M Arrows

M Man—God's friend.

Parmenio was a great general, but all his fame in that direction is forgotten in the fact that he was known as the friend of Alexander. He had a great love for Alexander as a man, whereas others only cared for him as a conqueror and a monarch; and Alexander, preceiving this, placed great reliance upon Parmenio. Abraham loved God for God's sake, and followed him fully, and so the Lord made him His confidant, and found pleasure in manifesting Himself to him, and in trusting to him His sacred oracles. O Lord, how excellent is Thy loving kindness, that Thou shouldest make a man Thy friend!

Meditation needful. A man who wants to see a country, must not hurry through it by express train, but he must stop in the towns and villages, and see what is to be seen. He will know more about the land and its people if he walks the highways, climbs the mountains, stays in the homes, and visits the workshops; than if he does so many miles in the day, and hurries through picture galleries as if death were pursuing him. Don't hurry through Scripture, but" pause for the Lord to speak to you. Oh, for more meditation!

Memory of friends. When sailors, years ago, used to go to India, they would give as a toast when they left, "To our friends astern"; but when they had reached half way on the voyage, they changed it, and it was, "To our friends ahead." When we are midway on our voyage, we are bound to remember our friends ahead.

"E'en now by faith we join our hands With those who went before, And greet the blood besprinkled bands Upon the eternal shore."

Men-catching.

I sometimes hear of persons getting very angry after a gospel sermon, and I say to myself, "I am not sorry for it." Sometimes when we are fishing the fish gets the hook into his mouth. He pulls hard at the line; if he were dead, he would not; but he is a live fish, worth the getting; and though he runs away for awhile, with the hook in his jaws, he cannot escape. His very wriggling and his anger show that he has got the hook, and the hook has got him. Have the landing-net ready; we shall land him by and by. Give him more line; let him spend his strength, and then we will land him, and he shall belong to Christ forever.

Mercy infinite. When a child of God thinks he has exhausted the patience and mercy of God, he is something like a little fish in the sea, which said, "Oh I am so thirsty, I am afraid I shall drink up the Atlantic!" O little fish, thou hast no idea how mighty the ocean is; countless myriads such as thou art may swim in it, and the ocean will be none the less! O beloved believer, you need never think you will exhaust infinity!

Message not to be judged by messenger.

Certain of the friars in Luther's day confessed that much of what Luther said was very true, and reformation was certainly very much needed; but then they would not have it from such a fellow as Luther—a renegade monk, too, who spoke so rudely. Erasmus could be endured, but Luther made such a noise about it. Teaching is often judged, not by its own value, but by the prejudices which people may happen to have concerning the source from which it comes. "I do not like him," says one. Well, what does it matter whether you like him or not? What does he say? If a thing is true, never mind who says it, believe it.

Minding earthly things.

I have heard of a person who walked some seven hundred miles to see the Niagara Falls. When he was within seven miles of the Falls, he thought he heard the roar of the cataract, and he called to a man working in the fields, and said, "Is that the roar of Niagara?" The man said, "I don't know, but I guess it may be. What if it is?" With surprise the good man said, "Do you live here?" "Born and bred here," the man answered. "And yet you don't know whether that thundering noise is from the waterfall?" "No, stranger, I have never seen those falls, I look after my farm." No doubt there are many within hail of heaven's choicest joys who have never cared to know them. They hope they are saved, but they don't care for great joy. They dig their potatoes. They use their spade and their hoe; but the Niagara is nought to them. Many look well to this life, but do not arouse themselves to gain present spiritual joy.

Minding earthly things.

Many a man, having seen himself in the glass of the Word, has no further thought about himself. Tomorrow morning he will be over head and ears in business; the shutters will be down from his shop windows, but they will be put up to the windows of his soul. His office needs him, and therefore his prayer closet cannot have him; his ledger falls like an avalanche over his Bible. The man has no time to seek the true riches, passing trifles monopolize his mind. Sirs, ye call earthly things "business"; but the salvation or damnation of your souls is such a trifling matter that any stray hour will suffice for it.

Minds like stained glass.

Some minds are like stained glass windows; they shut out much of the light, and the little light that does struggle through, they color after their own manner. It is well to be plain glass, so that the Lord's light, with all its color and delicacy of shade, may come in just as it comes from heaven, with nothing gathered from ourselves.

Minister's duty.

St. Augustine desired to be always found <fix>aut precantem, aut predicantem; that is, either praying or preaching, either speaking' to God for men in prayer, or speaking for God to men in his ministry. Ministers of Christ, especially, should give themselves not to the serving tables, but to the ministry of the Word and prayer. For us to give ourselves to getting up entertainments, to become competitors with theatres and music halls, is a great degradation of our holy office. If I heard of a minister becoming a chimney-sweep to earn his living, I would honor him in both his callings; but for God's watchmen to become the world's showmen is a miserable business.

Ministers—guides.

Stars are guides, and so are the Lord's true ministers. Some stars in yonder sky have done measureless service to wanderers over the trackless deep, and to those who have lost themselves in the labyrinths of the forest. That pole star has conducted many a slave to liberty. Happy have been the influences of the stars upon the hopeless who, being lost, have laid themselves down to die! Blessed are those men who, shining with the light of God, have turned many to righteousness; shall they not shine as the stars for ever and ever? Are there not preachers of the Word who have stood like that famous star "over the place where the young child was"? They have first led strangers to Jesus, and then have remained in faithful love shining over the place where the Lord abides.

Misunderstood.

I have heard of a man who lived in a certain town, and while he lived was greatly misunderstood. It was known that he had a large income, yet he lived a miserly life, and loud were the murmurs at the scanty help he gave to those around him. He stinted in many ways, and hoarded his money. But when he died, the popular verdict was reversed, for then the motive of all his economy was manifested. He left his fortune to build a reservoir and an aqueduct, to bring a constant supply of pure water to the town where he had been despised and misunderstood. This was the chief need of the people, and for a long time they had suffered much from drought and disease, because of the scanty supply. All the years that they had misjudged him, he was silently, unselfishly living for their sakes; when they discovered his motive, it was too late to do anything for him further than to hand down to future generations the memory of his noble and generous deed. But we can do much "for His sake," who has brought to us the living water; and who, though He died for us, is now alive again, and will live forevermore.

Models should be perfect. The artist must have a perfect model to copy; if he does not reach to it he will reach far further than if he had an inferior model to work by. When a man once realizes his own ideal, it is all over with him. A great painter once had finished a picture, and he said to his wife, with tears in his eyes, "It is all over with me, I shall never paint again, I am a ruined man." She enquired, "Why?" "Because," he says, "that painting contents and satisfies me; it realizes my idea of what painting ought to be, and therefore, I am sure my power is gone."

Moments—Use of odd. As goldsmiths sweep up the very dust of their shops, that no filings of the precious metal may be lost, so does the Christian man, when filled with the Spirit, use his brief intervals. It is wonderful what may be done in odd minutes. Little spaces of time may be made to yield a great harvest of usefulness, and a rich revenue of glory to God! May we be filled with the Spirit in that respect!

Murmuring—Wanton.

I know a person who is always grumbling; and I do not wonder that he always seems to have a cause for it. It is like the child who was crying, and its mother said, "Hold your tongue; if you cry for nothing, I will soon give you something to cry for." Many a child of God has found something to cry for, as the result of wanton murmuring.

Make inscrutable mysteries into footstools for faith to kneel upon.

Man's security is the devil's opportunity.

Maturity comes by affliction.

Mechanical worship is easy, but worthless.

Men may fast from bread that they may gorge themselves on pride.

Men of faith are not idle men.

Men's pennies and God's promises don't very well go together to buy heaven.

Merchants generally continue in that business which pays them well, for they feel that they might go further and fare worse. "Return unto thy rest, O my soul, for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee."

Mind your jots and tittles, with the Lord's precepts.

Mount like the lark to your God, and sing as you mount.