1096
THE KING’S BUSINESS
question, said that ever since they were old enough to believe, they had believed in Christ. When I asked them if they were saved from their sin, they smiled and turned away. Another young man in the hospital, when asked if he believed, said, “Why, yes, ever since I was baptized (in infancy), I have accepted Christ.” You will readily see that it is all a his torical faith, a belief about Christ, but not an experimental knowledge of Christ as a personal Saviour. Then others have said that God had permitted sin in the world and it was natural to sin, and God had given license to commit all manner of sin. While working in'one of the railroad camps, we called at a house and asked if they would receive a tract and listen to an explanation of the Gospel, and the man of the house said, “See! There is my reli gion !” pointing to the wall. We looked, and said, “Yes, we see two lighted candles and am image behind them. If that is your God why don’t you take it down and place it on the floor and tell it to get back again, | and in that way you can prove to your satisfaction Jif it has any power to save you from sin.” There were six or eight in the room and they all smiled. Then we said, “Do you know the first command
ment?” to which he replied, “Thou shalt love the Lord before all things” (R. G ). We asked, “Do you do it?” Then turning fo the Scriptures we read to him Exodus 20. They made no answer, but we went on and preached Jesus to them. That surely was heathenism in our so- called Christian land. It certainly was dark and dismal, both spiritually and morally, and they seemed to be quite satis fied to remain that way. Let us pass from the shadows, for there are bright spots where the light has dawned upon some of these benighted souls. Down country, where we have a group of several families, while explaining the results of the new birth and the new creation, one of the men spoke up and said, “Sure, that’s so.” We turned to him and said, “What do you know about it?” “Well,” he said, “since you were here last I accepted Christ as my Saviour, and I have experienced a joy and peace and satisfaction such as I never had before.” Thus we meet those here and there who have entered into rest, and trust that many more will come. We are confident that as we sow the seed and water it with our tears and prayers, He will give the increase. To Him be all the glory forever!
--------- —O ------------ WORK IN PACIFIC COAST HARBORS
Oscar Zimmermann, Snpt.
T N a recent issue of T he K ing ’ s B usiness A appeared an account of how the captain of a certain vessel summoned the whole ship’s crew to the dining room to listen to the Gospel message given by the worker through a Japanese student. Believing .it will be interesting to know what the Japa nese think of the efforts made in behalf of their countrymen, an article describing the incident, printed jn the daily Japanese newspaper, “The New ’ World,” follows. The article was brought to the notice of the worker and translated by a friend:
“Sweet singing which came out from a window of a cabin of one of the Japanese steamers: “Yesterday at noon, two men visited the Kenkon-Maru No. 8 , which is anchor a wharf of San Francisco. One of them was an American and other Japanese student. When they had boarded into that steamer, presently a man who seemed her captain appeared outside of cabin and ushered them into his room. As they disappeared into inside, presently all crews who were working noisily and busy on deck here and
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