THE LONG AND SHORT O' LIFE
THIS is a lesson which illustrates how important it is to give God our whole life. Samuel did this. He did not wait until his life was almost burned out, and then give to God the stump which was left, but gave God the whole life, from early childhood to ripe old age.
Secure one full length candle, and also one almost burned out. If both are lit at the same time, the short one quickly burns away while the tall one burns for a long time. "The tall candle stands for youth, and where youth is given over to God, it sheds light for many happy days. We should all offer our whole life to God and not wait till it is almost gone and then offer a few short feeble days to Him. Don't wait until life is almost burned out and only a little stub left like this to offer God." As you say these words, hold up the little stump of candle. "Here is a candle almost burnt out. It will not give light much longer." In the old fashioned days when candle light was used it would be cast aside as good for nothing, and yet the little stump can do a little good for Jesus. Come to Him before it is burnt out altogether. Come now, tomorrow darkness may come and the little candle be entirely consumed.
One evening some years ago, when I was preaching in my Philadelphia church, a sermon called "A Sermon of a Hundred Candles" I lifted up a little stub of a candle almost burned out, and said "This resembles the sinner almost burned out, only a few minutes more and it will be gone. Turn to God quickly before time will snuff out your flickering taper." In that audience that night sat a man well known in river circles. He was known as Capt. Evans, a man that knew the Delaware River like a book. Many efforts had been made to bring him to Jesus, but everything up to this point had failed. He said "That little stub of a candle got me." And it brought him to Jesus, and for the rest of his days was a shining light for the Master. Oh, ye little stubs. Turn to Jesus and shine. You cannot go back to the happy days of youth to begin over again but begin to shine now for Jesus. Hearken, ye youth, boys and girls, of the order of the long candle. Come now to Jesus and shine from the days of your youth until God bids you come up higher and shine for Him in the White City of God.
To elaborate this lesson let a number of boys and girls come to the platform, each bringing an unlit candle which they light from the tall candle on the table called "The Light of the World." And then let them place them back on the table until they are all lit. Don't let them hold them in their hands in a lighted condition as there is danger in this. Ask them to stand around the table while the lights are burning and sing "Jesus bids us shine."
CHAPTER XXVIII
PULLING OUT THE NAIL HOLES
Objects: A Small Size Post or Board. Hammer and Nails
PULLING OUT THE NAIL HOLES
HERE is a story so old that it is new. That is, it is new to this generation. It is about a post that may be a pulpit or a lesson desk, and from it they may hear a loud message proclaimed. This is the story.— Many years ago when Grandpa was young, just like you, his mother told him a story about a boy that did wrong things, told falsehoods, and used bad words. His mother, in order to cause him to see how ugly sin was, and what a bad scar it left in the heart, drove a nail into a post for every evil word he spoke. By and by there were a large number of nails in the post and it looked very ugly and he felt just a little ashamed of his deeds being shown up this way. So he went to his mother and said he was very sorry, and promised he would try not to say bad words any more if she would pull all the nails out. This she agreed to do on the following terms: For every good word or deed, he would say or do, she would pull out one nail. After trying real hard he saw the nails come out one by one, at last they were all out, but he noticed the holes left by the nails, and wanted his mother to pull them out also, which, of course she could not do. This taught the boy a lesson, that even good deeds could not erase the scars evil deeds left behind them. His father said, however, if he continued to be good, he would fill all the holes up with a paint filler, and recoat the post with fresh paint, and it would like quite like new, and right again. After his father had given the post a number of coats of fresh paint, the scars all disappeared, and the little boy never forgot the lesson when he looked at the bright, fresh post.