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Weybourne Group ‘Street Corner’.

TWO HORSES.

Somewhere in Alberta, Canada, there is a field with two horses in it. Nothing strange about that, you may feel and, indeed, from a distance each horse looks like any other horse. But if you stop your car, or are walking by, you will notice something amazing. Look into the eyes of one of the horses, and you will see that he is blind. His owner has chosen not to have him put down, but has made a good home for him.

If you stand nearby and listen, you will hear the sound of a bell. Looking around for the source of the sound, you will see that it comes from the smaller of the two horses. Attached to the horse's halter is a small bell. It lets the blind horse know where the other horse is so that he can follow. If you continue to stand and watch these two horses, you will see that the horse with the bell is always checking on the blind horse and that the blind horse will listen for the bell and then slowly walk to where the other horse is, trusting fully that he will not be led astray. When the horse with the bell returns to the shelter of the barn each evening, it stops occasionally and looks back, making sure that the blind friend is not too far behind to hear the bell.

Just like the owner of the two horses, God does not throw us away if we are not perfect, of if we have problems and challenges. He watches over us and brings others into our lives to help us when we are in need. Sometimes, we are the blind horse being guided by the little ringing bell of those who God has guided into our lives. Other times, we are the guide horse, helping others to find their way. Good friends are like that; you may not always see them, but you know that they are always there.

GREAT CHRISTIANS.

One of the best films I have seen in recent years was "Amazing Grace", a film dedicated to the life and work of William Wilberforce. If you haven't seen it, and have the opportunity, take that opportunity. You will not be disappointed. It is a great film about a very great man whose motivation was his Christian faith.

William Wilberforce is remembered in the lectionary on the 30th July. He was born on the 24th August 1759 in Hull and died on the 29th July 1833. He was educated at St. John's College, Cambridge and became a Member of Parliament for his home town in 1780. Five years later, Wilberforce became an Evangelical Christian, a pivotal event in his life and the dynamic which enabled his achievements to unfold.

In 1787, he became involved with a group of Christians committed to the cause of anti-slavery, a campaign which he had supported since the age of 14 and which, now, became his major concern. The "Clapham Sect" in the House of Commons were deeply supportive of his attempts to bring about the abolition of the Slave Trade and whilst the campaign took many years as a consequence of vigorous opposition to abolition, the Slave Trade Act became law in 1807.

Whilst William Wilberforce is rightly, and understandably, remembered for his work on the Slave Trade, he also championed causes and campaigns such as the British missionary work in India, the creation of a free colony in Sierra Leone, the foundation of the Church Mission Society, and the Society for the prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

In later years, Wilberforce supported the campaign for the complete abolition of slavery, and continued his involvement after 1826, when he resigned from Parliament because of his failing health. That campaign led to the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833 which abolished slavery in most of the British Empire. Wilberforce died just three days after hearing that the passage of the Act through Parliament was assured. He was buried in Westminster Abbey, close to his friend, William Pitt.

One of Wilberforce's supporters in his campaign for the abolition of slavery was John Newton, another Evangelical but who, previous to his conversion, had been the captain of a slave trader. He it was who counselled Wilberforce when he was contemplating the possibility of leaving the Commons to be ordained "to serve God where he was." That advice proved to be inspired and a major factor in the pursuit of abolition. Newton lived to see the results of his advice and support dying some months after the enactment in 1807.