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THE CHRlStlAK NATION.<br />
Vol, 59.<br />
Prayer Meeting Topic,<br />
PRAYER MEETING TOPIC<br />
FOR OCT. I, 1913.<br />
By Rev. J. G. iMcElhinney.<br />
Subject: Invitations. Rev. 22:17.<br />
Psalm,<br />
lOTi version vv. No.<br />
27<br />
1-5<br />
65<br />
35<br />
7<br />
93<br />
34<br />
6<br />
87<br />
41<br />
45<br />
9<br />
10<br />
"3<br />
122<br />
78 I 20s<br />
91 I 249<br />
COMMENT.<br />
The Lord has many wise ways of<br />
prevailing on sinners to accept the<br />
Gospel offer. He invites, be promises,<br />
he warns, he urges,, he<br />
threatens and pleads, in fact he<br />
leaves nothing undone, which<br />
might in any way influence sinners<br />
to come tO' Christ.<br />
I. MANY.<br />
The invitations of the Bible to<br />
sinners to come to Christ are<br />
many in number. They are found<br />
by tbe dozen. Scarcely a book in<br />
the Bible witbout a gospel invitation.<br />
In the Old Testament the<br />
prophecies, particularly, abounc'<br />
with them. The New Testament<br />
is teeming with them from Matt.<br />
to Rev.<br />
It is exceedingly interesting to<br />
note the great variety of ways in<br />
which the Gospel offer is presented<br />
in the Bible. Take for example<br />
tbe one in Gen. 7:1, and<br />
consider Noah as a type of the<br />
sinner. God says to him, "Come<br />
thou into the ark." The considerations<br />
in favor of his entering<br />
the ark illustrate in a remarkable<br />
manner, the circumstances of every<br />
sinner. The invitation is a<br />
command. The ark was ready.<br />
The door was open. Tbe danger<br />
was imminent. There was no other<br />
way Of escape. He alone<br />
would be to blame if lost.<br />
Another interesting Old Testament<br />
invitation of tbe same kind<br />
is the one found in Gen. 45 '.g.<br />
where Joseph sends thi^ message<br />
to his father: "Come down unto<br />
me, tarry not." The reasons why<br />
Tacob might notlbave 'accepted the<br />
invitation, and the reasons for accepting<br />
it, were such as are common<br />
to sinners when the gospel<br />
invitation is presented.<br />
Christ when here on earth presented<br />
His invitation to sinners in<br />
story form, in tbe parables which<br />
he spake, as "tbe great supper"<br />
and the "prodigal son." It is<br />
profitable just to look up the number<br />
of times God says "come".<br />
II. SUITABLE.<br />
tine cannot imagine a sinner in<br />
circumstances in which he could<br />
not find some invitation suitable<br />
to his individual case. If the sinner<br />
hungers or thirsts salvation is<br />
the bread and water of Hfe, :a<br />
great supper or a feast. If he is<br />
tired it is rest from the burden of<br />
sin—the rest that remaineth for<br />
t'-e children of God. God invites<br />
the children: "Come ye children.''<br />
He invites the poor, "and<br />
he that hath no money." He invites<br />
the ordinary sinner to the<br />
abundance of His gracious provis'on:<br />
"whosoever will let him<br />
take the water of life freely."<br />
III. ENCOURAGING.<br />
Xo one needs encouragement<br />
more than a sinner. Satan is constantly<br />
on the lookout for some<br />
thing to put in the mind of the<br />
weak sinner to hinder him in any<br />
purpose he might have to seek<br />
tetter or higher things. But when<br />
Satan says to tbe sinner "you are<br />
too deep dyed in sin," Christ says,<br />
"come now let us reason together<br />
: though your sins be as<br />
scarlet they shall be as white<br />
as snow; though they be red<br />
like crimson they shall be as<br />
wool." When S'atan suggests that<br />
lie has lived too long in sin to<br />
hope for pardon, Christ encourages<br />
the sinner by assuring him<br />
that "He is able to save them to<br />
the uttermost that come unto God<br />
by him,'' and by the illustration of<br />
the thief on the cross. When'<br />
Satan would hinder by hinting to<br />
the sinner that he has no-thing to<br />
bring, nothing to offer, Christ assures<br />
him that salvation is "witbout<br />
money and without price."<br />
Let the sinner also read for his<br />
encouragement EzekJ 33:11-16.<br />
YOUNG PEOPLE'S TOPIC.<br />
(Concluded from pi.ge 2)<br />
16:17: Ps. 112:0; 116:12; Rom.<br />
10:15.<br />
"^ HINTS FOR TALKS.<br />
In this day of missions, is saving<br />
right beyond the point of provision<br />
for old age?<br />
Flow can we increase our cheerfulness<br />
in giving?<br />
Is money equally indispensable<br />
in home and foreign work?<br />
Has increase of Christian wealth<br />
equaled increase of missionary opportunity?<br />
Has giving?<br />
Flas any churcb been burt when<br />
it does not yet give the tenth?<br />
Why is giving to missions unmentioned<br />
in the New Testament?<br />
Honestly, it frightens a person<br />
when he hears all the talk about<br />
giving. Synod's appropriations<br />
for this year, wben added to home<br />
expenses, do seem large. But the<br />
fact of the matter is tbat we are<br />
excited mainly on the same<br />
grounds as tbe man who complained<br />
that his wife was always asking<br />
him for half a dollar. He declared<br />
that at this rate s'he would<br />
soon ruin him. "But," he was<br />
asked, "do you ever give her one?"<br />
No, he never did. That is about<br />
the way we are being ruined.<br />
Last year our appropriations increased,<br />
I believe, ten cents a<br />
member. Tbe truth is that our "My feet were greatly swollen,<br />
church is not giving the tenth, and my right arm was shrunken and<br />
we will Iby no means be ruined twisted inward, the fingers of my<br />
till we reach that proportion. If right hand were clenched anc<br />
we would cease looking at the could not be extended except witi<br />
sum total of the appropriations great effort and pain. Nothing<br />
and begin, to consider whether we seemed to give me more than tem<br />
personally have reached the safe porary relief. •<br />
and sane and century-tested proportion<br />
of tbe tenth, our fears for about 30 years previously, i'|<br />
"Now, during all this time anc'<br />
would be allayed. If you do not drank daily an average of 6 cup:,<br />
like to be "coldly calculating" of strong coffee—rarely missing ;i<br />
calculate a tenth] and then give<br />
more as blindly as you think; best.<br />
Paul said that if it comes to a<br />
ninch, God is able to minister<br />
bread for food, yes, and multiply<br />
the seed sown beyond that, and<br />
increase the fruits of our righteousness.<br />
If cheerfulness is lacking,<br />
God can give tbat grade; and<br />
v.'hat we need to do is not to lessen<br />
our giving but to use means<br />
to increase our cheerfulness. Let<br />
us go back to the previous essentials,<br />
and seek missionary information.<br />
Let us look more deep-<br />
Iv also into tbe needs of our own<br />
hearts, and thus gain knowledge<br />
of the fearful need of those -.vho<br />
do not know how to escape from<br />
=in. Our very lack of cheerfulness<br />
in giving ought to terrify us.<br />
What if we are growing covetous!<br />
Perhaps the love of Christ is not<br />
in us.<br />
Paul bere proposes a way to<br />
>\'ork for the realization of tbe copy of the little book, "The Roa^<br />
first part of the Lord's prayer, to Wellville."<br />
"Our Father wbich art in heaven, Postum comes in two forms:<br />
hallowed be thy name." We, by Regular Postum-must be we<br />
onr gifts may cause thanksgiving<br />
to abound toward our God. And<br />
why should we not seek to et-?'<br />
all the help we can in rendering<br />
boiled.<br />
Instant Postum is a soltrbl|<br />
greater thanks to God? We have<br />
-"td enough, for we are offeri'^<br />
thanks for Him who, while we<br />
were yet sinners, died for us.<br />
"Thanks be unto God for His m-<br />
speakable gift." Is our heart in<br />
the thanks? Then there will our<br />
treasure be also. If our heart<br />
wanders, let us read agam the<br />
story of Gethsemane. Only when<br />
our heart is filled with love can<br />
we rightly apportion our money '<br />
GROWING STRONGER<br />
^<br />
t<br />
Apparently with' Advancing Age,<br />
"At the age of 50 years I col-;<br />
lapsed from excessive coffee drink-,<br />
ing," writes a man in Mo. "For;<br />
four years I shambled about with,<br />
the aid of crutches or cane, most<br />
of the time unable to dress myself<br />
without help.<br />
meal.<br />
"i\Iy wife at last took my casi<br />
into her own hands and bough<br />
some Postum. Sbe made it ac<br />
cording to directions and I likei<br />
it fully as well as the best high^<br />
grade coffee. ,<br />
"Improvement set in at oncf<br />
•<br />
In about 6 month* I began t(.<br />
work a little, and in less than :,<br />
year I was very much better, im^<br />
proving rapidly from day to da}<br />
I am now in far better bealth tha'<br />
most men of my years and ap<br />
parently growing stronger wit_'<br />
;iclvancing age.<br />
"I am busy every day at som<br />
kind of work and' am able t<br />
keep up with tbe procession with,<br />
out a cane. Tbe arm and hand ths,<br />
were once useless, now keep fa<br />
ahead in rapidity of movement an<br />
beauty of penmanship." ^<br />
Name given by Postum Co<br />
Battle Creek, Mich. Write ^<br />
l)owder. A teaspoonful dissolvf<br />
auickly in a cup of bot water an(<br />
with the addition of cream ani<br />
snear, makes a delicious beveraginstantly.<br />
"There's a reason" for Fostun,.