99
February 1928
T h e
K i n g ' s
B u s i n e s s
Scattering Thistles T HERE is a timely word for everyone of us in the fol lowing editorial which we take the liberty o f reproducing from that splendid paper, The Methodist Protestant. Someone speaking of the evils of gossip used the illustration of one who went out in the fields and scat tered thistles everywhere and then attempted to gather them up, spending his lifetime trying to undo what he had done in a moment. And that is true of gossip. How easily men get into this habit! Do not we meet a man every day who comes around and says, “ Well, what do you know?” and maybe tells us something and wants us to tell him something to go out and spread? With what ever caution we answer him, the thing we say will travel, and grow as it travels until after a while it comes back to us and we have no recognition of it, so much has it been changed, and usually for the worse, And gossip really loves the evil tale. It is rather tame business going around telling the good things we see. W e would rather tell the evil things. If a poor man has gone wrong, if a woman in her weakness has fallen, how quickly we take up these things and spread them far and w ide! O f course, it is told as a secret. W e do not want anybody ever to mention it, and we “ have not told any body but you,” '.they say; but their confidants are le gion, and when they have made their wicked rourfd they have destroyed a character and set the tongues of a town wagging. . W e are so helpless against this kind of business. When an evil tale is told, even though it be denied and proved to be false, we are mighty apt to believe there is something in it anyhow, and suspicion is born in our hearts against certain people who may be as innocent as angels. Their .hearts break under the cold-shouldered suspicion that makes them shun us. Some of these gossips really are not bad people. They just like to tell stories and be first to scatter evil things. They tell the story with such sympathy for the one whom they are slandering. “ Oh, I am so sorry. Oh, I was never more surprised in my life. Oh, I pity them.” So they go on. And the story is there, but the sympathy is forgotten. So these wicked thistles are scattered far and wide, and some day these poor foolish ones who scat tered the thistles awaken and seek to undo the wrong they have done, but alas, they cannot do it. The seed is sown and it bears its fruit. Over and over again through the years they have broken and crucified innocent hearts. The Bible says the tongue is like a fire, and indeed it is ; like a scorpion, and indeed it is. The thing is to be locked and the gateways are to be opened only when the heart is tender and righteousness controls the spirit. Beware how you spread scandal. Beware how you speak under your breath that which soils a human spirit. Some day life may be broken because of your whisper. W e have heard it so often said o f men; “ He never spoke an evil thing o f any man.” It is hard to live up to that standard, but it is a great gift. It is better to scatter roses than thorns in the paths of men. It is better to bring smiles than tears. It is better to build castles of righteousness and truth than to build hovels wherein dwell lies. A t the end o f the years the glory of men is that they touched their fellow men with the soft hand of mercy and have used their tongues to the praise o f the good o f those who are seeking to walk in the path of Christ their King.
killed and his property confiscated. When the Commun ists discovered that he was gone they began to prevent peo ple from coming to worship; they met them on the road, seized their Bibles and hymn books, tore them apart and burned them, and with curses and blows drove the would- be worshipers back to their homes. This continued until the local people were afraid to have any contact with our evangelists, lest they be severely injured or even killed. The homes o f the people were watched, and for a few weeks our evangelists did not dare visit homes at all freely, but depended on having quiet talks with people whom they met on the country roads. C ommun ist G overnment S uppressed May 21st was a great day in Hunan, a day that will have an outstanding position in the record o f the tremen dous struggle that is going on. It was on that day that the soldiers of Hunan arose and made a quick and decisive attack upon the Communists. Many of the leaders and many more o f their followers were killed, and the Com munist movement was in a large measure suppressed. Proclamations were sent throughout the province strictly forbidding all persecution o f Christians and all attacks upon mission property. After this suppression of Com munism, work became much easier though many difficul ties still remained. One day two o f our evangelists called at the home of an old ex-soldier. He was sixty-two years o f age and had retired from the army. He was a fearless old soldier and listened with evident delight to the Gospel story. He called his son in, a child o f his old age, and asked the men to tell their story to the boy and let the boy repeat it to him. From this day a friendly relationship was established, and both father and son accepted Christ as their Saviour. They said, “ Now that we know Jesus Christ as our Lord, whatever happens we will not fear; moreover we will constantly witness for Him.” Previous to May 21st our preachers took advantage of the market days when great crowds of country people assembled in some center. The evangelists went to these centers taking with them large numbers of small sheet tracts ; the country people received them most cordially, and God graciously preserved them from all attacks of those wicked and sorely deceived men who are still doing their utmost to overthrow Christianity in, China. A Correction In one o f the articles concerning our Hunan work, taken by us from a recent book by Miss Christine L. Tinling, she refers to the Evangelistic Bands of Dr. Keller as traveling on boats. This statement escaped the editor’s attention. The fact is that the bands have not made use of boats for several years. W e do not wish to convey the impression that our Hunan Institute owns or operates boats, when as a matter o f fact only one boat has ever been used by the bands and this, was several years ago. The bands travel from town to town, putting up Gospel posters as they go and preaching wherever an opening can be gained. Snails and Eagles An Eastern proverb says, “ There are only two crea tures that can surmount the pyramids,-Sthe eagle and the snail.” In our pursuit of Christian perfection we should have the patience o f the snail and the daring o f the eagle.
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