A Letter from France
A dear Christian who, ever since her conversion twenty-three years ago, has been an earnest worker for the Lord, writes me from France a few weeks ago. “It is kind of you sending me so regularly the copies of the ‘Message from God,’ which I pass on to the few ‘Tommies’ who are still in N —. There are only about fifty, but we see some of them from time to time. Not being on the spot makes it difficult to do anything in the way of a meeting for them. They belong to the Army Service Corps and R.E. Two of the former hope to be able to come over and see us this afternoon, which they are not often able to do. One has lately decided for Christ. Last week we found four of them, and proposed some hymns. Two had to go off, but the other two, whom we are expecting today, remained; and we had ‘At the Cross, at the Cross, where I first saw the Lord’; then a portion of Scripture, and prayer, and they both seemed pleased, especially the one who had lately decided, who said it had done him good. He seems such a nice young fellow, and I hope the other may be influenced by him to make his choice for Christ. We have given away a number of Gospels and New Testaments among the French, and do pray that the seed sown may bring forth precious fruit to God’s glory. We shall be grateful for your prayers for our meetings.... Many of our men about here have gone to the Front, or are in their depots preparing. Many have been taken, alas and sorrow and sighing is everywhere! How one longs for the Prince of Peace to come, and set up His reign of justice and peace!... A Captain H —, of the R.G. Artillery, who was at the Front, wrote us that he had many opportunities of speaking directly to soldiers, and, in one of his last letters, told us of over two hundred who had decided for Christ, and confessed Him before their comrades. What splendid opportunities ‘out-and-out’ Christians who are up in the Front have, for when men are face to face with death it makes them think.” S.T.
Think of this glorious sheaf of over two hundred precious souls!
A dear Christian at the Front writes to me: — “I am very happy here; I have quite a good band of Christian soldiers now. Last week God saved about twelve more that I know of; six one evening, and all are running splendidly. It is good to see those dear fellows come round me for a talk after prayers, as I always meet them after all is over for the day, and then we gather around the Word, and I seek to solve any little difficulties they may have, by the Word, and they all shake hands and then retire to their huts for the night.... In these days of strife, war, and bloodshed it often makes one wish they could carry all these dear fellows to Jesus in our arms.... Oh! Christ Jesus did conquer on Calvary, hallelujah! He did die for us. The life is in the blood. Oh! precious truth, and He ever liveth to make intercession for us.... What an Honor to preach the gospel, and the beauty of it, it works wonders, able to save, and able to keep to the uttermost. We are just seeing something of this. God is saving precious and never-dying souls. Oh! pray on, we shall meet them on that bright and golden morning.... Oh! praise God, we shall meet them then. He will keep His own, and present them faultless before His Father’s throne with exceeding joy. What a morning that will be! Free from sin, just like our living, loving Lord! Yes, just like Him, no flaw, no wrinkle, just in His image. What joy, what rapture will be His and ours! God richly bless you. I shall never say stop sending, as I have more troops coming in and more going out.”
In this letter we hear the rapture of the harvest song. Its melody cheers one’s heart and makes one long to do more for Christ. I have many more letters I could print, but must leave until another month.
Never was prayer more needed. Never was help more needed to meet the increasing need. Pray and help, dear friends, for Christ’s sake.
“My sins deserve eternal death, But Jesus died for me.”