Light in Earth's Dark Corners
By W. A. S.
THE Lord is pressing the light of his Word into the darkest corners of the earth. By the gift of tongues at Pentecost, many nationalities, say two or three score different tongues, heard the word of God. Now God's Word speaks in over four hundred tongues, and Bible distribution agencies are pressing into every darkened land. While we are putting our own literature into various languages, and selling it to people of other tongues, we must not forget that the Bible, the Book of books, is the direct literature of the message; and by this Bible distribution away beyond the bounds of organized missionary effort, the advent message is being proclaimed. I was glad to find in the West Indies that the directors of the British Bible Society in that part were able to say that our people were the most active of all in selling and distributing God's Word. There is scarcely a land under the heavens, that we could readily name, in whose tongue we have not already the best Book of all, so that without delay workers might be putting the message before the people. All things are prepared for a quick work in our day. We look on the map of the East Indies, and perhaps most of us might, from our lack of information, conclude that such a country as Borneo, for instance, must be an almost unapproachable land for missionary effort. The light not only of modern progress but of God's Word shines, however, in the least known parts of Borneo. An agent of the Bible society reports a visit to the southeastern part of that great island, vast portions of which are unexplored. He visited the sultan's city, up the Tangarang River, and found a luxuriously furnished palace, lighted with electricity. Western facilities and inventions are pressing into the dark corners of the earth. Surely it is time to press in with the message that God has given the West for the needy East. The following paragraphs from the Bible worker's report show how good a field for the colporteur may be found in these almost unvisited lands:— Leaving the palace, I went into the town, where my boy was waiting with my bag of Scriptures; and having obtained the sultan's consent, I began to sell. In a very short time all the copies that I had brought with me from the boat were disposed of. Hiring two men, I had a large box of books carried into the town later on in the day, and met with very much success; for a long time I could not hand out the Malay New Testament portions fast enough to the eager crowd of purchasers. In the midst of the festivities of the next day the sultan again received me at the palace, and in the name of the society I presented his highness with the best Malay Bible I had. An opportunity was given me of explaining the difference between this and the Koran, and thus I was privileged to speak of Him who is the way, the truth, and the life. After nearly three months' absence I arrived at home, having left behind among the natives of poor dark Borneo no fewer than 2,880 Bibles, New Testaments, and New Testament portions, besides over one thousand Christian almanacs, in Malay, Javanese, Dyak, Bugis, and Chinese. This seems a large number, yet how few, after all, in comparison with the population and the area! How many parts of this vast island remain as yet utterly unreached! How many people there are who have never heard a syllable about the Saviour's love! Thus the light breaks into the realms of darkness. The whole world, literally, lies at our feet. Our Lord's command now rings out to us, “Go ye into all the world.” As he has prepared the facilities and opened the doors, even so is he ready now to prepare his people to enter the world's wide gate.