King's Business - 1943-11

^ 'Thanks be unto GOD

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401

November 1943

News Flash/ Second New York Congress On Prophecy and the Jews Calvary Baptist Church New York City DECEMBER 5-12, 1943 Another New York Congress! With thanksgiving and joy, we • announce the SECOND NEW YORK CONGRESS ON PROPH­ ECY AND THE JEWS to be held at the Calvary Baptist Church of New York City, Dr. William Ward Ayer, Pastor. We are to consider the prob­ lems of the Jews after Hitler is removed from the stage, the re­ turn to the Promised Land, the gathering clouds of Armageddon, the line-up of the End-time Na­ tions. The opportunities, the needs, the destitution, the fam­ ine for God’s Word—these things will challenge every fibre of our being and of our resources. Among the speakers already scheduled are the following na­ tionally kno\yn Bible teachers and pastors:. Rev. William Ward Ayer, D.D.; Rev. John W. Brad­ bury, D.D.; Rev. C. G o r d o n Brownville, D.D.; Rev. Herman B. Centz; Rev. Lewis Sperry Chafer, D.D.; Rev. Joseph Hoff­ man Cohn, D.D.; Rev, Charles L. Feinbfrg, Th.D.; Rev. Howard Ferrin, D.D.; Rev. L. E. McNair, D.D.; Rev. J. Palmer Muntz, D.D.; Rev. W. H. Rogers, D.D.; Rev. L. Sale-Harrison, D.D.; Rev. John F. Walvoord, D.D.,- Th.D.; Rev. L L. Yearby, D.D.; Rev. Samuel M. Zwemer, D.D. Come to the Feast! Come ex­ pecting great things of God. Come in earnest, believing pray­ er that He will meet you and bless you. Come with a heart open for God’s Truth for these darkening hours of a closing age.

The Official Organ of THE BIBEE INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES, Inc. "XJnto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood** (Rev, 1:5), THE KING'S BUSINESS vt,xulv

The True-to-the-Bihle Family Magasine TABLE OF CONTENTS Cover Photograph by Harold M. Lambert

Building It Anew — Debt Free....;_____ „ _______________ _____ ___ ________.402 Around the King’s Table — Louis T . Talbot ___________ ______ ___ ______....403 Significance of the News — Dan Gilbert ............. .................................... .......... 404 Thanks to God in a Japanese Prison — Bruce F. Hunt... ................................ 406 Themes for Thanksgiving —Arthur Hedley......... ____....________ ............. 407 “ O. K., Sir!” ........:___ i...................................................................,...___________ 410 Dr. Talbot’s Question Box....,.:........._____________ ____ __________ :................411 Are American Young People “ Gospel Hardened ” ?— LaVose A . Wallin ___ 412 Junior King’s Business —Martha S. Hooker. ____________________________415 International Lesson Commentary________,____ _ _________________________ „417 Bible Institute Family Circle..................................................... ............................429 Notes on Christian Endeavor —Sarah LeTourneau, Harold A. Johanson, Margaret J. Hart, Herbert R. Bruce ____ ______ ____...____ ____ ...........430 Daily Devotional« Readings_________ _________________ , ____ ....________435 Our Literature Table...'___________________ ____ ......____ ______ _______ _____ 438 SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION — “ The King’s Business’* is published monthly: $1.00, one y r.; $1.50, two yrs.; 50 cents, six months; 10 cents, single copy. Clubs of three or more at special rates. W rite for details. Canadian and for­ eign subscriptions 25 cents extra. It requires one mbnth for a change o f ad­ dress to become effective. Please send both old and new addresses. REM ITTANCE —Payable dn advance, should be made by bank draft* express o

For detailed program information, concerning 7 hotel accommodations, etc., address American Board of Missions To the Jews, Inc. 31 Throop Avenue Brooklyn 6, H.Y. 39 King William Street Hamilton, Ontario Canada .

TH E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S

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\\ No Debt on Biola When Jesus Comes” W HEN THE announcement can be made that the Bible Insti­ tute of Los Angeles is free of

been hung in the main auditorium. When the plan was explained bn Sep­ tember 26, the two dormitory sections appeared in solid red color. Eleven hundred blocks—each V>ne represent­ ing the gift of $100—are being placed, one by one, over the red portion, and when all the blocks have been fitted together, the picture will be complete, all the red will be eliminated, and the indebtedness on these buildings will be liquidated. The name of each donor, or the person in whose memory the gift is given, is inscribed on the block which has been purchased. The painting, when completed, is to occupy a prominent place in the Bible Institute building as a constant re­ minder of the giving of those whom God raised up to make possible the continuance of the testimony of the Bible Institute of Los Angeles. At this writing, the “ building” is almost one-fourth completed.

Many Givers All motivated by love to Christ and His Work, people from many walks of life have joined in the giving. An eld­ erly woman brought to the church her gift of $100—earned in many days of washing dishes. A lad not yet twenty- one years of age, an airplane inspector with the United States Army overseas, visited Dr. Talbot on a recent furlough and spread before him three one-hun­ dred-dollar bills. “I've saved a little,” he said simply, “ and I want the Lord to use it. When the war is over, I hope He lets me come back here as a student.” “Wê praise the Lord,” friends wrote from Hollywood, enclosing their gift for a block, “ for the Bible School where so many students have gone out all over the world to tell the old, old story of Jesus and His love. We [ Continued on Page 439]

the debt that has shadowed it, hun­ dreds of friends of this school will praise God with all their hearts. It Is not too soon to anticipate the making of that happy announcement and to have a part in that accomplish­ ment. By Christmastime or earlier, it is e x p e c t e d that the Lord’s people, through His own enabling, will have sent in sufficient amounts to wipe out the entire indebtedness on the Insti­ tute buildings. With this purpose in view, a new kind of “ building” activity is now in prog­ ress, in which attention is being cen­ tered upon the two thirteen-story units which adjoin the church auditorium. To make the project visual, a large painting of the Institute block has

November 1943

403

Around the King's Table LOUIS T. TALBOT, Editor-In-Chief

Colessians 3:23 1 would do mighty things for Thee, O Lord! But many humble tasks there were to do. Ere these were finished, day was fading fast. And moments left for glorious deeds were few. I took the Book and opened to these lines— “Do heartily thy tasks as to the . Lord And not to men"—and Thou didst speak to me From out the pages of Thy holy Word. My hungry soul was heark'ning to Thy voice. And this the message that Thou gavest me— The lowliest task becomes a glori­ ous deed When done with all my might and zeal for Thee. —Earl K. Wyman. Prosperity’s Evils Deputy Chief E. W. Lester, with eighteen years of specialization in ju­ venile cases in connection with the Los Angeles Police Department, re- ,, cently addressed a group of Sunday- school workers in Los Angeles. In the wealth of / well-organized , material which he presented, some of his listen­ ers saw a correlation with such pas­ sages of Scripture as Psalm 119:71: “It is good for me that I have been afflict­ ed; that I might learn thy statutes.” “During the depression,” Mr. Lester pointed out, “crime and drunkenness decreased materially. In a marked way, divorce also de­ creased during those years. When a family is fighting a common cause, there is more solidarity, understanding, and willingness to give and take. There is more con­ sultation among the members. So- called good times offer many op­ portunities for parents to leave 1 their children alone. With better times, there always come less par­ ental control, more divorces, more crime.” . He urged Sunday-school teachers to impress upon parents the importance of faithfulness to their children: “This job of being a parent is a full-time responsibility. It does not matter what It is—be it good or bad — that takes a parent’s time from the supervision of his child. The harm is just as great, as far as the effect on the child’s life is concerned.”

Lord whose will for me is ‘good, ac­ ceptable, and perfect.’ “Strangely enough, I received my report only a few hours after my mother’s operation and learned that my condition, too, was malignant, i went to the operating table with, that knowledge, but also with the under­ girding grace of God. “ I believe God had a definite pur­ pose in allowing all this. For one thing, my sister arrived here shortly before Mother’s death, and is remain­ ing with me temporarily. She ■is in­ deed one of the many blessings God has bestowed on me at this time. There is a great change in her atti­ tude toward spiritual things. All of the old antagonism is gone. She says she wants, to accept Christ. Even now, by faith, I am thanking God for her sal­ vation. “For two days I had a struggle with a vision of myself as an object of pity in the eyes of others because of the double blow to mother and me. I cried out with my whole being against this, and cast myself upon the Lord Jesus for deliverance. Of course, He was faithful and answered my prayer, so that I no longer wanted —or feared—any one’s pity, but in­ stead desired all to rejoice with me in the fact of the exceeding greatness of God’s love and grace, which become so real and precious at times like this when we turn to Him in simple faith. “There has been one 'outstanding lesson that the Lord has been teach­ ing me through varying circumstances the last six months. It is the Christian necessity and complete possibility, through Christ, of achieving a tri­ umphant, joyous, inner peace even while circumstances are black and bad. , “As I look back over this experience of mine, I find that instead of its having been difficult as it ordinarily would h'kve been, it passed through the alchemy of our Lord and became a fulfillment of the prophecy in Isaiah concerning the Messiah, who was to give ‘beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called Trees of righteous­ ness, The planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified' (Isa. 61:3). There is no price too big to pay for the rich rewards the Lord gives from the furnace of affliction, so I am thanking God from the bottom of my heart for the privilege He has given me.”

Cause of Thanksgiving at Biola One of the largest groups ever to be enrolled at the Bible Institute of Los Angeles has been registered this fqll. At the present time, 497 students—just six short of the all-time high of 503 in 1921—are in attendance. Of that number, 342 are women and 155 are men. In several cases, brothers and sisters have come together; there are twenty families represented by two or more members at Biola. Of even greater in­ terest is the fact that fourteen young people are “ second generation stu­ dents” ; that is, either their parents or grandparents have attended here in earlier years. When the testimony of a school is such that the sons and daughters of her graduates are them­ selves convinced of its merits, there is cause for abundant praise to God. Caneer— and a Christian’s Triumph Many of the Lord’s people wiil find comfort for their own trials in the fol­ lowing victorious testimony. It was written in a personal letter to friends at the Bible Institute of Los Angeles: “Before I left Dos Angeles this past summer, I knew my dear mother prob­ ably would require' an operation, and I went to be with her, not dreaming that her condition would be found to be malignant. However, without writ­ ing me, she herself was quite sure that it was, and had resigned herself to it. She requested that if it should be cancer, all her friends should pray that the Lord would take her home to Him­ self quickly. This indeed became our prayer, and how grateful we are to Him for His gracious answer in taking her just six days after the operation, and thus sparing her what might have been a long period of intense suffer­ ing. In it all, she was so victorious in Christ that the memories are very sweet. “On the evening of the day on which mother was buried, I myself went to the hospital for surgery. As soon as I had arrived at home, I had consulted our physician about a con­ dition that had been troubling me, and it was necessary to wait eleven days for a report on certain tests that had been taken. It used to be hard for me to wait in uncertainty. I would be filled with inner restlessness. But this time the Lord gave me complete victory so that during the entire period I was delivered from all unrest, fear, and worry. I knew I could trust my

TH E K I N G ’ S' B U S I N E S S

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Significance of the News By DAN GILBERT San Diego, Calif.

“ BATTLE HYMN OF THE REPUBLIC”

for a football game. But it contains little to stir the heart and search the soul with“ a realization of the mean*, ing of a struggle for liberty and right­ eousness which costs the lives of thousands of American boys. "GOD BLESS AMERICA": • While written before the war, the song, “God Bless America,” is per­ haps the nearest approach to a worth­ while “religious-patriotic” song, to be produced }n the twentieth century. But, judged fay any Scriptural standard, it falls the distance from heaven to earth short of the mark, for it leaves out Christ. It leaves out Christian theology. It contains no Biblical prin­ ciple. It expresses no Christian con­ viction. Rather, it sets forth merely a fond hope and empty prayer: that God will bless America. (All prayers are empty which- leave out the Lord Jesus Christ.) The Japanese'believe in God. They could change the words to make them read, “God Bless Japan.” The general theme could be left as' it is, even for their purposes. ( To be truly great, truly American, a song must express something more than a pious appeal to an unknown God. It must be addressed, not to an unknown God, but to “ our fathers’ God,” the God of the Bible. It must establish' the Biblical basis of rela­ tionship'between God and man, be­ tween God and nations. A truly great American war song must affirm the righteousness of God. It must affirm the conviction that God is working out His great principles of righteousness, even in war time. It must express our unyielding faith in the final and inevitable -victory of God’s righteousness. It must give cour­ age, conviction, and consecration to those, who are about to risk death itself upon the battlefield for their country. It must give meaning to the crusade for national victory. .It must convey a deep heartfelt understand­ ing of what patriots should fight for, live for, and die for. THE "BATTLE HYMN OF THE REPUBLIC": • The song which most completely contains all these elements is the “Battle Hymn of the Republic.” , Only a true Bible-believing Christian of conviction and consecration, like Julia Ward Howe, could give words to such a song, in a time of great stress such as the War Between the States sup­ plied.

MUSIC IN WAR TIME: • Specialists in the subject of “build­ ing morale’’ have lamented that the war has brought forth no great song, which fully and deeply expresses the patriotic fervor and devotion of our people struggling to keep liberty and democracy alive. A well-known philanthropist has of­ fered a prize of $50,000 to any one who will compose a “truly great war song.” Unfortunately, a great song cannot be ordered, constructed according to spec­ ifications,, bought and paid for, as can a bombing plane or a warship. It is reported from Washington that various “morale-building agencies” of the government are concerned to “ef- fectualize measures” to subsidize and stimulate song writers to produce the much needed, highly desired “ great war song.” But this is one activity that lies beyond the power. of the whole array of alphabetical agencies. No great song was ever composed by a committee of experts, by the offering of prizes, or by the edict of governmental bureaucracies. A great song comes out of the depths of a heart filled with love and devotion to a high ideal. ' Almost without exception, great songs, great poems, great 'works of art and literature, have not been pro­ duced in the twentieth century. Noth­ ing else more completely disproves „the theory of evolution, and estab­ lishes the fact that degeneration is the law of nature. Degeneration is the principle which controls human life and history, when humanity directs its course contrary to the Word of God. The Bible teaches that “in the lat­ ter days,” man and his civilization shall become corrupt, superficial, ster­ ile of cultural achievement. The de­ generation of the mind of man is as much in evidence as the debasement of his heart. Possibly the most popular song to come out of the war was the now almost forgotten, “Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition.” As rendered by “swing bands” and “hot music art­ ists,” the song was grossly sacrile­ gious; but, more than that, it is pathetically puerile in its “message,” if it indeed has a message. The last war was as unproductive as this one in the matter of bringing forth a great song. The most popular one was, perhaps, “Oyer There.” The childish sentiment of that song—“the Yanks are coming, the Yanks are coming”—might serve as the equiva­ lent of, a rallying cry, or school yell,

By Julia Ward Howe

Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord; He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored; He hath loosed the fateful light­ ning of-His terrible swift sword: His' truth is marching on. I have seen. Him in the, watch fires of a hundred circling camps. They have builded Him an altar in the ' evening dews and damps; I can read His righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps: His- day is marching on. 1 have read a fiery gospel writ in burnished rows of steel; "As ye deal with My contemners so with you My grace shall deal." Let the Hero born of woman crush the serpent with His heel. Since God is marching on. He has sounded forth the trum­ pet that shall never call re­ treat; He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment seat. Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer .Him! be jubilant, my feet! Our God is marching on. In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea. With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me; As He died to make men holy let us die to make men free. While God is marching on. Chorus: Glory, glory, hallelujah! Glbry, glory, hallelujah! Glory, glory, hallelujah! His truth is marching on.

[From The New Blue Book of Favorite Songs, published by Hall & McCreary Co., Chicago, III.] .

405

November 1943

In many ways, even more than the “Star Spangled Banner” or e v e n “America,” this is the hymn of Chris­ tian Americanism—in war, any War, as in peace. It begins with the famous phrase, “Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.” Julia Ward Howe believed in the second coming of Christ* She recognized that that “blessed hope” must be the guiding star of every young American upon the battlefield. Many of our radio commentators and political writers have their eyes fixed upon “the coming peace con­ ference.” They believe that the rule of peace and righteousness will come out of the peace conference that fol­ lows the war. But thoughtful patriots will keep their eyes upon "the glory of the coming of the Lord.” They know that politicians cannot be trusted, and that peace treaties often fail to pro­ duce anything except more wars. But they also know that Jesus never fails, and that He alone is able to bring lasting peace and the reign of right­ eousness. The “Battle Hymn of the Republic” answers, in thunderous tones, the questions of the timid hearts and dwarfish intellects that feebly and fatuously ask, “Why does God permit all this suffering? Why does God per­ mit war? Where is God? Why doesn’t He do something?” The great song delcares, “He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are'stored; He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword; His truth is marching on.” War is the consequence of man’s sins. Wars come as'judg ­ ments of God upon unrepentant peo­ ples. Through them, God’s truth goes marching on! The judgments of the Lord are righteous altogether. In war, declared this great song writer, “I can read His righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps; His day is march­ ing on.” The Day of God is marching on. Christ is coming! His righteousness and His truth shall cover the earth as the waters cover the sea! “He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never sound retreat; He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment seat.” The song then affirms a consecrated commitment to occupy until He comes; “O be swift, my soul, to answer Him! be jubilant, my feet! Our God is marching on.” The song resounds with firm con­ viction, mighty faith. The patriot who believes its message will never waver, never doubt. He will know that Christ died for lost sinners, died to make men, holy, and that for the Christian patrijot it is a worthy thing to die for the cause of liberty: “In the beauty

Through All the Ghange of Time.

Alva J. McClain

Herbert Q. Tovey ■*-

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of the lilies Christ was born across the sea, With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me; As He died tò make men holy, let us die to make' men free, While God is march­ ing on.” THE SONG OF VICTORY: • A noted historian said, “Let me write the songs of a nation, and I care not who writes the laws of that nation.” The songs a » people sing, live by, fight by, die by, will largely direct thè destiny of that people. What a difference it makes in the morale and valor of an army, whether it goes forth to battle singing the “Battle Hymn of the Republic” or “Johnny Got a Zero” (in the last war, it was “Johnny Get Your Gun” )! What a difference it makes whether boys go forth to battle singing songs that praise Him who is the Light of the world, or whether they go forth mumbling the sentimental s w i n g rhythm, “When the Lights Go On Again All Over the World.” To strengthen American youth for patriotic service, the churches and Christian homes of the nation should teach our boys to sing the great hymns of victory. To build morale in the home front, we should encourage the singing of the great songs of Christian Americanism. Every Christian boy should know, at least, the words to the “Battle Hymn of the Republic” and “America,” that he may take them with him into peril. We would see a new spirit of pa­ triotism and high morale if we all went about our tasks, whether on the foreign front or the home front, with words of His praise and His victory upon our lips and hymns of His com­ ing ringing in our hearts.

INSTITUTE PRESIDENT IN RADIO BROADCAST

Through the facilities of the Cali­ fornia Don Lee Mutual chain, a verse-by-verse study of the Bible is given daily by the President of the Bible Institute of Los An­ geles, Louis T. Talbot. . • Monday, Wednesday, Friday 8:00’ to 8:30 A. M. • Los Angeles ............................. .....K H J San Diego ...........................................KGB Santa Barbara KDB San Bernardino KFXM Bakersfield ............ KM PC Santa*Ana .......................• K VO E El Centro............................. KXO San Luis Obispo ........................ KVEC San Francisco ........................ ...K F R C Marysville ............. KMYC Fresno-Visalia (11:00 to 11:30)..K T K C Monterey ......... .KDOIM Eureka ..................... J , , , . Kl EM Chico ................................. KHSL Redding .............................................KVCV Merced ......... KYOS NORTHWEST (OREGON) Roseburg .............................*.........KRNR Portland ...........................................K A L E Klamath Falls ................................. K FJI Eugene................. .................... ...K O RE Marshfield .................. KOOS Albany ......... KW IL Astoria .................. KAST NORTHWEST (WASHINGTON) Tacoma .............................. KMO Yakima .................................................KIT Spokane ................................... .....K F IO Aberdeen .....................................K X R O Seattle .................................................. KOL Olympia .............................................KGY CentraHa K ELA Everett .................... KRKO Longview ......... ....K W L K Wallace, Idaho ............................KWAL DAILY BROADCAST KMTR—Los Angeles, Monday through Friday, from 11:06 to 11:30 A. M. KPAS—Pasadena, M o n d a y through Friday, from 9:00 to 9:30 P. M.

TH E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S

406

Thanks to God In a Japanese Prison By BRUCE F. HUNT

Along with more than thirty K o r e a n Christian friends, M r . H u n t , mis­ sionary of the Committee for Foreign Missions of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, was imprisoned in Manchuria for opposition to shrine worship and gov­ ernment c o n t r o l of the church. H e was held in the Harbin jail four days, later handcuffed and taken to the Korean border and placed in solitary confine­ ment in a large peniten­ tiary. Tried before a high­ er court of Manchuria and found not guilty, he was nevertheless o r d e r e d de­ ported as an undesirable alien. While he was preparing for deportation, war be­ tween the U n i t e d States and Japan broke out, and on December 8 he was re­ imprisoned. Many w e r e the times, during the 105 days of im­ prisonment, and later dur­ ing the six months in con­ centration camps and ex­ c h a n g e ships, t ha t M r . Hunt p r a y e d w i t h the Psalmist, “ Bring my soul out of prison,” but always on the condition that such deliverance should glorify God and that he m i g h t give thanks unto H im . Today in the comfort of home in America, he gives praise to God for de­ livering him and uniting him with his family, but chiefly for H is sustaining grace.

I T WAS getting dark in my cell at the close of that first long day of solitary confinement. The chill gloom of a late October day was grow­ ing oppressive. The prospect of an­ other night on the hard floor, while I would try to keep my toes under the edge of the overcoat which was my only covering, was far from pleasant. That morning a guard had thrust a cake of steamed corn at me; then, with his hand, he had scooped a few leaves of salted cabbage out of a bowl and slapped them on top of the corn cake. This had been breakfast. After “breakfast,” I had had de­ votions. The Bible having been taken from me, for my Scripture reading I was forced to resort to memory, which, in my case, never had been good. I went over all the Psalms and other Scripture passages I could think of. I sang all the hymns I could remem­ ber. Then followed a long season of prayer. With no distractions, there was time for all my friends: to pray for them individually. The various towns and villages where I had preached the gospel in the United States, Can­ ada, Korea, Manchuria, and North China came up before me, and I prayed for them each one. There in prison,! had a great longing to glorify God in every experience into which He .brought me. I spent some time carving a Bible verse on the hard plaster of the cell wall with the metal tip of my shoe lace. When my f i n g e r s became cramped from trying to write with such a small object, I changed my occupation and began a systematic Search of my literally lousy clothing. This was my first day in solitary con­ finement, but it was the seventh day since my arrest, and in the preceding prison I had been in a crowded, ver­ min-infested cell which had left me with my clothes literally crawling. The search ended, I'began pacing my cell vigorously for exercise and went through some calisthenics. Still there was time left in what seemed an end­ less morning, so I stood.and just gazed through the bars across a prison cab­ bage patch, now denuded and bare,

at the high brick wall of the peniten­ tiary, wondering how many more such interminable days I would be spending in this place. - Lunch, which was another corn cake with a bowl of thin cabbage soup brought to me by a couple of chained prisoners under guard, created a wel­ come' break. The afternoon dragged out to supper time, when there was another corn cake and salty cabbage. I did not want to sleep in the day, lest sleep should not come at night, so I filled in my time with other periods of prayer, song, and exercises. But they seemed repetitions of what I had done in the morning, and as I thought of the countless times I might be re­ peating them before I was released, they already began to take on a monotony. A Heart Sings In Prison The chill gloom at the end of that first day was oppressive, so I sprang to my feet to throw it off, feeling a Christian had no right to be despond­ ent. God would, I knew, enable nae to glorify Him, even here. I began whistling a tune under my breath and, before I knew it, was putting words to the tune. Gradually they took form and I was singing: “ Give thanks, give thanks unto Je­ hovah, for He of kings is King! Let every nation, race, each tongue and tribe, unto Him praises bring.” The gloom was dissolved. The Lord had put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God, and I was thrilled to realize I was going through the ex­ perience David records in the fortieth Psalm when he said, “ I waited patient­ ly for Jehovah; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay; and he set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in Jehovah.” I did not want to lose the song, but I had alwayb had a poor memory, and

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I was afraid that by morning I would have forgotten the words and tune. Without paper on which to write, I looked at the hard white surface of the wall as a possibility. But there was no pencil. To use the end of the shoe lace which I had used in the morning would take too long, and darkness would be on me before I had begun. I reached into my overcoat pocket to see whether the guards had overlooked anything in. searching me. Sure enough, wedged into a corner of the outside pocket was a small Man­ churian nickel. With the edge of .the coin I quickly scratched the words in longhand on the wall—all the while praying that I would be able to read them in the morning, for it was dark and I was not sure whether the coin was actually leaving, a mark. This done, I trustfully stretched myself on the floor to enjoy a night of forgetful­ ness. When the morning light began to penetrate the cell, there were the words, barely distinguishable but clear enough- that I could read them and fix them in my memory. A Guard Asks Questions The morning guard came to peer through the hole in my cell door. His eyes had not completed making the circuit of the room when with a star­ tled look he asked, “What’s that you’ve written on the wall?” I tried to trans­ late the words to him as best I could, wondering all the while how he had noticed them so quickly when I could barely make them out. Later I ob­ served that the light from the window struck the words in such a way that to any one standing at the door they stood out like a neon light. God had arranged it, that these words might be a testimony given for Him. I read: “ Give thanks, give thanks unto Jeho­ vah, for He of kings is King! Let every nation, race, each tongue and tribe, unto Him praises bring.” I told the guard how, even in my prison cell, my heart was overflowing with . thanksgiving and praise, and then I explained the words to him. I told him that “Jehovah,” the name of the God to whom my thanks were ad­ dressed, meant “I AM THAT I AM,” indicating that He is the self-existent and uncreated God, not descended from the sun, like the Japanese sun- goddess, and not the creation of men’s hands or of imaginations, as so many heathen idols are. I told him, what was obvious to both of us, that though I Was a citizen of the United States, my own country was/-fiot able to de­ liver me at that particular moment, but my confidence was primarily in One who is King of kings and Lord of lords, One who is greater than the ruler of my own country, and because [Continued on Page 438]

Thèmes for Thanksgiving By ARTHUR HEDLEY Dunstable, Bedfordshire, England

Could we begin the day more ap­ propriately than . by showing forth God’s loving-kindness? And at even­ tide it is pleasant and profitable to recall His faithfulness through another day. Beginning the Day with Praise His loving-kindness is to be our theme in the morning. “Cause me to i iear thy loving-kindness in the morn- ng” (Psa. 143:8), was the prayer of David. Psalmists and prophets rejoiced in “ the multitude of his loving-kind­ nesses” (Isa. 63:7). We live in days

"It is a good thing . . . to show forth thy loving-kindness in the morning, and thy faith­ fulness every night" (Psa. 92:1, 2 ). E VERY DAY should begin and everything by prayer and supplica­ tion with thanksgiving let your re­ quests be made known unto God” (Phil. 4:6). The Psalmist gives us two choice topics for praise—one for the morning and one for the evening.

end with praise. The note of gratitude and joy should be prominent in all our *devotions. “In

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when many doubt the loving-kind­ nesses of God. Some have passed through such crushing experiences during the war that they find it hard to believe that ‘ God is love.” Yet there are many who have suffered the loss of all 1'lings, except their faith—and the hr rdness of their lot has served only tc reveal the strength and beau!;/ of th: Ir trust in God. To most of i.s, however tried, the evi­ dence of God’s goodness is so abun­ dant that we cannot doubt His love and care. Remembrance of His Mercy •When we awake, let us call to re­ membrance His great mercy in saving our souls. We must never lose the wonder of our salvation or forget the day when God, for Christ’s sake, par­ doned our sins. “It is profitable,” says John Bunyan, "for Christians to be often calling to mind the very be­ ginnings of grace with their souls . . . Have you forgotten the closet, the milk-house, the stable, the barn, and the li&e, where God did visit your souls?” It is an amazing thing that God has done for our souls in deliver­ ing us from eternal death, in break­ ing the fetters of sin from which we had tried in vain to free ourselves. A Methodist minister noticed when walking home with one of his mem­ bers, that on reaching a certain point, the man would raise his hat. He thought it strange, for he never saw any lady on either side of the road to whom he was paying respect. One day the man said, “Pastor, perhaps you wonder why I raise my hat on reaching this point. I raise it to God who gave me power to keep outside that public house on the other side of the road. Once I was such a slave to drink I could not pass it by, but now, thanks be to God, I have gained the*victory, for it no longer has any attraction for me.” Saintly Samuel Rutherford said: “When I look at my sinfulness, my salvation is to me my Saviour’s great­ est miracle. He has done nothing in heaven or on earth like my saK vation.” We cannot do better than begin the day by praising God for the gift of pardon, of power, of eternal life, and for the grace which enables us to keep our feet in the road which leads to heaven. Each returning day it is good to recall God’s wonderful forbearance and patience. In spite of all the follies and failures of yesterday, His love has spared us to see the light of another day; another opportunity is given to prove our love and devotion to Him. He who knows well his own heart is astounded at God’s long- suffering. Truly, “It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not” (Lam. 3:22). The love of God is strong, tender, patient, and enduring.

Ending the Day with Gratitude At the close of the day, xhe theme of our praise should be the divine faithfulness. During each passing day we have many proofs of God’s fidelity to us. We often prove unfaithful to Him, but this failure does not inr fluence His attitude to us. Though we prove faithless, “he abideth faithful” ' (2 Tim. 2:13). The Psalmist suffered much from the faithlessness of man (cf. Psa. 35:12-16; 41:9), and found strong consolation and hope in the faithfulness of God. It transcends the faithfulness •of man. It is beyond human measurement: “Thy faithful- * ness reacheth unto the skies” (Psa. 36:5, R.V.). It is profitable exercise to review God’s faithfulness at even-' tide. Through the day His love has spared us, His presence had been near us, and His friendship out strength and stay. The remembrance of His faithful­ ness will recall, in contrast, our own faithlessness. How often we .have failed our Lord! We have been silent when we should have witnessed for Him. By our impatience, harshness, or anger, we have failed to glorify, “Him when tried by others. Our faith has been so feeble, our love so cold, our service so spiritless, and our mo­ tives so selfish and insincere. But in the hour when we are burdened with a deep sense of our unworthiness we find hope and comfort in the thought of God’s faithfulness: “ If we confess, our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). It is a comforting thought that how­ ever much we may fail Him, He never loses faith in us. He pferseveres with us, even though we disappoint Him. We hear much of man’s faith in God, of justifying faith; but how rarely do we hear of God's amazing faith in us. An anonymous writer who has been tried as by fire and come forth as gold, discovered in his trial that “God has faith in us, faith that in the end and in spite of every failure, we will fulfill the promise which His faithfulness perceives with­ in us.” Our Saviour was sure that though Peter would fail sadly, yet in the end he would come forth strong in faith and love, and ready to cham­ pion His cause and- be a tower of strength to tried and tempted souls. Such was His faith in Peter that He gave him a commission, even a few hours before his base denial: “When thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren” (Lk. 22:32). How we ought to praise God for His astounding con­ fidence in us! As we show forth God’s loving- kindness in the morning and renew His faithfulness at night, we shall prove with the Psalmist that “it is a good thing,” a beneficial exercise.

Praise for His Keeping In these days of peril we here in Britain have special cause to thank God for His loving-kindness during our unconscious hours. Last Sunday was spent with loved ones in their home in South East London. As we sat around the fire at the close of the day, our peace was disturbed by the sound of the “Alert.” Swiftly the invaders came upon us, and the ter­ rific and deafening noise above, when hundreds of shells and rockets were exploding overhead, was enough to shatter the nerves of the strongest and bravest of men. When the “Ail Clear” was given, we gave thanks to God for preservation, and prayed for His protecting care during the hours of darkness. We slept peace­ fully in our beds until 5 A.M., when again we endured - the Same nerve- wracking experience, and this time a bomb dropped not far from our home. At breakfast it was with grateful hearts we thanked God for sparing mercies. Do you appreciate and value the blessing of refreshing s l e e p ? To awaken in the morning renewed in body, mind, and soul, and fitted to face the tasks and trials of a new day, is truly a cause for thanksgiving and joy. We look at life so differently after a night of undisturbed slumber and feel equal to every situation. When David was tired and dis­ couraged after fleeing for his life from his treacherous son, Absalom, he cried to God for help, and God an­ swered his prayer by granting deep tranquil sleep. When he awoke, he was like a giant refreshed, and said, “I will#not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about” (Psa. 3:6). Do not forget to praise God on awak­ ing for His loving-kindness during the hours of darkness and danger, and for the blessing of quiet, refreshing sleep. As you sit down to your morn­ ing meal, lift up your heart in grati­ tude to God for a healing appetite, and for spreading your table with wholesome food. Remember, too, the millions in China and in Greece and elsewhere who suffer want; pray for the grace of self-denial for others’ sake. theearthre- maineth,seedtime and harvest♦ ♦ ♦ shallnot /ail* 0 en- 8 :? 2 *

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Poems Story

In Coming Issues I LIVED SEVENTY MILES FROM THE JAPANESE LINES—By Charles A. Roberts. Here is a magnificent ac­ count of invasion and evangelism in suffering China. Read about it in next month's issue. THE BIBLE AND SCIENCE—By O. E. Sanden. Member of the American Association for the Advancement of of Science, this Phi Beta Kappa man has a down-to-earth style that has clarified Bible truth for hundreds of young people. WHAT AN ARMY DOCTOR SEES—By a member of the U. S. Medical Corps. The author of this series is an out­ standing Christian, a graduate of Harvard Medical School, trained in neuro psychiatry. His first article is a story thrillingly told: 'The Pneu­ monia Patient with 'Heart' Trouble." • . OUT OF BORNEO—By J. Arthur Mouw. With every way seemingly blocked, this missionary family escaped mi­ raculously from a land of many miracles. • REVIVAL IN THE MacARTHUR COUN­ TRY—By John R. Turnbull. Fellow of the Royal Geographic Society, the author has penetrated wilds that other men never have seen. • STUDIES IN THE GOSPEL OF MARK —By E. Schuyler English. A Bible student writes special help on the • International Sunday-school Lessons which center in this Gospel in com­ ing months. • THE UNKNOWN CHRIST—By Vance Havner. The whimsical Southerner .has some pointed things to say.

Meditation Pantomime

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