THERE are times when we are to stand still and patiently wait to see the salvation of the Lord; there are other times when we should hasten with every power to fulfil his will and do some special work for him. It would be a great blessing to our people if they would finish up the $150,000 fund before the first of January, 1908. We have passed the $110,000 mark, and over two thirds of it has been paid in actual cash, and a very large part of the $40,000 yet to be raised is pledged.
In the Southern Union Conference at least the amount apportioned by the General Conference has been covered by pledges. Now if those who have made pledges are able and willing to pay them within a few days, and a few more liberal cash donations are made, the whole amount will be in the hands of the union conference treasurers by the first of January, 1908. If the presidents and treasurers of the conferences make an effort to have the pledges paid quickly, and if each officer through whose hands they pass hastens the work, we know that it can be done, and a large overflow besides. Let those who have made pledges see that the money is put at once into the hands of the church treasurer; the church treasurer should forward that amount to the conference treasurer without waiting a day; the conference treasurer should send forward what is in his hands, without a day's delay, to the union conference treasurer; and the union conference treasurer should forward it immediately to the General Conference treasurer. Let all hasten.
J. S. WASHBURN.
Atlantic Union Conference
By I. H. EVANS
Received on the $150,000 Fund up to Dec. 3, 1907
Atlantic Union Conference
Central New England ........$ 2,771.18
Chesapeake .................... 554.73
Eastern Pennsylvania .......... 1,889.68
Greater New York .............. 1,425.17
New Jersey .................... 1,101.26
Maine ......................... 689.88
New York ...................... 2,239.50
Southern New England ......... 1,158.50
Vermont ....................... 1,255.00
Virginia ...................... 762.14
West Pennsylvania ............. 1,451.85
Western New York ............. 1,973.84
West Virginia ................. 405.41
Total ......................... 17,678.14
East Michigan ................. 2,542.09
Indiana ...................... 5,183.52
North Michigan ................. 866.74
Northern Illinois ............ 2,810.61
Ohio ........................ 5,720.81
Southern Illinois .............. 1,176.29
West Michigan .................. 6,690.55
Wisconsin ...................... 3,862.47
Total ......................... 28,853.08
North Pacific Union Conference
Conference not specified ...... 55.00
British Columbia .............. 210.50
Montana ....................... 563.73
Upper Columbia ................ 2,647.22
Western Washington ............ 2,218.76
Idaho ........................ 950.40
Western Oregon ................ 2,445.13
Hawaii ....................... 16.05
Total ......................... 9,106.79
Northern Union Conference
Alberta ....................... 200.80
Manitoba ...................... 305.30
Saskatchewan Mission Field .... 47.60
Minnesota .................... 5,405.26
South Dakota ................. 2,645.47
North Dakota ................. 1,949.13
Conference not specified ...... 73.82
Total ......................... 10,627.38
Pacific Union Conference
Arizona ...................... 414.14
California-Nevada ............. 8,917.75
Southern California ........... 1,729.26
Utah ........................ 431.58
Total ......................... 11,492.73
Southern Union Conference
South Carolina ................ 144.39
Alabama ....................... 433.89
Tennessee River ............... 1,119.61
Florida ....................... 613.54
North Carolina ............... 774.71
Cumberland .................... 906.72
Louisiana ..................... 390.61
Mississippi ................... 254.59
Georgia ...................... 408.47
Total ......................... 5,046.53
Southwestern Union Conference
Not specified ................. 22.82
Arkansas ...................... 513.35
Oklahoma ...................... 2,802.02
Texas ......................... 1,945.90
Total ......................... 5,284.09
Unknown
Unknown ........................ 158.20
Foreign
Algeria ...................... 13.33
Australia ..................... 163.84
Bermuda ....................... 36.00
China ......................... 155.60
South Africa .................. 278.16
Jamaica ....................... 13.41
Yukon Territory ............... 20.00
England ....................... 264.13
West Africa ................... 14.06
Mexico ........................ 2.00
Costa Rica .................... 6.25
India ......................... 147.94
South America ................. 41.80
Switzerland .................... 9.69
Panama ....................... 24.00
Nicaragua ..................... 4.00
Central American Mission ...... 26.00
Trinidad ...................... 28.69
Norway ........................ 25.00
Japan ......................... 12.50
Hayti ......................... 5.00
Egypt ........................ 51.55
Palestine ..................... 2.00
Tobago, W. I. ................. 1.22
Cuba .......................... 8.00
Hungary ....................... 3.00
Tahiti ........................ 14.88
France ........................ 6.80
Philippine Islands ............ 1.00
Samoa ......................... 8.00
Barbados ...................... 5.00
Portugal ....................... 1.00
Straits Settlements ........... 10.08
Pitcairn Island ............... 10.00
Total ......................... $ 1,413.93
Grand Total ................... $110,110.96
I. H. EVANS, Treasurer.
A star preceding the name of a conference, indicates that that conference has paid its membership share of the fund.
I Am with You, Saith the Lord
By Ellen G. White
The Return of the Exiles—No. 6
I Am with You, Saith the Lord
MRS. E. G. WHITE
THE messages of Haggai led the people to feel that the Lord was in earnest with them. They dared not disregard repeated instruction that their prosperity, both temporal and spiritual, was dependent on faithful obedience to the commands of the God of heaven. As soon as they decided to obey “the voice of the Lord their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the Lord their God had sent him,” the messages of reproof that had been given were followed by words of encouragement.
“Then spake Haggai the Lord’s messenger in the Lord’s message unto the people, saying, I am with you, saith the Lord.”
How comforting are these words! The Lord God omnipotent, who reigneth in the heavens, declares, “I am with you.” He assures his people that those who are obedient are in a position where he can bless them, to the glory of his name. And if God’s people to-day choose to rely on him, and believe in him, he will bless them. He will be a present help to all who serve him in preference to serving self. When the Lord sees that his people have a heart to do his will, he will cause them to know of the doctrine. He will be with them.
The presence of God includes every other blessing. He who abides under the shadow of the Almighty can well say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust;” for of every such an one the Lord declares: “Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him, and show him my salvation.”
Having assured the Israelites of his presence, “the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and did work in the house of the Lord of hosts, their God, in the four and twentieth day of the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king.”
In less than a month after the work on the temple was resumed, the Lord in mercy sent to the builders another comforting message regarding his presence with them. He inspired Haggai to explain to them wherein the glory of the house they were now building was to exceed the glory and magnificence of the former house. It was because of the promised presence of him who is the Desire of nations.
“In the seventh month, in the one and twentieth day of the month, came the word of the Lord by the prophet Haggai, saying, Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and to the residue of the people, saying, Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory? and how do ye see it now? is it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing? Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith the Lord; and be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest; and be strong, all ye people of the land, saith the Lord, and work: for I am with you, saith the Lord of hosts: according to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, so my Spirit remaineth among you: fear ye not.”
In this comforting message, the prophet refers to the promise of God given through Moses while the Israelites were encamped before Mount Sinai, when he declared: “I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God. And they shall know that I am the Lord their God, that brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, that I may dwell among them: I am the Lord their God.” Throughout the wilderness-wandering the Lord had revealed “great goodness toward the house of Israel,” which he “bestowed on them according to his mercies, and according to the multitude of his loving-kindnesses. For he said, Surely they are my people, children that will not lie: so he was their Saviour. In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the Angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old.”
And now, notwithstanding the fact that repeatedly they have “rebelled, and vexed his Holy Spirit,” God again in his infinite mercy stretches out his hand to save and to restore. As a recognition of their co-operation with his purposes, he renews his covenant with them that his Spirit shall remain among them; and he bids them, “Fear not.” To his children to-day, as in days of old, he says: “Be strong, . . . and work: for I am with you.” What an assurance! What an incentive to faithful service!
Haggai now prophesies regarding the first advent of Christ, to which event the Israelites were looking forward with longing expectancy: “Thus saith the Lord of hosts; yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land; and I will shake all nations, and the Desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the Lord of hosts. The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the Lord of hosts. The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the Lord of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the Lord of hosts.”
The outward glory of the temple was not the glory of the Lord. Instruction was given as to what constituted the blessing that was to rest upon the temple. Its restoration in a plainer style than that of the first temple, was to place before the people in a proper light their past error in depending upon the pomp and splendor of outward form and ceremony. The temple was to be erected at this time, also, to remove the reproach of their disloyalty to God. Haggai instructed the people that by heartfelt repentance and by a speedy completion of the temple, they were to seek to be cleansed from the sin of disobedience that had led away from God and had delayed the carrying out of the command to arise and build.
During the time of delay, the people had not been spiritually sharp-sighted. They had seen many things that they desired to do for themselves, to advance personal interests. Many had spent much time and had put forth laborious effort in beautifying their own homes, while taking but little thought for the house of God. Haggai strengthened himself in the Lord of hosts, and presented his message plainly both to the religious and to the civil authorities, as well as to the people. He felt that the Lord’s work must no longer be hindered, but that all must obey implicitly, and carry out fully the purposes of God in restoring them from Babylon to the promised land.
In neglecting the temple, which was9the mirror of God’s presence, the people had greatly dishonored God. They were now instructed to hold his house in sacred honor, not because of its magnificence, as did the Jews in the days of Christ, but because God had promised to be there. And this second temple was to be superior to the first because in a special sense the Messiah would honor it with his personal presence. “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.”
The River of Life
By Frank L. Bennett
FRANK L. BENNETT
Come, anxious learner, from the mart and field,
And see the treasures that the heavens yield.
Earth has her treasures in the darkened mine;
Gold and rare jewels midst the gravel shine.
By eye of faith see yonder gliding stream,—
The prophet’s vision and the poet’s dream.
See! from the throne its sparkling water flows,
And all is life and gladness where it goes.
God’s creatures daily gathering at its brink,
Bathe in its floods, and of its waters drink;
There youth and beauty are of each a part;
For life and healing from its waters start.
No darksome glades along its marge are found,
Nor saline marshes poisoning all the ground;
But gentle breezes o’er its bosom blow;
And life’s triumphant wheresoe’er they go.
The peace of God—a ray of heaven’s beam—
Is always present in this living stream;
And all the blessings of our Lord are sent
To those of faith whose sorrowing hearts repent.
Warrensburg, N. Y.
The Importance of Prayer
By M. W. DE L’HORBE
M. W. DE L’HORBE
In “Great Controversy” we are told of that little company of peculiar people who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, and are ready to meet Christ when he comes. At that time probation has closed, God’s Spirit has left the earth, Christ’s mediatorial work in heaven is finished, and his people are left without a mediator, to stand wholly upon their faith in God. The wicked inhabitants of earth, and Satan with his hosts of evil angels, are bent upon their destruction.
“As Satan accuses the people of God on account of their sins, the Lord permits him to try them to the uttermost. Their confidence in God, their faith and firmness, will be severely tested. As they review the past, their hopes sink; for in their whole lives they can see little good. They are fully conscious of their weakness and unworthiness. Satan endeavors to terrify them with the thought that their cases are hopeless, that the stain of their defilement will never be washed away. He hopes to so destroy their faith that they will yield to his temptations, and turn from their allegiance to God.”—“Great Controversy,” page 618.
They fear lest they have committed sins which they have not confessed, and that these sins will separate them from God. And in that hour of extreme anguish and peril, they agonize in prayer to God, that he will deliver them and give them strength to stand.
These are very perilous times which the people of God are passing through to-day. The end is very near. Satan is going about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Many are departing from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils. Some of the brightest lights in the church have gone out in darkness, and these deceived men are using all their strength and energy in deceiving others, and causing them to lose faith in this message. The testing and sifting work goes on, and men and women are deciding either for or against the present truth.
Therefore in this time of extreme peril to our souls, how much we need to agonize in prayer to God, that we may receive strength to stand. “Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.” Luke 21: 36.
If the Son of God, who “was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin,” needed to pray often and earnestly to God, with strong crying and tears (Heb. 5: 7), that he might receive strength to overcome all his temptations, O, how much we need to pray! There must be a revival of the spirit of prayer among us as a people. There must be an individual wrestling with God in prayer, that we may receive strength to overcome all our sins, and power to witness for the truth, else our lights, too, will become darkness.
The church in the days of the apostles gained the victory, because they were of one accord in prayer, and had put away all their sins, all their murmurings and complainings, and all strife and discord. So it will be now. When we put away all sin and strife, the Holy Spirit will be poured out in its fulness, the work will quickly be finished, and Jesus will come. For this, let every believer earnestly pray.
What is the purpose of prayer? Is it not to cause the sinner to realize his needs, and to feel that he must perish unless they are supplied? It is the petitioner that is to be benefited by his prayer. God is ever ready and willing to bestow on his children the blessings they need. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” James 1: 17.
Now, when the sinner feels his need of help to the extent that he is willing to acknowledge his sins, and his lost condition without God, then it is that God bestows his rich blessings upon him in answer to earnest prayer. Jesus says, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: for every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” Matt. 7: 7, 8.
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. . . . Ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.” John 16: 23, 24. “And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask anything in my name, I will do it.” John 14: 13, 14.
How should we pray? “I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also.” 1 Cor. 14: 15. This supposes meditation, and examination of one’s life. And why is it necessary to examine one’s life? — Because, as David says, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.” Ps. 66: 18. “He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination.” Prov. 28: 9.
“The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” Phil. 4: 5, 6. We should pray often in secret. Matt. 6: 6. Christ set us the example in this regard. Read Matt. 14: 23; Mark 1: 35; Luke 6: 12.
Daniel set us the example of praying in secret at least three times a day. Dan. 6: 10. The reason why he was “greatly beloved” was because he served God continually. Dan. 6: 16, 20.
Read how wonderfully God delivered his servants who served him continually as recorded in Dan. 6: 22 and Dan. 3: 20-27. God is no respecter of persons. You, too, my brother and sister, will be as greatly loved of God as was Daniel, if you serve him as faithfully. O, may God help all who know the third angel’s message to serve him continually! “Pray without ceasing.”
“Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.” Luke 21: 36.
Toronto Junction, Ontario.
The Infallibility Dogma
By J. O. Corliss
Character of the Papacy— No. 3
The Infallibility Dogma
J. O. CORLISS
In an early age differences of opinion arose which could not be definitely settled by a general council to the satisfaction of all concerned. That is to say, the adjustment of disputed dogmas was not in such cases always agreeable to the bishops of Rome. Besides, an appeal to a general council concerning articles of faith, tended to the exaltation of these councils above the personality of the Roman bishop, and consequently lessened his power over other bishops and their clergy adherents.
To the close of the fourth century, councils alone decided all complex points of faith. But at the opening of the fifth century Innocent I claimed the right to interpose in the most difficult questions, on the ground that “the Fathers” had decreed this. Following him, Zosimus also declared that the Fathers had given the See of Rome the privilege of final decision in appeals. This claim was soon supplemented by another, at the Council of Ephesus, when the Roman legates declared that Peter, to whom Christ gave the power of binding and loosing, still lived and judged through his successors.
The persistency thus manifested was rewarded by the Emperor Valentinian III, who issued an edict making all the bishops of the western portion of his empire (that is, of Italy and Gaul) subject to the Roman bishop. Eastern suffragans were, however, to be subject entirely to the patriarchates of the East, as in Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, etc. But the concession already gained was quite enough on which to build a gigantic system, destined to control the greater part of the religious world.
One claim after another ripened into realization, and yet the bishops of Rome were hardly sure of their ground of10proof for an infallible head of the church, and all that the dogma stands for, until there appeared, near the middle of the ninth century, the famous Isidorian Decretals, published by one Isidore Mercator, of Spain. These pretended to be decrees of the earliest Roman bishops, and other church dignitaries, setting forth the sanctity and authority of the head of the Roman church. Their basis was that “the Roman church remains to the end free from stain of heresy.”—Hinschins’ ed. of “Decretals,” page 179. This point established, the next step was easy: “The church of Rome, by a singular privilege, has the right of opening and shutting the gates of heaven to whom she will.”—“Decretals,” page 464. Ancient church law was also made to place the decrees of popes before the decisions of councils.
One other point was necessary, however, to establish the infallibility of the popes. In 503 Ennodius, a secretary to Pope Symmachus, being called to defend his master against certain irregularities, said that “the popes must be held to inherit innocence and sanctity from Peter.” Isidore seized on this statement, and invented two Roman synods to approve the work of Ennodius.—“Decretals,” pages 675, seq. Emphasizing this point, Gregory VII declared that while every sovereign, however good at the start, becomes corrupted by the exercise of power, every rightly appointed pope becomes a saint through the imputed merits of Peter.
This marvelous doctrine was soon adopted into the codes of canon law, and so became the fixed order of the papacy. But it was afterward found that this was too strong, to apply in cases where popes have erred and been subjected to correction, and so infallibility has been since confined to official, or ex cathedra, utterances.
On such a flimsy basis as these pseudo-decretals the popes built their sanctity, their infallibility, and their scheme of dominion; for were they not able to judge men on earth, when the future salvation or condemnation of these was in the hands of the head of the church? Thus, Gregory VII at his Roman synod of 1080 declared: “We desire to show the world that we can give or take away at our will kingdoms, duchies, earldoms,—in a word,—the possessions of all men; for we can bind or loose.”
These assumptions were not kindly received by civil rulers, who maintained that the emperor was superior to the pope. To sustain this contention such arguments as the payment of tribute money by Christ, was cited to show that even he regarded the temporal power as superior to the spiritual. On the other hand, the papists contended that the civil power should be subject to the spiritual, and cited such texts of Scripture as: “He that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.” 1 Cor. 2:15. Also: “See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.” Jer. 1:10.
By such misapplication of Scripture, the grossest assumptions were maintained, until the pope became lifted above every earthly authority, claiming, indeed, that he stood in the place of God to all men, high or low. This height was reached under Innocent III, at the close of the twelfth century, and continued so through the thirteenth century. King John of England found himself obliged to admit these claims of the papacy. John had filled the vacant See of Canterbury with one of his favorite bishops. The pope immediately declared the election void, and gave the position to one of his own friends. John strenuously opposed this move, when the pope laid all England under an interdict, excommunicated John, and cited the French king to undertake a crusade against the rebellious government. At this the English king was glad to yield to the demands of the pope.
Philip the Fair, king of France, taxed the clergy of his realm, thereby displeasing the pope, when the latter is said to have addressed the king thus: “Boniface the Pope to Philip the Fair, greeting. . . . Know thou, O supreme prince, that thou art subject to us in all things.” Philip’s rough reply was: “Philip the Fair to Boniface, little or no greeting. . . . Know thou, O supreme stupidity, that in governmental matters, we are subject neither to you nor to any other person.” Philip’s acknowledgment of the pope’s power was not so speedy and pronounced as were those of John of England, and Henry IV of Germany, because his people were, at the time, with him in his quarrel. But in time, through the machinations of the papacy, France was eventually brought to acknowledge the temporal power of the popes.
All this history but shows how accurately prophecy had outlined the career of this power, hundreds of years in advance. Thus the apostle, when giving instruction concerning the time of the Lord’s return to earth, said: “That day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, . . . so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.” 2 Thess. 2:3, 4.
Never has there appeared any system or power to fulfil these specifications, except it be found in the arrogant claims of the papacy, that the head of its system—a mere man, in many cases extremely sinful—is like God, infallible, a very God upon earth, sitting in God’s earthly temple,—the believing soul (1 Cor. 3:16, 17; 6:19),—to regulate and control the conscience, robbing Christ of his rightful sway over those whom he has purchased with his own blood.
Long centuries were to pass before this mystery of iniquity was to be fully revealed, or uncovered. In the apostle’s day it had already begun its work, but it moved slowly, though surely, for ages toward the pinnacle of its aspiration, whence it could look down in defiance upon every other earthly power, without the exception of national potentates. How came this great power? Why was it not permitted to continue? These are interesting questions which prophecy and history answer unerringly. But we must study this phase of the subject in a paper by itself.
Mountain View, Cal.
Application Gives Success
By William Covert
WILLIAM COVERT
Much is said, and truthfully, too, about the wonderful success which attended the labors of the apostle Paul. And is not the reason of his excellence in gospel work to be found in his superior application in this business?
Solomon says that a man who is diligent in his business shall stand before kings, and not before obscure men, Prov. 22:29. Men who rank high in their calling are always men who labor hard, and who devote much thought and care to the interests which they are trying to build up. It was Paul's well-directed industry, blended with his consecrated devotion under the Lord, that provides so many bright stars for his crown. When he went into a field to give the gospel to a people, he began his work without giving the enemy time to fortify against him. Before a company of church elders he said, “Ye know, from the first day that I came into Asia, after what manner I have been with you at all seasons.” Acts 20:18. He was so thorough in his teaching that he fearlessly presented the whole truth, and his burden for the people was such that he shed many tears because of their shortcomings. He preached in the public congregation, and also went from house to house to supplement his sermons and to search out those who might be helped by personal labor. He worked impartially for both Jews and Greeks. He acknowledged himself a debtor to the wise and to the unwise, saying, “As much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel.” Rom. 1:15.
For a period of three years he labored without a vacation, and regularly extended his services into the night season. Acts 20:31. He had no covetous desire for money nor for apparel, but during this period of more than a thousand days he supported himself with his own hands, and also ministered to the wants of those who were with him.
Himself and those workers whom he trained for evangelistic labor gave the gospel of Christ to both the Jews and the Greeks in all Asia Minor, and also to the people of Europe. Their ardent love for God, coupled with their great zeal for soul winning, made them invincible wherever they went. Not everybody was saved where they taught, but all were left without excuse, and so thoroughly did he do his work that he could say, “I am pure from the blood11of all men.” He also said, “We have wronged no man, we have corrupted no man.”
When Paul was well advanced in years, he continued services through all the night at Troas, and the following morning he went on foot to Assos, a distance of nineteen and one-half miles, to overtake the boat that had sailed out of port at Troas the evening before while he was engaged in holding his farewell meeting. He evidently chose the long night of service and the lengthy march the next day in order to give himself more time to do a thorough work with the church where he had been holding important meetings.
We may never in our work equal the consecration and the application that characterized the labors of the apostle Paul, but it would be possible for us to hold more meetings, make more missionary visits, give more Bible readings, and distribute more of our literature than we have been doing. There is room for improvement. If we should watch the moments as they come and improve them all, we could give the message a little more rapidly and earnestly than we are now doing.
We are responsible for what we might do, but fail to accomplish through lack of application. Shall we not have to render an account to God for the standard of efficiency that we might have reached in our work, but failed to attain because we neglected to apply ourselves?
Chicago, Ill.
Covering Gifts
By John Norton Loughborough
Things That Differ—No. 5
Covering Gifts
J. N. LOUGHBOROUGH
“Covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet show I unto you a more excellent way.” 1 Cor. 12: 31.
It may be said, If the Lord placed the gifts of the Spirit in the church, with the design that they should serve a part in the perfecting of his people, can there be a better way than to have a manifestation of those gifts? Does the text say there is a better way than to have the gifts manifest?
While waiting in the railroad station, at Monette, Ark., Aug. 23, 1895, I overheard two ministers conversing. One said, “Brother, I believe that if the church stood in a right condition before the Lord, we should see a manifestation of all the gifts of the Spirit, as in the days of the apostles.” “O,” said the other, “Paul said, ‘Ye desire gifts, but I shew you a better way.’ I want that better way. I do not want the gifts.”
Did Paul really say there is a better way than to have the gifts? If so, why should he next say, “Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy”? 1 Cor. 14: 1. The evident teaching is that we should yield ourselves to the Lord, seek to have our hearts filled with his love, and leave it to him to use us as shall best glorify his cause. That is the “better way,” or, as expressed in one of the late Testimonies, let the Spirit of God use us, and not try to work the Spirit.
There have been some striking illustrations of the folly of seeking for the possession of some special gift instead of leaving the Lord to use individuals as he saw fit. I will speak of a sect in England, who while studying in reference to the near coming of Christ, took up the subject of the sanctuary. While they claimed that the earthly sanctuary was a pattern of the heavenly things, instead of having it represent the work of Christ in the heavens, they through false manifestations of the gift of prophecy among them, established a new ritual for church services, with a vast amount of forms and ceremonies. On two occasions, in Southampton, England, I attended their Sunday communion service. It was a round of constantly changing ceremonies that required over two hours in its performance.
From their writings I learned that in the origin of this sect they took the expression in Paul's writings to be a command that they should covet gifts. They set themselves to fasting and praying, with the idea that each one of them was to receive some gift. The result was many gifts of some kind. One, in whose prophecies they had confidence, formulated a new church, in which there were designated by name twelve apostles. From the same source a prediction was made that the actual coming of Christ would occur before all these apostles should die.
On the evening of Oct. 31, 1899, in Kettering, England, I listened to a lecture in a crowded hall by one Colonel Laughton, a highly accredited minister of the sect referred to. In his lecture he called special attention to the fact that through the gift of prophecy—bestowed so many years before—twelve apostles were appointed, and they were told that the Lord would make his personal appearance before all of these twelve should die. Then, with much earnestness, the speaker said, “The Lord’s coming must be very near, and if you get ready to meet him, you will have to make haste, for all but one of these apostles are dead. He is ninety-five years old, and is very feeble.” A few months ago I inquired of some of our friends from England, “How about that twelfth apostle?” “O,” they said, “he is dead; he has been dead some time.” How they explain the failure of that much-lauded prediction I do not know. In the light of the Scriptures the prophet was a false one; for we read, “When the word of the prophet shall come to pass, then shall the prophet be known, that the Lord hath truly sent him.” Jer. 28: 9. I have spoken thus of this movement merely to show the danger of marking out just the way the Lord must work for us, for he may leave us to reap the fruit of our own folly.
In 1900 a sister in the West wrote to Mrs. ——, saying that she had attended a meeting where our people prayed for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. She said she received the Spirit, but had not yet received the power that she wanted. She said she was nursing an invalid woman, and “what a great thing it would be if she could simply lay her hands upon the woman, and heal her. How it would advance the work, and might convert the son of the invalid, who was an infidel.” She wished us to join her in praying that she might have that gift. This we did not do, preferring to leave it with the Lord to place gifts in his church as it should please him.
Far be it from me to discourage in the least a true seeking for the Spirit of God in our hearts. We are in that very time when “the husbandman [Christ] waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth . . . until he receive the early and latter rain.” James 5: 7. We are told, in this time, “Ask ye of the Lord rain in the time of the latter rain.” Zech. 10: 1. And, in a Testimony given as early as 1885, we were told: “The Spirit which characterized that wonderful meeting on the day of Pentecost is waiting to manifest its power upon the men who are now standing between the living and the dead as ambassadors for God. The power which stirred the people so mightily in the 1844 movement will again be revealed.”—“Testimony,” No 32, page 8.
(To be concluded)
The Infidel in the Rapids
A NUMBER of atheists were in session to hear an address by a prominent infidel orator. The enthusiasm was unbounded, and the harmony of the discussion unbroken, until an old man who had been sitting quietly in the rear of the room, rose to answer the charges that had been uttered against the Christian faith. “My friends,” he said, “I have a word to speak to you to-night. I am not about to refute any of the arguments of the orator. I shall not criticize his style. I shall say nothing concerning what I believe to be the blasphemies he has uttered, but I shall simply relate to you a fact, and after I have done that, you shall draw you own conclusions. Yesterday I walked by the side of yonder river. I saw on its flood a young man in a boat. The boat was unmanageable; it was going fast toward the rapids; he could not use the oars, and I saw that he was not capable of bringing the boat to the shore. I saw the young man wring his hands in agony. Presently he gave up the attempt to save his life, kneeled down and cried with desperate earnestness, ‘O God, save my soul! If my body can not be saved, save my soul!’ I heard him confess that he had been a blasphemer; I heard him vow that if his life were spared, he would never be such again; I heard him implore the mercy of Heaven for Jesus Christ’s sake, and earnestly plead that he might be washed in his blood. That same young man has just now addressed you, and cursed his Maker. What say you to this, sirs?” The effect of his words was astounding, and needless to say, the sentiment of the meeting was very soon changed.—Selected.