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THE CHRISTIAN NATION.
Vol, 59.
Prayer Meeting Topic.
PRAYER MEETING TOPIC,
OCTOBER 29, 1913.
By the Rev. G. R. -\IcBurney.
Subject.—Hell. Matthew 25:41.
I. Place.
2. People.
3. Purpose.
Selection of Psalms—37:1-6;
140:1-4; ':3-6; 36:1-4; 130:1-5;
119:57-64.
The objects along our journeys
mark our path so that we may not
lose our way. A distant mountain,
a clump of trees, a village, enable
us to keep the right road to our
destination. Some objects act as
dangeri signals to warn what to
avoid as a snag set upright in a
muddy road is readily taken to
mark a sink hole to be shunned;
a yellow flag upon aj door proclaims
our nearness to a spreading
disease that we are to keep away
from. We would like to regard
Hell as placed in this latter class
—a danger signal, a warning in
life's pathway, by negation a
guide. No one would make it his
purpose, much less his declared
destination, even though some may
be bold enough at times to direct
others to go there.
I. Place. Hell is designated
sometimes by "Hades," at others
by "Gehennes," both translated
Hell. Matt. 5:22, 29, 30. Luke
16:30. Also by the phrase "place
of torment." Luke 16:28. Figurative
terms are also used: Everlasting
fire prepared for the devil and
his angels. Text, As a hell of
fire, "where their worm dieth not
and fire is not quenched." i\Tar.
9:43-44. The lake that burneth
with fire and brimstone. Rev. 21:
8. Bottomless pit. 'Rev. 9:12.
While hell is designated variously
in the Word it is to be regarded
more properly as a state rather
than a place of definite location.
2. The People. The occupants
of hell are left hand people. "Them
on the left hand"—rejected. They
have not measured up to the di­
strive and struggle and reach a
goal that is worthy the best of
which we arc capable. These people
are not said to have done anything,
merely they did not; they
did not befriend Christ. By this
list of negatives they were made
strangers to him.
"The devil and his angels" have
arrayed themselves in open con­
of God. What a company! What
companionship. We have shrunk
from the thought of being comjpelled
to witness the scenes of
such accidents as we iread constantly
in the papers, and hear the
(agonizing shrieks of the terrorstricken,
the suffering, and the dying.
But what would this be as
compared with awful wails, and
shrieks and moans and groans and
gnashing of teeth of the great
company of eternally damned
souls,—left-hand people, the accursed
of God. Would you like
this destiny? With whom are your
associations now ? Whither your
trend? Is further comment necessary?
3. Purpose. "Prepared for the
devil and his angels." Helf was
prepared for the punishment of
sinners, for the payment of the
wages that certain ones have earned.
It comes as the logical and inevitable
consequences of a certain
course of life related as cause and
efifect. Another purpose of this
penalty is a warning against inactivity
as in the context; the not
befriending Christ and His friends
ibrings the sentence "Depart." A
warning against persistence in a
course of sin.
But most of all the purpose of
Hell is for the vindication of
God's glorious perfectness. God's
infinite justice calls for the punishment
of sin just as truly and as
fully as does the rewarding of the
righteous, and hell has been provided
to satisfy that justice.
Young People s Topic
vine requirement. In the context YOUNG PEOPLE'S TOPIC
they are designated by negatives. FOR NOV 2.
"Ye gave me no meat." "Ye gave By the Rev. George S. Coleman.
me no drink." "Ye took me not The Ideal Christian. His Heavenly
Helper. Heb. 13:5-15.
in." "Ye clothed me not." "Ye
visited me not." What a list of Psalms.—3:1-3: 16:6-7: 18:5-8;
nothings! What a reward for doing
nothing. "Nothing of worth 34:4-5 CL. M.) ; 55:17; 73:17-20;
27:1-4-6: 27:9-12; 31:18-20, 23;
without great labor." Hell is too
easy won, to be desired. Better
()i:i, 14; 125:1-2.
Bible References.—Deut. 33 :27
Ps. 9:9, 10; 30:5; 31:7; 37:23, 24
46:1; 58:9; 62:7; 94:19; 138:8
Isa. 41 :io; 43:2; 50:7; 63:9; John
14:10; II. Cor. 1:5; II. Thess. 2:
16, 17; Heb. 4:15.16.
HINTS FOR TALKS.
Christ said, "Lo, I am with you
alway." In whose person is He
with us?
What may we expect in the Other
Comforter from the ways of the
flict with our Lord all through the
ages and are given this distinction
of having a place prepared Have believers actually received
first Comforter?
for them. Literally the accursed help? Tell instances in Bible times,
in time of early church, in Dark
Ages, in 'Reformation times, and
at present.
Why is singing repeatedly urged
in the Bible; for example, in v.
15?
What can we do to^ find the
heavenly helper ?
Do }'ou want to be helped in
your meetings ? In what respect ?
The concise language of the
catechism sums up the hopes of
Christian idealism in saying, "We
are more and more enabled to die
unto sin and live unto righteousness."
The words present a plan
for an autobiography by each of
us as Christians. What stories
are suggested in dying with regard
to sin and quickening in things of
righteousness, and all this "more
and more!" Supreme nobility is
implied in being "renewed in the
whole man after the image of
God;" but who will not think how
faint is the resemblance he has
gained after years of religion?
What heroism "in dying unto sin
and living unto righteousness" in
battle after battle, "more and
more," but sometimes one is compelled
to think of the old Civil War
song about tenting again on the
old camp ground, all the intervening
struggle apparently gone for
nothing. But the catechism statement
is a call to confidence. Read
again, and notice the words, "Are
renewed. Are enabled." So the
text says, "We may boldly say,
'The Lord is my helper.'"
The great question is whether
we get His help. Christian in
"Pilgrim's Progress' did not have
Great-heart with him though Christiana
did. The help is to be had.
true, the Helper is invisible. We
see no person, we cannot reach out
and touch this companion, we can-
I ot hear Flis voice. Yet when we
think of Him while we read the
Bible, or kneel in prayer, or sing
the songs He gave, I think He
does awaken the same confidence
that the disciples had when they
saw and touched and listened to
tlie fiist Comforter. Sometiines one
might think we had not so much
as lizard that there was another
lielper come into the world for
men; but we have no need to despair
as long' as we still know of
things that we have not yet done
to make this help real to ourselves.
Do them. Read, pray, sing, work,
wdth the thought of the Almighty
Helper whom Christ has sent into
the world. Then we may learn to
say boldly, "The Lord is my helper.
He is indeed."
(There is a very interesting book
entitled "The Seeming^ Unreality
of the Spiritual Life," by King.)
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