Earlier text: GOD THE DEPENDENCE OF HIS PEOPLEHOW CHRIST BORE OUR SINS.
By Mrs. S. N. Haskell
Throughout the countless ages of eternity we shall ever have reason to praise and magnify our Saviour, because he bore our sins. When the solemn scenes of the judgment close in the heavenly sanctuary, the sins Christ has carried will be laid upon the head of the originator of evil, and sin will be forever destroyed. “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree.” 1 Peter 2:24. When the Saviour hung upon the cross, where were our sins?—“In his own body.” He was the spotless Son of God, his character was without the least taint of sin; yet we read, “He bare our sins in his own body on the tree.” In the typical service, when an offering was brought, it was to be without blemish, representing the spotless Son of God. When the lamb was brought to the door of the sanctuary, the sinner laid his hand upon the head of the lamb, and confessed his sins over the lamb. In type that innocent lamb became sin, and was slain; for “the wages of sin is death.” The priest, typifying Christ, met the sinner, and took a portion of that lamb into the sanctuary, thus transferring the sin from the person to the sanctuary. Lev. 10:16–18; 6:30. The sinner went free; for the great Sin-bearer, in type, had met him, taken the sin, and carried it in his own person. When the priest did not bear the blood into the sanctuary, he ate a portion of the flesh, which represented sin, thus showing in type and shadow how the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sins of the world, would meet every repentant sinner, take his sin, and bear it himself. When the sin was confessed, it was then, typically, transferred to the lamb. So Christ, the Lamb of God, was slain from the foundation of the world, and every repentant sinner, from Adam down, has cast his sins upon that pure Lamb of God. The time is near at hand when the Saviour will cease to bear the sins, but will lay them upon Satan, and eternally destroy both, and come to the earth without sin, to gather his waiting ones to himself. Then he will “change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body.” “We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed.” ORAL TRADITION IN THE THIRD ANGEL'S MESSAGE.
By J. A. L. Derby
Satan seems never to forget a trick that works well. His exaltation of oral tradition to nullify the truth of God did not end with the Pharisees, nor with the papacy. We may profitably study for a few minutes the successive transmigrations of the soul of this ancient snare. Commentaries on the sacred books of the Jews, the “law and prophets,” did not exist until after the return from the Babylonian captivity. Previously to that time, as the lamentable record shows, little regard was paid to the word of God: the Israelites “mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against his people, till there was no remedy.” The result was captivity by their enemies. Then, as often happens in individual experiences, affliction and misfortune directed their minds to the Lord and his word. In the land of exile, a descendant of Aaron the high priest, hopeless of Israel’s rise by worldly prowess, set his heart upon the devout study of the ancient Scriptures. “Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments.” Ezra 7:10. How this was carried out at Jerusalem in the time of the restoration, is recorded in Neh. 8:1-13. But when the Great Synagogue thus came together, the devil came also. This sort of thing was not at all satisfactory to his diabolical diplomacy. It would never do for the unadulterated truth to become a matter of common knowledge with the people. He therefore puts into practice one of his most strategic principles—if you can not completely hinder, try at least to direct. If you can not obstruct, hurry along into fanaticism or heresy. If the people are determined to know what the Lord’s will is, join hands with them. “That is right, that is right. You know what happened before, because you were not careful to learn the Lord’s will. Be very, very careful now. Look closely. You can not be too zealous nor too scrupulous. Gather every scrap of divine revelation you can find. Do not forget that the Lord talked a great deal with Moses and other holy men, and told them many things they never wrote down. Be very diligent to hunt up these oral traditions and preserve them,” etc., etc. If there is anything history shows that the great adversary can successfully manipulate, it is an oral tradition. It was by the development of this principle that the Pharisees made void the commandment of God through the traditions of the elders. Matt. 15:1-9. In brief, it came about as follows: Very early in the history of the Great Synagogue originated the maxim, “Make a hedge about the law.” In accordance with this, “To build up elaborate explanations, thorny obstructions, subtle evasions, enormous developments, was the labor of the later Jewish scribes, till the Pentateuch was buried beneath the Mishna, and the Mishna beneath the Gemara.” Of course the Mishna and Gemara, constituting the two portions of the Talmud, show the reference in this quotation, from Stanley’s History of the Jewish Church, to be to the period subsequent to the time of Christ, when the Talmud grew up; but if we put the words “Halacha” and “Haggada” in place of “Mishna” and “Gemara,” we have an exact statement of the development of Biblical exegesis after the time of Ezra. In Dr. Terry’s History of Biblical Interpretation this fact is thus stated: “The rigid measures adopted by Ezra, Nehemiah, and their associates would seem to have prepared the way for pharisaism. The scribes of the period succeeding that of Nehemiah not only copied the sacred books, and explained their general import, but took measures to make a hedge about the law. They set a value on the very letters of the law, and counted their number. . . . At the same time, they gathered up traditions and constructed an oral law, which, in time, came to have, with them, an authority equal to that of the sacred books. Thus originated the Jewish Halacha and Haggada, the legal and homiletic exegesis.” These various expositions constitute the Midrashim, as the Mishna and Gemara constitute the Talmud. The result of this, as stated by Jesus, was that the commandments of God were made of none effect. Thus ended the first chapter in the history of oral tradition. It is not necessary to enlarge on the fact that in the Christian age the same course has been pursued by the wily enemy of righteousness. With such books as “Two Republics” in our hands, we have no need to reiterate the history. The Roman Catholic Church stands as the great champion of tradition. The Sunday institution stands as a monument of the work of tradition in setting aside the truth of God. Thus closes the second act, and the third moves on apace. One would think that Seventh-day Adventists would know enough about the results of oral tradition to forever preclude the likelihood of their quoting anything concerning the word of God without being able to lay their hands on the divine authority for the utterance. But lo, the work of the subtle old serpent is more than visible in twisting his sophistry about the words of the Spirit of Prophecy. How often are heard such statements as the following: “But Sister White said so and so.” My friend, where is it written? “I have known Sister White for years; and she said thus and thus in regard to eating meat [or something else].” My friend, doubtless your intention is to be strictly truthful, but I must prefer the written statement. “Sister White said she was shown she would live till the Lord comes.” Pardon me, where is the record? “So-and-so told me that So-and-so told him that at a certain meeting Sister White said so and so.” Excuse me; where did you say that it is written? Statements like the preceding are not unfamiliar. And their tendency is manifested in the conclusions of a young man, who for several years has been connected with our institutions at Battle Creek, which conclusions were based on such a statement as the preceding—what he had heard that somebody else said that he had heard that somebody else was said to have heard Sister White say in a sermon. One of the conclusions was that we do not know anything about when the Lord will come; it may be in one week, or it may be in a thousand. Even a “U. T.” is better in hand before quoted. Very many who read these lines are perfectly familiar with these oral traditions floating among us, and realize that this warning is not unneeded. The ultimate effect of these oral traditions can only be to weaken, if not positively to nullify, the effect of the great truths of the Third Angel’s Message. Let the motto be: “What is written? How readest thou?” The Other Side: A Poem on Compassion
WE go our ways in life too much alone;
We hold ourselves too far from all our kind;
Too often we are dead to sigh and moan;
Too often to the weak and helpless blind;
Too often, where distress and want abide,
We turn, and pass upon the other side. It should be ours the oil and wine to pour
Into the bleeding wounds of stricken ones;
To take the smitten and the sick and sore,
And bear them where a stream of blessing runs.
Instead we look about—the way is wide,
And so we pass upon the other side.
— Selected. TEMPERANCE WORK.
By Mrs. Geo. A. Irwin
For some time I have been much agitated over the lack of real temperance work among us as a denomination. As I see what other churches, leagues, and societies are doing as a means of prevention and reformation, we seem to be very far behind, considering the advanced light we have received. I know there is no class of people who stand so firmly for temperance in every phase as we do, or make it so truly a fundamental principle of doctrine; but there is a phase of the work that reaches even deeper,—for those who know not Christ nor the truth for this time. Sister White spoke very definitely in the Review of May 22, 1900, in regard to the temperance work, and I quote the following to bring it again to mind: “In our work more attention should be given to the temperance reform. Every duty that calls for reform involves repentance, faith, and obedience. It means the uplifting of the soul to a new and nobler life. Thus every reform has its place in the work of the Third Angel’s Message. Especially does the temperance reform demand our attention and support. We should call attention to this work, and make it a living issue. We should present to the people the principles of true temperance, and call for signers to the temperance pledge. In other churches there are Christians who are standing in defense of the principles of temperance. We should seek to come near to these workers, and make a way for them to stand shoulder to shoulder with us.” There is a work of education to be done, first of all in our own families, and then for those in our immediate vicinity who are addicted to the use of liquor and other intoxicants. We, as Seventh-day Adventists, can not sit down and feel secure, thinking that we are beyond the reach of this evil. Many of our own dear sisters’ lives are blighted because of this dreadful curse in the lives of husbands, sons, fathers, or brothers; and it is time that we arise in our might, and stand shoulder to shoulder with all true temperance workers for a thorough reformation everywhere. The following, from a pamphlet written by the superintendent of the Department of Non-Alcohol Medication in the National W. C. T. U., is authentic, and is indeed a startling revelation to many, but it contains facts that every mother should know:— Mothers sometimes wonder why their boys take so readily to cigarettes, or their daughters to cocaine, never thinking that the soothing sirup or cough mixture given freely by themselves to their children developed a craving for something stronger later on. Mrs. Winslow’s Soothing Sirup, advertised for years in church papers as well as secular papers as “invaluable for children,” is cited in the report for 1888 of the Massachusetts State Board of Health as containing opium; also Ayer’s Cherry Pectoral, Dr. Bull’s Cough Sirup, Jayne’s Expectorant, Hooker’s Cough and Croup Sirup, Moore’s Essence of Life, Mother Bailey’s Quieting Sirup, and others too numerous to mention. The report says: “The sale of soothing sirups, and all medicines designed for the use of children, which contain opium and its preparations should be prohibited. Many would be deterred from using a preparation known to contain opium, who would use without question a soothing sirup recommended for teething children.” Again, the following is quoted from a prominent physician: “Among infants, and in the early years of life, soothing sirups are the cause of untold misery; for seeds are doubtlessly sown in infancy only to bear the most pernicious fruit in adult life. It is said that one of the best-known soothing sirups contains from one to three grains of morphia to the ounce of sirup.” “Cough mixtures, as a rule, do more harm than good. Nine times out of ten the principal ingredient is opium.” That the use of patent medicines has made many drunkards is a fact well attested. “In my experience I have known of men filling drunkards’ graves who learned to drink by taking some advertised bitters as a legitimate medicine. It would be hard to estimate the number of young brains ruined and the maturer opium wrecks from nostrums of this nature. I could write a volume on the mischief that is being done every day to body, mind, and soul, all over the land, by the thousands of miserable frauds that are being poured down the throats of not only ignorant people, but, alas, intelligent ones, too.” The main reason why so many people use these mixtures is the popular supposition that drugs cure disease. This is a great error. Drugs never cure disease. If people would quit drugging themselves, avoid indigestible viands, eat at regular hours, chew well, stop eating when they have had enough, take a sufficiency of exercise, sleep, and fresh air, with a hot bath once a week, and a cold sponge bath each morning, laying aside all alcoholics and tobacco, there would be very little sickness in the world. Overeating leads to the drug habit for relief from uneasy sensations. Those who value health must cultivate self-control. We are planning to have a temperance pledge and more temperance literature, so as to begin a more aggressive work; for it is surely a part of Woman’s Gospel Work, and we hope to save our own loved ones from taking the first fatal step, and rescue an innumerable company from the depths into which they have fallen. For the encouragement of sisters who are at present burdened for intemperate husbands, sons, or brothers, I relate the following incident, which came to my personal notice:— The husband of one of our sisters was a drunkard for over twenty years. I well remember how this sister came to camp-meeting year after year. She never failed to come, nor to present the request that prayer be offered for her husband. But he went on and on until he seemed to have reached the lowest depth, and, apparently, there was no more hope for him. Still she held him up before the Lord, and loved him as tenderly and truly as she did the day she married him. At night she would go through all the saloons of the city in search of him, take him home, steady him up the stairs so that he might not fall and injure himself, and then put him comfortably to bed. She said the Lord always provided her with means with which to attend the camp-meeting each year, until three years ago, when the provision was not made as in former years. But when the time of the camp-meeting came, it was held at the place where she lived. She one day persuaded her husband to go to the camp with her. There was a wonderful revival meeting held, and the Spirit of the Lord touched his heart. He went forward with others who were seeking the Lord, and was converted then and there, and has never since had any desire to go back to his old life. It is a remarkable fact that there is no trace of liquor left on him, although he used it constantly for so many years. He is a devout member of the church, and is always anxious to be present at the camp-meetings, with his wife. His employers marvel at his reformation, and are grateful for it; for he is a good workman, and they bore long with him, because they knew the faithfulness of his wife. So, my sisters, if you have drunken husbands, sons, or brothers, do not become discouraged, but always treat them kindly and lovingly, and never reproach them. Imitate this sister’s example, and the Lord will surely answer your prayers, also. It Is More Blessed to Give
“REMEMBER the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Acts 20:35. MRS. GEO. A. IRWIN
By Mrs. Geo. A. Irwin.
THE following has been received without any name or address, so it becomes necessary to give a brief reply through this department:— DEAR SISTERS: I write to ask your advice about sending my children to a public school. We tried to find a church school, and settle near it, but have failed, so have decided to stay here. We live near the school-house, and I could see the children on the way to and from school. They could come home to dinner. My boy is nine years old, and my little girl five. The school children pass our house every day, and my boy wishes to go. My husband is away from home most of the time, in the work. He is in favor of my teaching the children at home, but I do not have much education, and with my three children, the youngest two years old, and all my work to do, I do not have the time. School has already begun, and I should like an early reply. First of all I would call this sister’s attention to the following from “Special Testimonies for Ministers and Workers,” No. 6: “If parents are not able to send their children to school, let them hire an exemplary, religious teacher who will feel it a pleasure to work for the Master in any capacity, who will be willing to cultivate any part of the Lord’s vineyard. Let mothers and fathers co-operate with the teachers, and devote an hour daily to study, becoming learners with the children. Make the educating hour one of pleasure and importance, and your confidence will increase in the method of seeking for the salvation of your children.” From another Testimony I quote: “The mother should be the teacher, and home the school where every child receives his first lessons; and these lessons should include habits of industry.” “Children should be educated to read, to write, to understand figures, to keep their own accounts, when very young.” Your little girl is too young to be sent to school. I would advise you by all means to settle where there is a church school, or where there are one or two other Adventist families, so that the children could be formed into a class, with a suitable teacher, with whom you would co-operate, and from whom you could also receive instruction, so that you would be prepared to teach children. If there are other Sabbath-keeping families near you, without children, perhaps some one in those families could arrange to spend a certain portion of time each day in teaching your little boy. Reading Circle Study.
By S. N. H.
The seven candlesticks represent the seven churches, whose light is to shine throughout the world. They embrace the people of God from the first to the second advent of Christ. The ministers of Christ are represented by the angels of the churches. The words spoken by him who walketh in the midst of the golden candlesticks, to the church at Ephesus, are addressed to all true ministers of God’s people. Mal. 2:7. Christ becomes their protection, their strength, their support—their all. He holds them in his right hand. The first century covered the apostolic age, the church of Ephesus, when the church went forth conquering and to conquer. The trials endured, the zeal manifested, for the glory of God, he honored in vindicating their testimony (Acts 5:34–42), and in separating the precious from the vile. Acts 5:1–16. As their zeal waned, it became a cause of reproof. God said that unless they repented, the light that had so freely shone upon them would be removed. This is true of every person who, having had great light, becomes careless or indifferent. In this early church the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes (the plurality of wives) was introduced. In the promise to the overcomer, the mind is carried forward to the time when the city of God will rest upon the earth, and the garden of Eden will be in the midst of it. The river of life will proceed from the throne of God, and on either side of it will be the tree of life. Rev. 22:1, 2. “After sin entered this world, the heavenly Husbandman transplanted the tree of life to the paradise above, but its branches hang over the wall to the lower world.” The second period, or Smyrna, embraced about two hundred years, from the close of the first century to the reign of Constantine. This church was before God as sweet-smelling myrrh. They submitted themselves unreservedly into God’s hands, suffering uncomplainingly the afflictions that came upon them, believing it to be as much a gift of God to suffer and die as to believe on Christ. Phil. 1:29. They were burned at the stake, thrown to wild beasts, banished into desolate places, put to death in every way human demons could invent. The severest persecutions were during the reign of Diocletian, between the years 302 and 312, A. D. In this state of tribulation and worldly poverty, they were rich, and were exhorted not to fear any tribulation that Satan could bring upon them; for they would receive the crown of life (2 Tim. 4:8), and not be hurt of the second death. Satan did not succeed in blotting out God’s people by persecution, so worldly favor was shown them. This was more dangerous to spirituality than persecution was. Earthly exaltation is the ruin of many souls. Through these snares, in the fourth century, Satan established his seat, his power, and his authority, under the guise of Christianity. It was during these days of trial that the spirit of compromise came into the church; and covetousness and wickedness of every kind laid the foundation for the full apostasy afterward developed. Idolatry was Christianized, pagan idols were named saints and apostles, and in this way the church was taught to commit fornication. God was displeased, and said that unless they quickly repented, he would begin a separation of the precious from the vile, and his light would be removed from them. It is heart service that God regards. To those who possessed the work of grace in the heart he promised the hidden manna, and a white stone, a bond of purity that would exist between himself and those who were his people. The Lord knoweth his own. 2 Tim. 2:19. In this period, when worldly display and pomp were taking possession of the majority of professed Christians, God’s care was over those who in humility were serving him, hidden, perhaps, amid the display of others. He promised them the HIDDEN manna and the SECRET name. When the church had so far apostatized that the man of sin was revealed, another period was entered upon. The name “Thyatira” means “sacrifice of contrition.” This period continued twelve hundred and sixty years, from 538–1798, A. D. God’s eye was upon his people. He knew their trials and their patience. Jezebel, the wife of Ahab, who brought iniquity and ruin to Israel, became an object lesson of the development of the iniquity that was practiced by the apostate church of that period. The fruits of such a course were that the children of all such churches would be finally destroyed. Hosea 5:6, 7. Those who humbly trusted God, and did not understand the depth of iniquity practiced by the teachers of this period, were commended. The Lord promised that if they would hold fast their experience until he came, he would make them ruler over the nations; and the hand that sustained them would break to pieces their oppressors, even as the vessels of a potter are broken to shivers (Ps. 2:7–9); and they would receive Christ as the morning star. Rev. 22:16. To each church and to each individual are the following words addressed: “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.” IN the REVIEW of October 9, in the Reading Circle daily reading for Friday, it should read, “Article on Reading Circle Study in the REVIEW AND HERALD of Oct. 9, 1900,” instead of “Oct. 2, 1900.” In the REVIEW of October 16 the date of the article for the Friday reading is October 16; that is, the reading is in the same paper as is the study itself. AGAIN WE SAY IT.
By L. Flora Plummer
A CORRESPONDING secretary of one of the Conferences writes: “Some of our librarians have written me that they can not organize a Reading Circle because the members of the church are so scattered that they can not meet for such a purpose.” So again we say: The Reading Circle lessons are designed for home study. They may be studied by one person as successfully as by a large company. They may be made a family study, parents and children uniting in it. No one need wait for a meeting of the church to be called before beginning the study. Each family and each person is asked simply to study each lesson as thoroughly as possible, during the week assigned to it. No one should hesitate to enter upon the home study of the lessons because he is so situated that he has not the privilege of reviewing the lessons with others. No organization or formality of any kind is necessary. The simplicity of the plan makes it fit every circumstance. “Joining the Circle” is simply studying the lessons as thoroughly as your time will allow. And the isolated person who thus studies is as truly a member of the Circle as is one who can meet with a company regularly. DAILY READING FOR OCTOBER 21-27.
Sunday, read critically the second chapter of Revelation. Monday, “Thoughts on Revelation,” Verses 1-7. Tuesday, “Thoughts on Revelation,” Verses 8-11. Wednesday, “Thoughts on Revelation,” Verses 12-17. Thursday, “Thoughts on Revelation,” Verses 18-29. Friday, article on Reading Circle Study in REVIEW AND HERALD of Oct. 16, 1900. QUESTIONS ON SECOND CHAPTER OF REVELATION.
1. What is the meaning of “Ephesus”? What period of time is covered by this church? 2. What is the significance of Christ’s holding the seven stars in his right hand? V. 1. 3. How many things does the Saviour commend? What are they? Vs. 2, 3, 6. 4. What reproof and warning is given? Vs. 4, 5. 5. What promise is held out to the overcomer? V. 7. Can we in this life begin to partake of this fruit? 6. What does “Smyrna” mean? What period of the world’s history is covered by this church? 7. Why would the fact that Christ had power over death be of special interest to this church? 8. By what power was this church bitterly persecuted? 9. What period of severe persecution is represented by the ten days of verse 10? 10. Why would the promise of freedom from the second death be especially comforting to this church? 11. What does “Pergamos” mean? How long a period of time is included in this church? 12. Who began to assume unwarranted power and authority during this period? 13. What was the stumbling-block Balaam taught Balac to cast before Israel? What is the special lesson in this for our time? 14. In what sense is the reward promised the overcomer during this period especially applicable? 15. Give the meaning of “Thyatira,” and the period of time covered by this church. 16. (a) Who was Jezebel? (b) What is Baal worship? (c) Was any feature of Baal worship forced upon the Thyatira church? (d) What is to be the final end of all who cling to these doctrines? Vs. 22, 23; Rev. 19:20. 17. What is meant by the promise, “I will put upon you none other burden”? 18. What had been given the church at this time that would encourage them to hold fast until the coming of Christ? 19. What special promises are given them? 20. What one expression is repeated in the messages to each of the churches? Does it apply to us? Children of God Partake of His Nature
The children of God are those who are partakers of his nature. It is not earthly rank, nor birth, nor nationality, nor religious privilege, which proves that we are members of the family of God; it is love,—a love that embraces all humanity.—“Mount of Blessing.”