CHINA

In the Lord's mercy our brother and sister Kautto were well and preserved from harm when they wrote at the end of January. As will be seen from their letter which follows, they are very close to the scene of hostilities and should be much on our hearts and in our prayers.

Taitowying, Jan. 25, 1933.

We heartily thank you for your sympathy in our trial of faith, "being much more precious than of gold that perisheth," for which we can thank our heavenly Father; also "knowing that the trying of your faith worketh patience," and "that all things work together for good to them that love God." I have been thinking lately of the good there is in suffering, and I found three prominent answers in the Scripture.

1. Making one humble before the Lord in seeing one's own nothingness and God's grace and mercy (Job 42:5, 6; Jas. 5:11). 2. It may be for someone else's good, since we are able to comfort another with the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God (2 Cor. 1:4). It may be suffering for Christ's Body's sake, which is the Church, as Paul did when writing his letters from the prison in Rome (Col. 1:24), or as John, an exile in the isle of Patmos in order that we might have the wonderful book of Revelation. Four years ago when in Finland, I was able to obtain C. H. M.'s Notes on Genesis, Exodus and Leviticus in Finnish. These were translated by a man who had been a sailor, was converted in England, loved the Lord, came to Finland (his native country) , and preached the gospel of God's grace there to lost sinners, but as he was not an ordained preacher he was put into jail for three years, and while there translated these volumes of C. H. M.'s Notes into Finnish. It is only too bad he was not there for five or six years, to have time to translate them all.3. For our eternal good, as Paul shows its working in 2 Cor. 4:17.

Our little David, though he left us with aching hearts, nevertheless has drawn our hearts to wait for the Lord's coming more and more. Perhaps it is not right that we should think so much of him; but every time we do, our longing gets greater to see Him who loved us and gave Himself for us.

We had happy times at our out-stations for nearly two months. At Shuang-Shantze four of the soldiers confessed the Lord. Two army doctors who became much interested both bought Bibles, and when we were at Mutowteng and they went through that place toward the North, they sought us out and stayed with us until nearly midnight, and we had a good time over the Word. At Mutowteng the first ten days' meetings were well attended, but then the soldiers began to go toward the North and usually stayed only overnight, being billeted in different homes, 8 men to a brick bed (K'ang), about 6 x 9 feet. Of course that was the bed where the home-folks usually slept, and if there were more than one bed so many more soldiers were sent to fill up the rooms. Then their food also had to be provided for them. The people have to look after their things night and day when the soldiers are around, for they steal everything they can put their hands on, so no one could come to the meetings when the soldiers were in the village.

No doubt there is much poverty now in the U.S., but one can see so much of it in China, especially in this time of war, that it makes one almost sick. The people are so taken up with the necessities of everyday life that the things hereafter do not bother them much.

We returned home from the out-stations just two weeks ago, but as it is the last part of the last moon of the Chinese year (tomorrow being the first day of the New Year), there has been much gospel work done among them. After the New Year, if the war does not hinder, we are expecting to be able to start the gospel meetings again. The Lord has been very gracious to us, providing all things needful according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

We do not know what turn the war is going to take. We are only about 35 miles by the nearest road from Shanhaikwan, where they have been fighting lately; but we believe God is able and willing to protect us from all danger and harm.

Trusting this will find you all well and happy in the Lord, with our warmest Christian greetings to all, Yours affectionately in Christ,

Charles and Esther Kautto.

From another missionary we learn more of the serious condition in that part of China.

Hada, Manchuria, 7th Jan., 1933.

In these parts these are days of strife, turmoil and lawlessness. We have not been able to itinerate about as much as we should have liked, because of the banditry so rampant in every direction. Jehol District, in which we are working, appears to be the bone of contention between Manchuria(under Japanese influence) and China proper, and trenches are being dug all round the town to resist any further encroachment. We hear trouble has already broken out at the Coast which is likely to affect the whole of the district. We are, however, being kept in perfect peace.

As far as the work is concerned, we are being greatly encouraged by the numbers coming along to hear the gospel, and the two halls in the city are open daily for the telling out of the Message of Life. The work has been much extended through the renting of a shop situated right in the business quarter, and already there are a number of enquirers as a result of this fresh effort. We get a full hall on Lord's Day for the gospel. The Police Superintendent and his fourth wife come regularly, and we believe a real work is going on in their souls. A number from the Secretarial Department also attend each time. Seven were baptized last September and seem to be growing in grace and in the knowledge of God.

We have just concluded a series of meetings for believers who came along morning and evening for the study of the Word. Several came in from some villages forty miles to the East, and it was nice to see their appetite for the things of God. Quite a few of the enquirers from the country are seeking baptism.

Dispensary three times a week keeps us busy, but it is a means to an end and the breaking down of prejudices. Homes are thereby opened for the preaching of the gospel, and when we itinerate we are often accorded a welcome from villagers because of one or two of their number having received treatment in the months that are past. Robbers with gunshot wounds occasionally come in and so hear the gospel.

With our united love in the Lord and seeking a continuance of your prayers for us in these troublous times, Yours in the fellowship of the gospel,

A. E. Trevor Oliver.

ARGENTINE

A brief extract from a missionary letter tells of the unrest prevailing.

Things in this land are very unsettled at present. Owing to the recent attempted revolution we are still under martial law. In fact all these South American Republics seem to be taking their turn at revolution. When one party gets into power they exile or imprison the leaders of the other party, and at the next outbreak they take double vengeance on the other side when they are turned out. It is creating an awful spirit of hatred, and results in thinking nothing of life. Although there is no capital punishment they know how to remove those they wish to, either by apparent accident or supposed resistance to the authorities. In fact it is getting much the same in all nations. They are like the troubled seas, just waiting for a super-man to rise. But, praise God, we look for the Saviour. May the Lord keep our hearts in tune with Himself till that moment.

Yours in His love and service,

Thomas E. Stacey.

On Furlough

Our brother Gordon Searle has been visiting the meetings in the Central and Eastern parts of the country, his wife and children meanwhile remaining with Mrs. Searle's parents at Hickman, Neb.

It has stirred our hearts to learn of what God has done, and is doing, in and around the three stations of Nyangkunde, Mambassa and Lolwa, through those who have gone from our midst and the native brethren who have been brought to Christ.

Our brother and his family hope to be returning to Africa by the early Summer, should the Lord enable. Fellowship with the expense of their return may be sent to the Missionary Fund or to our brother, c|o this address. How blessed is the privilege of having a part in the preaching of the gospel in "all the world!"

(Continued from p. 21 )

5.-AT MOUNT SINAI

Three months after the exodus from Egypt the children of Israel encamp before mount Sinai where, after recounting His gracious ways with them, God proposes that if they obey His voice and keep His covenant, they shall be a kingdom of priests and ap holy nation. They do not hesitate to accept this conditional relationship, and answer:"All that the Lord hath spoken we will do" (Exod. 19:7). Consequently, of the third day, the new principle of dealing is inaugurated in suitable fashion, for God comes down upon the mount in a thick cloud amid thunderings and lightnings and tie sound of a trumpet. And so terrified are the people that they say to Moses:"Speak thou with us, and we will near:but let not God speak with us, lest we die!" Such Is the effect of putting themselves upon the basis of human conduct, instead of remaining upon the ground of divine goodness when Moses further explains arrangement, they again say:"All that the Lord hath said will we do, and be obedient!" (chap. 24:7).

In the meantime having ascended the mount, Moses receives

THE TWO TABLES OF STONE

whereon are written the ten commandments. At this time he is absent from the camp of Israel for forty days, during which time the people become restive. Not having realized God's presence among them, they virtually say:Without Moses we are without God!-"Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him" (chap. 32:1).

As for Aaron, although he has qualities that only grace can give, he is not a man to stand in the breach; he cannot say NO! Indeed, the fact that the people approach him with their proposition shows that they estimate him shrewdly, for he suggests an offering of gold, and upon receiving their earrings melts and molds them into a calf which he fashions with a graving tool, whereupon they declare:"These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt!" (chap. 32:2-4). But Aaron further promotes the apostasy by building an altar before the image and making a proclamation:"Tomorrow is a feast lo the Lord!" He uses Jehovah's name to gloss over the matter.

At this point we anticipate Moses' question to Aaron:"What did this people unto thee, that thou hast brought so great a sin upon them?" To which he replies:"Let not the anger of my lord wax hot:thou knowest the people that they are set on mischief. For they said unto me, Make us gods, which shall go before us:for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him. And I said unto them, Whosoever hath any gold, let them break it off. So they gave it to me:then I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf" (vers. 21-24).

Passing over this bland explanation of the calf's emergence from the flame, we need not question the plea that the people "are set on mischief." But what is apparent in himself is the lack of courage to resist a popular backsliding; he is not strengthened for such an emergency by the sense of the presence of God.

Returning however to Moses, let us observe that before he sees the "calf" and the "dancing," he is prepared by God for the worst, being put through exercises of heart that temper his actions when the apostasy bursts upon his view (chap. 32:7-14). For instance God says to him:Israel is "thy" people, a "stiff-necked people," which I will displace by a nation from thyself. But Moses answers:They are "Thy people," the subjects of Thy care. Whereupon he pictures the exodus from Egypt and portrays the effect of any report that the movement had collapsed. Will not the Egyptians say:He did worse to them than to us? He drowned our army, but He exterminated them; He wrought mischief upon us, but, "For mischief did He bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth" (chap. 32:12). Hence Moses appeals to God's oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Israel:"I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever" (ver. 13). This argument gives great pleasure to God (He really prompts it), for it reveals confidence in Himself, and shows that Moses realizes he is engaged in a divine movement. When therefore we read that, "The Lord repented of the evil which He thought to do unto HIS PEOPLE," we gather from the very expression that He had never given them up.

However Moses is now ready to descend the mountain. "And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing; and Moses' anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount" (ver. 19). This is not fleshly rage, but indignation in sympathy with God; and the breaking of the tables is the act of one who knows what to do; for had the law entered the camp it would have cut off an idolatrous nation. But it is noteworthy that the unmixed law never reached the people but, when re-written, came among them combined with sacrificial offerings that pointed forward to the cross.

However, the destruction of the calf is instant. And the death of three thousand is an execution by divine command, when the sons of Levi slay "every man his brother" (those closest by relationship), "and every man his companion" (those closest by choice), "and every man his neighbor"(those closest by circumstance). "And the Lord plagued the people, because they made the calf, which Aaron made."

The intercession of Moses on this occasion, when he asks Jehovah to blot him "out of Thy book which Thou hast written," unless He pardons Israel, is one of the most amazing examples of burden-bearing on record, and has engaged some of the most spiritual minds in explanation of its measure.

Jehovah now permits the departure of Israel toward the land flowing with milk and honey but, while He guarantees an angelic vanguard, says, "I will not go up in the midst of thee" (chap. 33:3). However when the people are stripped of their "ornaments;" when the tabernacle is pitched without the camp, and those seeking the Lord follow the tabernacle, Moses is heard pleading:"If Thy presence go not [with me], carry us not up hence." Indeed, on Sinai's summit with a second set of tables, he had said:"If now I have found grace in Thy sight, O Lord, let my Lord, I pray thee, go among us; for it is a stiff-necked people" (chap. 34:9), its very stiffneckedness requiring the guidance He only could give. For, says he, how can it be known that we have found grace in Thy sight unless' it be by Thy going with us, and what can make us different from the nations, but Thy presence among us? (chap. 33:16).
And may not we say:Can ecclesiasticism, or a halo of names, safeguard God's people today? If we have learned what Moses knew, we will say:Nothing can avail but the presence of Himself manifesting His mind and love for our practical sanctification.

Moses is so affected when Jehovah shows willingness to continue in the midst of His people, and discovers that his own exercise of heart is but the reflection of God's feelings in the matter, that he says:"SHOW ME THY GLORY!" As if he would say:Such readiness to forgive is peculiarly divine! I desire to know Thee better! Permit me to behold Thee in the outshining of Thy nature! But this request can only be granted in part (vers. 19-23). Thus in the "cleft of the rock," covered by the Lord's hand as He passes by, Moses beholds His "back parts." For in that day he can only learn that God is moving forward to what He will do in the fulness of time. As the revelation of God in Christ is at that time future, Moses cannot behold His glory in the "face" of the Man Christ Jesus.

We shall conclude this paper with a reference to chapter 34:29-35, where we learn that upon the law-giver's descent with "the two tables of stone like unto the first," Aaron and all the children of Israel are afraid to come near him because "the skin of his face shone." Therefore while his face is toward the people "he put a vail" on it. But when he turns and goes in before the Lord, "he took the vail off." This is interpreted in 2 Cor. 3 as follows:That the Spirit's present gospel ministry of life and righteousness enables its preachers to use "great plainness of speech," in contrast with Moses' ministry of death and condemnation. And the vail Moses uses to dim a glory that reminds of legal obligations is likened to the vail upon the heart of Israel. Thus Israel's back is toward God, and its vailed heart turned away. But, as Moses removed the vail from his face when he went into the presence of the Lord, so "the vail shall be taken away" from Israel's heart when they turn around and seek His face. _R. J. REID.

(To be continued in next number, D.V.)
'PRAY. . .SING'

(2 Cor. 4:10-12)

"Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus." The apostle Paul applied to himself day by day the truth of the putting to death of Jesus. The Lord had died. He had died for Paid, and Paul had died with Him. Thus he could say of himself and of all believers, "Ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God"(Col. 3:3). And he reckoned himself "dead indeed unto sin but alive unto God through Jesus Christ" (Rom. 6:11). Carrying this out in his practical life, Paul refused that which was of the old and cultivated that which was of the new. For this, as for much else, "death is ours." It is the way of power and freedom. Of Goliath's sword David could say, "There is none like it." By it the giant's head had been removed. By the death of Christ we are delivered from the thraldom of sin and the domination of the law in order that in our freedom we may live unto God, but the flesh being still within us we are called to put to death our members upon the earth, to use the knife of self-judgment against every movement of the flesh in its desires. So pride, self-love, jealousy, self-sufficiency, as well as all grosser forms of sin, have to be put into and kept in the place of death.

'"That the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body." This is the thought of God for all His own -that in their bodies, once given over to self-gratification, "the life of Jesus" may be manifested.

Fragrant to God His Father, was our Lord's life on earth. The four Gospels tell out the Father's delight in His Son's way among men, and the Spirit of God presents the fourfold view of it that we may delight in it also. We wonder as we trace His path of faithfulness to God and of grace towards sinners. But that life in which He lived is now our life. As it is written, "When Christ, -who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory" (Col. 3:4). And again, "Christ liveth in me" (Gal. 2:20).

Something of that fragrance is to be produced in us even now. Careful should we be, then, that nothing should be allowed to hinder its manifestation. Christ lives in "His own" (and every true believer is one of them), that something of His graces and beauties may express themselves. He is no longer here personally, but His own are here, that He may shine out in them. Looks of love, words of love, acts of love, ways of love, such as were seen in Him, are now by the Holy Spirit's indwelling possible in the lives of all His redeemed ones.

So it is that we read, "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control" (Gal. 5:22). These all came out in Christ in their perfection and these are in measure to come out in each Christian. This is God's thought for us, and should be ours. With this in view God helps us.

"For life which live." The apostle Paul is speaking of spiritual life. The Christian is living among the dead. He is spiritually alive where many around are spiritually dead. Just as in a cemetery a physically alive man may be encompassed by the physically dead, the child of God (being divinely quickened from his death in trespasses and sins) walks amid those who are still dead towards God. Thus it was with Paul.
"Are always delivered unto death." God applied to him, to Paul, day by day, "always," that which was death. Circumstances of difficulty and trial were rolled in upon him constantly, to check the workings of the flesh in him. A thorn for the flesh was given him, given him of God, though it was Satan's messenger, lest pride should overtake and overcome him. The experiences he recounts in verses 8 and 9 were all with this object.

"For Jesus' sake." That is for His pleasure, for His honor, for His loved one's prosperity and blessing. How well to look at all that which seems so contrary to our comfort naturally, and see written upon it, "For Jesus' sake." Happy indeed it is if we recognize the hand of our God acting for this in all things.

"That the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh." Thus the apostle's desire was furthered by the gracious action of God who had produced by His Spirit that desire in His servant. The result was produced in the success of the labor of the apostle. He could say, "So then death worketh in us, but life in you." His outward man, buffeted about on life's stormy billows, might perish; but through his means blessing flowed to those who listened to his ministry. The illustration has been used of the flower called the Sweet William. After it has flowered prettily the head dries and the seeds form. It becomes sere and brown as it dies. But the seeds are scattered and new flowers spring up around the dead stalk. Death works in the one that life may work in the others. As it has been said, "God exhibits death in the living that He may exhibit life in the dying."

The reason for few and feeble results in ministry may be traceable to the servant not being willing that death should work in him-not willing to endure suffering and deprivation. The words of our Lord Jesus should be borne in mind:"He that loveth his life shall lose it; he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal." Accepting death to our natural inclinations may be the way of life, of a life that will last eternally. Inglis Fleming

(Concluded from page 121)

II

Never before, never since, never again, will men have God in Man to do as they desire with, to manifest their hatred against, as at those days of the death of Christ. Hear Peter:"Ye men of Israel,…. the God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified His Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied Him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let Him go. But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted to you; and KILLED THE PRINCE OF LIFE, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses" (Acts 3:12-15).

Those days of Christ upon earth had been long before foretold and longed for, as He declared:"Blessed are the eyes which see the things which ye see, and have not seen them, and to hear the things which ye hear, and have not heard them" (Lk. 10:23, 24). Seven hundred years before Isaiah had told how the people would harden their hearts against God's truth:"By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand:and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive; for this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. But blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear" (Matt. 13:14-16).

Some of the saddest words of Christ are those in Luke 13:34,35; 19:41-44; "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how oft would I have gathered thy children together as a hen gathereth her brood under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate." "And when He was come near, He beheld the city and wept over it, saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong to thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, and shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation."

The judgment upon those who hated Christ, and manifested it by rejecting and causing Him to be crucified, was an awful example of the punishment of sin, sin against great light and mercy. But far more terrible days are to come upon the earth when there "shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be" (Matt. 24:21). Verses 29-31 fix the time of this. Revelation 7:9,10,13-17 refers to the same time. It is very likely that this scene is not far off, that its actors are living upon the earth even now, and that the present unparalleled time of trouble is the beginning of what is to be the GREAT TRIBULATION. The world is now having the gospel of Christ offered to it as never before. In almost every part of the world man can hear the glad tidings of the love of God manifested by the sending of the Man Christ Jesus into the world to bear sin. To become a real Saviour He had to become Man, that He might take man's place, be treated as a sinner by a holy God, judged like a sinner, dealt with as God will deal with sinners. But the sin and guilt of the world have been laid upon Christ, He has become the one great and only Saviour of sinners. How are men treating Him today?

Men cannot see Him to treat Him as they did in the body, but in the most enlightened lands, where there is a Bible or a portion of one in almost every house, His name is being blasphemed, vilified, spoken against. All that men lack is the opportunity, and they would treat Christ as badly as they did at His first coming. The Jewish nation imagined that they could wreak vengeance on Him for His righteous rebukes for their sins, and yet go free from judgment. How vain was their imagination! How perfectly God kept His word threatening them with judgment! Just so men now imagine they can defy the living God and not suffer judgment. By His dealings with Jerusalem after Christ was crucified, God gave mankind warning of what they must expect if Christ is hated, scorned, rejected.

The Jewish nation could never be made to realize that they were dealing with a holy God who would not fail to keep His word. Men now have the same God to deal with, whose judgments are announced in Scripture. Since Christ left the world there has never been a people who more completely reject Christ than those found on it today. They are fulfilling prophecy just as those who killed Christ did. The present distress is the beginning of a different way of treatment of a revolting world. Christ lives, Christ hears the blasphemy of His name, and soon men will have to bow to judgments to come. Because Christ was a Man who never used His power to deliver Himself from His enemies, they thought to deal with Him as with a weak man. Men now so despise Him that they will show it in every possible way. "Weep for yourselves and your children," said Christ to the women who bewailed Him as He was led to the cross. They were to see the days of vengeance. They did see them.

Christ warned His people; He told them what to do to escape the judgments coming upon the doomed city and people (Luke 21:20-22). Not one who obeyed Him was overtaken by those judgments. So no member of Christ's body will be in the fast-coming tribulation. He Himself has promised this, and will surely keep His word. He is coming for His own, all of them. It is "they that are Christ's" who will be caught away from the impending doom of the dwellers on the earth. We are not called to weep for what is coming on them, but to pray, "Even so, come, Lord Jesus."

The world cannot grasp the fact that the Man who was weak enough and meek enough to permit His enemies to take Him and crucify Him is strong enough to overthrow all human power and might. The men who delivered Christ to Pilate were blind to His power; Pilate was blind to it; the world has been blind to it ever since. Yet it was revealed when His prophetic warning was fulfilled in Jerusalem's destruction. But the unbelieving men of the world have never seen the connection between Christ's arrest, trial and crucifixion, and the siege and destruction of Jerusalem by the army of Rome. Faith has always seen it, and seen Christ's words fulfilled to the letter.

It is so with the future. Proud unbelievers of every kind scoff at the idea of Christ coming again in the clouds of heaven to execute judgment on this God-defying world. Peter, in the last chapter of his second Epistle, describes both the present days and the scorn which men heap upon the prophet's announcement of fast-coming judgment. The world knows not God, knows not His Christ, despises His offer of salvation, rejects His warnings of coming judgments.

The opposite of this rejection is the path of faith, accepting Christ as our only Saviour from sin, loving Him, trusting Him. What a vast difference there was between Caiaphas and Pilate on the one hand, and Peter, John and Mary on the other. And there is the same difference now between those who reject and those who accept, love, trust, and walk with Christ. We have the same Christ that John had to love; the world has the same Christ to scoff at, despise and hate that Caiaphas and Pilate had. In all the centuries Christ has not changed. He went back to heaven, where He has been since His ascension; but the Christ whom Stephen and Paul saw was the same Christ Peter, John and Mary saw.

He will come again for His own, and the believer of today will see Him, for His coming must be very near. The readers of this-some of them, at least-may be among those who will be "alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord." When He comes He will bring eternal joy to His own. But He is also coming to bring eternal sorrow to the world. The same Christ who is pictured in the Gospels, foretold by the prophets, revealed in the Epistles, is coming both to bless and to judge. He has given 2 Pet. 3 to guide and counsel His waiting people in the days that are fast darkening. Soon our eyes will behold Him, and we shall be made like Him, "for we shall see Him as He is."

"Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent, that ye may be found of Him in peace, without spot and blameless" (2 Pet. 3:14). J. W. Newton

In the concluding section of the fifth chapter of Ephesians we have presented the ministry of Christ to the church in a seven-fold way. Two of the folds refer to the past, four to the present and the seventh to the future.

Christ loved the church, so much so, that He gave Himself for it. There is a peculiar charm about the expression "gave Himself." Other passages speak of giving His life, but in this beautiful relationship it was necessary that He should give Himself.

Then, as to the present, "sanctifying and cleansing" go on side by side with "nourishing and cherishing." The former may involve discomfort from the view of nature in the individual, but the thought here is abstract, relative to the church as a whole. The latter pair of folds in His wonderful ministry must always cause delight, whether viewed from the individual or the collective standpoint. The simile is the relation of nurse to child. She nourishes with food, she cherishes by hugging close to her bosom, so is the tender manifestation of the love of Christ to the church.

The preceding thoughts are all in view of the future presentation to Himself of the church glorious. In Revelation 21 the Holy City is seen coming down out of heaven, bearing the impress of the glory of God, scintillating with crystalline brilliancy and encrusted with the dispensation of blessing to a beautiful new creation. T. Oliver (Galashiels)

When Noah was about to go forth from the ark he sent out two birds, a raven and a dove. The dove returned, but not the raven. The dove found no rest, and no sustenance, evidently, and came back to its haven of rest, the ark. Picture the surface of the earth strewn with the putrefying bodies of beasts which had perished in the flood. The raven, the unclean bird, would not scruple to eat of these. It could, and would, sustain itself on the dead carcases around.

Is not the lesson to be learned from these two birds very simple? A Christian has the nature of both the raven and the dove. That is, he has the old nature of his natural birth from Adam, and the new nature of the new birth which he received when he believed the gospel and was saved.

The human mind demands food. There is an abundant supply to meet this demand. Someone has said, "Tell me what you read, and I'll tell you what are;" and the Scripture well says, as a man "thinketh in his heart, so is he." We might ask ourselves the question:To which of the two natures am I catering? Do we seek that which is wholesome, and pure and good?-that which will build up the new man, the man in Christ? The apostle says, "Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things" (Phil. 4:8). Is this our mental attitude toward what we see and hear and read, or are we catering to that other nature, the old carrion-feeding nature which gloats over the "corruption that is in the world through lust"?

Are you ministering to the dove, or to the raven in you?-to the new nature, or the old? Scripture searchingly says, "He that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption," and again, "If ye live after the flesh ye shall die, but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live" (Rom. 8:13). Shall we live after the flesh, and shrivel up in our souls until we are uncertain whether we were ever converted? That is what the Apostle tells us will be the result if we do not have in our faith other qualities which he names, and which make for growth and progress in the new life. His words are, "And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity" (2 Peter 1:5-7). To be careless as to those inspired utterances must inevitably result in serious loss in this life, and also a loss, far greater, for eternity, as the apostle warns us in the following verses (8-12).

The Apostle John adds a word along the same lines, saying, "All that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof, but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever" (1 John 2:16,17).

There was a time when the monthly periodicals published among us were found in practically every home. Their cost is well worth the little sacrifice necessary to obtain them, and so we have in hand each month of the
***************************PAGES 283- 290 MISSING************************* ***

Calendar:June 16th to July 15th

DAILY BIBLE READING………June 16th, 1 Cor. 15; June 30th, 2 Cor. 13; July 15th, Phil. 3.

(Concluded from p. 17.)

The second time we hear of Nicodemus he is found bearing witness, yet associated with his testimony is found that same timidity which owing to the "fear of man" never could give place to the "courage" of faith, unless strengthened with a might greater than man possesses. His fellow-rulers had sought to arrest Jesus, and the officers, struck with the power of Jesus' words, returned without Him. To their question, "Why have ye not brought Him?" they replied, "Never man spake like this Man." How this should have made them consider whose word it was which arrested the officers, and held them captive in its own inherent power. But their blindness was so great that they could only regard the men as "deceived." They add with deep scorn, "Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed on Him?"

Then it was that Nicodemus spoke, not apparently in defense of Jesus so much as on behalf of their own law. Yet underneath his words we can read unmistakably that what he had heard from Jesus had left its mark upon him, and that it was working in his soul, the undying "seed of the Word of God." "Doth our law judge the man before it hear him, and know what he does?" But in these few words there was a force which was felt deep down in their breasts. These judges of the nation had stooped so low as to actually condemn One to whom they had never really listened. The speaker had heard Him, and therefore he was not with them in their condemnation of what he knew to be the truth of God. Was their law then so unfair as this, that it does not even give this man opportunity to be heard? And on reflection, is not this always the reason why He is rejected by men? Once He is given a hearing in man's heart, that heart is won. It is the refusal to hear that leaves man under the sin of rejecting the One who has come from the Father with His message of infinite love."Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that hears My word, and believes Him that sent Me, has everlasting life, and comes not into judgment, but is passed from death unto life" (John 5:24).Who will say that Nicodemus had not heard Him? And because in his innermost soul he had heard the voice of Jesus, he cannot now keep silence. His brief thrust broke up the council. We read that "every man went unto his own house."

The end of the story about this "ruler" of Israel is reached at the scene of the crucifixion. Many things we might long to know:What became of Nicodemus later on? Did he openly join the company of the disciples? etc. But God never writes His stories to gratify our curiosity, but tells us what is needful to lead us in the path of truth. He leaves the last chapter for eternity. Then, and not till then, will many a story be fully told. But enough is now told to satisfy us that Nicodemus fulfilled the meaning of his name, and became a "world-conqueror" in the truest and most lasting sense of the word. For it is written, "Who is he that overcometh the world but he that believes that Jesus is the Son of God?" And we can scarcely escape the conviction that John, as he wrote these words, had the scenes in mind in which the "ruler" had met and heard the Son of God, and lastly had linked himself openly with the One whom his fellow-rulers hated and crucified. Yes, here was one whose faith had gained the victory over the world; one who had been "born of God." "For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world, and this is the victory which overcometh the world, even our faith" (1 John 5:4,5).

How indelibly the Spirit of God has impressed this story upon our hearts! The last scene He presents of this "new-born" child of heaven is one in which he is joined by another, who like himself, had heard and believed. In the record of these two men, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, we witness one of those great victories which God is ever winning in the hearts of men through faith. From the very uppermost bough of the tree of Judaism, men in whom the nation had prided itself, they came down in humility and repentance to link themselves with the One their fellows decreed must be condemned and slain. In their hearts they had "not consented to the counsel and deed of them," and now they act in accordance with their convictions wrought in the power of the Holy Spirit. In giving honor to the Lord in His burial they once and for all severed themselves from their former position and associates. For we cannot suppose that in identifying themselves with Jesus of Nazareth in the manner recorded, they expected to continue in honor by their fellow-leaders or the nation. The hatred against Jesus was such at that time, that none who took sides with Him or His cause could hope to escape that hatred too.

Joseph and Nicodemus were men of the highest intelligence. Their position as members of the Sanhedrim, the supreme court of Judaism, gave them honor and power such as did not exist outside that limited circle. The trial and death of Jesus brought before all the members of the Elderhood a test which meant very much more than acquitting or condemning a man whom even the heathen judge thrice declared innocent. Every charge the leaders brought against Jesus in the ears of Pilate, he had disposed of, leaving them without a reason for His condemnation. Every charge, we repeat, except one, which, by the fact that he was not of that favored nation, Pilate could not enter into with them (although the charge filled him with terror), and that was, that Jesus had, upon oath, declared that He was the Son of God.

Joseph, Nicodemus, and every member of the Council knew that in thus declaring Himself, Jesus claimed equality with God in every sense, Personally considered. With the exception of these two men they all regarded Jesus as an impostor and a blasphemer. The high-priest had accused Him of blasphemy, and they all (with the exceptions given) declared Jesus guilty of this sin, and worthy of death. The act of these two men in honoring Jesus in His burial was the strongest condemnation possible of the position taken by their fellows. In opposing them, these men knew well the consequences which must follow. They knew that they would be regarded as in sympathy with an antichrist, and that they would incur from their fellows the same hatred and rejection which had been accorded Him. They knew too that the nation would regard them as amenable to the Law written against those led away by false gods in Deut. 13. And with all this knowledge and with all others against them, these men deliberately took sides with the One who had been crucified.

There is but one answer to all this. They knew that Jesus was true, that He was indeed the very Son of God. It was faith in God and in His Son which won for them the great "Victory" over the world. And if they lost that place of honor and power before men, they won through their faith in Jesus a place of power and honor with God. God has honored these children of faith by recording their names and their deeds along with that of His beloved SON. Theirs is an honor which will abide forever. And though the world still rejects Him whom God has raised up and glorified at His own right hand, the day is near when He will publicly own along with all who have confessed Him before men, these two who in the face of scorn, hatred, and bigotry, sought to put honor upon One whom they knew and loved as God's only-begotten Son. Wm. Huss

(Continued from p.61)

7.-SMITING THE ROCK TWICE

Over twenty years have passed since the scenes we have been witnessing, but there is no improvement in the disposition of the people. Meanwhile Miriam dies. But in Kadesh where she is buried, the people complain because there is no water, and reproach Moses, saying:"Would God that we had died when our brethren DIED BEFORE THE LORD!" referring to the destruction by fire of Korah and two hundred and fifty Levites, the entombment of Dathan and Abiram with their families and property; as well as the death by plague of 14,700 malcontents who would not behave. This is daring defiance of God, an outburst from the impious hearts of a people who refuse to learn. And, adding insolence to irreverence, they say, "This evil place…is no place of seed, or of figs, or of vines, or of pomegranates, neither is there any water to drink" (Num. 20:1-5).They are insinuating they have been misled by false reports of a good land, altogether ignoring the fact that at its very borders they refuse to enter, saying:"Let us make a captain, and let us return unto Egypt;" and when Joshua and Caleb seek to advise them, "bade stone them with stones" (Num. 14). Things are now in a bad way.

Fortunately upon retiring with burdened spirits to the door of the tabernacle, Moses and Aaron, having fallen upon their faces, are given audience with the One who can tell them what to do. "And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock:so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink" (20:7,8). Never was guidance more timely, never was instruction more precise, and never was there greater opportunity to glorify God. But, alas, Moses, experienced, disciplined, and the meekest man on earth, is after all only a man of like passions with us all, and on this occasion takes his own way. For, having assembled the congregation, he addresses them thus:Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock? And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice:and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also."

The departure from the implicit instructions of God in this behavior is so abrupt that one cannot but ask:How is it that one so faithful is capable of such transgression? The only answer is that he is but a man. Provoked continually for a quarter of a century, he has lost his temper. This anger is not that of one sympathizing with God, as formerly when he descends Sinai to discover the nation affronting God. That is an indignation within the bounds of communion with God, that goes as far as God supports it; but this is the breakdown of a good man because the flesh in him displaces God's control of him; it is the outbreak of a patient man off his guard, a man provoked by ways he fails to lay before God. And solemn is the dealing therewith, for, "The Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed Me not, to sanctify Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them." Thus "it went ill with Moses for their sakes:because they provoked his spirit" (Ps. 101:32,33), so that

HE SPAKE UNADVISEDLY WITH HIS LIPS
And although he afterwards pleads:"I pray thee, let me go over and see the good land," the Lord says, "Speak no more unto Me of this matter" (Deut. 3:23-27).

Considered typically, Moses as representing the law could not have conducted Israel to the Land. Moreover as he had already smitten the rock (Exod. 17:1-7), setting forth the smiting of our Lord and Saviour when "He suffered once for sins;" when "once in the end of the ages hath He appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself"; and was "once offered to bear the sins of many;" it was intolerable to God to be portrayed as smiting His beloved Son a second time for us. Furthermore, the rod was now intended (not for striking, but) for exhibiting; for it had "budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds" (Num. 17:8), setting forth the authority of Priesthood in resurrection life as vested in Aaron, the type of Christ. As such Christ is to be used, for without Him we cannot make any move but a false one. All that is necessary is to "Speak.. .unto the rock," and there will be refreshment in the power of the Spirit as life. R. J. Reid

(To be continued, D.V.)

(No. 3)

In Isaiah 13:19 we have a remarkable prophecy regarding the utter ruin and desolation of ancient Babylon, written fully 700 years before Christ came, while great Babylon was at the very height of her glory.

A few years ago Dr. Cyrus Hamlin, of Robert College, Constantinople, was asked by a Turkish colonel to give him just one sure proof that the Bible was God's Book. Dr. Hamlin asked him if he had ever visited the ruins of ancient Babylon. "Yes," he replied, "and let me tell you my experience. I hired a rich Sheik and his men to take me there to hunt. We found that all manner of wild animals, owls and birds, were dwelling there amongst the ruins, so we had the best hunting of our lives. It was so good that we were annoyed when the Arabs told us they must go miles away to pitch their tents for the night. We tried to bribe them to camp right there, but they refused, saying that no Arab had ever been known to camp there, because it was haunted after dark by all manner of evil spirits, who would surely kill them or bring great evil upon them." Then Dr. Hamlin opened his Bible to Isaiah 13:19-21, and the colonel read:"And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees' excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation; neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall the shepherds make their fold there. But wild beasts of the deserts shall lie there; and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures, and owls shall dwell there." By this one fulfilled prophecy that Turkish colonel was convinced that the Bible was a God-inspired Book. For a full account of this interview, see the "Women's Missionary Magazine" of the U. P. Church, April, 1921.

-From "The Bible:Its Christ and Modernism," by T. J. McCrossan, 213 pp. $1.00.

(Concluded from p. 184)

James the Apostle tells us that man has succeeded in taming every species of beast, bird, reptile and fish. But there is one outstanding failure, one thing that no man can tame. It is described as an "unruly evil"-it is wild. It is "full of deadly poison," like a serpent. This "little member" that has gained such a reputation for itself is the Tongue. It "boasts great things," and is capable of expressing the whole gamut of human thought from the height of blessing God to the depth of cursing men.

As a rudder steers a ship to its destination and a bit guides a horse, so the tongue exercises an enormous influence over our eventual destination. "By thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned" (Matt. 12:37). It is therefore futile to furbish our weapons against all the beasts that confront us, if we fail to face this thing that is worse than a wild beast and worse than a serpent, because it unites in itself the deadly characteristics of both.

Perhaps the commonest sin of all is committed with the tongue, that of lying. It has of necessity to accompany most other sins, and if its ready services were not available, a great many sins would perforce have to be eliminated-they could not get on without it. That is why the tongue is, as it were, a strategic point in our heart's fortress-a key position. It is said of the wicked:"They go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies" (Ps. 53:3), and doubtless the first sin committed by millions of children is a lie. There is probably hardly a life that would not be purer, stronger and more blessed, if a clearer and more definite determination were made to avoid anything like a lie in speech or life.

It is most significant that, when a list of sinners is given, whose part shall be in the "second death," each class is merely mentioned, until we come to the last-named and crowning sin, that of lying. Here additional emphasis is laid on the fact that "ALL" liars shall thus find the only place morally suitable for them (Rev. 21:8).

Lying is so heinous and yet so common a sin that we must take special precautions against it. Let every Christian avoid most carefully such a thing as "telling lies for fun." God's opinion of such an amusement is forcibly expressed in Proverbs 26:18,19:"As a mad man who casteth firebrands, arrows and death, so is the man that deceiveth his neighbor and saith:Am not I in sport?" If our wits are so exceedingly dull that we cannot find an outlet for healthy humor without descending to deception, then we had better leave off trying to be funny.

Exaggeration is another very common form of lying. The desire to impress or interest their hearers leads many unwary souls into this trap.

There are many things said about our Lord Jesus which show that His perfections were expressed in His speech. "Grace was poured into Sis lips" (cf. Ps. 45:2), and, as a natural consequence, we read that those who heard Him "wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth" (Luke 4:22). There were times when He could be dumb "as a sheep before her shearers," but when He did speak, "never man spake like this Man" (John 7:46), for there was no deceit in His mouth (Isa. 53:9). With Him, as with us, His speech was the criterion of His character-"His mouth is most sweet:yea, He is altogether lovely" (Song 5:16). This answers to James' statement:"If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man" (James 3:2). The purpose for which God "made man's mouth" was that we might speak with sincerity and truthfulness, making our words the plain, undistorted reflection of our thoughts.

The first step towards a spiritual recovery is to accept this ideal as one worth making sacrifices for. If we are not entirely convinced that it is absolutely necessary for our spiritual life and health, and above all an essential pre-equipment for the part we shall take in Christ's future kingdom, when the dead shall arise and we shall put on immortality, then there is little hope of victory. We must therefore look facts straight in the face with unflinching courage and with the steel-edged determination in Christ's strength to avoid side-tracks and the easy path of self-justification. Thus shall the victory be gained.

"Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh," said our Lord. If the heart is truly surrendered to Him, the mouth will follow suit. When Elijah restored the Shunammite's son to life, he "put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands" (2 Kings 4:34). Thus will our Lord identify Himself with those to whom He gives new life.

Does not your heart cry out, like the first outburst of the Bride in the Song of Solomon:"Let Him kiss me with the kisses of His mouth," so that your speech, or your silence, may be as His?

Some people are not nearly so unbusinesslike and dishonest in ordinary affairs as they are in their spiritual life. On principle they would never dream of selling a piece of furniture or a car, and then appropriating it to their own use without permission from the new owner. Yet it does not occur to them that it is just as dishonest to devote to selfish uses that which has definitely been bought by the precious blood of Christ and belongs entirely to Him. My tongue is Christ's, and so is yours. Let this be definitely and practically acknowledged, and we shall find that He can tame that which no man can tame. He can tame the whole "wild ass" and therefore also its tongue.

CONCLUSION

David practiced on the lion and the bear, and finally, in the time of greater crisis, laid Goliath in the dust. So our fighting with beasts now is preparing us for the time when God shall bruise Satan under our feet.

David and his men reaped in the flourishing days of the Kingdom the fruit of the hard, stern self-denial of Adullam and Engedi. So shall we find that it is to our eternal advantage to fight manfully the "beasts" that seek to wreck our Christian lives.

"If the dead rise not – let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we die."

Ah, yes! But IF THE DEAD RISE, let us wage an unrelenting, daily warfare against these "beasts," for to-morrow-

Who knows? Author Gook
The four papers, of which this one is the last, may be had in pamphlet form, as per announcement on the cover of this magazine.

(No. 6)

Ezekiel 26:12 records a wonderful prediction regarding Tyre when it was one of the earth's mightiest cities. Its wall was then so high and so thick that the great king, Sennacherib, failed to take it after a siege of thirteen years. Ezekiel says (590 B.C.):"They shall break down thy walls, and destroy thy pleasant homes, and they shall lay thy stones and thy timber and thy dust in the midst of the water."

Now Nebuchadnezzar took Tyre about 550 B.C., but he left nearly all the wall standing and most of the houses, being content with carrying away the spoil. During the siege the people managed to slip out under cover of darkness and escaped to an island a half mile or so out in the sea. Here they built up a second city of Tyre, and, being on an island, they constructed for self-protection the strongest navy of ancient times. Years now passed and still Ezekiel's prophecy was unfulfilled; the stones of the wall of old Tyre, the timbers of its houses and the very dust on those timbers were not yet carried into the water. However, about 315 B.C. Alexander the Great came that way on his great tour of conquest. He asked certain privileges and favors of the new city of Tyre. These were refused, as they saw he only had a great army, but no navy. Alexander then ordered his soldiers to tear down the wall of ancient Tyre, and with these stones and the timbers of the houses to construct a bridge from the shore out to the new city of Tyre in the sea. When this was completed he went out and captured that city, and so Ezekiel's great prophecy was fulfilled, though spoken several hundred years before Alexander was born:"They shall break down thy walls, and destroy thy pleasant homes, and they shall lay thy stones, and thy timbers, and thy dust in the midst of the water." Such a prediction, fulfilled to the very letter, is positive proof that the Bible is God's own book.

-From "The Bible:Its Christ and Modernism," By T. J. McCrossan, 213 pp., $1.00.

We would commend for prayerful consideration the following remarks accompanying the annual missionary report published in "Echoes of Service," and issued by our brethren in Bath, England:

In view of the fact that the number of laborers with whom we correspond does not decrease, the necessity for curtailing our remittances for ordinary needs naturally gives cause for concern, especially as we have evidence that many devoted servants of the Lord are passing through severe testings and trials of faith. We were surprised to learn, a little while back, from one who with his wife has diligently served the Lord for many years in the regions beyond, that what they received financially was practically confined to what we were able to send. We fear this may not be an isolated case. Such information was not by any means given by way of an appeal, and we are afraid there may be many who in like circumstances are suffering. Our work is not that of a Missionary Society. We are, however, deeply impressed with the importance that, for the very reason of the absence of an organization, of which none of us approve, our readers should adopt all possible means- as, for instance, by reading this magazine, as well as in other ways-of making themselves acquainted with the work in which our brethren in other lands are engaged, and with the circumstances under which their labor is carried on, so that there may be continual intercession for them, with resulting practical co-operation with them. We are thankful whenever we hear that this is the case. While we rejoice that the work of the Gospel is spreading, and souls in almost every country in the world are being won for Christ and built up in the truths of the Word of God, we feel the need of stirring up our readers to earnest prayer that the Adversary may not be permitted to gain an advantage by means of the circumstances of the times in which we are living.

We have heard it mooted that, in view of the serious economic conditions which prevail today, there should be some deterrent influence exercised in the matter of the going forth of fresh workers. There is, indeed, need of restraint and hindrance where there is any lack of evidence of a definite call and qualification for such work. We cannot too often point out that the Scriptures do not countenance anything like the application of a person to go forth as a missionary. Missionary service in the regions beyond must never be looked upon as an occupation upon which one enters as upon a new calling. Service in the gospel begins in one's own locality and in connection with the assembly with which one is identified.

But, while this is true, we must not overlook the Lord's command, which still holds good, to pray to the Lord of the harvest to thrust forth laborers into His harvest. It may be indeed "a day of trouble," but, "Shall I bring to the birth and not cause to bring forth?" saith the Lord. Is He going to arrest His work in the midst of its fulfilment? It is "for such a time as this" that He allots to His servants their work and gives them their honorable opportunity, and it is for the fulfilment of His purpose that they "came to this hour." Oh, that we in our measure may, like the Lord, pray, "Father, glorify Thy Name," and with devotion, deeper than ever, to His interests, seek with increased self-denial to help forward His servants!

How little do some of us know of that readiness to impoverish ourselves for the making of others rich! Troublous days seem needful to bring us to our senses and to put us to the test. Let each one then ask himself, "Am I doing all I can for the Lord who did so much for me?" "Am I giving all I can for Him who gave Himself for me?" It is only as constrained by the love of Christ that our service is of any value in His sight, but then this love is no sentimental thing. We manifest our love to Christ by seeking to please Him and being ready to make sacrifices for His sake. It is not by urgent appeals for men and money that His work is to be furthered, but by a fresh revelation of Himself to our hearts, causing self and self's interests to be forgotten in the overwhelming appeal of His love. The Lord grant it to each one of us!

In another place we read concerning prayer on behalf of missionaries and the Lord's work in foreign lands, as follows:

FERVENT PRAYER

In Matthew 18:19, the Lord says:"If two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of My Father which is in heaven." And Colossians 4:12 tells of one person who labored fervently in prayer. Epaphras kept in a praying spirit all the time, not one prayer now and again, but constantly-recurring prayers, and these with fervor. "Fervently" here means wrestling in agony, as in an athletic contest or warfare, and this prayer contest implies the existence of keen, persistent opposition of unseen foes that must be overcome. Epaphras, we see, was a prayer-combatant. In addition to praying elders' meetings, let ones and twos in their homes and elsewhere, be at it. In a recent issue of "China's Millions" we read, "We thank God the C. I. M. has more prayer helpers today than at any previous time. In addition to over 5,000 members of the Prayer Union, and 206 prayer gatherings at which the work of the C. I. M. is regularly remembered, there are now 1,631 prayer companions linked to 286 missionaries on the field. In two years the number of prayer companions has almost doubled itself."

Let us listen to the burning words of another, "Where are the Christly leaders who can teach the saints to pray and put them to it? Do we know we are raising a prayerless set of saints? Where are the apostolic leaders who can instruct God's people to pray? Let them come to the front and do the work, and it will be the greatest work that can be done!"

JAPAN NEWS LETTER

From our brother E. B. Craig, we have received the following:

Work amongst the Japanese hereabouts is principally house-to-house visitation. Brother H. S. McNair helps. We covered most of the Japanese houses in Alameda city lately. Sometimes I speak in Japanese churches. The work is more sowing than reaping. There are many genuine Christians amongst the Japanese in America, but the majority are either Buddhists or irreligious. Work in English also takes much of my time.

The greeting cards with Scripture (about eighty, or so) which my wife and I usually send to Japan at New Year time, have brought hearty expressions of appreciation from our Japanese brethren and sisters. They report that the various activities in the gospel, including their cottage Sunday Schools, continue with blessing. In another part of Tokyo early morning cottage meetings on Thursdays have been started. Prayer is asked for two more new converts.

The strife in Manchuria seems to be endangering brother Kautto and his wife and their Chinese helpers, as according to a news' report bombs have exploded near their compound killing some Chinese. May the hand of God be over His servants, protecting them from military ruthlessness, and may the distress serve to open many hearts to the Gospel."

MEXICAN WORK IN TEXAS Our brother Ervin Dresch writes:

The small Mexican assembly continues here in San Antonio. Lack of clothing hinders some from coming to the meetings. The Sunday School continues to grow. Since January we have been having an average of over seventy-five present. There is real interest in our rural Sunday School, held in the bed-room of a Mexican brother, he having moved his family to the garage to make room for the Sunday School and other meetings. We cram from thirty to forty in the room at times. The Lord took their dear little baby in March, which was a hard trial, and they were told that it was because they left "the holy mother church." However the testimony of this family is winning others to Christ. Now his wife's eldest sister is exercised. Please pray for these dear people.

WORK IN NEW YORK HARBOUR

Good Literature Needs

A crying need of the work here is good and suitable literature for English-reading seamen. All gospel books and tracts are not especially adaptable for many of them. In making this need known recently we were much encouraged by receiving a splendid package of "Safety, Certainty and Enjoyment," and also a number of packages of excellent gospel magazines. May the Lord bless this seed as we sow it in hope.

A new (to us) type of American seamen has just presented itself to us here – Chinamen born in San Francisco and Honolulu, working on American ships. They are of course Americans, speaking good English, and having some kind of Christian training. They showed great interest in our talks and we left with them some of the above-mentioned books.

Seamen have good memories. They never forget those whom they have met. This was brought home to us very strikingly a week ago by an African cook who knew us as soon as we boarded his steamer, and who recalled every word we had spoken to him on a previous visit- something to make us consider carefully what we say.

-E. A. West.

AFRICA

Definite prayer is requested on behalf of our brethren, and Protestant missionaries generally, laboring in the Belgian Congo, as the opposition of Rome has become intensified during the past year. In this connection Doctor Woodhams writes:-

We have just been reading of the opposition that our brethren are feeling at the Westcott Mission. After thirty years of faithful work, to have active systematic opposition commenced, with the one idea of scattering the people and breaking up the testimony, must be disheartening, to say the least. But such are the ways of Rome, and she has not changed. Yet what has been done for the Lord will stand, and there may be even a brighter shining as the result of the testing. It is proposed to do the same thing at Nyangkundi, for the same Rome has chosen a site within a half-mile of the mission, and they plan to put a station there. The present station of the Roman Catholics has been at Bunia, about thirty miles away, and they had contented themselves with having native teachers and out-schools all around the Nyangkundi section. But Nyangkundi grew in spite of this, and it has evidently been a sore spot to them to see so many natives there. So the above proposal comes as a new form of opposition, but we can leave this in the Lord's hands, knowing that by both "good report and evil report" the Word is made known. These two instances seem to be but part of what we hear of as a general policy being carried out throughout Congo. It is good in view of all this to remember the humble place which is ours as servants of Christ-to continue on giving out the gospel in obedience to the Lord who sent us. Yet we have felt nothing of the power of Satan against Christ as compared with what our brethren in Russia have felt, for example. So the world conditions but remind us that our Lord's word is being fulfilled, "As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be," and our hope is brighter.

RETURNING WORKERS

Our brother Gordon Searle, his wife and two children, will sail, D.V., on the "SAMARIA" from the Cunard Pier about midnight, June 17th. Our brother and his family are at present visiting relatives in Nova Scotia, but it is hoped we can arrange a farewell meeting in New York City or vicinity before they sail. Let us bear our brother and his family up in prayer as they again set out for Africa.

HOME MISSION WORK

While we are particularly interested in the work of the Lord in foreign lands, we feel that we should not, particularly at this season of the year, be unmindful of the opportunities for greater gospel activity that abound both on the streets of our great cities and in country places. Remembering the words of our Lord, "Ye shall be witnesses unto Me, both in Jerusalem, and Judea, and Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth," so that beginning at Jerusalem (our own locality) might we not in activity and prayer interest widen out and out until we take in the "uttermost part of the earth."

"The night cometh when no man can work" (John 9:4).

*The above article, as well as the following:"I Acknowledged, Thou Forgavest," "Your Own Salvation," "The Gum Trees and the Storm," "The Briar 'and the Rose Garden," and "God Giveth Us the Victory," which have appeared or will appear in this magazine, are to be had separately in booklet form, with attractive covers, at 5 cent each.*

Acres upon acres of peach-trees stretched themselves upon the hillsides of a fertile valley through which we were speeding in the Sydney-Melbourne express. A beautiful sight were those trees, clothed hi pink and white blossom from the topmost branches of them to the lowest, and standing as a fair bride to receive the smiles and kisses of the sun which looked upon them from a cloudless sky like a radiant bridegroom. Full of promise "were those acres of delicious fruit for the multitudes in the crowded cities in the months yet to be. It was kindly nature, under God's supervision, preparing her stores of solace and refreshment against the day when the summer time would test the strength and mettle of the people with heat and drought and dust.

As my eyes feasted upon that lovely valley I held a silent communion with it. "Tell me," said my heart, "tell me, peach-trees, the secret of your beauty and your usefulness-why are you able to stretch out your charms before the sun today, and to promise hands and arms laden with fruit for the hot months that lie ahead of us?" And the answer was definite and clear. "We should have neither beauty today nor usefulness tomorrow were it not for a process and power that the eye of man does not see. Our roots strike downwards, and hidden away from all interference we draw from the soil continually the stimulants and nourishment that give and maintain the vigor of our inward life; thus it is that we are benefactors in the world. Our life within, sustained in secret, shows itself in its season as you see it. If this secret life of ours failed, or if it were interrupted by any intrusion from without, we should wither and die."

And as our train sped onwards I considered the peach-trees, how they grew, and took out my Bible and read, "Thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut the door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly" (Matt. 6:6). Are any of us mourning our lack of fruitfulness? Do we feel how little we are manifesting the divine life which is in us in blessing to others? We may be sure that the whole cause of it is the neglect, more or less, of the secret life with God; and every one of us knows that it is so.

This parable of the peach-trees enforced its lesson upon me from another side. I thought again of the testing time of the year for this southern land, when the sun blazes from the heavens in his summer strength, scorching and withering almost everything of lesser growth. Yet that same sun does but serve to bring the fruit of those trees to perfection, imparting to them a sweetness and bloom that they could not possess without it. So, too, it is with every test and trial of life; they all have their sure effect upon us. We are either scorched and withered by them, like the corn on the rocky ground that perishes when the sun is up, or they bring our Christian life and fruit to maturity; and which of these two effects is to be realized in our case is determined by our secret life with God. If we are much with Him, striking our roots downward in the knowledge of Himself, and drawing our refreshment and strength from the hidden springs that are in Him, we need not dread the trial; we may glory in tribulation, for it will but serve the will of God and work for our good, and enable us to stretch forth hands laden with sweeter fruit to the weary and distressed.
The time passed quickly as we, a few Christian brethren, talked together upon happy themes, when a glance at my watch warned me that my time had gone and I must leave the pleasant circle. As I walked to the railway station for my train I said to myself:"This watch of mine, the gift of a dear friend to me, has been my very faithful monitor and friend for ten years. It has never failed me, except when I have failed it by forgetting to wind it up. What is it that makes it so reliable, fulfilling its mission every day without noise, weariness or complaint? It is not the highly polished case, nor the neat figures upon its face, nor the graceful hands that indicate the hours, not one nor all of these things together make it what every watch ought to be. The secret lies not in these, but in the works hidden away from view; upon these depend the constant witness of my watch to me. The outward witness is the result entirely of the inward works." And as I considered my watch, how it worked, the importance of the secret hidden life pressed itself afresh upon me. If the inner parts of my watch were exposed to the dust of the day it would soon become a failure; and even so, if we Christians live more before the world than before God, we soon become unfaithful in our witnessing. Our secret life with God must be maintained, and the measure of our intercourse with Him in secret is the measure of our faithfulness in public. The Scriptures are so full of this, and our own consciences and spiritual sense tell us that it is so, that nothing more needs to be said.

And now for a paragraph or two from wise old Bunyan. "I saw in my dream that Interpreter took Christian by the hand, and led him into a place where was a fire burning against a wall, and one standing by it always, casting much water upon it to quench it; yet did the fire burn higher and hotter. Said Christian, 'What means this?' The Interpreter answered, 'This fire is the work of grace that is wrought in the heart; he that casts water upon it to extinguish and put it out, is the devil; but in that thou seest the fire notwithstanding burn higher and hotter, thou shalt also see the reason of that.' So he had him about to the backside of the wall, where he saw a Man with a vessel of oil in His hand, of which He did also continually cast, but secretly, into the fire, Then said Christian, 'What means this?' The Interpreter answered, "This is Christ, who continually, with the oil of grace, maintains the work already begun in the heart, by the means of which, notwithstanding what the devil can do, the souls of His people prove gracious still.'"

Yes, so it is, but do we realize the necessity of our side of this matter? Lukewarm Christians are the devil's delight, and the Lord's grief. Fervency of spirit is above all things to be desired. But if our hearts are to flame in this cold world, the oil of grace must flow into them; and for this we must cleave to the Lord with purpose of heart, and the secret supplies from His own inexhaustible stores will be more than enough to meet every public demand, and that in spite of the world, the flesh, and the devil.
The Lord's own words, as given us by the prophet centuries before He came into the world, shall clinch for us the lesson of this brief paper. "The Lord, Jehovah, hath given to me the tongue of the instructed, that I should know how to succor by a word him that is weary. He wakeneth morning by morning. He wakeneth mine ear to hear as the instructed" (Isa. 50:4, New Trans.). J. T. Mawson

(1) What is the scope of the will of God?
(2) How can we know what the Lord's own will is?
(3) How are we to be maintained in this pathway?

These questions arise from a genuine desire to know how to put into practice some of the great truths of Scripture. We learn from many passages in the New Testament that the one great aim and object of our lives should be to do the will of God.

The scope of God's will reaches up to the highest point of His purposes in Christ, and down to the smallest detail of our lives. "It begins in heaven and reaches down to the kitchen," according to Spurgeon. In the first we are lifted up to Christ where He is; in the second He is brought down to us where we are. The first sets forth the favor in which we are in Christ before God; the second, the grace that there is for us in Christ for all the vicissitudes of the life of faith and obedience below. It is Christ either way; we in Him on the one hand, He for us and in us on the other. We are instructed as to the first in the early or doctrinal parts of such Epistles as those to the Ephesians and Colossians; as to the latter, in the practical or hortatory parts of these and other Epistles. Indeed, we cannot leave out any part of the Word, if we are to stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.

But the exercises that lead to our questions lie more on the side of our daily life, and our desire to please God in all things and to know His will in matters about which the Word gives no special direction. "To begin well is half the battle," is an old saying, and it is certainly that and more in this matter. To begin with the desire to do His will is to begin well. How often we wish that the thing that we would like was His will for us. Our desire is for our own will, and we pray, perhaps eagerly and often, that it might be so. A little girl one night added to her usual prayer, "And please, God, make Manchester the chief city in Great Britain." "Whatever made you pray like that?" asked her mother. "I said it was in my exam, paper today," answered the tearful and doubtful little maid, "and I want it to be." Yes, often we want a thing to be, and want it so passionately that we are not in a fit state of mind and heart to learn what the will of God is about it.

"If any man will do His will he shall know…" There we must begin; and we do begin there when we understand that God's will for us in everything springs from His great love; that it is not against us at any point, but is against everything that would be harmful to us. This is proved in the Epistle to the Romans. There we are able to trace out all the way that God has taken to bless us, and we have to exclaim at the end of the review, "God is for us; who can be against us?" And "He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him freely give us all things?" (Romans 8:32). Can we trust a love like that?-a love that would stop at nothing when our good was in view? Then let us trust it fully and say, The will of God is "good and perfect and acceptable" (chap. 12:2). But to prove it there must be subjection to God. But is subjection difficult when it is perfect love that asks for it? "Yield yourselves unto Got! as those that are alive from the dead" (chap. 6:13), is such a reasonable exhortation that the heart that knows His love responds to it naturally and at once.

Granted then the willing mind to be subject to God, and that confidence of heart that trusts Him and leaves the consequences with Him, since He sees the end from the beginning and cares for us with a Father's love and care, the next thing needed is nearness to Himself. If we walk with God as Enoch and Noah and Abraham did, we shall become conversant with His will even when it has not been definitely expressed. We can understand this in natural things. I knew a boy who when asked to do certain things said, "No; my father would not wish me to do that." Yet his father had expressed no will as to the matter at all. The lad knew his father's thoughts through companionship with him and did not require a definite word on the matter.

Psalm 32:8, 9 shows us God's way of leading us. "I will instruct and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go:I will guide thee with mine eye." But such guidance calls for nearness to God and that sensitiveness of soul that responds to His instruction. If we are not near Him we are like the horse and the mule that do not know their owner's will except by the check and pull of the bit and bridle. This life of nearness to God and obedience to His will was perfectly portrayed for us in the Lord's life on earth. He is our pattern.

We are maintained in this path by the grace and company of the Lord Himself, and apart from Him we could not tread it, for often:

"Across the will of nature, leads on the path of God,
Not where the flesh delighteth, the feet of Jesus trod."

Yet when we step out on that path,

"We leave at once behind us the fetters of the slave,
We leave ourselves behind us, the grave-clothes and the grave."

It is the path for those who are alive from the dead, and immediately we step into it we find that we have a traveling companion. He hath said, "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee" (Heb. 13:5). "Thou art with me, Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me" (Ps. 23:4). Cultivate the thought of the Lord as your traveling companion in the path of faith and obedience to God's will, and the sufficiency of His grace for you in it will not be a doctrine only but a blessed experience. He comes down to us in all the sufficiency of His grace to keep us from stumbling in the path of God's will, and at the end of it He will present us faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, and to Him be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and for ever. Amen. J. T. Mawson

(Matt. 7:13-15.)

Our Lord in Matt. 7:13-15 is speaking of the entrance to Life, in contrast with that to destruction. It is a gospel message. His words are, "Strait is the gate, and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life; and few there be that find it." God's way of salvation is exact; it is circumscribed; it admits of no substitutes. "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life:no one cometh to the Father but by ME" (John 14:6)

False prophets in sheep's clothing are ever ready to present a "wide gate" and a "broad way" of approach unto God, but He warns against them in no uncertain terms:"Beware of false prophets."

But that the Christian's pathway of life is strait and narrow is not the truth. For it is wide, wide as the whole earth, and broad as the confines of human need. Yea, it is high as God's throne of grace, and deep as the love of Christ; while the sinner's course, in his sins, is narrow exceedingly;, for self is" its limits.

Those who are "born of God," and value their birthright, do not crave nor relish the fleeting pleasures and passing glory of "this present evil age," they give up but little when they abstain from them; for their inheritance is without limitation. "Therefore let no one glory in men; for all are yours; whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; ALL ARE YOURS; and ye are Christ's, and Christ is God's" (1 Cor. 3:21-23).

What a "perfect law of liberty!" What a limitless field of usefulness! What freedom to go where the eternal Spirit may lead, and to do whatsoever He plans for us! This is freedom indeed; with mind, hands and feet unshackled by things of earth "to serve the living and true God; and to wait for His Son from heaven."

The pathway often may be rough and steep, with quagmires and pitfalls to hinder; but what earthly soldier cares for any such difficulties when he presses on with victory in sight? But we Christians are not to use carnal weapons for "the pulling down of strongholds." Yet what of that when we are "mighty through God" to accomplish these exploits? (2 Cor. 10:4).

What if we are to "hold aloof from every form of wickedness?" That is not bondage; that does not tie our hands any more than it does to avoid pestilence or poisonous reptiles! Neither does God's holy Word lead us into a narrow, monastic pathway of life in order to flee away from all that dishonors Him; for such a cramped position tends only to dwarf and blight the fruit-bearing branches. Our "life in Christ Jesus" is a growing, fruitful life; it expands; "its branches shoot over the wall."

Not only are the children of God free as to our pathway of life, but we are free from the penalty and the power of sin through the shed blood of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ; free, as the children of Israel were from Egypt's bondage as they stood triumphant on the East shore of the Red Sea. Thus we are enabled to fulfil Gal. 5:1-"Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again in the yoke of bondage."
All these blessings are our present possession, as we wait for "the liberty of the glory of the children of God" (Rom. 8:21). And so we may be care-free also, "with a song in our mouth."

"I sing because I'm happy,
I sing because I'm free,
For His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know He watches me."

There is the possibility, of course, that our liberty in Christ may be abused in one way or another, and so we have Paul's warning in Gal. 5:13, with many other Scriptures to mark the trail-"For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion for the flesh, but by love serve one another."

And this service of love to one another may not be wholly in material things; but as in Col. 2:18, 19 – "Holding fast the Head, from whom all the Body, ministered to and united together by the joints and bands, increases with the increase of God." H. Cowell

(Matt. 26:51, 52; Mark 14:47; Luke 22:49-51; John 18:10,11.)

At the time of the arrest of Jesus, one of His disciples draws a sword and smites a servant of the high priest, cutting off an ear.

John alone mentions that it was Simon Peter who did this, and he also tells the name of the servant, Malchus. But all four of the Evangelists mention the incident. Luke and John specify that it was the right ear; and Luke records that Jesus touched his ear and healed him. While Matthew and John relate that Jesus commanded the offender to put up his sword, Mark says nothing as to what Jesus did in the matter.

The spiritual application commonly made, is no doubt a correct one, namely, that the cutting off of the ear corresponds to hasty, rash or ill-advised methods of attacking error. The effect being to repel, the ear is lost; there is no inclination to listen further.

The gospel, too, may be presented in such manner as to repel rather than attract. Severe condemnation, which might be appropriate under given circumstances to hopelessly hardened rebels, if applied to honest inquirers, or to sinners in general, would be quite out of accord with true wisdom. We learn this from the Lord's own gracious yet searching words.

The fact that this rash act of Peter's is recorded in all four Gospels perhaps should impress upon us a warning against rashness and hastiness of speech. "Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:for the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God" (James 1:19, 20).

And the fact that the healing of the man's ear is mentioned in only one of the Gospels may teach us probably, that the ill effect of intemperate words is hard to repair.

Malchus means "kingly." We may think, perhaps, of this servant of the high priest as being a worthy man who was misled, and who might be recovered by right persuasion. And this would be the case with some op-posers of the truth, who are stumbled or repelled by the violent attack of rash zeal.

Simon Peter, who did this rash act, did not really correspond to his name till after Pentecost. While going about with the Lord, apart from his one grand confession, twice stated (Matt. 16:16; John 6:68,69), he frequently said the wrong thing. Instead of being a listener (Simon), quietly hearing and understanding his Master, he gave expression to his own thoughts; and instead of being a stone (Peter), solid and dependable for God's building, he was impetuous and unreliable. And he reached the climax of both shortcomings in his sad denial of his Master. But in a blessed way he answered to his name afterward.

Then too, in differences between brethren, how we need to beware lest the spirit of Galatians or of James 3:5, 6 overtake us:"For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this:Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another." "Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity; so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell." Wounds made in such a way are very hard to heal, The "brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city" (Prov. 18:19); whereas we are told, to speak that "if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother" (Matt. 18:IS). Let us remember that:"The servant of the Lord must not strive, but be gentle unto all men, in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves" (2 Tim. 2:24-26). Read also 2 Cor. 5:11,20; 10:1; Eph.4:1-3,31,32; 5:1,2.

Incidentally, we may notice something else from this subject of Malchus' ear. The verity of the Bible record of miracles is attested even by the manner of their narration. The record of such a miracle as the above, if written by a wonder-monger, would certainly not have lacked detail, as the Bible narrative does. A comparison of traditional stories of miracles will show the contrast. For instance, here the questions might be asked by some curious person, Did Jesus pick up the cut-off ear and attach it, causing it to be as before, or did He supply a new ear? How came it that Peter cut off just an ear, when if it were a matter of defense, more desperate measures seemed to be required? Did Peter really aim at the man's head, but did the man dodge the blow, and thus suffer only the loss of an ear?

Such details would not be lacking in a made-up story intended merely to excite wonder; but, as has been observed, the very temperance of Scripture narrative is a wonder, and should bring conviction that the Divine Spirit is behind the Book. Moral and spiritual lessons are to the front everywhere in the Bible, rather than what might satisfy merely temporal or historical interest.

E. B. Craig

Prayer involves a great deal more than the mere question whether God can or cannot, will or will not, hear us and grant us the petitions we have desired of Him. We come to Him as creatures to the Creator, as needy to Him who is able to succor, as children to a Father. But we come also as those whose needs are too often the result of their own sin, as creatures who have rebelled, as children who have not, as they ought, either loved, or desired, or done the Father's will. In a word, all our days have been and (alas, that it need be said) will be tainted by sins of defect and commission, and this taint of sin comes into our prayers and our holiest occupations. Hence

deep moral questions of state of soul and of spiritual discipline are involved. We pray for relief in circumstances into which we have been brought by our own sin, or by the sin of others. The consequences of our own folly make us cry out for deliverance, yet if the relief and deliverance were granted at once, we might miss the spiritual discipline that underlies all God's ways with us. The results of the past cannot be ignored:the future must ever be kept in view. He might be a fond, but he certainly would be a very foolish, parent who, at the first tear of his child, removed the thing that distressed the little heart. It is with tears that our children learn to read; infinite drudgery and real pains are incurred in the training of eye and voice, ear and hand, in fitting them for life and its labors and delights. Harder still are the lessons by which they learn self-denial, self-sacrifice, thoughtfulness for others, sympathy, tenderness. Yet a wise discipline remembers the past and keeps the future in view; from a wider experience and a larger outlook than our children possess, we know that culture of mind and of character can be carried on only by what to them appears to be unnecessary pains, and for their sake we seem to shut our hearts to their sighs and their tears. We seem, I say; for their sorrows are a burden to us, and at times we are weakly tempted to ease matters for them, but that we know it would be to their loss. Do we wish to think of God as an easy-going parent, who at our clamor removes us from the school to which He sees fit to send us?

And so many a petition, that seems to have been asked in vain, has a reason for the refusal. Not that we always know the reason; if we did, there would be little demand upon our faith-and let us remember that faith in God rather than sight is the characteristic of the Christian life (2 Cor. 5:7). We know God, but we do not always know the reason of His actions. At times, it may be, we suspect a reason, though we refuse to recognize it even to our own hearts. At others we are in the dark, and can only fall back upon our trust in God and say, "He doeth all things well." Thrice did St. Paul pray that his "stake in the flesh" might be removed, but the only answer was, "My grace is sufficient for thee; for My strength is made perfect in weakness"(2 Cor. 12:9). That a petition should be answered in our sense is no proof that it is asked according to the Divine will, or that the Divine blessing rests upon our scheme. "Thou saidst, 'Give me a king and princes.' I gave thee a king in mine anger, and took him away in my wrath" (Hos. 13:10,11). "He gave them their request, but sent leanness into their souls" (Ps. 106:15). On the other hand, what gracious lessons have come to the soul through what has seemed the most crushing refusal. Many a man looks back to nights of watching beside his dying child, when he almost hoped the little one would be taken to end its torturing pain. For prayer seemed unavailing; God was "silent" to him (Ps. 28:1), and faith and unfaith made his soul their battle-field. And when the little life ebbed out in the cold, grey dawn, and Death was in the home as he had never been before, and Sorrow became a closer companion than in days past, the riddle of it all seemed so insolvable, that the only refuge for the heart was a dumb acceptance of an unintelligible will. "I was dumb.. .because Thou didst it" (Ps. 39:9). Others there are whose lot is grinding poverty, or perpetual pain, or the recurring disappointments that crush all hope out of life. Prayer is in vain:or the answer that seems on the point of being given is snatched away; hope revives only to be quenched, while the hands fall listless and the heart well-nigh breaks. Does God mock? Is His arm shortened? Has He blundered? For some do not hesitate to say that He has, and to our physical and mental sorrow is added the torturing suggestions of unbelief. For we see no purpose, no plan, no evidence of power, no token of love, in the ills that assail. And the chilled heart recalls, though it may not concur in, the words of the so-called sceptic of the Old Testament, "All things come alike to all:there is one event to the righteous and to the wicked" (Eccles. 9:2). Happy the man who in such circumstances still retains the trust of the Psalmist:"O my God, my soul is cast down within me… all Thy waves and Thy billows are gone over me. Yet the Lord will command His loving-kindness in the day time, and in the night His song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life" (Ps. 42:6-8). We remember the words of the Lord Jesus, though it may be we divert them from their primary meaning, "What I do thou knowest not now, but thou shalt know hereafter" (John 13:7). The "hereafter" may be soon; it may come after many years; we may have to wait for the unfoldings of eternity. But seeing that God is training us for this life and not only for eternity, I think we may say that He usually lifts the veil from His mysterious ways, even in this land of shadows, for "the meek will He teach His way." And in the "hereafter" of Christ's promise, come it soon or late, the soul discerns some of the lessons of God's schooling, and sees that though some particular prayer has not been answered, desires have been awakened that otherwise would have slept; sympathies have been quickened, perils have been avoided, and deep longings of the soul have had their answer even by that refusal. W. J.

When the sons of Jacob first went to Egypt they were placed in a good part of the land. It was the best there was for pasturage for their flocks and herds. There they had no distress; there was no cry for deliverance, for was not Joseph occupying the highest place in the power of Pharaoh to give? Left to enjoy such prosperity they would never have taken a step towards Canaan, their own country, but would have settled down to dwell in Egypt. For what incentive was there to leave Egypt and take that long arduous journey to a strange land of which they knew almost nothing?

But Joseph died, also the kings who knew him. They were of the same stock, friendly to Joseph's race, but hated by the Egyptians. It was not the mere interplay of events which brought about the oppression, but back of it was the same Jehovah who made the covenant with Abram recorded in Gen. 15, and who said to him:"Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in , a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; and also that nation whom they shall serve will I judge:and afterward shall they come out with great substance."

From having great prosperity they had descended to slavery, oppressed even more than most slaves, because Egypt both hated and feared them. Then it was that they began to be weaned from the charm and allurements of Egypt. The record reads:"The children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up to God by reason of their bondage" (Exod. 2:23). The deliverance was complete; they were brought out of bondage and out of Egypt; and their distress:the cry:the deliverance brought out of bondage and out of Egypt; and their distress, their cry, and their deliverance in this instance became a pattern and example of manifold future deliverances.

When the believer is greatly prospered in the things of this life, has abundance, with little or no distress, he is very apt to lose that living communion and fellowship with God which makes him like a plant growing in the bright sun. Christians are often greatly hindered by much worldly prosperity and success in the things of this life. The world has nothing else, nothing better. Their all is here. When they die they leave all they have here in the world. The child of God is not so; he has something immeasurably better, but there is still the temptation to love the world and the things of the world. This always causes eternal loss; and to save His people from settling down in the world, God sends distress, so that their hearts may not be tangled up with the pleasant things of the world.

Psalm 107 is a song for just such experiences, and is profitable for frequent reading. It has four pictures of distress; of a time of crying to God; then deliverance. In each case the distress, the cry, the deliverance is recounted, then follows the exhortation, "Oh, that men would praise the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!" Hence it is that a time of general distress like the present, is a time for crying to God for deliverance from-not only the distress which comes from the world, but from its allurements. It is not an evil to have all our props removed so that we stand in entire dependence upon God for even everyday necessities. It is a good thing to be placed where we have to cry to God, where we are really in ;;distress, so that we have to cry to Him for what we need. Then we are learning the great lesson taught all through Scripture of the distress into which God often brings His children, their cry to Him and then their blessed deliverance. The three go together, and if we realize it, we shall be praising Him for the distress which leads us to cry to Him for the deliverance which is sure to come.

Best of all, perhaps, is the praise for deliverance experienced. We have learned new lessons of His care, His love, His goodness, worth vastly more than they cost. For whatever brings us to know more of God is indeed a blessing. That is really our greatest acquisition here in this world-the getting to know our God better. The more we learn of His goodness, the more our praises in-What comfort and good cheer are in that psalm! Every thing. He does two things; He sends the distress and the deliverance. We do two things also; we cry and we praise. These sum up the believer's life here.

Israel's experience in Egypt answers to this. Jehovah sent the distress; they cried. He gave the deliverance; they praised Him. That is the program of Psalm 107. What comfort and good cheer are in the psalm! Every believer is living continually a life described in some part of it. Sometimes it is for our sins we are afflicted, and are compelled to cry to God because of the afflictions which He sends. But that is not a necessary part of the believer's life. Those who sail the sea of life see His wonders in the deep. The blessed, glorious part of this is that God both raises and calms the storms.

This is the greatest comfort. No storm comes but Christ is there. No cry is made that He does not hear. That is the glorious truth that shines out all through the Psalms and the Epistles. If trouble comes, He comes with it. You are to watch for Him in it. How very great the comfort of this! It cannot be any heavier than He makes it. It cannot last any longer than He wills and permits. Hence all trouble, trial, distress, brings us right into the presence of Infinite Love.

We learn to submit; we learn to trust. As we go on, these become "second nature" to us. We not only learn to rejoice and praise after the storm but in it.

"For every tribulation,
For every sore distress,
In Christ I've full salvation,
Sure help and quiet rest."

This is what the lives of God's people are in this world. Prayer and praise on our part, inspired by the faith that dwells in us; experiences of His love, His delivering power; the growing in the knowledge of God, learning more of His power and wisdom. How very far such a life is from so much that passes for Christian living.

"This one thing I do," said Paul. "Study to show thyself approved unto God," he wrote to Timothy. He could not write "approved unto men." Faith is never guided by the world's approval. Are we seeking God's approval or man's? Is Christ or the world in our minds and hearts? God knows our hearts and their dangers, and it may well be that the distresses we experience are His way of keeping us from that which would bring eternal harm to us. If we separate our distresses from His care and love, we shall lose much. All parts of our lives are to be looked at in connection with Christ, especially our trials and deliverances.

Prayer and praise will make up a large part of our time spent with Him, if we are walking in His path here. They will be in our minds as we go about our daily employment. Whatever the outward life and ways may be, we can be walking with God. Busy or out of work, the heart turns to its refuge and rest in all the experiences of each day. The days may be full of blessings with no distressing trials. Then we can praise Him for this. "In everything give thanks." We thank and praise Him for deliverances wrought; we do the same for blessings received. Such lives glorify Him. J. W. Newton

Calendar:Oct. 16th to Nov. 15th

DAILY BIBLE READING ……. .Oct. 16th, Ezekiel 32; Oct. 31st, Ezekiel 47; Nov. 15th, Hosea 2

SUPPLEMENTARY READING. .Oct. 16th, Hebrews 11; Oct. 31st, 2 Pet. 3; Nov. 15th, Rev. 7.

In the beginning of Christianity God was pleased to work special miracles, in order to call attention to the truth being presented then for the first time.

Among these it was permitted, it would seem, that the shadow of Peter, falling upon sick folk, should lead to their physical healing (Acts 5:15).

Making an application of this we may learn an important lesson, for we all cast shadows upon others. In our case it will be for moral and spiritual good, or it will be for moral and spiritual evil.

Certain it is, however, that our shadow-influence produces an effect of some kind upon all those with whom we come into contact. And certain it is that we are casting this shadow-influence upon all we meet and at all times.

We may wish to avoid this effect but we cannot do so. Moreover, we can never stop the influence produced, however much we might so desire.

If we throw a stone into a pool there will be a splash, and then eddies will form and widen and extend as they circle over the face of the water, until all the pool has been agitated and affected.

Thus it is with our influence. The outcome of it goes on and on and can never be stayed. The "eddies" will continue, not only through our short lives here but will continue still when our little history on earth is closed.

Serious thoughts are these; are they not?

This energy or potency of our influence produces effects invisibly and insensibly. Others may not be aware of it and we may not be conscious of it ourselves. Nevertheless the consequences are certain. The outcome may be manifest almost at once. On the other hand it may not be seen for years.

Many are the instances which might be cited showing the importance of our example as Christians being of such a character that all may rightly imitate us.

A well-known preacher tells of a time when he was journeying through the country with his little son. Someone remarked to him that his boy was speaking to the father's friends in just the same way that the father himself spoke to them. He added, "It is amusing. Isn't it?"

To the preacher it was anything but amusing. "If my boy is to speak as I speak, and walk as I walk, then God help me to walk as a Christian," he exclaimed.

One of the saddest memories of the writer is this. In his school life before he came into the marvelous light of Christ, he was affecting his schoolmates. His influence was mostly for evil, he fears. He knows that it was so in some cases. He had been affected in a wrong
direction by others, and helped to form and mold the lives of those in his class.
Grace has wrought with him and made him desire to bring others to know and serve the gracious Lord and Saviour whom he has come to trust and worship.

But what about his early companions? They are all gone from his presence and from his possible aid. He helped them down years ago. He cannot help them up today. And he thinks with sorrow how they will have formed the thoughts and histories of others by their influence.

"What manner of persons ought we to be in all holy conversation (manner of life) and godliness," exclaims Peter, as he thinks of the end of all things being at hand. As we think of the unending character of our influence may we not apply the words to our own course?

If we "walk in the Spirit" we shall be blessed ourselves and be a blessing to others. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. If "filled with the Spirit," and to this we are exhorted by the apostle Paul (Eph. 5:18), these graces of Christ will be produced. Then we shall cast a shadow-influence of good and blessing day by day.

And a wonderful favor and privilege this is that by the power of the Holy Spirit something of Christ may be displayed in us.

But let us remember that we do cast a shadow of some kind wherever we go. Inglis Fleming

From the Old Testament Scriptures we learn that the "tithe" was a tenth of the first fruits of the ground, as also of flock and herd, which belonged to God (2 Chron. 31:5-12). Not that He was in need, but to ever keep in mind their stewardship-their utter dependence upon HIM.

In 1 Cor. 3:9 we have this significant statement:"Ye are God's husbandry," or, "tillage." Here, then is the setting for the spiritual significance of the tithes. And God looks to us, we to whom He has entrusted these "fields" of our Christian lives, for the "first fruits" thereof. Thus He claims what is HIS OWN; not the "gleanings," but the very first of our lives' harvest.

And these first fruits are expressed, for instance, in the "walk in newness of life," outlined more fully in "the fruit of the Spirit;" and may we not include that sweet "fellowship with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ"? The very first of those first fruits is love to Christ ABOVE ALL ELSE; a love begotten of God in the soul, the "first love" which is precious to Him, but which, alas, may be "left" for some other object.

But if Christ is the one absorbing Object before the soul, there will be the desire to learn about Him-the persistent study of God's Word to that end; a love for perishing souls; the fervent prayer; a zealous care for one another in Christ; a conservation of one's time for God that it be not wasted-all these are the "tithes" that God looks for, and demands from His "husbandry."

On the other hand, if we must seek the trivial pleasures of the world to satisfy the heart's desires, we are robbing God of His tithes! When we spend precious moments poring over senseless fiction, or indulging in "foolish talking or jesting," we neglect to "bring all the tithes into the storehouse that there be meat in My house" (Mal. 3:8-12).

Then from the negative side:when we do not eat and drink, or "do all to the glory of God," we still rob Him of His tithes! When we neglect to "pray without ceasing," forget to thank Him for all the blessings received; or neglect the admonition, "Bear ye one another's burdens and so fulfil the law of Christ," we verily rob God of His tithes!

As to Christian giving, we have a lovely type of it in Exodus, chaps. 35,36. God did not demand a tenth of what the Israelites had received from the Egyptians- their wages for the four hundred years of service there! He left their offerings to "a willing heart," in His call for materials with which to build Him a dwelling-place. In the tithe we see the principle of law; in those free gifts, the principle of love. In the one there is, "Thou shalt;" in the other, "Whosoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it an offering of the Lord." And how they responded! "They spake unto Moses, saying, The people bring much more than enough!"

If Israel had brought their gifts on the principle of the tithe, would they have been acceptable to God? Would Moses have received them as tithes? If he had, it would have distorted the beautiful figure for Christianity. All through the New Testament we see in Christian giving the same principle of the heart's response in love to God. How this service of love shines out, for example, in chapters 8 and 9 of 2 Corinthians! But to make the "tithe" a rule for love's spontaneous outflow, is like adding law to grace-the beauty of love is gone.
Yet if love alone is to be the incentive for giving, if we are to lay by upon the first of the week as the Lord hath prospered us, what is to be the measure for those gifts? How much are we to "lay by"? This question may be answered by asking another:how much do we love the Lord Jesus Christ? To what extent are we interested in the things nearest His heart? Surely we have here a reliable standard of measure. Herbert Cowell

The Apostle exhorted the Galatians to stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, or, more literally, "Christ has set us free in freedom. Stand fast therefore." We are not only set free, but set free in a free sphere, 1:e., "in Christ Jesus." .

Before the American War of"Emancipation it was open, for anyone to buy a slave and then set him free, but he was set at liberty in a sphere of slavery, and if by any mischance the erstwhile slave lost his emancipation papers he was liable to be seized by unprincipled men and impressed again in a state of slavery. In 1865 on the conclusion of the Civil War, slavery was abolished, and all the slaves were set free in a free state, and it was no longer possible for any of them to be brought again under the same yoke. .

The Christian is free from the law through the cross of Christ. "For I through the law am dead to the law that I may live unto God. I am crucified with Christ" (Gal. 2:19, 20). The law, appealing to the responsibility of the man who has been set aside by God, changes what is living and spiritual into dead ritual. In Christ Jesus the law is no longer a guiding rule of life, but faith which worketh by love, and the Christian is thus free to serve in the Spirit. T. Oliver (Galashiels)

As we study the events taking. place at the present time, the questions that present themselves to our mind are:What do they mean? Are they merely passing events? Or, are they signs containing the gravest significance?

I would remind my readers at this time that the next prophetic event on God's program is the Coming of our Lord Jesus to the air to receive from the earth every blood-washed saint (1 Thess. 4:13-18). This is the immediate hope of every believer in our Lord Jesus (1 Thess. 1:9,10). The event following His coming to the air is His coming to the earth to execute judgment upon the ungodly then living (Jude 14,15); to bring to an end all human governments (Rev. 11:15), and to set up a Kingdom ruled in righteousness (Ps. 72).

The interval between the present time and His coming to the air is not marked by signs. The interval between His coming to the air and His coming to the earth is to be marked by signs. The Scriptures clearly teach this interval will be full of events of the greatest importance. Sin and wickedness will be the order of the day; the very sins that brought the flood upon the ungodly in the days of Noah are to characterize this period. Compare Luke 17:26, 27 with 1 Tim. 4:1-3; 2 Tim. 3:1-5.

That which is of solemn significance is this, that the shadows of that awful coming gloom seem to be falling across our pathway already; we know that the storm will not burst until after our Lord has come to the air and taken His own away, but we can see the clouds gathering now, and the faint rumbling of the thunder can be heard. If that which is to take place after our Lord has come for His own, and cannot take place before, is already taking shape before our very eyes, how near must His coming be! If the signs of the time that follows it are already showing themselves, there is only one conclusion possible:His coming is at hand; it is imminent indeed!

When we consider how our Lord taught that the things that characterized the days of Lot are to reappear and characterize the closing days of the age, it ought to make every Christian trim his lamp and be ready for the Bridegroom's coming; and it ought to make every sinner tremble at the awful thought of being left behind for judgment:"Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot, they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded, but the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be when the Son of Man is revealed" (Luke 17:28-30).

Nations are being shaken today as they have never been before; kingdoms are tottering, as it is predicted in Haggai 2:6,7, 22:"For thus saith the Lord of hosts:Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land; and I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come; and I will fill this house [the future Jewish temple in Jerusalem] with glory, saith the Lord of hosts …. And I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms, and I will destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the heathen, and I will overthrow the chariots, and those that ride in them, and the horses and their riders shall come down, every one by the sword of his brother." According to this, the shaking has to continue until the Desire of all nations comes, which is Christ the Prince of Peace.

Statesmen are at their wits' end; they tremble to think of what is coming next, which our Lord predicted would come to pass at the end of the age:"And there shall be signs in the sun, and the moon, and in the stars, and upon the earth distress of nations with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads, for your redemption draweth nigh" (Luke 21:25-28).

The world cries for peace yet arms for war, as the Scripture has predicted, and ere long, in the vicinity of Jerusalem, two great combinations of nations will face each other in the greatest struggle this world has ever seen, called in the Scriptures, the "Battle of Armageddon" (Rev. 16:12-16).

What of religion? Apostasy began long ago, and is preparing the way for the Man of Sin (2 Thess. 2). The future of corrupt Christendom is seen in Rev. 17- "Babylon the Great, the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth." True, Romanism is meant here, but probably Atheism will drive Christendom into the lap of the "mother of harlots." Moral corruption has already set in among the masses, bringing with it an increase in divorce. The doctrine of "companionate marriage" and free love is freely preached; the advocates of sexual looseness are becoming more numerous. By comparing Rom. 1:29-32 with 2 Tim. 3:1-4 we learn the awful fact that the moral condition of the last days of this age will be the same as that of the heathen in Paul's day. "O boasted civilization of the twentieth century, while thou art making strides towards fresh knowledge, thy subjects are reverting morally to the level of the beast!"-for, teach a man that he descends from the Least, and he will live accordingly.

In Noah's day the earth was corrupt and filled with violence. The awful sins of that age called for the righteous judgment of God, and so will it be in the days of the Son of Man. God waits for the cup to fill. Once man fills it to the brim with his awful sin, grace will give place to wrath, patience and long-suffering to the "manifestation of Christ in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God and obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power" (2 Thess. 1:7-9).

We have tried to point out that before this manifestation of Christ in judgment takes place, He will come for His own blood-bought people, and take them away from this corrupt scene (1 Thess. 4:13-18). This is the "blessed hope" of every believer. Is it a blessed hope to the reader? If Christ were to come to-night, would you be ready to meet Him? Remember, if you are not born again by the Spirit of God, you are unprepared, unfit to meet Him, and will be left behind to face Him when He comes to execute judgment upon the Christ-rejecters of this pleasure-seeking age.
"When the Bridegroom cometh, will your robes be white,
Pure and white in the blood of the Lamb?
Will your soul be ready for the mansion bright,
And be washed in the blood of the Lamb?"

R. McClurkin

Psalm 32 is Pauline in character, and is quoted by the Apostle in the Epistle to Romans (chap. 4). It undoubtedly expresses the condition of the godly remnant of Israel who will only know full forgiveness and acceptance when they look upon Him whom they have pierced, in whom they will find deliverance. The psalm, however, has a far wider application as describing the blessedness of forgiveness and non-imputation of guilt.

The title of the psalm, "Maschil," means "giving instruction," and the first two verses are its thesis. The first word "blessed," or "happy," indicates the subject of the instruction, so we may say that the psalm "instructs us how to be happy."

Happiness is not the result of excusing, palliating, or covering sin. When David, the writer, did this he describes his experience. Jehovah gave him no rest. He says, "When I kept silence my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long; for day and night Thy hand was heavy upon me; my moisture was turned into the drought of summer." It seemed as though, whether awake or sleeping, the hand of God was heavily upon him. At the close of the words quoted, we find the untranslated word "Selah," which means "pause," or "consider." And what need there is that we do so! Un-confessed sin and a hardened conscience can only bring unhappiness and soul-misery. But it is well when the soul, burdened with a sense of guilt and need, realizing the futility of trying to cover sin and hide transgression, says, like the psalmist, "I will confess my transgression unto the Lord." "There is forgiveness with Thee, that Thou mayest be 'feared."Thus the humble are encouraged to draw near to God, the One who alone can forgive sin. This psalm will encourage the godly remnant to confession in a later day.

Here then is the true secret of happiness."I acknowledged my sin unto Thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgression unto the Lord, and Thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah." Sin acknowledged, transgression confessed, brings forgiveness. With this, guile is gone from the heart, there is the sense of non-imputation, and as Paul points out in Romans 4, the soul is justified and righteousness reckoned on the principle of faith. This second part, then, ending with verse 5, gives the blessedness (happiness) of the forgiven man.

The next section, to the end of verse 7, strikingly shows the blessed results. There is entire confidence in God; no storm can disturb the soul's foundation. "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus." Further, God has become the soul's refuge. The One who once was feared (slavishly), the forgiven and justified saint is now able to joy in (Rom. 5:11). "I flee unto Thee to hide me." God has become the deliverer, and faith can say, "If God be for us, who can be against us? (Rom. 8 :31). He preserves, blesses, and guides His own. "Songs of deliverance" fill the heart, for perfect love has cast out fear. The day of weeping is over, and joy has come with the morning. In the next section, vers. 8, 9, God Himself speaks:"I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go; I will guide thee with Mine eye. Be ye not as the horse or mule, which have no understanding, whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee." Here God proposes to "instruct and teach," leading in the right way, but He says, "I will guide thee with Mine eye." This necessarily involves nearness, communion-a close walk with God. We could only be guided by the eye of One with whom we are in fullest sympathy and fellowship. Blessed guidance! The Lord would not have His people constantly curbed and guided by circumstances. We are not to be as the horse or mule, held in by bit and bridle, but rather like Abraham who enjoyed holy intimacy, and of whom God could say, "My friend."

The child of God, while here, treads the path of faith, for our way is through the wilderness, where dangers and snares abound. But God is our resource and His watchful eye is ever upon us. The path has not been marked out and then left, but in infinite grace and wisdom God Himself watches over and guides us, leading with an eye of changeless love. But this presupposes a heart set upon His will, daily watching at the posts of His doors, taught inwardly what is pleasing to Him, and the mind formed by the "true knowledge of God."

Moses could say, "If I have found grace in Thy sight, show me now Thy way, that I may know Thee, that I may find grace in Thy sight." The New Testament unfolds this most blessedly, as in Col. 1:9,10; 3:10; Phil. 1:9-11; Eph. 4:24. How much more blessed is this than being curbed and governed by circumstances! God can, and does, graciously guide by providential ways, but in this there may be no true spiritual growth in the knowledge of Himself, or increase of capacity.

In the two closing verses God's judicial ways are before us in the blessed contrast. "Many sorrows shall be to the wicked, but he that trusteth in the Lord mercy shall compass him about. Be glad in the Lord, ye righteous, and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart." So this precious psalm commences with happiness, fruit of the knowledge of God in forgiving grace, and ends with fulness of joy, blessed portion of those whose ways are ordered by the Lord. Our rejoicing is not to be in our circumstances, but in the Lord. This connects us with the Apostle's words to the Philippians, "Rejoice in the Lord alway; and again I say, Rejoice." J. W. H. N.

(Continued from page 288)

2. TRAINING IN SECRET

Soldiers are trained far from the field of battle. Awkward youths are drilled where no hostile eye looks on. Thus Moses is removed to a place where he is trained to do battle in God's way.

Upon his arrival in Midian he is ready for anything that turns up. He might have wasted his life blaming others for his failure, but he is as ready as ever to "do his bit." Sitting by a well in the new country, he discovers there is service to be rendered there. For he sees the daughters of the priest of Midian driven off by shepherds who monopolize the troughs filled by the labor of these women. So he stands up and helps them and waters their flock. And it is this service that introduces him to Jethro, who welcomes him, gives him Zipporah as wife, and finds him employment.

We now see him in the solitude of the desert engaged as a shepherd for forty years. This may seem an unnecessarily long period, but it will be found that when the proper time arrives, things move according to divine schedule. In the meantime the iniquity of the Amorites becomes full, and Israel becomes ready for emancipation.

Referring to the long-continued training of Moses, let us copy a tale from Wm. Barker's "Waters of Quietness." "Porporo, one of the most illustrious masters of music in Italy, conceived a friendship for a young pupil, and asked him if he had courage to persevere.. .in the course he should mark out for him… .When the pupil answered in the affirmative, Porporo wrote upon a single page of ruled paper the diatonic and chromatic scales, ascending and descending, the intervals of the third, fourth, and fifth, etc. This page occupied both the master and scholar during an entire year; and the year following was also devoted to it. When the third year commenced, nothing was said of changing the lesson, and the pupil began to murmur; but the master reminded him of his promise. The fourth year slipped away; the fifth followed, and always the same eternal page. The sixth found them at the same task; but the master added to it some lessons of articulation, pronunciation, and lastly of declamation. At the end of the year, the pupil, who supposed himself still in the elements, was much surprised when one day his master said to him:'Go, my son, you have nothing more to learn. You are the first singer of Italy, and of the world.' He spoke the truth, for this singer was Caffarelli."

Thus the thorough training of Moses, the long seasons of silence, the exceptional opportunities for meditation and prayer, are forming in him the habit of referring everything to God. And at a later day it is apparent he has learned his lesson for, as problems arise in Israel, he solves them because he has God's point of view.

At last the day arrives when God judges him fit for service in Egypt. Hence at Mount Horeb He addresses him out of "the burning bush," impressing upon him His Holiness and His Compassion. Thereupon He says:"Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth My people the children of Israel out of Egypt" (Exod. 3:10).

MOSES RECEIVES HIS COMMISSION
But he who pressed forward forty years earlier, now draws back. He says:"Who am I that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?" Alas, the flesh that exhibits itself in forwardness may equally reveal itself in backwardness. Yet, to His timid servant, once so exuberant, God encouragingly says:"Certainly I will be with thee!" Still he demurs. Whereupon God reminds him that he bears a message from the I AM, and that opposition will give way before it.

Moses, however, is thinking of what others will say, because he is looking at himself rather than God. We remember hearing a brother remark:"When Elijah got his eye on Jezebel, he fled!" But another brother added:"When Elijah got his eye upon himself he said:As Jezebel is after me, I must flee!" Similarly, as Moses is looking at himself he is wondering how others will treat him. He even goes further, and says:"They will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice:for they will say, The Lord hath not appeared unto thee." Yet God had said, "They shall hearken to thy voice." At this juncture he receives

CREDENTIALS TO HIS BRETHREN

Casting his rod on the ground it becomes a serpent, but taking it by the tail it becomes a rod in his hand. Putting his hand in his bosom he takes it out leprous, but putting it again in his bosom he withdraws it cleansed. He is to take of the water of the river and pour it upon the ground, and it will become blood. These signs mil accredit him as sent of God.

If we may be permitted to consider their meaning as applied to ourselves, we would observe that,

The "rod" represents human power, but as become a serpent it is seen under satanic control. That control, however, is broken at the cross, and he who accepts this deliverance is enabled to do the will of God. Thenceforth the rod is "the rod of God."

The "bosom" is the fountain of man's being, but sin has made it unclean; hence the service of the hand is denied thereby. But by the death of His Son God cleanseth from sin, so that we may serve Him acceptably.

The "river" as the world's source of life is subject to death.

Thus the servant's credentials are not human advantages nor an official status, but the experimental knowledge of divine power and grace. He gains a hearing among men because he can speak as (1) delivered from Satan's rule and brought under the authority of God; as (2) having no confidence in the flesh but glorying in the cross; and as (3) realizing that this world lies under the judgment of death.

Returning however to Moses, we note that, notwithstanding the credentials given him, he persists in his hesitancy, saying:"O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since Thou hast spoken unto Thy servant [since yesterday, nor since the third day, margin]:but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue" (Exod. 4:10). But Jehovah says:"Who hath made man's mouth?" and adds, "Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say." He urges him forward. As Stoney illustrates:-A horse is led by its rider to a barrier which he intends it to leap, but it shies. However the rider knows .what the horse can do, so at proper intervals he brings it to the barrier again and again, until one day the noble creature leaps it beautifully. The rider has his way, and the horse is not sorry.

Moses replies:"O my Lord, send, I pray thee, by the' hand of him whom Thou wilt send." That is, Please send someone else! This answer provokes the Lord to anger, but He permits Moses his way to the extent of learning upon an arm of flesh. What a loss this, not only to Moses but to Israel! Thus he is allowed to take Aaron as his mouth-piece to the people. And God says:"I know that he can speak well!"Yes, God is well aware of the existence of good speakers, but He is more desirous of securing the service of hesitant Moses than that of fluent Aaron; He prefers the serious, candid Moses who will carefully say exactly what he means, to the ready-tongued speaker who will later tell his brother:"I said unto them, Whosoever hath any gold, let them break it off. So they gave it me:then I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf" (see Exod. 32:2-4, 24). Undoubtedly Aaron is ready with words, but never would such a speech have fallen from the lips of Moses and, however useful Aaron is [this paper does not treat of his typical position], there can be no doubt that God foresaw dangers which would have been prevented had His servant Moses stepped forward when called. Nor is that all. If "good speaking" consists in the proper use of the plainest language, who is there among the sons of men who ever stated facts more simply and tersely in writing than the lawgiver, and who (but One) could have excelled him in speaking when God would have been with his mouth?

However, despite the unbelief that grieves Him, God shows His pleasure in the reality that lies beneath it, by communicating His wishes to Moses rather than to Aaron, the latter receiving them from the former who is to be to him "instead of God." The matter now being settled in this way, Moses informs his father-in-law of his intended departure and, taking his wife and two sons, sets out in the direction of Egypt'.

In concluding this "Epoch" we note that God insists that His servant must be

FAITHFUL IN HIS HOME

Thus it "came to pass by the way in the inn, that the Lord met him, and sought to kill him. Then Zipporah took a sharp stone, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet, and said, Surely a bloody husband art thou to me. So he let him go:then she said, A bloody husband thou art, because of the circumcision" (vers. 24-26). Evidently there had been discord in the home, the wife opposing the circumcision of her "son"-it does not say sons. Perhaps the firstborn had been circumcised, but Zipporah, objecting to its repetition in the second son, succeeds in getting her husband to yield the point for the sake of peace. In this she is not a helpmeet, that is, a meet help. Nevertheless as Moses is accountable, it is he who is- imperilled. This his wife sees, and performs the rite herself, yet does so in a state of rebellion at God's ordinance.

They now resume their journey however, Aaron meeting them at Mount Horeb. And they enter Egypt and gather "all the elders of the children of Israel," to whom "Aaron spoke all the words which the Lord had spoken-unto Moses, and did the signs in the sight of the people." And they believed, and bowed their heads and worshiped. R. J. Reid

(To be continued, D.V.)

The following letter from Brother E. A. Elden of the Bahamas tells us of the terrible storm that passed over the Islands in the early part of September. Our brother asks that our prayers and practical fellowship go out to our needy brethren in Abaco and elsewhere. May the Lord sustain His distressed and suffering saints in this, another hour of trial.

The Current, Bahamas, Sept. 11, 1932. Dear brother:-No doubt by this time you have heard of the terrible storm that has passed over our islands, leaving again many of the Lord's people in a state of suffering, but thank the Lord, we here in The Current have been preserved and kept from any serious damage to our houses. We have lost a good deal of fruit and other products, but we have some left us, and do not think that there will be any real need if nothing worse comes, but our brethren in Abaco are suffering greatly, having lost their homes and everything they had. These terrible storms make us realize that we are in a groaning creation still, and waiting for our deliverance, which may soon come. Let our prayers and practical fellowship go out to our needy brethren in Abaco and elsewhere. May the Lord bless your labors in His service.

Your brother in Him,

E. A. Elden.

The Bahamas Government report concerning the hurricane is as follows:

Marsh Harbor. Height of storm at 9 a.m., Monday. Wind blew from North-east until 3 p.m., when it shifted to the South-West and blew till night-fall. Bar. 27.60. Schools, teacher's residence, and twelve houses totally destroyed. Most of the remainder of the houses were badly damaged. No one killed or injured here. Several boats damaged. Crops and fruit orchards practically gone. The two Government wharves demolished. Had calm of fifteen minutes during storm showing center passed over. The house of Mr. Goodwin Roberts was badly damaged.

Hope Town. Height of storm at 10 a.m. Wind from the North-East. Then shifted to the South-East, where blew hardest. Bar. 27.20. Eighty-three houses totally destroyed:sixty-three badly damaged:forty less damaged. Two boats destroyed. No dead, two injured. Food supplies very low, and no medical supplies, as doctor's house destroyed. Little drinking-water, and that has become salted. All public buildings and radio station destroyed. Commissioner's Residency and office slightly damaged. Both Anglican and Methodist churches destroyed. The doctor was sick and unable to render any medical assistance.

Green Turtle Cay. Height of storm at noon. Wind from North-east, shifting to South-east and South. All houses, churches and schools and Government buildings destroyed. Six persons killed. Twenty-five persons injured. Limb injuries, head wounds and bruises of all descriptions. Very little food, and water running low. Medical supplies urgently needed. M. V. "Priscilla" received damage to superstructure. Damage mostly caused by the wind.

Bluff Point. Height of storm at 2 p.m. Wind North to North-west. Settlement entirely destroyed with all boats:churches, school-room, burial-ground washed away. Damage mostly attributable to tidal wave which swept over this Cay. No food and water. Five injured, sheltering on wet mats under a roof which was blown clean off house-the only shelter obtainable.

Great Guana Cay. Four houses standing, but all damaged. One man killed, James Sands. All boats destroyed.

Cooper's Town. People at Green Turtle Cay reported that four persons were known to be dead and only six houses were left.

Cherokee Sound. Did not call here, but from air estimated that damage insufficient to warrant landing there.

SOUTH AMERICA

We are glad to have the following report from our brother Penna who is much improved in health. We hope his work will not be hindered by the civil strife now raging in Brazil.

Parintins, Sept. 2, 1932.

Dear brethren:-I am thankful to our Lord Jesus for the opportunity to send you a brief account of His work in this corner of His harvest. We have much to praise Him for. His blessings have been poured out upon us, and although there is much poverty and illness, revolutions, and other trials, we are full of joy because He has blessed us in giving us fruit in our labors for Him. All glory to the Son of God who loves us and gave Himself to save our souls!

As to my health, I am quite improved, and almost fully recovered, and have resumed activity in the work. At Aicurapa River four persons were baptized in June last.

The work among Japanese has not been fruitless, as out of the eight young men attending our meetings, three have accepted the Lord as their Saviour. At the present they are in Manaos where they are making their living. We have had letters from them and are glad to learn they are witnessing for the Saviour. Our Japanese brother, Mr. Y. Kozasa, is now living with us here in the town. He left the Japanese settlement where he was the steward, and intends to be well acquainted with the Portuguese language, so that he will be able to preach to the Brazilian people as well as to his own. We request your prayers for this brother.

Have just arrived from an evangelizing trip made to the place called "Castanhal" at Parana do Ramos. Here I found thirteen people confessing the Lord. They heard the gospel from a brother living at Mirity Lake, who stopped in their houses on his way into the woods to search for rubber. The Lord opened their hearts and they believed. I found them quite happy in Him, and well interested in learning His Word. They are all "caboclos," and almost savages, but the Gospel is powerful enough to transform them. Glory to His Name. This is a new beginning, and I think the Lord has some more people in this place and its vicinity. Pray for these new brethren.

Brazil is again in a turmoil. The great State of Sao Paulo is changed into a battlefield, and much blood has been shed. Even here in Amazonas we have been troubled by revolution. Near this town there was a fight a few days ago. It was a tragic hour. Nearly two hundred men were shot down, and two river steamers were sunk by the Government guns. Indeed, we are in the last days, and tribulations arise on every side, but our great hope is the soon coming of our blessed Saviour to take us Home. More than ever we covet the saints' prayers.

Yours in Him, by grace,

Jose Penna.

FRENCH-CANADIAN WORK

Our brother Germain writes concerning his work amongst the French-Canadians:

We give unfeigned thanks to God that for a month we were privileged to scatter the seed over new French Roman Catholic sections, as well as to have meetings for over two weeks amongst the French Protestants. These last have been troubled by the "Go-Preachers," but am thankful to report that most of them have searched the Scriptures and have been delivered from these erroneous teachings. Finding that a few had the "Harp of God," by Judge Rutherford, we sounded a warning. How the enemy is busy sowing the tares!

Had the privilege of giving the Word to whole families of French Catholics. Others came to our meetings, and what we heard from them gives us to understand that some are groaning under Rome's yoke, and would like to be free from it. How necessary it is then to give these people the pure Gospel of the Grace of God and to furnish them with the Scriptures. At a small place we were threatened to be kicked out if we would go to some homes with our books. At another, the priest to whom we gave our papers and Gospels told us to go away, that when the people would need such they would give it to them, and that what we were distributing would go to the fire.

While at Cumberland we crossed to the other side of the Ottawa River and began systematic house-to-house visitation with Gospels and tracts. Though some tore up what we gave them, on the whole everything was well received. We had interesting talks with different ones, one young man seeming to grasp clearly the way of salvation by faith in Christ alone.

As we look back now to what was done for the Lord, we are very happy that hundreds of Gospels and tracts have been distributed over new areas where nothing had been done.

At present we are getting ready for a trip to the Eastern sections of the province, which are almost entirely French, and hope to cover new ground. Kindly pray for us for sustaining grace, that a work might be done for the Lord, and that many precious souls be saved.

BRIEF NOTES

We have received cabled news from Dr. Woodhams that Miss DeJonge has undergone an operation and is progressing favorably.

We have also received news that our brother William Deans has improved considerably in health, for which we praise God, taking this as a direct answer to many prayers offered on his behalf.

The following testimony is taken from a recent report issued by the South Sea Island Mission:

July, 1932.

"Ye shall hallow the fiftieth year. . .it shall be a jubilee unto you:a jubilee shall that fiftieth year be unto you. . . It shall be holy unto you."

This month completes the Fiftieth Year since, in 1882, God enabled us to plant at Fairymead, Queensland, the first seed of this work amongst South Sea Islanders. Through all these fifty years we have proved the all-sufficiency of our God, and can add our joyful testimony to that of Joshua:"That not one thing hath failed of all the good things which the Lord your God spake concerning you:all are come to pass. . .and not one thing hath failed thereof."

Once I could see, but ne'er again
Shall I behold the verdant plain,
Jeweled with flowers of colors bright,
Bathed in a flood of golden light.

The birds, the brilliant butterflies,
These all in thought before me rise;
The shining rivulet, whose song
Comes sweetly murmuring along;

The sky, the clouds, the grass, the trees,
All waving, glancing in the breeze-
I see them pictured in my mind,
But there alone, for I am blind.

Blind, did I say? How can that be?-
Since I by faith my Saviour see
Exalted on the throne above,
Beaming with mercy, grace and love.

A view like this is better far
Than sun, or moon, or glittering star,
Or glowing landscape, sunny skies,
Or sight that's fair to mortal eyes.

I thank my God that He has put
A veil before mine eyes, and shut
All earthly objects from my sight,
And Christ revealed in glory bright.
Henceforth my word shall ever be-
Once I was blind, but now I see.

The above was written by one who for 18 years was a helpless cripple and finally lost his sight. Converted from the evil of Unitarianism, for years his patient suffering glorified the Saviour whom he loved. The only organ of his body unaffected by disease was his tongue, and with it he fully glorified God and brightly testified to a Saviour's love and sufficiency. When near the end, he called someone to him to take down in writing the blessed sentiments expressed in this poem. "What hath God wrought!" J. W. H. Nichols

In the original text of the New Testament there are several words which are translated by the word "servant" in our English version. It will be sufficient for our present purpose to consider only two of these words. The first word, doulos, has the significance of "bond-slave," as in the introduction to the Epistle to the Romans, where the apostle describes himself as the bond-slave of Jesus Christ. It was the character of bond-slave which he had in common with all the redeemed. He was a bond-slave through God's grace and not through any effort of his own.

The second word, diakonos, from which we have our English word "deacon," literally means, "one who hastens through" with his work, not in the sense of one who scamps work, but one who is always ready to do his master's bidding. The word has come to have the restricted connotation of servant in material things, but its essential meaning covers both material and spiritual. Indeed, Stephen, commencing as God's servant in material affairs, filled with the Holy Ghost, soon became widely known as His servant in the spiritual sphere.

When a student enters a university he is initiated as a member of the learned corporation on matriculating. In course of time by ready subservience to the study of the matters which engross the attention of a university, he passes the various knowledge tests and becomes a graduate. He is none the less a member of the University after than before graduation, but he has risen a step on the ladder of learning. So a Christian, in becoming a deacon does not cease to be a bond-slave of Jesus Christ, indeed his appreciation of the redemption price will be greatly deepened.

"As every man hath received the gift, minister the same one to another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God… If any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth, that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ" (1 Pet. 4:10,11).

All Christians are called to be deacons. Throughout the New Testament the conception of the bond-slave's graduation to the deaconship is repeatedly presented. To some God may have only given the ability to minister a cup of cold water, but even such a simple act loses its value if it is not done in His name, 1:e., for the glory of God through Jesus Christ.

It is indicated in the 13th chapter of 1 Corinthians that though we may be the dispensers of millionaire philanthropy and be prepared to go the length of the stake in self-sacrifice, it is all profitless if the love of Christ is not the motive spring of our action. Similarly, we are the stewards of the manifold grace of God in spiritual matters. As pastors we are to seek to bear the burdens of the weak. As teachers and evangelists we must experience the ordination of the pierced hands.

The Christian must not retire into monastic seclusion. He should seek to follow the example of his Master who went about always doing good. The knowledge of truth is very desirable, but true Christian happiness -is only realized in doing the truth which has been made known to the soul (John 13:17).

How to effect the purchase of this "good degree" may appear a difficult problem to many. But John the Baptist was in the secret when he said, "He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30). In the proportion that Christ is formed in the soul, self is displaced, and the acceptable fulfilment of the duties of a deacon is rendered possible.

The apostle in addressing the Corinthian believers said, "We have the mind of Christ." That mind did not presume on His equality with God, but readily sought the cover of a bond-slave's form, that, as the true Hebrew servant, He might hasten to accomplish the will of God. He who was Lord over all was in the midst of mankind as one who served. Could there be a greater stimulus given than that afforded by such a marvelous example that we should be in harmony with the mind of Christ, and that, therefore, we may have the mind of the Lord as to what we are to do for the glory of God at every juncture in our pathway?

"There is but one [path] in the waste,
Which His footsteps have marked as His own,
And we follow in diligent haste
To the seats where He's put on His crown."

T. Oliver (Galashiels)

(Ps.50:15.)

In view of the report which has gone out from the West, as to the fear of an impending plague of grasshoppers during the coming season, it may not be amiss to recount what took place a little over fifty years ago, during a plague of locusts which visited most of the State of Minnesota, and other sections nearby.

According to a little pamphlet published by the American Tract Society in 1878, this locust plague had for three years previously devastated many thousands of square miles of land, affecting especially the wheat industry. Starvation looked many farmers and their families in the face; for no means which was tried was of any avail.

The attention of the State and Federal authorities was directed to the appalling condition present. The most skillful agencies then known were employed to combat the plague, but without success. At last, in despair of other means of relief, Governor Pillsbury appointed a day of fasting and prayer to be held on the 26th of April, 1877, in the hope that God would hear their cry and intervene to save the surrounding country from utter starvation.

This action taken by the Governor, partly, it would seem, from his own convictions, and partly from the requests of an importunate public, drew from the press comments and criticisms of various kinds. Those known to be of infidel character were not slow to set forth their views as to what they believed would be the outcome of such a proceeding. As far as they were concerned this move was foolish in the extreme. For, they intimated, even if a God exists, He is too unconcerned with the affairs of mortals to interest Himself on their behalf. Therefore it was a mark of degeneracy for the Chief Executive of the State to adopt such means to stay the plague.

As the day appointed for prayer drew near, conditions grew worse, both climatically and entomologically. But those who believed that God hears and "answers' prayer did not wait till the day set for public waiting upon God. They cried daily and hoped in God. Finally, as hunger' entered many homes which had spent all their living, many were forced to their knees by the pitiful conditions into which they had been brought. Others, who were of stronger agnostic or atheistic mind, and who had not yet felt the pinch of want, gave vent to their sentiments in language which left no doubt as to their unbelief in God, and therefore in the command given by Him which says:"Call upon ME in the day of trouble:I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify ME."

In the city of Minneapolis there was an organized society of infidels known as the "Liberal League." About two weeks before the time appointed by the Governor for prayer, this society presented an address to the people of the State in which their views were set forth forcibly and at length. In the course of the address, it was said:

"We hold that this belief (in prayer) is palpably untrue, its influence pernicious, and at this day a marked discredit to the intelligence of the people of Minnesota. From the beginning down to this day, outside of so-called Sacred History, there is not one well authenticated instance of such prayer having been answered, not one.. .To the end that the exact and true result may be known we call upon all thoughtful men to note carefully and systematically the condition of the eggs and young insects in their respective neighborhoods, on the 25th and then again on the 27th (the day of prayer intervening), and so on from time to time, and communicate their observations to the Entomological Commission lately established by the U. S. on our behalf. This Commission will soon be in the field prosecuting its researches in the same direction. Then if what shall actually happen cannot be accounted for except by miracle, A MIRACLE LET IT BE."

It is plain from the remarks of this address, that if God answered the prayers of His people, causing in some way an end of the plague, even these infidels would confess that an Omnipotent Hand was at work. Like the Philistines of old they confessed, that in such a case, it was "not chance," but God Himself working to deliver those who called upon Him. But it is just as plain that they did not believe that such a thing could take place. They said as plainly and as loudly as they could proclaim it that "THERE IS NO GOD" (Ps. 14:1) What had long been entertained in their hearts they now openly confessed.

What therefore did take place? The day for prayer arrived. "The locusts were hatching rapidly. The unbelievers were sneering. But those who counted on God's power to help waited for Him. Did He disappoint them? In the large cities business was suspended; an air of solemnity pervaded the streets. Many who never before had been seen in a place of prayer went that day to bow before the God of Jacob. When the sun set, many said, 'We have left it with God; we can do no more.' "

What did God do? Did He hear their prayers?

"A remarkable change of weather occurred in twelve hours. Although it was the last week of April, and though the season had been the mildest for several years, there came that night a cold rain, changing to snow and frost. The storm lasted for two days. From the morning succeeding the Day of prayer hope revived. The scale turned in our favor, and though it had vibrated for three weary months, it was poised, as no one could deny, upon the day of prayer. From that date no infidels published papers; they issued no appeals,'and made no prophecies."

Those of the locusts which were not then killed by the cold, moved about for a short time through several sections of the country, but were apparently too weak to do any extensive damage. Finally they disappeared entirely. A remarkable fact in connection with their disappearance is that in that very year, the State gathered the largest wheat crop in its history up to that time. It was also the largest wheat crop of any State in the country, amounting to forty millions of bushels.

Thus the Lord heard and answered the cry of those who called upon Him in their distress, and showed mercy at the same time to those even who had expressed their unbelief in Him, and His willingness to deliver man in his misery and need. May the recounting of this striking instance of His goodness and care, cause many to turn afresh to. Him in these trying times. They will find that He is indeed the Living God, and that He honors those who honor Him.

"He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?"' (Rom. 8:32). Wm. Huss