SUNDAY READING

Thames Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 10348, 22 April 1911, Page 5 (Supplement)

SUNDAY READING

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la there a heart that loves the spring, The witness can rtefuse. Oan mortals doubt, .when angels bring From. Heaivem their Elasteir news? When holy men and miaftrons speak

Of Christ's foiVuken bed, Airid Vioicea high forbid to seek The living 'mong 1 tho dead.

Tho annual Gold fields Christian Ekide<avouro Convention was held at Furiri <n\ Good Friday, when the Thames and Waihi C. FJ. iSbdiety was well rejiT'esen'tcd, also the Te Avoha Wesley Guiildi, and Wailiou ]?itle Class. Tho Rev. T. Tregti'ail presided, and paptrs weine read by Miss i Forayth (Gethsemiaiiie), Miss L.'Ejvans (The Betrayal), Miss R m t, (The Trial), Miss Pa It ridge (The Cniei-fiotii-n), andl sJiorfc add losses wen-e givtn by the Revs. Trestrail and Redd on "Ohrist's laiab talk with His j desclples" and "The RiesuiTcction" j resi[j«ctively. It wa«i deciklnd to hold the- convention at Te Aroba next year if suitable trtuin arraii<>^m.en-ts can bo meie, so that Mwrririsville, Hamilton, and oitilier socdeitdeg, who have expressed a desire! to >be piresent at these meetings may te enabled >to attendl.

A resolution w'asi passed ait the Coldiields Christian Elißlea.vour Omiyention to the effctii. that in fuvuro the pather'ngl be kn- \vn astJisi Me-th-odisit. Yoiimg People. I CbmVemtioai as the Eindteiavour Skx:ie':ies are in mia.ny places fcins? supicir;-;edcid by Biille-Clasisis-a and Guilds. Tlia work d^aie! by these young, peoples' sofcieities is alniei.ib identical, although tlie Eh-i----dea.vlo.ur work exitands over 1 a. larger sctupo with ci^anised' commiib'.tcs-,-and miore should Ibis a'Cooan-plished. Howc.vtir the change at present is oinly in na-m^i, and ailthough Bible elastics seioin to ba growingl in public favour many of us would be loth to wo the Cl El. Ibiadtjo ibieciomiei unpmpular.

Thd resurrecibion of CSirist is the eii'.nicvt of our own risiutr, tine pledge of immortality to the race for whom he was thei aeoond Adam. "We know noit when the lest trump ehirtll sonind. and cia.t!b mortal »hall join its own immontal in the .sikjr, and! thus give us each a personal mterei-jt. in the Riesjun-ecition of Gliriat; for when Ho comes in glory He will bring 1 our lcivtad oiies with Him,, if they slevp in Jelsu.s ; and it is-; a. prediowy and ineffra.tfahlo trutih that "he that b-> HeveMi in Jesus, tho-ujrh he were dead, yet shall he live* and 1 wlu;mietvea- liveth and bslicvelth in Him shall never die."

There is a breath of God in evira-y living soiil; le* us look then for the rfefletrtion of Gocli in every life. -If we would only try to "bring 1 the Divine into promiinciniee.- wie would find (halt. koiils we long donsidered kuTen wera able tcv pi-a-Jiuda abundant fruit.

"Tliis is not tha mere baing good, it is tho definite surrencter of oiiiewlf and one's life at any cost. I feel God: ha:; teen calling you to -the highest point of union wiilli His Diviniet Life, and you must aim to be very true in following. Aln'.l that following is?

noit in the outer actions of yenr life, though they are this bulwarks and si-ays of it, but it is in the inner surrender of the soul, the willinmiess tluH". sjilf should siuiffer, bie 'LuiSctecl,' out down, ceaso -ta exist:—no longer 'I iike,' ibut thait Gotll willsi it,— Uiat lifa thait has mo will but to respond unhestitating'ly to tliei Divine Will. Ono by one everything must b;i offered to God. The dying 1 self offers it to God a thousand times, and then shiinlktji b;uik and ta,kes to i.t«:.lf that which it hnis offered. "Biiit God Uives uls too well, ancl is too true with its, iwrt to oblige nt* to ba true with Hiini."—H. Mfc.nisell. i

"Bring no ir.iore vain obligations; indenso is an «lLi.;.niiin.a/>.io'n to me; the new moons a,ndl salbba.ths 1, the callingl of asson.'liiio.;, I cunncit away with; it Isj iniquity, even the solemn meetingl. Yoni' new moons and your appointed fetasits my souil hateth: they aro a, trouble; unito. mo; I am weary to hear them. And whew you spread your hands, I will hidl;i mine eyee from you : } rea., when yo mnkiQ many praye.rsi, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.

"Wash yon, make you clean ; put away tke cwil of yoiu' doingl.-! 1 finm h«th mind eyoi:-: ; cm* to do evil; learn to do veil; seek judgment, relievo tho oppi'e-ss'ed, juda'e tlio fn.ther-lc&)-i, pload! for th-o ' widow."—lsaiah i, 13-17.

"The way of ■G-ixTl ihi the way of sacrifico. But let us not mis.ta.ke the moaning" of tho v-otrd.

"It has bfien well sa.id that 'in the hours of clear reason we ylionld soy 'hat wo had neveir made a sacrifice ;' and again it iriay ibo swul, no less well, tiiifit all whidi Are delight to re- €«.! is saorifica

"J.<\ja< sacirifioe fpi'topei'ly dysoribes not loss to m&nx bait devoition to Goirl: not suift'ering 1, ibm.t clediico.tion ; not the foiecJoingl of ■that which w'f might have enjoyed, bat the conversion of tliinib which v'tis offered to us for a timid iifetc tu\ citemia.l pf^ession : the in)v|?!fJl.menti of thiniojs- unstable and fleeting; with, a power of unchang'eablo joy."—Bishop Wes-t----dott.

"It is thai deep principle of all true life, which represents the affinity —latent., oppressed by cii'oumsitancEs repressed by sin, bait; always there-— il'.ieitween our hulman naiture and the Divino, and through subjection to wliioh v,'e reasfjumiei our birthright as 'the Sons of God'; oonstiientiS' to see, and will to choio^E.—no' \v]i;vt shall please oun-.lalvets, but—the-high-est and purc-Pt aim t]ia,t life presents to us."—J. 0. Bt'own, from E'thice of (Jeoige Eliot.