The Murderer # 3
There was given God's Holy law, with its solemn sanctions, the thunders and the lightenings, and the voice of the trumpet - and yet, before the servant of God has come down from the Mount, the nation to whom it was given was worshiping a golden calf!
Prophets and righteous men came, from age to age, with earnest calls to repentance - yet how few hearkened to their message and forsook their sins.
Nor is evil less powerful now. Faithful sermons, the warnings of a godly parent, sickness, bereavement, convictions of sin's danger, resolutions to amend - are too often all in vain! They turn not the sinner from his downward course. The besetting sin still reigns in the heart. Evil habits yet cleave fast to the man. Truly is it written, "Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spots? Neither can you do good who are accustomed to doing evil!" (Jeremiah 13:23. "Whoever commits sin is the slave of sin!" (John 8:34).
It matters not what the prevailing sin may be ... some unhallowed lust, a hateful spirit, a temper that brooks no control, an unruly tongue, a determined worship of Mammon, a resolution to get rich at all hazards - yet how hard is it ever found to cast off the chain! It is just like one of those arms of the plant, which take so firm a hold, and at last strangle the tree.
Oh, do not make light of sin! Do not trifle with it! Don't deceive yourself with respect to it.
Don't imagine that whenever you will, you may easily escape from its grasp. Far otherwise will you find it, whenever honestly and thoroughly you set yourself to overcome it. Then will you discover that nothing less than the Almighty power of divine grace will avail to set you free.
3. The power of sin increases ever more and more. The rings of the Matador grow thicker and thicker. They grasp the tree more and more tightly. The plant itself climbs higher and higher. It never ceases to grow until its deadly work is accomplished.
A thousand proofs on every side remind us that it is exactly similar with the course of sin. It is written, "Evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse" (2 Timothy 3:13). Only read the descending scale of evil, in the first chapter of the Romans. Only mark how one sin leads to another - how one act of disobedience prepares the way for a just God to leave men to fall into still greater depths of evil.
Never let it be forgotten, whether a man known it or not, that the longer he lives in willful disobedience to the law of God - the great tyrant is binding him faster and faster to his coils! Old sins become more and more confirmed - more completely enslaving the whole man, choking all the better feelings, rising higher and higher in the soul. Once, perhaps, sin ruled chiefly through the lower passions, while often there were desires after God; but at length the course of sin ends in a settled, determined enmity to the great Creator.
Very much was there hopeful in the early course of king Saul. Chosen of God to be captain over His own people, paying due honor to the prophet Samuel, in some measure performing an outward obedience to the Lord's commands - he seems to bid fair for the heavenly kingdom; but a few years pass, and sin has gained a far stronger hold. At last we find him utterly forsaking God - and forsaken by Him. His last recorded act, before the battle in which he was slain, was that of open rebellion against God. No longer did he seek after God, but sought counsel of one who was a sorcerer!
The progress of sin is the same now as it was then.
Look at the little child of three of four summers. How much is there of a beautiful simplicity and innocence. With all the inherent evil of the heart, which from time to time breaks out - yet how much is there still reminding us of the child's relative innocence.
Look at the same little child when grown to the age of manhood. Too often how fearful is the change! All the innocence of childhood is gone; and in the place of it there is the profane jest, the course laugh at religion, the unrestrained indulgence in youthful lusts.
Look at the hopeful young person who kneels for the first time at the Table of the Lord. There is conviction, but not conversion. There is an acknowledgment of the deep importance of religion, but no reliance on the atoning blood, no hearty dependence on the Spirit's aid, no true yielding up the heart to God. Years roll on. The world regains its hold. Religious feeling gradually disappears. It passes away like a morning cloud. And now, in a worldly middle life, and in the hardened insensibility of old age - is the grave of all the fair promise of youthful piety.
~George Everard~
(continued with # 4)
Saturday, May 25, 2019
The Murderer # 2
The Murderer # 2
1. Mark the Stealthy Character of Sin's Approach.
Creeping, entwining low upon the ground, comes "the Murderer" as it approaches its victim. Just so, the sin which ruins the soul, too often comes stealthily, secretly, and unobserved!
Behold in Paradise the parents of the human family. Holiness, peace, the love of God, dwell within them, but sin approaches: "By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin." Eve loiters near the forbidden tree. The Tempter suggests the pleasure and the advantage to be derived from tasting it. The eye glazes - the ear hearkens - the foot tarries - the heart desires - the hand takes - the man falls! and the dark plague-spot of iniquity has fastened upon our earth, from which it has never since been free.
A godly king, a man very dear to God, is walking in the eventide upon the roof of his palace. The eye wanders - sinful passions arise. Thence comes a dark cloud of evil; murder and adultery follow close one upon the other. Two full years pass, and that sin lies yet upon the conscience. The face of the Lord is turned away from His servant. The remainder of life is darkened by the family sorrows that arise, as the bitter consequences of that single glance.
Oh! how secretly - with how much of the subtlety of the serpent does sin come near! How carefully does it conceal from us its true character! Gladly would deceitful lusts persuade us that the thing which God has forbidden is yet comparatively harmless! Gladly would the great enemy cover with a fair name many a foul act of iniquity! Gladly would a deceitful heart hide from the the deadly issue of the sin we love! Would you be safe from the deceit and the craft of the adversary? Then watch and pray evermore. Be ever watchful over yourself. Watch diligently every avenue of sin's approach. The eye, the ear, the tongue, the hand, the foot - above all, the heart - require a constant guard. Then abide near the mercy-seat. Put your soul continually into the hand of Christ, and you will be safe.
It was the saying of a godly woman, "A hundred times a day I pray myself out of my own keeping, into the keeping of Christ." Follow her example: "pray without ceasing." "Keep me as the apple of the eye - hide me under the shadow of Your wings."
Oh keep me in Your heavenly way,
And bid the tempter flee;
And let me never, never stray
From happiness and Thee.
2. The strong, mighty grasp with which sin cleaves to the soul. The stem of the matador is firmly united to the trunk of its victim, so that it becomes as one tree. The numberless rings also put forth by the plant tightly grasp it. So is it with sin. It cleaves with mighty power to the soul of man. It becomes one with him. It is bound up in his very being. It leavens his whole nature. Not a single power in man is exempt from its fearful tyranny.
The understanding is darkened.
The conscience becomes but a doubtful guide - too often does it resemble the frozen thermometer, refusing to perform its proper function - giving no true indication of the state of the soul.
The imagination, so noble a power when, guided by the Scripture, it enables a man to realize something of the future glory - is too often defiled and debased by the attractions of the world.
The will is perverted, so that it chooses the evil, and refuses the good.
The affections are turned away from their true pole and center - a God of infinite mercy and love - and are fixed merely upon earthly objects.
So completely, is every power of the soul and spirit enslaved by the sin which dwells in us.
So great, too, is the power of this tyrant, that no judgments, no warnings sent by God, have ever yet been sufficient to overcome it.
There came a flood, and destroyed the old world - yet, immediately afterwards, God declares that "Every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood!" (Genesis 8:21).
There came fire from Heaven, and burnt up the Cities of the Plain - but sin burst forth afresh in the only family that was delivered from the flames.
The earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up those who rebelled against God - yet the very day following did those who had witnessed it begin again to murmur.
~George Everard~
(continued with # 3)
1. Mark the Stealthy Character of Sin's Approach.
Creeping, entwining low upon the ground, comes "the Murderer" as it approaches its victim. Just so, the sin which ruins the soul, too often comes stealthily, secretly, and unobserved!
Behold in Paradise the parents of the human family. Holiness, peace, the love of God, dwell within them, but sin approaches: "By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin." Eve loiters near the forbidden tree. The Tempter suggests the pleasure and the advantage to be derived from tasting it. The eye glazes - the ear hearkens - the foot tarries - the heart desires - the hand takes - the man falls! and the dark plague-spot of iniquity has fastened upon our earth, from which it has never since been free.
A godly king, a man very dear to God, is walking in the eventide upon the roof of his palace. The eye wanders - sinful passions arise. Thence comes a dark cloud of evil; murder and adultery follow close one upon the other. Two full years pass, and that sin lies yet upon the conscience. The face of the Lord is turned away from His servant. The remainder of life is darkened by the family sorrows that arise, as the bitter consequences of that single glance.
Oh! how secretly - with how much of the subtlety of the serpent does sin come near! How carefully does it conceal from us its true character! Gladly would deceitful lusts persuade us that the thing which God has forbidden is yet comparatively harmless! Gladly would the great enemy cover with a fair name many a foul act of iniquity! Gladly would a deceitful heart hide from the the deadly issue of the sin we love! Would you be safe from the deceit and the craft of the adversary? Then watch and pray evermore. Be ever watchful over yourself. Watch diligently every avenue of sin's approach. The eye, the ear, the tongue, the hand, the foot - above all, the heart - require a constant guard. Then abide near the mercy-seat. Put your soul continually into the hand of Christ, and you will be safe.
It was the saying of a godly woman, "A hundred times a day I pray myself out of my own keeping, into the keeping of Christ." Follow her example: "pray without ceasing." "Keep me as the apple of the eye - hide me under the shadow of Your wings."
Oh keep me in Your heavenly way,
And bid the tempter flee;
And let me never, never stray
From happiness and Thee.
2. The strong, mighty grasp with which sin cleaves to the soul. The stem of the matador is firmly united to the trunk of its victim, so that it becomes as one tree. The numberless rings also put forth by the plant tightly grasp it. So is it with sin. It cleaves with mighty power to the soul of man. It becomes one with him. It is bound up in his very being. It leavens his whole nature. Not a single power in man is exempt from its fearful tyranny.
The understanding is darkened.
The conscience becomes but a doubtful guide - too often does it resemble the frozen thermometer, refusing to perform its proper function - giving no true indication of the state of the soul.
The imagination, so noble a power when, guided by the Scripture, it enables a man to realize something of the future glory - is too often defiled and debased by the attractions of the world.
The will is perverted, so that it chooses the evil, and refuses the good.
The affections are turned away from their true pole and center - a God of infinite mercy and love - and are fixed merely upon earthly objects.
So completely, is every power of the soul and spirit enslaved by the sin which dwells in us.
So great, too, is the power of this tyrant, that no judgments, no warnings sent by God, have ever yet been sufficient to overcome it.
There came a flood, and destroyed the old world - yet, immediately afterwards, God declares that "Every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood!" (Genesis 8:21).
There came fire from Heaven, and burnt up the Cities of the Plain - but sin burst forth afresh in the only family that was delivered from the flames.
The earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up those who rebelled against God - yet the very day following did those who had witnessed it begin again to murmur.
~George Everard~
(continued with # 3)
Saturday, May 18, 2019
Do You Need Patience?
Do You Need Patience?
Have you not often heard people say: "My greatest need is more patience?" Possibly you feel just that way yourself. There is probably no lack that so quickly and persistently manifests itself, as lack of patience - which cannot exist without revealing itself, for in order to possess patience one must employ it in his every day life. Many people who do not understand its real nature nor how to come into possession of it, realize their need of it.
Much of the teaching on the subject of patience proves to be ineffectual, because the teacher himself does not understand his subject. Sometimes it is taught that all impatience comes from sin in the heart, and that if one manifests a lack of patience he is not holy. Such teaching can come only from a misapprehension of the facts. Holiness is a wonderful thing, and it does wonderful things for us. It purifies, softens, and refines our whole nature - but it does not perfect our natural faculties, and patience is one of these natural faculties, or qualities.
There is an impatience, however, which has its roots in selfishness and sinful pride - and which is itself sinful. There is also natural impatience. How much we have of this, depends largely upon our general makeup. A lack of discrimination between these two kinds of impatience, often causes souls great distress. Before we teach on the subject, we ought to be sure we have the distinction clearly drawn in our own minds.
Patience is a matter of temperament, of grace, and of cultivation.
Some people are patient by nature. They can take almost anything patiently. Sometimes this is from natural calmness of disposition - and sometimes it is the result of lack of spirit. But in any case, such a person will be more naturally patient when saved, than will others who are in a different temperament. Salvation does not destroy our natural temperaments.
Grace goes far towards supplying us with patience, but grace alone will not always be sufficient - therefore patience must also be a thing of cultivation. We are told to "add patience." This means that not all our patience comes by grace, but that some of it comes by cultivation.
In our sinful lives, we cultivate impatience by acting out our feelings of impatience. The more we put our feelings into action - the more impatient we become. When we are saved, we begin to cultivate patience - and the more we cultivate it, the more patient we become in our nature.
Patience is largely a matter of the proper use of the will. The Bible does not say, "Feel patient," for our feelings are largely involuntary; but it says, "Be patient," that is, 'act patiently' - for our actions can be controlled by our will.
There are those who, when waiting for a train, cannot sit still. Such an individual walks up and down the platform and looks at his watch again and again. He sits down and rises again, and turns this way and that way. Another sits quietly and is unperturbed. It matters not to him if he does have to wait awhile. It is no task for him to be patient. He is of a patient temperament. The other is quite the opposite. Because of this, however, we cannot say that one is more holy than the other. Both are feeling naturally. The difference is in their natures, in their temperaments - and not in their hearts.
The fact that we are exhorted again and again to be patient, signifies that the cultivation of patience is a matter of our wills. No matter how pure our hearts are, we have tests of patience. A pure heart is not an automatic heart, working out things independently of the will. When we have a pure heart, our will is fully set to do right, and through our will we regulate our actions so that they are right. Our feelings are influenced by the will - but are not controlled by it. We cannot help feeling sad or joyous - when there is an occasion that influences our feelings. In the same way, we cannot but feel impatient sometimes; that is, things will try our patience, and we find that our feelings respond, in some degree at least, to those circumstances. The degree of response will depend upon our temperament, and the amount of grace we have, and how much we have cultivated patience.
It is natural for a saved person to long for greater patience to endure and suffer. We should do all in our power to grow in patience. "But how shall I add patience?" you may ask. There are two things to do.
First, pray. Secondly, cultivate patience. Make it a practice day by day never to yield to an impatient feeling. Let this attitude be manifested by word and act. Reflect upon the patience of Jesus and study to understand the Scriptural ideal. When your patience is tried, deliberately take hold of yourself by our will-power and make yourself act and speak as you know you should. By following this rule, you will become more and more patient. This is the only possible way of adding patience.
We become in character - the reflection of our acts. Good acts repeated, become good habits. Good habits followed out, make good character. Not that good habits will save us or take the place of grace, but they are equally necessary in the formation of Christian character. "Let patience have her perfect work, that you may be perfect and entire, lacking nothing."
~Charles Naylor~
(The End)
Have you not often heard people say: "My greatest need is more patience?" Possibly you feel just that way yourself. There is probably no lack that so quickly and persistently manifests itself, as lack of patience - which cannot exist without revealing itself, for in order to possess patience one must employ it in his every day life. Many people who do not understand its real nature nor how to come into possession of it, realize their need of it.
Much of the teaching on the subject of patience proves to be ineffectual, because the teacher himself does not understand his subject. Sometimes it is taught that all impatience comes from sin in the heart, and that if one manifests a lack of patience he is not holy. Such teaching can come only from a misapprehension of the facts. Holiness is a wonderful thing, and it does wonderful things for us. It purifies, softens, and refines our whole nature - but it does not perfect our natural faculties, and patience is one of these natural faculties, or qualities.
There is an impatience, however, which has its roots in selfishness and sinful pride - and which is itself sinful. There is also natural impatience. How much we have of this, depends largely upon our general makeup. A lack of discrimination between these two kinds of impatience, often causes souls great distress. Before we teach on the subject, we ought to be sure we have the distinction clearly drawn in our own minds.
Patience is a matter of temperament, of grace, and of cultivation.
Some people are patient by nature. They can take almost anything patiently. Sometimes this is from natural calmness of disposition - and sometimes it is the result of lack of spirit. But in any case, such a person will be more naturally patient when saved, than will others who are in a different temperament. Salvation does not destroy our natural temperaments.
Grace goes far towards supplying us with patience, but grace alone will not always be sufficient - therefore patience must also be a thing of cultivation. We are told to "add patience." This means that not all our patience comes by grace, but that some of it comes by cultivation.
In our sinful lives, we cultivate impatience by acting out our feelings of impatience. The more we put our feelings into action - the more impatient we become. When we are saved, we begin to cultivate patience - and the more we cultivate it, the more patient we become in our nature.
Patience is largely a matter of the proper use of the will. The Bible does not say, "Feel patient," for our feelings are largely involuntary; but it says, "Be patient," that is, 'act patiently' - for our actions can be controlled by our will.
There are those who, when waiting for a train, cannot sit still. Such an individual walks up and down the platform and looks at his watch again and again. He sits down and rises again, and turns this way and that way. Another sits quietly and is unperturbed. It matters not to him if he does have to wait awhile. It is no task for him to be patient. He is of a patient temperament. The other is quite the opposite. Because of this, however, we cannot say that one is more holy than the other. Both are feeling naturally. The difference is in their natures, in their temperaments - and not in their hearts.
The fact that we are exhorted again and again to be patient, signifies that the cultivation of patience is a matter of our wills. No matter how pure our hearts are, we have tests of patience. A pure heart is not an automatic heart, working out things independently of the will. When we have a pure heart, our will is fully set to do right, and through our will we regulate our actions so that they are right. Our feelings are influenced by the will - but are not controlled by it. We cannot help feeling sad or joyous - when there is an occasion that influences our feelings. In the same way, we cannot but feel impatient sometimes; that is, things will try our patience, and we find that our feelings respond, in some degree at least, to those circumstances. The degree of response will depend upon our temperament, and the amount of grace we have, and how much we have cultivated patience.
It is natural for a saved person to long for greater patience to endure and suffer. We should do all in our power to grow in patience. "But how shall I add patience?" you may ask. There are two things to do.
First, pray. Secondly, cultivate patience. Make it a practice day by day never to yield to an impatient feeling. Let this attitude be manifested by word and act. Reflect upon the patience of Jesus and study to understand the Scriptural ideal. When your patience is tried, deliberately take hold of yourself by our will-power and make yourself act and speak as you know you should. By following this rule, you will become more and more patient. This is the only possible way of adding patience.
We become in character - the reflection of our acts. Good acts repeated, become good habits. Good habits followed out, make good character. Not that good habits will save us or take the place of grace, but they are equally necessary in the formation of Christian character. "Let patience have her perfect work, that you may be perfect and entire, lacking nothing."
~Charles Naylor~
(The End)
The Murderer! # 1
The Murderer # 1
"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world" (Psalm 19:1-4).
Nature ever has a voice for those who will hearken to her teaching.
The glorious sun, enlightening all with its cheering beams, reminds us of the Dayspring from on high, who came "to give light to those who sat in darkness and the shadow of death."
The bright moon, reflecting as it does the light of the sun, reminds of the true Church of Christ.
The moon above - the Church below,
A wondrous race they run;
But all their radiance, all their glow,
Each borrows of its Sun.
The countless stars shining overhead, remind us of the eternal glory of the children of God.
The birds of the air teach us their lesson of daily dependence upon the care of the great Provider. Luther, we are told, was once in much distress about provision for those whom he had gathered under his roof, but was comforted as he hearkened to the note of a little songster. It seemed to him in its note ever to be repeating, again and again -
"Mortals, cease from care and sorrow;
God provides for the morrow."
The lily of the field has taught us, through the lips of Christ, that our Father forgets not to clothe His children.
The vine and its branches have taught us much of the mystery of grace. It shows to us the necessity of ever abiding in Christ by faith and prayer; and assures us that all grace and strength flow from Him, the Living Stem, into the hearts of His believing people.
Let us learn from the book of nature another lesson, very different from any of these. Our teacher shall be a remarkable plant, that grows very abundantly in the forests of Brazil. It bears the name of the Sipo Matador, and has been thus described: "Its stem is at first so exceeding slender, that it has no natural support in itself. It entwines and creeps along the ground until it reaches some lofty vigorous tree - then its mode of growth is most peculiar. It lays hold of it with a clinging grasp, and spreads itself, like a flattened bark-like stem, over one side of the trunk, cleaving to it with the greatest tenacity; from both the edges of this bark it sends out very delicate arm-like tendrils, exactly opposite to each other. They grow on until they meet, encircling the tree, round which they become a solid ligature, never to be removed. These arms are sent forth at regular intervals as the Murderer mounts upwards, until the trunk of its supporter is clasped by numberless inflexible rings. These rings grow larger, and clasp tighter as the parasite ascends. Up, up it climbs, one hundred feet - one hundred and fifty - one hundred and eighty; at last it mounts to the very top - and then, as in triumph, forms a vast flowering head above all the surrounding forest, opens its blossoms to the sun, ripens its seeds, and scatters them over the soil below. The supporter, by this time, is strangled and dead; and the strange spectacle remains of the strangler clasping in its arms the lifeless and decaying body of its victim, in which wood-boring beetles have already commenced their operations. It soon crumbles in rapid decay; and the parasite which destroyed it, having flowered,fruited, and continued its kind, falls to the ground, a shapeless mass, involved in one common ruin with its supporter."
What is the lesson this plant may teach us? Is it not this - The mysterious power of sin, and the danger to which its victim is exposed? Only carefully ponder the description of the plant which is given, and then trace the striking analogy. The very name suggests it. It is the "Sipo Matador" or, "the Murderer."
The child frequently bears the name of the parent. The author of evil is spoken of by Christ as "a murderer from the beginning." Such also is sin - a destroyer - a murderer!
O sin, sin! what have you done? How many, through you, have had to pass through the gloomy chamber of the grave! What multitudes, in all ages, through you, have forfeited the peace and salvation of a soul!
~George Everard~
(continued with # 2)
"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world" (Psalm 19:1-4).
Nature ever has a voice for those who will hearken to her teaching.
The glorious sun, enlightening all with its cheering beams, reminds us of the Dayspring from on high, who came "to give light to those who sat in darkness and the shadow of death."
The bright moon, reflecting as it does the light of the sun, reminds of the true Church of Christ.
The moon above - the Church below,
A wondrous race they run;
But all their radiance, all their glow,
Each borrows of its Sun.
The countless stars shining overhead, remind us of the eternal glory of the children of God.
The birds of the air teach us their lesson of daily dependence upon the care of the great Provider. Luther, we are told, was once in much distress about provision for those whom he had gathered under his roof, but was comforted as he hearkened to the note of a little songster. It seemed to him in its note ever to be repeating, again and again -
"Mortals, cease from care and sorrow;
God provides for the morrow."
The lily of the field has taught us, through the lips of Christ, that our Father forgets not to clothe His children.
The vine and its branches have taught us much of the mystery of grace. It shows to us the necessity of ever abiding in Christ by faith and prayer; and assures us that all grace and strength flow from Him, the Living Stem, into the hearts of His believing people.
Let us learn from the book of nature another lesson, very different from any of these. Our teacher shall be a remarkable plant, that grows very abundantly in the forests of Brazil. It bears the name of the Sipo Matador, and has been thus described: "Its stem is at first so exceeding slender, that it has no natural support in itself. It entwines and creeps along the ground until it reaches some lofty vigorous tree - then its mode of growth is most peculiar. It lays hold of it with a clinging grasp, and spreads itself, like a flattened bark-like stem, over one side of the trunk, cleaving to it with the greatest tenacity; from both the edges of this bark it sends out very delicate arm-like tendrils, exactly opposite to each other. They grow on until they meet, encircling the tree, round which they become a solid ligature, never to be removed. These arms are sent forth at regular intervals as the Murderer mounts upwards, until the trunk of its supporter is clasped by numberless inflexible rings. These rings grow larger, and clasp tighter as the parasite ascends. Up, up it climbs, one hundred feet - one hundred and fifty - one hundred and eighty; at last it mounts to the very top - and then, as in triumph, forms a vast flowering head above all the surrounding forest, opens its blossoms to the sun, ripens its seeds, and scatters them over the soil below. The supporter, by this time, is strangled and dead; and the strange spectacle remains of the strangler clasping in its arms the lifeless and decaying body of its victim, in which wood-boring beetles have already commenced their operations. It soon crumbles in rapid decay; and the parasite which destroyed it, having flowered,fruited, and continued its kind, falls to the ground, a shapeless mass, involved in one common ruin with its supporter."
What is the lesson this plant may teach us? Is it not this - The mysterious power of sin, and the danger to which its victim is exposed? Only carefully ponder the description of the plant which is given, and then trace the striking analogy. The very name suggests it. It is the "Sipo Matador" or, "the Murderer."
The child frequently bears the name of the parent. The author of evil is spoken of by Christ as "a murderer from the beginning." Such also is sin - a destroyer - a murderer!
O sin, sin! what have you done? How many, through you, have had to pass through the gloomy chamber of the grave! What multitudes, in all ages, through you, have forfeited the peace and salvation of a soul!
~George Everard~
(continued with # 2)
Saturday, May 11, 2019
Paths of Disappointment # 6 (and others)
Paths of Disappointment # 6 (and others)
Many times Solomon doubtless proved all this, for he was a married man. And yet, because he left God out and, reckoned not with his laws in relation to women, he found the path of women a path of great disappointments.
"Having tried all the avenues of legitimate love; he tried the other way. And so great was the disappointment and bitterness, he was constrained to cry, "Vanity of vanities!" Having tried all the delights of legitimate love, he then indulged himself in all the fancied pleasure of animal appetite - the pursuance of purely fleshly pleasure. Here, too, for his joy he reaped ashes. Here, too, he found his honey turned to the bitterness of gall. Here, too, in these wide avenues of all illegitimate dealings with women, his delight faded into distaste and disgust! Here, too, desire became despair. And again was wrung with the cry that has saddened the centuries - Vanity of vanities!"
Which brings us to speak of:
VI. OUR ONE HOPE
"The world by wisdom knew not God" (1 Cor. 1:21). Poor rich Solomon. Poor fool? Wise-man Solomon, poor wine-tasting Solomon. Type of all our wisdom in the slough of despondency. Type of all our indulgences in dark, abysmal despair. Type of all man's wrong indulgence with women - surfeited with disgust.
For man's effort to find peace and happiness by the paths of wisdom and wine and wealth and works and women is written in the lives of men. The courseness, the sensuousness, the un-spirituality seen about us is tragic.
But God is ever the God of the second chance. It is ever the providence of His mercy, if we will turn from our wicked ways, to reverse the curse of sin.
Then do this. Through Jesus who died for you - do this. With faith in the Christ who bore our sins in His own body on the tree, and died the just for the unjust that he might bring us to God - embrace the Cross now.
Then the cry of your despair will be turned into joy. Then the consciousness of your lost estate will be changed into the sweet and blessed realization of eternal salvation.
There shall be no disappointment with you concerning Him. There will be no disappointment with Him concerning you.
~Robert G. Lee~
(The End)
___________________________
A Poor, Weak, and Trembling Creature
"He will feed His flock like a shepherd. He will carry the lambs in His arms, holding them close to His heart" (Isaiah 40:11).
Dwell upon the love and tenderness of our Lord Jesus!
Notice who are the objects of His care - "the lambs," which means not only those of tender age - but also those who have been newly converted; those who are young in Christian experience; and also those whose temperament is naturally timid, whose strength is feeble, and whose danger is great.
Yes, you are the objects of Christ's special attention, care, and solicitude! You are those whom He takes up in the arms of His power - and lays on the bosom of His love! He knows your weakness, your timidity, your dangers!
He will exert for you His tenderest sympathy, His greatest vigilance, His mightiest power.
This expression however not only conveys the idea of great care of the weak - but the exercise of that care with a view to their preservation and growth. It means not only that He cordially receives them, will provide for their safety, be concerned for their comfort, and will accommodate His conduct to their needs - but He will also nourish them through their infant existence, and will raise them up to maturity and strength.
Let every lamb of the flock of Christ, therefore, go to Him by faith and prayer, and say, "Blessed Jesus, I come to you as a poor, weak, and trembling creature, doubtful of my own continuance, and alarmed at my numerous difficulties and enemies. I am but a lamb, and often fear I shall never be anything better. But was it not in regard to such weakness that You have been pleased to utter these gracious and tender words? I flee to you as the helpless lamb to its shepherd - when hungry, to feed it - or when pursued by wild beasts, that He may defend it. Lord, take me in the arms of Your power and lay me on the bosom of Your love - though I am so poor and helpless a creature. I will hope in Your nurturing power and love, that I shall continue to grow, and that You will one day rejoice in me, as one of the flock which You have purchased with Your own blood!"
~John Angell James~
Many times Solomon doubtless proved all this, for he was a married man. And yet, because he left God out and, reckoned not with his laws in relation to women, he found the path of women a path of great disappointments.
"Having tried all the avenues of legitimate love; he tried the other way. And so great was the disappointment and bitterness, he was constrained to cry, "Vanity of vanities!" Having tried all the delights of legitimate love, he then indulged himself in all the fancied pleasure of animal appetite - the pursuance of purely fleshly pleasure. Here, too, for his joy he reaped ashes. Here, too, he found his honey turned to the bitterness of gall. Here, too, in these wide avenues of all illegitimate dealings with women, his delight faded into distaste and disgust! Here, too, desire became despair. And again was wrung with the cry that has saddened the centuries - Vanity of vanities!"
Which brings us to speak of:
VI. OUR ONE HOPE
"The world by wisdom knew not God" (1 Cor. 1:21). Poor rich Solomon. Poor fool? Wise-man Solomon, poor wine-tasting Solomon. Type of all our wisdom in the slough of despondency. Type of all our indulgences in dark, abysmal despair. Type of all man's wrong indulgence with women - surfeited with disgust.
For man's effort to find peace and happiness by the paths of wisdom and wine and wealth and works and women is written in the lives of men. The courseness, the sensuousness, the un-spirituality seen about us is tragic.
But God is ever the God of the second chance. It is ever the providence of His mercy, if we will turn from our wicked ways, to reverse the curse of sin.
Then do this. Through Jesus who died for you - do this. With faith in the Christ who bore our sins in His own body on the tree, and died the just for the unjust that he might bring us to God - embrace the Cross now.
Then the cry of your despair will be turned into joy. Then the consciousness of your lost estate will be changed into the sweet and blessed realization of eternal salvation.
There shall be no disappointment with you concerning Him. There will be no disappointment with Him concerning you.
~Robert G. Lee~
(The End)
___________________________
A Poor, Weak, and Trembling Creature
"He will feed His flock like a shepherd. He will carry the lambs in His arms, holding them close to His heart" (Isaiah 40:11).
Dwell upon the love and tenderness of our Lord Jesus!
Notice who are the objects of His care - "the lambs," which means not only those of tender age - but also those who have been newly converted; those who are young in Christian experience; and also those whose temperament is naturally timid, whose strength is feeble, and whose danger is great.
Yes, you are the objects of Christ's special attention, care, and solicitude! You are those whom He takes up in the arms of His power - and lays on the bosom of His love! He knows your weakness, your timidity, your dangers!
He will exert for you His tenderest sympathy, His greatest vigilance, His mightiest power.
This expression however not only conveys the idea of great care of the weak - but the exercise of that care with a view to their preservation and growth. It means not only that He cordially receives them, will provide for their safety, be concerned for their comfort, and will accommodate His conduct to their needs - but He will also nourish them through their infant existence, and will raise them up to maturity and strength.
Let every lamb of the flock of Christ, therefore, go to Him by faith and prayer, and say, "Blessed Jesus, I come to you as a poor, weak, and trembling creature, doubtful of my own continuance, and alarmed at my numerous difficulties and enemies. I am but a lamb, and often fear I shall never be anything better. But was it not in regard to such weakness that You have been pleased to utter these gracious and tender words? I flee to you as the helpless lamb to its shepherd - when hungry, to feed it - or when pursued by wild beasts, that He may defend it. Lord, take me in the arms of Your power and lay me on the bosom of Your love - though I am so poor and helpless a creature. I will hope in Your nurturing power and love, that I shall continue to grow, and that You will one day rejoice in me, as one of the flock which You have purchased with Your own blood!"
~John Angell James~
Paths of Disappointment # 5
Paths of Disappointment # 5
Solomon knew what he was talking about when he said, "Give not thy strength unto women" (Proverbs 31:3). Solomon was speaking from the depths of bitter experience, teaching that the reproofs of instruction are the way of life, when he said: "For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and the reproofs of instruction are the way of life; To keep thee from the evil women, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman. Lust not after her beauty in thine heart; neither let her take thee with her eyelids. For by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread; and the adulteress will hunt for the precious life. Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned? Can one go upon hot coats, and his feet not be burned?" (Proverbs 6).
Solomon had found out that in the path of women there is that experience that is as vinegar to the teeth and as smoke to the eyes. That is why he wrote: "A foolish woman is clamorous; she is simple and knoweth nothing. For she sitteth at the door of her house, on a seat in the high places of the city. To call passengers who go right on their ways; Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither: and as for him that wanteth understanding, she saith to him, Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant. But he knoweth not that the dead are there; and that her guests are in the depths of hell" (Proverbs 9:13-18).
It was Solomon who had seven hundred wives, who said "A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband: but she that maketh ashamed is as rottenness in his bones" (Proverbs 12:4). "It is better to dwell in the corner of the house top, than with a brawling woman in a wide house" (Proverbs 21:9). "It is better to dwell in the wilderness, than with a contentious and angry woman" (Proverbs 21:19).
It was Solomon who said many lovely things about women, lovely thing which are true altogether, such as, "Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing and obtaineth favor of the Lord" (Proverbs 18:22). "A prudent wife is from the Lord" (Proverbs 19:14); "Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies" (Proverbs 31:10).
And this, moreover, this truth he uttered in language descriptive of ancient day indulgence and descriptive also of this jazz-day indulgence:
"Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister; and call understanding thy kinswoman; That they may keep thee from the strange woman, from the stranger which fluttereth with her words. For at the window of my house I looked through my casement, and beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a young man void of understanding. Passing through the street near her corner; and he went the way to her house, In the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night; And, behold there met him a woman with the attire of a harlot,and subtle of heart. (She is loud and stubborn; her feet abide not in her house: Now is she without, now in the streets, and lieth in wait at every corner). So she caught him, and kissed him, and with an impudent face said unto him, I have peace offerings with me; this day have I payed my vows, Therefore come I forth to meet thee, diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee. I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry, with carved works, with fine linen of Egypt. I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning; let us solace ourselves with loves. For the good man is not at home, he is gone a long journey: He hath taken a bag of money with him, and will come at the day appointed. With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him. He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks; Till a dart strike through his liver; as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for his life...Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death" (Proverbs 7:4).
What has not woman meant to man? She is the synonym of all that is holy in relation- synonym of all that is encouraging, stimulating, and soothing in life's stresses and sorrows. Woman - God's loveliest gift to man. God pity the man who, in the dark hour of his dissolution, has no woman's hand to wipe away the death damp from his brow, or to smooth his pillow, and no woman's voice to whisper sweet words of cheer and comfort into his fast dulling ear.
Woman - synonym of home and love, of wifehood, of motherhood, of sisterhood of daughterhood.
Woman - synonym of all gentleness, of charm, of winsomeness, of heart's ease, of sacrificial service.
~Robert G. Lee~
(continued with # 6)
Solomon knew what he was talking about when he said, "Give not thy strength unto women" (Proverbs 31:3). Solomon was speaking from the depths of bitter experience, teaching that the reproofs of instruction are the way of life, when he said: "For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and the reproofs of instruction are the way of life; To keep thee from the evil women, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman. Lust not after her beauty in thine heart; neither let her take thee with her eyelids. For by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread; and the adulteress will hunt for the precious life. Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned? Can one go upon hot coats, and his feet not be burned?" (Proverbs 6).
Solomon had found out that in the path of women there is that experience that is as vinegar to the teeth and as smoke to the eyes. That is why he wrote: "A foolish woman is clamorous; she is simple and knoweth nothing. For she sitteth at the door of her house, on a seat in the high places of the city. To call passengers who go right on their ways; Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither: and as for him that wanteth understanding, she saith to him, Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant. But he knoweth not that the dead are there; and that her guests are in the depths of hell" (Proverbs 9:13-18).
It was Solomon who had seven hundred wives, who said "A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband: but she that maketh ashamed is as rottenness in his bones" (Proverbs 12:4). "It is better to dwell in the corner of the house top, than with a brawling woman in a wide house" (Proverbs 21:9). "It is better to dwell in the wilderness, than with a contentious and angry woman" (Proverbs 21:19).
It was Solomon who said many lovely things about women, lovely thing which are true altogether, such as, "Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing and obtaineth favor of the Lord" (Proverbs 18:22). "A prudent wife is from the Lord" (Proverbs 19:14); "Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies" (Proverbs 31:10).
And this, moreover, this truth he uttered in language descriptive of ancient day indulgence and descriptive also of this jazz-day indulgence:
"Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister; and call understanding thy kinswoman; That they may keep thee from the strange woman, from the stranger which fluttereth with her words. For at the window of my house I looked through my casement, and beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a young man void of understanding. Passing through the street near her corner; and he went the way to her house, In the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night; And, behold there met him a woman with the attire of a harlot,and subtle of heart. (She is loud and stubborn; her feet abide not in her house: Now is she without, now in the streets, and lieth in wait at every corner). So she caught him, and kissed him, and with an impudent face said unto him, I have peace offerings with me; this day have I payed my vows, Therefore come I forth to meet thee, diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee. I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry, with carved works, with fine linen of Egypt. I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning; let us solace ourselves with loves. For the good man is not at home, he is gone a long journey: He hath taken a bag of money with him, and will come at the day appointed. With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him. He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks; Till a dart strike through his liver; as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for his life...Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death" (Proverbs 7:4).
What has not woman meant to man? She is the synonym of all that is holy in relation- synonym of all that is encouraging, stimulating, and soothing in life's stresses and sorrows. Woman - God's loveliest gift to man. God pity the man who, in the dark hour of his dissolution, has no woman's hand to wipe away the death damp from his brow, or to smooth his pillow, and no woman's voice to whisper sweet words of cheer and comfort into his fast dulling ear.
Woman - synonym of home and love, of wifehood, of motherhood, of sisterhood of daughterhood.
Woman - synonym of all gentleness, of charm, of winsomeness, of heart's ease, of sacrificial service.
~Robert G. Lee~
(continued with # 6)
Saturday, May 4, 2019
Paths of Disappointment # 4
Paths of Disappointment # 4
Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging; and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise" (Proverbs 20:1).
But Solomon traveled another path of disappointment, finding not the joy and peace his heart craved. It was:
III. The Path of Wealth
"Moreover the profit of the earth is for all; the king himself is served by the field. He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase; this is also vanity. When goods increase, they are increased that eat them; and what good is there to the owners thereof, saving the beholding of them with their eyes?
The sleep of the laboring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much; but the abundance of the rich man will not suffer him to sleep. There is sore evil which I have seen under the sun, namely: riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt. But those riches perish by evil travail; and he begetteth a son, and there is nothing in his hand" (Ecclesiastes 5:9-15).
In these striking words we see that he found the path of riches a disappointing path also. Finding bitterness in the path of wine, finding no peace in human wisdom alone, he turned to the path of riches, hoping therein to find the joy and the peace the human heart needs.
"Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred threescore and six talents of gold" (1 Kings 10:14).
"and Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth for riches and for wisdom" (1 Kings 10:23).
Yes, gifts poured into his coffers in a continuous stream so that he was able to hire men singers and women singers able to build himself and his wives gorgeous palaces - able to enjoy all that money could provide. He was able at any time to pay a king's ransom for a day of pleasure. He had riches till the end of his life. He never knew the pinch of poverty - never knew any anxiety about his daily bread. Yet, even in the security of his nest of wealth, he fully realized the futility of their values. "Vanity of vanities!"
No man can buy a contented heart. Money is powerless to furnish this. No man can purchase with riches a soul at peace with God. No man can pay in money the price of the hope of immortality and of a meeting in the Great Beyond. No man can find it in riches the purchase price of God's favor or the realization of eternal salvation.
Disappointed in these three paths, Solomon turned to:
IV. The Path of Works
Wisdom, the many things he knew, brought him not to the house of abiding happiness...brought him not that joy which is ever rich and abiding. Wine turned out to be a mocker, as it always does - mocking him with the shadow instead of the substance of good things, mocking him with the desert where it promised an oasis.
And wealth had no power to satisfy. Amid all his abundance there was a lack - something that rested not and was not still, something that hungered and was not fed, something that was thirsty and found no satisfaction. Solomon built palaces. Solomon established great public works. Solomon increased the size and magnificence of his city. Solomon transported forests. He did mighty things in the matter of building cities and other great public works. But when he had finished all his great works he looked out upon them and cried, "Vanity of vanities!"
Which, moreover, brings us the willingness to obey the exhortation given in 1 Corinthians 15:58, namely: "Therefore my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord."
But another disappointment Solomon trod. It was, we may term it:
V. The Path of Women
When Solomon found disappointment in the path of wisdom, in the path of wine, in the path of wealth, in the path of great works of construction, he turned to seek happiness with women. With much wisdom given him, he played the fool with women. With much opportunity to do good, he delighted himself in indulgence with women. With the power to command and to persuade, with the whole world from which to choose, with wealth that was enticing, he strove to delight his heart with women.
"But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites; of the nations concerning which the Lord said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you; for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love. And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart..." (1 Kings 11:1-8).
~Robert G. Lee~
(continued with # 5)
Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging; and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise" (Proverbs 20:1).
But Solomon traveled another path of disappointment, finding not the joy and peace his heart craved. It was:
III. The Path of Wealth
"Moreover the profit of the earth is for all; the king himself is served by the field. He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase; this is also vanity. When goods increase, they are increased that eat them; and what good is there to the owners thereof, saving the beholding of them with their eyes?
The sleep of the laboring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much; but the abundance of the rich man will not suffer him to sleep. There is sore evil which I have seen under the sun, namely: riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt. But those riches perish by evil travail; and he begetteth a son, and there is nothing in his hand" (Ecclesiastes 5:9-15).
In these striking words we see that he found the path of riches a disappointing path also. Finding bitterness in the path of wine, finding no peace in human wisdom alone, he turned to the path of riches, hoping therein to find the joy and the peace the human heart needs.
"Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred threescore and six talents of gold" (1 Kings 10:14).
"and Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth for riches and for wisdom" (1 Kings 10:23).
Yes, gifts poured into his coffers in a continuous stream so that he was able to hire men singers and women singers able to build himself and his wives gorgeous palaces - able to enjoy all that money could provide. He was able at any time to pay a king's ransom for a day of pleasure. He had riches till the end of his life. He never knew the pinch of poverty - never knew any anxiety about his daily bread. Yet, even in the security of his nest of wealth, he fully realized the futility of their values. "Vanity of vanities!"
No man can buy a contented heart. Money is powerless to furnish this. No man can purchase with riches a soul at peace with God. No man can pay in money the price of the hope of immortality and of a meeting in the Great Beyond. No man can find it in riches the purchase price of God's favor or the realization of eternal salvation.
Disappointed in these three paths, Solomon turned to:
IV. The Path of Works
Wisdom, the many things he knew, brought him not to the house of abiding happiness...brought him not that joy which is ever rich and abiding. Wine turned out to be a mocker, as it always does - mocking him with the shadow instead of the substance of good things, mocking him with the desert where it promised an oasis.
And wealth had no power to satisfy. Amid all his abundance there was a lack - something that rested not and was not still, something that hungered and was not fed, something that was thirsty and found no satisfaction. Solomon built palaces. Solomon established great public works. Solomon increased the size and magnificence of his city. Solomon transported forests. He did mighty things in the matter of building cities and other great public works. But when he had finished all his great works he looked out upon them and cried, "Vanity of vanities!"
Which, moreover, brings us the willingness to obey the exhortation given in 1 Corinthians 15:58, namely: "Therefore my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord."
But another disappointment Solomon trod. It was, we may term it:
V. The Path of Women
When Solomon found disappointment in the path of wisdom, in the path of wine, in the path of wealth, in the path of great works of construction, he turned to seek happiness with women. With much wisdom given him, he played the fool with women. With much opportunity to do good, he delighted himself in indulgence with women. With the power to command and to persuade, with the whole world from which to choose, with wealth that was enticing, he strove to delight his heart with women.
"But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites; of the nations concerning which the Lord said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you; for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love. And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart..." (1 Kings 11:1-8).
~Robert G. Lee~
(continued with # 5)
Paths of Disappointment # 3
Paths of Disappointment # 3
I have never understood why a man should be understood as having a thought for my welfare to offer me that which would dim my eyes, dull my senses, tie up my tongue, addle my brain, or blight my life. And I have never understood why a man should not invite my or why he should take offense if I should invite him to have with me a social drink of castor oil or milk of magnesia. This does not taste much worse than liquor, and it would have a far more remedial effect. But it is just not done in society.
To "have a drink" whether it is at the club house, or in the business office, or in the hotel room, or at the college hop or on the joy ride, is to drink liquor or some form of alcoholic beverage. And every drop is loaded with disappointment when it comes to bringing lasting joy.
Jack and Jill
Went up the hill
To get some bootleg liquor;
Jack went blind
And lost his mind,
And Jill is even sicker!
Five drunk men, after the midnight hour had passed, leaned up against a telephone pole in front of Mrs. Smith's home, knowing not whence they came nor whither they went. They shouted and whooped. The lady of the house, angry beyond words, threw open the window and angrily shouted, "Hello!" One of the drunks, with a wave of his hand and a bob of his head, said belchingly, "Hello there. Be you Mrs. Smith?" "Yes," came the sharp, snapping answer. What do you want?" "Please maam... you...Lady... won't you...lady...come out and pick out Mr. Smith so the rest of us fellow can go home?"
More foolish and far more tragic things than that have men done under the influence of strong drink. A huge bottle would be an appropriate tombstone over many graves. Certainly a bottle a reality, whether visible or not, is the tombstone that stands above ruined hopes, broken families, disappointments, bitterness, and all misery. The bottle, the cup, the weak will, the blasted career - than the grave with a bottle as a tombstone.
But all who have walked the wine path, whether they be old, or whether they be young have found that wine is a mocker,strong drink is raging, and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise" (Proverbs 20:1). This is not only the truth of God, but it is the verdict of the ages.
A huge bottle would be an appropriate tombstone over many graves. Certainly a bottle of reality, whether visible or not, is the tombstone that stands above ruined hopes, broken families, disappointments, bitterness, and all misery. The bottle, the cup, the weak will, the blasted career - than grave with a bottle as a tombstone.
But all who have walked the wine path, whether they be old, or whether they be young have found that "wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging, and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise. Let us consider that verdict:
On an early Egyptian tomb are these words: "His earthly tenement was shattered by beer and wine, and his spirit departed before it was called for."
In 550 B.C. Buddha gave a statement that flashed out in that day as lightning: "Drink not liquors that intoxicate and disturb the reason."
And Xenophon, 300 years before heaven put out its brightest star to mark the birthplace of the incarnate Christ in Bethlehem said: "Temperance means first, moderation in healthful indulgence and, secondly, abstinence from things dangerous, as the use of intoxicating wines."
And Pliny, the Elder, speaking words without the least semblance of foolishness, in 79 A.D. said: "There is nothing about which we put ourselves to more trouble than wine."
And Chaucer chastised the winebibber in 1340 with this statement: "Character and shame depart when wine comes in."
And Shakespeare, from whose pen words of wisdom dropped like golden pollen from the stems of shaken lilies, thrust the wine drinking curse through with these words: "O thou invisible spirit of wine, if thou hast no name to be known by, let us call thee devil."
And Abraham Lincoln, in whose heart was no room for the memory of a wrong, in 1842 said: "Liquor might have defenders, but no defense. Whether or not the world would be vastly benefited by a total and final banishment from it, of all intoxicating drinks, seems to me not an open question."
And Gladstone, who being dead yet speaketh in the parliaments of men, in 1898 said: "The ravages of drink are greater than those of war, pestilence and famine combined."
~Robert G. Lee~
(continued with # 4)
I have never understood why a man should be understood as having a thought for my welfare to offer me that which would dim my eyes, dull my senses, tie up my tongue, addle my brain, or blight my life. And I have never understood why a man should not invite my or why he should take offense if I should invite him to have with me a social drink of castor oil or milk of magnesia. This does not taste much worse than liquor, and it would have a far more remedial effect. But it is just not done in society.
To "have a drink" whether it is at the club house, or in the business office, or in the hotel room, or at the college hop or on the joy ride, is to drink liquor or some form of alcoholic beverage. And every drop is loaded with disappointment when it comes to bringing lasting joy.
Jack and Jill
Went up the hill
To get some bootleg liquor;
Jack went blind
And lost his mind,
And Jill is even sicker!
Five drunk men, after the midnight hour had passed, leaned up against a telephone pole in front of Mrs. Smith's home, knowing not whence they came nor whither they went. They shouted and whooped. The lady of the house, angry beyond words, threw open the window and angrily shouted, "Hello!" One of the drunks, with a wave of his hand and a bob of his head, said belchingly, "Hello there. Be you Mrs. Smith?" "Yes," came the sharp, snapping answer. What do you want?" "Please maam... you...Lady... won't you...lady...come out and pick out Mr. Smith so the rest of us fellow can go home?"
More foolish and far more tragic things than that have men done under the influence of strong drink. A huge bottle would be an appropriate tombstone over many graves. Certainly a bottle a reality, whether visible or not, is the tombstone that stands above ruined hopes, broken families, disappointments, bitterness, and all misery. The bottle, the cup, the weak will, the blasted career - than the grave with a bottle as a tombstone.
But all who have walked the wine path, whether they be old, or whether they be young have found that wine is a mocker,strong drink is raging, and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise" (Proverbs 20:1). This is not only the truth of God, but it is the verdict of the ages.
A huge bottle would be an appropriate tombstone over many graves. Certainly a bottle of reality, whether visible or not, is the tombstone that stands above ruined hopes, broken families, disappointments, bitterness, and all misery. The bottle, the cup, the weak will, the blasted career - than grave with a bottle as a tombstone.
But all who have walked the wine path, whether they be old, or whether they be young have found that "wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging, and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise. Let us consider that verdict:
On an early Egyptian tomb are these words: "His earthly tenement was shattered by beer and wine, and his spirit departed before it was called for."
In 550 B.C. Buddha gave a statement that flashed out in that day as lightning: "Drink not liquors that intoxicate and disturb the reason."
And Xenophon, 300 years before heaven put out its brightest star to mark the birthplace of the incarnate Christ in Bethlehem said: "Temperance means first, moderation in healthful indulgence and, secondly, abstinence from things dangerous, as the use of intoxicating wines."
And Pliny, the Elder, speaking words without the least semblance of foolishness, in 79 A.D. said: "There is nothing about which we put ourselves to more trouble than wine."
And Chaucer chastised the winebibber in 1340 with this statement: "Character and shame depart when wine comes in."
And Shakespeare, from whose pen words of wisdom dropped like golden pollen from the stems of shaken lilies, thrust the wine drinking curse through with these words: "O thou invisible spirit of wine, if thou hast no name to be known by, let us call thee devil."
And Abraham Lincoln, in whose heart was no room for the memory of a wrong, in 1842 said: "Liquor might have defenders, but no defense. Whether or not the world would be vastly benefited by a total and final banishment from it, of all intoxicating drinks, seems to me not an open question."
And Gladstone, who being dead yet speaketh in the parliaments of men, in 1898 said: "The ravages of drink are greater than those of war, pestilence and famine combined."
~Robert G. Lee~
(continued with # 4)
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