Earlier text: DOOM OF SODOM; ITS LESSON FOR TO-DAYThe Mystery of the Beginning
By John Orr
The Mystery of the Beginning.
To the human mind the universe is full of deep, dark mystery. Even those things most familiar through daily association, when technically considered assume a cold reserve that checks every advance toward their hidden spring of existence. The ability of the tiny plant to absorb earth's moisture, and convert it into stalk, leaf, and flower; the process by which these same plants are assimilated by the animal system to maintain life and growth; the power of the human brain to think, reason, and calculate—these, with many similar points of inquiry, have, in large measure, ever eluded the research of scientific investigation. True, some superficial things in these lines have been brought to light; but the depths of nature's energy have never been explored, for the reason that, at the very threshold of inquiry in this direction, science has met an agency so delicately subtle and profound as to defy every attempt to discover its mystical source. Life, in its various forms and methods of operation, is an unknown quantity. Its existence is recognized, because its influence is felt, and some of the products of its being are seen. We feel its pulse-beat in our own organism; we see others moving about by the operation of its power; we note its play of expression in the eye and cheek of a friend; we mark its expansion in twig and blade of vegetation; but beyond these mere externals, the mind of man has never penetrated. The secret of life's power has never been disclosed to its beneficiaries. Altho permitted to enjoy the wealth of its service, they are denied the comprehension of its inherent faculty. The only approach to knowledge in this direction is through a divine revelation. But even this fails to disclose the secret of life's virtue, not because the revelation is faulty, but because the capacity of human understanding is limited. No language with power to convey such a mystery has ever been discovered, and so the spring or fountain of life is still concealed in Him whom no man has seen at any time. Ps. 36:9; John 1:18. The source of this wonderful mystery is somewhere, in something, in somebody; but where? in what? and in whom? No one of earth has power of mind or speech to disclose the secret. A voice has been heard from above, however, proclaiming itself by the incommunicable names of I AM (Self-existent), God Almighty (Infinite Power), and Jehovah (Sure Performance). Ex. 3:14; 6:3. In this august Personage, then, lies concealed that life on which the life of all else in the universe depends for existence. He is indeed above all, and through all, and in all. Eph. 4:6. The question was once asked, "Canst thou by searching find out God?" Job 11:7. This has often been tried through the aid of science, but, after prolonged methodical tests, the confession has been made necessary that far back and beyond all power of human research, there yet remained an unexplored expanse, enshrouded in impenetrable mystery. This is but the verification of a statement made ages in the past, declaring that "God is great, and we know Him not, neither can the number of His years be searched out." Job 36:26. The first and greatest mystery of the life of God is its creative energy. The silent yet sudden appearance of matter produced by an unseen force; its continuance in space as an integral part of an invisible whole; the regular movements of each division exactly conforming in time and position with every other part, as if controlled by some inwrought intelligence—these, while too wonderful for man fully to fathom, are to him the assurance of an intelligent Designer and Creator. Not only is design detected in the harmonious movements of heavenly bodies, but each minute speck of creation reveals the same in its form and equipments. The specific properties of the fly, and its adaptation to external nature, are as complex and manifold as the properties and adaptations of a planet. It is, therefore, not the magnitude of a material body by which the power and wisdom of the Creator is to be estimated, but the perfection and harmony of its parts. The whole creation partakes, more or less, of the nature of that from which it came forth. Activity is a law of its being. The workman does not impart elasticity to the mainspring, but simply molds the steel into a shape from which it may give out its latent power. Regularity is not given to the balance-wheel by human skill. That is an inherent property which is manifested when proper adjustment is given the material of which it is formed. The force of mechanism is an eternal principle which asserts itself whenever the proper relations of certain objects are secured. These facts reveal the wisdom of an Infinite Architect, in producing matter adapted to the needs of an intelligent creation. The steam-engine in its first form was adapted to few purposes, but in its present complex structure is capable of great accomplishments. In its steady development from the first simple mechanism to its present mammoth and complex form as seen in the ocean steamer, no new mechanical force has been originated. Only new parts and adjustments have been added which have developed the old force in new directions, adapting it to the accomplishment of new purposes. All these developments were latent in the power of steam, and were placed there at the first by the force of the Mind which designed the creation. The mind of man is another evidence of the intelligence of the Life from which creation has come. The fact that some men admire in others what they themselves are unwilling to become, shows that the human race has been endowed with the capacity to appreciate moral excellence in advance of present attainments. A sense of present moral imperfections, and a strong desire for higher attainments, have often been expressed by the yearning heart of man. Another fact which reveals divine intelligence in creation is the fact that man reaches his highest and best conditions in life under the influence of a faith which sees a future state that is purer and better than the present; that produces love and reverence for a pure Being who inhabits eternity; that connects the duties and trials of the present with the service and joy of the future. Thus an intelligent life-action is seen running through every fiber of creation, connecting all its parts from first to last. The principle of progress in development, shown in everything, testifies that the highest good was designed to be reached in every department of creation. Then the conditions under which the last and highest piece of the Creator's work progresses toward good, affirms the design for a perfect character in man,—one which is a part of the character of his Author. To consider such a creation as is revealed by the law of progress through inanimate things, by the moral nature of man, and the character of the Creator, one must be impressed that the first great Cause of all things is not only self-existent, but supreme and wise and good. The nearer man comes to the measure of goodness himself, the more his mind will become conscious of the divine impression upon him. The image and attributes of the Infinite One will be5 reflected from his soul as from a mirror, and will proclaim to all with unmistakable voice that God is, and that "He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him." Heb. 11:6. And yet all these things, being only created elements, have not the power in themselves to reveal the full and accurate intention of their creation. The heavens may "declare the glory of God," and the firmament show "His handiwork;" passing days may utter speech to the thoughtful mind, and the resplendent nights impart knowledge to the student that an intelligent Mind and omnipotent Hand arranged and controls all things. But these can not reveal the divine purpose of their being. Nothing in sight can do this. Revelation alone can give the needed information in this line, and that can be received only through simple, trusting belief of the truthfulness of the revelation given. CREATION.
By W. H. B. Miller
THIS word invariably calls to mind the first verse in the Scriptures: "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." This great manifestation of power is frequently used by God Himself to establish His omnipotent name. The true God alone can create. When reading of the wonderful miracles performed in past ages by the prophets and later by the Son of God Himself, we sometimes feel that we have exercised much faith in accepting the statement that such things really occurred, and the same is true of the creation of the heavens and the earth in six days. Of course we believe because God's Word says so, and the apostle Paul says that by faith we "understand" these things, and "understand" means to "know." But how can all really know that these wonderful works were performed? For all will not accept the authority of God's Word. Let us take, for instance, the feeding of the great multitude with the few loaves and fishes. This is inconceivable, because miraculous; yet if the most skeptical saw the miracle performed, he thinks he would believe. Men have great faith in their own eyesight; and for ages scientists have been endeavoring, patronizingly, to harmonize some of the miracles with the workings of nature as they see them; but most of the divine records have been entirely rejected, because with their finite minds no parallel or natural reason could be discovered. But every work of nature is a miracle, and is equally skeptical and without parallel. We believe, not because we understand, but because we see; and we think we know because we see. When we plant an apparently lifeless seed, and see the green speck appear above ground, quickly followed by leaves, buds, flowers, and fruit, we behold a present work of creation as marvelous as any recorded. When the passing clouds drop their refreshing showers, we behold another mighty miracle. When we study the glorious heavens, the work of God's hands, and watch the movements of mighty planets, we see God's upholding power. When we look at our own bodies, lo, God is momentarily creating in a wonderful manner! Altho our flesh and blood continually decay, returning to lifeless dust and invisible gases, the great Creator is almost as rapidly creating new life. Were it not for the death verdict passed because of sin, life measuring with the life of God would then be answered. This is our future confidence. Eternal life is to many an inconceivable and therefore an impossible state; yet it is no more wonderful than our present existence. The God who can so miraculously sustain us now, can immortalize us then. We see all these things with natural eyes; faith will enable us to see God in them, for the great Creator's hand daily performs all the beautiful miracles of nature. Have we a purity of heart which enables us to "see God"? When we look at the flowers, do we see His love as well as His marvelous creative power? When we examine the divinest work of His hand, even with the most powerful microscope, do we see His perfection as well as His omnipotence? When we look at our wonderfully made and sustained bodies, do we see His mercy and long-suffering as well as His wisdom? If we do, by faith we can easily "understand" how the heavens and the earth were framed by His Word, and how even the laws of nature could be suspended or entirely changed by His great wisdom. Let us constantly train our eyes to look for the King, to see His perfect character and His creating power in everything by which we are surrounded. By beholding we shall become changed; as we continually see Him, we shall become like Him; as we learn to love His creations, we shall desire to serve Him better; our faith will expand, our confidence will grow, and every vestige of doubt will quickly be dispelled. W. H. B. MILLER. WHERE ARE THE DEAD?
By C. P. B.
To this question the Bible makes reply that the dead are in their graves. Says the Saviour: "Marvel not at this; for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear His voice, and shall come forth." John 5:28, 29. When lamenting for his son whom he supposed to be dead, Jacob said, "I will go down into the grave unto my son." Gen. 37:35. To king Josiah the Lord sent this message: "I will gather thee unto thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered into thy grave in peace; and thine eyes shall not see all the evil which I will bring upon this place." 2 Kings 22:20. On the day of Pentecost the apostle Peter based an argument in proof of the resurrection of Christ upon the fact that David was still in his grave. He said: "Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulcher is with us unto this day." "For David is not ascended into the heavens." Acts 2:29, 34. But perhaps the clearest testimony upon this question in all the Word of God is found in the book of Job. When brought face to face with death, the patriarch considered this question, thus: "Man dieth, and wasteth away; yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he?" And again he asks, "If a man die, shall he live again?" And then, filled with the spirit of inspiration, he triumphantly exclaims: "All the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come. Thou shalt call, and I will answer Thee; Thou wilt have a desire to the work of Thine hands." Job 14:10, 14, 15. Just what the patriarch meant by awaiting his change is made clear by the thirteenth verse of the seventeenth chapter: "If I wait, the grave is mine house." He would in the grave await the resurrection, when he, in common with all who are in their graves, shall hear the voice of the Son of God. John 5:25. The change of which he spoke was not the change that takes place at death, as some have imagined, but the change spoken of by the apostle in 1 Cor. 15:51-53: "Behold, I show you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump; for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality." Glorious change! And sublime the faith that more than thirty-three centuries ago,—more than fifteen centuries before Christ met and conquered death and the grave,—made it the sheet anchor of the soul. WILL POWER.
By Ella Wheeler Wilcox
THERE is no chance, no destiny, no fate,
Can circumvent, or hinder, or control
The firm resolve of a determined soul.
Gifts count for nothing; will alone is great;
All things give way before it, soon or late.
What obstacle can stay the mighty force
Of the sea-seeking river in its course,
Or cause the ascending orb of day to wait?
Each well-born soul must win what it deserves.
Let the fool prate of luck. The fortunate
Is he whose earnest purpose never swerves,
Whose slightest action or inaction serves
The one great aim.
Why, even death stands still
And waits an hour sometimes for such a will.
—Ella Wheeler Wilcox. THE NEED OF A GOSPEL OF HEALTH.
By David Paulson, M.D.
THERE was never a time since Adam fell and brought sickness, pain, and death into the world when the tender services of the medical missionary were needed more than at the present time. Disease has become so frequent that as we meet our friends the most natural question is in reference to their health—we almost expect to hear them say, "I am not feeling very well." There are reasons for all this. This condition does not come without a cause. It is sad to say, and yet it is true, that one-half of all deaths take place before individuals reach the age of five. It seems as tho before the helpless child has had time to learn to break nature's laws, it is forced into it by the ignorance of its parents. Is there no one to rise up against this awful tide of wo? We hear much of yellow fever in the South; and what a stir was made when cholera invaded the port of New York! But what was this compared with those multitudes who perish before they have time to reach the years of accountability? All this means that humanity is learning wrong habits; it means that, either willing or unwilling, many persons are laying the foundation for both disease and crime. Our lives must be given to the work of saving humanity—not simply saving them spiritually, but saving them physically as well. If we should stand by the water's edge and see a boat-load of people suddenly plunged into the watery grave, the first instinct would be to devise some means of helping them. But all around us humanity is just as truly going down. New diseases are appearing as the result of the invention of new death-dealing habits. Such terms as "nervous prostration," "softening of the brain," "cancer of the stomach," "mania," and "melancholia," are becoming household names everywhere. Humanity seems as blind to-day as to the real root of this awful physical degeneration as were the Jews in the time of Christ to the real cause of their spiritual diseases. What is needed is a "John the Baptist" who will show the people their sins, and bid them repent, and point them to "the Lamb of God that taketh away both the physical and the spiritual sins of the world, for He bore our sicknesses. DAVID PAULSON, M.D. KNOWLEDGE, FALSE AND TRUE.
WHAT is the true knowledge? How may we obtain it? What is its end? its object? its result? It is stated in the text we quoted in the beginning: "And this is life eternal, that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent." It is not a new Bible doctrine. It is older than modern systems. Said the old Idumean emir: "Acquaint now thyself with Him, and be at peace; thereby good shall come unto thee. Receive, I pray thee, the law from His mouth, and lay up His words in thine heart." That higher knowledge, the only true knowledge, is knowing God—not knowing of God, but knowing God. Knowing Him, we know all, for God comprehends all. How may we know Him?—Only through Jesus Christ; for He is the only Man who has perfectly revealed God to the children of men. He declared to the worldly educated: "I know Him; and if I should say, I know Him not, I shall be like unto you, a liar; but I know Him, and keep His Word." "All things are delivered unto Me of My Father; and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and He to whomsoever the Son will reveal Him." - What is it then to know God?
- How may we know God?
We can not know a thing by knowing of it. We know of many people; we really know but few. To know a thing or a person we must come into harmony with it or him, and only so much as we are in harmony do we truly know. He does not know music who is not in harmony with the music. Until he is in harmony there is discord and harshness. We do not have sympathy or cooperation in a good work until our souls are in harmony with it. Even so can we never know God until our souls are in harmony with Him. We may hear about Him, we may know of Him, but until our heart-strings vibrate in harmony with His mighty heart of love, our wills respond to His great will, we do not know Him, we can not know Him. But how may we know Him? How did the Man Jesus know Him? If we learn that, we may learn how we may know Him. For the Anointed of God did not come to teach a knowledge which He did not experimentally and practically know. He had no text-book to which to refer for definitions in abstruse theories or sciences. He referred to no key the solution of intricate problems which vexed His pupils. He knew them all in His own divine life by knowing God. He had worked out the problems in the nights of prayer when others pleasured or slept. What was the foundation of that knowledge? 1. It was absolute submission to the will of God. It is expressed in the following words of the apostle: "Have this mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus; who, being originally in the form of God, counted it not a thing to be grasped to be on an equality with God, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, being made in the likeness of men; and being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, becoming obedient even unto death, yea, the death of the cross. Wherefore also God highly exalted Him, and gave unto Him the name which is above every name," etc. This was the mind which ruled Jesus Christ. Hear Him again: "For I came down from heaven, not to do Mine own will, but the will of Him that sent Me." "Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of Him that sent Me, and to finish His work." John 4:34. "Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known Me, Philip? he that hath seen Me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father?" John 14:9. And because Christ thus emptied Himself, poured out His life, submitted His will, for all time, it pleased God to fill Him with divine plenitude of power and grace. "For it pleased the Father that in Him should all fulness dwell." And when the Father dwelt in Him, Jesus represented not Himself but the Father. All of Christ's excellences were the excellences of God. He could say: "Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak unto you, I speak not of Myself; but the Father, that dwelleth in Me, He doeth the works." And at the close of His wonderful earth life He could in confidence submit His soul, His cause, and His all, to God, and declare: "I have glorified Thee on the earth; I have finished the work which Thou gavest Me to do." How shall we receive the same life?—By having the same mind, by yielding all, once for all, and every day, every moment. Thus speaks the Master: "Then said Jesus unto His disciples, If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; and whosoever will lose his life for My sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" And thus speaks Christ through one who knew Him:— "Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord; for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, and be found in Him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith; that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death; if by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead." Phil. 3:8-11. "For the which cause I suffer also these things; yet I am not ashamed; for I know Him whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that He is able to guard that which I have committed unto Him against that day." 2 Tim. 1:12, R.V. Says the beloved disciple:— "And hereby we do know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whose keepeth His Word, in him verily is the love of God perfected; hereby know we that we are in Him." 1 John 2:3-5. What blessed instruction and assurance is this! God through Christ has called us into this same blessed school. Listen again; in His prayer to the Father He declares of His disciples: "They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through Thy truth; Thy Word is truth. As thou hast sent Me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world." And, that they might be fitted, He fills the empty, willing vessels even as God filled Him. "That ye might be filled with all the fulness of God." "And in Him are ye made full." And thus as Christ revealed God the Father to the world, but did not reveal Himself, so will those who empty themselves for Christ's sake reveal the Son to the world. In this are knowledge and positive assurance which the conjecture or hypothesis of the world can not give. We may speak with all truth, "For I know Him whom I have believed." Knowing Him, we shall see and know ourselves in the clear light of Heaven's revealing. Only so can we know ourselves; for God only knows the heart of man. But knowing the Creator, He will reveal to us the creature. This harmony with God, emptiness of self, glad submission to His will, the reception of His Word,—simple faith,—brings into our entire being the life of God, eternal life, of which His Holy Spirit is the earnest. "These things have I written unto you, that ye may know that ye have eternal life, even unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God." And we further "know that to them that love God, God worketh all things with them for good, even to them that are called according to His purpose." Do not be discouraged, therefore, if you have not obtained all that you longed for in the way of book culture in the great schools of the world. You may not have so much to unlearn. Moses, after being learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, found it necessary to take a forty years' post-graduate course with God in the deserts of Midian, working for his board in the meantime caring for the sheep of his father-in-law. Paul, after graduating in a course that was the first among his own countrymen, confessed, "What things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ." And he learned more in his three years' retirement in Arabia, yea, in the few days following his journey to Damascus, where the Lord met him, than he had learned in all the previous years before. O, make the knowing God the basis of all your knowledge! Knowing Him, having His Spirit, filled with His words, you may be able to discern between the good and the evil, you may separate the wheat from the chaff. And then the possibility of knowing God! What does it mean? Does it mean that you will be cramped and narrow and short-sighted? Nay, verily, God's commandment is exceeding broad, and its dimensions lengthwise are eternity. What a field for investigation, for expansion—the unfenced realms of God! Only finite capability will limit the opportunity or quantity. Would you be a painter? What glorious scenes, what vistas of beauty, will then open before you? There will be no need to hasten. Tuition will be free. Would you study astronomy? You may have longed to study that and other interesting7 studies here, but may have given it all up for Christ's sake. Do not mourn your hope as dead. It wants more glorious birth, with better facilities. In the redeemed land it will not be hypothesis, but fact. The eye will not gaze through an atmosphere hazed by sin; it will be as clear as the azure air of heaven's dome. The vision will not be dimmed with mortality. You will not be confined to the heights of medium mountains, but gifted with superhuman powers; you may wander from world to world, from sun to sun, and forever bring home to a sinless earth new proofs of God's wonderful works. Would you study music?—There are no such masters of melody on earth as heaven knows. There is music everywhere there, even as discord here. The rolling of the spheres will be the grand bass to the sweet treble of the growing flowers and songs of birds which ears attuned to the harmony of God will hear. But the sweetest music of all will be the grand new song learned only in the school of experience, learned only in knowing God. The minor chords will be absent; it will be only grand major symphonies, sweet enchanting melodies, and glorious songs of triumph, in which all may have a part, with none of the envyings and jealousies which earth now knows. Knowing God, most wonderful knowledge! How easy will be all the minor lessons; how clear all sciences of inanimate things! Who would not know Him, and Jesus Christ, whom He sent? WHEN Christ was about to make His first advent, the whole Jewish nation was strongly cherishing a fatal error. There was, perhaps, not a single individual but what believed that the Messiah was to come as a temporal prince. The prophecies foretold how Christ was to come, but prejudices and a lack of spiritual discernment through a failure to study those prophecies kept the Jews of nineteen hundred years ago from a knowledge of the great truth that God had for them. The Messiah Himself finally came, as foretold by the prophets. His birth, His life, His teaching, and all His mighty works were a direct fulfilment of prophecy. Yet the Jewish nation as such rejected and crucified Him. And the Jews are still looking for the Messiah, notwithstanding the fact that the God of their fathers sent Him to them nearly two millenniums ago. And, furthermore, when He was here upon earth in person He came in fulfilment of the very prophecies that the Jewish doctors had in their hands and were expounding every day. Their explanations were wrong, it is true, but they need not have been if they had followed the Word of the Lord that was in their hands, in the place of holding to popular error and tradition instead. The first advent of Christ was a most important event in the history of the world. And the whole Jewish nation is a standing monument of the fatal spiritual death that came to those who shut themselves away from the truth that God's Word contained for that time. Another supremely important event is now confronting the world. Jesus has said, "I will come again" (John 14:3), and "unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation" (Heb. 9:28). Every prophecy and every sign of our time points to the fact that this promised second coming of the Messiah is right at hand. But a fatal error has overspread the world in this time that is equally as misleading as that which so completely blinded the eyes of the Jews at the first advent. The Word of God plainly says that "in the last days perilous times shall come," and "evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived." 2 Tim. 3:1, 13. The Master says: "Many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved." Matt. 24:11-13. And again He says, "Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall He find faith on the earth?" Luke 18:8. The foregoing scriptures are perfectly plain. They are explicit in saying that the last days shall be "perilous," that "evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse," that because of "false prophets" and "iniquity" those who are saved will have to "endure unto the end;" and finally the question is asked if there shall be any faith when the Son of man cometh. The facts in the world to-day are in perfect accord with the Scriptures of truth. The murders, the robberies, the vices, the embezzlements, the briberies, and all of the rest of the appalling array of evils in this our day show that "perilous times" have come, and that "evil men and seducers" are indeed waxing "worse and worse." It is perfectly plain that the world is confronted with evils to-day the like of which have never appeared in such malignant and all-pervading proportions. Men's faces grow pale at the thought of what is coming on the earth. But, despite the testimony of Scripture and the existing facts which so strikingly harmonize with the Word of God, we hear men saying that the world is growing better all the time, and that soon we will have a millennium, in the which there will be nothing but peace and righteousness. It is a strange anomaly that men can stand within the dark shadows of desolating evils, and, while their faces are blanched because of the terrors that the prevailing situation inspires, yet they will fulfil prophecy by saying, "Peace, peace, when there is no peace." And it is not true that men can not or do not see these things. God's Word is plain, and God's Spirit through His Word brings conviction to every heart. You may speak out and say, "That is not so." But time is too precious for you to stop to argue the matter with finite man. Ask your own conscience when alone with God: "What convictions have I been stifling? What manifest truth have I been resisting? What error has the heavenly Father plainly unmasked before me, and yet I am clinging to it because of my prejudices and pride?" And when you have honestly answered these questions, not to man, but to God, yield to your convictions of truth as you love your life. The delusion of a temporal kingdom at the Messiah's first advent, led all, excepting a few, of the whole Jewish nation astray. Yet there were some then who saw the truth and yielded to its convincing testimony. The delusion of a temporal millennium now, just before the second advent of Christ, is leading nearly the whole world into the fatal error. Do you see the striking parallel? Study the Scripture and ask your heavenly Father to guide you to the right side. ONE HUNDRED AND THREE YEARS AGO.
By Editor
IN his farewell address, Sept. 17, 1796, George Washington, the first and one of the most highly-honored Presidents of this republic, said, “I constantly hoped that it would have been much earlier in my power, consistently with motives which I was not at liberty to disregard, to return to that retirement from which I had been reluctantly drawn.” The “Father of His Country” was in a very different frame of mind in regard to grasping a public office from what many men are to-day. Think of the bribery, the general dishonesty and trickery, that are practised in capturing an office to-day, and compare it with the spirit of George Washington a hundred years ago, and it will help you to see how the public men of the nation are degenerating. We know that there was sterling integrity and a high sense of honor among the people in Washington's time, for George Washington was the people's unanimous choice in those days. He was the kind of man they wanted, and they secured him as their chief magistrate. And it was his conscientious convictions of duty, and not his love for office or his thirst for “boodle,” that led him to assume the responsibilities of his high calling from the nation. If there was more than a mere minority of the people to-day who really were concerned about the frightful condition of things, and who demanded better public servants, would they not get them? Did you ever reflect upon this? Did it ever occur to you that there was a deep and far-reaching meaning in this? THE Lord gives in His Word certain signs that are to appear as evidences of the second coming of Christ. And He says to us, "When ye shall see all these things, know that He is near, even at the doors." Matt. 24:33. The Lord does not give signs of His coming that are hard to be seen. And not only may these signs be readily seen, but God's Spirit comes to each one to impress them upon his mind and heart. And the fact that some stifle their convictions and refuse to hear the voice of God's Spirit and Word does not change the great truth that He is sending conviction into every heart as the signs of the Master's coming are seen. It is the great good-fortune of those who are living to-day to have the privilege of seeing "all these things" that the Saviour said would mark His coming. Are your eyes open to this fact? Do you see in the world to-day the signs of His appearing? And do you know that the Master's coming "is near, even at the doors"? The Lord wants us to "know" of His coming. And he who is following the Saviour closely has the definite knowledge now that the great event is right at hand? Don't treat this subject lightly. Don't allow your prejudices to close your mind to the reception of the important truth that the Master's coming is near. The Lord has made every provision for you to know.