessing, and 
 thy Name shall have the praise. Amen. 
 
 2. HYMN: "Jesus calls us o'er the tumult." 
 
 3. SCRIPTURE LESSON 
 
 Isaiah 53 :i-io. 
 Galatlans 6. 
 
 4. PRAYER 
 
 Blessed be thou, O God, who hast blessed 
 me with all spiritual blessings In heavenly 
 places in Christ. Help me to pour out my 
 soul penitently and gratefully before thee. 
 Notwithstanding my sins and shortcomings, 
 thou hast continued thy loving-kindness and 
 pardoning Grace. I have no burden that I 
 can not bear when thou art with me. Thou 
 art a very present help In time of trouble, a 
 130 
 
A Triple Tragedy 131 
 
 refuge from the storm and a shadow from the 
 heat. Thy chastening may be grievous; but, 
 inasmuch as it yieldeth the peaceable fruits of 
 righteousness, I would be thankful for it. Be 
 pleased to confirm my faith, that I may go on 
 from strength to strength, until I appear in 
 Zion before thee. Quicken those who are 
 dead in trespasses and sins; reclaim the wan- 
 dering and increase the zeal of those who 
 faithfully serve thee. Give power to thy 
 Word, wherever it may be taught or preached 
 this day, that sinners may be saved and saints 
 built up in thy most holy faith. Use thy 
 Church as a great labor-guild for the reaping 
 and ingathering of the harvest of souls. Send 
 more and more laborers into the harvest; and 
 make thou me one. Thou knowest I believe 
 and love thee. Help me to show my faith by 
 works and my love by a consuming zeal. 
 Lord, may sinners find no stumbling-block in 
 my unworthy life; help me rather to persuade 
 them, by earnest word and holy living, to 
 come unto thee. I want to invest all my pow- 
 ers for thee, so that when my day's work is 
 over I may hear thee say, "Well done, good 
 servant." Show me the next thing I ought 
 to do, and by thy Grace I will do it. Grant 
 thy Grace, for Jesus' sake. Amen. 
 
 5. HYMN: "He leadeth me." 
 
 6. OFFERING 
 
132 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 7. THE SERMON 
 
 A Triple Tragedy 
 
 *'But far be it from me to glory, save in the 
 cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which 
 the world hath been crucified unto me and I unto 
 the world." (Gal. 6: 14.) 
 
 A GREAT law is stated here. It is a law that pre- 
 vails everyw^here in both the natural and the spirit- 
 ual world; to wit, Life out of Death. It Is dwelt 
 on with much emphasis in the teaching of Jesus; 
 as where He says, "Whosover would save his life 
 shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life for 
 my sake and the gospel's shall save it." 
 
 An Illustration is found In the process of ger- 
 mination: "Except a grain of wheat fall into the 
 earth and die, It abldeth by Itself alone; but If It 
 die, it beareth much fruit." Ask the husbandman 
 who scatters wheat on his plowed field why he thus 
 broadcasts the food which Is necessary to sustain 
 life, and he will answer, "Wait and see ! The fields 
 will presently be white unto the harvest. The 
 loaded wains will come groaning to the granaries. 
 The millstones will revolve, and the hungry will 
 eat. I consecrate the seed-corn to death; but be- 
 hold It will reappear In the Issues of a vaster life." 
 
 The analogy, however, must not be pressed too 
 far. It holds as an Illustration but not as a paral- 
 lel, since the wheat does not really die. Were It not 
 that life lingers In the germ, there would be no har- 
 vest. The law of the natural world Is laid down 
 by Professor Tyndall, in these words: "It Is a scl- 
 
A Triple Tragedy 133 
 
 entific fact that life proceeds from life and from 
 nothing but life." All efforts of biological chem- 
 ists to quicken an inanimate thing have been un- 
 availing. But the moment you cross the border 
 into the realm of the supernatural, the law is pre- 
 cisely reversed. Here life proceeds from death, 
 and from nothing but death. Mors janua vita. 
 The King of Terrors is bound to the chariot of 
 Life. 
 
 And this is the occasion of Paul's boasting. In 
 his association with Christ the Life-giver, he has 
 solved the problem. He sets it forth under the fig- 
 ure of a triple tragedy. Here are three crosses; 
 each an effigy of death, and each the source and 
 fountain of a larger life. 
 
 L *'/ glory in the cross of Jesus Christ.'^ 
 
 Was he then oblivious of the fact that the cross 
 was a symbol of shame? It was set apart for the 
 execution of slaves and malefactors of the deepest 
 dye. The shame was so pronounced that it passed 
 Into a proverb: "Cursed Is every one who hangeth 
 on a tree." Yet this, the gentlest born and noblest 
 bred of the Apostles, glories in it. It is as if a man 
 were to boast of the fact that his father died on 
 the gallows-tree. How shall we account for it? 
 
 As to the fact of Jesus' death, there can be no 
 shadow of doubt. Ask the centurion who had 
 charge of his execution and he will say, "Aye: this 
 is the spear which I thrust Into his side ; behold the 
 stain of his heart's blood upon it!" Ask the com- 
 mander of the garrison at Castle Antonia, and he 
 
134 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 will show you the death certificate, bearing the im- 
 perial seal. Ask the rabbis of the Sanhedrin, and 
 they will answer, "The delegation appointed to 
 witness the execution have brought us a satisfactory 
 report. The Nazarene is dead; we shall hear no 
 further of his doctrine and alleged miracles ; he will 
 trouble us no more." Ask John and he will reply, 
 "As we were removing his body from the cross in 
 the twilight, I laid my hand upon his heart, and it 
 was cold and still. His pulse was still. We hoped 
 that it was he who should deliver Israel ; but alas ! 
 he Is dead!" Aye, Jesus is dead. On this all are 
 agreed. 
 
 Dead? Then why this universal commotion 
 about him? Why, after the lapse of eighteen cen- 
 turies, do his enemies still rail at him? How will 
 you account for his place in literature? Books, 
 books, books, about Jesus ! What means the ring- 
 ing of these church-bells, this preaching from tens 
 of thousands of pulpits on the glory of Christ; and 
 the testimony of an ever-increasing multitude of 
 men and women that he with mighty hand has lifted 
 them out of the miry pit and set their feet upon 
 an everlasting rock? And why this world-wide 
 chorus, 
 
 In the cross of Christ I glory 
 
 Towering o'er the wrecks of time; 
 
 All the light of sacred story 
 
 Gathers round Its head sublime? 
 
 A dead Christ? Where are his peers? Let 
 Napoleon speak from his lonely retreat at St. 
 
A Triple Tragedy 135 
 
 Helena: "You tell of the Caesars and Alexanders, 
 of their conquests, of the enthusiasm which they 
 enkindled in the hearts of their soldiers; but think 
 of the conquests of this dead man ! Can you con- 
 ceive of Caesar from the depth of his mausoleum 
 watching over the destinies of Rome? Yet here 
 is an arm that for eighteen centuries has protected 
 the Church from all storms that have threatened to 
 engulf it." He walks alone to-day upon the heights 
 of influence, as Jean Paul said: "Purest among the 
 mightiest and mightiest among the pure." No 
 mortal can with him compare among the sons of 
 men! 
 
 It is fondly hoped that national disputes are 
 henceforth to be settled by arbitration. In that 
 event the Great Powers will all be represented. But 
 when the commissioners have taken their places, 
 they will not be able to proceed with the business 
 in hand until the door opens and One enters before 
 whom all must bow in reverence. The first word 
 and the last word in the adjustment of every prob- 
 lem of civilization is uttered by the Man who was 
 executed at Golgotha. What does this mean? It 
 means that Christ, by His atoning death, has at- 
 tained to an ever-Increasing life and Influence 
 among men and nations. Out of heaven there 
 comes a voice, "I am the Living One; and I was 
 dead; and, behold, I am alive forevermore, and 
 I have the keys of death and of Hades!" 
 
 II. We turn now to the second cross, and hear 
 Paul saying, '7 have been crucified with Christ,*^ 
 
136 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 In this, also, he finds an occasion of boasting. 
 He might have gloried in his noble birth, his liberal 
 education, his Roman citizenship or his honorable 
 laurels won in earthly parliaments; but, if he must 
 needs glory, he will glory in the fact that he has 
 entered into the fellowship of the shameful death 
 of Christ. 
 
 Who is this "I" that died with Jesus on the 
 cross? In the philosophy of Paul man is regarded 
 as a dual personality. The "old man" and the 
 "new man" — that is, the lower and the higher na- 
 ture — are ever struggling for mastery. They are 
 also characterized as "flesh" and "spirit." The 
 one is base, sordid, sensual and hostile to God; the 
 other is "created in Christ Jesus unto righteousness 
 and true holiness." A man's growth In character 
 is measured by the triumph of his higher over his 
 lower nature. It was old Saul of Tarsus who was 
 crucified with Christ — the Saul who went down to 
 Damascus breathing out slaughter against the fol- 
 lowers of Christ. He died on the highway when 
 the great light fell upon him, and the Voice said, 
 "I am Jesus!" In that moment a new man was 
 born and began to live with the cry, "Lord, what 
 wilt thou have me to do?" 
 
 The man who has passed through this transfor- 
 mation lives In a truer sense than ever before. Paul, 
 standing by the cross whereon Saul of Tarsus died, 
 cries triumphantly, "I have been crucified with 
 Christ! and It is no longer I that live, but Christ 
 llveth in me !" 
 
A Triple Tragedy 137 
 
 The new man is a free man. He is re- 
 leased from the bondage of sin. The past, which 
 was like a ball and chain upon him, is gone. 
 The blood of Christ has cleansed him. He 
 is delivered, also, from the bondage of the 
 Law. Saul of Tarsus stood at Sinai, fearing 
 and trembling under the sentence, "The soul that 
 sinneth it shall die!" Paul the Apostle, hav- 
 ing learned obedience in love, has passed into 
 the glorious liberty of the children of God. 
 He has seen his Lord nailing "the handwrit- 
 ing of ordinances" to his cross and taking it out 
 of the way. 
 
 He is delivered, also, from the bondage of 
 death; not that he must not pass through dissolu- 
 tion like other men; but this means little to him, 
 now that the gates of heaven are open beyond the 
 tomb. He hears his Master saying, "I am the 
 resurrection and the life; he that believeth on me, 
 though he die, yet shall he live : and whosoever liv- 
 eth and believeth on me shall never die!" The 
 death beyond is not for him, since "there is no con- 
 demnation to them that are in Christ Jesus." He 
 hears the footfall of his executioner in the corridor 
 of the Mammertine jail and answers, "I am already 
 being offered, and the time of my departure is come. 
 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the 
 course, I have kept the faith; henceforth there is 
 laidup forme the crown!" — "O grave, where is thy 
 victory? O death, where is thy sting? The sting 
 of death is sin; and the power of sin is the law; but 
 
13 B The Home Sanctuary 
 
 thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory 
 through our Lord Jesus Christ!" 
 
 Thus, by the death of the old nature, we attain 
 unto newness of life. We come forth out of the 
 sepulcher of the flesh into the Kingdom of the 
 Spirit, where we live upon a higher level and 
 breathe a clearer atmosphere with God. It Is as 
 when one stands upon a summit of a mountain and 
 looks down on those who plod along the lower 
 paths. What mites and midgets are these, who 
 bustle to and fro in pursuit of things that perish 
 with the using! Up here are life and Immortality. 
 I died down yonder on the cross that I might live 
 up here with God. I buried all and I have all. 
 
 III. On the third cross ''the world is crucified to 
 me." 
 
 The "world," thus referred to, is not that cos- 
 mos of right and order, of Innocent pursuit and 
 pleasure, which God intended for us; but rather 
 the world indicated In the phrase ''lust of the flesh, 
 lust of the eye and pride of life." This Is the world 
 which Is ever at enmity with God. It may be de- 
 fined as the sum total of all influences that make 
 for spiritual and eternal death, of all that drag us 
 down and away from the life that we were Intended 
 to live. It is the world of which It Is written, "The 
 friendship of the world Is enmity against God." To 
 one who has passed through the new birth, which 
 makes a follower of Christ, the world thus defined 
 is crucified. It dies hard; but it Is surely stricken 
 with death ; and it dies more and more as the proc- 
 
A Triple Tragedy 139 
 
 ess of sanctlficatlon goes on. The process is radi- 
 cal; as it is written, "Even now the ax lieth at the 
 root of the trees." The demand of Christ is exclu- 
 sive : "Ye can not serve God and mammon. Go 
 sell all that thou hast, and come, follow me." 
 
 In the hour of his conversion, Paul turned his 
 back upon the world of sin. Inspexit et despexlt! 
 He beheld and renounced it. He defines that re- 
 nunciation in this wise: "What things were gain to 
 me these I counted loss for Christ. Yea, verily, 
 and I count all things to be loss for the excellency 
 of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for 
 whom I suffered the loss of all things and do count 
 them but refuse, that I may gain Christ, and be 
 found in him, not having a righteousness of mine 
 own, even that which is of the law, but that 
 which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness 
 which is from God by faith : that I may know him, 
 and the power of his resurrection, and the fellow- 
 ship of his sufferings, becoming conformed unto his 
 death; if by any means I may attain unto the resur- 
 rection from the dead." His reference is not to 
 the final resurrection, but to that which is here and 
 now. 
 
 But the world, thus crucified, also rises, in new- 
 ness of life. It lives again to every follower of 
 Christ; a new world in which all that makes life 
 worth living is multiplied a hundredfold. The 
 pursuits of the world are wealth, pleasure, and 
 honor. Can a Christian pursue these? Yes, with 
 more intensity than ever ; but in a different way. It 
 
140 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 Is the business of every follower of Christ to ac- 
 quire wealth, so far as it is possible by honest meth- 
 ods, because in so doing he increases his power for 
 God. It takes money to print Bibles, to equip 
 churches, to build schools and hospitals and re- 
 formatories, to charter missionary ships and carry 
 the Gospel to the uttermost parts of the earth. But 
 let It be observed the new-born man is urged to the 
 acquisition of wealth by a motive far higher than 
 that which previously prompted him. He is now 
 the servant of Christ, and whatever he gets or 
 gains is to be used wholly for Christ. He is no 
 longer an owner, but a steward. He acquires, that 
 he may with his substance glorify God. On every 
 dollar he earns is the image and superscription 
 of the King; and thus, by honestly earning and 
 properly spending, he enriches himself toward 
 God. 
 
 Is a Christian free to pursue pleasure? More 
 than ever. No pleasures are banned except those 
 which are defiled with sin. A Christian is under 
 bonds to forsake no pleasure that any self-respect- 
 ing man can indulge in. "Rejoice, O young man, 
 in thy youth; but remember . . . !" Remember 
 that as a follower of Christ you are bound to keep 
 your conscience pure. All pleasure is banned that 
 dulls the fine edge of the moral sense or separates 
 the soul from God. Away, therefore, with all 
 sensual passion, all mad dissipation, the laughter 
 which IS as the crackling of thorns; but welcome 
 peace of conscience, the generous pleasure of kindly 
 
A Triple Tragedy 141 
 
 deeds, the merry-making or Cana with the benedic- 
 tion of Christ upon it! 
 
 Is a Christian free to pursue honor also? Aye: 
 not for its own sake, indeed; but that he may make 
 the most of himself and enlarge his influence to the 
 utmost in the service of Christ. Let him win all 
 possible crowns and diadems; but only that he may 
 lay them at his Master's feet and crown him Lord 
 of all. 
 
 So, then, in Paul's manifesto we have the ap- 
 ologue of life. Life out of death ! On one cross 
 Jesus dies; and a voice is heard saying, "I am the 
 Living One; and I was dead, and, behold, I am 
 alive forevermore." On the second cross I die: 
 "It is no longer I that live, but Christ liveth in 
 me." On the third cross the world dies — the 
 world of shame and selfishness and false ambition; 
 but beyond it there opens up another world, a royal 
 demesne of high privilege, to which the Lord wel- 
 comes us. 
 
 And this is life. How shall we attain unto It? 
 We go by the steep pathway to the stars. No man 
 reaches life who Is not willing to die for It. He 
 must give up all if he would possess all. He must 
 enter into the fellowship of the death of Christ If 
 he would be glorified with him. "If any man 
 would come after me, let him deny himself, and 
 take up his cross and follow me." No cross, no 
 crown. To win that crown, we place our hand in 
 Christ's, saying, "I will die with thee, that I may 
 live with thee." 
 
142 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 Thine, Jesus, thine! 
 
 No more this heart of mine 
 
 Would find its joy apart from thee; 
 
 The world is crucified to me, 
 
 And I am thine, Lord Jesus, thine ! 
 
 8. PRAYER 
 
 O thou blessed Lord, who didst bear the 
 bitter shame of the cross, grant that thy blood 
 may purge me from dead works to serve the 
 living God! Help me so to dedicate myself 
 to thy service that there may be no reservation 
 in my vows. Take me, body and soul, into thy 
 care and keeping. Control and guide me, 
 until the day break and the shadows flee away 
 and I find myself forever with thee. Amen. 
 
 9. HYMN: ''Love divine, all loves excelling." 
 
 10. BENEDICTION 
 
 Grace, mercy and peace, from God the 
 Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ, be 
 with you. Amen. 
 
ELEVENTH SERVICE 
 
 The Great Healer 
 
 1. INVOCATION 
 
 /^ Lord, how amiable are thy tabernacles I 
 ^^ Yea, even the little tabernacles, where the 
 humble commune with thee. It is a great 
 thing for a mortal to meet thee face to face; 
 yet this I pray and long for. As of old thou 
 didst manifest thy presence from between the 
 wings of the cherubim, so. Lord, be pleased to 
 show thyself now unto me. And let this be an 
 hour of blessing; for Jesus' sake. Amen. 
 
 2. HYMN: ''Come, ye disconsolate." 
 
 3. SCRIPTURE LESSON 
 
 Psalm 107 :i-2i. 
 Luke 5 : 1 7-3 2. 
 
 4. PRAYER 
 
 O King eternal, immortal, invisible, the 
 only wise God; to thee be glory and majesty, 
 dominion and power, world without end. I 
 pray for a revelation of truth. Open unto 
 me thy holy Word, whose entrance giveth 
 light. Make the great verities of the spiritual 
 life so clear that my Impressions may be 
 deepened Into convictions; then let the 
 
 143 
 
144 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 sanctifying Spirit bring those convictions to 
 a plenteous fruitage in my life. Save me 
 from mere intellectual faith and outward 
 form. Save me from the religion of the 
 Pharisees, with its tithe of garden herbs. 
 Save me from the self-righteousness of the 
 Laodiceans, and give me the gold of truth, 
 that I may be rich, the white raiment of holi- 
 ness, that I may be suitably clothed for 
 heaven; and anoint mine eyes with thy saving 
 grace, that I may see the relative value of 
 temporal and spiritual things. Call me into 
 thy service with a clearer call, and help me to 
 run in the way of thy commandments. If 
 thou hast appointed unto me a lonely place 
 of toil or suffering, help me to abide there, 
 obedient and glad either to do or to suffer thy 
 holy will. Gracious Lord and Saviour, let 
 thy mercy rest on all afflicted souls. Hear 
 thou the cry of those who call upon thee out 
 of the Valley of Tears. Bless thy servants 
 who go forth into the white harvest; and may 
 they return with rejoicing, bringing their 
 sheaves with them. Save sinners and sanctify 
 saints, O Spirit of the Living God. Let the 
 Christ of Calvary see of the fruit of the 
 travail of his soul and be satisfied. Make this 
 one of thy great days in Zion ; make it a day of 
 rejoicing in heaven because of the bringing 
 in of many prisoners of hope, to the glory of 
 thy Name forever and ever. Amen. 
 
The Great Healer 145 
 
 5. HYMN : "I was a wandering sheep." 
 
 6. OFFERING 
 
 7. THE SERMON 
 
 The Great Healer 
 
 "And amazement took hold on all, and they 
 glorified God ; and they were filled with fear, 
 saying. We have seen strange things to-day." 
 (Luke 5: 26.) 
 
 A Doctor had come to town and invited the 
 people to bring all their sick for consultation and 
 treatment free of charge. The open court and 
 piazzas of the house where he was staying were 
 thronged with patients and their friends. The 
 lame came hobbling to the clinic; mothers brought 
 their ailing children In their arms; some of the suf- 
 ferers were carried on litters; and "the power of 
 the Lord was present to heal them." There were 
 scribes and rabbis also, with official members of 
 the synagogues from the neighboring towns, look- 
 ing on with critical eyes. It was a great day for 
 Capernaum; for many a home that had been dark- 
 ened by the spectral shadow of disease was made to 
 rejoice with exceeding joy. 
 
 The man who tells the story of the clinic was 
 present that day; and he was competent to speak 
 In these premises, being himself a physician. He 
 was a master of therapeutics and skilled in the use 
 of the medicaments of his time; and he shared in 
 
146 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 the general amazement, never having "seen things 
 on this fashion." Here was a Doctor without a 
 diploma, unlearned in the methods of the schools, 
 who quite eclipsed him and all others of his craft. 
 It was little wonder that the people "were 
 amazed." No doubt some of them spoke of "wiz- 
 ardry and legerdemain," perhaps even of sorcery 
 and "the black art"; for indeed they saw "strange 
 things" that day. 
 
 I have a warm place in my heart for the medical 
 profession. The greatest thing in the world is to 
 be a preacher of the unsearchable riches of Christ; 
 but the next greatest is to be called and equipped 
 for the healing of the ills that human flesh is heir 
 to. The two professions, though they were com- 
 bined in Christ, are quite separate and distinct; 
 and I, for one, am very willing that physicians shall 
 attend to their vocation while I attend to mine. 
 This Church does not expect to have a hospital an- 
 nex connected with It. The average clergyman, if 
 he addresses himself to his spiritual functions, has 
 all that he can do. 
 
 On a morning in June, more than twenty years 
 ago, I landed from a little boat in the town of 
 Ardrossan in Scotland. It was very early, and 
 making my way along the silent street I turned into 
 a by-path leading upward to a ruined castle which 
 was seen dimly through the overhanging mist. 
 Presently I paused to rest on the pedestal of a 
 wayside monument. On its shaft was this Inscrip- 
 tion: 
 
The Great Healer 147 
 
 Here Lies 
 Alexander MacFadzean, M.D. 
 
 this monument is erected 
 
 By the Citizens of this Town 
 
 In Grateful Remembrance 
 
 OF their 
 
 Good Physician 
 
 His Works do Praise Him 
 
 There are many such memorials all over the 
 world; but there never lived, through all the cen- 
 turies, a physician who could be compared with the 
 Good Physician who held the clinic in Capernaum 
 that day. 
 
 I. He stood alone and solitary in his singular 
 apprehension of the reality of pain. 
 
 All doctors are brought into contact with suffer- 
 ing; but none has ever had occasion to know so 
 closely or to deal so actually with Its awful reality. 
 
 The Buddhists have a word, "maya," which is 
 one of the keynotes of their religion. It means 
 "illusion." To their minds all sensation whatso- 
 ever is unreal. Joy and grief, pain and pleasure, 
 hope and disappointment, are all illusory, or "as 
 the shadow of a dream." There are people among 
 us who hold a like opinion, affirming that pain Is 
 merely "a belief of mortal mind." The fact that 
 this gives direct contradiction to the physical senses 
 should be enough to satisfy the average man. 
 
 Christ took a diametrically opposite view. It 
 was because there was suffering in the world that 
 he came from heaven to relieve it. He began his 
 ministry In the synagogue at Nazareth, where he 
 
148 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 preached on the text: "The Spirit of the Lord God 
 is upon me, because he anointed me to preach good 
 tidings to the poor; he hath sent me to proclaim 
 release to the captives and recovering of sight to 
 the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 
 to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord." It 
 Is written of him that "he was a man of sorrows 
 and acquainted with grief." His life was crowned 
 with pain. Did he not suffer on the cross? If the 
 three mortal hours of his Passion were not truly 
 vicarious pain, then are we of all men most miser- 
 able; for vain is our faith, as we are yet in our sins. 
 
 II. This Good Physician possessed also a 
 singidar insight with respect to suffering. 
 
 The art of the physician lies largely in his ability 
 to make a clear diagnosis. Not infrequently the 
 most skillful practitioner is bound to say, "I do 
 not know precisely what ails this patient" ; and this 
 because the malady lies within one of the closed 
 chambers of life. 
 
 It is recorded of Charles II of England that in 
 his last illness he had fourteen physicians. They 
 bled and blistered, physicked and stimulated him 
 in vain. Macaulay says: "They tortured him like 
 an Indian at the stake." And it was finally left for 
 an autopsy to reveal what ailed him. 
 
 But Christ made no mistake in diagnosis. He 
 never attacked the symptoms of disease, but aimed 
 directly at its seat; and he always cured. 
 
 Christ perceived what many physicians fail to 
 perceive, that every disease Is directly or remotely 
 
The Great Healer 149 
 
 traceable to sin. If there had never been sin, there 
 would be no suffering in the world. Get rid of 
 that taint in the blood, and red-faced Fever and 
 pale Consumption will take their flight. "By this 
 came all our woes." And the Good Physician came 
 all the way from Heaven to heal the world of the 
 taint of sin. 
 
 III. Let it be observed, further, that this Good 
 Physician healed without medicine. 
 
 Others must use the materia medica. He healed 
 with a word, or with a touch of his cunning fingers. 
 As he walked among the couches of his patients he 
 touched them, spoke to them, and they arose and 
 went their way. It is as if a surgeon were to enter 
 one of our public hospitals and, passing up and 
 down among the wards, say, "Be whole! — Arise! 
 — Receive thy sight!" and cure them all. Would 
 not all witnesses unite in saying, "We have seen 
 strange things to-day" ? 
 
 The point In the phrase "strange things" Is well 
 taken ; for In the case of Jesus the cures were all 
 miracles ; that Is, they were wrought directly by the 
 power of God. 
 
 And the greatest of the miracles of Jesus was 
 forgiveness, as he said, "The Son of Man hath 
 authority on earth to forgive sin." In that clinic 
 at Capernaum there was one man, brought in a 
 litter, who was desperately sick of the palsy. And 
 Jesus said to him, "Man, thy sins are forgiven 
 thee." The censorious scribes who were looking 
 on lifted their eyebrows thereat, as If to say, "This 
 
150 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 is easy; any one can say, Thy sins be forgiven!" 
 And Jesus, perceiving their thoughts, said, "Why 
 reason ye in your hearts ? Which is easier to say. 
 Thy sins are forgiven thee; or to say. Arise and 
 walk? But that ye may know that the Son of 
 Man hath authority on earth to forgive sins, I now 
 say to the sick of the palsy, Arise, and take up thy 
 couch and go unto thy house." And immediately 
 the man rose up among them and departed, glorify- 
 ing God. The meaning here is obvious. The 
 miracles of Jesus were all parables ; all alike illus- 
 trating the tremendous fact that he who could open 
 the eyes of the blind, cleanse the leper and heal the 
 paralytic could absolve the soul of the sinner from 
 his sins. And this, the greatest of all wonders or 
 miracles, is beyond the power of human art; it is 
 the exclusive function and prerogative of the only- 
 begotten Son of God. 
 
 IV. And Jesus stood alone among all physicians ^ 
 also, by reason of his invariable success. 
 
 Others, having exhausted their resources, are 
 often driven to confess, "I can do no more"; but 
 he never failed. He rejoiced to apply his super- 
 human skill to what are called hopeless cases. 
 
 If ever there was a desperate case of blindness 
 it was that of Bartimaeus, the beggar who appealed 
 to Jesus on the highway. Yet, at the word, "Re- 
 ceive thy sight!" he opened his eyes and fell in 
 with the company, glorifying God. 
 
 If ever there was a hopeless case of hemorrhage 
 it was that of the woman who "had spent all her 
 
The Great Healer 151 
 
 living on physicians" in the vain hope of cure. 
 Yet when she merely touched the hem of his gar- 
 ment, "virtue went out of him," and the swift cur- 
 rent of health went coursing through her veins. 
 
 If ever there was a desperate case of leprosy it 
 was that of the man who, "being full of leprosy," 
 fell before Jesus, saying, "Lord, if thou wilt, thou 
 canst make me clean !" And he put forth his hand, 
 saying, "I will; be thou clean," and immediately 
 his leprosy departed from him. 
 
 If ever there was a hopeless case of sin it was 
 that of the Magdalene, a woman of the town, 
 notorious for her vicious life. Yet she was con- 
 verted and saved by the power of his word, "Go in 
 peace; thy faith hath saved thee!" 
 
 Yes, there was even a more desperate case than 
 hers; namely, that of the thief who, having passed 
 his years in outlawry, was condemned to death. 
 In articido mortis he raised his eyes penitently to 
 Jesus, saying, "Lord, remember me!" and the an- 
 swer came, like a swift decree from the throne of 
 heavenly grace, "To-day thou shalt be with me in 
 paradise!" 
 
 By this we learn that the Good Physician knows 
 no "hopeless cases." The most incurable malady 
 is not beyond his skill. Let none despair, there- 
 fore; for his promise is, "Him that cometh unto 
 me I will in no wise cast out." 
 
 V. Furthermore, this Good Physician exacted 
 no fees. 
 
 He presented no "doctor's bill." His services 
 
152 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 were gratis; that is, of grace. Consultation and 
 treatment, with a cure guaranteed, were without 
 money and without price. 
 
 A few years ago one of our leading citizens, a 
 multi-millionaire, was greatly concerned for his 
 little daughter who was afflicted with a malady 
 which no resident physician could cure. A special- 
 ist was sent for, from Germany, who, after afford- 
 ing relief, was rewarded with a fee of ten thousand 
 dollars. And no doubt the father was only too 
 ready to pay it. 
 
 But Christ asks only gratitude, and expects no- 
 thing else for his services. "What shall I render 
 unto Jehovah for all his benefits toward me? I 
 will take the cup of salvation and call upon the 
 name of Jehovah. I will pay my vows unto 
 Jehovah, yea, in the presence of all his people; In 
 the courts of Jehovah's house, in the midst of thee, 
 O Jerusalem. Praise ye Jehovah !'^ 
 
 VI. But, though no fee was exacted by this 
 Physician, there was nevertheless a condition 
 affixed to the promise of his healing grace. 
 
 And it was a very reasonable condition; namely, 
 that the patient should follow his directions. This 
 covers all cases of both physical and spiritual heal- 
 ing. "Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it." 
 
 I beheve in "faith-cure"; but the prayer for 
 physical healing is subject to the condition referred 
 to. The one who prays must do so with a filial 
 spirit as a child of God. He must recognize the 
 fact that God is wiser than man, and knows bet- 
 
The Great Healer 153 
 
 ter what is good for him. It may be that In his 
 case, as in that of Lazarus, his "sickness is to the 
 glory of God." It Is quite possible that when he 
 prays, as Paul did, to be delivered from some thorn 
 in the flesh, the answer may be, "My grace shall 
 be sufficient for thee !" He who would follow the 
 directions of the Good Physician must be prepared 
 always to preface his petition for healing with this : 
 "Thy will be done!" To demand healing at the 
 throne of heavenly grace is to take a most unwar- 
 rantable liberty with God. And it is evident that 
 If such prayers were always answered, If every 
 disease were cured at the imperative Instance of the 
 sufferer, no one would ever die. Then what a world 
 this world of ours would be ! 
 
 But in the case of prayers for spiritual healing 
 the answer Is always forthcoming; since sin is never 
 to the glory of God. Here the direction of the 
 Physician Is, "Only believe"; that Is, "Take me at 
 my word. Be willing to be saved In my way. Put 
 away all prejudgments that could interpose betwixt 
 thee and me. Accept the proffer of my pardoning 
 grace as fully and freely as I offer It. He that 
 belleveth in me hath everlasting life." 
 
 VII. One thing more. The Good Physician was 
 singular in his ubiquity. 
 
 He never needed to be called. Those who profess 
 to administer "absent treatment," in our time, are 
 mere charlatans. He was never absent. His power 
 was ever "present to heal." 
 
 So long as I live I shall remember a dreary night 
 
154 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 in my boyhood when my mother awoke me, saying, 
 "Run for the doctor; your father Is dying!" I ran 
 half-clad through the wintry night. I rang the 
 doctor's bell. My lips were blue and my teeth 
 chattering. I rang again ; I shook the door. Oh, 
 would the doctor never answer? Would he never 
 come ? And, when he did come, would he be able 
 to help, after all? 
 
 There is no need to run for this Doctor. He is 
 not far from anyone of us. He waits to be gra- 
 cious. He is here now: 
 
 We may not climb the heavenly steeps 
 To bring the Lord Christ down ; 
 
 In vain we search the lowest deeps, 
 For him no depths can drown ; 
 
 But warm, sweet, tender, even yet 
 
 A present help is he ; 
 And faith has yet its Olivet, 
 
 And love its Galilee. 
 
 The healing of his seamless dress 
 
 Is by our beds of pain ; 
 We touch him in life's throng and press, 
 
 And we are whole again. 
 
 There may be somebody whose eyes are now 
 running along these lines that needs the Doctor. If 
 he be groaning under a burden of physical pain, let 
 him pray ; for the Lord heareth. But let him pray 
 aright and, though his malady may be not healed, 
 by reason of a just consideration of his greater 
 good, yet he will surely receive grace to bear it. 
 
The Great Healer 155 
 
 Or, he may be bending under the burden of a 
 greater malady — that of unforgiven sin. He is 
 oppressed by "a certain fearful looking-for of judg- 
 ment." He has gone for relief to other physicians, 
 to false philosophies in vain. Let him try Christ. 
 Let him cry, ''Have mercy, Lord! O Lord, for- 
 give!" And the answer will come in the instant 
 of faith — by the truth and the mercy of the living 
 God,^ this answer will come, bringing peace and as- 
 surance: "Thy sins be forgiven thee!" 
 
 8. PRAYER 
 
 Be gracious, O Lord, In view of fleshly In- 
 firmities. Thou hast the healing touch; yea, 
 there Is health-giving power in the very hem 
 of thy garment. But grant above all the 
 restoration of my soul, sore-stricken. I be- 
 lieve thou didst suffer In my stead upon the 
 bitter cross; wherefore say clearly unto me, 
 *'Thy sins be forgiven thee" ; and I will praise 
 thy Name forever. Amen. 
 
 9. HYMN : "Arise, my soul, arise; shake off thy 
 
 guilty fears." 
 
 10. BENEDICTION 
 
 The Lord bless thee and keep thee; the 
 Lord make his face to shine upon thee, and be 
 gracious unto thee; the Lord lift upon thee 
 the light of his countenance and give thee 
 peace. Amen. 
 
TWELFTH SERVICE 
 
 The Kindest Word Ever Spoken 
 
 1. INVOCATION 
 
 /CRY unto thee, O Lord, my Rock; be not 
 silent unto me. Let me hear thy voice in 
 the place of communion. Speak thou com- 
 fortably unto me, that my heart may rejoice 
 in thy salvation. Teach me thy way, O Lord, 
 and lead me in a plain path; for thy Name's 
 sake. Amen. 
 
 2. HYMN: ''Awake, my soul, to joyful lays!" 
 
 3. SCRIPTURE LESSON 
 
 Psalm 27. 
 Matthew 1 1 115-30. 
 
 4. PRAYER 
 
 As the hart panteth after the waterbrooks 
 so panteth my soul after thee, O God. Let 
 thy gracious words be as springs of water on 
 a weary journey through a dry and thirsty 
 land. In pain and sorrow and loneliness may 
 I find strength and refreshing in thee. Take 
 away the last lingering thought of unforgiven 
 sin, for Jesus' sake, and grant me a continual 
 growth in grace by thy Spirit dwelling within 
 and working in me. Incline my heart to self- 
 156 
 
The Kindest Word Ever Spoken 157 
 
 forgetfulness and my hands to ministries of 
 mercy. Bless all who worship In thy courts. 
 Give the baptism of fire and power to those 
 who preach the unsearchable riches of Christ; 
 and give to thy people everywhere the hearing 
 ear and the understanding heart. Conquer 
 sinners, comfort saints, and take glory to thy- 
 self this day. Bless our dear country. Let 
 its rulers and magistrates be subject to thy holy 
 Law. Long may our land be bright with free- 
 dom's holy light; protect us by thy might, 
 great God, our King. Go thou with the her- 
 alds of thy Gospel to the uttermost parts of 
 the earth. Hasten the time when the Sun of 
 Righteousness shall arise in regions of dark- 
 ness, and when the heathen shall come run- 
 ning unto thee. Come, Lord Jesus; come 
 quickly. The whole creation groaneth and 
 travaileth for thee. Rend the heavens and 
 come down. Take unto thyself thy great 
 power and reign in thy life-giving majesty 
 among all nations. Let the whole earth be 
 full of thy glory. Amen and Amen. 
 
 5. HYMN: "Blow ye the trumpet, blow!'* 
 
 6. OFFERING 
 
 7. THE SERMON 
 
 The Kindest Word Ever Spoken 
 (Gen. 7:1; Matt. 11:28; Rev. 22:17.) 
 
158 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 The word is "Come." It is the kindest that 
 was ever spoken. Its significance lies in the fact 
 that it falls from the gracious lips of God. 
 
 If He were to stand forth visibly on the circle 
 of the universe and call, "Come," the world would 
 doubtless come running to him; but he makes no 
 such theatrical appearance. He does not speak 
 thus audibly to the children of men. His word of 
 invitation, glowing on the pages of Scripture, must 
 be received by faith ; in default of faith it falls on 
 heedless ears. 
 
 The word is commonplace to the average man. 
 It is like a coin that has been so long in circulation 
 that its image and superscription have worn off. 
 
 "To preach on this," said I to myself, "will be 
 like the telling of an oft-told tale." But as I sat 
 looking at the word it seemed to take on a new 
 meaning. In it I saw Three Tragedies, the great- 
 est tragedies that ever have occurred in this world 
 of ours. 
 
 First, the Tragedy of Sin; for the word would 
 never have needed to be spoken, had there not been 
 a departure from God. 
 
 The opening words of "Paradise Lost" are 
 these : 
 
 Of man's first disobedience, and the fruit 
 Of that forbidden tree whose mortal taste 
 Brought death into the world and all our woe, 
 With loss of Eden, till one greater Man 
 Restore us, and regain the blissful seat, 
 Sing heavenly Muse. 
 
The Kindest Word Ever Spoken 159 
 
 The scene as it presented itself to Milton's mind 
 was Adam facing the forbidden tree. The voice 
 of the Law was ringing in his ears, "Thou shalt 
 not eat of it; for in the day that thou eatest thereof 
 thou shalt surely die" ; but another voice, that of the 
 tempter, a low, insinuating voice, was saying "Yea, 
 hath God said?" and the man, listening, hesitating, 
 faltering, fell; and falling died the death of aliena- 
 tion from God. The voice that once he had loved 
 to hear is calling now, "Adam, where art thou?" 
 and he answers, "I was afraid and hid myself !" A 
 fearing, cowering, hiding soul! There is the trag- 
 edy : A soul away from God ! 
 
 But this is no question of "original sin." I do 
 not say that we are unconcerned in that far-away 
 tragedy in the Garden of Eden; but souls die not 
 of original but of actual and personal sin. "As I 
 live, saith the Lord Jehovah, ye shall not have any 
 more occasion to use this proverb in Israel, ^The 
 fathers have eaten sour grapes and the children's 
 teeth are set on edge.' Behold, all souls are mine; 
 as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son 
 is mine; the soul that sinneth it shall die!" (Ezek. 
 
 18:1-4.) 
 
 All sin, even the least, is tragical, because its 
 issue is death. It alienates from the Law-giver, 
 of necessity, since it is a wilful breach of the 
 Law. To lie, to steal, to kill, to slander, to covet, 
 to harbor a hateful thought or gaze with a 
 lustful eye. Is Ihe-majeste. It is in the nature of 
 rebellion, the hopeless rebellion of a man whose 
 
i6o The Home Sanctuary 
 
 breath Is In his nostrils against an infinite and holy 
 God. 
 
 And every sin Is In the nature of suicide as well. 
 Alas, the habit Is on us ! We are so busy sinning 
 that we do not hear the voice of the offended law 
 Iterating and reiterating, with ever deeper em- 
 phasis, the penalty of each repeated sin, "Depart! 
 Depart from God ! Hide yourself in the night ! 
 Hide among the trees of the garden ! Hide and 
 tremble, for the Holy One comes this way 1" 
 
 So runs the double tragedy of sin: Rebellion 
 and suicide ! The outlaw who, having barricaded 
 himself among the rocks, shoots at the ofl^cers of 
 justice until all his ammunition Is exhausted but one 
 shot, and then discharges that Into his own brain. 
 Is not more really a suicide than the sinner who, de- 
 fiant of all warnings and entreaties, persists In vi- 
 olating the Divine law. 
 
 The Second of the Tragedies in this word 
 "Come" Is the Tragedy of the Cross; for it would 
 have been Impossible for God to invite the sinner 
 to return had he not thus prepared the way. 
 
 At this point we observe the vital difference be- 
 tween Christianity and all other religions. In point 
 of fact, all religions may be classed under three 
 heads: namely. Natural, Intuitional, and Revealed. 
 
 In Natural Religion there Is no Intimation of 
 any possible pardon of sin. True, Nature "speaks 
 a various language" ; but in all her vocabulary there 
 Is no such word as "Come." Of the interpreters of 
 Nature none has spoken more eloquently than Cole- 
 
The Kindest Word Ever Spoken i6i 
 
 ridge, who, standing in the Vale of Chamouni, 
 heard voices all about him: 
 
 Ye Ice-falls ! ye that from the mountain's brow 
 Adown enormous ravines slope amain, 
 Motionless torrents, silent cataracts; 
 Who made you glorious as the gates of heaven 
 Beneath the keen full moon ? Who bade the sun 
 Clothe you with rainbows ? Who, w^ith living flowers 
 Of loveliest blue, spread garlands at your feet? 
 God! Let the torrents like a shout of nations 
 Answer, and let the ice-plains echo, God! 
 God ! Sing, ye meadow streams with gladsome voice ; 
 Ye pine groves, with your soft and soul-like sound ; 
 And they too have a voice, yon piles of snow, 
 And in their perilous fall shall thunder, God ! 
 
 Ye living flowers that skirt the eternal frost; 
 Ye wild goats sporting round the eagle's nest; 
 Ye eagles, playmates of the mountain storm; 
 Ye lightnings, the dread arrows of the clouds; 
 Ye signs and wonders of the elements, 
 Utter forth, God! 
 
 So from things created are clearly seen the in- 
 visible things of God. This is natural theology. 
 Yet in all this there is no comfort or encouragement 
 for the soul that has been alienated from God. 
 
 The same is true of Intuitional Religion. As the 
 word "Come" is not heard in nature, so it is not 
 spoken by conscience from within us. The most 
 sympathetic advocate of the Intuitional School 
 among the poets is Wordsworth, who, in his "In- 
 timations of Immortality," sings thus: 
 
1 62 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting, 
 
 The soul that rises with us, our life's star. 
 
 Hath had elsewhere its setting, 
 
 And Cometh from afar. 
 
 Not in entire forgetfulness, 
 
 And not in utter nakedness. 
 
 But trailing clouds of glory do we come 
 
 From God, who is our home. 
 
 The sense of our Divine birthright never leaves 
 us. Man Is a ruin, but a magnificent one, amid 
 whose desolation, as In some crumbling temple, 
 walks the soul, like a Levlte stripped of his ephod 
 and ever mourning for his lost God. But In all 
 these Intuitions and voices from within there Is no 
 answer to the question, "How can I rid myself of 
 sin that I may return again to a holy God?" 
 
 It Is left for the Gospel, the Religion of Revela- 
 tion, to utter forth the Invitation and cast up a 
 highway for the homesick soul. The God of the 
 Bible calls, "Come!" and lifting his finger points 
 to the Tragedy of the Cross. It Is here that our 
 great questions are answered, "How can God be 
 just and yet the Justlfier of the ungodly?" and, 
 *'How can a man be just with God?" 
 
 The Son of God, bearing our sins In his own 
 body on the tree. Is the personification and living 
 articulation of the word "Come." His hands are 
 outstretched as If to sweep away all obstacles that 
 could prevent the sinner's return, while he says, 
 "Look unto me, all ye ends of the earth, and be 
 ye saved." 
 
 As all figurative expressions of truth have their 
 
The Kindest Word Ever Spoken 163 
 
 limitations, so the Parable of the Prodigal Son, 
 pathetically and wonderfully beautiful as it is, falls 
 short at one point. The father stands in the door- 
 way, looking off toward the far country, where his 
 wayward son has gone. Night after night he has 
 kindled the lights in his windows. His door has 
 never been shut. He has stretched out his arms In 
 his dreams; but he has never gone out after his 
 wandering boy. But the heart of our Father, with 
 its great longing after his prodigals, drove him out, 
 as the Good Shepherd seeking the lost sheep, into 
 the night. He braved the tempest to seek and save. 
 This going out Is the Incarnation; and the passion 
 of Calvary Is the saving of the lost. O Infinite 
 Grace ! O Divine condescension ! 
 
 The Third of the Tragedies implied in the word 
 "Come" is the Great Refusal; and this Is a tragedy 
 that reaches on forever. Alas for the soul which, 
 when God calls, "Come," answers, "I will not!" 
 
 It Is recorded that, while Christ was agonizing 
 on the Cross, another tragedy was going on beneath 
 it. The priests "derided him"; the soldiers "cast 
 lots for his raiment"; and the people "stood be- 
 holding." Out of heaven God was calling, 
 "Come!" and the emphasis put upon the invita- 
 tion, then and there, was as If God had taken the 
 very heart out of his bosom and given It to agony 
 and death for them. Yet cool, indifferent or hos- 
 tile, all alike were answering, "I will not!" 
 
 And this is the tragedy which Is ever going on : 
 men and women, with heedless or deliberate hands, 
 
164 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 closing against themselves the only door that ever 
 was opened into life. "O foolish Galatians, who 
 hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the 
 truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been 
 openly set forth crucified among you?" 
 
 One thing is clear: God is absolved. For what 
 more could he have done for his vineyard than he 
 has done? 
 
 To compel a man to accept the Divine invitation 
 is, in the nature of the case, impossible. As we 
 were created in God's likeness, in full possession 
 of a sovereign will, he can do no more than place 
 before us life and death, saying, "Choose ye!" 
 And therein is the climax of this eternal tragedy, 
 that when he has done his utmost we still can an- 
 swer, "I will not!" 
 
 All has been done that omnipotent Love could 
 do. God spared not his own Son, but delivered him 
 up for us all. He has offered the benefits of the 
 Atonement on the simplest and easiest terms; 
 namely, the mere acceptance of faith. 
 
 He has condescended to stand among us offering 
 his priceless gift of grace, calling to passers-by, 
 "Ho, every one that thirsteth ! Come ye to the 
 waters; and he that hath no money, come ye, buy 
 and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without 
 money and without price !" 
 
 Not only does he call upon us, but he has stooped 
 to argue the case with us. "Come now, let us rea- 
 son together," saith the Lord. It is as if he said 
 "Sit thou there while I sit here, and let us con- 
 
The Kindest Word Ever Spoken 165 
 
 sider the question." And to all our arguments he 
 makes one answer: "Though your sins be as scarlet, 
 they shall be as white as snow ; though they be red 
 like crimson, they shall be as wool." 
 
 Nay, further; he warns and remonstrates: 
 "Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth! 1 
 have nourished and brought up children and they 
 have rebelled against me. The ox knoweth his 
 owner, and the ass his master's crib ; but Israel doth 
 not know, my people doth not consider. Why will 
 ye be stricken any more?" And again: "As I live, 
 saith the Lord, I have no pleasure in the death of 
 the wicked but that all should turn unto me and 
 live. Turn ye, turn ye; for why will ye die?" 
 
 Is more possible ? Yes, behold the tears of God ! 
 "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how often would I have 
 gathered thy children together as a hen gathereth 
 her chickens under her wings and ye would not! 
 Behold, your house Is left unto you desolate!" 
 
 It is clear, therefore, that, whatever comes of his 
 overtures, God is vindicated. He has done the 
 very utmost that Omnipotence could do: the rest 
 is for us. 
 
 So rises the unanswerable question: "How shall 
 ye escape if ye neglect so great salvation?" One 
 door of escape has been opened: what remains for 
 those who wilfully or negligently close it? How 
 shall they hope to return to God? 
 
 Come, then. Come as a wayward child returns 
 to its parents' arms. 
 
 On a memorable day, long ago, I had a falling 
 
1 66 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 out with a child of mine, who has been years In 
 heaven. I think it was not wholly my fault. All 
 day long there was a tempest in the little heart. 
 At evening when I came home 1 stretched out my 
 arms ; but she would not. Her heart was sore, her 
 eyes were red with weeping, her lips were tightly 
 drawn. The little rebel; how I grieved for her I 
 "Come," I said; and again stretched out my hands. 
 Then suddenly she broke down and with a flood of 
 tears threw herself upon my breast. Ah, "cuddle 
 doon, my balrnle!" 
 
 And Jesus said, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, 
 except ye become as this little child ye shall In no 
 wise enter the Kingdom of God." 
 
 8. PRAYER 
 
 O thou who gavest thyself for me, help 
 me to hide myself in thee. Be thou my Lord, 
 my life, my sacrifice, my Saviour and my all. 
 In the heat of the long day let me rest In thee 
 as In the shadow of a great rock In a weary 
 land. In my last hour let my life be hid with 
 thee In God. Amen. 
 
 9. HYMN: "Rock of Ages." 
 
 10. BENEDICTION 
 
 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the 
 love of God the Father, and the communion 
 of the Holy Ghost be with you. Amen. 
 

 
 THIRTEENTH SERVICE 
 
 The Higher Life 
 
 1. INVOCATION 
 
 THOU Eternal and Ever-blessed God, 
 giver of every good and perfect gift, 
 grant me now a season of helpful communion 
 with thee. Let my praise be as incense and 
 my prayers as the morning sacrifice. If there 
 be any difficulty in the way of my near ap- 
 proach to thee, be pleased to remove it; for 
 Jesus' sake. Amen. 
 
 2. HYMN: "Love divine, all love excelling." 
 
 3. SCRIPTURE LESSON 
 
 Psalm 42. 
 Luke 24:13-31. 
 
 4. PRAYER 
 
 O God, thy greatness is unsearchable; and 
 thy love, who can comprehend it? Thou art 
 nigh unto all them that call upon thee. Let 
 me not grope after thee, as blind men feel 
 their way along the wall ; for thou art nearer 
 than seeing and touching, here and now. As- 
 sure me of thy pardoning and sanctifying 
 grace. Help me to live so close to Calvary 
 167 
 
i68 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 that I shall never lose the vision of thy love; 
 and keep me always under the open heavens, 
 so that thy Spirit like a dove may descend 
 upon me. I believe thou dost expect great 
 things of me ; for I am thy child, made in thy 
 likeness, capable of thinking thy thoughts 
 after thee. Blessed be thy Name for a di- 
 vine birthright and an outlook into eternity. 
 Help me to realize the possibilities that are 
 In me. Now am I a child of God; but it doth 
 not yet appear what I shall be. Save me 
 from a low conception of life. Help me to 
 live to-day as if I expected to live forever. 
 Exalt my low desires, and enable me to covet 
 earnestly the best things. Make me profit- 
 able unto thee. Send me on thine errands. 
 Here am I, Lord : what wilt thou have me to 
 do? The world is full of needy souls; the 
 air Is resonant with a cry for help. Help me 
 to answer It, according to the full measure of 
 my power. By word and example may I be 
 ever glorifying thee. Keep all thy people 
 busy. When they pray "Thy kingdom come," 
 let them follow their prayer with the amen 
 of service. When they pray "Thy will be 
 done on earth as in heaven," let them proceed 
 to do thy holy will. Prosper thy work in Zion 
 to-day. Bless the ministration of thy Gospel 
 at home and abroad. May all the reapers 
 come in with sheaves at eventide. Save souls, 
 O Lord! Let earth rejoice and heaven be 
 
The Higher Life 169 
 
 glad because of sinners returning from the 
 error of their way; for Jesus' sake. Amen. 
 
 5. HYMN: "There Is no Name so sweet on 
 
 earth." 
 
 6. OFFERING 
 
 7. THE SERMON 
 
 The Higher Life 
 "For me to live is Christ." (Phil, i : 21.) 
 
 A LETTER from an unknown friend In Man- 
 chester, England, runs as follows: ^^Dear Sir: — 
 PFill you kindly permit me to ask what in your 
 opinion is the greatest, highest, deepest spiritual 
 theme for Christians to consider at the present 
 time? As for myself, I very reverently take Paul's 
 words, ^For me to live is Christ/ I should be 
 grateful to receive an answer from you!' 
 
 In those words "For me to live Is Christ" 
 we have set before us, as this writer says, "the 
 greatest, highest, deepest spiritual theme." I 
 should like to unfold It; but the trouble Is I can 
 not adequately grasp It. I feel as I did once when, 
 standing at the Giant's Causeway on the extreme 
 coast of Ireland, I saw stretching before me the 
 Immeasurable sea. I am lost, bewildered, over- 
 whelmed. In contemplating It. 
 
 But It opens up some questions on which we may 
 possibly get a little light. 
 
 First, what is Life? What Is It "to live"? 
 
170 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 Is it simply to exist, to breathe and eat and sleep, 
 to arise in the morning and seek the shop or office 
 to pursue one's common tasks, then home again 
 to eat and sleep and rise to the familiar treadmill; 
 until one day the pulse flutters ominously, and the 
 doctor is called in : then crape on the door, a hearse 
 rumbling through the streets, and a new stone in 
 the graveyard bearing the inscription "Rest in 
 peace"? Is that all? This is the lowest, the 
 merely physical conception of life. 
 
 The intellectual conception of life is higher. It 
 is well to cultivate the mind, because knowledge is 
 power. But will culture of itself avail? Up in 
 Cambridge there is a boy of eleven who, they say, 
 has mastered the higher mathematics. Not long 
 ago he lectured to the Harvard Faculty on "the 
 Fourth Dimension" — something or other of which 
 most of us have no knowledge. The newspapers 
 speak of him as a "megalocephalous phenomenon"; 
 but it would be more to the purpose to be informed 
 that he is a good boy. The fact is, intellectual 
 culture has no influence upon the moral nature. 
 The wisest man of his time in France was Voltaire, 
 whose friends were fond of calling him "The En- 
 cyclopedia." He was an encyclopedia, indeed, 
 bound in pigskin; for in many respects he was the 
 most vicious of men. The wisest man of his time 
 in Holland was Grotius, who had mastered so 
 many branches of knowledge that he was called 
 "the Learned Grotius"; yet, referring to one of his 
 acquaintances, a mere cobbler, he said, "I would 
 
The Higher Life 171 
 
 give all my knowledge to learn John Urick's secret 
 of life." 
 
 We turn, therefore, to the spiritual conception 
 of life, which is the true one. Its definition is 
 found in the words of Jesus, "This is life eternal, 
 to know God." 
 
 We were created In the likeness of God; and our 
 life is bound to end in failure unless it brings us 
 Into harmony with him. To use the words of 
 Augustine, "We came forth from God; and we 
 shall ever be homesick until we return to him." 
 This, then, is life: to be in perfect accord with 
 God's plans and purposes concerning us. Its best 
 expression is in the word "godliness"; that Is, God- 
 likeness. We are alienated from God by sin; and 
 the problem of all problems Is, How to regain our 
 lost estate and live the life which shall be pleasing 
 to him? 
 
 The second question is. When does this life 
 
 Jnf 
 
 It begins at the instant when a man comes into 
 vital touch with God; that is, when he cuts loose 
 from sin. For "without holiness no man shall see 
 God." 
 
 It Is said of the prodigal who went away to the 
 far country and wasted his substance in riotous 
 living, that he "came to himself" at the moment 
 when he said, "I will arise and go unto my father!" 
 No man who Is still wasting his substance in that 
 far country has really begun to live; for sin Is, 
 in and of itself, the essence of spiritual death. 
 
172 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 The sinner Is said to be "dead in trespasses and 
 sins." 
 
 In the poem of "The Ancient Mariner" a pic- 
 ture is presented of a ship manned by dead men, — 
 a dead man at the wheel, dead men on the deck 
 and in the shrouds, dead men everywhere. In like 
 manner there are multitudes moving about our 
 streets In sordid pursuits who have the semblance 
 of life, but are spiritually dead. The possibility 
 of life, however, Is before them all. Its sole con- 
 dition is that they shall return to God. 
 
 And this return Is through Christ. For we know 
 God only as manifested In Christ, his only-begotten 
 Son. In him Is life; as he said, "I am come that 
 ye might have life and that ye might have it more 
 abundantly." And furthermore, "I am the way: 
 no one cometh unto the Father but by me." To 
 accept Christ, therefore. Is to come Into vital touch 
 with God. And faith Is the hand stretched forth 
 to touch him. 
 
 On one occasion Christ was asked, "How shall 
 we work the works of God?" that Is, works which 
 shall commend us to him. His answer was, "This 
 Is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom 
 he hath sent." Faith In Christ, then, is the one 
 "good work" which brings a man into acceptance 
 with God. 
 
 But to receive Christ by faith means to make an 
 absolute surrender to him. It was by such a sur- 
 render that Paul entered into life. He says that, 
 previous to Kls conversion, his morality had been 
 
The Higher Life 173 
 
 above reproach; ''I have lived In all good con- 
 science unto this day." But the time came when, 
 on his way to Damascus, clothed with authority as 
 an inquisitor for the extirpation of the Christian 
 church, he saw at high noon a light above the 
 brightness of the sun and heard the voice of Jesus 
 calling him. At that instant his life and character 
 were revolutionized. All his prejudices were dissi- 
 pated, so that, seeing Christ as very God of very 
 God, he cried, "Lord, what wilt thou have me to 
 do?" He then began to live. He had returned to 
 God by way of Christ. He had made the great 
 surrender. "What things were gain to me," he 
 says, "these have I counted loss for Christ. Yea, 
 verily, and I count all things to be but loss for the 
 excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my 
 Lord; for whom I suffered the loss of all things, 
 and do count them but refuse that I may gain 
 Christ and be found in him, not having a righteous- 
 ness of mine own, which was of the Law, but that 
 which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness 
 which is from God by faith : that I may know him, 
 and the power of his resurrection and the fellow- 
 ship of his suffering, becoming conformed unto his 
 death: If by any means I may attain unto the resur- 
 rection from the dead." By which resurrection he 
 clearly means the newness of life, which Is here and 
 now. 
 
 The third question Is, What follows? This Is 
 answered In the words, "For me to live Is Christ." 
 
 There Is a world of meaning In that word "is." 
 
174 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 To undertake to analyze it would be like pulling 
 apart a flower; one hesitates lest in the process its 
 beauty be lost. But there are helpful suggestions 
 in it. 
 
 To begin with, it presupposes a knowing about 
 Christ. But how is one to learn about him? He 
 himself tells us: "Search the Scriptures; for In 
 them ye think ye have eternal life, and they are 
 they which testify of me!^ In seeking information 
 about Christ it is not safe to trust to hearsay, still 
 less to form our impressions from the imperfect 
 reflections of his life and character that are seen in 
 those who profess to follow him. The best of 
 Christians is only a stumbling sinner saved by 
 grace. But the Bible speaks clearly respecting 
 Christ; and it can be trusted, for it "was written 
 by holy men as they were moved by the Spirit of 
 God." If one cares to know about the higher life, 
 therefore, let him take down his dust-covered Bible 
 and read it. And if, putting away the hoodwink 
 of prejudice, he will read as one searching for hid- 
 den treasure, he will surely find Christ, "chiefest 
 among ten thousand and altogether lovely," walk- 
 ing through its pages from beginning to end. 
 
 But before one can say ''For me to live is 
 Christ,'^ he must know him. To know him is more 
 than to know about him. You may know all about 
 Kaiser Wilhelm without ever having been intro- 
 duced to him. To know Christ one must at least 
 be on speaking terms with him. He solicits our 
 friendship, as he says, "Behold, I stand at the 
 
The Higher Life 175 
 
 door and knock! If any man will open unto me, 
 I will come in and sup with him and he with me." 
 To let him in, and to cultivate his acquaintance 
 while we sup together, this is to know him. Is our 
 intimacy such that, meeting him in a strange place, 
 we should recognize him? Do we know him so 
 that if to-night we were called to go through the 
 Valley of the Shadow his rod and staff would com- 
 fort us? Do we know him so that at heaven's 
 threshold his voice calling "Enter into the joy of 
 thy Lord" would not seem like the voice of a 
 stranger? Do we know him so that we can con- 
 fidently say, "I know him in whom I have believed, 
 and am persuaded that he is able to keep that 
 which I have committed unto him against that 
 day" ? 
 
 It means, moreover, that we believe Christ. One 
 cannot be a Christian without receiving him as an 
 authoritative teacher and taking him at his word. 
 All controversies are to be settled by referring 
 them to him. For example, the question of his 
 Divinity must be determined by what he teaches 
 about it ; and the question as to the inspiration and 
 entire trustworthiness of the Scriptures must be 
 answered in the same way. No matter what 
 preachers or theological professors say, his word is 
 for his followers the Court of Final Appeal. All 
 his promises are to be taken at their face value; 
 such as "Ask, and it shall be given unto you," and 
 "Thy sins be forgiven thee." 
 
 It means, still further, that we are to believe in 
 
176 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 him. And to believe in him Is immeasurably more 
 than merely to believe him. I dare say everybody 
 regards President Taft as a truthful man; but to 
 believe in him means that one approves his policies 
 and is ready to lend a helping hand to carry them 
 out. So to believe In Christ is to assent to the 
 proposition that he did what he came Into the world 
 to do; that Is, "he bore our sins in his own body on 
 the tree" ; and going thus far we are bound, In 
 common logic and consistency, to go farther and 
 say, "My Lord, my Life, my Sacrifice, my Saviour, 
 and my all!" 
 
 One thing more is contained in those words ^'For 
 me to live is Chris f ; nmnely, the handclasp. This 
 means to enter Into covenant with him. 
 
 He extends his hand, a pierced hand, to every 
 man, and the issues of life and death are in taking 
 or refusing it. To clasp that hand is to seal the 
 compact of life with him. It means that I take 
 him to be my Saviour from sin, my Exemplar of 
 character, my Lord and Master. At this point 
 there can be no reservation. The clasping of hands 
 means the blending of lives ; as Wesley said — 
 
 This one thing I find, 
 We two are so joined, 
 He can't go to heaven 
 And leave me behind. 
 
 Thenceforth Christ is, as It were, one's alter ego. 
 There Is an engrafting such as Is set forth In the 
 Parable of the Vine and Its Branches. We catch 
 
The Higher Life 177 
 
 his Spirit, so that "the mind that was in Christ 
 Jesus is also in us." It was thus that Luther was 
 moved to say, "If you knock at my breast and ask 
 Who lives here? Luther?' my answer Is, 'No! 
 Luther once lived here; but Christ came, and 
 Luther moved out to make room for him. Now, 
 I no longer live; but Christ llveth in me.' " And 
 this is life — the life that is "hid with Christ in 
 God." 
 
 Have I clarified the text? The mysteries here 
 are deep beyond all sounding. Paul's plummet 
 could not fathom them. "I count not myself to 
 have apprehended," he said, "but this one thing I 
 do; I reach forth." He longed for, and expected 
 to have, an ever broader, deeper apprehension of 
 this mystical union of the soul with Christ. As 
 life passed on he felt like a traveler in the Alps 
 who, climbing higher and higher, sees ever new 
 heights before him. But he reached forth. And 
 he gloried In the thought. One day I shall 
 know! 
 
 In the meantime this is certain : no man can form 
 a just conception of the Spiritual Life until he 
 enters It. To stand without and ask an explanation 
 Is like contemplating a painted window from the 
 open street. Get into the sanctuary if you would 
 have its beauty break upon you ! "He that doeth 
 my will," said Jesus, "shall know the doctrine." It 
 is as if he said, "Take my Hand, and I will lead 
 you into life; and you shall see the mystery and 
 the glory of it." 
 
178 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 I do not know why my friend In Manchester did 
 not finish the text: "For me to live Is Christ — and 
 to die Is gain !" 
 
 The world Is seeking gain. The people who 
 jostle us In the street are striving for It; gain of 
 gold, of honor, of selfish emolument. To gain a 
 little yellow dust that shall sift through the fingers 
 at last ! These are gains that perish with the 
 using. They end In loss. But the things that Paul 
 counted "loss for Christ" were destined to be gain 
 forever. For "what Is a man profited, If he gain the 
 whole world and forfeit his own self" — "Or what 
 shall be lost If, losing the whole world, he gain 
 It?" 
 
 In the article of death, when earth's substance 
 passes like the baseless fabric of a dream, then, says 
 Paul, comes gain. Death Itself Is gain, because It 
 introduces the soul to eternal life. 
 
 Oh, what Is that? I wish I knew. How easily 
 we say It. "Eternal Life!" But who shall define 
 It? Who shall explain it? 
 
 Did you never look up at the stars and on 
 through the interstellar spaces and wonder, "What 
 Is beyond?" So, dreaming dreams and seeing 
 visions, we gaze through the promises that Illumine 
 the great mystery of death and wonder what eternal 
 life shall be. "Now are we sons of God; but It 
 doth not yet appear what we shall be." For "eye 
 hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered 
 Into the heart of man, the things which God hath 
 prepared for them that love him !" 
 
The Higher Life 179 
 
 8. PRAYER 
 
 I have heard thy voice, O Lord, calling me 
 from sin to righteousness, from worldly sloth 
 to faithful service, from the lonely bearing of 
 burdens to the sharing of all burdens with 
 thee. I would run to thee as little children 
 come running to their mothers In trouble. I 
 need thee. I have thee. In thee I am com- 
 plete. Here let me rest and be thankful. 
 Amen. 
 
 9. HYMN: "Jesus calls us o'er the tumult." 
 
 10. BENEDICTION 
 
 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you 
 through the knowledge of God and of Jesus 
 Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
FOURTEENTH SERVICE 
 
 The Jubilee in the Father's House 
 
 1. INVOCATION 
 
 /^ Lord, I do pray for a vision of heaven. 
 ^^ Show me the Father's house. Let me 
 hear the music and the merry-making there, 
 so that I may more earnestly long and strive 
 to enter in. I do not ask to be transported, 
 but to be ready. Give me a foretaste of celes- 
 tial joy, and help me to realize somewhat of 
 heaven here and now ; for Jesus' sake. Amen. 
 
 2. HYMN: ''Nearer, my God, to thee." 
 
 3. SCRIPTURE LESSON 
 
 Isaiah 12. 
 Revelation 7:9-17. 
 
 4. PRAYER 
 
 Who shall ascend unto thy holy hill, O 
 Lord, or who shall stand in thy holy place? 
 He that hath clean hands, a pure heart, and 
 hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity. Alas, 
 I am not worthy. Purge me with hyssop and 
 I shall be clean; wash me and I shall be whiter 
 than snow. The blood of Christ cleanseth 
 180 
 
The Jubilee in the Father's House i8i 
 
 from all sin: the blood of him who Is thy 
 well-beloved Son and my well-beloved 
 Brother. Thou hast said, "He that beheveth 
 shall be saved." Lord, I believe. Now 
 blessed be thy Name : my sins are gone. They 
 are blotted out; aye, sunk In the depths of an 
 unfathomable sea. Thou wilt remember them 
 no more against me. For this I render thanks- 
 giving, and by. thy grace I will show my 
 gratitude in a holler and more useful life. 
 Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, 
 my life, my all. If thou wouldst have me toil, 
 I will toil more bravely; if thou wouldst have 
 me suffer, I will suffer more patiently. Some- 
 where In thy vineyard thou hast a place for 
 me; help me to find and fill It. Enable me to 
 lend a hand In the great enterprises of thy 
 Kingdom. Make me a missionary, at home 
 or abroad, as to thee may seem well. If a mis- 
 sionary within the four walls of a sick-cham- 
 ber, so be It. I promise my best endeavor 
 wherever thou wilt have me. Give me the 
 spirit of the Evangel. Give me a consuming 
 passion for souls. Help me In my own house 
 to show what great things the Lord hath done 
 for me. Bring me not to heaven alone. Oh, 
 that among the redeemed there may be some 
 who shall testify that I brought them to thee. 
 And unto thy Name, blessed Redeemer, shall 
 be everlasting praise. Amen. 
 
1 82 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 5. HYMN: ''Holy Spirit, faithful Guide F^ 
 
 6. OFFERING 
 
 7. THE SERMON 
 
 The Jubilee in the Father's House 
 
 ''There is joy in the presence of the angels of 
 God over one sinner that repenteth." (Luke 
 15: 10.) 
 
 A MEETING of the Sanhedrin had recently oc- 
 curred, in which there had been an earnest discus- 
 sion respecting a certain Jesus, who claimed to be 
 the Messiah. 
 
 In favor of his claim there was this to be said: 
 First: He had come at the right time. It had been 
 prophesied, "The scepter shall not depart from 
 Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, 
 until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the obedi- 
 ence of the people be." The scepter was trembling 
 in the feeble hands of Judah, and expectancy was 
 in the air. 
 
 Secondly: This Jesus came from the right quar- 
 ter. Bethlehem was his birthplace; and the 
 prophecy ran, "Thou, Bethlehem Ephrata, which 
 are little to be among the thousands of Judah, out 
 of thee shall one come forth that is to be ruler in 
 Israel; whose goings forth are from of old, from 
 everlasting." (Micah 5:2.) 
 
 Thirdly: He was also of the proper lineage; 
 that is, of the seed of David. One of the most fa- 
 miliar of the Messianic titles was "Son of David." 
 
The Jubilee in the Father's House 183 
 
 Fourthly: The character of the claimant was be- 
 yond reproach. His challenge was "Which of you 
 convicteth me of sin?" And thus far it had been 
 impossible to prove any sin in him. 
 
 Fifthly: His work was precisely such as might 
 be expected of the Messiah. He had gone about 
 preaching on the great problems of eternal life; and 
 though he was but a carpenter, with no diploma 
 from the schools, all were agreed as to the sim- 
 plicity and power of his words. And along with 
 his preaching he had wrought such miracles of heal- 
 ing that the people were moved to say, as with one 
 consent, "Will Messiah, when he cometh, do 
 greater works than these?" 
 
 On the other hand, there were, from the stand- 
 point of the religious leaders, some insuperable ob- 
 jections to the acknowledgment of the Messianic 
 claim of Jesus. 
 
 First: He was a man of the people; and his im- 
 mediate body-guard, the twelve disciples, were per- 
 sons of no social or ecclesiastical standing, being 
 chosen from the working class. 
 
 Secondly: He had set himself in distinct opposi- 
 tion to the rites and ceremonies of the Jewish faith 
 as they were superficially observed at the time; and 
 he had criticised "the traditions of the elders" as 
 a mischievous addition to the Word of God. Not 
 only so : he had denounced the priests themselves, 
 on more than one occasion, in most uncompromis- 
 ing terms; such as, "Woe unto you, scribes and 
 Pharisees, hypocrites; for ye are like unto whited 
 
1^4 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 sepulchers, which outwardly appear beautiful, but 
 inwardly are full of dead men's bones and all un- 
 cleanness." It was scarcely to be expected that the 
 leaders whom he thus characterized would favor 
 his claims as the long-expected Messiah. 
 
 Thirdly: and most important of all, he was ''a 
 friend of publicans and sinners J^ He had chosen 
 the well-known tax collector of the toll booth at 
 Capernaum to be one of his immediate friends and 
 disciples. He had announced that the Jews were 
 no longer to be the chosen people, but that the Gen- 
 tiles were henceforth to be received into Divine 
 favor on equal terms. He had made a missionary 
 journey into Samaria among the mixed peoples. 
 He had gone on into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon 
 and preached to the barbarians, and had announced 
 that the benefits of his work were for all sorts and 
 conditions of men. 
 
 The meeting of the Sanhedrin referred to was 
 destined to be momentous in its results. The mem- 
 bers present were agreed that something must be 
 done to arrest the popularity of this Jesus of Naz- 
 areth; for wherever he went the common people 
 heard him gladly and followed him in crowds. "I 
 have heard," said one, "that he recently dined with 
 a publican and said, 'This day is salvation come to 
 this house.' " — "It is reported," said another, "that 
 he was seen recently conversing with a woman of 
 the town at the village well of Sychar, and that at 
 high noon!" — "I was present," said another, 
 "when he permitted a woman of like character to 
 
The Jubilee in the Father's House 185 
 
 anoint his feet with precious nard; and he said to 
 her, 'Go in peace; thy sins be forgiven thee.' " But 
 there was one in that distinguished council who 
 would not consent that the claims of Jesus should 
 be repudiated without a fair hearing and due con- 
 sideration. It was the learned Gamaliel, known 
 as "the Flower of the Law." It was he perhaps 
 who suggested that a delegation should be sent to 
 hear and report upon the preaching of Jesus. 
 
 It was after the Feast of Dedication, and Jesus 
 was preaching in Perea, east of the Jordan. His 
 congregation was a singular one. "All the publi- 
 cans and sinners were drawing near unto him to 
 hear him." The delegation of the Sanhedrin 
 stood and heard him discourse on "The Seeking 
 God." 
 
 He told of a woman who, having lost a coin, 
 searched in every nook and cranny until she found 
 it, and then called together her friends and neigh- 
 bors, saying, "Rejoice with me, for I have found 
 the lost!" — "So," said the preacher, "does the 
 seeking God rejoice with his angels over every 
 penitent sinner." 
 
 They heard him tell of a shepherd who went 
 out into the mountains after a lost sheep and sought 
 until he found it; and when he had brought it home 
 upon his shoulders he called together his friends 
 and neighbors, saying, "Rejoice with me, for I have 
 found the lost!" And this, said the preacher, is 
 the seeking God, who rejoices with his angels over 
 every penitent sinner. 
 
1 86 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 And they heard him tell of a father, whose 
 younger son had gone Into a far country and wasted 
 his substance In riotous living, and when the son 
 returned In poverty and rags he was received by 
 this father with joy, who called In his friends and 
 neighbors, saying, "Let us eat and be merry; for 
 this my son was dead and Is alive again : he was 
 lost and Is found!" And this again, said the 
 preacher. Is the seeking God, who rejoices over 
 every sinner returning from the error of his ways. 
 
 We have no means of knowing how the dele- 
 gates of the Sanhedrin were Impressed by this dis- 
 course. But to us It seems to throw a zvonderful 
 light on the greatness and goodness of God. 
 
 Let those who would know God look In at this 
 window. It Is the father of the prodigal who pre- 
 sides at the feast. It Is he who called the guests 
 together, saying, ^'Rejoice with me." If the others 
 rejoice, he still more. This Is his house, his table, 
 his jubilee, his son welcomed back from the far 
 country of sin. 
 
 Job saw God sitting upon the circle of the uni- 
 verse, calling Into being the things that are out of 
 those that were not. 
 
 Moses heard him at Sinai, speaking from the 
 flaming mountain as the God of law and justice, 
 who Is "a consuming fire." 
 
 Isaiah had a vision of him sitting on a throne 
 high and lifted up with the seraphim all about him 
 calling to one another, "Holy, holy, holy Is the 
 Lord of Hosts!" 
 
The Jubilee in the Father's House 187 
 
 John the Evangelist portrayed him enthroned 
 in heaven, with a rainbow round about him 
 "in sight like unto an emerald," lamps of fire 
 burning before him, and an innumerable company 
 of angels and archangels prostrating themselves in 
 worship, saying, "Thou art worthy to receive glory 
 and honor and power!" 
 
 But here is the picture of God as a Father, as 
 "Our Father." How near it brings him to the 
 children of men ! He is the God of love. He is 
 the God whose hands are stretched out. He is 
 the seeking God, who protests, "As I live, I have 
 no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that 
 all should turn unto me and live! Turn ye, turn 
 ye: for why will ye die?" He is the God of the 
 Gospel, who goes forth "to seek and to save." He 
 is the God of Calvary, where his overtures of 
 mercy are expressed in the terms, "Look unto me, 
 and be ye saved all ye ends of the earth!" 
 
 And in this wonderful sermon in Perea, we Have 
 also a blessed side-light into the life and character 
 of the angels. For at the table in the father's 
 house, where the prodigal was welcomed, were 
 gathered not kinsfolk only but neighbors as well. 
 
 It is little that we know of the angels; but it 
 seems clear that they are of a different order from 
 the children of men. We are "of one blood," but 
 they seem to have been created one by one. The 
 song of our childhood, "I want to be an angel, and 
 with the angels stand," expresses an impossible 
 wish. We can never belong to that race of sinless 
 
1 88 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 beings; but we can join the ranks of the saints tri- 
 umphant, who "stand nearer than they,'' and sing 
 the song of Him who has "redeemed them by His 
 blood and made them to be kings and priests unto 
 God." 
 
 One thing is clear: the angels are deeply con- 
 cerned in the welfare of this world of ours. At its 
 creation they shouted for joy. At the Incarnation 
 of Christ they sang, "Glory to God in the highest, 
 and on earth peace among men in whom he is well 
 pleased." His sepulcher was encompassed by le- 
 gions of them, one of whom rolled away the stone. 
 And when he ascended from Olivet, they thronged 
 his chariot and bore him aloft to "the glory which 
 he had with the Father before the world was." 
 
 Nor is their interest confined to the earthly min- 
 istry of Christ. The doctrine of guardian angels is 
 little dwelt on nowadays ; but great truth and com- 
 fort are found in it. The mothers are right when 
 they sing, "Hush, my babe: lie still and slumber, 
 holy angels guard thy bed." The teaching of the 
 Scriptures is clear: "He shall give his angels charge 
 concerning thee; and on their hands they shall bear 
 thee up, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone." 
 
 It was an angel that directed Hagar and her 
 famishing child to a spring of water. It was a 
 troop of angels that thronged the ladder which 
 Jacob saw on the heights of Bethel. It was an 
 angel that went before Israel in the Wilderness, to 
 point the way. It was an angel that came to Peter 
 in prison and broke his chains. And there is re- 
 
The Jubilee in the Father's House 189 
 
 jolcing among the angels over all who return from 
 sin. They sit at the great Jubilee. "The tears of 
 penitents," says Bernard, "are the wine of angels." 
 Here Is a blessed truth, which brings heaven near 
 to earth. "We have more servants to wait upon 
 us," says George Herbert, "than we are willing to 
 take notice of." 
 
 And, further, we have here an Illuminating In- 
 timation as to our kinsfolk gone before tis. The 
 family sit at a table In the father's house. 
 
 The fact that there Is no mention of any mother 
 In the Parable of the Prodigal's Return, lends a 
 touch of pathos to It. Perhaps she was In heaven, 
 there praying for him. Thanks be to God for our 
 mother's prayers! In one of our Fulton Street 
 meetings a man arose and said, "I have been a 
 gambler and a very wicked man ; but there has not 
 been a day for ten years that I have not known that 
 my mother was praying for me. It Is her prayers 
 that have brought me here a penitent to-day." 
 
 Of this we may be sure. Those who have gone 
 before us to the Father's house know what Is trans- 
 piring here below. So much Is made plain by the 
 fact that Moses and Elijah, one of whom had been 
 dead a thousand years and the other fifteen hun- 
 dred, came down together to talk with Jesus on the 
 Mount of Transfiguration concerning his approach- 
 ing death. They not only knew each other, but they 
 knew what was taking place in the world and were 
 deeply concerned In It. 
 
 And, going a step farther, we may say that if 
 
190 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 our loved ones in heaven are aware of what is go- 
 ing on here, they are surely praying for our salva- 
 tion. In one of our familiar hymns there is a ref- 
 erence to the Christian's death, in which he is rep- 
 resented as saying, "Farewell, farewell, sweet hour 
 of prayer!" I do not believe that we shall ever 
 bid farewell to prayer, except as certain of our 
 prayers are weak and foolish and inconsistent with 
 our Father's will. In heaven we shall be pray- 
 ing still for those we have left behind us. How 
 could it be otherwise, if we remember and love 
 them? Is it not written, "Are they not all min- 
 istering spirits, sent forth to minister unto them that 
 are heirs of salvation?" It is a blessed thought 
 that we shall be contributing thus to the welfare of 
 our friends and joining our supplications to those 
 of the great Mediator who ever liveth to make in- 
 tercession for us. 
 
 And what must be the rejoicing of these saints 
 triumphant when their friends are gathered in I 
 How the major note must ring through their songs 
 at the Jubilee in the Father's house ! And what a 
 welcome to the saved as they come thronging 
 through the gates! 
 
 Many of us remember when the rescued passen- 
 gers of the Republic came in at the White Star 
 docks. What an ovation they received ! The 
 street was thronged with people who peered into 
 the faces of the rescued as they came down the 
 gang-plank one by one. There was much shouting 
 and vociferous rejoicing; but those who were most 
 
The Jubilee in the Father's House 191 
 
 deeply Interested greeted their friends with silent 
 joy. Happy, happy kinsfolk who thus met their 
 loved ones ! 
 
 I like to think of heaven in this way. It is not 
 merely a place of songs and litanies. The joy of 
 "the home-bringing" is there, "the knitting 
 severed friendships up." It Is home, sweet 
 home. 
 
 And, further still, a wonderful light is thrown In 
 this picture on the heavenly felicity of sinners saved 
 by grace. In that Jubilee in the Father's house, 
 who Is so happy as the prodigal himself? See him 
 at the table — who so recently sat famishing in the 
 swine-field — clad in the best robe, with shoes on 
 his feet and wearing the signet ring. His heart Is 
 filled with rejoicing, because the past Is forgiven 
 and a new life is before him. 
 
 In the International Salon of '62 were two pic- 
 tures. One was called "Waiting for the Verdict." 
 The scene was In court, with the prisoner standing 
 at the bar; in the foreground a woman. In an agony 
 of suspense, with one child sleeping on her bosom 
 and another tugging at her dress; the grandmother 
 near by, with a baby in her arms; a dog looking up 
 and wondering. The other picture was entitled 
 "The Acquittal." The same group of people were 
 there ; but the man who stood In the prisoner's dock 
 now has his arms about his wife; the grandmother 
 is holding up the baby to be kissed; the dog Is lick- 
 ing his master's hands. Why this change? The 
 man had been acquitted! All heaven is full of sin- 
 
192 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 ners saved by grace; and every one of them has a 
 heart throbbing with gratitude to the Saviour, who 
 died that they might live. 
 
 I wonder if the men charged by the Sanhedrin to 
 report upon the teaching of Jesus went back with 
 any such picture in their minds? Did they catch 
 a glimpse through the window into the joy of the 
 Father's house? Did they return, like the band of 
 officers charged with a similar errand, saying, 
 "Never man spake like this man"? How could 
 they or their masters resist the logic of such preach- 
 ing? The charge against Jesus was that he was "a 
 friend of publicans and sinners." Blessed be God 1 
 This is the very demonstration of his Messianic 
 claims. And he is still the friend of publicans and 
 sinners. He seeks that he may save. He searches 
 on the dark mountains for the lost ones, and 
 brings them home rejoicing. He sets the harps 
 of heaven ringing with the music of redemption. 
 "Another sinner saved!" Break forth into joy, 
 O angels and saints triumphant! Give welcome 
 to the lost that is found, to the dead that is alive 
 again! 
 
 But if God, angels and saints triumphant are so 
 deeply concerned in our welfare, how is it that some 
 among us are unconcerned ? Marvel of all marvels ; 
 the prodigal cares not! Let him Hsten until he 
 hears the sound of music and of dancing; let the 
 music of the Jubilee meet the longing of his hungry 
 soul until he can tarry no longer but also be moved 
 to say, "I, too, will arise and go." 
 
The Jubilee in the Father's House 193 
 
 8. PRAYER 
 
 I thank thee, O Lord, for prophecies of 
 heaven's joy. And I thank thee for heavenly 
 fruits that grow along the earthly pathway. 
 Help me to rejoice In thee while hving here 
 below, that my voice may be attuned to celes- 
 tial praise; for thy name's sake. Amen. 
 
 9. HYMN: "I'm a pilgrim." 
 
 10. BENEDICTION 
 
 The Lord Jesus Christ be with thy spirit. 
 Grace be with thee. Amen. 
 
FIFTEENTH SERVICE 
 
 The Timid Soul 
 
 I. INVOCATION 
 
 LOVE thee, O Lord, because thou hast 
 
 / 
 
 heard my voice and my supplication. 
 Thou hast delivered mine eyes from tears, my 
 feet from falling, and my soul from death; 
 wherefore I call upon my soul and all that i^ 
 within me to bless thy holy name. Help me 
 now to worship thee aright and pray accept- 
 ably; In Jesus^ name. Amen. 
 
 2. HYMN : "Come, let us join our cheerful 
 
 songs." 
 
 3. SCRIPTURE LESSON 
 
 Psalm ^6. 
 Ephesians 6:10-18. 
 
 4. PRAYER 
 
 I thank thee, O Lord, for thy Sabbath. 
 Help me to remember that thou hast hallowed 
 it. Thou knowest how the world encroaches 
 upon my time ; wherefore thou hast set apart 
 one day In seven for the soul. Help me, 
 therefore, to leave the low valleys of secular 
 care, and come up into the Mountain of the 
 Lord to breathe the clear air with thee. Give 
 194 
 
The Timid Soul 195 
 
 me a foretaste of the eternal Sabbath which 
 thou hast prepared for thy people. Forbid 
 that I should rest In Indolence. Help me to 
 rest, rather, in service. For there is no joy 
 like growing weary for thee. I know that 
 thy saying, "The Sabbath was made for man,'* 
 did not mean for carnal, sordid, self-seeking 
 man, but for one made in thy likeness and 
 made to live forever. Help me so to improve 
 the high privileges and opportunities of this 
 holy-day that I may grow in spiritual stature 
 and become a little more worthy of thy grace. 
 Help me to search the Scriptures to-day, so 
 that I may find hidden treasures there. Help 
 me to observe the duty of secret prayer; and 
 when I enter Into my closet and close the door 
 may I find thee there before me. Bless those 
 who gather in the courts where thine honor 
 dwelleth; and let the preaching of thy Word 
 be followed by an ingathering of souls. Bless 
 the missionaries of the Cross. How beauti- 
 ful upon the mountains are the feet of those 
 who bring good tidings and publish peace! 
 Follow their message with thy benediction, O 
 Lord; and let those who stumble In the night 
 of paganism be inclined to run unto thee. 
 Show forth thy salvation In all the earth. 
 Hasten the time when the clouds of heaven 
 shall part asunder, and thy waiting people 
 shall cry, "The Lord cometh!" Then shalt 
 thou have the heathen for thine inheritance 
 
196 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 and the uttermost part of the earth for thy 
 possession. This I ask, with all needed bless- 
 ings and above all the pardon of sin; for thy 
 worthy Name's sake. Amen. 
 
 5. HYMN: "Jesus, and shall it ever be?" 
 
 6. OFFERING 
 
 7. THE SERMON 
 
 The Timid Soul 
 
 "What time I am afraid I will put my trust 
 in thee." (Psalm 56: 3.) 
 
 Who's afraid? Not David, surely. Not the 
 David who in his boyhood, while protecting his 
 flock, went down into the pit on a snowy day 
 against both lion and bear. Not the ruddy youth 
 who. In the valley of Elah, went out against the 
 Philistine champion with no weapon but a sling 
 and live smooth stones from the brook. Not the 
 famous Captain who had led the armies of Israel 
 against the Gerzites and Geshurltes and Amalekltes 
 and Jerahmeelites and Kenites and scattered them 
 like leaves before an autumn storm. Aye, the very 
 same ! It Is he who says, "What time I am afraid, 
 I will put my trust in thee." 
 
 What had happened? What had so loosened 
 the joints of his courage that he should make this 
 humiliating confession? Ah, constant dropping 
 wears away the rock. He had been hunted on the 
 mountains so long that all courage had oozed out 
 
The Timid Soul 197 
 
 of him. By nature brave as a lion, he had been 
 outlawed and pursued until he became as timid as 
 a fawn. The rustle of a leaf startled him; the 
 crackling of twigs sourtded like the rattle of steel 
 against the greaves of armed men. He had been 
 chased from Naioth to the tabernacle at Nob, 
 where even the horns of the altar could not protect 
 him : from Nob to Gath, in the heart of Philistia, 
 where he had feigned insanity in vain; and from 
 Gath to the mountains again, where, in the shelter 
 of the cave of Adullam, he came to himself and 
 wrote "the Golden Psalm." He had forgotten 
 God: he now remembered him. The echoes of the 
 lonely rocks responded to his harp, while he sang, 
 "What time I am afraid, I will put my trust in 
 thee!" 
 
 But "who's afraid?" This is what boys say 
 when going through a graveyard at night or rob- 
 bing an orchard: "Who's afraid?" You and I; 
 everybody is afraid. We are only "whistling to 
 keep our courage up." The older we grow the 
 greater cowards we are. Experience teaches. 
 Children thrust their fingers into the coals, but a 
 "burned child dreads the fire." As the years pass 
 we realize that we are compassed by dangers. 
 There are arrows flying by day; in the darkness 
 the pestilence walks. Wherefore fear is the uni- 
 versal passion. All are not afraid of the same 
 thing. Napoleon did not shrink from the em- 
 battled front of the Allied Powers, but he trembled 
 when obliged to sleep alone; Wellington was not 
 
198 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 afraid of Napoleon, but he so dreaded pain that 
 he dared not snuff a candle. 
 
 It is the things which are unseen that most 
 affright us. A cat has no terrors for its youthful 
 owner, until he sees its two eyes glaring at him in 
 the dark. We live on the borders of the unseen 
 world; and out of the invisible emerges a proces- 
 sion of specters that constantly appal us. 
 
 I. There ^ to begin with, is the specter of God — 
 a false god, like Siva with a hundred hands, each 
 holding a thunderbolt. It is a fearful thing to fall 
 into the hands of such a god. 
 
 The antidote for this fear is in finding the true 
 God; the God who is revealed in Christ as his only- 
 begotten Son. He came into the world to tell us 
 how to approach God with that love which casteth 
 out fear; and he did this in the words, "When 
 ye pray, say 'Our Father.' " It is because of our 
 misconception of God that we flee from him, as 
 Adam did when he heard his voice in the Garden 
 calling "Where art thou?'' To know God is life 
 eternal; more than that, it is strength, comfort, 
 and hope; it is all that makes life worth living. 
 Find God, therefore; and finding, trust in him. 
 Augustine wrote "Art thou afraid of God? Fly 
 to his arms!" 
 
 II. The next of the specters, emerging from the 
 unknown, is Man. Challenge him, like a sentinel 
 on guard: "Who comes here — friend or foe?" 
 It matters little, however, whether he be friend or 
 foe. "Put not thy trust in man." 
 
The Timid Soul 199 
 
 David suffered many things because of his 
 enemies. He complained that they "compassed 
 him about like bees." But vastly more was he 
 troubled by the treachery of those who professed 
 to be his friends : Saul, and Achish, and Doeg the 
 Edomite who betrayed him at Nob, and Shimei 
 who, having flourished on his bounty, turned upon 
 him in adversity and threw stones from behind a 
 wall. Little wonder that David grew bitter at the 
 thought. On his famous saying, ''I said, in my 
 haste, all men are liars," Bishop Hall remarks, 
 "He said this in his haste; but with larger experi- 
 ence he might have said it at his leisure." ' Alas for 
 those who, having known the instability of friend- 
 ship, have lost confidence in human nature ! "The 
 fear of man bringeth a snare." It disables us for 
 the cheerful tasks and obligations of life. 
 
 The antidote is in finding the "Right Man." 
 And this we do when we make the acquaintance of 
 Christ. Luther sings — 
 
 Did we in our own strength confide, 
 
 Our striving would be losing; 
 Were not the right man on our side, 
 
 The man of God's own choosing, 
 Dost ask who that may be? 
 Christ Jesus, it is he! 
 
 He is the trustworthy friend ; the friend on whom 
 all can most safely lean. Trusting in him, we may 
 say, "I will not fear what man can do unto me." 
 
 IIL Out of the invisible comes also the shadowy 
 figure of the Prince of the Power of the Air. Do 
 
200 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 not smile at the suggestion. They are cowards who 
 speak with levity or bravado of hell and the devil. 
 The time comes inevitably when they shake like an 
 aspen at the things they once laughed at. 
 
 You say you do not believe in the personality of 
 Satan? Then you must needs take issue with the 
 Bible; for the Bible is full of it. Read the story of 
 the temptation of Adam, the temptation of Job, 
 the temptation of Jesus in the Wilderness. To 
 deny the personality of the Evil One Is to set one's 
 self against the clear teaching of Christ himself. 
 Not only so, it is to deny the voice of personal ex- 
 perience. Does temptation spring up out of the 
 ground? Is there in your case no allurement to 
 sin? 
 
 The antidote of this fear is in knowing Christ, 
 the Giver of all grace. He said to Peter in view 
 of his approaching temptation: "Simon, Simon, 
 Satan asked to have you, that he may sift you as 
 wheat; but I made supplication for thee that thy 
 faith fail not!" To know that Christ Is on my 
 side, the interceding Christ, and to rest In the 
 power of his Intercession, is to pluck up courage 
 which defies the Prince of the Power of the Air. 
 
 IV. The next of the shadows issuing from the 
 darkness is my own worst enemy, to wit, Myself. 
 
 The severest conflict that a true man ever has is 
 with his own worse nature. The war of all wars 
 is the "war In my members." My meaner self, the 
 self that clamors for the gratification of all baser 
 passions and exults over the death of high purpose 
 
The Timid Soul 201 
 
 and holy aspirations, this is the wrestler with the 
 underhold who gives me the grapple of my life. 
 
 Paul was a brave man. As a prisoner he stood 
 before earthly courts and courageously held his 
 own. Mobs had no terror for him; he did not 
 blanch in the presence of his executioner. The 
 only man of whom Paul was afraid was Saul of 
 Tarsus — the "old man," the carnal man, with 
 whom he was ever at odds. 
 
 The antidote of this fear is to know Christ, the 
 Giver of the helping hand. Self-confidence is like 
 the paper helmet of Don Quixote, which was 
 pierced and as often repaired with needle and 
 thread. Resolution is a broken reed. But "I can 
 do all things through Christ who strengtheneth 
 me. 
 
 It was self-confidence in Peter that moved him to 
 say, "Lord, bid me come unto thee on the water." 
 It was the disappointment that comes to all self- 
 confident men that moved him to cry, when sinking, 
 "Lord, save, or I perish !" It was the Hope of the 
 World that stretched out a hand to save him. 
 Blessed is he who has discovered the secret of con- 
 quest in this: "My grace is sufficient for thee!" 
 
 V. The next of the specters is stern-faced Duty. 
 
 "Go to Nineveh!" said God to Jonah; and 
 Jonah, being afraid, fled to Tarshish from the face 
 of God. "Go anoint Hazael to be king of Syria !" 
 said God to Elijah; and Elijah trembled at the 
 command and betook himself to the lonely shadow 
 of the juniper-tree. Every hour of life has Its own 
 
202 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 injunction; and the response of the natural heart 
 is, "Turn aside and take thine ease." Thus Hfe 
 ends in failure ; yet there is no failure but the shirk- 
 ing of one's task. 
 
 The antidote of this fear Is in knowing Christ as 
 our Comrade. He never asks me to discharge a 
 duty by myself. I do not preach alone : he stands 
 beside me. I do not pray alone : he kneels beside 
 me. The sum total of life's duties is comprehended 
 in the commission at Olivet: "All authority hath 
 been given unto me in heaven and on earth. Go 
 ye, therefore; and, lo, I am with you alway, even 
 unto the end of the world !" Why should I shrink 
 from the heaviest cross? "What time I am afraid, 
 1 will put my trust in thee." 
 
 VI. The next of the specters is Adversity. 
 
 We are afraid of the future, because no man 
 knows what the morrow may bring forth. It may 
 be a day of sorrow and disappointment. Or per- 
 haps the shadows are already over me. I am even 
 now walking through the Vale of Baca, crying at 
 every step "Why?" and "Wherefore?" And 
 there Is no voice nor answer nor any that regard- 
 eth. I sit like Job among the ruins of my pros- 
 perity, fearing and trembling, not knowing how or 
 when the next blow may fall. 
 
 The antidote is found In the acquaintance of 
 Christ as our fellow-sufferer. He is the Hlgh- 
 prlest who can be deeply touched with a feeling of 
 our infirmities. His gospel gives us the only ex- 
 planation of the discipline of affliction. If we 
 
The Timid Soul 203 
 
 suffer with him, we shall be glorified with him and 
 reign with him. 
 
 Merciful One! 
 
 When men are farthest, then thou art most near ; 
 When friends pass by, my weakness shun, 
 Thy chariot I hear. 
 
 Thy glorious face 
 Is beaming towards me, and its holy light 
 Shines in upon my lonely dwelling-place, 
 
 And there Is no more night. 
 
 On my bended knee 
 I recognize thy purpose, clearly shown ; 
 My vision thou hast dimmed, that I may see 
 
 Th)^self, thyself alone. 
 
 1 have naught to fear; 
 
 This darkness Is the shadow of thy wing; 
 Beneath It I am almost sacred ; here 
 Can come no evil thing. 
 
 I seem to stand 
 Trembling, where foot of mortal ne'er hath been. 
 Wrapped In the radiance of the sinless land, 
 
 Which eye hath never seen. 
 
 VII. Now comes the King of Terrors^ riding 
 on his pale horse, a gruesome and commanding 
 figure among the shadozvs of the invisible world. 
 
 Am I afraid? Christ himself was afraid to die. 
 He, being bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh, 
 shrank from the purple cup that was put to his lips 
 under the olive trees. Every nerve and sinew quiv- 
 ered as he cried, "O my Father, if it be possible let 
 this cup pass from me!" It is not to our discredit 
 
104 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 that we also fear and tremble In the presence of the 
 grim messenger who calls us to pass into the infinite 
 with closed eyes. 
 
 The antidote is in the acquaintance of this 
 Christ, who in dying plucked the sting of death. 
 He, as our representative, overcame the fear of 
 death In Gethsemane when he cried, "Thy will be 
 done!" And he plucked its sting when, on the 
 cross, he made atonement for our sins. As It Is 
 written, "The sting of death Is sin; and the power 
 of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, which 
 giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus 
 Christ!" 
 
 "And after death the Judgment." A troop of 
 dim figures are gathering In the Valley of Decision. 
 Just behold that number, from every graveyard! 
 For the earth and the sea shall give up their dead; 
 and all shall stand before the throne to be judged 
 for the deeds done In the body: 
 
 Great God, what do I see and hear? 
 
 The end of things created ; 
 The Judge of man I see appear 
 
 On clouds of glory seated. 
 The trumpet sounds ; the graves restore 
 The dead which they contained before; 
 Prepare, mj^ soul, to meet him ! 
 
 But why shall they be afraid of the Judgment, 
 who have an almighty Advocate with the Father? 
 
 Jesus, thy blood and righteousness 
 My beauty are, my glorious dress; 
 'Midst flaming worlds, in these arrayed, 
 With joy shall I lift up my head. 
 
The Timid Soul 205 
 
 He stretches forth his wounded hands to plead 
 my cause; he speaks the word of pardon there 
 for me. 
 
 Christ, then, is the Antidote of every fear. His 
 throne is at the center of that world of the un- 
 known which so terrifies me. He is for me the 
 "Death of death and hell's destruction." No 
 storm shall affright me; because, as the sailor in 
 mid ocean says, "If I sink, I can but sink into the 
 hollow of his hand." 
 
 Here, then, is our conclusion: "Perfect love 
 casteth out fear." We praise thee, O God. We 
 acknowledge thee to be the Lord. O Lord, in thee 
 have I trusted. Let me never be confounded! 
 
 His word is an arsenal of "Fear nots." He 
 comes in the tempest, saying, "Fear not, it is I !" 
 He comes in death, and we answer, "I will fear no 
 evil; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me." His 
 great bequest is a promise that serves as an invul- 
 nerable defense against all arrows: "Peace I leave 
 with you ; my peace I give unto you : not as the 
 world giveth give I unto you. Let not your heart 
 be troubled; neither let it be afraid." 
 8. PRAYER 
 
 In thee, O Lord, have I put my trust; of 
 whom shall I be afraid? When I am weak, 
 then am I strong, because thy power resteth 
 upon me. Gird me with truth, crown me with 
 the helmet of thy salvation, and give me the 
 fearlessness of an unwavering faith; for 
 Christ's sake. Amen. 
 
 -^ 
 
2o6 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 9. HYMN : "Awake, my soul, stretch every 
 
 nerve." 
 
 10. BENEDICTION 
 
 Now the God of peace, that brought again 
 from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great 
 Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of 
 the everlasting covenant, make you perfect 
 In every good work to do his will, working In 
 you that which Is well-pleasing In his sight, 
 through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for 
 ever and ever. Amen. 
 
/ 
 
 SIXTEENTH SERVICE 
 
 Assurance 
 
 1. INVOCATION 
 
 INVOKE thy presence, O Lord, and en- 
 treat thy blessing; for, without thee, this 
 would be a barren hour. Show thy face and 
 manifest thy mercy unto me. Help me to 
 forget the world and commune with thee ; for 
 the Redeemer's sake. Amen. 
 
 2. HYMN : "From every stormy wind that 
 
 blows." 
 
 3. SCRIPTURE LESSON 
 
 I Kings 17 :i-6. 
 John 10:1-33. 
 
 4. PRAYER 
 
 I thank thee, O God, for thy most blessed 
 Word, wherein thou hast unveiled thyself and 
 made known the riches of thy grace. Thou 
 hast not left me like a shipwrecked mariner, 
 drifting on a boundless sea. Blessed be thy 
 Name, I have a chart and compass to sail by. 
 Bring to naught, I pray thee, all the plans and 
 purposes of those who would destroy the con- 
 fidence of thy people In thy sacred Word. I 
 207 
 
2o8 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 know it was written by holy men as they were 
 moved by thy Spirit ; for thou hast so assured 
 me. I take It gladly, therefore, and confi- 
 dently as my Infallible rule of faith and prac- 
 tice; and by thy grace I will shape my life and 
 character by It. I thank thee, also, for thine 
 Incarnate Word. Help me ever to be true 
 to Christ, who gave himself for me. May I 
 never refuse or hesitate to follow him wher- 
 ever his footsteps lead me. Give me his gen- 
 tle Spirit, his patience In suffering, his cour- 
 age in the presence of duty, his hatred of sin 
 and love of righteousness, his unwearying zeal 
 in doing good, his passion for souls. Help 
 me to believe so confidently in his ultimate 
 triumph that I shall count It my highest honor 
 to have part In It. Make me a participant in 
 the work of his Kingdom on earth. Bless all 
 evangelistic efforts: city missions, home mis- 
 sions, foreign missions; Lord, bless them all. 
 And bless the workers — those who go forth 
 with weeping, bearing precious seed. Thou 
 hast said they shall come again with rejoicing 
 bringing their sheaves with them. Oh, speed 
 the day when all heaven shall raise the song 
 of harvest home, because the last sinner shall 
 have been converted unto thee. Then shall the 
 whole earth be full of thy glory as the waters 
 cover the sea. And to thy Name, blessed 
 Saviour, shall praise be given through all ages. 
 Amen. 
 
Assurance 209 
 
 5. HYMN: 'When I survey the wondrous 
 
 Cross." < 
 
 6. OFFERING 
 
 7. THE SERMON 
 
 Assurance 
 
 "I know him whom I have believed, and am 
 persuaded that he is able to guard that which I 
 have committed unto him against that day." 
 (2 Tim. 1 : 12.) 
 
 An old man Is writing to a young man. The 
 old man, Paul, is a prisoner at Rome; the young 
 man, Timothy, Is pastor of the church at Ephesus. 
 The old man and the young man have been friends 
 for years. The old man's race Is almost run : at 
 any moment he may hear the footfall of the exe- 
 cutioner In the corridor of his jail; the young man 
 has the bright prospect of life before him. The 
 old man has had an eventful story, "In labors more 
 abundantly. In stripes above measure. In prisons 
 more abundantly, In deaths oft." Yet he makes no 
 complaint; on the contrary. In this letter he strikes 
 the major chord. He affirms that he has no doubt 
 as to the credentials of his faith. "I know" Is his 
 word ; and blessed Is the man who can echo It ! He 
 says he Is "not ashamed of the Gospel." By all the 
 analogies of human experience he should have been 
 ashamed of It; for the Gospel was In the pillory. 
 The Jews hated It and the Greeks reviled It; but 
 what cared Paul ? He knew that It was "the power 
 
2IO The Home Sanctuary 
 
 of God unto salvation to every one that believeth." 
 And he says, furthermore, that, though compassed 
 about by dangers, he is without fear, because the 
 Lord Is In covenant to "dehver him from every 
 evil work." Not In doubt, not ashamed and not 
 afraid! Loud boasting this; but Paul gives his 
 reasons. Here they are: "I know him whom I 
 have believed, and am persuaded that he Is able to 
 guard that which I have committed unto him 
 against that day." 
 
 The secret of Assurance Is In these words. 
 
 If a man goes up a mile In an airship, everybody 
 says, "That machine Is worth looking Into." But 
 here we have a compendium of truth by which Paul 
 was enabled to soar aloft and breathe the clear at- 
 mosphere of heaven for a lifetime! This surely 
 will repay examination. Let us proceed, therefore, 
 to take It apart : 
 
 The first thing we come upon Is a singular word, 
 paratheke. It requires seven words to translate it 
 Into English; "that v/hlch I have committed unto 
 him" : literally, a trust or deposit. 
 
 But what is this deposit which Paul has "com- 
 mitted unto Christ"? Is he referring to his soul? 
 Not if we are to understand by the soul a detach- 
 able something or other which a man carries about 
 him. To say that a man "has a soul" Is the pagan 
 way of putting it. The Persians thought of man 
 as a dual personality. On one of their ancient 
 monuments is an image of Darius with a dim, 
 winged figure hovering over him. This is Darius 
 
Assurance 2 1 1 
 
 and his soul, or fravashi, as they called it. All that 
 Darius needed was to commit his soul to Ormuzd, 
 and having thus secured its eternal welfare, he, the 
 other Darius, could live on and reign as he pleased 
 here below. 
 
 The same philosophy is prevalent In some quar- 
 ters In our time ; the soul being regarded as a sort 
 of "astral personahty," which subsists in a man and 
 goes on living after he himself is dead. 
 
 But this is not the philosophy of Christ. He 
 never taught about the soul or thought of it In that 
 way. His great saying, "What shall It profit a 
 man If he gain the whole world and lose his own 
 soul?" is rendered in the Revised Version, "What 
 shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and 
 lose his life?" And this Is as It should be; for 
 Christ regarded a man as an Immortal unit. 
 
 And so did Paul. The deposit, or paratheke of 
 which he speaks, is the sum total of all that consti- 
 tutes "life." It includes time and talents, influence, 
 character, knowledge, possessions, privileges, des- 
 tiny, everything that enters Into the sum of life. 
 This is what Is meant by the deposit; the aggregate 
 of all things that make me. 
 
 The second thought which is made prominent in 
 the text is that this deposit is in danger. 
 
 Paul thinks of himself as a man going through a 
 dangerous country beset by enemies on every hand. 
 The question Is, how to safeguard himself until he 
 reaches his destination; and his destination Is indi- 
 cated in the phrase "that day." 
 
212 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 We are all, in like manner, journeying through 
 the Land of Sin. We are waylaid by temptation 
 on every side. What does the adversary want? 
 My soul? No: he wants me. 
 
 In 1846 a Polish patriot, named Piotrowski, 
 made his escape from Siberia, where he had been 
 for years a prisoner in chains. He had been ap- 
 prised of the fact that France was In sympathy with 
 Poland; and he knew that if he could present his 
 case in the Corps Legislatif, which was in session at 
 Paris, he would be vindicated. On making his es- 
 cape he betook himself to the Ural Mountains, 
 where for a weary year he endured cold, hunger 
 and all manner of hardships; but, pushing on 
 through frontier towns and outposts, hiding, flee- 
 ing, pursued by men and beasts, he reached Paris at 
 last and was free. 
 
 So says Paul, "In journeyings often, in perils of 
 rivers, in perils of robbers, in perils from my coun- 
 trymen, in perils from the Gentiles, In perils in the 
 city. In perils In the wilderness, In perils In the sea, 
 in perils among false brethren, in labor and travail. 
 In watchlngs often. In hunger and thirst. In fasting 
 often. In cold and nakedness; troubled on every 
 side, yet not distressed; perplexed, but not In des- 
 pair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but 
 not destroyed;" I go pressing on, ever pressing on 
 in the hope of reaching the great Assize and stand- 
 ing before the just Judge In that day. 
 
 The third thought of our text is that Paul's As- 
 surance was due to the fact that he had entrusted 
 
Assurance 213 
 
 himself to One who was competent to take care of 
 him. 
 
 It is the height of folly for any man to assume 
 that he can be his own caretaker in the journey of 
 life; for we are confronted by real and formidable 
 perils at every step. Would one dare to go alone 
 through Asia Minor In times when the foundations 
 of government are broken up? Unless he were 
 foolhardy to the last degree, he would engage a 
 dragoman with an escort sufficient to protect and 
 defend him. 
 
 But where shall we find one thus competent to 
 guide us? The journey leads through the Future, 
 which Is an unknown country. The guide who 
 leads us safely through that country must have been 
 there before, and must know the way. Where 
 shall we find him? 
 
 God alone knows the future. He has traversed 
 the future as he has the past. And Christ Is God; 
 bowing the heavens to come down that he may ad- 
 just his power and wisdom to our needs, he more 
 than all sages and philosophers knows the way 
 through the perils and vicissitudes of the future, 
 even unto "that day." The part of prudence, 
 therefore. Is to entrust our deposit to this Care- 
 taker. He makes no mistakes; he leads no man In 
 devious ways. 
 
 This was the case with Paul. He had gone 
 about in an unsettled way for years. He began by 
 being his own caretaker — self-willed, self-confident 
 and self-righteous. On discovering the folly of 
 
214 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 his course, he turned his deposit over to the Jewish 
 church, and thenceforth that church was his care- 
 taker. As a ceremonialist he served his church in 
 all good conscience, insomuch that it lavished its 
 honors upon him. His name was in the roster of 
 Its worthies ; and he rested in the confidence of his 
 church membership until he was thirty-one years 
 of age. 
 
 Then came the sunburst of divine light on the 
 highway to Damascus; and Paul's life was revolu- 
 tionized. He met Christ on that memorable day 
 and made his acquaintance, so that he could say, "1 
 know him." He had known about him before 
 that; had known about his singular birth, his 
 preaching, miracles, wonderful death and alleged 
 resurrection; but he had never really known him. 
 Now he met him face to face, made his acquaint- 
 ance and straightway passed under his teaching. 
 He was no more his own man; he was Paul the 
 Christian — Jesus Christ's man. 
 
 The great surrender occurred at the Instant when 
 he said, "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?" 
 The surrender was absolute, unreserved. His de- 
 posit, thenceforth, was In the keeping of Christ. 
 He was prepared to say, "I am not my own; I am 
 bought with a price, not of silver and gold, but the 
 precious blood of Jesus as of a lamb without blem- 
 ish and without spot." And looking Inward he 
 could say, "I no longer live, but Christ liveth in 
 me!" 
 
 In one of the Greek poets It is related that two 
 
Assurance 215 
 
 devoted friends visited the shop of Vulcan, and de- 
 sired to be joined in a closer and indissoluble union. 
 He took out their hearts accordingly, laid them on 
 his anvil and welded them into one. This is what 
 happened to Paul when he met Christ on the high- 
 way. His union with Christ was thenceforth so 
 perfect that nothing coujd interrupt it. 
 
 What was the result? 
 
 First, Assurance as to the great verities that cen- 
 ter in Christ. 
 
 His doubts were dissipated into thin air; since to 
 say, "I know him," is equivalent to saying, "I have 
 knowledge of the things that center in and revolve 
 about him." To him the word of the Master was 
 the last word respecting the problems of eternal 
 life. He no longer said, "I think thus and so"; 
 but, ''I know this, because Christ declares it." He 
 no longer said, "In my opinion this is right and 
 that is wrong"; but, "I know that this is right and 
 that is wrong, because Christ so says." He no 
 longer paused in perplexity at the cross roads of 
 truth and conduct, because the word of Christ was 
 like an index finger pointing the way. 
 
 And, secondly : As the result of this absolute sur- 
 render to Christ he had definite assurance of salva- 
 tion through him. His words, "I am persuaded," 
 mean that he had discussed the problem of destiny 
 pro and contra^ and had finally settled it. He had 
 placed his deposit once for all in the safekeeping of 
 Christ, and it was secure. He could not worry; he 
 could only rest. He had found peace in believing; 
 
2i6 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 the peace that Christ would fain bestow on all his 
 followers in the terms of his last bequest: "Peace I 
 leave with you; my peace I give unto you; not as 
 the world giveth, give I unto you : let not your 
 heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." His 
 consciousness of oneness with Christ was such that 
 he could say, as Wesley sang — 
 
 This one thing I find, 
 We two are so joined, 
 He can't go to heaven 
 And leave me behind. 
 
 Why should he be afraid? Afraid of what? 
 Of life, with its vicissitudes? Pain, sorrow, dis- 
 appointment, were an essential part of his Master's 
 plan — the Master who knows all, controls all, and 
 makes no mistakes. "I reckon," says Paul, "that 
 the sufferings of this present time are not worthy 
 to be compared with the glory that shall be re- 
 vealed in me." Shall he be afraid of death, then? 
 No, death will be the good angel sent to sum- 
 mon him to the higher life and promote him to 
 nobler tasks. Or shall he be afraid of the Judg- 
 ment? On the contrary, he looks forward to "that 
 day" as the very goal and consummation of his 
 hopes. For his Lord, with whom his destinies are 
 indissolubly bound, will sit upon the Throne of 
 Judgment "in that day." 
 
 A chaplain asked of a dying soldier, "What is 
 your persuasion?" He wished to know whether 
 the man was a Christian and a church-member; 
 and, if so, to what denomination he belonged. The 
 
Assurance 217 
 
 soldier answered, "My persuasion Is that of Paul; 
 'I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor 
 angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things 
 present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, 
 nor any other creature shall be able to separate me 
 from the love of God, which Is In Christ Jesus my 
 Lord!'" 
 
 Oh, blessed Assurance of faith! This was what 
 sustained Paul during the many sore trials of his 
 eventful life, and enabled him to say In Its closing 
 scene, "I am now ready to be offered; for the time 
 of my departure Is at hand. I have fought a good 
 fight. I have finished my course, I have kept the 
 faith. Henceforth there Is laid up for me the 
 crown of righteousness which the Lord, the right- 
 eous Judge, shall give me at that day!'' 
 
 Would you, my friend, have such a crown? Why 
 not? The way Is plain. Get Into personal friend- 
 ship with Christ. Make his acquaintance so that 
 you also can say, "I know him." Knowing about 
 him will not answer. Come Into "the secret place of 
 his tabernacle" and commune with him face to face. 
 Look at him until "the eye affecteth the heart." Be 
 In such accord with his plans and purposes concern- 
 ing you that you can respond to these words, writ- 
 ten by a Hindu convert: 
 
 In the secret of his presence how my soul delights to hide! 
 Oh, how precious are the lessons which I learn at Jesus' 
 
 side ! 
 Earthly cares can never vex me, neither trials lay me low; 
 For when evil comes to vex me, to the secret place I go. 
 
2i8 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 Would you like to know the sweetness of the secret of the 
 Lord? 
 
 Go and hide beneath his shadow; this shall be your sure 
 reward. 
 
 And whene'er you leave the silence of that happy meeting- 
 place, 
 
 You must mind and bear the image of the Master in your 
 face. 
 
 To know Christ is to love him ; and to love him 
 is to believe in him; and confidence Is the secret of 
 Assurance, for "perfect love casteth out fear"; and 
 this Is faith; and "faith Is the victory that overcom- 
 eth the world!" 
 
 This Is Life Eternal, to know Him. 
 
 8. PRAYER 
 
 O Lord, I know that I am not saved for 
 any worth or worthiness In me. I am help- 
 less, but thou art mighty to save. Enable me 
 to rest In thee. Why should I worry when I 
 am held In everlasting arms? Why should 
 I doubt when thy word of promise Is Yea and 
 Amen? Lord, I believe: I can do no more. 
 Help me to take thee at thy word and cast 
 misgiving to the winds. Send me about my 
 work and keep me faithful unto death. Then, 
 when I behold thy face In peace, thou shalt 
 have the praise of my salvation forever. 
 Amen. 
 
Assurance 219 
 
 9. HYMN : "Saviour more than life to me." 
 
 10. BENEDICTION 
 
 The Lord bless thee and keep thee: the 
 Lord make his face to shine upon thee and 
 be gracious unto thee: the Lord lift up his 
 countenance upon thee and give thee peace. 
 
SEVENTEENTH SERVICE 
 
 The JVitch of Endor 
 
 I. INVOCATION 
 
 LoRD^ make this unto me a profitable 
 
 
 
 hour. I have an appointment with thee. 
 When thou saldst, "Seek ye my face," my soul 
 answered, "Thy face. Lord, will I seek." I 
 do not ask for thy presence, because I know 
 thou art here before me; but I ask for a rev- 
 elation of thyself in the power of thy grace. 
 Commune with me, and enable me to take hold 
 upon thy strength ; for Jesus' sake. Amen. 
 
 2. HYMN: "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Al- 
 
 mighty!" 
 
 3. SCRIPTURE LESSON 
 
 1 Samuel 28 : 1-20. 
 
 2 Thessalonians 2. 
 
 4. PRAYER 
 
 My blessed Lord and Master, help me to 
 remember thy word, "Watch and pray"; for 
 I am compassed about by temptations. Enable 
 me to overcome the Evil One, and particularly 
 when he approaches me in the guise of an 
 angel of light. Save me from self-reliance; 
 220 
 
The Witch of Endor 221 
 
 Incline me to lean hard on thee. Thou know- 
 est how the Adversary, who said to our first 
 parents, "Yea, hath God said?" is continu- 
 ally misleading thy people in the same way. 
 Thou only canst keep them faithful to the 
 truth as revealed in thy holy Word. Thou 
 knowest how the Divine claims of thine only- 
 begotten Son are speciously denied, even by 
 some who profess his Name. Let their teach- 
 ing be as water poured upon the ground, which 
 can not be gathered up. Suffer not thy people 
 to be led astray by it. Exalt the truth as it 
 is in Jesus, and incline the whole sin-stricken 
 world to receive it. For there is none other 
 name given under heaven or am.ong men 
 whereby they can be saved. Thou hast cast 
 up an highway to heaven, so plain that the 
 simplest wayfarer need not err therein. All 
 praise to thee, gracious God, for the Royal 
 Way of the Cross ! And blessed be thy Name 
 for the broad invitation, "Whosoever will, let 
 him come." Oh, may many sinners turn from 
 the error of their way! And let thy saints, 
 who assemble in thy courts to-day, be edified 
 by thy Word. Kindle a flame of sacred zeal 
 in all cold hearts. Turn thou again our cap- 
 tivity, that multitudes of those whose harps 
 are now hung upon the willows of Babylon 
 may return and come to Zion with songs and 
 everlasting joy upon their heads. And to the 
 only wise God, our Saviour, shall be glory 
 
222 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 and majesty, dominion and power, both now 
 and forever. Amen. 
 
 5. HYMN: "I heard the voice of Jesus say." 
 
 6. OFFERING 
 
 7. THE SERMON 
 
 The Witch of Endor 
 
 "And Saul said unto his servants, 'Seek me a 
 woman that hath a familiar spirit, that I may go 
 to her and inquire of her.' And his servants said 
 to him, 'Behold, there is a woman that has a 
 familiar spirit at Endor.' And Saul disguised 
 himself and put on other raiment, and went, he 
 and two men with him, and they came to the 
 w^oman by night." (i Sam. 28: 7.) 
 
 Who was this that wanted his fortune told? A 
 man divinely called and chosen to a throne, who, 
 trifling with opportunity, had thrown away his 
 crown and scepter. 
 
 It is recorded of him that he was "a choice young 
 man and a goodly: and there was not among the 
 children of Israel a goodlier person than he." He 
 was crowned at Mizpah with universal shoutings 
 of "God save the king!" He began his reign un- 
 der a rainbow-arch of promise. For a while he 
 did splendidly. On the throne he was every Inch 
 a king. In battle he was as brave as a lion. But 
 little by little he gave himself over to self-will, until 
 all glory departed from him. Self-will was his be- 
 setting sin. He blazed his own path to ruin. No 
 man can, with Impunity, cross purposes with God. 
 
The Witch of Endor 223 
 
 In all this, as Saul himself confessed, he "played 
 the fool." But the discovery came too late. He 
 had presumed too far upon the patience of God. 
 There were no more counseling voices; the lights 
 had gone out. The affairs of the kingdom were 
 hastening to a crisis. Saul was burdened with a 
 foreboding of disaster. He was afraid, and "his 
 heart greatly trembled." He inquired of the Lord, 
 but "the Lord answered him not." He must have 
 counsel from some quarter. The Philistines were 
 gathering at Esdraelon in the north. The king was 
 at his wit's end. It was at this juncture that he was 
 advised of "a woman with a familiar spirit at En- 
 dor." And here is Saul the mighty, disguised 
 under cover of the night, at the witch's cave, 
 with the pall of a hopeless doom gathering about 
 him! 
 
 All this happened three thousand years ago. 
 True; but history repeats itself. It is no difficult 
 matter to bring the incident up to date; for there 
 are witches still, and there is no lack of foolish folk 
 to consult them. The caves of fraud and false- 
 hood are everywhere about us, where foul witches 
 await the crossing of their palms to tell the fortunes 
 of the credulous. "Come in and see your future in 
 the rock crystal ! Come and you shall hear some- 
 thing better than your religion !" Aye, many are 
 the caves of witchcraft; and many there be that go 
 In thereat. "They seek unto wizards that peep 
 and mutter," and among them are not a few who 
 once frequented the house of God. 
 
224 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 In my early life I had a friend who professed to 
 be a follower of Christ, but, posing as a liberal, was 
 overfond of taking issue with the truth. He set out 
 for Endor about thirty years ago. The first cave 
 he visited was that of Spiritualism; then he became 
 a Theosophist; after that an Occultist or Esoteric 
 Buddhist; then he paused a while at the cave of 
 Christian Science; then he fell in with New 
 Thought and subsequently with Pragmatism; and 
 on my inquiring recently as to what particular phase 
 of unbelief he was now entertaining, the answer 
 was, "I believe he calls himself an Agnostic'* — 
 which means, I suppose, that he knows nothing and 
 is proud of it. 
 
 There are many passing through a like experi- 
 ence in these days; people who were once in cov- 
 enant with Christ but, forsaking the Gospel, have 
 drifted into all sorts of crooked systems. It is 
 singular how almost any form of superstition will 
 answer for those who have swung off from the 
 periphery of Christian faith; any so-called philoso- 
 phy, delusion or hallucination, exploded heresy, ab- 
 surd and preposterous mummery, puerility or bed- 
 lamite conceit. Almost anything will do. Think 
 of substituting the puerilities of the grotesque vol- 
 ume called "Science and Health" for the verities 
 of Holy Writ; or the drivel of a spiritualistic 
 medium for the wise and divine teachings of 
 Christ ! When the sunlight goes, all hail to moon- 
 shine ! Anything but the Gospel, anything but the 
 Bible, anything but Christ ! 
 
The Witch of Endor 225 
 
 I. How shall we account for it? The steps 
 downward are not difficult to trace. 
 
 The descent begins, usually, with neglect of the 
 Bible. As Christians we take the Bible to be our 
 infallible rule of faith and practice; but the air is 
 vibrant with hostile criticism; perhaps no more than 
 ever, for there never has been a time when the 
 world was willing to believe the Word of God. 
 But Christians are less averse in these days to the 
 reading of infidel books and literature. Not a few 
 are "taken up in the lips of talkers"; and when 
 faith in the Scriptures is lost, they have nothing to 
 live by. What would be expected of a skipper who 
 undertook to sail his ship without consulting his 
 chart and compass? He would be certain to drift 
 out of his course ; and then not even his best dead- 
 reckoning could help him. 
 
 Another cause for this moral declension is neg- 
 lect of prayer. "Prayer is the Christian's vital 
 breath, the Christian's native air." The Lord's 
 injunction "Enter into thy closet and shut to the 
 door and commune with thy Father," can not be ig- 
 nored with impunity. A native convert in India 
 came to his missionary with a quaint complaint that 
 "the happy had gone out of his heart." The mis- 
 sionary said, "I can tell you the reason: I recently 
 passed by the place in the forest where you used to 
 go alone for prayer; the pathway was overgrown 
 with grass." No pressure of time, no dullness of 
 soul or indifference of mood can excuse the neglect 
 of the trysting-place. 
 
226 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 The movement on the down grade is further ac- 
 celerated by neglect of church privileges. The bell 
 that rings ^'Come ! Come ! Come and worship God; 
 neglect not the assembling of yourselves to- 
 gether!" has all the emphasis of an ethical impera- 
 tive. He who allows it to pass unheeded, and thus 
 forms the non-church-going habit, withdraws from 
 the circle of Christian fellowship. The Church is 
 not a perfect institution, but it is what It Is by the 
 grace of God. Whatever criticism may be justly 
 passed upon it, the fact remains that the Church 
 Is the Bride of Christ; and he can not look with 
 complacency on one who puts a wilful slight upon 
 it. 
 
 An additional cause of the spiritual decadence re- 
 ferred to Is neglect of known duty and Indulgence 
 In known sin. The vital bond between the Chris- 
 tian and his Lord Is obedience. One sin weakens It; 
 persistence in sin severs It. A sinful habit "short- 
 circuits" the power of the soul. A first Indulgence 
 wounds the conscience; the second does not cut so 
 deep; the twentieth falls painlessly as on a sur- 
 face seared with a hot Iron. The blacksmith's ap- 
 prentice at first shrinks from every flying spark, but, 
 having become "seasoned," he Is quite indifferent 
 to a shower of sparks. Here lies the danger of 
 habitual sin. It Is committed without scruple or 
 compunction ; and the Ill-doer, dreaming in the face 
 of danger, smiles at the little discomfort It gives 
 him. 
 
 II. What is the result? The Lord has clearly 
 
The Witch of Endor 227 
 
 spoken: "If ye seek him he will be found of you; 
 but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.'^ 
 
 The best friend the truth-seeker has is the Spirit 
 of God, who leads the willing soul in the pathway 
 of life. But "the Spirit shall not always strive 
 with men." If there be resistance again and again 
 the Spirit will sadly take its departure. There is un- 
 speakable pathos in the injunction, "Grieve not the 
 Spirit." The picture is that of a loving father, 
 moved to sorrow by the obduracy of a wayward 
 child. When the Spirit says Farewell, all open vi- 
 sion ceases and the lights go out. 
 
 The soul is then confirmed in unbelief. 
 
 In the Thessalonian Church there were certain 
 persons carried away by "the deceivableness of un- 
 righteousness," who were admonished that "God 
 would send them strong delusion that they should 
 believe a lie." It is not impossible that some of 
 those who are fond of calling themselves doubters 
 have already reached that dreary lowland of un- 
 behef. 
 
 Doubt is humble and agonizes for the light; un- 
 belief is boastful, and wears its rejection of truth 
 like a feather in its hat. 
 
 You think you doubt the personality of God: 
 are you quite sure that you do not wholly reject 
 it? You think you doubt the divinity of Christ: 
 are you certain that, deep down in your heart, 
 you have not utterly renounced it? You are 
 wont to say that you question the inspiration 
 and trustworthiness of Scripture: ask yourself 
 
22 8 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 whether you do not mean that you unequiv- 
 ocally deny it. 
 
 No doubt everybody has a mortal dread of 
 hydrophobia — that fearful malady, in which the 
 patient longs for water with a thirst unspeakable, 
 and yet, when water is placed before him, revolts 
 and barks at it. There is a corresponding malady 
 in the province of religious thought, to wit, biblio- 
 phobia — in which the sufferer knows his exigent 
 need of spiritual and eternal truth, and yet, when 
 God's Revelation of that truth is opened before 
 him, not only refuses but disdains and flouts it. 
 
 And along with unbelief comes worldliness. 
 When confidence in God and the great verities that 
 center in him are lost, what remains but to live 
 within the narrow circumscription of the physical 
 senses? If the Epicurean philosophy be true, why 
 is not the Epicurean life the right one? "Let us eat 
 and drink, for to-morrow we die !" The place for 
 Samson when his locks are shorn and his eyes are 
 destroyed, is in Dagon's gateway; there let him sit 
 grinding at the mill. 
 
 And worldliness at the bottom means worthless- 
 ness. The value of a man's life is measured by the 
 place that he fills in God's universal plan. God's 
 reapers are on the way to his yellow fields with 
 sickle in hand; but the soul of the lapsed believer, 
 idle in the market-place, has neither part nor lot 
 In it. 
 
 And this means unhappiness. There is no peace 
 for the man who is thus self-exiled from the spirit- 
 
The Witch of Endor 229 
 
 ual life. His way is hard. The memories of the 
 past are bitter; the future is dark as an Egyptian 
 night. 
 
 Great God, I'd rather be 
 
 A pagan suckled in a creed outworn ; 
 
 So might I, standing on this pleasant lea, 
 
 Have glimpses that would make me less forlorn ; 
 
 Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea. 
 Or hear old Triton blow his wreathed horn ! 
 
 III. What is the remedy? 
 
 Get back to the Bible. Take down the dusty and 
 forgotten book and open it. You have, perhaps, 
 been studying too long about It, under the Impres- 
 sion that you were studying It. Open and search 
 It. See If there Is not something here which the 
 good God would reveal to you. "Search the 
 Scriptures," said Jesus, "for in them ye think ye 
 have eternal life, and these are they which testify 
 of me." 
 
 And return to your trystlng-place. Enter Into 
 the closet and shut the door and commune with 
 God. And, finding yourself there, for your soul's 
 sake do not say your prayers. Pray ! If you have 
 anything to ask of God, ask it. If you have any 
 complaint to make against him, make it. "Bring 
 forth your strong arguments." Have It out with 
 him. Your extremity Is his opportunity. When 
 sailors, being at their wit's end, cry unto the Lord 
 In their trouble, he maketh the storm a calm and 
 bringeth them to their desired haven. (Read 
 Psalm 107 : 23-31.) 
 
230 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 And then get back to the Church. You have 
 been accustomed to say, perhaps, that there are "as 
 good men outside of the Church as there are In it." 
 You are quite right. There are better men outside 
 of the Church than there are in it. In point of fact, 
 all the good men are outside of the Church. And 
 the reason is plain. The Church is not for good 
 people but for such as, realizing their sinfulness, 
 want to be good and band themselves together for 
 mutual support to that end. All true Church-mem- 
 bers are sinners, sinners saved by grace. If you 
 are strong enough to stand alone in your self-right- 
 eousness the Church is not intended for you; but 
 if you feel your unworthiness and your need of co- 
 operative help and sympathy, then the Church is 
 just the place for you. 
 
 But nbove everything else get back to Christ. 
 Not to any of the human Christs who have, in 
 these last times, been conjured up out of the imag- 
 inations of men; but to the only historic Christ, 
 namely, the Christ of the Bible. "There is none 
 other name given under heaven among men 
 whereby we must be saved." And, once in his 
 presence, renew your covenant with him. Let there 
 be no reservation. He makes no terms but uncon- 
 ditional surrender. "Now to be thine, yea, thine 
 alone, O Lamb of God, I come!" 
 
 And then get busy. For "Satan finds some mis- 
 chief still for Idle hands to do." Believe what the 
 Master says, and moment by moment do what he 
 bids you do. Follow the watchword of the Chris- 
 
The Witch of Endor 231 
 
 tian life: "To obey Is better than sacrifice, and to 
 hearken than the fat of rams." 
 
 If you are disposed thus to return to your first 
 love, be of good courage. Your case is a hopeful 
 one. The "grieving" of the Spirit Is not final; for 
 great are his compassions; but when the Spirit Is 
 "quenched," there Is an end of hope; the last spark 
 Is out! 
 
 On the heights of GUboa stood the recreant king 
 amid a shower of arrows, despair In his heart and 
 desperation on his face. His three sons and his 
 armor-bearer lay dead at his feet; his shield had 
 been vilely cast away. Leaning heavily upon his 
 sword, dying of a self-inflicted wound, he reeled 
 nnd fell. "How are the mighty fallen!" The 
 next morning his headless body was Impaled against 
 the wall of Bethshan. On the stone above It write 
 his epitaph : "Here lies one who was called to reign, 
 but who died of having his own way." 
 
 For the soul that Is moved to repentance, it Is 
 never too late to mend. In a notable exhibit at the 
 Luxembourg, not long ago, there was a picture 
 that attracted great attention. It was called "Too 
 Late." The prodigal In rags and tatters having 
 returned to his home, knelt In an attitude of hope- 
 less anguish by the side of the bed whereon his 
 father lay dead, with the candles about him. Too 
 late! Too late! 
 
 This is not true. The prodigal may die, but his 
 Father never. He waits with outstretched hands 
 and gazes Into the distance watching for the return 
 
232 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 of his wayward son from the far country. "And 
 when he was yet a great way off (now God be 
 praised for the infinite hope in the closing words 
 of the great parable of grace!) his father saw him 
 and had compassion and ran and fell on his neck 
 and kissed him." 
 
 Thus saith the Lord, "I have blotted out as a 
 thick cloud thy transgressions, and as a cloud thy 
 sins; return unto me, for I have redeemed thee!" 
 
 8. PRAYER 
 
 O God, save me from wandering in by-and- 
 forbidden paths. I have Christ as my Guide; 
 help me to follow him. I have the Bible as 
 my infallible rule of faith and practice; help 
 me to believe its teachings and translate them 
 into hfe and character. Thou art my safe- 
 guard. Stay by me every hour of every day, 
 O Lord; for I can not go wrong in thy com- 
 pany. And save me, finally, with an abun- 
 dant and everlasting salvation, through Jesus 
 Christ. Amen. 
 
 9. HYMN : "Jesus, keep me near the Cross!" 
 
 10. BENEDICTION 
 
 Now may the God of peace, who brought 
 again from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ, 
 that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the 
 blood of the everlasting covenant, make you 
 perfect in every good work to do his will, 
 
The Witch of Endor 233 
 
 working in you that which is well-pleasing in 
 his sight through Jesus Christ, to whom be 
 glory forever. Amen. 
 
EIGHTEENTH SERVICE 
 
 The Golden Altar 
 
 1. INVOCATION 
 
 /^ God, I confess my Inability to seek thee 
 ^^ aright. Come out, while I am yet a great 
 way off, and meet me. Enable me, through 
 Christ, to confide in thy truth and wisdom, in 
 thine almighty power and immeasurable 
 Love. Bow thy heavens and come down to 
 me; for Jesus' sake. Amen. 
 
 2. HYMN: "The morning light is breaking." 
 
 3. SCRIPTURE LESSON 
 
 Leviticus 10:1-7. 
 Hebrews 9 : 1-5, 24-28. 
 
 4. PRAYER 
 
 I thank thee. Lord, for all the blessings of 
 thy Providence; for life and daily bread, for 
 refreshing sleep, for the light of the sun, for 
 this world's good, and all the happiness thou 
 hast given me. I thank thee for the blessings 
 of thy Grace; for the Gospel of thy dear Son, 
 and for leading me to accept it; for the Bible 
 and the Sabbath, for the privilege of worship, 
 and the opportunity of serving thee. Thou 
 hast crowned my life with thy loving-kindness. 
 If ever I have complained of pain or sickness, 
 
 234 
 
The Golden Altar 235 
 
 or of any chastening, forgive thou me. Grant 
 me a grateful heart and sympathy with all who 
 suffer In mind, body, or estate. Let thy mercy 
 rest on all who call upon thee, and be pleased 
 to draw near unto those who know thee not. 
 Send thy grace to those who have the Gospel 
 and heed It not. Send thy Gospel to those 
 who dwell In pagan darkness. O Bridegroom 
 of the Church, awake thy sleeping bride, that 
 she may shake herself from the dust and put 
 on her garments of salvation. Send reapers 
 Into the field, which Is already white unto the 
 harvest. Suffer not souls to perish because of 
 the Indifference of those who profess to love 
 and serve thee. Send me to my place of use- 
 fulness to-day. If I have ten talents, show 
 me how to use them; If I have only one, for- 
 bid that I should bury It. Use me and glorify 
 thyself In me; for thy Name's sake. Amen. 
 
 5. HYMN: "Lord, I hear of showers of bless- 
 
 ing!" 
 
 6. OFFERING 
 
 7. THE SERMON 
 
 The Golden Altar 
 
 "And he [the high-priest] shall take a censer 
 full of coals of fire from off the altar before 
 Jehovah, and his hands full of sweet incense 
 beaten small, and bring it within the veil. . . . 
 And he shall take of the blood of the bullock and 
 sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy-seat." 
 (Levlt. 16: 12-14.) 
 
236 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 **But Christ having come, a high-priest of good 
 things to come, through the greater and more 
 perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is 
 to say, not of this creation, nor yet by the blood 
 of goats and calves, but through his own blood 
 entered in once for all into the holy place, hav- 
 ing obtained eternal redemption." (Heb. 9: 
 II, 12, 24.) 
 
 I SUPPOSE we have all begun the day with 
 prayer. If we are Christians we have done so as a 
 matter of course, for 
 
 Prayer is the Christian's vital breath, 
 The Christian's native air. 
 
 Those who are not Christians should also, as a 
 matter of course, have begun the day with prayer. 
 For prayer Is natural; and, by the same token. Its 
 omission Is a sin against nature. 
 
 In an ancient picture of the Nativity, the sheep 
 and cattle are represented on their knees ; but that 
 is abnormal. The vital point of differentiation be- 
 tween man and the lower orders of life is just 
 there : they can not pray, but he can. He can, as 
 Kepler said, "think God's thoughts after him." 
 The question that Jesus asked of the Pharisees, 
 "How much Is a man better than a sheep?" is 
 echoed by Tennyson in his Idylls of the King: 
 
 For what are men better than sheep or goats. 
 That nourish a blind life within the brain. 
 If, knowing God, they lift not hands of prayer 
 Both for themselves and those who call them friends? 
 For so the whole round world is every way 
 Bound by gold chains about the feet of God. 
 
The Golden Altar 237 
 
 In the elaborate ritual of the Old Economy, in 
 which all rites and symbols were intended to point 
 forward to the Gospel, there were two altars, rep- 
 resenting the two racial instincts that find expression 
 In the questions, "What shall I do to be saved?" 
 and " How shall I draw nigh to God?" One of 
 these was the Brazen Altar of sacrifice, which was 
 a silhouette of the Cross; and the other was the 
 Golden Altar of incense, which was a picturesque 
 setting forth of prayer. And there was a vital 
 relation between them. 
 
 On the great Day of Atonement, which is still 
 observed among the Jews as "Yom Kippur," the 
 high-priest began the ceremonial at the Brazen 
 Altar. In one hand he held a brasier full of in- 
 cense, which he kindled with coals from the altar; 
 then, dipping his hands in the blood of the sacri- 
 fice, he made his way to the entrance of the taber- 
 nacle, passed within the curtain, sprinkled the blood 
 upon the Golden Altar, swung the burning brasier 
 until the holy place was filled with a cloud of in- 
 cense, and thus made his plea for the pardoning of 
 the people's sins. 
 
 In this we have a picturesque setting forth of the 
 Philosophy of Prayer. Let us observe the incense, 
 the fire and the blood, as representing its three es- 
 sential factors : 
 
 I. The Incense gives us the Definition of 
 Prayer. 
 
 This incense was held to be of such importance 
 that it had to be compounded under a divine for- 
 
238 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 mula. It could be used nowhere but on the Golden 
 Altar, and to counterfeit it was death. The for- 
 mula was as follows: "Take unto thee sweet spices, 
 stacte, and onycha, and galbanum ; sweet spices with 
 pure frankincense; of each shall there be like 
 weight ; and thou shalt make it incense, a perfume, 
 after the art of the perfumer, seasoned with salt, 
 together, pure and holy." (Exod. 30: 34.) 
 
 In like manner an acceptable prayer has three 
 constituent factors. 
 
 The first Is Peace with God. Sin is enmity 
 against God, and the sinner Is a rebel against divine 
 law. It Is obvious that before a man can come ac- 
 ceptably to the mercy-seat he must repent of his 
 sins and cease fighting against God. The way Is 
 clearly pointed out In the Gospel — which Is called 
 the Gospel of Reconciliation because it Is, as it 
 were, a flag or truce sent out from the throne of 
 God. 
 
 The second is Humility. A petition sent to the 
 House of Lords, bearing the signatures of many 
 honorable citizens of the British Empire, was re- 
 jected because of the omission of a single word. 
 It should have begun "We humbly beg, etc.," but 
 the word "humbly" was left out. The man who 
 approaches the King of kings with no humility in 
 his petition Is merely beating the air. God Is the 
 Infinite; while, as for us, our breath is in our nos- 
 trils. "ProcLilf Procul! Abeste profani!" was 
 the Inscription over the ancient shrines: "Draw not 
 near, ye irreverent ones!" Who are we that we 
 
The Golden Altar 239 
 
 should presume to approach God? It Is recorded 
 that, when he appeared in the midst of the burning 
 bush, Moses said: "I will turn aside and see this 
 great sight; why the bush burneth and is not con- 
 sumed," and God called to him, saying: "Draw 
 not nigh hither! Put off thy shoes from off thy 
 feet, for the ground whereon thou standest is holy 
 ground!" And Moses hid his face, for he was 
 afraid to look upon God. 
 
 The third Is Faith. For "he that cometh to 
 God must believe that he Is, and that he is the re- 
 warder of them that diligently seek him." In other 
 words, the petitioner must be confidently persuaded 
 of two things : that God really Is, and that he is the 
 hearer and answerer of prayer. 
 
 It is around these very points that the contro- 
 versy rages most fiercely In these days. The ques- 
 tion Is whether the Law is greater than the Law- 
 giver, or vice versa. If it be true that the world 
 Is governed by automatic and insensate Law, then 
 the words of Strauss the rationalist are a reasonable 
 inference: "In the enormous machine of the uni- 
 verse, amid the incessant whirl and hiss of its 
 jagged wheels and the deafening crash of ponder- 
 ous stamps and hammers, I find myself a helpless 
 and defenseless man, not sure for a moment that a 
 wheel may not seize and rend me or a hammer 
 crush me Into powder; and this sense of abandon- 
 ment Is something awful!" But If, on the other 
 hand, the Law-giver is above the Law, then there 
 Is hope for us. 
 
240 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 Not long ago, there was a fire In an East Side 
 tenement and the way of escape for those on the 
 upper floors was cut off. At one of the windows a 
 mother appeared with a child in her arms, calling 
 for help. But the ladders would not reach. In 
 utter self-forgetfulness (Oh, wonderful mother- 
 love!) she cried, ^'Save my baby !" Her only hope 
 was to toss the child out of the window ; and that 
 meant simply to commit it to the cold mercies of 
 the law of gravity, which was certain death. The 
 fire-chief heard the mother's cry; bade his men 
 spread the life-blanket, and then called to the 
 mother to let the child fall. The law of gravity 
 was interrupted then and there, and the child was 
 saved. Is it to be supposed that God can not, if 
 need be, arrest the operation of his laws in the 
 same way? Is not the law of an engine interrupted, 
 when the engineer in an emergency lays his hand 
 upon the lever and reverses its wheels? Is not the 
 law of disease interrupted, when the physician ad- 
 ministers a remedy that heals his patient? Is not 
 the law of a chronometer interrupted, when the 
 hands are turned back to regulate it? Is God, 
 then, the only rational being in the universe who 
 can not interrupt the operation of a law? The sug- 
 gestion is grotesque — simply preposterous ! He 
 hears and can answer when his children cry unto 
 him. 
 
 So much for the Definition of Prayer. 
 
 II. The Fire on the Golden Altar points out the 
 Rationale of Prayer. 
 
The Golden Altar 241 
 
 It does this by showing us the vital connection 
 between the two altars. As the Incense was kindled 
 by coals from the altar of sacrifice, so are we to 
 find the rational basis of prayer In the Atonement 
 wrought on Calvary by the only-begotten Son of 
 God. 
 
 He came Into the world to show us the way to 
 return to our Father. His words are plain. "I am 
 the way, the truth, and the light. No man cometh 
 unto the Father but by me." Therefore no cross, 
 no prayer; no atonement, no reconciliation with 
 God. It is because of the passion of Christ that we 
 are enabled to follow his injunction: "When ye 
 pray, say 'Our Father.' " For only those who are 
 willing to be reconciled can draw near to God. 
 
 Christ came not only to show us, but to open the 
 way for us. At the moment when, having accom- 
 phshed his great sacrifice, he cried, "It Is finished!" 
 the veil of the Temple was rent in sunder from the 
 top to the bottom, as If by an unseen hand. Where- 
 fore It Is written, "We have boldness to enter into 
 the Holiest by the blood of Jesus by a new and living 
 way which he hath consecrated for us through the 
 veil that Is to say, his flesh ; and having a high-priest 
 over the house of God, let us draw near with a true 
 heart In full assurance of faith." 
 
 Not only so ; but, having shown the way back to 
 God, and having opened It by his vicarious death, 
 he has given us a passport at the entering of the 
 veil, to wit: "And whatsoever ye shall ask In my 
 name that will I do, that the Father may be glori- 
 
242 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 fied In the Son." And again, "If ye shall ask any- 
 thing In my name, I will do It." And again, "I 
 have chosen you, that whatsoever ye shall ask of 
 the Father In my name he may give it to you." 
 And again, "Verily, verily, I say unto you; what- 
 soever ye shall ask the Father In my name, he will 
 give it you." Observe the great words here, "any- 
 thing" and "whatsoever." Oh boundless promise ! 
 It is as if a draft were drawn on the Divine ex- 
 chequer. In blank, to be filled out by the receiver. 
 Indorsed in full by the omnipotent Son of God! 
 
 So much for the Rationale of Prayer. 
 
 III. In the Blood, which was carried from the 
 Brazen Altar to he sprinkled upon the Golden 
 Altar J we have the Assurance cf Prayer, It Is like 
 the red arrow which Great Britain uses as the seal 
 of Its authority. If our prayers are answered, it is 
 because the Blood says that it shall be so. 
 
 For when Jesus went away from the world he 
 passed through the veil into the Holy of Holies, 
 where he "ever liveth to make Intercession for us." 
 It Is written that "God, being minded to show 
 more abundantly unto the heirs of the promise the 
 immutability of his counsel, Interposed with an 
 oath ; that by two Immutable things. In which It is 
 Impossible for God to lie, we may have a strong 
 encouragement, who have fled for refuge to lay 
 hold of the hope set before us; which we have as 
 an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and stead- 
 fast, and entering Into that which is within the veil, 
 whither as a forerunner Jesus entered for us, hav- 
 
The Golden Altar 243 
 
 ing become a high-priest forever after the order 
 of Melchizedek." (Heb. 6:17-20.) We lean upon 
 the intercession of the High Priest who thus pleads 
 for us at the throne of heavenly grace. 
 
 In one of the visions of the Apocalypse we have 
 the scene portrayed: "And I beheld and lo! in the 
 midst of the throne stood a Lamb as it had been 
 slain. And the four-and-twenty elders fell down 
 before the Lamb, having each a harp and golden 
 bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the 
 saints." The essential God does not appear, be- 
 cause He is not visible to mortal eyes ; but the Son 
 of God, "a Lamb as it had been slain," bearing 
 still the marks of his earthly passion, stands at the 
 right hand of His majesty; and the prayers of 
 saints, ascending through him, give a sweet-smell- 
 ing savor unto God: wherefore. 
 
 Arise my soul, arise, 
 
 Shake off thy guilty fears; 
 The bleeding sacrifice 
 
 In my behalf appears! 
 Before the throne my Surety stands, 
 My name is written on his hands. 
 He ever lives above 
 
 For me to intercede; 
 His all redeeming love, 
 
 His precious blood to plead. 
 His blood atoned for all our race, 
 And sprinkles now the throne of grace. 
 The Father hears him pray, 
 
 His dear anointed One, 
 He can not turn away 
 
 The presence of his Son ; 
 His Spirit answers to the blood 
 And tells me I am born of God! 
 
244 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 This Intercession of Christ was anticipated once 
 In his earthly ministry. In the sacerdotal prayer 
 which followed his last interview with his disciples 
 in the upper room, he lifted up his eyes to heaven 
 and said, "Father, the hour is come. Glorify thy 
 Son, that thy Son may also glorify thee; as thou 
 hast given him power over all flesh that he should 
 give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. 
 I pray for them ; I pray not that thou shouldst take 
 them out of the world, but that thou shouldst keep 
 them from the evil. Sanctify them through thy 
 truth; thy word is truth. Father, I will that they, 
 also, whom thou hast given me may be with me 
 where I am, that they may behold thy glory which 
 thou hast given me." What words are these? 
 "Father, I will!" On the lips of any mortal pe- 
 titioner this would have been presumption im- 
 measurable. "Father, I will !" As If his word 
 were law ! It is thus that he intercedes In heaven ; 
 so that whatsoever he asks, as an echo of our ask- 
 ing In his name, that shall be done unto us. 
 
 And we are realizing the results of his Interces- 
 sion In the answers that are granted us. Now and 
 then an unbeliever, who has no experience in these 
 premises, starts up to suggest a "prayer test." A 
 universal prayer test has been going on since the be- 
 ginning of time. A great multitude have gone, 
 staggering under their burdens, to the trysting- 
 place at the Golden Altar, and have come forth 
 light hearted, saying, "This poor man cried, and 
 the Lord heard and saved him out of all his 
 
The Golden Altar 245 
 
 trouble!" Who shall presume to impeach their 
 testimony? There are millions, yea hundreds of 
 millions, of them, all certifying to the fact that they 
 prayed and God heard them. 
 
 The world is full of people who have seen the 
 sun rise; but here are a hundred inmates of a blind 
 asylum who have never seen it. Shall they pre- 
 sume to cavil at the testimony of those who have? 
 We know whereof we speak. "That which we 
 have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, 
 which we have looked upon and our hands have 
 handled, declare we unto you." 
 
 What then ? Pray on ! The promises of prayer 
 are like the bells on Aaron's robe when he minis- 
 tered at the Golden Altar, which gave the attend- 
 ing Levites to understand that he was there making 
 his plea before God. So, from the high place 
 where our mighty Intercessor makes his prayers in 
 our behalf, come the great promises, such as, "Ask 
 and it shall be given unto you, seek and ye shall 
 find, knock and it shall be opened unto you." To 
 your knees, O followers of Christ ! Pray on, and 
 pray believing! He is the hearer and answerer. 
 Pray on ! Pray on ! 
 
 8. PRAYER 
 
 O blessed Lord, who ever liveth to make 
 intercession for thy people, help me hence- 
 forth to offer the prayer of faith. For when 
 my poor prayers are reinforced with thine, I 
 know they must prevail with God. Without 
 
246 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 thee I am nothing ; wherefore, Lord, leave me 
 not to myself nor forsake me. Abide with 
 me until I behold thy face; and thou shalt 
 have the praise of my salvation world without 
 end. Amen. 
 
 9. HYMN: "Sweet hour of prayer." 
 
 10. BENEDICTION 
 
 The blessing of God, the Triune God, 
 Father, Saviour and Comforter, be with you. 
 Amen. 
 
NINETEENTH SERVICE 
 
 ^'The Law of Liberty^* 
 
 INVOCATION 
 
 's I come into thy presence, O Lord, help 
 
 A 
 
 me to reahze all the possibilities of this 
 hour of communion with thee. Let the world 
 be shut out, that I may be alone with thee. 
 Grant me a new vision of some helpful truth, 
 and a new impulse toward right Hving; for 
 Christ's sake. Amen. 
 
 2. HYMN: *'A11 hail the power of Jesus' 
 
 Name!" 
 
 3. SCRIPTURE LESSON 
 
 Psalm 107: 8-15. 
 James i. 
 
 4. PRAYER 
 
 Gracious God, slow to anger and plenteous 
 in mercy, remember not against me my many 
 transgressions. Blot them out, according to 
 thy promise, "Though your sins are as scarlet 
 they shall be as white as snow, and though 
 they be red like crimson they shall be as 
 wool." Oh, the wonders of thy grace in 
 Jesus Christ ! He was wounded for our trans- 
 gressions and bruised for our iniquities, that 
 247 
 
248 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 by his stripes we might be healed. Salvation, 
 oh the joyful sound — 'tis music in mine ear. 
 And now, being purged of sin, I would work 
 out my salvation even to its uttermost possi- 
 bilities. Give me the joyous spirit of liberty 
 In Christ, who breaks the power of reigning 
 sin and sets the prisoner free. Help me so 
 to rejoice In thy salvation that the hardest 
 task may not be grievous. Give me the aban- 
 don of a perfect faith. And this I ask, not 
 for myself only, but for all in the fellowship of 
 Christ. There is none of them good — no not 
 one ; but they are trying to be good. Lord, be 
 patient with them. Help the stumbling to 
 walk securely; lift the fallen to their feet. 
 Awake those who sleep, and stimulate the In- 
 different to holy zeal. Befriend the lonely; 
 make easy the beds of those who languish in 
 weary suffering. Thine eyes behold them and 
 thou lovest all. Go out on the dark moun- 
 tains after the lost. Send thy Gospel to the 
 benighted peoples in the regions beyond, that 
 they too may rejoice in thee. Hear and an- 
 swer for Jesus' sake. Amen. 
 
 5. HYMN : "My soul, be on thy guard." 
 
 6. OFFERING 
 
 7. THE SERMON 
 
 ^'The Law of Liberty** 
 "Be ye doers of the word and not hearers only, 
 
''The Law of Liberty" 249 
 
 deluding your own selves. For if any one is a 
 hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like unto 
 a man beholding his natural face in a mirror: 
 for he beholdeth himself, and goeth away, and 
 straightway forgetteth what manner of man he 
 was. But he that looketh into the perfect law, 
 the law of liberty, and so continueth, being not 
 a hearer that forgetteth, but a doer that worketh, 
 this man shall be blessed in his doing." (James 
 1 : 22-25.) 
 
 The Bible is a mirror; and the two men here 
 portrayed stand for two classes of readers. One 
 of them glances into the mirror, as a woman on the 
 street takes a hasty look into a window to see 
 whether her hat is on straight, and passes on. The 
 other looks into the mirror Intently and observes 
 something that makes a deep and permanent im- 
 pression upon him. He sees his natural or nor- 
 mal face;* In other words, he sees himself as he was 
 created — sinless, erect, self-respecting, with eyes 
 uplifted toward God. He sees this natural self 
 environed by law; for as God Is a normal being, so 
 Is man, the child of God. And he sees that within 
 the bounds of this law, a law Interwoven with the 
 very nerve and fiber of his constitution, he Is quite 
 free as a child of God. 
 
 I. We have here, at the outset, a Definition of 
 liberty; and this definition Involves a paradox. 
 
 An Idea prevails In some quarters that liberty 
 and law are mutually Incompatible; but In this ex- 
 
 *In the margin this is rendered properly "the face of his 
 birth." 
 
250 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 pression, "the law of liberty," It Is suggested that 
 they are In perfect accord with each other. How 
 can that be? 
 
 It Is a common and calamitous mistake to as- 
 sume that liberty means absolution from the re- 
 straints of law. Milton speaks of certain ones — 
 
 Who bawl for freedom in their senseless mood, 
 And still revolt when truth would set them free. 
 
 This was the error of the French revolutionists, 
 who cried, "Down with law, order, and govern- 
 ment!" and paid the penalty In confusion worse 
 confounded. No, my friend, liberty Is not license. 
 "Go as you please" Is not the badge of a free man. 
 
 If one were to apply that definition to the affairs 
 of every-day life, what would become of him ? Will 
 a disregard of the laws of hygiene set one free? 
 Nay, It will bind one on a rack and torture one with 
 the fiery arrows of insomnia, indigestion, and all 
 the other ills that human flesh is heir to. 
 
 Let him apply It In the province of his intel- 
 lectual life, and where will it land him? To call 
 himself a "free-thinker" because he defies the pre- 
 scribed rules of thought Is as if a skipper were to 
 Ignore the maritime chart, run up the black flag, 
 and become a wild rover of the sea. The open 
 ports of the Commerce of Truth are closed against 
 him; leaving him to wander over the boundless 
 void of Agnosticism, where, as FIchte said, "A 
 man knows nothing, not even that he knows noth- 
 ing." 
 
'The Law of Liberty" 251 
 
 Nor is it less disastrous to apply this conceptipn 
 of freedom in the province of the moral life. He 
 who insists on living as he pleases, despite the mo- 
 ralities, is far indeed from being free, since he has 
 become a very bondslave of the basest lusts and 
 passions of his meaner self. 
 
 We conclude, therefore, that the true definition 
 of liberty is not exemption from the law, but per- 
 fect obedience to it. The law referred to, how- 
 ever, is not an exotic law, not a law promulgated 
 by an arbitrary sovereign sitting on a distant throne, 
 but the law of the normal man as made in the like- 
 ness of God. 
 
 Sin has swept us away from our moorings, so 
 that we are neither where nor what we ought to 
 be. The literal meaning of the word ''transgres- 
 sion" is crossing the line. We have lost our true 
 freedom in crossing the lines of our normal life. 
 Is an engine free when it leaps the track and speeds 
 across the open country? Is it not free rather 
 when, achieving the very object of its being, it pur- 
 sues its way along the rails constructed for it? Is 
 a fish out of water free? Why not? Because it 
 is "out of its element." Man in sin is precisely like 
 a fish out of water. He, too, is out of his element. 
 God intended him to move as easily and joyously 
 on his upward course as a planet in its orbit; and 
 only here shall he find his freedom, in this perfect 
 obedience to perfect law. 
 
 II. Has this Definition of liberty ever been real- 
 ized? Once, and once only. 
 
252 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 It was exemplified in the life and character of 
 Christ, who boldly issued the challenge, "Who 
 layeth anything to my charge?" and received from 
 his inquisitor this answer, "I find no fault in him 
 at all!" This man has gone Into history as the 
 Ideal Man, by reason of his absolute and perfect 
 obedience to the law of his own being. For this 
 he was called "the Son of Man," as indicating what 
 a man ought to be. The law of liberty was per- 
 fectly exemplified in him. 
 
 He looked into the Scriptures and saw "his nat- 
 ural face." In other words, he saw himself with 
 the pathway of his earthly life marked out before 
 him. He perceived that he had been "sent" into 
 the world on a definite errand; namely, to suffer 
 and die for our salvation. By the terms of this 
 commission he was bound and yet quite free. In 
 the volume of the Book, as In a mirror, he saw his 
 life In silhouette; his birth, doctrine, miracles, buf- 
 fetlngs, rejection, sufferings and death. "Thus it 
 was written of him." 
 
 He filled out that silhouette in its minutest de- 
 tails. The ethical Imperative was upon him. The 
 keynote of his life was, "I must!" — "Thus It is 
 written and thus It must be." — "The Son of Man 
 goeth as it Is written of him." — "All things must 
 needs be fulfilled." — "He must needs go through 
 Samaria." — "The Son of Man must be lifted up, 
 that whosoever belleveth In him should not perish 
 but have everlasting life." Thus he was Irresistibly 
 bound by an eternal "needs be"; yet within those 
 
"The Law of Liberty" 253 
 
 bonds he was the freest of the free, because they 
 were "the cords of a man." 
 
 He was constantly tempted to deviate from the 
 appointed path; but he swerved not a hair's 
 breadth. When tempted by Satan In the Wilder- 
 ness to accomplish his purpose in some other way, 
 his sufficient answer was, "It is written." When 
 tempted by the people to accept the Messianic 
 crown, he refused because this was not the ap- 
 pointed way. When tempted by Peter to further 
 his plans by the use of carnal weapons, he said, 
 "Put up thy sword Into the sheath. How then 
 should that be accomplished which Is written of 
 me?" When tempted by his own flesh, In Geth- 
 semane, where every tingling nerve and sinew cried 
 out against the cup of purple death, he, though 
 sweating as It were great drops of blood, acquiesced 
 in the Divine purpose, saying, "O my Father, If it 
 be not possible that this cup should pass, thy will 
 not mine be done !" Thus on he went, straight on, 
 with his face set steadfastly toward the cross. That 
 was the destination of his normal life. "It Is 
 finished!" he cried. "I have finished the work 
 which thou gavest me to do!" Close the book; 
 all Is fulfilled. So runs the story of the perfect 
 Man. 
 
 Now this conformity of Christ to the law of his 
 being was so far from being bondage that it kept 
 him In the enjoyment of perfect freedom. And 
 this was because he did not approach his task like 
 a galley-slave going to the oars, but crying: "Lo, 
 
254 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 I come ! In the volume of the book it Is written, 'I 
 rejoice to do thy will' !" 
 
 III. /;/ this Definition of liberty we have the 
 Secret of a Happy Life, 
 
 The moment a man ceases to cross the Divine 
 purpose and voluntarily adjusts himself to the plan 
 marked out for him, he becomes free — 
 
 As free as Nature first made man, 
 Ere the base laws of servitude began. 
 
 But how shall we discover this Divine purpose 
 concerning us? "Search the Scriptures." Here is 
 the mirror in which a man "beholds his natural 
 face." These are the "Sibylline leaves," in which 
 our highest destiny is revealed. The Scriptures 
 were intended to show us precisely what we ought 
 to be ; and to that end they show us precisely as God 
 made us. The chief reason why Coleridge believed 
 the Bible to be inspired was because, as he said, "It 
 finds me!" He looked in the glass and saw him- 
 self there; not his sinful, abnormal self, but his 
 "natural face"; that is, himself as God created him 
 and intended him to be. 
 
 And, having seen that outline, the business of an 
 earnest life Is to complete it. The date of a man's 
 conversion from sin to righteousness is when he 
 perceives this Divine scheme and hears Reason 
 saying, "That is true," and Conscience echoing, 
 "That is right"; and when his Will starts up to re- 
 spond, "So be it!" In that moment his chains are 
 broken, and he becomes a free man; that is, free 
 to recover his lost estate and thus to attain the 
 
"The Law of Liberty" 255 
 
 noblest and best — since he alone is the free man 
 whom the truth makes free. At that instant of 
 rebirth he proclaims his independence of all law 
 whatsoever, except the higher law, or the law of his 
 own being, which is, by the same token, the law of 
 the being of his Father God. 
 
 He is now at liberty to be himself; free to work 
 his way back to his Divine birthright; free to ac- 
 complish the career that was originally planned for 
 him. 
 
 His life is thenceforth like the cruise of Captain 
 Evans, who sailed out with the Oregon under 
 sealed instructions during the Spanish War. He 
 knew nothing of the business in hand until, out of 
 sight of land, he opened those instructions and saw 
 his cruise mapped out. Then on he sailed in the 
 service of his government, with only a single 
 thought. A thousand trumpets to right and left 
 would have called him in vain. He had read his 
 commission and must comply with it. So runs the 
 purpose of an earnest life. It knows but one law 
 — that law which covers the whole sphere of duty 
 as set forth in the Word of God. 
 
 He who has learned that secret has found the 
 deepest joy of living. "I will run in the way of 
 thy commandments," sang David, "when thou 
 shalt enlarge my heart." It is the enlarged heart 
 which sees the Divine love at the center of the Di- 
 vine law; which transforms "bounden duty" into 
 pleasure and hears in the great word "Ought" a 
 call to the very feast of God. To serve in that 
 
256 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 spirit Is to reign. To bow down thus Is to be ex- 
 alted; and to obey Is to be free. The wings of a 
 life transfigured In this manner are not like those 
 of a monoplane, which must be laboriously lifted 
 with a vast expenditure of energy, but like the 
 wings of an eagle, which bear it aloft exulting to 
 kindle Its eyes at the noonday sun. 
 
 The line of argument pursued thus far, when ex- 
 pressed in terms of practical life, spells Success. 
 Any other conception of freedom leads to failure 
 In the long run. 
 
 The struggle In the heart of Jean Valjean was at 
 this crossing of the ways. He had escaped from 
 the galleys and was happy In evading his pursuers 
 until he learned that another man, who resembled 
 him, had been arrested and was In chains. Then 
 the great question confronted him: Should he do, 
 at all hazards, what he knew to be right ? Should 
 he give himself up and return to the Intolerable 
 anguish of the old, weary days ? He decided other- 
 wise; and "just there," says Hugo, "he heard an In- 
 ternal burst of laughter!" All joy forsook him; 
 conscience awoke and shook Its finger at him; the 
 comfort of living was gone. He had broken the 
 law marked out for him as a child of God. At 
 length, the burden passing all endurance, he re- 
 solved to confess his identity and take the conse- 
 quences. And "just there" was where he saw "the 
 great light shining" — a light which was no other 
 than the shining face of God. 
 
 In the Bible we have the biographies of two 
 
"The Law of Liberty'* 257 
 
 Sauls who parted company at this perfect law. One 
 of them was Saul, the King of Israel, who knew 
 quite well what God expected of him and yet de- 
 liberately chose to carry out his own selfish will. 
 The judgment passed upon him was this: "Thou 
 hast rejected the Word of the Lord: wherefore 
 he hath rent thy kingdom from thee !" Many a 
 man has lost his crown and kingdom of manhood 
 by insisting on having his own way. 
 
 The other was Saul of Tarsus, who lived at odds 
 with the Divine plan until, on a certain memorable 
 day, he heard a voice from heaven saying, "It is 
 hard for thee to kick against the pricks." He had 
 indeed found it "hard" to fight against God. Hard 
 is the way of the transgressor, because he is the 
 manacled and fettered slave of sin. The turning 
 point in the life of this man was when he answered 
 the Voice, saying: "Lord, what wilt thou have me 
 to do?" The remainder of his days were passed 
 in happy obedience to the perfect law, in filling out 
 the silhouette of his normal face, revealed in that 
 vision as in the mirror of God. And when the end 
 came, though under the flash of the headsman's 
 ax, it found him glorying in freedom and ready to 
 pass on. "I have fought a good fight," he cried; 
 *'I have finished m.y course; I have kept the faith. 
 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown which 
 the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me at that 
 day!" 
 
 A kingdom lost by self-will, or a crown won by 
 subjection to the higher law — which shall it be? 
 
258 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 To win back the lost birthright of my normal 
 manhood Is to follow Christ, who alone was ab- 
 solutely true to the perfect law of liberty. He 
 offers his hand to the struggler who has failed, say- 
 ing, "Be of good courage; thy sins be forgiven 
 thee" ; and thenceforth he walks with the pardoned 
 sinner as his Exemplar, saying, "Follow me! Lo, 
 I am with you alway. Work out your own salva^ 
 tlon! Work it out to the uttermost and best; for 
 It Is God that worketh In you !" To be at one with 
 him Is to be free. "He is the free man whom the 
 Son makes free." And this is to enter Into "the 
 glorious liberty of the children of God." 
 
 8. PRAYER 
 
 1 render thanks to thee, O Lord, for my de- 
 liverance from the bondage of sin. Thou 
 hast not only blotted out my transgressions, 
 but promised to break the chains of evil habit. 
 Make me willing, I pray thee, to accept In full 
 measure the glorious liberty of thy children. 
 Give me the freedom wherewith Christ makes 
 free. Amen. 
 
 9. HYMN : "Come, thou Fount of every bless- 
 
 Ing." 
 
 10. BENEDICTION 
 
 Grace be unto thee, and mercy and peace 
 from God our Father and Jesus Christ our 
 Lord. Amen. 
 
TWENTIETH SERVICE 
 A Patchwork Religion 
 
 1. INVOCATION 
 
 /T is a wonder, O holy God, that a sinner 
 should be permitted to approach thee. 
 But thou hast invited me, and I look for a 
 blessing In Jesus' Name. Lift thou up the 
 light of thy countenance upon me, and let thy 
 peace, which passeth all understanding, come 
 into my heart; for thy Name's sake. Amen. 
 
 2. HYMN: "Come, we that love the Lord." 
 
 3. SCRIPTURE LESSON 
 
 Isaiah i :i 1-20. 
 Matthew 9 110-26. 
 
 4. PRAYER 
 
 O Lord, thou hast searched me and known 
 me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine 
 uprising; thou understandest my thought afar 
 off. This makes me glad, because there are 
 no barriers of misunderstanding to be broken 
 down when I approach thee. Thou knowest 
 my sins, my shortcomings, my blindness and 
 deafness, my stumblings, backslldings, and 
 wanderings: nevertheless, thou lovest me. I 
 
 259 
 
2 6o The Home Sanctuary 
 
 know thou lovest me, because thou earnest all 
 the way from heaven to suffer and die for me. 
 I know thou wilt hear my prayer for pardon, 
 because thou didst bear the shame, penalty, 
 and bondage of my sins in thine own body 
 on the bitter tree. What shall I render unto 
 thee for such immeasurable goodness ? I will 
 take the cup of salvation and pay unto thee 
 my solemn vows. Make me obedient to thy 
 holy will, ready to do or to suffer as pleaseth 
 thee. And what I ask for myself I ask for 
 thy people everywhere. Give them some 
 measure of thy self-denying passion for souls. 
 As thou wast sent by the Father to seek and 
 to save, so hast thou sent them. Let the feet 
 of thy disciples be swift to run and their hands 
 eager to help. Prosper thy work, O Lord, 
 and hasten the coming of thy Kingdom ; to the 
 glory of thine adorable Name. Amen. 
 
 5. HYMN: "Go, labor on, spend and be spent.'' 
 
 6. OFFERING 
 
 7. THE SERMON 
 
 A Patchwork Religion 
 
 **No man putteth a piece of undressed cloth 
 upon an old garment; for that which should fill 
 it up taketh from the garment, and a worse rent 
 is made." (Matt. 9: 16.) 
 
 A PLAIN truth is here put in a homely way. No 
 man, that Is, no sensible man, would undertake to 
 
A Patchwork Religion 261 
 
 repair an old garment with a patch of unfuUed 
 cloth, because the patch by shrinking would only 
 widen the rent, and the tailor would have his labor 
 in vain. 
 
 But the religious leaders of the Jews were dis- 
 posed to do this very thing. They would cheerfully 
 have fallen in with the teachings of Jesus, had he 
 been willing to concede that his Gospel was a mere 
 addendmn to their ceremonial religion. They 
 wanted a patchwork religion ; but Jesus would have 
 no such religion. 
 
 The thing was, in the nature of the case, utterly 
 impossible ; for the Gospel is not a sort of galvan- 
 ism, but life out of death. 
 
 It is no hyperbole to speak of the sinner as being 
 "dead in trespasses and sins." What do we mean 
 by physical death? Why do we say of a man in 
 his shroud that he is dead? Every particle that 
 natural science could take cognizance of is there; 
 every atom of lime, carbon, and phosphorus that 
 entered into his physical constitution. But some- 
 thing has gone out of it. What has gone out of it? 
 Physical life. How do we know that ? Because the 
 man can no longer perform his physical functions. 
 He has eyes, but he can not see; ears, but he can not 
 hear; a heart, but his pulse no longer beats. 
 
 In like manner, when the sinner is spoken of as 
 "dead," it is meant that he is incapable of per- 
 forming the functions of spiritual life. His brain, 
 conscience, will, and heart have no motion toward 
 God. Tell him the story of the Cross and he sheds 
 
262 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 no tears, feels no gratitude, has no personal Interest 
 In It. 
 
 Just here Christ enters, saying: "I am come that 
 ye who are thus dead may have life." This Is the 
 godspel, the "good news." The moment a sinner 
 comes Into vital touch with Christ by faith, he Is 
 reanimated — that is, "regenerated" — under the in- 
 fluence of the Spirit. It Is not enough to put a 
 placard on the breast of such a man, saying, "Be- 
 hold, he lives!" He must be "quickened from the 
 dead." So said Jesus, "Except a man be born again 
 he can not enter Into the kingdom of God." 
 
 The Jews were not alone In their desire for a 
 patchwork religion. The Neoplatonlsts of the 
 early Church undertook In like manner to combine 
 the Gospel with Greek philosophy. And they have 
 had successors all along the ages. 
 
 A "New Theology" of this sort Is now being ex- 
 ploited In certain quarters. As a matter of fact, 
 however, there Is nothing new about It. There Is 
 not an Item In the New Theology that has not been 
 current In former times. And whatever phase It 
 assumes It Invariably Involves a practical denial 
 both of sin as spiritual death, and of the Gospel as 
 the power of an endless life. 
 
 I. One form of the New Theology, so called, is 
 Antitheism. 
 
 It would hardly do to call It Atheism, since It Is 
 advocated within the Church ; but It Is, to all Intents 
 and purposes, a denial of God. 
 
 It sometimes takes the name of "Ethical Cul- 
 
A Patchwork Religion 263 
 
 ture.'' In this case It emphasizes the duty of build- 
 ing character, or making the most of one's self. 
 But not even this alluring form of selfishness can 
 express the substance of the Gospel, since its primal 
 precept is "Look out for Number One." 
 
 At other times it appears under the name of 
 ''Altruism," or Benevolence. Now it emphasizes 
 the duty of each man toward the next man. Its 
 cabalistic phrase is "Look out for Number Two." 
 And this usually refers not to the spiritual but to 
 the physical needs of the other man. 
 
 In both cases it will be observed that there is a 
 practical elimination of God. Not, of course, that 
 God is denied: But his influence Is reduced to a 
 minimum so low that, as Laplace said of his system 
 of astronomy, "We can manage to get on without 
 Him." He is not needed to account for the present 
 order of things, because the present order of things 
 is accounted for by the calm and uninterrupted 
 processes of natural law. He is not needed to work 
 miracles, since miracles are discredited, both those 
 of Scripture and others. It is true that God is not 
 formally renounced or disavowed; but Theism is 
 used as a mere conventional patch to cover a hole 
 that would otherwise expose the nakedness of the 
 system. It need scarcely be said that, within the 
 philosophy of Christ, such a bowing of God off 
 the premises is impossible, since he is first, last, 
 midst and all in all. 
 
 II. A second phase of the New Theology is 
 Legalism, 
 
264 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 We can conceive of but two plans of salvation. 
 
 One is salvation under the Law. The Law is 
 good as far as it goes. "He that keepeth it shall 
 live by It." But suppose the Law Is broken, what 
 then? The result Is sin. The sinner is still under 
 the Law, and Its sentence passes upon him, "The 
 soul that sinneth It shall die!" This Is spiritual 
 death or alienation from God. 
 
 The Law Is a hard taskmaster. So far as par- 
 don is concerned, it Is Impossible. "By the deeds 
 of the law shall no flesh be justified." To-day's 
 obedience can not expiate the disobedience of yes- 
 terday; any more than paying cash from now on 
 will cancel the accrued debts of a bankrupt. The 
 young man who came to Jesus Inquiring the way 
 of eternal life protested that he had tried earnestly 
 to keep the Commandments from his youth up : 
 nevertheless, conscious of some mortal deficiency, 
 he was moved to cry, "What lack I yet?" What 
 was It that he lacked? The assurance of pardoned 
 sin. And pardon of sin the Commandments can 
 not give. Unless there be an Interposition from 
 some quarter, the sinner Is left to expiate his sin. 
 The Law works both ways : "he that doeth the Law 
 shall live by the Law"; and, conversely, he that 
 breaketh the Law shall die by It. 
 
 The other plan of salvation is under Grace. 
 Grace and gratis are cognate words. To believe 
 In Christ, who was "wounded for our transgres- 
 sions," Is to be "healed by his stripes" — healed 
 "without money and without price." Our sins are 
 
A Patchwork Religion 265 
 
 blotted out, sunk in the depths of an unfathomable 
 sea, where God shall remember them no more 
 against us. On what condition? Faith; that is, ac- 
 ceptance of the gift. So it is written, "There is 
 therefore now no condemnation to them which are 
 in Christ Jesus. For the Law of the Spirit of life 
 in Christ Jesus made me free from the Law of sin 
 and death. For what the Law could not do, in that 
 it was weak through the flesh, God, sending his own 
 Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, con- 
 demned sin in the flesh : that the ordinance of the 
 Law might be fulfilled in us." Thus the Law, 
 which is otherwise a hard taskmaster, becomes "a 
 schoolmaster to lead us to Christ." 
 
 But there is no Grace in the philosophy of Legal- 
 ism. In so far as Grace is recognized at all, it is a 
 mere patch on morality. If heaven is ever won, it 
 must be won by personal merit. Far be it from 
 those who speak after this manner to deny the 
 Grace of God! The full meaning of pardon and 
 the imputation of Christ's righteousness is simply 
 explained away; and this is done so effectively that 
 the sinner is left to the cold mercies of the broken 
 Law. 
 
 III. The third phase of the ''New Theology'' 
 is Liberalism; so called, apparently, because of the 
 great liberties which it takes with Truth as revealed 
 in the Word of God. 
 
 I know of only two ways of arriving at truth; 
 one by revelation, and the other by Invention. 
 
 The Christian who believes In Revelation rests 
 
266 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 on the authority of the Word of God. To him a 
 "Thus saith the Lord" is final. He professes to 
 accept the Bible as his "infallible rule of faith and 
 practice," and acts accordingly. He comes to it like 
 a "prospector" with a pick on his shoulder search- 
 ing for truth. He does not expect to make gold, 
 or to invent it, or to develop it out of his inner con- 
 sciousness — only to discover it. He believes the 
 gold is there before striking a blow of the pick; 
 and he pursues his quest under the direction of his 
 Master, who said, "Search the Scriptures because in 
 them ye think ye have eternal life; and these are 
 they which bear witness of me." 
 
 The "liberal," on the other hand, "makes his 
 final appeal," not to the Scriptures, but to his own 
 "inner consciousness." This makes truth not a dis- 
 covery, but an invention; and every man must in- 
 vent it for himself. He is like an alchemist who 
 does not go out among the hills prospecting for 
 gold, but shuts himself up in his laboratory, with 
 crucible and chemicals, and proposes to manufac- 
 ture it. 
 
 Of course Liberalism does not renounce the 
 Bible; on the contrary, it professes to receive it, 
 but not as an infallible rule of faith and practice, 
 nor as ultimate authority concerning anything. 
 It accepts it as a patch put on personal opinion to 
 cover a bad rent in the spiritual wardrobe of the 
 free-thinker. Thus the Scriptures are an old wine- 
 skin, into which one pours the product of his 
 inner consciousness, with the result that the wine- 
 
A Patchwork Religion 267 
 
 skin breaks and the wine runs out.. The attitude 
 of the truth-seeker in this case is as hopeless as was 
 that of Theodore Parker who, on being reminded 
 of what the Scriptures said with reference to a 
 vexed question in theology, is reputed to have said : 
 ^'I do not propose to accept that statement on the 
 authority of any such person as God." 
 
 IV. The fourth and only remaining phase of 
 the ''New Theology^' to which reference need be 
 made^ is Ceremonialism. 
 
 We are familiar with two forms of religion in 
 these days. One of them has been called '^Churchi- 
 anity"; the other is Christianity. The former 
 consists in outward form, the latter in an inward 
 life. 
 
 Far be it from me to say aught against the 
 Church. It would not have been founded and 
 fostered by Christ had he not intended that all who 
 truly love and follow him should come into organic 
 connection with it. The Church is his Bride; and 
 those who hastily criticise the Church would do 
 well to inquire whether the Bridegroom is pleased 
 with their criticisms. It remains, however, that to 
 depend on Church-membership for salvation is the 
 extreme of folly. One may be in the Church and 
 not of it. One may call himself a Christian with- 
 out being in vital touch with Christ. The Pharisees 
 were the best Church-members of their time; yet 
 they were spoken of as "whited sepulchers, fair 
 without but within full of dead men's bones and all 
 uncleanness." Sacraments save no souls. For an 
 
^68 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 unregenerate man or woman to come into the 
 Church gives no guarantee of having passed from 
 death unto hfe. 
 
 For Christianity is Life. "The letter killeth, 
 but the Spirit giveth hfe." Profession is one thing, 
 regeneration is another. The man who enters the 
 church without expecting to be saved by it, but be- 
 cause he is saved and desires to ally himself with 
 the great fellowship of those who are bound to- 
 gether by a common purpose to live for Christ, Is 
 not simply a ''professor" but a follower of Christ. 
 Such a man is '^alive toward God." 
 
 It Is to be feared, however, that there are some 
 In our churches who make their Christianity a mere 
 patch on Church-membership; who put their real 
 reliance not In having their lives hid with Christ In 
 God, but In having their names on the roster as 
 ''members of the church in good and regular stand- 
 ing." A hope like this is not only frail, but unde- 
 pendable as a spider's web. 
 
 It means something to be a Christian; something 
 very true and serious. It means, to begin with, an 
 absolute and unreserved surrender to Christ, In pur- 
 suance of his word, "No man can serve two mas- 
 ters." It means the sense of free pardon as against 
 all works of both the moral and the ceremonial law. 
 It means sanctification by the Spirit as against all 
 cherished sin; in other words, loyal and faithful 
 service In co-operation with the Spirit of God. 
 
 Our religion is an exclusive one; as exclusive as 
 light is exclusive of darkness; as momentum Is ex- 
 
A Patchwork Religion 269 
 
 elusive of Inertia; as life Is exclusive of death. 
 There can be no patchwork In these premises. It 
 would be as wise to suggest that light is a patch 
 put upon darkness. At the rising of the sun all 
 shadows flee, like ghosts across the hills. So at the 
 coming of Christ everything else goes. He is made 
 unto us wisdom and righteousness, sanctification 
 and redemption. He fills the horizons of life. 
 He becomes all in all. 
 
 The man who was found at the Marriage Sup- 
 per without the robe which the king's chamberlain 
 had provided for all guests, was reproved by the 
 king. In this wise: "How camest thou in hither not 
 having on the wedding garment?" To have an- 
 swered, "My robe is of the finest, and is adorned 
 with jewels," would have been foolishly vain. How 
 much less valid would be the excuse of one who 
 should Intrude upon the heavenly feast in a patch- 
 work garment, where the guests are clothed In fine 
 linen, clean and white; of whom It is written, 
 "These are they that come out of the great tribula- 
 tion, and they w^ashed their robes and made them 
 white in the blood of the Lamb." 
 
 8. PRAYER 
 
 O Lord, deliver me from vain show and 
 pretense In my religious life. Give me a sin- 
 cere desire for truth and righteousness. Plant 
 my feet on the King's highway; lead me clear 
 to heaven's gate; and grant me an abundant 
 
270 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 entrance, in the name of my Redeemer. 
 Amen. 
 
 9. HYMN: 'Take my life and let it be conse- 
 
 crated, Lord, to thee." 
 
 10. BENEDICTION 
 
 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the 
 love of God, and the communion of the Holy 
 Ghost be with you. Amen. 
 
TWENTY-FIRST SERVICE 
 
 Bad Habits 
 
 1. INVOCATION 
 
 J^LESSED Lord, enable me to worship thee 
 jD aright In praise and prayer. Open unto 
 me the Scriptures, and help me so to read, 
 mark, learn, and Inwardly digest, that by pa- 
 tience and the comfort of thy Holy Word I 
 may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed 
 hope of everlasting life which thou hast given 
 In Jesus Christ. Amen. 
 
 2. HYMN: "How sweet the name of Jesus 
 
 sounds!" 
 
 3. SCRIPTURE LESSON 
 
 Proverbs i : 10-23. 
 Matthew 5 :i-i6. 
 
 4. PRAYER 
 
 I give thee hearty thanks, most merciful 
 Father, for all thy goodness. If I were to 
 count thy blessings, lo ! they are like the sands 
 of the seashore for multitude. But best and 
 greatest Is thine unspeakable gift of salvation 
 271 
 
272 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 In Christ. Love so amazing, so divine, de- 
 mands my soul, my life, my all. Forgive my 
 sins, I pray thee, for the sake of him on whom 
 were laid the iniquities of all. I confess that 
 I have not only broken thy holy Law, but 
 have come short of thy glory continually. 
 Have mercy. Lord; O Lord, forgive; let a 
 repenting rebel live. I am a great sinner, but 
 thou art a great Saviour; wherefore I confi- 
 dently look to thee for pardon and for sus- 
 taining grace. Keep back thy servant hence- 
 forth from presumptuous sins; let them not 
 have dominion over me. Break the chains of 
 evil habit and safeguard me against my be- 
 setting sins. Show me the footprints of the 
 faultless Son of Man, and enable me to fol- 
 low them. Thou knowest my heart; search 
 me and see if I desire not to run in the way 
 of thy commandments. Give me all the 
 graces of character, that in my walk and con- 
 versation I may adorn the doctrine of Christ; 
 crown them with charity without which a 
 Christian profession Is as sounding brass or 
 a tinkling cymbal. The sum of my desires is 
 to be like Christ. Let his mind be in me. 
 And let all who belong to his great household 
 be like minded with him. So let righteous- 
 ness prevail among thy people, and through 
 them overspread the earth. And to thy great 
 Name, O ever-blessed Triune God, shall be 
 eternal praise. Amen. 
 
Bad Habits 273 
 
 5. HYMN: "Am I a soldier of the Cross?" 
 7. THE SERMON 
 
 Bad Habits 
 "Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the 
 leopard his spots ? then may ye also do good that 
 are accustomed to do evil." ( Jer. 13 : 23.) 
 
 Now this Is everybody's sermon. Its subject is 
 ''Bad Habits"; and we all have them. 
 
 In some they are more conspicuous than in 
 others. The drunkard, for example, bears a plac- 
 ard before and behind him, like a "sandwich 
 man" ; and his breath cries aloud, "Fve been drink- 
 ing; look at me!" And this Is only one of a long 
 catalogue of vices that redden the eyes and seethe 
 the flesh. 
 
 On the other hand, there are vices such as envy, 
 avarice, and sordldness, that dress well, walk erect, 
 and pass as eminently respectable; but let no such 
 sinner look askance at drabs and drunkards, say- 
 ing: "God, I thank thee that I am not as these!" 
 For God's thoughts are not as our thoughts, and he 
 has given us to understand quite clearly that vulgar 
 sins and respectable sins are alike in his eyes. 
 
 The word "habit" has In It the sum and sub- 
 stance of my sermon. It comes from the Latin 
 habere, meaning "to have." A habit Is a thing 
 that grips us, fits us. There Is a figure of singular 
 felicity In the word, which makes It applicable to 
 both clothes and character. A habit of riding Is 
 not synonymous with "a riding habit"; but the 
 word describes them equally well. We wear our 
 
274 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 habits as we wear our clothes; yet, there are some 
 differences worth noting. 
 
 For one thing, we can not acquire our habits as 
 we do our clothes. 
 
 We can not buy them either "ready-made" or 
 *'made-to-order." One may get a reputation in 
 this manner at any newspaper office, but not a 
 character ; for, while a character is an outfit of habit, 
 a reputation Is only what people say about us. The 
 latter is provided by our neighbors, whether we 
 will or not; but the former is always home-made. 
 Here every man Is his own tailor. 
 
 The making begins with a single act, which by 
 successive repetitions grows into a "habit," custom, 
 or "costume," so that we put it on and wear it. 
 There is a reference to this process in the familiar 
 saying, "Sow an act and reap a habit; sow a habit 
 and reap a character; sow a character and reap a 
 destiny," and also In Shakespeare's words, "How 
 use doth breed a habit In a man!" 
 
 Take profanity, for example, w^hich is the mean- 
 est and most gratuitous of common sins. The first 
 time a profane person takes the name of God in 
 vain. It shocks and startles him; but, after years 
 of practice, the oath easily dribbles from his lips. 
 
 Or, take avarice. No man Is born a miser. He 
 begins with the gripping of his first dollar when he 
 cries, "It Is mine, and I mean to keep it !" He gets 
 and saves and hoards until at length, his soul turns 
 yellow, and he looks with jaundiced eyes upon the 
 yellow god. 
 
Bad Habits 275 
 
 Or, take drunkenness. The youth who has re- 
 cently left home, on yielding to the temptation of 
 the first glass, sees a viper at the bottom of it, and 
 hears his mother's voice saying, "Look not upon 
 the wine when it is red." It was so with Robert 
 Burns when he first met Souter Johnny in Tam 
 O'Shanter's Inn. The glass of spirits burned his 
 throat. But as time passed the appetite grew upon 
 him so that he was finally moved to say, "If there 
 were a barrel of rum in one corner of this room 
 and a loaded cannon in the other, I would risk the 
 mortal danger to get my glass of rum." 
 
 Or take sensuality. The first tirr.e you attended 
 the theater and saw an unclean play, do you remem- 
 ber how you flushed to the roots of your hair? But 
 you have grown accustomed to that sort of thing : 
 so that now it would take a good deal to make you 
 change color, wouldn't it? 
 
 Or take unbelief. You were educated in a Chris- 
 tian household, where reverence was paid to sacred 
 things. The first time you heard the denial of God 
 or of God's Word, of Christ or his Atonement, 
 your soul rose up in arms; but you have been read- 
 ing flings at religion in the newspapers and else- 
 where so long that you now take them as a matter 
 of course, and do not hesitate yourself on occasion 
 to make light of religious things. So true is It that 
 use doth breed a habit in a man. Vice is, indeed — 
 
 A monster of so frightful mien 
 As to be hated needs but to be seen ; 
 Yet, seen too oft, familiar with her face: 
 We first endure, then pity, then embrace. 
 
276 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 It is thus that we make our moral outfit, like a suit 
 of clothes, and put it on and feel more and more 
 comfortable as we wear it. 
 
 But there is another point, whereat our morals 
 differ from our clothes; to wit, we can not dispose 
 of them at will. 
 
 It is easy enough to say, "I will quit," but not so 
 easy to do it. There is truth in the old saying, 
 "Hell is paved with good resolutions," as many a 
 malefactor has discovered to his sorrow. And even 
 if it were possible to make an end of one abomi- 
 nable thing, where would be the gain, so long as the 
 root of evil remains in us? It is like cutting back 
 a thorn-bush, only to have the strength of the am- 
 putated twig show itself in a more vigorous growth 
 at some other point. For habit is simply an out- 
 growth of sin; and good resolutions are mere local 
 applications that do not reach the seat and center 
 of it. 
 
 Nor can a had habit he worn out. 
 
 On the contrary, the longer we wear it the bet- 
 ter it wears. And the longer we wear it the better 
 it fits. It adjusts itself like a garment to the creases 
 and sinuosities of mind and conscience; so that 
 whereas it chafed at first it now "fits like a glove,'* 
 as we say, and "is as easy as an old shoe." The 
 older it grows the better we like it. Custom be- 
 comes "second nature." That which once required 
 an effort is done at length without thought and in- 
 voluntarily. 
 
 One of the riders in a recent bicycle race at 
 
Bad Habits 277 
 
 Madison Square. Garden fell asleep on the fifth 
 day, and kept moving automatically around the 
 course. Such is the force of habit. 
 
 A missionary, engaged in rescue work among 
 the criminal classes, succeeded in bringing a con- 
 firmed pickpocket to repentance. After years of 
 earnest effort to reform, with occasional lapses into 
 his besetting sin, the man lay dying. As the mis- 
 sionary was making the last prayer at his bedside 
 he heard the dying man whisper, "Look out for 
 your watch!" and found that the man's hand was 
 stealthily moving toward it. Thus was the ruling 
 passion strong in death. 
 
 But perhaps our bad habits will die with us? 
 Impossible ! I remember a saint grown gray in the 
 service of Christ, who was fond of singing, as the 
 shadows fell — 
 
 The day is past and gone, 
 
 The evening shades appear; 
 Oh, may we all remember well 
 
 The night of death draws near. 
 We lay our garments by, 
 
 Upon our beds to rest; 
 So death will soon disrobe us all 
 
 Of what Is here possessed. 
 
 But we can not lay off our bad habits at death as 
 "we lay our garments by." Having become our 
 "second nature" they must go with us into the life 
 beyond. 
 
 They are like the robe of Nessus which was 
 dipped In the blood of the hydra and given to Her- 
 cules by his wife. At first It was not uncomforta- 
 
278 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 ble; but presently when, the poison having pene- 
 trated his body, he would have divested himself of 
 It, he found that it had become so interwoven with 
 his nerves and sinews, that, driven to despair, he 
 lighted his funeral pyre and died in the vain effort 
 to destroy the fatal garment. 
 
 The thing that we call death is not revolution- 
 ary; it is simply the separation of soul and body. 
 A man then moves out of the house which he had 
 been living in; and all that is himself passes on. 
 Wherefore It is written, "He that is righteous let 
 him be righteous still, and he that is holy let him be 
 holy still; he that Is unjust let him be unjust still, 
 and he that Is filthy let him be filthy still." 
 
 And after that, what? Every one "to his own 
 place" ; that Is, to the place for which his habits and 
 aptitudes, or. In other words, his character, shall 
 have fitted him. It Is related of Casper Hauser 
 that, having been born in a dungeon and confined 
 there without light from the outer world until his 
 seventeenth year, he was then released only to find 
 that the light smote upon his eyes with an insuffer- 
 able pain, and the sounds of the streets fell like a 
 crash of thunder in his ears; so that he begged to 
 be taken back to prison, because the dismal silence 
 and solitude were more tolerable than the comforts 
 of freedom and normal life. 
 
 The reason why the thought of death Is terrible 
 to many Is not because it ushers us into the un- 
 known, but because it ends probation by crystalliz- 
 ing character and so "fixes us in an eternal state." 
 
Bad Habits 279 
 
 As the tree falleth, so also must It lie. Eternity 
 finds us as death leaves us. The soul must needs, 
 therefore, go to its own place. The gates of heaven 
 are always open; but those who wander in outer 
 darkness would find only an added misery were 
 they to enter in. To such as are confirmed In sin 
 there must, of necessity, be one place more Insuf- 
 ferable than hell; that place is heaven, where truth 
 and righteousness prevail and all are engaged in the 
 pure worship of God. 
 
 It would appear that the case, then. Is a des- 
 perate one. If a character made up of evil habits 
 can not be laid aside at will, nor worn out, nor re- 
 moved by death, what shall the sinner do? There 
 Is obviously nothing to be done but to call upon 
 God. Our extremity Is his opportunity. It was 
 because there was no eye to pity and no arm to save 
 that God made bare his arm on Calvary In our be- 
 half. His only-begotten Son came to break every 
 chain and bid the oppressed go free. He who lifts 
 up his eyes to the hills. In his extremity, will find 
 that the things that are impossible with men are 
 possible with God. 
 
 The first thing that God does to help the man 
 who, through Indulgence In evil habits, has brought 
 himself to a hopeless state. Is to blot out his sin. 
 And nothing further Is possible until this has been 
 done. For though a man were set upon his feet, 
 proof against all possibility of further sin, the rec- 
 ord of the mislived past would still remain against 
 him. That reckoning must be met; and what a 
 
2 8o The Home Sanctuary 
 
 hopeless handicap Is here to him who would set 
 forth upon a career of holy living! But "come 
 now, saith the Lord, and let us reason together; 
 though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as 
 white as snow, and though they be red like crim- 
 son they shall be as wool." Blessed be the 
 fountain of blood! The handicap Is off! The 
 ball and chain are removed ! Here is no pris- 
 oner out on ticket-of-leave, but a sinner pardoned 
 and set free. There Is now no condemnation to 
 them that are in Christ Jesus. God has so forgiven 
 the past that he will remember It no more against 
 us. 
 
 The next thing that Christ does Is to enable us to 
 get the better of our evil tendencies. He grants us 
 his continual presence, saying, "Lo, I am with you 
 alway." He buttresses our weakness with omnip- 
 otence, so that we are able to say, "When I am 
 weak, then am I strong, because the power of God 
 resteth upon me." 
 
 And still further he supplants the evil habits with 
 new and better ones. In this is Illustrated what 
 Chalmers calls "the expulsive power of a new affec- 
 tion." Our Lord gives us better work to do. He 
 puts a sickle in our hands and, pointing to the vine- 
 yard, says, "Go work to-day." The "old man of 
 sin" grows weaker as "the new man In Christ 
 Jesus" grows stronger. The old character fades 
 out as the new takes on the color of the mind of 
 Christ. This Is sanctification. Old things thus pass 
 away, and, behold, all things become new. We 
 
Bad Habits 281 
 
 form new habits of prayer, of Bible study, of de- 
 vout meditation and of service in the Kingdom, and 
 become more and more engrossed in them. 
 
 Is not this better than merely to cut out a bad 
 habit here and there, with a good resolution, only 
 to find that the root is ever throwing out new sprouts 
 of sin? As the frost gathers upon your windows, 
 would you undertake to remove It with a knife- 
 blade ? Would it not be more effective to kindle a 
 fire on your hearth and melt it? In like manner 
 evil thoughts and tendencies vanish when the heart 
 is made right with God. 
 
 What, then, is the conclusion of the matter? I 
 say, "Come to Jesus." But here again the force of 
 habit dulls the meaning of that w^ord of invitation 
 and makes it sound like an oft-told tale. For there 
 are those who have grown accustomed to rejecting 
 Christ. There was a time, perhaps, in a revival 
 long ago, when you heard the preacher say, "Come 
 to Jesus," and you thought seriously about it but 
 did not act; and later there came another oppor- 
 tunity and again you put It aside ; and so it will be, 
 year after year, until the habit of refusal has grown 
 upon you. 
 
 There is an oriental story of an alchemist who, 
 hearing that the philosopher's stone could be found 
 near a certain river, strolled along its bank, with 
 magnet In hand, testing successively all the pebbles 
 he found. As, one by one, they made no response 
 to the magnet, he flung them into the river. At 
 length he found the pebble that when touched be- 
 
282 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 came yellow In his hand ; but alas ! he had become 
 so accustomed to the movement that this also was 
 thrown into the river, and his golden opportunity 
 was lost. 
 
 So come and go the eventful moments of life. 
 So come the visions of an open heaven and beckon- 
 ing hands. So once and again we hear the voice 
 of Jesus calling, "Come unto me!" Alas for him 
 who, by force of habit, rejects the last call, quenches 
 the spirit and loses the possibility of life. 
 
 Once more then, by Divine commission I say, 
 "Come to Jesus !" He alone can deliver from the 
 bondage of evil habit and eradicate its root of sin. 
 The invitation is yours; will you heed it? 
 
 8. PRAYER 
 
 Grant thy blessing upon this service, O 
 Lord, and form within me a deeper hatred 
 of sin and love of holiness. Help me to keep 
 myself unspotted from the world, that I may 
 be presented faultless before thy throne, 
 clothed in the righteousness of Christ. 
 Strengthen me for duty and refresh me with 
 thy grace; for the Redeemer's sake. Amen. 
 
 9. HYMN: "What a friend we have In Jesus!" 
 
 10. BENEDICTION 
 
 Grace, mercy, and peace from God the 
 Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, be 
 with you. Amen. 
 
TWENTY-SECOND SERVICE 
 
 A Sinful Thought 
 
 1. INVOCATION 
 
 OTHOU High and Holy One, who hast 
 Invited me to this communion, help me to 
 enter thy presence with a penitent, believing, 
 loving heart. And be pleased to lift upon me 
 the light of thy countenance; for Jesus' sake. 
 Amen. 
 
 2. HYMN: "My faith looks up to Thee." 
 
 3. SCRIPTURE LESSON 
 
 Psalm 34. 
 
 Acts 8:5-24. 
 
 4. PRAYER 
 
 Almighty and everlasting God, I thank 
 thee for the great salvation that was accom- 
 plished on Calvary for all the children of men. 
 I thank thee for the gracious proffer of its 
 benefits on the sole and simple condition of 
 faith in thy beloved Son. I thank thee for 
 thy Church, endued with power from on high, 
 and sent forth to proclaim the Evangel unto 
 the uttermost parts of the earth. O God,, 
 stimulate thy people to more earnest zeal In 
 the propagation of thy Gospel. Send laborers 
 into the harvest and grant a great ingather- 
 283 
 
284 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 ing, so that thy garners may be full. Incline 
 the hearts of the impenitent to close in with 
 thine overtures of mercy. Give great power 
 to thy Word as it is preached to-day. Let 
 those who minister in thy Name hide them- 
 selves behind the Cross, and so lift up Christ 
 that multitudes shall be drawn unto him. Let 
 the humblest of thy servants be ready to serve 
 faithfully and patiently in his appointed place. 
 Oh, that all were willing to run at thy com- 
 mand ! Help me. Lord, to be true to my con- 
 victions. Save me from sin, from wandering, 
 from spiritual indifference. If I know my 
 own heart, I sincerely desire to glorify thee 
 to-day, in my home-life and in my relations 
 with those about me. I would realize that I 
 am my brother's keeper. I can not live or die 
 alone; because others are ever taking knowl- 
 edge of me. I pray that they may take 
 knowledge that I have been with Jesus. Let 
 them be attracted to him by his graces re- 
 flected in me. Hear and answer for his 
 Name's sake. Amen. 
 
 5. HYMN: 'There is a green hill far away." 
 
 6. OFFERING 
 
 7. SERMON 
 
 A Sinful Thought 
 
 "Now when Simon saw that through the lay- 
 ing on of the apostles' hands the Holy Spirit was 
 
A Sinful Thought 285 
 
 given, he offered them money, saying, 'Give me 
 also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, 
 he may receive the Holy Spirit.' But Peter said 
 unto him, 'Thy silver perish with thee, because 
 thou hast thought to obtain the gift of God 
 with money. Thou hast neither part nor lot in 
 this matter: for thy heart is not right before 
 God. Repent therefore of this wickedness; and 
 pray the Lord, if perhaps the thought of thy 
 heart may be forgiven thee.' " (Acts 8: 18-22.) 
 
 The man here referred to as "Simon the 
 Sorcerer" was a native of Cyprus, who claimed to 
 be an emanation from God. He was a clever mas- 
 ter of "the black art." He traveled about from 
 city to city, performing feats of magic, and was 
 familiarly known as "The Great Power of God." 
 
 In the city of Samaria he met his match. Phlilp, 
 a lay evangelist, fleeing from persecution in Je- 
 rusalem, had come hither to preach the Gospel, and 
 the people flocked to hear him. The sorcerer was 
 amazed. Here was a man who wrought wonders 
 that put all his tricks of legerdemain Into the shade. 
 Signs and miracles ! The sick were healed, demons 
 were exorcised, the blind received their sight. 
 
 What should Simon do? Clever man! He 
 joined the church. His purpose was to discover the 
 secret of Philip's power and appropriate it. How 
 can the unworthy be prevented from thus assuming 
 the livery of heaven? The tares and the wheat 
 must grow together; God alone can prevent it. 
 
 But a greater surprise still awaited the sorcerer. 
 In order to relieve the burden laid upon Philip by 
 
2 86 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 the Increasing Interest In Samaria, two men, Peter 
 and John, were sent from Jerusalem to assist him. 
 Then, wonder on wonder! By the laying of their 
 hands on believers they conferred the singular gifts 
 known as charismata — the gift of tongues, the 
 gift of prophecy, the gift of Interpretation. Simon 
 was amazed beyond measure. He was familiar 
 with wizardry and Pythian demonstrations of every 
 sort; but here was such magic as he had never 
 dreamed of — visions, miracles, diversities of gifts ! 
 
 Now what should he do? Clever man, again! 
 He would buy the secret. Accordingly he offered 
 a sum of money to the Apostles, saying, "Give me 
 also this charlsm." But Peter said, "Thy silver 
 perish with thee ! Thou hast neither part nor lot 
 In this matter; for thy heart Is not right before 
 God. Repent, therefore, and pray the Lord that 
 the thought of thy heart may be forgiven thee." 
 
 The "thought of the heart" of this man Is now 
 to be considered. His name Is linked etymologl- 
 cally with the sin of "simony," which is defined to 
 be "the Illegal sale or purchase of ecclesiastical liv- 
 ings or benefices." But the sin of Simon lay far 
 deeper than that. It was In "the thought of his 
 heart"; and the thought of his heart was precisely 
 identical with the chief heresy of our time, which Is 
 the denial of the supernatural. We are asked to 
 believe that all things occur by the calm processes 
 of natural law. It is practically Insisted that noth- 
 ing Is worthy of credence that can not be verified 
 by the test of the physical senses. This means a 
 
A Sinful Thought 287 
 
 world without God, man evolved from frogspawn, 
 a Bible without inspiration, and a religion without 
 miracles. The statement is not overdrawn. We 
 note on every side the effort to explain away every- 
 thing that lies beyond the reach of our eyes, ears 
 and fingers. 
 
 The thought of the heart of Simon is the basic 
 thought of Naturalism in every age. It Is the key- 
 note of the philosophy of Laplace, who, on being 
 reproved by Napoleon in this wise, "I see no men- 
 tion of God in your philosophy," answered, "Ah, 
 there lies its chief excellence; it leaves no room for 
 God!" 
 
 In pursuance of this thought the sorcerer was 
 led into a series of grievous errors. 
 
 The first ivas a Wrong View of the Profession 
 of Religion. 
 
 He joined the church without a change of heart. 
 By the mere entering of his name on the church- 
 roll he became "a member In good and regular 
 standing"; but his heart was not right before God. 
 He may have deceived himself; he certainly de- 
 ceived others. He was a mask-wearer, being in the 
 church but not of it. 
 
 Is it not said, "He believed" ? It is, indeed; but 
 it IS written, "The devils also believe and tremble." 
 Faith is always orthodox; but It does not follow 
 that orthodoxy Is always faith. It is not enough 
 that one should intellectually apprehend and assent 
 to the historic facts of Christianity. Religion Is a 
 matter of the heart; for "with the heart man be- 
 
288 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 lleveth unto righteousness." This is the meaning 
 of Christ's saying, "Except ye eat the flesh of the 
 Son of Man and drink his blood, ye have not life 
 in yourselves" ; that is, Christ is to be apprehended 
 as food Is eaten and assimilated, so that it enters 
 Into our very nerve, sinew, blood, and every-day 
 life. He who truly believes must be able to say, 
 "I no longer live, but Christ llveth in me." 
 
 It Is stated, also, that the sorcerer was "bap- 
 tized." But here we note another of his misap- 
 prehensions. He seems to have regarded baptism 
 as merely the initiatory rite of admission into the 
 Church. The water was mere water to him; a sort 
 of magical outward form. He did not perceive 
 that it signified the washing away of sins; where- 
 fore Peter said, "For I see that thou art in the gall 
 of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity." He was 
 baptized but unconverted. His heart was not right 
 before God. 
 
 It is said, also, that "he continued" with Philip 
 and the disciples. He attended the meetings, went 
 with them on their itineraries, and his conversion 
 was, no doubt, heralded as a triumph of redeeming 
 gr^ce. There was nothing in It, however, but dumb 
 show ; for God looketh on the heart, and Simon at 
 heart was an unchanged man. 
 
 It was a rare exchange of courtesies that is said 
 to have passed between Sir Walter Raleigh and his 
 executioner. "Which way. Sir Walter, wilt thou 
 lay thy head upon the block?" — "So that my heart 
 be right, friend, It matters not which way my head 
 
A Sinful Thought 289 
 
 lies." Far be It from us to belittle the importance 
 of a creed; but there is many a true Christian who, 
 while unable to discriminate between the Nicene 
 and Athanasian symbols, can truly say, "Yea, Lord, 
 thou knowest that I love thee!" 
 
 The second mistake made by Simon, growing out 
 of the materialistic thought of his hearty was a 
 Wrong View of Religious Experience, 
 
 He believed that the operations of the Spirit 
 could be accounted for on natural grounds. 
 
 A recent book by a learned scientist, on the Phe- 
 nomena of Religious Experience, places the Chris- 
 tian's joy of salvation in the same category with the 
 frenzy of voodoo priests and howling dervishes. 
 This is of a piece with the prevailing tendency, in 
 certain quarters, to obliterate the line between the 
 natural and the supernatural, reduce Christ to the 
 level of other teachers, and account for everything 
 without a personal and self-revealing God. 
 
 The initial phenomenon of Christian experience 
 Is repentance. A man becomes sensible of sin, its 
 shame and bondage and inevitable penalty; and he 
 stands like the publican with fallen face, beating 
 upon his breast and crying, "God be merciful to me 
 the sinner!" To the looker-on, who regards sin as 
 a mere disease, or, as the Christian Scientist would 
 say, "a belief of mortal mind," this cry for mercy 
 Is an evidence of hypochondria. The penitent is In 
 the doldrums — that is all ! 
 
 And then Conversion. What Is that? The 
 SImonist says It is "turning over a new leaf." It 
 
290 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 is resolving to tell the truth and pay one's debts 
 and behave justly toward one's fellow-men. In 
 other words, it is purely a human procedure — a 
 mere whitewashing or veneering, at best. As such, 
 it falls quite within the province of Simon's jug- 
 glery. "Presto, change!" Far different is the 
 teaching of Jesus, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, 
 except one be born anew, he can not see the King- 
 dom of God." And except a man be born of water 
 and the Spirit, that is, of cleansing and quicken- 
 ing, "he can not enter Into the Kingdom of God." 
 In this view of the matter all is supernatural, all is 
 miraculous. "Not by might nor by power but by 
 my Spirit, saith the Lord." All is mysterious; 
 "The wind bloweth where it will and thou hearest 
 the voice thereof, but knowest not whence it cometh 
 and whither it goeth : so is every one that is born 
 of the Spirit." The question raised in our time as 
 to the supernatural in conversion Is precisely the old 
 question of Pentecost, to wit, new wine versus a 
 new heart. If God were to make bare his arm in 
 our sight, and reaching Into the breast of a sinner 
 take out a cold heart of stone and replace it with 
 a living heart of flesh, it would be no more a mir- 
 acle than that which he performs in the case of 
 every man who is truly converted from sin to 
 righteousness and brought into the Kingdom of 
 God. 
 
 And after Conversion comes Sanctificatlon. It 
 is an error to think of Sanctificatlon as a mere 
 growth in the passive graces of character. It is 
 
A Sinful Thought 291 
 
 really the lifelong development of a Divine fervor 
 in the soul. It is a constant approach to the mind 
 of Jesus, who said, "The zeal for thy house shall 
 eat me up." It Is a growing apprehension of the 
 fact that the world Is nothing and Christ is all. 
 It comes by the baptism of the Holy Spirit and fire; 
 and the fire kindles the whole man, more and more, 
 until the world says of him, as Festus did of Paul, 
 "Thou art beside thyself !" Call In Simon to explain 
 the earnestness of a Christian, and he will point 
 you to the voodoos and the dervishes. Ask him to 
 explain the power of Peter at Pentecost, or of 
 Whitefield In the open fields near London, or of 
 Moody In the presence of penitent multitudes, and 
 he will call it animal or psychic magnetism. But the 
 pagans themselves were wiser than this; in their 
 endeavor to account for the thunderbolt, they must 
 needs call In Jupiter Tonans; even to them there 
 was a God behind It. 
 
 The third mistake growing out of the thought 
 of Simon's heart was a Wrong View of the Bene- 
 fits of Religion. 
 
 He regarded it as a purchasable commodity; as 
 Peter said, "Thou hast thought to obtain the gift 
 of God with money." It Is true that "Godliness Is 
 profitable for all things" ; but it is beyond human 
 power to purchase it. 
 
 There are many things that current coin will 
 buy; such as lands and houses, fine raiment, books 
 and pictures, a table spread with dainties and fruits 
 "in season and out of season," pleasure of every 
 
292 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 sort, popularity, political preferment, a seat in the 
 upper house of Congress or an ecclesiastical "liv- 
 ing." It will build schools, hospitals and libraries 
 with the donor's name on the archway. It will 
 crown the buyer's fame with a splendid tomb and 
 a glowing epitaph, "Here lies Croesus, Friend of 
 Humanity and Servant of God." 
 
 But there are many things our currency will not 
 buy. It may buy reputation, but not character; 
 adulation, but not self-respect; position, but not a 
 cubit of moral stature ; luxury, but not an extension 
 of life. The last words of Elizabeth were, "Mil- 
 lions of money for an inch of time !" But there 
 was not money enough in the exchequer of England 
 to purchase it. The world is enveloped with an 
 atmosphere fifty miles deep; but all the power of 
 the mighty queen could not buy a single breath 
 of it. 
 
 And the Gift of God ! That is beyond purchase. 
 It is unspeakably precious, yet absolutely free. It 
 is free as the air, which is conditioned only on our 
 breathing it. Free as the water, which is con- 
 ditioned only on our drinking it. "Ho, every one 
 that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that 
 hath no money; come ye, buy and eat; yea, come, 
 buy wine and milk without money and without 
 price!" God's grace is to be had for the taking. 
 Nevertheless, the world is full of would-be buyers; 
 flagellants, lashing their bodies for the sins of their 
 souls in the hope of making merit to admit them 
 to the Kingdom of God; moralists hoping to pur- 
 
A Sinful Thought 293 
 
 chase the unpurchasable with works of supereroga- 
 tion, forgetful of what the Master said, "This is 
 the work of God, that ye beheve on him whom he 
 hath sent"; ceremonialists, making long prayers, 
 and paying tithes of mint, anise and cummin, as if 
 religion were an empty form, and God could be 
 propitiated by it. 
 
 He who has truly apprehended the mystery of 
 grace is like the lad who stood at the door of the 
 king's conservatory, gazing wistfully at the clusters 
 of grapes. He had saved his scant pennies to buy 
 for his sick mother; and seeing the gardener, as he 
 supposed, he made the proffer. It was not the 
 gardener, however, but the king himself who an- 
 swered, "You are mistaken; this is the royal con- 
 servatory; the king is not a seller, but a giver; and 
 he gives right royally. Open your arms!" So is 
 the grace of God. Let all who think, like Simon, 
 to receive heaven as a quid pro quo^ be advised that 
 God is a Giver and gives right royally. His grace 
 is gratis; and all who are willing may have it. 
 
 One more ^nistake the sorcerer made; to wit, in 
 his Petition for Pardon. 
 
 "Pray ye the Lord for me, that none of these 
 things of which ye have spoken, come upon me!" 
 To his mind, sin was naught and penalty was all. 
 Thus to the last his heart was wrong before God. 
 
 And when Peter said, "Repent of this thy wick- 
 edness; and pray the Lord, if perhaps the thought 
 of thy heart may be forgiven thee," the "if" and 
 "perhaps" were applicable not to God's pardoning 
 
294 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 grace, but to the more than doubtful penitence of 
 Simon. For there Is no "If" or "perhaps" In the 
 Gospel of grace. I have sought In vain, In current 
 hymnarles, for a hymn that was famlHar In my boy- 
 hood days; and I rejoice that I can not find it. 
 
 I'll to the gracious King approach, 
 
 Whose scepter pardon gives; 
 Perhaps, he may command my touch 
 
 And then the suppliant lives. 
 Perhaps he may admit my plea, 
 
 Perhaps may hear my prayer ; 
 But if I perish, I will go 
 
 And perish only there. 
 I can but perish if I go; 
 
 I am resolved to try; 
 For if I stay away, I know 
 
 I must forever die. 
 
 All such "Ifs" and "perhapses" are born of little 
 faith. The promise of God Is Yea and Amen. The 
 sin of Simon would have been pardoned on the In- 
 stant had he thrown himself upon the grace of 
 God. As It was, his penitence was but a summer 
 cloud. Pliny says that he resumed his vocation as 
 a sorcerer and was eminently successful ; that after 
 a splendid career in Rome he died from a fall, 
 while attempting an ascension, and was burled on 
 an Island in the Tiber; and that his tomb was In- 
 scribed Simoni Deo Sancto; "To Simon the Holy 
 God." 
 
 The work of the Evangel which stirred the 
 avaricious curiosity of Simon in the city of Samaria 
 is going on continually about us. The world is 
 
A Sinful Thought 295 
 
 being transformed by it. God Is doing marvelous 
 things. Men are repenting, being converted and 
 passing under the baptism of fire. What shall we 
 think of it? Is it natural or supernatural? Is it 
 legerdemain or is it the work of God? 
 
 If it be of God, it behooves all thoughtful people 
 to fall in line with it. To accept the interpretation 
 of those who undertake to explain away its super- 
 natural character and "turn God out of doors," Is 
 to fall into mortal error and run upon the bosses of 
 the shield of the Almighty. If the explanation of 
 Christ himself be true, he is the only Saviour, and 
 there is no other rational course but to take up the 
 cross and follow him. 
 
 8. PRAYER 
 
 O Lord, I am prone to vain and unworthy 
 thoughts of thee. Enlarge my heart, clarify 
 my vision, and bring my whole life into per- 
 fect accord with thy beneficent plans. Help 
 me to love thee with a pure and fervent heart, 
 and to serve thee faithfully; for the Saviour's 
 sake. Amen. 
 
 9. HYMN: "Take my heart, O Father, take it!" 
 
 10. BENEDICTION 
 
 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the 
 love of God, and the communion of the Holy 
 Spirit be with you. Amen. 
 
TWENTY-THIRD SERVICE 
 
 The Golden Silence 
 
 1. INVOCATION 
 
 /^ God, my Father, enable me to serve thee 
 ^^ this day with a willing and a cheerful 
 mind. Meet me at its threshold with a bless- 
 ing, and enable me to worship thee in the 
 beauty of holiness; for Jesus' sake. Amen. 
 
 2. HYMN: "Joy to the world, the Lord is 
 
 come." 
 
 3. SCRIPTURE LESSON 
 
 Exodus 20:1-21. 
 Luke 20:1-26. 
 
 4. PRAYER 
 
 O God, reigning in light and glory unap- 
 proachable, I thank thee for the manifesta- 
 tion of thyself in thy holy Word. Thou 
 mightest have withdrawn into thy secret place, 
 and left me to grope vainly after thee like a 
 blind man feeling his way along a wall; but 
 thou hast drawn the veil so that all who seek 
 may find thee. Blessed be thy Name for thy 
 holy Word, wherein thou hast fully revealed 
 thy gracious plans. Thou seest how the Ad- 
 versary is continually assailing this citadel of 
 Truth: bring thou his purposes to naught; 
 296 
 
The Golden Silence 297 
 
 yea, overrule them for thine own greater 
 glory. Thou seest how simple souls are taken 
 up In the lips of talkers and beguiled into un- 
 belief. Direct the steps of thy little ones, that 
 they go not astray. Incline the hearts of those 
 who profess thy Name to search the Scrip- 
 tures with all diligence and sincerity, because 
 the entrance of thy Word giveth light. En- 
 able me to search so as to read thy love be- 
 tween the lines. Let thy written Word make 
 me acquainted more and more with the Incar- 
 nate Word. Help me to see the face of my 
 Saviour In Its pages — the face that was so 
 marred, yet so divinely beautiful. And has- 
 ten the time when the whole world shall have 
 access to thy Word. Send forth thy truth, 
 O Lord, Into the regions of darkness. Cast 
 down Dagon from his throne and let the 
 heathen bow at thy footstool. Rule thou, O 
 God of Salvation, from the river even unto 
 the ends of the earth. And the glory shall be 
 thine forever and ever. Amen. 
 
 5. HYMN : "Majestic sweetness sits enthroned." 
 
 6. OFFERING 
 
 7. THE SERMON 
 
 The Golden Silence 
 
 "And the high-priest stood up, and said unto 
 him, Answerest thou nothing?' But Jesus held 
 his peace." (Matt. 26:63.) 
 I AM glad Tm a Christian for many reasons, but 
 
298 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 chiefly for these two: because In Christ I have a 
 Saviour who dehvers from sin and a Counsellor 
 who teaches all that Is necessary for time and eter- 
 nity. 
 
 He came Into the world "to bear witness to the 
 truth." He was the Incomparable Teacher. His 
 words were wonderful and his silence was no 
 less so. It was eloquent silence. He knew when 
 to speak and when to hold his peace. He could 
 have answered every question that was ever ad- 
 dressed to him, for he knew everything; but there 
 were occasions when he declined to open his lips. 
 
 First : He had nothing to say as to Self-evident 
 Truth, He carried no coals to Newcastle. There 
 are some facts that are so obvious as to require no 
 proof; such as, "Things that are equal to the same 
 thing are equal to each other." There are other 
 facts that are believed so universally as to be called 
 intuitions. One of these Is the being of God. In 
 all the teachings of Jesus, you will find no attempt 
 to prove the DIvIhe existence. If you care for 
 that, you must go to schools of Science or Philoso- 
 phy or Theology, where the ontological, cosmologl- 
 cal, and teleologlcal arguments are served up ad 
 libitum. But Christ assumed this doctrine as a 
 postulate. It was enough for him that the world 
 accepted it. 
 
 So also with reference to Immortality. Ask 
 Jesus, "If a man die, will he live again?" and he 
 will hold his peace. If he says anything It will be, 
 "Inquire within." Why should he undertake to 
 
The Golden Silence 299 
 
 prove something that everybody believes on the 
 testimony of the inner consciousness, "I shall live 
 and not die" ? He found his disciples sharing the 
 common conviction as to God and Immortality, as 
 to Human Responsibility, the Authority of the 
 Scriptures, and other fundamental truths; and he 
 wisely left them there. Had they been wrong, he 
 was under bonds to correct them; otherwise he 
 would not have been an honest man. He knew all 
 the facts in the case and could easily have said, 
 "You are mistaken"; but he never said so. What 
 he did say was this, "If it were not so, I should 
 have told you." 
 
 Secondly: He had nothing to say regarding the 
 Non-essentials. His ministry on earth was lim- 
 ited to a brief period of three years. He could not 
 afford to waste time or energy in the consideration 
 of matters that had no application to practical life. 
 
 The scribes and Pharisees once asked him, "Why 
 walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of 
 the elders, but eat bread with defiled hands?" He 
 declined to be drawn into a discussion of such 
 trumpery conventionalities, but replied in this wise : 
 "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites; This 
 people honoreth me with their lips but their heart is 
 far from me. Handwashings forsooth ! Look to 
 your hearts ! For out of the heart come forth evil 
 thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, 
 false witnesses, railings, deceit, an evil eye, blas- 
 phemy, pride, foolishness; all these evil things come 
 from within and defile the man !" 
 
300 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 On another occasion a man said to him, "Mas- 
 ter, speak to my brother that he divide the inheri- 
 tance with me." As this was a case for the probate 
 court and of little or no value in relation to the 
 spiritual life, he declined to have anything to do 
 with it. His answer was, "Man, who made me a 
 judge or a divider over you?" This was followed 
 by the injunction, "Take heed, and keep yourselves 
 from all covetousness," which he emphasized by 
 the parable of a certain rich man who, having much 
 goods, said to his soul, "Soul, take thine ease, eat, 
 drink and be merry"; but God said, "Thou foolish 
 one, this night thy soul is required of thee." So he 
 consistently declined to be drawn aside into puerili- 
 ties. To his mind the discussion of such quiddities 
 as mint, anise and cummin was flat, stale and un- 
 profitable. He was thinking of larger things. He 
 was too busy to be letting buckets into empty wells 
 and drawing nothing up. 
 
 Thirdly: He had nothing to say as to the State 
 Secrets of God. He knew all about the Divine De- 
 crees; but he made no didactic excursions into "the 
 wandering mazes of fixed fate, free-will, fore- 
 knowledge absolute." 
 
 A man once said to him, "Lord, are there few 
 that be saved?" His answer was, "Strive to enter 
 in by the narrow door; for many, I say unto you, 
 shall seek to enter in and shall not be able. When 
 once the master of the house is risen up and hath 
 shut to the door and ye begin to stand without and 
 to knock at the door, saying, 'Lord, open unto us' 
 
The Golden Silence 301 
 
 he shall answer and say unto you, 'I know you 
 not.' " In other words, the question as to the num- 
 ber of the elect was for God to determine; and it 
 was as unseemly as it was useless to urge it. "The 
 secret things belong unto God." 
 
 As he was speaking of the fall of Jerusalem and 
 the final "restitution of all things," with the com- 
 ing of the Son of Man, his disciples asked him, 
 saying, "Tell us when shall these things be?" He 
 ignored the point of their question, saying, "Let 
 no man deceive you. If any shall say, Lo, here is 
 Christ, or Lo, there, believe him not. Watch! 
 Watch ! for in an hour when ye think not the Son 
 of Man Cometh." That is, the times and seasons 
 are with God. 
 
 A like thing happened in his last interview with 
 the disciples on Mount Olivet. His face was shin- 
 ing with the glory of his resurrection, insomuch 
 that they were moved to ask, "Lord, dost thou at 
 this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" He said, 
 "It is not for you to know the times or seasons 
 which the Father hath set within his own authority; 
 but ye shall be my witnesses unto the uttermost parts 
 of the earth. All authority is given unto me in 
 heaven and on earth. Go ye, therefore, and make 
 disciples of all the nations." 
 
 A learned rabbi, hearing him speak of Regen- 
 eration, asked him to explain it, saying, "How can 
 these things be?" Had he propounded that ques- 
 tion to one of our modern psychologists he would 
 have received a learned disquisition on the rationale 
 
302 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 of the New Birth ; but Jesus, who had been in the 
 bosom of the Father and knew all about the mat- 
 ter, declined to explain, simply saying, "The wind 
 bloweth where it will; and thou hearest the voice 
 thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh and 
 whither it goeth; so is every one that is born of the 
 Spirit." 
 
 But while the Incomparable Teacher had no an- 
 swer for those curious and inquisitive folk who 
 wished to know about axioms and non-essentials 
 and state secrets, he had much to say about the 
 great problems that have to do with our well-being 
 here and hereafter. 
 
 I. As to his own Personality he spoke so clearly 
 that none could misunderstand him. He said that 
 he was the Son of God; not a Son by creation or by 
 adoption, but "the Son," the "only-begotten Son," 
 the one, lone, solitary "begotten" Son of God. He 
 spoke of "the glory that he had with the Father 
 before the world was." He arrogated to himself 
 the "incommunicable name" of Jehovah when he 
 said, "Before Abraham was I AM." Let it be ob- 
 served that, however men may now twist and dis- 
 tort his language into strange meanings, there was 
 among his contemporaries no misunderstanding 
 about it. 
 
 At his trial before the Sanhedrin he declined to 
 answer the trumped-up charges that were brought 
 against him. For these he had "never a word." 
 But when the high-priest said, "I adjure thee, by 
 the living God, that thou tell us whether thou art 
 
The Golden Silence 303 
 
 the Christ, the Son of God!" he answered in the 
 strongest possible form of affirmation, "Thou hast 
 said," adding, "Henceforth ye shall see the Son of 
 Man sitting at the right hand of Power and coming 
 in the clouds of heaven." The high-priest there- 
 upon rent his clothes, saying, "He hath spoken 
 blasphemy; what further need have ye of wit- 
 nesses? Behold, ye have heard the blasphemy. 
 What think ye?" They answered and said, "He 
 is worthy of death." So he died for "making him- 
 self equal with God." 
 
 II. He was equally clear as to His Mission, He 
 who had been "with the Father before the world 
 was" had come into the world "to seek and to save 
 the lost." 
 
 He claimed to be the Messiah, of whom the 
 Scriptures had spoken in an unbroken line of 
 prophecy from the protevangel, "The seed of 
 woman shall bruise the serpent's head" to the last 
 prediction of Malachi concerning the rising of "the 
 Sun of Righteousness with healing in his wings." 
 
 The coming of this Messiah was known as "the 
 Hope of Israel." The general impression was that 
 the time was now ripe for his appearing. The peo- 
 ple were watching for him. 
 
 To the woman of Samaria, who said, "The Mes- 
 siah when he cometh will tell us all things," he an- 
 swered, "I that speak unto thee, am he!" 
 
 At the beginning of his ministry in the syna- 
 gogue at Nazareth, he announced his Messiahship 
 in plainest terms. Taking for his text the Lesson 
 
304 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 of the Day from the prophecy of Isaiah, where it Is 
 written, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; be- 
 cause he hath anointed me to preach the Gospel to 
 the poor, to heal the broken-hearted, to preach de- 
 liverance to the captives and recovering of sight to 
 the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 
 to preach the acceptable year of the Lord," he said, 
 "This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears!" 
 
 He maintained this claim to the last. It was set 
 forth in the titidiim that was affixed to his cross. 
 The superscription read, "This is the King of the 
 Jews." It was written by Pilate in recognition of 
 the Messianic claim of Jesus and in derision of the 
 Jews. They came to him and said, "Write not, 
 The King of the Jews, but, that 'He said I am King 
 of the Jews' "; but Pilate answered, "What I have 
 written, I have written." So, even in his shameful 
 death, his Messianic claim as the Hope of Israel 
 was placarded for the world through all succeeding 
 ages. 
 
 III. No less clear and explicit was his teaching 
 as to his Plan of Salvation. His purpose was to save 
 sinners from their sins by "bearing their sins in his 
 own body on the tree." He had come to die in the 
 stead of guilty men; and there was no other way. 
 The law must be satisfied — the law which said, 
 "The soul that sinneth, it shall die." His blood 
 alone could cleanse; for "without the shedding of 
 blood there is no remission of sin." 
 
 His words are, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, 
 except a grain of wheat fall into the earth and die, 
 
The Golden Silence 305 
 
 It abideth by itself alone; but if it die, it beareth 
 much fruit." And again, "I, if I be lifted up from 
 the earth, will draw all men unto myself" ; to which 
 the sacred writer adds, "This he said signifying 
 by what death he should die." 
 
 In his interview with Nicodemus, while he de- 
 clined to explain the doctrine of Regeneration, he 
 was very explicit with respect to the Atonement; 
 for he said, "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the 
 Wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted 
 up, that whosoever believeth may in him have eter- 
 nal life." 
 
 On his last journey through Csesarea-Philippi he 
 spoke freely with his disciples as to his approaching 
 death: "Behold the Son of Man shall be delivered 
 unto the chief priests and scribes, and they shall 
 condemn him to death and shall kill him." Know- 
 ing all that awaited him he faltered not, but heroi- 
 cally "set his face steadfastly to go." 
 
 And when the great tragedy was over and he 
 had risen from the dead, he said to certain of his 
 sorrowing disciples whose eyes were holden, so that 
 they knew him not, "O foolish men, and slow of 
 heart to believe in all that the prophets have 
 spoken ! Behooved It not the Christ to suffer these 
 things and to enter into his glory?" If this plain 
 speech of Jesus means anything It means that his 
 death is the central fact in the plan of salvation; 
 so that If we are ever saved it will not be through 
 his life or example, but because he died for us. 
 
 IV.. His teaching is equally clear as to our Part 
 
3o6 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 in this great Plan. We can do nothing but cordi- 
 ally acquiesce in it. 
 
 But that means everything. "What shall I ren- 
 der unto the Lord for his loving-kindness? I will 
 take the cup of salvation and pay my vows." To 
 believe is to accept. Faith is the hand stretched 
 forth to take the free gift. But faith is vitally 
 necessary. The water of life is without money and 
 without price, but we shall perish of thirst unless 
 we dip it up and drink it. He that believeth shall 
 be saved. "Only believe!" For God so loved 
 that world that he gave his only-begotten Son, that 
 whosoever believeth in him should not perish but 
 have everlasting life. 
 
 The opposite of this is the doctrine of salvation 
 by works. One of the vexed questions among the 
 Jews was, "What is the work of God?" that is, 
 What sort of moralities will commend us to him? 
 Our Lord was asked on one occasion, "What must 
 we do that we may work the works of God?" He 
 answered, "This is the work of God, that ye believe 
 on him whom he hath sent." This can mean only 
 that faith on our part, and faith alone, is the sav- 
 ing grace. 
 
 And having thus accepted Christ, all the rest is 
 to follow him. Follow ! Follow ! Follow ! How 
 he rings the changes on that word ! "What is that 
 to thee?" he said to Peter. "Follow thou me." 
 
 If I profess to be a Christian, it devolves upon 
 me to follow him as my atoning Priest, even to 
 Calvary if need be, that I may share in his passion 
 
The Golden Silence 307 
 
 for the souls of men; to follow him as my Prophet 
 to Olivet that I may sit with his other disciples, 
 learning at his feet; to follow him as my King up 
 to heaven's gate, that I may claim the promise, "To 
 him that overcometh will I give to sit together 
 with me in my throne !" He is my Prophet, Priest 
 and King ! Wherever his footsteps lead, thither I 
 am bound to follow him. 
 
 Yes, Fm glad I am a Christian, not only because 
 he saves, but because he teaches all along the way. 
 And his teaching is sufficient. If he decline to an- 
 swer any question it is because an answer would not 
 help me. And, loving him, I shall learn as much 
 from his silence as from his speech. I shall not 
 complain if sometimes, in the reserve of Godhood, 
 he refuses to open his lips. 
 
 At the time of the assassination of President Lin- 
 coln, a singular tribute was paid to the Divine 
 silence in the inscription that was suspended on our 
 City Hall, "Be still and know that I am God!" 
 
 Out of the heavens, once upon a time, there came 
 a Voice that the passing centuries have not hushed: 
 "This is my beloved Son: hear ye him!" 
 
 O Blessed and Incomparable Teacher, speak 
 thou and we will hear; or hold thy peace, if thou 
 wilt, and we will be silent before thee ! 
 
 8. PRAYER 
 
 O blessed Lord, my Prophet, Priest and 
 King, thou hast an undisputed right of pos- 
 session in all my powers of body and soul. 
 
3o8 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 Hear me now, as I renew my vows of conse- 
 cration. Take me, Lord, and use me ever- 
 more to thy glory; for thy Name's sake. 
 Amen. 
 
 9. HYMN: ''Just as I am." 
 
 10. BENEDICTION 
 
 Now may the Lord of peace himself give 
 you peace always. Amen. 
 
TWENTY-FOURTH SERVICE 
 
 The Messages of the Snow 
 
 I. INVOCATION 
 
 'CCEPT, O God, my morning sacrifice. 
 
 A 
 
 Enable me to lift up, with holy hands, 
 my heart unto thee. I would put myself 
 under the shadow of thy wings, so that this 
 day may be spent In labor of love and patience 
 of hope. Direct me In all things to the glory 
 of thy Name. Amen. 
 
 2. HYMN: ''Jesus, thy Name I love." 
 
 3. SCRIPTURE LESSON 
 
 Isaiah 55. 
 Romans 5 :i-ii. 
 
 4. PRAYER 
 
 I thank thee. Father, for the privilege of 
 calling myself after the Name of thy beloved 
 Son. Help me to adorn my profession In my 
 dally walk and conversation. I want to be a 
 consistent Christian, living as Christ lived, 
 and doing the work that he has committed 
 unto me. I pray that my light may so shine 
 before men that they may see my good works 
 and glorify thee. Bless, In like manner, all 
 
 309 
 
3IO The Home Sanctuary 
 
 other Christians. Give them a large concep- 
 tion of the privileges of the Christian life, and 
 also of its grave responsibilities; for we are 
 compassed about by witnesses who take knowl- 
 edge of the Gospel as they see it reflected in 
 us. Let thy benediction rest on the universal 
 Church, the great organism through which, 
 by the influence of thy Spirit, thou art restor- 
 ing the world to truth and righteousness. 
 Hasten the time when thy bride shall be with- 
 out spot, wrinkle, or any such thing. And 
 speed the day when sinners shall come to thee 
 as doves flocking to their windows. Then 
 shalt thou come in the clouds of heaven to 
 estabhsh thy Kingdom on earth, and every 
 knee shall bow before thee. Then shall all the 
 children of men unite, with angels and arch- 
 angels, In glorifying thee. For thou. Saviour 
 of the world, art worthy to receive honor and 
 dominion and power forever and ever. Amen. 
 
 5. HYMN: "In the Cross of Christ I glory.'' 
 
 6. OFFERING 
 
 7. SERMON 
 
 The Messages of the Snow 
 
 "As the rain cometh down and the snow from 
 heaven." (Isaiah 55: 10.) 
 
 It Is a pity that so many people are deprived of 
 the delights of country life. Poor prisoners of the 
 
The Messages of the Snow 311 
 
 city ! What do they know of singing birds and 
 flowing brooks, of blooming fields and golden har- 
 vests? Or what of the joys of winter — the glassy 
 river, the tinkling bells, the merry shout of children 
 Issuing from the schoolhouse Into the falling snow? 
 To us the snow means nothing but unsightly heaps 
 at the street corners, carts and horses and shouting 
 drivers; the Important problem being how to get 
 rid of it. 
 
 The Jews, like many other Orientals, knew little 
 of the snow, except as they saw it gleaming on the 
 distant heights of Hermon or of Lebanon. It Is 
 safe to say that, In other circumstances, Jesus, as 
 the great Interpreter of nature, would have drawn 
 many practical lessons from It. There are but few 
 references to the snow In Scripture; yet they are 
 enough for helpful suggestion In many ways. 
 
 The snow brings us a message, to begin with. In 
 simplest terms of Common Sense. 
 
 1 catch a flake In my palm; or, better, In defer- 
 ence to Its fragile beauty, on a velvet cushion. 
 There It lies, like a letter from somewhere, asking 
 as plainly as If pen and Ink had written it, "Who 
 made me?" A single flake gives us the query; two 
 flakes furnish a coincidence; three greatly compli- 
 cate the problem; and four suggest a mystery be- 
 yond all solution, unless we accept God. 
 
 The only other answer to the query is chance. 
 Wherefore let us reason under the law of chances. 
 How shall we get our first term? By multiplying 
 the first flake by the second, the second by the third, 
 
312 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 and so on indefinitely. Keep on multiplying until 
 you have exhausted all the snow that covers the 
 billowy fields. Then multiply that product by the 
 last snow storm, and thus until you have included 
 all the snow that ever fell. Now, what have you? 
 A line of figures belting the globe, again and again 
 and again, like parallels of latitude. Let us pro- 
 ceed now with our calculation In the Rule of Three : 
 As this line of figures is to one, so is the probability 
 of something or Somebody behind the snow storm 
 to the hypothesis of chance or a fortuitous con- 
 course of atoms. Thus by a process as simple as 
 any school boy uses in his arithmetic, we are led 
 to perceive why the Bible pronounces him to be a 
 fool who says, "There is no God." 
 
 Our next message is In more rigid terms of 
 Logic. 
 
 A close examination of the snowflakes under a 
 microscope will reveal certain facts : 
 
 First, that every one of them is perfect; and In 
 this it differs from all human work. A man-made 
 masterpiece may approach near, very near, perfec- 
 tion, but will never reach It. Put the finest lace 
 under the glass, and the fairy figure that seemed to 
 run so delicately through It will be seen to be as 
 Irregular as an old-fashioned worm-fence. On the 
 other hand, the snowflake grows finer and finer the 
 more.yjDu magnify it. 
 
 St. ndly, we note an infinite variety in the falling 
 flakes. Des Cartes announced that he had discov- 
 ered ninety-three different forms or patterns; but 
 
The Messages of the Snow 313 
 
 the words had scarcely fallen from his lips before 
 another declared that he had found nine hundred. 
 It Is now an accepted fact that there Is no limit to 
 their diversity. They are like the leaves that fall 
 In the forests of Vallombrosa, In that no two of 
 them are precisely alike. 
 
 But, thirdly, all these varied forms are uniform, 
 In that they are patterned under a common law, the 
 singularly beautiful law of crystallization. How Is 
 this to be accounted for? What has science to say 
 about It? Ask the scientist to define the snow. He 
 will tell you that It Is congealed vapor. But what 
 is vapor and how congealed? Go on with your 
 explanation. And whence this law? Law is usu- 
 ally supposed to suggest a lawgiver. If I were to 
 unfold one of the common ordinances of this city 
 and tell you that it simply happened, with no law- 
 giver or legislature behind It, you would have good 
 reason to laugh at me. Yet there are those who 
 smile at our credulity when we suggest God. 
 Credulity, forsooth ! It requires a thousand times 
 more to suppose that crystallization is a "fortuitous 
 circumstance" than to believe in Him who sits en- 
 throned upon the circle of the universe. Go back 
 as far as you can In scientific research, and you will 
 never reach the ultimate. You come to a curtain 
 hanging before an inner chamber, and there you are 
 bound to pause. We draw the curtain and ^^-md in 
 the presence of the Holiest of All. 
 
 The next message of the falling snow Is in the 
 realm of Physics. 
 
314 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 It is written, "Lo here Is the hiding of his 
 power." 
 
 Out of the bosom of the air, 
 
 Out of the cloud-folds of his garment shaken, 
 Over the woodlands wild and bare, 
 
 Over the harvest fields forsaken, 
 Silent and soft and slow 
 Falleth the snow. 
 
 In this apparent weakness, however, Is the hiding 
 of the Divine strength. You trample the snow- 
 flakes under your feet, the children pack them Into 
 snowballs and play with them ; you are treading on 
 dynamite and they are hurling thunderbolts at one 
 another! For every flake has an Immeasurable 
 potency. It stands for the quiet, constant, per- 
 sistent, infinite Power of God. Men work w^Ith 
 noisy demonstration, with the creak of machinery 
 and the shouting of many voices; God builds his 
 temple without the sound of hammer or of ax. At 
 five o'clock on every afternoon you may hear the 
 sound of rapid detonation from beyond the Hud- 
 son; this means (more's the pity!) that men are 
 blasting at the Palisades. All day they are placing 
 charges and laying fuses ; then the spark is applied, 
 there is a great explosion and the ground trembles 
 beneath our feet. Not so does God work. He 
 drops a snowflake into a cleft of the rock, re-en- 
 forces it with other of its feeble kinsfolk, and they 
 take silent hold on the roots of the mountain and 
 rend it asunder. While we are arguing as to his 
 
The Messages of the Snov/ 315 
 
 being, pro and contra, he is riding through the uni- 
 verse in his chariot of Omnipotence, and its pon- 
 derous wheels move as silently as the waving of a 
 butterfly's wings. 
 
 The next message of the snow brings us into the 
 larger realm of metaphysics ; that is, of the higher 
 man. 
 
 It is written, "He giveth his snow like wool," 
 rather like a covering of wool; that is to say, a 
 coverlet. The figure appeals to us. We are back 
 again in the trundle-bed. and the dear mother has 
 come to hear us say our good-night prayer, and then 
 arrange the coverlet and tuck us in. So God cares 
 for all nature; the seeds and roots, the burrowing 
 and hibernating creatures : he covers them all. 
 
 So through the blue serene, 
 
 For sight too fine, 
 
 The ethereal miter flies, 
 
 Killing infectious damps, and the spent air 
 
 Storing afresh with elemental life. 
 
 O Infinite Love! Blessed Mother-love of God! 
 "And shall he not much more care for you, O ye 
 of little faith?" Aye, said Jesus, "as a hen doth 
 gather her brood under her wings." 
 
 The lesson here is faith. We are hearing much 
 in these days of the simple life; but to discuss the 
 question as if it were merely one of spending a little 
 more or less is greatly to belittle it. The simple 
 life is possible only to one who rids himself of pride 
 and worry by getting into right relations with God. 
 
3i6 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 We find our next message In the province of 
 Theology proper; that Is, respecting the character 
 of God. 
 
 It Is written, "His raiment was white as snow." 
 The Divine holiness Is set forth In three visions of 
 the glorious One. He was seen by Daniel, when 
 the earth powers had vanished, approaching in a 
 chariot of flame to take the seat of universal em- 
 pire; and, behold, "His garment was white as 
 snow." He was seen again In the Mount of Trans- 
 figuration, his face shining as the sun, and his gar- 
 ments white as no fuller on earth could whiten 
 them. And still again he was seen by the Evan- 
 gelist of Patmos, walking In the midst of the golden 
 candlesticks, clothed in a priestly garment falling 
 to his feet, with seven stars In his right hand, his 
 countenance shining as the sun shineth In his 
 strength, and his head and his hair as white as snow. 
 And the multitude around the throne were ever 
 praising him and saying, "Holy, holy, holy!" 
 
 But what of us? We must needs stand afar off, 
 In our alienation, and cry like Isaiah, "Woe is me; 
 for I am a man of unclean lips!" Our sins have 
 separated betwixt God and us. "Men and breth- 
 ren, what shall we do?" Let us lift up our prayer: 
 "Wash me thoroughly from mine Iniquity and 
 cleanse me from my sin; for I acknowledge my 
 transgressions and my sin Is ever before me. Purge 
 me with hyssop and I shall be clean; wash me and 
 I shall be whiter than snow." Is there any answer? 
 Can those who are afar off be brought nigh? Can 
 
The Messages of the Snow 317 
 
 the soul be purged of its iniquity and restored to 
 God? 
 
 Aye: for here is another message of the snow; 
 it brings a flag of truce with overtures of peace, 
 "Come now, let us reason together, saith the Lord; 
 though your sins be as scarlet they shall be as white 
 as snow." Here is the Gospel of Reconciliation. 
 God comes out while the prodigal is yet a great way 
 off, and falls upon his neck and kisses him. 
 
 The blackest thing in the world is not jet, nor 
 ebony, nor the down on a raven's breast, nor the 
 pupil of an Indian's eye ; it is the blight at the heart 
 of a flower that is smitten with death. So the black- 
 est thing in the moral universe is sin at the center 
 of the soul, spreading its corruption through the 
 whole nature of man. 
 
 The reddest thing in the world is not the ruby, 
 nor the glow of sunrise and sunset; it Is the stream 
 that throbs from the Fountain of life. ''The life 
 is in the blood." The fountain flows at Calvary, 
 and it cleanseth from sin. 
 
 The whitest thing in the world is not ivory, nor 
 alabaster, nor molten silver, nor a lily painted on a 
 spotless wall; It is holiness, as set forth in the figure 
 of the driven snow, whose whiteness Is not super- 
 ficial, but through and through; and of the white 
 solar ray, in which the primary colors of the spec- 
 trum are gathered into one; and of "the fine linen 
 clean and white, which is the righteousness of 
 saints." 
 
 And the greatest thing In the world Is what? 
 
3i8 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 Love ! Not our love toward God, but God's love 
 toward us, as manifested in Christ: the love that 
 holds the hyssop branch of our frail faith and with 
 it sprinkles the blood upon the soul defiled with the 
 blackness of sin until it becomes as white as snow. 
 Such is the singular alchemy of grace. The blood 
 of Jesus Christ cleanseth from all sin ; and without 
 the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin. 
 
 It remains to read one other message of the 
 snow; and this in the province of Universal 
 History. 
 
 "When the Almighty scattered kings therein, it 
 was as when it snoweth in Zalmon" (Psalm 68: 
 14). Here is history plus prophecy: and this is as 
 it should be, since no history can be universal unless 
 it discerns the end from the beginning. This is the 
 picture: A mountain-side swept bare by the wind, 
 with white masses driven hither and hither upon it. 
 What does It mean? These are not snowdrifts; 
 they are bones of the slain, bleaching In the sun; 
 they are shields of the mighty, ermine cloaks and 
 royal mantles cast away in flight. There has been 
 a mighty rout. God's enemies have been put down. 
 The white squadron came forth, with One at Its 
 head arrayed In a garment dipped In blood; and, 
 behold, Armageddon Is over! There are shouts of 
 victory: "Babylon Is fallen!" And here, on the 
 embattled field of Zalmon, the scene Is like a plain 
 of drifted snow. 
 
 This Is the end; the consummation of all. The 
 Word has accomplished its work. Was it not so 
 
The Messages of the Snow 319 
 
 foretold? "His Word shall not return void; but 
 it shall be like the snow which cometh down from 
 heaven; it shall accomplish that which he doth 
 please and prosper in the thing whereto he sent it." 
 In the Divine economy all things have their uses. 
 Every snowflake is under commission. So am I, so 
 are you. The secret of success in life is to know our 
 commission and fulfill it. All things in God's uni- 
 verse, except the children of men, are in harmony 
 with the law of their being. Man alone has swung 
 out of his orbit and lives in defiance of the Divine 
 will; he is out of harmony with the universal order 
 by reason of sin. The purpose of God in sending 
 his only-begotten Son into the world was to bring 
 man back to his normal place in the realm of duty. 
 He who clasps hands with Christ comes to himself, 
 and finds the lost chord of life's symphony in the 
 saying that is written, "The chief end of man is to 
 glorify God." 
 
 8. PRAYER 
 
 O God, open thou my heart and under- 
 standing to the lessons of thy love. Help me 
 to hear whenever and wherever thou speakest 
 — in Nature, in Providence, or in Grace. Take 
 away my sins and establish me in righteous- 
 ness, for the sake of Him who hath redeemed 
 me with his precious blood. Amen. 
 
320 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 9. HYMN: "There is a Fountain filled with 
 
 blood." 
 
 10. BENEDICTION 
 
 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with 
 your spirit. Amen. 
 
TWENTY-FIFTH SERVICE 
 
 The Prayers of David 
 
 1. INVOCATION 
 
 OLoRD, help me to remember the Sabbath 
 day to keep it holy. Be pleased to hal- 
 low this hour, consecrating it to thy glory and 
 my good. Suffer not the cares of the world 
 to interrupt, in any measure, my communion 
 with thee. Give me some new and helpful 
 thought of thy loving-kindness in Jesus Christ. 
 Amen. 
 
 2. HYMN: 'Tather, whatever of earthly bliss." 
 
 3. SCRIPTURE LESSON 
 
 Psalm 72. 
 Matthew 7 :7-29. 
 
 4. PRAYER 
 
 I bring thee, O gracious God and Saviour, 
 my sins and sorrows, praying that thou wilt 
 deal graciously with me. Thou art mighty to 
 save unto the uttermost all that come unto 
 thee ; be pleased to extend unto me the scepter 
 of thy pardoning grace and say, *'Thy sins be 
 forgiven thee." Thou hast power to heal 
 all infirmities; heal mine, I pray thee. This 
 321 
 
322 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 I ask in a filial spirit, remembering that thou 
 knowest best what is good for me. Give me 
 patience in suffering, and enable me ever to 
 remember those who are more deeply afflicted. 
 Look with compassion on all the sick and suf- 
 fering, and remember especially those who 
 are without God and without hope. Of what- 
 ever else I am deprived, I have thee ; but there 
 are multitudes who know thee not. O thou 
 seeking Christ, go out into the far country 
 and bring them home. Send thy Church on 
 eager feet to carry the Gospel to those who 
 perish in the night. Bless all men and nations. 
 Keep our dear country true to the faith of the 
 Fathers. Bless all in authority ; may they rule 
 in righteousness, and bring their honor and 
 glory unto thee. For thou, O Christ, hast 
 upon thy vesture and thy thigh a name writ- 
 ten ''King of kings and Lord of lords." Rule 
 thou ii) righteousness over all the earth; for 
 thy Name's sake. Amen. 
 
 5. HYMN: "Must Jesus bear the cross alone?" 
 
 6. OFFERING 
 
 7. THE SERMON 
 
 The Prayers of David 
 
 "The prayers of David the son of Jesse are 
 ended." (Psalm 72:20.) 
 
 In a house of cedar on the slope of Mount 
 
The Prayers of David 323 
 
 Morlah, the King sat dictating to his scribe. The 
 last of his formal prayers was about to be recorded 
 for the benefit of those coming after him. 
 
 The prayers of David which have been trans- 
 mitted to us in Scripture are singular in two par- 
 ticulars. On the one hand they were Inspired, so 
 that he "spake as he was moved by the Spirit of 
 God." On the other hand they were pervaded by 
 the Messianic hope. It runs like a golden thread 
 through all his litany; the coming of the long-ex- 
 pected Seed of Woman, who was to "bruise the 
 serpent's head" and save the people from their sins. 
 
 David was a man of prayer, wherefore he was 
 also a man of power. "Prayer moves the hand 
 that moves the world." It Is recorded of David 
 that he was "a man after God's own heart," which 
 means that he was on intimate and influential terms 
 with God. 
 
 He had known God In his boyhood, when watch- 
 ing his flocks in the fields; and the memory of God's 
 majesty in the starlit heavens and of his watch-care 
 in the green pastures and by the still waters was 
 ever with him. In the vicissitudes of his troubled 
 reign, and when driven from his throne and hunted 
 like a partridge among the mountains, he found his 
 strength and refuge in converse with God. 
 
 To Shemalah the scribe he is now saying, "Set 
 down a prayer for Solomon my son ; It shall be the 
 last of my recorded prayers." It begins on this 
 wise: "Give the King thy judgments, O God, and 
 thy righteousness unto the King's son. He will 
 
324 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 judge thy people with righteousness and thy poor 
 with judgment." But presently the King sees be- 
 yond Solomon; a vision comes to him of that 
 greater Son of David, whose dominion was to be 
 forever and ever : and his prayer merges into praise 
 of the Messianic reign; "In his days shall the 
 righteous flourish, and abundance of peace, till the 
 moon be no more. He shall come down like rain 
 upon the mown grass ; like showers that water the 
 earth. There shall be abundance of grain in the 
 earth upon the top of the mountains, the fruit 
 thereof shall shake like Lebanon. All nations 
 shall be blessed in him. Blessed be Jehovah, the 
 God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things: 
 And blessed be his glorious name forever ! And let 
 the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen 
 and Amen." The tremulous voice of the King is 
 hushed. His last prayer is written ; and the scribe 
 adds sadly, "The prayers of David the son of Jesse 
 are ended." 
 
 Was he right? It was true that David would 
 lead the Temple service no more. In that sense 
 his prayers were ended. But would not those 
 prayers go on? The minstrel's song may be 
 hushed, but its echoes will ring through many a 
 palace hall. The voice of the orator dies out, but 
 the armies of coming centuries shall keep time to 
 It. A child in the kindergarten toils at his A, B, C's 
 until he comes to Z, and feels that his task is ended 
 then. But one letter still remains; the letter that 
 we used to call "and so forth"; and this sends out 
 
The Prayers of David 325 
 
 the alphabet into all his future life; so that he 
 frames his character and influence by it. 
 
 Amen is not finis; but "and so forth." Its mean- 
 ing is "So be it," which is another way of saying, 
 "Let my prayer go on." 
 
 I. To every prayer of David there was a Sequel. 
 
 The momentary touch of a petitioner with God 
 produces a state of mind that amply justifies the 
 act of prayer, were nothing further to come of it. 
 In India they say, "If you think of Buddha, you 
 will be transformed into him." No man can kneel 
 before the true God, in a sincere act of communion, 
 without rising from his knees a better man. 
 
 But while this reflex influence of prayer is im- 
 mensely important, It Is far from being the only 
 result. An answer must be taken into the reckon- 
 ing; for God is the hearer and answerer of prayer. 
 His promises are Yea and Amen. The Bible is 
 full of these promises, and the personal experience 
 of God's people is full of their Yea and Amen. It 
 must be assumed that a promise like this, "Ask 
 and ye shall receive; seek and ye shall find; knock 
 and it shall be opened unto you," means something. 
 The word is not "if" or "peradventure" or 
 "maybe," but "shall" ; and God means it. The life 
 of David Is In evidence : "I sought the Lord, and 
 he heard me." — "I sought him and he delivered 
 me from all my fears." — "Oh, that men would 
 praise the Lord for his goodness and for his won- 
 derful works to the children of men!" 
 
 The secret of successful prayer Is expectant faith. 
 
326 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 ^'Whatsoever things ye desire, when ye pray, be- 
 lieve that ye receive them and ye shall have them." 
 Let him who, In the weariness of the long night, 
 cries, "Would God it were morning!" go to his 
 eastern window and look forth expecting to see the 
 glimmer of the breaking day. 
 
 II. The Prayers of David were perpetuated, 
 also, in the form of a Bequest to those coming af- 
 ter him. 
 
 The Psalter was his Book of Prayer; and, after 
 he slept with his fathers. It became the Prayer Book 
 of Israel. The nation wept at his funeral, because 
 his heart had ceased Its beating, and they should 
 hear his voice no more; but his prayers were still 
 heard In the public service of the Temple. One of 
 them was repeated at the dedication of the Temple, 
 and another when the Ark was brought Into the 
 Holy Place: "Lift up your heads, O ye gates, and 
 be ye lifted up, ye everlasting doors, that the King 
 of glory may come In !" These prayers were used 
 continuously In public service until the time when all 
 open vision ceased and the lights of the golden 
 candlestick went out. Ah, If the people had only 
 preserved their Messianic hope ! But they forgot ! 
 And when the "Son of David came, they hid, as It 
 were, their faces from him." 
 
 At the beginning of the Christian era the dis- 
 ciples of Jesus caught up those prayers and have 
 kept them ringing through the ages. The song of 
 the Virgin Mother of Christ, "My soul doth mag- 
 nify the Lord," was a devout echo of the thirty- 
 
The Prayers of David 327 
 
 fourth Psalm. The song of the Church In its first 
 persecution began with the words of the second 
 Psalm: "Why do the heathen rage and the people 
 imagine a vain thing?" The Covenanters of Scot- 
 land, hiding in their conventicles, awoke the echoes 
 of the hills with the twenty-third Psalm: 
 
 The Lord's my shepherd; I'll not want; 
 
 He makes me down to lie 
 In pastures green ; he leadeth me 
 
 The quiet waters by. — 
 My table thou hast furnished 
 
 In presence of my foes! 
 My head with oil thou dost anoint 
 
 And my cup overflows! 
 
 In the dark days of the Reformation in Ger- 
 many, when Luther was a refugee at Erfurt, he 
 said to Melanchthon, "Come, Philip, let us have 
 the forty-sixth Psalm"; and they sang together, 
 "God is our refuge and strength; a very present 
 help in trouble : therefore will not we fear though 
 the earth be removed and though the mountains be 
 carried into the midst of the sea." In the wars of 
 the English Commonwealth the Roundheads en- 
 tered battle with Cromwell "raising the tune" of the 
 sixty-eighth Psalm: "Let God arise; let his enemies 
 be scattered. Let them also that hate him flee be- 
 fore him ! As smoke is driven away, so drive them 
 away ! As wax melteth before the fire, so let the 
 wicked perish at the presence of God !" The hym- 
 nology of the Christian Church is full of the pray- 
 ers of David : they will keep their place in the pub- 
 
^2 8 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 lie service of the sanctuary until the Millenniuni 
 shall dawn to the music of the Old Hundredth : 
 
 Praise God from whom all blessings flow; 
 Praise him all creatures here below; 
 Praise him above, ye heavenly host; 
 Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost! 
 
 Oh, no ; the prayers of David were not concluded 
 when his voice died out. The masterpiece of Leo- 
 nardo da Vinci was painted on the convent wall of 
 Santa Maria In Milan four hundred years ago; 
 and meanwhile it has been so often retouched that 
 probably not a vestige of the original picture re- 
 mains; but copies of it remain in galleries all over 
 the world and on ten thousand cottage walls to 
 certify that Leonardo's work was not finished when 
 he laid down his brush. In like manner all true 
 prayers repeat themselves along the ages. 
 
 in. Nor must we overlook the Postscript to 
 David's Prayers. 
 
 This is referred to in the vision of John the 
 Evangelist, where he says: "I beheld and lo the 
 four-and-twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, 
 having each one a harp, and golden bowls full of 
 incense, which are the prayers of the saints." The 
 prayers of David were thus preserved to be offered, 
 like those of all saints, as a perpetual oblation be- 
 fore the throne of God. 
 
 Nor is this all. David himself, after three thou- 
 sand years in heaven, is still praying on. I do not 
 believe that ''prayer will be lost in praise." I de- 
 chne to sing: 
 
The Prayers of David 329 
 
 Sweet hour of prayer, sweet hour ot prayer, 
 May I thy consolation share 
 Till from Mount Pisgah's lofty height 
 I view my home and take my flight. 
 
 This robe of flesh I'll drop, and rise 
 To seize the everlasting prize. 
 And shout, while passing through the air, 
 "Farewell, farewell, sweet hour of prayer!" 
 
 On entering heaven we shall not bid farewell to 
 prayer. For what is prayer? It is making known 
 to God our wants. We shall have wants in heaven, 
 but every want will be supplied. And our deepest 
 wants will not be selfish, but in behalf of those 
 whom we have loved and cherished. Are not the 
 saints triumphant, all "ministering spirits, sent 
 forth to minister unto them that are heirs of sal- 
 vation" ? Can there be a ministry without a want 
 behind it? Are the friends who have gone to 
 heaven before us indifferent to our needs, and can 
 they not intercede for us ? It is true that our One 
 Mediator is Jesus Christ the Righteous, who ever 
 liveth to make intercession for us. It is true also that 
 we have no means of communication with our 
 friends in heaven. But they are intimate with Christ, 
 and they have the same love and interest in us. No 
 doubt David is as deeply concerned as ever in the 
 welfare of his people; and, if so, his great prayer, 
 his prayer without ceasing, is that the veil that 
 hides the vision of Messiah may be removed from 
 their eyes, so that they may behold In Jesus the real 
 Messiah of God. 
 
33^ The Home Sanctuary 
 
 Wherefore, let us pray on. And let us pray with 
 an assurance that our prayers will go on forever. 
 Did the sacerdotal prayer of Jesus for his disciples 
 in the upper room come to an end when he said, 
 "Arise, let us go hence"? Was the prayer of John 
 Knox, "O God! give me Scotland or I die," fin- 
 ished with an Amen? Ask the people of Scotland; 
 and they will tell you that it echoes through the 
 Land of the Heather to this day. 
 
 A seafaring man, gray and burdened with years, 
 arose in the Fulton Street Meeting and said, "I 
 have come here to bear witness to the power of my 
 mother's prayers. I ran away from home in my 
 boyhood; but I took with me the memory of the 
 last night when she tucked me in with a kiss, and 
 said, 'God bless you, my boy!' Ah, that was long 
 ago; but her 'God bless you!' has followed me 
 through all the years and has brought me home at 
 last. I never saw her face again; but I want to 
 testify to-day to the power of her prayers. I want 
 to consecrate myself to the service of my mother's 
 God." 
 
 Pray on ! Our prayers shall never end. It was 
 seventy years ago that a little lass on her death bed 
 murmured, "Now I lay me down to sleep." An 
 old man of ninety and his wife of eighty-six still 
 live to bear tribute to the lasting influence of that 
 prayer; for never a night has passed, in all the in- 
 tervening years, when they have not knelt down to- 
 gether and said: 
 
The Prayers of David 331 
 
 Now I lay me down to sleep ; 
 
 I pray thee, Lord, my soul to keep. 
 
 Pray on ! Pray on ! There is a mighty power in 
 prayer. It has divided seas and made the sun stand 
 still : it has brought bread from heaven and water 
 out of the rock; it has closed the windows of the 
 sky and opened them again; it has quenched the 
 fires of persecution and marshaled the stars to bat- 
 tle ; it has broken gates of iron and called the dead 
 from their graves. Pray on, therefore. Pray on ! 
 
 More things are wrought by prayer than this world 
 
 dreams of: — 
 For so the whole round world is, every way, 
 Bound with gold chains about the feet of God. 
 
 8. PRAYER 
 
 Lord, teach me how to pray. Bring me 
 into such a sweet and perfect oneness with 
 thyself that even my sense of personal need 
 shall be lost in the joyous and wondering con- 
 templation of thy gracious Plans and Pur- 
 poses as revealed in Christ. So baptize me 
 with the influence of thy Spirit that my whole 
 life shall be hidden with Christ in thee. 
 Amen. 
 
 9. HYMN : "From every stormy wind that 
 
 blows.'' 
 
 10. BENEDICTION 
 
 God be with thee and bless thee, and cause 
 his face to shine upon thee, and be gracious 
 unto thee. Amen, 
 
TWENTY-SIXTH SERVICE 
 The Number of Our Days 
 
 1. INVOCATION 
 
 OGoD, Light of the World, shine thou 
 with the joy of the morning into my 
 heart. Let me behold thy face in peace, and 
 have sweet communion with thee. Receive 
 me into the secret place of thy Pavilion, and 
 refresh me with thy tender mercies; for Jesus* 
 sake. Amen. 
 
 2. HYMN: "Come, thou Almighty King!'* 
 
 3. SCRIPTURE LESSON 
 
 Psalm 90. 
 Revelation 22. 
 
 4. PRAYER 
 
 Lord, thou bast been our dwelling-place in 
 all generations. Before the mountains were 
 brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the 
 world: Yea, even from everlasting to ever- 
 lasting thou art God. My breath is in my 
 nostrils, but eternity is the measure of thy life. 
 
 332 
 
The Number of Our Days 333 
 
 I spend my years as a tale that is told. To- 
 day, to-morrow, and behold the place that 
 knew me shall know me no more. But, blessed 
 be thy Name, I shall still live on. Death is 
 only a covered bridge, leading from light to 
 light through a brief darkness. I shall close 
 my eyes, and when I awake I shall be still with 
 thee. Help me so to spend the residue of my 
 time that I may be ready for what awaits me. 
 For I know that life here is only probationary. 
 The character I am forming is the house I 
 must live in forever. The work I am doing 
 is but a tentative one, that must needs fit or 
 unfit me for promotion to thy higher work. 
 Wherefore help me to take heed unto my way. 
 Enable me to live day by day as in the great 
 Taskmaster's eye. Create in me a clean heart 
 for Jesus' sake, and renew within me a right 
 spirit. Sanctify me by thine own indwelling 
 Spirit, and make me faithful in service day 
 by day. Let a like blessing come upon all 
 who love thee. Do good in thy good pleasure 
 unto Zion. Draw in with thy Cords of 
 Mercy the wandering and impenitent, that 
 they may seek salvation and rejoice in thee. 
 Hear and answer, for Jesus' sake; to whom, 
 with the Father and the Holy Spirit, be glory 
 forever. Amen. 
 
 ^ 
 
334 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 5. HYMN: "Jesus, lover of my soul." 
 
 6. OFFERING 
 
 7. THE SERMON 
 
 The Number of Our Days 
 A New Year Sermon 
 
 "So teach us to number our days, that we may 
 get us a heart of wisdom." (Psalm 90: 12.) 
 
 Why should Moses ask for wisdom? He was a 
 graduate of the University of On and "skilled In 
 all the wisdom of the Egyptians." There was one 
 branch of learning, however, that was not In the 
 University Curriculum — to wit, M aerobiology; 
 that Is, the art of living long and usefully. This 
 was something which God alone could teach, 
 wherefore Moses prays to him, "So teach us." 
 
 So far as Moses himself was concerned the 
 prayer was ex post facto, as lawyers would say. In- 
 asmuch as he was bidding farewell to life. He 
 was a hundred and twenty years old, but "his eye 
 was undimmed and his natural force unabated." 
 He was not going because he was worn out, but 
 because the time had come for promotion. God 
 called him to come up higher; and he was ready to 
 
 He was now looking back over the three forties 
 of his life: the first of them spent in the palace of 
 Egypt, the second In the desert of MIdlan watch- 
 ing his flocks, and the third in leading the stiff- 
 necked children of Israel through the Wilderness 
 
The Number of Our Days 335 
 
 to the Promised Land. It was a long life, but it 
 had passed like a dream; like a watch in the night; 
 like a tale tha^t is told. Its years had come and 
 gone like the flying of a shuttle; the garment was 
 finished, the loom was silent; the weaver rose and 
 passed on. 
 
 It was not so much for himself that Moses of- 
 fered this prayer as for his people and for those 
 like ourselves, who were destined to repeat it long 
 after he had gone his way. 
 
 But as to this numbering of our days : can it be 
 done? Would we not be glad to do it? 
 
 Can Arithmetic help usf You are, perhaps, 
 thirty years of age. Very well; multiply thirty by 
 three hundred and sixty-five and there you have 
 it. So far the process is as easy as for a farmer 
 to number his sheep, or for a rich man to count his 
 bonds and mortgages. But there is something left 
 over. What about that ? Can we number the days 
 that await us? 
 
 You have simply made your computation up to 
 date. Shall we add one ? Not yet. In this world 
 of ours a hundred thousand people die every day — 
 ten every second! So before we add another day 
 let us wait and see whether we hold out. We shall 
 not know until we hear the clock strike twelve to- 
 night; if perchance we do hear it. So the method 
 fails; it stops short of the end. 
 
 Suppose, then, we try Algebra. Let 'V stand 
 for the unknown factor in the problem of life; that 
 is, for the days before us. The problem now is to 
 
336 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 reduce that x to known terms. And everything de- 
 pends upon it. We are making plans and dream- 
 ing dreams, building castles in the air; but all our 
 hopes and ambitions depend for their realization 
 on the value of that little x. The question is 
 whether or no we shall live long enough to carry 
 out our purposes. Alas, "the best-laid schemes o* 
 mice an' men gang aft a-gley." 
 
 I see a schoolboy at the blackboard. He writes, 
 **x equals the number of my coming days." He 
 keeps on working at that problem until the board 
 is covered with figures : knits his brow and bends a 
 little under his task; the hair above his temples is 
 growing white; but still he reckons on; and just as 
 he is nearing the answer, an interruption occurs: 
 the bell strikes ! It is four o'clock and school is out. 
 The boy at the blackboard turns and makes his 
 way through the doorway into the Great Open. 
 He is an old man now, weary with the burdens of 
 life. He turns and looks backward; the answer to 
 the problem is there on the blackboard; but alas, 
 It is too late for him to profit by it ! 
 
 But perhaps Geometry will help us. The literal 
 meaning of the word geometry is world-measure- 
 ment. It is the measurement of things in terms of 
 time and space. It has to do specifically with lines, 
 areas and bulks. Its work is done In three di- 
 mensions only. But suppose there should be an- 
 other world, where lines, areas and bulks play little 
 or no part ? Suppose there should turn out to be a 
 fourth dimension of which, as yet, we know noth- 
 
The Number of Our Days 337 
 
 ing? Space is one of the concomitants of time; 
 but when time is no longer, what then? 
 
 The propositions of Euclid end with Quod erat 
 demonstrandum. But those demonstrations are in 
 world measurements only. They traverse a mere 
 infinitesimal arc of an Infinite Circle. What is 
 proved for time may not hold for eternity. Caesar 
 says, "I have my crown!" So much seems to be 
 proved; but let Caesar wait until he sees whether his 
 crown is on fast or not. Rothschild says, "I have 
 my fortune !" but before that fact is assured he 
 must wait to see whether or not his fortune will 
 ultimately sift through his cold fingers like dust. 
 We conclude, therefore, that no world measure- 
 ments can enable us to number our days or estimate 
 the things which the impenetrable veil of the future 
 hides from us. 
 
 How then about the Scientific Method? It is 
 affirmed that in these days everything must be 
 tested by "the scientific method." 
 
 The scientist in the province of Macrobiology is 
 the Actuary of a Life Insurance Company. It is 
 his business to calculate the probable duration of 
 life. But there is a difficulty here, arising from the 
 fact that his calculations are made on a basis of 
 averages, and an averge gives cold comfort in an 
 individual case. The man of thirty, for example, 
 applies for a policy. He is put through a physical 
 examination to see whether his heart, liver, and 
 lungs are in good order. He is then asked how old 
 his parents and grandparents were when they died. 
 
338 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 If it is found that he is in sound health and comes 
 of a long-hved family, he is pronounced a good risk 
 and the policy is made out. It is calculated that 
 having lived to be thirty he will probably live to be 
 sixty; and if he gets past fifty he will probably live 
 until eighty; but these are mere estimates, based on 
 averages and expressed in terms of chance and 
 probability. What the applicant wants, however, 
 is not perhapses and peradventures, but an insur- 
 ance of life. All that he really gets is the "if" of 
 Moses' prayer: "The days of our years are three- 
 score years and ten, or even by reason of strength 
 fourscore years, yet is their pride but labor and 
 sorrow; for it is soon gone and we fly away." 
 
 And even if the man should Hve out the full 
 measure of the actuary's calculation, it is still not 
 he but his heirs who are insured. There is indeed 
 no such thing as "life insurance." The thing is a 
 misnomer. What is really insured is not my life, 
 but my bequest in case of death. When my policy 
 falls due, I shall not be here to collect it. 
 
 All that remains, then, is the Philosophical 
 Method, The literal meaning of philosophy is "the 
 love of wisdom"; and the prayer of Moses is a 
 philosophic prayer, "So teach us to number our 
 days that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom" ; 
 that is, so that we may live as becometh wise men. 
 
 In this case the method of computation is briefly 
 comprehended in the word "so." In this we are 
 given to understand that there is a way of number- 
 ing our days so that the computation shall enable 
 
The Number of Our Days 339 
 
 us to live wisely and well. God, as the Source of 
 wisdom, can alone instruct us in this matter; and 
 we find the instruction in his Word, which was 
 given expressly to lead us in the right way. 
 
 First, it teaches us that to live wisely we must 
 number our days one by one, Jesus said, "Take 
 no thought for the morrow; for the morrow shall 
 take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient 
 unto the day is the evil thereof." In those words 
 we have an effectual safeguard against care and 
 worry. To-day Is ours; to-morrow Is God's; where- 
 fore, "Make a little fence around to-day, and 
 therein stay." 
 
 The day In which I am now living Is like the 
 narrow pass at Thermopylae, where Leonidas and 
 his three hundred withstood an army with the cry, 
 "Keep back the Persians!" So let us stand each 
 in his place, to-day, keeping back the cares of the 
 morrow. Let us borrow no trouble. Let us cross 
 no bridges until we come to them. 
 
 Happy the man, and happy he alone, 
 
 He who can call today his own ; 
 
 He who, secure within, can say, 
 
 Tomorrow do thy worst, for I have lived today ! 
 
 And why not ? God never gives us two days at 
 once and the days never overlap. Wherefore, the 
 part of wisdom is to offer the prayer of Augustine, 
 "Let me live this day, O Lord, as If I were never 
 to have another day." 
 
 Secondly, we are Divinely advised to remember 
 that there are only twenty-four hours in the day. 
 
340 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 For each day practically closes at the setting of the 
 sun. Jesus said, "I must work the works of him 
 that sent me while it is day; for the night cometh 
 when no man can work." 
 
 Work for the night Is coming, 
 
 Work through the sunny noon : 
 Fill brightest hours with labor; 
 
 Rest comes sure and soon. 
 Give every flying minute 
 
 Something to keep in store: 
 Work for the night is coming, 
 
 When man's work is o'er. 
 
 A day has been likened to a stairway of twenty- 
 four steps, of which each step crumbles as we leave 
 it. The hour that is gone is past recovery; and so 
 of the day that is gone — gone forever ! 
 
 The lost days of my life, until to-day — 
 What were they, could I see them on the street 
 Lie where they fell ? Would they be ears of wheat 
 Sown once for food but trodden into clay? 
 Or golden coins squandered and still to pay? 
 Or drops of blood dabbling the guilty feet? 
 Or such spilt water as in dreams must cheat 
 The throats of men in hell? 
 I do not see them here: but after death, 
 God knows, I know the faces I shall see: 
 Each one a murdered self saying, with last breath : 
 "I am thyself; what hast thou done to me?" 
 
 Thirdly, it is the part of wisdom to remember 
 that a year has only three hundred and sixty-jive 
 days. And the last year of life has not its full 
 quota. Jesus said, "Watch, therefore; for ye know 
 
The Number of Our Days 341 
 
 neither the day nor the hour when the Son of Man 
 cometh." 
 
 A year lost is like a casket of priceless treasure 
 thrown into a fathomless sea. "My millions for 
 an inch of time!" cried Queen Elizabeth on her 
 death bed; but the wealth of all the royal ex- 
 chequers of the world could not buy back for her 
 the minutest fraction of an inch of time. Where- 
 fore, if thou hast aught to do, do it now. 
 
 Improve time in time, while time doth last ; 
 
 For all time is no time, when time is past. 
 
 Fourthly, wisdo?n teaches that the days of our 
 years, few or many, are steps leading on to eternity. 
 And Jesus said, "Well done, good servant! Thou 
 hast been faithful. Enter thou into the joy of thy 
 Lord." 
 
 As the tree falleth, so also it shall lie. At the 
 dead line is written, "He that is unjust let him be 
 unjust still, and he that is filthy let him be filthy 
 still; and he that is holy let him be holy still; and 
 he that is righteous let him be righteous still." We 
 are building character here and now; and character 
 is the house in which we must live. 
 
 Time is only a means to an end. We are not 
 really living now, but only preparing for life. 
 Time, energy, and earthly possessions are assets to 
 be invested for the eternal ages. We are not only 
 building character in these prefatory years, but 
 are learning how to do things, so that when the 
 hour of promotion comes we may be fit for useful- 
 ness in the future life. 
 
342 The Home Sanctuary 
 
 The old year Is gone ! Its days are numbered. 
 But "God requireth the past." There Is to be a 
 roll-call. What shall we answer for the year 
 that has ended? Was It a good year for us? 
 Are we glad to review it? Did we so number Its 
 days as to apply our hearts unto wisdom? Or are 
 we crying, "Have mercy, Lord! O Lord, forgive!" 
 Blessed be his Name : he Is ready to forgive. We 
 may enter upon the Incoming year with a clean 
 record If we will. For the blood of Christ "cleans- 
 eth from all sin," 
 
 On the upward road of the Jungfrau, not long 
 ago, I passed through the village of Grindenwald, 
 where the eastern Alps tower so high that the 
 townspeople never see the morning sun. Yet they 
 are not without the beauty of the sunrise; for at 
 the break of every day they see Its glory reflected 
 In the west. So, looking backward now, we 
 may see a blessed future reflected In the pardon- 
 ing grace of God, and even In the misllved past 
 may find an assurance of the breaking of an endless 
 day. 
 
 The New Year Is before us. Let us begin 
 aright, with simple trust In God. He who sets out 
 as on a personally conducted tour, with the Saviour 
 as his Guide, shall go safely on. For Christ knows 
 the way. He has been through the future as 
 through the past. His life Is "from everlasting to 
 everlasting." He knows the dangers and pitfalls 
 before us. If you will get hold of his hand, my 
 friend, and hold fast you can not go wrong. His 
 
The Number of Our Days 343 
 
 promise Is ''Lo, I am with you alway, even unto 
 the end." 
 
 So on I go, not knowing. 
 I would not if I might: 
 I'd rather walk in the dark with him 
 
 Than go alone in the light : 
 I'd rather walk by faith with him 
 Than go alone by sight. 
 
 I wish you a Happy New Year — a year of close 
 and intimate friendship with Christ; a year of 
 faithful service In doing good, as you have oppor- 
 tunity, unto all men; a year of unswerving devotion 
 to truth and righteousness ; of loyalty to Him who 
 died for us, yet llveth now and evermore ! 
 
 8. PRAYER 
 
 O God, teach me so to number my days 
 that I may apply my heart unto Wisdom. 
 Thou knowest the measure of my life; help 
 me to measure It In terms of daily faithful- 
 ness. Help me to live to-day so as to be ready 
 for to-morrow, whether In time or eternity. 
 Be thou my Guide through all my pilgrimage 
 until the day break and the shadows flee 
 away, and I awake In the likeness of Christ. 
 Amen. 
 
 9. HYMN: "Guide me, O thou great Jehovah !" 
 
 10. BENEDICTION 
 
 The peace of God, which passeth all un- 
 derstanding, keep your heart and mind In the 
 knowledge of God and of his Son, Jesus 
 Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 

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