Covenanter Witness Vol. 53 - Rparchives.org

sores,"softly,"well."up."By Tuesday noon, I had set my house in order, drovemy car to the hospital, checked in, put on my prisonstripes, then rested in bed until supper, and wasreading in a chair when the doctor came. "What'sthis ?" "Resting my bed I replied nonchalantly. Then he read his ultimatum that the one basis ofpeaceful coexistence between us was that I shouldget into bed and stay there until further notice. Anurse accepted my surrender of lounging robe andbedroom slippers, and the doctor accepted my surrender of my bill of rights, and for fifteen days myallotted space was six feet by three, an ominous size.A low sodium (no salt) diet was one of the majorhardships, but there were alternatives ersatz salt,or one could go on a hunger strike.But there was a brighter side. A large windowfurnished a view of the campus with trees of changing autumn foliage, and two busy intersecting streetswhere one could watch the ambulances coming infour directions, (the sirens told us when to lookout) : there were fifteen emergency cases one day.But the dead wagons moved more quietly and happilyless frequently, and never seemed to be in a hurry.Time was no longer so important. There were fourbeds in our room, but the occupants were transients,so I soon had the seniority. All of them brought theirailments but enough of them brought their senseof humor, and a group of visiting friends which weshared with one another. With three sets of foodtrays daily and innumerable rounds of medicine togripe about, a bevy of attendants to banter, the suffering to sympathize with, and the downcast tocheer, thirty days of excusable laziness in a hospitalis not a wholly unpleasant memory.Of course few patients were as care-free as I.My work was portable, I had daily contact with thehome folks, with my mail and with a typist as needed. My doctor was lenient. It was better to let amind expend itself on regular work, than to worryabout the accumulating heaps of unanswered mailand unpaid debts and unpublished papers. Suchthings are important in lowering blood pressure.But the nurses were kept supple changing the bedfrom resting to sitting up positions and vica versa.It was a glad day when I was permitted to sit ina chair for two fifteen minute periods, soon lengthened to 30 minutes, later to an hour, then allowed togo to the showers, at last to the X-ray room andhome with restrictions. But these are being liberalized, and I am allowed the freedom of the citydriving.After King Ahab had been rebuked by Elijah inNaboth's vineyard, he "lay in sackcloth and wentand the Lord spared him. After Hezekiahhad been healed of his sickness, "he rendered notaccording to the benefit done unto him, for his heartwas liftedMay the Lord grant me grace to gosoftly!In another column, Mrs. Philip Martin (a physician's daughter) says that the best definition of adoctor is that given by a small boy: "A doctor isthe man who collects a fee after God has made youThen I suppose "a patient is the man whoafter God heals him, slaps his inflated chest with onehand, and with the other pats himself on the back,down."while he boasts, "You can't keep a good manFriends, as we review the year 1954 and preview 1955, I suggest that we keep in mind Micah6:8, especially, "What doth the Lord require of thee,but .... to walk humbly with thy God?" or this,"Whatsoever ye do, do all to the gloryof God."Guard against every symptom of Heroditis.Soul-Winning in ActionRev. Kenneth G. SmithIndigenous ChristianityThe other day as I talked with an engineer ofone of the large chemical corporations here in Pittsburgh, he began to reminisce about the days whenhe had been down in the South Pacific as a Navyofficer. He told one experience after another abouthis activities there among the many islands wherehis ship had anchored. At one place he said that theyhad found the natives to be Christians ; and the contrast between them and the others he had met wascertainly apparent. Having just finished reading thelife story of John G. Paton, missionary to the NewHebrides Islands, I took a "shot in the dark" andasked him if he remembered what islands they were.After thinking a moment, he replied; and you canimagine how thrilled I was to hear that they werethe same coral atolls on which Paton and his coworkers had begun work nearly a century ago. Nearly ten decades ago natives had been reached withthe life-changing Gospel of the living Christ; andtoday their descendants are clean and civilized,enjoyingwholesome lives as true Christians.This seems incredible, does it not? Effectivedegree that they themselves not only become strongDecember 29, 1954and zealous Christians, but that another generationis also reached, is quite beyond the realm of realityto most of us. However, it is not normal Christianityaccording to the New Testament to believe thatwhat the Lord Jesus told the first century Christians does not apply today. Nor then can we say thatthe results that the early Christians experienced inwitnessing for the Lord are beyond credibility forour generation. The above example of the work ofPaton in the New Hebrides is proof enough thatwhen one employs the principles of the New Testament, he should expect the same results regardlessof the age or locality. If also the Word of God isproperly applied to one generation, it will becomea part of the next, ". . . that the generation to comemight know them, even the children which shouldbe born ; who should arise and declare them to theirchildren: that they might set their hope in God . .(Ps. 78:6,7)Furthermore the Bible does not indicate thatwitnessing to men about the person of Jesus Christis an art confined solely to those who have receivedevangelization of men, women, and children to thetraining in seminary or Bible school. It is for lay-405