TIMOTHY MISSION FUND

We acknowledge with thanks the gifts totalling $56.00 which were sent for our mission fund during the month of October. Our balance at the end of the month was $1 04.40. Donations to the Timothy Mission Fund should be sent to Miss Adriana Kievit, 1121 N. Westnedge Avenue, Kalamazoo, Michigan 49007.

This is the condition of many of the bridges in Nigeria. In the second picture Mr. van der Kooij is straightening the planks. No doubt the truck driver had a few anxious moments as he crossed this bridge. The bicycles in the rear of the truck belong to our mission workers. They were going to a wedding, but since the village could not be reached by car, it would be necessary to make part of the trip with bicycles.

EVENING PRAYER WITH THE PATIENTS

Every evening at 5 o’clock one of us gathers with the patients for evening prayers. This takes place outdoors between the huts of the sick. It requires considerable effort to get the patients together, as not everyone is willing to stop their cooking and to come to listen to the Bible. In the Netherlands we are accustomed to say, “It is time, boys and girls,” or “It is time, people”, and then everyone is soon in their place. Here it goes somewhat differently. It often takes considerable persuasion in order to get them all seated.

The next question is whether they will all listen. Occasionally the listening is better, especially when you explain something that they understand. In the first place, of course, this is a gift of God. He causes their hearts to attend to the words. At such moments when there is visible (and audible) attention, we are very thankful. Then there is a field, although not completely cleared of stones and thorns, but nevertheless a field which can receive the seed. So often it seems that there is no field, but only the hard, beaten paths where no seed can possibly enter the earth.

Last Wednesday evening there was an opportunity to scatter the seed — a precious moment when all eyes and ears are directed your way. Then we pray, “Lord, may Thy Word find entrance.” The subject was the healing of the woman having an issue of blood. Even the fact that this woman had this issue for twelve years drew their attention.

I explained how that before we come to the Lord Jesus, we try with all kinds of offerings to take away the cause of our sickness and troubles. We spend all our money (which actually happens here), and it does not help us. As long as we continue to believe in the power of the ju-ju’s, we will not seek out the Lord Jesus. Just as we do with our sicknesses, so we also do with the cause of our sicknesses, that is, we go first to all the medicine men, and when nothing seems to help and our money is gone, we go to the Bethesda clinic. In the same way we try with our offerings to take away the cause of our sickness (sin), and only when we realize that all these offerings do not help, do we begin to think about Jesus.

If we can only then finally come as did the woman having the issue of blood. Whatever our disease might be, there is help to be found in the Lord Jesus. A rich message for a guilty people.

They listened, and we prayed, “Lord, let also drops of that bountiful blessing of Pentecost, the conviction of hearts, fall upon us.”

We commend these people to you in your prayers.

Joh. Commelin

Nigeria

GIFTS RECEIVED FOR MISSIONS IN OCTOBER 1970

CLASSIS EAST SOURCE AMOUNT

Friend in Prospect Park Gift 10.00

CLASSIS MIDWEST

Friend in Kalamazoo Gift 5.00

Bradford Sunday School Collection 78.06

Bradford Ch. Collection

with Rev. Hegeman Collection 321.41

Bradford Pentecost Coll. Collection 66.14

Bradford Piggy Bank Gift 9.32

Bradford Mission Box 3580 Gift 20.00

Bradford N.N. Gift 10.00

Bradford for Nigeria Gift 20.00

Bradford N.N. Gift 5.00

Bradford extra gift Gift 38.92

Bradford-Unionville

with Rev. Kuijt Collection 374.86

Mission Night Bradford &

Unionville with

Rev. Kuijt Collection 202.01

Bradford Sunday School Collection 19.36

St. Catherines Mission Night Collection 335.70

Kalamazoo Mission Night

with Rev. Kuijt Collection 1000.00

St. Catherines Ch. Coll. Collection 1010.00

Friend in Ann Arbor Gift 50.00

Unionville Collection Collection 1192.28

CLASSIS WEST

Sioux Center Mission Night

with Rev. Kuijt Collection 405.50

Friend in Sheboygan Gift 25.00

Friend in Minnesota Gift 200.00

Sheboygan Ch. Coll Collection 251.00

Friend in Sheboygan Gift 10.00

CLASSIS EARWEST

Sunnyside Mission Night Collection 73.90

Linden Mission Night Collection 121.85

TOTAL: $5855.31

Dear Friends,

Again we may have the opportunity, through the goodness of the Lord, to give a nice listing of financial support for the mission work, for which in the name of the mission committee we want to thank you all very much. It is through these continuous gifts that the mission work can be carried on financially. May the Lord use it in the bringing of His word to our fellow man, to be blessed spiritually. May the Lord bless you and your gift. We also will include part of a letter of Rev. Kuijt written in the time that he was brought wonderfully to his mission post as you can read in his letter.

American General Mission Fund

Netherland Reformed Churches

of American and Canada

John Spaans, Treasurer

Plankinton Box 106 RRI

South Dakota 57368

We have arrived safely by the goodness of the Lord. In Djakarta I got the flu and our journey had to be postponed for a week. Also we stayed at the coast for one week to get our papers ready etc. Then we flew back to our station. About in the middle of the flight the plane started to smoke and you may know, I thought it would be eternity, including my wife and children and the pilot. The pilot tried to fly back to Sentani, however, managed to stop the smoke. Apparently some electrical wires went on fire. What is man and what can he do in such little M.A.F. Cessna planes? The Lord might prepare us all for that great eternity.

A good crowd was waiting for us and we found the Fahners and the nurses all in good health. The work is progressing, however there are also some disappointments. I have to find out yet how church discipline can be applied best.

This was just a short note to let you know, that we are well. Greetings from us all, to you all. Indeed, my wife and children were glad to have me back.

Yours in Him,

Rev. Kuijt

Generally speaking, those, that have the most grace and the greatest gifts, and are of the greatest usefulness, are the most humble, and think most meanly of themselves. So those boughs and branches of trees, which are most richly laden with fruit, bend downwards, and hang lowest.

THE PILGRIM FATHERS

(Continued from November)

Eight years rolled away. The exiles were respected, and their pastor was honored both by themselves and the Dutch citizens, yet they felt, after all, that they were strangers in a strange land. The customs of the people differed from their own. To many of them the language of the country was unintelligible. They had to struggle with poverty and endure hard toil. The fathers were getting old; the children were not all of the same heroic stamp with themselves. Every daughter was not a Ruth, nor every son a Cato. Some of the young people, though they desired liberty, could not bear much hardship. Others, who were of a brave and earnest spirit, and loving religious freedom beyond everything, bore the yoke till it bowed down their strength, and the vigor of nature was consumed in the bud. But what much more grieved the hearts of some who were parents was that they saw their offspring exposed to the corrupting influence of bad example. Many of the young people were not proof against temptation. They fell into courses of licentiousness. One became a soldier, another went to sea. Many a father mourned, many a mother wept; and good Mr. Robinson would strive to soothe them in his pastoral visitations and his public preaching.

But what was to be the future course of the exiles? This became daily a more and more pressing question. They thought of England — thought of its beautiful scenery, and peaceful homesteads, and busy cities, where, as boys and girls, they had lived in happiness, and which, after all their persecutions from an unjust Government, it was impossible they could ever cease to love. It was their native land, and they were bound to it by Nature’s spell, which no tyranny could break. Often, as they paced the flat banks of the Dutch canal, did they sigh for the hills and vales of their own more beautiful region —

‘For the shielding wood, and stream girt, Where Romance youth’s summer sped;

For the belfry by the gray kirk, In whose shadow slept their dead.’

Their mother tongue was dear to them. The name of England they revered; even the name of its intolerant King they pronounced with honor. They feared their posterity would forget that tongue, and neglect to cherish those names. Yet return to their much-loved England was impracticable; persecution frowned on them from its sands and cliffs, and they dared not to seek their home again upon its shores.

But there was another land far away over the broad Atlantic, of which they had heard, whose virgin soil was fruitful and whose air was free for all who wished to breathe it, and the thought struck them, that amidst those untenanted wilds of nature they might found a colony, and build up a church, and preserve their name, their language, and their faith, and advance Christ’s kingdom, and be as stepping-stones to others in performing a great work. And who can tell what dim and shadowy images of a grand destiny to be accomplished there might rise before the eyes and awaken strange emotion in the nobler spirits of that world-despised band of Independent Christians?

It was a great thought, the seed of a great empire, which was thrown out by the man, whoever he was, that first suggested to his companions the daring enterprise. I should like to know the spot on which it was expressed, and to have a picture of the countenances of the rest of the exiles in the moment of hearing it. Amidst the political and theological contentions of Holland, which filled Europe with their fame, the sayings and doings of that humble Congregation never caught the public ear; but there were impulses among them at work which were to strike most powerfully on the destinies of the world; and when the history of great souls shall be revealed in eternity, doubtless the words and deeds of these, and such as these, will be more prominent in the divine record than those displays of skillful statesmanship and physical valor on which the pens of historians now are wont to linger.

Some glimpses of the debates upon this project by these good men are afforded in Bradford’s Narrative. Persons among them there were who were startled at the proposal. ‘It is a great design,’ said they, ‘and subject to many inconceivable perils and dangers; besides the casualties of the seas, the length of the voyage is such as the weak bodies of men and women, and such other persons, worn out with age and travel, as many of us are, could never be able to endure; and if we should do so, the miseries we should be exposed to in that land will be too hard for us to bear; it is likely that some or all will effect our ruin. We shall be liable to famine, and nakedness, and want. The changing of the air, diet, and water, will infect us with sickness; and those who escape these evils will be in danger of the savages, who are cruel and barbarous.’ And the good men shuddered as these horrors darkened in their imagination; and then, turning to look at other matters, less terrific, yet not to be slighted, they urged, ‘It will require more money than we can furnish for such a voyage. Similar schemes have failed (alluding, perhaps, to the plantation project at Sagadahoe in 1607), and our experience in removing to Holland teaches us how hard it is to live in a strange country, though it be a civil and rich commonwealth.’

So they pleaded; and the hearts of the weaker died within them. But others in that chamber of council rose and said, ‘All great and honorable actions are accompanied with great difficulties, and must be met and overcome with answerable courage. It is granted that the dangers are great, but they are not desperate; the difficulties are many, but not invincible; though many of them are likely, none of them are certain. Some of the things feared may never befall us; others, by care and providence, and the use of means, may be, in a measure, prevented, and all, through the help of God, by fortitude and patience, may be overcome. True it is that such attempts are not to be undertaken but upon good grounds; not lightly, as many have done, for curiosity or gain; but our ends are not common, but good and honorable; our calling lawful and urgent; and therefore we may expect the blessing of God on our proceedings. Yea, and though we should lose our lives in this action, we may have comfort in it, for the endeavor will be honorable. We have lived here but as men in exile, and in a poor condition, and as great miseries may befall us here as there, for the twelve years’ truce is now expired, and there is nothing but beating of drums and preparing for war. The Spaniard may prove as cruel as the savage of America, and the famine and the pestilence be as sore here as yonder, with less liberty to look out for remedy.’ That was a noblehearted strain of speech, and showed that they who uttered it were under the influence of another order of feeling altogether than that which swayed their timid brethren.

Among other curious papers by the distinguished philosopher Wollaston, he wrote one ‘on sounds inaudible to certain ears.’ ‘Some persons’, he observed, ‘are free from deafness, yet are insensible to shrill notes — to the cricket’s chirp and the swallow’s twitter’; and he proceeds to suggest it as possible that insects may emit and listen to sounds which men never hear, while they are deaf to the graver tones of the human voice. The moral world seems a curious counterpart of the physical. There are shrill notes of fear which rouse the emotions of one class of mirtds, to which others are insensible; and there are trumpet tones of courage which thrill through some souls while the rest remain deaf to their inspiring appeal. So it was on this occasion. The weaker brethren heard only the shrill suggestions of their own fears; the heroic ones were deaf to all but those grave, deep inspirations, full of daring but calm decision, which came over them like voices from eternity. Yet the resemblance of the moral to the physical phenomena in this present case, as it regarded some, lasted only for a while, for the nobler-minded at length created a sympathy with themselves in the breast of others who had at first shrunk back. None, however, trusted to the force of argument and human persuasion. They looked to a higher Power. By prayer and fasting they sought the Spirit’s teaching, and no doubt earnest were the wrestlings of those devout men with the Angel of the Covenant that they might know His will. After much reflection and earnest supplications for guidance, the majority decided upon the great enterprise.

(To Be Continued)

WHERE IS ‘PEACE’?

Peace is one of the most desired, most elusive, and most misunderstood of all things. Those who call for peace may be thinking of and longing for different and unrelated conditions.

The difference in the kinds of peace one may enjoy is illustrated by the fact that one may live in peaceful surroundings while experiencing utter turmoil within, or he may find himself in the midst of the destruction and bloodshed of war but enjoy unspeakable peace in his heart.

Isaiah laid his finger on the source of real peace when he wrote; “Thou dost keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusts in thee” (Isa. 26:3, RSV). Our Lord also states the source of this peace: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (John 14:27).

The unbelieving world can neither receive nor understand this peace, because it is a work of the Holy Spirit that proceeds from a saving faith in the Son of God. Peace therefore is indivisibly linked with the redemptive work of Christ and can never be experienced apart from that work. While the world looks for “peace,” God’s redeemed have true peace, unaffected by outward circumstances.

Actually the “peace” for which the unregenerate world longs is a time of suspended hostilities during which it may serve the devil without inconvenience or interruptions.

Politicians have spoken often of “ a just and durable peace,” so much so that this illusory carrot is dangled before an unsuspecting and gullible public that fails to realize that peace is a state of existence conferred by God on his terms and consistent with his conditions, and in no other way.

The Apostle James tells us: “What causes wars, and what causes fightings among you? Is it not your passions that are at war in your members? . . . You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions” (4:1,3).

The peace that counts is rooted in and proceeds from the Lord Jesus Christ and is wholly beyond the comprehension of those who are not Christians. Our Lord makes the difference clear: “I have said this to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

An enigma to the world? Of course. Foolishness to the unregenerate? Certainly. The peace about which our Lord speaks is beyond the understanding of all but his own.

This peace is the result of unconditional surrender — surrender to him who is the Prince of Peace, to the One who demands all that he in turn may give all, to the One who alone has the power to confer peace.

This peace is one which knows that God never makes a mistake, that for the Christian, truly in everything God works for good. Such a peace stems not from fatalism but from unquestioning faith in the One in whom “all things were created in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or authorities — all things were created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Col. 1:16,17).

Given a complete faith in and obedience to such an one, who should not have peace? Ignorance of Jesus Christ or indifference to him brings about insecurity, the very opposite of peace. Trust and obey him and there is given the peace that passeth understanding — and, as someone has rightly said, “the peace that passeth misunderstanding. “

The Psalmist knew the source of such peace: “Let me hear what God the Lord will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his saints, to those who turn to him in their hearts” (Ps. 85:8).

The indivisible link between the imputed righteousness of Christ and his peace is indicated in these words: “Surely his salvation is at hand for those who fear him, that glory may dwell in our land. Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; righteousness and peace will kiss each other” (Ps. 85:9, 10).

Isaiah takes up the same theme: “And the effect of righteousness will be peace, and the result of righteousness quietness and trust for ever” (32:17).

This peace comes from a relationship with God from which flows an inner sense of his reality, his nearness and his ability to provide the wisdom and strength needed for any contingency of life. In Psalm 119:165 we read: “Great peace have those who love thy law; nothing can make them stumble.” It is the Prince of Peace with whom we have to do and who in his love and mercy confers peace on his own.

At the same time, there is no promise of peace for those who reject God. One has but to read any newspaper any day to see the turmoil and strife that exist in the world. Some have attempted to blur or eliminate the distinction between the “redeemed” and the “unredeemed”; but the Bible makes the distinction clear, and it was to establish this that Christ came. “There is no peace, says my God, for the wicked.” This truth proclaimed by Isaiah 57:21 screams out in the headlines of every newspaper in the world.

But what about the innocent victims of those who disturb the peace of the world? That is the very point. Those who have committed their way to the Christ of Calvary have inner peace, the peace that lasts for eternity, now, regardless of outward circumstances.

One of the tragedies of each generation is those who preach peace when there is no peace. Both Jeremiah and Ezekiel denounced the false prophets who said all was well when the sword of God’s holy judgment was poised to strike. We too hear panaceas preached and a false optimism expressed that ignore the holiness of God while emphasizing his love. Such false teaching ignores both the reason for and the implications of the Cross. The “love” of John 3:16 is extolled, while the “should not perish” is ignored.

That there is a profound paradox in the person and work of Christ must be recognized. He said: “Do not think that I have come to bring peace on earth; 1 have not come to bring peace, but a sword” (Matt. 10:34). obviously indicating the division made by faith in him or rejection of him now and forever. But the divine legacy of inward peace is given to all who believe.

Peace is not an end in itself and never should be considered one. Rather, it is a sure corollary of a right relationship with God and can be found in no other way.

Look to man and find confusion. Look to God and find in him all the answers for the restless soul. The answer is found in the invitation, “Come unto me.” Surrender to him takes away the burden and replaces it with rest — the peace of God that is ours now and for all eternity.

L. Nelson Bell

BOOK REVIEW

Thoughts on Religious Experience, Archibald Alexander. Published by The Banner of Truth Trust, 1967, 338pp.

This is a very interesting and informative study of the nature of religious experience. According to the author, true religious experience is “the impression of divine truth on the mind, by the energy of the Holy Spirit.” This is a difficult area because the Holy Spirit employs such a wide variety of means in regeneration and sanctification. Furthermore, there is so much diversity in individual character and so many degrees of piety. Yet this difficulty does not mean that we should avoid such a subject, for it is our duty to examine ourselves. There are very few books written on this subject and we heartily recommend this one to you. Its author served twenty years as a pastor and then spent forty years as a professor at Princeton Theological Seminary, beginning as sole instructor in 1812.

Alexander covers many areas in this volume. Commencing with the nature of early childhood impressions, he proceeds to discuss convictions in general. He distinguishes between common and special operations of the Spirit. He presents many evidences of a new birth and relates how diverse the experiences of Christians can be. He than delves into the effect of a person’s character upon his experiences and gives encouragement to those in despondency. He relates the history of several eminent children of God such as Thomas Halyburton and Sir Richard Hill.

The next general areas of concern are those of sanctification and spiritual warfare. Here he discusses the depths of sin into which one can fall and the wide variety of temptations that plague the child of God. He warns young converts of dangerous self-dependence and yet is most encouraging as follows: “Young converts are prone to depend too much on joyful frames, and love high excitement in their devotional exercises; but their heavenly Father cures them of this folly by leaving them for a season to walk in darkness and to struggle with their own corruptions. When most sorely pressed and discouraged, however, He strengthens them with might in the inner man . . . They learn to be in the fear of the Lord all the day long, and to distrust entirely their own wisdom and strength, and to rely for all needed aid on the grace of Jesus Christ.”

He takes a few chapters to relate the death-bed exercises of several children of God such as John Janeway, Richard Baxter, and Thomas Scott. The book closes with several pastoral letters to the aged, the young, widows and widowers, and Christian mothers. His “Counsel to Christian Mothers” was published recently in this paper.

His style is simple, direct, and easy to follow as can be seen in the above portion. This work surely deserves the attention of every reader.

This book can be purchased at:

Puritan Publications — S4.50

Box 652

Carlisle, Pennsylvania 17013

THE PRAYER OF A MINOR PROPHET

The covenant and prayer of a preacher

This is the prayer of a man called to be a witness to the nations. This is what he said to his Lord on the day of his ordination. After the elders and ministers had prayed and laid their hands on him he withdrew to meet his Saviour in the secret place and in the silence, farther in than his well-meaning brethren could take him.

And he said, O Lord, 1 have heard Thy voice and was afraid. Thou hast called me to an awesome task in a grave and perilous hour. Thou art about to shake all nations and the earth and also heaven, that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. O Lord, our Lord. Thou hast stooped to honor me to be Thy servant. No man taketh this honor upon himself save he that is called of God as was Aaron. Thou hast ordained me Thy messenger to them that are stubborn of heart and hard of hearing. They have rejected Thee, the Master, and it is not be be expected that they will receive me, the servant.

My God, I shall not waste time deploring my weakness nor my unfittedness for the work. The responsibility is not mine, but Thine. Thou hast said. ‘1 knew thee — I ordained thee — I sanctified thee’ and Thou hast also said. “Thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.’ Who am 1 to argue with Thee or to call into question Thy sovereign choice? The deci¬sion is not mine, but Thine. So be it, Lord. Thy will, not mine, be done.

Well do I know, Thou God of the prophets and the apostles, that as long as I honor Thee Thou wilt honor me. Help me therefore to take this solemn vow to honor Thee in all my future life and labors, whether by gain or by loss, by life or by death, and then to keep that vow unbroken while I live.

It is time, O God, for Thee to work, for the enemy has entered into Thy pastures and the sheep are torn and scattered. And false shepherds abound who deny the danger and laugh at the perils which surround Thy flock. The sheep are deceived by these hirelings and follow them with touching loyalty while the wolf closes in to kill and destroy. I beseech Thee, give me sharp eyes to detect the presence of the enemy; give me understanding to distinguish the false friend from the true. Give me vision to see and courage to report what I see faithfully. Make my voice so like Thine own that even the sick sheep will recognize it and follow Thee.

Lord Jesus, I come to Thee for spiritual preparation. Lay Thy Hand upon me. Anoint me with the oil of the New Testament prophet. Forbid that 1 should become a religious scribe and thus lose my prophetic calling. Save me from the curse that lies dark across the face of the modern clergy, the curse of compromise, of imitation, of professionalism. Save me from the error of judging a church by its size, its popularity or the amount of its yearly offering. Help me to remember that I am a prophet; not a promoter, not a religious manager — but a prophet. Let me never become a slave to crowds. Heal my soul of carnal ambitions and deliver me from the itch for publicity. Save me from bondage to things. Let me not waste my days puttering around the house. Lay Thy terror upon me, O God, and drive me to the place of prayer where I may wrestle with principalities and powers and the rulers of the darkness of this world. Deliver me from overeating and late sleeping. Teach me self-discipline that I may be a good soldier of Jesus Christ. I accept hard work and small rewards in this life. I ask for no easy place. I shall try to be blind to the little ways that could make my life easier. If others seek the smoother path I shall try to take the hard way without judging them too harshly. I shall expect opposition and try to take it quietly when it comes. Or if, as sometimes it falleth out to Thy servants. I should have grateful gifts pressed upon me by Thy kindly people, stand by me than and save me from the blight that often follows. Teach me to use whatever I receive in such manner that it will not injure my soul nor diminish my spiritual power. And if, in Thy permissive providence honor should come to me from Thy church, let me not forget in that hour that I am unworthy of the least of Thy mercies, and that if men knew me as intimately as I know myself they would withhold their honors or bestow them upon others more worthy to receive them.

And now. O Lord of heaven and earth, I consecrate my remaining days to Thee; let them be many or few, as Thou wilt. Let me stand before the great or minister to the poor and lowly; that choice is not mine, and I would not influence it if I could. I am Thy servant to do Thy will, and that will is sweeter to me than position or riches or fame and I choose it above all things on earth or in heaven.

Though I am chosen of Thee and honored by a high and holy calling, let me never forget that I am but a man of dust and ashes, a man with all the natural faults and passions that plague the race of men. I pray Thee, therefore, my Lord and Redeemer, save mc from myself and from all the injuries 1 may do myself while trying to be a blessing to others. Fill me with Thy power by the Holy Spirit, and I will go in Thy strength and tell of Thy righteousness, even Thine only. I will spread abroad the message of redeeming love while my normal powers endure.

Then, dear Lord, when I am old and weary and too tired to go on, have a place ready for me above, and make me to be numbered with Thy saints in glory everlasting. Amen.

A.W. Tozer

EVIDENCES OFTHE FLOOD

(Continued)

Continuing from last month, and here the word “all” is important, we read in Gen. 7:11 and 1 2,” . . . the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened, and the rain was on the earth forty days and forty nights”. This means that the sea-bed in very many places all round the earth became greatly disturbed by volcanic action throwing out such stupendous amounts of water (and probably lava, since the fountains are not called specifically water fountains) that the seas overflowed the land and added their waters in vast quantities to the downpour from the skies for 40 days. And since the seas are 7/10 of the earth’s surface and the land only 3/10, while the average depth of the sea is 13,000 feet, and the average height of the land above sea level only 2,500 feet, it is evident what a tremendous effect the filling of the seas, and the raising of the sea-bed from volcanic action would have. Vast quantities of water would be thrust about, carrying huge amounts of silt of various kinds across the flooded world. These would be deposited in various orders, with the species they happened to be carrying, in almost all parts of the earth. This is exactly what we do find. Some people say that a tidal wave travelling across the surface of the oceans would have capsized the Ark. This again is not true. In recent times, at Krakatoa, 1883, at Chile, 1960 and at Alaska since then, tidal waves have been thrown one-third of the way round the world at speeds of 450–500 miles an hour and yet they were only a few inches high on the open sea, but when they reached land they piled up to heights of 40 to 100 feet. Out at sea however they would not have capsized a rowing boat. The 100 foot wave from Krakatoa was only 9 inches high as it passed Aden.

One more tremendously outstanding fact is the following: Three quarters of the land of the earth is covered with sedimentary rock, and only a quarter is volcanic. Since this water-laid material, quite often loaded with fossils is found in all parts of the earth, and even near the mountain tops of almost all the big ranges it proves beyond dispute that the whole earth was flooded.

Coal-beds, too, can only be accounted for intelligently by reference to the flood. Recent coal geologists have agreed that the many seams of coal lying one above the other, with layers of earth between the seams can only be rationally explained in the following way: When tidal waves swept over the land, they would uproot trees and carry them with other materials until conditions arrested this, and they were deposited, with almost immediately a layer of earthy sediment to cover them. Several more waves would bring further layers of trees, and further deposits of thousands of tons of sliding sediment to bury them, thus giving the well-known “seams”. Now a remarkable occurrence in 1882 at Alt-Breisach near Freiburg was noticed by Petzoldt during the building of a bridge. When huge blocks of stone were slid into position over wooden beams, the wood became blackened in a very short time, at the centre of the beams resembling anthracite, and nearer the surface resembling house coal. The change was brought about by friction and pressure. This is exactly what thousands of tons of sliding rock-material during the flood would do to the tree-trunks underneath. Furthermore, when a solitary tree trunk also turned to coal is found standing up through several seams of coal, it is only logical to conclude that it became lodged in that position and remained there while the other seams were deposited round it in a matter of hours or days. There appears to be no other feasible explanation.

Thus, once more, the evidence when carefully examined fits in perfectly with the account of the flood, in Genesis.

Our former account contained a number of references to fossils of animals. It did not however contain any reference to human fossils, but since large numbers of these have been found as well, it is necessary to mention them. The following facts are tremendously important. Nearly all the books we meet are strangely silent about the large numbers of fossils of human beings which have been found and which resemble “modern man”, showing that men of “fossil ages” were exactly as they are today. Many of the books however contain chapter after chapter of stories of supposed ancestors of man, but fail to mention that no ape-man has ever been found. They show drawings of supposed ape-men, generally with a bent posture, receding forehead, receding chin, but protruding upper jaw, with also a very small brain-box or cranium. No such creature has ever been found. Whole strings of such drawings are shown on charts, or in many library and school text-books, pretending to show that ape-men gradually changed to human beings. This is not true. The fossils which have been found and named ape-men fossils are tiny fragments of bone, often too small for anyone to be sure whether they belonged to a man or some sort of animal. A fossil knee-cap of an elephant was claimed for some years to be part of the skull of an ape-man. A single tooth of an extinct peccary ( a kind of pig) was imagined to be neither truly human, nor truly apelike, but was said to be half-human, half-apelike, so was imagined to have belonged to an ape-man who was called Hesperopithecus, and drawn in books and newspapers as a missing link. The fact that the remainder of the skeleton of the peccary was later found, was kept very quiet.

The Piltdown skull which for forty years was considered by many as the most important discovery ever made, was proved not long ago to be a fraud. Most of the skull anyway was made of plaster of Paris, with a small bit of human cranium a few inches long on top , and the jaw of a chimpanzee attached below. The teeth had been filed off to the lengths of human teeth but incorrectly shaped, and the jaw had been stained with Potassium Dichromate to make it look as old as the bit of cranium. This so-called ape-man was said in 1912 to be 50(1,000 years old, but the scientist who analysed it, said the scrap of cranium was from a woman of only 500 years ago, and the jaw was from a recent chimpanzee. This shows at a glance the utter falseness and worthlessness of so-called “dating” of fossils.

The Java “ape-man” was for thirty years thought to be also extremely important, as it consisted of a human thighbone, and a bit of apelike cranium. However, its discoverer admitted after 30 years, that he had found true human skulls with the human thigh bone. The skull which had been used was not found near the thigh bone and is regarded as being from a large gibbon. Other “ape-men” have been imagined from a horse’s tooth, the bone of a bear’s hind leg, and the skeleton of a pet monkey.

There have been found however very many remains of true human beings, similar to us today. Some of these have been very incorrectly drawn, making them look rather apelike. This has been grossly done about Neanderthal man, a European race closely resembling many people today and recognized as truly human. Very few books mention Cro-Magnon man found in considerable numbers in Europe, but possessing a large, fine stature, with an equally fine head with a splendid cranium, far better than most people’s today. In various places the deeper deposits have yielded splendid skeletons of gigantic human beings, far larger than the Cro-Magnon man. Truly “There were giants in the earth in those days”. Gen. 6:4. was similar to the Neanderthal and used huge lime burning. Some of the fires have left ashes 100 30 yards wide and 7 yards high. Calaveras and skeletons were just like ours, and have been in large numbers. Thus modern types of man have been found in earlier or deeper deposits than the scraps of bone which have been falsely called ape-men, and so these modern-type men could not have descended from the “ape-men” which were supposed to have been their ancestors.

Scarcely anyone has heard of footprints made by a man wearing sandals, in trilobite beds in the Cambrian rock in Utah, U.S.A. discovered in 1968. These footprints had trilo-bites (extinct tiny crab-like creatures) actually inside them, strongly suggesting that the human being trod on the trilobites while the rock was still soft. This makes the Cambrian rock as recent as the other rocks.

All this of course is absolutely opposite to Evolutionist teaching, and undermines all the arguments about fossils in such teaching.

It is encouraging to find that some of the newer school books on biology make scarcely any reference at all to Evolution which was very widely accepted as recently as only ten years ago. Many new books refute it, very clearly.

(To be continued)

‘Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace’ (Ephesians 4:3).

Spiritual unity is not man-made, but God-given; it must be maintained. Its foundation is truth. Consequently, its maintenance demands constant subjection to Scripture.

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