Echoes of Grace: 1956

If I could boast a life that knew no equal
'Mongst all the multitudes of fallen men,
Judgment at last would be the solemn sequel:
The best must perish if not born again.

Could I e'en reach ambition's highest summit,
And tower above the rest of. Adam's race,
Measured by God's all-righteous line and plummet,
Down with the lowest I must take my place.

But had I sunk so low that angels wonder
Why one so vile should still be left to sin,
Coming through Christ my chains are snapped asunder;
The worst of wanderers God welcomes in.

Yea, could my crimes be worse than all, before me,
More deeply dyed my soul than Calvary's thief,
Calvary's blest Lamb would still in grace receive me,
And change to endless joy my hopeless grief.

A New Year's Appeal

How does this New Year find you, dear reader? Are you for Christ, or against Him? Which, oh, which? I earnestly ask you: what think you of Christ? Do not cast the question away from you, but put it to your own heart and answer it truthfully.

You are either saved or unsaved: serving Christ, or Satan: in the narrow road leading to glory, or treading the downward path to hell. You will spend eternity either with Christ, or solemn thought! —in eternal banishment from Him. Again I ask you, Which is it? Which will it be for eternity, heaven or hell? Blessed it is for you if you can say:

"Now I can call the Savior mine,
The' all unworthy still;
I'm sheltered by His precious blood
Beyond the reach of ill.”

Beloved, if this be the language of your heart, it is well with you; and I would just say, be true to the One who loved you and gave Himself for you, and who is coming to receive you to Himself!

Do not talk, I pray you, about "reforming" and "turning over a new leaf." New Year resolutions will not do. Reformation is not SALVATION; turning over a new leaf is not accepting CHRIST Nothing else will stand. God wants none of your doing. As someone once said: "'Snow water' is not enough to cleanse, nor 'filthy rags' to clothe; but the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ is enough for everything.”

And now one parting word. God in boundless grace offers to "whosoever will" "the water of life freely"; but remember, it is now He offers it. "Now is the day of salvation"; beware how you neglect it!

“‘All things are ready'; come.
Tomorrow may not be;
Oh, sinner, come; the Savior waits
This hour to welcome thee.”

Home

They were two of a company of men gambling in the back room of a hotel in a large town. One was young, about twenty years old, and the other was a gray-haired old man. The old man was shuffling the cards. While he was doing so, the young man, in a careless and half-conscious way, sang softly to its sweet and pathetic tune the first verse of a hymn:

"One sweetly solemn thought
Comes to me o'er and o'er;
I'm nearer home today, today,
Than I've ever been before.”

Some of the gamblers nearby looked up in surprise on hearing the singing. The old man, dealing out the cards, gazed straight through the smoke-laden atmosphere at his partner in the game. Abruptly he threw the whole pack of cards beneath the table at which they were sitting.

"Where did you learn that song?" he asked.

The young man pretended he did not know he was singing.

"Well, no matter," said the old man. "I've played my last game. That's the end of it. The cards may lie there till doomsday, for I'll never pick them up.”

Having won a hundred dollars from the young man he took the money from his pocket and, handing it over to him, said, "Here, Harry, is your money. Take it, for I am through!”

They both left the room and the hotel immediately. It is not known whether the young man definitely turned to God from the sins and follies of the world; but the Spirit of God used the words of the little hymn, heard in such incongruous circumstances, to awaken the old man to the condition of his soul, and of the fast fleeting years. He found no peace until he put his trust in the cleansing blood of Jesus. Then he could say in truth that he was going home to the Father's house.

Dear reader, may I ask you in all affection, "Are you going HOME?" The fleeting years are bearing you along to the end of your pathway. Whatever provision you may make for your journey here, see to it that you are not found homeless for eternity at the end of your journey. The Lord Jesus has died to save you, and God the Father waits to receive you.

Getting to Heaven

People speak of getting to heaven. What do you mean by getting to heaven? Everyone who goes there will go as the travail of Christ's soul. They will enter heaven as infinitely precious to 'God, not in themselves, but for Christ's sake, because they are part of the travail of His soul, and help to complete His joy.

"He shall see of the travail of His soul, and shall be satisfied." Isa. 53:11.

"Was He God?"

"But was He God, Doctor?”

This startling and deeply important question came from the lips of an elderly lady whom some years ago I was attending in Edinburgh. She was professedly a Unitarian, but was not too sure of the solidity of her creed which denies the deity of the Lord Jesus. Her home was in one of the best sections of Edinburgh; but desiring change of air to the south side of town, she had rented a furnished house belonging to some warm-hearted Christians. .

The large, sunny bedroom which she occupied had on its walls twelve texts which compose Isa. 53. Called to attend her in her new domicile, my eye was attracted and my heart touched by these silent witnesses to the Savior's suffering and love. As she lay in her bed she could not but see and read some of the twelve.

The medical part of my visit concluded, I was about to leave when the fifth verse arrested me. I read aloud: "But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed." This brought from her lips at once the query, "But was He God, Doctor?”

Turning to look fully into her face—a face which bespoke unrest and uncertainty I rejoined, "Oh, yes, Mrs. Burk, from the bottom of my soul I believe that He was God. That He was a holy, good, blessed Man is equally certain; but had he not been God He could not have revealed God's nature to man; and had He not been a perfect Man He could not have met the claims of God on man. That fifth verse which I have just read gives us the very kernel of the gospel, and the essence of the atonement. None but a sinless man who was also divine in His Person could have been 'wounded for our transgressions,' or 'bruised for our iniquities.' How blessed to know that 'the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed!'”

"But I have never believed that He was God; I have always regarded Him as a very good Man," was her reply.

"On the other hand," I rejoined, "I have never doubted that He was God. I rejoice to confess Him as such, while owning with delight His spotless humanity.”

A lengthy conversation ensued, and I have great hope that the result was the entrance of divine light into her soul as regards the Person of the Lord Jesus, and the recognition of His divinity.

Do you, my dear reader, believe that Jesus is God? Yes, Jesus is God. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.... And the Word was made, flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." John 1:1,14. As the Word He is the intelligent and intelligible expression of God. That Word became flesh, that is to say, was incarnate, assumed manhood. In manhood He revealed to man all the blessedness of God's being—love, light, grace, tenderness, mercy, kindness, compassion, purity, holiness, righteousness, yea, every attribute of God; while at the same time He presented to the eye and heart of God, in His life as a man, everything God looked for or could desire to see in man here on earth.

Friend, have you yet really believed on Him, and confessed His name? If not, let me urge you, as the year of grace 1956 begins, so to do. You have just ended a year in your unbelief, and consequently in your sins. Beware lest you die in them. Let not another day leave you still in them.

The Lord Jesus said: "I go My way, and ye shall seek Me, and shall die in your sins: whither I go, ye cannot come... ye are of this world; I am not of this world. I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am He, ye shall die in your sins." John 8:21, 23, 24.

Do you see who He is—the I AM, the everlasting God—and believe in Him? "Ye shall die in your sins," with all the eternal consequences of such a calamity. Oh, the blessedness of believing in Him! "Verily, verily I say unto you, he that believeth on Me hath everlasting life... I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever: and the bread that I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world." John 6:47, 51.

Jesus is God: more, He is a Savior God. Let me beseech you to believe in Him, and boldly confess His worth and chant His name.

"Precious name! the name of Jesus,
Son of God most high,
Who in love to guilty sinners,
Came to die.”

"Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that He might be Lord both of the dead and living." Rom. 14:9.

No Place to Hide

Many years ago a young coachman was living with a gentleman's family near London. He had good wages, a kind master, and a comfortable place; but there was one thing which troubled and annoyed him. It was that his old mother lived in a village close by, and from her he had constant visits. You may wonder that this was such a trouble to him. But the reason was that, whenever she came, she spoke to him about Christ and the salvation of his soul.

"Mother," he at last said, "I cannot stand this any longer. Unless you drop that subject altogether, I shall give up my place, and go out of your reach, where I shall hear no more of such cant”

"My son," said his mother, "as long as I have a tongue, I shall never cease to speak to you about the Lord, and to the Lord about you.”

The young coachman was as good as his word. He wrote to a friend in the Highlands of Scotland, and asked him to find him a place in that part of the world. He knew that his mother could not write, and would not follow him; though he was sorry to lose a good place, he said to himself, "Anything for a quiet life!" His friend soon got him a place in a gentleman's stables, and he did not hide from his mother that he was glad and thankful to get out of her way.

You may think it was a pity she thus drove him to a distance. Would it not have been wiser to say less, and thus not to lose the opportunity of putting in a word in season? But she believed, in her simplicity, that she was to keep to the directions given her in the Word of God—that she was to be instant, not in season only, but also out of season. And true it is, that the foolishness of God is wiser than men.

The new coachman was ordered to drive out the horses and carriage the first day after his arrival in Scotland. His master did not get into the carriage with the rest of the party. He said he meant to sit on the box instead of the footman. "He wishes to see how I drive," thought the coachman, who was quite prepared to give satisfaction.

Scarcely had they driven from the door when the master spoke to the coachman for the first time. He said, "Tell me if you are saved.”

Had the question come to the coachman direct from heaven it could scarcely have struck him with greater consternation. He felt simply terrified. "God has followed me to Scotland," he said to himself. "I could get away from my mother, but I cannot get away from God!" And at that moment he knew what Adam must have felt when he went to hide himself from the presence of God behind the trees of the garden. He could make no answer to his master; and scarcely could he drive the horses, for he trembled from head to foot.

His master went on to speak of Christ, and again he heard the old, old story, so often told him by his mother. But this time it sounded new—it filled him with fear. It did not seem to him then to be glad tidings of great joy, but a message of terror and condemnation. It was Christ, the Son of God, whom he had rejected and despised. He felt for the first time that he was a lost sinner.

By the time the drive was over he was so ill from the terrible fear that had come upon him that he could do nothing more.

For several days he could not leave his bed; but they were blessed days to him! His master came to talk to him, to read the Word of God, and to pray. Soon the love and grace of the Savior he had rejected became a reality to him, as the terror of the Lord had been at first. He saw that there was mercy for the scoffer and despiser. He found that the blood of Christ is the answer before God even for such sin as his had been; and he now felt in his soul the sweetness of those blessed words, "We love Him because He first loved us." He saw that Christ had borne his punishment, and that he, who had tried to harden his heart against. God and against his own mother, was now without spot or stain in the sight of that God who had so loved him as to give for him His only Son. The first letter he wrote to his mother told her the joyful tidings: "God has followed me to Scotland, and has saved my soul!”

"Whither shall I go from Thy Spirit? or whither shall I flee from Thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, Thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, Thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall Thy hand lead me, and Thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from Thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to Thee." Psa. 139:7-12.

"Thou wilt show me the path of life: in Thy presence is fullness of joy; at Thy right hand there are pleasures forevermore." Psa. 16:11.

Satisfied

One of my patients was an old man who suffered from frequent attacks of bronchitis. I took special interest in him and always liked to visit him. He was amiable and sympathetic, and I thought he bore a striking resemblance to my own father.

One day I was called to see him, and went immediately. When I arrived I was deeply grieved to find him very ill, so ill indeed that I feared for his recovery. An eager, wistful, anxious look was on his face, an expression that was new to it. On his bed was lying a little prayer-book in which he evidently had been reading.

When I entered, the old man took my hand and said: "Doctor, I am very ill; but, worse than that, I am very unhappy. I think I am dying, and I am afraid to die. I have been trying to pray, and the clergyman has been here; but I find no rest! I am not ready to die.”

I thought; "Well, I know what would give him rest; I ought to tell him." But the knowledge of my own unfaithfulness rose up before me. I had been living carelessly in a way I knew I ought not, and the remembrance of this stopped me. I prescribed for my patient, bade him good morning, and turned to leave. As I got to the door something seemed to say: "Go back and tell him what you know.”

An irresistible impulse seized me. "I must go back," I thought. "I am not worthy to speak; but they won't be my words. A higher Power will speak through me." And so I returned to the bedside. "You are unhappy?”

"Yes," he said.

"You can get no rest; you know that you are a sinner; you have offended God, and have been trying to please Him by praying and striving; you have been trying to believe, and are still unbelieving; the only fruit of all your efforts has been to show that you are lost. Is it not so?”

"It is just that," he said sorrowfully.

"Well, listen; I shall put the whole thing before you in a nutshell. Adam disobeyed God and through his sin all his posterity are lost. You, yourself, have sinned, forgotten and disobeyed God, so that by birth and practice you are doubly condemned. There is no hope for you; you are utterly helpless to atone for one out of your many sins. That is your present case.

"But God in His great love has provided a remedy! He took His own beloved Son, sent Him down to this world, allowed Him to be nailed to a cross; God Himself laid your sins on Him, and He suffered and died instead of you. Now God is satisfied to accept His suffering, His death, instead of yours, so that you can go free. In fact, you have not a single thing to do in order to save yourself, because God's Son has done it all, God is satisfied with what He has done. Are you?”

I left him, feeling that I had given God's own message. On calling next day, I heard the feeble, failing voice singing a hymn. His face was quite changed. The look of anxious weariness had given place to one of peaceful happiness. He took both my hands, and looking in my face, said: "Doctor, I thank you! I see it all now. I am dying; but I am not afraid, for I know that Christ died for me. He is my Redeemer, and I am going to be with Him. I know that God is satisfied with what Christ has done. And I too am completely satisfied and resting in Him.”

He lived a few days longer, and was quite happy all through to the end.

Reader, can you say in the words of the hymn:

"On the Lamb my soul is resting,
What His love no tongue can say,
All my sins, so great, so many,
In His blood are washed away.

"Sweetest rest and peace have filled me,
Sweeter praise than tongue can tell;
God is satisfied with Jesus,
I am satisfied as well.”

Judgment or Blessing

God delights in blessing. Judgment is His "strange work." Except for sin He would never be a judge. It is our sin that has forced Him onto the judgment seat.

But God loves the sinner, while hating his sin. This the cross proves. There God judged His own Son-a sinless Man—that He might righteously save the sinner who busts in His Son.

After we had sinned, and before the appointed day of judgment, Christ stepped in to bear our judgment, and to deliver the guilty man who will confide in Him. How simple, yet how profoundly blessed and effectual is God's gospel!

A Present Help

You will never find in Jesus an ear that has grown heavy, an arm shortened, or a heart that has grown cold toward you. How we should strive to learn our own hearts! But— "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" Jer. 17:9.

Be' ye also ready: for
In such an hour as
ye think not the Son
of man cometh.”

Matt. 24:44.

February

The Guilty World

"Not this man, but Barabbas! Now Barabbas was a robber." John 18:40.

The world has never been the same
Since Jesus died —
Since He, the peerless, spotless Lamb
Was crucified.
Earth chose instead sedition's son,
With loud acclaim;
And meted to the sinless One
The cross and shame.

No wonder crime and hate and war
Creation knows!
O'er it there burns the blood-shot star
That then arose..
Rebellion lifts its rebel arm,
And claims the spoil,
Oblivious to the dread alarm—
The sure recoil!

Weep, weep, O earth, weep bitter tears
For this thy crime;
Against thee stand two thousand years
Of sin-stained time;
Ere judgment falls, repent thy sin,
For He must reign;
And let the cry, "O Lord," begin,
"Come back again.”

"When I Survey the Wondrous Cross"

(Sir Isaac Watts, 1674-1748.)

This exquisite hymn, perhaps our most tender and reverent poetical vision of the crucified Savior, has been dear to the hearts of Christians for about two hundred years. And who can say how many hearts hardened by sin have been touched—yea, broken—by its solemn beauty? In at least one such instance it is recorded that "a broken and a contrite heart" was thus prepared to receive the Lord of glory as its Savior.

The incident occurred in India, at Maulmain. James Delaney, a British artilleryman, seemed to have become, in his hard life, utterly calloused to everything beautiful and good. He appeared to be insensible to religious influence and shunned everyone who gave any evidence of respect for the things of God.

Delaney's very hardness made him subject to unsavory tasks that others would have avoided. Not so Delaney! He seemed to glory in taking part in certain affairs of military life which were; no doubt, necessary, but would be to more sensitive souls quite revolting. Thus it was that he was detailed to be among those who must execute a fellow soldier accused and convicted by military tribunal of an especially cruel and coldblooded murder.

And there it was that James Delaney first heard a Protestant pray! In amazement he listened to a fellow man appeal directly to Almighty God to save the soul of one of His poor lost creatures. Knowing himself to be as vile as the man condemned to die, Delaney began to examine his own wicked heart. He was compelled to accept the Psalmist's verdict: "altogether become filthy." The thought came: if he were the one facing a firing squad, what would be his outlook? Where would be his destiny?

The Spirit of God was mercifully softening up this heart of stone. Delaney listened for the first time in his life to the simple gospel as it was sounded out by Eugenio Kincaid. Then he heard the touching words as the hymn was sung:

"When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Lord of glory died,
My richest gain I count but less,
And pour contempt on all my pride.

"Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast
Save in the death of Christ my God:
All the vain things that charm me most
I'd sacrifice them to His blood.

"See, from His head, His hands, His feet
Sorrow and love flow mingled down!
Did e'er such love and sorrow meet,
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?

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

James Delaney's hard heart was broken. He gazed by faith at the crucified Victim and saw in Him his own Sin-bearer, his Savior. The words of the hymn had laid hold of him so deeply that the whole course of his life was changed. His conversion was complete, and a few weeks later he was baptized in tile Salwin river.

As soon as the years of his army service ended, Delaney came to the United States. In 1844 he settled his sin and became a devoted missionary. Here, throughout the remaining years of his life, the fruits of his labors were no less remarkable than his conversion. Even as he had previously served Satan with a whole heart, James Delaney found "joy unspeakable and full of glory" in extolling the virtues of that One of whom he could say: "The Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me." Gal. 2:20.

Why Am I Not a Christian?

1. Is it because I am afraid of ridicule, and of what others may say of me? "Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of Me and of My words, of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed." Mark 8:38.

2. Is it because of the inconsistencies of professing Christians? "Every one of us Shall give an account of himself to God." nom. 14:12.

3. Is it because I am not Willing to give tip all to Christ? "What shall it profit O Man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" Mark 8:36.

4. Is it because I am afraid that I shall not be accepted? "Him that cometh to Me I will in no 'Wise cast ode" John 6:37.

5. Is it because I fear I am too great a sinner? "Her sins, which are many, are forgiven." Luke 7:47.

6. Is it because I am afraid I shall not "hold out"? "He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him." Heb. 7:25.

7. Is it, because I am thinking that I will do as well as I, can; and that. God will be satisfied with that? "Whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all." James 2:10.

8. Is it because I am postponing the matter without any definite reason? "Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth." Prov. 27:1.

"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.

"He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.”

Prov. 29:1

"Life in a Look!"

Charles Haddon Spurgeon was already aroused to his lost condition when he slipped into the back seat of a. small Methodist Chapel one snowy day. An unlearned but very earnest man was speaking from the words, "Look unto Me and be ye saved." Fixing his eyes on the stranger, the preacher said: "Young man, you look very miserable. Look to Jesus Christ: look now!" Spurgeon did look then and there, and was saved.

"There is life in a look at: the crucified One
There is life at this moment for thee;
Then look, sinner, look unto Him and be saved,
Unto Him who was nailed to the tree."

Sow Thy Seed

A few years before World War 2, a humble villager in Eastern Poland received a Bible from a colporteur who visited his hamlet. He read it, was converted, and passed the Book on to others. Through that one Bible two hundred more became believers. When the colporteur, Michael Billester, revisited the town in 1940, the entire company gathered for worship. Afterward they came together to listen to Billester's preaching. As a preliminary to, his message, Billester suggested that they all recite verses of Scripture.

Thereupon a man arose and asked: "Perhaps we misunderstood. Did you mean verses or chapters?”

"Do you mean to say there are people here who can recite chapters of the Bible?" Mr. Billester was incredulous.

That was precisely the case. Those villagers had memorized not just chapters, but whole books of the Bible. Thirteen knew Matthew and Luke and half of Genesis. One had committed all the Psalms to memory. Collectively, the two hundred knew practically the whole Bible. Passed around from family to family and brought to the gathering on Sundays, the old Book had become so worn with use that its pages were hardly legible.

"The word of the Lord endureth forever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you." 1 Peter 1:25.

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

Divine Assurance

One day I was placed unexpectedly in the company of a young farmer. Our conversation turned upon the inconsistencies of some professing Christians whose actions evidently had stumbled him. To bring matters to a personal application I told him my hope—that the Lord Jesus would soon come from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God, and would take every one of His own to be with Himself. I added that the coming of Christ might take place even while we were talking together.

The young man was much impressed with the thought of Christ's coming. Indeed, in his anxiety to hear more of the subject, he was almost too late for his business in the next town. As we parted, I pressed upon hint the reality that the Lord Might come for His sated one ere he reached his destination, and said, "If you are not saved, what would then become of you?" He hung his head and walked away.

I met the same young than some Mat the later and asked if he remembered our conversation. He immediately replied that it had never been Out of his mind.

"Are you saved?" I inquired; and he answered, "No." A long conversation followed, but my young friend's eyes were not yet opened to the truth.

After several months had elapsed, I visited the young farmer and his wife in their home. It was a winter's evening. The day's work was over and the Word of God was opened. We read and commented upon many precious passages which show how God in His infinite mercy has provided the way of salvation for man who is ready to perish, and that faith in Christ the Savior is the only way by which a sinner tan be saved. It seemed more than strange that for the two hours we talked together neither of them grew weary; and yet the glory of the Gospel had not shone into either of their hearts. I was just about to give up when one other passage, like a lightning flash, came into my mind.

"He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself; he that believeth not God hath made Him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of His Son. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, even unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God." 1 John 5:10-13; Revised Version.

I turned to the young man and said, "Look at verse 13. You say you believe?”

"Yes, I do," he answered.

"Well then, God by His Spirit says, 'These things have I, Written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life.'”

"Then," said he, "I must be saved!”

"To be sure you are," I answered.

"Yes," he Said again, "Of Course I am.”

His wife said; "Do ye see it too; Charley?”

"Yes," he said, "I do. It's only believing.”

From that moment they were Satisfied. Their hearts overflowed with joy. They abundantly proved the reality of their salvation by their subsequent life.

Dear reader, do you see it also? Do you believe with your heart on the name of the Son of God? Then you have eternal life. But if not, why not?

"These are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through His name." John 20:31.

The Clasp on the Bible

Various inscriptions may be read in Bibles. Perhaps one of the strangest was engraved on the silver clasp of a Bible. It was this: "THOU FOOL.”

The owner was a man of intelligence, but formerly of a skeptical turn of mind.

He had had many conversations with clergymen and others, but always stumbled at the doctrine of the resurrection. Arguments and reasonings were all lost to him. When he was met on one point he started another.

However, the grace of God met him, and he was converted.

To our inquiry, "What do you now think of the doctrine of the resurrection?" his reply was: "Two wards from the Apostle Paul conquered me. Look at the clasp on my Bible and see the engraving: 'THOU FOOL.'

"There," said he, "are the words that conquered me; it was no argument, no satisfying my objections, but God convincing me that I was a fool. Thenceforward I determined that I would have my Bible clasped with these words, and never again would come to the consideration of its sacred mysteries save through their medium.",, "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.” Psa. 14:1.

Too Late

A servant of God received an urgent call to visit a dying man. A few hours before, this man had been the picture of health, robust and powerful. Without a moment's warning, he had been stricken down and now was near death; and he was without God and without hope.

Upon entering the room the Christian found the dying man's sorrowing family and friends, hurriedly gathered, surrounding his bed. Amidst the most profound silence he knelt down at the bedside to ask God to come in in this awful extremity and save this poor soul; but not a word of prayer could he utter! In another moment he heard, as it were, the departing spirit cry out in death, and immediately this Scripture flashed into his mind: "And in hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torments." Luke 16:23.

Oh, dear reader, this was a man who had had many opportunities of being saved; he was one who, being often reproved, had hardened his neck, and was thus suddenly destroyed, and that without remedy (Prow. 29:1).

Let me ask: Are you treading in this man's footsteps, stifling your convictions, resisting God's Spirit, trifling with God's Word, and exhausting God's patience? I beseech you, stop once again and consider what you are and what you have done, and hearken to this soul-stirring word: "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon." Isa. 55:7.

Free Grace

You ask: "What am I to the world?" God asks: "What is Christ to you?" You say: "What can I do to obtain eternal life?" I answer: "Find out what Christ has done for you.”

He has done everything, and there is nothing left for you to do. Just before He died upon the cross, the Lord Jesus cried, "It is finished." Can you, can anyone, add to a finished work without spoiling it? It is worse than folly to think so. It is an insult to the Maker to attempt it. You cannot improve on God's work.

The human heart does not readily grasp the meaning of "free grace," because it is accustomed to—and expects to—buy, bargain, or give something for what it receives. Something for nothing is not an earthly market value; therefore it is difficult to comprehend God's terms of "Buy without money and without price.”

The freeness of the gospel invitation is "Coiner "Take!" You as an individual must personally come to God. Take Him at His word, and act upon it in faith. Saying you believe is worth nothing until you show the reality of your profession practically. Prove your faith by acting it out in your daily life. Food must be eaten before it will benefit the body; clothes must be worn before they can warm you; money must be used before it can supply your wants. Christ must be believed and received into your heart in order to save you.

On Display

We are left here to display Christ; if we are not doing this, we are of no use to Him or to the world.

Could Not Face the Man

A young man in Canada professed salvation a few yes ago. Later he fell in with bad company and began to steal. He was caught and sentenced to one year in Fort Saskatchewan penitentiary.

The man who had led this young man to the Lord was chaplain at that penitentiary. He had been very much concerned for this young man's welfare, and had often written him.

Sentenced for punishment in the very penitentiary where this old friend and man of God was chaplain, the young man could not bear the thought of seeing him. He begged the judge to change his sentence to two years in the Prince Albert penitentiary, so that he would not have to face his Christian friend at all. Two years instead of one to escape facing a follower of Christ! He could not face the one who had been so kind and anxious for his salvation.

What a lesson is here for us! How shall we ever face our God whom we have so often offended!

"I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened... And whosoever was not found written in the book of We was cast into the lake of fire." Rev. 20:12,15.

Heaven is a prepared place for a prepared people. Are we prepared to meet God? Has the precious blood of Jesus covered our past record of sin and shame? Can we with confidence face the Lord Jesus Christ, and know that every bit of the old record is covered?

"I, even. I, am He that blotteth out thy transgressions for Mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins." Isa. 43:25.

It's No Joke

When I was visiting a relative I met his daughter who was an earnest Christian worker in the town in which she lived. I had heard strange stories about her extreme piety which had prejudiced me against her, but a short acquaintance with her proved to me that she had been grossly misrepresented. I suppose she knew that I loved the world, and had been warned against her "religious fanaticism.”

In her room one day I noticed she had her Bible lying on her table. I took it up and read on the flyleaf: "Helen Saunders; born 1895, born again 1916.”

I laughed outright and said, "What a strange inscription!”

"I am glad to be able to say that it is true," she quietly remarked. To this I replied with a sneer: "They should put it in the newspapers.”

Quietly she answered, "Ah, Mary, it is too important and solemn to joke about. The new birth is real, and I can thankfully say it was the beginning of a new life of peace and happiness to me.”

No more was said, but it was enough. That testimony to the reality of being born again stuck to me. God blessed it to me in making me think seriously of my own state, and I never was satisfied with my flimsy, hypocritical religious profession after that. Through His mercy I was brought to know that I was a sinner, needing to believe on the Savior, to be "born of God." 1 John 5:1. Now too, I can say, through grace, that in Christ I know what true happiness is.

"In Thy presence is fullness of joy; at Thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore." Psa. 16:11.

"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.

March

Hast Thou Thought of This?

Never to be invited more
To enter by the open door,
Never to see the Savior's face,
Never to share the wondrous place,
Never to feel the Father's kiss—
O sinner! hast thou thought of this?

Never to thank Him for His love,
Never to dwell with Him above,
Never His likeness true to bear,
Never His glory bright to share,
All joy at His right hand to miss—
O sinner! hast thou thought of this?

Never to hear His praises ring,
Never with saints above to sing,
But Christless, in that awful throng
Who to the realms of woe belong;
Never to taste of endless bliss—
O sinner! hast thou thought of this?

Into the depths of endless woe
Rejecters of the Savior go;
Forbid the thought that you who read
Should longer have no sense of need
Of the only way to realms of bliss—
sinner! hast thou thought of this?

Just Like Him

When I first met Harry Fontaine, his short hair marked him as a prison "bird." He was about nineteen years old, and had for some time associated with a party of youths who were notorious thieves. A storekeeper who had lost goods repeatedly, determined to prosecute the first lad caught stealing. Poor Harry Fontaine was the one.

To get away from the officer who was pursuing him, he waded through a pond; but he was caught and locked up in his wet clothes to await his trial. It resulted in his conviction and a "stretch" in jail. Tuberculosis was the result of this treatment, and it terminated his life in about two years' time.

After his term in jail, Harry was ashamed to show himself on the streets. However, hearing of a class of boys in the neighborhood, he determined to go too.

Sitting quietly one night with the boys, he heard God's blessed message of salvation simply told. Harry listened with wonder. This was just what he needed. He had now no friends, and had a bad reputation. All about him was proved to be only evil. What good news to hear that "the Son of man came to seek and to save that which was lost"—just like him! He received the blessed message and was saved that night.

Oh, what a change came over his life from that hour! All things were new, and all was of God. Work was obtained; but Harry's main business was telling how God had met and stopped him on the way to everlasting destruction. Some we know were brought to Christ through him. He never seemed to tire of telling out the great things God had done for his soul.

As disease progressed, the hectic cheek and painful cough told their own tale; but nothing could dim the joy of his spirit. Once when I carried him some little delicacy to tempt his failing appetite, his sister met me with the words, "Brother Harry is laughing." His face was so lit up with joy that she had mistaken it for a laugh.

I learned from poor Harry much of what God's grace can do. As the end of his journey neared, he begged his mother to pray the Lord to release his spirit. "He is so long in coming," he added, after inquiring what the time was. A little later he cried out with energy: "Mother, He has come; Jesus is here!" And quietly he entered into rest.

Dear reader, only think what that deathbed would have meant if Harry Fontaine had not received God's salvation! Where are you as to your soul? Perhaps you have lived a very different life from this lad, but there is only one Savior for the moral or the immoral. Let me entreat you to follow his example. Accept the salvation which God offers now, without money and without price.

"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.

Unafraid

That man who is spiritually alive, may look at death with boldness, and bid defiance to its utmost rage. He has nothing to fear. God is with Him. Angels wait to conduct him to the regions of immortality. And even his perishing body will rise again, to die no more.

"Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Cor. 15:57.

The Scoffer's Text

In the days of the evangelist Whitfield, a man named Thorpe, who was one of his most violent opponents, and three of Thorpe's friends made a wager. The prize would go to the one who could best imitate and ridicule Whitfield's preaching.

Each man was to open a Bible at random and preach a sermon from the first verse that presented itself. Thorpe's three competitors each went through the grace with impious buffoonery.

Then, stepping upon the table, Thorpe exclaimed: "I shall beat you all." They gave him a Bible; and, by God's inscrutable providence, his eye fell first upon this very verse: "Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.”

As he read the words the sword of the Spirit pierced his soul. The hand of God laid hold upon him, and he preached as one who scarce knew what he said. Intending to mock, he could only fear and tremble. When Thorpe descended from the table, a profound silence reigned in the company and not one word was said about the wager.

Thorpe instantly withdrew; and after a season of the deepest distress, passed into the full light of the gospel. He became a preacher of the grace of God that had met him, a sinner in his sins and on the way to hell. God had revealed to him a Savior whose precious blood could cleanse him and make him fit for the very glory of God.

Sinner, remember his text; it is true for you.

"Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.”

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

"Yet Doth He Devise Means"

A young lady was sleeping in bed one night. As a child she had been taught to read the Bible; but as she grew older she had enjoyed whatever pleasures the world could offer, and very few thoughts of the future had troubled her.

On this night she suddenly and unaccountably awoke from sleep and heard, as distinctly as if someone had spoken them in her ear, the words: "This night thy soul shall be required of thee.”

Thoroughly aroused, she lay trembling. Her previous knowledge of the Bible left no doubt in her mind as to whence came the words (Luke 12:20), and as she pondered them sleep fled away and fear took its place. What should she do? She knew not the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and prayer was her only known resource.

"I felt," she said, "as if I must wrestle and struggle with God in prayer; as if I must call on Him to save me. Before morning I might be dead; and what then?”

Dear reader, if you have ever faced the thought of your sins, a holy God and the future, you can understand what her feelings were. God had spoken to her. He had applied this passage of Scripture long ago hidden in her memory, in living power to her soul by the Holy Ghost sent down here to convince the world of sin. She was like the lost sheep who knew that it was lost and after whom the Shepherd goes "until He find it.”

But what means could the Shepherd use to find this lost one thus calling on God? Scripture says: "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." Rom. 10:13. Yes, blessed be God, so free is His grace that even if a soul be in ignorance of His way of salvation, He never turns away from one who calls on Him. He Himself finds the means for accomplishing His gracious ends. "Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out." John 6:37.

As the frightened girl lay trembling and praying, suddenly and softly came stealing in on her soul the words: "Today shalt thou be with Me in paradise." Luke 23:43.

Again it was the voice of God—His still small voice speaking. She heard, and her soul lived. No more fear for the future! Her night was turned to day. Instead of a night wherein she would be summoned into God's presence to hear His judgment of her sins, it had become a day wherein she could be glad and rejoice. She had cast herself upon Him who shed His blood on Calvary.

Very dimly at first did she see God's hand in this. Then calmly and trustingly she lay there thanking Him, realizing that she had indeed "passed from death unto life.”

"Lo, all these things worketh God oftentimes with man, to bring back his soul from the pit, to be enlightened with the light of the living." Job 33:29, 30.

"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 1:12.

Friend or Foe

If you take the world, you must take the enmity against God along with it. "Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God." James 4:4. Do you want this world and Satan, or the heavenly world with Christ?

"On the Sand"

On the east coast of Florida, a few miles from a famous resort, a strange sight may be seen. There stands on the shore a good-sized house surrounded by strong concrete walls.

Here you may notice an enclosed area, evidently intended for a garden. Step in at the open door of the house and you may walk through room after room; but all are empty and unfurnished. When you look around, you see strange cracks and fissures in the walls. The floors in some parts are sunk in or gone. "Ruin" is stamped upon the whole scene. Yet the walls are very thick, the beams very strong. What has caused this ruin? Just one fault—it was built upon the sand.

Yes; there lived not long ago—perhaps he still lives—a man who actually thought he could do what God in His own Word says is impossible. He imagined in the foolishness of his heart that he could build a house on the sand which would be strong enough to resist the force of wind and wave. In it he planned to settle down and live comfortably.

What was his grand mistake? The foundation was wrong. What was the use of strong timbers and heavy concrete for the elegant superstructure when the foundation rested upon shifting, sinking sand?

Now as we behold that house, the very thickness and strength of those walls do testify the more loudly to the man's folly. There stands that ruin—a sad and desolate ruin truly. What other proof does one need of the truth of God's Word? RUIN must be the result of building "upon the sand.”

And now, dear friend, on what is your soul resting? Are you safe on the Rock Christ Jesus? God says, "Other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ." 1 Cor. 3:11. If you are resting on anything short of that—on your good works, faith, or prayers—when that coming storm breaks upon you (as God says without doubt it must do on all that obey not His gospel), then most surely all that you rest upon will be swept away. You will stand before God without one hope to cling to.

Be like the wise man who built his house on the Rock, even Christ Jesus. Then the rains may come and the floods may beat; but they will but prove, through all, the safety of the Foundation and the everlasting security there is in Him.

"My hope on nothing less is built
Than Jesus and the blood He spilled;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on His blest Name.
On Christ the solid Rock I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.”

Glorious Cross

The cross is that which is the center of attraction to all the soldiers of Jesus. By it the conquests of the Savior are effected. It is the power and wisdom of God to the pulling down of the strongholds of sin; and it is the object of glorying to the disciples of Christ.

"God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world." Gal. 6:14.

An Ordinary Case

Some months ago a gospel preacher was asked to visit a sick man. He went, and was ushered into a room where a fine looking man was in bed, apparently very ill but not in much pain.

The visitor told him he had come to talk to him about his soul, and asked him if he were saved. Christians had been there from time to time, one especially coming to see him once a week. These visits had made him very anxious for salvation; but he only exclaimed, "I can't find God.”

In answer to the question, "Are you saved?" he replied: "No, sir, I am not. It has all been explained to me, but I do not seem to get hold of it.”

"If you were to die now, would you go to heaven?"

"I do not think I would.”

"Would you not like to be saved?”

"I would indeed; but I do not seem able to see the way.”

"Well, do you know how?”

"Yes, I understand it all; but still I have not got it.”

Having put the gospel simply before him, the visitor told him how he had taken Christ as his Savior early one morning while in bed, and that he had confessed Him as such all the next day.

He also told him of a woman who said just what this sick man did; but when he pressed her to take Christ into her heart, she did. The change it wrought in her was so great that the neighbors asked, "What did the gentleman tell you?”

"Nothing new," she replied; "but he just put me in a corner, and would not let me out till I took Christ.”

He then said to the sick man, "I will read you God's Word." Turning to Isa. 53:6 he read: "'All we like sheep have gone astray.'”

"Now," said he, "is that true of you?”

"Indeed it is," answered the sick man earnestly.

His friend then read: "'We have turned everyone to his own way.'" And, repeating the question, he got the same answer.

He then read the third clause of this wonderful verse: "'The Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.'" Again he asked the same question; but the answer this time was: "I am afraid not.”

"Well," said the visitor, "then you doubt God's Word. You do not believe the Bible. You believe one part, but not the other. Now the question is, Will you have Christ for your Savior, or not? Shall I say you took Him or refused Him?”

"I don't want to refuse Him," said the sick man, in great distress of soul.

"Well then, will you take Him now? What shall I tell God?”

There was a long pause during which the servant of God prayed silently. Finally he asked the poor sufferer why he did not answer.

He did not want to refuse Him, the poor man replied. "Well," said the visitor once more, "I can say no more to you: but what shall I tell God.,”

"Tell Him," said the sick man at last with deep feeling, "that I take Him.”

The preacher then went through the verse again, the sick man seeing now that Jesus had been seeking the lost sheep until He found it. He saw too that, instead of seeking the Lord, he himself had only been straying.

Asked what he would tell his sister, a saved person, he replied with joy, "I'll tell her I have taken Christ to be my Savior.”

The visitor then left. That afternoon the one who hitherto had answered questions as to his salvation in such despair confessed Christ to his sister. It was no longer "I can't find God," but "I take Christ.”

How many souls there are who think they have to do something in order to find God's salvation! God's gospel is that the seeking is finished, and the doing is done. Let us implore you, dear friend, to cease your seeking, and take what God offers you.

"Soon that voice will cease its calling;
Now it calls, and calls to thee—
Take salvation;
Take it now, and happy be.”

An Old Question

The old question of over nineteen hundred years ago is still often asked: "What must I do to be saved?" The old answer to the same question has been given time after time; but still it bears, as nothing else will, the repetition of centuries: "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." Acts 16:31.

"But," say some, "I cannot believe, though I often have tried." Do not try to believe! The Lord Jesus knows all your weakness. You may tell Him you cannot believe, and plead with Him, "Lord, I believe; help Thou mine unbelief." Mark 9:24. He understands your case, no matter how difficult it may seem to be.

Believing on the Lord Jesus is not some notion of the mind, but simply child-like trust. "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners." 1 Tim. 1:15. He says, "Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out." John 6:37. Just lean on His words, and sink back into His almighty arms.

Christ died! Let these words be your watchword. Whenever troubled by your doubts, think on them. "Christ has died!" Then your doubts will be chased away by your thoughts of His grace and His love in dying for you. If you are trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ, you will be counted worthy to share in the resurrection of the just.

One of the many doubts that come to those who have recently trusted in Jesus is occasioned by a desire to have a feeling of salvation. It is a great mistake, leading captive the souls of many. Thank God, our happiness is not a necessity to God's salvation.

Trust the mighty Redeemer! Go on in His name and not in the power of your happiness. Come to Him first; and after He has pardoned you—as He surely will—trust Him, and Him only, for your future life. He will give you all the joy that you need, and more than you ever believed possible. All the days of your life He will keep you; and nothing "shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Rom. 8:39. He will not only keep you safe in life, but carry you on to the glory.

"Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee." Isa. 26:3.

"The blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanseth us from all sin." 1 John 1:7. "Thy word is truth.”

Three Great Questions???

1. Are You Safe? You may speculate about the love of God and His willingness to forgive all men; but have you accepted God's way of forgiveness?

"God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Rom. 5:8.

"In whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins." Col. 1:14.

"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.

2. Are You Sure? Your religious opinion is as good as mine; but God has revealed the Way of Life. The Lord Jesus says, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me." John 14:6.

The Apostle Paul said: "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.

3. Are You Satisfied? Your religious philosophy may be intellectually defensible; but does it satisfy your heart? Have you peace with God? The Lord Jesus says: "Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Matt. 11:28.

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

Christ never sent a soul away unblessed; none that come as sinners are lost.

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

John 3:36.

April

That Name

That name which you take, is delightfully sweet,
Jesus is Christ! And Him you must meet;
Now He is meeting poor sinners in grace;
He knocks at your heart! Oh, give Him a place.

He hears you blaspheme; but oh, if you knew
How much He loves sinners, how much He loves you,
You would fall at His feet and adoringly sing:
"Jesus, my Savior, my Lord, and my King!”

'Twas for this that He died on Calvary's tree,
That sinners the chief might from judgment be free.
He's now up in glory—a Man on God's throne;
But He's coming again—it may be quite soon.

He left us this message while He is above,
A message of mercy—a message of love:
"Tell sinners I love them—tell Adam's whole race;
And this is the day of My patience and grace.

"Yea, more—go, beseech—beseech them for Me;
Beseech by My blood—by My death on the tree.
It cleanses from sin and fits them to be
At once and forever in glory with Me.”

Oh, these are sweet words, and wondrous to tell
How God in His mercy saves sinners from hell;
The story's so simple—so plain to the lost,
To be saved without doing—saved at God's cost!
To be saved as ungodly, unrighteous, undone;
To be saved by faith in the blood of His Son.

"Despised and Rejected"

A painting by Sigismund Goetze, bearing the title "Despised and Rejected of Men," attracted much attention at the Royal Academy Exhibition in 1904. In the center of the picture stands a Figure which it would be better never to attempt to portray. No pen nor brush can rightly depict the face "so marred more than any man," and the endeavor to do so falls far short of its object.

Still, there it stands, bowed with sorrow and suffering—the figure of Him who came to be the Savior of the world.

On the right hand and on the left a motley crowd is seen. First of all one sees a racing man with jockey, whip and sporting paper. Then one observes a scientist, holding before him a glass tube, absorbed in watching the result of some experiment. Nearby a lovely "butterfly" of society dances from the ballroom with her attendant cavalier bending over her to whisper something in her ear. A little flower girl is seen pressing a bunch of sweet violets upon the lady's notice. Behind the child sits a desolate, forlorn woman, nestling her baby to her breast.

On the right in the picture we see a street orator addressing a mob of men who wave their hands and hats in frantic applause. A soldier is there in uniform; a vestment-clad ecclesiastic with closed eyes and sanctimonious expression; a parson of a different school, with open book, endeavoring to argue with a priest; a hospital nurse; a student; a bare-armed workman with a pick ax across his shoulder; a newsboy upon whose placard we can trace out sensational announcements of a robbery, a divorce, and the winners of a race.

Of all the throng, only the hospital nurse is turning to look upon the Savior, and she shows a countenance expressive of repugnance and dread more than of anything else. The others, differing so widely in their character, their position, their occupation, their tastes, are alike in one respect: they manifest the most absolute indifference to the One in the center of the picture. As far as they are concerned He is truly the "Despised and Rejected.”

Yet they are samples of the men and women who surround us on every hand, denizens of this big world in which we live.

Possibly, if you had been an acquaintance of the painter, he would have depicted you among the crowd. And if he had represented you as showing the same supreme indifference toward Christ as the others, would it not have been the truth?

Ask your own heart: "What think ye of Christ?" Matt. 22:42. Have you ever turned to Him with gratitude for all that He had done for you? Have you ever looked to Him in faith? Have you cried to Him for salvation?

Or are you still among the indifferent and unconcerned? If so, there is a sermon for you in Goetze's painting. He who is now "despised and rejected" by the many is soon to appear in glory and power. "Every eye shall see Him." Rev. 1:7. None will be indifferent then. Panic will seize those who now are so unconcerned.

Reader, your whole future destiny hangs upon your attitude toward Christ. If He is your accepted Savior and confessed Lord, all will be well with you throughout countless ages to come. If, on the other hand, you are still one of the thoughtless crowd to whom He is the "Despised and Rejected," no tongue or pen can describe the horror of the future that awaits you.

One more thing remains to be told. In the background of the picture stands an angel wrapped in puzzled gloom, as if unable to solve the mystery of earth's indifference to heaven's Lord. A sight indeed it is for angels to muse over: that their Creator should offer Himself as a Savior for sinful men, and that men should not care to accept Him!

May I give you once again the invitation in my Savior's name?

"Come! for angel hosts are musing
O'er this sight, so strangely sad:
God beseeching, man refusing
To be made forever glad.”

The Conversion of Capt. Hedley Vicars

He was a hero in the Crimean War, but before God he was a lost and guilty sinner. In November, 1881, he was awaiting the arrival of a brother officer. A Bible lay on the table, and as he waited he idly turned its leaves. Occupied thus, his eye caught the well-known words: "The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin." 1 John 1:7.

Closing the book he said: "If this be true for me, henceforth I will live, by the grace of God, as a man should live who has been washed in the precious blood of Jesus Christ.”

That was the great turning point. Old things then passed away. All things became new. 2 Cor. 5:17.

Trying and Trusting

Laura had been anxious about her soul from early childhood; but she grew up to womanhood without knowing the joy of sins forgiven. It may have been partly owing to the bad teaching she received; for she was told by those who, while professing to be guides, knew not the way of salvation themselves, that if she gave up the world and prayed more, she would at length get peace.

But Laura loved the world; and though she made many resolves to give it up, she found herself unable to resist its pleasures. The illness or death of a friend would make her feel very miserable; for she not only grieved for such, but thought afresh of her own unpreparedness for eternity. At such times she would go to church oftener, and try to conform outwardly to religious observances, which only made her the more unhappy.

Had Laura read the Word of God instead of resting on man's word, she would have found that God's way is quite different from man's way. Man looks within, to find something he can give to God. God gave His Son for the sinner, and says, "Hear ye Him." Laura had yet to learn her utter powerlessness to give anything to a holy God from a fallen, corrupt nature.

When Laura was about eighteen, she thought perhaps she would feel happier if she were confirmed. She went to have a conversation upon the subject with the clergyman of the church she attended. Mr. Green decided she was hardly eligible for confirmation as she was not sufficiently acquainted with the Catechism. He advised her to study further and then see him again.

"But, sir," said Laura, "should I die before I am confirmed, what will become of me?”

"Confirmation," he answered, "will not fit you for heaven. It will make no difference to you then whether you are confirmed or not.”

"Then, Mr. Green, I will not be confirmed.”

"Very well," he said; and they parted.

As Laura walked home she thought over the conversation with the clergyman. "He never told me how to prepare for death," she thought. "Perhaps he did not know my misery. Oh, that I could be a Christian! Will God have mercy upon me?”

Later, a sudden desire took possession of her. She would throw herself into the river flowing silently at her side. Then there came to her remembrance: "After death the judgment." Why did that thought stop her wicked design? Many years afterward she confessed what she then feared: it was not death of the body, but the great white throne, the having to give an account of herself to God. How could she, unclean and unforgiven, face a holy God? How could she dare enter His presence, so vile, so unsuitable for eternity? How good God was to hold her back from self-destruction! Little did she then know that it was His goodness leading her to repentance.

Several years passed away, leaving her more anxious and dissatisfied. She had tried the world's pleasures, and she was weary of them. She had passed through deep and bitter sorrows; but the only One who could have comforted her was yet unknown. Would she ever find rest for her burdened conscience? Yes! The One who seeks the lost was seeking her. He was only waiting for her to give up trying; then she would trust Him.

Mentally worn and really ill, she went with a Christian aunt to the shore. While there it was thought advisable for Laura to have medical advice. A Christian doctor was located there, and the aunt consulted him about her niece. Particularly she told him of her distressed state of soul. He was greatly interested, and saw her at once, praying for wisdom in dealing with her. When he handed Laura her medicine, he said: "Do you believe this will do you good?”

"Yes," she replied, "or I would not take it.”

"True; so you can trust me, a man, for the healing of your body. Can't you trust God for the healing of your soul? 'Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.'”

There was a slight pause; then Laura looked up. "Doctor," she said, "I do believe.”

A heartfelt "Thank God," and shake of the hand, was his response, and he was gone.

"My dear Laura," said her aunt, "do you really mean what you told the doctor?”

"It would have been untrue to have said anything else. As the question was put to me, I knew that I believed on the Lord Jesus Christ.”

"And are you clear as to the forgiveness of all your sins?”

"No, Aunt; but I trust God to show me now, for light is dawning, and all fear of the future is gone.”

The following day, as she sat on the beach, Laura opened her Bible and was startled to read: "I, even I, am He that blotteth out thy transgressions for Mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins." Isa. 43:25. Her burden then was gone! She rejoiced with all her heart. She saw how God had blotted out her transgressions, not by her strivings, her prayers, her tears, nor anything she ever did, or could do, but solely on the ground of the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Dear soul-sick one, will you not trust God, even as Laura did? He waits to show you the path of life and to bring you into fellowship with the Son of His love.

Blessed Company

On an afternoon visit to a dear Christian man, I spoke of the love of the Father to him as His child. His face lit up with joy and he began to speak in rapturous tones of the Father's love.

"Some people tell me," he said, "that I talk too much. Then I tell them they are all dumb. Enjoy the Father's love and not speak about it? Why, I can't help it. They just don't know the Father's love, that's all.

"The doctor came in to see me one day, and he said to me, 'You are very much alone.'

"'Alone, doctor?' I said; 'Why, there are four of us here: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost, and poor me. Isn't it grand?'”

The dear man's eyes filled with tears as he thus spoke to me; and he struck his hand on his breast, realizing deep down in his heart the preciousness of the Father's love.

"If a man love Me, he will keep My words: and My Father will love him, and We will come unto him, and make Our abode with him." John 14:23.

Dear one out of Christ, do you not long to know this wondrous love—the love of God the Father for His own dear child? The way is open before you, and His heart is ever open to you. Jesus is the Way, and He invites you to come to God by faith in Him. He says, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me." John 19:6.

Atonement by Blood

Sin is a grievous thing; and the consequences due those who commit it, whether governmental or final, are terrible unless God Himself provides a means whereby atonement can be made for the offense. The sinner is therefore entirely in the hands of Him against whom he has sinned.

If God appoints that which can make atonement, well and good. If He does not, the iniquity of the offender can never be purged. What a solemn thought this is! In what a sad position does the sinner stand before God! No thoughts of man, no suggestions of his own heart, will here avail! God's thoughts are the thoughts he must become acquainted with to learn whether atonement can avail on his behalf. The remedy must be prescribed by God and submitted to by the offender.

"By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin." Man has therefore forfeited all claim to endless life on earth because he has sinned against God.

But the life here is not everything. As an immortal creature man exists, and must exist forever. Therefore as a sinner by nature, another question arises: the condition of his everlasting existence.

Can he have everlasting life, or must he forever have his part in the second death? Can he, though he has sinned, have a standing in God's presence by means of atonement, or can he not?

These questions it is in the province of God's Word to answer. It does answer them satisfactorily and exhaustively. God has provided the needed atonement, but it is atonement by blood!

Precious, precious blood of Jesus,
Shed on Calvary;
Shed for rebels, and for sinners—
Shed for me.

Precious blood, whose full atonement
Makes us nigh to God!
Precious blood, our song and glory,
Praise and laud!

God said: "When I see the blood, I will pass over you." Ex. 12:13.

All Power

"He has power on earth to forgive sins." Mark 2:10. This was heard recently from the lips of a dear woman who was dying. She suffered intense agony in her attempt to speak from a cancerous mouth.

"I had such a heavy burden of sin, and I knew that if I died as I was I should be lost. I first prayed to the Lord, and He took it all away. Then I said to my neighbor, `Mary, the Lord Jesus forgave me all my sins yesterday morning.'

" 'No,' she said; 'He never does that till we die, Clara.'

"'Nay,' I said, 'He has forgiven them. It says in the Scriptures, He has power on earth to forgive sins. He says He has; and He has forgiven mine.'”

"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.

The Father's Ring

A profligate young man liked to wear a ring on which his godly father's name was engraved. While in the midst of his wickedness one day, a friend of his departed father observed the ring on the son's finger, and said: "You should take off that ring, or make your life conform to the worthy name it bears.”

Simple words; but how they condemned the young man! From that day the ring with his father's name was removed, but the words of his father's friend searched his soul. How could he conform to the worthiness of his dead father? Only by coming as a penitent soul to Christ, his father's Savior, and by faith in Him and by His power and grace, to seek no longer to be conformed to this world. This he did, to the glory of Him who died for him.

There are many who bear the name of Jesus, who call themselves Christians; but they live in sin and serve the devil. They plainly show by their speech and manner of life that they are merely professors of Christianity who have never been saved. By professing the name of Christ, and denying Him in their lives, they dishonor Him.

To all such we would say, Give up your false profession, and dishonor Christ's name no longer. To live as a Christian ought, you must first be a Christian. This is not done by mere Christian profession, but by coming as a lost sinner, and receiving Christ as your Savior.

"Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners." 1 Tim. 1:15.

Almost

"Your maid confessed Christ as her Savior just now," said a visiting preacher to me one morning. He had marked her interest as night after night she had attended his meetings, and had sought an opportunity for a personal word. I knew that other influences struggled for mastery with her, and rejoiced with trembling.

It was as I feared. The mission came to an end, the preacher went away, and, sad to say, her desire for salvation vanished. The world pulled hard, especially the companionship of her worldly sister who was near her own age.

In vain we tried to win her. We pleaded with her to let Christ be first in her heart. She was almost persuaded, but —.

Who shall say what her future may be? Even if she should be saved after all, think of the years wasted, sowing to the whirlwind, when she might have been sowing the seed that would have produced a golden harvest for Christ.

=============================

"Will you speak to Annie? She has had a frightening dream, and is anxious about her soul.”

Soon the opportunity came. She had dreamed of the Day of Judgment, and that she had been there unsaved. She wept as I pointed her to Jesus. We prayed, and I hoped she would decide for Christ. She seemed so near, almost persuaded, but —.

In her case a lover was the obstacle. He did not want a Christian wife. What shall the end be? I know not. When I last heard of her she was more careless than ever. Oh, how dangerous a thing it is to be deaf to warning! How dangerous to stifle soul anxiety!

=============================

"Have you ever thought of giving yourself to Christ?" I asked a young man. He told me he had thought much about it since he had been at a special service some weeks previously. Once again I sought to tell him the simple, lovely story of Jesus and His love. I besought him earnestly to yield himself to the Lord who had loved him and given Himself for him. In the end he said, "I have not heard it like this before! I must think it over." He, too, seemed so near, almost persuaded, but—.

Years are passing away. Will he ever yield to the Savior? God grant he may!

Is it thus with you, my reader? If so, beware of being almost saved, for that is perilously near being altogether lost. What hinders you—a sister, a lover, a friend? Let me tell you the solemn truth: they may keep you from Jesus; they may unwittingly compass your soul's destruction; but they can never save you. Today you can be saved. Today the Savior longs to bless you. "TODAY if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts." Heb. 3:15. When the barrier of time is once passed over I can give you no hope. Delay not, then, but give ear and heart to the words:

"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.

"Behold the Lamb of God,
which taketh away
the sin of
the world!”

John 1:29.

May

Power in the Day of Death

What of your soul in those ages long—
More solemn than heart can conceive—
When "the pleasures of sin for a season" are gone,
Their attractions no more to deceive?

Will only your sins go with you then
To "weeping and gnashing of teeth"?
Will the dread chill of death (no respecter of men)
Find you lacking the Strong Arms beneath?

"What think ye of Christ?" Shall He relieve
Your terror of darkness unknown?
For appointment to death holds no hope of reprieve;
You must face it—"with Christ," or alone!

"O taste and see that the Lord is good":
He died for the guilty and lost;
"Hath once suffered for sins," and hath shed His life-blood.
"It is finished"! But what was the cost?

The Lord of glory was crucified,
Unspeakable wonder of love!
But the tomb, it is empty! the stone rolled aside;
He is risen, and dwelleth above.

Greater than death is Jesus the Lord,
And such is His power for thee:
Linger not to believe His unbreakable word—
He beseeches thee, "Come unto Me.”

The Password

During the war between the states several earnest Christian workers left their comfortable homes for the scenes of conflict. They felt called of the Lord to minister comfort and aid to the wounded and dying on the battlefield.

On the occasion, in carrying out his work of love, one of them was required to move to a distant camp. This had to be done under cover of night. Having obtained the password he started out, taking his perilous journey on horseback.

Reaching an outpost he was challenged, "Who goes there?”

"A friend," he answered.

"Advance, friend, and give the countersign.”

He advanced to the very muzzle of the sentinel's loaded gun and gave the word: "Massachusetts." There was a dead silence. The soldier's musket was aimed directly at his heart, and his finger was on the trigger.

The Christian stood trembling. Another minute and he might be hurried into eternity. What a moment of suspense!

The silence was at last broken by the soldier. "You have given the wrong password. I know you, sir, but for this knowledge you would have been a dead man by this time. At the risk of my own life I'll spare yours. Go back at once, and get the right word.”

Hurrying back, the Christian reached headquarters from whence he had started.

"Whatever is the matter?" was the inquiry.

"You have given me the wrong password, 'Massachusetts.'”

"Yes, then, indeed we have! It was changed tonight after you started. 'Lincoln' is the word now.”

With this new word he again started out on his journey. Reaching the outpost he was again challenged by the sentinel:

"Who goes there?”

"A friend.”

"Advance, friend, and give the countersign.”

He advanced, and boldly gave the word, "Lincoln."

"Lincoln, it is; pass on and all's well.”

He passed on, but only for a step or two. Turning to the soldier, he said, "Friend, I cannot pass on without at least grasping your hand and thanking you for sparing my life. You and I are traveling to eternity. The weary march of life will soon be over. You no doubt hope to reach heaven and spend eternity with God's beloved Son, and with all who have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb?”

"I do, indeed, hope to be there!" was the reply.

"But a password for heaven is needed, and will be asked for. If you pass the narrow archway of time into the wide expanse of eternity with the wrong word, how awful will be the result! You will not then have the opportunity you kindly allowed me tonight, of returning to have it changed. Now, may I ask if you know the password for heaven?”

"I do.”

"What is it?”

"JESUS.”

"Blessed, precious, never-failing password! Tell me where and when did you learn this?”

"I learned it when I was a boy. From your own lips, Mr. Green, at Sunday school back home.”

Reader, do you know Him—Jesus? Is His name your password? He is indeed the chiefest among ten thousand, the altogether lovely One. Knowing that blessed name as the title of your Savior is all you need to pass you safely into His presence in glory.

"There is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." Acts 4:12.

"Too Cheap"

An anxious, sin-burdened woman came to the home of a well known preacher of the gospel one day to ask counsel and guidance regarding her spiritual state. "I have prayed and read my Bible; I have gone to church and taken the sacrament. Yet I do not seem to be any nearer being saved than before I began. Do tell me, Sir, what shall I do to obtain salvation?”

Quietly the man of God replied, "Nothing.”

The woman was at first astonished, then disappointed, at the strange answer. She sat in silence for a few moments unable to speak, for she thought all hope was now gone for her.

The Lord's servant, seeing her hopeless look said: "Jesus did it all. And God is so well pleased with what He did that He sends you a title to eternal glory, for nothing.”

"It seems far too cheap, Sir," said the woman.

"It cost God His Son, and Christ His blood," was the preacher's reply.

That word was the means of showing the anxious woman how God's salvation is so easily obtained.

"Redeemed... with the precious blood of Christ." 1 Peter 1:19.

The Waiting Room

A few years ago a gentleman had occasion to visit a little town. He missed the train by which he intended to return, and finding that he had two hours to wait before another train for home should arrive, he bought a magazine. Comfortably seating himself in the waiting room, he was soon absorbed in a story.

A little later two young men entered and seated themselves not far from him. The elder of the two had sometime before been brought to know the Lord, while his companion had only the day before found Christ as his Savior. In glowing language he was telling of his newly-found joy.

Quite unintentionally, the subject of our story overheard their conversation. He listened at first with the quiet smile of one who hears the ravings of an enthusiast; but the joyful earnestness of the speaker made him feel the reality of the words which he uttered, and they took a firm hold upon him.

At last he rose and left the waiting room; but still he seemed to hear the young voice repeating its bright testimony. His own heart craved rest—happiness—something certain to cling to in this world of shadows and unreality. If Christ, he thought, could give such joy and happiness as these two young men possessed, how willingly would he surrender his fortune, his all, to be the possessor of such a treasure!

His train arrived and he left the station; but the impression which he had received remained. For some time he was in a state of deep anguish of soul—an anguish bordering on despair. He was as one walking in a labyrinth, who cannot find the clue to the way home.

How blessed it is to know that every longing of the soul, aimless and wandering as it may seem, is marked by the gracious eye of the Lord! He never for one moment ceases in His care for the poor weary heart, which it is His desire to fill with His own peace.

Often did that gentleman wish that he might see again those young men whose testimony had awakened him to a sense of his distance from God and need of His grace. He had no idea who or where they were but one afternoon, about three months following the incident in the railway station, the thought struck him that perhaps they lived in the town where he had seen them. He determined to try to locate them. Having bought a ticket for that place, he was soon speeding on his way, with many a misgiving lest his journey should be in vain.

The train stopped at the first station. A passenger entered, and our traveler, glancing at him, immediately asked himself: Where had he seen that face before? Yes, surely he could not be mistaken; he had already found one whom he sought. His fellow-traveler was none other than the elder of the two young men who had conversed together in the waiting room three months ago.

He introduced himself and told his story to a willing listener. How gladly he pointed him to Jesus who came to seek and to save the lost!

The train again stopped. The seeker after Christ and his companion stepped upon the platform. There in that waiting room, where the Lord first spoke to his soul, the sin-sick traveler on life's journey found in Jesus his heart's desire. Peace, rest and happiness were his as he too entered into the joy of the Lord.

"Doctor, Shall I Get Better?"

"Doctor, do you think I shall get better?" What a solemn question to put and how hard to answer!

Friend, would you be ready to hear the truth if, lying on a sick-bed, you had the thought, "Shall I get better? Amos 1 going to die?" Then would the unwelcome fact present itself to your mind: "If I die it is all a blank! I have no certainty, no 'sure foundation,' no place of refuge"? Or would the still more terrible truth force itself upon you: "I am unsaved! I have all my sins upon me! Death is near, 'and after death the judgment'?”

This, thank God, was not the case with the dear man who asked the first question. He was speaking to a learned and renowned physician at the time. "Not that I am afraid to die," he added. "I haven't to go searching about for a Savior now; I've got one!”

What a blessed confession! He had had need of a Savior; that he had found out. He had required one. He could not save himself; he could not help in any way to save his lost soul. A Savior either saves or does not. He does not do part of the work; He does all or none. Not only had he learned his need, but he had found the One who had met that need—the One who "came to seek and to save that which was lost." A blessed Savior!

"Enduring the grief and the shame,
And bearing our sins on the cross;
Oh, who would not boast of such love,
And count the world's glory but dross!”

It was a glorified Savior who had been on the cross that this man now knew. And it is a glorified Savior who "has been dead and is alive again" that I ask you in all earnestness, do you know?

Would you have to search about for Him? You may never be able to do so. What a comfort that this dear man did not now have to seek Him! If such had been the case, he had little time in which to do so. He spoke these words one afternoon; on the next morning he was called without further warning to be with that Savior forever.

"For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Rom. 8:38, 39.

Still Dancing

Talking to a Christian mother, I was startled when she inquired: "Have you heard that my daughter Martha has gone in for dancing?”

"No, indeed," was my reply. I then asked: "Have you ever heard of the dancing in heaven." There is joy, merrymaking and dancing over every poor sinner that repents and turns to God the Father. We never hear of that dance ceasing." (Luke 15:25.)

The world's dancing is not lasting. It ceases in a very short time!

"The pleasures of sin" are only "for a season!" (Heb. 11:25).

The world has nothing satisfying to offer, nor anything that will stand the test in God's Day of Judgment.

Let us see what God has to offer us.

First,—His Son, Jesus, as a Savior, a shelter from the coming storm.

Second—Eternal blessing. We read, "In Thy presence is fullness of joy; at Thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore." Psa. 16:11.

Two young ladies attended a gospel meeting one Lord's day. God spoke very loudly to them through His Word, and they realized that they were sinners and needed the Savior. They intended to be saved, but they said, "Not till next Sunday night.”

They were scheduled for a dance the following Wednesday night, and that is why they put it off. The dance was given first place, and their soul's salvation came second.

When the dance was over on the Wednesday night, they left to go home. They had to traverse a railway crossing to reach their destination. They waited while one train passed; but, sad to say, another train approaching from the opposite direction they could not see. They stepped on the track, the engine crashed upon them, and they both were instantly killed.

Reader, this story is true—sadly true. Both of those girls left the gospel hall saying, "Next Sunday night." They put off everlasting blessing for the sake of a paltry dance.

Think of the solemnity of a soul lost forever—for eternity! Are you going down to hell with your eyes open? Are you dancing on the broad way that leads to destruction? Is Satan luring you on by his so-called pleasures?

God's wrath is soon coming upon this godless world. I plead with you, "flee from the wrath to come!" Take shelter under the shadow of His wings!

"He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life." John 3:36.

A Sailor's Conversion

"Thank you, sir; I'm glad to get your gospel paper. As you see, I'm just a rough old sailor on a leaky old boat; but I'm happy to say, sir, that if the old ship goes DOWN I shall go UP. How do I know? I'll tell you the story.

"Well, it all came about this way: we were lying off Malta, and I was ashore one night. I turned into a place where a soldier was preaching. He started with the hymn:

`The Savior calls; oh! come and see
What things He hath prepared for thee.'

Only it was the chorus that pulled me up; you know how it runs, sir: 'Him that cometh to Me, I will in no wise cast out.' It kept ringing in my ears. Somehow or other, those words made me feel very queer. 'Him that cometh, him that cometh, him that cometh to Me, I will in no wise cast out.' It kept ringing in my ears, and I could not get it out. Presently the soldier comes to the door; and as I went out he shook hands with me, and said, 'God bless you, and make you very miserable.'

"This coming on the top of the hymn made me miserable-like indeed; but I thought I would turn in there again the next night. There, sure enough, was the same soldier, and he got up on the platform. Fixing his eyes on me right at the back of the hall, he says, 'God loves you.'

"I tell you, sir, that made me feel worse than ever! Presently when he had done his address, he walked straight down the hall and took a seat by me. Well, of course, I tried to edge off; but just as far as I edged off he edged after me.

"At last I said, 'Here, I'm getting out of this.' He said, `I'm coming too.' So we got outside, and he said, 'You look very miserable.' I said, 'I am'; and he seemed quite happy over it.

"So I said, 'A nice sort of man you are, to call yourself a Christian! You haven't got a bit of sympathy in you.'

"He said, 'I'll take you to the sympathizing Jesus.' Then he showed me Him, the One that sympathized with and died for sinners. I knew I was one, sure enough. I put my claim in as a sinner, and I got Him from that night for my Savior. I just proved the scripture: 'Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.' John 6:37.

"That is nigh on four years ago now. Hearing that the gospel would be preached here tonight, I just turned in. That is the end of my story.”

"This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners." 1 Tim. 1:15.

Love of Life

We know that love of life is implanted in the breast, not only of man, but of every living thing throughout creation. The sparrow flies from the hawk. The sheep flees from the wolf. The deer springs in terror from the lion.

Men do not willingly endanger their lives. We all have love of life in us. We normally flee from danger if it threatens us; all our instincts are exercised for our protection. We have eyes to see danger; our ears hear it, and our hearts beat the drum of alarm when we sense its approach. Then our feet help us to flee from it even before our minds grasp its full import. If we were in a house and heard the cry of fire we would rush from the flames. If we were aboard a sinking ship, we would spring into the lifeboat. God has armed us to seek to protect our natural lives.

But terrible danger threatens every child of Adam. Every soul born into this world is a sinner by nature and in desperate need of a Savior. (Rom. 3:10.) God's wrath is soon to fall upon this scene because it refuses the Savior He provided—His own dear Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 3:10-12.) Every soul who still rejects God's salvation—the death on the cross of Calvary of Jesus Christ—faces the awful danger of eternal loss. For him is reserved the blackness of darkness forever, the dread certainty of spending an endless eternity in the fires of hell.

"He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone... and the smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night." Rev. 14:10,11.

Dear lost soul, use your eyes! See your danger! "Flee from the wrath to come." Matt. 3:7. Attend with your ears the gospel message now going forth: "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." Acts 16:31.

"If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." Rom. 10:9,10.

Man was driven out of the garden in which God first placed him. But from the paradise of God, the wonderful place of infinite blessing which God provides, and which Christ says He went away to prepare for His own, there will be no more going out.

"Sir, I Love Him!"

Some years ago a Christian entered a hall where a great number of people were present. Many seemed to be in deep meditation. Others knelt in silent prayer.

One of these, a kneeling woman, particularly attracted his notice. Anxious to know whether it was simply a form of religion that had led her to kneel, he stepped to her side and quietly whispered in her ear this question: "What think ye of Christ?”

"Sir, I love Him!" was the simple reply.

Dear reader, let me earnestly and lovingly ask you, "What think ye of Christ?" Matt. 22:42.

We read in 1 Peter 3:18 that "Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God.”

Do you know Him as the One who left the glory of God and suffered for sins on the cross in order that poor, vile, guilty, hell-deserving sinners might be brought into a place of favor with God—yes, even accepted in the Beloved? (Eph. 1:6.)

If you do not know Him as your Savior in this, the day of God's grace, you will have to know Him as your Judge in a coming day, when you must stand as a guilty, lost, Christ-rejecting sinner before the Great White Throne.

"What think ye of Christ?”

The Apostle Paul could say of Him, "The Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me." Gal. 2:20.

Have you this same blessed knowledge?

"If any man love God, the same is known of Him." 1 Cor. 8:3.

“It is a fearful thing
to fall into the
hands of the living God.”

Heb. 10:31.

June

How the Jailer Was Caught

While holding a meeting in the city of St. Louis, D. L. Moody preached on Acts 16, the story of the Philippian jailer. The following day the "Globe Democrat" reported the sermon under the sensational headline: "How the Jailer at Philippi was Caught.”

A copy of this issue found its way into the City Prison: There it fell into the hands of one of the most notorious criminals of that day, a man known as "Valentine Burke." He was one of the worst characters then on police records. When he was forty years old he had spent twenty years behind' the bars. At the time of Mr. Moody's visit to St Louis; Burke was awaiting trial on a burglary charge: As he glanced over the 'paper, the headline' caught his eye. Thinking it was some jail news, he began to read; anxious to know how a jailer was caught! He had once passed through a town in Illinois called Philippi 'and concluded that that 'was where the' capture took places. As he read, again arid' again he came across the words "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved," It was quoted nine and Burke began to wonder what had happened to the "Globe Democrat. He looked at the date, found it was that morning paper, and was disgusted to read such "stuff;" as he 'their deemed it.

However, he could not 'get the words out of his mind. They repeated themselves with persistent 'force: "Believe on the Lord Jests Christ and thou shalt be saved." He could not sleep. The whole of his guilty past was mirrored before him; and the hardened' criminal quailed at the thought of coming judgment. Like the Philippian Burke in his cell at midnight cried to God for mercy, and had the consciousness of being heard. Grace and pardoning love saved him.

He told his story to the jail warden in the morning, who for the first time saw this hardened sinner subdued. After serving his sentence, Valentine. Burke was released, and he tried hard to find honest work; but on account of his past record he was unsuccessful. He left for New York and tried there with the same result. Finally he landed back in St. Louis.

One day Burke received a message that he was wanted at the Sheriff's office. He went with a heavy heart, thinking it was some old case they had dug up. But he said, "I'm done with lying." To his surprise, however, the Sheriff greeted him kindly and said, "Burke, where have you been?”

He replied, "In New York.”

"What were you doing there?”

"Trying to make an honest living," was his response. The Sheriff asked, "Have you kept a good grip on your religion?”

He replied that he had experienced a hard time but had been kept.

"Well, Burke," said the Sheriff. "I have had you shadowed ever since you left this jail. I feared you were lying to me; but I am convinced you are sincere. I have sent for you to offer you a job as my deputy. You can begin at once.”

There Valentine Burke remained as long as he lived. Constantly he testified to others of that grace which is able to save and keep those who, in all their need, come to the Savior of sinners.

You may be different from Burke the burglar. You may be the very antithesis of the man. You may never have gone to the depths of sin as he did! Yet you have sinned, for "all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." Rom. 3:23.

You need the Savior! To you, reader, is the word of this salvation sent: "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and THOU shalt be saved." Acts 16:31.

Will you, like Burke, own your need and trust Christ as your Savior, TODAY?

Arrested at Midnight

No, it was not a criminal who was arrested for some misdemeanor or violation of the law. It was not a culprit brought to prison for a criminal offense. Yet it happened at midnight, when people for the most part were slumbering upon their beds.

It was midnight in my soul. I lay awake restless on my bed. My soul was in distress. My sins rose up before me like a huge mountain. Sins I had forgotten came before me. Could I dare to wait until the morning light before having to do with God about them?

In my anxiety I arose and made my way downstairs. As I entered the room where my father and mother were, I saw they were on their knees calling upon God for me. Heartbroken I told them that I was a great sinner. They replied, "He is a great Savior!" Then and there this important matter was settled, and I knew the joy of sins forgiven, trusting Jesus who had paid the penalty and borne the judgment.

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

A Nurse's Story

I had been longing for something to do, or some special message to carry for Jesus, when I was ordered to duty in a strange ward. The sister in charge would be gone away for several hours. I felt very pleased to take this new duty in her absence, for this would give me a freedom which I could not have while she was there. Even in the wards there is often a jealousy about speaking to each other's patients.

Passing along the bedsides I observed a poor girl who had, along with other ailments, a bad case of dropsy. She was reading a book; but seeing a new nurse approaching, she laid it down upon the bed. I picked it up and read: "Food for the Children of God." I expressed pleasure to see her reading such a book, and she said it was indeed very good.

"Are you one of God's children?" I asked.

"Oh, no!" she replied. "I am not able to say that; I wish I were.”

I had time for only a few words, but I tried to encourage her to seek first to come to Christ as her Savior, for then she could fully enjoy the "food" as her own.

Later on I had to give her her medicine. When she had taken it I said: "If you could take Christ as easily as you have taken this medicine, would you not do it?”

"Oh, yes," she said, "I wish I could.”

"You can," I said. "'The gift of God is eternal life.' He will give it to you; He longs to bless and save you.”

I had no opportunity to visit that ward again until many days later. My dropsical friend was much weaker. I slipped in, and approached her bed. She at once recognized me, and putting her arms around my neck as I bent over her, she said: "Oh, nurse, I've got it! I am not afraid to die now!”

"What have you got?" I asked.

"Eternal life! And I shall never perish. No one can pluck me out of His hands." Then she added: "Nurse, I have you to thank.”

I stopped her by saying: "Both you and I have to thank God, for it is He who loved us and gave His only begotten and well beloved Son, that we might have eternal life through Him.”

"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.

By Grace

Grace offers to us "the grace of God which bringeth salvation to all men." It does not ask man to bring works of righteousness to God. Jesus "came to seek and to save." God meets our need, and meets us just where we are. But too often the awakened sinner seems to think that grace has to be fetched by himself, as if the Savior must be brought to him by his own effort.

Helpless soul, be content to be saved. Who would bid the sick man run for the doctor? What nurse would tell the weak infant to feed itself? And has not God shown His pity by bringing His salvation to us? And has not the Lord Jesus manifested His love to sinners by coming into this world to save them?

"God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Rom. 5:8.

Prepare to Meet Thy God

In one of the suburbs of a large city on a warm summer afternoon a policeman was "on duty." His attention was drawn to three young men on their way to a drinking saloon for a "cooler," as they called it. They were eager for fun, or any sort of a "lark." Seeing the policeman, they judged he would be a fitting object to practice their cleverness upon. One of their company addressed him and asked if he could "give them something to do.”

"Yes, I can," he replied, "if you really want it." "Very well, then; what is it?" they replied.

This policeman, through the grace of God, had learned the truth of the gospel. It was his great delight to use every opportunity to warn and entreat wayward souls; so he told them solemnly that if they wanted something to do they should "prepare to meet thy God." Laughing hilariously and apparently unconcerned, the three passed on into the saloon.

Summer mellowed into autumn; autumn had faded into winter, and the instance was forgotten by the policeman. He was again at his post of duty, when a young man spoke to him. Handing the officer a little book, he asked him if he would read it. He added: "It will do your soul good.”

"What about your own soul; are you right with God?" said the policeman.

The young man replied, "Yes, and do you remember speaking to three young men last summer?" He related the incident to the policeman, adding that the youngest of the three then stood before him. The words "prepare to meet thy God" had pierced his inmost soul.

Wherever he went for days, weeks, months, "prepare to meet thy God, prepare to meet thy God," rang in his ears. They disturbed his conscience, and at length awoke the inquiry, "How am I to prepare?”

Then he heard the gospel preached, and learned that God had prepared a way for the sinner "to be made nigh" and delivered from the wrath to come. Now, in answer to the question, "Are you right with God?" he could say with a joyful heart, "Yes; all right through the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ on Calvary's cross.”

"God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Rom. 5:8.

A Firm Foundation

If your peace today is based upon anything whatever in yourself, your faith, or anything else, it may be lost and gone tomorrow; but if your eyes are turned to Christ today, to find in Him all you need to fill your heart and purge your conscience, the question is: Will He be any different tomorrow? Will His blood have lost its precious efficacy or He have changed because you have?

If I have been wrecked and been tossing about in the water till I despair of life, and then find myself on a solid rock, I do not torture myself whether I am standing firmly; but my question is: How firm is the rock I stand on?

And it is so as to salvation: My faith may be weak and poor indeed my feelings often worse; but my Savior never changes, and "He is our peace." (Eph. 2.)

"Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is staved on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee." Isa. 26:3.

The true way of peace is not to be examining and dwelling upon your faith, but upon Him who is the object of that faith.

A Man of the Pharisees”

Such was Nicodemus—"A man of the Pharisees." In plain and unmistakable language his religious associations are told us. Unlike many today who hide their religion, showing it only as occasion requires, he stands out boldly among his fellows, "a man of the Pharisees" and a "ruler of the Jews.”

There were none like the Pharisees in the day in which he lived—a man was estimated according to his religious zeal and devotion. Standing at the corners of the streets to be seen by all, they made broad their phylacteries, and enlarged the borders of their garments. When they fasted they disfigured their faces that they might appear unto men to fast. When they prayed their prayers were long, intended more for the ears of men than for the ear of the living God.

We do not intend to convey to our readers that we believe such was the character of Nicodemus. Doubtless he was an honest man, looked up to and revered by all; hut this "master of Israel," of the most religious sect of his day, standing high above his fellows like the young man in the gospel, had one thing lacking. It mattered not who he was, or to what religious party he belonged—it might be the most orthodox and correct—yet he was outside the kingdom of God, and needed to be born again ere he could see or enter into it.

How many thousands there are today who, like Nicodemus, pride themselves on a fair profession! They boast in an orthodox creed: baptized, confirmed, and admitted to church membership; yet with all their outward attainments and advantages, they are going religiously down to hell, professors but not possessors.

Is the reader of the sect of the Pharisees? That body has a large membership today. In other words, are you preferring religion to Christ, an orthodox creed to the blessed Son of God? Are you priding yourself, my friend, on not being as other men are, thanking God perhaps that you are no thief, drunkard, or profane person? You may well be thankful you are not; but let me tell you, my friend, "Ye must be born again." Turn not in anger from this plain truth, for, "except a man be born again... he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”

Many there are who are seeking salvation by human merit. Vain indeed is their effort to gain it thus, since salvation is God's free gift to sinners through the Lord Jesus Christ. It is "not of works, lest any man should boast." Eph. 2:9. How overwhelming is this statement by the Apostle Paul! He once, like Nicodemus, was "a man of the Pharisees." But Paul learned that all his Pharisee-ism would not do for God; and he counted all things loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus the Lord, that he might be found in Him, not having righteousness which was by the law, but the righteousness of God by faith (see Phil. 3:8, 9).

Nicodemus had to learn that human goodness would not do for God. Man is away from God, a sinner by practice, lost and guilty. But blessed be God, along with the declaration of man's terrible condition and deep, deep need comes the revelation of God's love. That is, man must be born again. He must receive a new nature before he can have to say to God or receive from Him; so the blessed Son of man must be lifted up "that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16.

Eternal life God's free gift to man is now offered to all who believe on His Son. "He that believeth on the Son bath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life: but the wrath of God abideth on him." John 3:36.

Remember, my reader, if you are but a professor and not a possessor of Christ, religious but having been brought to God, that, like Nicodemus, the man of the Pharisees, "ye must be born again.”

Washed in the Blood

Not long ago I met a dear friend of mine. Her greeting was: "I have good news to tell. I am saved!

"It all began on a Sunday afternoon, in a little mission room. I went there merely to pass the time, for the Lord's Day was a burden and a weariness to me. The preacher turned to the seventh chapter of Revelation, and read over and over again a part of the fourteenth verse. "These are they which... have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." Then he read a hymn having these words in it: 'Are you washed in the blood, In the soul-cleansing blood of the Lamb? Are your garments spotless? Are they white as snow? Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?'

“Let me ask each one here,' he said, 'are YOU washed in the blood of the Lamb? Do you stand in God's sight pure and white, clothed in the robes of spotless righteousness? Or do you still cling to the old garments, foul and stained with sin? Is it a light thing that the Savior poured out His life-blood to cleanse you, and is now offering you pardon and peace?

“‘Let those,' he continued, 'who really know that they are washed, sing, 'Yes, I am washed in the blood, In the soul-cleansing blood of the Lamb.'

"I, for one, could not sing those words. My heart condemned me. There I stood convicted of sin. Then I saw my need of cleansing, and I left the"' meeting with my heavy load of guilt. My one wish was to be left alone.

"For days that chorus kept repeating itself in my mind. I felt wretched and undone; I made the too common mistake of looking within for some evidence of good, instead of looking away from miserable self to Christ.

"Some time later at the close of a meeting I attended, the minister asked those who knew they had been cleansed in the blood of the Lamb and were saved to confess it by standing. I felt I must do so; and when I did, joy and peace filled my soul. Now I tell you, for I believe the word, "'If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.'" Rom. 10:9.

And now, my dear reader, let me ask, Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb? God says, "When I see the blood I will pass over you." Ex. 12:13.

God's day of grace is fast coming to a close. Are you ready? If you are not sheltered under the blood, I tremble for you. Without the shedding of blood there is no remission. The great sacrifice has been made once for all, and now Jesus invites you to Him.

"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.

The Good Confession

"Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." Matt. 16:16.

No confession that comes short of the Apostle Peter's in owning Christ as the "Son of the living God" will do. There may be high and honorable thoughts of Jesus. He may be spoken of as "a good man," or as "a prophet," as Elias or Jeremias; but nothing of this kind will do—nothing less than the faith that apprehends and receives Him as "the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

The reason for the need of this faith is simple. Our state of ruin in this world—ruin by reason of sin and its wages, death—calls for the presence of God Himself among us, God in the character of Conqueror Over sin and death. And He whom God has sent is such a One. He is "the Christ; the Son of the, living God,”— the living God in flesh; come here for the very purpose of bringing back life into this scene of death, destroying the works of the devil, and putting away sin.

This, the Christ of God, is the One whom our condition demands: Such is our ruin that nothing less than this will do for us—and if we can, in our thoughts, do with anything less than this; we show that we have not discovered our real condition in the presence of God. All acceptance of Christ short of this is nothing. If is no acceptance of Him.

"Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: and every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is coin in the flesh is not of God:" John 4:2, 3.

"Christ Jesus came into
the world to
save sinners.”

1 Tim. 1:15.

July

My Savior Could and Would

If I could find the oldest heart,
That longest has withstood
The wooings of Almighty love, —
My Savior could and would
Forgive the awful life of sin,
And take the aged offender in—
My Savior could and would.

If I could find the hardest heart,
Receiving only good,
And yet returning only ill—
My Savior could and would,
With one sweet glance of patient love
The hardened rebel's spirit move—
My Savior could and would.

If I could find the coldest heart
And in its coldest mood,
A stone beneath the brooding wings—
My Savior could and would
Put warmth into the icy thing,
And give it life and give it wing—
My Savior could and would.

If dark despair had sealed the heart,
And like a sentry stood,
And cried, "Life is impossible!”
My Savior could and would —
He could give life, for He has died;
He would give life, though all denied—
My Savior could and would.

My heart is charmed to sing this song;
And if perchance it should
Prove music to a hopeless one,
My Savior could and would
That hopeless one this hour forgive,
If but God's message he believe—
My Savior could and would.

The Richest Man in the Valley

A Norwegian farmer stood on the porch of his fine old home gazing out over his broad acres. He had traveled in foreign lands and had seen many wonderful landscapes; but never had he feasted his eyes on scenery that appeared so beautiful to him as his own land looked on this fair summer's day.

"All this is mine!" he exclaimed.

Like the rich farmer in the parable, he had provided for everything but the needs of his immortal soul. And like the Laodiceans of old who considered themselves rich, and increased with goods, and in need of nothing, he knew not that he was "wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind and naked.”

As he stood gloating over his land, a servant appeared with his riding horse. He jumped into the saddle and galloped away for a ride.

Up the lane a little distance old Hans, the farm hand, was working. The landlord stopped for a chat. Hans had just unpacked his lunch. He removed his hat, and with folded hands, was returning thanks to the Giver of all good gifts when he heard his employer's voice: "Well, Hans, how are you today?”

"Oh, is it you, sir?" responded the old man, looking up. "I did not hear you coming. I have grown somewhat deaf lately and my sight is failing too.”

"But you look very happy, Hans.”

"Happy? Yes, indeed, I am happy! I have many reasons to be. My heavenly Father gives me raiment and daily bread. I have a roof over my head, and a good bed to sleep in. That is more than my precious Savior had while He sojourned here below. I was just thanking God for all His mercies when you appeared.”

The landlord glanced at Hans' meager lunch—a few slices of bread and a piece of fried pork. "And that is the kind of food you are thanking God for, you poor fellow! I would feel quite deprived if that were all I had for dinner.”

"Would you?" asked Hans wonderingly. "But perhaps you do not know what I have that adds sweetness to everything God gives me. It is the inward presence of Christ my Savior! May I tell you a dream I had last night, sir?”

"Of course, Hans; tell your dream; I'd like to hear it.”

"As I was falling asleep my mind was much taken up with the happy land above and the many mansions prepared for those who truly love the Lord. Suddenly I felt myself transferred to the heavenly portals. They were wide open, so I could look into the blessed city. Oh, sir, the glory and beauty I saw no tongue could describe! Of course it was just a dream; but there was one thing I particularly want to tell you.”

The landlord began to look uneasy, as if he would like to get away. But Hans, not noticing, continued: "I heard a voice saying, 'The richest man in the valley will die tonight.' After that the most wonderful music—a real hallelujah chorus—burst upon my ears. Then I awoke.

"Sir, those solemn words were spoken so plainly. I have not since been able to forget them. I feel I ought to tell you. Perhaps it is a warning.”

The landlord's face turned pale, but he tried to hide the fears that rushed in upon him. "Nonsense!" he cried. "You may believe in dreams, if you like; but I do not. Good-by.”

He galloped away in great haste. Old Hans, looking after him, prayed, "O Lord, have mercy on his soul, if he is to die so soon.”

A couple of hours later the farmer rode in through his own gate and his servant took care of the horse. Hurrying into the parlor, he threw himself down on the sofa, feeling quite exhausted.

"What a fool I am for letting the silly talk of an ignorant old man disturb me! The richest man in the valley! Of course that is myself. But the idea of my dying tonight! I never have been so well in my life. At least, this morning I felt fine; but right now I do have a peculiar headache, and my heart does not seem to beat normally. Perhaps I should send for the doctor.”

Toward the evening the doctor came, in answer to his summons. The farmer, though somewhat feverish on account of his agitation, was at a loss to explain his disability.

Finally he repeated the strange remarks of old Hans. "And really, Doctor," he concluded, "I have not felt well since. Do you believe in dreams?”

"Dreams? Humbug! I thought you knew better than to believe in such stuff. You die tonight? Nonsense!" And the doctor laughed heartily.

"I am glad you came, Doctor; you seem to be the right man to cheer me. I hope you will stay for supper.”

The doctor lingered for several hours, employing all his ingenuity to entertain the farmer and drive away his gloomy thoughts. It was nearing ten o'clock when the doctor decided to leave. Just then the doorbell rang. Its shrill sound startled everyone in the house.

"Who can be calling at this time of night?" the farmer inquired anxiously. His nerves were on edge, and anything out of the ordinary seemed to him an omen of ill.

"Sorry to disturb you, sir. Just came to tell you that old Hans died suddenly this evening, and to ask if you will please make arrangements for the funeral.”

So the old man's dream had come true! It was not the possessor of broad and fertile acres, but the poor servant who lived in a shack and heartily thanked his heavenly Father for his coarse daily fare who was "the richest man in the valley." His ransomed soul had gone "sweeping through the gates, washed in the blood of the Lamb.”

How is it with you, dear reader? Are you rich in heavenly treasures as Hans was? Is his Savior yours?

"For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" Matt. 16:26.

The Golden Chain

While giving a gospel message one Sunday evening, a servant of Christ likened faith in the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ on Calvary's cross to a golden chain which, as it were, God holds to us from His throne on high. "If we." said he, "by simple faith lay hold of that chain. He will save us for time and eternity.”

Time rolled on. The preacher had almost forgotten the address. One day as he was passing through the town in which he had spoken of God's chain, a poorly clad woman stood and looked very hard at him. It was as if she would first be certain of his identity before addressing him. Presently she came to him and eagerly inquired his name. When she heard it her countenance lit up with joy and her eyes filled with tears.

"Oh, sir, I have long wished to see you," she exclaimed. "I have a dying message to give you. Do you remember preaching a certain sermon here in which you spoke of the sinner sunken in sin taking hold of the golden chain of the love of God? You said it was shown in the gift of His Son and that by taking hold of it one would be saved 'for time and eternity.'”

"I remember something of it," he replied.

"Well, sir, my son was present that night. He has since died; but before he passed away he called out for you. As we did not know your whereabouts, his wish to see you could not be gratified. These were his last words: `Mother, tell that preacher I have got hold of the golden chain. I am saved.'”

"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.

Which?

In the Cathedral at Worcester is an ancient slab bearing as its inscription the solitary word, "MISERIMUS"—"Most Miserable.”

Down in the Catacombs underneath Rome, those vast underground chambers of the dead where early Christians endeavored to hide from their fierce persecutors, engraved on a stone embedded in the wall stands this beautiful word, "FELICIMUM" "Most happy.”

If you were to be laid in your grave this week, which of those Latin inscriptions would most truly represent your condition?

"I am tormented in this flame." Luke 16:24.

"Absent from the body, and... present with the Lord." 2 Cor. 5:8.

"It Had Life in It"

When I was a small boy on my father's farm a large china swan was given me as a toy. How proudly I carried it into the farmyard! There, ducks, geese, turkeys and hens, all eager to get into touch with their painted "brother," followed me. But my swan had no life! Pretty as it was, it was dead and could not answer them.

As a schoolboy I saw the wax figure of a great soldier, life-sized, dressed in all the uniform of a general. It was very striking and many said "lifelike"; but it was dead. It had all the parts and outward show of a great warrior, but it lacked life.

Later in life I visited a fine cathedral in which a most imposing service was in progress. Music, choir, and robed preacher were there. The whole program was enacted without a hitch or jar. Ears and eyes responded to its magnificence. The audience said "impressive," but the "effect" passed away at the door. It appealed to the senses, but never reached conscience or heart. There was no spiritual life or power in it. It was "religion," but not a living Christ.

Years later, in a humble cottage where lived an old woman, gray-haired and alone, I rested one summer day. She gave me a hearty welcome and brought me a drink of cold spring water. As she handed it to me she said: "It is as free and refreshing as the water of life.”

I heard from her lips the story of her conversion as a girl; her happy life as a working man's wife; and the peaceful evening of life as a widow. Her story went to my heart; there was life in it. It came from her heart as the simple, living testimony to the power of Christ to save, to sustain and to satisfy. It convinced me of the reality of Christianity, and became the turning point of my life. I had been brought up religiously: taught to read and revere the Scriptures, "keep the Sabbath," and go to church; but I do not remember ever having heard of the need of being saved, or of having eternal life from a living Christ.

The life of that aged Christian turned my thought into a new channel. I was convinced of the reality of a living Christianity and I determined not to rest until I had a personal knowledge of it in my own soul.

While listening to an address on "Christ the Life-giver," I was converted. I learned then that by looking to Jesus, the uplifted Savior, by believing His Word and receiving Him, I too could have ETERNAL LIFE.

"He that hath the Son hath life." 1 John 5:12.

"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.

True Greatness

Learn to grapple with souls. Aim at the conscience. Exalt Christ. Use a sharp knife with yourself. Say little, serve all, pass on.

This is true greatness—to serve unnoticed and work unseen.

Oh, the joy of having nothing, and being nothing, seeing nothing but a living Christ in glory, and being careful for nothing, but His interests down here. J.N.D.

An Infidel's Deliverance

School days were happy days for A. J. Friendly and popular as he was, he enjoyed many temporal blessings. The son of Christian parents, he was brought up in a God-fearing home where the Bible was read regularly and believed unconditionally. Being very diligent in all of his school work, he made ready progress. He was active and alert, and the years at school passed all too quickly. The time soon came for him to leave home for college.

Here, as at school, success went with him. He readily adapted himself to his new surroundings, winning friends and working studiously. However there was a deadly evil prevailing at college from which he had been sheltered in the seclusion of his home. That evil was infidelity. A. J. soon had to encounter its withering blasts, for among both the students and the faculty there were many who openly scoffed at the Bible as the inspired Word of God.

Infidelity is not new, for it appeals to the natural mind. Quite often those who profess to believe it make a great show of learning and knowledge. Frequently this deadly poison is exploited by very brilliant people. This fact was true in A. J.'s college, for some of the best students were the most blatant infidels. Among these was a young man whose name was E. D.

It was a sad day for our friend when he began to make a companion of this worldly-wise infidel. He should have realized the danger of such a choice for he knew God's warning in His Word: "Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners." 1 Cor. 15:33.

We are all influenced for good or bad by the company we keep. Scripture tells us that "it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps" (Jer. 10:23), and "the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" (Jer. 17:9.) For this reason it is important to avoid companions who have no fear of God, even if they are very pleasing people. A. J. had to learn this sad lesson. He was not a Christian, and so was unacquainted with the keeping power of the indwelling Spirit of God. Leaning on his own understanding he was soon poisoned by the reasonings of his new friend. Little by little he drifted further and further from God and into infidelity. By the time he was ready to leave college, he was among those who talked openly against the Bible and denied the existence of God.

A new chapter of A. J.'s life was about to open. At this point he and his close friend, E. D., were to part company forever. Each went a different way. Our young friend A. J. decided to travel about and see some of the country before settling down.

During his travels he met an elderly man who was a true Christian and faithful servant of the Lord. This man spoke very earnestly to him about God and His Word, and warned him of death and judgment. The conversation made a deep impression on the young man. The truth of God was not like the hollow arguments of infidels, for it reached into his conscience. It made him uneasy and shook his confidence in infidelity. It again seemed real that there was a living God to whom he must give account.

The following night, after a very wearying day of sight-seeing, A. J. sought lodging in a large home where rooms were rented to travelers. The man of the house explained that there was only one vacant room left, and that it was next to the room occupied by a young man who was dying. After thinking it over, the tired young man assured the owner that it would not affect his sleep, and he would take the room.

In spite of his affected indifference, he could not sleep. He was very tired, but sleep went from him. The entire night was spent thinking about the young man in the next room who was dying. None of the foolish arguments of professed infidels could help him sleep. The realities of death and judgment, heaven and hell, pressed upon him, and the words repeatedly spoken to him by that faithful Christian kept ringing in his ears: "It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment." Heb. 9:27.

In the morning he was not only tired but wretched and miserable as he went down to the living room. There he was informed that the young man whose condition had cost him the night's sleep had died during the night. This fell like a great weight on his already troubled soul, but a greater shock was yet to come. Out of human interest he inquired the name of the man who had died, only to learn that it was none other than his old college chum, E. D. This was almost too much for him, and he rushed straight back to his room. There for several hours he could think of nothing but those awful words, dead! lost! All his infidelity fled in the presence of death, and he cried to God for mercy upon his own lost condition. In anguish of soul he cut his trip short and returned home.

Desperately unhappy, A. J. now sought peace in his childhood surrounding and practices. Deeply repenting the folly of his past he turned to the Lord Jesus, and ere long A. J. was enabled by faith in Him to thank God for delivering him from the dreadful delusions of infidelity.

He proved the truth of the Word of God, and found lasting joy and peace. From that day on, he sought to warn others to "flee from the wrath to come." He began and continued faithfully to preach Christ and Him crucified.

Now, dear young people, be warned by this experience. Do not choose for companions those who hate Christ. Be like the Psalmist who said: "I am a companion of all them that fear Thee, and of them that keep Thy precepts." Psa. 119:63.

Remember that it makes no difference who it is that contradicts the Word of God; he is doing the devil's work. From the days of the Garden of Eden on down, Satan has been calling in question what God hath said. Do not be carried away in any measure by the baseless, soul-destroying poison of infidelity, even though it be garbed in the name of intellectual wisdom.

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." Prov. 9:10. That is not wisdom which seeks to set aside the Creator for the mere hypothesis of evolution. It matters not how high one may climb in the field of intellectual knowledge. If he denies the truth of God, the day will come when he will see his great folly. It may then be too late, and he will have all eternity to remember with remorse his sin against a loving God who would have all men to be saved.

"The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God." Psa. 53:1.

And may you say from your heart: "I esteem all Thy precepts concerning all things to be right." Psa. 119:128.

The Thief of Eternity

Such is procrastination—a thief and a robber.

A bright boy heard and was deeply impressed by the text: "Prepare to meet thy God." Amos 4:12. Satan whispered, "Time enough yet!" And he put it off.

Ten years later a collegian heard the same text under circumstances which seemed to make that the time of his salvation. Again the tempter whispered: "Time enough yet!”

Twenty years later a statesman listened to the same text from the lips of an aged bishop, and felt it was a message to him. This time the tempter said, "Visit foreign countries before you decide.”

A traveler in Paris was stricken down with a fatal illness. But his greatest suffering was the agony of soul because he was not prepared to die. His last words were: "TOO LATE.”

The boy, the collegian, the statesman, and the traveler were one.

One case is cited, but there are millions more unrecorded. Let not your case be an added one. The remedy lies in your own hands. Be in earnest. Throw off the chains of lethargy. Procrastinate no longer.

How fatal is the habit! How insidious it is! What a successful weapon in the hands of the devil!

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

"Today if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts." Heb. 4:7.

"NOW! TODAY!" are words God presses upon you. Will you not hear His voice today and receive Christ NOW?

The wicked shall be

turned into hell,

and all the nations

that forget God.”

Psa. 9:17.

August

Victory

Until I saw the blood, 'twas hell my soul was fearing,
And dark and dreary in my eyes the future was appearing;
While conscience told its tale of sin,
And caused a weight of sin within.

Until I saw the blood, for mercy I was crying,
As if to move the heart of God, or for His favor trying;
But all the seeking seemed in vain,
The wished-for peace I could not gain.

But when I saw the blood, and looked at Him who shed it,
My right to peace was seen at once, and I with transport read it;
I found myself to God brought nigh,
And "Victory" became my cry.

My joy was in the blood, the news of which had told me
That spotless as the Lamb of God my Father could behold me;
And all my boast was in His Name,
Through whom this great salvation came.

The fear of death was past, the sense of sin had vanished;
And all my misery of soul was now forever banished
By that blest truth which entered in,
That Jesus Christ had cleansed from sin.

My hope was, through the blood, of being soon in glory,
And learning in a brighter scene the fullness of that story.
Which made my new-born spirit cry,
And shout aloud for "Victory.”

And when, with golden harps, the throne of God surrounding,
The white-robed saints around the throne their songs of joy are sounding,
With them I'll praise that precious blood,
Which has redeemed our souls to God.

I Can't! I Won't!

A most remarkable scene took place in East London during the visit of those well-known men of God, Dwight: L. Moody and Ira D. Sankey, in the years 1883-84. The hall was in the center of a dense working population where men by the thousands labor in workshops and factories. One Monday evening had been reserved for an address by Mr. Moody to atheists, skeptics, and freethinkers of all kinds.

At that time Charles Bradlaugh, a champion of atheism, was at his zenith. Hearing of this meeting, he ordered all the clubs he had formed to close for the evening, and all the members to go and take possession of the' hall. They did so, and five thousand men marched in and occupied all the seats.

The service commenced earlier than usual. After the preliminary singing, Mr. Moody asked the men to choose their favorite hymn. This suggestion raised many a laugh, for atheists have no song or hymn.

The meeting got well under way. Mr. Moody spoke from "Their rock is not as our Rock, even our enemies themselves being judges." Deut. 32:31. He poured in a broadside of telling, touching incidents from his own experience and told also of the deathbeds of Christians anti of atheists he had known. He let the men be the judges as to who had the best foundation on which to rest faith and hope.

Reluctant tears were wrung from many an eye. This great mass of men with the most determined defiance of God stamped upon their countenances were eloquently attacked in their most vulnerable points—their hearts and their homes. Yet when the address was ended one felt inclined to think nothing had been accomplished. It had not appealed to their intellects or reasoning faculties, and had convinced them of nothing.

At the close Mr. Moody said: "We will rise and sing `Only Trust Him.' While we sing, will the ushers open all the doors? Any man who wants to leave can do so; and afterward we will have the usual inquiry meeting for those who desire to be led to the Savior.”

I thought: "All will stampede! We shall only have an empty hall." Instead, the great mass of five thousand men rose, sang, and sat down again. Not one had vacated his seat.

What next? Mr. Moody then said: "I will explain four words—Receive, Believe, Trust, Accept Him." A broad grin spread over all that sea of faces.

After a few words upon, "Receive," the great evangelist made the appeal: "Who will receive Christ? Just say, `I will.'”

From the men standing around the edge of the hall some fifty responded, but not one from the mass before him. At last one man growled, "I can't!”

Mr. Moody replied, "You have spoken the truth, my man. Glad you spoke. Listen, and you will be able to say `I can' before we are through.”

Then he explained the word "Believe," and made his second appeal: "Who will say 'I will believe Him'?" Again some responded from the fringe of the crowd till one big fellow, a leading club man, shouted—"I won't!”

Great-hearted Mr. Moody was overcome with tenderness and compassion. He burst into broken, tearful words, half sobs: "It is 'I will' or 'I won't' for every man in this hall tonight.”

Then he suddenly turned the whole attention of the meeting to the story of the Prodigal Son of Luke 15. He said: "The battle is with the will, and only there. When the young man said, 'I will arise,' the battle was won. He had yielded his will. On that point all hangs tonight. Men, you have your champion there in the middle of the hall, the man who said, 'I won't.' I want every man here who believes that man is right to follow him, and to rise and say, 'I won't.'”

There was perfect silence. All silently waited till, as no man rose, Mr. Moody burst out: "Thank God, no man says, 'I won't.' Now who will say, 'I will'?”

In an instant the power of the Holy Spirit's presence was upon that great crowd of enemies of Jesus Christ. Five hundred men sprang to their feet, their faces raining down with tears. "I will, I will," they shouted, till the whole atmosphere was changed and the battle was won.

Quickly the meeting was closed so that personal work might begin. Before the end of the week nearly two thousand men were swung out from the ranks of the foe into the army of the Lord by the surrender of their wills. They heard His "rise and walk," and they followed Him. The permanency of that work was attested for years afterward, and the clubs never recovered their footing. God swept them away in His mercy and might by the gospel.

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek." Rom. 1:16.

Three Questions

1. "Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? Not one." Job 14:4.

This question is asked and answered in the same verse, in Job 14:4; and in the next chapter we have the further question asked, "What is man, that he should be clean?”

A lesson hard to learn is, our real condition before God. Yet the true state of both the reader and writer is depicted with unerring accuracy in God's Word. It is not a flattering one, but it is exact.

This photograph is found in Rom. 3—none righteous; none that understandeth; none that seeketh after God; none that doeth good; all the world guilty before God. You say that you have not been an openly bad sinner. I ask: Have you loved the Lord your God with all your heart, and soul, and strength and your neighbor as yourself? If honest, you know you must plead "guilty before God.”

2. "Man giveth up the ghost, and where is he?" Job 14:10.

This is a serious question. It refers rather to a man's spirit, just as our third question refers more to his body. We are told in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16) that the rich man died and was in torments "hi hell." An awfully solemn thing it is to think of, but it was the Savior Himself who spoke of it, so it must be true. On the other hand, see the repentant thief on the cross! Sinful though he was, he trusted Christ as his Savior. By faith in Jesus he was cleansed from sin; he was made fit for heaven, and his spirit was with Christ in paradise that very day.

3. "If a man die, shall he live again?" Job 14:14.

Yes, indeed he shall! But where? This is the all-important question. The body may have been laid to rest; it will be raised again. Soul and body will be united, and that for eternity—solemn consideration!

1 Cor. 15:44 says, "It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body.”

According to Scripture there is no such thing as a "general resurrection." The scriptural order is that true believers in Christ are raised first—long, very long, before the unsaved who die in their sins. When Christ comes all His own will be "caught up" to spend eternity with Him. But, as we read in Rev. 20

"The rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished.”

Those who have died unrepentant and unregenerate will remain in their graves until they are raised to stand before the great white throne for judgment. There, condemned, they will be cast into the lake of fire.

Friend, do not put off the question of your soul's salvation! The enemy is so busy trying to get you to put it aside. He says, perhaps, that you are young and strong now; you will have time enough to think about these things when you grow old. He offers you as a bait the allurements and pleasures of this world. This is the voice of Satan! But God says NOW—not tomorrow—now! NOW is the accepted time, and NOW is the day of salvation.

"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." Acts 16:31.

One Sin

Next to me sat a young girl. The company around us were in animated conversation and we two alone seemed out of it.

Turning to her, I said: "Can you tell how many sins it would take to shut one out of heaven?”

She replied thoughtfully: "Could God allow one sin in heaven any more than a thousand?”

"No," I said. "One sin in the Garden of Eden brought ruin to man and to all the earth beside. All the misery in all the world is the fruit of that one sin in Eden. If God allowed one sin in heaven it would ruin that too.”

"Why, then, did you ask me that question?" she said. "Because, my dear, I want to ask you another: Have you ever committed one sin?”

Instantly her eyelids drooped, and she remained silent. In a moment, however, I saw a large tear running down her cheek, and she softly said: "Yes, more than one.”

"Could you," I said, "put your finger on one that you remember?”

Another time of silence followed. Then, with evident pain, she said: "Yes; not long ago I denied what I knew to be true. I wanted to avoid difficulty.”

"Well then," I said, "by your own confession you have committed at least one sin; and you said what I believe is true: that one would shut us out of heaven as well as a thousand. You then are shut out already. What are you going to do?”

A change of countenance here came over her like a flash. Her eyes, though still full of tears, looked straight in my face as she said with reverence: "The Lord Jesus died for me. He is my only hope.”

I could only add, "That will not fail you, dear girl, when you stand before God. It may well give you peace now.”

The Name of Jesus

A company of men were waiting in a public hall, and to while away the time they began to sing popular songs.

Among them was a Christian who would not join in the singing of his unsaved companions. Seeing this, one man leaned over and said: "Can't you sing?”

"Oh, yes," said our friend, "but only what mother used to teach me." A shout of laughter went round the room, and he was asked, "What is that?”

"Listen," he said. Then he sang the well-known words:

"How sweet the name of Jesus sounds
In a believer's ear!
It soothes his sorrows, heals his wounds,
And drives away his fear.”

A look of surprise came on the faces of the men, but some of them joined in the singing. The Christian with a face full of joy showed his delight in the theme that peerless Name. Its sweetness was very real to him as again he sang:

"It makes the wounded spirit whole,
It calms the troubled breast;
'Tis manna to the hungry soul,
And to the weary rest.”

The comfort of that song seemed to enter the hearts of those men. Their voices increased in volume as they sang of the love of Him who "healeth the broken heart, and bindeth up their wounds." Psa. 147:3.

Once more the glory and sweetness of that Name filled the room as the words rang out:

"Blest Name! the rock on which we build,
Our shield and hiding-place;
Our never-failing treasury, filled
With boundless stores of grace.”

The leader of the singing, conscious that his own feet were on the Rock and that he was hidden in its cleft, was enjoying communion with his Lord, and praise and worship seemed to flow out as he continued to sing:

"Jesus! our Savior, Shepherd, Friend,
Thou Prophet, Priest and King;
Our Lord, our Life, our Way, our End,
Accept the praise we bring.”

The presence of that blessed Person seemed to him very real the Savior who died to save us, the Shepherd who sought and found us, the Friend who never leaves us, the Prophet who unfolds all the wonders of God's love, the Priest who ever lives to make intercession for us, the King of glory with whom His own shall dwell forever.

The next verse was sung more softly and very reverently:

"Weak is the effort of our heart,
And cold our warmest thought;
But when we see Thee as Thou art,
We'll praise Thee as we ought.”

This seemed almost too much for the men as they realized how fully the Christian entered into the words he sang. The last verse again rang out triumphantly:

"Till then we would Thy love proclaim
With every fleeting breath;
And triumph in Thy blessed Name
Which quells the power of death.”

The song ended. There was a tense silence for some moments. Then one, a professional singer, rose and stretched out his hand to the Christian, saying: "Shake hands, sir. I am not religious, but I do admire a man who has the courage of his convictions.”

This gave our friend a good opportunity, and he told out the glad tidings of salvation.

One man present who was a Christian said to the singer afterward: "How did you do it? I could never have found the courage.”

"Oh, yes, you would," he replied. "The thought of the Lord Jesus—who He is and what He has done for us—gives one courage and 'drives away all fear.'”

Dear unsaved soul, in Christ alone can be found the comfort, strength, grace, mercy and peace that are essential to carry you safely through the trials of TIME. Receive Him as your Savior; let Him be the Lord of your life. Then with holy joy will you too be able to glorify Him before men and to "tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee." Mark 5:19.

"Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." Heb. 4:16.

Be of good cheer if your hearts are set on Christ! There is your stay, the anchor of your soul. If you see and feel your separation from God because your sins interpose between you and Him, believe in Christ and your sins will be removed from the sight of God. Then you will enjoy all the present and future glory and blessedness of those who have a part with Christ. J.N.D.

God Is

A missionary in Calcutta spent much of his time translating the Gospel of John into many different dialects spoken by native tribes. These gospels were distributed all over the country wherever there were no missionaries, and indeed wherever they were needed.

One day while at work in his room his servant announced a visitor whose language even he did not understand. This stranger had insisted on seeing the "Sahib" (master). When he was ushered in, he laid a little book on the table and pointed to it while talking volubly in a tongue the missionary did not know.

Taking the book up, he at once recognized it as one of his own little gospel translations. Something written on the back page caught his attention. It was a language he could not read, expert though he was in Indian dialects. So he sent out into the bazaars and Indian quarters to try to find a man who could interpret the strange writing. At last one was located and he read the words, "White man, come!”

Now it was found that the man who had brought the book had been sent by the chief of a tribe from the far northwest of India. It was beyond the borders where white men had ever been. But God "who satisfies the longing soul" knew where to send food for the hungry soul. Thus His Word had gone forth and a desire for the Bread of Life had been awakened.

How could that be met? The missionary pondered his problem. He could not leave his station and he had not the means to send even a native Christian to such a distant post. What could he do?

As usual, "man's extremity is God's opportunity." He had already foreseen and provided the answer. By that very day's mail the missionary received a letter from a man unknown to him, but well known to God. This man had heard of the work of the Lord in India. Desiring to have part in it he enclosed enough money to meet the expense of sending a missionary even to this far land.

With the Apostle the missionary could exclaim, "God... is, and... He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him." Heb. 11:6.

God's loving heart was yearning over those souls in far off India. And in like manner, dear one, He longs to draw you to Himself. In Christ Jesus He has provided for all your need throughout time and eternity. Will you not turn to Him now?

Christ's Death the Proof of God's Love

The gospel begins with God. It is God's good news to a sinner in his sins. In all His grace and lovingkindness God has provided a Savior—His well-beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

I once thought that when Scriptures spoke of Christ as a Mediator it meant He came between me and a hard and angry God to take up my cause and appease His wrath. But the very opposite is the truth. Jesus came between me and a loving, giving God. He came as the Gift of God, to express His love toward me by dying in my place. By His death He has swept away forever every hindrance to my eternal blessing. God is Love!

"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.

Taking God at His Word

I was holding meetings in a fishing village. Every night the meeting house was crowded, and the gospel was preached as simply and faithfully as I could.

One night, among the inquirers who remained after the close of the meeting was a young man about twenty years old. During the address I had noticed his deep, earnest gaze fixed on my face as each word seemed to go straight to his heart. Going up to him, I said: "Do you know Jesus as your Savior?”

"I never heard the likes before," he exclaimed. He added eagerly, "Oh, tell me more about Him.”

I tallied to him, as I would have spoken to a child about the Lord Jesus. He was ignorant indeed; but the Holy Spirit had convinced his conscience of the true nature of sin and touched his heart with a sense of the amazing love of God.

This young man was able to grasp at once the most blessed of all truths: that Christ, the Son of God had died for him. The beauty and majesty of the Person of the One who died for him had captivated his heart. "I'll take Him at His word," he said happily, as we rose to leave. He accompanied me far on my way home, and we still spoke of Him who is the chiefest among ten thousand, the altogether lovely One.

It was the first time this fisher lad had heard about Jesus, for he had never before attended a preaching or entered a place of worship. He gladly accepted Christ as his Savior, and went on his way rejoicing in Him.

"God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Rom. 5:8.

God commendeth His love
toward us, in that,
while we were
yet sinners,

Christ died for us.”

Rom. 5:8.

September

"Jesus"

I've tried in vain a thousand ways
My fears to quell, my hopes to raise;
But what I need, the Bible says,
Is ever, only, JESUS.

My soul is night, my heart is steel
I cannot see, I cannot feel:
For light, for life, I must appeal
In simple faith to JESUS.

He died, He lives, He reigns, He pleads;
There's love in all His words and deeds;
There's all a guilty sinner needs
Forevermore in JESUS.

Though some should sneer, and some should blame,
I'll go with all my guilt and shame,
I'll go to HIM because His name
Above all names is JESUS.

Jud's Day Is Done

The new minister was having his hair cut one midweek morning. Suddenly conscious of the conversation going on in the shop, he overheard one barber say to another, "Old Jud's day is about done.”

"Yes," added the other barber; "I was out there Sunday to shave him and he is in bad shape.”

Continued talk informed the silent listener that the dying "Jud" was old and evil. He had been raised in a Christian home, but wandering west into temptation and opportunity, had chosen evil. From the founding of that village "Jud" had been a leader fostering sin. His prominence had been sufficient to attach an ill name to the village itself, though others there were no whit better.

God's long-suffering had provided that this wicked life should not end before a missionary among folk of prison-worthy standards had come to this town. In the few months the, minister had now been there. Jud had never spoken to him but had come to know him by sight, and, strangely, the wicked old man had spoken no evil of the preacher. On his part the minister could only remember him as a broken old man in a worn old coat, driving an old, old horse hitched to a creaking old buggy. He identified him only by 'a chance remark of someone saying, "There goes old Jud." That was autumn. This was the following spring.

"His day is about done." The words sank into the heart of the minister his day of grace; his opportunity to repent; his time of salvation; his chance of heaven; his Rubicon between eternal bliss and eternal woe.

"His day is about done." The words could not be thrust away. Pitying concern for the old creature said, "Go see him." A walk of two miles brought the minister to the door of the charitable family who sheltered old Jud.

Inquiry about the condition of the ailing man received a courteous reply, but no invitation to speak with him. This it afterward proved was because of their desire to shield the caller from the offensiveness of the old man's wretched malady.

After a reasonable wait the minister requested to see Jud. "It won't do any good to talk with him," he was told; "he is too far gone. He doesn't want to see anybody." The caller persisted and finally was directed to the screened rear of the house where the poor old man sat for air.

The invalid was the embodiment of forlorn extremity. Propped in a large chair, his flushed face, labored breathing, bulging eyes, purple hands, swollen feet, all betrayed the failing effort of an enfeebled heart to maintain life. As the minister came close he was recognized. In a surging agony of soul old Jud commanded, "Go 'way. I'm going to hell and I deserve to go.”

Never could well-intentioned pity be more taken aback. This family wanted the caller to stay away, and so did the sick man. But meekly God's messenger spoke quietly of God's Word concerning mercy to sinners. Again he met the same rebuff: "Go 'way, go 'way! I'm going to hell and I deserve to go.”

Finally, feeling that he had accomplished nothing, but rather had alienated himself and his work from the family and their friends in the community, the minister returned home. However his sense of responsibility was constantly heightened. The unforgettable, "His day is about done," brought him a second time to see old Jud.

Again the interview was most unsatisfactory. The same hoarse, roaring command met the Christian. But the sick old man listened when God's offers of mercy were quoted.

Memory evidently awakened in the lost man, but awful groanings interrupted every argument which the minister used. Baffled, he returned home and to prayer.

"Get Jud to pray," became the inner urge of the Spirit, repeated over and over. So again the step of the minister awakened the attention of the sick old fellow at an earlier hour than usual.

"I came to get you to pray," said the minister.

"I can't pray," was the positive answer. And no amount of urging effort nor argument nor example was able to avail. The minister finally concluded that the hardened, rebellious sinner indeed could not pray. Gently the missionary pressed upon him the 55th of Isaiah, verses 6 and 7: "Seek ye the Lord while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.”

Still the responsibility deepened in the minister's heart. In spite of the loudly voiced conviction in the community that he was dogging the old man to death, his urge was, "Get him to pray. Make every effort to that end.”

On his next call the preacher stated, "I came again to get you to pray; indeed, I came to make you pray.”

The usual refusal, only feebler, arose. "You must pray. Pray this prayer after me: 'God be merciful to me a sinner.'”

"God have mercy!" the poor breathless soul had cried, shortening even so short a Biblical prayer in his earnest cry to God.

And did Jesus hear? The minister records: "I saw those eyes bulging with terror settle to their place. I heard those lips pour out in hoarse whispers volumes of confession, and pleading for mercy, and praise for forgiveness. I heard intercessions for former companions in sin. I saw the peace of God which passeth all understanding come over that straining, marred face, and a quiet beauty remains in my amazed memory of my last look on the peaceful countenance of that newborn soul.”

The minister, perceiving how alone that praying soul was with Jesus, slipped out and went his way. Later he learned that for hours with scarce a pause the prayers and pleadings and praise continued until life departed and Jud's day was done.

"As the heaven is high above the earth so great is His mercy." Psa. 103:11.

God's Days

God will not show grace forever. "Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation." 2 Cor. 6:2. Every "day" must close at last, and every "time" must end. The "accepted time" has lasted almost twenty centuries; the "day of salvation" has been lengthened out more than nineteen hundred years.

But another "day" is coming. The sun of salvation's day will suddenly set at the coming of the Lord, and with His advent will be ushered in the awful "day of the vengeance of our God." Isa. 61:2.

"Today if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts." Heb. 3:7, 8.

At the River

In the military hospital of Cairo, Egypt, a Christian woman was given a permit to visit the soldiers. Among the wounded men brought in after a skirmish was a young Scotch Highlander. He had lost a limb, and infection had set in. The doctor said he could not live through the night.

The lady tells of her visit as follows: "I stopped at his bedside to see if I could do anything for him. He lay with closed eyes, and as he moved his lips I caught the words, 'Mother, Mother!' I dipped my handkerchief in iced water and bathed his burning forehead, full of fever.

“‘Oh, that is good!' he said, opening his eyes. Seeing me bending over him he caught my hand and kissed it. `Thank you, lady,' he said, 'it 'minds me o' Mother.'

"I asked him if I could write to his mother. No, he said, the surgeon had promised to do that, but would I, could I sing to him? I hesitated and looked around. The gleam of the yellow waters of the Nile as the rays of the sun caught the water, reminded me of that river whose streams make glad the City of our God. I began to sing in a very low voice:

“‘Shall we gather at the river?'

"Eager heads were raised around the ward to listen more intently; and soon bass and tenor voices, weak and trembling through sickness, came in on the chorus:

“‘Yes, we'll gather at the river,
The beautiful, the beautiful river;
Gather with the saints at the river
That flows by the throne of God.'

"When the song was ended, I looked into the face of the boy—for he was not over twenty—and asked the question: 'Will you be there?'

“‘Yes, I'll be there, through what the Lord Jesus has done for me,' he answered. His blue eyes were shining brightly, and a light that never was seen on sea or land irradiated his face. The tears gathered in my eyes as I thought of the mother in her far off Scottish home, waiting and watching for tidings of her soldier boy who was breathing away his life in an Egyptian hospital.

"'Come again, lady, come again,' I heard on all sides as I left the barracks. I shall go, Lord willing, again; but I shall not find my Scottish laddie here, for by tomorrow's reveille he will have crossed the river.”

Dear reader, can you join with the Scottish laddie and say: "Yes, I'll be there through what the Lord Jesus has done for ME"? If not, remember, life is likened to a "vapor that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away." James 4:14. You may be called at any moment to face the inevitable, for Scripture says: "It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment." Heb. 9:27. But, if the Lord Jesus is YOUR trust, death and judgment have been born by HIM for all who believe.

Oh, if you cannot sing or say, "Yes, we'll gather at the river... Gather with the saints at the river," let me plead with you to come to the Savior of sinners NOW! He has said, "Him that cometh unto Me I will in no wise cast out." Will you come TODAY?

Mirage

Amid the shows and shams of earth look ever at eternal things. The things which are seen are but vapors which appear for a little and then vanish away.

Where's Hell?

A young Christian was sounding forth the "old, old story" in a northern town. Suddenly he was rudely interrupted by someone on the outside of the crowd who hurled the question at him: "Where's hell?”

"At the end of the broad road that unbelievers tread," was the reply.

After the speaker had finished, the interrupter asked if he could have a word with him. Again he asked a question. This time it was very personal.

"Am I on the road to hell?”

The answer was not, "Do you go to church?" or "Do you read your Bible?" but, "Do you know the Savior?" "I don't," he said.

"Then according to God's Word you are on the broad road that leads to everlasting destruction.”

"God moves in a mysterious way"; so it was in this case. These two men, as youngsters, had lived in the same street in the same town, and knew all the old familiar places. But how different were their paths!

The preacher had started early in life on the road of sin and sorrow. But he had learned while still a youth in years that Jesus is the Savior of sinners. He was led to trust Him, and was saved and satisfied for time and eternity.

The other had continued on the downward road, and had ignored the tender voice of the Shepherd calling the lost ones home. As a young lad he had been left an orphan, and had chosen his own paths and gone his own way. His liberty became license and made him as he was that day—a poor, miserable, self-convicted sinner. He was tired and sick of all that the devil and the world had to offer, a poor slave of sin and Satan, seeking peace and liberty.

The preacher told him simply and earnestly what the Lord had done for himself—how he had been "plucked as a brand from the burning" and that Jesus was waiting to save him too. Tenderly he told him the sweet story of God's love; and there on the street this weary, way worn, tempest-tossed soul found a haven of rest in the blessed Savior.

Dear reader, no matter who you are, what you are, or where you are, God says: "All we like sheep have gone astray." Isa. 53:6. "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God." Rom. 3:23.

That "ALL" takes you in, whether you realize it or not! If unsaved, you are on the broad road that leads to "everlasting destruction." But hear the Savior's voice!

"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.

God's blessed "whosoever" takes in every lost one. Come to the Savior now, and trust Him for your soul's eternal welfare.

Eternal Salvation a Costly Gift

"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.

Salvation is offered to all; but in order to be saved we must submit to God's own terms. No works of righteousness which we have done will save us, for God will not allow the sinner to boast except in Christ.

"He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.”

Beloved, I beseech you, accept salvation as a free and undeserved gift from God. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved. These are God's terms. Are they not exactly suited to the sinner who sees himself to be utterly and helplessly lost?

"Ah, sir, it is too cheap a salvation for me," were the words of a foreman in a coal mine. He was conducting a Christian man to the exit of the pit. The Christian had been speaking to the miners of God's salvation, and had been showing them from God's Word that the work that saves was finished by the Lord Jesus on the cross.

Arrived at the bottom of the shaft the preacher asked how he was to get out of the pit. The foreman answered: "Just step into this cage, sir, and the engine will do the rest.”

"But have I nothing to pay, and nothing to do?”

"No, sir; the engine will do it all.”

"That is far too cheap for me," said the preacher. "But tell me, did it cost nothing to make this way out of the pit?”

"Yes, sir, it cost thousands of dollars, I suppose.”

"Ah, that's it," replied the preacher. "It costs me nothing to use this way out, but it cost someone else thousands of dollars to provide it. Just so, my friend, never call God's salvation cheap. It costs you nothing to receive this infinite gift, but it cost the blessed Savior everything to procure it. He bled, and suffered, and died that you and I might be saved.”

"But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed." Isa. 53:5.

God's Looking-Glass

While visiting an aged woman, I turned to the all-important subject of the welfare of her soul. She said she had no wish to live, and was ready to go when the Lord saw fit to take her. But she seemed to have no definite reason why this should be, nor where her soul would go for eternity.

She readily assented to my remarks that all are in need of a Savior, and the rich provision God had made for the needy in the Person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Still I felt there was no depth in her expressions, though she was so free with them.

Several times I called to see her, with apparently the same results. Always I pressed on her the need of accepting the atoning work of Christ ere there could be any hope of glory.

At last the truth as to this aged woman's real state came out. Her answer to the question, "What makes you think that your sins are forgiven, and that you are ready for death?" was: "Because I feel more comfortable in myself than I used to do.”

Her professions were but empty words. She had been saying to her soul, "Peace, peace," when there was no peace. How solemn! Yet how many do this very thing. Forgetting the past, they are unconcerned about the present. How vain is their hope that somehow or other the future will be right!

Having gained this admission, I next tried to make this poor soul see that, as her hopes were in herself and she herself a sinful creature, they were but vanity. This she would not consent to. She thought much of herself, and would not believe that she was hopelessly bad and unfit for God's glory. She evidently needed to see herself in the light of God's Word.

So I said to her, "You should get the looking-glass, and have a good look at yourself." She glanced up at me and I added, "In it you will see a sinner." This brought her to the point I desired, to have herself before her mind's eye while I read to her the third chapter of Romans. There, from verses ten to nineteen, the sinner is pictured as God sees him, and what a sight it is! Having gone thus far, I left her to meditate upon what evidently to her was a surprising revelation.

The next time I called I found her troubled and anxious. She had discovered that self was a bad foundation, and she was desirous of knowing the way to be saved. On my telling that God has said, "Blessed are they that put their trust in Him," she answered, "I'll try Him.”

During subsequent visits, I had cause for believing she was truly building her hopes for God's glory on the merits of God's Son.

Will not you, dear reader, look at yourself in the looking-glass of God's Word?

"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." Rom. 3:23, 24.

An Unexpected Song

It was in a large ward of a military hospital. Lying on a cot near the center of the long room was a wounded Australian soldier. He had undergone a serious operation and was still unconscious. Suddenly his fellow-sufferers were amazed to hear a beautiful tenor voice sing:

"When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Lord of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride.”

It was that soldier unwittingly witnessing to his Savior! He continued:

"Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
Save in the death of Christ, my Lord;
All the vain things that charm me most,
I'd sacrifice them to His blood.”

The nurses paused to listen, and the orderlies stood at attention as still the unconscious man sang on:

"See, from His head, His hands, His feet,
Sorrow and love flowed mingled down;
Did e'er such love and sorrow meet,
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?”

Strange to say, no one was more surprised than the soldier himself when told of the thrilling testimony he had borne to his Lord by that song. How wonderful is the knowledge of the love of Christ in the heart and an appreciation of His sacrifice! Reader, can you complete that song, and from your heart won by His love, sing:

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

"He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed.” Isa. 53:5.

Jesus said: "If ye believe
not that I am Ile,
ye shall die
in your sins.”

John 8:24.

October

Lord, I Come to Thee

O Lord, I bring to Thee
This sinful life of mine;
There is no rest for me,
Save in Thy love divine.
WEARY I come to Thee,
For, Lord, Thou callest me.

I own to Thee my guilt,
No merit can I plead;
But, Lord, Thou cant, Thou wilt
Meet e'en my deepest need.
SINFUL I come to Thee.
Have mercy, Lord, on me!

Take Thou this ruined life;
I yield it up to Thee.
And change sin's bitter strife
For peace and liberty.
HELPLESS I come to Thee,
For Thou hast died for me.

Sinful and weak I fear
To make my way alone;
Savior, I look to Thee,
Exalted on the throne.
I'd draw my strength from Thee,
For, Lord, Thou lovest me!

Charlie's New Song

It is nearly forty years ago. Yet the scene is all before me now, and the events of that never-to-be-forgotten night are as fresh in my memory as if they had happened yesterday.

I sat by the fireside with my widowed mother, waiting for the home-coming of my only brother, Charlie. He was a medical student in Edinburgh, and was coming home that night on his usual vacation. There were no railways in those days, so Charlie had to come by the mail coach which took the greater part of the day to make the journey.

I was looking forward to this home-coming with great delight, and had a long program of "events" planned. First of all there was to be a supper party and a dance on the following night. Mother was very indulgent, and allowed us to do very much as we liked in these matters; and of course Charlie and I took full advantage of her liberality, and made our plans in grand style.

The hours passed on, and still there was no coach. It was late in the afternoon. I grew restless, and feared that all my plans for the morrow might be upset. "What if he does not come?" I said. "That will spoil the whole thing.”

Just then the "horn" sounded, and the big mail coach rolled into the village amid clouds of dust. In the crowd of passengers was my brother Charlie, and in a few minutes more he stood in the old parlor where he and I had together as children spent so many happy days.

He was taller and thinner; but the old happy smile dimpled his cheek, and I never felt so proud of my brother as I did that day. I was so eager to inform him of all my plans that I accompanied him up to his room. Rapidly I sketched for him the good times ahead and especially what was arranged for the following day.

He listened to me patiently, but without the great interest I had expected. When I had finished, he gave a pleasant laugh, threw his arms around my neck, and kissing me affectionately said, "Maggie, my dear, you will not be offended if I tell you that these things are no longer any enjoyment for me. I have got something infinitely better.”

I looked at him in amazement and thought he was joking, for no one had enjoyed a dance more heartily than Charlie. He saw I was puzzled; so drawing me to his side, he said, "Do not be alarmed, Maggie. I have not turned monk; but I have got Christ as my own Lord and Master. Now He is more to me than all these follies used to be. But come on; Mother will be waiting. I will tell you both all about it.”

That night by the parlor fireside Charlie told us the story of his conversion. It was while listening to the preaching of Brownlow North in Edinburgh. How he had longed to get back to his native town to tell to his old friends and loved ones the story of redeeming love!

"What shall we do about tomorrow night?" asked my mother in dismay. "Our preparations are all made, and there are about twenty invited.”

Charlie laughed heartily and said, "Let them come by all means, Mother. I shall be delighted to see them. It's just possible we may have some music and dancing after all, before the evening is over.”

A goodly company gathered at our home the following night. After supper our guests besought Charlie to favor them with a song, as he used to do. He was a splendid singer, and never had his voice sounded better than it did that evening. After a moment's pause, and in a voice of thrilling sweetness, Charlie sang:

"I've found a Friend, O such a Friend!
He loved me ere I knew Him!
He drew me with the cords of love,
And thus He bound me to Him..
And round my heart still closely twine
These ties which naught can sever,
For I am His, and He is mine,
For ever and for ever.”

A look of blank amazement settled on the faces of the company as the words fell on their ears. Every eye was fixed on the singer, spellbound. Tears were seen in some of them; and as the singer reached the last verse, his voice increasing in power and sweetness, the thrilling words pierced many hearts:

"The eternal glories gleam afar,
To nerve my faint endeavor;
So now to watch, to work, to war,
And then to rest forever.”

A few of the company rose and shortly afterward made their departure; but the greater part remained. To them Charlie in his winning hearty manner told the simple story of his conversion. He ended up with "You will not be angry with me for telling you, will you? The truth is, I could not keep it! My heart is full of it. I thought the least I could do was to tell you of my newfound treasure.”

In simplicity Charlie gave testimony to the saving power of Christ. The beaming face of the speaker, so well known to all of the company, the genuineness of the change in him, the absence of all affectation, and the earnest closing appeal to "accept the Gift of God, His own beloved Son, to be your Savior, and know true happiness for time and eternity," were owned of God. At least five of our guests left our house in company with their newfound Friend, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Charlie spoke in the schoolroom on Sunday evening to a crowded congregation, and several others were won for Christ. A great ingathering followed. And among those who were saved and who sang the new song were my mother and I. We join our dear Charlie in saying to all who read this story, "Accept the Gift of God, His own beloved Son, to be your Savior.”

"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." Rom. 10:9.

True Basis of Peace

You will never get peace by dwelling upon your conversion—whether it was good or bad, deep or shallow. Neither can you get peace by looking at your state or your progress. It is very important to judge your state and your walk; but you will never get peace by so doing; nor will you ever make progress by being occupied with yourself—gauging and analyzing your feelings and frames. The true basis of peace is a full Christ for the heart. The true secret of progress is a whole heart for Christ.

Comic Chummy Smith

"Chummy" Smith was a soldier of the old-fashioned, rollicking kind, apparently without a care or fear. He was very popular in his regiment because he had an exceedingly good voice and a quaint way of singing comic songs.

One night he was standing on a table in a canteen where his regiment was stationed, entertaining the men as usual, when the sound of singing was borne into the place on the evening air. A little band of Christian soldiers were pouring forth their joyous praises to God not far away.

The singer of comic songs on the canteen table stopped and listened intently. Suddenly he said: "The Christians are happier than we; and I can't sing anymore.”

His friends urged him to go on, but it was useless. He had sung his last comic song. Crying like a child he rushed to the barrack-room.

I was unconverted at the time and could not imagine what was wrong with the mirth-maker of the company. I thought that he must be drunk; but I began to understand when "Chummy" went to the prayer meeting instead of the canteen, and returned to the barracks a saved man.

Chummy's conversion may be attributed to the happy singing of a few Christian comrades. The Holy Spirit may well use such as instruments to tell out God's love and grace. But Chummy's life subsequently bore fruit in telling out the Christian's true Source of joy and the reality of the happiness which he could never have known as a comic singer.

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

John the Saddler

John, the saddler, was known in his village as a trustworthy workman. He took honest pride in doing his work well. But John was in trouble about his soul; he was not satisfied with himself! He feared death, and, being unsaved, that awful "after death." He well knew that "it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment." Heb. 9:27. Yet John was a religious man who, judging by outward things, stood better than many of his neighbors.

One Saturday evening a friend of the saddler, who knew his anxiety of soul, called upon him. The week's work was just over. The last stroke had been given to the piece in hand and John was putting down his tools. "That job's done," he exclaimed, as he set the harness upon the table. He eyed it with the satisfaction of one whose hard week's labor has ended.

Looking at the work and then at the workman, his friend remarked, "Why, John, how is this? Can you fold your hands and sit down? Do you mean to call this harness finished?”

"Sir," cried the saddler, with some little indignation, "when I say a job is done, it is done. It means DONE, well done.”

"How so, John? You call it finished, do you?”

"To be sure I do! I am not one of the skimping sort. That is finished," John warmly replied, viewing his work with even greater satisfaction.

"Then I am to believe you, am I?”

John had never allowed anyone to question his word, for he was trustworthy as well as a good workman. He was not at all pleased at the insinuations cast upon himself and his work. He considered his word true and honest; and his work, was it not the very best?

"Ah, John," continued his friend, "so I am to believe you, am I? and yet you won't believe the Lord Jesus.”

Now John was perplexed and was ready to say he did believe.

"Believe Him," added his friend, "and yet doubt His work? No, that will not do. He said upon the cross, 'It is finished'; and I believe what Jesus said. He came from heaven to finish the work His Father gave Him to do. He came to work our salvation; neither did He rest till all was done.

"By faith I now see Jesus seated upon the right hand of God's throne on high in token that all is done. The Scriptures tell us, 'When He had by Himself purged our sins, He sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.'

"I did not really doubt you when you said your work was done. Your folded hands proved to me at once that your week's labor was over. And a pleasant thing it is on a Saturday night to sit down and say, 'It is all done; tomorrow I can rest.' But strange it is that you who say so confidently that your work is done, cannot trust the Son of God.”

John would not consent that he did not trust the Lord; however, his friend added, "If you really do trust Him, how is it that you have not peace with God? Rom. 5:1 says, 'Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

The Lord Jesus Himself said, "Lo, I come to do Thy will, O God." Heb. 10:9. He came from heaven to earth and died for us upon the cross.

"By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once." Heb. 10:10. Jesus, after He had accomplished God's will, "after He had offered one sacrifice for sins, forever sat down on the right hand of God." He had finished all, and now there is PEACE for all who believe.

The simple illustration was used of God to John's deliverance of soul.

Reader, how is it with you? Are you toiling, striving, laboring day by day as you near the end of life, and are you unsaved, yet without peace? Whatever the works are which you hope may save you, oh, put them all aside. Work no longer for your salvation.

Jesus said, "This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him whom He hath sent." John 6:29.

What Is Your Choice?

A great multitude of Jews were gathered and were now called upon to make a choice.

"Therefore when they were gathered together, Pilate said unto them, Whom will ye that I release unto you? Barabbas, or Jesus which is called Christ?" Matt. 27:17.

It was Pilate's custom to release to them a prisoner yearly at their feast. He now presents to them two to choose from; which would it be: Barabbas, or Christ? One was a robber and a murderer; the other the spotless Son of God.

They themselves had borne witness of Jesus that "never man spake like this Man." But oh, the hatred of the human heart! They demanded Barabbas. Awful decision! They chose a man they feared and dreaded rather than Jesus, the One who had come to save them.

Friend, what is your choice? Is it nothing to you that Christ suffered and died upon that cruel cross? Know you not that it was for you, that your sins might be forgiven if you but believe on Him? Think of the love of God in giving His only Son to suffer in your stead.

"God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Rom. 5:8.

By nature your heart is the same today as was that of the Jews of old. It may be veneered by civilization, but it is not changed. Were you in such a crowd you too would cry, "Crucify Him!" You too would reject Him and choose Barabbas, unless He has won your love.

Dear lost one, will you not accept the Lord Jesus as your Savior now?

"Now is the day of salvation." Tomorrow may be too late—the door of time may be shut. May God give you to see the immense issues at stake, for on your choice depends your everlasting destiny.

If you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, then life eternal will be yours. If you reject or neglect Him, then you must be forever banished from His presence.

We would again urge you to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and be saved; then you will be able to sing:

"My heart is fixed, eternal God,
Fixed on Thee;
And my immortal choice is made;
Christ for me!”

Do You Assent or Believe?

One of the most frequent replies given when persons are pressed as to believing on the Son of God for salvation is: "Of course I believe!" And then, if asked what they believe, the answer is quickly given: "Why, I believe the whole Bible!”

God has not said He will save you if you believe the whole Bible, but if you "believe on the Lord Jesus Christ." To admit that the Bible is true is a very different thing from trusting entirely to the Son of God for salvation. It is to God's only begotten Son who was a sacrifice for sinners on the cross that Scripture points as the object of faith. It is not even said that those who assent to the truth that He is the only Savior shall be saved, but those who "come unto God by Him.”

Many assent to what they read and hear about the Savior; but do they receive Him? That is the momentous question. Do they, as needy sinners, bow to Him, the gracious Savior, for their individual salvation? Do they know there is "none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved"? Acts 4:12. Have they renounced every other refuge as false, refused all other foundations as sinking sand, and given up every other way as misleading? Do they trust wholly in that sinner-loving Savior, now glorified and sitting on the Father's throne, as their only way of approach to God—their only righteousness, life, and peace?

Be not deceived, my reader. It is not assenting, but believing; not only admitting God's way of salvation to be true, but availing ourselves of it as in His sight! It is not merely admitting that Christ is the only Savior, or assenting that He is the only way; but it is with the heart believing, and therefore coming to God by Him.

This, said the Apostle, "is the word of faith, which we preach; that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." Rom. 10:8-10.

A Slip of Paper

A young Frenchman had been wounded at the siege of San Quentin and was miserable and restless on his hospital bed, when a slip of paper which lay on the coverlet caught his eye. He read it, and it was used of God to open his blind eyes, and he was soundly converted.

The monument to that man may be seen today before the Church of the Consistory in Paris. There his likeness is seen standing with a Bible in its hand. He was Admiral Coligny, the leader of the reformation in France.

But the Scripture portion had not yet finished its work. Admiral Coligny gave it to his hospital nurse, a "sister of mercy." She read it and penitently placed it in the hands of the Lady Abbess. She too was converted by it.

She fled from France to the Palatinate. There she met a young Hollander and became his wife. The influence she had upon that man reached out to the reformation of the entire continent of Europe, for he was William of Orange.

How often have such silent messages been torn up in anger, trampled underfoot, or cast into the fire! Yet it was that little tract WHICH TURNED THE TIDE IN THE HISTORY OF EUROPE.

And the Door Was Shut”

Rejecters of Christ! Cold, empty professors! Foolish virgins! A few more words and tears for you. Ponder well these words:

"And the door was shut." Matt. 25:10.

What door? The door to happiness, to the Father's house.

What will this world be to you when that door is shut?

What will be the value of this world's riches then?

What will the applause of men and the flatteries of Satan be worth then?

Think, oh think, dear reader! Think seriously on that coming, solemn hour! Look that day in the face and tell me: what is there in the wide range of your thoughts and visions worth having, when compared with Christ? If Satan's world be your choice here, Satan's hell must be your portion hereafter. And oh, remember, the time is short! The door will soon be shut, and shut forever.

Haste, then! Delay not! Forget not; but at once, and with your whole heart, flee to Jesus. He is waiting to receive you; ready to pardon you; anxious to save you. He invites you to come to Himself. Hear then His voice of love.

"Hear, and your soul shall live." Isa. 55:3.

"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." Acts 16:31.

"Come to the Savior! Make no 'delay:
Here in His Word He's shown us the way;
At your heart's door He's! knocking today,
Tenderly saying, 'Come."'

"When we were yet
without strength,
in due time Christ died
for the ungodly.”

Rom. 5:6.

November

The Refuge

Just before the first battle of the Solomons, a U.S. destroyer left the western shores of the U.S.A. Each man was given a New Testament with the Psalms. One, a man who never before had opened or read a Bible, stuck his in his shirt pocket and forgot it.

Soon the destroyer was in the combat area and during the battle it was sunk. Five men managed to jump into a rubber boat and were carried away by the waves. They were all frightened for they realized there was little chance of a rescue. How inadequate was their tiny refuge! Death must be their portion.

Then one of them happened to think of the little Testament given him before he left home. He took it out of his pocket. When he opened it to read for himself, three of his companions ridiculed him, but the fifth man said: "Keep on reading! And what you read, read out loud so we can all hear.”

He had opened at the Psalms and read aloud the 91st: "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, He is my Refuge, and my Fortress; my God; IN HIM WILL I TRUST." What comfort in those words!

Before the sun had set the three men who had ridiculed and mocked HAD BEEN SWEPT OFF THE RAFT INTO A WATERY GRAVE. The two who, in the providence of God, were still preserved, had trusted in the Lord Jesus as their Savior.

Darkness came on. All at once the light beam from an approaching ship lighted upon their frail boat. Although the waves tossed the little vessel up and down, the steady beam never lost them. Finally the ship was alongside and they were taken out of their perilous position. They found to their delight that the ship was a U.S. destroyer. Their first account of themselves was that God had saved their souls! Then they told how He had saved them from the raging of the sea. How wonderful are God's ways!

Beloved, the storm is gathering over this poor world and soon the mighty waves of God's wrath may sweep you off your frail refuge. In Christ alone there is safety. Will you not cast yourself on Him? Trust in Him, and He will carry you with all His own into the Father's house.

God's X-Rays

God has His spiritual X-rays!

"The LORD looketh on the heart." 1 Sam. 16:7.

"His eyes behold, His eyelids try, the children of men." Psa. 11:4.

"Thou understandest my thought afar off." Psa. 139:2. "I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins." Jer. 17:10.

Would you and I like for our inner history to be published or revealed? God's X-rays reveal all. And if sin is not blotted out by atonement, the "plates" as it were will come up for judgment. No one can play with sin: it is a dreadful reality. God knows what we desire—imagine—think. He will bring every work into judgment.

Are you unmoved? As the T. B. spot is shown up by X-rays, so your hidden sin will come to light at God's investigation.

"Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD." Jer. 23:24.

An evil man "hath said in his heart, God hath forgotten, He hideth His face; He will never see." Psa. 10:11.

God's answer is clear; "They consider not in their hearts that I remember." Hos. 7:2.

"I know the things that come into your mind." Ezek. 11:5.

Many who say, "I have done no one any harm," "I have a clean sheet," "I stand as good a chance as any," boast unthinkingly. Some even stifle consciousness of wrong by vain talk. Let there be a deep sense of God's permanent record that is being made, and they will speak less of themselves.

God's X-rays have a subduing effect. They cannot lie. Nothing escapes His notice. Nothing is too small for His piercing investigation. Neither you nor I can blur it out, or blot it out. But "the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanseth from all sin.”

There is a hope, a sure hope; there is one, and only one. All else fails. Let guilt be acknowledged; let the precious atonement of the one Redeemer be realized. Then there is "peace with God," which abides never to be changed to judgment.

Reader, God's X-rays prevent all self-confidence. But the very One who knew all your guilt has provided complete salvation at infinite cost. God reigns through righteousness. It is grace abounding, grace triumphant. You and I have no "chance" of salvation in ourselves; but such as we are welcome NOW to a sure salvation in Christ.

"There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus." Rom. 8:1.

An Empty Tomb

In one of the villages in northern India a missionary was preaching in a bazaar. There is naturally a good deal of discussion after such meetings, for India is a land of culture. A Mohammedan came up and said, "You must admit that we Mohammedans have one thing that you Christians have not. We at least can take our people to Mecca where they can see the coffin of Mohammed; but when you Christians go to Jerusalem you have no coffin. You have an empty tomb.”

To this the missionary replied, "Praise God, you are right! That is the difference between our faith and yours. Your leader is in his grave; but Jesus Christ, whose kingdom is to include all nations and kindreds and tribes is not in any grave. He is risen! And He says from the resurrection side of an empty tomb, "All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth." Matt. 28:18.

Our risen Lord is our ever living Savior. And His promise is, "Because I live, ye shall live also." John 14:19.

You ask, "Did Christ really live?" That is one thing that all agree upon—that this Person who claimed to be the Son of God really lived here on earth among men.

We know when He lived—from about 5 or 6 B.C. until about 30-32 A.D.

We know where He was born—in Bethlehem, of Judea, a real town, not a mythological one. We know where He lived for most of the years of His life in Nazareth, in northern Galilee. There He worked as a carpenter.

We know many of the characters of His day—their names appear in other historical writings outside of the Bible: Herod the Great, his son Herod, Agrippa, Salome, Pontius Pilate, Tiberius Caesar, Gamaliel, Felix, Festus.

Every history of the ancient world, every encyclopedia, records the fact that Jesus lived during the first century of our era. H. G. Wells has a contempt, indeed a hatred, for almost every article of the Christian faith; but he is compelled to give pages to Jesus of Nazareth in his Outline of History.

All dates of history are now designated by the letters B.C. or A.D., both of which refer to the time of the birth of CHRIST—not Plato, not Julius Caesar, not Mohammed.

Millions in each generation have had their lives gripped and changed by the firm belief that Christ has given the world the most perfect revelation of God, the only gospel that does deliver men from the power of sin, the only assurance of forgiveness of sins, the only positive hope of life to come.

Christ has done more to lift and empower the ethical standards of men than all the philosophers of Greece combined. Among all the great men of history, He "is above all.”

JESUS CHRIST LIVED!

And now "He ever liveth to make intercession for them" who believe on Him (Heb. 7:25).

God Is

Good when He gives, supremely good,
Nor less when He denies;
E'en crosses in His sovereign hand
Are blessings in disguise.

A Young Officer Converted!

The name of George Vigessimus Wigram will not be familiar to all our readers. He was an Englishman—one of those who in the early years of the nineteenth century was used of God to recover truths which had for centuries been almost lost sight of in the professing Church. The following is his account of the way God met him in grace and saved him.

"Good instruction as to the contents of the Bible was mine at school, under a 'John the Baptist ministry'—that is, the thunder of judgment. However I never knew the gospel until at the age of nineteen I went abroad already surfeited with animal pleasures of military life.

"With a Christian companion I spent a long day of sightseeing on the field of Waterloo in June, 1824. Arriving at an inn that night quite late, I went to my room. A thought suddenly came to me: 'I will say my prayers!' It was a habit of my childhood but had been neglected in youth. I knelt down by my bedside and found I had forgotten what to say. I looked up as if trying to remember.

"Suddenly there came on my soul something I had never known before. It seemed as though Some One, infinite and almighty, knowing everything, full of deepest, tenderest interest in myself— though utterly and entirely abhorring everything in and connected with me—made known to me that HE PITIED AND LOVED ME.

"My eye saw no one; but I knew assuredly that the ONE I knew not, and had never met before, had met me for the first time, and made me feel we were together.

"There was a Light no sense or faculty of my nature ever knew before. There was the Presence of what seemed infinite greatness, something of a class that seemed measureless and supreme, yet at the same time, making itself known to me in a way that I—as a man—could thoroughly feel, taste and enjoy. The Light made all light—Himself withal; but it did not destroy, for it was love itself; and I KNEW I WAS LOVED INDIVIDUALLY BY HIM.

"The exquisite tenderness and fullness of that love, the way it appropriated me—myself for HIM, in whom it all was, while the light from which it was inseparable in Him discovered to me the contrast I had been to all that was light and love.

"I wept upon my knees, said nothing and got into bed. Next morning my first thought was 'get a Bible.' I did so, and HENCEFORTH IT HAS BEEN MY HANDBOOK.

"My clergyman companion noticed this, and also my entire change of life and thought. We journeyed to Geneva where there was active persecution of the faithful going on. He went to Italy, and I found 'my own company' and stayed with those suffering for Christ. After fifty years of trial I can adopt to myself the following lines as descriptive of that night experience:

"Christ, the Father's great eternal,
Jesus once looked down on me,
Called me by my name external,
And revealed Himself to me;
With His whisper, life, light giving,
Glowed in me, the dark, the dead;
Made me live, Himself receiving,
Who once died for me and bled.”

The Only Solution

We are living in days of peril. While we may not fear it nor be downhearted, in all probability many of us will soon be in eternity. In view of this, provision for salvation has been in the Person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ alone. By His sacrificial death and victorious resurrection He has broken down every barrier and provided a perfect ground for our acceptance before God.

Nothing could be more simple than conversion of a soul to God. But in whatever way we go about it, this is a personal matter between God and the sinner, and must be settled in this scene. Scripture says unless a man be born again he can neither see nor enter the kingdom of God (John 3:3).

Many think that the great change of being "born again" is unnecessary. Some think that if they "do their best," and "act up" to their convictions, it will be all right with them "at last.”

"Ye must be born again" are the words of the Lord Jesus Christ, and therefore they must be true. In declaring the necessity of regeneration to Nicodemus, the Savior explained how spiritual birth takes place. "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. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved." John 3:14, 15, 17. The Son of Man—the Lord of life and glory—was lifted up on Calvary's cross that we might be eternally saved by believing on Him.

Remember, the Word of the living God says, "Ye must be born again." Believe therefore with thine heart on the Lord Jesus Christ, for "whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God." 1 John 5:1.

A Straight Line

Years ago when the railway was to be built between Moscow and St. Petersburg, the Emperor of Russia employed many engineers to draw the plans. When the maps were shown him, he looked them over and laid them aside. At last, like the practical man that he was, he said, "Here, bring me a ruler." With ruler and pencil he drew a straight line. "This," he said, "is the way to engineer it; we want no other plan than one straight line.”

There are a great many ways of "engineering" souls to heaven; but the only one that is worth considering is this: draw a straight line to Christ at once. Did I hear some awakened soul say, "I should like to talk to a preacher"? By all means talk to him, but do not stop for that. Go to Christ first. "Oh, but I should like to talk to a good woman a dear Christian lady." I recommend you to go to Jesus Christ at once, and see the lady afterward. We shall be making all Christian workers into clergymen if we are not careful. There must be nobody between a soul and Christ. Go straight to the Lord Jesus Christ.

"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.

The Way Made Plain

It is a wonder that any remain unsaved when God has shown so clearly and fully in His Word how salvation is to be obtained.

Many, instead of being guided by what God's Word says, go by what Mr. So-and-So thinks. Thus they are ignorant of the gospel of God's matchless grace. If you wish to be saved, hear what God says to you in the following scriptures: "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.

"All that believe are justified from all things." Acts 13:39.

"Whosoever believeth in Him shall receive remission of sins." Acts 10:43.

"He that believeth on Him is not condemned." John 3:18.

The first-born in every blood-besprinkled house in Egypt was preserved from the destroying Angel because Jehovah had said: "When I see the blood, I will pass over you." Ex. 12:13. Salvation can be had only by faith in the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Take it now and learn that it is

"Salvation without money, salvation without price;
Salvation without labor! Believing doth suffice.
Salvation now this moment; then why, oh why delay?
You may not see tomorrow; now is salvation's day.”

A Lost Sheep

Two men were standing talking in a field when a third man joined them. In a moment or two he said to them, "My master has lost two sheep.”

"Oh, has he? Where did he lose them? We'll come and help you find them.”

They began to walk across the field when he further remarked: "You are the lost sheep.”

It was just "an arrow shot at a venture," but it was used of God in awakening one of the two. He realized that he was wandering far away from God. Then he learned that the Lord Jesus, the Son of man, came to seek and to save the lost. He was found by Him, and was saved by His grace.

Are you lost or found?

"The Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost." Luke 19:10.

God Does Not Settle His Accounts in October

An infidel farmer, like all his kind, declared there was no God. He determined to defy the usual custom in his community of regarding the Lord's clay, and to work his farm purposely on that day.

He did all the plowing, planting and cultivating of a particular field on Sundays, challenging God to send drought or blasting upon the field which he had cultivated.

Nothing happened! The rain came; the corn grew; and in October the farmer gathered in his crop.

In wicked exultation at his success, the farmer sat down and wrote a letter to the local newspaper telling of all the work he had done purposely on Sunday. He boasted that his corn had grown, ripened, and was safely gathered; and now he knew there was no God because he had defied Him and received no damage.

The editor of the paper published the farmer's letter; but with it he made this comment: "Our friend the farmer has forgotten one thing: God does not settle His accounts in October.”

Scripture says: "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." Gal. 6:7.

Dear unbeliever, think of the goodness, the greatness, and the majesty of God! He is not moved to haste by puny man's irreverence, unbelief, and evil ways. He is great in power and goodness. "He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and the unjust." Matt. 5:45.

God would, as it were, melt the evil heart of unbelief by His kindness. It is written in Rom. 5:8: "God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ DIED FOR US!”

Let none do as the ignorant, ungodly farmer! God does not settle His accounts in October; but He is faithful and He will settle them. In due time He will say: "Give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward." Luke 16:2.

"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. But the day of the Lord will come." 2 Peter 3:9, 10.

It is the blood

that maketh an atonement

for the soul.”

Lev. 17:11.

December

Now - Tomorrow

"Tomorrow," he promised his conscience, "tomorrow I mean to believe;
Tomorrow I'll think as I ought to; tomorrow the Savior receive;
Tomorrow I'll conquer the habits that hold me in sin's deadly sway.”
But ever his conscience repeated: "Today—today—today!”
"Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow"—thus day after day it went on;
"Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow"—till youth like a vision was gone;
Till age and his passions had written the sentence of woe on his brow;
And forth from the shadows came Death, with the pitiless syllable, "NOW!”
"What will you do with Jesus?
The call comes low and clear,
The solemn words are sounding
Now in your listening ear.
Immortal life's in the question,
And joy through eternity.
Then what will you do with Jesus?
Oh, what will your answer be?”

Later Than They Think

A man rushed into a railroad station one morning. Almost breathlessly, he asked the ticket agent: "When does the 8:01 train leave?”

"At 8:01," was the answer.

"Well," the man replied, "it's 7:59 by my watch, 7:57 by the town clock, and 8:04 by the station clock. Which am I to go by?”

"You can go by any clock you wish," said the agent; "but you can't go by the 8:01 train, for it has already left.”

God's time is moving forward hour by hour, minute by minute. There are multitudes who seem to think that they can live by any schedule they choose and that in their own time they can turn to God.

But His time is the right time. Now it may be "later than they think." Soon it may be too late.

"Behold, now is the day of salvation." 2 Cor. 6:2.

Beloved, the year is rapidly drawing to a close. TIME speeds on. Neither you nor I can promise ourselves another year of grace, for before the midnight bells of December 31 ring out to welcome a new year we may already have passed into ETERNITY. It may be later than we think. The great question for each of us is: ETERNITY—WHERE?

Perhaps the article of death may not be our portion. Scripture warns that "the coming of the Lord draweth nigh." Are you ready to meet this One into whose hands all judgment has been committed? He may come tonight. Are you His?

"It may be at morn when the day is awaking, When sunlight through darkness and shadow is breaking, That Jesus will come in the fullness of glory To receive from the world His own.”

If the question of your eternal destiny is not yet settled, DO NOT DELAY. Receive the Lord Jesus as your Savior NOW. Then you shall be among "His own" at His coming, and be "caught up together with them to meet the Lord in the air." Leave Him out, and to you He will come "as a thief in the night" to seal your eternal doom apart from that heavenly throng.

Make haste, I pray; for even now it may be "later than you think!”

“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.

The Swiss Guide

Down the steep slopes of a massive mountainside a little party of climbers were following their guide. It had been a wonderful day: first, the invigorating climb up the mountain; then the glorious air and far-reaching view from the summit. Now the little company were unroped and making a leisurely descent. The dangerous places seemed to have been passed, and they were almost in sight of their hotel.

Suddenly, unexpectedly, they came to a standstill before a yawning crevasse in a glacier. This must be crossed if they would reach their destination.

“Follow me," cried their guide. He leaped across to the other side.

One of the party obeyed and in a moment stood beside the guide. Another followed, and another, until all but one man were safely over.

This last man stood with white set face and horrorstricken eyes gazing at the dreadful crevasse. Weary with the day's climbing and utterly unstrung, all his nerve forsook him as he hesitated there. He cried in despair: "I can't!”

Swiftly the guide stepped nearer the opening. Holding out his strong right hand he said: "That hand has never failed the hand that grasped it.”

In a moment the traveler laid his hand in the one stretched out to him, jumped, and was safe on the other side.

Dear one out of Christ, the great abyss yawns before you. Only One can save you. But there He stands on life's pathway. He stretches out the hand that was once wounded for you—weary, sin-stricken, lost and guilty though you be. He can truly say: "That hand has never failed the one who has grasped it.”

Will you not trust Him?

"Wherefore He is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him." Heb. 7:25.

“Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners." 1 Tim. 1:15.

God Is Love”

A farmer had the verse, "God is Love," painted on the weathercock on his barn. Somebody remarked: "You have put an unchanging truth on a changeable thing.”

"That is true," said the farmer; "but I mean to say `God is Love' from whatever direction the wind may blow.”

The Indian's Confession

Many years ago in the wilds of the Everglades, there lived an aged Indian. When some of the Lord's servants, whose hearts were zealous for the salvation of souls, went to that place to tell of redeeming love, this old man came with the others to hear the Word. His younger days had been spent in plundering and warfare, and he knew nothing of the comfort of the gospel.

The Spirit of God used the Word to work deep conviction of sin in his soul. He realized the wickedness of his way and wondered how he could find forgiveness. One day in great distress he stole quietly from his home in the great swamp. He came to the cabin occupied by the missionary, and, knocking at the door, asked to speak to the servant of Christ. In his own simple way he told how sad he was because of his sins. He wondered if the great God would have mercy on such a sinner as he was.

It is always a delight to a true Christian to point a weary sinner to the Savior. More especially is this so in those lonely places where the gospel is seldom heard.

The missionary sat down by the door, the aged Indian squatting by his side. Opening his Bible the Christian read: "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.

"He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed." Isa. 53:5.

These tender words telling of God's love for all the world and of Christ's death for sinners he repeated slowly several times. The Indian listened attentively. After a moment of silence he rose slowly and walked away in deep thought.

He came again the following day, and heard the same words. The third day a bright smile was on his weathered countenance; and, as he took his seat by the door, the missionary asked: "How is it now?”

The aged Indian replied: "Happy, happy now: sins all gone." Then laying his hand on his heart, he said: "Peace; peace.”

Anxious to know on what he was resting, the missionary asked, "How do you know?”

"You read in Book, God love me, give His Son for me. Then take and beat, beat, beat Him, to save poor Indian.”

He had rested where every weary sinner must—in the death of Christ. As his changed life and ways soon made plain, the aged Indian had been won by divine love.

"God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Rom. 5:8.

"Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Matt. 11:28.

Peace and Power

For a Christian the secret of peace within and power without is to be always and only occupied with Christ.

Truth

Grace gives the truth, faith lays hold of it, the heart enjoys it, and the walk manifests it.

Modern Miracles

During the late World War, a Christian doctor in England gave a patient of his a copy of "Notes on Exodus," by C. H. M. She in turn gave it to a clergyman who had called to see her on his return from the front on leave. He afterward wrote and told her that he had read the book, and it had opened his eyes at last to the reality of divine things.

He was not engaged at the front in the capacity of Army Chaplain, but was acting as stretcher-bearer. One day while about to carry a mortally wounded soldier to the rear, the other bearer was shot down. He then dragged the stretcher to a safer place and lay down flat beside it.

Shortly afterward the wounded lad said, "I'm going, sir. Give me a Christian kiss and tell my mother I am safe in the arms of Jesus!" On raising himself to respond to the dear fellow's wish, the clergyman himself was shot in the back by a sniper. However, he remained conscious and able to talk to the wounded lad, who soon passed away. When they were found, the dead boy's arms were clasped around the now unconscious clergyman's neck so tightly that it took some time to separate them.

When in the hospital this clergyman wrote to his friend, telling her what a blessing the book on Exodus had been to him. He was writing while he could, for he himself was mortally wounded; but he wanted the book to be sent to his mother.

His brother, once a colonel in the Guards, who had been discharged through drink, wished to see the book that had meant so much to his dead brother. He read it, and through it he too was converted.

While traveling by rail into London shortly afterward, this same colonel was mortally wounded by a bomb during an air raid! A friend who was traveling with him at the time said: "I never could have believed that conversion could have wrought such a change as I saw in him! It was a modern 'miracle.'”

And so it was, thank God! This is one of many such miracles of grace that God is working today, and by similar means.

Here are two of the most unlikely cases, and of the very opposite kind, yet reached by what some might think the most unlikely means. One man, it might have been suggested, was "too good" to need salvation; and the other was "too bad" to receive it. Both statements are false, whoever may suggest them.

The young soldier lad had already the satisfaction of knowing that to be "safe in the arms of Jesus" was something more than a bit of religious sentiment. To him it was a great and blessed reality.

His faithful stretcher-bearer, after years of the unreality of a Christless profession, had also found the joy and peace that accompanies simple faith in Christ.

What passed between these two in those solemn moments we do not know; but this we know, that to put the kiss of love upon the brow of the dying lad, the devoted stretcher-bearer paid the heavy price of his own life.

How this reminds us of the Savior of the lost! In order to enable God righteously to imprint the kiss of forgiveness upon the cheek of the dying sinner, His Son had to leave the infinite honors of the throne and stoop to the unutterable shame of Calvary. There He gave "His life a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45).

Is such love as this nothing to you, dear reader? Have you requited this love by a full confiding trust in Him who so expressed it, or do you still hold Him at arm's length?

Print His Name

To an Indian bazaar where the people flocked to buy and sell came a woman. Her face was sad and grief-stricken. In one of the booths a man was tattooing names and signs on people's arms or chests.

"Write my son's name upon the palms of my hands," said the woman to the artist.

"Why your hands?" he asked. "Why not on your arm?”

"No, no," she replied earnestly. "I want ever to see his name before my eyes. He is dead; but when I see his name upon my hands, I will ever remember him.”

That poor Indian woman reminded me of God's word in Isa. 49:16: "I have graven thee upon the palms of My hands." What a peaceful assurance it gives to the children of God—so near, so dear—to have their names engraved upon His hands! The Lord Jesus has marks, nail prints, in the palms of His hands. These are marks of sorrow, too, and tell of His sufferings on Calvary.

"Hath He marks to lead me to Him,
If He be my guide?
In His feet and hands are wound-prints,
And His side.

"If I ask Him to receive me,
Will He say me nay?
Not till earth and not till heaven
Pass away.”

"Hell-Bound"

Theaters in West Coast cities were flaunting the above awful words before the public. On the advertising boards, in the daily papers, and house to house in handbills, these terrible words met the eye.

Of course the masses are keen to know what the "screen" and the "talkies" hold for them in the way of a "thrill" on the subject announced. The results are big returns to the theatrical producers, and a hardened indifference of heart and conscience in those to whom the solemn realities of sin and its consequences are caricatured before their fevered gaze.

Hell? Who believes in that today? It is tossed into the wastebasket as worthy of no more consideration than "old wives' fables" "it is just the relic of a superstitious past"!

Depend upon it, as God and the truths of His Word lose weight in human estimation, so morality descends in scale and tone, and wickedness increases and spreads like the green bay-tree.

God, righteousness, sin, heaven and hell are ridiculed today as never before. And we ask in earnest tones and grave—"What will the harvest be?" What, we ask, was the "harvest" at the expiration of Noah's 120 years of preaching and ark building? It was universal destruction by water. And what, we ask, was the harvest when the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah reached the limit? God's rain of fire and brimstone reduced those licentious cities to ashes.

In Luke 17 Christ prophetically forecast the end of this age as He went back into the "deeps" of history.

There He recounted to His auditors how the flood in Noah's day destroyed "the world of the ungodly." He told of the overthrow of the guilty cities of the plain by fire. Then mark how He solemnly and emphatically declared: "Even thus shall it be when the Son of Man is revealed.”

Such is the sure and awful HARVEST that awaits this world. Why? Because man loves sin and despises righteousness. And because God hates sin and loves righteousness, He is going to exercise His power to banish iniquity from the world that He created for His glory, and that has been redeemed by the blood of His Son for His praise.

The judgments of God, as recorded in the past, are indeed appalling. He calls judgment His "strange work." Though He delights in mercy He must resort to judgment, else sin and rebellion must forever defy His power and holiness.

He permitted His Son to be crucified by wicked hands on a cross of shame in order that His love and mercy might flow out in salvation to a perishing world. He has tolerated the open sore of sin and lawlessness throughout this protracted age of grace in order that the magnificence of His compassion might win a multitude of rebels for Himself. Thank God, the gospel has done and is doing this! But the day of His mercy must end in the night of His wrath.

We hear the knell of this world's doom come ringing down the ages, freighted with the stirring solemnity of inspired truth: "When the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power." 2 Thess. 1:79. To repeat the heading of this article:—that mighty host will be "hell-bound.”

Two destinies await earth's teeming millions. All the human-born, to a unit, are "hell-bound" or "heaven-bound." All who are heaven-bound have been twice born: first naturally, then spiritually; but all who are hell-bound have been born only once—naturally, born in sin.

Reader, at this moment you are either hell-bound or heaven-bound. You certainly would not deny that you are grave-bound, and eternity-bound; then you cannot deny the other either. But if you are hell-bound you have the glorious opportunity of receiving Christ by faith as your Savior now, and at once you will be born again—born of the Spirit. Then bright as the glory of God will be your destiny, for you will be heaven-bound.

"Trust that Savior who came in His love
From the bright scenes of glory above;
Then blessing and bliss your portion shall be,
While eternity rolls like a measureless sea.”
BUT "Ye must be born again.”

Ever the Same

God's Word is like God—unchangeable. The progress of thought of the twentieth century may sound very great; but the everlasting truth of God and the tide of human thought are not to be confounded. Thought does not make truth. Man thinks out his own notions; they may change. The truth is, and ever is, the same. However, generally speaking, men are more concerned with the progress of human thought than with the unchangeable reality of the truth of God.

The Twelfth Hour

A man once raised his hand for prayer in one of Mr. Moody's meetings. The evangelist went to him and said; "I am glad you have decided to be a Christian.”

"No," said the man, "I have not; but you pray for me, and I will later on.”

His address was taken and Mr. Moody visited him when he was ill. Again he pressed him for a decision for Christ "No," said the man; "I won't decide now. People will only say I was frightened into deciding to take Him while I'm sick.”

He recovered; but later he suffered a severe relapse. Mr. Moody visited him again and put his need of Christ before him.

"It is too late," he said.

"But," Mr. Moody replied, "there is mercy at the eleventh hour.”

"Mr. Moody," he answered, "this is not the eleventh hour; it is the twelfth." A few hours later he was dead.

Mr. Moody says: "We fear we wrapped him in a Christless shroud, put him in a Christless coffin, buried him in a Christless grave; and if so, he went to a Christless eternity.”

"He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy." Prov. 29:1.

UNSAVED SOUL!

"Behold, now is the
accepted time; behold,
now is the day
of salvation.”

2 Cor. 6:2

Echoes of Grace: 1956

Table of Contents

January

Justice or Mercy

A New Year's Appeal

Home

Getting to Heaven

"Was He God?"

No Place to Hide

Satisfied

Judgment or Blessing

A Present Help

February

The Guilty World

"When I Survey the Wondrous Cross"

Why Am I Not a Christian?

"Life in a Look!"

Sow Thy Seed

Divine Assurance

The Clasp on the Bible

Too Late

Free Grace

On Display

Could Not Face the Man

It's No Joke

March

Hast Thou Thought of This?

Just Like Him

Unafraid

The Scoffer's Text

"Yet Doth He Devise Means"

Friend or Foe

"On the Sand"

Glorious Cross

An Ordinary Case

An Old Question

Three Great Questions???

April

That Name

"Despised and Rejected"

The Conversion of Capt. Hedley Vicars

Trying and Trusting

Blessed Company

Atonement by Blood

All Power

The Father's Ring

Almost

May

Power in the Day of Death

The Password

"Too Cheap"

The Waiting Room

"Doctor, Shall I Get Better?"

Still Dancing

A Sailor's Conversion

Love of Life

"Sir, I Love Him!"

June

How the Jailer Was Caught

Arrested at Midnight

A Nurse's Story

Prepare to Meet Thy God

A Firm Foundation

A Man of the Pharisees”

Washed in the Blood

The Good Confession

July

My Savior Could and Would

The Richest Man in the Valley

The Golden Chain

Which?

"It Had Life in It"

True Greatness

An Infidel's Deliverance

The Thief of Eternity

August

Victory

I Can't! I Won't!

Three Questions

One Sin