Signs of the Times, Vol. 24, No. 37. (9/15/1898)

Signs of the Times

Sep 15, 1898

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Sep 15, 1898

THE BOYHOOD OF JESUS.

By John Orr

But one effort is made in the sacred record of Christ’s life to lift the veil from His childhood experience. Had there been anything in that part of His life specially needful for us, we may rest assured that it would have been forthcoming. We are indeed informed that the Child grew, waxed strong in spirit, was filled with wisdom, and that the grace of God was upon Him. Luke 2:40.

From this we may gather that under the gentle nurture of a loving mother, He met childhood’s restraints and admonitions with unruffled patience; that He was ever truthful with exactness; and that His love was so full and unvarying as to make Him a joy and delight to all around Him.

Apocryphal writings, however, are full of the strangest and most frivolous statements of these boyhood days; as, for instance, that when at play with other boys, in order to show His superiority over them, He made living beasts and birds from the clay with which they played; pulled short boards to the requisite length; struck dead with a curse boys who offended Him; and even destroyed the property of some poor man as tho for mischief, so that when the owner manifested consternation and grief at his loss, he might be pleasantly relieved by a miraculous restoration of the property.

It is good that reliable testimony has omitted such things from the youthful life of our Lord, since such an account seriously related would so violate our sense of propriety, and shock our moral ideas in such a way as to detract from the dignity to which He is entitled as the Son of Jehovah. The very silence of inspiration concerning this part of Christ’s life is, therefore, a most eloquent tribute to the dignity of His childhood. It is indeed a volume of instruction upon the divine power that led Him to pass so many years in obscurity, in human flesh, without a single flash of splendor, or of undue exaltation.

The Jewish Talmud recognized every boy among the Hebrews who had completed his twelfth year, as a “son of the law,” and as such, required him to observe the annual feasts held in Jerusalem. He must also at that time begin to learn some trade and also to acquire a knowledge of the Scriptures.

Jesus, therefore, at the age of twelve accompanied His parents to Jerusalem in order to celebrate the Passover. Joseph having fulfilled the requirements of the feast week, the parents prepared to return with the caravan on their way to Nazareth. Away from the holy city, and the deep religious emotion of the preceding days, visiting, music, and mirth were made to enliven the tediousness of the journey. Absorbed in the pleasures of the day, the parents of Jesus reached the place of the first night’s encampment before discovering that their holy Charge was not in the company. Seeking for Him without success, the parents became alarmed, and nothing was now left for them to do but to return to Jerusalem, which they did the following day, probably with a deep sense of self-reproach at their own unfaithfulness toward their Charge. But neither on that day nor the following night could they get any trace of their lost Child. On the third day, however, they came upon Him in one of the schools of the rabbis, which were held in the temple courts. Here, before the teaching

rabbi, who was seated in his chair of learning, and others standing about, Jesus was found both hearing and asking questions of the doctors. Luke 2:43-46.

As the parents listened for a moment to the wisdom with which Jesus astonished the rabbis, they, too, were amazed. Joseph did not speak; and it is not likely that Mary said much until Jesus had gone with her apart. Her burdened heart then found utterance in the words, “Son, why hast Thou thus dealt with us? behold! Thy father and I have sought Thee sorrowing,” or, as the phrase will bear, “with aching hearts.” Probably never before had He done that which demanded such chiding. She really did not know how to account for His present conduct, and was astonished at His seeming neglect of her comfort.

His touching reply, so innocently given, must have started a singular train of thought in Mary’s mind: “How is it that ye sought Me? wist ye not that I must be about My Father’s business?” The parents did not understand the solemn import of these divinely-uttered words. Mary had said to Him, “Thy father” hath sought Thee. His reply was that even then He was doing His Father’s work. “Wist ye not,”—did ye not know whose Son I am—you who were favored before my birth in the flesh, by information from heaven’s messenger, relative to My mission? Have you forgotten so soon? You have called Joseph My father; I acknowledge My only Father, He in whose house I now am.

But, altho Jesus had in these words revealed that even at that tender age He knew whence He was, and why He came to earth, yet He quietly returned to Nazareth with Joseph and Mary, to be subject to family discipline for eighteen long years more, before He could enter directly upon that work to which He had given Himself. What divine patience was here shown! what emptying of self, even in private life! Such cheerful, prompt yielding to circumstances, while possessing a full consciousness of divine power and heavenly heritage, is just as much a part of His life-work and example for men, as His public ministry and His patient death upon the cross. Jesus of Nazareth was just as fully the Son of God as Jesus of Gethsemane and the cross, and His steps are as worthy of following in one case as in the other. He was about His Father’s business in one situation as well as in the other. May we all learn the true lesson of Christian service from the early years of Jesus, as well as from the latter part of His life. JOHN ORR.

CONFIDENCE IN GOD.

CONFIDENCE, when one begins a voyage, that he will be saved, may rationally be based upon the precautions he takes against the casualties that are probable, those that are improbable, and upon the merciful providence of God. The certainty that he will reach the end of his voyage is not communicable. The safety of the Christian is in the deep, adamantine conviction that God is in the plan upon which he, the Christian, is working, and that he will reach his desired haven if that is essential to the plan; if not, he is safe anywhere in any state.

Should the Christian find himself sinking, his prayer is, “Lord, save or I perish,” but if he perishes, his cry is, “Tho I die, yet shall I live again.” The uncertainty of the sea in the tempest, even when combined with the terrors of shot and shell from fort or ship of war, tho a trial to one’s composure. does not complicate the problem. He whose faith takes on the form of deep confidence that he will reach the port in safety, but who finds himself sinking in the sea, if it be his faith is genuine confidence in God, lays hold of the truth that “it is as near to heaven by sea as it is by land.”

How sublime the words with which, for the comfort of His people, God inspired His servant: “By terrible things in righteousness wilt Thou answer us, O God of our salvation; who art the confidence of all the ends of the earth, and of them that are afar off upon the sea”!—Christian Advocate.

LESSONS FROM THE PARABLE OF THE UNJUST JUDGE.

By Ellen G. White

FROM this parable God would have us learn to respect the cause of the poor. “Ye shall not respect persons in judgment,” He declares; “but ye shall hear the small as well as the great; ye shall not be afraid of the face of man; for the judgment is God’s.” “He that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker; but he that honoreth Him hath mercy on the poor.” This is one of the lessons we are to learn from the parable of the unjust judge. It is an admonition to all who claim to be righteous. “For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise,” God says. “Therefore turn thou to thy God; keep mercy and judgment, and wait on thy God continually.” Those who fear God, who accept Christ as a personal Saviour, will reveal a Christlike character. The character of God will speak through them in vindication of truth.

In God’s people is begotten tender sympathy and compassion for the distress of suffering humanity. Christ awakens in them a deep interest in others; and as they labor to supply the necessities of those around them, the Lord works in their behalf. They realize the truth of the words: “Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?”

To those who co-operate with God by helping others, the promise is given, “Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and He shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity; and if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday; and the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones; and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not. And they that be of thee shall build the old waste places; and thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.”

In this parable Christ draws a sharp contrast between the unjust judge and God. The judge, tho fearing neither God nor man, listened to the widow because of her constant petitions. Altho his heart remained like ice, yet the widow’s importunity resulted in her success. He avenged her, tho he felt no pity or compassion for her, tho her misery was nothing to him. “And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith. And shall not God avenge His own elect, which cry day and night unto Him, tho He bear long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily.”

The judge yielded to the widow’s request merely because of selfishness, that he might be relieved of her importunity. How different is God’s attitude in regard to prayer! Our heavenly Father may not seem to respond immediately to the prayers and appeals of His people; but He never turns from them indifferently. In this parable and the parable of the man rising at midnight to supply his friend’s necessity, that the friend might minister to a needy, wayfaring man, we are taught that God hears our prayers. Too often we think that our petitions are unheard, and we cherish unbelief, distrusting God when we should claim the promise, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” Let us draw the instruction that we should from these parables. The Lord is our judge; He is our lawgiver. We give evidence of the strong ground of our confidence in God by importunate prayer, combined with good works. But faith without works is dead, being alone.

The unjust judge revealed his own natural traits of character. Are there any claiming to be sons and daughters of God who copy this pattern? Should the Lord answer their requests, they would think it was because of their goodness. They would fail to see their defects of character. But those who judge righteously, who deny self, may expect the answer: “Here I am. What shall I do for you?”

What is prayer—merely the presentation of our soul hunger?—No; the presentation of our perplexities and necessities, and of our need of God’s help against our adversary the devil. As the elect of God we need to understand the nature of our wants and the motives that prompt us to prayer. We need to remember that we are in need, and that our wants must be supplied from the heavenly storehouse. Prayer is to be offered for the preservation of

life, for the preservation of every power and faculty, that we may render the highest service to our Maker. It is to be offered for temporal necessities and blessings. In the prayer Christ gave His disciples, the request is made for daily bread. “Your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things,” the Saviour said. “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask Him?” The realization of our need urges us to pray earnestly, and our Father is moved by our petitions.

God’s special work is to benefit His people in every way, to enlighten, to purify, to transform and strengthen man’s moral and spiritual powers. We need to be as Christ has said,—instant in prayer. As soon as difficulty comes, let us offer our simple, sincere prayers. Christ will present these, mingled with the fragrance of His Spirit, to the Father. They will be wholly accepted; for if we have taken Christ to be our personal Saviour, we are born again. We are sons and daughters of God, members by adoption of the royal family.

God revealed His character to Moses. In answer to the prayer of His servant, “I beseech Thee, show me Thy glory,” He said, “I will make all My goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee. . . . And He said, Thou canst not see My face; for there shall no man see Me, and live. . . . Behold, there is a place by Me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock; and it shall come to pass, while My glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with My hand while I pass by.”

“And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.”

This is the provision made for the people of God in all ages. He who dwelleth in the heavenly sanctuary judgeth righteously. Those who wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places, are His special care. “Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God,” the armor that He has provided for every believer, “that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; and your feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.”

Pray on, church of God, pray on; for the General of the heavenly army, with angels that excel in strength, is with His people on the field of battle. In the hour of peril, be steadfast. The adversary of souls is determined to oppose all who plant their feet on the platform of eternal truth, who would uplift the banner on which is inscribed, The commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. They are the objects of Satan’s deadly hatred. But rest assured that Christ fights with His army. He himself leads His followers, and He will renew the strength of every faithful soldier.

We never need distrust God. The just Judge repulses no one who comes to Him in contrition. He has more pleasure in His church, struggling with temptation here below, than in the imposing host of angels that surround His throne. Not one sincere prayer is lost. Amid the anthems of the celestial choir, God hears the cries of the weakest human being. You who feel most unworthy, commit your case to Him; for His ears are open to your cry. “He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” Will He not fulfil the gracious Word given for our encouragement and strength?

MRS. E. G. WHITE.

ONLY A STEP.

By C. M. Snow

It isn’t so far as we sometimes think From the mount of hope to adversity’s brink, From the cooling draught to the poisonous drink; It isn’t so far, I say—only a step.

It isn’t so far, my barefoot boy, From your corn-stalk fiddle and tinseled toy To the royal games which a king employ; Not so far as it seems—it’s only a step.

It isn’t so far from wealth to rags, From the one who begs to the one who brags Of his hoarded gold, and who never lags In his quest of wealth—only a step.

It isn’t so far from the hate you feel To the plunging blow of the murderous steel, When will runs riot and senses reel; It isn’t so far, I say—only a step.

It isn’t so far from the pleasing smile And winning words of a flatterer’s wile To the aching heart; when his polished guile Has won and forsaken—it’s only a step.

It isn’t so far, my lady fair, From your motherhood joy and queenly air To the blighted hope and wild despair Of the sister you shun—it’s only a step.

And you who have tasted the bittersome draught Of the dregs of sin, while the enemy laughed, You know it’s not far from the first glass quaffed To the ruin that waits for you—only a step.

It isn’t so far from the desert you view, Where your brambles of sorrow luxuriant grew, To the great Heart of love that is yearning for you; Not so far as it seems—it’s only a step.

It isn’t so far from the depths of sin, And the meshes that tangled and guided you in, To the arm of God’s love that will help you to win All the pleasures of heaven—it’s only a step.

C. M. Snow.

ANCIENT WITCHCRAFT REVIVED, or Modern Spiritualism.

By W. S. Hyatt

THIS deception has appeared at different periods of the world's history under various names and forms. It has always manifested itself in such ways as would attract the attention of the people, and lead them to trust in it rather than in God and His Word. The natural heart has always asked for a sign as proof of power, and Satan has been able to supply this demand, and thus lead men and women captive at his will.

At an early date, witches lived and practised their craft. The Lord gave His people instruction that they should “not suffer a witch to live.” Ex. 22: 18. And, again, they were to “regard not them that have familiar spirits.” Lev. 19: 31. Webster defines a familiar spirit as “a demon, or evil spirit, supposed to attend at a call.” That this class have a spirit which comes at their call, is shown by the case of the witch of Endor. Saul, the king of Israel, had been rejected by the Lord because of his rebellious ways (1 Samuel 15), and when in trouble he “inquired of the Lord, the Lord answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets. Then said Saul unto his servants, Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit.” 1 Sam. 28: 6, 7. The witch of Endor was found, and he went to her to seek consolation, altho the Lord had said, “The soul that turneth after such as have familiar spirits, . . . I will even set My face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people.” Lev. 20: 6. The result of this interview with this woman was that a familiar spirit responded to her call; and the Lord, true to His word, cut off Saul. “So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the Lord, even against the word of the Lord, which he kept not, and also for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to inquire of it.” 1 Chron. 10: 13.

This act of Saul is being repeated by thousands to-day. Another name has been chosen for those who claim to bring up the dead. Then they were witches, but now they are mediums; and still the seeking for wisdom from the dead goes on. The Lord says, when they are seeking those who have familiar spirits, “Should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead?” Isa. 8: 19. And again, “The dead know not anything.” Eccl. 9: 5. If these scriptures were accepted just as they read, many would be saved from this great deception against which the Lord has given us solemn warning.

All through the Bible we find traces of this same wicked system being practised. Simon, the sorcerer, “bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one.” Acts 8: 9. Paul and Silas met the same “spirit of divination” at Philippi in a damsel who followed after them until it was cast out. Acts 16: 6–18. At Ephesus, they found the “evil spirits” at work, but when the power of the Gospel was proclaimed, “many that believed came, and confessed, and showed their deeds. Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them.” Acts 19: 13–20.

The prophetic pen has declared that this deception will continue its work, and be especially active in the last days. “In the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.” 1 Tim. 4: 1. The object of this seductive doctrine will be “to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect.” Mark 13: 22. Then, where is our only hope?—“To the law and to the testimony; if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” Isa. 8: 20. Here is our refuge. To the Word of God we must flee if we would be saved from this delusion.

The revelator speaks of a wonder-working power that would arise, which would deceive the people into making an image to the beast, and command the people to worship it, even unto the death penalty. Rev. 13: 12–15. So great is this apostasy into which the people are led, and so wicked is this scheme of Satan, that the Lord declares that all who obey “shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God.” Rev. 14: 10. The Lord plainly states that this miracle-working deception will continue its work till the close of time: “For they are spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.” Rev. 16: 14.

In the spring of 1848, near Rochester, New York, began what was afterward known as the “Rochester Knockings.” From the beginning, this has purported to be communications from the dead, which was the same as ancient witchcraft and necromancy, only under a slightly changed form. In less than fifty years it has spread to all parts of the world, even to “the kings of the earth,” and by signs and wonders it has led millions to believe in its teachings. Go where you will, and it is there; and scarcely a voice of warning is being raised against it. Chameleon-like, it has changed its color many times to meet the fancy of the people, until to-day it is known by many different names; but each form is only one more scheme to lead the people away from the Bible, the Word of truth. Infidelity follows in its

wake, until there are many organizations passing under names borrowed from Christianity, but at the same time rejecting the Word of God, wholly or in part. O, then, let every lover of Bible truth flee to the eternal Rock; for there alone can we escape the delusions which Satan has prepared for us in these last days!

W. S. HYATT.

Cape Town, South Africa.

THE BURDEN-BEARER.

By Helen F. Clark

HAVE you been to the Bearer of Burdens to-day, O, one with the care-worn face? Have you told Him your troubles, your need of His aid? Have you told Him your sins, and the grief they have made, And asked for His pardoning grace? Have you opened your heart in the closet of prayer, And showed Him its uttermost wo? Have you told Him its bitterness, strife, and despair? Have you told Him the secret of agony there— The thing which no mortal may know? Have you told Him before, of the sore-pressing need, The toil of the long, weary day— The anxiety weighing like lead on your brow, The impatience that begs for deliverance now, Instead of awaiting His way? Can you hear His sweet voice in the Word speaking low, “O weary one, come unto Me”? Then come with your trials, and all that you do; For he is the Bearer of Burdens for you, And no one can comfort as He.

—Helen F. Clark.

GREATNESS

By W. N. G.

FLOATING with the popular tide is not greatness, albeit so great a journal as Harper’s Weekly puts it that way. It contends that Bismarck can not be compared with Gladstone. We do not care to dispute the proposition, but we do doubt the logic of the evidence presented. The point is not proved by saying that the measure of Gladstone’s greatness was the extent of his co-operation with the real tendency of the world, while Bismarck’s strength was the extent of his success in obstructing this tendency. Bismarck’s greatest contention was against the encroachment of the Roman Church upon the prerogative of the State. True, this was an endeavor to obstruct the tendency of the world; for that church stands for a world religion. See Rev. 13:3.

But the obstruction of this tendency is the work of true Protestantism, notwithstanding the fact that Bismarck’s attempt was a failure. His warfare was a political contest, while the Protestant contest is with the Word of God, not for Germany’s aggrandizement, but for the truth in all lands. Yet, from a political standpoint, Bismarck’s effort to stem the oncoming tide of Roman supremacy in the empire was a heroic one.

Without desiring to detract an iota from the just renown of Gladstone, his floating on “the tendency of the world” is not evidence of his greatness, altho that is the road to a favorable reputation in the world. His tendency in his later years to flatter the Papacy gave him a good repute in papal circles. Therefore, the argument of Harper’s Weekly is clearly from the standpoint of Roman sympathy, and is a further evidence of a patent fact, namely, that the leading periodicals of the country, in common with the great dailies, are fast coming under the influence of the papal power, and fulfilling the prophecy already cited in this article.

It is a man’s standing in heaven that determines the true measure of his greatness. “Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven; but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” Then whosoever in this age will do and teach the commandments of God must necessarily be an obstructer of “the tendency of the world.” The men who are seeking greatness by riding on this tendency are thus pointed out in the “sure word of prophecy,” by the pen of Jeremiah: “Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein. Also I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken.” Jer. 6:16, 17.

Those who are to-day pointing men to their obligation to observe the Sabbath of the Lord, from which even the professed church has turned away, and pointing them to the dreadful consequences of receiving the “mark” of the “beast” instead (Rev. 14:9-12), will of course be charged with obstructing the “tendency of the world.” And when the National Reform Association, the Lord’s Day Defense Committee, and kindred “leagues,” shall have accomplished their work of molding public sentiment, such obstruction will not only be deemed heresy, but it will pass into the statute-books as treason. However, those who “keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus,” and “teach men so,” are looking for greatness in the kingdom of heaven, and not in this world. W. N. G.

THE BIRTH THAT CAN NOT SIN.

By Cyrus Simmons

“Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him; and he can not sin, because he is born of God.” 1 John 3:9. This birth from above is a happy transition from a carnal to a spiritual life. We are translated “into the kingdom of His dear Son” (Col. 1:13); we are admitted into the divine family, “partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4); God is our Father, Christ, our elder Brother, and we are called “the sons of God” (1 John 3:1).

As in our natural existence we have childhood, youth, and manhood, so also there is spiritual childhood, spiritual youth, spiritual manhood. Those of the new birth are called “children,” “little children,” “young men,” “fathers.” 1 John 2:1, 12–14. Some are spoken of as “babes” that have to be nourished on the milk of the Word; others are said to be “of full age” in the faith. Heb. 5:12, 13.

The warning against deception is addressed by John to the children in spirituality: “Little children, let no man deceive you; he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as He is righteous.” 1 John 3:7. This shows there is progression in the doing of righteousness, just as there is growth in grace. Not that righteousness can be qualified, any more than truth can be more true, or a square, more square. The qualification is in the doing of it, and affects the doer, not the righteousness he essays to do. That is the reason the righteousness of the doer, and the knowledge of his divine birth, are tested by the perfection of the righteousness he does,—“he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as He is righteous.” While infantile in spirituality, our doing of righteousness will be less perfect than when we are of full age, and we will be more liable to forget the divine Pattern and be deceived. As we grow, however, “unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ” (Eph. 4:13), by sensing the great imperfections of our characters, by resting from our own works, and by leaning on the Everlasting Arm, our joy is more full as we see our actions become correspondingly more in consonance with the true standard of righteousness.

Thus the new life advances, step by step, “unto a perfect man,” until it is thoroughly attuned to the will of God; until His habitation is its habitation; until it breathes the very atmosphere of heaven, and holds its conversation therein; until the righteousness of Christ is fulfilled in it—then it does not sin; then it can not sin.

As there is danger of being deceived, how do we know when this perfect fruition is attained? “Ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of Him.” 1 John 2:29. The touchstone of divine birth is the doing of righteousness. No limitations can be placed upon righteous actions which attest a divine birth. They are the inseparable companions of the perfect life. The reason one perfectly born does not commit sin is because “his seed remaineth in him.” 1 John 3:9. As long as Christ remains in the new creature, he will not sin, he can not sin.

How essential to obey the injunction: “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?” 2 Cor. 13:5. Jesus wants to live in us; He wants our works to be His works; then they will be righteous. He wants to do more than live awhile in us, He wants to abide with us; then not only some but all our actions will be righteous; then we will not commit sin; then we can not sin; “for His seed remaineth in us.”

In the soul temple of a perfect character Jesus remains as a continual guest. “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” Matt. 5:48. If this were impossible, the commandment would not have been given. Perfection is “the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Phil. 3:14. Toward gaining this prize, all our heart, and mind, and soul, and strength, should be energized. Each day we should examine ourselves whether Jesus Christ is in us; each day we should forget “those things which are behind, and reach forth unto those things which are before.” Though in our effort to attain perfection we often fall, because we do not allow His seed to remain in us, still ever by our side do we find the forgiving Saviour, by whom we are “apprehended,” comforted, and started out anew.

The abounding of iniquity in these last days that has made callous to feeling the human heart; the waxing worse and worse of evil men and seducers, deceiving and being deceived; the cold formalism of godliness, bereft of life and power,—all alike repudiate the possibility of a perfect Christian life on this earth. But to this end is the Christian born, that, like his Pattern, he may be perfected through suffering. When perfected, he will be perfectly born—a birth that can not sin. CYRUS SIMMONS.

“SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES.”

By B

WHILE pondering o’er the many creeds, it seemed A changing scene appeared as if I dreamed. Hemmed in with strong and towering walls there rang A voice of millions as they loudly sang: “St. Peter is our rock, we can not fail; ’Gainst us the gates of hell can not prevail. We say in words, what others say in deeds, ‘Our creed is right, but wrong all other creeds.’ This is our theme, our never-ceasing song, ‘Our church is right, our church was never wrong.’”

The scene was changed, and other throngs were nigh, Each party fenced in walls both strong and high. Each multitude on teachers did depend, Who walked the walls each fortress to defend. Alas! what clashing creeds with error fraught! What base traditions from the pagans brought! Alas! what trusting dupes the teachers led! Ah! what unscriptural food to flocks was fed! And yet, from every party rolled the song, “Our church is right, our church was never wrong.”

The scene was changed; I saw before me stand One with an open Bible in his hand. With earnest face the sacred Book he read, And then in tones of firmness spoke and said: “The Bible warns us not to trust in man, Whose pride and blindness flames of error fan. ’Midst all this din, what better can we do Than read and ‘search the Scriptures’ through and through? Lo, many teachers who have never heard The Bible saying to them, ‘Preach the Word’! This is my theme, my never-ceasing song, ‘The Book is right; but man, blind man, is wrong.’”

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