We are often told of some sister who is very poor in this world's goods, but who gives liberally of her means to support the Lord's work; and the idea is expressed that she should not give so much, but should keep it to provide more of the comforts of life for herself and family. Now, we have a Bible illustration of a poor widow giving all that she had. Mark 12:41-44. When Jesus sat and watched the people casting money into the treasury, besides many who were rich and cast in much, there came a certain poor widow and threw in two mites, which is a farthing, or half of our cent. Jesus said that she of her want had cast in all that she had, even all of her living. But he did not reprove her for giving her all, though she was a widow, and poor, and had no one to lean upon for support. On the contrary, he commended her, saying that she had given more than all the others.
“Her heart went with her gift; its value was estimated, not by the worth of the coin, but by the love to God and the interest in his work that had prompted the deed. . . . The rich had bestowed from their abundance, many of them to be seen and honored by men. Their large donations had deprived them of no comfort, or even luxury; they had required no sacrifice, and could not be compared in value with the widow's mite. . . .
“Among the poor there are many who long to show their gratitude to God for his grace and truth. They greatly desire to share with their more prosperous brethren in sustaining his service. These souls should not be repulsed. Let them lay up their mites in the bank of heaven. If given from a heart filled with love for God, these seeming trifles become consecrated gifts, priceless offerings, which God smiles upon and blesses.”—“The Desire of Ages,” pages 615, 616.
“He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. . . . And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.” 2 Cor. 9:6-8.
The Lord is able to make all grace abound toward us, so that we may have a sufficiency in all things and so be able to keep on giving. Since we see that liberal giving brings the blessing of the Lord, we should not wish the poor to be deprived of that blessing, for they need it as well as others. We are told that “the blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.” Prov. 10:22. His blessing is the best thing we can have in this world.
Though some may say, “My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth,” we are to remember the Lord, and that it is he who gives us power to get wealth. Deut. 8:17, 18. We are dependent upon him for every blessing, whether it be temporal or spiritual; so let each do his part in the carrying on of the work of the Lord in the earth, that each may share in the blessings and in the glorious reward.
When Opportunity Knocks
“SOME people expect that opportunity, when she knocks, will make dents in the door panels and wear off the paint.”
Morning Devotion
“MORNING devotion anchors the soul, so that it will not very readily drift far away from God during the day,”
The Bible the Living Word
By W. A. S.
Synopsis of Present Truth—No. 1
The Bible the Living Word
“THE word of God, which liveth and abideth forever.” 1 Peter 1: 23.
Man may write a true book; but only God—the source of life—can write a living book. The Bible is the living word of God. We look at the volume; we hold it in our hands. It is like other books in form and printer’s art. But the voice of God speaks from these pages; and the word spoken is alive. It is able to do in the heart that receives it what can be done only by divine power.
The Book That Talks
Far in the heart of Africa, a missionary read to the people in their own language from the translated Word of God. “See!” they cried; “see! the Book talks! The white man has a Book that talks!” With simplicity of speech, so common to children of nature, they had exactly described it. This is a Book that talks. What the wise man says of its counsels through parents to children is true of all the Book:—
“When thou goest, it shall lead thee;
when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee;
and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee.” Prov. 6: 22.
Here is companionship, faithful and true, a blessed guide and guardian and friend:—
“Holy Bible, book divine—
Precious treasure, thou art mine!”
God Its Author
The sixty-six books of Holy Scripture were written by many penmen, over a space of fifteen centuries; yet it is one Book, and one voice speaks through all its pages. Spurgeon once said of his experience with this Book:—
When I see it, I seem to hear a voice springing up from it, saying, “I am the Book of God; study my page, for I was penned by God; love me, for he is my author.”
This Book declares of itself:—
“All scripture is given by inspiration of God.” 2 Tim. 3: 16.
“For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” 2 Peter 1: 21.
It is the voice of the Almighty. Very different is it from the sacred scriptures of the non-Christian religions. In those writings it is man talking about God. In the Holy Scriptures it is God speaking to man.
The difference is as great as heaven is higher than earth. Here it is not man groping in the darkness after God. In this Book of God’s revelation, we see the divine arm reaching down to save the lost, and hear the voice of the loving Father calling to his children—every one, and everywhere. “Incline your ear,” he calls; “hear, and your soul shall live.” Isa. 55: 3. As the rugged verse of the old hymn puts it,—
“Let all the heathen writers join
To form one perfect book;
Great God, if once compared with thine,
How mean their writings look!
“Not the most perfect rules they gave
Could show one sin forgiven,
Nor lead one step beyond the grave;
But thine conducts to heaven.”
The Word That Creates
We must have something more than instruction; we must have a word of power that is able to tell of sins forgiven, and conduct us beyond the grave to heaven. One of the greatest of China’s sages, Mencius, said, “Instruction can impart information, but not the power to execute.” That touches the crucial point. We must have instruction that can come with power divine to execute. We have it only in God’s words. Christ said:—
“It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing; the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” John 6: 63.
The words of God are living words. When God spoke in the beginning, “Let there be light,” lo, the light sprang out of the darkness. There was power in the word spoken to bring forth. “Let the earth bring forth grass,” was the word of the Lord; and the earth was carpeted with its first rich greensward. So through all the work of creation, the creative power was in the word spoken:—
“By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. . . . For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast.” Ps. 33: 6, 9.
Even so, when this word speaks instruction to man, there is creative power in the word, if received, to work mightily in the soul that is dead in trespasses and sins. Man must be born again, be re-created. That we know; for Christ says:—
“Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again [“from above,” margin], he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3: 3.
And the Word of God—the Bible from heaven—received by faith, is the agency by which this new birth “from above” is wrought. This is the declaration of our text:—
“Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever.” 1 Peter 1: 23.
The Word That Works Within
Not only does it give the new birth, making the believer a new man,—the past forgiven and a new heart within,—but the word that recreates abides in the believing heart that studies it and clings to it, to work in the life with actual power that is not of the man himself. To the Thessalonians, who had “turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God,” the apostle wrote:—
“For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.” 1 Thess. 2: 13.
The word itself works within, and works effectually. There is nothing mechanical about it. The mere letter profits nothing. The Bible on the center table, unstudied and unloved, has no magic power. But God promises to abide by his Spirit of power in the heart that listens to his voice and that trembles at his word. Jesus himself tells us the secret of this power of the word to work in the believing heart:—
“If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.” John 14: 23.
No wonder, then, that believing and receiving the word brings divine power into the life, making it possible for transformations of character to be wrought and victories won and obedience rendered to every command of God.
Simply believing God’s word touches the current of everlasting power, even as the trolley arm of the electric car reaches up and touches the current of power flowing through the wire overhead. The faith that takes the living word brings the power divine into the heart to move all the spiritual mechanism of life’s service.
W. A. S.
(To be concluded)
A Separate People — No. 1
By F. M. W.
God designed that his children in every age should be a peculiar people. He established his church to do a distinctive work, separate from every other organization in the world. It was his design that the members of his church should stand forth as lights in the world, as ambassadors of heaven to those who knew not God. This principle is enunciated by the prophet of the Lord, who was called by Balak, king of Moab, to curse Israel:—
“How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? or how shall I defy, whom the Lord hath not defied? For from the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him: lo, the people shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations.” Num. 23:8, 9.
The children of God are actuated by different purposes than the people of the world. They labor from different motives. In the very nature of the case they could not be reckoned among the nations of earth. They must stand separate and alone.
This was the call extended to Abraham, the father of the faithful. He was asked to leave his country, his kindred, and his father’s house, to go into a strange land and among strange peoples as God’s light bearer. Throughout his sojourn in the land of Canaan he maintained this separate character, and this separate, distinctive existence was enjoined upon his descendants. The Israelites were faithfully admonished not to form any affiliation or partnership with their neighbors in Canaan. They were not to permit their sons and daughters to marry unbelievers; they were not to bow down to other gods, but were to maintain the holy character and exalted position to which God had called them. Deut. 7:1-6.
The New Testament Scriptures abound with many statements of these principles. The burden of Christ’s prayer, as recorded in the seventeenth chapter of John, was that while his followers were left in the world they should be kept free from worldly contamination and worldly influences. The apostles enunciated this principle over and over. In the writings of John, Peter, James, and Paul the church is warned against worldly affiliations.
In reviewing the history of the church we see that wherever this plain instruction was disregarded and the principle of complete separation violated, apostasy from the truth and departure from God were the inevitable results.
Powerless to utter the curse which his covetous heart had framed against Israel, Balaam sought by more subtle methods to obtain the rich reward offered by Balak, and to bring upon Israel the displeasure of God. He recommended that Israel be invited to witness the sports and attend the feasts of the Moabites. He himself as a professed servant of the Lord lent his personal influence to secure their attendance. His wicked scheme succeeded all too well. Hundreds from the camp of Israel were beguiled into the snare. They mingled with their heathen neighbors; they attended their feasts. In consequence they became the prey of the seductive wiles of the Moabitish women, sacrificed their integrity of character, going so far finally as to offer sacrifices to the gods of Moab. The anger of the Lord was kindled against them. The plague broke out in the camp of Israel, and twenty-four thousand were destroyed. It was a costly thing for Israel to forget the place to which God had called them in the world.
In the days of Jehoshaphat we are afforded another striking illustration of the results following disobedience to the instruction of the Lord. Ahab reigned in Samaria over the ten tribes. Jehoshaphat was king at Jerusalem. Jehoshaphat sincerely followed the true God. Ahab, while he recognized the God of heaven, worshiped the gods of the heathen about him. Antagonistic to both kingdoms was Syria, on the east. Against the king of Syria Ahab proclaimed war, and invited Jehoshaphat to join him against their common foe. It seemed a reasonable request, and Jehoshaphat, forgetting the distinctive place to which God had called him and the kingdom over which he ruled, “joined affinity with Ahab.” Ahab was slain, and Jehoshaphat barely escaped with his life. As he returned to Jerusalem, Jehu, the prophet, met him and inquired, “Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the Lord? therefore is wrath upon thee from before the Lord.” The king of Judah was not reproved for fighting against Syria. Indeed, Syria was one of the nations which Israel was commanded to exterminate. In joining affinity with Ahab, Jehoshaphat had lost his distinctive character. He was associating with those who knew not God, and for that reason the blessing of Heaven could not attend his efforts.
Later, in the days of the rebuilding of Jerusalem under Ezra, some of the kingdoms round about Jerusalem, the successors of the ten tribes who maintained at Samaria a mixed worship, who “feared the Lord, and served their graven images,” desired to unite in the work of restoring the temple service. They said: “Let us build with you: for we seek your God, as ye do; and we do sacrifice unto him since the days of Esar-haddon king of Assur, which brought us up hither.” But Zerubbabel and those associated with him in the work were not deceived by these specious representations. They realized that God had called them to do a distinctive work for him, and in the performance of that work they must stand alone. They returned the answer: “Ye have nothing to do with us to build an house unto our God; but we ourselves together will build unto the Lord God of Israel, as King Cyrus the king of Persia hath commanded us.” In consequence of this refusal to permit these surrounding nations to make common cause with them, the repairers of the city were subjected for long years to all manner of persecution, which was continued not alone through the administration of Ezra, but reached into that of later generations. By threats, by cajolery, by intrigue, they sought to form an alliance with Nehemiah. In response to their request for a conference he returned to them this noble answer: “I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down: why should the work cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you?” Like Ezra, he recognized the distinctive character of God’s work, and that in the carrying on of that work he must stand free from every outside influence and worldly entanglement.
God has called his people who are engaged in this movement to occupy a unique place in the world and to do a distinctive work. Seventh-day Adventists are intrusted with a special message for their fellows. With what spirit should that message be given? On what basis should our work be carried forward? How should we relate ourselves to the various societies and movements which in part may have common interests with us? These surely are questions for earnest consideration. We believe it is well for us to study carefully the principles contained in the scriptures which have been cited. F. M. W.
The Growth of Agnosticism Among Students
According to the Washington Herald of January 22, the University of Pennsylvania has a rule requiring all students except those professing Catholicism or Judaism to attend chapel exercises. During a recent effort to enforce this rule a large number of the students sent notes to the provost, declaring themselves to be either agnostics or atheists, and claiming, as such, that they ought not to be compelled to attend chapel. A senior member of the Architectural School of this university states:—
I cannot speak for the entire university, but I can say that ninety per cent of the men with whom I come in contact are either agnostics or atheists. In fact, I am even willing to go so far as to say that a wave of agnosticism is sweeping over the place.
Looking for the Lord
By C. M. S.
We are sometimes accused by members of other denominations of giving too much thought and attention to those doctrines that are peculiarly Seventh-day Adventist doctrines—the second coming of Christ, the perpetuity of God's law, and the binding obligation of the original Sabbath. We are told that these are really nonessentials; that the great things are the gospel and civic righteousness—as if there could be a gospel where there is no law but an abolished one; and as if civic righteousness were a master key to the treasure house of all God's blessings and promises.
We are told, further, that the Christian who gives attention to his civic and religious duties need give no thought to the idea of the return of the Lord. That is the popular position, though not always so plainly declared. Our ministers meet it in their tent and hall efforts; our Bible workers meet it when trying to interest the people in Bible studies; our canvassers meet it in seeking to interest prospective customers in books that emphasize this blessed doctrine.
It is a matter of no small wonder that a Christian could read his Bible and fail to note the stress laid upon the second coming of Christ by the various Bible writers. The last chapter of the Old Testament closes with the triumphal consummation of God's work in the earth, the punishment of the finally impenitent, and the rising of the Sun of Righteousness with healing in his wings. Likewise the burden of the last chapter of the New Testament is the coming of our Lord to render to each man according as his work has been.
The prophets, speaking as they were moved by the Holy Spirit, have filled the scrolls of their books with descriptions of that transcendent event; John the Baptist urges his hearers to repent in view of the coming of the kingdom and the terrors of the great day of God's wrath; and when He came upon earth who was to be the central figure in that glorious transaction, he lifted his listeners out of their sordid complacency by discourses that have to do with his second coming. His parables look toward that event. His discourses with his disciples show that he is holding before them that grand consummation of the gospel undertaking. He declared it before the multitudes; he admitted it before his judges; he encouraged his faithful followers to look for his return; and his angel spokesmen announced it with certainty and in language that cannot be misunderstood. The whole book of Revelation has that thought, as its center and circumference. The revelator looks through the various vicissitudes of the church's experience, and sees all culminating in the final struggle between the powers of darkness and the powers of light, and then our Lord's return. Says one writer:—
The second coming is mentioned from one end of the Bible to the other, in type and figure, in form and symbol, in open prophecy and allusive utterance, in exhortation and discourse. Examination will show that it is mentioned in connection with every fundamental doctrine; with the resurrection from among the dead, the sonship of believers, and the distribution of rewards. It is bound up with every sublime promise; with the promise of likeness to Christ, satisfaction of soul, victory over death, victory over sin and Satan, and deliverance of the earth from the bondage of corruption. It is bound up with every practical exhortation. Does the apostle exhort us not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together? He does so in view of the coming of the Lord. He bids us break bread because we do show forth the Lord's death till he comes. We are exhorted to love God, to love one another, to patience, to a holy life, to watchfulness, to Christian activity, to moderation, to abiding in him, against judging one another, to steadfastness, to pastoral fidelity, to faithfulness in preaching, because He is coming. In fact, this coming is declared to be the central chord of all vital Christian life; and it is vibrated and touched again and again by exhortation and illustration as the exalted incentive and unfailing impulse. It is said to be spoken of in one way or another in at least every twenty verses of the New Testament, and is thus, above and beyond any other fact or doctrine of Scripture, preeminently predominant.
To admit that this is so—and we must admit it—and then claim that it is a matter of no consequence whether we give serious consideration to it or not, is to put ourselves above Christ himself and the Holy Spirit as a judge of what is and what is not essential in Christian life and conduct. What means the ordinance of the Lord's Supper if it points to a nonessential? Said Paul: “As often as ye eat this bread, and drink the cup, ye proclaim the Lord's death till he come.” 1 Cor. 11: 26. “This do in remembrance of me,” is rightly emphasized in every performance of that ordinance; but the other thought that through the ordinance itself the return of our Lord is proclaimed is quite lost sight of by the vast majority of those who take part in the ordinance.
When Paul exhorts Timothy to that course of life which will tend toward eternal life, he does so in view of the Lord's return. We read:—
“Fight the good fight of the faith, lay hold on life eternal. . . . I charge thee in the sight of God, who giveth life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed the good confession; that thou keep the commandment, without spot, without reproach, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Tim. 6: 12-14.
Here the apostle associates two very important things: the keeping of the commandment and the coming of the Lord. The followers of Christ are to do the one until the other occurs. There is thus no place left for the abolition of God's law. Manifestly, the obligation which Paul lays before Timothy is not designed for Timothy alone; for Timothy is long since dead and did not witness the second coming of Christ. The obligation of keeping the law, and of doing it in view of the triumphant consummation of God's work as seen in the second coming of Christ, rests upon every child of God. The obligation rests upon us of living each day as we would live if we knew beyond a shadow of doubt that on the morrow Christ would come.
The chief danger that hangs over the whole Christian world is not the wars of nations, the famines and pestilences, the clashes between capital and labor; but it is that danger against which Peter warns us in his second epistle—the danger of doubting our Lord's return or looking upon it as something that need not concern us. Says Peter:—
“There shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. . . . But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night. . . . Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God. . . . Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless. . . . Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness.” 2 Peter 3: 3-17.
What is the danger?—Attaching too little importance to the doctrine of the second coming of Christ, or learning, from the attitude of the careless and the doubters, to doubt it entirely. Let us neither fall into this error ourselves nor influence others to do so by an attitude of personal indifference to that important and imminent event. C. M. S.
A Visit to India
By Arthur G. Daniells
Our journey across the Indian Ocean from West Australia to Ceylon was pleasant, quiet, and yet quite eventful. We left Freemantle in the Orient liner “Osterly,” November 3, and landed at Colombo the morning of the twelfth. About the third day out we saw in the distance ahead of us great clouds of smoke rolling up, suggesting a heavy forest fire on some island. As we drew nearer, we discovered that it was a convoy of thirty-six transports carrying 30,000 Australasian soldiers to the seat10of war.
These transports were being protected by eight men-of-war — one leading, one on each side near by, one following up the rear, two scouting at some distance to the northwest, and two doing the same work to the southwest. Forty-four great steamers, carrying between thirty and forty thousand armed, fighting men, and keeping a steady but noiseless step on the mighty deep, was a remarkable sight, and it somehow made one feel peculiarly strange.
Our vessel bore down close enough to the first line of twelve ships to enable our passengers and the soldiers to exchange greetings, though for doing this our captain was reprimanded by the commodore of the transport fleet. Orders were flagged to us not to write of this to any of our friends within fourteen days, and to destroy, or at least keep secret, all photographs that may have been taken as we passed the transports. Everybody seemed disposed to comply with the wishes of the admiralty, and I judge all kept the secret very well.
NATIVE WORKERS, INDIA UNION MISSION
The regular course of our steamer was by the Cocos Islands, but for some reason our captain steered fifty or sixty miles to the south, and all the way steamed ahead through the darkness of the night with all the lights of the ship out. One day I remarked to an officer that it looked rather dangerous to me not to have even a light in the front mast. “Yes, it is,” said he, “but that is one of the dangers war causes.”
We were up at an early hour on the morning of November 12, to get our first glimpse of Ceylon, that island of which we had so many times sung:—
“What though the spicy breezes
Blow soft o’er Ceylon’s isle,
Where every prospect pleases,
And only man is vile.”
By eight o’clock we had dropped anchor in Colombo harbor, and launches and rowboats were coming to us from the wharves. From Australia I had notified Prof. H. R. Salisbury of my plans to reach Colombo that day, and we were hoping to find him or Elder J. S. James there to meet us. Launches and dinghies came and left, but none of them brought a familiar face to us.
We had about concluded that we should have to pilot ourselves ashore, when a voice sang out sharp and clear, “Brother Daniells!” Looking down, I saw Brother M. M. Mattison, from Texas, waving to us. The thrill that ran through our hearts is known only to our dear workers out in these mission fields. I first met Brother Mattison while he was a student in Keene Academy. The last interview I recall having with him was when we made final arrangements for him to come to India. And now, on my arrival at Ceylon, he extends to me a warm, cordial welcome — the kind a Texan gives.
In due time we were ashore. Communications from Professor Salisbury notified us that new military regulations had made him one hour too late to catch the ferry across the strait that separates India and Ceylon, but that he was waiting at the landing port on the Indian side, and for us to leave Colombo by the evening train. Although I greatly desired to spend a few days in Ceylon, it seemed best to hasten on in order to carry out the program that had been planned by the brethren.
We greatly enjoyed the day in Ceylon. It was gratifying to find Brother Mattison so familiar with the customs and language of the people that he could transfer our luggage, make all arrangements for our railway accommodations, and pilot us around the city with perfect ease. During the day we were able to get at least a glimpse of the best and most interesting features of Colombo. The business part of the city is quite English in appearance, and it is up-to-date in many respects, with modern facilities everywhere. The semitropical foliage gives the residence quarters a most attractive appearance.
But that which interested us most of all was the question of proclaiming the message for this hour to the three millions of Ceylon. Thus far we have done very little work in this island. Several years ago Elder Harry Armstrong settled in Ceylon and began a series of tent meetings, but owing to failing health his work was cut short, and he left for England. In addition to this short effort, a little has been done in canvassing for our books and periodicals. Brother Mattison’s work during the half year he was in that field was in behalf of our Indian periodicals. He reports that he finds the people ready to purchase our literature, and he urges most earnestly that active, permanent work be entered upon at once. There are a few scattered Sabbath keepers in the island who will give a worker a cordial welcome and substantial support. The Indian Union Committee is planning to locate an evangelist in Colombo as soon as one can be secured. The first effort will be in English, to raise up a strong church in the city. It is intended that when we enter Ceylon this time, it will be to stay until our work is done. We cannot help feeling very anxious that the Lord will guide in the selection of just the right laborers to locate in that promising field.
A ten hours’ run by rail took us from Colombo through the island to Talaminar, on the northwest coast. This is the terminus of that line of railway. Here we transferred to a ferry that took us across to Dhanuskoti, on the Indian side of the strait. The distance is twenty-two miles. This route across the strait is called “Adam’s Bridge.” There is a ridge of sand bars all the way. The governments of India and Ceylon have extended their railway lines along this ridge until they are only forty miles apart. It is the plan eventually to join the lines, thus making an all-rail route from the northwestern point of India to Colombo.
As our ferry drew near the wharf at Dhanuskoti, we were delighted to see our dear friend and fellow worker, Professor Salisbury, awaiting us. As this was Friday, it was planned that we should run to Trichinopoli to spend the Sabbath with Brother and Sister J. S. James. What a privilege it was to meet these dear fellow workers whom we had known years before, in Iowa and Minnesota! We found them comfortably located and full of courage in their work. Brother James does not look so strong and vigorous as we should wish. However, he is exercising care and is laboring hard. The work in southern India has become very dear to Brother and Sister James, and their strong desire and earnest prayer is that they may be permitted to remain in that field until the work of God closes, and the workers are gathered home. It is truly cheering to find this earnest missionary spirit filling the hearts of our workers in these distant and difficult fields.
