Newport weekly independent., 1902-07-25

| heads are full of plans for future I rest and recreation, and they get ready to let go again. Keep busy in the work of the Lord; don't think so much of your weary body a. you do of the great need all about you, and even while you are telling the Lord about the work in which you are so much in- | terested, He will bid you come apart | for needful rest. And 24-hour vaca- tion to which the Lcrd leads you will bring more refreshing to the body than a month of self-appropriated | idleness and change.
 A night with the Lord on the water and walk with Him through the fields in the early morning before the | crowds are again pressing about Him can put renewed strength into those weary muscles, can quiet the throb of that aching head, can send new and vigorous life throbbing through every vein and artery of your being.
 Enlargement for the Soul.-"The groves were Gods first temples" and how the soul has a chance to expand as it goes afield with it's Lord in the early morning. Perfect vacation rest must include enlargement of the soul. The wayside we'll, the blooming lilies of the field, the twittering sparrows, the ripening fields of grain, the mus tard seed, the barren fig tree, the field of wheat and tares, the focks feeding on the hillside. the vine-clad slopes of Mount Olivet, all were the mediums through which the Lord bore home to the hearts of His disci- ples the spiritual lessons of which they stood in need. And Nature to- day is just as faithful medium of conveying to the human heart the Heaven-sent message. The time of the vacation rest is when Nature ought to find us in our most teachable mood, even as the summer clothes her in her most attractive dress and makes her most willing and faithful teacher. As we withdraw from the busy activ- ity of the work-a-day world, we then have time for reflection. That little bird in the leafy tops of the tree un- der which we swing in restful ease in our hammock can teach us of Fa- ther's love and care, for mot spar row falleth to the ground without your Father"
 As the flowers and the birds and the rippling waters of the lake spoke their lessons to the hearts of the dis ciples on that morning how it must have prepared them for the evidence of Gods love and care as He feeds that vast multitude with the few loaves and fishes! Their hearts made ten der by Natures wooing to receive the larger lesson of Gods miraculous power! Do you know, dear friend, that if during your vacation rest you will sit at the feet of Nature and humbly learn her secrets and hear her testify of the Heavenly Father who careth for you, your eyes will be opened to see the miraculous work ings of the Spirit of God on the hearts of men, and you will find yourself longing to become the willing chan nel through which God can pour His power and His blessing upon tho needy world? And so the enlargement of the soul under the expanding touch of Nature will open up new channels of service.
 New Channels of Service.-Had the disciples remained behind to serve that needy multitude in the weari- ness of their own bodies and their human limitations they would have failed, miserably falled, and in dis couragement, perhaps, given up their Christian service altogether. But Christ calls them apart for awhile, and when they are refreshed, behold, the multitude, which has skirted the shores of the lake in Its eagerness to be near the Lord, is once more before them and an unexpected opportunity presents itself for serving them. In obedience to the Lords command they seat the motley throng in companies that they may be better served; then, taking the loaves and fishes, over which have been spoken the words of blessing by the Lord, they pass around breaking the loaves and fishes and dealing out bountifully and yet always with an armful to give to the hum gry soul just beyond. Here is tho lesson for you and for nre. The per- feet vacation rest opens up new chan nels of service, gives us new oppor- tunities of helping those about us and the needy ones left behind when we went on our summer outing.
 Many a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ has found in the quiet hours of the season of rest the solution to problems which have vexed him sore during the heat of battle. AS the body has become rested and the soul has