Buckingham, the war governor of Connecticut, one day met a young man named Simmons as both were walking along the street, and putting both hands on the young man’s shoulders, the governor said solemnly: “Simmons, we are none of us living as well as we ought to,” and passed on. Simmons, as an old man, declared that that act had a most powerful and permanent influence on his life. (Text.)
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WORD JUGGLING
There are three hundred and sixty-five prohibitions in the law, said the Rabbins, just as many as there are days in the year, and two hundred and forty-eight positive commands, corresponding to the number of members of the body, according to their anatomy; the whole number making six hundred and thirteen precepts. “There can be no more precepts or any less,” reasoned the wise Pharisees, “because there are just six hundred and thirteen letters in the decalog.” Or if one had not liked this interpretation, they would have given him another equally satisfactory reason why there should be just six hundred and thirteen precepts. In Numbers 15:38, the Jews are commanded to wear fringes, called in the Hebrew tsitsith, upon the border of their garments. Now, as there are eight threads and five knots in each fringe, making the number thirteen, and as the letters of the word tsitsith stand in Hebrew for the number six hundred, therefore, as was proved before, there must be just six hundred and thirteen precepts in the Mosaic law. To such silly word jugglery had the Pharisees recourse in placing upon men’s shoulders burdens too grievous to be borne.—The Golden Rule.
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WORD OF GOD FREED
When Elizabeth of England succeeded to the throne she was petitioned to release, according to custom, four or five principal prisoners. “Who shall they be?” she asked. The reply was: “The four evangelists and the apostle Paul.” (Text.)
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WORD OF GOD UNIVERSAL
The following is by Frank Dempster Sherman: