women that Jesus longs to be the private sonal Saviour of each private and personal

The great war, with its great masses of beings in action, has taught us to think of m mass, in armies, in races, in national groups, Heavenly Father thinks of us personally, i ally, by name. This is a day when a keen individuality is easily lost. It is an age of and fraternities, boards, clubs, societies. never was an age when it was so difficult to individual as to-day. To use the language trenches, the individual man has dug himself have to hunt for him with a spade. But thos lines of Kipling remain true:

"The sins we do by two and two

We must pay for one by one."

It is only as a man comes to a keen, vivid of the personality-yes, the individuality-of that he gets a sufficiently definite sense of th portance of the individual man. If you hav a vague idea of God, you will have only a vague idea of either your own or your neighbour's p ality. But when God becomes real and indi to you, you yourself become real. Tennyso presses the gradual oncoming to this consciou of self in a child in these lines of "In Memori

"The baby new to earth and sky,
What time his tender palm is prest
Against the circle of the breast,
Has never thought that 'this is I.'
"But as he grows he gathers much,
And learns the use of 'I' and 'me.'

LENDID

the private
d personal son
t masses of be

thick of ment
tal groups, be r
rsonally, indi

n a keen sense an age of ocieties. The fficult to find the language of ti himself in. Ya

But those g

two

vivid sense

ty-of God

of the i

have on

vague, hary

r's person individual

nyson exsciousness

moriam":

And finds 'I am not what I see
And other than the things I touch.'

66 So rounds he to a separate mind,
From whence clear memory may begin,
As thro' the frame that binds him in
His isolation grows defined."

And the noblest living is not possible to any man or woman who does not realize that they must live their own individual lives, responsible for that life to God.

Principal Fairbairn, the great English thinker and Christian philosopher, said: "Were it possible to reduce the pious soul to the consciousness of only two things in the universe, first the reality of God, and second of the self, it would then be possible to endow that soul with the highest happiness."

Oh, my friends, let us get deep down into our heart of hearts that the fundamental luminous facts -certainties about which there can be no doubt-are God and our own souls. God grant us that purity of heart that will give to us the vision every day which alone will insure our abiding joy.

V

How may I find God and make sure of this divine vision so necessary to keep my soul alive? Men have asked this question in every age.

Job in the midst of his troubles and perplexity cried: "Oh, that I knew where I might find him! That I might come even to his seat! I would set my cause in order before him, and fill my mouth with arguments."

But there are certain places where we may always

be sure of coming into an atmosphere throu

The

The whole book is alive

presence of God. You can open it anywhe story of creation, in the historical section strange book of Job, the proverbs of Solomc psalms of David, in the sublime prophecies or the Christian scriptures of the New Te and you cannot read an hour anywhere with ing face to face with the living God-the C loves his children and who is forever seeking and save them and make life sweet to them. keep close to the Bible, for it will show us C

At a recent meeting of the British and Bible Society in London, this very remarkab was told of a devoted Christian colporteur Licata who for thirty years had been spreac Bible in Southern Italy. One evening he wa through a remote corner of Sicily when he w up by a brigand. The brigand said: "Oh, I have got you. You are the fellow that is about corrupting the minds of poor people wit pestilent, demon-possessed books. I have g now, and I am going, first of all, to burn al books, and then I am going to shoot you."

So he lighted a fire and ordered Licata, the teur, to produce his books. By a happy inspi Licata persuaded him first to allow him to rea something in the books. The man said "Wel seems to be fair, and I will promise you that one of your books is not bad, we will not burn

here through

Be The B
Ok is alive

it anywhere,

al sections, in
of Solomon, orth
phecies of
New Testamen

here without cr
d-the God
seeking to
to them. Lets
ow us God

sh and Forec
emarkable story
porteur name!
spreading the
he was going
n he was held
"Oh, at last
that is going

le with your ave got you irn all your

the colpor
inspiration,
to read him

Well, that

hat if any urn it."

So they agreed, and they sat down by the fire. Licata took up the Gospel of St. Luke, and he read to the brigand the story of the man who went down to Jericho and fell among thieves. The allusion was rather a personal one. The brigand might have been offended by the allusion to his own habits, but, to his credit be it said, he listened, and at the end, he said, "Well, there does not seem to be much wrong with that, anyhow. We will put that book on one side. Read another one.”

So Licata took up another Gospel, and yet another. The books in the bag were gradually getting fewer. Not one of them had been put into the fire so far.

At last Licata read from the last one, and the man said, “Well, you need not burn that one either. Read the next." Licata said, “Oh, there are no more; you have heard them all." The brigand said, “ My friend, don't lie to me. It is dangerous. Produce your bad books. You have given me the good ones. Now let us have the bad ones, those devil-possessed books that are corrupting the people." He said, "There are no more." The brigand got up and searched his pockets and his bag; but he found no more. Then he said, "You can go; but, remember, if you have deceived me, I will shoot you at sight like a dog." Licata wended his way in the darkness toward the village. The next morning he was at work selling the Scriptures, and he was surrounded by a hostile crowd that assailed him with clods and vituperation, when there burst into the crowd a big, burly fellow who called out, "Hold! Stop it!" It was the

brigand. He stood up in the midst of and told them what had happened the ni and testified to the beauty and the value c which the colporteur was selling. The said to be a Christian worker among the the United States at the present time. poet, did not write too extravagantly of of the Bible to show men God and guide aright when he exclaims:

"Most wondrous Book, bright candle of the Star of eternity! the only star

By which the bark of man could navigate The sea of life, and gain the coast of bliss Securely! Only star which rose on time, And on its dark and troubled billows still, As generation drifting swiftly by Succeeded generation, threw a ray Of heaven's own light, and to the hills The eternal hills, pointed the sinner's eye. "This Book, this holy Book, on every line Marked with the seal of high divinity, On every leaf bedewed with drops of love Divine, and with the eternal heraldry And signature of God Almighty stamped From first to last, this ray of sacred light, The lamp, from off the everlasting throne, Mercy took down and in the night of time Stood, casting on the dark her gracious bow And evermore beseeching men, with tears And earnest sighs, to read, believe and live." Second, in prayer we may find God and with him face to face as friend talks with f And how much we miss when we fail to God on intimate terms of friendship every often many times a day. Sometimes you p dearest earthly friend, only glancing across t at him, and pass by with a nod. You are