till
found in Yemen, but myrrh is not at all as plentiful as it once was in
Arabia. It is a low, thorny, ragged-looking tree with bright green leaves.
The gum exudes from cracks in the bark near the root of the plant. When
dry it is of a rich brown colour and has a bitter taste. The word "myrrh"
in Arabic means bitter, and I think that is the origin of the name given
to the tree and not the foolish story of the Greek mythology. You must
look up all the references in the Bible to myrrh. I wonder whether the
myrrh which Nicodemus used to embalm the body of our Saviour for His
burial came from Arabia? In Matthew's gospel we read of the wise men who
came from the East to worship Jesus. "And when they had opened their
treasures they presented unto Him gifts; gold and frankincense and myrrh."
Do you not think that these wise men came from Arabia, even as the queen
of Sheba did, to see the king of the Jews? Perhaps Isaiah prophesied of
their coming when he wrote concerning Arabia: "The multitude of camels
shall cover thee the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all they from Sheba
shall come: they shall bring gold and incense; and they shall shew forth
the praises of the Lord." At any rate we are quite sure that the
frankincense they brought came from Arabia. There is a great deal in the
Bible about this country and there are many beautiful promises for the
redemption of its people. Arabs were present at Pentecost and the first
missionary to Arabia was the Apostle Paul. God has not forgotten His
promises and we must all pray that soon they may be fulfilled. No one has
yet been to tell the children of Hadramaut, who gather the incense-gum,
the story of Jesus' birth and of His death on the cross. There is not a
single missionary in all that country; no one has been to tell the news
that the Babe of Bethlehem is the King of Glory.

"Thou who in a manger
Once hast lowly lain,
Who dost now in glory
O'er all kingdoms reign,
Gather in the heathen
Who in lands afar
Ne'er have see the brightness
Of Thy guiding star."

XVII

SLAVES AND SLAVE TRADERS

The Arabs who in past ages were the merchants of the Orient in gold,
frankincense and myrrh, both then and now traded in slaves also. And the
cruel trade is not yet ended. Would you like to hear about some boys who
have darker skins than yours, and darker hearts, because they do not know
the Lord Jesus as their own Saviour? Well, these po