SUNDAY READING.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 91, 7 October 1911, Page 9

SUNDAY READING.

"A WKAK STRONG MAX." Extract (if Sermon preached by the KEY. It. J. LIDDELL in die Queen St. Primitive Methodist, Church. ".And lii.s strength went from him."— Judges xvi.-l'J. I wish to address a few practical words to you on ihe subject of the loss of spiritual power. Let mc say at the outset, that of all the losses men are called upon to endure, the loss of spiritual power is the greatest. A millionaire may lose his goid, one night retire to rest a very wealthy man, and rise in the morning to find himself plunged into poverty, liut even so, he has not lost the greatest biessing of all in losing his gold. The liekle power of politics may to-day raise a man to the pinnacle of power, but to-morrow may plunge him into oblivion. The society lady may to-day be the centre of an admiring circle of friends and acquaintances, but to-mor-row her name may bo as some evil thing in. the minds and on the tongues of her society circle. The prosperous business man may by one reverse turn of the commercial wheel find himself landed in the Bankruptcy Court, stripped of everything he loved and prided himself in. But no loss is comparable to the loss of spiritual power. Never probably did the disciples of Jesus cut such a sorry figure and feel so small' or subject to such contempt as when they endeavored to cast out an evil spirit from a demonpossessed child, and could not, because they had lost their power through lack I of faith. Now turn to the story of Samson. He has been termed the "strong man," but with all his strength he was weak. The story of Samson is one of .tin! saddest, most remarkable and most tragic stories of the Old Testament. The grandest opportunities were possessed by that man, and he often availed himself of his God-given powers. The Spirit of the Lord came upon him; then he triumphed, he conquered the enemies of the nation. Friends and foes were astonished that with the most insignificant weapon he sent consternation into Ihe ranks of the Philistines. But in spite of ail this his life was a tragedy; he sinned against Cod; his strength went from him; the. Lord departed from him because he turned his back upon the Lord anil Samson died a dishonored death. Xow note: we lose our spiritual power

WIIKX WE CANCEL OUR COXSECRATIOX TO GOD.

This is one of the Haws that breaks the current of Divine) communication. Look at this story. Samson was a Xazarite. That meant he was a separated, a consecrated man. The law of the Xazarite is recorded in the Book of Numbers, and is to the effect, "When either man or woman shall separate themselves to vow a vow of a Xazarite, to separate tnemselves from the Lord, he shall separate himself from wine and strong drink, and shall drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of strong drink, neither shall he drink any liquor of grapes. All the days of the vow of his separation there shall be no razor come upon his head . . . .

I he shall be holy, and shall let the locks lof the hair of his head grow." All this | Sani>on promised when he took upon himself the Xazarile's vow. He was to •separate himself from strong drink; he was to be holy unto the Lord, to hold himself pure as (iod's instrument, to attain to self-reverence, self-knowledge, Xo razor was to come upon his head, mi hi- untilt hair was a sign of separation to (iod. All these tilings Sanisuii obeyed from his youth up. But in an evil hour he forgot the source of his strength, defiled the springs of his manhood and then came the sequel—the Lord departed from him, he lost the sense of Cod's presence, forfeited his [icaee, lost his strength and power. Here | let me make a local application. There ! was a time in your life when you turned from sin. and the world, to live for Cod. Then there was brightness in your soul; fruitfuluoss, power and joy in service, (iod honored you; you were foremost in church work, regular in attendance at the means of grace: "You had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of Cod than dwell in the tents of wickedness." But a change has come over you; you attend church now in a critical mood, rather than in a devotional spirit; you seldom pray, you neglect the Lord's table, you an' not the power you once were. What is the matter? A change has certainly taken place. A Delilah has come; the world has captured your heart, robbed you of your power. In a word, you have cancelled your consecration to Cod, and so to-day you are weak, helpless and supine. Jesus said. "Tarry until ye be endued with power from on high." Here we find the clue to our spiritual inefficiency: We once tarried at the .Mercy Seat until (he fire fell, but now we forget to tarry and so we lost our power. We may be learned, but of what use is learning if we are lifeless? We may be as strong physically as Samson, but what of that if we are weak morally? The powers of darkness in this twentieth century laugh us to scorn and play with us as rfie Philistines did with Samson, because we have lost the secret forces of Pentecost. Let us retrace our steps to the Upper Room. The Holy Ghost is not a spent force. (lod's ear is not heavy that lie cannot hear. Let us renew our consecration vow and Cod will come nearer to us. We also lose our spiritual power by

YIELDIXC TO TEMPTATION. This is one of the sure roads to spiritual deterioration and moral ruin. It was an evil day for Samson when he went down the Valley of Sorek, for it was there he met Delilah. This woman conspired to ruin him. She was in league with Samson's enemies, who were anxious to have the strong man under their power. Delilah said to Sams-on, "Tell me. 1 pray thee, wherein thy great strength lietli and wherewith thou mightest be bound to afflict thee." Ernestly she besought him to hand over to her the secret. Three times he prevaricated. At length he told her all his heart, and said unto her. "There hath not come a razor upon mine head . . .HI be shaven then

my strength will go from me and f shall become weak and be like any other man." Shortly after, while Samson slept with his head on the lap of the temptress, she cut off his locks, and the strong man became weak, lie who previously could rend a lion as easily as if it were a kid. who vanquished a thousand Philistines with an insignificant weapon, could do no longer. His life was sullied pfter he had lain in the harlot lap of the Philistine, Delilah. She was alile to twist him around her finger, for his heart had been corrupted, his will effeminated, his habits depraved, strength gone, power lost, ami you see him rend lions no longer, but, toiling as a drudge of his enemies: "Eyeless, at Gaza, in the mill wi!h slaves."

Beware of the first yielding to temptation, for you can never tell just where il is to lead you. It may be you are indulging in some slight deviation from llie path of virtue. You promise yourself it will onlv occur once, bill you find vou indulge again 1 and again. Soon the separate acts crystallise into habits, and habits form our character. So by a slow process you have sinned away your energy and power for doing good, till in very truth, "The Lord departs from

you." Remember I hat for every sensual indulgence, every sinful pleasure, yon must pay the devil his price. If the veiling man who has just commenced to take A CLASS 01- LIQUOR, or the youth who is just entering upon a life of self-indulgence and worldly pleasure, could foresee the price, be will have to pay in shattered nerves and weakened will. Would any mess of the world's pottage, however appetising, reward him for the sacrifice of the best part of his manhood* "Be not deceived, Cod is not mocked, for whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap." Samson, when he went down the. Valley of Sorek, sowed folly, and he reaped unutterable calamity, for the Lord departed from him. He lost his power and bis eyes, and his life, in the fall of a heathen temple. Voung man, when Delilah comes to you to tempt you from the path of truth or religion, say, "(let thee behind mc, Satan." as your life may be a warning to others rather than an instruction and a tragedy, as was Samson's. We also lose spiritual power when we are given to

WORLDLY ASD FLESHY INDULGENCES. The vow of the Xazarile was essentially a vow to abstain from worldly and lleshy lusts. lie was to be pure in all manner of life and practise self-denial. Samson violated his vow again and again. He violated it by marriage with a heathen woman; he defiled himself by eating the honey out of the carcase of the lion; by wicked associations, and these things proved to be but forerunners of the tragic end. One of the most manifest perils of our day is that a looser rein is given to very kind of appetite, that an increased spirit of luxury is found in every class of society. Worldliness has thousands in its vice-like grip. A little bit of religion and a large amount of worldliness seems to be the creed of many professing Christians. They can spend hours in some worldly amusement, but have no time to attend a prayer meeting or a religious service. | If there is an opportunity for gaining some worldly advantage or gain, they are all there, but if it is a ease of obtaining spiritual power and spiritual efficiency, they are wanting. This state of tilings spells moral and spiritual ruin. Delilah cuts their locks, and weakness is the result. We sometimes blame Delilah. But that will not do. It may ease our conscience, but it will not satisfv Cod. Would it satisfy Samson to blame Delilah? Xo; he knew he himself was to blame. It is an easy thing to endeavor to lay the responsibility on the shoulders of some other person. Adam did that once, the coward; he blamed Eve, but it did not relieve him of the responsibility, nor minimise the evil, nor save him from the consequences of breaking the covenant made between Cod and himself.

HAVE YOU LOST YOUR POWER? Power is what we need, what we must have. It is the first conscious hunger of an awakened soul. Every pastor, anxious for the welfare of bis people; every Sunday School teacher, toiling for for the conversion of the boys and girls; every social reformer who, in the face ridicule, slander and misrepresentation, stands against the social evils of our day; every Christian man, intelligent enough to" realise his own relations to the tumultuous energies and treacherous currents of the times, turns his gaze upwards and cries. "Oh, Cod. give me power!" We may have all knowledge, line churches, ornate services, but these things (inly mock us if we have lost our power. Would you

RECOVER YOUR POWER? If so. lei the locks grow again. By that 1 mean, renew your consecration, light, in the name of Cod. until you conquer that temptation and besetting sin; renounce the world, the flesh and the devil, for you will find your power again just where you lost it. Samson recovered his power bv returning to the Lord. In an agony of soul he prayed. "Oh, Lord Cod. remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee only this once." Cod heard and answered his prayer, liis old strength returned, and he was avenged of the Philistines. If you have lost your power do as Samson did, cry to Cod; rest not until you turn weakness into strength, and defeat into triumphant ivctory.