September 1928
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said: " For if I yet pleased men, I should not be the ser vant o f Christ.” How much, nay, how little o f our Chris tian service may pass the test No general commits himself to a campaign without due consideration of its details— conditions, environment, strength of the enemy, his resource in men and munitions, and every possible contingency. Our preparation for our spiritual conflict and warfare, “ for we wrestle not against flesh and blood,” is found in the Word of God and our preparedness therein as that Word dwells richly in us “ in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.” The Christian life is not a life of drift, o f ease, self- seeking. It is a strenuous life but with its rich compensa tions here and now in the conscious sense o f His presence and favor as we study to show ourselves “ approved unto God.” But it is close study of the Word of God, and adherence to it, that will save us from collapse or ignoble defeat in the midst o f life’s sore conflicts and temptations. ispi m m Sweet Hour of Prayer
Light on Mormonism F EW people realize the seriousness of the Mormon situation in- our land. The Utah Gospel Mission to the Mormons publishes a quarterly, Light on Mormonism, which contains reliable matter. Here are nine great facts about Mormonism: 1. There are now over 600,000 Mormons, of the two main kinds—both about equally dangerous. 2. About 142,000 square miles of territory are, dom inated by Utah Mormonism, besides many smaller centers elsewhere, into which they spread. 3. Utah Mormonism has over 2,000 emissaries out proselyting, organized with officers in eleven districts of this country and several across the water. 4. These emissaries teach untrue and often wicked doctrines, all contrary to the Bible and reason, and dan gerous in their effects. 5. They get approximately 10,000 proselytes from our present or past church members, yearly, doing each one perhaps irreparable damage. 6. Mormonism has doubled in 25 years; largely be cause we have not taken care o f our own people and others by informing them as we could easily have done. 7. The only real cure is teaching the Mormon people the true Gospel and Bible beliefs in place o f their system o f errors; and outside, warning everybody intelligently about Mormonism as a false religion. 8. Mormons are trained against attending Christian church services, and CANNOT be evangelized by ordi nary methods, as has been proven by 60 years o f such effort. 9. Hence the NECESSITY of a traveling work like the Utah Gospel Mission, taking the message to the homes by voice and print, with every detail specially adapted to the peculiar need. In spite o f apathy and other great hindrances, these results have come, to date Jan. 1, 1928: 400,000 at meetings, over 400,000 house-to-house calls, 34,000,000 pages o f Gospel print used, 32,000 Bibles sold and given, etc.; probably nine-tenths o f the work done was in homes otherwise unreached and unreachable by other methods. Surely such work deserves all encourage ment ! Moody Not Ashamed of Being An Old Fogy In the days when those who stick to “ the good old Faith” may expect to be referred to in popular parlance as “ back numbers,” it is interesting to recall an incident that occurred during the latter part of the career o f the great evangelist, Dwight L. Moody, which indicates exact ly where he stood. This is related to us in a recent letter from J. H. McFarland o f Talladega, Alabama. While Mr. Moody was conducting revival meetings in Minneapolis, Minn,¿-the Times, a newspaper then pub lished in that city, was openly antagonistic to the meet-? ings and editorially called the evangelist “ an old fogy,” saying that his religion was “ forty years old.” The slur immediately came to Mr. Moody’s notice and it found him ready, as on other occasions, with the right answer. “ The Times calls me an old fogy, does it?” he asked one of his great audiences in a pitying tone, “ and says that my religion is forty years old. I wish to. inform The Times that my religion is four thousand years old.” And the laugh that greeted his retort was unmistakably on the newspaper.
E are often asked to sing “ Sweet Hour of Prayer,” softly and with closed eyes, but how much more it might have meant had it been widely known that the author of these words, William W . Walford, was unable to see the light of day!
Although he could not enjoy the beauties .of nature, he was a man who could see the King in His beauty, for he was a man of prayer. Although he employed his mechanical skill in making small useful articles o f bone and ivory, Mr. Walford preached the Gospel whenever he could get the opportunity. In 1842 he wrote his poem: “ Sweet hour o f prayer, sweet hour o f prayer
That calls me from a world of care, And bids me at my Father’s throne Make all my wants and wishes known. In seasons of distress and grief My soul has often found relief And oft escaped the tempter’s snare By thy return, sweet hour of. prayer.”
The lines were recited one day to Rev. Thomas Sal mon, a Congregational pastor at Coleskill, England. They were jotted down and later brought to New York where they found their way eventually into the New York Observer. William B. Bradbury saw the poem and in 1859 set it to the appropriate music which has since been associated with the lines. “ Sweet hour o f prayer, sweet hour o f prayer;
The joys I feel, the bliss I share O f those whose anxious spirits burn With strong desires for thy return! ■ With such I hasten to the place Where God, my Saviour, shows His face, And gladly take my station there And wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer.”
William Walford, who by faith had the vision o f his Saviour’s face, has long since passed into the presence of his Master, and the first sight no doubt to greet his eyes was the face o f Jesus. His simple lines of devotion will probably continue to be sung by devout souls until the church shall be caught up to meet the Lord in the air.
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