Echoes of Grace: 1980

1980 lies before us. It lies before us still un-darkened by a single crime, or lightened by a single act of mercy. Printers are putting into type the date of the New Year, authors are writing about it, but as yet it has not issued from the eternity of God. The first hour of its time has not struck: it is still the future; and whether we shall breathe the breath of this New Year through an hour—a day—a week—a month—is unknown except to God. Its changes, joys and sorrows are known to Him alone.

Who else can foretell the events of this coming year? No one. All is dark before us, save for one bright hope. This New Year—this very 1980—may be the great year when the Lord shall come to take all those "that are His at His coming" to be forever with Himself. What a happy, happy moment for every believer in the Lord Jesus Christ! But that same moment will be the closing of the door of opportunity to all who have heard and rejected—or just neglected—God's grace and salvation.

What will that moment mean for you? Will you be "caught up... to meet the Lord in the air"? Or will you be left behind for the judgment that will soon fall upon this scene?

Time is passing very swiftly. Today there is still salvation and pardon offered freely to all who will come; tomorrow it may be too late. "NOW is the day of salvation"—before the end of this coming year that day of salvation may close. Won't you accept God's offer of eternal life—eternal joy and peace—and accept it NOW? Then you can face the New Year confidently and unafraid, with your heart kept in "perfect peace," even though in the midst of "wars and rumors of wars." And—better still—you can look forward joyfully to the coming of the Lord for His own for He has said, "Surely I come quickly!"

The Gift, or the Wages

A group of workers were returning from a job in the country to receive their week's wages at their employer's office. An elderly man asked them, "Did you ever hear of a day when the worker will not want his wages?"

"Listen, then," went on the old man: "God speaks of such a time," and opening a well-worn Bible which he had drawn from his pocket he read the words, "The wages of sin is death."

Are you prepared for such wages? Would it not be better to accept the gift? "The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

God is ready to give you the gift even now, but if you will not accept the gift, you must receive the wages.

When Should a Sick Man Take Medicine?

A Christian doctor one day called to see an old man he had frequently visited before. Many times Dr. Strong had spoken faithfully to old John and his wife about their soul's salvation, but apparently without result.

Old John listened attentively and tacitly agreed to the truth set before him, but seemed always to avoid coming to the point.

He would willingly admit that he was a sinner—that he stood in need of God's salvation. He would even declare his intention of some day seeking the Savior. He wished to be saved, indeed, but simply to escape the punishment of hell.

He intended to prepare for heaven, but would put it off till what seemed to him "a more convenient season."

John was suffering from an attack of bronchitis. His life was not in danger, but he felt painfully weak and ill.

Dr. Strong made the necessary examination and, after promising to get some medicine ready when called for, he was about to say "goodbye" when John's wife inquired: "When must John take the medicine, sir?"

"I will put the directions on the label," replied the doctor, then, with a smile, he turned to the invalid and said: "Let me see, you are not very ill; supposing you begin to take the medicine a month from now."

"A month from now, sir?" cried both at once in astonishment.

"Yes, why not? Is that too soon?"

"Too, soon! Why, sir, I may be dead then!" exclaimed John.

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

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

"Of course you may not, John; but very likely you will, and the medicine will be in the house; it will keep, and if you find yourself getting worse, you could take some. If you should feel worse tomorrow evening, you might begin then."

"Sir, I may be dead tomorrow! I hope you won't be angry with me, nor think me ungrateful to you, as you have always been so good to me; but you know, sir, I don't want to get worse; and though I'll warrant the medicine is good stuff, it'll do me no good while it's in the bottle. It does seem to me, sir, as it is going against reason to put off taking it."

"When would you propose to begin then, John?"

"Well, sir, I thought you'd tell me to begin today."

"Begin today, by all means," said Dr. Strong kindly. "I only wanted to show you how false your reasoning is, when you put off taking the medicine which the great Physician has provided for your sin-sick soul. Just think how long you have neglected the remedy He has provided. For years you have turned away from the Lord Jesus. You have said to yourself 'next week,' or 'next year,' or 'when I'm on my deathbed I will seek the Lord'—any time rather than the present.

"But God's offer is only for 'today.' I need not tell you how ready the Lord Jesus is to receive you; how His precious blood was shed for you. You have the medicine, so to speak, in your hands; but to use your own argument, it will do you no good unless you take it. It is foolish to put off the salvation of your soul even until tomorrow."

Old John's eyes were full of tears as he pressed the hand of his kind friend. "Plain speaking," he remarked to his wife; "but I reckon he's right, deary; I never saw it just that way before."

"Now... now is the day of salvation." 2 Corinthians 6:2.

By-and-By

Charles Albury, the famous actor, wrote a verse which many from his day to ours could say has been their experience, too:

"I reveled underneath the moon,
I slept beneath the sun;
I lived a life of going to,
But—died with nothing done.

Yes, going to, but never doing it; halting between two opinions until too late, he "died with nothing done."

This stanza is Charles Albury's epitaph, written with his own hand, and shows that the Spirit of God had convicted him time and again, but he lived a life of going to, saying to himself, "Someday I'll accept God's salvation," but apparently never deciding for Christ.

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

Decision for Christ: What Does It Mean?

The thought of many minds seems to be that deciding for Christ only means making a firm resolution to be on His side. No doubt there is this in it; but there is much more than this. There is a firm conviction that, as to myself, my case is utterly hopeless, and that He only is to be trusted as my Savior. I decide in the light of what God is in His holiness and what I am in my sinfulness, that as a Deliverer, Christ, and Christ alone, is worthy of my confidence, and He is on my side.

I see that His welcoming "Come" is my only title to go to Him; His precious blood my only shelter from sin's just judgment; His holy name my only passport to glory, and His matchless merits my only fitness when I get there.

Have you been brought to such a decision? Then nothing can ever transpire, within you or around you, to alter that decision; no discovery of inward corruptions, no lamented fall in the hour of temptation, no subtle argument even of the arch deceiver himself can do it. Had you decided that you were personally worthy, your ways worthy of God, your feelings satisfactory to yourself, it would be different. But the fact is, that before anyone can really decide for Christ as a Savior, he must decide against himself as a sinner.

The prodigal did (Luke 15). He said, "I have sinned against heaven, and in Thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called Thy son."

The publican did (Luke 18). Hear his self-condemning cry, as smiting upon his breast he prays, "God be merciful to me a sinner."

The dying thief did (Luke 23), when he uttered his confession, "We indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds." He decided against himself. But when he turned to the Lord and expressed the desire of his heart to be remembered by Him when He came into His kingdom, he had manifestly decided for Christ.

Even the Apostle Peter was no exception. "Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord," was his cry. Though he felt unfit to stay, he could not run away.

Every discovery of myself only causes me to decide more absolutely against myself as to any claim to merit God's blessing; while every day's increase of acquaintance with Christ, every fresh apprehension of His worthiness, only confirms me more in my decision for Christ.

Reveal Thyself to Me!

"Oh, God! if there be a God, reveal Thyself to me!" was the cry of a would-be infidel. He had written a book to try to convince a friend of his folly in believing in Christianity. Before sending it to press he sat down to read it again. Having read it, he asked himself: "Were I a believer in Christ, would such arguments upset my faith? No, they would not." Throwing himself on his knees, he cried to God: "Oh God! if there be a God, reveal Thyself to me!"

God heard; God answered; and he rose from his knees a changed man. The Savior-God, in His grace, met him and blessed him in the knowledge of Himself. Instead of publishing his book he went out into the world to tell others of the faith he had once sought to destroy. "And this is life eternal, that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent." John 17:3.

Have you made acquaintance with God? Are you at peace? "Acquaint now thyself with Him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee." Job 22:21.

The Unlocked Door

As long as men are given to stealing, safes and locks will be needed. The harder they are to unlock, the better. Yet a strange thing happened a short time ago.

A notorious thief was caught with a bunch of keys, fifty-six of them, trying to unlock a door. How many of the keys he had tried, or how long he had been trying to unlock the door, we do not know. A watchman, however, caught him at it and handed him over to the police. He was fined for malicious trespass.

BUT—he might have tried all day and all night, and for the rest of his life, to unlock that door. He could never have succeeded in his purpose for the simple reason that it was already UNLOCKED. All he had to do was to turn the handle and walk in.

This reminds us, however, of a mistake made by hundreds of thousands, no—millions—of honest people; a mistake which is absolutely fatal, not only for time but for eternity, not only for the body but for the soul. We refer to the matter of the soul's salvation. If men only realized the seriousness of sin and their lost estate before God, how anxious they would be to enter the door of salvation! Indeed, many are anxious but they make the serious mistake of thinking, that the door is locked, and that they must find the key to unlock it.

Many keep scratching at the door of salvation with the key of good works. They think this will unlock the door, and insure their reaching heaven at last. But good works can never earn heaven. The Bible is plain on that point. We read that salvation is "not of works, lest any man should boast." Eph. 2:9.

The door is already unlocked. Who unlocked it? The Savior cried, "I am the Door: BY ME if any man enter in, he shall be saved." John 10:9. He did the work of salvation at the cross. He cried, "It is finished." John 19:30. The work is DONE.

Some are trying to open the door of salvation with the key of money. Was that not what Luther fought against when a friar was selling indulgences, and telling the people that at the instant their money clinked at the bottom of his alms-box the soul of their dead relative would be released from purgatory and ascend to heaven?

Money cannot buy salvation. Not all the money in the world can wipe away one sin, while "the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from ALL sin." 1 John 1:7.

All keys are useless in opening an unlocked door. The door to life eternal swings wide when approached by simple faith in the Savior. We read that "the GIFT of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 6:23. What can you do with a gift? You cannot buy it, you cannot earn it. All you can do is accept it, and give grateful thanks. Why not do so NOW?

"Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift." 2 Cor. 9:15.

You Need the Blood

At the close of a meeting recently the speaker was saying goodbye to some of his audience. Among them he shook hands with a young woman just as she was going out the door. She had attended the meetings regularly but did not appear to have received blessing. Four words were all the speaker uttered as, taking her hand, he looked her full in the face: "You need the blood. "The girl was half inclined to be offended; but as she went on her homeward way, over and over again the words rang in her ear: "You need the blood."

"Many are worse than I," she thought; "but that does not change matters. I am afraid to die.

Did not the preacher say that 'all have sinned and come short of the glory of God'? I'm sure I have sinned thousands of times so that I really do need the cleansing of the blood."

Quick as lightning there flashed into her mind the words she had lately heard: "The blood of Jesus Christ His (God's) Son cleanseth us from all sin." 1 John 1:7. This was followed by the verse, "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life." John 3:36. There and then she was led by the Spirit of God to cast herself upon the Savior for cleansing and peace. She owned that she was lost and accepted His blood as full payment for her sins. She believed God's holy Word and rejoiced in His gift of eternal life.

Oh, you who have not yet proved that "the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin," prove it now! YOU NEED THE BLOOD, and only as justified by His blood can you be saved from wrath.

"God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him." Romans 5:8, 9.

Peace and Rest

There is not anything in this world like knowing that, without a single moment's notice, one is ready for the presence of God-redeemed by the precious blood of Christ! Go to Him now before it is too late!

God's grace works in our souls to give us the knowledge of our sins forgiven and enables us to be in His presence in perfect peace.

God’s Way

God puts the best robe on the prodigal aria makes the whole house rejoice. He does not say "My prodigal has come back!" He says, "This is my son."

The Remedy: Have You Applied It?

An infidel was speaking to a Christian. His angry, sarcastic words were: "The gospel you preach has not done much good in the world. There is plenty of wickedness and suffering wherever one goes. I don't believe in your religion and won't have it."

The two walked on a little further. Presently they passed a very dirty little boy playing in the mud. Said the Christian to the infidel (who happened to be a soap manufacturer): "Your soap has not done much good in the world. See, that boy is filthy, and there is plenty of dirt in the world. I don't believe in your soap."

"But," said the soap manufacturer, "my soap is all right, if it is applied."

"Just so," replied the Christian, “‘the gospel of Christ... is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth.' All who have believed have found out the truth of these words. The trouble with you is, you have never applied the gospel to your own soul, any more than that dirty boy has applied your soap to his body."

"But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name." John 1:12.

He Knoweth the Way

I know not what the New Year
Holds in store! I cannot tell;
But Jesus is my shepherd, and
He doeth all things well.

I know not what a day may bring!
One step I cannot see;
But Jesus knows the pathway, and
He leadeth you and me.

I know He goeth on before
To be my daily guide;
And He will not forsake His child
Whatever may betide.

If trial, sorrow, burdens, care,
Tomorrow I may face,
I know He has abundant power,
To give sufficient grace.

I know that happiness and joy
'Tis His delight to bring;
For everywhere we bless His name,
And grateful praises sing.

It is enough that Jesus knows
The path from day to day,
For He will take me by the hand
And lead me all the way.

Are You Waiting?

A young man was once awakened to cry, "What must I do to be saved?"

He went to a friend who was a professing Christian, and unburdening his mind, eagerly and earnestly besought him to tell how salvation was to be obtained.

His adviser declared that if he patiently waited, in "God's own time" he would get what he searched for.

"But how long am I to wait?" he asked.

"I cannot answer that question," was the reply.

Months and months passed on. He "waited" and "waited" "God's time." His agony of soul increased and grew more intense.

At last he resolved to call on another friend, and seek his advice. This person told him that instead of "waiting," he ought to pray earnestly to God for pardon, and he would obtain it.

"How long am I to pray?" asked the anxious inquirer.

"You must just continue praying, and in due time you will receive it," was the reply.

He prayed earnestly, and begged God to give him salvation. For years he continued striving and agonizing in prayer to God, entreating Him o be reconciled, and imploring Him to have mercy on his soul.

Afterward he began to think that his friends had both given wrong advice, and resolved to seek the counsel of an earnest Christian and see how he had received the forgiveness of his sins.

Having told what his other friends had said, and how he had been "waiting" and "praying," this Christian pointed him to God's simple plan of salvation. He showed that all the time God had been waiting, and had been beseeching him to be reconciled, that Jesus had already taken his place, died in his stead, satisfied the law and paid his debt.

He saw his mistake, and immediately "took God at His word," and rejoiced in the liberty which the truth alone can give.

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

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

How Can I Know?

Now, some will say, "How can you know that you have everlasting life?" What does the Scripture say? "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." 1 John 5:13. "Unto you it is given to know." Luke 8:10.

Mighty to Save

Yes, our Savior-God is "mighty to save" weak and helpless sinners that have no might and no strength to save themselves. Jesus Christ the Lord is the Savior-God. Will you not submit yourself to be saved, while there is still time?

He is "mighty to save" us from our sins. "Thou shalt call His name JESUS: for He shall save His people from their sins." Matthew 1:21.

He is "mighty to save" us from that most terrible and dreaded of all foes—ourselves. "I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me." Gal. 2:20.

He is also "mighty to save" us from that subtle and dangerous enemy, the world. "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." Galatians 6:14.

Yes, He is "mighty to save" right through into glory, "seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them." Hebrews 7:25. Believe it with all your heart, for He is truly "MIGHTY TO SAVE." Isaiah 63:1.

Religion, or Christ?

Some take up the cause of religion very zealously, and yet have no heart for Christ. Let us inquire of our hearts how we stand in this matter. We live in a day when many are very religious; but being religious does not save us, nor make us fit for God's presence. We must have Christ for ourselves, or we are without God and without hope in the world. Let us ask ourselves, Have I Christ for myself? "Come unto ME." Matthew 11:28.

I Don’t Believe It!

Anthony Hall had seen long service in the Marines. He had been all over the world and had fought in many engagements, out of which he had come uninjured. Then he was pensioned and took a job as a night watchman. During the day he found time heavy on his hands, and so began to fill up the empty hours with drinking and gambling.

Anthony was so given over to the service of sin and Satan that his wife, though herself unconverted, became worried about what would become of him. If he would only go to church, she thought, he might be reformed.

To please her he went to some gospel services. There the Spirit of God convicted him of his state as a lost sinner, and so worked upon his conscience that he was in despair. He saw himself as the worst of sinners, without hope, and felt that everlasting doom must be his end.

Another old serviceman was a near neighbor. John Lawson had passed through the dangers and temptations of a soldier's life, and now, having learned that there was no peace to be found out of Christ, he came to see Anthony and to tell him of the Savior.

The old marine listened intently as his friend read out these wonderful words, "God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

Anthony was fairly astonished; he raised his brawny hand above his head, and brought it down on the table before him, saying, "I don't believe it!"

Without argument, Lawson read again, "God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever (and that means you, Anthony) believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

Again Anthony shouted, "I don't believe it," as his strong fist came down once more with a crash upon the table.

A third time the words were repeated, but they seemed incredible to the old marine. He had never heard the story of God's love, and he exclaimed with more warmth than ever, "I DON'T BELIEVE IT!"

Lawson, wise in winning souls, changed the subject. "How long were you in the service?"

"Twenty one years and fourteen days," was Anthony's prompt reply.

At this John Lawson lifted his fist, brought it down on the table, and cried, "I don't believe it!"

"Do you think I would tell you a lie?" returned Anthony angrily."It was twenty one years and fourteen days."

"I don't believe it," answered Lawson dryly.

"Wife," cried Anthony, "bring me my discharge!"

Lawson took the paper from her hand, quietly asking the old man, "How is it that you expect me to believe the word of man, while you yourself refuse to believe the Word of God?" Again opening his Bible, he once more read John 3:16.

Anthony's eyes and heart were now opened and he joyfully exclaimed, "I see it! I believe it! I believe it! Thank God!"

From that hour these words filled his soul with joy. He at once began to tell the good news to his wife, and through God's mercy she received the blessed truth, too. Now their great joy is to read God's Word together and to tell others of God's love through that precious verse!

"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.

Whosoever” Means Me!

A happy Christian workman was asked by his employer:

"How long have you been rejoicing like this?" "Six months ago," he replied. "I heard an address from the words: 'Whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.' "

"I could not take it to myself then," he said, "but when I went to bed that night, I dreamed that 'whosoever' meant me.

"I got out of bed and got the Bible to see the word, and there it was, 'whosoever.'

"But you knew it was in the Bible, didn't you?"

"Yes, but I wanted to see it with my own eyes, and I've been resting on it ever since."

Though Your Sins Be As Scarlett

One evening a young man was walking along the street in search of pleasure, when a passerby thrust a small bit of paper into his hand. The young man took it and read, by the light of the nearest street light, the words: "Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow." A sneer passed over his handsome face as he read, and he crumpled the paper and threw it from him as he walked on.

" 'Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow' doesn't apply to me, at any rate. I am an infidel and do not believe anything of the kind," thought he.

" 'Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.' Bother the thing, I can't get rid of it!... 'Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.' Sins? Conscience? Yes; but I acknowledge neither a future nor a God, and therefore am not responsible. What do I care to have my sins made white, to use the figure, seeing that I own no duties beyond those necessary to natural existence?

" 'Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.' I am an infidel," stamping his foot. "I don't believe in the Bible, the God of the Bible, a future existence, or anything beyond the still, dark grave; so here's for a short life and a merry one...

" 'Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.' Confound it! I wish I could get it out of my head.

" 'Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.' It is very forceful, very poetical. Certainly that Bible is a wonderful book. Granted for the sake of argument that it is true, and that a God exists, I can easily understand how religious people who believe in a life after death cling to such sentences.

" 'Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.' Admirable writing! Terse, forceful language! I wonder who wrote it. God, I suppose. God? Why, there is no God; I forgot myself. If I could only remember my principles, and how logical and well founded the arguments are which support them, I should be all right...

" 'Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.' That thing again! Will nothing put a stop to this? Here is a meeting house. I may as well turn in and see what they have to say." He entered and was shown to a seat near the door.

A solemn silence reigned. The preacher had just read the text from the pulpit, and paused a moment before repeating it. Then in a gentle voice he pronounced 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."

The anteroom of that meetinghouse was always open for a short time after the service for the reception of those whom the message of the Lord had touched. That evening, among the anxious inquirers, there was the infidel who prayed with tears, "Jesus, though my sins be dyed deeper than the deepest scarlet, do Thou make them whiter than the purest snow." And before he left the room that evening he knew his sins were forgiven and his iniquities pardoned, through the precious blood of Christ.

"Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered." Romans 4:7.

Thoroughly Sincere

Many people say, "I don't think it matters much what religion a man professes, so long as he is thoroughly sincere!"

Just let us test the wisdom of such a notion. Your child is taken very ill, and you want the doctor. Every moment is important; you can't stop to put on your coat, but snatch up your hat and start off at a run.

You know the name of the street where the doctor lives, but have no idea where it is. Never mind that, make up for it by sincerity—run all the harder.

"Stop, friend, stop!" cries a neighbor who knows your errand. "You're going the wrong way."

"I can't stop," you reply, "I'm in too great a hurry."

"But your hurry is all lost time—you are getting further and further off."

"Never mind, I'm thoroughly sincere; look how hard I'm running."

But you never reach the doctor!

Sincerity on the wrong road means traveling faster to eternal destruction!

Jesus said: "I am the way... no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me." John 14:6.

The Sergeant’s Mistake

Sergeant Kelly looked critically at the dirty rifle and then at the private who carried it. "Smith, has all my talking been wasted?" he roared. "Clean that gun and be quick about it, or it's detention in the guardhouse for you."

In a few minutes Private Smith returned from his quarters with a shiny rifle for the sergeant to inspect.

"Do you mean to tell me that you have that filthy rifle clean already?" challenged Sergeant Kelly. "Impossible!"

"No, sir," meekly replied Private Smith. "You see, sir, I picked up the wrong rifle by mistake. This one is mine."

"And who owns the other one?" pressed the sergeant.

"You, sir," was the reply.

This incident from an army camp illustrates a spiritual truth that is often forgotten. Some people overlook their own sins and shortcomings but they are quick to condemn other people for their sins. Often they condemn others for the very same sins they are guilty of themselves. For instance, the pride in a person's heart is quick to detect pride in someone else. And a man who is dishonest himself is ready to condemn others for stealing.

There is an illustration of this in the Bible. King David had sinned grievously, and Nathan the prophet came and told him about a certain rich man who had wronged a poor man. David quickly condemned the rich man and pronounced judgment on him, but Nathan said to David, "Thou art the man." David had a sense of justice, but he overlooked the fact that he himself was the guilty party. So Nathan had to say to him, "Thou art the man."

We all agree that some people we know are sinners who need to be saved, but most of us are slow to believe that we ourselves are guilty and need a Savior. However, we need to be less concerned about other people's sins, and more convinced about our own.

Before a man can enter heaven, he must face the fact that he himself is a sinner, lost and on the broad and crowded road that leads down to destruction. (Matt. 7:13.) The Word of God makes it clear that this is the true condition of every unsaved person. (John 3:18, Romans 3.) But when you believe God's Word and confess that you are a sinner, you are then at the very spot where God can save you.

Truth in the Inward Parts

It is most blessed to come to the place where we are willing to have our sins brought out to the light, in the presence of divine perfect love. If we are to be happy, it must be with God. The perfectness of the love that is in Christ makes me glad to be in the light. It shows me all that I am. It gives truth in the inward parts. Listen to the Apostle Paul's confession; "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief." 1 Timothy 1:15.

Have you had all your sins entirely out before God? They are better known to Him than they are to you. Christ has confessed my sins in the presence of a God of judgment. There is divine competency to bear our sins. We are in the dust as to ourselves, but we look up to God in the consciousness and certainty that He loves us as He loves Jesus Himself. That is the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free. Have you that faith in the Lord Jesus Christ to know that God looks at you through Him, as white as snow, because you believed that "the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin"? 1 John 1:7.

Oh, it is a blessed thing to find truth in the inward parts, and to have confidence in a divine love that is above all evil. Does the light of God's holiness make you happy or uncomfortable? Come to Him just as you are. "Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood,... to Him be glory and dominion forever And ever. Amen." Revelation 1:5, 6.

BelievethHath

"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.

A poor old woman over seventy years old said when shown these living words: "How stupid I've been! There I have been a-coming and a-going, and a-trying and a-striving, and arguing and arguing. And to think it's as plain as all that, and in my own Bible, too! I've been groping in the dark these fifty years. How stupid I've been!"

Only One

There is only one way by which sinners are saved,
And that's by the way of the cross;
No works of our own, be they ever so great;
With God they are nothing but dross.

There's only one Savior who's able to save,
That Savior is Jesus the Lord, the
One who is human, and also divine,
Whose title we read is "The Word."

There is only one path, it is narrow and strait,
That will lead to the glory of God;
Its pleasures are lasting, they fade not away,
'Tis the path that the Nazarene trod.

There is only one Book that can guide you aright,
The Bible, God's treasure so true;
Its precepts are binding, its teachings are pure,
This Book God has given to you.

Then take this sure way by which sinners are saved,
This Savior so loving and true,
And walk in the path that will lead you to God,
And remember this Book is for you.

“Thou God Seest Me

It was only a rough old oyster shell, with a water-stained scrap of paper caught in it-not what most of us would keep in a place of honor in our living rooms. But there Dick-the-Diver kept it as a precious reminder of the most important day in his life.

He had lived a wicked life, with no fear of God before his eyes, until one day he was deep under water in his usual occupation of searching for lost treasure. Looking around, he said to himself: "They tell me God is everywhere. He can't be here, at the bottom of the sea."

This thought had no sooner passed through his mind than his eye was caught by something white lying at the bottom. Swimming near, he found it to be a tract, held fast by an oyster. Taking both up, he read upon the tract the words, "Thou God seest me." There and then he was convinced that, though he was at the bottom of the sea, God saw him.

He knew now that God could see him in all his sins and wretchedness, and that it was impossible to hide himself from God. What misery this produced in his soul, until he learned also that the One who searched and knew his heart was the very One who gave His Son up to die for sinners.

So he turned to God, instead of seeking to hide from him, and found that God Himself is the refuge of those who trust in Him. Soon he could say with praise and thankfulness as he looked to God, "Thou art my hiding place."

Are you conscious that the eye of God is upon you? In the din and bustle of the busy crowd, or in the quiet of your home, it is ever true: "Thou God seest me." Genesis 16:13.

A Letter

Dear Sister:

In one of your letters you write, "Father was asking about your conversion." Abounding grace is connected with that conversion. As early as twelve or thirteen years of age, God exercised my conscience about my sins, but I loved the world and would not give it up, so in spirit I said, "Go Thy way for this time." Many other times in His grace He came to me, but always got the same answer.

Coming west from Massachusetts I listened to infidel sentiments and quite accepted them. In August I went back to visit Mother, and she spoke to me about eternal things. I combated her with my infidel sentiments, and fairly closed her mouth. After this she said, "William, do you read your Bible and pray every day?"

"No!" I replied.

She said, "If you do this, my boy, you will get light," and she left the room with tears rolling down her cheeks.

Left alone in the room, the Lord made me feel how I had grieved my mother, whom I loved, and He led me to realize there was one thing I had not done, that was to read my Bible and pray every day. I made up my mind to try it, partly because I knew it would please Mother and partly to test my infidel position.

I left the room and got a Testament that I had owned when a boy, and put it into my pocket. Going to bed that night, I read the first chapter of Matthew and knelt down beside the bed to pray. I had no interest in what I read, only I remember my thought on my knees: "I would hate to have anyone catch me in this position!" However, I had taken up the matter as a test and would not be diverted from it.

This went on until about the end of the year. Then the Lord began working in my soul, making me realize I was not as good as I thought I was. I sought to make myself better, but the more I tried to make myself better, the worse I became, until I saw myself only fit for hell. Then the Lord came and showed me that trying to make myself better was the wrong principle—that faith is the principle on which peace with God is secured. Giving up doing, and resting now on God's Word, I was brought into peace that first Lord's Day in the new year. To Him be glory!

Your brother, Will

Your Lack

However deeply you may have dishonored God, remember one thing:—God is satisfied with Christ. And apart from Christ, He will never be satisfied with you.

Her Eighteenth Birthday

It was Alice's eighteenth birthday. Several presents had been given her and she took delight in looking them over again one by one, so time slipped away and it was late when she went upstairs to prepare for the meeting. She was sorry to be late on her birthday, but when she caught sight of the town clock, it was already ten minutes past eleven.

Very quietly she opened the door of the meeting room and determined to wait till they should sing before she went in. A passage from the Scripture was being read; and, as she stood within the door, closing it noiselessly, the first words she heard were, "Ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?" Luke 13:16.

The Holy Spirit sent those words of the Savior right home to the heart of that young girl standing at the door. "Whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years," she said to herself; "that is me. I am eighteen today, and I know that I am not serving God, and they say that if I am not, I must be serving Satan. If that's true, I am his slave."

She heard little that morning except these words. She saw that she had spent all her life—all those eighteen years, in which God had given her health and comfort and countless other blessings—in forgetfulness of Him. She remembered that He had often called her, and she had as often refused to listen. Yes, she saw it all now; she had been bound by Satan for eighteen years. She was bound still. How could she be "loosed"?

The meeting ended, and Alice returned home. Still those words filled her mind. She went to her room, but not now to spend her time at the mirror, or looking at her presents. Now she was on her knees before God. Earnestly she prayed: "Lord, I am bound—I'm all wrong—oh, show me what to do!"

Even as she prayed a ray of light from God's Word shone into her soul: "Ought not this woman... to be loosed?"

"That woman was loosed," she said to herself; "oh, that I might be!" God's light shone into her repentant heart, showing her that though she was a captive to sin—bound by sin for eighteen years-yet One "mighty to save" had come "to preach deliverance to the captives... to set at liberty them that are bruised." Luke 4:18.

When Jesus was on earth, He said to that poor woman, "Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity." Luke 13:12. He laid His hands on her and she was made straight, and glorified God.

How very simple and natural it all was, Alice thought; and why should He not do the same for her, and even more, now that He was in heaven? So right there and then she put her trust in Him. And though she had been bound by Satan for eighteen years, she too, was loosed that very day.

Can you imagine her joy when she realized that she was really free? The Lord Himself had said, "If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." The Lord Jesus is the only One who can loose those chains that bind us, and He is waiting to do so for all who will come to Him and own that they are sinners and accept Him as their Savior.

"Through His name whosoever believeth in Him shall receive remission of sins." Acts 10:43.

For Seeking Souls

"Oh that I knew where I might find Him!"

Is that perhaps the burden of your troubled soul? You have wept as you thought of your sins, and prayed that you might be forgiven; but still you have no assurance that your soul is saved-you cannot say, "I have found Him” that ”My Beloved is mine, and I am His."

Why is this? Is it because God does not love you? No, that cannot be, 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. Is it then because He will not save you? Never, for God "will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth." And again, He is "not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance" 2 Peter 3:9.

The fault then is all your own. You have been occupied with yourself and your doings, trying to improve that which God has condemned, for God says, "There is none that doeth good, no, not one." Romans 3:12. Also God says: "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works." Ephesians 2:8, 9.

"How then can I be saved?" you ask. The answer is in God's Word: "Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree." 1 Peter 2:24.

And in 1 Peter 3:18 we see: "Christ... suffered for sins, the Just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God."

Yes, the debt is paid; sin has been atoned for; and just before He died He said, "It is finished." The work of redemption has all been done. God is satisfied. Then why delay? Accept Him as your Savior now, and then, like Philip of old, you will be able to say, "We have found Him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth." John 1:45.

He Said It!

Luke 7:36-50

A great sinner once came to the Lord Jesus. She stood weeping at His feet. What a blessed place for a sinner to be found!

She knew she was a sinner; the proud Pharisee knew she was a sinner; but more, God knew she was a sinner, and Jesus is God.

What brought her to that house? Surely, Simon the Pharisee had not invited her! Is she not afraid to enter unasked?

"When she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee's house,"—this was enough; this gave her boldness; this inspired her with confidence. Jesus was there. She came and "stood at His feet behind Him weeping, and began to wash His feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed His feet, and anointed them with the ointment."

But why was she not afraid of Jesus? Did He not know all her sins? Did He not know them to be MANY? He did; but listen! She hears Him say, "Her sins, which are many, are forgiven." He did not say "Her sins are too many to be forgiven;" no, no, "Her sins, which are many, are forgiven."

Perhaps she might say, "But is this really true of me? Is it of my sins He speaks, when He says they are forgiven? Mine surely are many, but are they not too many? too black? Can it possibly be my many sins that are forgiven?"

Again that blessed One speaks, but this time He turns to her; He looks straight at her; He speaks to her, and "He said unto her, THY SINS ARE FORGIVEN."

Now there can be no doubt, "Thy sins are forgiven."

What blessed words! But what had she done to deserve it? Nothing. She just simply came with all her sins to Jesus. He knew them all, and He knew they were many. He does not make light of them; He could not. To bear the heavy burden of sins was no light matter—yes, to suffer and to die for them.

Are Your Sins Forgiven?

"Ah, I wish I could say that, but I cannot feel they are!"

And how do you suppose she knew her sins were forgiven? Was it because she felt it, or because He said it? Surely because He said it. Ah, it does not say she felt it, but "He SAID unto her, Thy sins are forgiven."

This settled everything; she had His word for it. Could that deceive her? Her feelings might change; His word never would.

She knew her sins were forgiven, because He said unto her, "Thy sins are forgiven." She felt her sins were forgiven, because she believed what He said.

Now, do you believe that your sins are forgiven? Or are you trying to feel it first? Many try to feel their sins forgiven before they will believe it, but you must believe it before you can feel it.

"By Him all that believe are justified from all things." Acts 13:39.

In Thy Youth

How wonderful of our God to warn us in our youth of the folly of finding joy and pleasure here in this sin-cursed scene. Only God has the answer. For a happy life and a fruitful pathway go to Him. "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." John 10:10. All here is "Vanity of vanities."

"Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them." Ecclesiastes 12:1.

Yes! In your youth, the bright, fresh springtime of your life, while all is sunny before you, and while you are strong, remember your Creator. Give God your early days, your best days. How many have lamented in middle life that they did not turn to God in their youth! Confess your sin, turn to Him for salvation now and obey His call. "He saith unto them, Follow Me,... and they straightway left their nets, and followed Him." Matthew 4:19, 20.

You who are young in this world today
Have you heard that ringing call?
Are you ready to heed? Will you walk the way
That is bravest and best of all?

It is sounding down from the heights above;
It is Christ's word, "Follow Me!"
Ah, straightway answer the mighty love,
His servants and soldiers to be.

A Message of Mercy

A man stood looking into the water as a scrap of paper came floating down the stream, tossed from ripple to ripple. "I am just as helpless," said he to himself, "borne downwards by a tide which I cannot stem, and from which I cannot escape. There is no one to lift me clear of the tide of destruction as I can lift you, poor miserable scrap."

As he spoke, he caught the paper with a stick and lifted it from the water. He noticed that it was a fragment of a torn-up letter, and one word upon it attracted his attention as being in thorough keeping with his own feelings. The word was "miserable," and thus the writing read as a whole: I assure you I used to be very miserable and trust Christ Jesus only Salvation and now joy and peace.

He read the words over and over. It had been written by someone who had been, like himself, very miserable, but who had been led to trust Jesus Christ as his Savior, and so had attained to joy and peace.

"Oh that I could find the same," said this poor young man. "And yet, why should I not? Christ Jesus came to save sinners. I believe if He chose He could lift me out of the stream of evil and ruin, as I have lifted this scrap of paper. I wonder if He would be willing to save me?" And then a verse of a hymn that he had sung in better days came into his mind:

"If I trust Him to receive me,
Will He say me nay?
Not till earth and not till heaven
Pass away."

"Oh, is it true?" he cried in an agony of earnestness. "Is it true? I believe it is. When He was on earth He received sinners, and invited the heavy-laden to come unto Him, and He is the same yesterday, today, and forever! I do not deserve it, but He will receive me!"

God has many ways of reaching the human heart, and can employ the humblest and meanest of instruments. Let none doubt His willingness to save, for the Lord is "not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." 2 Peter 3:9.

Come then to Jesus Christ, trust Him as your Savior, and find in Him peace, and joy, and rest for your soul.

Christ, or Self?

I ask, "what think ye of Christ?" At this moment God knows your choice. I plead with you, let it not be SELF! Decide for Christ, and let others know it, too.

This May Be It!

This may be it! This may be the last Gospel article that you will ever have the opportunity to read. This may be your last chance to read the good news that "Christ died for our sins." 1 Cor. 15:3. This could be your last, precious opportunity to read concerning Him "who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree." 1 Peter 2:24.

This may be it—the last choice that you will ever make. I do not know—I cannot tell. I hope not, I pray not; but I don't know.

This grim uncertainty as to life—it is a terrifying thing without Christ. You cannot know from one hour to another that you may not be suddenly stricken down. Death always rides with life.

Is this an old story to you... often heard but never heeded? Whose sinful fault is that? And who has continued to give you this precious lease on life that you might hear the story of God's love time and time again? Can you once again cast away the invitation: "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved"? Acts 16:31.

You may cast it away. You may forget it. BUT—this may be it! This may be the last time.

"He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy." Prov. 29:1. If this be the LAST TIME, there is NO REMEDY!

This may be it!—I do not know—I hope not—but who knows—except God?

Through the Straight Gate

Salvation is offered to all on the ground of Christ's death. Conversion, a soul turning to God, gets us through the straight gate into the narrow way. Then what a future is before us,—LIFE AND GLORY!

Out of This Life

Out of this life I cannot take
Things of silver and gold I make;
All that I cherish and hoard away,
After I leave, on earth must stay.

Though I call it mine and boast its worth,
I must give it up when I quit the earth;
All that I gather and all that I keep
I must leave behind when I fall asleep.

I wonder often just what I shall own
In that other life where I go alone;
What shall He find, and what shall He see
In the soul that answers the call for me?

Shall the great Judge say, when I am through,
That I've laid up treasure in heaven, too?
Or shall it at last be mine to find
That all I had worked for I left behind?

He Took My Whipping for Me

There was a certain school, among the mountains of Virginia, which no teacher could handle. The boys were so rough that the teachers resigned.

A young, gray-eyed teacher applied, and the old director scanned him, then said, "Young fellow, do you know what you are asking? An awful beatin'! Every teacher we have had for years has had to take it."

He replied, "I'll risk it."

Finally, he appeared for duty. One big fellow, Tom, whispered, "I won't need any help, I can lick him myself!"

The teacher said, "Good morning boys! We have come to conduct school, but I confess I do not know how unless you help me. Suppose we have a few rules. You tell me and I will write them on the blackboard."

One fellow yelled, "No stealing." Another yelled, "On time." Finally ten rules appeared.

"Now," said the teacher, "a law is no good unless there is a penalty attached to it. What shall we do with the one who breaks the rules?"

"Beat him across the back ten times without his coat on."

"That is pretty severe, boys. Are you ready to stand by it?" Another yell, and the teacher said, "School come to order!"

In a day or so, "Big Tom" found his dinner was stolen. Upon inquiry the thief was located-a hungry little fellow, about ten years old. The next morning the teacher announced, "We have found the thief and he must be punished according to your rule—ten stripes across the back! Jim, come up here!"

The little fellow, trembling, came up slowly with a big coat fastened up to the neck and pleaded, "Teacher, you can lick me as hard as you like, but please don't make me take my coat off."

"Take that coat off; you helped make the rules."

"Oh, teacher, don't make me!" He began to unbutton, and what did the teacher behold! Lo, the lad had no shirt on over his little bony body.

"How can I whip this child," thought he. "But I must do something if I keep this school." Everything was quiet as death. "How do you come to be without a shirt, Jim?"

He replied, "My father died and mother is very poor. I have only one shirt to my name, and she is washing that today, and I wore my brother's big coat to keep warm."

The teacher with rod in hand hesitated. Just then "Big Tom" jumped to his feet and said, "Teacher, if you don't object, I will take Jim's licking for him."

"Very well, there is a certain law that one can become a substitute for another. Are you all agreed?"

Off came Tom's coat, and after five hard strokes the rod broke! The teacher bowed his head in his hands, and thought, "How can I finish this awful task?"

Then he heard the entire school sobbing, and what did he see? Little Jim had reached up and caught Tom with both arms around his neck. "Tom, I am sorry I stole your dinner, but I was awful hungry. Tom, I'll love you till I die for taking my licking for me! Yes, I'll love you forever!"

Dear friends, we all have broken God's rules of righteousness. He says, "There is none righteous, no, not one... For all have sinned." We all deserve God's punishment—eternal judgment. Yet there is a Substitute for us. The Lord Jesus Christ bore that dreadful judgment for sinners, when He died upon the cross. "For Christ also hath suffered for sins, the Just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God." If we will receive Him as our Substitute and Savior, the judgment which has fallen upon Him will never be repeated.

"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. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all." Isaiah 53:5, 6.

Only a Touch!

MARK 5:25-34

It was a sad case; to all appearance there was no help for her. Hopeless, and penniless, with no one to turn to in her last extremity,

SHE HEARD

of Jesus, the Great Physician, the Healer of sin-sick souls. Mixing faith with what she heard,

SHE CAME

to Jesus. Her desperate need brought her to Him, and putting faith into action,

SHE TOUCHED

His garment. Happy moment for the poor woman! She was in the personal company of Jesus, the only One who could possibly heal her body and meet the deep need of her soul. In a moment of time a change had taken place;

SHE FELT

... she was healed. She knew and realized what was done in her.

"She came in fear and trembling before Him,—
She knew her Lord had come;
She felt that from Him virtue had healed her,—
The mighty deed was done.

Oh! touch the hem of His garment,
And thou, too, shalt be free;
His saving power this very hour,
Shall give new life to thee."

This is the way that the blessed Savior can meet the need of your precious soul. Not by any merit of your own can you obtain the salvation of God; it must be your sense of need that brings you to Himself, there to find, not an accuser, but One who in very truth is

Mighty to Save

Come then to this Jesus of whom you have heard; by faith touch Him, and your burden of sins will roll away; and you can then sing, with the writer of these few lines:—

O Christ, in Thee my soul hath found,
And found in Thee alone
The peace, the joy, I sought so long,
The bliss till now unknown.

Now none but Christ can satisfy,
None other name for me!
There's love, and life, and lasting joy,
Lord Jesus, found in Thee.

Four Things He Knew

"I want to tell you something, sir!" said an old man. He took me by the top button of my coat and drew me into a corner of the large hall at the Old Folk's Home.

"What is it?"

"I know four things, sir!"

"Well, what are they?"

"God is my Father; the Lord Jesus is my Savior; the Holy Ghost is my Comforter; and Heaven is my home."

Happy old man! He had more true wealth than all earth's millionaires. Blest indeed are those who can say, "My Father, my Savior, my Comforter, my Home." All that is needed for time and for eternity is wrapped up in those words.

"Therefore let no man glory in men: For all things are yours; whether... life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours; and ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's." 1 Corinthians 3:21-23.

Mother, I Dare Not Pray!

Henry was the son of Christian parents, and so consistent was his way of life that his parents hoped that he was a Christian. At the age of nineteen he was summoned home to his father's funeral.

After they returned from the cemetery the family gathered in the evening in the room where so many pleasant hours had been spent in days gone by. There was Father's empty chair and there were the worn slippers at its foot. There was also the large family Bible from which Father had always read a chapter at bedtime.

The clock struck ten. Henry's mother looked at him. Then, pushing the Bible across the table, she said, "My son, read a chapter."

He colored slightly, but did as she asked. She then rose and looked at him, as if expecting him to lead in prayer. He understood that glance, and in an instant the full reality of his position rushed upon him. He felt—oh, how keenly!—how totally unprepared he was for it.

He hesitated one moment, then hid his face in his hands and broke forth with, "Mother, I dare not pray."

One moment more she gazed at him before she seemed to understand it all. Then, falling upon her knees, she poured forth her heart-felt prayer to God for mercy upon the child of her heart. Earnestly she pleaded that the light of divine love should shine into his soul and guide him safely on the pathway of life. Tenderly she committed him to the Savior of sinners.

Before she had ended, Henry knelt beside her. He saw himself as God saw him—a sinner, and turned to the One who died for sinners! "But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8. When he arose, it was as a believer in the Lord Jesus—a saved man.

Which? Where?

An unsaved person is one who is in his sins, out of Christ, on the road to the lake of fire, ready for it, and deserving it.

A saved person is one who is out of his sins, in Christ, on the road to glory, and ready for it, though utterly undeserving of it.

Friend, which are you?

The saved are destined to spend an eternity with Jesus, the saints of God, and the angels, in the wonderful realms of ever-unfolding glory.

The unsaved are destined to spend an eternity with the devil, the demons, and the damned, in the fathomless depths of the lake of fire—there to be the everlasting food of the undying worm, and inextinguishable fuel for the quenchless flames of that awful place.

Friend, where will you spend ETERNITY? "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.

Trying to Be Good

"If only we could get people to believe that the work of Christ is a finished work," exclaimed a preacher of the gospel. The Lord Jesus on the cross said, "It is finished."

All was done there to meet the claims of God about sin, and everyone who simply trusts in that finished work is saved eternally. "By Him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses." Acts 13:39.

But people turn away from God's message of salvation through the work of Christ, and try, vainly, by some effort of their own to obtain forgiveness and peace.

"Yes, I am quite happy now," said a young girl who had been for some time troubled about her sins. "I came to Jesus today. I was always trying to be good before."

This dear girl had found how useless her own efforts were. Giving up trying, she took the place of a sinner before God and rested on His Word, "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all." Isaiah 53:6.

At once her soul found peace, and she could rejoice in the forgiveness of her sins.

Are you trying to obtain salvation by any efforts of your own? All has been done, and you have only to receive what God so longs to give you. "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." Acts 16:31.

Far Too Easy a Way

The simplicity of the gospel prompts many people to say that believing on the Lord Jesus Christ is "far too easy" a way to get to heaven.

Thank God, it is an "easy" way to be saved.

"Easy" for us, because the shedding of His precious blood, the enduring of the wrath of God against our sins, the difficult work, has all been done by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.

It was not "easy" for Him to be mocked and insulted by men.

It was not "easy" for Him to be scourged, spat upon and crucified.

It was not "easy" in the moment of His humiliation and agony to be forsaken by God.

It was not "easy" for Him to be "wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities." Isaiah 53:5.

Though an easy way, it is God's only way of saving sinners, and if you are not saved in that way, you will never be saved at all.

"To him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness." Romans 4:5.

A Small Cause and a Far-Reaching Result

Not many years ago a scientist in Massachusetts imported to the United States some caterpillars that interested him. He kept them in a bottle. One day the bottle tipped over, and some of the caterpillars escaped. Unnoticed, they made their way into the garden, and in due time stocked it with gypsy moths. These moths became a plague, and the swarms produced by them have done millions of dollars of damage to the woods and orchards of New England.

How far-reaching are the results of some acts, insignificant in themselves! The tipping over of the bottle was a trivial incident, but thence resulted all the damage done by the insect pests.

People sometimes speak as if the original sin of Eve in the Garden of Eden had been a trifling matter. "Merely the eating of a piece of fruit," they call it. But from that act all the trouble in the world has resulted. Think of the wars, the crimes, the cruelties, the diseases, the loathsome vices that have filled and polluted the world. All the consequences of that one sin! Death, too, the king of terrors, is "the wages of sin."

But after death comes the judgment; and this not because of what Adam or Eve did but because of what men themselves have done. Men will be judged, not because Adam was a sinner, but because they are sinners; not because their first parents fell into disobedience, but because they have followed in their steps and have loved sin and practiced it.

Thank God, though there is no remedy for all the calamity that sin has brought upon the world, save God's own intervention in power (which He will bring to pass when Christ comes to earth to reign in righteousness), there is a remedy, a grand and complete remedy, for the individual sinner. He may get rid of the burden of his guilt through Christ's precious blood.

"By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." Romans 5:12.

"Christ Jesus: whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins." Romans 3:24, 25.

Their Future Is Safe?

Perhaps you have seen the above words on a billboard in your town, and a picture of a mother with her child in her arms. The advertisement tries to impress the reader that if the father is taken suddenly, they are provided for, and that they are happy because they know "their future is safe."

But for how long? Are we wise if we only look ahead for a few short years? What about eternity? Your days are passing quickly, and, life insurance or no life insurance, you are passing into eternity. Are you neglecting your real future by being so engrossed with the present? Remember that God calls a man a fool who is not "rich toward God" for eternity.

What can make my future—your future—safe? This: "For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His poverty might be rich." 2 Corinthians 8:9.

Think-make yourself think-"Soon I must leave here!" Into eternity you must go. To make your future safe the holy Son of God left His home in glory and came into this scene of sin and sorrow. He had no place to lay His head, and finally He was nailed to a cross and laid in a borrowed tomb. To make your future safe He suffered, and bled, and died.

Now, if you will come to Him as a needy one, a helpless one, and trust His precious blood, your sins will all be "blotted out" (Isaiah 44:22), forgiven" (1 John 2:12), and remembered "no more" (Hebrews 10:17). Trust that blood now, just as you are, and then "your future will be safe" and you will know it is so from God's own Word, for Jesus says, "I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand." John 10:28.

"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, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God." 1 John 5:13

Almost

"Almost thou persuadest me." Acts 26:28.

"Thou art not far from the kingdom." Mark 12:24.

"Behold, now is the accepted time." 2 Cor. 6:2.

So near the door—and the door stood wide!
Close to the port—but not inside!
Near to the fold—but not within!
Almost resolved to give up sin!
Almost persuaded to count the cost!
Almost a Christian—and yet lost!

Savior, I come, I cry unto Thee,
Oh, let not these words be true of me.
I want to come to Thee today;
Oh, suffer me not to turn away,
Give me no rest till my soul shall be,
WITHIN THE REFUGE! SAFE IN THEE!

The Red Light

It was a stormy night, about thirty years ago, and we were coming along on the Midnight Express at our top speed. As we roared around a curve I suddenly saw a red light flash right in front of us, and my heart almost stopped.

"Brakes, Bill," I shouted, "quick or we're gone!" and with all his might Bill applied the brakes while I shut off the steam and the train was brought to a dead halt. Not a second too soon either, for looming in the darkness before us we could see the wreck of a freight train that had derailed only a few yards ahead. How thankful I was that the red light was flashed that night!

But there was another night, not long after that, when I saw the red light flashing before me again. A friend of mine had been converted, and after work he came in to have a visit with me.

"Harry," he said, "do you ever think of where you will spend eternity? Do you ask yourself, as you speed along the line of life, what signal God is throwing out for you: a red stop light or a white go light?"

I never thought of it in that way before, but when I began to consider, I said to myself, "God can hold out no white light to me!" I saw the red light was being held out by the words my comrade read out of the Bible that night.

He read, "He that believeth not shall be damned" (Mark 16:16), and "How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?" (Hebrews 2:3).

I saw where I was—in fact, could not help seeing it; for there, as plain as could be, flashed God's red light before me. I pulled up that night—I don't mean reformed—but took my place as a lost sinner before God, and claimed Christ as my own and only Savior. Now I know He has saved me, and I hear Him saying, "I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish." John 10:28.

Now reader, what is your response? You are speeding along at express train speed towards eternity. If you have not been "born of God" the red light is right before you—no doubt about it. Accept Him now, and you will be able to rejoice in the knowledge that you have "redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins."

Yes, you may now enjoy a full and free salvation through faith in Christ. For "ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold... but with the precious blood of Christ." 1 Peter 1:18, 19.

Bed Afire, but He Slept on

The mattress was on fire, smoke was pouring from the room, and a policeman was shaking him—but he still slept on!

Finally the policeman succeeded in awakening the man and saved him from suffocating in his sleep. The officer then put out the fire which, he said, was apparently caused by a burning cigarette.

Do you think the endangered man scolded the policeman for shaking and waking him, and possibly even frightening him with cries of "Fire! Fire!"? Of course not! But there are those who are soundly sleeping on the bed of indifference to their eternal welfare who severely criticize faithful workers who warn them of hell-fire.

If you are inclined to resent the warnings given regarding judgment and a lost eternity, stop and think that it is sincere consideration of your wellbeing that causes anyone to urge you to "flee from the wrath to come."

It is not pleasant to speak to anyone about hell, but faithfulness to God's Word and love to the perishing demand it.

It was the Lord Jesus Christ Himself who asked the solemn question: "How can ye escape the damnation of hell?" Matt. 23:33. Surely, if hell were not a reality and if people were not in danger of going there, He would never have taken those words upon His lips, for He is the personification of grace and truth.

It is a joy to tell out the good news that none need perish since Christ died for our sins and rose again for our justification. "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.

Bad NewsGood News

Bad News

1. "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23.

2. "So death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." Romans 5:12.

3. "It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment." Hebrews 9:27.

Good News

1. "Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures." 1 Corinthians 15:3.

2. "He was buried, and... He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures." 1 Corinthians 15:4.

3. "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." Romans 10:9.

The Barometer

A few years ago a man realized a lifelong ambition when he bought a very fine, very expensive barometer. When the instrument was delivered, he found to his great disappointment that it seemed to be defective and the needle was stuck. It pointed to "Hurricane" and couldn't be moved.

After trying again and again to shake the needle loose, the man sat down and wrote a scorching letter to the store from which he had bought it. The next morning on his way to work he mailed the letter.

That evening he struggled homeward through wind and rain and found both the barometer and his home missing. The barometer needle had been right. The hurricane it had tried to warn its owner about had come.

How many people regard the Bible in the same way! When its warning needle points to the sure destruction of the sinner, the unbelieving reader judges the Bible to be wrong and tries to shake the accusing needle into a less condemning position, but sooner or later he will discover to his sorrow that the Bible warnings are reliable and that he must pay the awful penalty for his unbelief.

"If ye believe not that I am He, ye shall die in your sins." John 8:24.

"Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in My Father's name, they bear witness of Me." John 10:25.

Saved in a Post Office

One morning a young woman, looking pale and haggard, was hurrying along to the post office. She hoped to find a letter which might have something to give rest to her troubled soul.

A cousin living at a distance had once spoken to her, warning her against professing religion without possessing Christ. This cousin had told her that if she ever became troubled about her condition before God to write and let her know, as she would be praying for her.

She had laughed at the idea then, and had replied, "It's not likely you'll get a letter from me for a while, if it has to be about that. I'm quite pleased with myself as I am."

But God has His own way of speaking to sinners and making them think of eternal things. During the past week she had been shocked by the sudden death of a young and beautiful girl for whom she was making a wedding gown. God used this incident to arouse her to a sense of her own lack of preparation for eternity.

Her sins, though not of the kind that friends and neighbors could see, became quite glaring to her and a burden to her conscience. Hell and eternal punishment was real to her now, as it is to every awakened soul.

She had become so troubled about her sins that she had written to her cousin, and was sure an answer would come. When the letter was handed to her at the post office window, so eager was she to get to its contents that, bursting open the envelope, she read her letter while still standing at the office counter. Afterward she confessed: "I was saved right there in the post office by simply believing on the Lord Jesus Christ."

That letter was full of the grace of God. It told how Christ had finished the work of redemption on Calvary; that there was nothing to do but simply to confess her need as a sinner before God and believe on Him. The letter ended with a little poem:

"Nothing, either great or small,
Nothing, sinner, no;
Jesus did it, did it all
Long, long ago.

“‘It is finished!' Yes, indeed,
Finished every jot;
Sinner, this is all you need;
Tell me, is it not?"

"That's all? That is all! Yes, yes, I see it. I know it now," the girl said out loud. The astonished post office clerk wondered what it was all about, but oblivious to her surroundings, she was seeing herself as she was in God's eyes. She let go her pride, all her own righteousness, and came as a lost and guilty sinner to Christ. She cast herself on Him and, true to His Word, He saved her. For He says, "Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out." John 6:37.

In this way, and this way only, will He save anyone. There is no other Savior—there is no other way. "Seek ye the LORD while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near." Isaiah 55:6.

Great Discoveries

When the astronomer, Galileo, discovered that the earth moved around the sun, he was laughed to scorn. The authorities of that day threatened the astronomer with death at the stake if he did not renounce his opinion. But now every child is taught that the earth goes around the sun.

When the great surgeon, Harvey, discovered the circulation of the blood from the heart to the extremities, he was ridiculed on every hand. No one doubts now that the blood circulates.

When the engineer, Watt, discovered the force of steam, the world was skeptical.

When Stephenson constructed his locomotive, and utilized the power of steam, he was sneered at as a visionary.

When Morse discovered that electricity could be transmitted through a wire, and a message could be flashed across the Atlantic in a fraction of a second, people were sure he was talking of impossibilities.

When Sir J. Y. Simpson, the great Edinburgh doctor, who is famous as the discoverer of the use of chloroform in surgery, was asked what was the greatest discovery of all that he had made, he promptly replied, "That I was a great sinner, and that Christ was a great Savior."

Have you made that greatest discovery of all? For you will make it one day—either in time or in eternity. Which? If you make that discovery in time, you may be saved, but if in eternity, it will be too late.

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

As Good As Many Christians

"Have you heard the new preachers, John?" asked a woman of her husband in one of the farming districts of Canada.

"No," was the emphatic reply, "and what's more, I don't intend to bother going. I have my own opinion of religion and religious people, and my conclusion is: I am as good as many Christians, and better than the most of them."

"Well, these men are different from most preachers that come around here. They claim they were sinners worthy of hell, but God has saved them by grace and now they are going to heaven, knowing their sins are all forgiven."

"Worse and worse," said John. "I think that is the greatest presumption I've heard. Now, I do think there is some sense and humility in a man saying that he'll do the best he can, and that's as far as most of them go; but to say you are saved now, and know your sins are forgiven now, and that you are sure of heaven now—that's too much presumption. I'd better go and hear them for myself."

And so it came to pass that John Steel came to attend the gospel meetings which were being held by two evangelists in the district school house. They were young men in deep earnest, speaking plain words about sin, and loving, gracious words about salvation.

Mr. Steel was struck with the fact that they based their remarks on the Bible, always quoting from the Word of God. He was convicted. His fancied righteousness, he saw, was but "filthy rags" (to use the language of Isaiah 64:6) and thus, though he could measure himself favorably with his neighbors, yet he was vile in the presence of a holy God.

Weeks passed by, and John Steel missed none of the meetings, yet he was not saved. Satan frequently suggested the thought that he might better stay at home, but the anxiety of soul forced him on, and he felt he must have the certainty of his sins forgiven. One night he drove several miles to a new district where the meetings had been transferred, and almost hopelessly settled himself to listen as he had done so often.

Suddenly he aroused himself. What was that? "God loves you just as you are," said the preacher; "for 'God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved).' " Ephesians 2:4, 5.

He had heard the same truth many times before, but this night it was as a new revelation—God loved Him now, and was willing and able to save him now. Christ had died for him, and without an effort he found himself looking away unto Jesus who had borne his sins on the cross. His soul was filled with joy in God, and his mouth was filled with singing at the grace that had saved him from hell.

Salvation a Gift

One Sunday afternoon in one of the wards of the Toronto General Hospital some visitors had finished singing and were going from bed to bed with a few words of cheer. I approached a young man who thanked me for our service of song. I asked him, "Do you know the One we have been singing and speaking about?"

"No," said the young man. "I am sorry to say that I don't."

"Then, why not?" I asked. "You surely realize the importance of becoming a Christian."

"Yes," he said, "I do; but it is of no use in my case. It is not for me."

I tried to show him that the gospel was for all, and that God was no respecter of persons. "But," he said, "it requires faith, and I have no faith. I know the Bible pretty well—I was brought up from childhood to read it. At least ten people, among them several ministers, have tried to explain it to me, and I cannot understand."

"I am going to make you a present," I said. "Will you accept it?" And taking some coins from my pocket, I selected the best looking quarter and offered it to him.

"Oh yes," said he, "I'll be glad to take it—if you want me to—but you only want to use it as an illustration, and then you will take it back again."

"Oh, no; I told you it was to be a present!"

He held out his hand and took the coin.

"Now," I said,

"Have you got it?"

Again he said, "Yes, but after your illustration you will take it back and I will be without." "But, surely you do not doubt my word."

Still holding the coin in his hand he said, "No, I have no reason to doubt your word, and you said that you gave it to me."

"Now, once again, may I ask: have you got it?"

"Yes, I have."

"Now, how did you get it?" I asked.

"Why, you gave it to me."

"And for what reason did I give it to you?"

"I don't know; you don't owe me anything. It must have been of your own free will."

"And you accepted it?"

"Yes."

"Now see," I replied, "Jesus offers you salvation in just the same way. It is a free gift. 'The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life.' Will you accept it?"

"Oh, I see it now! It is a gift and He doesn't take it back. Yes, I'll take it, and I'm saved! I'll always keep this coin in remembrance of this day."

Now, may I ask you a question: "Do you know this Friend, this Jesus? If not, why not?" It is "not of works, lest any man should boast." It is the free gift of God. He does not owe us anything.

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

Thirty Pieces of Silver

Thirty pieces of silver
For the Lord of Life they gave;
Thirty pieces of silver—
Only the price of a slave!
But it was the priestly value
Of the Holy One of God;
They weighed it out in the temple,
The price of the Savior's blood.

It may not be for silver,
It may not be for gold,
But still by tens of thousands
Is this precious Savior sold,
Sold for a godless friendship,
Sold for a selfish aim,
Sold for a fleeting trifle,
Sold for an empty name.

Sold in the mart of Science,
Sold in the seat of Power,
Sold at the shrine of Fortune,
Sold, too, in pleasure's bower,
Sold where the awful bargain
None but God's eye can see!
Ponder, my soul the question:
Shall He be sold by thee?

Too Proud

The old couple had not been seen by their neighbors for several days. There was no light in the window—no answer at the door. Finally worried neighbors broke into the house and found the old man and his wife—unconscious.

They were rushed to the nearest hospital, but in spite of all that doctors and nurses could do, both died without regaining consciousness. "Starvation and exposure" were given as the cause of death by the coroner.

"I tried," said their next-door neighbor, "I tried to give them food, or money to buy fuel, but the man said they were too proud to accept help lie shut the door in my face!"

"Too proud to accept" the gift of God is the reason why numbers of people are perishing, spiritually, today.

The Lord Jesus Christ is God's "unspeakable gift." 2 Corinthians 9:15.

"The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 6:23.

We are "saved through faith... the gift of God." Ephesians 2:8.

Righteousness is also a gift (Romans 5:17). These gifts cannot be bought and they cannot be earned; they must be received as a gift.

Ever since the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins and rose again, all things that pertain to life and godliness are free. "He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?" Romans 8:32.

To be too proud to accept such gifts from such a Giver will mean a worse fate than death from starvation. It will mean an eternity in the lake of fire.

"But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name." John 1:12.

God’s Way

God puts the best robe on the prodigal and makes the whole house rejoice. He does not say, "My prodigal has come back!" He says, "This My son."

Faith makes me see that God is greater than my sin—not that my sin is greater than God.

We say we must weigh and understand. No! We have to bow and believe. All is the reverse of our human thoughts. We must receive, not wait to understand.

Which Is Worse?

Evangelist Henry Moorhouse once said: "Some time ago a woman said to me, 'I cannot see that one who has broken only one of the Commandments can be as bad as another who has broken five, or another who has broken the whole ten.'

"I told her that God never gave five or ten laws; He gave only one, which consists of ten commandments. `Just look at that watch. If you counted the wheels, you would find perhaps ten or more. Yet, if you break only one wheel, it is a broken watch and will not go.'

"Still the woman could not see it, so I said: 'Suppose you were hanging by a chain over a precipice. The chain consists of ten links. If a man took a hammer and smashed every link, where would you go?'

“‘To the bottom, of course.'

“‘But suppose only one link were broken, where would you go?'

"'That would be just as bad; I would still fall to the bottom.

"It takes just as much grace to save the 'best' people in the world as to save the vilest. Nothing but grace, through faith in Jesus Christ, can give liberty and freedom from the law of sin."

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

Only Believe

Poor John lay dying. A visitor came to see him, one of the many who have religion but are strangers to Christ. She looked at him sadly, and said, "Oh, John, there is a great work to be done, and you have but little time to do it."

John sighed deeply. His days were numbered and he was too weak to do anything.

A Christian came to visit him, one who knew God's simple way of salvation. She said, "John, all the work needed for your salvation was done by Jesus on the cross, and you have nothing to do but believe and accept it."

John trusted that finished work, and was saved. How is it with you? Are you doing something yourself to obtain salvation, or are you trusting the One who has done all that work?

"Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us." Titus 3:5.

Not of Works

Man's heart rebels against the need of the grace of God. He thinks that in some way or other his own arm can bring salvation to him.

But how clear is the Word of God! Salvation is "Not of works, lest any man should boast." Ephesians 2:9.

If by our own reformation, or goodness, or merit we could earn salvation, then we might well boast of what we had done.

But this can never be. "To him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness." Romans 4:4, 5.

Good works, which follow salvation, do have a most important place. But they cannot earn salvation. Salvation comes first, as a gift, by the free grace of God. Then, and not till then, good works will flow from that salvation, and be known and enjoyed. The tree of salvation first:—then the fruit of good works will grow on that tree. "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us." Titus 3:5.

My All

Savior, to Thee, a sinner lost and vile, I gladly come,
Give me to know the sunshine of Thy smile, And lead me home,
That so my heart and lips may loud extol
Thy name and love, while endless ages roll.

Thy cross, blest Lord, has closed my sinful past And set me free;
And now on high, mid scenes of light and rest, Thyself I see.
Jesus, triumphant, vanquished death for me:
The Father's house my portion now shall be.

The Refuge

"Lord Jesus Christ!" This blessed and living name was wrung from Mary Garner's infidel lips, as she stood on the seashore watching her sister's helpless form battling with the pitiless waves of the receding tide.

Mary and her sister were spending their vacation at the beach. One day they went swimming and evidently had not paid attention to the time, for the tide, unnoticed by them, had begun to recede. Mary's sister had gone back into the water for one more swim, after all the other bathers had left. Now to her dismay she was being borne out to sea by the power of the waves.

Mary stood on the shore helplessly watching her sister when she became aware of her plight. She could not swim herself, so she dared not venture into the rolling surf. No one else was near to call on for help. As Mary stood there alone, helpless, and terror-stricken, a verse she had often heard her Christian parents quote flashed into her hard, unbelieving heart: "Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved." Acts 2:21.

Like lightning came the thought, "now I will see if there is a God." In helpless agony of mind, with no one to turn to, she cried aloud, "Lord Jesus Christ! If there is a living God, save my sister."

Almost immediately a great wave came rolling in to the shore, bearing on its crest her beloved sister, washing her up onto the sands almost at her feet. Great was her joy and thankfulness at receiving her sister back safely again, out of the jaws of death.

Her proud spirit was humbled, and she saw herself as a lost sinner in the presence of a living God. To Him she confessed the sinfulness of her infidel thoughts. She then sought and found pardon and peace through believing on the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, who had died for her on the cross.

Oh, unbelieving reader if you only knew the love and grace in the heart of God for you, you would never turn from Him in indifference or fear. Oh, come to Him now in the day of grace and you will find Him a loving, seeking Savior, ready to pardon.

Beware of putting Him off until you meet Him as your Judge at the Great White Throne. There you will find no mercy, no hope, no time for repentance. Now you are as helplessly tossed on the waves of sin as Mary's sister was on the waves of the sea, and none but God can save you. Remember that "Whosoever [that means you] shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved."

"The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe." Proverbs 18:10.

Let Go, and Let God

A little boy had climbed up to the top of a chimney stack. His position was dangerous; a bad fall seemed imminent. Realizing his danger, he cried out to a woman who happened to enter the yard. She ran and placed herself beneath the chimney and called to the child to jump into her arms.

The little child heard her call, and was sure that the woman was able to catch him; but the distance was so great! He held more tightly to the chimney top and feared to let go.

She understood his dilemma and cried to him: "Don't be afraid! Just slide down. I'll catch you."

At last the boy did let go, and fell into the strong, kind arms beneath. He was safe! While being lowered to the ground, he heard his rescuer say: "Why could you not trust me?"

This same woman had been in distress of soul and misery for several weeks. Now she thought: "Isn't this the way that I have been treating the Lord? Hasn't He been pleading with me to drop into His mighty arms? And I, in fear, have been holding onto the stack of my doubts and unbelief. Now I, too, will just let go and take Him at His Word. He says, 'Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.' Lord, I come!" For her the happy effect was peace—immediate and abiding peace—with God.

That is what faith does. It rests on the truth of One who cannot lie, and turns from works, feelings, and efforts of every kind, and confidently rests on what God has said.

Now, dear one, will you not follow her example? You will be in misery forever unless you "let go, and let God."

"The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms." Deuteronomy 33:27.

Just as I am—without one plea,
But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou bidst me come to Thee:
O Lamb of God, I come! I come!

Call His Name Jesus

A converted Indian one day met another Indian of the same tribe. He, too, had previously professed Christianity, but now he was taking part in a snake-dance festival. Asked how it came that he had returned to his old heathen practices again, his answer was brazenly frank: "Because I love my sins!"

The truth is that men are lost because "they love their sins." They cling to them and let their sins drag them down to eternal condemnation.

But "God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." That is why He sent His only begotten— Son Jesus. He came to save His people from their sins.

Friend, are you one of His people? If not, why not? If you are honest, you will have to say, like the Indian: "I love my sins." Yes, and more than that, you do not love God at all, nor His Son whose name was called JESUS, because He came to save us from our sins.

"She shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call His name JESUS: for He shall save His people from their sins." Matthew 1:21.

Is That All?

A soldier in one of the military hospitals was visited by a Christian, who saw that his life was ebbing fast.

"Young man," said he, "you are soon to die; are you saved?"

"No, sir," was the earnest reply; "what shall I do?"

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

"Say that again," the soldier said after a pause. He repeated, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved."

Steadily and earnestly looking at the Christian, the soldier asked, "Is that all?"

"Yes, that is all. I can say nothing more—there is nothing more that is necessary."

Closing his eyes for a few moments, the young fellow at length opened them again, and raising his right hand, exclaimed: "Lord Jesus, I surrender."

Instantly his face lighted up with a smile.

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

Starting to Get Ready to Begin

In his striking poem: "The Common Lot," Harry Bowling says:

"What shall I think when I am called to die?
Shall I not find too soon my life has ended?
While I unheeding watched the years slip by
With little done of all that I intended.
There were so many things I meant to try,
So many ways by which I hoped to win;
Behold, the end approaches, just as I
Was starting to get ready to begin!"

One may not be able to think when death approaches. Disease or accident may render one incapable of thinking. Many of death's victims fail to regain consciousness before leaving this scene. Hence everything of importance should be attended to before that call comes.

It will not do to tell the dark messenger, "I was just starting to get ready to begin to prepare for your call." Death will not refrain from placing his cold hand upon your body because of your unpreparedness.

"Be ye therefore READY!" Luke 12:40.

The Voice of God

"He doth send out His voice, and that a mighty voice." Psalm 68:33.

God spoke in POWER:... "Let there be light,"
And light directly shone!
The voice of God resistless is;
He speaks—and it is done.

God spoke in JUDGMENT:... "Thou shalt die."
Man sinned, and death came in!
A blighted world attests the fact
Of human guilt and sin.

God spoke in MERCY:... "Look to Christ,
Believe in Him and live!"
Thousands receive the precious word:—
'Tis God's delight to give.

And still in perfect LOVE He speaks,
His accents all divine!
O wandering one, the call obey,
And glory shall be thine.

July

This Is It

"Vancouver, this is it! This is it!" These were David Johnston's last known words. Mount St. Helens had erupted with the worst volcanic explosion in American history. Now David was listed among the missing.

As a field volcanologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, David was stationed at a monitoring site along with a National Geographic Society photographer. Their camp was about 5,000 feet up the side of Mount St. Helens and only 7 miles from the center of the blast.

David had told his friends, "I'm sitting on a powder-keg, but nobody knows how long the fuse is." He told his parents, "I'm convinced that it will erupt."To soothe their worries he said, "Oh, the volcano will give a warning before it erupts—enough time to evacuate the danger area." Helicopters were on stand-by at Vancouver, ready to come in to pick him and his fellow-worker up.

But there was no warning! In addition, the explosion occurred on the side of the mountain near the camp instead of at the top! David grabbed his radio and called the Vancouver rescue station. "Vancouver, this is it! This is it!" Only silence followed. Too late! A wall of suffocating heat and gas swept toward the two men. Their camp was wiped out. All the trees were flattened. Their trailer was demolished. The searchers couldn't even find the two men under the layers of ash.

But remember, reader, you too are sitting on "a powder-keg, and no one knows how long the fuse is." God says, "The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up." 2 Pet. 3:10. Doesn't this remind you of that terrible volcanic eruption? Just as certainly as Mount St. Helens blasted itself to pieces, this world is doomed to utter destruction. And it is all because of the sin of man.

Remember, "a thief in the night" gives no warning! David Johnston thought there would be a warning, a chance for escape. But there was no warning, and now he is dead. Don't be like David. "Flee from the wrath to come!" Matt. 3:7.

God has provided a way of escape from the coming judgment. "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. Do not put off the salvation of your never-dying soul! Tomorrow may be too late! Be saved today!

Rescued

On May 18 the most spectacular volcanic, eruption in United States history occurred when Mount St. Helens exploded. Many people lost their lives. More than 20 bodies have already been found, and it is believed that many of the 75 people reported missing are dead. Hundreds fled to safety. Those who did not flee did not live.

Mike Moore had been camping on the mountain with his wife and family. Then the mountain exploded. Could they live? It seemed that either the landslide, or the hot gases, or the floods, or the ash-something surely must destroy them at any instant. Even the roads were destroyed. Mike and his family trudged seven miles through swirling, choking clouds of ash on the Green River Trail. There seemed to be no way of escape. Could no one help?

Then out of the ash clouds came the helicopter. Mike and his wife waved their arms madly and shouted desperately for help. They felt their need!

They must be rescued or perish in the inferno. Down came the helicopter right to where they were. Soon they were carried to safety.

How this reminds us of our plight in our sins! Before we are saved, we are lost, guilty before God, and in danger of eternal punishment in the lake of fire. Reader, do you feel your need? God says, "The wages of sin is death." You need to be saved. Just as that helicopter answered the desperate signal for help, God is prepared to help us escape the terrible punishment for sin. Will you accept God's salvation?

The helicopter came right to where they were. The clouds and the danger had to be endured if the Moores were to be rescued. But how much more the Lord Jesus had to endure for us. "Christ died for our sins." 1 Cor. 15:3. The Lord Jesus came into this world, right where we are, and endured the punishment for sins which we deserved. "He was wounded for our transgressions." Isaiah 53:5. Now He waits for us to accept His offer of salvation. Will you accept it? "The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Rom. 3:23.

Still Unsaved! Why?

Not because you have never heard the gospel. It has reached you many times by book and tract and sermon.

Not because you have no time for these things. For with all the rush of life you still have minutes— even hours—of leisure, and it does not take long to be saved.

Not because salvation is "not for you." Nothing could be more personal than the gospel message, "To you is the word of this salvation sent."

Then why?

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

Survivors?

Mount St. Helens had exploded. Some people had escaped the terrible destruction. Some were now dead. Were there any survivors up on those ash-covered slopes?

Three people were reported to have been staying in a cabin on Meta Lake at the time of the explosion. Were they alive? For days the rescue helicopters crisscrossed the area only a few feet from the ground. But no success! No sign of humans, either dead or alive, could be found. They couldn't even find the cabin, amid the destruction and ash. The uniform layer of ash made everything look the same.

Then they called in Hauser, the German shepherd dog; and he did what the humans couldn't do. The dog sniffed and sniffed. Soon he stopped and dug his nose into the loose ash. The searchers dug into the ash and found a camping site with a tent, but no people. Later Hauser located a mine shaft and the destroyed cabin. Then he found the people, a couple buried in the ash, then another man; but they were victims, not survivors.

Humans could tell what was on the surface, but not underneath. Underneath there was only death and corruption, but it was well-hidden. That's the way each of us is. Underneath the surface we are dead in sin even though it may be well-hidden. Until we are saved, God says we are "dead in trespasses and sins." Eph. 2:1. And that includes each one of us, for God says, "All have sinned." Rom. 3:23.

Other people are often fooled, but God sees into our hearts. He says, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the Lord search the heart." Jer. 17:9, 10. Just as the dog, Hauser, was able to find the dead people under the ash, God is able to show us the deadness, or sinfulness, of our own hearts.

Neither the dog nor the searchers could do one thing to help those poor, dead victims of the eruption. In contrast, God can lift us right out of the deadness of our sins and give us a new life in Christ. "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature." 2 Cor. 5:17. "God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him." 1 John 4:9. "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." Acts 16:31.

What Shall I Do?

Have you tried everything and still failed to find the peace you long for? Have you wept, and prayed, and afflicted yourself in various ways, and still peace seems as far off as ever?

Perhaps you have been told to pray and wait; and so you have prayed and waited until your load has become unbearable, and it seems as if it will crush you. The language of your troubled heart is: "No one could ever feel as I feel."

You are filled with fears by day, and fear to close your eyes in sleep at night, because you are afraid of waking in everlasting separation from God.

You may have wondered why God made you, and have said: "Oh! I wish that I had never been born! There is hope for others, but not for me. I could welcome death; but as it is, I am afraid to live, and I am not prepared to die. Oh! what shall I do?"

But the secret of this long and continuous distress of mind is brought out in the very question, "What shall I do?" If we realized our ruined state by nature, and our complete helplessness to satisfy God, we would cease from our own efforts to obtain peace with God.

"What shall I do?" The same question was asked of the Lord when He was here on earth.

"Then said they (the Jews) unto Him (Christ), What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?" John 6:28.

And now for the answer; and from Christ, Himself, too: "This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him whom He hath sent." John 6:29.

"What shall I do?" Thank God! There is nothing to do, for the work of salvation is all done, so that I can have peace now by simply believing and accepting what Christ has done for me.

Christ on the cross has so fully done the work, and so fully atoned for sins, that there is nothing to do; it is all done.

"To Him give all the prophets witness, that through His name whosoever believeth in Him shall receive remission of sins." Acts 10:43.

A Floating Foundation

Some years ago, near Winnipeg, a huge grain elevator full of grain suddenly settled and listed to an angle of between 25 and 30 degrees. It had been built on what is called a floating foundation; that is, a concrete "mat" was constructed to spread the load over the soil, and the elevator was built upon this. For some time it stood apparently firm, but at last the soil could no longer bear its weight and gave way.

It seemed that the structure would be a total loss, but a contracting firm which made a specialty of difficult undertakings was employed to adjust matters. They succeeded, by means of special equipment, in bringing the bins back into position; not, however, to rest again on a "mat" foundation but on concrete piers sunk to rock fifty feet below the level of the ground.

It would be cause for thankfulness if grain elevators were the only things built on "floating foundations." We meet with people every day who are building not only their present life but their hopes for eternity on something just as unreliable.

The Lord Jesus Christ had something to say about such people. He compared them to a foolish man who built his house upon the sand. It is quite probable that the house was carefully constructed. Perhaps it was also nicely decorated. But there came a time of testing: "The rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it." Matt. 7:27. Then the owner realized that the thing that matters in building is not so much the appearance as the foundation. But he was too late—the storm had done its work.

God speaks in His Word of a time when He will lay judgment " to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place." Isaiah 28:17.

In view of that time, is your foundation one that can be absolutely relied upon? Or are you building upon sand? Your own character is but sand. It matters not how you may attempt to "spread the load" by your good works or by your attempted keeping of God's holy law. God distinctly says that salvation is "not of works" and that "by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified." Eph. 2:9, Rom. 3:20.

There is only ONE FOUNDATION upon which you may safely build—only ONE that will withstand the fury of the coming tempest. God says: "Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation. "Isaiah 28:16. He refers to the Lord Jesus Christ. "Other foundation can no man lay."

Do you know Him as your Savior? This is the thing that matters. Do not rest on church membership. Do not boast of reputation, of citizenship, of "clean living". These can never take the place of a foundation. If you have no more than these, you are at this moment lost, and when the storm breaks you will surely find yourself in the lake of fire forever.

But receive Christ, rest upon Him, and you can calmly face eternity rejoicing with the Psalmist who could say, "He... set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings." Psalm 40:2.

Don't Follow Me!

It has become common to have bumper stickers on cars, especially on the rear end, intended to provoke a laugh from those who read them. There is one, for instance, which says,

DRIVER ASLEEP

PASS QUIETLY

They often bring smiles from passersby. But, as in all jokes, there are often some things which should be taken seriously. We recently noticed a sign on a passing car:

DON'T FOLLOW ME

I'M LOST

No one would think of following a man who was lost himself! However, there are millions of people today of whom it could be said, "They are lost—do not follow them." A man who is lost is one that cannot find his way back, and he is sure to perish unless someone else comes to his rescue.

All of us are passing along life's journey; we entered the world, and it is sure that some day we must leave it. Man came from God's hand; He created him. But man has lost God through sin; He cannot make his own way back to God, and if he dies in that condition, he will die in his sins and remain lost for all eternity.

But God sent His beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, into this world to seek and to save that which was lost. (Luke 19.) He was the Good Shepherd who not only sought the lost sheep, but gave His life for the guilty, hell-deserving sheep. He is the Savior of sinners.

So now, today, no one need remain lost and estranged from God, for He Himself has devised a way to bring sinners back to Himself. All it requires on the sinner's part is to own before God that he is a poor, lost sinner, and that he needs and wants a Savior. God's promise to such is, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." Acts 16:31.

Just admit that you are away from God and that you cannot find your way back to Him—own that you are lost—and believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, His beloved Son, died on the cross and there suffered God's righteous judgment of sin so that you can be saved. Believe that He died for you, and on the authority of God's precious, holy Word you are saved. Then you can say, "Once I was lost, but now I am saved!"

The True Friend

How much we need true friendship in this world! But how little of it is to be found! Friendship needs to be shown most of all in the day of adversity, when the clouds are heavy and there is none to help. How often under such circumstances our hopes are disappointed! How seldom do we meet real sympathy, and real understanding. There is One who exactly meets this great need of humanity; One who is a Friend for adversity; One that "sticketh closer than a brother"—Jesus, the true Friend.

"Doctor, what shall I do?" asked a patient. "My friends are all out of town."

He said, "You may have one Friend who is never away, but is always near and always true. Jesus is the best friend for earth or heaven."

The last words of one great man when he came to die were, after bidding his friends good-by, "Now where is Jesus of Nazareth, my true and never-failing Friend?" And so saying, he fell asleep.

Do you know Jesus as your friend? Make Him your Friend by faith. He will never fail you.

Today, Not Tomorrow

When Dwight L. Moody was holding meetings in Hartford many years ago, he pressed a man one night to accept Christ as his Savior at once. Finally the man replied, "Well, Mr. Moody, I will promise you this. I will attend the meeting tomorrow night, and then I will accept the Lord as my Savior."

That man never reached his home alive. The train on which he traveled ran off a bridge and many were killed. Among them was the man who promised Mr. Moody he would accept Christ the next night.

"That experience," said Mr. Moody, "taught me a lesson: never to let anyone off with a promise, but to seek to show them the peril of even a night's delay."

Tomorrow is the devil's time. Don't trust him; he is a deceiver and the father of lies from the beginning.

Let all beware, for this may be the last appeal from God to you. God longs to save you; Christ died to save you, so why not come to Him now?

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

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

Why Unbelieving

Why unbelieving? why wilt thou spurn
Love that so gently pleads thy return?
Come, ere thy fleeting day
Fades into night away;
Now mercy's call obey;
To Jesus come.

Why not, believing, come to the Lord?
Trust in the Savior, doubt not His word;
Think 'twas for thee He died,
Think of Him crucified;
Now to the Glorified,
To Jesus come.

Why unbelieving: thou canst be blessed,
Jesus will pardon, He'll give thee rest.
Why wilt thou longer wait?
Haste to the open gate,
Come ere it be too late,
To Jesus come.

Why unbelieving? trifle no more;
Death may be near thee, e'en at thy door.
Come with a broken heart,
Come helpless as thou art,
Come choose the better part,
To Jesus come.

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

Unfit for Human Habitation

A Christian living in India wrote us that the flats he lived in had been posted "U.H.H."—Unfit for Human Habitation—and that order was given to "vacate immediately". He added that "moving in this weather, and at such notice, is a fearsome thing!"

We are quoting the above in the belief that it may have a message for some unsaved reader. Paul refers to our bodies as "earthly houses" and Christ tells us that the ominous "U.H.H." is written in large letters upon your house, for He says: "he that believeth not is condemned already." You may not have to move immediately, but there may be only a step between you and death.

Be sure that, whenever the call comes, if you are not ready it will be at an inconvenient moment. It will be even worse than moving house in Bombay during the monsoon!

If, however, you will come to Christ and accept Him as your personal Savior you will be able to smile when you read the letters "U.H.H." With all the redeemed, you will be able to answer the Lord's words, "Surely I come quickly", with "Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!" Rev. 22:20.

"The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin"; if cleansed by that blood, instead of "U.H.H." being inscribed upon your house, it will be "F.H.H."—Fit for Heavenly Habitation.

California College Debate

In a California community college a Christian student was preparing himself for his career. In the same college were a number of students who did not believe the Bible, and they eagerly took every opportunity to make fun of the Word of God.

One of the professors in this school also took part in these discussions and tried to rob the Christian of his faith in God. On one occasion, after severe abuse had been heaped on the Bible and on the student who defended it, the professor suddenly declared: "The only way to settle this matter is for this Christian to write an article in defense of the Bible and its teachings, and I will choose another from the class to present the other side." The professor, of course, was careful to select one whom he thought capable of refuting any argument his opponent would advance.

The date for the contest was set. Both students set to work preparing for the debate. The Christian student sought divine guidance and wisdom from God as he searched the Word of God. The unbelieving student also read the Bible, perhaps more studiously than he had ever thought of doing. In fact, he found himself poring over the Book far into the night as he sought for evidence to prove the Bible untrue and contradictory.

The day of the contest arrived and the classroom was filled to capacity with an expectant crowd. After the usual preliminaries the unbelieving professor called on the Christian to take the floor and present his findings. Calmly, and with humble dependence upon the God of the Bible for his help, he walked to the platform and read his paper, which was composed largely of actual quotations from the Book itself. He made few comments because the scriptures quoted were clear and correctly applied.

The professor now proudly called upon his favorite student to read his paper in refutation of the preceding article. Intense silence gripped the audience as the champion of infidelity walked briskly to the front of the room. He, too, faced his professor and fellow students with unusual calm as he said in substance: "Honored Professor and fellow classmates, I thought it unnecessary to prepare a paper on the issue at hand, and will therefore give you, orally, the result of my investigation. First, let me assure you, I have spent many hours searching through the Bible in a most exhaustive manner for evidence of its untruthfulness. I read the New Testament through three times and the gospel of John sixteen times. I sought diligently for possible contradictions, but found none. The more I read and studied the Book the more I became convinced that it was not of human origin...I seemed to be reading a Book written directly to me and for me. I saw the sin and folly of my life, and I am now a firm believer in the Bible as the Word of God. Not only do I believe the Bible to be the Word of God, but I have accepted Jesus Christ as MY Savior!"

Imagine the electric effect of this young man's confession upon that body of students, as well as upon the professor who had counted so much upon his defense. The audience was thunderstruck! After a painful silence while the professor struggled to regain his composure, the class was quickly dismissed.

Have you, like the college student, read the marvelous gospel of John sixteen times—or even once? Have you, like this young man, discovered your "sin and folly"? God's Word declares, "ALL have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." Rom. 3:23. Since you and I have sinned we need a Savior, and how wonderful to read in this same book that Christ Jesus came into the world to SAVE SINNERS.

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

In Christ

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." 2 Corinthians 5:17.

Oh, dear one, pay attention. Are you safe "in Christ"? Soon He is going to call His own home with a shout. Have you His life-the only kind of life which can answer His shout? He longs to have you with Him in the glory. Be sure you are safe in Him now.

"Safe in Christ, the weakest child
Stands in all God's favor;
All in Christ are reconciled
Through that only Savior."

Eric's Story

"As a boy I was raised in a Christian home. Upon graduation from high school I went on to university. The teachers were atheists, and I was soon following the ways of the world and its beliefs. I came to Canada, an atheist, a drunkard and a gambler.

"One night coming home from the tavern, drunk as usual, I walked through a street meeting. The speaker had the God-given sense not to argue with a drunkard, but slipped a tract into my pocket.

"About noon the next day, awaking from sleep, I went through my pockets for a cigarette to steady my nerves. Instead, I found a tract containing the Word of God which proved to be a healing ointment for a weary and sin-sick soul.

"I read it and knelt down, but did not know how to pray. Finally a verse of Scripture came to me that my aunt taught me as a little boy. It was Isaiah 53:5: 'But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed.'

"I arose from my knees a new creature in Christ Jesus, and today it is my privilege to teach and preach the Lord Jesus Christ everywhere I go."

And Eric has sent many a tract on its way since that night to spread the "good news" of God's love as shown in Christ's death on the cross for us.

What Is a True Christian?

Being a true Christian means far more than living in a Christian land. In Revelation 3:1 we read of those who have a name to live, but are dead. They are mere pretenders. They are counterfeits. They are not genuine. As a bad coin is a worthless imitation of a real one, so those who are Christian in name only are of no value as Christians. They will be judged and banished from God's holy presence at the judgment seat of Christ.

What, then, is a true Christian?

He is cleansed! "The blood of Jesus Christ... cleanseth us from all sin." Having come as a sinner to the Savior, he is made whiter than snow in God's holy sight (Isaiah 1:18).

He is redeemed! "Christ hath redeemed us." He has bought us back from our slavery to sin and brought us to God (Galatians 3:13).

He is enlightened! He was in darkness. He did not know what he was as a sinner. He did not know Christ the Savior. Now he has light and can see clearly (Acts 26:18).

He is sanctified! He is set apart from all his former associations. He no longer belongs to the world. He belongs to Christ, and is called to walk so as to glorify Him (2 Corinthians 6:17, 18).

He is trusting! He confides in Christ, and depends upon Him day by day for needed grace, strength, and wisdom (Hebrews 13:6).

He is accepted! God has put him in Christ's place before His face, and so God's thoughts of him are measured by God's thoughts of Christ (Ephesians 1:3 to 6).

He is made new! "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature." He has been born again—born of God. He now has new desires—different from those he had when unconverted (2 Cor. 5:17).

Are you then a true, born again Christian? If not, you are only a pretender. You need to come to Christ for salvation. Then you will have the joy and peace which belong to the true Christian. You will know that when He comes you will be caught up to meet Him in the air, and be forever with Him in His glory.

"What must I do to be saved?...Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." Acts 16:30, 31.

Which Side of the Cross?

"They crucified Him, and two other with Him, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst." John 19:18.

"So there was a division among the people because of Him." John 7:43.

What a moment in the world's history! The crucified Son of God dividing the malefactors, the one from the other. From that day the cross of Christ separates the inhabitants of the world into two distinct groups.

This world put to death the Son of God. But many, confessing their sin, have found mercy and forgiveness. No one can be neutral. You must either accept or reject the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord.

On which side of the cross are you? You are either on the side of the thief who rejected the Lord Jesus, or on the side of the one who said, "Lord, remember me".

Christ for Me!

A decision has to be made. Self must be set aside with distrust and condemnation; and while the blessed Savior is presented before our souls by the Holy Spirit as the object of our heart's truest confidence, we are led thankfully and joyfully to say, "Christ for me! CHRIST FOR ME!"

?He Paid It All?

Old Jim was nearly deaf and ignorant as well. He had never been to school, never been to church, never heard the gospel of God's grace. Not a very promising subject to preach to, was he? But somehow he heard of the meetings going on in Farmer White's big barn, and one cold afternoon he walked the three miles from his own house to see for himself what was happening.

At time for the meeting to begin, the preacher said to the old man: "You shall sit near the platform, and if you can't hear me, raise your hand and I'll speak louder."

The meeting began, and soon the hand was uplifted while the old man exclaimed, "You can go on, sir; I can hear every word you say!"

The speaker thanked him but saw that, though he heard, he was not taking in what he said, so he broke off the subject of his talk and gave this simple illustration to make it clear: "Suppose that an old man in this place owes $100.00 to a storekeeper and cannot pay it; he is to be sent to prison for the debt, but the owner of this barn does not want the man to go to jail and he says to the storekeeper, 'If you will let him off, I will pay half of it.' No,' says the storekeeper, 'I must have it all.' Well,' says the farmer, 'I will give you $60.00 to let him off."No, I must have the $100.00 or he must go to jail.' I'll give you $80.00. "No, I must have $100.00 or nothing.' Then I'll pay you $99.00 if you let him off."'

"He'll take that," shouted the old man, "or he ought to go without!"

'No,' says the man, 'I'll take nothing less than $100.00. "Very well then, I'll pay the $100.00,' and down goes the money, paid in full. Now how much does he owe?"

"Nothin'," exclaimed the old man excitedly.

"Just so," said the preacher. "Now listen to me. Our sins are our debts. Jesus knew we could not pay them, so He came from heaven to earth and died on the cross, so that our sins might be forgiven. Now the sinner who believes on Jesus is free. All He wants from us in return is for us to accept what He did and to thank Him for it, and when we die we shall go to live with Him who has redeemed us with His own blood, and borne our sins in His own body on the tree."

The meeting ended, and the old man exclaimed joyfully, "I don't care if I don't get home till morning, I'm so happy. The man said He paid it all. I never heard it afore, but I'm glad I came over tonight. The man said He paid it all!"

This was all he knew, but it was enough. Through the very narrow chink in his mind that seed had found a way, and it brought forth fruit to life eternal. He grasped it, and would not let it go. The old man lived for several years after that and testified to the reality of his conversion to God. He has now "gone home", having lived and died peacefully and happily. His last words were: "He paid it all."

"The entrance of Thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple." Psalm 119:130.

Why Read the Bible

A small boy one day took the Bible from the table in his home and asked, "Is this God's Book, Mother?"

"Certainly it is," was her reply.

"Well," continued the boy, "don't you think we might as well send it back to God? We don't use it here, do we?"

We may smile at this, but it reveals a sad lack of reading the Bible. We need to read it because it is the "Book of Life".

"Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." Matt. 4:4. When we try to "live by bread alone," we feed the body but starve the soul.

A short time ago a man died of starvation, and after his death it was discovered that he had $838,000. on deposit in local banks. He never referred to his money, even when physicians were seeking to check the ravages of malnutrition. He let his body starve with plenty on hand to feed him. Maybe you, my reader, are letting your soul starve, although the Word of God is at hand to provide you with life-giving spiritual food.

John Quincy Adams, sixth president of the United States, said, "For years I have read my Bible through once a year. I read it every morning, as the very best way to begin the day."

Perhaps you think you haven't time to read the Bible every day. A man once made this excuse to D. L. Moody. He answered: "My friend, if you are too busy to read the Bible every day you are busier than Almighty God ever intended any human being should be, and you had better let some things go and take time to read the Bible."

"With almost every kind of machine goes a book of instructions. The Bible is the Book that goes with man. Think of it! Sixteen waking hours every day to travel the highway of life, and no time to read the Guide Book! No wonder so many go astray—no wonder so many "wrecks" are strewn along life's highway!

William Gladstone, England's great prime minister and statesman, often came home from Parliament very late at night. But no matter how late, he arose at 6:30 in the morning and gave the first hour of every day to reading the Word of God and to prayer. He said, "Talk about the questions of the time! There is but one question—how to bring the truths of God's Word...into vital contact with the minds and hearts of all classes of people."

If we neglect to read the Bible, we are missing the best things in life. The Bible is the Book of the heart. Satisfaction in life is found by reading and receiving the Word of Life into our hearts. "The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life." John 6:63.

Woodrow Wilson said, "I am sorry for the men who do not read the Bible every day. I wonder why they deprive themselves of the strength and the pleasure." On another occasion he wrote, "The Bible is the Word of Life. Read it, and find this out for yourself. Read—not only little snatches here and there, but long passages that will really be the road to the heart of it. When you have read the Bible you will have found it the key to your own heart and your own happiness."

Behold, He Cometh!

The Word of God assures us that the Lord will suddenly come and take the world with as great a surprise as the flood in the days of Noah, or the destroying fire of God that fell on Sodom. Men may laugh now, as men laughed then. Scorners may say, "Where is the promise of His coming?" But God is faithful and His Word is true. Every day is a day nearer heaven or hell.

He speaks from heaven, "Behold, I come quickly!" Revelation 22:7. And again in verse 12, "And, behold, I come quickly." And the third time in verse 20, "SURELY I come quickly. "

Dear friend, take God at His word. Christ is coming! How soon no one knows—but, PERHAPS TODAY. Are you ready? Can you say, "Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly"? What about your sins? You cannot bear to meet the Lord with them unpardoned. Oh, bring them at once to the cross. Jesus said, "Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out." John 6:37. None ever sought forgiveness and was denied. "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." Acts 16:31. Awake from that fatal slumber! "He that shall come will come, and will not tarry." Hebrews 10:37. Jesus alone is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Yet There Is Room!?

O blessed gospel sound!
"Yet there is room!"
It tells to all around—
"Yet there is room!"
The guilty may draw near;
Though vile, they need not fear,
With joy they now may hear—
"Yet there is room!"

God's love in Christ we see—
"Yet there is room!"
Greater it could not be—
"Yet there is room!"
His only Son He gave;
He's willing now to save
All who in Him believe—
"Yet there is room!"

"All things are ready, come!"
"Yet there is room!"
Christ everything hath done—
"Yet there is room!"
The work is now complete,
"Before the mercy seat"
A Savior you will meet—
"Yet there is room!"

God's house is filling fast—
"Yet there is room!"
Some guest will be the last—
"Yet there is room!"
Yes! soon salvation's day
From you will pass away,
Then grace no more will say—
"Yet there is room!"

?If a Man Does the Best He Can

"I don't believe in your doctrine," said a sailor to a Christian. "My opinion is that if a man does the best he can, it will be all right with him in the end."

"And is that the only way by which a man can get to heaven?"

"I believe so, and don't you think that it is a good way?"

"Do you expect to get there?"

"Of course I do."

"How many times have you used profane language since you spoke to me?"

"Oh, well, I have got into the habit of swearing, but I mean to give it up."

"And is that the only sin you are guilty of?" "Oh, no; I am not one of those people who pretend to be perfect."

"Then you have not done the best you could. If that is the only way of getting to heaven, you have not the slightest chance of ever being there."

The sailor's mouth was stopped.

But do you expect to be saved by "doing your best"? This is not God's way of salvation. What is the use of saying, "If a man does the best he can," when God's Word emphatically tells us that no one has ever done so? Listen to the voice of God: "They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one." Psalm 14:3.

You know well that you have done what you should not have done many, many times. You "don't pretend to be perfect." But one sin is enough to condemn you! "Whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all." James 2:10.

The "best" that you can do is to admit that you are a helpless, guilty sinner, unable to do a single good deed to merit God's forgiveness. When you see yourself as a sinner, you will be anxious to learn what the Lord Jesus Christ did to save you; when you see that "everything was fully done" by Him, you will stop talking about your "doing" and rest instead on what He has done.

Justified

"Being justified freely by His grace... through faith in His blood." Romans 3:24, 25.

The source of justification is the free and sovereign grace of God, who sent His only begotten Son to be our Savior.

The basis of justification is the precious blood of Christ shed for our sins on the cross.

The means of justification is the believer's faith which believes God and receives Christ as Savior and Lord.

The result of justification is that our faith is reckoned to us as righteousness. God becomes our Defender. "It is God that justifieth." Romans 8:33.

Suppose it's True After All

Two friends were talking on religious topics. They discussed the question of punishment for sin in a future life.

They settled to their own satisfaction that there was none.

They decided that hell was a myth.

They argued that God was a God of love, and could not consign His creatures to eternal punishment.

The conversation dropped. A Christian who had been a silent listener to the discussion said, "Suppose it's true after all?"

The words seemed to cut the air and fall on the ears of the other two with crushing force. The power of God seemed behind them, as it ever is behind the truth. Solemn silence reigned for many minutes. God had spoken.

Suppose it's true after all that God must punish sin? How would you stand before Him? What could you say to Him? How would you fare before the Judge?

Suppose it's true after all that hell is a reality. A skeptic sneeringly asked, "Where is Hell?" The ready and true answer came: "At the end of a Christ-rejecting life!" Let me ask you, what lies at the end of the path you are now treading?

Suppose it's true after all that the Lord Jesus is the only Savior, and His death the only means by which you can be fitted for God's presence. What if you neglect Him? "There is none other name under heaven... whereby we MUST be saved." Acts 4:12.

Suppose it's true after all that the much-despised blood of Jesus is the only thing that can cleanse you from your sins. Has it cleansed you, or are you still in your sins, going on at a frightful pace to a lost eternity? "Ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am He, ye shall die in your sins." John 8:24.

Ah, suppose it's true after all. If it were all untrue, the believer has the best of it in this world, and is no worse off in the next. But if it is true after all, how terrible will be your doom if you die in your sins!

Suppose It Is True After All!

-And it is!-

It Stood the Test

There used to be a battered old safe standing in the window of a store on Broadway, in New York City, which bore the sign: "It stood the test—the contents were all saved."

It had been in one of the hottest fires New York ever saw, but the old safe had carried its treasure safely through it all.

Is there someone who has just tasted in some little measure the Savior's love, and fears that "it will not last"?

Oh, look back at Calvary's cross! It stood the test. That love which stood the hottest fire of judgment, that love which many waters could not quench, that love will never fail.

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

It was tested, tried and true!

God Be Merciful to Me, a Sinner

Mr. Hartt was preaching the gospel in a tent. A man who lived nearby—a man who was known for the wickedness of his life—came to the tent, and at the close of the address he went up to Mr. Hartt and said, "I want to be saved; can you teach me any prayers?"

Mr. Hartt said, "Which would you like, a long one or a short one?"

He said that he had never prayed in his life, and he had better have a short one.

Mr. Hartt quoted the prayer in Luke 18:11-12 which the Pharisee prayed: "God, I thank Thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess."

The man shook his head. "That would not do for me."

"Well, then, what about the next one? 'God be merciful to me a sinner."'

"Ah," he said, "that is just the prayer I want!"

He came back to the tent the next day a saved and happy man. He simply took his place before God as a sinner, and found it true that "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners." 1 Timothy 1:15.

Satan’s Clock

Satan's clock is always wrong—it is either too fast or too slow. He tells the deluded soul it is too late; he is too big a sinner; he has sinned away the day of grace—his clock is too fast.

Or he tells the procrastinator to be saved, but not just yet. It is too soon, he must have a good time first. After all, he is only young, and must see life. He is in business and business must be seen to. Oh yes, he must be saved, but everything in its own time. A little later will do—his clock is too slow.

An American missionary, Dr. Eddy, had been holding a series of special evangelistic meetings in China, and at one of the closing services three eminent statesmen, Sun Yat Sen, Wu Ting Fang and Admiral Chen, were present. The audience was obviously moved by the gospel appeal, and Admiral Chen indicated his desire to accept Christ. As he prepared to do so, his colleague, Wu Ting Fang, whispered in his ear, saying: "Why not wait until tomorrow?"

Unable to persuade him to decide then, Dr. Eddy asked the admiral when he could see him to talk again of these things. "Oh!" said Admiral Chen, "call and see me at eleven in the morning."

But as he was leaving the building an assassin shot him and he was fatally wounded. At eleven in the morning, at the very hour when he proposed to make the great decision, his funeral service was being concluded.

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

Have you accepted Christ as your Savior? If not, will you do so NOW?

Enemy in the Everglades

The Manchineel-tree has truly been called the "Enemy in the Everglades." It is probably the most poisonous tree in North America. Its average height is about twenty feet; however, individual specimens may reach fifty or sixty feet. The tree grows extensively throughout the Caribbean, with its northern limits in Everglades National Park, Florida.

The tree is poisonous throughout. Leaves, bark, milky sap and crab-apple fruit are all savagely poisonous. Dr. W. M. Lauter, a University of Florida pharmaceutical chemist, used to scoff at the Manchineel's grisly reputation, but found that it was all too true. His first experience was with a 50 foot tall, wide-branched specimen on its home grounds in the vast, swampy Florida Everglades. The first blow was delivered at long range; water dripping from a branch fell on Lauter's ear and immediately raised excruciating blisters.

The chemist then protected himself with rubber gloves to examine the fruit—and had an even worse experience. A pinhole in the rubber allowed a little juice of the fruit to come into contact with his arm, and his whole arm became paralyzed and was covered for days with ulcers.

It is even said that the Indians used to drop Manchineel apples down the Spaniards' wells to poison them. Even to take shelter under one during a rain shower can be a fatal mistake. The tree is poisonous throughout!

This reminds us of the description in Romans 3:10-18 of what man is by nature: "There is none righteous, no, not one: there is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulcher; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: their feet are swift to shed blood: destruction and misery are in their ways: and the way of peace they have not known: there is no fear of God before their eyes."

We have often heard it said: "There is some good in everybody." That is only true according to man's standard. In the presence of God there is none who can rightly be called good. We are all sinners before God—sinners who need a Savior. It is not only a matter of having sinned a little now and then, but of being totally unfit for God's presence.

The Manchineel tree is surely a tree fit for destruction if there ever was one. A man in his right mind would not want it on his property. Listen to these words from Matthew 3:10. "And now also the ax is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire." John the Baptist, who spoke these words, was not concerned with literal trees but with those who came to listen to him and to be baptized by him. The cutting down speaks of being removed from the earth; and casting into the fire speaks of being cast in the lake of fire forever.

Unless we know Christ as our personal Savior, we are not only incapable of bearing fruit for God, but are actually enemies of God. Although "Enemy in the Everglades" cannot be made good, while we were enemies Christ died for us. Yes, Christ died for us so that we might be reconciled to God. Have you been reconciled? If not, you are still His enemy. What a dreadful position to be in! Don't let another day pass before you come to the Lord as a sinner and receive Him as your own Savior. Then, and not until then, can you bear fruit for God.

We are all incurably bad by nature; we all need to be made new creatures in Christ Jesus. Only God Himself knows how bad we are, and only He can meet our desperate need. This He has done in the person of His Son, who bore our sins in His own body on the tree (the cross of Calvary). Will you not believe in a Savior who has loved you so much that He died in order to save your soul?

To be a child of God instead of an "enemy"—what a marvelous change! Trust Him now, and be happy and fruitful for God for time and eternity.

The Lord of Lords

There is joy in my heart to think that the One who came down from the glory to save poor lost souls of men—the One who had nothing here but a borrowed cradle, a cross built for a robber, and another man's tomb—I say, there is joy that very soon God is going to make all men bow the knee to Him for He is King of kings and Lord of lords.

Those who have received Jesus as Savior shall share in His glory and joy. Their hearts will be full of gladness, because it is the day of the exaltation of the Son of God.

The Plague of Grasshoppers

Whatever was the meaning of such a declaration as that? A Day of Prayer because of some grasshoppers! You wouldn't expect Americans to be beaten by grasshoppers! But then, of course, it depends on how many grasshoppers there are. When there are so many that farms are ruined by them, the situation is serious.

In 1873 in Minnesota many farms were ruined by grasshoppers.

In 1874 there were a thousand times as many grasshoppers—and, as they passed on, they left in their wake a desolate trail of trees, gardens, and fields which had been stripped bare of everything edible.

In 1875 the grasshoppers laid waste thirty-two counties.

And in 1876 the state government of Minnesota had to feed and clothe six thousand people who had been ruined by the plague of grasshoppers.

So, you see, the grasshoppers were more than a match for the people. Of course, conferences were called, consultations were held, speeches were made, and armies of experts scratched their heads, but no one could discover how to get rid of the grasshoppers. Strangely enough, for a long time no one seemed to think of the most obvious way: they all forgot about those plagues in Egypt so long ago, and about the God who sent them and was able to take them away. So many of these people didn't believe in miracles.

Now look at the timetable.

April 26th. Day of Prayer.

April 27th. The next day was a very hot day, in fact so hot that young grasshoppers hatched out in millions. There were enough of the insects to destroy the crops of half-a-dozen states. To natural eyes there was not much sign of a miracle yet.

Then came a day or two more of warm weather. Was prayer of any use?

Then, when the grasshoppers were really flourishing, came a sharp frost which killed the lot!

And that was a miracle! If the frost had come earlier, the grasshoppers would have been unaffected. And, if it had been much later, it would not have hurt them. What the experts could not do in four years, God did within a week in answer to the people's prayers. An area as big as England was cleared of the plague in one master stroke.

Dear ones, He is able in one moment to save you, too, from the load of your sins. The sins which have ruined your life will condemn you to a lost eternity, unless you call upon the Savior who died to put your sins away.

Yes, God answers prayer. "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." Romans 10:13.

We See Jesus

Lower than the angels,
The Lord of glory see,
From on high descending,
In love for you and me.
Higher than the angels,
In heights of glory see,
The Lord ascend to heaven,
In glorious majesty.

Contemplate the Savior,
Passing angels by,
Lovingly to seek us—
On Calvary's cross to die.

See Him passing angels;
Far above them there,
In that place of glory
He means with us to share.

LOWER, HIGHER, view Him,
Thy lowly `'Savior see;
Then in heaven’s glory
To Him we'll bow the knee.

E. J. C.

My Eyes

My eyes are priceless! They are marvelous examples of a delicate and intricate mechanism. They are constant reminders of the Creator's wisdom and power. Through them I look out upon the world in which I live.

My eyes have been fair to me under the most exacting conditions. They have stood the test time and again. I use them constantly from waking until bedtime. In all that I have attempted, my eyes have had their part.

My eyes have enabled me to enjoy the work of artists, authors and poets. My eyes have beheld the wonders of God's creation: the birds, flowers, trees, seas, mountains, and plains.

My eyes have seen my loved ones: parents, sisters, relatives and friends. My eyes have looked on multitudes of people, among whom were some of earth's notables.

But the most marvelous sight of all is yet future! For my eyes shall one day behold the Lord Himself. The unfailing Word of God says: "Behold, He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see Him." Revelation 1:7. The eyes of those who believed upon Him here, shall behold Him as Savior. Yes, my eyes shall "behold the King in His beauty." They shall behold the One "Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree." 1 Peter 2:24.

But, the eyes of the unbelievers shall see Him as JUDGE. To meet Him as JUDGE will mean to perish; for as JUDGE He will have to say, "Depart from Me." "Ye will not come to Me, that ye might have life." John 5:40.

The greatest of all sights awaits my eyes! "We know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for WE SHALL SEE HIM AS HE IS." 1 John 3:2.

"Face to face, Oh blissful moment!
Face to face—to see and know.
Face to face with my Redeemer,
Jesus Christ, who loves me so."

Will He as Savior beam upon you in inexpressible love, or will He as JUDGE pronounce the sentence of eternal doom?

Three things YOU WILL DO:

1. Every eye shall see Christ (Rev. 1:7).

2. Every knee shall bow to Christ (Phil. 2:10).

3. Every tongue shall "confess that Jesus Christ is LORD, to the glory of God the Father!' (Phil. 2:11).

Make HIM your Savior and Friend, NOW.

In the Twinkling of an Eye

What a night that was, never to be forgotten, when these solemn words took firm hold of my soul, "In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye." 1 Corinthians 15:52.

My thoughts were engaged, not with the preacher, but with the solemn truth he spoke, "The Lord Jesus Christ is coming back, and He will come in the twinkling of an eye! "I can thank God now, for disturbing the complacency in which I rested.

The Holy Spirit applied the Word of God in power to my soul, and I began to realize the awfulness of my unconverted, unprepared condition. In my distress I cried to Him, and before long I was able to rejoice in Christ as my Savior and Deliverer from "the wrath to come."

How is it with you? Are you ready for His coming? Perhaps you have Christian friends as I had. What a terrible thing if the Lord were to come this day and take them to glory, but leave you behind! Remember, it will be "in the twinkling of an eye."

These words are true! He is coming sooner than you think. "And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed." Romans 13:11. And, "The day is at hand." Romans 13:12.

There will be no time to prepare then. If you are not ready, you will be left behind to undergo the awful judgments that shall fall upon the earth, when He shall return with His saints.

Do not turn a deaf ear. The Lord is at hand! He will come "in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye."

What Are You Waiting for?

"Behold, NOW is the accepted time; behold, NOW is the day of SALVATION."

2 Corinthians 6:2.

"HOW long halt ye between two opinions?"

1 Kings 18:21.

I'm sure you mean to be a real Christian some day. But when is this to be? Are you waiting UNTIL YOU ARE SICK? Surely you will not tell me that is a convenient season. When your body is racked with pain; when your mind is distracted with all kinds of anxious thoughts; when calm reflection is almost impossible. Is this a time for beginning the mighty work of acquaintance with God? Certainly not.

Are you waiting UNTIL YOU HAVE LEISURE? And when do you expect to have more time than you have now? Every year you live seems shorter than the last. You find more to do, and less power and opportunity to do it. And after all you know not whether you may live to see another year. Boast not yourself of tomorrow—now is the time.

Are you waiting UNTIL YOU ARE OLD? Surely you have not considered what you say. Will you receive Christ and serve God when your body is worn out, and your hands unfit to work? You will go to Him when your mind is weak and your memory failing. You will give up the world when you cannot keep it. Is this your plan? If so, it is an insult to God.

Are you waiting UNTIL YOUR HEART IS PERFECTLY FIT AND READY? That will never be. It will always be corrupt and sinful—a bubbling fountain, full of evil. You will never make it like a pure white sheet of paper, that you can take to Jesus Christ, and say, "Here I am Lord, ready to have Thy law written on my heart." Do not delay. Begin as you are.

Be honest; confess the truth. You have NO GOOD REASON for waiting. Do not delay any longer. Receive Christ as your Savior today. You may never have another chance.

"Seek ye the Lord while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near." Isaiah 55:6.

Peace

Someone has said that we take twenty-five to thirty thousand breaths in a day. That may be true or it may not be; I cannot say. But of one thing I am certain: there is a time when we shall take our last breath. Happy is the man who can say as General Taylor, one of the heroes of Waterloo, said as he passed away:

In peace let me resign my breath,
And Thy salvation see;
My sins deserve eternal death,
But Jesus died for me.

Whosoever

Two men walking in a park were talking about conversion. One said he could not see that "whosoever" meant him. He was anxious about his soul, yet unable to rest upon God's Word. Its very simplicity baffled him. He would, if he had uttered his real thoughts, have said: "But surely I need something besides that."

Presently, in their walk, they came to a board with the following words on it: CAUTION! Whosoever is found trespassing on these flower beds will be prosecuted.

The Christian friend said to the other, "You may go and trample on those beds, and do what you like."

"Oh no, I may not; don't you see the notice?"

"Oh yes, I see the notice; but you just said that you did not see that 'whosoever' meant you. I cannot go; but you, you can go."

"Ah, I see it now," was the reply. "'Whosoever' does mean me. 'Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.' It does mean me, and is a free, open invitation to everyone to come to Christ."

"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.

Are You Going Right?

"Oh, I don't think it matters what a fellow believes so long as he is sincere in it." Such an idea is often expressed when the question of faith in Christ is raised.

There can be no faith without sincerity, of course, but surely what you believe is at least as important as how you believe! Let us test the above expression with a very ordinary occurrence. A young airman was going on leave. He had reached the station nearest his home and rose to leave the train. He opened the door and, with a last over-the-shoulder joke to his companions, stepped into the night—as he thought on to the platform. His second step was on to—NOTHING!

With a startled cry and a wild effort to save himself, he plunged through space and landed twenty feet below on a hard road, alive but badly hurt. What had happened was that just beyond the platform was a bridge over the road and, not noticing that the long train had overrun the platform, our friend had stepped out on to the parapet of this bridge.

He knew the station well, and he thought he was all right. BUT HIS SINCERITY DID NOT SAVE HIM.

And so it is with the great question of your eternal salvation. We are not left in the dark to form our own opinions. The Bible—God's message to lost man—tells us the way.

Jesus Christ is the way to God—not your opinions, or your prayers, or your good deeds or your sincerity. He Himself said, "No man cometh unto the Father but by Me." If you feel that things are

not right between you and God, and you wish they were, the way to settle the question is simply to accept the Lord Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. There was a time when the apostle Thomas said, "I will not believe", but when he found himself face to face with Jesus He just owned Him with adoring worship as "My Lord and my God."

An Arab Legend

An Arab legend tells that a Yemenite chief named Akrimah, and his followers, were passing a cairn in which the body of the great Hatim lay.

Akrimah said to his companions, "Men report that Hatim, when alive, never sent a guest away empty. Now here we are at his tomb: our provisions have run short, and there is no village near: let us see whether after death he will do anything for us."

So he called a halt and cried, "O Hatim, here we stand at your door—I, Akrimah of Yemen, and my followers—all of us hungry and weary; what can you do for us?"

Of course there was no response. Hatim was dead. He could help no one. Death had laid him low and robbed him of all he had possessed.

Mohammed and Buddha and Confucius, like Hatim, are dead. They cannot succor, or sympathize, or save. They could not save themselves from the grim power of death. How then can they help others if they could not help themselves?

But Christ has conquered death. His tomb is vacant. The power of the grave has been broken. Christ is the Victor, and He has won the victory for us. He has risen, and we shall rise. Indeed so overcome is the power of death that we shall not all sleep—we shall not all die. At His coming, the dead in Christ will be raised and the living in Christ will be changed.

We have not a dead Hatim as chieftain, upon whom it is in vain to call. We have a living Christ as the Captain of our salvation, and upon Him we can never call in vain. He hears and He answers His own.

And still it is true, "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." Romans 10:13. And, "Call ye upon Him while He is near." Isaiah 55:6.

Romans 10:9, 10

"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." Romans 10:9.

I have quite a few friends who are deaf mutes. They are not able to confess the Lord Jesus with their mouths, but do you know what they do? They take their hand and form the letter "L" in their own sign language and raise it lovingly toward heaven. That is the way they say LORD. They point to the palms of their hands (where the nail prints were in His hands) while reverently bowing their heads: JESUS—LORD JESUS.

But—there are men and women, boys and girls, to whom God has given the ability to speak and they have never opened their lips to confess the Lord Jesus as Savior. If at this moment the Lord Jesus stood before you with that wondrous offer of eternal pardon and a home in the glory, and waited for your answer, what would it be? Would you hang your head in complete silence? Would you shake your head and send Him away?

You will hear His voice some day. If you stop your ears and refuse to hear Him now, as He pleads with you to accept Him as your Savior, you will hear His voice in a coming day pronouncing judgment on every one who has rejected Christ.

"For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." Romans 10:10.

The Plaster Pie

A man was walking down Fleet Street in London and saw in the window of a fine restaurant what he thought to be a pie. He was hungry and tired, and the temptation was great. Should he break the glass and take it? He would and he did. But to his unspeakable disgust he found he had stolen an imitation pie—a dish filled with plaster!

What a parable lies hidden in the incident! So many people are weary and hungry and eager to try anything that may appease their inward cravings, only to find them as unsatisfying as a plaster pie.

Do you try to stifle the hunger in your soul by pleasures or strong drink—or even by good works? Be assured they are merely plaster pies. They look like something they aren't.

Now I would like to tell you of something that does really satisfy a hungry soul. Rather, I should say I can tell you of some One. His Name is Jesus. He has love to offer; He has eternal life to offer; and He has pleasures forevermore in store for those who put their trust in Him.

Many people have no real idea of the value of what God offers them. Some actually think it would spoil their life and make them miserable if they were to accept Jesus Christ as Savior. At the same time they have exaggerated notions about the power of worldly things to satisfy.

Let me urge you to go in for that which is of real value. Christ is real; His death is real; the power of His blood to cleanse all your sins away is real; His salvation is real.

The Day of Judgment is coming and then things will be seen in their true value. If you go on unsaved, careless, unready to meet God, you will never forgive yourself for:

(1) Having neglected that which is of true worth, and

(2) Having been altogether taken up with things of no value.

Seriously ask yourself this question: What is the true value of the things which absorb your time and thought? Are you trying to satisfy your soul with a plaster pie?

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

"O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in Him." Psalm 34:8.

Room for Jesus

Have you any room for Jesus,
He who bore the load of sin?
As He knocks and asks admission,
Sinner, will you let Him in?

Room for pleasure, room for business,
But for Christ the Crucified,
Not a place that He can enter,
In the heart for which He died.

Have you any time for Jesus,
As in grace He calls again?
Oh, "Today" is "time accepted,"
Tomorrow you may call in vain.

Room and time now give to Jesus,
Soon will pass God's day of grace;
Soon thy heart left cold and silent,
And the Savior's pleading cease.

Wanted! "A Man

"We want a man"—is the cry of the world,
"A man who can put things right;
For everything's wrong, and we're all astray,
The outlook is dark as night."

Men have dreamed of peace, and a golden age,
To which they thought they were bound;
But hopes are blighted, disturbance is rife,
And war, not peace, they have found.

Ah! World, you've discovered at last what you need,
But where in distress will you turn?
You verily stand in need of a MAN,
Though the reason you cannot discern.

Go back in history two thousand years,
When you made that awful choice,
And rejected "The Man" who had come to save,
With one unanimous voice.

Two men were presented to you that day,
Barabbas, and Jesus, God's Son;
"Shall it be Barabbas, or Christ" was asked,
And you chose the lawless one.

Christ is "THE MAN," the coming Man,
To Whom each knee shall bow;
Earth's rightful King, the sovereign Lord,
Though scorned and hated now!

Man of the world, would you be blest?
Then let Christ be your trust;
You need Him! He alone can save!
And bow to Him you MUST.

Confess Him! lest His anger burn,
Escape His wrath none can;
Believe on Him, God's glorious Son,
The exalted coming MAN.

On the Sand

On the east coast of Florida, a few miles from a famous resort, there stands on the shore a good-sized house surrounded by strong concrete walls.

Here you may see 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 cracks and fissures in the walls. The floors in some parts are sunk in or gone. "Ruin" is stamped upon the whole scene. What has caused this ruin? Just one fault—it was built upon the sand.

"And every one that heareth these sayings of Mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: and the rain descended... and great was the fall of it." Matthew 7:26, 27.

Yes, there lived not long ago 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 superstructure when the foundation rested upon shifting, sinking 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 Corinthians 3:11. If you are resting on anything short of that—on your good works, faith, or prayers—when that storm breaks upon you, 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 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."

God Was There the Whole Time

On the morning of May 18 Mount St. Helens suddenly exploded in a tremendous volcanic eruption. About one mile west of the base of the mountain, young David Crockett photographed the almost unbelievable sights.

Suddenly, David glanced up and saw a thirty foot high wall of mud, ash and debris cascading down toward him like a tidal wave. "I didn't stop to think how far away it was. I jumped into the car and floored it," he recalled.

He raced down a gravel road on the valley floor, catching nightmarish glimpses in the rear view mirror of what was following him. Finally, he veered off on a logging road.

"Just as I got down toward the bottom of the valley, the road didn't just wash out. It exploded! All of a sudden it was gone."

Unable to drive any further, he left the car and waded on through waist-deep hot mud and ash. Twice the air around him turned pitch black and he had to stop momentarily until he could see again. Finally he made it to a small hill where he spent the day waiting to be rescued.

"I really felt God was there the whole time. That's the only way I made it," David said from his hospital room. "The whole valley was gone. Absolutely gone." And God surely had preserved David from almost certain death. Many others did not escape.

But there is a much greater danger for each one of us than a thirty foot tidal wave of mud. "The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up." 2 Peter 3:10.

Will you be delivered from that destruction? It can only be if you accept the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior. He loves you and wants to deliver you from the wrath to come. "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." Acts 16:31.

Get Ready Now

A young man in college went to a professor, known to be a Christian, to ask him a question on something that had been bothering him. Upon coming, into his presence he' asked the teacher: "How long before death should one prepare for eternity?" The professor's answer was: "A few minutes."

The young man was glad to hear this reply, as he was determined to "have his fling", "sow his wild oats", and "see life" in all its aspects. Then, a few moments before death should close his selfish eyes, he would ask God to have mercy upon him!

"But," asked the professor, "when are you going to die?"

He had to reply: "I cannot tell."

"Then," said the wise professor, "GET READY NOW, for you may have only a few moments to live."

Many persons would like to be saved, but they say they are waiting God's time. Surely God knows the best and proper time for a man to be saved. He says it is NOW.

There is no promise in God's Word that a man can be saved next week, or next month, or next year, or when he comes to his deathbed, or at the eleventh hour, as some people foolishly and unscripturally say.

God would not say "NOW" so frequently in His Word if He did not mean it, or if there were not awful danger in delaying, or if tomorrow would do. It may be now or never for you. God grant that it may be NOW.

"Salvation now, this moment;
Then why, oh, why delay?
You may not see tomorrow!
NOW is salvation's day."

TIME IS SHORT. "Acquaint NOW thyself with Him, and be at peace." Job 22:21.

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

Appointments

The last chain clanked into place as Mike secured the load in the trailer of his big over-the-road freightliner. He slammed the doors, checked his "hazardous materials" signs, and mopped his sweat-drenched brow. Joe, his driving buddy, ambled from the company office with the papers on the cargo.

All things in order and on their way to their distant destination, Joe remarked, "We'll sign out over at the motel in a jiff and be out a this burg by—".

"Not so fast there, buddy!" interrupted Mike. "Remember, I've a batch of laundry to dry first. Can't afford to leave all my shirts behind. Aw c'mon! It won't take that long!"

Some time later, Joe sauntered into the hot and humid Laundromat. He had been pacing outside in the coolness while Mike waited for his clothes to dry. Across the room Mike called, "Ten minutes more— only ten. It's a promise."

Like an explosion, at that instant a horrendous crash shattered the air.

White-faced, the young men thought of their rig safely parked on the wide, wide thoroughfare beyond the access street where they now were. Surely not!

It was. Tortured, twisted, steaming, smoking, the wreckage of an old model, heavy automobile was almost welded into the rear of their rig. Mike's quick eyes swept the scene and he inwardly breathed a prayer of thanks that the "hazardous material" signs seemed undisturbed. Immediately he called the Fire Department and the Police, and within minutes screaming sirens heralded the arrival of the city's emergency equipment.

Quickly they extricated the driver, only to find that it was too late. He had been killed instantly. His passenger was rushed to the hospital, but to be declared, "Dead on Arrival."

The street was extra wide, traffic very light. There seemed no reason that the horrible drama should have happened. There were no signs that they had even tried to stop the car, speeding in excess of sixty-five. Why? Only God knows.

Heartsick, Mike and Joe sat on the curb after the wreckage had been hauled away. Joe kept saying, "Ten minutes, man! Only ten, and we'd have been gone! Why?"

At last Mike rose heavily to his feet. "Come on, we've a report to make. Then we'll have to pull that load back until we can get the cracked axle repaired. Can't be changed now. What's done is done. You might say that those two had an appointment with death. Now—let's get trucking'."

Appointment with death! It's an appointment that you too must meet. And there is another, far more serious. "It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment." Hebrews 9:27. The Judge for that occasion has already been appointed, "because He (God) hath appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world in righteousness by that Man whom He hath ordained; whereof He hath given assurance unto all men, in that He hath raised Him from the dead." Acts 17:31. Who but Jesus was raised from the dead? Why not make His acquaintance now? What story on earth can compare—that the Judge should die for the condemned? Yet that is what Jesus Christ did on Calvary's cross. "For Christ... hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God." 1 Peter 3:18.

I See It!

"I just can't seem to get hold of it!" Mrs. Barnes wiped the tears from her tanned face. "Oh, I wish I could! I want to be saved!" Brother Rivers, the evangelist, had given a powerful gospel message in the Hill's farmhouse. Mrs. Barnes had been under conviction of sin for some time and her close neighbor, Mrs. Hill, had invited her with the thought that surely this meeting would make salvation clear to her. Bitter disappointment! Earnest blue eyes met Mrs. Hill's as the distraught woman squeezed her hand. "I'll let you know if I ever get it," she whispered.

After prayer for her, the Hill family retired. It would be necessary to get an early start in the morning to meet the 10:00 train in the nearby village.

At breakfast Brother Rivers announced that he felt he had to visit Mrs. Barnes for one more try. A few corners were cut, and 8:30 saw them seated among the dirty dishes in the Barnes' kitchen. Carefully the wonderful message was rehearsed. Almost immediately, the dear woman gasped, "Oh, I see it! God put my sins on Jesus. The work is all done! I've got it now!" and she gave Mrs. Hill a rib-crushing hug.

Not only did that humble farm kitchen ring with joy, but heaven itself echoed with rejoicing. After some joyful, instructive conversation, Mr. Hill pulled out his watch. "You know, folks, that train—."

As Farmer Hill put it later, "I had my foot to the floorboard trying to make that train, only to see her rolling out just as we arrived."

"Well, Brother Hill, better too late for the train than too late for salvation," the evangelist calmly remarked. "Now we'll just lay this matter before the Lord. It may be He will send me a ride into the city."

Off went the well-worn Stetson as Farmer Hill prepared to pray in the car. But already Rivers was outside, about to kneel in the road. Feeling awkward and conspicuous, Hill knelt quickly by his side.

After prayer, the two entered the local bank. "'The preacher is lucky," said the banker. "Joe Stricker, over yonder, is about to go to the city."

"Luck can't be the right word," answered Farmer Hill. "It's no less than a direct answer to prayer."

Go, Chain and All!

One who was anxious about his soul's salvation was talking to a Christian Scotsman. He told him that he had felt bound by a chain, and could not go to God.

"Eh, mon!" said the Scotsman, "why not go, chain and all?"

That was good advice. If the chain of your sins binds you and you cannot break it, bring the chain with you. Cast yourself and your bonds at the feet of the Savior. He can set you free. HE is the Savior!

He does not tell you to save yourself and then come to Him. He calls you to come to Him for the salvation you need. He does not tell you to cleanse yourself from your sins and make yourself fit for His holy eye. He has died that He might cleanse you; and if you come to Him, He will make your sins as white as snow and make you fit for the glory of God.

"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." Isaiah 1:18.

His All-Sufficiency

Art thou hungry? Christ is Bread:
Feed no more on husks instead.
Thirsty? He is Drink indeed,
He can satisfy thy need.
Christ has riches—art thou poor?
Come to Him, and want no more.

The Eleventh Month

How the year is going! Only another month after this and then it will be over. Perhaps Moses felt the same way when he called all the people together on that first day of the month: "It came to pass in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month... that Moses spake unto the children of Israel, according unto all that the LORD had given him in commandment unto them." Deut. 1:3.

For forty years he had been their leader as, guided by God's pillar of cloud, they had wandered up and down the wilderness toward the land which He had promised. Now they were just at the edge of it; only the Jordan remained to be crossed. "Forty years," God had said the Israelites must journey; now the last year was almost ended.

But Moses knew more; he knew that he must die before the children of Israel got into the land; this year would be his last also. So he called the people together to tell them once again all that God had commanded him to let them know. Knowing how soon he must leave them, Moses had only one thing to give them—God's Word. It had been his guide in life; it was what he trusted in death.

There is nothing but the word of God for you or me to trust in either: God's word about ourselves, that we are bad, thoroughly bad, and lost; God's word about Himself—that in spite of our sins He loved us so much that He gave the Lord Jesus to die for those sins, to be punished instead of us.

The same word warns us that the Savior will one day be the Judge of all who refuse to put their trust in Him, for "the Father... hath given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of man." John 5:26, 27.

Now, in this eleventh month, take your Bible—God's Word—read it, believe it, and trust in the Savior while it is still the day of salvation.

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.

1980

What a year it has been! How many upheavals around the world—how much "distress of nations" and how many "wars and rumors of wars." The prophecies of the Bible are being fulfilled around us every day, but we are becoming so accustomed to startling and shocking events that we lose sight of the great events that are so near at hand.

Even in this favored land, with its persistent feeling that "it can't happen here!" can we deny that God's Word has correctly foretold that "in the last days perilous times shall come"? We hear daily more of crime, corruption in high places, riots, unemployment, inflation—are these not perilous times?

Some try to "get away from it all." What could be further removed from the polluted air of the over-crowded cities than a campground high up in Gifford Pinchot National Forest by beautiful Spirit Lake? But on May 18 Mount St. Helens erupted, spreading devastation over 150 square miles. Spirit Lake, campground, visitor center—all were buried under tons of ash and mud.

That same month, in the opposite corner of the country, people were going about their ordinary affairs: driving across the Florida Sunshine'

Skyway to work—to a new job—to a school vacation to join a cruise in the Caribbean—to a reunion with family and friends. Without warning a freighter struck a bridge support, and a quarter of a mile of steel and concrete fell 150 feet into the stormy waters of the Bay. No warning, and—no hope of rescue. Thirty four lives were lost in one crashing disaster.

But surely one can be safe at home? Many did not find it so this year. How many people closed their houses tightly for protection from thieves, only to be listed among the more than 1000 who died of heat exhaustion in the terrible summer of 1980?

With the heat came drought. "Corn crop fair to poor," "grain one third spoiled," "soy beans lost"—all in confirmation of the prophecy that "there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes... all these are the beginning of sorrows." Matt. 24:7, 8.

Is it not time to wake out of sleep, to discard our complacent belief that "it can't happen here," and turn instead to the only source of safety? "Whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe." No one else can guide and keep us through these perilous times, these last days before the Lord shall come again.

The Way Out

It is a fundamental principle in the Word of God that when a man comes out with an honest confession, "I have sinned," he is in for blessing. There was never a broken heart that came to God with an honest confession of sin who did not have those sins forgiven. "He looketh upon men, and if any say, I have sinned, and perverted that which was right, and it profited me not; He will deliver his soul from going into the pit, and his life shall see the light." Job 33:27, 28.

The Warning Sirens

It was June 4 in Grand Island, Nebraska. At the local weather station the radar equipment picked up a nearby tornado even before it touched down. The city's warning sirens were turned on twenty minutes before the huge funnel cloud formations struck the city. During the next few minutes seven different tornadoes tore up 150 square blocks of the city. The destruction was almost unbelievable. House after house was destroyed; roofs were torn off, and at least one large motel was completely ruined.

Four people died, and 166 were hurt during the terrible storms. "The city's tornado sirens were sounded," said city attorney Keith Sinor. "It is likely that people didn't heed them because the city has not had any bad tornadoes that anyone can remember. I suppose people stopped believing the sirens."

How this reminds us of the warnings that God gives us of the coming judgment: "God... hath appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world in righteousness." Acts 17:30, 31.

Some did take the warning. Steve Bennett took his wife and two children to the safest place around, his basement. While they huddled together there, three tornadoes struck the house above them. Steve said, "There was a tremendous roar down the furnace pipes, and then there was a screech when the house was torn apart. It sounded like nails being pulled out of wet wood." His neighbor's house toppled on top of the Bennett's car, but—the Bennett family was in a safe place and escaped without injury.

And there is a safe place for you, too, to escape the righteous judgment of God against sin: "A Man shall be as a hiding place... " Isaiah 32:2. "Whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe." Proverbs 29:25.

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 Timothy 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.

From Student Guru to Gospel Preacher

Yoga, meditation, Eastern religions—Steve was deeply involved with them all. Although still a student himself, he was organizing and teaching classes in meditation and yoga to other college students. Still, there was something missing.

Finally he decided to leave school to give all his time to studying the Eastern writings, as well as going more and more into yoga and "deep meditation." A year later he still had to admit that something was missing. "I realized I still didn't know God personally," he said. "I believed in Him deeply, but I didn't really know Him."

Just then he received a letter from a former classmate, saying, "Jesus is the only Way!" How different this was! Steve spent the whole day praying that, if that were true, God would show him. Even when he went out that evening he stood by the roadside with his thumb out for a ride, praying yet for God to show him if he should turn to Jesus.

A van pulled over. Steve climbed in and was barely seated when the driver turned to him and said, "Have you ever asked Jesus to be your Lord and Savior?"

Steve didn't even hesitate. "No," he answered, "but I'm ready to!" Right then and there he asked the Lord Jesus to come into his heart.

And Steve says now that "the experience has proved the reality—with Him living in my heart, I know He is the Way."

Back to his yoga classes he went and told all his students that, "Mohammed didn't die for our sins; Buddha never got out of the grave, but Jesus is the living Savior who was crucified for us."

No longer is "something missing" in Steve's life. The Lord Jesus has filled that emptiness, and his time is spent in telling others of the One who said: "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me." John 14:6.

Freely, to the Thirsty

How simple, and how encouraging, are these final invitations to the thirsty in the closing pages of God's Word.

"I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely." Revelation 21:6.

"And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." Revelation 22:17.

Freely, for nothing, through no effort of yours, God will give. Freely, you may receive, whosoever you may be, forgiveness of sins, life everlasting and a home in the glory with Him. Oh, accept this wonderful invitation now, before it is forever too late!

It Was for Me

One Lord's Day afternoon a class of young girls were gathering in a little cottage for Bible study. One girl had been memorizing the sweet words of Isaiah 53 and as she was walking along toward the cottage she had been repeating the verses to herself. However, they were to her then only as the "very lovely song of one who had a pleasant voice." She had not apprehended the meaning yet, of "being healed by His stripes."

After prayer, with which the hour of teaching always began, Mary stood up to quote the chapter she had memorized. She said the first four verses, but when she reached the fifth verse: "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,," tears filled her eyes. Before reaching the end of the verse her head sank down, and the fast-falling tears dropped on the open Bible before her, as she sobbed out: "It was for me; it was for me!"

The solemnity of the moment held the teacher silent. As Mary's tears continued to flow freely, the older woman said: "Let us thank Him, dear child, that it was for you." They knelt down, and after the teacher had thanked the Lord for opening the eyes of the dear girl to see Jesus as her substitute, the tears were dried, and in broken tones Mary said; "Lord Jesus, I thank Thee that Thou didst die for me, and that Thou didst take my punishment." Then the sweet calm of conscious "acceptance in the Beloved" stole into the broken heart, and peace with God was sweetly realized.

Have you ever experienced the joy of knowing that He was wounded for your transgressions, that He was bruised for your iniquities? If not, you are outside in the darkness of unbelief and death. Unless you accept the love of a living, loving Savior, and see Him as your sin bearer, there is no peace, no life and no joy for you.

Oh, believe this love that is yearning over you. It is stronger than death, and is as infinite as God Himself.

"Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons (children) of God." 1 John 3:1.

"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's not Dead

I was holding a series of meetings in Aberdeen, Scotland. After dismissing the large audience one night I noticed that I was being followed by a small girl who kept at my heels like a little dog. Finally I turned to her and asked a little sharply: "Lassie, what do you want? Why have you not gone home with the rest of the folk?"

Then for the first time I scanned her a little more carefully, and I was attracted by her face. There were evidences that tears had been running down her cheeks. Her eyes were large and hungry looking, and still filled with tears. She was barefooted, and her clothes were very shabby. When I asked her what she wanted, I fully expected that she wanted money.

"Lassie, what do you want?" I repeated gently. Then the little girl reached up on her tiptoes and whispered in my ear, "I want to be saved." Surprised and startled at the intensity of her words, I drew back. "You want to get saved?" "Aye, sir, I do!"—oh, so pathetically, still in a whisper.

"And why do you want to get saved?"

Again on her tiptoes she reached up and whispered in my ear, "Because I am a sinner."

This was so satisfactory a reason, and by this time the child had so interested me, that I drew her to one side. "How do you know you are a sinner? Who told you so?"

"Because God says so in the Book, and I feel it right here," laying her hand on her breast as the publican did.

"Well," I said, "do you think I can save you?"

Hitherto she had spoken in a whisper, but now, drawing away from me, her words rang out short and clear: "No, no, man, you cannot save me. No man can save a sinner! Only Jesus can save me."

"Yes, my dear, you are quite right. Only Jesus can save. What has He done to save you?"

"Oh, sir, He died for me."

I do not know why I answered as I did. "Then He is dead, is He? How can He save you if He is dead?"

The little thing sprang from me. No whisper now—no timid putting her lips to my ear—but her voice rang out as before: "Man, Jesus is not dead. He died for me, but He is not a dead man—He is God's Son. Man, did you not tell us this very night that God raised Him from the dead? He was dead, but He's not dead now. Oh, man, I want to get saved!" Her voice dropped into the old pathetic tones. "Tell me all about it, and how I can get saved."

I had preached that night from the text: "He was delivered for our offenses, and was raised again for our justification." Here was a little child who had grasped the whole blessed gospel with a clearness that I have often seen among Scottish children. All of them, however poor, have been taught the Scriptures all their lives. She knew that she was a sinner. She knew that only Jesus could save her. He had died, but God had raised Him from the dead, and now He was able to save. I need not say that the little one soon went away saved and happy.

"He is not dead. He died for me; but He is not dead." How often these words have come back to me, presenting as they do a living, loving Savior for every sin-sick soul. Will you not believe on Him, then, as simply and trust Him as fully as did the little Scottish lassie?

"I am He that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death." Revelation 1:18.

A Lost Sheep

There were two men 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."

As they began to walk across the field 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.

Time No Longer

God has told us in His Word that there is a time for every purpose and every work (Eccl. 3:1). He further says that "now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation." 2 Cor. 6:2.

He lingers in patience, beseeching men to repent. He sends warning after warning by the solemn catastrophes and unusual weather conditions we are experiencing. Do not let these warnings pass unheeded. "The Lord is... not willing that any should perish." 2 Peter 3:9.

The day of grace—God's NOW is soon to end. But until that day the message of invitation will go out, saying: "Yet there is room." Luke 14:22. The house is not yet filled; the door is not yet closed. God is still saying "Come".

But even as God has appointed a time for every work He has also "appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world in righteousness by that Man whom He hath ordained." Acts 17:31. Solemn thought! When that day has come, when that hour has struck, there will be "time no longer." Revelation 10:6.

No more delay, no more lingering in grace. No more an open door, no more room. NOW God offers eternal life and forgiveness to "whosoever will" on the ground of the work accomplished on the cross by His own beloved Son whose blood "cleanseth from all sin." THEN it will be too late. NOW is the "accepted time." Then there will be "time no longer."

"Soon that voice will cease its calling;
Now it speaks, and speaks to thee;
Sinner, heed the gracious message,
To the blood for refuge flee!
Take salvation—
Take it now and happy be."

Have You Thought of This

Never to be invited anymore
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! have you 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! have you thought of this?

Into the depths of endless woe
Rejectors 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—
O sinner! have you thought of this?

Echoes of Grace: 1980

Table of Contents

The Coming Year

The Gift, or the Wages

When Should a Sick Man Take Medicine?

By-and-By

Decision for Christ: What Does It Mean?

Reveal Thyself to Me!

The Unlocked Door

You Need the Blood

Peace and Rest

God’s Way

The Remedy: Have You Applied It?

He Knoweth the Way

Are You Waiting?

How Can I Know?

Mighty to Save

Religion, or Christ?

I Don’t Believe It!

Whosoever” Means Me!

Though Your Sins Be As Scarlett

Thoroughly Sincere

The Sergeant’s Mistake

Truth in the Inward Parts

BelievethHath

Only One

“Thou God Seest Me

A Letter

Your Lack

Her Eighteenth Birthday

For Seeking Souls

He Said It!

Are Your Sins Forgiven?

In Thy Youth

A Message of Mercy

Christ, or Self?

This May Be It!

Through the Straight Gate

Out of This Life

He Took My Whipping for Me

Only a Touch!

Mighty to Save

Four Things He Knew

Mother, I Dare Not Pray!

Which? Where?

Trying to Be Good

Far Too Easy a Way

A Small Cause and a Far-Reaching Result

Their Future Is Safe?

Almost

The Red Light

Bed Afire, but He Slept on

Bad NewsGood News

The Barometer

Saved in a Post Office

Great Discoveries

As Good As Many Christians

Salvation a Gift

Thirty Pieces of Silver

Too Proud

God’s Way

Which Is Worse?

Only Believe

Not of Works

My All

The Refuge

Let Go, and Let God

Call His Name Jesus

Is That All?

Starting to Get Ready to Begin

The Voice of God

This Is It

Rescued

Still Unsaved! Why?

Survivors?

What Shall I Do?

A Floating Foundation

Don't Follow Me!

The True Friend

Today, Not Tomorrow