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r \ 12 THE PRESBYTEFT* Devotional and Selections I ONR HOPE. By Ernest Neal Lyon. One hope supports me in the storm, When flesh and spirit quail My .Father holds me with His arm, His promise cannot fail! The ocean of His grace transcends My small horizon's rim, And where my feeble vision ends My heart can r^st in Him! In confidence I bide the tryst, His promise is for aye, He guides me still, through cloud and mist Unto the perfect day ! KNEW LITTLE OF THE BIBLE. The Literary Digest, some time ago, gave an interesting account of an experiment by which Dr. George A. Coe, professor of philosophy in Northwestern University, tested the Scriptural knowledge of certain college students. To a company of one hundred students he gave the following questions, requesting answers, in writing: What is the Pentateuch? What is the higher criticism of the Scriptures? . Does the Book of J tide belong to the New Testament or to the Old? Name one of the patriarchs of the Old Testament. Name three of the kings of Israel. Name three prophets. Give one of the Beatitudes. ' Quote a verse from the letter to the Romans. The answers received were all signed by the writers and Professor Coe expressed his belief that they were "without exception, sincere." In marking the answers as correct or incorrect Professor Coe put in the for~1 ** **11 4-U~X 1 ~ A'.~ 4.~~4. 1- X - inti liaaa an mai snuvvcu cvcii a uimam dppiUdCll lO definite knowledge, whether technical or only popular. He said, in an article in the Christian Advocate, that ninety-six papers were returned, of which eight answered the nine questions correctly; thirteen papers answered eight questions correctly, eleven answered seven, five answered six, nine answered five, twelve answered four, eleven answered three, thirteen answered two, eleven answered one, and three answered none. The number giving a correct answer to the first question was sixty, to the second, sixteen; to the fifth, forty-five; to the sixth, forty-seven; to the seventh, fifty-two; to the eighth, seventy-six; to the ninth, thirty-one. Ninety-six papers, with nine answers on each, give us a total of eight hundred and sixty-four answers. The total number of correct answers was four hundred and forty-four, a little over one-half. Nearly two-thirds of them knew what the Pentateuch is, but only one-sixth of them knew what the "higher criticism" is; aikl only one-third could quote a single verse, from the Epistle to the Romans. kN OF THE SOUTH. March 24, 1909. THE STUDY OF THE SCRIPTURES. Delectable indeed are the meadow, and the garden, but far more delectable the study of the divine writings. For there indeed are flowers that fade, but here 4-U^x U?.~ -..1-: -1- - t'f _ r 11 1 1 * ? cut iiitFugms which aoicie in mil Dioom; mere is the breeze of the zephyr, but here the breath of the Spirit; there is the hedge of thorns, but here is the guarding providence of God ; there is the song of cicadas, but here the melody of the prophets; there is the pleasure which comes from sight, but here the profit which comes from study. The garden is confined to one place, but the Scriptures are in all parts of the world ; the garden is subject to the necessities of the seasons, but the Scriptures are rich in foliage, and laden with fruit alike in winter and in summer. Let us then give diligent heed to the study of the Scriptures: for if thou doest this the Scripture will expel thy despondency, and engender pleasure, extirpate vice, and make virtue take root, and in the tumult of life it will save thee from suffering like those who are tossed by troubled waves. The sea rages, but thou sailest on with calm weather; for thou hast the Scriptures for thy iUL - - - ti _ - i*i * 1 - ? * ? , iui wis is mi; caoic wnicn xne trials 01 me ao not break asunder.?Chrysostom. THE STORY OF JUDSON'S BIBLE. Twenty years after Adoniram Judson reached Burma the New Testament was translated into the Burmese tongue. In 1824, when war was waged between England and Burma, Mr. Judson was thrown into prison, and Mrs. Judson buried the precious manuscript, just ready for the printer, in the earth beneath their house. But as mold was gathering upon it, on account of the dampness caused by heavy rains, with a woman's ~.1 .u- ^ ? ?< ' ivauj wH) one scwcu me ircasure insiae a roil oi cotton, put on a cover, and took it to the jail to be used by Mr. Judson as a pillow. In nine months he was transferred to the inner prison, where five pairs of fetters were put upon his ankles, and it was anounced that he, with a hundred others, fastened to a bamboo pole, were to be killed before morning-. During this terrible night, much prayer ascended for the precious pillow. It had fallen to the share of the keeper of the prison, but Mrs. Judson, producing a better one, induced him to exchange. Mr. Judson was not killed, but hurried away to another place, and again the pillow was his companion. But one of the jailors untied the mat that served as its cover and threw the roll of cotton into the yard as worthless. Here a native Christian, ignorant of its value, found and preserved it as a relic of his beloved master, and with him months afterward its contents were discovered intact. After the close of the war this New Testament was printed, and in 1834 the whole Bible was translated into the Burmese language?a language peculiarly difficult on account of its construction and curious combinatiohs.?Stories of Bible Translation. One has well said that "personal consecration," to be genuine, should be written "pure-and-all consecration."