The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-11-24


give up our personality to toilsome
days and devoted nights, to strive and
struggle and serve and sympathize,
and all that is to be counted as spirit
ual worship.
why, Brother Paul, what do you
mean? Isn't feeling ecstatic and sing
ing hymns and going to conventions
and reading devotional books being
spiritual 2" Not at all; it is doing the
VIII OF God. Real spirituality is indie
pendent of all moods: it is unshaka BILE
loyalty to Jesus Christ
The authors therefore" at the
opening of his famous chapter, pillars
all his exhortations in tn sublime
truths concerning God which he has
written in the earlier chapters. A
pean of praise to the exaltedness of
Jehovah closes chapter eleven. This
doxology is the climax of his profound
teachlng about the revelation of God
10 man Therefore, present your
o1otes is the logical consequence of
an this wonderful truth. The upshot
OF the entire discourse, just practical
service.
The Great Transformation.
what is the grand end and aim of
an CHRISTIAN teaching, So ar as hui
man HE IS concerned? Paul answers
plainly: Transformed Christians Here
we face the ultimate thing. The su-
preme objective OF all instruction and
activity is transformed chara cters
al victories; without it, 1t thing else
counts at all
Isn't the need of the Church for
more money!" No; it is for trans
formed lives.
Surely the Church must first have
more menu" No; more transformed
lives.
If there were more leading people
in the church membership, the task
would surely be more quickly accom-
alone can do it.
May we not count on the spread
of the SUNDAY School and Christian
Endeavor and the Mems Movements
to win the Kingdoms victory?" No;
it needs transformed lives.
Perhaps higher grade of preach
ing, or different kind, would do it e?
Maybe we need some more Billy Sun
days." No; nothing but transformed
lives can carry the message to all the
w rid.
From A to u. the whole encyclope-
di1 of Christian teaching is just this:
transformed lives by the power of
Christ. If the Church is failing 20
produce these. then the failure is
fundamental and complete. Except
our own personal faith bears these
fruits of transformed life, it is IN
vain. We even dare go further: the
whole revelation of God to man is of
no avail unless it is eventudting in
transformed lives.
We may view with great concern
the modern tendency to substitute
sophistication and organization and
wealth and power and worldly alli-
transformed lives. Does this present
day disposition mean that we are not
willing to pay the price which the pen
of inspiration has written down? There
can be no substitute for personal holt
ness. We may endow universities
h11i ri DIV Iar
sums to philanthropy and religious ac-
tivity; but these are merely heather
practices if they are meant to be sub
stitutes for personal righteousness.
When they are the consequences of
characters made over into Christ-like-
ness, they are wholly good. Other
wise, they are mere attempts to bride
God.
Nothing but the Transformation of
character can affect the great results
enumerated in this chapter which we
are studying: humility, faith, love,
resignation, prayerfulness. liberality
hospitality, sympathy, peacefulness
and forgiveness. These are but marks
of new character which the renewed
mind produces. The changed life is
strong for undergoing and strong for
overcoming. 1t abhors that which is
evil; and 1t covets earnestly the best
gifts. Let US not blink or dodge the
tremendous truth which is central not
only to this lesson, but also to the
Bible. BE We perfect even as your
Father in heaven is perfect.
Saying "Thank YOU to God.
Terse Comments on the Uniform Pray
er Meeting Topic of the Young Peo-
pies Societies-Christian Endeavor,
etc,-for November %: "The Grace
of Gratitude" Psalms 1O7.
Under my hand, at the moment, re-
ceived in the mornings mail, is a re-
markable statement sent me by the
crown a few weeks ago. I knew him
in health, as a missionary of the
Southern Presbyterian church, in
China. I knew him as a man doomed
to die, and sending forth to his friends
an exultant shout of faith. I saw him
after three years of excruciating suf-
fering, legless, emaciated and con-
torted with pain, yet smiling serenely
and talking of the joy he had in still
being able occasionally to preach the
Gospel from his wheel chair. All in
all, L think George Hudson was the
bravest man I ever knew. During the
torturing days and nights of his three
years of inceSSant pain how DO you
suppose Mr.. Hudson employed him.
self? By his side he kept two copies
of the New Testament in English and
Greek; and for one thing, he COM
mitted all the Psalms to memory He
did not browze in Lamentations, or in
any of the melancholy prophets, but
made his home in these Hebrew
hymns of praise! The statement to
which the opening sentence OF this
paragraph alludes is the following,
copied from the fly-1eaf of his Psalter:
This little book has been my constant
companion and comfort. 1 testify
that there is no experience or emotion
OF my soul which cannot find ade-
in
spired melodies" Yet some persons
think that joy is entirely a matter of
mood or circumstances
Gratitude is a grace and it begets
graciousness. Only those persons who
possess the gentle breeding of the
heart remember to say Thank you''
to God, and to all their lesser Hene-
factors