Volume 53 WARBURTON, VICTORIA, AUGUST 1, 1949 Number 31 a inanainairaPir•ain a Poetry and Song MRS. E. %G. WHITE "Thy statutes have been my song in the Who hath cleft a channel for the water- house of my pilgrimage." flood, Or a way for the lightning of the thunder; The earliest as well as the most sublime To cause it to rain on a land where no of poetic utterances known to man are man is; found in the Scriptures. Before the oldest On the wilderness, wherein there is no of the world's poets had sung, the shepherd man; of Midian recorded those words of God To satisfy the waste and desolate ground; to Job—in their majesty unequalled, un- And to cause the tender grass to spring approached, by the loftiest productions of forth?" human genius:— "Canst thou bind the sweet influences of "Where was thou when I laid the fotrida- the Pleiades, tions of the earth? Or loose the bands of Orion? Or who shut up the sea with doors, Canst thou bring forth Mazzaroth in his When it brake forth; . season? When I made the cloud the garment And He hath blessed, and I cannot Or canst thou guide Arcturus with his reverse it. thereof, sons?" And thick darkness a swaddling-band He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, for it, Neither hath He seen perverseness in For beauty of expression read also the Israel; And prescribed for it My decree, description of spring-time from the "Song The Lord his God is with him, And set bars and doors, of Songs":— And said, Hitherto shalt thou come, but' And the shout of a King is among no further; "Lo, the winter is past, them. And here shall thy proud waves be stayed? The rain is over and gone; Surely there is no enchantment against The flowers appear on the earth; Jacob, "Hast thou commanded the morning since The time of the singing of birds is come, Neither is there any divination against And the voice of the turtle is heard in our Israel• thy days began, - of And caused the dayspring to know its land; Now shall it be said - of Jacob and place? The fig-tree ripeneth her green figs, Israel, And the vines are in blossom, What hath God wrought!" "Hast thou entered into the springs of the They give forth their fragrance. sea? Arise, my love, my fair one, and come "He saith, which heareth the words of God, Or hast thou walked in the recesses of away." Which seeth the vision of the the deep? Almighty: . And not inferior in beauty is Balaam's Have the gates of death been revealed How goodly are thy tents, 0 Jacob, unto thee? unwilling prophecy of blessing to Israel:— Thy tabernacles, 0 Israel! Or hast thou seen the gates of the shadow "From Aram bath Balak brought me, As valleys are they spread forth, As gardens by the riverside, of death? The king of Moab from the mountains of Hast thou comprehended the breadth of the East; As lign-aloes which the Lord hath planted, the earth? Come, curse me Jacob, As cedar-trees beside the waters." Declare, if thou knowest it all. And come, defy Israel. How shall I curse, whom God hath not "He hath said, which heard the words of "Where is the way to. the dwelling of cursed? light, And how shall I defy, whom the Lord God, And knew the knowledge of the Most And as for darkness, where is the place hath not defied? thereof? . For from the top of the rocks I see him, High: . I shall see Him, but not now; Hast thou entered the treasuries of the And from the hills I behold him; snow, Lo, it is a people that dwell alone, I shall behold Him, but not nigh; There shall come a Star out of Jacob, Or hast thou seen the treasuries of the And shall not be reckoned among the hail? . nations. And a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel. Out of Jacob shall come He that shall By what way is the light parted, have dominion." Or the east wind scattered upon the "Behold, I have received commandment to earth? bless; (To be concluded) (Registers d at the G.P.O., Sydney, for transmission by post as a newspaper.) 2 AUSTRALASIAN RECORD 1/8/49 hoping all these years that he might one in many places . help will be given by Cleaning Out the Wells day meet him so that he could thank him such persons. * Thoughts 'gathered by GRETA LISTON from for that sermon. "Workers in cities should read carefully a sermon preached by Pastor H. M. S. Richards He said he had been sent back to the the tenth and eleventh chapters of in the Australasian Missionary College chapel. old camp to recover an axe which had been Hebrews, and appropriate to themselves (Concluded) left behind. As he came near the hall he the instruction that this scripture con- heard the sound of a man's voice, and tains. The eleventh chapter is a record God will honour our faith and give us although he was frightened at hearing a clear convictions of duty if we will only of the experiences of the faithful. Those voice where he supposed no one to be, he who work for God in the cities must go let Him have full control of our lives. The slipped quietly up to the hall and looked Holy Spirit will bestow upon us talents of forward in faith, doing their very best. through a chink. There he saw the As they watch and work and pray, God usefulness according as He sees best, and Quaker. He said the very first words he will hear and answer their petitions. They as- we each do our part the world, looking heard went to his heart and were the will obtain an experience that will be in- on, will be convinced that the God of means of his conversion from a terrible heaven is truly with us. valuable to them in their after work. life of sin. Now, at last he rejoiced at `Faith is the substance of things hoped for, Some years ago, a Quaker preacher in being able personally to thank the one the evidence of things not seen' Heb. London received a very definite conviction who had journeyed all those miles and 11:l."—"Testimonies," Vol. VII, pages that he should go to a logging comp away had been used of God to save his soul. 40, 41. over in Minnesota and there preach a cer- Friends, when we obey God's bidding we "We must do more than we have done to tain sermon. He tried to shake the shall sometimes appear foolish in the eyes reach the people of our cities, We are not conviction off, feeling that it would be im- of our .friends; and sometimes we shall to erect large buildings in the cities, but possible for him to undertake such a task. have to step out with no sign other than over and over again the light has been His friends would think him mad; he did our faith in His leading, on which to de- given me that we should establish in all not have the money for his fare. But the pend; but God never makes a mistake. our cities small plants which shall be conviction followed him day after day. He Let us be very sure that the well is clean centres of influence: could not get away from it. Finally he and then let Him have His way with us. "The Lord has a message for our cities, sold some valuables in order to raise the May we who are gathered in this chapel and this message we are to proclaim in our boat fare, and bought a ticket to New tonight, ere we retire to rest, read over camp-meetings, and by other public efforts, and also through our publications."—Id., page 115. "The solemn, sacred message of warning must be proclaimed in the most difficult JESUS, DISPENSER OF HAPPINESS fields and in the most sinful cities, in every place where the light of the great threefold 5 "Jesus was the fountain of healing mercy for gospel message has not yet dawned."— the world; and through all, those secluded years "Gospel Workers, " page 27. at Nazareth, His life flowed out in currents of "The large halls in our cities should be secured, that the third angel's message sympathy and tenderness. The aged, the sorrow- may be proclaimed by human lips. Thou- ing, and the sin-burdened, the children at play sands will appreciate the message. in their innocent joy, the little creatures of the They know not what the faith of Seventh- Pictures from groves, the patient beasts of burden—all were day Adventists is. Why do not the church happier for His presence. He whose word of members communicate that which they the Gallery of have received? Why this negligence? power upheld the worlds, would stoop to relieve Why this selfish neglect when souls are at Literature a wounded bird. There was nothing beneath stake? Why is there not now something His notice, nothing to which He disdained to done in larger measure than has been minister."—"Desire of Ages," page 74. done? . The plea is, There will be a saving of time, money, and labour. Let the saving be done in other lines. But when souls are to be laboured for, and the truth is to come before those who know it not, let us not talk of limiting on this York.