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.<7Hm^S A Monthly Paper for Circulation among the Coloured People of Australasia.

Issued by the Aborigines Inland Mission of Australia, 242 Pitt Street, Sydney

June, 1941 Vol. 11, No. 3

A JERUSALEM STREET SCENE

•> THE AUSTRALIAN EVANGEL

Our Message PLAYING WITH SIN

In the book of Judges we are told how the Philistines offered a lot of money to a woman if she could find out from Samson the secret of his great strength. Instead of saying straight out he would not tell her, Samson told untruths about the secret of his God-given strength, until it led to him giving away to the woman Delilah just how she could rob him of his great strength, which she did. The Philistines then came and put out Samson's eyes and made him a prisoner.

God's Word tells us clearly and plainly we must put away all sin and sinful ways from our lives.

What is sin? you ask. Well, here are some of the thing's God's Word tells us are sin:

1. The transgression of the law (1 John 3: 4).

2. All unrighteousness. (1 John 5: 17). 3. Whatsoever is not of faith (Romans

14: 231. 4. A proud heart (Proverbs 21: 4). 5. The thought of foolishness (Pro­

verbs 24: 9). 6. To him that knoweth to do good

and doeth it not. (James 4: 17). 7. Not believing on Christ (John 16: 9).

Sin is a disease which has very small beginnings and if we try to play with it, it will spread so quick­ly and get such a hold that it is al­most impossible to cast it off.

A man who kept and tamed wild animals one day bought a baby py­thon snake. For over 20 years he played with it and taught it many tricks, but one night, in front of a great crowd of people this snake just crushed the man to death.

Sin is like that. It had its begin­ning with that old serpent, the Devil, and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. It crushes us down, but thank God for His blessed Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, Who lifts us up out of the miry (lay and sets us free.

He sets our feet upon a rock and watches over us as we journey to the heavenly land.

God's Word says that if we regard iniquity in our heart He will not hear us—let us then not keep in our hearts or minds anything that is sin­ful. Seek God's forgiveness and cleansing.

Very often we only think about a certain sin, or perhaps it is suggested to us by someone and at first we say "No" to them, and then the tempter comes again and we turn the thought over in our mind. This is playing with the sin. Then before we know where we are we find ourselves do­ing the very thing that at first we turned away from.

Another way of playing with sin is to just dabble in it—that is not go very far into it. But this is very dangerous too, because we will find that before long we are getting deep­er and deeper in and at last we will find it is too hard a job to get out again.

You have often heard the saying that if we play with fire we will in time get burnt and that is the same with sin—if we play with it we can­not help getting hurt—because sin hurts—it leaves its mark; and then, to put it more seriously still: "The wages of sin is death." Beware of playing with sin—beware of just dipping our finger in it—because we do not know what a big hold it can get on us and then we will be "en­tangled with the yoke of bondage."

On the other hand, if we have been playing with sin and found out that the "way of the transgressor is hard," as we read in God's Word, then we can always get cleansing and forgiveness by coming to the Lord Jesus Christ and confessing our sin. He will save us from our sins and give us a new heart.

June, 1941 T H E AUSTRALIAN EVANGEL 3

Our News Page In A Little Basket

The first verse and chorus of this dear little hymn "In a little Basket'' seem to he known on most of our stations, hut there are two more verses to follow and we thought you would like to learn them too. Here they are:

Hidden in a temple from a cruel foe, Little baby Joash lived long years ago, God from danger kept him, by His mighty

hand. Till the day He made him, king of all

the land.

Jesus, Babe of Bethlehem, Whom the children sing,

Sent away to Egypt from a wicked king, There our Father kept Him till King

Herod's death, Then He safely brought Him home to

Nazareth.

Chorus. God took care of the Baby, and in His

Word we see, Still our father in Heaven, careth for

you and for me.

A Letter From Hay Neobine,

Hay. My Dear Cousin Evangel,

Just a few lines to let you know that we are all keeping well. I am working out in the country—I like it very much. The people's name is Booth, they are very nice people, they have three boys, one boy is go­ing to High School in Hay, the others have to have theirs at home. I always tell them to pray before they go to bed.

We have a lovely garden full of all kinds of things. I would just love to go down to Pindimar for a holi­day. I may be able to go down in the Christmas holidays to Sydney. Well I love church also praying and singing. I remember all the hymns from the time when I was a little girl going to Sunday School at Menindee.

Will you please send me Mrs. Long's address, I would like to write to her. I must close now until next

time. God bless you all. My birth­day is on the 24th of November and I will be 22. From your loving friend,

AMELIA BIGGS.

Wedding at Balranald A very pretty wedding took place

in the A.I.M. church on Saturday, 10th May, when Rev. McLean united in matrimony Gordon, the eldest son of Mr. and Mrs. Ted Edwards, and Rhoda, daughter of Mr. Albert Mor­gan.

The bride was given away by her father. The young couple made a fine picture, the tall bridegroom in a dark suit, and the bride wearing an ivory satin frock with wedding veil and wreath, and carrying a bou­quet. She was attended by Beatrice Kirby as bridesmaid. The church was prettily decorated by willing workers with flowers and festoons of greenery.

Mrs. McLean played the voluntary and also played at the song service after the ceremony. The wedding breakfast was happily presided over by Mr. McLean, when several speech­es and good wishes were made. We wish them a happy life in loving service of the Lord.

The Ten Virgins Matthew 25: 1-13.

The five foolish virgins had no oil in their lamps, the five wise had oil for their lamps. They made prepara­tions before the bridegroom came. They had their lamps trimmed and burning bright and plenty of oil. The five wise virgins are like Christians today; those who love the Lord and love to do His wishes. They are get­ting ready here below, so that when our Lord Jesus comes again thev will be ready to meet Him and if they are ready to meet Him they will not be ashamed at His coming.

(Continued on page 8)

4 THE AUSTRALIAN EVANGEL June, 1941

Stories A LOST

Oh-h-h-h! A sudden shrill scream came across the little sandy waste, and Linda Sayers dashed out of the mission house to see what it was about.

Two small boys were the only people in view, and as one was squatting on the sand, hugging his foot and crying, and the other was standing by his side, looking uncer­tain what to do, Linda felt sure that they must be the ones in trouble.

"It 's his toe," explained the elder boy to her as she reached them. He's just knocked his foot on a stone and the nail's come off."

On learning that Amar lived quite near, Linda offered to carry him home to his mother. So, still trem­bling and moaning with pain and fright, the little boy was lifted up in the young missionary's arms and taken home, his friend trotting be­side them and pointing out the way through the North African village.

Presently they arrived at a wide-mouthed well, and just beyond this lay a quaint stone building, shaped round. Here was Amar's home, and in this one room lived the whole family, which were, mother, father, grandmother, two sisters and little Amar himself.

Once indoors, the hurt foot was quickly washed and bound neatly with strips from Linda's handker­chief, and, as the pain grew less, Amar began to take an interest in the Arabic hymns that his new friend was singing as she worked. Amar's mother, too, was very keen to listen and to know all that Linda could tell her about sin, and how God can take it away from our hearts.

"Do come again and tell us more," she called, as Linda went away, and the missionary promised.

Many times she visited that queer little house, and each time everyone

Other Lands TOE-NAIL

sat round to hear the hymn-singing and the Bible stories. Soon the chil­dren learned to repeat a text she taught them—"Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners"—and to sing with her, and even Amar's baby sister, only two-and-a-half years old, joined with the rest in singing "Jesus loves me."

One day, when Linda went to visit Amar and his big sister, Rebah, she found they were just starting off for the sea-shore with their father's two camels, and so she went with them. Down at the sea-shore the camels were set free, whilst Linda, Rebah and Amar sat down in a shel­tered spot.

Amar soon asked that they might sing.

"Will you tell us a story now?" was the next request, so Linda told them about the Lord Jesus healing a leper.

Then suddenly Rebah spoke: "I love Saidna Yasoosa" (the Lord Jesus) she said.

"Why do you love Him, Rebah?" asked Linda.

"Because He died for me to take away my sins," replied Rebah hap­pily.

Then before Linda could say any­thing else, Amar said: "I love Saidna Yasooa too."

"Let's kneel and tell Him so then, shall we? And ask Him to receive us and make us His children," said Linda.

The sun was beginning to sink when the missionary reached home, but her heart was light and glad. She was thinking of the little Arab girl and boy who had come to know the Saviour so soon after they had first heard of Him, and who might not have heard only for a lost toe­nail.

June, 1941 T H E

$ Young Dear Young Cousins,

I know that there are Junior Christian Endeavour Societies on most of our mis­sion stations, so that many of our cousins are Junior Endeavourers. I am sure you like your Endeavour meetings very much and that you love to help in them and do work for the Lord. I expect you have chain-prayer too in your meetings so that you all have a turn at praying. And then you promise in your pledge to pray every day so that you say your prayers at night or in the mornings.

Now here is a little story which is call­ed "Work and Pray." It is necessary to do both in the Christian Endeavour So­ciety, isn't it? It is also necessary to both if we are to grow up into strong Christians too.

An old man used to row people across a river for a living. On one of his oars he had painted the word "pray" and on the other oar the word "work." A gentleman was one day being rowed across the river, when he noticed the words and asked what they meant. The old man did not answer, but laying down one of his oars, he began to pull very hard with the oar on which "work" was painted. The boat did not get along at all but began to turn round and round. Presently the old man laid the oar "work" and picked up the oar on which was painted "pray," but the same thing happened. The boat only went round and round.

After a few minutes the old man picked up both oars and with a few strong pulls, brought the boat to the shore. "Do you see now, sir," he asked "why I have paint­ed those words on my oars?"

And do you know boys and girls? It was to show that we must not only work for the Lord but we must pray to Him. And we must not only pray but we must work for Him too and then our lives will be useful ones. God bless you all and help you to be true Christian Endeavourers.

Yours in His Service, COUSIN EVANGEL.

Results of Apri l Competitions

CLASS 1. Favourite Hymn.

1st Prize: Cousin June Fay, Fingal Point.

2nd Prize: Cousin Freda Hardy, Brewar-rina.

Stars: Vera Pyke, Balranald. Doreen Johnson, Vera Thomas, Pearl Thomas, Dulcie Johnson, Condobolin. Rene Mc-Plierson. Woorabinda. Alfred Turner, Joan

N EVANGEL 5

Folks & Charles, Cummeragunja. John Browning. Albert Blair, Ellen Yettica, Joyce Slockie, Eunice Browning, Fingal Point. Robert Charles, Maggie Fogarty. Lissing Wil­liams, Chrissie South, Nelva Martin, Myra Logan, Rosetta Sullivan, Cherbourg. Pearlie Green. Flora Biondi, Darwin.

CLASS 2. Favourite Chorus.

1st Prize: Cousin Joyce Charles, Cum­meragunja.

2nd Prize: John Slabb, Fingal Point. Stars: Pansy Pike, Harold Kirby, Bal­

ranald. Betty Barlow, Coral Sloan, Con­dobolin. Mabel Langlo, Woorabinda. Shirley Lalor, Sydney. Betty Browning. Molly Slockie, George Fay, Gwen Rotu-mah, Fingal Point. Tommy Dunolly, Agnes Charles, Gevie Bux, Cummeragunja. Willie Charles, Moonah Cullah, Levina Biondi. Winnie Winsley, Darwin.

Awards for Six Stars Willie Charles, Moonah Cullah. Molly

Slockie, Fingal Point.

New Competitions

CLASS 1. (11 years and over)

Here is something new in the way of a competition for you. It is called a Bible Acrostic—but it isn't as hard as it sounds. See if you can find out who these people were and the initials (or first letter of their names taken in order) spell the name of a young man who loved God so much that he was not afraid of lions.

1. A shepherd boy who wrote Pslams or songs.

2. A fisherman who became a disciple of Jesus.

3. A man who built a great boat. 4. A prophet who wrote one of the

books of the Old Testament. 5. An old priest who had a little boy

to help him in the temple. 6. A doctor who wrote one of the Gos­

pels.

Don't forget to tell the name of the young man whose name is spelt by the first letters.

CLASS 2. (under 11 years)

Give the name of some tree that is mentioned in the Bible and tell us where you read about it.

Send your answers to Cousin Evangel. A.I.M. Pindimar, N.S.W. before the end of July.

6 THE AUSTRALIAN EVANGEL June, 1941

6 Old Folks'Page 6 Are you doing some gardening, Joe? How is your garden grow­

ing? Are the bulbs that Grannie planted coming on nicely? Oh, I am sorry to see the weeds choking them. Yes, it is hard work keep­ing the weeds out. They seem to grow so quickly, don't they? They take the strength from the ground, so that the good plants do not get a chance to grow. Some of the weeds have such long, deep roots, too, that must be taken out. Cutting the tops off the weeds would be useless, wouldn't it? Of course they would grow again. We must get to the roots and take them out.

Yes, it would be good if there were no weeds. The gardens would then be beautiful and there would not be the hard work of pulling out the weeds.

There was a time, Joe, when there were no weeds. When was it? It was a very long time ago, when God first made the world. W e read about it in the Bible—how He planted a beautiful gar­den and there was not a weed in it. Nothing grew that would spoil it. There were only trees, beautiful to see and trees bearing fruit, and a river flowed through the garden to water it. God put the first man that He made in this garden to live there, look after it and enjoy it. Yes, it was good. That is just what God said about it. W e read these words—"And God saw everything that He had made and, behold, it was very good."

How happy the man (Adam) and his wife must have been— living in this beautiful garden, and eating the fruit of the trees! But a change came to this garden one day, because Satan, who is our enemy, did not like to see anyone happy; so he first spoilt the man and woman God had made, by putting sin into their hearts. They then disobeyed, and God cursed the ground, and said it would bring forth thorns and thistles, and instead of having the light work he had before, Adam would have to work hard to get his food, and God turned him out of the beautiful garden.

Now we see that what God said has come true, don't we? When we see thorns and thistles and weeds, it reminds us that they have come because Satan brought sin into the world. Now we have very hard work to keep the weeds out of our gardens.

Although we can clean the weeds out of our gardens, we cannot clean the sin out of our hearts, can we? No, only God can do that. Some people try to clean their hearts by doing good things, but that will not make them clean. It is like chopping the tops off the weeds. They do not get to the root, and the sin is there. But if we believe on Jesus, He will make our hearts clean and our lives will then be beautiful, like the garden with its weeds taken out.

June, "1941 THE AUSTRALIAN EVANGEL 1

Births Reid.—On October 11, 1940, at Nar-

romine, to Mr. & Mrs. Jack Reid, a son. Maxwell James. Egans.—On October 28, 1940, to Mr. & Mrs. R. Egans of Moulamein, a son in Swan Hill Hospital, Paul Grattan.

Clark.—On December 28, 1940, at Me-nindee, Betty Clark.

Bartley.—On December 14, 1940, to Mr. & Mrs. Bartley, of Dubbo, a daughter. Betty.

Wise.—On January 30, 1941, to Mr. & Mrs. Reg Wise, of Balranald, a daugh­ter, Edith

Wright.—On March 25, 1941, at Walcha, Valerie June.

Doolan.—On April 2, 1941, to Mr. & Mrs. B. Doolan of Woorabinda, a son, Lloyd Nelson.

Naden.—On April 17. 1941. to Mr. & Mrs. W. H. Naden, a daughter. Kathleen Beatrice.

Con Goo.-On April 23. 1941. at Her-berton, Esme Con Goo.

Armstrong.—On April, 1941, to Mrs. Armstrong and late Leslie Armstrong, at Goondiwindi Hospital, a son. Harold Frost.

Rankin.—On May 4. 1941. to Mr. & Mrs. Rankin of Woorabinda. a son, in Rockhampton. (still-born.)

Doyle.—On May 4th to Mr. & Mrs. C. Doyle of Woorabinda, a daughter. Beverley.

Broome.—On May 5, 1941, to Mr. & Mrs. John Broome, of Cherbourg, a son. Russell.

Crowe.—On May 6. 1941. at Cherbourg, a son. William.

Ezzy.—Oh May 6. 1941. to Mr. & Mrs. Ezzy of Woorabinda. a daughter. Colleen Rose.

Da}.—On May 8, 1941. to Mr. & Mrs. Henry Day (nee Chrissie Edwards) of Balranald, a daughter, in Balranald Hos­pital.

Hart.—On May 8. 1941. at Cherbourg, a daughter. Mary.

Wyman— On May 9, 1941. at Moonah Cullah. a son. Hewitt.

Ross.—To Mr. & Mrs. John Ross of Balranald. a son. in Balranald Hospital. Jack.

Turner—On May 9, 1941, to Mr. & Mrs. Bill Turner of Cherbourg, a son. Ben.

Priestly.—On May 9. 1941. to Mr. & Mrs. Priestly of Woorabinda, a daughter. Roslyn Harriet.

Goodchap.—On May 16. 1941, at Cher­bourg, a daughter. Edna May.

Fogarty — On May 19. 1941. to Mr. & Mrs. Roy Fogarty of Cherbourg, a daugh­ter. Zoe.

Brown.—On May 20, 1941, to Mr. & Mrs. N. Brown of Cherbourg, a daughter. Collette Madge.

Byers.—On Nov. 27, 1940. to Mr. and Mrs. Byers a daughter. Myrtle Esther.

Dedications At Condobolin.—On May 4, 1941, in the

A.I.M. Church, Dorothy Gay, infant daugh­ter of Mr. & Mrs. Lawrence Murray.

At Cherbourg.—On May 11, 1941, Laurie Bell, Priscilla Elaine Chambers.

At Boggabilla.—Beverley Joyce Inch, daughter of Edie Inch; Annabelle Madge Knox, daughter of Mr. & Mrs. John Knox, Native Workers.

At Walcha.—On May 15, 1941, Sirene Zone Wright, aged four months; Valerie June Wright, aged 7 weeks.

At Dubbo.—Myrtle Esther Byers, May 25, 1941.

Marriages Roberts-Saunders.—On May 5. 1941,

Ivy Saunders to Ivan Roberts of Woora­binda.—

Freeman-Roy.—On May 5. 1941. Geral-dine Roy to Claude Freeman of Woora­hinda.

Bond-Hatton.—On May 22. 1941, June Hatton to Nuggett Bond of Cherbourg, by Rev. Griffith.

Deaths Armstrong.— On April 4. 1941. at Goon­

diwindi Hospital (suddenly) Mr. Leslie Armstrong, of Boggabilla.

Sampson.—On April 11. 1941, whilst travelling to Moulamein, Theodore Samp­son of Moonah Cullah.

Orcher.—On April 21. 1941, Phillis. baby daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Ted Orcher of Boggabilla, at Moree Hospital.

Tooey.—On April 26, 1941, Phyllis, wife of Mick Tooey of Ravenshoe, passed into the presence of the Lord. "Asleep in Jesus."

Galbraith.—On May 8, 1941 Michael Galbraith at Cherbourg.

Niven.—On May 12, 1941, at Cherbourg, baby David Niven.

Tommy.—On May 17. 1941, "Old Tom­my" of Ravenshoe passed away.

Kemp.—On May 20, 1941. at Richmond, Laurence Kemp, youngest son of Mr. & Mrs. Kemp of Woorabinda.

Langlo.—At Palm Island as the result of an accident. Bert, son of Mrs. Langlo of Woorabinda.

Fogarty.—On May 22. 1941, at Cher­bourg Hospital. Zoe, baby daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Roy Fogarty.

Colman.—On May 2, 1941. At Brewar-rina, William Herbert. Aged 5 years.

Ferguson.—On May 26, 1941, at Bre-warrina Hospital, William Henry, aged 8 months, son of Mr. and Mrs. Duncan Ferguson. Native workers. Parted only till He come.

8 THE AUSTRALIAN EVANGEL June, 1941

OUR SERIAL STORY. C A R

CHAPTER 15 The moon was shining in at her bedroom

window, giving as much light as she need­ed for what she had to do. For what could she do? She crouched down on the floor and laid her arms on the low window-sill, to wait until this unnatural calm and stupor should pass away and the tempest break in upon her soul. She looked out with eyes as steady and heed­ful as if she had nothing else to think of, on the wintry lanscape flooded with the light of the full moon. The Christmas chimes from the church in the plain below came softly and merrily up to her listening ear. She could catch also through the still and frosty air the shrill voices of children singing the carol she had taught them from door to door.

Then suddenly with a heart-shaking swiftness, she saw the narrow, dirty street where she had spent her girlhood, with its knots of demoralised men and women and its swarms of miserable children. There was herself passing in and out among them, going with them into the gaudy gin-palaces and reeling back again in their company. She could hear them talk, and every nerve tingled with shame. Their homes were open to her; not homes but sties, unclean and squalid. George Bassett was beside her, his arm had caught her. and she was fighting to free herself, amid the jeers and laughter of her com­panions. It seemed like hell to her, and she had lived there once. She had grown up in it.

She hid her face from the moonlight. It was as if the years that had passed over her since she was that ignorant and shameful creature were blotted out and she was again, at this moment what she had been then.

Yet why could she not keep her secret and bury this dead past in the depths of her own heart? No one knew anything about it, these new friends, so dear to her had no suspicion of it. Matthias Levi, her old friend, had no clue to her present home, and he had made no effort to find her.

She had tried to imagine herself hush­ing the persistent outcries of her memory, and becoming Philip Arnold's wife. He so honoured and so honourable. If only Philip had never loved her or never asked her to be his wife, she might have kept her secret. How happy she had been in her little cottage!

Yet if she told all and went away, what good would come of it? She must appear as a witness against George Bassett, pro­bably the one that would seal his fate and send him to an awful doom. There was no doubt in her mind that the struggle she had seen and thought so little of was the silent death-struggle

O L A between him and his victim. If she told who she was there would be for her the shame and agony of bearing evidence against him and for him the last awful penalty. What good could there be in that? It would not bring the murdered man to life again. No, she would keep her secret and save herself and him.

She lifted herself up, stiff and aching as with some long task and bathed her face and made her roughened hair smooth. She felt as if she were losing her inmost strength, the waters, the proud waters, were to deep for her, they were over­whelming her soul. Was God hiding His face from her?

The little, old, well-worn Testament, in which she first read the life of Christ, lay on the table close to her band. How well she remembered the night when she first opened it! She took it up in her cold hands and her eyes fell upon these verses: "And He was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast, and kneeled down and prayed, saying, Father, if Thou be willing, remove this cup from Me, nevertheless not My will, but Thine be done."

She sank down on her knees and hid her face again. Oh, to do what was right! To do what God willed! The cup had not been taken away from her Lord, the shame and the spitting, the smiting on the face, the crown of thorns, the mockery and the jeering. His soul had been exceed­ing sorrowful, even unto death, and His Father had not delivered Him out of His afflictions. He endured the cross, despising the shame. And the servant could not be above her Master, nor the disciple above her Lord.

There was a plain path open to her, a path leading down into a valley darker than the valley of the shadow of death, but it must be trodden. She rose up to do it at once, and made haste to go down, for the hour was come when she must do the Lord's will, though her whole nature shrank from it. That it should be done quickly was all her desire.

(To be continued)

(Continued from page 3) On the other hand what will he

the fate of the unsaved ones like those five foolish virgins? How will you feel when you meet your Maker? Will you meet Him as a Judge or as a welcoming Saviour? It's up to you friends to seek peace with God and I urge you to seek it now while there is yet time.

—Dulcie Johnson, Pindimar.

The Central Press Pty. Ltd., 3 0 9 Casrltreigh Street, Svdnev.