Earlier text: THE WORKThe King's Business Requires Haste
By Daniel Nettleton
"The sunset burns across the sky;
Upon the air its warning cry
The curfew tolls, from tower to tower;
O children, 'tis the last, last hour!
"The work that centuries might have done
Must crowd the hour of setting sun,
And through all lands the saving name
Ye must, in fervent haste, proclaim.
"Ere yet the vintage shout begin,
O laborers, press on, press in!
And fill unto its utmost coasts
The vineyard of the Lord of hosts.
"It is a vineyard of red wine,
Wherein shall purple clusters shine;
The branches of his own right hand
Shall overspread Immanuel's land.
"The fields are white to harvest. Weep,
O tardy workers, as ye reap,
For wasted hours that might have won
Rich harvest ere the set of sun.
"We hear the footsteps on the way;
O, work while it is called today,
Constrained by love, endued with power,
O children, in this last, last hour!" This is an age of hurry, haste, and intense activity. Time- and labor-saving machines are in demand, and the demand is being supplied. As you stand on the corner of a business street in any large city, you will observe few, very few, persons walking slowly. The prophet Daniel, speaking of our days, says, "Many shall run to and fro." This is an age of rapid transit. Listen! hear the roar of the approaching transcontinental limited train. It comes like a flash; it goes as quickly. See the electric cars dashing down the street. Observe the thousands of automobiles flying in every direction. This is not a slow and sleepy age. In fact, the things most difficult to obtain in our cities are rest and sleep. The train that can save him an hour between cities, is the train the business man takes; and on the way, he sleeps on wheels. Time with him is money, and money is everything. It is not only so in business, but in pleasure. It is the merry-go-round, the moving picture show, the exciting ball game, that draw and hold the crowds. This hurrying, this haste and intense activity, is not only a characteristic of the world and its work, but of God and his work. This is the hour of his judgment. He has written his vision so plainly that he may run that readeth it, and to him to whom the vision may seem to tarry he says, "It will surely come, it will not tarry." See Hab. 2: 2-4. God's last book of prophecy opens with the words "Behold, he cometh," and closes with the cry "Surely, I come quickly." Of God's work of reckoning with the nations, Paul says, "He will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth." The angels, or messengers of the judgment, are said to fly. The angel that represents the great advent movement, stands with one foot on the land and the other on the sea, and solemnly swears, with hands lifted to heaven, that there shall be delay no longer. In Christ's parable of the great supper, the marriage supper of the Lamb, the Lord said to his servants, "Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city," and bring in the guests to the wedding. The King's business requires haste. The Christian life is represented as a race; we are told to run with patience the race that is set before us. Now, it is speed in a race that wins, and it is not the first part of the race that solicits and awakens the enthusiasm and intense interest of the spectator, but the finish. It is generally on the last quarter that the race is won. Paul says, in 1 Cor. 4:9, "We are made a spectacle [or theater] unto the world, and to angels, and to men." "All heaven is represented to me as watching the unfolding of events. A crisis is to be revealed in the great and prolonged controversy in the government of God on earth. Something great and decisive is to take place, and that right early. If any delay, the character of God and his throne will be compromised. One word has Justice to speak, and there will be terrific representations upon the earth of the wrath of God. Every movement in the universe of heaven, is to prepare the world for the great crisis. Intensity is taking possession of every earthly element. While a new life is being diffused, and is springing up from beneath and taking fast hold of all Satan's agencies, preparatory to the last great conflict and struggle, a new light and life and power are descending from on high, and taking possession of God's people. The people who will now see what is soon to come upon us by what is being transacted before us, will no longer trust in human inventions, and will feel that the Holy Spirit must be recognized, received, and presented before the people, that they may contend for the glory of God, and work everywhere in the byways and highways of life for the saving of the souls of their fellow men."—"Special Testimony for the Church." Now, in this time when many are making a rush for worldly gain and pleasure, we are to make a rush for the kingdom of God. "Transgression has almost reached its limit; confusion fills the world, and a great terror is soon to come upon human beings. The end is very near. God's people should be preparing for what is to break upon the world as an overwhelming surprise. Our time is precious. We have but a few, very few days of probation in which to make ready for the future immortal life. We have no time to spend in haphazard movements." We are to learn a lesson from Lot's experience in Sodom. "Remember Lot's wife," says Jesus. Lot's great and fatal mistake was his lingering spirit. He trod the plain with slow and unwilling7 steps; he was not in haste. The angel said to him, "Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain." His tardiness cost him the loss of his wife and nearly all if not all his family. "If God abhors one sin above another of which his people are guilty, it is the sin of doing nothing in case of an emergency. Indifference and neutrality in a religious crisis are regarded of God as grievous sins." Meroz was cursed, not for uniting with the enemy of God's people, but for their neutrality, for not coming to the help of the Lord. Now is our time to watch and work for the salvation of our neighbors and friends. We are not only to pay our tithes and make offerings for foreign missions, but we are to speak a word in season to him that is near us. The donation of money cannot take the place of this earnest personal work for our neighbors. Some seem to think that if they give money to the cause of God that is all they are required to do. Paul said that though he gave all his goods and had not love, it would profit him nothing. Love for the souls of our fellow men will lead us to help them by personal efforts to win eternal life. We may not have much money to give, but we can by kindly deeds and words win souls for Christ. He that winneth souls is wise. And we should watch for opportunity to do this work. I had an experience in New York City which illustrates this. I went to the top of the highest building in the city, over seven hundred feet high. The trip cost me fifty cents. I believe that fifty cents was given to a good cause, for it seemed to me when I stood on the top of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company's office building, that I had left New York and America—if not the earth. I believe, however, that God sent me to speak to a man who, perhaps, otherwise might not have heard the message of Christ's soon coming and kingdom. He was the watchman set to watch and care for the people who come to the top of that high building to see New York City. I also am a watchman, set to direct people on the right way to the heavenly Jerusalem. As he stood by my side, telling me of the great city of New York, which, like a beautiful panorama, was spread out before us, I thought I must tell him of the heavenly city, the New Jerusalem. I told him how John was carried away in the Spirit, to a great and high mountain, and was shown that great city, the heavenly Jerusalem, descending from God out of heaven. I told him of the new earth, and what Jesus has done to bring us there. As I talked, he became intensely interested; in fact, we both for the time, forgot New York City and our surroundings. God gave me a message for him. I also gave him some gospel tracts, and told him to read Revelation 21 and 22 and Isaiah 35. When we clasped hands to say good-by, I felt he was my brother. I believe he had caught a glimpse of another city. He promised to read the tracts and the chapters to which I called his attention, and to seek God, and meet me in that city which is more beautiful and glorious and far greater than Greater New York. As I returned again to the street and mingled with the hurrying throngs, I thanked God and prayed for that man up there seven hundred feet from the earth. I may never see his face again, but I shall look for him when God's dear saints mount up the steeps of light and enter the pearly portals of that city where there are no more partings or tears. O brother, haste thee! The opportunities to speak the word of life to some needy soul may never come again. God may say to that one, "This night thy soul shall be required of thee," and through your neglect he may not be ready. Probation's hours are fast closing, and every case is about to be eternally decided. "Ask not to be excused,
There's earnest work to do;
Stand ready to be used
Where God may station you." "The harvest fields are white,
The laborers are few;
Let this be thy delight,
The Master's work to do." Remember the mistake of the five foolish virgins. They were too late. While they went to buy oil—that which they could have done while they were waiting—the bridegroom came, and the door was shut. There are important and supreme moments in these common, everyday lives of ours, moments that are fraught with eternal consequences to ourselves and others. The most valuable thing in all this world just now is time. O, let us not waste an hour of this precious probationary time! A little later many would give millions of dollars to have one of these weeks which now they are spending in mirth and foolishness. Many of the professed people of God, I fear, will wish for the year 1913 again. It slipped away so quickly, moment by moment, and is gone forever, with all its opportunities and privileges. Now we stand within the portals of 1914. Let us remember that the King's business requires haste. Let us write on our calendars, "The hour of his judgment is come." O, let us, dear brethren, take up anew the work of telling the glad tidings of the soon-coming King to all this world! O, let us do more in 1914 than we did in 1913 for our neighbors, and to send the joy of his salvation to the nations that sit in darkness, that they, too, may see the King in his beauty; for "with long weeping their eyes have grown dim." Their needy conditions appeal to us to send to them the glorious gospel, which will make a marvelous change in their lives, so that they, too, may rejoice with us in the blessed hope. And as we go on to finish the work in this generation, let us toil with the sunlight on our faces and joy in our hearts. PRAYER is a moving, a longing, and a desire of the spirit Godward for that which it lacketh, as a sick man mourneth and sorroweth in the heart, longing for health.—W. Tyndale. He Understands
By L. D. Santee
THINK of your Lord in the garden,
Think of the nails in his hands,
Think of his mercy and pardon;
He loves you, and he understands. Helping, and cheering, and guiding,
Leading you over life's sands;
In his protection confiding,
He loves you, and he understands. Yield not to trouble or sorrow,
Life is heroic and grand,
Christ will take care of tomorrow;
He loves you, and he understands. Down to the grave's gloomy prison,
Jesus is holding your hand.
He that once died, has arisen;
He loves you, and he understands. And when in the first resurrection
With all the redeemed you shall stand,
Jesus has been your protection;
He loves you, and he understands. There is no shadow of sadness,
Entering heaven's fair land;
You'll sing with unspeakable gladness,
"He loves me, and he understands." A TRAGIC story was told by the late Dean Farrar, of the appalling consequence of a minister's "moderation." One of the speakers at a meeting arranged under temperance auspices, a clergyman, nonabstaining, ventured apologetically an endeavor to prove that strong drink, used in moderate degree, was healthful, Scriptural, and gentlemanly. When he had finished, a venerable, gray-haired man arose, and desired to be allowed to make a few remarks. It was a tragic incident he narrated in broken accents. A young friend had fallen into the clutches of strong drink's power. At length, after much kind persuasion, he was induced to pledge himself to complete abstinence from intoxicants. Manfully for many months, at the cost of a terrible struggle, he stuck to his promise. At last, one evening he was present at a social gathering when wine was passed around. A clergyman who was there partook of the wine, and as he did so, vindicated the practice in a sentence or two. "Well," thought the young man, "if a minister can take wine, and justify it, why not I?" With tremendous force the temptation came. He accepted a glass. Like a spark it kindled the dormant alcoholic craving into a flame of insatiable desire. He drank, and drank, and drank, and scarcely ceased, until a few months later he died—a raving madman! For a moment the old man paused to overcome the choking in his throat. Then, in a voice vibrant with intense emotion, he added: "The young man was my only son, and the clergyman was the reverend gentleman who has just addressed the meeting!"—Selected. The Real Test of Christian Experience
THE real test of Christian experience is found in the wear and labor of everyday life. It is comparatively easy to attend church; to take part in the prayer and praise service; to refrain from labor on the seventh day; to pay tithes; and to donate to missions and philanthropic enterprises. With many, these outward forms have been observed from childhood and have become a habit of life. They are performed as a matter of routine. One may follow all these forms and still not be a real Christian. But to be a follower of the Master in life's homely, practical experiences — this constitutes the test of true discipleship. To be patient and loving in the home when others are not; to speak kindly and gently when others are cross and peevish and fretful; to express words of appreciation to and of our professed friends when we have reason to believe they criticize us; to perform willing service in accommodating a none-too-obliging neighbor; to be honest in business deal; to be found often in communion with the Great Teacher and in studying his Word; to stand as did Elijah before God; to walk as did Enoch with God; to endure as did Moses, as seeing him who is invisible; to speak as God's oracle; and to minister as of the ability which he giveth — it is this to live the life of the Master. No great glory will such a life bring in this world. Measured by the world's standards, such a life will appear weak and commonplace. But in the reckoning of heaven it is a life of victory and power. Such a life, dear reader, God wants you to live. Wherever you may be, in desert waste, in wilderness wild, or among the teeming millions of the great cities; whatever may be your name or your station, whether a minister or a layman, a teacher or a pupil, a father toiling day by day to provide bread for his loved ones, or a mother shut up within four walls with crying, fretful children and with the everyday humdrum and drudgery of commonplace service — it is your privilege to exemplify in your everyday life the spirit of the Master. You may carry with you the consciousness of divine acceptance and heavenly guidance. Lacking this, beloved, you lack the sweetness of Christian life; the real joy of communion; the peace and rest and comfort which come from abiding in him and being kept by him. By holding this living, vital touch with divine power, by possessing in our hearts the consciousness of this heavenly presence, we shall find Marah's bitter waters turned to sweetness, roses among the thorns, and living springs in the desert. We shall experience in the midst of life's trials that peace which passeth understanding. It is for this living connection with the divine power that we should seek moment by moment. Our religious experience is worth nothing unless it will stand the test of the stress and storms of life. He who is not a Christian in his own home, who does not manifest the spirit of Christ in his relationship to his wife, to his children, and to those who live with him from day to day, does not know the power of the consecrated life, even though he may be a preacher of the gospel. The real test of the genuineness of our religious experience is the test that comes in the home — the test of little things — which the world counts of small importance, but which after all make up the sum total of the life record. He that is faithful in that which is least will be faithful in the greater things. A Providentially Ordered Meeting in African Wilds
By W. A. S.
It was in the days of missionary preparation in Africa that Barnabas Shaw and his wife, Wesleyan missionaries, set out from Cape Town to find a way for the gospel among the Hottentots of unknown Little Namaqualand, five hundred miles to the northward. Methodism was not in good repute in official British circles in that early time, and Shaw's efforts to do missionary work near Cape Town had met with opposition. So praying God to guide them to the right place, the journey was begun into the wilds. How wonderfully the Lord did guide, appears in the record of the opening of Namaqualand:— They left the Cape on the sixth of September, 1815, being accompanied to their first encampment by a few Christian friends who commended them to God in prayer, and returned to their homes, trusting that the missionary's way would be directed by the Lord. Mr. and Mrs. Shaw had pursued their toilsome journey for nearly a month, and had crossed the Elephant River without knowing where their lot would be cast in the wilderness, when, on the fourth of October, by a remarkable providence, they found an opening for a suitable sphere of labor. The devoted missionary actually met with the chief of Little Namaqualand, accompanied by four of his men, on their way to Cape Town to seek for a Christian teacher, being aware of the advantages which other tribes had realized by the reception of the gospel among them. Both parties halted for the night, the greater part of which was spent in religious conversation, prayer, and praise, around the evening camp fire. Having heard the affecting story of these simple Africans, and being deeply impressed with the fact that the finger of God was pointing in the direction in which he ought to go, Mr. Shaw agreed to accompany the chief and his people to their mountain home in the interior, and to settle among them as their missionary. The party of natives who had thus gone in search of a teacher, and who had thus so unexpectedly found one, immediately turned round and retraced their steps, that they might conduct the missionary to the settlement of their tribe on Khamiesberg, rejoicing as those who have found great spoil. They reached their destination about three weeks afterward, and great was the joy of the whole community when they saw their chief and his companions returning so quickly with a missionary and his wife, who were willing to spend and be spent for their benefit. Mr. Shaw forthwith commenced his labors, and founded the first Wesleyan mission station in southern Africa. . . . "In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." —The Missionary World Encyclopedia, pages 319, 320. It was after traveling three hundred miles in the uncharted wilderness that the missionary met the party that had been led to start out to find a missionary, and these seekers after light had traveled two hundred miles before this providential meeting. Surely the Lord directed. He knew of the preparation of hearts in the dark interior, and how divinely natural that the missionary and the searching party should not be allowed to miss each other in those illimitable wilds. The story of missions reveals an overruling providence all the way. The same Lord who sent his angel to tell Philip, "Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza," just at the right moment to meet the Ethiopian searcher for truth in olden time, has, we may know, sent his angels again and again in these latter days to bring together the bearers of the light and the seekers after it, in ways that cause us to realize that there is a living God watching and directing in his work on earth. The nearer we come to the close of probation, the greater is the number of snares and delusions and counterfeit ways of salvation that are pressed upon the attention of men. Every civilized land is being flooded with literature that9 either presents some false theory of salvation or seeks in some way to cast discredit upon God's way. It is a sign of the times, and a fulfillment of divine prophecy. "Evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived." Yet God has been warning the world for centuries against just such conditions and such manifestations of Satan's activities. God's Word is still declaring: "Without me ye can do nothing;" and, "There is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved." We are helpless without Christ. Let it ring through the temple of the soul until every nook and niche of the entire edifice has heard the sound. Without him we are lost; with him we are safe from every assault of the adversary, and safe from the consequences of every mistake and sin of the past. When man, at Satan's prompting, took it upon himself to elevate himself to a place where he would "be as God," his birthright slipped through his hands like a block of lead, and sank into the sea of sin, beyond his reach forever. The center and soul of the plan which God inaugurated for the recovery of the lost estate was, and still is, Jesus Christ. As God could provide no other, how worse than useless are all the devisings, philosophies, deep searchings, and wonderful eloquence of man to establish some other plan for man's redemption, regeneration, and salvation! But these schemes multiply like mushrooms in a misty night. Every new theory breeds a tribe of its own, till the mazes of these wanderings are devious indeed and marvelous in their windings. The gospel is prefigured in the very act of placing man where he could not partake of the tree of life. That indicated that if man was ever to have eternal life, it must come from some source outside of himself. That fact is indicated also in the placing of the cherubim with flaming swords at the gate of Eden, whose swords "turned every way to keep the way of the tree of life." As that sword "turned every way," there was no possible way by which man at that time could evade the angels and come again to "the tree of life" to "eat and live forever." In other words, there was no possible way for man to gain eternal life save through the operation of God's own plan, as foreshadowed in God's declaration that "the seed of the woman" should "bruise" the serpent's head. Outside of that plan every soul in this world is lost, and it is Satan's plan to induce every soul of this generation to step outside that plan. In and through that plan every soul in this world may be saved if he will; and God has made it the business of every Christian to hold that plan aloft in faithful persistence before a perishing world. To the stony-hearted Pharisees the Saviour said, "Ye will not come to me, that ye might have life." Again he declared, "This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent." Again, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." John 14:6. What Christ really told these self-righteous Pharisees was that, as they would not come to him for life, they would not have life, for they were cutting themselves off from the only channel through which it could flow to them. He had purchased life for the race, and he was thus the only one who had the right or the power to give eternal life. When there is only one stream at which to drink and we turn our backs upon that, we cannot drink. We may make all the beautiful theories we choose; but, the longer we travel away from that stream, the drier we get, and the closer on our trail walks the angel of the second death. The higher critic, the Christian scientist, the Christian socialist, the inventors of new and strange religions, will all admit that Jesus Christ was a great teacher; but what he taught was that they are all hopelessly lost unless they come to the Father through him; unless his sacrifice is allowed to atone for their sins; unless they exalt him in the place of self, and look no longer to their own deeds to bring them into possession of the usurped inheritance. Christ is able to save to the uttermost all who come unto God by him. Whatever Christ has promised to be to you, or to do for you, that is his note, his sight draft, made out in your favor. He expects you to cash it at its face value, for there is no bankruptcy in heaven. He has promised to be a help in every time of trouble—cash the note. He has promised to give rest to all those who labor and are heavy-laden. Is your work laborious, and are your burdens heavy? You have but to present the note and the promise is fulfilled. He declares that "all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." But "if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." We have all sinned; but there is his sight draft. What shall we do with it? Shall we cash it, or shall we let the enemy cheat us out of what it represents? Have you longed for eternal life? "And this is the promise which he promised us, even the life eternal." 1 John 2:25. "And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish." John 10:28. Jesus Christ is the only one who has the right or power to give such a promissory note. None but his would Heaven honor. But there it is, filled out for you. Will you cash it? or will you accept a human counterfeit which you cannot pass? We are indeed hopeless and helpless without Christ; but in him we are heirs of all things, and able to enter into the promised inheritance. The Doctrine of Christ's Coming in Its True Setting
By F. M. W.
It is one thing to recognize truth in the abstract, but quite another thing to recognize it in its divine setting and relationships. We have come to the closing days of earth's history. This is demonstrated by the witness of many signs and the fulfillment of many prophecies. Some of the conditions existing around us, religiously, socially, and politically, are such as to command the attention of even men of the world, leading them to recognize that we are on the eve of startling changes, they know not what. There are many people, members of different denominations, who recognize the serious tendency and portent of existing conditions. They understand in part that these conditions are a fulfillment of the prophetic word, but they fail to comprehend, after all, their true significance and import. In other words, they do not understand nor appreciate the divine setting of the truth of God for this day. We have been impressed with this as we have noted the growing discussion among all classes of the meaning and portent of the unusual conditions which exist. In Denver, New York, and other leading centers, clergymen of the various churches have devoted considerable discussion to the subject of the second coming of Christ and the signs which indicate the proximity of that event. The same discussion has been carried on in many newspapers and religious journals. There is a growing book literature, emanating from many sources, on the subject. Similar to the days of the 1844 movement, the minds of men are becoming stirred. We believe this increasing agitation is in God's order. He is seeking to arouse his professed church from the lethargy of spiritual indifference. He is seeking to awaken the world to the danger and imminence of its impending doom. And now comes the so-called International Prophetic Conference held in Chicago, February 24-27. This conference was attended by some of the leading church men of the various denominations—by men like Dr. R. A. Torrey, Dr. J. M. Gray, and other leaders in the world of religious thought. This was the fifth conference of the kind which has been held. It was attended by more than10 five hundred delegates, and large overflow meetings were necessary to accommodate the evening congregations. These men came together because they sensed some of the dangers threatening the cause of Christianity at the present time. They recognized the rising tide of evil sweeping in upon the church of God, and they saw in these conditions a fulfillment of that prophetic word which centuries ago predicted that these conditions should immediately precede the coming of the Lord. The president of the conference, R. M. Russell, D. D., LL. D., in his opening address claimed that all the leaders in the great world-wide religious movements from Luther to the present day had been premillennialists. Canon F. E. Howitt, M. A., delivered an address on "The Lord's Coming, the Key to the Scriptures." In this he taught that the saints would reign with Christ during the thousand years on earth. Dr. William B. Riley, another speaker, addressed the conference on "The Significant Signs of the Times." He named three significant signs: (1) Proclamation of peace and preparation for war; (2) search for truth and the acceptance of lies; (3) profession of godliness and practice of godlessness. He declared that never had such conditions threatened the church in its course as now threaten, and that the world could have no millennium until Christ came again to earth to rule in person. Mr. A. C. Gaebelein, editor of Our Hope spoke upon "The Lord's Coming in Relation to Israel." He claimed that the Jews would be restored to Jerusalem and would accept the Messiah. L. W. Munhall, D. D., LL. D., spoke on "The Lord's Coming and Evangelism," showing the need of activity in telling the people that they must be ready for Christ's coming. Dr. C. I. Scofield spoke on the theme, "The Doctrine of the Last Things as Found, (1) in the Prophets, (2) in the Gospels, (3) in the Epistles and Revelation." He held that the Scriptures teach the prekingdom coming of Jesus to reign with his saints upon earth. Dr. Torrey gave the closing address of the conference, on the theme, "The Lord's Coming a Motive for Personal Holiness." We have referred thus at length to some of the addresses given in order to show the confused ideas taught with reference to the coming of the Lord. The Scriptures of Truth very clearly indicate that the millennium will not be spent by the saints here on this earth. The earth during that time will be in a waste and desolate condition; the prison house of Satan; the sepulcher of the countless wicked hosts. The saints will be in the New Jerusalem above, there engaged in judging the wicked dead and evil angels. There is no prophecy which predicts the return of the Jews to Jerusalem and their conversion to Christ before the end of the world. A committee of the leading members of this conference prepared a declaration of Christian faith, which they held to be the "fundamental truths of our holy faith." The following is the text of this declaration, as clipped from the Chicago Record-Herald of February 28:— 1. We believe that the Bible is the word and revelation of God, and therefore our only authority. 2. We believe in the Deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, that he is very God "by whom and for whom all things were created." 3. We believe in his virgin birth, that he was conceived by the Holy Spirit and is therefore God manifested in the flesh. 4. We believe in salvation by divine sacrifice, that the Son of God gave his life a ransom for many and bore our sins in his own body on the tree. 5. We believe in his physical resurrection from the dead and in his bodily presence at the right hand of God as our Priest and Advocate. 6. We believe in the universality and heinousness of sin, and in salvation by grace, not by works, lest any man should boast; that sonship with God is attained only by regeneration by the Holy Spirit and faith in Jesus Christ. 7. We believe in the personality and Deity of the Holy Spirit, who came down upon earth on the day of Pentecost to indwell believers and to be the administrator in the church of the Lord Jesus Christ, also being here to reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment. 8. We believe in the great commission which our Lord has given to his church to evangelize the world, and that this evangelization is the great mission of the church. 9. We believe in the second, visible, and imminent coming of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to establish his world-wide kingdom on the earth. 10. We believe in a heaven of eternal bliss for the righteous and in the conscious and eternal punishment of the wicked. In addition the following was adopted: Furthermore, we exhort the people of God in all denominations throughout this land to stand by these great truths, so much rejected in our days, and to contend earnestly for the faith which our God has, in his holy Word, delivered unto the saints. With this declaration of faith for the most part our readers will feel in hearty accord. Exception will of course be taken to the tenth article, which speaks of the conscious and eternal punishment of the wicked, also to the statement in article nine in the sense in which the reign of Christ was taught at the conference. We are indeed pleased to see this emphatic statement of truth made by this body of Christian men. We believe that God will use it for his glory, and we hope that it may serve to stay in some measure the on-sweeping flood of skepticism which is so rapidly engulfing the11great Christian churches. But, as stated at the outset of this article, we are forcibly impressed with the fact, that, while on the part of this prophetic conference there has been a recognition of a part of God's truth in the abstract, the above declaration of faith fails to comprehend in its grasp some of the mighty living gospel truths which are particularly applicable to this day and generation. Of the third angel's message as such; of the significance of some of the great movements in the political and religious world; of the special ministry of Christ in the sanctuary above and the work of the investigative judgment now going forward preparatory to his second coming; of the claims of the law of God with respect to his downtrodden Sabbath; of the part which the United States will play in the closing days of earth's history in the enforcement upon the people of the false sabbath; of the revival of papal power throughout the world; of the special warning of God to meet these conditions—these thrilling subjects, these vital present issues for this day, had no part in the discussions of this prophetic conference. The reason is evident. These men have no knowledge of these great themes. They have caught but a glimmering of the great system of truth associated with and forming a part of the message of Christ's second coming. Let us thank God that he has revealed to them a part, and pray that their vision may be enlarged to comprehend all that is involved in the blessed coming of our Saviour to this earth. Our relationship to such movements as this is clearly evident. God has made this people the conservators of his special message for this day. That message they are to sound abroad everywhere. It is to go to the great Christian church; it is to go to the wide, wide world. "Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand." In the holy mountain, among his professed people, and to the ends of the whole earth is the message to be carried. And it is not to be carried as segregated truths, but in its unity and its entirety; in the setting of the great prophecies which focus upon the second coming of Christ. Every discussion of this subject will be used of God to awaken the consciences of the people. It is for us to take advantage of the widespread interest to read and study on this question, and faithfully present to the people the special message for this day and generation. God has gone out before us. Open doors exist on every side. Let us be true to our trust and walk in the light of his opening providences.