TEN thousand dollars of the $150,000 fund now being raised is to go to the London College established by our people in Great Britain. Four years ago, in a General Conference Committee council, it was voted to raise ten thousand dollars for the building and equipment of the British school whenever a proper location was secured, and when the brethren in Great Britain were prepared to raise an equal amount, so as to insure the completion of the enterprise. At once the brethren and sisters in Great Britain went to work on the proposition. They sold “Christ’s Object Lessons,” and raised contributions. They have
worked unceasingly at the task. All the time they have carried forward other enterprises, and we must remember that even now, with all the growth of the last four years, they have but fifteen hundred Sabbath-keepers in the entire field. But they have secured the fund at which they aimed, and are ready to go forward with the building.
In the meantime the school has been doing splendid work, under difficulties, in a rented house in London. About one hundred young people are in attendance. At the recent British Union meeting the heads of the different fields testified that the influence of this school in turning workers into the fields had been a leading factor in the growth of their work.
Four years ago the British field was organized into a union conference. Since that time as great progress has been made in the raising up of Sabbath-keepers as in all the twenty-three years preceding. There is a hand of power behind the work in Great Britain, and our brethren and sisters there are working earnestly to make that field a strong helper of our American field in training workers and sending them forth into other lands. Already two young men from this British school have been sent to open our first mission in Uganda, Central Africa.
All along the brethren have recognized the fact that they must get their school out of the great city of London. They have long been seeking for a location within their means, affording the advantages desired, not only for school work, but for the publishing office and food factory. They have just secured the location toward which they feel the Lord has been leading them. It is at Watford, only fifteen miles from London. Fifty-five trains daily give close connection for business and work with the great city. This is an important point, for many students have earned their way by canvassing. Yet they have secured an ideal rural location in one of those old English estates, beautifully laid out with trees and fields, and having upon it a well-built house, which can be at once utilized for our work. There is a good spring of water on the land, and a water-main runs across the front of the property
They are guarded from being built against by other houses from the fact that all about are country estates.
The estate comprises about sixty acres. The publishing house and food factory join in this purchase, so that the school has only to secure its portion of the ground and put up its school building and dormitory. It is for this school that ten thousand dollars is called for in this fund. Steadily year after year the school has paid its way, so that they now have their “Christ’s Object Lessons” money intact to go into the building and school equipment. We are putting this money into a school for the young men and women of Great Britain, who are praying God to help them to become strong in this message in order that they may join us in the evangelization of Africa and Asia and all the lands abroad.
W. A. S.
Jamaica Catastrophe and School Funds
POSSIBLY the terrible catastrophe in Jamaica may affect the resources of the local brethren who are lifting on their new school enterprise, so that the call for funds for that institution will prove more emphatically a call just in time.
Progress of the $150,000 Fund
By Editor
The excellent way in which the officers of the various conferences are taking hold in the matter of the $150,000 fund, and the hearty response made by the brethren and sisters everywhere, indicate that the enterprise is being taken up in a way that means success. Some of the conferences have set an early date when all the money should be sent in. We confidently expect good returns for this very worthy enterprise, which means so much for our missions and needy institutions.
The Mother's Work
By Ellen G. White
MRS. E. G. WHITE
I WISH to arouse parents to see the importance of their position. Few parents take time to think of how much depends on the instruction and training a child receives during the early years of its life. It is at this time that the foundation of a child's character is laid. “Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it,” are the words of the wise man. The lessons a child learns at the mother's knee determine its future experience.
How few parents realize this as they should. As I have called mothers' attention to the wrong habits they were encouraging in their little ones, some have listened indifferently, while others have said, with a smile, “I can not bear to cross my children. They will do better as they grow older. They will then be ashamed of these passionate outbursts. It is not well to be too strict with little ones. They will outgrow the inclination to tell untruths, to meddle, to be indolent and selfish.”
A very easy way truly to dispose of the matter, but a way that is not in harmony with the will of God. If a field is left uncultivated, a crop of weeds is sure to appear. So it is with children. If the soil of the heart is uncultivated, Satan sows his seeds of anger and hatred, selfishness and pride, and they quickly spring up, to bear a harvest that parents reap with bitter regret. Too late they see their terrible mistake. The wrong they have done can never be wholly undone. Even if the child, by patient, untiring care, is at last won to the Saviour, his character will always bear the marks of Satan's seed-sowing.
Children left to themselves grow up selfish, exacting, unlovable. Unable to enjoy their own society or the society of others, their lives are filled with discontent.
Aided by the grace of Christ, mothers have it in their power to do a great and grand work. This Satan knows, and he works with all his power to prevent them from doing this work. He seeks to fill the mind with thoughts of fashionable dress. Thus he absorbs the time and strength of even Christian mothers so that they have no time to give to the training of their children or to self-improvement. When the enemy thus secures the attention of the mother, he rejoices; for he knows how much he has gained. He looks on the children as an easy prey; for he has won the mother. She thinks more of display, more of what others think and say of her, than she does of the training of the precious souls in her care. As she sets her feet in the path of fashion, she becomes infatuated. In order to keep pace with the demands of the bondage in which she has sold herself, she works early and late, overtaxing mind and body. She becomes so wearied with remodeling unfashionable garments and making new ones, that she has no heart to read her Bible or to pray. She is too tired to give time to her children. She becomes perplexed and distressed. The yoke that she is trying to bear is very galling; but she imagines that it must be borne, and martyr-like she toils on, struggling under her self-imposed burden. Jesus is calling, “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. . . . My yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” But she does not hear the gracious invitation. The Saviour's voice is drowned by the clamorous demands of fashion.
Mothers, do not forget that God requires you to give your children constant, loving care. He does not want you to be a slave to your children, but he does want you to teach them to live for him. Day by day give them lessons that will prepare them for future usefulness. One lesson that you will have to repeat over and over again is the lesson of obedience. Teach your children that they are not to rule, that they are to respect your wishes, and yield to your authority. Thus you are teaching them self-control. Give them nothing for which they cry, even though your tender heart would lead you to indulge them. If they gain the victory once by crying, they will expect to do so again, and the next time they will be harder to control.
Children inherit inclinations to wrong, but they also have many lovely traits of character. These should be strengthened and developed, while the tendencies to evil should be carefully guarded against and repressed. Children should never be flattered, for flattery is poison to them; but parents should show a sanctified, tender regard for them, thus gaining their confidence and love.
When children lose their self-control, and speak passionate words, the parents should for a time keep silent, neither reproving nor condemning. At such times silence is golden, and will do more to bring repentance than any words that can be uttered. Satan is well pleased when parents irritate their children by speaking harsh, angry words. Paul has given a caution on this point: “Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.” They may be very wrong, but you can not lead them to the right by losing patience with them. Let your calmness help to restore them to a proper frame of mind.
Jesus loves children and youth. He rejoices when he sees Satan repulsed in his efforts to overcome them. Many a youth is in imminent peril through manifold temptations, but the Saviour has the tenderest sympathy for him, and sends his angels to guard and protect him. He is the good shepherd, ever ready to go into the wilderness to seek for the lost, straying sheep.
Mothers, do you sigh for a missionary field? In your home you have a missionary field in which you may labor with untiring energy and unflagging zeal, knowing that the results of your work will endure through all eternity. Are not the souls of your children of as much value as the souls of the heathen? Then tend them with loving care, bringing God into their thoughts.
Who can do this work so well as a God-fearing mother? The work of the mother who has a close connection with Christ is of infinite worth. Her ministry of love makes the home a Bethel. Christ works with her, turning the common water of life into the wine of heaven.
Christian parents, you are charged with the responsibility of showing the world the power and excellency of home religion. Be controlled by principle, not by impulse. Work with the consciousness that God is your helper. Allow nothing to divert you from your God-given mission. Be true to your trust. God will help you. Guided by him, your children will grow up to bless and honor you in this life and in the life to come.
A Blessing to God's People
By William Covert
The Spirit of God—No. 3
A Blessing to God's People
WM. COVERT
I. When the Spirit of God came upon Azariah, what statement did he make to the king of Judah?
“And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded: and he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: The Lord is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.” 2 Chron. 15: 1, 2.9
2. What evil condition did the prophet say had for a long time existed in Israel?
“Now for a long season Israel hath been without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law.” 2 Chron. 15: 3.
3. When people in their trouble turn to the Lord, what do they find?
“But when they in their trouble did turn unto the Lord God of Israel, and sought him, he was found of them.” 2 Chron. 15: 4.
4. What blessed truth did King Jehoshaphat learn and proclaim to his subjects?
“And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem: Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.” 2 Chron. 20: 20.
5. What will Satan do against God's remnant people and church? Why?
“And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Rev. 12: 17.
6. What encouraging declaration will be made concerning the obedience of the remnant people? and by whom will it be made?
“Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” Rev. 14: 12. It will be noticed that this church, or people, have the “testimony of Jesus Christ” (Rev. 12: 17), and John elsewhere says that “the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” Rev. 19: 10. The spirit of prophecy will therefore surely be found in the remnant church.
7. What does Paul say about the gifts that are to be manifested in the church which will be ready and waiting for the coming of Christ?
“I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ; that in everything ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge; even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you: so that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” I Cor. 1: 4-7.
8. What further affirmation is made concerning their readiness for the Lord's coming?
“Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.” I Cor. 1: 8, 9.
9. How will the great adversary, Satan, regard this remarkable people? and why will his wrath be hot against them?
“And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Rev. 12: 17.
10. What did an ancient prophet once write about gathering out the remnant people from among the nations of earth?
“And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.” Isa. 11: 11.
11. What is said about the standard around which the remnant ones are to be assembled?
“And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.” Isa. 11: 12.
12. To what does he liken the highway over which these remnant people are to travel?
“And there shall be an highway for the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria; like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up from the land of Egypt.” Isa. 11: 16.
13. If the “way” raised up for this people is like the “way” provided for Israel when they came out of Egypt, will not God himself lead them, and feed them, and teach them?
14. Then will not the law be restored to them? and will they not keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus?
Love, Light, and Joy
By George Matheson
O Love that will not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in thee;
I give thee back the life I owe,
That in thine ocean depths its flow
May richer, fuller be.
O Light that followest all my way,
I yield my flickering torch to thee;
My heart restores its borrowed ray,
That in thy sunshine's blaze its day
May brighter, fairer be.
O Joy that seekest me through pain,
I can not close my heart to thee;
I trace the rainbow through the rain,
And feel the promise is not vain
That morn shall tearless be.
O Cross that liftest up my head,
I dare not ask to fly from thee;
I lay in dust life's glory dead,
And from the ground there blossoms red
Life that shall endless be.
— Rev. George Matheson, M. D.
GEO. B. THOMPSON
By GEO. B. THOMPSON
Millennial Dawn—No. 6
GEO. B. THOMPSON
No discussion of the doctrine of a future probation would be complete without a consideration of Rev. 20: 5, which reads as follows: “But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.” This scripture stands in connection with the record of the binding of Satan during the thousand years, and seems to have been written expressly to upset the heresy of a future probation. It completely overthrows the whole system of Millennial Dawn theology concerning the so-called “second chance” in the millennial age.
Two resurrections are here brought to view, as a first implies a second. The period which intervenes between these two resurrections is clearly stated to be a thousand years. Some live, but the “rest” remain in the embrace of death “until the thousand years are finished.” Those who live in the first resurrection are the righteous. “Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection.” Rev. 20: 6. And this resurrection of the overcomers takes place at the second coming of Christ, when he appears attended by all the angels in heaven, to reap the harvest of the earth and gather into his garner the sheaves separated forever from the tares of sin. “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first.” 1 Thess. 4: 16.
As the “dead in Christ,” the righteous, all live in the “first resurrection,” which takes place when Jesus comes, the “rest of the dead” can refer only to the wicked. This is the only millennial period definitely marked off in the Bible, and is the very period Millennial Dawn advocates have in mind when they talk of that “golden age” in which the lost will have a “second probation,” or “another chance,” under more “favorable circumstances;” when the heathen will hear the gospel, and be converted. But we are told in this scripture in language so plain that it is not possible to misunderstand the meaning, that the heathen, the Sodomites, Amalekites, and others who are especially mentioned as having a “second chance,” are all dead. During this entire millennial period, in this so-called “golden age,” instead of being alive and listening to the gospel, they are sleeping in the tomb. The one thousand years is bounded at either end by a resurrection, making mistake impossible as to when it begins or ends. It is ushered in by the resurrection of the righteous, and closes with a resurrection of the wicked, who “live not” until this millennial period has passed. How, then, are these unnumbered millions of the incorrigible to hear the gospel? Can these corpses believe and repent? If the work of the church is to proclaim the gospel to the lost during the one thousand years, it will be a gloomy task indeed. As well go out now into the cemetery and conduct evangelistic services, and expect converts. And this is the “second chance,” to which the rebels against the government of heaven are bidden to look forward. Surely it is a vain hope. So long as this text stands in God’s Word, there can not be the faintest hope held out to sinners of a “golden age” in which all will have “another opportunity” to forsake, their ungodly ways, and serve the Lord. The advocates of the Millennial Dawn see this (nobody, it would seem, could help seeing it). Something must be done to save their entire system of faith from being wrecked by this plain statement of the Word. In some way the troublesome scripture must be disposed of. And this is the way they do it:— “In this verse (Rev. 20: 5) the words, ‘But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished,’ are spurious. They are not found in the oldest and most reliable Greek manuscripts, the Sinaitic, Vatican Nos. 1209 and 1160, nor the Syriac manuscript. We must remember that many passages found in the modern copies are additions which do not properly belong to the Bible. Since commanded not to add to the Word of God, it is our duty to repudiate such additions as soon as their spurious character is established. The words indicated probably crept into the text by accident, in the fifth century; for no manuscript of earlier date (either Greek or Syriac) contains this clause. It was probably at first merely a marginal comment made by a reader, expressive of his thought upon the text, and copied into the body of the text by some subsequent transcriber who failed to distinguish between the text and the comment.”—“Plan of the Ages,” Vol. I, pages 288, 289 (note). The statement that there are “many10passages” in “modern copies” of the Bible which do not “properly belong” in the inspired record is a claim similar to that put forth by that modern phase of infidelity known as the “Higher Criticism.” The tendency of all such statements is to cast suspicion upon the Word, and weaken faith in the Bible as an unerring guide. While there may be a few instances where slight discrepancies have crept into what is known as the Authorized Version, these have all been detected, and corrected in subsequent translations.
It is necessary for them to impeach this witness, else the fable of a future probation is revealed. But there is no authority for discrediting the inspiration of the text, unless it be the statement of the author of the book from which the preceding extract is taken; and this is hardly sufficient. The English edition of the Revised Version makes no reference to this text as being “not found” in ancient Greek manuscript. The American Revised Version, which is admitted by the ripest scholars in the land to be the best translation of the Holy Scriptures extant, does not give the slightest hint that a part of the text is omitted in the “most reliable Greek manuscript.” Rotherham’s translation, another excellent work, though noting elsewhere “doubtful” renderings, says nothing about this text’s being spurious. The Interlinear translation also puts this text on the same basis as other portions of the Holy Scriptures. It is found in Young’s translation also, without any hint of its being some “marginal comment.” Sawyer’s translation contains it, also the Twentieth Century New Testament. In the translation from the Greek text of Von Tischendorf it is found unquestioned. The Emphatic Diaglott based on Griesbach’s text gives this verse, and in a foot-note says: “These words (the rest of the dead lived not again till the thousand years were finished) were probably omitted by oversight in Vatican manuscript [No. 1160] as they are found in A. B. C., though not in the Syriac.” By “A” is meant Codex Alexandrinus; by “B,” Codex Vaticanus, No. 2066, of the seventh or eighth century; by “C,” Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus. Finally, the best Greek text, that of Wescott and Hort, contains the passage, and neither have the Revised Versions nor any of the critics, so far as we know, even questioned it. The revisers adopted for their revision the text “for which the evidence is decidedly preponderating,” and when that differed from the Greek text “from which the Authorized Version was made,” the rule was that “the alteration be expressed in the margin.” (See Preface to Revised New Testament, Division II, Paragraph 4.) But there is not even an indication of doubt over Rev. 20: 5. The “Hand-Book of Christian Theology” (Methodist), commenting upon this passage in discussing this question whether or not in the resurrection all are raised simultaneously, raises no question as to the authenticity of the text. Neither Drs. Adam Clarke nor Bliss, in their comments on this scripture, offers any objection to its genuineness. They had access to these Greek manuscripts, and had some opportunity to know if these words were only a “marginal comment” which got mixed in accidentally. All these, and scores of other good scholars, who have had opportunity for the most extended research, pronounce the text genuine. The fact that they cut out a few other texts, and leave this one without any hint as to its so-called doubtful origin, is the strongest evidence possible of its authenticity. The clause in question is considered spurious only by those who have a doctrine to prove which the text condemns.
Satan is bound by circumstances in the earth, made desolate at the coming of Christ. At that time the saints are all taken to heaven, and the wicked are slain. Then, confined in the earth, compelled to wander amid the ruin which his own hands have wrought, with none to tempt or annoy, he will indeed be “bound.” At the end of this millennium of darkness and chaos, he is loosed through a reversal of the events which bound him. The city of God, with all the saints, descends from heaven on the earth (Rev. 20:1-3; Zech. 14:4, 5), and the wicked dead are raised. Satan again has access to his children, and begins his work of deception. He marshals his legions into battle array, and surrounds the camp of the saints. This is the first and only time the entire family of Adam stand on the earth together. But does the church, the “royal priesthood,” begin the work of preaching to them the gospel? Does a power which they “will strive in vain to resist” seize hold of them? Is a “second chance” held out to them?—Not by any means.
“And they [the wicked] went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.” Rev. 20:9. They are consumed, root and branch. Mal. 4:1. Sin and sinner are no more. The entire universe is clean, and the great controversy is forever ended.
Christ’s Marching Orders for the Church
By L. F. Starr
L. F. STARR
MANY questions of importance come before us for consideration; but there can be nothing of such vital worth as knowing the mind of our Master regarding the work of the church. We have but one source of information, God’s Holy Word. In it we can find the direction we seek.
For what does the visible church exist? What is Christ’s test of its being his church? Can it fulfil its mission, if it fails to stand that test? These are interesting and vital questions that the church needs to ask and answer from time to time, in order that it may know what is its true standing before God.
Many who stand high in missionary circles say that the present demand of Christ is for complete recognition of the church’s mission in the immediate evangelization of the world. Is this the supreme requirement? Is obedience to his requirements the one test of a standing or falling church? It is important, both to the church and to a lost world, that these questions should be answered, and answered correctly.
What, then, are Christ’s marching orders? What is the plan of campaign, or program, for his church? As we search God’s Word for information, let us turn to Christ’s own teachings. Christ, in the very beginning of his ministry, had a conception of the universal reach of his mission. He said to Nicodemus: “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” That this conception did not change, is seen in his prophecy, outlining the future of the gospel work: “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.” Matt. 24:14. Christ’s conception of the mission of his church is put into the form of a positive command in the last charge given to his disciples as representatives of the church for all time: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” Here Christ, the representative of the Father, and our king, sent out his disciples for the specific purpose of making disciples and training them to obey him. The commission as recorded in Mark 16:15, 16, shows that the message is for the whole world. John likewise made record of the Master’s words, proclaiming to the followers of Christ that they are sent into the world, even as the Father hath sent his Son. He also makes mention of the commission in the closing invitation in Revelation. All who accept the divine call are commanded to address it to others, a command that reaches every saved man, and from which there is no escape, thereby laying anew, as it were, the foundation for universal witnessing of the Christian fellowship. Luke has the commission in twofold form. Luke 24:47, 48; Acts 1:8.
To this work Christ sent his disciples, and sends his church, witnessing, preaching, discipling, and training to obedience many in all lands. If these are Christ’s orders, if this is his program for his church, given in the form of a positive command, what follows in regard to obedience to them? First of all, Christianity is distinctively and essentially missionary, having in view always the whole world, at home and abroad. Its missionary work is not secondary and incidental, but primary and supreme. It is impossible for churches to remain Christian, and live in disobedience to this command of the Master. The11churches are made up of sinners saved from sin, by grace, not at all for selfish purposes, but for service and world rescue. The question, Can churches disregard Christ’s one command that furnishes reason for their existence, and still be Christian churches? answers itself. Obedience to Christ as Lord, is no less essential to salvation than trust in him as an atoning Saviour. Tested by the Scripture, the church is Christian and Christ’s so far, and so far only, as it is obeying its Lord’s commands and injunctions. Tested by the signs of the times, we find the necessity of absolute obedience to the commands of Christ.
How many and varied are the excuses which are brought forth when this vital question is being discussed! One says, “I do not believe in missions.” Another, “I do not believe in foreign missions, as we have all we can do at home.” Still another says, “I do not believe in home missions as the call is so imperative to go forth into foreign fields.” After all, my friend, if you believe in Christ’s command, you believe in missions, both home and foreign, for they are so closely related, the one to the other, that there is no place where we dare try to divide them, hoping that the operation will be successful. “Ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem [at home], and in all Judea [their own State or province], and in Samaria [down south, up north, neighboring States or nations], and unto the uttermost part of the earth [foreign fields].”
In the mind of him who died to save us, and raise us up a peculiar people, there was no discrimination between home and foreign missions. One holds as dear a place in his heart as does the other. For us to say that one is more needful than the other, is to change the word of the Lord. Let us, then, decide as a church that we will obey the order of the day, and do our part in sending the good news (the third angel’s message) to others, that they may know our Father, and have his name written in their foreheads, and join with us in the song of praise and triumph when we meet around the throne in glory.
Stuart, Iowa.
Thirty-One Reasons for Sabbath-Keeping
By J. H. Woods
J. H. WOODS
1. God gave the Sabbath to man at creation. Gen. 2:2, 3.
2. The Sabbath was given before the fall, hence before man needed a redeemer. Consequently any remedial system instituted toward buying back what was lost could not affect that holy day.
3. It was observed by the Israelites thirty-three days before Sinai was reached. Ex. 16:30.
4. It was confirmed on Mount Sinai when the ten commandments were spoken by God. Ex. 20:8-11.
5. “The Sabbath was made for man.” Mark 2:27. Therefore it is not simply a national institution.
6. It is a sign between God and his people, that they may know him. Eze. 20:20, 12. Such knowledge is still needed.
7. There is but one Sabbath law in all God’s Word. It has never been repealed. The blessing and sanctification placed by the Lord upon that day has never been removed. See Amos 3:7.
10. It was Christ’s custom to preach on that day. Luke 4:16. His steps led to the house of God on the Sabbath. If we “follow his steps” (1 Peter 2:21), our feet will be guided in the same direction.
11. It was also Paul’s manner, or custom, to keep the Sabbath, and preach on that day. Acts 17:2; 24:14; 28:17.
12. The Saviour rested on the Sabbath after finishing his work of creation. He also rested on the Sabbath in Joseph’s new tomb, after finishing on the earth his work of redemption.
13. The disciples rested on the Sabbath while Christ was lying in the grave, and after his life’s blood had sealed the new covenant. Luke 23:56; Gal. 3:15; Heb. 9:16, 17. Observe, this was “according to the [fourth] commandment” after all types and shadows had ceased at the cross.
14. The evangelists who wrote after the crucifixion, spoke familiarly of the Sabbath as an existing institution. Matt. 28:1; Mark 16:2; Luke 23:54-56.
15. Christ caused the early church to remember the Sabbath through prayer, for about forty years after his resurrection. Matt. 24:20. Praying at least twice a day for forty years equals 29,200 times. Could they ever forget God’s memorial of creation? Ps. 135:13.
16. The Gentiles, saved by grace, observed the Sabbath, and no other day. Acts 13:42, 44.
17. Paul preached by a river side, amid the scenes of nature, and where there was no synagogue, on the Sabbath day. Acts 16:13.
18. The great apostle to the Gentiles “reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath” (Acts 18:4) until cast out through persecution (verses 6, 7), and continued in Corinth “a year and six months,” or seventy-eight Sabbaths. Verse 11. He also broke bread with that church. 1 Cor. 11:23. It was a Sabbath-keeping church.
19. The Sabbath is mentioned fifty-seven times in the New Testament. It is always spoken of by inspiration as the Sabbath of the Lord.
20. Three steps are necessary in order to make a holy day; namely, resting, blessing, and sanctifying. Gen. 2:2, 3. Simply holding a religious meeting on a day does not constitute it a Sabbath.
21. The Sabbath is placed in the center of the law that sets forth God’s righteousness (Ps. 119:172), and “shall not be abolished.” Study Isa. 51:6-8.
22. The ten-commandment law is the foundation of God’s throne. It was under the mercy-seat in the earthly sanctuary. 1 Kings 8:9; 2 Chron. 5:10. It is now under the mercy-seat in the heavenly sanctuary. Rev. 11:15, 18, 19.
23. The Sabbath was given in Eden by the Lord, the Sunday-sabbath in Rome by the “man of sin.” Dan. 7:23-25.
28. It is binding on “whosoever committeth sin” (1 John 3:4, 5); and as “all have sinned” (Rom. 3:23), its claims must affect every one.
29. God, Christ, and angels; patriarchs, prophets, and Israel’s singers; the apostles, and the early Christian church, all observed the seventh-day Sabbath. We should do the same.
30. The last blessing in the Bible is pronounced upon those who keep the ten commandments. Rev. 22:14.
31. The Sabbath will be kept in the eternal state, where all will be Sabbath-keepers. Isa. 66:22, 23.
For the reasons given above, Seventh-day Adventists observe the seventh day of the week (Saturday) as the Sabbath, instead of the first day, Sunday.
Melbourne, Australia.
Love
By P. Giddings
“God is love.” In that fact is the seed-idea of all the other manifestations of God. As Christ is the fulness of the Godhead bodily, so is love the fulness of all those other attributes. As in an egg is included feathers, flesh, blood, and bones, and in a seed is comprehended root, trunk with its bark, branches, leaves, and fruit differentiating and yet alike, so in love is folded and by it unfolded all the possibilities of divinity.
It is therefore the fulfilment of all things in heaven and in earth. It is the fulfilment of the law.
“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.”
Love.
Joy is love in ecstasy.
Peace is love at rest.
Long-suffering is love in pain.
Gentleness is love in thoughtfulness.
Goodness is love in deeds.
Faith is love in hope.
Meekness is love at Jesus’ feet.
Temperance is love that self-controls—that reins in and reigns.
“Against such there is no law;” in other words, Such is agreeable to the law; for love is the fulfilling thereof.—P. Giddings, in Caribbean Watchman.