The still small voice; quiet hour talks

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THE STILL
SMALL VOICE

QUIET HOUR TALKS

BT

REV. G. P. PARDINGTON, Ph.D.

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published by

Alliance Press Company

692 Eighth Avenue

NEW YORK

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corv b.

Copyrighted by Alliance Press Co., 1902.

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V

TO

MY WIFE

My genial critic and sympathetic helper in its preparation
this volume of " Quiet Hour Talks " is affectionately dedi-
cated.

PREFACE

This little volume of devotional messages
has a history which will interest the reader.
For five years, during the school session, the
writer has conducted in the Missionary Insti-
tute, at Nyack, N. Y., a weekly consecration
service for the promotion of the spiritual life
of the students. This service is known as
the "Quiet Hour/' and the messages are famil-
iarly called "Quiet Hour Talks." The Quiet
Hour is always a delightful and hallowed
season, combining mental relaxation with spir-
itual invigoration.

From time to time the publication of a vol-
ume of these devotional messages has been re-
quested by the students and by others who have
heard them. After much prayer this request
is now acceded to in the hope that the spirit-
ual blessing that has so signally attended their
delivery will thus reach a larger circle.

CONTENTS

The Budding Rod 9

The Pilgrim's Promise 16

Freshness, Fragrance and Fruitf illness 24

Waiting for God 33

Light from the Word 39

The Committed Life 47

The Voice of the Lord 56

Newness of Life 65

The Vision of the Unseen 71

Promise and Performance 78

The Bread of Earth and the Bread of Heaven. ... 85

The Quiet Hour 97

One with Christ 108

Security and Serenity 119

The Two Laws 126

Union and Communion 138

The Three R's 146

Two Omnipotent Forces 155

Preparations of Grace 162

Inwrought and Outwrought Prayer 171

Light in Darkness 182

The Cause and Cure of Religious Despondency. . .191

The Priestly Blessing 205

Transformed by Beholding 215

The God of All Comfort 225

An Expected End 235

THE BUDDING ROD

THE seventeenth chapter of Numbers con-
tains the story of the rod of Aaron that
budded. This incident vindicated the di-
vine choice of the Aaronic priesthood and si-
lenced rival claimants for priestly honors
among the children of Israel.

Of course, the budding rod is, primarily, a
type of the priestly ministry of Christ. Our
Lord's priesthood is of divine choice. It is a
living priesthood. The blossoming rod symbol-
izes the freshness, fragrance and fruitfulness
of Christ's ministry of intercession.

But while the budding rod of Aaron is pre-
eminently a type of the priesthood of Christ,
it may also be taken as a type of the interces-
sion of believers. For we have been made
"priests unto God" ; and it is our high calling
and exalted privilege to fulfil in the name of
Christ the office of intercession in behalf of
others.

Let us notice three lessons which this beau-

10 The Still Small Voice

tiful story teaches concerning the ministry of
prayer. These are drawn from the nature of
the rod, the place where Moses put it, and the
degrees of its fruitfulness.

First } The nature of Aaron's rod.

The rod of Aaron was just like the other
rods that were chosen. By nature it was sim-
ply a dry stick. Josephus states that the
twelve rods were cut from a sort of desert
brush. The rod was a symbol of authority. It
may be they were not cut at the time, but
had been for generations in the possession
of the tribes of Israel. They seem to have been
not unlike such a stick as one might cut for a
cane from underbrush. They were not saplings
with roots that could be transplanted. They
were simply dry boughs, just such a bundle of
sticks as one would gather for burning. This
was the character of the rod that God caused to
flourish.

What is the spiritual lesson? The meaning
is that believers who are called to the ministry
of prayer are by nature just like dry sticks.
One is not born with ability to become an ac-
ceptable intercessor. One does not acquire the

Quiet Hour Talks 11

requisite qualifications by education and cul-
ture. One may, indeed, be gifted in prayer;
he may be fluent and even eloquent in public
intercession. But the life of nature can furnish
no part of the essential qualifications for the
ministry of prayer. It must all be of grace.
Thus all believers stand on the same plane;
none in the matter of prayer has any advantage
before God. The Lord chooses dry sticks from
which all the sap is gone. Beloved, we must
come before God as dry sticks. It may be hu-
miliating to take this position; but if we are
ever to be used to bless others through prayer
we must be willing to be emptied of everything.
All God desires is a yielded instrument that
He can use. All He wants is an empty channel
through which He can pour His grace upon
the waste places of the earth.

Second, The place where Moses put the rod.

Moses took the bundle of rods and laid them
up before the Lord in the tabernacle of wit-
ness. He placed them in the Holy of Holies.
They lay over night in the presence of Jehovah.
The light of the Shekinah shone upon them.
While there the rod of Aaron was warmed into

(2 J^-r The Still Small Voice

supernatural life. Instead of the sap of nature
the life of grace began to flow through the
withered stick, when lo ! it became fruitful far
above the fruitfulness of nature.

What does this mean in the prayer life ? It
means that the believer who would learn the
divine art of intercession must enter the secret
chamber of the Lord. He must come and
place himself like a withered stick before the
presence of God. As he kneels there his cold
dead heart will be warmed into supernatural
life. At first the springs of prayer may be
dried up. He may be conscious of a dearth of
spiritual desire. He may be unable to form a
prayer in his heart or utter a prayer with his
lips. But he has come before the throne of
God as an intercessor; he is there by divine
choice and appointment. As he patiently
waits upon the Lord in silence he soon becomes
strangely sensible of a new life enkindling his
whole being. Spiritual desires begin to well up
in his heart. His mind becomes centered upon
some subject which perhaps he has not thought
of before. He finds himself getting hold of
God with a strangely new sense of access.

Quiet Hour Talks

13

Longings and yearnings take possession of his
heart, while words flow spontaneously from his
lips. What does it all mean? Why, beloved,
this is "praying in the Holy Ghost." This is
the exercise of the ministry of intercession.
The empty vessel is being filled with divine
grace. The yielded instrument is being divine-
ly used. The old stick is budding with new life.

Third, The degrees of the rod's fruitfulness.

Over night the rod of Aaron "brought forth
buds and bloomed blossoms and yielded al-
monds." The life of nature cannot mature its
products as rapidly as the life of grace. With-
in a few hours the entire process of vegetation
was completed ; bud, blossom and almonds ap-
peared on the same bough.

What meaning has all this for us ? Surely,
it may stand for three phases of the ministry
of intercession. The almonds may represent
answers to prayer. In the life of intercession
the Lord continually fulfils his promises, and
answers to prayer will be frequent and abund-
ant. The blossoms may represent the things
we are praying through with God. The al-
mond has not appeared, but we have the bios-

14 The Still Small Voice

som. The answer has not come, but we have
the assurance. The ministry of intercession
should be filled with blossoms. Long years
of waiting precede the answer to many prayers.
For the conversion of one man George Mueller
prayed over sixty years. The man was saved
at his funeral. The delays of God develop the
seeds of prayer and promote the growth of
its blossoms. These seeds of prayer may be
represented by the buds on the rod. They are
the new subjects, the fresh themes that the
Lord is constantly putting into our hearts and
minds by the Holy Spirit. The prayer life
should be planted with seeds. We must have
the almonds ; for without answers to prayer we
should grow faint and discouraged. We need
the blossoms; for the exercise of prayer
strengthens our life in God. And may the
Lord grant us the buds as well; for new
subjects of prayer will broaden us and keep
us in sympathetic touch with the interests of
Christ's kingdom. Let us not have the almonds
at one time, the blossoms at another, and the
buds at still another ; but let them all grow in
our hearts together.

Quiet Hour Talks 15

Moreover, the budding rod not only speaks
of fruitfulness, but also of freshness and fra-
grance. What is so new and sweet as a bud in
spring? What is so fresh and fragrant as a
blossom ? What is so wholesome and nourish-
ing as fruit? As we thus minister as priests,
may our spirits be fresh with the dew of
Christ's youth; may our presence be fragrant
with the incense of the altar; and may our
lives be fruitful through the power of prevail-
ing prayer.

THE PILGRIM'S PROMISE

"And behold I am with thee and will keep thee
whithersoever thou goest, and will bring thee again
into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I
have done that which I have spoken to thee of"
(Gen. xxviii. 15).

THIS verse is the pilgrim's promise. It
was given to Jacob when he left his fa-
ther's home in Canaan to seek his fortune
in the land of Padan-Aram. During his long
wanderings it insured him "journeying mer-

cies."

This is a good verse for the traveler and the
tourist to guard them against accident by land
or by water. It is a good verse for the mission-
ary who faces peril and privation in heathen lands.
It is a good birthday verse as one starts out to-
ward a new mile stone in life. It is a good
New Year's verse as one crosses the threshold
of another cycle of time. Finally, it is a good
life motto, for it covers all the days and years
until our heavenly Father shall minister unto

Quiet Hour Talks 17

us an "abundant entrance into His everlasting
kingdom."

This promise is fourfold : it includes the di-
vine presence, divine preservation, divine pre-
diction and divine performance.

First, The divine presence. "Behold, I am
with thee whithersoever thou goest." God's
presence is portable. The first manifestation
of Jehovah to Israel was in the pillar of cloud
and of fire. This supernatural symbol met
the chosen people at the passage of the Red
Sea and remained with them until the crossing
of the Jordan. For forty years it led them
through the desert wastes. When Israel was
on the march, the pillar went before them;
when the people rested in their tents it abode
upon the tabernacle. Whether in motion or at
rest the children of Israel were covered by the
Shekinah glory, the symbol of God's presence
and power. This is the divine type of God's
spiritual presence with His people today.

This promise is not alone for the cell and the
cloister, but for the office and the busy marts of
trade. We expect to find God in the closet and
in the hour of meditation; but we shall find

18 The Still Small Voice

Him also in our work and as our feet hasten to
do His bidding. We have, however, no prom-
ise that the presence of God will be with us, if
we go or tarry at our own pleasure ; but wher-
ever we journey at His bidding and whenever
we abide at His command we shall find the
presence of the Lord with us. As if to make
the promise stronger it is stated in both the
negative and the positive form, "I am with
thee" — "I will not leave thee." This certainty
of God's abiding presence with His children
amid all vicissitudes and in every changing
scene, the Portuguese hymn expresses thus :
"I'll never, no never, no never forsake." Je-
sus said, "Lo, I am with you alway, even unto
the end of the age."

Second, The divine preservation.

"I will keep thee whithersoever thou goest."
God's providence accompanies His presence.
The two are inseparable. Through the long
weary years when Jacob toiled patiently for
Leah and Rachel; through all his misunder-
standing and disagreement with Laban; from
the threatened attack of Esau, — during all the
experiences of the twenty years or more that

Quiet Hour Talks 19

Jacob was absent from Canaan, God kept him
from all evil. He went away empty handed
and alone. He came back wealthy and with
a large family. God prospered him in basket
and in store and made him the patriarchal head
of the family of the covenant.

For those who are in His will the provi-
dence of God waits to do the same today.
But the divine keeping power cannot be claimed
by those who essay presumptuous deeds or at-
tempt hazardous undertakings. If Jesus had
thrown Himself from the pinnacle of the tem-
ple, He would have put Himself outside the
protection of the angels of Jehovah.

God's keeping power does not mean freedom
from trials and affliction. We shall be assailed
by temptation, saddened by sorrow and threat-
ened with disaster ; but our God is a "God of
deliverances." "Many are the afflictions of the
righteous but the Lord delivereth him out of
them all." Before the threatened shipwreck on
the Adriatic God promised Paul the life of ev-
ery one in the ship. How was the promise ful-
filled ? Some swam ashore and others reached
the land on spars and planks ; but — "and so it

20 The Still Small Voice

came to pass that they all escaped safe to the
land." Thus God will often keep us. We
may get bruised and battered by the way, but
we shall reach the goal, safe and sound by His
grace.

Third, The divine prediction.

God had spoken many things to Jacob. His
birth had been ushered in by prophecy. God
had predicted that he would be the chosen
seed. Through him the covenant blessings of
Abraham were to descend and bless all the na-
tions of the earth. Moreover, God met Jacob
at the threshold of his career ; and even in this
chapter we find recorded words of promise to
him. Prediction easily passes into commun-
ion. We can be sure that the presence that ac-
companied Jacob communed with Him by the
way, whispering to his heart many glorious
promises concerning the future. So the Lord
will not only be with us and keep us, but will
talk with us. To the believer who walks with
God precious messages of comfort and inspira-
tion are whispered by the Holy Spirit. The
gloom of the pilgrim's pathway is not only
lighted up by the Master's presence but its sol-

Quiet Hour Talks 21

itude is broken by the sweet and cheering ac-
cents of His voice. Oftentimes as we plod along
faithfully in the will of God He opens up our
future before us until it becomes radiant with
hope, fragrant in blessing, and fruitful in ser-
vice. As Jacob toiled for many weary years, an
obscure husbandman in a heathen land, his
heart must have been cheered by the vision of
the coming days. God may have let him see
his son the prime minister of Egypt; and he
must have caught a glimpse by faith of that
Coming One of whom his own life of discipline
and suffering was a type. So today God drops
into our hearts seeds of promise. To many a
humble workman at his bench and to many an
obscure maiden in the home He is giving a vi-
sion of the whitened harvest fields of the world,
and burning into their hearts the conviction
that He wants them there.

Fourth, The divine performance.

God's promise to Jacob was, "I will not leave
thee until I have done all that I have spoken
to thee of." God not only promises, He also
performs. How gloriously He fulfilled His
word to Jacob. He returned to Canaan in safe-

22 The Still Small Voice

tv ; he became the head of his father's house ;
he lived to see Joseph prime minister of Egypt ;
and in his closing days he predicted the com-
ing of Shiloh. His sun went down in peace.
So God will fulfil His promises to us. "Hath
He spoken and shall He not do it, or hath He
promised and shall He not make it good?" The
Lord honored the faith of Abraham by giving
him Isaac. Let us also believe that whatever
he has promised us He is able also to perform.
Beloved, if God has dropped seeds of promise
in your heart He is going to mature them. If
He has given you the vision He will make it
real. If temptations come they will only
strengthen His word. If tears of affliction fall
they will only water it. If God has taken hold
of you for any thing He is going to see you
through. Circumstances cannot change God's
plan for your life. Your own honest failures
cannot defeat it. Satan himself cannot frustrate
it. You will yet be able to say with Joshua,
"Not one good thing hath failed of all that
God hath spoken concerning me." In the hour
of trial, in the time of discouragement, when
disaster threatens and doubts assail, let this

Quiet Hour Talks 23

glorious promise cheer you, like a beacon fire
in the darkest night : "I will not leave thee
until I have done all that I have spoken to thee
of."

FRESHNESS, FRAGRANCE AND FRUIT-
FULNESS

"I will be as the dew unto Israel. The scent there-
of shall be as the wine of Lebanon. From Me is thy
fruit, found" (Hos. xiv. 5, 7, 8),

THE literary structure of the last chapter
of Hosea is remarkable. There are three
speakers, — the prophet, Jehovah and
Israel. In verses 1 and 2 the prophet addresses
Israel. In verses 3 to 7 Jehovah speaks to His
people. In verse 8 there is a dialogue between
Jehovah and Ephraim, representing Israel. In
the closing verse the prophet speaks, applying
the truths of the chapter to believers of all
ages.

The chapter is rich in Oriental symbolism
and abounds in tropical luxuriance. Amid all
the wealth of spiritual truth there are three
suggestive thoughts that have a practical bear-
ing upon our deeper life in the Holy Spirit. "I
will be as the dew unto Israel" — this speaks of
freshness. "The scent thereof shall be as the

Quiet Hour Talks 2

wine of Lebanon" — this speaks of fragrance.
"From Me is thy fruit found"— this speaks of
fruitfulness.

First, vSpiritual freshness.

The dew is a source of freshness. It is na-
ture's provision for renewing the face of the
earth. It falls at night ; and in the early morn-
ing the flowers of the meadow and the grass
of the field, which have been made dull and
dry by the dust and glare of the sun, are fresh
and moist. In the eastern lands where the
rainfall is slight and where there are prolonged
seasons of drought the dew has a value which
can scarcely be appreciated in western coun-
tries. There it is an absolute necessity. With-
out it the vegetation would die.

It is this great value of the dew which is so
often recognized in the Scriptures. It is used
as the symbol of spiritual refreshing. Just as
nature is bathed by the dew, so the Lord re-
news the strength of His people. In Psalm ex.
3 dew is employed to represent the fresh-
ness and strength of Christ : "Thou hast the
dew of thy youth." This renewing life He pos-
sesses not for Himself but for His people. In

26 The Still Small Voice

Titus iii. 5 the same thought of spiritual fresh-
ness is connected with the ministry of the Holy
Ghost — "the renewing of the Holy Ghost/' This
is the spiritual significance of the custom of
feet washing, which gave refreshment after
tramping through the dust and heat of the
day (John xiii. 10).

Many Christian workers do not recognize
the importance of the heavenly dew in their
lives. As a result they lack freshness and
vigor. Their teaching is Scriptural, their la-
bors are faithful and abundant; but somehow
their public utterances are lifeless. Often-
times their messages sound old and stale. The
secret of the trouble is to be found not in
their preaching nor in their service, but in
themselves. Their own hearts are half fam-
ished, yet they recognize it not. Their spirits
are drooping for lack of dew.

Beloved fellow worker, you recognize the
folly of a laboring man attempting to do his
day's work without eating. Do you not recog-
nize the folly of a servant of God attempting
to minister without eating of the heavenly man-
na ? Nor will it suffice for you to have spirit-

Quiet Hour Talks 27

ual nourishment occasionally. Every day you
must receive the renewing of the Holy Ghost.
Do not attempt to serve in any capacity without
it. Do not preach a sermon or lead a meet-
ing or write an article or conduct an in-
quirers' service or pray with the sick or af-
flicted, without having your hearts laden with
the dew of heaven. You know when you have
not the dew, and you know when you have it.
You know when your own spirit is exultant
with joy and when it droops in heaviness. You
know when your heart is rested and satisfied in
Christ and when it is restless and hungry. You
know when your whole being is pulsating with
the vigor and freshness of divine life and when
you feel jaded and worn.

Quietness and absorption bring the dew. At
night when leaf and blade are still, the vegeta-
ble pores are open to receive the refreshing
and invigorating bath. So spiritual dew comes
from lingering in the Master's presence. Get
in touch with God. Get quiet and still be-
fore Him. Haste will prevent your receiving
the dew. The dew collects only on a quiet and
cool surface. Wait before God until you feel

28 The Still Small Voice

saturated with His presence. Then go forth
to your next duty with the conscious freshness
and vigor of Christ.

Second, Spiritual fragrance.

Freshness produces fragrance in both the
natural and the spiritual world. Go into a
summer flower garden and you will find the
air laden with sweet perfumes. In the early
morning, when the dew is still on bud and blos-
som, the fragrance is sweetest. The dew brings
both freshness and fragrance. In our spiritual
life and in our Christian ministry fragrance is
as essential as freshness. Where the one is ab-
sent, there is a lack of the other. In eastern
lands garments are often perfumed, so that
the presence of the wearer may be fragrant.
The Song of Songs abounds in symbolical al-
lusions to the fragrance of the garments of
Christ. As the priests ministered in tabernacle
and temple the fragrance from the altar of in-
cense filled the Holy Place. So Paul tells us
that we are unto God a sweet savor of Christ.
Fragrance is very subtle, but its absence or
presence is easily detected. I always recognize
a letter from California before I open it or see

Quiet Hour Talks 29

the stamp because of the fragrance of the en-
velope. Perfume has power to awaken mem-
ory. A stray scent on a passing breeze has
called up scenes of earlier years.

Now, there is about a strong personality
something that corresponds to fragrance.
Sometimes it is called an atmosphere. There
is a subtle charm of personality about some
people which is felt when entering their pres-
ence. This is often caught and diffused by
those who associate with them. Christ pos-
sessed this fragrant personality in a preemi-
nent degree. The early disciples caught and
diffused this spiritual charm. Thus the officers
of the Sanhedrin took knowledge of John and
Peter that "they had been with Jesus and
learned of Him." Spiritual fragrance is sug-
gestive of Christ. If we live with the Master
and walk with Him, those who associate with
us will see something Christlike in our char-
acter and conduct. But the charm of a fra-
grant influence lies in the unconsciousness of
him who exerts it. It is not necessary for us
to know that our lives are fragrant. Indeed, to
know it is apt at once to destroy the charm.

30 The Still Small Voice

Moses "wist not that his face shone." But we
can be sure of possessing fragrance without
knowing it or thinking about it. The fra-
grance is not ours but Christ's. If we see to it
that we linger much in His presence, He Him-
self will manifest His own sweet and fragrant
life through us.

Third, Spiritual fruitfulness.

The dew that brings freshness and fragrance
also produces fruitfulness in nature and in
grace. The bright colors and sweet perfumes
of vegetation are only means to a higher end.
It is thus also in the spiritual world. Freshness
of spirit and fragrance of presence are not ends
in themselves ; they only contribute to the high-
er ministry of doing good.

In nature fruit is the full maturity of the
seed. It is the result of growth and develop-
ment. It springs spontaneously and inevitably
from its source. The dew may stand for all
that vegetation needs for its full fruition, for
light and warmth as well as for moisture and
nourishment. So spiritual dew may represent
all that the soul needs for its highest develop-
ment and largest ministry. Jehovah who gives

Quiet Hour Talks 31

the dew and produces the fragrance also caus-
es the fruitfulness. "From Me is thy fruit
found."

All Christian service is not fruit. Much of
it springs from ourselves. Christians are called
to service. A young convert is usually told that
he should begin at once to work for the Lord.
With an eager desire to do something for the
Master and under a compelling sense of duty
he begins to be active in Christian service.
While the motive is right the efforts are often
misdirected. How many there are who have
a "zeal not unto knowledge." Many people are
wearing themselves out working for the up-
building of their local churches who think that
they are thus doing effective service for Christ.
For example, Christian women will bake cakes
and make fancy articles for fairs and festivals
and Christian men will buy tickets to attend
them, with the thought that they are serving
Christ. This may be work, but it is not fruit.
It is wood, hay and stubble; and in the day
that reveals all things it will be burnt up by
fire.
Fruit is the result of union with Christ. It

32 The Still Small Voice

is the work of the Holy Spirit. It is service
given to us by the Lord. Many Christians make
the mistake of thinking that they always must
be doing a great deal for Christ. But it is not
the quantity, but the quality of our service that
counts. Ten things undertaken for Christ at
our own prompting will count for less than
one thing done in His name at His bidding.
Again, fruit is not only service ; it may be suf-
fering. In fact, fruit is anything which the life
of Christ within us produces. It includes graces
of character, as well as deeds of ministry. To
do nothing when Christ bids us be still is fruit
acceptable unto Him. "They also serve who
-only stand and wait."

WAITING FOR GOD

"Blessed are all they that wait for Him" (Isa.
xxx. 18).

WE hear a great deal about waiting on
God. There is, however, another side.
When we wait on God, He is waiting till
we are ready; when we wait for God, we are
waiting till He is ready. There are some peo-
ple who say and many more who believe that as
soon as we meet all the conditions, God will
answer our prayers. They say that God lives
in an eternal now; with Him there is no past
nor future ; and that if we could fulfil all that
He requires in the way of obedience to His will,
immediately our needs would be supplied, our
desires fulfilled, our prayers answered. There is
much truth in this belief; and yet it only ex-
presses one side of the truth. While God lives
in an eternal now, yet He works out His pur-
poses in time. There are crises in the plan of
redemption and in the transformation of human
lives, when God preeminently works. Thus,

34 The Still Small Voice

after our first parents sinned it was at least
four thousand years before Christ came to
die on the cross. The Lamb had been slain
from the foundations of the world in the pur-
pose of God; but there had to come a "fulness
of time" (Gal. iv. 4) before the work of re-
demption could be accomplished. Pentecost
occurred at a fixed time in the sovereign coun-
sel of God. Jesus ascended nearly two thou-
sand years ago, but the time of His return is
still delayed. But the second advent we believe
will be just on time according to the chronolo-
gy of heaven.

In the spiritual transformation of human
lives there is a sovereign element in God's deal-
ings. There is a time when He can work ; and
this time is often quite independent of our spir-
itual condition. Among others I want to men-
tion three reasons why God waits that He may
be gracious unto us.

First, The development of patience.

The Greek word rendered "patience" in the
Xew Testament literally means "to stay " or
"remain under." It often signifies endurance. In
a general way the word may be said to mean

Quiet Hour Talks 35

the ability to wait. Patience is just waiting; and
waiting often without knowing any reason for
the delay. We know that in the natural world
there is the law of growth and the process of
development. There is seed time and harvest.
One does not expect to gather fall apples in the
spring; nor to pluck June roses in December.
In the spiritual world there is also a law of
growth and a process of development. A peti-
tion presented before God is like a seed dropped
in the ground. Forces above and beyond our
control must work upon it, till the true fruition
of the answer is given. Oftentimes when the
desire of our heart is unfulfilled and our pray-
ers remain unanswered we are tempted to feel
that the reason must lie in our own hearts. Fre-
quently it does, but not always. Have you nev-
er been in a situation where it would be a re-
lief to you to find something wrong in your
life? The assurance of being right with God
that comes when waiting before Him, you are
almost tempted to distrust. You have practical-
ly decided that something must be wrong, else
the answer to your prayer would come; and
hence you feel bound to find something. Bu1

36 The Still Small Voice

every season of self-examination and agonizing
before God results in the quiet conviction that
you are simply to rest in the Lord and wait pa-
tiently for Him. What is the matter? Why,
beloved, God is simply teaching you patience,
for it is after ye have done the will of God
that ye are to receive the promise. God is
ripening and mellowing you. God wants you
to be "perfect," that is, mature. He wants you
to be "entire," that is, no part lacking. Just as
the October sun flavors the apple, so it is the
grace of patience that makes us a "savor of
life" unto others.

Second, The trial of faith.

Another reason why God frequently delays
the answer to our prayers is the trial of our
faith. The word "temptations" in James i. 2
does not mean enticements to evil, but rather
times of testing. Of the true meaning of the
word, God's command to Abraham to offer up
Isaac is an illustration. Satan tempts men ; but
God tests them. According to I. Peter i. 7 it
is not our faith but the testing of our faith that
is precious in God's sight. And let us remem-
ber that it is not our faith that God tests but the

Quiet Hour Talks 37

faith of Christ in us. The first thing the trial
of faith accomplishes is the breaking down of
what little faith we have of our own. Our
faith will not stand the strain. The test of faith
must continue till only Christ's faith in us
remains. I was told recently of the method out
West by which gold is purified. It is put into
a furnace. The fire waxes hotter and hotter,
and is allowed to continue till the sparks stop
flying, when the gold is purified. The flying
sparks are the dross which is being burnt up.
So God lets the testing fires of our faith wax
hotter and hotter and continue till the sparks
stop flying ; the sparks of impatience, murmur-
ings and questions of all kinds. It is encour-
aging to remember that the faith of Christ is a
tested and proved faith. In the wilderness He
met the enemy and conquered him. There is
no possibility, consequently, that the faith of
Christ in us will break down; God knows just
how far we can go and just how much we can
endure; and when He can see reflected in us
the image of His Son He will put out the fires
and we shall come forth as gold purified.
Third, The last reason I will mention for

38 The Still Small Voice

God's frequent delays in answering our prayers
is that through our waiting time He may get
glory by the blessing that comes to other
lives. In this connection it is true that no one
liveth unto himself. There is a vital unity
among the members of the body of Christ. It
is a principle upon which God works, that in
blessing one life many other lives are thereby
enriched. If received in the right spirit, the
waiting time before our blessing comes as well
as the full answer to our prayers may become
a fruitful source of help to others. Our pa-
tient endurance, our steadfast faith, our quiet
and hopeful confidence will inspire others to a
similar trust in God.

"For yet a little while and He that shall
come will come, and will not tarry" (Heb. x.

37).

"Though it tarry wait for it, because it will
surely come, it will not tarry" (Hab. ii. 3).

LIGHT FROM THE WORD

"Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light
unto my path" (Ps. cxix. 105).

NO truth is more clearly revealed in the
Scriptures than the truth of divine guid-
ance. That the Lord has promised to
guide His people not only in the crises of
life but in the details of each day, no one will
dispute. From the appearance of the pillar
of cloud and fire at the Red Sea to the vi-
sion of the Lamb of God leading His people by
the side of the river of life, the Bible abounds
in promises and illustrations of guidance. With-
out multiplying Scripture references, we may
adduce a few examples and passages that read-
ily come to the mind. Abraham "went out not
knowing whither he went;" but Jehovah led
him through all the years of his pilgrimage. He
made known unto Jacob His will that he should
go into Egypt to see Joseph. He guided the
children of Israel for forty years in that "great
and terrible wilderness.,, He led Elijah to the

40 The Still Small Voice

brook Cherith, where He fed him by ravens,
and then to Zarephath, where He sustained him
by a widow. Through David God has prom-
ised, "I will guide thee with My counsel and
afterwards receive thee to glory. I will guide
thee with Mine eye." Through Isaiah we
learn, "The meek will He guide in judgment,
the meek will He teach His ways." Jesus de-
clared, "My sheep hear My voice and they
follow Me." Paul wrote, "As many as are
led by the Spirit of God they are the sons of
God."

But while divine guidance is a precious truth
of revelation, no subject has been more abused.
It has led to the wildest errors in belief and the
grossest excesses in conduct. But truth is the
best antidote to error ; and the Scriptural expo-
sition of a doctrine is the best corrective of the
fanaticism or the immoral conduct to which its
abuse may have led. Consequently, just be-
cause divine guidance has been misunderstood
and misrepresented it needs to be set forth in
its true Scriptural light, safeguarded from
error and balanced by other doctrines of reve-
lation.

Quiet Hour Talks 41

The fact of divine guidance is one thing ; the
method is quite another. Hannah Whitall
Smith, in a tract on the subject, indicates
four methods of divine guidance, viz., the Word
of God, the Spirit of God, the providence
of God, and the sanctified judgment of
the believer. We wish to consider for
a little divine guidance through the Word
of God. It is not designed that this study shall
be exhaustive of the subject ; it is intended rath-
er to offer a few suggestions, correcting some
errors that are popularly held, and indicating
a few safe principles.

First, The wrong way to get light from the
Word.

There is a practice quite common among
Christians known as "cutting the Scriptures. "
This consists in opening the Bible at random,
allowing the eye to rest where it will on the
page, and then taking the verse or passage thus
discovered, as the mind of the Spirit, to be
disobeyed with the certainty of condemnation if
not of disaster. This is a pernicious habit, with-
out Scriptural warrant and productive of much
evil. It partakes of the character of the lot,

42 The Still Small Voice

having about it a large element of chance. It
is true that oftentimes in this way the eye lights
upon a verse that gives comfort or strength in
time of sorrow or weakness. It may indeed
happen that perchance the guidance needed
may thus be obtained. But such instances are
usually the result of accident; and the fact
that they sometimes occur is apt to lend en-
couragement to the practice.

However, the small amount of good that
may result from this habit is outweighed by
the large amount of evil that is sure to follow.
Many instances might be given of distressing,
if not disastrous results, that have come from
this practice. At the time of the civil war a
young man decided the question of his enlist-
ment in this way. He opened to the passage in
the ninety-first Psalm, "A thousand shall fall
at thy side and ten thousand at thy right hand ;
but it shall not come nigh thee." He told his
friends that he would go through the war un-
harmed. In this belief he enlisted. In the
battle of the Wilderness he fell dead, shot
through the heart. His family and friends
were perplexed and half inclined to question

Quiet Hour Talks 43

the goodness and grace of God. There
is a humorous illustration of the evil
consequences with which this practice of
cutting the Scriptures is fraught. A man
in great despondency of heart and mind
thus opened the Bible for light. The
first time he turned to the passage in
Esther where Haman was hanged on the
gallows that he had built for Mordecai.
Not satisfied with this Scriptural direction, he
again cut the Word. This time he opened to
the statement that Judas went out and hanged
himself. Still unwilling to obey the Scrip-
tures, he resorted a third time to this means for
light. This time he received the reassuring
message, "Go" thou and do likewise." Needless
to say, he refused to obey. In disappointment
and disgust he abandoned this method of seek-
ing light from the Scriptures.

This way of handling the Bible is undignified
and irreverent. It regards the Scriptures too
much as a fetish or a talisman. In ancient
Israel the will of the Lord may have been read
in the changing colors of the Urim and the
Thummim. But today God does not reveal His

44 The Still Small Voice

mind by using the Word in such a superstitious
manner. Cutting the Scriptures is of the es-
sence of bibliolatry.

Second, The right way to get light from the
Word.

The Bible is the revelation of God's will to
man. There are occasional hints in the Scrip-
tures of a hidden counsel or a secret will of
God; but with these inscrutable operations of
the divine mind we have nothing to do. "The
secret things belong unto God; but those that
are revealed belong unto us and unto our chil-
dren forever." The Bible has been likened to
many indispensable objects in life. It is a
chart, a compass, a guidebook to show us our
duty here on earth and to pilot us at last into
the haven of heaven.

It is only with the revelation of God's will
in the Scriptures that man has to do. Paul
enjoins us not to be unwise, but understanding
what the will of the Lord is. How, then, shall
we learn the mind of the Lord as revealed in
His Word ? Not by such a capricious and un-
certain method as has just been described. This
is handling the Word of God deceitfully. But

Quiet Hour Talks 45

the contents of Holy Scripture yield them-
selves to diligent and consistent study. This is
handling the Word of God aright. Some-
where within the covers of the sacred Book
God has revealed His will either by the enun-
ciation of general principles or by the enact-
ment of specific laws, concerning every mat-
ter of character and conduct. For example,
His will in regard to our belief, conversa-
tion, behaviour, dress, health, business, recrea-
tion, etc., is clearly revealed in the Bible. But
how shall we find our duty on a given sub-
ject? By searching the Scriptures reverently
and diligently with the best aid at our com-
mand. Christ said : "Search the Scriptures/'
In a spirit of submission and with a sincere
prayer for help, with the aid of concordance
and commentary, and above all with the help
of the Spirit, we must study the Word. Much
blessing will be received by him who merely
reads the Scriptures. But the riches of the
Word, like the hidden treasures of the earth,
are not found on the surface ; as the diver finds
the pearl at the bottom of the sea, and the
miner finds the diamond in the depths of the

46 The Still Small Voice

earth, so he who would find the deep things
of God must search for them in the heart of the
Word.

Fanaticism usually grows out of the over
emphasis of a truth. Thus the fanatical prac-
tice of cutting the Scriptures is the abuse of a
legitimate and very helpful method of seeking
light from them. After a sincere prayer for
light and in simple dependence upon the Holy
Spirit it is often profitable to open the Bible
at pleasure and from the point where the eye
rests to read on until the Spirit flashes some
text across the mind, accompanied by the con-
viction that it contains the desired light. Some-
times but few verses will be read in this way ;
at other times several chapters.

Another way in which the Spirit guides us
through the Word is by bringing to our re-
membrance in times of darkness or trial pass-
ages of Scripture that have been stored up in
the mind. Often in prayer or in meditation the
Spirit will thus take of the things of Christ
and show them unto us. He is our divine
Remembrancer who has promised to guide us
into all truth.

THE COMMITTED LIFE

"For I know whom I have believed, and am per-
suaded that he is able to keep that which I have
committed unto him against that day" (II. Tim. i.
12).

THIS verse speaks of a committal of our
lives to God, a committal that is at once
definite, complete, and final. For years
the writer was much perplexed about the sub-
ject of consecration. He knew Christians who
every time they prayed in public and in fact ev-
ery morning (according to their own state-
ments) reconsecrated their lives afresh to God.
He did this himself repeatedly, yet with the
conviction that one consecration, if intelligent-
ly made and involving the whole life, should
be sufficient. Providentially, a devotional
book fell into his hands; and in a chapter on
consecration he found the light he needed. The
author states the matter substantially as fol-
lows : Suppose I call on a friend and make
him a present of a book. He will, of course,
accept my gift with gratitude, and put the

48 The Still Small Voice

book on a shelf in his library. Some time,
later, while calling on my friend, I see the
book, perhaps lying on the table. Suppose
now I pick up the volume and say, "My friend,
I esteem you very highly, and would like to
give you this little book." Naturally, my
friend would be surprised at the repetition of
the presentation, but would probably thank me
again, and express his pleasure at receiving
the book. But now suppose that I called on
my friend six or a dozen times within a year,
and each time picked up the book and gave it
to him over again. Is it not likely that he
would begin to doubt whether I really meant
to give him the book ? And would he not per-
haps be justified in refusing to keep the book
under such circumstances? Then the author
shows that this is the way Christians treat the
Lord. They give themselves again and again
in consecration, until it would not be surpris-
ing if He should really question the sincerity
of an act so often repeated.

But some one will say, "Every day I know
more and have more to give to the Lord. Can
I not consecrate these new things ?" Yes ;

Quiet Hour Talks 49

but in giving the new things one is apt to give
over again the old things. After all there is a
better way; and our writer meets this very
point. She supposes the case of one person
giving another a plot of ground worth a cer-
tain amount. In the course of a few years the
value of the land is doubled and perhaps tre-
bled. She then asks the question whether the
increment of value does not belong to the own-
er without making necessary any new gift.
Of course, the question answers itself; and so
after one has consecrated himself to the Lord
the growth in grace and in knowledge which
the days and the years bring form a part of
the original consecration. New powers and
new possessions when recognized as such have
only to be counted as belonging to the Lord
along with the original gift of our lives. Oh,
beloved, cease this continual reconsecration of
yourselves to God, and by one definite and
complete transaction forever commit your-
selves to Him in such a way that it need never
be repeated.

This little verse tells of four steps leading to
this result. Let us notice them briefly and as

50 The Still Small Voice

we come to each step let us take it boldly and
thus find ourselves forever settled and estab-
lished in God.

First, Believing in God.

Paul says, "I know Him whom I have be-
lieved." Here you will notice that belief in
God comes before the knowledge of God. This
is the divine order ; faith first, then knowledge.
The particular form of believing which this
verse presents is that it is your privilege thus
once for all to consecrate yourself, and that
God will receive and own forever the gift that
you thus lay upon the altar. You must see this
as your Scriptural right. This is the first step.
And for the Scriptural right you need look
no further than this very verse. Paul made
such a disposition of his life ; and his example
as well as his teaching it is our duty as well as
our privilege to follow.

Second, Knowing God.

The knowledge of God comes after believing
in Him. Of course there is an intellectual con-
ception or knowledge about God which pre-
cedes any real belief in God ; but it is not of in-
tellectual knowledge that this verse speaks.

Quiet Hour Talks 51

When Paul says, "I know whom I have be-
lieved/' he means a personal, experimental, in-
tuitional knowledge of God as Saviour and
Friend. Such was the knowledge of God which
Abraham possessed when "he went out not
knowing whither he went/' He did not know
the way, but he did know God, and that was
enough. Some one in Luther's presence be-
gan to quote this verse thus : "I know in whom
I have believed." "No, no," cried the great re-
former, "the word 'in' is not there. I will not
allow even a preposition to come between my
soul and God. It says, 'I know whom I have
believed.' '; If you are going to trust your
property in the hands of a lawyer, you want to
know him well so as to be sure of his integrity
and honesty of character. If you are going to
trust your body to the care of a physician, you
want to know his sympathy and skill. So if
you are going to commit your life and eternal
interests to God forever, you want to know
Him in a deeply personal way.

Third, Committing yourself to God.

The third step is a definite transaction. The
word "commit" implies two parties, the syllable

52 The Still Small Voice

co or com meaning "with" or "together." In this
case the two parties are God and yourself. You
give Him something and He takes it. You lay
yourself and all your possessions and interests
upon the altar, and He accepts your sacrifice
and seals it forever. That is a committal, a
definite transaction between the Lord and your
own heart. Remember, too, that when a trans-
action involving two parties has taken place
neither party can withdraw without the con-
sent of the other. When one has definitely con-
secrated himself to the Lord, he really cannot
do it over again, unless the Lord either gives
back what has been consecrated to Him or
consents to a renewal of the consecration. Nei-
ther of these things will the Lord do, and
consequently this is what makes one consecra-
tion sufficient and eternal. On the one hand,
the Lord will surely not give back what we
have consecrated to Him, for He has promised
to keep that which we have committed unto
Him "against that day." On the other hand,
the Lord will not consent to a renewal of con-
secration because that would mean that the
first one was insufficient and unsatisfactory.

Quiet Hour Talks 53

There is only one way, therefore, that a re-
newal of consecration can be justified and that
is that one willfully takes himself out of the
hands of God. Of course, if a believer stretch-
es forth his hand and takes his gift from the
altar, it must be replaced before God will ac-
cept it. Such a case is possible but not proba-
ble; in fact, no believer who walks with God
is in any danger of thus deliberately removing
himself from His keeping power. Paul assures
us that nothing shall separate us from the love
of God which is in Christ Jesus. Moreover,
Jesus Himself said that no man is able to
pluck us out of His hand. And as if to make
stronger our assurance of the divine keeping
power He added, "My Father is greater than
I ; and no one can pluck you out of His hand."
But while consecration should be once for
all, its daily recognition will be a means of
grace. Instead of giving yourselves anew to
God every day, as you rise every morning say,

"Lord, I am Thine, entirely Thine,
Purchased and saved by blood divine.,,

If you like, look up into God's face and say a
dozen times a day, "I am my Beloved's and my

54 The Still Small Voice

Beloved is mine." God will meet your loving
trust and will sweetly respond, "I have called
thee by thy name, thou are Mine."

Fourth, Trust in God.

When you have thus definitely committed
yourself to God, you must follow up the trans-
action by the attitude and habit of trust. Amid
all changes of feeling or circumstances you
must believe that the Lord is true to His word
and keeps that which you have committed unto
Him. This was Paul's confidence for he said,
"I am persuaded that He is able to keep my de-
posit." "Deposit" is the literal rendering of
the phrase "that which I have committed." The
figure is perhaps that of a bank into which the
apostle had put his money. He had no fear
that the president would default or that the
cashier would run away with his money. When
he left his deposit in the bank of heaven it was
"against that day."

The story is told of a negro who at a camp
meeting tried to give himself to God. Every
night at the altar he consecrated himself, but
every night before he left the meeting the dev-
il would come to him and convince him that he

Quiet Hour Talks 55

did not feel any different and therefore he
wasn't consecrated. Again and again he was
beaten back by the adversary. Finally, one
evening he came to the meeting with an axe
and a big stake. After consecrating himself
he drove the stake in the ground just where he
had knelt. As he was leaving the building
the devil came to him as usual and tried to
make him believe it was all a farce. At once
he went back to the stake and pointing to it,
said, "Look here, Mr. Devil, do you see that
stake? Well, that's my witness that God has
forever accepted me." Immediately the devil
left him and he had no further doubts on the
subject.

Beloved, if you are tempted to doubt the
finality of your consecration, drive a stake
down somewhere and let it be your witness
before God and even the devil that you have
been sealed by the Holy Spirit forever.

THE VOICE OF THE LORD

"And the sheep hear His voice" (John x. 3).

WHEN a believer says, "The Lord spoke
to me," what does he mean? What is
the voice of the Lord like? To many
earnest Christians who believe in divine guid-
ance these questions are perplexing. The voice
of the Lord is not an audible sound to the out-
er ear. As such it may have come to Abraham,
Moses and Elijah; but in the present age the
Lord speaks to His children by the Holy Spir-
it. But His voice is no less real because inau-
dible to the physical ear. There is a spiritual
organism corresponding to our physical body
with analogous powers and functions. Thus
there is a spiritual eating and drinking of the
body and blood of Christ. In like manner,
there is a spiritual sense of hearing; and upon
this inner organ the holy accent of the voice of
the Lord falls. Perhaps it is not so much a
voice as a touch ; a strange sweet sense of the
contact of the Spirit of God with our spirit.

Quiet Hour Talks 57

Just as one can detect the presence of another
in the room when he does not see him, so the
believer whose inner spirit is sensitive and re-
sponsive knows the Master's voice when He
speaks.

But how is the believer to recognize the
voice of the Lord when he hears it? Some
years ago a gifted spiritual writer in treating
the subject of divine guidance stated that the
believer must distinguish between four voices,
viz., the voice of the Lord, the voice of the
enemy, the voice of his own evil heart and
the voice of the new man within him. This in-
troduces complexity into what is in reality a
much simpler subject. The distinction is too
fine always to decide between the voice of the
Lord and the voice of the new man within us
on the one hand, and the voice of the enemy
and the voice of our own evil heart on the oth-
er. For the Holy Spirit so unites Himself
with our new spirit that we can not always tell
whether a given thought or impulse comes
from Him or from our better natures. On the
other hand, it is difficult always to distinguish
between a suggestion that comes from the ene-

58 The Still Small Voice

my and one that is prompted by our own evil
hearts. Indeed, the devil so insinuates himself
into our own thoughts and feelings that what
comes from him seems usually to proceed
from our own hearts. He always likes to get at
us through ourselves; and if he can project an
impure thought into our minds or inject an un-
holy desire into our hearts and then can suc-
ceed in making us believe that we ourselves
are very wicked else we would not have such
wicked thoughts and desires, he has simply
practiced upon us one of his devices of which
we should not be ignorant. For this reason
it is better to drop yourself out of the count.
Identify all the good that seems to come from
yourself with the Holy Spirit ; and identify all
the evil that seems to come from yourself with
the enemy. This will remove many difficulties
and greatly simplify the matter. Then learn to
distinguish between the voice of the Lord and
the voice of the enemy.

How then can we tell the voice of the Lord
from the voice of the enemy ? In a word, the
difference between the two has to be learned.
It is a divine art to distinguish between them.

Quiet Hour Talks 59

Just as the ear of the musician has to be trained
to distinguish between musical notes, so the
ear of the believer has to be exercised to discern
the voice of the Lord. It is said that an or-
chestral leader not only can instantly detect a
discord but can also recognize the instrument
that makes it. So the disciplined and chas-
tened ear of the believer soon learns to de-
tect the voice of strangers. But there are
no fixed rules by which the child of God can
invariably decide this matter. One has to learn
by mistakes. An Irishman who professed to
know all the shoals and sunken rocks in
a dangerous channel was hired as a pilot. All
went along pretty well for a short time when
suddenly the boat roughly bumped against a
sunken rock. The captain said, "Mike, I
thought you knew all the rocks and shoals in
this channel." "Shure, and I do," said the pilot,
"and that's one of them." So like the Irish pi-
lot we learn of the existence of many sunken
rocks in our path by striking them. The writer
has run against a few snags and would mark
them with red lights for the guidance of oth-
ers.

60 The Still Small Voice

In the first place, the voice of the enemy is
exciting and produces a spirit of restlessness
and rush. On the other hand, the voice of the
Lord is quieting and produces ra spirit of rest
and peace. This is a good test to distinguish
between God's voice and Satan's voice. When
the devil speaks he sets you in a big whirl.
When the Lord speaks He produces tranquility
of heart and mind. Even when the Lord's
voice is corrective, it does not disturb the calm
serenity of your communion. At the same time
that the Lord tells you of your fault, He showrs
you the blood that will wash it away. When
He whispers that you have grieved Him He
accompanies the message by a sweet sense of
His tenderness and love. To be chastened by
the Lord is in itself a blessing. The accents of
the Lord's voice, like those of a mother, are
soothing and comforting. On the other hand,
the devil fills you with condemnation without
revealing the blood of cleansing. He tries to
make you see the dark picture of your evil
heart, but gives you no bright vision of Jesus.
The devil stirs you up as a stick does a mud
puddle. He harasses your mind and discour-

Quiet Hour Talks 61

ages your heart. He fills you with distraction
and desperation until you hardly know what
to do. When you feel this way it is the devil
talking to you. There is no doubt about it. On
such occasions you need not hesitate for a mo-
ment. Turn a deaf ear to the harsh and ex-
asperating tones of the cruel taskmaster, and
listen to the soft and soothing accents of your
beloved Lord.

In the second place, the enemy always wants
you to be in a great hurry in deciding a matter,
and tries to condemn you for any delay. On
the other hand, the Lord always gives you time
to think it over and then come to a decision.
In the question of guidance the voice of the
Lord leads, while the voice of the enemy
drives; the enemy pushes while the Lord gen-
tly impels us. "He led them on safely so that
they feared not." To some extent quickness or
slowness of decision may be a matter of tem-
perament; but as a general thing the enemy
will try to make you act upon impulses rather
than upon settled principles. He will try to
make you rush right off and do a thing before
you know which is the right course to pursue ;

62 The Still Small Voice

whereas the Lord will always give you plenty
of time to know His will. Take a year rather
than act prematurely. A man once called at
the home of George Mueller and declared that
he must see him at once about a matter af-
fecting wide interests in the cause of Christ.
Mr. Mueller was engaged at the time and sent
word that he would see the man on the follow-
ing day. But the stranger protested that he
could not wait, that thousands of dollars
might be lost before the morrow. In reply Mr.
Mueller said that if the matter could not wait
twenty-four hours he had better not touch it
at all. If the matter was of God it would
keep that long. The next day at the appointed
time the man returned and declared that the
whole thing was a snare of the enemy. He
was very grateful to Mr. Mueller for, his wise
counsel.

Remember, beloved, that there is no condem-
nation where there is no light. As long as you
can honestly say that you are not sure of the
Lord's mind in a matter, it is better to defer
any action. Remember Josh Billings' advice,
"When you don't know what to do, don't do

Quiet Hour Talks 63

it." But be careful not to wait after you know
the right path. Condemnation begins the mo-
ment there is sufficient light to act. Hesitation
after one knows God's will is disobedience.

In his earlier experiments with wireless teleg-
raphy Marconi discovered that a message in-
tended for a certain point might be intercepted
and thus reach a wrong destination. He
found that there was nothing to prevent several
receivers at different points from taking a mes-
sage from a given transmitter. In times of
war this would lead to embarrassment, as an
enemy might receive private dispatches and
thus get possession of state secrets. To over-
come this difficulty Marconi tuned to each oth-
er a transmitter and a receiver. In this way
no other receiver could take a given message.
This invention can be easily understood by a
simple experiment. If one stands near a piano
and strikes a note with his voice, he will hear
a sympathetic response from a certain string in
the instrument. If the pitch of the voice be al-
tered a different note will be heard. No other
string will respond except the one in tune with
the voice. So, beloved, if vou would learn the

64 The Still Small Voice

secret of the Lord's voice get in tune with it.
Get so adjusted to Him that your heart will
not respond to anything that comes from the
evil one. If we do hear the voice of the enemy
it will produce a jar and a discord that will
serve as a warning to us. Stephen Merritt
says that when the devil tries to imitate the
Lord's voice there is always a cackle about it
which the discerning believer can detect. The
tuning will not all come at once; it will take
time. The Lord may have to thumb and
screw our lives as a musician does a stringed
instrument. When He first speaks, we may not
recognize His voice ; but if we patiently listen
with a spirit ready instantly to obey He will
teach us the accent of His voice and thus we
shall learn to "walk by the Spirit."

NEWNESS OF LIFE

"Know ye not that so many of us as were bap-
tized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death?
Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into
death : that like as Christ was raised up from the
dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also
should walk in newness of life" (Rom. vi. 3, 4).

THE sixth, seventh and eighth chapters of
Romans constitute a distinct section in
the unfolding of the argument of the
epistle, and may be described as an exposition
of the new life in Christ. The thought of the
apostle in the opening verses of the sixth chap-
ter is — our freedom from the dominion of sin
through our judicial union with Christ in His
death and resurrection. In the purpose of
God we died and rose again with Christ.
Through the ordinance of Christian baptism,
and by the exercise, on our part, of a lively
faith in the operation of God (Col. ii. 12) our
oneness with Christ in His death and resurrec-
tion is made real. The glorious result in actual
experience is a moral state, in which it is the

66 The Still Small Voice

purpose of God that "we should walk in new-
ness of life."

In the New Testament there are two Greek
adjectives translated "new" : one is neos, ex-
pressing what is new in time, i. e., recent or
young; the other is kainos, expressing what is
new in substance and quality, i. e., the noun de-
scribed by its adjective is itself new. The word
"newness" in the phrase "newness of life" is a
noun formed from the latter adjective, and ex-
presses "a new condition of moral life." The
only other occurrence of this word in the New
Testament is in chapter vii. 6 of this epistle,
where the meaning is the same, viz., "the new
state of life in which the Holy Spirit places us."
The meaning of both the Greek adjectives,
however, seems to be conveyed by this noun,
i. e., newness in substance and in form.

It is within the power of language not only
to express thought, but also to present pictures
to the mind. One word will often suggest a
whole scene. Around many words, such as
"mother," "home," "fatherland," precious mem-
ories and tender associations cluster. The phrase
"newness of life" is of this character. Like the

Quiet Hour Talks 67

fragrance of the empty rose- jar, like a balmy
breath of spring in midwinter, like a stray
gleam of sunshine on a cloudy day, this ex-
pression, "newness of life," suggests all the
characteristics and blessed privileges of the
life "hid with Christ in God." Let us notice
some of them :

First, The source of the life is itself new.

It is Christ (Col. iii. 4). We are accounted
by God as dead to our old life, and as alive to
Christ forevermore. This is the new attitude
which we are commanded to take by simple
faith (Rom. vi. 11). As we steadfastly reckon
this to be true, God makes it real in us. We are
inseparably united to Christ as the new source
of our life (Eph. v. 30).

Second, The life itself is new.

It is eternal life. Eternal life is not prima-
rily a matter of duration, but of quality. It is a
new kind of life (John xvii. 3). At regener-
ation we are introduced into a new world. We
are said to be new creatures in Christ Jesus
(II. Cor. v. 17). The Bible becomes a new
book. The world itself seems changed. "Old

68 The Still Small Voice

things are passed away : behold, all things are
become new."

Third, Newness of life is fresh and unworn.

It is life for the day. Like physical life, the
new life in Christ, though continuous, must
be sustained by nourishment. Christ is not
only the Source of our life, but we must feed
upon Him by faith in our hearts, moment by
moment (John vi. 53-57). He is the very at-
mosphere which we breathe (Acts xvii. 28).

Fourth, Newness of life is spontaneous and
overflowing.

It is springing life (John iv. 14). The
Psalmist sang, "All my springs are in Thee"
(Ps. lxxxvii. 7). God wants us to have the
springing life of childhood and the enthusiasm
of youth. He promises that our "youth shall
be renewed" (Hebrew, "restored"), "like the ea-
gle's" (Isaiah xl. 31). Of Christ it was writ-
ten, "Thou hast the dew of Thy youth" (Ps.
ex. 3). If we have Christ, we shall have a
young heart, ready for service or sacrifice at
His bidding.

Fifth, Newness of life is fruitful.

Quiet Hour Talks 69

It not only displays itself in happy feelings,
but expends its energy in work for Christ. It
is preeminently a life of service (John xv. 16).
Our fulness of blessing is for others and can-
not be restrained. Often in reaching the needs
of others it will cut new channels for itself.

Sixth, Newness of life is completeness of
life. We are complete in Him (Col. ii. 10).
Consciousness witnesses to the oneness of our
personal life. We cannot tell where the spirit
ends, and the soul begins, or where the soul
ends and the body begins. We cannot partly
die with Christ, and partly remain alive to sin.
As a person, a tripartite unity (I. Thess. v. 23),
we yield ourselves as dead and alive unto God
in Christ Jesus. Thus Christ lives out His own
life in us. We are partakers of His Spirit (I.
Cor. vi. '17). He shares His mind with us (I.
Cor. ii. 16). He unites our bodies to His res-
urrection body and quickens them by the Holy
Spirit (Eph. v. 30; Rom. viii. 11).

Seventh, Newness of life is a life of glory.

The apostle tells us that "Christ was raised
up from the dead by the glory of the Father,"
and that likewise we are to "walk in newness

70 The Still Small Voice

of life." In other words we are to walk in new-
ness of life "by the glory of the Father." The
motive power of the new life is not our will or
anything we can do, but "the glory of the Fa-
ther." God Himself who raises us from the
dead in Christ, enables us evermore to walk
"in newness of life." The life of glory is resur-
rection life of which even here we may have the
earnest in the "life hid with Christ in God."

THE VISION OF THE UNSEEN

"For he endured, as seing Him who is invisible"
(Heb. xi. 27).

THERE is a secret that explains every life.
Whenever a prominent man dies his ca-
reer is always written up. An effort is
made to find out the secret of his successful
life. It seems to be taken for granted that a
person does not achieve distinction by acci-
dent. In Hebrews xi. we have recorded the
secret of the lives of many of the Old Testa-
ment saints. Abel was justified by faith in the
coming Redeemer. Enoch walked with God in
holiness of character and life. In the midst of
a "crooked and perverse generation," Noah
lived a life of separation from evil and devo-
tion unto God. The secret of Abraham's
life was his obedience to God. Thus we
might point out the key to the lives of Isaac,
Jacob, Joseph and many others. In the text
the apostle gives us the secret of Moses' life.
We read, "He endured as seeing Him who is

72 The Still Small Voice

invisible." Moses had a vision of the unseen.
Some time, perhaps at the burning bush or on
Mount Sinai, Moses got a glimpse of the invis-
ible world. More than this, he saw God, and
the vision transformed his life and enabled him
to endure the trials and disappointments of
Egypt and the wilderness. ,

First, The existence of the unseen.

Life is a mystery. This world of sense is
surrounded by another which cannot be seen,
but which is real. Every thoughtful person
realizes that "the things which are seen are
temporal, but the things which are not seen are
eternal" (II. Cor. iv. 18). Many things which
we prize most cannot be known fully by the
physical senses. Confidence, truth, faith, love
and other vital and essential facts, are spirit-
ual in their nature and expression. This un-
seen yet real world seems to be shut out from
us by a thin veil. Sometimes we can almost
penetrate it and we feel like brushing aside the
film that obstructs our gaze.

Second, The vision of the unseen.

In all ages men have tried to penetrate this
unseen world. In olden times wise men at-

Quiet Hour Talks 73

tempted to unlock the secrets of the future by
means of alchemy, magic and other crude de-
vices. Today spiritualism, theosophy, hypno-
tism and other occult systems are futile efforts
to unravel the mysteries of life. The advance-
ments of science in invention and discovery are
the only trustworthy knowledge we have of the
secrets of life.

The unseen world cannot be fully known by
investigation. Much, however, may be learned
by experiment. But only the fringes of the
invisible can be grasped by the reason of
man. Revelation is the only method by which
the finite can come to the knowledge of the in-
finite. In all ages God has at times drawn the
curtain aside and given His people a view of
the unseen and future world. More than this,
He has revealed Himself unto His servants.
No life can be strong and fruitful without this
vision of God.

It was because Abel got a view of Calvary
that he presented his lamb and was justified
by faith. Enoch was the first witness to
Christ's second coming (Jude 14). It was his
vision of the millennial glory of Christ that

74 The Still Small Voice

enabled him to walk with God three hundred
years. Thus it might be shown that every per-
son whose name is recorded in this chapter had
a vision of God, and it was this fact that made
their lives strong and fruitful.

There are certain conditions which must be
met if we would have a vision of the unseen.
One of these is spiritual sight. For physical
vision sight is as necessary as light. If there is
no eye to receive the light objects cannot be
seen. So there must be spiritual sight before
we can see the invisible. Sin has blinded our
eyes and darkened our hearts (II. Cor. iv. 4).
The Holy Spirit will give us sight as well as
light. Thus Paul prayed for the Ephesians
that they might receive the spirit of wisdom
and revelation in the knowledge of God, the
eyes of their understanding be opened (i. 17,
18). We next receive this organ of spiritual
vision. We must have this inner sense of touch
which responds to the spiritual world around
us.

Again, waiting upon God is necessary in or-
der to see Him. The time element in vision
is essential. We all remember the old process

Quiet Hour Talks 75

of photography when we often had to sit before
the camera a half a minute in order to have a
picture taken. Modern photography is instan-
taneous in its working. But there is no new
process in spiritual photography. Our hearts
are like a sensitive plate and in order to have
God revealed there we must sit at His feet a
long time. The troubled surface of a lake will
not reflect an object. Our lives must be quiet
and restful if we would see God.

Third, The influence of the unseen.

There is power in the sight of some things
to affect one's life. Persons have gone insane
from witnessing murder. Violent people have
become gentle from seeing a person engaged in
prayer. A quiet sunset will bring peace to a
troubled heart. Thus the vision of God always
transforms human life. Jacob saw God at
Jabbok's ford and became Israel. The vision
of God transformed Gideon from a coward into
a valiant soldier. The vision of Christ changed
Thomas from a doubting follower into a loyal,
devout disciple. But men have had visions of
God since Bible times. William Carey saw
God and left his shoemaker's bench and went

76 The^Still Small^Voice

to India. William Cassidy got a vision of God
and went to China. He died before he reached
there, but he became our first missionary to the
Celestial Empire. Hundreds of noble conse-
crated young people at our Missionary Insti-
tute have received a vision of God and today
are in the uttermost parts of the earth, working
for the evangelization of the heathen and the
speedy coming of our Lord.

We all need a vision of God. Two things
especially it will give us :

i. The true perspective in life.

We all recognize the value of perspective in
art. Without it a picture would have no back-
ground or foreground. A life without per-
spective is muddled and indistinct. It lacks ex-
pression and impression. The vision of God
focuses our lives. All the lines of a Christian
life should converge on the second coming of
Christ. To this glorious event everything
should contribute. So many people live aimless
lives. They are drifting. They have no ob-
ject in life save the enjoyment of the present
moment. Seeing God will give an aim to our
lives.

Quiet Hour Talks 77

2. The highest inspiration in life.

Nothing inspires the heart like a vision of
God. It freshens one's life and gives one en-
thusiasm in service. There is danger lest our
spiritual life may become dull and monotonous.
Physical energy soon becomes exhausted. A
sense of duty alone will not make service for
Christ a joy. But a vision of God by the eye
of faith will make our Christian life energetic,
enthusiastic and fruitful. An ancient scientist
said that he would move the world with his lev-
er if he could find a place for his fulcrum. So
we will move the world for Christ if we can
find strength and enthusiasm for our task.
The vision of God will furnish the inspiration
we need.

PROMISE AND PERFORMANCE

"He spake and it was done ; He commanded and it
stood fast" (Ps. xxxiii. 9).

I

N human affairs promise and performance
are so often disassociated that it is high
praise to say of a man that "his word is as
good as his bond." But even where perfect
veracity exists unforeseen circumstances may
prevent one from carrying out his word. With
God, however, promise and performance are
inseparable. What the Lord says, that He will
do. "Hath God spoken and shall He not do it ;
hath He promised and shall He not make it
good?" "Heaven and earth shall pass away,
but My word shall not pass away."

But with God, not only are promise and ful-
filment inseparable, the two are one. Promise
is performance. Not only is God's word sure ;
it is in itself achievement. "He spake and it
was done; He commanded and it stood fast."
The speaking was the doing; the thing stood
fast in the command.

Quiet Hour Talks 79

This was true in creation. The immediate
reference of this verse is to the work of God in
creation. The divine record is, "God said, Let
there be light * * * * and there was light." The
utterance of the word of command brought
light into existence. In Hebrews we are told
that the world was made by the word of God.
This may indeed refer to Christ, for the spok-
en word is the symbol of the Incarnate Word.

Again, this is true in redemption. One of
Christ's last words on the cross was, "It is fin-
ished." This refers to the completeness of His
work of redemption. To the finished work
wrought by our Saviour nothing has since been
added, nor could anything be added. "By the
one offering He forever perfected them that
are sanctified." Of course, we must distin-
guish between the eternal purpose of God and
the outworking of that purpose in time. Strict-
ly speaking, it is only with respect to the eternal
purpose of God that we can predicate complete-
ness. As yet the outworking of the divine
plan is incomplete.

Furthermore, this is true in Christian expe-
rience. In the believer's growth in grace and in

80 The Still Small Voice

the knowledge of Jesus Christ this inseparable-
ness between the divine promise and the divine
performance is manifest. In every promise of
God there is a latent performance. It only re-
mains for faith to claim its present fulfilment.
In a sense faith may be said to be the power
that converts promise into performance.

There is a beautiful illustration of this prin-
ciple in the seventeenth chapter of Genesis.
The incident may be called the tenses of faith.
The interview between Jehovah and Abram is
graphic and vivid; and when rightly under-
stood possesses thrilling power. In verse two
Jehovah declares that He will make His cove-
nant with Abraham. It is a definite promise
and in the future tense. The patriarch believed
the Lord and fell on his face in adoration and
gratitude. With reference to the present inci-
dent this was Abram's first step of faith. But
in verse four the Lord declares, "My cove-
nant is with thee." This was moving out of
the future tense into the present. However, as
the patriarch knew7 the Lord, there is no doubt
that he met Him in the present and believed the
divine word. This was Abram's second step

Quiet Hour Talks 81

of faith. But there was a third step. In the
following verse Jehovah declares, "A father of
many nations have I made thee." This time the
Lord moved out of the present tense into the
past tense. Promise had become performance.
The thing spoken was done; and now it only
remained for Abram to put his seal to the
transaction. But the patriarch did not falter.
With firm tread he took the third and last step
of faith. He received the new name of Abra-
ham as the seal that what God had promised
He was able also to perform. Every time he
used the name Abraham it was his confession
that so far as he was concerned God's promise
was as good as fulfilled.

We are told that we are the children of faith-
ful Abraham, if we walk in his footsteps. This
is one of the steps of faith that Abraham took.
Beloved, God is trying to get us to stand where
Abraham stood. True faith always takes its
stand in the past tense — that God has already
done the thing He has promised.

This is the only way we got our salvation.
We came before God as sinners, and believed
His word that we were saved by the death of

82 The Still Small Voice

Christ on the cross. By faith we simply took
the reconciliation with God that was already
ours. As we believed without waiting for feel-
ing, the guilt of sin was removed and a sense
of peace came into our souls.

Again, this is the only way the afflicted one
ceive the Holy Spirit. He must believe that
Christ died to deliver him not only from the
guilt but also from the power of sin. He must
not only see his inheritance but claim it by
faith. As he thus takes his stand in the past
tense and believes that God has bestowed upon
him the gift of the Holy Spirit, it will all be
made real in his experience.

Again this is the only way the afflicted one
can get his healing. At first perhaps he be-
lieves that the Lord will heal him. But this is
only the future tense of faith. It usually re-
sults in the postponement of the blessing if
not in failure to receive it. Next, he may ven-
ture to believe that the Lord undertakes his
case. This is the present tense of faith. It
indicates progress, but does not insure victory.
The sufferer must take one more step. He
must move from the present tense into the past

Quiet Hour Talks 83

tense of faith. He must boldly claim that the
work is done. He must say without waiting
for signs of improvement, "I am every whit
whole in the finished work of Christ." As he
steadfastly maintains this aggressive attitude,
God will make faith reckonings blessed reali-
ties.

Beloved, the past tense of faith is the only
place of rest and victory. The future tense
amounts only to hope. Faith is simply saying
"Amen" to what God says. If the Lord has
spoken anything to you, remember that it is
done. You may not see it yet, but it is done
just the same. For example, if the Lord has
told you that He wants you in China, begin to
count yourself there now. Live in China in
your love, in your interests, and in your pray-
ers. Look at everything that happens from
the China side. Try to see everything as you
will see it when you are really there. This will
cheer you in the waiting time. It will save you
from discouragement. It will enable you to
discount your trials and temptations. It will
bring joy where there is sorrow, strength where
there is weakness, rest where there is con-

84 The Still Small Voice

flict, and victory where there might otherwise
be defeat.

Over against every promise that the Lord
enables you to claim write in golden letters,
"He spake and it was done; He commanded
and it stood fast."

THE BREAD OF EARTH AND THE
BREAD OF HEAVEN

"And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hun-
ger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest
not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might
make thee know that man doth not live by bread
only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the
mouth of the Lord doth man live" (Deut. viii. 3).

TO every careful reader of the story of Exo-
dus the question will naturally occur,
When the land of Canaan lay so near
Egypt by caravan route, why did the Lord lead
His people so many years in the trackless
wastes of the desert? In part the answer is, that
by going through the land of the Philistines the
souls of the people would have been discour-
aged by war (Ex. xiii. 17). Again, thirty-
eight of the forty years' wanderings are ex-
plained by the fact that the Lord kept Israel in
the wilderness until the generation that failed
to enter the Promised Land at His command
had perished. But there was a deeper reason
for the long sojourn of the chosen people in

86 The Still Small Voice

the desert. At the time of the Exodus the Is-
raelites formed little more than an unorganized
horde. Generations of bondage had dulled
their minds and made them indifferent to spir-
itual things. They were the chosen people, but
did not have much knowledge of the Lord God
of their fathers. Thev had inherited the cov-
enant promises, but did not fully understand
and appreciate them. The people lacked moral
discipline. They needed spiritual instruction.
They were not fit to inherit the Promised Land.
Now, the wilderness life was intended to give
them the necessary preparation. It was a
school of moral discipline and of religious ex-
perience. Here they were taught to know God
and trained to trust Him. In the words of the
text, the Lord "humbled them and suffered
them to hunger and fed them with manna
which they knew not neither did their fathers
know; that He might make them know that
man doth not live by bread alone, but by every
word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the
Lord doth man live."

The wilderness life of Israel is in many ways
typical of our earthly pilgrimage. The lessons

Quiet Hour Talks 87

the Lord taught the Israelites then, He is try-
ing to teach His people now. The spiritual
significance of the pillar of cloud and fire, the
wells of Elim, the manna, the smitten rock and
other wilderness experiences of Israel is to
teach us to turn away from natural resources
and find in God the true Source of our life for
spirit, soul and body. All these things hap-
pened unto them for ensamples, and they are
written for our admonition upon whom the
ends of the world are come (I. Cor. x. n).

In His conflict with the devil in the wilder-
ness Jesus appropriated the words of the text
to Himself (Matt. iv. 4; Luke iv. 4). The les-
son they teach was not for the Israelites alone
but for believers in all ages.

Perhaps a paraphrase of the text will bring
out its meaning into clearer light : The Lord
does not want us to live wholly on the natural
plane, nor wholly on the supernatural plane; but
He wants us to live on a plane where the natur-
al and supernatural are alike recognized and
harmoniously blended.

We have two divine illustrations of this rec-
ognition and blending of natural and super-

88 The Still Small Voice

natural elements, viz., the character of the Bi-
ble and the person of Christ.

In many respects the Bible rests on the nat-
ural plane. It is an intensely human Book. It
is the work of about forty different writers,
and was composed during a period of about fif-
teen hundred years. It contains history, poet-
ry, prophecy, doctrine and truth in many other
forms. The characters it describes are human
and their utterances and actions are defective
and often sinful. The heart is painted true to
life with all its lights and shadows. In all the
range of literature no work more intensely hu-
man can be found. But the Bible is a super-
natural Book. It is the Word of God, divine,
inspired, infallible. Its different writers were
animated by the Holy Spirit. One plan, one de-
sign marks the Scriptures, so that the different
parts though composed in various countries and
under widely differing conditions fit together
to form one symmetrical and harmonious vol-
ume. Antitype succeeds type, and history ful-
fils prophecy. There is progression without
variance of teaching, and variety without con-
flict. The remarkable fact is that the natural

Quiet Hour Talks 89

and supernatural elements of Scripture blend
imperceptibly together. There is no evidence
of mechanical manipulation; there is no dis-
coverable line of cleavage. The two do not
stand side by side, but interpenetrate and
coalesce. The human letters of the Book spell
out the divine words of life. Any attempt to
separate the two destroys both.

The other divine illustration is the person of
Christ. In Him as in the Scriptures the natur-
al and the supernatural, the human and the
divine, are united. He who was Jesus of Naz-
areth was also the Son of God. Jesus was in-
tensely human. Evidence of this was His birth
of a virgin, His experiences of hunger, thirst
and weariness, and His death on the cross.
But Jesus was divine. Evidence of this was
His own witness and His Father's testimony,
the miracles He wrought, and the sins He for-
gave, and the worship He received from His
followers. The two natures in Christ were in-
separable, imperceptibly united in one person-
ality. In every thought, word and deed of our
Lord these two natures were present, not act-

90 The Still Small Voice

ing independently of each other, but united in
personal oneness.

These illustrations will help us to understand
the true plane of Christian living, — the plane
that does not ignore the bread of earth, yet
recognizes the necessity of feeding upon the
bread of heaven. It is true that the Bible is in-
spired and Christ is divine, and that for this
reason they are unique and stand in a class by
themselves, not to be compared with human ex-
periences or things of this earth. And yet in
the normal Christian life there should be a
recognition and a blending of both the natural
and the supernatural not unlike that found in
the personality of Christ. In becoming a child
of God the believer does not cease to be a son
of Adam. At the same time that he is indwelt
by the Holy Spirit he is dependent upon earth-
ly resources. In entering upon the sphere of
the Church and its heavenly relations he does
not withdraw himself from the world with its
business obligations. His citizenship is indeed
in heaven, but with earth he still has a rela-
tionship ; his obligations to God do not release
him from his duties to man. Jesus recognized

Quiet Hour Talks 91

these two relationships when He said : "Render
unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and
unto God the things that are God's." But in
the life of the believer these two distinct ele-
ments do not exist side by side but blend togeth-
er. Christianity is not like a suit of clothes
which one can wear on Sunday and discard oth-
er days. He who is a man of God on the Lord's
day can not become a man of the world the rest
of the week. In a word the Spirit of Christ
transforms the character and transfigures the
life. Every relationship and every duty is per-
meated by the new leaven of the Gospel.

But now having glanced at the true nature
of Christian life as a whole, let us take one or
two phases of the believer's experience in
which the words of the text will find practical
application.

First, Divine guidance.

In the matter of divine guidance there are
people who are seeking to live by the bread
of earth alone. By their lives they practically
deny the truth of guidance by supernatural
means. Of course, in a general way they be-
lieve that the Scriptures throw light on the

92 The Still Small Voice

path of life. But they maintain that the Lord
has given us minds for the purpose of self-di-
rection. They argue that He would not have
endowed us with wisdom and judgment if He
had not intended us to use them as occasion re-
quires. They rely upon their prudence and com-
mon sense. They hold that the Lord does not
speak personally to His people now ; and con-
sequently, all talk about the voice of the Lord
and supernatural revelations of the Spirit they
regard as fanaticism.

But there is another class of persons who
are trying to live entirely upon the bread of
heaven. They ignore the wisdom and judg-
ment God has given them. They make light
of prudence and caution. They do not seem
even to exercise common sense. They believe
in being guided in everything by spiritual vi-
sions and supernatural revelations. They
want a special communication before they will
do anything.

Now both these positions are extreme. There
is truth in both views which should be recog-
nized. The Lord surely wants us to use the
wisdom, judgment and common sense which

Quiet Hour Talks 93

He has given us. But He wants us also to be-
lieve that He Himself will guide us by His
Spirit. And yet we should not trust our own
minds in a purely natural way. We should
take the mind of Christ so that His wisdom will
be ours. One may be so filled with the Spirit
that his thoughts, desires and actions will be
under divine control. Thus it will not always
be possible to distinguish between the dictates
of our own judgment and the promptings of
the Holy Spirit within us. Probably in most
of the ordinary affairs of life the Lord thus
guides us by the unconscious control of our
mental operations. Yet in important matters
He will let us hear His voice. In critical sea-
sons of darkness and perplexity He will grant
us the inner vision. It is unwholesome to live
in an atmosphere where one is constantly look-
ing for supernatural indications of God's will
in his personal life. If we are always look-
ing for visions we may indeed see them; but
they may not come from God. If we are al-
ways listening for voices we may indeed hear
them ; but they may not come from the Lord.
One is more apt to get a vision from the Lord

94 The Still Small Voice

when he is not looking for it ; and one is more
likely to hear the Lord's voice when he is not
expecting it. Let us place our lives so com-
pletely under divine control that whether the
Lord vouchsafes a supernatural visitation or
requires us to trust Him without it, we shall be
satisfied so long as we know that "Jesus
leads."

Second, Physical healing.

In the matter of physical healing there are
people who are living by the bread of earth
alone. By their lives they practically deny
God's control and care of their bodies. They
believe in the salvation of the soul and in the
sanctification of the spirit ; and they understand
the deeper life in the Holy Ghost. But some-
how they have not seen God's provision for
our physical life. While they recognize health
as the gift of God they rely for its preservation
upon their own care and prudence. Of course,
when sick they ask God's blessing upon the
means used for their restoration.

But there is another class of persons who are
trying to live by the bread of heaven alone. By
their lives they practically deny the place and

Quiet Hour Talks 95

value of precaution or care in the preservation
of health. For their physical strength they de-
pend wholly upon supernatural agencies. They
maintain that because they trust God for their
body it is not necessary to be careful about
diet or exercise or sleep. They have no use
for rules of hygiene or laws of health. They
will sit in a draught and expect God to keep
them from taking cold. They will go out in a
rainstorm without overshoes or umbrella and
trust the Lord to keep them from ill effects.

Now both these positions are extreme. There
is truth in both views. Here again the natural
and the supernatural should blend. The divine
care of our bodies is a precious truth of reve-
lation. Our bodies are the temples of the Holy
Ghost. Healing is promised when we are sick
and physical strength is maintained by the
quickening of the indwelling Spirit. Yet there
are rules of hygiene which should be observed,
and laws of health which must be obeyed. He
who trusts the Lord for his body should be all
the more careful about diet, exercise and sleep.

But here again human precaution and divine
quickening should blend. There need be no

96 The Still Small Voice

separation even in thought between the two.

The laws of health are the laws of God. We
s

may so take the Lord even into our use of nat-
ural resources of health as that we shall recog-
nize them as His provision for us.

Thus in all these phases of our Christian life
we need the bread of earth and the bread of
heaven. We must draw nourishment from
God, but must not ignore the natural basis of
life and strength. Of these two lessons we
need especially to learn the former. The grow-
ing tendency of this age is toward materialism.
The necessity of eating of the bread of heaven
needs to be constantly emphasized. How ex-
pressive is the phrase, "the mouth of God" !
It suggests nearness, intimacy, access. From
the mouth of God came natural life when the
Lord breathed into man's nostrils. From the
mouth of God came spiritual life when Jesus
breathed upon the disciples. If both natural
and spiritual life come from the mouth of God
then they are to be sustained and nourished
from the same source. Let us learn to put our
lips up to this great fountain of life and con-
tinually drink in strength for spirit, soul and
bodv.

THE QUIET HOUR

"And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the
eventide" (Gen. xxiv. 63).

A QUAINT old divine thus comments on
this verse : "A beautiful time, a beauti-
ful place, a beautiful occupation." Re-
ligious meditation occupies a large place in the
Scriptures. David exclaimed, "While I was
musing, the fire burned." Paul's exhortation
to the Philippians is, "Finally, brethren, what-
soever things are true, whatsoever things are
honest, whatsoever things are just, whatso-
ever things are pure, whatsoever things are of
good report; if there be any virtue, and if
there be any praise, think on these things."
The vital relation between thought and charac-
ter is disclosed in the inspired saying, "As a
man thinketh in his heart so is he."

Life in the Orient is favorable to medita-
tion. The East is the home of speculation and
contemplation. In many ways the people of
those lands live today very much as they did

98 The Still Small Voice

a thousand years ago. The counterpart of
Abraham can be seen in the modern Arab
sheik. Manners and customs are largely ster-
eotyped. The stream of commercial and social
life flows on sluggishly. The spirit of the Or-
ient is conservative. The warm climate and
the even tenor of life are conducive to habits
of reflection and meditation. Religious mysti-
cism has come out of the East. Life in the Oc-
cident is the exact opposite of these conditions.
It is marked by restless haste. Commercial-
ism is the spirit of the age — the feverish pur-
suit of wealth. The refinements of modern
civilization and the exacting demands of bus-
iness leave little room for habits of quiet reflec-
tion. In consequence the quiet devotional life
of believers has suffered. There is a tendency
to regard even religion as a sort of business.

But whether the conditions of life are favor-
able or unfavorable to its exercise, quiet medi-
tation on spiritual things should be above the
influence of one's surroundings. The devo-
tional study of the Scriptures, private prayer,
and the maintenance of communion with Christ
through the Spirit should be matters of con-

Quiet Hour Talks 99

science. Their observance or non-observance
is under the control of the will. No one has
difficulty in finding time for what he wants
to do; nor is there any failure or irregularity
in performing one's necessary duties. Medita-
tion along with other spiritual habits will find
a place in one's life when its necessity and val-
ue in maintaining a strong, full spiritual life
are recognized. When the habit is once formed
a love of retirement and meditation will spring
up in the heart; and then the "quiet hour" will
become one of the fixed features of one's daily
life. Its non-observance on any given day
will be felt to be a distinct loss, due to unusual
pressure upon one's time. When such neg-
lect of the daily quiet hour does occur because
of unwonted circumstances, like travel or the
nursing of the sick, the first free moments
should be spent in waiting upon God. The
fact is that the believer should esteem waiting
upon God in quiet more than his necessary
food. When this is done, rules and regulations
for holy living will be unnecessary. The Chris-
tian will plan for time to be alone with God and
will highly prize such seasons for communion.
LofC.

< a

100 The Still Small Voice

The time for daily retirement with God is
not so important as the season of retirement
itself. Yet some hours are more favorable than
others for devotion. The early morning hour
is highly prized by many. It is a good thing
for the soul to begin the day with God. The
eventide is a favorite season with others. It
is blessed for the soul to close the day with
God. Some prefer the noon hour and others
the time of retiring. The time for observing
the quiet hour will of course readily adjust it-
self to one's duties and preferences. In the East
the twilight hour is an especially favorable sea-
son for quiet and meditation. Late in the after-
noon a cool breeze tempers the sultry heat of the
day. Thus it was in "the cool of the day"
that the voice of the Lord God was heard in the
Garden of Eden. Jehovah chose the sweet and
refreshing season of eventide to commune with
Adam and Eve. So also Isaac chose that sea-
son to meditate not only upon the goodness of
God but also upon his approaching union with
his divinely chosen bride, Rebecca. Even in
our own land the twilight hour, when the day
is softly fading into the shadows of the night,

Quiet Hour Talks 101

has advantages for quiet meditation (if one can
spare the time) such as no other season of the
day possesses.

Having seen the vital place of spiritual medi-
tation in Christian life and considered various
seasons for its exercise, let us now notice some
of the benefits and blessings which it brings.

First, Apart from all religious and spiritual
considerations a daily season of quiet conduces
to good health. An old adage runs : "After
breakfast walk a mile; after dinner rest
awhile." An after dinner nap or rest is often
prescribed by physicians for persons who are
run down in strength. A brief period of quiet
taken at any time during the day aids digestion
and quiets the nerves. So even from a hygien-
ic standpoint spiritual meditation has its value.

Second, Meditation upon the goodness of
God brings a blessing to the soul. One of the
charges that the Psalmist brings against Israel
is that they "soon forgot His works." They did
not keep fresh in their remembrance by fre-
quent rehearsal the signal deliverance of Je-
hovah, as the crossing of the Red Sea and the
passage of the Jordan. Of course, there are

102 The Still Small Voice

annual festivals, as one's birthday and Thanks-
giving, when a review of the past is especially
fitting and when as a result one calls upon his
soul to bless the Lord and forget not all his
benefits. But it is a good thing every day to
count our blessings. Especially when the way
seems dark and the trial of faith with the ac-
companying tendency to depression of spirit is
severe, will reflection and meditation upon the
goodness of God bring lightness of heart and
the new song of praise. A little refrain runs :

"The inner side of every cloud

Is bright and shining.
I therefore turn my clouds about
And always wear them inside out

To show the silver lining."

No day will be found so dark that upon
reflection some bright ray will not be seen.

Two ministers met at a Methodist Confer-
ence. One said, "Rejoice with me; my horse
ran away and I was not injured." His friend
responded, "Praise the Lord ! Now I want you
to rejoice with me, for my horse didn't run
away.''

God's daily mercies to us are innumerable.
Many blessings we shall fail to notice and be

Quiet Hour Talks 103

thankful for unless we stop to consider all the
way that God has led even through the few
hours of a single day.

Third, It is a good thing to begin the hour of
meditation by letting the thoughts dwell on a
passage of Scripture. It may be the chapter
or verse that the Lord has given us for our
morning portion ; or it may be a message that
the Spirit brings to our mind at the time. Pon-
dering over God's Word puts one in the frame
of mind for profitable meditation. It quickens
the memory and opens the well springs of grat-
itude and joy. It is profitable in meditating to
follow out some line of truth, or some phase
of our experience, and nothing is better calcu-
lated to promote such a train of reflection than
a portion of Scripture held before our minds by
the Holy Spirit.

Fourth, Again, the hour of meditation con-
duces to the cultivation of what in mediaeval
times was called the "spirit of recollection.' '
This was the carrying of the atmosphere of
the closet into the busy hours of the day. It
was not a mood of abstraction which rendered
one absent minded and made him useless in

104 The StillJSmalljVoice

the practical concerns of life. But it was a
poised, balanced attitude of spirit, which car-
ried one calm and unruffled through the duties
of the day. It was a sense of God's nearness
which steadied the soul and fortified it against
every emergency. It is what Brother Law-
rence calls the "Practice of the presence of
God." It is the believer's privilege to main-
tain invariably an undisturbed serenity of
heart and mind. This, however, is not the re-
sult of will power nor the fruit of a stoical phi-
losophy. It is due to the keeping power of God
— "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose
mind is stayed on thee." "In quietness and
confidence shall be your strength." Now, the
quiet hour feeds this recollected state of heart
and mind. From its observance the believer
goes forth like a bird, resting in mid-air on
outstretched wings, balanced in mind and
poised in spirit, ready for anything that the
providence of God may bring.

Fifth, One great advantage of the evening-
hour of meditation is that it enables the be-
liever to commit definitely to the Lord the fol-
lowing day and to take in advance grace and

Quiet Honr Talks 105

strength for its unknown duties and trials.
Some one has compared this exercise to the
winding of a watch. Usually every one before
retiring winds his watch. The mainspring is
thus coiled anew and power is given it to move
the mechanism of wheels. All through the
minutes and the hours of the following day the
intricate system of wheels performs its func-
tion through the power given to the main-
spring the night before. So it is a good thing
to wind up the mainspring of our life. By
communion and prayer we store up divine
strength sufficient to meet all the demands of
the coming day. We should take the Lord def-
initely for all our engagements and for all the
duties that we may reasonably expect that
the day will bring. We should also take Him
for all the unknown things that will certainly
come into our life as we go out into the world
to take up our burdens and to fulfil our duties.
Thus by anticipation we can fortify every weak
place in our life and take grace to meet every
trial as it comes. It is a blessed thing to take
the Lord definitely for every minute of the
time until we shall again meet Him face to face

106 The Still Small Voice

at our quiet hour on the following evening.
Such a definite committal to God of the day
beforehand enables us to go forth in the morn-
ing "girded with strength unto the battle." We
shall be ready and almost eager to meet the
trials of the day, knowing that He will be there
before us to make smooth the pathway of our
feet. And then further it will be a source of
strength to us just to watch our lives, as it
were, through the day and see how the provi-
dences of God meet us at every turn. Very of-
ten we shall feel that this deliverance or that
providence is just the very thing we took God
for the night before; and the consciousness
will also come of the rich blessing we might
have missed if we had not prayed it all out and
believed it all through with God before. When
one has thus formed the habit of committing
each day to the Lord before it dawns, he will
recognize a distinct spiritual loss whenever for
any reason the exercise is omitted.

Sixth, Finally, spiritual meditation leads nat-
urally to communion and communion opens the
door easily to prayer. In this message we
have meant by meditation something entirely

Quiet Hour Talks 107

distinct from both communion and prayer.
These two vital spiritual exercises have their
place, but the emphasis is here put upon med-
itation. If the hour of meditation be carefully
guarded, communion and prayer will not be
neglected. The three inseparably go together.
Meditation is the seed ; communion is the blos-
som; and prayer is the fruit.

ONE WITH CHRIST

THE union of the believer with Christ is
one of the most vital and fruitful truths
of the New Testament; vital, because it
lies at the foundation of faith; fruitful, because
it is the channel through which all the gifts and
graces of the Spirit are bestowed. Four sym-
bols are employed to set forth this union. First,
the building of which Christ is the sure Foun-
dation (Ps. cxviii. 22) Isa. xxviii. 10; Eph. ii.
20-22; Col. ii. 7; I. Pet. ii. 4, 5). Second, the
bride, of whom Christ is the divine Husband
(Rom. vii. 4; II. Cor. xi. 2; Eph. v. 31, 32;
Rev. xix. 7 ; xxii. 17) . Third, the body of which
Christ is the risen Head (I. Cor. vi. 15, 19;
xii. 12; Eph. i. 22, 23; iv. 15; vi. 5, 29, 30).
Fourth, the branch of which Christ is the true
Vine (John xv. 1-10; Rom. vi. 5; xi. 24; Col.
ii. 6, 7). If the reader will consult these pas-
sages carefully he will find that the truth espe-
cially emphasized in them all is the unity or
oneness existing between Christ and the be-

Quiet Hour Talks 109

liever. This union as set forth is not natural or
moral or sacramental in character. On the
contrary, it is organic (Eph. v. 29, 30) ; vital
(Gal. ii. 20) ; spiritual (Rom. viii. 9, 10) ; in-
dissoluble (Matt, xxviii. 20; John x. 28; Rom.
viii. 35-39; I. Thess. iv. 14-17); and myste-
rious (Eph. v. 22; Col. i. 2j).

In this message we desire to present four re-
spects in which the believer is one with his
Lord.

First, One in the participation of His life.

The union of the soul with Christ is a vital
one. The believer shares the life of his Lord.
The sap of the vine flows into the branches.
So "he that is joined unto the Lord is one Spir-
it'' (I. Cor. vi. 17). There are two essential
characteristics of this life.

1. It is divine. In II. Peter i. 4 it is declared
that through the promises of God we become
"partakers of the divine nature." The life
which the believer shares is the very life of
Christ Himself. From God's standpoint there
is ho time element in the union of the believer
with Christ. We were "chosen in Him before
the foundation of the world" (Eph. i. 4). We

HO The Still Small Voice

were "in Christ Jesus" when He hung on the
tree; in Him when He rose from the dead;
and in Him when He took His seat at the right
hand of the Father. In fact in every relation-
ship of Christ's life, His people are in the
thought of God "together with" Him. Hu-
manly speaking, however, there is a point in
experience when this union is effected. This is
the new birth or regeneration, or as it may be
comprehensively called, conversion. Then it
is that the germ of the Christ-life is implanted
in the heart; the time, so to speak, when the
tiny branch begins to shoot forth from the
vine.

2. It is eternal. The life which the child of
God receives in regeneration is not only divine
but eternal. Eternal life is not so much a mat-
ter of duration as of quality; that is, it is a new
kind of life. Eternal life is the life of Christ
perpetuated through the ages. Death cannot
break the union between the believer and his
Lord. The life of Christ implanted as a germ
in the new birth will unfold and mature
throughout eternity. We feed upon Christ
here ; we shall feed upon Him hereafter. Spir-

Quiet Hour Talks 111

itual life is the earnest or "first fruits" of ever-
lasting life.

Second, One in the possession of His Spirit.

Again, the same Spirit that rested upon
Christ rests upon the believer. By this is not
meant the temper or disposition of Christ, but
the Holy Spirit. The "Spirit of Christ" is one
of the names of the Holy Spirit (I. Peter i. 1 1 ) .
Two stages in the work of the Holy Spirit in
the believer may be marked.

i. The baptism of the Spirit. In a sense,
of course, it is true that the Spirit is in every
Christian from the time of his conversion. This
is the test of discipleship (Rom. viii. 9). We
are born of the Spirit (John iii. 6). But the life
of Christ teaches us that there is a definite bap-
tism of the Holy Spirit, an experience entirely
distinct from regeneration. Thus, Jesus was
born of the Spirit in Bethlehem of Judea ; but
at the age of thirty He was baptized with the
Spirit at the river Jordan (Luke i. 35 ; Mark i.
10). So in the life of the believer there should
come this distinct work. Whether the entire
consecration of oneself to God and the definite
reception of the Holy Spirit comes immediately

112 The Still Small Voice

after conversion or at a much later period,
will be largely a matter of apprehension and
realization of one's privileges in Christ. We
believe that no lapse of time need intervene.
See Acts ii. 38; viii. 15; ix. 17; x. 44; xix. 2.
2. The fulness of the Spirit. The fulness of
the Spirit marks an advance upon the baptism
of the Spirit. Like regeneration the baptism
of the Spirit is a distinct act and a definite
transaction. There is a time when we take
Christ as our Saviour; and there is a moment
when we receive the Holy Spirit as our Indwell-
er. The fulness of the Spirit, however, while
distinct from these experiences, differs in char-
acter. It is not an act, but a process ; it is not
a transaction, but a habit. Having received
Christ (act) we grow up into Him in all things
(process). Having received the Holy Spirit
(transaction), we keep drinking of His fulness
(habit) (I. Cor. xii. 13; Eph. v. 18). This is
the place, we believe, where many true-hearted
believers who are seeking for the fulness of
God fail of satisfaction. They have received the
Holy Spirit; yet their lives are without joy

Qutet Hour T*lb If 3

and without fruit. Dear friend, if this is the
condition of your heart, have you not over-
looked the fact that the act of receiving the
Spirit must be followed by the process of living
and walking in Him ? Are you drinking in the
fulness of the Spirit? for the command in
Ephesians v. 18 means, Be ye habitually filled
with the Spirit. You take ample time for your
meals. Do you devote enough time to receiv-
ing your spiritual food ? Perhaps the neglect-
ed quiet hour explains your unsatisfied spirit-
ual longings. Get alone each day with God at
a time when there will be no intrusion; open
your whole being to the free operation of the
Holy Spirit ; consciously and voluntarily drink
in His fulness until every part of your being
is filled and thrilled with His divine presence
and power.

Third, One in the fellowship of His suffer-
ings.

Again, union with Christ brings the be-
liever into fellowship with His sufferings.
This truth, like a scarlet thread, runs all
through the New Testament. Paul prayed that
he "might know Christ and the power of His

114 The Still Small Voice

resurrection and the fellowship of His suffer-
ings becoming conformable unto His death"
(Phil. iii. 10, R.V.). We read in II. Timo-
thy ii. 12, "If we suffer we shall also reign
with Him." There are three relations in which
we are called to partake of the fellowship of
Christ's sufferings.

i. His death. It is only one side of the
truth to say that Christ died for us. The other
side is that we died in Him. Christ's death
was our death. The believer who would enter
fully into union with Christ must recognize this
fact and not shrink from its experimental
meaning. It may be said that our union with
Christ finds its starting point in His death. This
is the significance of baptism ; in this beautiful
yet solemn rite we die in Him by faith to all
our old life, and rise in Him to all His life di-
vine (Rom. vi. 2-4; Col. ii. 12). This was
the foundation of Paul's personal religious ex-
perience (Gal. ii. 20). In the death of Christ
we put off the old man and put on the new
man. The New Testament epistles constantly
recognize this truth as the foundation of all

Quiet Hour Talks 115

appeals to a life of holiness and service (Col.
iii. n).

2. His reproach. It should never be forgot-
ten that from the standpoint of the world the
cross of Christ is a reproach, and that he who
exalts it in his life and teaching will be subject
to persecutions. Jesus said to His disciples,
"If the world hateth you, ye know that it hath
hated Me before it hated you. * * * Remember
the word that I said unto you, a servant is not
greater than his Lord. - If they persecuted Me
they will also persecute you" (John xv. 18,20).
Paul reminds Timothy that "all that will live
godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecu-
tion" (II. Tim. iii. 12). A woe rests upon the
believer when all men shall speak well of him
(Luke vi. 26) ; whereas a blessing rests upon
him who is falsely persecuted for righteous-
ness' sake (Matt. v. 11). The believer who
bears Christ's reproach lives well pleasing unto
God (I. Pet. ii. 20).

3. His self-sacrificing ministry. In the brief-
est and yet most comprehensive statement of
Christ's life in the New Testament we read
that He "went about doing good" (Acts x. 38).

116 The Still Small Voice

Paul tells us that Christ pleased not Himself
(Rom. xv. 3). Christ lived for others and fin-
allv died for them. In this unselfish and self-
sacrificing ministry of the Lord the believer is
permitted to share. Paul was called to fill up
that which was lacking of the afflictions of
Christ for the sake of the Church (Col. i. 24).
There is a sense in which the believer has a
vicarious ministry. He is called to a life of self-
denial and self-denying service for others
(John xii. 24-26; xiii. 14-16; I. Pet. ii. 21, 22).
Many of our trials and afflictions are not mere-
ly for our own discipline but to fit us to min-
ister comfort and blessing to others (II. Cor.

i.3-8).

Fourth, One in the inheritance of His glory.

Finally, the oneness of the believer with
Christ finds its consummation in the inherit-
ance of His glory. The familiar motto, "No
cross, no crown/' is true to the teaching of the
New Testament; and just as surely as we bear
the cross we shall wear the crown (II. Tim.
ii. 12). It is true that in the purpose of God
the believer has been exalted with Christ and
made to sit with Him in heavenly places (Eph.

Quiet Hour Talks 117

ii. 6). Our conversation or citizenship is in
heaven. Yet in experience our life and walk
are on the earth ; and the realization of our in-
heritance in Christ's glory is still future. We
may briefly mention two aspects in which we
shall be inheritors of Christ's glory.

i. His reign. When Christ returns, His peo-
ple are to reign with Him upon the earth (Rev.
xx. 4). Now the Church is in a position of
humiliation; then it will be in a place of exal-
tation. It is a sad mistake for the Church to be
seeking for a kingdom while the King is ab-
sent; to be seeking for worldly position and hon-
or while her Lord and Master is despised and
rejected of men. This is the time of service, not
of coronation; and the loyal believer will be
satisfied to wait till the coming age for the re-
wards of faithfulness to Christ (I. Cor. iii. 11-

15)-
2. His person. God has called each one of

His children to be conformed to the image of

Christ (Rom. viii. 29). Some features of

Christ's likeness we take on here through the

gifts and graces of the Holy Spirit ; but His full

image we shall not wear till the coming age.

»I8 The Still Small Voice

David exclaimed, "I shall be satisfied when I
awake with Thy likeness. " The Apostle John
said, "Beloved, now are we the children of God
and it is not yet made manifest what we shall
be. We know that if He shall be manifested
we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him
even as He is" (I. John iii. 2, 3).

"One in the rapturous hour,

When He shall come for His own ;
Raised by His glorious power,

I shall sit down on His throne.
All that He has shall be mine,

All that He is I shall be ;
Robed in His glory divine,

I shall be even as He."

SECURITY AND SERENITY

"But whoso hearkeneth unto Me shall dwell se-
curely and shall be quiet without fear of evil" (Prov.
t 33).

IN all our Bibles there are underscored verses
that have been given to us as seeds of
promise or made real in times of need.
This verse is marked in my Bible. At a crisis
in my life it came with help for the present and
hope for the future.

A beautiful thing about this verse is that it
is for every one. The word "whoso" or "who-
soever" breathes the spirit of the Gospel. It is
said that a man named John Smith once de-
clared that he was glad the Bible did not say
that John Smith might take the water of life
freely ; for as there might be other John
Smiths in the world he could not be sure which
John Smith was meant. But when the Bible
said, "Whosoever will let him take the water of
life freely," he was confident that he himself
was included in the universal invitation. Be-
loved, "whosoever" just means you. Leave a

120 The Still Small Voice

blank where the word occurs and write your
own name down; then you will get the exact
force of the expression.

By reading over the chapter you will notice
that it is wisdom that utters her voice in this
verse. What are we to understand by wisdom
here and elsewhere in the Book of Proverbs?
Some scholars think that it means prudence,
good judgment, or wisdom personified; but in
the New Testament Christ is called the "wisdom
of God." Consequently, if we substitute the word
Christ for wisdom we shall get the inspired
meaning. "Whoso hearkeneth unto Me" then,
may be rendered, "Whoso hearkeneth unto
Christ ;" or, "Whoso hearkeneth unto the Holy
Spirit," for it is Christ speaking by the Spirit.

This verse contains a most beautiful and
comforting promise, to which is attached a
simple but essential condition.

The promise is twofold: security from the
presence of evil and serenity without fear of
evil. In the first place, the promise insures
protection from danger, safety from harm and
security from evil. The word "dwell" may be
rendered "lie down" or "recline." The protection

Quiet Hour Talks 121

promised is not confinement within the strong
walls of a frowning castle, but rather the safe
guarding of personal watchfulness. "I, Je-
hovah, am its Keeper, I will water it every mo-
ment ; lest any hurt it I will keep it night and
day." God Himself will keep us from all
harm. He is our sufficient security from all
evil. If we hearken to Him His invisible but
omnipotent presence will shield us from dan-
gers seen and unseen. With David we shall be
able to say, "In peace will I both lay me down
and sleep, for Thou, Jehovah, alone makest
me dwell in safety" (Ps. iv. 8).

In the next place, the promise includes seren-
ity of heart and mind. Serenity is not the same
as security. The one means protection from
real danger. The other means deliverance from
the dread of evil. It is possible for one to be
safe within a strong fortress and yet live in
mortal terror of imaginary foes. The knowl-
edge that no harm can touch one does not al-
ways quiet the heart and reassure the mind. On
the other hand it is possible to stand in the
presence of danger without the fluttering of the
heart or the quickening of the pulse. And the

122 The Still Small Voice

Lord delivers us not only from "fightings with-
out but from fears within."

''Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose
mind is stayed on thee" (Isa. xxvi. 3). "And
the peace of God which passeth all understand-
ing shall guard your hearts and your thoughts
in Christ Jesus" (Phil. iv. 7).

A timid old lady who was crossing the ocean
for the first time became greatly agitated in a
violent storm. "Is there any fear?" she asked
the captain. "No, my good woman," he re-
plied, "there is no fear, but a great deal of dan-
ger." This reply reassured her, and she went
to her stateroom and slept in peace. So Jesus
in the presence of great danger keeps the soul
from alarm. "There shall no evil befall thee."
"What time I am afraid I will trust in the
Lord." "I will trust and not be afraid."

Now let us look at the simple but essential
condition upon which rests this glorious prom-
ise of security from evil and serenity from
alarm. "Whoso hearkeneth unto Me." This
condition is hearkening unto the Lord. What
is it to hearken? Of course, hearkening means
obedience. Whenever God speaks we must

Quiet Hour Talks 123

mind; and whatever He commands, we must
implicitly obey. But hearkening implies more
than obedience. Before one can obey God's
will he must know what His will is. Thus
hearkening also means to attend diligently to
what God says ; to listen intently when He
speaks ; and to inquire persistently what His
will for us is. "Wherefore be not unwise, but
understanding what the will of the Lord is."

But before one can know God's will he must
be quiet before Him. And so hearkening fur-
ther includes the act and practice of waiting on
the Lord. When the hunting dog strikes the
trail, he pricks up his ear and listens. The
mother gets the little child to listen by saying,
"Hark!" in hushed accents. So if we would
know the will of God and hear His voice when
He speaks, we must get quiet at His feet. We
must cease from ourselves and our own ways.
The clamorings of our own hearts must be
stilled. The wandering and opposing thoughts
of our minds must be quieted. We must even
get ourselves into an attitude of physical and
mental repose before Him. Silence must reign

124 The Still Small Voice

throughout our soul; stillness must pervade
our entire being.

Beloved, this simple condition of hearkening,
while easy to talk about and attractive in
prospect, is most difficult of attainment. In
fact, we cannot hearken to God ourselves ; the
more wTe try the less we shall succeed. The
very attempt to get still before God is apt to
stir our hearts with conflicting emotions and
excite our minds by distracting thoughts. But
we do not have to hearken by our own efforts.
In this respect the Holy Spirit will help our in-
firmities. All God's commandments are enable-
ments. The Holy Spirit Himself will be in us
the ability to be quiet, the power to know His
voice and the strength to do His will.

This little verse will bring measureless com-
fort and limitless strength, if its secret is once
learned. When God once speaks we can trust
His word, "For God is not a man that He
should lie, nor the son of man that He should
repent. Hath He spoken and shall He not do
it, or hath He promised and shall He not make
it good?" It matters not whether our foes com-
pass us on every side ; if we hearken to God He

Quiet Hour Talks 125

will deliver us. It matters not whether our
friends predict the approach of evil; if we
hearken to God He will carry us through ev-
ery danger. It matters not whether our own
hearts faint and falter and our minds are filled
with nameless dread; if we hearken to God,
He will be better to us than all our fears. If
we take. Christ to be our Counsellor He will
follow it up by being our mighty God.

THE TWO LAWS

"For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus
made me free from the law of sin and of death"
(Rom. viii. 2, R.V.).

A GOOD artist makes effective use of con-
trasts. In all the paintings of a fa-
mous artist in the galleries of the Louvre
in Paris there is some hideous object in the
foreground to enhance the beauty of the scene.
Thus in one picture a slimy serpent is seen
coiled at the feet of a beautiful child. The
Holy Spirit is a divine Artist. The pictures
He paints always have an appropriate setting.
Thus, at the close of the seventh chapter of
Romans, over against the shout of victory, "I
thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord," is
the wail of despair, "Wretched man that I am,
who shall deliver me out of the body of this
death ?" One moment we hear the clanking of
the chain of the devil's captive; the next mo-
ment we hear the paean of praise of the Lord's
freeman.

In Romans viii. 2, we find the cause of the

Quiet Hour Talks 127

Apostle's exultant shout. It is the key to his
deliverance from the slavery of sin. This verse
reveals two laws : the law of sin and death,
and the law of the Spirit of life in Christ
Jesus. Paul's release from the law of sin and
death was effected by the operation of the law
of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus.

Let us try to get a clear view of these two
laws and their working. On the one hand there
was a force dragging the apostle downward.
It was the law, whose working wrought sin in
his members and would bring spiritual death as
its fruit. Its movement was constant, inflexi-
ble and inexorable. On the other hand there
was a power lifting the apostle upward. It
was the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus,
whose working wrought out victory over sin,
and brought life instead of death. Its move-
ment was also constant, inflexible and inexor-
able. These two opposing laws were of un-
equal strength and belonged to different
spheres of action. The law of the Spirit of life
was higher and stronger ; it met and overcame
the lower law of sin and death, and thus
brought deliverance and victory to the apostle.

128 The Still Small Voice

One or two illustrations will help us to under-
stand the operation of these two laws. The
corrupting and germinating of the seed, and
the deterioration and invigoration of the body
are analogies of the working of higher laws in
the spiritual world.

A seed is planted in the ground. At once it
is seized by forces which carry it down to
death. It is disintegrated; it decays and be-
comes a mass of corruption ; and at last it dies.
Apparently, the little seed is entirely destroyed.
But enshrined within it is a germ. It has a
strange power to resist decay and death. It is
the principle of vegetable life. Soon up from
that mass of corruption there springs a tiny
sprout ; "first the blade, then the ear, then the
full corn in the ear." It may be said that the
law of vegetable life in the seed has freed it
from the law of death.

Again, a human being is born into the world.
At once the body comes under the law of decay
and death. There are strange forces both in-
side and out that tend to weaken and destroy
it. In the food that nourishes, and in the air
that sustains life there are germs of disease.

Quiet Hour Talks 129

But there is a power within that resists these
attacks. It is the mysterious principle of life.
Natural vitality helps us to ward off disease.
Of course in the end the physical frame suc-
cumbs to the weakness or sickness ; but for
many years a frail constitution often battles
successfully against inherited tendencies to dis-
ease. Thus it may be said that the law of phy-
sical life frees us from the law of disease.

This verse yields the secret of deliverance
from two dominionships, viz. : sin and disease.

First, Victory over the dominion of sin.

Sin is a terrible reality. Every soul in its as-
pirations for a nobler life is conscious of forces
dragging it down to lower levels. So real and
constant is the working of this power that the
Apostle Paul speaks of it as a law. On every
side are enticements to evil, while pitfalls beset
the pathway. But the worst form of the foe is
not in our environment; it is in ourselves.
Within the struggle for victory is fiercest. The
law of sin works in our members. There is an
inclination to evil in our own hearts. There
is a perverseness in our natures. Evil solici-
tations from without find a ready response from

130 The Still Small Voice

within. Moreover, the knowledge of the right
supplies no motive power to do the right. In-
deed, the revelation of God's high standard of
character and conduct only aggravates the
struggle and makes our failure to attain this
standard the more certain. The seventh chap-
ter of Romans is a picture of a saved man
struggling in his own strength against this law
of sin which works both within and without.
What is the divine secret of deliverance ? It
is not resolution, nor reformation, nor any oth-
er form of moral or legal effort. Victory is
won through the operation of the law of the
Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. Deliverance
comes by giving up the struggle ourselves and
letting the Holy Spirit release us from the un-
equal conflict. The life of God will flood the
soul and lift it above the dominion of sin. How-
ever, the law of sin is not destroyed; but its
working is suspended and rendered of none ef-
fect by the higher law of the Spirit of life. A
simple illustration will make this clear. Grav-
itation is a force that works throughout the un-
iverse. Objects upon the surface of the earth
it attracts toward the center. For example, a

Quiet Hour Talks 131

book held in my hand is drawn downward by
a force proportionate to its weight. But in my
hand the book seems no longer to be drawn
downward. It rests in the air, or moves up-
ward in defiance of gravitation. Is it, however,
no longer acted upon by this law ? Certainly ;
but the law of life manifested in the movement
of my arm has freed the book from the control
of the law of gravitation. While in my hand
and controlled by its movements the book is
freed from this law. The law of life has deliv-
ered it from the law of force. Now, in just
the same way is the soul freed from the law
of sin by the law of the Spirit of life. The law
of sin does not cease to work. Its agency is
still as powerful as before. Sin is not dead,
but the believer has become dead to sin (Rom.
vi. 1 1 ) . Thus, by the operation of the law of
the Spirit of life the believer is freed from the
law of sin. This is God's way of holiness. This
is the divine secret of sanctification. If it is
a theory, it is a theory that works. It is a prac-
tical power unto godliness to all who believe.

Second, Victory over the dominion of dis-
ease.

132 The Still Small Voice

In the illustration used above, it was shown
how from birth the physical frame is played
upon by insidious influences that make for its
weakening and destruction. This was seen to
be the working of the law of death. When
the body is well and strong it may have power
to ward off these attacks. But the physical
body of the average person is none too vigor-
ous ; many have constitutional sources of weak-
ness ; and even the most powerful frames often
fall victims to disease. Thus an unequal bat-
tle for health is constantly waged. In many
instances the struggle is hard and lasts as long
as life itself. The skill of physicians can ac-
complish much, but at best the aid of human
resources is limited ; and in many cases natural
vitality and medical science are unavailing.

Now, what is the secret of deliverance from
this law of disease? It is the operation of the
law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. God
has not delivered our souls from the dominion
of sin and left our bodies under the power of
disease, which is one of its fruits. For those
who walk in His holy will He has made provi-
sion for deliverance from physical bondage.

Quiet Hour Talks 133

Our bodies are the temples of the Holy Ghost.
His office work is to quicken our mortal body
(Romans viii. n). But here, again, the law
of disease, so-called, is not destroyed. Our
bodies are not removed from their natural en-
vironment. The food we eat and the air we
breathe are still filled with deadly germs and
noxious influences. Moreover, constitutional
weaknesses are not always taken away. Even
the sources of disease may be allowed to re-
main. But just as the book was freed from
the force of gravitation by the power of life in
the hand, so our bodies come under the influ-
ence of a higher law which lifts them above
the power of weakness and disease. Thus the
law of death that works in our members is sus-
pended and made of none effect. Just as light
banishes darkness, so the inflow of the divine
life into the soul frees it from the power of sin ;
while the overflow of this divine life into the
body counteracts and delivers it from the down-
ward pressure of weakness and disease.

There are two all-important facts in connec-
tion with this glorious truth which need to be
noticed.

134 The Still Small Voice

The first is the sphere of the operation of
this law of the Spirit of life. It is "in Christ
Jesus." It is a well known fact that laws are
restricted in their application, and that to come
under the influence of a given law one must be
in the sphere in which the law works. Thus the
laws of England are different from the laws of
the United States. An Englishman in England
is not subject to the laws of this country, and
vice versa. But if an Englishman should come
to the United States, and become a citizen, then
he would be subject to the laws of this coun-
try. Now it is "in Christ Jesus" that this law
of liberty works ; and to come under its opera-
tion we must be "in Christ Jesus." The way
to get into Christ Jesus is to get out of our-
selves, and the way to get out of ourselves is to
die out. We must identify ourselves by faith
with His death and resurrection (Rom. vi.
i-ii).

The second truth is the two aspects in which
the believer is freed from the law of sin and
death. One is the doctrinal aspect, and the
other is the experimental aspect. These two
need to be carefully distinguished. Doc-

Quiet Hour Talks 135

trinally, or historically, so to speak, the
believer was freed from the law of sin
and disease by the work of Christ on the
cross. When He died our salvation was fin-
ished. By His death unto sin Christ purchased
the deliverance of His people from its power.
But the experimental aspect is quite another
matter. By this is meant the believer's expe-
rience of deliverance. This may take place at
any time that he apprehends, and appropriates
by faith, his purchased freedom. Whenever he
does this the Holy Spirit makes real in Him
what Christ has made real for Him. May the
Lord open the eyes of many sin-sick and dis-
ease-sick Christians to see and claim their in-
heritance in Christ.

Several points already touched upon inci-
dentally require emphasis:

First, Both these forces are laws.

If the downward power of sin was a law
working inflexibly and inexorably, while the
upward power of life was merely an influence
without regularity and constancy of opera-
tion, our deliverance would not be fully as-
sured. But the Spirit of life is also a law ; not

136 The Still Small Voice

an abstract principle, but a divine person. For,
the Holy Spirit Himself is the law of life. He
meets and overcomes the downward pressure
of sin and disease with a movement more
inflexible, irresistible and irrevocable than law
itself.

Second, These two laws are of unequal
strength. If they were of equal or nearly
equal force, there would not be rest and vic-
tory. On the contrary there would be constant
struggle and incessant conflict. But the Holy
Spirit is so much higher and mightier than
the power of sin and the strength of disease
that He vanquishes them. Indeed sin and dis-
ease are swallowed up by holiness and health.

Third, This victory over sin and sickness is
not secured by a single act, but by a continuous
process. The law of the Spirit of life contin-
ually works in our hearts and bodies. As we
abide in Christ Jesus the Holy Spirit keeps us
in the place of victory. If the pressure of
temptation is heavy, His grace is there to meet
and overcome it. If the law of sin is threaten-
ing to overpower us, the Spirit of Holiness is
there to give victory and peace. There need be

Quiet Hour Talks 137

no sense of effort or struggle in our own
strength. We have simply to recognize our
position in Christ Jesus, and count by faith
on the working of the law of life within Him.
The Lord will thus make faith's reckonings
glorious realities. In the same way by the
Spirit of life our physical strength is renewed
day by day. For our weariness He gives us
His rest ; for our weakness He substitutes His
strength; for our exhaustion He imparts His
vigor. Here again there need be no sense of
effort or struggle in our own strength. We
have simply to recognize that "we are members
of His body, of His flesh and of His bones,"
and that "in Him we live and move and have
our being/' As we thus claim by faith our
redemption rights, the Spirit of God will
breathe upon our mortal frames, quickening
them into newness of life.

This is a glorious secret. May it bring vic-
tory to many struggling hearts and fainting
bodies.

UNION AND COMMUNION

"Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit
saith the Lord of Hosts" (Zech. iv. 6).

IN the fourth chapter of Zechariah is record-
ed one of the most beautiful prophetic vi-
sions in the Old Testament. Zechariah was
a prophet of the restoration. His messages
strengthened the hands of Joshua and Zerub-
babel in the work of rebuilding the temple.
While his prophecies have an immediate appli-
cation to his own times, yet they find their
largest fulfilment in Christ, and through Him
in the Church and in the individual believer.
Let us first look at the vision and then at its
spiritual significance.

First, The vision.

As an aid in understanding the vision let the
reader imagine himself in a darkened room,
prepared, so to speak, for a stereopticon exhibi-
tion. Let him further imagine that each detail
of the vision as it is mentioned is thrown upon
the screen in succession. The first thing that

Quiet Hour Talks 139

Zechariah saw was a golden candlestick or can-
delabrum, such as was in the tabernacle and
later in the temple. It had seven branches
whose lights were fed from a bowl at the top.
There was nothing unusual in this; and the
sight must have been a familiar one to Zecha-
riah. Next, he saw two olive trees growing,
one on the right and the other on the left of
the candlestick. In this there was nothing
strange, except perhaps the proximity of the
trees to the candlestick. For a time it would
seem that Zechariah saw nothing else; but af-
ter his talk with the heavenly messenger his at-
tention was arrested by a most singular thing.
Two olive branches, one from each tree, bent
toward the candlestick. From the reservoir at
the top two golden pipes extended, which met
the branches, perhaps midway. This was all
he saw; but the object of the arrangement was
at once apparent. It was this : as the olive
trees ripened their fruit the oil flowed down
through the branches and the pipes into the re-
servoir of the candlestick. Thus, the sevenfold
light being continually fed was kept perpetual-
ly burning. Now let us group these details

140 The Still Small Voice

into a vivid picture. There was the glistening
candlestick with its seven-branched light bright-
ly burning. On either side was an olive tree,
green and fresh in its beauty and fertility. The
oil, though unseen, flowed steadily and contin-
ually into the reservoir. As the prophet gazed
upon the scene, he saw no priest to tend the
lights. He saw no shears, snuffers or oil can.
The trees perpetually ripened their fruit; the
oil constantly flowed; the light incessantly
burned. It was a silent, beautiful scene. The
hand of man was absent. It was God's own
provision for giving perpetual light.

Second, The meaning of the vision.

As Zechariah beheld the vision, the message
came to him, "Not by might nor by power, but
by My Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts." With
the application of the vision to the prophet's
own times our purpose does not concern itself.
It may be stated, however, that the vision was
given undoubtedly to encourage Joshua and
Zerubbabel in their difficult work of rebuilding
the temple. In this work they were hindered
in many ways. It seems probable that the can-
dlestick represented the temple on the familiar

Quiet Hour Talks 14 1

principle that a part may stand for the whole.
It would be natural, then, that the two olive
trees should stand for Joshua and Zerubbabel
as "the two anointed ones that stand by the
Lord of the whole earth." But of course
back of them stood Jehovah Himself to
strengthen their hands and to bring to comple-
tion the noble work which they had under-
taken.

It is the spiritual application of the vision
which here concerns us. Bible scholars are not
agreed in their application of all the details, but
the spiritual significance of its main features
seems to be clear enough. Let us first try to
understand what the vision means as a whole
and then notice some of the spiritual lessons
suggested by its several parts.

It seems to be clear that the candlestick rep-
resents the Church and also the believer, for
whatever is true of the Church as the body of
Christ is true also of believers as members of
that body. It also seems clear that the two
olive trees represent the Lord, perhaps in His
twofold office of Priest and King. It is the
opinion of some Bible scholars that the two

142 The Still Small Voice

olive trees symbolize Christ and the Holy Spir-
it. But it is sufficiently accurate for the spir-
itual significance to see that while the candle-
stick stands for the believer the two olive trees
represent the Lord. It is clear then that the
spiritual teaching of the vision is two- fold : un-
ion and communion. The connecting branches
between the trees and the reservoir set forth
the believer's union with Christ. The silent-
ly flowing oil and the steadily burning light
beautifully symbolize the communion of the be-
liever with Christ through the Holy Spirit.

Now let us gather together some suggestive
spiritual lessons from the details of the vision.

First, The position of the candlestick in the
midst of the two olive trees sets forth as clearlv
as a symbol can the abiding of the believer in
Christ. Even in the Old Testament this truth
was foreshadowed. Thus, the opening verse of
the ninety-first Psalm declares that "He that
dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High
shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty."
This is the deep spiritual teaching of the alle-
gory of the vine and the branches. Paul told
the Athenians that "in Him we live and move

Quiet Hour Talks 143

and have our being." A line of a modern hymn
runs : "God is our home, forever," a para-
phrase of the opening statement of the nine-
tieth Psalm, "Lord, Thou hast been our dwell-
ing place in all generations." Surely, this vi-
sion most beautifully symbolizes the perma-
nence and security of that life of the believer
which is "hid with Christ in God."

Second, The union of the believer with
Christ is a living union. This is set forth in the
connecting branches and pipes. Organically
and vitally we are one with Christ. "He that is
joined to the Lord is one Spirit" — this express-
es our spiritual oneness with Him. "We have
the mind of Christ." "Let this mind be in you
which was also in Christ Jesus" — these verses
express our mental or intellectual oneness with
Christ. "The Lord is for the body, and the body
for the Lord." "We are members of His body,
of His flesh and of His bones" — these verses
express our physical oneness with Christ. Our
Lord is the Source of our life and as we are
vitally one with Him through the Spirit we
may draw from Him, as our risen Head, the
supply of every need for spirit, soul and body.

144 The Still Small Voice

Third, That which vitally connects us with
Christ is the Holy Spirit who indwells us.
Christ is in heaven and we are upon earth.
But the Holy Spirit not only makes Him real
to our consciousness, but puts us in touch with
Him. This truth is set forth by the oil which
is always a symbol of the Holy Spirit. More-
over, this spiritual oneness is disclosed in the
fact that the fruit of the tree is the fuel of the
lamp.

Fourth, Because our union with Christ is
permanent, our communion may be constant.
There was no interruption in the flow of the oil
from the trees to the reservoir. The flame was
not intermittent but constant. The commun-
ion of believers in Christ is often interrupted
and broken ; and the consciousness of their fel-
lowship is intermittent. This need not and
should not be so. Recognition of the perma-
nence of our union with Christ and of the
privilege of unbroken fellowship will help to
maintain an attitude and a habit of conscious
and blessed communion.

Fifth, The candlestick burned brightly, not
through any efforts of its own, but simply by

Quiet Hour Talks 145

receiving the oil from the olive trees. Its light
was fed from a source outside of itself. This is
true of us. Christ is our Life. Jesus said,
"Without Me ye can do nothing." Self effort
interferes with God's working.

Sixth, While the source was inexhaustible
yet the seven branches received just enough
oil to keep the light burning. Toq great a sup-
ply would have been as bad as too little. So
the Lord regulates the supply of His grace to
our need. The promise is, "As thy day so
shall thy strength be." Christ taught us to
pray, "Give us this day our daily bread."

Seventh, By the mechanism of the vision the
supply of oil was kept fresh and new. There
was nothing stale or old about it all. Thus our
spiritual manna falls on the morning dew so
that we may gather it fresh and new for our
strength and nourishment.

THE THREE R'S

"Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead
indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus
Christ our Lord" (Rom. vi. n).

"Rest in the Lord" (Psalm xxxvii. 7).

"Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again, I say,
rejoice" (Phil. iv. 4).

THERE is such a thing as an open secret.
Paul tells us one in Philippians. He
says, "Everywhere and in all things I
have learned the secret (R.V.), both to be full
and to be hungry, both to abound and to suf-
fer need. I can do all things through Christ
which strengtheneth me" (Phil. iv. 12, 13).
The secret that Paul reveals to us is that be-
cause Christ dwells within him, he is content
under all conditions ; in abasement and in ex-
altation ; in fulness and in hunger ; in satisfac-
tion and in need.

There is an open secret which I have learned
and which I desire to pass on to others that
they too may enjoy the blessings which its pos-
session brings. It is the secret of the three

Quiet Hour Talks 147

R's : not the three R's of secular education,
"reading, 'riting and 'rithmetic" ; but the three
R's of spiritual education — reckon, rest and re-
joice. Like the three legs of a stool, these three
things will give firm support for a satisfactory
Christian experience. If one be lacking the
spiritual life will be unsteady.

First, Reckon.

After having unfolded in the sixth chapter of
Romans under the symbol of baptism the be-
liever's death and resurrection with Christ,
Paul gives in the eleventh verse the secret of
the practical realization of this glorious truth.
This is the principle of reckoning. "Likewise
reckon ye yourselves to be dead indeed unto
sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ
our Lord." In the Greek the same word is
used in James i. 2 : "My brethren, count it all
joy when ye fall into divers temptations."
"Reckon" or "count," in the New Testament, is
a word that expresses not a state of feeling, but
an attitude of faith. In its signification and us-
age there is absolutely no idea of emotion; it
is a mathematical term, denoting a cold calcu-
lating operation of the reasoning faculty. It

148 The Still Small Voice

expresses an estimate based on facts and not a
conclusion founded on feeling. When a mer-
chant balances his books, he reckons upon the
result ; for figures cannot lie.

The regulating principle of Christian life fs
an attitude and habit of reckoning. For exam-
ple, take one instance of the use of the word
"reckon" or "count." James says, "Count it all
joy when ye fall into divers temptations." Let
us see justwhat this means. Take a sheet of pa-
per and instead of counting up your blessings
write down all your trials. Make a complete
list of all your "fightings without and fears
within." Don't leave anything out — doubts,
temptations, misunderstanding, and misrepre-
sentations, persecutions (if you can scare up
any), the seductions of the world, the flesh
and the devil, injuries real or fancied, sick-
ness, discouragement, separations, bereave-
ments— put them all down. Now draw a line
and add up the column. What a dark picture
your eye runs over, doesn't it ? Well, what to-
tal do you get? "All Joy." No, no; not all
sorrow, or all discouragement or all failure;
but all joy. That is God's total. He says,

Quiet Hour Talks 149

"Count it all joy." That is, set it down to your
account as all joy. Never mind the feeling
nor the appearances of things. Thus, reckon-
ing or counting is simply saying "Amen" to
what God says is true. Now, if it is all joy
what then is to be done? Why, of course be-
gin to sing and praise the Lord and He will
soon make "faith's reckonings glorious reali-
ties."

Reckoning is the pole star of our walk with
God. When the sky is overcast and the sun
does not shine by day nor the stars by night,
the mariner with chart and compass plots the
course of his ship by dead reckoning. Then
when the sky clears he verifies his dead reckon-
ing by his instruments. So when the spiritual
sky is overcast and feeling seems to die in the
heart, the believer must steadily pursue his
heavenly course by the dead reckoning of faith.
Then when the sunlight of God once more
bursts upon the soul he will find that the rud-
der of faith has kept his bark on the right
course. Thus, his feelings will confirm his
faith and teach him more and more not to

150 The Still Small Voice

sail by fluctuating emotions but by the inflexi-
ble principle of faith.

Second, Rest.

There is a divine order in these three words.
After reckoning comes rest. Rest is just an-
other name for trust. Reckoning and resting
supplement each other. If one is resting in the
Lord he may be sure that he is reckoning on
His word; and if one is reckoning on the di-
vine word, he may be sure that he is resting
in God. There is no rest without reckoning,
and there is no reckoning without resting; for
reckoning is faith ; and rest is trust ; and faith
and trust always go together. The presence of
the one may be tested by the presence of the
other.

While inseparable, yet reckoning and resting
are not identical. It is not uncommon, how-
ever, for a Christian to fancy that he is trusting
the Lord when the evidence of faith is con-
spicuously absent from his life. Indeed, it is
one of the delusions of the adversary to make
one think that he is believing God while all the
time the lack of the spirit of trust is manifest
in his life. On the other hand, one may easily

Quiet Hour Talks 151

persuade himself that he is trusting God when
a spirit of doubt really controls his actions.
For this reason we emphasize rest as well as
reckoning as the secret of a victorious Chris-
tian life. The word "rest" in the Scriptures may
often be rendered "wait upon," or "be silent
unto/' God. It is a spirit of quiet confidence and
undisturbed serenity of heart and mind. Perhaps
an illustration will bring out its meaning into
clearness. You have an estate to be settled and
you seek the services of a competent lawyer.
Two steps are necessary for you to take before
he can successfully look after your interests.
First, you must commit your case entirely into
his hands. Secondly, you must trust him im-
plicitly, content to leave everything to his care.
The first step we may call reckoning ; you show
your faith in the lawyer by engaging his ser-
vices. The second step we may call rest ; you
manifest your confidence in your legal adviser
by trusting him. To extend the illustration,
suppose now you should manifest anxiety af-
ter having committed your interests to the law-
yer. You begin to be anxious about the matter
and find yourself worrying whether after all

152 The Still Small Voice

he is going to do the right thing by you. If
you expressed your fears to the lawyer himself
he would certainly be justified in giving up the
case. Business cannot be transacted without
mutual confidence. So when you commit any-
thing to the Lord you must not only believe
that he undertakes the matter in hand but
you must trust Him ; you must rest as well as
reckon. Worry and trust mutually destroy
each other; uneasiness of heart or mind is in-
compatible with rest. Guard well then against
any spirit of disquiet or restlessness. Doubt
is the hammer that drives the entering wedge
of worry. With the loss of trust faith will be
destroyed.

Third, Rejoice.

Joy is the crowning word of this series. Re-
joicing is the fruit of reckoning and resting.
If we have reckoned on God's faithfulness and
are resting in His word surely we shall re-
joice in the Lord. "Rejoice in the Lord
alway: and again, I say rejoice." Joy is the
barometer of the believer's experience. Low
pressure indicates a barren and wintry state of
the heart ; while high pressure indicates tropic-

Quiet Hour Talks 153

al luxuriance of "the love life of the Lord."
Both the Old and New Testaments emphasize
the necessity of joy. 'The joy of the Lord is
your strength." "These things have I spoken
unto you that my joy might remain in you and
that your joy might be full." Happiness and
joy are not the same. Happiness is conditioned
upon circumstances, but joy is independent of
external surroundings. Happiness is a hu-
man product; joy is a divine fruit, even the
fruit of the Spirit. Joy is not always spon-
taneous. It is a gift of God. Just as God drew
water from the rock at Rephidim so He can
cause joy to spring up and abound.

But joy is not only the result of reckoning
and resting, it may also be the cause of faith
and trust. Joy is seed as well as fruit. Rejoic-
ing is a congenial atmosphere for faith and
trust. In other words, if one will persistently
cultivate a spirit of rejoicing under all cir-
cumstances, he will find it easy to believe God,
while trust will spring up spontaneously in his
heart. In fact, any one of these three things
will produce the other two; but perhaps the

154 The Still Small Voice

shortest cut to faith and trust is through the
persistent cultivation of a spirit of joy.

Reckoning, resting and rejoicing — what a
beautiful trinity of Christian graces ! How
simple they are ! How easy to obtain and yet
how glorious their results in character and in
conduct. Beloved, learn this secret of the
three R's, and pass it on to others.

TWO OMNIPOTENT FORCES

"For with God all things are possible" (Mark x.
27).

"All things are possible to him that believeth"
(Mark ix. 23).

THESE verses tell us of two omnipotent
forces, — the power of God and the faith
of the believer.

In some ways the power of God is absolute,
and in other ways it is conditioned by faith. In
the work of creation and redemption the om-
nipotent power of God is absolute. Before
man was created God brought the heavens and
the earth into existence and upheld and pre-
served the orderly course of nature. Moreover,
in redemption God wrought wholly independ-
ent of man. We read that the Lamb of God
was slain before the foundation of the world.
Faith had no part in the work of God in crea-
tion, nor in the work of Christ in redemption.

In the realm of grace the power of God is
conditioned by faith. In the Gospels we are
told that in some cities Christ could not do

156 The Still Small Voice

many mighty works because of unbelief. In-
deed, in many instances He made faith the
condition of receiving His healing power.
Thus, to the poor distracted father at the foot
of Hermon Jesus said, "If thou canst believe
all things are possible to him that believeth."
The man had just made a pitiful appeal to the
Master : "If Thou canst do anything have com-
passion on us and help us." In His reply
Christ virtually said : It is not a question of
My power but of your faith; thus clearly
showing that the manifestation of divine power
in the realm of grace is conditioned by faith.
In the ministry of the apostles we see the
same vital relation between God's power and
man's faith. Thus at Lystra before Paul re-
stored the impotent man we are told that the
apostle looking upon him perceived that he had
faith to be healed. Here then we see the om-
nipotence of faith; it is omnipotent not in it-
self, but in its vital connection with the om-
nipotent power of God. In one aspect faith is
all weakness, in another aspect it is all strength.
Considered alone faith is impotent; considered
in living relation to the power of God it is om-

Quiet Hour Talks 157

nipotent. As an end in itself faith is nothing.
As a means to an end it is everything. Thus,
the weakness and strength of faith is the weak-
ness and strength of a condition. Take one or
two illustrations of this truth. A coil of cop-
per wire has of course a certain commercial
value, but taken by itself it is practically use-
less. But if properly strung and insulated it
becomes an electric conductor over which mes-
sages may be sent thousands of miles. So
faith is the connecting wire which attaches
our hearts to the throne of God. It is nothing
save as it is the means by which the divine life
and power touch our lives. Again, up in the
hills is a clear sparkling spring. Down in a
farmyard in the valley is a gushing stream of
cool sweet water. How does the water from the
spring get to the farmyard? A pipe has been
laid which conducts it thither. The pipe itself
is of little value but becomes all important as
the channel through which the water flows. So
faith is the channel through which the springs
of God pour their living water into the valley
of human need.

Several years ago the government blew up

158 The Still Small Voice

the rocks in Hell Gate in the East River that
had been so long a menace to navigation. The
work was entrusted to General Newton. For
months the submarine rocks were drilled and
charged with dynamite. Wires were strung
from each charge to the shore and there con-
nected with General Newton's office. In the
office was a little button by the pressure of
which the rocks would be blown up. The ex-
plosion was set for a given day. A notification
was printed in all the newspapers directing the
factories, stores and houses for miles around
to have all windows fastened securely, and to
have glassware and all other easily breakable
articles put safely away. At the appointed time
a representative company gathered in General
Newton's office. A whole city breathed expect-
antly. One of the most gigantic engineering
feats of the century was about to be accom-
plished. At a given signal General Newton's lit-
tle four year old daughter stretched forth her
tiny hand, and gently pressed the electric but-
ton. A terrific explosion followed which shook
Greater New York from center to circumfer-
ence. A mammoth column of water and gi-

Quiet Hour Talks 159

gantic rocks were thrown hundreds of feet in
the air. The work was completely successful
and the channel at Hell Gate was open. Tiny
baby fingers had set free the awful power of
dynamite which had done the work. So faith
is the baby fingers that puts into operation the
forces of God's omnipotence. Faith, so to
speak, presses the button ; God does the rest.

The possibilities of faith are as infinite as
God Himself. A little key has been put into
our hands that will unlock all the treasures of
the universe. The air was full of electricity
before Franklin's time, but no one knew how to
utilize it until he brought it down to earth by
the simple means of flying a kite with a wire
and a key. Many believers are like people
famishing in the midst of plenty. They have
not discovered nor are they making use of the
omnipotence of faith. Faith is the key to the
possession of our full inheritance in Christ.
Faith reinforced by prayer is the secret of "the
evangelization of the world in the present gen-
eration." Faith brings the supply of every
need for body, soul and spirit. Again, faith is
the measure of blessing. Christ's standard was,

160 The Still Small Voice

"According to your faith be it unto you." This
refers not to the quantity but to the quality of
faith. It doesn't take a bonfire to blow up a
powder magazine ; a spark is sufficient. Christ
taught that faith as a grain of mustard was
enough to remove a mountain, and uproot a
tree. The mustard seed is small, but it is a liv-
ing germ ; so faith may be small but it must be
unmixed with doubt. A grain of doubt de-
stroys faith just as a scratch on the back of a
mirror ruins it.

Beloved, such an omnipotent power put into
our hands by God entails a commensurate re-
sponsibility for its use. The exercise of faith
is not only a glorious privilege, it is a solemn
duty. The greatest sin is unbelief. If we do
not use this lever of faith in God for the spir-
itual uplifting not only of our own lives but of
other lives bound to us by the ties of blood
and of common service in the Gospel of Christ,
we shall be like the man who hid his talent in a
napkin and shall deserve and receive his pun-
ishment.

There is encouragement for all in the fact
that faith is the srift of God. It is not a natur-

Quiet Hour Talks 161

al endowment which only the favored few may
enjoy. It is one of the fruits of the Spirit. The
fact that faith is divine is the explanation of its
omnipotence. Anything God-given partakes of
the nature of God. Faith is just one of the
manifestations of God in the soul. Again,
the fact that faith is divine explains our re-
sponsibility for possessing and using it. If
we have not the faith of God it must be because
we have not asked God to confer this divine
gift upon us. If we are not exercising the
faith that God has given it must be because wre
have failed to realize that God's command-
ments are enablements.

PREPARATIONS OF GRACE

"The Lord God hath given me the tongue of the
learned, that I should know how to speak a word in
season to him that is weary : he wakeneth morning by
morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learn-
ed. The Lord God hath opened mine ear, and I was
not rebellious, neither turned away back" (Isa. 1. 4,
5).

THIS is one of those passages in the pro-
phetical books of the Old Testament which
commentators are at loss whether to re-
fer to the prophets themselves or to the Lord
Jesus Christ. However, our purpose does not
require us to touch this question, for we are
concerned not with the primary meaning of
this passage nor with its typical import, but
rather with its spiritual application to believers.
These verses tell us of five prepared things, —
preparations of grace, they may be called.
They are: the prepared soil, the prepared
seed, the prepared tongue, the prepared ear and
the prepared heart.

First, The prepared soil.

It is a familiar figure to compare the hu-

Quiet Hour Talks 163

man heart to soil. Jesus does this in the par-
able of the sower. The expression "him that
is weary" is the phrase in verse four which
we take as the prepared soil. It is a beautiful
and suggestive phrase. The word translated
"weary" means also "weak" or "faint." The
world is full of faint and weary hearts, hungry
for the bread of life. Glance over a congrega-
tion assembled in the average church on a
Sunday morning and see what spiritual hun-
ger is depicted in their faces. Gaze at your
fellow passengers in the street or ferry boat
and notice what suffering and dissatisfied faces
they have. Then look at the darkened and even
desperate faces of the heathen world. Every-
where are fainting and weary hearts. Of
course this condition of spiritual hunger is
not always recognized. Men follow the mad
pursuit of wealth. Women enter the giddy
world of society. Theaters are filled and
pleasure resorts of all kinds are thronged. The
face of the world is light and gay, but its heart
is heavy and sad. Then again, God is specially
preparing many hearts to receive the good
seed of the Gospel. Sorrow and suffering are

164 The Still Small Voice

wasting many lives. Business reverses and
domestic bereavements are saddening many
homes. God is breaking up the fallow ground.
The soil is being softened by tears of sorrow.
All around us are hungry hearts.

Second, The prepared seed.

The Word of God is likened to seed. But
there is seed and seed. One kind of seed
will mature in one soil while another kind of
seed will thrive best in different ground. In
verse four the phrase which we call the pre-
pared seed is "a word in season." In the Re-
vised Version this word is said to "sustain"
him that is weary. The whole Word of God
is seed, but its various parts are adapted to
different purposes. This fourth verse gives
a good definition of what is often spoken of as
a message. A message is "a word in season.*'
It is the truth of God applied to the present
need of the hearer. There are seeds in the
Word of God adapted to all kinds of soil.
There are messages applicable to "all classes
and conditions of men." For the impenitent
there is a word of warning and judgment. For
the sinner there is a word of salvation. For

Quiet Hour Talks 165

the distracted there is a word of peace. For
the sorrowful there is a message of joy. For
the weak there is a word of strength. For the
embittered there is a message of divine love.

Third, The prepared tongue.

After the soil has been prepared and the
right seed selected the sower must do his
work. The seed must be scattered. In this
case the sower is the tongue. The Lord must
prepare the tongue to speak the word in sea-
son to him that is weary. In the Epistle of
James we learn the power of the tongue for
good or for evil. It is a little member, yet it
may be set on fire of hell. By nature the
tongue is the spokesman of the evil heart
and is the fountain of cursing and wickedness.
The tongue needs to be converted and sancti-
fied in order that it may speak the words of
blessing and goodness. What grace can do for
the tongue is seen in the fact that God has
chosen this little member as the means of the
evangelization of the world. The cloven
tongues at Pentecost were the symbol of the
human tongue tipped with the fire of the Holy
Ghost.

166 The Still Small Voice

But the tongue not only needs conversion;
it needs discipline and training. We read that
the Lord God hath given me "the tongue of
the learned" ("the instructed," R. V.) ; the
tongue has to learn how to speak a word in
season. An illustration of this fact is the way
a baby has to learn to talk. Slowly he learns
the meaning of words and acquires the art
of putting words together in sentences. An-
other illustration is the slow and often painful
process by which one learns a foreign language.
So the Lord has to teach us to speak the words
of life. The language of Canaan is not nat-
ural to the tongue. Again, how prone we
are to speak our own words. The language of
ambition, of self-seeking, of man's wisdom
presses upon us for utterance. But we have to
die to all this. We have to learn, like John the
Baptist, to be simply a voice, content to let
the Lord articulate that voice with the words
which the Holy Ghost teacheth. We must
learn by much discipline and training to let
our own messages die no matter how beauti-
ful and eloquent they may seem, and be will-
ing to speak "the word in season" which God

Quiet Hour Talks 167

will surely give if we will patiently wait for
it.

Fourth, The prepared ear.

Back of the tongue that speaks the word in
season is the ear that receives it from God. So,
in the next place the ear must be prepared
to hear aright. What a beautiful expression,
"He wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learn-
ed. " The ear has been filled with the wax of
heedlessness and indifference; and now God
has to bore out the ear so that the sense of
spiritual hearing will be acute and sensitive.
The physical sense of hearing must be edu-
cated. The musician needs a trained ear just
as an artist needs a trained eye. The finer
discrimination of tones and colors comes only
after patient discipline. In the same way the
ear of the believer must be trained to distin-
guish the voice of the Lord. The soil may
be prepared and the seed at hand and the sow-
er ready to scatter it; but he may not know
the right seed for the right soil. In like man-
ner, the believer may be ready to speak God's
message to weary hearts, but he may not know
just what that message is. The right message

168 The Still Small Voice

is received by the prepared ear. When the Lord
first spoke to Samuel in the night he did not
know His voice and ran to Eli to find out
what to do. Often God speaks to us, but we
do not know His voice. We have not got the
ear of the learned. This verse tells us that
God wakes us in the early morning and speaks
to us. Sometimes we find ourselves awake
at an unusually early hour. We immediately
begin to wonder what the matter is and are
apt to chafe a little in our spirit over the
prospect of the loss of an hour or two of sleep.
We try again and again to fall asleep and toss
around restlessly until our usual hour for get-
ting up. Beloved, has it occurred to you that
it is God that often thus awakens us that He
may whisper His heart messages in our inner
ear? Our days are so filled with work that
we do not make time to get alone with God,
so He wakes us up early for communion and
prayer. Oh, how much we lose at such times
by restless tossing on our beds and by chafing
in our spirit over losing a little sleep. The
next time you have this experience get very
quiet; look up into the face of your heavenly

Quiet Hour Talks 169

Father and say with little Samuel, "Speak,
Lord, for Thy servant heareth." This is the
way and the only way to get the prepared
ear.

Fifth, The prepared heart.

The last preparation of grace mentioned in
this passage is the prepared heart. "When the
Lord opened mine ear I was not rebellious,
neither turned away back." It is true that
the word heart does not occur, but rebellious-
ness and turning backwards can only be spoken
of the heart and the will. Even back of the
ear is the heart that needs to be controlled by
God. The soil, the seed, the tongue and the
ear may all be prepared, but if the heart be
rebellious the grace of God is frustrated. What
a beautiful series these five preparations of
grace form. And the wonderful thing about
them is that we may run them either back-
wards or forwards. One direction will be the
divine method of working, and the other di-
rection will be the human method of working.
These verses begin with the soil and work
back to the yielded spirit. This is the human
method which works from without toward

170 The Still Small Voice

the center. But God starts at the center and
works outward. So He begins by preparing
our hearts. When the heart is prepared He
can reach the ear; when the ear is prepared
He can reach the tongue; when the tongue is
prepared He can give the message; and when
the message is received He can sustain through
us him that is weary.

INWROUGHT AND OUTWROUGHT
PRAYER

"The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man
availeth much" (James v. 16).

THIS verse tells us three things about
prayer :
The kind of man God hears,

The kind of prayer God answers,

The kind of answer God gives.

Elijah is set forth as the divine illustration of
this verse; consequently, let us turn to his life
for light upon these points.

First, The kind of man God hears.

There are two expressions which describe
the character of the man God hears, when he
prays ; these are "of like passions" and "right-
eous."

Elijah we are told was a man of like pas-
sions with us. The word "passions" is not
to be understood in the sense of lusts; it sig-
nifies rather "nature," as the marginal reading
gives it. The meaning is that Elijah was not

172 The Still Small Voice

an angel nor a saint as the word is commonly
used ; he was a man intensely human, and sub-
ject to the frailties and infirmities of the race.
In a word, he was a man just as we are. Re-
call the character of Elijah and observe how
like us he was. He was a rugged man by na-
ture and by habit, a child of the desert, a verita-
ble Bedouin courier and scout. He was cap-
able alike of fiery indignation and of almost wo-
manly tenderness. In his zeal for Jehovah he
rebuked king Ahab for his wicked reign and
slew at Mount Carmel four hundred and fifty
prophets of Baal; yet he became frightened
at the threat of Queen Jezebel and "ran away
from a woman." He became discouraged;
and, lying under a juniper tree in the desert,
wished that he might die. Poor Elijah ! How
much like us he was ! At how many points
he touched our common life.

Again, Elijah was a righteous man. There
are places in the New Testament where the
word "righteous" is equal to "perfect" ; as for
example, "Be ye perfect even as your Father
which is in heaven is perfect." Here, how-
ever, the word means "upright," "sincere,"

Quiet Hour Talks 173

"true." We know this partly because the
word occurs in the Epistle of James. James
is the apostle of practical righteousness ;
he does not make fine ethical distinc-
tions like Paul. For another reason we
know that "righteous" here means sincere and
upright because it has an Old Testament ap-
plication, and uniformly throughout the Old
Testament the word "righteous" does not signi-
fy moral perfection. Thus God said to Abra-
ham, "Walk before Me and be thou perfect"
(Gen. xvii. I ) . Abraham had been zig-zagging ;
now the Lord wanted him to walk straight; not
to wobble, but stand upright. Elijah was a man
of like passions with us, but he was righteous.
He was a sincere, upright, true-hearted man.
He loved God and like Caleb of old followed
Him wholly. With all his frailties and in-
firmities, however, Elijah's spirit pointed God-
ward, just as the needle points toward the pole.
He delivered God's messages without fear or
hesitation. He rebuked sin and pronounced
judgment in high places. When the whole
nation was going after Baal he thought that
he alone stood true to Jehovah. Faithful Eli-

174 The Still Small Voice

jahl As he was like us in his nature, so
may we be like him in his devotion.

Beloved, this is the kind of man God hears.
He does not expect us to be angels or saints.
But he does expect us to be upright, sincere
and true. Those whom God accepts are men
and women living on the ordinary plane of
life with frailties and infirmities. This just
means you and me ; but we must be righteous.
If we regard iniquity in our hearts the Lord
will not hear us. We must put away all known
sin from our hearts. We must not indulge in
things questionable or doubtful lest our pray-
ers be hindered. We must live void of offense
toward God and man.

Second, The kind of prayer God answers.

This verse also gives us the character of the
prayer God answers. The Authorized Ver-
sion describes it as "the effectual, fervent
prayer." The Revised Version renders it quite
differently, — "The supplication of a righteous
man availeth much in its working/3 The Greek
word of which these are translations comes
from a root which gives us our English words
"energy," "energetic," "energized." Literally,

Quiet Hour Talks 175

then, we might read, "The energized prayer of
a righteous man availeth much." Breaking up
this expression "energized prayer" we find
two thoughts underlying it. An energized pray-
er is a prayer that is first inwr ought by the
Holy Spirit and then outwrought by the same
Spirit. In a word, then, the prayer that God
answers is first put into our hearts by the
Spirit, and then prayed out through our
hearts by the Spirit. Elijah on Mount Carmel
furnishes an illustration of this kind of pray-
er. After the slaughter of the prophets of
Baal the prophet said to Ahab, "Get thee up,
eat and drink, for there is the sound of abun-
dance of rain" (I. Kings xviii. 41). Whence
came the sound of abundance of rain? The
earth beneath was withered and parched. The
burning sun beat down fiercely from a cloud-
less sky. Not a breath of air was stirring.
How did the prophet get the sound of rain?
Why, the rain was falling in his heart. The
sound of the windstorm fell upon his inner
ear. The time for the rain had come; and
the Lord had put it into His servant's heart

176 The Still Small Voice

to pray. The prayer for rain was being in-
wrought in Elijah's spirit.

But now notice the next step. "And Elijah
went up to the top of Carmel; and he bowed
himself down to the earth and he put his face
between his knees." What does this mean?
Why, this is the next stage of the prayer.
This was the outworking on his knees of the
prayer that God had already put in his heart.
The attitude is expressive of intensity and
earnestness. James tells us that Elijah "prayed
earnestly." The literal rendering is, "He prayed
a prayer." See the prophet on his knees. He is
wrestling with God. His mind is exalted to a
high pitch. His physical frame is tense with
deep emotion. Ah, the Spirit of God is pray-
ing out through him the prayer that has been
laid upon his heart. Seven times he sends
his servant to look out over the sea, and
seven times he closes in with God in an agony
of prayer. At last the lad reports the appear-
ance of a little cloud, arising out of the sea,
like a man's hand. It is enough. The answer
has come. It is time for action.

Beloved, the kind of prayer that God an-

Quiet Hour Talks 177

swers must be first inwrought and then out-
wrought by the Holy Ghost. God lays upon
your heart some burden, and as one has re-
cently said the answer to prayer is in the bur-
den itself. In a strange way the Lord puts
upon your heart the conversion of some soul,
the need of some saint under pressure of se-
vere trial, or the lost condition of the heathen
world. This is the first stage of prayer, a
prayer inwrought by the Holy Ghost. This
burden is not of your own choice and you can-
not get out from under it, try as you will.
Now, you have to pray the matter through to
victory. Like a fever that has gotten into the
system the thing has to work itself out. You
may say, if the Lord puts the burden of prayer
upon the heart and the assurance of the an-
swer is in the burden, what is the need of
praying about it; will not the answer come
anyway ? Although this is a profound mystery
it touches the very philosophy of prayer. It
is just because the Lord puts the burden on
your heart with the assurance of the answer
that you have to pray. Prayer doesn't make
God more willing to answer ; nor does it make

178 The Still Small Voice

the answer more certain. But by divine ap-
pointment it is a necessary process in getting
things from God. It is by prayer that our
own hearts are prepared to receive the answer.
By prayer difficulties are overcome and obsta-
cles removed. Undoubtedly, prayer in some
mysterious way enables God to send the an-
swer. Consequently the outwrought prayer
is as necessary as the inwrought prayer. Eli-
jah's praying seven times on Mount Carmel
does not mean that we are to pray exactly sev-
en times or seventy-seven times. Of course
seven is the number of perfection ; and the fact
that Elijah prayed seven times simply teaches
us that we are to keep on praying till God re-
moves the burden and gives us the victory.
Never mind delays; they simply try our faith
and develop our patience. When the Lord
thus puts the spirit of prayer in your hearts
just take hold of the horns of the altar and
resolve to hang on till something gives way.
Say with Jacob, "I will not let Thee go except
Thou bless me." When you get so you can
say that j the victory will soon be yours.
Elijah knew when to cease praying and be-

Quiet Hour Talks 179

gin acting. He did not wait for the storm
clouds to fill the sky and the rain to fall in
torrents. As soon as he saw the cloud like a
man's hand arising out of the sea he began
to give directions to Ahab for protection from
the coming storm. The time for praying had
ceased; the time for action had come. So we
must recognize the place of praise as well as
the place of prayer. There is a point beyond
which supplication may be said to hinder the
answer, for it is evidence of unbelief. This
point is reached when God rolls away the bur-
den of prayer from our hearts and implants
the conviction that He has heard and answered.
After that, the spirit of praise and thanksgiv-
ing is the surest evidence of faith and the quick-
est method of realizing the full answer to our
prayers. Beloved, learn to recognize the an-
swers to your prayers in your spirit rather
than in your circumstances. Don't wait for
appearances to confirm God's word. Remem-
ber that the little cloud means a thunder storm.
And the spirit of joy and praise means that
God is working out in your life the full victory.
"He giveth songs in the night."

180 The Still Small Voice

Third , The kind of answer God gives.

In James we read, "The heaven gave rain
and the earth brought forth her fruit." Heav-
en and earth comprise the universe. May not
the meaning be that when a righteous man
prays in the Spirit the answer that God sends
touches the universe? Not only is the imme-
diate need of the man himself supplied, but
forces are set in operation which cause streams
of blessing to flow to the whole world. But
may not the meaning also be that to answer
prayer which He Himself has inspired the
Lord will lay under tribute the resources of
His omnipotence? The power of heaven and
earth is at the disposal of a saint on his knees.
The fertility of the earth and the wind and rain
of heaven are under God's control.

Some years ago a western city was visited
by a cyclone. It was Sunday afternoon and
the superintendent of a Sunday school was
sitting on his piazza with his three motherless
children. He saw the sky blackened and rec-
ognized that his home was directly in the path
of the storm. Quickly kneeling with his chil-
dren he prayed the God of the winds to spare

Quiet Hour Talks 181

their lives. His prayer was answered. It was
found the next day that within three blocks
of this godly man's home, the path of the cy-
clone had changed. Nay, God Himself had
diverted the cyclone. Surely in this case the
prayer of a righteous man had availed much.
The God of Elijah is still our God; but it
takes Elijah's faith to call forth His power.

LIGHT IN DARKNESS

"Who is among you that feareth Jehovah, that
obeyeth the voice of His servant? He that walketh
in darkness and hath no light, let him trust in the
name of Jehovah and rely upon his God" (Isa. 1. 10,
R.V.).

WHAT shall the believer do in times of
darkness? To many this will sound
like a strange question. It will be
asked, "Has the believer anything to do with
darkness?" Is it not written, "God is Light
and in Him is no darkness at all" ? Moreover,
Jesus said, "I am the Light of the world; he
that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness,
but shall have the light of life." Surely, such
Scriptural statements as these seem to settle
the matter. Yes, they do ; so far at least as the
darkness of sin and unbelief is concerned. If
such darkness overtake the believer, it is be-
cause he is out of the will of God. But the
darkness spoken of in this verse is not the
darkness of doubt or sin. It is rather the
darkness of ignorance and uncertainty; the

Quiet Hour Talks 183

darkness of perplexity and confusion, not of
heart but of mind. In this sense of the word
times of darkness come to the faithful and
believing disciple who is walking obediently
in the will of God; seasons when he does not
know what to do, nor which way to turn. Lit-
erally, the word "darkness" means "dark plac-
es." For every Christian at times the spiritual
sky is overcast with clouds. The clear light of
heaven does not shine upon his pathway. One
feels as if he were groping his way in the
darkness.

We may be certain that the darkness referred
to in our text is not the darkness of doubt and
disobedience, because of the character of the
man who has this experience. "Who is among
you that feareth Jehovah, that obeyeth the
voice of His servant?" The expression "among
you" refers, of course, to the people of God.
The man is not outside but inside the house-
hold of faith. He is said to "fear" the Lord.
In the Old Testament the word "fear" comes
to mean very much the same as "love" in the
New Testament. It is not the slavish fear of ter-
ror and bondage, but the godly fear of confi-

184 The Still Small Voice

dence and freedom. Moreover, this man is said
to obey the voice of "Jehovah's servant." Jeho-
vah's servant is, of course, Christ. The word
"obey" may be rendered "hearken." This, then,
is the character of the man that is walking in
dark places, that is in trouble, and that has no
light. He loves God sincerely, and obeys Him
implicitly.

Beloved, is not this you? While you may
not be willing to profess to be on a plane of
Christian experience, yet, if you are God's child
at all, you must love Him sincerely and obey
His voice implicitly. It is to you, then, that
this verse declares times of darkness will come.
Indeed, no believer lives without them. Joseph
got into a dark place in Pharaoh's prison. Mo-
ses must have found dark places in the wilder-
ness during his forty years' sojourn there. The
psalms abound in allusions to similar exper-
iences. David often got into a tight place, but
the Lord always helped him out again. Paul
was often put into hard straits, and he assures
us that we shall have them too. Listen to him,
"We are pressed on every side, yet not strait-
ened ; perplexed yet not unto despair ; pursued

Quiet Hour Talks 185

yet not forsaken; smitten down, yet not de-
stroyed (II. Cor. iv. 8, 9, R.V.).

But what shall the believer do in times of
darkness ; listen : "Let him trust in the name
of the Lord and rely upon his God."

First, Let him trust in the name of the Lord.

The first thing to do is to do nothing; just
trust. This is a hard thing for poor human
nature to do. Out on the western plains there
is a familiar saying which runs on this wise,
"When you're rattled, don't rush." Josh Bil-
lings used to say, "When you don't know what
to do, don't do it." These homely sayings just
hit the nail on the head. The believer who has
no light surely does not know what to do;
therefore he should do nothing. "Let him trust
in the name of the Lord." See that steamer
as she runs her nose into a fog bank. The
captain knows it would be dangerous to go
ahead, full steam. So he slows down, and
at regular intervals blows the whistle or fog
horn. Beloved, when you run into a spirit-
ual fog bank, don't tear ahead; slow down
the machinery of your life. If necessary, an-
chor your bark or let it swing at its moorings.

186 The Still Small Voice

You remember when Paul was shipwrecked on
his way to Rome we are told that the sailors
cast four anchors out of the ship, and wished
for the day. Now that is what trusting means.
"The name of the Lord" just means the Lord
Himself; the name stands for the nature and
for the person who bears it. The word trans-
lated "trust" may also be rendered "confi-
dence." Confidence is a hopeful trust. It is
not a blind, passive submission to a hopeless
state of things, but rather a confident expecta-
tion that everything will soon be made right.

Now, why do you suppose this advice is
given? For the simple reason that while we
trust God can work. Worry prevents Him
from doing anything for us. If our minds are
distracted and our hearts are distressed ; if the
darkness that overshadows us strikes terror to
us ; if we run hither and yon in a vain effort to
find some way of escape out of a dark place of
trial, where divine providence has put us, the
Lord can do nothing for us. The peace of
God must quiet our minds and rest our hearts.
We must put our hand in the hand of God and

Quiet Hour Talks 187

like a little child let Him lead us out into the
bright sunshine of His love and blessing.

Second, Let him rely upon his God.

The next thing to do when you get into a
dark place of trouble or sorrow is to rely upon
God. To rely upon God is very much the same
as to trust Him ; yet there is a difference. The
word "rely" may be translated "stayed" : "Let
him stay upon his God" (A.V.). The figure is
that of leaning upon some one for strength or
support. Trust in God gives you rest, but reli-
ance upon God gives you strength. Trust pre-
cedes reliance ; and until you trust, God can do
nothing for you. Trust in God makes you
quiet and restful even when you cannot under-
stand things. Reliance upon God gives you
the assurance not only that God understands
the situation, but that He is working out your
deliverance every moment you trust. You are
also confident that the Lord is leading you
nearer and nearer the light, and that soon you
will be once more walking under sunlit skies.
Not only are you to commit the dark place unto
God, but you yourself are to rely upon Him.
This means that you are to lean hard upon

188 The Still Small Voice

Him. Settle down until your whole weight
is resting upon God.

There is a story told of a traveler trudging
along by the roadside with a heavy load upon
his shoulder. A man in a wagon overtook
him and invited him to ride. The weary trav-
eler climbed up and took a seat, but contin-
ued to carry the load on his shoulder. His
kind-hearted friend asked him why he did not
throw his load down in the bottom of the wa-
gon. "Oh," said the poor fellow, "it's a good
deal for you to give me a ride; I could not
think of asking you to carry my load too." Lots
of us are just like this traveler, but God will
carry both our loads and our own selves. Let
us rely upon the Lord if we are in a dark
place. He knows the way out of the woods.
Let us climb up into His arms and trust Him
to take us out by the shortest and surest road.
What a beautiful expression — "His God." It
is not only rely upon God, but rely upon his
God. It makes the personal relation very real.
David said, "The Lord is my Shepherd." Paul
said, "My God shall supply all your need."
Beloved, the God of David and Paul is your

Quiet Hour Talks 189

God and my God. We belong to Him and He
belongs to us. "My Beloved is mine and I am
His." This intimate personal relation gives
you the right to rely upon and trust Him.
Surely, His heart is grieved when we do not
trust Him, and when we refuse to rely upon
Him. He knows the way, let us trust Him ; He
can get us out of our trouble, let us depend
upon Him.

In verse eleven there is a solemn warning to
all those who walk in darkness, and yet who
try to help themselves out into the light. They
are represented as kindling a fire, and compass-
ing themselves with sparks. Therefore, God
says, they shall walk in the light of their fire,
and in the sparks that they have kindled. But
the light will not guide them out of their diffi-
culty, and we are told that they shall lie down
in sorrow. Now, what does this mean ? Why,
it means that when we are in darkness the
temptation is to find a way without trusting
in the Lord and relying upon Him. Instead of
letting Him help us out, we try to help our-
selves out. We seek the light of nature and
get the advice of our friends. We try the

190 The Still Small Voice

conclusions of our reason, and might almost be
tempted to accept a way of deliverance which
would not be of God at all. All these are fires
of our own kindling; rushlights that will surely
lead us on to the shoals. And God will let us
walk in the light of these sparks, but the end
will be sorrow. Beloved, do not try to get out
of a dark place, except in God's time and in
God's way. The time of trouble is meant to
teach you lessons that you sorely need. Prema-
ture deliverance may frustrate God's work of
grace in your life. Just commit the whole
situation to Him. Be willing to abide in dark-
ness so long as you have His presence. Re-
member that it is better to walk in the dark
with God, than to walk alone in the light.
"Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also
in Him; and He shall bring it to pass" (Ps.
xxxvii. 5).

THE CAUSE AND CURE OF RELIGIOUS
DESPONDENCY

I. Kings, Chapters 18 and 19.

RELIGIOUS DESPONDENCY" sounds
like a paradox. Religion and despond-
ency do not seem to have anything in
common. The keynote of the Christian life is
joy. "The joy of the Lord is your strength/*
"Rejoice in the Lord alway, and again I say
rejoice.'' Nevertheless, seasons of despondency
do come to the faithful servant of the Lord.
At such times the sense of depression is very
real, and the need of divine help very urgent.
For the believer who is suffering from relig-
ious despondency, the story of Elijah under
the juniper tree is full of profit and comfort.

There is a popular misunderstanding con-
cerning the experience of Elijah on this occa-
sion. It is held that after playing the part of
a national religious hero on Mt. Carmel,
where he had slain four hundred and fifty false
prophets of Baal, he suddenly turned coward

192 The Still Small Voice

and "ran away from a woman !" There was,
however, a natural cause for Elijah's de-
spondency under the juniper tree; and there
wras a divine remedy which restored the faint-
ing and discouraged prophet once more to
valiant leadership in Israel. Let us first no-
tice the cause of Elijah's fit of despondency and
then consider the cure, which lifted him out of
it. We shall find that under similar condi-
tions the Lord deals with the discouraged work-
er of today just as He dealt with this prophet
of old.

First, The cause of Elijah's despondency.

The cause that led to Elijah's despondency
was in part physical. For three years and a
half he had been hunted like a wild beast by
Ahab. For much of this time he had lived
far from the haunts of man in a desert ravine.
Moreover, he had just undergone upon Mt.
Carmel a severe strain upon his physical pow-
ers. Perhaps with his own hands he had slain
the false prophets of Baal. Immediately after
that bloody scene he had ascended Mt. Carmel
and wrestled with God in prevailing prayer
for rain. Afterwards, without stopping to rest

Quiet Hour Talks 193

he had girded up his loins, and run afoot like
a Bedouin courier, by the side of the chariot
of Ahab, from Mt. Carmel to the city of Jez-
reel, a distance of about twenty miles. Final-
ly, already exhausted with his labors and un-
der the threat of Jezebel, he had in great haste
taken a long journey southward into the wil-
derness of Judea. Thus Elijah's body was
overtaxed, and his physical powers were ex-
hausted.

The second cause of Elijah's despondency
was mental. Like his body, his mind had
been much overtaxed. For one thing he had
long opposed, single-handed, the idolatrous
worship of Israel, and the wicked schemes of
King Ahab and Queen Jezebel. Again, the scene
of the slaying of the false priests of Baal must
have been a harrowing one. Moreover, his
prolonged season of prayer on the mountain
top had meant a severe mental strain. He
had wrestled with God with intensity of spir-
it. Both his mind and his body had been
wrought up to a high pitch of excitement.
Moreover, the threat of Jezebel came to a mind
already jaded and worn. He had probably

194 The Still Small Voice

gone a long period without eating or resting.
In the desolation of the wilderness the proph-
et suffered a reaction from the intense excite-
ment of the scene through which he had just
passed. From one extreme of spiritual exal-
tation he went to the other extreme of religious
despondency. Thus spiritually, mentally and
physically the old prophet of the Lord was in
a condition susceptible to temptation. He
thought he was no better than his fathers ; he
regarded his life work as ended ; and there ly-
ing under the juniper tree, he prayed that he
might die.

Elijah is the type of the discouraged Chris-
tian worker. Such spells of despondency oc-
casionally get possession of the believer today.
Although the cause of the prophet's depression
was deeper, yet it was a very little thing that
threw him into that condition — the angry
threat of a wicked woman. So it oftentimes
takes but a very little thing, when the condi-
tions are right, to plunge the believer into de-
spondency. Satan always takes advantage of a
tired body and a jaded mind to bring discour-
agement to the heart and depression to the

Quiet Hour Talks 195

spirit. Thus he came to our Saviour after His
forty days' fast in the wilderness; and thus
he will come to us. It is when we are worn
out with service or suffering that the enemy
comes in "like a flood." A tired body and
an overtaxed mind can offer but feeble resist-
ance to the assault of the devil. He finds an
easy entrance into the citadel of the heart. It
is in such seasons of mental and physical ex-
haustion that we fall an easy prey to spiritual
despondency. We are tempted to run away
from our work. We are apt to think that our
service for Christ is a failure, and that perhaps
our life work is done. It would be a relief to
us to get away under some juniper tree and
wish that we might die. Beloved, have you
ever been there? Do you know from expe-
rience how Elijah felt? Perhaps some one
who reads these lines is trying to find a juni-
per tree.

Second, The cure of Elijah's despondency.

Having traced the despondency of Elijah to
its cause, let us now notice the method the
Lord took to cure him.

196 The Still Small Voice

i. The Lord ministered to his immediate
physical necessities.

It is true Elijah had run away from his
work, and that he was out of the will of God.
It is true also that he needed discipline, But
did the Lord at once take him to task for his
cowardly retreat from Jezebel? Did the Lord
begin then and there to teach him the lessons
he needed to learn? No; the prophet was in
no condition to listen to a reproof even from
the Lord. His spirit could not have stood
the test of divine discipline at that time. Eli-
jah was hungry and the Lord fed him ; he was
tired and the Lord gave him rest and sleep.
What an exquisite picture of tenderness and
sympathy; Elijah asleep under the juniper
tree and the angel of God feeding him. The
Lord is a good nurse.

Beloved, this is just the way the Lord deals
with us when we get discouraged. Undoubt-
edly we are fully conscious that something is
wrong in our life, and we try very hard to
straighten things out ; but the more we try, the
more mixed things get. We find that we are
too tired to think straight and too weary even

Quiet Hour^Talks 197

to pray the matter through with God. At such
times the devil comes in like a flood. He tries
to make us feel that we have done something
terribly wrong, and must get hold of God about
the matter. He drives us on to self-examina-
tion and self-condemnation until our hearts are
distressed and our minds are distracted. We
feel that there is no physical, mental or spiritual
rest for us until all the tangles in our life are
straightened out. But dear friends, at such
a time you cannot get things straight; all ef-
forts in that direction simply wear you out.
The Lord wants you to rest in His love. He
wants you to cease your thinking and stay
your mind upon Him. What you most need at
such a time is good sleep and a wholesome diet
and plenty of fresh air, and gentle exercise for
your body, and some interesting diversion for
your mind. But, you say, "I need to get things
straight with God ; I need discipline ; I need to
learn many lessons." Yes; but the Lord will
see to all these things when you are able to bear
them. His chief concern now is physical
strength and mental relaxation and spiritual in-
vigoration.

198 The Still Small Voice

2. The Lord sent Elijah to Mt. Horeb to en-
joy a good vacation amid inspiring surround-
ings.

Having ministered to Elijah's immediate
physical necessities, the Lord next led His
servant to a place of mental relaxation and
spiritual invigoration. Horeb was the mount
of God. It was a sacred place in Israel's his-
tory. There Jehovah had given His law to
His people. Here Moses had spent forty days
and forty nights alone with God. It was a
place of majestic scenery around which clus-
tered sacred memories and hallowed associa-
tions. This was just the spot for Elijah to go
for needed rest. Horeb was the mount of pray-
er, communion and the presence of the Lord.

Beloved, this is what God will do for us
when we get discouraged in our work. The
Lord knows the value of a good vacation. Je-
sus said to His busy disciples, "Come ye apart
in the desert and rest awhile." If they had not
been willing to rest at Christ's bidding, they
would not have been ready to work at His com-
mand. Such a change of scenery and associa-
tions where you can meet God in solitude, will

Quiet Hour Talks 199

soon tone up the body and retime the mind. It is
often a great advantage to get away a little
from one's work. In active service one is apt
to lose the sense of spiritual perspective. One
can see his work better at a distance. Especial-
ly when one is worn out in body and in mind, is
an entire change a great benefit. So the Lord
may send you to Keswick or Northfield or
Ocean Grove or Nyack Heights, or some oth-
er equally favorable place where you can
treathe a quiet and restful atmosphere.

3. On Mt. Horeb, Elijah received a new vi-
sion of himself and a new vision of God.

This was the next step in the divine treat-
ment of Elijah's despondency. After the proph-
et had been rested and strengthened by a
change of scenery and quiet meditation, he
was ready for his lesson. The patient had been
well nursed and put in good physical and men-
tal condition before going under the Surgeon's
knife. The Lord had not forgotten Elijah's
spiritual welfare. The needed lessons had only
been postponed until the learner was strong
enough to receive them. A sojourn at Horeb

200 The Still Small Voice

prepared Elijah for all that the Lord had pre-
pared for him.

At the right moment the Lord tenderly but
firmly asks, "What doest thou here, Elijah?"
Lovingly and patiently God listens to the pa-
thetic story of His disconsolate servant. The
entire scene of Elijah's restoration is not re-
corded. Modestly and appropriately God's
heart to heart dealing with the discouraged
prophet is veiled from our gaze. However,
we may be sure that the Lord did not spare the
pruning knife. He must have cut into Elijah's
life until his heart was wounded and sore. The
Lord never stops until He gets to the bottom
of things ; but He wounds only that He may
heal us, and He causes us to mourn, only that
He may minister comfort to us. But before
the Lord showed Elijah his own heart, He
gave him a new vision of Himself. This was
what Elijah needed more than anything else.
His eyes had been so long upon himself and his
own work, that he needed the correcting effect,
and inspiring influence of a new spiritual vi-
sion. The vision of God which the prophet re-
ceived was sublime. First came the whirlwind

Quiet Hour Talks 201

with its rending of the mountain. Then came
the earthquake with its convulsion of nature.
And then came the fire with its display of migh-
ty forces. But God was not in the whirlwind,
nor in the earthquake, nor in the fire. These
were manifestations of His power, but in them
there was no revelation of His love. After-
wards, when the upheavals of nature had sub-
sided, came "the sound of gentle stillness" as
the beautiful Hebrew expresses it. This was
the "still, small voice" which revealed the
very heart of God, with its infinite love and
tenderness. What this sweet but searching
voice of the Lord told Elijah, we know not;
but its effect upon him is recorded. No won-
der Elijah "wrapped his face in his mantle
and went out and stood in the entering in of the
cave."

Beloved, this is the sure cure of despond-
ency,— a new vision of God. This is what the
Lord is waiting to give you. It was for the
lack of this that you became discouraged and
despondent. The best place to get a new vi-
sion of God is in solitude. In some lonely
spot, the heavens will be opened to you, and

202 The Still Small Voice

you will get a new vision of Jesus. But you
also need a new vision of your own heart.
There was a cause for your despondency. If
there has been no sin, there surely has been
some mistake; you have missed your way and
gotten out of touch with God. Perhaps you
have become too much absorbed in your work.
Whatever be the matter, be sure that God will
deal as faithfully with you as He did with Eli-
jah. He will give you the needed discipline and
correction. He will probe deep into your heart,
sparing neither pain nor humiliation. He
will not heal the surface wound and allow the
blood to remain impure. But the Lord will not
turn His flashlight upon your soul until He has
first shown you Himself. If you saw yourself re-
vealed in the full light of God's truth without
first beholding Jesus with all His loveliness,
the vision would only plunge you into deeper
despondency. No good can come from looking
at our own hearts unless the Lord shows them
to us. He does not want us to be introspective.
Only harm can come to one from keeping his
finger on his spiritual pulse. It is necessary,
of course, that we should see our weakness and

Quiet Hour Talks 203

helplessness, but only that we may forever take
Him to be our strength and sufficiency. We
must acknowledge our sins and shortcomings,
but only that they may be put under the blood,
that Christ may become our righteousness and
our sanctification.

4. The Lord gave Elijah a new message and
a new mission.

After Elijah had learned his lessons, and had
been vouchsafed a new vision of God, he was
recommissioned. The Lord sent him to anoint
Elisha to be his successor, to anoint Jehu to be
king over Israel and to anoint Hazael king
of Damascus. Thus the prophet's expe-
rience at Horeb was the beginning of a new and
larger ministry.

Thus it will be in your own life, discouraged
and despondent worker. Your service for
God is not finished; indeed you are not fit to
die when in a state of depression. This exper-
ience will only prove to be the stepping stone to
a larger and higher ministry. The vision of
God on the mountain top will only prepare you
for more fruitful service on the plain below.
The Lord indeed may not give you a new

/

204 The Still Small Voice

work. He may send you back to your old field
of labor, but it will never be the same again.
The work itself will seem new and fresh, be-
cause your own spirit has been renewed and
refreshed by a season of isolation and commun-
ion with God. Moreover, the Lord will give
you a new message. You will have a new
love for the erring and the lost. The afflicted
and the suffering will receive new consolation
from your ministry. God will put a new spring
into your life, and bring out of your service
more fruit for His glory.

This is the way the Lord cured the despond-
ency of Elijah; in the same way will He cure
your discouragement and depression.

THE PRIESTLY BLESSING

"The Lord bless thee, and keep thee : the Lord
make His face shine upon thee, and be gracious un-
to thee: the Lord lift up his countenance upon thee,
and give thee peace. And they shall put My name
upon the children of Israel, and I will bless them"
(Num. vi. 24-27).

THESE verses do not seem to have any con-
nection with the chapter of which they
form the close; indeed, they stand quite
apart by themselves without context near or
remote. For their significance we must turn
to the work of the Old Testament priesthood.
The office of the priest was threefold, namely,
reconciliation, intercession and blessing. This
will be clearly seen by following the ritual
of the great day of atonement. On that day
the priest first offered a sacrifice for the sins
of the people, on the brazen altar in the court
of the Tabernacle. He then carried the blood
of the sacrificial victim within the veil, and
sprinkled the mercy seat. Finally, he came out
before the people and blessed them. It is be-
lieved that these verses constitute the formula

206 The Still Small Voice

of blessing used by the priests. The work of
the Lord Jesus Christ, our great High Priest,
was also threefold. On the cross he reconciled
the world to God by the sacrifice of Himself.
At His ascension He entered the presence of
God, and is now fulfilling for us His ministry
of intercession. When He returns to the earth
again, while it will mean judgment for His en-
emies, it will bring blessing to His own people.
In a sense, Christ's earthly life foreshadowed
this threefold priestly ministry. The spirit of
His life was sacrificial. In the 17th of John
we find the high priestly prayer He offered up
to God as our Intercessor. The last picture we
have of Christ at His ascension, is one of
blessing ; with outstretched hands, as He arose,
He left with His disciples His parting bene-
diction.

A careful study of these verses discloses the
fact that they contain a threefold blessing; a
blessing of the Father, a blessing of the Son,
and a blessing of the Spirit. Furthermore, it
will be noticed that in each instance there is a
general and a special blessing.

First, The blessing of God the Father.

Quiet Hour Talks 207

"The Lord bless thee and keep thee" (v. 24).
The general blessing here is, "The Lord bless

thee." The word "bless" literally means "to
bend the knee." It is one of the most common
words in the Bible, 'and expresses that abund-
ance and variety of benefits which God is
constantly conferring upon man. It is used
alike of temporal bounty and of spiritual rich-
es. As God the Father is the Source of all
things, blessing flows primarily from Him (Ps.
exxxiv. 4).

The special blessing of God the Father is
expressed in the words, "The Lord keep thee"
(v. 24).

The word "keep" expresses the thought of
preservation and protection, which is the spe-
cial office work of the Father as revealed in
the Scriptures. "The Lord is thy Keeper"
(Ps. cxx. 1). "I, the Lord, do keep it; I will
water it every moment" (Isa. xxvi. 3). "Holy
Father, keep through Thine own name those
whom Thou hast given Me, that they may be
one as we are." "I pray not that Thou shouldst
take them out of the world, but that thou
shouldst keep them from the Evil" (John xvii.

208 The Still Small Voice

ii, 15). "Kept through the power of God
through faith" (I. Pet. i. 5). Angelic guar-
dianship is connected with the work of the
Father. "The angel of the Lord encampeth
around them that fear Him." "He shall give
His angels charge concerning thee to keep thee
in all thy ways." Special providences come to
us through God. He saves us from perils by
land and by sea. He protects us from wasting
fever and deadly pestilence. All around us
are poisonous influences of contagion and dis-
ease, yet the Lord keeps us free from their
power. "Many are the afflictions of the right-
eous, but the Lord delivers him out of them
all."

Second, The blessing of the Son.

The general blessing here is, "The Lord
make His face shine upon thee (v. 25). This
of course is simply an Oriental expression for
blessing (Ps. xxxi. 16; II. Cor. iv. 6). When
God makes His face to shine upon us, it is
proof of His favor and acceptance.

The special blessing of the Son is found in
the words, "The Lord be gracious unto thee"
(v. 25). The words "gracious" and "merciful"

Quiet Hour Talks 209

are connected with the same root in Hebrew ;
they both have a vital relation to the sacrifice
of Christ. This is seen in the thirty-third
chapter of Job. There the discipline of sick-
ness is described. A man who has not hearken-
ed to God is represented as wasting on his bed
of sickness. An interpreter, one among a thou-
sand, appears to show man "what is right
for him/' "Then God is gracious unto him
and saith, Deliver him from going down to the
pit, I have found a ranson." In the margin
we read for "ransom," "atonement" (verse24).
The meaning is quite clear. At last the poor
man is brought to see salvation by faith
through the Coming One. He has found a ran-
som through the atonement of Christ. Now
God can be gracious to him. There is a pop-
ular idea today that all God has to do is to
forgive the sinner; but this He cannot do ex-
cept on the basis of the atoning work of
Christ. God can never show mercy or be gra-
cious unto the sinner unless he accepts by faith
the salvation provided in Christ. The publi-
can went down to his house justified, because
he had prayed, "God be merciful to me a sin-

210 The Still Small Voice

ner." His appeal for mercy is evidence of his
recognition of sin and of his possession of
faith in Christ. From the cross alone can
streams of mercy and grace flow to the sinner.

Third, The blessing of the Spirit.

The general blessing here is, "The Lord lift
up His countenance upon thee" (v. 26). Lift-
ing up one's countenance, like making one's
face to shine, is just another expression for
blessing. The hiding of God's face means
darkness and death; the revealing of His face
means light and life (Ps. iv. 6; xi. 7).

The special blessing is found in the words,
"The Lord give thee peace" (v. 26).

In the Scriptures peace is especially con-
nected with the work of the Holy Spirit. The
first symbol of the Holy Spirit in both the Old
and the New Testament is a dove, and a dove
is the emblem of peace. In Genesis i. 2, the
word "moved" literally means "brooded" ; the
Spirit of God, like the mother dove, brooded
over the face of the deep, bringing order out of
chaos and life out of death.

At His baptism the Holy Ghost in the form
of a dove descended upon Jesus and abode with

Quiet Hour Talks 211

Him. It is the Holy Spirit who makes real
in us what Christ has made real for us. It is
He who gives us "peace with God" — the peace
of reconciliation. It is He who gives us the
deeper peace of communion — the "peace that
passeth all understanding." It is the Holy
Spirit who gives us security and serenity of
heart and mind. He keeps us in a calm and
holy tranquility. "Thou wilt keep him in per-
fect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee."

The above analysis has thus disclosed three
pairs of blessings, corresponding in charac-
ter to the work of each member of the Trini-
ty. The first member of each pair is the
word "bless," or an equivalent expression; while
the second member of each pair brings out
distinctly the special office work of the Father,
the Son and the Holy Spirit. In a word, from
the Triune God, blessing and favor and ac-
ceptance flow to the sinner; while, in particu-
lar, God the Father keeps, God the Son atones,
and God the Spirit bestows peace.

This priestly blessing closes with a beautiful
doxology which contains two striking thoughts.

"And they shall put My name upon the chil-

212 The Still Small Voice

dren of Israel" (v. 27). The imposition of
God's name implies three things. First, own-
ership, "I have called thee by My name, thou
art Mine." The Lord puts His name upon us
because we belong to Him. We have been re-
deemed not by silver or gold, but by the pre-
cious blood of Christ. Second, relationship,
God puts His name upon us not only because
we belong to Him, but because we have been
made partakers of the divine nature. We have
been born of God by regeneration ; and having
the family nature, we take also the family
name. Third, authority. To have the name
of God put upon us, is to be invested with
divine rights and privileges, to be clothed with
divine authority. This is what the use of the
name of Jesus in prayer means. To ask the Fa-
ther for anything in the name of Jesus, does not
mean that we tack on His name to our own
requests; but it means that we come to God
just as Jesus would come to God, with the
same authority and right. We have, so to
speak, the power of attorney at the Court of
Heaven. God has put His seal and signet ring
into our hands ; we may use them with author-

Quiet Hour Talks 213

ity. To be invested with the name and nature
and authority of Christ, involves a solemn ob-
ligation, but it also confers a glorious privi-
lege.

The last thought is, "I will bless them." No-
tice the change from the third to the first per-
son. In the earlier verses, we read, "The Lord
bless thee"; in the last verse we read, "I will
bless them." The pronoun "I" expresses per-
sonal intimacy and love. It also expresses the
personal unity of the Trinity. Why is the
change made from the third to the first person ?
The explanation lies in the imposition of the
divine name upon Israel. Israel now belonged
to God; the people bore His name, and were
invested with divine rights. So God's dealings
with them became personal and intimate. It is
not the priest who speaks now, but the Lord:
'7 will bless them."

Beloved, what a glorious blessing this is.
What more do we want than to be assured
that the Father keeps us, the Son saves us, and
the Spirit breathes His peace into our hearts ?
As Christians, we bear Christ's name. We be-
long to Him by redemption. We are born into

214 The Still Small Voice

Him by regeneration, and we are clothed with
divine power by the baptism and indwelling of
the Holy Spirit. May I leave this benediction
with you? Live in its atmosphere. Meet
God, not in the third, but in the first person.
When He says to you, "I have called thee by
My name, thou art Mine/' look up into His
face with confidence and say, "I am my Belov-
ed's and my Beloved is mine."

TRANSFORMED BY BEHOLDING

"But we all, with open face, beholding as in a
glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the
same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit
of the Lord" (II. Cor. iii. 18).

THERE are three propositions to which all
believers will give their assent. First,
Jesus Christ is the divine Ideal of our
lives. Second, our lives come very far short
of meeting this ideal. Third, it is our duty as
far as possible and as fast as possible to real-
ize this ideal in our lives. But there is a
question concerning which there may be some
practical difference of opinion; and that is,
the way in which we shall attain our divine
standard of character and conduct. How shall
we measure up to all that God expects of us?
Briefly, there are two ways of seeking to
become Christlike ; one is by doing something,
and the other is by believing something. The
one is the way of nature, and the other is the
way of grace; the one is the Old Testament
method and the other is the New Testament

216 The Still Small Voice

method; doing something is of the Law; be-
lieving something is of the Gospel.

The purpose of the Law of Moses was
threefold: First, it revealed the righteousness
and holiness of God; second, it revealed the
sinfulness and helplessness of man ; and third,
it called upon man by the effort of his own
will to measure up to God's requirement. The
language of the Law was, "Do this and thou
shalt live." But the Law failed. It had no
power to confer the gift of righteousness. It
was superceded by the Gospel. However, to-
day many believers are living and acting un-
der the Law. They employ pledges and use
will power and resort to efforts and struggles
of all kinds to make themselves better. Alas,
poor human nature likes to do something to
help itself. But it is the old story of the
seventh of Romans repeated. There Paul tells
us how he struggled against his own evil na-
ture under the condemnation of the Law ; and
how at last he got his eyes on Jesus, who lift-
ed him by a new power into liberty and victory.
God's method of making us holy is by requir-
ing us to believe something. In the story of

Quiet Hour Talks 217

the brazen serpent we have the Gospel in
the Old Testament. The bitten Israelites had
only to look at the brazen serpent to be made
whole. So the prophet, speaking by the Spirit,
cries, "Look unto me, all ye ends of the
earth, and be ye saved." The writer to the
Hebrews bids us look away unto Jesus, "the
Author and Finisher of our faith."

There are two ways to get to the top of a tall
building. One is by slowly and tediously
climbing up the flights of stairs. This is get-
ting up by your own power and always means
great exertion. There is a better way and that
is to step into an elevator on the ground floor
and be lifted noiselessly and quickly to the top.
God uses the elevator plan in lifting us out of
the guilt and power of sin, and into the light
and liberty of holiness. Many people have a
wrong idea about the story of Jacob's wrestling
with the angel. They think that Jacob got hold
of the angel and wrestled until he wore the an-
gel out, when he received his blessing. But
the truth is that the angel hung on to Jacob
until he wore Jacob out, or rather till Jacob
wTore himself out; and then, when Jacob got

218 The Still Small Voice

quiet and restful, the angel gave him his bless-
ing. This is the way the Lord does with us.
He waits until we have got all through strug-
gling and straining and then when we have
reached the end of ourselves He steps in and
lifts us up into our blessing.

This is just what our verse means, — trans-
formed by beholding. We look up at Christ
with open vision and while wre gaze at Him,
we are transformed from glory to glory into
the same image. The Greek word translated
"beholding as in a mirror," may also be ren-
dered "reflecting as in a mirror/' Perhaps the
full idea will be brought out by combining these
two translations. The word "transformed"
may be also rendered "transfigured" ; it is the
same used of the transfiguration of Christ.
The glory of God revealed in the face
of Jesus Christ is not reflected from us
as from a polished surface, but it irra-
diates us, permeating and glorifying our
whole nature. If you sit where the set-
ting sun streams in upon you through a
stained glass window, the beautiful colors of
the window are reflected upon you. But this

Quiet Hour Talks 219

is only a superficial reflection; it does not
strike within and transform your character. A
little piece of tin bent and dirty will catch the
rays of the sun and shine like a diamond point,
but the tin has only reflected the light and re-
mains an old piece of tin. Not so do we re-
flect the glory of God as we gaze upon Christ.
While we look steadfastly the light of God en-
ters our hearts and the life of God transforms
them. While we look we are slowly but steadi-
ly changed into the likeness of Christ.

Now, this has a very practical application,
even in little things. If there is something
in your life that is not in accord with the will
of God, some infirmity of temper or sinful
habit, don't struggle against it. Turn away
from yourself and look at Christ. Behold
Him in all His beauty. While you keep your
eyes on Christ, God will deal with you and take
away the thing that hinders and harms, and
give you deliverance. Just look, that is all.
Will to look at Christ under all circumstances.
Look steadily, constantly, persistently. This
is the best means of growing in grace
and in the knowledge of Christ Jesus. The

220 The Still Small Voice

process may be mysterious, but the result is
glorious.

A man once dreamed that he was at the bot-
tom of a deep well. He called for help, but his
cries were unheard. He tried to climb up the
sides of the well, but could make no headway,
and soon wore out his strength. As he lay
helplessly looking up, he saw a star. It held his
gaze, and he soon felt himself rising. Not will-
ing to believe his senses, he looked down and
found himself at the bottom of the well again.
Once more his eye caught the star, and he was
conscious of being lifted. After a while he
again became sceptical and looked down, and
fell back into the well. He lay in despair for a
while ; but for the third time looked at the star.
This time he kep his gaze fixed, and was slowly
but surely lifted out of the well. Beloved,
Christ is our "bright and morning Star." Look-
ing unto Him will lift us out of the bondage of
sin and self. But as often as we look at our-
selves, we shall fall back into the miry pit of our
own helpless and hopeless struggles. But if
we keep our eyes transfixed upon Him, He

Quiet Hour Talks 221

will lift us out of ourselves into Himself. We
shall be " transformed by beholding."

In the little acorn lies the mighty oak. But
the acorn can never become the oak by strain-
ing and struggling. It must lie quiet and let
the sun kiss it and the dew of heaven water it.
Slowly but surely the forces of nature will
cause the acorn to unfold, and out of it will
be developed the majestic oak. So the seed of
the divine nature has been planted in our hearts.
In this little spiritual seed lie dormant the full
possibilities of Christlikeness of character and
conduct. But we can never grow into Christ's
image by efforts and struggles of our own ; we
must lie still and let the sunlight of God kiss
us and dew of God's grace water us. Thus God
Himself will cause that little seed in our hearts
to unfold and develop. Christlikeness in its full
maturity will not come all at once. We shall
be transformed "from glory to glory." Henry
Drummond translated this phrase "from char-
acter to character." Slowly but surely we shall
come into the full stature of Christian man-
hood. From a lower experience of grace to a
higher; from one stage of holy living to an-

222 The Still Small Voice

other; from grace to grace, and from grace to
glory, God will transform us, transfigure us
into the image of Christ. Our business is to
behold Christ; His business is to transform
us.

TRANSFORMED BY BEHOLDING.

"They say," it whispered, "that came from earth,
The great sea lay and looked on high,
When, floating aloft in the lovely sky,
It saw a fleecy cloud, so light,
So pure, so spotless, and so bright;
And it wondered whence so fleet a form
Arose, the heavens to adorn.

And more, that I had given it birth.
But how absurd to think that I
Could ever mount that lofty sky!"
And then the sea heaved such a sigh
As it watched the beauteous thing on high.

"Ah, I could never be like thee;
In the bosom of God thou seem'st to be.
Besides" — and the sea was silent now,
As it thought of its wild and fevered brow;
And how oft in its rage it had dealt a blow
That laid thousands dead in its depths below.

And yet I perceived the sea could not rest
As it looked at that beauteous thing so blest.
Then it roused itself, and said, "I will try,"
And it borrowed the wind to drive it high;
And, gathering its strength, it curled in its pride,
And dashed itself on the rocks beside;

Quiet Hour Talks 223

Then, rearing a column of quivering spray,
It seemed to be borne to the heights away.

But it fell, alas ! on the angry breast,
Back with its foaming, whitened crest.
Baffled and beaten it buried its head,
To hide in the depths of its ocean bed.
And it hissed as it did so, "It cannot be;
I said, I knew it was not for me."

At length the great sea lay quiet and still,

For fell despair had subdued its will;

When the glorious sun looked forth on the scene,

And gleamed on its bosom in silver sheen.

And the great sea looked in the face of the sun,

And asked if he knew what could be done;

"The moon draws me hither and thither," it said,

"But it cannot uplift me from my bed ;
Nor can it transform this turbid breast
Into that thing so pure and blest."

"Canst thou transform me?" said the sea.

"Oh, yes," said the sun, "if you'll suffer me."
And the sun sent down a noiseless ray,
That loosened and warmed it as it lay,
And lifted it up, how, it never knew,
A fleecy cloud in the heavens blue.

Do you ken the parable, reader fair?

Can you take the lesson that's couching there?

Are you that sea with its fond desire,

Sighing and struggling to rise up higher?

Does perfect grace attract thine eye

And to attain it dost thou try?

But do baffled efforts mock thy skill,

While sorrow and anguish thy spirit fill,

224 The Still Small Voice

And thou say'st : "In God's bosom that grace must

rest;
It never can visit my troubled breast"?

Now change thy plan, and behold yon Son.

Just rest and trust and the work is done.

Transformed by beholding Him thouTt be,

His great salvation thou shalt see.

The process? well, that thou canst not know,

Enough for thee it is "even so,"

That lifts thee up and makes thee fit

In the heavenly places with Him to sit.

THE GOD OF ALL COMFORT

"Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Je-
sus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all
comfort; who comforteth us in all our tribulation,
that we may be able to comfort them that are
in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we our-
selves are comforted of God" (II. Cor. i. 3, 4).

THERE are two kinds of suffering which
Christians endure. One is the conse-
quence of ill-doing and the other is the
consequence of well-doing. The suffering that
results from ill-doing is chastisement. The
suffering that results from well-doing is enrich-
ment— the spiritual enrichment of our own
lives and the lives of those to whom we minis-
ter. Every time the believer gets out of the
will of God, he suffers. Like a wise and lov-
ing father, God chastens him for his profit
(Heb. xii. 5-1 1) . Much of this kind of suf-
fering may be avoided by hearkening to God
and walking in obedience to His holy will. But
even when the believer abides in Christ and
walks in the "comfort of the Holy Ghost,"

226 The Still Small Voice

he will have much affliction and tribulation.
This kind of suffering cannot be avoided. It is
the divine lot of the Christian. It is this sec-
ond kind of suffering which Paul speaks of in
this chapter. Such suffering and affliction come
that we may "know the God of all comfort"
and that we may minister spiritual comfort to
others. Let us consider the twofold purpose of
our "suffering with Christ" :

First, The spiritual enrichment of our own
lives.

This enrichment consists in part of a better
knowledge of God. The names of God are
revelations of His character. They also ex-
press relationships which we may sustain to
Him. To know God as a given name reveals
Him, we must meet the conditions of knowl-
edge implied by that name. Thus, to know
Christ as a Saviour one must realize that he
is a sinner. He only can experience salvation
who has felt the guilt and known the power
of sin. The "God of peace" can only be known
by him whose mind has been distracted and
whose heart has been distressed. In like man-
ner the onlv way to know "the God of all

Quiet Hour Talks 227

comfort" is to feel the need of comfort. For
this reason trials and afflictions are allowed to
come to us that we may learn to know "the
Father of mercies and the God of all comfort."
It is a common experience for a faithful
Christian to meet a severe trial or bitter afflic-
tion. Perhaps it is a business reverse or a
domestic bereavement. It may be that an in-
jury is sustained or that health is lost. The
first feeling that comes at such a time is that
perhaps one is not right with God, and that this
is a judgment for disobedience. Satan is apt
to suggest unkind or unjust thoughts of God's
love and care. Of course, such afflictions do
come as chastisements, when a Christian is out
of the will of God. But the experience now
described is not of that character. There is
no consciousness of departure in any way from
the path of obedience, while the sense of fel-
lowship with Christ is unbroken. What is the
explanation of such an experience? Why,
beloved, the Lord is teaching you to know
Him in a deeper way. He has permitted the
dark trial to come to you that He may reveal
Himself to you as the God of all comfort. It

228 The Still Small Voice

may be that you have been praying to know
Him more fully. Well, accept this, then, as
the answer to your prayer. Of course, the
better knowledge of the Lord has not come in
the way you expected, but it has come in the
way that is best for you. Maybe you expected
a vision of Christ, or the opening of the Word
in a marked way by the Spirit. There is a
knowledge of God to be obtained by contempla-
tion, by prayer, and by the devout study of the
Scriptures. But there is also a knowledge of
God that can only be gained through trial and
suffering. For this reason the Lord puts us
through the "furnace of affliction." He lets
us get into tight places that we may know
Him as the "God of deliverance."

Again, this enrichment of our lives consists
also in the development of a more Christ-like
character.

There are fruits of the Spirit that grow only
in the soil of sorrow and suffering. Some
varieties of apples are ripened only by the
rough October blast. Their flavor and mel-
lowness are produced by the fall winds. Self-
reliance is developed in a boy by throwing

Quiet Hour Talks 229

him upon his own resources. The soldier learns
to be courageous by facing the enemy in bat-
tle. In like manner, some of the most essential
graces of Christian character are developed by
what are called adverse conditions. Thus un-
tested faith is worthless. Peter assures us that
it is the trial of our faith that is more precious
than gold. Again, patience grows in the soil
of irritating and annoying surroundings. Long-
suffering, too, springs into full bloom amid
natural causes of great provocation. In a word
we have to pass through experiences which
furnish the conditions of developing Christ-
likeness of character in its symmetry and ma-
turity. To escape sorrow and suffering is to
lack the depth and ripeness of character which
only sorrow and suffering can produce. To
know Christ's strength we must feel our own
weakness ; to know Christ's joy we must ex-
perience earth's sorrow; to know the consola-
tion of Christ we must be made partakers of
His suffering.

However, the experience of this darker side
of life should not be invited or sought; but
when the Lord in His wisdom sends it, accept

230 The Still Small Voice

it as a necessary process of transforming you
into the image of Christ. Do not begin to fear
that something is wrong, but rejoice that ev-
erything is right. For it is only those who are
right with God who are called to the fellowship
of Christ's sufferings. "Beloved, think it not
strange concerning the fiery trial which is to
try you as though some strange thing hap-
pened unto you, but rejoice, inasmuch as ye
are partakers of Christ's sufferings, that when
His glory shall be revealed, ye may rejoice
with exceeding joy (I. Pet. iv. 12, 13).

Second, The enrichment of the lives of oth-
ers.

The divine order as expressed to Abraham
was, "I will bless thee, and thou shalt be a
blessing" (Gen. xii. 1, 2). Thus the refrain
of a well-known hymn runs : "Bless me, Lord,
and make me a blessing."

The Lord first enriches our own lives
through the experiences of trial and suffering,
and then uses us to enrich the lives of others
who are in similar circumstances. As fast as
the grapes ripen on our vine, their juice is to be

Quiet Hour Talks 231

pressed out for the refreshment and sustenance
of others.

One channel for our enrichment of other
lives is the ministry of the Word. There is a
marked difference between preaching the Gos-
pel from a theoretical knowledge and preach-
ing it from an experimental knowledge — a dif-
ference noticeable in spirit, method and result.
In a sketch of the life of the late Dr. A. J. Gor-
don, of Boston, Dr. A. T. Pierson wrote : "No
man can preach with power one step beyond
his own personal experience. One may truth-
fully and beautifully portray the Gospel of
Christ, but if it only comes from his head, it
will not have much influence with his hearers.
Somehow a hearer, even when unconverted,
can always tell when a preacher speaks from
his heart. There is a certain ring about a
heart message that cannot be mistaken. If a
preacher feels the power of what he is saying
his hearers will feel the power of it, too. Con-
sequently, if a minister or Christian worker
wants to preach a Gospel of grace and comfort
to those who are in tribulation, he himself also,
through tribulation, must have learned to know

232 The Still Small Voice

the God of all grace and comfort. There is no
other way, and there is no substitute. If one's
messages are to be helpful to others, he must
not only be taught of the Spirit in the deep
things of God, but he must also be trained in
the school of discipline and suffering.

Another channel through which we enrich
other lives is the ministry of personal dealing.
In the public ministration of the Word, one
who portrays an experience of grace to which
he himself has not yet attained may indeed
help other lives, for God will always bless His
Word, no matter who may proclaim it. But
in personal and private contact with souls who
are struggling with the problems of severe
trial and suffering, such a one will find himself
helpless. Then it is that words of comfort
sound hollow, unless they flow from a heart
that has in similar straits been comforted by
God. Our ability to bless others in personal
dealing is measured by the extent to which
we ourselves have been blessed of God. We
cannot give what we have not received. We
cannot teach others lessons that we have not
learned.

Quiet Hour Talks 233

A young man just out of the theological
seminary became the pastor of a large church.
He had a fair knowledge of the Scriptures and
had an earnest desire to help his people in pub-
lic and in private to live conscientious and con-
secrated lives for God. But he lacked exper-
ience. Soon a family in his church was be-
reaved of a little child, and he went to comfort
the stricken parents. He talked very beautiful-
ly of the love of God and His sustaining
grace, but somehow he felt that his words did
not reach their hearts. Later he himself lost
a little one. Then he knew what loneliness
and sorrow death brings, and in his distress he
found his way to the heart of the God of all
comfort. Afterward, when he went to the house
of mourning, he found that his presence
brought cheer and his words brought com-
fort. The few words that he spoke touched
sore hearts, and somehow the glistening eye
and tender handclasp went even further than
his words. He knew from experience, and he
knew also how to minister the comfort where-
with he himself had been comforted of God.

Beloved, the prayer of us all is that we may

234 The Still Small Voice

bless others. We all long to do something that
will help those around us. Well, the strange
trials and the severe suffering which we en-
dure arc God's answers to our prayers. Look
at your sorrows and afflictions in this light, and
it will glorify them. It often happens that one
who has just passed through severe affliction
is called by the Spirit to minister to one who is
passing through a similar trial. If you had
not experienced that' sore affliction, my friend,
you could not have helped that brother or that
sister in similar distress. Don't shrink, then,
from the fiery furnace ! Endure patiently a
cirat fight of affliction. Never mind if you
struggle against foes vrithout and fears with-
in. Remember that it is not only enriching your
life, but preparing you to enrich the lives of
others. "For as the sufferings of Christ
abound, so our consolation also aboundeth by
Christ. And whether we be afflicted, it is for
your consolation and salvation, which is ef-
tual in the enduring of the same afflictions
which we also suffer: or whether we be com-
forted, it is for vour consolation and salvation"
(II. Cor. i. 5. 6).

AN EXPECTED END

"I know the thoughts that I think toward you,
saith the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to
give you an expected end" (Jer. xxix. n).

THERE is nothing more wonderful than
the power of thought. Some scientists
would have us believe that thought is the
product of materialism ; that "the brain secretes
thought just as the liver secretes bile." But
thought is the working of an intelligent mind,
one of the powers of personality. Even more
wonderful than man's thought is God's thought.
In God thinking is proof of personality. What
God's thoughts are we see in the achievements
of the divine mind ; for the Lord, to think is to
do. The vastness and variety of creation with
all its beauty and grandeur; man with his
wonderful, composite nature, body, soul and
spirit; the cross of Christ with the salvation
from sin it provides; the Christian Church
with its variety and richness of gifts and

236 The Still Small Voice

graces; — these are some of the thoughts of
God.

This little verse tells us three things about
the thoughts of God, viz., their object, their
nature and their goal.

First, The object of God's thoughts.

Even more wonderful than the thoughts
of God is the object of His thoughts as revealed
in this verse. "I know the thoughts that I
think toward you" Man is the object of the
divine thought ; not man in his original state of
righteousness, but man in his fallen state of sin.
There would be nothing surprising about God's
thinking of Adam who was made in His image ;
but there is something surprising indeed, in
God's thinkmg of the poor sinner in whom the
divine image has been effaced. Yes, beloved,
God's thoughts are turned toward you and
me; for we have only to write our names in-
stead of the word "you" in this verse to get
the spiritual meaning.

But why are the thoughts of God toward
you and me? Well, one reason is because He
loves us. God loves you and me. What a
familiar statement this is ; yet if we fully real-

Quiet Hour Talks, 237

ized it our hearts would be thrilled with joy
and gratitude. Another reason that God's
thoughts are toward us is that Christ died for
us. "God so loved the world that He gave
His only begotten Son." God loves us be-
cause we have cost Him so much, — the gift of
His only begotten Son. If you and I had been
the only poor helpless sinners in the whole
world, Christ would still have died for us. This
statement must be true for Jesus taught that
the value of one soul was greater than that
of the whole world. The third reason that
God's thoughts are toward us is that the Holy
Spirit indwells us. You know how much
money and time we spend in making our homes
comfortable and beautiful. We lay down soft
carpets, adorn the walls with attractive pic-
tures, and, in fact, put in all the modern con-
veniences and comforts that we can afford.
We take all this care just because we live in
our homes ; they are the constant objects of our
thought. Now, it is just because the Holy
Spirit lives in us that God's thoughts are so
constantly toward us. God is our home; but
our hearts are His home; and He wants to

238 The Still Small Voice

make the place of His abode pure and beauti-
ful. This, then, explains why God's thoughts
are turned toward man; he is the subject of
God's love, the object of Christ's sacrifice, and
the place of the Spirit's indwelling.

Second, The nature of God's thoughts.

It is comforting to know that God's thoughts
are about us ; but it is more comforting to
know what the thoughts are which He is think-
ing toward us. In our little verse we are told
that they are "thoughts of peace and not of
evil." Indeed, we might have been assured
that God's thoughts toward us were for our
peace, from the fact, already seen, that He
loves us, gave His Son to die for us, and has
sent forth His Spirit into our hearts. If we
have an enemy and hear that he is thinking
about us we are quite sure that he is meditating
evil. But God is not our enemy, but our
friend; consequently we may be sure that all
His thoughts towTard us are for our good.
"What," you say, "can it be true that this
long delay in realizing my hopes, this severe
trial through which I am passing, this dark
pathway wherein I am treading, these. strug-

Quiet Hour Talks 239

gles and conflicts with the adversary, yes, and
even the failure which discourages me and the
defeat which threatens — is it true that all these
things mean 'peace'?" Yes, beloved; God says
that His thoughts are upon us for our peace;
and so these afflictions and perplexities of heart
and mind must somehow be among the "all
things" that are working together for
good. In spite of our feelings and circum-
stances we must learn to put God's estimate
upon all the varied experiences of life. It did
not seem to mean "peace" for Joseph when
he was cast into prison; yet long afterwards
he told his brethren that, while they meant
their act for evil, "God meant it unto good." It
surely didn't look like "peace" for Moses when
after setting himself up as the deliverer of his
people God sent him to the backside of the des-
ert for forty years. Yet the wilderness was
his school of discipline and experience to train
him to be the lawgiver and military leader
of Israel. Reverently we may say that it did
not seem to be God's thought of "peace" for
Jesus that He should be rejected and crucified
by the Jews, vet this was the pathway through

240 The Still Small Voice

which He secured eternal salvation for man-
kind.

Likewise we may count our life at the pres-
ent moment, even though every evidence con-
tradicts it, one that is making for our peace.
Approaching Jersey City by the Erie road one
suddenly plunges into a long, dark tunnel.
From the bright sunlight the train enters a
damp, dank hole in the ground. One who had
never entered New York by this route might
feel bewildered for a moment. He had just
seen the buildings and ascending smoke of the
city ; he seemed almost at his destination. Sud-
denly, however, he is whirled into the earth and
the bright vision is blotted out. What does
it mean? Why, going through that tunnel is
the only way to get into New York. It looks
certainly like a thought of evil thus to have
one's hopes apparently buried in the ground;
but it is really a thought of peace, for present-
ly the train emerges from the tunnel and the
sparkling river and the towering buildings of
the great city lie spread out before the eyes.
The tourist is in New York.

Third, The goal of God's thoughts.

Quiet Hour Talks 24>

"I know the thoughts that I think toward
you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace and not
of evil, to give you an expected end" It has
already been anticipated that the goal toward
which God's thoughts of peace concerning us
are making is to give us an expected end. The
American Revised Version renders "to give
you hope in your latter end." Literally the
Hebrew means, "an end and an expectation."
By paraphrasing this expression its signifi-
cance can be brought out in a number of ways :
to give you the end that you have expected:
to give you the end that you have waited for ;
to give you the end that you have desired. In
a word, the thought or purpose of God in our
lives is to work out that very end which both
He and we most desire. Of course, it is not
the end of a worldly ambition ; for the children
of God are supposed to have given up the
gratification of selfish aims. It is the expected
end that God has put into your heart, the full
apprehension of all that for which you have
been apprehended by Christ Jesus. The Jews
to whom this word of comfort came were in
captivity in Babylon. The seventy years were

242 The Still Small Voice

slowly wearing away ; the people were growing
restless under their restraint; and were begin-
ning to build their hopes on assurances of
speedy deliverance which false prophets were
holding out. To them the word of the Lord
comes in a letter from Jeremiah in Jerusalem.
The Lord had not forgotten them. He prom-
ises deliverance from captivity and restoration
to the promised land. This was the goal of
His purpose and of their hope ; but it could not
be brought to pass till the seventy years had
run their full course. Meanwhile, even the
hardships and deprivations of captivity were
making for their peace. This is the historic
setting of the verse; and it finds illustration
not only in Biblical examples, but in Christian
experience. Look again at Joseph and Moses.
Pharaoh's prison was Joseph's tunnel; it was
God's way to the throne of Egypt. The back-
side of the desert was Moses' tunnel; he was
forty years going through it; but it was the
shortest cut God had to fit Moses for national
leadership. Gethsemane and Golgotha were
the dark but necessary pathway to the resurrec-

Quiet Hour Talks 243

tion and the ascension. "As He is so are we in
this world."

Instead of a tunnel some of us may be going
through a funnel. The only way to get out is
through the little end. This means subtrac-
tion and contraction on our part. We must
humble ourselves under the mighty hand of
God. The big capital letter "I" will surely stick
in the funnel; the only way out for us is to
die out.

Beloved, God's thought is toward you and
His will is for you. The expected end of your
heart's desire is a consummation which means
far more to Him than it does to you. Indeed,
your very expectation is from Him (Ps. lxii.
5). It was He who put the expected end in
your heart. "He which hath begun a good work
in you will finish it, until the day of Christ Je-
sus." If the Lord has called you to the mission
field you will surely get your expected end.
Though the vision tarry long yet wait for its
fulfilment; it will surely come. You don't
want your "expected end" before it is God's
time. Do not be indifferent nor impatient.
Do not hinder nor hasten God. Keep in step

244 The Still Small Voice

each day with His known will for you. Count
the days and months not a delay but a waiting
time ; a waiting for God. A premature realiza-
tion of your hopes might frustrate God's pur-
pose. You cannot afford to lose any needed
lesson. Is it not enough for you to know that
you are in His will whether you are in active
service or in patient waiting or even in severe
suffering? Meanwhile, be of good cheer. Com-
fort thyself in the knowledge that God's
thought is toward thee, He is working for thy
peace, and will give thee thy expected end.

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