horse replied, "But here am I, returned safe and sound. You have your horse." "True," answered the master, "but my field is unplowed." If a man turns to God in old age, God has the man, but He has been defrauded of the man's work.
(2695)
REPENTANCE, NATURE OF
No more vivid illustration of what evangelical
repentance is can be framed than
that which is found in the Greek original,
"straphate," rendered "convert," which means
to face about, or turn around, in allusion to
the movement of a ship when it is put about
on an opposite course; or to the action of
a flower when it turns its face toward the
sun. The change of mind becomes a change
of life.
(2696)
REPENTANCE, PRACTICAL
When Thomas Olivers, the Welsh cobbler
who became noted as a Methodist, itinerant
and a hymnist, turned from a reckless life,
carousing and incurring many debts, to a
profession of a change of heart, he deliberately
set about settling his financial obligations,
nor ceased until the last penny was
paid.
He brought forth fruit meet for repentance.
(Text.)
(2697)
REPENTANCE THE GIFT OF GOD
John Wesley, that preacher of repentance, sings:
"Lord, I despair myself to heal,
I see my sin but can not feel;
I can not till thy Spirit blow,
And make the obedient waters flow.
Speak, gracious Lord, my sickness cure,
Make my infected nature pure;
Peace, righteousness and joy impart,
And pour thyself into my heart."
(2698)
REPETITION, FORCE OF
Continuous repeated acts of kindness breaking down the pride of an enemy, repeated annoyances that shape the temper; these or similar experiences may be illustrated by this extract:
A stalwart young man at Leavenworth,
Kan., recently accepted a wager that he
could stand a quart of water dropt into
his open hand, drop by drop, from a height of
three feet. Before 500 drops had fallen into
his hand he almost cried with pain and said
he had enough. After a little water had
fallen each drop seemed to crush his hand,
and a blister in the center of it was the result.—Boston
Journal.
(2699)
A minister in his walk saw a stone-mason who was trying to break a large stone with what seemed a very small hammer. "You never can do it," the minister prophesied. "Sure, sir, that's all you know about breaking stones," replied Pat, as he hammered away industriously. After hundreds of these peckings there came a slight crack. A few more, and the great stone fell apart.
"Now," asked the Irishman, "would your honor tell me which one of these blows it was that broke the stone?" "Why, the last one, to be sure," said the minister. "There you're wrong, sir," was the reply. "It was the first blow, and the last blow, and all the middle ones, sir."
(2700)
REPLENISHMENT
The moral life of man would soon be exhausted if God by His Spirit did not continually renew it.
Water plunging over the rocks at Niagara
is intercepted and made to turn the giant
turbines of electric power plants before it is
allowed to hurry on its way to the sea. If
the waters of the Great Lakes were not replenished
Niagara would soon run dry and
our mill-wheels stop. But year by year, and
day by day, the sun's rays evaporate the
waters of the ocean and lift them back
again to the mountain tops, whence they
flow downward into the lakes and rivers.—Charles
Lane Poor, "The Solar System."
(2701)
REPORTS TO ORDER
It was my pleasure, some years ago, to
report a religious meeting for three papers
in New York. A discussion of vital importance
to the Presbyterian Church was
promised. The lines were closely drawn
and the feeling was intense. The day before
the meeting I went to the editorial offices
for instruction. Mr. A. said: "We want a
fair report, but you know we publish a conservative
paper, and our space is limited.
Give us all that is said by the conservative
leaders. Of course, the others must be
treated fairly, but we shall not have space
enough for any of the addresses on that side;
give us a fair report, however." Mr. B. said:
"We want a fair report, but you know we
