The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1903-04-09
Deci lie To-Day.

heaven ulClmaCum TO the CnrlSClan
world! We are accustomed to think of all
such calls of God as belonging distinctively
to those who have not accepted Christ.
This chapter speaks to acknowledged be-
levers in God.
1t is the voice of the Holy Ghost. The
long parenthess of our Scripture lesson
comes to our hearts, perhaps, as a sur
prise. that there is something else for us to
do than merely to profess. We listen
with wonder as to new gospel. We think
we have "heard His voice." what need
have we to bark back to those old sinful
children in the wilderness. and their forty
days Of apathy and childish ingratitude;
derful works all those years. God was
grieved with them, ''They have not known
My ways" Can it be that we are grieving
Him in the same way?
And what is this crest" that "they might
not enter into?' Not the rest of the Sab
doubtedly the first meaning of the promise
for people yet unable to understand any
higher rest.
DIR. Edwards says:
Every time the promise is renewed it is
presented In higher and more spiritual
form. Every rejection inevitably leads to
grosser views and more hopeless unbelief.
So entirely false is the fable of the Sibyl.
God does not burn some of the leaves when
His promises have been rejected, and come
back with fewer offers at higher price.
His method is to offer more and better on
the same conditions. But it is the nature
of unbelief t. cause the heart to wax
gross, to blind the spiritual vision, until.
in the end, the rich, spiritual promises of
God and the earthly, dark unbelief of the
sinner stand in EXTREMIST contrast.
The promise is next presented as the rest
of Canaan. The rest now consists
in the enjoyment of material prosperity.
But even in this second Garden of
Eden Israel did not attain unto Gods rest.
Worldliness became their snare.
The call is at last urgent. To-day It is
the last invitation. It fingers in the ears
in ever fainter voice OF prophet after pro-
phet, until the prophets face turns toward
the east to announce the break of dawn
and the. coming of the perfect rest in Jesus
Christ"
And to our astonished hearts Paul adds
his warning for immediate action. where
fore, take heed, brethren and we realize
there is possibility that we have been
departing from the living Cod" and that
our only hope of entering into the rest of
Christ's peace is to hear the call to-day
This rest of Christ is the one thing we
as Christian Endeavorers need most if we
would be true workers, if we would urge
forward movement" during the coming
year, # we would win souls for Christ.
For those who are thoroughly rested do
uOC uecQ 10 SIT lQle forever, DUC are READY
and glad to go to work again.
But the main thing for us to realize is
that this offer is only open for us to-day.
Tomorrow, all unintentionally our sinful
hearts may have hardened past the yield
ing point, and it may be too late forever
for us to claim that rest.
An old man dying was urged to turn to
Christ as his Saviour. mo" said he de-
cidedly, ut is too late for me. Years ago
|. felt troubled about my sins. I lay awake
all one night struggling, trying to make up
my mind whether I would give myself to
God or not. At last I said aloud, No,
won't!' and turned over and went to sleep.
| never have been troubled about my soul
from that day to this, and I do not care to
talk about the matter any further And
SO he died without God and without hope"
We need not wonder when we hear of
such cases, for the Bible says: "My spirit
shall not always strive"
nor in the dead past-only in the living
doomsday," for today holds life and nd' death.
charac ter and destiny. in its hands OPP
portunity says with Jesus, ''Me We have
not always, We say, IT will take my
chances. There is plenty of time" All,
how often do we say, Some other time"
to. find there is no other time! Some
things we can do mot always" How shall
we find out what things can be done any
time and what things now or never? Only
by. living in the faith that to-day is the
only day we haye, and challenging every
opportunity for its meaning Esau filed
his life with regret for trihing one day;
Esther's was full of glory for one days
courage. Peter slept one hour and lost a
matchless opportunity. Mary's name is fra
grant forever for the loving deed of day.
Do your best now.--Maltbie D. Babcock.
The rest which does us all good, and en-
ables us to do our work well, is the rest Of
the heart--the Sabbath of the soul-James
Freeman Clarke