Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-12-30

drance, bringing 1t into a knowledge or Its
dependence upon Him?
You will remember that the reason that
the Lord had to lead the 1sraelites by way
of the wilderness was because of their ten
dency to disobey, and He could not at AID
trust them to go the short way to the
promised land through an enemy's coun-
try. Have you ever thought how that may
be the reason with you why God has to let
trouble come to you, because you are not
able TO bear the short, easy ways, the ways
without sorrow and trouble, the ways filled
with pleasures and delights innumerable. II
you had been one to bind your soul to
Gods and bow your will to His, no matter
what temptation, you might have had your
joys yet, and no scars of sorrow in your
heart, perhaps
One so often hears people say: well, l
don't believe in doing so and so, but then
have to, you know, for one must live, and
I would lose my position if let my con-
science guide me in everything, and then
where would my bread and butter be?"
Better a thousand times to learn to I'M
derstand that man does not live by bread
alone, and If need be, to do as Sam Jones
said he would do when, upon his CONVEX
sion, he gave up a lucrative employment
because 1t compelled him to work every
Sunday and he said he and his wife made
up their minds they would trust the Lord to
take care of them. and If they starved to
death they would ''let on they died of ty-
phoid fever" That is the kind of perfect
trust in Him our heavenly Father is try
Ing To tedCH US DE the WllQGT1lcSS ana, alas,
how few of us really learn!
But there are some of us today, who, as
We look back across the vista of the days
of the past year, know that we have not
yet passed through our wilderness, and the
way seems dark and cherries. We wonder
why 1t has to be, and our eyes are heavy
with tears and our hearts heavy to break
ing. To such the words of this chapter
bring hope, for there is deep love In the
tenderness wherewith we are called upon to
remember the nv which haep
led, and that never yet has God failed us,
even though we have almost persisted with
hunger of soul, or with thirst of the spirit,
still when we have called upon Him has He
always sent bread from heaven, water even
from rock that we thought an impossible
source? Cannot we today put together this
call to remembrance with the command to
obey and take the hint of the reason why
we still have to remain in the wilderness?
''All the commandment which I command
thee this day shall ye observe to do, that
We may live"
Applied Truths.
THE world as It looks back upon the
past years, knows that Gods active care
for 1t has proved itself abundantly in all
His various treatments. One year He lift
ed the curtain from a hidden continent,
and gave His children a whole new world
in which to carry out His purposes. An
other year He revealed to them a strange
simple little invention which made the
liSeS vi GU hIlcNIeuSt OI the lew 10 De the
free heritage of all. Another year He
touched the solid frame of a great spir-
itual despotism, and it trembled and quak-
ed, and thousands of its slaves came forth
free men. Another year, In our own time,
He sent the message of liberty to a nation
of bondmen, and the letters fell off from
their limbs We call these events of his
tory. They have a right to be called the
comingS of the Lord. They are all echoes
and Illustrations of that great coming Lord
from which they who have known of 1t
agree by instructive consent to date their
history, the birth of the Child of Bethle-
hem, the Man of Nazareth and Calvary,
into the world.
when we once think thus of the events
Of history as the activities of God, as the
comings of the Lord to man, then there
comes great vitality into the story of
mankind. 1t Is all alive. And then we
stand before the yet unopened history of
new year and say, What will God do this
year? How will He come near to man? 1t
may be-oh, that 1t might be!--that He will
break up this awful sluggishness of Christ
endom. this terrible torpidity of the Chris
tian church, and give us a great, true re-
vival 1t may be that He will speak some
great imp erious command to the brutal and
terrible spirit of war, and will open the
gate upon a bright period of peace through
out the world. 1t may be that He will
draw back the curtain and/throw some of
His light upon the question of how the poor
and rich may live together in more cordial
brotherhood. 1t may be that He will lead
up from the depths of their common faith
a power of unity into the sects of a di-
vided Christendom. Perhaps He will smite
this selhshness of fashionable life and
make 1t earnest.
Perhaps by some terrible catastrophe
He will teach the nation that corruption is
ruin and that nothing but integrity can
make any nation strong. Perhaps this! Per-
haps that! We make our guesses, and no
can truly say. Only we know with
world that needs SO much, and with a God
who knows it's needs and who loves 1T and
pities it SO tenderly, there must be in the
long year some approach of His life to it's
life. some coming Of the Lord. And If we
know this of the world shall we not also
know 1T of ourselves? For u.s. too, God Is
certainly active. If our religion is a real
life thing. feel God actually coming to
which are to happen TO us bel fore another
New Year day. All, after ALL that is ev-
erything. To know that there is no acct
dent. To know that He is always
coming to us. To know that there is moth
Ing happening to us which is not His COM
ing To know all that is to find the most
trivial life made solemn the most cruel life
made kind, the most sad and gloomy life
made beautiful. PHILLIPS BROOKS"
How to Help the Leader.
Pray in the meeting, Dear Father, help
me to have learned the lessons Thou hast
given me this year" or Precious Saviour.
forgive the mistakes of the past year and
help me to do better in the coming one."
Parallel Passages-Psalms 1914, Psalms
1851, 2; Psalms e6:17. 49, 20; Ecclesiastes
315, JOB 29:8, A; Isaiah $3.50, Psalms 6511.
Isaiah 1920, 81.
Hints to the Leader-The Endeavor
Hymnai, 49, II, 49, CO. 60, go.
Urge each member to tell one spiritual
truth they have learned this year.
Speak Of your own experience and how the
Lord has led you.
Have some one sing He Holds the Key
of All Unknown" Gospel Hymns No. g. page
~ nj a hQ nrl6 rlo fc}f
soloist sing when We Reach Our Fathers
Dwelling" found In the old Gospel Hymns
Nos. Ia, No. 297.
Close with season OF silent prayer and
conservation.
For looking backward through the year
Along the way my feet have pressed
see sweet places everywhere,
Sweet places where my soul had rest.
Ny sorrows have not been 50 light,