With a little more persuasion, Walton yielded, and went with Mawson into the Star and Garter. They were received with a shout of triumph. The landlord paid his bet at once, but Mawson returned it, and told him to send in the amount in drink. Nobody will be surprised to hear what followed. John Walton would scarcely have reached home if he had not been helped. Morris soon heard of what had taken place. In fact, Walton's wife, who was sorely distressed, went and told him. He went to the house without delay, and found John humbled and very penitent. "Ah, John, my lad," said Morris, "you thought you could do it all yourself; but you see what a mistake it was." And the good man blamed himself that he had not been more faithful and looked after him more diligently. But he would not fail to do so now. Nor did he. Night after night he went to see him, putting in every now and then, a kind wise word about God's love in the Lord Jesus Christ to poor lost sinners; and then on the next Sunday he persuaded him to go to a religious service. The poor man liked what he heard, and he went again, and again; and at length believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, he found salvation. "I can stand now," he said one day; "but it is because I have found out where to go for help and strength." It is long since Walton paid his friend back again every penny he lent him, and he has cleared off all his debts besides. Let this be added, that, after the outbreak we have recorded, he kept his promise not to take a drop of drink till the money Morris had lent him was all repaid, and he has done without it ever since. Further, he says that, God helping him, he will not touch it again. S. GOODALL, Thoughts of Goodness and Mercy for the New Year. TO-DAY in silence we review The bygone vanished years; Of friends that we have loved and lost, Of times when, as it seemed to us, Yet now the morning light illumes Those paths then dark as night, And we confess, with grateful hearts, God guided us aright. Our sorrow hath been changed to joy, Our losses into gain; And many a fruit of grace hath grown We could not see it in the hour "He hath done all things well." With courage, therefore, would we face The year that now is new; With faith that God will be our Guide, We trust unto His hand the things In faith that all His Providence In surest hope that He will guide Weak are we for the work and strife, The path is steep and long, And on the fields where we must fight O Lord our God, in whom we trust, May this New Year, in grace and truth, And every step upon its path R. R. T. THE PRESENCE OF GOD: A New Year's Meditation. "My presence shall go with thee."-Exod. xxxiii. 14. BY THE REV. W. S. LEWIS, M.A. Him that special place of abode? Was not that command a tacit promise that He meant to "tabernacle" among them? And was not the appearance above it of the mysterous "pillar of cloud" a stronger evidence still? Over no other tent in the wilderness, over no other dwelling in all the world, was a similar symbol to be seen. That signified much. When the royal standard is see floating on high over one of the palaces of our Sovereign, we know what it means. It means, not only that that is one of her residences, but that she is in actual residence there at that time. The pillar of the cloud was a similar standard over that tent. N gloomy What it signified was that the Kings of weather kings was in residence there. men some times complain that there has been no sunshine for days. What is chiefly true, in that complaint is, that there has been no sunshine to them. The sun itself, in all probability, has not diminished a ray. It is even so, in some respects, with regard to the presence of God. That spiritual sunshine, like the other, only penetrates to certain cases and hearts. And what we chiefly mean, when we speak of possessing it, is its having penetrated to us. In short, it is rather the signs than the fact of God's presence that we mean by the term. Let us speak, first, of these signs. In the camp of Israel, in ancient days, the signs God's presence were of various kinds. Some were external and easily seen. Amongst such was the beautiful order in which the various collections of tents composing the camp were arranged with the tabernacle or tent of God Himself as the manifest centre of all. Why did God command His people to provide There are very similar external tokens of the presence of God in the heart. Well ordered actions and words-what we understand as true Christian consistency in speech and behaviour-all our outward manifestations of thought and feeling so framed and controlled as to have ultimate reference to the obedience of Christ-to see this is like seeing Israel "abiding in their tents." The presence of Him who is the "author of peace and not of confusion" is felt at once to be there. Still more, perhaps, is this presence signified by a constant habit of prayer. Such a habit tells of abiding indwelling, like the pillar of cloud. How clearly this is recognised in those words of St. Paul (Eph. vi. 18): "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication." Watchful perseverance in prayer is "in the Spirit " alone. In the camp of Israel there were also internal tokens of the presence of God. Within the ordinary tribal encampment 66 was that of the ministerial tribe. Within that, the tabernacle enclosure. Within that, the tabernacle itself. Within that again, the holy of holies, the innermost portion of all. There it was, over the mercy-seat," or gold-covered lid of the ark, that the Shekinah appeared. That holy glory seems to have shewed as much as man was capable of seeing of the nature of God. At any rate, it was the acknowledged symbol of the actual presence of God. Only one man on one day in the year was permitted to see it. But all knew it was there. In the "temple" of a Christian man's body, as it is called by St. Paul, there is a secret chamber as well, a place of thought into which no one looks but God and himself. And there are thoughts in that chamber which tally closely in character with what we have spoken of now. On the one hand, there is a profound sense of the holiness of God which is almost as awful as the Shekinah itself. On the other hand, through His Son Jesus Christ, who is the true "mercyseat" or "propitiation" (1 John ii. 2) for the sins of the world, there is as profound a sense of His love. In proportion as the one is realised, it drives away sin. In proportion as the other, it drives away fear. The two together bring us close to the condition of things to be found in heaven itself, that pre-eminent "dwelling" of God. This leads us to notice, secondly, the blessings of God's presence. Of these, "guidance" comes first. It is not in the power of any among us to tell "what a day may bring forth." Neither is it "in man that walketh to direct his own steps." Hence the necessity for this guidance, Hence its blessedness too. "Where Thou art guide, no ill can come." But it is only in connection with the presence of God that we can be assured of this blessing. "The steps of a good man," i.e. of one seeking this Presence, are ordered by the Lord." "As many as are led by the Spirit of God 66 they are the sons of God." This truth, also, was well typified by the pillar of cloud. That gracious symbol was like a royal standard in more ways than one. When it stood over the tabernacle, it shewed where the Sovereign was. When it moved forward before the tabernacle it shewed what the Sovereign willed. As it is written, "Whether it was by day or by night that the cloud was taken up," the children of Israel "journeyed." The blessing of protection is another blessing secured by the presence of God. Egypt felt this to be true, when "the pillar of the cloud went from before" the camp of the Israelites, "and stood behind them, so that the one came not near the other all the night." Balaam also confessed this to be true, when, from the top of Pisgah, he made his second endeavour to curse the people of God. "The Lord his God," he said, "is with him, and the shout of a king is among them." The last blessing signified here is that of complete and constant supply. With the God of heaven himself perpetually in the camp, even the perpetual bestowment of the bread of heaven was no unnatural thing. Nothing is surprising, in fact, in the way of bestowment after such a bestowment as that. "He that spared not His own son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?" In other words, how shall He who has given His presence refuse anything else? These brief thoughts seem especially suitable for the opening year. More briefly still they teach us, in this connection: 1. What to desire above all during our pilgrimage. "If Thy presence go not with us, carry us not up hence." 2. What to dread above all during our pilgrimage. "Cast me not away from Thy presence, and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me" (Psalm li. 11). 3. What to hope at its close. "In Thy presence in fulness of joy; at Thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore (Psalm xvi. 11). "THEY LOVE A FELLOW THERE." SUNDAY-SCHOOL lad in Let ministers of Christ use it in the pulpit, in the cottage meeting, in visiting from house to house. Let all who are engaged in the work of teaching the young use it freely in all they say or do. Harsh, hasty words, angry looks, sternness and severity, are not the weapons Christ blesses. There needs now and then a word of gentle reproof. There must be discipline and order. But love does the work, and does it most effectually. A word of love, a look of love, a kind deed suggested by love, will often win a soul that nothing else could gain. In home life the same magnet is needed. Many a husband might be saved from evil courses, if only there were the attractive power of kindness and love in the wife. A fit of impatience and ill-temper drives many a man to the public-house, when a gentle and forbearing spirit might have made a blessing at his own fireside. Therefore seek the Spirit of Love; receive unto thy heart the King of Love; trust His love and reflect His love. Then remember to practise love in every position and in every place. Let there be considerate love. Think often of the wants and sorrows and cares of those around you. Let there be self-sacrificing love. Deny yourself, and give up much for the good of others. Remember, holy love, Christ-like love, is the mightiest power for good that the Church or the world has ever known. "ST. PAUL wrote against self-righteousness; St. James against unrighteousness.” "Love is the peculiar spirit, peace the peculiar blessing of Christianity."-Dr. Marsh. |