Earlier text: The Practical Guide to HealthA Message to Our Churches
By Ellen G. White
I AWOKE from my sleep last night with a great burden upon my mind. I was delivering a message to our brethren and sisters, and it was a message of warning and instruction concerning the work of some who are advocating erroneous theories as to the reception of the Holy Spirit, and its operation through human agencies. I was instructed that fanaticism similar to that which we were called to meet after the passing of the time in 1844 would come in among us again in the closing days of the message, and that we must meet this evil just as decidedly now as we met it in our early experiences. We are standing on the threshold of great and solemn events. Prophecies are fulfilling. Strange and eventful history is being recorded in the books of heaven,—events which it was declared should shortly precede the great day of God. Everything in the world is in an unsettled state. The nations are angry, and great preparations for war are being made. Nation is plotting against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. The great day of God is hasting greatly. But although the nations are mustering their forces for war and bloodshed, the command to the angels is still in force, that they hold the four winds until the servants of God are sealed in their foreheads. The world is now realizing the sure results of transgression of the law of God. His work of creation completed, the Lord rested on the seventh day, and sanctified the day of his rest, setting it apart as the day which man should devote to his worship. But to-day the world at large is utterly disregarding the law of Jehovah. Another day has been instituted in the place of God's day of rest. The human agent has set his way and his will against the positive teachings of the Word, and the world is plunged in rebellion and sin. This work of opposition to the law of God had its beginning in the courts of heaven, with Lucifer, the covering cherub. Satan determined to be first in the councils of heaven, and equal with God. He began his work of rebellion with the angels under his command, seeking to diffuse among them the spirit of discontent. And he worked in so deceptive a way that many of the angels were won to his allegiance before his purposes were fully known. Even the loyal angels could not fully discern his character, nor see to what his work was leading. When Satan had succeeded in winning many angels to his side, he took his cause to God, representing that it was the desire of the angels that he occupy the position that Christ held. The evil continued to work until the spirit of disaffection ripened into active revolt. Then there was war in heaven, and Satan, with all who sympathized with him, was cast out. Satan had warred for the mastery in heaven, and had lost the battle. God could no longer trust him with honor and supremacy, and these, with the part he had taken in the government of heaven, were taken from him. Since that time Satan and his army of confederates have been the avowed enemies of God in our world, continually warring against the cause of truth and righteousness. Satan has continued to present to men, as he presented to the angels, his false representations of Christ and of God, and he has won the world to his side. Even the professedly Christian churches have taken sides with the first great apostate. Satan represents himself as the prince of the kingdom of this world, and it was in this character that he approached Christ in the last of his three great temptations in the wilderness. “If thou wilt fall down and worship me,” he said to the Saviour, “all these”—pointing to the kingdoms of the world which Satan had caused to pass before Jesus—“will I give thee.” Christ in the courts of heaven had known that the time would come when the power of Satan must be met and conquered if the human race was ever to be saved from his dominion. And when that time came, the Son of God laid off his kingly crown and royal robe, and clothing his divinity with humanity, came to the earth to meet the prince of evil, and to conquer him. In order to become the advocate of man before the Father, the Saviour would live his life on earth as every human being must, accepting its adversities and sorrows and temptations. As the Babe of Bethlehem, he would become one with the race, and by a spotless life from the manger to the cross he would show that man, by a life of repentance and faith in him, might be restored to the favor of God. He would bring to man redeeming grace, forgiveness of sins. If men would return to their loyalty, and no longer transgress, they would receive pardon. Christ in the weakness of humanity was to meet the temptations of one possessing the powers of the higher nature that God had bestowed on the angelic family. But Christ's humanity was united with divinity, and in this strength he would bear all the temptations that Satan could bring against him, and yet keep his soul untainted by sin. And this power to overcome he would give to every son and daughter of Adam who would accept by faith the righteous attributes of his character. God loved the world so dearly that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever would accept him might have power to live his righteous life. Christ proved that it is possible for man to lay hold by faith on the power of God. He showed that the sinner, by repentance and the exercise of faith in the righteousness of Christ, can be reconciled to God, and become a partaker of the divine nature, overcoming the corruption that is in the world through lust. To-day Satan presents the same temptations that he presented to Christ, offering us the kingdoms of the world in return for our allegiance. But upon him who looks to Jesus as the author and finisher of his faith, Satan's temptations have no power. He can not cause to sin the one who will accept by faith the virtues of him who was tempted in all points as we are, yet without sin. “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” He who repents of his sin and accepts the gift of the life of the Son of God, can not be overcome. Laying hold by faith of the divine nature, he becomes a child of God. He prays, he believes. When tempted and tried, he claims the power that Christ died to give, and overcomes through his grace. This every sinner needs to understand. He must repent of his sin, he must believe in the power of Christ, and accept that power to save and to keep him from sin. How thankful ought we8 to be for the gift of Christ's example! Profound theories and speculations of human creation may abound, but he who would come off conqueror in the end, must be humble enough to depend upon divine power. When we thus grasp the power of Infinity, and come to Christ, saying, “In my hand no price I bring; simply to thy cross I cling,” then divine agencies can co-operate with us to sanctify and purify the life. Let no one seek to evade the cross. It is through the cross that we are enabled to overcome. It is through affliction and trial that divine agencies can carry on a work in our lives that will result in the love and peace and kindness of Christ. A great work is to be accomplished daily in the human heart by the study of the Word. We need to learn the simplicity of true faith. This will bring its returns. Let us seek for decided advancement in spiritual understanding. Let us make the precious Word the man of our counsel. We need to walk carefully every moment, keeping close to the side of Christ. The spirit and grace of Christ are needed in the life, and the faith that works by love and purifies the soul. We need to understand clearly the divine requirements that God makes of his people. The law, which is the transcript of his character, no one need fail to understand. The words written by the finger of God on tables of stone so perfectly reveal his will concerning his people that none need make any mistake. The laws of his kingdom were definitely made known, to be afterward revealed to the people of all nations and tongues as the principles of his government. We would do well to study those laws recorded in Exodus 20 and in the thirty-first chapter, verses 12-18. When the judgment shall sit, and the books shall be opened, and every man shall be judged according to the things written in the books, then the tables of stone, hidden by God until that day, will be presented before the world as the standard of righteousness. Then men and women will see that the prerequisite of their salvation is obedience to the perfect law of God. None will find excuse for sin. By the righteous principles of that law, men will receive their sentence of life or of death. The Rest Beyond
By Mary V. Nowlin
Beneath the shades of Elim I am resting,
And drinking of its many waters sweet;
Not thinking of the burning dread tomorrows,
Nor of the desert sands that wait my feet. What though the desert stretches far before me,
As pathless as the ocean, and as wide!
I rise to follow on where'er He leadeth,
O'er trackless waste or on the silver tide. What though to Rephidim I come all thirsty,
And find no water in that barren land?
My parched tongue shall only ever praise him,
While I recline or march at his command. When Rephidim and Elim and the desert
Shall all be past, with all my wanderings,
And Jordan's dark and turbid waters holden,
I'll cross and drink from Canaan's crystal springs. There will I rest my feet, and quench my thirsting,
And sing the praise that all my being fills,
That always I shall be with my Beloved,
When I have reached “the everlasting hills.” With this hope set before, what matters Marah,
Or Rephidim, or burning desert sand,
Or a brief journey through a land of sorrow,
That brings us over to the promised land? Shall We Colonize?
By C. H. BLISS
I RECEIVED a letter a few days ago from a good brother, saying that he thinks of joining the Seventh-day Adventist colony now locating in —. He speaks of others who think of going. Many have already gone. Now, is this right? Shall a large number of Seventh-day Adventists select a location and form a colony, and isolate themselves from the world? Are we not told to come out from the world and be separate? — True; but are we not also told to go into all the world and preach the gospel? and is not the third angel's message the gospel that is to go to every kindred, nation, tongue, and people? And how shall this be done without the help of our lay brethren? God has given us a special message to this generation—to the world; and all, both old and young, are to take part in some branch of this work. God has placed this burden upon us. Now shall we, like Jonah, flee away from the very place where God wants us? or, like ancient Israel, hide our lamp under a bushel, and get away in some lonely place where we have no opportunity to work for God? . As many as twelve or fourteen of our churches have been broken up in the last few years in one of our smallest conferences by removals. If these brethren have been led by the Spirit of God into new fields to work for the advancement of this message, we can not complain. But now several of our conferences are being weakened by removals brought about by the circulation of literature presenting in glowing colors the advantages of “securing homes in a Seventh-day Adventist community, in the Southwest, where all can have church and school privileges, and worship God unmolested.” Now, my brethren, in all candor, let me ask, Is this the call of God? Shall we retreat to some lonely place where our opportunities for work are very limited? Shall we sell our homes and lands, and at high prices purchase land in sections where there is no rain, and thus put money into the hands of land speculators, with no certainty of any material returns? The writer knows several who have tried this, and repented too late. Does a Disappointment in Connection With a Work Prove It to Be an Error?
By George I. Butler
The fact that the advent believers expected the Lord to come in 1844, and that he did not come, settles the question in the minds of multitudes that the whole movement was fanaticism and a humbug; that God had nothing to do with it; and that all the believers in it were a set of dupes. Learned doctors of divinity, and the great masses of the popular churches, have so regarded it since the passing of the time. Are they right in such conclusions? The coming of the Lord Jesus Christ the second time is certainly taught in many places in the Bible. It will be an event of the greatest possible importance to the whole human family. Nothing can exceed it in interest. The message telling the world of the coming of this event must evidently be a matter requiring time. A whole generation would be none too long for this message to do its work. The mistake of the Adventists in 1844 is very easy of explanation. As we have seen, the termination of the twenty-three hundred year-day period is fixed to the year 1844. There can be no mistake about that; for the good reason that to change the date of the beginning of that period from the going forth of the decree to restore and build Jerusalem by Artaxerxes, 457 B. C., to some other date, would literally disarrange all the other events included in the prophecy; but with that date, there is perfect harmony throughout. The prophecy did not say that Christ would come at the close of that prophetic period. It did say that the sanctuary would be cleansed (or “justified,” margin). The Adventists then believed the earth to be the sanctuary,—a belief without the support of a single text of Scripture. Supposing the earth to be the sanctuary, they expected it would be cleansed by fire, and so supposed that Christ would come at that time. This was their mistake. Yet not one of their learned opponents ever discovered the mistake. After the time passed, and the great disappointment came, in the careful, prayerful study of the Scriptures the whole glorious subject of the sanctuary opened up to their minds. They learned that the true sanctuary is in heaven, that God himself has made it, and that Christ has ministered in its first apartment about eighteen hundred years, as our High Priest after the order of Melchizedek. But in 1844 his place of ministry changed to the most holy place, to close up the final period of man's probation. Then a flood of light illuminated the whole subject of God's plan of redemption, and the final work of its closing scenes. They saw clearly that the first angel's message, proclaiming the hour of his judgment, had been given, and that Christ's last work in the heavenly temple is now in progress,—the final investigative judgment preceding his coming to execute the decisions of that judgment; and that a great work is to be wrought in fulfilment of the third message, the last of the most solemn series of the three angels' messages of Rev. 14: 6-12. Then the great movement was clearly before them, which has already extended to the ends of the earth, and numbers a hundred thousand believers. We now wish to consider briefly the idea that a disappointment necessarily demonstrates that any important work connected with it is a failure. Let us illustrate, first, by a great engineering project,—the building of the ship canal across the Isthmus of Panama. For ages the desirability of such a canal was most evident. It was a great undertaking, necessarily costing hundreds of millions. First the French under De Lesseps, the great man of the Suez Canal opening, undertook the task. Millions were spent. A terrible disappointment occurred. The undertaking was an ignominious failure. The great man died with a sad heart, and the work stopped. The French gave it up. Was the whole scheme a failure?—By no means. The United States of America took it up, and now everybody expects it will be a success.
Let us notice Bible illustrations. To carry out his9 great designs and educate and discipline a people to uphold his work in the earth till Christ, the light of the world, should come, God caused Israel to go down into Egypt. They remained there for centuries. They were oppressed, and became a race of slaves under a bondage worse than the African slavery in this country. But God proposed to deliver them, and place them in their native land. He raised up Moses. He revealed his almighty power with a strong hand and a stretched out arm, till at last all Egypt was glad to see them depart. Several million strong, they crossed the Red Sea triumphantly, and came to Sinai. God there revealed himself to them in a wonderful way, gave them his law, and fed them miraculously forty years. The journey from Mount Sinai to the promised land was only eleven days (Deut. 1: 2), but they were forty years in reaching the promised land. Why?—Because of their rebellious spirit, their lack of faith, their Egyptian ways, and their stiff-necked disobedience. Only two of that vast host of adults who crossed the Red Sea ever entered Canaan. Don't you suppose this was a most grievous disappointment?—Yes, it was. But was the whole thing a failure?—Far from it. When Israel learned the lesson of obedience, and were fit to be entrusted with such a land, flowing with milk and honey, they victoriously succeeded. Elijah was one of the grandest prophets God ever raised up. He mourned because of the backslidings of Israel, most of whom had gone into idolatry. Because of their sins, God sent a famine. For years no rain fell, the streams dried up, the cattle perished, and it was a time of great anguish. Elijah remained hidden. The king hunted for him in all kingdoms. At last he showed himself to the king. All Israel were summoned to Mount Carmel. Hundreds of the prophets of Baal were in attendance, and a test was made to ascertain who was the true God. The God who should answer by fire was to be recognized as the true God. All day long the prophets of Baal prayed and cried to their god, but there was no answer. Finally an altar to the God of heaven was erected; the sacrifice was laid upon it; barrels of water were poured over it, so that all could see there was no deception; Elijah prayed, and fire from God descended, consuming the sacrifice, licking up the water, and consuming the very stones. All the people shouted, “The Lord, he is the God; the Lord, he is the God.” It was a wonderful triumph. All the prophets of Baal were killed, and Elijah was almost enraptured at this glorious victory. He prayed, and a great rain fell, watering the whole country. Filled with hope and courage, he ran before the chariot of Ahab many miles. He doubtless thought that all Israel would turn to the worship of God. Jezebel sent him a message declaring that his life should be taken before the morrow passed. Elijah fled for his life, far away to Mount Sinai. His heart was nearly broken. He prayed that he might die, and seemed to give up all hope. How terrible was the disappointment of this valiant servant of God! But was his work a failure?—Ah, no. The great reformation was carried on triumphantly by Elijah, and by Elisha, his assistant, and became a great success; and Elijah went up to heaven in a chariot of fire. At the close of our Saviour's ministry, upon his last visit to Jerusalem just before his crucifixion, he sent his disciples to get a colt, and upon this humble beast he rode into the city. It was a triumphant ride. Wonderful fervor filled the hearts of his disciples. They began to shout, “Hosanna; Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.” With their garments and beautiful palm branches they carpeted the very ground over which he rode, thus showing honor to their king; for they thought that he, the Son of David, was to take the kingdom and reign as king upon the throne. This had been their hope, and they felt sure that the auspicious moment had come. The Pharisees were enraged. They could not silence the disciples, and they did not know what to do but ask Jesus to rebuke them for thus honoring him. Consider the remarkable words spoken by our Saviour in reply to this demand: “If these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.” Luke 19:40. Were Christ's words true? Why did he say them?—Because a prophecy given some five hundred years before this event had foretold that these disciples should thus shout. The prophet had said: “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.” Zech. 9:9. Surely God was in this shouting. He had plainly foretold it. His word must be fulfilled, even if he had to give voices to stones. What a wonderful evidence of how God and Christ regard prophecy, which so many proud professors to-day depreciate and despise. Note another fact: these very disciples who shouted and fulfilled that prophecy, labored under a mistaken conception of what was about to happen. They thought that Christ was to mount the throne of David then and there, but instead he was to be nailed upon a cross of wood, and die as an impostor. Was there ever a greater disappointment than that which the disciples then endured? It is quite evident they were in danger of giving up their faith. Peter said, “I go a fishing,” returning to his old occupation. Others went with him. But the risen Christ soon corrected their views. When he gave Peter his work of feeding his lambs and sheep, then the great work of the gospel began gloriously. Ah, no! Disappointments prove little; they tend to cast aside the weak and faint-hearted, to humble the believer so God can work through him, and to pave the way to a glorious success. So it was in 1844. Many of the weak and self-confident dropped out. The true believers carefully studied, prayed, saw the truth more clearly, cast aside their errors, and went on with their grand work with greater clearness and power than ever. And thus the work is going to-day. Said the angel, “Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.” We are now in the very closing days of this great work of warning the world of Christ's second coming. Support of Gospel Workers
By WILLIAM COVERT
ABRAHAM'S disposition of the recovered spoils shows the good conscience of the patriarch on the subject of tithe paying, and the whole narrative clearly proves that the tithing system was well understood and was practised by the Lord's people in those early times. It also shows how Abraham rebuked the king of Sodom and his people for not paying tithe on their property before their war with the neighboring tribes. And does not this incident of ancient history indicate that, since God then held kings and their people to be under obligation to pay tithes, all people and rulers to-day should pay tithes? Abraham's Faithfulness an Example for Us
The fact that Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek is used by Paul to show that the paying of tithes should yet be practised by the Lord's people. His teaching is that in paying tithes to the Lord's priest, the tithe so paid is received by our High Priest, Jesus Christ. He says that men here who “die receive tithes; but there he receiveth them, of whom it is witnessed that he liveth.” Heb. 7: 8. Since Christians are all children of God by faith in Jesus Christ (Gal. 3: 26), and also of the seed of Abraham according to the promises of God made to the patriarchal fathers (Gal. 3: 29), it follows that they will pay tithes, as Abraham did, because Jesus says that those who are the children of Abraham will “do the works of Abraham.” John 8: 39. Thus it is shown that Christians should be tithe-paying people. This is further shown by the fact that Christ is a priest after the order of Melchizedek (Heb. 7: 17), and that the priesthood of Melchizedek was supported by the tithes (Heb. 7: 2-6), and, too, that Christ should receive the tithes of his people. Heb. 7: 8. Jacob, the father of the twelve tribes of Israel, vowed that he would tithe all that should come into his possession. He said: “If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, so that I come again to my father's house in peace; then shall the Lord be my God: . . . and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth to thee.” Gen. 28: 20-22. Jacob's vow is further evidence of the ancient practise and faithfulness of the patriarchs in paying tithes. And judging from the manner in which the subject is treated by these men of primitive times, we conclude that the practise and the teaching regarding it were handed down from the Creator and Redeemer through Adam to his posterity.10 A Testimony From the Lord
In speaking of the tree of knowledge of good and evil and of its purpose, the spirit of prophecy says: “This tree God reserved as a constant reminder of his ownership of all. . . . So it is with God's claims upon us. He . . . requires that one tenth shall be faithfully laid aside for his work. . . . By faithfully obeying this requirement, we acknowledge that all belongs to God.”—“Testimonies for the Church,” Vol. VI, page 386. “This distinct arrangement was made by Jesus Christ himself.”—Ibid., page 384. Taught by Moses to Israel
The descendants of Levi, the third son of Jacob and Leah, were chosen to bear the chief burden of priestly and evangelistic work; and for this reason arrangement was made for their support from the tithe of Israel. And upon this point the Lord said to Moses: “And unto the children of Levi, behold, I have given all the tithe in Israel for an inheritance, in return for their service which they serve, even the service of the tent of meeting.” Num. 18: 21, A. R. V. The Lord, in speaking of the sacredness of the tithe, said, by the mouth of Moses: “And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is Jehovah's: it is holy unto Jehovah. . . . And all the tithe of the herd or the flock, whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto Jehovah.” Lev. 27: 30-32. No man ever had any permission or any right from divine authority to use the tithe or any part of it in his own business. Since the fall, it has always been the Lord's, and the Lord says that the man who uses the tithe for himself is robbing God. Christ has spoken very definitely about the tithe. He said: “Ye tithe mint and anise and cummin, and have left undone . . . justice, and mercy, and faith: but these ye ought to have done [ought to have exercised justice, mercy, and faith], and not to have left the other [the payment of tithe] undone.” Matt. 23: 23. But notwithstanding the fact that much has been said in the Bible about the duty of tithing, some claim they can not see that it is required. In response to this excuse the spirit of prophecy has said: “Those who claim that they can not see this to be their duty, reveal to the heavenly universe, to the church, and to the world, that they do not want to see this plainly stated requirement. They think that by following the Lord's plan, they would detract from their own possessions.”—“Testimonies for the Church,” Vol. VI, page 387. That one in debt to his fellow man is under obligation to pay his tithes to God, is evident from the following: “He is a debtor to God for all that he has, but he becomes a double debtor when he uses the Lord's reserve fund in paying debts to human beings. ‘Unfaithfulness to God’ is written against his name in the books of heaven. He has an account to settle with God for appropriating the Lord's means for his own convenience.”—Ibid., page 391. And again: “The tithe you have withheld I reserved for the support of my servants in their work of opening the Scriptures to those who are in the regions of darkness, who do not understand my law. In using my reserve fund to gratify your own desires, you have robbed souls of the light which I made provision for them to receive. You had opportunity to show loyalty to me, but you have not done this. You have robbed me; you have stolen my reserve fund. ‘Ye are cursed with a curse.’”—Ibid., page 387. Nearing the End
By R. D. QUINN
As far back as the time of Christ, men were living in the latter days, as compared to the whole period of this world's history. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost was interpreted by the apostles as being in fulfilment of a last-day prophecy. Later, Peter declared, “The end of all things is at hand.” Four thousand years were already in the past, and he was nearing the end. Martin Luther was persuaded that the day of judgment was not distant more than three hundred years in his day, and that the end of all things was near. At the close of the great papal persecution occurred the darkening of the sun, the first of those remarkable signs that Christ foretold would just precede his second coming. The year 1798 marked the beginning of the end, and the angel of Revelation 10 declared that there should be delay no longer. The great advent movement under the first and second angels’ messages, threw a flood of light upon the world; but the end was not yet. We are now seventy-five years this side of the falling of the stars, the last of those signs by which we were to know that he is near, “even at the door.” When we consider the whole period of human probation of nearly six thousand years, and compare it with the few brief years that still remain of the last generation, how forcible is the conviction that the end is very near! But still, while it is true that the coming of Christ and the end of this world are very near, in the development of all God's work there is something still nearer than the end, and that is the close of probation; for Christ will not come until after probation closes. The preaching of the third angel's message to all the world for a witness precedes the close of probation; and in the very nature of things it can be seen that nothing less than the outpouring of the Spirit in pentecostal power will ever prepare the church of God to finish the gospel work in the few years we have left of this generation. Therefore the outpouring of the Holy Spirit without measure upon the people of God is nearer than the actual completion of the preaching of the message to all the world. But when we consider that the promise of the Spirit, the greatest of New Testament blessings, is given on condition that we keep his commandments, and that “none can share the refreshing unless they obtain the victory over every besetment, over pride, selfishness, love of the world, and over every wrong word and action,” we find that the thing that is nearest to every one who expects to share in the last great work is Christian perfection. When that condition is reached, and we have become laborers together with him, God will pour out his Spirit upon us for service. This will enable us to carry the gospel quickly to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people. Soon every one will have decided his eternal destiny. The work of the judgment will close, Christ will come, and the righteous will be taken home. I do not see how any of us can face this situation, without being deeply impressed with the call that is in the very situation itself. The question is, How much longer can we delay the message, and still see its close in this generation? There must be a new experience. There must be a vitalizing power of the Spirit of God upon the Lord's servants, or the situation is hopeless. In view of the responsibility that rests upon every one who knows the truth, to make it known to others, every one must say that nothing less than the absolute and unqualified surrender of our lives and our means to God in loving service will meet the demands of the hour. The Greatest Reconciliation
By W. E. HASKELL
God's Justice and Mercy Reconciled
If God is love, why must sin be punished? and why must the penalty be death? and if death, how can sin be punished and the sinner still live? God's law is an infinitely perfect way for our highest good. Because it is perfect, it contains all good and no evil. Then the ways outside of, and apart from, God's way and law, are all evil. God's way is righteousness; all other ways are sin. The freedom of choice—a gift of God's love—makes possible the highest joy and blessing by enabling all to choose God's way because of love to him. But it involves the risk of sin—of choosing our own way in opposition to his. For the wrong choice—sin—there is absolutely no reason or excuse possible. Could a true reason or good excuse be given, it would cease to be sin. Sin is the cause and source of all evils—the parent of all curses. “Sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” Death is a natural, inevitable consequence11 of its operation. And yet because in God's wise plan, all, from the least to the greatest, sinners as well as saints, have an influence, there is a power in the example of one sinner, of even one sin, that tends to lead others in the same evil way. So sin is like a terrible disease, contagious and malignant; like a fearful monster seeking to destroy the children of God. Thus Satan, the author of sin, is represented as a great dragon. Yet the nature of sin is such that the creature of himself can not discern the end, the full danger, thereof. The first step leads so imperceptibly to the final ruin that only the infinite mind of the Creator could foresee the awful consequences. “It is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.” Only as God's children trust and obey their Father's guidance can they walk in safety. The power of example may be seen in the likes and dislikes of children, in their joys and sorrows, in their ambitions and ideals, in their inclinations toward right and wrong. Just as the earliest attitude of children for or against that with which they come in touch is shaped by their parents' attitude toward those things; so before the infinite evil and danger of sin, God's creatures are but as children whose attitude toward sin and righteousness would be most influenced by the example of their Heavenly Father. The child of God obtains his clearest view of the exceeding evil and danger of sin through the clear and full revealing of his Father's attitude toward the same. So, should God merely advise and protest against sin, and yet let it pass unpunished, he would come short of exerting his full power and influence against the evil—would veil and misrepresent his true attitude. Guided and influenced by such an example, his children would have occasion to think that, after all, God does not greatly care if they do choose their own way; that surely there could be no special advantage in their obedience, nor harm or danger in their disobedience. And so in time all would be exposing themselves to the deadly pestilence, would be venturing into the grasp of the awful monster—sin. If God did not love his children, he would not care if sin did destroy them; but his love for them is manifest in his hatred of sin. As his love for them is infinite, so his hatred of sin must be infinite. The penalty for sin is the channel through which he reveals his infinite hatred thereof. It is the expression in full of his true attitude toward sin. God's children need this as a guide, as a protection. The punishment of sin is therefore an expression of God's love. It is God's danger signal, and is absolutely essential to the good and safety of God's great family. Love necessitates the punishment of sin. The greater the love, the more certain will be the punishment for iniquity. God would cease to be perfect in love did he let even one sin pass unnoticed and unpunished. But what would be the only just and fitting punishment of this greatest evil? As the monster sin—the contagious pestilence—would destroy those whom God loves, love, in their defense, must destroy sin. So the wages of sin, the penalty for the transgression of God's holy, perfect law, is death.