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T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
January! 1941
do with the Christ of the cross deter mines what God will do with you,” Nelson had a sudden conviction that this was truth. The two young men talked long and earnestly into the night. Nelson's every question was met with verses from the Book, the same Book that captivated him a t Crest View- The sense of guilt returned. Now he knew that his guilt was unbelief. He be gan to be afraid. About one o’clock, he turned abruptly to his cousin. “Phil,” he said, “I want to follow Christ,” Agnosticism was gone. Doubt was gone. Now he knew, as Paul had known, “to live is Christ.” That was life. He had found, not a philosophy, but a Sa viour. Nelson became a new creature in Christ. A drastic change had taken place in his interests and motives, his whole outlook, in fact. All the ardor of his youth was offered to his Lord and things began to move with light ning rapidity. “Phil, I can’t go,” he announced the next morning. Not go to Hawaii! Why the boat was sailing tomorrow! Nelson loathed the thought. He longed for Biola, nothing else. “Go and pray about it,” Phil advised. Qff alone went Nelson that very af ternoon, up in the hills by Parkburn. Where should he pray? How should he pray? He climbed on a huge rock. Should he go down on his knees? Pride' asserted itself. A battle was on. Only his Lord knew the throes of that hour —a struggle beside which his night of sobbing in the mountains was but a fit of ehlldish whimpering. Then the wres tling ceased. There came to the stillness of his heart a whisper, “Go, and I will be with you.” He left the rock with his eyes on the goal. He made short business of cabling Hawaii, selling his ticket, and recover ing his baggage. Later he wrote to the president 9? the Hawaiian university. [Continued on Page 37]
lish “thee’s” and “thou’s” to modern pronouns. Mother and sister, too, were charmed. Occasional visits to a mod ernistic church were all the family had ever known. Th* Book was new to them. The following week, Nelson acquired a cabin mate, a chemistry student, slightly younger than himself. The two found much in common, as they ex changed views. The newcomer was an atheist, brilliant, proud of it, confirmed in his fiery arguments. Together through the summer days they worked. Together they enjoyed the phenomena of nature, the northern lights,, the wild life about them. And together they talked and argued until the Book had lost its charm. It became just another milestone on. the long road of disappointments. By September, Nelson had embraced the philosophy that was to hold his al legiance. He was an agnostic. He did not know, one could nof know, the why of life. He would fling convention to the winds. He would follow every impulse —slide as low ns he liked. There was pleasure in the thought. This was sat isfying. This was life. In high spirits, he boarded his bus for San Francisco. He would run over to visit hist father’s brother before he sailed for Hawaii. Adventure was ahead of him, travel, fun, success, a Ph.D. from Harvard in the future, maybe. His pulse quickened a t every-new sight on the southward trip. Life was glorious! A branch line led into Parkburn, forty miles from the Golden Gate. His Cousin Phil was the first to spot him and carry him pff to the waiting car, The boys had pot been together since they were small. There was much to talk about in the short four days. Phil had completed one year at a school which he called Biola—the Bible Institute of Los Angeles. He was an other Bible boy like Bob West. But somehow Nelson liked him and his fresh, enthusiastic comments, To Phil, Biola meant the Bible, and the Bible was in variably connected with Bipla. He couid speak of neither without the other. He incessantly talked of poth. The third night a t the supper table, Phil picked up his knife and fork, held them' as a cross against the wall, and looked his cousin in the eye. “Nels,” he said, “this cross is what stands between you and God. What you
where to turn. Now he had failed, mis erably failed. The despondent pessimism was too much for the overwrought boy, Man that he was, his tears flowed freely in the tlark. But what about Aunt Flo? Was there an answer? What next? The chirping insects and the flowing river outside but echoed the refrain of despair in his heart—“no goal, no hope— no hope, no goal.” He sobbed himself to sleep—-fitful sleep that held him light ly till a new-bathed dawn called him forth to work again. As he stepped outdoors, he saw his superintendent’s wife coming from a near-by cabin. “ ’Morning, Mrs. MacDowell,” he called with assumed cheerfulness. " 'Morning, Nelson,”, she answered, looking ait him closely. Her motherly in stinct detected something wrong, “I see by your lights that you read quite a bit,” she added. “Yes,” he said. “What are you reading now?” Some, thing in the kindly Scotch eyes W
Only his Lord knew the throes of that hour.
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