LISBON.—A few words concerning the work in Lisbon will undoubtedly interest our brethren and sisters. In this city of six hundred thousand inhabitants, the voice of but one worker is heard in the attempt to warn these people of the destruction of this sinful world. Our company in this town consists of fourteen members, five of whom were recently baptized. The truth is preached in two halls, one series of lectures having been begun last January. The first meetings were well attended, but unfortunately they were disturbed often, so that many ceased attending. Nevertheless, several come regularly, and we hope from among them to gather some sheaves for the harvest.
As is generally the way in large centers and especially seaports, Lisbon is a very irreligious town. Unfortunately, one is too prone to forget the history of the past, when God visited this town with an earthquake in November, 1755, at the beginning of the sixth seal. A very anti-religious spirit exists here. In order to be able to hold our meetings in good order, we had to have the assistance of the police, and even with three or four officers at the door of the hall, we were not able to continue to speak. We were threatened with further trouble, such as the breaking of chairs, and other rough conduct. One evening there were more than one hundred persons shouting outside the door, and the policemen were not able to gain the mastery over them, for they had not the slightest respect for the authorities. By the blessing of God, the following evenings were more quiet.
Brethren and sisters, think of us in this land, and remember this city in your prayers, so that in spite of all the attempts of the enemy, this message may triumph in winning precious souls. We are of good courage, and are redoubling our efforts and zeal in working under the banner of our Master.
PAUL MEYER.
Our Young People in Turkey
By J. G. Mandalian
OWING to different conditions there have been several changes among our young people in Turkey. Some are attending our school in Constantinople, while several were obliged to enlist in the army.
The soldier in the accompanying picture is one of our Armenian brethren, a very faithful and earnest young man.
He has found favor with his captain, and has no difficulty in keeping the Sabbath. At first, he was in the palace of former Sultan Hamid. In his regiment there were other Armenian soldiers, and his captain would get him and his comrades to argue on the Sabbath question. He first proved from the Bible that the Sabbath is the Lord’s day, then proved from history that Sunday is an institution of the Papacy. The captain then asked one of the other young men to prove Sunday to be the Lord’s day, but he declined, stating that that was the priest’s part, and he was no priest. Thus both Armenians and Turks had a chance to hear the truth. At present this brother is at the Dardanelles, working in the telegraphic department. During the last general conference in Constantinople, upon request of Elder E. E. Frauchiger, his captain gave him a vacation of ten days. Thus he had the privilege of enjoying the blessings with the rest of the brethren in Turkey. This kind treatment on the part of Turkish officers is something altogether unusual. Surely the Lord is doing wonderful things for his children.
At present there are three Armenian young men in the States, studying in our schools. One is in South Lancaster, one at Loma Linda, and the other, the writer, in Union College. We have only one desire and ambition in life, and that is to prepare ourselves speedily to labor in our country in the Master’s cause. We ask the prayers of our brethren in the United States that we may be faithful and true to our trust. J. G. MANDALIAN.
The Press Bureau Work
By W. L. Burgan
We are pleased to read in the Lake Union Herald of July 24 that Elder A. L. Miller and Brother R. M. Grey are having success in inserting notices about their tent-meetings in the newspapers of Franklin, Ind. They write: “The papers are free to publish whatever we give them, and are doing a good part by us.” In the same issue of the Lake Union Herald, Brother H. H. Hicks, in writing about his tent-meetings in Flint, Mich., says: “We are reaching eighteen thousand homes with the truth in this effort, as the Flint Daily Journal, with a circulation of eighteen thousand copies, is printing the main points of every sermon. We have heard of one man, a Christian Scientist, who has been convinced that the seventh day is the Sabbath from reading the articles in the paper.”
W. L. BURGAN.
A Word From Portugal
By C. E. RENTFRO.
For nearly seven years, Lisbon has been the center of our work in Portugal, and only since 1910 have we made a strong effort to build up a work that had been started in Porto and abandoned. We have two halls, one in Gaya and the other in Porto, where a few persons came to hear the word.
Our Portuguese worker, a young man whom we had sent to Gland, was asked to leave Lisbon and help with the work in Porto, where he is developing into a good laborer. We endeavor to fill every night with meetings, Bible studies, or visiting.
One man who has been working for twelve years in a factory, has been studying the truth for some time; but how to earn bread for a family of six is a problem staring him in the face. It is a serious question under the best of circumstances, when a working man becomes unemployed and has to look for another position. Great faith on the part of such is necessary, and we can only pray that God may give it to them.
Another person, a woman, says, “I am going to keep the Sabbath.” Another, who can not read nor write, says, “This shall be my religion.” Others acknowledge the truth, but are waiting.
We are trying to increase our literature, so we can place printed matter on different subjects in the hands of those who can read. We also are hoping to find some canvassers to carry the same to the people. We shall try to sow the seed, expecting that God will give the increase. C. E. RENTFRO.
Church Additions in Minnesota
EIGHT new members have recently been added to the church at Minneapolis, Minn., and Elder W. A. Alway baptized nineteen students of the Maplewood Academy at the close of school. Elder J. O. Peet reports that two adults have accepted present truth at Brookpark.
Washington, D. C.
By John N. Quinn
At the close of a recent Sabbath service a sister who had been uplifted, came with the request that her husband be visited. He believed the truth, but not being a Christian, was not obeying it. For an hour the Word of God was read to him; he saw his way to the cross, and opening his heart to the Lord Jesus, became reconciled to God. The next Sabbath afternoon, on my way to his home for further study, what was my surprise and joy to hear that he had attended the morning service, and voluntarily asked for baptism and membership with the believers.
A woman who had been educated in a Roman Catholic convent, but who did not believe in the confessional or the infallibility of the Pope, attended service in the Episcopal church. Learning that Bible readings were being conducted near her home, she attended, became interested, opened her heart to the truth, and is to-day enjoying an experience to which she had been hitherto a stranger. For months she had debated the question of attending service in a Jewish synagogue, as she believed the seventh day should be observed. Now she is happy in being able to worship on God's day with those who are followers of the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ to her is now not a Saviour merely in the heavens; he is ever present in her life, and she is at rest from doubt and unbelief.
One of our brethren whose business takes him into the homes of the people in this city, invited me to go with him to meet a lawyer who believed in the Darwinian theory, but whose wife is a Christian. We reasoned together for over an hour, and step by step the truth conquered. At last he said, “Why, my friend, if you are right, popular Christianity is far from the truth.” I assured him that the Word of God is right, and asked him to give me four evenings of his time in which to prove the existence of God and the authenticity of the Bible, to which he gladly consented. As I left, he said, “My mind has undergone a change; I thoroughly enjoyed the evening, and shall be glad when you come again.” As I shook hands with the lawyer and his wife, the grip of her hand told of her thankfulness at the prospect of her husband's conversion. Pray as you read this that God's Spirit may manifest his authority in this man's life. And he is but one of many; hearts are being awakened and are desiring something not yet experienced. Jesus Christ alone can satisfy. JOHN N. QUINN.
Antigua and St. Thomas
By U. Bender
SAILING from Demerara on March 21, I arrived in Antigua the evening of the twenty-seventh. On the way the ship stopped two days at Barbados. Here I had the pleasure of visiting Elder and Mrs. E. C. Widgery and Dr. and Mrs. Cave. I spoke in the church one night, and was glad to meet many with whom I had become acquainted on former visits, also to greet the others.
In Antigua the believers from different parts of the island met, April 5-8, in the church in St. John. Elder J. H. Matthews has labored with success during the past year in various parts of the island where companies and interested ones are located. Over a year ago Elder Matthews's wife died, and a few months later his little baby passed away. This has been a heavy blow and continual sorrow to the husband and father, but the promises of God are his consolation.
Elder H. C. J. Walleker and I left Antigua on April 12, and reached St. Thomas the next day. During the following week we visited some of the islands eastward. From April 25 to 28 we held meetings in the church in Charlotte Amalie. Quite a number of our people came over from St. Croix, and one or two from the islands to the eastward, to attend this meeting.
The night services were given to preaching, the early morning hour to prayer and praise. The Sabbath-school and the young people's work were considered, papers being read upon these subjects. Mrs. Walleker read a paper on how to keep in health. The hour given to the consideration of the distribution of literature was occupied by reading from the Testimonies and relating personal experiences. From 11 to 12 A. M. we had Bible studies. Sabbath morning just at sunrise, Elder Walleker baptized four persons in the sea, in a quiet little bay where we had gathered for the occasion. As the sunlight streamed over the tops of the mountains, the people were singing, "There is sunlight on the hilltop." As we rowed back across the bay to the city, the beauty of the rising morn over the hills caused gratitude and praise to spring up in our hearts to the God of nature.
The meetings in St. Thomas and Antigua were profitable, and the brethren and sisters expressed themselves as being greatly benefited and encouraged. May the Lord keep the people faithful and humble.
May 1, I sailed to Porto Rico. Two days later, in company with Elder Wm. Steele, I left for Jamaica. The ship stopped two days at the city of San Domingo, allowing Elder Steele to go ashore and look after the work at that place. We reached Kingston the evening of the twelfth. U. BENDER.
British Guiana
By U. BENDER
LEAVING Trinidad on March 12, I reached Georgetown, British Guiana, the morning of the fourteenth. Elder E. C. Boger met me at the wharf, and a quiet day was spent at his home, visiting with the laborers and believers who had come in from different parts of the colony to attend the meetings.
The meetings began Thursday night and ended Sunday night. We had morning meetings at five o'clock. Bible study was held in the forenoon and in the afternoon, with preaching at night. One afternoon a program was rendered, consisting of several good papers, in the interest of the Sabbath-school and young people's work.
The tent-meetings recently conducted in Georgetown by Elders E. C. Boger and T. L. M. Spencer resulted in the conversion of several persons. There has been quite an increase in the membership of the Georgetown church. The church building needs repairing and enlarging.
Elder Spencer is located in Georgetown. Brother T. J. Kennedy has moved to New Amsterdam, and works in that district. Brother H. Beck is working on the Essequibo Coast. Brother R. Hyder works among the people of his own race, the East Indians. In different parts of the colony, five schools, with about one hundred thirty pupils, are being conducted with some of our West Indian brethren and sisters as teachers.
At the present time, British Guiana is suffering from a severe drought. For several months, but little rain has fallen. There has been but little cane harvested on account of the lack of water in the canals. If rain comes now, it will spoil most of the cane; this crop will be a very short one.
Although the land may be dry and thirsty and the people hungry, the Lord will continue to give the bread of heaven and the water of life to those who seek him. U. BENDER.
Kibroth-Hattaavah
By Arthur W. Spaulding
ARTHUR W. SPAULDING
I saw the sun go down in the west,
Red and shot with flame;
And, gripped by a passion I could not
name,
I cried to it, “Set! set, O sun!
And leave me the knowledge the day is
done;
For that the day is done is best.”
And a storm swept down, a sudden
gust,—
The rain blown, and the hail,—
And the trees bowed over before the gale,
And the flocks sought shelter before the
pelt.
“Blow, O tempest!” I cried; for I felt
That the vanishing sun and the passing
day,
The flames’ last stabs and the tempest’s
sway,
Were filling the graves of lust,—
Filling the graves in the wilderness,
When the fateful day was done:
The flesh unchewed that the clamors
won,
The prayers unuttered that were to
bless.
Prince of the blood and mixed of race,
They lie in the desert way.
They talked of the Land, but they lived
for the day,
And the day’s full meed was won at last:
The lusts forgotten, the murmurings
past,
They met death face to face.
A tumult of voices smites the ear:
To-day, as they shouted then,
So shout the frenzied and blinded men
That have dragged the reluctant foot in
vain,
When the heart is behind in Egypt’s
plain.
And not till the cries of the proud are
stilled,
And not till the graves of lust are filled,
Shall the land of promise near.
So to God in the guiding cloud I pray
(In your presence, brothers, who be not
blind):
By the omen of sun and of rushing wind,
Bring, Lord, the close of the day.
Hendersonville, N. C.
Two Baptized at Coudersport
DURING a recent visit from Elder B. F. Kneeland, two individuals were baptized, and added to the Coudersport (Pa.) church.
Gospel Workers’ Department
By A. G. Daniells
Their divine calling, qualification, and preparation. Methods of labor, plans, etc.
Conducted by A. G. DANIELLS
The Call to the Gospel Ministry
Some Valuable Quotations
“And no man taketh this honor unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.” Heb. 5:4.
“Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth laborers into his harvest.” Luke 10:2.
“God has repeatedly shown that persons should not be encouraged into the field without unmistakable evidence that he has called them. The Lord will not entrust the burden for his flock to unqualified individuals. Those whom God calls must be men of deep experience, tried and proved, men of sound judgment, men who will dare to reprove sin in the spirit of meekness, men who understand how to feed the flock. God knows the heart, and he knows whom to select.”—“Testimonies for the Church,” Vol. I, page 209.
“While Christ is the minister in the sanctuary above, he is also, through his delegates, the minister of his church on earth. He speaks to the people through chosen men, and carries forward his work through them, as when, in the days of his humiliation, he moved visibly upon the earth. Although centuries have passed, the lapse of time has not changed his parting promise to his disciples, ‘Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.’ From Christ’s ascension to the present day, men ordained of God, deriving their authority from him, have become teachers of the faith. Christ, the true Shepherd, superintends his work through the instrumentality of these under-shepherds. Thus the position of those who labor in word and doctrine becomes very important. In Christ’s stead they beseech the people to be reconciled to God.”—Id., Vol. IV, page 393.
“We must be called of God. A call to a ministry which is exercised in the name of God, can emanate only from him. . . . Whether external or internal, the call ought to be divine.”—“Finet, of the French Protestant Church, quoted in “The Ideal Ministry,” page 112.
“Why do we insist on this necessity of a divine call? Scripture is full of it. Old Testament prophets were all called of God, as we see from the stories of Samuel, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Amos, and others. The New Testament apostles were similarly called of God; the twelve, St. Paul (Gal. 1:1), and Timothy. Of the ministry we may say what is recorded of the Aaronic priesthood: ‘And no man taketh this honor unto himself, but he that is called of God.’ Heb. 5:4. The very nature of the case suggests the same thing. The minister is called an ‘ambassador.’ He is said to have ‘received’ his ministry, and to have it ‘committed to him.’”—“The Work of the Ministry,” by W. H. Griffith Thomas, D. D., page 112.
“Is there a special call to the gospel ministry? How is this call certified to the individual? Very much more depends upon the answer to these questions than may at first appear.”
“What is the call to the ministry? It is of God, immediate, internal, effectual.
“It is of God, not of man; divine, not human.
“It is immediate, not through a church or bishop.
“It is internal, the direct agency of the Holy Spirit on the heart; not external, as in providential circumstances.
“It is effectual. The called of God to the ministry get into the ministry.”—“The Ideal Ministry,” by Herrick Johnson, D. D., pages 103, 104.
“We have, then, established by Scripture these points: (a) That the call to sacred office, under the Old Testament dispensation, was God’s exclusive prerogative; (b) that Christ made it equally his exclusive prerogative while on earth; (c) that in every recorded case the call was immediate, personal, and effectual; (d) that the church is to pray that he will continue to call; (e) that having ascended on high, he answers this prayer and continues to give the church pastors and teachers; (f) the Scripture record, after Christ’s ascension, shows that the call is now by the Holy Spirit, but still immediate, personal, and effective. The mode of the divine call has changed. The fact of the divine call remains. The call is no longer audible, for this is the dispensation of the Spirit. God, the Spirit, does not speak to the outward ear. His call is inner and silent, to the ear of the soul, but as immediate, personal, and effectual as was Christ’s when on earth.”—Id., pages 107, 108.
Church Missionary Work
[The following program was prepared by F. H. Raley, missionary secretary of the Northern New England Conference.]
Suggestive Program for Fourth Sabbath Home Missionary Service
(Aug. 24, 1912)
OPENING SONG: “Christ in Song,” No. 589; old edition, No. 448.
DUET: “Christ in Song,” No. 478, new edition only.
READING: “God’s Great Purpose, and Our Privilege to Cooperate.”
READING: “Experiences, and Results of Earnest Cooperation.”
REPORTS COLLECTED.
RECENT EXPERIENCES.
SONG: “Christ in Song,” No. 189; old edition, No. 30.
God’s Great Purpose, and Our Privilege to Cooperate
“God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” In this inspired scripture, familiar to so many of us, we have the character of God presented as a tender, loving, compassionate Father. He beheld the fall of man, whom he had placed in the garden of Eden, and purposed to give his only Son to redeem man from the just sentence of death which he had incurred by disobedience.
In the book “Early Writings,” we read that it was a real struggle with the God of heaven whether to let guilty man perish or to give his only Son to die to redeem him. God could have blotted this world from existence, and all the sin and disobedience with it; but no, there would have been left forever a mar in the universe of his creation. A plan was inaugurated to sustain the law, save fallen man, and prove to the universe the justice and love of God in demanding obedience.
Christ, the only Son, was the willing substitute to die in our stead, and redeem us from the sentence of God’s unchangeable law. We have this testimony of his willingness to bear our transgressions: “But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men; and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” Phil. 2:7, 8.
Before Jesus paid the price of our salvation on the cross, he began his ministry to inform mankind of the great sacrifice that was to be made for them, and to give every one an opportunity to believe in his mission to redeem. Jesus said, “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.” In this work, Jesus has called man to be—
His Coworker
Jesus saw the fishermen casting their nets into the sea, and said unto them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Again he said to the disciples, “I am the vine, ye are the branches.” If Christ wishes his followers to become fishers for men, and to be as closely united to him as are the branches to the vine, then it is important that we become his instruments in diffusing the fruits of his Spirit and in searching for lost souls. From “Testimonies for the Church,” Vol. VIII, we read: “It is the privilege of every Christian not only to look for but to hasten the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Were all who profess his name bearing fruit to his glory, how quickly the whole world would be sown with the seed of the gospel!”
After Jesus had suffered that most cruel death and obtained the victory over it by coming forth from the grave on the third day, he ascended to the Father and was accepted. On meeting the disciples after that occasion, Jesus gave the following commission, which lasts as long as the world stands: “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” If there ever was a people commissioned to a great work, it is the Laodicean church of the present time. All power belongs to Christ in this earth, therefore he bids us go. The promise is ours to-day, to-morrow, and till the work is done. Friends, let each one of us answer this question in his own heart: Am I doing that which lies in my power, to witness for Christ?
“We are to be laborers together with the heavenly angels in presenting Jesus to the world. With almost impatient eagerness the angels wait for our co-operation, for man must communicate15with man. And when we give ourselves to Christ in whole-hearted devotion, angels rejoice that they may speak through our voices to reveal God’s love.”—“Great Controversy.”
Will you not reconsecrate your willing service to-day, that angels may speak through you to the saving of your friends and neighbors?
Training-Schools in Australasia
By J. E. FULTON
READERS of the REVIEW AND HERALD will be interested to learn that our training-schools of the Australasian field are well filled with young people, many of whom have a deep interest in the cause of God, and are preparing to become workers in the same.
Reports from the Darling Range School in Western Australia tell us the work is going forward nicely. Pastor W. J. Smith, formerly in charge of our New Zealand training-school, has taken up his duties in the west. We believe his long experience as a teacher in state schools, and his later experience in connection with our own schools, will be of great advantage to him in his work in Western Australia. We are glad that some excellent young people from the west are developing into workers in the cause of God.
The Pukekura Training-school in New Zealand is at present under the charge of Brother J. Mills. The school has a fair attendance, and Brother Mills writes encouragingly of the prospects. The New Zealand school is to undergo some changes. The farm has been sold, and it is expected that soon the school will be started in a more suitable place.
Pastor A. G. Stewart, in charge of our work in Fiji, and Brother George Marriott, in charge of our training-school at Buresala, Fiji, both write encouragingly of the conditions there. We have some excellent young natives in training for the field. Two of these, a young man and his wife, have gone to New Guinea, where they are laboring with Pastor S. W. Carr. A number of others are in different parts of Fiji preaching the third angel’s message. Others are in training, willing to go anywhere. This school, we believe, will prove a great blessing to the cause of God.
Our nurses’ training-school in connection with the Sydney Sanitarium, is filled with an excellent class of young people. This school has already turned out some workers who are doing faithful service in the field. There are others in training who we feel sure will be men and women to bear responsibilities for the Lord.
The Australasian Missionary College has a large number of young people in attendance this year. At a recent visit the writer gathered all the students who were to finish this year, or are to finish next year, and handing to each a slip of paper, asked him to write on it his age, the course he is working upon, what work he is inclined toward, and the field where he desires to labor. About forty young persons were thus questioned. The answers received were varied. Some desired to go to foreign fields, some to train for ministerial work in the home field, some to labor as Bible workers, and some, desired to work along business lines in connection with the cause. They were told that some might change their minds, or might be advised differently from what was written on their papers, yet it was thought a good plan to make the mind up to something definite, and work toward a definite end. As a primary training, all were advised to take up canvassing. There is quite a large class forming at present in the school, under Brother H. M. Blunden, one of the teachers, who formerly was state agent. These expect to canvass during the coming vacation.
We have a few young people from the islands in attendance at the school, and are planning to start some classes in the South Sea island languages, which will be helpful to those who at a future time may go out into the island field.
God has directed in the establishment of this school, and we have realized many times his signal blessing. We believe that from this place many more young men and women will go forth as heralds of the Lord’s soon coming.
J. E. FULTON.
Experiences, and Results of Earnest Cooperation
THERE is a feeling of joy peculiar to missionary work. Did you ever have that feeling, friends? I have; it was after I had been out with the Thanksgiving Special Signs for the first time. It is this sense of joy that prompts the book canvasser to drop a word for Jesus when opportunity offers. The occasional heart-to-heart talk with some soul longing for truth will drive discouragement entirely away. Yes, I have had that joy, too. It is not always the planned missionary visit that reaps the best reward; it is the right word at the right time.
A brother at Keene, N. H., was doing some paper-hanging. The woman of the house chanced to make some remarks about Seventh-day Adventists. The brother then asked her concerning Adventists and what they believed. The woman gave quite an intelligent answer, not knowing that she was speaking with one of that belief. (And by the way, in that city there is a small but active church, using considerable literature. We know not how the woman became so well informed.) Thus the brother learned that she believed much as do the Adventists, and by tactfully arranging for Bible studies on the message, won her to an acceptance of the truth. Her husband is convinced, and is desiring work where he can join his wife in this newly found faith.
An isolated sister living in northern Vermont writes that she is conducting a Sabbath-school for the children of the neighborhood. The attendance is quite regular, and some of the parents have asked concerning the subjects of which they hear the children speak. The seed is being sown, and who can tell what the harvest will be?
More than a year ago as I went to and from my work in Burlington, Vt., I often met a young man always smoking a cigarette. One morning I stopped him and handed him a little leaflet regarding the injuries of cigarette smoking, and gave my brief testimony against its use. He thanked me and passed on. A few mornings later he stopped me, and with a faltering voice said: “If you had only given me this helpful advice five years ago, I could then have changed. It’s too late now.” I felt sorry for him, but more remorseful for my own tardiness in lending a helping hand. Those words kept ringing in my ears, and I wondered if any one would have these same words to say to me regarding the gospel of Jesus Christ. Friends, if we would deliver ourselves and be free from the responsibility placed upon us of being “lights in a dark place,” we must be alert to catch the opportune time to speak a word or to hand out a tract that will be as a nail in a sure place.
Tracts bearing the message might be literally scattered as the leaves of autumn, if all our people would supply themselves with those appropriate to hand out from the desk, or from the pocket, or to be enclosed in the letter to a friend.
Does It Pay?
Surely Jesus has called us to help him bear his message to the world, and has given us assurance of a reward. When he was on earth with the disciples, he said that in his Father’s house were many mansions, and that he would prepare a place for us if he went away, and would come again to take us to our new home when the work on earth had been finished. Paul wrote to Timothy that it was a faithful saying, “For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: if we suffer, we shall also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us.”
It is not always necessary for us to wait until Jesus comes to reap some reward of our labors. Sometimes an earnest of our inheritance is given to encourage our faith. Last summer when a tent effort was begun in one of our large Eastern cities, nine persons were selected by one of the Bible workers as likely subjects in special prayer for their conversion. Seven of these persons selected for prayer accepted the truth during the tent effort. Prayer for the change of life in the remaining two was not lessened in the least by the consecrated worker, but rather became the more earnest. Early in the present year many were made to rejoice when one of these sought pardon from sin by the blood of Jesus, and was united with God’s people. “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” Solomon said, “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.”
My brethren and sisters, is it too great a task to have a part in winning precious souls to Christ? The great need of the church at the present time is a thorough consecration of every individual that he may be a living epistle “known and read of all men,” and that a personal house-to-house work may be accomplished throughout our ranks.
May our continual prayer be for God to sanctify our lives to the fulfilment of this high calling in Christ Jesus.
Christian Education
By H. R. Salisbury
Conducted by the Department of Education of the General Conference
H. R. Salisbury Secretary
Doing Business If the Lord Will
EARTHLY business may be done in celestial ways. James reveals the secret of this when he warns us to make all our business plans with the proviso, “If the Lord will.” To take God into partnership with us in all our business interests is the dictate of wisdom. Why should men hesitate to seek God’s favor and blessing in all their business affairs? — Christian Observer.
