, OUR TIMES A SURE FAITH IN A SURE FUTURE Nal t 966 INCLUDED IN THIS ISSUE WORLD IN A MESS DOES BELIEF MATTER ? HOW TO PRAY 11141 11'1 11 '11'11' I 1[41' 11'1111 BENDERLOCH • ARGYLL • SCOTLAND GOD'S CREATION T HE rising sun or the noonday bright, The rustle of leaves, flick'ring shades of light; The tiny flowers and fluttiring birds, The beasts that roam in their wild, hungry herds; The thund'ry clouds that sweep o'er the skies, The howling winds, and the zephyr's sweet sighs; The twinkling stars, the moon dressed in white, The ocean's roar in the depths of the night; 'Tis God's creation, majestic and grand, Constantly wrought by the might of His hand. — Selected THE BIBLE and This month ... TIMES BY now our readers are familiar with the slogan, "May for Missions." We know you will read with interest the reports of medical, evangelistic, educational, and welfare work which we include this month, and that you will respond generously to our appeal.—Pages 17-21. The exhibition of some of the Dead Sea Scrolls at various centres in this country has brought these famous documents into the news again, as well as the controversies concerning them. We discuss these in our editorial, "The Dead Sea Scrolls Again."—Page 4. A FAMILY JOURNAL OF CHRISTIAN LIVING DEDICATED TO THE PROCLAMATION OF THE EVERLASTING GOSPEL. PRESENTING THE BIBLE AS THE WORD OF GOD AND JESUS CHRIST AS OUR ALL-SUFFICIENT SAVIOUR AND COMING KING EDITOR W LESLIE EMMERSON ASSISTANT EDITOR ART DIRECTOR . . That the world is "in a mess" everyone will agree. But we need not be without hope, as A. S. Maxwell hastens to point out in his article.—Page 7. RAYMOND D. VINE . C. M. HUBERT COWEN CIRCULATION MANAGER W J NEWMAN VOLUME 82 Dealing with another "crucial issue of the sixties," J. A. McMillan asks the question, "Does Belief Matter?"—Page 8. PRICE 1/- Some of the foundation principles of the Bible teaching on salvation are dealt with by Ernest Cox under the intriguing title, "My Goodness!" —Page 10. PRINTED AND PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY THE STANBOROUGH PRESS LIMITED WATFORD ' HERTFORDSHIRE" ENGLAND ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION, including postage 17/6 ' SIX MONTHS 8/9 Please notify change of address promptly Continuing his series on "God's Covenant of Life" Leslie Shaw discusses "Guilt and Grace."—Page 12. CONTENTS "Why W o r r y?" asks D. N. Marshall, and in his article he shows that there is no need to if our trust is in Christ.—Page 14. EDITORIAL 4 THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS AGAIN GENERAL ARTICLES A. S. Maxwell WORLD IN A MESS CRUCIAL ISSUES OF THE SIXTIES-5 J. A. McMillan Does Belief Matter/ Ernest Cox MY GOODNESS' GOD'S COVENANT OF LIFE-2 Leslie Shaw Guilt and Grace D. N. Marshall WHY WORRY? WORLD-WIDE ADVENT MISSIONS A Modern Missionary Martyr Leper Work in Sierra Leone Treating "Sewage Fire" in Brazil The Gospel of Kindness Ministering to the Water-Dwellers of Hong Kong A Filipino whom God Remade HERALDS OF HIS COMING-3 S. G. Maxwell The "Blessed Hope" Fades Cyril Thompson HOW TO PRAY BIBLE FLORA AND FAUNA-8 Eric Hardy, F.Z.S. "Go to the Ant!" Lois L. Lane WHAT LACK I YET? 7 8 10 12 14 17 18 19 19 20 20 22 24 26 28 REGULAR FEATURES 29 32-34 35 YOUR BIBLE QUESTIONS ANSWERED THE CHILDREN'S PAGES MIRROR OF OUR TIME POEM Selected GOD'S CREATION COVER PICTURE: Salisbury Cathedral 2 Tracing the "Heralds of His Coming" down the ages, S. G. Maxwell tells how the "blessed hope" of the Second Advent faded during the Dark Ages of apostasy.—Page 22. In a previous issue Cyril Thompson wrote on "Let Us Pray." Now he goes on to explain, "How to Pray."—Page 24. "Go to the Ant" is the subject of Eric Hardy's Bible lands article this month.—Page 26. An important lesson about the Christian life is brought out by Lois L. Lane as she relates the story of the rich young ruler in "What Lack I Yet?"—Page 28. The Children's Pages have a story, another article about names, and a nature note, as well as Auntie Pam's letter and the painting competition.—Pages 32-34. DISCERNING THE TIMES... CURRENT EVENTS IN THE LIGHT OF THE BIBLE BY THE EDITOR TH EA Ilk T , " rt.fs OA/. ,. • ill 4.43, S114.0. •GC. arca A. Wait ,;.+4.1112•44y. ebi—ttan.i MeA.G.4.0. 11.11A•f10. tlit1404.,)4,1•Zt .21.11. oult.Q.41, mot 4,0%, 014141. %AG+, .cncy. Yle1• LL:Ein tratu parsii 10.4C ta..11.11 134.1= sf, N.L...4.660: A \ ,..,ACAALya. 4,014: ., 112.11.4.144...1, nV rT,n m.lstr ....11411/. • Gat.. ‘,.,1 cAts /6.1.111113, 44). • 40.4 The Jerusalem Isaiah Scroll before it was unrolled. SC HE exhibition in London and at various other centres in this country of some of the famous Dead Sea Scrolls, has aroused a most remarkable public interest in what has been called "the greatest archaeological discovery of modern times." As a consequence of the attention directed to the Scrolls in these exhibitions, the scholarly controversies about them has also hotted up again, and Professor John Allegro, of Manchester University, and one of the eight-man international team engaged in translating the Scrolls, has been particularly assiduous in pressing his radical views on their significance in connection with the person of Christ and the origins of the Christian religion. In an article in the New Statesman he set the ball rolling by complaining that as soon as he and some other scholars began to draw parallels between the leader of the sect of the Scrolls and Jesus and His teachings, which suggested that Christianity was not original but derived from the teachings of this sect, they were "dogged at every step by emotional and religious considerations" and "fiercely denounced by the apologists" of the Christian faith "anxious to put their co-religionists at rest." LLS AHAIN "Unfortunately," he asserted, "by refusing to compromise their conception of Jesus as a completely unique God-man, the Christian scholars are in danger of erecting in their minds a mental barrier against the one line of inquiry that could lead to the long-awaited breakthrough in New Testament studies." Now these are serious accusations against other scholars of equal distinction who have been working on the Scrolls, and it is only right that they should have been promptly taken up and answered by them. What then are the facts and what is the truth between these charges and counter-charges? The story of the accidental discovery of the Scrolls hidden away in caves near the Dead Sea by the Essenes of Qumran when their community was threatened by the Romans around A.D. 70, is well known and need not be repeated. Suffice it to say that over a period of nearly twenty years, besides the two Isaiah Scrolls which created the initial sensation, and four other major manuscripts, some 40,000 fragments of over 500 documents, dating from the second century B.c. to the end of the first century A.D., are now in the hands of the scholars, covering every book of the Bible, and including many sectarian commentaries, psalms, apocalypses, and books of discipline throwing a great deal of light upon the Qumran sect and the religious situation in Palestine at the beginning of the Christian era. The first interest in the Scrolls was, of course, the light they might throw on the accuracy of the text of the Old Testament Scriptures, seeing that these manuscripts were 1,000 years older than those on which our present versions are based. Professor Allegro does not have much to say about the textual aspect of the Scrolls except to record, somewhat sarcastically, that the "fundamentalists' joy" at the first reports of the "almost word-forword" correspondence between the Qumran Scrolls and our modern text was "later dulled" by the discovery in other scroll fragments of variant texts upgrading the Greek Septuagint text as against the supposed genuine text of the original Hebrew. And taking sides with the critics pf the Massoretic Hebrew text, he suggested that the Hebrew scribes had for 1,000 years "been meticulously copying the corrupt passages as the sound text.' Contenting himself with these subtle innuendos on this aspect of the Scrolls, he directed his main attack on the traditional belief about Christian origins which he claimed were undermined and totally destroyed by the evidence of the Scrolls. Taking the textual issues first, we may ask what is the final verdict of the Scrolls with reference to the received text of the Old Testament as we have it today? Have they in any way undermined our confidence in the Protestant text "diligently translated from the original tongues," and given greater authority to the text which has come through the Greek Septuagint version into the Roman Catholic Bibles ? The answer is categorically that they have not. These are the facts. The partial Isaiah manuscript, now known as the Jerusalem Scroll because it is housed in the new Israeli Museum in Jerusalem, has been proved to be an older text than the complete Isaiah Scroll, known as the St. Marks Isaiah, because it is purely "consonantal," whereas the latter has been "vowelized" and is intermediate between the consonantal text and the fully pointed Massoretic text of the sixth to eighth centuries. And as this early consonantal text is described by the late Dr. Sukenik as "exactly" like the consonantal base of the Massoretic text, by Professor Yadin as "almost identical," and by Dr. Diringer as agreeing "astonishingly" with it, we have conclusive evidence that the Massoretic text on which our Protestant versions are based, is superior to the later and modified text of the St. Marks Isaiah Scroll, which has affinities with the Greek Septuagint Version used in the Catholic translations. The truth is that the St. Marks Isaiah Scroll is not only proved later by its "vowelization," but it is a much modified text by reason of the addition of parallel passages from other biblical books to aid the sense, the substitution of rare words for more contemporary ones, ABOVE.—A British Museum official examines an inkwell and pottery practice fragment from the Qumran scriptorium. LEFT.—A visitor studies one of the best preserved of the Scrolls, a copy of the Psalms. 5 the expansion of allusions to make them more explicit, and most serious of all, the inclusion of Messianic emendations to make the text fit the views of the sect which produced it. All this, coupled with the fact that it contains an inordinate number of scribal errors, has led one scholar to dismiss the St. Marks Isaiah Scroll as "not worth the paper it is written on." Actually, while not a reliable manuscript, it is a valuable one, because, by contrast, it reinforces the integrity of the Jerusalem Isaiah Scroll and the Massoretic Hebrew, and it provides concrete evidence that the Old Testament Scriptures were altered to suit the purposes of the "sects," just as the Gnostics corrupted the New Testament and invented spurious "Sayings of Jesus" to support their heretical notions. An examination of the fragments of other biblical books found in the Qumran caves tells the same story as the two Isaiah Scr011s. The older consonantal ones fully support the Massoretic .Hebrew text, while the later vocalized ones are rich in variants similar to the Septuagint text, the Psalms in particular revealing additions and alterations to suit the teachings of the Qumran sect. Turning now to Professor Allegro's main line of attack, we inquire whether the supposed similarities between the Qumran sectarian liter- ature and Christian teaching really prove that the Christian religion is not "unique" but a development of Essenism, that Jesus is no more than a mythical figure fashioned after the Teacher of Righteousness in the Scrolls, and that even the apostles may be mythological characters and not historical figures. In a letter to the Times, eight scholars who have been intimately connected with the evaluation of the Scrolls, provide a resounding "Nor' to Professor Allegro's claims on this count. "Nothing," they say, "that appears in the Scrolls hitherto discovered throws any doubt on the originality of Christianity. The Scrolls contain no reference to any Christian doctrine except such as can be traced to the Old Testament or can be found in Jewish thought of the inter-testamental period; nor is there any hint that the Rightful Teacher may have been regarded as in any sense divine." Responsible scholars, in fact, believe that Professor Allegro has 1. Read into the texts what other scholars have been quite unable to find there. 2. Claimed as similarities between Essene and Christian teaching things which have no possible connection, and 3. Overlooked profound differences between the Scrolls and the New Testament, which put entirely out of the question the derivation of one from the other. When Professor Allegro first reported the discovery of an anticipation of the crucifixion and resur- rection of Jesus in a scrolls Commentary on Nahum, Roland de Vaux and Patrick Skehan wrote a disclaimer in the Times questioning the relation of this crucifixion to the Teacher of Righteousness and denying any possible parallel with the story of Calvary. In another letter to the Times, five more scholars studying the Scrolls associated themselves in asserting that Allegro had "either misread the texts or he has built up a chain of conjectures which the materials do not support." More recently Dr. H. H. Rowley has written in the British Weekly that neither the crucifixion nor the resurrection of the Teacher of Righteousness "figures in any Qumran text, and no objective scholarship should so far forget its scholarly integrity as to read them into texts where they are not to be found." Van der Ploeg's comment in The Excavation at Qumran is that "Allegro's assertions have been weighed and found not merely too light, but without any weight at all." Among the "similarities" between the sectarian teaching and the New Testament which are the basis of Professor Allegro's theory, are their claim to be the "covenant people," their ritual washings, common meal, organization, community of goods, their messianic teaching, and their eschatological beliefs about the final war between light and darkness and the triumph of light. But these supposed "similarities" The cases containing the Scrolls are packed for dispatch to the next exhibition centre. 6 are entirely dissipated when close comparisons are made. The idea of the "covenant people" is derived from the Old Testament, and doubtless every Jewish sect of that day claimed to be the elect remnant. The ritual washings were performed daily before eating by the initiates of the sect after two years' probation, and can have no connection with Christian baptism which was performed once for all on entrance to the church. All meals were taken in common in the community refectory and have no connection with the Lord's Supper, which was a special meal quite separate from the regular meals of Christian families. The council of twelve who ruled the Qumran community had no necessary connection with the twelve apostles, as both were based on the governmental number of twelve so frequent in the Old Testament. Community of goods was compulsory in the community whereas in the Christian church it was a voluntary act on the part of the more wealthy to aid the needy in the church. The Qumran sect looked for two messiahs, a priestly messiah and a kingly messiah, of which the former would take precedence, which is quite different from the Christian belief in Jesus as the Messiah of the Old Testament prophecy. Not only are these "similarities" of Professor Allegro not similar, but the differences which he overlooks should be sufficient to dispel any thought of connection. The Qumran people were ascetic, while Jesus was not. They withdrew from society to live a pure life in seclusion, whereas Jesus sent His disciples out into the world to witness to their faith. The teachings of the Qumran sect were more legalistic than those of the Pharisees, whom Jesus was constantly condemning. And while the sectarians hated those who did not share their views, Jesus taught His (Continued on page 30.) HERE'S nothing new about this. The world has been in a mess for a long time. OUR TIMES has been calling attention to the fact for more than eighty years—even when other journals were jubilating over the apparent approach of world brotherhood and the golden age. Today everybody seems agreed thatdthe mess is real, global, and very serious. Recently U.S. News and World Report had a cover story on the subject. It was frank, unpleasant, and unnerving. "At one time," it said, people "were optimistic that there could be a stable and well-ordered world, with many problems adjusted through the United Nations." But after the expenditure of thousands of millions of pounds in aid to the backward nations and thousands of millions more in defence systems to help provide stability, "the mess appears to grow worse." Among the many evidences of deterioration it cited the arms race, which is tending "to speed up, not slow" and the fact that "atomic weapons threaten to proliferate." "War dangers, tensions and instability in the world are found to be adding to pressure for more armament, not less. The world's mess . . . is widespread and profound." Looking around the globe, it noted that "political stability in country after country seems as remote as ever." "All through black Africa, the danger of revolt is always near." South America is "an uneasy continent moving steadily toward real crisis and trouble." Among T by ARTHUR S. MAXWELL its major nations "only Chile has free, open, and stable politics." This part of the world "may soon be face to face with widespread hunger" since its population growth is the world's highest and its food production "has declined sixteen per cent since World War II." "On Asia's vast subcontinent, Kashmir is as far as ever from settlement." In Indonesia "inflation is out of control, with the rupiah worth only one hundredth of its 1962 value. . . . The price of rice, a staple of the Indonesian diet, has more than quadrupled in the past year." In the Far East hostility between Soviet Russia and Communist China "is deep and getting deeper." Along the 4,500-mile border that separates the two nations "tension runs high." Western Europe, while presently prosperous, is sharply divided. "The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is in deep trouble" and there is "a growing threat to Western collective security." (Continued on page 27.) 7 OES it really matter what a man believes? There seems to be a generally held idea that it doesn't. After all, it is argued, a man's beliefs are his personal and private affair and do not concern anybody else. Fair enough; but this is only part of the picture. We are not here concerned with the individual's right to believe whatever he likes. Of course, everyone has that right to private opinion ; but the question is, Does it matter ? Does it matter to the man himself ? Does it matter to his immediate circle of relations and friends? Does it matter to society or the nation of which the individual is a part or a citizen? Let us consider these points of an ever-widening circle. It must obviously matter vitally to each individual what he believes. Is it important to believe, for instance, in personal hygiene and tidiness? If the An insult to God Let us examine these two related ideas. Belief is the mental acceptance of truth or doctrine, and it should be evident that a soul's religious life is bound to be affected most powerfully by what one believes. The Bible therefore condemns the attitude that a man is free to believe just what he likes. If the living God has given us a revelation of Himself, His character, His redemptive purposes of grace in Christ, and what He expects from His human creatures, then obviously, He must be deeply concerned about our attitude to that revelation. To despise the revelation is to despise the God who gave it and to insult His dignity and Deity. James wrote: "My brothers, if any one of your number should stray from the truth and another succeed in bringing him back, be sure of this: any man who brings a sinner back from his crooked ways will be rescuing his soul back from death and cancelling innumerable sins." James 5 :19, 20. (N.E.B.) This Scripture shows that error has a deadly influence on the soul and that it is vitally impor- D How belief shapes character and life By J. A. McMILLAN tant to deliver the soul from it. Sincerity of purpose is not enough—there must be a clear perception of divine truth if the soul is to prosper in the grace and love of God. "False teachings are as dangerous as blood-poisoning to the body, and spread like sepsis from a wound." 2 Tim. 2:17. (Phillips.) Paul recognized that the message he proclaimed was effective only when accepted by faith. He speaks of "the Word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe." 1 Thess. 2:13. The response of the soul to divine truth releases a redemptive power that otherwise cannot operate. Belief, faith, obedience, all proceed from the same root. This is clearly seen in Romans 10:16: "But they have not all obeyed the Gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report ?" This is further explained by Hebrews 4:2: "But in them the message they heard did no good, because they brought no admixture of faith to the hearing of it." Cement, sand, and water are three separate elements, but when mixed in the proper proportions, they make concrete. In a similar way the soul of man, the Word of God, and faith develop a Christian. individual believes it is, he or she will be personally presentable and acceptable to other human beings. If he does not, and resists any Efforts to educate him on personal cleanliness, then he will find himself more and more unwelcomed by society and an embarrassment to friends and relatives. On a cultural level, it is equally important what a man believes. Standards are established by people of good taste—and we are judged by our ability or otherwise to absorb these standards and assimilate our tastes to them. The same is true of standards of social behaviour, of industrial relations, of road usage, and of the various demands made upon us by community and national interests. All these standards, or norms of behaviour, are approved by the rational mind, but, nevertheless, the idea persists that, in the religious and spiritual realm, "anything goes." "One man's belief is as good as another's." When we turn to the Christian's charter, the Bible, we find a strong emphasis on the value and necessity of both faith (personal confidence or trust) and belief (acceptance of a form of teaching or truth). 8 " 'Then what must we do,' they asked Him, 'if we are to work as God would have us work?' Jesus replied, 'This is the work that God requires; believe in the One whom He has sent.' " John 6:28, 29. (N.E.B.) Belief unto salvation The terms of salvation are both clear and positive. "Those who believe it the Gospel] and receive baptism will find salvation; those who do not believe will be condemned." Mark 16:16, 17. (N.E.B.) The reason for this categorical statement is also revealed: "Without faith it is impossible to please Him; for anyone who comes to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who search for Him." Heb. 11:6. (N.E.B.) The soul's personal growth in grace and spiritual understanding will be determined by the willingness to accept God at His word and submit to His guidance. Jesus made this point very clear in His teaching. He affirmed: " 'The teaching that I give is not My own; it is the teaching of Him who sent Me. Whoever has the will to do the will of God shall know whether My teaching comes from Him or is merely My own. Anyone whose teaching is merely his own, aims at honour for himself. But if a man aims at the honour of him who sent him he is sincere, and there is nothing false in him.' " John 7:16-18. (N.E.B.) The individual's relations in the home will also be strongly coloured by his beliefs. If he is a godfearing man or child, he will honour his parents, love his wife, and treat his children with respect and impartial solicitude. To him, as a child of God, they also are children of God and deserving of the honour due to persons made in the image of God. If, on the other hand, he rejects the teachings of the Bible, and believes in an animal ancestry over a long evolutionary process, he will treat other human beings as part of a game of survival, with consequent loss of respect, with expediency and not love. Such, unfortunately, is becoming the 'prevailing belief of many human beings today, with the tragic results we see around us of lust, crime, and murder. It is therefore patent that one's personal beliefs and convictions have far-reaching consequences beyond the circle of one's own immediate life. Belief shapes character Take the apostle Paul's experience as an illustration of the power exerted on others by one's personal beliefs. Had Saul of Tarsus rejected the call of Christ, it is doubtful if more than a mere handful of people would ever have heard of him, and his influence, like that of millions of others, would have disappeared long since in obscurity. How otherwise it has been! Let Paul's own glowing testimony sum up the uplifting influence of eighteen centuries of progress and power. "Then when I came to Troas, where I was to preach the Gospel of Christ, and where an opening awaited me for the Lord's work, I still found no relief of mind, for my colleague Titus was not there to meet me; so I took leave of the people and went off to Macedonia. But thanks be to God, who continually leads us about, captives in Christ's triumphal procession, and everywhere uses us to reveal and spread abroad the fragrance of the knowledge of Himself. We are indeed the incense offered by Christ to God, both for those who are on the way to (Continued on page 16.) 9 by ERNEST COX HIS expression is often used as a mild and useful expletive. It is mostly favoured by delicately-nurtured ladies who would shun any social unrefinement, or verbal vulgarity. It usually signifies astonishment, or incredulity, or both, and certainly has no reference at all to the speaker's own moral worth! We may smile at the obvious senselessness of such expressions. We may even classify them under the "idle words" which Christ condemned. (Matt. 12:36.) But many people today, whether conscious of it or not, are nevertheless relying upon their own goodness to save them. With them, "My goodness" is far more than a sporadic utterance; it is a settled religious philosophy. It is their selfappointed path to heaven—their chosen creed—their complacent assurance of eternal life. The Lord constantly warns us in His Word that this attitude is a present, grievous mistake, and may result in future, tragic loss. Our personal goodness alone is no basis whatever for acceptance with Him. For however faultless our reputation, however commendable our conduct, our moral impeccability of itself will be insufficient to ensure our salvation. T He is invariably kind to his family and friends. He is generous toward the unfortunate, and sympathetic with the suffering. He supports his church and attends regularly. He esteems both the preacher at home, and the missionary abroad. What more can he do? Probably there is very little more that he can do, or be reasonably expected to do. But his salvation does not depend upon what he can do, but rather upon his willing acceptance of what has already been done for him! The conscientious man has constantly to bear in mind that before God the most exemplary human conduct is inadequate for salvation. In the Lord's eyes it is not even good enough to be designated "goodness," for Isaiah admits, "We are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses [by God's Goodness no basis for acceptance Paul stressed this as the cornerstone of his teaching. "A man is not justified by the works of the law," he declared, "but by the faith of Jesus Christ . . . we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by . . faith." Gal. 2:16. As the apostle knew, there is always a strong temptation for the good man, eventually, to be found trusting in his goodness. After all, he is obviously not as many "other men are." Luke 18:11. He promptly pays his lawful dues and demands. 10 standards) are as filthy rags; . . . our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away." Isa. 64:6. On many occasions, the Saviour had to point out to the Pharisees the errors and snares of their selfrighteousness; not because He wanted publicly to deride them, but because, in spite of their bigotry, He wanted to save them. "Ye are they," He said to them, "which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men," namely, human self-sufficiency, "is abomination in the sight of God." Luke 16:15. Lord looks on the heart The same principle was enunciated, a thousand years before Christ, in a direct revelation to the prophet Samuel. The aged servant of God, under His supervision, was engaged in selecting a successor to the unworthy Saul. Naturally, Jesse first proudly presented to the seer, his eldest son, a man with an outstandingly noble bearing and a commanding physique. Samuel was immediately and very favourably impressed. He felt sure that this man, who already bore himself with a "royal" dignity, must be the one destined to be the future ruler of Israel. But God said, "Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart." 1 Sam. 16:7. It is not pleasing appearance, or muscular strength, or subtlety of mind which the Lord values primarily, but purity of heart. A man may be replete with all the social graces. He may have engaging manners and a brilliant intellect. He may, because of his mental and social prowess, be welcomed into the most exclusive circles. But if his heart is corrupt, the Lord will still say, "I have refused him." When we realize that the Lord looks through the thin facade of our external culture and examines our heart, we really see our own "goodness" for what it is worth. For no honest man, as he examines his conscience, finds much to boast about. The elegant and gifted Isaiah saw only "filthy rags." The handsome and royal David saw only a life conceived in sin and "shapen in iniquity." Even the saintly Paul, examining himself, saw only the "chief" of "sinners." Isa. 64:6; Psa. 51:5 ; 1 Tim. 1:15. A writer, gifted with unusual insight, has stressed that the Christian must constantly maintain purity of heart and affection toward God if he would escape the snares of a formal religionisrri. "The rebuke of Christ to the Pharisees is applicable to those who have lost from the heart their first love. . . . When fastings and prayers are practised in a self-justifying spirit, they are abominable to God. The solemn assembly for worship, the round of religious ceremonies, the external humiliation, the imposed sacrifice, all proclaim to the world . . . that the doer of these things considers himself as righteous. These things call attention to the observer of rigorous duties, saying, This man is entitled to heaven. But it is all a deception."—E. G. White on Matthew 23:13-33. Christendom today is being literally besieged by rapidly expanding "forms of godliness" (2 Tim. 3 :5) which, as Paul declares, nevertheless deny Christ as "the power thereof." They give to Him an almost grudging homage as the great Teacher, the ideal Man, or the perfect Example. But they have little to say concerning Him as the Incarnate Son of God, man's only Saviour from specific sins, the One alone who was "wounded for our transgressions, . . . bruised for our iniquities." Isa. 53:5. Faith not goodness Since the days of the apostles, Christendom has been hampered and divided by often bitterly contending creeds. Men have been so absorbed in fighting over what they believed about God's Book, that they have forgotten to believe in God's Son. Creeds alone make theologians. Christ alone makes Christians. Men are often tempted to elaborate "Christian" creeds which are subtlely flattering to themselves. They are less likely to spend equal time in contemplating the cross of Christ, which first condemns them, before it saves them. Jesus Himself told us of two men who came up to Jerusalem's temple to pray. The first came proudly, and loudly reciting his creed. He would most probably have been very surprised and shocked to learn that, in this instance, the Lord was not interested. In any case, God much prefers deeds to creeds. After his impressive religious performance, the Pharisee went away again, well pleased with himself, and taking his sins with him! His "goodness," apparently, had done nothing for him. Then the despised publican came and stood tremblingly just on the threshold of God's house. He had no particular "goodness" that he could remember. He was only conscious of a crushing burden of guilt. The publican's creed consisted of two considerations only. First, that God was holy, but merciful. Secondly, that he, the suppliant, was desperately in need of that mercy. The publican's creed was adequate, for Jesus said, "This man went down to his house justified [or forgiven) rather than the other." Luke 18:14. His simple creed was sufficient for him. Actually the Lord prefers simple creeds, and simple, heartfelt sorrow for sin, rather than any elaborate pretensions of merely human "goodness!" 11 GOD'S COVENANT OF LIFE The second article in the series by LESLIE SHAW GUILT Man's double guilt But before we examine how this was set forth, let us look at the position in which Adam and Eve found themselves after listening to the voice of the tempter. Having broken the conditions of the covenant they had been placed under, by an act of wilful transgression, they had incurred the double guilt of disbelieving God's word and of disobeying God's will. In consequence they had forfeited the promise of life and incurred the penalty of death. They had listened to the voice of the tempter first, when he suggested a doubt as to the divine prohibition, and again when he denied the inevitable execution of the divine penalty. And now, suddenly, they were undeceived, for no sooner had they committed sin, than immediately their consciences awoke, they were self-convicted and self-condemned, and they hid from God when He came seeking them. Wherefore should they? That one act of disobedience had changed their whole relation to God, and reversed, at the same time, all their feelings toward Him. They had forfeited His favour and incurred His wrath, and the end result was that instead of being, as He once was, the object of their supreme love and confidence, He had now become the object of their jealousy, suspicion, and distrust. Their holy boldness was gone, and they were in dread and fear. A sense of His displeasure produced a feeling of enmity, a feeling that has continued to be a natural attitude of humanity ever since. "The carnal mind is enmity against God." Rom. 8:7. OLLOWING man's failure to keep the covenant which God had made with our first parents on the basis of a Covenant of Works, another covenant is brought to view in the sacred Scriptures. This covenant can best be called, the Covenant of Grace. The Covenant of Works offered to reward man strictly on his own merits, as agreed between the two parties, God and man. But the Covenant of Grace offered to reward man far better than he deserved, even according to the riches of grace and mercy in Christ Jesus our Lord. Grace is usually defined as unmerited favour, and this New Covenant reveals God's plan to treat man favourably even though he deserves to be treated most unfavourably. How soon was it after man's sin, and transgression of the first covenant made with him in Eden, before God brought to light the terms of this other covenant? Did He allow man to live on in despair, and without hope? No, even before his banishment from Eden took place, the Lord, by means of His pronouncement to the deceiving serpent in man's hearing, revealed the existence of the "better covenant" which was to be "established on better promises." F 12 First beam of Gospel light Therefore, when they were summoned to appear before Him as their Judge, they must have been prepared to hear that sentence which the law could only have prepared them to hear, a sentence of condemnation. But no, instead, God was pleased to interpose, at this critical moment, for their immediate and effectual relief. Instead of condemning them to an immediate death, He instead, in their hearing, pronounced a curse upon the serpent and his seed, and, at the same time conveyed in the very bosom of that curse, an intimation of His sovereign purpose of grace and mercy toward them. It is recognized that this announcement of God's purpose of mercy was made in general terms, and did not give definite information on many points that are now more fully and clearly revealed. But it was nevertheless comprehensive, and did give enough to lay a solid foundation for faith and hope toward God, and was indeed the first beam of Gospel light which dawned upon the fallen world. God had already revealed Himself as Lawgiver, Governor, and Judge; but now, in this revelation of His gracious purpose of mercy, He reveals Himself as the "just God and Saviour." His justice is seen in His pronouncing of a curse upon the serpent, thus manifesting His holy displeasure against sin. As Saviour He is revealed in His promises of a God takes over We would like here to emphasize, and especially so because today its full significance is often minimized and glossed over, the profound comprehensiveness of this statement of God's purpose as it is revealed in Genesis 3:15. The Scripture declares: "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her Seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise His heel." The full significance of these words can only be understood when viewed in connection with the circumstances in which Adam and Eve were then placed. James Buchanan well summarizes it all as follows: "It implied that God, instead of appearing against them as their enemy, was to interpose for them as their Friend ; that He had formed a purpose of grace and mercy toward them, and that He had devised a plan for their relief and restoration. It implied that, . . . in the exercise of His sovereignty, He had taken their cases entirely into His own hands, as if He, and He only, had the right and the power to deal with it: `I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her Seed;' words which clearly indicate that the whole plan of their deliverance originated in His sovereign purpose, and that it was to be accomplished by His own agency. . . . It implied that the woman's Seed—the promised Deliverer—was now to be the Hope of the world, and the Head of the redeemed people, who should be ransomed from the curse of the law, and restored to the favour and friendship of God. . . . And it points forward to a mysterious conflict between Satan and the promised Saviour, in which there would be mutual `enmity' and 'bruising,' opposition and suffering on both sides—but resulting in victory over the wicked one."—Quoted from the Doctrine of Justification, pages 39-41. OPPOSITE PAGE.—The guilty pair in Eden receive the first promise of a Redeemer. ABOVE.—Jesus preaching on the Mount of Olives. Deliverer who should suffer indeed on account of sin, but, by His sufferings, accomplish the salvation of sinners. From all this it should be clear that our first parents were given an opportunity to believe, as Abraham is afterward declared to have believed, in "Him that justifieth the ungodly." What we need to see, is, that the object of faith in these primitive times was, in substance, the same as now : God in His revealed character as "just, and the justifier of him that believeth," but with this one difference, (Continued on page 30.) 13 EEPING up with the Joneses," once a rather hackneyed way of quipping at the rivalry of neighbouring housewives, now ranks as one of the most basic incentives in life for many people. Ours, we are told, is an "affluent society." The function of economic activity is no longer to provide food for the hungry and clothing for the cold, but to pander to every petty whim of the consuming population for the elegant, exotic, and erotic in the line of inessential luxuries. The fact that an American industrialist was able to make millions last Christmas from the production of mink-coated tin-openers is a sign of the times in which we live. It is symptomatic of the desire for material goods which has captured men's minds—to the exclusion of both God and reason! Jesus Christ knew of the dangers of this hankering after material things when He gave the following warning sand advice: "Don't pile up treasures on earth, where moth and rust can spoil them, and thieves break in and steal. Keep your treasure in heaven, where there is neither moth nor rust to spoil it and nobody can break in and. steal. For wherever your treasure is, you may be certain that your heart will be there too." Matt. 6:19-21. (Phillips.) K The things that matter When buying a car, a carpet, or a suit of clothes, it is not only the Scotsman who has the good sense to buy things with solidarity and permanence. And this is exactly what Jesus is saying here: "Ignore the petty and the transitory and concentrate on the things which will last." All life can be seen as a contest in which material and spiritual values struggle for supremacy. Man, as a physical being, hankers WHy WuRRY? by D. N. MARSHALL after material values; but, as a spiritual being made in the image of God, he can never win through if his life is wholy centred on the material plane. A car, made to be fuelled by petrol, cannot run on aspirins and distilled water. Man needs spiritual sustenance. "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God." Luke 4:4. Jesus is not saying that physical things are unimportant; He is telling us to get our priorities right : "the kingdom of God" must be sought first, then "these things shall be added." Matt. 6:33. A person whose life is circumscribed by material pursuits never gets to the core of life and his work-a-day routine is shallow and purposeless, for he recognizes no ultimate reality which transcends material things—Almighty God! The famous psychiatrist, Dr. C. G. Jung, has said: "Among all my patients in the second half of life—that is to say, over thirty-five—there has not been one whose problem, in the last resort, was not that of finding a religious outlook on life." Few would need to visit the psychiatrist's consultingroom if the materialistic premises which circumscribe their reasoning and control their lives could be replaced by a belief and a confidence in God and by a set of values founded on spiritual truth. The Jewish audience of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount would doubtless have two things in mind when He spoke of "treasure in heaven." First, they believed that deeds of kindness which a man did on earth might become his treasure in heaven. They told the story of a Jewish king called Monobaz who distributed all the treasures accumulated by his forebears to the poor in a year of famine. When his brothers angrily accused him of imprudence he said: "My fathers gathered treasures of money, I have gathered treasures in souls; my fathers gathered treasures for others, I have gathered treasures for myself, because my treasures are not in this world, but will be in the world to come." Secondly, the Jews always connected the phrase "treasure in heaven" with character. The only thing which we can take from this world to the next (and, therefore, the only thing with real permanence) is our character. A man should never lose his heart to this world and to the things of this world, for his eyes ought to be ever fixed on a goal beyond. 14 those of us who find it difficult to avoid worrying about what we consider to be the pressing needs of our families, etc.—not quite pagan, but with pagan tendencies (and few of us would escape this indictment). But to the mums who worry about where the money is coming from to buy Johnny's muchneeded pair of shoes and to the dads who worry about the security of their jobs, Jesus is gently saying: "Put your trust in God above all else; seek after His goodness and His kingdom first and foremost, and the rest will accrue as necessity arises." Jesus in not advocating a thriftless, improvident attitude to life; He is forbidding the care-worn, worried fear which takes the joy out of life. When we are one degree under and our minds are a turmoil of nagging worries, I think that we would feel better if we remembered that Jesus has promised that if we place God first in our lives "all these things shall be added." Defeating worry The first stage of Christ's two-point plan to defeat worry, therefore, is to "seek first," to concentrate upon, the kingdom of God. To concentrate on the doing of, and the accepting of, God's will (though for some of us the latter may be particularly hard at times) is the way to defeat worry. In the second stage of His plan to defeat worry, Jesus tells us to live a day at a time. "Do not be anxious about tomorrow," He advises, "tomorrow will look after itself. Each day has troubles enough of its own." Matt. 6:34. (N.E.B.) If we live each day as it comes, if we do each task as it arises, then the sum of all the days is bound to be good. Worry about the past is futile and worry about the future is equally irrational. Alistair Maclean's story of Dr. Greatheart will illustrate this: "He was paralyzed and bedridden, but almost outrageously cheerful, and his smile so brave and radiant that everyone forgot to be sorry for him. His children adored him, and when one of his boys was leaving the rest and starting forth upon life's adventure, Dr. Greatheart gave him good advice: 'Johnny,' he said, 'the thing to do, my lad, it to hold your own end up like a gentleman, and please remember the biggest troubles you have ever got to face are those that never come.' " With Dr. Greatheart in mind, what have you to worry about ? Are you a pagan? "Never trouble about what you are to eat or drink," says Jesus, "nor about what you are to put on your body. No, do not say, 'What are we to eat ? or What are we to drink? or How are we to be clothed?' Pagans make all that their aim in life! Seek God's realm and His goodness and all that will be yours over and above." Matt. 6:25-33. (Moffatt.) Here Jesus expressly states that a purely materialistic view of life with its worries, its perplexities, and its inability to see beyond the temporal to the spiritual —is pagan! On this criterion millions of people in today's culture stand indicted as pagans. Anyone who puts the acquisition of greater material and financial security at the head of his scale of values is a pagan! This indictment must apply to western society in the 1960's more than to any other period. Never have the temptations in this regard been stronger: consumer durables, such as 'fridges, washing-machines, and automatic dish-washers, not long ago thought of as expensive luxuries, are now well within the reach of the average consumer. These things are all very well in themselves, but many are placing their gadget-filled homes so high in their minds that all else is crowded out. Material things were intended as man's support—not his god! Even those who call themselves monotheists in effect worship a whole pantheon of material gods. "You cannot serve God and money," says Jesus. (Matt. 6:24, N.E.B.) Jesus' words regarding worry over the routine things of day-to-day life, like food and clothing, however, are not only intended for those who place Mammon first in all their considerations, but also Peace of heart It is typical of a materialistic age that two of the most common diseases are stomach ulcers and coronary thrombosis—both in many cases the result of worry. It is a medical fact that he who laughs most lives longest! Yes, dear reader, there is a far greater, far wider life to be lived through trust in God than through 15 this ham-strung materialistic world. To fail to see beyond material things is to assert that playing the violin is merely applying the outside of a horse to the inside of a cat—but we all know that music is much more than horse-hair and catgut! These are merely the media through which we enjoy it. The material universe is merely the instrument on which the music of life is played—not life itself—and an instrument which pre-supposes an all-powerful Maker and Designer! One day Tauler, a German mystic, was walking down the street and encountered a beggar. "God give you a good day, my friend," he said. The beggar answered, "I thank God I never had a bad one." Then said Tauler, "God give you a happy life, my friend." "I thank God," said the beggar, "I am never unhappy." Tauler in amazement asked, "What do you mean?" "Well," came the reply, "when it is fine, I thank God; when it rains, I tharik God; when I have plenty, I thank God; when I am hungry, I thank God; and since God's will is my will, and whatever pleases Him pleases me, why should I say I am unhappy when I am not ?" Tauler looked at the man in astonishment. "Who are you?" he asked. "I am a king," said the beggar. "Where then is your kingdom?" asked Tauler. And the beggar answered quietly, "In my heart." Isaiah said the same thing long ago: "Tliou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee." Isa. 26:3. refugees in deserts and on the hills, hiding in caves and holes in the ground. These also, one and all, are commemorated for their faith; and yet they did not enter upon the promised inheritance, because, with us in mind, God had made a better plan, that only in company with us should they reach their perfection." Heb. 11:38-40. (N.E.B.) During a recent flight, we were cruising at 400 miles per hour, travelling at 18,000 feet, in thick cloud. So far as visual sight was concerned, the one hundred odd passengers on board the Vanguard were completely alone in space; nothing was visible outside the plane. Suddenly the loudspeaker crackled and the voice of the captain came through, loud and clear. We had passed Birmingham, soon we would be over Liverpool, at 15.20 we would arrive at Aldergrove. Now, we could choose to believe or doubt. There was no visible evidence of the cities mentioned, but the captain had instruments and equipment not available to the passengers. He knew the route from end to end, and I believed and relaxed in my seat. Similarly, our God speaks to us amid the fogs and clouds of our earth-bound pilgrimage. He assures us of His love and grace, He tells us just where we are in the stream of time, and He promises to bring us safely to that haven where we would be. If we believe, we may rest in His providence; "he that believeth shall not make haste." The voice of our Captain can be heard, saying, "In your patience, possess ye your souls." * • * • * • * Faith and hope DOES BELIEF MATTER ? Such is the story of the Bible. It begins with a paradise wherein our first parents knew the unsullied happiness of perfect love in the companionship of God. It was darkened by the introduction of sin, a foreign element that estranged the spirit of man from His Maker. Gleams of hope were kindled by prophetic pens, as holy men of God spoke of the Coming One, who would redeem the banished race and restore the broken fellowship. It became resplendent with celestial light when the "Dayspring from on high visited us" and revealed the way back to God. It mellows into an eternal light when the city of God descends as a bride from heaven and God's throne is established in a "new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness." Belief in such teachings and faith in Him who promises eternal life, transforms our present vale of tears, turning "the valley of Achor [into] a door of hope," and assuring every believer that the day approaches when "the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away." Hosea 2:15; Isa. 35:10. (Continued from page 9.) salvation, and for those who are on the way to perdition: to the latter it is a deadly fume that kills, to the former a vital fragrance that brings life. Who is equal to such a calling?" 2 Cor. 2:12-16. (N.E.B.) Here was a life dedicated to God and the service of humanity. The beliefs that shaped his character, and the faith that inspired his tireless activities, sprang from the soil of scriptural teaching, and enriched the world. Such have been the Wilberforces, the Nightingales, the liberators, the benefactors of mankind in every age. The scornful modern may sneer at the efforts of the "do-gooders" as being ineffectual and impractical, but in our more sober reflections, we are forced to admit that it has been the men of faith, the men with strong beliefs in truth and righteousness, who have lifted mankind out of the depths of despair and ignorance, and blazed the trail to every worthwhile achievement. As the apostle recorded in ending his catalogue of Old Testament worthies: "They were too good for this world. They were 16 THE GOSPEL OF "KINDNESS" ANNUAL REPORT Of WORLD-WIDE ADVENT MISSIONS GOD'S "PEACE MISSION" the visit he told the family to contact him if further medication was needed. At about 10.30 that evening Mrs. Dunn retired, and Brian was preparing to retire when he saw a light coming up the path toward their home. He went to the door and discovered Kalue coming for further medicine. Brian turned to his wife, Val, and said that he would go down to the dispensary. She suggested that he give Kalue some tablets that she had in the house. Brian took them to Kalue, who was standing on the landing at their front door. He explained the correct use of the medicine, and Kalue turned to go back to the village. As Brian turned to open the screen door to go back inside the house, an attacker waiting in the darkness at the corner of the house threw a spear at him. He shouted, "Quick, Val, I've got a spear right through me!" The seven-foot-long spear, made of a piece of three-eighths-inch steel reinforcing rod, passed through a portion of one lung and protruded about five inches from his chest. About five feet of the spear was swaying from his back. That the attacker was able to make a direct hit was surprising, since the only light was from a small paraffin lantern carried by Kalue. Kalue ran down the path screaming, and aroused the whole mission station. Mrs. Dunn helped her husband inside. In Mrs. Dunn's own words: "When I got him inside the house he prayed and kept praying for forgiveness for the unknown man who had speared him." In retelling the story later, Mrs. Dunn said: "We had no ship at Uru, and a couple of the carpenter boys paddled a canoe up the coast to a Roman Catholic mission station. A priest came down in his boat and brought some morphine with him. It was midnight when we left Uru. The boys helped Brian down the long hill to the boat, but he climbed aboard the mission boat himself, finding it less painful to take the strain himself. The boys had cut the back off a dispensary chair, and Brian sat on this during the long boat trip to Kwailabesi, where our A MODERN MISSIONARY MARTYR IN THE SOUTH SEAS B RIAN DUNN was born in England and emigrated to Australia with his parents about eight years ago. Both he and his wife, the former Valmae Benham, completed their nurses' training in Sydney. During his period of training, his unswerving purpose was to become a medical missionary, and when a call came for mission service, Mr. and Mrs. Dunn responded at once. On November 20, 1965, they left for their assigned territory, the island of Malaita. They were enthusiastic about the opportunity of being able to pioneer the work in that area. The natives gave them a warm welcome, and as they were going up the hill to their home Brian exclaimed to his wife: "We're really going to enjoy this!" Immediately they got to work organizing the programme and running a clinic from the first day. In line with his responsibilities, he treated the sick, supplying medicine where indicated. At about 6.30 on Thursday evening, December 16th, Brian had visited a sick member of Kalue's family (Kalue had been making cement bricks at the hospital). After 17 old hospital is situated, and where our own mission vessel, the Dani, was stationed. "The sea was rough, and we had to go inside the reef, where the two boats hove to, with end tied to end, to allow Brian to transfer to the Dani. "With Brian sitting on the backless chair and supported by two lads who constantly sponged his brow, we sailed for the Anglican mission hospital at Fuambu on the northern point of the island. It was with relief that we found that that very day the doctor there had chartered a plane from Honiara. The plane was contacted by radio and was requested to wait at Auki for us. The Dani was manoeuvered as near as possible to the edge of the strip. "It was getting dark, the weather was not good, but as we flew over Henderson Airfield the clouds parted and we were able to get down. "By Friday night five doctors began work on Brian. X-rays were taken and blood donors were called for. But while in the operating theatre Brian collapsed, and on Sunday afternoon, he passed away." Mrs. J. P. Holmes wife of the president of the Eastern Solomon Islands Mission wrote later: "It was a sad, sad time. The doctors were bitterly disappointed they couldn't save him, but they did • * • *- • * • LEPER WORK IN SIERRA LEONE R. J. ASHFORD HYDE writes from the New Masanga Leprosarium in Sierra Leone, West Africa : "We have 250 patients here at a time, all leprosy sufferers, fingers and toes missing, ulcerations, and eroded noses, claw fingers, and pain, pain, and more pain. Although leprosy is a nerve disease characterized by lack of pain in the affected parts, the marginal areas are acutely tender. D their best. The doctor said it was fantastic that he'd been able to stand the trip over, for the initial shock would have been enough to kill most people." Mrs. Holmes accompanied Mrs. Dunn into the room just after Brian had died. She put her hand on her dear one's forehead and said, "God forgive the man who did this. The poor man has no love for God in his heart." Brian was buried in the Honiara cemetery on Guadalcanal just nine days before their first wedding anniversary. Mrs. Dunn returned to her parents' home in North Queensland. Almost immediately she telephoned to the mission headquarters, asking that she might return to the Malaita hospital as a nurse. She said that if there was no opening for her there she is prepared to go to any one of the other medical centres on the islands. "This experience," writes one of the mission directors, "proves again that we are still in the land of the enemy. The devil is still making war on those who 'keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.' The hearts of the heathen on Malaita are not yet won, but with servants as devoted and courageous as were the Dunns we have no need to fear for the future." • -* • • • "There is a heavy concentration of leprosy in Sierra Leone. For the 100,000 lepers here there are several out-patient treating agencies. But there is only our Masanga Hospital to treat lepers institutionally. Thus far only one in four hundred lepers can be accommodated. Help us to extend this work." LEFT.—A Mohammedan leper under treatment at our Jengre Hospital in North Nigeria, West Africa. BELOW.—Tivalenji Tembo is sceptical at first about the little pills. But they, and good hospital care, cure his leprosy. TREATING " SAVAGE FIRE " IN BRAM by Dr. T. R. FLAIZ IMITED more largely to Central and Southern Brazil is one of the most cruel diseases known to man, fogo selvagem, Portuguese for "savage fire." Perhaps this term is the most descriptive of the disease that the Portuguese or English language has at its command to convey the torment of those afflicted with it. The total number of victims of this disease would probably be less than three thousand, but until recently it has been a disease of life duration, often running into many years. All ages are affected, from small children to aged people. The onset of the disease is slow, requiring perhaps three to six months to spread over the entire body. Once fully established, the entire skin surface, including the soles of the feet and the palms of the hands, is an itching, burning, blistering, and revolting condition, so tragically punishing as to make the lot of the average leper seem more like a delightful dream in comparison. At whatever age the disease is contracted, the tendency is for the victim to assume a squatting, hunched-over position, since this requires the least skin surface to be touched. Lying down is too painful L to the skin, which would thereby touch the bed. After two, three, or five years in this position, the patient is unable to stand erect or straighten the spindling arms and legs. He merely sits on his feet in this hunched position, attempting on the one hand to prevent any clothing from touching his burning, sensitive flesh, and on the other striving to keep his blanket about him, because even on warm days he feels cold and chilly, even though his fiery skin seems to burn. Many attempts by scientific medical groups have been made to learn the cause of the disease and to discover a cure. It was hoped that the new wonder drugs, the antibiotics, might prove helpful, but none of them has proved of any avail. By what seemed a providential circumstance an effective treatment for this disease came into our hands four years ago. Several of these pathetic sufferers, including the wife of one of our workers, were successfully treated. The South Brazil Union Conference committee, realizing the need, planned and built in the Matto Grosso the Hospital Adventista de Penfigo, expressly for the care of these unfortunates. Dr. Edgar B. Rodrigues, a well-qualified Christian doctor, is in charge of this project. He is working with the University of Belo Horizonte on research for the improvement of the treatment. Medical work: The GOSPEL of KINDNESS T is not usual to think of interpreting words and ideas before they are expressed. Yet this is just what must be done by mission workers who endeavour to bring the Gospel light to those parts of the world where it is something new, but has been long needed. They have to "interpret the Gospel" by practical human kindness and helpfulness. In this setting our doctors and nurses and their assistants go to work in hospitals, clinics, mobile units, launches, and leprosariums around the world. Friendly relations between men and men, and between men and God, are being established in the most unlikely places by the medical work represented briefly in these pages. This work could not have spread so far, or have been so successful, without your help. Thank you. I ABOVE.—Help us do away with overcrowding in our hospitals. LEFT.—Tropical sore being treated at our Ahoada Hospital, Nigeria, West Africa. These sores and ulcers are YOUR HELP - THEIR HEALING very common, and very painful. 19 MINISTERING TO THE WATERDWELLERS OF HONG KONG and Isabel Ing and Roger Heald treat hundreds of water-dwellers. In addition there are three other vessels that serve in the crowded lanes of the Hong Kong bays. We have a motorized junk, a sailing sampan (Sealight 1 and Sealight II), and a clinic launch, Hamilton Payne. Who can doubt that this service partly answers to the prophecy found in the gospel of Matthew, chapter four, verse sixteen, "The people that sat in darkness saw a great light," as help is brought to them "by way of the sea" ? These water-dwellers, in dire need, are helped by your gifts. We are very happy about the fleet of launches and the motor mobile units that serve the sick and needy in many lands. In the vast stretches of waterways in the Amazon river system, in East Pakistan, in Hong Kong harbour, and among the multitudinous Pacific Islands, our medical workers carry skilled medical help and spiritual enlightenment over a vast area of the earth's surface. South American Indians, Indians of Southern Asia, Chinese, Melanesians, and Polynesians in their hundreds welcome the visits of the missidn launches. This is a real "Peace Mission"! Eye troubles ere common in Hong Kong. I N the British colony of Hong Kong is a teeming population of more than three and a half million. These are scattered over 900 villages, and the hundreds of junks and sampans in the harbour. Over 150,000 live on the water, and have little experience of shore-going. . What a challenge to a privileged Christian people to bring hope, healing, and enlightenment to these people! World-Wide Advent Missions are meeting this challenge. In the harbour we now have four vessels operating. The flagship is a floating chapel-clinic designed to accommodate seventy-five people (though as many as 300 have eagerly crowded aboard for special programmes). This sturdy craft, with its chapel and two medical offices- is moored where doctors, teachers, and students from our nearby college can serve the "water-people." Drs. Clarence * • * • * • * •* • * • * • * 9 A FILIPINO WHOM GOD REMADE by S. G. MIRAFLORES OSE DIMAFILES, of the Philippines, used to be a gambler and a tobacco and alcohol addict. He had many enemies as the result of his escapades when he was drunk. But owing to the patience of Fidel Dezor, whom he tried to kill three times, he became convinced of his wrong way of life, and was convicted of his sins. Mr. Dimafiles used to hate Fidel Dezor. He intended to kill him. When Fidel was in the field planting bananas one day, Dimafiles came with a bolo. Although Fidel was saved from being murdered that day, two more attempts were made on his life. The people were going out of the church after the service one Sabbath when Dimafiles came near to snatch the Bible from Fidel. That night he was held in jail. After he was released, Dimafiles continued his evil ways. One night he came to the threshing shed near Fidel's rice stack, bent on murder. There is no doubt Dezor would have been killed on the spot had not three policemen arrived just in time. Dominador Tamares held a Gospel campaign effort in the town of Dumangas, Iloilo. During this time we became acquainted with Jose Dimafiles. I went to his home every afternoon. The whole family were there, eager to learn the truth. It was not easy for Mr. Dimafiles to give up tobacco. He struggled hard to get away from it. But at last the Holy Spirit gave him victory. Then Jose Dimafiles' conversion was the talk of the town. The people believe, as did Paul that the Gospel is the power of God unto salvation. Now one of Mr. Dimafiles' sons, Nilo, is preparing for the Lord's work. The influence of Fidel Dezor proved to be a savour of life unto life. It resulted in a remarkable conversion and changed Dimafiles from a mortal enemy to a fast friend. Mr. Jose Dimafiles is a man whom God made anew. j 20 OVERSEAS: Countries in which church is working (Countries in world as per United Nations, 233) 189 Languages in which church is working 928 Missionaries sent overseas yearly 318 World missions offerings £6,300,000 MEDICAL MINISTRY: Hospitals 124 Clinics and dispensaries and OPERATING A GLOBAL MEDICAL, EDUCATIONAL, WELFARE, AND EVANGELISTIC PROGRAMME, LEPER COLONIES, HOSPITALS, CLINICS, AND MEDICAL LAUNCHES. WELFARE CENTRES. 4,870 SCHOOLS. GOSPEL PREACHED IN 800 LANGUAGES. medical launches 146 Total medical employees 15,642 Patients treated 3,529,504 EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMME: ALL OUR COLLECTORS ARE VOLUNTARY WORKERS AND CARRY BADGE AND AUTHORIZING CERTIFICATE AND USE OFFICIAL BOXES OR RECEIPT BOOKS Schools 42! 5,046 Total enrolment 336,887 Colleges* 55 Universities t 2 Schools of nursing 34 Total languages in which literature is printed GOOD NEIGHBOUR PROGRAMME 228 * Including Newbold College, Bracknell, Berks. In addition to the many spheres of humani- t One is also a medical centre for training tarian work mentioned in this magazine, physicians, dentists, physical therapists, etc. (Latest world figures) Seventh-Day Adventists carry on many other types of services as follows: r- II1M= III To the Editor THE BIBLE and OUR TIMES WORLD-WIDE: Welfare shipments The Stanborough Press Ltd., to 30 countries. Value Stanborough Park, WATFORD, Herts. £700,000 Persons helped 7,373,611 Articles of clothing given 7,245,992 Health and Welfare Centres 795 I have read with interest about the expanding work of WORLD-WIDE ADVENT MISSIONS and have pleasure in enclosing £ toward this worthy work M r./M rs./M iss Address s. d. HERALDS of HIS COMING : The THIRD ARTICLE IN THE SERIES BY S. G. MAXWELL standards of Christianity. They lived with the coming of Christ uppermost in their minds. So by the end of the third century the heralds of Christ's coming were by no means extinct in the church. Of equal note was the testimony of Hippolytus, called by some, bishop of Rome. In any case he spent most of his life in Rome and its vicinity. He was a prolific writer for his time and shared with Terullian the honour of being a herald of Christ's coming. Though the predicted apostasy had already commenced, Hippolytus held high the standards of the church. His interpretations of the great prophecies of Daniel paralleled those of modern Bible students. He was a profound believer in the second coming of Christ in glory, to raise the sleeping saints, to destroy Antichrist, and give to His people their eternal dominion. Tertullian was followed by still another witness HEN the New Testament Canon closed, the iron monarchy of Rome ruled the civilized world. The deified occupant of the throne of the Caesars brooked no rival for world power. Yet the apocalyptic vision dared portray a coming king, seated on a white horse, descending the skies, and followed by the armies of heaven. He had "on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS." Rev. 19:1116. And almost the last words of the book of Revelation were, "Behold, I come quickly." The proclamation of the Gospel message demanded a definition of loyalties to these two kings. Knowing the consequences, but animated by the "blessed hope," untold numbers of Christians paid the price of loyalty to the coming "King of kings." In various parts of the empire, from time to time, the fires of persecution burned. Not only did the W -u- dd D D Eg DE) JJ North Africa, Cyprian, bishop of Carthage. He in North was the greatest bishop of the third century. Though not a exponent of prophecy like Hippolytus, he was a firm believer in the second advent. His latter days coincided with the persecutions of the Emperor Decius. In these he saw the fulfilment of the Saviour's great prophecy in Matthew twenty-four, and he exhorted the church to prepare for His speedy coming. His witness was brought to an end by the Emperor Valerian, who caused him to be beheaded in A.D. 258. Christians perish in the arena, with faces radiant with the blessed hope, but their churches were given over to destruction and the precious parchments containing their writings, together with their Bibles, cast to the flames. Thus, in comparison with the writings of the apostles, the evidence of the heralds of His coming in the following three centuries is small. First witnesses after apostles The first authentic witness following the death of the apostles comes to us in the writings of Justin Martyr who died about A.D. 165. In his Apology for the Christian faith he contends emphatically for the two advents of Christ, with the second as the climax of all prophecy. By the time this herald had finished his witness, God had raised up another in the person of Tertullian. He was the first truly Latin Father of the church, though he lived in old Carthage, in North Africa. This was the time when North Africa led the Christian world. It is not only credited with the first Latin translation of the Bible, but its theology moulded Christian thought for centuries. With this backing, the writings of Tertullian kept the Advent hope before the church. He threw in his lot with a new sect called the Montanists. This group purposed to restore what they considered the original The "hope" fades But while the testimony of the heralds continued, the opposition of the great apostasy was becoming stronger. Other leaders of the church arose to whom the Advent hope offered no satisfactory solution. The names of Origen, Eusebius, and Augustine have to be recorded as dimming the blessed hope before the eyes of the church. Origen, who also came from North Africa, but of Alexandria in Egypt, spiritualized the resurrection and allegorized the prophecies, thus striking at these inseparable corollaries of the second Advent. He was a brilliant student and a prolific writer. But instead of bringing the heathen mind up to the Christian standard, he brought the Christian mind down to the level of pagan philosophy. He thought by so doing 22 the bishop of Rome. A creed was produced which was to become the standard for all Christendom to the present time. One of its statements makes us include it under the heralds of His coming, for it reads: "He [Christ] suffered, and the third day He rose again, ascended into heaven; from thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead." The significant feature of this expression is that it makes clear that at the beginning of the fourth century the majority of Christians believed, at least in theory, in a literal interpretation of our Lord's second coming. Earthly hope replaces the "blessed hope" to make the teachings of the church more acceptable to the heathen. There is scarcely a false teaching that has troubled the church which cannot be traced to this man. As a result of his writings, the Advent hope, which had shone so brightly for three centuries, began to wane. His spiritualization of the prophecies, and the future events they foreshadowed, prepared the way But thereafter the church, now secure from its worldly enemies and assured of the imperial favour, began to allow the Advent hope to grow dim. Under the teachings of Augustine the earthly rule of the church was to take .the place of the blessed hope. In his book, The City of God, Augustine developed the thought that the millennium had come without the antecedent advent of Christ and the concurrent resurrection of the saints. Actually there was no sign of a millennium of peace, for the Roman empire in the west collapsed before the onslaughts of the barbarian nations, and Europe was plunged into untold misery and lack of security. The church continued to add to its wealth and glory. Men arose "speaking perverse things." Church leaders in various parts strove for the first place and universal supremacy, and the Advent hope disappeared in proportion as the struggle for primacy in the church advanced. Other great Bible truths were also sacrificed. With the dimming of the Advent hope went the observance of the seventh-day Sabbath. In its place came the elevation of the pagan first day of the week dedicated to the worship of the sun. Constantine's Sunday Law in A.D. 321 only marked a phase in the erosion which had taken place in the thinking of the church toward the divine law. With the thought of the return of their Lord dimmed beyond recognition, their responsibility to maintain intact the commandments of God made no challenge. for Augustine and his concept of the City of God on earth. But before this happened an epochal event occurred in the history of Rome and the church of Christ. The era of persecutions by the Roman emperors had run its course. The final and most severe culminated in the decree of Diocletian (A.D. 304), which sought to obliterate the church, its members, writings, and buildings from the earth. Then suddenly all was changed. The Edict of Toleration, issued by Constantine in A.D. 313, caused the persecutions to cease. By the time the new emperor summoned the bishops to meet him at the Council of Nicaea in A.D. 321 the whole picture of the church had changed. No longer was the church in fear of royal disfavour. Confiscated buildings were returned and reparation for damage was made. Christians were allowed to occupy positions of trust in the state. The church was now popular. It was the turn of paganism to be in disfavour. The tide had turned. Multitudes found their way into the church as "easy converts." Its organization prospered and multiplied. But what happened to the Advent hope? Was it needed any more ? The Council of Nicaea set down rules for the faith which would receive the royal sanction. The Greek church took the lead, for the Council had been called by the emperor without previous contact with (Continued on page 31.) READERS WHO WOULD LIKE TO KNOW more about the great truths of the Bible, are earnestly invited to avail themselves of the special, free, HOME BIBLE STUDY GUIDES advertised on the back cover. 23 Editor N a previous article we asked and answered the question, why we should pray. If only we would count our blessings and recall what God has done for us more often than we do, and then thank Him for all the evidences of His love more frequently than perhaps we do, we would have more courage and confidence for the future and more faith and assurance in God our Father and Maker. That, very concisely, is the reason why we should pray. Not everyone, however, knows how to pray: Years ago, a small group of men were so impressed with the way a certain Man prayed that they earnestly entreated Him, "Lord, teach us to pray." Luke 11:1. The result of this request gave to the world the great pattern known as the "Lord's Prayer." That group of disciples realized that in the prayers of the Man of Nazareth there was something vastly different from the prayers of the priests they heard in the temple. And in our day our need is as great as that of the disciples of old when they asked, "Lord, teach us to pray." The story is told of a tough, blustering sergeant during the last war who was noted for his antireligious attitude, and whose proud boast was that he was an out-and-out atheist. One day, he and his company were caught in a murderous dive bombing attack and the only safety was in hastily dug-out fox-holes. A young private who was sharing a foxhole with the sergeant, was surprised to hear him actually praying. "Sarge," he ventured, "I thought you didn't believe in prayer." "Son," he replied, "a fellow in a fox-hole needs his God." How true it is that many people wait until they are in a foxhole before they realize their need of Him. Many a minister is sent for in a crisis because people feel they do not really know how to pray. I we speak to God can become a matter of form, almost a routine. Once a routine is established there may be little depth of thought in our prayers. We have said our prayers. Our conscience is quieted. Martin Luther has been credited with the rather startling warning about prayer, "Do not lie to God." What could he possibly mean? We just would not think of lying to God in our prayers, would we? And yet we may be doing just that. If we call to mind that prayer upon which all prayers are patterned, the Lord's Prayer, we may begin to understand what Luther was getting at. "Our Father, which art in heaven." Matt. 6:9. There are people who assert that there is no heaven, that it is only wishful thinking. Even some Christian folk maintain that heaven is where you make it. Can they really pray, "Our Father, which art in heaven" ? Don't you see how desperately routine prayer can become? "Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven." Matt. 6:10. Do we really want His kingdom to come? Think of the changes it would mean in our own lives. Completely different standards would have to be adopted. The obvious implication of this section of the prayer is that we are ready to do God's will now, and indeed, are trying to do it. Is this so, or are there some things that we would not like to give up? Is our life a living lie? God hears what we say, but He also knows what we want. Are we sincere in what we pray? There is little point in praying "Lead us not into temptation" (Matt. 6:13), and then deliberately allowing ourselves to play with fire, to dabble with the doubtful and flirt with the dangerous. We just Sincerity in prayer Perhaps one of the most important factors in prayer is sincerity. It is a very easy thing to pray in a set way in our own morning and evening devotions. The things we pray for and the very way in which by CYRIL THOMPSON HOW TO PRAY 24 cannot put the responsibility upon God by asking Him to keep us from temptation and then allow our feet to lead us into the scintillating subtleties of Satan. Where would our sincerity be then ? Preparation for prayer, therefore, includes selfexamination. This, perhaps is the hardest thing of all, for it reveals to us what we really are, and that is not always pleasant. It may be shaming and humiliating for us, but it will lead us to the point where we will realize our need, our great need. Prayer does not let us run away from our difficulties, nor does it enable us to evade the issues of life, but as we really talk with God, we will sense that prayer gives us a calm in the storm, comfort in distress, courage for the conflict, hope in the depths of despair, and the power to persevere. Dr. Albert Schweitzer's great work in Africa was accomplished through prayer and faith. Talk as to a friend Pray believing It has been said that if we do not know how to pray, a good method is to sit opposite an empty chair, imagine that the Saviour is there with you, and just talk to Him as we would to a friend. God is not interested in the exactness of our grammar or in fine flowing phrases. He just wants us to talk to Him as a Friend, telling Him of our plans and hopes; of our trials and despondencies, and thanking Him for the help He gave us last week, yesterday, and even today. We like to talk to those whom we count as our friends. We appreciate the opportunity of meeting them. We do not communicate with each other in carefully chosen words. We just talk and listen. Listening to what our friends have to say is quite as important as talking. It not only makes friendship but also keeps friendship. God is always listening to us; do we take time to listen to Him? The apostle Paul tells us that it is God's will that we should "pray without ceasing" (1 Thess. 5:17), or as the Revised Version renders it, "Pray constantly." This means that wherever we are or whatever we may be doing, we should keep clear the lines of communication with heaven so that we can always breathe a prayer to our heavenly Father. Whether working or resting, alone or in a crowd, we are free to talk with Him. How wonderfully reassuring it is to know that God hears us wherever we are, and whenever we pray. Merely because we cannot understand how prayer works should not make it in any way less real. Noone can tell us what electricity is, yet, though it cannot be seen or even properly understood, who today doubts the power of electricity? So likewise with prayer. Although we may not fully understand it, there is in it a tremendous energizing power for all who use it. So many people of all colours, castes, and creeds, have experienced the results and power of prayer that they cannot be denied. Still another very important aspect of prayer is faith. Your faith may be little, but so also at first was that of Dr. Barnardo, the great worker for orphans. So also at first was that of George Muller, who did such a work for blind children. So also at first was that of Albert Schweitzer, who built his hospital in Africa. The tallest trees in the world spring from the smallest of seeds. Even so with faith. It must begin somewhere and will inevitably grow stronger and stronger as time passes by and personal experiences multiply. Why not then start praying to Him right now, admitting your faults and failings, admitting your wilfulness and waywardness in all honesty and sincerity, and you will know the peace of His abiding presence and experience the strength He is waiting to give you. .p PHONE NOW BELFAST — BELFAST 32421 1 4. BIRMINGHAM—VICtoria 5754 lillir BOLTON (Lancs.)—BOLTON 24111 ami CARDIFF—CARDIFF 40811 O DUNDEE — DUNDEE 40333 s\\\Isso......... NEWPORT (Mon.)—NEWPORT 73051 A community service by telephone provided by the Seventh-day Adventist Church THE TWO-MINUTE MESSAGE AND PRAYER IS CHANGED DAILY 25 ERIC HARDY, F.Z.S. tells about this industrious little insect of Bible lands swarming of ants, when for a brief nuptial period in their lives they are winged. We often see them fly up from their colonies between city paving stones or rural waysides. Many are destroyed by birds or the wind in this nuptial flight as they seek the queens, hence the Arab remark. Horace wrote: "The ant is a creature of great industry, not ignorant or improvident of the future." Professor Julian Huxley's book on Ants suggested that the biblical ant of Solomon was the harvesting ant, Messor barbarus. Professor Bodenheimer, an entomologist whom I met in Jerusalem, however, does not mention this species in his book on Animal Life in Palestine. (1935.) The commonest there is M. semirufus. This ant often clears the area around its nest, whereupon new grass appears. Formerly they were believed to sow it themselves, but that was erroneous. As in biblical times, the grain-collecting activities of the large and numerous Messor ants still attract attention in the Holy Land, where the warm climate is so very suitable for ants that they do not have to form the large, solar-radiation "anthills" for warmth, typical of our pinewoods. There their nests go deeper down to escape the great heat, and eggs and grubs are untiringly transported to new suai,vrs to keep them cool. The annual activity of the grain-collecting Messor ants starts after the winter rains. They drag out the soil from their galleries and form crater-like walls around the entrance. Seeds stored in their upper chambers which become moist during the rains, are brought out and dried in the sunshine. Seeds of sesame and durra millet recently sown by farmers are collected. Later the excavated soil is transported to the nest's refuse-heap. In March and April they cut pieces off the newly-grown grass or other leaves and bring them into the nest. A second period of mass-collecting of grains starts again with the summer and autumn harvest. The refuse-heap is moved two or three yards away and the area before the nest is cleared and cleaned bare to receive the grain, which may be collected from fields 150 yards away. Their passageways or "ant streets" at three nests reached a total of eighteen in June, with an average length of some thirty-five yards. During the heat of midday they often cover the entrance to the nest with soil and small stones. In summer they are most active at night and rest at noon. They cannot withstand high temperatures for long. GO TO THE ANT ! This common black ant was photographed near Jerusalem. T is proverbial that we take Solomon's advice and go to the ant for an example of energetic and industrious provision for the future. The instinctive behaviour of this social insect, living in an unselfish community without our advantages of original thought and instruction, achieves by an inherited pattern of behaviour the survival of the ant community. (Prov. 6:6-8.) Its relatives, the bees and the wasps, also have communal or social colonies. Napoleon on St. Helena admired them as a "model of statemanship." The Palestinian Arab has a saying for the overambitious, self-seeking person: "If God purposes the destruction of an ant, He permits wings to grow upon her." This refers, of course, to the summer I 26 semirufus, the commonest, is obviously the biblical ant. This kind does not have any soldier or fighting forms. Many other kinds of ant also inhabit the land. We have no Messor ants in Britain, but we have many equally thrifty kinds useful in our gardens as great collectors of caterpillars off our plants at night, and in the wild for distributing the seeds of violets, gorse, castor-oil plants, cow-wheat, cornflower, several sedges and rushes, and other flowers. They also collect greenfly and take them underground for the sugary secretion these excude, and they collect the caterpillar of the rare large blue butterfly from wild thyme in the south of England and rear it safely in their nests, from which the butterfly flies free. When the rains begin about December the winged male and female ants fly from their nests on their mating flights. The male ants die soon after. The females, after mating, bite off their wings and look for small colonies willing to accept them, where they set up a new home. In winter they are most active at noon, and rest at night. Modern agricultural biologists have attached great importance to the ants' activities in maintaining soil-structure in climates like the Holy Land. Ants are probably more useful there than earthworms. They are removing soil from their nests for nearly half the year. At least four kinds of the large-headed Messor ant range from the coast to the Dead Sea, and Messor * • * • * * * * * • * • * • * • * modern world] shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever." Dan. 2:44. Jesus confirmed that this is the one inevitable solution to the world's problems. When nations "stand helpless, not knowing which way to turn," when men "faint with terror at the thought of all that is coming upon the world. . . . Then they will see the Son of man coming on a cloud with great power and glory." Luke 21:25-27. (N.E.B.) Only the second coming of Christ as King of kings and Lord of lords can bring an end to the mess we are in. Today all hopes should be directed toward Him; all eyes should be turned toward the heavens whence He will return. For "when you see all this happening, you may be sure that the kingdom of God is near." Verse 31. WORLD IN A MESS (Continued from page 7.) So the story goes from nation to nation, from continent to continent, all around the globe. Whereever one turns there is trouble. The world is indeed in one big mess. What to do about it ? Dump it in the lap of the United Nations, that hallowed centre of hopelessness and ineptitude? Impossible. The last state would be worse than the first. U.S. News and World Report had a better suggestion. "The dominant view," it said, "is coming to be that the problems and tensions of the world may be too deep-seated to be controlled except by a strong hand from some place." It did not say which hand or which place. It could have had in mind the Pope—who seems to be increasingly interested in world leadership—or, possibly, the United States, most powerful nation by far, which is becoming noticeably weary of being insulted by all and sundry. One other strong hand, however, must be mentioned. It is the hand of a Man, yet at the same time the hand of God. Centuries ago prophecy said that "the government shall be upon His shoulder." Isa. 9:6. His name? "His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." Are YOU looking for health, happiness security and a key to the future? DAILY BROADCAST RADIO CITY 299m 7.30 a.m. and 6.30 p.m. / (SUNDAY 7.30 a.m. and 7 p.m.) THE VOICE OF PROPHECY RADIO SERVICE broadcasting from 950 radio stations every week around the world and offering free home Bible reading guides to all. Inquiries welcomed. VOICE OF PROPHECY. 123 REGENT ST., LONDON W.1 The coming Ruler Also YOUR RADIO DOCTOR Daniel pictured the triumphant beginning of His reign: "In the days of these kings [the kingdoms of the Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 11 — 11.15 a.m. 27 be earned. It was a free gift to all who were prepared to follow Him by way of the cross ; dying with Him, rising with Him, walking with Him in newness of life, and entering with Him into the kingdom of eternal life. The test of love There was only one way for this rich young ruler to learn this truth, and Jesus gave him the chance in His answer: "One thing thou lackest. Sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and come, take up thy cross and follow Me." That must have been the very last thing the young man would ever have thought of, and that was, of course, the one thing he lacked—the willingness to make a complete commitment of himself to Jesus, whatever the cost. But this seemed to him an impossible step to take, and "he went away grieved, for he had great possessions." Sadly Jesus saw him go, to keep his earthly possessions and lose eternal life, and sadly He said to His disciples : "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven." In both cases a miracle would be necessary, but, thank God, many a rich man has experienced that miracle of grace that has made him declare, with Paul, "I count all things but loss . . . that I may win Christ." Wealth in itself is not sinful, but it fastens such a tenacious grip on men's hearts that few can keep it from strangling their spiritual life. Only those who are willing to give it all up joyfully at any time for Christ's sake can resist its insidious influence. There was another man who also asked Jesus what he should do to inherit eternal life. He was a Jewish lawyer, and this time Jesus suggested that he should be able to answer his own question, for He said, "What is written in the law?" "And he, answering, said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself." "Thou hast answered right," said Jesus. "This do, and thou shalt live." Here is set forth clearly the underlying principle of obedience which too often is the one thing lacking—to love God more than anything or anyone else—and we can only come to this place by contemplating, and responding to, the infinite love of God as manifested in the life on earth and the death on the cross of His beloved Son, in order to give us that greatest of all gifts, eternal life. Nothing else comes anywhere near the vital importance of keeping this "first and great commandment." To love God supremely is the way to receive the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. by LOIS L. LANE HE young man who asked this question of Jesus came running to Him and knelt down before Him, so we must suppose that he came in all sincerity, and not, as did some others, just to try to get the better of Him in argument. The young ruler seemed to be in doubt about the certainty of his inheriting eternal life, and he asked what he must do to make sure of that inheritance. Jesus replied simply, "If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments." This has always been, and always will be the fundamental essential for citizenship in the kingdom of God, obedience to the law of that kingdom. There is no other way for the perfect kingdom of God to remain perfect in all its organization and activities except by the perfect obedience of perfect citizens to a perfect law given by a perfect Ruler. But since God is love, and the essence of His government is love, it is only by an obedience springing from love that His subjects can enter into the prosperity and happiness that a loving, all-wise and all-powerful God will provide. Now the young ruler was confident that he was a strict commandment keeper, so, after assuring Jesus that he had kept the commandments from his youth, he asked, "What lack I yet?" Then it is recorded that "Jesus, beholding him, loved him." He was so sincere in his desire for eternal life, and doing all he knew to deserve it, yet not understanding at all the only way to obtain it. Jesus wanted to show him that eternal life was not something which could T In newness of spirit Jesus' example and His teaching revealed the deep, spiritual meaning of the commandments, and how 28 we can keep them "in newness of spirit, and not in oldness of the letter." Thereby it becomes our joy to put God first and worship and obey Him only. It is unthinkable to take His holy name in vain. We delight in keeping holy "the Sabbath of the Lord," as the memorial of His creation in six days of heaven and earth, as a sign of spiritual re-creation, and as a link between the first perfect world and the perfect world that He will create when the present evil world has passed away. As to the second commandment, "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself," we shall keep that also, as amplified by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount, because we love our fellow-men. We cannot hate anyone, let alone murder him, we cannot harm him in any way, for "love worketh no ill to his neighbour." There is a tendency today to reverse the table of commandments, putting the emphasis on social activities, and an immense amount of self-sacrificing service is certainly rendered by both individuals and organizations to relieve the misery and sickness and want that abound in this sin-afflicted world. Yet too much of it is done, not in the name of Christ, and for love of Him, but in the name of humanitarianism. A supreme love for God would infhse a wonderful, saving influence into every good deed, and offer not only temporal relief to the needy, but also the Bread of life and the garments of salvation to the saving of their souls as well as their bodies. For love's sake There is still a widespread belief that one can merit eternal life by doing good works on earth, and one often hears it said: "Well, I never do anyone any harm, I lend a hand and do good whenever I can, and anyway, if so-and-so, who makes such a profession of religion, gets to heaven, I'm sure I will, for I am just as good as he is, if not better." But the plain statement of Scripture is that "God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He that bath the Son hath life, and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." 1 John 5:11, 12. Good works bring their own reward, but eternal life is never earned by anyone. It is wholly a free gift of , infinite love to those who respond with all their being to that love with which God has loved us. By doing this, they are "made perfect in love," and fitted to be subjects of the kingdom where love reigns supreme. Obedience to all God's commandments and good works to others will inevitably follow such a love, and will be carried out, not in the manner of the Pharisees, "to be seen of men," or as the young ruler, in order to merit eternal life, but simply for love's sake. Would it not be well for all of us to look into our own hearts humbly and earnestly, and make sure that we are keeping that first and great commandment, so that Jesus may never say to any one of us, "One thing thou lackest." lova slLtVittlost Like the apostle Paul, every dedicated Christian may radiate a positive, joyful witness of his heavenly family status. WELL GOD'S PEOPLE GO TO HEAVEN AT THE RESURRECTION OF THE JUST, OR WILL THEY SIMPLY RISE TO LIVE ON THE EARTH AGAIN?-T.P. CAN A PERSON KNOW WHETHER HE IS SAVED BEFORE HE DIES?-L.C.T. Jesus' statement answers your question clearly: "In My Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you." John 14:2. Jesus added that He was going to His Father's house— that is, heaven—to prepare the way for His people, and that when He would return, it would be for the purpose of taking His people to Himself that they might for ever be with Him. (See John 14:1-3.) It is obvious from the language that He intends to take the redeemed to these "mansions," or as the Greek literally reads, "abiding places." This triumphal entry into the heavenly courts is confirmed by other Scriptures. Paul affirms: "For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel, and with the trump of God : and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are Jusr as a child knows that he "belongs" to his family, so a Christian may have a proper assurance that he is an integral part of God's family. Totally surrendered, such a Christian has the witness in his heart that he is a child of God. The apostle asserts, "The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God." Rom. 8:16. John, the beloved disciple, strikes the same note of confidence: "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God. . . . Beloved, now are we the sons of God." 1 John 3:1, 2. This certainly is not a boastful stance, but rather a calm conviction anchored in a daily, loving, obedient commitment to Jesus Christ! "And hereby we do know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments." 1 John 2:3. 29 alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord." 1 Thess. 4:16, 17. Jesus said His attending angels will gather His elect (Matt. 24:31), and it is apparent that they will bear the redeemed upward to God and the heavenly abodes. The apostle John was given a glimpse of the redeemed saints standing in heaven before the throne of God. (Rev. 7:9, 10.) It is true, however, that heaven will not be the permanent home of the saved. Jesus indicated that their heritage would ultimately be the restored earth: "Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth." Matt. 5:5. And Peter, after describing God's final judgment upon the earth and sin, predicted, "Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness." 2 Peter 3:13. THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS AGAIN (Continued from page 6.) followers to "love" their "enemies." The Qumran teaching also included belief in the immortality of the soul, but Jesus taught the "sleep" of the dead until the "resurrection." From all this it must be clear that the idea that Christianity is a development of the teachings of the Essene community of Qumran, is fantastic in the extreme. The truth, as Fr. Graystone put it some years ago, is that a "perusal of the Scrolls side by side with the gospels and the New Testament does but bring into greater relief the uniqueness of Christ and the transcendence of the religion He founded." All in all, therefore, while it may be somewhat exaggerating to describe the Dead Sea Scrolls as the "greatest archaeological discovery" of our time, they certainly have confirmed as never before the accuracy of the Old Testament text as it has come down to us through the Massoretic Hebrew, and they have provided a contemporary backdrop to the New Testament which reveals its "unique" character as the supreme revelation of the Word of God in the person and teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ. PLEASE EXPLAIN JUDE 7. WHAT IS MEANT BY "SUFFERING THE VENGEANCE OF ETERNAL FIRE"?-J.L.B. The verse says, "Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire." The allusion here is to the destruction of Sodom and the neighbouring cities by fire, as recorded in the eighteenth and nineteenth chapters of Genesis. The fate that overtook these cities is used to illustrate the punishment awaiting the ungodly in the day of final judgment. Speaking of the destruction of Sodom, Christ said : "But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all." Luke 17:29. Concerning the same destruction, the apostle Peter wrote: "And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly." 2 Peter 2:6. If the cities were "destroyed" and "turned to ashes," it is evident that the "eternal fire" burned only as long as there was anything remaining for it to burn, and no longer. "Even thus," said Christ, "shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed." Luke 17:30. Sin and sinners will be destroyed, as is further described by Peter: "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night ; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up." 2 Peter 3:10. From the earth thus purified by fire will emerge "new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness." Verse 13. * * * * * * * * * * * GUILT and GRACE (Continued from page 13.) that the Saviour was then promised as "coming," but is now proclaimed as "having come." This pronouncement by Jehovah in the hearing of our first parents is the first intimation of the existence of the Covenant of Grace. Doubtless behind this there is a covenant between the Father and the Son whereby the Second Person of the Deity is constituted the Representative and Federal Head of the new creation. And it is in this way that the apostle Paul speaks of Him in Romans 5:12-21, in absolute contrast to Adam the representative man and federal head of the Covenant of Works. The terms of the New Covenant, or the Covenant of Grace are declared to be "not according to" the terms of the previous one, but are "I will put My laws into their mind and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to Me a people: . . . For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more." Jer. 31:31-34; Heb. 8:8-10. Hope for every sinner These are gracious terms which hold out hope for every sinner condemned under the terms of the old Covenant of Works. But the question is, How 30 can we receive the benefits of this covenant's better terms ? The first Covenant of Works was made with Adam, and includes in it all of his natural posterity. Every man, as such, stands under just condemnation, and can escape the punishment due only by becoming a party to the new gracious covenant. This is accomplished by what the Scripture calls being "in Christ" instead of being "in Adam." We are in Adam by natural birth; we become in Christ by supernatural birth, a spiritual new birth. "But to as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." John 1:12, 13. "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." 2 Cor. 5:17. By the simple act of believing, the child of Adam can become the child of God. This is something that has been made gloriously possible for all mankind, because Jesus Christ, in the "fullness of time" was made flesh by being "born of a woman" being thus made "under the law," as a Covenant of Works, and then fulfilling its every requirement without sinning, after which He was able to die in the place of guilty man "to redeem them that were under the [curse of the) law, that we might receive the adoption of sons." Gal. 4:4, 5. Speaking of this transaction, the Scripture declares: God "hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin ; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him." 2 Cor. 5:21. And it is in this way, and in this way alone, through the vicarious substitution of Christ for the sinner, that God "can be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus." Rom. 3:26. It is in the light of such considerations that the Scriptures clearly set forth faith in Christ as the one and only means of salvation for man. Jesus Himself said: "If ye believe not that I am He, ye shall die in your sins." John 8:24. And in a similar vein, the disciples declared : "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." Acts 4:12. A re-study of the subject of the Divine Covenants seems most timely in the light of modern opinions which seemingly dispense with the atoning value of Christ's death as a substitute for sinners, and merely see in Him a "good example." Within the doctrine of the covenants, we see in Jesus Christ truly the Lamb of God, the all-necessary and all-sufficient sacrifice for man's redemption ; and in them we can see both how God can save sinners, and be just in doing so, something which has puzzled and perplexed so many through the ages. 31 THE " BLESSED HOPE " FADES (Continued from. page 23.) Darkness settled down over Christendom as the apostate church became more and more powerful. The pope, the bishop of Rome, ascended the throne of the Caesars. Taking the title of Pontifex Maximus, he became Caesar's successor. The church ruled the world. Kings and emperors were to be subject to her will. Few and far between were the voices which now heralded the coming of the Lord. They were not popular. The church no longer felt the need of this hope. The Bible, which gives clear testimony to this hope, was withheld from the people. Ignorance of its promises prevailed. But were the heralds of His coming all dead ? Would they not rise again? What had the future in store for the church? COPYRIGHT ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Cover picture: Camera Clix; page 2, Scheerboom; pages 4.7, Keystone; page 9, S.P. Ltd.; page 10, Three Lions—John H. Eggers Publications and the Brooklyn Museum; page 12, R. & H.; page 13, Camera Clix; pages 14, 15, Studio Lisa; pages 17-21, S.P. Ltd.; page 23, Newton; page 24, Studio Lisa; page 25, Keystone; page 26, E. Hardy; page 26, Camera Clix; page 32, Studio Lisa. WE ARE SURE YOU HAVE ENJOYED READING THIS ISSUE OF " OUR TIMES " WHY NOT BECOME A REGULAR READER ? Fill in the coupon and post with cheque or postal order to : The Circulation Manager, The Stanborough Press Ltd., Watford, Hertfordshire. MINI MN Ell I= I= 111 ❑ My postal subscription of 17/6 for twelve months. ❑ My postal subscription of 8/9 for six months. Place a tick against the order of your choice. I Mr./Mrs./Miss Address I MI — IM Block letters please M. MN .11 The SPOTTED BALL by Vivien Freeman RANDPA was coming! Bobby could hardly wait to see Grandpa's car draw into the driveway. It was always great fun when Grandpa came to stay. Noone could tell such wonderful stories, or play such enjoyable games, or be such fun to work with, as Bobby's much loved grandpa. At last the familiar pale blue car drove into the driveway. G "Grandpa's here!" shouted Bobby as he dashed out of the house to greet him. Mummy and Daddy quickly followed and how they all laughed and talked as they helped to unpack the car. Right at the end, Grandpa produced a large box, and handed it to Bobby. "There's a present for you, son," he said. As fast as he could, Bobby undid his present, and inside was a beautiful shiny, spotted ball. It was nearly the size of a football, and Bobby thought it was quite the nicest ball he had ever seen. "Oh! thank you, Grandpa," he exclaimed, giving him a big kiss. "Now we can have some lovely games together." The next day was warm and sunny, so Bobby and Grandpa took the ball, and had a wonderful game in the garden. Then Grandpa thought it was time they did some work. Bobby helped to get the lawnmower out, and back and forth he walked with Grandpa, emptying the box every time it was full of grass cuttings. Then the edge of the lawn needed clipping, and there wasn't much for Bobby to do, so taking his shiny new ball he went onto the driveway to play bouncing and catching. Suddenly he tripped and fell. My! that concrete was hard, but it didn't do much damage to his 32 knee, so he decided to go on with his game. But where was his ball? Bobby looked all around, and then saw it rolling down the driveway. Quickly he ran after it, but he couldn't stop it rolling out of the open gate. Over the pavement and across the road it rolled, and then it stopped under the back wheel of a van. Bobby looked up the road and down the road—nothing was coming. "Good," he thought, "I'll just run across and get it," when he remembered something Daddy had told him: "Never, never, crawl under a car, or a van, or a lorry— the driver may start it, and drive away, and you would be killed." A little voice inside Bobby whispered: "Go and get it, it wouldn't hurt just once to crawl underneath, and it's your new ball." But another voice seemed to say: "It is always safer to obey Daddy." Bobby knew the "good voice" was Jesus speaking to him. Bobby loved Jesus, so he ran back to Grandpa, and told him what had happened. "Good boy," Grandpa said, patting his head. "I'll get it for you." As they turned the corner of the house, Bobby exclaimed, "The van's gone! but where's my ball?" There on the roadway was a dirty, squashed, spotted piece of (Continued on page 34.) TREES OF THE HOLY LAND 1—The Pine Family by Hilda M. Evans T HEODOR HERZL, the man who dreamed of making Israel a prosperous country, was told by Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany, that the land would belong to the people who would cover its barrenness with trees. He formed the Zionist Movement, whose members are striving to make the land rich and beautiful as it had been centuries ago. Of the many trees planted, the Jerusalem pine is the one most used in the afforestation of Israel. It is a native, and can adapt itself to all climatic and soil conditions, and is planted mainly in the hill regions. The Jerusalem pine is an evergreen, cone bearing tree, which is conical in shape. Its needles grow in pairs, and its winged seeds do not mature until they are three to four years old. Because of the resin and turpentine produced by the tree, pine forests are easily set on fire. Over the years the abundance of seeds form a carpet on the floors of the forests, and from between the blackened stumps of trees, new seedlings shoot up, and a new forest is formed. The stone pine grows straight and tall, but is shaped more like an umbrella, and is one of the best timber trees. All pines are used in building, furniture making, and in the manufacturing of toys. The resin is used in making glue, varnishes, and golden amber for beads and decorative ware. From the pine needles perfume is produced. The seeds taken from the cones are full of oil. Cooked with rice they make a popular Eastern dish. Another member of the family is the fir, which was used to build King Solomon's Temple. This is not the Christmas tree we know, but is a tall tree which sometimes grows 150 feet high. Its large, spreading boughs curve upward at their ends. The flat, two-ranked leaves are dark green above with broad white lines beneath, giving the foliage a beautiful, silvery appearance. The wood is soft, and used in carpentry where it is grown. Although it is not a wood which hardens with age, it is a good wood for supports under water. It does not produce much resin, but the bark contains a large amount of fine turpentine. HIDDEN TREES by G. E. DIGGLE you find the name of a tree mentioned in the Bible hidden in each sentence? CAN I. The book was• full of facts and figures. 2. Grace Darling was a very brave woman. 3. Who's that boy? He's my pal, Mother. 4. Lambs bleat, but cats purr, and frogs croak. 5. I'd go through fire and water for you! (ANSWERS on page 34.) 33 Is your name MICHAEL? by G. E. DIGGLE M ICHAEL is the great Archangel, Leader of the good angels against Satan and his angels in the great and agelong war between good and evil. The name Michael means "Who is like unto God?" Maybe near your home there is a church named after "St. Michael and All Angels"—one of the 700 churches in England so named. Michaelangelo was a genius, both as a sculptor and a painter. From a great block of stone, set aside as useless by other sculptors, he chipped and carved until he produced his finest work, a statue of David. One of his finest paintings is his most awe-inspiring picture entitled, "The Last Judgment." What would we do without electricity in our homes ? One of the men who did much, many years ago, to make this possible was Michael Faraday, the son of a blacksmith, an apprentice bookbinder with a mind that loved to explore. The Spanish form of Michael is Miguel—Christian name of the author of one of the world's greatest stories, Don Quizote. Miguel Cervantes was a very brave, as well as a very talented man. Neither poverty nor imprisonment, nor illhealth nor wounds, could make him bitter. Dan Quixote is a cheerful and good-humoured book, and a very long book, too, for it is said to contain no fewer than 669 different characters. It did what its author intended, and set people laughing at the sickly, romantic novels so popular at the time. Sometimes people can be laughed into being good, rather than nagged into it! The SPOTTED BALL (Continued from page 32.) rubber. You just couldn't call it a ball any more. Bobby felt like crying. "My lovely new ball is spoiled!" he moaned. "My son, if you had crawled under that van, there would be a squashed Bobby lying on the road, as well as a squashed ball. We can go into town and buy another ball right now, but," Grandpa said softly, "we could never buy another Bobby." Suddenly Bobby smiled: "I'm glad I obeyed Jesus' voice," he said. "So am I," Grandpa replied, "and I hope you will always remember to obey Him." ANSWERS TO HIDDEN TREES My De 54.4440.4. Grown-up readers of OUR TIMES have become familiar with the slogan "May for Missions," because May is a special time of the year when an appeal is made in OUR TIMES to aid such poor, suffering people in heathen lands, as are pictured on the centre pages of this magazine. Just before Jesus left this earth to return to His heavenly Father, He gave His disciples, and all the people everywhere who would be His followers, a parting message, or commission. This important message is found in the gospel of Mark, chapter 16, verses 15-20. Since that day, people who have the love and compassion of Jesus in their hearts for others, have preached the Gospel message of salvation from sin, and devoted themselves to the 5 '1C) r 1111;1 'r •TEPD '3 care of the sick and suffering in mind and body. Not everyone is able to go to the mission lands. Most of you are not yet old enough for this service. However, Sunbeams, we can all, even the youngest member, help in two important ways. First, we can pray for the work of the missionaries, and second, we can help provide medicine, bandages, Scripture books, and other vital equipment to do this work, by giving some of our very own pocket money to this worthy cause. Maybe we can spare only a little. But that little, given freely to Jesus can be multiplied many times over. Do you remember the story of the little boy who gave his picnic lunch of two tiny fishes and five bread rolls to Jesus? And how, blessed and multiplied by Him, this simple lunch was used to feed five thousand hungry people? You can read all about this in the gospel of John, chapter 6, verses 1-14. If you would like to do your little bit to help the good work of WorldWide Advent Missions, just send your contribution, no matter how small, to: Sunbeam Mission Fund, .Stanborough Park, Watford, Herts. Your gift will be much appreciated and may accomplish great things. Good-bye for now, Sunbeams, Yours affectionately, RESULTS OF FEBRUARY COMPETITION Prize-winners. — Margaret McNab, 32 Saltown Road, Brixton, London, S.W.2. Age 12; Susan Lusty, 74 Catherine Street, Gloucester. Age 7. See how nicely you can colour this picture and send it with your name, age, and address to Auntie Pam, The Stanborough Press Ltd., Watford, Herts., not later than June 5th. Burt Honourable Mention. -- James (Laurieston); Linda Pringle (Fernhill); Angela Lean (St. Austell); Michael Vaughan (Woodford); Enid Turffrey (Leigh-on-Sea); Stuart Handysides (Lincoln); Martin Sharp (Hornchurch); Clare Smithson (Skegness); Beverley Horwood (Rickmansworth); Carmina DeGale (Fulham, S.W.6.); Malcolm Turner (Norwich); Diane Davies (Plympton); Sylvia Floate (Felixstowe); David Ham (Hull); Stephen Hockett (Southend-on-Sea); Anne Crawford (West Moors); Rosslyn Tilson (Edmonton); Pauline Mason (Garston); Janet Fulcher (Southend-on-Sea); Kevin Sims (Lympstone). Those who tried hard.—Jill Streeter (Norwich); David Lean (St. Austell); Christine Hay (Newbuildings); Jonathan Stewart (Exeter); Carole South (Coven. try); Paul Wright (Plymouth); Christine Clarke (Watford); Deborah Freeman (Clapham); Paul Kirkham (Nottingham); Robert Bennett (Gloucester); Kerry Horracks (Derby); Christine Harrison (Coventry); Christine Thomas (Welwyn Garden City); Roy Lewis (Great Barr); Margaret Ison (Fouldon); Helen Whitfield (Penarth); Anne Wrintmore (Sheffield 11); Eleanor Hinton (Ballymena); Christopher Gray (Westcliff-on-Sea); Joy Plester (Acocks Green); Kenneth Doherty (Ballymoney); Martyn Dymott (Westcliff-on-Sea); Adrian Houston (Ballymena); Linda Watts (Kings- wood). 34 China's threat to peace Historical divide IN a radio broadcast on "Prospects of Peace" Lord Chalfont asserted that China could pose a threat to the peace of the world as formidable as any that had been posed by the Soviet Union, and that the growth of China as a military power may be pointing to a common Soviet-Western interest to combat the menace. LECTURING in Oxford, Alan Bullock, Master of St. Catherine's College, said that most of the trends in art, science, economics, and technology that were to develop in the contemporary world showed themselves between 1895 and 1915. The whole picture of the physical universe was changed, it was the most remarkable period of economic growth, and it saw a series of key developments which were the foundation of twentieth-century technology. Ecumenical dawn UNVEILING a plaque in Geneva commemorating Archbishop Nathan Soderblom of Sweden, Dr. Franklin Clark Fry mentioned that he was the man who in 1919 made the first definite proposal for the creation of an "ecumenical council of churches" from which the present World Council of Churches has emerged. Divisions wide and deep COUNSELLING against both optimism and pessimism in the matter of church unity, Bishop John Moorman of Ripon told a London University "teach-in" that Vatican II had "changed the shape of the whole ecumenical movement," but that "we have still a long way to go—the divisions are wide and deep." Toppled "messiah" Criminals winning in U.S. THE voice that gave the first news that Kwame Nkrumah had been swept from power in Ghana, declared that the "myths of Nkrumah" which had described him as "Africa's Redeemer," "Great Messiah," and the "Christ of our day," had been "broken." SINCE 1959 the crime rate in the United States has grown six times faster than the population increase. Last year there were 8,500 murders. The highest crime rate was in Las Vegas, with Los Angeles a close second. Out of Protestant stream Mental illness in Britain IN a protest by the "Voice of Methodism" against Methodist-Anglican union, one of the objections raised was that it would take Methodism "out of the Protestant stream and put it into the Catholic." A REPORT on mental illness reveals that 32 million working days were lost in 1963-64 through this cause, and that the care of the mentally ill costs the National Health Service more than £140 million a year, or one-eighth of the total cost of the service. It estimates that one in every nine girls aged six now and one in every fourteen boys will need mental treatment at some time in their lives. Ancient monster on view IN the gallery of extinct giants in the Natural History Museum in London, is an impressive addition in the form of the mounted skeleton of the dinosaur Tyrannosaurus rex, the largest flesh-eating animal ever to live on the earth. it is forty feet long, has a four foot skull, and fangs six inches long. In life it weighed seven tons. While there are specimens in America and Eastern Europe, this is the only one in Western Europe. He-Stalinisation "EVIDENCE is mounting," says Edmund Stevens in the Sunday Times, "of a trend toward at least a partial rehabilitation of Stalin." Stalin's works have already been put back into reading lists on "Communist Party history." ****************************** ere Why not invite the into your home THROUGH A FREE BIBLE STUDY COURSE SENT TO YOU BY POST ? WHATEVER YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES — WHATEVER YOUR PERSONAL PROBLEMS —WHATEVER YOUR AGE — NDE1VN, ARTIST Cr 1:E1IEW & HERALD! GOD'S WORD HAS HELP FOR YOU BIBLE FREE HOME STUDY GUIDES THE VOICE OF PROPHECY HOME BIBLE STUDY GUIDES WILL HELP YOU TO FIND IT. JUST FILL IN THE C ING YOUR PREFE LESSONS WILL BE YOU IN PAIRS UNTIL YOU COMPLETED THE COURSE RECEIVED A CERTIFICATE. ARE YOU INTERESTED to know the meaning of world events today? Do you wonder whether there is life after death? Are you interested to find the secret of answered prayer? Then, "GREAT TEACHINGS AND PROPHECIES OF THE BIBLE" will help you. ARE YOU A PARENT OR TEACHER helping children to know more of the wonderful life of Jesus Christ? If so, the "HOPE OF THE WORLD" Bible Study Guides are just what you need. ARE YOU A YOUNG PERSON wishing to become better acquainted with the interesting stories of men and women of Bible times? Then you will find the "YOUNG PEOPLE'S BIBLE COURSE" interesting and informative. .4 -t Please send me the course indicated below. (Tick course desired) 0 GREAT TEACHINGS AND PROPHECIES OF THE BIBLE El HOPE OF THE WORLD (Life of Christ) El YOUNG PEOPLES BIBLE COURSE I COMPLETE COUPON AND POST TO: VOICE OF PROPHECY BIBLE SCHOOL, Mr./Mrs./Miss I Address OT BLOCK LETTERS PLEASE 123 REGENT STREET, LONDON, W.I.
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