Messages of God's Love: 1961

This is the story of an ambassador. Now the ambassadors we read about in our history books are men living in foreign countries. These men have an important job to do for their King or President, and must be trustworthy in all they do. Our story is about a boy, just eleven years of age, who you will soon agree deserves the title of ambassador—for Jesus Christ.

Robert, the son of a warmhearted Christian merchant, often accompanied his Father on Sunday afternoons giving out gospel tracts to passers-by on the streets of their village. One rainy Sunday afternoon Robert was surprised to learn that his father did not plan to go out with the usual bundle of tracts, so he asked, “Doesn’t God save people when it’s raining?”

His father was startled at this question and replied, “When it is raining hard, my son, there are not many people on the streets,”

Robert insisted, “But there might be one person who doesn’t know the way of salvation.”

“Very true,” replied the father. “You may go by yourself if you wear your rubbers and raincoat, but I am going to stay in out of the rain.”

With this, Robert bounded out of the room, eager to start his mission. The rain which seemed so foreboding to the older man was scarcely noticed by the lad as he departed. In the downpour the streets were nearly deserted, as the father had said, and only occasionally was he able to dispose of a tract. Darkness came on and still the rain continued. Finally, only the last tract remained in his hand, but there wasn’t a person in sight to whom he might give it. What was he to do with this last tract?

“I know,” he thought. “People don’t come to me; I’ll go to them.” With quick steps he approached the nearest house and knocked.

“Who’s there?” came a voice from within. His heart was thumping—half with fright, half with joy. He waited a moment, but as no one opened the door he gathered up his courage and knocked again.

“Who’s knocking?”

He kept it up until the door opened, and there stood an old woman whose distressed features were a sharp contrast to the eager face of the boy on the doorstep. He smiled brightly and said, “Lady, pardon me, but I’ve come especially to bring you the gospel.” He placed the last tract in her hand.

The next Sunday evening the small meeting hall was crowded as usual. The merchant was present, and of course his young son had come along. After the meeting, a few people collected around an old woman whose face seemed to shine with the light of heaven itself.

“Thank God!” she exclaimed. “He sent His little ambassador to help me. Otherwise, last Sunday night in my loneliness, poverty and despair, I would have ended my life. It was pouring rain. I had reached the limit of human suffering — having lost both husband and son—and started to hang myself. Suddenly there was a knock at the door. I waited, hoping that the person would go away, but the knocking continued until I had to open the door. There stood a boy with the face of spring, who gave me a gospel tract. As I read that tract and realized that God had not forsaken me, I could not keep back the tears. The message came to me so plainly.”

“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.

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

“The Son of man came ... to give His life a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45.

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.” John 5:24.

“Here I was, about to perish in a lost eternity, when God who is rich in mercy offered me everlasting life through the work of His blessed Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. I confessed my sins right then and there, and asked His forgiveness. And now I am happy to say I am truly saved.”

The boy softly whispered in his father’s ear, “She’s the one!” Only then did the father know that God had sent his child to find a lost sheep by means of a gospel tract. Robert had been an ambassador from the kingdom of heaven, fulfilling the mission of Him who is “not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” 2 Pet. 3:9.

“Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us:

“WE PRAY YOU IN CHRIST’S STEAD, BE YE RECONCILED TO GOD.” 2 Cor. 5:20.

ML 01/01/1961

"For the Trumpet Shall Sound"

Did you ever read those words in the Bible? They are found in 1 Corinthians 15:52, and they tell us of the time when the Lord Jesus will return and call away all those who have put their trust in Him. The day when the Lord will return is very near, and this should bring joy to every one who is cleansed by His precious blood.

Bill had often heard about the return of the Lord Jesus, and he had often heard those words, “For the trumpet shall sound and the dead shall be raised...” But Bill was not yet saved. It is true that Bill was not what you would call a very bad boy, but then the Bible says, “There is no difference, for all have sinned.” Rom. 3:22, 23. Bill knew that he was a sinner in the sight of God, and he also knew that he had never accepted the Lord Jesus as his Saviour.

One day Bill’s father sent him to the barn to bring back a tool. He found the tool promptly, and was just about at the door when he heard something that made him stand still in terror. It was a loud blast from a trumpet. In a moment, Bill dropped on his knees and cried to the Lord to save him. But at the same moment he felt sure that he was already too late, for he knew that the trumpet would call all the saved ones away in the twinkling of an eye, and he felt sure that he was left behind.

The sound of the trumpet ceased and an awful silence followed. With a fearful heart, Bill rose from his knees and entered the house. To his great relief, his father and mother were still there, and he found that his father had just picked up a big sea shell that had been on their mantle for years. By blowing into the end of this shell, his father had made a loud trumpet blast. He didn’t know what a real effect it had had upon his boy. You will be glad to know that Bill is now happily trusting in the Lord Jesus, and is waiting for the moment when the real sound of the trumpet will he heard.

ML 01/01/1961

Bible Questions for January

The Children’s Class

1. When Jesus was here in this world, did He have a place to lay His head?

2. What did Mary do, as she sat at Jesus’ feet?

3. What did Jesus do with the finger of God?

4. Whom does the Son of man confess before the angels of God?

5. What happened to the

woman who could not lift herself up when Jesus laid His hands upon her?

6. What causes joy in the presence of the angels of God?

7. How does God view those things which are highly esteemed among men?

The Young People’s Class

1. How did Jonathan respond to David after the great victory over the Philistines? 1 Sam. 18,

2. Should there be a similar response in our hearts toward the Lord Jesus when we contemplate His love in providing so great salvation? 1 John 4.

3. In what way did Jonathan pledge himself to David? 1 Sam.

4. What has been given to US at Christians, that we might be partakers of Christ’s divine nature? 2 Pet. 1.

5. How did Jonathan display his love for David? 1 Sam. 18,

6. In what way can we show our love for Christ? John 14.

7. Will our love for Christ be rewarded in a coming day? Jas. 1.

ML 01/01/1961

Bible Talks: Psalms 62-67

Psalms 62. There seems to be an increase of confidence here and the soul is called to wait upon God, for his expectation is from Him. The people are exhorted to trust in Him at all times. It closes with the realization that men of low degree are vanity, or just a breath, and the men of high degree are a lie, or a pretense to something they are not, Thus the men of this world, when laid in the balance, are found to be lighter than a breath.

Psalm 63. The soul is still out of the place of its privileges, and feels it is in a dry and thirsty land, nevertheless it has the desire to seek God early. The remnant had learned by faith to see the glory of God in the sanctuary, and now they desire to see a manifestation of that glory in the land. The soul had also now been able to see that His loving-kindnesses were better than life, and he would praise God for them. Then in the last verse the King is brought in and every one that sweareth by Him shall glory. But those who speak lies shall be stopped by the manifestation of that glory.

Psalm 64. While there is increasing confidence in God and the deliverance which He shall bring about, the righteous feel the increasing power of evil with which they have to do. The enemy whet their tongues like a sword that they may shoot in secret at those who seek to walk in faith. But God shall shoot at them suddenly and they shall be wounded, and all that see them shall flee away. The men shall fear and declare the work of God. The righteous shall be glad in the Lord and trust in Him and all the upright in heart shall glory.

Psalm 65. Zion is still in the hands of those who drove out the faithful remnant, and so for the present them 6 no praise for God in Jerusalem. The remnant feel that iniquities prevail against them. It still is not God’s time for their restoration to their full privileges. Their confidence is that the God of their salvation shall answer thorn, and they look forward to His blessing in the land, that is, the turning of the land to fruitfulness from its former state of barrenness under the judgment of God.

Psalm 66. All the earth is called upon to see the works of God in righteousness, and how terrible were those works to the children of men. All lands are to make a joyful noise unto God. His ways of old are recounted, how He delivered them from Egypt by making a path through the Red Sea. Then they recount how God had passed them through fire; they had been refined as silver, they had been proven. Now they look forward to going into the house of God with burnt offerings. But if iniquity were regarded or held within their hearts, Jehovah would not hear them. The Lord had turned away their prayer.

Psalm 67. God is called upon to show His mercies unto them, that His way may be known upon the earth and His salvation among all nations. There is then the call for all the tribes of Israel to praise Him, and also all the nations. For He will judge the peoples in righteousness, and will guide all the nations who will praise Him. Then the earth would yield her increase. God will bless Israel and all the ends of the earth will fear Him.

ML 01/01/1961

Treading in His Father's Steps

There had been a heavy snowfall, and Farmer Browne had started out to attend to some sheep on his farm. He did not look back, or he would have noticed that his small son had started out too!

After going a little distance, to his surprise he heard a voice behind: “Daddy, I’m treading in all your steps.” And looking round, sure enough there was his little boy planting his tiny feet just where his father’s feet had trodden.

The big strong man turned back, and gathered the child in his arms. But for days afterward those words kept ringing in his ears: “Daddy, I’m treading in all your steps.”

Farmer Browne was by no means a Christian man, for though he had attended church, and had heard the way of salvation through faith in the Saviour’s work on Calvary, yet there had been little response, and for some years God had been left out of his calculations altogether.

But now he began to think seriously. How often had his steps been turned to places where he would not like his little child, as he grew older, to follow! What about his steps on Sunday? They were going along a very different road from by-gone days, when they trod the path to the meeting hall. He thought of his hard-working little wife Peggy, keeping his Sunday dinners hot for him, and how he had been holding her up on the one afternoon of the week when she might have had a rest, while he—yes—he was just wasting his time with pals at the tavern. And his little son’s words came again: “Daddy, I’m treading in all your steps.”

How his conscience smote him! Then what about those races where he had been betting heavily? Again came the words: “Daddy, I’m treading in all your steps.” And once again his conscience smote him. There was no getting away from it—he was under deep conviction.

Suddenly he realized this was the voice of God calling him to repentance and newness of life, and in very real sincerity he turned to Christ, accepted Him as his own Saviour, and receiving forgiveness, he began a new life where all his steps were turned in another direction—now to follow his Lord and Saviour.

After this, as every Sunday came round, Fanner Browne and his happy little wife could be seen wending their way to the old meeting hall, and with them their small son Peter. And as they entered, Peter was always following behind—proudly treading in his father’s steps.

One winter’s day several years later, when the ground was covered with snow, Peter was out with his father, and the latter reminded him of that other winter’s day years ago, when he had called out: “Daddy, I’m treading in all your steps,” as he placed his little feet where his father’s feet had trodden in the snow.

Peter, now fast growing up into manhood, looked admiringly at his father, and said: “I wish all young fellows had a father like mine! I’m proud, Dad, that Pm treading in all your steps.”

Farmer Browne gazed at his son—a fine specimen of youth, fond of healthy sport, and with it all, a bright young Christian and a Sunday school teacher.

Ah! it might have been otherwise, he thought, and he lifted up his heart in thankfulness to God.

“O GIVE THANKS UNTO THE LORD; FOR HE IS GOOD: BECAUSE HIS MERCY ENDURETH Forever.” Ps. 118:1.

ML 01/08/1961

How Clara Came Home

“Hello, Clara! Are you going to Sunday school?”

“No, not today,” the girl answered, running past quickly. Her friend looked after her in surprise, unable to account for Clara’s conduct.

In the meantime, Clara soon left the village behind, and was hurrying along the road which led to the pretty seaside town of Resthaven, “I know Dad and Mom would be cross, but they need never know. Besides, many go hiking on Sunday, why shouldn’t I?”

For all her brave words, Clara was a bit disappointed. Poor girl, she did not realize that in running away from her duty in this way, she was really trying to forget God. But she soon found she could not hide from Him, for her conscience was awake and this was making her unhappy. When she can in sight of the sea, and turned to follow the crowd on the front, she had no pleasure in her outing. Suddenly she heard the words of a hymn from an open-air meeting which was being held down on the sands:

“Whither shall I flee for refuge,

Hiding when storms are near?

Where find a place of safety,

Dwelling without a fear?

Jesus alone can save me,

All of my joys increase;

From every storm He’ll shield me,

Giving my soul sweet peace.”

Clara stood until the hymn was finished, and then she turned to retrace her steps homeward. Even as she did so the words of Psalm 139:7 came to her mind: “Whither shall I go from Thy Spirit? or whither shall I flee from Thy Presence?”

It was a truly repentant little girl, who sobbed out her confession in her mother’s arms that evening. But the tears which they mingled were not altogether of sorrow, but rather of a great, heartfelt joy, for Clara had learned her lesson, and on the sands at Resthaven she had given herself to the Lord Jesus, who alone can save. Clara had tried to take a holiday away from God, but now she had come home.

If you do not want to be saved, dear young friend, then you, too, are really running away from God. You are lost, and on the way to an eternity without the Lord Jesus as your Saviour. He came to “seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10), and that He might give you everlasting life through faith in His precious blood. How wise it is then, to accept Him as our Saviour, for “How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?” Heb. 2:3.

“Seek ye the Lord while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.” Isa. 55:6, 7.

ML 01/08/1961

Converted Bartender

Eddie Thomas was a bartender in an Anderson, Indiana, tavern when he was converted. He attributed the first step to a placard tacked on a telephone pole to advertise some gospel meetings. Directly in front of the tavern where Mr. Thomas was employed was a card reading, “Get right with God.” He said his attention became riveted to the card and its command, so that he could not rest. One day he walked from behind the bar, went to the meeting, and has not been in any tavern since.

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

ML 01/08/1961

The Dam Is Breaking!

All the people in the town of Amsterdam had been warned that the dam in the town would soon be breaking. Flood waters rose higher and higher. Soon the mighty raging waters would force their way over and through the dam.

Several weeks went by. Many families heeded the warning and fled from the town with their possessions. Before long the waters rose to the danger point and kept rising.

Late one afternoon many men ran shouting the message of warning through the town. “Run for your lives! The dam can’t last until morning! Run! Run for your lives!”

Many dwellers retorted, “It has lasted this long and soon the flood waters will go down. There is nothing to be excited about. The dam has stood for fifty years!”

Early the next morning distant warnings could be heard, “Run! Run for your lives; The dam has broken!”

Screams rose all over the town. People were crying for help, but it was too late. The dam had broken. Thousands perished in that flood. They did not heed the warning.

How like those today who put off the salvation of their precious, never-dying souls until it is too late. Millions will be cast into outer darkness because they have rejected Christ. God grant that the reader will not be among those who will spend eternity in hell. Escape to the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation and safety ere He comes for His own and you be left behind for judgment.

“Flee from the wrath to come.” Luke 3:7.

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

ML 01/08/1961

Bible Talks: Psalms 68-70

Psalm 68. This psalm opens with what Moses said in Numbers 10, when Israel were to set forward with the ark in their journeys. “Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered.” Faith now sees that the time is come when the land is to be cleared of these enemies. The righteous are to be glad and rejoice. Then it is cited how God did march through the wilderness before His people and gave them their inheritance. Though Israel had now been in contempt, though they had lain among the pots in wretchedness, yet they were to be in the place of blessing and glory. God’s ways in the deliverance of His people of old are then recounted. They are called upon to ascribe strength unto God. His excellency is over Israel and His strength is not confined to the earth. It is above the clouds.

Psalm 69. In this psalm we have the exercises of the Messiah in connection with His sufferings from the hand of man, and also those of the remnant. While this psalm, as quotations in the New Testament show, takes in His sufferings on the cross, yet they do not take in the atoning sufferings which were from the hand of God, dung those three hours of darkness.

We see that verse 4 is quoted in John 15:25 which refers to His life before the cross. John 2:17 refers back to verse 9. Then verse 21 is quoted in Matthew 27:34 as applying to man’s treatment of Him on the cross. But verse 22 is quoted in Romans 11:9 as applying to the judgment on the guilty nation. Verse 25 is quoted in Acts 1:20 as applying to Judas’ fall in betraying the Lord. It also will apply to those in the future, who will betray the faithful remnant. The psalm closes with faith looking on to the time when God will save Zion and will build again the cities of Judah. This does not, however, refer to the present attempt of the Jews to populate the land, for they have not been passed through the great tribulation in the land (Matthew 24:21), to bring them to the acknowledgment of their guilt in rejecting the Messiah.

Psalm 70. The title of this psalm describes it as a psalm of David to bring to remembrance. And truly the Lord would have His people remember their deliverances. It was at the Passover supper that the Lord instituted the Lord’s supper, the same night in which He was betrayed. Though He was to be forsaken of all His disciples, yet He brought forth the emblems, signifying His death, and asked them to remember it in partaking of them.

“And when the hour was come, He sat down, and the twelve apostles with Him.... And He took bread and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them. saying, This is My body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of Me. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in My blood, which is shed for you.” Luke 22:20. “For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord’s death till He come.” 1 Cor. 11:26.

David in this psalm gives the deep exercises which he passed through, which led Him to cry out as he did. The psalm mentions those who cried out at his sufferings, Aha, Aha. There were those at the cross who in spirit answer to this mocking. In the future, the remnant will be taunted in much the same way.

ML 01/08/1961

A Gamekeeper and His Dog

When waiting on a railway platform in Norfolk, a friend directed my wife’s attention to a man standing on the opposite platform, saying, “That man is very hard to reach with the gospel.” The man in question was a gamekeeper, and with him was a very fine retriever dog.

My wife quickly crossed to the other platform and, while stroking the dog, said to the man, “What a beautiful dog you have here!”

“Yes,” was the answer in a rather unpleasant voice; “but take care he does not bite you, He is not fond of strangers.”

“Oh, he will not bite me. Dogs know who are fond of them. No doubt you are very fond of him?”

“That I am.”

“Do you feed your dog?”

“Yes.”

“Do you house him?”

“Yes, of course I do.”

“Does your dog obey your word of command?”

“Yes.”

“And would you be disappointed if he did not obey you?”

“That I should.” Looking proudly at his dog, and addressing him by name he said, “But Rover does love his master, don’t you?” He patted the dog’s head as it looked up trustfully in his face, “Would you be grieved if he followed a stranger?”

“Yes,” replied the gamekeeper, getting rather impatient at so many questions.

“Well,” said my wife, “what a lesson that dog teaches you! God has fed you, housed you, cared for you, loved you these many years, but you do not love or obey Him: you do not follow Him, He so loved you that He gave His only begotten Son to die on the cross for your sins and yet you have never loved Him in return! You follow a stranger. The dog knows its owner — you know not yours. Truly it was said of old, ‘The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master’s crib; but Israel doth not know, My people doth not consider.’ Isaiah 1:3. My wife looked sadly, yet kindly, at the man as she uttered these words.

His eyes filled with tears, as he fixed them on his dog and in a choking voice said, “Ah, Rover, Rover, you have taught your master a lesson this day! I have been an ungrateful sinner, but by God’s help I will be no longer.”

That evening the gamekeeper was found crying from the depths of his heart, “God be merciful to me a sinner.” God answered his prayer of faith, and soon after this he was rejoicing in his new-found happiness, pardoned through the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Dear reader, are you rejoicing in the sense of God’s grace and goodness? Or are you still ungrateful for all He has done for you? May grace open your eyes to see how great is His love, for He gave His only begotten Son to be the Saviour of sinners. If you will receive the Lord Jesus as your Saviour, God will give you eternal life, pardon, peace and joy, with a home in heaven, in the Father’s house of many mansions.

“He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.” Matt. 5:45.

“HE IS KIND UNTO THE UNTHANKFUL AND TO THE EVIL.” Luke 6:35

ML 01/15/1961

The Widow's Meal

Upon A lonely hillside in Scotland, far removed from any other dwelling, there lived a poor lone widow, who for many a long year had learned to rest in every difficulty and in all her need upon Him who has said, “Let thy widows trust in Me.” It was in the depth of winter and the poor woman’s stock, never very abundant, was reduced to its lowest by the difficulty of finding any employment at that season of the year. Unlike the widow in the Hebrew story, she actually found her barrel of meal fail, and when she had finished the last handful she went to bed, possibly with hope that she might be successful in earning a few pence on the morrow.

When the morrow came a terrible snowstorm swept over the land, and the lane leading to her little cottage was almost blocked with snow. It was quite beyond her slender powers to battle with the raging storm and make her way to some neighbor’s house where at least she would be made welcome to a dish of porridge. There was only one Friend to whom she could apply, and in Him she had the most perfect confidence.

Accordingly she filled her pan with water, and put it upon the fire, and actually put the salt in the water.

“No,” she said to herself, “I’ll jist gang ben, and ask the Lord for the meal.” So she retired to her bedroom, and there with thanksgiving and praise she made her wants known to the Lord. She had not been long on her knees when there was a loud knock on the door, “Na an, Lord,” she said, “Thou canst no hae sent the answer sae soon.”

But the knocking continued, and on her opening the door a farmer’s daughter, who lived some distance off, flung down a sack of meal on the floor, exclaiming, “Father sent ye that; and I think ye may be very grateful to me for bringing it here through all this terrible storm. All morning Father has been talking about that sack of meal, and snow or no snow, I must be sure and take it to you.”

The widow stood with uplifted hands and eyes bedimmed with grateful tears as she exclaimed, “He’s aye the same, Jeanie! He’s aye the same! Many a long year hae I trusted Him, and I ne’er found Him fail; and He’s nee failed me noo. I put on the water, and I put in the salt, and ne’er a grain o’ meal had I in the hoose. Sae I was just asking the Lord to send me the meal, when I heard ye knock at the door, and noo here comes the meal jist while I was asking for it,”

Yes, the Lord is ready to supply all our needs, when we ask Him in faith. He tells us to cast “all your care upon Him; for He careth for you.” 1 Pet. 5:7. He will never fail His child, for He is a bountiful God, and His tender mercies far exceed anything this world has to offer.

“Call upon Me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify Me.” Psa. 50:15.

“My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Phil. 4:19.

ML 01/15/1961

Present with the Lord

In most of our large cities today there are sections called Skid Row, where poor, outcast men and women live in poverty and misery mainly due to the terrible drink habit. Under Satan’s influence they are without God and without hope in this world.

In 1945 Joseph Lutzesko then 48 years old, was one of these poor, unhappy men, wandering about the streets of Detroit. One night he heard the wonderful news that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners such as he. He accepted the Lord Jesus that night and from then on, sought to win other poor men on Skid Row to the Saviour. For fifteen years it was his joy to speak for Christ and to “tell what great things the Lord had done for him.”

A short time ago Joseph was speaking outdoors to a group of men who had gathered about, Three times he had repeated the verse, “To be absent from the body, is to be present with the Lord.” 2 Cor. 5:8. Suddenly he collapsed, and died soon after — truly present with the Lord!

If you were to die this very instant, dear friend, would YOU be present with the Lord as the dear Christian in our story was? If you cannot answer this question, simply trust Christ as your Saviour today, and God will give you pardon and peace. Then, if you should die, or if the Lord should come, you would be forever with Him in glory. Do not put it off and one day find yourself in a lost eternity.

“O that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end!” Deut. 32:29.

ML 01/15/1961

Bible Talks: Psalms 71-72

Psalms 71. In this psalm there is a feeling of being almost in the power of the wicked and cruel enemies, and so there is the cry, “To cause me to escape.” It may be that it refers to some of David’s exercises when he realized that the conspiracy of Absalom was strong. It shows also how the Lord felt that which was revealed in the heart of His people, when they “received Him not” — the One for whom they were professedly looking. It also shows how the Jewish remnant will feel, how they will cry out in much the same way, and desire to be delivered from the wicked, unrighteous and cruel man, who is called the Antichrist, the false prophet, and the willful king. The desire not to be cast off in the time of old age refers no doubt to Israel. They were not the young nation that they were in the time of Joshua, when he led them into the land. So they cry, “When I am old and gray headed, O God, forsake me not.” The Lord has passed them through a great deal, but would quicken them, or restore them to life, vigor, and strength, They realize, but for His great mercies, they would have been cast off.

Psalm 72. This introduces the King and the King’s son, who will reign in righteousness. It no doubt refers to David and his son, Solomon, who prefigure, in a feeble sense, the coming of the reign of the Messiah. In David we see Him putting down His enemies, and in Solomon, His reign of peace.

So this King’s Son will judge the poor and save the children of the needy, and break in pieces the oppressor, The righteous shall flourish and the abundance of peace shall continue, All kings shall fall down before Him, and shall bring gifts, All nations shall serve Him. There shall be an abundance of the produce of the earth, ever, upon the tops of the mountains. This psalm looks on to the kingdom which the Lord shall establish in Zion. His name shall endure forever and all nations shall call Him, Blessed.

Kings shall fall down before Him,

And gold and incense bring;

All nations shall adore Him;

His praise all people sing,

Outstretched His wide dominion

O’er river, sea, and shore,

Far as the eagle’s pinion,

Or dove’s light wine can soar.

This psalm closes the second book of the Psalms, giving the exercises and experiences of the faithful when driven out of Jerusalem by the Antichrist, but the close of the book ends with faith seeing the Lord taking the kingdom, and their being lifted out of their persecutions to share the glory of His coming kingdom.

Book Three, Psalms 73-89

This third book of the Psalms takes up the exercises of the nation of Israel as a whole, not simply the Jewish remnant as seen in the first two books. It is no doubt the awakening of a faithful remnant in the nation as distinct from the Jewish remnant, from whom we have these exercises. It appears that they are in the land, but not yet able to go on with their former privileges. No doubt the Antichrist is still in power for the most part of this period.

ML 01/15/1961

A Costly Ticket

An old negro hurried to the railway station at Alexandria, Virginia, and just managed to board the train bound for Georgia. He looked the picture of weariness, when a young man said, “Uncle, sit down here.” “Thank you, sir,” responded the grateful old man, and sat down, Just then a young fellow brought out some sandwiches and gave them to the hungry old man. “Thank you, sir,” he said, “I’ve had nothing to eat today. Been walking since four this morning to catch this train.” He rambled on, telling of his old home in Georgia and how he had come up to Virginia with his old master to take care of him. “Now he’s dead, I’m going home,” and he spoke as if Georgia were heaven to him.

The conductor came for the tickets, and the old negro could not find his at first, then discovered it pinned to the lining of his old hat. While hunting for it, the conductor had walked on to the net seat, where a pale-faced woman sat, clasping her baby to her breast, “Tickets!” he called. “I haven’t any,” she answered sadly. “You’ll have to get off then, Madam,” he replied.

“O, don’t put me off,” she pleaded. “My husband is down south, had to go for his health. The doctor said he had to, or die, and we sold everything to pay the bills and send him. Now he’s dying and X must go to him and I’ve no money.”

“Sorry, madam, you’ll have to get off. I must do my duty.” Then he turned to collect the old negro’s ticket, while the woman sank back in her seat, her face white, and her eyes staring hopelessly out of the window.

Then the old black man said, “Guess you’ll have to put me off, sah. You don’t expect an old negro like me to have enough money to buy a ticket all the way to Georgia, do you?” After some rough words, the conductor went on to the other passengers. The old man turned round and remarked to the woman with the baby, “Here’s your ticket, and I hope you’ll find your husband better than you’s feared.”

Staring in bewilderment, she could not believe her eyes, and the tears fell as she tried to find words to express her gratitude, The train slowed down then, and the old man, with a wonderful smile on his face, shambled wearily to the door. The train pulled out and the last that was seen of the old negro was his bent figure, trudging patiently along the road, walking down to Georgia.

It is not hard to see in this story a faint picture of the wondrous love of God in the gift of His Son for our salvation. We are all like this poor woman, unable to pay our way to heaven, no matter how sincere or earnest we may be. That glorious destiny can never be reached by any works of merit, “Not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Eph. 2:9). But it is here that the gospel meets our deep need, telling us of One “Who though He was rich, for our sakes became poor,” that we, through faith in His precious blood, might possess the gift of salvation with the sure hope of glory everlasting. The moment we look to the Cross, and see Him there, taking our place under the judgment of God, bearing our sins’ heavy load, then the free ticket to glory immediately becomes ours. Resting on His merit, we can read our title clear to mansions in the skies. What a wonderful salvation!

“FOR BY GRACE ARE YE SAVE THROUGH FAITH; AND THAT NOT OF YOURSELVES: IT IS THE GIFT OF GOD.” Eph. 2:8.

ML 01/22/1961

Hold Fast

A Father was carrying his little boy across a swiftly flowing river. The little chap had his arms around his father’s neck and the father’s strong arms were holding fast to his treasure. As they reached the center of the river, the father called out, “Hold fast, Sonny,” and the little arms clung closer. The father loved to feel that hug. It told him of the love and confidence of his little son. But he knew it wasn’t that which kept him safe, but his own firm hold on his son.

The son he carried was his delight and he could say, “He is precious in my sight, I will hold him fast.” It is just like that with us, and the more we realize what we are to the Lord Jesus, and how precious we are to Him, the more we shall be assured that He will hold us fast.

But we also love to hear Him say, “Hold fast, Cleave to Me,” and the knowledge of what we are to Him will not make us careless, but we shall be more careful not to grieve Him. I wonder, dear young Christian, if you have ever realized that you are very dear to the Lord. He values you as one who came to Him in your need, and as the gift of the Father to Him, and as the purchase of His own precious blood.

It is perfectly true when you sing

“I am precious in His sight,

He will hold me fast;

Those He saves are His delight,

He will hold me fast.

For my Saviour loves me so,

He will hold me fast!”

ML 01/22/1961

A Drowning Young Lady

Some years ago, a young lady on a pleasure excursion in the harbor of Portland fell overboard, and was nearly drowned. After she returned to consciousness, she stated that while in the water her whole previous life had passed before her mind as in a visible panorama. This review of her life so affected her with a sense of God’s goodness that she cast her soul upon the mercy of Christ, and accepted Him as her own personal Saviour, and was consecrated to His service, “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.” Rom. 5:6.

ML 01/22/1961

My Spiritual Awakening

I was born in Austria in the strictest of any strict Jewish home. As a child of three, I was sent to a Jewish school. Whenever I left the house, my mother cautioned me never to walk on the right side of the street nor even look in that direction, the reason being that a Christian church was located there. Every time I looked at the church by mistake, immediately I repeated a prayer in Hebrew. If anyone mentioned the name of Jesus in my hearing, I would put my fingers in my ears. I made sure that I would never hear that name the second time.

While in Austria I received my training to become a rabbi from one of the greatest rabbis in Europe. Day after day people came to see this great man and I would watch, expecting to see him perform some great miracle.

But I was disappointed, and I began looking for something better than those religious leaders could give me.

After many years, I desired to come to America, and on my way I stopped in Vienna to see my brother, To my surprise, he started to tell me about his Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, for he had recently become a Christian. I left in a rage, and resolved to have nothing to do with him thereafter.

A month after arriving in America, I received my first letter from my brother. I opened it, hoping that he had made a mistake about this new thing, but instead he was urging me to search the Scriptures. I tore the letter into bits. A while later I received another letter, but this time he did not urge me to read the Scriptures, for I was reading them! In his fourth letter he wrote that he was coming to America.

As soon as I met him in New York, I realized what his mission was. I forbade him to speak about religion at all; but while he did not speak about Christ, I could see Christ in him. Every day that I lived with him I could see he had something I didn’t have, and that was the peace of God. I longed for that peace, and every day my life was getting more miserable.

One day I went down on my knees and prayed to the Lord Jesus Christ, asking Him to take my sins away. Soon everyone knew I had become a Christian, and my uncle, with whom I had been staying, put me out. A week later I lost my job because of my confession of Christ. Since then I have visited my father in Jerusalem. He had considered me dead for over twenty years because of my change of heart. Before I left I was assured that he, too, had accepted my Messiah.

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

ML 01/22/1961

Bible Talks: Psalms 73-75

Psalms 73. This psalm opens with the awakening of Israel as a nation, through a remnant in faith as aroused by the Holy Spirit, with a faith that takes in all the tribes; such as we see in Judges 21:8, Acts 26:7, and James 1:1. It was hard for an awakened Israelite to see the wicked in power and in prosperity, for the promises from of old were of blessings in earthly things, if they followed the Lord. But they have to learn and own that they had not heeded the warnings by the prophets, so God had to allow all these things that a remnant could be recovered. They see the prosperity of the wicked and cannot understand it, until they get into the sanctuary of God, Then the end of the wicked is brought before those who have faith. In the sanctuary no doubt the Spirit of God brings before them, by His word, all His ways of old with Israel. The faithful then see that the wicked are set in slippery places, even though for the present it may seem to be the opposite. The hope of the faithful is to be guided by His counsel and realize that when the Lord comes in His glory, the wicked will be purged out and the faithful will be received.

Psalm 74. In this psalm, the complaint is on account of the desolations which the enemy has wrought in the land. There evidently had been a temple rebuilt, but the enemy had finally destroyed it. They had cast fire into it and destroyed it, as well as the synagogues which were scattered through the land. The enemy had roared in the midst of the congregations, which he is ever prone to do—and often does it now in so-called Christian lands. The question is raised, How long will this be allowed to go on? They remember that of old, God had divided the Red Sea for them; He had destroyed the power of Egypt, and had brought them into the land. They call to Jehovah’s attention that the enemy had reproached and a foolish people had blasphemed His name, They ask Him to have respect unto His covenant of old with His people.

Psalm 75. Here we have the faithful remnant speaking as a whole, and they give thanks, for they feel that deliverance is near. Then we have a change to one speaking in the singular. It is the Spirit of God giving out the mind of the Messiah as though He were in their midst and telling of what He will do when He receives the kingdom, He will judge uprightly when in their midst. Then He states that the land with all its associations which the wicked had formed, will be dissolved, Isaiah 8:9-18. But He will bear up its pillars, that is, He will sustain that which has been set up by God from of old.

Their help does not come from the east or the west, nor from the south. But God is the one who will pour out His indignation on all that was contrary to what He had wrought in faith.

The Messiah will sing praises to the God of Jacob, and He takes up the cause of the righteous and afflicted people.

“All the horns of the wicked also will I cut off; but the horns of the righteous shall be exalted,” v. 10.

ML 01/22/1961

Tommy, the Sailor Boy

Some years ago a sea captain told me of a little lad who served in his ship many years before, The captain is an earnest Christian now, but in the days when he knew this little fellow, he was not a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, only a stern and hardened man of the world. His first ship was a small vessel with about a dozen men who composed the crew. Among them was this lad Tommy who did odd jobs and made himself generally useful. Poor Tommy had a bitter life among this reckless, godless set of men. His mother had taught him to love the Lord Jesus, and a few weeks before he joined his ship, he had put his trust in the Saviour, promising that he would serve Him faithfully.

Of course when the men discovered this, Tommy became a butt for all their jokes and ill treatment, and even the captain himself encouraged their sport. But still he held on, persisting in kneeling down night and morning, to pour out his heart to his Father in heaven. In spite of the cruel blows which were often directed at him, he pleaded with God for the souls of the godless crew. With a heart sorely tried and well-nigh breaking at times, the boy wandered about the vessel seeking a quiet spot, but seldom finding one.

In the course of one voyage the little vessel encountered a succession of terrific storms which day by day increased in violence. The captain and crew were too occupied now to notice the boy, so amid the furiously raging elements his happiest and most peaceful moments were spent.

One awful night, when the sky overhead was dark with clouds, and the sea dashed mercilessly over the decks of the ship, Tommy stole aft, and clinging with both hands to a rope, kneeled on the wet boards and pleaded for the men who, regardless of him altogether now, were hurrying hither and thither carrying out the captain’s orders.

“It’s all up with us, Bill,” he heard the captain say to the chief mate in a hoarse whisper. “It’s no use trying to save her.” Then the thundering noise of the waves drowned their voices. Still Tommy went on praying.

Presently he heard, above the rain and wind, the sound of his own name, shouted in different parts of the vessel. Springing to his feet, he made his way, clinging to every available rope, to the captain’s side. “Do you want me, sir?” he asked.

“Look here, boy,” said the captain, “we’re going to the bottom; it’s impossible to do anything now—but” and stern and weather-worn as he was his voice trembled. “There’s a God in heaven, you say—well—I—I thought perhaps you would pray for us.”

Tommy gave one bright, glad look into the captain’s face. “Oh yes, sir,” he answered, without a moment’s hesitation. “I shall like to do that very much.”

The rough sailor turned on his heel and led the way into his cabin, Tommy and one or two of the crew following him. There they knelt down, and the little lad prayed that the storm might abate, and with choking sobs, asked God to save the captain and men.

Very shortly afterward the fury of the waves and winds lessened, the clouds broke, and the clear winter’s moon shone down upon them. The storm was over.

Such was the result of one boy’s faith. Oh! what a mighty power for good that lad became among the crew. Is not this a God worth having, who has said, “I will never leave thee nor forsake thee?” Is Tommy’s God your God? Is Jesus your Friend and Saviour?

“LIKE AS A FATHER PITIETH HIS CHILDREN, SO THE LORD PITIETH THEM THAT FEAR HIM.” Ps. 103:13.

ML 01/29/1961

The Worst Man in Town

Sometime ago a Christian said to himself, “Christ can save the worst man in this town.” Suddenly he felt a desire to find the worst man in the town, and to tell him the good news of Christ’s salvation.

Down in the poorest section of the town he saw a man lounging on the sidewalk, and to all appearances the very man he was seeking. Sin was written plainly on his face. The Christian said with a pleasant smile, “I am looking for the worst man in the town, because I’ve got good news for him. Can you help me find him?”

The man replied, “If you think it’s me, you’re mistaken. But there’s Bill So-and-so, down at such a street. You go down there and I should say that’s your man.”

Nothing daunted, the Christian went on until he found the street and number. A man came to the door when he knocked, but he informed the Christian that he was not the worst man in town. He must go to another house. By and by the Christian found the street and the house, and again he knocked. A woman answered.

“Excuse me,” he said, “but I am looking for the worst man in the town. I’ve good news for him. Can you help me to find him?”

Before the woman could answer, a voice from within — a man’s voice cried out huskily: “Come in, sir; come in! If you’re looking for the worst man in town, it’s me; and if you’ve got good news for me, tell it to me quickly! I was just contemplating the river,” he continued, “as a way out of my misery. I’m the worst man right enough — a drunkard, a gambler, and everything that’s bad!”

The Christian told of One who could lift men and women from the mire of sin onto a sure foundation, the Lord Jesus Christ. He told him Christ could save to the uttermost Then they knelt down.

By and by the tears began to flow, the stony hearts were broken, and the man, and then the woman, cried out in the words of the prayer, “God be merciful to me a sinner.” God was merciful, and the man and his wife were gloriously saved. The home was transformed; their lives transfigured. By and by the man obtained work, and both he and his wife became earnest workers for their Saviour — living witnesses of the gospel which is “the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth.” Rom. 1:16.

And the Lord Jesus can change your lives too, dear boys and girls, if you will take him as your own precious Saviour, Only the Lord Jesus Christ can save you — your good works or Your good life will never take you to heaven. Come to Him just as you are; He will save you, and give you everlasting life.

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

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

ML 01/29/1961

"I Cannot Answer Him!"

In one of our States some years ago there was a blacksmith who was a great despiser of God. One day a Christian man named Mr. Brown rode down to the man’s forge and said to him “Neighbor, I am under very great concern about your soul’s salvation! I tell you, I pray day and night for your soul’s salvation,”

He left the astonished man, mounted his horse, and rode rapidly away. The blacksmith went to his house, and said to a friend, “Here’s a new argument! Here’s Mr. Brown been down to see me. He did not dispute, and never said a word to me except this; ‘I say, I am under great concern about your soul. I pray day and night for your soul’s salvation,’ Oh, that fellow! I cannot answer him!” And the tears began to roll down his cheeks.

He went to his wife, and said, “I can’t make this out; I never cared about my own soul; but here’s a man that has no connection with me, and he has come five miles on horseback just to tell me he is under concern about my soul.” And the wretched man never got rest till he had peace with God through Jesus 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.

ML 01/29/1961

Bible Talks: Psalms 76-78:40

Psalm 76. We have again the linking of Judah and Israel in the acknowledgment of the name of God. In Salem (poetical name of Jerusalem) is said to be His tabernacle or tent, and His dwelling place in Zion (the name given to that part of Jerusalem, which was chosen for the building of the temple). It speaks of God going on with them in grace, when they had so miserably failed, Israel had long neglected Zion; they forsook it when the ten tribes rebelled against Solomon’s willful son. Then the psalm speaks of God’s judgment on the nations who had invaded the land. It may be that same occasion as in Psalm 83, where some of the surrounding nations combine to destroy Israel. They come to the land only to meet the Lord there and receive judgment from His hand. So the nations are called upon to vow and pay unto Jehovah, who ought to be feared, for He shall cut off the spirit of princes and shall be terrible to the kings of the earth, God has now commanded all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day of judgment. The Lord Jesus Christ is to be the judge, and He will judge all who have not fled for refuge now to Him before this day comes. (Acts 17:80, 31.)

Psalm 77. After seeing the confidence expressed in the previous psalms, it at first seems strange to witness the complaints voiced here. But we must remember that when the godly man gets his eye off the Lord, and the marvels of His grace, as a fallen creature he falls under the power of that distrust of Him and complaining is the result. So we have in verse 3: “I complained and my spirit was overwhelmed.” Then in verse 10 he realizes that God’s ways are learned in the sanctuary. He must see God as He is known there, and not according to human reasonings of unbelief. Then he recalls how God had redeemed and delivered His people of old, and how at the proper time He could pour out from the clouds that which could turn their enemies in flight. He had also made a pathway through the sea for them, when there was seemingly no way of escape for them.

Psalm 78. The burden of this psalm seems to be that the children of His people might know the wonders of God’s grace and His power in delivering them during all His ways with them, so that the generation to come might know this, and might not be like their fathers, stubborn and rebellious, who did not set their heart aright and whose spirit was not steadfast with God. Faith would always desire this for their children, for the great enemy of souls would ever stir up a spirit of unbelief in their hearts and turn them away from the Lord who loved them and gave Himself for them. He brings before them their deliverance through the Red Sea, His guiding them by the cloud by day and pillar of fire by night; His giving them the water to drink in the wilderness and providing flesh for them to tat and feeding them with the bread of heaven. This, he calls it, is man eating angels’ food. But for all this there was unbelief in their hearts and they provoked the Most High in the wilderness.

ML 01/29/1961

A Boy's Prayer

A boy was in the hospital about to undergo an operation. When all was ready he asked the doctor to pray for him, but the doctor did not answer, “Will no one pray for me?” asked the boy, looking around on those assembled about him. But there was silence. Then as no one responded, the boy closed his eyes and in a quivering voice said, “Dear Saviour, Thou canst do all things, please do Thou help me! Amen.” Then he smiled up at the doctor saying, “Now I am not afraid.”

The operation proceeded and was successful. God heard and answered the lad’s earnest prayer and healed him.

The night following the operation the doctor could not sleep. He could not get the boy out of his mind. He had long ago given up praying, but at length he knelt down and prayed the boy’s prayer. Although it was his first prayer for many years, God graciously answered it, and he was brought to rejoice in God’s salvation and to know Christ as his own loving Saviour, The Lord loves to hear us, young and old, call upon Him. He delights to be given the opportunity to show how mightily He can help us. He says, “CALL UPON ME IN THE DAY OF TROUBLE, I WILL DELIVER THEE, AND THOU SHALT GLORIFY ME.” Psa. 50:15.

ML 02/05/1961

The Stolen Gooseberries

A little boy, seven years old, had been told by his mother not to pick the gooseberries, but I am sorry to tell you that he was a bad, disobedient child, and you know disobedience is a very great sin. It was one act of disobedience that brought all the sin and sorrow into this beautiful world, as you may read in the third chapter of Genesis.

One morning as the mother was walking round her large garden, she saw her boy near the gooseberry bushes, and called out, “What is that you have in your hands?”

“Only stones, Mamma.” Then the boy ran away, for they were really gooseberries that he was carrying.

But at night he could not sleep. He kept kicking about the bedclothes, and also preventing his poor little brother from sleeping. At last his brother, who was only five years old, said,

“I know why you can’t get to sleep; it’s because you stole the gooseberries. Satan has put his black finger on your heart, but you must ask Jesus to wash it off with His blood.” How sweetly did that little fellow, five years old, preach the gospel to his brother!

The naughty boy stole the gooseberries, and then tried to cover up his sin with a lie.

Children, it is of no use COVERING UP your sins, for the Bible says, “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper, but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them, shall have mercy.” Prov. 28:18.

Now I will tell you about a little boy, six years old, who was invited to supper one afternoon by a lady whom I know.

After supper the lady showed him pictures, told him nice stories, and then played on the piano, as he was very fond of music. Presently my friend began to play the hymn, beginning, “I’m thinking of my sins, What wicked things I’ve done, How very naughty I have been, Although I am so young.”

But before many verses had been played, Georgie said,

“Please play something else, I don’t like that one.”

“Why not, Georgie?”

“Well, it is not very comfortable to think about your sins.”

“But have you got any sins, then?”

“Oh, yes, LOTS!”

“And what do you do with your sins, Georgie?”

“Why I always try to forget them as soon as I can.”

You see, dear young friends, this little boy tried to cover up his sins with forgetfulness, just as the other boy covered up his sin with a lie, But no kind of covering will be of the slightest use, for “he that covereth his sins shall not prosper.”

We cannot possibly cover our own sins. God alone can and will cover them with the precious blood of Jesus, which cleanseth from all sin, if we look to Him.

ML 02/05/1961

None Other Name

A business man was led to see himself a sinner, and this feeling led him to try to find a Saviour, His earnest desire was to have his soul saved. He gave up doing anything he knew to be wrong. He began to hold family worship at home, and attended church regularly. Still he did not feel right. The burden of sin on his conscience grew heavier all the time. He was trying to save himself by his own good works. But we know that this is impossible, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” Eph. 2:8, 9.

One day, while going along One of the crowded streets of the city, he reached a spot where a blind man used to sit and read aloud from a Bible with raised type known as Braille — that wonderful invention by which the blind are enabled to read through the ends of their fingers.

As the business man passed by, the blind man was reading from Acts 4:12; “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”

When in the middle of this verse, he came to the bottom of the page; and, as he was turning over the leaf, he repeated several times the last three words on the page read: “None other name” — “None other name.” The business man went on his way, but he could not forget the words he had heard; “None other name” —“None other name.” He went home at night, when the business of the day was over. As he entered the house, “None other name” — “None other name,” were the words still sounding in his ears. He retired to rest; but as he laid his head upon his pillow, the last sound he seemed to hear before falling asleep, and the first on awaking in the morning, was still that of the same re-echoing words, “None other name,” — “None other name.”

And then he said to himself, “I see now what it means. I have been making a mistake. I have been thinking that praying, and reading the Bible, and going to church would save me. This was my mistake. It is only Jesus who can save. I must cast myself on Him.”

And then, with the simple faith of a little child, he went to Jesus in prayer, and asked Him to pardon and save him. The Lord Jesus heard and answered his prayer, and the business man was filled with peace and joy in believing.

ML 02/05/1961

Bible Questions for February

The Children’s Class

1.What did one of the ten lepers do when he saw that he was cleansed?

2.What did the publican say as he smote upon his breast?

3.Whom did the Son of man come to seek and to save?

4.Is there corning a time on the earth when men’s hearts will fall them for fear?

5.What did Jesus say as he took bread and gave thanks?

6.What happened at the place called Calvary?

7.Who said, “Peace be unto you”?

The Young People’s Class

1. What did the women of Israel nay after the battle with the Philistines that made King Saul envious of David? 1 Sam. 18.

2. Is envy manifested when the flesh is at work? Galatians.

3.For what reason was the Lard Jesus Christ delivered up to be crucified? Matt. 27.

4.Did David escape the javelin which Saul cast at him? 1 Sam.

5. Do those that love the Lord have the assurance of a protecting hand against harm? 1 Peter 3.

6.Why was Saul afraid of David? 1 Sam.

7.Can Christians rightly desire the Lord’s presence with them? 2 Thess. 3.

ML 02/05/1961

Bible Talks: Psalms 78:41-82

The Lord, being full of compassion toward His people, had forgiven their iniquities and had not destroyed them; yea, many times He had turned away His anger and did not stir up all His wrath. Then the casting out of the heathen from the land is brought before them and the dividing of the land for their inheritance. But after all this they still tempted and provoked the Most High and did not keep His testimonies. So God greatly abhorred Israel and forsook His tabernacle (or dwelling place) at Shiloh, and allowed the ark, called here His strength, to go into captivity. But God in His grace, while forsaking Shiloh, did not give them up entirely. He did go on with them through Samuel the prophet, until He was ready to give them a new king, even David, to lead them. Then He also chose Mount Zion for His temple, or sanctuary, so that He could go on with them in grace, while waiting for the Messiah to come.

Psalm 79. Here we have the exercise of the remnant, or those seeking to go on in faith, over the heathen being allowed to enter the land and Jerusalem as being laid waste. They do not understand how that God in His dealings with them had spoken by Daniel the prophet (Daniel 9:27) of a desolater coming in on account of their making an alliance with the revived Roman Empire. So they can only cry out, “How long, Lord?.. Help us, O God of our salvation,... and deliver us, and purge away our sins, for Thy name’s sake.” But they have the confidence that in spite of it all, they are the sheep of His pasture; they will give thanks forever, and show His praises to all generations.

Psalm 80. Faith looks forward in this psalm to God’s taking His Place in the midst of the whole nation, not simply with those known as the Jews. They desire to be turned again and to have His face shine upon them, so that they might be saved from their enemies. Israel is referred to as the vine which He had brought out of Egypt and which His own right hand had planted. The branch which He had made strong for Himself probably refers to the house of David from which the Messiah was promised to come, This will in its own time be manifested when He comes forth from heaven in power and glory.

Psalm 81. In this psalm we are again prophetically celebrating the restoration of the whole nation, Joseph is brought in as representing the ten tribes, since the restoration would not be complete otherwise. The new moon is referred to as signifying their return to the place of God’s blessing. Then at the close we have the yearning of Jehovah over them, Psalm 82. Here we have the faithful calling upon God to arise and judge the earth, He had entrusted His government to His people, but they had dealt unjustly and had accepted the persons of wickedness. They had not defended the poor and needy, so they are warned that they shall die like men if they do not turn from their former ways. The foundations of the earth are here said to be out of course. The great nations of the earth are looked upon as being in a state ready to collapse. Conditions in the world at the present time seem to be leading up to this. But we have the promise that those who belong to Christ shall be kept from the hour of temptation which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth (Rev. 3:10).

ML 02/05/1961

The Chinese Slave Boy

Lai-fuh was a Chinese boy. His name means “Happiness has come.” He had a happy childhood, but when he was twelve years old, he lost his father and his mother and his home in a great flood. His uncle took him in but after a few months sold him as a slave boy. His master changed his name to “Lao-kong” which means, “hard labor,” He had to carry water, make coal balls, and other hard jobs. Also he was poorly fed, and poorly clothed.

One day the eldest son of his master came back from town and said that he had heard a white man telling a strange story on the market square, about a father who had welcomed back his wicked ragged son. Lao-kong was very much interested in the story, and asked a question. Instead of an answer, he received a kick, for slaves have no right to ask questions. Lao-kong could not forget what he had heard. It warmed his heart and gave him some comfort. He decided that he must find out whether there really was such a father who could love his bad, ragged son.

One day the eldest son of his master had to go into the city to take the boat down the river. Lao-kong had to carry his heavy luggage. On board the steamer, the young man ordered him to go straight home to the village. Lao-kong ran with all his might, not to the village, but to the gospel hall, and nearly knocked into the white man who was just leaving the gate. The boy took hold of the man’s arm and cried, “Is it true that there is a father who loves poor slave boys like me?”

The missionary looked kindly at him, called a servant and told him to give the hungry boy a meal, a bath, and also the blue suit which was in his study. With his new suit on, and shoes on his feet, Lao-kong felt like the son in that story. He said to the missionary, “That story must be true after all.”

“What story is that?” asked the white man.

“My master’s son heard you tell a story in the market, about a bad son whom his father still loved. I have come here to find out whether it is true. I am a poor orphan slave boy. It must be wonderful to have a father like that.” Lao-kong began to cry bitterly. The kind missionary wiped his tears and told the boy all about the prodigal and his father. And then he went on to tell him also about God in heaven. It was all new and wonderful to the poor boy. He listened eagerly to the story of God’s love, and of His sending His own Son, the Lord Jesus Christ into the world to die on the cross for sinners. He heard also that those who trust in the Lord Jesus are truly sons of the Father in heaven.

Lao-kong looked suddenly at the sun, which was already sinking low. He sprang up and cried, “I must go home or I will be beaten. It was ten miles to the village, and he hurried as quickly as he could. All the journey long he was thinking “God in heaven loves me. I am His son.”

When he reached home after dark, his master was angry and asked where he had been. Lao-kong told him all the truth. His master picked up a big bamboo stick and beat him till he was bleeding. When he crept into bed that night his poor body was full of pain, but his heart was still full of joy as he thought of the love of God his Father, and of Jesus Christ his Saviour. He even asked God to forgive his cruel master.

Lao-kong could not keep the good news to himself. Every day he spoke about his Saviour and his Father. But his master and his master’s son treated him more and more cruelly. One cold winter night, the son threw him out of the house and shouted, “You can die of hunger and cold. We do not want to hear any more about your Jesus. He will help you if He can.”

Cold, hungry and bleeding, Lao- kong started to walk toward the city in the hope of seeing the missionary. The ten miles seemed to him like a hundred. He often fell in the darkness, but he cried to the Lord for help and was able to go on. At last, in the early morning, he came to the gate of the gospel hall and cried out, “Please open the door,” Then he fell unconscious on the steps.

The missionary wakened out of his sleep and went quickly to the door. When he saw Lao-kong, he called his servant to come quickly. Together they carried the boy inside, and did all they could to revive him.

After a few days, Lao-kong was able to get up. He shook a little, for he was still very weak, but the missionary smiled kindly and said,

“Try this suit on, Teh-en.” (Teh-es means “grace received.”)

“But my name is not Teh-en, bul Lao-kong.”

“From now on, my son, your name is Teh-en.”

The boy looked into the loving fad of his new father and his heart welled with happy joy as he exclaimed, “I am no more a slave boy; I am son in my father’s house.”

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

“THIS MY SON WAS DEAD AND IS ALIVE AGAIN; HE WAS LOST, AND IS FOUND.” Luke 15:24.

ML 02/12/1961

God Never Overloads His Children

One day a little boy was watching his father unload a large box of small packages, and he wanted to help. So his father began to lay the packages one by one on the stretched out arms of his little son. A young playmate was standing nearby, looking on. As parcel after parcel was laid in his young friend’s arms he began to fear the load was becoming too heavy, “Don’t you think you have about as much as you can carry?” he asked.

“Never mind,” said the little fellow in a happy tone, “Father knows how much I can carry.”

What a brave, trustful little fellow! He felt that there was no danger that his father would lay too heavy a load on him.

This, I feel, is the spirit of loving trust that our heavenly Father desires His children to possess towards Him, with respect to our daily burdens.

“God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” 1 Cor. 10:13.

“Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all,” Psalms 34:19.

How wonderful to know that the Lord knows our load limit! He made us, He redeemed us, and He knows all about us. We can trust Him, for we know He never makes a mistake and He will never leave us nor forsake us.

ML 02/12/1961

The Bible Is True

A young Italian girl sat at her stand in the marketplace intently absorbed in reading a small book. A gentleman pausing to buy something from her asked her what she was reading with so much interest. She replied rather timidly, “The Word of God, sir.”

The man, who called himself a skeptic, asked her, “Who told you the Bible was the Word of God?”

With childlike simplicity she replied, “God told me Himself.”

“God told you? Impossible! How did He tell you? You have never seen Him, nor talked with Him. How could He tell you?”

For a few moments the girl was confused and silent. Then looking up she said, “Sir, who told you there is a sun in the sky up there?”

The gentleman replied, rather contemptuously, “Who told me? Nobody; I don’t need to be told. The sun tells this about itself. It warms me. I love its light.”

The young Italian girl earnestly answered, “You have put it straight, sir, for the sun and for the Bible. I read the Bible. It warms my heart. It gives me light. I love its light and warmth. None but God could give the light and warmth I get from this Book.”

And he turned away quietly, ashamed by her simple faith.

“At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.” Matt, 11:26.

“Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings Thou hast perfected praise.” Matt. 21:16.

ML 02/12/1961

Bible Talks: Psalms 83-87

Psalms 83. The tried faithful ones here call upon God to come in and save them, for there is a confederacy among the surrounding nations. God is called upon to act in judgment, to confound them and to put them to shame. “That men may know that Thou, whose name alone is Jehovah, art the Most High over all the earth.” Two names of God are used here: Jehovah, the covenant name of Israel, and His millennial name of Most High, which He will take when He acts in power at that time.

Psalm 84. Here we have a longing for the dwelling place of Jehovah in His temple, His courts. It is faith looking and longing for the time when it may be their privilege to have access to those courts. He had been leading them through sorrow and trial that they might learn His ways, and have in their hearts His highways. They had been truly passing through the valley of Baca, the place of weeping, and faith had learned to make it a well spring, a place of blessing, which they had learned by owning His hand in it all. So consequently they can go from strength to strength, eventually appearing before Him in Zion. The nation as a whole had turned aside to the tents of wickedness in following the Antichrist.

Psalm 85. Faith now looks forward to the captivity of Jacob being brought back and their restoration complete, in that their iniquities are forgiven, their sins covered, and Jehovah’s wrath is turned away. They ask to be revived again, that they may rejoice in Him. The Spirit of God in the remnant warns the people not to turn again to folly, and that salvation is nigh to them that fear Him. It is all on the basis of mercy and truth being met together, and then truth shall spring out of the earth, and righteousness shall look down from heaven. It is not according to the former things with them, when they took the place of obeying and doing all the words of the law. So here the Lord is to take the place of reigning, and righteousness shall go before Him.

Psalm 86. We have more exercises here, on the part of the remnant for their restoration to their place of privilege, because they are not yet in their place of blessing, which can only be reached when the Lord returns to set up His kingdom. They take the place of being a poor and needy people. They pray, “Give ear unto my prayer, and attend unto the voice of my supplications,” and then they desire to be taught His way, and to unite their hearts to fear His name.

Psalm 87. Zion, as we have seen, is the city of God’s choice for His dwelling place, in His temple; so we can see how it could be said that He loveth the gates of Zion, more than all the dwellings of Jacob.

Then Egypt and Babylon are mentioned, former great nations of the earth; as well as Philistia, Tyre and Ethiopia. They had their great men, and boasted of it. But Zion whose glory is yet to come is mentioned as looking for the time when He writeth up the people, when it is counted that this man (Christ) was born there. Here Zion stands for the whole nation, and they are then yet to own that their Messiah had truly come into their midst.

ML 02/12/1961

Hope's Testimony

“Well, Hope, how was school today?” Hope was asked of her father one night.

“Daddy, this has been the hardest day I have ever spent in school. I feel I never want to return,” was her reply.

Mr. Davidson stared at her in blank amazement. “Why, did something unusual happen?”

“Yes,” answered Hope. “Miss Landon, who teaches our biology class, is always telling us that the world and everything in it came into being by means of evolution. Today I felt I couldn’t sit there and take it any longer, so I raised my hand and said: ‘Miss Landon, I am sorry to disagree with you, but I cannot accept the theory of evolution. I have been brought up from childhood to believe the Bible account of creation. I believe with all my heart that God created the universe and all that is in it by the Word of His power.’

“Miss Landon stared at me as if she couldn’t believe her ears, and said, ‘I didn’t suppose anyone living in our enlightened age had such old-fashioned ideas. It surprises me that a person who has had the advantage of a modern educational system can be so narrow-minded. Surely there are not many that believe as you do.’

“‘Oh, yes,’ I answered, ‘there are a great many people who believe as I do.’”

“‘Well, you surely do not accept the story of Jonah and the whale, and the personal devil, do you? What about Jesus, who claimed to be the Son of God? You surely don’t believe He was more than a man, do you?’

“‘Miss Landon,’ I said, ‘I know in my heart that Jesus Christ is God as well as man. I have always believed it, but two weeks ago I accepted Him as my personal Saviour and since that time I have known it to be true!’ At this point the bell rang for the class to dismiss.”

Hope prayed long and earnestly that evening before retiring. She thanked the Lord for helping her to say the right thing in class, and if another opportunity to witness came, she asked Him to help her, and even perhaps win some of her school friends for Christ.

Next day Miss Landon said, “We really didn’t cover much ground with our biology lesson yesterday. Miss Davidson, did you finish what you had to say when the bell rang yesterday?”

Hope replied, “Only this, Miss Landon, I wanted to say that I believe there are others in our class who have the same convictions as I do in regard to the Bible.”

“I don’t believe it,” snapped Miss Landon, “but we shall find out soon. If there is another person that believes as Miss Davidson does, rise to your feet.”

Nearly half the class stood up. Soon it seemed that everyone wanted to talk at once. Some asked Hope’s forgiveness for letting her stand alone. Miss Landon just stood there, helplessly looking on.

There were many new faces at the evening service at the little gospel hall next Lord’s day. More than twenty of Hope’s classmates told of their coming out for Christ as a result of Hope’s bright testimony and her brave confession of faith!

May this true story encourage dear Christian boys and girls to stand up for Jesus. He tells us in His Word: “Them that honor Me I will honor, and they that despise Me shall be lightly esteemed.” 1 Sam. 2:30.

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth,” Gen. 1:1.

“Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.” Heb. 11:3.

“BLESSED IS EVERY ONE THAT FEARETH THE LORD; THAT WALKETH IN HIS WAYS.” Ps. 128:1.

ML 02/19/1961

Keep on Sowing

A Christian, traveling on a boat, distributed tracts. While they were taken and read by many, a gentleman took one, and folding it up, cut it with a penknife into small pieces. Then holding it up in derision, he threw it away. One piece adhered to his coat; he picked it off and looking at it, saw the word, “God.” He turned it over; on the other side, “Eternity.” They stood out as living words before him. “God”— “Eternity.” He went to the bar, called for brandy to drink to drive them away, but in vain. Then to the gambling-table, but those solemn words haunted him wherever he went until he was brought a penitent to the feet of Jesus. What an encouragement to the Christian to sow seed by the wayside!

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

ML 02/19/1961

In but not Out

I remember when I was a little boy, how my mother would draw me to her knee and speak to me so solemnly of the importance of trusting the Lord Jesus Christ as my Saviour. I would say, “Well, Mamma, I would like to do it, but the boys will all laugh at me.”

Mother used to say, “Harry, remember, they may laugh you into hell, but they can never laugh you out of it.” And oh, how that used to go home to me, and it stayed with me all through the years. Yes, men may sneer and ridicule and persecute us as we come out for Christ, but after all, His is the only approval worth having.

“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.” Eccl. 12:1.

ML 02/19/1961

If I Should Die, What Then?

Jim, the strong-armed blacksmith, had been respectably and religiously trained, but he had fallen into drinking habits, and squandered his savings. He was fast becoming a slave of his habit, when he awoke one morning with severe pains in his heart. Alarmed by his feelings he hurried to the doctor, who told him to go home and rest quietly and to take the medicine he gave him.

“If I’ve got to die I may as well be at my work as lying idle on my bed,” thought Jim, and so, in spite of the doctor’s orders, he went to work at his forge.

There amid the sound of the roaring fire and the ringing anvil he tried to forget his danger, but still the question pressed itself upon him, “If you should die, what then?”

Laboring the harder, he tried to drown the solemn thought, but all in vain. It challenged his conscience again and again. Work was impossible. Burdened with his sin, the fear of death, and that which comes after it — the judgment — filled his soul, and he became very miserable.

Regaining strength, for a year he sought rest in various ways, but found none. There was no satisfaction in drink and in his usual pursuits. One day he was asked to go to hear the glad tidings of the gospel proclaimed, and gladly he accepted the invitation.

The sweet message of God’s free and full salvation for sinners through the Lord Jesus Christ was simply told. Poor Jim saw that he was guilty before God, lost and ruined. Owning his condition, he was able to cast himself there and then, just as he was, upon Christ, and to trust in His precious blood, which cleanseth from all sin. Joy and gladness at once took the place of his fears and misery, and Jim patiently bore witness to the saving grace of God, As I close let me ask you, “If YOU should die, what then?”

You may say, “I am young and healthy and not likely to die yet.” That possibly is the case. But face the question fairly now. Would you go to be with the Lord Jesus in heaven, or would you go to hell? Take the Lord Jesus as your Saviour now, as Jim the blacksmith did, and then you will be ready, no matter what comes.

“It shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before Him: but it shall not be well with the wicked ... because he feareth not before God.” Eccl. 8:12, 13.

ML 02/19/1961

Bible Talks: Psalms 88-89

Psalm 88. In this psalm the suffering remnant have a sense of what it is to have to do with God for their part in rejecting the Messiah, though not fully conscious of the real cause of their afflictions. It is a time of deep distress. Lover and friend had been put far from them. They will have to acknowledge that they had forsaken His law and rejected the Messiah, before they can have complete restoration.

Psalm 89. This psalm, while starting out with the singing of the mercies of the Lord forever, rehearses His dealings with them, and particularly the covenant which He had made with David, whose throne was to be built up for all generations. But they feel that Jehovah had cast them off, and been angry with His anointed, casting His crown to the ground. They do own that He had said that if those of the house of David did forsake His law, then He would visit their transgressions with the rod and their iniquities with stripes. But they can count upon His loving kindnesses, that He would not utterly forsake them. So they have the confidence that the throne of David was to be restored and continue as the sun before Him. This can only be when they really see how far they were from Him, in rejecting the Messiah, and then He comes in with a great deliverance and restores them. The cry is heard again, “How long, Lord?” and He is asked to remember the reproach of His servants, and wherewith they have reproached the footsteps of His anointed. But the psalm ends with, Blessed be the Lord for evermore. Amen and Amen.”

This psalm closes Book Three with these last words of praise. Book Four gives us something of the progress of the people of God in their exercises concerning their condition before Him, during the time which He had been leading on, until the Messiah could take His place among them.

Book Four

There had been in Book Three an additional faithful remnant from the whole nation of Israel brought back. They were in the land, but not yet in possession of the privileges of the sanctuary of the temple for worship. But in Book Four we have the introduction of the Messiah, the One in whom all their promises centered, taking His place in power among them in the land, as the One who is to reign in righteousness.

The palms of yore their branches waved

When Judah’s sons were singing;

“Hosanna! Zion shall be saved,”

Their gentle Monarch bringing.

But the sun’s light at midday died,

And Judah’s matrons, wailing,

Lamented loud the Crucified

All trace of glory failing!

Those gloomy years have rolled away,

The years of Israel’s mourning;

The rising sun with healing ray

Proclaims the King’s returning.

Lift up your heads, eternal gates,

Transcendent dawn glows o’er ye!

At Salem’s door Messiah waits;

He is the King of glory.

ML 02/19/1961

"The Last Chapter"

Old pictures can be as beautiful and interesting as they are valuable. Such is the unique painting by James Doyle Penrose entitled, The Last Chapter,” The famous painter completed this work in 1908, but it was finally presented to the British and Foreign Bible Society, and today hangs on the walls of that Society’s Headquarters at the Bible House.

No more fitting place could have been found for such a picture for it portrays the Venerable Bede, that great historian and translator of the Scriptures, during his last moments on earth. It shows the Bede completing his translation of John’s Gospel into the Anglo-Saxon language, with a boy scribe by his bedside writing from his dictation. This took place on Ascension Day, A.D. 735.

“It is finished now, dear master,” the boy is saying, as he lays down his pen, “It is finished now!”

But the Venerable Bede has run his course— he is dying! Raising his weary eyes to the little one before him, he exclaims “You say well, son, for it is finished,” He realizes that, having completed the final chapter of his book, he is now about to complete the last chapter of his life. However, the great scholar has no fears. He faces death with a smile. A very short time after he had spoken the above words, he died singing praises to God. What a noble end!

But oh, dear young friends, let us think on the words, “The Last Chapter!” Aren’t they solemn ones? Why, they would remind us that all of us without exception shall at some time finish the last chapter of our life’s book. No doubt none of us like to think about that. Of course we don’t. It is quite natural to shrink from that great enemy — DEATH! But why should it make us unwilling to prepare for death — to get right with God. Death is the direct result of sin. God declares in His Word, “The soul that sinneth, it shall DIE!” “Wherefore as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” Rom. 5:12. Everyone who has not been “born again” — born twice — who has not life in Christ who laid down His life for sinners, in the sight of God is seen as dead — “dead in trespasses and sins” (Eph. 2:1). But everlasting life can be the portion of that same soul if he or she is willing to have it God’s way, that is by faith. Christ Himself is the life. He has died that we might live. He has put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself, and now “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life” (John 3:361, as a present and eternal possession.

Surely the coming of the Lord Jesus for His own is drawing near. Then, dear reader, do trust Him as your own Saviour, and the last chapter of your life down here will bring you into the first chapter of that eternal fellowship with Himself, in “the land that is fairer than day.”

“HE THAT BELIEVETH ON THE SON HATH EVERLASTING LIFE: AND HE THAT BELIEVETH NOT THE SON SHALL NOT SEE LIFE.” John 3:36.

ML 02/26/1961

In a Hospital Ward

Nellie’s, Aunt Grace was a 1:14. believer in the Lord Jesus, and she often took tracts to the wounded soldiers in the hospital. There she spoke to them of the Saviour.

One Sunday afternoon she asked Nellie to go with her, and give out tracts. Now although Nellie’s father and mother and aunt were Christians, and she knew the way of salvation herself, she had never yet accepted the Lord Jesus as her Saviour. She thought, How can I give away tracts when I am not saved myself?

In one of the wards was a young soldier who had had his fingers blown off. Nellie noticed how bright and cheerful he was, notwithstanding his sufferings, and she knew it was because the Lord Jesus was his Saviour and Friend. As she looked at him a great longing came into her heart that she might know that she too was saved. Then and there, unknown to those around her, Nellie in simple faith took the Lord Jesus as her Saviour, and her heart was filled with peace and joy.

When they were outside the hospital, Nellie looked up at her aunt and said, “I’m saved, I took the Lord Jesus as my Saviour when I saw how happy that wounded soldier could be in spite of his suffering.” Then when she reached home, to the joy of her mother and father, she ran into the house, exclaiming, “Mother and Dad, the Lord Jesus saved my soul this afternoon.”

In the evening Nellie went with her parents to the gospel meeting. She was happier than she had ever been before, and after the service she openly confessed the Lord Jesus to some of her friends.

At the end of the meeting they sang the well-known hymn,

“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!

“Just as I am—and waiting not

To rid my soul of one dark blot,

To Thee, whose blood can cleanse each spot,

O Lamb of God, I come!

“Just as I am—Thou wilt receive,

Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;

Because Thy promise I believe,

O Lamb of God, I come!

“Just as I am—Thy love, I own,

Has broken every barrier down;

Now to be Thine, yea, Thine alone,

O Lamb of God, I come!

Nellie sang the well-known words from her heart for the first time. They had a new meaning to her now.

Perhaps there are some among our readers who are like Nellie. They know how to be saved, but they have never accepted the Lord Jesus for themselves. Do not linger, but now while you are young, take Christ as your Saviour, and receive from His loving hand the pardon He is offering you.

“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.” Eccles. 12:1.

ML 02/26/1961

Profanity

I remember some time ago hearing of a rich man who had a large farm. He was the most terribly profane man that had ever been known in the neighborhood. He could hardly speak a word on any subject without mingling it with oaths. It was perfectly shocking to hear him speak. At length he was seized with a stroke of something like paralysis. This left him in good health, only he had lost the use of his limbs. And the remarkable thing about it was, that the power of speech was taken away from him, except that he could still swear. Profane words were all that he could utter. He used to be taken about his farm by his servants in a sort of hand carriage, and the only words that ever fell from his lips were dreadful oaths and curses. How awful this must have been!

What a terrible illustration it affords of that passage of Scripture (Psalm 109;17-19) in which God says: “As he loved cursing, so let it come unto him... As he clothed himself with cursing like as with his garment, so let it come into his bowels like water, and like oil into his bones.” Surely this man was so clothed. What a dreadful garment it must have been to wear!

“The Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain.” Ex. 20:7.

ML 02/26/1961

A Jewish Lawyer Converted

A man some years ago went to Jerusalem, in order to make a survey of the Holy Land. He was a noted Jewish lawyer. He took a copy of the Scriptures with him, because he believed it would help him to find out the true geography of the Holy Land. He began to read about that land, and his eye fell upon the margin referring him to the 22nd Psalm and the 53rd chapter of Isaiah. He read them over, and instead of finding out the geography of the Holy Land, he found the “Holy Land” in heaven, and became a faithful convert to the true faith among the Jews.

“Thou art worthy... for Thou wart slain, and halt redeemed us to God by Thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation.” Rev. 5:9.

ML 02/26/1961

Bible Talks: Psalms 90-92

Psalm 90. This psalm is called a prayer of Moses, the man of God. He is the one who led the people through the wilderness to the land of promise. It seems very appropriate as it was suited to the people at that time, and also now in that they have been brought back. The same exercises of heart are necessary. There is the confession of their waywardness and also their frailty, and an expressed desire to be taught by the Lord. We have the statement in verse 1 That Jehovah had been their dwelling place throughout all generations, They had lost sight of this in times past and had been scattered. The Lord is acknowledged as the One who was, before the earth was formed, from everlasting. This is contrasted with man’s short span of life. A thousand years in His sight are but as yesterday, and when it is past, but as a watch in the night. They confess that His wrath has been upon them and their years were as a tale that is told.

Man’s short span of life is mentioned as threescore and ten years, but might be fourscore accompanied by labor and sorrow, and soon cut off. So they desire to number their days in order to have an understanding heart.

In closing they desire to have the beauty of the Lord ever before them, that He may establish the work of their hands, in contrast with everything being taken from them as of old.

Psalm 91. The Messiah is introduced in a remarkable way in this psalm. It is said of one who dwells in the secret of the Most High that he shall abide under the protection of the Almighty, Two names of God are used, which were revealed to Abraham, Then the Messiah comes forward and says, “I will say of Jehovah, He is my refuge and fortress, My God, in Him will I trust.” He thus takes that place of dwelling and abiding in that place of safety. Then the Spirit of God in verses 3-8 outlines the care of protection that shall be His on this account, No doubt many a saint of God through the ages has rested in these promises, because the Messiah has marked out the path of faith, and this spirit continues in verses 9-13. Satan sought to tempt the Lord out of the path of faith by partially quoting from what we have here. But the Lord answered, “It is written again,” that is, that there are other scriptures which should have a bearing also on the path of faith in which He was called to walk. It is a good thing for us to remember this as to our pathway. Jehovah answers in verses 14-16 with additional promises to the Messiah.

Psalm 92. In this psalm, the Messiah leads in the praises of Israel who are here looking forward to the full display of the power of God over the enemies of His people. The Messiah looks forward also to being exalted by the hand of God, and the righteous also being raised up from the path of suffering to enjoy the fruits of the Messiah’s victory. This will be what takes place when the Lord comes back to reign in this world. He will put down all opposition with a rod of iron, which signifies that He will reign in judgment.

ML 02/26/1961

Won by a Mother's Love

A brilliant American student of wealthy parents fell a victim to infidelity, and turned his back on his early Christian training. One day he was so thoroughly dissatisfied with life that he remarked to his mother, “I’m tired of it all. I’m going to leave and will not bother you anymore.” She followed him to the door, pled and wept over him, then gave her final word; “My boy, when you come to the darkest hour of all, and everything seems lost, if you will honestly call on your mother’s God, He will not fail you.”

Out into the darkness he went. His sin, particularly his infidelity, was driving him swiftly to destruction. Down and down he went in his headlong, reckless course, until he felt he could stand it no longer. When 427 miles from home, in a hotel in a certain town, he decided on suicide. Wearied with his sinful life, he got out of bed at an early hour, and prepared for the end, “I’ll bring to an end this farce called ‘human life,’” he said to himself. Just then there was flashed across his memory the last words of his mother before he left home years before. “My boy, when you came to the darkest hour of all and everything seems lost, if you will honestly call on your mother’s God, He will not fail you.”

A power gripped him, restraining him and bringing him to his knees to pray thus: “O God of my mother, if there is such a Being, I want light, and if Thou wilt give it, no matter how, I will follow it.” God shone into his darkened mind, broke down his stubborn will, and without hesitation, he received Christ as his Saviour.

His first thought was to return home and tell his mother. Setting out immediately, he soon arrived at the gate of the old home. There, to his amazement, his mother came walking down the garden path toward him with smiling face and tears intermingled. “O my boy, I know why you are back,” she exclaimed, “You have found the Lord, for He has told me.” This young man became the well-known evangelist, Dr. R. A. Torrey, who was used of the Lord to win many souls for Christ in many lands, who himself was won by a mother’s love.

Such love points us to the very heart of God and to the cross of Christ, where that love was made known in its fullness. “For God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8, The beloved John wrote: “God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world that we might live through Him.” 1 John 4:8, 9.

Shall such amazing love be lavished upon us in vain? Or shall it break us, melt us, and bring us, like it did young Torrey, in repentance to the feet of the Saviour? Which shall it be?

“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.” Rev. 1:5, 6.

ML 03/05/1961

Not Too Young

At a Sunday school the teacher was anxious that the little ones should learn the chorus:

“I’m not too young to come to Jesus,

For He loves a little child;

And I need Him, and He needs me,

And oh how happy I shall be, If I come now.”

Alfred Black was a bright boy about nine years old who, along with the others, could sing it very well; but I do not think he had ever taken the Lord Jesus into his heart as his own Saviour.

One day when Alfred was coming home from school, a friend was passing in his car and offered Alfred a ride. He jumped into the car, and when he arrived at his home, he was struck by another car passing. He was thrown some distance, and was quite badly hurt.

For a week he lay in the hospital, and his anxious mother was constantly by his side. The doctor said there was little or no hope because of concussion of the brain. One evening, however, when his parents were looking on, his little voice rang out though the ward, in clear and wonderful tones, “I’m not too young to come to Jesus,” his favorite chorus.

All were astonished, and they thought the end had come. But it was not, for he opened his eyes and for the first time since the accident, smiled at his mother and father.

This was the turning point, for Alfred had just trusted the Lord Jesus as his Saviour, and he lived to show that the chorus was really true, He had come, and was received by the Friend who said, “Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto Me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” Matt. 19:14.

Have you come, dear boy or girl?

ML 03/05/1961

Sins Gone from God's Sight

An old apple woman in a country village, after hearing the gospel preached, believed in all its simplicity the wonderful record of God’s love, and rejoiced in her newly-found Saviour, She knew that all her sins were washed away by His precious blood, and that she was saved. One and another tried to shake the old woman’s faith, but in vain. Her stronghold was God’s Word, in which He tells us that His gift is eternal life, and that those accepting Christ shall never perish. And her resting place was the work of the Lord.

A friend, educated in the doubting school, sought to test the old woman’s faith, but her simple reply was, “Jesus was delivered for my offenses, and raised again for my justification.” Thus she stopped his argents as to whether her past sins were forgiven or not.

“Ah! but what about the sins you have committed today?” he asked further.

“Well,” she replied, “when I sin, I go to God and confess what I have done, and He forgives me”; triumphantly adding, “why to be sure, ain’t Jesus a-sitting up there a-purpose?”

May it be yours, dear reader, to know in your inmost soul with this simple woman, that “if when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.” Rom. 5:10. For “It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.” Rom. 8:34.

ML 03/05/1961

Bible Questions for March

The Children’s Class

1.On whom was John looking when he sold, “Behold the Lamb of God”?

2.Did God send His Son into the world to condemn the world or to save it?

3.Did some of the people believe that Jesus was Indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world?

4.How can we pass from death unto life?

5.What is the work of God that we can do?

6.Who said, “If any man thirst, It him come unto Me, and drink?”

7.Whom must we follow in order to have the light of life?

The Young People’s Class

1.Were David’s walk and ways commend. able in the eyes of the people of Israel and Judah? 1 Sam. 15.

2.Can we manifest the truth fa every men’s conscience by our walk? 2 Cor. 4.

3. Was Saul true in his along toward David, or did he secretly desire the hand of the Philistines to be upon him? 1 Sam. 18.

4. Does deceit characterize those who do not like to retain God in their knowledge? Rom. 1.

5. Did David feel his Insufficiency at His thought of being the king’s son-in-law? 1 Sam.

6. What relationship to God do we acquire when we believe on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ? John 1.

7. Are any of us sufficient for these things? 2 Cor. 2.

ML 03/05/1961

Bible Talks: Psalms 93-97

Psalm 93. We have here the announcement that Jehovah reigns. His throne had been established of old, but the floods had lifted up their voices (strong enemies had been allowed to overcome them). But now the time had come when these voices could no longer prevail, because He was mightier than the noise of many waters. The testimonies, or the Word, of God are spoken of as sure; nothing could displace them, and they realize holiness becomes the house of God. It reminds us of what the Lord said in John 4:23, 24: “God is a spirit, and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.”

Psalm 94. The great distress of the remnant causes them to cry out in this psalm, “How long?” Jehovah is addressed as the God of vengeances. He is called on to shine forth, and the wicked not allowed to triumph. There is the confidence expressed that Jehovah knoweth the thoughts of man, that they are vanity, and that He will not cast off His people. But He will cut off the wicked and bring upon them the results of their own iniquities.

Psalm 95. Here we have a summons to the nation to sing praises unto Jehovah, who is the Rock of their salvation. Jehovah is a great God, a great King. He is above all the gods of this world. He was the One who created all things. They are to bow down and worship Jehovah their Maker; they are the sheep of His pasture. They are not to do as of old, when they hardened their hearts and lost the privilege of entering into His rest.

Psalm 96. This psalm goes beyond Israel and summons all the earth to sing praises, and a new song unto Jehovah. The new song will take in His dealings with Israel in a new way, according to the new covenant (Heb. 8:8), when His laws will be written in their minds and hearts. His salvation is to be shown forth from day to day. The gods of the nations are declared to be but idols, but Jehovah has created the heavens. They are to bring unto Him the glory and strength due His name, and to worship Him in the beauty of His holiness. They saw no beauty in Him who was God manifest in the flesh, but now their eyes are no longer “holden,” faith has sprung up in their hearts, and they can behold the King in His beauty (Isa. 33:17). I trust that those who read these lines are among those which believe and to Whom the Lord is precious. (1 Pet. 2:7.)

The heathen were to be told that Jehovah reigneth, and that the world was to be established and not to be moved, because He would judge righteously. So the earth and the heavens are called upon to rejoice before Him, who was coming to judge the earth.

Psalm 97. Here again we have faith recognizing that Jehovah reigneth. It is a manifestation of His power and judgments, perhaps such as will be felt when His judgments which we read about in Revelation 19, are poured forth. A fire is mentioned as going before Him and the earth trembling because of it. Confusion is upon all that worship idols. But Zion heard all this and was glad, for faith recognizes that light is sown for the righteous, and gladness is the portion of the upright in heart. Thus they are called upon to give thanks.

ML 03/05/1961

The Gospel Through the Keyhole

Lock Heng was a young man of up-to-date interests. Prior to the advent of war in the Malay Peninsula, he was in the Penang Flying Club, Lock Heng had left the religion of his ancestors; and had become a Christian.

On the outbreak of World War II, he and other companions were in an Auxiliary Flying Corps, and when Singapore fell, these native airmen were imprisoned by their Japanese invaders.

It was not long before Lock Heng discovered that his cell was next to that occupied by one of his Chinese friends. They also discovered that at certain times they could tap close to the keyhole of the door separating their cells, and, using the Morse Code, could hold short conversations together.

It was the other man who evolved this system of communication, and suggested they have a daily chat when it was deemed safe. One day he tapped to the effect that he was feeling depressed and didn’t want to “talk.” Lock Heng replied, “If you are depressed, pray to God.”

“I don’t know what you mean; how can I pray in this place? To whom shall I pray?”

“Pray to the God of heaven in the name of Jesus Christ — just tell Him what you feel. He will understand.”

“I do not know how. Please teach me to pray.”

So the young Christian taught his friend a simple prayer, and told him little by little, tapping it out with his fingers by the keyhole of that cell door, when no sentry was near, the only way of salvation.

Then one day his friend accepted Christ; the light dawned into his soul; he had found the Saviour “through the keyhole.”

After some months, release came in answer to many prayers. The day before they were to be set free a native preacher had addressed the congregation from these lines found in the book of Joshua; “Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.” Josh. 3:5.

The parents of the young men claimed this promise, and true enough, on the morrow their sons were restored to them from all the horror of the prison.

The new convert’s wife and family soon followed the head of the house in receiving Christ into their hearts and lives, as Saviour and Lord.

Thus does the gospel spread. Not always by the eloquence of preaching; sometimes by methods hitherto unheard of is the message of truth proclaimed. The channels vary, the truth never alters: “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.” (1 Cor. 15:3).

Dear reader, have you, with all your privileges, acknowledged Him as your Saviour?

“For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” 2 Cor. 4:6.

“I AM COME A LIGHT INTO THE WORLD, THAT WHOSOEVER BEL1EVETH ON ME SHOULD NOT ABIDE IN DARKNESS.” John 12:46.

ML 03/12/1961

An Encouragement to Street Preachers

One Lord’s day evening a number of young men went down to a certain street corner and began to preach the gospel. As they told the old, old story of God’s great love to sinners, and of the Saviour who died on the cross, a number of passersby stopped to listen. Some of those who listened were quite attentive, but at the close there was no tangible evidence of any blessing. As these young men turned home, they might have felt somewhat discouraged; but they left the sown seed with God, knowing that He alone could bless and cause it to bear fruit.

Some days later a godly man and his wife, Mr. & Mrs. Hunt, felt it distinctly laid on their hearts to visit the city hospital. They had done this occasionally, but this particular morning they were so especially pressed in spirit, that they laid aside their work to go.

Walking through one of the wards, Mrs. Hunt observed a young lady crying, and upon reaching her bedside inquired as to her health. The still sobbing young lady replied that her name was Jane, and that she was much improved in health. In fact, she was to be discharged that day as cured. This made the cause of her tears more of a mystery; and upon further questioning from Mrs. Hunt, Jane told her story.

On the evening of the above mentioned preaching, Jane had stopped and heard the good news of God’s free salvation. She had for some time been burdened about her sins and now for the first time in her life she heard that if she simply believed in the Lord Jesus, all her sins would be cleansed, and she be saved. With the eagerness of one grasping for a life preserver when about to drown, she accepted the Saviour as her own. It was a happy moment for Jane, But Satan did not want to lose another one from his grasp, and he stirred up the wicked hearts of her parents. With a heart running over with her newly found joy, Jane had gone home and told her parents what, to her, was good news, only to be rebuffed with cursings and abuse. Although it was a very cold night they ordered her out of the house. She had nowhere to go, and had wandered about the streets taking a severe cold.

In an exhausted and critical condition, Jane had been taken to the hospital; but now she was to be discharged, and with no place to go. She was only twenty years old, and the prospects were dark indeed as she thought of going out into a cold world without a friend or a home. However, a new phase of her life was about to open. She was to learn that the One who saved her was watching over her, and knew all about her suffering for His sake. The Lord had sent these dear Christians to the hospital for her sake.

Jane left the hospital that day, but not friendless or homeless, for she was taken to the home of Mr. & Mrs. Hunt. After remaining with these dear people for some time, she secured work with other Christians, Tier testimony was steady, and she grew in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. As she grew in divine things she desired to answer to the request of her Lord who said, “This do in remembrance of Me.” This happy previlege was soon granted to her.

Dear fellow-Christian, “Let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” Gal. 6:9.

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

ML 03/12/1961

"He'd See Me Too Much"

A teacher was one afternoon repeating to her class the well-known text, “Thou God seest me,” when a little boy immediately said: “Yes, teacher, but God can see all of us.”

“Surely He can, Albert, yet our text says, ‘Thou God seest me,’ and we often sing this verse, which tells us the same;

“God is in heaven, can He see
If I am doing wrong?
Oh! yes, He can, He looks at thee
All day and all night long.”

“I know that, teacher, but He looks at all of us.”

Again and again the little boy repeated his words, until the teacher thought he must have some reason for persisting that God can see all, so she asked him why he would not use the word “me.” After a moment’s hesitation, and in a low voice, Albert replied,

“Because, teacher, if God looked straight at me, He would see too much.”

Ah! that was the trouble. Though a gentle, lovable little boy, one of the best in the class, Albert felt that he could not bear the all-searching eye of God fixed straight on him.

He knew that he was a sinful child, unfit for God’s presence; alas, he did not trust Jesus as his Saviour, the One who could wash all his sins away.

Are you afraid of that little word “me”? Does it trouble you to know that God searches your heart through and through? Can you say, “The Son of God loved me and gave Himself for me”?

ML 03/12/1961

Bible Talks: Psalms 98-102

Psalms 98. As a result of what took place in the previous psalm, they are called upon again to sing the new song, because His salvation for His people had been made known, and His righteous judgments had been openly shown to the heathen. All the earth is to make a joyful noise before Jehovah the King. He was coming to judge the world with righteousness, and rule His people with equity.

Psalm 99. Jehovah is here announced as reigning, not from the heavens but as the One who sits between the cherubim. This was where He had promised to meet with them and commune with them (Ex. 25:22). The people are called upon to praise His great and terrible, holy name, and the strength of the King that loveth justice. They are not brought into the relationship of being the children of God, who has been revealed to us as the God of love and also as the God of comfort. It was the Lord Jesus Christ who has revealed God to us in this way. He could only do this after He had suffered for us and redeemed His people by His death upon the cross.

In this psalm they know Jehovah as the One who establishes equity, and executes judgment among His people. They are called upon to worship at His footstool. Moses and Aaron as priests and Samuel of the prophets, are referred to as having called upon Jehovah, and He answered them. They were to worship Him at His holy hill, Zion, which shows that what the Lord Jesus said in John 4:21-24 did not apply to them; namely, that the hour was coming in which they would not worship in Jerusalem, but the true worshipers would worship the Father in spirit and in truth. We should appreciate more and more, the place of nearness which is ours, and give thanks unto our God and Father.

Psalm 100. This psalm is entitled, “A psalm of praise or thanksgiving,” so they are invited to come into His presence with gladness and singing. They were to know that Jehovah is God, that He had made them, and not they themselves. His controversy of old had been that when they were prosperous, they forgot Him and took all the credit to themselves, which is a very common thought of man in general in all ages. He had been good to them, and His loving kindnesses were to endure forever.

Psalm 101. Here the Messiah is speaking of the principles that should govern the people of God when restored to the land in the millennium.

Psalm 102. The Messiah calls to have His prayer heard. He is contemplating the cross and what it will be to have to do with God in making atonement for sins. Then we have God’s answer to Him, showing what His place will be in the coming kingdom. Though He was to be lifted up and cast down, yet He was to continue. He was the One who had created the earth and the heavens. They were to be folded up as a garment and pass away, but He should continue. This is one of the psalms which show that the Messiah, the Lord Jesus, was the Jehovah of the Old Testament.

ML 03/12/1961

One More Chance

When the stretcher bearers reached the place where Jack Mackie lay, they hesitated, and gazed doubtfully at his unconscious figure. He was very badly wounded. The doctor, who was kneeling beside him, looked up and shook his head.

“No use,” he said, the poor fellow’s practically gone.”

But as he spoke the wounded man opened his eyes and looked straight at the kneeling figure. There seemed to be a world of entreaty in that one glance, as if the doctor’s words had reached his brain, and he was pleading for one more chance. It was enough.

“Take him up,” the doctor said to the waiting bearers; “we must see what we can do for him.”

So Jack was laid tenderly on a stretcher and carried off. After long weeks of careful nursing he came gradually back to life again. That look had saved him.

But although Jack’s life had been spared, his strength did not return for many months. It was while convalescing that he became acquainted with Mr. & Mrs. Savile, a Christian lady and gentleman who took the patients for drives.

One afternoon Jack and a chum, Fred Nixon, had been taken for a lovely ride through beautiful country, and afterward brought back to supper. After supper, Jack told the story of the look that had saved his life, and the conversation drifted to divine things, A very interesting talk ensued, Yet, sad to say, although both young fellows talked glibly about God’s goodness, neither of them had experienced that took that means life. There had been no change of heart which comes to all believers in the Lord Jesus Christ as the result of trusting in His finished work on the cross.

“I’ve done my best to live straight,” said Jack at last, “and I know my pal Fred has too; haven’t you, chum?”

“That’s right,” assented Fred.

“And of course, we both hope and expect it’ll take us to heaven,” continued Jack.

Neither Mr. nor Mrs. Savile could get them to realize the simplicity of the gospel and, not anxious to press the matter too closely just then, they let the conversation drift into other channels. Jack told of the way in which some of the men in the convalescent hospital spent their spare time, and was soon explaining some wool-work at which he was becoming quite expert.

“I should like to make you a present of a mat, if you will accept it, ma’am,” he said to his hostess. “You have been so good to us chaps, and it would give me great pleasure.” Mrs. Savile was delighted.

“I should value it very much, Mackie,” she said, “but you mustn’t go to any expense in the matter, I’ll buy the mat and the wools, and then you shall give me your work.”

But the young fellow smiled proudly and shook his head. “If you bought the materials, ma’am, it wouldn’t be my gift, would it?”

“Oh Mackie!” cried Mrs. Savile, “quite unknowingly you have exactly illustrated the gospel. That is just what the Lord Jesus wants us to do—accept the gift He offers and not wish to help ourselves. Don’t you see it now? It would not be His gift at all if He asked us to do a share, would it?”

For a moment Jack and his friend looked very thoughtful; then the light suddenly came to them both.

“Well, I never!” said Jack, “it is as plain as plain — isn’t it, Fred?” “That’s right,” assented Fred.

“Yes,” said Mrs. Savile, “so plain, so simple, and yet people go on from year to year trying to hide under a cloak of their own good works, and hoping it will take them to heaven, “He that believeth on the Son hath, everlasting life.’ “

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

“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us.. That being justified by His grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” Titus 3:5. 7.

“WE ARE ALL AS AN UNCLEAN THING, AND ALL OUR RIGHTEOUSNESSES ARE AS FILTHY RAGS.” Isa. 64:6.

ML 03/19/1961

What Sinta's Dog Did

A famous African missionary had a young native boy whom he looked upon as his special friend. We will call the boy Sinta. Sinta was a shepherd lad and was helped in his work among the sheep by a hunting dog, which drove away the wild beasts which tried to steal the flocks.

At one time Sinta had been a very wild and wicked boy. But when he had met the missionary one day, the kindly man gave Sinta a New Testament all for himself. By reading in the Gospels how the Lord Jesus died for him on the cross. Sinta’s heart was softened, and he became an entirely new boy, by receiving the Lord Jesus into his heart.

Some time passed; Sinta loved to go to the mission to hear the word of God read, and he grew in grace by reading his own New Testament while watching the sheep out on the hillsides.

But one day Sinta came to the missionary in great distress. “Bwana, what shall I do?” he asked, tears rolling down his cheeks. “The dog... he tear and ate a page from God’s Book, my New Testament. Bwana! Bwana! What shall I do?”

“But, Sinta, my boy,t’ the missionary comforted him, “that will not matter. I can give you another Testament.”

Sinta shook his head more sadly than before. “No, Bwana... no good,” he said, “Think of the dog.”

The missionary laughed. “But if your dog can crunch a bone he is not going to be hurt by eating a piece of paper,” he said. “Come, I’ll give you another Testament.”

“No, no, Bwana, you do not understand,” cried Sinta, as he gripped the missionary’s arm. “Once I was a bad boy. If I had an enemy I hated him and everything in me wanted to kill him. When I got the Bible into my heart, I begin to love everybody and forgive all my enemies. Now the dog, Bwana, the hunting dog ... he has got the blessed Book inside him. He will begin to love the lions and forest beasts and let them take away my sheep and oxen. Bwana! Bwana! What shall I do?”

Again the missionary laughed. It took him a long time to explain to a very serious Sinta that all would be well with his flocks — and his dog — and at last he went away smiling, carrying a fresh new copy of the New Testament.

Sinta’s simplicity was amusing but did he not pay honor to the Word of God by his faith in Its power to change a soul?

ML 03/19/1961

The Sailors and the Samphire

Driven at the mercy of the waves, borne onward in its fury, the gallant ship with its human freight was dashed upon the rugged rock.

Struggling for dear life, three sailors and a boy succeeded in swimming to and climbing up on a ledge. Although its iron teeth had shattered the craft that in time past so safely bore them, yet there was an element of mercy, for, secure upon its firm base, it offered a refuge for the drowning, a covert from the storm.

But still the tide kept rising, the water was now up to their knees, and with fearful forebodings of a temporary respite, followed by a watery grave, they clung to the rock in mute despair.

“The Samphire! the Samphire!! we’re saved, we’re saved!” was the cry suddenly raised by one of the despairing ones, as he discovered that little plant which only grows above the tidemark. The water would abate before reaching the Samphire, and all they had to do was to stand firm on the rock.

Shipwrecked mariners over life’s tempestous sea, we point you to the Rock of Ages; upon its heights the everlasting Samphire blooms. Not all the storms and billows of the past ever reached that point of security, nor shall they submerge the countless throng of those who, gathered there, lift up their voice above the noise of the angry sea.

“Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee.”

Today we raise the cry—”We’ve found a place of refuge. Come, trust yourself upon this rock.” Thousands in time past have stood safely here, till the Lifeboat has borne them away to the haven of rest; and today a countless multitude of living witnesses, as with one voice, say, Come—venture—trust.

“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.

ML 03/19/1961

Bible Talks: Psalms 103-105

Psalm 103. The Messiah is here leading restored Israel in their praises for all the goodness and tender mercies which they are now enjoying as they enter into the kingdom which He was establishing. He was the One who was healing all their diseases. This will be so in the millennium. Man had been of old as the flower of the grass, his days were few, and he was but dust, but now their old age was to be satisfied with good things and their youth renewed as the eagle’s. So all are called upon to praise Jehovah, the angels, all His hosts, and all that do His pleasure.

Psalm 104. Here Jehovah is the object of the praise of His people who has created the earth and sustains it for man’s habitation, Jehovah is clothed with honor and majesty, and is covered with light as a garment. He had created His angels as spirits, and could use the flaming fire as His servants.

He had provided the earth with its waters and set bounds for them, providing springs and water courses, so that the creatures of the earth could satisfy their thirst. He had caused the grass to grow for the cattle and the herb for man, so that he could get food out of the earth. The moon and the sun in their rising and setting performed a service for man in his habitation of the earth, and also its various creatures, The Messiah leads His people in their considering all these things to sing praises unto Jehovah and their meditations should be sweet. Those who sin will have no place in the renewed earth of the millennium, but will be consumed out of it.

Psalm 105. This psalm rehearses the ways of God with His people from of old. They are called upon as the children of Abraham the servant of God, and the children of Jacob his chosen one, to remember His marvelous works, to give glory to Jehovah, and to let their hearts rejoice in Him. God’s care over the patriarchs when they wandered from one kingdom to another is brought before them. Then Joseph’s being sold as a servant into Egypt, is spoken of as God’s provision for them in the time of famine which was to come. It is said, however, that he was bound in fetters of iron and his soul came into iron. No doubt it is stated in this way to illustrate something of the sufferings of the Lord Jesus, which can only be brought out a little here and there. Then their deliverance from Egypt is recounted, showing how God had to afflict the Egyptians with the plagues to bring this about, so that Egypt was glad when they departed, His providing food and water for them in the wilderness on their way to possess the lands of the heathen is also brought out. All this is that they might observe His statutes and keep His laws, How fitting then is the close of this wonderful psalm. “Praise ye the Lord”!

“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.

ML 03/19/1961

The Banker and the Bible

Men may rail and scoff at Christianity as they please, yet the instincts of their hearts pay homage to the excellence of Christ’s teachings. They know, in spite of all their scoffing, that a godly man is a safer neighbor than an infidel; that life and property are more secure when men pray than when they blaspheme; and that a Bible or a Hymn book found in any house is a better sign than a rum bottle or a pack of cards.

Many years ago a Virginia banker, who was chairman of a noted infidel club, was traveling through Kentucky, having with him bank bills to the amount of twenty-five thousand dollars. When he came to a lonely forest, where robberies and murders were said to be frequent, he found that he was lost. Night came quickly over him, and how to escape from the threatened danger, he knew not.

In this state of alarm he suddenly espied in the distance a dim light, and urging his horse onward, he at length came to a wretched looking cabin, He knocked; the door was opened by a woman who said that her husband was out hunting, but would soon return and she was sure he would cheerfully give him shelter for the night. The gentleman put up his horse and entered the cabin, but with feelings that can better be imagined than described. Here he was with a large sum of money, and perhaps in the house of the robber whose name might he a terror to the whole country.

In a short time the man of the house returned. He had on a deerskin shirt, a bear-skin cap, and seemed much fatigued and in no talking mood. All this boded the infidel no good. He felt for his pistols in his pocket, and placed them so as to be ready for instant use. The man asked the stranger to retire to bed, but he declined, saying that he would sit by the fire all night. He felt that it was his last night on earth, but he determined to sell his life as dearly as he could. His infidel principles gave him no comfort, His fear grew into a perfect agony. What was to be done?

At length the backwoodsman arose, and reaching to a wooden shelf, took down an old Book and said, “Well, stranger, if you won’t go to bed, I will; but it is always my custom to read a chapter of the Holy Scriptures before I go to bed.”

What a change did these words produce! Alarm was at once removed from the skeptic’s mind, and though an avowed infidel, he had now confidence in the Bible. He felt safe. He knew that a man who kept the Bible in his house, and read it, and bent his knees in prayer, was no robber or murderer. He listened to the simple prayer of the good man, and at once dismissed his fears, and lay down and slept as calmly in that cabin as ever he did under his father’s roof. From that night he ceased to revile the Scriptures, later he became a sincere Christian, and often related the story of his wonderful journey to prove the folly of infidelity.

“The word of God, which liveth and abideth forever.”

“For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away.” 1 Pet. 1:23, 24.

“BUT THE WORD OF THE LORD ENDURETH FOREVER. AND THIS IS THE WORD WHICH BY THE GOSPEL IS PREACHED UNTO YOU.” 1 Pet. 1:25.

ML 03/26/1961

"Nobody Loves Me"

When I was a boy, an old man frequently visited our village. At one time he had been in a prosperous way, but, becoming a slave to strong drink, he had lost a small fortune and with it many of his friends. Like the prodigal mentioned in the 15th chapter of Luke’s Gospel, when he spent his all in riotous living, he was forsaken, and disowned.

One day when this old man was walking along one of the streets of the village in a disconsolate mood, he was muttering to himself, “Nobody loves me! Nobody loves me!” A little girl who had been to Sunday school, and who had heard of the love of God, quietly stole up to him, and rather nervously pulling at the tail of his jacket said — “Yes, sir, somebody loves you: God loves you.”

Eternity will alone reveal the effect of this word “spoken in season.”

Did God really love this poor old man, broken and marred by sin? Most certainly, for does not John 3:16 say, “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life”? The old man was part of that world; you are part of it; so that God loved him, and God loves you, He proved His love in giving His Son to die on the Cross for you.

Have you responded to this love? Or are you still slighting it, giving no thought to “the wondrous cross, on which the Lord of glory died?” Friend, you would not treat your fellow-mortals as you are treating God, consider how you are acting towards God and the Lord Jesus Christ, and ask yourself if God will not be justified in punishing you for such indifference. Why not respond to God’s love by giving your heart to the Saviour and your redeemed life to His service? He is worthy.

ML 03/26/1961

Be in Time!

For some time we had been witnessing to a Jewish businessman. He was always friendly, and never argued against what we had to say about the things of God. He accepted a New Testament and had it lying near at hand in his store, where other Jewish people could see it clearly. He always read the tracts we gave him, and knew the gospel from beginning to end.

When other Jewish people came into the store when we were there, he would tell them the Christians were in the “right” and the Jews in the “wrong,” and that the Jews should have accepted Christ. As a rule we let him tell it in his own way, so we could see he really understood the gospel.

But for all that, there was no evidence that he had laid hold upon eternal life. We explained to him that just knowing these things was not enough — he needed to take these things to heart and accept the Lord Jesus Christ as his own personal Saviour. It was again a week ago that we met him, and as we presented the need of salvation to him, stating that we must be prepared, for we knew not when we would die, he said, “I don’t want to ‘die,’ I want to ‘live.’”

We replied, “Yes, Mr. H., but the Bible says, ‘It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.’”

What a shock it was when we were about to stop at his store a week later and found the store closed with a sign on the door, “In Memory.” Our friend had died from a heart attack the day following our last discussion. Little did he or the writer realize that the very next day he would slip into eternity—and that without warning. What passed between himself and the Lord, only God knows. Our only hope is that he called upon the name of the Lord and was saved. We are also reminded of Prov. 29:1, “He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.”

We realize that in this man’s life it was not that he resisted the truth — he just put it off. You, dear reader, may enjoy reading the Bible, singing hymns, and being with the Lord’s people, hut do YOU really know the Lord Jesus as your own Saviour? Perhaps you look forward each Lord’s day to receiving this little paper, and enjoy the stories in it, but if not saved, you are on the way to hell. We plead with you to accept Christ today, for you too, like the man in our story, may one day go from this earth into a lost eternity.

“Behold, NOW is the accepted time; behold, NOW is the day of salvation.” 2 Cor. 6:2.

“Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.” Prov. 27:1.

ML 03/26/1961

Bible Talks: Psalms 106-107

Psalm 106. This psalm begins with “Hallelujah, praise ye the Lord.” It closes the Fourth Book of the Psalms, and calls upon Israel to give thanks unto Jehovah for His mercy endureth forever. His dealings with Egypt in delivering them is again recited, but it is added that they soon forgot Him. Then He also reminds them of their rebellion and murmurings in the wilderness and of His having to deal with them in judgment on account of it. They had despised the pleasant land and not hearkened unto the voice of Jehovah.

Then when in the land, they often forgot Jehovah and turned to idols, and even sacrificed their children to them, so that He had to allow the heathen nations around them to conquer them and afflict them. Many times did He deliver them, we are told. All this brings out a cry: “Save us, O Lord our God, and gather us from among the heathen, to give thanks unto Thy holy name and to triumph in Thy praise.” The time is coming when all Israel shall be gathered back, not only the Jews, some of which are in the land, but from all the tribes. However, before they can be the objects of the blessing of the Lord, they will have to own their guilt in forsaking and rejecting Him when He came in lowliness. The psalm closes with, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting, and let all the people say, Amen. Praise ye the Lord.”

Book Five, Psalms 107-150

This book gives us the closing scenes of the great tribulation (Matt. 24:21-31) and Israel’s being gathered hack into the land. The various scenes through which they have passed are retraced, and they can now praise Him, no longer with the lips only, while the heart is far from Him (Matt. 15:8-3,) but in an acceptable way. We have the principles of the future kingdom set forth, something like that which is called the Beatitudes in Matthew, chapters 5-7. The last words of the last five psalms in our Authorized Version is “Praise ye the Lord,” so they have been spoken of as “Hallelujah Psalms.”

Psalm 107. There is a call here for the giving of thanks unto the Lord for His goodness in gathering back His people to the land from all directions. It embraces the whole twelve tribes of Israel, most of which are scattered and lost sight of to man, but will in God’s own time be found with a desire to return to the land.

Five times in this psalm there is a call for praise to the Lord for His goodness to them, after being brought through great trials. The last time it is connected with giving Him His place in congregational or collective praise. He has had to bring them to the point where they would see the error of their ways in the past in rejecting their Messiah. They had rebelled against the words of God, and condemned the counsel of the Most High.

ML 03/26/1961

The Indian's Mistake

An Indian, hungry and starving, once came to a while man’s house and, asked for something to eat. While he was sitting down and eating the meal provided, his host observed a colored ribbon hanging around the Indian’s necks attached to which was a little pouch. When asked what the little pouch contained, the Indian replied that he had in it a charm which had heel, presented to him many years before.

The white man asked permission to examine the contents of the pouch, and this being given, he discovered to his amazement that the “charm” was a discharge granted to die Indian as a wounded soldier, and it was accompanied with a pension for life in recognition of his services in the war. For years the poor red man had been wandering about in quest or the necessities of life, and often he had been hungry and destitute. Yet all that time he had in his possession, and carried constantly about with hires, that which would have afforded him comfort and plenty. Not knowing what a pension meant, and not understanding its value, he made no use of it.

The Indian’s condition aptly illustrates the position of countless thousands regarding the salvation of God. Restless and unsatisfied in heart, they hurry through life trying to satisfy their soul’s hunger, like the prodigal son, with the world’s husks, instead of feasting on the Bread of Life. Hearken to the words of Scripture.

“The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt, he saved.” Rom. 10:8, 9.

The Lord Jesus has said:

“I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE: HE THAT COMETH TO ME SHALL NEVER HUNGER; AND HE THAT BELIEVETH ON ME SHALL NEVER THIRST.” John 6:35.

ML 04/02/1961

Letter to a Young Christian

Dear —,

I should have written ere this, but have been kept busy. I was so glad to get your letter, and to biker of the Lord’s grace to you in removing that which hindered peace and joy, and now He will lead you on to a deeper, fuller knowledge of Himself.

You ask how you are to keep Him in your thoughts. I believe there are two things necessary for this—prayer, and rending the Word in communion with Himself.

The first brings our souls into living contact with God. The second reveals to us His will, and feeds our souls with that which alone can sustain us as we pass along through this world—Christ.

You will find many trials and difficulties, hill the Lord has trodden the pill before us, and feels all our infirmities (Heb, 4:15). He alone can comfort and keep us, and this He ever delights to, do for those who can confide in Him.

Never seek to meet your difficulties in your own strength. If you do, the Lord must. prove to you your weakness; but cast everything upon Him, and He will minister the grace needed (Phil. 4:6, 7).

Beware of worldliness; this is what is robbing scores of Christians of true joy kind, happiness. Ever remember it was the world which cast out the blessed One who has won our hearts; and hang found no place for Him, it is no place for us.

Of course, we are still in it, but the Lord says we are “not of” it (John 17: 16). And the moment is at hand when He will come to take us out of it, to share that bright glory with Himself throughout the countless ages of eternity.

Until then may He keep you near Himself, and faithful to His name. Yours to serve for His sake.

J. W. H. N.

ML 04/02/1961

It Makes a Difference

Mary, who was thirteen years old, was converted at Sunday School, and sought to please the One who had saved her. One day shortly after this her teacher called to see Mary’s parents.

“Well,” said Mary’s mother, who was not a Christian, “I don’t know what has happened to Mary, but I must say there is a very great change in her. Whatever I tell her to do she does at once, without a word. I wish you could make all my children so.”

Another girl, who was the maid in a certain home, was converted and rejoiced greatly in her new-found Saviour.

“What difference does it make in your life now that you are saved?” she was asked.

“Oh, I sweep under the mat now,” she replied.

Yes, children, knowing Jesus as our Saviour should make a great difference in our walk and ways for now we have One to please whose eyes are always upon us and who has done so much for us and loves us so dearly that to do all things to please Him should be our greatest joy.

ML 04/02/1961

An Indian's Prayer

A little Indian girl was dying. One afternoon she begged her rather to take her to the brook once more. He did so and sat down in the shade, where the little girl could see the water. Turning away her wasted face, she said earnestly, “Pray, Father.” “Oh! I can’t my darling,” he said hastily, “Father,” she said, “I am going to heaven soon: and I want to tell Jesus that my father prays.”

The strong man’s head was bowed; and there went up such a prayer of repentance, and confession as must have thrilled with joy the courts of heaven.

“There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that renpeteth.” Luke 15:10.

ML 04/02/1961

How Different!

An aged Christian woman lay dying in her quiet village home. Weeping friends stood near her bed, but she wept not. Looking calmly upon them she said, “I am going.” Then turning her gaze upward, she said, “I am coming,” and was immediately with her Lord.

How different from the end of the notorious infidel who cried to the woman who waited on him, “Stay with me, for I cannot bear to be alone. Send even a child to be with me, for it is hell to be alone.” Yes, lonely indeed must that soul be who is left to face death and eternity without Christ What will your end be, dear reader? “As for me, I will call upon God; and the Lord shall save me.” Psa. 55:16.

Bible Questions for April

The Children’s Class

1.When Jesus found the man, once blind who had boon cast out, what question did He ask him?

2. What does the Good Shepherd giving for the sheep?

3. Who said, “I am the resurrection and the life”?

4. Did Jesus come as a light into the world so that no one need abide in darkness?

5. Was Jesus troubled in spirit, knowing that one of His disciples should betray Him?

6. Can the world receive the Spirit of truth?

7. What does Jesus give us to prevent our hearts from being troubled or afraid?

Young People’s Class

1. What was Saul’s feeling toward David—even after he gave Michel his daughter to be David’s wife? 1 Sam. 18.

2. Does our enemy, Satan, over appear in a deceitful guise? 2 Cor. 11.

3. Did Saul counsel with others to have David killed? 1 Sam.

4. Who consulted together that Jesus might be taken by subtlety and killed? Matt. 26

5. What kind of men are characterized by continually devising mischief? Prov. 6.

6. Was there any of Saul’s household that delighted in David? 1 Sam.

7. is there a premise of blessing to these that delight in the Lord? Psa. 37.

ML 04/02/1961

Bible Talks: Psalms 108-111

Psalm 108. This psalm is composed of parts of two others, Psalms 57: 7-11 and 60:5-12. The first part praises the Lord for how they had learned of Him in passing through their trials, so that is how they learned of Him in their hearts. In the second part God is speaking in His holiness of His counsels concerning the surrounding nations who have come hither to oppress them. They can say “through God we shall do valiantly.”

Psalm 109. This psalm is quoted (v. 8) by the Apostle Peter in Acts 1:20 as applying to Judas, and one is singled out here as a betrayer. It also speaks in the plural of those who persecute the faithful, so that it in spirit goes on to the time of the great tribulation, when the Antichrist reigns in Jerusalem, and there shall be the betrayal of one another. It shows the inward feelings of those who realize that they have been betrayed. Our blessed Lord felt what it was to have one who had followed with Him in His ministry of grace, betray Him to those who were seeking His life.

Psalm 110, This short psalm is quoted several times in the New Testament. It is quoted by the Lord Jesus, showing how that David recognized that the Messiah was more than his Son, and that he also acknowledged Him as Lord, showing the divinity of the Messiah.

It speaks not only of His conquering the nations and ruling over them, but also that His people would be willing in the day of His power. They will not be turning back and dealing deceitfully as of old (Psa. 78:57), but since they will be born again, they will be willing and obedient. Verse 4 is quoted in Heb. 7: 17, applying it to the Lord as having an unchangeable priesthood, so that He will be both King and priest in His millennial reign. Then His days of humiliation when on earth of old are brought before us; He was the once lowly man who drank of the brook by the way.

Psalm 111. This psalm and the next two anticipate their full restoration and begin with Hallelujah or “Praise ye the Lord.” It is the Messiah leading them in their praises, or giving them the language of faith. He calls them the assembly of the upright. The works of the Lord are first mentioned and are called great, honorable, glorious and wonderful, which are to be remembered. The works of His hands are spoken of as truth and justice. But He has sent redemption to His people. How wonderful it is that He has provided redemption for His people, as we learn in this psalm, for without redemption, He could not have had a people whom He could call His own.

The last verse is quite important. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” But it is not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, but the wisdom of God in a mystery (1 Cor. 2:6-9). There must be faith to lay hold of it, and to submit to it.

Himself He could not save;
He on the cross must die,
Or mercy cannot come
To ruined sinners nigh:

Yes, Christ the Son of God must bleed, That sinners might from sin be freed.

“But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins Forever, sat down on the right hand of God.” Heb. 10:12.

ML 04/02/1961

John O' the Score

Many years ago there was a notorious highway robber in the southern part of Scotland, known far and wide as “John o’ the Score.” After carrying on his dishonest practices for many years, he met a poor man traveling with two horses, which he took from him. The countryman, falling down on his knees, earnestly begged him “for Jesus Christ’s sake” to return one of them, as they were his sole means of livelihood, and he had a wife and family. It was all in vain; the thief was obdurate and carried off both the horses.

Not long after a great change took place in Score. He became restless and unhappy unable to sleep and careless of his personal safety. The only reason he gave for the difference was that he could not forget the words the countryman had used “for Jesus Christ’s sake,” although he was so ignorant he did not know whom he meant by “Jesus Christ.” He had never heard that name before but he could not forget it. So wretched and careless did he become that when he knew the officers of the Crown were on his track he told his sons to seek safety, but could not himself flee.

There was a seeming restraint on him that prevented him from leaving his house. He was apprehended, taken to Edinburgh, tried, convicted and sentenced to death. While in prison he was visited by a godly minister and a Christian gentleman who had known something of him years before. They pointed out to him his danger as a lost sinner, not only condemned to meet death by the law of the land, but beyond that the SECOND DEATH, even the lake of fire, at the hand of a holy God; and they urged him to “flee at once to Jesus Christ.”

No sooner had they uttered that name, which is above every name, than Score exclaimed: “Oh, what word is that? It has been the word that has lain upon my heart ever since the poor man spoke it, so that from that time I had no power to flee!”

Simply and tenderly they told the condemned criminal who He is whose name had had such an effect on him, the holy Son of God who became Man in order to atone for sin—even for such sins as his; they told of His crucifixion, and of His resurrection, and that by Him alone could he be saved, for “there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”

“Oh,” he exclaimed, “will He ever look at me, am! show me mercy, who for His sake would not show mercy to that poor man, and give him back his horse?”

“But God, who is rich in mercy” is “rich unto all that call upon Him,” and He delights to show grace to the most unlikely and most unworthy. Not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace has He saved us; and according to the same glorious standard. He saved poor Score.

“Christ Jesus come into the world to save sinners,” even such as he; and the Holy Spirit, who had brought home to him the power of the name of Jesus in so remarkable a way, brought home to him, too, the saving power of that name, and the poor condemned thief knew that God for Christ’s sake had forgiven I him.

A wonderful change came over him and when he was led out to the scaffold erected in the public street, he confessed before all what the grace of God had done for him, how the precious blood of Christ had atoned for his sins, and that he was passing into the presence of God knowing they were all forgiven “for Jesus Christ’s sake.”

Surely, dear friends, the story of redeeming love ought to melt our hard hearts. Before God none of us are any better than poor “John o’ the Score,” “For all have sinned.” Rom. 4:24. The condemned thief on the cross confessed to his companion, “we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this Man hall done nothing amiss.” Luke 23:41. His faith laid hold upon the love of Hire who hung upon that center cross and he could say, “Lord, remember me when Thou comest into Thy kingdom.” Sweet words they must have been to the Saviour’s ear in that dark home, and the fullness of His grace flowed out in His memorable answer, “Today shall thou be with Me in paradise.” Soon after, we know, the soul of that repentant thief took its flight to that paradise above, to be forever with the Saviour his sinners who loved him and gave Himself for him; and centuries later He received the soul of poor “John o’ the Score.”

Today the Saviour will still receive sinful men and women, and sinful boys and girls,—all—who will come in faith confessing themselves to be sinners and claim Him as their Saviour.

“THIS IS A FAITHFUL SAYING, AND WORTHY OF ALL ACCEPTION, THAT CHRIST JESUS CAME INTO THE WORLD TO SAVE SINNERS.” 1 Tim. 1:15.

ML 04/09/1961

The Name of Jesus

“He that bath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have written 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 5:12, 13.

When I was a boy, I used to work as a messenger in a drug store in the city of Ottawa. There was a very fine pair of balance scales in that store that used to interest me very much. When medicine was to be weighed out, the druggist used to put a piece of paper on each side of the scales, then add a little copper weight to one side, and very carefully add the medicine on the other side, until the scales balanced perfectly.

Some years later, I visited a big building called the “Mint” where gold and silver are melted and made into coins. Here I saw Mt even more wonderful pair of balance scales. If you took two pieces of paper of exactly the same size, and placed them, one on each side of the balances, it would swing exactly level. But if you took one of those pieces of paper and wrote your name on it, and put it back on the scale, it would slowly weigh down that side. Yes, the addition of just one name would turn the scale.

Sometimes I think of that wonderful pair of scales, and I think of the words found in Daniel 5:27, “Thou art weighed in the balance and art found wanting.”

Yes, God has watched you and me all our lives, and He knows all about us both. Our hearts and, lives have been stained with sin in the sight of God, and He tells us that we are “found wanting.” What shall we do about it? Can we somehow get rid of those sins and balance those scales before God? No we cannot. But there is a name, a very wonderful name, which God delights to honor. The precious, saving name of Jesus. Oh how thankful I am for the name of Jesus! It has meant pardon to my guilty heart. The blood of Jesus has met all my need, and now I know that all my sins are gone.

“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

ML 04/09/1961

The Diamond Ring

Not long ago a pawn broker in a big city did a most extraordinary thing, In consequence of a wager which he had made, he put up for sale in his shop-window a $500 diamond ring priced at 60 cents.

For five days the ring remained in the window, the ticket attached to it clearly stating that the price was only 60 cents. But no one purchased it. Early and late crowds of people passed and re-passed the shop, but not one among them would purchase an article worth $500 for the small sum of which it was priced.

Stranger still is the fact that something worth vastly more than a million diamond rings is offered, not for a small sum, but absolutely free, Yet many pass it by as if it were hardly worth a thought.

To what am I referring? I refer to the great gift of salvation and eternal happiness, which God is offering “without money and without price” to “whosoever will.”

“He, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.” Isa. 55:1.

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

ML 04/09/1961

Bible Talks: Psalms 112-115

Psalm 112. This psalm lakes up the theme of the blessings of those who have learned the fear of the Lord in the previous psalms. They can now delight greatly in His commandments. This is the time spoken of in Hebrews 8, which is quoted from Ezekiel 36:25-27. It is this time of future blessings when He will give them a new heart and a new spirit. It is the time the Lord Jesus referred to in John 3 when He told Nicodemus “ye must be born again.” Israel will be able in that day to praise the Lord for being gracious and full of compassion; they will also praise Him for His righteousness. This psalm shows the blessedness of those who fear the Lord, and at the same time it also shows when the wicked, (those who do not trust in the Lord) see the judgments of the Lord, they are grieved; they gnash with their teeth, and melt away.

Psalm 113, In this psalm they continue to call upon the servants of the Lord to praise the name of the Lord, from this time forth and forevermore—from the rising of the sun until the going down of it. The Lord’s name is to be praised over the whole earth. This is quite in cool rant with what is true at the present time. It is very evident that the owning of the Lord’s name in this earth has geographically receded in the past fifty years. But at the time of which this psalm is speaking, the whole earth will have felt something of the glory of His power. Those who have been despised for their faith and downtrodden will be exalted and set among the princes of His people.

Psalm 114 In this psalm we have called to Israel’s remembrance the miracles that the Lord wrought in delivering them out of Egypt, how He divided the Red Sea and held back the waters of Jordan. The mountains also at that time quaked at His presence. This psalm contemplates that the time is at hand for Him to work the final deliverance of His people, and the earth is called upon to tremble at the presence of the God of Jacob. Isaiah 2:19 speaks of the time, “when He ariseth to shake terribly the earth.” But the Lord will have taken those that put their trust in Him at this present time out of this scene. “I will also keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. Behold, I come quickly,” Rev. 3:10, 11.

Psalm 115. We have here the people of God in their praises using great care to say that the glory of their deliverances was not on account of their own strength; but it was entirely due to what He had done according to the glory of His name. They could no longer be taunted while being persecuted, “Where is now their God?” They can say, “Our God is in the heavens.” But the idols of the others were of silver and gold, the work of men’s hands which could neither see, speak, nor hear.

Their priests in times past had been the leaders in causing the people to go astray, Now they are called upon to trust in the Lord, for He is their help and shield. It is then said that the heavens are the heavens of the Lord, but the earth He has given to the children of men. So they feel called upon to praise Him from this time forth and forevermore.

ML 04/02/1961

Sammy

Sammy was a slave boy years ago. One day when his master’s son ‘ought home a book, Sammy asked, What’s dat, Willie?”

He was told it was a spelling book and on being asked what it was for, Willie replied, “To learn to read.”

“How’s you do it?”

We learn that first.”

So Willie taught Sammy his ABC’s and soon he could read the speller though at that time the law said no colored person should do so.

Later Sammy was given a new Testament and be-Ii re long he could read it. When he read that “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, his heart went out in love to the Lord. He believed, his sins were forgiven, and he was so happy that he wanted to tell others of Jesus’ love.

When he became a young man he used to go to other plantations, read his able and tell about the One who had saved him.

One day his master said to him, “Sammy, I hear you go and preach on Sunday.”

“Mas’r,” said Sammy, “I must tell sinners Jesus died for them,”

“Sammy, if you go preaching again, I’ll tie you to that tree and whip all the religion out of you.”

Sammy made no answer—he knew his master was a very determined man. But he thought of what Christ had suffered for him on Calvary’s cross, and felt this was not much to suffer in return for such love and grace.

The next Monday the master said,

“Sammy, I hear you were preaching again on Sunday.”

“Yes, Mas’r, I must go and tell sinners how Jesus was whipped that we might go free.”

“But, Sammy, I told you I would whip you if you did, and I will.”

Blow after blow fell on poor Sammy’s back, and finally the master said, “There, Sammy, I don’t believe you will preach again. Go to the cotton field and work.”

By the next week Sammy could not stand straight — his back was covered with sores and scars. But, New Testament in hand, he stood before the people of the plantation and told them that, although he had suffered much, he Lord Jesus suffered on the cross, not only from man, but also the wrath of God for our sins.

Monday morning the master called him and said, “Sammy, they tell me you were preaching again.”

“Yes, Mas’r. I must tell sinners that Jesus was wounded for our transgressions and now He’s living up in heaven for us.”

“I don’t want to hear you preaching. Bare your back and take the flogging,” and once more Sammy’s back was lashed till it was covered with blood.

“Now go to the cotton field and work. I reckon you’ll never want to preach again,”

Next Sunday Sammy’s back was in a terrible condition, but hobbling along he found his friends in the next plantation.

“Masr1 whip me mos’ to death last Monday, but I am willing to die tomorrow if only you take the Lord Jesus as your Saviour, and taste His love for you.”

Many were touched at Sammy’s faithfullness, and some gave themselves to the Saviour he loved so well.

On Monday morning he was called to his master. “Make bare your back again—I told you I would whip ye till you gave up preaching.”

The master raised the ugly whip hut he could find no new place to strike, and said, “Why do you do it, Sammy You know I will whip you the next day and no one pays you for it.”

“You ax me, Mas’r, what I’se dole it for. I’se goin’ to take all those scar up to Jesus by-n-by, and show Him how I suffered; because He loved ye an me, Mas’r.”

The master dropped the whip and in a softer tone he said, “Go down to the cotton field.”

Sammy went away praying, “Lord forgive him for Jesus’ sake.”

Later in the day a messenger cam to the cotton field, crying, “Mas’r dying.” Sammy went straight to his master’s room, who cried out in agony when he saw him, “Oh, Sammy, I’m sinking down to hell—do pray for me!’

“I’se praying for you all the time Mas’r. You must pray for yourself.”

“But I don’t know how to pray.”

Sammy poured into his listening ear the story that he had so often told of the Lord Jesus’ great love in leaving His throne of glory to come down her and die on the cross for sinners, “All that is left for you to do is to accept Jesus as your Saviour,” said Sammy “He died ‘cause He loved you an’ me.’

Not long after this Sammy’s mastet confessed what a sinner he had bee and sought pardon through Jesus’ word on the cross—and he was saved. He did not die, but soon gave Sammy his freedom papers, and Sammy spent the rest of his life telling others of the One who died on Calvary, “because He loved you an’ me.”

“THE SON OF GOD, WHO LOVED ME, AND GAVE HIMSELF FOR ME.” Gal. 2:20.

ML 04/16/1961

The Sight of a Bible

“My eldest son,” said one, “has been skeptical from his boyhood. The best of sons; but a real rejecter of Christ. For a long time past he has been a miserable man; with everything on earth: wealth, honor, and so on, yet as wretched as he could be. Then a serious illness, which no medical skill could relieve, seemed to make his case hopeless. He went alone to some mineral baths at a health resort, and on the day of his arrival there, was invited by one of the patients into his room. There he sawn Bible—and that was enough. He could not rest till he got one, and read its sacred pages. He received and believed the gospel, and rejoiced in the forgiveness of sins through the precious blood of Christ.”

Such is the simple and truthful account of the way in which our God delights in sovereign grace. The sight of the neglected Bible was enough for the Holy Spirit to use, in deep conviction of sin. And that same blessed Word of God contained the revelation of the good news of God to that soul. Oh, what can meet the misery, and the cause of all the misery of man, but the precious blood of Jesus? What a passing from death to life! What a new creation!

Reader, are you also neglecting and rejecting that Book of all books? or is it the greatest treasure you have on earth? How great is the privilege in this day of having the Word of God. And how great also the responsibility! May the above story encourage the faith of parents.

ML 04/16/1961

Living a Good Life

My shoemaker is a religious, industrious man, but, on his own confession, he is not saved. I was in his shop lately, arranging to have sonic shoes repaired and took the opportunity of asking him if his soul were saved.

“No, sir; but I am trying to live a good life.”

I was forced to tell him that he could no more get to heaven that way than through trying to fly there by flapping his arms like wings. He seemed quite astonished at the statement. It would be a thousand times easier for a strong person to raise himself in a tub by his own strength, than it would be for a sinner to raise himself one inch nearer to God by “good works.”

Perhaps, like my shoemaker friend, you are astonished, arid ask,

“Why cannot a person be saved by a good life and good deeds?”

The answer is extremely simple mid final: because it is not God’s Way. It is not a sinner’s good life that will ever save him, but it is Christ’s good death that saves him.

The fairest human life is but a faulty thing when seen by the searching eyes of a holy God, and if you have nothing better to offer to God than your good life, it will go ill with you in the day of judgment.

Dear reader, can you say this?

“Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the Just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God.” 1 Pet. 3:18.

“What shall we do that we might work the works of God? This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him whom He hath sent.” John 6:28, 29.

“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, for we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works.” Eph. 2:8, 9, 10.

ML 04/16/1961

Bible Talks: Psalms 116-118

Psalm 110. This is a psalm of thanksgiving unto the Lord. His people feel the sense of His love, brought about when they realize that He has dealt very bountifully with them. They had been brought very low, the sorrows of death had taken hold upon them, but they had called and He had delivered them. Such will be the exercises of His earthly people in a latter day, when the Lord has caused them to pass through trouble and sorrow, that they might turn to Him. They realize that He is gracious, righteous and merciful, so now they have become worshipers. They take the cup of salvation and call upon the name of the Lord. They pay vows unto Him in the courts of His house. In John 4:23, 24 the Lord said: “The hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth for the Father seeketh such to worship Him.” “Now is,” refers to this present time. The Lord does not dwell in temples made with hands (Acts 17: 24, 25). But at the time spoken of in this psalm, the hour has run out, and those prophecies in the Old Testament which speak of worship are taken up again.

Psalm 117. All nations are called upon to praise the Lord, for they are looked upon as all having been made subject to Him. They can see that by His ways with Israel, He acts in merciful kindness and His truth endureth forever. It is a wonderful thing to be able to realize, though heaven and earth pass away, “one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass.., till all be fulfilled.” Matt. 5:18.

Psalm 118. Israel and the house of Aaron and all that fear the Lord are called to give thanks unto Him for His mercy that endureth forever. The Messiah who is leading their praises tells of being in distress, of their calling, their being heard and delivered. We must remember that the Psalms cannot be applied wholly to Him, because it is His people in their great sufferings yet future, that is largely before the Spirit of God. So they are called upon to put their trust in the Lord. They had been surrounded by several nearby nations but the Lord had helped, and though the enemy had thrust sore at them, they had been delivered.

Now the Lord had become their salvation, strength and song. Though the Lord had chastened them sore, He had not given them over to death, so they were to live and declare the works of the Lord. But Israel’s blessings cannot be reached without their Messiah being present with them, as this psalm shows.

In v. 22 we have that with which the Apostle Peter had charged the Jews; they, the builders, had rejected the Stone, which becomes the head of the corner. It was marvelous; it was the wonderful day the Lord had brought about. Then we have here that which took place when the Lord Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the colt. The crowds cried, “Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord.” Matt. 21:9. The Lord Jesus also quotes this after He told the Jews, “Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.” Matt. 23:38, and added that they would not see Him until they owned Him in this way. The psalm closed with the same call to give thanks unto the Lord as in verse 1.

ML 04/16/1961

Wi-Yu

Wi-yu’s father and mother were pagans. She never heard a word about Jesus Christ till she came to our home for we were missionaries among her tribe. One day Wi-yu walked up to me and said: “I want to give myself away to you.” I was much surprised but looked into the little girl’s black eyes, and said: “Why does Wi-yu wish I give herself to me?” “Because,” she said simply, “I love you,” After this they called Wi-yu my little girl.

One day while Wi-yu sat by me learning how to hem a pocket handkerchief neatly, I asked her if she loved Jesus, for I had been talking to her about Him. “No,” she said, “I don’t, but I want to I want to be a Christian, but I’m too little.”

“But Jesus says, ‘Suffer the little children to come unto Me.’”

“I don’t know how to go to Him; I don’t know what to do,” said she “Wi-yu,” said I, “you must give yourself away to Him.”

She looked at me in surprise. “How can I do that?” she exclaimed.

“How did you give yourself to me?” “I came to you and asked you to take me because I loved you.”

“Why do you love me, dear?” She hesitated a moment, and then answered: “I think it must he because you love me.”

“Yes, Wi-yu, that is just the reason. Now Jesus has been loving you all this time, while you have not been caring the least for Him.”

“Would Jesus be willing for me to give myself away to Him just as I did to you?”

“Certainly, my dear child; that is exactly what He wants you to do, He wants all of you too.”

After some more quiet thinking Wi-yu kneeled by my side and said, “Lord Jesus, I give myself to Thee. I give my hands, ray feet, my mouth, my tongue, and my heart. I give Thee all of myself. Please take me, dear Lord Jesus.”

She arose and said, “Do you think He heard me?”

“I am sure of it,” said I, “and you will find His promise in your little Testament.” Together we found these precious words in her Indian Testament: “Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.” John 6:37. Believing that Jesus meant just what He said, she from that moment knew that she was His own dear saved child.

A few days after I said to her: “Wi-yu, after you had given yourself to me, did you try any harder to please me?”

“Oh, yes!” said she, with a bright face. “I tried to please you in everything, even in the very little things.”

“Are you willing to do anything to please Jesus?”

“I think I am,” she answered.

“Will you tell the other girls that you are now trying to live a Christian life?”

She hung her head and blushed. “I am ashamed to tell them,” she said.

“Were you ashamed to tell them that you had given yourself to me?” “Oh, no, indeed!”

“And yet, my Wi-yu, you are ashamed of Jesus, your most precious Friend, your wonderful Friend, who loves you so much and who saved you from your sins. Oh, Wi-yu! Wi-yu! Let us ask Him now to forgive you and help you to please Him, even in this.”

We kneeled down and Wi-yu said with a voice choking with sobs: “My own dear Lord Jesus, please forgive me for being ashamed and afraid, and help me to tell them all that I have given myself away to Thee.”

When we arose she said: “I can tell them now; I will tell everybody.”

On her way to find her schoolmates, she met a preacher who was visiting the Indians. She was afraid of him, because he was a stranger, but mustering up all her courage she looked up to him and said, “I have given myself away to Jesus.”

He was much surprised and touched, as he thought of his daughter at home who knew so much more about Jesus than this little Indian girl, and had not begun to love Him. He put his arm about the little timid Wi-yu and said some very kind and helpful things to her. After this she found it easier to tell them all, and she even gained courage to write to her stern pagan father, although she was quite sure that he would be angry with her. Here is a copy of her letter: “My dear Father: I have given myself away to Jesus, and I am not ashamed nor afraid to tell it.”

Her father was alone when this message reached him, and nobody knows what he thought. But the very next Sunday he walked several miles to the mission and heard the missionary preach about the same Jesus to whom his little daughter had given herself. After that be kept coming until he too became a Christian.

“I LOVE THEM THAT LOVE ME; AND THOSE THAT SEEK ME EARLY SHALL FIND ME.” Prov. 8:17.

ML 04/23/1961

The Conversion of a Jew

Albert was born of Jewish parents, who at a tender age taught me the rituals and traditions of Judaism. When he was 13 years old, he was confirmed, which is called in Hebrew, “Bar Mitzvah.” That was a great celebration, for he became a member of the Jewish synagogue, and was responsible to God for his own sin.

On the Day of Atonement, Albert went to the synagogue, fasted and prayed for 24. hours for forgiveness of his sins. Although he prayed so earnestly, and performed all the ceremonies, he was greatly disappointed, because he was still conscious of his sins. Still he did not know how to get rid of them. Every year he did this, and each year he had the same feeling. Often he asked himself, “How can I get the assurance that my sins are forgiven?”

One day in 1955, Albert’s brother came to him, and told him that he had accepted Jesus as his personal Saviour. Albert was shocked, and told him, “How can you accept Jesus, for you know what we think of Him. He was a man like other men and you know that we don’t worship a man. We Jews believe on God, and the Gentiles on Jesus. You should know it, and don’t bother me with such a religion.”

Albert’s brother did not fight with him, but he sought at every opportunity he could find to explain the Scriptures to him. Albert was surprised when his brother read various scriptures to him, and became interested in the Word of God, which he had never heard before. He asked his brother to show him from the Old Testament why Jesus is the Messiah. He was very kind and patient, explaining one scripture after another. When he read Isaiah 53, and told Albert that Jesus is the One of whom the prophet spoke, he was so perplexed that he said to him, “If this be the truth, our rabbis would have told us.”

His brother answered, “The rabbis might not know it. You want the assurance that your sins are forgiven. Jesus is the only One who will give it to you, but you must accept Him. You don’t need to go to the rabbi, but go to Jesus and ask Him. He died for your sins and will wash them away by His blood, and will give you peace.”

Albert became restless and started to pray and read the Scriptures. One day his brother invited him to a meeting in a mission, and the preacher explained the way of salvation, quoting Lev. 17:11, “It is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.” In his sermon, he made it plain that if we want to get rid of our sins, we must accept the blood that Jesus shed while making the atonement for our sins on the cross.

At the close of the meeting, Albert accepted the Lord Jesus as his Saviour and Messiah, and he says, “What joy came into my heart. How much I appreciated the words spoken to me, “In Thy presence is fullness of joy” which I never had heard before. Now I am a new creature in Christ Jesus. The old things have passed away and everything has become new in me, Now I know it is the blood of Jesus that cleanses us from all sin.”

And you, too, dear reader, may have all your sins washed away, but remember, it is only through the blood of the Christ. No deeds of merit will fit you for heaven, but if you come to Him now, as this young Jew did, you will find peace and forgiveness.

“It is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.” Lev. 17:11.

“The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.” 1 John 1: 7.

“The dying thief rejoiced to see

That Saviour in his day;

And by that blood, though vile as he,

Our sins are washed away.”

ML 04/23/1961

Bible Talks: Psalm 119:1-56

Psalm 119. This psalm shows the effect of their passing through the great tribulation. They were revived and restored by the Lord as a nation, and the law became written on their hearts in the most full and perfect. way. It is divided up into sections, each ‘‘rider the heading of a letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Each verse in that sect ion begins with that same Hebrew letter.

(1) The first section gives us the “blessedness” of those who walk in the law of-the Lord. It states that uprightness and self-surrender to the word of the Lord is the pathway into the obedience of faith.

(2) Here we have the desire of a young man to know the Word of God and to be kept and cleansed by it.

(3) In this section the bountiful mercies of the Lord are acknowledged and desired, also to have the eyes opened to behold the wondrous things in the law of God. The proud, who have reproached those whose meditations on the statutes have led them to walk in obedience to them, have been rebuked.

(4) Here inward trials have brought the soul into the dust and he feels melted for the heaviness of the trials. But he desires to be revived and strengthened to be able to rise above them. He desires to be taught and to be able to understand the way of these precepts, and to be removed from the way of the nation which has followed the falsehoods of the Antichrist.

(5) There is here the longing after the precepts of the Word of the Lord. Also there is the desire for teaching, understanding and the inclining of the heart to be able to walk in His ways, that he may be established.

(6) We have here the desires for the mercies of the Lord and His salvation from his difficulties, through which in passing he had been reproached. He desires that he may be able to speak of the testimonies of the Lord before kings, and not be ashamed. It can be seen in these exercises and the longings expressed, that they do not have the assurances that are given to the simplest believer in Christ in the New Testament, that great salvation which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord and was confirmed unto us by them which heard Him. (Heb. 2:1-3.)

(7) Here the faithful calls himself “Thy servant,” and the Word of the Lord has caused him to have hope. He feels that he has been quickened and comforted in his afflictions. He is filled with horror at the boldness of the wicked who have forsaken the law. The course of the wicked is in marked contrast to the path of faith in which they have found their joy and songs. These have caused him to remember the name of the Lord in the night seasons.

ML 04/23/1961

My Bible

Though the cover is worn,

And the pages are torn,

And though places bear traces of tears,

Yet more precious than gold

Is the Book worn and old,

That can shatter and scatter my fears,

When I prayerfully look

In the precious old Book,

As my eyes scan the pages I see

Many tokens of love

From the Father above,

Who is nearest and dearest to me.

This old Book is my guide,

‘Tis a friend by my side,

It will lighten and brighten my way;

And each promise I find

Soothes and gladdens my mind

As I read it and heed it today.

ML 04/23/1961

John's Fortune

“You look specially pleased about something this morning, John. Have you come into a fortune?”

John Craig, Mr. Coburn’s gardener, was busy planting early peas when his master accosted him with this question.

“I came into a fortune many a year ago, sir,” came the answer, accompanied by a bright smile and a respectful touch of his hat.

“Really! And you are still gardening?”

“Yes, sir, still gardening.”

Mr. Coburn laughed knowingly. “Oh, John,” he said, “you transparent soul; but I can see through your little ruse. You would like to get me converted, wouldn’t you?”

Honest John Craig looked straight into the handsome though dissatisfied face of his master. “Sir,” he said, “it would be one of the happiest moments of my life.”

Mr. Coburn was still smiling.

“Well, I am afraid you will not have that joy, John. Your religion is too cheap for me.”

A look of pained surprise came into the man’s eyes, “Cheap, sir! Begging your pardon, but — would you call it cheap if you was called upon to part with Miss Essie? The Lord of glory gave His only Son, to die to save you and me from death and judgment. It was a vast cost, sir, a very vast cost. Seems to me there was nothing cheap about that sacrifice, sir—again begging your pardon, and no offense meant.”

“Oh no, of course not, my good fellow, I know you too well for that; but we must agree to differ, that’s all. How about these peas; are they all early ones?” And so the conversation was changed.

That evening after dinner, Mr. Coburn was standing in front of the fireplace deep in thought, when he heard a patter of footsteps, and the next minute his only child, little motherless Essie, ran into the room and seated herself on the chair beside him.

“Well,” he said, folding his arms and looking down tenderly at the white-robed figure, “and what’s the meaning of this visit?”

“Essie can’t sleep,” came the plaintive answer, “she dot such a sore throat.”

He caught her into his arms in alarm. “Sore throat, my pet, does it hurt much?”

“Drefful,” answered the child, speaking with difficulty.

An awful fear tugged at the father’s heart. Diphtheria was raging in the village three miles away; was it possible his darling had contracted it?

His fears were not groundless. Before twelve hours had passed, wee Essie was fighting the grim disease with every fiber of her little being, and her father, in an agony, sat in his study, alone.

“Would you call it cheap, sir, if you was called upon to part with Miss Essie?”

The words came back to him now —relentlessly, persistently.

“Cheap! Oh, my God,” he muttered hoarsely, “forgive! forgive! forgive!”

It was some weeks later, and the peas John Craig had sown were showing in nice straight rows.

“How well I call to mind the day I sowed ‘em!” he was thinking, “and the little word I was permitted to speak for my Master. I wonder what time they’ll be home? It was to be today, I’m thinking.”

Almost as if in answer to his thoughts, John caught sight of a tall familiar figure coming toward him, and in another moment Mr. Coburn was by his side.

“We have only just arrived home, John,” he said, “and you will be glad to hear that Miss Essie is quite her old self again.” He paused— “And I—,”

“Yes, sir,”

“I have come into my fortune, John.” In his deep sorrow and distress, he had turned to the Lord who had so graciously forgiven all his sins. And now he was happily saved.

He held out his hand, and the gardener clasped it with both of his, toil-stained though they were. Tears of joy were in his eyes, as he said, “I knew my prayers would be answered, sir, I knew it, Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me bless His holy name.”

“THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE ... . FOR THE SAME LORD OVER ALL IS RICH UNTO ALL THAT CALL UPON HIM,” Rom. 10:12.

ML 04/30/1961

"Jesus Said"

I remember a case in Ireland when a Testament had been torn up and the leaves thrown to the winds; a poor man found one of the leaves and picked it up. He could read, and saw, “And Jesus said,” “and Jesus answered and said,” “and Jesus said,” and so on. He said to himself, What! has the blessed Lord said so many things, and I did not know them? Struck by these simple but solemn words, “Jesus said,” he went off to the neighboring town and bought a Testament, believed what Jesus said, was converted, and was happy in a known Saviour.

But, you may say, how did he know it was true that Jesus said these things? Well, God guides the humble, simple soul. Jesus had said it, and His word had power over his soul by grace.

But as I have related to you one history, I will tell you another.

I was in a cabin in Ireland where I was known, and began speaking to the brother-in-law of the man of the house about the Scriptures. His niece, a young woman, who was present said, “But they tell me, sir, that is a bad book, that the devil wrote it.” She was very ignorant, and could not read.

I said, “That is a shocking blasphemy — but I will not reason with you, but read you a bit, and you shall tell me yourself if the devil wrote it.”

I read to her what are called the beatitudes; “And He opened His mouth, and taught them saying, Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth, Blessed are they that do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My sake. Rejoice and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.” Matt. 5:2-12.

I then said, “Well, what do you think? Did the devil write that?”

“No, sir,” she said, “the devil never wrote that; that came from nothing but the mouth of God,” The word of God had laid hold of her. She lived and died most happy; dying three years after of a fever in a hospital. J.N.D.

ML 04/30/1961

Sailing, but Where?

“Do you know, men, that during all my forty years at sea, I never once met a ship that wasn’t bound somewhere!” So spoke a sea captain as he addressed an audience of seamen. A broad smile spread over their faces as the foolishness of the thought struck them.

“But would you believe it possible,” he continued, “that though during all my life’s voyage, I’ve never met a human ship (men like you and me) which wasn’t bound somewhere, yet when I’ve asked many of them what port they are bound for they couldn’t tell me — they hoped it was heaven!”

Just think this over, What port are you bound for? That you are sailing onward on the sea of time is certain. Every day brings you closer to the end of your voyage down here. Your journey of life may end today, who can tell? “Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.” Proverbs 27:1.

What port would your never-dying soul then enter? Would it be heaven or hell? These are the only two ports on the shore of eternity and you must enter one or the other. What port are you sailing for now? Are you sure of your destination?

ML 04/30/1961

Bible Talks: Psalm 119: 57-104

(8) Here he maintains that the Lord is now his portion, but he realizes it had not always been so, for he thought on his ways and turned his feet unto His testimonies. He realizes that his past associations with the wicked had robbed him of his portion, but he did not forget the promises of His Word. He can now arise at midnight to give thanks. He now finds a companionship in those that have similar exercises and fear the Lord. We learned in Psalm 25 that the secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him, and He will show them His covenant.

(9) He speaks here of having gone astray, which is the condition of the people of Israel at this present time. The word of the Lord had lost its place with them. This psalm looks at them when they have been restored and are looking back. He realizes that it was good to have been afflicted. Those around him had made false accusations against him. We read: “He that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.” Gal. 4:29. But the tried and restored one can say his delight is in the law of the Lord, and it is better than thousands of gold or silver.

(10) The exercises manifested in the portions of this psalm show that they are the result of the Spirit of Christ working in them, in turning them to acknowledge their Messiah. The nation as such resists these exercises. Here the godly one speaks of the Lord as his creator, the One who has formed him and given him understanding, that which the nation as a whole lacks. The confidence of the speaker is an encouragement to others that have learned to fear the Lord, and causes them to be gathered together.

(11) There is here the longing for the salvation or deliverances from those who were persecuting the faithful. They were almost fainting under their trials. But the one here in all this has clung to the Word of the Lord, He knows that it will not fail, but he may fail. He asks for the riving or quickening power, that he may be able to go on cleaving to His Word.

(12) It was by the word of the Lord that the earth was created, and is being sustained for the fulfillment of His purposes. His Word is settled in the heavens, far beyond the reach of man to corrupt. The servant had been sustained by it and it had been his delight. Though he had to experience that the wicked were lying in wait to destroy him, he had the assurance that, “I am Thine.”

We have here the expressed delight in the law of the Lord, and through it he feels that he has a wisdom which is beyond that which this world has to offer. Such will be the case if the believer is trusting in the Lord and not leaning on his own understanding (Prov. 3:5, 6). He feels that his feet have been kept from the evil way, and such should be the case, for our walk should correspond to the truth we hold. He then says that Thy words are “sweeter than honey,” which is true when one is born again, and seeking to go on in accordance with the desires of the new nature.

ML 04/30/1961

"I Trust Him"

Mrs. Manley glanced round her newly decorated family room with much satisfaction.

“Yes, it is really finished at last,” she murmured to herself; “spring-cleaned and painted, and it does look nice. How pleased Harry will be!”

And yet, what was that telltale mark upon the freshness of the new wallpaper? She crossed the room with a puckered brow, and an exclamation of annoyance crossed her lips.

“That is Eric!” she said aloud. “What a very naughty boy he is; he really must be punished for this!”

At the moment Eric was out with his aunt, but on his return his mother called him into the family room.

Pointing to the grotesque little figure upon the paper, she said, “Did you do that, Eric?”

The boy flushed. “No, Mother,” he answered, after a moment’s hesitation.

Mrs. Manley looked surprised. “Are you quite sure you did not do it?”

“Quite sure, Mother.”

“Oh, very well,” replied Mrs. Manley quietly; “of course my own boy would not tell me a lie, and I trust him.”

And then Eric ran off into the garden, and his aunt coming into the room at the moment, she was shown the cause of the trouble.

“You should not have given in to him, my dear,” she said to her sister. “Of course he has done it. How many times have you seen that same ‘old man’ scrawled across, everything available. I wonder that you are so weak with him.”

Mrs. Manley hesitated.

“I shall wait,” she said. “I am sure he will confess, and I would rather he did that.”

But the days passed and nothing was said. Then one morning the aunt noticed that Eric’s new straw hat had been jagged around the brim, seemingly with blunted scissors. She brought it to her sister who looked at it in silence, then after a swift prayer for wisdom, Mrs. Manley went to the door, opened it and called: “Eric, I want you a minute!”

“All right! I’m coming, Mother!”

“Eric,” she began as he came into the room, “why did you spoil this hat?”

“I—I didn’t, Mother.”

“Do you know how it was done, then?”

“No, I don’t know anything about it.”

There was dead silence in the room, then the words: “Very well. Of course my own boy would not tell a lie, and I trust him.”

But that night, after Eric’s bedtime, a small figure, still in his play suit, came running down to the family room where Mrs. Manley sat alone, and two arms were thrown around her neck. Two bent shoulders began to heave convulsively, and big sobs to shake the kneeling figure. And then the mother’s heart sang for joy, for she guessed what was happening, and knew that her prayers had been answered.

“Oh, Mother! I can’t say my prayers again until I’ve told you what a wicked boy I am. I did draw that old man on the new wallpaper, and I did cut my new hat, so I told two dreadfully big, awful lies; but I am so sorry now, Mother, so will you forgive me and... trust me again?”

Did Mrs. Manley forgive her boy? Ah, yes, it was just what she had been waiting and praying for. And in the same way the Lord Jesus waits to be gracious to us. He died that we might escape punishment, so He will not turn away anyone who is truly sorry and wants to be forgiven. All we have to do is to ask Him for the forgiveness He is waiting to bestow; and if we do this we shall find that He keeps His promises, and never casts out anyone who comes to Him in faith.

“IF WE CONFESS OUR SINS, HE IS FAITHFUL AND JUST TO FORGIVE US OUR SINS, AND TO CLEANSE US FROM ALL UNRIGHTEOUSNESS.” 1 John 1:9.

ML 05/07/1961

Skeptical Girl Saved

While I was spending a few days in a Christian college, among the young girls who came to me for spiritual instruction, was one, a skeptic.

Still she had seen persons in whom she was convinced there was something that she had not, and would be willing to do anything to have what they possessed.

I asked, “Will you stand by this assertion?”

“Yes,” she replied.

Then I remarked that God had said, “Ye shall seek for Me and find Me, when ye shall search for Me with all your heart.” “Will you seek Him?”

“Yes,” she answered.

I then said, “Let us kneel down.” After praying myself, she commenced, and having told the Lord, that she did seek Him with all her heart, she exclaimed, “I’ve found Him; Christ is divine!” and tears of repentance and joy ran down her face.

“For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” Matt. 7:8.

ML 05/07/1961

An Indian and a White Man Saved

An Indian and a white man were both brought under conviction by the same sermon. The Indian was shortly led to Christ, but the white man, for a long time, was under distress of mind. At length, however, he was saved.

Meeting his red brother one day he asked, “How is it that I should be so long under conviction, when you found comfort so soon?”

“Oh brother!” replied the Indian, “me tell you. There come a rich prince. He propose to give you a new coat. You look at your coat, and say, ‘My coat pretty good; it will do a little longer.’ He offer me new coat. I look at my old blanket. I say, ‘This good for nothing.’ I accept the beautiful garment. Just so you try to keep your own righteousness for some time; but I had none: therefore I glad to receive the righteousness of Jesus.”

“For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.” 2 Cor. 5:21.

M 05/07/1961

Fire from Heaven

The only survivor of a wreck was thrown on an uninhabited island. In a few days he managed to build himself a hut in which he placed the little that he had saved from the wreck.

Daily he prayed to God for deliverance and anxiously scanned the horizon each day to hail any passing ship.

One day, on returning from a hunt for food he was horrified to find his hut in flames; all he had was gone up in smoke. He decided God had forsaken him.

Shortly he saw a ship steaming to his rescue. “We saw your smoke signal,” said the captain, “or we would never have known there was anyone here.”

“He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” Heb. 13:5.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.” Isa. 55:8.

ML 05/07/1961

Bible Questions for May

The Children’s Class

1. Can anyone show greater love than to lay down his life for his friends?

2. Is there any way to have peace amidst the tribulation of the world?

3. Was Jesus Christ sent by the only true God?

4. Who said, “Take ye Him (Jesus) and crucify Him: for I find no fault in Him”?

5. Was scripture fulfilled when the soldiers did not break the leas of Jesus?

6. To whom did Jesus say, “Be not faithless but believing”?

7. Did Peter believe that the Lord “knowest all things”?

The Young People’s Class

1. What sin did Jonathan say would be chargeable to King Saul if he were to slay David? 1 Sam. 19.

2. Did Judas commit a similar sin against the Lord Jesus? Matt. 27.

3. Is the shedding of innocent blood an abomination to the Lord? Prov. 6.

4. Did Saul’s actions regarding David’s life agree with his good words? 1 Sam.

5. Should the actions of a Christian be guided by that which he knoweth to be good? Jas. 4.

6. Whose company did David seek when he escaped from Saul’s presence? 1 Sam.

7. If we follow the example of the early church, whose company will we seek in times of adversity? Acts 4.

ML 05/07/1961

Bible Talks: Psalm 119: 105-152

(14) “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” What a comfort the truth of this verse has been to God’s people in all ages, even before it was written here. It had been the sustainer of the men of faith in the ages past as well as of the present age. The faithful one here has been afflicted very much, but his trust is in the One who has given him His testimonies, and desires to go on unto the end of his sojourn here.

(15) The humbled one here expresses his hatred of the vain thoughts of those around him, whom he looks upon as evildoers. They have rejected and trodden down the states of God. But he desires to be upheld in the path of faith, that he may not be ashamed of his hope. He is confident that God will deal severely with the wicked, which makes him tremble at the thought of His judgments upon them.

(16) He pleads with the Lord not to allow the oppressors to triumph and for Him to deal with him in mercy. The oppressors have made void the law, but this stirs him up to desire it all the more, to be taught by it, and to be given an understanding of it. This desire for the Word of God should be in the hearts of all those who are the Lord’s, whom He has redeemed by His own blood.

(17) He has found the testimonies of the Word to be wonderful and the entrance of them to give light and understanding unto the simple in heart. He asks the Lord to be merciful to him, as He was in former times to those who loved His name. He desires his steps to be ordered by the Word, and feels with great sorrow the fate of those who have not kept His law.

(18) Righteousness is attributed to the Lord and His Word is righteous and very faithful. Because it is also pure, the servant of the Lord loves it. His righteousness is said to be an everlasting righteousness. The Lord Jesus kept the law and made it honorable, that is, He showed that it was pure according to God. Now that He has finished the work which was given to Him on earth to fulfill, there is a righteousness of God which is unto all and upon all them which believe, and being of God, it is everlasting. (Rom. 3:22.)

(19) There are deep exercises of heart expressed here for the testimonies of the Lord. His hope is in them. It seems as he passes through the night, he desires the dawn of the morning to have His Word before him. Then when he thinks of the night watches coming, it is that he might meditate in His Word. He says, “Concerning Thy testimonies, I have known of old that Thou hast founded them forever.” We learn in the New Testament that His Word abides after heaven and earth have passed away. This should impress us of their everlasting importance, and their effect upon our lives.

ML 05/07/1961

Thinking About Christ

When we think of Christ, it keeps the bad thoughts out,” said a young Christian to us the other day. He “had proved the truth of His doctrine.”

By occupation of heart with Christ, the Christian grows practically like Him. As a measure well filled with grain has no room in it for chaff, so a heart stored with Christ is preserved from evil and folly.

ML 05/07/1961

The Stolen Lunch

In a rough little school house up-L in the mountains, the new teacher rang the bell and stood by the door as fifteen boys and girls trooped noisily in.

They were very pleased when he told them they could make their own rules for school, and they would be written on the blackboard.

“No stealing,” “No fighting,” “No swearing,” “No talking in classes,” were some that were suggested, and after the rules were written down, one of the big boys asked, “There’s got to be punishment for disobeying the rules—hasn’t there, Mr. Kingston?”

“Surely, Tom,” said the teacher, “what would you choose?”

“Ten stripes across the back with the coat off,” replied Tom.

For some days all went well. Then one noon big Tom came up to the teacher’s desk to tell him, “Somebody stole my lunch,” and he looked so angry. The teacher called everyone in and then announced, “Tom’s lunch has been stolen. I don’t like to think that one of you is a thief, but someone in this room has taken it. Who was it?”

No one moved, so Mr. Kingston began searching each desk. When he came to Jimmie’s turn, the little fellow threw himself over the desk and cried, “No, No.” Needless to say, the empty lunch box was found there!

“Whatever made you do it, Jimmie?” asked the teacher.

“I was so hungry, sir,” sobbed Jimmie; “Pop’s been away for five days, and we had no breakfast today.”

“But, Jimmie, had you told me, I would have given you some of my lunch. Come up to the front—you know the penalty for stealing.”

Sobbing Jimmie followed him to the front, where he was told to take his coat off.

“Please, sir,” pleaded Jimmie, “may I leave it on?”

“I’m sorry, Jimmie, but that’s part of the penalty.”

Reluctantly he took off his coat, and everyone gasped. “Where’s your shirt, Jimmie?” exclaimed the teacher, in amazement.

“I haven’t got one, sir,” he said. Just then there was a noise in the class, and they turned to see big Tom coming up to the front. As he came he was taking off his coat— “Whip me instead of Jimmie, Mr. Kingston,” he said. So across Tom’s coatless back the teacher counted ten stripes. He winced with pain as it struck, but never a sound escaped him.

Dear reader, doesn’t this make you think of the Lord Jesus of whom we read in Isaiah 53:7, “He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth?” He was bearing the judgment we deserved for our sins when He died on the cross, and He suffered it all that we might go free. “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed.” Isa. 53:5.

As Tom turned to put his coat on and return to his desk, there was a little cry, and up from his seat came Jimmie. Throwing his arms around the bigger boy’s waist he buried his head in Tom’s coat and wept.

“Tom, I’ll never forget you took my whipping. Thank you. I’ll always be your friend.”

Dear reader, have you ever thanked the Lord for dying for you? If not, why not do so now, and accept Him as your Saviour and Friend?

But there is a happy ending to this story. When Tom went home that night he told what happened. His mother packed a big box of food and sent it to Jimmie’s home. Clothing for the family was provided and work for Jimmie’s father.

We are told that, for those who know the Lord Jesus, “God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Phil. 4:19.

Will you trust Him?

“HE WAS WOUNDED FOR OUR TRANSGRESSIONS, HE WAS BRUISED FOR OUR INIQUITIES: THE CHASTISEMENT OF OUR PEACE WAS UPON HIM; AND WITH HIS STRIPES WE ARE HEALED.” Isa. 53:5.

ML 05/14/1961

Child's Conversion

Nellie, who had just recovered from a serious illness, said: “Mama, I prayed last night.”

“Don’t you always pray?” her mother said.

“Oh, yes; but I prayed a real prayer last night. I thought what a naughty girl I had been so often. And I thought, what if Jesus had come to me when I was ill? So I got out of bed, and I asked Him to forgive my sins. And I am sure He did, Mama, because He said He would.”

“Verily I say unto you, whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.” Mark 10:15.

ML 05/14/1961

A Mud Puddle

When stepping from a curbstone on a starry night,

My vision fell upon a strange yet beauteous sight;

Beneath my feet there lay, left by a passing flood,

A most repulsive-looking heap of mud.

I stood a moment, gazing, ere I crossed the road,

For in the puddle, lo! a glorious body glowed;

‘Twas Jupiter! the star that from the heavenly height,

Shone with unwonted luster on that winter’s night,

And chose the puddle upon which I stood to gaze;

(A most repulsive puddle) to reflect his rays!

How bright he glowed! that chief of heaven’s starry stud,

Imparting dignity unto that heap of mud.

I journeyed on and heart and thoughts fell in a train,

How I like that same puddle in the streets had lain

So long, splashing and spotting all the passers by,

Revolting! till one blissful hour I caught His eye—

(A shapeless mass from whom good men would surely flee),

The Lord of life and glory looking down on me!

On me! a very heap of mud, without, within,

A hideous object for the eye—a mass of sin,

A loathsome puddle, yea, that from the sewer burst;

Containing in myself of things the very worst;

And yet He paused; and gave me such a loving look;

Ah! had I been the purest water from the brook,

I could have understood it; thought the look most meet,

But no! He looked on me, the very sweepings of the street,

On me that loving, penetrating eye directed,

He looked, and looked, until He saw Himself reflected.

Dear gracious Lord, Thou know’st I do not mind how low

I lie—and be a puddle still—if Thou wilt glow

With Thy pure glory in my heart that men may trace

That all the glowing in me is the fruit of grace.

Myself by nature—yes, Lord, they may surely shun,

But if they see in me the glory of the One

Whose beams throughout the heaven of heavens forever flood,

Might much desire to be that little heap of mud!

Which Satan would himself have swept because impure,

With loathsome horror to his own eternal sewer;

But, Lord, on me Thine eye Thou wilt not fail to keep,

Till Thou shalt come again, and with Thy glory sweep

Right up to heaven the many little heaps of mud away—

Some large, some less, but each reflecting Thy bright ray;

Transforming them into Thine image by Thy power,

The glorious climax—and the consummation hour.

Thou hast decreed it as Thine own peculiar duty,

The reflex of Thy love, Thy glory, and Thy beauty!

Forever will I praise Thee, as redeemed by blood,

For having looked upon this little heap of mud.

ML 05/14/1961

Bible Talks: Psalms 119:153-122:9

(20) He asks to be considered and delivered from persecution and affliction, and to be revived according to His purposes. He knows that the tender mercies of the Lord are great and desires to be revived in accordance to His lovingkindnesses. He grieves over the way of the transgressors, when he considers that His judgments endure forever. What a solemn ending for those who refuse the Word of God!

(21) There is voiced here the thought of the increasing preciousness of the Word of God, even though he has had to bear the persecution of princes on account of it. He feels very keenly the attitude and ways of those who are going contrary to it. He says great peace have they that love it and nothing shall stumble them.

(22) In this last section. of Psalm 119, the tried one is still crying to the Lord for His deliverance from the oppressors. He desires to have his understanding formed by the word of the Lord, so that he shall be able to praise Him properly. He realizes that he had gone astray like a lost sheep, and desires to be sought and brought back, that he might be able to praise Him. This seems to be the central theme before him. We have in the following psalms the ways of God in bringing them back from where they had wandered.

Psalms 120-134

These are marked out as a group and entitled “Songs of Degrees.” The word degrees “signifies” a going up, and is used by the Queen of Sheba of King Solomon (1 Kings 10:5), where it is translated ascent! “And his ascent by which he went up unto the house of the Lord.” So here it is applied to Israel in their being recovered, first in spirit, then in their exercises being gradually deepened, and ending in praise to the Lord in the house of the Lord in Zion. These exercises could also apply to the path of any child of God, who has been brought to realize, that he has in some measure allowed the Word of God to lapse out of his life.

Psalm 120. The sorrowing one here awakes in distress at being surrounded by those whom he thought were his friends and finds they have deceitful tongues. He longs for deliverance, but realizes that he is afar off and in the enemy’s land.

Psalm 121. We have here the lifting up of the eyes of the tried one, but he sees no way out. Then he is brought to the realization that his help must come from the Lord, who neither slumbers nor sleeps. He is assured of His care over His people when the return journey is undertaken.

Psalm 122. The one who had felt such distress over his own condition, now finds that there are others who have passed through similar exercises. He also finds that a unity of thought has been produced by the Spirit of God to undertake the journey to the house of the Lord, which for Israel was at Jerusalem. Their faith contemplates that the whole twelve tribes of Israel are to be restored. They are to find there the thrones of the house of David, where justice, peace and prosperity will be for them as a nation. Is there not a similarity in the pathway for the Christian when the Lord is given His true place in their midst?

ML 05/14/1961

The Little Jewish Girl

The little girl in our story today was the daughter of Jewish parents. As a rule Jewish children are taught that Jesus was not their Messiah; they learn something of the Old Testament but for the most part they are taught not to believe the New Testament Scriptures which tell so much of the Saviour. Yet Jewish children, like all others, are lost, until they are found by the Good Shepherd.

This little girl’s mother had died when she was very young. This was such a sorrow to her father that he left his own country and took his little girl and settled in America. They had everything that money could buy to make them happy, and it was his only object in life to love and care for his little daughter.

She was a sweet little girl, and better than that she was a lovable child, and unusually clever. She was everything her father could wish. But when she was seventeen, the dark clouds of sorrow gathered around them, and it was found that she was suffering from a serious disease. No matter how much her father spent on doctors nothing could be done to save her.

Her father was too full of distress for any comfort. He watched at his daughter’s bedside, powerless to keep the darling of his heart, and without any support from his religion that could shed light upon what was beyond death.

Often he sat beside her bed feeling as if his heart would break. Sometimes his daughter would smile up at him, and squeeze his hand, but he could not speak for tears.

One day she grasped his hand and said, “My father, do you love me?”

“Why, my child, will you give me such great pain? Have I never given you any proofs of my love?”

She continued, “But, my dearest father, do you truly love me?” The father could not answer for sorrow.

Then the girl added: “I know, my dearest father, you have ever loved me, and I have tenderly loved you. Will you grant me One request? Oh, my father! it is the dying request of your daughter, will you grant it?”

The poor father replied, “My dearest child, ask what you will, though it take every cent of my property, whatever it may be, it shall be granted you. I will grant it.”

“My dear father, I beg you never again to speak against Jesus of Nazareth!”

Her father was dumb with astonishment.

“I know,” continued the dying girl, “but little of Jesus, for I was never taught; but I know that He is my Saviour, for He has manifested Himself to me since I have been ill, even for the salvation of my soul, and I believe He will save me, although I never before loved Him. I know that I am going to Him, and that I shall ever be with Him. And now, my dear father, do not forget me... never again speak against Jesus of Nazareth. I entreat you to obtain a Testament that tells of Him, and when I am no more here, you may bestow on Him that love which was formerly mine.”

The effort of speaking was too great for her feeble body, and she stopped; but her father’s heart was too full even for tears. He left the room in great anguish, and before he could return, the spirit of his beloved daughter had gone to be with Christ —the Saviour whom she loved, and who had redeemed her.

Her father was true to his promise. He bought a New Testament, and as he read it, the light of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ shone into his soul, and he became a humble follower of his Lord and Saviour.

“AND JESUS SAID UNTO HIM, GO THY WAY; THY FAITH HATH MADE THEE WHOLE. AND IMMEDIATELY HE FOLLOWED JESUS IN THE WAY.” Mark 10:52.

ML 05/21/1961

A Little Boy's Question

A little boy asked his father at the dinner table, “Daddy, why don’t you read the Bible?”

The father was a passionate man, and was about to drive the boy out of his presence, but his anger made the little fellow weep. That brought tears to the mother’s eyes, and then the father followed suit. The boy’s tears moved him, and the question struck his heart; and father and mother, up to that hour unconverted, were soon on their way to prayer meeting, where they both found the Lord Jesus as their Saviour.

“Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise.” Matt. 21:16.

ML 05/21/1961

The Marble Figure

Michael Angelo had been busy in his studio for weeks. This old master had one of his greatest works in hand, and all his brilliant talent was brought into play. At last it was finished. The chisel was laid aside. The statue was unveiled and the studio thrown open to the public.

Crowds flocked to see the work of art, and stood in admiration before it, but the sculptor heeded not the praises of the multitude. His eye was upon one who was standing before the marble figure. What he thought was everything to Angelo, for he was the greatest critic of the day.

At length he speaks. “Michael,” he says, “it lacks one thing.”

“What is that?” eagerly asked the sculptor.

“Speech,” was the quiet reply. It lacked only one thing; this indeed was flattering to the sculptor. The statue was lifelike, a splendid. imitation of the natural, proving the great genius of the one whose hand had fashioned it.

But the critic’s remark can be justly applied to hundreds around us, and to them it is not flattering, for lacking the “one thing” they lack everything that is worth having. They are professors, BUT NOT POSSESSORS. They appear to be very like Christians, but they have never trusted Christ. The eye of the Judge is upon them, and He says—as He said to one in days gone by—”one thing thou lackest.” Is our reader one of this class? Then listen. With all your profession, you are like the marble figure—lifeless—dead toward God. It is life you lack, and this is not to be had in ordinances, ritual, or creeds, but in CHRIST alone. Life is to be found in the Son of God, and if you want life you must come to the living Saviour.

“God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.” 1 John 5:11.

“He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life. John 3:36.

ML 05/21/1961

A Corn of Wheat

In the early pioneer days of Ontario, Canada, a farmer, named David Fife, received a small quantity of seed wheat from a friend in Glasgow. He planted this, but out of the whole plot one grain only grew and ripened, producing a handful of hard, red grains. Farmer Fife kept the seeds and planted them the next year. He kept on doing this from year to year until there was enough wheat to use himself and sell to his neighbors. In a few years “Red Fife” wheat was in constant demand.

Within twenty or thirty years from the time when the first kernel was sown, “Red Fife” was grown far and wide on the great plains of the West. Since then, from this seed, has come the finest wheat in the world. Picture miles upon miles of ripening wheat, elevators choked to overflowing with golden grain. In a single year there have been grown, in the Canadian West alone, hundreds of millions of bushels of “Marquis wheat”—a product of “Red Fife”!

When Farmer Fife planted the seed wheat nearly a hundred years ago, he little dreamed that from a single kernel there would spring the overflowing harvests that have helped to fill the granaries of the world!

What a wonderful illustration this is, of the words of the blessed Lord when He said: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.” John 12:24.

He was the blessed “Corn of Wheat” who died that we might live, and when those myriad voices acclaim Him in the glory—voices out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation — this will be the theme, “Thou art worthy... for Thou wast slain, and has redeemed us to God by Thy blood.” Rev. 5:9.

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

Our life on earth has been compared to the flower that blooms in the morning and at eventime is withered.

Days, weeks and months shall have an end—
Eternity has none.
‘Twill always have as long to spend
As if ‘twere but begun.

ML 05/21/1961

Bible Talks: Psalms 123-127

PSALM 123. Here it seems the returning remnant of Israel are about to set forth on their journey. They are among others of their people who have professed honor for the Lord, but who do not share these same deep exercises. So they not only do not feel the need of undertaking it, but have nothing but contempt for those who do. Is not this what the Lord has before Him when He speaks of the blessings for those who are persecuted for His sake? (Matt. 5.)

Psalm 124. The journey here seems to be looked upon as completed and they are looking back on it, realizing that if it had not been that the Lord was on their side, then would they have been swallowed up by the men who rose up against them. They feel that their soul is as a bird that has escaped from the snare of the fowler. They can say with confidence: “Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” This is a lesson the Lord at all times would have His people learn.

Psalm 125. Here Mount Zion or Jerusalem, with the mountains surrounding it, is looked at as a place of security. Then the word is added “which cannot be removed, but abideth forever.” God still has certain purposes concerning it, which have yet to be fulfilled. It was God’s center for them in days of old, and will also be in the time of the future kingdom. It was His dwelling place, as King Solomon said in 2 Chronicles 6:41. The Lord has also promised to be in the midst of His own now (Matt. 18:20). It is also the place where justice can be administered.

Psalm 126. Now they go back over in their thoughts the facts connected with their being released from captivity. It seems like a dream to them. They were held captive by such a powerful nation, but the Lord had turned the king’s heart to favor their release and return to their own land. It is an instance of what we have in Proverbs 21:1, the king’s heart being turned by the Lord whithersoever He will. They can now rejoice and sing, so that it is said among the heathen, “The Lord hath done great things for them.”

The last verse of this Psalm is a beautiful reference to the Lord’s being here in humiliation. He had truly gone forth weeping, bearing precious seed, but He is to come again with rejoicing, bringing His sheaves with Him. So Israel will be looking for His coming with His heavenly hosts for their deliverance. “When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him.” Col. 3:4. All those who have accepted the Lord as Saviour now, will be among those heavenly hosts when He comes.

Psalm 127. This psalm is “A Song of Degrees for (or of) Solomon,” and it has to do with the building of the temple. Though Solomon had the plans which were given to his father by the Spirit, and he also had in his possession gold and silver which his father had gathered together for it, it could be built in vain. The builder must seek guidance from the Lord and His blessing for it to be acceptable to Him. It is quite striking how this psalm is introduced here, in a very timely way, because the building of the temple was the foremost thought with those who returned with Ezra. Then there will also be a temple built in the early part of the tribulation, but they will be still in unbelief then, and so they will not have the Lord’s mind as to it. This building will be destroyed (Psa. 74: 5-7). Then there will be another temple built later according to Ezekiel.

ML 05/21/1961

Kenneth's Friend

Kenneth’s sat on the verandah steps, patting his pet dog, and thinking sadly that she was the only real pal he had in the town. Since moving from the big city he had never really made friends with any of the boys at school.

Presently some boys his own age hurried down the street and called to him as they ran. Soon after another boy, named Marvin, passed by and seeing Kenneth sitting on the steps called out, “Hello, Ken! why do you stay home on a swell day like this? You should be going out to the country too.”

Ken made no answer, but he walked down to the gate where Marvin was now standing. “Oh, how I’d like to have him for a friend,” Ken thought, for Marvin was such a popular as well as clever boy.

“Why don’t you come with us? Four of us boys are going out to Cairn Creek for the day — it’ll be fun.”

“I’ll run in and ask Mother,” he said excitedly, and to his joy the answer was “Yes.” While she was hurriedly making him a lunch she said, “Kenneth, I know that you are anxious to have friends here, but don’t forget the ‘Friend that sticketh closer than a brother.’ Don’t do anything to displease Him.”

After quite a walk they met the other three boys, who seemed surprised to see Ken. However, as he came with Marvin they said nothing. The morning passed quickly and happily and about lunch time one of the boys said, “It’s time we made that raid.”

“Let’s send Ken,” said Ray and all agreed. So Ken was told to go to Farmer Parke’s field and get twelve ears of corn. Ken looked from one to the other. “Did he say we could have the corn?” he asked.

“Did he say we could have it? How can he say when he doesn’t know?”

“Do you think that Farmer Parkes would give away anything?” questioned another. “You just go and help yourself.”

“Not me,” said Ken decidedly. “You needn’t be afraid. We’ll watch out for you.”

Ken was silent for a moment. He belonged to the Lord Jesus and he knew that stealing was very displeasing to Him—and yet he did want boyfriends too. But Jesus was the best Friend he could ever have and so he shut his eyes and whispered, “Lord Jesus, help me.”

“I won’t go,” he said decidedly; “it’s stealing, and I won’t steal for anyone. I belong to Jesus.”

“Don’t be silly,” said Marvin, “the corn will never be missed.”

Ken shook his head. “The corn may seem nothing to you, but it’s hard work for Mr. Parkes, and corn is the farmer’s money. I wouldn’t take his money, would you?”

Ken picked up his lunch and walked to the road. He felt sad at losing his new chums, but then he thought of Jesus the “Friend that sticketh closer than a brother”—He wouldn’t desert him!

He hadn’t gone far when he heard someone running; “Wait a minute, Ken,” called Marvin.

“Say, Ken, what you say is right,” he puffed. “I never thought of it like that—it’s such a lark to take corn or apples—but I don’t want to steal.”

Marvin and Ken became the best of friends—but better than that Marvin soon learned to trust Jesus as his Saviour and together the two boys sought to please Him.

Best of all, how pleased the Lord must have been to see this faithfulness in His young disciple! And what a reward he got in winning Marvin not only as his chum but also to the Lord.

May this story speak to you and me, dear young friends, and let us remember always,

“Thou God seest me.” Gen. 16:13. “A true witness delivereth souls.” Prov. 14:25.

“THE FEAR OF MAN BRINGETH A SNARE: BUT WHOSO PUTTETH HIS TRUST IN THE LORD SHALL BE SAFE.” Prov. 29:25.

ML 05/28/1961

Are You a Good Girl?

Dr. Walter Wilson had on one occasion to treat the injured hand of teen-age girl. After making her as comfortable as possible, he said to her, “Are you a good girl?” She did not answer him. On asking again, “Come on, now, are you a good girl?” she answered in a haughty way, “Yes, of course.”

With a physician’s persistent inquiry, he said, “Do you never do any wrong at all?”

“No,” she replied, while her face flushed somewhat with displeasure, and perhaps with something of inward consciousness that her answer was not altogether true.

Gently but firmly he pressed the further question, “Do you not even do one wrong thing a day?”

To this she slowly admitted, “Well, yes, perhaps I do.”

“Well, look,” he said, “one sin a day is three hundred and sixty-five sins in a year,” and then, making a guess at her age, he multiplied three hundred and sixty-five by her years, and said gently, “So you see, you are not such a good girl after all, are you?”

The dear girl softened. Humbly she answered, “No,” whereupon the doctor, as skillful in dealing with spiritual ills as physical, told her of the Friend he knew who could wash away those scarlet sins.

Soon after both were on their knees in prayer, and he was able to lead her to the Saviour. She rose rejoicing in the knowledge that her sins were forgiven.

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

ML 05/28/1961

The Prodigal Count

I am reminded of a conversation I had with a Count when I was abroad. He had been most kind in directing me as to my journey. knowing he was about to leave, I said I had come to thank him, and to express the hope that we should meet again.

“Not likely,” he replied, “at my time of life.”

“Yet, still,” I added, “I hope that someday we shall meet again.”

Looking thoughtfully, he asked, “Do you mean in heaven?”

“Yes,” I said.

“O! then,” rejoined he, with a sigh, “I shall never be in heaven. I am too great and too old a sinner ever to be in heaven.”

Turning to the Countess, who was near, I said, “Madam, do you believe what your husband is saying?”

Bursting into tears, she responded, “I was brought up in the church—but have lived in every folly. We are both great sinners! and I am like one without a home — with no father. What would you do with a child who had left her father’s house?”

“I would read to her the fifteenth of Luke.”

“What is that?” she asked; and taking out my Bible, I read. When I came to that part where the prodigal began to be in want, the Count stopped me, saying, “Is that me?”

“Yes; and me!”

He wept when I explained how a sinner separated from God, must come to be in want—be in dire necessity. He may seem to be rich, and have need of nothing; but, not having Christ, he is wretched and miserable (as to eternal things), and poor, and blind and naked (Rev. 3:17).

Reading on, I came to the passage where the father is represented as running to meet his son, embracing him, saying, “This is my son.”

“Sir,” interrupted the Count, “is that God?”

“Yes,” I said; “that is God, and God is love.” I described to him how it was that God had never lost sight of man, though he had gone far from God; how, though man had changed, God had never changed; how He, in love to us, had given His Son to die for us; and how the death of Christ enables God righteously, as well as in love, to receive and embrace the oldest and vilest of sinners.

They both wept.

“Let me record this chapter and those verses in my pocket book, saying, as it were, ‘That prodigal is myself; that Father is God.’”

With more such words, he took me by the hand, saying, “Thank you, thank you very much; yes, thank you. We shall meet again.”

ML 05/28/1961

Bible Talks: Psalms 128-132

Psalm 128. This psalm gives some of the blessings of the Millennium, and these blessings shall come to them out of Zion, where His house is to be located. When the hour mentioned in John 4:23 is past, and the Lord has re-established them in the land, then Jerusalem will again be His earthly center for worship.

Psalm 129. We have here the afflictions of the godly Israelite, and others also suffering for the name of the Lord. It may refer historically to the afflictions which David passed through, as being representative of that which the godly remnant will pass through in the tribulation. He passed through several years of such trials when fleeing for his life from King Saul. There have been many times of persecutions which Christians have had to pass through, and still do in some countries of the world.

Psalm 130. This psalm gives us the deep heart searchings of one in the presence of the Lord. It is not now the evil from without, but that which springs from man’s evil nature within. The soul learns that there is forgiveness with the Lord, and that their hope is not from looking within, to discern progress, but to rest and wait upon the Lord for what He has accomplished. It may refer to some of David’s experiences when, being pursued, he longed for the light of the morning. The soul here speaks of waiting for the Lord so intently that he says it is more than they that watch for the morning. He speaks of waiting for their redemption from their iniquities. How wonderful it is that since the Lord Jesus died and rose again, faith can look back and see redemption as an accomplished fact. So the gospel does not tell a sinner he must do something, but it points him to a work that has already been done for him on the cross.

Psalm 131. We have in this psalm more heart searchings, to see if pride was in any way connected with his activities. It is a very wholesome exercise before the Lord, for pride is an outstanding trait acquired by man at the fall. It is what characterizes man away from God, and the child of God can fall into its snare through the deceitfulness of his own heart. It is one of the seven things that are spoken of as an abomination to the Lord (Prov. 6:17). After these deep heart searchings, David declares that Israel’s hope cannot be in anyone but the Lord from henceforth and forever. Those of the nation that are back in the land at this present time, have not progressed beyond their own efforts, and will yet follow the Antichrist when he appears. He will be the most self-willed man this world has ever known.

Psalm 132. This psalm shows why David could be spoken of as a man after God’s own heart—not that he didn’t fail, for all men have failed. There is only one Man who never failed, the Lord Jesus Christ. David is shown here as a sample of the godly Israelite. In the midst of all his afflictions, he had a deep concern for a very great disorder among his people. The central thing connected with their worship before the Lord was the ark of the covenant (Deut. 31:24-27). On the day of Atonement, the blood of the sin offering was carried in to the mercy seat, which was above the ark. The high priest carrying it in there could witness of their sin offering being accepted for them.

ML 05/28/1961

"He Died for Me"

Years ago Lieutenant Harding, whose regiment was stationed at Natal, received orders to explore the country 500 miles inland; so he started off on the expedition with six trusty soldiers and his servant Richard.

One day they came to a pool of water, where the footprints told that a large lion was wont to come down to drink, and Lieutenant Harding determined that he would go there in the evening and try to shoot it.

So away he started with his servant Richard, and they hid themselves near the pool. Soon the sun went down, and the cries of the wild beasts were heard, and at last the deep growl of the lion. The officer fired, but unfortunately only grazed its skin. The lion then bounded toward him and would have torn him in pieces, had not his faithful servant received the beast on his bayonet, but in so doing it gave Richard a dreadful stroke with its paw, which killed him.

Poor Richard was buried near that pool, and under his name are these words: “He died for me.”

T. HARDING.

“While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Rom. 5:8.

Ought we not to love Him very much, and thank Him with all our heart?

A little girl once at the dinner table closed her eyes and whispered, “Thank You, Thank You, THANK You.” “Are you so very thankful, dear, for the nice dinner you have had?”

“I was not thinking about the dinner,” the little one replied, “but I was thanking Jesus for DYING FOR ME.”

Have you ever thanked Jesus for dying for you?

Can you say, “He was punished for my sins: The Son of God loved ME, and gave Himself for ME?” If you have never thanked Him, why not begin NOW?

“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.

ML 06/04/1961

All Your Need

A Christian woman was traveling to America and became so desperately seasick that the ship’s physician ordered her to have nothing but oranges or she might die.

After she had been eating oranges for a few days, the ship’s steward came to her with the sad news that all the oranges on the ship were gone. Undisturbed and in her physical weakness, the lady looked into the face of the steward and said, “My Father knows my need and will undertake for me.”

The steward in surprise answered, “Madam, you forget we are in the middle of the ocean.” The woman replied, “My Father is able to open a window in heaven if that were necessary.”

Hours had passed when the steward came into her cabin, his arms laden with oranges. “Your God has undertaken, just see here,” he exclaimed.

“How did it happen?” inquired the sick woman.

“Did you not hear a siren?” the steward asked. “Well, that was a vessel in distress. The storm had driven it out of its course and all its fresh water was used. We were able to supply their need. That ship carried a cargo of oranges and in their gratitude they gave us a plentiful supply.”

God is on the sea as well as on the land. They that “go down to the sea in ships” do not leave God on the land. Oranges do not grow on the ocean, but God has “a way on the sea.” He can drive a vessel from its course and trade fresh water for an orange for His sick and needy child. His redeemed child means more to Him than His creation.

“My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus,” Phil. 4:19, and if an orange is the need, God will supply it because “faithful is He that prosed, who also will do it.”

ML 06/04/1961

Have You Thanked Him?

During the last war, a preacher, going along a street in London, saw a wounded British soldier painfully hobbling along. Stopping him, the preacher astonished the soldier by saying, “Thank you for being wounded for me.” The man could only look in surprise.

The preacher then continued, “I know Someone who was wounded for YOU.”

“Wounded for me, sir?” said the soldier, now more surprised. “Who could that be?”

“It was our Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible says, ‘He was wounded for our transgressions.’ “

With that the servant of the Lord went on his way, leaving the soldier to think of the One who was wounded for him.

Have you, dear reader, seriously considered what the Lord Jesus Christ did for YOU? He saw you lost in your sin and came all the way from heaven to seek you. He who knew no sin became sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. Have you trusted Him as your Saviour? Have you thanked Him for being wounded for you on the cross?

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

ML 06/04/1961

Eternity

‘Tis not for man to trifle; Life is brief,

And sin is here;

Our age is but the falling of a leaf—

A dropping tear.

We have no time to sport away the hours;

All must be earnest in a world like ours.

ML 06/04/1961

Conversion of Foolish Dick

There lived in the west of England a well-known character called “Foolish Dick.” One day, he was going for a pitcher of water, when a good old man hailed him with, “So, Dick, you are going to the well?”

“Yes,” he replied.

“Well, Dick, the woman of Samaria found Jesus at the well.”

“Did she?” was the answer. “Yes.”

The remark, riveted on Dick’s mind by the Holy Spirit, awakened Dick. He thought, “Oh that I could find Him!” He prayed, and soon he found Christ at the well.

“If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink.” John 7:37.

ML 06/04/1961

Bible Questions for June

The Children’s Class

1. Will Jesus come from heaven in the same manner that He was taken up into heaven?

2. Who can be saved by calling on the name of the Lord?

3. What things are necessary that our sins may be blotted out?

4. Were the apostles glad that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for the name of Jesus?

5. Who was said to be full of faith and of the Holy Ghost?

6. Did the people believe what Philip preached concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ?

7. What question did Saul, trembling and astonished, ask of the Lord?

The Young People’s Class

1. How did Saul plan to take David when David was with Samuel the prophet? 1 Sam. 19.

2. When the Lord was here on earth, did His enemies think He could be taken in a similar way? John 7.

3. What power was working which prevented Saul’s messengers from fulfilling their mission? 1 Sam.

4. How were those who sought to lay hands on the Lord rebuffed? John 7.

5. When Saul’s messengers failed, did Saul personally continue in his wicked plans? 1 Sam.

6. Was Satan personally engaged in the betrayal and ultimate crucifixion of the Lord? John 13.

7. Did Saul’s course of action end in his own confusion and shame? 1 Sam.

ML 06/04/1961

Bible Talks: Psalms 132-134

We were remarking last week that on the day of Atonement the High Priest carried the blood of the sin offering into the most holy place to the mercy seat above the ark. But David as a young man knew that this could no longer be because the ark, during the past 75 or 80 years, was no longer connected with the tabernacle. It had never been returned there after being sent back by the Philistines. In the overruling hand of God it could no longer be returned to Shiloh on account of wickedness that was allowed to go on there (Psalm 78:60). So David in his youth was exercised to find out the place where it should be. Just as soon as he was anointed king over all Israel, he brought the ark to Jerusalem, the place of God’s choice (Psa. 76:68). In this psalm we are also told that the Lord had chosen Zion, and would have it for His habitation. But David was not allowed to build the temple; that was to be left for Solomon his son to build.

Hosea prophesied that Israel must abide for many days without a king, without a prince and without a sacrifice, without an image and without an ephod, and without a teraphim (Hos. 3:4). This is their condition now, and will be until the Lord allows them to have the site of the temple. Jerusalem must be trodden under foot until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled (Luke 21:24).

The Lord Jesus spoke of the coming of the Holy Spirit, who would guide those who had put their faith in Christ into all truth. This truth has been ministered to us in the New Testament by the apostles and prophets. The Lord said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” John 14:6. So we can see how that truth is inseparably connected with our worship. “Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.” John 1:17.

Psalm 133. This little psalm has often been quoted as though brethren dwelling together in unity was a goal to be reached by man’s efforts. But unity is that which is produced by the Spirit of God, when the Lord has been given His true place, as is brought out in Psalm 132. There is a fragrance that ascends when there is this unity, and the precious ointment by which the high priest was anointed was a beautiful type of this.

Then we have the answer of the Lord to this state, when He pours out His blessings from above, as expressed in “the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion.” There have been marvelous blessings in ministry from the Word of God from those who have sought to honor the Lord in the path of faith here in this world.

Psalm 134. This is the last of this series of psalms designated as Songs of Degrees. Here Israel is viewed as having retraced their steps from being dispersed out of their land on account of their unbelief. They have confessed that they had allowed the word of God to slip out of their lives. They have been passed through the great tribulation and have judged themselves, and owned that they have rejected their Messiah, and that He must have first place. Finally in this psalm they are seen in Zion, standing in the house of the Lord, and He is ready to bless His people from Zion as a center.

ML 06/04/1961

The Runaway Boy

A Canadian boy ran away from his home. I often wonder what made him do it, for he had a loving father and mother who cared for him and looked after him well.

But Jack wanted his own way, so one day he slipped out of the house when no one was about. He took his savings from his money box, and replaced the money with stones, so that it should not be noticed he had emptied the box.

He went to the river, and finding a boat anchored there, he jumped in and rowed to the other side. In his hurry he did not secure the boat properly, and he left a jacket in it. He then bought a ticket to a place some distance away, and gradually made his way to the American border.

Can you imagine the anxiety of his parents when he did not return, and when later the boat was discovered with the telltale jacket lying in the bottom? They feared he had fallen into the river and every yard was dredged in an effort to find his body.

Four days passed and he was given up for dead. Oh! the sorrow in that home, caused by a thoughtless boy going his own way, and seeking his own pleasure! And there is sure to be trouble and sorrow as a result of taking our own way. All this Jack found out, not only for himself, but it brought anxiety and distress to those who loved him most.

Just as the heartbroken parents had given up all hope of finding their boy, a phone message was received from the frontier guards at the American town where he had gone. Jack had been stopped as he was trying to get into the States. He had no identification card with him, and when he was questioned the truth had to come out.

Who can describe the joy of those parents when they heard the good news that their son, whom they feared was dead, was alive; the lost one had been found! How they longed to see their boy again!

When he arrived back a loving welcome was given him. No mention was made of his sin in running away from home. When they were all seated at the table to partake of their first meal together after Jack’s return, the father as his custom was, asked God’s blessing and in simple words thanked Him for His love and mercy in restoring their son to them. Mother could not refrain from crying, and Jack’s eyes too filled with tears. It was then that Jack learned for the first time what his sin had cost his parents and how dearly they loved him. His sorrow and repentance were very real, and before the meal was begun he knew he had his parents’ forgiveness.

This story reminds me how God receives back the wandering one to Himself. If you read the 15th chapter of Luke you will find a beautiful story there of the way God welcomes the returning prodigal. We are told too of the joy in heaven over one repenting sinner.

“There is joy in heaven tonight,

And the angels all look on,

For it is not theirs that deep delight,

Though their praise swells loud at the glorious sight

Of another repentant one.”

Dear young reader, has there been joy in heaven over you? Have you repented of your sins and returned to the Lord. We were all prodigals once, for “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him (Jesus) the iniquity of us all.” Isa. 53:6.

“I SAY UNTO YOU, THERE IS JOY IN THE PRESENCE OF THE ANGELS OF GOD OVER ONE SINNER THAT RENTETH.” Luke 15:10.

ML 06/11/1961

A "Live by the Book" Witness

Kulu was very sad. She had tried so hard to learn to read, and though she had been to school for over a year she was no farther on than many girls who had just begun. She wondered if there wasn’t something that a stupid, awkward girl like her could do—especially as she loved Jesus.

“I am very sorry,” said the teacher in the African school for little black girls, “but we feel it might be better for you to try something else.”

“If I go home,” Kulu sobbed, “what will the people in my village say? And my mother will be sad because I’m not a teach-books person. Isn’t there something I can do?”

“Of course there is, Kulu,” said Miss McDonald, looking in pity at the tearful face. “If you can’t be a teach-books person you can be a ‘live-the-book’ person.”

Kulu was puzzled. She could not understand what that meant.

Miss McDonald got her Bible and read 2 Corinthians 3:2, “Ye are our epistle... known and read of all men.” “People will read YOU instead of books, Kulu,” she said. “What you do will show that you are a person of the tribe of God. And others who see you will want to belong to Him too.”

Kulu clapped her hands. “Oh! can I really be a live-the-Book person, Miss McDonald?”

“Yes, indeed you can,” was the response, “but you must ask the Lord Jesus to help you. You cannot do it in your own strength, but you can

‘Ask the Saviour to help you,
Comfort, strengthen and keep you,
He is willing to aid you;
He will carry you through.’”

“In everything you do, Kulu, do it to please Him—even when you scrub floors. There is a verse in God’s Word that says, ‘Whatsoever ye do, in word or in deed, do ALL in the name of the Lord Jesus.’” Col. 3:17.

A few days later Miss McDonald came to Kulu with a letter in her hand, telling her she had just received it from missionaries who had recently moved to a new village. She read, “We need a native girl right away. Is there one there who would be willing to live in a hard place—there are no Christians here?”

“Would you like to go, Kulu?”

“I’d like to go,” said Kulu quietly, “and live-the-Book. If there are no Christians there, and no one who can read, I can SHOW them what is in the Book. I’ll ask God to make me a good person of His tribe.”

When the missionaries first moved to the village the natives were very much afraid of them and would run away and hide if they came near. But one day Kulu came to live with them. She was as black as they were, but she wasn’t the least bit afraid of them! She smiled at the children peeping at her from behind trees, or out of doorways, and gradually they became less afraid. Finally the brave ones ventured near enough to ask questions.

“How long are the white folks going to sit in our village?”

“They have come to tell us about God.”

“But we have our own gods,” they answered.

And then Kulu told them about the only true God, who lives up in the sky and yet can see and hear everything we say and do. She told them that God loved them and wanted to take them up to live with Him some day, also that they were sinners and could not come into His presence until their sins were taken away. This was impossible for them to do, so He Himself provided a way in sending His own Son to die on the cross for them, “and all,” said Kulu, “who will trust in Him will be saved.”

The children came often and asked Kulu to tell them of her wonderful Friend. Before long the older ones were willing to listen to the story of Jesus’ love from the missionaries, and some of them trusted Him for themselves. So dear Kulu was able to rejoice that though she could not read, she had shown by her life and words what a wonderful Saviour she had.

May this story help each one of us to be a real “LIVE-BY-THE-BOOK” Christian, if we know Him, for “We are known and read of all men.” 2 Cor. 3:2.

ML 06/11/1961

What Would Your Record Be?

I heard recently of a farmer who I had owned a car for over twenty years, but it had never been seen on the road. After his death the car’s speedometer showed that it had been driven only the distance from the salesroom where it was purchased to the barn where it had been stored!

I can hear you say, “What a pity! If it had been mine I should have used it.” I am sure you would. But have you thought that you, and probably all my readers, have something of far more value, which does not possess a speedometer to show how much it has been used, yet it could, and might have just such an astonishing record? Can you guess what I mean? Did you say, “A BIBLE”?

Yes, that is right. What would the record show as to its use? Do you ever read it? Has it lain idle for days, months, years? Does it show any sign of wear? Are the pages becoming soiled or discolored through use, or is it just as new as when you first had it? Well, you alone can answer these questions.

“The Holy Scriptures... are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” 2 Tim. 3:15.

ML 06/11/1961

Bible Talks: Psalms 135-138

The next two psalms are a sort of appendices to the Songs of Degrees, in that they bring together incidents in Israel’s history as fitting subjects of their praises.

Psalm 135. This is a call to Israel to praise the Lord. The first thing mentioned is that He has chosen Israel for His own peculiar treasure, which is given as a promise in Exodus 19:5, if they would keep His law. Then the Lord’s care of the earth is mentioned, and how He controls the elements so as to provide the needed rain for it. This is followed by recounting their deliverances, first from Egypt in the starting of their journey, and secondly from the king of Bashan who at the close of their journey opposed their entrance into the land. The idols of the nations are shown to be only the work of men’s hands, and to have no power. The whole house of Israel is called upon to bless the Lord. The house of Aaron and Levi, and then all that fear the Lord are called upon to bless Him.

Psalm 136. The giving of thanks unto the Lord is here called for because His mercies and lovingkindness endure forever. God is spoken of as the God of gods, and the Lord of lords. He has done great wonders in the creation of the heavens and the earth. We have His mercies in connection with the deliverances of His people from Egypt and His leading them through the wilderness journey. At the close He is called the God of heaven, for His mercies endure forever.

Psalm 137. This psalm goes back to their captivity in Babylon and tells of their weeping there when they remembered Zion. Their captors had required a song of them but they could not sing the Lord’s songs in a strange land. The theme of their songs was largely their deliverances from their enemies, and so it would be inappropriate for them to sing such songs in the land of their captivity. At the present time the Lord’s people, when overcome by the world, are unable to sing His songs amid worldly associations. It is only when they have begun to retrace their steps, as in Psalm 126:2, that these songs come back to them. The people here pledge themselves not to forget Jerusalem. There was a small remnant which did not forget and were ready to return when King Cyrus gave the word. We read about them in the book of Ezra.

Psalm 138. We have the faithful awakened remnant here turning to the Lord. They realize the importance of His Word and say that He has magnified it above all His name. If we stopped to realize this, we could not claim to be honoring Him and at the same time go contrary to His Word, for it is there we learn what is pleasing to Him. In the coming day His Word will reach out to the kings of the earth, and they also will praise the Lord. Here confidence is expressed in the Lord that He will revive them and perfect that which concerned them, in accomplishing their full deliverance.

ML 06/11/1961

Eternity

A friend gave a gospel tract to a busy business man. He thrust it from him with a sneer, “I’ve no time to think about such things.”

My friend replied, “Then God will give you ETERNITY to think about them.”

ML 06/11/1961

Jenny's Problem Solved

Though there were over thirty boys and girls in the school room, it was very quiet, for everyone was busy writing an examination. In the corner farthest from the teacher’s desk sat Jenny. She was very busy biting the end of her pencil and frowning. She usually looked pleasant, but now she frowned as she looked at the second question for it wouldn’t come right.

“I can’t see where it’s wrong,” she told herself, as she took another big bite at her pencil. Glancing around the room she wondered if anyone else was having the same trouble as she was—or was she very stupid? Each head was bent over the paper—except for Bob Jones, who, true to his name, bobbed his head from morning till night.

He had seen Jenny frowning and as soon as she caught his eye, he raised his eyebrows and looked puzzled—asking as plainly as if he had said it, “What is the trouble?” Jenny raised two fingers and frowned harder than ever—and then she remembered that the rules for examinations said there was to be no communication with each other in any way, so once more she bent her head over the paper.

Presently something struck her arm and fell to the floor. It was a piece of paper rolled into a ball, and a glance at Bob’s face told that it came from him. Jenny shook her head at him— if the teacher saw them it would mean serious trouble and Jenny did not want Bob to get into a scrape.

Bob held up two fingers and nodded toward the paper, and Jenny knew what he meant—the problem was worked out on the paper. She leaned over to get it and then suddenly she remembered—that would be cheating!

Bob was watching, so with a decided shake of her head she bent over her work, and he turned to his with a look of disgust. For some minutes Jenny worked at it again but it wouldn’t come out right. The paper was still lying on the floor at her feet and it looked very tempting. She had tried so hard, and this would end her trouble.

“The others do it and they say it’s no harm,” thought Jenny; “Bob expected me to and I know he thinks me a goose—but I’ll be an honest one anyway,” and she sighed. Just then there flashed through her mind one verse of a hymn she had learned in Sunday school:

“Have we trials and temptations?

Is there trouble anywhere?

We should never be discouraged;

Take it to the Lord in prayer.”

“I wonder if it would do any good to pray over this problem,” thought Jenny; “it’s a trouble to me.”

She leaned her head on her hand and in a very few words asked the Lord Jesus, whom she had already trusted as her Saviour, to help her with this question. Once more she set to work, and going over each part carefully, found her mistake. This time she worked it out correctly.

Again she leaned her head on her hand, and thanked the Lord for His goodness in hearing and answering her prayer.

“Ask the Saviour to help you,

Comfort, strengthen and keep you;

He is willing to aid you,

He will carry you through.”

“TRUST IN HIM AT ALL TIMES;... POUR OUT YOUR HEART BEFORE HIM: GOD IS A REFUGE FOR US.” Psa. 62:8.

ML 06/18/1961

About Face

A friend of mine in the army handed me a Gospel of John one day. I was not saved at the time, and tried to hand back the Gospel, but he insisted I take it home with me. He was the last one I would ever expect to see with a Bible under his arm, but he told me that he had recently taken the Lord Jesus as his personal Saviour, and had been wonderfully saved.

I finally took the Gospel, but on my way home I tore it to pieces and threw it away. That is what I thought of God’s Word a few years ago. Little did I realize as I stood tearing God’s Word to pieces, that it would be only a few months until this very Book would tear me to pieces, and I would see myself as a sinner, lost and needing the Saviour of whom that Gospel told.

The following Monday I met George again. He asked me, “Jack, how are you getting along with the Gospel of John I gave you last week?”

“Why, I threw it away before I got home,” I answered.

“You did?” he replied. “Well, here’s another one.” Week after week George kept handing me gospels and tracts; the more he handed me the more I threw them away.

Six months passed, and we went off to army camp together. I thought, “Surely George will forget all about his old religion with all the drinking, gambling, and cursing, for he had been a wicked man the summer before.”

The first day we were at army camp, I heard several fellows using the Lord’s name in vain. George spoke to them, “Listen, the name you are dragging down is the name that is taking me up to heaven.” That hit me!

That night when lights went out, George reached into his bag, took his Bible and flashlight, and sat on the edge of his cot. After having read for awhile, he got down on his knees for prayer. We could curse at him, throw shoes or anything else, but he stayed there until he was through.

After watching George in that army camp for two full weeks, and noting the marvelous change in his life, I decided he had something that I didn’t have. Whatever it was I wanted it.

That summer I bought a Gospel of John and started to read it through. George invited me to a gospel meeting, and I went along with him one night. I didn’t like the way the preacher talked about sin, righteousness, and the judgment to come. He spoke about a real heaven and a real hell, and about the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. He told us that the only hope of heaven was by being “born again.”

I didn’t like it and angrily left the meeting. That night as I lay on my bed, it seemed as though all the blackness of eternity loomed up before me. I realized for the first time in my life that I too, was a sinner, but that Jesus Christ, God’s Son, died and shed His blood on the cross of Calvary for me. I slipped out of bed, got down on my knees, and asked the Lord Jesus to save me. I know I passed from death to life, from the power of Satan to God.

What He did for me, He can and will do for you if you will only “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” John 1:29.

The gospel of Christ can save ruined, helpless, lost sinful men and women, boys and girls, who will but believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.

ML 06/18/1961

The Thief of Eternity

Such is procrastination. A servant of the Lord related the following illustration of this:—

A bright boy heard and was deeply impressed by the text, “My son, give Me thine heart.” Satan whispered, “Time enough yet,” and he put it off.

Ten years later a brilliant college student heard the same text under circumstances which seemed to make that the time of his salvation. Again the tempter whispered successfully, “Time enough yet.”

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

A traveler in Paris was stricken with cholera. But his greatest suffering was agony of soul because he was not prepared to die. His last words were, “Too late!”

The boy, the college student, the statesman, and the traveler were one and the same person.

ML 06/18/1961

The Prayer of Jabez

And Jabez was more honorable than his brethren: and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, Because I bare him with sorrow.

“And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that Thou wouldst bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that Thine hand might be with me, and that Thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested.” 1 Chronicles 4:9, 10.

ML 06/18/1961

Bible Talks: Psalms 139-143

Psalm 139. The first verses of this psalm form a sort of heading as is often the case in the Psalms. It is here a summary of what the Lord has done in response to the cry from the heart in the last two verses. He has been brought to see that he cannot escape from the all-searching eye of God, no matter where he might go. Such knowledge is too wonderful for him. He realizes what are the thoughts of the Lord for His own people whom He has redeemed and that they are very precious unto Him. He also sees that the wicked can have no place before the Lord, when He again takes up the cause of His people. So he desires that his heart be searched that there be no wicked way in him. This denotes true repentance and humility before the Lord. It is well for any who profess His name to have their hearts searched by Him, for He desires truth in the inward parts.

Psalm 140. The prayer of this psalm is to be delivered and preserved from violent, wicked and proud men. They have compassed about and afflicted the righteous and the poor for their faith and confidence in the Lord. The psalm closes with the expressed confidence that they will dwell in His presence. It will be the portion of those whose faith is refined in the furnace of their affliction, the great tribulation, just before the Lord delivers them and brings in the time of blessing.

Psalm 141. We have here the faithful one, asking that his prayers be acceptable and heard. He asks that a watch be set for the door of his lips so that he would not utter that which would be displeasing to the Lord. He also desires to be kept from practicing the works of the wicked, but he would consider it a kindness to be reproved by the righteous, and desires that his soul be not left destitute. It shows that he has learned something of the depths of his own heart, and is distrustful of it. He realizes that he can only be kept by cleaving to the Lord.

Psalm 142. There is a further pouring out of the heart unto the Lord here. In the midst of his trials, he feels his spirit overwhelmed within, but realizes that He knew his path and He alone can be his refuge. There is renewed confidence at the close that these trials will bring the righteous together and that the Lord will deal bountifully with him. A psalm of this kind has been a comfort to many in passing through deep trials which serve to draw them nearer to the Lord.

Psalm 143. The psalmist pours out his heart to the Lord still more in this psalm and he calls himself His servant. He desires that the Lord would not enter into judgment with him, for he knows that in His sight no living can be justified. He again speaks of his spirit being overwhelmed within him, but he remembers the doings of old and meditates on the works of His hands. He desires to know the loving kindness of the Lord in the morning and for Him to cause him to know the way in which he should walk; also he desires to be led into the land of uprightness.

“God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Rom. 5:8. It is a wonderful thing to be able to say that Christ died for me. Can you say that?

ML 06/18/1961

Ice in Summer

Some years ago a Christian merchant, in one of our American cities, failed in business and lost everything he had. After talking over their affairs with his wife, who was a faithful Christian, they decided to move out West and begin life again there. He bought some land on the wide rolling prairie, built a log cabin, and began to cultivate his farm.

In the middle of the second summer, hard work and exposure to the sun brought on an attack of sickness, and a raging fever set in. They were twelve miles away from the nearest town. One of the neighbors went there, and came back with a doctor. He examined the sick man very carefully, and left some medicine, telling his wife what to do. He said it was a very dangerous attack. If they could only get some ice to apply to the burning brow of the sick man, he thought he might get over it; but without that there was very little prospect of his recovery.

As soon as the doctor was gone, the sorrowful wife gathered her family and friends around the bedside of her sick husband, and kneeled down with them in prayer. She told God what the doctor had said, and prayed very earnestly that He who has the power to do everything, would send them some ice.

When the prayer was over, some of the neighbors whispered to each other that the poor distressed woman must be losing her mind. “The idea of getting ice here,” they said, “when everybody knows there isn’t a bit of ice in all the country! It would be contrary to all the laws of nature to have ice in summer.”

The wife of the sick man heard their remarks, but they did not shake her faith in God, and in the power of prayer. Silently, but earnestly, her heart breathed forth the cry for ice.

As the day wore on, heavy clouds began to gather in the western sky. They rolled in darkness over the heavens. The distant thunder was heard to mutter. Nearer and louder it was heard. The lightning began to flash. Presently the storm burst in its fury. It came first in rain, and then in hail. The hailstones came down in lumps of ice as big as eggs. They lay thick in the furrows of the field. The thankful wife went out, and soon came in rejoicing with a bucket full of ice. This she applied in bags to her husband’s fevered brow. The fever broke, and soon he was restored to life and health.

This grateful woman never troubled herself with any questions about whether it was a miracle or not. She only knew that she had prayed for ice in summer, and that the ice had come. And her faith was stronger than ever in that gracious Saviour, who did so many miracles when He was on earth. He has just the same power now to comfort and help His people when they are in trouble. Do you, dear reader, know this blessed One as your Saviour?

“Salvation is of the Lord.” Jonah 2:9.

“The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.” Ps. 34:17.

“MANY ARE THE AFFLICTIONS OF THE RIGHTEOUS: BUT THE LORD DELIVERETH HIM OUT OF THEM ALL.” Ps. 34:19.

ML 06/25/1961

Have You Eternal Life?

Some years ago a young man named James, with two or three companions, was exploring the rocks,’ cliffs and caves on the seacoast and hunting for sea birds’ eggs.

James was an experienced climber, and as he was strong and fearless, he often led the others into places of great danger. As they climbed the rocks, the seagulls were flying around, uttering their shrill cries. At last, after scrambling along a very narrow ledge above a steep precipice, they came to a place where the tiny path had crumbled away. James did not hesitate to jump across the gap, and landing safely on the other side, he sat down on the ledge, and stretched out his hand to help his friends over. You can imagine his horror when the last of these failed to judge the distance right, and slipped down the space between. Fortunately in falling he had managed to catch hold of a tree stump or jutting piece of rock, and hung on by one hand. James lost no time in grasping him by his hand, which he could just reach, and managed to haul him up in safety to the narrow ledge, frightened but uninjured.

As soon as he had scrambled to his feet he seized James by the hand, and shook it warmly, saying, “Thank you for my life!” He realized how nearly he had lost his life by that one false step, and also that he owed his rescue to his strong friend who had risked his own safety by stooping down to save him.

I wonder, dear reader, have you ever thanked the Lord Jesus for stooping down to save you? Nay, more than stooping down, for in order that you might possess eternal life, the Son of God laid down His own precious life; He became the Sin-bearer for all those who believe in Him (John 3:16.)

We read in the Bible that it is God who “giveth to all life, and breath, and all things.” (Acts 17:25, Job 33:4.) This is true of all, but that is only the life of the body. Alas! even for this a great many people forget to thank God. I hope you are not among those who get up each morning and forget to thank God for His goodness to them, who ask for His care over them for the day; and yet go to bed night after night without thanking Him for watching over them, and for protecting their lives from the countless dangers which surround them daily.

So many forget how short this life is, and that at the end of it those who do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as their own Saviour, will receive the wages for their lives of sin.

“The wages of sin is DEATH; but the gift of God is ETERNAL LIFE through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Rom. 6:23. Can you thank God for this gift of eternal life?

“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.

ML 06/25/1961

The Charcoal Carrier

One Sunday afternoon in summer, a little girl named Mary, going home from Sunday school in the country, sat down to rest under the shade of a tree by the roadside. While sitting there, she opened her Bible to read. As she sat reading, a man well-known in that neighborhood as Jacob, the charcoal carrier, came by with his donkey. Jacob used to work in the woods making charcoal, and then carry it in sacks on his donkey’s back, and sell it. He was not a Christian, and was accustomed to work with his donkey as hard on Sunday as on week-days.

When he came by where Mary was sitting, he stopped a moment, and said in a good-natured way: “What book is that you are reading, my little maid?”

“It is God’s book—the Bible,” said Mary.

“Let me hear you read a little in it, if you please,” he said, stopping his donkey.

Mary began at the place where the Book was open, and read: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work.”

“There, that’s enough,” said Jacob, “and now tell me what it means.”

“It means,” said Mary, “that you mustn’t carry charcoal on Sunday, nor let your donkey carry it.”

“Does it?” said Jacob, musing a little. “I’ll tell you what, then, I must think over what you have said.”

And he did think it over. And the result was, that instead of going with his donkey to the woods on the next Sunday, he went with his two little girls to Sunday school. And later Jacob, the charcoal carrier, became a Christian, and God’s blessing rested on him and his family.

ML 06/25/1961

John Wesley

At a meeting in Aldersgate Street, London, on the evening of the 24th of May, 1738, one read aloud Luther’s Preface to the Epistle to the Romans. In the audience was John Wesley, in deep concern about his soul. Through what he heard, a new light flashed into his mind; a new life stirred within him; “a strange warmth” at his heart led him to say, “The Son of God loved me and gave Himself for me.” John Wesley was saved.

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

ML 06/25/1961

Bible Talks: Psalms 144-147

Psalm 144. This psalm, like many others, shows that the people of God, who are voicing these sentiments, are counting upon earthly blessings and not heavenly, the latter being the Christian’s portion. Man is said to be like to vanity or just a breath. His days are as a shadow that passeth away. It shows something of the great depths of David’s trials. Even though he was the anointed king, he must pass through them to properly be a shepherd to the people of God. It looks forward to being settled in the land in peace and prosperity. It closes with “Happy is that people whose God is the Lord.” Israel was the only nation who had a right to that claim. The Lord is now taking out of all nations a people for Himself. (Acts 15:14.)

Psalm 145. This is another of what are called acrostic psalms, where the first letter of each verse follows in order the Hebrew alphabet, except that the fourteenth letter is here omitted. It also seems to be a dialogue in which the Messiah is leading the praises of the congregation, in the blessings of the millennial day the congregation carrying on from His leading. Verses 1, 3, 5, 8-10, 14, 17-20 seem especially His announcements, followed by the responses of the congregation. The saints are, no doubt, those who have passed through the purifying trials of the great tribulation, as in Revelation 7:14.

Psalm 146. The last five psalms follow the leading of praises in the previous psalms. Since they begin and close with “Hallelujah” or “Praise ye the Lord,” they are called Hallelujah Psalms. This psalm contrasts the putting of confidence in nobles or man in general, with those who have the God of Jacob for their help. (The name Jacob signifies what they were by nature, a poor failing people, but whose trust was in the Lord their God.) God is celebrated as Creator and Sustainer of all things, the One who also provides justice for the oppressed and bread for the hungry. The Lord frees the prisoners, gives sight to the blind, cares for the fatherless and the widows, but judges the wicked. He will reign forever and ever.

Psalm 147. This psalm mentions His building up of Jerusalem as the center from which His earthly blessings will flow in the Millennial day. This will not be the result of the efforts of man as at this present time, but will be brought about by the Lord Himself in His own time. Though the power and understanding of the Lord is here said to be infinite, yet He is concerned with the lifting up of the meek and abasing the wicked. There is a call to sing or respond unto the Lord with thanksgiving for all His marvelous works in creation, and His providing even for the beasts of the earth and the fowls of the air. But He does not delight in the natural man’s activities. He controls all by His word and His commands. His especial care is here shown for Jacob or Israel in giving them His commandments. (He had not done so for any other nation.) How fitting is the closing phrase, “Praise ye the Lord.” As has been said before, God does not deal with any other nation in the manner as outlined in these psalms, on account of Christ’s rejection when here as the Messiah. But no doubt there are providential mercies enjoyed by them, in proportion to which His work on the cross is owned.

ML 06/25/1961

A Little Boy and His Bible

There was a little boy living in a fishing village on the south coast of England, who loved his Bible more than his breakfast or dinner, and every morning he would steal away with it to the sea shore. One afternoon he was reading it as usual, when a number of boys found him out and began to annoy him. So to avoid them he got into a little boat that was anchored near. Some of them cut the rope. The boy, being intent on reading his Bible, did not notice this until he found himself drifting out to sea on the ebbing tide. Darkness and mist soon came on and the poor little fellow was alone with his Bible on the wide ocean.

Two days later a large Norwegian vessel was passing up the channel, when the man at the lookout spied a black speck on the water. The captain’s telescope soon made out that it was a small boat, so the ship sailed up to it, and then they saw a little boy fast asleep clasping a Bible. They lifted him out and he awoke, but fainted away directly through weakness from lack of food.

However, kind care soon restored him, and then he told his story. What a comfort his loved Bible had been to him in those lonely hours on the water, until he had become too weak to read! Indeed, nothing else could have sustained him in his terrifying experience.

Do you know the precious Saviour of whom this Word speaks and can you say, “Thy Word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart?” Jer. 15:16.

“Man shall not live by bread only but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord.” Deut. 8:3.

“THOU, LORD, HAST NOT FORSAKEN THEM THAT SEEK THEE.” Psa. 9:10.

ML 07/02/1961

A Friend Indeed

It was a very dark night as a lady passed along the street, and there were very few people about.

“Please would you mind?” It was the plaintive voice of a little girl about seven years old that caught her ear. Looking down she saw, as she came under a street lamp, the child looking up appealingly at her.

“Please, would you mind taking me to my mummy?” said the little girl again. “It is so dark and I am afraid to go any farther.”

“Where do you live, dear?” said the lady.

“Only just a little way off—I know the way,” said the little one, “but it is so dark.”

“Come along then,” said her new friend. And taking the little girl’s hand, they both set off down the street home. It was quite true, it was dark. But the child did not mind now. She walked along, keeping tight hold of the lady’s hand, and chatting happily. “I’m not afraid now,” she said. After quite a short journey they reached the entrance of the child’s home, which was at the top of some steps.

“Will you wait here, please, till I see my mummy?” asked the child. “Then I will call out ‘good-by’ and you will know I am all right.” The lady of course said she would. So the little one climbed up the steps, and in a minute a bright light streamed out of the open door, and she heard Mother greet her little daughter. Then a shrill voice called out, “Good-by; thank you,” and all was well.

What a difference it makes to have someone to take care of you, doesn’t it? Someone you can trust, someone who is stronger than you are.

The lady was on her way to see an old gentleman who was very ill—in fact so ill that he was not likely ever to get better. When she reached his bedside, she told him about this little girl, and her simple trust; and it reminded them both of what we read in the twenty-third Psalm, when King David wrote, thinking of God, “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for THOU ART WITH ME.” Isn’t that a lovely verse? You see, the Lord Jesus has promised all those who love Him, “I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.” This old gentleman did love Jesus, and what a comfort it was to him to know that the Lord Jesus was always caring for him; to know that even if he did not get better, he would just go to be with Jesus.

That little girl trusted the lady who was quite a stranger to her. We can have the Lord Jesus for our Friend, the One whom we have heard of so often, who knows us so well.

Would you like to have Him for your Friend? In these sad days we live in, what a comfort to have Jesus always with you (even though you cannot see Him)—at home, at school, at play, always, everywhere! You can have this wonderful Friend, if you will just give your heart to Him, and own Him as your Lord and your Saviour. Can you sing truly this chorus?

“Into my heart; into my heart; Come into my heart, Lord Jesus. Come in today, come in to stay, Come into my heart, Lord Jesus.”

“There is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.” Prov. 18:24.

ML 07/02/1961

Conversion of a Sea Captain

A Boston sea captain was intemperate, profane, and violently opposed to religion. His wife was a Christian woman, and never failed to pray for him for twenty-three years. At length he forbade her attending the prayer meetings.

She laid her case anew in God’s hands, and awaited the result. When the time for the next meeting came, he proposed to go in her place. She feared that he would disturb the meeting, and expected that he would make it a new subject of ridicule.

He went, and while listening to the prayers, the Holy Spirit began to open his eyes to see his own sins.

Next day he went to his work as pilot on a ferry-boat between Boston and Chelsea with a heavy heart. His burden was great, and he began to think of Christ. As he was making the last trip for the day, a great change came over him.

He hastened home, and told his wife to bring him the Bible. He took the book saying, “We must have family prayers.” Then he read and prayed. He also gave up drinking, smoking, and swearing, and the love for those sins was taken from him. He had passed from death unto life, from the power of Satan unto God.

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

ML 07/02/1961

Mendelssohn

It is said that once Mendelssohn came to see the great Freiburg organ. The old custodian refused him permission to play upon the instrument, not knowing who he was. At length, however, he reluctantly granted him leave to play a few notes. Mendelssohn took his seat, and soon the most wonderful music was breaking forth from the organ. The custodian was spellbound. He came up beside the great musician and asked his name. Learning it he stood humiliated, self-condemned, saying, “And I refused you permission to play upon my organ!”

There comes One to us, who desires to take our hearts and play upon them. How often we withhold ourselves from Him, and refuse Him permission! Yet if we would yield ourselves to Him, He would bring forth from our souls heavenly music.

ML 07/02/1961

Bible Questions for July

The Children’s Class

1. What did Peter do on a housetop at about the sixth hour?

2.In what city were the disciples first called Christians?

3.Did anyone pray for Peter when he was kept in prison?

4.What was the name of the prudent man who desired to hear the Word of God?

5.Does the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ save all classes of people alike?

6.Were Paul and Silas able to pray and sing praises unto God even though they were in prison?

7.Is there an appointed day in which the world will be judged in righteousness?

The Young People’s Class

1.Did Jonathan believe his father Saul held a lasting enmity against the person of David? 1 Sam. 20.

2.Is the carnal or worldly mind at enmity with God? Rom. 8.

3.To be worthy of the Lord, can we love anyone—including our parents—as much as or more than we love Him? Matt. 10.

4.What did David say which shows that he knew his own life was in constant jeopardy? 1 Sam.

5.When a Christian’s life is always delivered unto death, whose life is manifested thereby? 2 Cor. 4.

6.Did Jonathan show a willingness to carry out David’s desires? 1 Sam.

7.Is a Christian expected to be ready for every good work? Titus.

ML 07/02/1961

Bible Talks: Psalms 148-150

Psalm 148. In this psalm all creation is called on to praise the Lord: angels, all His hosts, and all created things—sun, moon and stars; for He has created them, set them in their places, and sustains them. We do not know how this will be brought about, but in Job it is said that when the foundations of the earth were laid, “The morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy.” How fitting then that this should be brought about, when that evil being, who has caused such misery in this world, is shut up in the bottomless pit and held there. Then all the inhabitants of the earth are called upon to praise the Lord, be they kings, princes or judges; young men and maidens; old men and children, all are to unite in praising Him. This great Creator is the God of Israel and they are His people. Some may think it strange that God is again going to take up one nation, through whom all His blessings will flow out to all others. But it is in accordance with His promises when He took up Abraham as a man of faith. It cannot be until the stony heart is taken from them and a new heart is given to them, and they have His spirit within them. This will take place after He has passed them through great tribulation on account of their rejection of the Messiah, when faith in Him will be produced in their hearts. This will not take place until after He has called the Church, those who have accepted Christ as Saviour now, to be with Christ in glory. (John 14:3; 1 Thess. 4:15-18.)

Psalm 149. Israel is called upon to sing unto the Lord a new song, and it will be a new song when they learn that the lowly Jesus, whom they rejected, was the Lord, their shepherd of old. This song tells of the pleasure that the Lord takes in His people, and beautifies the meek with salvation. What a change from the meek being trodden down and imposed upon! High praises of God are to be in their mouths when He acts in righteous government in this earth—something it has never known in all its history under all its governments.

Psalm 150. In this final psalm, the call is for praises to God in His sanctuary—the temple having been rebuilt by the redeemed of Israel as is described in Ezekiel 40-44. He is to be praised for His mighty acts and the excellence of His greatness. These chapters of Ezekiel show how Israel’s manner of worship in the future is like that of old, before the Lord stated that the hour was come that worship was to be neither in this mountain, nor yet in Jerusalem, but in spirit and in truth. The hour shall at this time have run its course and will be over. So that the old manner of worship is not only acceptable, but will be proper in that day. The hour terminates when He calls those who have owned Him now as Saviour, to be at home with Him in glory. But what a sad time awaits those who have not heeded His gracious call, “Come unto Me”!

“Hell, too, is waiting; O sinner, think,

You are now standing just on the brink;

Only one step, the line may be crossed,

Only one step, then forever lost.”

ML 07/02/1961

The Two Singers

Most of our readers will have heard of the great Italian singer, Caruso. He entertained many thousands of people all over the world, and when he came to the end of his career, one large newspaper announced his death with the headline — “CARUSO WILL NEVER SING AGAIN.”

In a large hospital there lay another singer, a young man who was just at the beginning of his career. His fame had not risen to the heights to which Caruso had reached, but his talent promised great success. At the time when his popularity was rapidly increasing he was stricken with cancer, and his sympathetic doctor said to him one day, “Young man, I am sorry to tell you this, but you will never sing again.” Then he informed him that in an effort to save his life, a glossectomy, (removal of the tongue) would have to be performed. “You may survive the operation,” said the doctor, “but one thing is certain, you will never sing again.”

Then looking up into the surgeon’s face, smiling the young man replied, “Doctor, I WILL sing again. If I never sing again on earth, I am going to sing a new song with the redeemed around the throne of God in heaven. I am going to sing a new song ‘unto Him who loved me and washed me from my sins in His own blood.’ Rev. 1:5.” Then he added, “Doctor, I want to sing once again on earth, before you remove my tongue tomorrow morning.”

The next day the young man was taken into the operating room. Doctors and nurses stood by, ready to administer the anesthetic. “Now,” said the surgeon kindly, “what about your last song?” To the surprise of all, the young man opened his lips and sang the whole of Cowper’s well known hymn:

There is a fountain filled with blood,

Drawn from Immanuel’s veins,

And sinners plunged beneath that flood,

Lose all their guilty stains.

Chorus:

I do believe, I now believe,

That Jesus died for me

That on the cross, He shed His blood,

From sin to set me free.

The dying thief rejoiced to see

That fountain in his day:

And there have I, though vile as he,

Washed all my sins away.

E’er since by faith I saw the stream

Thy flowing wounds supply,

Redeeming love has been my theme,

And shall be till I die.

Then in a nobler, sweeter song

I’ll sing Thy power to save,

When this poor lisping, stammering tongue

Lies silent in the grave.

Shortly afterward this young singer passed away to join the myriads of the redeemed of all ages who shall sing that new song in the glory above: “Thou are worthy... for Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by Thy blood out of every kindred and tongue, and people, and nation; and hast made us unto our God kings and priests; and we shall reign on the earth.” Rev. 5:9, 10.

Reader, were you today found in the position of the young man could you sing with confidence, “I do believe, I now believe, that Jesus died for me; that on the cross He shed His blood, from sin to set me free”?

Are you going to sing again after you have departed this life? Or will you be among the many who “will never sing again”?

God gave His Son to die upon the cross for you. As a sinner today, like the dying thief, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.” Acts 16:31.

“AND THEY SUNG A NEW SONG, SAYING, THOU ART WORTHY ... FOR THOU WAST SLAIN, AND HAS! REDEEMED US TO GOD BY THY BLOOD.” Rev. 5:9.

ML 07/09/1961

Grandfather's Watch

Doris was playing by the river with some of her girlfriends, and Maxine was talking about all the wonderful things her grandfather had done. Doris was tired of hearing’ it over and over again. She wanted to tell something wonderful too. Now her grandfather had a very fine watch and she knew that Maxine’s grandfather did not have one as good. She suddenly decided to run home and get it—nobody would ever know and she’d put it back again the same night.

How their eyes popped when Doris brought the watch, and Maxine didn’t even mention her grandfather again!

Soon it was supper time and Doris ran home fast, and then she remembered the watch. She must put it back in its place at once, but she felt in both her pockets and the watch was gone!

“Oh, Mother,” she said, “I forgot something. I’ll have to run and get it.” But she didn’t have to go far, for there lying on the street, where she had run across, she saw the watch. But at that moment a truck turned the corner—and ran over it! Poor Doris! It was too smashed to ever be fixed, but she carefully gathered the pieces into her handkerchief. What could she do? Putting it out of sight at the very bottom of her drawer in a little white box didn’t make her forget it.

All the next day it bothered her too, and then at supper time Mr. Dack said, “Mother, I noticed Grandfather’s watch isn’t in the case in my drawer. Where is it?” Before Mother could answer Doris turned white and dropped her spoon, splashing the soup all over the table. The watch was soon forgotten — but not by Doris. It seemed to hang right over her head all the time! Her mother always prayed about things and asked the Lord to help her find them —what if she should pray about the watch? All evening the clock seemed to tick louder than usual and Doris was sure it was saying, “Doris sinned, Doris sinned, she stole a watch, she stole a watch.”

The next day at school everything went wrong, and when she was setting the table for supper that night she broke one of the best dishes. She threw herself on the couch and cried and cried.

Her mother came to the couch and putting her arm around her asked, “Why, Doris, whatever is the matter?”

“Oh,” sobbed Doris, “everything I do goes wrong—I can’t do anything right.”

Mrs. Dack looked up to the Lord about it and for an answer the verse, “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper,” Prov. 28:13, came to her mind.

“Doris,” she asked, “are you covering anything up? You know God says in His Word, ‘He that covereth his sins shall not prosper,’ and if you are covering up something sinful it is very displeasing to the Lord. The verse ends this way: ‘But whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.’ “

For a moment Doris was silent, and then with another burst of tears she told the whole story of the watch. How badly her mother felt, and Father too when he came home!

He spoke to her of the seriousness of sin in God’s sight, but reminded her that God’s Word says, “If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins.” 1 John 1:9.

Doris sobbingly knelt at her father’s knee and confessed to the Lord her sin in taking the watch and then hiding it from her parents. And though grieved that she had caused her parents so much sorrow, yet she was happy to know she was forgiven.

ML 07/09/1961

Swearing Sailors

A short time ago, a Christian worker was visiting the ships in the River Thames, when a young sailor approaching him said, “I came for a tract, sir!” “Well, my lad,” said the worker, “I hope you have received some benefit from reading tracts.” “Yes, sir,” he said; “you left some tracts on board our ship last voyage. I have reason to praise God they were ever left on board. One was ‘The Swearer’s Prayer,’ and that tract shut the mouth of five of our lads, and now these very men join with us in prayer.”

ML 07/09/1961

Converted by a Song

A man who was going to the station to board the train, heard a little Irish boy, who was sitting on the doorstep, singing, “There’ll be no sorrow there.”

“Where,” asked he, for his mind was impressed by the words.

The boy answered, “In heaven above, where all is love.”

The man hastened on to take his seat in the coach; but he could not forget the simple words of the hymn, and was led to Christ.

“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” Rev. 21:4.

ML 07/09/1961

Bible Talks: Proverbs

The author of the Book of Proverbs is said to be Solomon, the son of David, the king of Israel. Scripture tells us that “he was wiser than all men;... And he spake three thousand proverbs: and his songs were a thousand and five.” 1 Kings 4:30-32. Solomon was not only superior to all intellectually; he was divinely inspired as well. “God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the seashore.” What is more minute than a grain of sand, and what is more extensive than that which surrounds the ocean.

“Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east country, and all the wisdom of Egypt.” Mere human intelligence and learning, however extraordinary, fell far short of the God-given excelling wisdom of the gifted son of David, king of Israel. Solomon was therefore pre-eminently and divinely fitted to instruct the young and the inexperienced. “His fame was in all nations round about.” “And all the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom, that God had put in his heart.” 2 Chron. 9:23. His exalted position, his unsurpassed wisdom and his boundless wealth enabled him to acquaint himself with the springs and course of all moral conduct. Under the direction of divine inspiration the results of his vast experience have been preserved for the instruction of future generations in this wonderful book of the Proverbs. Though Solomon spoke 3,000 proverbs, the Spirit of God has selected only those contained in this book to be preserved in the Holy Scriptures.

If “all the kings of the earth” thought it worth their while to assume the cost and encounter the dangers of long journeys in order to enjoy the privilege of hearing “the wisdom of Solomon,” what excuse can anyone offer in our day for neglecting the precious instruction so readily displayed to the eye and heart in book of the Proverbs?

At the time the Lord was on this earth, the Old Testament Scriptures were spoken of as being divided into three parts: the Law, being the five books of Moses; the Prophets, which also included some of the historical books; and the Psalms, which included Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, Lamentations, and some of the historical books.

Of these the Lord Jesus spoke saying: “All things must be fulfilled, which are written in the Law of Moses, and in the Prophets, and in the Psalms, concerning Me.” Luke 24:44.

As another has said, “Jesus here recognizes the body of writings called the Old Testament in its three parts; and it is still thus entitled in the Hebrew Bibles.” So we see that He looked upon what was contained in the Hebrew Bible as the Scriptures. Those extra books called the Apocrypha were not contained in the Hebrew Bibles, nor were they considered as part of the Scriptures.

ML 07/09/1961

A Sailor Boy's Prayer

Some years ago a missionary on his way home for a furlough stood watching the sailors struggling with the tackle of the main mast of the ship, while a terrible storm raged at sea. They were already some days from New York, when they were overtaken by an unusually violent storm which lasted five days. When the storm was raging at its worst, and the ship heaved up and down with fearful violence, some of the tackle above the mast came into disorder. Someone must go up to put it right again; but it was a duty attended with danger of life.

The steersman called a young sailor boy, and ordered him to climb up the highest mast. When the order was given, the missionary was standing near the steersman. He watched the boy to whom such a dangerous task had been assigned with heartfelt pity, for he was so young and tender, that one would have much rather have put a spelling book into his hand, than let him unfurl a sail. But this was now the duty of the poor boy. His mother was a destitute widow; she could not keep her son under her care, and was obliged to send him to sea to earn something.

When the steersman called out for him to ascend, the boy took his cap from his head, and looked first toward heaven. Then he looked at the mast bending to and fro, then at the mighty waves which swept over the deck, and then silently and wistfully into the calm, stern countenance of the steersman. After standing a moment as if considering, he hastened along the deck and went into the forecabin, his retreat when he became weary with his hard work. He remained there only a few mites, returned to the steersman, laid his hand on the rope ladder, and climbed up quickly and fearlessly. The missionary watched him until dizziness seized him, and then he went to the steersman and asked, “Why do you send young boys to such a dangerous height? I am afraid he will not come down alive.”

“I do it,” said the steersman, “to spare a MAN’S life. We have had men before this fall down and be killed, but never boys. Look now how he climbs! He holds himself firmly as a squirrel. I hope he will come back to us quite safe. He’s a fine boy.”

Tears filled the missionary’s eyes as he watched the boy struggling with the mast, every moment fearing he would fall, but after ten minutes the brave boy was among them again. He had accomplished his difficult and dangerous task, and smiled in happy consciousness that he had done his duty.

The next day the missionary sought him out to speak to him, and he asked him, “What was your first thought, before you climbed the mast?”

“I thought I must pray first,” he answered.

“Do you pray often, my boy?”

“Yes, sir,” was the answer, “and this time I thought I might not come down alive, so I went into my cabin first and commended my soul to God.”

“Where did you learn to pray?”

“At home. My mother sent me to Sunday school. My teacher taught me to know the Lord Jesus as my Saviour, and He has kept me ever since.”

“What is that little book that you put in your pocket when you went up the mast?” asked the missionary.

“My New Testament, which my mother gave me before I left home. I thought, sir, if I should be killed, I should like to have God’s Word near my heart.”

Was he not a fine, courageous, God-fearing boy? He had found the Lord first as His Saviour, and then he had proved the value of that scripture: “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Psa. 46:1.

We wonder if our reader has yet trusted this same blessed Saviour. Can you say,

“BUT I AM POOR AND NEEDY; YET THE LORD THINKETH UPON ME: THOU ART MY HELP AND MY DELIVERER”? Psa. 40:1 7.

ML 07/16/1961

Eleanor

Little Eleanor was about eight years old. One day as she was walking home from Sunday school with a boy about her own age, he asked, “Eleanor, are you saved?”

“I don’t know,” she answered slowly.

“Why, that’s funny,” he said, “for you know it says, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou SHALT be saved.”

They walked on in silence, but when Eleanor reached home she went straight to her mother, saying, “Mother, please come and pray with me — I want to be saved.”

“No,” answered her mother, “you just go into the bedroom by yourself and tell the Lord Jesus what you’ve told me.”

The little girl did so, and shutting the door, her mother knelt down it another room, asking the Lord that Eleanor might truly see herself as a lost sinner and accept the Lord Jesus Christ as her Saviour. In a short time Eleanor came out with a shining face, “Mother, I’m saved now!” she said, and how her heart overflowed with praise to God that another of her dear children was also a child of God through faith in Christ Jesus.

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

ML 07/16/1961

The Blind Man's Answer

A friend of mine was preaching in Glasgow a few years ago, when someone from the crowd called out, “May I speak?” After getting permission, he pushed his way through the crowd until he was standing on the platform beside my friend.

“Friends,” he exclaimed, “I do not believe what this man has been talking about, I do not believe in a hell, I do not believe in a judgment, I do not believe in a God, for I never saw any of them.”

He continued talking in this way for a while, when another voice was heard from the crowd: “May I speak?” The infidel sat down and the next man began. “Friends, you say there is a river running not far from this place, the river Clyde. There is no such thing; it is not true. You tell me that there are grass and trees growing around me where I now stand. There are no such things; that also is untrue. You tell me that there are a great many people standing here. Again I say, that is not true. I suppose you wonder what I am talking about, but, friends, I was born blind! I have never seen one of you; and, while I talk, it only shows that I am blind, or I would not say such things. And you,” he said, addressing the infidel, “the more you talk, the more it exposes your own ignorance, because you are spiritually blind and cannot see.”

The Scripture tells us that “If our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: in whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” 2 Cor. 4:3, 4. Are you among the number who are still blinded by Satan and who see no beauty in the Saviour, or can you say with the hymn writer —

Once I was blind, now I can see.

Once I was bound, but now I am free,

For now I know there’s a Saviour for me,

Oh, what a Saviour!

ML 07/16/1961

The Word of the Lord

Part of a building in a London street had been demolished by enemy aircraft. On a wall that still remained stood out clearly the words of a text in Latin. A gentleman passing stood and looked at it. “I like to think of that!” he said to a workman engaged nearby.

“Well, sir, I don’t know Latin; what is the text?” he asked.

The gentleman read: “The word of the Lord endureth forever,” and he took the opportunity to have a little talk with him about the Word of God. I do not know what he said, but I know that I too like to think of those precious words, and am certain that when great historic buildings are overthrown, and earthly kingdoms have passed away, I have a Father whose word never changes, and whose promises will never fail.

“Heaven and earth shall pass away: but My words shall not pass away.” Mark 13:31.

“Forever, O LORD, Thy word is settled in heaven.” Psa. 119:89.

ML 07/16/1961

Bible Talks: Proverbs

The Book of Proverbs unfolds the path of wisdom and the way of blessing, not for eternity, but for time, and not for a path leading to heaven, but a path of divine wisdom for this earth. It thus furnishes us with divine wisdom for the details of life in this world of confusion, corruption and violence, a path of life that is to be lived in the fear of the Lord.

We are not to look in the book of Proverbs for heavenly things for it was not until after the Lord Jesus had been rejected by His earthly people that heavenly things were first announced by Him in the Gospels of the New Testament. Then after the coming of the Holy Spirit, we have the heavenly things further opened out to us in the Acts in a practical way, and doctrinally expressed in the epistles. So we do not look here in the Proverbs, for the unfolding of anything relating to the Church, or even of Christian relationships, and in general we will not be able to find these things in the Old Testament. Solomon being the king of Israel, is outlining for his people a new unfolding of the life of faith in the fear of the Lord, (Jehovah), whose name, with a few exceptions, is used throughout.

The book of Proverbs is of special value to the Christian in giving him divine wisdom for his earthly path. It has been said that a man of the world escapes the snares of this world by knowing its crookedness. But the Proverbs, if read faithfully, would enable one to escape without knowing its evil — he is to be wise in that which is good and simple concerning that which is evil.

It would seem from the context I that the book of Proverbs was written early in Solomon’s reign, and that he has the life of the young people of his kingdom chiefly before him. We find a constant tenderness expressed in such terms as “my son,’, “thy father,” “thy mother,” or “children.” Thus it shows the path of happiness in these relationships can only be maintained through faithfulness in them, and applying this heavenly wisdom in the fear of the Lord.

The book divides itself into different parts. The first nine chapters give general principles, which show the path for those who would walk in wisdom here in this life. It is in contrast to walking in self-will.

Beginning with Chapter 10 and continuing through Chapter 24 we have the first set of the proverbs which the men of Hezekiah, King of Judah, copied out. This was about 250 years after they were written. The proverbs in this section have more to do with the application of these general principles to the details of daily life.

Then in chapters 25-29 are also proverbs which the men of Hezekiah copied out. They consist chiefly of brief pointed expressions of the general principles given earlier, in their application to the details of life.

Finally in the last chapters we have first (chapter 30)’, the words of Agur, which are rich in their moral applications. Next in chapter 31 we have the words of King Lemuel, describing the character of a good king; and then we have the character of a moral, faithful, God-fearing wife and mother.

ML 07/16/1961

The Story of a Bible

One day a boy was walking down a street in Melbourne, Australia, when he came upon a man who was lying drunk on the sidewalk.

His heart went out in pity and he stopped and looked at him and wondered what he could do. Not being strong enough to carry him, he did not see how he could help him.

He turned to go, when suddenly he thought of his Bible which he carried in his pocket. What should he do? That Bible was his mother’s gift, yet he was sure she would be pleased if he did what now had come into his mind.

Taking his Bible from his pocket, he slipped it gently into the man’s pocket and went his way.

Some years later the boy, now a young man, was fishing outside Wanganta, Victoria, and had chosen a place beside a stream for his midday rest when he saw another man had pitched his camp among the trees close by. This stranger invited him to come and sit down and share his refreshment with him, and they talked together.

Then he told him how he had been a drunkard in Melbourne, but one day when he came to his senses he had found a Bible in his pocket. He began to read it, and it had changed his life. Taking up a book that was lying on the grass at his side, he said, “This is the very Book that put me right.”

The young man opened it. Yes! it was his mother’s gift! What a thrill filled his heart as he realized what a blessing had come to a drunkard through his simple act so long ago.

Have you a Bible? Has it put you right? If not, will you read how one in the Bible found out the way? Read Acts 16:16-40.

“What must I do to be saved?... Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.”

“CAST THY BREAD UPON THE WERS: FOR THOU SHALT FIND IT AFTER MANY DAYS.” Eccles. 11:1.

ML 07/23/1961

Mary Slessor Whiter Than Snow

Is it important that a girl should be saved? “The wages of sin is death,” not merely physical death, for many of us will experience that, but eternal death — eternal separation from God, and eternal association with the doomed in hell.

It was because of her belief in the Word of God, and in those passages which relate to hell, that an old widow in Dundee, who used to watch the children as they played in the streets, would call them into her room and tell them of their need of a Saviour. One dark winter afternoon she gathered them around her fire, and, with the fire for her text, she showed the children the fate of those who reject the Saviour. “If ye dinna repent,” she said, “and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, your souls will burn in the lowin’, bleezin’ fire forever and ever.”

Among her juvenile listeners was one, Mary Slessor, at that time “a wild lassie,” as she herself confessed in later life. This girl’s father was a drunkard, and cared more for the wine glass than for his family, so little Mary had to commence work in the weaving mill at the early age of eleven. Notwithstanding her “wildness” however, that faithful old woman’s solemn warning, to “flee from the wrath to come” (Matt. 3:7), arrested her. She became convicted and soon found the Saviour. The scarlet sins, of which she was conscious, were washed snow-white, and she was thus not only made fit for the kingdom of heaven, but was thereby admitted to the service of the King Himself.

And how great was that service—those who have read the story of her life and labors as the White “Ma” of Calabar, will know.

ML 07/23/1961

God's Unfailing Word

A few years ago, a Christian lady bought some New Testaments to circulate among the Jewish women in her town. Several of these had gone out with kind personal notes inside them, and when one of the last she had was ready, she started on her errand. The walk lengthened beyond her strength, and she sat down in a shelter on the sea front to rest a while. She noticed a woman sitting nearby, white and still, with closed eyes. She asked her, “Are you ill? Can I do anything for you?”

Her eyes opened; they were dark and despairing, and a voice, hollow and sad said, “Yes, I am ill, I am dying, but no one can help me with that!”

The Christian lady answered, “Christ can help you, and what a comfort He is.”

Anger, that almost paralyzed her hearer, rang in the scornful tones of the stranger, the dark eyes blazed. “Do not mention that name to me! The enemy of our race!”

With each nerve throbbing with anxiety to help, the Christian woman paused, uncertain how to answer. Falteringly she began: “Have you ever read the New Testament?”

“Never!” came the sharp response in the same scathing accent.

“To us who know the Book and love it your conduct seems like condemning a person unheard,” said the Christian. “You are dying, you say. The New Testament tells of a beautiful life beyond this. Oh, do read about Him!”

A weird smile lighted up the sad thin face. “Well, nothing can hurt me now. At any rate you meant well.” And the Jewish woman took the packet and slipped it into a bag.

A year went by, and again the Christian lady was on the sea front.

As she walked along, someone eyed her curiously, with an unfriendly gaze. “Are you Miss —?” asked the unfriendly stranger.

“Yes.”

“Then I have a message to give you. Do you remember giving a New Testament to a sick lady in a shelter here a year ago?”

“Yes.”

“Well, she is dead and I promised her if I ever met you I would tell you that she died in peace, trusting your Jesus Christ. I was foolish to promise her, but I did it, and I have kept my word; but I curse you for giving the Book to her; you have destroyed her soul.”

She was turning to go when the Christian lady said, “The New Testament, where is it?”

“I have it,” replied the stranger. “I promised her to keep it, but no one shall ever see it, it shall do no more harm.”

Many months went by, marked only by the silent prayer for that Jewish sister, still in darkness. Then, one morning a letter arrived in a strange handwriting, with a strange postmark. It said: “Your Jewish sister thanks and blesses you. I, too, have read the New Testament, and found the true Messiah. Pray that I may be faithful; all here are against me, especially my husband. He has taken the Book from me—pray for him also. Yours in the love of Christ.”

After several months another leer came. “When this reaches you I shall be with my sister before the heavenly throne. I am dying, as she did, of consumption, but I want you to know that I have been kept true, and that I have my dear copy of the New Testament again. Last week my husband gave it to me. He is kind and loving, but has not read it yet, so I am praying on.”

Christian friends, may this story encourage us to labor on for the Lord Jesus, for how little did the Christian in our story realize that so much blessing would come from her work. The Lord Jesus tells us that “The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few.” Matt. 9:37. A tract given out, or a word of encouragement, or a few words on the street corner may prove a blessing for time and eternity.

“I must work the works of Him that sent Me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.” John 9:4.

ML 07/23/1961

Our Dwelling Place

A Christian, speaking in a tin-mining district, said, “suppose I go down your tin mine: after traversing ladders and workings and galleries I come to where a miner is working in his cramped little cutting, damp, hot and uncomfortable. I say to him, ‘This is a poor sort of a dwelling you have got down here, my friend.’ What would he answer?”

“This is not my dwelling,” he would say, “I live up on top. Up there in the fresh air and sunshine is my home, where there are those I love and who love me. I only work down here.”

He went on to illustrate from this to his hearers the wonderful truth that our real home is “up there” where Jesus is; “up there” where, when our work is done down here, we shall rest forever with the One who loved us and gave Himself for us.

What if our “working place” down here is rough and trying sometimes? What if we do meet with trials and temptation? It is only for a time.

Our blessed Lord and Saviour, who trod so perfectly the path of sorrow here, has declared: “I will come again... that where I am there ye may be also.”

ML 07/23/1961

Bible Talks: Proverbs 1:1-6

We will not attempt to go into the book of Proverbs in detail, for that would take us far beyond the scope of our little paper. But we would like to be able to point out some things which we hope will encourage our young readers to read this wonderful book and ponder its wisdom. Its rich moral instruction for life’s pathway would steer them clear of the pitfalls which abound on all sides and at the same time would not occupy them with the evil ways of this world.

We have brought before us in the Scriptures that there are two things that characterize the activity of man’s will, namely, corruption and violence. That which characterizes Satan’s activity in this world is deception and falsehood, and he knows how to incite man by the blending of these things to accomplish his evil designs.

It is very evident that Solomon, in putting these proverbs in writing, was not seeking glory for himself as a sage might. Rather his purpose was, it would appear, to exalt the Lord, and to guide those who would heed them from the folly and snares of the evil one.

Chapter 1 opens out first with an outline of sound words for us to lay hold of, and we would do well to consider them.

“Wisdom,” which is based on experience, means that it is “practiced” or “skillful.” It is applied in the sense of putting to proper use that which has found its way into our minds.

“Instruction,” which when connected with wisdom, has a power over us in leading us on, restraining and correcting us in the discipline of the Lord.

“To discern the words of understanding,” refers to the effect of being under this divine teaching, enabling us to be able to distinguish between the conflicting efforts of the enemy of our souls.

“To receive the instruction of wisdom, righteousness, judgment and equity.” The word here for wisdom is different from that used above and means intelligence, so that one could properly conduct himself, as David did, when King Saul was moved against him through jealousy. 1 Sam. 18:30.

“To give prudence to the simple.” Prudence, as another has said, has a meaning on the order of practical good sense. The simple here is looked at as one lacking these traits, and as such is liable to be enticed and misled.

“To the young man knowledge and discretion.” Discretion is said to be the opposite of heedlessness, and means sagacity (or a keen sense of perception) through meditation.

Finally we have a summing up of these things. We are told that the wise will hear and will increase in learning and the intelligent will gain wise counsels, and be able to understand proverbs, allegories (or figurative descriptions) and enigmas (dark or hidden sayings). How many dark and hidden things there are in the language of today!

ML 07/23/1961

The Wrecked Schooner

Boom! came the sound of the coastguard’s gun, and people in the seaside resort held their breath fearing it was the signal call for the lifeboat. Yet a minute later the second report from the gun told the sad story of a vessel in distress.

The lifeboat was quickly manned by its crew of brave men, and towed out of the harbor by the tug. Soon it was on its life-saving way. The distressed boat was a schooner wrecked on the dreaded Goodwin Sands. After some hours of battling with wind and wave, the lifeboat came quite near the vessel. The front mast was already half buried in the quicksand and the waves were beating over the deck. Although they rowed as near as they dared, they could see no sign of life, and so with very sorrowful hearts they made their way back to the harbor. They had to leave their anchor behind, but decided to return for it at low tide the next day, for at low tide it is possible to land on the Sands.

However, the next day the wind was still so boisterous and the waves so high, they did not go, but waited yet another day. The sea this time was much calmer and the wind ceased, so they got out to the wreck in about half the time.

As they rowed near the schooner to their amazement they saw someone signaling. With all possible speed they made their way to it, and found, in a terribly weak condition, three members of the crew. Very carefully they carried them aboard and happened back to the harbor and on arrival the men were hurried off in the ambulance to the hospital. After a few weeks of care and attention, they recovered their health.

How was it that they had not been discovered when the lifeboat first went to their rescue? They had climbed the mast for safety and had signaled when they saw the lifeboat coming. Then in order to protect themselves from the tempest they wrapped themselves in the topsail. They thought their signals had been seen and waited for the lifeboat to come and take them off, but to their horror they saw the lifeboat turn round and make its way back, and they knew they had not been seen. The lifeboat men saw the sail bulging, but thought it was with the force of the wind.

One poor fellow, only seventeen years old, lost heart entirely and letting go, he fell into the sea and was drowned. But the others hung on, hoping against hope that they would be seen somehow and saved.

Was it not God’s mercy to those poor seamen that caused those men to go back to the spot for their anchor? Yes! And it’s God’s mercy today that gives you another opportunity to escape not from a watery grave, but something far worse—a Christless eternity. So many people think they are all right, but oh, take warning from these sailors. Thinking you are safe, and being safe because you are resting on the work of the Lord Jesus Christ, are two very different things.

The poor men on the doomed vessel had to wait for two days before rescue came, but there is no need for you to wait for another moment before you may know the certainty of being saved. The Lord Jesus is waiting for you. Come now to Him and I have life and peace forever.

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

Christ is the only Saviour mighty to save,

He who suffered once for sins, and sank ‘neath the wave;

Sing how the wrath of God on Calvary’s cross He bore;

How by death He conquered death and lives evermore.

Christ is the Saviour, He never will fail,

All hope to save oneself could nothing avail;

Man is a total wreck, can never reach the shore.

All who trust in Jesus Christ are saved evermore.

“WHOSO PUTTETH HIS TRUST IN THE LORD SHALL BE SAFE.” Prov. 29:25.

ML 07/30/1961

Are You Ready?

Mother was putting the little ones to bed and, as was her usual custom, she talked about the Lord Jesus. She said, “Perhaps the Lord Jesus will come tonight and if He does, I hope you will not be left behind, Mary.”

Little Mary, just six years old, said, “I’m not sure, Mother.”

“But,” said Mother, “you can be sure, Mary, if the Lord Jesus has washed away your sins in His precious blood. Have you never asked I Him to do it?”

“No, I haven’t,” said Mary, and added, “will you and Frances go out of the room, please?”

So Mother and Frances went into the bathroom to wash. Presently Mary called, “You may come back now.” And with a happy face she told them that she had just been asking the Lord Jesus to wash her sins away and to make her whiter than snow.

The next evening, at family reading Daddy said, “If the Lord Jesus were to come tonight, Mary, would you be ready to go?”

“Oh yes,” Mary replied quickly, “I’m ready, Daddy.”

“And how do you know, Mary?” asked Daddy.

“Because I got saved last night. I asked the Lord Jesus to wash my sins away, and so I know I’m ready to go when He comes.”

Dear young friends, are you ready for the Lord Jesus to come now? Or would you be left behind in your sins? He is lovingly waiting for you to ask Him to cleanse you in His own precious blood. He will wash away every stain and make you whiter than snow, fit to live with Him in His bright home in heaven. Do come to Him now. Don’t put it off another moment. Then you will be watching and waiting for Him to come.

“The coming of the Lord draweth nigh.” James 5:8.

“The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.” 1 John 1:7.

ML 07/30/1961

Japanese Convert

Some years ago a colporteur endeavored to persuade a soldier to buy a Gospel. The soldier started an argument, and becoming angry, grossly insulted the colporteur who, however, did not retaliate, but bore the indignity meekly. Mr. Nagata, by chance passing at the time, paused and listened to the talk of the men, and was so impressed with the forbearance of the colporteur that he was led to sympathize with him, and also purchase a Gospel himself. He took the little book home, and read it carefully, then decided to accept Christ as His Saviour.

“Who, when He was reviled, reviled not again...; but committed Himself to Him that judgeth righteously.” 1 Pet. 2:23.

ML 07/30/1961

Ann Hasseltine

Ann Hasseltine who later, as Ann Judson, became a noble and heroic missionary, grew up full of liveliness amidst happy surroundings. At the age of seventeen, however, she became deeply convicted of the sinfulness of her heart. To obtain peace she commenced making good resolutions, but quickly found that by doing so she was endeavoring to obtain salvation by “works.” One day her scripture reading led her to Romans 4:5: “To him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.” These words revealed to her the only way of salvation: and a new and wonderful life in Christ had begun. And in that great Day, great numbers of Burma’s children will rise up and own that it was through her ministry they, too, were led to the Saviour.

ML 07/30/1961

Whither Bound?

Passing onward, quickly passing;

Yes, but whither, whither bound?

Is it to the many mansions,

Where eternal rest is found?

Passing onward—

Yes, but whither, whither bound?

Passing onward, quickly passing,

Naught the wheels of time can stay!

Sweet the thought that some are going

To the realms of perfect day,

Passing onward!

Christ their Leader, Christ their Way.

Passing onward, quickly passing,

Many on the downward road;

Careless of their souls immortal,

Heeding not the call of God,

Passing onward!

Slighting still the Saviour’s blood.

Passing onward, quickly passing,

Time its course will quickly run;

Sinner, hear the fond entreaty

Of the ever-gracious One—

”Come and welcome!

‘Tis by Me that life is won.”

ML 07/30/1961

Bible Talks: Proverbs 1:7-2:9

Closely connected with what is introduced in the opening verses comes that which underlies all the instruction set forth in the book of Proverbs — “the fear of the Lord.” Later on “the fear of man” is mentioned by way of warning, and it is to be avoided for it “bringeth a snare” (chapter 29:25).

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” v. 7. All true knowledge, all moral knowledge, begins by giving God His true place. Nothing is right or true without that.

So this puts before us the parting of the ways — one leading to a path of blessing, and the other, the pathway of the fool. The term “fool” in the book of Proverbs carries with it the thought of one not only opposed to the instructions of the Lord, but one whose desire is to follow on in the path of the wicked. This closes the positive or development of good counsel by which the Proverbs are introduced.

The evil side is next considered. “My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.” That which is first considered here is man’s desire for wealth, and his obtaining them through wrong and violence toward those around him. Here man is treated as fallen and sinful in his nature. He is under harmful influences, he is of this world and in it, but the book of Proverbs shows that there is a way of wisdom which can guide one safely through it.

The first influences are supposed to be from true natural relationships; that is, from father, mother and from the fear of the Lord. So we have the instruction of verse 8: “My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother.”

In chapter 2 The Spirit of God turns from the sad end of those who treat the voice of wisdom with indifference and contempt, and shows how moral wisdom and right understanding are to be obtained. There must be the fear of the Lord and submission to His Word to be able to start the pathway of life aright. The Apostle Peter, in his instructions to the children of God, who have tasted that the Lord is gracious, tells them as newborn babes to desire the sincere milk of the word. (1 Pet. 2:1-4.)

“If thou seekest her as silver.” There is an allusion here to that which has been found in all ages the pursuit of riches. In our day is it not this that is behind the ever increasing demands for higher compensations for service rendered? So here Solomon says if thou seekest wisdom with this same zeal, thou shalt understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.

Another characteristic of all ages has been the quest of education, the pride of position and the class distinctions which go with such attainments. We are not here attempting to decide the right or wrong of getting the education which our present society demands, in order to fit oneself to properly meet the responsibilities of life. We live in a very complex society in this constantly changing scene. But what is insisted on in the book of Proverbs is “the fear of the Lord.” He giveth wisdom, and out of His mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. This is available to those who wait upon the Lord with purpose of heart and diligently search His Word.

ML 07/30/1961

The Pet Lamb

Walter and Winnie, his sister, had a pet lamb. They took turns feeding the little thing with a bottle. It followed them all over and skipped and raced about to their great delight, so they called him Frisky.

One morning Winnie opened the door of Frisky’s little shed, but her little lamb was gone! She called Walter, and together they wandered all over the farm, calling and searching for their pet, but he could not be found. They felt so lonely and sad, and wondered if they would ever see him again.

A few days later they were both walking together up the road when, lo and behold, there was Frisky! But poor Frisky had a strong rope around his neck, and was being led along by a big man. Quickly they ran up to him. As soon as Frisky saw them, he began to jump and tried hard to run toward them, but the strong rope held him fast.

“What are you going to do with Frisky?” asked Walter.

“If you mean this lamb, I am taking him to the slaughter-house.”

“No, no! You can’t do that! That’s our own Frisky, and you must give him back to us at once.”

Bravely Walter stood right in front of the man, and tried to block his path, but it was no use.

“Move away there, boy,” ordered the man. “I bought this lamb this morning from a man down the road, and I intend to sell the meat in my butcher shop. Now run along.”

But Walter and Winnie wouldn’t run along. Winnie threw her arms around Frisky’s neck, and Walter started all over again to explain just how much they loved the little lamb, and how they had taken care of him.

While this was going on, a kindly-looking man came along and asked what the trouble was all about. Quickly Walter explained what had happened, and begged him to take the lamb back from the butcher.

“How much did you pay for this lamb, sir?” asked the stranger.

“I bought him this morning for ten dollars,” replied the butcher.

“Very well, I’ll redeem the lamb for these children. Here’s ten dollars for you.” With that he put ten dollars into the butcher’s hand, and reached for the rope.

It all happened so quickly the butcher didn’t know what to do. He looked at the money and then at the children with their anxious faces, and slowly handed the rope over to the kind gentleman. The gentleman handed the rope over to Walter, who quickly slipped it off poor Frisky’s neck. Frisky was only too happy now to follow his friends, and all three of them, Frisky, Walter and Winnie jumped up and down for joy.

Walter and Winnie thanked that kind man again and again for redeeming their lamb for them. Ten dollars seemed to them like a lot of money, and so it was. But it was the price of Frisky’s redemption.

Now let me tell you an even sweeter story. Poor Frisky could not save himself. He was being led helplessly to the slaughter. And Walter and Winnie could not redeem him for they had no money. But someone else came along and paid the whole price and set the lamb free. You and I, dear boys and girls, were being led away captive by sin and Satan, and we could not deliver ourselves. Father, Mother, Sunday school teacher or our friends could not save us. But the Lord Jesus loved us. He died to redeem us and to set us free, He has paid sin’s debt on the cross! It cost Him His own precious blood! Oh, why not take Him as your Say, four now and then thank Him for paying the price of your redemption?

“YE KNOW THAT YE WERE NOT REDEEMED WITH CORRUPTIBLE THINGS, AS SILVER AND GOLD,... BUT WITH THE PRECIOUS BLOOD OF CHRIST.” 1 Peter 1:18, 19.

ML 08/06/1961

A Wonderful Lamp

A Colporteur was passing in his usual way from door to door, seeking to sell Bibles, New Testaments and gospel books, and to speak to one and another of the Saviour he loved. Calling at one house, he entered into conversation with a servant who said, “If you have a book which will show me how to get rich, live easy, and die happy, I will buy it.” The colporteur replied that he had the very book for him. He handed him a New Testament telling him that it would give him all that he had required.

And surely it is a wonderful Book, a wonderful Lamp, if it will show all that. But it does, and multitudes have proved the truth of what that simple servant of God declared.

It shows the way to “get rich”— really rich; rich with true riches that never pass away; riches which will give enjoyment now and forever.

As to the desire to “live easy,” we can say that it gives those who believe in the Lord Jesus to know that His precious blood has redeemed them, and cleansed them from all their sins. Thus their conscience is set at perfect rest and they have peace with God. They have come to Christ and He has given them that which He promises to all who come to Him—rest.

It shows the way to “die happy;” that the future has no fear for thy Christian; that Christ has borne the judgment; that He has died and risen again; that He is now in heaven living for His own, never forgetting them; that soon He is coming again for them, and thus they may never die at all; but if they do, they can “die happy,” for they know that if their spirits leave their bodies they will be present with the Lord.

The man bought the Book and found it to be a lamp to his feet and a light to his path. Have you found it to be such?

ML 08/06/1961

"Is Dis Ra'al?"

After the emancipation of the slaves, the freed men exhibited a great desire to learn to read and write. One old uncle desired to learn to read that he might read the Bible, but cared nothing about writing. When first able to spell out the words, he studied out the verse, “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. In the midst of the verse his feelings overcame him and he said, “Is dis ra’al? Is dis surenuff word ob de Lord?”

“No doubt about it,” said his teacher.

“And Uncle reading it for hisself!” When he had finished reading the verse, he said, “Now, if old Uncle dies, he kin go up dar, and tell de good Lord Jesus dat he read in His book, ‘Whomsumevar b’lieves on Him shan’t perish, but hab eberlasting life’; and de Lord knows dat Uncle Sam b’lieves on ‘m, and he read it for hisself in His own book.”

“Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which He hath prosed to them that love Him?” Jas. 2:5.

ML 08/06/1961

Bible Questions for August

The Children’s Class

1. What man was said to be mighty in the Scriptures?

2. For what purpose did the disciples come together on the first day of the week?

3. Was Paul willing to die for the name of the Lord Jesus?

4. Who said, “Be of good cheer, Paul”?

5. Did the Apostle Paul believe all things written in the Old Testament (the law and the prophets)?

6. From whose power have we been turned, when we receive forgiveness of sins?

7. Was the salvation of God sent unto the Gentiles as well as to the Jews?

The Young People’s Class

1. What time of the month did David plan to hide away from the king’s table? 1 Sam. 20.

2. Was the beginning of months a special occasion among the Israelites? Num. 10.

3. What pledge or covenant did Jonathan desire from David at this time? 1 Sam.

4. Did David remember this pledge when he later became the king? 2 Sam. 9.

5. Does Scripture give us confidence that the Lord will be faithful in all His promises to us? Heb. 10.

6. How did Jonathan plan to tell David whether to remain or to depart? 1 Sam.

7. Does God sometimes use arrows to speak to His people? Psa. 38.

ML 08/06/1961

Bible Talks: Proverbs 2:10-3:4

“When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul; discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee.”

The preserving power of wisdom is brought out here, guarding us from moral perils of sin and the corruption which follows. It has been said that wisdom is not only on the negative side of things, that is, forbidding us to participate in certain things, but it is equally given for the positive side, showing us what is right in the sight of the Lord. This should be pleasant to those who are born again, and who are seeking to honor the Lord in their lives.

“To deliver thee from the way of the evil man, from the man that speaketh froward things.” v. 12. It is a sad thing that our young people in growing up to the age of responsibility, have to learn that they cannot continue in the simplicity of youth. They learn that they must be prepared to meet and to have to do with those who have deceitful words and ways. The book of Proverbs has counsel for those who would learn wisdom in the fear of the Lord. It is dangerous to hear “froward” things, and it is defiling to repeat or speak of them. These are “the ways of darkness” (v. 13), and the descent is both rapid and sad to those who are drawn into them. The Word of the Lord is truly a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path (Psa. 119:105).

“The upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect shall remain in it. But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it.” vv. 21, 22. This has never been fulfilled as yet, but awaits the time when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God and obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Thess. 1:7-10.)

The instructions given in the Proverbs can only be followed by those who have yielded their hearts to Him who came here in lowliness and meekness, journeying to the cross and there accomplishing our redemption. We now await His call to take us out of this scene and to receive us unto Himself, before the judgment falls upon this earth.

Chapter 3 begins with a request that should search the hearts of those that really fear the Lord. “My son, forget not my law (or teaching).” The Scriptures do not seek simply to stir up emotions which are but passing in their effect, but they would arouse our hearts to desire this God-given wisdom. So we have: “but let thine heart keep my commandments:... Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: so shalt thou find favor and good understanding in the sight of God and man.” The obedient Israelite was to cherish what was given to him in the Scriptures. It has been said, What ornament can compare to them? What inward lesson so cheering and invigorating!

Then we are told that “length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.” There is such a thing as the government of God in the world. “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” Gal. 6:7.

ML 08/06/1961

A Strange Accident

In Wales years ago, Mrs. Jenkins asked her daughter Jessie, aged eight, to go into the cellar for some butter which was kept there. The cellar was lighted by a small grating. Soon after Jessie had entered the cellar Mrs. Jenkins faintly heard her calling for help.

“Oh, Mother, come quick and help me.” Mrs. Jenkins was always afraid of the stairs so she went down very carefully, completely mystified because Jessie seemed such a long way off, as if she were not in the cellar; but of course she must be there somewhere.

What had happened? Mrs. Jenkins wondered; had Jessie fallen and partly stunned herself? Then to her horror she found that at the foot of the stairs there was now a large hole through which Jessie must have fallen, when as usual she must have jumped from one of the lower steps to the cellar floor which apparently gave way under her. Mrs. Jenkins immediately went back for a candle, and then, looking down into the hole saw Jessie suspended by her dress from an iron bracket protruding from the wall.

Can you guess what had happened? All unknown to those living in the house it had been built over an old coal mine, which for years had been forgotten! How dreadful!

“Keep as quiet as you can, Jessie,” Mrs. Jenkins shouted to her. “I’ll go at once to get someone to bring you up.” Frantically she ran into the street and stopped the first man she met and asked him to help her. He ran to a nearby builder’s for a rope while Mrs. Jenkins gathered a few neighbors to come in and give a hand. The rope was fastened round the man and he was gently lowered down the hole while all the women held tightly to the rope. After waiting breathlessly in an agony of suspense they heard the man cry out: “It’s all right, I’ve got her, and you can now pull the rope up.”

It was not long before Jessie was delivered into her mother’s arms saved. You can imagine the joy in the hearts of the mother and daughter as they thanked the man for having descended into the pit and saved Jessie.

Dear young friends, there is One who descended from heaven above to rescue YOU from the pit of sin and judgment. He gave his life so that you might be saved. Yes, it was for YOU, that Jesus died.

Now God’s Word declares, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.” Believe that the Lord Jesus died for YOU and that His death on the cross was to reconcile you to God. Is He your Saviour? Open your heart to Him today and have the joy of knowing you are His.

“DELIVER HIM FROM GOING DOWN TO THE PIT: I HAVE FOUND A RANSOM.” Job 33:24.

ML 08/13/1961

Come Now

Have you ever noticed a hen calling her brood together when there is a hawk near at hand? She knows the danger, though the chickens do not, and she is calling to them so that she may shelter them under her wings. How quickly they answer to her call! though sometimes a willful chicken will not listen, and the hawk pounces down and carries it off.

How like the foolish child who, when Jesus calls, wishing to shelter him from the coming wrath, refuses to listen, and therefore perishes! Answer the loving Saviour’s call when He says, “Come unto Me,” by coming at once. Then you will not only have a Saviour, but a friend, on whom you can call in the day of trouble.

Christian children, do not forget to call on the Lord at all times in faith, and He will answer you.

“Call upon Me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify Me,” Psa. 50:15.

ML 08/13/1961

Deceiving Shadows

At one of the piers at the Gulf port of Mississippi a large ship rode at anchor. On the pier there was a club house, where almost every night a large party of young people danced and frolicked till long after midnight. On one occasion a number of these people, probably between dances, came out of the club house and made their way toward the ship, intending to board it. One young woman ran ahead of the rest, bent on getting to the upper deck of the vessel before them. She made for the ladder. The moon was shining brightly, and cast a shadow of the ladder some five or six feet beyond it. In her hurry and excitement the young woman sprang, as she thought, for the ladder. But she had mistaken the shadow of the ladder for the ladder itself. Down she went into the water, to rise no more—perished!

Yes, she perished—and that because she had mistaken a mere shadow for the substance. Instead of grasping the ladder, she set her foot where there was only a fancied support, and plunged into death. There was a safe way to the vessel; she missed it. Confused and excited, she looked where there was no salvation; a terrified cry of despair rent the air, to be silenced in the dark engulfing waters. She stepped with her foot, but there was only a shadow; she clutched frantically with her hand, but found nothing to hold. This young woman fell and sank and drowned because her hope was a deception.

And thousands of people today are grasping at shadows while an eternal danger confronts them. The wages of sin, the wrath to come, the vengeance of eternal fire, the yawning abyss of the bottomless pit, are all in the pathway of every sinner. Are you, reader, depending alone upon the Saviour?

Have you been saved by grace? Or are you grasping at a shadow?

The law is a shadow: “The law having a shadow of good things to come” (Heb. 10:1). Thousands imagine that there is no way of salvation but by keeping commandments: “Thou shalt”; “Thou shalt not.” The law is not a Saviour, it is only a shadow.

Religion without Christ is but a shadow, and will give the fainting sinner no support in the hour of death. The Lord Jesus is a Saviour in life and death. To be in Him is to be safe and satisfied. When darkness comes He says, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” When death seems to take every support from under the feet, He says: “Underneath are the everlasting arms.”

Make sure, dear reader; make positively certain that Christ, the living Redeemer, is your own precious Saviour, lest you discover when too late that your confidence was in a shadow which could not save.

ML 08/13/1961

Today into Tomorrow

In the South Pacific, on the island of Taveuni in the Fiji group, there is a road which runs from today into tomorrow.

The 180th meridian of longitude—the international dateline — runs through Taveuni, and a Cor can drive from one day to another in a turn of its wheels at this spot. If you were to visit this interesting place, and walked along this road, you would be one second in Monday and a step later back in Sunday.

This is the only place in the world crossing the 180th meridian, and just recently a plaque has been erected at the exact spot where the change in days takes place.

There is another line, dear friend, which you must cross—the path from time into eternity. The 180th meridian marks the spot from one day to the next, but some day time will end, and then eternity will begin. Just as a step on the Taveuni road will determine whether you are in Sunday or Monday, there is only a step between this life and the next. “There is but a step between me and death.” 1 Sam. 20:3. If you die tonight, would you spend your eternity in heaven or in hell?

ML 08/13/1961

Only a Step

Only a step to Jesus!

Then why not take it now?

Come, and thy sin confessing,

To Him, thy Saviour, bow.

Only a step, only a step,

Come, He waits for thee,

Come, and thy sin confessing,

Thou shalt receive a blessing,

Do not reject the mercy

He freely offers thee.

Only a step to Jesus!

Believe, and thou shalt live;

Lovingly now He’s waiting,

And ready to forgive.

Only a step to Jesus!

Oh, why not come and say,

“I come to Thee, my Saviour,

I cannot stay away”?

ML 08/13/1961

Cowherder Converted

In a lonely cottage on a moor in England, a poor cowherder lay dying — alone, but for his granddaughter. As he was dying, he asked the child to bring the old family Bible.

Again and again she read, “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleasenth us from all sin.” He stopped her. “Is there such a verse as that there?”

“Yes, grandfather.”

“Then, if that is true, there’s hope for me! Tell my friends I die in the faith of that verse.”

ML 08/13/1961

Bible Talks: Proverbs 3:5-18

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.” Here we have a very important principle. He was in no way to trust in himself, for man was but a creature whose breath was in his nostrils. The tempter with his whispers always suggests that which will bring ruin, sorrow and shame.

“In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.” We must not look upon this as a promise that once we have acknowledged Him what is called success will always accompany our undertakings. But there must be constant dependence on the Lord for each step of the way. He is the One who decides whether we have wholeheartedly acknowledged Him in all our ways. Thus His honor and glory should be sought in every undertaking. If our own thoughts and purposes are not mixed up with it, we can be assured He will direct or make plain the journey that lies ahead.

Prosperity and chastening are next spoken of by the wise king for his people. “Honor the LORD with thy substance,... So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine. My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of His correction: for whom the Lord loveth He correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.” This last admonition is quoted in Hebrews 12:5, 6, where it is given a Christian application. If chastening is received from the loving hand of the Father, it will yield the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them who are exercised by it. The Father would make us to hate our own inconsistencies. It is always Satan’s effort to try to make the Lord’s people to despise or make light of the chastening, to treat it as a matter of course, or to sink under His reproof. We learn that sickness and death come upon saints who walk carelessly (1 Cor. 11:27-32), that we should not be condemned with the world, of which condemnation all unbelievers will have to partake. However, discipline is not always for wrong doing; sometimes it may be to prevent us from taking a wrong course (2 Cor. 12:17), in which case it really is preventative. Then again as in John 15:2, it may be the pruning of the vine, to make it produce more fruit. It is the Father’s care over His children, and He is really manifesting His love for them. His purpose is “that He may withdraw man from his purpose and hide pride from man.” Job 33:17.

The wisdom and understanding of which Proverbs treats, is not that of this world which passeth away as the years roll on, but it is that which abides forever. It is to guide man in the fear of the Lord, to direct his steps amidst all the evil that has been brought about by man’s departure from the Lord. Here is a book written almost 3000 years ago, yet it is not outmoded at the present time, and its teachings will still be in force when the Lord comes to reign over His earthly people.

In the New Testament we have instructions from the Lord for His people as heavenly citizens, a people separated from the world, but we can truly say of wisdom that “Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her; and happy is every one that retaineth her.” vv. 17,18.

ML 08/13/1961

Do You Belong to the King?

The funeral procession of King George VI in February 1952 was marked by both solemnity and grandeur. Nine kings, many princes, generals and other great men followed the royal coffin on its way to its last resting place in Westminster Abbey.

Among all these great and noble could be seen a little rough-haired terrier, led along by a soldier clad in the uniform of a Highland regiment. The little dog was neither well-bred nor very beautiful, and even if he had been, he was only a dog after all. But he walked near the gun-carriage which carried the coffin, and so had a special place of honor. Thousands of spectators looked with interest upon the rough little dog.

How did he come there? Ah, if you had been near enough to have examined his collar, you would have seen engraved upon it the words, “I BELONG TO THE KING.” He was King George’s favorite dog. He did not find a place there because he was a well-bred dog, but because he belonged to the King. There were many better bred dogs in London, but they would not have been allowed in the procession; they did not belong to the King.

The funeral of the late King George reminds us of another procession to take place at a time not far off. Many hearts will be glad in that day, but there will be many sad, sorrowful ones too. We refer to that time when the Son of God comes forth out of heaven as the rider on the white horse (Rev. 19:11), when “in righteousness He doth judge and make war.” We also read that “the armies which were in heaven followed Him upon white horses, clothed in linen, white and clean.”

These are they who know His love and have trusted Him as their Saviour in this day of His grace, but they will have been caught up with Him to reign. They shall be with Him then “when He shall come to be glorified in His saints, and to be admired in all them that believe.”

But it will be a terrible time for those who have rejected Him on earth, “when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power.” 2 Thess. 1:7-9.

The greatest monarch that ever lived shall have no part in that glad procession if he did not belong to the Lord on earth. Yet the poorest boy or girl will be there if they belong to Him down here. You may be poor and rough and have bad habits, but you can trust the Saviour for He says, “Him that cometh unto Me I will in no wise cast out.” On the other hand you may be wealthy, clever, well-educated, and well-trained, but you need Christ just the same. You must receive Him now by faith into your heart if you would share His glory in that day.

Can you say, dear reader, I belong to the King?

“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.

ML 08/20/1961

Guilty, but Safe

A man was once being tried for a crime, the punishment of which was death. The witnesses came in one by one, and testified to his guilt; but there he stood, quite calm and unmoved. The judge and jury were quite surprised at his indifference; they could not understand how he could take such a serious matter so calmly. When the jury retired, it did not take them many minutes to decide on the verdict “guilty”; and when the judge was passing the sentence of death upon the criminal, he told him how surprised he was that he could be so unmoved in the prospect of death.

When the judge had finished, the man put his hand in his bosom, pulled out a document, and walked out of the dock a free man. Ah, that was how he could be so calm; it was a free pardon from his king, which he had in his pocket all the time. The king had instructed him to allow the trial to proceed, and to produce the pardon only when he was condemned. No wonder, then, that he was indifferent as to the result of the trial. Now, that is just what will make a believer joyful in the great day of judgment; he has got a pardon from the Great King, and it is sealed with the blood of His Son the Lord Jesus Christ.

GOD’S DECLARATION OF PARDON

“All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

“Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

“Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God.

“To declare, I say, at this time His righteousness: that He might be just and the JUSTIFIER of him which believeth in JESUS.” Romans 3:23-26.

ML 08/20/1961

African Mail

“It seems recently our African mail is heavier than ever. We are sending Bibles to Ghana, but Testaments to Nigeria, unless it happens to be a used one. Ghana is a new section, so for the time being we feel we should send Bibles for a little while.

“I received a letter of appreciation from Ghana the other day, for a Bible sent to a boy or young man, acknowledging the receipt of same. He was so happy when he picked it up at the post office, he could not wait until after he got home to open the parcel, but immediately began to open it along the way. Not noticing where he was going he was hurt by a passing taxi, and was made to feel what about his soul had he been killed. After he got home he read a tract enclosed called ‘Just in Time,’ or ‘A Last Warning.’ He felt God was speaking to him about his soul, so right then and there he accepted the Lord Jesus as his personal Saviour. He seemed so very happy. He was asking me to send him a few more of that tract, which he wanted to pass on to some of his friends.

“It is nice to get some encouragement from the Lord in our work for Him. Quite often a letter of real encouragement comes along, and we thank the Lord for it.”

Mrs. A.C.G.

ML 08/20/1961

"Whoever Seeketh, Findeth"

His name was Buteve. I want to tell you how it was that he came to a knowledge of the Lord Jesus.

A missionary was preaching at a place some distance from where he lived, but the poor man was unable to go there, as disease had left both hands and feet deformed, and he was almost helpless — so much so, indeed, that he could only drag himself along on his knees.

One day the missionary came to the part of the country in which Buteve dwelt, and the poor man, hearing of it, dragged himself to where he was, and cried out in a joyous tone: “Servant of God, you are welcome, for you have brought the light upon this dark land. It is to you we owe the message of salvation.”

The astonished missionary ascertained by conversation with the poor cripple that he had a very clear knowledge of the foundation principles of divine truth, and that he had received the Lord Jesus as his Saviour.

“From whom have you heard these things?” he asked him.

“From you, of course. Who else has brought us the message of salvation?”

“Yes,” responded the missionary, “but I do not remember ever having seen you before.”

Then Buteve explained the riddle. “Whenever the people returned from the preaching I would drag myself to where I could intercept them, and would beg from one and another an explanation of the gospel. One would remember one thing and another, and so I would put together all these crumbs that fell from the table of God, and thus I found the Saviour and salvation and peace.”

Poor, dear man! How the Saviour loves to answer such faith as this! He hungered for the truth. Dear reader, do you?

ML 08/20/1961

Bible Talks: Proverbs 3:19-35

“The Lord by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding He hath established the heavens.” Astronomers tell us that the location of the different heavenly bodies lend themselves to an exact mathematical analysis, which forces them to conclude that it was planned that way.

Next we are told that “By His knowledge the depths are broken up, and the clouds drop down the dew.”

“Keep sound wisdom and discretion: so shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace to thy neck. Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble. When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet.... For the Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken.”

As wisdom is personified as that true counsel that comes from above, so “the wicked” is personified as that which comes from beneath, from the great enemy of man who ever seeks to cause man to turn aside and to be wise in his own eyes.

Then we have warnings against what comes from having a deceitful heart within, and it is one of our hardest lessons to learn that such is the case. “For the froward is abomination to the Lord: but His secret is with the righteous. The curse of the Lord is in the house of the wicked: but He blesseth the habitation of the just.” We are told in Jeremiah 17:9, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and incurable; who can know it?” (J. N. D. Trans.) The answer is: “I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins (inward thoughts and feelings) even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.” These warnings bring out the importance of confiding in the Lord and reading His Word. In Psalm 25 we are told that “The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him.” The lack of these things causes one to lean on his own understanding and to adopt the ways of the world. Such are called scorners here. The Lord “scorneth the scorners: but He giveth grace unto the lowly.”

“Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it.” This is wholesome instruction. How many have cherished sound principles and desired to do good, but have kept putting off doing it until the time is gone. Procrastination only brings sad reflections later on. To avoid such we ought, as another has said, to keep as few good intentions hovering about as possible. When writing to the believers at Corinth about sending help to their poor brethren in Jerusalem the Apostle could say, “Now therefore perform the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to will, so there may be a performance out of that which ye have.” 2 Cor. 8:11.

“Envy thou not the oppressor (the man of violence), and choose none of his ways.” In the world we see men who do not get their own way resorting to violence, but the Spirit of Christ in a Christian would lead him to act entirely opposite to this. We are reminded of the words of the Lord Jesus: “Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” Matt. 11:29.

The chapter ends with “The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion of fools.”

ML 08/20/1961

"He Died for Us"

On a summer day years ago a ship named the Swallow was sailing on Lake Erie. She had a number of passengers on her decks but she also carried a cargo of tar in her hold. The captain noticed smoke pouring from the hold and told Simpson, one of the hands, to go down and see what was the matter. Simpson came up with his face pale as ashes. “Captain,” he exclaimed, “the ship’s on fire!”

The awful cry of “Fire! Fire!” was heard as the billows of smoke poured from the fiercely burning tar. All hands rushed on deck and torrents of water were poured on, but all to no purpose.

The panic-stricken passengers were told to get to the bow as quickly as possible, and the old pilot, John Maynard, steered the vessel toward Buffalo. The fire grew worse and worse but the shore was in sight.

“John Maynard!” shouted the captain.

“Eh, Sir,” came the answer through the flames and smoke.

“Can you hold on for five minutes more?”

“I’ll hold on with the help of God, Sir!” Those were the last words he was heard to utter.

The boat reached safety, but the brave pilot was terribly burned. His right hand was so badly burned he could not use it, but with the left hand he held the tiller fast and thus guided the boat to the pier.

All were saved except John Maynard, who died at his post. The funeral was an impressive one. The crew, the passengers, and nearly the whole town followed the body to its last resting place. Many tears of gratitude and sorrow were shed by those who lived because he had died.

If you were to go to one of the cemeteries in Buffalo, you would see a stately marble monument and on it inscribed in letters of gold—TO THE PILOT JOHN MAYNARD

from

THE GRATEFUL PASSENGERS OF THE “SWALLOW” HE DIED FOR US

Now have you ever given a thought to the Lord Jesus who died on Calvary? Do you understand He died for YOU, bearing the punishment of sin that you might be saved and blessed? If so, surely there will be written, not in letters of gold on a tombstone, but in burning letters on your heart, HE DIED FOR ME: “The Son of God who loved me, and gave Himself for me.” Gal. 2:20.

ML 08/27/1961

The Little Black Boy

While traveling across the Pacific Ocean recently, we called at the Port of Suva in Fiji, and, as the boat was not leaving until the evening, we hired a Cor to tour the island.

You may know that these Fiji Islands are on the other side of the world. The climate, the scenery, and the people, are all very different from what we are accustomed to here, but we were to be reminded that the new song in Revelation 5 is to be sung by those redeemed to God “out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation.”

The drive along the rough roads through masses of tropical vegetation and through cotton plantations was very interesting, but the most enjoyable experience of the day was at supper when the native boy, who was waiting on us, confessed Jesus as his Lord.

My friend said to him, “Have you ever heard of Jesus Christ?” The boy answered so brightly, “Oh, yes! He is my Lord and Saviour. He died for me and I believe in Him.”

What an answer! If this reply brought joy to our hearts, how much greater must have been the joy which it brought to the heart of the Lord Jesus, as He heard that confession from one of His own amid all the darkness and heathendom of those islands.

He was then asked whether he believed this in his head or in his heart, and he answered, almost reproachfully, “Not in my head, but in my heart.” I quoted the verse, “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” Rans 10:10.

This lad was evidently in the joy of salvation and it is our earnest desire that everyone who reads of this incident may also be able to say in faith, “He died for me,” and that “He is my Lord and Saviour.”

ML 08/27/1961

"Can the Lord Use Me?"

Some years ago, a young Christian was preaching at the street corner, when a pugilist (a man who earns money by fighting) passed by. He was arrested by the earnestness of the speaker and, for the first time, this man was touched with the story of Jesus and His love. He was invited to hear a further preaching in a hall, where his complete surrender to Christ took place. This meant that his activities as a prize fighter had to cease. This was not so hard a wrench, but, in addition to this, he was the hall-keeper at a theater, the pay for which largely increased the weekly income. This also had to go. The thought of losing this sum of money weekly so angered his wife, that she took up what he laid down and in her anger she struck him. However, in the spirit of his newfound Saviour, he did not retaliate.

As time went on, she saw such a change in her husband, once a hard, cruel man now kind and considerate, and instead of spending his money in the tavern and betting with his fighting companions, it was brought home. The lack of the money lost from the theater was more than made up, and Christianity was brought into the home.

They had two little daughters who used to go with their father to the preaching, so one day they said to their mother, “Mummy, why don’t you come with us and Daddy and hear about Jesus?” She went and heard the story of Jesus and His love too, and she accepted Him as her Saviour and Lord.

Nothing is too hard for the Lord and He can use a little boy or a little girl today as He did with the little captive maid in the days of Naaman. (See 2 Kings 5.)

“A little child shall lead them.”

He can save you. Trust Him and accept Him as your Saviour and Lord.

ML 08/27/1961

In Darkness or Light

An aged rabbi—Jochanan Ben Zachai — was sick and at the point of death. When he saw his disciples standing round about him he began to weep. Surprised at this they said, “Rabbi, the light of Israel, the right hand pillar, the strong hammer, wherefore dost thou weep?”

He answered, “If they were carrying me before a king of flesh and blood, who is here today, and tomorrow in the grave, who, if he were angry with me, his anger would not last forever; if he put me in prison, his prison would not be everlasting; if he condemned me to death, that death would not be eternal; whom I could soothe with words, or bribe with riches; yet even in such circumstances I should weep. But now I am going before the King of kings, the holy and sin-hating God, who, if He be angry with me, His anger will last forever; if He put me in prison, His bondage will be everlasting; if He condemn me to death, that death will be eternal; whom I cannot soothe with words, nor bribe with riches; when, further, there are before me two ways, the one to hell, and the other to paradise, and I know not into which they are carrying me, shall I not weep?”

How we may thank God for Christianity! For the believer the future is not doubt or darkness, but certainty and light.

There lies before him the Father’s house of blessedness, where with Christ and like Christ his eternity shall be enjoyed. And for that home the Father has already made him fit, as we read, “Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light.” Col. 1:12. Thus life and incorruptibility have been brought to light by the glad tidings. 2 Tim. 1:10.

Is this your future, reader, or have you refused the glad tidings, and therefore have before you a certainty of judgment, although, as walking in darkness, you know not whither you go?

ML 08/27/1961

Bible Talks: Proverbs 4:1-1 3

In chapter 4 the children are asked to hear the instructions of a father, the one who has a father’s interest in them, for, says he: “I was my father’s son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother.”

The perfection of giving instruction is seen in the Lord Jesus in the opening of His ministry, in the synagogue at Nazareth where He had been brought up. They could wonder at His gracious words as He opened to them the scriptures that spoke of His mission among His people, but such ministry clashed with the will of men bent on having their own way. It aroused their anger and they would have cast Him down from the brow of the hill on which their city was built. Such was the working of their deceitful hearts, while professing to honor God. But His time of departure was not yet come, nor was this the manner of it, so He passed through the midst of them and went His way. (Luke 4:16-30.)

Solomon had received instructions from his father David, as he in turn had from his father. Our reader will recall the wonderful story of David meeting Goliath. It was by simply following his father’s directions, which brought him to the camp of the army, where he heard the challenges from the great giant. It certainly was not by his own seeking that he was there at that time. There was no desire on his part for self-exaltation, but he was acting in the simple faith which should have been that of any godly Israelite at that time. David acted wisely both then and during the brief period of his exaltation on account of it, as he did later on when he endured the persecution of King Saul. All this was a part of his training which he had to pass through, while awaiting the Lord’s time to bring him to the throne of Israel.

In this chapter we have the father’s authority spoken of and the responsibility and obedience of those whom he calls his sons. It is all very evident that self-will is the great and constant hindrance to those who profess to honor the Lord. The great enemy would excite and stir up the exercise of our wills to have our own way, “Fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind.” Eph. 2:3. It is an evil world through which we are passing, and heavenly wisdom is needed that we might be able to discern the pathway that is pleasing to the Lord. It is truly a wilderness journey, where there are no marked highways, save that which is provided in the Scriptures, and which are available to faith to discern. There will be suffering for Christ’s sake and also for righteousness, but if wisdom is exalted (in contrast to self) “She shall promote thee; she shall bring thee to honor.... She shall give to thy head a garland of grace; a crown of glory.” J. N. D. Trans. However, we are apt to look for these things before it is the Lord’s due time (1 Pet. 5:6). So we must with patience wait for it.

“Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings;... I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths. When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble. Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life.”

ML 08/27/1961

A Mother's Sacrifice

We have all heard many stories of persons—even boys and girls — receiving medals for bravery and self-sacrifice. Have you ever heard this one?

It was a large public school prize-giving. Many well-to-do and smartly dressed parents and relatives were assembled there. Among them was a very insignificant-looking and shabbily dressed little lady. If anyone noticed her at all, they probably asked themselves, “I wonder whose mother she is.” A bright boy had just received a medal. Without hesitation, he came down the aisle, singled out the shabby-looking little lady, and pinning the medal on her faded dress said, “That’s where that belongs!” She was his mother and had sacrificed every comfort for herself, to give him a good education and a start in life, and he was noble enough to recognize it.

SOMEONE sacrificed His life for YOU, dear young reader, that you might have Eternal Life, and the power to overcome difficulties and brave every peril and danger here, and to share heaven’s eternal glories with Him up there.

In that heavenly scene in Revelation 4 we read of the ransomed in heaven sitting before the throne, clothed in white; “and they had on their heads crowns of gold.” Then they are seen falling down before Him that sits upon the throne, and they cast their crowns before Him, saying, “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power.”

Are you now giving Him the honor due to Him for the sacrifice He has made for YOU?

ML 09/03/1961

Opening the Door

A little girl was given a pretty text card by her mother. Upon it were the words:

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

She thought a great deal about it, and talked with her mother as to its meaning. When she went to bed she took the card with her to her room.

In the morning she said, “Mother, I lay awake a good while last night, thinking of Jesus outside the door. And, Mother, I prayed to Him, oh, so earnestly, that He would come into my heart, and stay there always! And, Mother, I believe He has come in, and I am going to be His little girl.”

Now this little girl opened the door at the knock of the Lord Jesus, and I have no doubt she was right in thinking that He entered, for He says, “If any man” (and “any” means any one, old or young) “open the door, I will come in.”

ML 09/03/1961

A. M. Toplady

A homely sermon, preached in an Irish barn by an illiterate evangelist, was instrumental in leading to decision for Christ a youth, A. M. Toplady, who afterward became an able minister of Christ, and wrote the hymn beginning: “Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me.”

“Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season.” 2 Tim. 4:2.

ML 09/03/1961

The Postman's Mistake

One day as Ah Koh, the postman in an inland city of China, handed out letters to the missionary, he was bemoaning his advancing years and feebleness. “Oh well, it won’t be long until I am in my heavenly home,” he remarked.

“But, Ah Koh,” remonstrated the missionary, “you have not accepted Christ as your Saviour, so how can you expect to reach heaven?” The old man responded hopefully, “Surely after I have brought letters to you all those years, one of you will get me in.”

We smile at the man’s simplicity, and yet there are many who are hoping to get to heaven in much the same way—by doing the best they can, not knowing that salvation is not works, but that it is the gift of God. If we could have earned salvation, or meted it in any way, the Lord Jesus would not have died. If we could have finished the work necessary to our own salvation and that of others, He never would have said on the cross, “It is finished.” But because we could do nothing, He did everything. Everything was finished to the entire satisfaction of God, and it is vain for us to think that we can add anything to a finished work. Now we can be saved through trusting, not trying; through believing, not behaving.

Not saved are we by trying, from self can come no aid:

‘Tis on the blood relying, once for our ransom paid.

‘Tis looking unto Jesus, the Holy One and Just;

‘Tis His great work that saves us, it is not try, but trust.

ML 09/03/1961

Be "Out-And-Out"

In the time of the American Civil War, a man lived in a district which was sometimes occupied by the Northern army and sometimes by the Confederates.

When the Northern army was in the neighborhood he said he was “a Northern man,” and when the Southern army was nearby he said he was “a Confederate.”

This contemptible conduct led at last to his being despised by all alike, and he had to suffer much at the hands of both sides.

On one occasion a company of soldiers came to his house unexpectedly. He was asked by them to declare whether he was a “Rebel” or a “Yankee.” Before answering he looked earnestly at their uniforms in order that he might say he was on the same side as themselves, but he could not make them out at all. The uniforms they were wearing were half Southern, of a gray color, and half Northern, of a blue tint. He was puzzled and did not know how to reply. At length, however, he blurted out: “Well, gentlemen, I am just nothing at all, and mighty little of that.”

Miserable man! A turncoat, a timeserver.

We condemn him for his base conduct, but is there not danger of our being sometimes for Christ and sometimes for the world? Is it known by all whose side we are on?

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Matt. 5:16.

ML 09/03/1961

Bible Questions for September

The Children’s Class

1. Is God’s eternal power already seen in the things of creation all around us?

2. How is the righteousness of God made good to all them that believe?

3. Is faith counted for righteousness when we work for salvation or when we simply believe?

4. What was the result of one man’s (Adam’s) disobedience?

5. What is the gift of God through Jesus Christ our Lord?

6. What is our relationship with God when we are led by the Spirit of God?

7. For whom does God make all things work together for good?

The Young People’s Class

1. What question did Jonathan raise in defense of David, that caused on outburst of temper in Kina Saul? 1 Sam. 20.

2. What response did a similar question, asked with reference to the Lord Jesus, bring from the multitudes at His trial? Luke 23.

3. Will we experience a measure of this hatred also if we speak well of Christ in the world? John 15.

4. When David and Jonathan embraced, whose affection proved stronger? 1 Sam.

5. Is our love of God worthy to be compared to the love He has for us? 1 John 4.

6. Did Jonathan choose to follow David in rejection, or did he return to the comforts of the city? 1 Sam.

7. What did Jesus say about those who would follow after Him? Matt. 16.

ML 09/03/1961

Bible Talks: Proverbs 4:14-5:23

The way of wisdom is next contrasted with the way of the wicked. “Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not into the way of evil men. Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away.”

Then we are told that “The path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.” Such will be the result of going on in faith, with the Lord. On the other hand “The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.”

“My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.”

Then in the last verses, of our chapter we are shown how the various members of our being should act in this path of faith—the ear, the eyes, the heart, the mouth, the lips, and the feet. There ought not to be that which the Lord Jesus found when He said: “This people draweth nigh unto Me with their lips; but their heart is far from Me.” Matt. 15:8.

“Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.... Let thine eyes look right on,... Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.”

Chapter 5 brings before us moral corruption, and marks it out as being worse than the violence of the preceding chapter. The blessing of the Lord cannot rest on those going on in sin. He must have purity of ways in the lives of His people. It has been said that there is nothing in nature so lovely as affection, but how ruinous and defiling where the fear of the Lord does not guide it.

The enemy of our souls would use those who forsake the Lord, to entice others into the same paths of defilement. Fair words of flattery may in the beginning sound pleasant to the ear, but the end is bitterness and they leave deep wounds. The end of such a pathway is death. The counsel is to avoid such a path and go far from it. In the language of the New Testament we have: “O man of God, flee these things; follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called.” 1 Tim. 6:11, 12.

We must remember that there is the government of God as well as His grace, going on in the world at this present time. Selfishness reaps its sad consequences; none can yield to it without paying its cost. “For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, and He pondereth all his goings.” Verse 21. Heathenism was noted for its deities being jealous of human happiness, and we need not be surprised at this for the New Testament tells us that Gentile worship was sacrificing to demons and not to God (1 Cor. 10:20). Demons are the emissaries of Satan and it was their purpose to drag the human race down into sin and misery. Before the Lord Jesus went to the cross He spoke of Satan as the prince of this world (John 12:31; 14:30), but after His rejection Satan is called “the god of this world” (2 Cor. 4:4). The child of God is seen as having been delivered from the power of darkness (Col. 1:13), but the unbeliever is still led captive by him (Satan) at his will.

ML 09/03/1961

They Put it in Writing

Mr. Spurgeon, in the course of a sermon, once suggested that every one of his hearers when they got home should write a truthful description of himself, in the fest possible words, thus:

“Thomas Jones, lost,” or “Henry Williams, saved.”

“If you see it in writing, it may startle and impress you,” he said.

A Christian lady who was present determined to act upon his advice.

When she and her family were seated around the table in their home, she had pen and ink and note paper, and said: “I want to tell you what Mr. Spurgeon said in his sermon today.”

The father, who was reading his Sunday newspaper, looked up for a little to watch the preparations, but when he heard Mr. Spurgeon’s name mentioned, he went on reading.

“Mr. Spurgeon asked us all,” continued his wife bravely, although with a beating heart, “to write our names on a sheet of paper, and to put ‘saved’ or ‘lost’ after them, and to be quite truthful about it.”

Mr. Mitchell got hold of the poker and, with a good deal of unnecessary noise, banged the coals about in the grate.

Meanwhile his wife was writing. She wrote at the top of the page: “Sarah Mitchell, saved.”

It was now Harry’s turn.

Mother was anxious about Harry. She longed that he might be a Christian, but she did not know whether he had taken the step. How her heart beat when he took up the pen.

When with a steady hand and without a moment’s hesitation, he wrote: “Harry Mitchell, saved.” her joy threatened to overcome her. The good woman wiped her eyes, and looked as only a mother can look at her eldest son who had thus boldly taken his stand on the side of the Lord.

Baby, as they called the youngest, had learned to love Jesus at the Sunday school. She could make capital letters, and wanted to add her name. Some of the letters were large and some small, and she made a blot on the paper, but when it was handed to the mother she read: “Alice Mitchell, saved.”

That was the whole family except Father, who was reading his paper.

George Mitchell was at least an honest man, and a kind father. The children were not in the least afraid of him, even when he somewhat gruffly said: “Pass me over the paper.”

“Hand me the pen, Harry,” he added a moment later. “It’s all trash; but I may as well join in the game.” So he wrote under the names: “George Mitchell, L——”

Before he could add another leer to that “L” his wife seized his arm and cried out: “George, you shall never write that.”

Then the children all joined in, shouting out: “No, no, dear Father, you must not write that; you shall not write that!”

Father tried in a good-humored way to shake himself free. He tried to laugh in a nervous, forced way at the whole thing; but as they all stood and cried and pleaded, he broke down and fell on his knees beside his wife and children, confessing his sins, and accepted the Lord Jesus as his Saviour, and was able to write: “George Mitchell, saved.”

Now what a happy family — all loving the Saviour, and on the way to heaven!

Reader, what would you have to write, “lost” or “saved”?

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

ML 09/10/1961

"Lord Jesus, Come In"

I said to a little boy, anxious about his soul, “What would you say if any one knocked at the door, and you felt too little to open it?”

“I’d say, Come in!”

The next morning his face was so happy that his mother asked the reason.

Robert said, “Last night, before I went to sleep, I seemed to hear Jesus knocking at the door of my heart. I just said to Him: ‘Lord Jesus, come in,’ and He came in.”

ML 09/10/1961

"I Will Come in"

Behold the Saviour at the door!

He gently knocks—has knocked before;

Has waited long—is waiting still;

You use no other friend so ill.

Refrain: Open the door, He’ll enter in,

And sup with you, and you with Him.

Admit Him, for the human breast

Ne’er entertained so kind a guest;

No mortal tongue their joys can tell,

With whom He condescends to dwell.

Admit Him, ere His anger burn,

Lest He depart and ne’er return;

Admit Him, or the hour’s at hand

When at His door denied you’ll stand.

ML 09/10/1961

Conquering a Temper

Anne had received the Lord Jesus as her Saviour, and was earnestly trying to serve Him, but time after time she grieved Him by giving way to a naturally hasty temper. This caused her much sorrow, and earnestly she prayed for strength to conquer it. Now Anne was obliged to associate every day with a girl named Mary, who treated her unjustly and tried to make her lose her temper, and thus dishonor the Lord. She mourned over this in secret, and having confessed it to the Lord, she knew she was forgiven, but this was not known to Mary.

One day as usual, Mary charged Anne with making a false profession of being a Christian, and instantly received a hasty and passionate reply. “So that’s your religion is it?” said Mary tauntingly.

The tears sprang to Anne’s eyes, and hastening to a place where she could be alone, she burst into a flood of tears and sobbed out her confession to the Lord Jesus. “Go and tell Mary you are sorry,” a voice seemed to whisper within. “I cannot,” Anne answered: “besides she had no right to say what she did.” “Blessed are ye when men shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for My sake,” came at once to Anne’s mind, and for some minutes the struggle lasted. Then Anne went to Mary, and frankly confessed her fault, and asked forgiveness.

Mary looked at her in astonishment; this was something she could not understand. “I have nothing to forgive; it was all my fault,” she stammered.

From this time Anne had perfect control over her temper given to her from the Lord, and soon afterward Mary also gave her heart to Jesus, and thus the two girls became close friends. Mary dates her first serious impressions from the day when Anne asked her pardon.

The Lord Jesus will not only save but keep those who put their trust in Him.

“Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling (without stumbling), and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.” Jude 24, 25.

ML 09/10/1961

The Chicago Fire

After the great Chicago fire took place, a great many things were sent to Chicago from all parts of the world. The boxes were labeled “For the people who were burned out,” and all a man had to do was to prove that he had been “burned out,” and he got a share. So all you have to do is to prove you are a poor miserable sinner, and there is help for you in Christ Jesus.

If every man who is ruined and lost will cling to “try,” there is no hope; but if he will give up “trying” and confess he is unable to help himself, then Christ can and will save him.

The law condemns us, but Christ saves us.

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

ML 09/10/1961

To a Backslider

“Thus saith the LORD; I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest after Me in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown.” Jer. 2:2.

“Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the LORD;... for I am merciful.” Jer. 3:12.

ML 09/10/1961

Bible Talks: Proverbs 6:1-11

The first five verses of chapter 6 are warnings about acting surety for a friend and also for a stranger. While the Lord had commanded His people to love their neighbors, He warns them here against acting impulsively in such a case and not waiting upon Him. If such has been the case, however, and one has become a surety for another, directions are given as to what course he should pursue in order that he might be discharged from this obligation. He is to lose no time, to give no sleep to his eyes, until he has been to see his friend about the matter. It would be wrong to break his word to his friend, but he should go to him and acknowledge that he had done wrong in offering himself as a surety, according to what was written. It is becoming that he who has pledged himself thus should humble himself before his friend, and urge upon him the necessity of discharging the debt at once. It seems that the underlying thought all through is that to offer oneself as a surety generally means that such a one would have to assume responsibility for the debt. But it is also implied that when these instructions are followed, in seeking to get discharged from the obligation one can count on the Lord to make a way of escape for both before it is too late.

Many a Christian has suffered by being surety for a friend. It may be difficult to refuse, but it is unrighteousness unless the one who is surety can bear the loss if it should fall upon him. And this leads us to think of the Lord Jesus who was made “a surety of a better testament (or covenant),” Heb. 7:22, in contrast with the covenant made with Israel at Sinai. The latter depended on their obedience, but only ended in the curse through their disobedience. Before the birth of the Lord Jesus it was said of Him, “He shall save His people from their sins,” and this obligation He assumed at all cost to Himself at the cross where in His death He paid the debt of sin of all who trust Him as Saviour.

As our Surety we behold Thee,
Ransoming our souls from death;
As the willing Victim view Thee,
Yielding up to God Thy breath.

He is the powerful One who is certain of being able to bring to pass in its due time all that is foretold that He will do in carrying out the purpose of God.

Next we have the sluggard who is seen as having sunk so low that he must look to the tiny ant for instruction. The ant’s unceasing industry is brought out very vividly, and the warning is also given that indolence shall cause poverty and want to come upon us as an armed man. It has been remarked that while man may put forth great energy in various pursuits in life, nevertheless in the things of God he is in general a sluggard. Were it not for the activity of God’s love working in our hearts, who of us would have sought the Saviour?

‘Twas the same love that spread the feast

That gently forced me in,

Else I had still refused to come,

And perished in my sin.

ML 09/10/1961

Faithful unto Death

Some years ago at a seaside, seven boys were out in a boat, doubtless enjoying themselves, as only boys can when they have their freedom. They could do just as they pleased, with no older person near to check their fun, and not thinking of any possible danger which might be near. Like many in respect of this world’s pleasures, they enjoy themselves to the full, regardless of the fact that their pleasures are only for a season and that eternity draws near.

All went well for a time, and they had reached a point some distance from the shore, when their boat overturned and they were all thrown into the water. Fortunately they were all able to get hold of the boat which was floating upside down, and they held on as best they could, thankful to be saved so far from a watery grave. Their trouble, however, was not over, for there was no one in sight who could come to their aid, and only one of their number could swim.

This lad was a fairly strong swimmer, and he determined to do his best to save his friends. Taking one of them, he began to swim toward the shore and soon had the satisfaction of knowing that he was safe on land. Back again to the boat he swam, and again brought a companion to safety. Five times he did the journey and five of his friends were brought safely to the shore. By this time, he was feeling very tired, and he wondered if he could swim much more. But there was still his friend out there on the boat, in danger of slipping off and being drowned. Putting his own feelings aside, he again entered the water and began his last journey.

We might pause to say, “What bravery!” and how anxiously the others would watch him as he went on, stroke after stroke, farther and farther from the land. It reminds us of the Lord Jesus who set His face as a flint to go to Jerusalem knowing that at the end of His journey, He was to be delivered up into the hands of sinful men who would crucify Him.

The boy in our story did not know what the end of his swim would be, though as he felt himself getting weaker, he may have had some anxious fears. How long that swim would have seemed to him and how far away the boat seemed this time. Would he ever reach it? Then as those on shore watched him, they saw him stop. Yes, that last swim was too much and, exhausted by his efforts, he sank beneath the water. He was willing to save, but so far as that one clinging to the boat was concerned, he was not able to save him.

The last boy, however, was saved by a man who came along soon afterwards. How those boys would remember the love of their friend who had died for them! How they would love to think of him as one who had given himself to rescue them.

As I heard this story, that scripture came into my mind, “The Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me,” Gal. 2:20. The Lord Jesus knew He was going into death. Indeed, He came down into this world that He might die, “The Just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God.” 1 Peter 3:18.

Has the boy or girl who may read this story ever thought of the great love of the Lord Jesus who could come from heaven’s heights right down to Calvary’s depths, that He might take upon Himself sin’s heavy load; that He might, in His death, bear the judgment of it—yes, for your sin—in order that the sinner might be free? Will you not believe it for yourself and turn your heart to Him in true repentance and in thankfulness for His great love for you?

ML 09/17/1961

"Samuel! Samuel!"

God knows our names, our Christian names as well as our surnames; what street we live on and the district, and even our business, if we have reached that age. Yes, He knows us from our birth. He knew all about Samuel. It says of Samuel, that he grew and ministered unto the Lord before Eli, the priest; but it also says, “Samuel did not yet know the Lord.” He had not yet spoken directly to Samuel, but there came a time when the Lord wanted Samuel to know Him for himself. So the Lord called Samuel, but he thought it was Eli calling him. This occurred three times. At last Eli perceived that it was the Lord calling the lad, and told him what to say if he heard the voice again. The Lord knew this, so the next time the call was given twice, “Samuel, Samuel!”

Dear reader, there may have been a time in your life when something happened to you and your parents recognized in it the voice of the Lord speaking to you, and your attention was called to it. The Lord knew this and He is looking for an answer.

I remember a young girl to whom the Lord had spoken several times, but she had not answered. One night as she was retiring to rest, sitting on the edge of the bed, she heard a voice saying distinctly to her, “Vera, how long am I to wait?”

She said, “I knew it was the voice of the Lord, and I knew to what He referred.” It brought to her mind His previous speakings, and she, like Samuel, responded and is now reckoned among His sheep.

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand. My Father, which gave them Me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of My Father’s hand. I and My Father are one.” John 10:27-30.

ML 09/17/1961

The Thirsty Actress

The theater was in a state of great excitement: a renowned actress was to perform, and the old scenery and rubbish of the stage was replaced by new. Everything was done to please the “star,” and to make the new play a success. The night came—the handbills and placards had done their work, and the house was crowded.

While engaged carrying drinks to the orchestra, I was called upon to carry wine to one of the boxes; I did so, and there found the actress herself, chatting familiarly with one of the actors about the crowded condition of the house, and she made this remark, “Oh, suppose the gallery should give way!”

“There would be a good many more souls in hell, I am sure, if it should.” he said.

These words seemed to touch a chord in the heart of the actress, for she turned to me instantly and said, “O, leave this place—leave it! You are too young to be here: there is something better than this, leave now before it is too late.”

Oh, the look that was in her eyes told of the thirst in her soul that had never been quenched. She had been at the well, oh, so often, and had drank and drank, but had never been filled. She had never got her fill from the pleasures of the world, and she knew it. “Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again,” are Christ’s own words, and they were so true of her. Her words cut me to the heart, and I left; it was the last night I ever drank of those waters.

O, unsaved one, if you are still drinking of the waters of this poor world (its pleasures or aught else), stop! There is a spring where you may drink and be satisfied—be filled —yea, to overflowing. He is able that promised, and He has said, “I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.” Rev. 21:6. And again, “Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst.” John 4:14. The water given by the Saviour’s blessed hand alone can satisfy —none other ever can; drink, then, while yet there is time. Hear, once more, the gracious invitation of His love extended to us, when down here in this world, and again from the glory where He is now,—it is for you, dear thirsty soul:

“If any man thirst, let him come unto Me and drink.” John 7:37; “Let him that is athirst come, and whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” Rev. 22:17.

ML 09/17/1961

Bible Talks: Proverbs 6:1 2-1 9

In what follows we have, it seems, the activity of those going on in an evil way, and their sure judgment. “A naughty person, a wicked man, walketh with a froward mouth. He winketh with his eyes,... Frowardness is in his heart, he deviseth mischief continually; he soweth discord. Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly.” This is followed by a picture of such a one manifesting those things which it says the Lord hates.

1)Haughty eyes or “a proud look.”

2)“A lying tongue,” which shows him to be under the power of the evil one, who is the father of lies (John 8:44). The Lord Jesus was not only true, but He was the truth (John 14:6).

3)“Hands that shed innocent blood.” Violence was one of those forms of evil that filled the earth in the days of Noah and brought the judgment of God upon that generation. In Romans 3:10-18 we have what is often spoken of as a photograph of what man is before God: “there is none that doeth good,... Their feet are swift to shed blood:... There is no fear of God before their eyes.” The natural heart does not like this picture, and some say, There are bad things that come out of the heart, but are there not good things too? In Matthew 15 where the Lord tells of all the evil things that proceed from the heart, He says not a word about any good there. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” Jer. 17:9. We are never wiser than Scripture. How much better to bow to its teachings than to reject them and have to learn by bitter and humbling experience the lesson of our own heart’s ruin. Repentance is taking sides with God against our sins. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9.

4)“A heart that deviseth wicked’ imaginations.” In Scripture the heart’ in one going on in the fear of the Lord is seen as the seat of affection, but through neglect of Him it becomes the seat of wicked purposes.

5)“Feet that be swift in running to mischief.” In the Psalms and Proverbs man’s whole being is spoken of as connected with mischief: the tongue (Ps. 10:7); the hands (138, 26:10); the heart (Ps. 28:3); and the lips (Ps. 140:9).

6)“A false witness that speaketh lies.” Man under Satan’s power, if he cannot kill or injure physically, may inflict a worse wrong in having someone sneak lies.

7)“He that soweth discord among brethren.” This is in contrast to the goodness of God which would lead one to repentance.

How precious that the heart by faith can look away from sin, and self, from all the evil and sorrow of this world, to Jesus, that blessed Man in the glory in whom all goodness dwells, to those “bright and blessed scenes where sin can never come.” So used to being occupied with evil down here, we cannot conceive what it will be to be suddenly caught away from it all, to leave it all behind, and to be with Christ forever — to be occupied eternally with nothing but good. Yet such is the bright reward of faith.

There with unwearied gaze

Our eyes on Him we’ll rest,

And satisfy with endless praise

A heart supremely blest.

ML 09/17/1961

The Brave Rescuer

As a man was walking along the seashore one day he noticed the nature of the cliffs, so high, so steep, so impossible to climb and with but one path leading to the shore. He noted too the many coves formed by jutting rocks and that from these coves, if anyone was cut off by the rising tide there would be no way of escape. If the way to the one path leading to safety was shut off by the rising water it would be impossible to climb those rugged cliffs. What a dangerous coast for the unwary and unwatchful!

As he was musing thus he came upon an old man who was working on the hard dark rocks. He entered into conversation regarding the dangerous coast and asked him if he had ever known of people in peril through the rising tide.

“I should think I have,” answered the old man. “Why, one day years ago, as I was working, there came along a party of four, two men and two women, all of them young. They were frolicking and laughing and I called out to them to be careful and not go too far, but to mind the tide. ‘Oh,’ they said, ‘we’re all right. Don’t trouble about us, we mean to enjoy ourselves’ and on they went.

“I forgot all about them,” the old man continued; “and at length I left work, and went back to the path leading to the cliffs.”

Now this was a very solitary place; a farmhouse here, a cottage or two there, more or less lonely and desolate; but as the old man was crossing the fields on his way home, he thought he heard a faint, very faint cry, “Help! help!” He listened. Yes, he heard that faint cry, “Help! help!” As fast as he could he ran to the edge of the cliffs; and looking down, putting his hands around his mouth, he shouted, “Is anyone in distress down there?”

“Yes! Yes!” came the answering cry. “We shall be drowned! The water has reached our feet already!”

Ah, these four gay pleasure-seekers, who had trodden the way that seemed right to them, had found the end thereof to be the ways of death, and the cold, dark waters were staring them in the face. They were shut in by the tide; the water was steadily advancing; they were powerless to help themselves; they could only cry for help. As quickly as he could, the old man ran across the fields to a farm, where he procured a long, strong rope, together with the help of some farmers, who hurried with him to the edge of the cliffs. There the old man began to fasten the rope carefully and securely round himself. “Whatever are you doing?” cried his astonished helpers. “Why, I am going down to them,” said he; and he was lowered down, down, till he reached the four in their terrible danger and distress.

Have you, dear reader, ever been in distress, not on account of physical danger but because you have realized that “it is appointed unto men once to die but after this the judgment?” Hebrews 9:27. Does the thought of death and judgment fill you with terror? Do you feel that you cannot help yourself, you cannot save yourself, and that there is no hope in yourself? You know that left to yourself you can but perish. yes, that is true but thank God there is hope; there is help for there is a full and free salvation for you in the Lord Jesus Christ who came into the world to save sinners.

When the brave rescuer was lowered to the place of death and danger, to those “ready to perish,” he unfastened the rope from his own person and carefully and securely fastened it around one of the girls. Then looking up, he cried “Pull,” and she was pulled up to a place of safety.

Down came the rope again and now the brave rescuer fastened it securely round the second girl. Again he cried, “Pull!” and she too was pulled up to that place of safety. Down again came the rope and the first of the two men was pulled up, and then again the rope came down, and the last of the four was pulled out of danger into safety. Once more the rope came down; and the brave rescuer fastened it around himself and was drawn up to the edge of the cliffs.

“Well,” said the listener, on hearing the story, “did they say anything to you? Did they thank you?”

“I should think they did,” cried the old man, “why, I shall never forget it. They shook my hand as if they’d shake it off! They threw their arms around my neck in joy and gratitude.”

The blessed Lord Jesus Christ came down, down to the depths of Calvary’s cross, that we might be lifted up from the awful pit of sin and death in which we were, lifted up to heaven itself. He gave up His life in order to save you and me. Have you accepted Him by faith as your Saviour? Have you ever thanked Him for dying for you?

ML 09/24/1961

Set Free

A young thrush had been found in the hedge; it was entangled by some string, and one of its feet was injured. Maisie put it in an old cage, and cared for it until it was well and strong. She loved the thrush more and more. It was her pet companion during long hours while she was on duty in her home. But it did not sing. It seemed to pine for liberty. And one bright spring morning Maisie took it out on the meadow, and opening the cage door set the bird free. It flew away in the sunshine, and almost immediately burst into song. It was delighting in its deliverance.

As I read the story I thought of the time I was set free. It was the time when I knew that my sins were forgiven, and that I was saved by the Lord Jesus Christ. Never till then did I really rejoice. Never till then could I sing the song of deliverance. It was when the people of Israel had crossed the Red Sea, and knew that their enemies were all destroyed, that they could rejoice. And so we read, “Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the Lord.” It was the song of redemption. It was the song of deliverance. They praised the Lord who had freed them. Can you sing that song? Are you set free?

ML 09/24/1961

When God Used the Ravens

Many years ago, one of God’s faithful prophets, named Elijah, was told by God to leave the place where he was living, and to go and hide himself beside a brook. Now God was going to care for that old man in a most wonderful Way, and He said to him before he went, “I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there.” (See 1 Kings 17:2-6.)

God had made those ravens, with their shiny black feathers, and, as their Creator, He commanded them to care for one of His people, and they did so. Every morning and every evening the ravens brought food to Elijah. This was no accident; it was not just a crust of bread dropped because it was too big for the birds to carry, as we sometimes see happen in our gardens. No, they were carefully carrying this food to Elijah, because God their Creator had commanded them to do so.

God could, of course, have sent Elijah his food in many different ways. He could have sent an angel from heaven with it, but in His wisdom He chose some of the most unlikely of His creatures to carry out His will. We can well imagine that as Elijah saw the ravens flying tards him, carrying his food in their beaks, he would say, How wonderfully and how faithfully is God caring for me.

The God who thus cared for Elijah in such an unexpected way, will never fail to do the same for all those who trust and obey Him.

ML 09/24/1961

"Rejoice in the Lord"

(Phil. 3:1)

Wilt thou be sad in that great perfect will,

Which worketh good for thee, and never ill?

Or, wilt thou tread reluctantly the way

Which only love marked out for thee today?

Nay! Go with eager steps and joyful heart!

God knoweth why He chose for thee this part.

ML 09/24/1961

Bible Talks: Proverbs 6:20-7:27

In this present day the name Christian is used in a very general way. It is often applied to any who live in so-called Christian countries as distinguishing them from people in heathen lands. But the Spirit of God outlines the moral characteristics of this age when men are “lovers of self, disobedient to pants, and having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof.” 2 Tim. 3:1-5. It is all the more necessary to urge upon the young and inexperienced to beware of the spirit of the age. It is only by faith in Christ and a desire and exercise to please Him, that anyone can be delivered from this influence. Thus in the next verses the son is here entreated to treasure up in his heart those godly precepts learned in his early years from his father and mother. “Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck. When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest it shall keep thee;... For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life.” How many, in looking back, have to thank God for a godly father and mother who sought to bring up their children in that good way, “in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.”

Chapter 7 opens with a fresh fatherly appeal to his son individually. A picture is drawn of a young man classed as being void of understanding and drawn into the worst of corruption — moral evil. The appeal to him is: “My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee.” There is not only the need for dependence upon the Lord when the trial comes, but the positive value of the truth and the purposes of His will that are needed to guard one beforehand. The soul in this manner is inwardly strengthened beforehand against snares from without. So we have further, “Keep my commandments, and live.” When our wills are active, the teaching which comes from the Lord, instead of being food for the soul, is set aside, and a self-willed course ends in a fall. We are admonished here to keep “my law as the apple of thine eye” (that which is nearest and dearest).

As believers, we are not in the flesh in our standing before God on account of our deliverance through the work of Christ on the cross. But we still have the flesh (our fallen nature) in us as long as we are here in these bodies, and the flesh is ever ready to listen to Satan’s wiles when he brings before us the world’s enticements and self-gratification. It is only by walking in faith, and treating the old nature as dead and crucified with Christ, in constant self-judgment that we can be kept. We also need to have a deep sense of His love and grace in giving Himself for us, to make us feel our dependence upon Him and the necessity of being kept by His power.

We are often reminded that our knowledge of Scripture and even a devoted life of service can never change our old natures. The Apostle Paul, that most eminent servant of the Lord, was given a thorn in the flesh to buffet him, lest he should be exalted. The Lord could not trust the flesh even in an apostle. We get later on in this book, “Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” (Chapter 16:18.)

ML 09/24/1961

Lost!

One cold, cheerless Sunday night a poor woman was hurrying down one of the crowded streets of the big city, and her face wore such an anxious look that I inquired the cause of her trouble.

“I have lost my little boy,” said she; “he went to Sunday school this afternoon, and he has not come home.

His father and I are almost distracted, and I am now going to the police station to see if he has been taken there.”

“Let me help you,” said I; so we hurried to the nearest police station. We entered a bare room, where stood several blue-coated officers. We told our errand, and a ray of hope lit up the poor mother’s face as a policeman pointed to a dark corner of the room where a little boy was lying upon a bench. His face was toward the wall, his head had fallen on his breast, and he lay fast asleep. The mother hastened toward him, hoping that the little fellow was her boy, but as the glare of the light fell upon his face her hopes were crushed. He was not her son. Her sorrow became greater through the disappointment, but though weary and dispirited, she hurried to the next station. It was some distance off, and I could not accompany her, but I hoped she found her lost little son.

I was a wandering sheep,

I did not love the fold;

I did not love my Shepherd’s voice,

I would not be controlled:

I was a wayward child,

I did not love my home,

I did not love my Father’s voice,

I loved afar to roam.

The Shepherd sought His sheep,

The Father sought His child;

They followed me o’er vale and hill,

O’er deserts waste and wild;

They found me nigh to death,

Famished, and faint, and lone;

They bound me with the bands of love,

They saved the wandering one.

Jesus my Shepherd is,

‘Twas He that loved my soul;

‘Twas He that washed me in His blood,

‘Twas He that made me whole:

‘Twas He that sought the lost,

That found the wandering sheep;

‘Twas He that brought me to the fold,

‘Tis He that still doth keep.

ML 10/01/1961

Mother Love

A well-known American journalist closed his desk one morning without a word of explanation to his business associates, and hurried back to the old home and his widowed mother. Arriving at the scene of his boyhood days, he gazed wistfully at the old familiar sights and passed up the garden to greet his gray-haired mother who was sitting in her easy chair waiting for him.

“Mother,” he said joyously, “I’ve had a great longing to come home and see you. I’ve come to say once again the simple prayer you taught me at your knee. I’ve come to find once more the faith of a little child.” That which the busy world had obscured from his vision, he now prized at its true worth, and sought above all else. There at his mother’s knee, he found Christ and His wonderful Salvation, another trophy of a mother’s love.

Joseph Barker, the English infidel writer, tells his story in similar words. He says that he was converted not by arguments of Christian Apologists, but by the memory and teaching of his godly mother, whose purity of character, patience and self-sacrifice far surpassed anything he had ever seen among his infidel friends. In the little Lancashire home she remembered her son constantly in prayer, and these prayers had followed him and haunted him until at last he surrendered to Christ, and confessed Him as his Saviour—another case of triumphant mother-love.

ML 10/01/1961

"I did not Know Where I was Going"

It was a lovely morning. The July sun sparkled on the dancing waters of a highland lake, as a merry party rowed across it to a quiet spot, where they were soon enjoying themselves in the water. But how quickly such scenes may change! An incautious leap into deep water, a smothered cry for help, and a young girl was struggling face to face with death. It is needless to dwell on those three or four minutes of intensified agony, that appeared so long, until through the mercy of God, friendly hands were able to lift into a boat the unconscious form which a few mites ago was bright with young life.

Presently they could rejoice to see breathing restored; she was resting quietly, and then she began to realize how that she had been on the very threshold of eternity. Solemn were the thoughts that pressed on all amid our thanksgiving, while a special gravity was in the young heart of her, so recently snatched from death. As she thought of it she exclaimed, “Oh, the agony of mind I felt when I saw no escape from drowning, and I did not know where I was going. Oh! I shall never forget it — never may I forget it!”

Will you not, dear friend, let this incident speak to your heart? The moment may be much nearer than you think when you shall be ushered into the presence of God. Who can tell the dreadful agony of facing that moment with no assurance of acceptance, but, on the contrary, with a fearful looking for of the judgment that follows death. For “it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” Heb. 9:27.

ML 10/01/1961

A Drunkard for Thirty Years

I was a drunkard for thirty I years and I tried all kinds of means to get free, but failed. I pledged myself over and over again, and swore off many a time. At last I found the Lord Jesus at the Mission meeting, and He saved me. He took away the appetite for drink from me. Now I am a different man.”

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

ML 10/01/1961

The Father's Care

Oh, wonderful story of deathless love,

Each child is dear to that heart above!

He fights for me when I cannot fight;

He comforts me in the gloom of night;

He lifts the burden, for He is strong;

He stills the sigh and awakes the song;

The sorrows that bear me down He shares,

And loves and pardons because He cares.

ML 10/01/1961

Bible Questions for October

The Children’s Class

1. Can anyone ever say there is unrighteousness with God?

2. Will we remain ignorant of God’s righteousness if we go about to establish our own righteousness?

3. Can anyone understand the wisdom of God, or are His ways past finding out?

4. How should we react to good and evil?

5. How did Christ become Lord of both the dead and the living?

6. Is there a fullness of blessing connected with the gospel of Christ?

7. Has the everlasting God been made known to all nations?

The Young People’s Class

1. What did David eat as he fled from Saul and his household? 1 Sam. 21.

2. According to the law, who alone was permitted to eat this bread? Lev. 24.

3. In the New Testament reference to this incident, did the Lord show He was greater than any part of the law? Matt. 12.

4. With what enemy of Israel did David seek refuge, after temporarily losing his confidence in the Lord? 1 Sam.

5. Does he later tell of a better haven in times of calamity? Psa. 57.

6. Did David’s actions at this time have a favorable impression on King Achish? 1 Sam.

7. Can the way of truth be evil spoken of through the actions of those bearing the name of Christians? 2 Pet. 2.

ML 10/01/1961

Bible Talks: Proverbs 8:1-21

In this chapter, in contrast with the ways of evil, the Spirit of God turns now to describe the ways of wisdom. She does not work under cover of darkness to flatter and seduce the foolish, but she meets man wherever he may be and addresses him in all earnestness. Her voice is to all men everywhere.

“Doth not wisdom cry? and understanding put forth her voice? She standeth in the top of the high places, by the way in the places of the paths. She crieth at the gates, at the entry of the city, at the coming in at the doors: Unto you, O men, I call; and my voice is to the sons of man.”

If, as we saw earlier, wisdom is to be the gathering up of all that experience can give in the fear of the Lord, then understanding is the discovering of all this as divinely brought out in the word of God. So when wisdom cries and understanding adds her voice to what is proclaimed, we can see how God was acting in love to turn man from the path of evil. This is the meaning of the Lord’s words, “My Father worketh hitherto and I work.” It was a work which began when sin entered into the world. Wisdom, we are told, dwells with prudence and we ought to receive her instruction for it is better than gold and silver. Her price is above rubies, and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared with her. We ought to have an attentive ear and an obedient heart, that we may be guided aright in the difficult pathways of life in this world which has been defiled by sin, and where wickedness abounds.

“The fear of the Lord is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate. Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom: I am understanding; I have strength.” This last, man also lost when he fell. In Romans? we get the experience of one struggling along and he says, “What I would that I do not, but what I hate that I do.”

Then it is brought out that only by this God-given wisdom can kings and princes rule in justice in the ways of judgment. How little seeking for this divine wisdom is there by those in authority in this world. But then we are told, “I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.”

“I lead in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgment: that I may cause those that love me to inherit substance; and I will fill their treasures.”

ML 10/01/1961

Comforting Words

The believer shall not come into judgment. (John 5:24.)

The believer shall not walk in darkness. (John 8:12.)

The believer shall never hunger. (Phil. 4:19; John 6:28-35.)

The believer shall never thirst. (John 7:37-39.)

The believer shall never perish. (John 3:15.)

The believer shall never be plucked out of Jesus’ hand. (John 10:27-29.)

The believer shall never die. (John 11:25-27.)

“Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.” (John 20:29.)

ML 10/01/1961

Won by a Mother's Love

A family of six sons had emigrated from Scotland with their mother and settled in New Jersey. Five of the fatherless boys were brought to know the Saviour, but the sixth remained obstinate, a constant sorrow and heartbreak to his mother. One day a neighbor sought to sympathize, and afterward remarked: “But why worry about John? Surely he isn’t worth worrying about? Let him go, specially when you have five fine boys.”

“Let him go!” cried the mother, rising to her feet, her eyes flashing fire, her whole being trembling, while the tears coursed down her cheeks. “I cannot — I will not let him go,” she exclaimed passionately. “I gave him to God when he was born and God will have him yet, even though He has to turn the world over to get him.”

Time passed on and that mother’s love and faith won through. Her prayers were answered gloriously. Her wayward son was converted. He rose to be a judge in one of the highest courts in America, and an honored Christian. Love had captured him. He knew that, despite his past, his mother’s love remained, and in that love he saw the love of Christ, ready to welcome, forgive, and bless him. It was this which dispelled all his fears and drew him in repentance to the Saviour—love, wonderful love.

“The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn thee.” Jer. 31:3.

“I declare unto you the GOSPEL... how that CHRIST DIED FOR OUR SINS according to the Scriptures.” 1 Cor. 15:1, 3, 4.

How wondrous a SAVIOUR is God’s blessed Son!

How great and eternal the work He has done!

God’s glory maintained by His death on the tree,

While mercy flows freely to you and to me.

ML 10/08/1961

Her Only Son

It was in the first year of the Civil War that a widowed mother in a Kentucky town gave up her only son to her country. So great was her love for the Union that she said to him: “Go, my son; though you are my only child, my joy and support, I give you freely.” That was a great sacrifice.

Just before the regiment started for the camp at the front, it was drawn up in line, and friends gathered to bid a parting “good-by.” That widowed mother stood by her son, her arms about him, all her deep mother-love looking out of her eyes up into his face. Then as the bugle sounded, “Prepare to mount,” she clung to him with a closer embrace, but in another moment the second bugle sounded, “Mount.” The boy gently unclasped his mother’s arms from about his neck, and sprang to his saddle; but the mother fell at his feet in a swoon. Ah! It was costing her sore to part with her only son.

But, said a friend of the young man in our story, could that mother have foreseen what I saw a few days afterwards — the only son smitten down by the fragment of a burst shell and the battle surging back and forth over the spot where he fell; and could she have seen her boy, torn, dead, and buried in a nameless grave — I doubt if she could or would have given her only son. The cost would have been too great.

But when God gave His own Son He knew what was to be the result. He knew that from His birth to the Cross He would be set upon by Satan, that the very people He came to save would never rest until they had hanged Him on the Cross. He foresaw those hours of agony in the garden where He sweat, as it were, great drops of blood. He foresaw the trial before Pilate, the shameful buffeting, and the Roman lash laid over His back. He foresaw the cross, with the nails through His hands and feet, the pierced side, the thorn-crowned brow, and most of all His awful sufferings during those three hours of darkness when making atonement. He knew of that bitter hour when His Son would die for sinners.

Think you not that it cost the Father something to hear His well-beloved Son to cry out, “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?” And why did God forsake His Son when He was doing His will? Why? Because He was dying under the curse of the law, in the place of sinners, and so must suffer for their sins, though He knew no sin. And God could not draw near to help. When I think of all this, and that His blood was shed for the redemption of my sins, I say truly, it was wonderful love to me.

The Son of God did all this for thee. How great was His love to sinners! Alas, that sinners should scorn and despise Him. No wonder that the wicked are turned into hell with the nations that forget God, for where else could they go who have no place in their hearts for His dear love and redemption? Does it not speak to your heart? Have you trusted in the blood? Have you life through His death?

ML 10/08/1961

The Chinaman's Question

A missionary in South China told of a native who once came to him and said: “Why don’t you preach something else? You have been preaching this Jesus for three days.”

“What do you eat for breakfast?” the Chinaman was asked.

“Rice,” was the reply.

“For dinner?”

“Rice.”

“For supper?”

“Why, rice.”

“What did you eat yesterday?” “Rice.”

“Why don’t you eat something else?”

“Because it keeps me alive.”

“That is just the reason why we preach Jesus,” continued the missionary triumphantly; “because He is life to us.”

“I am the way, the truth and the life.” John 14:6.

“He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God, hath not life.” 1 John 5:12.

ML 10/08/1961

Rice

It is estimated that nearly one-third of the human race lives almost entirely on rice. The wisdom of God as Creator is seen in making a grain so small to contain so much nourishment, that millions of His creatures can make it their main item of good. In Genesis 1:29 we read, “And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.”

The Apostle Paul also tells us that God “left not Himself without witness, in that He did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with good and gladness.” Acts 14:15-17. We may well say with the psalmist: “Oh that men would praise the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!” Psa. 107:8. Selected

ML 10/08/1961

My Hiding Place

By Jehoiada Brewer. Died 1817.

(These verses were found in the pocket of Major Andre after his execution during the Revolutionary War.)

Hail, sovereign love, which first began

That scheme to rescue fallen man!

Hail, matchless, free, eternal grace,

Which gave my soul a hiding place.

Against the God who built the sky

I fought with hands uplifted high;

Despised the mention of His grace,

Too proud to seek a hiding place.

Enwrapt in thick Egyptian night,

And fond of darkness more than light,

Madly I ran the sinful race,

Secure without a hiding place.

And thus the eternal counsels ran,

“Almighty love, arrest that man!”

I felt the arrows of distress,

And found I had no hiding place.

Indignant Justice stood in view,

To Sinai’s fiery mount I flew;

But Justice cried with frowning face,

“This mountain is no hiding place.”

On Jesus, God’s just vengeance fell,

Which would have sunk a world to hell;

He bore it for a sinful race,

And thus became their Hiding Place.

Should sevenfold storms of thunder roll,

And shake this globe from pole to pole,

No thunderbolt shall daunt my face,

For Jesus is my Hiding Place.

A few more rolling suns at most,

Shall land me on fair Canaan’s coast,

Where I shall sing the song of grace,

And see my glorious Hiding Place.

ML 10/08/1961

Bible Talks: Proverbs 8:22-36

We can see a change in the context of this chapter from verse 22 to the end.

“The Lord possessed Me in the beginning of His way, before His works of old. I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was. When there were no depths I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water. Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth:... Then I was by Him, as one brought up with Him: and I was daily His delight, rejoicing always before Him; rejoicing in the habitable part of His earth; and My delights were with the sons of men.”

We have here wisdom spoken of in such a way that it can only be applied to the Lord Jesus Christ, before He came into this world, before the earth and the heavens were called into being. He was from the beginning, whenever that was, as we read in John 1:1-3: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.... All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made.” He was the Creator of all things, the Object and the delight of God.

He in wisdom prepared the heavens, establishing the clouds, bringing the earth into existence, and placed the bounds upon the sea that the waters should not pass His commandment. We are told that there is just the right proportion of sea and land upon this earth to sustain life, and we learn here who it was that determined all this. It was all ordered according to this divine wisdom in preparing it for man’s habitation. Here was to be displayed not only the wisdom necessary for the formation of all these things, but also where the love of God for His creatures would be displayed. He was the delight of the Father, and He rejoiced in the earth as it was prepared for man’s dwelling place, for “His delights were with the sons of men.” Many centuries were allowed to roll by before He came, “but when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son” (Gal. 4:4). He came at the time appointed, to manifest the love of God to the sons of men, His creatures, who were under the power of darkness in this world, and to redeem them.

“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. We are also told that “Christ loved the church, and gave Himself for it.” Eph. 5:25. He saw among the sons of men that “pearl of great price” and He was willing to give all that He had to obtain it. How wonderful it is to consider the love of God and of Christ in all this, and of how it is said of the Lord Jesus, “Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Heb. 12:2.

He had also at the same time to endure the hatred of man under the power of Satan. “He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not. He came unto His own, and His own received Him not.” John 1:10, 11. We can see then how little did men heed this call of Proverbs 8 to hearken to the voice of wisdom. But there were some who hearkened as John 1:12 tells us: “But as many as received Him to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe in His name.”

ML 10/08/1961

"I Want to see the Queen"

Close by the gate of Holyrood,

Where dwelt the gracious Queen,

Near where a soldier-sentry stood,

A little boy was seen.

A slouching cap was loosely flung

Upon his uncombed hair;

His clothes in rags and tatters hung,

His legs and feet were bare.

He boldly walked along the road,

As though a lord of state,

Toward Her Majesty’s abode,

And to the royal gate.

The soldier stopped his further course,

And put his gun between;

But Jimmie said, while looking cross,

“I want to see the Queen.”

“You cannot see the Queen, my lad,”

The soldier then replied;

This made poor little Jimmie sad,

And so he stood and cried.

“There’s no one to the palace goes

But those of noble race;

And you have only ragged clothes,

And such a dirty face!”

Just then there came across the vale,

A youth of noble mien,

Who heard the little fellow’s tale—

“I want to see the Queen.”

“And you shall see the Queen today,”

Replied the princely boy;

This chased poor Jimmie’s fears away,

And filled his heart with joy.

But while he wiped away a tear,

He muttered soft and low,

“You sojer, sir, with that great spear,

Won’t let us pass, you know.”

“Don’t be afraid, my little one,”

He whispered in his ear;

“He shall not hurt you with his gun

Nor touch you with his spear.”

So Jimmie took the prince’s hand,

And trotted by his side,

Well pleased to see the soldier stand

So calm and dignified.

And when they came to Holyrood

It was a pleasant scene;

As little shoeless Jimmie stood

And gazed upon the Queen.

Well pleased with what the prince had done,

She granted his request;

Took pity on the friendless one,

And had him washed and dressed.

And Jimmie grateful thanks returned

When cleansed and dressed and shod;

And through the Queen’s great goodness learned

The gracious ways of God;

That neither soldier, gun nor sword,

Could bar the living way,

To keep a sinner from the Lord,

Or frighten him away.

The queens and princes, dukes and earls,

Need Christ, the Living Way,

As well as little boys and girls

That romp about and play.

The blood of Jesus Christ alone

Can wash us from our sins;

And when that precious blood is known,

Then heavenly bliss begins.

For ‘tis by Christ alone we live,

And have our peace and joy,

And that’s what God delights to give

To every girl and boy.

G.C.

ML 10/15/1961

Johnny's Card

It was found in Johnny’s Bible. A simple card with a few words upon it. But it spoke volumes. Johnny had signed it, making the words his very own. What were they?

God loves me, and God gives to me, Christ Jesus, who came into this world, lived, died, rose, ascended, and prays for me. I believe God loves me, and I now gratefully accept God’s gift.

Signed, John.

Now, therefore, I shall never perish; and not only that but have everlasting life already. Go says so, and I rest upon His John 3:16, 1:12, 6:37.

It was after a gospel meeting that Johnny had signed the card. In that meeting he had heard and believed the good news that God loved him, and there he had received the Lord Jesus Christ to be his own personal Saviour.

How well it was Johnny had come to Christ that night. One day he was playing with some of his friends in one of the streets where he lived, when he was knocked down and run over by a truck. He was carried to the hospital and died there almost immediately. His mother was sad indeed when she knew what had happened, but, when visited by a Christian worker, she joyfully opened Johnny’s Bible and showed the card he had signed, and told how his whole life had been changed since that night, and how his whole course showed that he was a true young Christian. Are you?

ML 10/15/1961

Poem

Have you found the heavenly light?

Pass it on!

Souls are groping in the night—

Daylight gone.

Hold your lighted lamp on high,

Point to Jesus in the sky;

He may live, who else would die—

Pass it on!

ML 10/15/1961

The Charcoal Carrier

Many of our readers will recall the story of little Mary and old Jacob, the charcoal carrier, which appeared in June 25 issue of MESSAGES. On a Sunday afternoon in summer little Mary was sitting under a tree reading her Bible. Old Jacob came along with his donkey carrying charcoal, for the old man worked as hard on Sunday as week days. He stopped and asked Mary to read him something and it so happened that her Bible was open at the scripture, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy...” This she read to him and then he asked what it meant. Her reply was: “It means you mustn’t carry charcoal on Sunday.” The old man took it to heart, gave up working on Sundays and went to Sunday school instead. It resulted in his conversion.

We regret if the printing of this little story has resulted in confusing in any one’s mind the two distinct lines of truth in Scripture, namely the Sabbath, and the Lord’s day. Little Mary’s explanation was merely that of a little child, devoted, though incorrectly taught. In spirit she was surely right, though in doctrine she was wrong. However, God, “who looketh on the heart,” overruled for old Jacob’s blessing.

The Sabbath was the seventh day; it was connected with the first creation, and with the law as given to Israel, God’s earthly people. It is typical of God’s rest, the seventh day looking on to the millenium. But this first order of things has been completely set aside by God in the death of Christ. “He taketh away the first, that He may establish the second.” Heb. 10:9. When He died, the rending of the veil signified the passing of the old order of worship, and all that stood connected with the law, to be replaced by the “new and living way”; while the rending of the rocks was a token of the passing away of the old creation.

The Lord’s day, on the other hand, represents a new order of things altogether, and is as distinct from the Sabbath as Grace is from law. It is the first day of the week, the day on which the Lord Jesus rose from the dead, and marks an entirely new beginning. It is not connected with the old creation, but with the new, which is founded upon the resurrection of Christ. Christ in resurrection is “the beginning of the creation of God” (Rev. 3:14), and every believer in Him is part of it. “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature (creation): old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” 2 Cor. 5:17. The Lord’s day is characteristic of Christianity.

It was God who sanctified the Sabbath and gave the law to Israel. It was He who has put special honor on the first day of the week, speaking, as it does, of redemption accomplished in the death and resurrection of His Son. From Acts 20:7 we learn that on the first day of the week the disciples came together to break bread. And we believe that it is the desire of our blessed Saviour now that His own should be found, if possible, on this day partaking of the Lord’s supper, in grateful, loving remembrance of His body given in death, and His blood shed, for us.

The Sabbath day was to be a day of rest for an Israelite. He must do no servile work, and we also hear of travel on that day limited to “a Sabbath-day’s journey” (about 5/8 mile). But for the Christian, as another has remarked, if he were enabled on the Lord’s day to walk twenty Sabbath-day’s journeys in special service for the Lord, he would not only be at liberty to do that work, but it would be most acceptable to the Lord.

The picture of a little girl, like Mary in our story, sitting on a Sunday afternoon reading her Bible, may well serve as an example to many in our day, when the Holy Scriptures are so little appreciated, and when this vain world’s pleasures and the passing things of time occupy so many young hearts.

ML 10/15/1961

Bible Talks: Proverbs 9:1-1 2

In the last chapter wisdom is seen in Him who formed the earth and prepared the heavens, whose “delights were with the sons of men.” Here in chapter 9 the fruits of these delights are seen. Wisdom has made her habitation among men and is personified as a benefactress in contrast with the influence of evil. Sovereign in her own realm, she builds her house, provides her feast, sends out the invitation and presses the invited guests to come.

“Wisdom hath builded her house” a place of protection and instruction. “She hath hewn out her seven pillars” — the supporting structure or the principles which God has provided through His Word, through which alone peace and justice can be established for mankind on this earth.

“She hath killed her beasts; she hath mingled her wine; she hath also furnished her table” — everything has been provided for man’s welfare. “She hath sent forth her maidens”—her messengers — to invite all who desire to obtain this understanding which she alone can give.

To the simple she says, “Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mingled.” How unselfish and generous the love of God as expressed in the feast He has spread for man. But she also declares the negative side: “Forsake the foolish, and live.” As with the prodigal in Luke 15, the bread and the wine are the provisions of the Father’s house that are waiting for him to feed on when he returns, but there must be the breaking off from that which destroys him. “Forsake the foolish”—the foolish place, the foolish company, and the foolish employments — “and live.” Life and death hang in the balance of this decision. The Lord by His prophet of old uttered in the ears of men the brief command, “Turn ye from your evil ways, ... for why will ye die?” Ezek. 33:11. In a later day, in His own blessed Peon, with grief of heart He had to say, “Ye will not come to Me that ye might have life.” John 5:40. But those who do turn to Him find life, joy and peace for their souls.

But if there are those who through grace come desiring to be instructed and fed, we find in this world those who despise this wisdom, and we are next warned against attempting to correct a scorner. Such a one has no scruples of conscience, but laughs at the good and boasts of evil. He glories in his shame. The gospel is surely for such but to attempt to reprove him will only end in disappointment and bring on a blot and shame on the one who does, for the scorner will not receive a rebuke and may only pour out in a worse way the deep hatred of his heart. “Rebuke not a scorner, lest he hate thee.”

On the other hand this same care exercised toward a wise man will be appreciated: “rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee.”

Then we are told that “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the Holy is understanding.” By these the years of life are increased. This is clearly brought out in the gospel concerning our Lord Jesus Christ; for “godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.” 1 Tim.4:8.

ML 10/15/1961

How Have You Treated Him?

In the suburbs of a large city some years ago a group of lads played. As usual one of them, a lively boy of twelve, was looked upon by the others as their leader, and at his suggestion all would join in their fun.

From the city one day there came a poor crippled man, his arms and legs twisted and weak with disease. As he passed along the leading boy suggested having a “little fun with him.” Soon they were jeering and mocking at his helplessness, but never a word escaped the poor man’s lips.

The “hero” boy later returned home, and there to his great surprise sat his mother talking to the same crippled man he had been so cruelly mocking but a short time before. The boy’s first thought was that the poor man would have told his mother and he almost wished the ground would open up and take him away.

“Well, Henry,” said his mother, seeing him staring and changing color. “Have you forgotten all your manners? Come and meet an old friend of ours.”

Henry felt and looked sheepish as he walked timidly over to meet the strange visitor. But the latter with a winning smile, greeted him, and then slowly raising one of his crippled hands he laid it on the lad’s curly head and said: “God bless you, Henry my boy; God bless you! May you grow up a true and faithful servant of the Lord Jesus Christ, and witness a good confession for Him. God bless you, Henry!”

Finally with a warm greeting to the mother and another to the boy, he hobbled slowly and painfully from the room. As soon as the front door was closed the boy rushed to his mother, and in a torrent of words asked: “Mother, who is he? Tell me quick! Where has he come from? Why is he crippled, What has he come for quick, Mother!”

“Why, Henry my boy, I thought you knew. Just calm your excitement and I’ll tell you. Sit down.” Henry listened impatiently to his mother and drank in every word about the strange visitor.

“Henry, when you were a little fellow, about four years old, you were playing near our river and suddenly, seeing a big butterfly, you chased it till it took you to the edge of the river and then you made a grab at it and fell headlong into the icy cold water. That gentleman saw you fall in, and just as he was, he dived in after you and saved your little life. Later, rheumatic fever set in with him, and after a fearful struggle between life and death, he pulled through; but he has been a helpless cripple ever since. That’s what he did for you, Henry: he saved your life.”

And now it was the mother’s turn to be amazed, for the boy had fallen on the rug at her feet, and was sobbing as if his heart would break.

“Why, Henry! Henry! What is the matter? Tell me,” she pleaded. At last through the sobs came the words.

“Oh, Mother! I’ve been mocking—and insulting — the one — the one who-risked-his-life-for-me. Will he-ever-forgive me? Oh, Mother, I’ve insulted and hurt my best friend!”

Say, you who read this story of Henry’s boyhood, does it fit you, and your conduct toward a perfectly gracious Saviour, who went farther than risking His life, who gave His life for you when you were helpless, to ransom and rescue you from an eternal death, and still today bears the marks in His glorified body? How have you treated Him these years? Have you mocked Him and put Him to an open shame? Have you scorned His great love wherewith He has loved you? Perhaps you have never seen it in this light before, when you mocked His dying love. Can’t you see it now? The only Saviour is Jesus Christ who can save you and fit you for God’s presence. He died upon the cross to pay the price and settle your debt with God. He still loves sinners and can be yours today. Can you refuse such love?

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

“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.

ML 10/22/1961

"Be Sure Your Sin Will Find You Out"

I was a small boy when this truth was brought home to me in a very painful way. My dear father was very fond of gardening. He had a very sharp garden knife, which he forbade us children to use, and put it far out of our reach on the top shelf in the toolshed. But I noticed where he had put it, and when he went as usual to the office one morning, I said to my younger brother,

“Alfred, I know where that knife is,” and I climbed up to the top shelf in the toolshed and found it. “Here it is,” I said. “We will get some wood, and make some sharp swords, and play soldiers.”

Now my father had often warned us when using a knife, not to cut toward us but away from us, because if the knife slipped, we might cut ourselves badly. But, I thought I knew better than Father, so I took no notice of his warning, and did just what I was told not to do. I used the knife the wrong way, and, alas it slipped and I cut right through the nail into my thumb.

“Quick! quick!” I said to my brother; “hide it under that tree on the rockery.”

But it was too late; the truth had to come out, for the thumb bled profusely, and the nail was badly cut. It took a long time to heal.

There was no hiding it. My disobedience and naughtiness all came to light and I suffered for a long time through constant pain and bleeding. The wound has left its mark till this very day, more than seventy years! It reminded me years after of the words, “Be sure your sin will find you out.” Numb. 32:23. The sin has long been forgiven, both by God and my father, and I have proved the Scripture true, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9. God’s dear Son has died upon the cross, He has made full atonement for sin, and now God has a righteous basis on which He can forgive a sinner that believes in Him. God can now be JUST and the JUSTIFIER of him that believeth in Jesus. (Rom. 3:26).

ML 10/22/1961

Daniel Webster Can You Comprehend?

Let’s talk about religion!” The conversation had lagged at the dinner party in Boston, despite the presence of America’s most distinguished orator, Daniel Webster. They considered it a subject sure to prove interesting.

With Webster on the occasion were a number of America’s most widely read authors, and most of those at the table denied the deity of Christ. That skeptical viewpoint was prominently expressed around.

Suddenly one of the guests realized that Webster had made no comment. “Daniel, you have been silent throughout this discussion. Don’t you have any opinion?”

The famed lawyer, Senator, and

Secretary of State replied, “Indeed I do!”

“Then express yourself by all means!” encouraged his companions.

“I believe,” replied Webster, “fully in the divinity of Jesus Christ and on man’s absolute dependence upon the Saviour’s atonement!”

Several gasped. They had no idea that Webster had such unpopular beliefs.

“But, Mr. Webster,” objected one, “Can you comprehend how Christ could be both God and man?”

“No, sir, I cannot comprehend it,” replied the orator.

“Then how can you believe it?” demanded a prominent author.

“Because I cannot comprehend it,” explained Webster, “I can believe it. If I could with this mind of mine fully understand Jesus Christ, He would be no greater than myself. But He is greater, too great for anyone to comprehend. What men need is a supernatural Saviour!”

“No man knoweth the Son, but the Father.” Matt. 11:27.

The higher mysteries of Thy fame The creature’s grasp transcend; The Father only Thy blest name Of Son can comprehend.

ML 10/22/1961

Are You Telling It?

How sweet it is from self to flee

And shelter in our Saviour;

Oh, precious grace, with Him’s our place,

In God’s eternal favor.

Jesus the goal before our soul,

The One we know in glory;

While here on earth we’d tell His worth,

A saved one’s sweetest story.

ML 10/22/1961

Bible Talks: Proverbs 9:1 3-1 8

Then we have wisdom’s great rival in the world — evil personified in “the foolish woman.” “A foolish woman is clamorous; she is simple, and knoweth nothing. For she sitteth at the door of her house, on a seat in the high places of the city.”

Wisdom pleads for the Lord and for His glory; she delights in good and in doing good for man, but the foolish woman devoted herself only to the indulgence of sinful pleasure, regardless of all consequences. Like wisdom she is seen in the same wide thoroughfare of the world and bidding for the youth who throng it. Thus this world’s evil is personified that it may be set forth the more clearly in all its degradation over against the loveliness of truth. All that is contrary to Christ — and dangerous to souls is gathered up and individualized as a foolish woman lying in wait for the unwary, and dragging them down the steep incline to hell. Her special occupation is “to call passengers who go right on their ways,” and persuade them to turn aside for “stolen waters.” How sad to see so many young issuing from homes where they have been trained in virtue and start out in life’s wide path with the intention of going “right,” but who, have been suddenly enticed aside into evil, entangled in the net, and lost! Surely it is only the Lord who can keep us! We cannot keep ourselves. Our daily prayer should be, “Preserve me, O God: for in Thee do I put my trust.” Ps. 16:1.

The evil woman “sitteth at the door of her house” and she addresses the throngs that pass by in the same identical terms as wisdom does: “Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither,” but how opposite the end; “the dead are there” and “her guests are in the depths of hell.” Thus the two great rivals for possession of a human heart are seen as competing against each other. No heart can follow both of these drawings. Every sinner must turn his back upon the Saviour or upon his sin. He yields to the one or to the other.

The “simple” here are not those of feeble mind but those who have no thought or care, of conscience or heart, toward God. The evil influences of this world are “clamorous”; they speak great swelling words of vanity, and while promising liberty, they are but the servants of corruption, and if one is overcome by them, he is brought into bondage and knows not that these are but the ways of death and lead down to hell.

“Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant,” are the enticing words of evil. There are pleasures in sin for a season (Heb. 11:25), yet it is a short one, and then comes the bitterness and sorrow. But they that seek to follow the Lord find in Him eternal pleasures: “Thou wilt show me the path of life: in Thy presence is fullness of joy; at Thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” Ps. 16:11. The child of God, while still having the old nature in him, nevertheless has a new nature which is of God, which feeds only on Christ and delights in holiness. “O taste and see that the Lord is good.” Ps. 34:8. “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” Matt. 5:6. When the redeemed of the Lord come to Zion, the heavenly city, with songs of joy, the old sinful nature will have gone forever. There will be no sinful things to taste there, and no taste for sinful things. But every heart shall find its fullest satisfaction in Christ, the blessed One “that filleth all in all.”

ML 10/22/1961

The Octopus

The picture here shows an OCTOPUS. One was caught in a lobster pot. It is, of course, quite small compared with other specimens found in different parts of the world.

We might well wonder what God had in His mind in creating such awful-looking creatures, but we do know that “all things were created by Him and for Him” (Col. 1:16). No doubt, they have some important lessons to teach us. Scripture says, “Doth not even nature itself teach you?”

Now it is a remarkable thing, that to man there does not seem to be one attractive feature about the octopus. In the first place, it takes all and gives nothing! How like Satan that is. The younger son we read about in Luke, chapter 15, who turned his back on his father and went away into the far country proved this. As long as he had something to give, he had plenty of friends, but when he had spent all his money, his friends all left him, and it says, “No man gave unto him.” It was then that he realized that even his father’s servants had abundance of bread. Yes! there is abundance with God, all in His heart to give to those who come to Him, realizing their sinful condition, but who, with repentance of heart, turn to the Father.

Now, we have said that the octopus gives nothing. This is true except for one thing. The octopus has the power to produce a black inky substance.

This partly enables the creature to conceal itself by darkening all the water around it, but it also blinds the eyes of its victim. This is another picture of what Satan does, for we read, that “the god of this world (Satan)has blinded the thoughts of the unbelieving, so that the radiancy of the glad tidings of the glory of Christ,... should not shine forth for them.” When men are under the blinding power of Satan, what terrible thoughts they have about God! The gospel is preached that eyes might be opened.

But there is another feature which marks the octopus, and that is, that it has very powerful suckers. Having blinded the eyes of its victim, it would suck it to itself so that it may complete its work of destruction. The power that the octopus thus has of holding its prey, may well be a lesson to us as to the importance of taking the warnings that are given to us. We see how the poor man we read about in the 8th chapter of Luke, who said his name was Legion, was delivered by coming into touch with the Lord Jesus — He who was able to deal with Satan’s power, so that this man was found, “sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind.”

Now the last feature that we shall consider about the octopus is very important. You would have been very surprised if you had seen how small was the gap in the lobster pot through which the octopus had squeezed. Once it was inside, it spread itself out until it practically filled the pot, but it came in through a very small hole. What a reminder this is of the necessity for our hearts to be filled with the Lord Jesus, and His love, so that the enemy (that is Satan) cannot gain admittance at all.

W.W

ML 10/29/1961

Mercy for the Guilty

Some years ago, the writer was obliged to attend one of the courts in the city of London, on behalf of his firm. While waiting for the case in which he was interested to come on, several others were taken first, among them, that of a cutter to a well-known firm of city tailors.

The charge against him was read. It was to the effect that the accused man had stolen a roll of cloth valued between three and four pounds.

“Have you anything to say?” asked the judge in a stern voice.

There was an inaudible murmur as the man stood in the dock, with his head bowed. “I see,” said the judge, “you have been with your employers for fifteen years. Have they always paid you fair wages?”

“Yes,” murmured the man.

“Don’t you consider that to steal their property is a mean, despicable way of treating them, after the manner in which they have served you? You will be fined twenty-five dollars or ten days in default,” said the judge.

“I haven’t a penny in the world,” cried the man.

“Then you will go to prison,” replied the judge.

At that moment there was a cry from the back of the court and all eyes turned quickly, to see a woman with her head buried in her hands, sobbing pitifully. She was obviously the man’s wife, waiting to hear the verdict.

Almost simultaneously there rose from the front of the court a tall, well-dressed man of about sixty-five years of age, and he addressed the judge thus:

“Your Worship, I wish with your permission to say a few words as to this case. I am this man’s employer, and I have a favor to ask: Once before in my life I appeared in this very court on a similar quest and I have never had cause to regret it. I myself am desirous of paying the fine which the Bench has just imposed I ask you to let me do so now — and then to reinstate the man in his former position.”

“Your request is granted,” said the judge.

Never shall I forget the tenseness of that moment. The accused man burst into tears, while almost every head was bowed in emotion, as, stepping toward the dock that tall figure took the arm of his employee and gently led him away.

The demands of justice were fully met, yet love and compassion were supreme.

You say: “That man would be won for life!” I reply: “He certainly ought to have been.”

The fine, indeed, had to be paid in full and it was, and as a result, the guilty was freed.

Can you imagine the feelings of that man toward his employer? I think I can.

Now what I want to ask you is this. Have you ever thought of what the Lord Jesus has done for you? Our position is just like that of the man in our story. We have sinned against God, not once, but many times, and unless the just penalty which those sins deserve is fully met by someone who, like this man, is prepared to pay the penalty which is mine, one day I shall have to appear before God, at a far higher court — at “the great white throne.”

If we stand there with our sins unforgiven, stern justice will of necessity find me both guilty and condemned, and then there will be no Saviour, for the day of mercy will have passed forever.

The wonderful story of God’s grace is: that Jesus, on Calvary’s cross, suffered “the Just for the unjust” and has borne the full judgment of our sins, so that the penalty having been paid in full, God not only delights freely to forgive, but to fill our hearts with the love that has brought about, entirely from His own side, so wonderful a deliverance. Selected.

ML 10/29/1961

All to Himself

“Oh, now I have got a little room for myself,” said a young Christian boy to his uncle who was a missionary.

“A little room for what, Jack?”

“One where I can go in and shut the door, and have a little time with the Lord Jesus alone,” he answered with a smile, for he knew what his uncle meant.

The boy spoke as if he had come into some estate, although it was but a very small attic room. But it was enough. He had only known the Lord Jesus as his Saviour for a few months, but he knew the need of being alone with Him away from the rush and turmoil of this sinful world.

I suppose it is like Noah’s Ark—the same door that shuts the busy world out, shuts the Christian in with his God. The boy had found a trysting-place, you see; and he was satisfied. Many had been coming and going before that; and there was always something to distract; but, with this little addition to the domestic accommodation, he could now have the Lord all to himself! And this is what the Lord wants to be the case with all His people—that each one of us may have Him to ourselves.

ML 10/29/1961

Bible Talks: Proverbs 10:1-30:23

In chapters10-29 we have details given as to how the principles of the preceding chapters are to be carried out. They would teach us to avoid the snares of a foolish life, where man would go on according to the desires of a deceitful heart. From them we would also learn how to walk the path of wisdom in the fear of the Lord. But as we have remarked earlier, the Book of Proverbs gives us heavenly wisdom for an earthly path, so it is not here a question of redemption. We must turn to the New Testament to learn that which alone can give peace to the soul. This can only be had through faith in what our Lord Jesus Christ has wrought on Calvary’s cross.

We must pass over these chapters since to comment on them in detail would take us beyond the scope of our little paper. But we would seek to set them before our reader as deserving of his earnest attention. No other writings hold out more attractive promises of rich reward to one who meditates on the instructions laid down in them. These chapters embrace a vast miscellaneous treasure, collected by Solomon and transmitted in safe keeping down to our day. It is like a heap of wheat; the grains are small but many, yet each is a separate whole and food for the soul. For “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” Matt. 4:4.

In chapter 30 we have what are said to be “the words of Agur the son of Jakeh,” which were spoken unto Ithiel and Ucal. Some have thought that Agur refers to Solomon, but we do not know if this is so or not. Whoever he might have been, his sayings have been incorporated by the Spirit into the Word of God.

He takes the place of nothingness, saying “Surely I am more brutish (stupid) than any man, and have not the understanding of a man. I neither learned wisdom nor have the knowledge of the holy.” He that knows his own heart knows more evil of himself than any other.

The natural mind at its best cannot see nor understand who and what God is in His holiness and majesty. But Agur desires to know something of this One. “Who,” he asks, “hath ascended up into heaven, or descended?... who hath established all the ends of the earth? what is His name, and what is His Son’s name, if thou canst tell?” But this question remained unanswered until the coming of Him who descended first into the lower parts of the earth, but also ascended up far above all heavens, that He might fill all things. “No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him.” John 1:18.

We have in his chapter six sets of four things:

Four generations that are evil. (v. 11-14).

Four things that cannot be satisfied. (v. 15-16).

Four things that are beyond knowledge. (v. 18, 19).

Four things that cause unrest and are intolerable. (v. 21-23).

Four things that are weak but exceeding wise. (v. 24-28).

Four things that are stately and impressive. (v. 29-31).

ML 10/29/1961

The Love Language

Ruth Conway had left her home in America to work in Japan, but she had not been long enough in the new country to learn anything of the language. It was heart-breaking to her to be unable to say even a word to the children playing in the streets, for she loved them and longed to make friends with them. The tiny ones were specially attractive to her, and as they gazed at her with their solemn dark eyes she thought that they looked like little yellow and black dumplings.

Some of them would smile at her and nod their heads. “But, dear me,” thought Ruth, “that is a long way from being a missionary to them! I want to talk to them and tell them about the Lord Jesus.” She would end with a sigh.

At last God sent her little Suyataka. At the back of the house where Ruth lived was a garden, and one day she saw a pair of black eyes peeping at her through the fence.

“Good morning!” she called, and to her surprise a small voice answered, “Tank ye.” Whether that remark was in Japanese or in English, Ruth could not determine, but at any rate the ice was broken. After that, she and the little girl established a kind of friendship, and many queer attempts at communication were carried on through the fence.

After a while Ruth made her understand that she wanted her to come into the house. Little Suyataka’s eyes were round as she crept into the room, and her face said plainly, “What queer things foreigners have about them!” Ruth showed her some pictures of Bible characters, and she looked again at them, and then glanced up at the missionary as if to ask who they were.

“I caught her up in my arms and kissed her,” Ruth wrote afterward. “She understood the love language, and from that moment Suyataka knew that I loved her.”

When she came indoors again, Ruth taught her to kneel down and put her plump hands together, and there she prayed aloud to God for her. Suyataka was puzzled to know whom the foreigner was talking to; she saw tears in her eyes and was troubled by them. Ruth put her hand on the little head and begged the Good Shepherd to take her into His flock; and it seemed to her that a light came into the little yellow face and made it shine.

Before long Suyataka began to understand English, and the first word she said was “Jesus.” Soon followed two sentences, “Jesus loves me,” and “Jesus died for me.” Ruth bought her a Japanese Testament, which the child delights to read. There is no doubt that she is now a little lamb in the flock of the Good Shepherd.

ML 11/05/1961

Prayer and a Lion

In Africa some native Christians decided to hold a conference in their little hall, and invited other Christians from other places to come with them to study God’s Word for three or four days.

This meant many hungry mouths to feed, and the granaries were empty. They were able to buy millet for the staple food, but yet there was no meat. To buy meat for such a group was beyond their means. What should they do? They prayed that God would supply their need, for His Word tells us that “all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” Matt. 21:22.

Stefano Atandi, one of the native Christians, prayed with his wife and six children during the week preceding the conference. Soon the night before the opening dates of the conference was upon them. Still no meat! Seven o’clock in the evening they sat outside their hut. God still had time to work, but how was it to be accomplished. They went into the hut, and fell on their knees to pray.

No sooner had they started to pray when they heard a terrific noise just outside their hut. Stefano recognized it immediately as the roar of a lion. Their next anxious moments of prayer were for their safety rather than for meat. Several moments elapsed before he dared to peek outside the hut and, to his amazement, he saw a huge water buck struggling and breathing its last.

What happened! A lion had stalked the buck, and attacked it right near their yard. He dragged it to their hut and becoming frightened by the sound of their voices, he left his precious prey there and scampered off to safety. Stefano built a large fire in the yard to scare away the lion from any further attempts to reclaim his prize and then proceeded to butcher the buck. What a fine supply of meat, and in what a remarkable way God met their need.

Stefano and his family slept little that night as they talked about the affair. Again and again their voices burst forth in songs of praise to God for this miracle. His unbelieving neighbors heard the lion and were there to see with their own eyes how God worked on their behalf. The fame of it was spread abroad from hut to hut, and God’s name was glorified.

Nothing is too hard for God, and He tells us that He will supply all our need (Phil. 4:19). He will never fail His children who come to Him and ask Him in faith for their needs, for He is a bountiful God, and His mercies endure forever.

“Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you.” 1 Pet. 5:7.

ML 11/05/1961

Only a Tract

Bill was a construction worker, and one day when signing for a load of concrete blocks for a building he put a tract inside the truck driver’s order book.

Four years later the same truck driver came over to Bill and said, “Do you remember that Gospel tract you gave me about four years ago at the building job on South 8th Street?” Bill had forgotten all about it, but the man went on, “That tract started me thinking, and today I am saved and preaching the Gospel and distributing tracts myself. I’m so glad you gave me that tract — it brought me to God!”

“Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days.” Eccles. 11:1.

“My Word... shall not return unto Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” Isa. 55:11.

ML 11/05/1961

"Not Your Own"

“Not your own!” to Him ye owe,

All your life and all your love;

Live, that ye His praise may show,

Who is yet all praise above.

Let every day and every hour,

Let every gift and every power,

Be consecrated to Him alone,

To Him who claimed you for His

own.

“Lord Jesus, make Thyself to me,

A living, bright Reality,

More present to faith’s vision keen

Than any outward object seen,

More dear, more intimately nigh,

Than e’en the sweetest earthly tie.”

ML 11/05/1961

Bible Questions for November

The Children’s Class

1. What does the preaching of the cross mean to us which are saved?

2. What one thing was the Apostle Paul determined to know among the Corinthians?

3. What does God think of the wisdom of this world?

4. Who is sacrificed for us as our passover?

5. Why should we glorify God in body and spirit?

6. What does Scripture say about the fashion of this world?

7. Does God know all those that love Him?

The Young People’s Class

1. Where did David, God’s anointed king of Israel, escape to in his path of rejection? 1 Sam. 22.

2. Did the Lord Jesus, God’s anointed Son, know a path of rejection in this world? Mark 8.

3. Were there those who went down and gathered around David in that place of reproach? 1 Sam.

4. Are those who desire to go forth unto Jesus promised a popular path today? Heb. 13.

5. How did Moses of old esteem the reproach of Christ? Heb. 11.

6. What title did David receive in the time of suffering? 1 Sam. 22.

7. How did Jesus become the captain of our salvation? Heb. 2.

ML 11/05/1961

Bible Talks: Proverbs 30:23-31:31

“There be four things which are little upon earth, but they are exceeding wise.” v. 26. These aptly set forth the truth of the gospel.

“The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer.” Unable to withstand the severe winter weather, they prepare their food in the summer. This day of grace is the summer time for the sinner and he may well learn from the ant that now is the time to obtain the salvation that God has provided. The wintertime of God’s judgment will soon come and then it will be too late.

“The conies are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks.” Similar to our rabbits, the conies are small defenseless creatures, but they have their nests hidden away in the rocks, safe from attacks. In Psalm 61:2 we read of “the Rock that is higher than I,” and 1 Corinthians 10:4 tells us that the Rock is Christ, the only refuge for a sinner.

“The locusts have no king, yet go they forth all of them by bands.” They have a natural instinct that keeps them together. They aptly illustrate those who belong to the Lord Jesus, who are born again and have a new nature. The Spirit of God, unseen by natural eyes, dwells within their hearts and unites them together in one body.

“The spider taketh hold with her hands, and is in kings’ palaces.” Though an undesirable little creature, the spider nevertheless finds its way into kings’ palaces. We, poor sinners, by nature and practice unsuited to God’s presence, who have been cleansed from our sins in the blood of Christ, are now made fit for a place in the Father’s house, and one day will be caught up to be with Christ there forever.

The last four things are stately and impressive. “A lion, which is strongest among beasts” — type of Satan. Who would dare to meet him alone unprotected? It is only by abiding in Christ that we can overcome him. Next a “greyhound,” or better rendered a “warhorse” which would strike terror into one who might meet him on foot. Then “a he goat” — symbol in Scripture of a great empire, noted for swiftness in conquest. Last of all “a king, against whom there is no rising up.” These all symbolize powers that are beyond us naturally and particularly the last. This carries our thoughts on to Christ who is to be a King with whom this world will have to do. When He comes in His power and glory He “shall strike through kings in the day of His wrath” (Ps. 110:05), and the most modern weapons of war will be no defense against Him. Those who put their trust in Him now will be with Him when He comes forth out of heaven, and his coming will mean deliverance for His poor persecuted earthly people in that day.

Then in the end of Chapter 31 we have the “virtuous woman” or “woman of worth,” whose price is “far above rubies” and in whom “the heart of her husband doth safely trust.” “She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.” If in the last chapter we had Christ the Son set forth in mystic language as the One who is coming forth to reign, here we have a figure of the Church, for which He died. “For Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it.” Eph. 5:25.

ML 11/05/1961

John's Adventure on a Raft

Close to where John Edwards lived there was a pond, and he and his elder brother Frank sometimes floated there on a raft they had made.

It happened that one day Frank had to go to the neighboring village. He would be away for some hours, and this gave John the chance for which he had long waited. He and Frank sometimes quarreled about the raft, because Frank would always insist upon having his own way with the steering.

The mother of the boys was an invalid and unfortunately confined to her room. Naturally, she was nervous about the adventures of her sons on the pond.

When Mrs. Edwards learned that Frank had gone to the village, she sent word by the nurse that on no account must John go on the pond. But John said to himself, “Mother does not understand. As if a fellow of nine years old cannot take care of himself!”

So John went to the pond, and after much trouble, he managed to get the raft to the bank. As he leaped on board, however, it floated away and losing his balance, he was plunged into the water up to his chin.

With much difficulty he scrambled back onto the raft, but feeling chilled by the cold water, he maneuvered his frail craft to the bank again, and ran home with all his might.

It was impossible to conceal from the nurse what had happened, for his dripping clothes told the tale, and John realized that when his mother learned of his disobedience she would be deeply grieved.

This made him very miserable. He didn’t know what to do to obtain her forgiveness, because the nurse would not allow him into his mother’s room.

After some little time and much anxious thought, John made up his mind.

Getting a slate, he wrote on it: “Dear Mother, I am so sorry I did what you told me not to do. I went to the pond and fell into the water. I am so unhappy because I disobeyed you; please forgive me. If you do, rub all this out and ask nurse to give me the slate again. With love, John.”

Taking the slate to the door, John asked the nurse to hand it to his mother. Then he waited outside the door. Almost at once the nurse came out and returned the slate to him.

John scarcely dared look at it, but ran off downstairs where he could be alone and then found that one side of the slate was quite clean. Summoning up courage, John turned it over, and found that the other side was also quite clean. Oh how very glad he was to know he had been forgiven!

This is just what the Lord Jesus will do for each boy or girl, and older one too, that comes to Him. If we are sorry and repentant, and confess our sins, He will wipe them all away in His precious blood shed on Calvary’s cross.

True repentance is taking sides with God against our sins and asking Him to put those sins away. This He now can do since Jesus has died. “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.” “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

“COME NOW, AND LET US REASON TOGETHER, SAITH THE LORD: THOUGH YOUR SINS BE AS SCARLET, THEY SHALL BE AS WHITE AS SNOW; THOUGH THEY BE RED LIKE CRIMSON, THEY SHALL BE AS WOOL.” Isa. 1:18.

ML 11/12/1961

Old John, the Stonebreaker

In days gone by, before the introduction of the splendid concrete roads which we now have in this country, it was a common sight to see the stonebreakers by the roadside. It was their business to break up big lumps of stone to a suitable size, ready for road mending.

The squire one day, out for a walk, was passing an old stonebreaker at work, and heard him saying, “Oh, Adam! Oh, Adam!” The sun was hot and the work very dreary and tiring. He took off his hat and mopped the perspiration from his brow, and repeated, “Oh, Adam!”

The squire stopped, and with a cheery, “Good morning, John,” said, “Why do you say, ‘Oh, Adam’?”

“Well, sir,” said the man, “if it hadn’t been for Adam, I shouldn’t have to be doing this weary job.”

“How is that?” asked the squire.

He replied, “Why, if Adam had not sinned, we should not have to earn our living by the sweat of our brow. He disobeyed God, and brought sin into the world, and we are all suffering from it.”

“But,” said the squire, “if you had been in the Garden of Eden, don’t you think you would have done the same thing?”

“No, I’m sure I shouldn’t,” said he. “My missus and I have often talked it over, and we would have been content with all the good things God had given us, and shouldn’t have touched just the one tree He had forbidden.”

“I’m not so sure of that,” said the squire; and after a few more words, he went on his way.

Now the squire was a Christian, and he wondered how best to help the old man. He had learned something of his own heart, and knew that he was a sinner and deserving of God’s just punishment. He had learned too, that Jesus had borne the punishment in his stead — that God had “laid on Him (Jesus) the iniquity of us all,” which is true of all who believe in Christ; and he had thanked God from his heart and accepted Jesus as his Saviour. Have you done so too, my dear reader?

A day or two after, a messenger called at the old man’s cottage. “The squire wants you and your wife to come to dinner with him tomorrow evening at six o’clock.” The old people were delighted at this honor, and the next day, dressed in their best clothes, they arrived in good time at the squire’s mansion.

The squire made them very welcome, and soon they were seated with him at the table, on which were a number of tempting dishes. When they had finished the first course, the butler entered and said that someone wanted to see the squire on important business, and could not wait.

So he apologized to his guests, and asked them to excuse him, and that, as he might be detained some little time, he begged them to go on with their meal, and to help themselves to anything they liked, “except that one,” said he, pointing to one covered over with a dish cover, which he asked them not to touch. To this of course they readily agreed.

Left to themselves, they continued to enjoy the good things on the table, saying to each other that they had never had such a dinner in their lives before. “I wonder what’s under that dish cover,” said the wife; “it’s very strange that he should keep just that one back when he told us to help ourselves to everything else.”

The more they talked about it, the more curious they became. “Let’s just peep and see what it is,” said she; “we won’t take any of it, of course; just lift the cover, John.” So, after some persuasion, John lifted the cover an inch or two, and, lo and behold! an empty dish, but out ran a little white mouse!

Then there was a scramble to try and catch it, and in doing so they knocked over a water jug and several other things, and the mouse got away safely. Imagine their feelings as they realized how foolish they had been. “Well,” John said, “we promised not to touch it, and now we’re found out.”

Just then the squire came in, and glancing at the table and seeing the look on their faces, guessed what had happened. Old John began to say something but soon stopped, for he could find no excuse. The squire listened quietly, and then said, “Now, if you had been in Adam’s place, would you not have done as he did?”

“Yes, sir,” said John, looking very downcast, “I expect I should have done so”; and both husband and wife went home sad, but wiser than when they came.

This is just a lesson for us all. Satan knows just how to tempt us, some in one way, and some in another. Not only did Adam sin, but we “all have sinned,” and “the wages of sin is death.” Though it is true that “by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin”; the same verse goes on to say, “so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” Rom. 5:12.

But, thank God, we are also told that “By the obedience of one shall many be made righteous,” and those who own they are sinners, and put their trust in Jesus, are accounted righteous by God.

“The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.” 1 John 1:7.

ML 11/12/1961

Bible Talks: Ecclesiastes 1:1-8

“The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.” v.1. We learn from this that the author of this book could be no other than king Solomon, and he takes a title not met with elsewhere outside this book, namely, “the Preacher.” Ecclesiastes gives us the words of the wisest man that ever lived, inspired by the Spirit of God, to furnish man with a true estimate of what life on earth for a child of fallen Adam really is. King Solomon had been divinely fitted as no other had for this task, “For he was wiser than all men,” 1 Kings 4:31, and possessed wealth more than any monarch the world has ever witnessed. All that wealth could purchase, all that power could command was his; and all that wisdom could search out he could enjoy and understand. There was no pleasure or source of knowledge kept from him. He had drunk deeply of earth’s pleasures that men seek after, but at the same time he had applied himself diligently in investigating the wonderful works of God and had learned those laws by which the life and the order of the universe are regulated. Nor was it mere genius found in the world’s wisest man, but God had given him wisdom, riches, wealth and honor such as none of the kings that had been before him, neither shall any after him have the like (2 Chron. 1:12). “What can the man do that cometh after the king?” Chap. 2:12. Solomon has, with the help of the Spirit of God, depicted faithfully what life on earth of fallen man is and only can be. However, there has been One, the Son of God, and He alone, who has trodden this earth as man and has fully displayed what man ought to be.

Looking over things on earth as they come before him, and viewing people in the pursuit of happiness, he sums it all up in this brief conclusion: “Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.” These were not the words of one who had been disappointed in his quest, rather they are the words of the most prosperous man, humanly speaking, the world has ever seen.

He then goes into details of those things he pursued and which brought him to this conclusion. “What profit hath a man of all his labor which he taketh under the sun?” Here is a man diligently engaged and toiling away at his work, but then death comes in between him and the fruits of his work he hopes to enjoy. “One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth forever.” The earth abides, but man passeth away. There is a certain round of things both in the heavens and on earth. “The sun also ariseth,... and hasteth to his place where he arose.” The wind blows in one direction and then turns to the opposite direction; “it whirleth about continually” and “returneth again according to his circuits.” “All the rivers run into the sea; and yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they come again.” It is a busy scene. No abiding rest is to be found. Nothing can satisfy the heart of man; “the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.” The child of God, however, has found in Christ One, the only One, who fully satisfies. “He satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.” Psa. 107:9.

ML 11/12/1961

Mameesha

Bob and Ken were two young missionaries who had just left their homeland to go to Africa to tell the natives about their Lord Jesus Christ. Trekking in the bush wasn’t easy for them, and they were thirsty and very tired. Finally they came to a village where the natives were yelling and dancing to the beating of drums, but when the missionaries asked them if they could spend the night in their village, the natives cried, “Missionary no come here!” So Bob and Ken went into the forest and lay down under the stars.

As they finished their prayers they heard a rustling and both of them jumped up with a start. Had the lions found them? Their fears were stilled, however, when a young native girl came out of the forest. She carried a bundle of wood on her head and a bowl of milk in her hand. She laid down the wood, gave them the milk and went off again. Soon she reappeared, this time with a cooking dish on her head, a leg of mutton in one hand and a bowl of water in the other. Without saying a word she sat down, prepared the fire and put on the meat to heat.

“But who are you?” Ken asked, “Why do you wish to help us? Are you a Christian?”

She turned to them, with tears filling her dark eyes, and said, “I love Him whose servants you are. Now my great joy has come to give a cup of water for Him... as His Book says.”

Her name, they learned, was Mameesha. She was the solitary light for the Lord Jesus Christ in a whole string of villages. She was now eighteen years old.

“Some years ago,” she told them, “I went to a missionary school and learned to love Jesus. I have here”—and she drew a book from her dress — “a Testament my teacher gave me.”

“But how do you keep living for Jesus out here without Christian help and sympathy?” Bob asked.

Mameesha smiled and fingered her Testament lovingly. “This is the oil which makes my lamp burn; it is the fountain where I can drink.”

Then without another word, she slipped off into the forest as quietly as she had come and the missionaries never saw or heard of her again.

This dear girl was the only Christian for miles around, but she was letting her light shine for the Lord Jesus, her Saviour. Christian, are you letting your light shine for Him, and do others around you know that you belong to Him? The Lord Jesus said, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Matt. 5:16.

Do you value your Bible as Mameesha valued her Testament? Do you daily read it and glean fresh blessings from it? “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” Psa. 119:105.

“That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; holding forth the Word of life.” Phil. 2:15, 16.

ML 11/19/1961

Old Tom

In the southwest of Ireland, in early days, there were few facilities for education, especially among the poor. Tom, who was brought up there, never learned to read or write, and this naturally proved a handicap to him all his life.

In later years he came to Glasgow and got employment as a dock worker. He was working with others who like himself led a very rough and drunken life, but on one memorable evening, he was invited to a gospel meeting in the district where he lived. He was much impressed by the word of salvation and decided for Christ that night. His wife also was converted and shared the new-found joy with him.

This meant for him a complete change in his life and, in explaining his conversion to his fellow-workers, he used to take three pieces of paper, placing them in a row. He would point to the first and say, “This is Tom Cassidy,” and the next, “This is Satan,” and the third, “This is Jesus.”

Then he went on, “Before I was converted, Satan stood between me and Jesus, but when I trusted Jesus that night at the gospel meeting, He said to Satan, ‘Get thee behind Me, Satan.’” Then lifting the middle piece of paper, he placed it beyond the third piece, saying, “Now Jesus has been between me and Satan ever since.” He proved the power of the Lord to keep him all his life through.

His last years were his happiest, and he delighted to take his part in the holy service of God with other Christians, pouring out his heart in responsive praise to the Lord Jesus.

When he was finally laid low with cancer and taken to the hospital, he begged to be allowed to go home again that he might die there, where some of his former fellow-workmen could visit him, and he would be able to speak to them and show them how a Christian can die. His brightness never left him, and the Lord took him to Himself.

He could be reckoned among the poor, but he possessed much wealth in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus, and was deeply impressed with the fact that his name was registered in heaven — he was well known there.

Has the reader the definite assurance and joy that old Tom had? This was the result of simple faith in Christ and the gift of the Holy Spirit which God gives to those who obey Him.

ML 11/19/1961

Anchor Secure

Wireless messages were recently exchanged by two Christian seafarers as their ships passed by each other out of sight and well out to sea.

One message read: “On opposite courses yet bound for the same final destination, Christian greetings. Proverbs three.” The reply sped back through space: “Many thanks. Christian greetings, anchor secure.”

The first message spoke of a course and destination which each one of us has in this world; and it is our decision that decides our eternal destiny for heaven or hell. Whither bound, friend? If you know the Lord Jesus Christ as your own precious Saviour, you are bound for heaven, but if not, you are bound for judgment.

The second message, “Anchor secure” would tell us of those who have anchored their souls on the Lord Jesus for time and eternity. We urge you to come to Him for salvation, for He is the way, the Truth, and the Life which every one of us must take to reach the Heavenly Harbor.

“Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast.”

ML 11/19/1961

Our Baby

What shall we ask for our little child?

Shall we ask for fame in this world defiled?

For the dear-bought wisdom of earthly springs?

Or a skillful hand in the use of things?

Ah nay, our wishes much higher go

Than the highest mount with its cap of snow,

And the heart’s desire must wider be

Than the utmost stretch of the boundless sea.

We ask for the blessing of God above,

And an early sense of the Saviour’s love;

An early share of His wondrous grace,

And an early start to seek His face.

A soul that is cleansed by the Saviour’s blood,

A heart that is kept by the peace of God,

Where the very God of peace may dwell,

His holy secrets of love to tell;

Feet that shall walk in the path of life

And follow the Lamb through stress and strife,

That, following on through pain and loss,

It may learn the worth of the Saviour’s cross.

A place in the heart for the words of truth,

And Jesus for guide from the earliest youth.

Great things we ask for our little child—

A place in God’s universe undefiled,

A home in the place where His Son supreme

And His wondrous cross are the dearest theme.

ML 11/19/1961

Bible Talks: Ecclesiastes 1:9-2:26

The Preacher goes on to show that what he writes is not what he heard from others, but it is a great king, possessed of wisdom, riches, and power beyond that of any other man, who had tried for himself what life is under the sun for one of the human race. “I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven:... I have seen all the works that are done under the sun, and behold,” he is forced to conclude, “all is vanity and vexation of spirit.” “That which is crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting cannot be numbered.” He sees the sad results of man’s turning away from God; on every hand is evidence of the ruin of the fall, yet man cannot put things straight nor supply that which is lacking.

In his search for that which would bring satisfaction to his heart, he says: “I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly,” but he found “that this also is vexation of spirit.” “For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.” Whatever greatness a man might attain to on this earth, no matter how great the powers of his mind, he cannot as a child of Adam get beyond the condition of a fallen creature; he is but a wreck of that noblest of God’s works of creation. (Gen. 1,2.)

“I said in mine heart, Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth;... and, behold, this also is vanity.” “I said of laughter, It is mad: and of mirth, What doeth it?” Among other things he sought satisfaction in wine. Then he says, “I made me great works” — he built houses, planted vineyards, made gardens and orchards, and pools of water; he amassed great wealth in cattle, in silver and gold, and surrounded him. self with servants, singers and musical instruments, anything that might minister to the natural heart; “whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them. I withheld not my heart from any joy.” Others less favored may have been disappointed in their pursuit of these things, but he had had his fill of everything he desired. When he looked on all the works that he had labored to do, “behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.”

He compares himself to one of low degree and observes that both must leave this scene and be forgotten in the days to come. “As it happeneth to the fool, so it happeneth even to me.... how dieth the wise man? as the fool.” He sees how a man may labor in wisdom, in knowledge and skill, and yet he leaves the fruit of his toil to one who has no concern as to those things. “Yea,” he says, “I hated all my labor which I had taken under the sun: because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me. And who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man or a fool?” We know this very thing came to pass after Solomon’s death for his son Rehoboam, through his folly lost most of the wealth his father had amassed to Shishak king of Egypt and the greater part of the kingdom to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

However, he does recognize that there is a government of God in this world. “For God giveth to a man that is good in His sight, wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: but to the sinner He giveth travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him that is good before God.” v. 26.

ML 11/19/1961

Long Live King Albert!

It was April 8, 1915, the birthday of Albert, king of the Belgians, and a sad day it was for that downtrodden country! For their land had been overthrown and ruined by a foreign conqueror, their king dethroned, and the great day was not allowed to be honored. No guns saluted, no bells rang, no Belgian flags waved cheerfully in the breeze; there was no holiday for the boys and girls!

All was silent and severe!

People gathered in the streets at Antwerp and stood oppressed and gloomy, speaking in low voices of the woeful tragedy.

Their city had been bombarded for two dreadful days, and thousands had fled by sea and land from the enemy who had flocked in, taking charge of all their food and making life as difficult as possible for those who remained. And today, this day, was the birthday of their brave king! How could they honor it and him?

It seemed quite impossible, for foreign soldiers and foreign laws kept all in terror of their lives. To show the slightest patriotism would mean imprisonment or even death.

As the people stood talking quietly together, the front door of one of the houses in the square opened and three little girls walked out hand in hand, dressed in the colors of the Belgian flag — black, yellow and red.

The crowd looked at them; they did not dare to cheer, but they understood. This was, of course, to celebrate the day, something to delight their eyes and encourage their hearts, to be seen if not heard.

The children walked in silence through some of the main streets, round the city and quietly back home again, saying in picture language, “Long live King Albert!”

Had they been boys they would probably have been imprisoned, but their overbearing conquerors had not the heart to touch three gentle little girls.

Perhaps you boys and girls can guess what I am going to say. Satan is the prince of this world, and he will not, if he can help it, allow the Lord Jesus Christ, the “rightful heir and Lord of all,” to be honored or spoken about.

Perhaps you have found this out already at school. But if you truly belong to the Lord Jesus, then His Spirit dwells in your heart, and “greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world,” 1 John 4:4, and He will give you courage to confess His name. Just as the little Belgian girls honored their dethroned king by wearing his colors, so you can honor your rejected Lord by your behavior, your dress, by that which you know would please Him. You can seek to display His banner. Psalm 60:4 reads, “Thou hast given a banner to them that fear Thee, that it may be displayed because of the truth.”

So that every child who has taken the Lord Jesus as his or her Lord can, day by day, show to all at home and at school whose they are and whom they serve by doing what is pleasing to Him.

“We will rejoice in Thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners.” Psa. 20:5.

ML 11/26/1961

"I Always Ride Without a Ticket"

So said an old lady, as the conductor opened the coach door and called out “Tickets, please.” I wondered for the moment what she meant, but I soon understood. In the opposite seat sat her husband who with a smile quietly drew out of his pocket two tickets, one for himself and one for her. The conductor was quite satisfied and passed on his way.

The thought struck me that the old lady’s ticket was something like the believer’s passport to heaven. She did not buy it; it was purchased for her by another. The believer’s passport has been purchased at unspeakable cost by the Lord Jesus Christ. In order that He might bring us from the power of Satan unto God, and finally from this sin-blighted world to the many mansions in the Father’s house above, He paid the price for our redemption.

We are by Christ redeemed,
The cost, His precious blood.

The old lady’s ticket was in safe keeping of another and it is the same with the Christian. Eternal life is the possession of every true believer and it is in the safe keeping of the One Who gives it. He first saves and then He keeps.

Again the traveler of our story was quite at rest about her ticket. She knew that the full fare had been paid and the railway company would not demand payment twice. Like her we know that the full price of our redemption has been paid and we can have the fullest assurance that all is well. “We have redemption through His blood.” Eph. 1:7.

“BE OF GOOD COURAGE, AND HE SHALL STRENGTHEN YOUR HEART, ALL YE THAT HOPE IN THE LORD.” Psalm 31:24.

ML 11/26/1961

"Converted Young, or Never"

Are you a saved father, mother, guardian, or teacher? If so, it may startle you perhaps, and make you a little incredulous when I say that if the little ones committed to your care are not converted in youth, it is most probable that they never will be converted at all! I use the term conversion in its full sense, and in proof of the foregoing solemn and alarming statement I quote from other pens, wielded by those whose life-work has been among the young.

“The importance of the conversion of children cannot be over-estimated. Modern life is like a hot-house, producing early moral development, either for good or evil. Most people are converted young, or never.”

At a large meeting, more than 1300 Christians were asked as to the period when they were saved. 1100 indicated that they were converted under twenty years of age; 180 were converted between twenty and thirty; 35 between thirty and forty; 14 between forty and fifty; eight between fifty and sixty; over sixty, only two.

On another occasion, at a great gathering of Christians in America, one of the large audiences was tested. It was found that more than 2000 were converted under twenty years of age; 105 between twenty and twenty-five; 41 between twenty-five and thirty; 23 between thirty and forty; two between forty and fifty; and over fifty years old, two.

Only 171 were over twenty years of age at conversion out of at least 2200 Christians!

Mothers and fathers, think of that!

Such facts teach their solemn lesson to all parents, teachers, and Christian workers. The great harvest is to be gained among the young; and with multitudes it is— “Be converted early, or never.”

One other quotation, which I give from memory. A preacher I know told me that recently eighteen of them were together for supper, and the question went around, “When were you converted?” Ten testified that God met with them ere they reached their teens, four before they were sixteen years old, and the remainder before they were twenty!

In view of the momentous issues at stake, I ask you, my fellow Christian, will you aid, by prayer and word and deed, to bring the gospel into the hearts and homes of the little ones?

And what will you say, unconverted reader? Have you passed the age of childhood and youth without being converted? Oh! then hasten to Christ now. Did you read the solemn words applied to such as you, “It is most probable they never will be converted at all”? You may still come to Christ. Will you? Delay no longer, but come NOW.

“Those that seek Me early shall find Me.” Prov. 8:17.

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

ML 11/26/1961

"Low at Thy Feet"

“Low, at Thy feet, Lord Jesus,”

This is the place for me;

Here I have learned deep lessons:

Truth that has set me free.

Free from myself, Lord Jesus,

Free from the ways of men;

Chains of thought that have bound me

Never can bind again.

None but Thyself, Lord Jesus,

Conquered this wayward will,

But for Thy love constraining,

I had been wayward still.

Found in J. N. D’s Bible after his departure.

ML 11/26/1961

Bible Talks: Ecclesiastes 3:1-5:8

After exploring so wide a range of pleasures accessible to a king of such wisdom, wealth and power, the Preacher now turns to view the seasons and the various cycles in which things travel in this world. “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven. A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;... A time to weep, and a time to laugh;... a time to keep silence, and a time to speak.” There is a time for everything, but it is a passing scene. However, when he looks at the works of God he can say, “He hath made everything beautiful in its time,” and “whatsoever God doeth, it shall be forever: nothing can be put to it, nor anything taken from it.” This He does “that men should fear before Him.” Also “God requireth that which is past.”

Solomon here with all his wisdom cannot see beyond this life; he cannot see what takes place after death. It would appear, he says, that “that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts;... as the one dieth, so dieth the other.” “Who knoweth,” he inquires, “the spirit of the children of men? Doth it go upwards? and the spirit of the beasts, doth it go downwards to the earth?” (J.N.D. Trans.) However, in the last chapter he does conclude that the spirit of man returns to the God who gave it. (Chap. 12:7.) Some things he says may appear to be almost infidel, but we must remember that Solomon is here giving us the experience of mere fallen man, and his reasonings, on all that happens “under the sun.” He speaks as a natural man without the revelation of God; there is no question here as to grace or redemption. Apart from the revelation of God, man cannot speak with assurance on what is beyond this life. The truth as to these things awaited the coming of the Saviour Jesus Christ, “who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and incorruptibility to light through the gospel.” 2 Tint 1:10. It is only in the New Testament then that we learn the truth that man has to do with God after he leaves this scene. One who knows Christ as His Saviour can say with all assurance of Scripture that “to die is gain,” and “to depart, and to be with Christ;... is far better.” Phil. 1:21, 23.

In chapter 4 he looks abroad in the earth and considers “the oppressions that are done under the sun: and behold the tears of such as were oppressed, and they had no comforter; and on the side of their oppressors there was power; but they had no comforter.” It is all vexation of spirit. Then he considers all labor and success, “that for this a man is envied of his neighbor,” and he decides that it is better to have a handful with quietness than both hands full with vexation of spirit.

In chapter 5 he considers man’s responsibility to God and what his conduct ought to be in the house of God. “Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools.” “When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for He hath no pleasure in fools.” It were better not to vow than to vow and not pay, for God would hold one responsible, and he could not say it was in error.

ML 11/26/1961

Saved from the Fire

A fine, brave man, with a medal upon his breast, called on me the other day.

“What is that medal?” I asked. “Read it,” said he; and, engraved upon the medal, I read how many persons he had saved from a fire.

A house had one night taken fire, when all the people inside it were in bed, asleep. As they slept the fire burned below the stairs, first slowly, then swiftly. Soon the flames took the staircase, and room after room, till they reached the very place where the family slept. When the poor folks awoke, they found that they could not escape, and thought they were all lost. They could do nothing to help themselves.

But the voice of the brave fireman made them take courage. He put a long ladder to the top window, and quickly mounted it. He entered the smoke-filled rooms, led some of the grown persons to the ladder, and helped them down the escape. He snatched up the little children in his arms and brought them, too, safely through the fire and smoke, and down the ladder into the street. He saved them all!

Had he not been strong, and brave, and kind, he could not have saved them. Had he not run very quickly to the burning house with his ladder, he would have been too late, and the father, mother, and poor children would have all been burned to death.

I looked at the brave fellow and thought, You are a kind, noble man. You may well be proud of that little medal which carries the names of those you have saved from the flames.

I thought of Another, who is also strong and kind, and who loves to save—even Jesus, the Saviour of sinners. Like the high priest of old, He loves to carry on His breast the names of those whom He has saved from death and hell. He saw us in all our need as sinners, and He knew we could not save ourselves, and in unspeakable love He endured the eternal fire of God’s judgment against sin, while sheltering us from it.

How safe were those little children in the arms of the fireman, but how much more safe are those who trust themselves to the Saviour’s keeping. They can sing,

Safe in the arms of Jesus,

Safe on His gentle breast,

There by His love o’ershaded

Sweetly my soul shall rest.

Can you sing this sweet song, dear young reader? Have you too put your soul in the safe keeping of the Saviour?

ML 12/03/1961

"Four" And "Eighty"

In a well-known country town in England is a secluded cemetery. In one corner of it fully a dozen tombstones tell the story that a group of those who have been laid to rest there have “fallen asleep in Christ.”

Their happy spirits are already with Him, while their bodies lie there in His safe keeping, waiting the wonderful moment when He will awaken them Himself and take them to be with Him forever.

Among that group there is a tiny grave. The stone that marks the spot is a good deal disfigured by time, but the words engraved upon it can still be read. They run as follows: WILLIE ARTHUR,

Died April 3rd, 1890

Aged 4 years,

saying as he departed, “I’ll sing glory, glory, forever and ever.”

In the same cemetery — not fifty yards distant — is another grave, not of a child, but an old man. His life covered a span of eighty years and underneath the name is engraved the following text of scripture:

“EVEN TO OLD AGE, I AM HE, AND UNTO HOARY HAIRS I WILL CARRY YOU.” Isa. 46:4.

Death is busy among the young as well as the old, and it is probable that your age lies somewhere between that of the little boy and the old man.

The little boy, although only four years of age, evidently knew the Lord Jesus, and was looking forward with the greatest joy to being with Him, and mingling his voice with the myriads in heaven singing “glory, glory,” to Jesus forever and ever.

The old man, after proving the faithful love of God for eighty years could say as he was departing, “I am dying, but thank God, I can see the other side as clearly as noonday.”

I wonder whether the reader has this same joy!

ML 12/03/1961

He Giveth More Grace

He giveth more grace when the burdens grow greater,

He sendeth more strength when the labors increase;

To added affliction He addeth His mercy,

To multiplied trials, His multiplied peace.

His love has no limit; His grace has no measure;

His power no boundary known unto men;

For out of His infinite riches in Jesus

He giveth and giveth and giveth again.

ML 12/03/1961

Saved Without Works

A lady seeing an anxious man asked if he were a Christian. “No,” he said, “but I am going to be, though I am not just ready.”

“But now is the accepted time,” she replied; “and the very first thing you are asked to do, is to receive Christ.”

“Don’t tell me,” he said, “that I can be saved without doing anything.”

A little boy, holding the Bible open, said, “Please read that to him.” It was, “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.” Rom. 4:5.

As the lady read it, the man listened attentively, and exclaimed, “It’s a fact! God says it, ‘To him that worketh not.’” The word entered his soul, and he was saved.

ML 12/03/1961

"Remember Now Thy Creator"

Well it is when the early life is yielded to and spent in the service of the Lord Jesus, instead of in the service of sin. He is worthy of the best and brightest in us. How poor in comparison is anything we can render to Him. But He values what we can give and will use us for His glory and for the blessing of others. Shall we not say,

“My life, my love I give to Thee,

Thou Lamb of God who died for me;

Oh! may I ever faithful be,

My Saviour and my God!

“I’d live for Him, who died for me,

How happy then my life shall be;

I’d live for Him who died for me,

My Saviour and my Lord!”

ML 12/03/1961

Bible Questions for December

The Children’s Class

1. To whom does the fullness of the earth belong?

2. How can we show the Lord’s death till He comes?

3. Will the Spirit of God ever lead one to call Jesus accursed?

4. Which of these three is greatest — faith, hope, or charity (love)?

5. Who is the author of peace?

6. If all die because of Adam, by whom shall all be made alive?

7. Of whom could the Apostle Paul say, “He worketh the work of the Lord?”

The Young People’s Class

1. How did Saul seek to influence those that might be attracted to David? 1 Sam. 22.

2. Does Satan try to blind the minds of those that hear the glorious gospel of Christ? 2 Cor. 4.

3. What consequence did Ahimelech the priest suffer, after permitting an Edomite to be in the house of the Lord? 1 Sam. 22.

4. Do we have an admonition as to the fellowship we permit in our lives? 2 Cor. 6.

5. How does God look at the friendship of this world? Jas. 4.

6. What words of comfort did David have for Abiathar, survivor of those that were slain by the hand of Doeg? 1 Sam.

7. Can we say our lives are linked with Christ? Col. 3.

ML 12/03/1961

Bible Talks: Ecclesiastes 5:9-9:12

Invariably the Preacher speaks of riches, coveted and toiled after by men everywhere, but how often do they prove the vanity of it. “He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase.” Then he remarks that “The sleep of a laboring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep.” A man might prosper and acquire a great deal of wealth in a lifetime, yet death comes and he must leave it all. “As he came forth of his mother’s womb, naked shall he return to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his labor, which he may carry away in his hand.” And so he says, “what profit hath he that hath labored for the wind.”

As he progresses through the book he begins to realize that there are some things that are better than others. “A good name is better than precious (or expensive) ointment.” Chap. 7:1. Also “It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to heart.” Furthermore, he says, it is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than to hear the song of fools, for it soon passeth away.

In verse 20 we read: “there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.” We learn from Romans 3 that apart from the grace of God taking hold of one, “there is none that doeth good, no, not one,” but in Romans 6:23, we get, “The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” At the close of chapter? he concludes, “that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions” (or devices). In this he is not referring to things physical or mechanical, but man has searched out ways and means in attempting to justify him. self instead of owning his wrong before God.

In chapter 8 he speaks of man’s responsibility towards kings and those in authority and says that their commands or laws should be respected on account of the oath of God.

“Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.” Men take advantage of the longsuffering and patience of God to sin the more. Then he says, “I beheld all the work of God, that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun: because though a man labor to seek it out, yet he shall not find it; yea, further, though a wise man think to know it, yet shall he not be able to find it.” Even a wise man like Solon, as he views the vastness of the works of God, reaches a point where he realizes that with all his learning, how little he knows. There are those things which are far beyond the powers of even great minds to explore or understand.

In chapter 9 he sees that the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and that madness is in their heart. It is wearisome to contemplate all this not knowing from the Word that God honors the faith of those who have turned to Him. He is able to see, however, “that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong....” v. 11.

ML 12/03/1961

The Girl with the Black Hair

“Where am I?” The words fell unconsciously from Emily Summers’ lips as she awoke with a start to find herself the occupant of a little white bed in a hospital ward.

“Oh yes! I remember. Of course I came in here yesterday. How strange it all seems!” she murmured.

All the other patients were by this time well awake, and after a few minutes, Emily sat up to take stock of her companions.

“There are three or four girls quite as young as I am,” she thought to herself; then, turning her eyes to the bed next to her, she encountered a merry, saucy face regarding her from under a frizzy mop of black hair.

“Well, what do you think of me?” came the somewhat embarrassing question from the owner of the black hair.

“I-I-don’t know. I only came here last night,” stammered Emily, blushing nervously.

“Really, now! and your name’s Emily, because I heard them call you that, and mine’s Emma, so we’d better be friends. Hateful name, Emma —sounds as if you had come out of the Ark,” concluded the talkative young lady.

“Well, I don’t think so,” returned Emily with some spirit, and thereupon a heated discussion ensued, in the course of which the girls became fast friends.

One Sunday, towards the end of their stay in the hospital, Emma, with characteristic out-spokenness, suddenly said: “I do hate Sundays, don’t you? They’re so boring. You can’t do anything you want to. Dull, I call it!”

“No! I don’t call it dull,” said Emily, thoughtfully. “Neither would you,” she added, “if you loved the Lord Jesus and knew Him for your Friend.”

It cost Emily something to say this, for she was a very young Christian; but Emma only lay back on her bed and laughed.

In a few weeks both girls were well enough to return to their own homes, and as they said good-by, Emma carelessly laughed, and said, “Thank you for all your ‘preaches,’ Emily. I wonder when we shall meet again.”

Thirty years later, Emily—by this time, sad to say, a confirmed invalid —was lying on her couch sewing, when there came a knock at the door.

A middle-aged woman entered, walked up to Emily’s couch, and said: “You don’t know me, of course!”

“Oh! but I think I know your face,” returned Emily, as she scanned her visitor. “Why, surely you are the girl with the black hair, who was in the bed next to mine in the hospital many years ago.”

“Fancy remembering me! You haven’t altered much, though,” replied Emma.

“I have been searching for you for a week,” she continued, “for I have been wanting to tell you something forever so long.

“Your ‘preaches,’ as I used to call them, were not without effect. I used to make out that I didn’t care, and was only bored; but I wasn’t really; and after I got home I felt so miserable that I just went straight to the Lord Jesus and asked Him to forgive all my sins.

“He did forgive me, and ever since I have been following Him, and I have often longed to tell you.”

“Another proof that no word spoken in His name is ever lost,” said Emily, looking up at her friend with tears of happiness in her eyes.

ML 12/10/1961

Three Days to Live

“Would you like to go with me to the Town Prison?” a friend asked me when I was in Jamaica, British West Indies. “We have permission to speak to the prisoners this afternoon.”

That afternoon we arrived at the prison, where over one thousand men were kept in jail. After speaking to the men about God’s wondrous salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ, a guard stepped up and asked me if I would like to talk to the fourteen men who were condemned to die on the gallows. He led me into the section where three of the fourteen were imprisoned.

As I looked at these men, I realized that they would never again hear the gospel. This was their last chance to hear that Jesus Christ offered them eternal life. I sang the hymn, “Now I Belong to Jesus,” and then gave a word of personal testimony, telling how I had been saved at the age of eighteen.

Crouched in his cell before me, looking more like a wild beast than a man, was a fifty-two year old murderer. He said, “I’m going to die on Tuesday. Sir, can I be saved?”

“Indeed you can,” I told him. “You must die for the crime you committed, but Jesus Christ died to take your sins away.” I read him Romans 10:13, “For whosoever shall call upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved.” I read him other simple verses that show salvation is God’s work and not man’s. I’ll never forget that experience. He put his face right on that dirty floor, sobbed and cried, as he called upon the name of the Lord. After a moment or so he turned and was smiling through his tears.

“Sing it again!” he asked, “the song you just sang.” So I started to sing once more,

“Now I belong to Jesus,

Jesus belongs to me.

Not for the years of time alone,

But for eternity.”

He tried to sing it with me, but when he got to the third line he was silent. He didn’t have “years of time”; only three days.

It was time to go and as the guard led me to the huge gate, I looked back. There he was, arms waving out through the bars, while he sang, “Now I belong to Jesus.” That was the last I saw of him, but we heard that on Tuesday he went gallantly to the gallows, singing as he was ushered into the presence of Christ. They didn’t tell us what he was singing, but I think I know what it was! “Now I Belong to Jesus!”

The thief on the cross said unto Jesus, “Lord, remember me when Thou comest into Thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with Me in paradise.” Luke 23:42, 43.

“WHOSOEVER SHALL NOT REIVE THE KINGDOM OF GOD AS A LITTLE CHILD, HE SHALL NOT ENTER THEREIN.” Mark 10:15.

ML 12/10/1961

Ephesians 1:6

Oh, the joy of knowing that the believer is “accepted in the Beloved” and that the position and privilege of each believer, through their earthly pilgrimage, is that of: “Leaning upon the Beloved.” Song of Sol. 8:5.

“Listening to the Beloved.” S. of Sol. 2:8.

“Speaking well of the Beloved.” S. of Sol. 5:10-16.

“Fruit-bearing for the Beloved.” S. of Sol. 4:16.

“Longing for the appearance of the Beloved.” S. of Sol. 8:4.

ML 12/10/1961

The Weaver

“Then I shall know even as I am known.” 1 Cor. 13.12.

My life is but a weaving

Between my Lord and me,

I cannot choose the colors

He worketh steadily.

Oft times He weaveth sorrow,

And I in foolish pride

Forget He sees the upper,

And I, the underside.

Not till the loom is silent

And the shuttles cease to fly

Shall God unroll the canvas

And explain the reason why.

The dark threads are as needful

In the Weaver’s skillful hand

As the threads of gold and silver

In the pattern He has planned.

Precious thought, our Father knoweth,

Careth for His child;

Bids me nestle closer to Him,

When the storm beats wild.

Well I know the Heart that planneth,

Naught but good for me;

Joy and sorrow interwoven,

Love in all I see.

ML 12/10/1961

Bible Talks: Ecclesiastes 9:1 3-1 O:20

“There was a little city, and few men within it; and there came a great king against it, and besieged it, and built great bulwarks against it. Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet no man remembered that same poor man. Then said I, Wisdom is better than strength: nevertheless the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard.”

Here we have a little picture of what happened to this world—the “little city.” Though men may boast of their greatness and power, yet in the eyes of God how small and weak they are. “Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, He taketh up the isles as a very little thing.... All nations before Him are as nothing; and they are counted to Him less than nothing, and vanity.... It is He that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers.” Isa. 40:15, 17, 22.

The “great king” in our passage is Satan and men do not realize all that he has arraigned against man to make him captive. The “poor wise man” is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ who, “though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His poverty might be rich.” He came into this world and by His wisdom—the cross —delivered the city. “The preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness,” we read in 1 Corinthians 1:18, but this same chapter tells us that “unto them which are called” Christ is “the power of God, and the wisdom of God.” He has accomplished redemption and brought deliverance for man, but this is not counted for much; in fact, it is well-nigh forgotten, except for those in whose hearts grace has wrought by the Spirit of God.

In chapter 10 we have wisdom contrasted with folly or the wise man and the fool. “A wise man’s heart is at his right hand; but a fool’s heart is at his left.” Even in the world it is said of those that take the path of sound wisdom that they are turned to the right, while those who follow an unproven course are said to be turned to the left. Then he sees another evil, namely, “Folly is set in great dignity, and the rich sit in a low place. I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking as servants upon the earth.” Wisdom in one would enable him to see what is wrong in the earth, but he also knows he is powerless to set things right.

In verse 10 is a very forceful proverb: “If the iron be blunt, and he do not whet the edge, then must he put to more strength: but wisdom is profitable to direct.” He is evidently referring to the act of wielding an ax or some similar tool. If it is not sharpened, it takes a great deal of force to make it cut. There is power connected with the truth, but if one is not giving out what is truth, then often a great flow of words and expressions are used in attempting to make up for what is lacking. However, the folly of it is made manifest.

In verse 16 woe is pronounced on a land whose king is a child and whose princes live in self-indulgence; but there will be blessing on a land where the king and his princes conduct themselves according to wisdom. This is in evidence in lands where, to some extent, the truth of the gospel has been followed and where the fear of God has been owned.

ML 12/10/1961

Searching for God

“Chup Shah”, as he was called was a Sikh in the Far East. Most Sikhs are heathen, and know nothing of the true God and His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. He had been searching for God ever since he was a small boy, and in his native village he had been called “Chup Shah”—King of Silence—for he had not been like the rest of the children. He was solemn and quiet, always hoping to see the great God.

One day he met a leader of the Sikhs, and asked him if he could show him God. “Yes, within three weeks,” replied the leader. “You must learn the mantras (prayers) thoroughly and then put your fingers in your ears and listen to the divine music. The more you recite the mantras, the more light will come into your heart.”

Chup Shah looked forward with great joy to the prospect of seeing God and gladly accompanied the leader to Tarn Taran, the sacred city of the Hindus and Sikhs. There he was introduced to the Guru, or great leader of the Sikhs, but Chup Shah was deeply disappointed and came away sad at heart—he had not seen God.

His search continued. He went on a pilgrimage to the Himalayas, for he thought perhaps God dwelt in the mountains, but he had to turn back for lack of money. Then he decided to dig a cell under his house in which he could meditate. “Surely then,” he argued, “I shall see Him face to face.”

Once again he went to Tarn Taran at new moon so he could bathe in the sacred lake and wash away his sins. While there, he saw a poster outside a mission saying “God is Love.” How fascinated he was by those sweet words! He had never heard them before.

“Supposing they are not true,” Chup Shah said to himself, but then he thought, “If there is a loving God He must love me too!”

He went to the mission bungalow and asked the missionaries to explain to him the mystery of God’s love. How glad they were to tell him the precious message that “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. Chup Shah believed at once and received the Lord Jesus into his heart. At last he had found God.

He was baptized on the day of the new moon when vast crowds were passing by intent on washing away their sins in the sacred lake. But Chup Shah knew that Jesus had washed all his sins away in His own blood, that they were forever gone, and that he need fear no more.

“No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him.” John 1:18.

“And this is life eternal, that they might know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent.” John 17:3.

“THE LAW OF THE LORD IS PERFECT, CONVERTING THE SOUL: THE TESTIMONY OF THE LORD IS SURE, MAKING WISE THE SIMPLE.” Psalm 19:7.

ML 12/17/1961

The Way to Heaven

In the waiting-room of a wayside station were some eight or nine boys. They were waiting for the train which would bring the evening papers. Ragged and rough the most of them seemed, as they sat and talked and laughed one with another.

Suddenly their interest was aroused by the remark of a stranger to them, “I’ll give a quarter to the boy who gives me the best answer to a question. The question is, What is the way to heaven?”

At first a good deal of giggling took place, and they nudged one another shyly, so encouraging them the stranger said, “Now try, see who can get the quarter. My friend here shall say which is the best answer.”

A bright-faced boy was the first to respond, and he said: “Wash away your sins!”

Some more encouraging words were spoken, and then others gave expression to their thoughts of the way to everlasting happiness.

No. 2 Said: “Go to Sunday school every Sunday!”

No. 3: “Be good!”

No. 4: “Prayer!”

No. 5: “See God!”

No. 6: “Be honest!”

These were the only replies which could be obtained, and most of them showed how little the truths of the gospel were known to them.

To “go to Sunday school every Sunday” would not open heaven to anybody. We may hear of the way to heaven in our Sunday school classes, but many who have gone to Sunday school every Sunday have never reached heaven.

To “be good” or to “be honest” in the future will not put away our past sins or fit us for the glory of God. It is, of course, only right to be good at home and school, but in the sight of God “there is none that doeth good, no, not one.” None of us are naturally good, with a goodness which will make us acceptable in His sight.

“Prayer” is most important in its place, but saying prayers will not put away our guilt. There are some who say over and over again the same things. The Lord warns us of these vain repetitions. There is no merit in them—they cannot atone for sin.

To “serve God” was perhaps what was meant by the boy who said, “See God.” If so, we have to remember that we cannot rightly serve God until we are saved and at peace with Him. It is those who are saved by His grace who can serve Him, and those only.

The boy who said, “Wash away your sins,” gave the best answer, and received the quarter. We must wash our robes and make them white in the blood of the Lamb, or we can never be fitted for the presence of God. I do not know whether the boy knew by what means his sins could be washed away, for the train came rushing in before much more could be said.

The speaker, however, gave the boys one word as the true answer to the question he had asked, and he spelled it on the fingers of one hand. It was “J-E-S-U-S,” who Himself has said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.” John 14:6.

“THEY SHALL BE MINE, SAITH THE LORD OF HOSTS, IN THAT DAY WHEN I MAKE UP MY JEWELS; AND I WILL SPARE THEM, AS A MAN SPARETH HIS OWN SON THAT SERVETH HIM.” Malachi 3:17.

ML 12/17/1961

The Lord Knows All About It

“He knoweth the way that I take.”

Yes, the Lord knows all about it—

All about the path I tread;

All about the path I’ve journeyed,

All about the path ahead.

All my footsteps He has ordered,

And what greater joy can be

Than to know that, smooth or rugged,

Still He understandeth me.

Yes, the Lord knows all about it—

All about the pain we bear;

Not a pang, in mind or body

That He does not fully share.

Yes, the Lord knows all about it—

All about thy conflict sore;

With the all too many failures,

But the issue ever sure.

For we’ve this undimmed assurance,

Based on His unerring Word—

Though Satanic hosts assail us,

We shall triumph in the Lord!

Yes, the Lord knows all about it—

Whatsoe’er the “It” may be—

Burdens, sorrows, losses, weakness—

Each is ordered ministry.

Hush then, O impatient spirit,

Though the billows o’er me roll;

‘Tis His loved ones whom He chastens—

Love is fashioning the soul.

“When He hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.” Job 23:10.

Heaven is our fatherland,
Heaven is our home.

Listen to the words of one who had abundant share of hardships while in this world, “I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us.” Rom. 8:18.

ML 12/17/1961

Bible Talks: Ecclesiastes 11, 12

In chapter 11 we have exhortations to be liberal in giving, to sow seed on all occasions and in all places, for we know not what evil shall be on the earth. “Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days.” “In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand.” All will not be lost. The works of God cannot be fully known. The more one knows only shows him how much more there is unknown.

Then in chapter 12 he says, “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.” One is called to remember his Creator while young, before the deceitful ways of the world so ensnare him, that he loses all desire for the things of God.

At last in verses 3-7 we have in poetical language the sad picture of man at the close of his life, when the infirmities of old age overcome him—his strength gone, his sight failing, his ears dull of hearing, and his desire for pleasures once sought after now gone. Then he goes to “his long home,” for death overtakes him, his body goes back to dust and his spirit returns to God who gave it.

Finally his trial of everything “under the sun” is over, and the writer returns to his starting point: “Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher; all is vanity”—a mere breath or vapor passing over the earth.

“Moreover, because the Preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yea, he gave good heed, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs.” He would instruct all who would hearken to him that they might benefit from his discoveries. He sought to find out “acceptable words,” or words of delight; “and that which was written was upright, even words of truth.”

Then he tells us that “The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd.” Like the goads used to urge on the oxen, so the words of the wise should urge us on in the Lord’s things. “As nails fastened ... .”— In the East many articles are hung upon nails for safety, so a “nail in a sure place” would speak of the security of anything that depends upon God. The “one shepherd” would speak to us of Christ, the source of all true wisdom and blessing.

The Preacher then calls us to “hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep His commandments: for this is the whole of man.” J.N.D. Trans. This ought to be the rule of his life. Man should own the authority of his Creator for He will bring every work into judgment. In the New Testament we read that “we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ.” 2 Cor. 5. This should have no terror for the believer for the Judge has put his sins away, but it will be a solemn thing for those who will appear there in their sins and without the righteousness of God.

Up to a certain point the book of Proverbs is the opposite to Ecclesiastes. Ecclesiastes shows us the vanity of things here, while Proverbs brings us that true wisdom from above and teaches us how to walk wisely on the earth. Ecclesiastes closes with man taken away in death, but the last chapters of Proverbs gives us the happy picture of two, man and wife, enjoying life in usefulness in the fear of the Lord.

ML 12/17/1961

Released from Bondage

Mr. and Mrs. Loh were industrious and successful manufacturers of soybean curd in the city of Nanchang, Kiangsi, where they acquired a position of influence as wealthy citizens. When Nanchang was taken by the Japanese, however, they were robbed of all their hard-earned money. On returning from the country, where they had for seven months been hiding from the Japanese, they viewed the wreckage of their property with no little dismay. Their beautiful house had been torn down by the Japanese for firewood, and their shop was partly destroyed and completely looted.

Although no Chinese was permitted to engage in trade, this resourceful couple hoped that they might in some way be able to earn a living. It was only a few short weeks, however, before the Japanese seized Mr. Loh, compelling him to work as a coolie in one of their forced labor gangs.

Months passed by and Mrs. Loh had received no word whatever from her husband. Not knowing if he were dead or alive she offered gifts and incense to the idols, both in her makeshift home and in the temples, beseeching them to send her husband back home again; but nothing happened.

Destitute and at her wits’ end, one day Mrs. Loh heard the neighbors sneaking among themselves about some other people who had prayed to the Lord Jesus, and their prayers had been signally answered. That afternoon she went into her room and prayed, kneeling beside the bed: “Lord Jesus, if there be such an One as Thee, and if Thou canst hear prayer, bring back my husband and I will serve Thee faithfully all my life.”

For two days she prayed this prayer, and on the third day her husband returned. She asked where he had been and what had happened, and this is his story.

Pressed into service, Mr. Loh had carried ammunition and other supplies between the Japanese military depot and their front line, but in all that time he had not been allowed to send a message back to his wife. Three days previously Mr. Loh with his burden was lined up with others of the press-gang, passing the Japanese officer-in-charge who was checking the loads. Mr. Loh was startled when the officer pushed him out of the line with the butt of his rifle, gave his load to another man, and motioned our friend to get on his way. (Many of the Japanese could not speak Chinese, and used gestures, rifle butts, and bayonets to make their wishes known).

Mr. Loh stepped back and slunk off from the lines, fully expecting to get the usual bullet in his back, but the shot never came. He straightway made for home and arrived there on the third day.

Mrs. Loh heard this story with amazement and thankfulness, for on inquiring further she discovered that her husband’s release came at the same hour she had first knelt in prayer, asking God for His deliverance.

As a result of this experience the whole Loh family came to meetings in the gospel hall. There they were soon converted to Christ and became a real help to the missionaries in the difficult days which followed.

ML 12/24/1961

Believing Saves

A dying man lay in dread of what was coming to him. He sent for a Christian friend to talk with him, and comfort him.

“I am in the dark,” he said to this friend. And well he might say so, for he had been a great sinner. “I am in the dark and I am dying. What am I to do?”

“Jesus came to save the lost. Jesus died and rose again to save us. This is our message to lost sinners.”

“But what have I to do?” eagerly asked the dying man.

“Nothing. Christ has done it all.”

The anxious eye was closed for a moment, while he repeated over, very slowly, to himself, “The work that saves is done.” Then, passage after passage was read to him, pointing out the one link that knits the sinner to the sin-bearing work of the Son of God: “He that believeth, is not condemned”; “He that believeth, is justified”; “He that believeth, hath everlasting life.”

“But what am I to believe?”

“It is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.”

Again he closed his eyes, while he repeated, three or four times over— “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.”

“Yes,” added his friend, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” “This is a true saying, and worthy of all acceptation. This is the good news we bring you.”

“I see it,” he said, and the peace of God took possession of his soul. In that peace he died.

“THEIR SINS AND THEIR INIQUIES WILL I REMEMBER NO MORE.” Heb. 8:12.

ML 12/24/1961

A Bible From the Dustbin

A. was a Mohammedan but had married a woman who was a professing Christian, which is an usual thing for a Mohammedan to do. One day, in the course of his work as a “houseboy,” he had instructions to take a box containing old books, newspapers, etc., and place it where the garbage men could empty it into their van.

But among the old books he noticed a torn Bible, and having been trained as a Mohammedan never to throw a “holy” book into a place where it might be trampled on, he removed the Bible from the box. Such a “holy” book, or even loose pages of such a book, he would respectfully bury himself or take home and put into a drawer.

He accordingly took the Bible home and began to read it and, as he read it, his interest was aroused in its contents. It seemed different from the KORAN, the “holy book” of the Mohammedans. He took special interest in the parable of the prodigal son and other parables, and later on he came into contact with some earnest Christians.

God used his reading of the Bible to his conversion, and he gave up the Mohammedan religion, which refuses to recognize Christ as the Son of God. He learned more of Christianity from Christians with whom he came in contact, and from books and tracts which were given to him. But, in the first instance, it was the Bible which was intended for the dust heap that God used to do His own work in this young man.

A. became most anxious to lead others to Christ and sought to serve the Lord with others in his spare time. He had much still to learn, as we all have, but when I last met him he was still stepping heavenward.

ML 12/24/1961

"You Ought to be Certain About It"

When I was quite a boy, I went to hear a Christian nobleman preach the gospel. At the close of the meeting, he asked whether I was saved. “I think so,” I replied. “You ought to be certain about it,” he replied, and a friend of his pointed out a verse of Scripture and asked me if I were a believer. “Certainly,” I replied, and in one moment I saw that, as a true believer, I really was saved, and I ran home full of joy, praising God for salvation, and for the certainty that I should never perish.

There is nothing so simple as faith. When we believe what God says, everything belongs to us. There is no need to doubt one word.

ML 12/24/1961

Consolation

There is never a day so dreary

But God can make it bright,

And unto the soul that trusts Him,

He giveth songs in the night.

There is never a path so hidden,

But God can lead the way,

If we seek for the Spirit’s guidance

And patiently wait and pray.

There is never a cross so heavy

But the nail-scarred hands are there

Outstretched in tender compassion

The burden to help us bear.

There is never a heart so broken,

But the loving Lord can heal;

The heart that was pierced on Calvary

Doth still for His loved ones feel.

There is never a life so darkened,

So hopeless and unblessed,

But may be filled with the light of God

And enter His promised rest.

There is never a sin or sorrow,

There is never a care or loss,

But that we may bring to Jesus

And leave at the foot of the cross.

ML 12/24/1961

Bible Talks: Matthew 1

We have for some time been considering some of the lessons to be gleaned from the Old Testament Scriptures. Now we purpose turning to the New Testament to consider some of the marvels of the grace of God as revealed in this part of His sacred Word. It all centers in the wonderful advent into this world of our Lord Jesus Christ.

In the Old Testament there are many types and prophecies which point on to His coming into this world as a man, but in the New Testament we have the record of His actually being here, of what He taught and of what He accomplished. Then we also have prophecies concerning His coming again, but this is for an entirely different purpose, as we shall see in what is unfolded to us as His people.

The four Gospels give us various accounts of the life of the Lord Jesus, each having a different line of ministry, concerning His Person, His presentation to the people, and His work. We can only hope to give a very brief outline of these things. It is beyond the capacity of man to fully portray the wondrous grace and the life of the lowly Man Jesus, who was God manifest in the flesh. He was the only man upon whom the heavens opened and from whence a voice was heard proclaiming, “This is My Beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” Matt. 3:17. It is said of all others, “There is no difference: for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” Rom. 3:22, 23.

At the close of John’s Gospel we read: “And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written.” And we are bold to say that all the books which have been written or could be written, could not fully set forth that which is given to us by the four Evangelists: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

The Gospel of Matthew sets before us the Lord Jesus as presented to the nation of the Jews as their long promised Messiah and King. He is shown, in thus being presented, as the One who fulfilled the prophecies of the Old Testament, and these prophecies are not simply what He Himself did and said, but also what others said about Him and to Him.

In chapter 1 His genealogy is traced back through David to Abraham. The Scriptures bore witness to the fact that He must be a son of David, and of the family of Abram. This genealogy is divided up into three periods and we find elsewhere that each of these periods ends in the dismal failure of God’s earthly people. But as each period has to come to an end as such, God has to come in in marvelous grace to provide a way by which He can go on with them. God’s answer to the last period of failure was to send His Beloved Son into this world who fully glorified Him in every step of His wilderness pathway.

ML 12/24/1961

Life Saved by a Bible!

The picture here illustrates the remarkable fact of how a soldier’s life was once saved by a Bible. It occurred on 30th September, 1916. Sergeant H— was situated in St. Julian Trench on the Somme front. Suddenly, a shot from a gun pierced the pocket of his tunic immediately over his heart. In the pocket was a small Bible, and page after page of the precious book was torn or scorched as the bullet forced its way through. Would it stop in time or would it go right through and touch the poor man’s heart? God’s merciful hand was over him, for right in the middle of the Bible the bullet finally came to rest. One inch more and he would have been killed, but the little Bible, under the good hand of God, had undoubtedly saved his life. But there was something even more remarkable than this, for the shot came to rest lying on the words, “It is I; be not afraid.”

In the picture, which shows the actual Bible and the actual bullet, just as it originally rested, you can read part of the verse. The reference, however, is not very clear, so you can easily read in another Bible the 20th verse of the 6th chapter of John’s Gospel.

This soldier knew the joy of having the Lord Jesus as his own personal Saviour before this event, but what a comfort and encouragement it must have been to him, amidst all the difficulties and dangers in which he was, to be reminded in so wonderful a way of the One who would always be with him and who would say, at such a time, “It is I; be not afraid.”

ML 12/31/1961

Lost, but Self Confident

One Sunday afternoon, as I was leaving our Sunday school room, I saw a little fellow lingering behind. He had forgotten where he lived, and as he did not belong to my class, I did not know his name or address.

“Can you point out the direction in which you live, my boy?”

“Oh, yes,” he said; “that is the way, sir.”

“Then take my hand and run along,” said I. Presently we came to a crossing. “Which is the way now?”

“That way,” he said.

“Are you quite sure?” I asked. “Yes, quite sure, sir.”

So we were soon trotting along again. After a few minutes I again asked him, “Are we in the right way?”

“Oh, yes; quite right,” he replied.

We now came to another crossing, and I said, “I feel sure that this cannot be the right way.” Then the little boy confessed that he did not know where he was. What was to be done? After a little consideration I decided to take him home with me, where he was happily enjoying some supper. But his parents were full of anxiety. His father had gone in search of him, and having learned that his boy had been seen with me, he hastened to my house, and I cannot tell you how happy he was to find his son.

The little boy had taken exactly the opposite direction to that which led to his home. He was lost, but self-confident. He did not cry, he was not troubled, and if left alone would have wandered until the shades of night had proved to him with terrible truth that he was lost. This is a picture of many children. They have a way of their own to be saved, and are confident that it is the right one. Some people say there are a great many ways of being saved, but God’s Word only tells us of one way, and if you are trying to be saved by any other way than through Jesus and what He has done, you are only getting farther and farther away from God. If you delay coming to Jesus, the long, dark, terrible night of judgment will overtake you, and then you cannot be saved at all.

ML 12/31/1961

"I Saved Him, but I Could not Save Myself"

In St. Botolph’s Churchyard, in the city of London, there are various tablets set into the wall of the shelter, commemorating noble deeds done by humble people. One inscription is particularly heart-affecting. It reads as follows:

SOLOMON GALAMAN

Aged 11

Died of injuries, Sept. 6, 1901,

after saving his little brother from being run over in Commercial Street. “Mother, I saved him, but I could not save myself.”

What heart is not deeply moved by these touching words? What true love was displayed by this little boy in his efforts to save his little brother, in which he succeeded, though it cost him his own life to do so!

It was said of the Lord Jesus, as He hung upon that shameful cross of Calvary: “HE SAVED OTHERS; HIELF HE CANNOT SAVE.” Mark 15:31. Though uttered deridingly by His murderers, yet what truth these words contain! Not, of course, that He had not the power to save Himself; but, if the Scriptures were to be fulfilled, if there was to be any blessing available for you and me, Jesus must die! Had He not done so, we must all have perished in our sins, and borne the awful consequences of our guilt in banishment from God’s holy presence eternally!

ML 12/31/1961

A Narrow Escape

Some years ago when the seacoast was crowded with boys and girls on vacation in August, two boys could be seen preparing a rowboat for a trip. They were both good oarsmen, having been well trained, and they had planned to row to a castle which stood out in the sea on a peninsula of rock and sand. It was only about two miles as the crow flies, but strong tides made it wise to go a long distance down the coast before crossing to the other side.

As our two friends were pushed off by other men and boys, another boat shot out from further along the shore. Two boys in it shouted a challenge to race to the castle.

Now in spite of previous warnings the challenge was accepted, and instead of the proper course, both boats steered straight across.

Soon the strong currents were too much for the challengers who gave up and went back, leaving our two friends victorious. However, instead of behaving wisely and altering their course, they rowed straight into the sweeping current, which had carried many people out to sea and some to their death.

They were now within two oars-lengths of the beach, but so strong was the tide that it would have been fatal to attempt a landing. The only way to safety was to pull hard around the point of the castle and let the tide sweep them onto the beach. Encouraged by the shouts of some soldiers in the castle they pulled as they had never pulled before, and gradually inch by inch they found they were making headway. They were taking a terrible risk. But through the Lord’s goodness they just managed to pull their boat around the point, and they were swept up on the beach by the tide.

Terribly exhausted, the boys lay a long time before they could even think of the good things they had brought with them for a picnic. In God’s mercy they were spared, and both of them are now serving the Lord Jesus. They often thank Him for His goodness to them that day in giving them another opportunity of yielding themselves to Him.

ML 12/31/1961

The Unchanging Saviour

Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” Heb. 13:8.

The Creator. Unchangeable. “Thou art the same.”

The Creation. Changeable.

“They shall be changed.”

His creation shall perish, but He remains. His creation shall change, but He is the same. The years that have passed have changed us all and also our friends, our homes, and our surroundings, but they have not changed our unchanging Saviour and Friend. He is “The same yesterday, and today, and forever.”

What a comfort, then, to go on through life with the knowledge that, come what may, He remains and His years shall not fail.

“Today, as yesterday, the same,

From everlasting is Thy Name;

The Lord, who earth’s foundations laid,

God’s Lamb, who full atonement made.

Yes! ‘Thou remainest’ whom have I

In heaven or earth, in sea or sky,

But Thee with all Thy love revealed,

My Lord, Beloved Friend and Shield.”

“BLESSED IS THAT MAN THAT MAKETH THE LORD HIS TRUST.” Psa. 40:4.

ML 12/31/1961

Bible Talks: Matthew 1

The genealogy in Matthew 1 furnishes us with a record of the marvelous grace of God in going on with the people of His adoption, for He does not pass over their sins. “All things are naked and open unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.” Heb. 4:13. In this line we find the names of four with whom there was connected something very humbling—Thamar, or Tamar (Gen. 38); Rachab, or Rahab (Josh. 2); Ruth (Ruth 1); and “her that had been the wife of Urias,” or Bathsheba (2 Sam. 11). Perhaps pride in the heart of the Jew, had he been recording this genealogy, might have excluded these four and included names such as Sarah, Rebekah and other prominent and respected women. But not so God who has been pleased to give it to us this way that the pride of nature might be humbled, for no flesh shall glory in His presence (1 C or. 1:29), while at the same time He would show His grace even to poor sinners of the Gentiles. What wonderful grace on the part of the long promised Messiah who deigned to be linked with a family with which there was connected so sad a history. But such was the way of divine grace in Him who sought to reach the hearts of His people and to redeem them.

The genealogy in Matthew is evidently that of Joseph, who is addressed as a son of David by the angel. It thus gives the legal line of whom Mary’s son would have the rights of inheritance. The angel, in speaking to Joseph, calls Mary his wife and assures him that her child is of the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, the child’s name, Jesus, is given to Joseph as the One who was to save His people from their sins. Then the prophetic scripture is quoted to Joseph as being fulfilled in the birth of this child: “Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and they shall call His name, Immanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.”

Finally the long heralded event took place, for Mary “brought forth her firstborn son: and he called His name JESUS.” It is in Luke’s Gospel we read that “she wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger.”

Oh, strange, yet fit beginning

Of all that life of woe,

In which Thy grace was winning

Poor man his God to know!

Bless’d Babe! who lowly liest

In manger-cradle there;

Descended from the highest,

Our sorrows all to share:

Oh, suited now in nature

For Love’s divinest ways,

To make the fallen creature

The vessel of Thy praise.

O Love! all thought surpassing!

That Thou should’st with us be:

Nor yet, in triumph passing;

But human infancy!

J.N.D.

ML 12/31/1961

Messages of God's Love: 1961

Table of Contents

Ambassador for Christ

"For the Trumpet Shall Sound"

Bible Questions for January

Bible Talks: Psalms 62-67

Treading in His Father's Steps

How Clara Came Home

Converted Bartender

The Dam Is Breaking!

Bible Talks: Psalms 68-70

A Gamekeeper and His Dog

The Widow's Meal

Present with the Lord

Bible Talks: Psalms 71-72

A Costly Ticket

Hold Fast

A Drowning Young Lady

My Spiritual Awakening

Bible Talks: Psalms 73-75

Tommy, the Sailor Boy

The Worst Man in Town

"I Cannot Answer Him!"

Bible Talks: Psalms 76-78:40

A Boy's Prayer

The Stolen Gooseberries

None Other Name

Bible Questions for February

Bible Talks: Psalms 78:41-82

The Chinese Slave Boy

God Never Overloads His Children

The Bible Is True

Bible Talks: Psalms 83-87

Hope's Testimony

Keep on Sowing

In but not Out

If I Should Die, What Then?

Bible Talks: Psalms 88-89

"The Last Chapter"

In a Hospital Ward

Profanity

A Jewish Lawyer Converted

Bible Talks: Psalms 90-92

Won by a Mother's Love

Not Too Young

Sins Gone from God's Sight

Bible Questions for March

Bible Talks: Psalms 93-97

The Gospel Through the Keyhole

An Encouragement to Street Preachers

"He'd See Me Too Much"

Bible Talks: Psalms 98-102

One More Chance

What Sinta's Dog Did

The Sailors and the Samphire

Bible Talks: Psalms 103-105

The Banker and the Bible

"Nobody Loves Me"

Be in Time!

Bible Talks: Psalms 106-107

The Indian's Mistake

Letter to a Young Christian

It Makes a Difference

An Indian's Prayer

How Different!

Bible Questions for April

Bible Talks: Psalms 108-111

John O' the Score

The Name of Jesus

The Diamond Ring

Bible Talks: Psalms 112-115

Sammy

The Sight of a Bible

Living a Good Life

Bible Talks: Psalms 116-118

Wi-Yu

The Conversion of a Jew

Bible Talks: Psalm 119:1-56

My Bible

John's Fortune