ThIS meeting was held at the time appointed, February 11-22, at Lacombe, Alberta. Being unable to secure a suitable meeting place without paying an exorbitant rent, the brethren concluded to hold the session in the Lacombe Industrial School chapel. This room can seat comfortably only about one hundred and fifty persons. The committee thought that the limit of its seating capacity, when crowded to the utmost, would be two hundred and twenty-five, but at times throughout the convention they often crowded into this space more than three hundred and fifty. I think I have never seen any building so packed with humanity when the congregation was seated, as this one. However, the order preserved was remarkable.
Although the congregation were cramped and uncomfortable, and the weather was often very cold, there was scarcely any coughing, and no whispering or annoyance on the part of any. All this added greatly to the interest, and assisted the speakers in their work. Generally, the entire congregation were in their seats before the meeting opened. It was impossible for one to leave the building without creating a disturbance, and, therefore, with but few exceptions, the people remained quiet throughout the service.
Nearly every worker was present at the opening meeting, the evening of the eleventh, and no one left the place until the conference adjourned. The institute lasted seven days, with one or two meetings each day during the conference in addition to the preaching service.
There was a hearty response on the part of the workers to the instruction given, and nearly every one found a new experience in the Lord. Many testimonies were borne giving evidence that the workers had a new vision and a more earnest desire than ever before to press the work with greater perseverance in the years to come. The students and the visiting brethren also received rich blessings. Some thirty to forty who were not church members gave themselves to the Lord during this meeting, and desired baptism. Arrangements were partly made to have this ordinance administered during the conference session, but it had to be postponed on account of the inclemency of the weather.
After an earnest sermon one evening by Elder Meade MacGuire, more than two hundred and fifty of the congregation gave themselves to the Lord without reserve. This meeting continued in two divisions until after midnight, the younger members of the congregation separating to receive personal assistance from Elders Thompson and MacGuire. The workers and others of the congregation remained to seek the Lord in prayer and testimony, and not a few received a rich blessing. This meeting was followed later by other services, when many persons made a surrender to the Lord for the first time, or sought for a fuller and more complete consecration.
On Saturday night following the last Sabbath of the session, the congregation was treated to a symposium in the shape of scriptures read, hymns sung, and testimonies borne in seventeen different languages spoken by the various nationalities present. It was both inspiring and encouraging, when every man present heard praises to God spoken in his native tongue. It made one think of a European general meeting where a large number of different nationalities were present.
The last evening of the meeting Elder Thompson gave a stirring talk on perseverance and victory in the Christian life, which was followed by a testimony meeting in which more than one hundred took part.
The Lord came very near throughout the meetings, and not only gave great blessings spiritually, but healed some who were afflicted with physical disease. The time seems to have come when God is giving his people a definite blessing, and this places upon them a tremendous responsibility, which means much for the future advancement of the cause of God.
The business part of the conference passed off pleasantly, without one discordant note being sounded by any speaker. Practically all the old officers of the union were reelected, Elder H. S. Shaw being president for the ensuing term.
The brethren showed great hospitality in entertaining, and made the stay of the visiting workers as pleasant as possible. Every convenience for the comfort of those from abroad was accorded, and our stay in that field will be long remembered.
The workers return to their respective fields with great courage, and we believe there will be a large ingathering of souls in this union during the coming year. Many testimonies were borne showing that a new era in the lives of the workers had begun, and that they never could go on with the old methods of work, nor be satisfied without greater results from their labors. Surely the Lord will bless this corps of earnest workers as they go out into these new fields to preach the message. The time has come when God has set his hand to the finishing of his work.
I. H. EVANS.
Note and Comment
Religion at the Panama Fair
THE plans of the Federal Council of the Churches of Christ in America provide, through its committee of one thousand, for the erection of a large auditorium and exhibit in the interests of Christianity at the exposition to be held in San Francisco in 1915. The New York Times of February 7 says:—
Dr. Bell proposed twenty-five distinct lines of Christian work to be carried on throughout the exposition, including a great religious exhibit, showing all that evangelical Christianity has done for humanity. He also suggested the erection of a large building inside the exposition grounds, costing $240,000, to house the exhibit and also to provide an auditorium for addresses by prominent men each day. Outside the grounds it is proposed to erect a large tabernacle, with smaller halls, for evangelistic work under the leadership of such men as Gypsy Smith, John McNeill, Billy Sunday, and Dr. Chapman.
Navies of the World
According to the Navy Year Book recently issued, the following important figures are presented: For the year 1913 the seven leading world powers spent on their navies the sum of $797,948,900. Of this amount Great Britain spent $235,713,480, a per capita expenditure of about five dollars for all the inhabitants of the kingdom. The United States holds second rank, as spending the sum of $140,800,643, about $1.50 for every man, woman, and child in the country. The tonnage of the five greatest naval powers is given as follows: Great Britain, 2,591,291 tonnage. This includes vessels now building. Germany ranks second, with a tonnage of 1,228,208; the United States, 921,844; France, 876,155; Japan, 702,099.
New Jewish Edition of the Bible
A NEW version of the Jewish Scriptures in English, the first of the kind ever to be published, is soon to be issued. It has been prepared entirely by a group of Jewish scholars, representatives of their race. This committee has been at work on the Scriptures for six years. The books composing the Old Testament are run in different order from that given in the Christian versions. The book of Daniel is included in the apocryphal section. This work has awakened considerable interest among the Jews; and because of the contribution which it may give to the better understanding of the Scriptures of Truth, it will be welcomed by the Christian world.
Central China Mission
By R. F. Cottrell
R. F. COTTRELL
As we reach the close of 1913 and look back over the providences of God in Central China during the past year, our hearts are filled with deepest gratitude.
For eleven months, Elder J. J. Westrup has been alone in the province of Honan. Famine conditions, with attendant poverty and distress, have been on every hand. Some money has been given to the poor, especially to those of the household of faith, and if the funds were only available, much more would be done to help the needy. For months, parts of this district have been terrorized by bandits, and in one of their attacks on a small town where we have an outstation, one of our colporteurs was shot through the hip. He was afterward carried to the central station, where his wound was dressed and cared for, and at last reports he had quite recovered. These conditions have retarded the canvassing work considerably; and because of the dangers, the American consul has requested our workers to do no itinerating among the outstations.
Despite all these adversities, the work has been onward. Our Honan headquarters, which were at Cheo Chia Keo, forty miles from the railroad, have been moved to the railway town of Yen-cheng. Here, on an elevated site overlooking the river, the mission has purchased about one acre of land; buildings for native school and provincial headquarters have just been completed; and during the summer two foreign houses were erected. [A picture of these cottages will appear next week in connection with an article from Honan by Brother Westrup.]
COTTAGES OCCUPIED BY S. G. WHITE AND FREDERICK LEE AT HANKOW, HUPEH
Brother Westrup is conducting a Bible school at this place during the winter months, and Brother and Sister Frederick Lee, of Hankow, will soon join him in school work for a few weeks. At the close of this school, a number of new native laborers will be taken into the employ of the mission. Sixty-eight have been baptized in Honan during the year, and the future gives promise of a large fruitage of souls.
In the province of Hupeh, the mission headquarters are located at Hankow. In the suburbs of this city a plot of land was purchased last spring, following which two neat mission cottages were built. These are occupied by Brother and Sister Frederick Lee and Brother and Sister S. G. White, who moved into them Dec. 1, 1913. Dr. A. G. Larson, treasurer of the Central China Mission, still resides in the foreign concession of Hankow, and is thus more easily enabled to conduct the business affairs of the mission.
Since the burning of our chapel in Hankow, at the time of the revolution, the mission has had no suitable house of worship. About two months ago, however, the mission rented a new large compound in a good location, which will serve as chapel, school, and native rendezvous for the province. Although the rent is high, the advantages for aggressive evangelical work appeared to fully warrant the expense. The work in Hupeh is onward; the church membership has doubled during the year, and urgent calls for the living preacher are coming from numerous places throughout the province.
In Chang-sha, the capital of Hunan, our principal station has for the past two and a half years been located in rented quarters on an unfrequented street at one side of the city. Heretofore we have spent much time in looking for a more favorable place to rent or purchase, but those found were either unsuitable or too expensive. Recently, our attention was called to a compound on a prominent street in the heart of the city. A chemical factory that had been operating there failed in business, and the city magistrate ordered the property sold to pay off the creditors. The price, including fees, was a little over thirty-five hundred dollars, which seemed almost beyond our reach, but after much consideration and prayer, we decided to secure it. For evangelistic work, we could hardly find a better place in the city. The deed was stamped about two weeks ago, thus giving the mission a legal title to the property. At present, we are in the midst of altering and repairing the compound, which work will cost an additional two hundred dollars; this expense, however, will be more than met by the native offerings in Central China. Reports from all the stations have not yet been received, but from those already13in hand, we feel justified in making this statement. The annual offering in Hunan will be three or four times as large as it was last year.
During Christmas week, I paid a visit to one of our outstations. At that place, the native church has just purchased about one quarter of an acre of land in their little city, worth two hundred and fifty dollars (U. S. gold), and have deeded it to the General Conference corporation. They hope soon, with some help from the mission, to erect church and school buildings on this site. During my stay at this place, nine candidates were buried with their Lord in baptism in the beautiful Ning Siang River. Including these, it has been my privilege during the year to administer this sacred rite to one hundred and forty-four precious candidates. About one third of these were in Hupeh; but whether of one province or another, with rare exceptions the converts are, under God, the fruit of the native workers' efforts. During 1913, two hundred and seventy persons have been welcomed to church fellowship in Central China through baptism, about three fourths of whom came to us directly from heathenism.
THE CHANG-SHA, HUNAN, COTTAGES
Brother C. P. Lillie has made two trips—one in the spring and one in the autumn—through southern Hunan, visiting our stations in that district. Gradually, the people are getting a more intelligent conception of the gospel and of the requirements of Christian living. At most of the places, baptismal services were held. Owing to the distance from this center and the differences in dialect, it seems a pity that we do not have one or two families to locate in that section.
As we consider the many providences of God during the year just closing, our hearts are filled with cheer and thanksgiving. The three provinces of Central China already entered are now supplied with two mission homes each, for foreign workers. At two of our central stations, the mission is provided with its own native headquarters, chapel, and school buildings; and at the other, a most suitable place is rented. We know that many of the brethren and sisters in the homeland have made large sacrifices and liberal offerings that we might be thus equipped, and we hereby express our heartfelt appreciation.
While the missionary enterprise costs, we can likewise assure you that it pays. The heathen who has forsaken his superstition and fears, to become a new creation in Jesus Christ, will look up with glowing, thankful face, and tell you that the undertaking pays. The humble laborer who has toiled hard on his farm or in his shop, and has been self-denying that he may give generously to the work of God, ever testifies that the triumphs of the cross more than repay him. The person who has left the comforts and associations of his native land to turn the heathen from idolatry to the living God, will tell you that in true joy and satisfaction no other pursuit in this world yields so heavy a dividend. And the angels in their songs on high affirm in melody and praise that the priceless Gift of heaven, and all the sacrifices of earth, are none too precious for the redemption of the lost.
The missionary outlook in this field was never brighter; and as we take up the duties of the new year, it is with the consciousness that he who led Israel in ancient times is today guiding and directing the movements of his church in the final struggle which is so soon to terminate in eternal triumph and rejoicing.
Burma, India
By H. H. Votaw
H. H. VOTAW
More souls were received into the church in Burma in 1913 than in any previous year since the opening of our work in this land. This, too, in spite of the fact that our force of workers was much reduced.
Among those baptized was a young Sgaw Karen man, the first of his tribe to come to us. Three Chinese men were received into communion. They were our first converts among the thousands of sons of the Celestial Kingdom who have made Burma their home. A talented young Telugu was also baptized. We believe he will be of great assistance to us in giving the gospel to his countrymen, who come to Rangoon by the thousands annually, because of the higher wages they can earn here.
Two mission stations in entirely new territory, and treatment rooms opened in Rangoon, all during the past six months, make us feel profoundly grateful to kind friends in the homeland whose generosity has made this possible. Our last annual offering, taken at the time of our week of prayer, was much larger than in any previous year. Our people are loyal and liberal.
Three men for whom we have labored and prayed for nine years, ever since we came to Burma, have recently shown a marked interest in their souls' welfare. One, a native of India, has asked for baptism; another, a Burman, has given up the use of tobacco and says he wishes to give his all to God; the third, an Anglo-Indian, sent for me today and asked me to pray for him.
We feel more than ever before that God's word will not return unto him void. Everything indicates that 1914 will be better than last year.
Experiences in the Island of New Guinea
By C. H. Prettyman
C. H. PRETTYMAN
THE evening after Sabbath prior to my leaving Bisiatabu to return to Sydney, Australia, I had the opportunity of witnessing a "pay off" at our mission. This has to be seen to be fully appreciated, but I shall try to present a word picture of the experience.
The back veranda of the mission is lighted by several hurricane lanterns, which reveal the forms of seven boys who have just completed their terms and are about to receive their pay for the time they have labored. Their faces beam with suppressed excitement as they squat in native fashion on the floor in a half circle. Behind them are a number of friends—mothers, sisters, cousins maybe—who have traveled four days' journey for the occasion, from the mountains inland.
In front of them on the floor are spread piles of axes, knives, belts, ramies, matches, beads, etc., and behind these stand Brother Carr and myself. I am to have the privilege of taking the cash and giving change. Each boy receives in cash the amount due him; and then the excitement begins. Each first purchases a "trade box," or wooden trunk, in which to place the goods he is about to purchase. One asks for an ax, and puts down the money. His example is immediately followed by the others. "Ax, please," again and still again, until each boy has perhaps half a dozen axes. They do not seem to understand that it would save much time if they took the six axes at one purchase, instead of six separate purchases. Then one asks for a knife, and all are anxious to secure knives, varying in size from eighteen-inch blades to sheaf knives, on the one-at-a-time principle. Next there is a run on the ramies, then perhaps "billy cans." And so the sale proceeds. Now and then a boy does not produce the correct sum in cash, and we have to explain, while the rest wait impatiently.
Each boy has a friend behind him who receives the purchases and pops them into his box for him. At last the supply of cash is exhausted, and the excitement is over. The boxes are packed up and left in the storeroom until morning, when the boys expect to start for home. The native is deeply attached to his village, and, like most of us, gets a longing akin to homesickness at times. The morning sees a busy crowd packing their loads. The women carry the heavier portion of the burdens, and the boys, who are the heroes of the day, are practically free-handed as they set out in triumph for the hills.
As I witnessed it all, I could not help thinking of the great "pay off" not far ahead of us, when our Elder Brother will come with all the holy angels to conduct us home. Each will be awarded according to his works; and then we shall forget the trials and sorrows, toil and pain, perplexity and fears, that have been our portion here. Let us take courage and labor on, remembering the reward that is before us.
The brief history of our work in New Guinea shows many wonderful instances of God's providence, and I was privileged to witness one of these during my stay. The number of boys at the mission was reduced to about ten by the "pay off" just before my arrival, and nearly all those left would finish in a few weeks, Brother Carr told me; but he added, "We are praying that the Lord will send us some more boys." Time ran on, and no boys appeared. As I visited various plantations, I learned that as much as £3 to £5 per head is paid to recruiters for securing the services of the boys for the plantations. At last it was only one week of the time our boys were to finish. One afternoon a procession of about a dozen natives, mostly women and girls, was seen approaching the mission—but no working boys. The friends had come to help carry the "trade" home. They knew nothing of any boys coming. Two days later, however, while we were sitting at our afternoon meal, we saw another company of natives coming toward the mission house. Soon they were at the back door; and14a fine, clean, bright lot of fellows they looked, too. Nine had come to "sign on," or engage themselves for twelve months. Some of our neighbors would gladly have paid £30 to £40 for them, but they had simply come along—we believe under the leading of the Holy Spirit, in answer to prayer.
We found that among them were several who had served a time previously, which was a token of encouragement. They came from the same district as had the boys about to be paid off.
If prayer has brought them to the mission, what more can it not do for them, if we believe? Brethren, let us pray more for our missionaries and their work. They need this help, and "prayer moves the arm of Omnipotence."
"How Shall We Order the Child?"
By Mrs. M. E. Steward
MRS. M. E. STEWARD
How many parents realize, in their daily intercourse with their children, that they are constantly assisting in forming characters that will decide eternal destinies? How few remember that the harvest will always be true to the seed sown! A father kept all his pennies to give to his little son for occasional services, and for being good. That child is liable to grow up selfish and covetous; he already regards money as a most desirable thing. It is a bad thing for a child to expect pay for whatever he does. There is a better way.
Suppose the father comes in tired, and thirsty, and dusty. Without being asked, the little one runs for the brush, and tries to sweep the dust from his papa's feet, who tenderly thanks him, while he takes a chair on the porch. "Would my son mind bringing me a drink of cool water?" Lovingly the child obeys. Soon papa says: "Don't you think auntie would like a drink, too? She has no dear little boy now. Poor, lonesome auntie!" The child's sympathies are aroused; he quietly slips up to her side, lays his head on her shoulder, and asks, "May I do something for you, auntie?" "I would like some water, dearie." On his return with the cool drink, auntie takes him on her lap, and says, "You are a good boy." Going back to his parents, papa says, "My son, that makes me very happy; we like to have our boy imitate the precious Saviour who went about doing good." That child has entered a path in which, if he continues, he will be a blessing to the world. He will not think he must have compensation for every service he renders, thus making himself disagreeable and a byword.
A mother says to her little daughter: "Stop scowling; you will spoil your pretty face. Come here and see what a beautiful frock I have made you. Put it on and look in the glass and see what a pretty picture there is there." The child stands long at the mirror, admiring herself. Such a course will surely make her a frivolous, vain young lady, hungering for admiration, and an easy prey for the white-slaver.
Some children were prepared to take part in a public exhibition. They were dressed like dolls, and their mother said earnestly, "Now, girls, I want you to act like little ladies, and Harry to behave like a gentleman." She had never explained to them what it is to be ladies and gentlemen at heart, in soul and spirit. These children become charmed with the tinselry of earth, for they have no anchor of moral rectitude to hold them. How will it be when they have to meet the duties and responsibilities and the crushing burdens which every one is called to bear more or less in ripened life?
There are children who can "arise up, and call" their mother "blessed." They bless her for the wisdom and strength of character she gave them in early life. O, is not this worth all the sacrifice of pretty vanities and unsatisfying triumphs a child can ever gain?
Our wonderful Pattern never did anything during his thirty years of home life to call attention to himself. But his quick eye never missed a case of need, and his ready hand and tender sympathy relieved sorrow. Such sympathy has our Saviour today. Mothers may find in him a wise adviser, a tender and sympathetic helper at all times. He says to God-fearing parents, "Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee." He will be to you "a very present help in trouble."
Sanitarium, Cal.
The Lost Sheep
By R. T. Sisley
R. T. SISLEY
ONE cold, frosty night, as my custom was, I went out just before retiring to see if all my stock were in good condition for the night. When I came to the sheep shed, I went in to ascertain if they were all right. Something seemed to say, "Look them over and see if all are in." I commenced, and soon found that a butternut-colored yearling was missing.
What should be done? The pasture was a long way off, and it was a hard place to find a butternut-colored sheep in the dark among the fallen trees, burned black. Besides, many bushes and briers were in patches all about. Something else seemed to say: "I think it will be all right in the morning. You had better go to bed, and get your rest, since you are already very weary." I could not, however, feel satisfied until I had made an effort to find that missing sheep, because the dogs had been worrying them even in the daytime. I therefore went out, and followed path after path, but all in vain.
What more could I do?—I had not called; I might try that. So I commenced to call, and had the satisfaction of hearing my voice rolling off on the still, frosty air. But presently I heard, or thought I heard, a faint answer in the distance; so I called again, "Nan!15Nan! Nan!" I listened again and heard a response. Again I renewed my calling, but the answer did not come more distinctly. "Why does it not come?" I said to myself. "Well, if you will not come to me, I must go to you." So I started in the direction of the sound, alternately calling and listening. I soon found that I was on the right track, as the bleating was becoming plainer each time I heard it. I finally came to the edge of a low piece of ground which was very damp, and consequently the grass had made an early and rapid growth.
Here I was happy to find the sheep safe and sound, although fastened to the earth with a rope of raspberry briers so strong that its efforts to release itself had been in vain. It appeared as if some briers had become entangled in the wool on the throat, and the animal had walked around until more briers and more twisting had made a rope too strong for its strength to break or loosen from the earth. To release it, I pulled up the root of each brier separately, until all were thus removed. Then I had the sheep by the rope that had held it so firmly to the ground. The lost sheep was soon happy with its companions, and I sought my bed for needed rest.
Now, what thoughts think you I had when hunting, releasing, and leading that sheep back to the fold? They were just about such ones as I should imagine the Saviour intended shepherds and people interested in sheep to feel when reading the parable of the Good Shepherd. Let us notice the condition of this sheep: It was lonely; it was a prisoner; it was in danger of being destroyed by dogs; it was hungry, for it had eaten close to the ground all the grass within its circumscribed circle; and, judging from its actions on meeting its friends, it had also been quite unhappy.
The lessons to be learned are: When impressed to labor for some soul or go on some errand of mercy, do it at once. If undecided what course of action is right, it is usually best to follow the one which savors less of self. If we have relatives or friends outside the fold, it is our privilege and duty to hunt for such ones; for, however dear they may be to us, however esteemed for their many good qualities, the Word of God shows that they are cursed; they are doomed, if found outside of Christ.
We must leave no means untried till we succeed in giving help to those who need help. Had I followed only the well-worn paths over that large pasture, I should not have found the lost sheep; for it was not in a path, nor near one. It was by calling the sheep, and by crawling over logs and through bushes and briers, that I found it. Suppose I had said, when I thought I heard a response, "If you do not come now, you can have your own will and stay where you are; for it is too late, and I am too tired to hunt all over the pasture after you." Had it been left there, it might have been killed by dogs. Shall we leave our friends and neighbors, or any one that comes within the sphere of our influence, without using every possible endeavor to bring them to a condition and place of safety? — No; we must use the most untiring and unselfish energy, and the kindest and most skillful tact that can be learned from the Great Shepherd of the flock; for Satan as a roaring lion seeketh whom he may devour.
It is not always enough to call, or even to show the way. We must be more personally interested in those for whom we labor; we must find if they are bound to the earth; and, if so, with what, and whether they would like a little assistance to get released; for they may have been struggling in their own strength to get free, and become discouraged, thinking that no man cares for their souls.
The truth is that many of us are more or less in bondage, and the need of aid in freeing the unfortunate is one of the crying demands on the church today. We cannot excuse ourselves by saying, "Am I my brother's keeper?" The true Shepherd will hold us each responsible for putting forth the best possible efforts for those within the zone of our influence.
Soekaboemi, Java.
The Promised Rest
By Worthie Harris Holden
WORTHIE HARRIS HOLDEN
THANK God for quiet days when all the fervor
Of combat or of constant toil may cease,
When calm repose may close the weary eyelids
To dream of heaven's bliss and thoughts of peace.
So musing on that rest and joy eternal,
With grateful thoughts uplift to God in prayer,
The ills of life transform to streams of pleasure,
Which urge our bark more swiftly by his care.
Praise God, in days of gloom or dark foreboding
When earth and sky seem pregnant with their woe,
There is a peace that passeth understanding
For heaven's children in this world below:
Nor height, nor depth, nor present tribulation,
Nor powers of demons, can our rights dethrone,
Since He who met the marshaled hosts of evil
Will e'er defend and conquer for his own.
Shout in the heat of battle, Hallelujah!
The charge is brief, the fight will soon be o'er;
Each fray but brings us nearer to the homeland,
And Christ as general makes the victory sure.
For to each life come cloudless days and stormy,
Come weary marching and the battle's roar,
Yet Heaven grants perpetual benediction
If to the end we steadfastly endure.
A Daily Resolution
By John H. Vincent
I WILL this day try to live a simple, sincere, and serene life; repelling promptly every thought of discontent, anxiety, discouragement, impurity, and self-seeking; cultivating cheerfulness, magnanimity, charity, and the habit of holy silence; exercising economy in expenditure, carefulness in conversation, diligence in appointed service, fidelity to every trust, and a childlike trust in God. —John H. Vincent.
Noon-Hour Prayer
“Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.” “And the Lord turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends.”
“SECRET prayer is secret power, and without the secret of prayer the secret of power will never be known.”
Dr. Wilfred Grenfell, missionary to the deep-sea fishermen of Labrador, says of the blessing of prayer:—
“The privilege of prayer to me is one of my most cherished possessions, because faith and experience alike convince me that God himself sees and answers, and his answers I never venture to criticize. ‘It is only my part to ask. It is entirely his to give or withhold, as he knows is best. If it were otherwise, I should not dare to pray at all. In the quiet of home, in the heat of life and strife, in the face of death, the privilege of speech with God is inestimable. I value it more because it calls for nothing that the wayfaring man, though a fool, cannot give—that is, the simplest expression to his simplest desire. When I can neither see, nor hear, nor speak, still I can pray so that God can hear.”
Requests for Prayer
12. A Michigan sister desires that prayer be offered for her healing.
13. An aged sister living in Wisconsin asks us to pray that she may be healed of rheumatism.
14. An anxious mother writing from the same State (Wisconsin) requests our earnest prayers for her son who is in Honolulu, and for a neighbor who is a slave to liquor.
15. An Ohio sister, crippled as the result of a fall, desires prayer that she may be healed if it is God’s will. She also asks prayer for the restoration of her son-in-law and a friend who are ill.
16. A request comes from an Idaho sister that prayer be offered for the healing of a friend who is suffering from cancer.
17. An isolated Arkansas sister asks prayer for the healing of herself and daughter.
18. A sister in Maine, suffering from nervous prostration, asks our prayers that she may be healed.
19. An anxious mother in Canada requests earnest prayer for the healing of her daughter, who is afflicted in both mind and body; for a son who lies sick with fever; and for herself, that she may be strengthened to meet her trials.
20. A sadly afflicted sister in New York State desires restoration to health if it is in accordance with God’s will for her.
21. “Please pray for the speedy recovery of our baby boy, who has been badly scalded,” writes a mother from Georgia.
Using Simple Illustrations
By Mrs. Andrew Speedie
MRS. ANDREW SPREDIE
In working for the souls of men it is well to use some experience they have had, as an object lesson to bring them to Christ. To illustrate, let me tell my own experience.
My home was one of prayer. Like Hannah, my mother had dedicated me to the Lord. She had often talked to me about giving myself to Christ, but I thought I was good enough as I was. When I was not quite seven years old, my parents moved to Colorado for father's health, and the next year came to Oregon with mule teams. Well do I remember my great fear of getting off the road. I can see as if it were yesterday how the leaders of our party consulted the map and the diagrams they had of the route. Sometimes we did miss the way, and had to travel many weary, needless miles.
When we were at last settled in Oregon, we had very few church privileges. Once a year a traveling minister came to preach in our neighborhood. It was on one of these occasions that I found the Lord, the Saviour of my soul. Father Harper, a Baptist minister, was holding a meeting at the home of a neighbor one cold winter night. His text was: "Be not deceived; God is not mocked." I saw myself a sinner, but I knew not how to come to Jesus. I was in great distress of mind, when Father Harper said, "Some of you may have crossed the plains." Yes, I had made the journey; and I listened with interest to learn what that could have to do with one's salvation. Just as if he had been in our company and knew about all the difficulties we encountered, he told the story of a journey, and used that to illustrate the way of salvation. The Bible, he said, is our guide—the map by which we may know the right road. O, how sweet that message was to my soul! I could comprehend it although only a child of eleven years.
Let us meet the needy soul where it is, and speak to it through its own experiences.
