Earlier text: GROWING OLD“For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” The Greek word here translated “put on,” expresses the thought of the putting on of clothes: “to be clothed in: have on: to wear.” It well expresses the thought of baptism, as expressed elsewhere: of being buried, lost sight of: baptism being a burial in the water, so that the person baptized is overwhelmed, lost sight of, and shut away from the sight of the world. Baptism in water is but the form in which is expressed the fact that the individual is buried, overwhelmed, clothed, and lost sight of, in Christ; so that, instead of the old man being seen in the world and by the world, it is only Christ that is seen in the baptized individual. The thought of this verse is expressed in another place: “As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him.” As you have put on Christ, and so are clothed in Christ, so wear him as your clothing, that you yourself may be hidden, and only Christ appear. This is the truth expressed in baptism. Oh, that this truth were indeed always expressed in baptism! How many realize that baptism in the water is not itself the true baptism; but is only the outward expression of that which is the true baptism? For, though a person be baptized, buried, overwhelmed, and lost sight of in the water—if that be all, then it is but nothing. For baptism consists not in the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God. 1 Peter 3:21. And a good conscience is found only in “the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God.” Heb. 9:14. When each soul, to be baptized in the water, has already been, by faith, overwhelmed, clothed, and lost sight of, in Christ, and the baptism in the water is the expression of his faith which has clothed him indeed in Christ, then baptism will not only bear to Christians its true meaning, but will also bear to the world its true meaning. “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for281 ye are all one in Christ Jesus.” Among those who are Christians, there are neither racial, tribal, national, nor any other distinctions; for all are one in Christ Jesus. And, wherever among those professing to be Christians, there are seen any distinctions of any kind, by that very fact it is therein declared that among them Christ is not truly apprehended. Accordingly, the Revised Version brings out this very thought: that among those who have been baptized into Christ, and so, have put on Christ, “there can be neither Jew nor Greek, there can be neither bond nor free, there can be no male and female,” for all are one, and that one is only Christ. The thought is that, when the man has died, and has been buried—baptized—into Christ: overwhelmed, lost sight of, in Christ, he is forever taken away from himself, and is not himself any more. If he was an American before, he is not an American now: he is a Christian. If he was a Scythian before, he is not a Scythian now: he is a Christian. If he was an African before, he is not “an African” now: he is a Christian. If he was a slave before, he is not a slave now: he is a Christian. If, before, he was a Jew after the flesh, he is not a Jew now: he is a Christian. If, before, he was a Greek, he is not a Greek now: he is a Christian. So that among those who are truly Christ’s: who have put on Christ, and who are wearing Christ, all manner of racial, tribal, national, or whatsoever distinctions, is utterly gone. There is no respect of persons with God, nor with those who are the children of God: it is only character that counts, and that the character of Christ—the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ. And thus, “if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” For, the promise is only to Abraham, and to his seed, which is Christ. Accordingly, that promise, that inheritance, could not possibly fall to any person but to Christ. For, “he saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.” Then, whosoever shall not be found with Christ upon him: whosoever shall not be found clothed with Christ, so that Christ is the individual who is seen, can never be heir to the inheritance, nor receive the promise. And wherever among professed Christians there are divisions or dissensions, the promise of the inheritance is forfeited. Because the promise is not unto “seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ;” and Christ is not divided. He is one, and only those who are one IN HIM, can possibly receive the inheritance. AN UNHEEDED INJUNCTION.
By Uriah Smith
What is that?—It is one given by our Saviour himself. It is short, composed of only two words; it is of the plainest import, and easily understood. The words are familiar to every reader of the New Testament, and are as often quoted, perhaps, as any other words. They are acknowledged to be of vital importance. And yet, with all this, strange to say, they are perhaps more generally disregarded than any other, by Christian people. What, then, can this injunction be?—It is that recorded in Matt. 7:1: “Judge not.” But with these are other words which involve a conclusion, which should not be separated from them, nor for a moment be lost from the thought; namely, “that ye be not judged.” “Judge not, that ye be not judged.” There is no denying the fact that the world is full of just such judgments as are here forbidden—needless, uncharitable, false, and hypocritical judgments. To judge a person is to pass judgment upon him, upon his actions, words, or character; and this is done, usually, hastily and thoughtlessly, by words uttered on the spur of the moment, or by actions that speak louder than words, but presented in such a way as to reflect upon the motives or the character of the one under censure, considering the circumstances under which the action was performed. It is the work of spying out our neighbor’s faults. And to be eager to do this, is not worthy work, nor is it Christian; it is not fulfilling the law of God; for the more diligent we are in this respect in regard to our brother, the more careless we are in regard to ourselves. The less we spare another’s faults, the more tender we are of our own. The ones who are the most censorious are just the ones who are themselves the least faultless, and most indulgent to their own cherished sins. When we judge one another in this way, how far short do we come of the care taken even by secular organizations, of the people of a community, for the peace of society, and the just treatment of all concerned. It is necessary sometimes to judge criminals—those who have in some way offended against the laws of the land. But mark how carefully it is done. No one can be condemned without a careful examination of all the evidences for and against him; and it is not “hearsay” evidence, either, that is allowed any bearing in determining the verdict. The accused has always the right to be brought face to face with his accusers; and he is given an opportunity to make a good defense. But how is it at the bar of public opinion, or in these cases where members of the church judge one another, contrary to the injunction now under notice? In these cases men are often tried, judged, and condemned, even by their brethren in the church, by a process that would not be tolerated for an instant even in a court of justice, where men are governed, not by religious principles, but only by secular motives. Thus, often without judge, without jury, without advocates to plead his cause, without witnesses to speak in his defense, and often with no evidence that would be allowed in a court of justice, the victim of this irresponsible, promiscuous manner of judging one another, is condemned as if his guilt were established, and he is treated accordingly; and that, too, when no good whatever is to be gained by his condemnation. Such things surely ought not so to be; and there are certainly good reasons why this far-reaching injunction to “judge not” should have been spread upon the sacred page. To violate this principle, and engage in this work of judging, involves great responsibility; for God has reserved this prerogative to himself. And hence Paul declares: “Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsel of the hearts; and then shall every man have praise of God.” The great wrong of our judging lies in our incompetence. We can not read the thoughts of men’s hearts, and know the hidden motives that control their actions. Again: we are not servants of one another, but we are all servants together of one common Master, who will himself attend to the question of apportioning the merit or demerit of each one, and of dealing out to each one, gains or losses accordingly. Read Paul’s instructions in Romans 14. In verse 4 he says, “Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant?” In all this work we are out of our province. The one we would judge is the servant of another man,—another being, that is, God,—and not the servant of ourselves. We are all alike; all servants of the one great King; and he will do the judging, and will determine the reward of each at the close of the day. Now for us to undertake to judge beforehand is to ignore his position and to invade his province. Speaking of all these servants, in reference to the course they may see fit to pursue, Paul emphatically says, “To his own master he standeth or falleth.” “Why,” he searchingly inquires, “dost thou judge thy brother?” And then he enforces this question with this solemn truth: “For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. . . . So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.” And he adds the very natural conclusion, “Let us not therefore judge one another any more.” The mischief of this kind of character that is ready to spy out the faults of others, is that it can hardly refrain from proclaiming abroad to others the faults it has been so skillful in unearthing, and this without stopping to consider the pain or injury his course may inflict on others. To do this, a man must override completely the golden rule, “Whatever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them.” Judge not your neighbor in a way in which you would not like to have him judge you. Do not spy out his faults in a manner that you would consider unkind and ungenerous if done to yourself. Do not talk of his errors as you would feel it unfair to have your own discussed. Do not ascribe base motives and wicked meanings to him, which you would hold to be unjust if ascribed to you. So do ye to others whatsoever ye would that they should do to you. Many will, of course, admit that it is not right to circulate reports about our neighbors, and judge them, by things that we hear. But then, they say, we tell only things that we positively know to be true. But, as Christians, have you any right to do even that?—The strict injunction of the apostle Paul is, “Speak evil of no man;” and he does not add, “unless it be true.” Truth is no defense to justify evil speaking. The question to be decided is not, Is the person innocent or guilty? but, Is it right to indulge in evil speaking? What does the apostle say about that heavenly grace of charity?—He says, not that it does not speak any evil, but that it thinks no evil, “rejoiceth not in iniquity. . . . believeth all things, hopeth all things,” that are lovely and of good report. “But when I know a person to be guilty,” some one may say, “and to have acted from wrong motives, then how can I refrain from judging him, whether I will or not?” Even then you are not to judge. If evil speaking is wrong whether the thing is true or false, judging is doubly wrong, because it is mounting the throne, and usurping a prerogative that belongs to God only. Though we may know a person to be guilty of some wrong, as shown by outward acts, we do not know all the circumstances of the case, and can not, with our finite minds, fix the measure of the person’s guilt. And even if we knew all the circumstances, we could not measure the force with which they may have acted upon the mind and nature of the one who has fallen into wrong. We have no unvarying standard by which to grade all actions. By careful action, in following all the known rules of justice, we may measure the guilt of a person with respect to human laws, which concern only outward acts, and where the standard of right is such only as man erects. But what man, or combination of men, can measure his guilt with respect to the law of God, the absolute standard of right, and that which takes cognizance of the secret thoughts and motives of the heart? To speak evil of others not only violates the laws of etiquette and good breeding, but invades a province in which even angels walk with care and circumspection. We are told that whosoever is angry with his brother without cause, shall be in danger of the judgment; and whosoever shall say “Raca”282 shall be in danger of the council; and whosoever shall say “Thou fool,” shall be in danger of hell fire. And on a higher plane, Michael, the head angel, durst not bring a railing accusation against the devil, the head demon. Jude 9. But there is an element of compensation in this matter, which seems to be still more extensively overlooked. The language, “Judge not, that ye be not judged,” implies that if we do judge, we shall be judged. But our Lord does not leave it with merely an inference. He says plainly, “With what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.” Who thinks of this when he is pouring out denunciation and condemnation against his brother? When we are giving one what we may fancy is a good “setting up,” or “dressing down,”—whatever we may call it,—how often do we then realize that we are simply setting the pace, and gauging the measure, of what will be returned to ourselves? Phillips Brooks says, “The New Testament is full of natural and necessary reciprocity between man and the things with which he is surrounded. Every gift has its return; every act, its consequence; every call, its answer, in this great, live, alert world, where man stands central, and all things have their eyes on him, and ears open to his voice.” It is a rule that holds in things both spiritual and temporal. Luke states it a little more fully: “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.” Luke 6:38. Paul applies the same law to the spiritual field: “But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.” 2 Cor. 9:6. We are taught to pray, “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” We make the forgiveness we extend to others the measure of the forgiveness we ask from God. This is further illustrated in the parable of the debtor, in Matt. 18:23–35. The one who would not forgive his fellow servant a trifling sum, after his lord had forgiven him a vast debt, had his own indebtedness revived and rolled back upon him with its crushing weight. As already said, the same rule applies to spiritual relationships; for in proportion as we give ourselves to Christ, in that proportion he gives himself to us. Quoting again from Phillips Brooks: “There are different measures in which men give themselves to Christ; and Christ despises none of them. But in different measures he is again compelled to give himself back. In what measure each gives himself to the Saviour, the Saviour gives himself in his salvation back to each.” It is said that each man gets out of the world of men, the rebound, the increase and development, of what he brings thereto. Let us, then, so relate ourselves to our fellow men, to the Lord, and to his work, that the rebound to us will bring comfort and good cheer here, and salvation in the world to come. U. S. The Garrote in Porto Rico
*The garrote is a Spanish instrument of punishment used in the Spanish dominions as the means of executing criminals. “The victim is placed on a stool with a post or stake behind, to which is affixed an iron collar controlled by a screw passing through the post. This collar is made to clasp the neck of the victim, and is tightened by the action of the screw. As the instrument is now operated, the point of the screw is caused to protrude and pierce the spinal marrow at its junction with the brain, thus causing death.”—Century Dictionary. For more than a year Porto Rico has been subject to the power and jurisdiction of the United States. In this time, and not long ago, five prisoners were sentenced to death in Porto Rico—to be executed by means of the garrote. As Porto Rico is subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, and as the Constitution of the United States forbids “cruel and unusual punishments,” and as beyond all question the garrote* is a “cruel and unusual punishment,” appeal was made to the President of the United States that this cruel means of execution be not inflicted. The appeal was refused. And this because to accept the appeal would be to recognize the Constitution of the United States as of force in Porto Rico. And thus this horrible Spanish cruelty was continued and employed under the jurisdiction of the United States, rather than that the Constitution of the United States should be recognized in Porto Rico, which would have instantly annihilated forever every species of Spanish cruelty and oppression. How would it be possible more fully to repudiate the Constitution? And when it is so repudiated in one part of the jurisdiction of the United States, how long can anybody be sure that when occasion offers, it will not be repudiated in any, or even every, other part of the jurisdiction of the United States. GOSPEL LIBERTY IS TAUGHT IN BABYLON.
By W. W. P.
Nebuchadnezzar was king over all the earth, and it was a new thing for any one to dispute his absolute authority. It was to him a case of unbearable insolence when the three Jewish captives from conquered Jerusalem presumed to withstand him to his face. “Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated. And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Therefore because the king’s commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceedingly hot, the flame of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.” The question to be decided in this experience was, Who is God? Is there any king greater than the king of Babylon? The God of heaven placed his case in the hands of these three men, saying unto them, “Ye are my witnesses, . . . that I am God.” Nebuchadnezzar was therefore on trial, and he appeared as his own witness, but his own testimony was against his claim to be king. When he was “full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed,” he was testifying that he lacked the power of the true king, the power to control himself. A greater power was being revealed in the men who refused, in the face of death, to betray the sacred trust committed to them, and that without bringing “a railing accusation” against the unrighteous decree of the king, than in Nebuchadnezzar, who became so angry at their refusal; and the course which he pursued to vent his rage only served to make more decisive the testimony which was borne in behalf of the God of heaven. “Surely the wrath of man shall praise Thee.” The king of Babylon did his utmost. The furnace was “exceeding hot,” and from its fiery mouth it breathed forth death to “the most mighty men” that were in the army of the king of Babylon. They were literally slain by the breath of its mouth. Not one of that assembled multitude could say that the flame and the heat were not real, for it was demonstrated that men selected for their power of resistance could not endure to approach near it. To them it was “a consuming fire.” And there was no possibility left to the three captives for escaping from the furnace, for they “were bound,” and they “fell down bound,” into the very center of the flames. Thus did the king of Babylon purpose to inflict summary punishment upon those who presumed to question his right to dictate what and how they should worship; and by making a public example of these few he would effectually check any such tendency to these “treasonable” sentiments on the part of his other subjects. But he did not know with whom he was dealing; for he had not yet become acquainted with the God whose dwelling is with flesh, and there was no Gamaliel to say to him, “Refrain from these men, and let them alone: . . . lest haply ye be found even to fight against God.” That God who had brought these men to Babylon to reveal his power to save, and whose presence was known to them, would through them make his presence known to all the people. “Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counselors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king. He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God. Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire. And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king’s counselors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.” This was the second time that Nebuchadnezzar was shown in a manner to impress his mind most forcibly, that there is a God in heaven whose ways are not his ways. It was the second time that the truth was presented to him that there is a King, a kingdom, and a dominion greater than the king, the kingdom, and the dominion of Babylon. It was the second time that it was made clear to him that the whole current of his life needed to be changed. It was the second time that the gospel of the kingdom was publicly proclaimed in Babylon. In the dream and its interpretation Nebuchadnezzar was taught concerning the failure of all earthly kingdoms, and the outward setting up of the kingdom of God “in the latter days.” In the lapse of years this lesson had faded from his mind. In this second experience he was taught that this same kingdom of God, which would be set up outwardly “in the latter days,” a kingdom of greater power than any earthly kingdom, was set up as a present experience in the hearts of men who through faith in that power “quenched the violence of fire.” The effect of the fire upon the men who were cast into it was very different from what was expected. Instead of consuming them, it consumed the bonds with which they were bound by the king of Babylon; and so the men who were cast in “bound” were seen to be “loose, walking in the midst of the fire.” These men were not proclaiming a theory, but they were revealing a fact. They were not merely talking about a power that could save, but they were taking hold of that power, and being saved by it. And “the form of the fourth” who was with them in the furnace was the visible evidence to Nebuchadnezzar that “there is a God in heaven” who is also “God with us,” in the person of his Son. W. W. P. (This study to be concluded next week.) It is now almost universally confessed that the Sheldon experiment of conducting a daily paper “as Jesus would,” was a flat failure. The most sensible comment on that affair and the whole idea involved in it, is that made by former United States Senator John J. Ingalls, of Kansas, who remarks: “What Jesus would do were he in Kansas to-day can best be determined by considering what he did when he was in Nazareth and Capernaum nineteen hundred years ago. He attended strictly to his own business, he did not meddle in other people’s affairs. He only sought to establish a spiritual kingdom, and his empire was in the hearts of men. He told his followers to render unto Cæsar the things that are Cæsar’s. He neither bought nor sold nor interfered in politics. He said that all men are brothers; that God is their father; and that they should do as they would be done by. Ecclesiastical mountebanks who are directly responsible for the blasphemy of asking how Jesus would shave if he were a barber; what he would do if he had a headache; how he would act if he were in General Buller’s place in South Africa, inflict irreparable injury upon the cause of religion. They make a joke of the passion in the garden of Gethsemane, and cast contempt upon the agony of Calvary. It would be no greater sacrilege to ask what God would do. It is desecrating the greatest name in the world’s registration. It is trifling with the most awful mystery of the universe.” Moral Reform by Immoral Men
After repeated efforts to reform New York City by law and the civil power, Rev. Dr. Parkhurst has discovered that “you can not expect permanent results from the moral efforts of immoral men. A noble thing done by an ignoble man because he is obliged to do it, can not be counted on for permanency.” That is sound and truly profound philosophy; but that ministers of the gospel should be able to discover it only through such a course as that of Dr. Parkhurst in New York City, is a striking evidence of how very superficial is the study of the gospel, which they profess to preach, by even the most prominent ministers. Senator Hoar Opposes Imperialism
For more than three hours, April 17, Mr. Hoar, Senator from Massachusetts, occupied the attention of the United States Senate with a speech “in opposition to the policy of imperialism upon which this country has embarked.” SWITZERLAND
By P. A. De Forest
It is now four years since the Institut Sanitaire opened, during which time we have had about two hundred and fifty patients. At present there are twelve indoor patients, and half as many taking treatment, who live in the city. The encouraging feature of the work is the number of patients who accept present truth, and remain attached to its principles. About one in twelve accepts Christ. Some of the stanchest brethren in our churches have come into the truth through the medium of the health work. We praise the Lord that some good has been accomplished, and we know that a wide field is open before us. The nurses' training school has graduated nine persons; eight of whom are in the field as missionary nurses. One of our oldest nurses, a German sister, is working with Brother Passebois in Cairo, and is doing well. Brother Hörner, a German, is working with Brother Krum at Joppa, where they are treating great numbers of the sick. An Armenian sister, a relative of Brother Baharian, is working near Constantinople. She reports progress among our people in Turkey. She works at the Armenian hospital in the surgical clinic, and has thus an opportunity of coming in contact with numbers of unfortunate patients. One of our Swiss-French nurses is working at Friedensau, where the new German sanitarium is in process of erection. Two English ladies, who graduated in last year's class, are in London; one goes to Redhill to work with the Drs. Kress. In Switzerland we have two missionary nurses, working in the children's school and medical mission respectively. Another goes in a few days to take charge of a small summer resort on the mountain behind Bienne. So you see our work is spreading. There are, besides these workers, sixteen young persons who are in training. In a few months there will be eight more ready to respond to calls. We hope to see a harvest of souls from the labors of these young people, and this hope spurs us on to a greater activity in the work of God. HELP FOR OUR SCHOOLS.
By George A. Irwin
It is well-known to all our people that the majority of our larger schools, such as colleges and academies, are at the present time struggling with a heavy load of indebtedness that has been contracted by the erection of buildings and the creating of appliances thought to be necessary to carry on these schools. In some instances these debts have been augmented by a failure on the part of schools to meet their running expenses. As a result of this heavy indebtedness, our school work has been in a measure crippled, since time and thought have been devoted to this by the teachers, that should have been given to the legitimate work of the school. Many plans have been proposed for the liquidation of these debts, some of which have brought temporary relief. But the bulk of the indebtedness still remains. Brief allusion has been made in a past issue of the REVIEW to a plan proposed by Sister E. G. White which, if accepted by the denomination and heartily entered upon, will go far toward relieving us from these debts, if not entirely wiping them out. But this depends largely upon the interest and enthusiasm with which we as a people adopt, and co-operate in, the plan. It will not be my purpose in this article to state the plan in detail, as that will be done by those upon whom the burden of carrying it into effect has been laid; hence I will only call attention at this time to the plan in its general features. Sister White proposes to give all the royalty on her latest book, entitled, “The Parables of Jesus,” or, “Christ’s Object-Lessons.” This book, the manuscript of which is now in the hands of the publishers, is said to be one of the best of Sister White’s productions, and it is believed that it will be one of the best selling books that she has as yet brought out. Her interest in the school work is such that she has generously given for this purpose all the proceeds in the shape of royalties that would otherwise come to her from the sale of the book. This gift, however, is on condition that the General Conference, all publishing houses, State conferences, tract societies, ministers, and workers in general unite with her in the spirit of sacrifice and a donation of time or means commensurate with the ability of each. I am glad to be able to say that the General Conference Committee very much appreciate this gift, and at their recent session in March took steps to have the enterprise carried rapidly to successful completion. A committee of seven (consisting of Elders S. N. Haskell, S. H. Lane, P. T. Magan, J. E. White, and L. A. Hoopes, and Dr. J. H. Kellogg and W. C. Sisley) was appointed for this purpose. The committee was organized for work by the election of Elder Lane as chairman and P. T. Magan as secretary. Professor Magan was also chosen by the General Conference Committee, and put upon the pay roll of the General Conference, to act as a general man in carrying out and putting into effect the plans proposed by the committee. These plans will be submitted in a short time to each school, conference, and tract society. Each of the two publishing houses has been asked to print an edition of 150,000 copies of this book free of cost, as their donation toward the enterprise. This will entail an expense of about $15,000 upon each office, which is certainly a very liberal contribution. The tract societies will be asked to handle the book free or practically so; so that nearly all the profits arising from the sale of the book, aside from the canvassers’ commission, can be applied in the liquidation of the debts of the various schools. The illustrations, typesetting, and the making of four sets of plates for this book, will entail an expense of nearly four thousand dollars. It was thought by the committee that it would not be right to ask our publishing houses to bear this expense, in addition to what they have already been asked to do; so it has been decided to raise this amount by donations from individuals—not that we would make a general call from our people for small amounts, but from such as are able, and would feel it a privilege, to give to such a worthy enterprise sums varying in amount from twenty dollars up to one hundred or more. A one-thousand-dollar pledge has already been made for the illustrations, and it need not take long to complete the amount needed, if each one of the class referred to above would respond quickly. It is the desire of the committee to push this matter as rapidly as possible, hence it will be necessary to have the funds on hand to pay for this work, so that the book may be out ready for delivery by the latter part of August or the first of September. No effort as yet has been made to raise this fund, aside from the thousand dollars that has been pledged; but as a starter, I will give one hundred dollars toward it. A donation column for this purpose will be opened in the REVIEW, in which the names of those contributing to the fund will be printed as an acknowledgment of the receipt of the money. All donations for this purpose should be sent to A. G. Adams, Treasurer of the General Conference, Battle Creek, Mich., with the statement that it is for this special fund. I trust no one will hold back, thinking that the amount may be raised, so that your donation will not be needed. There will be other expenses connected with the working out of this enterprise, which will need to be met, and which, if met in this way, will leave the book fund intact to be applied toward the school work. Perhaps I should say, for the encouragement of those schools not heavily in debt, all money realized from this enterprise above what is necessary to liquidate their indebtedness, can be used by them to create additional facilities and appliances. This should be an inducement for them to work earnestly for the sale of the book, in their respective districts. The payment of these school debts will not only be a relief to the schools, thus enabling them to do better work, but will be a relief to the cause in general; as the General Conference Association and the Review and Herald are obligated for quite a large amount of this aggregate indebtedness. It seems to me that this is certainly a providential movement, and one in which the Lord would be pleased to have all his people heartily co-operate; hence I trust that not only each school, but each Conference, and every church and person composing the churches, will feel the burden of this work, and heartily co-operate with the committee in their efforts to carry to successful completion the plans that have been laid. It is not designed to have this book interfere with the regular denominational canvassing work. That will be expected to go on as usual, and it is hoped, with even more of an impetus. It is intended to make this a special effort, and thus bring more of our people into the work; for while selling this book, we are accomplishing a threefold purpose—that of getting truth into the hands of the people, relieving our situation, and gaining an experience which will fit us for other and larger responsibilities. I trust each one who reads this article will study the matter carefully and prayerfully, and will begin at once to consider what responsibility rests upon him in this plan for relieving our educational institutions, and stand ready to act at the proper time in contributing his share toward making the enterprise a success, in order that the jubilee song of release from debt may soon be sung by Seventh-day Adventists as a people, to the praise and glory of God. GEO. A. IRWIN, Pres. Gen. Conf. NEW ZEALAND.
By G. A. Wantzlich
WANGANUI.—In reply to the call inviting ministers and workers occasionally to write out some of their experiences while engaged in the work, I enclose a brief sketch of a practical lesson experienced recently. The text in Zech. 4:6 never before appeared so forcible to me as at this time: “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.” After three-months’ special public labor, consisting in holding public meetings, distributing tracts from house to house, united with personal invitations to come to the meetings, visiting and holding Bible readings, the effort would appear to have been all in vain. At last one Sabbath morning a young man about twenty-one years of age called to see me, to tell me that he had become fully persuaded of the truth as taught by the Seventh-day Adventist people, and that he had decided to be baptized and unite with our church here. I began to think that this was something I had accomplished, and accordingly congratulated myself upon my success. However, during the conversation, I found that all my efforts had not been instrumental in his conversion at all, since it had not reached him, but that he became convinced of the truth through reading “Thoughts on Daniel and the Revelation” and “The Eastern Question.” “By my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.” I thank the Lord that this is so, that man can not lay claim to having done anything at all. “For without me ye can do nothing.” How apt we are to forget this, and how slow to learn the lesson! I have become more convinced than ever that much of the success of our labor depends proportionately upon the scanty or liberal distribution of our literature among the people. So I have determined, with God’s help, to work more extensively in this direction in the future. “In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand; for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good.”