The Power of the Truth to Regenerate.
By Editor
A letter comes to us from a brother whose life for years has been spent in a large city, telling of the wonderful goodness of God to him. We have not space for the whole letter. Let this suffice to show what grace will do for the human soul if there is a longing for it. This man was brought up in what is known as the "bloody sixth ward" of New York City, right down in Five Points. Here he learned all of the iniquities of the wharf rat, drank, swore, stole, from the time that he was ten years old upward. Went to a great Western city, connected with one of its worst dives, became a bouncer for that dive, and there lived for years. His wife, in the meantime, attended a Seventh-day Adventist camp-meeting. He laughed at her, ridiculed the religion, knowing nothing, of course, about it really. Finally he was persuaded to go there, and attended one or two afternoons, saw what the grace of God would do for men and women, saw how different they were from those with whom he was associating every day. When he went back to the dive, he wondered in his heart that God did not wipe out the whole thing. What was there there that was worth any existence at all? God's angel was moving upon his heart and helping him to see the sinfulness of sin, creating in him a longing for righteousness, altho he did not know it. He wondered what ailed him. Finally he attended meetings nights instead of staying at the dive. Not long after this he himself united with God's children, and found joy in serving Him. Yet this is not all the story. Under the strong stress of temptation and needed money, he yielded again, and went back to his old life, but without any joy or satisfaction in it. While there, he again came to himself and gave himself to God, and gave himself in so whole-hearted a way that the old life, with all its folly and sin and wickedness, has no hold upon him. In his own words: "I find more pleasure in serving Him, and I love to do His will. You can have the world and all its pleasures, but give me the love of Christ in my heart, for this is the grandest life, serving the Lord. And to-day my feet are planted on the rock firmer than ever, and I ask you to pray, and others, that the Lord will give me more of His Spirit to do His will, remain true to Him, and never do anything to bring reproach on His name." Let our readers pray for this brand plucked from the burning. May God help him, that his life may be so full of service for the Master that there shall be no room for the devil to enter.