Foreword

IN OUR MIND'S eye we can see Dr. Bounds, in the early years of the twentieth century, walking the streets of his own little village, with his manuscripts tied up with a twine string, and written upon the backs of old circulars, used envelopes, looking for someone who would undertake to prepare the manuscripts for publication and asking of his friends to pray that God would raise him up a man that would bring out his writings. Claudius Lysias Chilton, a scholarly friend of Dr. Bounds, said, “There is no man on earth today except the present editor who would have accepted this mass of matter and devoted the time to give it to the world-a world that will not begin to realize the magnitude and expanse of the work until editor, compiler and reviewers have been in eternity many ages." We take this occasion to offer our heartfelt thanks to the friends who have helped to compile, revise, rewrite and edit the printed and unprinted works of Dr. Bounds. We thank Rev. Robert O. Smith, of Gainesville, Georgia, for introducing him to us in 1905, and pressing the matter upon us that we needed this apostolic man to teach us to pray and preach the Word. To one friend in particular - Rev. Clement C. Gary, of Atlanta, Georgia, - we owe the first expression of sincere gratitude for his part in this work. To him I am indebted for a vast amount of labour and study such as it can be the good fortune of few editors to receive from one so saintly and competent, occupied as he is by private and public duties. To Miss Ambrose, of Baltimore, Maryland, I am deeply indebted for splendid and correct stenographic work.

I here submit a few brief statements from Dr. Bounds' letters to me just before he died, which show his views of Satan ere he went far out of his reach.

“Washington, Ga., Dec. 15, 1911: I am trying to give myself more and more to prayer. Our only hope is in God. I do sympathize with you and pray for you and hold you in loving affection. Rejoice that you are well situated. God save you from your buffeting devil. The devil is a great help heavenward. The worse agents he has the better we will get on."

“Washington, Ga., July 1, 1912: Pray more and more; keep at the four A.M. hour. God will be for it; the devil against it. Press on, you can't pray too much, you may pray too little. The devil will compromise with you to pray as the common standard, on going to bed, and a little prayer in the morning. Hell will be full if we don't do better for God than that. Pray, pray, pray, pray always, rejoice evermore, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks."

It is barely possible that I have escaped making many errors involving so many examinations and rewriting so many pages in his published and unpublished works, but I still hope that many souls will be edified and made holier and more devout by the reading and that God will receive additional glory when Bounds' complete works have been given to a needy world.

Homer W. Hodge.

Brooklyn, N. Y.