" Surely the wrath of man shall praise Thee" Ps. 76:10.

The history of man, dark and cruel as it is, has perhaps few pages as dismal as the ones now making in Europe. One could hardly imagine that any good could be found growing out of such a scene of carnage and devastation. Yet there has perhaps been no war in which the activities of the grace of God have been more marked or beneficent. Christian men and women have been extremely active, especially in the distribution of the Holy Scriptures among soldiers of the various armies. As these men have been chiefly under the religious training of the church of Rome, and the Scriptures there are kept from the people, the Book is entirely new to those men. They had conceived Christianity as made up of mummeries, of ceremonies, of images, of trust in saints and the Virgin Mary, and behold, the Book ignored all such things and talked to them in plain and simple language of Jesus, His lovely words and deeds and teachings. They were amazed, attracted and riveted by the words and tales of love. Christianity then had something real in it. It addressed itself with intelligence to men who had needs in their souls which nothing had ever met before. This met the needs, brought them face to face with God-a God who had given His only Son to save them, and who sought their salvation and present and eternal welfare. There was incentive to read such things, and those who could not read gathered about one who could, that they also might learn the wonderful messages from heaven.

One writes to Ms wife:"My comrades at first laughed at seeing me read 'my mass,' as they called it; but little by little, in face of the daily dangers and by the help of the Holy Spirit, they laugh no more. Not a few of them ask me for my New Testament, and others, when they find me reading, gather around and ask me to read to them. Pretty much all confess that the teaching is surely divine. This leads me to pray earnestly for my comrades, that God may open their hearts to His love, and I feel sure that fruit to His glory will come out of it all. I beg all Christians everywhere to cry to God on our behalf, for all about me I hear it said, when the war is spoken of, 'It is because of our sins that God has sent us this terrible trial.' Therefore, fellow-Christians, all over the earth, on our knees let us supplicate our Saviour-God to intervene in mercy by producing repentance and the confession of our faults, that thus He may shorten this nameless trial, and that many, laboring under the burden of their sins, as once we did, may with us also find forgiveness, peace and joy in Christ. I cannot doubt God will do this.

" I do wish you could see my comrades around me, asking me how it is that I can be so peaceful at the thought of leaving this world under the assurance that I have eternal life and my sins all forgiven. How good to be able to tell them that it all comes through our Lord Jesus Christ, by His dying upon the cross for us. We constantly talk together of these things. As soon as the bullets and shells leave us a little while of quiet in the trenches, we draw near together and our talks go on. A number seem really affected."

Sons of Christian parents also, who had resisted the teaching and influence of their environments, now that they were going to face the stern realities of death, turned to the Lord, and have become earnest witnesses to their companions-in-arms. One of them writes as follows:

"My joy is great in finding that many of the children of Christians (who, like myself, had remained deaf to the appeals of our dear Saviour through His servants while we were at home) have at last responded and taken their part in the eternal bliss which awaits those who have bowed at the feet of Jesus."

Nor are these blessed activities of the grace of God confined to the army. A Christian lady who went to see her relatives near to the Swiss frontier just before the outbreak of war, and was unable, until recently, to get away again, reports a wonderful change in the civil population. In former visits she was repulsed by all, for she was faithful in speaking to them about their souls. On this visit, she says, not only did they no more repel her, but sent for her, begging her to visit them and bring her Bible. They gathered around her in each neighborhood to hear her read from her Bible and talk to them of God's grace.

How exceedingly blessed thus to see once more fulfilled the sure word of God, "Surely the wrath of man shall praise Thee" (Ps. 76:10), while we wait for the fulfilment of the rest of the verse, "The remainder of wrath shalt Thou restrain," that is, He will not permit the iniquity of man to go beyond what He can use for blessing. Thus we sing, while yet the conflict rages:

"How good is the God we adore,
Our faithful, unchangeable Friend ;
Whose love is as great as His power,
And knows neither measure nor end.

" 'Tis Jesus, the First and the Last,
Whose Spirit shall guide us safe home;
We'll praise Him for all that is past,
And trust Him for all that's to come."

Were only all the nations involved in this frightful conflict to humble themselves before God and confess their sins they would doubtless soon find peace dawning upon them-a righteous peace, for a righteous God can bless no other peace in any circle of men. What lessons for the nations of the earth are in the history of Israel, if they would but hearken to it.