Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jul 30, 1901
SATISFIED
By The Parish Visitor
PART II.
And, were they ever thirsty, That happy pilgrim band? Did their journey never bring them To a dry and weary land? Alas! they knew full sadly The pangs of thirst indeed, But only when they wandered Where Jesus did not lead.
When any earthly longing Came between their souls and Him, When love had lost its fervor, Or faith and hope grown dim, One draft at other fountain Taught them the lesson plain, “Who drinketh of this water Shall surely thirst again.”
They tried earth’s broken cisterns, But they failed them one by one, Till they fainted in the desert Beneath life’s scorching sun. The Lord they had forsaken Still followed as their Rock. His very soul was troubled For the anguish of His flock.
He called them back as kindly As He had called at first, Then from himself, the Fountain, Gave water for their thirst. With life and strength returning, They followed their loved Guide, And all the desert places Of their hearts were satisfied.
PART III.
Will you not try the comfort Of the Shepherd’s staff and rod? He’ll keep you from all thirsting, Save for the living God. Will you fear no path He showeth, But in the desert sing, That others may be longing To find your precious spring?
Will you glorify the Master, By keeping at His side, By walking and not fainting, By being satisfied? Till He take us to the kingdom Where there never can be drought, For “the Lamb leads by the waters,” And the flock “go no more out.”
— The Parish Visitor.
CO-WORKERS WITH CHRIST.
By Ellen G. White
MRS. E. G. WHITE.
AMONG our workers are some who feel that a great object would be gained if their feet could tread the soil of old Jerusalem. But God’s cause and work will never be advanced by His workers wandering about to find where Jesus traveled and wrought His miracles. Would you trace the footsteps of Christ, behold Him in that hovel, ministering to the poor; see Him at that sick bed, comforting the suffering, and speaking hope and courage to the desponding. Those who walk in the footsteps of Jesus will do as He did. “Whosoever will come after me,” He said, “let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.”
The city of Jerusalem is no longer a sacred place. The curse of God is upon it because of the rejection and crucifixion of Christ. A dark blot of guilt rests upon it, and never again will it be a sacred place until it has been cleansed by the purifying fires of heaven. At the time when this sin-cursed earth is purified from every stain of sin, Christ will again stand upon the Mount of Olives. As His feet rest upon it, it will part asunder, and become a great plain, prepared for the city of God.
There is a work to do for God all around us. There is a world to save, and God calls upon us to be co-workers with Him. He calls upon us to work with earnestness and zeal for the unconverted.
We are engaged in an exalted, sacred work. Those who are called to teach the truth should be bodies of light, living near to God, where they can be all light in Him. Ministers need daily conversion to the Lord. They should show an unselfish interest in His cause and work. God calls for self-abasement, for a putting away of all evil-surmising, envy, malice, and unbelief. He calls for a transformation of the entire being.
Many are in danger, after having preached to others, of themselves becoming castaways; for they do not see the importance of self-knowledge; they do not watch and pray lest they enter into temptation. By watchfulness and prayer they might become acquainted with those points in their character where they are most easily overcome by the enemy; by resistance of every attack, their weak points might become their strong points. Every follower of Christ should daily examine himself, and by constant prayer arm himself for conflict.
There are many who neglect self-examination. This neglect is positively dangerous. The example of those who receive the words of God to give to the people has a powerful influence. Unless they are sanctified by the truth they profess to believe, they will raise their converts no higher than their own low standard. It is seldom that a people rise higher than the minister. His ways, his words, his faith, his piety, are looked upon as a sample of what the people’s should be. If the people follow the example of the one who has taught them the truth, they think they are doing their duty. Let the minister make the actions of each day a subject of careful thought, that he may know himself. By a close scrutiny of his daily life, let him seek to understand his motives and the principles underlying them. This review of the words and actions is necessary to all who wish to reach perfection of Christian character.
The Lord does not desire any minister to work in ignorance and rudeness. Neither is human elegance or learning to take the place of prayer and a study of the Word. Education alone will never make a successful shepherd of the flock. The preaching of the Word is not alone to give information. Hearts must be touched. Men and women must be directed to the path that leads to heaven. The teaching that fails of this is of no value.
Love for God and the truth, combined with perseverance and determined effort, will accomplish much. If some who are rough and uncourteous have blundered into the ministry, let them look to Jesus and follow His example. Let them daily be fitting themselves for the great work of God. Those who would excel must be toilers. They must work out their own salvation with fear and trembling. Their work must be mingled with earnest prayer and meditation. Then they will receive from Heaven grace to enable them to enlighten other minds.
The minister of God needs the Holy Spirit every moment; he needs to be imbued with the spirit of prayer, that the word he presents to the people may have force and power. His language should be such as can be understood by the most simple, and yet be refreshing to the most learned. He should become acquainted with those for whom he works, and be to them a savor of life unto life. He must participate alike in the joys and sorrows of the rich and the poor, the high and the low; for there is no respect of persons with God.
Many who profess to follow Christ have not genuine religion. They do not reveal in their lives the fruit of true conversion. They are controlled by the same habits, the same spirit of fault-finding and selfishness, which controlled them before they accepted Christ.
No one can enter the city of God who has not a knowledge of genuine conversion. In true conversion the soul is born again. A new spirit takes possession of the temple of the soul. A new life begins. Christ is revealed in the character. The spirit of a new life works within. Faith passes into knowledge, and the word of God is understood. The branch becomes a living part of the Vine.
Truth must stand as a counselor by the side of every worker. Charity must control the life,—that charity which “seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all484things, endureth all things.” Self must be hid in Christ.
We are altogether too indifferent in regard to the Holy Spirit, which is to take possession of heart and character. Those who are unenlightened by the Spirit of God can see only the things which are of the greatest importance in their human estimation. They mistake phantoms for realities, and realities for phantoms, calling a world an atom, and an atom a world. They need the Holy Spirit to control heart and mind, and to mold the character after the divine similitude. No one is safe in attempting to work without the Holy Spirit. The most powerful sermons may be preached, but the word spoken will be valueless unless it is accompanied by the Holy Spirit.
We cannot rightly estimate the value of the gift of the Holy Spirit. Those who yield themselves to the control of this Spirit are made pure and holy. Efficiency in God’s work comes not by wading through an immense amount of study, but by a willingness to be guided and controlled by the Spirit. God only can give true success. Yoked up with Christ, men will become more precious than gold, even than the golden wedge of Ophir.
God’s workers need faith in God. He is not unmindful of their labors. He values their work. Divine agencies are appointed to co-operate with those who are laborers together with God. When we think that God will not do as He has said, and that He has no time to notice His workers, we dishonor our Maker. We are to make God our trust. “Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.”
The true ministers of God are those who represent Christ. Men stand or fall, not by their own judgment, not by the opinions of their fellow men, but by the unchangeable law of God. We are to keep self in subordination, and work out our own salvation with fear and trembling, knowing nothing but Christ, and Him crucified. Separation from the world, obedience to the word of God, is the sure evidence of love to God. Christ declared, “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.”
A distinct work is assigned to every Christian. When a soul is converted and exercises faith in Christ, when prayer is offered and obedience rendered in accordance with the prayer, the active working of the Holy Spirit is revealed. Spiritual quickening from above enters the life. “I know whom I have believed,” is the testimony borne as the newborn souls work out the divine purpose.
The God-fearing worker is storing up a treasure in heaven. Earthly riches are not enduring: they are swept away in a moment; but the love of Christ in the heart, expressed in deeds of mercy, love, and benevolence, will endure through the eternal ages.
THE CHURCH.
By John Norton Loughborough
Timely Advice to the Church
ELDER J. N. LOUGHBOROUGH.
“Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord. For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited. Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.” Jer. 17: 5-8.
In a Testimony dated Sept. 19, 1895, the following remarks are found, based on the foregoing scripture: “Let no plans or methods be brought into any of our institutions that will place mind or talent under the control of human judgment, for this is not in God’s order. God has given to man talents of influence, which belong to him alone, and no greater dishonor can be done to God than for one finite agent to purchase from men their God-given talent, or the product of such talent, to be absolutely under his control, even though the benefit of the same be used to the advantage of the cause. In such arrangements, one man’s mind is ruled by another man’s mind, and the human agent is separated from God, and exposed to temptations. Satan’s methods tend to one end,—to make men the slaves of men. And when this is done, confusion and distrust, jealousies and evil surmisings, are the result. Such a course destroys man’s faith in God, and in the principles which are to control His work, to purge from guilt and from every species of selfishness and hypocrisy.”
What was contemplated in the plan of organization adopted by the Seventh-day Adventists was that those placed in responsible positions should act as counselors to the flock, being themselves, in all things, an example of the instructions they gave. Thus by mutual counsel, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the work would move on harmoniously. We subjoin a few quotations, illustrating the statement that it is a “perversion of organization,” and not organization itself, that is responsible for the state of things which the Lord condemns.
In the REVIEW of Feb. 28, 1893, is the following: “Those who have the oversight of the churches should select members who have ability, and place them under responsibilities, at the same time giving them instruction as to how they may best serve and bless others. . . .
“Let those who are just gaining an experience be invited to meet with more experienced workers, and as did the disciples after their first missionary effort, let them tell what they have done, and what have been their failures or successes. In this way opportunity will be given to reprove or encourage, as the case may demand, and teach them how to work in the best manner. . . .
“If in accepting responsibility, in seeking to impart light to others, they tremble under the cross, they will be led to the Saviour to find strength and grace and power. Through this experience they will learn to rely, not on their ministers, but on the Lord himself.”
This thought is again brought out in the REVIEW of March 6, 1893: “Well organized work must be done in the Church, that its members may understand the manner in which they may impart light to others, and thus strengthen their own faith and increase their knowledge. . . . Why do not the overseers of the Church have councils to devise ways whereby young men and women may be trained to put to use their intrusted talents?”
While these instructions pointed out the course that should be taken, Satan was busy in perverting the work, as set forth in the REVIEW of Aug. 7, 1894: “The people of God have educated themselves in such a way that they have come to look to those in positions of trust as guardians of truth, and have placed men where God should be. When perplexities have come upon them, instead of seeking God, they have gone to human sources for help, and have received only such help as man can give. . . . It is a mistake to make men believe that the workers for Christ should make no move save that which has first been brought before some responsible man. Men must not be educated to look to men as to God. While it is necessary that there be counseling together and a unity of action among the laborers, one man’s mind and one man’s judgment must not be the controlling power.
“Every true follower of Christ has some work to do for Him, for which he is responsible to his own Master; and that work he is expected to do with fidelity, waiting for command and direction from his leader. . . . The president of the Conference is not to do the thinking for all the people. He has not an immortal brain, but has capabilities and powers like any other man. And to every man God has given his work.”
In the REVIEW of Aug. 14, 1894, the same topic is continued, in these words: “The education that should be given to all is that they should exercise faith, that they should go to God in earnest prayer, and learn to think for themselves. To meet difficulties and plow through them by the help of God is a lesson of the highest value. If men and women do this, they realize that their help has not come from a human source, but from the living God, and that, having sought wisdom of God, they have not sought in vain. It is the privilege of every soul to go to God for himself, and to have a personal connection with the source of all power. Then the lips can speak forth the praises, not of men, but of God.”
This instruction is in harmony with the plan adopted in the early times of our organized Conferences. In the public meeting the requests for labor, and the openings for the same, were presented freely and fully, after which all the ministers were requested to seek God, to learn for themselves where the Lord would have them labor. In a later session experiences were related of how the Lord was leading and impressing their minds. So when the respective field of labor was finally assigned to the minister, it was evident to the entire assembly that the Lord was leading. The after-results showed that the Lord had a work prepared for these laborers in the field to which He led them. It was after seeking the Lord for ten days, in 1868, that the decision was made to send the laborers to California.
The benefit to accrue from a personal seeking of the Lord in reference to duty is again set before us in the REVIEW of July 16, 1895: “We need to leave more room for the working of the Holy Spirit, in order that laborers may be bound together and may move forward in the strength of a united body of soldiers. Let all remember that we are ‘a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men.’ Therefore each one should inquire, with meekness and fear, What is my path of duty? . . .
“The work of God is retarded by criminal unbelief in His power to use the common people to carry forward His work successfully. . . . Every individual is to become an instrument in His hands to work for the salvation of souls. Not one who desires to labor for the Master is to be refused a place if he is a true follower of485Christ. Every one has his responsibilities to bear in the cause of Christ. The efficiency of the Spirit of God will make effectual the labors of all who are willing to submit to His guidance.”
“Special Testimony,” No. 3, Aug. 3, 1894, contains the following: “A hard, unjust, critical spirit has been indulged among those who have held positions of trust in the work of the Lord. Unless those who have indulged this spirit are converted, they will be relieved of the responsibility of acting a part in committees of counsel even in the transaction of business. Unless they are converted, their voice must not be heard in the council; for the aggregate result is more injurious than beneficial.”—Pages 10, 11.
“The Lord must be believed and served as the great ‘I AM,’ and we must trust implicitly in Him. Let not men prescribe laws to take the place of God’s law. Never educate men to trust in men; for man’s wisdom is not sufficient to decide as to their right to engage in the Lord’s work. When God lays a work upon individuals, men are not to reject His sanction. God must not be impeded in the working out of His plans by man’s interference, but this has been done again and again. . . . If men will not meddle with God’s plan, and will let Him work upon mind and character, building them up according to His plan, a work will be accomplished that will stand through the severest trial.”—Id., page 40.
In a testimony, dated May 26, 1896, we read: “Organizations, institutions, unless kept by the power of God, will work under Satan’s direction to bring men under the control of men; and fraud and guile will bear the semblance of zeal for truth, and for the advancement of the kingdom of God. Whatever in our practice is not as open as the day, belongs to the methods of the prince of evil.
“The spirit of domination is extending to the presidents of our Conferences. But if a man is sanguine of his own power, and seeks to exercise dominion over his brethren, feeling that he is invested with authority to make his will the ruling power, the best and only safe course is to remove him, lest great harm be done, and he lose his own soul, and imperil the soul of others.
“This lording it over God’s heritage will create such a disgust of man’s jurisdiction that a state of insubordination will result. The people are learning that men in high positions of authority cannot be trusted to mold and fashion other men’s minds and characters. The result will be a loss of confidence even in the management of faithful men. But the Lord will raise up laborers who realize their own nothingness apart from Him.”
From these quotations it is clearly seen that it is not the system of organization that is at fault, but a perversion of it.
“FINALLY, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue and if there be any praise, think on these things.” . . . This is the only place in the New Testament in which this word “lovely” is to be found. It literally signifies what is dear to any one. It is that quality in the Christian character that engages the affections of all who come into its presence. The phrase “things of good report” also occurs in this passage alone. It means that which excites admiration and wins approbation. The two expressions together signify, in plain English, “be lovable; let your life win the hearts of all around you.”—Theodore L. Cuyler.
Prayer and Strength: Luther's Example
“I CANNOT get on without three hours a day of prayer now,” said Martin Luther in the thick of his great fight with the man of sin. Are you stronger than Luther?”
Finding Strength in the River of God's Pleasures
“If you would be strong when men’s hearts are failing them for fear; if you would be cheerful and light-hearted in the midst of losses and afflictions and disappointments, satisfy the thirst of your soul day by day from the river of God’s pleasures.”
THE SUPPORT OF GOSPEL MINISTERS ACCORDING TO GOD'S PLAN.
By D. T. Bourdeau
ELDER D. T. BOURDEAU.
(Continued.)
GIVING SHOULD BE VOLUNTARY.
Urging, pressing, forcing persons to give, whether by ecclesiastical or legal measures, is not according to God's plan, and should not be resorted to in any case. God's gift of His divine Son was voluntary, and so should our gifts to show our appreciation of this gift be voluntary. All in the plan of salvation leaves the will of man free, untrammeled, to decide, choose, or refuse, as the persons concerned shall see fit, God reserving the prerogative of reckoning and dealing with man at last according to the just and merciful principles and requirements of that Word by which all mankind shall be judged.
Forcing the will and coercing conscience in religious matters originated with the arch-rebel in heaven, who tried to force his views on the loyal angels, and even on the Eternal and on His divine Son, by whom were “all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions or principalities, or powers” (Col. 1:16), and is a sure sign of sin and apostasy, whether seen in the church or in the civil government. When forcing the will and conscience in things pertaining to religion is done by human beings, you can truthfully say, Here are persons who exalt themselves above God; for God never does such a thing. And in the doing of this evil thing through ecclesiastical and civil measures, there is surely a sanctioning of the union of Church and State, from which have resulted the greatest persecutions and atrocities of past ages. Therefore no human being nor set of human beings should urge, press, or force persons to give for any religious object. And no one should give “grudgingly, or of necessity [“nor by constraint,” French Translation]: for God loveth a cheerful giver.” 2 Cor. 9:7.
In perfect harmony with this Bible doctrine are the following words from a source deserving our confidence:—“The burden of urging and pressing individuals to give of their means [for religious objects, understood] was not designed to be the work of God's ministers. The responsibility should rest upon every individual who enjoys the belief of the truth.” Again: “God designs that the exercise of benevolence shall be purely voluntary, not having recourse even to eloquent appeals to excite sympathy. ‘The Lord loveth a cheerful giver.’ He is not pleased to have His treasury replenished with forced supplies. The loyal hearts of His people, rejoicing in the saving truth for this time, will, through love and gratitude to Him for this precious light, be earnest and anxious to aid with their means in sending the truth to others. The very best manner in which to give expression to our love for our Redeemer, is to make offerings to bring souls to the knowledge of the truth. The plan of redemption was entirely voluntary on the part of our Redeemer, and it is the purpose of Christ that all our benevolence should be freewill offerings.” — “Testimonies for the Church, Vol. III, pages 411–413.
The manner of giving that God approves may be seen in the furnishing of the material for the sanctuary, by the Israelites in the wilderness. God invited them to give “willingly,” “with a willing heart,” and they did so, until they were told to give no more; for there was more material than was needed. Ex. 25:1, 2; 35:4, 5; 36:5–7.
And a similar example may be found in the manner in which David and his brethren furnished material for the temple. At that time “the people rejoiced, for that they offered willingly, because with perfect heart they offered willingly to the Lord: and David the king also rejoiced with great joy. Wherefore David blessed the Lord before all the congregation: and David said, Blessed be thou, Lord God of Israel our Father, forever and ever. Thine, O Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and thou art exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all. Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name. But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? for all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee.” 1 Chron. 29:9–14.
With willingness and promptness should we give to advance the last gospel work in all its branches.
SIN OFFERINGS, PEACE, OR THANK OFFERINGS.
Anciently those who had sinned offered unto the Lord a sin offering. And who of the human race has not sinned? Are any, therefore, excused from giving something unto the Lord, out of that which is His own, heartily repenting and exercising faith in Christ for mercy and pardon, saying, as did David when he had sinned in numbering Israel, “Neither will I offer burnt offerings [in our case donations] unto the Lord my God of that which doth cost me nothing”? 2 Sam. 24:24.
Among the offerings that were made by God's ancient people, were peace or thank offerings. And is it not both reasonable and highly becoming that, under the present dispensation and in this age of great light and special blessings and privileges, we should render unto God, in gifts and donations, tributes of thanks and gratitude for the peace “which passeth all understanding,” that comes to us through God's gift of His Son, and for temporal and spiritual blessings surpassingly rich and without number? Phil. 4:7; Eph. 2:14, 15; James 1:17; Acts 17:25, 28.
SHALL WE BE BEHIND HEATHEN NATIONS?
It was customary for these to pay tithes for their gods and for the support of their idolatrous worship. In his Concordance to the Holy Scriptures, Cruden says: “The most barbarous nations, and the heathen Greeks and Romans, out of a principle of religion common to all men, have often dedicated their tithes to their gods. Some have made it a standing obligation; others have done it on particular occasions and by the impulse of a transient devotion. Laurentius says that when Pisistratus, tyrant of Athens, wrote to Solon to persuade him to return to Athens, he tells him that every one pays his tithe of his goods for the offering of sacrifices to the gods. Laert., lib. I. Pliny says that the486Arabian merchants who traded in spices, durst not sell anything till they had paid the tithe to their god Labis. And Plutarch in more places than one, mentions a custom of the Romans of offering to Hercules the tithe of what they took from their enemies.”
Of course Satan, though an enemy of God, and though opposed to true worship and true religion, did not fail to discern the reasonableness of the tithing system; and to make his system of religion and worship more palatable and more according to the sense of justice, he blended with it the duty of paying tithes. Shall we be behind Satan and heathen nations of antiquity in our discernment of the reasonable duty of paying tithes?
(Concluded next week.)
Faithful Discharge of Daily Duty
NOTHING should deter us from the daily and hourly discharge of duty.
CONTRITION
By Charles D. Bell
THE contrite heart,—this in God's eyes
Is the most welcome sacrifice;
With this no other can compare;
None is so costly, none so fair,
All other gifts it far outvies.
No sweeter songs than those sad sighs
That from a broken spirit rise,
When penitence reveals in prayer
The contrite heart.
God loves these low impassioned cries;
He hears them in His paradise;
It matters not when breath'd, or where,
With angels' songs His ear they share,
For in their pleading He descries
The contrite heart.
— Charles D. Bell, D. D.
THE GREAT DELUSION FOR THE LAST DAYS.
By H. W. Reed
ELDER H. W. REED.
In the time of the prophet Elijah, Satan was successful in decoying a large number of people to violate the First Commandment. A description of this is found in 1 Kings 18:17-21.
There was a contest over the First Commandment. The followers of Baal did not dispute the obligation for observing that commandment. They said, “That commandment is all right—no other gods; but who is God?” And they continued to worship Baal until the Lord, by a miracle, showed who was the only true God. “And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The Lord, He is the God; the Lord, He is the God.” 1 Kings 18:39.
Thus Satan seduced the people of God to break the First Commandment, and they made its violation a part of their religion. Neither were they convinced of their sin until the Lord answered by fire, and thus showed who the true God was. The Baalites miserably failed in their efforts to bring down fire from heaven and consume their sacrifices. It was by this that they intended to show that the sun-god was the true God. They made frantic efforts from morning until evening to bring down fire from heaven to consume their sacrifice. But their god was not allowed to answer in that way at that time. The true God chose to answer Elijah by fire, however, and it settled that dispute then.
But again that test will come, and it will come soon and unexpectedly to many. It will be in regard to the obedience of the Fourth Commandment—as to which day is the Sabbath, the seventh day or the first day. But the most delusive thing possible in this test is that the followers of Baal will be the ones allowed to bring down fire from heaven to justify themselves in the violation of the Fourth Commandment as it reads. This might well be called the crowning effort forever to fasten the false Sabbath upon the masses. That which in the days of Elijah was a sign to distinguish the true people of God from the apostate, the worshipers of Baal, will in these last days be used by the apostate people of God, the worshipers of the Beast, as a sign that they are the true people of God. The student of prophecy can see all this in the thirteenth and fourteenth chapters of Revelation. “And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, and deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do.” In the days of Elijah, this miracle of bringing fire down from heaven was to save the people from breaking the First Commandment; but the case spoken of in Rev. 13:13 is to confirm the people in breaking the Fourth Commandment, that they may perish, because their hearts are evil. May God help us who know that this delusion is sure to overtake all those who will not obey God by keeping all His commandments, faithfully to warn the people of this generation, so that their blood will not be found upon our garments.
UNION OF PROTESTANTISM AND CATHOLICISM.
By A. Smith
A. SMITH.
(Grandville, Mich.)
Some time ago the writer attended a Sunday-school convention at Grandville, Mich., at which Rev. R. Smith, a Presbyterian minister of Grand Rapids, Mich., made the following statement:— “The different denominations are drawing together with a closeness never before known; and there is an agreement among them that where one occupies a given field, another will not enter unless invited to do so.”
It will doubtless soon, if it has not already, become a disreputable thing for any one, almost anywhere, to introduce doctrines or customs not held in common by the so-called orthodox denominations. Delay therefore on our part immediately to enter the field will make it, everywhere, harder to work.
The following editorial, under the heading, “Religious Unity,” is taken from the Grand Rapids Evening Press:—
“The fact that the use of the Catholic chapel recently erected in New York for funeral services for strangers dying at city hotels has been offered to Protestants has caused some comment, and Justice Brewer, of the United States Supreme Court, looking ahead into the next century [the twentieth], prognosticates that it will be marked by a wonderful unity among the denominations. The Protestant denominations are now practically one in many branches of work, though maintaining separate church organizations; and Justice Brewer also thinks that ‘the ancient enemies, Catholicism and Protestantism, are drawing closer together. The prelates and members of the two churches do not hesitate to affiliate in a thousand forms of labor.’
“The amalgamation of the several denominations is still a long way from being accomplished, and fundamental differences of belief relative to the authority and functions of the Church forbid such a consummation between the Catholic and Protestant divisions, but fraternization, as Justice Brewer intimates, seems to be drawing nearer. It is now recognized that all the churches are working for the same end. It is also beginning to be realized that every Church contains something of good, and that creeds are for the most part the creation of human minds only. Non-essentials are being pushed aside, and most of the churches now agree upon the main points of doctrine.
“In the growing harmony between Catholics and Protestants, the Protestants appear to display the broader spirit of toleration, as is but natural, owing to the liberty of personal opinion their church organizations have permitted. The Catholic Church being the older and the original organization, it is natural that it should be less willing to forget and forgive, and it is, moreover, tenacious of the doctrinal positions it held long before Protestantism was born, and which have remained unchanged while Protestant doctrine has been modified in many particulars. A great change was effected, however, in the attitude of the churches when each admitted that there might be something of good in the other; and as such movements tend to gain headway, Justice Brewer may be justified in his anticipations.”
Justice Brewer, of the Supreme Court, is the official who uttered the celebrated dictum that the United States is a Christian nation, basing his decision upon evidence drawn from Roman Catholic sources. Yes, no doubt, this is a Roman Catholic Christian nation.
The following prediction was published in 1885, and is evidently now on the eve of complete fulfillment:—
“Protestantism will yet stretch her hand across the gulf to grasp the hand of Spiritualism; she will reach over the abyss to clasp hands with the Roman power; and under the influence of this threefold union, our country will follow in the steps of Rome in trampling on the rights of conscience.”—“Spirit of Prophecy, Vol. IV, page 405.
IN THE HIGHWAYS.
By William Brickey
WILLIAM BRICKEY. (Kimball, Minn.)
Once I sought my blessed Saviour in the haunts of selfish pride,
But I could not find His presence, though I sought Him far and wide;
In the crowded church I sought Him, as I walked the quiet street,
In the gilded halls of fashion, longed to worship at His feet;
In the lonely woods I sought Him, and at night upon my bed,
But the earth seemed iron beneath me, heaven was brass above my head.
Anxious for my own salvation, scarce a thought had I bestowed
On my blinded, helpless neighbor, struggling ’neath his heavy load.
In my selfishness so centered, it was hard for me to see
That although my blessed Saviour gave His precious life for me,
He, likewise, in loving kindness, gave His life for all mankind,—
All, of every race and kindred, poor and maimed, and halt and blind;
And that He is Elder Brother to the fallen human race.
Little difference what the color of the skin upon the face,
’Tis no matter what surroundings and no matter what his speech,
He belongs to Christ by purchase, and salvation’s in his reach.
But in seeking for my duty, as I cast one searching look,
Lo, I read it plainly written on the pages of His Book:—
“I have set thee for a watchman on the walls of Zion’s mount;
Thou shalt watch for souls as they, who to their Master must account.
Go out quickly to the byways, to the dens and haunts of shame,
Many trophies, precious, costly, may be gathered for my name.
In the highways, in the hedges, I have many jewels there;
Go and gather up the lost ones, bright and shining, rich and rare.”
Then I sought among the lowly for the purchase of His blood,—
Sought that I might give them comfort of the blessed word of God.
In the prisons and the almshouse, down amid the dirt and grime,
In the slums, and in the rum-holes, in the dens of vice and crime,
’Mid the sick and the afflicted, homesick, heart-sick, too, within,
Naked, destitute, discouraged, branded with the doom of sin;
But amid their wretched hovels as I ministered the word
To the lowest, most degraded, lo! I found my blessed Lord.
The High Calling of Service and Sympathy
DR. WASHINGTON GLADDEN says: “To watch for hurts that we can heal, for halting steps that we can steady, for burdens of infirmity or trouble that we can help to carry, for ways in which we can give our thought, our care, our love, ourselves, serving them with humblest fidelity, and leading with words of sympathy and brotherhood in the ways of righteousness and peace,—this is the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”