"Thus saith the Lord, Let not she wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man. glory)
his might, let not the rich man Hory in his riches: but let him that glorieth glory in this, that tnderstandeth, and knoweth me, tat Iam the Lord which exercise doving kindness, judgment, and! righteousness, in the earth: for la these things I delight, saith the Lord." Jeremiah 1X. verses 23,24.
On all other days of the year them as the gifts of God, use them jin response to the mind of God, spirit of stewardship, for [the service of m: tion our said "This is life eternal that they may know 'Thee jand Jesus Christ whom 'Thou didst, send." This is national salva-ion, the prophet in effect says, that' the people may know God Jand so work that through the ac-
Hfrom the slums, through the Lon-Jdon police courts. The head of the Harm was a Scotchman, one time Presbyterian Elder. "No doubt Ihe could make his discipline firm; but that was not what one thought lof in those happy surroundings, Healthy, intelligent boys were at work all over the place; some as farm workers; some as tailors; some! as boot-makers. Each was learn. ing his trade, and the master was doing his best to teach each something of the love of God. I asked what became of these boys and was told that almost without exception they did well. Many had gone ito Canada, and prospering there had written to the master for boys the fat flung dominions that form the British Empire revel in their independence. On this Empire Day throughout the whole sister-ood of nations goes the thrill of oneness.
It is that Vietoria's birthday should be chosen as the ay that binds all together, for her life exemplified the qualities that have given strength and na city to our people, When as ir} of eighteen she came to the Ubrone, she brought with her a determination to carry a sense of duty into every department of her life. She had to attach her signature to innumerable ate} papers. Throughout a long life he strove to master each one. Keeping strictly: within the lines the Constitution, she brought ever widening knowledge of {tions of the nation God's work may be seen. That, in the high-lest. wisdom of the nation, God loving kindness may be seen. That its strength may show His judgment. That its wealth may }grow and be used on the lines of eternal righteousness. Let us take the topics as Jeremiah mentions them.
Wisdom is an essential in healthy_ national life; but wisdom divorced from God becomes Machiavelian leraftiness and means weakness, not strength. Without God truth goes out' and man's cleverness!
feats itself. The man who adds sterling honesty to wisdom may not be spectacular in his doing, but he finds a way. The states:
san who carries his conscience into his work, the statesman who a man of God, is never a ure, The strain of life for men 'iNE|to be sent to them. Now this is might, exercised in the fear of the 'Lord.' Discipline that leads to higher liberty.
health is essential to a nation's fof the tree of life:" Wealth money rightly used is as the tru
individual is an extension of personality. The more money a man has the farther away can he make unself felt for good or for ill. So with enation. Wealth for wealth's sake means corruption, luxury, stagnation, settling on the lees.
fany a nation has gone down under it. True patriots have said "Bless-Jed be war" because only s0 could they see how self-sacrifice and the stoic virtues could be brought back. But what we want is not war but moral equivalent of war, an imshe times and working unobtru-|\ ively and in sympathy with her sainisters, she did much to maintain an honest, constructive po-joy. When far beyond the al-ottod span of three score] 7aary and ten, of, ne elec, aorning by morning, she was Sand rib work at her ea.
There was another side, behind wer senso of duty and her love of york lay her religious fife. vold the simple evangelical faith, che loved the word of God, she ved the house of God, she sought ye guidance of God. "The nation irishes the memory of the old Taisen not because she differed] som her people, but because arnest, womanly, true, she was 9 much at one with the best hem, As was the life of Victoria, have been the lives 4 multitudes of our people and ere has Jain the strength of our ational life.
Today we give thanks to God for A that He has given to us as people. Let us also seck grace! hat we may hand on to genera-any yet to come all that precious hing in fife and character that we ave received by God's grace the past.
'The words of the prophet bring to. the source of a nation's strength. He pictures the states-nan, the administrator, the finanier, as he had seen them in Jerusalem, and behind them we see Jed.' The statesman ix clever snd boasts of his craftiness. The 'sAministrator is strong and boasts -hat he.can subdue all to his will—T should like to see the man that) sould resist me."—we seem to ear him say. The financier aiding up his own and the na-ion's wealth, and boasting that inexhaustible. Everywhere there is lack of principle. Every. where @ boast, and behind it all we see God, the invisible king, vxercisiog loving kindness, judg: ment and righteousness in the orth and delighting in these! shings.
In the light of the eternal and invincible Worker how foolish and sable is the boasting of men. 'Let not the wise' man glory wisdom, neither let the mighty oan glory' indi might, nor let the rich man glory in. his riches: nat let him that gloricth ory in this, that he understandeth, and snoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercise loving kindness, gadgment, and righteousness tthe earth: for in these things I de-ight saith the Tord," svisdom) strength, wealth. hose ne yphet not despise] indeed are essentials in' national alle, but he would have us. hold Tead in the House of C pulse that will make men use their very great, and men funds as freely for the moving up enables them to Jof education, or the moving' for-their lead in different ward of civilization, ax ever they quarters. Mr. Gladstone was, per-have used it in the stress of warfare. haps, the greatest Commoner of As the divine life lays hold of men, the last generation. He left individuals and nations learn to: source of knowledge unexplored hold wealth as trustees. Trustees: His marvellous power of thought for God, in the service of men. Jenabled him to master every situa.
On the lines of the prophet's tion ay it arose, but in no gift of teaching we may have an intense] his own did he find his confidence love for and devotion to our coun-that he found in God Himself. try. Our hearts may be stirred to In a time of great political strain deep thankfulness on its behalf; he said to @ colleague once—"But but for boasting there is no place. for my conviction that the Lord The boaster talks of my wisdora, my] God omnipotent reigneth, I should might, my wealth. In this there give up politics and retire inis no' strer It is the know-to private life." Our national ledge-of God that counts. "Ha strength lies here, that our lead. jing understanding and "knowing ing statesmen have sought to Me." He who has attained this work in accordance with the will knowledge will practise virtues be-of God, and so, generation after generation, they have Jed the true glory of the country forward. Wisdom aplist in the fear of God, to the complete spiritual response to God Jon the part of its people. ward" complicated facts of life Finally let us remember that a produces character of extracrds. nation is what its individual men nary strength and is one of the Jand women make it. In a demo-moat precious gifts of God. legacy every man has his vote and Might is essential to national it is his duty to cast it; but he has life; but might divorced from to see to it that he casts it wisely. God ly tyranny. A nation needs Every man too has his character, strength to secure her frontiers and Jand it behoves him to see that in give security for life and prohis character he maintains the! perty to all within them. There are {ideals which he cherishes for the na-two very different ideals as to how tion, Let us see to it that our life! the strength should be exemplified is what it ought to be. Most of all We may think of national law as maintain the personal an fof iron severity, crushing all that family piety of an earlier day; and Ido not conform to it; or we may see we shall find as of yore that the se-such an embodiment of the beret of the Lord is with them that, ternal law of righteousne: s as was four revealed in the life of Jesus Christ.
Him Iron dieptine may have it pace bat it is law that inspires and ides, that makes @ nation strong, {JAPANESE CHAMBERS AND! Two hundred years ago the concep.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.