CALENDAR:JAN. 15th to FEB. 15th, 1920.

Daily Bible Reading,.. . Jan. 16th, Matt. 1; 31st, Matt. 16 [Feb. 15th, Mark 3

Memory Work…….. Jan. 15-31, Gal. 6:10-18, and Review [Feb. l-15th, Eph. 1:1-14.

Good Reading Jan. 15-31, C. H. M.'s Notes on Exodus, pages 319-373. Feb. 1-15, C. H. M.'s Notes on Leviticus, pages 1-30.

As announced last month, our calendar now extends from the 16th to the 15th of the month. I hope this will cover any delay in receiving the magazine.

We now begin the most wonderful of all the revelations of God-the New Testament. May it be blessed to every one of us in a special way. Let not our familiarity with it cause us to read it carelessly, but let us seek things new and old out of it. Above all may we learn to know, love and serve our blessed Lord better than ever before.

Matthew occupies us for nearly the entire time, and well it may. Below I name one or two useful books on this Gospel for those who have time for extra work.

In Memory Work, we devote the remainder of January to completing the last chapter of Galatians, and to a strict Review of the entire epistle. Remember the promise I made last month-a copy of " How to Study the Bible," bound in cloth, to every one who will repeat at one time the entire epistle without mistake, before two or more persons. The recitation must be practically perfect, allowance being made for only two slight verbal blemishes in each chapter, such as " who," or "which," for "that," or some equally insignificant error. But my object is to have it letter perfect. This will mean a strict preparation in private, with memorandum of every slip noted, and that verse gone over and over till you are sure whether it is " God the Father" in chap. 1:3, or "God our Father;" whether it is "from the," or "from our Lord Jesus Christ," etc., etc. You see it will be no easy matter, but won't it be worth while ?

Now how many answers am I going to have to this proposal ? I assure you I shall not complain if there are many successful ones. I will tell you, I am trying for it myself, and shall have the witnesses. I also promise to let you know if I fail to be practically perfect in my recitation.

I think you will all agree that Ephesians is a good epistle to follow Galatians. I will not say much about it this time, except to point out that as Galatians answered to the book of Exodus, so Ephesians does to Leviticus. I think, too, you may find memorizing this epistle a little easier than the other, for several reasons, one of which is the practice you have had.

Our last feature of work is the reading of C. H. M. We finish Exodus, and in February begin Leviticus. I don't see how any one who has earnestly read Exodus can fail to have received the greatest profit in the fundamentals of our faith. We have already in Exodus had some rich foretastes of typical truth; and in Leviticus we plunge into the very heart of this form of inspired teaching.
EXTRA BOOKS

For those who have time, it will be helpful to read "Kelly on Matthew," in connection with our daily reading ; and Kelly on Ephesians in connection with the memorizing of that epistle. The Notes in the Numerical Bible on Leviticus are very useful, as indeed on Matthew and Ephesians.

New Recruits

I can't close this introductory part of our Y. B. D. without reminding you of a great opportunity you have to enlist the interest of others in our regular work. Have you friends or acquaintances who could be induced to attend the Young People's Meetings, to read and study with us ? Have you had the pleasure of securing one such person ?

There has been a gratifying increase in subscribers to Help and Food, which I think is partly due to your efforts. So let us take courage and see how many more you can interest.

Requests for Prayer

There has not been very much time for these to come in, but I hope it will meet a need in many quarters. I hope that Request No. 1 is still being laid before the Lord, and that in answer to our prayers there will be a helpful line of intercession opened up among us.

Opportunities and Responsibilities

Silence! Not another response since the interesting communication of last month. Our trained nurses; stenographers; teachers; office-workers; High School grads and students-nothing. Come, let us hear from you, please. Don't hold back, but send in your little articles of 200 words more or less.

A Sunday School Treat

I must tell you of a very enjoyable and interesting time I had a short time ago. It was a " Tea Meeting," and Sunday School Celebration, that those of us who were there will not soon forget.

First, everybody was invited, young and old. We met at 6.30 for tea, with the young folks passing the good things around, and having lots of fun out of it in a quiet way.

After the tea-things were cleared away, we had the meeting. There was a good deal of singing from our "Grace and Truth Hymn Book, sometimes by the whole audience, and sometimes by the older scholars.

Then each class had prepared some special feature; the little ones recited verses, sometimes singly and sometimes in unison. Sweet little poetic selections were recited-"God is good;" "Who loved me." A representative from a girl's class read the favorite verse of each number of the class from the Epistle to the Philippians. We were much impressed with the " model lesson" by a member of the Young Ladies' Bible Class. She read the account of our Lord's triumphal entry into Jerusalem, followed by His denial by Peter, and as she said," The lesson for me was that it is easy to confess the Lord when everybody is celebrating Him, but hard when we are all alone, surrounded by His enemies"-we could agree with her that it was a lesson for all of us.

Another feature was the recitation by the Young Men's Bible Class of the whole First Epistle of Peter. The leader began, reciting several verses; each one took it up where the other left off, the whole class finishing the chapter; then the next until all was finished.

Altogether, it was most enjoyable to everyone present. Were the old folks in the way ? Oh no! They would have been missed. Was there plenty of enjoyment ? Yes, indeed; smiles and happiness, without foolish levity. Each one was wanted, each filled their right place, and all were helped. It gives some hints for all our young people's meetings, while not exactly the same, yet it was the spirit of youth and of age mingling together in the enjoyment of the things of God.

A Happy New Year

These words will be used thousands, we might almost say millions, of times during the few days that begin the New Year. They will be sent on beautiful, artistic cards, be enclosed in loving letters, spoken over the telephone, and exchanged in the greetings of visitors or friends as they pass on the street. And is not happiness a good wish ? It is indeed, and there is plenty of need in this sad world for more of it, and of the right kind. Now I am sending each one of you dear young fellow-Christians, this wish, that this may be, in the fullest, truest sense, a Happy New Year.

Let me tell you, though you know it, the secret of true happiness for a Christian:" Delight thyself also in the Lord, and He shall give thee the desires of thy heart" (Ps. 37:4). If He fills our hearts, if we let His word dwell in us richly, if we trust Him constantly for everything, we will have true happiness. There is no other real happiness. Pleasure there may be in forbidden paths of folly, but only for a season, and at its best it is empty, and not true happiness. Let us all be wise, and give Him the first place in our hearts, and then we will all have a truly Happy New Year.

Resolutions

I am not going to advise you to make many resolutions, and certainly none in your own strength. But this is the time with storekeepers to "take stock," and to make plans for business in the coming year. We might do a little of that with profit, I am sure.

Starting with what is immediately before us, the Y. B. D., looking back over the year, I am very glad we started it, aren't you ? It has, I think, stirred us up, helped us to do a good deal of reading and study we might not otherwise have done, and served to bind us much more closely together. So far, so good. Now what about some plans, or resolutions, for the coming year ? For myself, I hope to make these pages more attractive and useful than they have been, to remember more constantly all of you in prayer, and to be ready to help and counsel in any way I can. I also hope to have the manuscript in the hands of the dear, long-suffering Publishers in better time.

Now for you, what are your resolutions? Oh no! I'm not going to tell you; that's for you to do; to go aside and think it all over, look back over the past year, and then simply and prayerfully to undertake afresh the things laid on your heart.
The Question Box

There has hardly been time to receive answers to the questions of December; but I have a few. One writes:" We are endeavoring from now on, D. V., to hold our meetings in the middle of the month, and we trust to have some answers to the Question Box at that time."

QUE. 5. " What is the meaning of Isa. 42; 19, Who is blind but my servant?"

answer 1.-" Israel is the servant, and was both blind and deaf, just as to-day people who will not receive the gospel are both blind and deaf."

ANS. 2.-" Doesn't the Lord refer to Israel as His servant ? They were deaf and blind because they were away from Him, in sin and idolatry."

ANS. 3.-"The 'Servant' in the first part of the chapter refers to Christ, but in the 19th verse it refers to Israel. Israel took the place of being the Lord's servant and His messenger, and professed to be perfect, yet because of their sin they were blind and deaf."

ANS. 4.-" The blindness came upon the leaders, the prophets of Israel, Isa. 6:10, for disobedience and rejecting the Lord of glory, refusing the light, Jno. 12:35-41; Ps. 69:23-26. So refusing the righteousness of God, Rom. 10:3, they are given over to blindness, Acts 28:25-28; Matt. 13:14, 15; Isa. 6:9-11, until restoration."

These are all excellent answers. It is interesting to notice that the Remnant and the restored nation will again be the Lord's servant, not deaf and blind, but with opened eyes and heart to His will.

QUES.-"Was king Saul a saved man ?"

ANS. 1.-" I think 1 Chron. 10:13,14 plainly says that he died for his transgression which he committed against the Lord, and against the word of God which he kept not, and also for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, 1 Sam. 28:7-18."

ANS. 2.-"I think 1 Sam. 18:12 shows Saul was not a saved man, for it says the Lord was departed from Saul. The Lord would not depart from a child of His."

ANS. 3.-" There is no scripture to tell us Saul was a saved man, and his whole history seems to show that he wasn't. He was a man after Israel's heart, and not chosen of God."

ANS. 4.-"1 Chron. 10:13, 14."

All these answers are good and scriptural. There is one thing to remember:the Old Testament gives us the government of God, largely in relation to the present life. There are of course glimpses into the future, but in the main the judgments relate to the present life. But moral character is displayed, and judging from this there is little to give comfort in thinking of this poor man, so highly favored, and so unworthy.