Young People's Department.

[All communications referring to this department should be sent to the editor, Miss Anna W. Pierson, 1127 Dean St., Brooklyn, N. Y.]

The Two Mitts.

Did you ever want anything awful bad and then have it come? Then you know how I felt when that package came from my auntie in New York, and I opened it and found a pair of real silk mitts. Jack said they were just "splendor-if-ic," and Jack's my brother, and he knows. I had wanted some for ever so long, but I didn't say much about it, 'cause when you live in a little cuddled-up house, and your papa has to buy bread and shoes for so many, the money all flies away before it gets round to what little girls want.

I don't know how aunt found it out, unless Santa Claus told her, and it wasn't near Christmas time, either. They were such pretty brown mitts. Tilly Jones said they were just the color of my hands, but I didn't care for that. Little hands will get brown when they weed the garden, and do so many things. I looked at them most a hundred times in two days, I guess, and then it came Sunday. Wasn't I glad! I put them on and walked to church, just so. Jack said I held my paws like a scared rabbit, but I didn't ever see a rabbit with mitts on.

It isn't right to think too much about what you wear when you go to Sunday school, and by and by I didn't, for we had such a good Sunday school I forgot everything else. A missionary man told all the folks about some poor little children away off; how the fire had burned down their schoolhouse, and they hadn't any nice houses, or clothes, or anything, but they were trying so hard to get along and to learn; and he said what was given to those little ones was just the same as given to Jesus. Think of that! Just the same as giving to the dear Christ child! I just supposed everybody would give. Why, some of the folks are worth as much as ten dollars, or a hundred, and yet that basket stayed 'most empty.

I did wish I was rich, and all at once I remembered the poor widow in the Bible. I'd read it that very morning, how she had

given her two mitts, every living mitt she had; it said so. So I slipped mine off and dropped them into the basket, and I was glad, if my throat did choke all up. But pretty soon, when that basket was carried up, the gentleman picked them right out. "Has any little girl lost her gloves?" Nobody said anything, and he asked again: "Did any little girl drop her gloves in the basket by mistake?" It was awful still in the room, and I thought he was looking right at me, so I had to say something. "It wasn't a mistake," I told him; "I wanted to help and hadn't any money, but I knew how that poor woman in the Bible gave her two mitts, and so- Then those folks just

shouted, they did! and I felt as if I'd like to drop right down through the floor.

I knew I had made some dreadful blunder, but I couldn't see what, for if m-i-t-e-s don't spell mitts, what does it spell? 'Course I cried, but my teacher put her arm right round me and whispered, "Never mind, little Nellie;" and she stood up and said, with her voice all trembling: "Dear friends, this little girl has given her greatest treasure; have we older ones done as much?" Some way, the money just poured into that basket after that, and the missionary looked gladder. They brought my mitts back to me, and teacher said she would show me how to get some money to give. But oh, how full that basket was! And when that gentleman counted it his eyes grew all wet, and he said softly (though I didn't know what he meant), "A little child shall lead them."-Selected.

Peter, the Gobbler.

"Just look at that old turkey, auntie!" cried little Jean.

"Yes, auntie, do come," begged Rob; "he has puffed himself up like a big balloon about to fly away."

So auntie came across the room and stood in the open door, where her little city guests were gazing with delighted eyes at a brood of young turkeys.

"Why, that is Old Peter," she said, pointing to the gobbler who was making himself so ridiculous. "I could tell you quite a long story about him."

"Please tell it," they cried.

"He is quite an old fellow now, but I remember the time when he was a tiny ball of down, pecking in a stupid way at the crumbs of bread I showered down into the coop, where his mother was trying to teach him and ten brothers and sisters to take a first breakfast. The little brood did not thrive; the damp spring weather did not agree with them, and one by one they fell away until none was left but Pete. We fed him carefully, and when the warm days came he grew big and strong.

"In August we discovered that his mother had a nest down in the orchard in the soft grass. Peter followed her, showing her the greatest affection. Soon she commenced to sit, and still he could not leave her. What was our surprise to find that Peter was also sitting!

"Yes, there he was, close beside his mother, on three eggs he had managed to scratch from beneath her. There he remained, never leaving his self-appointed task until some funny little creatures broke the shell and nestled close to the warm feathers above them. Even then this dutiful son did not consider his work complete, for he helped to take care of his small brothers and sisters until they were grown. -Presbyterian.

Studies in the Gospel.

Death of John Baptist. Miracles of Jesus. First week...

(2) That if we allow our hearts to become hardened by the world it is difficult for the Word of God to bear fruit in us.

(3) That our hearts must be prepared by God if we are to receive His Word and understand it.

(4) That we must not allow worldly things to take our thoughts away from God.

(5) That if our hearts are right in God's sight our lives will bear fruit to His glory.

CORRECT ANSWERS GIVEN BY

Edna and Irving Anness, Mildred and Marietta Coonrod, Alma Schmalgemier, Katie Haynes, Mary and Bessie Thompson.

Second week..

.Matt. xiv. 1-36 .Mark vi. 1-56 Third week....Luke ix. 1-17; John vi. 1-37 Fourth week.. John vi. 23-71

13.

Thou wast slain in thy high places. A woman of good understanding. 17. He did eat continually at the king's table. 18. From the soul of his foot even unto the crown of his head there was no blemish in him.

19. Thou hast sold thyself to work evil in the sight of the Lord.

20. The Word of the Lord in thy mouth is truth.

NOTICE.

Hidden Heroes Prize Contest closes with this issue. Both sets of answers are to be found without help from anyone, and must be sent in before December 1. Many boys and girls are trying for this prize, and there is a chance for all.

Jer. x. 10-16-"But the Lord is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting King; at His wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide His indignation. Thus shall ye say unto them, The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall perish from the earth, and from under these heavens. He hath made the earth by His power, He hath established the world by His wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by His discretion. When He uttereth His voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens, and He causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth. He maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of His treasures. Every man is brutish in his knowledge; every founder is confounded by the graven image; for his molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them. They are vanity, and the work of errors; in the time of their visitation they shall perish. The portion of Jacob is not like them; for He is the former of all things; and Israel is the rod of His inheritance; the Lord of Hosts is His name.

(Note the context vs. 3-9, especially 5, 8, 9.) God is here distinguished from idols, which are things, not persons, "speak not," "cannot go," "cannot do good, neither is it in them to do evil;" but Jehovah is wiser than "all the wise men," is "the living God," "an everlasting King," a being who hath "wrath and indignation" separate from His creatures-"at His wrath the earth trembleth and the nations are not able to abide His indignation."

Acts xiv. 15-"And saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein." 1 Thes. i. 9—“For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God."

2 Chron. xvi. 9-"For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward Him."

Ps. xciv. 9, 10— -"He that planted the ear, shall He not hear? He that formed the eye, shall He not see? He that chastiseth the heathen, shall not He correct? He that teacheth man knowledge, shall not He know?" (and numerous other passages).

FIRST PROPOSITION: God is a living God.

He hears, sees, knows, feels, wills, acts, is a person. He is to be distinguished from idols, which are things, not persons. He is to be distinguished from the works of His hands which He formed.

NOTE.-Personality is characterized by knowledge, feeling, and will. Some confuse personality with corporeity.

II. GOD'S RELATION TO THE AFFAIRS OF ΜΕΝ.

Josh. iii. 10-"And Joshua said, Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among you, and that He will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Hivites, and the Perizzites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Jebusites."

Daniel vi. 20-22-"And when he came to the den he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel; and the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions? Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live forever. My God hath sent His angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me; forasmuch as before Him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt."

Heb. x. 28-31-"He that despised Moses

law died without mercy under two or three witnesses. Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? For we know Him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me; I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, the Lord shall judge His people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." SECOND PROPOSITION: God has a present, personal interest and an active hand in the affairs of men. He makes a path for His people and leads them. He delivers, saves, and punishes.

The God of the Bible is not only to be distinguished from the God of the pantheist, who has no existence separate from His creation, but also from the God of the deist, who has created the world and put into it all the necessary powers of self-action and development, and set it going, and left it to go of itself. God is personally and actively present in the affairs of the universe.

III. GOD AS CREATOR.

Gen. i. 1-"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth."

Jno. i. 1-3-"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made."

Biblical Notes and Queries.

BY REV. C. I. SCOFIELD, D.D.

Rev. T. C. A., Northport, Wn.

1. The latter rain" (James v. 7) refers to the effusion of the Spirit during the “great tribulation" which runs its course between the rapture of the church (1 Thess. iv. 14-19) and the glorious appearing of the Lord (Matt xxiv. 29, 30). From Rev. vii. 4-17, we learn that "the great tribulation" (the Revised Version correctly renders verse 14) will be a time of marvelous ingathering. Not only an elect number out of Israel, but "a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues," are said by "one of the elders" to be the saved "which came out of the great tribulation." It is inconceivable that so prodigious a number could be brought to Christ in so brief a time without some remarkable effusion of the Spirit. As Pentecost was undoubtedly the "early rain" so the tribulation effusion is to be understood as the "latter rain."

2. Fasting, as a New Testament exercise, rests upon the authority of Matt. ix. 14, 15; Acts xiii. 2, 3; xiv. 23. It need not be said that it would be wholly opposed to the liberty which is in Christ Jesus" to conclude from the passages quoted that fasting is obligatory, or a spiritual exercise for which a "day" may properly be "appointed." Under law true fasting (see Isaiah lviii.) was in itself meritorious; under grace it is a means, not an end.

E. L. M., New York City.

I. The "end of the Lord," James v. 11, means the "end" or outcome of the Lord's dealing with His servants in affliction, as in Job's case. The "end" is increased fruitfulness (Job xlii. 10; John xv. 2), and proves that the Lord, whom we have thought of as bearing too hardly upon us, "is very pitiful and of tender mercy."

3. The different names of Deity in the Old Testament are, as you know, distinguished in the English Bible by the use of different words and type. Lord stands for Adonai.

That the Adonai of the Old Testament is the Christ of the New is proved by our Lord's own words in Matt. xxii. 42-45. The passage quoted is Psalm cx. 1, "Jehovah said unto my Adonai," etc.

4. When the pre-exilic prophets of Judah and Israel are mentioned in Christian literature (as in Part V., Sec., II. of my Correspondence Course, to which you refer), only the writing prophets are meant.

I. H. P., Asheville, N. C.

There are no better books on fulfilled prophecy than "The Jew in Prophecy and Fulfillment," by Professor Kellogg; and "Israel my Glory," by Dr. Wilkinson.

Anonymous.

1. Prophecy is, so far as I know, silent about "the new form of government rising up in the colonies and dependencies of three of the mother countries." Prophecy, so far as it relates to civil government preceding the millennium, paints in broad outline, rather than in minute detail. The image vision of Nebuchadnezzar (Dan. ii. ) and the beast vision of Daniel (Dan. vii.), give the broad outline down to the destruction of antiChrist. The two visions tell the same story, the difference being that Nebuchadnezzar's vision gives the outward and imposing form of Gentile government; the beast vision the spirit of that government. The foreview is of four successive empires:

anti-Christ, the "little horn" of Dan. vii., the "man of sin" of Paul, the "beast out of the earth" of John (2 Thess. ii. 1-10; Rev. xiii. 1-8). This fearful being establishes (after a period of socialistic anarchy, Rev. vi.), under the form of a federal empire, the most oppressive despotism of all human history; a despotism mingled with the blasphemy of self-deification. The blessed catastrophe is the smiting of that federated, ten-kingdomed despotism by the returning Christ, the "stone" of Dan. ii. That philosophic socialism, degenerating into bloody anarchy, will precede and make possible the despotism of anti-Christ is also clear from Scripture.

2. No. Ancient socialism is wholly unlike anti-Christ's government.

3. Yes. Anti-Christ is to appear as a little horn among the horns of the Roman beast of Daniel vii.

On

3. Since the ascension of Christ those who die in the Lord do not "go to the same place to which Christ went when He died." He went to hades, which is the place of departed spirits. Until the ascension of Christ, hades was in two divisions with a "gulf fixed" (Luke xvi. 26) between. the paradise side of that gulf were the spirits of the just; not "asleep" but "comforted," and very much alive. To the paradise of hades Christ went with the repentant thief. When He ascended He "led a multitude of captives" (Eph. iv. 8-10) and, as we learn from 2 Cor. xii. 1-4, "paradise" is now identical with "the third heaven." Jesus "descended" into paradise; Paul was "caught up into paradise." Your difficulty lies in identifying the repentant thief with his body. Doubtless, his body is "still waiting for the trumpet to sound."