A PERIODICAL FOR YOUNG AND OLD

THE PEACE SYMBOL

Hello, Boys and Girls.

I want to ask you a question. “Do you recognize this symbol?”

“And do you know what it means?”

“Certainly,” I hear many of you say, “that is the peace symbol.”

Is that right? Are you sure? It is true, you may find it in many places — as a brooch, on a chain about the neck, on the cover of programs, etc. Many young people wear it life-size on their coat or jacket. But is it really a peacesymbol?

There lived in England a man — his name was Bertrand Russell — who was strongly opposed to every thing connected with the Bible and religion. He would have liked to destroy God’s Word and make it impossible for anyone to ever read it again.

One day he was asked by “leftist” youth organizations (Communist inclined) if he would not be able to design a symbol for them, so that they could be identified and everyone would know at once — they belong to the leftist youth movement. Thus they asked an identity symbol. Bertrand Russell did not have to consider long; he chose this “peace symbol”, an anti-christian symbol.

But how do we know that this symbol is nota peace symbol. And why do we call it anti-christian?

In the Middle Ages this symbol was known as the “Crow’s Foot” or the “Witch’s Foot”. Do you know what it was also called? “The mark of Satan!” John Knox, the well-known reformer of the 16th centruy, once made a sketch of the devil. He gave him the form of a bat. And if you look carefully at the eyes of this devil, you will see that they are two “peace symbols”. (The wood carving of this devil can be seen yet today in Bayonne, France.) John Knox said, “This is the mark of the Beast”. (Read Revelations 13:17.)

Did this symbol originate in the Middle Ages, or was it known before that time? More than 100 years ago — in 1866 — some archeologists in Italy uncovered a mosaic floor, which dated back to the time of the famous ruler Nero (54–68). Very clearly in the floor could be seen this “peace symbol.” Historians were not surprised at this, as an Italian writer Guazzo had written in 1602 about this symbol as the witch’s foot and as the … “Nero Cross.”

All of you know that the time of Nero was known as a time of persecution of Christians. Jews and Christians were the same to him; he persecuted both of them. Many in those terrible times thought that Nero was “the Beast” mentioned in the Book of Revelations.

The apostle Peter was crucified by Nero. An old church father, Nestorius, (about the year 420) tells that the apostle was killed on June 29 in the year 67. But he also said, “Peter did not want to die in the same way as his Master. And therefore men nailed him to an inverted cross — thus with his head downward.”

Do you know what this so-called Nero Cross was also called? “The sign of the broken Christian” or “of the borken Jew”. In the year 70 — three years after the death of Peter — the Roman army destroyed Jerusalem. What do you think was the emblem in their banner which they carried? The Nero Cross.

You must not be startled by the dates which you see below. Study them well. Notice especially that where the hatred against Jews and Christians came to the foreground, you also meet with this symbol.

711 — The Saracens invade Spain. On their sheilds was “the Nero Cross.” 1099 — The Crusaders travelled from Europe to the Holy Lands. They were opposed by the Truks (Mohammedans) fighting under this same symbol. 15th century — During the Spanish Inquisition the Jews were branded with this cross. 1917 — The Russian Revolution. This symbol was painted on the doors of the churches which had been closed. 1936–1939 — The Spanish Civil War. The Jews were again branded with this symbol. 1973 - The communistic Palestinian Liberation Front wore armbands with this emblem on them. They are but brief pieces of history. But do you see the great danger of this symbol, this so-called “peace symbol”? Do you understand that this symbol of Satan should be shunned as a deadly evil, that you must not, or rather, that you may not wear it, or have it pasted on your books or possessions. It is the symbol of the anti-Christ!

What do you think? Could this symbol bring peace, that peace of which the angels sang in the fields of Ephratah? No, it would certainly bring a peace outside of God, a peace with which you would go lost.

Oh, if you really wish for peace, do not wear this symbol. It is a horrible mockery of the cross of Christ, of Him Who alone can give peace, a peace which passes all understanding.

J.W.v.d.Berg

(translated from “Daniel”)

BIBLE QUIZ

Dear Boys and Girls,

Last month we used the words “We will serve the Lord” as they key words for our Bible quiz. Perhaps there was a question, and rightly so, in your minds, “How can we serve the Lord in the right way — we, who are born in sin and inclined to all evil?” We must turn to God’s Word for our instruction, as we sing in the psalter:

“How shall the young direct their way?

What light shall be their perfect guide?

Thy Word, O Lord, will safely lead,

If in its wisdom they confide.”

Of ourselves we are missing everything needed to serve God in the right way, but we must expect and seek our help of the Lord, just as an old father of Bible times told his son as they travelled up a mountain. It is some of his words that will spell out the first letters of our answers this month. Here is the quiz — After Ruth came to Bethlehem with

Naomi, she__________________ after the reapers in the field of Boaz.

What was the name of the son born unto Boaz and Ruth?

The son of Boaz and Ruth was the father of Jesse, who was the father of ____________________.

The Lord Jesus said to the Pharisees, “They that be________________ need not a physician, but they that are sick.”

When the Lord Jesus was born, there was no room for them in the __________________.

The Lord Jesus said to Zacchaeus, “The Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was ___________________.”

Isaac said to his father, “But where is the ________________ for a burnt offering?

Zacchaeus was the chief among the __________________.

Abraham saw a _______________ caught in a thicket by his horns.

At the grave of Lazarus, some said, “Could not this man, which _______________the eyes of the

blind, have caused that even this man should not have died?”

When Hannah prayed in the temple for a son, she vowed a _____________, regarding her son if the Lord would give her one.

In Hannah’s thanksgiving song she exclaimed, “The Lord raiseth the poor out of the dust, … to make them___________________ the throne of glory.”

Jesus told the disciples of John the Baptist, “Go, and tell John how that the blind see, the deaf hear, the________________ are raised.”

When soon to depart from His disciples, Jesus said to them, “All power is given unto Me in heaven and ________________.”

The father of a child brought to the Lord Jesus cried out, “Lord, I believe; __________________Thou mine unbelief.”

Paul wrote to Timothy, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, … for _________________________i n

righteousness.”

At the burning bush the Lord said to _______________, “I have surely seen the affliction of My people which are in Egypt.”

The Lord sent Samuel to Jesse the Bethlehemite, saying, “I have provided Me a king among his ____________.”

The Lord Jesus said, “I am the door; by Me if any man ________________ in, he shall be saved.”

In Psalm 71 David exclaimed, “O God, who is_________________unto Thee?”

In Isaiah 40 we read, “He shall feed His________________like a shepherd.”

(Send your answers to me, Garret J. Moerdyk at 1104 Roseland Avenue, Kalamazoo, Michigan 49001.)

The answers to the February quiz are as follows:

“We Will Serve The Lord” Joshua 24:1

Whom Joshua 24:15

Evil Romans 7:19

Wretched Romans 7:24

Image Daniel 3:16–18

Lamp Psalm 119:105

Lions Daniel 6:1–16

Servant I Samuel 3:1–10

Esther Esther 4:13–14

Rejected I Samuel 8:4–7

Voice Joshua 24:24

Envy Proverbs 23:17

Thy Ruth 1:6

House Joshua 24:15

Earth Matthew 6:19

Lord I Kings 18:21

Opinions I Kings 18:21

Righteousness Matthew 6:33

Do Acts 9:1–6

Answers to the Bible quiz have been received from the following boys and girls —

Marilyn Van Ravenswaay

JoAnn Van Ravenswaay

Esther Van Ravenswaay

Mary Van Tilburg

Leah Van Tilburg

Ella Kieboom

Arline Kieboom

Mary Vander Male

Lilly Ann Vander Male

Marilyn De Maagd

Mary Van Oostenbrugge

Karl Van Oostenbrugge

Richard Van Ess

Susan Van Ess

Jim Rosendall

Laura Rosendall

Kathy Van Bemden

Carol Van Bemden

Joan Lugthart

Val Lugthart

Lynn Kamp

Cheryl Kalee

Debbie Kalee

Karel Kalee

George Van Strien

Henry Kamp

Betty Kamp

Linda Kamp

Mary Kamp

Robbie Van Veldhuizen

Gary Van Veldhuizen

Trudy Van Veldhuizen

Ruth Etelman

David Etelman

Elizabeth Sisco

Lorrain Sisco

Nancy Sisco

Janice Stapel

John Stapel

Julie Frens

Mary Frens

Sharon Frens

Leonard Frens

Paul Greendyk

Alida Greendyk

David Greendyk

Billy Greendyk

Irene Van Heek

Mary Tina Veltman

Peter Feyter

Barbara Kamp

Richard Kamp

Jonathan Kamp

Robert Kamp

Bill Kroesbergen

Marinus Slingerland

William Slingerland

Linda Van De Vendel

Sharon Van De Vendel

John Blok

Gary Blok

Gary Van Giesssen

Randy Van Giessen

Tammy Kaat

Nellie Slingerland

Neil Slingerland

Jannie Slingerland

Joanne Slingerland

Norrine Bouma

John Goeman

Karen Goeman

David Goeman

Mike Fintelman

Mark Fintelman

Kathy Overeem

Corrie Overeem

Casey Overeem

Jenny Overeem

Joanne Overeem

Harlan Rozeboom

Richard Rozeboom

Shirley Slotsema

Larry Slotsema

Ruth Boerkoel

Neal Boerkoel

Bobby Boerkoel

Nancy Kwekel

David Kwekel

Dan Meeuwse

Mark Meeuwse

Carol Mol

Lisa Den Hartigh

Lana Den Hartigh

Gordon Boluyt

Steven Boluyt

Rhonda Van Voorst

John Verhey

Alane Van Ravenswaay

Joel Van Ravenswaay

Willem Den Boer

Margaret Den Boer

Bobby Greendyk

Alan Greendyk

Tunis Sweetman, Jr.

Jenny Lee Sweetman

Daniel John Sweetman

Judy Sweetman

Janet Sweetman

Harold Rus

Gloria Rus

Howard Rus

Edwin Rus

Virgil Rus

Harlan Rus

Nelly Koppert

Christine Koppert

Elizabeth Koppert

Jeanette Slingerland

Robert John Southway

Paul Van Wingerden

Ronald Van Wingerden

John Martin Vander Wiele

Jane Ellen Vander Wiele

Judy Lynn Vander Wiele

John Van Zweden

Janet Van Zweden

Mark Van Zweden

Joan Van Zweden

Ralph Van Zweden

Marilyn Kamp

Tom Kamp

Debbie Kamp

Kenneth Van Wingerden

Bill Van Wingerden

Arie Van Vugt

Jake Van Koeveringe

Carolyn Van Koeveringe

Amy Lou Kaat

Ruth Bouma

Albert Bouma

Marguerite Kroesbergen

Amy Mieras

Kathy Van Giessen

Donna Marie Hubers

Helen Hubers

Marcia D. Hubers

Harriet Hubers

Teresa Vander Meulen

Frances Vander Meulen

Joyce Vander Meulen

Harmen Vander Meulen

Sidney Vander Meulen

Cindy Hoogendoorn

Perry Hoogendoorn

Gene Hoogendoorn

Jonathan Van Beek

David Van Beek

Tammy Troff

Linda Vande Waerdt

Wayne Vande Waerdt

Becky Markus

Albert Van Grouw

Nicholas Bush

Adrian Bush

Hank Verhoef

Paul Verhoef

Jeanette Vandenberg

Paul Vandenberg

John Vandenberg

Henry Vandenberg

Janie den Hertog

Leah Moore

Anna Moore

Carl Moore

John Moore

Joe Moore

Ellen Kros

Ruth Ann Van Dalen

Jonathan Van Dalen

Jacob Van Dalen

Julie Van Gemert

Mark Vande Berg

Kaye Vande Berg

Francina Boesterd

Joylynn Mast

Jane Mast

Neil Mast

Mark Heystek

Abraham Korevaar

Andy Korevaar

Adrian Korevaar

John Korevaar

John Boluyt

William Grisnich

Peter Grisnich

Gerda Grisnich

Mariene Van Veldhuizen

Carla Van Grootheest (2)

Deana Erickson

Rita Erickson (2)

Roger Erickson

Cindy Erickson (2)

Debbie Erickson

La Rae Hoogendoorn

Elwyn Hoogendoorn

Gywen Hoogendoorn

Tammy Koedam

Todd Koedam

Brian Van Grouw

Sharon Jill Van Grouw

Gladys Van Bochove

Rhonda Van Bochove

Daniel Ymker

Karl Boonzaayer

Marie Boonzaayer

Sonja Boonzaayer

Effie Korevaar

Andrew Korevaar

Jacob Korevaar

Jane-Marie Korevaar

Wimp Korevaar

James Sweetman

Joann Van Beek

Anden Van Beek

Alma Van Beek

Kevin Verbeke

Bob Van Ree

Billy Van Wyk

Martin Van Wyk

Miriam Kuperus

Gerarda Grisnich

Arthur Denbok

Kent Schelling

Brenda Kay Schelling

Linda Schelling

Beth Schelling

Kathleen den Hoed

Maryjean den Hoed

Joleen den Hoed

Arthur den Hoed

Billy Blaak

Sue Blaak

Stephan Brink

Roy Brink

Gerda Vanden Brink

Delia Vanden Brink

Rhonda Grisnich

Wendy Grisnich

Cheryl Grisnich

Andy Van Stelle

Tim Van Stelle

Bill Droogers

Glenn Rozeboom

Melanie Van Brugge

Marie Rozeboom

And again it is time to reply to our letters received —

JAKE VAN KOEVERINGE — Your letter is first, Jake. It was real nice to hear from you. I can imagine you were happy to get a dog. We do not have one, but did have one once for a short time. His name was Rusty. We hope we will hear from you again. Say Hello to Carolyn.

RUTH ANN VAN DALEN — We must have failed to list your name, Ruth Ann. If you had your letter answered, you certainly answered the quiz. We hope it will not happen again. What time do you get up in the morning for your paper route?

AMY KAAT — How are you getting along in your knitting lessons, Amy? The Bible tells us about “hearts knit together”. What a nice word to show us how God’s people are united for one purpose — for His glory. I see in the paper yesterday that Wisconsin was having a blizzard, which made me think of Sheboygan.

MARY VELTMAN — We are all quite well, Mary. Since we are a month behind in listing the names, your letter wasn’t answered until the February issue. We always hope that everyone learns something from the Bible quiz, even mothers and fathers. How much better we should know God’s Word than what we do.

SUE BLAAK — Yes, Sue, when we look at and smell of flowers, then we must say, “What a wonderful handiwork of God”. From a small seed, how is it possible to have such a beautiful flower with such a pleasant scent. But how soon they often fade away, and the Bible compares this to our life.

MIRIAM KUPERUS — It was nice to hear from you again, Miriam. We’ve missed you. I don’t know whether the others who requested have all found pen-pals, but we’ll list your name and I’m sure you will hear from someone. (Miriam’s address is Box 1267, Coaldale, Alberta, Canada Tok olo. She is twelve years old.)

ARLINE KIEBOOM — Did you have a good report card, Arline? We hope you will be able to make good use of the suitcase which you received for your birthday. July seems like a long way off, but those months pass so quickly. Say Hello to your family.

JAMES SWEETMAN — We were happy to receive your answers for the first time, Jimmy, and also your letter. Yes, we know your sister in Kalamazoo. I have not asked her if she was home-sick, but I suppose you miss her at your house. Be sure to write again.

EFFIE KOREVAAR — How is your foot, Effie? How did the accident happen? There seem to be quite a few people making trips to Holland in the winter months now. In what part of Holland did you stay? Do you have many relatives there?

FRANCINA BOESTERD — Your family has been busy travelling of late, Francina. And after doing lots of travelling, we usually find that there is no place like home. It will soon be time to put away the ice skates and sleds, and think about gardens again.

ELLA KIEBOOM — We hope that you may have many more birthdays, Ella. But when we read the newspapers, we see that everyone does not grow to be seventy or eighty years old. All of our plans can so soon be changed. Are you getting along well in school?

JANIE DEN HERTOG — It doesn’t take long to melt a big pile of snow when it is raining, does it, Janie? We can expect rain at this time of the year, but it is not so nice when flooded basements come, too. How seldom do we think of it that it is the Lord Who giveth rain.

PETER FEYTER — There isn’t as much wide open space in Holland as there is in Alberta, Peter. Did you visit any nice farms there? At least you have a better idea what is being talked about when someone tells about Holland. I’m sure you would like a trip to Michigan, too.

JANET VAN ZWEDEN — Be sure to give our greetings to your grandparents, Janet. What a lot of changes have taken place since he began preaching. But I am sure that he, too, will tell you that God has not changed, and His Word is still the same today.

MARGARET DEN BOER — Another traveller. When we travel, we often learn to appreciate what we have at home, Margaret, at least for a little while. But we can always find some nice things about the places we visit. We also read in the Bible about storms on the sea. Do you know where?

GERDA GRISNICH — You mentioned that the Banner of Truth usually arrives late. I guess we can’t hurry the postal service, but don’t worry about sending in your answers in too late. We know it takes longer for the mail in the western part of the country. We hope, if possible, to have some books available again next month.

WIMP KOREVAAR — I’m glad you find the questions are not too difficult, Wimp. To make them not too difficult, but still requiring some effort, is always the problem. What class do you like best in school? Or do you like them all?

MARTIN VAN WYK — We are always glad to see our list of names grow, Martin. Not because it fills so much space in the paper, but then we know that more boys and girls are reading and studying God’s Word. How much we would value a gift or a letter from a king or president, and here we have God’s Word, given us by God Himself.

TODD KOEDAM — Welcome to the Bible quiz, Todd. If we didn’t receive some answers, we would soon give up, but if we look at the list, we have lots of reason to keep working at it. How far do you live from the Sioux Falls’ church?

And to all the boys and girls, thanks for your replies. We hope to meet you again next month, the Lord willing and we live.

With love,
Your friend,
“Uncle Garret”

THE OLD WOODEN-SHOE MAKER

Part II

About six months after the visit of the old man to Nantes, the same preacher was one day a little alarmed by a loud knocking at his door with a stick. To his astonishment, on going to the door, he found his old friend the shoemaker there. “Well,” said he, “and what brings you here again?”

“Oh, sir!” exclaimed the old man, as he came in, “I am all wrong, quite wrong! The Book says so — the Bible!”

“Indeed! and what does it say, then?”

“Well,” answered the old man, “It says I am all wrong. All my life, poor sinner that I am, I’ve been praying to the Virgin Mary, and now I see from this book, that she herself, the mother of God, had as much need of a Savior as I have.”

“What! you a good Catholic, talking like this,” said the preacher. “And what makes you think so?”

“Sir,” answered the man, “it is said in the book, that her spirit rejoiced in God her Savior — her Savior, you see, and so she must have had need of a Savior. The people tell me that you Protestants have a religion quite according to the Bible. Is it so?”

“It is true, my friend,” replied the pastor; “our religion is quite according to the Bible.”

“Well,” said the old man, with a peculiar light in his eye, “I should very much like to be one of you.”

“Stop, my good friend,” said the pastor, “that is not quite so quickly done. Before we receive any one into the Protestant Church we endeavour to prove him.”

“Prove him,” exclaimed the old man, “Sir, I am an old man, more than seventy years old, and know not how much longer I may live; therefore the sooner you can receive me the better.”

Struck with the earnestness of the old man, the pastor called a meeting of the elders of the Church, and invited him to appear before them. As he entered the room all eyes were turned upon his interested and venerable countenance. According to custom, the president put several questions to him, that they might be able to form a judgment of his knowledge of divine truth.

“What do you know of Jesus Christ, my friend?”

The answer was: “The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”

“Good,” said the president; “but what have you to say of the death of Christ?”

“The blood of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, cleanseth us from all sin.”

“And what are the privileges of those who are true followers of Jesus?”

“They have, therefore, now no condemnation who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit.”

“Good; quite right,” said the president; “but now, what is the duty of those who believe in Christ?”

“Ye are not your own, ye are bought with a price; glorify God therefore, with your body and with your spirit, which are God’s.”

The members of the assembly were deeply moved. “If those are your convictions,” said the president, “you have been, to all appearances, taught of God, and we cannot delay a moment in receiving you amongst us, and in bidding you welcome as a brother.”

Hereupon the old shoemaker was received as a member of the French reformed church, which was certified by a written document.

“Will you be so kind as to carefully wrap it up for me,” he said, when it was handed to him. The pastor complied, taking a sheet from among some waste paper, and with joyful feelings the old man set out upon his journey home. All printed paper he looked upon as something sacred, and when he was at home he asked some one to read to him what was on the paper in which his precious document was folded up.

A few months went by, and, for the third time, he presented himself before the Protestant preacher at Nantes.

“Well, my friend,” exclaimed he, “what, you here again?”

“Yes, sir,” said the old man, “I’m come on purpose.”

“On purpose, for what?” asked the pastor.

“To attend the annual assembly,” replied the other. “It says on this paper that today the assembly will be held.”

“Ah, my good friend,” said the minister, looking at the paper which was that in which he had wrapped up the certificate of membership, “you are quite right about the day and the month, but wrong about the year; for I am sorry to say no such assembly has been held for fourteen years; it has been prevented by the enemy of the people.”

A cloud passed over the old man’s face — shall he have made the long journey in vain? Must he then give up the blessed hope of spending a day of refreshment amongst brethren like-minded with himself? It pained the preacher to see how great was the old man’s disappointment, and a thought, like the light from heaven, passed through his mind. Perhaps the moment had arrived for reviving those annual assemblies! “Be consoled, my friend,” he exclaimed, “I will summon the meeting to-morrow, even should it be the last we venture to hold.”

He took measures immediately to announce the arrival of the old man, and to invite all the neighboring members of the church to a general assembly the following day. The news spread quickly; hundreds came in from all quarters and met together for the first time for so many years for exhortation and prayer. It was a blessed day, and it was decided that the meetings should be regularly held every year. The next year, and the next after that, the old shoemaker was among the first to arrive, and with childlike simplicity and special earnestness, he was always urging upon the members of the church to spread the Word of God as widely as possible, for the blessed book was the best and most powerful means of rescuing souls from error and superstition, and bringing them to a saving knowledge of Christ the Savior, and that all by the powerful operations of the Spirit and in sovereign grace. The zeal and love of this poor old man occasioned quite a revival of spiritual life in the whole community. All honor and glory to God!

(Submitted by Rev. J.V.Z.)

“I only do as the trade does”: But you ought to act differently, you profess to fear God. —Thomas Watson

ANSWERED PRAYER

An old negro, whose weather-beaten face indicated hard service, was pacing a well-beaten path in one of the suburbs of London, when a stranger pointing to the model sailing vessel he was carrying, inquired who had made it. “I did,” said Sambo somewhat gruffly. When the stranger praised its model and workmanship, the old man became gentle and hearty in explaining it to him, happy in the thought that his ability had been so unexpectedly appreciated and acknowledged. From the model Sambo was soon telling about its original, and by historical remembrance, identified himself with scenes of olden time, when as a British sailor he had performed his duties.

Changing the subject of the conversation and anxious to know more of the old man’s history, the stranger asked, “Can you read, Sambo?” “Yes, thank God,” was his reply. When asked, “Have you read the Bible?”, he emphatically answered, “That I have!” “And what good has the Bible done to you?” “Much good,” said Sambo. And then Sambo gave this history of himself:

My father and mother were slaves in one of the Bahama Islands when I was a boy. My father was a good man; he was a member of the Methodist Church there, and we all lived on the same estate. There was a large family Bible in the cottage, with pictures in it. My father would take me beside him in the evenings and show me the pictures and tell me all about them. One day he showed me a picture of Daniel in the den of lions that they might devour him, and how Daniel prayed to God. He then said, “Now, Sambo, if you have Christ as your hope and Savior, and Daniel’s God as your God, if you ever get into danger think of Daniel in the den of lions — pray as he prayed, and God will protect you.” Later he sent me to the Mission school where I was taught the big letters, and before I was ten years old, I could just read a little bit for myslef.

When a lad I obtained freedom, and hired on board a ship as an apprentice. My master belonged to London, and he was a very kind man. He traded mostly on the Spanish continent, and there I picked up the Spanish language. My place in this ship was the forecastle, and the men were very kind to me. When they found that I could read a little, they gave me things to copy, and I learned to write. I could then send letters to my father and tell him how I was getting along. In this ship I had a Bible which I read, and the men of the ship were not angry with me, though they sometimes thought me too religious. I did not make much of it, but just read the book because my father had told me that it would make me happy.

When my training was over, I stepped on board another English vessel. This captain was not a good man; he was rough and often swore. I was a good-looking black fellow, and so he did not let me stay among the sailors, but took me into his cabin to attend on himself. Here I was well treated, for though he was a bad man, he was very kind-hearted.

On this ship I had every comfort and enjoyment. We were sent into the Mediterranean, and I had the happiness to be always on good terms with my mess-mates and officers. One night, when on the watch, I was leaning on the rail when the ship heeled, and I fell into the sea. It was very dark, and I was not missed. Never shall I forget that awful moment. Taught to swim like a fish, I floated in the water, and, taking off my boots, coat and other heavy clothing, I watched the stern lights of our frigate disappearing in the distance. Now I was not afraid of being drowned, for I could float in the water for four-and twenty hours and had every chance of being picked up in that time. But I was afraid there might be sharks, for they will smell a man in the water miles away. What then was I to do?

I did what my father had bid me do should I ever be in danger. I thought on Daniel in the den of lions — I remembered how God had shut their mouths, and I prayed to God that He might shut the mouths of the sharks. He heard my prayer. The sharks played around me, but they did me no harm; and then, to my joy, I heard the sound of oars approaching. I had been missed when the watch was called, and this was a boat sent out in search of me. They soon took me in, and when I was again in my berth, all my shipmates wondered that I was not eaten by sharks. I told them that the God Who had preserved Daniel in the lions’ den had saved me.

Time rolled on, and I was at length discharged. Settling down in London, I began to make these little ships, and since then I have made and sold many of them. I am a member of Church and the Lord is my portion.

J.H. Wilson (Submitted)

MOTHER AT PRAYER

Once (says a popular writer) I suddenly opened the door of my mother’s room, and saw her on her knees beside her chair and heard her speak my name in prayer. I quickly and quietly withdrew, with a feeling of awe and reverence in my heart. Soon I went away from home to school, then to college, then into life’s sterner duties, but I never forgot that one glimpse of my mother at prayer, nor the one word, my own name, which I heard her utter. Well did I know that what I had seen that day was but a glimpse of what was going on every day in that sacred closet of prayer, and the consciousness strengthened me a thousand times in duty, in danger, and in struggle with the battles of daily life. When death came at last, and sealed those lips, the sorest sense of loss I felt was the knowledge that no more would my mother be praying for me. A.T. (Submitted)

READING GOD’S WORD

When the arrival of the cart which carried the first sacred load of the Scriptures to Wales in 1816, sent by the British and Foreign Bible Society, was announced, the Welsh peasants went out in crowds to meet it. Welcoming it as the Israelites did the ark of old, they drew it into the town, and eagerly bore off every copy as rapidly as they could be dispersed. The young people were to be seen spending the whole night in reading it. Labourers carried it with them to the field that they might enjoy it during the intervals of their labor, and lose no opportunity of becoming acquainted with its sacred truths. Let those consider this who despise or neglect the Bible; who have it, but seldom open it, or when they do, slumber over it as a record in which they have little or no interest, and soon lay it aside in weariness or disgust. (John Whitecross)

THE BEGGAR

Encouraged by Thy word
Of Promise to the poor,
Behold, a beggar, Lord,
Waits at Thy mercy’s door!
No hand, no heart, O Lord, but Thine
Can help or pity wants like mine.

The beggar’s usual plea,
Relief from men to gain,
If offered unto Thee,
I know Thou would disdain;
And pleas which move Thy gracious ear,
Are such as men would scorn to hear.

I have no right to say,
That though I now am poor,
Yet once there was a day
When I possessed more;
Thou knowest that from very birth,
I’ve been the poorest wretch on earth.

Nor can I dare profess,
As beggars often do,
Though great is my distress,
My wants have been but few;
If Thou should leave my soul to starve,
It would be what I well deserve.

It were folly to pretend
I never begged before;
Or if Thou now befriend,
I’ll trouble Thee no more;
Thou often has relieved my pain,
And often I must come again.

Though crumbs are much too good
For such a dog as I,
No less than children’s food
My soul can satisfy;
O do not frown and bid me go,
I must have all Thou can bestow.

Nor can I willing be
Thy bounty to conceal
From others, who like me,
Their wants and hunger feel;
I’ll tell them of Thy mercy’s store,
And try to send a thousand more.

Thy thoughts, Thou only wise!
Our thoughts and ways transcend,
Far as the arched skies
Above the earth extend;
Such pleas as mine men would not hear,
But God receives a beggar’s prayer.

But ye believe not because ye are not My sheep, as I said unto you. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give to them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of My hand. My Father, which gave them Me, is greater than all; and no man (or none) is able to pluck them out of My Father’s hand.

— John 10:26–29

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