[Striking evidence from the observation and studies of the late Dr. John L. Nevins, for forty years a missionary to the Chinese; being extracts from his book on “Demon Possession and Allied Themes,” published by Fleming H. Revell Company.]
THE Bible recognizes not only the material world, but a spiritual world intimately connected with it, and spiritual beings both good and bad, who have access to, and influence, for good and ill, the world’s inhabitants. If the claim of the Bible to be of divine origin is well founded, it is the very guide we need, and the only authoritative guide to answer the questions which have been raised in this inquiry. If the teachings of the Bible on this subject are unreliable and inconclusive, the authority of the Scriptures is shaken to its very foundations, and a wide door is open to doubt and unbelief. The assaults of infidelity against the Bible are often made at this, which is supposed to be its weakest point. Not a few who have given unreasoning assent to the oft-repeated and very generally-believed assertion that there is, and in the nature of things can be, no evidence of unseen existences, and that possession by demons is a superstitious delusion of an unscientific age, have in consequence had their confidence in the Scriptures shaken or permanently destroyed.
The testimony of the Scriptures on this subject, and that which we derive from sources outside the Scriptures, are mutually confirmatory.
To one in whose mind doubts have arisen as to the possibility of occurrences which are declared in the Scriptures to have taken place, the appearance in the present age, and in ordinary life, of facts similar to, or identical with, those to which the Bible bears witness tends to solve his doubts. The very statements which were the means of shaking his confidence in the Bible become to him convincing evidence of its truth. On the other hand, the testimony of the Bible on this subject confirms and authenticates similar testimony from other sources, and above all gives us authoritative instruction respecting the character and origin of this class of phenomena. The importance, then, of a careful and unprejudiced consideration of what the Bible teaches on this subject is apparent. . . .
We believe, then, that the language of the Bible with reference to demon possession is to be interpreted in its ordinary literal sense; that it represents actual occurrences; that there were unseen spirits in Judea; that they sought opportunities to possess themselves of the bodies of men; that they did so, and while in possession of those bodies gave evidence of that possession which was palpable and unmistakable. They conversed through the organs of speech of the persons possessed, and gave evidence of personality, of desires and fears, and acknowledged God’s authority over them. Our Saviour cast them out by His word, and gave the same authority to His disciples, tho it does not clearly appear in the Scriptures how long that power was to continue.
In a word, we believe that our Saviour said just what He meant, and that He was perfectly acquainted with this whole subject in all its facts and bearings.
It thus appears that the hypothesis of demon possession may claim a divine sanction, as well as the common consent of all nations and ages. The question of such events being repeated in the world’s history is simply a matter of evidence. Let us determine, then, by comparison, how far the manifestations or symptoms of demon-possession as they appeared in the previous chapters of this treatise correspond with those presented to us in the New Testament.
1. In China, persons afflicted are of both sexes and of all ages. The same is true of the cases presented in Scripture.
2. A marked characteristic of the cases which have been met with in China is that the attacks are occasional, and commence with some physical disturbance or bodily convulsion. This corresponds with the cases given in Scripture: “Lo, a spirit taketh him, and he suddenly crieth out; and it teareth him that he foameth again, and bruising him hardly departeth from him.” Luke 9 : 39; compare Mark 9 : 18 and Luke 8 : 29.
3. In many of the cases which have come before us, the demon declares that he will never cease to torment his victim unless he submits to his will. The subject bemoans his deplorable and hopeless condition, and sympathizing friends intercede for him. Frequently the victim pines away and dies. The correspondence of these characteristics to the cases given in Scripture is too obvious and striking to require pointing out.
4. We have had presented in some of the cases before us instances in which the subject has received bodily injuries or scars as if from an unseen hand. So we read of the cases in Scripture, that they were thrown down, torn and bruised, and that one cut himself with stones.
5. Some cases before us are easily cast out,10and others with great difficulty. The Scripture narrative presents the same difference.
8. Nothing has excited more surprise in connection with these manifestations in China, than the fact that the subjects of these manifestations have in some cases evinced a knowledge of God, and especially of our Saviour, and acknowledged our Saviour's authority and power.
9. We notice in cases of possession in China and in those given in Scripture in some instances, a kind of double consciousness, or actions and impulses directly opposite and contrary. The woman in Fuchow, whose case is given in chapter VII, tho under the influence of a demon whose instinct it was to shun the presence of Christ, was moved by an opposite influence to leave her home and come to Fuchow to seek help from Jesus. So the demoniac who dwelt among the tombs, "when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshiped him," altho the spirit still manifested a feeling of antagonism and dread, saying, "What have I to do with Thee, Jesus Thou Son of the Most High God? I adjure Thee by God, that Thou torment me not." Mark 5 : 6, 7; compare Matt. 8 : 28, 29; Luke 8 : 27, 28.
10. We have had cases before us in which the same human body was possessed by several demons,—three, six, and more. So in Scripture we have cases of possession by seven demons and by a legion. Luke 8 : 2; Mark 5 : 9.
11. One of the most common characteristics of the cases met with in China is the instinct or longing of the spirit for a body to possess, and their possessing the bodies of inferior animals as well as men. So in Scripture we have spirits represented as wandering about to seek rest in bodies, and asking permission to enter into swine. Matt. 12 : 43; 8 : 31.
12. In the cases before us, as well as those given in Scripture, we have the spirit cast out seeking to return again. Matt. 12 : 44.
13. We have exact correspondence also in the assertion of a new personality and the instinctive recognition of this new personality by all present, long conversations being carried on with this new personality, precisely as between two human beings, the possessed subject being in most cases entirely ignored. In this distinguishing feature of possession the correspondence between cases of demon-possession generally and those found in Scripture is very striking.
14. We have another correspondence in the fact that in attempts to cast out demons in the name of Christ there has been no failure.
15. Demons are cast out by others than Christians, and by different methods. So in the Scriptures. Witness the existence of exorcists in Judea, and our Saviour's words, "By whom do you cast them out?" Matt. 12 : 27; Luke 11 : 19.
16. We have cases of casting out demons by those who have afterwards been guilty of gross immorality, and have been cast out of the church. So our Saviour declares, "Many will say to Me in that day, . . . Did we not . . . by Thy name cast out demons?" etc., to whom He will declare, "I never knew you." Matt. 7 : 22, 23.
17. There is a correspondence in the effects produced by casting out demons in the name of Christ. When the Gospel was first preached in Judea, and now when it is first preached in heathen lands, the effect produced by casting out demons has been to arrest public attention, and give evidence readily appreciated and understood by the masses, of the presence and power of Christ, thus convincing men of the divine origin and truth of Christianity, and preparing the way for its acceptance. . . .
21. The evil spirits spoken of in Scripture are represented as belonging to the kingdom of Satan, and in direct and acknowledged opposition to the kingdom of our Lord. In China, as a rule, the cases which we have been considering are directly or indirectly connected with heathen temples and idolatrous worship. The Chinese attribute these cases to unclean and malicious spirits, who are the enemies of men, and are constantly seeking to injure them.
22. In case D in the Appendix we hear of a female slave possessed by a spirit, who was highly prized and used by her master as a means of gain. Compare the case given in the sixteenth chapter of Acts. . . .
As the result of the comparison which has been made we see that the correspondence between the cases met with in China and those recorded in Scripture is complete and circumstantial covering almost every point presented in the Scripture narrative. The frequent assertions, made in extracts which we have taken from a variety of authors, that the possession phenomena of Judea found in the Bible are identical with those of other lands, seems justified, and we may inquire, in the language of Bishop Cardwell of India, "If the cases nowadays differ from those of the Hebrews in the time of Christ, will any one point out the exact bound and limit of the difference?"
It was my hope, when I began to investigate the subject of so-called "demon-possession," that the Scriptures and modern science would furnish the means of showing to the Chinese that these phenomena need not be referred to demons. The result has been quite the contrary.—Sunday-School Times.
WHEN CHRIST SHALL COME.
By L. D. Santee
When Christ shall come,
The trumpet sound shall from the dead awake thee,
From earth's broad bosom will the angels take thee
To endless life, no grief that needs assuaging,
For thee the storm is past, no tempest raging,
When Christ shall come.
When Christ shall come,
This is the gate to life that is immortal,
This is the entrance to the pearly portal,
Leaving for aye your cares and old earth hoary,
For all God's children will be crowned with glory,
When Christ shall come.
When Christ shall come,
They shall embrace with joy the friends long parted,
The glad reunion with the dear departed,
Caught up by angels, they'll ascend to heaven,
Praising the Master for the life He's given,
When Christ shall come.
When Christ shall come,
Death's ear shall list the trumpet of the Maker,
Tho long they've slumbered in "God's quiet acre,"
That call will wake them to a life eternal,
And they will enter heaven's joys supernal,
When Christ shall come.
When Christ shall come,
Those that are living then will be translated,
They'll see the King for whom they long have waited.
"This is our God, and we have waited for Him,"
They'll shout with joy, and with the rest adore Him,
When Christ shall come.
L. D. SANTEE
CHRIST, THE DOOR.
By J. G. Lamson
THE problem of restoring a lost world to favor with God, and separating from the sinner the sins that doomed him to destruction, was solved for time and eternity when Jesus gave His life on Calvary, and from the tomb walked forth a Conqueror. The promise of a Saviour made to our first parents after the Fall, made known to faithful Abraham in God's covenant with him, ratified in the death of Christ upon the cross, and preached to the world by His ambassadors, is the Gospel, and the power of God unto salvation to those that believe.
The Christian delights in the study of this wonderful plan, which the angels desired to look into; and as soon as one sees clearer light as to God's merciful dealings with the children of men, he hastens to show to others the blessings he has received, and entreat them to accept of the love of God.
In the beginning man was made upright. He was endowed with life, and in purity and righteousness he lived in the Garden of Eden. In his character he reflected the image of God, but he fell, and the consequences reached us, for "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."
Had Adam done his "whole duty" he would have fulfilled the purpose for which he was created, would still be living, still be upright, righteous. By his "transgression of the law" he failed to glorify God; he became a sinner, the offended law gave him knowledge of his unrighteous condition, and the tree of life was taken away.
Thus the law was a witness, first of his righteousness, and afterward of his sinfulness. When he was as God made him, he could look at the law and say, That says I am holy, for my life is in harmony with what it says; but when he looked upon the fruit, and took what was not his own, yielded to another master than the God of heaven, by that act he slew the whole human race, dishonored his Father, and tried to avoid telling the truth. Then when he looked at the law it would say, You are a sinner, and dying thou shalt die. The law may be aptly represented as a wall separating the righteous from the wicked.
The commandment "was ordained to life," and was intended to be a preserver from sin; but as soon as sin came that same law was "found to be unto death," and "what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh." Rom. 7:10-13; 8:3.
The law witnesses to the righteousness of those who obey it, and to the sinfulness of those on the outside, who transgress it. But the law concludes all under sin, "for that all have sinned." Rom. 5:12. Life, happiness, peace, joy, are all inside, on the side of obedience, shut in by the law. We are out. How shall we get in?
Christ says, "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No man cometh unto the Father but by Me." Again, "I am the Door of the sheep." All other plans to get inside, all ways that do not have Christ in them, are the ways of thieves and robbers. How is Jesus the door, and how may we enter? Christ obeyed the law, therefore He was without sin. He voluntarily gave up His life, and was made to be sin for us. Then He took upon Himself the penalty of our transgression, and died the death that Adam would have died if Christ had not come. By keeping the law He proved that it11was not the cause of sin, nor itself sin, but that God's law was so unchangeable that the penalty for its breaking must be met. He met that sentence instead of our meeting it, and by His stripes we are healed.
The law witnessed to His righteousness, and as soon as that righteousness is imputed to us, the law witnesses to our righteousness. Before we can get into that glorious home we, too, must be sinless. We must have a record as pure as snow, with no stain upon us in any way. We must have a record that says, He has done his whole duty, and is without sin. That is not our record now, so what can we do?—We can go to Christ who made the record for us, and He will place upon us His own spotless robe, and we will be clad in white raiment, which is the righteousness of saints.
Have I had other gods before the great Jehovah? then I have broken that commandment which says, "Thou shalt have no other gods before Me." Have I bowed to graven images? I must get Christ's keeping of the second commandment or I can not be saved. Have I taken God's name in vain? Christ never did, and, if I have faith in Him, He will put upon me His sinless life in that regard. Have I desecrated His holy Sabbath? I have broken that commandment which says, "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work; but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God."
But suppose I think that the first day is the Sabbath to be kept now, and yet have broken what I think to be God's Sabbath. Dear reader, what you think about the Sabbath is not the criterion, unless you think according to God's Word and the example of Christ. If you think it is the first day of the week, that is not God's Sabbath at all, but a man-made substitute. Go to Christ if you will, but He has no Sunday-keeping to bestow on you for the supposed breaking of that day; for Sunday-keeping is not in the commandment, nor in His example. If you go earnestly seeking for the light, and ask Him to forgive your sins, and bestow upon you His righteousness, He will hear you and put upon you His Sabbath-keeping of His own Sabbath, kept in His own way. He knew how to keep it aright. Ask Him to put upon you His keeping of the fourth commandment, to cover your life of breaking it, and then "turn away thy foot" from His holy day. Isa. 58:13.
Sinner, do you want to get into the fold? Come to the Door. Do not try to get in by any other way; come to the Door. Tell Jesus your wonderful need of Him, and He will hear. He even leaves the ninety and nine, and goes far out on the mountain to hunt the stray one who has wandered away from His fold. Come to the Door. Enter by the new and living way which Jesus has consecrated for us. Let Him make your heart a dwelling-place, and He will lead you into all truth.
We are ambassadors for Christ, and we beseech you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. "Behold," says He, "I stand at the door, and knock; if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me." Rev. 3:20. He wants us to exchange our burden for His yoke, because His yoke is easy, and His burden is light. He asks you to come and reason with Him. "Tho your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; tho they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." Isa. 1:18. "Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love." Jer. 31:3. J. G. LAMSON.
O ISRAEL, turn to the Lord, to thy God,
His chosen have fallen away;
Too long in iniquity's path hast thou trod,
O hasten, repent ye to-day.
And take with you words and say to the Lord,
"Receive us, the good O receive,
For praise would we render to Thee at Thy word,
Thy promise, O Lord, we believe.
"Salvation in Asshur can never be found;
We ride upon horses no more;
In humble contrition we're brought to the ground,
Nor worship our gods as of yore.
"Nor say to the work of our hands as we did,
'By thee are the fatherless fed.'"
For God has proclaimed, "My fierce anger is hid,
My own from backsliding are led.
"To Israel I shall be life-giving dew,
Like blossoming lily he'll be,
Like Lebanon's cedars his roots shall hold true,
His branches shall spread like a tree.
"His beauty shall be as the fair olive tree,
Like Lebanon fragrant as morn;
And they that dwell under his shadow shall be
Revived and refreshed as the corn."
And then shall fair Israel build and abide,
And blossom and grow as the vine,—
For strong is Jehovah who stands at his side—
His scent is like Lebanon's wine.
The wise who are prudent shall know of His word,
His laws, they shall know them all;
The righteous shall walk in the way of the Lord,
Transgressors therein shall fall.
MAX HILL.
PERFECT IN EVERY WAY.
By H. C. Balsbaugh
"THE law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul." Ps. 19:7. God's law (the Ten Commandments) has within itself this fact of its perfection, namely, its own proof.
Every inquirer can readily learn upon what authority the command is given (Exodus 20), "Thou shalt not steal," by reading verses 4 and 5, which show the Author by name, and verse 11, which declares Him to be the Creator of heaven and earth. So likewise of the commandment, "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain." So all of the ten stand upon equal authority. This at once dispels the doubt of the sincere inquirer as to the right and wisdom of giving such commandments, for the Maker of heaven and earth is of right the Owner and Ruler of His creation.
Attention being called to the Author as Creator, we may quickly learn by the description of the Creation (Genesis 1), that He is good, for before making the living creatures He provided for their sustenance and pleasure. And the endless variety of creation attests infinite wisdom. This is sufficient to confirm the mind that God is almighty and perfect in wisdom and goodness.
Ex. 20:6 shows that God is love (for in that He shows mercy His love is proven), that element which binds all creation together in harmony and sympathy.
But these fundamental truths can not be learned so as to satisfy and confirm the mind without the knowledge of verse 11. The fact of Creation is foundation for genuine faith in God the Author of the Ten Commandments, which truth connects all of them. And the force of the duty to remember the greatness and perfection of the Creator is only fully set forth in the commandment (the fourth) embraced in verses 8 to 11, the simple proof that only this one connects them all into one perfect law.
The law of God is perfect in its plainness, that it may be easily understood, teaching perfect belief in it and perfect obedience to it, by which is effected the perfect conversion of the soul to God, which is the power of Jesus Christ its Giver, which is the complete thought David declares in the text. H. C. BALSBAUGH.
LIBERTY VS. TYRANNY.
By George A. Snyder
[To an extent adapted from "The Antiquity of Freedom."]
LIBERTY! O ancient hero
Of the world-wide battle-field!
On thy head shines Hope's bright helmet,
In thy hand Faith's ample shield.
On thy brow I see imprinted
Many deep and lasting scars
Made through time's succeeding ages
In thy foe's unholy wars.
Tyranny, thy pale oppressor,
Tho of later birth than thou,
Ever watches thee for evil
With a frown upon his brow.
Strong art thou with constant struggling
'Gainst thy unrelenting foe,
Who with subtlety hath ever
Compassed thee with pain and wo.
Thou must keep eternal vigil
To escape the oppressor's ire
As he hurls at thee his javelins
Forged in Envy's raging fire.
Deep he digs thy silent dungeon,
Strong he welds thy binding chain;
But his rule will soon be over;
Then shall dawn thy peaceful reign.
Thou must often be derided
While a cruel crown of thorns
Shaped by Tyranny's devising
Thy pale, bleeding brow adorns.
Thou may'st even be deserted,
Pinioned to a cruel cross,
Sepulchred in earth's cold bosom,
While we mourn our fearful loss.
But the day is fast approaching
When thy wounded form shall rise
Over Tyranny triumphant,
And be carried to the skies.
Then shalt thou through ceaseless ages
From all strife at last be free.
Gladly will we share thy struggles
On this road to victory.
GEO. A. SNYDER.
Earnestness in Christian Work
"BE earnest; God is disgusted with lukewarm workers, and they are as sickening as an emetic to both saints and sinners."
TO A NEW CONVERT.
By F. B. Meyer
Witness-bearing.
TAKE every opportunity which presents itself to bear witness to your new Master, Christ. "Let the redeemed of the Lord," cries the Psalmist, "say so, whom He hath redeemed from the hand of the adversary." It is a great help to the religious life to allow it to express itself. Have you been brought out of the horrible pit and the miry clay? Say so. Are your feet upon a rock? Say so. Is a new song in your mouth? Say so. Has the morning sunshine broken in? Say so. Have you peace with God and the assurance of salvation? Say so. Have you victory through the blood of the Lamb? Say so. Attribute all the glory and praise of your new life to God, but do not hesitate to say what you have experienced.
Each new convert should set himself to enclose for God a piece of the great moorland waste of the world, weeding it, digging it up, and sowing it with the good seed. Let it be either a class of Sunday-school children, or a boys' life brigade, or a tract district, or some other branch of Christian service—but there must be, where at all possible, some opportunity of bearing a regular and systematic witness to Christ. You must have a patch in the harvest-field, a hand-breadth at least in the building of the temple of God.
Upholding Christ's Banner.
Will this absolve you from all further responsibility?—No, for your witness is apt to become stereotyped and formal if it is only given to the same people and under the same conditions. You must go further afield; and whenever the name of Christ is flouted and His Gospel misrepresented, whenever untrue and uncharitable reports are being manufactured and circulated, wherever souls perish because of wreckers' false lights, wherever the spoiler is creeping up the pass and no other voice will be raised to warn the unsuspecting peasantry—there you must confess your Lord and Master before men, or risk being denied before His angels.
This habit will also greatly promote your own growth in grace, "for with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation" (Rom. 10:10). As we speak of Jesus to others, He becomes more precious to ourselves; and even if our testimony is resisted and refused, this, too, will turn to our salvation through the increased "supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ" (Phil. 1:19). Obey, then, the injunction of the Lord, when He says: "Go to thy house, unto thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and how He had mercy on thee."—F. B. Meyer.
SOME THINGS ABOUT INDIA'S MILLIONS.
By J. L. Shaw
WHEN we consider India's millions, we are dealing in numbers almost beyond our grasp. Next to China, it is the most populous country on the globe. The census returns for 1901 give the population as 294,361,056, which is nearly four times that of the United States and equals one fifth of the inhabitants of the globe. To number so many people under circumstances so peculiar as in India, is a large undertaking, yet we are told that it took but one brief month to obtain the last census.
The people of India are not of one race nor one language, but of many races and languages. Authorities differ as to the exact number of tongues spoken in India, but it is safe to say there are more than one hundred, tho not more than a score of languages are spoken by above a million people. Of these the Hindi, Bengali, Telegu, Marathi, Punjabi, and Tamiel are most common.
To the newcomer, the people of India may all appear alike, and it is true they have a general resemblance; yet there is a remarkable difference in races both in temperament and physique. There are the weak and timid people of the plains and the strong and warlike men of the hills. They differ in language, constitution, and intellect. The Siphs, who are the giants of India and from a physical standpoint the most manly men, are in intellect inferior to the weak yet brainy Bengali Babus of Bengal. The Siphs are chosen by the British Government as soldiers. Nearly all are six feet and over in height. The body-guard of the viceroy are Siphs, every one considerably over six feet tall. With their red coats, white belts, and huge head-dress, they make an imposing appearance.
Some of the hill people perform remarkable feats of strength. It is not unusual in the vicinity of Darjeeling to see women with loads from one to three hundred pounds upon their backs. We often have seen a woman with such a burden carrying a little one in her arms, at the same time plying her knitting-needles as she merrily trudged up the mountainside. The residents of Darjeeling affirm that a coolie woman on a wager carried a piano on her back from the railway station to a music depot a full quarter of a mile farther up the mountainside.
The great difference in Indian races is brought about largely by the climate. On the plains, the long hot season begins in March and continues until November. So many months of heat have an enervating effect even upon the natives, and especially is this true along the coasts where the humidity is great. It is remarkable how foreigners are able to endure so high a temperature as prevails for many months each year, yet many do, and that without much change. The majority, however, find it necessary every few years to spend a year in a northern climate. The late Dr. John Murdock, one of India's most noted missionaries, lived to see his eighty-fifth birthday, after having spent full threescore years in labor in India.
There is a difference in the mental development of East Indians which is more noticeable than their difference in physique. On the one hand are the poor coolies, many of whom hardly know their right hand from the left, and on the other are the brainy Brahmans, some of whom possess rare gifts of mental ability. We get our algebra from the Hindus through the Arabs. Our decimal system of notation and Arabic numerals came west from India during the Brahmanic period.
England has met the Indian's thirst for knowledge in a practical way by supplying schools. Much has also been done by various missionary societies in providing educational advantages. There are in India, according to latest statistics, 160 colleges granting degrees, with 18,000 students. In the Calcutta University alone there are 3,000 on an average every year who enter the university for degree. It has been said, and is probably true, that more degrees are granted yearly in India than in England. In fact, in literary pursuits there are more men than needed. In Madras a man holding a B.A. degree will often accept an appointment at some clerical work at a salary of fifteen rupees (about five dollars) a month, while a carpenter or mason receives double that amount.
A High Caste Lady of India.
There is a broad field for missionary effort among the educated classes. An educated Hindu said, "We educated men are tossed on an ocean of doubt; we do not know what to believe; we have no light to guide us, no anchor to hold us." Many minds are in a state of transition. The platform on which Hinduism rests is slowly being undermined, and inquiring minds are turning toward the West for light and truth. This question has come to us many times, Shall these people accept the teachings of western infidels whose literature is being sown broadcast, or shall they anchor their faith to the firm rock of Christianity?
The food of India's millions is simple. Rice and dahl are the chief food in Bengal. Farther up in the northwest, wheat is used extensively. The red variety of dahl which is used so extensively is probably the same as the red pottage for which Esau sold his birthright. Tho not palatable to many foreigners at first, most people become fond of it after a time.
Just now a famine is on in Madras. It has been many months since rain to any appreciable extent has fallen. Many of the poor people have been without food for months, their bodies have become weak and emaciated, and many will die in spite of all that is done for them. We in Christian lands know little of the want and hunger of India's sons. Hungry, helpless, hopeless, they die without hope and without God.
Yet great as may seem the want of bread in India, the need of Christ is greater still, for it is their estrangement from God that is responsible largely for the caste and superstition which hold them in such poverty. India is like a great ship at sea without chart or compass. In the deadly night of sin, its millions are going down to Christless graves. While the second hand works its circuit on the dial face, twenty men and women die in India; and for the greater share they are unknowing and unwarned. If Hindus, they are burned; if Mohammedans, buried; and if Parsees, their bodies are given to the birds of the air. As individuals, the natural and practical questions come, What will we give and what can we do to help these helpless sons of India?
"THAT MISSIONARY."
MANY doors are open for him. Many Macedonian cries are heard by him. He wants to go. Will you hold the ropes while he searches in these mines for diamonds in the rough? Don't just have a little spasm of missionary fervor, but let the subject grip you with its giant hand and hold you as steady as a rock in mid-ocean. Keep posted as to the needs of the "Regions Beyond." Keep step with the purpose of God for this age, be an intelligent co-worker with Jesus.
Possibly you might send a missionary yourself, or if you can't do this, you might enlist a few of your friends to assist you and assume the support of some one. What do you say? If you don't know of any, we can suggest some. Yes, it will require a sacrifice, but David refused to offer as a sacrifice unto the Lord that which cost him nothing. He would pay Araunah for the thrashing-floor on which to build an altar. How often do we hear the expression when people are solicited for offerings, "O you won't feel it?" "It won't hurt you?" "You will never know the difference," etc.
The facts are, people ought to sacrifice until it does hurt and they do feel it, and will know the difference. The real difficulty is not a want of money, but of interest. When the evangelization of the heathen occupies its proper place in the heart, the money is always forthcoming. The church squanders money enough every year to increase the missionary offerings a hundredfold. Yes, indifference is the explanation of why so little is being done. Well may we ask ourselves the searching question, "What have I done to evangelize the world?"
13That missionary is still waiting. What will I do to pay and pray him through?—Selected.
MISSIONS
GIVING.
By James Russell Lowell
HE gives nothing but worthless gold
Who gives from a sense of duty;
But he who gives a slender mite,
And gives to that which is out of sight,
That thread of the all-sustaining beauty
Which runs through all and doth all unite,—
The hand can not clasp the whole of his alms,
The heart outstretches its eager palms;
For a GOD goes with it and makes it store
To the soul that was starving in darkness before.
—James Russell Lowell.
