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Young People's Topic
FOR OCT. 4, 1914.
By Rev. A. A. Johnston.
Twelve Great Verses. X. The Trust
Verse. Isaiah 12:2. (Roll-call meeting.)
Psalms: 146:1,4-7, Xo. 395; 136:1-.^.,,
Xo. ::;73; 148:1, 4-5, Xo. 399; 125:1-4,
-Xo. 3.j4; 25:1-4, Xo. 60; 10:1-4,, Xn.
Parallels: 1 Sam. 17:37; 2 Kings
18:5-7; Ps. 4:5; Ps. 112:7; Ps. IIS:
S-9; Isaiah 50:10; 1 Tim. 4:10; Isaiah
2G:3; Jer. 17:7; Ruth 2:12; 2 Sam.
22:31; Ps. 34:8.
This wonderful psalm of redemption
is right in the midst of a passage of
terrible denunciation. The heavens
are black with God's condemnation.
The lightning of His wrath is playing
against Israel and all the sinful nations
of tne earth. We seem to be
in the very path of ruin and destruction
for God has gone to war with
sin. We can almost hear the walls
of those mighty but wicked cities falling.
Their inhabitants are fleeing
hither and thither in tearful panic.
TME CHRISTIAN NATION. Vol. 61.
And then, right in the midst of it
all, comes this wonderfully winsome
expression of the love and mercy ot
God. Judgment is God's strange
work. God delighteth in mercy. The
black clouds roll past,, the thunders
ot Mt. Sinai fade away, and we are
led to the gentler slopes of Calvary,
But immediately the higher critics
begin to croak, "This is not the style
of Isaiah. Someone has interposed
this beautiful plea of pardon." But
what is the style of inspiration By
what measurements of architecture
are we going to judge the heavens
Who will dare to pigeon-hole the composition
of God He can be the author
of the tornado, ihe simoon and the
sky, black with swirling clouds, but
can he not also bathe the earth with
the golden sunshine and canopy it
with the deep blue of a cloudless sky
and bless it with the singing of bird
In the midst of this awful storm,
God pushes back the clouds to reveal
to men the clear shining of the light
of his amazing love for men. "Thou
wast angry with me,, thine anger is
tui-ned away and thou comfortest
me."
There are three discoveries in the
verse, but they are discoveries as old
as God nimself.
I. Gou is My Salvation.
This is the most blessed truth in
all the volumes ever penned. I, a
sinner, polluted, a wanderer in the
desolate wilderness of sin but God
my personal Savior. I, damned to a
Hell in my own heart and to a future
Hell, but God my Deliverer. Jerome
beautifully translates this sentence,
"God is my Jesus," for "He shall
save his people from their sins."
How wonderfully sweet to the sinners
heart are these words, "Jesus is my
Salvation!"
The world has only one great need.
For centuries, Europe has been building
a wonderful culture. German and
French universities are the most famous
of the earth. Museums and artgalleries,
with so-called priceless
treasures, are everywhere, yet now,
when the cruel passions of men are
loosed,, these wonderful museums are
the food for flames. On Cologne
cathedral, guns and searchlights have
been stationed. Shells are crashing
through the walls of universities and
palaces. All their vaunted culture,
education, and refinement has disappeared
like a puff of smoke. There
will be no peace, or prosperity, or
true education until this salvation of
Jesus has been given right-of-way in
the hearts of men.
II. God is My Strength.
Everyone is haunted with his failure
in life. Our ideals are always beyond
and above us. Many a peaceful
night is disturbed by the knowledge
ot our shortcomings. How bitterly
we lament our defects! How
only open the door to Him.
III. God is My Song.
Is He When the crops have failed
or the mother has been taken
Home, or a little son has been born,
only to suffer and die. Do we sing
just as cheerfully tu adversity as in
prosperity
God is wonderully good. We can
praise Him always for His abundant
mercy. Certainly, we in America
ought to lift up peons of rejoicing
just now because he has blessed us
with quiet and safety when the whole
world is frenzied with carnage and
suffering.
Because God is my Salvation and
Strength and Song, "I will trust and
not be afraid."
Prayer Meeting Topic
FOR OCT. 7, 1914.
By the Rev. J. M. Johnston.
Fourth Step.—Organizing for
Work.
Parental Duties.—Ps. 34:11.
1. Family Instruction.
2. Family Discipline.
3. Family Worship.
Passages: Gen. 16:19, Deut. 11:
19, Deut. 4:9, 10, Ps. 78:3-8, Pro.
22:6, Pro. 13:24; Pro. 29:15, Eph.
6:4, Col. 3:21, 1 Sam. 2:22-24, Deut.
5:6, Pro. 6:20-22, Pro. 23:22, Jer.
3:4, 5, Jer. 3:19, Col. 3:20.
Psalms: 34:6-11, 78:1-7, 103:8-
11, 127:1-4, 128:1-4.
I. Family Instruction. The
family is the oldest institution in
the world. It being of Divine Authority
is one of the most important.
So much depends upon the
character of instruction received
in the family as to what will be
its influence upon society and the
world at large. There is nothing
more essential for parents to keep
in mind than that the Bible should
be the chief source of instruction.
Some times we think that the Sabbath
School is the place for them
to receive religious instruction.
The Sabbath School can not and
should not take the place of home
religious training.
in a position to impart and to impress
upon the minds of the young
the things they should know.
2. Family Discipline. "No community
can have a prosperous and
happy existence without some
settled government." God has
given an order and discipline to
His Church, for God is not the
eagerly we long for victory, but spiritual
attainment is not to be found author of confusion but of peace.
in us. God is our strength. He it is So it is regarding the family. Or­
The thrones are tottering, for God who agrees to come into our life and
cannot veiw sin with tolerance; and win our victories for us and drive out
the wrath of the Lamb, like a consuming
flre, is visiting destruction and enlighten our minds and cleanse
our sins. He will renew our wills,
upon the earth.
the dark chambers of our heart if we
der must be established if it is to
enjoy peace and harmony, which
are essential to its well-being and
the comfort of every member.
There is no question relating to
the responsibility of the head of
the family. Whether such responsibility
is always realized
is another matter. The parent
should recognize that subjection
in the home is necessary, not
merely for self-gratification, but
that there is a higher end to be
reached. For example, the child
is entitled, through discipline, to
be taught the great lesson of obedience.
You never find a firstclass
citizen or church member as the
result of a disobedient child. Unruly
children in schools, generally
come from homes where discipline
is sadly missing. Parents frequently
bring dishonor upon themselves
by neglecting the early
training of their children. Eli's
heart was broken and his family
ruined, "because his sons were
vile, and he restrained them not."
3. Family Worship. Family
worship is not family religion but
it is a very important part of family
religion. Without it no family
or home is rightly constituted. The
family altar is indispensable to
Christian training and instruction
in the home. The religious condition
of the family where the altar
is unknown is very unsatisfactory.
Family worship should consist of
three parts.
I. The singing of Psalms. Nothing
is sweeter on earth than to
hear the voices of little ones join
in with parents in the singing of
praise to God.
2. The reading of scriptures.
God's Word can not have too
prominent a place in the minds
and hearts of the children in the
home.
3. Prayer. What a beautiful
scene to see the father leading the
little ones to the throne of God in
prayer.
Youngstown, 0.
LEARNING THINGS.
We
Are All in the Apprentice
Class.
The parent is
When a simple change of diet
brings back health and happiness
the story is briefly told. A lady of
Springfield, 111., says:
"After
being aflfiicted for years
with nervousness and heart
trouble, 1 received a shock four
years ago that left me in such a
condition that my life was despaired
of.
"I got no relief from doctors
nor from the numberless heart and
nerve remedies I tried, because I
didn't know that coffee was daily
putting me back more than the
doctors could put me ahead.
"Finally at the suggestion of a
friend I left off coffee and began
the use of Postum, and against my
expectations I gradually improved
in health until for the past 6 or 8
months I have been entirely free
from nervousness and those terrible
sinking, weakening spells of
heart trouble.
"My troubles all came from the
use of coffee which I had drunk
from childhood and yet they disappeared
when I quit coffee and
took up the use of Postum." Name
given by Postum Co., Battle Creek,
Mich.
Many people marvel at the effects
of leaving off coffee and
drinking Postum, but there is nothing
marvelous about it—only
common sense.
Coffee is a destroyer—Postum is
a rebuilder. That's the reason.
Look in pkgs. for the famous httle
book, "The Road to Wellville."
Postum comes in two forms:
Regular Postum—must be well
boiled. 15c and 25c packages.
Instant Postum—is a soluble
powder. A teaspoonful dissolves
quickly in a cup of hot water and,
with cream and sugar, makes a
delicious beverage instantly. 30c
and 50c tins.
The cost per cup of both kinds
is about the same.
"There's a Reason" for Postum.
—sold by Grocers