SUNDAY READING

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 83, 24 August 1912, Page 2 (Supplement)

SUNDAY READING

Til]-." r.\!!f.\*K AND THE VULTURES. d'y licv. I'rank Ila les). "Whcri'j'Of.'i'r I'm' wmnw is. iliero will tin' tniahw be gathered together." - Mat 1 how In the Melbourne Picture (.allory Ih.'i-i' hangs a picture which boars the title of "An Lin ir~li The artist has put (ill the (.vi 11 va~ a vevy pathetic, and touch in <> i ht. A dead lamb lays oil the ground: at its head is a pool of blood which ha- oozed from its mouth. Standing over the dead body of her loved one i- the mother bleating out her anguish: for hovering over the carcase of the lamb is a llocfc of vultures, waiting for a favorable opportunity to devour the dead. In the East, where the words of the text were spoken, it is a common sight to see scores of vultures feasting from the carcase of an animal that, has fallen by the way. In the day.s of Christ's llosh the people to whom He spoke would be well acquainted with such a sight, and He Who "spake as never man spake." used this grim parable to teach a very solemn and much-needed truth—a future judgment which is to be universal.

No man placed stronger emphasis 011 the love of God than Jesus. Not only did He preach it. lint Tie revealed it. It was the central thought of His matchloss teaching. He taught that "The love of God was greater than the measure of man's mind. And the heart of the eternal was wondrously kind." And His whole life witnessed constantly to the truth that at the very heart of all things there was love. But this truth did not embrace the whole of Christ's teaching. In the passage from which our text is taken He announced the solemn fact that all nations, and all men, sooner or later, would be called before the JUDGMENT SEAT OF GOD . to give an account of their stewardship. In speaking of the impending doom of Jerusalem Jesus Christ pointed forward to the greater doom which awaited all who put God out of their lives, and defile themselves and their fellows through unclean and impure living. But the meaning of these words, "Wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together," is not exhausted after we have applied them to the coming of the Lord and the judgment of the nations. There have been comings of the Lord and many judgment days since the world began; and these words are only the revelation of a law which has operated ever since time began. Wheresoever the carcase of cor-

ruption has been found, the vultures of God's judgment has always devoured

A glance at the history of the world affords many illustrations of this truth. The very people that Christ warned of the oncoming doom centuries before had been instrumental in carrying out this law in the case of the Canaanitish nations, whose corrupt and foul practices brought down upon them the vultures of God's judgment. The Babylonian and Assyrian nations in turn swept Israel and Judah into captivity, because

the whole body had become vile and unclean. Five centuries B.C. Athens was the greatest of Greek democracies, and produced the greatest sculptures and literary works the world has even seen. Socrates, Plato and Aristotle all

lived and taught in that favored city. But Athens tried to live without God, and shut Him out of her thought; and she became a carcase for the vultures of judgment to feed on. Jerusalem—the city of Christ's love—was favored as above all others. The Christ of God walked her streets and scattered the fragrance of His sweet life over every town and village that He entered. He pleaded with her, He wept over her, but she wrapped herself in the garment of an empty profession and clothed herself with the flimsy raiment of ceremonies and creed. Like a whited sepulchre, she appeared beautiful before men, but God knew that within she was full of rottenness and decay, and he let loose the vultures of Rome, who made short work of the diseased and putrid mass. And then Rome, that great and mighty empire, with her brilliant administrators, lawyers, soldiers, engineers, architects and builders, instead of retaining God in her life, gave herself to a life of wicked luxury and self-indulgence, and swiftly became carrion for the vultures from the frozen north to feast

And as we think of the past we ask ourselves—Hns this law bceome a spirit force? Has it lost its power to act? Has it, like the veteran, lost its punch? Xo; it still operates. God still lives. His' wheels may "grind slowly, but they grind exceeding small." There is need in these days of indifference, in these days of Ood-forgetfulness. in these (lavs of sham, for the preacher to cry. "The ilav of the Lord cometh." It doesn't take much insight to see that in some quarters that so-called SOCIETY TS ROTTEX-RTPE FOR •JI'DdMEXT. Women spend more money on a poodle than tliev do upon the poor. Selfishness is eating tfie heart out of the people, and many of them go through life iieartless and cruel. the condemnation of uselessness is written iarge on the records of the past, What about the useless in the world of society? What about the useless in the world of politics? What about the u-eless in church life?

There are two evils that threaten the life and the usefulness of this country. There are many others God knows, but there are two that walk abroad in the noonday. Recently the politicians of our land'had the opportunity for giving the people the power to throttle one of them, but they let that opportunity pass. Responsibility, to a large extent, rests upon them for exalting this nation through righteousness: but when thev thrust from them the opportunity for so doing they need to be reminded of the solemn words. "Wheresoever'the carcase is there will the eagles be gathered together." The other evil—that of gambling—threatens to assume still greater proportions than it has hitherto done, and God knows that they are great enough already. The evil of gambling saps the life-blood of any nation tnat permits it to live in- its midst; and if this country sits silently by in calm indifference, and permits greater facilities for this evil than it has already, it doesn't need a prophet to predict that the vultures of God's judgment will one day clean up the carcase. Too much apiithv is being displayed by many of us with regard to this question. The racing fraternity are alive and moving | heaven and earth to accomplish their ends. Tt is not sports protection societies that we need in this land—true, manly, honest sport is its own protector —what we need is the mind and the will to protect our young manhood and womanhood. A nation of gamblers is a Godless nation, and the Godless nations of the past have long since become a prev to the vultures of judgment. This land of ours is lovely and beautiful. Tt is too good to be thrown on to the scrap-heap. ' Christ said. "Ye are the salt of the earth." That means you; it means me. May God help us to keep our country sweet and fresh. With .Tc~us Christ in our hearts, and His life overwhelming ours, let us go forth to live for His'glory and for the good of our countrv. and the salvation of our fellows. The future need hold no terrors for all those who love the Lord and look for His appearing.