A missionary, addressing a pious Negro woman, said, "Mary, is not the love of God wonderful?" and then, enlarging on its manifestation in the atonement of Christ, he made the appeal, "Is it not wonderful?" Mary simply sublimely replied, "Massa, massa, me no tink it so wonderful, 'cause it just like him."

Calendar:Aug. 16th to Sept. 15th

DAILY BIBLE READING:……… Aug. 16th, Ezra 4; Aug. 31st, Neh. 9; Sept. 15th, Job 1.

SUPPLEMENTARY READING:…. Aug. 16th, Luke 4; Aug. 31st, Luke 19; Sept. 15th, John 10.

("Labor unto Rest")

This precious admonition, found in Hebrews 4:11, has ever been the true motive power of all who have sincerely served God in the world. It is a sweet and happy word, well worthy of our most serious consideration at all times. "Let us labor unto rest," or as the J. N. D. Version puts it, "Let us use diligence to labor unto that rest." David, we are told, "After he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep" (Acts 13:36). Full and varied indeed was his life of service to Jehovah. He was shepherd, soldier, and king. And it was service "by the will of God," we are told, thus reminding us that all genuine service must be "in the Lord." But it was a course of ministry to the Lord and His beloved people, a course of service with the end in view:"After he had served he fell on sleep." At last his shepherd's staff was laid down, his sword sheathed, and the skillful fingers of "the sweet singer of Israel" having swept the dulcimer for the final song of praise, "he fell on sleep." "Rest, divine rest," is his now; his goal is reached, and he finds himself in the presence of the One his soul loved. Blessed, happy portion of this mighty servant of old! May it deepen in our hearts the same desire to thus serve and thus rest!

So might we take for our example, perhaps in a closer way, the great servant of the New Testament, Paul the Apostle. Where, if ever, could a greater laborer, servant, shepherd and soldier of Jesus Christ, be found? "I labored more abundantly than them all," he says. And again, "I have fought the good fight." He had drunk deeply of the grace of Christ, he enjoyed the conscious presence of his glorious Master with amazing fulness as he served, and his passion for sinners, his love for saints, were ever at white heat, and yet, beyond these blessed heart-urgings, this master workman longed for "that rest." "I am pressed by both, having the desire for departure and being with Christ, for it is very much better." "Laborat ut quiesca" was written in large letters over all that he did, and we view him at the end of his course exulting in the hope that lay ahead. "I have fought the good fight, I have kept the faith, I have finished my course, henceforth…." Ah, what lay behind that word, "henceforth," but worlds of glory? Glory with his Master, rest in His loving affections. Can we wonder that Paul was willing to endure so much?

And then, too, that only perfect example, even our blessed Lord Himself. What a servant He was! Only three and a half years allotted to Him, yet we know what years of untiring labor they were. Never an idle moment, never a single gap in those crowded years. "The Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister." "He went about doing good." What service, what labor! But "the sleep of the laboring man is sweet," and He "who had not where to recline His head" while serving and suffering, at last on that dreadful cross "having reclined His head, gave up the ghost." "It is finished," He exclaims. The work is done, the task finished, and now the Blessed One having "ceased from His own works" enters into "that rest." Having these thoughts before us, and with the near return of our Lord to brighten our hearts, dear brethren, "Let us labor unto that rest"-rest with God Himself, His dear Son, and all His redeemed. Ralph A. West

One of the leading effects of sorrow and bereavement is to cast a veil over things present, and to bring us into the presence of God and eternal things in heaven. The result of this is that we are astonished to find how strange we are to the things of God and of heaven.

To know what faith in Christ secures to us, and to be practically in the familiar use of it, are two very distinguishable things.

I know that faith in Christ makes me His for eternity, and makes His Father to be my Father, and the Spirit to be Comforter to me. It gives me eternity and heaven, and cuts me off from time.

But, alas, the being so blessed, and knowing it too, and the being able to act upon it, are two very different things, more so than having learned a language theoretically and thoroughly, and being able to speak it.

Now when sorrow and bereavement come, things present for a time fade, and things heavenly and eternal assume more substance to our minds. The object of your love gone to heaven, to God and Christ, there is » a void down here, the place that was ever full of refreshing water is dried up; you are left, and your mind in grace follows the one you love upward.

But then perhaps you find how little you know of the God he or she has gone to, of the Saviour who is there, of their present state, of the connection of the "pool" down here and the grace that gave it to you, and the present bereavement of their presence, and of the restoration in the end to God's glory and their own profit.

How often have I learnt in such a season that I had not been living to the glory of God; that, "Lo, I come to do Thy will, to suffer Thy will," had not been my principle of conduct; and God in such hours has seemed a strange God-a God I had neglected, and practically been living without.

Self-ignorance, too, gives Satan power against us at such seasons; for if we do not attribute to our. own sin our having been living practically so far from God as not to be at home with His ways of dealing and with Himself, Satan will boldly inspire not only hard thoughts of God, but hard words against Him too.

Now it is clear that God is perfect in wisdom, love, power and goodness. It is only because I, His child, am not in the light of His plans and wisdom, that I think I could have done better for myself than He has done.

He gave me a "pool," and I thought more of its suitability to myself and others than of Him who gave it, and when He took it away, perhaps to avoid some temptation like Hezekiah's, then I found that I had not been thinking of Himself but of His gifts, like Job.

Poor Job, self-ignorance led him to mistake God for Satan and Satan for God!

I have known this lesson too, and how, if I did not see the hardness of my own heart, God seemed hard; and how, if I had been living at a distance from God and did not confess it, God seemed at a distance; and how, if I did not confess that the selfishness of fallen humanity had led me, a saint, to walk as if there were a veil between God and me down here, I felt as if the heavens were brass, and that He made it so.

I had not leaned upon the arm of God, and to confess this according to the Spirit, or to leave Satan to suggest that God's arm was raised against me was the alternative; to confess that I had forgotten God, or that God had forgotten me.

But then it is love divine which, having made us to be everything, to Christ, insists upon teaching us now to make Christ everything to ourselves down here.

The jealousy of His love (who, as the Father, is not satisfied that we take or know anything but Christ as the portion of our souls or our joy) and the jealousy of Christ's heart cannot be satisfied that we should have anything but His Father as our choice.

These lessons break us down and let God and Christ into our souls and make us feel our need of them. G. V. Wigram

(2 Tim. 4:2.)

It should be a matter for encouragement and thankfulness to learn of the way the Lord is working in many of the universities in this country, Canada, Great Britain and Ireland-centers of learning which we have become accustomed to think of as full of atheism. And indeed there is no denying the fact that atheism is a terrible reality to-day both in university life and the outside world. But it is cheering to be told "that Christianity of the most pronounced and pragmatic sort is also a fact in university life to-day," and "that as fine Christian work and faithful testimony to the truth as can be found anywhere in the world to-day is going on in" these institutions.

These statements are quoted from one of Canada's leading newspapers, "The Globe" of Toronto. It carries on its editorial page, every Wednesday, an article of clear unequivocal testimony to the fundamental truths of the Gospel. In its issue of April 15, 1931, from which we have quoted, the editorial continues:

One of the most inspiring bits of Christian literature that one can find anywhere is the Review of the Cambridge Inter-Collegiate Christian Union, the association of Christian students at Cambridge University. Its members are no nonentities, nor are they timorous disciples of the Lord. The accounts of their doings read like chapters in the book of Acts. C.I.C.C.U. was founded more than half k century ago, and is going strong to-day. The object of the Union is "to unite men who are earnestly desiring to extend Christ's Kingdom in the university by seeking the spiritual help and conversion of men around them." These Cambridge Christians are not afraid of the words "sin" and "conversion." They believe that prayer is the secret of soul-winning, and they practice their belief with remarkable and refreshing results. Nor do they stand for an emasculated Christianity by offering mere humanitarianism, reading-rooms, smokers, athletics, and the like, in place of the Gospel. In the President's report this winter occurs the statement! "Let us pray that His work may go forward far more mightily next term.. .Let us pray for the Sunday evening services and for personal talks that many more may come to a knowledge of the Saviour, and also for the Bible Readings that again, as during this term, they may be times when we are all built up in Him. "Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto Thy Name give glory."

The Inter-Varsity Fellowship of Evangelical Unions is a larger organization of the Christian Unions of more than a score of universities in England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland. The leading editorial in the Lenten issue of its magazine is on the text, "They overcame.. .by the blood of the Lamb." Sir Ambrose Fleming is President, and Honorary Vice-Presidents include the Eight Hon. Viscount Brentford and Bishop (formerly Chaplain-General) Taylor-Smith.

The Globe recently published a strong letter from Mr. F. Noel Palmer, General Secretary of the Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship of Canada, telling of this work that was begun only two years ago and now is active in eight universities with their affiliated colleges. This organization is sound, true, deeply spiritual, seeking to bring students to the acceptance of Jesus Christ as Saviour, Lord, and God. It recognizes the prevalence and poison of atheism, but is neither dismayed nor discouraged by this, for it realizes that it has in its hands a weapon that has never been defeated and never will be:"The sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God." Mr. Palmer has well said:"The prevailing notion that a man cannot accept the Bible to-day without becoming intellectually dishonest is false and monstrous…. The Bible has nothing to fear from facts, always Wins in the open, and is still the least understood and yet the simplest and profoundest Book, in a class by itself." And again:"Christ still forgives sins and baptizes with the Holy Spirit and power. This is our witness."

Mr. Palmer has recently traveled straight across the Dominion visiting colleges and universities in the interests of the Fellowship, and has found two conflicting conditions :a "prevailing enthronement of liberalism" that "has created prejudices among the students at large," and on the other hand "a somewhat general readiness to hear a living message of reality, with a yearning sense of dissatisfaction on every hand, which may soon become general spiritual hunger. Students who have broken free and begun to win others to Christ describe the joy of it in unbounded terms-and their faces reveal the reality of their gladness."

In the United States the League of Evangelical Students was organized in 1925, and is doing a vital work in the colleges, universities, and theological seminaries of the nation. "Its aim is to exalt our Lord Jesus Christ-by setting forth the Gospel of His grace as presented in the inerrant Word of God, by promoting the intellectual defense of the evangelical faith, by proclaiming the joy of Christian living through the indwelling power of the Spirit, by presenting the claims of the Gospel ministry at home and abroad."

While such student organizations as these are at work, atheism in the universities will find itself opposed by insuperable odds. For it is a conflict between the powers of darkness and the Lord Jesus Christ, and in that conflict only One can win.

"Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord" (1 Cor. 15:58). John Bloore

Safely covered with His feathers-
Oh, the blest security!-
Sheltered from all winds and weathers,
Covert from the enemy.

In all confidence abiding,
'Neath His strong protecting wings,
Oh, how sweet is such confiding,
While the trustful spirit sings.

Covered? Yes, as He can cover.
Sheltered? Who could shelter thus?
O'er His own His love doth hover-
His, because of Calvary's cross.

Covered, trusting, watching ever,
Knowing there is naught to fear,
Sweet the confident assurance
While His coming draweth near.

H. McD

Canst thou take the barren soil
And with all thy pains and toil
Make lilies blow?
Thou canst not. O helpless man,
Have faith in God. He can.

Canst thou paint the clouds at eve?
And all the sunset colors weave
Into the sky?
Thou canst not. O powerless man,
Have faith in God. He can.

Canst thou still thy troubled heart
And make all cares and doubts depart
From out thy soul? Thou canst not.
O faithless man, Have faith in God. He can.

Anon

CHINA

We would specially commend our brethren laboring in China to the prayers of the Lord's people. The following extract will give some idea of the conditions under which they labor in that land. Conditions in the North have been further aggravated by the outbreak between the Japanese and Chinese in Manchuria.

During the past winter and spring brigands were active all around us, and one band, some two thousand strong, sought again and again to get control of our city; it was a most anxious time for all the Lord's servants, for we had to be prepared to leave for the coast at a moment's notice. The soldiers broke up the large band of brigands and so relieved the tension. Small groups of the robbers have been operating all over the district during the summer, and some of our Chinese brethren were tied up, but when it was known they were Gospel preachers they were set free with little loss; when traveling in June we very narrowly escaped being carried off for ransom (the passengers from three other carts traveling with us were all taken to the mountains) and just a few weeks back, one of our fellow-laborers was relieved of sixty dollars and two watches! There is much which calls for praise and thanksgiving however, for on the one hand God's work has not been hindered and on the other we have realized that our affliction is light indeed when compared to those of our fellow-creatures in south and central China.

During the summer months brother Kautto was able to reach large numbers with the gospel, both in Taitowing and outlying districts, going as far north as Mu-tou-teng and Kan-Kou, a distance of thirty-five miles as the crow flies, but much further by the rough Chinese roads.

JAPAN

Translation of an extract from a letter of Dr. K. Tsukiyama to E. B. Craig:

Tokyo, Japan, Aug. 21st 1931.

We are very thankful that the Lord is blessing our little faith. The number of meetings has increased somewhat. On the Lord s Day at my house every week we are remembering the Lord. In the evening in front of my house, and at Kanda Park, we have open air preaching. Last evening there were 30 or 40 persons listening. On Wednesday evenings likewise we have this preaching. On Thursdays brethren Fujimoto, Matsunuma, Hayashi and others have begun street preaching at Okachi Street in Shitaya Ward. At the house of brother Sano in Nakano on Tuesdays, at brother Hosaka's in Omori on Fridays, and at brother Mizuno's in Fukugawa Ward on Saturdays, there are cottage meetings and street preaching. On Thursday evenings at the house of sister Motoyoshi in Setagaya there is a cottage meeting for her sewing pupils. Sister Motoyoshi and brother Sano are two of those who have become believers since you returned to America.

Brother Fujimoto is at most of these meetings working, and brethren Sakurai, Nishihara, Nakamura, sister Kawai and others are helping.
On the first Lord's Day of this month, at the house of sister Motoyoshi, two of her sewing school pupils confessed the Lord in baptism. Their names are Toru Harada and Shizu Koizumi. Please pray for them.

From September first the monthly magazine, Shinri no Kura (Treasury of Truth) will be printed instead of being multigraphed as has been done for some time.

Yesterday we remembered that it was just three years since you and Mrs. Craig left for America. We are awaiting your return, if the Lord tarry.

Since the Lord has shown me that for awhile it is His will that I continue as at present to witness, while continuing my medical practice, I desire Him to use me in His work thus as much as possible. But I am praying constantly about this matter. (He refers to his exercise as to giving all his time to the work of the Lord, for which there is so much need.)

Please pray for this little flock in Japan. We are praying for all our dear friends in the Lord in America. And we pray the Lord's rich blessing be upon all your family. Kotaro Tsukiyama.

In sending the above our brother Craig writes:

Piedmont, Calif., Sept. 28, 1931.

Concerning our endeavor to serve in the gospel among the Japanese in this land, we have not as yet found the entrance we desire, but have distributed by hand and by mail gospel literature in many places, beside using opportunities here and there for speaking in Japanese to individuals or to little companies, and sometimes preaching in churches or open air. I am now on a trip to the Northern Pacific Coast States, expecting to do some work among the Japanese in those parts, as well as ministering in the assemblies.

Please pray for brother E. Akiyama and his wife of Oakland, Calif. I have been expecting to work with him. He is well acquainted with his countrymen on the coast. But for six months his wife has been seriously ill and her life is in danger. They are earnest souls.

Eugene B. Craig.

Just as we go to press the following very interesting letter comes from our brother Foggin. May we be much in prayer for his guidance.

Sept. 29th, 1931.

As you know, Gansu has been on my heart for some time, and now I feel a definite call to that place. I expect to stay here at Peiping for the winter, continuing to study the language, and hope to leave in the Spring for Gansu. I do not expect to stay here at Peiping for the winter, continuing to study the language, and hope to leave in the Spring for Gansu. I do not expect to settle down permanently on a Mission Station but rather moving from place to place, although I will likely have centers to work from for a time. To tell you the truth, I have lost confidence in Mission Station work, and believe that in one sense of the word they are a great hindrance, and I have met several older missionaries who are of the same mind. An old missionary here in Peiping who is esteemed by all for sound judgment, said to me, "You can't get the Gospel over to them because their minds are so full of Mission property." Even the Christians are affected by it, and they learn to rest on what has been provided instead of learning to provide for themselves, and the result as far as I can see is that the Christian Church in China is weak and depending upon the Lord, instead of being self-supporting, depending upon the Lord. Until sometime ago I have been busy bill-posting in the City, but owing to the fact that the posters which I was using ran out, I have not been doing that work of late. However, I designed one of my own in the meantime, and have had a thousand printed. They came to-day, and expect along with the use of Mr. Ruck's servant, to be out on the job tomorrow afternoon. It is very interesting. As the man does the posting, a crowd usually gathers round to see what is going on, and then with my limited Chinese I tell them what it means, and then pass out tracts.

I have a good teacher who comes from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. every day, and also for an hour in the afternoons. He is the best private teacher that I have ever had.

We have been having some real spiritual times at the "Home of Best" of late. Two Missionaries with their children passed through here last week on their way to Gansu, giving me a hearty invitation to their place. They live ten days' journey past Lan Chou, the capital of Gansu. It will take them nearly two months altogether to get there from here. Now I must close, hoping this finds you well and happy in the Lord. Kindly give my love in the Lord to all the saints with you. Thanking you for your kind interest from time to time.

George E. Foggin.

AFRICA

The following interesting letter has come to hand from our sister Miss Esther Creighton:

Mambasa, Irumu, Congo Beige, Sept. 5, 1931. We are all very happy and well. Happy to be here in the Lord's work. What an encouragement it was to have two confess the Lord within the first three weeks after our arrival. We are praying the Lord may overcome for them.

One of the men in the Mangwana village died last week and Lord's Day morning, while Dr. Woodhams was speaking, five Mangwana women filed in covered all over with ashes. They claimed to be the children of the old man who had died. They were in mourning for him. I can't tell you the feeling that came over me when I first saw them. Pity was uppermost. What utter darkness fills their hearts. Oh, that they may find the peace and joy which alone is found in Him the only true Saviour. They have been having a dance and sing and feast all this week. It ends to-night, I believe. The men dance and sing in the inner circle and the woman wail and dance outside the men's circle. We can hear them quite distinctly. It grows louder towards morning. Poor deluded souls. They are so self-righteous. They know they are right. You can't tell a Mangwana anything. We have yet to see the first Mangwana confess the Lord. They surely need our prayers.

We are kept quite busy in the hospital. We did an emergency case at 3 a.m. this morning.
May the Lord guide and direct all the dear saints in the homeland and on other foreign fields. We remember you all in our prayers.

Sincerely in our soon coming Lord,

Esther Creighton.

Dr. Woodhams writing on Sept. 13th says:We are all well and all busy. Miss DeJonge will start native school again next month, D.V. The end of this month we are planning a conference here at Mambasa. Searles and Deans will be over for a few days and we are looking forward to a good time together. Will Deans keeps going, but he is not over his rheumatism yet by any means.

As evidencing the great darkness in parts of our own country we quote from a letter of our brother Lacey:

Clay City, Kentucky, Sept. 12, 1931. This field is very needy and we are working out from Clay City in the mountains around about. I think we could spend at least a year and not go more than twenty miles from this town. I will give you one example of the need. One school I was in this week gave the afternoon session over to me and the parents were invited also. There were thirty-two scholars, only two of whom had ever been to a Sunday School. None of them could quote a single verse of Scripture. I gave each scholar a Gospel of John and after talking to them for two hours, at least half of them held up their hands saying they wanted to be Christians and that they would that day get on their knees confessing to God that they were sinners and accept the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour. I gave the teacher seven of those Gospel medals as a reward to the one in each grade who could memorize the greatest numbers of verses from the third chapter of John. She told me that the next day all except the very smallest could quote the sixteenth verse and many of them several other verses beside.

That night I spoke to a school full of parents. When I say full, I mean not only all the seats filled but many sitting on the floor and standing inside and also outside at the windows. There had not been a preacher through there for some years. I have invitations to go to about a dozen such places to hold a week's meetings. So you will see that the field is indeed "white unto harvest." Yours in Our Master's service,

Thos. H. Lacey.

In the darkest hour, when no stars are shining, and serpent things seem to be crawling in the way, and the clamminess of fear comes on you, take David's harp, touch the central chord and sing as he sang:

"What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee."

AFRICA

Miss Dejonge, writing from Nairobi, Kenya Colony, gives the following account of the trip from London to Africa:

Since last writing you we have made the trip from London to the African continent, although not yet to our journey's end. We stopped at Tangiers, Marseilles, Port Said, Port Sudan, Aden, and last Friday reached Mombasa, East Africa.

We could_ not make connections for the boat across Lake Albert until next week Monday's train from Nairobi, so Miss Creighton and I came as far as Nairobi on Sunday evening's train, and have a full week to wait here. The Woodhams had to wait for their car until afternoon on Monday and have not yet (Thursday, p.m.) come in to Nairobi.

We passed through the game reserve on Monday morning and saw vast herds of various species of gazelle, hartebeests, wildebeests, ostrich, and a couple of giraffe. Not far from Nairobi we ran into the locusts-a couple of miles of them, so thick in places as to hide the sunlight. They are a veritable plague here. One farmer had his farm completely eaten for eight successive plantings in the past few years. This year they are worse than ever before, having multiplied so rapidly; the farmers are quite disheartened.

We have been spending our mornings in the study of the language, and Miss Creighton is doing well in it. We shall be glad to reach Mambasa, in the Congo, and settle down to work once more. Word was awaiting us from the Deans, at Mombasa, East Africa, and all are looking forward to our return. Baby Robert was doing very nicely on the sea voyage, and we pray that the trip overland will not be too much for him. We have experienced the good hand of the Lord over us all along the way, in answer to the many prayers of those in the homeland.

From our brother Robert Deans:

Mambasa, Congo Beige, July 3, 1931. You will no doubt think I have been long in acknowledging yours of April 20th, the reason however is that three large bridges were broken, making it impossible to get to the Post Office, 72 miles away.

Large trees, 20 inches in diameter, placed parallel, with planks on top, serve as good bridges for the time being. The moment they are laid down, however, little insects called "borers" start their destructive work, and when a heavy rain comes along the destruction is complete. These bridges were only one year old, nothing therefore will serve in a permanent way but steel bridges, which will take a few years before that becomes a reality.

Mr. Searle and I again tried to get a hearing with the Bangwanas last month, but although we were not allowed on the porch, a place where visitors are generally invited because of the shade from the sun, the chief told some to bring chairs and we were allowed to sit in the open while the gospel of the grace of God was spoken to a "Mars Hill" attitude company; "We will hear you again of this matter." These people seem to be the most unconcerned about eternal things I have ever witnessed-they will not believe that Jesus is the Son of God-they believe there was such a person as Jesus who was a prophet, but He never died, say they, and when you speak of the resurrection the "Mars Hill" attitude is again prominent, "some mock." Pray, beloved brethren, that even here we may have that happy saying placed to their account, "Howbeit certain men clave unto him and believed… and a woman… and others with them." How patient is our God, and "How vast, how full, how free" His mercy.

There has been quite a shortage of food among the natives, which they say comes every ten years. Their cry "Mie iko njara suna," meaning "I am very hungry" is quite common these days, and one has to "help in every time of need."

The work in the out schools (native teachers) is showing to good advantage and I am glad to say that 15 boys from 10 to 16 or 17 years have taken their stand for Christ. These are the Walesi tribes-who still have cannibals amongst them.

It is true, dear brethren, that we do not know how far the truth has "sunk in;" "God knoweth the hearts," but being told to preach the Word and because that Word says "Whosoever believeth in Him shall be saved," we ask your earnest prayers that those young lives shall make a marked effect on their fellow tribesmen.

Bill, no doubt, told you about our safari to Apollo. When one realizes he was just a boy when brought to Christ by McKay of Uganda, one cannot but be amazed at the wonderful work this beloved brother has done for the Lord Jesus. We therefore take courage believing that our dear Lord can even in wicked Congoland raise up consecrated lives to herald out the tidings of the Cross. Pray, beloved brethren, to this end.

We are all quite tired these days, as you may imagine, cleaning up for the coming of our brethren. Oh that all saints, both at home and abroad, would have a general cleaning up spiritually, so that when our Beloved One shall call us to Himself we would with joy be ready for that coming.

Bill is going ahead with his work at Nyangkundi and Bob is at A.I.M. Mission, brushing up on his studies, as they have a High School course there for white boys and girls. Mrs. Deans and Ella are with me here. They are feeling well, for which we have every reason to rejoice and thank our gracious Lord.

SOUTH AMERICA-Brother Montllau writes:

Argentine, July 10, 1931.

Since we last wrote you, the Lord has been opening doors of testimony in some sections nearby, and we had also the privilege to preach the Word in several halls and private residences in Buenos Aires, Alsina, Villa Progreso, Villa Porvenir, Puente Alsina, Martinez de Hoz, Pompeyo, Villa Argerich, Villa Obrera, Lanus Este, Gerli, etc., besides some especial and the regular meetings in our hall. A few have confessed the Lord as their Saviour, and are waiting to be baptized at the end of September or beginning of October, when the winter will be over. Although we had a very early and cold winter, so far it has been very dry, which has been a help in our long walks to certain sections, where the streets are in bad condition.

In the sections above named, outside of Buenos Aires, there are small groups of believers, who are glad when we visit them. Since May we have been holding a united monthly meeting for prayer, testimony, praise and edification, which we find very helpful, and many believers are responding. Some have been encouraged to testify of their faith in our Lord for the first time. In the last united meeting, where about 300 were present, we spoke of the necessity of holding these meetings twice a month, and to help one another in the weekly prayer meetings as far as possible. We believe this interest in prayer is from the Lord, and we trust it will be for His glory and blessing to His people, while we wait for that glorious meeting with Himself and all His saints.

RUSSIA

The following is an extract from a letter of a brother who is in touch with conditions in Russia:

Aug. 19, 1931.

Conditions in Russia do not improve. We pray that the Lord may sustain His people and not allow the testimony to be extinguished. We are still able to reach some with help.

CHINA-Our brother Kautto writes:

Taitowing, Aug. 6, 1931.

Although this is supposed to be and is a heathen country, yet there is a considerable knowledge of the profitableness of the missions to them, and even most of the converts rather think that they should get something instead of giving when they become Christians. And yet if there were some who really would step out on faith undoubtedly the Lord would support in a Scriptural way. Let us hope and pray that the day will arise when the natives will put their shoulders to the wheel and carry on the work. There are some places in China where the natives are doing this, but they often find themselves unable to continue without the financial assistance of the foreigner. I do not know of any places where the natives have started breaking of bread of themselves, though have heard about their being some. Mr. Ruck mentioned 25 different places, most of them in southwest China, but I have never come in contact with any of them, having never been out^de of this province.

We have had the tent up now just a month, first in a nearby village where I had been only a few times preaching on the street. Ten days ago I moved the tent to another village farther north and still on the main cart road to Shuang Shan tze. In both places we have had the tent full for all meetings-even the afternoon meetings found a crowded tent, but these had to be- discontinued after the first week on account of the heat.

It was at the close of this first week that I made a trip to the cut-stations, leaving the tent work with the native evangelist. I stayed a couple of days at Shuang Shan tze and went on up to Mutouteng where on the 19th of July there were eight men who confessed the Lord in baptism-the "first fruits" of five years' labor in that place.
Returning from Mutouteng on Monday morning I met the postman, who handed me a letter which announced that Brothers Ruck and Foggin from Peiping had come to visit us over the week-end, so without stopping longer at Shuang Shan tze than to feed my mule and myself I finished the trip home, making 56 miles in one day, the most I have ever attempted on mule-back.

Brother Ruck preached four evenings in the tent and was very much pleased with the tent method, and said it would be very nice if I would take the tent to Peiping for meetings in and around there. He himself had been skeptical heretofore as to such an undertaking. I accompanied them to Peitaiho Beach where we heard Dr. Jaffrey at the Conference there. They returned to Peiping the next day.

We had some more seats made for the tent so we can seat 112 now, but we find every evening that there are many standing outside. I don't know but that I may have to enlarge the tent some day, which is easy to do as the top is laced in two sections.

After a few days we expect to move the tent to another village a little farther north, not that we do not still have a crowd but we want to reach other villages also, and as Brother Ironside once said, it is better to leave the people a little hungry than to over-feed them. When we move we will have to start living in the tent ourselves. So far we could ride out and back every evening, but it takes an hour to make the five miles going out, and longer returning in the dark.

Affectionately yours in Christ,

Charles and Esther Kautto.

From a letter of our brother Foggin we extract the following:

Brother Kautto spoke to me about taking over one of the mission stations. I would gladly do so if I felt that it was the Lord's will, but up till the present I have no definite leading in the matter, and I must wait for marching orders. I can assure you that it has been a matter of much prayer. Now I must close with love to all the saints, hoping this finds you well and happy in the Lord. Yours Affectionately in Our Lord Jesus,

George E. Foggin.

Elizabeth Missionary Meeting

In the Lord's mercy the first prayer meeting of the Fall was held in Elizabeth on Monday evening, August 31, where a goodly number gathered for tea, preceding the prayer meeting in which we realized the Lord's presence, and our hearts were drawn out for the needs of our brethren who have gone from us to carry the precious Gospel of His Grace to needy hearts.

Special mention was made of the need for the return of our brother Searles and family, who are much on our hearts at this time as they have now been six years on the field and should be returning home for the conservation of their health.

The Conditions Necessary for Revival
Revivals in the history of the church have only come when and where the people of God have separated themselves unreservedly and whole-heartedly to God, with confession of sin and humility of mind, to call upon Him mightily in prayer, beseeching Him to revive His work in their midst.-Selected.

(Continued from p. 391, Dec., 1930)

CHAPTER TWO

"And you hath He quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins."

Commentators have often pointed out the logical parallelism of the quickening and resurrection of the spiritually dead, in this second chapter, with the resurrection of Christ from among the dead, at the close of the first chapter. The parallelism is indeed perfectly obvious, even to the most casual reader, and though precious in the lessons that it teaches us, we shall, for the moment, because of oft reiteration of these lessons, eschew logic and embrace psychology.

J. H. Jowett tells of a friend who dreamed a very vivid dream. In his dream he saw, afar off on the horizon, a range of sunlit mountains, their lower reaches veiled in a thick, white mist. In an ecstasy of longing he besought the Lord that he might dwell upon them, when a voice responded:"Thou must first descend into the vale."

Down into the gloomy valley he went, to find the ground all alive with "fierce, ugly, loathsome things." He quickly became aware that these specters were the incarnations of his own sins. Imagine his horror.

Presently approaching footsteps resounded on his ear, and instinctively he realized that it was his Lord. He covered his face in very shame with his cloak, and bowing his head, waited. Soon the Lord and the sinner confronted one another, standing in silence for some time. How long they thus stood none may know. Minutes sometimes drag themselves out as hours, hours are lengthened into days. What thoughts filled the sinner's heart no one has told us. Perhaps our own experience may whisper them. Very sober and solemn doubtless they were. Finally, however, apprehensively he ventured to withdraw from his face the edge of his cloak and look, and lo, all the loathsome creatures covered his Lord. God had laid upon Christ all his sins.

The dreamer went through the valley before ascending the mountains. We, on the other hand, who have already been dwelling on the "sunlit" mountains, are now to descend into the valley, "lest we forget," lest, like the apostle Paul, when caught up into the third heavens, we should become unduly exalted by the lofty heights on which we have dwelt; lest, like Lucifer, son of the morning, enamored with his own beauty, we should become proudly intoxicated with the marvels of our blessing. The benediction of another "Mount of Beatitudes" is to be brought to us, "Blessed are the poor in spirit," and is to mingle with the "spiritual blessings" of which we have so bounteously partaken, lest we "let them slip," lest they "flow by us." We are to walk through another "valley of humiliation" that we might cry fervently, with overrunning hearts, "Not unto us, not unto us, O Lord, but unto Thee, be all the glory."

Let us then descend into the valley. Let us listen to the message that there comes to us. It is "inspired."
You were "dead through trespasses and sins" (so good manuscript authority changes it); you were dead to God, dead to a life with God, dead to eternal blessings. You were swept along in a mill-race, a worldly course. No undertow that sucks the feeble swimmer to the depths more certainly drags him down, than you were being drawn to "destruction" (see Phil. 3:18), for you "minded earthly things." You were driven helpless before the ill, evil winds of the Prince of the Power of the Air, all-pervasive, inescapable, energizing you with the spirit of rebellion, yourself a "son of disobedience," "alienated from the life of God, through the ignorance that was in you." You were an assiduous purveyor to your own "fleshly desires" and carnal "mind"; you were naturally a "child of wrath;" for "he that believeth not the Son, hath not life, but the wrath of God abideth on him." You could not by any possible effort or combination of circumstances save yourself, you were still "without strength" after the long lapse of centuries of self-help; you were dead, dead by every test that might be applied to you.

"But GOD"-the God whose wrath "abides upon him," the God who is "so pure that He cannot look upon iniquity," the God, before whom the seraphim veil their faces, crying "Holy, holy, holy," the God whose holiness found expression in "The Holy One who knew no sin," whose righteousness was as the driven snow-that God was and did, because He was "rich in mercy."

"The criminal sat crouched on his hard bench, chained hand and foot. He did not look up. He was a dreadful sight, his brutal face haggard, unshaven, his eyes bloodshot, his whole appearance almost like some low animal. Through the shadowy prison the Little Major crept to those chains, those symbols of the man's degradation" (he was the vilest kind of murderer) ; "and still the man did not look up. 'You must be in great trouble, brother. Can I help you any?' asked the Little Major, with a wonderful Christlike compassion in his voice."

"But GOD, who is rich in mercy," did.

"If I might venture without seeming irreverent, I would point to that pathetic page in the Old Testament history of his darling son, and careless of victory, and forgetful of everything, and oblivious that Absalom was a rebel, and only remembering that he was his boy, burst into that monotonous wail that has come down over all the centuries as the deepest expression of undying love, 'Oh, my son, Absalom, my son, my son, Absalom! Oh, Absalom, my son, my son!' We are all His Absaloms, and though we are dead in trespasses and sins, God, who is rich in mercy, bends over us and loves us with His great love."

"God, who is rich in mercy, for the great love wherewith He has loved us."

"The man lifted his bleared eyes under the shock of unkempt hair, and spoke, startled:

"'You call me brother. You know what I'm here for, and you call me brother? Why?'

"The little Major's voice was steady and sweet as he replied without hesitation:

"'Because I know a great deal about the sufferings of Christ on the Cross, all because He loved you so. So why shouldn't I call you 'brother'"?
"God, who is rich in mercy, for the great love wherewith He hath loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses and sins?'

"Then the murderer suddenly looked up and exclaimed:'It's true what you said. Christ has pardoned me. Now I can die like a man.' "*

*From "The War Romance of the Salvation Army."*

"He hath quickened us together with Christ."

Yes, but God is not satisfied with half-way measures. Gather together the precious statements that throughout the New Testament associate us with Christ, that link us with Him hi the triumphal procession of His love, that steal into our hearts like the sweet odors from swinging censers (2 Cor. 2:14-17), that render us "heart-captives" of the "One who loved us," and we find the story gathering head around Calvary (we were "crucified with Christ;" we died "with Christ") descending the solemn mount in mournful procession to the "rock-hewn" tomb (we were "buried with Him"), where it might seem as if all the hopes of the ages found sepulture, lingering there regretfully, until the "soul that might not be left in Hades" returned to its holy, incorruptible temple (we were "quickened together with Christ"), until the "mighty stone" was wrenched from its solid bases and the "Prisoner of Death" came forth in triumph (we were "raised up together," we are "risen -with Christ"), gathering treasure from the "sweet communings" with "His Own" during all those sacred days that clothed the wondrous tale with a Shekinah cloud of glory "that fadeth not away," until, in seeming, He is "parted from them," though now we know that even in His very ascension we have ascended also into the highest heaven (we are "seated together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus"), and we hear celestial choirs filling the heavenly temple with the music of:

"Come, let us sing the matchless worth,
And sweetly sound the glories forth,
Which in the Saviour shine."

F. C. Grant

"Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathered fruit unto life eternal; that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together" (John 4:35,36).

"Let us not be weary in well doing:for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not" (Gal. 6:9).

BAHAMAS

The following letter has been received from our brother James S. Hall who is exercised about carrying the gospel to isolated parts of the Bahama Islands:

Having visited Cat Island on four occasions and knowing somewhat of the dire need for the gospel, I have decided, D. V., to make a fifth visit, leaving on Feb. 19th, and hoping to start, under the Lord's good hand, a mission. This has been duly considered, and prayed over, and I believe I have the mind of the Lord. While there during my last visit, some who confessed the Lord requested that a meeting be started. I have this in view. The opportunity to work among the young folk is good, so hope to start a Sunday School. There are other islands in a radius of fifty miles which can be reached from Cat Island. As everything points to the near return of our Lord, it behooves us to be up and doing, working while . it is day. As the people of this island are very needy, any old clothing would be gladly accepted on their behalf. Shipment can be made via Parcel Post to J. S. Hall, The Bight, Cat Island, Bahamas. Prayer on behalf of this great work will be highly appreciated. J. S. Hall.

CUBA

The following are a few extracts taken from a letter received from our brother Harry Craig:

Just a few lines to tell you how we are getting along in the Cuba Mission. We began our meetings the first Lord's Day in January, and have continued on Sundays and Thursdays since then with one exception. There are over a dozen boys and young men who have come regularly, and say they want to continue.

We have visited the parents and have spoken to some of the boys on the streets, and it looks hopeful for our meetings being fairly well attended with orderly boys and girls and perhaps older persons. Some of the neighbors have shown interest and have given us encouragement by their expressions and attitude.

Tract distribution goes on, as well as distribution of other suitable literature. I believe I am not mistaken in saying that about 20,000 pieces of literature have been given out between Havana, Mantanzas, Cienfuegos, Santa Clara, Trinidad and the neighboring places during the past year.

CHINA

Brother Foggin who is still at the language school at Peiping writes as follows:
When brother Kautto arrived back at the station he found that twenty-six soldiers had professed Christ during his absence, but as the troops had left for another place before he arrived he did not see them, but Mr. Lee, the native evangelist, had a letter from one of them, an officer, stating that they were having Bible readings every day. During the Christmas holidays, we three made a visit to brother Gustave Koll's mission station at Gwam-ping-hsien, and had a very nice time. It is about four hundred miles south of here, and there is an assembly of about four hundred brethren there. Mr. Kautto spoke at several Christian gatherings, and we taught the children to sing in Chinese, "I will make you fishers of men," and I spoke to them from the fifth of Luke's Gospel, pointing out that the Lord Jesus was a fisherman as well as Peter, but of a different kind, and that day He caught Peter, and in turn Peter likewise was to catch men. After this we made a visit to an old missionary, Miss A. M. Hancock, at a place called Gwam-ping-foo some twenty miles distant from the latter place, -and after staying a few days there, we returned home. I am still working hard at the language, and the fog of Chinese shung yin (sounds) is just beginning to clear away. At this time I am made to realize, more than ever, what the Lord wants is an undivided heart, and to this end He is dealing with each one of us, and we seem so slow in learning our lesson. There is much blessing and power for those who are willing to yield to the molding hand of God. That the Lord's richest blessing may rest upon you and the saints with you is my earnest desire for you all.

AFRICA

The following interesting letter is just to hand from our brother Will Deans:

"I have been in Mambasa during the holiday season, and have enjoyed the visit with the folks, after not seeing them for several months. They are all very well, and the work is being carried on in a business-like way. The hospital has grown into a very respectable structure, and the walls are now being covered with mud-plaster. It is built, as you know, of burned brick, and for cleanliness and permanence, cement will be used for the floors. This will aid the surgeon greatly by decreasing the likelihood of infection, and removing obstacles he would otherwise be forced to combat.

Mambasa is the center of the Bangwana tribe, and work among them is sometimes disheartening. They are of Zanzibar stock, having migrated to Congo in slavery times in search of human wares to send back to their employers at the coast. Many a poor black man and woman has been sold into slavery by these Bangwanas, Negroes like those they betrayed.

When the Government ordered slavery stopped, the Bangwanas were compelled to settle, and a colony sprang up in the Mambasa district. They speak a fairly pure dialect of coast Kiswahili, and for this reason suppose themselves superior to the average native, and lose no opportunity to profit at their expense.

They adopted Mohammedanism from the Indian traders they served, and many write and read Arabic. The Koran is popular, and sin and vice more so. Their influence is degrading to those with whom they come in contact, and they are known far and wide for immorality and for shrewdness.

It is well that this testimony for the Truth is in their midst. A number are in regular attendance at the school, and they come in goodly numbers to hear the gospel. At the Lord's Day service yesterday I noticed how earnestly some of them listened, and I really believe it is fear of their tribesmen that keeps them from taking a clear stand for the Lord Jesus. May God give them courage to do so!

Others are indeed bitter and antagonistic to the Word, and do not hesitate to blaspheme the name of the One who suffered, bled and died that they might obtain redemption by trusting Him.

One is certainly reminded that this is God's day of grace, for otherwise such blasphemy would be visited with immediate judgment. Grace, indeed! But God's Spirit shall not always strive with man. Now is the time for repentance, the time for all Christians to be active in giving out the blessed tidings. The time is short; let us haste while we may.

While I have been inactive, the little group at Lolua has remained true to the faith, and I rejoice. Paul so delighted to see infant assemblies stand alone, looking only to God for wisdom and guidance. So their time of being alone has strengthened them, and we are very grateful.

The dry season causes a shortage of food for man and beast. This makes man dissatisfied and beasts bold.

Just last week a leopard visited us, and killed the pet monkey, devouring him less than five yards from the bedroom window. I was surprised to see that even the long tail became a part of his meal, for he left only the teeth. Not satisfied with this, he entered the chicken-coop, and made off with two hens and injured a third. And just yesterday as we were caring for the gun-trap set for his return, Dad was surprised to see a large snake wriggle out from behind a box and enter the chicken-house. It is about ten yards from the house. The natives came with arrows and spears, and put an end to him. He was quite vicious, and measured eight feet over all.

JAPAN

From E. B. Craig:-

Feb. 10, 1931.

There are thousands of Japanese on the Pacific Coast of the United States and Canada. We are seeking to do gospel work amongst some of them. Among these there are some Christians, of various denominations, but, alas, false Christianity is also represented, in its several sects. Then beside this, here on the Coast the Japanese have Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines. Satan knows the door is open both here and in Japan, and he is pressing in with his messengers and their false gospels.

We continue to hear frequently from Japan, and the news of new converts added to the little company, now and then, keeps up. Two more were mentioned in a recent letter. The regular meetings of the assembly, the street-meetings, cottage-meetings, Sunday Schools, hospital visitation, tract-distribution, sale of Scriptures, personal work, etc., all are being attended to steadfastly.

The little company we were with in Japan are very desirous for our return to Japan. The Lord willing, we may return later.
Dr. Tsukiyama in January had a sudden and severe attack of pneumonia, so that his life was in danger, but the other day a second letter arrived from brother Fujimoto, saying that he had passed the crisis and seemed to be out of danger. There was great rejoicing, as there had been much sadness amongst the believers. Their singing cheered brother Tsukiyama and he asked for more, so they took turns by twos in singing hymns for 8 or 9 hours, brother F. writes.

Exercise as to the Lord's service was the subject of a letter which brother Tsukiyama wrote me just before he was taken 99:He is concerned, and has been for some time, as to whether or not he should devote all his time to the work of the Lord. Hitherto he has served in the gospel in connection with his practice. He is a general practitioner, but specializes in troubles of the eye. His practice is chiefly among the humbler class. I have told him previously that I believed the Lord would be pleased if he should give all his time to the gospel and ministry of the Word. He has been much used hitherto, but is hindered by his duties. He told me that he was afraid his faith was too weak. In this letter he asks for definite prayer that he may know surely the Lord's will and do it. Please pray as to this.

At present two brethren over there in our little company are giving all their time to the work of the Lord. Young brother, Z. Fujimoto, who is unmarried, was my special helper the last few years. Then there is brother II. Totsuka, who has a wife and two or three children. He has some income from the Railway Department, which has been employing him for some years in their Social Welfare Bureau. He was formerly with the Railway Mission. He travels over the Railway lines, sometimes even into Korea and Manchuria, holding meetings for the employees, and has liberty as to his preaching. Last year he made a journey through southern Japan, Korea and East Manchuria, and used a large Japanese copy of A. E. Booth's Chart of the Ages. This attracted much attention, and some hundred of the small-size Japanese charts with keys were sold.

Fujimoto, Nishihara, Nakamura, Sakurai and two or three other of the younger brethren are students of English. Brother Nakamura is employed in the Foreign Money Order Bureau of the Central Post Office. These brethren are thankful for the English magazines which are sent them, some contents of which they translate for the benefit of others, and for the monthly magazine.

Brother Nishihara is at present editor of the monthly magazine Shinri no Kura (Treasury of Truth). It is stenciled, and printed on a Japanese multigraph by brother Saito (a barber, brother of Mrs. Tsukiyama), who has become quite skillful at this work. Only a few hundred copies are printed for circulation among these brethren or other Christians interested.

Brother Henry McNair, of Oakland, has been exercised as to learning the Japanese language and devoting himself to the work for the Japanese. He has a wife and two small children. No doubt he will be thankful for mention in prayer.

In a letter from our friend Mr. Aurell, Secretary of the American Bible Society, Tokyo, is this news:Bible Society work continues interesting and encouraging. Our circulation fell off some during 1930 owing to the severe economic pressure prevailing all over the Empire. Our colporteurs who worked most of the time in the very rural districts, found that a great many homes had not a sen in cash. They often take eggs in exchange for Gospels. But we are starting this year with hopes of effecting the largest circulation the Agency has ever reported. The hunger for bread that perishes not, has been intensified widely by these financially hard times. There was a bumper crop of rice last year, and the prices are unusually low; in fact it does not pay the farmer to dispose of it in the ordinary way.

The Father Himself, so eternally loving, John 16:27.
To sonship has called us, by Jesus, His Son; Eph. 1:4, 5.
''Before Him," to dwell in His own Home forever, John 14:2.
When earth and its journeys and lessons are done.

He finds His "good pleasure" in blessing His loved ones, Luke 12:32.
His wisdom and power combine for their joy;
The "kingdom and glory" He giveth unto them, 1 Thess. 2:12.
A realm where no sorrows or sin can annoy. Rev. 21:4.

He "knoweth" their need as they tread the path upward; Luke 12:30.
Of earth and of heaven He ever is Lord; Matt. 11:25.
"All things" for their welfare He worketh together, Rom. 8:28.
There fails of His promise not ever one word. 1 Kings 8:36.

"Fear not," is the message of comfort, unceasing; Luke 12:32.
How tender His love is for each of His own!
Even ravens and lilies can witness His bounty, Luke 12:24, 27.
For the meanest He cares as He rules on His throne.

Thus, "Even so, Father," our hearts still may echo, Matt. 11:26.
"Three drops, of sweet comfort" for each cup of woe;
The pilgrimage pathway will soon be completed, Phil. 3:14.
So let us press onward. To glory we go! 1 Pet. 5:10.

Inglis Fleming

Mark's Gospel gives nothing of the birth or early life of our Lord, nor have we any genealogy, as in the other two synoptic Gospels. It is as Jehovah's Servant our blessed Lord is before us in Mark, and as such the Holy Spirit descends upon Him, marking Him off as the One in whom the Father's soul delighted (Isa. 41:1).

"The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God," are the opening words of this beautiful Gospel. Manhood and Godhead are before us in these titles, and the Holy Spirit expatiates upon His perfections as the Prophet-Servant in whom God, in grace, presented Himself to men. It is the gospel on God's side. God had come near to men in grace, and presents His blessed Son, the object of His love, in whom His heart was fully displayed. The words and works of the Lord Jesus evidenced this, and the Father must inevitably delight in His service, for thus His disposition toward man was made known. Man, in his departure from God, and the evil and hatred of his heart, had little appreciation of such marvelous grace, but there were some in whom grace had wrought, whose hearts were irresistibly drawn to this heavenly Stranger, and could say, "To whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life, and we believe and are sure that Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God" (John 6:68, 69). Of such, was the woman of the 14th chapter of Mark. If the world had no appreciation of Him, her heart at least had been attracted to His person, and ravished with that divine love which, as faith discerned, prompted His every act.

It is surely significant that the act of this woman is introduced between the account of the unreasonable hatred of the chief priests and scribes, and of that of verses 10, 11, when Judas the traitor betrayed Him. We read:"After two days was the feast of the passover and of unleavened bread; and the chief; priests and scribes sought how they might take Him by craft and put Him to death. But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar of the people." In Ps. 55:9-11 we have what answers to this:"I have seen violence and strife in the city. Day and night they go about it… wickedness is in the midst thereof." The heads of the nation basely plot to take His life, their jealousy and cruel hatred could be pent up no longer, death, and death alone, could satisfy them. Judas becomes the tool of Satan to carry out their wicked design. Think of the traitor, who though constantly in His company for three years and a half, partaker of His care and kindness, was utterly untouched by grace and love, and when the opportune moment came, sold his Master for thirty pieces of silver (the price of a common slave); such is the heart of unregenerate man! It is surely blessed to see, between these two humbling recitals of man's hatred and treachery, the devoted love of a lone woman shine out, a sudden gleam of light out of a sky of midnight darkness! "And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as He sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard, very precious; and she brake the box, and poured it upon His head." This loving action is interpreted by the Lord to be "aforehand to anoint My body to the burying." What consolation, what comfort, must this have been as we see Him standing, as it were, between death and violence! The important place this incident occupies in this Gospel is evident, for the Lord says, "Wheresoever this gospel is preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her." "This gospel" spoke of the Son of God here in lowly grace doing good, and side by side was to be proclaimed the blessed result of a heart responsive to that divine love and grace.

The law came, demanding love. "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God, etc." But the law never could produce love, for man's heart was unresponsive. Grace came, in the Person of the Lord, and we see that the sense of love and grace can produce responsive affection. This is to be told out, and in this we see a beautiful display of the power of the gospel to form the affections of the assembly. The assembly has been called out of the world by this gospel, and by the manifestation of His love the Lord produces responsive affection to Himself. What a joy and comfort it must have been to the blessed Lord amid the hatred and refusal of the Jews and the betrayal of Judas, to find one heart so attracted and attached to Him, by that which had reached her, that now as He was soon to leave this world, her heart followed Him into death and resurrection. Perhaps she did not understand what was before Him, but certain it is, she felt nothing too great or costly to express her affection. Self-seeking and self-righteous Pharisees might murmur "waste," and murmur at her. Certainly it was "very precious" in the sight of heaven, where her simple act has been eternally recorded.

And we, beloved, who have been made partakers of His grace, and owe our eternal all to the One who stooped so low, that He might have us for His own, can we withhold anything? John says, "We love Him because He first loved us." Not "we ought," for this holy love has come to us in the Person of God's beloved One, and we do love Him surely! We may be lost in the contemplation of the ocean fulness of God's love, but grace directs our eyes to the One who is the center of it all, the Father's Beloved, and here we rest in complacency, knowing that love which surpasses knowledge.

Do we then find our center and rest there, or are we restless and unsatisfied, turning aside to other things? Can we say, with one of old, "I sat under His shadow with great delight; His fruit was sweet to my taste." Can anything equal the joy and satisfaction of being found gathered together with Himself in the midst, to be reminded afresh, by the broken bread and poured-out wine, what our precious Lord passed through in the dark hour of Calvary? Can we ever allow anything to supplant this? Is it possible that we could ever think that any act of service, even though done as unto Him, would be more acceptable to Him than those quiet moments spent in conscious nearness to Himself? "This do for a remembrance of Me," was His expressed desire on the threshold of Calvary! Others may look on and say "waste of ointment," and think how much better the hour would be employed in seeking the benefit of our fellow-men, but heaven's estimate is infinitely above and beyond man's thoughts and to the Father's heart. Such a tribute to His Beloved is "spikenard very precious." Here we recall His undying love; we think of Him in circumstances of unparalleled sorrow and loneliness, when that blessed heart must have yearned for sympathy, so soon to be betrayed, and in the sense of that hour, when absolutely alone He must drink that bitter cup and His holy soul be shrouded in midnight darkness!

It was on that night He instituted the memorial supper, that His people might ever have before them His holy love in all its greatness. Do not such unfathomable love and devotion appeal with irresistible power to our hearts? Can we ever treat those words, "REMEMBER ME," lightly? Can we pass by this desire with cold neglect? What, beloved, will be our feeling when we see Him, if we have not kept His word?

"Lord, let us ne'er forget
Thy rich, Thy precious love,
Our theme of joy and wonder here,
Our endless song above.
Oh, let Thy love constrain
Our souls to cleave to Thee,
And ever in our hearts remain,
That word, 'Remember Me!'"

And now, a closing word as to the betrayer. Judas had been in the Lord's company for three and a half years and then sold Him to the rabble crowd! Such is the heart of man, and what is it not capable of? He was of course unregenerate, and we could never put a redeemed one in his place, but-we cannot trust ourselves. Alas, it is easy to take a step back. It is quite possible to sit with His people and partake of the emblems of His body and blood, and then sink into the world and learn its ways. A careless walk and love waxes cold, then one may get under the influence of man's philosophy and religion and sink to the level of the world. With this goes our Nazarite separation, and like Samson perhaps, our strength (spiritual) is gone, and our joy has waned.

May the Lord preserve us in these days of departure and lukewarmness, and revive in all our hearts the blessed hope of His soon coming to take His ransomed people home. J. W. H. N.

Please notice the order:

1-Holy Facts.
2-Hearty Faith.
3-Happy Feelings.
4-Hard Following.

This order is all-important in connection with the Christian's peace.

What are the FACTS? They are many. Some of them are these:

1-God knew all about me as a sinner.
2-He loved me in spite of all that I was.
3-He gave His well beloved Son to suffer for sins and to die for the sinner.
4-He has raised Him from the dead, showing His entire satisfaction with the work done at Calvary.
5-He sends to me the gospel message about Christ and His work, and tells me that, "Whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Also that, "He that believeth on the Son, hath everlasting life."

HOLY, GLORIOUS FACTS!

What about FAITH?

I hear this sweet story of the love of God and of the finished work of the Lord Jesus which God sends to me. The good news comes from God Himself, to sinners. I am a sinner. I need a Saviour. Christ is the Saviour I need.

I claim Him as mine by simple HEARTY FAITH.

I own myself as ungodly, and hear that "Christ died for the ungodly." . I believe it.

I have discovered that I am without strength, and hear that, "While we were without strength Christ died." I believe it.

I know that I have gone astray like a lost sheep, and hear that, "The Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost." I believe it.

I have committed many sins and am unjust, and hear that, "Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the Just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God." I believe it.

To all such as myself God has spoken in the clearest way. I listen to the peace-giving words of Isaiah 53:5:"But He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and with His stripes we are healed." I believe it.
Notice the six words "HE was wounded."-"WE ARE HEALED."

His wounding is past-"Was wounded." Our healing is present-"Are healed."

What about FEELINGS?

These follow faith, or believing what God has written concerning what Christ has done. As an old hymn expresses it:

"And sweeter feelings follow faith Than ever nature gave."

Yes, feelings follow faith!

I believe God because He speaks. He tells me that I am "healed" because Christ was "wounded." God is satisfied with what Christ has done, and tells me so. If God is satisfied with what Christ did for me, and has raised Him up from the dead and glorified Him at His right hand, shall I not be satisfied also? When I believe God the happy feelings will come. But it is not the happy feelings upon which I am to rest, but upon Christ and His finished sacrifice.

Happy feelings may come and go, but the holy facts abide unchanged.

As I rest upon what God says about what Christ did, and feed upon the Word of God and wait upon God in prayer, so will my soul be established and my feelings become more constant.

But let me never forget that my salvation depends not upon my feelings but on Christ.

What about FOLLOWING?

When at peace with God I can seek to follow Christ. Of old the psalmist cried. "Because Thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of Thy wings will I rejoice. My soul followeth hard after Thee; Thy right hand up-holdeth me."

Confident in God, he rejoiced in the shadow of His wings and then followed constantly and closely after God, supported by the right hand of His Almighty power.

So we, by the power of the« Holy Spirit given to all them that believe, should be here seeking to glorify God in all our ways.

Remember the order. holy facts accomplished. hearty faith receiving them. happy feelings resulting. hard following called for. Inglis Fleming

"Bright with the love of God is the cross of Jesus our Saviour, for there for us He suffered and went down into the deepest depths of death. Right up to the highest heights He has gone; 'far above all heavens,' " and is there crowned with glory and honor. Such an one as He is, is well able to remove all clouds of ill and fill every heart with blessing.

Can a man be found who has sunk too low for Him to save? He has already saved the chief of sinners (1 Tim. 1:IS). Is there a creature too exalted to receive good from Him? He shall "fill all things" (Eph. 4:10). "In Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily."

Find that weary, sin-stricken sinner who deeply feels the need of God's salvation. There is no need to occupy him with his rightly-felt sinfulness now. A sure and effectual remedy is waiting for him – "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners."

Bring that one who fears that he is not one of those who shall never perish, and that life eternal will never be his portion. True and reliable is the word-"Whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life!"

To him who is most wretched because of sin's presence in his members, who longs for deliverance and cries, "Who shall deliver me?" how good is the answer:"I thank God through Jesus christ our lord!" (Rom. 7:25), for "the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death!" (8:2). '

Do you know one who is greatly distressed by in-num&able difficulties and trials, who is wearied with cares and burdens too heavy to be born? Christ is the sure resource!"Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you" (1 Peter 5:7).He takes advantage of all we pass through to endear Himself to us, to draw us near to Himself, and to make His own love and power indispensable to us. He has proved His love to us in the depths of the cross, and He uses His power on our behalf from the heights of the glory where He now is.

Should sorrows and sufferings abound, should still greater ills sweep over the world and the churches, should unexpected trials arise in the pathway, nothing can take Christ Jesus unawares! When Paul was cast into prison and bound with a chain, and brought up to answer before King Agrippa, he, the prisoner of the Lord, because of the portion he had in Christ, could exclaim before the Christless monarch, "I would to God, that not only thou, but all that hear me this day, were . . . altogether such as I am, except these bonds" (Acts 26:29).Paul knew well and had proved in many trials and much suffering the all-sufficiency of his almighty Saviour and Lord. His experience of the grace of Christ had corroborated every word of Holy Scripture and he was a witness of the things he preached. He was rich in having Christ, though suffering as a prisoner. The king was poor without Christ, though adorned with royal robes. Paul himself knew what he wrote to others -"Ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His poverty might be rich."

Our God and Father in His love and wisdom has provided all for us in Christ, His beloved Son; from the deepest depths to the highest heights, Christ is enough. H. J. Vine (Extracted)

Calendar:Mar. 16th to April 15th

DAILY BIBLE READING …… Mar. 16th, 1 Sam. 18; Mar. 31st, 2 Sam. 2; April 15th, 2 Sam. 17.

SUPPLEMENTARY READING…. Mar. 16th, 2 Cor. 6; Mar. 31st, Eph. 2; April 15th, 1 Thess. 3.

Calendar:Sept. 16th to Oct. 15th ….

DAILY BIBLE READING:……… Sept. 16th, Job 2; Sept. 30th, Job 16; Oct. 15th, Job 31.

SUPPLEMENTARY READING:… Sept. 16th, John 11; Sept. 30th, Acts 4; Oct. 15th, Acts 19.

Calendar:Jan. 16th to Feb. 15th

DAILY BIBLE READING ……. Jan. 16th, Joshua 8; Jan. 31st, Joshua 23; Feb. 15th, Judges 14.

SUPPLEMENTARY READING …. Jan. 16th, Acts 7; Jan. 31st, Acts 22; Feb. 15th, Rom. 9.

This holy Book I'd rather own
Than all the gold and gems
That e'er in monarch's coffers shone –
Than all their diadems.

Nay; were the seas one chrysolite,
The earth one golden ball,
And diamonds all the stars of night –
This Book were worth them all.

For here a blessed balm appears,
To heal the deepest woe;
And those who read this Book in tears –
Their tears shall cease to flow.

From the fly-leaf of an old copy of the New Testament

Paul's use of the term "a man in Christ" is noteworthy because of its use here in bringing together the exaltation and the depression of this man in Christ. This is the only place in Scripture where the expression is used, that in 2 Cor. 5:17 being really, "If any one be in Christ [there is] a new creation." In Rom. 8:9 ,we find "in the flesh" contrasted with being "in the Spirit," and we often find the term "in Christ" used in many relations; but 2 Cor. 12:2 is the only instance of "a man in Christ" being found in the Word. The ten verses here are also in many ways different from any other part of Scripture. They give the only instance of a living person being caught up to the third heaven, into Paradise, and coming back to speak of the experience. Out of it grew God's dealing with His servant to preserve him from being exalted above measure. The man in Christ had not become secure from temptation by being this, nor by the abundance of the revelations. Neither his position nor his experiences kept him from the need of some affliction which should save him from pride.

God knew the danger, knew the remedy. This was His gift, a strange gift, a thorn in the flesh and the messenger of Satan to buffet the man in Christ; that is, to pound him, to bruise him. So that the being a man in Christ does not give exemption from such experiences. There are greater revelations, but with them come greater chastenings. The thorn was not persecution from man; Paul suffered much from that, but this was different. Evidently Paul did not know that the thorn in the flesh was the gift of God when he besought the Lord thrice that it might depart from him. This is a striking example of unanswered prayer; or, rather, prayer answered in a very different way from the requested one. God did not remove the thorn in the flesh; instead, He gave to Paul a message which was vastly better than what Paul asked for:"My grace is sufficient for thee; for My strength is made perfect in weakness."

God first gave him the thorn, then gave the grace, the strength, the ability to bear it. Note the steps of God's dealings with Paul:first, abundant revelations; then, to guard him from pride, the thorn in the flesh; then more abounding grace to meet the need. Satan's part was that of an adversary, an attempt to harm Paul, who did not have to meet the messenger of the "enemy in his own strength. God took care of Paul, of Satan's messenger, and also gave to His people for all time a most blessed lesson. God's dealing resulted in Paul being able to say:"Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then am I strong." God kept Paul from thinking of himself as the man who had been given an experience known to no other person; and made him realize Himself to be a poor, weak, infirm mail. We think of the greatness of Paul, of the things he wrought for God; here we see him with his weakness, his infirmities, his humiliations.

The being a man in Christ did not take Paul out of weakness and infirmity, but gave him the victory over them. The man in Christ has learned the secret of victory. The life of the believer here on earth is a life of victory, of going on, of progress. There is so much to be learned of Christ and from Him, and most certain it ,is if He leads any one, that life is one of progress in learning the lessons He sees are seeded. The mistake made by so many is in thinking that something else would be better for them, that they know more than He does as to what they need. It is a wonderful help to learn and be fully persuaded that God knows best, that the trials and conflicts of today are the best that possibly could be for us. And it is the same as to the future. How many believers are worried over the future. They see so many difficulties and dangers, such dark clouds looming, that they are robbed of much joy which would be theirs did they but grasp and hold the truth that God knows every need of His people, and is abundantly able to supply all their need.

Can you think of a present or future need that He cannot supply?-not only just barely supply, but supply "exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think?" The only limit to what God will give to any of His people is what is best for them, what they need. It is, "My God shall supply all your need," not some, not the great or the small, but all your need, so the only limit is the need. Why does God make such promises? Because He loves His people, those who have believed His word, those who have trusted His grace, have trusted Him. He does for them what love for them guides Him in doing. God has infinite resources and can draw upon them at any time in the fullest way. He does not have to do as men do-stop to figure out how much to bestow; how much their very limited resources will permit them to give. God has positively no limits to His giving except the need of the believer.

Then there is another truth here:our own condition may, and frequently is, such that He cannot now give us all we might receive if our own state did not require training for the reception of some great or even small gifts. Today we may be in a time of trial. We may lack something which we feel we greatly need. We trust Him, we receive patience and humility to quietly wait upon Him, and all at once we find ourselves in possession of that which meets the need. The time of the man in Christ here below is spent largely in realizing needs, in praying for the needs to be met, and then praising and thanking Him for supplying the need. Often the gift will be much greater than we expected; God has a way of doing "exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think." But He seeks to give so that we shall realize that the gifts are from Him.

Then His gifts never cloy, never are such as to cause us to tire of them. It is characteristic of everything that the world can give its votaries that the recipients soon tire of them, are sick of them, but God's people never get tired of His gifts. That is one of the wonders of His glory. The weariness of life always menaces the lovers of the world; there is no weariness of the believer's life. J. W. Newton

One of the most solemn warnings that the Lord Jesus gave to His disciples was that concerning an unforgiving spirit toward those who offend us.

He says that we should pray, "Forgive us our debts as we have forgiven our debtors," and He explains as follows:"For if you forgive others when they offend you, your heavenly Father will forgive you too. But if you do not forgive others when they offend you, your heavenly Father will not forgive you for your offences" (Matt. 6:12,14,15).* *The quotations are from Goodspeed's Translation.*

Does not this warning explain many sorrows among Christians? Some have hard lives, and harsh treatment from their fellows, corresponding closely to their unkind and critical ways toward others. Have you not seen Christians limping through life, unhappy and disappointed, with few (if any) friends, instead of bubbling over with joy, and living in the sweet comfort of Christian love and fellowship? What is the reason? It is not far to seek. They have been unforgiving toward others. They are, under God's government, reaping the sad results of their own sowing. Our Lord says again:"Men will pay you back with the same measure you have used with them" (Matt. 7:2).

Perhaps you recall a grudge you hold against someone. You say, "He was wrong!" Yes, but the Lord says, "Forgive him." "But he was so mean." Yes; but forgive him "But he told a lie." That is the reason he needs forgiveness. The offences we are to forgive are real ones:imaginary wrongs need no forgiveness.

What is the basis of and necessity for this forgiving spirit required by the Master? It is the fact that the Christian has been freely forgiven an enormous debt that he could never pay. In Matt. 18 we have the full explanation in the case of the wicked servant. The king says, "You wicked slave! I cancelled all that debt of yours when you entreated me. Ought you not to have taken pity on your fellow-slave, as I did on you? So his master in his anger handed him over to the jailers, until he should pay all that he owed him. That is what My heavenly Father will do to you, if you do not each forgive your brothers from your hearts!"

Who can estimate our debt of sins against God? It is so great, and so freely forgiven, that we may well afford to remit all sins against ourselves. And this forgiveness must be from the heart. An outward forgiveness, while nourishing an inward grudge, will not do, for "God looketh at the heart."

REPENTANCE

Some reader may object at this point, and say:"Scripture requires repentance in the offender." Yes, but that is his responsibility, and should not be confused with your duty of keeping your heart free from bitterness or ill-will. Our Lord says:"If your brother wrong you, take it up with him, and if he repents, forgive him. And if he wrongs you seven times a day, and seven times turns to you and says, I am sorry, you must forgive him" (Luke 17:3). In other words, you cannot judge your brother's heart, or measure his repentance; if he says, "I am sorry," you must forgive him.

What a world of sorrow simple obedience to this command would have saved! Forgiveness is withheld for years, and lives are embittered thereby. Scripture requires us to forgive on the very first expression of regret, or acknowledgment of wrong. It is the Lord's business to search the heart, to measure the depth of repentance, and to deal with the soul. What misery has been wrought by men setting themselves up as judges of the consciences of their brethren!

Of course all the foregoing refers to a real offence of some one against me, while I am faultless. In most cases there is fault on both sides, and in this case I am powerless to help my brother until my own fault is found and confessed. The Master says, "Why do you keep looking at the speck in your brother's eye, and pay no attention to the beam that is in your own?" (Matt. 7:3).

WORSHIP

There is another solemn warning given by our Lord as to the acceptability of our worship in connection with this matter. He insists that worship is worthless when proffered by a man at odds with his brother. "When you are presenting your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother has any grievance against you, leave your gift right there before the altar, and go and make up with your brother; then come back and present your gift" (Matt. 5:23,24).

How much so-called worship this excludes! What astonishment may be found in the day of examination at the futility of supposed worship by many who were not reconciled to their brethren!

Severe judgments have been made on godly souls. Harsh sentences are passed, because of a difference of judgment on ecclesiastical matters or discipline. Saints are separated, life-long friendships broken, and even families divided on a mistaken plea of righteousness, or even love to Christ! We may excuse a harsh action by calling it love for righteousness, but Scripture discloses such folly. It has even been claimed that our Lord's commands in the sermon on the mount are Jewish and therefore not binding on Christians! But how shall such a claim escape the searching words of the Spirit through Paul? "You must be kind to one another, you must be tender-hearted, and forgive one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. So follow God's example, like His dear children, and lead loving lives, just as Christ loved you and gave Himself for you, as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God" (Eph. 4:32-5:2).

May God in His mercy open our eyes to the folly of a harsh spirit, and enable us to practice love and kindness and gentleness to one another and to all men! A. S. Loizeaux
'OUR FELLOWSHIP'

"That blessed hope" is the language of Scripture when speaking of the coming again of our Lord (Titus 2:13), and what could be more blessed than to be living in the constant expectation of seeing the One "whom not having seen we love" face to face!

Soon the long dark night will be past and a glorious morning will dawn, when the Bridegroom of our hearts will claim His own, and rapture to Heaven His blood-bought Bride. How glorious the prospect! His prayer to the Father, recorded in John! 17:24, "Father, I will that those whom Thou hast given Me be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory," will then be fully answered. There shall be nothing in that day to hinder our standing in the full blaze of that glory. All limitations forever gone; glorified with Him; yea, with bodies like His own, we shall possess God-given capacity to enjoy that unsullied glory (Phil. 3:4); it will be our glorious home forever.

Again and again, in the book of Revelation, the Lord has said, "I come quickly." Does this strike a responsive chord in our hearts? Are we able to say, "Come, Lord Jesus?" Is it our daily expectation to see His face and be with Him? He will not disappoint His waiting people. On the Father's throne He waits in patience for the moment, fixed in divine counsels, when He will arise and claim His own. Oh! glorious consummation of our hope -our "blessed hope."

"That bright and blessed morn is near,
When He-the Bridegroom-shall appear
And call His bride away.

Her blessing then, shall be complete,
As with her Lord she takes her seat,
In everlasting day."

What a wonderful destiny awaits the believer! How complete is our union with that blessed, glorified Man! When at last He takes His place as universal Lord, and fills the earth with the glory of God, His glorified Bride will be the sharer of His throne (Eph. 1:23). All the spoils of His glorious victory He will share then with His own in that day. All creation awaits it, and its groan will then be hushed:"For the anxious looking out of the creature (creation) expects the revelation of the sons of God" (Rom. 8:19). Will He find us "watching servants" when He returns? Are our lamps trimmed and lights burning brightly? A little lad was sauntering down the streets of a city some years ago, repeating a little ditty of his own composing, "At three o'clock, at three o'clock, at three o'clock!" Someone at his side, hearing the words so often repeated, at last asked, "And what of three o'clock?" "Why, don't you know?" said the little fellow, "Mother's coming home!"

"As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he." If our hearts are filled with the blessed expectation of our Lord's soon coming, it must leave an impression upon our spirits. John says in his first epistle (3:3):"He that hath this hope in Him purifieth himself, even as He is pure."

"The night is far spent and the day is at hand." Everything around us points to the closing up of all things earthly. In the world to-day there is a general feeling that some great cataclysm is at hand. Faith knows that the coming of the Lord draws near. How it behooves us to be "watching"-expecting, that the day may not take us unawares. "Blessed are those servants whom the Lord, when He cometh, shall find watching; verily I say unto you, that He shall gird Himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them" (Luke 12:37). What deep, devoted love! What infinite grace! J. W. H. Nichols

*The above article, as well as the following:"I Acknowledged, Thou Forgavest," In Secret, 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 fo^rm, with attractive covers, at 5 cent each.*

I was sitting in a room where played a baby boy. He had just begun to walk and talk and was putting his newly-discovered powers to the test. As he tremblingly ran across the hearth-rug from one chair to another, I heard him say to himself, "Mind the fender, Ch – ." I took the little fellow into my arms and kissed him, and said to him, "Sonny, you have taught me a lesson this morning." He had shown me the meaning of those words which are a puzzle to many, "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." A careful mother had warned him of the danger that lurked just there, and he by repeating her warning to himself in her own words was working out his own salvation from that danger.

Yes, plainly enough, that was the lesson that I had to learn. God has warned us in His Word of every danger that can beset us. It is His great love and care for us that has made Him do it. I felt as the lesson sank into my soul how necessary it is that we should read His Word and treasure it in our hearts and minds, and often repeat it to ourselves and take heed to it, and give the things it warns us against a wide berth, as my small teacher did the fender, for only by this can we work out our own salvation. "Concerning the works of men, by the words of Thy lips I have kept me from the paths of the destroyer" (Ps. 17:4). "Thy Word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against Thee." . . . "Wherewith shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Thy Word" (Ps. 119:9, 11).

But not only are we preserved from falling into the snares of the devil and the world by the wholesome fear of them that the Word of God gives us, but God offers to us what is more attractive than the snares. Our preservation from evil has both a negative and a positive side, and neither can be dispensed with. The second is as necessary as the first if we, are to enjoy the fulness of the Christian life. In Greek mythology we read of the Sirens, beautiful in voice, but malignant in soul. They lived by the sea, and sang their sweetest songs as the ships sailed by in order to lure the mariners to destruction on their treacherous shore. When the Argonauts set sail for Pontus in search of the Golden Fleece, they knew that they must pass this point of danger, and that they might not be drawn from their purpose by the .seductive songs of the Sirens, they induced Orpheus, the greatest poet and singer of those times, to accompany them.

Every day of the voyage Orpheus poured forth his most enchanting strains in the ears of those sailors, so that when they came to the point of danger the Sirens sang in vain; the Argonauts passed them with contempt, for the inferior music had no charm for them because of the sweeter strains that filled their ears.

This is the way that God works with us. He opens our eyes to see and our hearts to appreciate His beloved Son, who loved us and gave Himself for us, and when His love and His beauty fill our souls we are proof against the seductions of the world that only attract to destroy. The same holy Word of God that warns us of the dangers around unveils for us the excellencies of Christ. Consider Him as He is shown to us in Philippians 2, in which chapter we are exhorted to work out our own salvation. The world has nothing to tell us like the wonderful story of Him who,

"Came from Godhead's fullest glory,
Down to Calvary's depth of woe,"

to save us. And we are not surprised that Paul, who knew the Lord so well, wrote, "What things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea, doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord."

It is supposed by some that the exhortation to work out our own salvation means work to secure it, but it cannot mean that, for, "By grace are ye saved…not of works, lest any man should boast." Our salvation rests upon the supreme excellence of the sacrifice of Christ and the grace of our God. So we learn from the Scriptures, and there is nothing contradictory in them.

The exhortation is for those who are already saved, who have within them the new life, nature and power- by the exercise of which they are preserved in the path of God's pleasure. Who could obey the Word of God but those only who are His children by grace? Is it not written, "They that are in the flesh cannot please God?"

When on a visit to Johannesburg I was taken down into one of the gold mines there, and was shown how the quartz was worked out of the bowels of the earth, and how the gold was extracted from the quartz, and finally I saw the bars of the much coveted metal ready for shipment to the Bank of England. The gold was there in the mine first of all, but it had to be worked out to be of use in the world and of profit to the owners. So it is with us who believe-there must be exercise, and diligence, and work, so that which God has placed within us may be worked out for His praise and glory and the blessing of men. But only a gold mine can produce gold; you would work in vain for it in any other mine. And so only truly saved persons can work out salvation.

There is a point of great importance in this exhortation which must not be overlooked:"It is God that worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure." Herein lies the great secret, and because this is not understood, multitudes of Christians lead lives of disappointment and defeat when they might be satisfied and triumphant. Our own strength and wisdom are useless here; even our own vigilance would be unavailing apart from this. It is God who works in us both the willing and the energy. As some mighty electric dynamo supplies the factory with the force needed for the production of that for which it was erected, so God, by the power of the Holy Spirit, works in us His will and way, so that we may follow the Lord wholly, and give pleasure to Him who has bought us with His own blood. Our place is to yield ourselves to Him alone, having no confidence in the flesh; then shall we be sons of God, without rebuke, blameless and harmless, and only by our obedience to Him can we prove ourselves to be such. There is a great call that we should be such, for the world is crooked and perverse; darkness and death hold men in their terrible thrall, and they need the light that can only come from God-they need the Word of life.

Good it would be for us if we could see things as Paul saw them when he wrote these words. He saw the stream of death and darkness carrying men further and further from God into a lost eternity, and he also saw the sons of God, rescued from that dread river, and being delivered from it and standing clear of it, casting their light across its dark waters and stretching out to the poor victims in it the Word of life, their only hope. Ah, we need to work out our own salvation, not only that we may be witnesses for God, but a blessing to men, giving them no cause to blame us, but every reason to bless us. J. T. Mawson

Calendar:April 16th to May 15th

DAILY BIBLE READING…….April 16th, 2 Sam. 18; April 30th, 1 Kings 8; May 15th, 2 Kings 1.

SUPPLEMENTARY READING. .April 16th, 1 Thess. 4; April 30th, 2 Tim. 4; May 15th, Heb. 11.

Calendar:Dec. 16th to Jan.15th.

DAILY BIBLE BEADING ………. .Dec. 16th, Ps. 51; Dec. 31st, Ps. 66; Jan. 15th, Ps. 81.

SUPPLEMENTARY READING ….. Dec. 16th, Eph. 2; Dec. 31st, 1 Thess. 3; Jan. 15th, 2 Tim. 4.

"For them and for us"

The following is an extract from a letter written by a brother now with the Lord, in connection with the going forth of Dr. Woodhams and party in May, 1925:

"We believe this marks a fresh step in the path of faith for them and for us-this means a special responsibility on the saints at home to see that the work is sustained, not only by our prayers, but in the ministry of means for the temporal support of such work."

We are thus reminded that we are linked up in a very definite way as co-workers with those who actually go forth in His Name to the regions beyond. If we consider our fellowship in this work in the light of Revelation 5:9 and in view of this day we will feel well repaid for any interest shown or any effort made.

"And they sing a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open its seals; because Thou hast been slain, and hast redeemed to God, by Thy blood, out of every tribe, and tongue, -and people, and nation, and made them to our God, kings and priests; and they shall reign over the earth" (Rev. 5:9, 10, J.N.D.).

The following are extracts from letters received during the past month:

CHINA

Peiping, North China, Nov. 1st, 1930. Beloved Brother:-

You may be surprised to hear from us from Peiping, but it is now nearly a month ago since brother Foggin wanted to come here to the language school, and he was so anxious that Mrs. Kautto should come over also, as he thought they had so much better a way of teaching the language here than at Taitowying. He also found a reasonable place for us to stay, and as the bandits were increasing around Taitowying and we needed the study in language, I myself taking an advanced course, we arrived here last Tuesday, and are expecting to stay until Christmas, for that will be the end of this term's tuition.

The conditions in China are now much better than they were a couple of months ago, for the war is about over, but the bandits are still increasing in many places. They are about the same as they have been out north of the wall; that is, when Mr. Kao wrote to us from Shuang-Shan-tze a day or two before we left Taitowying, he said there were some 700 to 800 bandits in the immediate vicinity and that the native Christians could not come out to meetings there. He had many things to tell us but was waiting until he would come down. About the middle of October a raid was made by a couple of hundred bandits down into our part of the country, and they were prepared to take several bound victims from a village a few miles on the road to Peitaiho, but were surprised by double their number of soldiers who happened (?) to be passing not far from the scene and were informed of the trouble. The soldiers released all the bound persons and succeeded in taking two of the bandits, whom they brought with them to Taitowying.
With the retirement of bandits the refugees in Taitowying returned to their homes and villages and are busy from early morning till night harvesting their crops of sweet potatoes, peanuts, small grain and late vegetables; gathering fuel from the hill sides and preparing for the winter. The regiment of cavalry also left, as perhaps we have already written, so that altogether it looked as if there would have to be a recess in the regular preaching with nobody to attend the meetings, and no prospect of getting a hearing, either at the out-stations or in the near-by villages. So when the opportunity offered itself it seemed the logical thing to do to improve our time in study of the language.

Charles O. Kautto.

AFRICA

I am sorry to say that Bill is not making much progress. We are longing for the dry season (for his benefit) to show up, although it brings a drought with it which makes all garden stuff burn up.

As you can readily understand, with the Doctor gone and the new station opened there is much to be done here, and how blessed it is to know that heavy burdens are made light through Him who hears and answers prayers. Oh, what a blessed place that is, "The Mercy Seat," alone with God. One can in Hezekiah-fashion spread the whole matter before Him and praise His dear name. He loves to be trusted and tested.

Dear Brother:-

Nov. 7,1930.

Thank you ever so much for your kind letter Sept. 5,

We have acknowledged to all, the indebtedness we owe for their thoughtfulness, and oh, how much we rejoice that those in the homeland should hold the ropes while others descend to the depths of heathenism to tell the story of God's wondrous grace to man.

You mention in your letter about the Elizabeth Missionary Meeting, and that it was just a year ago since we were there. Believe me, dear brother, that meeting is one of the red letter days in our calendar, for to see so many happy saints was a tonic for the spiritual life. What must it be when we are all together with Himself when the meeting together of a few saints here (1:e., in Elizabeth) should cause such joy.

We had rather an exciting time the last time we went into Nyangkundi (Oct. 27). I was taking Mrs. Deans there to look after Bill. We also had three natives with us. When about one-third of the way in we saw a village ahead of us (there are quite a few between here and Nyangkundi) where over 100 drunken demonized natives were holding their usual evil orgy. On hearing the machine coming they ran to the side of the road, but just as the machine was passing a little girl about four or five years of age sprang out and struck the machine on the rear fender. We felt the knock, and stopped the machine, but consider us in the midst of 100 drunken natives who were crying out, "Kill them!" and some were fumbling with their spears to thrust them through us. However that blessed unseen Hand made their hands impotent, ana the same One who sent His angel to shut the lions' mouths in Daniel's day is the same One who kept back that awful, angry and threatening crowd so that they did us "no harm."

We were absolutely guiltless in this accident, and the few who were not drunk, I am glad to say, readily testified to that fact. Did our Lord wish us to give a word here? After I bathed the child's head, pouring in "oil and wine," in this case Mercu. and Mecca, which Mrs. Deans wisely carried in her make-shift first-aid kit, and when things were a little quieted down, we sang, "I shall know Him by the print of the nails in His hands," telling them of the great love of God in sending our adorable Lord Jesus to die for us. We were detained for over an hour and on reaching Nyangkundi found Bill had not arrived. Two doctors, by the names of Becker and Harris, hailing from Philadelphia and connected with the Unevangelized Mission of Africa, took Bill to their Station to see if they could help him. We expected him to be back in two weeks.

However on reaching Nyangkundi brother Searle said he thought Bill would be staying a month.

Mrs. Deans thought it would be better to return with me so next morning we started back. Brother Searle came with us, however, as we did not know how the child would fare, and if I were detained brother Searle could take the machine back here. What did you think happened? When we reached the village at 4:30 p.m., the machine went completely dead (the timer was broken), and it took us three hours to fix it.

The crowd had by this time sobered up, and all without exception said it was no fault of ours. Surely the Lord wanted us to speak again, so we sang two hymns, and the gospel was faithfully preached by one of the natives. The child is getting along fine and is walking around.

Have special prayers for this place, dear brethren, surely our Lord has a stone or stones for that mystical building which is almost completed.

I remain, your brother in eternal bonds,

Robert Deans.

INDIAN MISSIONS

Shiprock, New Mexico.

Dear brother:- We are fairly well, and, I hope, thankful this beautiful Thanksgiving morning. We had a snow a week or so ago and it turned very cold, about zero weather. It is very uncommon to have such weather this time of the year, and we were not prepared for it. Had not gathered all our garden stuff in and had little wood and no coal. Had ordered coal, but as it comes sixty miles, and the roads were bad, it had not arrived. We had not had mail for about two weeks, and the change from the summer weather that we were having to the winter that has now come has brought a number of wants. Some government men were at work on the sheep-dip, half a mile beyond us. They went into the Agency, and as the storm came on did not return for some days. One night we saw the light of their car in the distance and were on tip-toes of expectation as to our mail, but they went past our gate down to the dip. We had laid our needs before the Lord and fully expected He would supply them, but we did not see how, with the roads as they were and fifty miles between us and the Post Office. The next morning one of the men came up with our mail-sack, and we had sufficient for the day. Then the coal came, and "we have all and abound." Beautiful days again, but it freezes hard each night.

H. A. Holcomb.

HARBOR WORK

Referring to the work in the harbor of Montreal during 1930, our brother Holwill writes:

Through God's mercy we were able to reach a larger number of ships and men than in previous years, actually visiting 200 ships. What is still more encouraging is the fact that the efforts of previous years have been plainly visible, and we can rejoice over this. We have heard men confess the Lord with their lips, and have seen in them plain evidence of a changed life.

Brother Holwill expresses his thankfulness to those who have helped in various ways.

SOUTH AMERICA

Buenos Aires, Argentine. Dear brother in Christ:- Dec. 5th, 1930.

During the past month we have been quite busy with meetings in this section and in Pompeyo, Villa Porvenir Villa Argerich, Villa Libertad, Villa Cortina, Villa Obrera and Buenos Aires. This coming Monday, being a holiday, we are invited to hold meetings in Valentin Alsina. We were also able to scatter the printed message in new sections, beside the above places. We were glad for this opportunity, after so many stormy days, more so as the weather is again unsettled.

The revolution did not hinder our work, although it caused some harm individually to a few in our fellowship, employed by the government. The present conditions do not tend to produce a peaceful situation, as the number of unemployed is increasing, especially of those in government positions.

We thank you for your remembrance of us in prayer, and we wish you, dear ones, and all saints with you, the Lord's blessing and joy while we wait for Him, and if we are allowed to enter another year.

Sincerely yours in our blessed Lord, B. Montllau.

The surroundings of believers to-day are very different from those of 'the past in some respects; in others they are the same. Our comfort in all the changes that come is that we have an unchangeable Saviour, the Son of God. Those of us who have been knowing Him for a long time have learned blessed lessons of His power to meet our every need, and the younger in the way are learning the wonders of His love and care. We are all becoming acquainted with a Person, learning to love and trust Him more and more. Sometimes the trials of the way loom so large that we are much cast down, and it is such a comfort to know that He is guiding, keeping, shielding, giving all the needed strength, wisdom and ability each one needs for the way.

It is a great joy for the heart to realize that the way in Which He leads us ends only in the place He has gone to prepare for us. As we follow the path of our daily lives, there is only one Person who holds our hearts' affections fully, there is only one place in all the universe to which we are going, and the language of the believer's heart was expressed by Asaph three thousand years ago:

"Thou shalt guide me with Thy counsel,
And afterward receive me to glory.
Whom have I in heaven but Thee?
And there is none upon earth that I desire beside Thee.
My flesh and my heart faileth:
But God is the strength [rock] of my heart and my portion for ever" (Ps. 73:24-26).

To His people, then, God revealed Himself according to the dispensation in which they lived, as indicated by the names Asaph gave to God in this psalm (see the Numerical Bible). All these years His people have been using these words of faith in Him to express their confidence in Him. But since Christ came we have so much more blessed and precious a revelation of Him, of what He is to us. Christ before the heart as the Object of our affections is the power that draws our hearts from the multitude of attractions which the world presents today to God's people.

The words which John uses of the Father and the Son, "Truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ" (1 John 1:3), denote the closest intercourse, sharing the same things, loving them and loving each other, the word "fellowship" in Greek denoting the most intimate relationships in life. To have fellowship with the Son is to be intimate with Him, to walk in accord with Him; and in this case to have Him the Object of our hearts as none else in the universe is. This intimacy with Christ is what we are to seek and hold fast above all else. This is our heart-work here at present, to seek and know a more intimate fellowship with Him who has died for us and lives for us in glory. He said, "I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also" (John 14:2,3).

Being a Christian is living a new life and loving a Person, the Son of God. Anything else, no matter what name it may bear or what claims it may make, is not being a real Christian. Believing in Him, loving Him far above all else, how different is this from all the poor imitations Satan has ensnared souls with. "Fellowship with the Son!" What wonders of blessed meaning are in those words!

"Others in the summer sunshine
Wearily may journey on,
I have seen a light from heaven,
Past' the brightness of the sun-
Light that knows no cloud, no waning,
Light wherein I see His face,
All His love's uncounted treasures,
All the riches of His grace.

"Marvel not that Christ in glory
All my inmost heart hath won;
Not a star to cheer my darkness,
But a light beyond the sun.
All below lies dark and shadowed,
Nothing there to cheer my heart,
Save the lonely path of sorrow
Where of old He walked apart."

Hymns of Ter Steegen

Knowing, loving, and obeying are three of the elements of fellowship with the Son. Being satisfied with Him because of what the Holy Spirit has revealed to us of His brightness, His love for us, His care of us, what He has done for us-all has very much to do with the fulfilment of His promise, "I will give you rest." The world was never more alluring than now, and the one remedy for the love of the world, the safeguard against it, is having fellowship with Christ. The more we know Him and love Him, the less power will the world have over us. In the heart that is constantly enjoying communion with Him there is little room for the world, no matter how great its attractions. "I am meek and lowly in heart" is His announcement, and to have the same mind is to be armed against pride and impatience. If difficulties are before you, remember how much greater Christ is than any difficulty in life. Just at the right time and place He will come in and open your way through every hard place. Again and again will He grant this deliverance until you learn to expect Him always to open the way before you. J. W. Newton

It is one of the very wonderful things about the Bible that it is the only book in the world which gives evidence of having taken the true measure of our need of God. In the journey of advancing discovery of our desperate poverty, it never forsakes us, or betrays any sign of un-familiarity with the way.

However strange or uncalculated the position in which we find ourselves, it cheerily provides us with just that revelation of God which begets assurance that our need has been anticipated and amply provided -for. In fact, we joyfully discover, sooner or later, that it is equipped to accompany us right on to that blessed goal where for us God becomes "ALL IN ALL."

There is nothing which interprets our own history to us like the Bible!

Our path through this world must be a path in subjection to God, therefore it must be an individual path. Sooner or later we will have to answer the question:Are we walking with one another, or are we walking with God?

There is absolutely no danger of falling into evolution, or any other false doctrine ever spawned in the world, to a soul that wants to walk with God.

Our Bible is the only light which shines in this dark world.

The Bible presents things as God sees them.

One could wish for more personal reading of the Word of God-it is thus individual growth is accomplished. But our confidence is in the love of God for His own.

The "higher critics" are making light of the Word of God, because it does not flatter the human mind.

Insubjection to God is the cause of all the spiritual darkness in the world.

No man who dies has a right to argue against God.

The laughter of the world is ghastly:it is the laughter of death.

A world without Christ is a sad and pitiful thing, but a world without Christians is a world in despair.

There are those who are posing as ministers of Jesus Christ, who are simply unsaved men, trafficking in the things of God.

Pharisaism feeds upon the judging of that which is wrong.

Language terrifies people who do not know the Truth.

Prophecy is that form of ministry which brings the heart and mind consciously into the presence of God.

Underlying all infidelity is the refusal to believe in our lost and helpless condition, as in John 3:3; Rom. 3:23 and Eph. 2:1.

Grace pre-supposes that man has forfeited everything.

We have learned to trust One whom God has trusted with our salvation.
Coming to Christ means that we have ceased to trust in any thing but Him.

Death must lie at the foundation of all man's relationship with God, Gal. 2:20.

The Lord Jesus is infinitely worthy of all that we can give Him.

We would give Him more glory than our lips know how to utter.

We only love our Lord Jesus Christ in the same measure as we love our brethren, 1 John 4:20.

True greatness consists in ministering to the welfare of others.

We have walked long together and shared much of the joys and sorrows of the way. May we cleave more closely to Christ as the end of our journey draws near.

It is a blessed thing to reach the place where We do not have to fight for anything, 2 Tim. 2:24.

Do not make a brother an offender for a word. Peter thought much of what other people thought of him, Gal. 2:12.

One cannot be said to be keeping God's Word (Rev. 3:8), who is not maintaining the principles Of the Church as set forth in the Scriptures. From the Addresses of G. H. McC.