Messages of God's Love: 1966

Peggy McBride, was a little girl, the only daughter of poor parents. A kind man, walking along the road near the cottage where she lived, gave her a New Testament, and asked her to read a few verses of it every day. Peggy was delighted, but her parents were angry and threatened to take the precious Book away from her.

However, Peggy was so interested in her Book and the wonderful things it told her, that she could not stop reading it; so she dug a hole in the garden, lined it with pieces of wood, and then put a wooden lid on top. She covered the lid with a light layer of dirt. Into this strange place she put her precious Testament, taking every opportunity she could to read it.

Dear Peggy learned from the Book the way of salvation through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, she came to trust Him as her Saviour, and became a faithful follower of Him. Nor did it end there. Her parents, seeing the wonderful change in their little daughter’s life, gave her liberty to read her Testament in the house, and by this means they were both brought to know the Saviour as their own.

Dear young friend, you may not have such hindrance placed in your way by those at home, as Peggy did, but has your heart been won for Christ?

“Ye shall seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall search for Me with all your heart.” Jer. 29:13.

ML-01/02/1966

Matt

A CHRISTIAN lady once spent a summer at the seaside, and she used to go about and visit the cottages in the neighborhood. In one of these she found a poor retarded boy named Matt. He could not tell one letter from another, and seemed hardly to have sense enough to understand anything. She felt interested in him, however, and often visited him in his home. She walked with him in the fields and along the shore, trying to teach him something about God and heaven, and his own soul.

Before the summer was over, she found that the poor boy, somehow or other, had learned to know that he was a sinner, and he was greatly distressed about it. She saw that the only way to comfort him would be to teach him about Jesus, who came to "'save His people from their sins.” But how could she expect this poor feeble-minded boy to understand these great things? She resolved to try, however, so taking his hand kindly in hers, she said to him one day: “My poor boy, I know that you are a sinner, and those sins are the debts you owe to God. Now when one man owes a debt to another man which he can’t pay, he must be put in prison for it. God has a prison too, called hell. But though you cannot pay these debts to God, you need not go to prison, for God loves you and does not wish you to go there. God has a dear Son named Jesus, whom He sent all the way from heaven, on purpose to pay your debts for you, and so keep you from going to prison. He did this by suffering and dying on the cross for you. And so you see this God-man, the Lord Jesus, has paid all your debts for you, and you don’t have to go to prison.”

Matt listened with his eyes and ears wide open while the lady was talking to him, and then with great earnestness he said, “Tell it me again — tell it me again!” So she repeated what she had said. She told him over again “the old, old story of Jesus and His love"; and she told it to him slowly and simply, hoping that he might be able to take it in.

God by His blessed Spirit did help Matt to take it in. He saw and understood the great love of Jesus in dying for his sins. This took away all his fear; his sorrow was turned to joy and his poor distressed heart was comforted. For a time he seemed to forget everything but God and His great love in Jesus Christ.

One day while his kind friend was talking to him about Jesus, as they sat by the seaside, Matt’s heart seemed full of joy, and jumping to his feet he stretched out his hands toward heaven and shouted: “God and Man, who paid the debts, Matt says, thank you.”

From that time Matt never lost the joy that he first found in having Jesus for his Saviour. Not long after, he was taken sick and died. The last words he was heard to speak before he passed away were, “Man that paid the debt, do come and fetch poor Matt to live with Thee.”

“THE SON OF GOD, WHO LOVED ME, AND GAVE HIMSELF FOR ME.”

—Gal. 2:20.

ML-01/02/1966

A Father's Prayer Answered

“The first thing that made me think seriously about my soul,” said a Christian,” was my father’s earnest prayer for me. It was always his custom each morning to read a chapter from God’s Word, and pray with us before starting his day’s work.

“I was only a little child, and used to kneel beside him. I grew accustomed to hearing him pray for me and for the rest of the family. But on one occasion, as he asked the Lord that our hearts might be drawn to Him while young, and that we might not prove the folly of delay, a large tear fell on my hand. I looked up into my father’s face to see where it came from. Oh, I thought, if my father is so concerned about my soul, ought I not to be concerned too?

“For a long time I could not forget those tears, and the earnestness With which he prayed made me unhappy. Then I saw how God could justify the sinner who believes in Jesus (Rom. 3). I did believe in Jesus, not merely in my head but in my heart, and I have had joy and peace ever since. He has never failed me, and He never can. His mercies abound from day to day, and they will to the end.

Have you, dear reader, ever thought seriously about your soul and eternity? Perhaps you have a Christian father, or mother, who is longing to know that you have come to Christ and are treading the heavenly road. Can you still remain unconcerned? Beware of delay; time is flying. “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” 2 Cor. 6:2.

ML-01/02/1966

But This I Know

“I will go in the strength of the Lord God; I will make mention of Thy righteousness, even of Thine only” (Psa. 71:16).

I do not know what changes lie ahead,

What joy or sorrow,

What disappointment or what glad surprise

May come tomorrow.

But this I know—though smooth the road or rough,

As each day dawns His grace will be enough.

So in His strength in faith I venture forth

In the New Year;

If on the water He should bid me walk,

I will not fear;

Convinced am I that in the sun and shade,

He will be with me—I am not afraid.

N. Phillips

ML-01/02/1966

Bible Talks: Abraham, the Man of Faith

Genesis 22:14

“AND Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen.” v. 14. Indeed much was seen there. God saw in Abraham the demonstration of faith which delighted His heart; and Abraham saw the reward of his faith and the love of God which would not require him to do all that he was prepared to do. Through this great exercise of faith Abraham was drawn nearer to God than ever bore, and we may be sure that he and his son were drawn nearer to each other also. In like manner a trial of faith shared by the Lord’s people may often be a sweet binding attachment to one another. God is ever a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him, and many a believer’s life has been enriched by a trial allowed of God, that caused him to look away from self to Him who is the “Author and finisher of faith.”

The grand theme of the chapter far exceeds all that has thus far been considered. This portion most preciously pictures to us the display of God’s love to sinners. Long before this world was created, when, in contemplation of a world ruined by sin and men’s waywardness in refusing the sacrifices provided for sins, the Son of God declared: “Lo, I come to do Thy will, O God.” Heb. 10:9; Psa. 40:7. Then again, “When the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son... to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.” Gal. 4:4,5.

The matchless story of divine love is unfolded in type throughout this chapter. The love of Abraham toward Isaac sets forth the eternal relationship of God the Father and “His dear Son,” or, “The Son of His love,” Col. 1:13.

The instruction to Abraham to offer up Isaac as a burnt offering speaks again of Him who “spared not His own Son, but delivered Him of for us all"; and who “so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.” John 3:16. God spared Abraham, but He did not spare Himself. He spared Abraham from sacrificing Isaac, for a substitute offering was shown him, “a ram caught in a thicket by its horns.” But there was no substitute for our blessed Saviour, of whom it is said: “Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many.” Heb. 9:28.

“And they went both of them together.” vv. 6,8. Does this not bring to remembrance that Jesus said in John 4:34: “My food is that I should do the will of Him that has sent Me, and that I should finish His work"? Again: “He that has sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, because I do always the things that are pleasing to Him.” John 8:29; J.N.D. Trans. We delight too to think of the divine Oneness of the Father and the Son, so that every purpose of the Father and every act and expression of the Son displayed that complete harmony: “They went both of them together.”

May the obedience of Isaac engage our hearts, even as we think of the Lord Himself saying: “I seek not My own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent Me,” John 5:30; again, “Though He were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which He suffered; and... became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey Him. Heb. 5:8,9.

Memory Verse: “THOU SHALT CALL HIS NAME JESUS: FOR HE SHALL SAVE HIS PEOPLE FROM THEIR SINS.” Matt. 1:21.

ML-01/02/1966

His Mother's Bible

“MOTHER, your Bible saved my life!” were the words of a young soldier returning to his loved home once more. And after the first welcome, the humble meal being over, the shades of night were falling as the old folks settled down to hear with breathless interest of how a mother’s Bible was used of God in preserving the life of the boy they loved.

Called away to the war, before he left his mother gave her boy a favorite Bible. Not that he cared for the precious Book or its contents, but he stored it away carefully, thinking it might come useful in some way, not then clear to him. Strong and healthy, he would not likely become one of those goody-goody sort of praying and hymn-singing fellows. Still, for his mother’s sake, the Bible would go with him in peace or war.

After some months at the front, he found himself in the midst of a very fierce engagement. Companions dropped all around him, his chum fell at his side mortally wounded, a splinter of shell struck him and almost laid him low beside his friend. Stunned by the blow, he began to think what would have happened to him if he had been fatally wounded. He knew enough of his mother’s Bible to realize that, sinner that he was, he was in danger of everlasting destruction.

On examining the Bible he was surprised to find that the bullet had pierced the Bible, turned it from his heart, and thus saved his life. Surely such a book deserved his attention, especially at such a serious time in life. The first opportunity he had, he quietly turned over the leaves, noting two well-marked verses, one in Isaiah 53:6: “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all;” the other, the well-known words of John 3:16, which have been blessed to many.

Days passed, the word settled on his mind and heart, till one night after he had sufficiently recovered, he was so impressed with the goodness of God in saving his life that he was led to repentance. Acknowledging his need in that he had gone far astray, he saw clearly that God loved him, so loved him as to lay on the spotless head of His only begotten Son his many sins. Moreover, he realized that simply believing on the Lord Jesus Christ, accepting Him as his Saviour, he became a child of God, had everlasting life, and would never perish.

“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-01/09/1966

Nellie's Conversion: As Told by Herself

“I am the youngest child of six. My brothers and sisters were all saved, and often told me about the need of a Saviour; so did my father and mother and my Sunday school teacher. Still, I remained without Christ. Some children’s meetings were held in the hall where our school is, and many boys and girls were anxious, and waited to be spoken to in the after meetings. I felt very miserable, especially when I heard them say they were saved.

“One night I felt a load on my heart, and waited too. A gentleman spoke to me; he told me Jesus would save me if only I trusted Him, and he read this verse—’I will trust and not be afraid’ (Isa. 12:2). He asked me if I could say that. I then saw it was all in trusting: I did trust Jesus and He saved me. I am happy now.

“Nellie Owens, 8 years old.”

ML-01/09/1966

Mads Jagel

“O FATHER!” cried little Will Brown, suddenly resting from his weary toil over the rough lava. “Do you see those great white clouds rising from the ground! I do believe we are almost there.”

“I think you are right,” replied his father, “and in another half hour we shall stand by the famous Geysers.”

Willie’s eyes sparkled. “I have thought about them so much,” said he, “but I never dreamed when I was studying Iceland in my old geography last winter that I should be here so soon. How very kind you are to take me!” Mr. Brown looked down upon the fair-haired, motherless boy. “You’re a good little traveling companion,” he said.

“Yes, I’ll say that for him,” exclaimed one of the guides. “I expected the child would be a great trouble, but I haven’t heard a whimper. He’s a brave traveler.”

Will looked up with a pleased smile, and said, “But I wouldn’t live here for anything, Father, though there are so many strange things to see. It seems as if something terrible was going on under the ground, and as if any time all Iceland might blow right up in the air like a great rocket. I’m sure last night I heard a very strange noise, and the ground shook as if someone had told it a terrible secret, and it was all in a tremble about it.”

Mr. Brown smiled. “Oh, I think Iceland is safe for today, Will. You know the people say it is the very best land the sun shines upon, and don’t you think God is able to preserve it amidst every peril?”

“Yes, Father, I do believe God takes care of this country, for I read in my Bible this morning, ‘He toucheth the hills, and they smoke.” (Psa. 104:32), and I couldn’t help thinking that He must have touched Iceland very often.”

Before his father could reply, a strange but intelligent-looking boy, three or four years older than Will, stood before them as suddenly as if he had risen out of the ground. The guides spoke angrily to him, but the boy walked fearlessly up to Mr. Brown who was the foremost of the party.

“Mads Jagel,” said he, pointing to himself by way of introduction. Then in very broken English he offered his services in showing them up the great steam-fountains.

“Don’t have anything to do with him, sir,” said the guides impatiently. “He’s a bad, ill-tempered boy and will make mischief if he joins us,” but Mads looked so imploringly that Will began to plead in his favor with such good success, that at last Mr. Brown said, “Well, let the lad go with us. He certainly needs help, poor fellow, and I will gladly pay him whatever he earns.”

With a grateful look at Mr. Brown, and an equally vivid glance of triumph at the discomfited guides, ragged little Mads journeyed on by the side of Willie.

Before long the whole party stood in wonder and awe before the mysterious Geysers, and as the ground shook and moaned and suddenly sent forth a column of steam more than a hundred feet high, Will trembled. He grasped his father’s hand, and wondered if it was anything like the strange pillar of cloud that used to go before the children of Israel.

But Mads was particularly lively when they came to the fountain called Stroke, or the Churn. It was very quiet when they first arrived, and did not seem disposed to offer any salute. But Mads bustled about with a very knowing look, gathering quantities of moss and stones, which he threw into the tunnel. Immediately there was a loud trembling, as if the old churn were in a great passion at the insult. Soon a grand column rose in the air, throwing out all the rubbish in high indignation.

Will could not help clapping his hands with a shrill hurray, although there was something quite frightful in the demonstration, and Mads fairly rolled on the ground in ecstasies.

The next morning, as the travelers continued their journey, at Will’s earnest request Mads and his dog Skal accompanied them. The country was very desolate, with here and there a tree no larger than a lilac bush, but Mads and Will enlivened the way with a conversation helped out by a variety of expressive gestures. Mads was full of the wonders of Iceland, and he told Will many queer stories, how from the mountain of Hecla great streams of fire rushed and rolled over everything, burning houses and people, and sometimes drinking up the whole river.

Will’s eyes grew large as he listened to the wonderful stories, but soon he saw for himself something stranger than he had ever dreamed in his worst nightmares. They were just upon the edge of a precipice, and looking over, they saw at its base five or six great caldrons of some thick black fluid, boiling and steaming away with a terrible noise.

“What is it?” cried Will, clasping his father’s hand, and turning quite pale.

“It is boiling mud, sir,” said one of the guides, “and if any one falls in there, he will never come out again.”

Dear reader, does this not remind us of another terrible pit, the lake of fire, out of which no one ever comes? The Word of God tells us that in that day of judgment “whoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire” (Rev. 20:15), forever and ever. Oh, make sure your name is written there, as having taken the Lord Jesus as your Saviour!

Just then Skal, who had been playing about Will’s feet, stepped on a loose stone which rolled over, and before any one could help him, the poor dog had tumbled over the precipice with a fearful howl of terror. Down, down he fell into one of the horrible pits, and as Will bent over, he could just see the hot black paste closing over his bushy tail. With a cry of horror, he buried his face in his hands, but a sharp clutch upon his arm made him look up to Mads, whose two eyes were burning like fire in the midst of his white face.

(To be continued)

ML-01/09/1966

Bible Talks: Abraham: The Friend of God

Genesis 22: Con’t.

THE parallel, but excelling, display of God’s love, found in type in Abraham’s faithfulness, does not end with what has already been commented. Indeed, it is an inexhaustible subject and the more it is explored the more the Holy Spirit will delight our hearts with the lovely narrative. For instance, Isaac bound and laid on the altar spoke in type of the Lord Jesus going into death for us. When the bonds were removed and Isaac resumed his place at his father’s side, he pictures to us Christ in resurrection and His return to heaven, where He is presently seated at His Father’s right hand. Releasing of his bonds of figurative death is a reminder as well that there is a promise of resurrection to all who are Christ’s through faith in Him. “Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And... was buried, and... rose again the third day.” “But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by Man came also the resurrection of the dead.” 1 Cor. 15:3,4,20,21.

When first contemplating the ram to which God directed Abraham, the reader’s thoughts will turn to the many offerings of animals—sheep, goats, bullocks, rams and even doves —placed for so many generations on Jewish altars. But alas, the more the account of old is reviewed, the more the failure of God’s earthly people in connection with those offerings will be seen. Finally the record of God’s disapproval is heard: “In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin Thou hast had no pleasure.” Heb. 10:6. The prophet Isaiah expressed God’s displeasure in the words: “To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto Me?... Bring no more vain oblations.” Isa. 1:11,13.

God then manifested His wondrous grace by providing the true Sacrifice, “the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world.” Peter, also directed of the Holy Spirit, penned these memorable words: “Ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold... But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” 1 Pet. 1:18,19.

The ram, “Caught in a thicket by its horns,” appointed of God to be Isaac’s substitute, sweetly speaks of God’s own Son. The “horns” speak of strength and power, while “the thicket” pictures to us this wilderness world. Christ came into this world in the power of divine love. It was not merely the nails that held Him to the cross, but the strength of His love for us.

In past ages God sought the hearts of men in many ways—ever seeking to show His love and win their hearts. But the whole world has ever preferred to walk in the darkness of its own evil ways. In the parable of the vineyard, God is pictured as sending many servants to those who should have responded to Him, but His servants were mistreated and sometimes killed. Finally, “Having yet therefore one son, his well-beloved, he sent him... saying, They will reverence my son. But [they] said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him.” Mark 12:6,7. Yet, knowing that this would be so, such was the love of God toward mankind that He sent His well-beloved Son into the world, that we might live through Him.

Memory Verse: “CHRIST HATH REDEEMED US FROM THE CURSE OF THE LAW, BEING MADE A CURSE FOR US.” Gal. 3:13.

ML-01/09/1966

Mads Jagel

“YOU DID IT,” gasped Mads, I looking fiercely at Will. “You kill my dog Skal!”

“No indeed,” cried Will. “He put his foot on a stone — so, and rolled over.”

“You kick him,” said Mads slowly. “You wished him die in mud, I forget — never!”

With streaming eyes, and looks of the deepest sympathy, poor Will explained the occurrence again and again, but Mads still walked in sullen silence.

Towards night, however, Mads grew more cheerful, and as the travelers halted earlier than usual, he proposed to Will that they should take a short walk before dark, as he had something curious to show him. Will felt some reluctance, but not liking to refuse Mads when he was just returning to good humor, he at length set out with him, promising his father soon to return.

On they went over the desolate country, Mads entertaining Will with wild old legends about the curious island, till before he was aware, he was all alone with Mads in the wildest, strangest place he ever saw.

“Where are we?” he asked in sudden alarm. “Let us go home, Mads, for I don’t care to see anything curious tonight.”

“Almost there,” said Mads. “Hark, it calls you.”

“What?” asked Will, with a failing heart, as he heard a dull, steady roar. “Is it a bear?”

“Oh, no!” said Mads with an unpleasant laugh. “Here we are, and dragging him forward he saw lying ten or fifteen feet beneath him another of those terrible pits of mud. Will shrank back with a cry of terror, while Mads clutched his arm and dragged him again to the edge.

“See big pond — Black Lake — no bottom.” And Willie saw that it was very large, and boiling furiously, while in the center rose a black column several feet in height.

“I don’t like Black Lake at all, Mads. Do let’s go home.”

“You never go home,” said Mads with burning eyes.

“What do you mean?” asked Will.

“I love Skal very much. You kill him, I kill you,” responded Mads savagely.

“Oh, you cannot mean it! You are in fun, dear, dear Mads. You know I didn’t kill poor Skal. It is a joke, isn’t it, Mads?” Mads grimly shook his head.

Poor Will looked over the dreary country, half visible in the twilight. Over all the barren rocks and fields of lava, there was no human being in sight, and he was alone on the brink of this horrible lake with Mads’ strong clutch on his arm. It must be a dream. Why couldn’t he wake up? He rubbed his eyes and looked around piteously, but alas! it was no dream, and Mads was still watching him with those fiery eyes.

“Mads,” cried Will with a sudden hope, “I will buy you five, six, twelve dogs, with long ears as soft as silk.”

“There is no more Skal,” said Mads briefly.

Will took out his little purse and offered the contents. Mads threw it contemptuously into the bubbling lake.

“Then I must surely die?” Mads nodded.

“Oh Mads! how can you be so wicked? You cannot mean it.” But Mads rose as if to throw him in.

An agonizing scream burst from Willie’s lips, while Mads laughed contemptuously.

Mads said: “Skal die in mud—you die too.”

“Wait a minute, then,” said little Will, the cold drops gathering on his forehead. “I must pray first.”

“Black spirit won’t hear,” said Mads.

“But God will.”

“What God?” asked Mads quickly. “Are you Christian?”

“Yes,” said Will.

“Pray then,” said Mads more gently, for he had heard something of religion from the many travelers. “Christian’s God is great spirit.”

Then little Will fell upon his knees, and began to pray. “O God, I have been very wicked, but do forgive me for Jesus’ sake, and, O God, to save me from this, for I am so afraid of that dreadful mud, and I am such a little boy.”

“Enough,” said Mads, shaking his shoulder.

“One minute more, dear Mads?” “One minute,” said Mads, walking away.

“And, oh God, comfort my dearest father. Don’t let him think I ran away. Forgive Mads, dear Saviour, and give him a new heart. Oh!” Continued poor Will, a new hope springing up in his heart, “give it to him this moment, just now, if it’s possible—”

A wild cry interrupted him, and looking up, he could see nothing of Mads. With shaking limbs he hastened to the edge of the precipice. There was Mads, over the side.

Having made an uncertain step in the dim light, he had fallen a few feet, and finding it impossible to clamber up the smooth side, was hanging on desperately to a little twig.

“You are safe,” whispered a voice inside Will. “Now let the wicked boy fall into the pit himself.”

It was but a moment, and from Will’s heart arose the fervent prayer “lead us not into temptation.” Then, with eager hands, he unbound his long stout woolen cape, and fastening one end to a tough little shrub, dropped the other over to Mads. Oh, joy! he could just reach it, and Mads came clambering up like a young squirrel. As his head appeared above the top, poor Will fell fainting upon the ground. Mads stole up to him with a wondering, reverential expression, and lifting him in his arms, carried him tenderly home.

(to be continued)

ML-01/16/1966

Little Louise

Little Louise thought that God loved only good people. In a rather strange way she was led to change her mind about Him. While walking along the road one day she picked up a piece of paper with some printing on it. She looked at it and read: “For God so loved the world that He gave—” Here it stopped, the rest of the verse having been torn off.

As she walked along Louise thought to herself: “God loved the world, then He loved everybody. God loved the world, then He loved me, for I am part of the world.

But “What did God give?” was the question that puzzled Louise. Her heart grew lighter and her face became brighter as she dwelt on the sweet truth that God loved her. Yet she had never been taught the truths of the Bible and she did not know what it was God had given to the world. Still she went home smiling.

“What makes you so happy, Louise?” some one asked her. Putting her hand in her pocket she produced the paper: “God so loved the world that He gave—.”

“But what did He give?” another inquired. “I don’t know,” said the little girl; “but it was good of God to give anything to the world.” And she was right. It was very good of God to give anything to this sin-blighted, guilty world. We deserved nothing but judgment, to be banished from His presence forever. “The wages of sin is death,” we learn from Romans 6:23; but God did not give us the “wages.” He loved us in spite of our sin.

By and by little Louise learned what it was God gave— “He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” He had given the best gift that Heaven could afford — the Lord Jesus — to be her Saviour.

“The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Rom. 6:23. God loves you, dear reader. Christ died for you. Eternal life can be yours now. Why then delay? Believe in Him, trust Him as your Saviour, and you will be able to say: “God loved: God gave. I believe, and I have everlasting life.”

ML-01/16/1966

"Drop Dem S'posins"

Old Mamie was an aged Negro lady. When she was urged to come to the Lord Jesus and to accept His salvation, she would always reply, “But s’posin’ He don’t accept me; s’posin’ I could not hold on; s’posin’ I fell away at last,” and so on, with s’posins. Another old Christian friend, Lucy, exclaimed: “Mamie, you better drop dem s’posins, and just trust the Lord.”

There are many like old Mamie. Dear reader, how about you? Take old Lucy’s advice, drop all your doubts, and fears, and supposes, and trust yourself wholly to the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Scripture Quotation “Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.” Jer. 17:7.

ML-01/16/1966

Bible Talks: Abraham, the Man of Faith

Genesis 22:15-19

AND the angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, And said, By Myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: that in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven, and as the sand which is upon the seashore;... and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed My voice.” vv. 15-18.

God’s compassion spared Abraham from the dread task of slaying his son. Yet the act of faith had shown his obedient heart and God could say: “Now I know that thou fearest God.” The promises renewed again pointed to a future blessing for God’s heavenly people “as the stars of the heaven,” as well as the future earthly people “as the sand which is upon the seashore.”

The question might arise: Did not God know the heart of Abraham without putting him to so severe a test? And the answer must be, Yes, He well knew every thought and purpose, just as He knows the heart of everyone. Yet the demonstration of that faith was pleasing to God and its action was for the lasting good of Abraham as well as for Isaac. Could any other experience so fully have drawn him to God, or have so completely assured him of His mercy? God requires in all His people not only the proclaiming of faith and obedience, but the doing thereof as well. Thus it is written: “Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect; And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.” James 2:22,23. Abraham’s demonstration of faith was not only to be for his own spiritual good and for the strengthening of faith in his son Isaac, but has also been preserved as an everlasting testimony throughout the pages of Scripture. God’s people in all generations, who have read this instructive story, have been encouraged to obedience in their own exercises of faith.

“So Abraham returned unto his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beer-sheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beer-sheba.” v. 19. What manner of conversation must have been exchanged between father and son as they came down from the mountain and made their way to Beer-sheba! Their hearts would now be knit together with an unforgeable bond. Abraham’s appraisal of his son now had a new measure, and the son’s thoughts of his father’s obedience and faith could not do other than bring increased devotion. This again speaks, in type, of God’s appraisal of His dear Son who “became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross,... “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name.” Phil. 2:8,9.

Memory Verse “TRUST YE IN THE LORD FOREVER: FOR IN THE LORD JEHOVAH IS EVERLASTING STRENGTH.” Isa. 26:4.

ML-01/16/1966

Rachael's Letter

Rachael Howard loved the little village on the seacoast where she had gone for her vacation. Fond of hooks, her favorite pastime was to climb to the top of the rocks on a sunny day, and with the boom of the great waves below resounding in her ears, she read to her heart’s content.

However, on this particular day her book lay neglected by her side. In her hand she held a letter from her big strong handsome brother, Captain Ronald Howard. Rachael’s pretty blue eyes were troubled as she gazed out over the sea, and unconsciously her lips formed the word “saved.” “What can he mean?” she exclaimed. “Ronald, of all people: ‘saved'!” she read once more: “I shall always thank God for bringing me — quite without seeking it — to these gospel services, for I learned to know myself as a sinner, and Jesus Christ as my Redeemer and Saviour. He is mine, and I am His, and what I long to know now is just this: Is my dear little sister saved too?”

Rachael felt puzzled. In all her happy life no one had ever asked her such a strange question before. She went to the village church every Sunday, she read her Bible every day, and said her prayers night and morning; but was she “saved"? She did not know. Anyhow, she was glad Ronald was happy. She would not think about his letter any more.

But she found it was not so easy to put her brother’s question out of her thoughts: “Is my dear little sister saved too?”

The next afternoon she went down to a little village chapel and getting down on her knees she tried to pray about the matter, but did not receive any help.

Then she went on to her favorite spot on the cliffs, where she was joined by a cousin, John. He noticed that her usually bright happy face looked sad, and asked if anything were wrong. Very soon she told him her trouble and showed him Ronald’s letter.

Rachael was amazed at the joy in John’s face as he exclaimed, “Dear old Ronald. Thank God he has made his decision. He will make a good soldier of Jesus Christ.”

“Do you understand it?” she asked. “Are you saved too?”

“Yes, Rachael, by God’s mercy. You know how sick I was last year?

Well, during those long months a Christian friend made the way of redemption so plain to me. I learned how fully Christ paid the penalty for my sins, and offered me free salva—

“But, Jack,” insisted Rachael, “how can I be saved?”

In reply, Jack gave her Acts 16:31: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.”

“I do believe,” said Rachael slowly. “I have always believed since childhood.”

“Yes, but you must believe in your heart, and not merely in your head, and give yourself to the Saviour.”

But Rachael sighed. “Tell me, Jack, what can I do? There must be something. Salvation cannot surely be offered to me as easy as that? I feel as if it couldn’t be meant for me.” “It is for you, Rachael,” he said earnestly. “There are just three texts I will quote to show you how free the offer is. Listen: ‘Come unto Me, all ye that labor, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.’" (Matt. 11:28.)

Rachael sat upright. “I don’t feel heavy laden, or weary,” she said. “That is not for me.”

“Here is another message: ‘Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters.’" (Isa. 55:1.)

Rachael looked doubtful. “My soul doesn’t feel thirsty,” she murmured.

John smiled. “Well, here’s one that must meet your need: ‘Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.’ " (Rev. 22:17.)

There was a little silence. Then Rachael gave a sigh of relief. “Yes, I am willing, I am willing,” she said wistfully.

On the wall of the little chapel hung the text: “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” 1 Tim. 1:15.

A little later, as Rachael pondered that scripture, Rachael found herself on her knees before the Lord. Then she told Him; “Lord Jesus, I an great sinner! But Thou didst come into the world to save sinners. It was to save me, even me.” Such a flood of love and peace poured into her troubled heart. Life was altogether transformed for her. Then and there she accepted the full and free salvation He offered, and surrendered herself to the Saviour.

Outside John waited, praying that God Himself would teach and bless her. One glance at her face as she came out told the glad story, as it was radiant with thankfulness and joy. “Is it all right, Rachael?” he asked.

“Yes—all is right. Jesus Christ is my Saviour, my Redeemer. I know now that He gave His precious life for me, and I have given myself to Him.”

From that hour, Rachael has been a consistent follower of Christ, and her greatest joy is to tell others of God’s wonderful love, and to win souls for the Saviour.

ML-01/23/1966

Death Valley

IN southeastern California there is a low, desolate, desert region noted for its terrific heat, named Death Valley. This name was given to this section by the survivors of a group of “forty-niners” who went to California in 1849 searching for gold. The group of gold seekers wandered into the valley and named it “Death Valley” in grim memory of their terrible sufferings from thirst, hunger, and intense heat. Out of the group of thirty, only twelve survived.

Death Valley is over 130 miles long and 20 miles wide and is the lowest point in the United States. The highest point, Mount Whitney, is less than one hundred miles away. At the extreme northwest end of the valley stands “Last Chance Canyon.”

What a picture this desolate valley is of this world in which we live! All around us, on every hand, we see sorrow, trouble and death—all the results of sin. If we know the Lord Jesus as our Saviour, we can say with the psalmist, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me.” Psa. 23:4.

The poor men who perished in Death Valley so many years ago were searching for gold but found death instead. So, dear boy or girl, if you are searching for riches and happiness in this poor world, you will never find them, for true riches, happiness and joy, are found alone in Christ.

“Oh yes, O yes, there’s something more,

Something more than gold;

To know your sins are all forgiven,

Is better far than gold.”

Just as Mount Whitney, the highest point in the United States, is not far from Death Valley, so the path to glory through the Lord Jesus Christ is near for He has said: “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.” John 14:6.

“The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon Him, to all that call upon Him in truth.” Psalm 145:18.

The name “Last Chance Canyon” reminds us that this might be your very last opportunity to accept the Lord Jesus, so trust Him NOW. Tomorrow may be too late.

“BEHOLD, NOW IS THE AEPTED TIME; BEHOLD, NOW IS THE DAY OF SALVATION."-2 Cor. 6:2.

ML-01/23/1966

Mads Jagel

(Continued from last week)

Will was sick for many days, while Mads never left his side. At last, when he was able to speak, Mads said suddenly one day with downcast eyes, “Why save Mads? Why not let Mads die? Is it Christian?”

Will smiled and nodded.

“Tell me,” said Mads vehemently, turning to hide his tears. “It is good. I be Christian too.” And Will, day after day as he grew better, told Mads the wonderful story of the cross, and taught him to pray. He told him how the Lord Jesus shed His precious blood to wash his sins away. “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.” 1 John 1:7.

Before Will left Iceland poor Mads had found salvation, and knew that he too was a Christian, that the Lord Jesus was his own precious Saviour. He always carefully carried in his pocket Will’s little Bible, which, although he could not read a word of it, he regarded as his most precious treasure.

Will is now safe at home, but whenever with a shudder he thinks of Black Lake, he never forgets to give thanks that God, who is everywhere, was even upon those desolate shores, and heard his broken prayers for life and poor little Mads’ soul.

“Ask, and it shall be given you.” Matt. 7:7.

“Before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.” Isa. 65:24.

Scripture Quotation “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the lone of the Father is not in him.” 1 John 2:15.

ML-01/23/1966

Bible Talks: Abraham, the Man of Faith

Genesis 22:20-24

PERHAPS the renewed pledges from God and the words, “By Myself have I sworn,” were instrumental in turning the footsteps of Abraham and Isaac back to Beersheba, “the well of the oath,” and its refreshing waters.

Before ascending the mountain with Isaac, Abraham’s last words to the young men were: “I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.” The young men, owning their allegiance to Abraham, present a type of the nation of Israel, owning its allegiance to God. As the young men were left alone for a period of time, so too Israel was alone and apart from God at the time of Calvary, where the Son of God was offered up. The two remaining behind remind us that Israel was not equal to entering into that scene of the death of their Messiah. To their dull hearts it was an unacceptable offering and strange to them. The manifestation to them of the value of the sufferings of Christ for them awaits a future day, when “They shall look on Him whom they pierced.” John 19:37.

But when Abraham and Isaac returned to the young men and they journeyed to Beersheba together, there was a foreshadow of the day when Israel will be restored and see the good of the death of the One from whom they have meanwhile been estranged. The two young men, raining faithfully by the goods and waiting for the return of their master, speak most impressively of the faithful remnant of Jews who will be obedient to God in the time of tribulation. These are the ones of whom it is prophesied: “And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us: This is the LORD; we have waited for Him, we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.” Isa. 25:9

This lovely story ends at this point —Abraham taking up his residence in Beersheba, where he has previously planted a grove and called on the name of the LORD, the Everlasting God. If we have enjoyed the contemplation of a new bond of relationship between this earthly father and son, may it not delight our hearts even more to think of the enriched relationship between God the Father and His Son when He had accomplished the work which His Father sent Him to do?

“And it came to pass after these things, that it was told Abraham, saying, Behold, Milcah, she hath also borne children unto thy brother Nahor.” v. 20. This verse and those that close the chapter recite the names of a number of individuals holding relationship with Abraham through his brother Nahor, back in the land of Haran, which Abraham had left so many years ago. News traveled slowly in those days and it was no doubt of real interest to Abraham to hear of these families. They are, however, of no more than passing interest to us, except for the name of one daughter mentioned in verse 23: “And Bethuel begat Rekah.” The Lord willing, we will soon come to the beautiful love story of Rebekah and Isaac.

Memory Verse: “I KNOW THAT IT SHALL BE WELL WITH THEM THAT FEAR GOD, WHICH FEAR BEFORE HIM.” Eccles. 8:12.

ML-01/23/1966

Little Nellie: The Conversion of a Prisoner

COME years ago, while conducting 3 a series of meetings in Michigan City, I was asked to preach to the convicts in the State prison. I sat on the platform while the prisoners marched in, 700 men, young and old. They marched in lock-step, every man’s hand on the shoulder of the man before him. At the word of command they sat down. Among that number there were seventy-six “lifers,” men who had been committed to prison for life for murder.

After the singing I arose to preach, but could hardly speak for weeping. Disregarding all the rules of the prison, in my earnestness to help the poor, fallen men, I left the platform and walked down the aisle among them, taking one and then another by the hand and praying for him. At the end of the row of men who were committed for murder, sat a man who, more than his fellows, seemed marked by sin’s blighting curse. His face was seamed and ridged with scars and marks of vice and sin. He looked as though he might be a demon incarnate, if once aroused to anger. I placed my hand upon his shoulder and wept and prayed with and for him.

When the service was over, the governor said to me, “Well, Kain, do you know you have broken the rules of the prison by leaving the platform?” “Yes, governor, but I never can keep any rule while preaching. And I did want to get up close to the poor, despairing fellows, and pray for them, and tell them of the love of Jesus the Saviour. “He came to seek and to save that which was lost.’ ‘This Man [Jesus] receiveth sinners and eateth with them’ " (Luke 19:10; 15: 2).

“Do you remember,” said the governor, “the man at the end of the line in the lifers’ row, whom you prayed with? Would you like to hear his history?” “Yes,” I answered, “gladly.” “Well, here it is in brief. Tom Galson was sent here about eight years ago for murder. He was, without doubt, one of the most desperate and vicious characters we had ever received, and, as was expected, gave us a great deal of trouble.

“About six years ago, duty compelled me to spend the night at the prison, instead of at home as I had anticipated. Early in the morning, while it was yet dark, I left the prison for my home, my pockets full of presents for my little girl. It was a bitter cold morning, and I buttoned my overcoat up to protect myself from the cutting wind that swept in from the lake. As I hurried along, I thought I saw somebody skulking in the shadow of the prison wall. I stopped and looked a little more closely, and then saw a little girl, wretchedly clothed in a thin dress, her bare feet thrust into a pair of shoes much the worse for wear. In her hand she held tightly clasped, a small paper parcel. Wondering who she was, and why she was out so early in the morning, and yet too weary to be interested, I hurried on. But I soon heard that I was being followed. I stopped, and turned around, and there before me stood the same wretched-looking child.

" ‘What do you want?’ I asked sharply.

“Are you the governor of the prison, sir?’

" ‘Yes, who are you, and why are you not at home?’

" ‘Please, sir, I have no home; mamma died in the poor-house two weeks ago, an’ she told me just before she died that papa, that is Tom Gal-son, was in prison; an’ she thought that maybe he would like to see his little girl, now that mamma is dead. Please can’t you let me see my papa? I want to give him a present.’

“‘No,’ I replied gruffly, ‘you will have to wait until visitors’ day,’ and started on. I had not gone many steps when I felt a pull at my coat and a pleading voice said, ‘please don’t go.’ I stopped once more, on looked into the pinched beseeching face before me. Great tears were in her eyes, while her little chin quivered with emotion.

" ‘Mister,’ she said, ‘if your little girl was me, and your little girl’s mamma had died in the poor-house an’ her papa was in the prison, on: she had no place to go an’ no one to love her, don’t you think she would like to see her papa? If your little girl came to me, if I was governor of the prison, an’ asked me to please let her see her papa to give him a present, don’t you—don’t you think I would say, Yes?’

“By this time a great lump was in my throat, and my eyes were swimming in tears. I answered, ‘Yes, my little girl, I think you would, and you shall see your papa'; and, taking her hand, I hurried back to the prison, thinking of my own fair-haired little girl at home. Arriving in my office, I bade her come near the warm stove, while I sent a guard to bring No. 37 from his cell. As soon as he came into the office he saw the little girl. His face clouded with an angry frown, and in a gruff, savage tone he snapped out: " ‘Nellie, what are you doing here? What do you want? Go back to your mother.’ Please papa,’ sobbed the little girl, ‘mamma’s dead. She died two weeks ago in the poor-house, an’ before she died she told me to take care of little Jimmie, ‘cause you loved him so; an’ told me to tell you she loved you, too—but, papa,'— and her voice broke in sobs and tears—’Jimmie died, too, last week, an’ now I am alone, papa, an'—and I thought, maybe as you loved Jimmie, you, would like a little present from him.’ “Here she unrolled the little bundle she held in her hand, until she came to a little package of tissue paper, from which she took out a little fair curl, and put it in her father’s hand, saying, as she did so: I cut it from dear little Jimmie’s head, papa, just afore they buried him.’

“No. 37 by this time was sobbing like a child, and so was I. Stooping down, 37 picked up the little girl, pressed her convulsively to his breast while his great frame shook with suppressed emotion.

“The scene was too sacred for me to look upon, so I softly opened the door and left them alone. In about an hour I returned. No. 37 sat near the stove, with his little daughter on his knee. He looked at me sheepishly for a moment, and then said, ‘Governor, I haven’t any money'; then suddenly stripping off his prison jacket, he said, ‘Don’t let my little girl go out this bitter cold day with that thin dress. Let me give her this coat. I’ll work early and late; I’ll do anything. I’ll be a man. Please, governor, let me cover her with this coat.’ Tears were streaming down the face of the hardened man.

" ‘No, Galson,’ I said, ‘keep your coat; your little girl shall not suffer. I’ll take her to my home and see what my wife can do for her.’ God bless you,’ sobbed Galson. I took the girl to my home. She remained with us a number of years and became a true Christian by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

God’s Book shows man’s need and God’s remedy (Rom. 3:9-24; John 3:1-16). Tom Galson also became a Christian, and then he gave the prison authorities no more trouble (Luke 8:35).

A year ago, when I visited the prison again, the governor said to me, “Kain, would you like to see Tom Galson, whose story I told you a few years ago?”

“Yes, I would,” I answered.

The governor took me down a quiet street, and stopping at a neat home, knocked at the door. The door was opened by a cheerful woman, who greeted the governor with the utmost cordiality.

We went in, and then the governor introduced me to Nellie and her father, who, because of the governor’s information, had received pardon, and was now living an upright Christian life with his daughter, whose little gift had broken his hard heart.

“Christ died for the ungodly” (Rom. 4:5; 5:6). And, dear reader, He died for YOU! Will you not trust Him too?

“For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.” Rom. 5:6.

ML-01/30/1966

"There Go the Ships"

“There go the ships!” how quickly they pass by!

Life is but trips, eternity draws nigh!

The fleeting sense of time, oh, approach of the unknown!

Oh soul, what thoughts sublime!

Naught can’st thou call thy own.

People and plans appear and disappear;

Lives come and go, but whither do they steer?

Oh friend, “heave to,” consult your chart once more;

Where will you anchor when the journey’s o’er?

ML-01/30/1966

Bible Talks: Abraham, the Man of Faith

Gen. 23:1,2

“AND Sarah was a hundred and seven and twenty years old: these were the years of the life of Sarah. And Sarah died in Kirjatharba; the same is Hebron in the land of Canaan: And Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her.” vv. 1, 2. Abraham, at his wife’s death, was 137 years of age and Isaac 36.

There are two particular subjects of this chapter that merit the rear’s earnest consideration. The first of these is Abraham’s conduct before God and before worldly witnesses when confronted with death. There are indeed many things in this world that bring weeping and mourning and none is more sobering than death. It is recorded: “To everything there is a season... a time to be born, and a time to die;... a time to weep, and... a time to mourn.” Eccl. 3:1, 2, 4. The child of God, in this respect, is no different from all around him and may at any moment find himself in this sad circumstance. Yet he has a sustaining comfort that the world knows nothing of. He well knows that “The sting of death is sin"; but he is also in the good of being able to say, “Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Cor. 15: 56, 57.

Sarah is named among those who “died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off.” While her example of faith did not shine out as brightly as Abram’s, it was real nonetheless, and we may be sure that she came to the end of her years in full confidence that God had prepared a heavenly home for her. Sharing this same confidence, Abraham, although weeping could take an early place among those who “sorrow not, even as others who have no hope.” As an Old Testament child of God, this man of faith did not have the full knowledge of resurrection and eternal life that has since been revealed in the light of Christ’s work on Calvary. Yet he who had counted God able to raise up Isaac from the dead, could also look forward in faith at the time of his dear one’s departure from this life, knowing that God had prepared for His own “a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.” In view of this faith “Abraham stood up from before his dead.” Was this not a lovely tribute to the full trust and confidence of his faith in God’s abiding goodness? He did not remain prostrate in overwhelming grief but, his sorrow tempered by hope in God and the assurance of an eternal day before both Sarah and himself, he “rose up” before his dead, an expression, as it were, of the hope within him.

Do you, dear reader, have a hope beyond the grave, or is death a prospect of hopeless uncertainty for you? The fact of death cannot be ignored. “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” Heb. 9:27. Nevertheless, Christ has taken the sinner’s place on the cross, and everyone who trusts Him as his Saviour can face death in calmness and peace, in assurance of the hope of resurrection and of entering that heavenly home prepared for those that love Him.

ML-01/30/1966

The Hidden Hook

MUKITELA wanted the bird that lived in the tree near his African home, and he wanted it alive. He had set traps for it but the bird was too smart to enter his traps. The people in the village laughed at Mukitela because he who was so big and strong could not catch this little bird.

One day when Mukitela was in a trading store he saw some hooks which men used to catch fish in the river. Mukitela bought one of these sharp hooks and some strong string and hurried home.

He drove a peg into the ground, then tied one end of the string to the hook and the other end to the peg. After that he baited the hook with a locust, or grasshopper. All the while the little bird was sitting in the tree watching what was going on. He wanted that locust very much for locusts tasted good to him.

As soon as Mukitela had walked away the bird flew down on the ground. He looked at the locust but he did not see the fatal hook. He seized the locust and tried to fly away, but alas, the sharp hook pierced him and held him fast. Mukela came back quickly, he caught the little bird, put him in his bag and took him away.

Dear young friends, let us learn a lesson from the story of Mukitela and the bird. Satan, the great enemy of our souls, uses all kinds of bait to catch boys and girls, and men and women. He uses many kinds of sin, the things we like to do naturally, the pleasures of the world, even things that appear to be harmless, to take people captive.

There is only One who can set sinners free from the power of sin and Satan. That is God’s dear Son. “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” 1 Tim. 1:15. If He had not loved us so and come to save us, every child of Adam’s race would have gone down to the pit, to suffer the judgment of God against their sins forever. But love brought Him down from the glory to where we were. “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil"; “that through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; and deliver them, who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.” (1 John 3:8; Heb. 2:14.) He bore sin’s penalty upon the cross for those who trust Him as Saviour, “that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16.

Had a kind man come along and offered Mukitela a sum of money to redeem the little bird he might have set him free. Now the Lord Jesus has died to redeem our souls, and those who claim Him as their Saviour are “redeemed... not with silver or gold,... but with the precious blood of Christ.” 1 Pet. 1:18.

Dear young reader, are you redeemed? Or are you still a captive to Satan and a slave to sin?

“If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” John 8:36.

Evangelical Mission Press.

ML-02/06/1966

Jesus

A fond mother, her heart nearly breaking, paced the room, seeking to soothe the patient little sufferer she held in her arms, a lovely boy of just five summers.

As she gazed into the dear face, she longed to hear from those sweet lips the name of Him who was soon to take His tender lamb to His own loving bosom.

“Who loves my darling better than Mother?” she softly asked.

The tired lips slowly opened and clearly uttered one word: “Jesus"—the one precious Name that is above every name.

Do you know, dear children, the power of that saving Name? You are not too young to be saved.

A little child of seven,

Or even three or four,

May enter into heaven,

Through Christ the open Door.

“He shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom.” Isa. 40:11.

ML-02/06/1966

"Will He Hear Me?"

It was a warm sunny afternoon in Toronto, Canada. A car stopped in front of a big old house, and the driver paused for a few moments with bowed head behind the wheel. He was praying! Yes, Mr. Leslie had a very special reason for visiting this old home—he was going to talk to the boys who were inside and tell them about Jesus and His love.

Why weren’t those boys out playing on such a fine day? Ah, they were not allowed outside, for they were in jail! That big old house was a “detention home” for bad boys under sixteen. When I say “bad boys,” I mean boys who have been arrested by the police. But let us remember that God’s Word says, “there is none that doeth good, no, not one.” Rom. 3:12.

Mr. Leslie rang the bell and was at once admitted by a stern looking, but kindhearted man. He entered a large room and sat down at a table with a group of boys around him.

They sang a few hymns, had prayer together, and then Mr. Leslie opened his Bible and began to read. What should he tell them? Would it be right to tell them to try hard to be good so that they might earn their way to heaven? No! Not one sin shall ever enter that holy place, and all our trying will never get rid of even one sin. I am so glad that Mr. Leslie knew just the very message that Jesus wanted those boys to hear. He told them that “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners,” 1 Tim. 1:15; and “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin” 1 John 1:7. He told them that if they would just own themselves bore God as sinners, and accept the Lord Jesus, His beloved Son, by faith as their own Saviour, they would be cleansed from all their sins and be saved.

One of the boys named Jimmie seemed to be listening eagerly. Suddenly he asked, “Sir, how do you know Jesus would hear me? Maybe when I meet Him, He would tell me He was too busy and didn’t hear me at all.”

What is the answer to that question? Well, Mr. Leslie opened his Bible to John 1:48, and told Jimmie the story of Nathanael, a young man who one day was sitting under a fig tree. Suddenly Philip came and invited him to come to Jesus. Was Jesus too busy to see him? Not at all!

Jesus was glad to see him, and Nathanael got a blessing that day that he is enjoying even now—and all because he came to Jesus.

Won’t you COME TO JESUS, dear young friend, now? He waits to save and bless you. But Jesus told Nathanael that He had seen him while he was still under the fig tree. And Jesus could see and hear Jimmie, in the detention home too. He can see and hear you all the time, even now while you read this paper, and He wants you to turn and take Him as your Saviour.

“I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Matt. 9:13.

Memory Verse: “BUT THIS MAN, AFTER HE HAD OFFERED ONE SACRIFICE FOR SINS FOREVER, SAT DOWN ON THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD.” Heb. 10:12.

ML-02/06/1966

Bible Talks: Abraham, the Man of Faith

Gen. 23:3-20

THE second outstanding subject of this chapter is the behavior of the child of God before the people of this world. It is a most important subject for one who would be a true testimony to the honor of God.

“And Abraham stood up from bore his dead, and spake unto the sons of Heth, saying, I am a stranger and a sojourner with you: give me a possession of a burying place with you... for as much money as it is worth.” vv. 3, 4, 9. God had already promised this entire land to Abram’s seed for an inheritance and, in a sense, he might have laid claim to it without payment. Yet he well knew that the children of Heth would not understand such a claim and therefore set out to purchase it according to the custom of the land.

However, the people thought well of Abraham and the owner of the field which he selected pressed him: “Nay, my lord, hear me: the field give I thee, and the cave that is therein, I give it thee.” v. 11. This surely sounded very appealing and generous, but Abraham persisted until a price was named by the owner. “And Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver, which he had named in the audience of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, current money with the merchant... And the field..., and the cave which was therein, and all the trees... were made sure unto Abraham.” vv. 16-18.

It would seem that Abraham wished to secure this parcel of land for himself and his descendants because of faith in God’s promise that at a later day the land would be inhabited by the nation that was to follow him. The purchase of this ground became an ever-present token of that coming possession. Had he been able to look forward to following years he would no doubt have been happy to see Caleb, another faithful man of God select this spot for a dwelling place and to have also seen David proclaimed king of Judah here. It became a cherished place of communion to God’s people while they walked faithfully in His ways.

Why was the field not accepted as a gift? Once before when Abraham had been confronted with the King of Sodom’s offer to give him the spoils of war, after Lot was set free from the enemy, his reply had been: “I will not take from a thread even to a shoe-latchet, and... I will not take anything that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich.” Gen. 14:23. Now, at Hebron, he again refused a gift, although requiring the land.

Abraham, in both instances, wisely considered the consequences of an unequal yoke in accepting the gifts of the ungodly. He knew in principle and practice the wisdom of the warning that was later given God’s people: “Thou shalt take no gift: for the gift blindeth the wise, and perverteth the words of the righteous.” Ex. 23:8.

In his relationship with the world the believer is instructed to “walk honestly toward them that are without.” 1 Thess. 4:12; “Providing for honest things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men.” 2 Cor. 8:21. May it be every believer’s testimony, in each transaction with the world, to pay full measure—“current money with the merchant"—and avoid its gifts, that the name of the Lord may not be dishonored.

ML-02/06/1966

A Brightly Colored Thief

A man in Fairmont, Minnesota, had a gas tank installed in his rear yard. Not long afterward, he was plagued by thefts of gas from his tank.

He rigged up a homemade thief-catcher. He fixed a small charge of explosive so when the hose was lifted from the tank, it would go off, sprang the culprit with hard-to-remove dye.

It worked, and soon the sheriff’s office arrested a teen age boy—brightly colored—for the gasoline theft.

We are all brightly colored sinners, for sin has the effect of spreading an impossible-to-remove dye upon all who sin.

The bright color is red, but God says, “Come now, and let us reason together,... 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.

We said the stain was impossible to remove. It is as far as man is concerned; but what man cannot do, the precious blood of Christ can.

The Saviour shed His life’s blood for sinners. Now, we are told, “the blood of Jesus Christ... cleanseth us from all sin.” 1 John 1:7.

“Be sure your sin will find you out.” Numb. 32:23.

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

T. M. O.

ML-02/13/1966

Hit by a Bat

HOW would you feel if you had hit someone with a baseball bat?

I don’t know how Susan’s head got in the way, but I swung as hard as I could because the bases were loaded, and I wanted to make a home run. There was an awful thump, and everyone screamed. The Nurse came and bent over Susan, and I ran away as fast as I could. I didn’t want to be around because I was afraid Susan would die and I would be a murderer. I ran to my cabin and lay face down on my cot and cried and cried and cried. I wondered how I could ever meet Susan’s mother again.

I hadn’t been there very long when a kind Christian lady came in. She sat down beside me and just sort of patted me until I stopped crying. Everybody loved her because she was always so good to us.

“Alice,” she said to me softly, “your heart is broken because you hurt Susan and made her suffer, but did you ever think how you have hurt the Lord Jesus and made Him suer?”

I was surprised. “Why, what do you mean?” I asked, drying my tears. Miss Clarke opened her Bible. “He was wounded for our transgressions,” she read, “He was bruised for our iniquities.” “The Bible tells us that we are all sinners, Alice. We have all done wrong. But this verse tells us that He died on the cross for our transgressions and iniquities — our sins.”

I had never thought about those things before, but Miss Clarke was so gentle and sweet that while she talked I thought I had done an awful lot of bad things. I remembered lies I had told, and how I had disobeyed my mother, and the time I had cheated in school. I felt so miserable that I started to cry again.

“I know it!” I sobbed. “I know it!”

Miss Clarke stroked my hand. “Alice,” she said, “let me show you how the verse reads when I put your name in it. ‘He was wounded for Alice’s transgressions, He was bruised for Alice’s iniquities, by His stripes Alice is healed.’ "

“Oh, Miss Clarke,” I said, “does it really mean that?”

“It does if you believe He died for you, and if you will let Him come into your heart as your own Saviour.”

We knelt beside my bed and I told the Lord about the sins in my life. I told Him I believed He died for me on the cross. I asked Him to come into my heart and make it clean, and to make me His forever. I don’t know how it happened, but I was sure the Lord Jesus had heard me, and that fie was really my own Saviour from then on.

Getting up, I flung my arms around Miss Clarke. “I feel as if I were dancing inside,” I said, “and when Susan gets better I’ll be the happiest girl in the whole world.”

We prayed for Susan and soon she was better, though she had the blackest eye you ever saw. But I knew it wasn’t as black as my heart was bore I trusted Jesus.

You would be a lot happier too, if you would trust Jesus. He died for you and wants you to put your name into the verse. Won’t you do it now? Just write it in the blanks: “He was wounded for ____’s transgressions, He was bruised for _______’s iniquities... and with His stripes ________ is healed.” Isa. 53:5.

B. C. Jordan

ML-02/13/1966

A Perfect Specimen

George Smeale, on vacation, was visiting a large museum. Soon he found himself standing before a large glass case containing a human skeleton. It was labeled “A Perfect Specimen.” With a slight shiver, he turned to a man at his elbow and remarked: “It takes all the conceit out of you when you think you have to come to that, doesn’t it?”

The man smiled, as he replied, “I’m hoping to be gone before that.”

George gave him a quick glance. “Expecting to get annihilated by an atomic bomb perhaps?” he asked.

“No,” answered the other man, “I’m expecting the fulfillment of a promise which may take place anime now. If I’m alive when it happens I shall certainly disappear, but it will not be by means of an atomic bomb. You see, my friend, I’m a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, and He has promised to return and take us to be with Himself—all His own, the living with the dead.”

A group of young people came along that moment and surrounded the glass case. In the midst of their joking and smothered laughter, George slipped away.

The two met again, but this time in the picture gallery. There John Day sat alone looking at a large canvas. At first George decided against going in, but an unexplained urge seemed to force him forward, and he too sat down.

“Excuse me,” he began, “but would you mind going on with what you were saying when we were examining the skeleton?”

“Certainly; I was telling you of the Christian’s hope. Is it something new to you?”

“N-No. My parents thought as you did. They died long ago.”

“Then—you were doubtless the child of many prayers?”

George bowed his head. “Yes, once when a boy at Sunday School, I decided for Christ, but—” he shook his head sadly.

John Day laid a hand on his arm. Said he, “Once His, always His. We sometimes get out of communion, lose touch with Him, but He never does.”

A most helpful talk followed. At the end of it, George’s eyes were shining. At last he found that, backslider though he was, and had wandered far from God, still the Lord loved him, and welcomed him back into His presence again.

“Thank God for guiding me here today,” said George humbly but thankfully.

“Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation.” Psa. 51:12.

“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-02/13/1966

Bible Talks: Abraham, the Man of Faith

Gen. 24:1-4

“AND Abraham was old, and well stricken in age: and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things. And Abraham said unto his eldest servant of his house... I will make thee swear by the LORD, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell: but thou shalt go unto my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son Isaac.” vv. 1-4.

Since the days when God first called Abraham out of the land of the Chaldees, his life had been marked by a variety of experiences and trials of faith, all of which contributed to a deeper understanding of God’s ways and promises to him. Many of these deep exercises could not take place until earlier experiences of his life were concluded.

With this in mind, in considering chapter 24 and its typical meaning, it will be readily seen that this interesting story logically followed the death of Sarah. It is helpful, indeed, to see that the sequence of events as recorded sets forth a divine order, as follows: In chapter 22, Isaac offered up as a sacrifice, was a type of Christ in death, his release therefrom, a type of His resurrection. In chapter 23 Sarah’s death speaks figuratively of Israel, after the flesh, being set aside by God; and chapter 24 presents a beautiful picture of God’s calling the Church out of the world to be the Bride of His Son.

As long as Israel remained in the good of its position as God’s special people and were obedient to His ways, He was pleased to extend boundless favors to them, just as Abraham, loving Sarah, shared with her his riches and high calling. But when Israel was set aside, following their rebellion against God and rejection of their Messiah, grace was then extended to the whole world. All outside of Israel are referred to in Scripture as Gentiles, as distinct from Israel itself or the Jews who were a part of that nation. We read in Acts 13:46,47: “It was necessary that the Word of God should first have been spoken to you [Jews]: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles. For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth.” It is from among the Gentiles (those figuratively dwelling in a distant country) that a “bride” is now being secured for God’s Son, although the Jews were, and still are, invited to come into this same place of blessing as well, if they too will come on the ground of salvation through the atoning work of Christ on Calvary.

Abraham could scarcely forget his affection for Sarah—just as God has never forgotten His people Israel, even though they are now spiritually dead. “For a small moment,” He declares, “have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hid My face from thee for a moment.” Abraham’s thoughts now turned to his much-loved son, Isaac, and he determined to secure a companion for him.

Memory Verse: “FOR THOUGH THOU WASH THEE WITH NITRE, AND TAKE THEE MUCH SOAP, YET THINE INIQUITY IS MARKED BEFORE ME, SAITH THE LORD GOD.” Jer. 2:22.

ML-02/13/1966

Jacques, the Cabin Boy

SOME years ago, a ship carrying a rich cargo was overtaken by a sudden violent storm along the coast of France. In spite of all the efforts of the captain and crew to keep her out to sea, the force of the terrific winds and waves drove her toward the rocky coast. All day long the ship, beaten about by the storm, drew nearer to the great rocks along the shore. Then suddenly there was a violent shock. The ship had struck a rock, and now she was at the mercy of the cruel waves which began to pound her to pieces.

“Lower the boats,” cried the captain. But no sooner were the boats in the water than they were swept away by the violence of the storm.

“We have but one hope,” said the captain. “One of us will have to try and swim ashore with a rope and fasten it on shore. Perhaps we may all Vet safe to land this way.”

“But, Captain, it’s impossible,” said the mate, pointing to the angry surf breaking on the jagged rocks. “Whoever tries to run a risk like that will certainly be dashed to pieces.”

“Then,” said the captain, “we must all die together.”

At this moment there was a stir among the sailors who were silently waiting for orders. “What’s the matter there?” called out the captain.

“Captain,” replied a sailor, “Jacques, the cabin boy, is asking to swim ashore with a small rope around him and then draw the cable after him,” and he pushed Jacques into the midst of the circle. The boy stood, turning his cap around and around, without daring to utter a word.

Jacques was only twelve years old. His father had died, his mother was poor, and had a large family to support. Jacques loved her dearly and was looking forward to the prospect of carrying to her the wages he had earned on this voyage.

“Nonsense,” exclaimed the captain. “Such a child can’t go.”

But Jacques was not so easily discouraged. “Captain,” he said timidly, “fasten a small rope around my waist and I promise you that an hour from now the rope will be fastened on shore, or I will die in the attempt.”

“Does he know how to swim?” asked the captain.

“Yes,” replied one of the crew. “He swims like an eel.”

The captain hesitated, but the lives of all on board were at stake, and at last he yielded. Jacques hastened to prepare for the terrible undertaking, and then he turned to the captain. “Captain,” he said, “since I might be lost, would you please take charge of something for me?”

“Certainly,” replied the captain, who was already wishing he had not yielded to Jacques’ request.

“Here then, Captain,” said Jacques, holding out a few coins wrapped in a piece of cloth. “If you get safe to land and I am lost, will you give this to my mother, and tell her that I thought of her and that I love her dearly?”

“No fear of that, my boy. If you die for us and we escape, your mother will never want for anything.”

For a moment the captain thought, “We can’t let this little fellow sacrifice himself for us like this.” But it was too late. Jacques was already overboard, with a cord tied round his waist and in the midst of the angry sea.

At first nothing could be seen but the waves and white foam rising and falling. But soon the sailors caught sight of a small black speck rising on the waves. Anxiously they watched the cord unrolling and tried to guess by its movement the fate of the little fellow. Sometimes it moved rapidly, sometimes it slackened, and they feared the boy had been drowned or dashed against the rocks.

Their anxiety lasted almost an hour. Then all at once there was a violent pull on the cord, followed by a second pull, and then a third. It was Jacques’ signal telling them that he had reached the shore, and a joyful shout went up from the ship. The men hastened to fasten a strong cable to the rope. In the meantime, people who had gathered on the shore began to pull on the rope as fast as possible.

Clinging to the cable, one after another the shipwrecked sailors reached the shore all safe and sound. Shortly after, they saw their ship go down beneath the waves.

Jacques was ill for a long time from the terrible ordeal of braving the waves and rocks. But he did not mind, because in gratitude for his bravery, the ship owners arranged that his mother should receive a yearly grant of money sufficient to take care of all her needs.

Jacques had risked his life to save others, but when the Lord Jesus came from heaven, he came to give His life a ransom for many. He knew that He must die, for there was no other way whereby we might be saved from the penalty of our sins and from eternal banishment from God. By His death on the cross, and by His resurrection He has provided a way by which lost perishing sinners may now pass from death unto life. Countless thousands have trusted the safekeeping of their souls to Him, have left the doomed and shattered wreck of this world and have landed safely on the heavenly shore.

May God grant that you too, dear reader, may trust Christ as your Saviour, and be saved for time and eternity.

“The Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me.” Gal. 2:20.

ML-02/20/1966

Tell Me of Jesus

“My mother is converted, and sometimes my husband and I would go down to have supper with her. But neither of us liked these visits, because sometimes she used to speak to us about our souls. We said we wouldn’t be preached to by her.

“Well, one Sunday we were so angry at her for speaking to us in this way, telling us that we were sinners, and needed Jesus to save us, that we said we would never go near her again. The next Sunday we went to my husband’s mother’s place.

“But my little boy, Johnny, just five years old, was very fond of my mother, so I let him go to see her. When he came home he said to me, ‘Grandma says you are to tell me about Jesus.’

“Now, I couldn’t do that; I just didn’t know anything about Jesus myself; I could not tell my little boy; so I went upstairs, and I felt very uncomfortable. I thought to myself, ‘Oh, what a mother I must be, not able to tell my own child about Jesus'!

“After a little while I came down, and Johnny said to me again, ‘Mother, tell me of Jesus.’

“I said, ‘I can’t tell you of Jesus, for I don’t know anything of Him, my dear. We must ask Grandma.’

“Well, I put him to bed; but I was so unhappy, so miserable; I could not get my little boy’s words out of my head. To think that my little boy, only five years old, should ask me to tell him of Jesus, and I couldn’t tell him a word! I couldn’t sleep all night; and the next day, when Mother came, I told her how wretched I was. So she said I’d better come to the gospel meeting on Tuesday night. So I came to the hall, and there it was I was converted. It was on the third of December—on Tuesday. I saw Jesus had died for me, and that I was saved through His blood. I found peace through believing. Now I am so hay, and I can now tell my children about Jesus and His love. But I must tell you that I was first convinced of sin through my little boy, just five years old.”

ML-02/20/1966

Rest-Stones

In India, among the poor, burdens are often carried on people’s heads and on their backs. As resting places, stones are set up along the hot, dusty and sandy roads, just right for a man to rest his burden upon. There he can stand until relieved and refreshed, he is able to go on his way.

A native Christian in Travancore once said to an Englishman, “Oh! Sahib, Christ is everything to me; Christ is my rest-stone.” How beautifully he expressed his sense of relief and blessing found in his Saviour.

The Lord Jesus has said: “Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 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. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.” Matt. 11:28-30.

“Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you.” 1 Pet. 5:7.

“Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and He shall sustain thee.” Psa. 55:22

Memory Verse: “THE LORD IS GOOD, A STRONGHOLD IN THE DAY OF TROUBLE; AND HE KNOWETH THEM THAT TRUST IN HIM.” Nahum 1:7.

ML-02/20/1966

Bible Talks: Abraham, the Man of Faith

Genesis 24:5-10

IN Abraham’s plan to secure a bride for Isaac from the distant country, we see portrayed a lovely parallel in God’s purpose made known since the cross of Calvary. That purpose has been exhibited in the gospel going out to all the world that He might take out of it a redeemed company suited to be the bride of Christ, His beloved Son.

This divine object is accomplished through the activity of the Holy Spirit, who delights to bring the truth as to God and Christ to all who will receive it. Of Him the Lord spoke, saying: “When He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself: but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will show you things to come.” John 16:13. Eliezer, Abraham’s faithful servant, is a type of the Holy Spirit sent to the distant country of this world. Abraham’s charge to him to “take a wife unto my son Isaac,” rinds us that God would not have His Son to dwell alone, and in order to secure a suited companion for Him He has sent forth His blessed Spirit into the hearts of all those who have believed in Christ unto eternal life.

In his solemn charge to Eliezer Abraham emphasized that the choice of a bride should not be from among “the daughters of the Canaanites.” In the preceding chapter he had said to Ephron the Hittite, “I am a stranger and sojourner with you.” God too will have no stranger as the bride of His Son, but only those brought into His household by faith. How tragic that any should think of entering heaven in any other way than through faith in Christ! No one will be without excuse in that day who does not avail himself of the grace of God and His provision for salvation, for He so clearly sets forth the only ground on which all strangeness and distance from Him can be removed. Speaking to Gentile beliers he reminds them how that “in time past... ye were without Christ, being aliens... and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world; but now, in Christ Jesus, ye who sometime were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ... Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of God.” Eph. 2:11-19.

“And the servant took ten camels of the camels of his master, and darted; for all the goods of his master were in his hand: and he arose, and went to Mesopotamia, unto the city of Nahor.” v. 10. It will be seen shortly how he delighted to display his master’s riches and glories before the one who was the object of his long journey—another picture of the work of the Holy Spirit, of whom the Lord said: “He shall receive of Mine, and shall show it unto you. All things that the Father hath are Mine: therefore said I, that He shall take of Mine, and shall show it unto you.” John 16:14,15.

Note too that the faithful servant, charged with so responsible an undertaking, and anxious to bring back a bride to his master’s son, did not delay in carrying out his master’s wishes. Surely it is with great joy that the blessed Trinity of the Godhead is now anticipating the moment when the Church, the bride of Christ, will be brought home to Him, the heavenly Bridegroom.

ML-02/20/1966

Little Joe

LITTLE JOE was a poor boy whose early years were spent for the most part on the streets of one of our big cities. Where his father and mother were, if he had either, I do not know. But better times came for Joe when kind friends got him into a home for boys. There he had nice clothes to wear and plenty to eat. There too he went to school.

One day, in one of the classes, the teacher asked Joe to spell the word “friend.” Little Joe stood up and the letters came slowly—“F-R-I-E-N-D.”

“That’s right,” said the teacher;

“and now, Joe, tell us what is friend?”

The little fellow studied for a moment trying to find a way to express his thought. At last it came.

“Oh,” said he, “he’s a feller tha knows all about ya, an’ likes ya jus the same.” That was the highest thing in friendship that Joe’s brief life had taught him.

Little Joe hardly realized it then but in those few words he spelled on the sweetest truth ever made known on earth or in heaven, in time or eternity, for there is no friend to whom these few words better apply that to Jesus—the Saviour of sinners.

ML-02/27/1966

Bible Talks: Abraham, the Man of Faith

Gen. 24:11-16

“AND HE made his camels to kneel down without the city by a well of water at the time of the evening, even the time that women go out to draw water. And he said, O LORD God of my master Abram, I pray thee, send me good speed this day, and show kindness unto my master Abraham. Behold, I stand here by the well of water; and the daughters of the men of the city come out to draw water: and let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: let the same be she that Thou hast appointed for Thy servant Isaac... And it came to pass, before he had done speaking, that, behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel... with her pitcher upon her shoulder. And the damsel was very fair to look upon.” vv. 11-16.

The servant had made a long tiring journey, yet we do not read of his praying for himself, nor expressing discouragement, nor devising some means of his own in selecting the right companion for Isaac. On the contrary, after reaching his destination and bringing the camels to rest, his first act was to present to God a prayer of trust and faith, the substance of which was that He would show kindness unto his master Abram, and be his Guide in every detail.

There is a lesson in this for all who would serve the Lord. He desired the accomplishment of his beloved master’s purposes above all else, counting himself merely an instrument to be used toward that end. The child of God does well to also remember the One in whose service he is employed, be that service ever so humble or obscure, and seek in dependence and prayer his Master’s glory before all else. How often, alas, the believer’s prayers are confined to his circumstances and desires, while overlooking the responsibilities of doing all things so that Christ might be magnified in him. (See Phil. 1:20).

Prayer is not the primary subject of this portion, but it is well for the believer to be reminded of its value and essential power in every phase of life. There are times when we are to “let [our] requests be made known unto God"; there are times to “praise the name of God with a song, and magnify Him with thanksgiving,” just as there are suited prayers for every need and Christian experience. Yet, in all our communion with God we should desire that all glory and honor might be to His name and to the name of His Son.

Later in the chapter the servant is again found in prayer, not now petitioning the Lord but thanking and worshipping Him, when he saw His marvelous answer to his requests. The answer to his prayer began to unfold “before he had done speaking.” However, God, in His wisdom, does not answer every prayer immediately. The trial of faith is always a good exercise, and He will give His answer at just the right time for the ultimate good of all who call upon Him in truth.

Memory Verse: “OUR SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST; WHO GAVE HIMSELF FOR US, THAT HE MIGHT REDEEM US FROM ALL INIQUITY!’ Tit. 2:13,14.

ML-02/27/1966

The Royal Hunt

THE princely Elector of his day once invited Dr. Martin Luther to take part in the royal hunt. Luther would rather have roamed the harvest fields with his wife and family instead, but he thought it not well to refuse royalty in this way.

When all was ready, the horns blew, and the hunters galloped away into a day filled with sunshine. Rabbits, deer, and other wild life bounded through the fields and woods, with men and dogs in pursuit. Unnoticed by the rest, Luther fell back at a distance, dismounted and sat down by a hedge. It had been agreed at the outset that at the close of the day the hunters would assemble under an oak at the edge of a wood, when the bugler’s blast indicated the hunt was over.

Last of all to arrive was Luther. One by one the hunters related their adventures and displayed the game they had brought down. When it came to Luther’s turn, one of the men asked him, “And what did you succeed in bringing down, Doctor?”

“A rabbit,” was his prompt reply. Whereupon Luther opened his coat, and pulled out a frightened little bunny. “I took it in, as it was calling for its mother,” he went on. “I shall take it home as a pet for my little boy.”

The gracious prince here shook Luther’s hand warmly saying: “A strange and wonderful man, you are, Doctor Luther. Such an iron will as yours welded to such a tender heart brings us music whose strains will be heard for centuries.”

Luther’s heart was but a faint but true reflection of the tender sympathies of his Blessed Master, the Saviour, our Lord Jesus Christ,

“Whose heart is filled with tenderness,

Whose very name is Love.”

How sweet to behold the Saviour in His life on earth taking to His very heart tried, hunted, lonely, unfortunate outcasts, the suffering victims of sin and Satan’s power! He healed all that were oppressed of the devil; disease and death fled before Him. Sinners, confessing their sins, found welcome and refuge in His bosom. He wept over Jerusalem, that guilty city which rejected the pleadings of Infinite Love. Think of Him weeping over the doom of the lost!

Dear sinner friend, the Lord Jesus is more concerned for the salvation of your soul than you are yourself. He longs to have you take refuge under His protection, even as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, for it is written, “God our Saviour;... will have all men to be saved.” 1 Tim. 2:3,4; and “Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.” John 6:37. To neglect, to spurn, to refuse His love will spell your doom forever.

“To-day if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts.” Heb. 4:7.

ML-03/06/1966

Saved Through a Lamb

On a little church in Germany stands a stone lamb which has an interesting history. One day some workers were engaged in repairing the roof of the building, when one of them slipped and fell to the ground. His companions hastened down expecting to find him killed. What was their surprise when they found him unhurt. It so happened that a little lamb had been grazing in the very spot where the man fell and struck the ground. Falling upon the little creature, it was crushed to death at once, while the man himself escaped injury.

The workman was so grateful for this wonderful deliverance that he had an image of the lamb carved in stone and placed on the building as a memorial. The little lamb saved his life; it died in his place.

There is an even sweeter story than this. Jesus the Son of God, God’s Lamb, died to save poor fallen sinners from death and judgment. He is “the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” John 1:29. He is the Saviour of all those of Adam’s fallen race who put their trust in Him. Dear young friend, have you trusted Him yet?

“Behold the Lamb of God!” John 1:36.

ML-03/06/1966

"Daddy, Meet Me in Heaven!"

Mr. Chapman tells the story of a man who once came to him after a gospel service and said, “Sir, would you like to shake hands with a redeemed drunkard?”

“Why, yes, I would,” Mr. Chapman assured him.

Taking hold of Mr. Chapman’s hand, he said, “Listen to my story: “I once had a good job in this city, but drink was my ruin. One day while lying in the gutter, someone came and taking me by the hand, said, ‘If you want to see your boy alive, hurry home at once.’ As quick as I could, I made it up to the miserable room where my sin had forced my wife and boy to live, and there I learned that a big truck had run over my child, and he was dying. The little fellow took me by the hand, and pulling me down by his side on the bed, said, ‘Daddy, I won’t let you go until you promise to meet me in heaven!’ Then still holding my hand tight he died. They had to literally force his hand from mine, he gripped it so tightly,” and the man held up his hand as he spoke.

“From that day till this it seems as if I felt my boy pulling me heavenward. My proud wretched heart was broken down before the Lord, and I cried to Him to save me too. Blessed be His name He has saved me.”

Not only did the Lord save his soul from going down to the pit, but He delivered him from the awful power of drink. Now he was looking forward to meeting his dear boy in heaven one day.

This is true of many who have a loved one up yonder.

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

ML-03/06/1966

Earnestly Sought

A farmer lost a $20.00 bill in his barn. He was not a wealthy man, and the loss of $20.00 was a serious matter to him. He resolved to turn over every straw until he found it.

After hours of determined search he discovered the precious bill and went home rejoicing greatly.

A little later the farmer became deeply convicted of sin, and remarked to his wife: “I wish I could believe in the Saviour; but alas, I cannot find Him.”

His prudent wife replied: “If you look for Him as diligently as you looked for that $20.00 you lost in the barn, you will find Him.”

The farmer thought much upon that advice, and made up his mind to seek the Saviour and find Him, come what may. He spent much time in earnest prayer. Now, unknown to him, the Saviour was seeking him more earnestly than he was seeking the Saviour. The farmer’s quest was not in vain, for he was soon rejoicing in the possession of Christ.

“Strive to enter in at the strait gate.” Luke 13:24.

“Those that seek Me early shall find Me.” Prov. 8:17.

Memory Verse: “TO HIM THAT WORKETH NOT, BUT BELIEVETH ON HIM THAT JUSTIFTH THE UNGODLY, HIS FAITH IS COUNTED FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS.” Rom. 4:5.

ML-03/06/1966

Bible Talks: Abraham, the Man of Faith

Gen. 24:17-22

“AND THE servant ran to meet her, and said, Let me, I pray thee, drink a little water of thy pitcher. And she said, Drink, my lord: and she hasted, and let down her pitcher upon her hand, and gave him drink. And when she had done giving him drink, she said, I will draw water for thy camels also.” vv. 17-19.

God, before whom Eliezer had put the whole matter, now unfolded bore his eyes His choice of a bride for Isaac. In his amazement, the servant “wondering at her held his peace, to wit whether the Lord had made his journey prosperous or not.” v. 21. Then, assured of God’s guidance, he presented her with tokens of his master—jewels and bracelets of gold. He did not draw attention to himself, but presented to Rebekah those things that spoke of his master’s glory. Thus the Spirit of God does “not speak of Himself,” but takes the things of God and delights the hearts of His own with them. It was surely Rebekah’s time to be amazed. Coming out to draw water, as was her custom day after day, she must have been astounded to find herself the object of such gracious attention!

As the story unfolds, how delightful it becomes; and the more so as in it we see a type of God’s divine grace seeking out a companion for His Son. His eternal counsels have ever had that companion in view, but the object of His love could know nothing of the divine plan until His love revealed itself. “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. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us.” 1 John 4:9, 10.

Rebekah is an example of all who through faith in a crucified and risen Saviour, are brought into the good of God’s love. They acquire a divine relationship with Him and will soon be displayed in glory as the bride of His Son. While Abraham and his servant were putting the grand program into action, and as finally the servant crossed the desert to reach her, she was entirely ignorant of the purposes that were to involve her so richly. So too God had His foreknowledge of and purposes of love for the Church, before ever those counsels were revealed to it.

Another lesson is observed here. It was at “the well of water” that Rebekah was first introduced to that which soon captivated her heart. Christ is the “well of water” to every thirsty soul who comes to Him. To another, as He sat at Sychar’s well, He said: “Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.” John 4:14. The servant in committing his mission to God had declared: “Behold, I stand here by the well of water.” It was here only that Rebekah could receive the blessing that he wished to reveal to her. She would not have found that source of grace and love elsewhere. A soul seeking peace must come to Christ, the true Living Water before the Holy Spirit can delight his heart in the glories of both the Father and the Son.

ML-03/06/1966

"You Are Sure That Is There?"

There was an old man who for many years made his living as a shepherd, looking after the flocks scattered over the wild hills of Dartmoor. At last through old age and infirmity, and the constant exposure to all kinds of weather, his sight entirely failed him. So he sought a hen in an old folk’s home, and there he spent his few remaining days.

While there he was often visited by his little granddaughter, who would read to him portions of the Word of God. One day while little Rose was reading from the First Epistle of John, she came to that wonderful verse, “And the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.” Here the old man suddenly interrupted her, and raising himself up on his bed he asked with great earnestness: “Is that there, my dear?”

“Yes, grandpa,” she replied.

“Then read it to me again, I’ve never heard the like before.”

Little Rose read again, “And the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.”

“You are quite sure that is there?” “Yes, quite sure.”

“Then take my hand, and lay my finger on the passage, for I should like to feel it.”

The little girl took the old blind man’s hand and placed his bony finger on the seventh verse. Then he said, “Now, read it to me again.”

With her sweet gentle voice little Rose read again: “And the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.”

Again the old man demanded of her, “You are sure that is there, Rose?”

“Yes, quite sure, Grandpa,” she assured him.

“Then,” said the old man, “if any one should ask how I died, tell them I died in the faith of these words, ‘And the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.’ " With that he withdrew his hand, his head fell softly back on the pillow, and he silently passed into the presence of Him whose blood cleanseth from all sin.

Now, dear reader, may I ask, if you were called to die, would your parting testimony be like that of the old blind man? Are you resting on the precious blood of Christ? Can you say, “I live as well as die in the faith of these words, ‘The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.’ "?

“Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” Psa. 51:7.

ML-03/13/1966

Little Joe, the Cripple, Led to Christ by His Child

One evening, at a gospel service in New York City, Mr. Chapman, the evangelist saw a rather distinguished-looking man rise and say, “I will accept Christ.” After the meeting Mr. Chapman went back to his room with the thought the Lord had used him to lead that man to Christ.

The next day, at a meeting for prayer, Mr. Chapman saw this man come into the meeting carrying in his arms a little lame boy. He brought him forward, and placing him on the platform, he went over and whispered to the preacher so the boy would not hear: “I want to introduce you to my little Joe; he is not long for this world.” It was easy for anyone to see that, for the little fellow’s face was so thin and his hands so white.

When Mr. Chapman came over to where the boy sat, his father exclaimed with pride, “This is Joe; he led me to Christ.” Then he told Mr. Chapman his story: “When the gospel services began, little Joe said to me, ‘I can’t go, Daddy. But Mother will go with you, and all the time you’re gone I’ll be praying.’ Never did I come back home at night but I would hear the thud of his little crutch on the floor as he came to welcome me the moment the door opened. He would fairly jump into my arms and say, ‘Did you come?’

“But last night he did not ask me. I heard him coming to the door and as it opened he leaped into my arms, buried his face on my shoulder, and I heard him say with a sob, ‘You have come, you have come; I know you have!’ "

Scripture Quotation: “The world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.” 1 John 2:17.

ML-03/13/1966

The Man Under the Clock

IT WAS at a special prayer meeting just before the gospel services were to begin in the mission hall, and many earnest requests for blessing had gone up before the Lord. “There is one more,” I said. “Let us pray for any who have made up their minds not to come,” and so we did.

Before the service began we sang some stirring gospel hymns, during which a few working men came in. One man went across the hall and sat under the clock, while one of his companions came up to the platform and pointing to his friend, exclaimed: “There he is, sir, under the clock.”

All eyes were turned on the poor man sitting there, and I asked what was meant.

“Why, sir, God has answered our prayers,” was the answer. “Praise the Lord! He said he would not come.”

I was a little afraid lest the man would be offended at this publicity and go off, so we sang some more hymns. Then I told out as earnestly as I could the story of God’s love in giving His dear Son Jesus to die for a sinner like me. Afterward I invited all to stay for a short prayer meeting. Not one attempted to go.

I shall never forget that prayer meeting. One after another got up and prayed: “Lord, save that man under the clock! Lord, save that man under the clock! Do, Lord. Amen, Amen,” were the responses from all over the building. A dear fellow sitting next to the man, said, “Harry, we want you to be saved. God wants you to be saved. Jesus wants to save you; will you let Him?”

“I will,” replied the poor man, as the tears ran down his cheeks. Then on their knees they read John 3:16 together, making it a very personal thing: “God so loved Harry that He gave His only begotten Son, that Harry by believing in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Our prayer meeting turned into a private meeting, and what joy there must have been in heaven! When Harry was asked how he could sit and listen to such prayers for his salvation, he said: “I felt as if I was stuck to the seat. I could not understand my mates taking such an interest in me, but, thank God, He took an interest in a poor working man like me.”

God is interested in you, dear reader. He is so anxious that you should be saved from eternal wrath that He has made a way of escape for you. Have you found the way? God says you are lost, but Jesus came to seek and to save the lost. God says that you are dead spiritually, but Jesus died that you might have everlasting life. God has declared that “The wages of sin is death,” but the gift of His Son has changed all for every one who believes. “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.” I John 1:7.

God loves you. “Prove it,” shouted a man at an open air meeting in the park one day. “THAT HE GAVE!” replied the speaker. Surely no greater evidence is needed to prove God’s love than that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16). Why not believe and live?

ML-03/13/1966

Bible Talks: Abraham, the Man of Faith

Gen. 24:23-32

“AND [he] said, Whose daughter art thou? tell me, I pray thee: is there room in thy father’s house for us to lodge in?” v. 23.

These two questions the servant asked Rebekah were important ones. First, as to her lineage. Abraham had instructed him to find a wife for Isaac from among his own kindred. We have seen how this expressed (in type) that God will have no stranger as the bride of His Son, but only those who, “made nigh by the blood of Christ” are “no more strangers, but are of the household of God.” Rebekah answered, “I am the daughter of Bethuel,” who was Abraham’s nephew; thus she was fully qualified according to Abraham’s demands.

The second question: “Is there room in thy father’s house for us to lodge in?” was equally important; for if he had not been welcomed into their dwelling he could not have revealed the message he had come to deliver, and Rebekah would never have received her blessing. She replied: “We have both straw and provender enough, and room to lodge in.” v. 25. What joy must have filled the servant’s heart at these answers! His first response was to bow his head and worship the Lord. “And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of my master Abraham, who hath not left destitute my master of His mercy and His truth: I being in the way, the LORD led me to the house of my master’s brethren.” v. 27.

Rebekah then ran to tell her family of what had taken place. Her brother Laban, seeing the gifts and hearing these words, went out to the man, exclaiming: “Come in, thou blessed of the LORD; wherefore standest thou without? for I have prepared the house, and room for the camels. And the man came into the house; and he ungirded his camels, and gave straw and provender for the camels’ and water to wash his feet, and the men’s feet that were with him.” vv. 31, 32.

It is important to not only “come to the well,” but to have room in the heart for the Spirit of God, that He may have His way and not be hindered in His desire to present Christ to the soul. It is therefore happy to see how the servant was brought inside and the house with its facilities opened to him. Does your heart dight in being open to the “Holy Spirit of truth and of comfort,” dear Christian? And is your house in such order that He is able to come in and find nothing to interfere with blessed communion? Here alone is the secret of Christian joy. Knowledge, service and self-sacrifice may all be outward expressions of a believer’s walk, but without the exercise of the Holy Spirit, if one is not constrained by the love of Christ, these things are not suited to God. “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not [love], I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge... and have not [love], I am nothing.” 1 Cor. 13:1, 2.

Memory Verse: “FOR I AM NOT ASHAMED OF THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST: FOR IT IS THE POWER OF GOD UNTO SALVATION TO EVERY ONE THAT BELIEVETH.” Rom. 1:16.

ML-03/13/1966

The Great Mississippi

TRAVELERS to Lake Itasca, in the heart of the lakelands and forests of Northern Minnesota, find themselves at the watershed, or source, of the Mississippi. There the waters of the great river begin their long winding course of twelve hundred miles southward to the Gulf of Mexico. However, at Itasca, one might be walking through the woods, and scarcely thinking of what he was doing, step across the rocks in a tiny stream which gushes forth at a pretty spot among the shrubs and ferns and turns toward the sunny southland. If the place were not clearly marked by signs, one would not know that he had crossed the Mississippi.

However, suppose he does not step across there, but walks on and on beside the stream, perhaps waiting for a better place to cross, or seeing no necessity for crossing at all. Suppose by and by he wishes very much to be on the other side of the great river? Will it not take a great deal more effort to cross over, and will not the crossing make a profound impression upon his mind as he realizes how broad and vast the waters are? Yet, once over, he will not be any more definitely on the other side of the river than if he had stepped across the rivulet in Itasca.

Like such a crossing, dear friends, is conversion. All of us, children of fallen Adam, were born with a sinful nature, and the fruits of that nature begin to manifest themselves in sinful thoughts and acts early in life. This stream of sin in our lives, binning with a trickle, broadens out into a dark flowing stream as the years go by. In childhood, when the heart is tender and easily impressed, it is much easier to “cross over"—to be converted to God, to be saved, “to pass from death unto life,” to leave the place of sin and guilt and Satan’s power and pass into the place of safety and the sunshine of God’s love — made fit for heaven. Later on the heart gets harder, sin gets stronger; it is a much greater struggle to get free from sin and Satan’s power, and to enter into life and peace in Christ.

Some have been saved later on in life, but even so such a one is no more on the other side than the boy or girl who trusted Jesus and followed Him in the early days of youth, and who all these years has come walking happily on toward the heavenly land, the eternal glory with Christ.

Oh, dear young friends, take Christ while you are young, step over now, be on His side, and walk the happy path with Him on to His heavenly Home. You’ll be glad you did.

Those who are young, O God,

Make them Thine own;

Hear from Thy blest abode,

Make them Thine own;

Now in their early days,

Turn them to Thy blest ways,

Save from the giddy maze,

Make them Thine own.

SCRIPTURE QUOTATION

“For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: And that He died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him which died for them, and rose again.” 2 Cor. 5:14,15.

ML-03/20/1966

The Scarred Hand

“Mamma,” asked little Debbie one night, as her mother was putting her to bed, “what makes your hand so scarred and twisted?”

“Well,” said Mother, “I’ll tell you, since you asked. Several years ago when you were a very little girl, one night after I had put you to bed I heard you cry upstairs. I came up and found the bed was on fire. I took hold of you, tore off your burning clothes, and while trying to get you away safely my hand was terribly burned. It has been scarred and twisted ever since.”

Debbie loved her mother more than ever after hearing that story.

There was One who passed through fire and judgment to save sinners like you and me. He took our place in that judgment which we deserved for our sins, that we might be saved. Now all who own Him as their Saviour and Lord will never have to experience the fire of God’s judgment. But those who reject Him will.

“His visage was so marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men:... 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. 52:14; 53:5.

“Whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” Rev. 20:15.

ML-03/20/1966

"I Listened Right off."

It was in a mission school in Africa where a number of children were gathered. The missionary was telling them the gospel story of the king who made a marriage for his son and invited many people to come to the feast. He told them of how many who were invited did not seem interested, and did not accept the king’s kind offer.

The teacher explained how that God has prepared a marriage feast for His beloved Son, and that now through the gospel He was inviting sinners to come to the feast that love has spread. But how sad it is that many do not heed the gospel call; they are satisfied with earth and the pleasures of this world.

However, one of the larger boys at the school told the teacher afterwards that he wanted to follow Jesus, and another little boy, named Say, said he wanted to do the same.

“Have you felt for some time that Jesus has been calling you?” asked the teacher.

“Oh no,” replied Sammy; “it is only today. But I listened right off when He called.”

“Right off” is the time to answer, dear boys and girls—as soon as you hear His call.

The Lord Jesus says, “Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matt. 11:28. “Come, for all things are now ready.” Luke 14:17.

“Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb.” Rev. 19:9.

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

ML-03/20/1966

No Doubts

A little girl was being examined by a church committee as to her faith in Jesus Christ, and she was asked to relate her experience.

Humbly she replied: “I don’t know if I have any ‘experience.’ All I know is that Jesus said, ‘Come unto Me,’ and I came; and He said, ‘I will give you rest,’ and He gave me rest.”

But one of the older men was not satisfied, and so he said to her, “But my dear, you do not seem to know much about the Slough of Despond” —one of Christian’s experiences in The Pilgrim’s Progress.

“Please, sir,” said the little maiden in her simplicity, “I did not come that way.”

FAITH is a very simple thing,

Though little understood;

It frees the soul from death’s dread sting,

By resting on the blood.

It looks not on the things around,

Nor on the things within;

It takes its flight to scenes above,

Beyond the sphere of sin.

It sees upon the throne of God

A victim that was slain;

It rests its all on His shed blood,

And says, “I’m born again.”

Faith is not what we see or feel;

It is a simple trust

In what the God of love has said

Of Jesus as the Just.

Memory Verse: “WHOSOEVER WAS NOT FOUND WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF LIFE WAS CAST INTO THE LAKE OF FIRE.” Rev. 20:15.

ML-03/20/1966

Bible Talks: Abraham, the Man of Faith

Gen. 24:33-53

“AND there was set meat before him to eat: but he said, I will not eat, until I have told mine errand. And he said, Speak on.” v. 33. The faithful servant would not satisfy his hunger until he had proclaimed his message.

As all that follows cannot be quoted in this limited space, it is suggested that the reader review this entire chapter. It is a happy portion to meditate on. Eliezer began by sang, “I am Abraham’s servant,” and then proceeded to review before this family a complete picture of his master, extolling his position, his wealth, and the many blessings wherewith the Lord had blessed him. He told further of Sarah and of Isaac, saying of him: “Unto him hath he given all that he hath.” As the story progressed, he told of the father’s desire to secure a wife for his son and of his charge to Eliezer. Finally he recounted how that very day he had come to the well, that he had prayed to God, and God had answered his prayer right up to that very moment.

Would it not have been a privilege to look into that room, to hear the story so enthusiastically told, and to watch the expressions of each member of the family as they listened spell-bound? But, above all, the response of Rebekah would have been of primary interest to us, as it must have been to Eliezer. His story must have set her heart on fire, and given her visions of a man in a distant country who would be looking forward to the servant’s return with a bride for himself. How the words, “unto him hath he given all that he hath” must have rung in her ears as she thus learned that all the father’s honors and wealth were also his son’s, and knowing that these too would be hers to share with him, if such would be her choice.

Eliezer concluded his story with: “And now, if ye will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me: and if not, tell me; that I may turn to the right hand, or to the left.” v. 49. As was the custom of the day, both her father and her brother Laban answered him saying: “The thing preedeth from the LORD: we cannot speak unto thee bad or good. Behold, Rebekah is before thee; take her, and go, and let her be thy master’s son’s wife, as the LORD hath spoken.” vv. 50, 51.

The servant, hearing these words, again bowed himself to the earth in thankful worship to the Lord. He then brought forth jewels of silver and gold, as well as raiment, and presented them to Rebekah. He also gave precious things to her brother and to her mother. Now that the betrothal had been announced, it was fitting that the one who was to be the bride should be adorned and clothed with that which was representative of such an heir.

The believer can rejoice in his adornment as well. “I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He hath... covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.” Isa. 61:10. Again, “let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit.” 1 Pet. 3:4.

ML-03/20/1966

The Shepherd and His Lamb

In the Scottish hills overlooking a swiftly flowing stream lived a dear old man and his wife, who both loved the Lord Jesus. In his early days the old man had been a shepherd on the hills. For many years he had had the care of sheep and lambs, and so learned to know their ways.

One day he was watching the flock among the hills by the side of a stream. In the summertime one could easily cross the rivulet, but it had been raining heavily and the stream had now become a swift, raging flood. The flood waters came down from the hills with a roar and swept away some of his sheep which were feeding on the banks. One little lamb had crossed the stream before the flood came and had skipped up to the top of a high rock. There it was safe from the water, but it had no food nor shelter.

The shepherd got all of the sheep safely out of the water, but how could he get at that little lamb, for the stream had become so broad and dangerous? He could not leave it there to perish with cold and hunger. He must try to rescue it.

Creeping slowly along the bank close to the water’s edge, he got opposite the rock where the lamb was. It was a dangerous try, but he determined to brave it. He waded in, deer and deeper the water became, and then he threw himself across the deepest part of the current. The water was up to his chin, and was carrying him down, but he caught hold of a shrub growing out of a rock, and just managed to pull himself to safety. He climbed up to the little lamb and brought it down. Then he began the return crossing. Throwing the little lamb into the stream before him he sprang after it. Both were carried down by the flood, but he managed to seize the little creature, and struggling through to the other side he safely reached the bank. Oh, how glad he was when he had the lamb safe on shore with the rest of the sheep.

Now, dear young friends, if you will read Luke’s Gospel, chapter 15, you will find that the Lord Jesus tells a parable like this story, only a more wonderful one. He explains it to mean the joy God has in finding and saving lost sinners such as we are. He could say, “I am the good Shepherd: the good Shepherd giveth His life for the sheep.” John 10:11.

Then if you read the closing chapters of each gospel you will find out what the Lord Jesus did to save lost sinners—He died upon the cross; He gave His life, to redeem them. Now ask yourself, “Has He saved me?”

ML-03/27/1966

An Open Air Meeting

When I was a girl of ten my father and mother took me to open air meetings that were often held during the summer months on a beautiful grassy, green spot just outside the city. My cousins were all converted and they were anxious that I should be saved too. But I was not much concerned about salvation then. I preferred to play or run in the woods.

I think it was on a Saturday afternoon that a gospel service for children was to be held in the open air.

An American evangelist was present to address them. My cousins went all around the village and countryside to invite the children, and Bob, my youngest cousin, came for me.

“Come on, Margie,” he said, “come to the open-air meeting.”

“I tried to get rid of him by saying I had some homework to do, but Bob would not take “No” for an answer. He repeated the lines of a hymn.

The voice of wisdom cries,

‘Be in time.’

So I got ready and off we went.

That was a never-to-be-forgotten meeting. The gentleman from Ameca told of how many boys and girls he had seen converted in his country, how happy they were, and he read letters from several of them. A number of the children began to weep, and I soon found myself weeping also. I felt so bad, and my sins seemed so great. The evangelist told us of the sufferings of Jesus on the cross, all for us, to save us from the curse, and the judgment, due to our sins. I saw, as I had never seen before, that His death was for me, and that believing on Him I was saved. I found Christ as my Saviour at that meeting. A great many more believed that afternoon too.

That was my conversion, and I can say to His praise that Christ Jesus has been a true friend to me all over the years, and I know He will be to the end. Others I know, who started on the heavenly road that afternoon, are at home with the Saviour in heaven now. Others are still pressing on, happy in Him whom they trusted years ago. But, sad to say, many who were my playmates, who rejected Christ and grew up in worldliness, have lived unhappy lives and died without hope. I can tell you, dear boys and girls, that it is a blessed thing to know Christ and to be saved in life’s early days. There is nothing worth living for on earth save Christ; but in order to live with Him and for Him, you must first come to Him, and receive Him as your own Saviour.

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

ML-03/27/1966

Christ in All the Scriptures

Some time ago a friend of mine was walking with a little boy across the park from the railway station to his house. My friend said to him, “Do you go to Sunday school?”

“Yes,” replied the little fellow.

“What did your teacher talk about last Sunday afternoon?”

“Oh, he was talking about Jacob.”

“And what did he talk about the Sunday before that?”

“Oh, he talked about prayer.”

“Well, did your teacher not talk about Jesus?”

“Oh, no,” said the little fellow again, “that’s at the other end of the book.”

Now I hold that Jesus is not only at the other end of the Book, but He is at the beginning of the Book, and all through the Book. Every chapter, every verse, and every incident may somehow be made a road that will lead to Jesus.

“Beginning at Moses and all the prophets, He (Jesus) expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.” Luke 24:27.

ML-03/27/1966

Bible Talks: Abraham, the Man of Faith

Gen. 24:54,55

“AND THEY did eat and drink, he and the men that were with him, and tarried all night.” The faithful servant had refused to eat until his story was told. Then, following the joy of hearing a favorable reply to his request that Rebekah should be the wife of his master’s son, he refreshed himself with food and drink and a night of rest. This is a lovely illustration of the faithfulness of the Holy Spirit who will ever persist in His object of drawing the heart to Christ and will not rest until this has been accomplished.

Yet, in the morning, he presented a further test to this family, which had not been anticipated by them and for which they were not fully prepared. “And they rose up in the morning, and he said, Send me away unto my master.” The brother and mother, who were agreeable to Rebekah becoming the bride of the wonderful man of whom they had heard, were not equal to releasing their loved one so quickly, and so they replied: “Let the damsel abide with us a few days, at the least ten; after that she shall go.” v. 55. Some translations read: “Let the damsel abide with us a full year, or ten months.” It is not difficult to understand their natural reluctance to sending her away so abruptly, but actually they were thinking only of themselves and not of her welfare, were they not?

Surely there are lessons here for consideration. First of all, the well-meaning and natural affection of her family presented a real difficulty in the matter of her fully responding to the servant’s urging. They had taken the first step in requesting a delay and Rebekah would know that if she were to please them she also should agree to wait “a few days.” Their influence on her would have to be taken into consideration when she must answer for herself.

Every true Christian father and mother must meet a test similar in many ways to what is pictured here and frequently a brother or sister is involved as well. How very much parents need prayerful exercise to know whether their desire for their child is providing encouragement in the young years of Christian faith, or if, in their programming, there is harm done to the spiritual good of that much-loved child! There is real danger in our present day when parents are over-anxious about a child’s progress in this world — education, a career, or some other objective on which the parents have set their heart—and arrange that these things have first place in the daughter’s or son’s life. Such a program will invariably be a real barrier to the young one in responding fully to the Lord’s claims and his spiritual happiness is thereby sacrificed while these things are achieved. The enemy of young (and old) believers knows only too well that such a pattern usually results in the world gaining such a hold that the hoped-for spiritual growth in later years is never experienced at all, to the sorrow of all concerned.

May God grant exercise to Christian parents, when giving counsel to their children, to ever put the claims of the Lord before all else. “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Matt. 6:33.

Memory Verse: “THE ANGEL OF THE LORD ENCAMPETH ROUND ABOUT THEM THAT FEAR HIM, AND DELIVERETH THEM.” Psa. 34:7.

ML-03/27/1966

"They Shall Never Perish"

An American, who was very fond of hunting, lived in a wooded part of the country where there was plenty of deer and other wild life. One morning, as he was walking across his field, he heard the baying of hounds in the distance. As the dogs approached, he looked through a crack in a picket fence, and there he saw a poor little fawn, wearied from the chase, its tongue hanging out, and its sides lathered with foam. The little thing had just strength enough to clear the fence, and stood there for a moment with its great liquid eyes gazing about in a most frightened manner.

Then it saw a hound leap over the fence not far away, and its first impulse was to take flight again. But instead of running away, it came and fell down in a heap at the man’s feet.

In telling the story, our friend said: “I couldn’t stand there and see that poor little thing torn to pieces by the dogs—no, not after it had appealed to me for protection. As the hounds gathered round I defended the little creature. I stood there and fought the dogs for half an hour. I just felt that all the dogs in the county could not capture that little fawn after its weakness had appealed to my strength.”

The little deer cast itself upon the mercy of the man, who in turn protected it and saved its life. So poor sinners now, who cast themselves upon the mercies of the Lord, find in Him a Saviour and a Defender. Had the little deer trusted its own strength in flight, the dogs would soon have overtaken it and it would have perished. Those who try to outrun sin, Satan, and the judgment of God, will find to their own everlasting sorrow that they have perished.

Dear boys and girls, and older ones too, if you are unsaved, judgment is on your track. “Flee from the wrath to come,"—flee to the Lord Jesus, the only refuge of the soul. You will find in Him a Friend, who defends all those who put their trust in Him. At Calvary’s cross he stood in the breach, and received all the mighty blows of God’s eternal judgment against sin, in order that you and I might be spared. Now God can say, “Whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16.)

In our weakness and need, we can never appeal to the Lord in vain. He says, “Whosoever will, may come"; “and Him that cometh to Me, I will in no wise cast out.” John 6:37.

“I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” John 10:28.

ML-04/03/1966

"He First Loved Us."

A little girl was playing with her doll while her mother was writing letters. After a while, Mother called little Nancie and took her on her lap.

“I am so glad, Mama,” said her little one. “I wanted to love you so much.”

“Did you, darling?” said mother tenderly. “I am so glad my little girl loves me so. Were you lonely when I was writing? You and your dolly seemed to be having a happy time together.”

“Yes, Mamma, but I got tired of loving her.”

“And why?”

“Oh, because she never loves me back.”

“And that is why you love me?” “That is one why, Mamma; but not the first one or the best.”

“What is the first one and the best?”

“Why, Mamma, don’t you guess?” and the little blue eyes were very bright and earnest. “It’s because you loved me when I was too little to love you back; that’s why I love you so.”

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

“We love Him, because He first loved us.” 1 John 4:19.

“The Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me.” Gal. 2:20.

ML-04/03/1966

Found!

SAMMY was all smiles as he walked down the street. “Found something?” asked old Mr. Crusty.

“Sure,” said Sammy, and he walked on smiling.

“I never trusted that boy! You may be sure he has found somebody’s purse with $5.00 in it, and he won’t let anybody know.” So said old Mr. Crusty to himself. He did not like Sammy’s smile. He thought there must be something wrong back of it.

So, as he came to a policeman he said, “Officer, I am sure there is something wrong. I think you ought to get hold of that boy who has just gone down the street. I think he has picked up a purse that does not bong to him and he won’t give it back.”

The policeman walked with long strides down the street and soon caught up to Sammy. He said to him, “I understand you have found something and I want to hear about it.”

“Sure,” said Sammy, “I’m glad to tell you. I found that I was a sinner, and I found that Jesus came to save sinners. Now I have let Him save my poor lost soul. I have found Jesus and Jesus has found me. And He has given me a joy that, like dear old Grandmother says, is ‘better felt than told.’ "

The policeman let him go, and Sammy went down the road still smiling. When Mr. Crusty saw him the next morning Sammy still wore the same smile.

“Yes, sir,” he said to Mr. Crusty as he greeted him. “I found it is a good thing to belong to Jesus, and I have made up my mind to serve Him as long as I live.”

“Serve the Lord with gladness; come before His presence with singing.” Psalm 100:2.

“I rejoice in Thy salvation.” 1 Samuel 2:1.

Boys and girls, have you found out, as Sammy did, that you are sinners? “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” Rom. 3:23.

How good it is to find that “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners"! 1 Tim. 1:15. “Christ died for our sins.” 1 Cor. 15:3.

Then “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.

Is the Lord Jesus your Saviour? He alone can save you and give you the same joy that Sammy had.

ML-04/03/1966

Bible Questions

To Our Dear Answerers: Another term is drawing to a close. We are persuaded that God will bless to your hearts the reading of His precious Word, which you have been searching through to find the Answers.

You will be graded according to the number of times you have answered during the year. We hope you will have completed each month’s Questions and sent them in so that you will have earned a First Award. The final listing of names and grades must go to the printer at the end of April. If you are missing any months why not get them in now while there is still time?

Memory Verse: “IT IS APPOINTED UNTO MEN ONCE TO DIE, BUT AFTER THIS THE JUDGMENT.” Heb. 9:27.

ML-04/03/1966

Bible Questions for April

The Children’s Class

1. “Fell down on his face.”

2. “Went down to his house.”

3. “Make haste, and come down.”

4. “When the hour was come. He sat down.”

5. “Great drops of blood falling down.”

6. “And he took it down.”

7. “Stooping down, he beheld.”

The Young People’s Class: Not Ashamed

1. What did the God-fearing Israelite have respect unto so as NOT to be ASHAMED? Psa. 119.

2. What is it that we should be NOT ASHAMED of because of the power associated with it? Rom.

3. What does the Christian have that makes him NOT ASHAMED even in tribulations? Rom.

4. What should be the result when those that are NOT ASHAMED to suffer as Christians are called upon to do so? 1 Pet. 4.

S. What is important to one who would desire to be a workman for God so that he need NOT be ASHAMED? 2 Tim. 2.

6. How should we be living now, if we would NOT be ASHAMED of our life at the Lord’s coming? 1 John.

7. What is Jesus, who is now crowned with glory, NOT ASHAMED to call those for whom He tasted death? Heb. 3.

ML-04/03/1966

Bible Talks: Abraham, the Man of Faith

Gen. 24:56

SINCE Rebekah’s family failed to respond favorably to the servant’s request, a real test of just how deeply her affections were moved toward Isaac was soon to be put to her personally. In much the same way, the boy or girl, young man or young woman, of our day must also make a definite decision regarding the Peon of the Lord Jesus. First of all, has a true conviction really taken place, owning Him as your personal Saviour? Then, to what degree, and with what promptness, will your heart be drawn to be near Him for the remainder of your life down here? These are very important questions, and while a loving mother and father may lend encouragement (or, on the other hand, may even be a discouragement) the decision must rest with you.

Rebekah’s story presents a picture of everyone of our present day who makes profession of laying hold on the promise of eternal life and association with the Lord Jesus Christ as personal Saviour. There will sooner or later be a time to show just how effectively that story has captivated the heart and how readily that one will give up those things formerly held so dear, that he might be closer to the One whose name he now claims. Certainly an observer would be justified in questioning the reality of a Christian who clings to worldly things that keep him in his old surroundings and away from the One he claims as his Saviour. The Holy Spirit, who delights to tell of the love of God and His Son, also seeks to immediately draw every true believer into the joy of nearness to the One whom He has presented.

Not content with the answer of Laban and the mother, who sought to postpone Rebekah’s union with Isaac, he said unto them: “Hinder me not, seeing the LORD hath prospered my way; send me away that I may go to my master.” v. 56. In considering the servant’s expression, we are assured that it conveys to us the great desire of the Holy Spirit of God to see His work accomplished upon this earth, that He may again, in heaven’s glory, be there complete with the Father and the Son. Then too it brings a fresh reminder of His desire to draw every purchased child of God away from the confining things of the world and place him in the enjoyment of the presence of the Lord, where He well knows the joy will be complete. In another aspect of the story, the Holy Spirit’s office in connection with the Church of God is seen, in which He would kindle a fire of response to the promises of both the Father and the Son. He would delight to see in the Church a real longing to be caught up away from this poor scene and into the riches of the Father’s house. How His heart must grieve at the dullness of those who are truly Christ’s, but who in spirit still cling to this wretched scene. Sad state of the Church indeed, when its response to the heavenly calling is “wait a few more days.”

At this point of our story, the night was ended, the day was dawning, and the servant expressed his desire to take the promised bride to the waiting bridegroom. Christian friend, we too are reminded “The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.” Rom. 13:12.

ML-04/03/1966

Lost Sammy

In a city where I once visited there is a street called Broad street and another called High Way.

I happened to be walking along Broad street when I met a little boy, Sammy, crying bitterly. Sammy had lost his way. He wanted to go home, but instead of going along the High Way he had turned onto Broad street by mistake. I listened to his story and taking his hand I was leading him home, when his poor mother came up all breathless with excitement. Seeing her lost little Sammy, she caught him up in her arms and hugged him and carried him safely home.

Sammy reminds me of other little boys and girls who want to go to heaven but they are lost. They are on the wrong road. They have chosen the broad road “that leads to destruction,” instead of the “High Way” that leads to heaven. What road are you on, dear young reader?

There is One who has come from heaven to seek and to save lost ones like you, even Jesus, the Saviour. He is “the way, the truth, and the life,” and if you will but trust in Him, He will take you up in His arms and carry you safe home to heaven.

“Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: “Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” Matt. 7:13,14.

ML-04/10/1966

Stewart and Willie

STEWART and Willie were schoolboys. They walked home from school together, and often spent their evenings with one another. I met the two boys one night at the close of a children’s gospel meeting. Stewart was sitting close to the wall, looking so serious that I was certain something was troubling him. Sitting down by his side, I asked him, “Well, Stewart, is your soul saved yet? Can you look forward to being with Jesus in that bright and happy home where they can see His face?”

He raised his head, and with such an earnest look—his big blue eyes peering into mine—he slowly replied, “I cannot say that, sir, but I would like to be saved, and I have been trying all I can since last Friday night.”

“What have you been doing, Stewart?” I asked.

“Well,” he went on, “when I went home from the meeting last Friday night, I told my father and mother I would like to be saved. They told me if I was good, and did what I was told, and keep God’s commandments, I would be saved, and get to heaven. They said, that was in the Bible, sir; and so Willie and I have made up our minds to do it, and we will try and live as best we can from now on.”

The decided manner in which the little fellow spoke left no doubt in my mind that he was really in earnest about his salvation. But it was sad to think that he had been put on the wrong track to find it, by those who ought to have been able to guide him. For you know, they were entirely mistaken, and had told little Stewart what was not true. There is no part of the Bible that says boys and girls will get to heaven if they be “good” and “keep the commandments.” But I’ll tell you what it does say: it says there is “none good,” but that everyone has broken the commandments, that all have sinned and are under the curse. Just read Romans 3:9-19, and Galatians 3:10, and you will see.

When I told the dear boy this, his blue eyes filled with tears, and he sobbed bitterly, for after all his trying, he was unfit for heaven and could not go there.

“And what will we do then, sir?” he asked, seriously.

“You can do nothing, Stewart, because we are all ruined sinners; but if you both come close I will let you read in my Bible what the Lord Jesus has done for you.”

The boys drew near, and we turned and read in Isaiah 53. This is the chapter that tells about the sufferings of the Lord Jesus, when He died on the cross for sinners. “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” v. 6.

“Now all this was for lost sinners,” I said, “and He suffered and died that they might go free. I am saved by His work and not by mine. Do you believe that Jesus died for you?” “Yes, I do, for I am a sinner,” said Stewart.

“Well, let’s see what Jesus says of those that believe.” We turned to John 6:47. There the Lord says: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on Me hath everlasting life.”

“What does He say you have, Stewart?” I asked.

“Everlasting life, sir—everlasting life,” said the boy, and the cloud passed from his face as he said it.

I thought it best to leave the Word of God with the two boys, and not to press them to say they believed; soon after, we parted.

The next evening, a while before meeting time, my two little friends were there. I asked Stewart how it stood with him now.

“Saved, sir, saved, and Willie here, too. He saw it first, and we are both happy now.”

“What did your parents say about it?”

“Not much, sir; but they said they saw a change in us.”

Those two little soldiers went on rejoicing, and they soon learned what it was to suffer for Christ’s sake.

ML-04/10/1966

A Step at a Time

It was growing dark in the old barn, and to little Freddie straying in and out of the fading afternoon light it looked more shadowy still.

But someone was moving about in the hay overhead, and the little fellow came to the foot of the ladder and called out: “Is you up there, Grandpa? I want to come up.”

“All right, come along then,” was the cheery response.

But the little foot paused at the foot of the ladder, and a troubled face was lifted up toward the dim loft.

“Grandpa, I can’t see the top step,” came the small voice again.

Then came a reassuring laugh from above. “Put your foot on the rung where you are, little man, and climb up. The last step is here; you’ll see it when you get to it.” Thus assured, Freddie mounted the ladder and soon felt himself lifted into the mow by Grandpa’s strong arms.

It was only the old lesson we need over and over again. How often we want to see the end from the beginning. But the path of faith is one step at a time. We must take the first step and trust God for the next. He will give light for each step at a time. He does not always give us to see the end from the beginning, though He does assure us that all will be well.

The path of faith through the darkness of this world will soon be over for those who love the Saviour. The Father’s house of many mansions is at the end of the way. Soon He will send His beloved Son to usher us into those bright courts of love and light and song, where we shall enjoy His presence forever. May this be the hope and comfort of every reader.

“As thou goest step by step, I will open up the way before thee.” Prov. 4:12. Hebrew Trans.

ML-04/10/1966

Bible Talks: Abraham, the Man of Faith

Gen. 24:57,58

AS THE servant pressed his plea to be sent away immediately with Rebekah, the older members of the family were unable to respond any further, but were then willing to put the matter up to her. “And they said, We will call the damsel, and inquire at her mouth.” v. 57.

We can conclude that this expression from Laban and the mother was exactly what the servant wanted most to hear. Well could he understand their natural reluctance to send one of their family away from their home and their desire to keep her with them “just a little longer.” But we can scarcely question that the faithful servant knew before ever her lips replied just what her response would be. Had not that servant searched out her heart as he faithfully told the story of that father and son in Canaan’s land? If the others could not rightly judge the gleam of her eye and see the eagerness with which she had taken in every detail of his story on the preceding night, if her amazement in contemplating the riches bore her, betokened by the jewels and bracelets of gold, had escaped their observation—he certainly had been a witness to those stirrings of her heart and affections. It is not likely that he was fearful of her reply, for as God had been with him thus far, He would surely bless to a full conclusion of the matter.

How could she, the promised bride of a great and wealthy heir, longer delight in tending her brother’s sheep in a place so distant from the one to whom her affection had already been pledged? Scarcely could she contemplate him waiting for her and remain any longer in the surroundings that had now lost their appeal to her! The servant’s testimony about Isaac had already drawn her affections far from those surroundings. And now her feet would know no rest until they could follow her heart to the place where she would soon share a wonderful inheritance with her promised one.

“And they called Rebekah, and said unto her, Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will go.” v. 58. Oh, that this might be the true response of all the Lord’s people in our day! It was not at that moment pledging herself to Isaac (type of Christ), for that had already taken place. It was now trusting herself to the complete care and guidance of the servant (illustrative of the Holy Spirit) on the long journey which would end in the presence of her loved one. Thus her answer spoke of full faith and confidence in the one who had brought the story, produced the evidences, and had drawn her heart to a new and beloved object.

Happiness on the heavenly road, Christian friend, will be in proportion to the measure in which we commit ourselves to the directing of the Holy Spirit. This is the practical expression that, as that Person of the Godhead has been the One to touch our hearts and bring us the knowledge of salvation through the work of Christ, so too, that same One may be entrusted to show the entire way through the wilderness on the journey to our true Isaac, awaiting His own in the courts of glory.

Memory Verse: “BUT 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-04/10/1966

God Wants the Boys

God wants the boys, the merry boys,

The noisy boys,

The funny boys,

The thoughtless boys—

God wants the boys, with all their joys,

To cleanse from sin

And make them pure,

And teach them hardness to endure;

Soldiers of Christ

He’d have them be,

Standing for truth and purity.

God wants the boys.

Memory Verse: “I, EVEN I, AM HE THAT BLOTTETH OUT THY TRANSGRESSIONS FOR MINE OWN SAKE, AND WILL NOT REMEMBER THY SINS.” Isa. 43:25.

ML-04/17/1966

Old Joe: The Anchor Holds

Old Joe the fisherman was an earnest happy Christian. In his declining years he used to spend his afternoons on the beach giving away gospel papers and tracts among the people, and speaking to them about Jesus, as he had opportunity. The children were very fond of old Joe, for he had lots of stories to tell of the sea and its danger.

Perhaps the one he told mostly was the story of his own conversion. This took place at sea one stormy night, through resting his soul on the Lord Jesus through the words of John 3:16: “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.”

“My anchor held there,” he would say, “and I know of no better anchorage for a sinner than that grand, glorious verse. Many a weary storm-tossed soul has anchored there, and found rest and peace through believing that God loved them.”

Reader, have you anchored there, or are you tossed about, afraid to meet God, because you do not know His love for you, a sinner?

Old Joe took suddenly ill one day. He was missed on the beach, and many who knew and loved him called at the house to ask how he was. His pilgrim days were done; just before he passed away, he raised his hand and, pointing to a framed card on the wall were the words of John 3:16 on it. He said in triumph, “The anchor holds! The anchor holds!”

Wasn’t it good anchorage? Let it be yours, my reader; all else will fail, but “The Word of the Lord endureth forever.”

ML-04/17/1966

Behold!

See, I have written out for you five short sweet simple texts, which I wish you to learn. Repeat them from memory to your parents at home; above all believe and receive them into your hearts. They all begin with the word, “Behold.” Do you know what that word means? It is just as if one cried: “Look!” “See!”

“Behold, I am vile.”

That is the sinner’s confession. That is what you need to learn first. Not just to say it with your lips, but to believe it, because God says it, and confess it to Him.

“Behold the Lamb of God."

That is the servant’s testimony pointing the sinner to the Saviour who came to take away sin by the sacrifice of Himself on the cross. How glad I am that He bore my sins, else they had been on me forever. Have you ever beheld Him? Have you looked? Can you say, “He died for me?”

Then you’ll be able to say:

“Behold, God is my salvation.”

This is the saint’s confession, and a wonderful one it is too. Best of all, it is “my salvation"—personal. Can you say that? Perhaps you mean to be saved some day. Ah, but some day won’t do.

“Behold, now is the accepted time.”

This is the soul winner’s testimony —“Today.” Satan says: “Tomorrow,” to the young; too early to be saved. To the aged, he says, “Yesterday,” or “You were too late.” God says, “Today.”

Last of all comes the Saviour’s call:

“Behold, I come quickly.”

This will gather all the saved to heaven, leave the lost to perish, and close the day of salvation. Haste then to the Saviour. Now is the day of salvation. Here are four lines to learn:

Behold a sinner vile, undone:

Behold the Saviour, God’s dear Son.

Behold salvation, full and free:

Behold He quickly comes for me.

ML-04/17/1966

The Blind Man's Song

It was at an evening service during a gospel campaign in Philadelphia years ago. The audience was singing the hymn describing the change which will take place in all those who love the Saviour when He appears. “We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” 1 Cor. 15:51, 52.

An old man sitting near the platform joined in the singing most heartily, especially in the chorus. Mr. Alexander, who had the sharpest eyes, noticed the old man, and in his winsome way asked if he would not rise and sing the chorus by himself. The old man responded, and in a somewhat quavering voice sang the words:

“Oh, what a change! Oh, what a change!

When I shall behold His wonderful face.”

The old man sat down.

“My friends,” said Mr. Alexander, “these words mean more to our friend here than you and I can imagine, for he is blind.”

A Christian chaplain who works among the veterans in a large military hospital tells of many blind young men there; some of them lost their eyesight in the Korean war. However, some of these blind boys are dear Christians and are looking forward to the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ to take them and all His own to heaven. Their eyes will be opened that day and they shall gaze into the face of the One who loved them and gave Himself for them. “Oh what a Saviour is Jesus the Lord!”

“One thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see... He hath opened mine eyes.” John 9:25, 30.

“He that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” John 8:12.

ML-04/17/1966

Bible Talks: Abraham, the Man of Faith

Gen. 24:59-61

ONE OF the interesting observations in the stirring story of Rebekah is the quiet and unexcitable character of all that transpired from the time Abraham sent the servant to Mesopotamia until Rebekah determined to return with him to his master’s land. This is ever God’s way in searching out the heart. “God is not the author of confusion [or disorder], but of peace.” 1 Cor. 14:33. Abram’s servant quietly but earnestly proceeded with his mission on behalf of his master, and he presented his story in the same manner. Rebekah, while assuredly thrilled as she listened to the glowing account, accepted in confidence all that was told her and quietly committed herself to the servant’s guidance. Salvation and the path of faith are characterized by temperance and assurance in God’s promises. Faith does not produce fleshly excitement nor doubts as to God’s word. “In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength.” Isa. 30:15.

Perhaps Laban questioned the wisdom of his sister forsaking all that had given her a measure of comfort and security. But Laban looked only on outward things. He accepted the gifts presented by the servant, but never gave his affections in return. He typified the “religious” man of the world, and his later history confirmed that he never rose above his own selfish interests. But Rebekah had accepted the word of the servant and in full confidence had put her trust in the one whom he spoke of. Thus she could count old things as no longer attractive and take her place alongside the one who would lead her to a better home. She knew the journey would be accompanied by hardships, yet she readily forsook her immediate comforts because of the prospect that her eye of faith could see. Her actions expressed the true behavior of a child of God today who can say, “We look not at the things which are seen... for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.” 2 Cor. 4:18.

“And they sent away Rebekah their sister, and her nurse, and Abram’s servant, and his men... And Rebekah arose, and her damsels, and they rode upon the camels, and followed the man: and the servant took Rebekah, and went his way.” vv. 59-61. The prospect before her was more than she could fully grasp—her entire future life being involved! Yet, how little preparation she required for it. Within a few hours she presented herself ready for the journey. No doubt she and the damsels who accompanied her took with them such things as might be personally required, but there is no record that she took with her any possessions she may formerly have cherished. Nor would we expect her to do so, for the rich inheritance soon to be hers prosed new and better things than she had ever before dreamed of. A believer may go through this wilderness world in the same confidence, refusing its riches and attractions, but assured of a better portion that is already his by inheritance. “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.” 1 Cor. 2:9.

ML-04/17/1966

Pierre, the Shepherd Boy

Some years ago, near to the town of Fontainebleau, in France, a Christian man built a place where God’s word might be preached and the young instructed in the gospel. Among the first who came to Sunday school there was a young shepherd boy whose name was Pierre Badelet.

Pierre was very ignorant when he first came, but because of the story of God’s love he became much interested. As he left one Sunday afternoon, he quietly said to the lady teacher, “I would like so much to have a New Testament, Madame: while I look after the sheep and goats, I should be so happy to read the Testament as I lie on the grass.”

They gladly gave him a New Testament, and when Pierre returned the following week, he could say, “Jesus is mine.” He had read the book, he believed God’s word, and was truly saved.

The next time Pierre came to the Sunday school, he asked for a hymn book, that he might sing God’s praise, and this too he received. The following week he brought a companion, Jean, and Jean also believed and was saved.

In the weeks that followed, the old paths and roads that wound through the forest of Fontainebleau rang with the songs of a circle of happy shepherd boys who had believed the gospel. Many a happy day they spent there together, reading the Book that had given them light. Soon they were telling this wondrous story to others, whose hearts were also made glad by the joyful tidings.

Dear reader, have you thus been made glad?

Oh, happy day that fixed my choice,

On Thee my Saviour and my God.

Well may this glowing heart rejoice,

And tell its raptures all abroad.

Happy day, happy day, when Jesus washed my sins away!

He taught me how to watch and pray,

And live rejoicing every day.

Happy day! Happy day! When Jesus washed my sins away.

ML-04/24/1966

"I Never Heard Such Words Before."

In India years ago a boy just fourteen years old was attending a missionary school. He went to visit some friends in a distant village one day, and in the afternoon he went into a heathen temple. There he saw a feeble old man passing from idol to idol, praying and offering incense sticks as he went around.

The boy had believed the gospel himself and, knowing Jesus as his Saviour, his heart was touched at the sight of the old man. Tears rolled down his cheeks. Summoning up courage he went up to him and said, “Would you mind a boy speaking to you, Sir? I am young; you are old.”

The man was not offended, and after some conversation the boy told him the story of the love of God in sending his dear Son into this world to die for sinners. The old man’s heart was melted as he listened.

“My boy,” he said, “I have never heard such words before.” He persuaded the lad to go home with him so that his wife might hear the wonderful story. And so these two aged natives were led to the Saviour before they ever saw or heard of a missionary.

“As it is written, how beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!” Rom. 10:15.

ML-04/24/1966

The Best Gift

Mother had to leave home on occasions for several days at a time. Yet whenever she returned she always had a small gift for each of her three little girls.

One day she thought she would come home without the usual presents just to see what they would say. The little ones met her in the hall with expectant faces.

“I’m sorry, my dears,” said Mother, “but I didn’t bring you any presents this time, because...”

“We don’t care, Mamma,” interrupted little Jean, “cause you are the best present.”

How many of us can say to the Lord Jesus: “Lord, Thou art the best gift of all; I would rather have Thee than any earthly gift; Thou art all in all to me"?

“Jesus, Lord Jesus, Thou art all in all to me;

Jesus, Lord Jesus, I would live to Thee.”

“Whom have I in heaven but Thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire besides Thee.” Psa. 73:25.

ML-04/24/1966

Never Give up

In a village in one of the mining districts a kindly Christian lady was in the habit of visiting an old man who was ill and alone. He had the reputation of being a “surly, swearing old fellow,” and few of the neighbors went near him. Though the good woman received no thanks for her kindness, she continued to try to help the old man, and always mentioned him in her evening prayers. Her little boy also became greatly interested in the “bad man,” as he called him.

One night after visiting the old man, who had thrown back her kind words with curses and much abuse, the mother returned home quite discouraged. Her little boy noticed that she did not pray for the “bad man,” that night.

“Have you given him up, Mother?” he asked.

“Yes, dear, I believe I have,” was her reply.

“Do you think God has given him up too?” questioned the little boy, after a moment’s thought.

This view of the matter so impressed the mother that she continued praying for the old man and visiting him. The time came when God answered her prayers, and the old man was converted. How glad was the mother that she had not given up, and how indebted she was to her little boy for the words so fitly spoken.

“Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving.” Col. 4:2.

“Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks.” 1 Thess. 5:17, 18.

ML-04/24/1966

Good Acts Not Enough

A young fellow met a friend of his who was an earnest minister of the gospel. In the course of their conversation his friend spoke to him about his soul and his need of the Saviour.

Dick the young man told his friend that he wasn’t such a bad fellow and added: “I have been doing a great many good things lately.”

“Well,” said the other, “I have no disposition to dispute that, but your good acts will not earn you salvation, nor are they evidence that you are a Christian.” The young fellow was quite surprised, but his friend went on.

“You own that horse over there, don’t you?” he asked.

“Yes, I do,” replied the youth. “Does he not do many good acts?” “Why, yes!”

“Is your horse a Christian?”

“Well,” replied the young fellow thoughtfully, “about as much of a one as I am, I guess.”

He saw the point, and admitted that a good act in man or beast is a good thing, but nothing more. It is nature and not grace, mere virtue and not holiness. A good character is a good thing, education may be a good thing, clean thoughts and pure acts are a good thing; but these things, good as they are, will not carry a man to heaven. Until we turn to God and are cleansed from our sins in the blood of Christ, there can be nothing for God to put to our account.

“But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags,” saith the Lord (Isa. 64:6); “and the plowing of the wicked, is sin.” Prov. 21:4.

What a sinner needs is the Saviour and the robe of righteousness which God Himself provides for all who come to Him in faith, owning their unworthiness but trusting in His mercy. All is found in Christ.

ML-04/24/1966

Bible Talks: Abraham, the Man of Faith

Gen. 24:61-67

“AND Rebekah arose... and followed the man.” The believer is not required to go through this world by himself. The Lord encouraged Moses, saying: “My presence shall go with thee,” and we read in John 10:4: “When He putteth forth His own sheep, He goeth before them.” A long journey lay before these travelers—600 miles or more, probably requiring a full month’s time. No doubt there were points of interest along the way, but it is not likely that time was taken to explore them. No, with the servant bringing before Rebekah new accounts of Abraham and Isaac daily, we can sense her heart quickening in anticipation and there would be no desire to delay that meeting. Perhaps too, looking at the awesome wilderness, she may have known some fearful moments, but when her gaze returned to the capable servant all her anxiety would disappear. Have no fear as to the pathway through this world, Christian friend. If we are content to be led by the Spirit of God and there is occupation with Christ and our promised heavenly portion, the way will lose its dreariness.

“And Isaac came from the way of the well Lahai-roi; for he dwelt in the south country. And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the eventide: and he lifted up his eyes, and saw, and, behold, the camels were coming.” vv. 62, 63. Gazing northward day by day he longed for the time when his bride would arrive, and now the moment had come! This presents a refreshing picture of our blessed Saviour, waiting in patience for the moment when His bride will be brought to Him. “Father, I will that they also, whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am.” John 17:24. “And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she lighted off the camel... and she became his wife; and he loved her; and Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.” vv. 64, 67.

The servant’s mission was completed. Having been the guide and strength of Rebekah up to this moment, he left her securely with the one with whom she was to share a rich place. In this we are reminded that to everyone who knows Christ as his Saviour the Holy Spirit “is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession.” Eph. 1:14. The Holy Spirit indwells every believer as an evidence of the new life and as guide and protector, until those who compose “the purchased possession” are safely at home with their Saviour.

This lovely story concludes with thoughts of the father’s happiness in seeing the bride brought to his son; Isaac’s joy in happy union with one who would not only comfort him in the loss of his mother, but with whom he would also share a deep love; Rebekah brought into the relationship that had filled her heart since first she had said, “I will go"; and the servant’s reward in seeing the fruit of his work. It is not difficult to see in this a type of the eternal joys of the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit and the redeemed bride when God’s plan of salvation, the work of His Son on Calvary’s cross, the faithfulness of the Holy Spirit, and the faith of the redeemed will all be brought to its happy conclusion in the courts of glory above.

Memory Verse: “THEREFORE BE YE ALSO READY: FOR IN SUCH AN HOUR AS YE THINK NOT THE SON OF MAN COMETH.” Matt. 24:44.

ML-04/24/1966

A Dog's Gratitude

One day a dog came limping down the country road and stopped at the door of a farmhouse. There he stood and barked until someone came out to see what was wrong. Soon the farmer appeared and the dog simply held up one paw.

The farmer saw at once there was a large splinter under the skin. Very carefully he opened up the skin with a penknife, drew out the splinter and then bound up the wounded paw. The dog wagged his tail for a moment and then trotted away.

A few days later the farmer heard a loud barking at his front door. This time what do you think he found? Guess!

A bone? Yes, there was a big bone on the front step, and there was the dog trotting away down the road.

This was the noble fellow’s way of saying, “Thank you!”

Have you ever thanked God for His wonderful Gift and for what He has done for you and me? “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-05/01/1966

The Bird's Nest or, Build High

Two little birds came in the early spring from the sunny Southland and built their nest in a branch near our window. Day by day with unwearied zeal, they added straw after straw to the little nest. Then they lined it with some fine grass and feathers, and it looked so cozy. A little later four little eggs were there, and then a few days after that four little tiny birds were hatched.

As we looked upon the pretty little creatures, we could not help fearing that they were in danger. The nest was not high enough to prevent it from being robbed or destroyed by some enemy. Alas! one bright morning when we looked out to see how our little friends were getting along, we found the nest torn down, and the feathers strewn all over the ground. Their nest was not out of the reach of danger. We thought, had it been higher it would have been safe.

There are many men and women, and boys and girls too, who are very much like these little birds. They have built themselves a nest, and chose themselves a place, but it is in the world—the world which will one day be judged, and all that is in it perish. Death will come and sadly wreck the unbeliever’s position, and put an end to his pleasure. In a moment, when he least expects it, his doom will suddenly come. But those who have Christ, their portion is in heaven, and they will never lose their place; their portion will never be taken from them. They are safe in Christ forever. Therefore, dear rear, “build high.” Let Christ be your portion. The things of earth will all pass away one day, but Christ abides forever. He is “the Same, yesterday, and today, and forever.” Heb. 13:8.

ML-05/01/1966

Elsie's Farewell

In a Sunday school class taught by a Christian lady there was a little girl named Elsie. Elsie was a very attentive and intelligent girl and Miss Lane hoped that one day she would come out for the Lord.

One Sunday afternoon little Elsie told her in class that she would not be able to come to Sunday school any more, as she and her parents were about to sail for America to live. This was a great grief to Miss Lane for the little scholar was as yet unsaved, and she was going out into a busy world without a Saviour to preserve and keep her. Miss Lane invited Elsie to her home for supper the following evening. After supper she spoke to her solemnly, yet lovingly, and urged her to decide for Christ. Before Elsie left, Miss Lane presented her with a nice Bible, and asked her to write as soon as she was settled in her new American home.

A few days later, Elsie sailed with her parents across the ocean. Five weeks after, Miss Lane received a letter from Elsie telling of her new home and its surroundings, and then at the close she wrote: “I attend a class for young Christians on Sunday afternoons, and I enjoy it. Ever since that afternoon that I came to say goodbye, when you spoke to me about Jesus, I have known Him as my own dear Saviour, and I am happy now. It is so wonderful to be a Christian!”

Wasn’t that cheering news for Elsie’s old teacher? And how happy too for Elsie herself to have Jesus as her “own dear Saviour.” Dear reader, is He yours? Can you say in truth—“He has saved me"?

Of course, you have been often told of His love, and how willing He is to receive you; but this is not enough. There are many going down to hell with the gospel ringing in their ears. But if you, dear reader, receive Him into your heart, you will be saved.

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

ML-05/01/1966

Led to Christ

MY father was an infidel, but my mother was a dear godly, prang Christian, who brought me up in the fear of the Lord. When I got to be a young man I strayed far from her teachings and got into the world. However, when I was nineteen a faithful servant of the Lord began holding special gospel services in Newark, New Jersey, where I lived and my older brother, Charlie, got saved at that time. Charlie then spoke to me about my soul.

For ten days I tried to be a Christian and not let anyone know it, but that failed. Then one night I went to the home where the evangelist was staying and told him my difficulty. He at once pointed me to Christ as the need of my soul. Then we got down on our knees and prayed, and that night I passed from darkness to light. I found Christ as my Saviour.

“I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins:... For I have redeemed thee.” Isa. 44:22.

ML-05/01/1966

Bible Questions for May

The Children’s Class

1. “The world knew Him not.”

2. “God so loved the world.”

3. “Light is come into the world.”

4. “The Saviour of the world.”

S. “I will give for the life of the world.”

6. “I am the light of the world.”

7. “I am not of this world.”

The Young People’s Class: Confidence

1. When trouble comes, of how much value is CONFIDENCE placed in an unfaithful man? Prov. 25.

2. In whom is it better to trust, than to put our CONFIDENCE in princes? Psa. 118.

3. In what should those who rejoice in Christ Jesus have learned to have no CONFIDENCE? Phil. 3.

4. What privilege is ours when our CONFIDENCE is based on the faith of Christ Jesus? Eph. 3.

5. What CONFIDENCE do we have when we ask anything according to His will? 1 John.

6. In what can we be CONFIDENT concerning the time when we shall be absent from the body? 2 Cor. 5.

7. What motive does Scripture give to keep us from casting away our CONFIDENCE? Heb. 10.

ML-05/01/1966

Bible Talks: The Story of Isaac

Gen. 25:1-10

“THEN again Abraham took a wife, and her name was Kurah.” v. 1. This portion, in point of time, does not appear to immediately follow the story of Isaac and Rebekah’s marriage, but probably took place some years previously. Abraham lived 38 years after Sarah’s death and no doubt it was a comfort to have a companion during those years. Kurah bore six sons to him. Of these, only one—Midian—appears in later Bible history and his offspring became a constant source of trouble to Israel—much as Ishmael’s descendants did.

In all this there is a reminder that God’s purposes in Abraham were fused entirely upon his one son, Isaac, and that all His promises were to be unfolded through him alone. Now this is exactly the case with the divine story of God the Father and His Son, the One in whom He was “well pleased.”

“And Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac. But unto the sons of the concubines,... Abraham gave gifts, and sent them away from Isaac his son,... unto the east country.” vv. 5, 6. We have here the extension of general blessing to other nations, though Isaac be heir of all. Abraham had the discernment to see that there must be no conflict with Isaac’s inheritance and place in God’s counsels, nor any compromise with others, even though they held a place of attachment to his natural heart.

It is instructive to see a parallel verse where this type is revealed; “The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into His hand.” John 3:35. If this is God’s appraisal of His beloved Son, should the reader not give special attention to it, and rove from every thought and expression all that in any way deprives the Lord Jesus of His rightful place? Anything that compromises His place cannot be honored of God and will rob the soul of enjoying the One who alone in God’s sight, is “All in all.”

“Then Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age [175 years]... And his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field... which Abraham purchased of the sons of Heth: there was Abraham buried, and Sarah his wife.” vv. 8-10. As Isaac and Ishmael laid the body of their aged father to rest, we wonder what thoughts and expressions may have passed between them. Surely there was much in that life of faithfulness for them both to contemplate. We suppose that they spoke, too, of the hope the father must have often expressed to them of the place which by faith he looked forward to: “A city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.”

Although not recorded here, Jacob and Esau, the sons of Isaac, were 15 years of age at this time and were quite likely present at that burial as well. It was a solemn time for each of these men, but if it produced exercise of conscience in Ishmael or in Esau, it was not long-lived, for each went his own way in this world and did not follow in the steps of Abraham. Isaac and Jacob, however, were led of God to take up the father’s pathway—although with many experiences of failure and sorrow, as shall soon be seen.

Memory Verse: “FOR I AM NOT ASHAMED OF THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST: FOR IT IS THE POWER OF GOD UNTO SALVATION TO EVERY ONE THAT BELIEVETH.” Rom. 1:16.

ML-05/01/1966

Love From the King

The late Gypsy Smith, the well-known evangelist, tells this story: “On one occasion we went to see the King of Sweden reviewing his troops. Amid all the military show one little incident touched me the most. A little chimney sweep came running past the spot where the king was on his horse. His face was black and his feet were bare, but as he passed the monarch of Sweden he raised his dirty hand and saluted his sovereign. The king smiled upon the little fellow and returned the salute.

“Immediately afterward, a dashing officer came galloping up on a fine horse. His uniform shone like gold, and his sword rattled as he careered bravely along. He also saluted the king. The king returned the salute with all the dignity of a sovereign, but I thought I missed in his eye the kindly gleam with which he had greeted the waving of the little sweep’s dirty hand, and I said to myself, ‘This king loves the little sweep as much as the fine officer; and I love him for it.’ "

And how much the more so it is with our Lord Jesus, the King of kings. He loves all—rich and poor, great and small. He took the little children up in His arms and blessed them, saying, “Suffer the little children to come unto Me, and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of God.” Mark 10:14.

“For there is no difference; for all have sinned,...” Rom. 3:22,23; and “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” 1 Tim. 1:15.

“For there is no difference... for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon Him.” Rom. 10:12.

ML-05/08/1966

You Can't Trust Jesus?

A man came all the way from Holland to see Mr. Spurgeon in London and to ask him how he might be saved. Said the well-known preacher: “Well, you have come a long way to ask that question. You know that you are to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.”

“But I can’t seem to believe on Jesus Christ,” the man replied.

“Well now, look here,” said Spurgeon. “I have believed in Him a good many years, and I do trust Him. But if you know something or other against Him, I should like to know it, for I do not like to be deceived.”

“No, sir, I don’t know anything against Him.”

“Why don’t you trust Him then? Could you trust me?”

“Yes, I would trust you with anything,” said the man.

“And yet you can’t trust Jesus Christ? Do you mean to say that?” asked Mr. Spurgeon.

The man stood still for a moment, and then he said: “Dear me, I can see it now. Why, of course I can trust Him. I cannot help trusting Him; He is such a blessed One that I must trust Him. Good-by, sir, I will go back home. It’s all right now.”

And why can’t you, dear friend, trust the Lord Jesus for all that He has promised us in the gospel—forgiveness, pardon, eternal life, peace, comfort, and a Home in His presence forever?

ML-05/08/1966

From Death to Life

IN THE YEAR 1938 thirteen young army officers were sent to the national penitentiary at Port-Au-Prince, Haiti, for their misdeeds. These leaders had been sentenced by court-martial: six of them to death before a firing squad, five of them to hard labor for life, and two to ten years hard labor.

Three of these young men had been brought up under the blessings of Christianity. But never having sought the Lord, though all were well educated, they had instead lived in sin and drunkenness.

However, God began to work mightily in their hearts. Faced with death, these three truly and sincerely turned to God and trusted Christ as their Saviour. At the court-martial, one of them testified that should God let him live, he would preach the gospel. This produced some laughter as he was one that was due to face the firing squad.

Another of the condemned group had been brought up very religiously. At seventeen he had felt a strong conviction of sin and being a sincere fellow he became a very active member of the church. He threw himself wholeheartedly into these activities, but he found no peace or pardon for sin. He was unable to continue with what he felt was a mockery. Not hang found reality for his own soul’s need, he renounced all religion as mere hypocrisy, gave up God Himself, and became an atheist.

Several years later, his wife lay dying. Then he broke his resolve of infidelity and cried to God saying, “Give me my wife and I will serve Thee.” That prayer was answered. God raised up his wife and in an effort to fulfill his promise he went back to the church again and found no reality. Then he went into politics and being involved in a rebellion, he was thrown into prison. There in his solitary cell he read through a book of sermons and found verses from Isaiah, the Psalms and Job, which were as life to his tortured soul. Two days later, this book was taken from him, but he had memorized many of the verses.

Released from solitary confinement, he was able to obtain a Bible which he read constantly from the first to the last. He began to practice extreme piety, but it seemed that a blank wall stood between him and God. His heart longed for peace but he found none. As he continued to study the Bible, he found passage after passage that revealed and condemned the errors in his faith. One day, his soul in an agony of conviction, he meditated on the Song of Solomon. He heard his brother officer singing, “Thy Yoke is Easy,” and he longed to be able to sing with him, but he hadn’t found Christ. At last, in reading the Song of Solomon, the Spirit of God broke through the darkness of his soul and he understood the “Beloved” to be the Lord Jesus, and that to know God is to know and love the Saviour. He passed a restless night and in the morning for the first time he accepted the invitation of the Christian boys to join them in their devotional service. As they sang again, “Thy Yoke is Easy,” the light of God flooded his soul and he found peace and pardon in Christ. Henceforth, he could say, “I am my Beloved’s, and my Beloved is mine.” Song of Sol. 6:3.

In a moment, all of the old bitterness and darkness was swept away in the joy of eternal life by faith in Him who had died as his surety under the judgment of God.

The hand of God was seen in that prison, and the death penalties were commuted to life sentences. The prison became a Bible school and a mission field. Ten of those thirteen former officers were gloriously saved, and a large number of other prisoners of all classes of society came to know the’ Lord Jesus as their Saviour. Sometime later, through the mercy of God, those men were pardoned and set free. Most of the converted officers, wonderfully saved from death, consecrated their lives to preach the Word in Haiti.

The testimony of those men shook the upper cultured class in Haiti, a class which too had scarcely been touched by the gospel. Even the military judge who condemned them was saved. One of those whom he had condemned had the joy of leading him into the knowledge of the Lord.

Such is the power of God’s wonder-working gospel. There are no “unreachables” with Him. He that believeth on the Son “is passed from death unto life.” John 5:24.

“I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth.” Rom. 1:16.

ML-05/08/1966

Bible Talks: The Story of Isaac

Gen. 25:11-18

“AND IT came to pass after the death of Abraham, that God blessed his son Isaac; and Isaac dwelt by the well Lahai-roi.” v. 11.

Our attention now is drawn more closely to Isaac, in whom all that had been Abraham’s was soon to be displayed and through whom God’s promises must be revealed. In like manner the believer now is drawn by the Holy Spirit to the Person of Christ, God’s Son, for it is through Him that all the counsels of God are made manifest and that salvation is brought to this poor world—to Jew and Gentile alike.

It is happy to see Isaac dwelling by the well Lahai-roi. This well received its name when God spared Hagar’s life in the wilderness (chapter 21). The name of this well not only meant, “The well of Him that liveth and seeth me,” but also conveys the thought of the well of “the living One who reveals Himself.” It is profitable then, to see Isaac and Rebekah dwelling in this place.

Christian friend, do you enjoy the sense of God seeing you and do you also enjoy that nearness to Christ who gives the “living water,” so that the love, providence and counsels of God are a daily portion for your joy? Only when dwelling in this nearness to Him can such pleasures be proved. Away from that source of refreshing, the conscience will not like the thought of God’s watching eye and the appetite for His things will certainly become dulled. May His redeemed be kept closer to Him who alone can deliver from this world’s contaminating influences. “Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear Him, upon them that hope in His mercy.” Ps. 33:18.

A brief account of Ishmael and his family follows. His descendants, like those of Cain long before, “made their mark” in the world. Towns and castles were named after them, and from their number twelve princes arose to power and headed a variety of nations. What a tragic heritage this was! Pleasing to the eye and the pride of achievement, certainly, but no evidence of the fear of God marked the lives of these men and their families. Their determination to become great in the world led them farther away from God until eventually they were open enemies of those who feared the Lord.

Are we not reminded most solemnly in their history of the words of the Lord Jesus when He was here on earth: “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” Matt. 16:26. Beer indeed to be among those of whom it is said: “Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which He hath promised to them that love Him?” James 2:5.

The paths of Ishmael and of Isaac are contrary one to the other. We do not read of their being together again until there is a conflict of interest between them. Ishmael died at the age of 137—about 47 years after the death of his father.

Memory Verse: “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.” Isa. 55:7.

ML-05/08/1966

A Sheep Book

A group of poor shepherds and a missionary were gathered together around a log fire, one chill night, in a cabin in the mountains of Asia Mor. These rugged men listened intently while the missionary read to them from the Holy Scriptures.

Very appropriately the missionary read from John’s Gospel, chapter 10. “I am the good Shepherd: the good Shepherd giveth His life for the sheep.” v. 11.

An eager voice interrupted: “Oh, Sir, is that the gospel?”

“Yes,” he replied, “This is the gospel of Jesus Christ.”

“Oh,” said the shepherd, his face aglow with simple pleasure and confidence, “I didn’t know before that that Book was a Sheep Book.”

Yes, the Bible is a sheep book; it is for lost sheep as well as for those who are found.

It tells of Jesus the Son of man, who “came to seek and to save that which was lost.” Luke 19:10.

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

The Lord can say of those who trust Him as their Saviour: “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.” John 10:27-29.

ML-05/15/1966

A Young Soldier

“You ask, Was I a Christian? Not me!” replied a young Canadian soldier in answer to a query. “I was wild and going to hell. But one night I was wounded and lay in a deserted shell hole, shot through the leg, and unable to move for fifteen hours. I was feeling about in my pocket for something to ease the pain, and all I could find was a little pocket Testament. Someone had given it to me, but I had never read it. I managed to get it out, and thinking it might be my last hour, and that I might never be found, I started to read and to try and forget my pain. I read Matthew 27, and Sir, the reading of that little Book brought such a change in my life. I have read a chapter every day since then. I came to realize what a great sinner I was, but I found Christ as my Saviour, as I read the story of His crucifixion.

“I was picked up by the infantry and carried to a hospital. One night when I could not sleep for pain, the nurse asked me if she could do anything for me. I asked her to read the Bible to me. She said she had never read it in her life, and I told her it was about time she did, if that was so. After she began reading, she said it helped her too.

“Yes, I say my prayers on my knees in the tent now. Another boy has joined me this week; and the language in the tent is getting better. Now I am no longer alone there on the field, for He is with me. It’s different now.

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

ML-05/15/1966

The South Seas

THE earliest Polynesian Scriptures date from 1818. While “the word of Luke” was printing at Eimeo, canoes came from the neighboring islands bringing plantain-leaf letters begging for copies of the Gospel, and bamboo canes filled with cocoa-nut oil to pay for them. Thirty and forty at a time, the boats were drawn up on the beach, and the islanders waited patiently for days, for weeks, till the sheets had passed through the press. The other Gospels followed, the Acts, and portions of the Old Testament. In the shadow of the cocoa palms or the hibiscus trees, the Tahitians dighted to sit in circles listening to the Word of life. They lingered till midnight teaching each other; they read in their leaf-thatched huts by the light of a lamp of cocoa-nut shell; in some of the islands where no missionary had ever resided they had become familiar with the use of book and pen. Wherever they were met they had their books with them, carefully wrapped in native cloth or concealed in a little basket made to contain them.

Had these poor souls any real care or reverence for the Scriptures which had been prepared for them with so much labor and at so great a cost? Let William Ellis, the missionary, tell his own experience: On a day of howling tempest and raging surf, we saw a canoe in distress two miles off the shore, and sent out help to it. The canoe was found swamped and the men were in the sea supporting themselves on their pales. When they landed, I met them and asked them if they had been in danger. They said, ‘Yes': they were afraid of the sharks and fearful lest their canoe should sink. I asked them what they thought when the sea began to fill their canoe. They said they thought of their books, and were only concerned to keep them dry, pointing at the same time to their canoe, where the Gospels, carefully wrapped in native cloth, were tied to the top of the mast, in order to secure them from the spray of the sea.

In 1839 the faithful Evangelist, Henry Nott, who had labored unweariedly for forty years in those rote islands, had the honor of presenting to the young Queen Victoria a Tahitian Bible, the first complete version of the Scriptures in any of the tongues of Polynesia. The edition was quickly bought up. Many of the people had paid for their books long before they arrived; others came flocking with the money in their hands, and would not leave till they had been satisfied. Still others who were penniless ran about borrowing from their friends, or put out to sea, caught fish and sold them in the market in order that they might obtain the price of $2.00.

During the struggle which followed the French seizure of Tahiti, the natives took their Bibles with them into the mountains, and there, though they were deprived of the guidance of their white teachers, they carried on their services regularly as when they were at home in their peaceful villages. These were the people in whose language the missionaries could find no words for our words, “faith” and “conscience.”

“Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Rom. 10:13.

“And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven: but the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness.” Matt. 8:11, 12.

ML-05/15/1966

Bible Talks: The Story of Isaac

Gen. 25:19-28

THE record of historical events that all had a bearing on the life of Isaac having been declared, we now turn back to this man and his family. “And Isaac intreated the LORD for his wife, because she was barren: and the LORD was intreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived.” v. 21. The experience of this couple was very similar to that of Abraham and Sarah in respect to securing an heir to the promises. Only they did not resort to fleshly means as Abraham and Sarah had years before, resulting in the birth of Ishmael. They seem to have learned a lesson in this. It is well to see they besought the Lord in their difficulty and waited His time. It was twenty years after their marriage before they were blessed with a family. Thus Isaac learned that it is not in the energy of the flesh that God’s promises of blessing are realized. There must be dependence on Him before He can bring blessing.

Rebekah in time discovered that she was to be the mother of twins and even before their birth she sensed a conflict between them. “And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to inquire of the LORD.” v. 22. In reply to her questioning she was told the two to whom she would give birth would become the heads of two nations—one to excel in strength over the other, and the firstborn would serve the younger.

So the twin boys were born into the household—the first named Esau, and his brother Jacob. “And the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning huer, a man of the field; and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents.” v. 27. A difference in the character of the boys was soon seen. Esau took to hunting, in which he achieved great skill and was called “a man of the field.” It could hardly be questioned that there was much in Esau that would appeal to those who knew him, with his skills and trophies being aired by his acquaintances. Jacob, on the other hand, had no special qualities to display. At this time it is simply said of him that he was “a plain man, dwelling in tents.” Quite likely he tilled his land and remained close to his surroundings. To all outward appearances Esau would seem to be dominant, just as the world would expect of the firstborn, while Jacob, as the younger, kept much to himself with nothing noteworthy to bring attention to him.

Rebekah, it seems, did not forget that God had told her, “the elder shall serve the younger.” Perhaps it was in her own heart’s acceptance of God’s revelation that she set her affections particularly upon Jacob, although the father favored Esau.

Now in studying these two young men we are again impressed with the fact that “The LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.” 1 Sam. 16:7. So, if Esau would be man’s choice, God’s purposes were just the opposite and would be expressed eventually through Jacob. As his story is reviewed there may be amazement that God could find any delight in him. Nevertheless there were marked evidences of faith in Jacob which were not found in Esau, and in the end it will be seen how God’s purposes triumphed through grace in spite of the contrary nature of the one He blessed.

Memory Verse: “NONE... CAN BY ANY MEANS REDEEM HIS BROTHER, NOR GIVE TO GOD A RANSOM FOR HIM.” Psa. 49:7.

ML-05/15/1966

Saved From an Elephant: A True Story

At a mission station in Northern India, not many years ago, there was a school for boys. The boys were eager to learn and seemed to be getting along quite well, but one day two of them were missing. They had run away. The missionary thought they had got homesick, for they had started out at once in the direction of home. That meant a journey of several days, and they had to walk all the way.

On the way the boys met up with a native Christian teacher from the mission and also two other men, natives who worshipped idols. When night came on they looked around for a place to sleep. Not far off the road they found a little hut with a straw roof, and there they spread out a big mat on which they all lay down together and went to sleep.

Suddenly, as they slept, out of the jungle dashed a wild elephant and came right up to where they were lying. Seizing the mat he jerked it out from under them, and they all awoke to see the huge elephant standing over them. Just imagine the terror and fright that seized them. They didn’t dare to move.

Now God was watching over that scene in the hut, and a sad, yet most wonderful thing happened. The missionary at the mission station told the story as it actually happened, and we know it is true.

The first thing the elephant did was to shove the Christian teacher and the two boys to one side. Then he seized the heathen men, one after the other, swung them around with his mighty trunk and dashed them to the ground, killing them instantly. What do you think he did to the teacher and the boys? Well, he rolled them together in the mat and walked away. Then he came back again, smelled at them, covered them up again and left, this time for good. The lives of the three were spared, though the fright was terrible. When they got back to the mission station, the teacher was sore and lame for several days, for the elephant hadn’t been very gentle in handling them. But the boys were unhurt, and they learned a lesson for life. They learned that the God of the Christians, who sent His blessed Son into this world to save sinners, had watched over them and protected them.

At the school the missionary called all the children together and told them what had happened, and of how the Lord had delivered the Christian teacher and the boys. Then they sang the hymn, “Now thank we all our God,” and united in praising and thanking the Lord for His merciful protection and salvation.

Dear boys and girls, and older ones too, it is hardly likely you will ever have an encounter with an elephant, but you have a far worse enemy: “Your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” 1 Pet. 5:8. If you know not Christ as your Saviour you are not safe from him who only seeks to ruin and to destroy souls. The sinner’s only refuge is the blood of Jesus. If you trust in Him, you will have nothing to fear, for God has declared that whosoever believeth in Him shall never perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16).

Now let us learn a verse of Scripture: “Whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe.” Prov. 29:25.

Sometimes God is pleased to allow his children to come into trial and suffering, but He is always with them in it; He allows it for their blessing and for His glory in the end. Their souls can never be lost. He has said, “I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.” Heb. 13:5.

ML-05/22/1966

Faithful Will

WILL was a boy who grew up in the coal mining country. When he left school he got a job at one of the great iron works nearby. It wasn’t easy for him to live as a Christian and to stand up for his Saviour amid the rough men and boys working all around him; his manner of life condemned their sinful ways. Will sought strength from the Lord and bore their persecutions quietly, but at last they resolved to put a stop once for all to his Christian testimony that was a rebuke to them. They did a horrible thing-some of them put him right in front of one of the huge blast furnaces, and then they stood around, threatening to keep him there until he would say some wicked words they told him. But Will was steadfast, until at last one more merciful than the rest rescued him from his tormentors. He was in bed some days after that cruel trial, and one day a Christian minister asked him, “What did you feel when you were in front of that terrible fire?”

“I never felt in my life that Jesus was so near to me,” answered Will.

Will never forgot that experience and a sense of the Lord’s love deepened in his soul.

Has He not said, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee"?

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego will never cease to thank the Lord for that experience of being thrown into the burning fiery furnace. How wonderful to have the companionship of the Son of God in any trial we may be called upon to pass through!

May the Lord Himself help us to be faithful, dear young Christian.

“That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.” 1 Pet. 1:7.

ML-05/22/1966

One Sin

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

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

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

“No,” I said. “One sin in the Garden of Eden spoiled it all, and all the earth beside. All the misery all over the earth is the fruit of that one sin in Eden. If God allowed one sin in heaven it would ruin that too.”

“Why, then, did you ask me that question?” she said.

“Because, my dear, I want to ask you another—Have you ever committed one sin?”

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

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

Another time of silence, and then, with evident pain, she said, “Yes; some time ago I denied what I knew to be true. I wanted to avoid difficulty.”

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

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

I could only add, “That will not fail you, dear girl, at the gate of heaven, so it may well give you peace now.”

ML-05/22/1966

Bible Talks: The Story of Isaac, Jacob and Esau

Gen. 25:29-32

IN PREVIOUS readings concerning I Isaac our thoughts were turned heavenward. But as the story of Jacob unfolds we realize that earthly principles are before us — not only introducing the history of Israel as a nation, but showing in Jacob’s manner of life many of the traits of stubbornness and willfulness that would mark that nation. At the same time, as the life of Jacob is examined, it will be found that much of the mercy that God would later show His earthly people, was experienced in this man’s personal life as well, in spite of his repeated failures.

A difference in the character of the two boys is set forth in a striking way in the verses about to be considered. Jacob’s name means “supplanter” and although simple in his manner of life, he was a great schemer all the days of his life’s energy — planning and purposing the course of his life according to his own wisdom. This type of life, of course, got him into repeated trouble and aroused the enmity of those against whom he schemed — at times nearly costing him his life. The more his course of selfish interest is examined, the more we are amazed that he was the object of God’s special purposes that through him the blessings promised Abram and Isaac would be carried on.

“And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint: and Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint.” vv. 29, 30.

Jacob, busy preparing his meal, was confronted by Esau weary from his day’s activities. His hunger being very great, he asked: “Feed me I pray thee, with that same re pottage.” v. 30. Now it might be expected that brotherly kindness would call for Jacob to respond immediately to such a request; but it was at this point that his character as a schemer is first brought out. Here was a great opportunity from which he determined to take advantage. Seeing his brother’s great weariness he bargained with him before setting on the food: “Sell me this day thy birthright,” he demanded. How far short of God’s ways this was! True, God had already promised that Jacob, the younger, would have the elder’s place, but He did not require Jacob’s scheming to bring it about. This unbrotherly act remains a blight on the history of the one to whom God’s special proses had already been assured.

Yet, if this is an unfavorable account of Jacob, it is an even greater blot in the history of Esau. “Behold, I am at the point to die,” said he, “and what profit shall this birthright do to me?” v. 32. In the normal order of inheritance, the older son of each family deeply cherished and valued his birthright above all other possessions. He might know trials and testings while waiting to receive it, but he would never think of giving it up. Yet Esau, for the sake of the immediate moment’s gratification, counted his birthright of so little value that he gave it up for a bowl of lentils.

Memory Verse: “BEING MADE PERFECT, HE BECAME THE AUTHOR OF ETERNAL SALVATION UNTO ALL THEM THAT OBEY HIM.” Heb. 5:9.

ML-05/22/1966

Doctor Johnson's Kindness

DR. JOHNSON, one of the world’s great literary men, was once staying at a friend’s house in the country. The gardener had caught a little rabbit among some of the potato plants, and brought it to his master who was talking with the doctor. His master told him to take it out and kill it.

As soon as Dr. Johnson heard this he begged to have the bunny placed in his arms. This was no sooner done than going over to the open window, he let the little creature go free.

His friend was quite vexed, sang that the doctor had deprived them of a good dinner. But the great man replied that he would not be the loser by showing kindness to a poor little creature.

God has shown kindness to guilty sinners such as we are. We were worthy of death but God has sent His blessed Son into this world to die in our place, and He delights to set sinners free who will put their trust in Jesus. How glad the little bunny must have been to be set free. Have you, dear young reader, come to God and acknowledged that you are guilty, but that Christ has died in your stead? Have you been made glad through His salvation?

“But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us.” Titus 3:4,5.

“That in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace, in His kindness toward us, through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.” Eph. 2:7,8.

ML-05/29/1966

Be Ye Ready

ONE winter in a big smoky manufacturing town there was a thick fog that stayed for three days and nights without lifting. The people there were oppressed by it. In a great town where there is the smoke of thousands of chimneys the heavy fog very soon turns into heavy darkness, so that even with the lights on it is hard for one to find his way about. You can imagine how that living in darkness both day and night becomes at last awfully dressing.

Now what do you suppose the people in that big town began to think? They began to think it was a sign that the end of the world was coming—that the Lord was coming—that judgment was coming; and most of them were not ready to meet God. They were frightened, wondering what they should do.

Then somebody said, “The Bible can tell.” Alas, a great many of them hadn’t got a Bible. As long as the sun shone and things went well for them they got along without God and His precious Book. Now many of them hastened to the book shops and bought Bibles, and the sale of Bibles that week was quite astonishing.

But wasn’t it rather late, when they believed that the Lord was at hand, to go and buy a Bible to find out the way of salvation and to learn about Him? In general, in matters of every day life, prudent people prepare for the future, but it seems that when it comes to the salvation of their souls, the most important thing in life, so often it is the last thing that people think about.

Well it so happened that the Lord did not come as people thought, and the fog cleared off. For the most part the Bibles were put on the shelf, and the preparation of their souls for eternity was put off too. Alas, for many of those people, there was no getting ready at all!

Now, dear reader, do not you be like that. Do not say, I shall wait till tomorrow or next week or until I am old, to get ready to meet God. The Bible says, “Prepare to meet thy God” now. “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” 2 Cor. 6:2. Come to the Saviour NOW while it is yet the day of grace.

God’s house is filling fast!

Yet there is room!

Some guest will be the last,

Yet there is room!

Yes, soon salvation’s day

From you will pass away,

And grace no more will say,

“Yet there is room!”

ML-05/29/1966

The Missionary Apple Tree

Years ago a pastor by the name of Mr. Jennings presented a healthy young apple tree to a lady on a farm in England. It was not a very string incident, as someone might say, except that it was a rather unusual thing for a preacher to give such a present to a lady. However, she was an earnest Christian, who loved to see the gospel go forth, and the desire of her heart was that the Lord would use the little tree to further His work in far off lands.

The lady planted the sapling, and I believe it was with a prayer for God’s blessing, because she made a promise that all the fruit which the tree should bear during her lifetime should be used to further the work of the gospel missions.

The sapling grew up to be a sturdy tree. For fifty-nine years this Christian lady had the joy of gathering its annual fruit, and the revenue from it was used for the work of the gospel. And the remarkable thing about it was that a special blessing seemed to rest on this missionary tree. During all those years the fruit failed only twice. All the other years it worked and yielded up its fruit. Many missionaries take a furlough or come home for a rest about every seven years or less. But this missionary tree took a furlough only about every twenty years. Was it not a faithful tree?

The years passed by, summer had come again, but before the apples were gathered that year from the tree, the good woman who had planted it was gathered as a ripe sheaf into the Saviour’s heavenly garner. Only a few weeks later the apple tree itself gave up its life, which it had lived so well. But it seemed its testimony did not end there. One day, after a severe storm had swept the country, the apple tree was found uprooted, and lying on the ground. Some of the people who had learned the lesson of the good lady and her faithful tree, took the wood, carefully preserved and dried it, and out of it made many different articles which were sold, and the returns were used in the cause of the gospel.

It may interest you to learn what became of Mr. Jennings. He died in India where he was buried, but his name is still remembered in the little village made memorable by the missionary apple tree.

“O send out Thy light and Thy truth.” Psa. 43:3. “Blessed are ye that sow beside all waters.” Isa. 32:20.

ML-05/29/1966

He's Mine

A CHRISTIAN man tells the story of how the day after he first landed in Corsica, he distributed in the streets of Bastia some gospel tracts which were gladly received by all. He had brought with him from the hotel one small New Testament and had given it at the Old Port to a quiet-mannered, sad-looking lady in black. She had kept asking him for it. Four months later while walking on the Piazza, he was met by this same lady, who smilingly reminded him of the little book.

“Have you read it?” he asked. “Yes, Signor.”

“What have you found in it?”

“I have found Jesus Christ in it.”

“And who is Jesus Christ?”

“My Saviour.”

Oh how deep and precious is the joy of being able to say, “We have found Him” (John 1:45). “He is mine.”

ML-05/29/1966

Bible Talks: The Story of Isaac, Jacob and Esau

Gen. 25:33, 34

“AND Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentils; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.” vv. 33, 34.

Because of Esau’s light esteem for that which he should have held dearly, God later called him a “profane person” and warned lest any should follow his way in despising heavenly things promised by God to all who will heed His Word.

How sad, but true, that the natural heart does not value the things of God, and allows present things to have a stronger appeal than the richest promises concerning the future. Unsaved one, dare you trifle with eternity by placing all your confidence, your mind’s attention and your heart’s affection on today’s “mess of pottage” — blinding your eyes and conscience to the claims of God, because you would rather have the world’s pleasures for the moment? Esau, at a later date, was to shed tears of remorse as a result of his foolish act, although at the moment well satisfied with his bargain.

Through faith in Him every believer becomes a joint-heir with Christ and will be brought into an “inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away.” 1 Pet. 1:4. Is it not extreme foolishness to forego such an inheritance for a mess of this world’s pottage? May God enable each reader to look onward to the end and not exchange the glories of an eternity with Christ for the brief and fleeting attractions of this world. It is recorded of Moses, who had all the pleasures of Egypt at his command, that he chose “rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt.” Heb. 11:25, 26.

The lentils Jacob cooked were red in color and it was through Esau’s folly in paying so dear a price for them that he acquired another name — Edom — which means “red.” The race that came after him bore the same name, being called “Edomites.” Thus the mark of folly was never erased. The Edomites speak solemnly of those who have known the truth of God’s promises, but who have never accepted them in faith, preferring the ways of this world. Such often have an outward form of religious observance, but because they walk in their own ways rather than in faith of God’s Word, they have no promise of eternal life. The Lord Jesus has solemnly said of such: “Not everyone that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of My Father which is in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, Lord. Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name? and in Thy name have cast out devils? and in Thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from Me, ye that work iniquity.” Matt. 7:21, 23.

Memory Verse: “FOR THERE IS ONE GOD, AND ONE MEDIATOR BETWEEN GOD AND MEN, THE MAN CHRIST JESUS.” 1 Tim. 2:5.

ML-05/29/1966

The Stolen Puppies

A FAMILY of boys who lived on the edge of our village were thrilled beyond words one day when someone presented them with a basket containing five fat roly-poly little puppies. What fun they had feeding their lively little pets and watching them roll and squirm as they played on the lawn.

But evil eyes were on those doggies as well as admiring ones, and one dark night three of them disappeared from their kennel.

The boys all felt sad, but Mother said: “Never mind, we will tell God about it, and He can, if He sees fit, let us know where to find them. Or if it is His way, He can send them back to us again.”

Three weeks later, on a fine suer morning, to their great surprise and joy the boys found the missing pups playing around their kennel, and they carried them to their mother. “God did it, my boys,” said Mother. “How I do not know, but I’m quite sure He had to do with their being returned. He is a great God, yet He is interested in our little things; He wants us to trust Him to leave them in His hands.”

The boys had confidence in their mother’s faith and were quite ready to believe that the return of the pups had not happened merely by chance.

Imagine their surprise when sometime later, Tom, a schoolmate, told one of the boys that he had been converted at a children’s tent meeting. He told them that he had bought the pups two weeks before from a tramp for only a few cents. Now that he was a Christian, and knowing what a Christian ought to be and how he should act, he felt he must bring back the pets which he knew to be theirs.

This incident was never forgotten by those boys. Their mother’s confidence in God, and the fact that conversion makes people want to be honest and to restore what is not their own, along with Tom’s fine testimony to what the grace of God had done for him, impressed them greatly. It was the means of their being led to the Saviour not long after.

So God turned it all about for blessing. And that is just what God is seeking to do for you, our dear reader. He wants to bless you, to make you happy in His love.

Will you not turn to the Lord Jesus like Tom did and confess Him to your friends as your Saviour? It will make you ever so happy, and you can be the means of making someone else happy. Don’t wait! Decide for Christ today, and you will never regret it.

ML-06/05/1966

Saved From Suicide

SOMEONE had had a little card printed up bearing this message: “Look to Jesus when tempted, when troubled, when dying.”

A man was handing these out one day to passengers in a New York subway car. One passenger read the little card carefully and then put it in his pocket. When he left the car he said to the one who had given them out: “Sir, when you gave me that card I was on my way to the docks to drown myself. I have lost my wife and my son; death has robbed me of all desire to live. But reading this card I have found a new hope in Christ, and am persuaded to begin life anew. Good-by, and may God bless you!”

ML-06/05/1966

Saved Through a Dream

THERE lived in Chicago a man who had a sweet little daughter. He loved her very dearly, but one day the little one was stricken with a fatal illness and died. The house was so lonely now and the man was so angry at God for allowing his little girl to be taken away that he went up and down his room far into the night cursing God for having robbed him of his child.

At last, thoroughly worn out, and in great bitterness of spirit, he threw himself on his bed and went to sleep. As he slept he dreamed that he stood beside a river. Across the river in the distance he heard children’s voices singing, and such singing it was that he had never listened to before. Then he thought he saw them coming towards him, nearer and nearer, until he saw the face of his own little girl. She stood at the brink of the river and called across, “Come over here, Father.”

The man woke up. It was only a dream, but the hard heart was meld. His thoughts turned from earth to that heavenly land, to Him who is the glory and the joy of that heavenly place. Humbly he came to the Lord asking forgiveness, and was surprised at the welcome he got, for the Lord Jesus died for all and dights to show his kindness and mercy to repentant sinners.

Some years later, the man himself passed away from this world to be with Christ, to await the glad day when all the ransomed since time began shall sing redemption’s song on those heavenly shores.

“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-06/05/1966

He Settled It at Once

A FARMER, getting on in years, one evening was leisurely driving his cows home from the pasture. His thoughts ran like this: “Here I am getting old, and yet I am not a Christian. When is this matter to be settled? I fear never, if I don’t begin to think on the subject.” And then the thought came up: “Why not settle it at once? Why not come to Christ and be a Christian without further delay?”

This thought came home so forcibly to his conscience that he exclaimed, “I will be a Christian now. This night shall decide it.” And right there and then he turned to the Saviour who ever waits to welcome sinners that trust Him. As he opened his heart to the Lord a deep peace flowed into his soul and he went on his way rejoicing.

“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.

“HOW LONG HALT YE BETWEEN TWO OPINIONS? IF THE LORD BE GOD, FOLLOW HIM.” 1 Kings 18:21.

ML-06/05/1966

Bible Questions for June

The Children’s Class

1. “Dost thou believe on the Son of God?”

2. “Ye may know, and believe.”

3. “I believe that Thou art the Christ, the Son of God.”

4. “Believe in the light.”

5. “Whosoever believeth on Me.”

6. “Believe that I am He.”

7. “Believe Me for the very works’ sake.”

The Young People’s Class: He Is Able

1. To what extent is Jesus ABLE to save those that come unto God by Him? Heb. 7.

2. Should we have confidence that He is ABLE to keep that which is committed unto Him? 2 Tim.

3. For what reason is Jesus ABLE to succor them that are tempted? Heb.

4. Is the extent of what God is ABLE to do for us limited by what we ask or think? Eph. 3.

5. What is God ABLE to make abound toward us so that we may abound to every good work? 2 Cor. 9.

6. From what is God ABLE to keep us, so that we may be presented faultless in His presence? Jude.

7. How many things is Jesus ABLE to subdue unto Himself? Phil.

ML-06/05/1966

Bible Talks: An Interlude in the Story of Isaac

Gen. 26:1-10

“AND there was a famine in the land, beside the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto Abimelech, king of the Philistines unto Gerar. And the LORD appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of.” vv. 1, 2.

Isaac was to prove, as had his father Abraham, that God’s people are subject to many of the trials that are common to the world around them. The promise of future blessings does not necessarily relieve from present testings of faith. Abraham had known a famine, too. But it will be recalled he did not wait on the Lord’s counsel at that time but took it on himself to go down into Egypt — a type of the world. This proved an unhappy error, resulting in serious trouble with Pharaoh before he escaped back to his own country.

Isaac headed in the same direction as his father, journeying as far as Gerar — on the route to Egypt. We do not know what he may have purposed to do from that point, but are pleased to learn that when the LORD appeared to him, telling him to go no further, he obeyed.

The Christian is warned also of God not to go where he does not belong, but rather “to keep himself unspotted from the world” Jas. 1:27. He is told to “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world... For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof.” I John 2: 15-17. It is harmful to the child of God to turn to the world for relief from trouble. Such counsel will never bring blessing to the soul. We are told rather, “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly.” Psa. 1:1.

Isaac was obedient to the Lord’s command, but yet did not fully wait on Him for further direction when a problem arose. “And the men of the place asked him of his wife; and he said, She is my sister; for he feared to say, She is my wife; lest, said he, the men of the place should kill me for Rebekah.” v. 7. Fearful to make known his true identity with Rebekah, he resorted to a falsehood. Perhaps today it might be called “a little white lie,” yet it was not the truth. We may find it difficult to think that Isaac, for whom God had so graciously provided a lovely companion, would fail now to turn to God for wisdom. Instead, fearful of his own safety, he put both himself and his wife in a dangerous position.

This is a reminder that the Christian’s actions have a broad-reaching effect. If fearfulness allows one to get in a false position it will not only mar his personal testimony, but will also be harmful to others who may be drawn into the circumstance. The believer also has a “Companion'' (even Christ) to own before the world. May we be more like the Apostle Paul who could say, “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ’ and remember the loving promise of God: “Them that honor Me, I will honor.”

ML-06/05/1966

A Bible for a Hen

A missionary to the West Indies tells this story of how an aged Negro down in those islands became the proud possessor of a Bible. This is what he said: When I was a boy my father was a missionary among the natives in the West Indies. I remember well how I once tried to teach an aged Negro how to read. It was a hard and tiresome task and it took a long time. But finally we got along so far that the old man, by following each line with his finger, was able slowly to spell out the words.

“Now I can read, now I can read!” he kept crying out, and we could hardly get him to say anything else.

Now since he had learned to read he must also have something to read. So he asked my father for a Bible.

To my great surprise, my father refused to give him a Bible for nothing. “You must give something for it,” said my father to the old man. “You will appreciate it more and read it all the more diligently, if it costs you something. You go and think about it, what you can give for a Bible.”

The poor old man reflected long and earnestly on the difficult proem. He had no money and he did not know how he could get enough to buy a Bible. The only thing he owned was a hen. She was his pet and was good company for the lonely old man. However, after considerable reflection, he came to the conclusion that he would give up his valuable pet for the still more valuable Bible.

So one day he came to our house with the hen carefully tucked under his arm. My father was busy writing when suddenly he was disturbed by a cackling and flutter of wings. At the same time he heard a voice calming anxiously: “Take it, take it! Quick, quick, dear Sir; give me a Bible.”

My father took the hen and gave him a Bible, so the matter was settled. But the incident made a deep impression upon me. The old gray-haired man had gone to so much trouble to learn to read, and now he had given up about all that he possessed — even his only hen — for a Bible. Would I have done that? Would you?

Dear young friends, let us think of all the blessings we enjoy. It is easy for you to learn to read, and in many of your homes a Bible will be found. It wouldn’t cost you much to earn and buy one that you could call your very own. But then what? Will you make diligent use of it? Will you read it, and look up the Scriptures and learn to repeat them by heart? If you are negligent about reading your Bible, may the story of the old native, of his eagerness and patience in learning to read, stir up the hearts of both reader and writer alike, to value the inestimable treasure that God has given us in the Holy Scriptures.

“The Holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation.” 2 Tim. 3:15.

“But 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-06/12/1966

Safety, Certainty, and Enjoyment

AT A gathering of Christians one time, Mr. James Wilson told of how he had much joy in being there, as he was saved through a tract. He had been a pleasure-loving careless sinner, and was leaving for the city when someone handed him a copy of a little gospel booklet, “Safety, Certainty, and Enjoyment.” Stuffing it into his pocket, he forgot all about it until all had settled down for the night.

Sitting down himself in the quiet, he wanted something to read. Nothing else was available; then he remembered the booklet. He read it, believed the glad message of salvation that it brought, and that night he was a saved soul, from henceforth to be a bright testimony for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. Since then he has been blessed to the conversion of many others.

ML-06/12/1966

"Mommie, Are You a Christian?"

Mrs. Jackson was the wife of prominent lawyer. For some days she had been under deep searching of soul, but then the light of Go shone into her darkened heart, showed her how great was her sin; and need of salvation, showed her too how that Christ had died to put that sin away. To some Christian friends she told the account of her conversion.

“Last evening my little girl came to me and asked: ‘Mommie, are you a Christian?’ ‘No, Fannie, I am not,'; I replied reluctantly.

“She turned and went away, and as she walked off I heard her say, ‘Well, if Mommie isn’t a Christian, I don’t want to be one.’

“And I tell you, my dear friends, it went right to my heart. I couldn’t rest until I had given myself up to the Lord Jesus.”

Father or mother, will you delay your decision for Christ when you know that some little boy or girl is following your footsteps leading down the broad road to destruction instead of on the narrow way to life and peace? Oh turn to the Saviour now; “and make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.” Heb. 12:13.

ML-06/12/1966

"Missed It at Last!"

A Christian doctor was asked to visit a young man who lay very ill in his room in New York City. When the doctor arrived at the bedside, the young man said: “Doctor, I don’t want you to deceive me; I want to know the worst. Is this illness to prove serious?”

After examining him the doctor said: “I am sorry to tell you that I’m afraid you won’t live out the night.”

The young fellow looked up sadly and sighed: “Well, then I have missed it at last.”

“Missed what?” asked the doctor.

“I have missed eternal life,” he replied. “I have always intended to become a Christian some day, but I thought I had plenty of time and kept putting it off.”

The Christian doctor tried to console him saying, “It is not too late. Call on God for mercy.”

“No,” he continued, “I have always had a great contempt for one who repents of his sins when he is dying; he is a miserable coward. If I were not sick I would not have thought about my soul, and I’m not going to insult God now.”

The doctor spent the day with him, read to him many precious salvation texts from the Bible and tried to get him to lay hold on the proses of God. But no, the young man said he would not call on God, and in that state of mind he passed into eternity. Just as he was dying the doctor saw his lips moving. He bent down and caught the last faint whisper: “I have missed it at last!”

O, dear unsaved reader, do not be like that young man. Make sure now that you do not miss eternal life at last. Come to Christ now; make Him your Saviour while He still waits to receive you. Now is your chance; you may not have another. “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” 2 Cor. 6:2.

Time is running out. God has said: “My Spirit shall not always strive with man.” Gen. 6:3. Press in through the open door to life, peace, and heaven. Perhaps at any moment that door may close forever, and you will be left outside with nothing but awful judgment awaiting you. God grant that you may not have to say at the end, “I’ve missed it at last!”

“IF YE BELIEVE NOT THAT I AM HE, YE SHALL DIE IN YOUR SINS.” John 8:24.

ML-06/12/1966

Bible Talks: An Interlude in the Story of Isaac

Gen. 26:11-15

IT WAS because Isaac looked inwardly at a time of trial that he failed; it is equally true that when the Christian thinks the world’s enmity will be more than he can bear that he, too, fails to speak the truth before it, or to own his identity with Christ as his Saviour.

“And Abimelech charged all his people, saying, He that toucheth this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.” v. 11. Now it is seen that when the truth was finally spoken, all of Isaac’s fear proved groundless. Abimelech through God’s providence set up a wall of protection around Isaac and Rebekah. Oh, poor failing hearts that are so often exhibited! Are not many fears and tremblings only products of our own imagination, whereas a nature trusting God and looking to Him in every circumstance would go quietly along and often prove that there is no substance to fear at all? This lesson was learned twice by Abraham and again this third time by Isaac!

The Lord looked beyond Isaac’s limitations and renewed in him the promises previously spoken to Abram. “I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries.” v. 3. Nor did the Lord forget the faithfulness of Abraham, telling Isaac that these blessings were assured: “Because that Abraham obeyed My voice, and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.” v. 5. How comforting to know that He is aware of every act of faithfulness, no matter how feeble it may be, and will reveal it before His own in a coming day.

Isaac was not in Egypt, but while in Gerar he was, nonetheless, in surroundings that were foreign to his position as a child of God. The Philistines dwelt in this place — a type of those who claim to be on Christian ground, but have not truly appropriated the things of God in their hearts and lives. The believer may well encounter those of this character as he walks the path of faith. Dependence on God and reliance on His Word alone will be the only safeguard from those who would not only encroach on Christian privileges, but would rob him of his joy in the Lord as well.

The Lord granted many material blessings to Isaac while he was in Gerar. This resulted in a jealous conflict on the part of the Philistines, “For he had possession of flocks, and possession of herds, and great store of servants: and the Philistines envied him. For all the wells which his father’s servants had digged in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines had stopped them, and filled them with earth.” vv. 14, 15.

Perhaps if Isaac had been more faithful in his testimony of God and paid less attention to the progress of his flocks and possessions, the Philistines would have been less envious, for it was his earthly prosperity that attracted them. Certain it is that they did not covet his relationship with God. In any event, when they found him prospering in their country they sought to hinder him by stopping up the wells which were so important to him.

ML-06/12/1966

Wong Shin Jan

Wong was a Chinese boy about thirteen years old. He lived with his parents in Shiu-Hing, a town about a hundred miles from the large city of Canton in Southern China. From the time he was six years old he had been attending school. It was a heathen Chinese school, and poor Wong had never known what it was to go to a Christian Sunday school. However, on his way to school day by day, he would pass a little gospel mission in Shiu-Hing.

Wong often wondered what this small building was for — so different from their idol temples. So one day his curiosity led him to go into the mission and sit down. What he heard there must have interested him, for he went in again and again, until finally it came to him that the Christian teachings must be true. He managed somehow to buy several Christian books, and then, quite innocently, he went to his native teacher and asked him to explain some of the signs which he could not understand. Most of the Chinese teachers were bitterly opposed to Christianity, though you might conclude at once that Wong was scolded and his books taken away from him. However, Wong’s teacher was not one of those who hated Christianity and he did not tear up and burn his Christian books. Instead he let Wong bring his Christian books to school and read with him, explaining the unfamiliar signs. In this way the boy made progress in his knowledge of the Scriptures and the teachings of the gospel.

About that time a native Christian by the name of Ili-To came to the town and began to preach the gospel there. Wong attended the services and listened so attentively that the preacher noticed him and called him aside after the others had left. Their conversation went like this: “How do you like the teaching?” “It is very good.”

“Why do so many Chinese refuse to accept it?”

“Because they do not understand it.”

“But what good do you find in it?”

“I find that it is good for my heart.”

“Do you believe in Jesus?”

“Yes, dear Sir.”

That was the first time Wong had ever spoken to a preacher or even to a Christian. He was invited to come back every day and have the Bible explained. He gladly accepted the invitation and became more deeply interested in the truths of salvation. Dear Wong came out on the side of Christ, confessing Him as his Saviour.

By and by he wanted to be baized. But what would his mother and relatives say about it, and what would they do to him when they found out that he had received Christianity and renounced the old heathen religion and customs? Many of his countrymen who had done the same had been severely persecuted — driven from their homes, disowned by father and mother, robbed of all that they had; some were beaten and some were even killed by their former friends and relatives.

Wong knew all this, but he was firm in his new faith and was willing to suffer shame and loss for Christ’s sake. His father had died, so he told his mother first of all about the step he was to take. She was very kind and did not object much to his being baptized. His relatives cursed and threatened him, they did not succeed in frightened the young disciple of Christ. The d came when he was baptized along with two others. From then on it was his joy to announce to his countrymen the good news that the Lord Jesus saves and makes happy those who put their trust in Him, “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved Rom. 10:13.

ML-06/19/1966

Struck by Lightning

AT A GOSPEL meeting a young sailor rose to his feet and tole the story of his conversion. He said “In a thunderstorm far out to sea I was struck by lightning and taken up for dead. As they were carrying me along the deck, I heard the man say, ‘Poor fellow; he’s gone.’ But was conscious, and knew all that was said and done. I said to myself ‘Where will I go to?’ In a moment it seemed as if all the acts of my sinful life passed before my eyes. I was an awful sight. I thought help was not far off; then I must go there. They revived me; but I had been too near eternity to be any longer indifferent. I fled for refuge to Christ. He saved me. That was five years ago. I have sought to stand for Jesus ever since, both on land and on sea.”

“God moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform,” so wrote the poet.

The Bible tells us that it is Go who makes "a way for the lightning of the thunder.”

And unto man He says, “Behold the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom and to depart from evil is understanding.” (Job 28:26, 28.)

ML-06/19/1966

Kindness

A CHRISTIAN man had a rather quarrelsome neighbor whose cow often broke through the fence into his garden. One morning, having driven the cow off his property back into her owner’s yard, he said to him, “Friend, I have driven your cow home once more and if I find her in my garden again —”

“S’pose you do,” exclaimed his neighbor angrily. “What will you do?”

“Why,” said the other, “I’ll drive her home to you again, friend.” The cow never again troubled the Christian neighbor.

The Bible tells us, “If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink: for thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head, and the Lord shall reward thee.” Prov. 25:21,22.

“Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.” Rom. 12:21.

The doctor is examining Philip; he will also take care of Sally who has hurt her hand. “Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved.” Jer. 17:14.

ML-06/19/1966

Bible Talks: An Interlude in the Story of Isaac

Gen. 26:16, 17

WHEN Isaac realized that he was in the midst of people who, although professing friendliness, were really enemies of God, he should have been extremely careful and on guard lest they defile his walk or rob him of what was his by right of inheritance. In like manner the child of God today must also walk in a scene where there are many “Philistines” around him. But his pathway should be separate from them and he should shun associations in any way other than what the business of life may require. The scripture speaks of such very plainly: “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall... [have] a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away... Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth... men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.” 2 Tim. 3:1-8. How important it is to heed this warning concerning that which is around him in the world, appearing good to the eye of man, but corrupt at heart.

An example of this was found in the days of Nehemiah. Those who saw the progress of his building the wall around the city of Jerusalem sought to have a part in the enterprise. But Nehemiah recognized the insincerity of those people, and said to them: “The God of heaven, He will prosper us; therefore we His servants will arise and build: but ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem.”

The Christian is warned against joining hands with the men or organizations of this world, neither is he to invite them to participate in his affairs. He is to remain apart from their programs and pursuits, no matter how uplifting the cause may appear to be. If deluded int doing so, as so many of God’s dear people have been, he will only see himself dragged down to the world’s level, while all his efforts to improve the world are fruitless.

Isaac’s father Abraham had dug many wells in that land more than 75 years before and these rightfully belonged to his descendants. But the Philistines filled them with earth. In stopping those wells these people were therefore depriving Isaac of what should have been his to enjoy, This reflects the treacherous nature of false profession about us. If it cannot participate in the blessings that belong only to those of true faith, then it will do all possible to spoil them. May we guard most carefully the holy Word of God and the wellsprings of living water, lest they fall into enemy hands and be polluted or cut off.

But they were not content with thus depriving Isaac’s company of what was rightfully theirs. “And Abimelech said unto Isaac, Go from us; for thou art much mightier than we. And Isaac departed thence, and pitched his tent in the valley of Gerar, and dwelt there.” vv. 16, 17. Perhaps Isaac was reluctant to give up his prosperous place among these people, yet this was actually a blessing. We may be sure that God was ordering it for his good.

Memory Verse: “FOR WHOSOEVER SHALL KEEP THE WHOLE LAW, AND YET OFFEND IN ONE POINT, HE IS GUILTY OF ALL.” Jas. 2:10.

ML-06/19/1966

Brave Greencap

IT WAS just at dawn and a fisherman rested in his boat as he viewed the golden sunrise over the beautiful Scottish lake. He watched with pleasure as Mother Greyleaf and her little train of tiny ducklings drifted about on the bosom of the shimmering water.

Greyleaf had many enemies—foxes on shore, the big pikes under the water, and the gulls which were ever circling overhead. But where was the father duck at a time he was needed most? Poor Greencap some days before had run into that period so trying for wild birds—the molt. He was shedding his feathers and, feeling decidedly off color, had crept into the bushes to hide. His wing feathers were gone and he could scarcely fly at all.

Suddenly a hush of fear seemed to fall on all the little wild creatures that made their homes near the shores of the lake. There was a sage scream heard overheard, and like a bolt from the clouds a mighty falcon struck the water with a fury that sent up a great shower of spray.

He had hit the very spot where mother duck and her brood were but a moment before. The little ones had dived, but not mother duck. Flapping across the water as if she had a broken wing, she sought to attract the great enemy away from her little brood. The big hawk wheeled and was after her like a shot. Again he struck the water, but Greyleaf had dived, only to come up a short distance away. Again the falcon was after her, and again she dived.

The great bird hovered only a few feet from the surface of the water, waiting for her to rise. Again and again he lashed at her, and again and again the brave little mother disappeared only to rise again. But the great bird of prey knew what he was doing. Greyleaf’s lungs were giving out. He was slowly drowning her. Soon she must rise and fly for her life, and become an easy prey to her enemy.

It looked as if the end was in sight for the brave little Greyleaf; her strength was failing.

But then as the fisherman watched, he saw another bird flying across the lake. It seemed to stagger and stumble in mid-air, as if it could hardly keep up. It was Greencap. His wing feathers were but half-formed, but his courage never failed.

Just as the great bird of prey was about to strike a final blow at poor exhausted Greyleaf, Greencap struck his enemy head-on in mid-air. There was a tremendous thud and a great cloud of feathers as both birds plopped into the lake.

It was all over in a moment. Greencap floated on the water, quacking defiantly. The great hawk was thoroughly defeated. Soaking wet, it was all he could do to flop his way slowly across the surface of the water to the shore; and there he stood a long while, all wet and miserable-looking.

As I read this story and thought of the heroism to be found in the little wild creatures that God has made, how that they will risk their lives to protect their young, I thought how much more wonderful is the love of Him who came from heaven to save poor sinners from the great enemy of God and man.

The Bible tells us that Satan is “the prince of the power of the air,” who takes captive boys and girls, men and women, who cannot save themselves. The Lord Jesus came into this world as Man and met the full power of our great enemy, the devil and ruiner of souls. “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.” 1 John 3:8.

Alone, like David meeting Goliath, at the cross He met and defeated Satan. “That through death He might destroy Him that had the power of death, that is the devil; and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime 1 subject to bondage.” Heb. 2:14,15

He rose from the dead, the mighty conqueror of death and the grave. And now all who trust in Him are set free from Satan’s power, free from fear of death, free from the judgment of God against their sins. Now they share His triumphs and join in the song of praise to Him who loves us and gave Himself for us.

Dear reader, how is it with you? Have you trusted Him yet? Are you set free? Are you safe in Christ?

— Adapted from H. M. Batten.

ML-06/26/1966

Confessing Christ

A YOUNG Christian had been drafted into the army. He knew of another older Christian at the base and one night he went to him saying he was having a big struggle and wanted his prayers. He had just arrived he said, and had to sleep that night in a room with several unconverted fellows. He wanted to have courage, he said, and take his stand for Christ from the first. Together they got down on their knees and prayed, asking the Lord to give the young fellow courage, and off he went.

When he got to his quarters he found his mates already assembled, Harry, Barbara and Lois know how to make themselves useful. “Whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus.” Col. 3:17.

and he said to them, “Men, I am a Christian, and as such, I am of course going to pray before I turn in.” Not a word was said, and the young fellow dropped on his knees. But instead of praying silently he prayed aloud. Nothing happened until the next night, when on coming back to his sleeping quarters the young fellow was greeted by one of the men who, speaking for the others said, “Mate, we have been waiting for you; we want you to pray with us before we turn in.”

“Whosoever shall confess Me bore men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God: but He that denieth Me before men shall be denied before the angels of God.” Luke 12:8,9.

Memory Verse: “AS I LIVE, SAITH THE LORD, EVERY KNEE SHALL BOW TO ME, AND EVERY TONGUE SHALL CONFESS TO GOD.” Rom. 14:11.

ML-06/26/1966

A Converted Gambler

IN SWITZERLAND once, a Christian gave a tract to a man in a town that was notorious for gaming. On his return to the town seral days later he met this same man who exclaimed, “I thank you, Sir, for leading me to Christ who has saved both my soul and body.” He then explained that the day he had been handed the tract he lost so heavily in gambling that he was contemplating suicide. He had read the tract, was arrested in his downward course to ruin, and found Christ as his Saviour.

What mattered it now if he had lost all this world’s goods? He had found Christ, the true riches. Henceforth, he could look on to “an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, which fadeth not away, reserved in heaven,” for him. Dear reader, have you found these true riches?

ML-06/26/1966

Bible Talks: An Interlude in the Story of Isaac

Gen. 26:18-25

EVERY step away from Abimelech and nearer the place of separation to his God contributed to the restoration of blessing to Isaac. He had allowed prosperity, together with conflict with the Philistines, to interfere with that pathway that would have directed him aright and shown him how to detach himself from a deceitful people. Now God had intervened, in spite of his carelessness and provided circumstances that forced him to separate himself. As he moved across the valley of Gerar he dug again the wells of his father. In doing so his thoughts must have turned back to that faithful man who had left so much for an example to him. Yet, even here the Philistines continued to contend with him over the wells.

“And he removed from thence, and digged another well; and for that they strove not: and he called the name of it Rehoboth; and he said, For now the Lord hath made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land. And he went up from thence to Beer-sheba.” vv. 22, 23. The Lord will ever provide room for His own, without intermingling with man’s religious activities. This principle is repeatedly brought before God’s people in both the Old and New Testament Scriptures. “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?... Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be My sons and daughters, saith the Lo Almighty.” 2 Cor. 6: 14, 17, 18.

How happy to see Isaac return Beer-sheba where his father enjoy such happy communion with the Lord. This place, too, had been the first real evidence of Abraham restoration after his experience with the Philistines. “And the Lord appeared unto him the same night, and said, I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for My servant Abraham’s sake.” v. 24. What loving, condes tending grace this was to one who had been in failure! But the restoration was complete and there is no record that Isaac ever returned to Gerar again.

Beloved Christian reader, God ever welcome back to His grace al who are His. He may bring the wanderer through deep waters because of his waywardness, but when it truth and sincerity confession of the fault is made, He delights to bring refreshing to the soul and give strength to put away that which has been strange to His truth.

It was in “the same night” of Isaac’s return that the blessings were repeated to him. With heart lifter up he built an altar and offered his praise to God. Here too he dug new well. Not only would he enjoy the well left by his father, but wanted to find refreshment from a well of his own. It is good for the believer to search out spiritual wells from God’s precious Word.

ML-06/26/1966

Found Out

IT WAS the winter season in India the cool, dry months when many missionaries go camping in village centers, seeking to spread the message of the gospel to those who have few opportunities of hearing it. One missionary, with his cook, had spent some time camping in a village.

The camp was at an end, and all his equipment was piled high on the bullock-cart that was to take it to the next camping center. The tradespeople from whom he had made purchases came to have their accounts settled. The missionary-sahib paid the milkman, the butcher, and the grocer. Then along came a man who demanded payment for a chicken which he said the cook had bought the day before.

The missionary thought hard, but could not recall having had a chicken curry the night before. He called his cook.

“Did you buy a chicken from this man?” he said.

The cook shook his head decisively.

“No, sahib,” he replied.

“You did,” the other retorted hoy. “It was a big rooster, and you promised me that the sahib would pay a rupee for it.”

“Don’t tell such lies,” the cook replied. “I have never seen you bore.”

“Don’t you tell such lies,” the other man returned angrily.

The missionary tried to quiet them. He did not want his servant to quarrel with the people whom he had been trying to reach with the gospel. But while the two men glared at each other a fresh and altogether unexpected witness was heard. From the middle of the load on the cart came the unmistakable crow of a rooster! That settled everything. The cook had been unable to hide his theft.

“Be sure your sin will find you out” was the warning Moses gave to the people of Israel (Numb. 32:23), and the warning is still true today.

We may hide our sins from men but we cannot hide them from God. What must we do about it? “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.” Prov. 28:13, is God’s promise in the Old Testament, and in the New Testament there is an even greater one.

“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.

If you have never done so yet, why not confess to the Lord today that you are a sinner and claim His cleansing and forgiveness.

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

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

ML-07/03/1966

For Me

Twelve sailors were packed into a heavily overloaded lifeboat after their ship had been wrecked. One of them deliberately jumped overboard in order to lighten the boat. The brave fellow perished, but eventually his eleven mates were saved.

For which of the eleven did he die?

If Christ died for all, He died for each one. He died for me; He died for you.

The sun shines for all mankind; but I know as a fact that it shines for me, and it would if not another soul survived. So Christ loved ME, and gave Himself for ME.

“The Son of God who loved me, and gave Himself for me.” Gal. 2:20.

A.T.P.

Memory Verse: “I HAVE SET BEFORE YOU LIFE AND DEATH, BLESSING AND CURSING: THEREFORE CHOOSE LIFE.” Deut. 30:19.

ML-07/03/1966

His Pet Toad

THE Duke of Wellington was one of the most famous generals of all time. He could rule armies as few men have been able to do, and yet he was not above taking care of a very humble little pet creature.

One day when the duke was out in the country he came upon a small boy engaged in some mysterious occupation on the ground.

“What are you doing?” asked the duke.

“I am feeding my pet toad,” answered the boy with tears in his eyes. “They are going to send me away to school, and my toad will die.”

“Never mind,” said the great general.

“You go to school, and I’ll take care of your toad.”

So he did, and soon afterward the boy received a letter from the duke saying that the toad was doing well.

God loves the little creatures that He has made, and cares for them too. “Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.” Matt. 10: 29-31.

God sees the little sparrow fall,

It meets His tender view;

If He so loves the little birds,

I know He loves me too.

ML-07/03/1966

Jane's Decision

Jane was a young girl, just sixteen. She lived far out in the country so that it was only occasionally she could attend the little chapel where the Word of God was preached.

One Sunday she was reading a book, the biography of an honored Christian lady whom God had used in blessing to others. As she closed the volume Jane said to herself, “That was a beautiful life.” After a little thought she added, “And I should like to live such a life.”

A few minutes later she knelt down and prayed, asking the Lord to make her His own so that she might live for Him and serve Him in her life. The Lord heard her prayer, and gladly accepted her, even as she accepted Him as her Saviour, for He never turns any one away. Jane was supremely happy.

That was the great decision of her life. She went on steadfastly, living for Him whose love had won her young heart, and grew up to be an honored, beloved Christian lady.

Lord, make me from this hour,

Thy loving child to be,

Kept by Thy power, kept by Thy power,

From all that grieveth Thee.

ML-07/03/1966

Bible Questions for July

The Children’s Class

1. “Know not Him.”

2. “Knowest all things.”

3. “Might know Thee.”

4. “Knowing all things.”

5. “That ye may know.”

6. “I know not where.”

7. “The disciples knew not.”

The Young People’s Class

Things that FAIL NOT nor FADE AWAY

1. What words of comfort do we have concerning the only One who will NOT FAIL us? Deut. 31.

2. How does the Lord remind us that His compassions toward us FAIL NOT? Lam. 3.

3. Where can we lay up treasure that FAILETH NOT? Luke 12.

4. What Christian attribute NEVER FAITH? I Cor. 13.

5. What can we do, as the Lord did for Peter, so that our faith FAIL NOT in time of trouble? Luke 22.

6. What is reserved in heaven for us that FADETH NOT AWAY? 1 Pet.

7. Who will receive a crown of glory that FADETH NOT AWAY as a reward in a coming day? 1 Pet.

ML-07/03/1966

Bible Talks: The Story of Isaac, Jacob and Esau

Gen. 26:34-27:16

“AND Esau was forty years old when he took to wife Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Bashemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite: which were a grief of mind unto Isaac and to Rebekah.” Esau’s pattern of life was contrary to the things of God from the very beginning, and his choice of wives from an idolatrous and godless nation must indeed have been a deep sorrow to his parents.

Isaac had become old and his sight nearly gone. Thinking he would die shortly (although he lived more than 20 years longer) he called Esau, his eldest and favorite son, to his bedside, saying to him: “Behold now, I am old, I know not the day of my death: Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons,... and take me some venison... and bring it to me, that I may eat; that my soul may bless thee before I die.” vv. 2-4. Perhaps in his old age Isaac had forgotten that the blessing was to go to Jacob, or perhaps he was just following the wish of his own heart, but whatever the case, he was determined to give the birthright blessing at this time to the wrong son — Esau!

Esau did not delay in getting underway. Had he too forgotten that he had no right to this blessing, that he had sold it readily enough to his brother many years before? Whether he forgot or purposed deceit in his heart is not revealed, but God had not forgotten His promise concerning Jacob and He would not permit Isaac’s wish to be fulfilled.

Rebekah, near at hand when Isaac spoke to Esau, determined that Jacob should not be cut off, in spite of the aged father’s wishes. “Ant Rebekah spake unto Jacob her so saying, Behold, I heard thy father speak unto Esau thy brother.” She then instructed him to go their flock and fetch two kids of goats. “And I will make them savory meat for thy father, such as loveth: And thou shalt bring it thy father, that he may eat, and that he may bless thee before his death, vv. 9, 10.

But Jacob, raised the question “Behold, Esau my brother is a hair man, and I am a smooth man: My father peradventure will feel me, and I shall seem to him as a deceiver; and I shall bring a curse upon me, and not a blessing.” vv. 11, 12. This however, presented no problem to the active and persistent mind of the mother, who would spare no mean to see her son receive the blessing due him. She therefore instructed him to do as she requested and told him she would be responsible for the rest.

After preparing the meat in a savory a manner as possible, she clothed Jacob in Esau’s clothing and covered his arms and neck with portions of the skins of the young goat. Thus if, as Jacob feared, his blind father should be suspicious and place his hands over him, he would feel the hairy likeness of Esau.

It is sad to read of this duplicity on the part of all concerned. Surely dependence on the Lord would have brought about a better way.

ML-07/03/1966

Samuel, the Santal Boy

Samuel was only fourteen years old when of his own accord he left the home of his parents in the backwoods and managed to reach a town called Midnapur in the Santal region of North India. Sammy had found out somehow that there was a Christian mission at Midnapur, and he was eager to attend the school there. The teacher raised no objection to his entering the school, though Samuel had to begin at the bottom and be in a class of boys much younger than he was. It was the first school he had ever attended.

Sammy was a bright boy, and, as you can imagine from his eagerness and earnestness, he applied himself to his lessons day by day. It was not long before he was promoted and soon he advanced to higher grades. He was learning all that was taught in the school, and since it was a Christian school he learned the truth of the gospel as well. He learned about the one true and living God who made heaven and earth, and about His Son, Jesus Christ, the Saviour of sinners. How different this was from the old religion that he had heard and seen among the people of the backwoods. Here was something that seemed to warm his heart and fill him with a large hope. His soul was hungry, and here was food that satisfied his hunger. It must have been clear to the missionary and to the teachers that this boy was giving promise of becoming a useful and faithful gospel worker.

One day Samuel surprised his teacher by requesting permission to go home for several days. The experienced missionary thought that Sammy was homesick and he told him that he could not go home now, for it was just the beginning of a new term. He told the boy that it would not be long until vacation and then he would have a chance to see his folks.

Without saying a word, Sammy left the room. When the missionary came out he found him standing at the door, and again the lad pleaded in a trembling voice: “Oh, please let me go!”

Now the missionary asked the boy to tell him frankly just why he was so anxious to go home. The eyes of the little fellow filled with tears so that for fully five minutes he could not utter a single word. At length he spoke, and his answer was calm and clear as usual: “Jesus has been gracious to me,” he said. “My heart is glad; I would like to tell my folks about Jesus. My father and my mother have never heard His name. Let me go so that I may without delay speak to them about Jesus.”

The missionary felt that he could not refuse such an earnest request as that. So he said, “Go then, my boy, and we shall pray for you and your people.”

It was a tramp of two days that Samuel had to make in order to reach the home of his parents. And in just one week he was back in Midnapur. His face beamed with joy. He told the missionary how eagerly his folks had listened to his story, and what a sweet sound the name of Jesus had been to those who had never heard it before.

The missionary made arrangements for someone to go and instruct the family further in the way of salvation. Soon the father and mother were converted and were baptized, and then Sammy’s three brothers and sisters; so that now the whole Santal family was sitting at the feet of Jesus and rejoicing in His dear name.

All this was owing to the faithful witnessing of this dear boy who having come to know Jesus was so eager to tell the good news of salvation to his loved ones. After completing his studies at school, Sammy himself became a teacher in the mission school and continued to be a faithful worker in the Lord’s vineyard.

Surely, dear boys and girls, this Santal boy gives us an example that we may well take to heart.

Are you saved, and is Christ precious to your heart? Can you say, “He loved me and gave Himself for me?”

“Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee.” Mark 5:19.

ML-07/10/1966

A Simple Bible Searching: For Boys and Girls

Who gleaned in Bethlehem’s golden field

Among the waving corn:

Whose father as a “stranger” lived,

In days where he was born?

Whose little son was raised to life,

And welcomed by his mother?

Who’s written to as “my own son,”

And also called “our brother?”

Initial letters of each name

A gift of Christ will tell;

In all its fullness known in heaven,

In all its lack in hell.

“THOU GOD SEEST ME.” Gen. 16:13

At home, at school, by night and day,

Where’er I walk, or sit, or play;

May this great truth remembered be,

That God in heaven seeth me.

ML-07/10/1966

The Safe Compass

Memory Verse: “SEEK YE FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD, AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS; AND ALL THESE THINGS SHALL BE ADDED UNTO YOU.” Matt. 6:33.

TOM was a country boy who had just finished school. He was about to leave Sunday school and his friends to go and take a job in the big city. A kind Christian friend, who had gone with him to the stion, said to him: “Now, Tom, remember you are going to launch your craft on a big and dangerous ocean.”

“Yes, I know it,” said Tom, and taking a Bible out of his pocket, and holding it up, he added, “But you see, I have a safe compass to steer by.” That was fine, and we trust that dear Tom sought guidance from its sacred pages to steer a safe course home to heaven. The Book was the guide of young Timothy (2 Tim. 1:5, 3:15, 17) and it is still the best guide for youth today.

“Wilt Thou not from this time cry unto Me, my Father, Thou art the guide of my youth?” Jer. 3:4.

The Lord Jesus said: “I am the Good Shepherd: the Good Shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.” John 3:11.

ML-07/10/1966

Bible Talks: An Interlude in the Story of Isaac

Gen. 26:26-33

WHEN Isaac reached Beer-sheba not only did he hear the voice of the Lord, but the Lord also “appeared unto him.” There is much here for meditation.

When Isaac was in Gerar “The Lord blessed him” and he became a great man with many possessions. At first glance it appears that this should have been a very happy time in his life, yet it is noteworthy that the blessings were followed by the contention and enmity of the people among whom he dwelt. The question then arises: If Isaac had the Lord’s blessing, why was it marred by the behavior of his neighbors? It is well to remember that the Lord’s blessing and the Lord’s presence can be two entirely separate things.

The child of God today may enjoy the bountiful hand of the Lord in his business, his farm, his employment, or whatever his vocation may be. The prosperity may well be a mark of the Lord’s blessing, but lack of faithfulness may keep him from the joy of knowing the Lord’s presence in his walk. His activities in his pursuits and carelessness in letting them overlap into the world, can readily deprive him of the happy walk that should mark the child of God. In this position the Lord (so to speak) cannot “appear unto him.”

Such was the case with Isaac and such is the case with many a believer today. The rich blessings of the Lord should keep him faithful in every good purpose and in full dependence upon the One who is so gracious to him, should it not? When Isaac reached Beer-sheba and was no longer attached to the Philistine atmosphere, his heart was freed from the things that had intruded into place of privilege. Thus delivered was ready and happy to be aware the Lord’s very presence with him.

After Isaac’s restoration Albimelech was aware of a new power the man whom he had sent a and he journeyed to Beer-sheba visit him. Isaac inquired: “Wherefore come ye to me, seeing ye hate me, and have sent me away from you?” The reply was: “We saw certainly that the Lord was with thee: and we said, Let there be now all oath betwixt us, even betwixt us and thee, and let us make a covenant with thee; that thou wilt do us no hurt,... thou art now the blessed of the Lord.” vv. 27-29. This was at amazing sequence to the former events. Isaac was gracious, in the dignity of his restored blessing, and sent them away in peace. He did not now seek to linger with them, nor invite them to join his company, but “sent them away.” His lesson had been learned and he could act in the good of God’s thoughts. This principle is set forth for the Christian in the scripture: “Recompense to a man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as lieth in you live peaceably with all men... I thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink; for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil but overcome evil with good.” Rom 12:18-21.

ML-07/10/1966

Harry's Temptation

MR. MILLER was an old Christian man who kept a little fish market. One day, when school was out, young Harry came up to him and asked, “Do you need a boy to help you? I think I can sell fish.”

“Can you give accurate weight to my customers; are you honest and can you take care of the cash?” asked Mr. Miller.

“Yes, Sir,” answered Harry; and the result was that he got the job for the summer. He weighed up the fish, and kept the little shop in order.

It was the day before the fourth of July. “Just think,” exclaimed Harry to himself, as he buttoned his white apron around him, “A whole day for fun and firecrackers tomorrow!”

That morning another boy, Steve, entered the shop and flung down on the counter a fine big trout that he had caught in the river.

“Here’s a swell trout, Harry,” said Steve. “I caught it myself. You can have it for a quarter. Just hand over the money, because I’m in a hurry to buy my firecrackers.”

Mr. Miller was out, but Harry had made purchases for him before, so the quarter was spun across to Steve who was off like a shot. A little while later, Mrs. Murphy came in and seeing the nice trout, she asked, “How much?”

“Fifty cents, Ma’am,” replied Hay. Soon Mrs. Murphy was on her way home with the trout and the half-dollar was in the cash drawer.

But here Harry paused. He thought: “A quarter was cheap enough for that fish. I’ll tell Mr. Miller it cost thirty-five cents; he’ll be satisfied and I’ll have ten cents to put toward some firecrackers.”

Mr. Miller was pleased with Hay’s bargain; and when the market closed each went his way for the night. But the dime in Harry’s pocket burned like a hot coal: he could not enjoy his supper, and he was unhappy. Finally he could stand it no longer, and that evening, walking rapidly, he tapped at the door of Mr. Miller’s cottage.

Before his open Bible sat the old Christian man. Harry’s heart almost failed him. But he told his story, and with tears of sorrow he laid the coin in Mr. Miller’s hand. Turning over the pages of his Bible, old Mr. Miller read: “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper, but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.”

“You have my forgiveness, Harry,” he said. “Now go home, and confess it all to the Lord. But, remember, you must forsake as well as confess. And,” he added, “you can keep this little coin as long as you live, to remind you of this temptation.”

“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.” 1 John 1:7,9.

ML-07/17/1966

Bible Enigma for July

What was the name that Herod’s steward bore?

Of whom did David buy a threshing-floor?

What priest was he who brought forth bread and wine?

Who was profane, despising things divine?

What creature famed for horns did David name?

Who went out full, but homewards empty came?

Where was the Apostle of the Gentiles born:

What place gave gold, which might a king adorn?

What woman thrice at Jesus’ feet was found?

What nation’s people in a sea were drowned?

The initials of these names will truly show

What Jesus said to all who rest would know.

ML-07/17/1966

Owls

DID YOU ever see an owl? Owls are birds that fly about at night. They stay in some dark, secluded spot all day, but at night they are hunting about in the darkness for their supper, for they can see well in the dark. They eat mice and rats, fish, reptiles, insects, and sometimes birds and rabbits.

The nest of the owl is made of sticks and twigs, and oftentimes are built in rocks or old houses, or in the hole of a big old tree.

Some owls are as white as snow, and their feathers are as soft as coon. Some are brown, and others are gray. Sometimes in the night we hear their strange eerie call which sounds much as if they were saying, “Whoo? Whooo? Whooo?”

In some of the Northern countries where the snow stays upon the ground much of the year, there are owls with pure white feathers. They are very large too; they can hardly be seen, since they look so much like the snow.

We often think of the owl as a wise old bird, and no doubt he is wise in many ways, for God has given His creatures remarkable wisdom, in natural things.

Now the Lord Jesus is perfect wisdom; He is the Creator “who is blessed forever” (Rom. 1:25); and one of His names is Wisdom (Prov. 8). He gives understanding to the simple. “Doth not wisdom cry? and understanding put forth her voice?” Prov. 8:1.

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy is understanding.” Prov. 9:10.

ML-07/17/1966

Rewards

WE HOPE that before now most of our answerers will have received their rewards. This year there were more names than ever — well over 2,000. The paperwork to be done beforehand, along with selecting and mailing so many books has really kept us busy. But this is a happy task, and we are thankful to the Lord for such interest on the part of so many. We know the Lord will bless the reading of His precious Word in this way. We are thankful too for the kindness of so many of our brethren who have been such an encouragement in the work through their fellowship and prayers.

We want to extend a hearty welcome to many new answerers. Some of you are little folks who perhaps are just learning to read. May it be said of you, “that from a child thou hast known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” 2 Tim. 3:15.

The days pass by so quickly. Another year for our Bible Questions began in May. We hope that all of you who sent in your answers over the past months will carry on with us through the new year.

Time

SOMEONE has said, We cannot cast anchor in the stream of time. We are all being carried on, on — ever onward — to eternity.

Another has remarked, The thing of greatest value on earth today is Time! — that is, Time spent for Christ — time spent in reading His Word, in prayer, in living, working, waiting, and watching for Him, whose love has won our hearts, and who is coming soon to take all His redeemed ones to be with Him forever. “Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” Eph. 5: 16.

These are life’s golden hours, dear young friends. Time spent in reading your Bible, if you belong to the Saviour, will never be lost. Every thought of Him shall be preserved for heaven’s delight.

A little while — He’ll come again;

Let us the precious hours redeem;

Our only grief to give Him pain,

Our joy to serve and follow Him.

Watching and ready may we be,

As those that wait their Lord to see.

Now may our gracious God and Father, whose joy it is to bless, make His dear Son more and more precious to each heart through reading His Word.

ML-07/17/1966

Dear Answerers

WHEN answering the Bible questions will you please remember the following: 1) Be sure to put at the top of the page your name, age, complete address (including zip code if in U.S.), and the month for which you are answering. 2) Write out the scriptures in full. 3) Mail in your answers as soon as you can.

ML-07/17/1966

Bible Talks: The Story of Jacob

Gen. 27:17-19

“AND SHE gave the savory meat and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob. And he came unto his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I: who art thou, my son? And Jacob said unto his father, I am Esau thy firstborn; I have done according as thou badest me: arise, I pray thee, sit and eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless me.” vv. 17-19.

The scene now to be considered is so sorrowful that the reader would perhaps prefer to turn from it. Yet God has provided the details (with all their sad overtone) and would remind us that: “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” 2 Tim. 3:16. It is well to see what profit may lie in this portion for the reader personally. We will ever be reminded that God deals in grace with His own.

Consider Isaac: His boyhood was marked with godly obedience, so strong that he went unquestionably with his father to Mount Moriah and willingly agreed to being offered up as a sacrifice. He was again submissive to his father when Abraham sent the servant to secure a wife for him, and waited patiently for her arrival. True, he had failed years later in his visit to Gerar, but he had been restored when he presented himself to the Lord and left the enemy’s influences. What then, had happened in his old age that could bring about a situation where, if left to himself, he would oppose the mind of God as regarding his two sons? The answer will be found in his own words: “Make me savory meat, such as I love... that soul may bless thee before I die.” He had allowed his natural lust of savory meat to have first place in thoughts. Yes, sad to say, the savory meat meant more to him at such important time than the counsel God and he was altogether willing to give his blessing to the eldest as soon as he could satisfy appetite.

Here is a sad, but important object lesson indeed. Yesterday’s faith fullness and dependence on God no matter how strong or uplifting the heart — will not suffice for today’s needs. The enemy of our soul: will make quick use of every natural weakness to turn thoughts and obedience away from God and toward self-gratification if he can do so. Fellow-Christian, there should be no confidence whatsoever in the flesh but a continual dependence on the One who is “the author and finisher of our faith” for He alone can keep the heart and feet from going into strange pathways.

The failure of this child of God so many years ago should be a solemn warning in our day, when then is so much to appeal to the natura appetite and deprive the Lord’s people of a happy walk of dependence on a loving God and Father, who will never deprive His own of one good thing.

Memory Verse: “VERILY, VERILY, I SAY UNTO THE EXCEPT A MAN BE BORN AGAIN, HE CANNOT SEE THE KINGDOM OF GOD. John 3:3.

ML-07/17/1966

Story of an Apple Pie

IT WAS A lovely summer morning, and little Emily, six years old, was awakened early by a tap on her door. It was her brother Charles, just two years older than she.

“Come on, Emily,” called Charles, “let’s go for a hike in the woods before breakfast.”

Emily jumped out of bed and in a few minutes was dressed and ready. Both children hurried through their prayers that morning, neither taking time to really be in God’s presence to thank Him and to ask Him to keep them through the day. Soon they were both racing across the dewy lawn and into the woods, chasing butterflies and bunnies, while the thrushes and warblers filled the morning air with song.

Soon it was breakfast time and the two, panting from the chase, returned homeward. As they neared the house they met Tom, the baker’s boy, carrying a magnificent apple pie in his hands. It was still hot, and oh how nice it smelled!

“That’s the pie Mother ordered for supper tonight,” whispered Emily. “You know, Charles, that Uncle Ben and Aunt Grace are coming.” The kitchen door opened and the cook took the pie and placed it in the pantry window, without noticing the children outside.

“Now, Emily,” said Charles, “let’s have another peep at the pie.” So, placing a couple of bricks on the ground and standing on them, he gently lifted the window and pulled the pie towards him. “My, Emily,” he whispered, “I do think it is the most delightful pie ever. How nice it smells; so high and puffy. I don’t think a couple of spoonfuls could ever be missed, and here’s a spoon lying right behind it. I could raise the crust a little at the edge with my penknife and take out a spoonful. What do you think, Emily?”

“Think?” replied Emily. “I think it would be ever so nice. Is anyone looking?”

“Not a soul,” returned Charles; and so lifting the crust carefully, he handed his sister a spoonful.

“Oh, how good it is,” she exclaimed. “The best I ever tasted.” She need not have been surprised for “Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant,” the Bible tells us in Proverbs 9:17.

Charles thought it tasted good too.

Spoonful after spoonful did he share with his sister — till none was left. Then carefully putting down the crust again, he shut the window, roved the bricks, and both darted into the house. They both found it impossible to finish their breakfast, so Charles hurried off to school.

Mother found Emily unusually attentive that day, and praised her for it; as a reward she sent her out to play. Emily blushed scarlet; but it was the blush of shame. Outside, the scent of the blossoms filled the air and the birds sang merrily in the trees and there was no song of joy in little Emily’s heart. She could not lift up her heart in praise to that gracious God who had made everything so beautiful; she knew that she had sinned against Him, and her conscience smote her.

When Charles came home from school, Emily noticed that he too looked grave and unhappy. When father came home from work he took them for a walk and they tried to forget their sorrow.

At last, Uncle Ben and Aunt Grace arrived. “My, but my little Emily is blooming like a rose,” said Aunt Grace with pleasure.

“It’s because you have come,” said Mother, “for Emily has been looking pale all day.”

Supper time came, and all sat down for the evening meal. Charles and Emily cast furtive glances at each other across the table as they sat uneasily and watched each dish that was brought in. The first courses were completed amid the friendly chatter of the older folks. Then came the dreaded moment. “Charles, my boy,” said his father, “how about you ringing the bell for the pie?”

Charles obeyed trembling, and a few minutes later the old cook appeared with the pie and placed it on the table.

“Do let me cut it,” said Aunt Grace, “for I want the pleasure of helping these dear children who have been so good.” With that, she cut a piece of the crust, and then put in the spoon, which after a swift circuit around the dish came out as clean as it went in.

“Why, how is this?” exclaimed Father. “The apple pie is empty! Susan,” he demanded, “who brought this pie here this morning?”

“Why, little Tom, the baker’s boy,” answered Susan.

“That little rascal — that little thief,” said Father hotly. “I’ll see the baker tomorrow and insist that the boy be punished. Boys who bin by stealing, if not found out and punished, often grow up into wicked men.”

As his father spoke, poor Charles’ head dropped lower and lower, and he trembled violently. Emily thought he would drop off his seat. She herself could hardly swallow the bread and jelly given to her. Both children were glad when they were sent off up to bed.

But bed brought no rest for the guilty pair. Emily scarcely prayed, and a guilty conscience brought fear she had not had before. Finally she could stand it no longer and getting out of bed she crept softly to Charles’ room; and there she stood struck with awe for a moment, Charles was kneeling beside his bed, with his Bible open beside him. “Oh, Charles,” she exclaimed, “I’m so unhappy!”

“It is conscience, Emily.”

“But Charles, do you think Father and Mother will ever find it out?” “Find it out!” exclaimed her brother. “Do you think I shall sleep before I have confessed it all? Shall Tom be whipped and me the guilty person? No, Emily, no!”

“Oh, Charles, wait for me,” pleaded Emily, “and I will go with you and help you tell everything.”

Father and mother were surprised to see two small figures in night attire coming down the staircase just as their aunt and uncle were saying good-bye. “My dear children,” inquired Father. “Are you sick?”

“No, Father,” sobbed Charles. “But Tom must not be punished. Tom is not the thief. I am. I was like the wicked serpent. I tempted Emily to eat.”

“No, no, Daddy,” said Emily; “I was just as bad. He did not tempt me. I asked him for spoonful after spoonful. I was quite wicked also.”

Aunt Grace thought the children had been punished enough, but Father said, No; he must punish his two children, because he loved them and wanted them to learn to resist temptation. Their repentance was real, for they knelt down and confessed their sin to God, who tells us in His Word: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Again, “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” I John 1:9; 2:1. The Lord Jesus paid the penalty of our sins when He died on the cross, for those who trust Him as their Saviour.

So God turned it all for good, for Charles and Emily learned how deceitful and wicked our hearts are, but they tasted too, of God’s mercy and grace that day.

“He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.” Prov. 28:13.

ML-07/24/1966

Carried

THIS LITTLE fellow has found a new way to carry his pet — in a basket on his back! But — while riding along so comfortably, the kitten sees something to interest him, and don’t you think he looks just ready to jump out? How surprised our little boy would be when arriving home, to find the kitten gone!

So perhaps after all, it is not the safest way to carry a pet! How would you suggest that he be carried?

“In his arms,” I hear someone sang. Yes indeed, for then he could keep his eye on the kitten, and do you know that the Lord Jesus has promised to carry His little lambs in His arms?

“And who are His lambs?” you may ask. The lambs are the children who have trusted in Jesus as their Saviour, and now are on their way to the happy Home which He has prepared for them. God’s Word says: “He shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom.” Isa. 40:11. How safe they must be!

ML-07/24/1966

Bible Talks: The Story of Jacob (Continued)

Gen. 27:17-20

REBEKAH, the lovely young lady who left her home and family to go to Isaac because of strong faith in all she had heard from the serpent’s lips, appears in the present story as the originator of a deceitful scheme against her own husband and elder son. This was not in keeping with the character of loveliness that had marked her union with Isaac, or as the wife of one to whom God had promised rich blessings.

What had brought about so sad a change in her? It will be remembered she had been brought up in her youth, with her brother Laban, a man of the world. His scheming ways had no doubt had an effect on her before she departed from his influence. It seems that she allowed that old nature to have its way again. She, like Isaac, failed in so important a time to turn to God for wisdom and guidance and took it upon herself to see that her favorite, Jacob, got what God had promised!

If Rebekah were still in the company of her brother, her scheming could be more easily understood. But as the wife of Isaac for many years, that old nature should have been entirely done away with, for it was not in keeping with her changed position. The child of God today has also been brought into a new household: “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God.” Eph. 2:19. Having been brought into this wonderful relationship, the believer is to reckon the old man as done away with and himself “dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Rom. 6:11.

Had Rebekah been in this state soul, she would have left the who question with the Lord, knowing that He would not allow Isaac, Esau to interfere with His purposes. Alas, like so many believers of the present day, she had neglected the path of faithfulness and thus the old nature asserted itself, leading him into actions that resulted in much sorrow.

Jacob readily allowed himself to be influenced by his mother and, being himself a schemer by nature, not appear to consider it strange deceive his aged father in order gain his blessing. Nor did his conscience seem to be touched by blind father’s pathetic question: “Who art thou, my son?” Resort to falsehood, he claimed to be Esau and when asked how he so quickly secured the “venison,” he replied “The LORD thy God brought it me.” vv. 18-20.

Oh how low and to what wretchedness a saint can sink when not it communion with the Lord. Jacob behaved badly under his mother’s crooked advice, doing evil in hops that good might come. He really valued what God had pledged to him in words that could not lie; and yet to distrust Him only made his and his mother’s sin so much the greater. The flesh had its dark way around, and God was forgotten. Deceit prevailed, yet the word of our God abides forever. God would answer Jacob’s faith, but He m chasten his evil and unbelief.

Memory Verse: “MY SHEEP HEAR MY VOICE, AND I KNOW THEM, AND THEY FOLLOW ME: AND I GIVE UNTO THEM ETERNAL LIFE.” John 10:27,28.

ML-07/24/1966

He Could Not Get Away From God

GEORGE was determined not to hear the gospel, so in order to escape the gospel preaching on Sunday, he got on his bicycle and rode off into the country.

But God followed him there. As he rode along the country road, his attention was arrested by a piece of green paper tacked onto a gate post. Getting off his bike he got near enough to read it. Imagine his surprise when his eyes fell on the words, “PREPARE TO MEET THY GOD,” printed in bold letters. George stood speechless. God had sent that message to him there, and he could go no further. He sat down by the side of the road convicted, and no longer fighting God. The hour had come when he must decide to be Christ’s, or to go in fully for sin and the world. He weighed the matter well, looked at the issues for time and eternity and said, “It will be Christ for me.”

Getting back on his bicycle he pedaled home. That evening found him at the gospel meeting, and tang his stand among the people of God, he told what the Lord had done for his soul. His was a genuine conversion. The Lord gave him power to give up his old habits and companionships which were leading him down to hell. From then on he used his bicycle in the service of the Lord, going from village to village preaching the glad gospel news, and seeking to win sinners to the Saviour.

Reader, have you been converted? Are you ready to meet God? One day you must meet Him, ready or not. Where will you spend eternity? If you have not been converted to God, you cannot, and will not, go to heaven. “Ye must be born again.” Salvation will be yours when you receive Christ as your own and only Saviour. Say, will you do so now?

ML-07/31/1966

Infidel Hal

“INFIDEL HAL” was one of a rough band of cowboys that worked on one of the big ranches in Texas. Hal had a dear Christian mother in England, but her prayers and pleadings had seemed all in vain. Hal was indeed far gone in sin and wicked deeds. He went so far as to say there was no God, Christ, heaven, nor hell.

In the evenings Hal would amuse his companions by giving infidel lectures as they lay around the campfire. His reckless ways showed that there was no fear of God before his eyes (Rom. 3:18). Much of his spare time he spent in drinking, gambling, and fighting, and his feet were fast hastening toward hell.

One day Hal picked up a torn newspaper which carried a gospel sermon, and the text in bold type at the beginning was, “After This The Judgment.” As he read them, the truth came home in mighty power to his heart that his infidelity was a lie, that there was a God before whom he must stand, and that coming into judgment as he was, there could only be for him the hell which he had so often scoffed at. Now Hal’s peace was broken in upon and gone forever. Thoroughly aroused to a sense of his danger, he now loathed his life of sin, and longed for the salvation of which he had so often heard from his dear mother.

Hal had seen a small Testament in the office of a ranch owner, and this he borrowed. Then while out on the prairie, he searched it immediately to find out the way of salvation. At last his eyes fell upon the glorious words: “Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.” John 6:37. Down he went on his knees, and with his hands clasped and eyes looking up to heaven, he cried from the depths of his soul, “Lord Jesus, I come! Don’t cast me out!”

Cast him out? No, indeed. The sinners’ Friend was waiting to receive him, and Hal found the burden of his sin gone. He knew Christ as the One that had met all his need and atoned for his sin by shedding His precious blood upon the cross.

Soon he began to tell the story of God’s grace to his cowboy companions. Some of them were very angry and even threatened him for the stand he took; but he remained faithful and grew in grace and the knowledge of his Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Will you claim the promise as Rai did? If you do, you will find the Saviour both willing and waiting receive you, and to make you a new creature in Christ Jesus. Prove Him now. “Now is the accepted time.”

“I, EVEN I, AM HE THAT BLOTTETH OUT THY TRANSGRESSIONS FOR MINE OWN SAKE, AND WILL NOT REMEMBER THY SINS.” Isa. 43:25.

ML-07/31/1966

The World in Noah's Day

The busy world was pressing on its way

Intent to plant and build, to set and buy:

And neither knew nor cared that every day

The Lord Himself came from His Home on high

To walk with man.

And thus the course of time its was fast rolled,

Till soon three hundred year were fully gone.

While Enoch, prophet of the Lord foretold

The Lord with thousands of His saints will come,

Will come to judge.

Alas, the busy world still sped its way,

Nor thought, nor cared, for God’s most solemn cry.

Then, strangely, Enoch was not found one day,

For God had taken him to dwell on high,

To dwell with Him.

But Enoch’s son still spread the message grave:

“When I shall die the judgment sure must fall.”

And Noah built an ark their souls to save:

He, too, while building, preached the solemn call:

The Judge is near.

The world sped on without a thought of God.

No time had they to hear what He might say.

Nor did they know until had come the flood

And took them all, yes, every one, away:

The Judge had come.

And still the busy world runs its own way,

Intent to plant and build, to sell and buy:

And heeds not, just as ’twas in Noah’s day,

That God still sends abroad that solemn cry:

The Judge is near.

Before shall swiftly fall that judgment dire,

Like Enoch once, our God shall claim His own.

The world, and all its works, are burnt with fire;

But His shall walk with Him in white, at Home:

At Home, with Him!

G.C.W.

ML-07/31/1966

Bible Talks: The Story of Jacob

Gen. 27:21-32

JACOB was in a very hazardous situation during the searching of his father, for had Isaac’s suspicions been a little more persistent he would have discovered that the one who professed to be Esau was not Esau at all. Jacob knew the consequences of such a discovery and had said to his mother: “My father peradventure will feel me, and I shall seem to him as a deceiver; and I shall bring a curse upon me, and not a blessing.” v. 12. There was also the fearful thought that while his father delayed in eating the food bore him, his brother might return and discover him. So, all in all, it must have been a fearful time for Jacob and one which he hoped would soon be over with. The conscience often works to exercise the evil-doer, although he may turn a deaf ear to its pleadings.

In the natural course of events Jacob was more than justified to be apprehensive while in this situation and was also likely to be overtaken in his folly. But God was still above all the scheming and cleverness. If Jacob and his mother sinned grievously in every phase of this story, yet “where sin abounded grace did much more abound,” because God was determined to fulfill His prose of ultimate blessing to the one who seemed to be so undeserving of grace. It was not by chance that Isaac stopped short in his questioning or that Esau delayed his return, but by God’s ordering. According to God’s purposes Jacob thus received the blessing: “God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine: Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee:... cursed be every one that curseth thee, an blessed be he that blesseth thee. vv. 28, 29. This prophecy concerning Jacob and his descendants all came to pass in every detail, but there was much in the pathway of experience for Jacob before he could see it begin to unfold.

Jacob, too, was to pay the price of the scheming and deceit that omitted God from his plans. “Be not deceived; God is not mocked; for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption.” Gal. 6:7,8. This was as true in Jacob’s day as it is in ours, and everyone who reads the solemn passage should give it serious consideration. The young man in our story was about to embark on a long period of trials and testings that would prove this inflexible principle, for his treachery was about to be discovered and change his entire life.

“And it came to pass, as soon as Isaac had made an end of blessing Jacob, and Jacob was yet scarce gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting... and said unto his father, Let my father arise, and eat of his son’s venison, that thy soul may bless me. And Isaac his father said unto him, Who art thou? And he said, I am thy son, thy firstborn, Esau.” vv. 30,32.

What a startling disclosure was thus brought before Isaac! What course should he now take after so suddenly discovering that Jacob had betrayed him?

ML-07/31/1966

Brave Little Puss

PUSS was a little kitten, the favorite playmate of Baby Ann. Mother had sat Baby Ann on the floor of the sunny porch that opened out into the garden, and Puss was playing nearby.

Not long after, Puss spied a long black thing, like a piece of rope, slithering across the floor towards Baby Ann. Now Puss loved a real scrap, and if he couldn’t find someone to fight with, he would have a mock battle with the leg of a chair, a stick, or a piece of rope. But this time “the piece of rope” was alive; it was moving across the floor, and Puss was all alert, ready for action.

The snake came on. With one bound, Puss was on its back, growling and biting all up and down the snake with his sharp teeth. Puss did not know that this was a poisonous snake, so the fight went on. Again and again the snake’s poisonous fangs pierced the kitten’s skin; still Puss snarled and fought on. However, the effect of the snake’s bite began to tell on Puss and he became so weak and faint he could fight no more.

The snake was badly mauled and chewed up, but before it slithered off out of sight apparently it made one bite at Baby Ann’s leg. Hearing Baby Ann’s cries, mother rushed out and snatched her from the floor. Thankful to say, the snake’s venom had been spent, and Baby Ann lived. Brave little Puss, however, was stretched out lifeless on the porch floor.

Baby Ann was spared, but it cost Puss his life.

There was One who came to save sinners from the serpent’s bite. The Bible tells us that that old serpent, the Devil, came into the Garden of Eden long ago, and so man fell through sin. We have all been bitten by the old serpent; we are all sinners. “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. Now the Lord Jesus came in love into this world to deliver us from the effects of the serpent’s bite, and to destroy the works of the devil.

He met the full power of Satan at the cross of Calvary, and there He died — for you and me. Now God can say, Whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16).

“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 [judgment]; but is passed from death unto life.” John 5:24.

O, dear young readers, have you trusted in the Lord Jesus as your Saviour?

“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-08/07/1966

A Baby for a Nickel

A MAN once told a very little girl that he would sell her his baby for a nickel. Now little Nell loved little babies, and she thought that would be a very cheap way to get one; so she ran home quickly to get the money. Her mother was very busy, and gave Nell the nickel, not stopping to listen to what the little girl wanted it for.

Little Nell ran back to the man expecting to claim the baby. Of course, the man would not give up his baby. He did not mean what he said, and the little girl went home crying bitterly.

Little Nell’s mother always told her the truth. She thought that others meant what they said, just like Mother did.

It is wrong not to tell the truth, even though we may not mean anything by it. We often make others feel badly when we say things we do not mean.

ML-08/07/1966

Our Feathered Friends

“THE GOOD old summer time — how we all enjoy this time of the year, especially boys and girls who are out of school. Birds enjoy the summer too, and how happy they seem as they fly from tree to tree or hover over the green fields. Sometimes we find their nests in the bushes or on the ground. God teaches them how to build their little nests with sticks, leaves and feathers and mud.

Sometimes we see tiny eggs in the nest, and by and by the little birds hatch. Then father and mother bird are kept busy hunting worms and bugs to feed their babies.

Once a boy found a meadowlark’s nest with young birds in it. As they opened their little mouths, he thought he could feed them better than mother bird. He decided to raise them for pets, and so he carried them home — How sad the mother bird must have felt when her babies were taken from her.

The boy gave them bread, but the poor little things were not used to that kind of food, and they did not do well at all on it. Then one day he forgot to feed them and they died. How sad he felt!

God made the little birds to enjoy the fields and the woods. We ought not to rob or destroy their nests, for that is wrong. The Bible says: “Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them.” Matt. 6:26.

The little bee is busy gathering honey. Those who belong to Jesus are told to be “always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” 1 Cor. 15:58.

ML-08/07/1966

Bible Questions for August

The Children’s Class

1. “They looked steadfastly toward heaven.”

2. “There came a sound from heaven.”

3. “I will show wonders in heaven.”

4. “Whom the heaven must receive.”

5. “None other name under heaven.”

6. “Heaven is my throne.”

7. “I see the heavens opened.”

The Mind

1. What does Scripture say of those whose MINDS ARE REPROBATE (void of judgment)? Rom.

2. What class of people have DEFILED MINDS? Titus.

3. When the Apostle Paul preached the gospel at Berea, what was received with READINESS OF MIND? Acts 17.

4. What should characterize those having RENEWED MINDS? Eph. 4.

5. What one thing is alone able to KEEP OUR MINDS? Phil. 4.

6. What will be our relationship toward others if we have HUMBLENESS OF MIND? Col. 3.

7. What wrong thoughts do those with CORRUPT MINDS have concerning godliness? 1 Tim. 6.

ML-08/07/1966

Bible Talks: The Story of Jacob

Gen. 27:33-40

“AND ISAAC trembled very exceedingly, and said, Who? where is he that hath taken venison, and brought it me, and I have eaten of all before thou earnest, and have blessed him? yea, and he shall be blessed.” v. 33.

Perhaps Isaac’s trembling “very exceedingly” was not only the discovery that his son had deceived him, but also the sudden awareness that he himself had been very close to opposing God’s will about the blessing. It would seem that something of this nature must have immediately spoken to his conscience before he spoke again to Esau. There is no doubt that the father was angry with Jacob for his subtlety, yet anger alone would have made him recall the blessing and bestow it on Esau as he had originally purposed. No, the aged man, who a few mites before had been near tragic failure, now exclaimed forcefully “Yea, and he shall be blessed.” God had ordered this chain of events and Isaac bowed to the consequences as he rightfully should.

The whole affair seemed too much for Esau to immediately grasp. “And when Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry, and said unto his father, Bless me, even me also, O my father.” v. 34. He was in a sorry situation, was he not? Yet he was reaping the result of so lightly esteeming what he should have valued in years past. The blessing he now sought was closely connected with the birthright he had so readily given up for a pittance. Having willingly given up the one, he was now deprived of the other. In another scripture we learn that he repented of his earlier carelessness, but his repentance came too late.

Esau inquired: “Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me?... Hast thou but one blessing, my father? bless me, even me also, O my father.” vv. 36-38. But, alas, Isaac had to tell him: “Behold I have made him [Jacob] thy lord, and all his brethren have I given to him for servants... Behold, thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above; and by thy sword shalt thou live, and shalt serve thy brother; and it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion, that thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck.” vv. 37, 39, 40. The promise that he would some day break Jacob’s yoke from his neck was small comfort to Esau who could only see complete ruin to his hopes and expectations that had, a few hours earlier, been so high — so nearly achieved.

Esau’s tragedy was connected with earthly blessing, but God warns today of a greater loss: “See that ye refuse not Him that speaketh! for if they escaped not who refused Him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from Him that speaketh from heaven.” Heb. 12:25. Beloved reader, if you are despising God’s grace while He offers it to you, consider with utmost solemnity the consequences and the sad day of coming judgment when you too may seek a place of repentance but find none, for the door will be closed. God faithfully warns: “Today if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts.” Heb. 4:7.

Memory Verse: “THE FEAR OF MAN BRINGETH A SNARE: BUT WHOSO PUTTETH HIS TRUST IN THE LORD SHALL BE SAFE.” Prov. 29:25.

ML-08/07/1966

Out of the Pit

IT WAS after sundown in the African jungle and Tom Lee, riding homeward, noticed that Mac, his terrier dog, was not following him. Turning back, he whistled, but the only response was a faint whine and whimpering that seemed to come from underground somewhere. Getting off his pony he started to force his way through the thick underbrush. Soon he realized he could easily lose his bearings and not find his way back in the gathering darkness, so he decided to go on home and come back at daybreak. He did return in the morning, but could neither find nor hear anything of his dog.

What happened was that poor little Mac had come face to face with a big leopard. In his flight he fell into one of those great pits covered with branches and leaves, such as the natives dig sometimes to trap leopards. The big cat must have leaped after him, but she too pitched headlong into the covered pit along with the dog. Furious at being imprisoned, the leopard bounded up and down, clawing at the dirt wall while the terrified terrier crouched in one corner. Finding escape was impossible, the leopard huddled in the opposite corner, snarling at Mac as though she were terrified at him.

Then Mac, hearing his master’s whistles, also must have made puny leaps in his eagerness to escape, but realizing as the night wore on that it was of no avail, he curled up exhausted in his corner. In the morning, he must have heard his master’s whistle again. Again he must have yapped and whined and leaped up and down trying to get out, but in vain. Outside, Lee did not hear him, and thinking a leopard had got the dog, he went away.

For a day and a night the two strange prisoners kept to their own respective sides of the pit. The leopard’s half was trodden smooth by her great cushioned tread, while Mac’s half was dotted all over with the imprints of his little feet. Then as morning dawned, there was a great stir and excitement overhead. A troop of monkeys somehow had spied the leopard down the hole, and their excitement knew no bounds. Other monkeys gathered to chatter and mock at their great spotted enemy below, as she glared and snarled up at them. Then as the monkeys clustered around the hole, suddenly the roof gave way and one of their number pitched headlong down into the pit. The leopard snarled furiously, and the terrified monkey fled, pressing himself against the side of the wall where Mac was.

Meanwhile overhead the excitement increased, and birds of every size and hue gathered to scream and mock at the hated leopard.

As the hours passed by, thirst and hunger began to tell on the three inmates of the pit. But strange to say, the leopard never attacked either of her fellow prisoners; she was content to lie huddled in her corner. This dreadful state of things went on day after day; each became too feeble to strike at each other, even had they wished, and they were little more than skin and bones.

One morning, two men drew rein on the jungle’s path nearby. “What’s all that row?” exclaimed Tom Lee. “Hear those screaming birds and chattering monkeys? I hear it every time I pass. It was just about here that I lost my dog.”

The older man swung around in his saddle. “We’d better investigate,” he said. So the two left their ponies, and guided by the birds, they found the pit. Peering down, what a sight met their eyes! Directly below, the three animals sat side by side looking up at them, the leopard big-eyed and fearless, the monkey with both hands outstretched, while little Mac, all drooping, still managed to sum up just enough energy to wag his tail. The trodden floor of the pit, the clawed and broken walls, told their own story of the long and bier struggle which had taken place.

“The best thing to do is to get the leopard out first,” said the older man.

They were not long in finding a fallen tree, and having trimmed off the branches they lowered it into the pit. The wild cat watched suspiciously; but then seeing the way of escape, she cautiously mounted the tree. Slowly she came on till she gained the brink, where both men stood back watching, their revolvers drawn. The monkey scrambled up behind her. A minute later both disappeared into the forest. Then Lee lowered himself into the pit to save his dog.

Little Mac was all right in a few days, though he lost every hair on his body. However, his new coat ban to grow again, more beautiful and softer than before.

As I read this story, dear boys and girls, I could not help thinking of another pit into which we had fallen, along with all of Adam’s race — the miry pit of sin and death and judgment. We were all in that pit, born in sin, and shapen in iniquity, we are told in Psalm 51 — and there was no way of escape. Our own efforts to escape only prove futile.

But there was One who came from above, in love and compassion, to save us poor sinners from perishing in our sins; and that was Jesus, the Son of God. He is the only Saviour. “There is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” Acts 4:12. He came down to where we were; He went down, down into those deep waters of death and judgment, bore the awful wrath of a sin-hating God against our sins, answered to God for every sin and stain, washed them all away in His precious blood; then rose the mighty Victor over death and the grave, and opened the way for all who trust in Him to be saved.

When those two men put that tree down into the pit as a way of escape, it reminds us of the cross on which the Lord Jesus died. Peter tells us “who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree.” I Pet. 2: 24. The cross on which Jesus died is God’s way of escape — the only way for sinners to be saved from perishing. Dear reader, are you in the pit still, or have you been delivered out of it by Jesus? Have you come to the cross and seen Him there dying for you? If not, trust Him now as your Saviour.

“He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.” Psa. 40:2.

Adapted from C. M. Batten.

ML-08/14/1966

A Christian All His Days

THERE IS NO such person as one who has been a Christian all his days. Some people believe there is; Satan gets them to believe it. They have been born and brought up in a Christian home. They were taught to read their Bible and say their prayers from childhood, and believe everything. But this is a delusion. They don’t “believe everything.” They don’t believe what God says about them. If they did they would see at once that they must be “born again” (John 3:7). They would see that the Bible and prayers cannot supply the place of Christ. They would flee to Him and be saved, but they have never got out of their own self-righteousness; so they are still unsaved.

The question may be asked, “What will become of such people?” Well, unless they are converted to God before they die, they will spend eternity in the abode of the lost. That’s what God’s holy Word says.

“Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God... Ye must be born again.” John 3:3,7.

“If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” Rom. 10:9.

ML-08/14/1966

Bible Talks: The Story of Jacob

Gen. 27:41-45

“AND ESAU hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob.” v. 41.

Now appeared Esau’s deep-rooted character as he revealed himself a murderer at heart, and his thoughts were set on vengeance against his brother. But is not such the story of every one of us by nature? “There is none that seeketh after God... There is none that doeth good... With their tongues they have used deceit... Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God bore their eyes.” Rom. 3:11-18. This is not a very pretty picture of ourselves. But this is how God sees all who have not accepted His way of salvation and the Scripture states: “God is angry with the wicked every day.” Ps. 7:11. Yet, in His wondrous love He “is not willing that any should perish,” and is pleading with all to come to Him in repentance, through the finished work of Christ who died on Calvary to save sinners from judgment.

Esau, whose evil thoughts were at first “in his heart,” was soon expressing them to others. We cannot long conceal what is in our hearts for “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.” Rebekah, alarmed at this news, sought the safety of Jacob, her favorite. “And these words of Esau her elder son were told to Rebekah: and she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said unto him, Behold, thy brother Esau, as touching thee, doth comfort himself, purposing to thee. Now therefore, my son, obey my voice; and arise, flee thou to Laban my brother to Haran; and tarry with him a few days, until brother’s fury turn away... then I will send, and fetch thee from thence.” vv. 42-45. Rebekah could not look into the future or she would certainly have devised some other means of escape for her son, for she was never to see him again in her lifetime. It was not her voice, but other circumstances that later turned Jacob’s feet homeward from Haran. How much better, had mother and son been before God at time, asking for His direction.

Here lie further lessons for us and we are reminded of the scripture: “Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what day may bring forth.” Prov. 27:1. We surely know not what the morrow will bring, but God knows the end from the beginning and that faith will be rewarded when trusting Him for the future. Again the admonition is given: “Go to now, ye that say, Today or tomorrow we will go into such a city, and continua there a year, and buy and sell, all get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.” James 4:13-15.

Memory Verse: “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-08/14/1966

Saved by a Miracle

MRS. BAKER had a little sick daughter, Diane, whom she had left at home with Shirley, her sister, and a neighbor lady, while she went to get some milk from a nearby farm. On her way home she met Joe, the hired man. “How is your little girl today?” asked Joe. “The doctor says nothing but a miracle can save her, Joe,” replied the mother sadly.

“Never mind, Mrs. Baker,” said Joe. “The Lord can do it if it is His will.”

“Thank you, Joe!” was all Mrs. Baker could say as she hurried home. “Where’s Shirley,” asked Mrs., Baker.

“Oh, she went down the street a few minutes ago,” replied her neighbor. “Never mind, she’ll be all right.”

Shirley had indeed gone down the street, on an errand of love and mercy. She had overheard the door’s words, and taking a few coins from her money box, she went from one shop to another in the village, saying, “Please, I want to buy a miracle.”

The shop keepers could hardly suppress a smile as they assured her they did not sell miracles. With tears in her eyes, Shirley finally came to the drug store. She thought, Didn’t mother go there sometimes and buy medicine when they were sick?

“Please, Sir, I want to buy a miracle,” she told the druggist.

“My dear,” answered the druggist kindly, “we don’t sell miracles here.”

Sad at heart, the child was about to leave, but two men happened to be at the drug store talking, and heard her request. One of them was a doctor, and he asked Shirley what she meant. She told him how her little sister was so ill, whereupon the doctor said, “Take me to where you live, Shirley, and we’ll see what can be done.”

They soon reached the cottage, and in a few minutes the doctor was examining the little patient.

“It is quite true,” he said; “your little girl is very sick, and only a miracle can save her; something must be done at once.” He had her taken at once to the hospital, where he operated on little Diane. To the joy and thanksgiving of all, God spared her little life. She was saved by a “miracle.”

The greatest of all miracles is this: “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.

Will you, dear reader, allow Jesus, the great Physician, to perform that miracle in your life? He is your only hope — the only way that you can or ever will be saved.

“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-08/21/1966

Paderewski's Testimony

ONCE WHEN Paderewski, the famous musician, was visiting in a home, a gentleman remarked to him, “You must be a happy man — you, who can give so much pleasure to so many people.”

“Yes, I am happy in doing that,’ replied Paderewski; “but it is the only happiness I have.” Then after a little, he added: “You perhaps are not aware that my wife died some years ago, and my only child is an incurable cripple. He is all I have in the world, and my wealth and fame can do nothing for him. My only motive for pursuing the career of a musician was that I should at last be able to obtain the best medical advice possible for my poor boy. Alas, I found it an idle dream; and when the public, which is always kind to me, applauds me, I think of the little fellow lying on his couch in the house by the sea, which I have taken for him, and I think how poor and how vain it all is!”

What a sad, yet touching, testimony! Think of Paderewski’s word: — “how poor and how vain it all is!” The man who could entertain others is not happy himself! His wealth and fame could not impart strength to the limbs of his crippler boy. While being applauded by the crowds for his extraordinary musical talent, yet his heart was down by the sea where his helpless chile lay.

Neither wealth, pleasure, fame, nor worldly honors can satisfy the longings of an immortal soul. The heart knows its own bitterness. If the reader imagines that he can obtain lasting happiness in what this world can give, sooner or later he will find out his sad mistake.

The Lord Jesus, and He alone, can satisfy the deepest desires of the human heart. “Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matt. 11:28, are His own blessed words. Rest to the conscience can only be had through coming to and believing on Him. He died that we might be set free from the accusations of a guilty conscience, and obtain forgiveness, rest and peace to our troubled souls. “We which have believed do enter into rest.” Heb. 4:3.

Unsaved friend, give up struggling, striving, vowing and resolving, in order to obtain rest. Cease from your own works, and believe on Him who perfectly satisfied God’s holy and righteous claims against sin, and you will “enter into rest.”

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

ML-08/21/1966

Bible Enigma for August

Who wrote a letter for the Apostle Paul?

On whom did death by worms in judgment fall?

Of Jesse’s sons, which oldest was of all?

Which was the tribe when Jewish priesthood came?

Who sought out Paul, defying scorn and shame?

Who a long journey rode her lord to meet?

Who, as a Psalmist, is declared “the sweet?”

Tell Jacob’s name when he with God prevailed?

What king had ships which oft for treasures sailed?

Who Boaz’ wife became a Moabite?

Who mocked his brother, showing hate and spite?

Who more than all men was for wisdom famed?

Who to a prophet was successor named?

And who was he whose folly made his wife ashamed?

These names search out, then their initials place,

And learn the ground of mercy, love, and grace.

ML-08/21/1966

Bible Talks: The Story of Jacob

Gen. 27:46 through 28:9

IT WILL BE remembered that Esau I had married two women who were Hittites — strangers of God, who “were a grief of mind unto Isaac and Rebekah.” Now that Rebekah wished to send Jacob away from his brother’s wrath she used the trial of Esau’s marriages to win the support of Isaac in approving Jacob’s departure to Haran. “And Rebekah said to Isaac, I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth: if Jacob take a wife of the daughters of Heth, such as these which are of the daughters of the land, what good shall my life do me?” v. 46. Isaac readily agreed to the journey. “And Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him, and charged him, and said unto him, thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan. Arise, go to Padan-aram, to the house of Bethuel thy mother’s father; and take thee a wife from thence of the daughters of Laban thy mother’s brother.” Chap. 28:1,2. With his father’s further pronouncements of blessing, Jacob took his leave for that distant land.

It must not be forgotten that Job was always the man for whom God had ultimate blessing in view. He himself, however, was the greatest obstacle to receiving the blessings because of his scheming and self-will. Had he been submissive he would have been spared many trials and testings, but his insistence to “make his own way” only delayed the disclosing of God’s purposes.

Esau, aware of his father’s expressions to Jacob, appears to have attempted to gain some of the same favor. “And Esau seeing that the daughters of Canaan pleased not Isaac his father; then went Esau unto Ishmael, and took unto the wives which he had Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael...” v. 8,9. But if it was his purpose to please his father with such a choice he was certain to be disappointed, for a union with the house of Ishmael was entirely foreign to all that God had decreed to Isaac and his descendants. It will be recalled that when Isaac was born into Abraham’s house as the heir of God’s promises, there was a serious conflict between himself and Ishmael, who was Abram’s son through Hagar, the bond-maid. Sarah said at that time: “The son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac.” God told Abraham to hearken to his wife and expel Ishmael, who spoke in type of the flesh and the law, so that there might be no hindrance to the blessings of Isaac, a type of faith and grace.

Esau’s marriage with a daughter of Ishmael was not suited to the calling of the household of Isaac and presents another example of the unsuitability of God’s children seeking to merge with the world. Those who profess faith in God, through the work of Christ, are not to put themselves again under the law and try to please God by fleshly activity. These things are contrary to faith and grace — the way in which God now deals with His people.

Memory Verse: “IF THOU SHALT CONFESS WITH THY MOUTH THE LORD JESUS, AND SHALT BELIEVE IN THINE HEART THAT GOD HATH RAISED HIM FROM THE DEAD, THOU SHALT BE SAVED.” Rom. 10:9.

ML-08/21/1966

The Boy Who Could Make Coffee

YEARS AGO a famous French chef was giving some lectures on cooking. Among the many ladies present was a young fellow, Will Corcoran. So intent was he at copying down recipes in his notebook, that he did not notice the many quizzical looks and smiles directed at him. “He is surely in dead earnest,” whispered one lady to another. “Perhaps he intends going into the king’s kitchen.”

But no, Will was simply going to sea as soon as he could get a berth.

The lesson on coffee-making interested him most of all, for he had been told that the seamen drank lots of coffee, and that the way to their hearts was through the coffee pot.

When Will went to sea the sailors soon saw that he had a higher motive in his heart than a desire to please them, and the fact that he always kneeled down to pray before turning in to bed showed plainly what it was. But the one thing which led to his influencing the crew was the fact that he could make good coffee.

On one terribly wild night their good ship, the Ophir, rolled and pitched in the raging seas, and the storm threatened to send her to the bottom. “We’ll go down before morning,” remarked a mate to himself as he gazed into the awful darkness.

“I don’t think so, Sir,” came a voice from behind him. “God holds us in the hollow of His hand, and He is able to keep us. My mother often read to me about that. God is with us even here. Let’s ask Him to keep us safe.”

The mate was no coward, but he was drenched to the skin and thoroughly miserable. “Go on with you, boy,” he scowled. “Don’t give me any of your preaching.”

Will only smiled as he ran to the galley and returned with the steaming coffee pot in his hand. “This is my business anyhow,” he said cheerily. “Take a cup, Sir, and you’ll feel better.”

Will’s pleasant earnestness, the mate confessed, quite took the wind out of his sails. “I’m half inclined to think you’re right, boy,” he said. It was a great admission for the mate to make, and Will slipped away triumphantly to see what coffee would do with the others. Here and there along the slippery deck he went with the coffee pot in his hand, and during that night many a shivering man was warmed and into many a heart he infused fresh courage. When morning dawned the Ophir was still afloat, the storm had died down and many of the sailors had good reason to thank the young cook. Some of them joined him in his prayers that morning.

This went on day after day and, the Lord blessed Will’s testimony to the men during that voyage.

ML-08/28/1966

A Blessed Eclipse

EXCITEMENT stirred the neighborhood children of Wilson, Connecticut, as they rushed home to prepare for the total eclipse of the sun on August 30, 1932.

“It’s going to get dark this noon!” shouted one. “The moon is going to pass in front of the sun!” cried another. A motherless boy of eight rushed with his cousin into the house of a Christian aunt to get a dark lens or blackened glass for the great event.

Aunt Theresa was in the cellar canning vegetables when the boys came in asking for help. Her efforts to blacken an old pair of eyeglasses over the gas stove proved futile. The celluloid rims caught fire and the lenses dropped into the stove. As she looked about the cellar for an old metal-rimmed pair, she turned to the anxious boy. “Francis,” she said, “If you should never see God’s sunlight again, where will your soul be?”

The poor boy’s head dropped. His heart sank with a deep sense of guilt and fear at the thought of the “blackness of darkness forever.” He had often been told of his sin and his need of the Saviour, and at times he had longed to be saved. But now it was pressing; now it was vital. In a short while it was going to get dark, and for all that he knew it would be darkness for him forever. If he did not accept the Saviour God has provided, God would be just in sending him to hell. Francis was the only one of the group of four children who had not professed faith in Christ, although he had traveled with them to Sunday school and gospel meetings from the time he first could remember. The fear of the darkness of hell was as real as the eclipse about to take place. With bowed head and anxious heart he listened as once again his Christian aunt tenderly brought the gospel before him.

We were all born in sin and were all on the broad and crowded way that leads to destruction, said Aunt Theresa. But the Lord Jesus Christ, with arms outstretched graciously invites all: “Enter ye in at the strait gate:... because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” Matt. 7:13,14. It is the Lord Jesus Christ alone who is the Way. He said: “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life: no man cometh unto the Father but by Me.” John 14:6.

There’s nothing left to do. He fished it all upon the cross (John 19:30). Can you not see Him shedding His precious blood and dying there for your sins? Just trust in Him and enter in by believing, for He has said: “I am the door: by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved.” John 10:9.

With an open heart Francis looked into the faces of his aunt and cousin; then in his small boyish voice he exclaimed, “I believe!”

Near the cross, a trembling soul,

Love and Mercy found me;

There the bright and Morning Star

Shed its beams around me.

Up the cellar stairs went a happy little boy in the sweet enjoyment of the bright rays of the cross. He pondered John 3:16 now with a special joy, that God could ever love a sinner like him as to give His own Son upon the cross. The eclipse of the sun had come and gone. Francis had missed it all, and yet while others that noon had gazed at the darkened sun, he had got a glimpse of the cross. The same noontide sight, that light above the midday sun that had changed the life of Saul of Tarsus, had wrought a change in young Francis’ heart too. His darkness was gone forever; light, love, joy and peace flooded his soul.

Now, dear reader, will you too put your trust in Him and be brought into the bright and blessed knowledge of sins forgiven?

ML-08/28/1966

Bible Talks: The Story of Jacob

Gen. 28:10-12

“AND JACOB went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran.” He becomes now a picture of exiled and wandering Israel, heir of the promises and watched over, yet an outcast. Abraham’s wanderings had been within the land of promise; Jacob’s were outside of it. Still God was with Him and watched over him, for He abides faithful. Abraham had walked with God and worshiped in His presence. But Jacob was not one in communion nor had he an altar. Although primarily he had taken this journey to escape the wrath of Esau, it was going to prove God’s means of revealing Himself to Him — not an open revelation in communion as Abraham had enjoyed — but a dream.

“And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.” vv. 11,12.

There are things very instructive in this portion. Heretofore, Jacob had been seen acting in his energy and imaginations of his mind, but never a word about heavenward thoughts, nor even a recorded expression toward God. But now he is seen, weary, at the end of a day’s Tourney — the comforts of home left behind — a stone for his pillow, and the open heavens his covering fallen into sleep. In other words, he was (for the moment) at the end of his strength. There was nothing more he could do for himself, no mother to turn to for comfort. Thus it was that, in a dream, he received a heavenly vision and message. Do it not bring to mind that wonderful word: “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly"? Ah, yes, it is only when one recognizes himself without any merit or ability of his own — utterly without strength — that God can bring His grace into the heart and life.

While Jacob slept he could not scheme or act. He was as helpless as a babe and in this condition he experienced his first recorded encounter with the God who loved him greatly and who would deal with him in spite of himself. The ladder speaks of the fact that there is a means of access to heaven and a channel of communication between God and man. While in Jacob’s vision it was the angels who ascended and descended, it is now, in our present day of grace, the Lord Jesus of whom it is said: “He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that He might fill all things.” Eph. 4:10.

It is our blessed Saviour who alone is man’s way of access to God — the One who descended to bring salvation and life and who, having triumphed over death, ascended again into heaven, where He now waits for His redeemed to be with Him. “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.” I Tim. 2:5,6.

Memory Verse: “BY HIS OWN BLOOD HE ENTERED IN ONCE INTO THE HOLY PLACE, HAVING OBTAINED ETERNAL REDEMPTION FOR US.” Heb. 9:12.

ML-08/28/1966

The Spilled Beans

“TOM,” said his father one day,

“TOM,”

want you to take this bag of beans and plant them in rows in the garden, like I will show you.” He then showed Tom how to sprinkle a few beans down each row, and to cover them over with the soft moist earth. Father had other work to do, and so he left Tom by himself.

Tom worked away for a while, and then he sat down to play. As he played he tipped the bag and the beans spilled all over the ground. At once he set about to pick them up, but there were so many scattered over the ground that soon Tom became tired. Then the thought came to him that if he covered up what was left with dirt, no one would ever know he spilled them. Finally he got the rest of the beans planted and went home.

As the days went by he often thought of the beans he had spilled, but he did not tell his father. Sometime later, his father went out to the garden to see if the beans were coming up. He saw several straight rows of little plants pushing their heads above the ground. But where did these all come from that were in a patch by themselves, growing so thickly together? Tom did not need to tell his Dad then what he had done. His father guessed what had happened.

Tom was sorry for what he had done, and he learned a lesson that he did not forget, for his father spoke to him of the foolishness of trying to cover up his failure. “Be sure your sin will find you out.” Num. 32:23.

“He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.” Prov. 28:13.

“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.” 1 John 1:7,9.

ML-09/04/1966

Tame Animal Friends

THERE are some animals that are tame, such as the horse, the cow, the pig, the dog, and the cat, and the sheep.

The horse is a faithful beast, and though we don’t see him so often on the farms as we used to, yet he does much work for man where he is used still. He draws the heavy loads from the field or on the road, and sometimes we put a saddle on his back and ride on him.

The cow gives us milk, and from the milk we get cream, butter and cheese.

Mr. Piggy provides us with pork for dinner and bacon for breakfast.

Dogs and cats are our pets; but old Rover also guards our home, while Puss helps keep down the mice and rats.

Sheep provide us with wool from which they make clothes to keep us warm.

The little sheep are called lambs. They love to gambol and play tether. Once a little lamb fell into a creek and could not get out. The poor mother sheep stood faithfully by, but she could not help him. Then the shepherd who had been looking for his missing sheep found the two and got the lamb out of the water before he drowned.

Lambs are such innocent-looking little creatures, and do not make a noise when hurt. The Lord Jesus is called “the Lamb of God” in the Bible. He came to die for sinners such as we, “to take away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.” It is written of Him in Isaiah 53:7: “He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He openeth not His mouth.”

He also calls little ones who trust Him as their Saviour His lambs, and none of them shall ever perish (John 10:28). “He shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them is His bosom.” Isa. 40:11. Are you one of His lambs, dear reader?

“Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” John 1:29.

ML-09/04/1966

Which Are You Like?

WHILE out walking, I met an old man, as he sat reading the newspaper. His face bore an unsatisfied, unhappy look. I went up to him and politely offered him a gospel tract. He looked at it and shook his head.

“Please take this leaflet,” I said: “it speaks of Jesus and of the way in which man can be happy forever.”

“No,” he replied in an abrupt and sharp tone, “I don’t want it.”

Ah, there was no heart for Christ no love for His blessed Person. The name of Jesus had no sweet sound for the ear of that old man. Saddened, I went further along. In few minutes, I met another old man with snow white hair. He appeared to be ill and feeble, for he went on crutches and seemed to be suffering. To him I offered the despised tract, and he not only took it, but said with a joyful voice: “You serve a good Master.”

“Do you know my Master?” I asked.

“Do I know Him?” cried out the old man, a tear rolling down his wan cheeks.

“Yes, thank God, I have known Him for fifty years. When I was still a boy, I took Him as my Friend and have never regretted it. He is a good Master and the best Friend that heaven and earth can give.”

“Then do you find Jesus precious also in your old age?” I asked.

“O yes; very precious,” he replied. “He is beside me in my old feeble days, He never forsakes me, and very soon I shall be with Him.”

It was a joy to look on that dear old face on which old age and sickness had carved deep furrows, but which beamed with heavenly brightness. We parted with a hearty handshake and the words, “We’ll meet again, above!”

Which of these two men are you like, my dear reader? Would you not like to be happy as that worthy old man who was happy even in sickness, and on the brink of the grave? If you would, then do as he did, and take Jesus now as your Saviour and Friend. Truly, you also will never regret it.

“Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.” Psa. 32:1.

ML-09/04/1966

Bible Questions for September

The Children’s Class

1. “Believest with all thine heart.”

2. “Feared God with all his house.”

3. “Healing all that were oppressed.”

4. “Exhorted them all.”

5. “Justified from all things.”

6. “All things that are therein.”

7. “All that God had done with them.”

The Young People’s Class: In Heaven

1. What does the believer have WRITTEN IN HEAVEN? Luke 10.

2. What does the believer have ETERNAL IN THE HEAVENS? 2 Cor. 5.

3. What does the believer have LAID UP IN HEAVEN? Col.

4. What does the believer who is called on to suffer reproach have which is GREAT IN HEAVEN? Luke 6.

5. What should believers be LAYING UP IN HEAVEN for themselves? Matt. 6.

6. What does the believer have RESERVED IN HEAVEN that is incorruptible?

7. Whom does the believer have who is PASSED INTO THE HEAVENS and who is able to help in the time of need? Heb.

ML-09/04/1966

Bible Talks: The Story of Jacob

Gen. 28:13-19

IN HIS DREAM, Jacob not only saw the ladder reaching into heaven with the angels ascending and descending on it, but he heard the voice of Jehovah as well. “And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; and thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth... and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.” vv. 13-15.

In the days of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, when as yet there was no Bible written revealing to God’s people His mind and ways, God often employed dreams and visions to communicate His thoughts to people. Such was the case in the scene bore us. How refreshing to hear the promises that God had given faithful Abraham and renewed to Isaac, now extended to Jacob. Even though he had acted in such a carnal way, so unworthy of a child of God, God would not be frustrated in Jacob’s weakness, but would be faithful to His promises. “There are many devices in a man’s heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand.” Prov. 19:21. The psalmist also proved the good of this in his heart when he wrote: “The counsel of the LORD standeth forever, the thoughts of His heart to all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom He hath chosen for His own inheritance.” Psa. 33:11,12.

But Jacob did not have a heart that could enjoy God’s gracious words. He was strange to the God of his fathers so that when he awoke he was filled with fear. “And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not. And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! This is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.” vv. 16,17. Aware that he had been in a privileged place, he yet did not know how to respond to the One who had spoken such amazing words to him and could only say, “How dreadful is this place!”

“And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it. And he called the name of that place Beth-el: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first.” vv. 18,19. In his fear Jacob felt there should be some token to mark this spot where he had so startling an experience and the pillar was set up which he named Beth-el or, “the house of God.”

Bethel, the place on which Jacob lighted, was to be notable in the later history of God’s earthly people. Bethel was God’s pledge of assured mercy to Jacob when he was an outcast and utterly forlorn. The dream of the ladder set up on earth and reaching to heaven, with the Lord Himself above it, foretold of the coming blessing to Jacob’s children and to all the families of the earth in him and his seed. Whatever the sad and lonely beginning, this should be the glorious end.

Memory Verse: “YE SHALL SEEK ME, AND FIND ME, WHEN YE SHALL SEARCH FOR ME WITH ALL YOUR HEART.” Jer. 29:13.

ML-09/04/1966

Lost and Found

LITTLE Charles, only four years old, strayed away from a Sunday school picnic being held out in a wooded area in the country. It was not until evening when the children were mustered for the return home, that little Charles was missed. All were greatly anxious and distressed when it was discovered that Charles was lost. One teacher ran in one direction and one in another; the older boys hunted and shouted around every bush, and up and down the hills, but Charles could not be found.

The children all returned sadly to their homes, and a few of the teachers returned to continue the search.

It was not until midnight that it was discovered where Charles was.

He had wandered along a road all by himself until he had lost sight of the rest of the children. Still on and on he trudged. At length an officer going along a lonely road met the little fellow, and as Charles was too young to explain who he was and how he had become lost, the officer took him to a nearby house, where the kind housewife gave him some supper and put him to bed.

The Sunday school teachers were thankful indeed when they knew where Charles was and they telegraphed his parents the joyful news — “Charles is safe!” Do you think that Charles’ father and mother were content to know that their dear boy was safe? No, they could not rest until their brown-eyed little boy was brought home.

Now the Bible tells us that “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way...” Isaiah 53:6; but the Lord Jesus came “to seek and to save that which was lost.” Luke 19:10. In Luke 15 we read of how the lost sheep was not only found but taken home by the shepherd, and of the prodigal being not only forgiven, but welcomed and brought into his father’s house. Such is the love of God and the love of Christ for the sinner.

The Good Shepherd has given His life for the sheep (John 10:11); and He wants you, dear unsaved reader, to believe Him and trust Him. If you do, He will never let you go, for He says of His sheep, “I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand.” John 10:28. Just think, neither Satan, nor don, nor any evil power, can steal from the Good Shepherd a little lamb who belongs to Him.

ML-09/11/1966

Rose and Her Nurse

“TELL ME something about Jesus, Nurse,” said little Rose, as the kind nurse carried her little patient to the children’s ward of the hospital, after her short afternoon walk.

The nurse looked half-ashamed and replied, “I don’t know about Him, Rose.”

Rose looked up sadly into her nurse’s face and the tears almost came as she said, “I used to hear about Him in Sunday school before I was sick. We sang such nice hymns about ‘The Happy Land,’ and the teacher told us that Jesus had prepared a home for us up there. I wish I could hear more about Him.”

Her nurse promised Rose that on her next night off she would call and tell Rose’s teacher that her little scholar was sick and wanted to see her, and this made Rose very glad. Poor little girl, she knew enough of herself and her sins to make her anxious to hear more about Jesus the Saviour, but there was no one to tell her what she longed to know.

One evening, to Rose’s great dight, her teacher came and was greatly distressed to find her little friend so weak with fever. But the occasion gave her teacher a wonderful opportunity to set the way of salvation and life before both the nurse and her little patient together. Rose was delighted and drank in every word that fell from her teacher’s lips. Her nurse also listened, perhaps for the first time in her life, to the simple gospel message, how that God loved sinners, and gave His dear Son to die for them on the cross.

Dear Rose’s young and tender heart was opened to receive the good news of the Saviour’s love; she believed it and was saved. It was her great delight during the rest of her stay in the hospital to read her Bible and sing:

I feel like singing all the time,

My fears are swept away,

For Jesus is a Friend of mine,

I’ll praise Him every day.

Her nurse never forgot the night of Rose’s conversion, and now she also rejoices in the knowledge of sins forgiven and peace with God.

Rose recovered, and now she seeks in her own humble place to lead others to the Saviour, who saved and made glad her heart that day in the hospital.

ML-09/11/1966

Black, Red, or White: In Which Color Are You?

“LOOK, teacher,” said a big boy in my Sunday school class one afternoon, “look what I have had given to me.”

There was a card painted in three colors — black, red, and white. “Yes,” said I, “that’s very nice, and what does it mean?”

He replied: “The black means sin, the red the blood of Christ, and the white when the sins are all put away.” Then he showed me the other side of the card, on which were printed a number of verses relating to each color, and very clearly pointing out the way of salvation.

“Well, John,” I said, “you seem to understand your card very well. In which color are you?”

He answered solemnly, “In the black, teacher, but I don’t mean always to stay there.”

“I’m glad of that, John,” I added, “but when are you going to get into the white?”

“When I’ve left off some of my old sins, teacher,” he replied.

Poor John! How many there are like him, putting off the day of salvation, and trying to make themselves white, or holy, hoping that God may receive them, instead of trusting in the blood of Jesus to put away their sins.

John knew that the red came between the black and the white, and yet Satan was blinding his eyes. There is a well-known verse which says,

“If you tarry ‘til you’re better,

You will never come at all.

Not the righteous;

Sinners, Jesus came to call.”

Dear young friends, learn by John’s mistake. If by dropping your old sins you could make yourself fit for God, the red would be of no value, but we must learn to have God’s thoughts about the blood of Christ. He calls it “the precious blood of Christ.” 1 Pet. 1:19.

In which color are you? If you are still in the black, remember the only way to the white is by the blood of Jesus, for “all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags.” Isa. 64:6.

I’m glad to tell you that John soon after, was able to say he knew he had been “made white” through the precious blood of Christ.

ML-09/11/1966

Bible Talks: The Story of Jacob

Genesis 28:20-22

“AND JACOB vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, so that I come again to my father’s house in peace; then shall the LORD be my God: and this stone which I have set for a pillar, shall be God’s house: and of all that Thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto Thee.” vv. 20-22.

When all the promises of the LORD were expressed to Jacob so richly, it was certain that He was going to bless him and his seed in a most wonderful way in spite of his crookedness. Yet in his vow Jacob did not rise above the supply of his present wants and God’s care over him so that he should return to his father’s house in peace.

It is interesting to note that the Lord gave seven assurances to Jacob and that Jacob made seven expressions reflecting his lack of faith:

The Lord said: I am the LORD God of Abraham, thy father,

and the God of Isaac;

The land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it;

I am with thee;

I will keep thee in all places whither thou goest;

I will bring thee again into this land;

I will not leave thee;

(I will) have done that which I have spoken.

Jacob replied:

If God be with me;

(If He) will keep me;

(If He) will give me bread and raiment;

(If) I come again to my father’s house in peace;

Then shall the LORD be my God;

Then shall this stone... be God’s house;

Then I will surely give the tenth unto Thee.

God’s thoughts toward Jacob were all on the highest level — Jacob’s were the lowest.

How amazing that such expressions of doubt and a challenging attitude of a bargaining heart and mind could come from one who had just heard the heavenly voice and seen so glorious a vision. Though a child of God, Jacob displayed much of the natural man in spite of what he had just seen and heard. How many there are who are privileged to hear the Word of God and to learn of His promised blessings to those who walk in faith, and yet who do not apply the Word to their own hearts.

Jacob still went on in his own strength. By his lack of faith he continued to hinder the display of God’s power that was pledged on his behalf. And is it not true that when the believer takes matters into his own hands, rather than turning to God about them, he will hinder the outflowing of blessing that would otherwise be his experience?

Memory Verse: “IF ANY SAY, I HAVE SINNED... HE WILL DELIVER HIS SOUL FROM GOING INTO THE PIT, AND HIS LIFE SHALL SEE THE LIGHT.” Job 33:27,28.

ML-09/11/1966

Two Fruits From One Grain

It was during a time of war. A regiment of soldiers had arrived at a village and the villagers were expected to provide lodgings for the men for the night.

There lived in the village a number of Christians who were in the habit of coming together to read the Word of God and to pray. All the soldiers were soon lodged among the villagers except one whose untrimmed beard and long hair gave him the appearance of a savage, so much so that he terrified everyone. Accompanied by an officer this soldier rapped at the door of a citizen who was so frightened at his appearance, that he begged the officer to send him two soldiers instead of the one he had brought. The offer was accepted, and the officer and soldier went away elsewhere. No one wand to take the fierce-looking fellow in, so the officer left him to get out of his difficulty the best way he could.

Repulsed from house to house, he came at length before the door of a building where a number of Christians were gathered together. The owner was standing at the entrance, and seeing this soldier walking up and down he asked him where he was lodged.

“No one has been willing to take me in,” was his frank reply; “and I hope you will not refuse me.”

The owner was about to refuse when the words of Scripture came to his mind. “Come in,” said he, “but promise me that you will conduct yourself properly.” So in he went.

The hall, which was filled with seats, made quite an impression on the soldier, and he asked, “Is this a church?”

The master of the house asked him to sit down which he did at once. Soon the hall was filled. After a hymn and prayer, there was a portion of Scripture read and explained. The happiness of knowing Jesus and the peace that comes from trusting in Him was much dwelt upon.

The soldier, who for the first time in his life found himself in a meeting of Christians, was greatly moved, even to tears, and could not refrain from crying out: “Oh! if I were only like you! But I am a wretched, godless fellow, probably destined to be killed in bale and then to stand before God. Oh, if I were only like you!”

He was soon surrounded by friends who spoke to him of the Saviour’s love, whose heart never turned away even the worst of sinners. They told him of the Shepherd’s happiness in seeking and in saving the lost.

That night the soldier was soundly converted to God, and he went to rest full of joy and gratitude towards his Saviour.

The next morning at daybreak he came again to the first man who had refused him a lodging. “I must tell you,” said he, by way of salutation, “by what good people I have been received,” and he told him his experience of the previous evening. The villager was frightened at first by the return of the “savage” whom he had repulsed, but he recovered himself on seeing that his intentions were good and began to laugh, saying: “My poor fellow, those Christians have turned your head and you will become like one of them unless you stop your ears when they speak of mercy, grace, and salvation, or of judgment. I detest the whole crowd and I certainly shall never attend one of their meetings.”

“And I tell you that you shall come,” said the soldier in a voice of command that did not admit of any reply. “How dare you curse people who love God sincerely, and show the sincerity of their words by their actions? This evening I shall come for you to take you to their meeting.”

Sure enough at the appointed time the soldier returned and the villager, frightened again by his appearance, followed him without saying a word. The soldier led him to a seat in the hall where he sat down, and then sat down beside him.

“Attention! Open your ears,” said the soldier to the villager as the meeting began. The man did so, and so effectually that before the close of the meeting his rebellious heart was broken. His debt of sin toward God came home to him in all its immensity, and the simple announcement of the love of God to the sinner won his heart too.

“Well, what do you say to it now? Is not this a house of God?” asked the soldier on coming out. “Shall it be necessary to come and fetch you again?”

“No, certainly not; and I thank you for having brought me to a house where I have found the salvation of my soul,” replied the villager, pressing his hand.

The following day the regiment moved on to the field of battle. Nothing was heard again of the young-converted soldier. It is probable that he had fallen among the slain, as he had feared; but death only brought him into the presence of God whom he had come to know as his Father through the Lord Jesus.

As to the villager, he became a faithful follower of the Lord, loving His Word and His people whom hitherto he had detested.

Dear reader, we have here two fruits from a single grain. How marvelous are God’s ways of grace to the undeserving.

“Oh the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God.” Rom. 11:33.

I heard the voice of Jesus say,

“I am this dark world’s light:

Look unto Me, thy morn shall rise,

And all thy day be bright.”

I looked to Jesus and I found

In Him, my Star, my Sun;

And in that light of life I’ll walk

Till traveling days be done.

“That ye should show forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” 1 Pet. 2:9.

ML-09/18/1966

Saved in the Hayfield

I WAS spending the evening with a Christian farmer, in whose home we had a happy meeting with a bright lot of young converts to Christ. One of them drove me to the station, a happy boy of sixteen, converted only about three weeks before.

“It was in the hayfield I was brought to Christ,” he said, “while sitting on a pile of hay. It was lunch hour and several of the young fellows sitting beside me were speaking about their conversion and telling of how they were saved. I listened and learned what I had long wished to know — how one could really be saved and know it. It seemed all so simple, just to believe on Christ and be saved wholly by Him. I said to the one that sat next to me, ‘If that’s the way, then I’m saved too!’ And he jumped up and said, ‘Praise the Lord.’ The field rang that afternoon with singing, and I cannot tell you how happy I have been ever since.”

Happy young boy! He knew what many of the world’s great ones do not know — true happiness and peace. Reader, do you? You can, if you will believe.

“These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.” 1 John 5:13.

ML-09/18/1966

Bible Talks: The Story of Jacob (Continued)

Genesis 28:20-22

IT IS EVIDENT that Jacob never I had anything in himself to stand on, yet in choosing to place confidence in self, he lost the peace that quiet trust in the Lord would have produced in his heart and life. When one chooses to stand on his own merit and in his own strength, then God must take him up on this ground, that of his own self-imposed responsibility, whereas, if he takes the ground of being helpless and casts himself on the Lord’s mercies, then God delights to deal with him in total grace. “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.

But God had established a covenant with Jacob, as well as with Abraham and Isaac and, while He would allow Jacob to reap the sad fruit of his self-will and permit him to experience sore trials because of his waywardness, yet He would never forsake him and every prose was to be fulfilled in its time. It was perhaps because of Jacob’s spial need in the long years of trial and testing before him that God’s assurances to him included a prose that was not heard before by either Abraham or Isaac: “I will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land.” This was the more remarkable because Jacob, as a fugitive, was fleeing from the land where his true possessions were and where the call of God to his fathers would have him remain. No doubt in the long weary days and nights that were to follow, Jacob called to remembrance these comforting words and the additional promise: “I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of. v. 15.

In the light of further truth revealed since the days of Jacob, we now know that the total fulfillment of God’s promises to Jacob, looked forward to the millennial scene when Israel as a nation will have a glorious place in that land. Then they will be able to look to the west, east, north and south and see their prosperity spread abroad, with all nations of the earth bringing their glory and honor to Jerusalem, the city of the great King, their Messiah, Jacob, of course, was not aware of this and could think only of the promise in connection with what he or his immediate descendants might experience. Such did take place many years later when the children of Israel left Egypt, wandered forty years in the wilderness and then crossed Jordan to enter and inherit Canaan. This time of God’s blessing to His people also has had its partial fulfillment in past history, although Jacob himself did not live to see it. Faith was required to trust God for the fulfillment of these promises.

At the close of Chapter 28, Jacob was introduced to the promises of blessing, but the energy of faith was needed to enjoy them. Jacob’s heart and energies were still very much centered upon himself.

Memory Verse: “AS MOSES LIFTED UP THE SERPENT IN THE WILDERNESS, EVEN SO MUST THE SON OF MAN BE LIFTED UP.” John 3:14.

ML-09/18/1966

The Moose Sanctuary

TOM had not been long in Canada, when his uncle took him on a trip to Jasper National Park. This was a great treat for Tom and he was greatly excited. He had heard about the wonderful park and of how the Canadian government had set aside a huge tract of country called a reservation, where animals could roam about in perfect safety.

Uncle Jim knew one of the game wardens, who smiled as he took the little party on a tour, for nothing pleased him better than to show off the wonders of the reserve. Then ban a happy time for Tom as the game warden pointed out many things of interest as they went along: black bears and brown bears, buffaloes, beavers, sheep with beautiful curved horns, and goats which roamed high up among the rocky heights. Then Jim turned to their kind guide and said, “I think Tom would like to see a moose.”

The game warden laughed, “Okay then, but remember it’s not the kind of ‘moose,’ or ‘mouse’ you speak of in Scotland.”

Then he set his hands cup-shaped to his mouth and gave a peculiar call. After repeating it several times, there was a sound of crackling among the brushwood, and out into the open dashed a great majestic animal with huge antlers.

“It’s all right,” said the game warden as he tossed some tidbits to the animal. “What do you think of our moose?”

Tom turned to his uncle in surprise and exclaimed: “I never saw a moose like that before,” much to the amusement of the two men.

Later on their way homeward, Uncle Jim talked of what they had seen. Said he, “The moose is the largest of the deer family, and hunters entice them within gunshot in much the same way as you saw the game warden do. They imitate the call of a moose so well, that one of them is sure to think it’s one of his mates, and he rushes to investigate. However, in the game preserve they are safe.

“And, my boy,” Uncle Jim went on, “how true it is with all who come to the Lord Jesus and find a sanctuary in Him, The enemy of souls, the devil, may try to entice them to their harm and destruction, but in the Lord Jesus they are safe, for He is stronger than Satan and He protects them. Let us remember, Tom, that “Whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe.” Prov. 29:25.

ML-09/25/1966

The Smoking Firebrand

THE NATIVES of Central Africa used to call their homeland “The Long Grass.” They gave it that name because the grass there for nine months of the year is thirteen feet high, and the sky you see is a strip of blue above.

In “The Long Grass” there lived a notable chief called “Smoking Firebrand.” He was a cannibal and had slain sixty-seven Belgians. The question was, “Who is going to tackle him?”

Dan Crawford, the missionary, spent many years in “The Long Grass,” and told how he tackled this formidable chief. First he sent a message to him: “Man of God coming.” When Crawford arrived, the chief let him into his hut. “Now tell me,” said the missionary, “why you have killed all these innocent people?”

The chief had wonderful reasons for his murders.

Then Mr. Crawford began to read his Bible to him — passages which spoke of God’s judgments against sins he had committed.

“I do not know that Book,” cried the chief. “That is a foreign Book,” and he drove the missionary out of his hut.

But Dan Crawford had found a shaft in the Book which was to pierce even this hard heart.

“Why,” said he, “you are down in this Book. This may be a foreign Book, but you are here.” He then read to him a verse in Isaiah 7: “fear not, neither be faint-hearted for the two tails of these smoking firebrands...” v. 4.

The old chief stood with his brow puckered and a puzzled expression on his face.

“Anything more about me, the Smoking Firebrand?” he asked.

“Yes, here’s something more,” the missionary read again: “Ye were as brands” — that is, smoking fire. brands — “plucked from the burning.”

That shaft went home too. “Anything more?” he asked, now thoroughly interested and roused.

“Yes, here is one more: ‘Others save, plucking them out of the fire’ — plucking them out, that is, as you pull out a smoking firebrand.”

I wish we could tell you the old chief got converted. However, we know that from then on he had an immense respect for the foreign Book, which contained his name, and which could tell him so much about himself. And your name and mine is there too, sinner friend, for we are all sinners.

“This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation; that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.” I Tim. 1:15.

ML-09/25/1966

The Spiked Cannon

IN THE PARK of my old hometown there is an old cannon, on which I often used to sit as a child. It was said to have been used in a famous battle, but it had been taken from the enemy among other spoils of war. It cannot be fired now, nor can it do any harm, for it is spiked with a heavy piece of iron.

Our old Sunday school teacher was speaking to us one day of how the Lord Jesus in His death has destroyed the power of death, and spoiled its power for all who trust in Him.

“You all know the old cannon in the park, don’t you?” she asked. “Yes,” we all said.

“Then, you will notice it is spiked and can do none of you any harm. But it was not always so. Once it was an instrument of death in the hands of our enemies, but some brave soldiers went right up, took it out of the enemy’s hands, so that it might never be used against anyone again. I believe it cost some of them their lives, but that instrument of death frightens us no more.

“And,” said our earnest teacher, “that is just a little like what the Lord Jesus did for us when He died upon the cross. Single-handed at the cross, He met our great enemy, San, who had the power of death, and by His death and resurrection, He destroyed Satan’s power. Now all who believe in Jesus, the Son of God, have everlasting life. Death to them is like the old cannon, spiked and powerless. They can look it in the face without fear. I have seen a dying Christian rejoicing in Christ, and triumphing in the new life and in the glory he was soon to enter, even in the very presence of death.”

I never forgot those words. Now I know their meaning for I have Christ now as my Saviour. Dear reader, have you?

“That through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; and deliver them, who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.” Heb. 2:14, 15.

ML-09/25/1966

Bible Talks: The Story of Jacob

Genesis 29:1-14

“THEN JACOB went on his journey, and came into the land of the people of the east.” v.l. No further account of Jacob’s journey is given, but he was confronted over those long miles with wearisome desert surroundings, knowing the heat of day and the cold of night thoughts of the comforts of the home he had left behind, and uncertainty as to the future surely adding to his misery. It must have been a lonely journey indeed for Jacob who as yet had scarcely learned to cast his cares upon the One who alone could have comforted him.

At last he reached the land of Haran. Coming to the welcome sight of sheep lying by wells of water, with their attending shepherds, he asked: “Know ye Laban the son of Nahor?... And they said, He is well: and, behold, Rachel his daughter cometh with the sheep.” vv. 5,6. The picture brings to memory the day when Eliezer, the servant of Abram, came to this same land and by a well of water found Rebekah, who was to become the bride of Isaac. But what a contrast there was to the two occasions! In the first, the servant could happily display the wealth of his master and make gifts thereof, as well as tell of his honored place in Canaan’s land. In the second, however, Jacob had no gifts to offer. The servant, in the presence of his hosts, gladly spoke of the One who had prospered his way: “The LORD God of my master Abraham,” said he, “led me in the right way.” Chap. 24:48. But Jacob remained silent on this subject.

“And while he yet spake with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep: for she kept them... (and) Jacob went near, and rolled the stone from the well’s mouth, and watered the flock... And Jacob told Rachel that he was her father’s brother (nephew), and that he was Rebekah’s son: and she ran and told her father.” vv. 9-12.

It was an emotional scene when these two cousins thus met for the first time. In those days news traveled slowly and there is no record of any communication between the two families since that day long bore when Rebekah had left her home to be Isaac’s bride. Her brother Laban would now be an old man — well over 100 years of age — and her parents certainly gone many years back. It is no wonder that Jacob “lifted up his voice, and wept,” and that Rachel “ran and told her father.”

“And it came to pass, when Laban heard the tidings of Jacob his sister’s son, that he ran to meet him, and embraced him, and kissed him, and brought him to his house. And he told Laban all these things. And Laban said to him, Surely thou art my bone and my flesh. And he abode with him the space of a month.” vv. 13,14. It is easy to imagine how cheered Jacob’s heart must have been to receive this warm welcome. Here would be a good place to settle down and be free from his brother Esau’s wrath. But he had some sad surprises awaiting him while he dwelt in this land.

Memory Verse: “CALL UPON ME IN THE DAY OF TROUBLE: I WILL DELIVER THEE, AND THOU SHALT GLORIFY ME.” Psa. 50:15.

ML-09/25/1966

Safe

HERE is an interesting picture. What does it all mean? What are the dogs trying to do? Why is the cat on the donkey’s back? I’m sure most of you can guess.

The dogs were chasing the cat, as dogs love to do, and the cat has jumped up on the donkey, believing she will be safe there. The dogs cannot reach her. You have perhaps seen a cat run up a tree or over a fence when chased by a dog. But dogs do not often catch cats.

Whose friend do you think the donkey is? Will he help the dogs get the cat? No, I don’t think so. That hind leg is raised and ready to kick, and the terrier knows well enough to keep his distance.

The cat has found a friend that is stronger than her enemies—a friend willing and able to protect her. She is in a safe place.

Dear young friends, does not this picture make you think of another place of safety? It does me. Do you know One who can protect you from harm, from enemies that are stronger than you and would drag you down to destruction?

Jesus, the Son of God, loves you and wants to be your Protector from harm and danger. He came into this world and died on the cross for sin that you might have salvation, that you might be safe from coming judgment, and from Satan, the great enemy of our souls. We all have sinned; and are in great danger if we have not reached the only place of safety — Christ as our Saviour. Yet in His arms we are perfectly safe. Some of us have found shelter in His precious blood which cleanses from all sin. Have you? If you love Him and trust Him He will take care of you, both now and forever.

“The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and He shall thrust out the enemy from before thee.” Deut. 33:27.

ML-10/02/1966

Elaine's Text

ELAINE was as busy as a little girl could be. She was painting a text this Saturday afternoon, but somehow she was not pleased with her first effort. The text was: “LOOK UNTO ME AND BE YE SAVED ALL THE ENDS OF THE EARTH, FOR I AM GOD AND THERE IS NONE ELSE.” Isa. 45:22.

Elaine was not easily discouraged. She tore the page out of her book and threw it into the wastepaper basket and, like a wise little girl, she started all over again. Just then her father, who looked after the mail, came into the room and caught sight of a newspaper lying in the wastepaper basket. “Why is this here?” he asked. “It should have been sent out before this.”

Then looking at his watch he saw that he had just time to catch the mail, so he hastily folded it up and, unknown to him, Elaine’s crumpled text went with it. Soon it was on its way to a far-off land where Elaine’s uncle lived. He was sick in bed at the time and with joy he opened the paper from his dear old homeland. As he turned the pages Elaine’s text dropped out, and the sick man read the wonderful words as a glad message from God Himself: “LOOK UNTO ME, AND BE YE SAVED...”

They were a message of life to him, as they have been to many others, and they may be so to you, dear reader. “LOOK UNTO ME.” Elaine’s uncle did look by faith to Christ and found joy and peace believing. Will you not also LOOK and LIVE?

“Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Rom. 10:13.

ML-10/02/1966

Mother Love

LYING on the porch swing the other day, enjoying the friendly shade, I suddenly became aware of something unusual happening nearby. A little wren sat on the top of a post, and making as much noise as it could. The little bird had now gained my attention, but that did not satisfy it. It kept up a constant flow of chirping. Then, darting forth, it perched upon the arm of the swing itself, at my very feet, and kept up its noisy chattering.

I realized that something more was expected from me, so as I knew where the little wren’s nest was, I hurried in that direction.

Rounding the corner of the house, the cause of all the commotion was a cat which apparently had made plans to dine on the little wren’s babies. But her best laid plans had been thwarted by the God-given instinct of the mother bird. The cat hastily retreated when I appeared.

Now that the danger was at an end, and peace restored, little Mrs. Wren, sitting on the telephone wire, heartily poured out her sweetest song of thanksgiving and praise for such full and free deliverance.

We read in the Psalms, “He math the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still...Oh that men would praise the LORD for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!” Psalm 107:29,31.

The Lord’s ears are ever open to hear our cry. He waits to be a Saviour and a Friend to you if you will put your trust in Him, dear reader.

“Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you.” 1 Pet. 5:7.

ML-10/02/1966

When to Trust Christ

“Trust in Him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before Him.” Psa. 62:8.

Trust Him in the shadow,

Trust Him in the night,

He will never fail thee,

Trust His love and might.

Trust His wisdom ever,

Trust His tender care,

He will leave thee never,

Till His Home thou’lt share.

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

ML-10/02/1966

The Little Busy Bee

How doth the little busy bee,

Improve each shining hour:

And gather honey all the day,

From every opening flower?

In works of labor, or of skill

I would be busy too;

For Satan finds some mischief still

For idle hands to do.

ML-10/02/1966

Bible Questions for October

The Children’s Class

1. “Hear the word of the gospel.”

2. “Spoke unto him the word of the Lord.”

3. “Received the word with all readiness.”

4. “Teaching the word of God.”

5. “Heard the word of the Lord Jesus.”

6. “Mightily grew the word of God.”

7. “Remember the words of the Lord Jesus.”

The Young People’s Class: In the Sight of God

1. What two things are necessary in our lives if we would find favor IN THE SIGHT OF GOD and man? Prov. 3.

2. How are things that are highly esteemed among men viewed IN THE SIGHT OF GOD? Luke 16.

3. What attitude of our hearts is of great value IN THE SIGHT OF GOD? 1 Pet.

4. What must we do IN THE SIGHT OF THE LORD in order that He might lift us up? James 4.

5. In order to manifest the truth to the consciences of others, what should characterize us IN THE SIGHT OF GOD? 2 Cor. 4.

6. What supplications on our part are good and acceptable IN THE SIGHT OF GOD? 1 Tim.

7. What is precious IN THE SIGHT OF THE LORD? Psa. 116.

ML-10/02/1966

Bible Talks: The Story of Jacob

Genesis 29:15

“AND LABAN said unto Jacob, Because thou art my brother, shouldest thou therefore serve me for naught? Tell me, what shall thy wages be? v. 15.

If Jacob at this time did not realize the cleverness of his uncle Laban, he was soon to discover that here was a man who would take advantage of him at every opportunity and use him in every possible way for his own gain. Jacob the bargainer was to meet his match in Laban and to prove through twenty long years that, “Whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap.” Yet, harsh as these measures were to be, God was allowing them as part of Jacob’s schooling, and the lessons were necessary in bringing him to the realization that in himself he was nothing at all and that God was his only refuge and strength (Psa. 46:1,7).

As this portion is pondered, it is well to give serious thought to one’s own pattern of life. Let each seek grace to profit by the serious and sad mistakes of this saint of old. It is ever true that “God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble,” and there is real profit in learning in a practical way the admonition, “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up.” James 4:6,10. Had Jacob been willing to let this pattern rule his life we may be certain that many burdens would have been lifted from him. The same can be said with equal certainty as to the walk of the child of God today.

Less responsibility for his deceitfulness fell on Laban than on Jacob, for the former was a stranger to the God whom Jacob had known through his fathers. It is useless to expect from worldly men anything but worldly ways and principles, Where the believer stoops to bargaining with worldly men, he reduces himself (for all practical purposes) to the same level. There he may experience many harmful results, often beyond remedy. This was the case with Jacob at this time in his life.

But again our thoughts as to Jacob’s wretchedness are arrested by thoughts of the grace shown to him by a compassionate God. Surely none but God could take up one like Jacob and appoint him to a final place of honor in the history of his people. Nor could anyone but God make him an object of His love. But the natural heart cannot penetrate into God’s counsels or ways with poor, lost man. If we but look at ourselves we must each one agree that we have a nature very similar to that of Jacob and we will be equally amazed that God can look with favor upon any one of us. Jacob’s descendants, the people of Israel, could say: “The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy... He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward them that fear Him.” Psa. 103:8,10,11.

We who know in our souls the redemptive work of Christ at Calvary can say: “The kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us " Titus 3:4,5.

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

ML-10/02/1966

The One That Went Astray

ONE NIGHT, (about 3:00 a.m.) I was awakened by someone pounding on my door. There was a man there who was an entire stranger to me. He said, “I have come to ask you to go with me to pray for a dying girl.”

When I suggested that I would come as soon as it was daylight, he said he feared it would be too late; so I got ready to go. As I was dressing, he said, “I want to be fair with you and tell you where you are going. It is a shameful place, but this girl seems to have known you, and asked me to come as she wants you to pray with her.”

I set his mind at rest on that by telling him it did not matter where she was, if she wanted me to pray with her; I would go down with him, as that was my business.

He took me down into the low district and into a house where I found a poor girl in her teens. It was very evident that she was soon to meet her Maker.

“I don’t think you know me,” she said, “but I know you, and I knew you’d come and pray with me — for I am going to die. The girls here do not believe I am, but I know that I am going.”

While I was wondering just how I could bring that poor soul to a living Saviour, she solved the proem by asking me if there was not a story in the Bible about a sheep that had left the fold, and of the Shepherd who had gone after it and brought it back again? “Oh, yes,” I said, “that is the parable of the ninety-and-nine, and the one that went astray.”

“Yes,” she murmured over and over, “the one that went astray.” Then she led me on as she asked, “Can you find that in the Bible?”

“Yes,” I said. “It is in the 15th chapter of Luke,” and I turned to it to read. But I never understood it before as I did that night, when her comment on “the one that went astray” gave the real point to the parable.

When I finished reading in Luke 15 about the Great Shepherd, I turned over to John’s narrative about the Good Shepherd who gave eternal life to the sheep. As I knelt to pray by that dying girl, the other girls knelt, too, sobbing by their companion’s bed! What an audience was there! I have preached to vast congregations, but never was a meeting more hallowed by the presence of the Lord Jesus than this! As I prayed there, the conscious feeling that she was being lifted into the very light and love of God gripped me, and right then and there was literally flooding her soul.

I shall never forget the expression on that face when I looked up.

“Oh!” she cried, “Oh! it is wonderful! The Good Shepherd has found me, and He is holding me to His heart!”

I have never heard that expression before, but over and over she kept repeating it. How I thanked God that He had given me a gospel of grace, for what message would I have had for a dying sinner like that, if works or merit were demanded?

That poor lost sheep was so happy in her newfound joy that I really wondered if the lifting of that burden of sin from her heart was not giving her physical strength that might bring recovery; and so I ventured to go home — but when I returned later, I knew the end had come, for the undertaker was entering the house as I came up. One of the other girls came out to meet me, and her first words were: “My! We all wish you had been here when Mary passed away. She was so happy! She kept saying, ‘The Shepherd has found me and is holding me to His heart.’ You may say it was all fancy, but I believe He did. She actually tried to clasp her arms around the Unseen, and then, with a soft ‘Good-by’ to us girls, she was gone.”

Some years later, I was preaching the gospel in a city. A young woman came to me, and smilingly asked, “Don’t you recognize me?” When I replied that I could not just say for sure, she said: “Yes, I think you do. I am the girl that told you of Mary’s passing that morning, and how happy she was in her new-found joy, as she died, saying, “The Shepherd has found me and is holding me to His heart!” But there is something I want to tell you. The morning When the Good Shepherd brought Mary in on His shoulders, I came too.”

Of course, this brought me great joy, and increased my confidence in the saving power of the gospel of Jesus Christ — the wonderful story of love.

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

“I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth.” Rom. 1:16.

ML-10/09/1966

A Swelled Head and a Swollen Foot

JIM was keeping very well pleased with himself. It was the first time that he had managed to persuade his father to go with him to the swimming pool. As he looked down at the smaller boys who were playing and swimming in the water below him, he thought here was a chance to show what he could do, and outshine some of the small fry.

Ordinarily, it was not like Jim to “show off.” If he had not been so wrapped up in himself, he would have noticed the look of disapproval on his father’s face as he watched him from the other side of the pool.

“Say, Jim, let Dad see you on the rings,” cried his younger brother, Joe, looking up to the large rings which were suspended from the roof and hung down over the water.

“Okay,” said Jim, sticking out his chest. “Afterward I’ll let him see how I can swim two lengths.”

The life guard set the rings in motion toward each other with a long pole, and then Jim, with another quick look at his father, jumped up and gripped the first ring. Keeping it swinging, he reached over and seized the second ring, and in this way he gracefully swung from one ring to another until he had reached the last one. With an effort which he meant to be very effective, Jim sought to land near where his father was standing. But unhappily he did not raise his foot high enough, and his ankle struck the edge of the pool. It was a very humble Jim that limped back to the dressing room.

“What went wrong?” Joe asked.

“Dunno,” Jim muttered, “just didn’t lift my foot high enough, that’s all.”

Jim knew that there was more to it than that; therefore, he was not surprised when his father said quietly, “That was a nasty crack you gave yourself, my boy. But it is a lesson which will last you all your life, so that out of seeming evil good may come. Jim, in God’s Word there are two kinds of people: the humble and the ‘heady', or the proud (2 Tim. 3:4), and I need not tell you that it is not the mark of a true believer in the lowly Lord Jesus to be proud.”

Both Jim and Joe were sincere Christian boys, and as Jim thought of how his swelled head had caused him a swollen foot, the words of Solomon came to his mind: “Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” Prov. 16:18.

To all our young readers, saved and unsaved alike, we pass on the gracious message of the Lord Jesus: “Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 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. 11:28,29.

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

ML-10/09/1966

Bible Talks: The Story of Jacob

Gen. 29:16-30:8

“AND LABAN had two daughters: the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. Leah was teer eyed; but Rachel was beautiful and well-favored. And Jacob loved Rachel; and said, I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter.” vv. 16-18. Jacob had found an object for his heart’s affection in Rachel. With her as a reward, the labor of seven years seemed a fair enough bargain, to which Laban readily agreed, concealing the deceitful purpose concerning his part of the contract.

“And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had to her. And Jacob said unto Laban, Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled.” vv. 20,21. On the wedding night Laban arranged a feast, with all the men of the place in attendance. But it was then that Laban’s deceitfulness came into play, for in the darkness of night he craftily brought Leah to Jacob, rather than Rachel, and it was not until morning light that Jacob learned he had been the victim of his uncle’s guile. “And it came to pass, that in the morning, behold, it was Leah: and he said to Laban, What is this thou hast done unto me? Did not I serve with thee for Rachel? Wherefore then hast thou beguiled me? And Laban said, It must not be so done in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn.” vv. 25,26.

Following this, a second “bargain” was struck between the two — La-ban giving him also Rachel to wife, with the understanding that he would serve an additional seven years for her. Thus did Jacob reap the bitter fruit of what he had sown in earlier years, finding himself the husband of the elder daughter, for whom he had no love, as well as the younger, on whom his heart was set.

In the early years of his marriage there was a real trial experience by Jacob in respect to this dual marriage. Four sons were born to him through Leah in the first years of his marriage — Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah. But Rachel, whom he loved, bore him no children, which was a matter of great concern to her, for she envied her sister. In reality it was God’s hand on Jacob and Rachel, because of the favoritism he showed the younger sister and the unconcealed hatred toward the elder. It would be happy to learn at this time of crisis that Jacob and Rachel went to the Lord about it, but Jacob had not yet learned to meet his problems this way, nor does it appear that Rachel at this point had learned to trust in God.

Taking matters into their own hands, there followed a period when she determined she would present Jacob with children at any price and accordingly arranged for him to take Bilhah, her maid, to wife, with the understanding that she would claim any children to whom Bilhah would give birth. Through this marriage two additional sons were brought into the family — Dan and Naphtali. How displeased God must have been to see this resort to the flesh instead of waiting on Him.

ML-10/09/1966

The Goat and the Lions

THE PRINCE of Wales, who later became King of England, was on his second visit to India. The Maharajah of Gwalia had three young lions kept in an enclosure, intending to let them go into the forests when they were fully grown.

One morning the Prince went with some of the staff to see them feed the lions. He was quite grieved when a live goat was put into the lions’ pen. For some time the young lions played with the poor frightened little creature, as if they were quite friendly, just as a cat does with a mouse. But the goat knew their sport meant death in the end and with great pluck he defended himself as best he could. But what match was a poor little goat to three powerful young lions. His doom was certain, unless someone from outside came to his rescue.

The Prince of Wales looked on with much displeasure and at length he exclaimed: “I can’t stand this any longer! He’s a plucky goat, and we must get him out somehow!”

But how! that was the question.

Now, dear reader friend, by nature we are all like that goat (Matt. 25:33); and are surrounded by lions, who though for a time they may play with us, nevertheless they are bent on devouring us. Can we diver ourselves? No; we are helpless. The three lions are:

THE WORLD — all its fashions and pleasures, it theaters, its games, its associations, and all its attractions. This lion first sports with us and then devours us.

THE FLESH — all the evil passions and tendencies within us, of which the Apostle Paul said: “If ye live after the flesh, ye shall die.” Rom. 8:13. This is a lion close at hand.

THE DEVIL — “who as a roaring lion, walketh about seeking whom he may devour.” 1 Pet. 5:8 — a strong and cruel foe.

Now just as the Prince, when he saw the goat in such a peril, said it must be rescued, so God seeing us in such peril as sinners, longed for our deliverance.

A DESIRED SALVATION: The Prince pitied the little goat: for him there was no pleasure in seeing it slain; he desired its salvation. So God desires our salvation. “As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live.” Ezek. 33:11.

A DECREED SALVATION: “We must get him out somehow,” said the Prince. This was more than a desire. So God decreed back in the garden of Eden, when sin first came in and man fell, that the Seed of the woman should crush the serpent’s head: Christ should come to destroy Satan and his power, and set sinners free.

A DIFFICULT SALVATION: The little goat was helpless among the lions; he appeared to be their lawful prey. But once he was in, to get him out would be an extremely difficult thing. Our salvation was far more difficult. How could God save a guilty sinner and yet be just and righteous at the same time? Love found a way. The Lord Jesus said, “Lo, I come to do Thy will, O God.” (Heb. 10:9). “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son...” John 3: 16. “They went both of them together,” (Gen. 22:6), to Calvary, where Jesus gave Himself a ransom for us all (1 Tim. 2:5). The little goat was helpless among the fierce beasts; and we still more so. But “when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.” Rom. 5: 6.

A DEVISED SALVATION: Did they get the little goat out? If so, how?

A general on the Prince’s staff suddenly had an idea. Quickly they brought a rope and made a lasso. After two or three tries, the noose dropped over the goat’s head. A lioness was already charging toward him, but too late! The goat was hoisted to safety. Like one of old he might even have said, “I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion? 2 Tim. 4:17.

Supposing the Prince himself had gone in and saved the goat, but died himself in the rescue, would it have been worthwhile? Yet the Lord Jesus gave Himself and died for us—ruined, guilty hell-deserving sinners. Everlasting praise be to Him!

Was the goat given back to the lions again later? Oh no! Never! He was pensioned, and for the rest of his days wore a silver collar, recording how the Prince saved him. Could he have understood, do you think he would be ashamed of that collar? Rather would it not be his delight to display it? And shall we who are redeemed at such a cost be ashamed to tell others of our wonderful Saviour who loved us and died for us?

Now remember, dear reader, there is only One who can save you, only one thing that can take away your sins — “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.” 1 John 1:7.

ML-10/16/1966

Consider the Ravens: True Nature Stories

PEPPER the terrier came trotting down the street in his own quiet way. He was a peaceful little dog, but then he didn’t know Peg, the ren. There she was perched on a barrel in the yard, and whenever she got her bright eyes on the dog, she skipped up to him and in her harsh rough voice shouted in his ear: “Hullo! hullo! hullo! who are you?”

Before the startled terrier could recover from his surprise Peg carried on as if she were in a great rage, and kept shouting at him: “Hi! hi! Go home! go home!”

Poor Pepper was almost frantic with fear, and took off down the street with speed, to Peg’s secret delight.

But all ravens do not dislike dogs. A man was once riding in his carriage and unfortunately one of the wheels ran over the leg of his fine Newfoundland dog. While the crushed foot of the dog was being examined and bound up, a raven who belonged to the hotel, kept hopping around, and showed a great interest in the proceedings. As soon as the dog was tied up in a corner of the stable, the raven not only waited on him in the kindest possible manner, but even went and brought him some bones lest his noble friend should get hungry.

Thus a deep affection sprang up between the two. One night the stable door was left closed. The raven pecked away at the bottom of the door, so that by morning the hole was nearly large enough for the bird to get through to the stable.

This reminds us of the ravens which brought food to the prophet Elijah in the time of his need. Of course it was God who caused them to do so, for He never forgets His own and He was caring for His servant Elijah (1 Kings 17).

Our Lord Jesus Christ comforted his followers with these words: “Consider the ravens; for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls!” Luke 12:24.

Happy are you, dear readers, if you can say, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.” Psa. 23:1.

Memory Verse: “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.

ML-10/16/1966

Bible Talks: The Story of Jacob

Gen. 30:9-26

“WIEN LEAH saw that she had left bearing, she took Zilpah her maid, and gave her Jacob to wife.” v. 9. Surely the whole pattern before us is thus far not one of faith, but the activity of the mind and the natural reasonings that would not wait on God for blessing. Leah imitated her younger sister in giving her maid to Jacob and through this strange arrangement two additional sons were born Gad and Asher, making eight sons now in the household. Shortly thereafter God did bless Leah with two additional boys and a daughter. These were named Issachar, Zebulun and Dinah.

“And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her... and [she] bare a son; and said, God hath taken away my reproach: And she called his name Joseph; and said, The LORD shall add to me another son.” vv. 22-24. With the birth of Joseph there were eleven sons and one daughter born to Jacob. Joseph was actually the first son born by Rachel and his birth marked a very important point in her life, as it soon did in Jacob’s. This was the first son for whom there was any evidence of looking to God, and He who loves to answer the prayer of a penitent heart “hearkened unto her.” Happy in the answer of her cries to God she exclaimed: “God hath taken away my reproach.” “The LORD shall add to me another son.” Surely she had entered a real period of faith in God and this was the introduction to important changes that were going to take place in the entire family.

“And it came to pass, when Rachel had borne Joseph, that Jacob said unto Laban, Send me away, that I may go unto mine own place, to my country. Give me my wives and my children, for whom I have served thee, and let me go.” 25,26. If the birth of Joseph marked a turning point in the life of Rachel it also had its good effect upon Jacob. After fourteen years in Padan-Aram, bargaining with and being deceived by Laban, while living among his idols, he was now weary of this life and found his thoughts turning to Canaan, of which the Lord had said: “I will bring thee again into this land.”

Joseph was the true child of promise, of whom a great deal will later be recorded, and was to have the special love of his father, although Jacob could scarcely enter into it at this time. But it was apparent that God touched his heart and turned his eyes in the right direction.

In Rachel, the much-loved wife we have a picture of Israel: “of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came” (Rom. 9:5). In the two sons she presented to her husband we have types of Christ: Joseph, type of Him, the despised, rejected, suffering but exalted One; Benjamin born in the land, “son of my sorrow,” but also “son of my right hand” (Gen. 35:18). In a future day He will return in power and this remnant of Israel will acknowledge the long-rejected One as Jehovah their God; for “Thy people shall be willing in the day of Thy power. Psa. 110:3.

ML-10/16/1966

Saved

THE BARRACKS square at Grenoble, France, was gay with bunting as the regiment marched in and formed up in sections. Down to one side of the square came the heroine of the regiment, to whom a presentation was about to be made, with a trooper on each side acting as support. The military band played to her honor, and then a message from the General was read praising the bravery of the heroine.

Amid the loud hurrahs from the troops, the silver medal was attached to the heroine’s collar, and the men were delighted when she barked her thanks and wagged her tail vigorously. Betty was a magnificent wolfhound, and this is why she was so highly honored by the troops: In March, a mountain climber named Rudelle had broken his leg in the mountains. A rescue party from the regiment reached him, but were unable to bring him back owing to blizzards. They left him some provisions, and also the dog, Betty, for company. Another party failed to reach him because of the fierce blizzard, but on the third day at nightfall, a rescue party found their way to where Rudelle was lying. They were amazed to find him still alive, with the faithful Betty stretched across his body. She was suffering from frostbite, but she had saved the man’s life, and the regent were glad to honor her for her noble deed.

Just as the man was in a helpless condition, and was unable to save himself, so you must be saved, dear young reader, and you can only be saved as a sinner. Have you found out that you are a lost sinner? If so, Jesus came “to seek and to save that which was lost.” Luke 19: 10. He came to seek and to save YOU.

Just as you are, and where you are, you may be saved by believing in Him as your own personal Saviour. Take Him now, and all your joy will be in praising and honoring Him who loved you unto the death of the cross.

ML-10/23/1966

Christine

CHRISTINE was a frail, delicate young girl in her teens. Perhaps one might have thought she was not long for this world, but she was ready for the next, for as a sinner she had trusted the Saviour whom she loved and longed to serve. She could say.

“At the dawning of my lifetime,

In the springtime of my youth;

Jesus with His loving accents,

Wooed me to the truth.”

The doctor suggested a change of climate for her, and so it came about that she arrived at the home of her aunt and uncle who lived on the banks of the beautiful river. Uncle George was a strong, well-built man, a kind husband and father, but he had no care for his soul, and therefore no hope beyond the grave.

Christine soon noticed that God was not honored in the home, and she earnestly prayed that she might be made a blessing there during her stay.

One Sunday evening after supper, she said, “Uncle, do come with Auntie and me to the gospel.” But he scornfully shook his head, saying that that was not much in his 14',

“Oh, do come, Uncle,” she pleaded.

“No,” said he, “my boots are muddy, and I’m too tired to clean the and get ready.”

Christine turned away disappointed, but she did not give up. Quite unknown to him she found the muddy boots, gave them a thorough cleaning and polishing, and then she returned and placed them bright and shining beside him. Again she asked, “Now, won’t you come? Please do, this once.”

The strong man looked at the frail young girl before him, then at the boots at his feet, and his heart melted; he felt he could not resist her loving appeal. Though he thought it was a mere childish whim of hers, he consented to go. He went and changed his clothes, and soon the three of them were sitting in the gospel meeting.

The preacher told the story of God’s love to the sinner, that He was just and the Justifier of all who believe in Jesus. The message went home in power to one heart that night, and that was dear Christine’s aunt. That night she turned in repentance to Christ, the Friend and Saviour of sinners. She received the blessed assurance of sins forgiven and came home rejoicing in Him as her own personal Saviour. She could say, “He loved me and gave Himself for me.”

Uncle George, however, steeled his heart against the truth. He tried to forget what he had heard, and appeared not to notice the marvelous change in his wife. It was true of him that —

“At the noontide of my manhood,

Jesus knocked at my heart’s door;

But I slighted all His pleadings,

As oft before.”

Sunday evening came round again, and after supper Uncle George was settling down in his big easy chair, when to his surprise Christine again appeared bringing his boots which she had carefully cleaned. Again she asked him so earnestly to come with them to the meeting. He failed to find a reasonable excuse, and finally was persuaded to go along with his wife and niece and little boy, Phil.

As he sat under the sound of the story of God’s rich grace to unworthy sinners, his conscience began to accuse him, and for the first time he felt that he had neglected God. He was condemned as he thought of his past life; the Spirit of God reminded him of his many sins. The strong man was convicted and trembled as he felt the awful power of this condemnation. As he sat there, God-condemned and self-condemned, the old messages of the Saviour’s love came to him as cold water to a thirsty soul, and as a healing balm to his weary, stricken, heavy-laden heart. He was so solemnly impressed that he remained behind to speak with the preacher, who spoke to him of his great sin and need, and of God’s greater remedy.

A great battle between light and darkness raged within his soul. He stood there motionless, halting between two opinions. Then he felt a pull at his coat sleeve and turning he saw his little boy, Phil, standing by his side. The little fellow looked up into his father’s face and in his childish voice, he said, “Come to Jesus now, Daddy, for mother did last Sunday.” This was too much for Uncle George. The tears ran down his cheeks and he yielded to Christ who was so willing to save him. He returned to his home rejoicing in the knowledge of sins forgiven, a new creature in Christ Jesus.

What a change God wrought in that home! Both husband and wife were truly converted through that true, delicate girl who from all appearances had gone there to die. However, Christine did not die. From that time she gradually recovered, and here our story closes with a happy picture of these dear children of God each living for Him who loved and gave Himself for them.

Dear reader, can you say you are saved? “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.” Acts 16:31.

ML-10/23/1966

Bible Talks: The Story of Jacob

Gen. 30:27-31:3

“AND LABAN said unto him, I pray thee, if I have found favor in thine eyes, tarry; for I have learned by experience that the LORD hath blessed me for thy sake.” v. 27. Laban was not one to embrace any thought toward God in his life, but was quick to see that God was with Jacob. He pressed him to rain with him, so that he himself might prosper still further and said: “Appoint me thy wages, and I will give it.”

Jacob yielded to the pleading, because he too saw an opportunity for his own personal gain and a chance to out scheme the older man. Thus delaying his return to his own country, he was to spend six additional years in this foreign land. Ah, poor treacherous heart of Jacob, which prolonged the days in which his family continued amid the idolatry and unhealthy atmosphere of that worldly place, for earthly gain. And yet God watched over him, for God’s ways with His own are not determined by their purposes, but according to His grace and goodness.

In the years that followed Jacob was successful in building up a great flock of goats and sheep for himself, all in accordance with his bargain with Laban, but at the expense of the older man, as well. “And the man increased exceedingly, and had much cattle, and maidservants, and menservants, and camels, and asses.” v. 43. As Jacob’s prosperity is recited, the riches of Abraham while he was in Egypt (Chap. 12) and the riches of Isaac while in the land of Abimelech (Chap. 26) are both brought to mind. It will be remembered that in both instances their possessions brought upon them the envy and enmity of those among whom they dwelt, a sorry, but helpful lesson those who will hearken, that rich in this world’s goods are a pop source of happiness.

If God had not interrupted the earthly prosperity of Jacob, perhaps he would never have been content to leave Laban’s side in spite of his many trials. However, Laban’s sons were not unaware of what was taking place and, at the end of six years, they complained to their father: “And he heard the words of Laban’s sons, saying, Jacob hath taken away all that was our father’s; and of that which was our father’s hath he gotten all this glory. And Jacob beheld the countenance of Laban, and, behold, it was not toward him as before.” Chap. 31:1,2.

“And the LORD said unto Jacob, Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will be with thee.” v. 3. This is the first recorded instance of Jacob hearing the Lord’s voice since he arrived in Haran twenty years before. He had now reached a point of fear and uncertainty, which was exactly what was required to cause him to look away from self. No longer in a position to bargain for himself in the face of his father-in-law’s anger, how welcome to his ear must have been the voice of the One who had spoken to him at Beth-el and who would now direct his way for him.

Memory Verse: “AS MANY AS RECEIVED HIM, TO THEM GAVE HE POWER TO BECOME THE SONS OF GOD.” John 1:12.

ML-10/23/1966

The Monster

HARRY and Steve were having a fine time with some other young friends by the ocean. They were playing about in the waves when one of the smaller boys cried out, “Look at this queer fish.”

The other boys hurried to the spot and were just in time to see a small creature, about the size of a coconut, with several tentacles, or arms. They hardly had time to see it properly, when it sent out an inky fluid which helped it to escape into deer water.

“Was it a starfish?” asked Harry.

“No, my boy,” said an old sailor who had been looking on. “I take it that it was a squid, one of the cuttlefish family, which have the power to emit that inky sort of fluid to help them to escape from their enemy. But I have seen their big cousins, the octopus, in many seas, and fierce creatures they are.”

The boys gathered round the old man at the water’s edge, for he looked so bluff and hearty that they could not help liking him.

“Are they dangerous then?” Steve inquired.

“Dangerous? Indeed! We sailors heartily disliked the creatures. They are very strong, and one of the bier fellows, with a body perhaps the size of a football and with arms over four feet long, is powerful enough to hold down and drown two or three men at once. But you do not find him in open water very often, for he crawls about the sea bottom hunting for fish and crabs.”

“Does it use its arms to swim with, Sir?” asked one of the boys.

“Oh, no,” was the answer. “It has eight tentacles, from which it gets its name, for Okto is the Greek word for eight. The octopus really swims backward, or opens its mouth and sends out a stream of water with such force that the creature is forced through the sea with his arms sagging behind. It’s a weird, ugly monster, with its parrot-like beak, and its terrible arms covered on the underside with round suckers.”

“Now, boys, can you tell me of another monster that is mentioned in the Bible which we are warned against?”

“Is it sin that you mean?” asked Harry.

“Yes, you’ve got the right answer, my boy. Sin is a deadly thing, and from it come many powerful evils, like the eight tentacles of the octopus. From sin come anger, malice, bitterness, hate, lies, dishonesty, sorrow, and death. But there is a remedy for sin. Can any of you tell me what it is?”

“Yes, Sir, the blood of Jesus!”

“That’s right! ‘The blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanseth us from all sin.’ Never forget, boys, that this is the only remedy for sin, and it is free to all.”

" ‘The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord.’ God bless you all.”

ML-10/30/1966

The Old Blind Man

It was a day of rejoicing for the missionaries as well as for the native Christians in a Chinese village years ago. They were gathered together for the opening of a new little mission hall. A missionary was coming from a distance for the occasion and the little congregation waited to hear with joy the message he would bring.

It so happened that there was present an old blind man who had lately come to town. No one had ever told him about Jesus, and no missionary had ever visited him. He was seventy-five years old. When he heard the people hurrying by and speaking to each other so excitedly, he inquired what was going on; when they told him, he begged them to take him along to the hall where they would hear about Jesus.

So it came about that this old blind man was seated in the little gospel hall when the missionary arrived and the service began. The old man listened attentively to——the Scripture reading and to the prayer, and the singing delighted him. But when from the pulpit the missions read the words: “God so loved the world, that He gave His own begotten Son, that whosever believeth is Him should not perish, but have everlasting life,” the old blind man could not restrain himself for joy He clapped his hands and cried: “Many thanks, dear Sir; that’s just what I need; for that I have been praying many years.”

That was an unusual disturbance, and some of the people got up and wanted to get him out of the hall. They thought he had lost his mind. But he said, “No, I have not lost my mind; I only know what I need and I have been searching for all these years.” So quiet was restored, and the preacher continued with his message without further interruption. Right after the service the missionary had to leave in order to keep another appointment.

It was a large mission field and much of the work was done by native Christians. Six months passed before the missionary returned to this same town. In the meanwhile, seven souls had confessed faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and desired to be baptized. And what do you think? One of the seven was the old blind man.

Now it was the custom in that mission, that at the baptismal service each one who was to be baptized would tell something of his life's history. When the blind man’s turn came to speak, there was a hush everyone listened and was deeply moved. And, surely, it was a wonderful story he told. This is who he said:

“When I was twenty-five years old I became convinced that to worship idols is vain and useless. I felt sad and helpless. One morning, as I say the glorious sun rise like a ball of fire in the east, I fell down and cried: ‘Oh Sun, take the burden from off my heart!’ And in the evening, when the sun was going down, I prayed again: ‘Oh Sun, before you go, leave me a blessing and take this burden from my heart!’ And so I prayed again and again, but the weight of sorrow was not lifted from his heart. Then I began hoping that the moon might be able to help me. For twelve months, I kept calling upon the moon, but I got no peace, and for a whole year I called upon the shining stars, but found no relief. Finally, I threw myself upon the ground and cried: ‘If there is a Ruler above the stars, Oh, reveal Thyself to me.’ But no answer came to me from the skies, and weary, tired to death and sad, I wandered on my way until I became a blind old man. Then six months ago, on the day when the little mission hall was opened, I heard about the great God who is above all, and loves the children of men. Then, as I listened to the message that day, after my long search, such joy and happiness filled my heart that I could hardly understand; that is why I jumped up and cried: ‘That is just what I need.’

“And now,” the old man concluded, ‘I have only one wish, and that is to be baptized. Then I will say, as old Simeon did in the temple when he held the young child Christ in his arms: ‘Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace... for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation,’ and the heavy weight is taken away from my heart.’ "

Dear children, I wish you would find in your New Testament the beautiful words of the gospel text which so stirred the heart of that old blind man. Many of you know it by heart already.

“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.

Now look up and memorize Acts 4:12, and believe it to the salvation of your own precious soul: “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”

ML-10/30/1966

Safe in Jesus' Fold

“I am the Good Shepherd: the Good Shepherd giveth His life for the sheep.” John 10:11.

I was lost, a little lamb,

Out of Jesus’ fold,

Faint with hunger and with fear,

In the dark and cold.

Jesus missed me, though a lamb,

Little, lone and weak,

And He could not rest for love,

He the lost must seek.

Now I’m safe, a little lamb,

Safe in Jesus’ fold,

Jesus found and brought me in

From the dark and cold.

Is He glad, and am not I—

I who went astray,

Glad that He has brought me back

To the heavenly way?

“THE WAGES OF SIN IS DEATH; BUT THE GIFT OF GOD IS ETERNAL LIFE THROUGH JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD.” Rom. 6:23.

ML-10/30/1966

Bible Talks: The Story of Jacob

Gen. 31:4-23

“AND JACOB sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field unto his flock, and said unto them, I see your father’s countenance, that it is not toward me as before.” v. 4. Leah and Rachel were well aware of all the rough treatment Jacob had received at their father’s hands and needed little persuasion to agree with him to leave the land. “And Rachel and Leah answered and said unto him, Is there yet any portion or inheritance for us in our father’s house? Are we not counted of him strangers? For he hath sold us, and hath quite devoured also our money. For all the riches which God hath taken from our father, that is ours, and our children’s: now then, whatsoever God hath said unto thee, do.” vv. 14-16.

It is particularly delightful at this turn in Jacob’s life to see him in a spirit ready to hearken to God and to acknowledge that God had been with him at all times, so that he could say, “The God of my father hath been with me.” True, a higher expression would have been: “My God hath been with me.” Yet, it was a new experience for him to make such a confession as he did. At this time he also told his two wives of the dream in which he heard these words: “I am the God of Beth-el, where thou anointedst the pillar, and where thou vowedst a vow unto Me: now arise, get thee out from this land, and return unto the land of thy kindred.” v. 13.

God knew how to touch Jacob’s heart, just as He knows how to touch your heart and mine. With Jacob it was to bring to remembrance the scene at Beth-el, more than twenty years before, and to remind him of his vow: “If God will be with me.” Now he had to confess that God had indeed been with him and although not yet entirely able to act on his own bargain, “Then shall the Lord be my God,” it was, at least a step in the right direction to be attentive to the heavenly voice and to act upon it.

“Then Jacob rose up, and set his sons and his wives upon camels; and he carried away all his cattle, and all his goods which he had gotten, the cattle of his getting ... for to go to Isaac his father in the land of Canaan.” vv. 17,18. “And Jacob stole away unawares to La-ban the Syrian, in that he told him not that he fled. So he fled with all that he had; and he rose up, and passed over the river, and set his face toward the mount Gilead.” vv. 20,21.

But Jacob was not yet through with Laban, who, on the third day, learned of his departure and discovered, too, that some of his idols had been stolen. Laban therefore set out to overtake them, which would not be at all difficult, for this company of men, women, children and flocks could not conceal themselves in the wilderness and must, of necessity, move very slowly. Laban had vengeance in his heart as he took out after his son-in-law. It was a keen disappointment to him to lose the valued services of Jacob, and although he had seen his son-in-law’s prosperity, he well knew that much of his own personal riches were the result of Jacob’s hard and conscientious labor. Perhaps he was particularly angry to think the one he had used so deceitfully had turned the tables and slipped away without his knowledge.

ML-10/30/1966

Brave Oscar

TWO LITTLE boys ran after their father one morning as he went to work. On their way home they stopped to pick flowers on the side of the lake. In their eagerness to secure one big blossom to take home to their mother, they got into danger. In some places along the shore the water was deep, and the banks slippery.

Harry, a little fellow of just three years, slipped and rolled down the bank into the deep water. Johnny, his brother, screamed as he saw Harry disappear from view, and rushed home along the road crying out, “Mother, Mother!”

Their home was too far away for his mother to hear his cry, and I fear that poor little Harry would have drowned but for brave Oscar, a dog who was lying in the sun near the place where Harry fell in. The child’s cry wakened Oscar, and with one bound he was in the water. Hay’s white shirt was floating on the surface and Oscar, seizing it in his teeth, kept the child afloat until a man came with a boat and picked him up. A crowd gathered on the lake side and in a few minutes Hay was safe in his mother’s arms.

Do you think Harry ever forgot Oscar? Never! He is now a tall handsome young fellow, and for many a day you would see him walking by the lake with Oscar by his side.

I know of one who died to save you from eternal death, dear young reader. His name is Jesus, the Son of God. Have you ever thanked Him? Have you trusted Him as your Saviour, and do you walk daily by His side?

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13.

“For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.” Rom. 5:6.

Memory Verse: “THE SON OF MAN IS COME TO SEEK AND TO SAVE THAT WHICH WAS LOST.” Luke 19:10.

ML-11/06/1966

Linda's Morning Message

LINDA’S favorite hymn is: “Tell me the Old, Old Story of Unseen Things Above.” It was this hymn that brought light and joy to her heart the night she was saved, and she sang it over and over again most of the night. The last verse says:

“And if this simple message has now brought peace to you,

Make known the old, old story, for others need it too.

Let everybody see it, that Christ has made you free,

And if it sets them longing, say, ‘Jesus died for thee!’ "

Next morning Linda ran off across the fields to tell an aged neighbor lady of her newfound joy. Old Granny lived in a little house all alone, and Linda found her sitting at her cottage door knitting as usual.

“What brings you here so early, Linda, my girl? I hope you have good news with you,” said the old lady.

“It’s the very best, Granny,” returned Linda with a smile, as she seated herself on a stool by her side. “I was saved yesterday, and I couldn’t rest until I came and told you the old, old story too. It has made me so happy. Have you believed it yet, Granny?”

The old woman looked bewildered and shook her head. She had been religious all her days; she went to church as often as she was able, she was only “hoping to be saved,” and that chiefly by her own efforts by her own good works, with “God’s help,” of course. Linda’s heart, now filled with Jesus’ love, yearned to see her old friend saved and happy but the difficulty was to get her to see the simplicity of the gospel, “I’ll sing you my favorite hymn, she said, and seating herself by the old lady’s side, she sang the verses of “The Old, Old Story” from first to last. As she finished, she saw the tears roll down the wrinkled cheeks, and in the simplicity of her heart she said, “And have you taken it in too, Granny?”

And so it came about. The Spirit of God brought light and conviction to the soul of Granny, and showed her too that Jesus loved her and died for her. The message that had won the tender heart of Linda the day before, had entered the citadel in which so long darkness had reigned, and old Granny’s heart was won for Christ.

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

“Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.” Luke 18:17.

“Ye must be born again.” John 3:7

ML-11/06/1966

Love

A little poor boy used to walk many blocks on a Sunday morning on his way to a certain Sunday school, passing by many a church building as he went.

“Why do you go so far to that Sunday school?” someone asked him.

“Why don’t you go to one of those churches that are nearer?”

“Oh,” the little fellow replied, “I like to go to that Sunday school, ‘cause they love a fella over there.”

How many lonely hearts there are around us, hearts longing for someone to love them, and whose feet could be guided into that good way that leadeth unto life. And we who know the Saviour, know His love in our hearts, have the wonderful privilege of showing and telling out that love to others.

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

“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-11/06/1966

Bible Questions for November

The Children’s Class

1. “What things God had wrought.”

2. “The God of our fathers hath chosen thee.”

3. “All good conscience before God.”

4. “So worship I the God of my fathers.”

5. “Having therefore obtained help of God.”

6. “I believe God.”

7. “Preaching the kingdom of God.”

The Young People’s Class: Prayer

1. What is a good reason why Christians should PRAY? Matt. 26.

2. If we were to follow David’s example, when would we find time for PRAYER? Psa. 55.

3. What does the Lord want us to PRAY for concerning the gospel going forth to the unsaved (the harvest)? Matt. 9.

4. Whom should we PRAY for so that Christians may lead peaceable lives? 1 Tim.

5. In whom should we PRAY? Eph. 6.

6. How does the Spirit undertake for us when we know not what to PRAY for? Rom. 8.

7. What assurance do we have that the Lord hears PRAYERS? 1 Pet.

ML-11/06/1966

Bible Talks: The Story of Jacob

Gen. 31:24-37

“AND GOD came to Laban the Syrian in a dream by night, and said unto him: Take heed that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad.” God had stirred Jacob’s heart to return to the land of his fathers and He would not permit Laban to interfere any longer. How encouraging to the child of God to be reminded that He will be with His own every step of the heavenward journey!

Overtaking the company in Mount Gilead, Laban confronted his son-in-law. “What hast thou done,” he demanded, “that thou hast stolen away unawares to me, and carried away my daughters, as captives...” Furthermore, he said that had he known of their departure, he would have sent them away “with mirth, and with songs” suited to the occasion, and with his well wishes. Yet it is doubtful that such would have been the case. It is more likely that Laban would have dismissed Jacob without either his wives or possessions. Perhaps it was in his heart to do this when he found them on Mount Gilead, yet he had to confess: “It is in the power of my hand to do you hurt: but the God of your father spake unto me yesternight, sang, Take thou heed that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad.”

There was, however, a charge expressed by Laban to Jacob: “wherefore hast thou stolen my gods?” Laban valued those gods; they were his “form of religion.” What a snare idolatry has been to those who acknowledged the living God from early days on down to our times. Now idolatry has largely spread over most of Christendom. As children of God we are faithfully warned by the Apostle (1 John 5:21): “Little children, keep yourselves from idols” — let nothing come in between you and Christ, to displace Him from the heart.

Though it does not appear that Jacob himself had taken up with idolatry, yet how happy would it have been if his testimony in that household during those 20 years had been such that Laban and his family had “turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God,” as those at Thessalonica did many years later. How sad that his beloved Rachel should play false to God and deceive her father in tang those vile images. Surely she was not in the good of those blessings that God had promised to Jacob.

Jacob had no suspicion that his loved wife had taken the idols. He had been careful to take nothing of Laban’s with him and was therefore indignant saying: “with whomsoever thou findest thy gods, let him not live.” Had he known that Rachel was guilty he would not have said this.

While Laban made a search through the tents of Jacob and Leah, Rachel hastened and having hidden the images in the camel’s harness of her own tent she seated herself on them. When her father entered, she made a pretense of sickness and excused herself from rising. Laban, deceived by his daughter, continued his unsuccessful search, until finally Jacob’s anger was stirred and he spoke out: “What is my trespass? What is my sin, that thou hast so hotly pursued after me? Whereas thou hast searched all my stuff, what hast thou found of all thy household stuff? Set it here before my brethren and thy brethren, that they may judge betwixt us both.” Laban could produce nothing to prove his claim of theft.

ML-11/06/1966

Herein Is Love

A HEARTLESS Hindu father placed his motherless baby girl on the side of the road and abandoned her. The helpless little thing was picked up and tenderly cared for by a Christian lady in a home where rescued children are taught the sweet story of the Saviour’s love. Now she is fourteen, a bright Christian girl.

During the recent famine in India, a number of sick and starved little girls were brought to that place. The mother of the home appealed to the older girls, asking each of them to adopt as their special care one of the famine stricken children. Among the first to respond to the call was the gentle Christian girl who was once herself a perishing outcast child. She did not choose a pretty attractive baby, but a poor emaciated one. Some of the other girls thoughtlessly said: “Why did you choose one like that? She looks like a monkey.”

The noble girl at once replied: “To take a poor sad-looking little child, instead of a pretty and attractive one, is love.”

Noble words! So like the love of the Lord Jesus who did not seek out the lovable, but the vile; not the righteous, but sinners. Think of this happy little foster mother with her little charge upon her knee, and of God’s beautiful words: “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us.” 1 John 4:10. When we were not good, not worthy of being loved or wanting to be loved, still He loved us. “While we were vet sinners. Christ died for us.” Rom. 5:8

“I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Luke 5:32.

ML-11/13/1966

Sir Isaac Newton

SIR ISAAC NEWTON was not only a great and celebrated scientist, but he was also a Christian. One day he showed a friend a model globe of the earth which he had made. Around the globe he had placed the sun, the moon, and stars. It was a small likeness of a little bit of the great universe which God made.

This friend of his was an infidel he did not believe in God nor in His Son, Jesus Christ. His thought was that the earth and the sun and the moon and the stars just happened. He did not believe that God made them.

When he saw the model Sir Isaac Newton had made, he said, “What a wonderful thing this is! Who made it?”

“It just happened!” replied Sir Isaac.

“Do you think I am a fool?” returned his friend. “You know this didn’t just happen. Someone made it!”

The great scientist replied, “If someone made this, then God must have made the real universe.”

The Bible tells us, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” Gen. 1:1.

“All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made.” John 1:3.

Memory Verse: “WHEN I SEE THE BLOOD, I WILL PASS OVER YOU.” Ex. 12:13.

ML-11/13/1966

Fred's Letter

ART HAD LEFT with his sister Sue to spend a vacation up in the mountains. But before leaving home, Art and one of his pals named Fred had arranged that they would write each other every week, telling about all the news of the ball games, fishing, and other things that boys like to know about.

The first and second letters were exchanged with nothing particularly exciting in them. Then one Monday morning Art and Sue stood by the roadside waiting for the postman, both eagerly expecting letters from home.

“One for me,” shouted Art, as he took the packet from the mailman’s hand, “and a good fat one it is too. Lots of news from Fred, I guess.” He burst open the envelope and sat down on the grass to read Fred’s letter, while Sue also sat down to read one from her mother. When Art had finished reading, he handed part of Fred’s letter to Sue, sang in a bewildered tone: “That beats all. Fred is converted! That’s my last pal gone now.”

Yes, Fred had been saved, truly born again and turned to the Lord. His first work for his new Master was to write and tell his friend Art what God had done for his soul. He closed his letter with an earnest appeal to Art to come to the Saviour too.

For several days Art went about very unhappy. Fred’s letter had upset him. Unable to endure it any longer, he took an early train on Saturday and went home to see his friend. I cannot tell you all that passed between them, but I know that Fred, with the love and joy of Christ filling his heart, led Art to Jesus that day. Art came back to the mountains singing the glad new song of one who has found Christ, who knows his sins are forgiven. When vacation was over, Art joined his pal Fred at school, with the two boys testifying for Christ, and they let their light shine for many days.

Dear young friends, there is nothing so wonderful as being saved in your early days. Are you saved? There are hundreds of boys and girls who are saved and on their way to heaven. I meet with some of them every day, and they are the truly happy ones. The Lord Jesus wants to make you happy. Will you not let Him?

“Those that seek Me early shall find Me.” Prov. 8:17.

“Incline your ear, and come unto Me: hear, and your soul shall live.” Isa. 55:3.

ML-11/13/1966

In the Morning

He meets me in the morning,

I feel His presence near,

He comes to raise my weary heart

With words of heavenly cheer.

He meets me in the morning,

He whispers peace and love;

He lifts my soul from earth below

To that sweet home above.

He meets me in the morning,

And gives me heavenly food—

Those bright and precious promises

Found in the Word of God.

Lord, meet me in the morning,

Stay with me all the day

I shall neither fail nor falter,

If Thou but lead the way.

Anne Patterson

“Show me Thy ways, O Lord; teach me Thy paths. Psa. 25:4.

TELL me the story of Jesus,

Write on my heart every word!

Tell me the story most precious,

Sweetest that ever was heard.

Tell how the angels in chorus

Spake as they welcomed His birth,

“Glory to God in the highest,

Peace and good tidings to earth.”

Tell of the cross where they nailed Him,

Suffering in sorrow and pain;

Tell of the grave where they laid Him;

Tell how He liveth again.

Love in that story so tender,

Clearer than ever I see;

This is the story most precious—

Love paid the ransom for me.

ML-11/13/1966

Bible Talks: The Story of Jacob

Gen. 31:38-55

WHEN LABAN failed to find the images he claimed were stolen from him, Jacob (unaware of Rachel’s theft) allowed his long-silent emotions to find expression and he spoke out concerning the long and hard years of faithful service he had given Laban. He told of his suffering loss for Laban’s sake and protecting his flocks in the heat of the day and the frost at night, concluding: “Thus have I been twenty years in thy house; I served thee fourteen years for thy two daughters, and six years for thy cattle: and thou hast changed my wages ten times. Except the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely thou hadst sent me away now empty. God hath seen mine affliction and the labor of my hands, and rebuked thee yesternight.” v. 42.

With God’s warnings still fresh in his ears, Laban could go no further against his son-in-law. Nor could he deny the truth of Jacob’s complaint. “And Laban answered and said unto Jacob, These daughters are my daughters, and these children are my children... and all that thou seest is mine: and what can I do this day unto these my daughters, or unto their children which they have borne? Now therefore come thou, let us make a covenant, I and thou; and let it be for a witness between me and thee.” vv. 43,44.

A heap of stones was erected, to which a variety of names was given, one of which was Mizpah, meaning: “The Lord watch between me and thee, when we are absent one from another.” The heap of stones was then proclaimed a beacon, past which neither Laban nor Jacob would trespass to do harm to the I other.

When these expressions between the two men were completed, and all the men, women and children witness thereto, Jacob prepared and offered a sacrifice, through which whether fully aware of it, or not, he rose to a new height. According to the normal order of things, it would be the elder of the two men who would make this provision and the younger would take a retiring place. But Jacob moved in where the older man failed and was not reproved for doing so.

This scene reminds us of Abram’s experience at the well of Beer-sheba, where he made a covenant with Abimelech, and of Isaac’s similar experience with the same king, when those who had been in conflict with one another covenanted to separate peaceably. If Laban yielded where he might have shown power, Jacob yielded where he might have held bitterness and resentment and his was the more gracious act of the two. It marked a point of progress in his strange and willful walk.

The covenant made, the sacrifice offered, food and rest provided for those from Haran, the following morning marked the final separation of these two companies. “And early in the morning Laban rose up, and kissed his sons and his daughters, and blessed them: and Laban departed, and returned unto his place.”

v. 55. It was necessary for Jacob to have done with all that Laban represented before he could receive God’s full blessings, but it should not be forgotten that Rachel still held on to her father’s idols. Jacob was to find them a hindrance to his progress before he finally got rid of them.

ML-11/13/1966

Bobby's Thorn

BOBBY did not like school. He much preferred roaming in the woods and fields to books and studies. His father’s work took him away from home all day and this gave Bobby the opportunity to often play hooky from school.

When the school principal learned that Bobby had been absent from school for a whole day at a time without his parents’ knowledge, he determined to catch the young truant, if possible. But that was not so easy. Bobby was very fast on his feet, and he knew good places where he could hide himself.

However, early one morning, four school boys were set to watch Boy’s movements. He saw that he was being watched, and when he saw an opportunity, he darted into the woods, with the boys after him. Poor little fellow! He was nearly always barefooted, and this time he forgot about the thorn bushes and how difficult it would be to flee from his pursuers there. Before he had gone very far, a big thorn pierced his foot, making it bleed badly. He pulled it out as best he could and made for the road, in hopes of gaining a hiding place in some of the houses by the way. On he ran, limping as he went, and was well ahead of the boys on his trail. There was a little old empty house along the roadside and into this he ran, thinking he would be quite safe there. He thought they would never think of going inside to look for him. Sitting down, lifting his foot on his knee, he began to search for more thorns.

Alas for Bobby’s secret hiding place. The blood from his bleeding foot had left its telltale marks all along the way, and the boys had no difficulty in following his trail. Boy was caught, and punished as a bad boy should be. We hope he learned his lesson.

This story of school days reminds me of a text in God’s Book, which I wish every boy and girl will remember. It is this, “Be sure your sin will find you out.” Num. 32:23.

You cannot hide your sin or yourself from God. Justice and judgment will find you out. God knows where you are and what you do. If you remain unsaved, you will be punished forever for your sins. But if you come to Christ, the Saviour whom God sent into this world, you will find that His precious blood can cleanse all your sins away, and make you whiter than snow, make you fit to appear in peace before God.

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

“He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.” Prov. 28:13.

ML-11/20/1966

The Story of a Hymn

OLD Frau Johannsen was perplexed as she stood in her little kitchen. Then suddenly she turned and stumbled up a flight of creaky stairs and knocked on the door of a young man who had some pretensions to being a musician and poet.

“I beg your pardon, Sir,” said the old lady kindly, “I wondered if you were ill. We’ve heard no music for two days and you haven’t been out, and I have been worried about you. If I could do anything —.”

“Thank you, my good lady,” said a feeble voice, “but you can do nothing. Yes, I am very ill.”

“Then, Sir, can I not help you get to bed,” and she looked around the bare room.

“No, no,” hastily replied the musician feebly; but Frau Johannsen had already discovered that no bed rained. Everything, except what bonged to herself, had been pawned for food. Her motherly heart was deeply touched.

“But, Sir, won’t you tell me your name? Have you no friends? And how do you live?”

“My name is George Neumark,” he replied slowly. “My parents are dead. I studied law, hoping to make a living, but without success; still, in the goodness of God, I haven’t starved. I trust Him still,” he said, smile playing over his worn face. “I know He will still help me.”

The old landlady listened in astonishment, then without a word she went back to her kitchen and soon returned with a tray of food for the hungry man.

“Oh, my grateful thanks,” he murmured; “you shall be repaid and your rent shall not fail, never fear.”

A few days later, as old Nathan the pawnbroker sat in his musty little shop, a poorly dressed man entered holding a cello with great care. “Good evening, Nathan,” said the musician gently. “What will you give me for my cello?”

The pawnbroker looked up and met the sad, questioning gaze of George Neumark. “Give you for that great fiddle!” he exclaimed, pretending to be indignant. “What could I do with that scrap of wood?”

“Nathan,” replied Neumark solemnly, “this is a costly instrument; my whole soul is in this cello; it is my one comfort, my last earthly friend. Give me ten dollars on it, Nathan.”

Taking the instrument and inspecting it, the old Jew muttered, “This is nothing but lumber.”

“Give me seven dollars,” implored the desperate man. “I’ll repay you.”

The old man only shook his head and grumbled.

“You are a hard man then,” exclaimed Neumark, seizing his instrument and rushing from the place.

“Hold, man,” shouted Nathan after him. “Business is business. I’ll give you five dollars.”

Slowly Neumark came back. “Then, friend,” he said, “Grant me one request. Let me play once more on my loved cello ‘ere I resign it to you for that paltry sum. God is good and faithful; He will never forsake,” he murmured to himself, and with tears rolling down his face he began to play. In another minute the old dusty shop was filled with melody so exquisitely soft and sweet that even the old Jew listened in rapt wonder.

Then with a change of key, Neumark sang to his own melody two verses of a hymn:

“Life is weary, Saviour take me.”

“Enough,” broke in old Nathan. “Take your five dollars and go.”

(to be continued)

HAPPY is the boy who believes in Him,

Happy is the boy who is cleansed from sin,

Never to a boy did the Lord say “No";

Let us every one to the Saviour go.

Happy is the girl who believes in Him,

Happy is the girl who is cleansed from sin,

Never to a girl did the Lord say “No";

Let us every one to the Saviour go.

ML-11/20/1966

Bible Talks: The Story of Jacob

Gen. 32:1-12

WHEN JACOB recounted all the hardships and trials of his past twenty years, he might have thought how he had actually brought these difficulties on himself and remembered that God had been with him in spite of his waywardness. But, if he had any such thoughts, in the presence of Laban he did not make any such confession. After Laban and his company departed, Jacob moved onward with his band.

“And Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him. And when Jacob saw them, he said, This is God’s host: and he called the name of that place Mahanaim.” It was only Jacob’s confidence in himself and his never-ceasing desire to “make his own way” that interfered with his enjoying God’s mercies and leaving the future with Him. At Mahanaim it seemed that God was speaking to him in a very special way. A host of angels appearing out in the wilderness must have been a glorious and amazing sight. Their very presence would tell him that God had not forgotten the promise “I will be with thee.” It was near this same place that Jacob, twenty years earlier, had seen the vision of angels and heard God’s promises expressed so plainly. Now it was not by a dream, but by actual sight that these heavenly messengers appeared to encourage and assure him of God’s preservation.

It is strange that this experience was so lightly passed over by Jacob, but immediately after he returned to his scheming, as he realized he was soon to meet his brother Esau. How would Esau receive him? Had the years since his flight from home softened his brother’s heart toward him? These were important questions and he sent messengers ahead to explore the situation. The men soon returned with the ne that they had met Esau and that he was coming out with a company four hundred men.

“Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed: and he divided the people that was with him, and the flocks, and herds, and the camels, into two bands: and said, If Esau come to the one company, and smite it, then the other company which is left shall escape.” vv. 7,8.

Confronted with the fear of his brother, and aware of his own weakness, Jacob turned to God and prayed: “O God of my father Abram, and God of my father Isaac, the LORD which saidst unto me, Return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee: I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which Thou hast showed unto Thy servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan; and now I am become two bands. Deliver me, I pray Thee, from the hand of my brother... for I fear him.” vv. 9-11.

Surely God was pleased to hear this prayer of Jacob and the confession of his unworthiness, for He is “a very present help in trouble... The God of Jacob is our refuge.’ Psa. 46:1,7.

“The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon Him, to all that call upon Him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of them that fear Him: He also will hear their cry, and will save them.” Ps. 145:18,19.

Memory Verse: “THE NAME OF THE LORD IS A STRONG TOWER: THE RIGHTEOUS RUNNETH INTO IT, AND IS SAFE.” Prov. 18:10.

ML-11/20/1966

Brave Charlie

THREE SMALL girls went out to spend Saturday afternoon tether in the country. Tripping happily along the road, and chatting together as friends like to do, they did not see a big bull coming through a field toward them. Tossing his head up and down, it was evident he meant mischief. Suddenly the three girls were startled by a loud snort, and then they saw the infuriated animal, his tail high in the air, rushing towards them. The little girls screamed in terror, and a moment later they were seen running towards town with the bull in full chase behind them. Very soon he would overtake them, and what the consequences might have been is terrible to think.

It so happened that Charlie, the farmer’s boy, was working in a nearby field. Attracted by the girls’ screaming and seeing the wild animal dashing after them, he ran out onto the road just in time to get between the bull and the children.

For a moment Charlie hesitated; then seizing a stick which he had found, he raised it high over his head. For a moment the bull paused, but then putting his head down he made a rush at Charlie, threw him against the wall, piercing one of his legs with his horns. Poor Charlie lay there for over an hour, his leg bleeding, and unable to rise. The girls reached home safely and told their father what had happened. Immediately he set off down the road to find the boy. They took Charlie to the hospital, and though the doctor thought he would live, he said he would have to stay there for a long time.

The next day the three little girls were allowed into the ward to see the boy who had saved them from the wild bull at such a cost to himself. Twice a week they went to see him, and then one afternoon Janie, the youngest of the three, was accompanied by her father. She was a sweet little singer and in her simplicity, thinking Charlie would like to hear a hymn, she sang: “Jesus loves me; this I know, for the Bible tells me so.”

Charlie listened with great interest, and several of the patients in the ward sat up to catch the words of the little singer. Before Janie had finished the hymn, some of the nurses had crept into the ward and stood listening. When her hymn was ended, she was surprised to find so many listeners. Everyone was dighted, and asked her to come again, so for many weeks Janie and her two little friends visited Charlie’s ward, and sang the hymn to the other patients, “The Old, Old Story of Jesus and His love.” Janie’s father too came and read the Bible, and spoke of Him who is mighty to save.

There were some there who possibly had never heard the simple gospel before. At any rate, they had not trusted on the Lord, but God used the little singers as His messengers to carry the wonderful words of life to weary hearts there. Before Charlie left the hospital, he had trusted the Lord Jesus as his Saviour and knew His saving power. Besides, three or four more there were made happy in the knowledge of salvation. For many weeks and months that hospital ward was the scene of God’s saving power, some of the patients, nurses and visitors being converted there. Janie, now grown to a tall young girl, for a long time delighted still to pay her weekly visit to “Charlie’s ward,” as they called it, and Charlie, no longer a sufferer there, went forth to make known the story of the Saviour’s love far and wide.

“Whoso putteth His trust in the Lord shall be safe.” Prov. 29:25.

“I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth.” Rom. 1:16.

“I AM THE GOOD SHEPHERD: THE GOOD SHEPHERD GIVETH HIS LIFE FOR THE SHEEP.” John 10:11.

ML-11/27/1966

The Story of a Hymn

(continued from last week)

Then with a sigh the musician placed his cello on the counter, and hurried out into the cold lonely night. “Excuse me,” said Neumark as he bumped into a man in haste.

“Was that you playing in there just now?” asked the stranger. “Yes.”

“Would you favor me with a copy of that hymn you sang? I will gladly pay you for it.”

“Gladly will I give you the hymn, without your money,” returned Neumark. “You will find me in the morning at No. 10 Crooked Lane. But who are you?”

“John Gutig, from the Swedish ambassador’s house,” and with that he departed.

The next morning, Gutig received the promised hymn. Then a few weeks later he again knocked at Neumark’s door.

“Friend,” he said, “My master wants you at once. His secretary has suddenly taken ill, and the ambassador needs someone in his place. I spoke to him of you, and showed him your hymns, and now he has ordered me to fetch you at once. You are not offended?”

“Offended? No, kind friend,” replied Neumark, “I am deeply grateful.” Soon the two men were on their way to the ambassador’s house.

A few questions from the ambassador satisfied him that Neumark would be of real service to him. “Here is twenty-five dollars,” said the kindly baron, noting Neumark’s need.

With radiant face and light step Neumark bounded from the house and made straight for old Nathan’s shop. “Give me my cello,” he cried, flinging down his money, “and remember this:

“Who trusts in God’s unchanging love,

Builds on the rock that naught can move.”

With that, he took up his cello and carried it triumphantly home.

“Mrs. Johannsen, come here,” he shouted. “Listen to my good news,” and he told her of his new position, the money in advance, and showed her his redeemed treasure.

“Now, good friend, go,” he said, “Call in the neighbors, anyone, everyone, and I’ll sing them such a hymn as they never heard before.”

A little later the little room was full, and all eyes fixed upon the glad face of the musician as he began to play. Then with exultant joy he broke into a hymn which has been the cheer and delight of thousands since:

“Leave God to order all thy ways,

And hope in Him whate’er betide;

Thou’lt find Him in the evil days

Thy all-sufficient Strength and Guide.

Who trusts in God’s unchanging love,

Builds on the Rock that naught can move.”

All listened with rapt attention to the beautiful melody, and tears ran down many faces. Old Frau Johannsen sobbed, “Dear Sir,” she cried, “it’s just like being at a service; it makes the good God seem quite near. Surely He has helped you; and that lovely hymn, did you make it?” she asked.

“I? Well, I was the harp,” Neumark replied, “but God swept the strings; He has been very good to me.”

“Oh how great is Thy goodness, which Thou hast laid up for them that fear Thee.” Psa. 31:19.

ML-11/27/1966

Why Does Mother Keep You?

A Christian preacher one day asked a little girl, “Are you worth anything?”

“No,” she replied.

“Then why does Mother keep you?” he asked again.

“Oh, ‘cause Mama loves me,” came back her bright answer.

Why God loves us so? We do not know, except to say that love is His nature, for “God is love.” 1 John 4:8. But we do know that He does love us.

“We love Him, because He first loved us.” 1 John 4:19.

JESUS loves the little children,

All the children of the world:

Red and yellow, black and white,

All are precious in His sight;

Jesus loves the little children of the world.

Jesus died for little children,

All the children of the world;

Red and yellow, black and white,

All are precious in His sight:

Jesus died for all the children of the world.

ML-11/27/1966

Bible Talks: The Story of Jacob

Gen. 32:13-21

IT WAS a true indication of spiritual progress when Jacob presented his cause to God in the preceding verses. Except for his earlier experience at Beth-el, when he had answered God’s promises with many “ifs,” there is no previous record of his ever lifting up his voice to God, although there were several instances of God speaking to him. But we have noticed his increased trust in God as he left Haran, his refence to the care of God when addressing Laban, and now his plea to God for His deliverance from his brother’s wrath.

But Jacob was slow to fall back in complete confidence even after these expressions of dependence on God. He seemed yet to have more confidence in his own plans than in the God to whom he had prayed. After his prayer we read: “And he lodged there that same night; and took of that which came to his hand a present for Esau his brother; two hundred she goats, and twenty he goats,...for he said, I will appease him with the present that goeth before me, and afterward I will see his face; peradventure he will accept of me. So went the present over before him; and himself lodged that night in the company.” vv. 13-21. It was the old Jacob at work again, scheming out his own means of preservation in the face of difficulties. What amazing grace that God, nonetheless, heard his prayer and brought events about in His own way, even though Jacob’s acts showed continued lack of faith. Such are God’s ways with His own. He may allow lessons to be learned through trying circumstances when one walks in his own way (as was the case with Jacob), yet we have His own promise: “A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps.” Prov. 16:9.

If Jacob had just walked in faith at this time he would have had nothing to fear from Esau. Was not the angelic host that met him a very true token of the power that surrounded him at all times and that would preserve him through every danger?

The believer who reviews this story of Jacob should find much for profit, as indeed is the case with all the narratives of the Holy Scriptures. If Jacob was shown an angelic host sent to encourage him on the way, the Christian also has a similar provision. We are told that angels are “ministering spirits, sent forth to minister [serve] for them who shall be heirs of salvation.” Heb. 1:14. Unlike Jacob, a believer may not actually see the angels who surround him at all times, but faith responds to this assurance and the dependent child of God will often be aware of their preserving care in the midst of life’s many hazards.

Again we are reminded that the Apostle Paul found the true secret of drawing strength from God when he heard the heavenly voice say: “My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” His response was, “Therefore I take pleasures in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.” 2 Cor. 12:9,10. The Lord delights to manifest His strength on behalf of His own, when self-confidence is cast aside and true dependence is in Him whose strength thus displays itself in so many marvelous ways.

ML-11/27/1966

"Nobody Loves Me"

KEODI WAS a tiny little African girl. When she was just four years old she was sold as a slave. She did not know what love was. Her name, Keodi, meant “Nobody loves me.”

When she was ten years old, Keodi got sick and her body was covered with ugly sores. Her master did not want her any longer and turned her out. The natives would not have anything to do with her either, so the poor little girl wandered about homeless, hungry, and uncared for. Then some kind missionaries found Keodi. They took her into their home, got her cleaned up, bandaged her sores, and put clean clothes on her. She could not believe that someone loved her. She went about saying, “I am Keodi. Nobody loves me.”

The missionaries told her about the Lord Jesus, how that He loved her and that He had died for her sins upon the cross. They told her too that they loved her, because His love was in their hearts. Little Keodi looked at her dress, her bandages, and asked, “Is this love?” They told her it was.

Boys and girls who love the Lord Jesus can show the love of God to others-your friends, your schoolmates, by being kind to them and point them to the Saviour.

“Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matt. 11:28.

ML-12/04/1966

Lord Cecil

Lord Cecil, cousin to Queen Victoria, was a devoted servant of Christ. For many years he preached the gospel in Canada, spending much of his time in out-of-the-way places, among the lumbermen, and Indians as well.

One Lord’s day morning he was on his way to meet with a few believers around the Person of our Lord Jesus Christ and to worship Him. On his way he passed the home of another Christian man who was at the time in his back yard chopping wood. This Christian had once been a bright follower of the Saviour, but he had grown cold in his soul. He neglected to read his Bible, to pray, to attend the meetings; in short, he was a backslider. Like many another Christian has done, before and since, he stayed home from partaking of the Lord’s supper in order to get his own dinner.

As Lord Cecil passed his gate, he stopped and shouted: “The Lord is coming, brother! the Lord is coming!” Then he passed on.

The word from that faithful servant of Christ struck deep into the conscience of the Christian man and was the means of his restoration. The thought of his Saviour’s love and the fact that He might come at any moment, both stirred and bowed his heart. Restored in his soul he again sought to please his Lord and was found in the fellowship of his brethren once more.

“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.” Titus 2:13,14.

“And every man that hath this hope in Him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.” 1 John 3:3.

ML-12/04/1966

Eddie's Helper

EDDIE WAS a Christian boy. At a children’s meeting he had heard the story of redeeming love and had received the Son of God as his own personal Saviour. His mother was also a Christian and a woman of prayer. She carried all her cares daily to the throne of grace and she gave Eddie the good counsel to “tell God about everything. He cares for you, Eddie, and everything about you. Even the hairs of your head are numbered. Nothing is too small for Him to be interested in; so tell Him everything. He says: ‘In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy path.’ "

“Will He help me with my assignments if I ask Him?” inquired Ed-die.

“Yes, just as surely as He helps me in my housework,” replied Mother. This was a new thought to Eddie. He had trusted himself to the Lord Jesus for his salvation, but he had not thought of seeking His help in the smallest matters of daily life. But now before Eddie began an assignment, or a test, or an exam, he sought the Lord’s help, believing the Lord would help him.

When Eddie got good grades in his class, some of his friends asked him, “Who helped you, Eddie?” “The Lord Jesus,” was his prompt reply.

Dear boys and girls, is Eddie’s Saviour and Helper your’s too?

Memory Verse: “IT IS BETTER TO TRUST IN THE LORD THAN TO PUT CONFIDENCE IN MAN.” Psa. 118:8.

WE know there’s a bright and glorious home,

Away in the heavens high,

Where all the redeemed shall with Jesus dwell:

But will you be there and I?

In robes of white o’er the street of gold,

Beneath a cloudless sky,

They walk in the light of their Father’s smile;

But will you be there and I?

If you take the loving Saviour now,

Who for sinners once did die,

When He gathers His own in that bright home,

Then you’ll be there and I.

ML-12/04/1966

Bible Questions for December

The Children’s Class

1. “The power of God unto salvation.”

2. “The goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance.”

3. “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”

4. “Staggered not at the promise of God.”

5. “The love of God is shed abroad.”

6. “The gift of God is eternal life.”

7. “Led by the Spirit of God.”

The Young People’s Class: “Crowns”

1. What CROWN did the Lord Jesus receive on earth? John 19.

2. What CROWN does He now have in heaven? Heb. 2.

3. What CROWN is promised to all of them that love the Lord here? Jas.

4. What CROWN is promised to all of them that love His appearing? 2 Tim.

5. What CROWN is promised to them who faithfully shepherd the flock of God? 1 Pet. 5.

6. What do those who have received CROWNS ultimately do with them? Rev. 4.

7. What CROWN is the cause of a pronouncement of woe? Isa. 28.

ML-12/04/1966

Bible Talks: The Story of Jacob

Gen. 32:22-32

“AND HE rose up that night, and took his two wives and his two women-servants, and his eleven sons...And he took them, and sent them over the brook, and sent over that he had.” There was no rest for Jacob that night. His present had been sent to Esau, but he had a bad conscience regarding his brother and was not confident that the gift would appease him. Not content with the measures already taken, in the darkness of night he arose and sent the entire remaining company across the ford Jabbok — considering this, perhaps, a place of a little more safety for them. He was still acting in the force of his own plans, — not according to his prayer.

“And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.” v. 24.

It was when Jacob was left alone that God drew near and wrestled with him. Alone, he had no outside influences to hinder this time of exercise of conscience. Although everything he could do of his own devices had been done, he was yet afraid. It was under these conditions that God met him and proved him. Jacob did not know with whom he was wrestling and resisted with all his strength. Does the reader also know what it is to have God manifest a controversy with him in his way of life? Has he ever found himself wrestling against the very One who would show him how very weak he really is — not willing to yield to the greater power? Jacob did just this and no doubt felt a good deal of self-satisfaction in that he seemingly prevailed against his opponent. In Hosea we learn that the “man” was actually an angel sent from God. Although he could have subdued Jacob at any time, he allowed him to continue the controversy through the night. Then as morning light broke, he touched him on the thigh, so that it was out of joint. Thus Jacob was no longer able to prevail. Perhaps it was the crippling of his thigh that opened his eyes so that he realized God was speaking to him. Jacob still clung to his opponent who said, “Let me go.” Jacob replied: “I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.” v. 26.

It is a good thing to come to the end of one’s strength and cling to the Lord, who readily blesses when the heart is right. But before giving the blessing, Jacob was asked: “What is thy name? And he said, Jacob.” Thus the Lord required him to own his true identity — Jacob, the supplanter, the schemer, the self-sufficient Jacob. Then He graciously tells him: “Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel [a prince]: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.” v. 28. Jacob asked his opponent His name, but He did not tell him, for Jacob was not yet in a state to know intimately the One with whom he was dealing. The sinew of his thigh was shrunken the rest of his life — a reminder of his own weakness and God’s grace.

“And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved. And as he passed over Penuel the sun rose upon him, and he halted upon his thigh.” vv. 30,31.

ML-12/04/1966

The Chinese Bandit

YEARS AGO in Manchuria, there lived a Chinese farmer named Tung who was a Christian. One day a band of robbers came to his home. They tied up Tung, burned his home, and carried off his belongings. After they were gone, Tung rebuilt his home and went on with his work.

In the city, two years later, Tung met and recognized one of the robbers. He thought Tung would have him arrested and thrown into prison; so he begged Tung for mercy.

Said Tung, “I do not hate you. Tell me about yourself.” The man told Tung all about his troubles. He owed money, he was hungry, his feet were frostbitten. Tung gave him some money and told him to pay off his debts and buy something to eat. “Tomorrow,” said Tung, “I will call for you and take you to the hospital.”

Sure enough, the next day Tung called for the man and took him to the Mission Hospital in his own cart. “Perhaps, he will learn of Jesus as I did,” thought Tung, “then he will come out a different man.”

The robber did learn of Jesus, the Saviour, who forgives guilty sinners and brings them out of darkness io His marvelous light. Tung and his friends prayed for the man. The robber repented of his sins, and was wonderfully saved by the grace of God. He came out of the hospital 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. And all things are of God, who hath recoiled us to Himself by Jesus Christ... we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.” 2 Cor. 5:17,18,20.

“BEING JUSTIFIED FREELY BY HIS GRACE THROUGH THE REDEMPTION THAT IS IN CHRIST JESUS.” Rom. 3:24.

ML-12/11/1966

Tabby's Letter

MILLIE SAT by the fireside alone. Her father and mother were upstairs getting ready to go out for an evening’s entertainment. Millie had wanted to go with her friend, Joyce, to a children’s meeting to be held in the schoolhouse nearby. Millie had pleaded to go that night, especially as there was to be a missionary there and with him several girls from a foreign land who once had been heathen but who now knew and loved the Lord Jesus. They were not ashamed to confess Him as their Saviour and Lord.

Millie’s parents, on the other hand, loved the world, and I suppose they wanted their only child to grow up as they were. They did not want her to be brought in contact with the gospel of Christ, and with those who love His name. So Millie sat by the fire, her kitten Tabby stretched out on the rug bide her, looking now and again at her as if she wanted to share her mistress’s sorrow.

All at once a happy thought struck Millie. She jumped up and got a pencil and a piece of paper. Hastily she wrote a very earnest request that she be allowed to go with Joyce to the children’s meeting, addressing it to her father in most affectionate terms. Then putting it in an envelope, she tied it around Tabby’s neck with a piece of ribbon. Off ran Tabby upstairs as if she knew the whole matter. When Mr. Gray saw her, he laughed as he untied the envelope from Tabby’s neck, and more still when he saw that she stood as if waiting for an answer. Tabby’s letter had the desired effect, for Millie’s father said to his wife, “Let her go. It will help her to while away the evening and it won’t do her much harm for once.”

Mr. Gray took his pencil and wrote his consent on the back of Millie’s letter, tied it carefully around Tay’s neck and sent her off downstairs to Millie.

Millie put on her hat and coat and in a few minutes was walking arm in arm in the moonlight with Joyce on the way to the school. I cannot tell you all that she saw and heard there, but that night Millie’s heart was won by the love of Jesus. She trusted Him as her Saviour, and was joyfully saved.

A short time later, Millie’s father died suddenly, and she was left to be the comforter of her brokenhearted mother. The Lord used Millie’s sweet voice, singing many of her favorite hymns, to unlock her mother’s heart. One of her first walks was to the meeting in the little schoolhouse where Millie had first heard of the Saviour’s love. Not long after her mother opened her heart to Jesus and confessed Him as her Saviour and Lord.

“Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” Matt. 18:3.

“Now therefore hearken unto Me, O ye children: for blessed are they that keep My ways.” Prov. 8:32.

ML-12/11/1966

A Sunday School Teacher's Conversion

MY CONVERSION is a wonderful story of grace. The one the Lord used to carry the arrow of conviction home to my heart was a little girl, one of my own pupils.

We were having our usual Bible lesson on Sunday afternoon. The subject was, “The Brazen Serpent.” After the chapter had been read, I went on to explain it as best I could. I noticed that the girls seemed more interested than usual. I told them that the serpent of brass was a type of our uplifted Saviour, as He Himself said to Nicodemus.

Imagine my surprise when one of the girls asked, “Will we be saved all at once by looking to Jesus on the cross, just as the Israelites looked at the serpent, Miss Kain?” I felt rather confused at this kind of a question. I had not been used to anything of this sort before, and I never thought much about it, in that patter-of-fact way. Before I had time to collect my thoughts and give an answer, my little pupil went on to say, “My sister Laura says we will, and that she had looked and been saved.”

A few days later, I had an opportunity to speak to Laura in the playground. She was a bright, happy girl, open-minded and free. I told her what her sister had said, and asked if it were true.

“Yes,” replied Laura, “I have been converted for several years, and I am happy to know that my sins are forgiven, and that Christ Jesus is mine.” I asked her how she knew.

She said: “I looked away from myself to Jesus; I believed He died for me, and that by His death I had life. That was all.”

I was dumb. Never before had I heard an argument like that. It simply shut me up to one of two things: either I must confess myself an unbeliever and a rejecter of Christ, or, if a believer on Him, then a possessor of everlasting life. The light of heaven dawned upon me through that simple word, and I believe it was then that I passed from death to life.

Dear Laura, it was not long after, she left us for that bright home above. I know she is with Jesus, and that I shall meet here there. Dear reader friend, will you?

LIKE a little wandering lamb,

Lost upon the hills I am;

Like a shepherd Jesus stands,

Holding out His blessed hands.

“Come,” He says, “Come back to Me;

Little lamb I died for thee;

I will take thee to My home,

Little lamb, I pray thee, come.

“Thou would’st like to have thy way,

On the lonely hills to stray,

Where the hungry lion hides,

Where the fiery serpent glides.

“I would have thee lie at rest,

Little lamb, upon My breast;

Thou shalt be My sweet delight

All the day and all the night.

“Though thou hast a wayward will,

Little lamb, I love thee still;

Come to Me and be forgiven,

I will bear thee safe to heaven.”

ML-12/11/1966

Bible Talks: The Story of Jacob

Gen. 33:1-16

“AND JACOB lifted up his eyes, and looked and, behold, Esau came, and with him four hundred men.” The sight of Esau with his 400 men coming toward him was frightening to Jacob. Fearful that his brother would do him harm, he put those he cared for the least, the women servants and their children, in the forefront; after them Leah with her children; and those of his special love, Rachel and Joseph, in the background for utmost safety.

“And he passed over before them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.” v. 3. Could this be the man who had just been favored by God with a new name — “a prince with God"? Surely it was no princely behavior to make obeisance to his brother, bowing thus before him and addressing him as “lord.” Alas, the one who was the special mark of God’s favor and promises of security and safety, could not yet put his full trust in those promises. In apparent total forgetfulness of his prayer to God, he arranged means to forestall the wrath he expected from his brother. How much better would have been his course and what freedom from fear and uncertainty would have been his portion if he had truly acquainted himself with God. His Word tells us: “Acquaint now thyself with Him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee.” Job 22:21.

Jacob soon saw that his fears were groundless — all his planning unnecessary and his gifts and humble expressions out of place. “And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept.” v. 4. Esau ran to meet him, not with a sword, but with a kiss. In place of reproof, tears of joy flowed freely from both, if only Jacob’s own heart had been prepared for this how ready he would have been to give thanks is the God who thus worked in his behalf.

In Jacob’s long absence Esau had acquired considerable wealth and is this prosperity was apparently content to forget about the birthright and the blessing taken by his brother so deceitfully. He had actually despised his birthright and was only tearful when he thought its loss would deprive him of comforts and a place in the world. But now that other circumstances had made him wealthy in his own right, he was genuinely happy to see his brother return. But it must not be forgotten that God was over all this, for by nature Esau would have carried hatred in his heart.

Introductions to the various members of the family then took place, following which Esau offered to journey with Jacob and his company and lead them to their destination, or at least leave some of the men to help them on the way. Jacob, hover, remained ill at ease with his brother, perhaps because his conscience still reminded him of past circumstances. Using the small children and the herds as an excuse he exclaimed: “Let my lord, I pray thee, pass over before his servant; and I will lead on softly, according as the cattle that goeth before me and the children be able to endure, until I come unto my lord unto Seir.” “So Esau returned that day on his way unto Seir.” Jacob, hover, had no intention of going to Mount Seir.

ML-12/11/1966

Hui the Maori Boy

HUI, the Maori boy, lived in New Zealand. He had lived with his tribe nearly all his life, but some of the members of the tribe had wandered away from their village, and had camped near a white settlement in Wellington.

An evangelist was preaching in a tent nearby, and Hui, seeing the people go in, thought he might try to get in as well, and see what the “white man” was doing! So he went in, took a seat at the back of the tent, and gazed about, wondering greatly at what was going on. Not understanding English, he was, of course puzzled. He caught the words:

“O happy day, happy day,

When Jesus washed my sins away.”

Because the chorus of that hymn was repeated several times, he actually learned the words there and then. He went back to his tribe, and kept saying the words over and over again, feeling quite important in having learned some of the “white man’s” language. Day after day he said the lines, not understanding any of the words.

Some months later he went to work on a settler’s farm, and picked up the English language very quickly. From his fellow-workmen, he heard about God.

Once again the tent was pitched, and Hui went to hear the message. The preacher was feeling rather downhearted for he thought that all in that tent were Christians; but Hui was touched and drank in the words of the gospel of God’s great love to poor sinners quite eagerly.

“Oh, did God so love a poor ‘Maori boy,’" he thought, “that His Son came here and shed His blood; and will it really wash my sins away?”

The hymn, “O Happy Day,” was given out, and the tears streamed down Hui’s face as he joined in singing these precious words, the first English words that he had learned. The preacher noticing this spoke to young Hui as he was leaving the tent, and had the great joy of hearing that Hui had met the Lord Jesus Christ as his Saviour God that night, and that Jesus had indeed washed his sins away.

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

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

ML-12/18/1966

Mr. Gladstone and the Street Sweeper

MR. EWART GLADSTONE, once Prime Minister of England, was a Christian and had a tender heart.

A man who made a living sweeping the street crossing was ill in bed and a friend came to see him. He asked the sweeper if he had had any other visitors.

“O yes,” he replied, “Mr. Gladstone came to see me!”

“What?” his friend asked in astonishment. “Do you mean Mr. Gladstone, the Prime Minister?”

“O yes,” answered the sweeper; “I have known him for a long time. He has always had a kind word for me when he has passed my crossing. When I was not there, he missed me. He asked the man who was taking my place where I lived, and he called to see me.”

“What did he do?” asked his friend.

“Oh he read the Bible and prayed with me,” replied the sick man.

A little kindness goes a long way. In bringing the Lord and His Word before the poor sweeper, Mr. Gladstone had brought much happiness to his heart.

We are told in Philippians 2:3-11: “In lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves... Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Memory Verse: “IF THOU SHALT CONFESS WITH THY MOUTH THE LORD JESUS, AND SHALT BELIEVE IN THINE HEART THAT GOD HATH RAISED HIM FROM THE DEAD, THOU SHALT BE SAVED.” Rom. 10:9.

ML-12/18/1966

Mighty to Save

MY BUSINESS one day led me near to the courthouse. A policeman had just driven up to the door, and a large crowd had gathered around to watch the prisoners being taken to the jail. One after another the prisoners were led out, each escorted by two policemen. The faces of most told plainly the sort of life they had led. The reckless and the abandoned were there, feeling for the moment at least that “The way of transgressors is hard.” Prov. 13:15. But sin has its pleasures, and therefore its followers too.

The last of the prisoners was unlike the rest. He was quite young, his face was fair, he was neatly dressed, and as he saw the crowd watching him he hung his head in shame. I saw a big tear stealing down his cheek.

At that moment, an old man, his hair white as snow, rushed from the crowd, clasped the young prisoner in his arms, and sobbing as if his heart would break, he cried, “My boy! My boy! Oh, that I could die and save you from this disgrace —from ruin — from the jail! Why have you used your old father so? I fold you of God, and of heaven, but you would not listen; now they are taking you away — away! I shall go down brokenhearted to the grave.”

“Cheer up, Father,” said the young fellow, weeping. He was going to add more, but the policeman hurried him away and with rough hands they shoved him into the van. The door was shut, and the poor old man fell on the pavement weeping.

As I turned away, wiping the tears from my own eyes, I thought, “Here is love indeed! But in this love there is no power to save. The brokenhearted old father cannot change the young man’s condition. To prison the guilty boy must go; the law must take its course. This love is not mighty to save.”

Listen, dear friend, while I tell you of love which is mighty to save. The word of God has declared most solemnly, “The soul that sinneth, it shall die!” There is no power which can alter that decree. The law could not be altered to ease the sorrow of that poor old father. And not one jot or tittle of the holy requirements of God shall ever be set aside. And you too have sinned, judgment is pronounced upon you, the sentence must be executed.

But we tell you with gladness of love which is mighty to save — yes, to save you, a condemned sinner on the way to the eternal prison. We tell you of the Substitute — of Jesus who died, the Just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God.

Wonder of wonders! The offended, yet loving God gives His Son! “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son...” John 3:16. His love is mighty to save. He saw us in our ruin. But He found a ransom; the debt is paid, the law is magnified, sin is condemned.

Oh beloved, unsaved reader, the work is all done. God has taken the offending thing out of the way, and He is now beseeching you to be reconciled to Himself.

His love is mighty to save. As a criminal under the sentence of death who received a pardon, the hand of mercy stretches out toward you. Believe that God is love, that He gave His Son to die to satisfy His justice, and now we poor guilty sinners may be freed forever from condemnation.

“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.” Rom. 8:1.

A LITTLE child of seven,

Or even three or four,

May enter into heaven

Through Christ, the Open Door.

For when the heart believeth

On Christ, the Son of God,

’Tis then the soul receiveth

Salvation through His blood.

ML-12/18/1966

Bible Talks: The Story of Jacob

Gen. 33:17-19

“AND JACOB journeyed to Succoth, and built him a house, and made booths for his cattle.” v. 17. Jacob was perhaps following the pattern of a thoughtful shepherd, but it was not a land where he should have built himself a house. Abraham “dwelt in tents,” considering himself a stranger and sojourner in this world. Not content with such Jacob settled down once more in a place where he did not belong. Too often this is the pattern of many of God’s people in our own day — stopping short of what God would have His children enjoy and looking instead for satisfaction in the things of the world.

“And Jacob came to Shalem, a city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Padaram; and pitched his tent before the city. And he bought a parcel of a field, where he had spread his tent, at the hand of the children of Hamor, Shechem’s father.”

Again moving southward, he was once more overtaken by the scene before his eyes and “spread his tent” before the city of Shalem, occupied by a heathen Hivite, who was “prince of the country.” The Lord Jesus spoke of Satan as “the prince of this world,” and Jacob’s further delay in Shechem is a lesson to all that the prince of this world will provide bad influences and trouble for all who do not resist him. Jacob did not belong in Shalem. When called by God to leave Padan-aram, he was told: “Return unto the land of thy fathers and to thy kindred.” Chap. 31:3. How much safer for a believer to place himself in the company of “his kindred,” that is, those of like precious faith, than to “pitch his tent” in the atmosphere of this world. Being in the company of those who are subject to Satan, is to be in a very dangerous position, Jacob was not yet prepared to return to the land of his kindred, nor to go back to Beth-el for he had not judged nor put away an evil that was present in his household. Rachel had stolen some of her father’s images and although the story thus far has said no more about them, We find later that they had influenced the whole family. Thus they were all ensnared in idolatry and clinging to other customs connected with the old ways. Jacob knew of this but did not compel his family to break from them, as he should have done. This seriously dimmed his appreciation of what God would do for him and contributed to his reluctance to move on. These unjudged things made him more comfortable at Shem than he would be at Beth-el, the house of God.

We need to separate our own hearts from this world, Christian reader, and not to cling to attractions that may become idols to the heart. Not until the things of this world are abandoned can there be true enjoyment of God in His goodness and the heavenly position He gives His own. He searches the heart and desires full devotedness to Him. The Christian’s behavior will reflect the measure in which he enters into this truth.

ML-12/18/1966

A Hindu Boy

LITTLE Hindu boy was playing in front of his father’s bungalow one day when someone came along and stole him. They took him to Calcutta where he was sold as a slave. A Mohammedan lady bought him and had him taught the Mohammedan faith.

When he was about sixteen years old he became very unhappy, so his mistress, who was quite fond of him, sent for a Mohammedan priest to try and comfort him. The priest aught him to say long prayers, which he was to repeat five times daily with his face turned toward Mecca, the birthplace of Mohammed. He persevered in this until he was over eighteen years of age; but it did him no good.

Then the thought struck him that perhaps all the trouble had come from leaving the religion of his fathers who were Brahmans. He set off at once in search of a Brahman priest who, for quite a sum of money, gave him instructions to make an offering of flowers and fruits, every morning and evening, to one of the goddesses. Also once a week he was to make the sacrifice of a kid. This went on for many weeks. But no rest came to the young Brahman’s heart. He became ill through his soul anxiety, and seemed to be dying on his feet.

Poor young fellow! How many there are like him, with no one to tell them of Jesus, the One mighty to save. Then one day a beggar came to the house, and in the course of telling his story, he happened to mention the name of a young Christian missionary who lived only a short distance away. The young Brahman’s interest was roused, and he asked if he could see him and hear his teaching. He gave the bear a small sum of money, and asked him to guide him to this Christian teacher. In the cool of the day they set off together and arrived at the bungalow of the missionary, just as he and his family were preparing to retire for the night.

The young Brahman told his story, and the servant of Christ lovingly and faithfully pointed him to Jesus, the Saviour of sinners. It took some time to show this dear youth his full need as a sinner, and the simplicity and freeness of God’s salvation. He knew nothing of the God of love, or of Jesus, the Saviour of sinners, so he had to be taught the way of salvation line upon line. This need patience; but the earnest missionary’s patient, faithful efforts were amply rewarded, for the time came when the young Brahman was converted and boldly confessed Christ as his Saviour.

Now, as a native teacher in his own country, he delights to tell others of the mighty Saviour whose blood can cleanse and whose power can deliver from the penalty and dominion of sin. Do you know this same Jesus as your Saviour?

ML-12/25/1966

Old John

John was an old Scotchman, a well-respected church member who had brought up a nice family and who saw to it that they went to Sunday school.

When John was a boy, his old grandfather would retire to the barn where he would pray for all the grandchildren by name. Young John had heard his own name among the others. At the time John made fun of it. He would get up near the loft overhead and throw things down on the old man, as the children made sport of him and his prayers.

But through all the years John had not forgotten. Now he was on his deathbed at the age of seventy-three His daughter, Janet, who herself’ had been brought into peace with God through the work of Christ, had doubts as to whether her father was really saved and ready for heaven, She felt anxious about him and desired so much to get some word from him that he was really a child of God. She would speak to him about his soul, but he resented the thought that he was not fit to appear before God, and would say, “What do you want me to do? I’ve always been square, I’ve wronged nobody, and what more do you want me to do?” He was so well satisfied with himself and the life that he had lived that he was indignant at having any one question his fitness to meet God.

Then Janet learned that there was a meeting of Christians not far away and she sent a message to them requesting that they would pray for her dying father, that God would give some token of assurance that her father was trusting in the blood of Jesus alone for his salvation. The last day of the meeting, a Mr. Dodds sent the word to Janet that they had great liberty in prayer and that he felt God had answered and that there was blessing in store for her father.

That evening she sat down feeling somewhat discouraged. Then she began to read to him a little tract written by Chas. Stanley in which occurred the words: “To him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.” Rom. 4:5. There seemed to be no response until she came to these words, when suddenly the old man called out, “Stop, woman! Does it say that in the Bible?”

“Yes, Father, it is in the Bible,” Janet replied.

The old man said, “Show it to me in my own Bible; give me my glasses, and put my finger on the very place, so I can read it for myself.”

So she showed him the verse, and he read it over and over again, as if to be sure that he got the real meaning of what God was saying to him.

Then he asked, “Does that mean that I, an old man who has done nothing for God, but has lived for himself and can do nothing now, should be received and his faith counted for righteousness?”

“Yes, Father;” Janet replied, and referred him to other scriptures. But this one more than any other seemed to impress its truth upon his soul. Then he said, “Thank God, I am converted now, and my grandfather’s prayers are answered.”

Janet left him for the night, his face beaming with gladness.

To the astonishment of all, he lived three months after this; and to everyone who came into the house he spoke of the need of being born again, and not trusting to their own works. He told them he had been trusting to his own good works, but that he had none, that he was saved only by grace: “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.

John had been well acquainted with the Bible, but it was a new book to him now. He greatly enjoyed it, and now saw many things in a new light. When the end came he was full of joy. His last words were a message to his daughter Christie who, three years before, had left for America. When getting on the ship she had said to him, “Father, promise me you will meet me in heaven.” He did not forget her parting words, and now when dying in peace, he said, “Tell Christie I’ll meet her in heaven.”

Thus passed away old John, a witness to the blessed truth that “To him who worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.” By grace, and by grace alone, through faith, God saves and blesses sinners. He is “just and the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus.”

COME to the Saviour, make no delay;

Here in His Word He’s shown us the way;

Here in our midst He’s standing to-day,

Tenderly saying, “Come".

Think once again, He’s with us to-day;

Heed now His blest command and obey;

Hear now His accents tenderly say,

“Will you, dear children, come?”

ML-12/25/1966

Bible Talks: The Story of Jacob

Gen. 33:20-34:31

“AND HE [Jacob] erected there an altar, and called it El-Elohe-Israel,” which means “God, the God of Israel.” This expressed, no doubt, that Jacob (or, Israel) was aware of his need of communion with God, which was in itself a good thing. Yet, the very name he gave it indicated he did not rise very high in understanding God at this time. Although he spoke of the “God of Israel” he did not rise beyond himself or speak of the “Almighty God” or of His promises concerning a people yet to come.

In chapter 34 the sad results of being near “the prince of the country” are recorded — resulting in deep grief and sad experiences. “And Dinah the daughter of Leah... went out to see the daughters of the land.” Perhaps this might have seemed innocent enough, but it represented the first step in waywardness. First, she “went out” from her own company; then next she wand “to see.” Here again is a solemn lesson for all. “The lust of the eyes” is one of the three evils of this world. Curiosity as to what may be in the world has led many a Christian into sorrow. Finally, it was “the daughters of the land” who attracted her. The enemy of our souls is never content to let God’s children look into the world without drawing them into association with those opposed to the Lord Jesus. Dinah’s attraction to the “daughters of the land” tells us just this. Then exploring “the land of the prince” led to her becoming sadly involved in it.

Dinah was personally responsible for her actions and is an object lesson to all young readers — young women and young men alike. Yet, we are reminded of the parents’ failure in this also. Jacob and Leah should have stopped her in this course, or at least have warned her, but it is not so recorded. How often in later years must they, with Dinah, have wished their tent had not been spread so near that wicked place into which she was enticed?

In the story that follows, Dinah was defiled by Shechem. When her brothers, Simeon and Levi, learned of it they killed all the men of the place, took the women and children captives, and robbed them of all their goods. Jacob, more fearful than ever when he learned of this slaughter, said to his sons: “Ye have troubled me to make me to stink among the inhabitants of the land, and I being few in number, they shall gather themselves together against me, and slay me; and I shall be destroyed, I and my house.” v. 30. What a sad confession from one who himself was “a prince” and should have been a testimony and tower of strength to all around him!

Need more be said as to the sad consequences that likewise befall the Christian who meddles with the things of this world? Only prayerful dependance on God and walking in the truth of His Word will preserve the feet of His own.

Memory Verse: “FOR WITH THE HEART MAN BELIEVETH UNTO RIGHTEOUSNESS; AND WITH THE MOUTH CONFESSION IS MADE UNTO SALVATION.” Rom. 10:10.

ML-12/25/1966

Messages of God's Love: 1966

Table of Contents

Peggy's New Testament

Matt

A Father's Prayer Answered

But This I Know

Bible Talks: Abraham, the Man of Faith

His Mother's Bible

Nellie's Conversion: As Told by Herself

Mads Jagel

Bible Talks: Abraham: The Friend of God

Mads Jagel

Little Louise

"Drop Dem S'posins"

Bible Talks: Abraham, the Man of Faith

Rachael's Letter

Death Valley

Mads Jagel

Bible Talks: Abraham, the Man of Faith

Little Nellie: The Conversion of a Prisoner

"There Go the Ships"

Bible Talks: Abraham, the Man of Faith

The Hidden Hook

Jesus

"Will He Hear Me?"

Bible Talks: Abraham, the Man of Faith

A Brightly Colored Thief

Hit by a Bat

A Perfect Specimen

Bible Talks: Abraham, the Man of Faith

Jacques, the Cabin Boy

Tell Me of Jesus

Rest-Stones

Bible Talks: Abraham, the Man of Faith

Little Joe

Bible Talks: Abraham, the Man of Faith

The Royal Hunt

Saved Through a Lamb

"Daddy, Meet Me in Heaven!"

Earnestly Sought

Bible Talks: Abraham, the Man of Faith

"You Are Sure That Is There?"

Little Joe, the Cripple, Led to Christ by His Child

The Man Under the Clock

Bible Talks: Abraham, the Man of Faith

The Great Mississippi

The Scarred Hand

"I Listened Right off."

No Doubts

Bible Talks: Abraham, the Man of Faith

The Shepherd and His Lamb

An Open Air Meeting

Christ in All the Scriptures

Bible Talks: Abraham, the Man of Faith

"They Shall Never Perish"

"He First Loved Us."

Found!

Bible Questions

Bible Questions for April

Bible Talks: Abraham, the Man of Faith

Lost Sammy

Stewart and Willie

A Step at a Time

Bible Talks: Abraham, the Man of Faith

God Wants the Boys

Old Joe: The Anchor Holds

Behold!

The Blind Man's Song

Bible Talks: Abraham, the Man of Faith

Pierre, the Shepherd Boy

"I Never Heard Such Words Before."

The Best Gift

Never Give up

Good Acts Not Enough

Bible Talks: Abraham, the Man of Faith

A Dog's Gratitude

The Bird's Nest or, Build High

Elsie's Farewell

Led to Christ

Bible Questions for May