FOR THE SABBATH.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VII, Issue 524, 7 December 1912, Page 6

FOR THE SABBATH.

Christ was precious to Peter—iß He precious to you? Do not let us misinterpret Peter's meaning of this word! To many it means "pleasant" —to Peter it meant "of great value." And Christ was precious to Peter—is He precious to you? How deeply Peter had drunk of His forgviing love! The apostle loved much because he had been forgiven much. He had tasted Christ under all conditions and had found His always the same. He had seen Him after that He waa risen from the dead. He had watched Him ascend from Olivet. He had been baptised with fire at Pentecost and the Holy Spirit made Christ more glorious to his eyes than ever before. Christ was precious to Peter —is He precious to you. Thou hidden source of calm repose, Thou all-sufficient Love divine, My help and refuge from my foes, Secure I am if Thou art mine: And lo! from sin, and grief and shame I hide me, Jesus, in Thy name. A drunkard waa willing to accept Christ and prayed for deliverance from his sin. When aßked to give up a bottle of whisky which was in his pocket, he refused. Can you wonder that the next morning, being unable to obtain more whisky, he tried to purchase methylated spirits? How can God save us from our Bins if we are not willing to part with the cause of our sinning? So live to-day that when to-morrow comes Thou shalt not cloud the sun with vain regret, But let thy hand and heart commit those deeds, That love for man and faith in God beget. The ensuing Methodist Conference to be held in Wellington in February will be of vital importance to the church founded by John Wesley. It will be the first conference since the separation of New Zealand Methodism from Australian Methodism and the first conference of the union of the two branches of Methodism in New Zealand: The Methodist and Primitive Methodißt churches QUESTIONS AND QUERIES. If Christianity is not true, is a man any the worse off for living a life in accordance with the principles laid down by Christ?—lf Christianity is not true then explain the mystery of the changed calendar! Tell me, who i 3 the first to enter a heathen, or cannibal land, the Christian missionary or the infidel? —The Clarion in its last number, denied the existence of God, and the fact of Christ but why was it dated 1912? Who was born 1912 years ago? Not Socrates, not Plato, not Caesar, not Napoleon, not Shakespeare but Christ. Tell me, has Thomas Paine's prophecy that the Bible would cease to be read by 1906 come true?— This Book—the Book of Books—is published either in full or in part in 423 languages—does it look as though the Word of God is going to pass out of existence? The churches must take a determined stand and oppose the present gambling mania. Sir Robert Stout wrote "Gambling has become and ia a great evil in our midst." Sir Joshua Williams says, "The gambling habit is the deadly foe of industry and thrift, the close alley of idleness and dishonesty." Mr Justice Cooper wrote, "Gambling develops the worst side of human nature," and the testimony of other well known public men U similar. These things being so, the question warrants the close attention of all public-spirited men. Books Recommended. "Pole Baker," Harben; "The Depot-Mas-ter," Lincoln; "Doctor of Crow's Nest," Connor; "Other Sleep," Begbie; "Christianity and the Social Crisis," Rauschenbuach. Everlasting joy—that ia what we all need and which we desire. Earth's joys docay—our soul longs for a joy which shall abide. From where is it to be ordained? In Christ and jn Him alone. If our joy is in Him no disaster can ever wreck our gladness. We patiently await His coming and shall rejoice in Hi? full salvation.