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if need be. The God iOf creation is also the God of resurrection. In crea tion the organic and the inorganic are united for the first time. In death they are separated for the time being. In resurrection they are re-united. “ I believe— in the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting.” The body is all that goes into the grave. The spir it returns to God who gave it. If the resurrection be not physical, therefore, it is nothing. Every resurrection record ed in the Scriptures is a prophecy and pledge of the time when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God and all that are in the graves shall come forth, some to the resurrection of life and some to the resurrection of damna tion. John 5:28, 29. MONDAY, February 13. 2 Kings 5:1- 4. A Great Man—but a Leper. Naaman was the military head of the Syrian armies. He stood high in the esteem of Ben-hadad, king of Syria, be cause of his success dn war. With all Ms greatness, skill, bravery and success, he was a leper. This spoiled it all. It was only a question of time when he would be an outcast and exile. Lep rosy was .believed to be contagious and incurable and was one of the most dreaded of all diseases. The little word “ but” has been compared to the decimal point before millions which re duces the gifts of fortune to fractions of no value. It is the one fly in the ointment of happiness. Leprosy is the type of sin. Sin may be predicated of every man. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. A man may possess millions of money, he may be learned with the wisdom of the world, he may hold the highest office that his fellows can bestow, but he is a sinner. A sinner’s doom awaits him. There is no compensation in the world for spir itual-lack and loss. TUESDAY, February 14. 2 Kings 5:5- 9. A Forlorn Hope. As a drowning man would grasp at a straw, so Naaman seized upon the story of the little Hebrew girl that served his wife and prepared to test its truthfulness. Taking a vast sum of money and many costly gifts, he set
scious vital effort and energy. It is no easy matter to vitalize either a dead body or a dead soul. The power of God ds alone equal to either undertaking. The recurrent and repeated effort of the prophet, vs. 35, is an encouragement to similar persistence in dealing with the sinner. .He who aspires to be a soul- winner must never yield to discourage ment. Though repulsed a score of times, he should return to the attack. His arguments may be answered and his appeals evaded or refused, but prayer ful, faithful persistence will eventually break down opposition and be crowned with success. The final victory is worth all it cost. Never give up. SATURDAY, February 11. 2 Kings 4: 38-44. Death In the Pot. The sons of the prophets were the godly of their day. This was an as sembly of saints in an apostate age. The gourds were gathered in a time of dearth but they were not God’s food. God had a vine but it was not a wild vine. It bare grapes, not gourds. The servant went out into the field and the field is the world. Gentile gourds not only starve but kill the soul. The safety of the assembly arose from its ability to analyze its own food. It was quick to detect the poison and whole- souled in rejecting it, Heb. 5:14. How is the poison to be dealt with? We must be occupied not with the world’s poison but with God’s truth. The meal neutralizes the poison. It is not e- nough to handle it. It must be eaten. God has given us the Bible that our souls may be fat and flourishing. By knowing creation we learn the power of God. By knowing the law we learn the holiness of God. By knowing Bible history, we learn the providence of God. By knowing prophecy we learn the pur poses of God. By knowing Christ we learn the love of God. By knowing the Epistles we learn to please God. By knowing the Apocalypse, we learn the triumph of God. “ Then bring meal.” SUNDAY, February 12. I Cor. 15:50- 58. The Antidote of Death. The lesson that God taught Abraham in the sacrifice of Isaac, Heb. 11:17-19, was resurrection power. The God who could give a son to Abraham’s old age could certainly raise him from the dead
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