THE KING’S BUSINESS 101 A recent letter from the captain of a vessel engaged in carrying troops from New Zealand to the scene of war, and bringing back the wounded, gives a striking lllus- tration of how the war has opened opportunities for Christian service. The writer is a very earpest Chris
War Opportunities for Christian
Service.
tian man. We became acquainted with him when travelling as passengers in 1902 on a steamer in the South Seas, of which he was then captain. We had scarcely left port when we made his acquaintance and found that he was not merely a professed Christian, but an out-and-out Christian man and witness for Christ. The very night we left port he had been holding an open air meeting not far away from the dock shortly, before the vessel pulled out. He writes. “Just a line or two to accompany a Postal Note which I am sending as my subscription for T he K ing ' s B usiness for the present year. I duly received the first three numbers during my last visit to New Zealand^ and I am very pleased to get them and to know that the (‘Fundamentals’ are being in a measure^ at least carried on. “ You will see from the heading that I am being employed carrying troops for the New Zealand Government.' It is a sad business and I long and pray the Lord to use-some means to bring about a lasting, honourable^ peace. Truly all creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now* and it does not know that the only thing that will^ give it lasting peace ^md rest is the very One whom it despises and rejects. If the Lord only uses this terrible scourge to chasten and humble the natipns most concerned so that they may turn their eyes to Him in their extremity, it might yet be a blessing, but I fear from what I read and hear there is very little humbling yet, and there seems very little desire on either side for a peace, except at the expense o l total destruction of the other power. It is well we can stay our own hearts upon our God and know, that the Lord God Omnipotent still reigneth, and that He is still *'working all things according to the counsel o f His own will/ that will which according to the old Hymn ‘Only willeth good for me/ What is going to be the outcome of it all ? May we not according to His prophetic W ord after all this upheaval in which almost all Europe is involved, look for the rise o f the ‘United States o f Europe out o f which the little horn* will rise and dominate things according to the Book and bring about that state o f things which He will destroy by the brightness o f His coming? If so, it ‘ cannot be very long ere He comes for His church. ‘Yet a very little while and He that shall come will come and do not our hearts respond ‘Even so, come Lord Jesus.’ I have carried some thou sands o f men now since I started this and now have nearly 600 wounded and' invalids returning to New Zealand where we expect to arrive in a few days. I have had splendid opportunities* o f service among all these men, and a good response from them ; for a long time now they have realized that it is no pleasure trip they are going on, as great numbers o f them are being killed, so they are response from them; for a long time now they have realized that it is no pleasure little response in thé general population, large numbers o f the soldiers are getting saved, at least they are making the profession o f doing so. Love in the Lord and best wishes to self and all your workers.”
Most people have very vague ideas of just what is going on in the trenches, and those who have more definite ideas build them upon what the newspaper correspondents say, which is generally fictitious, so we
From the Trenches.
give an extract from a letter recently written in the trenches. The letter was written by a very dear Christian friend, not only a brave soldier for his country, but a brave soldier of Jesus Christ. Will those who read pray for him that his testimony for Christ among his fellow-officers and among the soldiers may be greatly blessed, and also pray for his two brothers who are also in the trenches,
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