Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-05-12
They believed what they had heard o. HIN.

They were ready for Him.
There are many Ike these two ell about
u. It = comparatively easy for Us to give
them the help they ask.
The dumb man possessed Of q spirit OF
evil was like those about u who do not
want Christ, 90 not ask for our prayers
IN their sins. Yet some one. some good
follower Of Jesus. who perhaps loved the
soul Of the demoniao with heavenly love
out the evil 10 his heart that had so him
dered his Lips that they could not even want
to cry out for Christs mercy, and opened
them In praise to Him.
There are some Christian workers who
think It hardly worth while to urge Jesus
upon those who are strongly opposed to
Him They refuse to be friendly; they re-
fuse to try to do anythins because e. these issr
Drunkards. for instance. Why do you
help that poor creature? He is too far
gone. You are Just wasting your time on
wont try to help himself Better spend
your time on some more worthy object,
That is the advice sometimes given; but II
the blessed woman who took John q. wool
ley out of the gutter and put him In her
as an angel from heaven might have done,
had listened to such talk. John q. Woolley
might still have been Keeling about the
streets or lying in drunkards grave to,
cried after Him. but He also gave speech
to the dumb, and took away the spirit Of
evil from the possessed when their friends
brought them. There Is helpful thought
for those Of US who have dear ones who
are spiritually dumb and possessed
We may bring them to Jesus II they Will
not come themselves. and He will heal.
Speaking of this twenty fifth chapter, J.
Munro Gibson says:
There are those who looking at this con-
versation In the most superficial way, find
T., at,-,v. ~ olxrof
and imagine that they are warranted on
the strength of this passage to set aside
all that Is written in other parts or scrip
ture as to the necessity of change OF heart,
to dismiss from their minds all concern
about creed or worship, about doctrine or
sacramento or church membership. BE
kind to- the poor-that Will 40 IN
stead of everything else. In answer
to such a perversion of our LORDS Ian
guage 1t should surely be enough to cail
attention to the fact that all is made TO
turn upon the treatment of Christ by the
one class and by the other. Kindness TO Inc
poor comes In not in itself the ground Oh
the division, but as furnishing the evidence
of the manifestation of that devotion to
God as revealed In Christ which forms the
real ground OF acceptance, and the want OF
which Is the sole ground of condemnation.
True II is that Christ Identifies Himself with
His people, and accepts the KINDNESS Done
unto the poorest Of them as Done 10 Hill
self; but there Is obviously implied, what
Il
expressed that the kindness must be done
in the name of a disciple In other Words,
love to Christ must be the motlVe OF ihe
deed of charity, else 1t is worthless as
test of true discipleship. The more care
fully the whole passage is read. the more
manifest will 1t be that the great question
which determines the separation Is inns
How have you treated Christ? 1t is only
to bring out more clearly the real answer
to this question that the other is added
How have you treated Christs poor? .
Applied Truth.
When Martin. who afterward became
Bishop of Tours. was boy he was obliged
to bear arms. as he was the son of
military tribune. One extremely cold night
he was marching with his columns near
Amiens, and at the city gate he passed
a wretched old man sitting In the snow
sbivering. Martin had no money, SO ne
took his sword and cut his cloak IN TWO
and gave one-half to the beggar. wrapping
the other half around himself, while his
comrades stood watching. some admiring
and some 1eering There Is tradition
that in the night he had dream wherein
he saw the Lord, and to his surprise he
saw that the Lord was wearing the nalf
cloak he had given to the beggar. Martin
was told to look at It and see If he knew
It, and then he heard the Lord say to the
chumen, has clothed Me with this gar
ment."
1t Is said that a poor working man gave
his coat to Russian soldier who was COM
PEELED to keep duty between one sentry
box and another one very cold night. The
cold was so terrible that the soldier was
found dead IN the morning. Not long after
ward the poor man also lay upon his dying
bed and in a dream saw Jesus. You
have got my coat on. said the man. Yes,
1t is the coat you lent TO Me that cold
night when l was on duty and you passed
nv naked clothed Me-
Bishop Simpson tells how once when I'll
and travelling in the land of Palestine a
letter came to him one day telling of
bequest left to his youngest child. 1T was
given to the smallest of my children, the
little one, and he had done 1t unto me; and
my heart, half across the globe sWelled
with affection to q friend I could not see,
because he had remembered little one.
So the great Father has His little ones scat
tered all aver the land, In novels, in cell
lars. in garrets and abodes of affiiction and
in scenes of poverty. and He sees when an
act OF kindness is done to one of the least
of them"
In John Falks refuge at Weimar one OF
the little boys said the usual grace-"Come.
Lord Jesus. be our guest and bless what
Thou hast provided" A little fellow look
ed up and asked, do tell me why the Lord
Jesus never comes?" He was told to believe
and the Lord Jesus would surely come II
shall set him chair" the little boy said
Just then an apprentice nearly frozen
knocked at the door and begged nights
lodging The children were all eager to
welcome him. Every boy wanted him TO
have his plate. The chair was ready for
him. One child cried because his bed was
too small for the stranger. Then said the
little boy who had set the chair for the
Lord Jesus: Jesus could not come. and
He sent this poor man In His place, Is
that it?"
How to Help the Leader.
Read Tolstops little booklet, Where
Love is, There God Is Also and tell tho
story briefly OF the old shoemaker who en-
tertained Christ unawares in the form OF
the woman, the little child, etc.
HINTS TO THE LEADER.-The En-
deavor Hymnal-S7. Ill, 124. 12S, 136. 149.
Bring out the fact that we are called upon
every day to do acts of healing and mercy
to those about US, especially in our own
homes, and we often pass them by unheed-
ing One of the least of these may often
be found in our own homes. God has set
those near us whom He wants US to help
It may be they will not want the help any
more than the dumb demoniac, but we
may bring them to Him"
s'They said The Master Is coming
To honor the town today,
And none can tell at whose house or home
Master will choose to stay