The children of the highest

CHAPTER 1. **The Children of the Highest/'

It was the Holy Sabbath day. The earth had donned her beautiful coat of verdure. The Sun touched trees and flowers with millions of tiny rays, adding to the glory of the morning. My thoughts were filled with the greatness and goodness of Ood, as I listened to the Pastor reading the lesson from the sixth chapter of St. Luke. I heard it all till he read the 35th verse, "And ye shall be the Children of the Highest." I almost cried out for joy. The minister's voice went on, but all I could hear was the echo of those wonderful words, "Children of the Highest!" What a sentence ! The very words gripped me and lifted me up. They rang through my mind and led me out into new fields of thought.

More than a year has passed since that Sabbath morning, but the echo of that living sentence, "Children of the Highest," rings in my mind like strange, sweet music. Today the music it brings is sweeter and the Holy Spirit is whispering, "Write !" I am now in one of our great Eastern cities-^a city of many iron and steel plants. The sky is dark with the smoke of their furnaces, but beyond the darkness there arises a vision of pastures green, and waters still, where feast-covered tables are spread by the hand of the Highest. No, no. Reader, this is no fancy. This land of such wondrous beauty exists. You can discover it if you will. You can play in its gardens, gather its choice flowers of promise and taste the rich fruits of the Spirit. The tree of life is laden with fruitage and its leaves are for the heaHng of the nations. Do not stay longer here in the wilderness of doubt. Christian experience is merely imitated down here where you are, but come with me up into the gardens of life and you shall really "taste and see that the Lord is good!" Come away from the vain cares and vexations that have cost you so much precious time and made you lose sight of the King's Highway. Come away from the sins that you so dearly love. You are tired and weary where you are. The desert sands are burning your feet and the swift flowing pleasures you have, do not really satisfy you.

"Oh, come up higher, for here are the green pastures and the still waters."

You are thirsting for the fountain that "springs up unto everlasting life." Oh, come up higher, for here are the green pastures and the still waters. The feast also is spread and He who has prepared it so abundantly says: "Ye shall be the Children of the Highest."

Wilt thou follow ? Carefully at first, for the way is not clear to you as it will be. Only be sure, Dear Reader, that you follow. Follow each line and thought with a complete surrender to His divine will and this little book will open to your eyes a vision as wonderful as that seen by the young man who f ol« lowed Elisha (H Kings 6:17). And thou, Dear Holy Spirit, be pleased to direct my pen that I may faithfully show the path of life !

In this great center — this eastern city of numberless foundries — there is much darkness. The smoke and fog are sometimes so heavy that the streec lights have to be lighted. Here are foreign born and poor. There are children here, dirty, tanned and even mangy, playing on the back streets and alleys. They have never heard the name of Christ unless when taken in vain. They eat and sleep and when they grow older they will hate and fight. Butchery, murder and inordinate desire will make up their life's history. Look at these shadows only that you may help other pilgrims on this way to the better things. Glance quickly as we pass hurriedly on, two blocks this way, and three that way, for you will hear and see evidences of sin. You will hear more, too, of the foreign speech than you do English. The nations from over the sea are gathered here talking ever, talking sin. Turn the corner and look. What places of evil lie here before the eye! Here the vile saloon, and there? Look at them, the dens of opium smokers ! That is quite enough. Shut out the picture, for we seek the Gardens of Life in the land that is filled with beauty. No one loves to linger amid these unpleasant scenes, and yet, Dear Reader, each heart is a garden, of good or of evil. These hearts have been filled with the wrong seeds, but if they look vile to us, what do our hearts look like to Him who knew no sin? Quickly go, then, into the garden of your soul and weed out all that is unpleasant to His dear sight.

We pass now from the crowded city street and turn to the days of yesterday — the days of childhood, when life was fragrant as the dewy flowers of the morning. In these sunlit fields of youth the air is pure and the church bell sends forth its holy harmony each Sabbath day. Let us ride slowly up the rocky hill-side, listening as we go. It is the hour of the Sabbath-school and the children are singing. What music is sweeter than the voices of children? What joyful hearts they have and how happy their faces! Their minds are now fixed on the Christ of Galilee and the first moment we look upon them we know that we are in the presence of Children of the Highest.

What is the difference in these children and the dirty children of foreign birth playing at the stalls of sin? Difference? Why the difference in darkness and light, of shame and glory. The gates of both Heaven and Hell appear in the answer. How wide apart they are ! One the children of sin, the other Children of the Highest.

Reader, choose carefully which way you take today! Heaven and Hell both offer themselves, and you must make choice, for you have come to the parting of the ways. One way is broad and smooth for awhile, but it leads to death. The other is narrow and steep and often very rugged, but it leads to the Gardens of Life. Only follow the way ever upward for the Gardens are in full bloom and . you may inherit them if you will. "Ye shall be the Children of the Highest."

CHAPTER a "The Way to Be a Child of the Highest."

I wonder, Reader, if as you read this chapter you do not need to know God. Perhaps you have never been saved from your sins, or perhaps you are His child and in your heart of hearts you want to be nearer to Him ; in either case you may have your heart's desire, if only you will. He is much nearer to us than we are accustomed to think. Whoever thou art who readest here, you can be his own child in less than an hour-« even in a moment if you desire it. It does not take God long to do his work. Are you ready for Him to have the life you have thus wasted and broken? Then keep close, for the path is narrow.

You have but to come to Jesus to be saved. This is a puzzling sentence to you, Reader, but it is so simple to those who have been over this way of experience. The way to God puzzles many because of its simplicity. You expect something difficult, but His plan is the easiest and most common sense thing in all the world. He tells us that the way is so simple that a wayfaring man though a fool need not err therein. It is so simple that a little child can find it, and so reasonable that the greatest mind must approve it.

Conversion is indeed a great work. So great that no power on earth can perform it. No human teacher nor able preacher can perform it for you; neither can you save yourself. You can no more convert your soul than you can create a world. God alone can do that. He says, "Ye must be born again," but He sees to that great spiritual birth. Don't try to do God's work for Him. You cannot. A great many people waste time trying to bear themselves into the Kingdom. They try to know that their names are written on the Lamb's book of life. They try to merge into the super-natural, when religion is the most natural thing in the world. There is a superhuman work, but you leave that to Him. He says, *^Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out," so, dear one, simply, only come to Him and He will fulfill this promise in your salvation from sin.

How may one come to Jesus? Just as you would go to any one you have wronged. Religion is the soul of common sense. What God asks is not the most difficult, but the most natural thing in the world. If you have wronged a friend and you desire the forgiveness of this friend, how would you seek that forgiveness? First, you make up your mind that you will cease trespassing against him. Second, you ask him to forgive those trespasses, and you believe that he will forgive. That is just the way to come to Jesus. Is there anything more reasonable? Isn't it just the natural way? So the plan of salvation that you have so often thought of as being a peculiar and difficult affair is the most natural plan. God simply adopted the human way, in order to make it easy of entrance. The only thing that a human being can do is to come and ask. Our Savior does the rest. In theological terms, we say, ''Repent and believe." This is the language of Jesus, "Repent and believe the gospel."

1st. Repentance, Deal with Him as with the earthly friend you have mistreated. Have you made up your mind that you would trespass against Him no more? That is Repentence. The apostie calls it "Godly sorrow for sin/' and that is "Godly sorrow," for you are so sorry for them that you want to quit them for His sake. We hear them apeak also of Conviction, which is only the reason of repentance. It is a part of earthly forgiveness. You realize that you cannot live without the friendship of the human friend you have wronged; that it will cost you unpleasant surroundings if you do. Perhaps you desire certain blessings that this earthly forgiveness will bring you. You also think^of the friendship of God and know that life is robbed of its best without His friendship. You also dread a neverending Eternity without Him, so to escape these unpleasant surroundings you go to Him. You also desire certain blessings, that His forgiveness will teimg; the life of Peace, and better than all. Heaven forever. Just now, dear reader, throw away that burden of sin, for repentance means "turning away from."

2nd. Faith. You cannot believe without repenting, nor can you repent without believing. How inseparable are these steps! To believe Jesus to have really been on earth, Son of the

Th^ CUld/rm of the Highest 17

most high God, is one thing. To take Him as your personal Savior from sin is another. The devils believe and tremble. They believe the history ot the Christ. Every sinner believes Christ as a historical character and yet remains in his sins. He must be more to you than a character in history, as Washington, Columbus, and others. He must be your present, personal Savior from sin. Believe Him enoug^h .that you are willing to declare His friendship to the whole world; willing to acknowledge that you are a Christian. Do not wait for feeling. Do not wait for the witness of the Spirit. All this will be yours, but just now believe that He keeps His word true in your case. "Him that cometh to Me I will in nowise cast out!'' He has given even this power to you. Power to become a son of God. Oh, make haste! Fall down before Him! Tell Him all your trespasses against Him ! Thrust those sins from you, and believe that He is true to His promise to save! If this you truly do, you are a saved man at this moment. He writes your name in the Book of Life.

These steps are all that a human being can take. They may be taken in an altar of prayer, in your pew in church, in the quiet of your room, or anjrwhere. Many have found Him precious to their souls at the old time mourners' bench after weeks of seeking, others have found Him in a moment and away from the house of prayer. He is everywhere. He is near you at this moment. Open your heart and let him come in. You cannot afford to go longer without Him.

This week, this day, this hour, this moment you may be A CHILD OF THE HIGHEST.

CHAPTER 3. "Prayer."

A child of a King can talk to the King. The King will hear because His child is speaking. You are now a child of the King of Kings and whatever you say to Him is prayer. If you are kneeling, sitting, standing, walking along the street or anywhere, just speak to God and your speaking to Him is prayer. I am glad there is no certain position for prayer. Kneeling is an excellent position. Saint Stephen kneeled, and so have many other eminent Christians in the early days of the church, but our God does not refuse to hear because we do not happen to be in a certain position. Every Christian, both young and old, should always think of God as so near them that he hears each time they speak to Him. St. Paul evidently referred to being in such an attitude of prayer when he said, "Pray without ceasing.'' The Christian life becomes so much easier if we keep in mind that God is an ever present friend. We must speak to Him often, just as we would to an earthly friend if they were walking beside us.

Prayer does so many wonderful things for us. It defeats temptation. If you are thinking of doing wrong, just speak to God. Another wonderful thing it does is to drive away fear; just speak to Him in the moment of fear and fear flees before the light of His face. Prayer does more than this, for by prayer we go to our God with our difficulties and He hears and removes them whatever they are, only we must pray believing.

God does not give the answer to every prayer, because we do not meet the conditions of prayer. Very often we ask for things we do not really want Oh, yes, we would like to have them, but we would not go to very much trouble to get them. This is praying amiss. You must really want what you ask for, if you expect God to grant it. You must be willing to help God answer your prayer. Are you praying for the salvation of some one? Then tell them about Jesus. Live Jesus in your life and He will answer your prayer. Know that you want a certain thing, and want that thing enough that you are willing to do all you can to bring it about; then ask in faith believing and he will give you just what you ask for.

You do not have to be a great Christian, for God to answer your prayer. The least in the Kingdom of God will be heard and each petition answered if the conditions of prayer are fulfilled. He tells us in the 13th verse of the 14th chapter of St. John, "And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do,^' And in the 14th verse, "If ye shall ask anything in my name, I will do it" Asking in His name, or for His glory, means not for self, but for Him. Can you in the bottom of your heart add to your prayer, "Do this, Dear Lord, for Jesus' sake" ? If you can, dear Chris* tian, God will answer your prayer whatever it be. No heart will be too hard. You can reach that lost brother, or companion, or dear friend by prayer. First, want what you ask for with all your heart ; even enough to do all you can to bring it about. Second, ask it in Jesus' name, believing; and He will give health, salvation of your friend, or whatever you ask Him for. It may be that you desire the salvation of one who is known to be very hard to reach.

That does not matter, no heart is too hard for God. If you meet the simple conditions of prayer and believe in your heart that He answers, that hard heart will melt, and turn to Jesus.

Perhaps you ask as did another on hearing me make this statement, "Doesn't that limit the free will of man?" No, it does not keep him from using his free moral agency to choose or reject Christ. The hardened will is a slave to Satan and God answers our prayer by driving Satan away from the heart and presenting through His Holy Spirit the issue of salvation. The man chooses for himself. The human soul naturally chooses God, but the soul bound to evil is not free to choose, so that our prayer is answered by the man being brought to where he uses his free-will.

Fix in your heart the one thing that you desire of the Lord and ask Him for that one thing always, in every prayer. Set your whole heart upon it. Meet the simple conditions of prayer and HE WILL DO IT.

A woman was praying for the salvation of her brother. He was a bill-clerk in one of our southern cities and his life was given up to sin. She wanted to do all she could to help God answer the prayer, so she made a trip of many miles to see him, but when she talked to him about his soul once, he kept out of her way. She stayed several days, to no avail. She returned home realizing that human effort was worthless in his case; then she went to God. She was on her knees nearly three hours pleading with God for his salvation. She held on just like Jacob did, and would not let Him go without the promised blessing. Then, while on her knees, there came to her the sv/eet assurance that God had answered her prayer. Later the news came that he was converted. It had occurred in this wise: While she was praying in a little town nearly a hundred miles away from him, he was seized with an awful headache and had to leave his desk for the fresh air; but fresh air will not heal a sinsick soul. He went to his room and to bed. He tried medicines, but these were not the things he needed. Late in the day he decided to try more fresh air, and before he was conscious of his surroundings, he was walking up the steps to a church where there was a revival in progress. The light came to him and with his own free will he chose Jesus as his Saviour. His conversion came the day his sister prayed an earnest, definite prayer for his salvation.

CHAPTER 4. "Faith/'

Prayer is worthless without faith. Faith is not a difficult thing; just like everything else in our Father's plan of salvation, it is simple, and may be used by any child of God.

The beautiful 13th chapter of I Corinthians tells us that faith is one of the three greatest things in the world. In the 11th chapter of Hebrews we find a number of wonderful things faith has done. It has locked the mouths of the lions, opened the baren womb, broken the shadow of doubt and led to the incorruptible inheritance. Salvation comes by faith. God saves others because of our faith. How often did Jesus say, "Thy faith hath saved thee''? No wonder the apostle said it was one of the three greatest things!

Jesus uses the most emphatic terms in describing the power of faith : "And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shalt say unto this mountain, Be thou removed and be thou cast into the sea ; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith." (St. Mark 11:22-23.)

Saints of all ages have spoken of the importance, or greatness of faith, but, dear reader, do not get the erroneous idea that has defeated so many of the privilege of faith. Some people think that faith is a special gift from God, and that only those who receive it as a gift can use it. This idea is false. Faith is an act of the human will, just like a step is an act of the human foot. Faith is simply believing without any doubt. Do not pray, "Lord, give me faith!" That would be like saying, "Lord, give me steps," and not trying to walk. We can pray like the man in Jesus' day, "Lord, I believe, help thou mine unbelief." We can pray for strength, to believe, as we can pray for strength to walk, but we must not ask God to do for us what He intended us to do for ourselves. He does not walk for us, and He does not believe for us. Perhaps you are thinking of PauFs language, "For by grace are Ye saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God/' So many people think this means Faith is the gift of God, but it does not. The apostle is not talking about faith. He is talking about the Grace of God. He tells us Grace is the gift of God and comes through a human act of the human will, believing God.

We do not need a gift of faith, anymore than we need a gift of walking; but we need practice to become an able walker, and we need to practice our faith. Fix your mind on one certain thing, find a promise in the Bible that fits that need and believe God is true to that promise in your particular need. Depend upon Him to fulfill it in your case, your prayer will be answered and your faith will grow simpler and more natural day by day. There is a promise in that dear old Bible for every human need.

Edward Cooney had not been a Christian long until he told me he was called to preach. His need was an education and no one knew that need better than he. We prayed about it and he made every preparation he could but they were limited. Edward was poor, and after getting the few clothes he needed there was little of his earthly goods left. The day came when he was to leave for Kingswood and in excitement he entered my study, telling me that he just couldn't go, on account of the scarcity of funds. I knew that he had faith, and had been believing all the time — that he was only wavering for the moment. I quoted Phillippians 4:19: "But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." He looked at me in astonishment with the question, "That does not mean that, does it ?" I assured him that God meant every need, and especially his need and at that moment. We prayed together, and he exercised faith for the fulfillment of that promise. Was his faith rewarded?

He reached Kingswood that very afternoon with $1.25 in his pocket, was accepted as a student, stayed right there till he was prepared for the Master's work, and is now preaching those ^'riches of glory'' in the great Northwest. There is nothing so extraordinary about it. He simply believed God. God did the rest— no, not all the rest He took a paint brush and started working his way through, believing as he went. Then God did more for him; others became interested in prayer for him. One member of the faculty wrote me that she had the assurance that God would send the money for his education, and He did.

Mr. Munsey, in one of those matchless sermons that only he could preach, describes faith by giving a picture of a man hanging to a vine on the side of a perpendicular wall. He is too far from the top or either side to escape. The distance to the bottom is dazzling, and he can hear the fibers of the vine breaking one by one. Death seems inevitable. Then an angel stoops above him with broad outstretched wing. The man cries to him to save. The angel asks: ''Do you believe I am able to save?'' The man looks at the mighty build of the angel and answers, "Yes." Then the angel asks: "Do you believe that I am willing to save you?'' The man looks at the kindly face of the angel and associates the look with the fact of his coming, and answers, "Yes, I believe you are willing to save me." The angel answers, "Then turn loose the vine and before you fall to the rocks below, I will lift you up." Now if the man turns loose, that is faith.

I think that is one of the best pictures of faith I ever read. Then faith is just turning loose and depending on another to keep the promise. You tell a child to jump from the stairs into your arms. The little voice comes back: ^'Will you tech me?" You promise you will and the jump is made. That is pure faith. Go to God, dear reader, with your difficulty; repeat His promise to Him and simply depend on Him to fulfill that promise in your particular need.

CHAPTER 5. "Service."

The normal state of the Christian heart is to be serving the Master. A little child loves to do the things that please the parents, and naturally as children of the Highest we must serve in His Kingdom. Each child in the house of God must do a part just as each child in the earthly house does its share in the household duties.

Jesus tells us in the 15th chapter of St. John that He is the vine, the Father is the husbandman, and we are the branches. Now grapes never grow on the vine — they always grow on the branches. Jesus sent His disciples out to win men, to bear fruit. He is the vine and all our strength we must draw from Him, but He gives us strength that we may win men to Him. Listen to Him as He adds: "Herein is My Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be My disciples." How much He has trusted us! The whole work of winning men for the Kingdom has been left to His disciples. I wonder how anyone can feel that they are good children and faithful to the master's best interest when they do not ever try to say a word for Him to the unsaved?

He made service of such importance that He told the disciples that they were to be witnesses unto the uttermost part of the earth. He said also, "If any man serve Me him will My Father honor !'' There are many ways to serve the Master, but there is just one aim that we must strive for, and that is the salvation of the lost We may have the service of song, the service of prayer, the service of preaching, or we may serve by testimony; but whatever the particular service, we serve to save others. It is the purpose of our service to save the whole world for Jesus, and if only each Christian would follow out the Master's plan the whole world would come to the foot of the cross in a very short time.

Here we see the common sense plan of religion again. The Master did not send us to the man farthest from us, but to the one next to us. To a schoolmate, or a neighbor; someone who sits near you at church, or perhaps to a member of your own family. Jesus

The Children of 4he Hiffheit gives US a very practical illustration of His service plan in' Matthe^lv'-: 13:33, where He tells about the wohian'who hid the lump of leaven in the flour. Now the leaven did not reach the farthest particles of flour, but the ones next to it; then that lump reached the next and that one the next and so on till the whole container was leavened. You must not wish for the privilege of reaching the far-away heathen, and thus waste your life waiting for an opportunity of doing good, but go after that unsaved heart next to you. The soul you reach will in turn reach another soul and on and on, till the whole world has been saved.

We will find also that this method has a world of power in it— this method of Personal Touch. I heard a very able minister say, recently: "If my eternal salvation depended on leading a thousand souls to Jesus and I only had a year in which to perform this service, I would go — not through the pulpit — but by the method of personal touch.'' It is the surest way. Oh, child of the Highest, you can be a personal worker if you will.