By action of the General Conference Committee, taken at the spring session, December 9-16 was set apart as the time for this important occasion. At this same meeting, persons were selected to prepare suitable readings for each of the days of the session. These readings have all been prepared, and will be printed in THE REVIEW AND HERALD in ample time for the paper to reach all parts of the field before the meetings begin. The envelopes for the offerings, on which are printed appropriate Scripture mottoes, as well as the instruction to the individual as to how to use them, will be sent from the general office direct to each church.
Having made all the arrangements from the general office we can for the present to contribute to the success of this meeting, we now appeal to conference officers to make mention of the time appointed for this season of prayer at an early date in their respective papers, or by private correspondence, and urge the elders and other local church officers to begin to plan at once for a full attendance of our brethren and sisters.
The past season has been one of unusual temporal prosperity. God has not only blessed us with abundant harvests, but has kept us in peace as a nation, and preserved us as a people from unusual disasters and calamities. Shall we not show our appreciation of God's goodness and love by gathering in our accustomed places of worship at the appointed time, to talk of his goodness and tell of his love? And not only so, but let us plan to bring a large thank-offering and a liberal free-will offering to be used in carrying the message to those who know it not.
We have just recently been told that “the Lord is to do a strange work very soon. The experiences of the day of Pentecost will surely be repeated.” As a people we greatly need a special blessing from the Lord to revive our faith and interest in the work of the Lord for this time. Shall we not at the coming meeting make it our special business to seek the Lord until he shall come and rain righteousness upon us? Begin at once to think about this meeting. Talk about it in your homes. Pray about it and for it at the family altar. Plan to attend every meeting. Watch the papers for further announcements and plans, and make it a point to co-operate with every suggestion that will contribute to the interest and success of this week of prayer. Do not forget the time, December 9-16.
G. A. IRWIN.
“Increase” or “Income”
By G. B. THOMPSON
THE study of the Sabbath-school lessons on the subject of tithes and offerings has done much to awaken an interest in this important duty. Some have written concerning the position taken in the lessons, that we should pay a tithe on our income, and cited us to Deut. 14:22, where it is stated that we should tithe the “increase of the seed.” It is possible that this same question may be in other minds, and may be used as an excuse for robbing God. A few thoughts concerning this matter may therefore be timely.
The claim that the tithe should be paid upon our increase turns upon the technical interpretation of a word used in one text, and leads to wrong conclusions. If we are to pay tithe only upon what we may have at the end of the year, known as “increase,” many will be entirely free from rendering to the Lord anything. But the tithing question is obligatory upon all.
The Standard Dictionary defines the word “income” as follows: “The amount of money coming to a person or corporation within a specified time or regularly (when unqualified, annually), whether as payment for services, interest, or profit from investment; revenue.”
“Increase” is defined thus: “To become greater, as in bulk, quantity, or number; grow or advance in value, power, or force; be added to or aggravated; multiply; wax; . . . that which is added; that by which anything is augmented.”
A man’s “increase” is understood to mean the amount he has this year more than last year. It is a surplus, what is left after his necessary expenditures for the year have been deducted. All can readily see that this may differ very materially from his income. “Income” is a person’s salary, or what “comes in.” A man may have a very liberal salary, and yet have no increase of wealth. This is true of many. Two persons may have an equal amount of income, and at the end of the year one may have saved from his earnings an increase, while the other has no increase. The one may have no increase because of large necessary expenses or through extravagance, while the other has an increase because his necessary expenses have been small, or he has been economical. According to the logic of those who hold to tithing on the increase, the extravagant liver would be free from paying tithes altogether, whereas the one who, because of his frugality, has a little left, must give the Lord a tenth of his savings. This is not a just nor a Scriptural conclusion.
But, says one, does not the text say the tithe is on the increase? Let us read it: “Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year.” Deut. 14:22. Notice what the text says. It does not say that we are to tithe our increase. It is the seed’s increase that is to be tithed. We are to tithe what is produced from the seed we sow. To illustrate: A farmer sows twenty bushels of wheat in his field, and at the end of the year reaps two hundred bushels. This two hundred bushels is the “increase” of the seed, and should be tithed, after deducting, of course, certain necessary expenses which may have been incurred in either planting or harvesting the crop, of which we can not now speak particularly. A man plants a bushel of potatoes, and digs ten, twenty, or more bushels. The seed has increased to this amount, and he should tithe it. The Lord’s portion comes first, and we are to live, buy clothing, pay tuition for our children’s schooling, and the like, from what is left. We must not confound the increase, or production of the seed we sow, with what we have left at the end of the year. A man might have a bountiful crop, an abundant increase from the seed sown, and have no surplus at the end of the year.
The word here translated “increase” is the Hebrew word “tebuah,” and is defined by Dr. Young in his Analytical Concordance as “fruit,” making the text read, “Thou shalt surely tithe all the fruit of thy seed.” The Jewish Translation, by Rabbi Leeser, renders the text thus: “Thou shalt surely tithe all the produce of thy seed, which the field bringeth forth year by year.” The German renders it: “Thou shalt tithe all the income of thy seed.” The French rendering is “produce,” and the Italian is “all the returns of thy seed.”
This text, rightly understood, therefore, in no way contradicts Lev. 27:28-29; 2 Chron. 31:4-6; Num. 18:21, and others, which call for a tithe of all the seed, fruit, herd, and flock. The Saviour said that the Pharisees, who were so strict in tithing that they did not overlook the mint, anise, and cummin, did right in the matter. And surely if a proud, bigoted, hypocritical Pharisee should pay his tithe, those who believe that the end of all earthly things is at hand should do so. The Lord did not institute the tithing system because he was in need of money, for he could make the stones by the roadside nuggets of gold; but knowing the nature of the deceitful, covetous heart of man, he commanded it to help us. In the faithful performance of this duty there is a great blessing.
G. B. THOMPSON.
The Building of the Temple
By Ellen G. White
Lessons From the Life of Solomon—No. 8
The Building of the Temple
MRS. E. G. WHITE
The long-cherished plan of David to erect a temple to the Lord was wisely carried out by Solomon, who “determined to build an house for the name of the Lord.”
Solomon’s Letter to Hiram
“Solomon sent to Hiram the king of Tyre,” saying, “Thou knowest how that David my father could not build an house unto the name of the Lord his God for the wars which were about him on every side, until the Lord put them under the soles of his feet. But now the Lord my God hath given me rest on every side, so that there is neither adversary nor evil occurrent. And, behold, I purpose to build an house unto the name of the Lord my God, as the Lord spake unto David my father, saying, Thy son, whom I will set upon thy throne in thy room, he shall build an house unto my name.”
“Behold, I build an house to the name of the Lord my God, to dedicate it to him, and to burn before him sweet incense, and for the continual showbread, and for the burnt offerings morning and evening, on the Sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the solemn feasts of the Lord our God. This is an ordinance forever to Israel. And the house which I build is great: for great is our God above all gods. But who is able to build him an house, seeing the heaven and heaven of heavens can not contain him? who am I then, that I should build him an house, save only to burn sacrifice before him?”
“Send me now therefore a man cunning to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, and in iron, and in purple, and crimson, and blue, and that can skill to grave with the cunning men that are with me in Judah and in Jerusalem, whom David my father did provide.
“Send me also cedar trees, fir-trees, and algum trees, out of Lebanon: for I know that thy servants can skill to cut timber in Lebanon; and, behold, my servants shall be with thy servants, even to prepare me timber in abundance: for the house which I am about to build shall be wonderful great.” “Thou knowest that there is not among us any that can skill to hew timber like unto the Sidonians.” “And, behold, I will give to thy servants, the hewers that cut timber, twenty thousand measures of beaten wheat, and twenty thousand measures of barley, and twenty thousand baths of wine, and twenty thousand baths of oil.”
Hiram’s Reply
“It came to pass, when Hiram heard the words of Solomon, that he rejoiced greatly, and said, Blessed be the Lord this day, which hath given unto David a wise son over this great people. And Hiram” “answered in writing, which he sent to Solomon,” saying:—
“Because the Lord hath loved his people, he hath made thee king over them. . . . Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, that made heaven and earth, who hath given to David the king a wise son, endowed with prudence and understanding, that might build an house for the Lord.”
“I have considered the things which thou sentest to me for:” “and now I have sent a cunning man, endowed with understanding, of Hiram my father’s, the son of a woman of the daughters of Dan, and his father was a man of Tyre, skilful to work in gold, and in silver, in brass, in iron, in stone, and in timber, in purple, in blue, and in fine linen, and in crimson; also to grave any manner of graving, and to find out every device which shall be put to him, with thy cunning men, and with the cunning men of my lord David thy father.
“Now therefore the wheat, and the barley, the oil, and the wine, which my lord hath spoken of, let him send unto his servants: and we will cut wood out of Lebanon, as much as thou shalt need; and we will bring it to thee in floats by sea to Joppa; and thou shalt carry it up to Jerusalem.”
The Gathering of Material
“So Hiram gave Solomon cedar trees and fir-trees according to all his desire.
“And Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand measures of wheat for food to his household, and twenty measures of pure oil: thus gave Solomon to Hiram year by year.
“And the Lord gave Solomon wisdom, as he promised him: and there was peace between Hiram and Solomon; and they two made a league together.
“And King Solomon raised a levy out of all Israel; and the levy was thirty thousand men. And he sent them to Lebanon, ten thousand a month by courses: a month they were in Lebanon, and two months at home: and Adoniram was over the levy. And Solomon had threescore and ten thousand that bare burdens, and fourscore thousand hewers in the mountains; beside the chief of Solomon’s officers which were over the work, three thousand and three hundred, which ruled over the people that wrought in the work.
“And the king commanded, and they brought great stones, costly stones, and hewed stones, to lay the foundation of the house. And Solomon’s builders and Hiram’s builders did hew them, and the stone squarers: so they prepared timber and stones to build the house.”
The Building Erected
“It came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel,” “in the second day of the second month,” that “Solomon began to build the house of the Lord at Jerusalem in Mount Moriah, where the Lord appeared unto David his father, in the place that David had prepared in the thrashing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite.”
Of the inner temple,—the building containing the holy place and the most holy place,—we read: “The length thereof was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof twenty cubits, and the height thereof thirty cubits.”
“The house, when it was in building, was built of stone made ready before it was brought thither: so that there was neither hammer nor ax nor any tool of iron heard in the house, while it was in building.”
“He built the walls of the house within with boards of cedar, both the floor of the house, and the walls of the ceiling: and he covered them on the inside with wood, and covered the floor of the house with planks of fir.” “The cedar of the house within was carved with knops and open flowers: all was cedar; there was no stone seen.”
The Most Holy Place
“The oracle he prepared in the house within, to set there the ark of the covenant of the Lord. And the oracle in the forepart was twenty cubits in length, and twenty cubits in breadth, and twenty cubits in the height thereof: and he overlaid it with pure gold; and so covered the altar which was of cedar.
“So Solomon overlaid the house within with pure gold: and he made a partition by the chains of gold before the oracle; and he overlaid it with gold. And the whole house he overlaid with gold, until he had finished all the house: also the whole altar that was by the oracle he overlaid with gold.9
“And within the oracle he made two cherubims of olive tree, each ten cubits high. And five cubits was the one wing of the cherub, and five cubits the other wing of the cherub: from the uttermost part of the one wing unto the uttermost part of the other were ten cubits. And the other cherub was ten cubits: both the cherubims were of one measure and one size. The height of the one cherub was ten cubits, and so was it of the other cherub. And he set the cherubims within the inner house: and they stretched forth the wings of the cherubims, so that the wing of the one touched the one wall, and the wing of the other cherub touched the other wall; and their wings touched one another in the midst of the house. And he overlaid the cherubims with gold. And he carved all the walls of the house round about with carved figures of cherubims and palm-trees and open flowers, within and without. And the floor of the house he overlaid with gold, within and without.” “He garnished the house with precious stones for beauty.”
“For the entering of the oracle he made doors of olive tree: the lintel and side-posts were a fifth part of the wall. The two doors also were olive tree; and he carved upon them carvings of cherubims and palm-trees and open flowers, and overlaid them with gold, and spread gold upon the cherubims, and upon the palm-trees. So also made he for the door of the temple posts of olive tree, a fourth part of the wall. And the two doors were of fir-tree: the two leaves of the one door were folding, and the two leaves of the other door were folding. And he carved thereon cherubims and palm-trees and open flowers: and covered them with gold fitted upon the carved work.”
“He made the veil of blue, and purple, and crimson, and fine linen, and wrought cherubims thereon.”
The Furniture of the Holy Place
“Solomon made all the vessels that were for the house of God, the golden altar also, and the tables whereon the showbread was set; moreover the candlesticks with their lamps, that they should burn after the manner before the oracle, of pure gold; and the flowers, and the lamps, and the tongs, made he of gold, and that perfect gold; and the snuffers, and the basons, and the spoons, and the censers, of pure gold: and the entry of the house, the inner doors thereof for the most holy place, and the doors of the house of the temple, were of gold.”
The Courts
“He made before the house two pillars of thirty and five cubits high, and the chapiter that was on the top of each of them was five cubits. And he made chains, as in the oracle, and put them on the heads of the pillars; and made an hundred pomegranates, and put them on the chains. And he reared up the pillars before the temple, one on the right hand, and the other on the left; and called the name of that on the right Jachin, and the name of that on the left Boaz.”
“The porch before the temple of the house, twenty cubits was the length thereof, according to the breadth of the house; and ten cubits was the breadth thereof before the house.”
“He built the inner court with three rows of hewed stone, and a row of cedar beams.”
“Furthermore he made the court of the priests, and the great court, and doors for the court, and overlaid the doors of them with brass.”
The Furniture of the Courts
“Moreover he made an altar of brass, twenty cubits the length thereof, and twenty cubits the breadth thereof, and ten cubits the height thereof.” This stood in the court of the priests.
“The pots also, and the shovels, and the flesh-hooks, and all their instruments,” he made “of bright brass.”
“Also he made a molten sea of ten cubits from brim to brim, round in compass, and five cubits the height thereof; and a line of thirty cubits did compass it round about.” “It stood upon twelve oxen” cast of brass; “three looking toward the north, and three looking toward the west, and three looking toward the south, and three looking toward the east.” “And the thickness of it was an handbreadth, and the brim of it like the work of the brim of a cup, with flowers of lilies; and it received and held three thousand baths. . . . And he set the sea on the right side of the east end” of the court of the priests, “over against the south.”
“He made also ten lavers, and put five on the right hand, and five on the left, to wash in them: such things as they offered for the burnt offering they washed in them; but the sea was for the priests to wash in.”
These vessels were cast “in the plain of Jordan, . . . in the clay ground between Succoth and Zeredathah. Thus Solomon made all these vessels in great abundance: for the weight of the brass could not be found out.”
Completion of the Work
“So was ended all the work that King Solomon made for the house of the Lord. And Solomon brought in the things which David his father had dedicated; even the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, did he put among the treasures of the house of the Lord.” “Thus Solomon finished the house of the Lord. . . . and all that came into Solomon’s heart to make in the house of the Lord, . . . he prosperously effected.”
“In the fourth year was the foundation of the house of the Lord laid, in the month Zif; and in the eleventh year, in the month Bul, which is the eighth month, was the house finished throughout all the parts thereof, according to all the fashion of it. So was he seven years in building it.”
Go, Tell Thy Friends
By Marianne Farningham
O SAVIOUR, who has healed me,
Let me stay!
I would sit beside thy feet
All the day.
The sunshine is the shining
Of thy face,
Life has nothing best to offer
But thy grace;
If I leave thee, what can ever
Make amends!
But the Master only answers,
Go, tell thy friends.
Lord, I am weak and frail,
Passing out.
Can I say that I am healed
When they doubt?
I could tell thy love to others;
But my own?
And I have a crop to reap
I have sown!
They will watch, and they will judge
Aims and ends.
It is good to stay with thee—
Go, tell thy friends.
So I go, and he goes with me
All the way.
And I simply tell the story
Day by day.
They seem very glad to hear it,
Whom I love,
For their hearts desire him greatly
From above.
So when faith is growing weak,
Through lower ends,
I speak about my Saviour
To my friends.
— Marianne Farningham.
How to Increase Our Tithes and Offerings
By I. H. Evans
(Concluded)
4. LET us each be faithful in this duty ourselves. Example goes far in teaching others. A faithful ministry will prove a large factor in encouraging others to faithfulness. When workers themselves are false to the truths they teach, there can be but little hope of reform. On this point the General Conference at its last session adopted the following:—
“(a) That the local conference officers take special pains to see that only such executive officers are chosen as will faithfully impress upon all conference employees, not only the duty to be conscientious themselves in rendering to the Lord his own, but to be faithful also in giving instruction along these lines to all within their spheres of influence.
“(b) That the officers of all churches make themselves ensamples to their flocks in the payment of tithes and offerings, in order that they may consistently exhort others to faithfulness in this respect.”
It will be plainly seen that the aim of the General Conference is to persuade our people to place in responsible positions only such as are true and loyal in paying their tithe into the treasury of the Lord, that even church officers, such as church elders, deacons, and treasurers, shall be ensamples to the flock in the payment of their tithes and offerings, in order that they can consistently exhort others to faithfulness in this respect.
Oftentimes the tithe is diverted from its specific object; namely, the support of the evangelical work of our denomination. Sometimes we find that the churches are tempted to use their tithe in the support of local work, in the payment of church expenses, for janitor service, and such other incidental expenses as really belong to the church to supply. When the standard of loyalty to God is so lowered, it can be no marvel that conscientious people become discouraged, believing that those who are in charge of the work are not true and faithful, and consequently take their tithe into their own hands, and place it where they believe it will be used for the purpose which the Lord ordains.
Again, quoting the action of the General Conference in regard to this matter, I read as follows:—
“(f) Whereas, There is a tendency to divert the tithe from its specific object,—
“We recommend, That all our conferences sacredly guard the tithe, that this fund be not used for building purposes, but that it be entirely devoted to the support of the evangelistic work and Bible teachers.”
5. What we have said in regard to tithes, we could also say with equal force in regard to offerings. “Ye have robbed me . . . in tithes and offerings.” The Lord speaks frequently throughout his Word of the bringing of the “first-fruits of our increase,” and the making of
offerings unto the Lord. He tells us not to come before him empty handed, but to bring an offering according as the Lord hath blessed us.
Greater effort must be put forth to educate the laity and our workers along the line of systematic giving for the support of missions. There is the most imperative need of united action in the support of our foreign mission work. During the past year, the offerings to foreign missions aggregated $144,712.20. This was an average per capita of $1.77 for the entire year. Could we make our offering even double that amount, it would be only $3.54, which would bring into the treasury of the General Conference in the neighborhood of $289,420.
However, the General Conference believed that the State conferences should endeavor to raise for foreign missions, throughout the entire year, as much as ten cents per capita each week. If every Sabbath-keeper in the denomination would give as much as ten cents a week for foreign missions, there would be placed in the treasury of the Lord each year $424,949.20.
During its last session, the General Conference recommended that “our conference laborers and church officers keep constantly before all our people the importance of the weekly offerings for missions, and that we put forth a united effort to raise the offerings for missions from all sources to an amount averaging at least ten cents a week per capita.”
To attain this desirable end, the General Conference made the following recommendations concerning offerings:—
“(a) That the second Sabbath in each month be set apart by all our people everywhere, as ‘Missionary day’ for the special consideration of our missions.
“(b) That the General Conference Committee appoint a committee to prepare readings for each Missionary day, with a program and suitable songs for the occasion; that the readings be so divided that where convenient two or three can take part in the service, thus breaking up the monotony.
“(c) That each one to take part in this service, make a study of the field considered, that he may be able to make the subject of special interest.
“(d) That a map of the world be provided, so that the different fields may be located, thus educating our people regarding the extent and progress of the message.
“(e) That the Sabbath-schools be encouraged to participate in these exercises, that thus the interest of the children may be enlisted in the work of foreign missions.”
Now, if this is done the coming year, it will be done through the united efforts of every Seventh-day Adventist in our land. A few may put forth great efforts to accomplish this, but they can not succeed alone. To succeed, it must be taken hold of systematically and unitedly.
Surely, there is no place in the world where this plan should be taken hold of with greater diligence and zeal than right here in Washington. There is no reason why the churches in the District shall not set an example to our people throughout the world for liberality in giving.
The work here has received great help from our people scattered throughout the world. This has been impressed on our minds through the generosity of our people in helping build up the enterprises here in Washington in connection with the General Conference work. Why should not the District and church officers take this matter up, and endeavor to carry out the recommendations of the General Conference? Is it not possible for us right here in the District to carry on such a systematic plan of giving as will place our churches here in the lead in the matter of giving, and besides the tithe, average ten cents a week per member for missions?
I believe that if each one would be faithful unto God in giving, each week setting apart an offering for the work in other lands, the Lord’s rich blessing would rest upon us, and upon our work in this District. Our church elders and treasurers must lead out in this work. Week by week these offerings must be taken up, and mention must be made of them from time to time in the Sabbath-schools, and in the regular services of the day. Thus, by united effort, each doing what he can, we may greatly increase our tithes and offerings for the Lord.
Let us lay the matter of the support of the Lord’s work before the Lord, both in public and in private, in our devotional exercises. Can we not pray the Lord to raise up men and means, and give us all liberal hearts to support his work from Sabbath to Sabbath?
In stimulating our people to give to the support of missions, I believe there is no better way than for the Sabbath-schools to weekly take up the study of some mission field, calling the children’s attention to the place on the map, giving a brief synopsis or history of the work being done in the respective fields, thus encouraging our people to take more interest in the work in distant lands.
Again: I believe we should take hold of our second-Sabbath readings, and make something out of them that will give us a new impetus. Let our second-Sabbath services be devoted to the consideration of the topic prepared for that day. If some one has something to say and is full of inspiration, he can speak if he chooses. If not, I believe we ought to take up the study of the second-Sabbath reading as outlined and prepared by the Mission Board, and make everything out of the day we possibly can. This should not be done simply in our churches throughout the country, but here in the District. Our churches here should be examples to the other churches scattered throughout the world, and we must ourselves take hold of this thing, and co-operate in every possible way in carrying out the plans recommended by the General Conference.
In closing, let me suggest that we who are here to-day be faithful to every trust committed to our care. Let us do the things that we wish others to do; and though the way may often seem thorny, faith in God will do much to overcome all impediments. A sympathetic co-operation, and an unyielding faith in our great Leader, will do much to accomplish the work so much needed to be done.
Faith and Courage in Christian Living
“If we would commend the religion of Christ to the world, we must show faith and courage in our own lives, and have more smiles than frowns on our faces.”
The Message in Stone
By J. T. BOETTCHER
J. T. BOETTCHER
“And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.”
From the illustration on the first page and the one which will appear in the same place next week, the reader may see how well some artists understood the prophecy of Daniel 7, as far back as the year 1617 A. D.; for the sculptor engraved in stone, over the portals leading into the Nurnberg (Bavaria) city hall, the symbols of the four universal kingdoms. We learn that they understood the meaning of these beasts, because next to the winged lion is Nebuchadnezzar; the bear with three ribs in his mouth, lies couched at the feet of Darius; the youthful Alexander reclines in front of the four-headed leopard beast; while behind the eagle-helmeted Augustus is the great and terrible beast, so true in detail that even the little horn is not missing. So far as we know, there is no other place in the world where the truth of God for our time is so strikingly portrayed.
For four centuries men and women have daily passed in and out beneath these powerful expositors of the prophetic Word, but it has been reserved to the messengers carrying the threefold message of Revelation 14, to preach to the inhabitants of this quaint old city, as well as to all the world, that these stone figures typify the overthrow of all earthly governments, and the ushering in of God's everlasting kingdom, which, like the “great mountain,” shall fill the whole world.
Not only is Nurnberg interesting to us because its city hall is an expositor of the Scriptures; for this city has played an active part in fulfilling the prophecy of Dan. 12:4. It is here that the first railroad in Germany was built—in 1835. It is here that the watch was invented (1500) by Peter Hele, and it was popularly called the “Nurnberg egg.” The organ and the piano pedals were invented in this place. The readers of the REVIEW may remember that some time ago an article appeared describing the “Iron Virgin of Nurnberg.” In the same old castle on the hill we saw other instruments of torture, of which we will speak at another time.
At present we have a church of about fifty members in Nurnberg. They are holding up the standard of truth amid great difficulties. Since 1808 there has been a law in force here, restricting religious liberty. It imposes a fine of from five to sixty marks for baptizing, or celebrating the Lord's supper, or holding any meeting whatever. As many as eight11policemen have entered our place of meeting at one time, and taken the name of each member present, and reported the same to the court; each person so reported was fined. Notwithstanding this fact, meetings are being secretly held, and eight persons were added to the company this last year. In Russia there is at present more toleration than in Nurnberg. We hope that our people everywhere will pray for the work there, that the truth may prosper even under such adverse circumstances.
It is clear that having the gospel so beautifully symbolized in stone has not materially forwarded the cause of freedom in this unique city; and it is just as true that for us to receive the mere theory of the truth will not influence our lives, nor prepare us for the life to come. We may go in and out of the house of worship year after year, we may be members of the most popular church in the land,—it is good to belong to the body of Christ, as manifested in his church on earth,—but these things profit nothing, unless the living gospel be planted in the soul, and we be preparing ourselves for the soon coming of the Promised One. Let us lift up our heads and rejoice, for our redemption draweth nigh.
Basel, Switzerland.
Our Mountain of Hope
By J. L. SHAW
J. L. SHAW
An eminent Scotch preacher has said, “Christ’s second coming is like a lofty mountain which dominates the entire landscape.” And so it is, for it bursts into view at every turn of the way. The great hope set before us in Christian service is the blessed promise of Christ’s soon coming. We are exhorted unto watchfulness by this glorious promise. Matt. 22:44. The same thrilling event is used by James as an encouragement to patience (James 5:7); by Paul, in 1 Thess. 1:9, 10, to turn from idols; in Titus 2:12, 13 to holy living; in 1 Tim. 6:14, to fidelity in keeping the commandments. It is God’s great wish that the advent message become a living, personal reality to every Christian. Whether the admonition be unto watchfulness or patience, to the abandonment of idols or as an encouragement to holy living or faithfulness in obeying the commandments, Christ’s second coming is the incentive. In the great plane of truth, each path leads to this mountain of promise.
The late Dr. A. J. Gordon gave an incident in his family which very clearly illustrates God’s plan in holding before us the advent of Christ. With his children, he went to the country for a few days’ rest and recuperation. He had been there but a short time when a telegram came, calling him, at once, on urgent business to the city. Upon parting with his children, he told them he would return sometime during the week. It might be the following day, or it might not be until the end of the week. They loved their father and wanted him back, so they kept themselves in readiness to welcome him, and went daily to the train, hoping to meet him. It so happened that he did not return until the end of the week, though all the time the children had been hoping each day that he would come, and that hope caused them to tidy themselves daily, and go to the train to meet him.
There is an important lesson in this homely illustration. God wants us to be ready. Our Saviour is coming, and he wants his loved ones to be prepared to meet him. He has not told us the day nor the hour, but he has assured us that this generation shall not pass away before he returns. His waiting ones should be ready. It was the advent hope which wrought so remarkable a change in God’s people in 1844, and it is the reality of that hope which will cut his people loose from the world in this generation, and cause them to seek a daily preparation for his coming.
It is only as the near coming of Jesus becomes a reality to us that we shall be saved from the delusions and devices of this day. A wave of commercialism is going through the country. It is in our churches. Ministers and lay members are getting entangled. The originator of evil hopes to counteract the advent message now due to the world, by causing the people who are carrying it to become so bound up in the affairs of life that their message shall lose its power. The game of money making is growing in intensity, and with this weapon the enemy hopes to nullify the advent message. Our hope lies in keeping our eyes upon our mountain of hope—the coming of Christ.
There is no better way to make the near coming of Christ a reality than to watch the progress which is being made in proclaiming the gospel in all parts of the world. As we behold the march of missions, and see what a hundred years has wrought, there is abundant reason to believe that a work has been done which shall end in a speedy conclusion of God’s work in the earth. Vast empires that were barred against Christian workers have thrown their doors wide open for the entrance of the gospel; and the facilities for carrying it are piercing continually farther and farther into the remote corners of the earth.
It is scarcely more than a hundred years since the British and Foreign Bible Society was formed. Since then above one hundred and eighty million Bibles, Testaments, and portions of the Bible have been circulated by it, in at least three hundred and seventy languages and dialects, many of which had never before been reduced to writing. The Centenary Specimen book of the Society has four hundred and three specimens of different languages in which the Bible or a portion of it is being circulated. We may not be wide of the mark in saying that the number of reproductions of the Bible the last hundred years has exceeded the number during the previous eighteen centuries.
We have the promise, “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. As we see what strides are being made, and yearly increasing, in publishing the gospel in so many tongues for a witness to so many millions, may we not look for the end to come speedily?
We can not keep pace with the advancement of present truth. Sabbath-keepers we knew nothing of are being found. Just recently our workers in Ceylon have come in contact with Tamil Sabbath-keepers who have been keeping the Sabbath for half a century. About fifty years ago these Tamil brethren broke off from the Church of England. They then numbered about two hundred. The Church of England people wrote to Queen Victoria to know what they should do with them, and she replied, “Let them alone, with liberty to enjoy their own religion.” They now number about one thousand, and most of them are in India. The man who led them out from the Church of England is now ninety-two years old. He has lived to learn that on the other side of the earth are men and women endeavoring to keep the fourth commandment.
So we can see that some way, by means which we often know not, the warning word of truth is winning its way among the multitudes in so-called heathen lands. The witness shall soon be borne to all nations, “and then shall the end come.”
Sanitarium, Boulder, Colo.
“Is God Dead?”
A LITTLE girl, whose father had once been very active in the work of the church, but had ceased to work or pray, climbed on his lap one day and said, “Papa, is God dead?” “Why, no, my child; why do you ask?” “O, you never talk to him any more, and I thought perhaps he was dead.”
Perhaps from the lives of many of us the world could not be sure whether God was dead or not.—Selected.
Religion and Business
“It makes all the difference whether your religion is the servant of your business, or your business of your religion.”