The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1902-04-05

II Peter. Hi:17. IS.
l.. Ye therefore. beloved. seeing We
know these things before. beware lest We
also being led away with the error Of
the wicked, :au from your own steadIast-
ness.
IS. But grow in grace. ard in the knowl-
edge Of our Lord and Saviour Jesus
Christ. To him be glory both now and
forever. Amen.
] Peter. u-1. Q
l. Wherefore laying aside all malice
and all guile. and hypocrisies. and enyies.
and all evil speakings.
2. As newborn babes. desire the sincere
milk OF the word, that We may crow
thereby.
Ephesians. fv-12-l5.
70. For the rerfecting of the saints. for
the work Of the ministry, for the edifying
Of the body Of Christ
II. Till we all come in the unity of the
faith and Of the knowledge Of the Son
Of God. unto a perfect man, unto the
measure Of the stature OF the fullnoss Of
Christ
"A. That we hencefOrth be no more chill
dren, tossed 20 and fro. and carried about
with g-ery wind Of doctrine, by the
sleight Of men. and Ginning craftiness.
whereby they lie in wait TO deceive.
Is. But speaking the truth in love may
grow up into him in all things, which is
the head, even Christ.
Christian Endeavor Hymns, 80. Sc,
IS. pa.
The Endeavor Hymnal-2o. &c, So. 81.
50. AZ. 24C.
Parallel Passages.
Romans. VIA; II Corinthians ks; II
Corinthians. Iii.9. Ephesians. vi-1O. II
Timothy. H:1; Hebrews. xii:l4. Is; James,
iv:6; jude, 20 q; Jude q. %; Hebrews,
xiii.2O, 2I
Daily in a large city museum a little
creature was exhibited, in years a woman,
but in stature net so large as a healthy
baby. Her picture was sold in which
she appeared sitting on the hand Of a
giant Of a Snowman, the contrast making
her appear like doll Her eyes were
wistful and her pinched features drawn
in a pitifuI expression. Unhappiness,
dissatisfaction sat upon her face Her
hands we're shrunken and cIaw-like. Poor
little dwarf What was her life but
show? All the grandeur Of a woman's
existence. her youth. her JOY, her love,
shut away from her forever. Her body
had never grown 10 its full stature and
her strength was not equal to the tasks
OF the great work in the world OF what
use was She but to be a showman's pup
pet?
How like was she to many Christian
lives; puny. helpless things, with but
name TO live. The only use they have
for religion is to exhibit it, and alas. they
are not even curiOsities like the tiny
dwarfs Of the museum. They are all
about us-nay, let US be sure that we
ourselves arc not numbered among them
The spiritual growth is even easier to
stunt in the beginning than is the physi-
cal, and the fact that il is so common
thing makes it seem no calamity. n lack
OF physical development is looked upon
as a cause Of great sorrow. but lack Of
spiritual development passes unn5ticed.
Indeed, today the man who has grown in
grace toward his full measure OF the
stature OF Jesus is looked upon as the
curiosity. a sort Of spiritual giant not 10
be ranked with other men at an.
IN certain otherwise happy home the
eldest son, a young man of TWENTY-FIVE
SITS all day long shaking a stick with a
rag tled about H.. This is his sole amuse-
ment and employment in the void He
is an imbecile. and nobody ever expects
anything else from him. There are many
IN The church who are INTERCHANGEABLE
going about shaking sticks with rags on
them They are given some little tbfnp
10 do 10 keep them contented and no one
ever expects any other church work Of
them. They never have grown enough
since they united with the church 10 he
able 70 do anything else. They stoDDed
snort with the act Of accepting Christ
They never have grown an inch Their
strength is not great enough for even The
simplest service Christ asks Of those who
have named his name. They are fun
grown men, able 10 go out into the world
OF business and make a success in life
but In the church sitting dumb when there
Is need for someone 20 pray or lead a
meeting, utterly incapable Of pointing the
way 10 Christ because they know him so
little themselves.
There are few essentials Of physical
life which we dare not ignore and hone
TO live. II is exactly so In the Christian
life We cannot grow IN grace without
the same essentials. The first essential
OF lie is breath. We must have air TO
breathe. or death comes instantly.
Prayer Is the Christians vital breath.
The Christians native air"
Without IL how can We live2 Physicians
say that the cause OF mary physical Ills
is that We do not breathe deep enough
The brain worker is sometimes so ab-
sorbed in his work that ne barely draws
In enough oxygen 70 keep his heart going i
but not enough 10 fully expand his lungs
and give the poison in the blood a chance
70 be expelled by the outgoing breath.
With how very little prayer some OF US
manage 70 get along!
The next essential Is nourishment The /
Bible is the food Of the Christian. and /
many Christians exist on one meal a week ]
on Sunday-and that not a hearty one,
either Who has not watched thorough
ly normal baby, eager for its food. casting 1
aside playthings, pushing away everyone. /
caring not for gold or glittering treasures
or ambition. or anything in its future so 4
81 may get its food2 II Is that way we are I
10 read our Bible. "As newborn babes !
desire mark that word desire-.the sin
ceTe milk OF the word. 30 Everything else I
Is as nothing 10 the Bible. Who Of Us 4
feels that way? How many Christion En-
deavorers are almost unwilling 10 pledge I
themselves TO read the Bible every day 4
because Of the time Il takes? What baby /
20 hon dol