A New National Church Baptized in Blood.

their blood,

THE CHINESE MARTYRS.

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The tale of these modern witnesses, who sealed their faith with can never be complete. It would seem as if the Boxers took the edicts of the Empress-Dowager in their extreme literalness,

and hunted down their victims with fiendish skill. In view of the fact that the same edict commanded that those who recanted should be spared, the numbers who perished show that a host were faithful unto death.

A NON-PROFESSING CONFESSOR.

Wang was for many years an instructor of the missionaries at Tung-cho, helping them to acquire the language. He early came under the influence of Christian teaching, yet he never became a member of the church, nor was he known as a Christian. After the missionaries left Tung-cho for Peking, in June last, the Boxers seized all the native Christians they could find, Wang among them. Bringing him to their temple, they gave him his option, to live or to die. "Worship this god," said the leader, "and you shall live; refuse, and you die." And at once he made answer, "When I worship, I bow down to the true God."

A VOLUNTEER FOR THE FIRE.

Pao-ting-fu not only mourns the missionaries slain, but a native pastor, Meng Chang-chun. Meng and his brother represented that station at our annual meeting at Tung-cho the last of May. Soon after the Chinese meetings closed, Pastor Meng departed for Paoting-fu. He was fully aware of the danger. He knew that scores had lost their lives; that the whole country for nearly 120 miles was filled with Boxers, yet he would go back. Mr. Pitkin was alone and needed him. "I must go back and stand by Mr. Pitkin; that is my place," was the one reply he made; and back he went, from Tungcho to Pao-ting-fu, a four days' journey, yet he never flinched. It is said of our Lord on his last journey, that his face was steadfastly set to go to Jerusalem. Something of that same look must have been in the face of this Chinese disciple, as through the dusty heat of those days in June he pushed on towards his Jerusalem. He reached it, and with Mr. Pitkin laid down his life for Christ.

-Missionary Herald.

It is impossible at the present writing to give any accurate statement regarding the loss of Missionary property or life in China. Mrs. Helen S. C. Nevius, of Chefoo, writes:

"The Grand Total of killed, so far known, in the Provinces of Shantung, Shansi, Chih-li and Chekiang is: adult missionaries, seventy-seven; children, twenty-nine; in all one hundred and six Protestant missionaries and their children. To this must be added a large number of Romanists who equally deserve the name of martyr, and hundreds or perhaps thousands of native Christians. Besides these there are great numbers of missionaries who are 'miss

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Whitening and Perishing Harvests.

ing and unaccounted for.' In the two Provinces of Shan-si and Chih-li this number is given as eighty adults and twenty-six children.

THE WAY IT GROWS IN CHINA.

Rev. Andrew Beattie, Canton, relates in the Assembly Herald how three Chinese Christians came into his study, one day, and said they wished to contribute to the opening of a school, or construction of a chapel, in the market town of Tung Tsing, near their native village. The three men subscribed each $50, and a site was purchased. Through their influence another man of some prominence was induced to put away idolatry, and to accept Christianity. This man informed his friends in Canton that he had become a Christian. Through his influence and instruction by our native preachers, many of these men in Canton renounced idolatry and were baptized at Tung Tsing. Sixteen of these men gave each $50 towards the construction of the new church. Others came to our aid, and the entire cost, over $1,600, was paid. In less than three years more than 100 persons have been received into church membership at Tung Tsing. Besides, the church has contributed more than $250 to a chapel in the adjoining town of Tong Ha.

EVANGELICAL ROMANISTS IN HUNGARY.

In Hungary I found, through a friend, a little company of some ten or twenty thousand people scattered through the country, who call themselves PAULGIANS. Their history dates from some eight hundred years ago. A man who called himself Paul led them into Bulgaria, and there they settled under the name of Paulgians. Once they possessed the Word of God, but the Romanists have claimed them for themselves, and taken the Word of God from them, though they have nothing of the Roman religion in them. These Paulgians have come back to Hungary, and they want the truth. I had the joy of visiting them. They are fine, tall people, and live in a beautiful agricultural district. When I saw them in their working attire, they were dressed in white linen from head to foot. Those dear people are truly evangelical as far as I could make out. They do not want anything but the Gospel and the truth of God. However, no Gospel has been printed for them except the Gospel of John, which a friend of mine has had translated and printed in their own language. As soon as they get it the priests want to take it from them. But they resist that interference, and they want to have the whole of the New Testament translated into their lauguage. There is an educated man amongst them who is willing to undertake this work of translation.-DR. BADEKER.

Seed Fields for the Word.

HE THAT GOETH FORTH WEEPING, BEARING PRECIOUS SEED.

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What a mighty privilege is granted to those who are permitted to sow this seed! Gold couldn't buy it, power couldn't possess it, skill couldn't construct it; it comes from God, it bears the impress of his own creative energy, and through this seed flows the tide of divine life down to the latest ages of human existence. And those who are sowers of the good seed are workers together with God.

"For, except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die it abideth alone." Except a good seed be sown in the hearts of men it may remain for ages unfruitful. How important that we sow! It is not a difficult thing to do; we do not need great machinery or immense power to sow seed; the hand of a little child can drop it into the soil, and when it is thus sown, planted, watered, God gives the increase. What an increase that shall be! How grand are our opportunities! How mighty our privileges! How great our encouragements! How strong our consolations! O child of God, take courage! O servant of God, be strong! O man of God, go forth! Hold fast, war a good warfare, fight a good fight, sow the good seed, and be faithful to the end that you at last may come triumphant home and share the glories of the everlasting rest!H. L. Hastings in "The Christian."

TRUE SOLUTION OF THE GODLESS PUBLIC SCHOOL PROBLEM.

The Presidents of the Evangelical Colleges of Nebraska, in conference at Lincoln, March 5, 1900, issued an address in which the following expressions occur:

1. In profound sympathy with the public school system, we yet feel that there should be schools supported by private benefactions that are perfectly free to put emphasis upon the religious element in human nature; that will recognize in "the personality of Christ, a fact and force as unquestioned as heat, light or electricity, and no more to be ignored or driven out than gravitation."

Christian education is necessary for both church and state. A state without a right conscience is doomed. The only security for right conscience is right education. Educating the mind does not necessarily educate the conscience. The moral nature will no more grow without instruction and discipline than will the mental nature.

"WIDE OPEN" IN MEXICO.

The mission [of the American Board] is in need of immediate reinforcements, for the force now upon the ground is inadequate to meet the demands which it cannot let pass unheeded. The city of Parral with over twenty thousand inhabitants has only one Catholic priest. The town of Las Cuevas with over four thousand inhabitants has no priest at all, and these places fairly represent the conditions that prevail over a large section of the three northwestern States where our work centers.-Rev. Dr. James L. Barton.

Critical Study of the Bible.

BIBLE REVISION REVISED.

MATTHEW xiv.

11. "And his head was brought upon a platter and given to the damsel, and she carried it to her mother." The words in which the versions differ from this literal translation, will be found, upon comparison, to have softened slightly the grim picture of those two women's savage depravity-if that is considered to be a desirable object.

12. The Revisers have not improved the version by putting corpse for body, which is the more natural word, and for a headless body, the more exact also. "Took up the body and buried him,” (for auton, instead of it, R.V.) is also unnatural here; and a strained grammatical purism.

13. And Jesus, having heard [this], departed thence in a boat, to a desert place, by himself [or, alone: kat'idian]. This translation, differing by literality from one or the other, or from both, of the versions, is presented as an amendment.-The multitudes (R.V.) is a literal amendment. Heard of it would be easier English than heard thereof (both V.) more exact than out of.

From (apo) the cities (R.V.) is

14. And when he came forth [from his retirement] he saw a great multitude, [neither version presents the fact so precisely as this amendment of both] and had compassion on them (R. V.) and healed their sick.

15. And when it was evening (A. V. and the better English) the (not his) disciples came and said unto him, the place is desert and the daytime [hōra, constructively] is already (R. V.) past: dismiss [apoluson, release] the multitudes (amending each, and both).— Bromata, victuals (A. V.) is literal rather than (R. V.) food. 16. They have no need to go away (R. V.) is literal.

19. Commanded the multitudes to recline (anaklithēnai, lie down) on the grass.

20. And they took up the excess (perisseuon) of the fragments (ton klasmaton).

21. Besides, for beside in both versions.

Bible Revision Revised.

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22. Enter into the boat (R. V.)-and until, for while.-Read dismiss again (apoluse) for "send away."

23. And after he dismissed (apolusas) the multitudes, he went up into the mountain, alone, (kať'idian) to pray.-Evening ́(A. V.) is current English rather than even.-He only was there (monos en ekei).

24. But already the boat was holding off many furlongs from the land, and was tormented by the waves. This is a variant accepted by some recent critics, and plausible in itself.

25. And in the fourth watch of the night, He came to them, walking on the sea (R. V.).

26. "Troubled" is feeble for the intensity of etarachthesan. "Perturbed" is as correct as possible, though not equal to the horrified emotion evident in the case.-"Saying, it is an apparition" (R.V.) or phantom; both exact transfers of phantasma; from which choose. -"And they cried out from [apo] fear," accurate, and as current English as "for fear" in both versions.

28. "And Peter answered, and said to him:"not answered him and said (both versions).-Upon the waters (R. V.)

30. "But viewing the wind (blepon de ton anemon), he was afraid"-submitted emendation.

31-34. The emendations of the Revisers are minor but literal. More literally, however, we might read "the wind abated" (ekopasen, literally became weary); and "Truly" (alethōs) thou art the Son of God.

HISTORICAL OUTLINES.

FIRST QUARTER OF THE BI-MILLENNIUM OF ABRAHAM.

JOSEPH: THE TYPICAL PRIEST, PROPHET, REFORMER AND RULER, OF ISRAEL.

JOSEPH AT HOME: GENESIS XXXVii.

At this more settled stage of his career, Jacob, now beginning to be an old man, although his father was still living, and being perhaps more under the influence of his father's piety, doubtless had been brought by recent events to pay much more attention to personal and family religion than at any former period of his life. One son he had, on whom the grace of God descended, as on Samuel, from infancy. Joseph is described as "a son of old age:" i.e., a son of wisdom—not "the son of his [Jacob's] old age," as our version misconstrues the text; who in fact was Benjamin, not Joseph. Wisdom, in Bible language, means godliness: so that "a son of wis