Echoes of Grace: 1966

Nothing but Christ, as on we tread,
The Gift unpriced—God's living Bread;
With staff in hand, and feet well shod,
Nothing but Christ—the Christ of God.

Everything loss for Him below,
Taking the cross where'er we go;
Showing to all, where once He trod,
Nothing but Christ—the Christ of God.

Nothing save Him, in all our ways,
Giving the theme for ceaseless praise;
Our whole resource along the road,
Nothing but Christ—the Christ of God.

Saved to the Uttermost

Around a flickering native lamp whose shaky fingers of uncertain light painted on the four walls great swaying, shadowy caricatures of the heads and shoulders encircling the table, several Chinese men were seated, engaged in evening Bible study. They were reading and discussing the sacred record which told of the Apostle Peter's imprisonment and miraculous deliverance.

Unnoticed by them, a bright-eyed, mischievous little lad had entered the room through the door which opened on the street. He stood there for a few moments examining the scene and wondering what these men were doing. He heard them mention someone called JESUS, and he gathered from their remarks that this JESUS had done a very surprising thing. Evidently someone had been chained in jail and guarded by soldiers, and this JESUS had broken the chains and helped the man get out. Soon losing interest, however, the boy ran into the street, once more to join the other youngsters in their noisy play.

Many years later, during that troublous period in China which followed the overthrow of the old Imperial order and the setting up of the Republic, when numerous ambitious war lords each raised his own army and each fought against the rest, calling the others "outlaws" because they too aspired to supreme authority—during those stormy times this same young lad, now grown to manhood, was serving as a soldier in one of these armies. Following the urge of a wild, uncurbed nature, and having imbibed the lawless atmosphere of the bandit-ridden mountains in which he had been born, he grew up to be a hard and fearless young ruffian, addicted to opium, brutal to his wife, and so fierce of temper that even his friends had to take care lest they incur his displeasure.

The old men in his town shook their heads and dismally prophesied a bad ending to such a vicious career as his. They felt there was little likelihood of his ever mending his ways. No one dared rebuke him.

And their forebodings were very nearly realized! The army in which he was enlisted was garrisoning his home district when an invading army, also Chinese, arrived. A fierce encounter followed in which the invaders came off victorious. Immediately they occupied all the walled towns and cities in that section of country, and began to "mop up" the fleeing remnants of the defeated force. Some escaped, others were killed, and not a few were taken captive. Our young friend was among the last class and, together with a number of others, was cast into an improvised military prison to await trial as an outlaw, and finally, upon a day fixed by military tribunal, to be executed.

Chained in that grim room, all his former bluster and self-confidence forsook the young fellow as he found himself helplessly at the mercy of men who did not fear him in the least. Well he knew that no friend or relative would risk life or reputation in an attempt to get release for such as he. His past record was against him, and death, terrifying death, was creeping remorselessly towards him. He wanted to flee it but he was chained fast, and there was no escape.

Then that story heard in childhood came back to his mind. A man had been chained in jail, he remembered, and though guards were watching him, there came to him one called JESUS, who put the guards to sleep, broke the chains, opened the iron doors, and took the man out. "If JESUS did this for that man, cannot He do it for me also?" he reasoned.

Quietly, lest the others notice such unusual behavior, he began to address words to an unseen, unknown person called JESUS. "JESUS, please save me out of this jail as you saved that man I heard about when I was a boy!”

Thus he prayed, over and over, for several days. Then it occurred to him that the other prisoners were no worse or any less deserving of release than he, so he altered his prayer: "JESUS, perhaps it would not be fair to save me only. We all need saving, we all are afraid to die. Save all these men, as well as me.”

Soon other difficulties suggested themselves to his mind. "Supposing we are released? Soldiers in other towns through which we must pass to reach our homes will not know we are pardoned prisoners. They will kill us, or imprison us again.

"Oh, JESUS, please move the heart of the judge to grant us passes when he sets us free, so we can all reach our homes safely!" he prayed.

Later he remembered that they were penniless and home was far away, for by this time he had practically taken it for granted that pardon was certain—"by faith," of course. They would starve before they could reach their own families again, he reasoned within himself, and so he pled, "Oh, JESUS! When You cause the judge to get us free, please move his heart to give each of us some money for traveling, so we need not go hungry.”

At last the dread day dawned—the day for their execution. An armed guard barked out a sharp order for the prisoners to line up and, chain hobbles still clanking on their legs, they stumbled to their feet to obey. Our praying friend suddenly was overcome with choking fear, and all assurance of release disappeared like a puff of smoke or a happy dream. Death sneered at him and his childish praying fancies. He dared not stand first in the line, lest he be first to feel the beheading sword strike his neck, with its stinging shock and the accompanying awful blackness that would gobble up his dear life. Nor dared he stand last in line, lest he have to witness all the others dying before him. He took his place in the middle.

Out they stumbled into the bright sunlight, longhaired, ragged, faces a pasty gray, and eyes glazed with hopeless fear. A crisp, kindly voice penetrated their consciousness: "Men, today I am happy to announce that your cases have been examined and, in view of the circumstances surrounding your capture, leniency is to be shown each of you. You are pardoned. Go home!" It was the judge himself speaking!

The prisoners stood still—stunned, stupid, unbelieving. "You with the hammer and chisel, get busy! Cut their shackles, and be quick about it!" snapped the judge.

Freed, the prisoners still hesitated, fearing it was a trick, fearing they would be shot in the back if they attempted to start for home.

"Oh, by the way, I had forgotten," cried the judge. "Come here, all of you, into my office! The secretary has prepared a pass for each of you. You'll need it!”

Dumbly they shuffled after him. To each man was handed a sheet of soft, gray paper, on which were written a few terse lines—their passports to liberty!

"How many of you are over thirty miles from home?”

Upon finding that all were, the judge issued still another order, "Treasurer, give each of these men enough money to get them home!”

When the fresh little notes were distributed, as in a dream, our friend departed with the rest. As he plodded homeward it gradually dawned upon him what had happened. "JESUS has heard me!" he whispered in deep awe. "JESUS has taken me out of jail. JESUS has done everything I asked of Him!" And he became more and more exultant, "Why, it's wonderful! JESUS is real, living, alive! He hears me! He's with me!”

At length he reached his home and, bursting in upon his amazed family, cried out, "See here, all of you, and you, my wife, we are going to give up all these useless false gods. JESUS has saved me out of jail. He's real! We all are going to worship Him, do you understand? I was doomed; I prayed to JESUS night and day; and He did everything I asked Him to do. He's—He's God!”

Through later association with mature Christians and missionaries, this man learned to know the LORD and His ways more and more perfectly. As years went by he developed into a strong, fervent preacher of the Word, being as bold and fearless for GOD as formerly he had served sin. The last heard of him was that he was living in his home town as a voluntary pastor-evangelist, depending on the LORD for the supply of all his needs and those of his wife and their well-trained children. He had been severely tested, but this only increased his devotion to God and fruitfulness in Christ's service.

"Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron;... Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and He saved them out of their distresses." Psa. 107:10, 13.

How to Have a Happy New Year!

On the night of the Savior's birth angel voices proclaimed "peace on earth good will toward men." In the anniversary of that great event, the holiday season of goodwill just passed, how little of "peace" is experienced! Everywhere there is war, or rumors of war; and men's hearts fail them for fear of those things which they see coming upon the earth. Can the angel message of "Peace on earth, good will toward men" be impossible of fulfillment?

We must remember one outstanding fact: when the Babe was born in Bethlehem of Judea, although the heavenly host proclaimed Him as "the Savior, which is Christ the Lord," there was found "no room" at His birth, and when He grew to manhood He was still not wanted. He Himself said: "The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay His head." Matt. 8:20. This was foretold by Isaiah in his prophecy concerning Him: "He was despised and rejected of men." In His life on earth He was hated, vilified and crucified. The world still says in effect, "We will not have this Man to reign over us.”

Peace on earth? Instead, bloodshed, misery, and poverty abound. Degradation and crime are increasing; and man, like "the fool" of Proverbs would say, "No God"! The creature into whose nostrils a loving God breathed the breath of life has, almost from the very beginning, flouted Him, his Creator. He was created to be upright and to glorify God, but almost immediately he disobeyed Him and sinned.

God is holy, and His holiness demands that He must punish sin. But "God is love" and that love desires to bless His creature, man. Because of this great and blessed fact the Lord Jesus Christ, who is truly God, came from His Father's bosom down to Bethlehem that He might be the Savior of sinful men and women. He died on Calvary's cross that He might bear the punishment that was due to our sins. Scripture says, "Christ died for our sins." 1 Cor. 15:3. He died, "the Just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God." 1 Peter 3:18.

This is a troubled world, a world that knows no peace. As a dear, godly man has said, "On earth there's a kingless throne and in heaven a throneless King. Until that throneless King is on that kingless throne, there can be no peace on earth.”

But every child of Adam can have real peace, peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Each one can face the New Year without dread or fear. How? Confess to God your unrighteous, sinful condition. Repent of your rebellion towards Him and your many sins, and believe that Christ died to cleanse you from all sin.

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9.

"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." Acts 16:32.

That is God's way to peace and happiness throughout the years.

Surprising Discoveries

Two who made surprising discoveries were both under the power of the wicked one, who has different ways of exercising his influence. We will speak first of one who was a spectacle of misery, dwelling among the tombs. He was so exceeding fierce that travelers dreaded to pass that way. So ungovernable was he that men could neither bind him nor tame him!

The other man lived in modern times, and his company was sought by thousands. He was "well read," as it is called, and of very great influence. But he too was under the power of the wicked one. Under Satanic influence, his heart was thoroughly set against God as revealed in Christ. He was one of those described in 2 Cor. 4:3, 4: "If our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: in whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.”

The first of these, when approached by the Savior, regarded Him as a "tormentor," and wanted to have nothing to do with Him. With a loud voice, he cried, "What have I to do with Thee, Jesus, Thou Son of God Most High? I beseech Thee, torment me not.”

The truth was that Jesus had come from heaven, as sent by God the Father, to express His good pleasure in blessing man, and to secure his deliverance from the powers of darkness. A little later, this poor victim of the oppressor's power personally proved the reality of this deliverance. Those who heard of it, and went to see what was done, found that the devils had departed out of him and the man was sitting at the feet of Jesus, "clothed, and in his right mind." The One he had dreaded as his tormentor had now become his great Deliverer and attraction. Indeed, when Jesus was leaving, he expressed his longing desire to go with Him. What a surprising discovery was his! But instead of taking him, Jesus left him to bear witness of Him to others. "Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee." Mark 5:18, 19.

The other surprising discovery was made by the notorious French infidel, Mirabeau. It is reported that when he felt his end was approaching, he said to a personal friend: "All that can now be done is to envelop oneself in perfumes, cover oneself with flowers, surround oneself with music, and then sink quietly into everlasting sleep!”

He had long held and taught that death ended everything. But that last enemy had laid hold of him and now he made a surprising discovery; at least it was one that surprised those who were watching at his deathbed. "My tortures are insupportable," he exclaimed. "I have still within me a hundred years of strength; and not a moment's courage!”

But why had he any need of courage? Courage to fall quietly to sleep? How could that be? A man in his prison cell who has to appear before the judge the following day, may well dread having to listen to sworn witnesses, to the verdict of the jury, and the sentence of the judge. He well may not be able to sleep, although it is the waking, not the sleeping, for which he needs courage. But Mirabeau had long maintained that death is an eternal sleep, and had even repeated it on his dying bed; yet, when he actually came to it, he had not an atom of courage for it.

What a solemn reality of waking up was his! It was the verdict pronounced on the "fearful and unbelieving" that he lacked courage for. What a contrast was this poor unbeliever's "torture insupportable" to the "joy unspeakable" which is the prospect of everyone who really knows and loves the Lord Jesus Christ! Reader, are you one of them? Do not rest another hour without a saving knowledge of Christ. You have a history that will come to an end, and a conscience that cannot be bribed into silence. Nothing can satisfy an accusing conscience but the precious blood of Jesus Cleansed by that blood, the dying believer sweetly falls asleep in Jesus and joyfully awakes in His likeness. But those who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord for His own will be caught up to meet Him in the air. What a glad surprise awaits them!

"Wherefore comfort one another with these words." 1 Thess. 4:18,

Candles Put Out

Once, while making a long journey by train, I found myself sitting opposite a man whose appearance attracted me. We soon entered into conversation, and I found that my companion held an important post on the west coast of Africa, and was about to return to Lagos.

"A very unhealthy country, is it not?" I asked.

"Yes, very. Out of a population of two hundred Europeans, eighty of them died off in three months," he replied. "I have been down with fever and in hospital for weeks together, but I am rather lucky; they were just dropping like flies all around me.”

I shuddered, and inquired whether this terrible wiping out of human life did not make him think seriously of eternal things. With a shrug he assured me it had not the slightest effect on him.

"We never think we shall die," he said. "Why, I remember a young fellow was brought in when I was in hospital. He was put in the next bed to me. We could touch one another, we were so close. He didn't seem to be very ill, so I proposed a game of cards. We were going to play for money, and he insisted it must be for cash. A check wouldn't do, he said, as I might be dead before the morning, and nobody would cash it for him. The fellow was dead himself that night!”

This awful callousness made me tremble. How reckless of life was my companion! He was as hard as flint, and no words of mine could move him.

The wicked "spend their days in wealth, and in a moment go down to the grave. Therefore they say unto God, Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of Thy ways. What is the Almighty, that we should serve Him? And what profit should we have, if we pray unto Him?.... How oft is the candle of the wicked put out! and how oft cometh their destruction upon them! God distributeth sorrows in His anger." Job 21:13-17.

It is awful to die unprepared and thus to fall into the hands of the living God.. After death comes judgment; and Christ is the only refuge for the sinner in that day.

"Why are ye troubled when death comes in view?
Christ giveth rest.
Though after death there comes judgment too,
You may be blest.

Christ bore God's judgment poor sinners to save, He gained the victory o'er death and the grave; Oh, now believe Him, and life you shall have; You shall have rest.”

Reader, if your life were to end suddenly, if your candle were put out would you find yourself in "outer darkness"?

Do not trifle with your soul, I beseech you. Your time on earth will soon be over, and then-?

Is Christ your own personal Savior? Have you fled to Him for refuge from the wrath to come? If not, do so at once, for you know not what a day may bring forth.

Now is the accepted time.

Now is the day of salvation.

"To him that worketh not,
but believeth on Him that
justifieth the ungodly, his
faith is counted for
righteousness."

Rom. 4:5

February

Wilt Thou Go With This Man?

(Gen. 24:58)

"Wilt thou go with this Man?" Dear unsaved one, on thee
Is the question most tenderly pressed,
Wilt thou cease thy vain search for true happiness here,
And take, in exchange for it—rest?
It is rest that He offers—a home, and a crown,
Bought for thee at a price—His own life's blood poured down.

"Wilt thou go with this Man?" Shall His beauty and love
Win thy heart from the shadows below?
Shall the light of that smile which brings life to the dead
Set God's pardoning seal on thy brow?
Wilt thou go with this blest One? He waits thy reply,
He is longing to save thee—oh, why wilt thou die?

"Wilt thou go with this Man?" Say, who is it that woos
Thee to fly for thy rest to His arms?
`Tis the glorious Savior—Oh, canst thou refuse
His sweet love, though no danger alarms?
Soul, despise not, reject not so precious a gift,
Lest His jealousy burn, and destruction be swift.

"Wilt thou go with this Man?" 'Tis thyself that He seeks,
'Tis thyself that He yearneth to save,
As much as if thou in thy weakness and sin
Wert alone Satan's captive and slave.
He saw thee, He loved thee, He came where thou art;
And now, when He calls, canst thou bid Him depart?

Mwaluki of Central Africa

In the heart of darkest Africa, far south of the city of Lusambo, the peaceful Baluba tribe lived. Their homes of clay walls and thatched roofs were wide spread over a pleasant valley between the Sankuru and the Lubi rivers, where fish abounded. Happy and prosperous were these primitive people until the Basongi tribe, under their bloodthirsty leader, Pania began to oppress them.

Many tales are told of the fiercely fighting Baluba as they sought to repel the dread Basongi, cannibals who carried guns like the Arabs. One brave muluba, or young man, of the Baluba tribe, named Kibalabala, was especially renowned. With only a spear as a weapon, he many times routed the foe, and killed of the cannibal gunmen more than fifteen or twenty, thus saving his town and his people.

For some time the Baluba village had been left in quietness, and a sense of security spread over the beautiful valley. To preserve their safety, the heathen hearts of the tribesmen trusted only in their own prowess in battle, for they had never heard of the almighty God, the Lord of Hosts, who is able to save to the uttermost them that put their trust in Him. Thus they became careless and no longer watched for signs of an enemy.

How like this is to the unwary, lost world upon whom the coming of the day of the Lord shall be "as a thief in the night"! "For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them." 1 Thess. 5:3.

So it was that one morning at dawn, before the first ray of sun had lit the eastern sky, the peaceful village was aroused by the red-brown cuckoo's cry from the forest. How serene and quiet was the scene!

But see! Creeping through the tall rank grass, dark forms and savage faces peer through the gloom. What evil fate does this forebode for the little hamlet?

The doors are opened; women carrying hoes prepare to work in the fields of grain. Out come the men with traps and nets, to go to the river for fish. The very old and the very young watch the busy preparations from the doorways. But from the tangled grass a loud gunshot explodes in the face of that unsuspecting, defenseless crowd; and one, bravest and best of the Baluba, falls dying with a bullet in his breast.

On much of that one-sided battle we draw the veil. The doomed town was surrounded with a ring of fire, assuring its destruction. The few who dared resist were, one by one, ruthlessly shot down; and the fierce gunmen who, like the python, tightens its coils around its prey, pressed ever closer till all resistance gone, the victory was theirs.

Among the captives there's none so sad as one tall woman. Not her own fate is her care; but she would gladly die to save her sister's child, Mwaluki, and her own little daughter. Well she knows each child must now grow up a slave. Indeed, all those wretched captives know full well the hopelessness of their lot, and in deepest woe, they weep and wail and beat their breasts. And the victors, the Basongi? They feast upon the slain!

Several days elapsed. On the weary way to the big river, the captives learned that the meat supply was exhausted; and at close of day the fierce Basongi must be well fed. These gluttonous cannibals require a special delicacy, for they have eyed covetously Mwaluki and her young friend and cousin. So to the aunt and mother comes this awful message: "This night we appease our hunger on one child. Give which you please!”

What a hard choice for the loving heart of aunt and mother! Her dying sister's last request was that she take Mwaluki in her stead. Her loyalty and promise decide the test. With her arms tight around Mwaluki, she gives her own dear child to be killed and eaten by the cannibals that night.

"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13. How this act of sacrifice on the part of a heathen woman should stir the hearts of those so privileged in this day to know the story of God's far greater Sacrifice for us!

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16.

Years went by, while the little slave girl grew into young womanhood. Faithfully she served her master, performing her daily duties cheerfully and well, but always remembering the awful price that had been paid for her life. How it must rejoice the heart of the great Father-God when His blood-bought children remember what He paid to redeem them! "Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold... but with the precious blood of Christ." 1 Peter 1:18,19. One evening a man, his wife, and three children, journeying on foot from a faraway village stopped to rest for the night under a sheltering tree near the hut occupied by Mwaluki's master. Feigning kindness to the wayfarers, he offered them the hospitality of his home, which they gladly accepted.

When the travelers were deep in sleep, the wily Basongi who coveted their goats and old flintlock gun, stole silently to the slumbering forms. Swiftly the blows of his sharp dagger claimed the lives of each of the trusting family.

But "be sure your sin will find you out." The murdered man's relatives traced him to his murderer. He was proved guilty and a fine assessed which must be paid in slaves; and again Mwaluki was among those who had now a new master.

After a few more years a young man came into the town where Mwaluki's new master dwelt. The tall, comely maid won his heart; and with honest pride he paid the dowry and received Mwaluki as his bride. To Inkongo, among his relatives and friends, he took her; and together they established a little home with a flourishing vegetable garden and a field of corn, all fresh and green.

One moon-light night, the natives were sitting around their little camp-fires. They were talking and laughing, free from care and fear. But all noise hushed as three strangers approached—two white men and a lady. In the center of the village street they seated themselves on three folding camp-stools, and there they sang a hymn. The villagers all crowded near to listen closely to whatever their strange visitors might have to say.

And what a story it was! The speaker first convinced these simple folk of their sinful nature and of their own helplessness to change it, even with prayers and sacrifices to their wooden gods. He spoke of the awful doom awaiting those who face a holy God, their sins unforgiven.

Then he told them of One mighty to save, who looked in pity from His heavenly throne down upon poor sinners here below; how He saw their guilty, lost condition and in His great love for them He gave His own dear Son—Jesus, His name—to die that sinners might live. In simple words these simple folk were told the wondrous story of Calvary and that, through believing it and receiving God's Son, Jesus, they could be saved now from the penalty of their sins and would spend eternity with Him in glory.

When the three visitors had left, the wondering crowd dispersed. This story was news indeed to them, and some desired to "think it over." Others quickly dismissed it as merely an evening's entertainment, and soon forgot it. But God had prepared the hearts of some to receive the sweet story of His love, and Mwaluki, more than all the rest, appeared to yearn to know that wondrous Savior. Again and again she went to listen and to learn.

At first, condemned in her own heart as a lost sinner, she sadly acknowledged her unworthiness to face a holy God. But then, told of His tender love and matchless grace, Mwaluki's own story prepared her to believe and accept a work fully done, a complete redemption founded on faith alone. In owning Jesus as Lord, her ransomed heart was filled with joy and peace! and in her baptism in the nearby river she openly confessed her allegiance to her risen Savior.

In the eight years since then Mwaluki's great desire has been to serve and follow her Lord. All around her see constant evidence that she can honestly say, "Christ in me, the hope of glory.”

Do you, my reader, proclaim Christ as your Savior? Do you daily seek to be used of Him to lead others into the light of that glory? In your privileged position much has been committed to you. Solemnly let me warn you that in like measure, much shall be required of you in that day.

The Journey's End

"Don't send him down to the Base, he won't last to the journey's end." That was the word of the doctor to the nurse in charge of the field dressing station. "Put him to bed, and make him as comfortable as you can," was the nurse's instruction, in turn, to the orderly.

This occurred during the First World War, while the train was in preparation for the evacuation of the wounded to the hospital at the Base.

The orderly could not but notice the youthful appearance of the casualty, and was shocked at the words he had overheard: "He won't last to the journey's end." What should he say to a man who was really dying? This question occupied his mind. The orderly was not a Christian, but his father and mother were; and now he wished that he knew what his father would say to such a man in this soldier's case.

Again and again he asked the young man-now so weak and helpless—if he could get him a glass of water, a cup of tea, or anything. Always he got a quiet "No, thank you" in response.

At last the orderly thought of another question he must ask: "If you died—tonight—would—it be—all right?”

The answer was a wonderful one. "Yes—I—know—WHOM—I—have—believed." The injured boy said no more; he had breathed his last.

This witness of the dying boy gripped the heart of the questioner. But where could he find a Christian who could explain this answer to him? It was sometime before he found such an one in a Soldier's home. There an old believer in the Savior told him that the dying young man was, like the Apostle Paul who first said those words, settled in his belief in Christ, his Savior and Redeemer.

If the dear dying lad had had the strength, he would have finished his testimony by saying, "and am persuaded that He [the Savior and Lord] is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him.”

How good to know that the confession of this youthful soldier in his dying moments was so clear and firm in his trust! His happy confidence was used by the Holy Spirit to the conversion of the orderly; and now he too could say, "I know whom I have believed.”

Yes, Jesus Christ was now his Savior and Redeemer because he had received in his heart the message the youthful soldier gave in his dying moments. Can you say as you read this: I know whom I have believed"? If not, why not?

“For I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day." 2 Tim. 1:12.

Better Far Than Gold

Gold is a key that is well-nigh omnipotent, but it has no power with Him who says: "The silver is mine, and the gold is mine." God looks not on the hand, but the heart.

The dying millionaire gasped out as he expired, "Poor, wretched, miserable!" Money had given him neither happiness nor heaven.

What a contrast is the dying utterance of a devoted Christian, William Crimshaw, of Haworth, England (1763):

"I am as happy as I can be on earth, and as sure of heaven as if I were in it... I am quite exhausted, but I shall soon be at home forever with the Lord—a poor, miserable sinner redeemed by His blood.”

"Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding. For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold." Prov. 3:13,14.

Be Ye Also Ready”

"I well remember," said an old man one day, "that when I was a young boy a voice within me said, 'My son, give me thy heart! Now is the accepted time.' But the devil whispered in my ear: 'You can think of that later. Wait till youth has passed; take your pleasure now.' My relatives and my companions said the same thing, so that I waited until I should become a man.

"Then the same voice within me said: 'Seek ye the Lord while He may be found. Today is the day of salvation.' 'What folly,' replied the wicked one. 'Attend to your business first; later, when you have made a place for yourself, you can attend to this.' I saw indeed that everyone about me acted thus, so I waited until I reached maturity.

"I was soon there. Again something said to me: `Today, if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts.'

" 'Not yet,' cried the enemy. 'You haven't much time to work. Wait till you are old, and you will then have nothing else to do.'

"I have waited. Today I am old. The spring, the summer, the autumn of life have passed. The winter is here and I am not saved. Now, parson, what can I do? I have flouted God's mercy and lived only for myself; but now I know that someday ere long I must leave this world. How can I face a holy God?”

It was difficult to present the precious gospel to one who had deliberately hardened his heart and postponed the day of salvation throughout a lifetime of enjoying the goodness of God. That very goodness should have turned him long ago to repentance and it was presented now as evidence of that long-suffering and love for the sinner which characterize Him who so loved and gave Himself to save such. While fear of death and judgment had turned the old man's thoughts to the hereafter, it was now that the "sweetest story ever old" really broke his heart and brought tears of true repentance, and surrender to that blessed One who is "able to save to the uttermost them that come unto God by Him.”

Oh, ye procrastinators! Take heed. Ye know neither the day nor the hour when your time of opportunity will end. Indeed, the foregoing recalls the story of a woman who often said: "I shall only need five minutes at the last to ask for mercy, and I am sure the Almighty will grant it.”

Although she thought she was secure, yet she never had the five minutes. One day her son rushed out of the house to find a minister. "Come to my mother," he cried. "Come quick! She is dying.”

The minister ran. When they reached the house they found the woman, haggard and distressed, sitting on the side of the bed. When they entered she looked fixedly at the minister and cried out: "Ah, my soul is lost! I am damned!" Then she fell back on the pillow. That was the end.

"Therefore be ye also ready." Matt. 24:44.

"Watch, therefore; for ye know neither the day nor the hour." Matt. 25:13.

The Empty Bottles

A chemist was out walking one day, when he remembered that he needed some large empty bottles. Entering the shop of a dealer in such things, he ordered some to be sent to his house.

Soon they were delivered, and his wife and daughter, presuming that they had been sent by mistake, thought it would be a good joke on the chemist when he found that a lot of empty bottles had arrived. They placed one on the dinner-table, as if they had not noticed that it was empty.

The result was not what they anticipated. It was no surprise to the chemist that the bottle was empty. He had ordered empty bottles—why should they be otherwise?

Many people are greatly distressed because they do not find that goodness in themselves which they expected. They long to be different, and they have tried to be, but in vain. They have struggled and prayed, only to meet with repeated disappointment. At last they lose all hope of being what they ought to be. They are just "empty bottles.”

Reader, have you tried to be good, in your own strength, and failed? You are terribly disappointed, and you do not know what to do. Perhaps, then, the story of the empty bottles illustrates the very truth that you need to know.

God has declared His willingness to receive and bless empty sinners, sinners who have no goodness and no strength. It is for such that Christ suffered and died. "For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly." Rom. 5:6.

God knows that there is in you neither goodness, nor strength, nor merit of any kind. Your emptiness is no discovery to Him, for it is empty vessels that He seeks, in order to fill them with His love and blessing. It is empty sinners that He invites to come to Him, that He may shower upon them abundance of grace. He says that in you there is no good thing, no power to be different, and that God knows it; but that in Christ there is supreme goodness, and almighty power, and it is all for poor, empty sinners like you!

It is in turning from self to Christ that we are saved. Salvation results from our giving up all hope of self betterment and in putting our whole confidence in the Savior. As His own, there is no good thing that God will withhold from your soul. He will forgive you and save you; He will make you His child; He has every spiritual blessing for you, But all is to be round in Christ.

Trusting in Christ, you receive not only the forgiveness of your many sins, but the gift of the Holy Spirit, to dwell in you, and to be power in you for a life that will be pleasing to God. The Holy Spirit, however, helps no one on the line of self-improvement. He directs our thoughts to Christ, and thus leads us day by day to the great Source of all good.

I beseech you then, reader, to give up all hope of making yourself what you ought to be, or finding in yourself that which you desire. Make the acquaintance of the Savior; receive Him, and in Him you will find your all sufficiency.

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast." Eph. 2:8, 9.

The Great Divide

The Great Divide is so called because the raindrops which fall upon its elevated plateau have, as it were, two courses before them. Those that run off to the west of the great watershed, after traveling many hundred miles, ultimately find their way to the sunny shores of the Pacific Ocean. Those that descend on the east side are gathered up into the tributaries of the St. Lawrence and finally fall into the cold, icy waters of the Atlantic.

Some of you have reached "The Great Divide." Some of you stand at the parting of the ways. That to the right leads to the sunny shores of heaven. That to the left leads down to the dark waters of death.

Pause, I pray you, and make the wise choice.

"There is a way that seemeth right unto a man; but the end thereof are the ways of death." Prov. 16:25.

"Through this Man (JESUS) is preached
unto you the forgiveness of sins: and by
Him all that believe are justified from all
things, from which ye could not be justified
by the law of Moses.”

Acts 13:38, 39

March

Heart's Desire

My soul amid this stormy world is like some fluttering dove,
And fain would be as swift of wing to fly to Him above.
The cords that bound my heart to earth were broken by His hand,
Before His throne I found myself a stranger in the land.

That visage marred, those sorrows deep, the vinegar, the gall—
These were the golden chains of love His captive to enthrall.
My heart is with Him on the throne, and ill can brook delay,
Each moment listening for the voice, "Rise up, and come away!”

With hope deferred, oft sick and faint, "Why tarries He?" I cry;
And should He gently chide my haste, thus would my heart reply:
"May not an exile, Lord, desire his own sweet land to see?
May not a captive seek release? a prisoner, to be free?”

I fain would strike my golden harp before the Fathers throne,
There cast my crown of righteousness, and sing what grace has done!
Ah, leave me not in this dark world a stranger still to roam:
Come, Lord, and take me to Thyself! Come, Jesus!—quickly come!

A Word in Due Season

It was an unusually busy day for the post office at an army training camp near the nation's capital. At one of the delivery windows, a young woman clerk who had volunteered to work "for the duration" had finished sorting a large pile of mail, and was cheerily greeting each of the long line of khaki-clad "customers" as they filed past. For each soldier-lad she had a smile and a kindly word, whether it was accompanied by a bit of mail or not. Her heart yearned over these boys so far from home and loved ones, and she longed to give each one the good news of the "Friend that sticketh closer than a brother.”

Busy as she was, the clerk did not fail to see the unhappy face of one of the young men slowly approaching her window. He was taking no part in the gay banter going on around him, but seemed wholly withdrawn into and occupied with his own sad thoughts. Quickly she breathed a prayer for wisdom to speak a word in due season; and as he took his turn at the opening before her and spoke his name and company, she almost joyously reached for the letter she then handed him. Only one glance at it did he take, and handed it back to her.

"Say, lady," he said, "I just haven't the heart to open that letter. It's from my mother, and I've just got a telegram— it's here in my pocket— telling me she is dead.”

The sad eyes were near tears and the boyish lips were trembling as the clerk reached hastily under her counter and brought out from her "stock" a small Testament. Opening it at John 14, she handed it with the letter to the heart-broken boy, saying, "I haven't time to talk with you now while so many are coming for their mail. You take this over to that quiet corner and read it. I think it will help you to open your letter. I'll be praying, and you can come back to me later to have a talk.”

Half an hour later the rush at the counter was over, and the soldier returned. As the clerk greeted him with a sympathetic smile, she was happy to note that his face was composed and a new light was in his eyes. "Say, lady," he exclaimed, "that chapter you gave me was my mother's favorite. Many's the time she has read it to me. It did help me to open my letter; and while I was reading it, I began to understand as I never had before what it means to 'believe in God' and in His Son. Now I have made up my mind to accept and follow Him who is 'the Way, the Truth, and the Life.' And thank you, lady, for the right word.”

"A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver." Prov. 25:11.

"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me." John 14:6.

With Cords of Love

The gospel message had ended; and, after an earnest prayer that God might use it to the salvation of souls, the preacher urged any who were still unsaved to meet him in the adjoining inquiry room. Along with a number of others, a fine-looking young man sauntered in and sat down near the front row. His anxious expression soon drew the attention of the minister, who seated himself by him.

"By your coming in here," said the preacher, "I take it that you are not a Christian. Now I ask you, will you accept Christ as your Savior?”

The young man slumped forward until his bowed head rested in his hands. For a few moments he remained silent while his shoulders began to shake with the depth of his emotion. The muffled answer that reached the questioner's ears was: "Jesus will not accept me.”

"Why not?”

"Because I have been an avowed infidel for many years, and for the past eight years of my life I have devoted my entire time in speaking in public and in private against Christ. I have traveled over nearly all the world, and have spoken everywhere against Him and all who profess to be Christians.”

Straightening up so his despondent gaze could search the preacher's face, the skeptic stated: "He could never forgive me for what I have done.”

"Do you want His forgiveness?" This question by the Christian seemed to present a problem to the unhappy man.

"Well, sir," he said, "I don't know what is the matter with me, nor why I am here tonight. Some power that I can't understand has been working on me for the past couple of days, and I see the useless folly of all my arguments. Tonight I am in a desperate state of mind.”

The servant of God lifted his heart in silent prayer that he might make no mistake in dealing with this man. After waiting a moment, he said: "Friend, what you need tonight is Christ. Cast yourself upon Him, and He will dispel your gloom and sorrow.”

Rousing himself from what seemed to be a deep reverie, the infidel exclaimed: "But you don't understand! I have fought against Him all these years, believing that I was right.”

"Did you have peace in your heart when you were speaking against Christ?”

Startled, he looked at the preacher. "No; I was a coward," he confessed. "Once, coming from a long journey overseas, we were one night driven by a storm near to the rocks off-shore, where the ship would have been dashed to pieces. I thought we were sure to go to the bottom of the sea, and I got down on my knees and prayed to God to save us. The storm passed, and with it went my prayers. As soon as I thought we were safe, like the coward that I was, I reverted to my former stand and proclaimed more positively that there is no God.”

"Well," said the Christian, "let that go; but tell me, what brought you here tonight?”

Again the answer was, "I don't know. I haven't heard a Christian sermon in eight years, nor have I spoken to a Christian in that time. My whole life and companionships have been entirely among skeptics and infidels. But the past few days have been filled with doubts and misgivings. Tonight, as I tried to walk off my depression I passed this open door, and through the darkness there came to me these soothing words: 'Yea I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn thee.'

"I forced myself to continue my walk, but those tender words drew me back. I wanted to hear more, so I slipped into the back seat and listened. Now I am here; please help me get straightened out!”

"My friend," said the preacher, "the Spirit of God is striving with you. Refuse Him no longer. Yield yourself to the living, loving Savior, and He will receive you, for He has said: 'Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.'”

The bowed head and trembling form told how deeply his heart was moved. The servant of the Lord waited until the struggle ended, and the penitent, subdued spirit was manifested in the uplifted face and thankful praise from the lips of this new believer in the Savior of sinners. "Thank God," he said, "for His love in bringing me here tonight. By His grace I do believe in Jesus, and henceforth I'll trust Him to keep me true to Him.”

Unbelieving friend, can you read this simple testimony to the saving power of the loving Savior and refuse to receive Him into your heart? He still speaks to doubting souls as of old: "Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn thee.”

Waiting Till Better

A servant of Christ was on a visit to a small town. He was staying at a friend's house, and while he was there, a neighbor came to the door. He asked that someone might call on a sick man who was evidently near death. The Christian immediately went; and, while on the way, he was told about the man he was going to see.

The sick man's wife had been a notorious sinner, yes, a terrible sinner; but through the grace of God, she had been brought to know Him who is the Savior of sinners, even Christ. Now, having so much joy in Him who had forgiven her so much, she was exceedingly anxious that her husband too might be saved and have the happiness of possessing eternal life. She had tried often to tell him in simplicity of the love of Jesus, but so far all had seemed in vain. Her husband sneeringly answered her: "He hasn't done much for me! Why should I think of Him?" Thus he despised the proffered mercy of God.

But now he was laid on a bed of affliction; and although naturally a strong man, had become in his illness as helpless as a babe. Even so, he did not want to hear about Christ. He had no thought of dying yet, and said he would wait till he was better before he talked of such things.

When the visitor reached the house, the poor man was in a state of great exhaustion and was gasping for breath. He was so ill that he could scarcely bear to hear the sound of the human voice. Yet the Christian visitor felt constrained to inquire about his soul. He feebly replied: "I'll wait till I'm a little better; and then I'll think of these things.”

In spite of this the visitor pleaded with him gently to accept as Savior Him who came down into this world, and died upon the cross for sinners. Still his only answer was, "I'll wait till I'm a little better.”

Poor man! He never got better. In a few days he passed into eternity; and what an eternity for him!

Friend, this poor man put off and put off receiving Christ, and at last it was too late. Will you be like him? You can be saved now. Tomorrow you may be forever lost. "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved," is today's message to each sin-burdened one. If you die in your sins you will hear your eternal doom: "Depart from Me, all ye workers of iniquity." Luke 13:27.

The Schoolmaster's Text

The circus was over, and a building on the lot had fallen into the hands of Christian workers. It was late Saturday night before they obtained possession; and as a service was to be held on the following Lord's Day, much had to be done. Things hardly helpful to spiritual meditation must be covered up. Texts must be hung, and seats arranged. The ladders were just being put away, and the friends leaving for their homes, when the good schoolmaster hurried up with a large text.

"Too late," said someone. But he pleaded hard: "Do put it up somewhere! I have worked at it many days, praying over every letter. I am sure it will be blessed.”

Over the door was a vacant space, and there the text was placed— white letters on a red ground— "The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin." The schoolmaster was satisfied, and in the darkness of that night he sent up many a petition that the Word of the Lord might be owned.

Sunday afternoon came, and with it a large crowd surged into the circus building. Among these was a man and his wife, who stepped in to see what a change had been made in the old place. Their eyes roamed hither and thither, until at length the text was noticed.

"What's that over the door?" said the man. "It wasn't there before.”

His wife read out the words— "The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.”

The singing, the sermon, the service, made little impression on the couple, but the schoolmaster's text lodged in the man's mind.

"Sin," thought the man. "I have experienced that in my own heart and life. 'Cleansing.' That is what I need, to have all this filth removed, and to be made pure. Is such a thing possible?" He repeated the text, "The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin." Could he be included in that little word "US?”

He began to think seriously of these things. Sin after sin came up before his mind, but over all stretched the blessed text, "The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin." 1 John 1:7.

Blood represented punishment— and punishment cleared the culprit from guilt! So, he reasoned, if Christ was punished for his guilt, that punishment and the blood then shed could cleanse all the sin that was against him in God's sight. In simple faith he believed the blessed word, and rejoiced in his newfound peace.

"Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." Rom. 5:1.

Good News

The famous English lawyer, William Ewart Gladstone, called the Bible, "The Impregnable Rock of Holy Scripture." That is an apt description. It is the Word of God as received by the Lord Jesus Christ from His Father. Whosoever heareth and doeth His sayings is likened "unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock." Matt. 7:24.

All the writings contained in this Book are declared to be "given by inspiration of God." On such divine authority we can take this volume as God's gift for sin-troubled hearts. Let us consider then what this holy Book teaches as to the good news proclaimed in the gospel: It is the "GLORIOUS GOSPEL of the BLESSED GOD." 1 Tim. 1:11.

It is more glorious in its work and results than all the marvels of creation. It is the ONLY GOSPEL.

"Neither is there salvation in any other." Acts 4:12. It is folly to despise it; and yet, what a SIMPLE GOSPEL!

"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved." Acts 16:31. This message is given to repentant sinners who will find it a POWERFUL GOSPEL. "It is the POWER OF GOD UNTO SALVATION TO EVERY ONE THAT BELIEVETH." Rom. 1:16.

"To them gave He power to become the sons of God." John 1:12.

Its efficacy is not only for TIME, but its RESULTS ARE ETERNAL.

"He is able also to save them to the uttermost [evermore] that come unto God by Him [Jesus]." Heb. 7:25.

The good news of God's gospel in His holy word assures believers in Christ of an eternal salvation; but the opportunity of its acceptance is limited in proclamation. "BEHOLD, NOW IS THE ACCEPTED TIME; BEHOLD, NOW IS THE DAY OF SALVATION." 2 Cor. 6:2.

Mind Your Own Business

"Well, Walter, it is good to see you here at the meeting. By your coming, I judge you are still going on with the Lord.”

So the evangelist greeted a young man whom he had not seen for some time and who at previous encounters had manifested a sincere love for Christ. This time, however, Walter's face flushed as he avoided a direct reply by hastily drawing forward an attractive, fashionably attired young woman. "This is my wife," he stated, with evident pride.

For a moment the preacher was too surprised to acknowledge the introduction; but quickly regaining his usual poise, he congratulated the young couple. To the bride he added, "And you have chosen a dear child of God.”

"That's funny! He didn't tell me anything about that." This was her flippant answer.

Taken aback, but still seeking to put Christ first in the conversation, the minister replied: "I trust that you, too, know the joy of sins forgiven and have the certainty of eternal salvation.”

With a toss of the head came the haughty answer: "I consider that my business. Come on, Walter, let's go." And off went the embarrassed young husband and his bride of a few weeks.

In seeking to speak well of Christ and urge upon others the importance of things eternal, the Christian is often told to "mind his own business." Friend, that is just what the believer in Jesus is trying to do. He knows your danger in attempting to live— or to die— without Christ, and wants to tell you of God's grace in providing a Savior for time and eternity.

After a gospel meeting in a large city, the speaker of the evening addressed a worldly looking woman whom he had never seen before and sought to tell her of God's gift of His Son to save such as she. When her husband rejoined her, and she mentioned the circumstance to him, he said: "If I had been there, I would have told him to go about his own business.”

"Why, John," the lady replied, "if you had been here you would have said that he was about his own business.”

Friend out of Christ, do not disdain the voice of warning. It is every Christian's business to remind others that TIME is brief, that ETERNITY is near, and to urge them to flee to the only Savior of sinners for refuge from the coming storm of God's wrath.

"In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good." Eccl. 11:6.

Vital Statistics

It is a fact of immense importance that every second, every movement of the heart, every beat of the pulse, every breath we draw, every tick of the tireless clock witnesses the departure of an immortal soul from this life.

Every minute, as the second hand turns round upon the dial-plate in its circuit and testifies that sixty seconds are past and gone forever, it witnesses the solemn procession of more than sixty souls leaving this earth, and, through the gates of death, entering into eternity. Every hour, as the minute hand describes a circle round the dial-plate, about four thousand people pass from the habitable earth into the unseen world, never to return till the resurrection of the dead.

Every day of twenty-four hours a multitude of men, women, and children, comprising an army of more than ninety thousand persons, leave this world where they were born and where they lived. They pass through the gates of death, through the dark waters, and enter the next world, there to abide forever. In addition to this, remember that TIME is short, "swifter than a weaver's shuttle." "It is even a vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.”

Eternity furnishes us with an immense contrast: the very thought baffles the greatest intellect. Millions and millions of years may roll on, as we count time; yet the vastness and immensity of eternity abides the same, and becomes no shorter. None can fathom nor measure its duration—it will abide forever and ever.

How great the contrast then between time and eternity! Time, now present, with all its golden opportunities and blessings—rich provisions from the good hand of a Savior-God who is rich in mercy and tender in love towards all the creatures of His hand. With divine accuracy He measures the sinfulness of man's heart. Yet, notwithstanding His perfect knowledge of our sinfulness, He loves us and offers to all, whether Jew or Gentile, young or old, rich or poor, a free, present, and eternal salvation. And this rich gift of His love and grace is all embraced and enshrined in the one all glorious Person of His beloved Son, Jesus Christ. He says: "Now is the accepted TIME;... NOW is the day of salvation.”

Friend, God's time is NOW for you to settle your destiny in eternity. That should be to you a subject of immense importance. Time is short and life uncertain. I urge you then to settle TODAY this question, if you are still out of Christ. Make this day, this hour, this moment, the TIME of your turning to Him.

"Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation." 2 Cor. 6:2.

"Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." Isa. 1:18.

"It is the blood that maketh
an atonement for the soul.”

Lev. 1:7:1 1.

"In whom we have redemption
through His blood, the forgiveness
of sins, according to the riches of
His grace.”

Eph. 1:7.

April

I Never Knew?

The late Dwight L. Moody found much joy and satisfaction in ministering to the spiritual needs of soldiers during the American Civil War. His efforts were owned of God in the salvation of many sufferers.

One simple incident occurred following the battle of Shiloh, where Mr. Moody was stationed in the field hospital.

For two nights the servant of God had been unable to get any rest and, being really worn out, on the third night he had lain down to sleep. About midnight he was called to see a wounded soldier who was very low. At first he tried to put the messenger off, but was told the need was urgent. If he waited till morning, it might be too late.

The weary Christian went to the ward to which he had been directed, and found the dying man, whose face was unforgettable as seen that night in the dim, uncertain candle light. Desperation was in his eyes. Mr. Moody asked him what he could do for him; and the reply was, "I want someone to help me die.”

In tender pity Mr. Moody told him he would bear him in his arms into the kingdom of God if he could, but he could only show him the way. Then he tried to preach the gospel.

The wounded man only shook his head, saying, "He can't save me like that! I have sinned all my life.”

With thoughts of his loved ones in the North, and that perhaps even then his mother might be praying for her boy, the Christian repeated promise after promise, and prayed with the dying man; but nothing he said seemed to help him. Then he began to read to him the account of an interview which the Lord Jesus had one night while here on earth with a man who also was anxious about his eternal welfare. It is in John's Gospel, chapter 3, the story of how Nicodemus came to the Master.

As Mr. Moody read on, the listener's eyes became riveted upon him and he seemed to drink in every syllable. Then came the words, "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.”

Eagerly raising himself on one elbow, the soldier questioned: "Is that there?”

"Yes," was the answer.

"Well," he said, "I never knew that was in the Bible. Read it again.”

Leaning on his elbow on the side of the cot, he brought his hands together in a firm grasp, and when the verse was finished, he exclaimed: "That's good. Won't you read it again?”

Slowly the passage was repeated the third time. When it was finished, his eyes were closed, and the troubled expression on his face had given way to a peaceful smile. His lips moved, and as the preacher bent over him to catch what he was saying, he heard in a faint whisper: "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.”

Then he opened his eyes, and said: "That's enough; don't read any more.”

Early next morning Mr. Moody again came to the wounded soldier's cot, but it was empty. The attendant in charge said that the young man had died peacefully, resting quietly and repeating to himself, over and over, that glorious proclamation: "Whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.”

Reader, how is it with you? Have these words of the Lord Jesus come home to you in like power, as is here seen in this touching incident of a dying soldier? Do not wait till you are near death. Believe in Him now, and eternal life is yours. Resting on Christ's atoning death, you will henceforth, by the power of the Holy Ghost given you, be enabled to live for Him in this world till called above.

"Whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life." John 3:15.

The Mighty Conqueror

On June 18, 1815, one of the most decisive battles of the world's history was fought. It was on the continent of Europe near the little village of Waterloo, which lies about ten miles southeast of Brussels., the Belgian capital. Here the British commander, Wellington, with his mixed forces composed of Belgians, Brunswickers, Hanoverians, Scots, and English, faced and overwhelmed the superior and hitherto spectacularly triumphant French army under Napoleon. This defeat marked the close of the Napoleonic drama, and resulted in the banishment of "the little Corporal," as Napoleon was known, to the rocky islet of St. Helena.

At that time news traveled slowly, for our modern means of communication were unknown. The outcome of Wellington's mission to Europe was of vital interest to the threatened British Isles, and most anxiously did the Empire await news from the battlefront. At last, by sailing-vessel to the south coast of England, came the word of this history-making battle. Then by semaphore it was signaled overland to London.

Atop the Winchester Cathedral in southern England, the semaphore began slowly to spell out the message. Letter by letter came the words, "WELLINGTON DEFEATED—." A dense fog had settled over the city. The signals could no longer be seen; and thus the sad, heart sickening news of the incomplete message was relayed to London, spreading gloom and deep despair —"WELLINGTON DEFEATED.”

In due time the fog lifted. The cathedral semaphore again became visible, spelling out the complete, joyful message: "WELLINGTON DEFEATED THE ENEMY." Like prairie fire the news spread over the land, lifting the hearts of the people from gloom to gladness and praise.

Nineteen centuries ago, on a rough, barren hill outside the gates of Jerusalem, a battle of more far-reaching importance was fought and won. There Jesus the Son of God entered into combat with sin and death. He gave Himself willingly in a shameful death upon Calvary's cross. It was for the sins of others—for you and me—that the sinless One died that He might bring us to God.

To His disciples, at the time, it may have seemed a colossal defeat as His limp body was placed in the tomb of Joseph. To them Calvary meant but one thing: "JESUS DEFEATED." Listen to the disciples' dismal dirge during those three days of Christ's entombment: "We trusted that it had been He which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, today is the third day since these things were done." Luke 24:21.

But suddenly the fog lifted. The glorious radiance of that first Lord's day morning flooded Joseph's garden, announcing the joyful, gloom-dispelling news: JESUS DEFEATED DEATH. Those three words enshrine the real meaning of what the world calls Easter. Friend, sing them over and over again: JESUS DEFEATED DEATH.

What a victory was His! He, the sinless One, had been made sin for us. He had borne our sins in His own body on the tree. There He had submitted Himself to the full judgment of God—a judgment due to you and me—and in death that blessed body had been sealed in Joseph's new tomb. But sin, death, and the grave were powerless to hold Him!

On that third day morning, the resurrection morning, the angel's message to the sorrowing hearts who sought their Lord was: "Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. HE IS NOT HERE: FOR HE IS RISEN, as He said." Matt. 28:5, 6.

Christ arose from the dead; and in His triumphant resurrection He spoke peace to the sad hearts of His own.

Friends, have you heard the message this mighty Conqueror has for you? If not, will you respond to Him now? His Word says: "He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, SEEING HE EVER LIVETH." Heb. 7:25.

Profit and Loss?

Mrs. Abigail Luffe, the "Sister Abigail" of the exceedingly interesting book, "Little is Much," was an earnest and devoted Christian worker, living in Buffalo, New York. Some years ago a woman asked her to come to see her husband, a victim of cancer of the throat.

On a visit to the sick man, Mrs. Luffe found him evidently much annoyed and fearful that she would speak to him about his soul. After a brief conversation with him, she expressed her heartfelt sympathy in his illness and left without having felt led of the Lord to speak to him about his truest and best interests.

But this was a Christian who was not easily discouraged, and she returned to the bedside of the sick man several times. He did not, however, allow the subject of his personal relationship to God to be mentioned, although his visitor often referred to the peace and joy to be found in dependence on Christ. Mrs. Luffe found her opportunity when he asked her: "Do you know what is the nature of my trouble?”

"Yes," was Mrs. Luffe's reply, "you are dying of cancer. Are you not afraid?”

"Afraid of what?" was his quick reply. Without giving his visitor time to answer his question, he began to speak of what he had been and done. "I have lived a good life," he boasted. "I have my life insured for a considerable sum, and have made things right for my wife.”

Mrs. Luffe quietly repeated the scripture: "What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?'”

She later said: "All the time my heart was longing to give him some words of love and comfort, but I could only give him that message, and that alone.”

God by the Holy Spirit carried the Word home in power to the conscience and heart of the sufferer. He was led to ponder the vital "profit and loss" problem, and came to see that he was guilty, helpless, and hell-deserving in God's sight. He realized that, if he died as he was, he would spend eternity in hopeless, helpless misery.

After a day or two had passed, Mrs. Luffe received an urgent request from the sick man to come and tell him how his soul could be saved! Thankfully and prayerfully she went; and on arriving at the house she found an "anxious inquirer," a convicted soul, longing to know God's way of salvation. Gladly she pointed him to Calvary's cross, and told him what Christ's death had there accomplished for him. He rested his weary, sin-burdened soul on the blessed Son of God, who loved him and gave Himself for him. With humble gratitude he could then say from the heart:

"In peace let me resign my breath
And His salvation see;
My sins deserved eternal death,
But Jesus died for me.”

Three years later a woman knocked at the door of Mrs. Luffe's house and asked to talk to her. She announced that she was the daughter of the man whom Mrs. Luffe had led to Christ.

"I have come," said the daughter, "to tell you something, and to ask you a question. You remember my father saying that he had made ample provision for my mother? All that you said to him was: 'What shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?'

"Before father died he gave me two hundred dollars to pass on to you as a thank offering to God for sending you to him with such a message. I intended to bring you the money at once, but every time I decided to bring it I thought: 'Two hundred dollars is too much money.'

"Each time I put off bringing it to you the question, 'What shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul?' came before me. At last I can keep that money no longer, and have brought it to you" and, looking Mrs. Luffe in the face, she added, "now, then, am I saved?”

"Saved!" replied Mrs. Luffe, "what do you mean? Do you mean is your soul saved? No, indeed! You are saved from being a thief; you are saved from stealing two hundred dollars. That is all! If you die as you are you will be lost eternally.”

But the Christian worker did not leave the woman in the dark. She told her of the remedy as well as the disease. She showed her that, though she was a sinner, God loved her and had proved it in a marvelous way in giving His beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to die on the cross as a sacrifice for sin, and that by believing on Him who loved her and gave Himself for her, she would obtain eternal life as a free gift and a present possession.

Pointing to a tablet on the wall, with the name of the house engraved on it, "El Nathan," Mrs. Luffe said, "That means 'God's gift.' God's great 'gift' to sinners cannot be bought. I could not buy your father's gift to me. No more can you purchase the gift of God.

`The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life.'”

This conversation resulted in the woman accepting God's gift by simple faith in the cleansing blood of Christ. Before she left Mrs. Luffe's house she could say from the heart: "God loved, God gave, I believe, and I'm saved.”

What will it profit the reader if he becomes a millionaire, having all his heart desires, and dies in his sins?

Friend, weigh it well. Is your decision for or against? "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." Acts 16:31.

Christ Is "the Way”

During a season of great revival of God's work, a servant of the Lord was walking down the aisle of a crowded building. Observing a young man whose eyes were filled with tears, and whose face gave evidence of profound exercise, he paused to speak to him.

"Can you tell me the way to Christ?" asked the young man earnestly.

"No," was the reply very deliberately uttered; "I cannot tell you the way to Christ.”

“I beg your pardon," said the inquirer. "I supposed you were a minister of the gospel.”

"So I am," was the answer.

"And you cannot tell me the way to Christ?" "No," again said the Lord's servant. "I cannot tell you the way to Christ.”

The look of surprise with which this statement was received gave place in a moment to an expression of despair. The young man bowed his head in silence, as if bitterly disappointed.

"My friend," said the preacher solemnly, "THERE IS NO WAY TO CHRIST. You are thinking of Him as far off, or perhaps as standing in that distant corner of this room. You want to know how you can get through this vast crowd, and over these seats, in order to reach Him. But your thought is not according to the truth of Scripture. Jesus came down from heaven and went all the way to the cross, there to put sin away by the sacrifice of Himself. Then He comes, not merely to yonder corner of the room, but up to the very spot where you now are He knows your true penitence and desire toward Him. Tenderly laying His hand upon you, He says, as He said to the man sick of the palsy: 'Man, thy sins are forgiven thee.' Luke 5:20.

"You think of Christ as a half-finished bridge across a river, and you tremble in alarm upon the bank of the broad stream. You wish me to tell you how to cross that bridge and thus escape the fire rolling so rapidly towards you, the lost sinner. But your thought is not according to the truth of Scripture.

"Christ bridges not only half the river, but He spans the entire mighty chasm between you and God. You have nothing to do but to trust Him for full salvation straightway, right here and now; for 'by Him all that believe are justified from all things.' Acts 13:39. And CHRIST IS THE WAY!”

The next day the servant of God had the satisfaction and joy of seeing the young man busily distributing hymn books through the building, and singing lustily at his work:

"All along life's pilgrim journey,
Savior, let me walk with Thee.”

"Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me." Rev. 3:20.

A Purged Conscience

Man has a conscience. He knows good and evil. Some are so troubled that they try by various ways to have a quiet conscience. They think they need consolation, but what they really need is salvation. They try this and that to secure a quiet conscience, but every now and then conscience terribly accuses them. Numberless sins crowd upon the memory; death stares them in the face; the fear of death and of judgment frightens them, and they dread to appear before God.

Religiousness, reformation, and works of any kind fail to set such people right before God, and they learn from Scripture that the divine verdict is, "There is none righteous, none that doeth good-no, not one," but that "all have sinned" and are "guilty before God." The more they ponder God's truth, and the more they try to avoid what is wrong, the more guilty they feel. Their best works look like filthy rags, and they find themselves increasingly unfit for God. Thus they become much distressed.

The burden of sins becomes intolerable, and the constant accusing of an evil conscience make them cry out for forgiveness of sins. They then learn it is not a quieted conscience, but a purged conscience that they need—the divine certainty that all their sins have been righteously judged and blotted out forever from the eye of God.

Moreover, they learn there is but one thing which can give a purged conscience: it is the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, and it cleanseth from all sin. This they believe, because God says so, and their conscience is purged. What a relief! Every one, on believing, can say,

"I hear the words of love,
I gaze upon the blood;
I see the mighty sacrifice,
And I have peace with God.”

We are told, "How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God." Heb. 9:14.

The blood of Christ satisfies the conscience because it has satisfied God about sin. It is only when the heart is cleansed from an evil conscience that we can approach God by Him who is gone into heaven by virtue of His own blood. Such have "no more conscience of sins," and know "It is God that justifieth." They are assured that by one offering they are perfected forever, and their sins and iniquities God will remember no more.

Now brought to God, reconciled to God by the death of His Son, they enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, and praise and give thanks. They know, through God's grace, that their sins are purged, their conscience purged, and that they are purged worshipers. This separates them from dead and unscriptural religiousness, to serve and obey the living and true God, according to His Word, and to wait for His Son from heaven.

A Word for the Weary

My spirit is sad and perplexed,
I know not the best thing to do;
With doubtings and fears I am vexed,
And Satan harasses me too.

I've tried (how I've tried!) to believe,
Till the word on my mind is engraved;
Can no one my sorrow relieve?
Oh, "What must I do to be saved?”

Lord Jesus, I'm full of alarms,
Indeed, I've no hope left but Thee;
I cast myself into Thy arms,
O Savior! Take pity on me!

I come as a poor little child;
With many a tremor and doubt;
But Thy voice spreads a calm through the wild,
Saying, "I will in no wise cast out.”

No feelings need come to my aid,
This dull heart's emotions are few;
I'll trust Thee, Lord, nor be afraid!
I'm as safe as the Bible is true.

"He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and He that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on Him.”

John 3:36.

May

Choose Now

"Some day," you say, "I will seek the Lord;
Some day I will make my choice;
Some day, some day, I will heed His Word,
And answer the Spirit's voice.”

God's time is now, for the days fly fast,
And swiftly the seasons roll;
Today is yours! It may be your last;
Choose life for your precious soul!

Choose now, just now! Your soul is at stake!
Oh, what will your answer be?
'Tis life or death; and the choice you make
Is made for eternity.

Choose now, just now, for the Lord is here;
Must He for your answer wait?
Choose now, just now, while the call is clear;
Tomorrow may be too late!

Live Forever?

In one of the hand-to-hand encounters which occurred so often during World War I, a soldier of the Allies came face to face in one of the trenches with a German officer. Rushing at each other with sword and bayonet drawn, there could be but one outcome. The German's sword plunged deep into the young lad's thigh, while the bayonet pierced the chest of the opponent. Both men knew they were seriously wounded, and both fell to the ground with little hope of human help. As the tide of battle rolled over them and then receded, they realized that many others had fallen nearby. These also lay weak and helpless, and beyond human aid.

Presently the German officer spoke. "I am sorry I had to do that," he said "How do you feel?”

"Pretty bad," said the young infantry man.

"Anything you want?" asked the officer. He was using the English language, in which he was evidently very much at home.

"Just a drink of water," was the reply; "I am terribly thirsty.”

The officer moved a little, though in evident pain, and fumbling in the region of his belt at length produced a water-bottle. He held it out to the younger man's hand, saying, "Drink this, and live!”

The water was thankfully accepted and drunk. The young soldier was revived and refreshed by the satisfying drink, but he could not but note that death was plainly written upon the face of him who had so freely given it. After another time of silence had passed, the German officer began to move and fumble within his tunic. At last he found what he was searching for— a copy of the Bible in English. With difficulty he turned over the leaves to a certain page. It was stained with his blood, but was still legible. Holding it out as far as he could to his former enemy, he said, "Can you see to read that?”

"Yes," came the answer.

Very carefully the German officer placed his thumb upon a verse which was on that open page, and handing it across, said feebly yet distinctly, "Drink that, and live FOREVER!”

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16.

These life-giving words were read and received into the heart of the wounded soldier. Soon the young soldier was picked up by the Red Cross, and taken to the hospital. There he bore testimony during his recovery that life everlasting was his.

But what of the enemy— the German officer who had proved to be a true friend and a real Christian? By the time the Red Cross men came he was beyond human aid. But how can one doubt that he was with the Savior whom he loved, and who had died for him on Calvary's cross?

What an all-sufficient text that was! The words of Scripture which the German officer indicated are still life-giving in view of eternity. Perhaps they are words well-known to you, my reader. Yet has their meaning been FULLY appreciated and valued? They deserve to be written in letters of gold, for the life-blood of the Son of God was shed in order that they might be written and received into the hearts of men: "FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD, THAT HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, THAT WHOSOEVER BELIEVETH IN HIM SHOULD NOT PERISH, BUT HAVE EVERLASTING LIFE." John 3:16.

No word of ours can add to nor take from this God-given verse. There is but one thing to do: just drink— drink in faith—and LIVE FOREVER!

Friend, have you partaken of that life-giving stream? Are you washed in His precious blood? If so, you can sing with the ransomed host:

"I came to Jesus, and I drank
Of that life-giving stream;
My thirst was quenched, my soul revived,
And now I live in Him.”

The Dial of a Clock

Our life is like the dial of a clock. The hands are God's hands, passing over and over again. The short hand is the Hand of discipline, and the long hand the Hand of mercy.

Slowly and surely the Hand of discipline must pass, and God speaks at each stroke. But over and over passes the Hand of mercy, showering down sixty-fold of blessings for each stroke of discipline and trial. Be assured that both hands are fastened to one secure pivot: the great unchanging heart of a God of love.

"Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins." 1 John 4:10.

Three Cases

A Lonely Heart

The sun shone gaily upon one of our popular beaches, and happy crowds thronged the shore, intent upon enjoying their holiday at the sea. Health, strength, and merriment seemed to pervade the scene, for "Youth was at the prow, and Pleasure at the helm." But as if to afford a contrast to the pleasure seekers, a little deformed woman, scarce four feet high, was slowly making her way along "the Promenade.”

As we strode along towards the lecture hall, this poor little misshapen thing, and the very nature of her affliction which debarred her from all those hopes most dear to a woman's heart, touched us deeply. We cried to God that, since so much that others enjoyed had been denied to her down here, He would recompense her by revealing to her His own love.

We soon reached our destination, where we were to hold a children's service on the sand. Here, awaiting us among their sand-castles, was a crowd of little ones, and many grown-up people as well. These had been attracted here daily by the simple story of God's grace.

We gave a few more touches to the seats, and then, passing out the hymn-books to willing hands, we were soon happily singing of the Savior's love.

As the hymn singing proceeded, we heard just behind us a shrill, child-like voice piping away. Turning to see who this hearty singer could be, our eyes fell on our little deformed friend of "the Promenade." As the children resumed their seats, and the speaker commenced his address, we whispered to her, sitting as she did just beside us, "We have been singing of Jesus' love; may I ask you, do you know it for yourself?”

"Oh, yes," she brightly replied, "I am glad to say I do.”

"And how long have you known it, may I ask?" "About eighteen months now.”

"What was it that led you to Him?”

"Oh, sir, I felt so lonely till Jesus filled my heart." Yes, she had felt lonely before. Now she has had the blessed company of Jesus, and she will feel lonely nevermore. Thus Jesus satisfied a lonely heart.

"For He satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness." Psa. 107:9.

A Sinful Soul

She was in every way a most moral and respectable woman, the wife of the pew-opener at a certain church. Indeed, she was most regular in her attendance. But in spite of all this, she felt uneasy as to her sins.

One day, when the church deaconess called, she unburdened herself to her, expressing something of her anxiety. "Do you attend the sacrament?" asked the visitor.

"No, I do not," replied our friend, "for I have never been confirmed.”

"Oh, then you ought to be confirmed," said the district visitor. Our friend shortly afterward received a visit from the curate. He pressed upon her the obligation to perform this rite, explaining at the same time that seven other adult candidates would keep her company. "And," he added, "I assure you that if you are confirmed, you'll never regret it.”

She was duly confirmed and attended communion, but the curate's promise of blessing as a result was not fulfilled; for observing those who had been prepared for confirmation with her, she saw the continuance of their careless, godless, week-day lives. Meeting them on Sunday at the communion rail, and looking within at her own still poor sinful heart, she began to regret that she had ever been persuaded to take the step.

It was in this frame of mind that, taking a stroll one evening, she saw a tent being erected in a neighboring field. Inquiring of one of the onlookers what it was for, she was told that a gentleman was coming to preach "the new religion" there. Wondering what the new religion might be, and satisfied that her old religion had done her no good, she determined to attend on Sunday at the opening service and hear what the preacher had to say.

But the new religion proved to be not at all new. It was as old as the Passover night in Egypt, for the preacher took the twelfth chapter of Exodus and explained how judgment fell on every house there which was not sheltered by the blood of the sacrificial lamb. Similarly, he said, the judgment of God overhangs this guilty world, and will assuredly fall on all who fail to take shelter beneath the blood of Christ.

If our friend was uneasy before, she was in an agony of distress now. Guilty? Yes, was guilty, and by how much had she added to her guilt by attending communion: for what was the blood of Jesus to her? She was sure she had not taken shelter beneath it, and she was certain now that she had no right to be there.

At this moment the preacher gave out an announcement. He said that next evening he hoped to tell the story of his own conversion: how he, an infidel, had been saved and could now preach Christ. Accordingly next evening found our friend once more in the tent.

A Seeker after Truth

The preacher began by assuring his hearers that all that religion could do for him, had been done. He had been christened in Jordan water—but he had been christened in his sins. He had been confirmed at fourteen years of age—but he had been confirmed in his sins. He had attended communion, and had partaken of it in his sins.

Gradually the unsatisfactoriness of it all had burdened his mind. Besides, when he saw the unholy lives of many so-called Christians, he began to think that if this were Christianity, then Christianity was a sham.

What should he do? He turned to the Bible, but he could not understand it, for he had not received the Spirit of God to lead him into the truth of that blessed Book. He discarded the reading of the Word, and then he refused the company of all professors of religion. To him it was all a sham.

One may well imagine how in all this recounted experience, God was speaking to our anxious friend. She saw that step by step, their experience had been almost identical. There was only one conclusion: people, then, were shams, and the Bible was a sham. Was truth to be found anywhere? If so, the preacher said, he would find it!

As he read a novel one day he came across the tag end of St. Chrysostom's prayer: "Grant us in this world the knowledge of Thy truth, and in the world to come life everlasting." Here, then, were his longings formulated; he longed for truth, and for life everlasting. Now, though he had discarded revelation, he had not discarded God. He cried to Him, "Grant me in this world the knowledge of Thy truth, and in the world to come life everlasting." God heard his prayer; for directly afterward he was told that a famous evangelist was coming "to preach at the new church.”

Now by this time our seeker after truth had given up going to church except occasionally, for respectability's sake. When he went anywhere he went to "the old church," because the singing there was good and the sermons were short; and he thought that if you had religion at all, you had better have it lively. Still, he had heard this evangelist well spoken of, so he would go and hear him. He went and offered up his one prayer.

The evangelist was full of life and fire. Smiting mightily the pulpit, he thundered forth, "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life! Do you?”

"Do you?" Where could our infidel friend be? Had he mistaken his way, and strolled into a Ranter's Conventicle? Where were the proprieties?—where the generalities to which he had been from a child accustomed? This was no third-person-singular address, but a question which like a sharp-edge sword pierced him to the very soul.

Life eternal depended on the answer he could give to it; for "he that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life." John 3:36. Life was found in Christ alone. He must, he would, he did, believe in Him. And as he left the church, he said to one who had accompanied him, "Thank God, I know that I have Everlasting Life." He had asked God to give him in this world knowledge of the truth, and God had granted this portion of his prayer, and given him the knowledge of His Son, who is the Truth. He had asked for life everlasting in the world to come; but God had gone beyond this request and given him the knowledge of eternal salvation While he was still here.

As the pew-opener's wife walked homewards with her husband, she, too, thanked God for sins forgiven.

Now everlasting life was hers! Later, with the tears running down her cheeks, she told the tent preacher of God's goodness to her, and added, "Oh, sir, how different now all is to me! What happiness! What joy! For now I know that His blood was shed, and His body given for me.”

My friend, do you not see how Jesus fills the lonely heart, as in the case of the little cripple? He will also satisfy and enlighten the heart that is humbly seeking after truth, and give assurance of the cleansing power of the blood to any who are anxious about their sins.

Reader, if you are still in your sins and longing for the peace of God to be yours, will you kneel down and make the ending of St. Chrysostom's prayer your own: "O God, grant me in this world the knowledge of Thy truth, and grant me in this world life everlasting, for Jesus Christ's sake?”

"He loves you, He wants you,
He died to redeem you;
Only believe His word.
There's nothing to do,
There's nothing to buy:
Remember 'twas for you He left
His mansion in the sky;
And now He's ready, He's willing,
He's able to save you;
Only believe His word.”

Don't Throw Me into the Scrap-Heap?

A Christian blacksmith who had suffered a great deal of affliction was challenged by an unbeliever to account for this. His answer is illustrated by his vocation.

He said: "I don't know that I can account for these things to your satisfaction, but I think I can to my own.

"I am a blacksmith. I often take a piece of iron and put it into the fire and bring it to a white heat. Then I put it on the anvil and strike it once or twice to see if it will 'take temper.' If I think it will, I plunge it into the water, and suddenly change the temperature.

"Then I put it into the fire again, and again I put it in the water. This I repeat several times. Then I put it on the anvil and hammer it, and bend it, and rasp and file it, and make some useful article which will do service for twenty-five years. If, however, when I first strike it on the anvil, I think it will not take temper, I throw it into the scrap-heap and sell it at a penny a pound.

"I believe my God and Father has been testing me to see if I will 'take temper." He has put me into the fire and into the water. I have tried to bear it as patiently as I could, and my daily prayer has been, `Lord, put me into the fire if You will! Put me into the water if You think I need it. Do anything You please, O Lord, only don't throw me into the scrap-heap!'”

"Some through the water, some through the flood;
Some through the fire,—but all through the blood.
Some through deep sorrow, but God gives a song,
In the night season, and all the day long.”

Have You a Seat?

"I have my seat." I turned towards the speaker to see whether I had heard correctly. She again said in a clear, firm voice, "I have my seat.”

I was not surprised at what she said, but at the way she said it—so clearly, so emphatically,—as only a few minutes before she had said, "My life hangs by a thread.”

And truly it did. The poor body had suffered long from tuberculosis, but today she had entered upon the last week of its earthly pilgrimage. One week later she was with the Lord. Just one year ago she had believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, and He, ever true to His word, had saved her soul. "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." Acts 16:31.

I had been accustomed for some months to leave on her chair on the front porch some gospel tracts. Lately I had been calling on her at short intervals and reading the precious Word of God to her. On this day, however, I had intended to go to the seashore for a rest; but the weather was so damp and cold, though it was now April, that I had to give it up. Praise the blessed Lord that it was so—He wanted one of His dear ones comforted in her distress, and this little paper to be written to tell of her confidence in His love.

I found her on this occasion alone on the couch in the parlor. Her husband was at his work, her three little children playing outside, and her mother busy with household affairs in the kitchen. She was suffering great pain and unable to sleep. I soothed her as best I could, and in a few minutes she fell into a refreshing sleep, while I went for her husband and the doctor.

That evening when we were all assembled around her, I was talking about that great supper (Luke 14:15-24) which God has spread and to which all are invited, and at which every seat shall be filled. I had remarked that if we neglect taking a seat there, God will raise up someone to carry the gospel of His grace to the distant lands. Then they that hear shall believe, and shall fill those seats which the enlightened people of this country now despise. It was then that she remarked, "I have my seat.”

Oh, dear reader, don't let Satan cheat you out of a seat there. The invitation is to you and God says, "yet there is room." Don't let that power which you are unable to describe keep you any longer from going to God and asking for a seat there, because Jesus has paid the price in His own precious blood. Do you think He will turn you away? Never; He could not do it because He has pledged His unchanging Word, and because He has promised to "save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him." Heb. 7:25.

Oh, reader, let me plead with you, do not throw away God's invitation! Be sure of your seat—it is waiting for you to fill. "Come; for all things are now ready;" and God says, "yet there is room." Luke 14:17, 22.

Yes, there is room for you at this moment, but I cannot say there will be for longer. Accept now. Just go to God and tell Him you are a sinner and want to be saved for Jesus' sake. You can then take your seat at that great supper. May God grant it for Jesus' sake.

"For ye know the grace of our
Lord Jesus Christ, that, though
He was rich, yet for your sakes
He became poor, that ye through
His poverty might be rich.”

2 Cor. 8:9.

June

Heaven or Hell?

There is a time, we know not when,
A point, we know not where,
Which marks the destiny of men,
To glory or despair.

There is a line by us unseen,
That crosses every path;
The hidden boundary between
God's mercy and His wrath.

A point of time, a moment's space,
The choice you make will tell,
Will land you in yon Heavenly place,
Or shut you up in Hell!

In a Prison

It was Sunday morning. A preacher of the gospel passing through the city had been invited to speak to the prisoners in the penitentiary. He stood at the end of a long corridor into which all the cell doors opened, and on these all the gratings had been closed so that the prisoners could hear but could not be seen.

The preacher spoke touchingly of the love of God, and of the forgiveness the Lord Jesus came to bring to a lost world. When he had finished speaking he made a tour of the cells to see what effect had been produced by the preaching.

In the first cell four men were absorbed in a game of cards. They had been condemned, they said, on false witness. In the second and third it was the same: there had been a mistake; it was all a lie; they had been slandered. Not a single one was guilty. Oh, thought the preacher, Christ cannot save any one here —there is not a single one guilty. The prisoners in the fourth cell were merely awaiting trial; they were sure to be acquitted.

Certainly this prison only contained innocent people. The preacher had never before seen so many such. They had all been victimized and they all accused someone else.

Finally they came to a cell through the grated door of which they saw a man seated, with bowed head and his face buried in his hands. "What's the matter with you, my friend," said the preacher.

The prisoner raised his head; remorse was stamped on his countenance. "Oh," said he, "are you the man who has been preaching?”

"Yes, I am the man.”

"I am so miserable, and I can't bear the burden of my sins.”

"Well, now, would you be happy if you could find someone able to carry them for you?”

"Who could do that?”

"The Lord Jesus.”

"He wouldn't do it.”

"And why not?”

"Because I have sinned against God all my life." "Yet Christ Jesus died for you, and His blood cleanses from all sin.”

His visitor explained to him that Jesus came to seek and to save all who were lost, and that He made expiation for our sins upon the cross. The unhappy man raised his head and listened. The words awakened in him long forgotten memories. He had heard of the Savior, but had never believed in Him. Now he understood the blessed story, and that it was for him.

"Let us pray," said the preacher. "Will you begin?”

"I dare not; I am too unworthy. No, no, you pray.”

And while these two men were on their knees, one in the corridor and one in the cell, a voice trembling with emotion came from within saying: "My God, have pity on me!”

When the visitor prepared to leave him, he held the prisoner's hand through the grating. Tears of repentance were streaming from his eyes. The contrite man knew that he was lost; he needed forgiveness, salvation, but he had not faith to believe on the Savior. His new found friend left him there, promising to return the following day before leaving town.

Next day, what a change there was in that prison cell! The face of the prisoner was beaming. "Tell me what has happened," the preacher asked.

"I was in great distress until towards midnight," replied the prisoner. "But then I saw the Savior bearing my sins. All of a sudden the weight was lifted. Now I am so happy. I do not believe that any one is happier than I am.”

Do you know why the Son of God came down that night to that prisoner and, after visiting every cell, stopped only at the last? Because there was a man who knew he was lost; and "the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost." Luke 19:10.

Our Only Claim

"If you tarry till you're better,
You will never come at all;
Not the righteous, not the righteous!
Sinners, Jesus came to call.”

How slow the human heart is to learn this lesson! By nature, we all want to patch and repair ourselves a little, outwardly, before we present ourselves to God for pardon. We would like to be able to say: "I am not so bad after all. And certainly when I came to Christ I was not as vile as some others are.”

Just as Mephibosheth, "lame on both feet," was utterly unable to alter his deformity, so every redeemed soul has had to learn and confess his own helplessness as regards assisting in his soul's salvation. Christ, the spotless One, did all the work. He finished it on Calvary's cross. Our only claim is our need, our vileness. The work wrought for us and in us is all of grace, that God may have all the glory.

A Skeptic's Testimony

He was a big, stalwart Scotchman, still hale and hearty though past eighty years of age. He was an intelligent and well-read man.

Taking his Bible one day, he sat down beside me and turned to Deuteronomy, chapter 29. Having read aloud verse 22, he raised his clear blue eyes to mine, and said: "Do you see any converting power in that verse?”

When I answered in the negative, he continued: "That scripture was used of God for my salvation! Until I was forty I was a skeptic. I had read the Bible, but found nothing in it to commend it to my conscience or heart as the Word of God.

"God had given me a sister whom I loved devotedly. She had become an invalid, but was a true devoted Christian. I occasionally took her to her meetings just to assist her; but I had no interest in what was said.

"On her birthday I gave her a present, an old book; `Keith, On the Prophesies.' Picking it up one day, my eye fell upon the author's description of a visit Volney had made to Palestine: Volney, the great infidel, the rejecter of the Bible. After traveling over the Holy Land and seeing its beauty and its natural advantages, yet finding only desolation and ruins everywhere covering the sites of the once populous cities, he had exclaimed: 'My God! What does this mean? The grandest land the sun ever shone on, and yet all is desolation and ruin everywhere!'

"Then Keith in his book quotes this passage from Deut. 29, beginning at verse 22, speaking of God's judgment on His people, Israel, and His land, Palestine: 'So that the generation to come of your children that shall rise up after you, and the stranger that shall come from a far land, shall say, when they see the plagues of that land, and the sicknesses which the Lord hath laid upon it; and that the whole land thereof is brimstone, and salt, and burning, that it is not sown, nor beareth, nor any grass groweth therein, like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zebon, which the Lord overthrew in His anger, and in His wrath: " 'Even all nations shall say, Wherefore hath the LORD done thus unto this land? What meaneth the heat of this great anger?

“‘Then shall men say, Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord God of their fathers, which He made with them when He brought them forth out of the land of Egypt: " Tor they went and served other gods, and worshipped them, gods whom they knew not, and whom He had not given unto them: " 'And the anger of the Lord was kindled against this land, to bring upon it all the curses that are written in this book.'

"There they were, the two passages, side by side, the prophecy and the fulfillment to the letter, and that by an infidel—`a stranger' indeed 'from a far country!'

"It came to me with all the force of a firm conviction: this is the Word of God! As if struck on the head with a sledge-hammer, I fell upon my knees with such force that the whole room shook, and the chandelier jingled above my head. Instantly all was settled for heart and conscience. The letter of the Word I knew. Now all was life and power. My infidelity vanished, and I realized my lost condition and need as a sinner before a holy God. I believed in the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, the One crucified and the only hope of a lost, helpless sinner. Thus God saved me, begotten again by the Word of God, a new creature in Christ Jesus. Old things had passed away; all things had become new.”

This is the vital point. When the Bible is seen to be the Word of God, the living, quickening Word of the living God, to the soul, the work is done. The same Word that spake in the first creation that "out of darkness" light should shine (see 2 Cor. 4:6), the same that commanded Lazarus, dead four days, to "come forth," and he "came forth," that is the very Word that can bring light and life to the quickened soul once dead in trespasses and sin.

Sinner-friend, believe the Bible as the Word of God. Own your lost condition; everything proves it; but the Word of God settles it: "All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." Rom. 3:23.

Christ Jesus came into the world to seek and to save the lost "the Just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God." 1 Peter 3:18.

Glorious Words

"Do you believe on the Lord Jesus?”

"Yes! I do, but I still do not feel saved.”

"Well, what does God say about the matter? It is far better to rest on what He says than upon anything we feel. Feelings are changeable. His word is unalterable. Feelings come and go. His word abides and is forever settled in heaven.

"Turn to John 3:36: 'He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.'

"That verse has two parts to it, and in one or the other part you are found. Shall we take the second part first? 'He that believeth not the Son.' Do those words describe you?”

"No, they do not. I sincerely believe that the Lord Jesus is the Son of God. I believe God gave Him to be the Savior, and that He died and rose again.”

"Well, then, the next words are solemn. 'Shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him.' Do they not apply to you?”

"No, indeed! I sincerely trust they do not.”

"What is the first part of the verse?”

"'He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life.'”

"Are you in that part then?”

'Well, as I have said, I do believe on the Son of God.”

"Then you have everlasting life, have you not?" "That is my difficulty. I cannot say that I have it—

I don't feel I do.”

"But what does God say? If He says that it is yours, should you not be able to say it also?”

"Well, I do believe on His Son.”

"Then God says that everlasting life is yours. 'He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life.' Does He not mean what He says?”

"Of course He does. But ought I not to feel it?”

"My friend, just rest in what God says. Receive His Son into your heart, believe His word, and trust Him for eternal salvation. The happy feeling will come in due time, but they follow faith.”

"So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God." Rom. 10:17.

The Unhappy Man

A young man, a South Sea Islander, came loitering about the missionary's house. This was unusual, for the native was known to be one of the baser sort. However, the missionary spoke kindly to him and asked with real interest: "Friend, have you any business with me?”

Tears gushed from the black man's eyes, and he could not speak at first. At length he said with deep emotion: "You know I am a wicked man. Shame covers my face and binds my tongue. Today I must break through all fear. I want to know, has God room for me? Can I expect mercy?”

When he was asked how such thoughts had come into his mind, he replied: "I was at work putting up my garden fence. I became greatly wearied, and sat down on a little hill bank to rest. As I looked around, I said within myself, 'All this great garden, so full of food for my body, and death for my soul. Oh, what shall I do?'”

Poor, unhappy man! He resolved that he would go to the missionary, from whom he might learn how he could find the way to a better world, where there is no death. With thankful heart the missionary explained the simplicity of God's plan of salvation and led the repentant native to Him who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Dear reader, you may have many things in this world for your body, but what have you for your soul for eternity? The Lord Jesus asks you, what will it profit you if you gain the whole world and lose your own soul? It is a terrible exchange, to take the things of this world and refuse God's greatest and best gift. Have you accepted Him as your Savior?

All Bad

We are all sinners, and so bad that we cannot be worse. To be free from such a state we must come to an end of self, and have done with self-justification and self-assertion. Are you willing to stand before God as a sinner having no worth of your own to plead? Then only is it that you can receive His salvation.

"Not the righteous, but sinners, Jesus came to call." "They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick." Matt. 9:12. We need to learn what that means, and take it to heart individually. Then we can say, "Lord, save, or I perish." God does not save those who are good in their own eyes, but totally bad in God's eyes.

His word is, "Justified freely by His grace," Rom. 3:24—justified by His blood. There is not one word in Scripture in favor of self-justification.

"It is written, there is none righteous, no, not one." Rom. 3:10.

"The Son of man is come to save that which was lost." Matt. 18:11.

Now Is the Time

An earnest Christian doctor one day called to see an old man that he had frequently visited before. Many a time had the doctor spoken faithfully to old John and his wife about their souls' salvation, but apparently without result. The old man listened attentively, and tacitly agreed to all that was set before him, but he always managed to avoid coming to the point.

Now old John was suffering from an attack of bronchitis. His life was not in danger, but he was in pain, weak and ill. The doctor made the necessary examination, and promised to have some medicine ready when called for. He was about to say "good-by" when the wife of the sick man inquired: "When must John take the medicine, sir?”

"I will put the directions on the label," replied the doctor. Then, with a smile, he turned to the invalid and said, "Let me see; you are not very ill. Suppose you begin taking the medicine in a month.”

"In a month!" cried both at once in astonishment. "Yes; why not? Is that too soon?”

"Too soon!—Why, I may be dead then!" said John.

"That is true; but you must remember you really are not very ill yet. Still perhaps you had better begin to take it in a week.”

"But, beggin' your pardon, sir, I mightn't live a week," cried John in great perplexity.

"Of course, you may not, John. But very likely you will, and the medicine will be in the house; it will keep! And if you find yourself getting worse you could take some. I shall not charge anything for it. If you should feel worse tomorrow you might begin even then.”

"Doctor, I may be dead tomorrow!”

"When would you like to begin then, John?”

"Well, sir, I thought you would tell me to begin today.”

"Begin today by all means," said the doctor, kindly. "I only wanted to show you how false your reasoning is when you put off taking the medicine which the Great Physician has provided for your sin-sick soul. Just think how long you have neglected the remedy God has provided. For years you have turned away from the Lord Jesus. You have said to yourself, 'next week,' or `next year,' or 'when I am on my deathbed, I will seek the Lord'— any time rather than the present. And yet the present is the only time that you are sure of God's offer, for it is only for today.”

"Now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation." 2 Cor. 6:2.

What Will You Do Without Him?

Why will you do without Him?
The word of God is true,
The world is passing to its doom—
And you are passing, too.
It may be no tomorrow
Shall dawn, on you or me;
Why will you run the awful risk
Of all eternity?

What will you do without Him,
When the great white throne is set
And the Judge who never can mistake,
And never can forget—
The Judge whom you have never here
As friend and Savior sought,
Shall summon you to give account
Of deed and word and thought?

What will you do without Him,
When He hath shut the door,
And you are left outside, because
You would not come before?
When it is no use knocking,
No use to stand and wait,
For the word of doom tolls through
your heart,
That terrible "Too Late.”

You cannot do without Him,
There is no other Name
By which you ever can be saved,
No way, no hope, no claim!
Without Him—everlasting loss
Of love, and life, and light!
Without Him—everlasting woe,
And everlasting night.

Why should you do without Him?
It is not yet too late;
He has not closed the day of grace,
He has not shut the gate.
He calls you!—hush! He calls you!
He would not have you go
Another step without Him,
Because He loves you so.

"For Christ also path suffered
for sins, the Just for the unjust,
that He might bring us to God,
being put to death in the flesh,
but quickened by the Spirit.”

1 Peter 3:18.

July

Faith

Faith is the eye that sees Christ's matchless beauty;
The ear that hears His sweet and gracious voice;
The heart that trusts Him as a moral duty,
And in His great salvation doth rejoice.

Faith is absorbed in holy contemplation
Of Jesus crucified on Calvary's tree,
Who there procured a full and free salvation,
And hears the Savior say: "I died for thee.”

Faith cometh not by working or by praying;
It is not feeling we have peace with God;
It comes by trusting in that "faithful saying,”
That "peace is made by Jesus' precious blood.”

Faith hovers round the cross of Jesus dying;
His empty tomb, with joy, by Faith is seen;
Hope plumes her wings, away to glory flying,
And Love fills up the little while between.

Oh, precious Faith, superior far to Reason;
Faith deals with God, rests in His written Word;
Waits on through darkness for God's time and season,
The dayspring and the kingdom of the Lord.

Jim, the Lumberjack

At a little lumber station in the great Northwest a train stopped for a few minutes. A group of lumberjacks loaded a roughly made wooden case into the baggage car.

"That's one of our men," remarked a hard-looking man. There was a touch of feeling in his voice as he helped to lift the case and then got into the train. "He was killed in our camp yesterday," he explained.

"Are you sending his body to his friends?" he was asked.

"No. None of us knows where he comes from; but we all loved Jim. His mates have collected enough money to give him a decent burial in the city.

"Poor Jim," he went on, "that tree that fell on him was a sudden call for the poor fellow, no mistake! He was the jolliest chap we had in the camp. He used to be singing the wildest songs all the time, and his language was not particularly choice either; but at any rate Jim was no worse than the rest of us. None of us were raised in a prayer meeting, but I guess Jim had heard more preaching than some.”

"What changed him?”

"Well, here is how it happened. We got a big bundle of magazines in the mail one day, and nice little bags filled with useful things such as we who live most of the year far from civilization appreciate very much. And in every bag there was a New Testament and a hymn book.

"Jim began at once to sing those hymns and others that he remembered. My, how he sang! And every night you could see him reading his testament. At first some of our men made fun of him; but Jim didn't mind. They couldn't make him mad, and they liked him better for it.

"Jim had been a pretty tough customer, but he was always jolly and good-natured. What a good thing it was that he changed his way of thinking! Poor Jim! It's hard to believe that it's him in that big box there. In the morning he used to start out to work singing:

"I'll be ready when they call my name,
Pure and spotless from the crimson flood;
I will answer when they call my name,
`Saved through Jesus' blood!'

"The call for him was sudden, but he was ready. He had made it plain to us all that the Lord Jesus Christ was his Savior. He had put his trust in Him alone. Jim was one of the men who felled the trees, and he sang as he drove the ax into the big trunk. Just as the tree crashed his song suddenly stopped. The whole chest of our cheerful singer had been crushed. It was awful to see, but he didn't have to suffer long.

"When we emptied his pockets before laying him in the coffin, we found the little Testament. God had used it to lead him to Himself before He took him home.”

Such was the simple narrative of Jim's friend. May we ask our readers a plain question: Will you be ready, too, when the call comes?

In Jim's and in every other New Testament are these words: "He that believeth on the SON hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the SON shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." John 3:36.

Ready, Willing, and Waiting

A Christian worker met, in one of his visits of mercy, a young woman about twenty years old. She was living in terrible sin and was wretched beyond all description. He soon learned her sad history. She had left her country home some time before, but had fallen among sinful companions. Indeed, she soon outdid them in wickedness and had been sinking ever lower in guilt.

The Christian sought to turn the young woman's heart to the love of God the Father. He quoted John 3:16 and other scriptures that might draw a response from her, but she was completely overwhelmed by the revealed knowledge of her miserable state.

"Why, oh, why," she exclaimed with bitter grief, "why did I ever leave home? Would to God that I were at home once more! But my father will never receive me. I am sure that he will not. He cannot love me now! He will never forgive me. I know he will always hate and despise me. I have lost his love forever.”

"Have you ever tried him?" inquired the Christian friend.

"No! I dare not.”

"Does your father know where you are?”

"No, I have never written to him since I left home."

"Then I will write to him for you at once.”

"It is of no use, sir, no use.”

"Well, we shall see about that; we can only try." A letter was accordingly written and sent with much prayer. By return mail such an answer came back as made the Christian rejoice and the repentant girl weep abundantly. "Immediate," was written on the outside in large letters; the subject of the contents was, "Ready to forgive.”

"This," wrote the father, "is what I have been earnestly praying for! I have longed to know where my wandering child was, and yearned to hear that she wanted to return. Tell her to come back at once. I do forgive all, and love her still.”

How like our heavenly Father's love was this poor father's heart! Ready, willing, and waiting to receive and bless his prodigal child. Even so God the Father has sent Jesus Christ His Son to seek and to save that which is lost; and He says: "Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out." John 6:37.

God waits to bless. He says, "Return! Come." He can righteously receive you and will receive you NOW if you come.

I Don't Believe There's Any Hell!?

He was a red-haired, freckle-faced lad of maybe fourteen years of age. He lived across the street, and seeing me at work one night dropped in for a chat. This is how he began: "Say, Mr. Scott, I don't believe there's any hell.”

"Yes, you do, Arthur! You know right well there's a hell.”

"No, I don't! I heard a man say yesterday there isn't any hell, and I don't believe there's one either.”

"You know perfectly well there is a hell, and you know the wicked will be turned into it.”

"Well, anyway, I wish there wasn't a hell!”

Arthur was honest; and we fear that most of those who "don't believe in hell," if they were honest, would have to say the same thing as Arthur: "I wish there wasn't a hell.”

It does not do away with hell for you to say, "I don't believe there's a hell." God says there is a hell. He knows; you do not. Listen to His Word as spoken by the Psalmist: "The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God." Psa. 9:17.

Christ Jesus Himself spoke these words: "It is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire: where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched." Mark 9:47, 48.

False Testimony

Two evangelists were conducting gospel services in a fishing village, and numbers of fishermen who had formerly been faithful servants of sin and Satan were thoroughly converted. By their lives they proved the truth of the scripture, "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." 2 Cor. 5:17.

One day, while the two preachers were taking a walk, they met the wife of one of the fishermen of the village carrying a basket of coal. She stopped and expressed her gratitude to them for being the means, in God's hand, of the conversion of her husband. "And are you saved?" inquired one of the evangelists.

"Oh, yes, a good while ago," was the reply; and she turned and walked on rapidly.

An open air meeting was held that night, which was attended by a large crowd. One of the speakers, in the course of his address, remarked that "God only justifies those who condemn themselves, and condemns those who justify themselves.”

To illustrate this principle, so clearly laid down in God's Word, he mentioned the case of the Pharisee and the publican. "The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank Thee, that I am not as other men are,... I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner." Luke 18:11-13. The one man justified himself, and God condemned him; the other condemned himself, and went down to his house justified by God.

A meeting for inquirers was held afterward. The Word had struck home, and some who had been justifying themselves and condemning God were now condemning themselves and inquiring if God would justify them. It was a simple and happy work to point these to God's way of justification. "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God." Rom. 5:1.

While the anxious ones were being spoken to by Christian workers, a voice was heard on the stair leading in to the hall. Someone was weeping and exclaiming, "God have mercy on me a sinner! I told him a lie.”

All eyes were turned to the door through which came a woman, weeping bitterly. She was led by one of the Christians. It was the fisherman's wife whom the preacher had met in the street. On being spoken to and asked what caused her tears, she replied, "I told you a lie; I said I was saved just to get rid of you; and I am not saved.”

She had been stripped of her rags of self-righteousness, and had learned that she was, in God's sight, lost and condemned. In the past she had been justifying herself, but she could do so no longer. Having accepted God's estimate of herself and taken the place of "lost," she longed to know how deliverance could be obtained. That very night she accepted the finished work of Christ and found rest and peace for her sin-sick, weary, heavy-laden soul.

Reader, are you justifying yourself or God? Have you taken the place of a "condemned" sinner and been pardoned by the Lord Jesus? Forgiveness, eternal life, and justification are to be had through faith in Him who bore sin's penalty and died that we might live. If you have not yet received the free, full, and present forgiveness of sins, look to Him who "was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities.”

Hear the Word of the Lord on the subject: "Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this Man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: and by Him all that believe are justified from all things." Acts 13:38, 39.

"As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life." John 3:14, 15.

Why?

Christ in dying asked, Why?

Christ in resurrection asked, Why?

Christ from glory asked, Why?

Christ today asks, Why?

He asked God, Why?

He asked His disciples, Why?

He asked Saul of Tarsus, Why?

He asks you, Why?

On the cross the exceeding bitter cry rang from His lips, "My God, My God, WHY halt Thou forsaken Me?" Matt. 27:46.

Unanswered then by God, it is answered by thousands today, and will be answered eternally by myriads of redeemed ones surrounding the Savior in glory.

Why was He, the holy, harmless, undefiled One, forsaken? Why was He, upon whom heaven opened, to whom the Father testified His delight, who did always the things that pleased Him—why was He abandoned?

Believers can answer: "It was for us." He, "His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree.”

He was made sin for us, He who knew no sin, "that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him." On the cross He put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself, making purgation for sins, glorifying God. Christ Jesus was forsaken because a holy God must turn from Him while His own Son, Jesus, by whom all things were made, became a sacrifice for sin. In righteousness He was forsaken of God.

"He took the guilty culprit's place,
And suffered in his stead;
For man, O miracle of grace!
For man the Savior bled.”
"Why Are Ye Troubled?”

Luke 24:38

Christ is risen— the death of the cross is accomplished— the victory won— redemption obtained— God glorified, and the risen Savior comes into the midst of His gathered loved ones, and announces "Peace.”

Why are you troubled, my reader? Is it on account of your many sins? Well might terror fill your mind were there no Savior— had no sacrifice, acceptable to God, been made; well might anguish wring your heart. But there is a Savior; there is a sacrifice. The foes are foiled, so the fears may flee; for He who was under the weight of sins at the cross is the risen, glorified Savior, now saying to the believer:

"Behold with what labor I won thee,
Behold in My hands and my feet,
The tale of My measureless sorrow,
Of love that made sorrow so sweet.
A flax-thread in oceans of fire,
How soon swallowed up would it be;
Yet sooner in oceans of mercy,
The sinner that cometh to Me.”

"Why Persecutest Thou Me?”

Acts 9:4

From the glory into which the risen Christ has gone, He asked of Saul of Tarsus, "Why persecutest thou Me?”

Breathing out threatenings and slaughter, this archenemy among men of a glorified Christ was pursuing his onward course of antagonism and enmity. In him Jesus Christ will show forth His wondrous long-suffering, and a light, past the brightness of the sun, shines from heaven, and Saul is stricken to the earth, while upon his astonished ears the question falls, "Why persecutest thou Me?”

A Savior in glory calling in grace to "the chiefest of sinners" on earth! Wondrous grace— unequaled mercy— unparalleled condescension!

Saul's enmity is smashed to shivers, and the late champion of a Christless religion becomes the bravest champion of the religion of Christ.

"Sinners, it was not to angels
All this wondrous love was given;
But to one who scorned, despised Him,
Scorned and hated Christ in heaven.
From the lowest depths of evil,
To the heights of heaven above,
Thus in Saul He told the wonders
Of His free, unbounded love.”

The grace that saved a Saul can rescue you. "This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners."

"Why Will Ye Die?”

It was asked of Israel, in days long since departed, Why would they revolt further? Why would they hasten on to their deaths? Jehovah was ready to forgive, ready to bless, ready to succor, but they "would not," and the judgment sword fell.

"Why will ye die?" God asks today of you. In view of Christ in death— in view of Christ in resurrection— in view of Christ in glory— why will ye die?

"The prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished." Prov. 22:3. May you listen to the Savior's voice today, and flee to Him ere the judgment falls.

Real Resemblance

"Is Jesus like you?" This was the somewhat searching question of a Soudanese chief in "darkest Africa.”

What the missionary answered I know not. But the inquiry awakens thought. Are we truly representing Him? Are we worthily expressing Him in the world where we seek to serve Him?

Certain it is that Christians are studied closely and critically. The Bible may not be read, but those who profess to follow its precepts are watched by many critical eyes, even as Paul said of the Corinthians.

"Ye are our epistle... known and read of all men." 2 Cor. 3:2.

It has been said that a good definition of a true Christian may be given by omitting the letter A from that word and thus causing it to read, "Christ In.”

So it was with the Apostle Paul. He could say, "I live—no longer I— but Christ liveth in me.”

Saul of Tarsus was put out of sight so that Christ could show forth in him. How was this maintained? The Apostle tells us, "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." 2 Cor. 4:10.

Fellow Christians, let us remember that this is our mission here— to express Christ— that His character may be still seen on earth. The Holy Ghost is given to us for this very purpose.

Take good heed then, and walk circumspectly; and seek grace that you may rightly show to others what your Lord and Savior is like. It has been put thus:

"You are writing a gospel,
A chapter each day,
By deeds that you do,
By words that you say.
Men read what you write,
Whether faithless or true.
Say, what is "the gospel”
According to "YOU"?

God Is Knocking

If God has been speaking to you through some illness, some family bereavement, or some hardships in your earthly circumstances, see that you give ear to His voice. It is God knocking at the door. He wants admission. He desires that Christ should dwell in that heart. It is His will that you should be saved. Therefore He knocks.

It may seem as if all things are against you. But, if we are to describe your case in scriptural language, we must say that it is God's goodness leading you to repentance. Do you refuse to repent? Do you refuse to turn to God? Have a care, lest the hour of your merciful visitation pass by unimproved. The next time God knocks, He may knock louder; and it may be the knock of judgment and not of mercy. Let the blessed Savior in.

"To Him give all the prophets
witness, that through His name
whosoever believeth in Him shall
receive remission of sins.”

Acts 10:43.

August

In the Morning

I met the Lord in the morning,
When the day was at its best,
And His presence came like sunshine,
Like a glory in my breast.

All day long His presence lingered,
All day long it stayed with me,
And we sailed in perfect calmness
O'er a very troubled sea.

Other ships were torn and battered,
Other ships were sore distressed;
But the winds that seemed to drive them
Brought to us a peace and rest.

Then I thought of other mornings
In a keen remorse of mind,
When I too had loosed the moorings,
With His presence left behind.

So I think I know the secret,
Learned from many a troubled way;
You must meet Him in the morning
If you want Him through the day.

The Fall of the Rossberg?

Many years ago among the Alps in Switzerland stood a towering peak called the "Rossberg." At the foot of one side which was nearly perpendicular, there nestled a little village. Just below this was one of those blue mountain lakes so common in Switzerland.

One day a government geologist came to the little village. He lodged at the hotel, and every day for a week, with pick and shovel and hammer, he climbed and dug and examined. At last he had the people all called together, and said to them: "I am an officer sent here by the government to examine this mountain. I find that the top of it is composed of separate boulders, resting on a foundation of gravel. One of these days it will fall! The wisest thing you can do is to move away!”

Of course the people were much alarmed at the message, and some hurriedly moved to another village. Others were not so hasty; and as time went by and the mountain did not fall immediately, they began to laugh at their fears. The mountain still stood. Days, weeks, months and years rolled away, and still it stood. Old men and women died and were buried. A new generation of children played in the streets, and all went on as usual. The officer and his message were nearly forgotten.

But one night, nineteen years after the warning, with an awful roar the mountain fell, burying the little village and half filling up the lake. Very few of the villagers escaped.

Now, my friend, has this no warning voice for you? You are living in a scene which has been solemnly threatened with the judgments of God. God has set the very day! "He hath appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world in righteousness by that Man whom He hath ordained; whereof He hath given assurance unto all men, in that He hath raised Him from the dead." Acts 17:31.

All of a sudden, like a thief, it will be here!

There is one way of escape, and only one. Jesus died on a cross of shame for you, and you must flee to Him by faith.

"The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." 2 Peter 3:9.

Grace for the Persecutor

In an outlying district in Ireland, a devoted group of Christians were seeking to bring the light of God's Word before the people. The truth was making some headway, and some souls were being brought from darkness into His marvelous light.

A preacher of the gospel had been invited to join the group. When he was due to arrive, some who were violently opposed, when they heard of his coming determined to destroy any house where meetings were held.

After having carefully watched the good man's movements, these conspirators secretly followed him one Lord's Day morning, planning to make short work of this "new sect." They surrounded the house and sent their ringleader in to watch for the moment to give the signal for their entrance. They waited and waited; but to their consternation their associate failed to reappear. At last, fearing a counter-plot, they decamped with all speed.

The fact is that the ringleader himself, while waiting for the opportune time to summon his companions, was entranced with the hymn that was given out and sung. "This is very purty," said he. "I'll not disturb them yet.”

Prayer was then offered up, prayer for all in the village. "I'll let them alone until they have done with their prayers," he said again to himself.

The meeting continued, and once more the man said to himself: "I'll hear what they have to say for themselves at any rate.”

Thus the meeting proceeded, and for the first time in his life he came face to face with his lost condition. He was overwhelmed with the enormity of his sins, and became desperately anxious for relief.

At the conclusion, the preacher spoke to the distressed stranger: "My good man, did you ever acknowledge yourself to be a sinner before God, and that you deserved to be excluded from His presence forever?”

He broke into tears and cried out, "Lord, have mercy upon me! What must I do to be saved? Sure, and I'm a most wicked sinner!”

The whole company of believers joined in earnest prayer for him, and very soon he was "sitting at the feet of Jesus," quiet, and "in his right mind.”

How great are the wonders grace can do!

"Surely the wrath of man stall praise Thee: the remainder of wrath shalt Thou restrain." Psa. 76:10. "For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Rom. 5:6, 8.

Man's Only Hope

One morning, going by train to an appointment in France, I found myself sitting opposite to a native of Africa. He was evidently of a high class and had been well educated. In a conversation with him, he told me that he had traveled from Western Africa to see for himself what art and science and education had done for Europe—how far they had raised it above his homeland. He spoke with the animation natural to his race, and became quite eloquent.

After listening to his remarks, I said: "Well, all over Europe, wherever you go, notwithstanding all that art, science and education have done—and they have done much to raise man in the social scale, and much to embellish and adorn and otherwise improve this world (from man's point of view)—you will find sin, and misery, and death in the land, even as in Africa. For, notwithstanding all the things which man has at his command, and all the 'many inventions' he can boast of, he is powerless to blot out any of these sore evils.”

"Oh, yes," said he, "nothing but 'the blood,'—nothing but the blood of Christ can do that.”

There we sat, the black man and the white, both by nature children of wrath, but both, through infinite grace "washed," "cleansed," "made nigh" by the precious blood of Christ, and together we could rejoice in the love of God manifested in the gift of His Son.

I walked some little distance with my newly-found brother, and then we parted, perhaps never more to meet in this world. What joy to be able to look forward to that day when all the blood-bought people of God will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air! No longer shall we bear distinctive marks of nationalities; but as children of God we shall be "like Him," for every one of the redeemed will see Jesus, His Son, as He is. Then we shall all join in a hymn of praise to Him, the Lamb of God, saying: "Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for Thou wast slain, and halt redeemed us to God by Thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation." Rev. 5:9.

Faith Lost and Found

He was a "preacher of the old school," and when asked to tell of his conversion the dear old man readily grasped the opportunity to tell of the grace of God toward him. This is his story: I left my home on the western frontier in my boyhood to prepare for college at Phillips Academy, in Andover, Massachusetts. Having finished my course there, I set out for Harvard, where I remained only three weeks. Then because most of my former classmates had gone to New Haven, I followed them to Yale. There I found myself caught up in conflicting streams of so-called higher criticism. Yielding little by little, my own faith in the old-time religion soon entirely passed from me.

I knew that my Christian mother had dedicated me to the Christian ministry at my birth, but this fact dropped out of my memory. My plan for the future was to enter the Law Department of Columbia University in New York City.

On graduating from Yale, I returned to my prairie home for the second time in six years. There my dear mother threw her arms about me, kissed me on both cheeks, and said, "Now, my boy, my dream is coming true. You are going to be a minister of Christ.”

Her words were like a blow in the face. I loved my mother devotedly, but my plans were made. What could I do? For three days I wrestled with the problem. I dreaded to disappoint this one so dear to me, but how could I enter the ministry when my faith was gone? I had lost even the desire to pray, and was determined not to become a preacher unless I could honestly assume all the solemn obligations.

I tried most earnestly to recover my faith. Failing in this, I decided to try an experiment: I would take a year's course in theology and abide by the result. Pursuing this decision, I entered a "Liberal" institution in Chicago where, by a kind providence, I roomed in old Farwell Hall, Mr. Moody's headquarters. I cannot thank God sufficiently for my association with that devoted man. But the lectures in the seminary gave me no help. I returned to my room after each hour in the classroom, and the only prayer I could make was: "Lord, I believe! Help Thou mine unbelief.”

Still I did not abandon my purpose. A second year in Union Theological Seminary served me no better. In order to pay my expenses for the third year, I undertook superintendence of a Newsboy's Mission; and when the boys asked me to hold evening meetings, I consented, and spoke to them on such subjects as "Telling the Truth," "Keeping Clean," and "Living an Honest Life.”

One day as I sat in my room there was a knock at my door, and one of my newsboys entered with his heart in his throat and his hair on end. He begged me to come quickly, for his father was dying. The frightened boy knew no minister but me, and I must go.

I followed him down a shabby street and climbed the rickety stairs to an attic room. There his father lay dying, an old man who had wasted his life in drink and dissolute living.

As I approached his bed he looked at me and said, "You are pretty young to tell an old man like me how to die." How true! But I did my best to help him.

I shall never forget that night. The old man began by asking me if I thought God would have mercy on an old sinner like him. I answered by quoting Wesley's lines:

"Betwixt the saddle and the ground,
Mercy sought is mercy found.”
"How do you know that?" he questioned.
I replied that Christ had said so.
"How do you know Christ said so?"
I referred to the Bible as my authority.

He said, "Do you believe the Bible?" What could I answer? I lied to him, saying that I did.

He asked me, "Do you believe Jesus died for a low-down sinner like me?" I lied again and said that I did.

"How do you know that?" Again I referred to the Bible as authority.

"How do you know the Bible is true?" I did my best to explain—insincerely. But what else could I do.

The dying man shot questions at me all night, thrusting me, metaphorically, from one corner of the room to another, and keeping his dimming eyes on me as I sought to answer him. Oh, that dreary, momentous night! I had never seen a man die before.

The old man had been bred in a Highland home by Christian parents, and at last his failing mind began to remember. Soon he was murmuring to himself the Scottish version of the Shepherd's Psalm. The past was coming up before him! When he said, "Pray with me," I fell upon my knees by his bedside, and poured out my soul in the first real prayer I had offered in years.

When I rose from my knees, the old Scotchman's spirit had left his poor body. The morning was dawning; and I had reason to thank God that in trying to help a sinner to die, I had myself learned how to live. My faith in God my Savior had come back, and I knew that henceforth there was no middle-of-the-road for me; I must believe or disbelieve. I recognized that God knew only two classes: believers and unbelievers; saved and lost. Since then, thank God, I have never wavered.

Now I am entering on my eighty-second year. For nearly half a century I have tried to serve the Lord Jesus Christ, and the memory of that night in a tenement house on Eleventh Avenue abides with me. Surely the Lord who has helped me thus far will keep me to the end.

"Having loved His own which were in the world, He loved them unto the end." John 13:1.

Necessary, but Not Enough

He was born and brought up in the church, but now he was desperately ill and far from home. Where could he find immediate comfort? He believed that, if he died, his prayers and faithful attendance at church and at confession would help to save his soul. Of course he did not trust in his good deeds alone to have sufficient merit for forgiveness of his sins, but with Christ's work added, he hoped that he would have a "good chance" of getting to heaven at last. But oh, for peace of mind now!

A Christian evangelist often visited him, and as opportunity offered sought to show him from the Scriptures God's thoughts about sin and salvation. Day after day the sick man listened most attentively to the plain and pointed truths that were pressed upon him, and it was evident that God was dealing with him.

On one occasion the Christian visitor endeavored to show him that the Lord Jesus, by His one offering, had done everything necessary for the sinner's deliverance, and that on the ground of His atoning work any one might be saved and have the knowledge of sins forgiven. At last, in an ecstasy of joy, the sick man suddenly exclaimed, "I always knew it was necessary that Christ should die; but never till now did I know that it was enough!”

What a depth of meaning there is in these simple words! Unconverted persons may firmly believe that it was necessary for Christ to die. But do they consider that what He has done and suffered is sufficient for their soul's salvation? What a mistake for them to think they must add their faith, their repentance, their prayers, to the finished work of Calvary! When Christ upon the cross said: "It is finished," that meant He had not only done "enough" for you and for me, but that ALL was completed. Sinners, take Him at His word.

"All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all." Isa. 53:6.

On Sand or on Rock

Several years ago I was passing through a village and distributing gospel leaflets by the way. I noticed an old man engaged in mending the road. Speaking to him, I inquired how matters stood about his soul. Stopping his work and leaning on his rake handle, he gave me, with evident self-complacency, an account of his own goodness. He went regularly to his church; he was honest; he always paid his debts, he did not tell lies, curse, nor swear, and he was always ready to do a kind turn for a neighbor!

Poor fellow; how blind he was! I endeavored to show him that all these things, good and right in themselves, formed but a foundation of sand on which to build for eternity! However, his pride in doing could not be shaken and, feeling sad at heart, I had to leave him.

Just a little farther on I encountered an old woman. She was bent with the weight of years; and, toiling feebly along, she was supported partly by a stick and partly by the arm of a younger woman. I soon caught up with these, and said: "Well, friend, you seem very feeble. Evidently you have traveled long and far upon the road of life. Tell me, are you on your way to the bright home above?”

Her eyes sparkled at the question. "Oh, yes!" she replied.

"Well, have you a reason for saying so? How do you expect to reach there?”

Only through the precious blood of Jesus!”

Truly, my heart leaped to hear these words. They had the ring of being genuine. After further interesting conversation, I found that she was indeed a dear old pilgrim, journeying Zionward. How refreshing it was to meet one like her, exalting only the Savior, just after talking to the other one, whose confidence was in his own self-righteous doings!

A word to you, my reader. That old man was brimful of himself! It was all the great big capital letter "I". I do this; I do that; or else I don't do this or that! Not a syllable about the Savior! As to the dear old woman; with her it was exactly the reverse. Not one word about herself. No; she spoke of in "Jesus only!”

Answer this plain, loving question: On what foundation are you resting? Is it Self, or is it Christ?

Off the coast of Kent lie the Goodwin Sands. What are they? Most dangerous quicksands. Many a gallant vessel has been stranded and wrecked on those perilous shoals, her hull gradually sinking until at last it has disappeared entirely from view. Many a poor mariner has miserably perished there! But Satan has his more terrible quicksands of self-righteousness, on which myriads of deceived souls are resting. Like a ship on Goodwin Sands, they are sinking down, lower and lower, until they land in an eternal hell. Dear reader, are you able to say, in the words of the well-known hymn:

"On Christ, the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand"?

That's Me, That's Me!”

A young woman sat in a gospel meeting. The preacher in his prayer mentioned the fact that there were present some who felt their need for salvation.

"That's me, that's me," said that young woman. She knew that she was unsaved and unfit for heaven's glory, and she longed that salvation might be hers.

At the close of the service, the preacher came— as if divinely directed— straight across to the anxious seeker and asked her the question: "Do you need salvation?”

"Indeed, I do," she answered earnestly.

"Then you can have it here and at once, if you will only receive Christ as your Savior.”

And before she left the hall, she had the joy of knowing Christ had cleansed her from her sins and had saved her soul.

Blessedly free is the salvation of God! And it is as full as it is free. It is for "whosoever will" and it is eternal.

"Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them." Heb. 7:25.

"Therefore be ye also ready:
for in such an hour as ye think
not the Son of man cometh.”

Matt. 24:44.

September

He Calleth Thee

Jesus Christ is passing by;
Sinner, lift to Him thine eye;
As the precious moments flee,
Cry, "Be merciful to me!”

Lo! He stands and calls to thee,
"What wilt thou then have of Me?"
Rise, and tell Him all thy need;
Rise! He calleth thee indeed.

"Lord, I would Thy mercy see;
Lord, reveal Thy love to me;
Let it penetrate my soul,
All my heart and life control.”

Oh, how sweet! The touch of power
Comes—it is salvation's hour;
Jesus gives thy soul release:
"Faith hath saved thee; go in peace!”

The Old Chief Knew

The railway station in a northwestern town was crowded when I entered the waiting room. Glancing around, my attention was soon caught by a most unusual person sitting on the front row of benches.

This individual was an old Indian attired in the full native costume of a chief-feathered headdress, beaded buckskin tunic ornamented with fur and dyed porcupine quills, and deerskin moccasins on his feet—his regalia was strikingly complete. Two thick braids of black hair hung down over his shoulders framing his weather-beaten face wrinkled with age. As I stared in fascination at the old warrior, a station attendant offered the information that the chief was 106 years old.

The longer I looked at the old man in his quiet calmness the more I longed to know all about him. When at last I saw the seat beside him was empty, I slipped over to have a chat with the old man. He seemed pleased that I took an interest in him and soon was telling me of many interesting incidents in his long and eventful life. However, my main concern was whether the old man had any knowledge of the Savior, or hope for eternity, and during a lull in the conversation I plucked up enough courage to ask him.

"Chief," I whispered in his ear, "has anyone ever spoken to you about the Lord Jesus Christ?”

"Jesus!" he exclaimed. "Blessed Jesus! Why yes, I know Him. He is the Door. Jesus said, 'I am the Door' and 'No man cometh unto the Father but by Me.”

Then to my amazement the old Indian began to tell me of God's wonderful plan of salvation. He knew well that a sinner must repent of his sins and be born again before he can ever enter heaven.

At his mention of the words "born again" I ventured another question, this time with more confidence. "Chief, when were YOU born again?”

His face lit up and he replied with enthusiasm, "Over fifty years ago, and Jesus did it! He is my Savior.”

Indians as a whole are often regarded by Christians as heathen with little knowledge of Christianity and only looking forward to reaching their "Happy Hunting Grounds" at death. Yet here was an old chief, tottering on the brink of the grave, and he knew more about God's great plan of salvation than many professors of religion who consider themselves good Christians. He knew that he was BORN AGAIN, and was ready to give an answer for the reason of the hope that was in him.

Readers, are you "born again"? Have you entered that blessed Door of hope which is Christ Jesus?

The Lord Jesus Christ said: "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." John 3:3.

Since the Marriage Day?

"How long have you been lying here, Mrs. Bond?”

This question was addressed to an old woman whose worn and troubled face told a tale of years of suffering.

"Oh, a long while now," she replied wearily: "and I don't suppose I shall ever get about again.”

"Are you a Christian?" returned the visitor.

"I'm trying to be one," she answered, almost hopelessly. Her friend was silent for a moment; and then, as if a new thought struck him, he inquired, "Do you ever try to be Mrs. Bond?

"No!" she replied, "I am Mrs. Bond.”

"How long have you been Mrs. Bond?" he pursued. "Ever since my marriage day," she answered, in some surprise.

"And have you no doubt about it?”

"None whatever," she returned, unhesitatingly. Holding up her hand, she added, "I have known I was Mrs. Bond ever since that ring was put on my hand.”

"That is just how it is with me," the visitor said. "I do not try to be a Christian; but I know I am one, and that I belong to the Lord Jesus Christ ever since I put out my empty hand and received Him as my Savior. It is by nothing that I have ever done or ever could do that I gained everlasting life, but simply by believing God's record that 'while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us,'—just receiving Jesus as my substitute, and believing that now, 'being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.' Rom. 5:8, 9.

This was new light to the poor soul, who was struggling on in darkness and doubt, seeking by her own endeavors to earn that everlasting life which God will sell to no man, but which He bestows as a free gift upon "whosoever believeth.”

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast." Eph. 2:8, 9.

All for Nothing?

He was a stalwart, large-hearted butcher with evident sympathy for the poor. Every Saturday night he stood outside his shop and offered all remaining portions of meat for sale at greatly reduced rates. And always a number of the poorer people of the neighborhood waited for the hour to arrive when he would offer his last sales cheap, as was his custom. Thus he would clear out the balance of his stock.

Having heard of this generous transaction, we joined the group outside the shop one Saturday night. When the time came, the butcher brought out various portions and sold them at bargain prices. Then, with an extra choice cut of meat in his hand, he stepped forward and cried: "Who will have this fine, large piece of meat, all for nothing?”

What an offer! The people stood silently, amazed and astounded. Could he mean what he said? It must be so, for there he stood before their eyes holding the meat in his hands. When no one made a move to accept his offer, he cried again: "All for nothing!”

Those who might be beneficiaries of the butcher's kindness looked questioningly at each other. Some thought it was too good to be true. Others feared there was a catch in it somewhere. Others who knew him well believed what he said, but they hesitated to accept his free gift.

But time was passing and the butcher was just turning to re-enter his shop when one woman decided to take him at his word. She ventured timidly forward and received in her out-stretched hands the coveted gift of meat. With a grateful heart she thanked the butcher for his generosity.

Now others stepped forward, expecting a gift of meat, too; but, lifting his empty hands above his head, the butcher cried: "Too late, folks, too late!”

Friend out of Christ, do you not see in this incident your own position before God? He has looked upon your great need, and His heart has been moved with compassion towards you. He has sent His well beloved Son to die in your stead on Calvary's cross, to atone for your sins, to complete the mighty work of redemption. Now God, in His free, sovereign grace, offers a perfect salvation to all, eternal life to all, as a gift. How can you refuse Him?

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God." Eph. 2:8.

"How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?" Heb. 2:3.

Satan's Opiates

"Peace! Peace!" he quietly whispered in the ear of the dying man. As he stood gloating over his poor deluded victim, he repeated, "I am the 'messenger of peace' to you. All is well; you need not worry. You know the Bible well. You cried to God to deliver you out of your pain. Soon you will pass away out of this suffering. Then all will be well.”

Thus said Satan to a man who for years had served him well, and who was now about to pass into eternity. This, reader, is no picture drawn by human imagination, but a solemn fact in the history of one whom the writer knew intimately for fourteen years.

He was what even men of the world would call bad. His poor wife had been hurried to an early grave, and he, the victim of drink and debauchery, was now about to follow her. He was also a scorner and reviler of God's Word and God's people, notoriously profane and untruthful.

Cancer of the throat seized him; but he would not believe that it was so. He cursed the doctor, threw away the medicine, declared that everybody wanted to kill him. He fought with all the intensity of a life-and-death struggle against the ravages of the disease; but at length he had to succumb. Too weak to move about, he was succumbing to the spreading poison, and at last he was forced to admit that there was no hope of recovery.

Was he terrified at the prospect of death? Alas, no! Satan had a gospel of his own, and he knew well how to lull with his deadly opiates the conscience of his wretched victim. "Peace! Peace!" he preached, when there was no peace. In just such a state has many a poor deluded sinner passed unawakened out of this world, for "the wicked have no bands in their death.”

Often did I pray that I might be the bearer of a message of hope to the poor fellow. But weeks of his illness passed on without opportunity for the accomplishment of my desire. Alarmed for his eternal safety, even his companions in sin besought me to call to see him, though they well knew how he had previously ridiculed both my Master, and His message.

But how common is this, to find even the ungodly anxious about the eternal destiny of others. They will seek frantically for a preacher or priest to read and pray with the dying, vainly supposing that the very presence of such will help to save the lost soul. How many poor deluded souls have passed into a lost eternity with the sacrament on his dying lips, or extreme unction just administered!

At last I found my way to this poor man's death bed. There he lay, dying in the prime of life, dying without God, without Christ and without hope in the world! I entered his darkened room. A sedative had just lulled him to sleep; and as I watched the pallid, deathly features, and listened to the labored breathing, deep sorrow wrung my aching heart.

Presently he awoke in a violent fit of coughing, and I feared that he might then pass away. As soon as he had sufficiently recovered, I spoke to him of the love of Christ, and of his own need of such a Savior. He assented to all that I said, and then added that he felt that it was now all right with him, for he had prayed! Anxious to know if his prayer was a cry for mercy, I asked him what he had prayed for. "Oh, that the pain might be less," he replied.

I then read Rom. 3, as a description of his lost condition; and Job 33, which shows God's ways with man: how He chastens him with pain upon his bed, and the multitude of his bones with strong pain, so that his life abhors bread, and his soul dainty meat; yea, his soul draweth near unto the grave, and his life to the destroyer. And all this in order that he may own, "I have sinned, and perverted that which was right, and it profited me not." Then God can say, "Deliver him from going down to the pit: I have found a ransom.”

"Ah," he said, "I know every word of that Book." And he looked quite serene and secure; he was resting on that knowledge.

He then told me, as I had heard before, that about three o'clock that morning the pain has ceased, and he felt that his end was come, and that he was being wafted into heaven! "Alas!" thought I; "what an awakening! Instead of the holy paradise of God, he may find himself in the deep dark gloom of the eternal abode of the lost.”

In vain was it that I set before him his lost condition as a sinner. He had prayed; that was sufficient. Indeed the devil's gospel. After a few more brief hours he passed away.

Oh, what an awakening was his when a week ago last Saturday he left this scene and knew the terrible truth! The hell he had ridiculed in days of health must now be his abode, and that forever and forever!

"Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish: for I work a work in your days, a work which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you." Acts 13:41.

Reader, God is preaching peace by Jesus Christ, a peace procured at the enormous cost of the shedding of the blood of His beloved Son. Satan too is a messenger of peace; but his so-called gospel leaves out repentance towards God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

To whom are YOU listening? God or Satan?

Sun Struck?

It was a hot summer day. A man rushed in breathless haste into the office of a Christian doctor. Gasping for breath, he cried: "Please, Doctor, come at once! It's a desperate case.”

Hastily gathering up his bag and some emergency equipment, Dr. Harvey hurried out with his messenger who gave him more details on the way. The patient was a young man, David Wells, who had been working on the construction of a nearby bridge. He had suffered a sudden seizure, perhaps a sunstroke, and, as the messenger said, "Seemed to have gone raving crazy!”

Arriving at the cottage where the patient had been taken, the doctor was ushered into the bedroom. There lay the young man; and, as the doctor instantly noted, his color was good and his breathing was quiet and regular. In fact, David Wells was peacefully sleeping. As the doctor's practiced fingers touched the young man's wrist to examine his pulse, the closed eyes fluttered open and a bright smile spread over his face.

"It's all right, Doctor," he said; "I never was better in my life, and I have every reason to shout and sing and rejoice. For the last three weeks, working on that bridge and knowing any moment I might make a false step—my last one—I've carried a heavy load. My sins were like a mountain and I knew I was lost. Every bolt I struck and every nut I screwed on seemed to scream at me, `You're going to HELL, you're going to HELL!'

"Today while at work I suddenly saw that the Son of God on Calvary had borne the punishment for my sins. He had died for me. I just couldn't help shouting and praising Him. The men thought I was sun struck and brought me here, but doctor, it was just the loving touch of the Son of God. He has taken away my heavy load and made me safe for all eternity. Now I can work with a light heart and unafraid of whatever may come, for I know I am safe in His care.”

Friend, are you still struggling under the load of your sins? Are you blind to your constant danger of leaving this scene for the pit of despair?

God is "not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." 2 Peter 3:9.

He offers you pardon, peace, and eternal salvation if you will only repent of your ungodliness and receive His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

"He came unto His own, and His own received Him not. But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name." John 1:11,12.

The Infidel Squire

The squire belonged to a class of persons who appear to despise the Word of God, and, consequently, to hate the name of Jesus. On one occasion he was visited by a well-known Christian whom he charged on no account to name the name of Jesus Christ while in his home. After some thought, the Christian assented, and in his conversation spoke of God only as displayed in creation. He extolled the exhibition of power and wisdom in the works of God, and the perfection of His handiwork. Then he took his leave.

Invited by the squire to repeat his visit, the Christian did so. This time he spoke of God in His righteousness, in His holiness, in His majesty, in His hatred of sin. And again he took his leave.

At this point the squire's conscience was reached. The arrow of the Almighty penetrated the joints of the harness in which his infidel system had encased him. He was a convicted sinner. The flimsy cobwebs of rationalism gave way before the stern realities of his personal guilt and the holiness of God. The proud, self-sufficient skeptic became a humble, broken-hearted penitent.

When the Christian called again, he found the squire in a state of intense mental anguish. The weight of God's claims was heavy upon his conscience, and he acknowledged his own utter incompetence to meet them. God in creation and providence was immeasurably far from him. That great gulf between him and his Creator he could never bridge. He was wretched; and in the depth of his wretchedness, he begged his Christian friend for relief and comfort.

"No," he said, "I can do nothing for you. You have strictly forbidden me to name the only One who can do you any good or afford you any peace.”

This was a time for profound decision in the spiritual history of the squire. The entire superstructure of rationalism, skepticism, and infidelity had given way. He beheld it all as a mass of ruins, and himself a ruin in the midst of ruins. Neither creation nor providence could furnish a resting-place for his poor burdened heart and guilty conscience. He had, under the blinding power of a senseless unbelief, sedulously excluded from his thoughts the only "name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”

The precious, peerless, powerful name of Jesus is the only ground whereon "God can be just and the justifier" of the most ungodly sinner that believeth; but this man had built up a system for himself in which the name of Jesus, the Christ, had no place. But Christ is the only platform on which a holy God and a guilty sinner can meet. The miserable man had shut out Christ—he would not have Him; and his motto was, "Oh, breathe not His name!”

What a moment! The poor squire was really in the depths of misery. What could he do? There was a link missing. Where could he find it? Something was needed which his infidel system could not supply. A holy God! —how could he meet Him? A righteous God!—how could he stand before Him? A sin-hating God!—how could he ever approach Him?

It was indeed a moment for profound thought—a a solemn crisis, a time never to be forgotten. He earnestly begged his friend to speak freely now and help him find the right way. The door of his heart, so long locked tight by the strong bolts of infidelity, was now flung open. His conscience was fully reached. The plow had done its work, and the Christian had but to enter with the seed-basket and sow the seeds of a full and free gospel in the deep furrows of a convicted soul.

How gladly did the Christian preach Christ-that long-rejected, much-hated name! Before the story of the cross of Christ the squire's proud infidelity melted. In that cross of shame, he saw the lowly Nazarene gloriously vindicated and all the claims of God and conscience fully met.

This was enough. In the presence of Jesus the squire found rest for his troubled soul. He saw in Christ the only One who can fill every need between the throne of God and the deepest depths of a sinner's moral ruin. He found his all in that very name which he had disdained and so strictly forbidden to be named beneath his roof.

"Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." Acts 4:12.

"He that believeth
on ME hath
everlasting life.”

John 6:47

October

The Heavenly Railway

How often we may hear and read,
Of railway trains and railway speed;
Of lines which are, or may be, made;
(To sell the shares is quite a trade).

Now, as a Christian, I design
To point you to another line,
Which does from earth to heaven extend,
Where real pleasures never end.

Infinite wisdom sketched the plan,
To save apostate, ruined man;
And Jesus Christ, the Father's Son,
The mighty work Himself has done.

Of truth divine the rails are made,
And on "the Rock of Ages" laid;
These rails are fixed in chains of love,
Firm as the throne of God above.

At Calvary's cross it does commence,
And runs through all the world from thence;
Then crossing death's strong swelling flood,
Reaches the glorious home of God.

One grand first class is used for all,
For Jew and Gentile, great and small;
There's room for the whole world inside,
And kings with beggars here must ride.

Do you, my reader, wish to know
On what conditions you must go?
The tickets now to all are free,
For Jesus died on Calvary.

Yet none can travel in their sin;
To heaven no evil enters in;
But Christ can cleanse you for the light,
And make you than the snow more white.

Come to Him then, just as you are,
Enter by faith the open car;
Obey the truth with all your heart,
MAKE HASTE, for soon the train will start.

The Gambler

What a bit of bad luck had happened to him! So thought Jimmy Norton when his wife "turned religious." She said she had found the Lord Jesus Christ to be her Savior and her Friend, but Jim did not understand it at all.

Everything was changed. He had had a large extra room built into his new house for dancing, card parties, and the like, and she would no longer join in that sort of thing. What could a man, such as he was, do with a, wife like that? He was a gambler, and the race track drew him as the magnet draws the needle. His wife had not minded going with him and having a "flutter" on her own account in former days, but she had given up that too. This enraged him so much that he wondered if he should turn her out of the house.

His house was quite close to the race track, and the racing season was on. He hurried home from town one day at noon, hastily swallowed the lunch his wife had prepared for him, and dashed off to the races as usual. His wife went to her room, and kneeling before God prayed for her husband. She asked that he might lose his money, for she thought that was the only way in which he could be cured of gambling.

When Jim got to the track he found his friends crowding around the bookmakers to bet their money on the horses. They seemed to be backing every horse in the field. Instead of joining them as usual, he stood back and watched them, and almost involuntarily said to himself, "What a pack of fools!" After a moment's thought he added, "and I'm one of them." God was answering his wife's prayer and doing even more than she had asked, for he soon had lost all interest in the horses, and wandered off the course without making a bet, a thoroughly wretched man.

He became a mystery to himself. Why couldn't he sleep at night? He blamed his wife, and, swearing at her, he would get up and drink and smoke and rampage about the house. Then he would return to bed, ashamed of himself and yet more angry because of that which had come into his home to mar his pleasure.

The Christian wife had some new friends who loved the Savior and believed in prayer. She invited them to her house one afternoon for prayer to God that He would quickly 'break down her husband's rebellious will and save his soul. The prayer hour was to be from 3 to 4 o'clock.

Jim, completely ignorant of what was going on at home, was posting his cash book at his office in the city. When he had finished— it was 3:55— he pushed the book away from him, exclaiming: "My G—, I've reached the limit. I'm through. Something's got to be done!" Suddenly in that quiet office a voice that seemed to him to be perfectly audible said in his ear and heart: "Are you stronger than God?”

Ah, that was the point. He knew he was fighting against God, wrestling hard against God's desire to bless him. He was flinging God's mercy in His face, thinking that he was stronger than God. That was the cause of all his misery. Filled with awe because of the voice he had heard, he buried his head in his hands and said, "God forbid that I should pretend to be stronger than You.”

That evening at home Jim was very quiet. Presently he asked his wife, "Does God speak to men today as He used to do?”

"Sometimes," she replied.

"Then," he said, "He spoke to me at four o'clock today," and he broke down in tears. Jim had reached his limit in a different way from what he had thought. He was through in the fight he had been waging; and something did happen, the greatest and best thing of all. His wife, converted only a few weeks herself, told him again of her Savior, of His grace and love. She told him how upon the cross of Calvary He had died for sinners such as he was, and that His precious blood could wash him clean of every stain of sin in God's sight.

It was a simple sermon that she presented to him, and from her very heart; but it was effectual. He saw the way of blessing, bowed before God, and confessed himself to be a sinner indeed. He soon put his whole confidence in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation.

Not long afterward, in the very room in his house that had been built for dancing, Jim told the story to nearly fifty people. With a face radiant with joy, he told them of Christ as a living Savior whose blood had cleansed him and whose love had satisfied him. A happy man is that former gambler, and a happy family is his, for his whole house has believed the gospel, as did the house of the jailer at Philippi.

Friend, are you seeking for satisfaction in the excitement of a life of pleasure? The end of these things is death. For true contentment, turn to Christ. "He satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness.”

"The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Rom. 6:23.

Bread upon the Waters

Albert was a bright-faced young man in his late teens when he came to the small college town to complete his education. His high scholastic record, abetted by his athletic prowess while in high school, were good indications that this was a student who would "make the grade.”

Not far from the college lived a couple with an only son, also a "teen-ager," who, his parents felt, would benefit by close association with an energetic Christian youth. To further this thought, they registered with the college, expressing their desire to open their home to a deserving young man of this type.

Some days went by before an applicant appeared. It was Albert who presented himself to the lady of the house. As she received him, she was favorably impressed by his deportment and general appearance. However, on questioning him, she soon learned that he came from a home where, since his mother's death, thoughts of God and eternity had no place. In fact, the lad himself had only a vague idea of what he called "religion." Disappointment showing on her face, the lady exclaimed: "But I asked for a Christian!”

"Well," came the hopeful answer, "I don't smoke!”

Smiling to herself at this ingenious rejoinder, the lady had a sudden thought. Had the Lord sent this young man to her for his blessing? perhaps being in a Christian home where he would be continually exposed to the Word of God in family worship and in attendance at gospel meetings, his heart would be opened to the knowledge and love of God. He might even be led to accept the Lord Jesus as his Savior.

And indeed that proved to be the case. Received into this Christian home as one of them, Albert quickly adjusted to their way of life, and before long became a true follower of the lowly Nazarene.

In the joy of his salvation, the young man's thoughts turned to the dear ones at home, and he sought to awaken in their hearts a sense of their need of a Savior; but Satan, the god of this world, had indeed blinded their minds to the eternal truths. However, when his brother later visited Albert in the little college town, and saw for himself the full and happy life that was now his as a Christian, a deep longing for similar satisfaction was awakened in his soul. Surely the blessed Spirit of God had begun a good work in him, a work destined for completion after many days.

Years passed, and the young student, grown to manhood, became a teacher in a neighboring school. In the meantime God had blessed him with a sweet Christian wife and a loveable young family to bring up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. He sought to be faithful to the Giver of all good, and constantly prayed for the salvation of those so dear to him by nature's ties. He knew that his brother had realized his lost condition when the gospel had been set before him, and that his father's attitude towards God and His dear Son had softened somewhat in the intervening years; but how he longed to have the certainty of their eternal salvation! Confident that his prayers for them were according to the mind of God who is "not willing that any should perish" but that all should come to a knowledge of the truth, Albert bore them up continually at the throne of grace.

One cold wintry morning just before day, the jangle of the telephone bell aroused Albert and his sleeping family. What could it mean? Good news? Bad news? Most likely, "wrong number." Grumpily sliding out from under the warm covers, the half-awake professor mumbled into the receiver a grumpy "Hello"!

Quickly his grumpiness vanished as he recognized the happy voice of his brother. "Al, I had to call and tell you the good news before I go to work. I'm saved! Thank God, I know I'm saved; and I know you will be as glad as I am. I'll be writing to tell you all about it, but I had to let you know as soon as possible. Now we can pray for each other—no longer a one-sided affair.”

It was a happy "Al" who went back to bed to await the dawn of a new day and the promised letter. As he lay there, his heart was full of gratitude to God for His long-suffering and grace in thus bringing his dear brother unto Himself.

"Cast thy bread upon the water: for thou shalt find it after many days." Eccl. 11:1.

Not long afterward the expected letter arrived, giving Albert the heart-warming details of the work of the Holy Spirit in his brother's family. He read:

My Dear Brother:

As you know, it was many years ago when I was first introduced to Christ. From that day in Brighton to a few days ago here, I have traveled a troubled path of doubt and indecision— of trying to believe in God and to hang on to Christ without letting go of sin— of knowing there must be a living God, and yet letting Satan deceive me, through my own conceit and foolishness, with doubting that He could exist. Now, praise to His name, my doubts are gone and my path is clear. As I entered the baptismal waters last night I prayed that the Lord would relieve me of my doubts and fears and help me to hold fast the truth.

I must say that since that day in Brighton the Spirit of God has never given me up. The Lord stayed with me, although I rejected Him again and again. Like a spoiled child I would cry to Him when I was troubled, and forget Him when He showed me His mercy. This breaks my heart to remember, but He proved His faithfulness.

Here's how it all came to a head: My children had been attending a little Chapel in the West End, most of them undoubtedly for a picnic or outing now and then; but the oldest, Sonny, seemed to be so earnest and happy there, and requested time and again that Mother and I go with them. In our shame we finally went, first Mother, and then at her request I went too.

The first hymn sung was "Life Is Like a Mountain Railroad"; and, brother, I could feel the Holy Spirit there. I could almost hear our dear Mother, for I remember, even after all these years, that song was dear to her. Al, that is probably the poorest congregation in the world in material things; but when they raise their voices in song' there is none richer in spirit. This song took me back many years "years that the locusts have eaten.”

Soon afterward some of the brothers came to visit us, and last week the pastor came. I asked him if he would baptize me. To my surprise, mother had already asked him to baptize her, and so we made it a family affair.

The rest I have told you. I know your prayers have been with me all these years and I have loved you and thought of you so much all the time, although you couldn't know it from my actions.

May God bless you for your patience and love, and may He comfort and encourage you and your family. Pray for us, and write to us as soon as you can.

Your brother indeed, in Christ, George

Dear Al and Family:

I am so happy to be able to tell you that we have given our lives and hearts to God. I didn't realize one could be so happy. I don't feel like the same person, and I want to tell everyone what they are missing if they don't know Christ.

Sonny had been going to this mission for a long time. Suddenly he stopped going and stayed away for several weeks. One Saturday night I told him I was going with him the next morning to get him started back again. He answered me with a question, "What do you think I've been waiting for?”

I feel that God was directing in Sonny's seeming disinterest in the little mission and used my concern for him to stir me up to a sense of responsibility. As a result my dear husband and I are saved, and we all go as a family. I am so thankful to God for this.

Remember us in your prayers, as we do you and yours in ours. May God bless you always.

Your sister in Christ, Mary

"The Lord... is long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." 2 Peter 3:9.

Birds of Passage

In the early days of Christianity, persecution was used of God to scatter abroad the followers of the despised Nazarene. They went everywhere bearing the news of salvation, and through them the gospel of Christ was propagated through the known world.

Legend says that when the first missionary arrived in what is now known as England, he presented himself before the king to solicit permission to preach the gospel in his dominions. After long deliberation, a negative answer was about to be given to his application; but an aged counselor, his head silvered with white hair, rose and by a simple plea obtained for the missionary the permission he sought.

"Here we are," said the old man, "like birds of passage; we know not whence we come or whither we are going. If this man can tell us, in the name of the gods, let him speak.”

My reader, is it so with you? Reflect for a moment on the aptness of the figure. Were you to arrest one of these birds in flight it could tell you nothing of whence it had come, of whither it was bound, or of the course of its passage from clime to clime. As for you, if you are still in your sins, what better are you than they? Made for the glory of God, you have sinned and come short of it. You have missed that for which you were created. You are an anomaly among the works of God and, like the bird of passage, you go on from day to day pursuing a blind instinct, going you know not whither. Your origin, your course, and your destination are unsolved problems before your soul now, and you are about to plunge into the blackness forever!

Oh, wayward wanderers from God and from Christ, Stop! Stop in your flight to an unknown eternity! Hear the loving voice of His word that comes to you to warn, to woo, and to win you: "Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die?”

Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be no longer a mere bird of passage, pursuing only natural instincts, but through that faith become a child of God, and by grace an heir of glory.

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast." Eph. 2:8, 9.

Saving Faith”

Some years ago a ship was wrecked on the coast of Cornwall. All on board were drowned except one sailor boy who was washed ashore nearly dead. He lay for weeks a sick, broken body.

A young 'Christian man visited him at that time and told him the good news of God's salvation.

"When your vessel was breaking in pieces round about you," he said to the lad, "and you felt you were sinking, suppose a plank had floated by you. If you had been able to clutch it, and you felt it would bear your weight, you would have thanked God for that plank, wouldn't you?”

"Yes," said the boy, and by this simple illustration he was led to understand that the "plank" for his sinking soul was "Christ," and that he had only to commit himself to Christ, as in drowning he would to the plank.

Many years afterward, in a distant city, the same Christian man visited a death bed. The dying man was a stranger to him. "Is it well with your soul?" he said as he bent over him.

The dying man turned his head—there was a smile of recognition, a grasp of the hand—and he said, "God bless you, sir; the plank bears, the plank bears!" And he died.

Poor sinking one, do you imagine that the weight of your sin and weariness is too heavy for Jesus? It was heavy, but He bore the awful weight of it in order that you might not sink. Now He lives to present His redeemed ones faultless before the presence of the Father's glory. I pray you to cast yourself upon Christ for "He is able to save to the uttermost them that come unto God by Him.”

Faith

Reading a Greek Testament one day in the second and third chapters of the Gospel of John, a young lady came to the word "believeth" in chapter 3, verse 15.

"Surely that word occurred in the previous chapter," she said to herself. Looking back, she saw that the phrase "commit-himself-unto" in chapter 2 was exactly the same in the original as the word "believe" in chapter 3, verse 15.

Thus God showed her that "believing" meant simply committing herself with all her unbelief and sin to Jesus. On Him her soul rested in the strength and love of her Savior.

It is this simple "committing of ourselves" to Jesus that the great enemy of our souls tries to persuade us is difficult. The very words "faith" and "believing" become so familiar to us that they seem almost to have lost their first simple meaning, and to some minds they become words of vague import.

But, friend, the Lord Jesus would not offer you a dim, uncertain way of salvation. He says in His abounding love, "I am the way." "I, Jesus,"— who was made flesh and dwelt among men, and knows to the uttermost the poor sinner's need and weariness— the living, loving Savior— "I am the way; commit yourselves to Me, and you are safe for eternity!”

"I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by Me."

John 14:6.

"There is one God, and one
mediator between God and
men, the Man Christ Jesus.”

1 Tim. 2:5

November

A Word for the Weary

My spirit is sad and perplexed,
I know not the best thing to do;
With doubtings and fears I am vexed,
And Satan harasses me too.

I've tried (how I've tried) to believe,
Till the word on my mind is engraved;
Can no one sorrow relieve?
Oh, "What must I do to be saved?”

Lord Jesus, I'm full of alarms,
Indeed I've no hope left but Thee;
I cast myself into Thy arms,
O Savior! Take pity on me!

I come as a poor little child;
With many a tremor and doubt;
But Thy voice spreads a calm through the wild,
Saying, "I will in no wise cast out.”

No feelings need come to my aid,
This dull heart's emotions are few;
I'll trust Thee, Lord, nor be afraid!
I'm as safe as the Bible is true.

This Way to the Pit?

When John Marshall was hardly more than a boy, he left his home in the country to work in a large city. For a while its attractions were a fruitful source of amusement and occupation for his restless and inquisitive mind. These, however, beginning to pall, John experienced some difficulty in finding pleasant occupation for his evenings. His conscience, evidently under the influence of the Spirit of God, told him that he had a soul needing salvation, sins that needed forgiveness, an eternity that must be spent— somewhere.

One evening in particular, after supper and a change of clothes, he was in a quandary what to do with himself. That day conscience had been pricking most uncomfortably, and he consequently felt a bit "down." Then the devil suggested to him that the very best antidote for low spirits was a "good play." To this he agreed with some slight misgiving, and accordingly set forth for the theater.

On the way John saw a company of Christians holding a gospel meeting at a street corner. Some words of the preacher reached his ears as he carefully kept on the far side of the street. "Deliver him from going down to the pit" came faintly to him as he hurried on.

This fragment of Scripture somehow renewed the disturbance his mind had experienced all that day, and which he was now bent on allaying with the remedy of a "good play." But John was strong minded; he would not let a little thing like that sway him from his purpose. So he passed on quickly, and soon mingled with the crowd at the theater door. He was as strenuous as the rest to be in first. He made for a certain entrance. He had been there before, but he looked up at the printed notice to confirm his being in the place he wished. Yes, he was right. There was the notice plain enough "THIS WAY TO THE PIT.”

But, how is this? The simple notice seemed strange—unique. It seemed blazoned with fire. It was in truth "a writing on the wall," as if written by the finger of God in direst warning. It was alive with a new meaning to John. It filled his soul with awe, dismay, terror. It clearly read to him— "THIS WAY TO THE BOTTOMLESS PIT." He hesitated; he stopped; he gazed at the notice again; and this time, with an exclamation of terror and despair, he turned and struggled out of the crowd, deaf to the remonstrance of the people.

He soon got clear, and made his way along the street as if pursued by the demons of hell. But whither, whither? The words of life, as uttered by the street preacher, came back to him with redoubled force. He went straight to the place where the meeting was held. The company was still there, and John stood at a safe distance on the outskirts of the crowd.

In a few minutes the outside meeting broke up, and an invitation was given for all who would to come into a room over a shop to hear further of God's wonderful salvation. Among others John went in, selecting a seat in the farthest and darkest corner where he would be least in evidence. The preacher spoke from the text, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that heareth My Word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, HATH everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life." John 5:24.

The speaker first dwelt on the need of those for whom the text was spoken. This was so lucidly done that John began to suspect the preacher knew him personally, and was directing all his oratory "at him." Thus his keen interest was secured. By-and-by the conditions of God were expatiated upon— hearing the Word which condemns, which tells of atonement made by Christ, and which issues an invitation worldwide to accept salvation. Next, believing in God who gave His Son, and that all the rest are results of these simple conditions, but verified as promises of God, which results are (1) present possession of everlasting life; (2) deliverance from the condemnation of hell; (3) and the instant transition from a death-state to a life-state, i.e., conversion.

"Oh," thought John; "I never knew it was so gloriously simple! I'll have it!”

And have it he did. He stayed a while after the meeting to have things more fully explained, then went to his lodgings happy in the knowledge of sins forgiven. The first words he uttered to his landlady were: "Missis, I'm converted!”

He expected the news to have an electrical effect on her, for she was a "chapel woman." But alas! She only looked superciliously, almost pityingly, as she answered, "Oh, I've felt like that myself before now, but it passed away. So it will with you, lad; aye, by tomorrow morning." With this cold comfort John retired to rest.

The landlady might have been a prophetess, with her wretched owl-like pronouncement, for with the morning light John's "feelings" had passed away. Was the landlady right after all? Saved last night—was he this morning? Curious! He sighed sorrowfully. But suddenly he remembered the text of last night. He remembered it was a most positive one—one that spoke with no uncertain sound. "Well, well," he said, "I've changed, it's true; my feelings are quite contrary to last night; but I'll just look up the verse, and if IT isn't changed— why, I am converted after all.”

John looked the passage up. Yes, it stood forth as boldly as ever in its august, divine grandeur—his side, God's side— quite plain. He thumped the Bible in an enthusiastic outburst of faith as he exclaimed, "Praise God! His Word hasn't changed, only my feelings; and I am saved after all through belief in God and His Son. Hallelujah!”

And it was true. Since that time he has been preaching the same "old story" over and over, and God has blessed his efforts.

"Deliver him from going down to the pit: I have found a ransom." Job 33:24.

It Is Well?

Years ago a luxury liner left New York harbor for a European port with a full complement of passengers. Among these was Mrs. H.S. Spafford, the wife of a lawyer in Chicago, and with her were her four little girls.

The long voyage was almost over and the shores of England lay just ahead when a terrible catastrophe occurred. In the darkness a vessel collided with the Atlantic liner, opening a great hole in her side. Immediately the mighty ocean poured in and the steamer began to sink.

As the water rose higher and higher, Mrs. Spafford gathered the children around her, and commended them to her God and Father. One of the little ones, seeing her mother's tears, sought to comfort her. "Mother," she said, "it is as easy to go to the Lord Jesus from the sea as from our home in America.”

Within 12 minutes the great liner was completely inundated, and as it slid beneath the ocean the agonized mother sought vainly to hold her little brood. One by one the precious children were swept from her grasp, perishing before the mother's eyes. She was, however, mercifully preserved, though swept in the current from the rapidly sinking ship. She was picked up several hours later and taken safely to England.

Knowing that the news of the disaster would soon be flashed across the ocean, Mrs. Spafford on reaching shore dispatched a cablegram to her husband. Tidings of the loss of the steamer with many of the passengers had indeed reached him, but, as yet, he did not know the fate of his dear ones. With fearful heart and trembling hand he broke open the envelope. The message was short, only two words. His eye caught the word "Saved," and his heart was filled with rapturous delight. Glancing a second time at the cablegram he perceived the other word, "ALONE," and a tremendous revulsion of feeling ensued. The one moment he was filled with ineffable joy, and the next he was overwhelmed with grief. He could, however, thank God that his beloved wife was saved, though he mourned the loss of his four darlings.

In this dark hour of sorrow his resource was the God of all comfort, and through His sustaining grace he was enabled to compose a hymn which has brought like comfort to many broken hearts:

"When peace like a river attendeth my way;
When sorrows like sea billows roll:
Whatever my lot, Thou halt taught me to say,
`It is well, it is well with my soul.'”

Hell

We hear so much about hell and what it is, that it is well to turn to the authority of Scripture and hear what God says.

In Luke 16:19-31, the veil that hides the other world from our eyes is drawn aside by Him who is truth itself, the One who never exaggerated, and who never kept back part of the truth.

1. In verse 28, we learn that hell is a place of torment. There are three words in that chapter that describe hell as no other words can: Remember (verse 25). Reader, what must it be to remember in hell! There, it would be untold comfort to forget all the privileges and good things of the past—aye, and gospel meetings and Bible lessons. Say you that hell is remorse? That is only part of it.

2. Tormented—(verse 25). This word describes the effect of the awful present in the flames of hell.

3. Fixed—(verse 26),—completes the picture. No ray of hope ever enters that dark abode of misery, that place of weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth. Pain, present torment, can be borne if there is any hope of relief; but what must it be when the doom is fixed forever?

Reader, dare you risk coming into that place of torment? Have you heard Moses and the prophets? Listen to them now: "To Him (Jesus) give all the prophets witness, that through His name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins." Acts 10:43.

"Moses truly said unto the fathers, A Prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; Him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever He shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that Prophet, shall be destroyed from among people." Acts 3:22, 23.

The rich man in hell asked that one be sent to his brethren from among the dead, but was refused. God has sent One to us from the dead, and He says, "See that ye refuse not Him that speaketh: for if they escaped not who refused Him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from Him that speaketh from heaven." Heb. 12:25. Yes, Jesus is raised from the dead, and now speaks to us from heaven.

Reader, if you refuse to listen to Him, if you neglect this great salvation, you will come into that place of torment which is called hell. Oh! think of those three words:— Remember—Tormented—Fixed. No further words are needed to add to that picture. God Himself says, THIS IS HELL.

Proof

As I stepped into the railway coach that would take me to my next preaching appointment, I saw five fellow-passengers already seated there. Reaching into my pocket for some tracts, I found only four. These I passed around and then settled myself to read a little booklet.

A man in the far corner of the seat I chose had received one of the tracts, and I was interested to observe him take out his pencil as he read. Part way down the page he came to the word, "Satan." With fury in his eyes he dashed a black line under the word and scribbled in the margin, "There is no devil." He then handed the tract back to me.

I said nothing; but with the rubber in my pencil I erased his writing and put the tract back into my pocket. Then I resumed my reading. This was too much for the gentleman. He leaped up, proclaiming loudly, "I don't believe there is any devil.”

Pouring out invectives against such idiots as believed in an evil spirit, he cried, "Sir, I challenge you before these people"—who gaped at him in amazement—"I challenge you to prove that there is a devil. Where would you begin?”

"Nothing is easier, sir," I said, looking up from my book—"nothing easier. I would begin with you yourself. Your passionate language, discourteous, uncivilized conduct, all prove that you are energized by a living, personal devil.”

"Well, well, I was rather hot," the man conceded as he resumed his seat, but still abusing the very idea of the existence of an evil spirit.

"If there be no devil, what stirs you up to be so angry?" I questioned him.

"That is the evil principle which is in me. You cannot prove that there is any other devil," was his answer.

Drawing my Bible from my pocket I said. "Now, sir, will you please take that Book into your hand?" Hesitantly he complied and I continued: "With that Bible in your hand I demand of you, Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God?”

"I do; most certainly I do," was his quick reply.

"Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of the eternal God?”

"No, I don't," he shouted angrily. "Show me where it says so.

Again taking my Bible in hand I turned quickly to some passages of God's word to man.

“‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.' John 1:1, 3, 14.

"GOD WAS IN CHRIST, reconciling the world unto Himself.' 2 Cor. 5:19.

"And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.' 1 Tim. 3:16.

“‘And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know Him that is true; and we are in Him that is true, even in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.'" 1 John 5:20.

Other portions of Scripture I also read; and, noting that my questioner still looked unconvinced, "took a shot in the dark" as it were. I said: "I see what you are, sir. You are a Unitarian, and following that doctrine you have cut yourself off from the only hope of eternal salvation—through Jesus and His blood. Tell me; what sort of a person is your Jesus?”

"The most lovely of men," he responded quickly.

"That can't be true, sir; according to your belief your Jesus is either an imposter or a sinner such as we. My Jesus, the eternal Son of the eternal God, is the `chiefest among ten thousand, the altogether lovely.”

Turning to Matt. 4, I read: "Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil." Then I asked, "Was that an evil principle within Him, or the veritable person of the evil one?”

For the moment my opponent's mouth was shut, so I continued: "You have no atoning blood of a savior in your religion. You hate the blood, sir. You hate the precious blood of Christ.”

"I thank God that I have not a drop of blood in my religion. I do hate it," he asserted.

"Yes, I knew that you denied the blessed Person and the work of the Son of God. But you shall hear what God says about the blood before we separate: “‘The BLOOD shall be to you for a token... and when I see the BLOOD, I will pass over you.' Ex. 12:13.

“‘For it is the BLOOD that maketh an atonement for the soul.' Lev. 17:11.

“‘Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in HIS BLOOD.' Rom. 3:25.

"'He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the BLOOD of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?'" Heb. 10:28, 29.

The man, listening intently, had edged nearer me on the seat and I observed thankfully the stricken look which now spread over his countenance. Was this soul to be a trophy to His grace?

At this moment the train slowed and stopped. Hastily gathering up his belongings, my erstwhile adversary rushed pell mell from the coach. Shall we ever meet again? Perhaps we shall in a coming day, for God has said: "My word... shall not return unto Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it." Isa. 55:11.

The Objective

On the wall of a building in Scotland is inscribed this searching question: "What would Jesus do?”

Christ Himself has given us the answer to that soul-searching question— an answer that is a perfect directive for every true-hearted child of God, an object in life worthy of Him who is that Object. He has said in John 8:29, "The Father hath not left Me alone; for I do always those things that please Him.”

It is said that Sextus, one of the fathers in the early church, would ask his heart every night before going to sleep: "What evil hast thou amended this day? What vice hast thou shunned? What good hast thou done? In what part art thou bettered?”

In 1 Cor. 11:28, Christians at the Lord's Table are told: "Let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup." Examination, or judging one's heart in the presence of the Lord, leads to self-condemnation and thus to true humility. Then the question becomes, for the lowly heart, "Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?”

The true guide for one who would find the answer to that question is not in the dictates of his own heart, for the wise man says, "the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked." Martin Luther once said: "I am more afraid of my own heart than of the Pope and all his cardinals. When I look within, I see Pope Self whose guidance is the road to hell.”

Nor is the answer to be found in any man-made canon, creed, or catechism. A motto often seen in Christian homes reads:

Only one life, 'twill soon be past;
Only what's done for Christ will last.”

This is only partially true. It should read: "Only what's done for Christ, according to God's Word, will last." There, in the Holy Scriptures, and only there, do we find a lamp for the feet and a light for the pathway of the child of God. The Apostle Paul instructed Timothy as he would you and me: "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." 2 Tim. 2:15.

Jesus said:

"I came not to call the righteous,
but sinners to repentance.”

Mark 2:17.

December

Get Right with God

"Get right with God"—for life is sad and dreary
Without the sunshine of His face divine;
Turn now to Him, who offers untold blessing
To satisfy the need of souls like thine.

"Get right with God"— thy load of guilt is heavy,
And God alone can take that load away; He gave
His well-beloved Son to suffer
Upon the cross, thy every debt to pay.

"Get right with God"—no longer be rebellious
Against the love that seeks thy soul to win;
Bow down at last, and as thy Lord confess Him,
Whose blood alone can cleanse away thy sin.

"Get right with God"—Eternity's before thee,
How dark 'twill be if, banished from His face,
Thou goest forth into the night of sorrow,
A stranger ever to His saving grace.

The Final Conclusion

An infidel lecturer concluded his arguments and then he challenged those present to refute them. To the consternation of the audience, an old, bent woman in antiquated attire went up to the platform and addressed the speaker. "Sir, I have a question to ask you.”

"Well, my good woman, what is it?”

"Years ago," she said, "I was left a widow with eight children. I was utterly unprovided for, and had nothing of my own but this Bible. By its direction and looking to God for strength, I have been given wisdom and ability to care for and bring up my family in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

"Now my work is done and I am nearing life's end; but I am perfectly happy, because I look forward to being soon in the glory with Jesus. That's what my religion has done for me. What has your way of thinking done for you?”

"Well, my good lady," rejoined the lecturer, "I don't want to disturb your comfort; but—”

"Oh! That's not the question," said she; "keep to the point, sir. What has your way of thinking done for you?”

The infidel endeavored to avoid the question again, but was silenced by the uproarious applause and wild acclaim his audience was giving his challenger. The champion had to go away discomfited by an old woman.

Here is another picture. Colonel Ingersoll, the noted infidel, stood by the coffin of his brother. Said he: "Life is a narrow vale between the cold and barren peaks of two eternities. We strive in vain to look beyond the heights. We cry aloud; and the only answer is the echo of our wailing cry.”

The learned infidel, Voltaire, once declared: "The bulk of mankind are nothing more than a crowd of wretches equally criminal and unfortunate, and this globe contains carcasses rather than men. I tremble as I review this dreadful picture, for I find that it contains a complaint against Providence itself, and I wish I had never been born.”

Is this the best that infidelity can do?

Listen now to the words of a dying Christian. Said the godly Halyburton: "I shall shortly get a very different sight of God from what I have ever had, and I shall be meet to praise Him forever. What a wonder that I enjoy such composure in spite of all my bodily pains, and in view of death itself! What a mercy that, still in possession of my reason, I can declare His goodness to my soul! I bless His Name! I die rejoicing in Him! Blessed be God that ever I was born.”

Now, reader, what is the practical result of your profession? Have you peace with God? Are you ready for death and eternity?

"And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation." Heb. 9:27, 28.

Whither Bound?

The end of another year is in view, and soon the clock will strike the midnight hour for the last time in 1966. The grains of sand fall fast and we are hurried forward.

Old Time is restless in his might; the baby becomes the schoolboy, the schoolboy the youth, the youth the business man, the business man the elderly, and soon he is the aged one passing on to the end.

A few turns of the wheel and all is completed of our journey here. But this life is only the first chapter in our history—a history to which "finish" never will be written. "End of Chapter One" may be written speedily, but Eternity lies before us. The great Forever is in view, and it is unending.

It is well for us to pause and consider whither we go. And as we pass one another like ships on the trackless ocean, we ask you, reader, "Whither Bound?”

Eternity, where? Will it be with Christ in everlasting joy, or without Christ in everlasting sorrow?

Can we know? Assuredly believers may. "We know... we have a building of God,... eternal in the heavens," says the Apostle Paul, voicing the Christian's confidence. It is the believer's portion to know how he stands as to the past, as to the present, and as to the future.

As to the past: "Ye know that ye were...redeemed... with the precious blood of Christ." 1 Peter 1:18, 19.

As to the present: "He that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life." John 5:24.

As to the future "We know that, when He [Christ] shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is." 1 John 3:2. '

For the Christian, past, present, and future are filled with Christ.

Our redemption is through Him.

Our life is in Him.

Our glory is with Him.

And all is of His grace. We deserve naught but judgment. But He gives all in the greatness of His goodness and never fails the worst sinner who trusts in Him, or the weakest saint who relies upon Him.

Friend, you are going. The clock ticks you on your way. Your pulse throbs you ceaselessly forward. Whither bound?

The same Word of God which tells of His love, tells of His righteous judgment. If we miss His salvation we ensure the judgment we deserve. And that too is FOREVER.

"And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: so Christ was once offered, to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation." Heb. 9:27, 28.

Keep on Keeping on

A want ad in a small Massachusetts paper caught the attention of a lad seeking work. The requirement was for a young man to assist the office manager of a brokerage house in Boston. Applications were to be mailed to Box 1720, Boston.

The young man wrote the best letter of application he knew how to write. When no reply came he wrote a second letter, but still received no reply. Though discouraged, he did not quit. He rewrote his letter, changing the wording, improving the construction. Still he received no reply from his third letter.

This young man knew that success requires three prerequisites:—the first, persistence; the second, persistence; and the third, PERSISTENCE. So he took a train to Boston, went directly to the post office, and asked, "Who rents Box 1720?" The clerk replied that to give out such information was against the law.

The lad hunted for Box 1720, then waited hours until someone came. He followed the person to one of Boston's large brokerage houses. There the manager heard his story and then he said, "My young friend, you are just the type we are looking for. The job is yours." Thus began the career of Roger Babson, one of America's most illustrious statisticians.

Friend, do you ever lose heart in your Christian work? Some of the qualities required not only in secular life, but demanded repeatedly of Christians in the New Testament are perseverance, persistence, fidelity, steadfastness. Paul enjoined us: "Let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." Gal. 6:9.

This text suggests three phases: well-doing, weariness, waiting for the certain harvest.

Well-doing comes first in the original text which reads, "In well-doing let us not be weary." Though some folks become tired before doing anything, the usual order is well-doing before weariness comes in.

But in well-doing always lurks the danger of weariness.. How easily Paul himself could have been discouraged! In his long, arduous travels he was persecuted, beaten, shipwrecked, weak, ill, rejected by churches he had founded and facing martyrdom constantly. Yet he has given us the secret of an unwearied life in the four chapters of Philippians: Christ our Life, our Object, our Hope, our Strength.

"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." 2 Cor. 4:10.

"Be Thou the object bright and fair
To fill and satisfy the heart;
My hope to meet Thee in the air,
And nevermore from Thee to part:
That I may undistracted be
To follow, serve, and wait for Thee.”

Broken Things

The little clinging tendrils are broken, but the branches bear rich fruit.

The precious alabaster box was broken, but Christ was honored.

The thread of the loom was broken that the pattern might be complete.

Tiny broken bits of colored glass in the hands of a master artist made a grand cathedral window. The broken words of a fervent prayer brought blessing to one who heard.

The broken bread tells the Christian of the Lord's body, broken for his sake.

Then what of the broken plans, the broken ambitions, the sufferings and losses and crosses of a broken life?

If committed into the hands of the divine Artist they shall scatter rarest fragrance.

They shall bear buds of promise, richer fruit, honor to the King of kings, a perfect pattern, a brilliant reflection, a tender chord, a new life, a blessing to others.

"Unto them that are of a broken heart the Lord is nigh.”

The Man with Internal Life

I was walking along a country road one afternoon, and came across a group of laborers just leaving their work. We got into conversation, and I asked "Where do you think you'll go when you die?”

There was a pause, and all but one slipped away. He was physically a fine specimen of a man, but trouble and discontent marked his features. He came closer to me, and said: "I'd like to know the answer to that, sir.”

"Do you know that Jesus came into the world to save sinners?" I asked.

"Well, I suppose that is true," he responded, "but I can't say I feel it.”

"Are you a sinner?”

"That's just it, sir. I am, as all my mates know, a downright bad guy. I do feel that, sir.”

"Jesus Christ felt your sins and my sins on the cross far more than you or I can feel our own badness," was my response, "and, whether we feel miserable or happy, the truth which Jesus Himself declared remains ever the same: if I be lifted up [speaking of His death] from the earth, will draw all men unto Me.' And He said, "The Son of Man [must] be lifted up, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.' You are a 'whosoever,'" I said, "for it means everyone, and He did not say, 'whosoever feeleth,' but 'whosoever believeth,' trusteth in the God-Man who died for sinners, and is now the glorified Man living in heaven. Trust in Him, and you shall never perish, but shall be saved from 'eternal judgment' and the 'vengeance of eternal fire.' You shall possess eternal life.”

He answered earnestly, "I do wish, sir, I could feel that way.”

"Well," I said, "whether you feel it or not, God is true, and He 'so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Before he left me, he looked so happy, so relieved, that I could not but believe that God had done His work through His word. However, I may have spoiled it by my weak and stupid way of expressing it. We parted with such a hearty good-by, that I thanked God I had spoken to him.

Months after this I was again walking in this neighborhood with an eminent lawyer, distinguished in his profession for acumen and learning as much as he was in the religious world for orthodoxy and piety. He was, however, afraid to believe that he was saved for eternity, and thought it presumptuous to be so. Yet, with his knowledge of the Bible, he could not be quite satisfied with this uncertainty, and this was the topic of our conversation: "I cannot but think," he said, "that much is in the Bible in favor of what you urge as to being quite sure. Can you give me, from your own experience, some instance of this sudden conversion, from anxiety and darkness to happy assurance, and of the permanent results? Can you?" he added, searching me with his eyes, as one accustomed to weigh evidence.

For a moment I was at a loss. Many instances flashed across my memory, but as often the recollection of some failure or defect deterred me from giving one as a test case. Suddenly I looked up, and away down the road I saw walking towards us the identical laborer I had spoken to some months previously.

This, I felt, could be no coincidence, and I drew my friend's attention at once to the man as he slowly advanced. As accurately and briefly as I could I told him of that previous encounter, though I must confess I felt a little fearful that, after all, the work might have been superficial and transitory; but as he drew near he looked so bright and happy that I was reassured I called out to him, "Do you remember me, my man?”

"Can't say I do, sir," was the answer.

"Do you remember someone speaking to you on the road near Tottenham nearly a year ago?”

"That I do, sir. I remember you now, and what you said. I have been happier and better in body and pocket ever since. I've got it, sir," said he, striking his many buttoned big waistcoat a great blow with his fist. "I've got it in here, sir that internal life you spoke of.”

"Internal life!" said I. "Why, it was eternal life I spoke of!”

"So it is, sir, but for all that I have it in here, and I rest all upon Jesus Christ, who died for me.”

"Has it changed your life at all?" I asked.

"Indeed it has, sir. I haven't touched a drop of liquor since. And I am going home to my old lady with this," said he, pulling out a bag of money from his pocket.

"This is what keeps me going," he said, pulling out from the other pocket a well-worn Bible. "But in spite of all that, I never felt I was so bad as I do now. Still I am happy, and God bless you for telling me of Jesus.”

His happy, frank, earnest countenance was most convincing. It answered all the questionings of the reasoning, legal mind; and, as he said afterwards, it was clear that this man rested his happiness not on any imparted holiness to his body or his soul, for he still sorrowfully owned how bad his heart was. Nor was it on his feelings that he relied. No; it must have been that he was born from above, renewed by God's Spirit. The eternal life, the gift of God, was clearly his, and was to him "internal." "He that hath the Son hath life" was his present possession and his future comfort.

Bidding him farewell, we walked on a long time in silence. My learned companion plainly was deeply touched, and readily confessed the reality of the man's testimony.

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life." John 5:24.

Very Good?

"GOOD," when the waving grass
And herb show forth to bless,
"Good," when the sparkling sea
Gave back the sun's caress.
"Good," when the shimmering stars
Lit up the radiant earth,
And sun and moon proclaimed
The Light that knew no birth.
When bird and humming bee
Shone out the touch of God,
And power and beauty gleamed
In the insects of the sod:
But aye! twas "very good”
When in His image bright—
Breath of His breath, fresh from His hand—
Stood forth His great delight.”

Good from God's heart and hand,
The law, restraining feet
Swift to rebel, and feeble—there
God and His fallen meet;
Good to be kept from sin,
To know how weak is man;
Good when He prisons those
Who fight against His plan.

But aye! 'twas "very good”
When love, all-surging, lay
The drooping head in death,
And justice wept to slay.
His own, His great delight,
Stretched on that shameful tree,
To lift from pit to throne
Such clay as thee and me!

Oh, see! 'tis "very good"—
His yearning heart of love,
His precious blood, His work
Pleading for thee above.
Oh, see! 'tis "very good"—
Heaven's open door set wide
For thee to enter, and shine forth
Part of His blood-bought Bride.

The Approbation of the Lord

It should be a joy to anyone who loves the Lord Jesus to think of having His individual peculiar approbation and love; to find He has approved of our conduct in such circumstances, though none knew this but ourselves who receive the approval.

But, beloved, are we really content to have an approval which Christ only knows? Let us try ourselves a little. Are we not too desirous of man's commendation of our conduct? or at least that he should know and give us credit for the motives which actuate it?

Are we content, so long as good is done, that nobody should know anything about us even in the Church to be thought nothing of? That Christ alone should give us the "white stone" of His approval, and the "new name... which no man knoweth save only he that receiveth it"? Are we content, I say, to seek nothing else?

Oh, think what the terrible evil and treachery of that heart must be that is not satisfied with Christ's special favor, but seeks honor (as we do) of one another instead!

I ask you, beloved, which would be most precious to you, which would you prefer, the Lord's public owning of you as a good faithful servant; or the private individual love of Christ resting upon you the secret knowledge of His love and approval? He whose heart is specially attached to Christ will respond, "the latter." Both will be ours, if faithful; but we shall value this most; and there is nothing that will carry us so straight on our course as the anticipation of it.

J.N.D.

"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings." Jer. 17:9, 10.

"God commendeth His love
toward us, in that, while we
were yet sinners, Christ died
For us.”

Rom. 5:8

Echoes of Grace: 1966

Table of Contents

January

A Prayer for the New Year

Saved to the Uttermost

How to Have a Happy New Year!

Surprising Discoveries

Candles Put Out

February

Wilt Thou Go With This Man?

Mwaluki of Central Africa

The Journey's End

Better Far Than Gold

Be Ye Also Ready”

The Empty Bottles

The Great Divide

March

Heart's Desire

A Word in Due Season

With Cords of Love

Waiting Till Better

The Schoolmaster's Text

Good News

Mind Your Own Business

Vital Statistics

April

I Never Knew?

The Mighty Conqueror

Profit and Loss?

Christ Is "the Way”

A Purged Conscience

A Word for the Weary

May

Choose Now

Live Forever?

The Dial of a Clock

Three Cases

Don't Throw Me into the Scrap-Heap?

Have You a Seat?

June

Heaven or Hell?

In a Prison

Our Only Claim

A Skeptic's Testimony

Glorious Words

The Unhappy Man

All Bad

Now Is the Time

What Will You Do Without Him?

July

Faith

Jim, the Lumberjack

Ready, Willing, and Waiting

I Don't Believe There's Any Hell!?

False Testimony

Why?

Real Resemblance

God Is Knocking

August

In the Morning

The Fall of the Rossberg?

Grace for the Persecutor

Man's Only Hope

Faith Lost and Found

Necessary, but Not Enough

On Sand or on Rock

That's Me, That's Me!”

September

He Calleth Thee

The Old Chief Knew

Since the Marriage Day?

All for Nothing?

Satan's Opiates

Sun Struck?

The Infidel Squire

October

The Heavenly Railway

The Gambler

Bread upon the Waters

Birds of Passage