The progressive farmer., 1902-08-26
Christian Life Column.
BIDDING GOOD. BY TO GOD.

+remble,-and who yet had tie awful
courage to reply, go away for the
nresent. When I have a convenient
season, will send for thee? We hold
our breath at the very thought of
such stupid, lordly defiance of Al
mighty God; and then we breathe
more freely again as we remember
that such a thing could not be. 1t
could not be! Nay, but it has been.
There was a man who rolled those very
words off his thoughtless tongue, and
there are other men-have we not our
selves been among them ?-who have
cherished such thoughts in our hearts,
and sighed for God to go away, though
the blasphemous words may never have
crossed our lips.
Felix was the man,-the cruel, the
powerful, the gorgeous Felix. Beside
him is a prisoner speaking to him with
deadly earnestness of a judgment to
come. The voice is Paul's, but the
words are Gods, and they smite with
terror into his scared Roman con-
science Paul is right, God is right,
and Felix can stand it no longer. $50
away" he says, in a sudden access of
terror. "Go away for the present.
When I have a convenient season, I
Will send for thee" 1t is to Paul that
he is speaking, but what are those
awful words but a tragic farewell to
God,-the God who was pleading with
him through the mighty presence of
Paul?
What a prayer! 80 God! 60 away"
1t is a fearful thing to bid good-by
to God, but oh, the presumption, the
pathetic, the unspeakable presump-
tion, of expecting that the God to
whom we have haughtily said good-by
will come back at our summons, and
alter His plans to suit our convenient
season!
We do not indeed suppose that we
ourselves could ever be so haughtily
disobedient to the heavenly voice. If
only we could be sure that a voice was
Gods, we would obey it swiftly and
gladly; but the pain of life is that its
siIences are so long, and so seldom
broken by a voice which we can with
confidence welcome as divine. But is
that voice so very rare? or IS it not
rather that we have not schooled our
selves to understand the language in
which it speaks? For it sometimes
speaks as a rising terror in the heart.
So it was with Felix. His conscience
was alarmed by the vision Of a judg-
ment to come, and in that terror God
was speaking to him. That is one of
Gods ways of speaking TO men. When
the still small voice would be lost up
on us, he viii sometimes let US hear
the distant roll of his judgment thun-
der. Then let US not pray in our ter
Tor, 20 God! so thy way for the pres
ent." Rather, let US make our peace
with the God of the storm, lest his
ightnings consume US.
But his voice is not always terrible;
t can be gentle too. Sometimes it is
borne to US upon the breath Of holy
impulses or simple affections. But
whether that voice thrills US with ter
-or or with sacred resolve, it is for us
unhesitatingly to obey it's promptings.
That is the art of life. God is with us
N such a moment, laying his kindly
hand upon our stubborn life. How do
we know that he viii ever be with US
again?
Procrastination is the secret of fail
IRE. 4 noble thought, a holy resolu-
ton, visits US. It stands knocking at
the door. But it will disturb our com
fort if we suffer it to enter and possess
our life, and that will not do. So we
give it a courteous dismissal. "Go
thy way for the present. When I have
a convenient season, I Will send for
rhee' And before that season comes,
We may have reached some place where
there is no repentance, though we seek
i carefully with tears.
Every time we are appalled,, like Fe-
TX, at the thought of the judgment to
come; every terror that shakes our
conscience; every funeral procession
that passes up the busy streets, with
IS silent mockery of their crowded
has-e; every experience that awes and
huu0lcs us,-is another voice of the
Gel who loves us too dearly to leave
rs alone The man who says to such