The Australian at the Front

 
We are indebted to Mr. A. A. Hewstone for the following: ―
He was an Australian of Christian parents, but had been trying to work up faith, so he said, to be a Christian, but had never seemed to get along with it. He had frequented the hut and stayed to the gospel meetings. One night he went into the after-meeting, was spoken to, and pointed to Christ and His finished work as the object of faith, and he became a new man in Him. After this he attended the Bible classes regularly, and was a good testimony.
One day he came to us, and said: “I am anxious to go up the line again. I want to put this salvation to the test.” He offered and was found fit by the medical officer. The night before he went we sang, at his request, “Anywhere with Jesus I can safely go.” We did not hear from him for some time, then a letter came from him in hospital. It ran thus: “We were the most forward battery, and it was easily the hottest place I have been in. Still, the Lord was with me, and that made all the difference. If I hadn’t had that knowledge I don’t know how I could have stuck it. I won’t talk of narrow escapes, somehow I expected the flying pieces to miss me. On one particular occasion a chap near me was hit. I had to go across a hundred and fifty yards of shell holes (with new ones being made all the time) to get a stretcher. The Lord was never closer than then, and I got back again without a scratch. I have indeed tested Him, and. He has not failed me. ‘Anywhere with Jesus I can safely go.’ After some weeks the Lord in His mercy freed me from the dangers and hardships it is not possible to describe. Pieces of shells went right through my two legs, but not a bone was broken. I am told I was lucky, but I know better than that. There is only one explanation of all this, and that is ‘Jesus.’”
“Be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed, for the Lord thy God is with thee withersoever thou goest.” What a glorious privilege, isn’t it?