BY JOHN BLOORE

(The reader should always turn to the Bible and read the passage referred to.)

QUES. 1.-In what respect is "the Church of the living God the pillar and ground of the truth?" As it now reads is there not confusion of metaphors? – for the "house" seems to be identified with the "pillar" and "base" (1 Tim. 3:15).

ANS.-Such a use of metaphors may at first sight appear confusion, but there is no doubt that the words "pillar" and "base," or "support," as some prefer, are in apposition with Church. Vincent remarks that "the idea is that the Church is the pillar, and, as such, the prop or support of the truth." The change in metaphors may be explained by the context just before and after them. First, the apostle is speaking of behavior or conduct, and associates with this the figure of "house" in reference to that company in which the conduct is to be manifested-"the assembly of God" (compare ver. 5 of the chap.). This shows that primarily the local assembly is in view, in this case Ephesus, where Timothy was then living (chap. 1:3); and this may call to mind the apostle's word in Ephesians 2:22, "In whom ye also are built together for a habitation of God in the Spirit." It is quite true that the local assembly is to be the expression of the whole, but one's conduct must have specific reference to the local thing, since the whole Church, or Church universal, is never assembled in one place on the earth.

In the second place, the context (ver. 16) treats of the great mystery of godliness – the truth of the Person, work, and glory of Christ as there stated. With this the Church, or assembly, is most intimately identified, but its relation to this could not be presented under the figure of a "house," hence the change of metaphor, as the transition is made from speaking in reference to the conduct of those responsible to exercise care and ministry among God's people, to speak of "the truth" which is enshrined in the Person, work, and glory of Christ – of this the assembly is the pillar, and as such the support. This each local assembly is in its own place. It is to hold up "the truth" that all may know that God sent His Son into the world not to condemn the world but that it might be saved through Him. Compare John 17:21.

As we consider how these things are brought together, what a serious aspect it gives to the subject of our conduct in God's house. Our conduct thus becomes at once related to what the assembly bears up in the world as the pillar and support of the truth, and should be such as suits the great mystery of godliness.

The hours I spend with Thee, dear Lord,
Are very precious ones to me,
I link them to Thy blessed Word,
For mine they are, eternally.

The hours I spend with Thee, dear Lord,
Bring heavenly light and life to me:
They guide me o'er life's rugged road,
And pilot o'er its boisterous sea.

The hours I spend, dear Lord, with Thee,
Are milestones in my journey here,
I learn of Thy great love to me,
And find Thy presence real and dear.

The hours I spend, dear Lord, with Thee,
An earnest are of life above;
For there, in perfect harmony,
Twill all be holiness and love.

Thy cross, dear Lord, it lifteth me,
Thy shame and agony an o'er,
In heaven's glorious scene with Thee,
I soon shall dwell for evermore.

E. H. G.

Call Thy people back, O Lord,
As in the early days,
When love was warm, and fresh, and bright,
When first we knew Thy grace;
When first Thy light broke through our night,
And set our hearts ablaze.
Lord, call us back!,

Call Thy people back, O Lord,
To that simplicity
Which marked Thy servants long ago;
Our yearning hearts would be
Full satisfied with Thee, although
The world against us be.
Lord, call us back!

From the many paths unmeet
Our wayward feet have trod,
From foolish words, and wilful ways,
Yea, turn us back, O God,
Afresh to taste Thy love and grace,
Else Thou must use Thy rod.
Lord, turn us back!

Call Thy loved ones back,
O Lord, From toilsome paths and steep;
From bearing burdens, all Thine own,
Which only make us weep,
The while we moan, and toil alone,
And only sorrow reap.
Lord, call us back!

Call us back from hearts cast down,
And, oh, afresh inspire
Our souls to seek Thee more and more;
To burn with deep desire,
Till hearts o'erflow, and faces glow
With holy, ardent fire.
Lord, call us back!

Call us back to those sweet days
When hearts were knit as one,
When prayer was as the breath of life;
Ere we were so undone,
Ere souls were rife with endless strife; '
For Jesus' sake, Thy Son,
Lord, call us back!

Broken is the remnant, Lord,
And difficult the day;
What shame and sorrow cover us,
Our tears oft dim the way;
The tide runs high, Thy coming's nigh,
Our hearts are loath to stay;
Lord, take us home!

H. McD

"All these things are against me!" (Gen. 42:36). "The Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads!" (Gen. 48:16).

What a checkered life was Jacob's! As one reviews his career he is startled to notice the promise of the black smudges of failure silhouetted sharply against the white background of God's care and patience. The life of this patriarch is one of continual ups and downs. But how often we have seen in his conduct a true-to-life picture of ourselves. In fact, we are continually meeting ourselves in this story. This applies especially when it comes to circumstances similar to those that provoked the first of the above exclamations.

Notice the setting. Many months have passed since the shocking news of the sudden disappearance of Joseph, Crushed and broken, the old man has been mourning the death of his beloved boy. But a further sorrow has recently descended upon the family:the specter of famine has entered the home and threatened them with starvation. In desperation the sons have resorted to the supplies of Egypt's granaries. And now they have returned, but what strange tidings they bear! The harshness of the governor, his accusation of them as spies, his demand of the presence of Benjamin, his imprisonment of Simeon, and the return of the money in the sack's mouth, all come as hammer-like blows to Jacob. The thunder of adversity crashes about his head, and in a surge of deep emotion he cries out, "All these things are against me!" It seemed as though all the forces of evil had conspired in one common purpose, and that for his undoing and before this furious onslaught of apparently untoward circumstances Jacob throws up his hands in utter discouragement.

And have not we also experienced like situations? On how many occasions have we, in our course down life's highway, come to the unwelcome detour sign and been forced to some bumpy side-road, and have borrowed Jacob's language and said, "All these things are against me!" And in making such detours we have quite forgotten that they are very necessary if the main road is to be kept in repair.

The disciples in the storm-tossed vessel on Galilee's lake might have joined Jacob as they felt the fury of the storm, and cried in despair, "All these things are against us!"

Paul, lying in the chains of the Roman prison-cell, might have voiced the same gloomy sentiment.

And has not each believer been in similar straits? Sickness has invaded the home, financial reverses have overtaken us, cherished hopes have been blasted, and disappointments have been experienced. The winds have been contrary, and in spite of all our toiling in rowing little progress has been made, so we have murmured, "All these things are against me!"

But look again at Jacob. He is now at the sunset of his life's day. More than seventeen years have passed since he gave vent to the cry we have been considering. What a change now! What revelations the intervening years have brought! The discovery of his beloved Joseph as governor of all Egypt, the return of Simeon, the recovery of Benjamin, the well-stocked wagons with their abundance of food, the migration of the family to Goshen, and the friendly attitude of Pharaoh all combine to shed upon the dying patriarch a glory which betrays the patient, over-ruling care of a loving God.
Now he calls to his bed-side his two grandsons, Ephraim and Manasseh. And in blessing them what a beautiful testimony he gives! He reviews his own life. He thinks of his zig-zag course, of the failures and of the triumphs, of the sad days and of the glad days, of the hallowed memories associated with Bethel, and of the unpleasant recollections of days spent in Syria. As in vision he sweeps over his whole pathway he exclaims, "The God which fed me all my life long unto this day, the Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads!"

Ah, yes, in his rapturous reviews he can discern the Angel's presence. God had been his unseen Companion, and in infinite love had been making all circumstances work out to Jacob's blessing.

Have we not right here a striking illustration of that familiar verse in Romans 8:"We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose?" It was so in Jacob's case; it is so in ours. A loving Father is over all our seeming adversities. So that instead of all things being against me, all things are really for me. And at the end of the journey,

"We'll bless the hand that guided,
We'll bless the heart that planned,
When throned where glory dwelleth
In Immanuel's Land,"

as we realize in a new way those wonderful words of Isaiah:"In all their affliction He was afflicted, and the Angel of His presence saved them:in His love and in His pity He redeemed them; and He bare them, and carried them all the days of old." C. Earnest Tatham

AFRICA

The following letter from Dr. Woodhams tells of their safe arrival in Africa and happy reunion with the workers and native Christians there:

Mambasa, July 24, 1931. Dear brother:-

Well, here we are at Mambasa again by the Lord's mercy and goodness, and we do thank our God for a safe journey and a safe return to these people and to this land. But I will start from where we were when last I wrote, and continue in order.

We left Nairobi on Saturday, July 11, and went on up to Kijabe, the main station of the A.I.M., Misses Creighton and DeJonge remaining at Nairobi to take the train on the following Monday. We enjoyed our visit at Kijabe very much, and they have been having a time of trial and consequent blessing. They asked me to take the Sunday afternoon "White Meeting," which I was glad to do, and we had a happy time over the Word and the fact that the "inheritance is by promise." Continuing on by car, we stopped at Eldoret on the high plateau of Africa; the next night at Jinga, which is on the north shore of Lake Victoria and the point where Rijyron Falls marks the beginning of the Nile River. The next night we reached Masindi, and here found Misses DeJonge and Creighton, who had arrived the same day, via the Uganda R. R. system. We had one day to wait over there, which gave a change to wash the car and get the red dust of Kenya Colony off. We also paid a visit to the C.M.S. station and the grave of our little Paul. On the 17th we went on to Butiaba on Lake Albert, which is 40 miles beyond Masindi. On Lake Albert a new boat had been put into service since last year, which can accommodate about 35 passengers. The former boat had only six cabins and the custom was to put camp-cots on the upper deck for the other passengers.

The next morning we had reached Kasenji on the Congo side before daylight. Mr. Deans, Mr. Searle and Will Deans all came down to meet us. It was good to see our brethren who have kept on so faithfully, and to hear at once a brief account of blessing and encouragement. There were many different ones to ask about, and hear reports, in some cases of progress and in others of failure. It took most of the morning to attend to landing our goods and car, and to customs, and we went to the A. I. M. station of Gogoro, which is 15 miles from Kasengi, for lunch, and then drove over to Nyangkundi. What a reception we received there! All the natives had gathered by the roadside where we arrived and greeted us by singing, "What did He do?" It certainly was good both to hear their voices and to see their faces, and after the singing was over then a happy time of handshaking. It was good to see them all-many now who belong to the Lord, and many others for whom we have longed that they might know Him. Mr. and Mrs. Searle, however, look very tired and much in need of a change and rest. It is just six years since they arrived with us at Nyangkundi.

The next day was Lord's Day, and brother Deans and family remained over, and it was a very happy day. There has been -much blessing at Nyangkundi the past year, and a good increase in the attendance at meetings. Brother Searle has put up a large building, and there was a large crowd present. Brother Searle estimates that there are about 150 Christians there now, with about 80 at the Lord's Table. At the day school they have now an enrollment of 270, which is twice what it was a year ago. Will Deans has charge of this, and he plans for 500 by next year. May the Lord grant it. Many boys come in from the villages and live on the station to attend school, and then meetings too. It was a great privilege that Lord's Day morning to look into their faces again, and to again announce glad tidings to them.

Then after the gospel meeting we met again to remember the Lord in His death. A good many of the native brethren took part and brother Deans gave thanks. It was a very happy time in the Lord's presence.

Brother Deans went on to Mambasa on Monday, and we remained until Tuesday. So on Tuesday, July 21, we reached our destination and our home at Mambasa. The trip en route was greatly enjoyed, renewing old scenes, stopping to see Mikairi, and hear of encouragement there and blessing. Then when we reached Mambasa another glad welcome awaited us from the natives who were gathered in front of our house and sang a hymn of greeting. The bonds that unite us are in Christ. But what a year of hard work brother Deans has put in here at Mambasa, and what a help in the Lord this brother has been to the work here! We were left speechless almost, on seeing how much he has accomplished. What zeal there is when the Lord appoints a man to his work; far greater zeal surely than when human leadership appoints and assigns a job!

First of all, the Hospital is all ready to be occupied; this is a brick building of eight rooms, with a large open verandah where the native patients wait, and where the gospel meeting will be held. The care and interest our brother has put into this work show a man whose service was unto the Lord. Cement floors have been put in all the rooms. The operating room is a fine light room with high windows on three sides and plenty of light. Knowing first-hand the trouble and delays in building with native labor in Africa, I can fully appreciate what a big undertaking this building was, and it is exactly suited to our work-not pretentious, but yet room enough to attend to the numerous cases which come in here continually. We trust that all may be for the honor of our Lord and unto His Name. The building makes a very fine appearance from outside, being of red brick pointed with cement and with a leaf roof. I will send a picture of it for the S. S. Visitor. Besides the Hospital, brother Deans also finished the chapel building near the Mohammedan village, which we were putting up for Sunday afternoon meetings. This is a fine large building of one large room, and built by faith, for we expect the Lord to bring in these people who continue hard and indifferent and unmoved. But our hope is in God who sent us. This building, too, is ready to use, and we will have an opening there some Sunday soon. And besides these two, brother Deans also went ahead with Miss Creighton's house and has done two-thirds of the work of this four-room house. This is of adobe, as our own house is. The walls and roof are finished, and it will be ready for her in another two months. Meanwhile, she is comfortably located in two rooms of the Hospital.

Brother Deans and family have already moved on to the Lolwa station. I greatly appreciate their having been willing to fill in for us here at Mambasa this year, and this was surely the Lord's provision. How good to acknowledge in any weak measure that our Lord is Head of His Body. We are very glad to be back. What a mercy of our God to continue this day of grace and gospel preaching.

Greetings to you in our Lord's Name,
Your brother by grace, K. C. Woodhams, M. D.

We have had several enquiries lately in connection with our brother Searle and family leaving for furlough. The following is the latest information received from him:

We have not decided yet re the time of our leaving, but have left it wholly with the Lord. As soon as He indicates that we should go we will let you know.

WEST INDIES:

Brother Hoze writes of his restoration to health and of his desire to be more active in the Lord's service. Under date of Sept. 5 he says:

"I am glad to be able to report that I am now almost normal in health and strength, and am assured that the operation will in the future cause me to enjoy better health than I have had for years. I hope to be much more active here and there in the service of our blessed Lord, as He might direct; meanwhile I am endeavoring to serve Him here as usual."

CHINA:A missionary laboring in North China writes:

We recently got word of you from Mr. Kautto, who was in Peitaiho for a few days. We had hoped he would bring his wife along, but they were busy with tent meetings, so did not feel they could leave a good work to come to the sea and rest. China is getting worse and worse, and I fear we are working up for the most bloody strife China has known for many years. I believe a form of Communism will flood the whole land before things can possibly begin to improve. The Holy Spirit is not disturbed by the strife of man, and only last night we received the encouraging news that twenty Mongol families near to us are desiring to turn to God from idols. I know you will join with us in praying that this may be a true work of God, and that it may not be a mere turning from one religion to another, but that new birth will be the real experience of each individual connected with the families.

Let us not forget to pray for the Lord's servants in this troubled and difficult land. harbor work, New York:

Brother Ralph West continues active in the Lord's work in and about New York harbor, and reports many openings for talks with men on the ships and encouragement in the work. Baltimore:

Brother Chas. H. Anderson, who for several years has devoted his spare time to the Lord's work amongst the seamen in this port, has for the past few months given all of his time to the work, looking to the Lord to supply his needs.

Xenophon, an Athenian historian, who wrote about 400 B.C., and who had joined the expedition of Cyrus the Younger, King of Persia, against Artaxerxes, tells- in his Cyropaedia (Book 3, Chap. 1)-of the king taking prisoner the wife, daughters and daughter-in-law of an Armenian king. Fearing for their safety, he had sent them away to the mountains. They were, however, discovered and captured. Tigranes, the eldest son of the king, had married, and his wife was among the prisoners. Returning from an expedition and discovering that his wife was in the enemy's hands, he at once sought the presence of Cyrus. After pleading for his wife, the prince was asked by King Cyrus:"At what price would you purchase the liberty of your wife?" Tigranes at once replied, "To save her from servitude, I would ransom her at the expense of my life."

A noble answer surely. Cyrus, evidently affected by it, told him to take his own to himself, and royally and hospitably entertained them all before they departed. It is said that on their return, all spoke of Cyrus. One spoke of his wisdom, another of his mildness, others of his stature and beauty. At length Tigranes asked his wife:"And what did you think of Cyrus?" To which she replied, "Truly, I did not think of him; I only thought of him who said that to save me from servitude, he would ransom me at the expense of his own life."

This was devotion indeed, yet even this necessarily sinks into utter insignificance when compared to the loving devotion of our Lord Jesus Christ! That we might be delivered from the bondage of sin and Satan, He gave Himself to the death of the cross, laid down His life voluntarily a sacrifice for sin, paying the price of our redemption, to set us eternally free from the dominion of sin and death,

"Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were an offering far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my life, my soul, my all."

Can we not understand the sentiments of the princess, when she said:"I only thought of him who said that to save me from servitude, he would ransom me at the expense of his life!" Would she not delight in the self-sacrificing love of her husband, who would have given himself for her redemption? And can we ever be unmindful of that wondrous love which went all the way to Calvary and its anguish of suffering, that we might be freed? Will we not ever say, even when in the glory:"He died that we might live." "Greater love hath no man than this, that a Man lay down His life for His friends." J. W. H. N.

The certainty of our Lord's return is repeatedly affirmed in Scripture, and to question that evidence involves a contradiction of the Holy Spirit by whom the truth has been certified and sealed… All hope for an otherwise despairing world is bound up with the investiture of the Son of God with all glory, majesty, might, and dominion. To that testimony the seal of God is put, and upon Christ's ultimate enthronement over the earth the beams of prophetic light have steadily and unwaveringly converged. No acrimonious controversy should be suffered to cloud the skies and obscure the Star that in undimmed splendor is yet to rise and usher in the glorious consummation.

That "blessed hope" with all its precious implications enables one to bear up under many a grievous burden… proclaimed not to engender strife, but to speak peace and comfort to the troubled heart. It is a chord that should be struck with a gentle hand; unsounded, it leaves in silence one of the sweetest strains in heaven's music. Ford C. Ottman

Calendar:Feb. 16th to Mar. 15th.

DAILY BIBLE READING ……Feb. 16th, Judges 15; Feb. 28th, 1 Sam. 2; Mar. 15th, 1 Sam. 17.

SUPPLEMENTARY READING …Feb. 16th, Rom. 10; Feb. 28th, 1 Cor. 6; Mar. 15th, 2 Cor. 5.

"Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh" (2 Cor. 4:10,11).

This fourth chapter of 2 Corinthians is the Apostle Paul's statement of power for ministry. He shows us in these stirring verses that God is not looking for brilliant men, is not depending upon eloquent men, is not shut up to the use of talented men in sending His gospel out into the world. God is looking for broken men, for men who have judged, themselves in the light of the cross of Christ. When He wants anything done, He takes up men who have come to an end of themselves, and' whose trust and confidence is not in themselves but in God.

There were those who were calling in question the apostleship of Paul himself, for he did not seem to them to be what an apostle, according to their estimation of the office, ought to be. There was not the pomp nor the dignity they would expect, he did not come to them with great swelling words, there was no making anything of what he was after the flesh, no drawing attention to his natural ability or education; and in this the method of the Apostle Paul was in very vivid contrast to the method pursued by many to-day who pose as servants of our Lord Jesus Christ. This man went through the world a broken man, a lowly man, a man seeking only the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ and the blessing of souls, a man who might have occupied a very high place among the great and distinguished of earth. But he was a man who for Jesus' sake had turned his back upon all that, and could say, "God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world" (Gal. 6:14). That cross spoke of the deepest shame and ignominy, and Paul gloried in it because through the work that took place upon it his soul had been saved, and he had learned that the preaching of the cross, while it is "to them that perish foolishness," is "unto-us which are saved the power of God" (1 Cor. 1:18). And so he went forth content to be broken in order that the light of the grace of God might shine out.

You will notice in verse 6 that "God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us." It is easy to see what he has in mind. He is thinking undoubtedly of that very striking incident of which we read in Judges, when Gideon and his three hundred men took their lives in their hands, were delivered unto death, as it were, and went forth against the vast armies of the Midianites. Surely no other army was accoutered as this one. They carried in one hand a trumpet, and in the other a pitcher, and in this pitcher was a lamp. The light of the lamp was not seen though it was already lit. It was not seen as long as it was in the earthen jar. They surrounded the army of the Midianites in the middle of the night, and suddenly at the command of their leader the jars were crashed to earth, and the light shone out, and the Midianites sprang up startled. They heard the crash and saw the light, and thought that they were surrounded by a tremendous army, and they turned their swords upon one another. It was God through Gideon that led the army to victory. A broken pitcher in order that light might shine out! The apostle says, as it were, "That is it! If you want to be a light for God in a world like this, be content to be broken, to have your hopes, your ambitions, all dashed to pieces, and then God can take you up and use you in order to carry the light of Christ to darkened hearts."
How are we broken? By affliction, by trouble, by the discipline of the Lord, sometimes by sickness, by pain and anguish. All these are the divine methods for breaking God's pitchers in order that the light may shine out to His praise and glory. Men may misjudge us, misrepresent us, persecute us bitterly; we may not have enough food to eat or water to drink; we may be cast down'; we may suffer all kinds of sorrows; but it is all right if it breaks us in order that God may be able the better to use us. And so he says, "We are troubled on every side, but not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;" for in all these experiences we are simply "bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus may be made manifest in our body." He "came from Godhead's fullest glory down to Calvary's depth of woe."

We sometimes sing a little hymn that always stirs the heart. I remember hearing Dr. Torrey say that he believed of all the hymns that were used in his great meetings around the world, it was the one that seemed to be most blessed of God to the people. It is:

"I surrender all,
I surrender all,
All to Thee, my blessed Saviour,
I surrender all."

But that hymn never had the appeal it ought to have for my own heart until one day I found myself changing that chorus. I was thinking of Him who though He was "in the form of God, thought equality with God not a thing to be grasped; but made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:and being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross" (Phil. 2:6-8), and as my heart was occupied with Him, I found myself singing these words:

"He surrendered all,
He surrendered all,
All for me, my blessed Saviour,
He surrendered all."

And then my heart said, "O Lord, it will be easy to sing it the other way now, for what have I to give up, to surrender, in comparison with what Thou didst give up in order to redeem my guilty soul from going down to the pit?" It is as you and I realize from day to day what it all meant to Him that we can bear about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus. Dying day by day to our own hopes and ambitions, dying to the good opinion of people, dying to human praise and adulation, to everything that the natural heart grasps, dying in the death of Jesus to it all, because He died for us in order that "the life of Jesus may be made manifest in our body."

You will notice that verses 10 and f 1 are very much alike, and yet the great difference is this:verse 10 suggests something that we do deliberately, consciously, whereas verse 11..is something that God does for us. What is it we are called upon to do? "Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus;"-reminding ourselves every day that Jesus died for us, and because He died for us we are gladly to put ourselves in the place of death for Him.
Looking back to the cross the apostle Paul could say, "I am crucified with Christ:nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me:and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me" (Gal. 2:20). But this has to be put into practice daily by putting my tastes and ambitions in the place of death. That is my part. But here is God's part:"We which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh." You tell God that you are willing to take the place of death with Christ, and He will see that it is made good; you tell God you are going to trust Him, and He will test your faith and show you what it means to trust Him; you tell Him that you are ready to surrender everything to Him, and He will put you in the place where you will begin to find out what full surrender really means. I do not know of anything that it seems should have such an appeal to the Christian heart along this line as the frequent remembrance of our Lord Jesus Christ in His death, and I think it is because He realized that it is so easy for us to forget, that He said to His disciples when He gave them this memorial feast, "This do in remembrance of Me" (Luke 22:19). And the Holy Ghost said, "As often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death till He come" (1 Cor. 11:26). Every time we are called upon thus to remember the' Lord it is a new challenge to ask ourselves, "Am I simply remembering Him in a cold, formal, intellectual way because it is customary, or am I truly in heart remembering the One who went down beneath the dark waters of death for me, and am I truly ready now to always bear about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus?"

What a poor thing it is to come together in assemblies to participate in the communion of the Lord's Supper and then go out from the building and forget what it all really means, forget that our Saviour died, that we are linked up with the One who died, and that He has left us an example that we should follow His steps-that is, we should always bear about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus. This seems to me to be linked very intimately with several Old Testament references to which our attention is drawn in Hebrews 11. We read, "But Joseph, when he died, made mention of the departing of the children of Israel; and gave commandment concerning his bones" (Heb. 11:22). Did you ever stop and ask why the Holy Ghost selected that particular incident to dwell upon? He has instanced something that you and I would probably have passed over altogether. What did Joseph do? "Gave commandment concerning his bones." In Genesis SO:25 we read where Joseph, talking to the children of Israel, says, "God will surely visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones from hence. So Joseph died, being an hundred and ten years old:and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt." That is the close of the book of Genesis. What an odd way to close the book! But God wants us to think about the bones of Joseph. They are there in a coffin in Egypt, but they are to be carried to Canaan. In Exodus 13 we find that the children of Israel who have been sheltered by the blood of the passover lamb are now starting out for Canaan, and we read, "Moses took the bones of Joseph with him:for he had straitly sworn the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you; and ye shall carry up my bones away hence with you" (Exod. 13:19). Who was Joseph? He was the saviour of Israel. If it had not been for him they had all been destroyed in the famine, but he was their saviour, and now he says, "When you leave Egypt to go to Canaan, you carry my bones with you." When they left, they were very careful to do as they were told, and all the way across the sands of the desert wherever that great caravan went they were always' bearing about in the body the dying of Joseph.

I think I see that great procession winding its way up over the hills; and the Amalekites and the Midianites looking at' them in wonder say, "What is that strange dark casket?" Presently they call an Israelite and ask him, and he says, "We were once in greatest distress; if God had not had mercy upon us we would have been left to die, but He raised up a saviour for us, one of our own; his name was Joseph and he delivered us; Joseph saved us. But our saviour died, and we are marching on to the land that our God has given us, and until we get there, we carry with us the memorial of death, the bones of Joseph. We can never forget him; he died, but we have the memorials still." And by and by when they reached the land, when they got to the place that God Himself had selected for them, we are told that after everything else was properly attended to, "The bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel brought out of Egypt, buried they in Shechem, in a parcel of ground which Jacob bought of the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem, for an hundred pieces of silver:and it became the inheritance of the children of Joseph" (Josh. 24:32). There was no need to carry the bones of Joseph through the wilderness any more, for they were at home now. And, beloved, you and I are passing on through the wilderness of this world, we wilt soon be at Home, but until we reach there we are called upon to bear about in the body the dying of Jesus, and as we remember Him in the breaking of bread and the drinking of the cup, we should challenge our own hearts:Are we simply looking objectively toward that cross and saying, "There our Saviour died," or are we seeking day by day to practically make it manifest that His death means more to us than all that this world glories in? H. A. I.

The motto of Spurgeon's College shows a hand holding a cross. About both are the Latin words, Teneo et teneor:"I both hold and am held." Good as the first word is, the last is better. It is fine to hold the cross; it is far finer to be held by it. St. Jude's word "keep" (ver. 21) is a necessary injunction, but St. Peter's word "kept" reveals the grace which makes the other possible.

We hold the cross, but we are held by the cross. We keep ourselves in the love of God, but we are kept by the power of God. "My Beloved is mine" passes on to the more satisfying, blessed fact of ownership on His part:"I am His!"
"HE BRINGETH THEM UNTO THEIR DESIRE HAVEN"

Among the many evils in the Corinthian Church, the most serious was the denial, on the part of some, of the resurrection of the dead. The Apostle Paul answered it fully, leaving no room for any either to doubt it, or to fall into error concerning it.

We are not told what caused the Corinthians to deny the resurrection. It is probable, judging from the Apostle's use of the quotation, "Evil communications corrupt good manners," that they had borrowed their idea from the heathen philosophers, who also denied this truth. In their falsely-named "wisdom," it was folly to suppose that the body after death would ever be raised again. Along with all matter, it was to them evil in its origin, and therefore finally to be rid of. The spirit alone was important.

But if God has created the spirit, He has created also the body, and though the whole man has sunk under the dominion of sin, God's answer to it is Redemption, according to His eternal counsel of grace in Christ Jesus. But it is redemption of the whole man-body, soul and spirit.

Paul begins his defense of the Resurrection by reminding the saints at Corinth of the gospel he had preached to them at the beginning. This message they had received and had been saved by-allowing, of course, that it was a true gospel, and that they were anchored fast, and not drifting away from it. What then was the gospel he preached?

It was "that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day, according to the Scriptures." These were the three cardinal points in his teaching and preaching. He brings in the confirmation of the fact of Christ risen by citing first of all the testimony of God in the Scriptures, and then six groups of witnesses to whom Christ appeared alive after His death and burial. Most of these were still living at the time he wrote. He appealed lastly to his own experience elsewhere expressed in the words, "Have I not seen Christ Jesus our Lord?" (1 Cor. 9:1).

The denial at Corinth was not that Christ was not risen. It went beyond that by denying resurrection altogether. We here see the blinding influence of error, in that those who were being ensnared by this teaching had already accepted what Paul had taught them. Their very hope of salvation rested on the fact which now they were denying. For if the dead do not rise, then verily Christ has not risen. If that be so, they were deceived, as to all their hopes in Him. Their faith was in vain, or to no purpose. More than that, they had placed the Apostles in the position of "liars," inasmuch as they testified that God had raised up Christ, "whom indeed He raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not."

While the error struck at all resurrection, Paul does not refer specifically to the resurrection of the wicked- this is implied, however, in what is said in verses 24-26- but he dwells rather on the resurrection of Christ and of His saints. He proves resurrection by the fact of Christ risen. It is important to observe this, for it shows that there is a real connection between the resurrection of Christ and that of all others, especially of believers. But as to all who are raised up, whoever they may be, the fact of resurrection is established inasmuch as Christ is already risen.
Having spoken of the doctrine in a general manner, Paul takes up the difficulty of some who were asking, "How are the dead raised up, And with what body do they come?" Scripture does not attempt to satisfy the mere cavils of-unbelief; but saints at times descend to a low level, allowing questions in their minds as to God's power, etc.-sad tokens of an unspiritual state. Here, however, the Spirit of God, through His Apostle, meets them in their need.

Paul takes up the natural process of sowing and harvest to illustrate the truth of resurrection. There is an identity between what is sown and that which is its fruit. There is, of course, a decided difference between the naked kernel sown in the ground and the full stalk of grain which results from the dying of the seed. But allowing all the contrast called for, there is still an identity between what is sown and what is raised. This is not, and cannot be, set aside; for it is a law throughout nature. Had God chosen to order it so, He might have created a new supply each season for the creature's need, entirely apart from the old seed. But it has pleased Him to prepare the present life after the pattern of the spiritual. Hence we see that Paul did not simply light upon a happy illustration; he saw and understood rather that in the process of sowing and reaping there is a divine plan-a prophecy, so to speak, of that to which he here calls attention. Had the Corinthians allowed even "Nature" to teach them, they would not have fallen into their error; for what is termed nature is God's handmaiden, and, except where man has interfered, always speaks the truth, witnessing just that which God gave it to speak. Hence in another place, and in a different connection, the Apostle speaks of the same fact when he says, "Whatsoever a man soweth that (not something having no relation, but that) shall he also reap." The seeds which God brought forth in the beginning, whatever the changes since apparent, are the lineal ancestors of those now upon the earth. At the beginning God announced that the "herb" and "fruit" were each to yield "after his kind," and this law has been faithfully carried out.

It is so, says Paul, as to the resurrection. It is the body which is sown, and it is the body, though different as to form, which is raised up. In this life the body is patterned after Adam's, but in the resurrection it will be patterned after Christ's. Let us not forget that though Christ is risen and glorified, He lives in the same body which was offered up in death and was buried in Joseph's tomb. There has taken place that change in it which His entrance into heaven demanded; for we read that "flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God." Yet who will say that it is not the same body in which He walked the earth, although changed into that form in which He appeared to His disciples when risen? It was to them that He said, "Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself:handle Me and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see Me have." But we are distinctly taught that our body of the resurrection order is to be "raised" as was His. Writing also to the Philippians, Paul says, "We look for our Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour, who shall change this body of our humiliation, into conformity to His body of glory, according to the working of the power which He has even to subdue all things to Himself."

Let us hold fast these things. The body which our holy Lord said that God had "given" Him, when He came into the world, in which He lived and suffered and died, and was buried, is that in which He now "appears in the presence of God for us," and in which He will come again, to "receive us unto" Himself. But how could His resurrection illustrate and confirm ours, if the body we shall receive has no identity with that laid down at death? If the grave never gives up the body of the saint, how can there be that song of victory:"O death, where is thy sting? 0 grave, where is thy victory?"
The Corinthians did not deny that the saints would be happy with Christ in the glory of God; but they denied that the body, claimed by death, would ever be raised up again. They said, "There is no resurrection* of the dead." *Note the similarity of this denial at Corinth with that of the Sadducees, "which say there is no resurrection." At Athens, too, when Paul spoke of "the resurrection of the dead, some mocked." It was ridiculous to them to suppose that the body should ever be raised up to life again. To the Sadducees, who were acquainted with the letter of Scripture, the Lord said, "Ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures, neither the power of God." Standing before Agrippa, Paul said,
"Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God should raise the dead?"

Let us note too that while a truth, such as that of the resurrection, may not be positively denied, as at Corinth, yet it may be nullified by association with error. It is probable that Satan was seeking to make the truth of resurrection appear contemptible in the eyes of the Corinthians. To them it seemed a wise saying to declare against the resurrection. But Paul showed them where their conclusions led, and they were delivered from the enemy's snare, who spares no pains to deny Christ. The Devil also knew the sanctifying power of this vital truth, and this was another reason for his subtle device. If there be no resurrection, we may well say as the apostle suggests:"Let us eat and drink; for to-morrow we die." We do not need to go as far as did those in Corinth, to lose in measure at least the precious truth of God in this respect. Even if great and good men tell us that the glorified body of the saint has no relation or identity with the present earthly body, this is not sufficient reason for accepting it as a fact. The idea may spring from the attempt to satisfy the minds of some in connection with difficulties as to the body of the future. Conceding all the difficulties, what are they as compared with the "power Of God?" Why should we accept the idea of a quasi-resurrection which supposes saints who have died appearing in the glory with Christ in a new body, while the other body, perhaps recently put off, is still claimed by death in the grave?*

It is absurd to suppose a resurrection in any true sense with an undisturbed grave. Paul disproves the denial by the fact that Christ arose in the body in which He entered the tomb. He shows by this fact that the saints also, at His coming, will be raised up as He was.

Let us beware of giving up any part of the truth for any substitute, however plausible or specious; for our Lord has prayed to the Father concerning the saints:"Sanctify them through Thy truth; Thy word is truth." Wm. Huss

*The above article, as well as the following:"Your Own Salvation," "In Secret," "The Gum Trees and the Storm," "The Briar and the Rose Garden" and "God Giveth us the Victory," which will appear in this magazine, are to be had separately in booklet form, with attractive covers, at 5 cent each.*

Flanders in February, 1917, was not a paradise. Rain, sleet, mud, flooded trenches, biting cold, shells, suffering, wounds, death, all combined to make the soldier's life a misery. Yet it was from Flanders at that time that a young sapper wrote to me, and it was his last letter. In it he said, "I'm so happy." What was it that made him write like that? Five weeks before he had bent his knees before God and confessed that he had "many big sins on his soul," with his repentance he believed that Christ had died for his sins:that He had been wounded for his transgressions. He rose from his knees and said to me:"I have been so miserable that I have not been able to sleep, but I can go to my bed tonight and say, 'God has forgiven me.'" It was that made him happy in the miseries of trench warfare in winter. He understood what David meant when he said:"Blessed is the man whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered."

Next to the blessedness of forgiving, which belongs, of course, to God, comes the blessedness of being forgiven. What words can describe it? The quietness after the storm, the relief after oppression, the deep, holy peace that fills the heart as the sense of forgiveness steals over it! To sink down into the arms of a pardoning God, and to rest on His bosom, the bosom from which the pardon flows, this is a never-to-be-forgotten experience, and none who have known it can ever think lightly of it.

The Pharisee cannot know it, nor any man who excuses his sins, or hides them, or refuses to admit to God and himself that he is a sinner. But those who have felt the smart and the sting of sin, those who have tried in vain | to destroy the serpent that has bitten them, these will know. Those who have discovered that their sins are neither dead nor done with, that they cannot escape them, that with persistent feet they are pursuing them, gathering round them, and crying insistently:"Thou art the man," these are on the verge of blessing. Those whose of consciences have awakened, who feel what it is to have sinned against God, and have looked into the abyss of horror into which their sins were carrying them, these will find no refuge, no relief, no hope, except in God, and to Him they will come with broken and contrite hearts and He will receive them. They cannot forgive themselves, neither angel nor man can clear them, but God can. Forgiveness is His grand prerogative, and when conscience-stricken, sin-laden, honest at last, they come to Him, they find rest in what He is and what He can do for them. This is, Bible truth, and the experience of a multitude has answered to it as the diamond flashes back the light of the sun.

The first mention of God's forgiveness is in the Book of Exodus. Israel had sinned, and Moses pleaded for them. "This people," he said, "have sinned a great sin; yet now if Thou wilt forgive them-." And there he broke off his request, he did not finish the sentence. Surely it was too much to ask; it seems from the passage that the thought of his heart made him gasp by its very magnitude; how could God forgive this great rebellion, standing as He did upon the crest of Sinai? This unfinished sentence-half agonizing desire, half eager question-must be left to God to complete. And He did complete it in chapter 34. On the very spot where His holy law had thundered forth He proclaimed His Name to the wondering, worshiping Moses. "The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, and forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin." How blessed it is for a soul, bruised and broken by sin, and lashed and seamed by an accusing conscience, and filled with fear at the thought of God's righteous judgment, to learn that this is God's Name. It is a revelation, the revelation of the truth.

But the fulness of God's forgiveness could not be known until the New Testament times. This awaited the coming of Christ and the doing of redemption's great work. It is in this day of grace, this day of salvation, that the method and the measure of this unspeakable blessing is revealed to us. Forgiveness is in Christ and the forgiven one is in Christ, as Eph. 1 tells us:"He hath made us accepted in the Beloved, in whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace."

To all those who have believed in Jesus, the beloved Son of God, is this blessing given. The basis of it is the blood, and it is for Christ's sake. "God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you" (Eph. 4:32); "I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for His Name's sake" (1 John 2:12). It is an eternal forgiveness, for it is the act of the eternal God; it is an eternal forgiveness for it is bestowed for the sake of Him who has brought eternal glory and gives eternal delight to the heart of God. When we understand that it is for Christ's sake that we are forgiven, for the glory of His Name and the joy of His heart, it makes the blessing unspeakably blessed. We are forgiven for Christ's sake.

Was there reluctance then on God's part to forgive us, and was it necessary that the desire and glory of Christ should be brought to bear on this matter before the blessing could be bestowed? By no means. The welcome given to the prodigal shows the delight God has in forgiving; the kiss, the robe, and the merriment, all show that to forgive is a necessity to Divine love; but the desire of the heart of Christ and the glory of His great and precious Name are added motives which give God a greater joy in doing that in which His heart delights.

Wonderful grace! Wonderful blessing! Wonderful work and precious blood which has made it possible!- which has provided a meeting-place for a just and pardoning God and ungodly but repentant sinners. And what God is in this blessed character towards us can never change. His very nature finds expression in His pardoning grace, in the riches of His grace. He has set us in His own favor forever, and everything that could mar our happiness in that place or His delight in having us there, has been dealt with according to His own justice, and all for Christ's sake. Now we can sing with David, "Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin" (Rom. 4:7, 8).

"Who is a pardoning God like Thee,
Or who has grace so rich, so free?"

J. T. Mawson

When the world is crowded out,
And the flesh is underfoot,
And the Tempter is sent backward by the Word,
Then the Spirit has control,
Over thought and word and soul,
Only then it is that we can wield the sword.

Then the subject mind can say
To the Spirit, "Have full sway!"
And the peace of God will rule in sweet accord,
And the emptied heart say "Come,"
For no other is there room,
But the Father, Son, and Spirit, and the Word.

H. McD

Trial is the food of faith. Let us leave ourselves in the hands of our Heavenly Father! It is the joy of His heart to do good to all His children!

But trials and difficulties are not the only means by which faith is exercised, and thereby increased. There is the reading of the Scriptures, that we by them may acquaint ourselves with God, as He has revealed Himself in His Word. And what shall we find? That He not only is God Almighty, and a righteous God; but we shall find how gracious He is, how gentle, how kind, how bountiful He is.
George Miller.

It is a common saying, "Coming events cast their shadows before them," and as we see them lengthen, as the surroundings darken, we know the light is fading and the night draws near.

How many shadows of ominous import have fallen across the course of this world in the past fifteen years- a brief span indeed, but one marked by great rapidity of movement and phenomenal development. Some prevailing conditions make men tremble, while others give cause, so they think, to boast the louder. The lurking fear of what may come next often alarms them, but they seek to banish the spectra by loudly sounding the praises of world advance.

Future as we may believe the six seals of Revelation to be, and only commencing after the Lord's coming for His people, there is no high wall across the path of Time to forbid the shadows of the condition described falling on the last years of the present. They are the monitors of the near night, when sudden destruction shall come as a thief and fall upon this godless world.

Look at the general features of the seals:

Power going forth to conquer,
Terrible warfare,
Demoralized economic conditions,
Increased death by violence, famine and natural forces,
Persecution of the godly,
Political convulsions.

Note the striking parallel of our Lord's prophecy in Matt. 24:

Deceivers coming in Christ's name,
Wars and rumors of wars,
Famines,
Pestilences and earthquakes,
Affliction and martyrdom,
Abounding lawlessness.

Events and conditions of similar character to these have crowded in upon the world during the last decade and a half. Are they not the shadows of coming events which tell how near the time is when their substance will be the portion of this evil age? It may be said that seasons like this have occurred in by-gone days, but though this be so, never before have these shadows so lengthened and darkened as to cast their gloomy portent over the whole habitable world.

But look again, and what do we see in the prophetic earth? The great war brought into alignment as a matter of common preservation the powers occupying the sphere of the old Roman Empire, resulting in its old boundaries becoming the line of separation between western and northern powers. To this we may add the fact that the old Roman territory of Northern Africa is again in control of the nations that occupy its place in Europe. Add to this the growing independence of Egypt-the King of the South in prophecy; and the development of the new Turkey in the territory of the prophetic King of the North; and also the state of things in Palestine with the Jews returning there under Zionist plans for the government and development of what is called the Jewish Homeland. Consider the revival of Trans-Jordanic kingdoms where we must expect Edom, Moab, and Ammon to be in the last days fully ripened for judgment. Look at Italy and her advance under the present regime, with its outreach for influence and power in every part of western Europe, while the place now filled by the Papacy in civil as well as religious affairs must speak loudly in any opened ear.

Russia is sworn to hate all western policies-commercial, civil, and religious, and out of her throes of social, industrial and political revolution we may expect an iron-shod monster to arise, armed with a power before which other northern nations will either fall or with which they will ally. Against this we may well imagine the line of the Rhine and the Danube, made a fortified barrier as of old by Rome against the northern barbaric hordes. The pretentious plans for a United States of Europe must eventually come to the more limited prophetic Roman empire of ten kingdoms. The mighty forces of these two confederacies of world-power will meet their doom in vale and plain of Palestine, when the Lord Himself shall appear as the white horse rider of Rev. 19.

Then out of the chaos of China and the ferment of India we may expect a more stable and organized form of government, perhaps ultimately dominated by the island empire of Asia, so that at the end there may be the eastern confederacy of kings who shall seemingly break through the recognized boundary of the Roman Empire-that is, the Euphrates, as of old (Rev. 16:12).

Again, what is the general mark stamped upon the world to-day? In one word, lawlessness. It is eating like a gangrene into the vitals of the social, commercial, and political spheres of world-life. On the other hand, when did we ever hear so much about union, when so much about the will and sovereignty of the people? Yet we see the dictator and demagogue coming to the fore. Again extremes meet. It is like the iron and clay of the great image of Gentile power.

Whether we look at the Gentiles, Jews, or Christendom, everywhere the shadows have fallen, and become more portentous, for we must be rapidly nearing the figures of violence, corruption, and final apostasy which will stalk through this world when "He who restrains now . . .be gone."

And what about us? "The coming of the Lord has drawn nigh." Blessed hope! Glorious moment of complete change and transportation just before the day-dawn when the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings.

We await the Son from heaven, our Deliverer from the coming wrath, for God has not appointed us unto wrath but salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ. "For our commonwealth has its existence in the heavens, from whence also we await the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour, who shall transform our body of humiliation into conformity to His body of glory, according to the working of the power which He has even to subdue all things to Himself" (1 Thess. 1:10; 5:8,9; Phil. 3:20,21, New Trans.). "Wherefore, having girded up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope with perfect steadfastness in the grace which will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ" (1 Pet. 1:13, New Trans.).

"But the end of all things is drawn nigh:be sober therefore, and be watchful unto prayers; but before all things, having fervent love among yourselves, because love covers a multitude of sins; hospitable one to another, without murmuring; each according as he has received a gift, ministering it to one another, as good stewards of the various grace of God" (1 Pet. 4:7-10, New Trans.). John Bloore

CHINA

"And the light shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehendeth it not" (John 1:5).

"And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil" (John 3:19).

The following extracts taken from the 1929-30 report of the Religious Tract Society for China shows what darkness there still is in that part of the world.

May we pray much for this distressed country, and especially bear up those who are witnesses of the Light.

Recent investigations have shown that Sun-worship and Animism, in the form of stone-worship, have a wider range than has been believed, and these more primitive forms of religious thought still need to be challenged with the message of the Sun of Righteousness in whom all things consist. There probably has been no period in the life of the Chinese race when general morality has been at so low an ebb, when the sanctity of home life has been so seriously endangered, and when parental authority was so little regarded. The disintegration of the home in itself constitutes a call to the Christian church to come to the help of China by showing her the true nature of the freedom which Christ came to bring to men and women.

Like Confucianism the Taoist religion is under a cloud. In this case the situation is one to be viewed with satisfaction, for Taoism is superstition and magic run riot. It has no message and no moral value. It is a fetter which binds human minds, and more particularly the minds of illiterate women. Its teachings lead to despair, and the outcome of its mystic rites is often terrible. During the year under review a number of cases have been noted where the devil has operated through evil minds under the guise of Taoist instruction. Several cases have come to light in Hankow alone, where little children have been killed by their parents on the advice of these charlatans in order to avert the wrath of the gods.

Alone of all the religions which sway the masses of the Chinese people, the Buddhist religion has accepted the challenge of the age and is making efforts to purify its practices. The widespread criticism which has been aimed at the priesthood as idle drones and itinerant beggars, the demand from the Government that the revenues of the temples over what is needed for religious purposes shall be used for education, and the prohibition of mendicancy among the priesthood, have led sincere and thoughtful minds among the Buddhist laity to enunciate a new program. Idolatry is to be sublimated into the worship of the god rather than the idol; purity and abstinence are to be observed by the priests and nuns, in fact and not in theory; uneducated beggar-priests and nuns are not to be assisted, and boys and girls may not be received as novices by these parasites; and the principles of the founder of the faith are to be- studied and taught. It is evident that any wholesale suppression of Buddhism is no longer contemplated, and that there is a real determination among the Buddhist laity to place a reformed Buddhism before the people of China as the one religious faith suitable to their needs, this program being greatly helped by the admiration and reverence which the women of China bestow on the one goddess in the Buddhist Pantheon, the Goddess of Mercy.

This challenge has to be faced. It becomes increasingly clear that the final struggle in China will be between Buddha and Christ, because the forces which disintegrate morality and so place Confucianism in a hopeless position, and the forces which enlighten the mind and so bring Taoism into ridicule and disgrace, are not the forces which can overthrow the spiritual appeal of a reformed Buddhism.

It only remains to add that the Mohammedan sect in China seems to be increasing in numbers and in activity. Whilst the Nestorian Church and the Jewish colony failed to maintain their individuality and have become merged, to the point of extinction, with the pagans around them, the followers of the Prophet maintain their faith and witness, to those who worship many gods, that God is one.

"I am the Light of the world, he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness but shall have the light of life" (John 8:12).

In a letter dated Dec. 26 brother Kautto states as follows:

Brother Foggin will be continuing in the Language School, but I will be returning to Taitowying. I am not sure, but I may have to leave Mrs. Kautto in Peiping at the Language School also, for I received a letter from Taitowying a few days ago that the soldiers and bandits are fighting in that district, and that soldiers have broken the lock from our door at Shuang Shan-tze, and have taken the clothing that was there. So I wrote to them and asked them to let me know if the soldiers are acting unlawfully at Taitowying, as if so, I would leave Mrs. Kautto at Peiping.

AFRICA

We rejoice to learn from our young brother William Deans that he is almost fully recovered from his illness. As he puts it himself, he is now "back on the job." The following are brief extracts from letters:

Nov. 11. – For several weeks I have been here at Miseberi under the Doctor's care, and have rapidly gained the strength that I lost when the rheumatism re-appeared. While recovery is not complete as yet, improvement is so marked that we can thank God for this answer to prayer.

There is a colony of lepers isolated on a nearby hill and I have had the glorious opportunity of telling them of our Saviour's love and sacrifice for them. Physical deformities, missing members and loathsome ulcers make them unwanted in native society, and it is indeed a blessed privilege to tell them of One who does love them. Our natures were leprous before we were cleansed by the blood of Jesus, and I was so happy to tell them that "There's power in the Blood" to wash their sins away and give them everlasting life through believing in His Name. The Lord willing, I expect to return to Nyangkundi as soon as transportation is available, and remain there while seeking the Lord's mind in regard to the forest work. In one way it would seem folly to return to the dampness of the forest, yet the Lord may will it thus. Continue to beseech the Lord for our guidance from above that His wisdom may overrule, and we may see a clear path to serve Him where He wills.
Dec. 1.-I am lots better and expect soon to return to Nyangkundi, D.V. I have so little mail since I have been here that I hardly know who to write to or what to answer.

Dec. g.-Praise God, here I am back on the job again. He has certainly answered prayer, glory to His Name! I wish you to know how grateful I feel to Him and toward the saints who so faithfully remembered me in prayer. We can rejoice together for the wonderful way God has worked.

There is one thing for which I can be thankful, that I was able to read more of the precious truth of the Word while I was laid up.

From Mr. Robert Deans:

There is no doubt in my mind that when the Doctor returns to this station it will be a scene of activity. The new hospital will serve as a means with one thing in view, namely, of leading souls to Christ. We have a very earnest young married woman who gave her heart to Christ some days ago. There was great rejoicing. The natives rejoiced to see how God in wondrous goodness spared Bob's and my life last Saturday as we narrowly escaped being struck by a falling tree during a high wind. The tree was 28 inches in diameter and 120 feet long. Truly,

"His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know He watches me."

Mrs. Searle writes:

We are closing the last term of the school for this year. It has been a very busy three months, and we trust profitable to many. There has been good interest right along, and a number came from the outside villages, and we know the Word given out daily will not return void, although we see no fruit at present. The twenty-seven boys who lived on the station will be missed when they return to their villages. A great number are being reached by the four day-school teachers, and continually there are those who ask for Gospels, having just learned to read. Youeri's quiet work among the natives has been attended with blessing, several having accepted Christ as their Saviour.

We are having hot high winds which are most unpleasant, but we trust the Lord for giving us strength each day as He has promised.

BRAZIL-Parintins, Jan. 6th.

By the end of this month (D. V.) I expect to set out on another evangelization trip. My (our) brother, the pharmaceutist, is coming with me as a drug-seller and attending sick people. He is earnest and very concerned over the lost. Our conveyance is a hired canoe. It will take about three months. We expect to call and testify at hundreds of homes, the plan being to hold a gospel service every evening in the home we shall lodge for the night. Will the dear children of God bear us daily in prayer-definite prayer-that the Name of the Lord and His word shall be glorified by the conversion of many. We feel the Lord is coming, and our endeavor is that not one in the District should be ignorant of God's salvation by the time He comes. He has laid this very strongly on my heart. The Lord bless you all! J. P. Ribeiro.
Brief Notices:

Doctor Woodhams and family arrived in Chicago, January 28th. He expects to stay there a little while and visit assemblies in that district. His address will be, 635 N. Taylor St., Oak Park, 111. The Doctor speaks of the goodness of God in giving them journeying mercies and much happy Christian fellowship on his journey from 'Frisco to Chicago, having covered by auto about 3,650 miles since leaving San Francisco, and visited many assembles.

A brother writes from Nassau, Bahama Islands, reminding us that the difficulties and hardships in connection with preaching the gospel in the outlying islands and. districts are almost as great as with those laboring in foreign lands. We have no doubt this would also be true of conditions in Latin American countries and would be a reminder that we should be continually helping our brethren together by prayer (2 Cor. 1:11).

God leads us by a narrow way,
No side path, where our feet may stray,
Nor place for traps to cause delay,
Nor footfalls treacherous.
The path is straight, and not so wide
An enemy might want beside,
And, whispering, seek our souls to guide
In ways most dangerous..

This path is wide enough for two,
Just wide enough for Christ and you,
Yet some may follow, and they do,
And have through ages past.
They did not find it strewn with flowers,
Nor have we found it thus with ours,
Nor shaded by luxuriant bowers,
Which surely could not last.

Oft rough, though shaded by His love,
The while the hosts in heaven above
Behold us as we onward move,
In wondering amaze.
Then, Saviour, we would :.walk with Thee,
Enduring hardships cheerfully,
Content by Thy blest side to be,
Now, and indeed always.

And when steep hills tower over us,
And adverse winds are threatening us,
Reminding of Thine own dread cross,
Which Thou for us didst bear;
Then as we mount we'll catch the sight
Of wondrous clouds with glory bright,
So what seemed dark is now all light,
We know that Thou dost care.

And, longing, we rejoice with Thee
That soon we shall together be,
And that for all eternity-
No parting on that shore!
A rest this world could ne'er bestow,
A bliss which here we could not know,
Await our hearts to overflow,
Increasing more and more.
Oh, rapture that will e'er abound!
And joy throughout all heaven shall sound,
When we behold Thee, Saviour, crowned!
What shouts of victory!
But when we think of what it cost Thee,
Lord, to save us who were lost,
We'll bow, and cry 'fore heaven's host,
All glory be to Thee!

H. McD

(Continued from p. 138)

VII.-IN ABRAHAM’S HISTORY

Continuing our study of Abraham's history we may find in the events recorded in chs. 16 and 17 further lessons of the cross.

First, we see Abram turns aside to seek the fulfilment of the promise by fleshly means, rather than wait for God's disclosure of His way for its accomplishment. This history affords instruction as to the way of fruitful-ness according to God-the lesson of death applied to the flesh, and the truth of resurrection-power acting for us and in us, so that Christ (of whom Isaac is the type) is brought forth in us practically speaking, that is, His spirit and mind formed in us and His ways of holiness and grace made to characterize us. In this connection the spiritual meaning of circumcision finds its place, and we know how this is taken up in relation to the cross in Col. 2.

The lessons of this history are applied in Gal. 4. There we learn the difference between bondage under law and liberty through grace. This brings in the gift of the Spirit (Gal. 3), the place of sonship (Gal. 4), and the fruit of the Spirit, the flesh being judged and refused as we who live in the Spirit walk by the Spirit (Gal. 5). In all of this the Cross has its place (Gal. 3:1,13; 4:5; 5:24).

Not apart from the lesson of death being applied to the strength of the flesh, even though it be directed in effort after the realization of desires which flow from grace, can real fruitfulness be known-even that which God brings forth through His own power working in us, the power of the Spirit. Nothing else avails. This is the lesson in Genesis. There must not be confidence in the flesh, and so after Abram's failure in self-effort God again speaks to him. He had made his own effort to fulfil the promise, with evident failure, and now thirteen years later, when as yet there had been no accomplishment of it from God's side and death reigned as far as human strength was concerned, the Lord appears to announce Himself as "the Almighty God"-thus the One perfectly able to accomplish His promise without man's assistance. He reveals Himself in this character when the failure and helplessness of man is fully shown. Thus the admonition follows:"Walk before Me, and be thou perfect." This Abram had not been doing, as his course with Hagar witnessed. Rather, he had walked by sight and not faith, and in this respect fell short of being perfect.

Here, then, we have another example of how God who is faithful comes at the fulness of time to accomplish His word and will, when we have reached the end of our resources. This serves to magnify His grace, and leaves man without ground for boasting save in the Lord. It is this-as with Abram, so with us-which brings in full blessing. So now the fact that the promised seed shall be brought in through Sarai and not another is declared by God (ch. 17:15-22). This is spite of utter helplessness from man's side, as the apostle comments, "And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about one hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb:he staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; and being fully persuaded that, what He had promised, He was able also to perform" (Rom. 4:19-21). Thus, though fully conscious of the deadness of nature^ he believed God to be the One "who quickeneth the dead."
This illustrates for our instruction the great ruling principle, not only in regard to our justification before God, but also of all true Christian experience in which the fruit of the Spirit is to be borne.

The truth of the Cross must necessarily entwine itself with the obedience of faith, as shown in the history before us in the ordinance of circumcision and Abraham's obedience to it. By this he declared his faith in God's word, and was walking before God as the Almighty. The significance of this ordinance in relation to the cross may be gathered from Col. 2:11. In Him in whom dwells all the fulness of the Godhead bodily, in whom we are complete, who is the Head of all principality and power, in Him "ye have been circumcised with circumcision not done by hand, in the putting off of the body of the flesh [body here meaning the totality of what is spoken of], in the circumcision of the Christ" (New Trans.).

Primarily meaning to cut off, and so cast aside as useless, circumcision is the apt figure of judgment on the flesh in its totality, so that seeing this to have been done at the cross according to God's reckoning we now practically are to give it no place, casting it aside as judged, counting it dead and useless. Here the death of the cross is spoken of as "the circumcision of the Christ," since He who had come "in the likeness of flesh of sin" died there as a sacrifice for sin, so that in this way God "condemned sin in the flesh" (Rom. 8:3). He at that time taking a place of identification, as before God in judgment, with all that the flesh is, endured the judgment it deserved; thus it, we may say, was cut off from Him, and now through death He is forever free from the necessity of taking up any question as to sin to bear judgment from God. "For in that He has died, He has died to sin once for all" (Rom. 6:10). Thus He took the place of bearing the judgment of God upon the body of the flesh, so that, knowing that God has judicially dealt with it in this way, we may now apply the truth of it to the evil nature still in us, finding thus the way of freedom to walk after the Spirit and bear His fruit, Christ being formed in us and His life manifested in our mortal flesh.

Therefore as for Christ there ended once and forever any connection on His part with the body of the flesh, its judgment being fully accomplished in His death which is here spoken of as His circumcision, and now He is known in resurrection, so with us as applying the truth of the one to ourselves in regard to the flesh, we are to act upon the other, that of our being raised with Him in order that we should be found walking in newness of life and spirit. The application of both these aspects of truth is given in Col. 2:20-3:4.

With this we may also connect what Scripture says in reference to putting off the old man and putting on the new (Col. 3:9-11; Eph. 4:20-25). With this much practical instruction and exhortation are given. Our walk in this world is not to be according to what we have learned of man, his evil ways, "in which we also once walked when we lived in these things" (Col. 3:7, New Trans). This is the very opposite to what we have learned of Christ, the truth of whose mind, character, and holy ways was perfectly manifested in Jesus (Eph. 4:21). The life of Jesus is to be manifested in the believer, and this result is linked with the meaning of His death as applied to us (2 Cor. 4).

The putting off of the old man and the putting on of the new is not something to be done each day. It is rather viewed as accomplished at the commencement of the Christian experience. It is 'Tiaving put off… and having put on." Judicially this is true of us as seen identified with the death of Christ, for "our old man has been crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be annulled, that we should no longer serve sin" (Rom. 6:6). This is God's view of the matter, and He no longer sees us invested as before, but as having put off the old. Our practical answer to this as born of God is found in putting off that body of evil dispositions which was manifest as ruling our former manner of life. This is spoken of in a personified way as "the old man," for it characterized us individually as men. This results in the putting to death our members which are upon the earth, and our putting off, as having no part in our daily living, those evil things mentioned (Col. 3:5-8).

On the other hand, if all of the old is seen to pass under judgment and into death at the cross, the believer is now viewed as identified with Christ risen-"Ye have been raised with the Christ." In God's view we are invested with the new man, and what comprises this and is to characterize us individually is the body of divine dispositions created according to God in righteousness and holiness of truth. In a word, the one is the old nature with its system of evil dispositions, and the other is the new nature with its system of divine dispositions which is according to the image of Him, 1:e., God, who has created him, I.e., the new man, to which pertains none of those distinctions found among men in the flesh, "but Christ is everything, and in all." Our practical answer to this truth is "walk in newness of life" (Rom. 6:4), and our putting on, so as to characterize our daily living, those things mentioned in the accompanying instruction and exhortation (Col. 3:12, etc.).

We have died with Christ-that is God's view.

We reckon ourselves dead-that is faith's answer,

We put to death-that is what we are to do now daily, and so come to live a new kind of life, no longer practicing sin, which is lawlessness, but righteousness as bondmen of God, having fruit unto holiness and the end eternal life (Rom. 6:22).

Thus like Abraham, utterly helpless and hopeless in ourselves as to fruitfulness, we find power in God and from God, working in us, for He quickeneth the dead. He is the Almighty, the God of resurrection to us, so that in us, as in Abraham and Sarah, He fulfils His own word. It is all of Him, and so we come to walk before Him and to be perfect, as applying the truth of circumcision to all that is of the old man and walking in the power of the new. It means to walk by the Spirit, for according to God we live in the Spirit and are to walk in the Spirit (Gal. 5). It is that new order of life which God has created (with which we are now identified as having been raised with the Christ), which is to come out in us day by day as those who are new creation in Christ Jesus. "As many as shall walk by this rule peace upon them and mercy." The apprehension of the truth we have outlined is power for the practice of those moral features and spiritual qualities which form a true expression in us of the life of Jesus-the mind of Christ. John Bloore

(To be continued, D.V.)

O, death, though still an enemy,
Thou art a conquered foe.
Through thee has Satan lost the power
He wielded long ago.

For in my risen Lord I see
Death cannot hold Christ's own;
He burst my bonds, and set me free,
He hushed my fevered groan.

Thou art my servant now, to ope'
Heaven's door, and break my chain;
Thou'rt conquered by the blessed hope
That Christ will come again.

I've stepped across the yawning grave,
It has no fear for me;
I hold the hope my Saviour gave,
He's coming presently.

So Death, thou hast no victory,
Thy sting I do not dread;
My risen Lord has rescued me,
I'm risen from the dead.

Thy resurrection power, O Lord,
By faith has lifted me
Beyond Death's thrall, and Thine own Word
Gives me this certainty:

That I might know Thee, blessed Lord,
In resurrection power,
And fellowship Thy sufferings,
In that unequaled hour.

Oh, make me then conformable
Unto Thy death, I pray,
That Thy blest resurrection power
May hold me 'neath its sway.

H. McD

PART I.

The great resultant loss of unbelief is nowhere more evident than in its keeping its victims in complete ignorance of the future. Men will not believe the words of Scripture, reject its prophecies and warnings, and hence wander on in darkness until they enter eternity. There is not an error taught by the dupes of Satan that the Scriptures cannot deliver from. If there is in the heart of any person the least .desire to know what is true, what is real, what is God's purpose concerning the earth, this truth is in the Bible. To reject the Bible is to throw away chart, compass, guide, to refuse the most precious of gifts. The Bible is God's gift to man, given to teach, to guide to Himself, to lead into the light.

This wonderful Book says Christ is coming, and it tells why He is coming. It answers every legitimate question concerning this future coming, but does this in the very fewest possible words. In 1 Corinthians IS God has given information concerning the future of those who have received His truth, who have had faith in Christ. This long chapter of 58 verses presents these truths before mankind in words such as can be found nowhere else outside Scripture. Many other passages give additional light on this; here are found answers to the questions which have been asked for ages. Contrast with this long chapter the scant five verses (86 words in the Greek) foretelling the future of rejecters of Christ, of God's Word and Truth (Rev. 20:11-15). There are many other passages adding to what is given in these five verses, but at the very end of Scripture is given the end of those who have wrought for self through their lives. This judgment is twice over declared to be "according to their works."

Men cannot complain of this judgment. They live here on the earth, they do what they please, but they live for themselves; self is their god, but Christ is rejected, hated, disowned. There can be but one end to such a life, be it long or short; they are to be judged according to their works. There is no word of judgment in 1 Cor. IS. Why? Because it concerns the future of those that are christ's. He is coming for them alone at this time. 1 Corinthians 15 has not a word concerning those dealt with in Rev. 20:11-15. The chapter in 1 Corinthians is a resurrection passage; the verses in Revelation are a judgment passage. Those who belong to Christ,"they that are Christ's," are not mentioned here, because they are not "judged according to their works." Would it not be a strange dealing of Christ with His own to subject them to the same judgment as that of His enemies? The works of unbelief are judged by the Judge of all the earth. The works of faith do not call for judgment. Christ bore the sins of His own on the cross; they are blotted out, His own are cleansed from all sin, and how can He judge sins which He has forgiven? How can He judge those whose judgment He Himself has borne?

Heed what is written as to the resurrection of His own:

"It is sown in corruption;
It is raised in incorruption:
It is sown in dishonor;
It is raised in glory:
It is sown in weakness;
It is raised in power:
It is sown a natural body;
It is raised a spiritual body."

All the dead in Christ all down the ages are to be thus raised. This is what Scripture declares, and this is what faith receives. The very fact that any person is raised from among the dead at Christ's coming proves that the raised and changed one belongs to Christ. There can be no judgment for them. If they are Christ's, they are saved from sin and from judgment.

Note that there is not a word in Rev. 20:11-15 about any whose names are written in the book of life; the account is of those whose names are NOT written therein.

Christ's coming as described in 1 Cor. 15 is entirely for His own, but after this He has to "put down all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign till He hath put all enemies under His feet" (vers. 24, 25). He begins this by taking His people from the earth; then He deals with those who are His enemies. All through the prophecies of the Old Testament are references to that time, the "Day of Wrath." First, there was wrath poured out upon the Jews because of their abominable sins and idolatries, all of which was foretold by the prophets. Then Christ came and was rejected in the most absolute manner, and there followed the utter destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans. In both of these the predictions of God's prophets were fulfilled in the way of warning to the world in these days. The prophecies of the Old Testament have been fulfilled in three principal ways:1-By the coming of Christ as a Man, the most prominent event in the history of the world. 2-By the destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar. 3-By its destruction by Titus. In each of these cases there was prophecy and fulfilment.

Now we wait for Christ to come for His Church and all His saved ones, and thus to fulfil New Testament prophecy. Then there are the prophecies of His coming in power and glory to take possession of this earth for God. Now it is in revolt, and it will never yield to Christ until He comes in His might to completely overthrow His enemies.

Men hate the truth as to this; they do not want Christ to come in judgment; they want to be let alone to go on in their sins. But God gives them time to repent and believe in Christ as Saviour and Lord. This is to know and love the One whom now they fear and hate. What a mighty change the being saved, being "born again," makes in the thoughts, feelings, desires of those who believe in Christ as Saviour, and receive the salvation He gives. When any one is born again he sees the kingdom of God. Without new birth there is no real faith in God, no real obedience to God, no taking Christ as Lord and Master.

No one can really love the appearing of Christ unless he has been born again. It is the unsaved people in the churches who have no interest at heart in Christ's appearing. No Laodicean wants Christ to come, for His coming means the display of profession in its true character. The mask will then be stripped off; the enemies of Christ will be marked out, no matter what their profession.

But there is another part to His coming-His rule over the earth. First He takes His people to Himself out of the earth; then there is the coming in judgment, the coming with His saints. His coming for them was to take them to Himself out of the earth before the scenes in the book of Revelation were enacted. The attempt to fit the history in the body of Revelation to the past history of the Church and the world has always been so unreal, that no one can have the assurance that this book, after the third chapter, refers to the past, except in a very restricted way.

The pictures in Revelation are symbols of what is coming upon this earth after the Church is removed. It is the light of the New Testament thrown upon the future of the earth to illumine the words of the Old. They foretold judgment speedily coming upon the Jews, prophecies partially fulfilled by the attacks of the Assyrian and Babylonian kings, and later by the Romans. But the prophecies of the Old Testament concerning the judgments of God upon the earth have never been fulfilled in full; they are awaiting the time described in Revelation.

God is back of all those calamities which now come upon the earth. He allows, guides, directs them. Unbelief questions the goodness of God, because He even permits such calamities, but Scripture reveals Him back of all, and acting in righteousness and goodness, as well as holiness and justice. Men are so blinded by sin that they cannot see their own deserts. It was ever so with the Jews, who imagined that because they had the promises, they would be delivered from their enemies. But those coming among them who had faith and true knowledge of prophecy knew that the prophets denounced the nation for their sins, while promising blessing in the far future. The curse has come upon them in the past; the promised blessing is still future. The blessings promised to the Jews in the prophets are earthly, and Christ comes to earth to execute judgment upon it, upon those who hate Him, and will not have Him to reign over them. But this also prepares the way for earthly blessing to be given at last to Israel. J. W. Newton

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

"Let our secret reading prevent the dawning "of the day. Let God's voice be the first we hear in the morning. Mark two or three of the richest verses, and pray over every line and word of them. Let the marks be neatly done, never so as to abuse a copy of the Bible.

In meeting believers on the street or elsewhere, when an easy opportunity offers, recur to the chapters read that morning. This will be a blessed exchange for those idle words which waste the soul and grieve the Holy Spirit of God. In writing letters to those at a distance, make use of the provision that day gathered.

Above all, use the word as a lamp to your feet and a light to your path-your guide in perplexity, your armor in temptation, your food in times of faintness. Hear the constant cry of the great Intercessor, 'Sanctify them through Thy truth:Thy Word is truth.'"

Calendar:July 16th to Aug 15th

DAILY BIBLE READING ….. July 16th, 2 Chron. 9; July 31st, 2 Chron. 24; Aug. 15th, Ezra 3.

SUPPLEMENTARY READING … July 16th, Matt. 17; July 31st, Mark 4; Aug. 15th, Luke 3.

(Matt. 16:24,25.)

I

Life is not easy, nor its burden light.
O blessed Lord, 'tis meet it should not be,
For Thou hast suffered in this vale of tears,
Where now we wait till Thou shalt come and call
To that blest home where rest eternal reigns.
Meanwhile 'tis well for us to suffer here,
That fellowship with Thee may be our joy,
And we of greater fitness be possessed
To dwell with Thee in that bright scene of bliss
When life is but one long sabbatic day.

II

Life is not easy, nor its burden light:
Nor should it be, O blessed Lord, our life,
Since for Thyself its every step didst prove
A drought from sorrow's cup, till at the last
Thou drankest up the cup of righteous wrath,
For all the sin from which the sorrow came
That strews life's highway with the wrecks of shame.
O Man of griefs! that broken and subdued,
Our hearts may fully be controlled by Thee,
And find their rest in fellowship with Thee.

III

Life is not easy, nor its burden light,
And neither would we seek it, Lord, to be.
For otherwise we could not then obtain
Sweet fellowship with Thee in suffering loss
In this dark scene, where every wave of life
Though often crested with the bitter gall
Of fleshly ways and our tumultuous will,
May bear us up to deeper joy with Thee,
The perfect One, beatific in Thy love,
Of every grace and glory full possessed,
In Thee to find our rest mid daily toil.

IV

Life is not easy, nor its burden light.
Lord, thus we learn Thy sympathy and love,
And know the power of Thy encircling arm;
The tenderness and might which bear us up
O'er vale and hill of life's rude, rocky way
Which once was trodden by Thy blessed feet,
That Thou mightest fit Thyself to sympathize
With such as we who have our life in Thee;
And wait to drink its fulness with Thyself,
The suffering now to know, as then the joy
In seeing Thee, O Lord beloved, so fair.

Life then shall be eternal rest and bliss,
As we Thy joy, the Bridegroom's joy, shall know,
While learning more of Thy blest love for us,
Thy bride won for Thyself through toil and death.

V.

Come, blessed Lord, and take us to Thyself!
Our spirits long to see Thy glorious face,
O Lover of our souls, O Saviour, Friend!
Then Thou wilt take these shaking bruised reeds
And make us to Thine image full conformed.
O hour of joy, Thy joy, we Thy delight!
O hour of rest, no mark of sin's alloy!
Thou ALL IN ALL, our Treasure House of bliss!
Thou Tree of life, Fount of perennial springs!
With Thee possessed of pleasures evermore!
Tis then, rapt in the fulness of Thy love,
Our song shall rise in unison with Thine
And fill the New Creation of our God.

John Bloore
"I AM GLORIFIED IN THEM"

(Continued from p. 40)

V.-IN ABRAHAM’S HISTORY

To the wisdom of men there may seem what they would call a lack of balance in the way in which this first book of Scripture is written. They may think that the relative importance of things is lost by restricting the account of creation to two chapters, and allotting twelve to the seemingly insignificant experiences of the man Abraham. Is not the former of cosmic importance, and the other quite provincial? Such an attitude but serves to illustrate the Lord's words by the prophet, "My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways." And the standard by which the relative value of things is determined by God is as different to that of men as are their ways and thoughts-a difference as great as that found between heaven and earth.

The difference may seem more striking in one way when we see the record of the formation of nations and growth of the world after the flood compressed into a little more than one chapter, and then the life of one man given in great detail-a man who is not a world-leader, not even of sufficient prominence to be given a place in its annals. But what is the explanation? Is it not found when we see the place this man has in later revelation from God, particularly in the New Testament? He stands for, and his life exhibits, the lessons connected with the great basic principle upon which man's relation with God is established, and life in fellowship with Him enjoyed-FAITH, the believing God. Without this it is impossible to please Him.

Moreover it is with Abraham that God brings out the distinct and peculiar character of faith, with His own special purposes in the fulfilment of which it finds its complete blessing. For the first time we see in his call that the place and portion of faith is quite apart from the established providential order in the world. It brings us into a place not dependent upon the common responsibility of man but wholly dependent upon God and His promises-in effect, His Word. But this cannot be apart from what meets the requirements of God's nature, its holiness and righteousness. The Cross supplies this, and so the truth of it bears a relation to every aspect of faith's position and portion. This being so it is not surprising to find much in Abraham's history which suggests this precious and important line of truth. Certainly where we have an altar mentioned, it seems clear that we are to think of the Person and work of our blessed Lord who for faith is both Altar and Sacrifice. But there are also instances in which no mention is made of an altar, yet which bear some relation to the truth of the Cross. Let us then seek the instruction these things afford.

The history in chs. 12-13:13 gives a connected experience teaching principles of truth constantly evident in the development of the life of faith. In this we have the altar in three different connections (12:7, 8; 13:4).

Whatever delay, resulting from the influence of human relationship, occurred previously, we see at the beginning of ch. 12 that Abraham yields full obedience to God's call. This brings in the first mention of the altar. Here then in Abraham the obedience of faith and the altar are associated together. And is not that obedience patterned after His who is our Altar and Sacrifice? The Spirit's sanctification is unto the obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. This altar is connected with Sichem and Moreh, names which suggest service and instruction, and where shall faith come to know the full meaning of both more fully than at the altar and its sacrifice? He took the form of a servant and humbled Himself unto death, even that of the cross. The place He took and the work He did become the way in which we know God revealed in wisdom and power, sealing to us instruction by which alone service and worship are given proper character. For the altar suggests worship on the part of faith, but this is ever connected with the truth of Christ and His cross. The Lamb is seen as the very center of the eternal glory, the Object of worship forever. To this the Spirit already leads, causing us to rejoice in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh. It becomes our delight to bear the yoke of Christ, through whose perfect obedience to the will of God the full blessing of faith is realized.

Abram journeys on, coming to the mountain of ver. 9, where he builds another altar.

The elevation to which faith brings is not only a place of security, but also of superiority to the surrounding scene. This means detachment from it-separation, while the tent tells of pilgrimage. Does not the obedience of faith lead to separation-to a realization of detachment from that lower sphere to which nature and flesh gravitate? God has called us in sanctification, that is, to be set apart to His holy will, as in the world but not of it. Here, as before, faith associates the place or attitude thus taken with the truth of the Cross. In it we read the judgment of the world and its prince, and the judgment of all that we are in ourselves. But if our "altar" teaches us that we have died with Christ, it also opens to us that higher ground-we are raised with Christ, and as on this mount we are in touch with the things above where Christ is sitting, and we are not set in mind on the things on the earth. Thus there is formed in us a right spirit of separation and pilgrimage, while we wait for the time of glory when He who is our life will be manifested. We are led to walk in the path of Christ.

This place is not always maintained. Abraham went down to Egypt. The time of testing comes. By this we learn to our shame and grief what is in ourselves, but find too how in spite of this God comes in to bless and deliver. As a result Abraham is brought back to the place he had left, "unto the 'place of the altar, which he had there made at the first."Here the altar becomes related to restoration. When we have strayed from the path of His will and are led back, does not this bring us into some fresh realization or revived appreciation of our Altar and Sacrifice, of Him who having made propitiation for our sins is both our High Priest and Advocate? The grace of this service grows out of the grace according to which He tasted death for us, and having been perfected through sufferings He is the One able to save completely.

Surely we see in all this how the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ bears a relation to the place and portion belonging to those who walk by faith in relationship with God. If we walk by faith, not by sight, if we walk by the Spirit, we shall weave the truth of the Cross into our daily experiences. Thus will we learn to bear about in our body the dying of Jesus that the life also of Jesus may be manifested in our body. We will deny ourselves, take up our cross daily, and follow Him. J. Bloore

(ROM. 1:16)

This familiar gospel text is illustrated in a remarkable way by the following incidents which have recently taken place in Russia under the present Government. How great is the grace of God who uses His power for the salvation of men instead of their destruction! The account herein given is a translation from the Russian language, and brings vividly before the mind the gracious activity of the Holy Spirit in exalting Christ and giving boldness to His servants to testify and exemplify the grace of a Saviour-God.

Mr. T…. was arrested by the Cheka for insisting on preaching the Gospel. He could not keep quiet even in prison, but continued presenting to his fellow-prisoners the glad tidings of Jesus Christ. The Lord clothed his words with such, power that many bowed their knees, found peace with God and committed their lives to Him.

When this became known, the Cheka (the Russian police) sent for him and sternly demanded that he keep silence. But he boldly replied, "As long as I am able to open my mouth, I must- tell men that there is One who is above all, the blessed God before whose throne you will have to appear." A shower of threats and curses was their reply. "We will make you keep quiet," they said. They then sent him to cells where Communists were imprisoned for party discipline. Even here he could not keep quiet, but boldly and happily he testified to them of the grace of God and His disposition of mercy toward all men. He read the Scriptures to them and prayed aloud for their salvation. It was not necessary to wait long for results. One after another came to him at night when the others could not see them, asking the way of salvation, and confessing their sins. In this way and at this time many received forgiveness of sins through the grace of God and found that peace which cannot be shaken, because founded upon the work of Christ on the cross and His resurrection from the dead.

Their numbers constantly increased. He was again brought before the Cheka. "Now tell us," they said with malicious joy, "have the comrades taught you to keep quiet?" "Thank God," he replied, "that is not so, but' I have taught them how to pray." Enraged, they called him a liar. "No," he said, "I do not lie. They now bow their knees to God and confess Jesus Christ our Lord to be their Saviour. And you too," he said, "must do likewise." In great anger the Cheka sent for some of these Communists, who to their great surprise bore testimony to Christ and said they were new creatures in Him.

The wrath of the Cheka was now unbounded. They decided to imprison him amongst dangerous robbers, so that by any means his zeal in praying and preaching might be quenched. Not long before a large band of robbers had been caught. They had been pillaging villages and had murdered many people in the Caucasus. They, however, strenuously denied their guilt, and the execution of the death-sentence had been deferred. In this prison-den they had been confined for a long time and had become like wild beasts. When the Cheka did not wish their victims killed immediately, they cast them into this hideous place with its brutal company. Like wild animals the robbers fell upon them, stripping their helpless victims of their clothing, which they sold to their brutal jailers, and often tormented the new arrivals until death came as a welcome relief.
Our friend, Mr. T., together with a priest and an officer, was thrown in amongst them. But it was somewhat with our brother as with the prophet Daniel in the den of lions. Before they could attack him, he approached the robber-chief to shake hands with him in a friendly fashion, and said, "I greet you in the name of God. We are all here, like yourselves, under sentence of death." This brave and happy salutation completely disarmed the chief and made a deep impression upon the wild people. The chief said, "Comrades, no one has ever welcomed us like this man:we will not harm him." Before they could attack the priest and the officer, Mr. T. said, "Please do not harm them either; they are my friends." They were left in peace. The chief said to him, "Lie down beside me, and no one will dare to touch you. Let your friends do likewise."

Before Mr. T. lay down on the cold and filthy floor, he bowed his knees in prayer and prayed aloud. The robbers looked at him in great astonishment. They had never seen nor heard of such a thing before; that a man who was evidently not a priest could pray, and at an hour when there was no church service going on. It seemed still more surprising to them that the words used were simple and not studied. His prayer, freely and simply uttered, embraced the needs of his family and himself, the inhabitants of this den, and all his enemies, committing them affectionately to the grace of God. Some were inclined to laugh, others to quarrel, but the stern look of their chief restrained them.

The night was a terrible one. He had never in any of his numerous imprisonments encountered similar conditions. Myriads of poisonous insects and centipedes tormented them. But, as of old, there was evening and morning the first day. The morning at length came, and Mr. T., after a sincere and heartfelt prayer, began to make acquaintance with his fellow-prisoners. Their tone was more friendly. But the poor priest had much to suffer in blows and mockery. When Mr. T. had finished praying, the priest likewise desired to pray, but he had not the necessary courage. "Why do you not pray together with him, you fraud?" they cried. Some one shouted, "Come, let us teach him to pray; possibly he has forgotten how it is to be done, but we shall teach you as you have taught us." With a loud cry, they forced him to his knees. He repeated all the church prayers he could remember, and soon fainted. When he recovered, they shouted, "Pray as T. prays. When he prays a pleasant feeling comes over us, and you must pray like him." In great distress, the poor victim prayed to the mother of Christ and the saints, but that was far from satisfying them. "Listen, cursed raven," they shouted"; "do you believe those prayers are heard?" They struck and kicked him, and at length in deep distress the poor priest admitted his belief that his prayers were not heard by God. This raised a general uproar of angry voices. "Listen!" they cried, "He does not believe in his own prayers. Blood-sucker," one shouted, "thou art guilty and such as thou art, of my becoming a thief and a robber." Another exclaimed, "If you priests had taught us how to pray as T. does, I would have been an honest and reasonable man! It is you who are guilty if I am shot. We will kill thee, but before we do so, thou must learn how to pray."

Mr. T. then said to the priest, "Confess your sins and call upon the name of the Lord. He will save you." Being afraid to die, the priest began to pray from the depths of his heart to the living God. He confessed that outwardly he was a sheep, but inwardly he was more like a wolf. "That is better," cried the listeners; "your prayers are more like T.'s prayers! Continue! Continue!" they shouted. God graciously heard the cries of this tormented soul. He became more peaceful in addressing God, until he broke out in happy thanksgiving for the forgiveness of his sins through Christ Jesus.

When he had finished, and said "Amen," three times, Mr. T. calmly thanked the Lord for His wonderful grace to the priest. All became calm. The change in the priest influenced the robbers profoundly. The officer, likewise,, found peace with God.

"Friends," said Mr. T. to the robbers, after having had soup with them made of rotten fish, "your bad language and foolish words are very trying to me, and cause me much pain. . I should like to tell you something beautiful from the Bible. Although it has been taken away from me, I can by heart remember many things." "We will listen," they said. He then began from the first chapter of the book of Genesis and told his attentive audience about the creation of the world, the entrance of sin and the consequent fall of man. He came to the 53rd chapter of the prophet Isaiah, drew a picture before their eyes of the Suffering Lamb of God who died for the sins of the world. Their attention was arrested by this vivid presentation of God's goodness as expressed in the death of His beloved Son. The following day the robber-chief said, "Tell us more about the scourging and crucifixion of Christ." Mr. T. spoke of the two thieves who were crucified beside the Lord, and how one of them openly confessed his guilt. "Comrades," said the chief, "I wish openly to confess what you and I have done." It was a horrible confession, a very nightmare of horror. '"All this," said he, "I have done. Could God forgive me?" "Thanks to the ever-merciful God," said Mr. T., "He can and will forgive in the same manner as He did your guilty comrade, the thief on the cross." God, in virtue of the precious Blood, purified the guilty conscience of this bold and reckless man, and gave him peace as to his past and joy and hope as to his future.

What a God of righteousness and love we have to do with! The truly repentant soul can say with delight:

"I have a title without a flaw, a prospect without a cloud, and a Saviour and Friend who never changes."

The chief asked to be brought before the Cheka, and to their intense surprise he told them the details of his lawless life. But their astonishment was unbounded when this bold and daring bandit told them that the prayers of Mr. T. had brought him and his band to this sincere confession. The Cheka were shaken by this fresh evidence of the power of Mr. T.'s testimony, and after eight days he was set at liberty.

When he was told of his freedom, his joy was great at the prospect of seeing his wife and child once more, but as he looked upon his companions his heart was sore as he thought of parting with them. "You have been a father to us," said the chief. "You have brought us to Christ, we have been taught to pray, and we are now able to face even death in peace." Mr. T. warmly embraced and kissed them all as he left the dismal den.

May this truly marvelous tale of the grace of God in a dismal modern prison be blessed to you, my reader. Time is brief and eternity approaches. A Saviour-God desires your blessing, and our desire is but a faint reflection of His who desires all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.

"We praise Thee, and would praise Thee more,
To Thee our all we owe,
The precious Saviour and the power
That makes Him precious too."

"The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and He knoweth them that trust in Him" (Nah. 1:7).

Happy are we if we open our griefs to Him who indeed knows them better than ourselves, if we keep Him by our side, if we constrain Him to abide with us. Happy if when the day is far spent and darkness is closing round, we are allowed to see for one moment the fulness of the divine presence, which has been with us all along.

But happier if, when our hearts first burn within us, while life is still fresh and the way is still open, as One speaks to us in silent whisperings of reproof and discipline, speaks to us in the ever-living record of the Bible, we recognize the source of the spiritual fire.

Above the thorns, that one time crowned Thy brow,
The eye of faith could ever see
The hand of Him who holds o'er that bowed head
The crown of victory soon to be.
Yea, many crowns shall crown Thy brow,
And we by faith behold it now.

Soon heaven and earth shall own Thee Lord of all,
And every creature bow the knee;
Yea, those who scorned, and pierced, and crucified
The Lord of glory shamefully,
He'll force to bend the unwilling knee,
Confess, and own His majesty.

Soon we shall see Thee, Lord, with unveiled eyes,
And read the story of Thy grace,
And know Thee as we never yet have known,
Nor ever could, but face to face;
Nor yet the cost of all Thy love to us,
We cannot measure, but by Calvary's cross.

Eternity! Our finite minds are lost
Whene'er we seek its depths to sound,
For all things here we know must have an end,
Infinity the finite cannot bound:
But when we leave this cumbrous clay,
We'll understand eternal day.

And all that we beheld as in a glass,
Shall in full glory meet our eyes,
And all He is, and was, and e'er will be,
A never-ceasing glad surprise:
Infinity will then no mystery be,
And all His joy be ours eternally.

We wait, with bands cut loose, Thy coming, Lord;
We're watching for the Morning Star;
We're listening for the shout that will awake
The dead in Christ, both near and far;
And we who live will join the company,
And so forever, Lord, we'll be with Thee.

Helen McDowell

"The Lord will reward him according to his works . . . May it not be laid to their charge" (2 Tim. 4:14-16)

(Reprinted from December, 1907)

What moral lessons are found in the marked differences made in Scripture concerning the conduct of individuals. And if Scripture is already the throne of judgment set up among God's professing people, how solemn are those lessons!

The passage above quoted furnishes one of them:"Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil:the Lord [will] reward him according to his works:of whom be thou ware also; for he hath greatly withstood our words."

Here was a man, whether a professing Christian or not, who sought to hinder the truth itself-that by which God reveals what He is, and blesses men. The messenger of that truth had been withstood by him. What is there that grieves and wounds the heart of the messenger of truth like meeting men who seek to hinder and oppose it, in whole or in part? For the servant of Christ, going forth in the spirit of love, with the divine motives which belong to the truth, what can make him suffer like seeing the way of truth thus assailed? It is as if one would break the pitcher of water in the hands of him who carries it to the needy! Accordingly, the inspired apostle expresses God's righteous judgment upon Alexander:"The Lord [will] reward him according to his works." How different the feeling toward those who, not in self-will, like Alexander, but in the weakness and cowardice which, alas, is so easily found among God's people, flee in the hour of difficulty and danger:"At my first answer, no man stood with me, but all forsook me." This noble champion of the truth of God was now in the lion's den for the truth's sake. Everywhere, at all times, that grand, glorious purpose of God in Christ Jesus filled his vision and guided his feet. He preached the truth; he lived it; he concerned not himself with the consequences. Was he free? He owed himself to God's elect, and endured all things to reach them. Was he bound, and before king's courts for judgment? He turned the court into an audience before which to present the precious treasure committed to him. Blessed, thrice-blessed man! He can pity and pray for his poor, weak brethren who are afraid of the lion:"May it not be laid to their charge," he prays, in the power of the same Spirit by which he had just pronounced judgment upon the coppersmith. If the touches of nature are delicate, how much more those of Scripture! P. J. L.

Doctor Woodhams and his family, with Miss Dejonge and Miss Creighton, had a good crossing in the "Aquitania," arriving in London, June 4th, and sailing again for Africa June 5th. The following is an extract from a letter written at sea:

S.S. "Aquitania," at Sea.

"We are grateful to our God for setting us on our way and for the many mercies we have enjoyed through His people. Nothing has been lacking and no note of discord in it all. I do not refer to material ministry and that "with which to pay the fare," necessary as that is, but rather to that interest and co-operation and practical love in Christ by the Lord's people which must be given by our Lord Himself to be enjoyed. I have started Miss Creighton on Kingwana to-day and we will have a daily lesson, D.V., from now on. Otherwise, the boat routine is just as usual."

A further letter comes from London, as follows:

London, June 5th.

"Had a pleasant day here yesterday, and to-day we came on board. The ship sails at noon. We got rooms at "Homeleigh," the mission home in which we stayed in 1925. It is very pleasant here, and the people very warmhearted Christians. A meeting had been arranged for us at Benton Hall last evening. We enjoyed the evening very much. Tea was served at 6:30, and then after several prayed I had an opportunity of telling them a little about the work in the Congo. So we are on the next stage of our trip, and Mombassa gets a little nearer. So does heaven. "Thus far by grace preserved."

From Brother Robert Deans we have the following:

Mambasa, April 23, 1931.

Last Sunday the native who assists Dr. Woodhams in his hospital work (his name is Akunja) publicly stood up and confessed Christ as Lord. He is about the average in intelligence, and we all rejoice that our God in His matchless grace has opened this man's eyes.

This morning at 1:30 we had a rather exciting time. We have been bothered with a leopard for the last three months. He walked the length of the porch one night and left the feathered trail of two chickens. We set traps without success. On the 20th he stole eight chickens leaving us only one. He was not able to eat them all, but he killed them, and also another pet monkey we had received.

On the 22nd we set a native trap made in two compartments, one for the bait (a dog), and one for the intended victim. At one o'clock in the morning the dog began to howl. Bob and I got up and called the natives, who came with their torches. The leopard was in the trap and growling fiercely. The Doctor's gun was brought into play, and a few shots silenced the growling, the natives then opened the trap and bore the brute in triumph to the porch, where the measuring line was placed upon him, showing his length to be 7 ft. 4 in, from tip to tip.
We are forging ahead now with Miss Creighton's house, and hope to have it ready when she arrives. We will be exceedingly glad when our brethren arrive.

We are all well and rejoicing in our Saviour's love.

Kind love to all the saints and many thanks in His blessed Name."

The following interesting letter has just come to hand from our young brother Bill Deans:

Nyangkundi, April 20, 1931.

The school term will close this month, D.V., and the daily routine will be somewhat less strenuous for a month. The Lord graciously answered the prayer for an enrollment of 200, and sent thirty more for good measure. I expect to spend the greater part of this vacation month among the villagers spreading the gospel. There are many natives who can never be reached by simply preaching the Word on a mission station. They are the real villagers, and can only be reached by these safaris we take occasionally. This one I propose now, if it pleases Him, will take me about a week south by foot. That's getting into a district where the children, and even grown-ups, run at the sight of a white man. In fact, unless some one heralds one's coming as a missionary, they run away, as at this time of the year they think the tax is being sought. Every native in the Congo is taxed, the amount being 31% francs or about 90 cent. It is quite difficult for many to meet this, so even a missionary of the Cross is feared as though he came from the government to collect their francs. We had the opportunity of meeting Apollo of the Pigmy forest (as told of in A. B. Lloyd's book by that name, and another by the same author, "More about Apollo," also in "Through Central Africa," by Roome). He had never been to Nyangkundi before, and slipped away for a week to come and visit us. He is a dear old man of about sixty-seven years, with gray hair and beaming countenance. His face shines with the love of Jesus, and ne always wears a smile. That is a treat to see. For over 30 years this gallant defender of the faith has preached the gospel here in Congo, and previous to his coming here held forth about ten years in Uganda, across Lake Albert. We were intensely interested in his recounting of some of the difficulties and instances of opposition and victory which he had experienced, and will pass on one instance of God's far-seeing wisdom that he told of. When Apollo first came with the gospel he was bitterly opposed by Tabaro the chief at Mboga. Tabaro ordered him to leave the Congo. Apollo refused, saying that the Lord had sent him there, and until the Lord commanded him to go he would remain. For that he was stripped and flogged with hide whips. Then thrown into the forest he was left to die. God had willed it otherwise, however, and a Christian woman came to him and nursed him back to health. Then one day he entered the forbidden village, and beat the drum for the Lord's Day service. The chief who had been unaware of Apollo's convalescence heard the drum, and enquired of his followers who was beating the drum, and why. When informed that it was Apollo calling the people to service he would not believe, but went to see for himself. Upon seeing Apollo he fell upon his knees and begged forgiveness, which Apollo freely granted, then led him to Jesus as a hiding-place. The old heathen chief found full and free pardon through the efficacy of our Lord's blood shed for sinners. Since his conversion the chief has been a stalwart Christian and a loyal supporter of Apollo. Apollo's father and mother are both Christians, and he spoke lovingly of them, and how they urged him to remain steadfast when skies seemed darkest. We could scarcely restrain the tears when, having told his colorful history, this gallant negro Christian said, "All my former enemies are now Christians." He deserves a place in your prayers.

We thank the Lord for continued strength to carry on His work and ask your fervent prayers that we may serve Him to His honor and glory. Christian love to you all.

We can rejoice with our brother Searle for the definite manifestation of the Lord's grace shown to them in connection with souls being saved. He writes as follows:

Nyangkundi, May 6th.

We are anxiously awaiting the coming of the dear Wood-hams party, expecting that about this time they may be leaving America. We think the doctor will get quite a surprise when he sees the new hospital brother Deans is building for him. It is better adapted for the work than anything the doctor has had previously. Their goods shipped by the Pacific route have already arrived, and seem to have come through in good condition. Miss Creighton's house is going up too, and should be ready for her when she comes. As I write, we have not yet heard definite news of the Woodhams' departure, date, or route. We expect to await their arrival in Congo before leaving. Our route is not definitely chosen yet, but it may be via South Africa and England. We know the Lord will guide at the time, and thus may it be a matter of His will, as all else.

The Lord's grace has been manifested lately in a further number of people being saved-several each meeting lately, here on the station. Last Sunday 23 were baptized. The number of people coming to live on the station and attend school has increased considerably, and these are being turned to the Lord. It is encouraging too that there are from time to time those who are being converted to God in the out-schools, which are taught by some of our native brethren. Several new out-schools have been opened this year, as several new young men have gone out to teach. Pray for them. May the Lord also raise up others in due time to evangelize. The need is ever so great, but the laborers few. We are setting before our native brethren the need of evangelization work at every opportunity that during their spare time from work their relatives and friends, as well as many others, may be reached by the gospel.

From China we have the following encouraging letters:

Peiping, June 3, 1931.

School will be over at the end of next week, and I expect to leave here, in company with Dr. Lee, whom I mentioned in my last letter, for a village some thirty miles from here to meet those Christians whom I also mentioned. We will go on bicycles.

I have the feeling that I should not settle down on any particular Mission Station, but rather, go from place to place as the Lord should lead. Both Mr. Ruck and Mr. Lee have recommended a young Chinese brother, who is willing to go with me as a traveling partner, and will be my Chinese teacher at the same time. -1 will hire him entirely from a temporal standpoint, but possibly of his own accord he will want to preach, and the fellowship together may be of mutual benefit.

Dr. Lee wants Mr. Ruck and myself to visit his home during the next month. It is about one hundred and fifty miles north-east of here. From there we have been planning to go on to a place called Ro-Ho, and then take a boat and float down the river, calling at various places and preach the gospel. Mr. Kok, a stalwart of the gospel, may meet us there to take the trip with us. Before going to Dr. Lee's home, I may visit our brother Kautto, and go on from there. I may travel by bicycle instead of taking the train to Paitaho, distributing tracts on the way and speaking a word for the Master as the occasion arises. A bicycle is a very useful thing in China, because you are able to travel on the narrow paths that one finds in the country, and then when you come to a river you are able to carry it over.

Last week, a young missionary and myself took a trip with Mr. Ruck to a place called Miao Feng Shan. At this place is a notable temple to which many pilgrims go at this time every year. We rode about twenty miles on our cycles to a place called Pei-An-Ho, distributing tracts all the way. There we stayed all night at an inn. The following morning we rose at 4:30, and started for our mountain climb. We had over eight miles to go before we reached the top of the first mountain, the steepest I have ever climbed. I was exhausted before I reached the top. After descending into a valley, we climbed another mountain. The distance altogether was about thirteen miles. On our way we spoke to several about the Lord, and I had the opportunity to use John 3:16 a good many times. They had not the faintest idea of the gospel, or who Jesus was. We found a place to sleep in a building that belonged to one of the temples. The priest seemed very interested and came into the place where we were staying. We had just been talking about Daniel's three friends going through the fiery furnace when he came in, so Mr. Ruck opened his Bible and read the whole story, and the priest was bent over the Bible all the time Mr. Ruck was reading.

While we visited the temple in which the pilgrims offered incense, along came two young men, who afterwards proved to be students from the Yenching University, which is only a few miles from Peiping. One took his incense, and throwing his cap to his friend, went into the temple. My friend, Mr. Dyxtra, followed him in, and I went after. One of the priests lit the incense, and the young man took it and placed it in a receptacle, and placing his hands together bowed before it several times. When he had finished we spoke to him, and asked if he believed in this sort of thing. He said he believed in it very little, but he was doing it for a friend of his who lived in Tientsin, He seemed to be ashamed, and excused himself, asserting that he was doing it for a friend who sincerely believed in it, but we said, "Not your friend, but you," and his friend standing by emphasized the point by adding "You." His friend was a professing Christian. The young man said he would like to talk, the matter over, and took our address, and said he would come and see us.

I covet the prayers of my brethren, that I may grasp this difficult language, and that I may have wisdom, strength, and courage. Dr. Lee said, when talking about traveling evangelism, I must get a Chinese brain, and I told him that was very difficult.

As I was going down the street two nights ago, I saw a plain wooden cross standing above the heads of a group of people gathered around a preacher. At first I thought it must be a Roman Catholic preacher, so I went over to listen, and found that he was preaching the gospel in simple clear tones. It made my heart rejoice. He was dealing with the sin question, and pointed out that Jesus Christ nailed to the cross was bearing sin in His own body for us. He said that although nailed to the cross, He still had power to destroy the Land of Palestine if He wished. He was a Chinese preacher, and apparently no one was with him.
Now I must close, hoping this finds you well and happy in the Lord. Yours affectionately in Him,

George E. Foggin.

Taitowying, June 2, 1931.

We have been very busy for over a week on the fair grounds, having the tent filled pretty well from 7 o'clock in the morning till about 10 in the evening. There were quite a few of us taking part in the preaching, and so when one got tired another started in, and so we may say we had about 10 hours' preaching one day. Of course the audience was changing. Our seats also afforded a good resting-place for the fair people. We. could accommodate about a hundred at a time, and wish the tent had been five times as large, for those at the fair would, I am sure, have filled it full. Anyway we were ,glad of the opportunity, and I was glad to see many of the same faces every evening, as I was taking part in the meetings at that period of the day when people were sitting quietly and listening, and there was not so much noise outside.

Afterwards I heard many criticisms:some commendatory, and some blaming the natives who helped preach with having followed the foreign devil, but that is just what Paul wrote to the Corinthians, "By honor and dishonor, by evil report and good report, as deceivers and yet true, as unknown and yet well known."

We found that our tent was not sufficiently reinforced, some of the ropes being pulled off in, the heavy wind, and consequently some holes torn in the edge of the tent, but since then we have reinforced it by putting a rope on every seam.

We will be delayed from going out with the tent at present. We have to remove and rebuild a native building-the living-quarters for the compound help-which may take two or three weeks longer. However, since we had the tent on the fair grounds I am happy to say there has been quite a gospel interest among the professing Christians, and so we have been going out almost every evening for open air meetings on the streets or in near-by villages, and a number of them are taking a very active part. Their preaching is not perfect by any means, yet it shows the desire of the heart-to testify a little of what they know-and I believe that is just where every beginning starts. In the Chinese language we say, "From shallow enter deep," Yu chien ru shen.

Our next-door missionary neighbor, Mr. Dewey of Changli, visited us the day before yesterday with his Chinese assistant, as he was winding up the affairs of their station in this town (which, I might add, has never had a resident foreign worker) due to lack of funds. He also stated that they would be closing additional stations next year. During our conversations Mr. Dewey expressed the thought that the Chinese ought to learn to worship with money. My reply was that money was not the most important thing; the first and most important being that they should be really born again, and after that the testimony of not working or doing business on the Lord's Day, which is an acid test in any heathen country of the genuineness of profession. I mentioned to him that it would be much easier to get money from the people, if one were just after money, than to lead them to accept the gift of God through grace without any merit, for as soon as they can give a little money or anything at all they feel that they have some merit, which as you know is a hard mental condition to change when one once gets it fixed. I was glad that his helper-a district superintendent-attended our Bible reading. We had our lesson from 2 Cor. 8:1-15. I especially emphasized verse 4 as to what effect Paul's preaching must have had on those Macedonians, for he says, "They were praying us with much entreaty that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints." I mentioned that now-a-days the conditions are reversed, and the preachers most likely would be found entreating their church-members to give some gifts.

I suppose that by the time this reaches you Dr. Wood-hams and party will be nearing their destination. Trusting this will find you all well and happy in the Lord, with our best Christian regards to all.

Affectionately yours in Christ, Charles and Esther Kautto.

Missionary Work at Home

Our brother Bill Deans mentions in his letter that there are natives who can never be reached by simply preaching the Word at the mission station, and the only way to reach them is by going to them in their villages, and our brother Searle says, "We are setting before our native brethren the need of evangelization work at every opportunity that during their spare time their relatives and friends may be reached by the gospel."

Surely this should remind us of the fact that conditions in this country are much the same as in Africa. People will not come to the halls to hear the gospel, therefore to reach them at all it must be by adopting the methods mentioned by our brethren. After prayerful consideration of the above might we not make special effort this summer, particularly during the vacation time, by endeavoring in tract-distribution and other methods, to lead precious souls to Christ? Time is short. Opportunities will soon be gone, and multitudes will be compelled to say, '"The harvest is past, the summer ended, and we are not saved" (Jer. 8:20).

Christianity

Christianity is a living and divine reality. It is not a set of doctrines, however true; a system of ordinances, however imposing; a number of rules and regulations, however important. Christianity is far more than any or all of these things. It is a living, breathing, speaking, active, powerful reality-something to be seen in the everyday life-something to be felt in the scenes of personal, domestic history, from hour to hour-a something formative and influential-a divine and heavenly power introduced into the scenes and circumstances through which we have to move, as men, women, and children, from Sunday morning till Saturday night. It does hot consist in holding certain views, opinions, and principles, or in going to this place of worship or that.

Christianity is the life of Christ communicated to the believer-dwelling in him-and flowing out from him, in the ten thousand little details which go to make up our daily practical life. It has nothing ascetic, monastic, or sanctimonious about it. It is genial, cordial, lightsome, pure, elevated, holy, heavenly, divine. Such is the Christianity of the New Testament. It is Christ dwelling in the believer, and reproduced, by the power of the Holy Ghost, in the believer's daily practical career. This is Christianity-nothing else, nothing less, nothing different. -C. H. M.