Pardon me for the delay in acknowledging your letter earlier. I had to go to the North Western Provinces in search of some famine widows, and returned home last week. The plague has reappeared in Poona and is causing much distress in the city. I had to attend to some sick people and to make arrangements for the removal of those for whom it would not be advisable to remain in Poona. *** Thank you most gratefully for the generous donation of 1085 rupees ($350.00) which you sent for the support of my famine girls. You will be interested to know that there are nearly THREE HUNDRED famine girls in my charge at this time. *** I WANT YOU TO PRAY FOR THE SALVATION OF MY NEW CHILDREN. Please pray for me also that I may be kept very close to the Lord and follow Him in all things. With kind Christian regards, believe me Yours in the Lord's service, RAMABAI. SHARADA SADAN, POONA, INDIA. Nov. 4, 1897. I received your kind note of Oct. 1st, with its enclosed draft for Rs. 1085 ($350.00) for the support of my famine girls. I thank you most gratefully for your continued interest and kindness. *** Yours in the Lord's service, RAMABAI. SHARADAN SADAN, POONA, INDIA. Nov. 12, 1897. DEAR FRIENDS:--I promised to write to you more about my famine girls by this week's mail, and I do so with great pleasure. Just now I am staying in our farm at Bori Khedgaum, about thirty-six miles from Poona. Here we are having homes built for the famine girls. About 152 of these girls are staying bere, and 150 are living in Poona in two hired bungalows. The plague is carrying a great many people away. Poona is nearly desolated and nobody's life is safe. Yet the Lord has been very gracious to us, and we are living in the midst of death and desolation, trusting in the everlasting mercy of the Lord. He has been blessing my family very much lately. Nearly two hundred of these girls have accepted the Lord Jesus as their Saviour, and 112 of the converted girls have been baptized. The rest EXTRACTS FROM PANDITA RAMABAI'S REPORT FOR THE PAST YEAR. "In October last I heard of the terrible famine in the Central Provinces, and received my call from God to go there and rescue some of the young widows who were starving to death. It was not until the last week of December that I had the courage to obey the call. There were many obstacles. I was doubtful whether I could get any of the kind of girl widows whom I could admit in my school. The next chief difficulty was the want of place to shelter the girls and of money to maintain them, even if they were to be had. So I did not venture at first to step out of Poona, but my conscience began to trouble me for not having obeyed the call at once, and I was obliged to leave my comfortable nest and go out to the Central Provinces in search of the poor widow girls who were dying of starvation. The Lord put it in my mind to rescue three hundred girls; and in less than ten months from the time when I began the rescue work, the Lord has given me nearly three hundred girls from the famine districts. These are my own girls, and I am free to bring them up in the fear of God; praise the Lord! Still, no one of them is compelled to become a Christian. I give them the same religious freedom as the old girls have always had. And yet, most of these new girls delight to attend prayer, and to hear the Word of God read to them. *** "I must here record heartfelt gratitude and give thanks to the dear children of God who have so generously sent donations from all parts of the world for the support of my famine girls. I am glad to be able to say that most of the girls, who had been nothing but skeletons and wild like the beasts of the jungle, are now looking fat and humanized. Many of them show great intelligence and eagerness to learn. Those who have professed faith in Christ are showing signs of a real change of heart by serving and helping other girls, by their self-forgetfulness and love toward one another. Many of them have learnt to read in an incredibly short time and will soon be placed in higher standards, and I do hope that they will be the shining lights in different parts of the country where it may please God to send them in future." Conn. Mrs. J. B., London, Ontario... "Heathcote," Ky... Carrubber's Close Mission, Edinburg, Scotland..... Miss M. A. H., E. Northfield, Mass., Miss S. A. G., Catskill Station, N. Y. St. Paul, Secretary of Christian Endeavor, Wilton, N. H.... "A promise to God". Mrs. M. K. J., New York City. "A Friend", London, Ky.... Dr. W. F. B., Colo...... Miss B, E. Northfield, Mass.. Miss S. E. B., Atlanta... Mrs. W. E. D., New York City.. Mrs. A. R. F., New York City.. C. M. H., New York City... Mrs. D. B., Newark, N. J... E. S. P., Canyon City, Colo. Miss J. H., Darlington, Wis.... "Inasmuch" Circle of King's Daughters, Madison Ave. Reformed Ch. AN EXPOSITION OF PSALM XXVII. C. H. SPURGEON. Verse 1. The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? If a man has a light that can never go out, -a sun which will never set,-and a salvation which must always save,—and God is all that and more to every one who trusts Him, then what ground has he for fear? I. The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? If I live in Him, and He lives in me, who can kill me? Who can hurt me? If He is my strength, what duty will be impossible? What suffering will crush me? "Of whom shall I be afraid?" 2. When the wicked, even mine enemies 35.00 2.00 17.50 35.00 17.50 .75 175.00 25.00 17.50 5.00 1.00 5.00 17.50 17.50 25.00 6.00 35.00 17.50 10.00 17.50 5.00 17.50 50.00 18.00 175.00 17.50 5.00 3.00 17.50 $3,230.25 and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. They were both wicked in character, and fierce in disposition, for they had resolved to eat him right up, as wild beasts might have done. They were successful as far as they were permitted to go, for he says, "They came upon me." Yet he needed not to lift either sword or spear against them, for "they stumbled and fell" of themselves. Such is the power of God that He soon discovers the weakness of the adversaries of His people. 3. Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear;— It is then that we mostly do fear, before the fight begins, when the enemy lies encamped against us. We do not know how strong is the foe, nor what mischief he is going to do to us, and the uncertainty often brings a dread with it; yet, says the psalmist, "Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear." 3. Though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident. Let my enemies begin the battle, let the noise and the smoke and the dust of the fight surround me, I will still be "Calm 'mid the bewild'ring cry, Confident of victory." 4. One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after;— It is a grand thing to get your heart so focused that it has but one desire, and then to be aroused to the practical pursuit of that one object. 4. That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple. Is it possible for a man to live in God's house all his days? Oh, yes! Good men do not desire impossibilities. "But," you say, "we cannot always be in the church or meeting house." No; and even if you were, you might not be in God's house any the more for that; but to be like a child at home with God wherever you may be, to live in Him and with Him wherever you are, this is to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of your life. You may begin dwelling in the lower rooms of that house even now; and, by and by, He will call to you and say, "Friend, come up higher," and you will ascend to the upper room where the glorified dwell forever with their God. It is my one desire always to be— "No more a stranger or a guest, But like a child at home,"— at home with my God all the days of my life, that I may behold His unutterable beauty, and that I may enquire in His temple what is His will, and what are the exceeding great and precious promises which He has made to me in His Word. 5. For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion: If you live in God, it matters little whether you have trouble or delight, for you shall be hidden in His pavilion. 5. In the secret of His tabernacle shall He hide me; He shall set me up upon a rock. There is the pavilion of sovereignty; there is the tabernacle of sacrifice; there is the rock of immutability; and he who can get in or on those three places is the safest man under heaven. Hidden in God's royal tent, secreted in the innermost shrine of Deity, -the holy of holies, and set up by the Lord Himself upon an uncrumbling rock, what more can he desire? 6. And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in His tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the Lord. David always comes back to his God; nay, he does not go away from Him. Trusting Him, praising Him, adoring Him,-this is the very life of this Psalm, as it ought to be of our whole life. The psalmist says, "I will sing;"' but the next verse is, 7. Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me, and answer me. One moment he praises, and the next moment he prays. That is quite right. I have often said to you that we live by breathing in and breathing out; we breathe in the atmosphere of heaven by prayer, and we breathe it out again by praise. Prayer and praise make up the essentials of the Christian's life. Oh, for more of them,-not prayer without praise, nor praise without prayer! Prayer and praise, like the two horses in Pharaoh's chariot, make our Christian life to run smoothly and swiftly to God's honor and glory. 8. When Thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto Thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek. As if it were an echo, "Thy face, Lord, will I seek." And he did seek it, and seek it at once. But, oh! there are many who have long been called to seek God's face, who have never obeyed the summons; are you among that number? If so, the Lord have mercy upon you, and call you yet again! When He says, "Seek ye My face," answer, "Thy face, Lord, will I seek." he pleads the past a reason for mercy in the present: "Thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation." It is a very bad thing to live on past experiences alone; we want fresh visitations from God. Old manna and old experiences soon become corrupt; but you can make some use of your past experience, as you may have seen the bargeman do on the canal, you may push backward to send your boat forward. Sometimes, when you have but little hope within you, you may recollect what God did for you in the past, and then you can plead with Him to do the same again: "Thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation."' IO. When my father and my mother for sake me then the Lord will take me up. My father and my mother are the last to forsake me; they were the first to love me, and they will be the last to leave me, but if they do leave me, then Jehovah will take me up, and He will be both father and mother to me." Just as it was said to Naomi concerning Ruth, "Thy daughter in law, which loveth thee, is better to thee than seven sons;" so may the Lord say to His bereaved people, “Am I not better unto you than father, or mother, or sister, or children, or wife, or husband? Am I not better than all beside? Can you not find all in me? "The Lord will take me up." What a beautiful figure this is! The child seems deserted, but God takes it up, and carries it in His bosom. "Oh, I am no child!" says one. But do you not recollect that precious text, "Even to your old age I am He; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you," you old ones as well as young ones, "I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you."' You "I had fainted unless I had believed." have the choice between these two things, you must either faint or have faith. Faith is the blessed smelling-bottle that will often prevent a fainting fit. Get but a sniff of the promises, do but know how strong they are, and your poor flagging spirit will revive. "I had fainted, unless I had believed to see." What? "Believed to see?" That is David's way of putting it. Many want to see to believe; that is our carnal way, but the faithway, the gracious way is, "I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of Jehovah in the land of the living. ' 14. Wait on the Lord; be of good cour age and He shall strengthen thine heart: wait I say, on the Lord. He is worth waiting upon. God help us all to wait on Him, for His dear name's sake! Amen. THE SECRET OF SOUL SAVING. There can be no doubt but that large numbers of Christians desire to win souls to Christ, But how to perform the work is a question. No wonder this question arises. It is certainly a stupendous work. We have learned by the word of God, Dan. xii. 3, that "they that turn many to righteousness shall shine as the stars for ever and ever." And in Matt. xvi. 26, by the question of the Lord Jesus that one soul is worth more than all the commercial value of this world. Now, how to bring souls to Christ is the longing desire of many Christians. One thing is needful above all others. We may talk about holy living and Christian example; Bible study and religious instruction; going to church and attending to religious forms; make outward Christian professions, and give strict attention to the ordinances of 1 the Lord's house, and any one or all of these will fail to affect the work of winning souls unless you have a passion for souls. This is indispensable to effective work. Jesus is, without controversy, the Author of salvation, and we must not be careless or blind to His methods of doing the work. He everywhere carried a heart of love, burdened for sinners; and this he carried with Him to the day of the cross. At the cross, "being in an agony He prayed more earnestly." What for? For souls. Here Christ was opening the door of salvation to a lost world, and at the very threshold of the door He gave to His ministers and people the secret way of doing the work. They must have agony in prayer. Nothing can be a substitute for this. No marvel that the great apostle to the Gentiles, who had passed the dark ways of sin and been delivered from its sad bondage, and was called out to the great work of soul-saving, should cry out (Phil. iii. 10), "That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death."' Here was a servant of God, an apostle of Jesus Christ, who was in the earnest work of soul-saving, crying out for the fellowship of Christ's sufferings in his work. Surely he struck the vital chord of success in bringing men to Christ and the highway of holiness. It is a wonder that there are so many in our homes and churches who seem to have so little concern to put stars in the diadem of Jesus. The need of personal acquaintance with the spirit and power of Jesus in the saving of souls is great. The supply from Himself is untold. You cannot do a greater thing to exhalt His name than to bring souls to Him, that He may save them. To do this work demands power, and this can alone be obtained by sitting at His feet to learn of Him, and seek the fellowship of His sufferings. As He, through the baptism of sorrow, wrought mightily in saving souls, so Christians seeking the possession of divine power will turn many to righteousness. During long years in the revival work I have never seen any measure so effective in bringing men to Christ, as days and nights of prayer. It is to be feared that amid the many forces that are employed to win souls, this secret mainspring of victory is being by far too much overlooked. If by some means in the hand of God, the homes and churches could be aroused to this one vital experience in the great work of soul saving what might we not expect and see? I am glad that there is a spirit of inquiry abroad upon this subject. There is a state of restlesness among the people of God as to how they may win souls. "I will be inquired of by the house of Israel to do it for them; I will increase them with men like a flock." It is the privilege and necessity of every Christian to have power with God and with men. This they may have by asking for the anointing of the Holy Spirit. The last words of Jesus, before He made His ascension were, "You shall have power when the Holy Ghost has come upon you." New York City. THE PROGRESS OF THE GOSPEL IN INDIA. Bishop J. M. Thoburn has given an encouraging report of Christian missions in India that will be heartily welcomed by those who have aided him in his work. Writing in the London Christian he says: "An impression prevails widely in both England and America that converts in India are comparatively few, and that missionaries are for the most part still in the position of the disciples in their long night of toil-laboring hard, but catching nothing. Thirty or forty years ago this illustration would have described the situation, but it is by no means applicable to the present day. The mass of the higher classes, both Hindu and Moham medan, still hold aloof from the missionary, but not at all so universally as in former years. "A marked change, however, has come over large sections of the community known as the 'depressed classes,' embracing all those lowcastes and outcasts who are found below the line of social respectability. These number about fifty millions, and are found in all parts of India. The Hindu social system is so constructed that the presence of a certain proportion of these people is a necessity to every village, and hence they may be looked for wherever the missionary goes. During the past ten years |