"Many sorrows shall be to the wicked, but they that trust in the Lord," though they are weak, and foolish, and imperfect, "shall be compassed about with mercy." Therefore, "be glad in the Lord, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart," for He is good and faithful, and will preserve you; He is gracious, and will forgive; He is holy and almighty, and He will cleanse you from all unrighteousness, and fill and crown you with His glory for ever.
May we be kept by the power and providence of God from falling into sin and evil, but since we have sinned and come short of His glory—since we need pardon and cleansing—may we be led to pray, with David, "Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me." Like him, may we know the joys of divine forgiveness, and then be helped to show forth our Saviour's praise, not only by our words, but in our lives, by walking in the way of His commandments, and "cleaving to Him with purpose of heart."
Our next subject will be, John xvii. 22.
Your loving friend,
H. S. L.
Do those things that you judge to be good, although, after you have done them, you may be disesteemed, being regardless of the praise or blame of the vulgar.—Pythagoras.
PRIZE ESSAY.
What Kind of Service is Most Acceptable to God?
God accepts that service which is prompted entirely out of love to Him with greater pleasure than any other. If we obey our parents and serve God only with a view of being praised by men, He does not accept our service, and we may be compared with the scribes and Pharisees washing the outside of the platter and of the cup, but leaving the inside unclean. Jesus says, "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess" (Matt. xxiii. 25). Jesus means by this that the scribes and Pharisees gave heed to all the outward ceremonies of religion, and were, to all appearance, good and upright; but they did not really love God in their hearts. God looks upon the motive which prompts any little kindness to any one. He does not look so much at the action. He says, even a cup of cold water, if given for Jesus' sake, will be remembered and rewarded (Matt. x. 42; Mark ix. 41). Jesus says that even the widow who put her farthing into the treasury, gave more than the scribes and Pharisees, who put in large sums of money. He means by this that the widow put in all she had. She must have had great love to God to give her last farthing for the use of God's house, and the Pharisees were really prompted to put in their large sums of money because of the praise of man. In obeying our parents, and in whatever we do, we should do it as unto the Lord.