The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1898-02-07

day, faithful unto death" Such was
our leader, the Captain of our salvation,
and we should be continually looking
to Him. 1t is said of Him that He
was faithful to Him that appointed
Him" He was always at the post of
duty. No encouragement ever turned
Him aside. He came unto His own
and His own received Him not
And yet He was faithful They said
He cast out demons by Beelzebub. but
He went on casting out demons. They
accused Him of being an associate of
publicans and sinners. but He went on
seeking the lost He knew that Geth-
semane. the cross and Joseph's tomb
were before Him. But He was faith
full, faithful to Him that appointed
Him. Surely when one becomes a
follower of such q Savior he ought TO
be faithful in standing in his place.
Men nave been faithful and loyal TO
leaders of less renoWn and to causes
not so deserving as the cause of Christ
We recall the gathering in Scott's
Lady of the Lake. where men are
described as sacrificing all their person.
al feelings to the claims of loyalty. The
son left his fathers bier, and the bride
groom left his bride,
Owning no tie but to his clan,
Ne oath but by his cheftain's hand,
No law but Rhoderick Dhus command"
If men can be loyal 20 such a leader,
| and they have been again and again,
men who know the Christ who know
Him as the Son of God, who know Him
as their personal Savior ought to be
| loyal to Him.
| There is never anything lost while
much is gained by loyalty TO Christ
! even a some personal sacrifice An
old monkish tale tells how "a recluse
had made it his prayer that he might
see Jesus in person. The vision came.
| The sight filled his room, and flooded
the entire space with luminous shining
He fell on his knees. At that instant
| the clock tolled for noon, and he must
/ so forth to feed the paupers as usual
at the gate. Should he leave the cham
Der and lose the spectacle? He went
and did his duty, and came back in
tears, wondering whether he should
| ever dare to pray again, and whether
his vision would ever return. He was
comforted and amazed as he entered
his cell to find the great Light waiting
! for him yet.
Nay, wonder notn the vision said:
/ because thou wentest forth, | stayed:
| Iiadst thou remained to enjoy the sight.
/ / would have taken instant flight,
| The Lord can keep blessings waiting
for those who go forth to attend 10
duty as His followers and as members
| of His church. And. on the other
hand, lie can withhold great blessings
! from those who neglect duty, seeking
ease and enjoyment.
| We have said much about the i'm
| pOrtance of every one standing in his
| place round about the camp. And yet
| We must not conclude that because
many are unfaithful the few cannot ac-
compiish anything. Even a few stand
| ing together can gain a great victory
! The Whole-hearted service of a few
| faithful ones is better than numbers
when working or fighting for God 1t
was rot the 81 600 with Gideon, but
the 800 who oVercame the army of the
Midianites. What proportion of 81 COS
is 300? About one in a hundred The
army of the Lord can make rather a
better showing than that to-day. And
yet it is true. and has always been
true, that the greater part of the
Lords work has always been done by
few. DR. Lyman Abbott says: The
story OF Gideon is a symbol as we'll as
a history. God conducts all his cam
paigns upon analogous principles The
emancipation of man is always wrougn,
out by a forlorn hope. God is not on
the side of the strong battalions.
In moral conflicts at least, numbers
never count. Only the few have faith
| in God and courage in His cause. and
faith and courage alone gain battles.
Elijah faces alone the 40 prophets of
Baal. The schools of Hillel and Sham
mai are overturned by the unlearned
| Galilean fisherman The little May
| flower tossed on the tempestuous seas
of the Atlantic, suffices to bring across
seed enough to plant half a continent
with truth A few men and women of
| the commoner classes gather for
prayer and conference in Philip EN-
bury's carpenter shop; the aristocracy
of New York disdain to associate with
them, but the result Of the PRAYERS of
these Gespised Methodists is the larg-
est Protestant organization in Amer
lea. Wilberforce in England and Will
lam Lloyd Garrison in America call for
! recruits to wage war against the COM
bin3d interests, commercial, political and
ecclesiastical, of slavery and the slave
trade. Their adherents az first hardly
equal in number Gideon's band. but
they emancipate two continents"
There is great power in a picked COM
pany of the faithful. But why should
not every Christian man and woman
belong to this picked company? In
Gideon's time q large number We're set
aside who We're faint hearted; then an
other large company who might be
called the self-indulgent Are any of
us set eside from having a part in the
Lords victories because we are fear
full or self-induIgent? Or are we count
ed among the consacrated and the
/ faithful? Those who have a part in tho
| fight are the ones who will most en-
joy The victory. Those who most en-
| joy the Christian life now are those who
| stand in their place round about the
camp. Look over your own Christian
experience. and ask yourself whether
the time Of greatest enjoyment in your
Christian life was not also the time of
your greatest activity
! Your pastor. youthful, vigorous and
devoted. whose work among YOU God
has already richly blessed, returns from
his vacation eager for the work which
/ lies before you. You have here
goodly number Of cody men and wom
en-. a consecrated band of young peo
| pie and q large field of labor about Won
This church is Wen organized. Their.
ought 10 be now a rallying of all the
forces of the church, an advance all
along the line. There is a place for
every one. God has given YOU at leasr
one talent. You should find some mace
To use it. The inquiry should now be.
w hat is my post of duty as q follower