farm house with very reluctant but thankful hearts for all we had learned freshly of God's goodness both in Nature and in His Word. E make short work of our threshing and winnowing now, compared with what we used to do in former days. A stack of corn is threshed and winnowed in a few hours now. The wheat and chaff are separated from the straw. Then the wheat is separated from the chaff. The methods are different, but the result is the same as in old time. The wheat is never sent to the miller with the chaff mixed with it. "" This is a parable. It is said of the Lord Jesus Christ that His "fan is in His hand." The fan is the ancient winnowing-machine. The wheat and chaff were laid, mixed together, upon the floor. Then a large fan was passed quickly to and fro over it, till all the chaff was blown away and only the wheat left on the floor. So the righteous and the wicked, the children of God and the children of the wicked one, those who belong to Christ and those to whom He will say, I never knew you"-they are mixed together now in the company of those who profess and call themselves Christians. They live in the same place, they read the same Bible, they pray to the same God, yes, and they kneel at the same table. We often see the difference with our eyes, for chaff is very different from wheat; but we may not, we cannot separate. Now is the time for being mixed. They that are of God are very different from them that are of the world. Their conversation is different, their love, their hearts are different, just as wheat is different from chaff. It is very painful, to those who are born of God, to be mixed with those who are only born of the flesh. Sometimes they are tempted to avoid the sorrow and to escape the cross, by separating themselves from other Christians, and trying to form a purer church of their own. But this is not God's way. The wheat and the tares are to be mixed together to the end (Matt. xiii. 30); and so are the good and bad fish (verse 49), and so are the wheat and the chaff. The fan is His. It is in His hand. And when He comes 228 INDIA'S CHILDREN IN MASULIPATAM. He will thoroughly cleanse His floor from all chaff (Matt. iii. 12; Luke iii. 17): We must not think that God is taking no notice of us, because - He allows us to be in this mixed condition now. His eye separates now, and when the Son of Man comes in His glory, His hand will then hold the fan. He will separate (Matt. xxv. 31, 32). He will divide them far apart. Not one husk of chaff will then be mixed with the wheat. Not one grain of wheat will be left overlooked among the chaff. The separation will be perfect. It will be eternal (Matt xxv. 46). The wheat will be safely garnered in that happy home where the wicked cease from troubling, and the weary are at rest (Job iii. 17). All, you see, is His; His fan, His hand, His floor, His garner. So all will be well done. Let those who love the Lord wait patiently, walking in love, striving after holiness, labouring to win sinners to the Saviour, until the great winnowingday comes, when the Lord will gather THE WHEAT into His garner. "But the ungodly are not so, but are like THE CHAFF which the wind driveth away; therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous" (Psa. i. 4, 5). Your end, if you are not a child of the kingdom (Matt. xiii. 37-43), will be very terrible. "The chaff He will burn up with unquenchable fire." He will make short work of it (Rom. ix. 28). It will be His doing; so there can be no escape. Yes, and this too is His doing, that you should be reading this magazine. You hold in your hand His messenger, to call you to repentance, to bid you flee from the wrath to come, to beseech you to be reconciled to God. "For He hath made Him to be made sin for us who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Cor. v. 20, 21). [Copies of this paper may be had on application to Rev. J. E. Sampson, Barrow, Hull, price 1s. 6d. per 100, post free.] INDIA'S CHILDREN IN MASULIPATAM. BY GERALDINE SYMES. WANT to thank you cordially for your welcome support to the Caste Girls' School in Masulipatam, which we pleaded for. You will be glad to hear that some little time since I was enabled to send £20 to the treasurer of the Zenana Missionary Society at Harrow, and we trust, through the continued liberality of our friends, to be able to add £10 to the above sum by the end of this year; so we INDIA'S CHILDREN IN MASULIPATAM. 229 are proving the "power of united littles," and to Him shall be all the praise. The contributors will rejoice to hear that the sum thus collected will, very materially, support two schools in the Parrots' village of Masulipatam. The Caste Girls' School has been established about five months, and has an attendance of from eighteen to twenty-two girls-some are over eighteen years of age-which is a most unusual thing in this part of India, as they generally leave school at about twelve years old. These children answer very well in Scripture, but they do not sing as well as the little ones in the Low Caste School a short distance off. In this last school, established about the same time, there are from sixteen to twentyfour children attending, five or six boys being among the number. The elder children are preparing for the Government examination in October, and are almost through the first catechism, a book written for heathens, explaining in simple Telugu the chief truths of the Christian religion. In both these schools the children write and do their sums in the sand, and it is a very pretty sight to see these tiny mites sitting in rows on the ground and making their letters, repeating each as they are written, and moving their bodies backwards and forwards all at the same time! Slates were given lately to those preparing for examinations, which is considered a great privilege. These Schools are taught in verandas, as there is not money enough to get houses at present. This is very trying to teachers and pupils, on account of the heat and the glare of the sun on the white sand. They are also constantly interrupted by the women who collect outside to talk and make remarks about the lady teachers. They cannot be persuaded to go away! I hope if our funds continue to increase, the missionary ladies may be able to hire rooms for these Schools. One of our collectors, only fifteen years old, has obtained 12s. amongst her companions who are employed in the same warerooms. And a tiny friend of six goes round the village once a month eagerly gathering up the pennies promised to our Schools. I was much cheered by a letter from a domestic servant who has been enabled, by the grace of God, to give up taking beer for the last two years. She now devotes the money thus gained, which amounts to £2 10s. a year, towards helping on the Lord's work in different ways. She says she thinks many other Christian servants would like to do the same, if they only knew how well they could get on without this luxury to which she had so long been accustomed. I do thank you most heartily for your prayers and contributions, 230 99 66 A MISSIONARY IN THE HOSPITAL. . which I feel 'sure will be continued. "Hitherto hath the Lord helped us,' so that we may boldly say:" "He is faithful that promised." If any would like little pink collecting cards to hold 120 pence I shall be most happy to send them; or the same for entering names of subscribers, if any will apply to me as before, to care of the Rev. C. A. Fox, 1, Coleshill-street, Eaton-square, London, S.W. Those donations received from friends who have not given their address are acknowledged with many thanks-George Moxon, £1; S. S. H., 10s. ; C. Š., 5s♪; A Prayerful Friend, 4s.; from Gork, 38. 6d.; W., 2s. 6d.; G. C., Member of C. P. Union, and C. E.S., 28. each; Anon. and Member of C. P. Union, 18. each; per Miss Stonehouse, Nottingham, £2 7s. A MISSIONARY IN THE HOSPITAL. E have been reading in these pages lately about various ways of sending God's Word into hospitals, and of ministering to His sick and suffering ones in them by means of flowers and shells. Now let us look at the other side of the picture,-it is a very bright one and see one of His children in the hospital ministering God's Word, and becoming such a blessing to those in health as well as to the sick ones around her. The incident is taken from a very interesting little book, which we are sure all our readers would liké, called "A Missionary in the Hospital," by a Visitor. (Published by Partridge & Co., Paternoster-row, London, E.C., price one halfpenny). "One day three ladies called to see a young woman they knew in a hospital in Exeter. They had come there to attend a ball, and took the opportunity of visiting Sarah. "They expressed much pleasure in seeing her, but much concern at her increased illness. One of them said: "Dear Sarah, I do pity you; how sad it must be to be confined as you are to your bed. We are so happy; we are going to the ball tonight and shall be so merry and gay.' "Dear ladies,' said Sarah, 'I thank you for your kind concern for But will you forgive me if I tell you I pity you?' me. "Pity us, Sarah! Why, what can you mean?' "Why, Miss, when the ball is over what happiness will you have A MISSIONARY IN THE HOSPITAL. 231 gained? I am far richer than you, and have more to make me happy.' "How so, Sarah?? “I will tell you, Miss. I am happy in the firm hope that God is my Father, Jesus my Saviour, and Heaven my home! You will be all gaiety to-night in a splendidly-lighted room, while the dim light of the rushlight will be all that can be seen here; but the light of God's countenance will shine into my soul and chase away the darkness. You will be charmed with the sound of beautiful music. I shall hear no sound but the footstep of the night-nurse and the moans of fellowsufferers; but Jesus will speak to me in tones of sweetest music, saying, "Let not your heart be troubled, in my Father's house are many mansions." You will be dressed in beautiful attire; the simple night-dress is all I can wear; but the robe of Christ's righteousness is prepared for me now, and the "white robe" of those "who come out of great tribulation hereafter. Oh dear ladies, I would not change places with you, poor and suffering though I am, if by so doing I must lose "Christ in me the hope of glory." ; "And this confession of Christ was not lost upon those ladies: one of them told Sarah afterwards, that amidst all the pleasures of the ball-room, she could not forget what Sarah had said to her and ultimately it led to her renunciation of the world; and the entire dedication of herself to Christ. And I was told sometime afterwards that the three sisters all became devoted Christians. "I left Exeter sometime after this, and was told that dear Sarah continued a great sufferer for many months, and then died calm and happy, rejoicing in hope of the glory of God: and who can say how many happy spirits she may have met in Heaven who were brought there through her instrumentality as a 'MISSIONARY IN THE HOSPITAL.?” ROYAL TESTIMONY. A very beautiful cross has just been erected over a grave in Brompton Cemetery, which bears the following interesting inscription: "In memory of Elizabeth Jones, who died May 18, 1881, for 14 years the faithful servant and friend of Alexandra, Princess of Wales, by whom this monument is erected. "Life's race well run, Life's work well done, Life's crown well won, "Blessed are the dead who died in the Lord." -The Home Friend. |