SOME time ago, in Calcutta, there came together 1,000 of the most prominent men of the native races of Hindostan. They were Parsees and Brahmans and Mohammedans and men of the lower Indian castes. They spoke the languages of the native races of the great Indian Empire—the Tamil, the Hindustani, the Hindi, the Telugu, the Punjabee, and the rest. But there was only one tongue in which they could make themselves intelligible to each other, and that was the language into which Englishmen have translated the Bible.—J. H. Barrows.
Nothing but a Missionary
By A. C. Thompson
"NOTHING but a missionary!" But the man who gave that toss of the head and that half-scornful look should cast an eye down the long central aisle of the hall at Mildmay Park, London. Whom do we see coming up the aisle—a son of Anak in stature, erect, his features strongly marked, his venerable locks and long white beard adding majesty to his appearance? On discovering him the whole great audience rise spontaneously to their feet. A Wesleyan brother with powerful voice is in the midst of an address; yet no one heeds him till the patriarch has taken a seat on the platform. Who is the old man? Is it the Earl of Beaconsfield? Is it Gladstone? There is but one other person in the realm to whom, under the circumstances, such a united and enthusiastic tribute would be paid, and that because she is on the throne. But this hoary-headed man who attracts such marked attention is the veteran among South African missionaries. He went out to the Dark Continent more than sixty years before. He is now eighty-three; his name is Robert Moffat.
—Rev. A. C. Thompson.
LESSON X.—SABBATH, DECEMBER 5, 1896
"Study to show thyself approved unto God."
LESSON X.—SABBATH, DECEMBER 5, 1896.
FREEDOM THROUGH CHRIST; DEEDS REVEAL THE TRUE CHARACTER.
31 "Jesus therefore said to those Jews which had believed him, If ye abide in my word, then are ye truly my disciples; 32 and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you 33 free. They answered unto him, We be Abraham's seed, and have never yet been in bondage to any man; how say 34 thou, Ye shall be made free? Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Every one that committeth 35 sin is the bond-servant of sin. And the bond-servant abid- 36 eth not in the house forever; the son abideth forever. If therefore the Son shall make you free, ye shall be free in- 37 deed. I know that ye are Abraham's seed; yet ye seek to 38 kill me, because my word hath not free course in you. I speak the things which I have seen with my Father, and ye also do the things which ye heard from your father. 39 They answered and said unto him, Our father is Abraham. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham's children, ye 40 would do the works of Abraham. But now ye seek to kill 41 me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I heard from God. This did not Abraham. Ye do the works of your father. They said unto him, We were not born of for- 42 nication; we have one Father, even God. Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me; for I came forth and am come from God; for neither have I 43 come of myself, but he sent me. Why do ye not understand 44 my speech? Even because ye can not hear my word. Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father it is your will to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and stood not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own; 45 for he is a liar, and the father thereof. But because I say 46 the truth, ye believe me not. Which of you convicteth me 47 of sin? If I say truth, why do ye not believe me? He that is of God heareth the words of God; for this cause ye hear 48 them not, because ye are not of God. The Jews answered and said unto him, Say we not well that thou art a Samar- 49 itan, and hast a devil? Jesus answered, I have not a devil, 50 but honor my Father, and ye dishonor me. But I seek not 51 mine own glory; there is one that seeketh and judgeth. Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my word, he shall never see death."
QUESTIONS.
1. What experience did Jesus declare to be the basis of true discipleship?132. What would his disciples understand? What would it do for them? 3. From whom did they say that they were descended? Had they ever been in slavery? What question did they ask? 4. How did Jesus show that he was speaking of the bondage of sin? 5. What contrast did he draw between the experience of a slave and that of a son? 6. Who did he say had the power to give complete freedom? 7. Did he know from whom they were descended? How did he now show that he understood the thoughts of their hearts? 8. What did he say that he spoke? What did he therefore urge them to do? 9. In what statement did they reveal their ignorance of his real meaning? 10. How did Jesus make their own statement testify against them? 11. What intent on their part showed that they were not truly Abraham's children? 12. Whose works were they doing? 13. Whose children did they now claim to be? 14. What did Jesus say would follow as a consequence? 15. With what question and answer did he further instruct them? 16. Who did he say was their father? What course did they choose to follow? 17. What was the character of their father? What was natural to him? 18. What did Jesus declare to be the reason for their not believing him? 19. With what argument did he set forth the ground of faith in him? 20. What did their rejection of his teaching show? 21. What charge which the Jews had previously made did they now reiterate? 22. Did Jesus admit their charge? What counter-charge did he bring against them? 23. What aim in life had he repudiated? 24. How did Jesus teach that one could be saved from death?
NOTES.
1. "The 'word' of which Jesus here speaks is his whole revelation, all he taught by word and action, by his own habitual conduct, and by his miracles. This is which gives knowledge of the truth. That is to say, all the truth which men require for living they have in Christ." To continue ("abide," R. V.) in his word is to abide in Christ (chapter 15:5), in the faith (Col. 1:23), in hope (Rom. 12:12), in love (Eph. 3:17). To those who do this the promise is, "Ye shall know the truth."
2. "When the Lord Jesus reveals the truth of all that he has done for us—that in him we are accepted and triumphant; that through him we sit in heavenly places, with Satan beneath our feet; that from him we are equipped with power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and all the power of the enemy—then the whole aspect of our life alters; we see our position, and we take it; we learn our power, and we use it; we realize that we are free, and as such we begin to act. . . . Acting by faith in the truth revealed to us, we discover that it is so."
3. JOHN THE BAPTIST, in his preaching, had taught them to the contrary (Matt. 3:9), yet the Jews were resting in their literal descent from Abraham. Christ emphasizes the fact that "not descent, but character, is the important thing." Rom. 9:8; Gal. 3:29.
4. "HERE [verse 34] is one of the profoundest sentences ever spoken by our Lord. Men had not been wont to count themselves slaves. They were in the habit of thinking that they could take up sin, or lay it down, at their will, that they were its masters. Christ, however, has shown that it is not so, but that every time we yield to sin we increase its hold over us and become more deeply enthralled under its tyrannous power, so that we are compelled to obey its behests, however cruel or malignant they may be." "Every sinful indulgence strengthens the soul's aversion to God. The man who manifests an infidel hardihood, or a stolid indifference, to divine truth, is but reaping the harvest of that which he has himself sown. In all the Bible there is not a more fearful warning against trifling with evil than the words of the wise man, that the sinner 'shall be holden with the cords of his sins.'" Prov. 5:22. Those who are "of the Devil" (1 John 3:8) are slaves (2 Peter 2:19); but the service of Christ is freedom. "Jesus Christ came into the world to set men free, and to plant in their souls the genuine principle of liberty, liberty actuated by love, . . . liberty in which man may be free from all men, yet made so gentle by love that he would willingly become the servant of all, in order to bring them to the enjoyment of this same liberty. This is freedom indeed. This is the freedom which Christ gave to man."
5. HOW MUCH is included in the promise, "Ye shall be free in reality"? We are free from the imputation of Adam's sin, because He, as the second Adam, has borne it away; free from the lash of a broken law, because He has paid the penalty, and met its last demands. We are set free for service (Luke 1:74, 75), and that the character of God as set forth in his law may be fulfilled in us (Rom. 8:2-4) through Christ. Freedom from the curse of the law (Gal. 3:13) and the privilege of being "made the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Cor. 5:21), have been purchased for us. "O blessed announcement that God our Father has taken our part against our sin, and, in the person of his Son, has come to make us free, that we may be free in- indeed!" "Christ is ready to set us free from sin, but he does not force the will; and if by persistent transgression the will itself is wholly bent on evil, and we do not desire to be set free, if we will not accept his grace, what more can he do? We have destroyed ourselves by our determined rejection of his love."
6. THE true children of Abraham "do the works of Abraham." By nature, inherited from Adam, being children of wrath (Eph. 2:3), we need a new nature (2 Peter 1:4), in order that "we may work the works of God." "As Adam never could have brought us under the power of sin and death if he had not been our father, communicating to us his own nature, so Christ never could save us except by taking our nature upon him, doing in that nature all that we would need to do, had it been possible for us to deliver ourselves, and then communicating the fruit of what he effected as a nature within us to be the power of a new, an eternal, life. . . . So alone could he be the second Adam, the Father of a new race."
7. JESUS "spoke the truth, but always in love. He denounced hypocrisy, unbelief, and iniquity, but tears were in his voice as he uttered his scathing rebukes. . . . These words (verse 44) were spoken with sorrowful pathos, as Jesus realized the terrible condition into which these men had fallen." Speaking the truth roused enmity against himself, and so it will against his messengers (Gal. 4:16); but let every messenger be sure that he gives no other cause for enmity than "speaking the truth in love."
8. CHRIST was without sin in himself, altho sin was laid on him (Isa. 53:6), being found without fault at his trial (John 18:38). No one could convince him of sin (1 John 3:4); for the law which he fulfilled (Matt. 5:17) was in his heart (Ps. 40:8). He is asking of many to-day, "Why do ye not believe me?" Is there any answer? See Matt. 22:12.
Suggestions for Further Study.
Had these Jews forgotten Egypt, Babylon, and the Roman power? What was the cause of their subjection to other nations?
Note that the personality of the devil, and the fact that he has inspired others with his nature, are clearly taught here. See 1 John 3:10, etc.
How many of the human family had Satan involved with himself in the guilt of being murderers? See 1 John 3:15; Titus 3:3, etc.
How did the Jews condemn themselves by their appeal to their descent from Abraham?
How is life only in Christ taught in this lesson?
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"LAW OF GOD AS CHANGED BY THE PAPACY."
By Editor
This chart has been thoroughly revised, and contains some of the more recent utterances of this great apostate power.
The plan of the chart is the same as the old one. On either side are telling quotations from Catholic authorities admitting and boasting of the change, while the "Commandments as Changed by the Papacy" occupy a central position.
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BIBLE SANCTIFICATION:
A CONTRAST OF
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INTERNATIONAL SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
"Take heed unto thyself; and unto the doctrine;" "that thy profiting may appear to all."
4. For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods; and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father.
5. For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.
6. And Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and went not fully after the Lord, as did David his father.
7. Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon.
8. And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods.
9. And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the Lord God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice,
10. And had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods; but he kept not that which the Lord commanded.
11. Wherefore the Lord said unto Solomon, Forasmuch as this is done of thee, and thou hast not kept my covenant and my statutes, which I have commanded thee, I will surely rend the kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy servant.
12. Notwithstanding, in thy days I will not do it for David thy father's sake; but I will rend it out of the hand of thy son.
13. Howbeit I will not rend away all the kingdom, but will give one tribe to thy son for David my servant's sake, and for Jerusalem's sake which I have chosen.
Golden Text: "Let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall." 1 Cor. 10: 12.
N O T E.—Having contemplated Solomon's greatness, we now turn to the picture of his sin and decline. His day, which grew to such unexampled splendor, became overcast, and ended in clouds and gloom, a striking object lesson for all time. There is no record that Solomon repented, nor is there anywhere a statement that he died in his sins. But the inference is plausible that before his death he turned to the Lord in repentance. This appears from the experiences related in the book of Ecclesiastes, which are plainly those of one who has passed through them. After all is over, the conclusion is summed up in the wise counsel: "Fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man." Eccl. 12: 13. This is the language of one who fears God. Solomon died at the age of sixty. Read the whole lesson chapter.
SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS.
(1) What came to pass when Solomon was old? Verse 4. Note 1. (2) What relation did he sustain to the Lord? Ib. Note 2. (3) What gods did Solomon go after? Verse 5. Note 3. (4) What was his general course of life? Verse 6. (5) What did he build? Verse 7. Note 4. (6) How far did he carry his work of honoring other gods? Verse 8. (7) How did the Lord look upon Solomon? Verse 9. (8) Was there any excuse for Solomon's evil conduct? Verse 10. Note 5. (9) What punishment did the Lord pronounce upon him? Verse 11. Note 6. (10) What consideration was shown by the Lord? Verse 12. (11) Was any of the kingdom to remain to Solomon? Why? Verse 13.
NOTES.
1. His wives.—The beginnings of Solomon's fall were his many loves,—women of adjoining kingdoms. Of these there were 700, princesses, besides 300 concubines (verse 3), tho the record does not necessarily indicate that he had that many all at one time. Against this very evil the Lord had given warning hundreds of years before (Deut. 17: 17), as Israel was about to enter Canaan. There it was said that the king who would be raised up should not multiply to himself wives, lest his heart14be turned away from the Lord. This was precisely the result in Solomon's case. Besides the sensuality characterizing eastern monarchs, and manifested in the practice of polygamy, the number of wives a king was able to support came to be one token of his greatness. This custom may have influenced Solomon also as his heart became alienated from the Lord.
2. His heart was not perfect.—David's course of life was not entirely perfect. He made many mistakes, but he never departed from the Lord to worship or honor other gods. When he sinned and repented, his repentance was sincere. In the sense of always acknowledging the Lord as supreme, David's heart is said to have been perfect. But it was not so with Solomon. The expression in verse 6, that Solomon "went not fully after the Lord," conveys the idea, together with the context, that he did not completely deny the Lord, but that his going after other gods was the setting up of altars to them and recognizing their worship to please his wives. Still, the evil was just as abhorrent in the eyes of the Lord, for there were other gods beside him, even tho Solomon himself may not have worshiped them.
3. Other gods.—Ashtoreth was the female divinity corresponding to Baal, the emblem of the sun, and originally typified the moon. She was worshiped by the Zidonians, inhabitants of Zidon, or Sidon. Milcom, of Ammon, was the same as Molech of verse 7, the fire god, and was worshiped with human sacrifices. Both Molech and Chemosh were representatives of Baal, the sun-god. The worship of these gods was accompanied always by the most revolting and licentious practices.
4. An high place.—The shrines or temples were built on eminences, and the "hill that is before Jerusalem" evidently refers to the Mount of Olives, the northern peak of which was afterwards called the "Mount of offense," and the "Mount of Corruption."
5. Had commanded him.—Not only had the Lord commanded Solomon through visions, but the instruction left in the sacred writings of the time were before him. "There are in Scripture two warning sketches of everything which a good king should not be and should not do, and these sketches exactly describe the very things which Solomon was and did. The first of these pictures of selfish autocrats is found in 1 Sam. 8: 10-18."—Farrar. The other is in Deut. 17: 14-20, and serves as a warning for all time. God gave Solomon wisdom to foresee the trend of every course of life. He loaded him with blessings, and there was consequently no excuse for his conduct. Still we have the same experiences; and the goodness and mercy of God are shown in his forgiveness when one realizes fully his dangerous condition, and turns again to him. Sin is terribly deceptive, and while it may be true in a sense that one sometimes goes into it with his eyes open, yet it is as certainly true that a keen realization of the evil is not present. The hold on God is lost. But it is dangerous work, for the Spirit is grieved away, and the time will surely come, if the evil is persisted in, when there will be no more desire to do right. The very thought and appearance of evil must be shunned in order for one to be safe.
6. The kingdom taken away.—Ten of the twelve tribes were given to Jeroboam, an industrious young man whom Solomon had set over the affairs of the northern tribes, but the division did not take place until after Solomon's death. One tribe only was to remain to the house of Solomon, and that only for David's sake, to preserve intact the genealogy of Christ, who was to come of his seed according to the promise. 2 Sam. 7: 13-16. This was the tribe of Judah, which absorbed the tribe of Benjamin. The manner in which the kingdom became disrupted is told in the remainder of the chapter, and in following chapters.
FOREIGN.
By Editor
—A great Catholic congress of 3,000 delegates was opened at Lima, Peru, on the 9th inst., in presence of the papal delegate, Mgr. Macchi.
—Owing to a scarcity of breadstuffs in Nicaragua, President Zelaya has issued a decree admitting flour, corn, and lard free of duty until next April.
—The Cuban insurgents have captured the fortified town of Guayamaro, and the result is a command from Madrid to Captain-General Weyler to take the field in person.
—A despatch from Bombay says that in eleven districts of Deccan and Concan a million and a quarter people are believed to be on the verge of starvation. Riots have occurred at Shahabad and Kazod.
—The Boys' Brigade of California has been dissolved, and the companies which formed the organization, thirty-three in number, will join the United Boys' Brigade of America, headquarters at Chicago.
—The fine Mexican coasting steamer Mazatlan was wrecked in a fog off the coast of Mexico, between La Paz and Mazatlan, on the night of the 6th inst. There were thirty passengers aboard, but all reached shore safely. The steamer is reported a total loss.
—A Vienna despatch, alluding to Russia's efforts to secure trade in China, says that Russian silver rubles are being minted in large quantities for circulation in China, in view of the fact that Chinese confidence in the American silver dollar has been somewhat shaken.
—The London Times warns the United States Government of the difficulties it is likely to encounter in the pursuit of an active policy in regard to Cuba. The tender point with Great Britain is the fact that a large portion of the enormous debt of Spain on Cuban securities is held in London.
—A special despatch from Johannesburg says that the government of the Transvaal Republic has decided to put in a claim for £1,000,000 indemnity against the British Chartered South Africa Company, as one of the results of the raid of Dr. Jameson and his followers into the territory of the Transvaal.
—A St. Petersburg despatch says that Prince Obelenski, who is advocating the export of Russian cereals to India to relieve the famine, says Russia is oversupplied with cereals, and that it is estimated she could sell wheat at Bombay for 6d. per pood under the price that California wheat is realizing there.
—Advices received from Kaiserieh, Asia Minor, state that a band of Turks plundered the village of Everek, killing 100 Armenian inhabitants, setting fire to and destroying fifty houses. Not one of the Turkish marauders was killed. Kaiserieh, the advices state, has been thrown into a state of panic by the outrages.
—Late advices from the insurrection in the Philippine Islands report several engagements, with victories for the Spanish troops. One report states that the insurgents lost 400 killed in one battle, while the Spaniards lost but thirty-eight. Fifteen leaders in the revolt have been court-martialed and shot.
—A press correspondent says the Foreign Committee of the Chamber of Deputies of Bolivia have declared in favor of recognizing the Cuban insurgents as belligerents. This would give them the privilege of purchasing supplies in Bolivia. If the government acts on this recommendation, it will be the first nation to tender this recognition.
—Advices from Havana, of the 8th inst., report an outrage upon an American named Craycroft, who came from Indiana, by Spanish soldiers. Craycroft was wounded and his wife assaulted; then the house was looted and over $600 taken, after which eight buildings on the estate were burned, and nineteen Cuban inmates were shot, including four women.
—It has been agreed, concerning the boundary dispute between Venezuela and British Guiana, that Great Britain and the United States shall arbitrate the matter. The former government will appoint two arbitrators, the latter two, and jointly a fifth. The agreement is deemed a great victory for the United States. The St. James Gazette says: "Lord Salisbury's great admission of the principle that the United States has a right to intervene in frontier disputes of American powers and compel the disputants to arbitrate altogether transcends in importance the question of the Guiana boundary. It is a formal recognition of the control of the United States on the American Continent and gives the President a position in the New World which the medieval popes and emperors tried vainly to claim in Europe."
—In a recent speech at Enfield, England, Sir Charles Dilke, the well-known authority on international politics, said that England had recently rejected a proposal by the three great powers to partition China. He also said that the alleged recent inspection of the forts of the Dardanelles by a Russian general was by order of the Russian Government, and that, therefore, it was possible that Russia would regard a British attack on the Dardanelles as a casus belli.
Abiding Sabbath and Lord’s Day
By Alonzo T. Jones
By ALONZO T. JONES
A pointed review of two prize essays which are, without doubt, the best contributions to the defense of Sunday as the Sabbath. Those desiring to find some $1,000 reasons for keeping the first day of the week will find them in this work. Bible Students’ Library No. 2. 173 pages. Paper covers. Price, 20 cents. Address
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DOMESTIC.
—The Iowa Savings Bank at Sioux City, and the First National Bank at Decorah, Iowa, suspended on the 10th inst.
—The working time of all shop employees of the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway has been reduced from nine hours a day to eight hours.
—The Federal Grand Jury at Kansas City has indicted three men for distributing advertising cards on which had been stamped the imprint of a $20 gold piece.
—Perry Richardson, charged with the murder of S. S. Gates in Sauk County, Wis., twenty-six years ago, lately applied for a pension, and in this way brought about his arrest.
—An invention in the line of religious rescue work will be inaugurated shortly by the Salvation Army in St. Louis. It is that of caring for persons who are intoxicated on the streets.
—A steel bridge is to be built by the Southern Pacific over the San Pedro River in Arizona. It will have a 160-foot span and masonry abutments. The steel will come from the east and the stone from Texas.
—William P. Hazen, Chief of the Secret Service, in his annual report shows that the amount of altered or counterfeit notes captured during the year was $757,731. The amount of counterfeit coin captured was $10,678.
—A heavy storm is reported on the coast of Washington and Oregon. The gale struck Astoria at the rate of 100 miles an hour, unroofing houses and driving ashore several ships in the harbor. Fears are entertained for vessels outside.
—Thirteen members of the Salt Lake Coal Exchange have been found guilty in the United States District Court of combining to prevent persons not members of the Exchange from obtaining coal at prices as low as were made to members of the Exchange, in order to destroy competition.
—A fight between striking miners and a party of Austrians, at Leadville, Colo., on the 12th inst., resulted in the death of one man and the serious wounding of four others, one of them fatally. The Austrians were union smelter men, but were mistaken for non-union miners. The fight occurred at a saloon, of course.
—A remarkable discovery has just been made by experiments with the X ray in San Francisco. A boy who has been blind for fourteen years was enabled by means of the apparatus ordinarily used, to see metal objects through wood and other materials the same as a person with sound eyes. Tests will be made with other blind persons.
—The San Francisco Examiner says that large amounts of gold and silver are pouring into the mint from all parts of the Pacific Coast. More gold was coined during October than in any former month since the mint opened, this included $5,000,727 in gold and $697,000 in silver. On the 20th of this month $2,000,000 in gold will arrive from Australia.
—An attempt to blow up an express train near Washington, Ind., on the 10th inst., was frustrated by a tramp who learned of the plot and signaled the train. The bandits saw him give the signal and fired upon him, wounding him in the leg. But the train was saved, and the passengers took up a collection for the tramp. A heavy charge of dynamite had been laid upon the track.
—The officials of the Treasury Department frankly acknowledge that the spirit of the Chinese Exclusion Act is being constantly violated, but declare their inability to prevent it. Hundreds of Chinamen are annually entering the United States through the means of certificates fraudulently secured and sold in China by those leaving this country with no intention of returning.
—The Evangelical Alliance, by William E. Dodge, its president, and Rev. Dr. Josiah Strong, its secretary, has put forth a suggestion that as a preparation for the religious campaign of the coming winter, the ministers of the churches in each community meet for conference and prayer, and spend a quiet day together on Tuesday, November 17. The suggestion has the approval of representative ministers of all the evangelical denominations.
—A Washington despatch says that the War Department has called upon the leading railroad lines running to Key West, New Orleans, and other gulf ports, for an immediate statement of their capacity to move troops, supplies and heavy war material. The inquiry is supposed to be in view of possible difficulties with Spain in regard to Cuba. The U. S. minister at Madrid is of the opinion that Spain is contemplating complications with this government as the most honorable means of backing out of Cuba.
