Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Feb 13, 1900
PRIDE ABASED.
By Mrs. L. D. Avery-Stuttle
MRS. L. D. AVERY-STUTTLE.
The great king walked in his palace,
And his heart was filled with pride,
A scepter gleamed in his fingers,
As in boastful tones he cried:
“Is not this mighty Babylon,
Gleaming in beauty bright,
Which I, King Nebuchadnezzar,
Have built in my royal might?
“I built the glittering palaces,
And I built the towers fine,
And whose are the hanging gardens
And the massive walls but mine?
Is not this mighty Babylon,
Built by a royal god?
Ah, I am the greatest monarch
That ever the earth hath trod.”
Then he heard a voice from the heavens,
And he smote on his royal brow:
“O mighty Nebuchadnezzar!
To thee it is spoken now:
Alas, for thy boasted power,
For the power alone is mine!
Thy kingdom is taken from thee,
And the heart of a beast is thine.
“Thou shalt eat, like the stupid oxen,
The grass of the field to-day,
And thy hairs shall grow like the feathers
Of the wandering birds of prey;
And the dew of the humid heavens
Shall fall on thy lordly head,
Till seven times pass o’er thee,”
The voice from the heavens said;
“Till thou know that the Most High ruleth
O’er the mightiest nations, still,
And giveth the earthly kingdoms
To whomsoever he will.”
Then the heart of the mighty monarch
Seemed bound with an icy band,
And his brain was seared by the fingers
Of a terrible, unseen Hand.
And he shuddered, and gasped, and trembled,
And tore from his head the crown,
And cast, in a frenzied horror,
His royal scepter down.
And quick, in the selfsame hour,
He fled from his palace grand,
Pursued by a horrible power
That he could not understand.
With the stupid beasts he wandered
Till seven long years were past;
And the heart of the haughty monarch
Was stripped of its pride at last.
MRS. E. G. WHITE
By Ellen G. White
“BY WHAT AUTHORITY DOEST THOU THESE THINGS?”
MRS. E. G. WHITE
“AND Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that bought and sold in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money changers, and the seats of them that sold doves.”
Christ drove the dishonest traffickers from the temple courts with heaven’s authority flashing from his face. His voice spoke to the conscience and soul with the power of God. “Take these things hence,” he said; “it is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.”
As priests and rulers looked upon the face of Christ, terror took possession of them; for divinity was flashing through humanity. This was evidence that they had not looked for. They understood the meaning of his words, and, amazed and terrified, they fled from the humble, travel-stained Nazarene, as if he had been surrounded by an avenging army of heavenly beings. But as they hurried away from the sacred precincts, they found that they had received no bodily harm, and their terror-stricken souls began to recover. They said, We will return to the temple, and demand by what authority he is doing this work. But when they saw the work that Jesus had been doing since their expulsion, they did not confront him with the assurance that they thought they would. They found the Saviour healing the sick and the dying. “The blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them.” On their ears fell the sound of rejoicing and the song of praise. In the very temple itself, children who had been restored to health were waving palm branches, and singing hosannas to the Son of David. Baby voices were lisping the praises of the mighty Healer. The people were rejoicing; for those among them who had been sick and dying were now restored to perfect health. But the lowing of the cattle and the bleating of the sheep were as music in the ears of the priests when compared with these sounds of rejoicing. Cattle sales meant money to them. But the gladness and joy of the people who had been restored gave them no satisfaction.
“Hearest thou what these say?” they asked Christ; and he answered, “Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?”
The scene at the temple was indelibly impressed upon the minds of the people who had come to attend the feast.
What greater evidence than this could Christ give? If this could find no entrance into the hearts of these resisters of light; if such a scene as this did not bring conviction; if this light was not sufficient to drive away their prejudice and jealousy, what evidence could Christ give to pierce their rock-bound hearts?—Nothing that he could say or do would move their stubborn wills.
The night before his work of cleansing the temple courts and healing the sick, Christ had spent in prayer in the mount of Olives. “In the morning as he returned into the city, he hungered. And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward forever. And presently the fig tree withered away.” The next morning, on his way again to Jerusalem, he passed the withered fig tree. “And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, How soon is the fig tree withered away. Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.”
The fig tree was covered with promising, pretentious leaves, but was entirely destitute of fruit. It represented impenitent Israel, who had failed to do the work of God’s appointment. And not only does this lesson apply to the Jews, but in its terrible significance it reaches to every age, warning each soul of the sure result of profession without practice. Let professing Christians inquire into the meaning of the curse pronounced upon the fig tree. The tree was full of promise, but investigation revealed its barrenness. It bore no fruit; and because of this defect, words were spoken that caused it almost immediately to wither away.
A fig tree is created to bear fruit; and if it does not do this, it is not fit for a place in the orchard. It is treated as a cumberer of the ground. So the Lord created men and women to bear fruit to his glory and for the good of their fellow creatures, and he has provided them with every facility necessary to enable them to do this. By creation and by redemption we are God’s. Christ came as our substitute and surety, that we might bear fruit for him. A probation has been granted us that we might not be like the fig tree, full of flourishing leaves, making great pretensions of success, yet destitute of good works.
After this Christ again entered the temple; and as he was teaching, the chief priests and elders of the people came to him with the question, “By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority?” They had been given unmistakable evidence of Christ’s power. Amazed and terrified, they had fled from his presence, returning to find him healing the sick and the suffering, who were rejoicing, not only in the courts, but in the temple itself. And yet after passing through this wonderful experience, the Jewish rulers could2ask Christ, “By what authority doest thou these things?”
Christ answered them by asking a question. “I also will ask you one thing,” he said, “which if ye tell me, I in like wise will tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven, or of men?”
The priests and rulers were perplexed. “They reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say unto us, Why did ye not then believe him? But if we shall say, Of men; we fear the people; for all hold John as a prophet. And they answered Jesus, and said, We can not tell. And he said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things.”
In his wonderful deeds of healing, Christ had answered the question of the priests and elders. He had given them evidence of his authority, which could not be controverted. But it was not evidence that they wished. They were anxious that he should proclaim himself as possessing divine authority, that they might misapply his words, and stir up the people against him. They wished to destroy his influence and put him to death. Christ knew that if this people could not recognize God in him, they would not believe his assurance that he was the Christ. They had seen the sick healed, and the dead raised to life. They had witnessed the resurrection of Lazarus after he had been in the grave four days. The moral supremacy of Christ was revealed in all his words, in every work of love and power, but they recognized it not. They thought to take him by guile, and cause him to speak something that they could use to his condemnation. But Christ not only evades the issue they hope to bring about, but turns the condemnation upon them. In the purity and self-denial of John’s life, they had felt the power of God. Conviction had been sent to every soul. If they would not heed John’s warning, they would not heed the words of Christ.
John had preached the coming of the Messiah. In trumpet tones the words of the forerunner of Christ had rung in their ears: “There shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots. And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord; and shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears; but with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.” “He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him. For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloak. According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay, fury to his adversaries, recompense to his enemies; to the islands he will repay recompense. So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him. And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the Lord.”
John came bearing witness of the One whose divinity they were now questioning. Christ himself had gone to the Jordan, not to repent of sin, but to fulfill every specification required of the sinner. The Baptist saw the Saviour walking at a distance, and his face lighted up. “Behold the Lamb of God,” he cried, “which taketh away the sin of the world.” There Christ stood revealed before the people. The glory of God descended upon him in the form of a dove like burnished gold, and the voice of the infinite One declared, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
Christ reminded the priests and Pharisees of this recognition by God of John’s message and work. If you believe John to be a prophet, he said, why do you not believe my testimony? He told you plainly who I am. You have refused to do the work God appointed you in revealing Christ to an apostate world. You refuse to believe in the Son of God. You now ask me for my authority for cleansing the temple courts, which you have defiled. You profess to be anxious to know God’s will, but you reject the evidence given in such abundance.
If the rejecters of light in Christ’s day had opened their hearts to the appeals of the Spirit of God, they would have sympathized with the purpose and work of Christ. They would have seen in him the antitype of all their sacrificial offerings. They would have been saved from the terrible doom pronounced upon them by the One who gave his life that they might live. Israel would have had a God to deliver them from the bondage of the Roman yoke,—a God who would have done more for them than a loving father could do for his child. Christ wept over the obdurate city, saying, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not. Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.”
We have before us the example of the Jewish nation, who jealously cherished their self-righteousness. They had not that faith which works by love, and purifies the soul from all defilement. Let those who hear the message God sends to-day beware lest they follow the example of the self-exalted Jews. God does not propose to remove from our path everything that will create question in regard to the work of his servants. He gives ground for faith sufficient to convince the candid, sincere mind; but more evidence than this would never change the inward determination to resist light.
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HOW TO OBTAIN KNOWLEDGE.
By H. W. Reed
H. W. REED.
THE Biblical statement that God’s people are destroyed for lack of knowledge is true in the physical as well as in the spiritual sense. It is true temporally, and it is true eternally. If we wish to learn the first principles of knowledge, where shall we find them? If we wish to start in the path of knowledge, what is the first step? Here is the answer: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” (Prov. 1 : 7); and “the knowledge of the holy is understanding.” Prov. 9 : 10.
Then let him who would have knowledge, who would start in the way of understanding, fear God. If a man would begin the acquisition of knowledge aright; if he would have the best use of his powers, both mental and physical; if he would read nature as it should be read, and would study the arts and sciences as they should be studied; and most of all, if he would have that knowledge that saves from sin, and would know Him whom to know is life eternal, let him fear God, and the first step will have been taken.
And how shall he continue in this way? The answer is similar: “The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom.” Prov. 15 : 33. But since the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, and since it is the instruction of wisdom, then what shall be our conclusion?—“And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.” Job 28 : 28. Then the man of knowledge and wisdom is the God-fearing man.
God says that his people perish for lack of knowledge; and as we have found knowledge, or wisdom, to consist in fearing God, we conclude that they perish because they do not fear God.
THE SPIRIT OF ELIJAH AS WELL AS THE POWER.
By David Paulson
DAVID PAULSON.
Enoch and Elijah are types of the remnant people, who will be translated for exactly the same reasons that Enoch and Elijah were. Christ had so fully taken possession of them that they were lifted above the power of sin and disease. Our work is to be characterized not only by the power of Elijah, but also by the spirit of Elijah.
It is natural for us to long for the power of Elijah in our work,—that power which brought fire from heaven, that power which enabled him fearlessly to denounce iniquity, and to run before Ahab’s chariot without even the suggestion of fatigue; but let us take a glance at the character of Elijah’s spirit.
The Lord told him to go and anoint Hazael to be king over Syria, and evidently, from the condition of affairs, it was not difficult for the prophet to see that this was the proper thing to do; and from a human standpoint, it must have been a joy to him to be chosen to take a leading part in such an important reformation.
Further, the Lord told him to anoint Jehu to be king over Israel. When we take into consideration how Elijah’s heart must have been stirred at the weak and sinful course of king Ahab, it is not hard for us to imagine what a thrill of joy must have passed over him when he learned that God was going to use him to bring about such a necessary reform as to anoint the new king.
But mark the next commission: “Elisha . . . shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room.” Remember, Elisha was the man whose business it was to follow Elijah around, and get water for him to wash his hands. 2 Kings 3:11. Note particularly that the Lord does not even tell Elijah that he has another thing on earth for him to do. Perhaps, from a human standpoint, it looked as if he was absolutely to be laid aside. But he did not fail even at this last and supreme test of his life. Not only did he not fail, but he asked the Lord to put a double portion of his Spirit upon Elisha; or, in other words, to make him twice as great a man as himself. And lo! after he had performed this trying duty, he not only went to heaven, but a chariot of fire and horses of fire took him there.
The fact that Elijah’s work could close and open the heavens, and that by his word fire could come down, was not sufficient proof that he was ready to go to heaven without seeing death; but when he could turn over his own work to his servant, without the prospect of anything before him, then he was ready to be translated.
This closing work is to be done in the spirit of Elijah as well as in the power of Elijah. If we have that spirit that can daily say, in reference to our brethren, “He must increase, but I must decrease,” we shall have but a short time to wait before we shall be endued with the power of Elijah.
Humility and Exaltation
But “He that humbleth himself shall be exalted.”
THE MEANING OF THE MISSIONARY READING CIRCLE.
By Alonzo T. Jones
A. T. JONES.
This being the fourth Sabbath of the month, the missionary Sabbath, I am to speak on the subject of missionary work. There can be no stronger incentive, no more earnest persuasion, to missionary work than simply to look at what is before us, and study the meaning of it; and all that I shall do, or attempt to do, in this missionary talk will be to call your attention to what is before us, as it is before the eyes of all the people, that of which you yourselves are a part, in which, indeed, you are engaged at present, and call your attention to the meaning of these things. And if that will not persuade you to missionary work, then, even if an angel from heaven should come, he could not do it.
Last fall there was organized and begun the work of the Missionary Reading Circle. It was organized in order that all persons who profess to know the Third Angel’s Message may have a part in it, may enter into that work of missionary reading so as to know what is now to be done. I think that, generally speaking, all who profess to believe the Third Angel’s Message are engaged in that reading of the Missionary Circle.
Surely there can be no doubt in the mind of any one who is observing, or who will think, that the organization of that Missionary Reading Circle and work is of God; that the Lord led out the ones who have the charge of it, to speak of it, to call together those who could engage in the organizing of it, in the setting of the machinery to work, and in the laying out of the plan of work.
And since the Lord has so manifestly started this; since it is for all the people; and the object of it is to have all the people engage in missionary work, there can be no doubt whatever that this Reading Circle enterprise itself is a call of God to all this people to engage in missionary work as they have never done before.
The object of the organizing of that Reading Circle, the plan of the readings, all in connection with it, was solely to get people to engage in missionary work. The only sure way to get the people to engage in missionary work intelligently is to have them read the things that they are to use in their missionary work, so far as circulating literature is concerned, so that they may get a fresh and intelligent and up-to-date knowledge of the literature, in order that they may intelligently bring it before all people to whom they may go.
The books of Daniel and Revelation contain the special, systematized present truth for the world at this time. “Thoughts on Daniel and the Revelation” is the only book, outside of the Bible, that gives a comprehensive, simple, plain, and clear view of the whole field of the truth covered by the Third Angel’s Message and comprehended in it. Therefore “Thoughts on Daniel and the Revelation” was chosen as the beginning book of study, in order that all the people might have a renewed view of the great prophetic field. With the reading of the books, there was also planned the Reading Circle lessons, bringing in that which is occurring to-day in fulfillment of what is spoken in the books of Daniel and Revelation, and which was outlined long ago in “Thoughts on Daniel and the Revelation.”
This being brought before the people, it was supposed—and the supposition is correct, whether the fact proves it or not—that this would be the best opening, the surest means, of getting the people intelligently informed upon the issues of the day with regard to the literature that must be put into the hands of the people, that they may know what is going on to-day, that they may know the truth, that they may understand it, and that they may be won to the Lord and to the ways of righteousness, and so escape the evil that is fast coming upon the earth. All that was planned, and contemplated in the plan, in arranging the Missionary Reading Circle.
Therefore any one who studies these lessons in the Missionary Reading Circle studies, or thinks of the lessons, or reads the book, simply to be HIMSELF informed, that HE shall know more than he did before, and pride himself upon knowing more than other persons, and confine this to himself,—that person is missing all that was intended in the organizing of that work. He will miss all that is intended by the Lord in calling the people unto that work. And he will not only miss all that, but will miss all the rest that there is, whether in the Bible or out; because God never gave to anybody, and he never will give to anybody, anything to be held fast to himself.
Whoever takes what God gives, and shuts it unto himself, and himself in with it, will lose that and all else; even as Jesus said: “Whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he thinketh that he hath.” That was spoken to those to whom God had given talents. He gave them these talents to be used. And the one who received the talents, and did not use them, is the one who did not have them when the end came. The one that received them and used them is the one who in the end had them; and he also got what the other one had and did not use.
So whatever is given in the Missionary Reading Circle work, whatever comes to any of this people in the book that has been put at so low a price that anybody can buy it, not only for himself, but can afford to give it away,—this that has thus been brought to all people, was brought to the people only in order that they might pass it on to those who have it not. And if it should be that those to whom this work has come should study this for their own sakes, and then shut it in to themselves, and themselves in with it, then there could be no surer token that that people have forfeited all the light and the truth that God ever gave, or ever can give, to that people; and the kingdom of God will be taken from them, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. This is some of the meaning that lies in the organizing of the Missionary Reading Circle.
Now in a study of the meaning of the Missionary Reading Circle work, I do not know of anything that could emphasize that meaning as I have outlined it to you just now, any more than would a glance at the lessons that have so far been studied in the book of Daniel in the Reading Circle lessons.
This thought that we have just noticed—that God gives nothing to anybody to be shut in to himself, but only that it shall be passed on to other persons—is emphasized in these studies. I do not say that it has been brought out and made a lesson in the studies; but that it is made plain in the situation from which the things came that have been studied.
Why was it that Daniel or any others of Israel were in Babylon?—It was because they had confined to themselves the things that God had given them for all the nations. Everything that God gave to Israel when they came out of Egypt, or at any other time, was that they might pass it on to all the nations who did not know God. But they made the mistake of thinking, and acting thoroughly upon the thought, that God gave these things to them because they were much better than all the other people in the world. And since he gave these things to them because they were much better than everybody else, the other nations could not have any of these things unless they became as good “as we are.”
And since, in that conception, Israel separated herself from all the people of the nations, and despised them, all the nations, being so much like Israel, simply said, All right; you can separate yourselves from us if you wish to; you can despise us if you wish to; what do we care? And the result was that all the nations despised Israel. And that will always be so. Just as certainly as you are like me, and I despise you, you will despise me. Just as certainly as you are like me, and I separate myself from you, you will say, All right; go it, I don’t care. And you will separate yourself from me.
That was Israel and the nations. But where was the separation? By whom was it made?—Not by the nations, but by ISRAEL; not by the heathen, but by THOSE WHO KNEW GOD. And by that they lost all the knowledge of God, to such an extent that when he came into the world, and presented himself to them in all his fullness, they did not know him, and crucified him out of the world.
That is why Israel was in Babylon. It was because they would not pass on to the nations, in the light of God, to the glory of God, that which God had given to them in light and glory. They had shut themselves away from the nations, and by that means had become worse than all the nations. Yet they had the truth: God had given it to them. Even though they had shut it away from the nations, and had abused it, and had trampled it underfoot, yet they had the light, and by them it must be given to the nations. And as they would not give it freely as God gave it to them to give, as they separated themselves from the nations, and thus hindered all the nations from having it, God scattered them among all the nations, in captivity, in distress, in bondage, in slavery; and thus he caused them to give to the nations that which he had given to them to give to the nations. But how infinitely better it would have been for Israel and all the world if Israel had given to the nations the truth, in the light, the blessing, the joy, and the peace in which God gave it to her.
And when those people found themselves scattered among the nations, they were actually surprised to find there were persons among the nations, even kings, kings of the mightiest empires of the world, who were hungering and longing for the truth, and were ready gladly to receive it as soon as it came to their attention.
Israel had thought all the time that those people were so bad, so hard hearted, and so much in the dark, that they did not care for the truth. But the Lord had given them, all the way along, lessons that that view was not100correct. He called Jonah, and had him go that long, long journey to Nineveh,—that great city, so wicked that it was about to perish,—to tell its inhabitants of their danger. And even Jonah, the prophet of the Lord, raised objection; and when he had really gone there and preached, and the Ninevites had repented, he thought strange that the Lord should forgive such persons as they. But the Lord taught Jonah the truth that he cared for other people as well as for Israel. And then that whole experience was written out, and was put into the literature of Israel as a living lesson that God cared for the other nations just as he did for Israel; and that Israel was in the world to take to the nations round, dark as they were, heathen as they were, that which God had given to her.
Yet, for all this, Israel would not learn that lesson. And the Lord had to pick them up bodily, and fling them out as seed in the wind, to fall where they might among the nations.
Then, in their distress, in their loneliness, with no temple of worship, no sacrifices, no offerings,—with all these taken away, they sought God without them, and found him, as they ought to have sought him with them, and found him. And when they sought him without them, and found him and his blessing, then they became a blessing to all those where they were scattered.
Now that is the philosophy of Israel’s being in Babylon. And the book of Daniel is a last-day book, you know. It says so over and over. Then the book of Daniel is written to teach the people in the last days—the people of God, to whom God has given his truth—that unless they pass this truth on to all the nations, in peace, in quietness, in light and blessing, they will do it in distress, in poverty, in the confusion and contention of the nations as the curse falls upon the earth and spreads over it everywhere.
And all this teaches to the people of God in the last days that there are persons in the world, in the darkness of heathenism, everywhere outside of the circle of the people of God, who are hungering and thirsting for righteousness; who long for the knowledge of God; who have hearts just as honest as any saint’s heart,—only they have not the knowledge. They have not yet received the light. But they long for it, they wait for it. And if it shall not be given to them by the people who now have it, and who are dwelling in undisturbed peace, prosperity, and happiness, under their own vine and fig tree, then these honest souls among the nations will get the light and truth by means of these people who have it being scattered to the ends of the earth, and doing in poverty and distress what they would not do in peace and quietness.
And when that time comes, there will be found again among kings, the greatest of earth’s kingdoms, of mighty world empires, those who long for the truth, and who will welcome it when it comes. This, in order that all the peoples and languages may know the truth: even as it was before. For what was done with the truth when Nebuchadnezzar received it! Why was it given to him?—First, of course, it was given to him because he longed for it, because he desired to know what was the way of light and truth in the world. But when he had received it, immediately it was spread to all the nations. It was given to him to be spread to all the nations. And the last thing in Nebuchadnezzar’s experience—you know, you have had it in your lesson—was that experience recorded in the fourth chapter of Daniel, in which King Nebuchadnezzar confessed his pride and his foolishness, and what came of it in judgment to him, and also what came out of it in blessing and glory to him, from God. And that experience was published to every nation and language and people in all the world as it then was, of which Nebuchadnezzar was the ruler.
Thus, these people outside of Israel, when they received the truth of God, did with it exactly what Israel ought to have done with it when she received it; and which if she had done with it, Israel would not have gone into captivity to the nations,—would have been blessed instead of being cursed.
Nebuchadnezzar is only one. Darius was another; Cyrus was another. These mighty rulers, all heathen to begin with, were all the servants of God to end with; and all this, through the instrumentality of the people of God who were scattered in the kingdoms which these men ruled.
And all this is one of the things that illustrate the deep meaning of the Missionary Reading Circle. This is one of the mighty thoughts that God is giving to us now, and to the carrying out of which he is calling his people, in the Missionary Reading Circle studies.
(To be continued.)
PEN PICTURES.
By William P. Pearce
WILLIAM P. PEARCE.
“And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh.” Matt. 25 : 6. Without an exception, the most comforting doctrine of the New Testament is the coming of Jesus. In its pages no fewer than three hundred and eighteen references are made to it, while an average of one verse in every twenty-five deals with it.
The other day I called upon a white-haired physician. In the course of my remarks, I asked, “How old are you?” “Eighty-eight years,” he answered. “You are a Christian, are you not?” “Yes, sir,” he replied; “and for over fifty years I have not retired till after the midnight hour, but prayerfully and patiently have waited and looked for the coming Christ.” Think of it! For a half-century this saint of God has not given sleep to his eyelids, nor allowed his practice to interfere with his midnight watching for Jesus. Glorious disposition! Beautiful hope! Rare faithfulness and devotion! I know somewhat of how he would treat Jesus if he came to-night, from the fact that when I told him I was looking for that same Jesus, he embraced and kissed me.
“Behold the Bridegroom cometh in the middle of the night,
And blest is he whose loins are girt, whose lamp is burning bright.” Thank God, thank God, the Man is found,
Sure-footed, knowing well the ground;
He knows the road, for this the way
He traveled once, as on this day.
He is our messenger beside,
He is our door and path and guide.
—J. R. Miller, D. D.
WE’RE GOING TO THE KINGDOM.
By A. L. Hollenbeck
A. L. HOLLENBECK.
We’re going to the kingdom,
Where all is bright and fair;
Where all are free from trouble,
From sin, and grief, and care.
The Lord has paid the ransom,
The way has been prepared,
And soon we’ll see the glories
Good Enoch long has shared.
We’re going to the kingdom,
Proclaim it far and near;
Prepare to meet the Saviour,
For soon he will appear.
Get ready now for service,
Seek earnestly for power
To go and work for Jesus
In mercy’s closing hour.
We’re going to the kingdom,
We’re far along the way;
Almost we see the dawning
Of heaven’s eternal day.
The path is straight and narrow,
The way is clear and bright;
Soon, soon, we’ll pass forever
Into the realms of light.
YE SHALL RECEIVE POWER.
The King's Messenger.
The Galatians had been “moved from Him” who had called them into the grace of Christ. Though born of the Spirit, they had stepped backward, and were trying to regulate themselves by the law; the works of the flesh had crept in, and they found bondage and schisms and disruption; for they knew not the Spirit. The church constituted a pitiful nursery filled with helpless babes and peevish weaklings.
The apostle through whom the Spirit first led them to Christ, yearning over their sad state, cries out: “My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you,” and then goes on in his own masterly and fatherly way to exhort them to stand free in the Spirit's work already done in them, begs them to leave off trying to regulate themselves by the law, but to walk in the Spirit, and as a natural, sweet consequence, they will not fulfill the works of the flesh. He declares that living in and walking by the Spirit will be the panacea for all their ills and their deliverance from all difficulties, and they shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
Beloved church of God in these closing days of the nineteenth century, filled with weakness, paralyzed with fear, rent and torn by controversy, trembling with vague hope and longing desire, may I speak to you again from my hidden corner as the Spirit of God breathes upon and moves me, and say, “Receive ye the Holy Ghost”? For, “Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” With him in our midst as leader and guide, all nations will be discipled, and the gospel will be preached to every creature. For he comes to us with the authority and infinite resources of him who said, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.”
All power, blessed Leader! Power above the opposing forces of heathen governments and ruling spirits. Power above the force of deadly climatic influences. Power above the strong forces that move on land and sea. Power to utilize the highest inventions of men, and to calm into quiet subservience the wildest forces of nature.
Power to open doors that no man can shut; power to turn the hearts of kings; power to heal the sick and to triumph over death; power to be imprisoned, to suffer and die, if need be, that the gospel may be preached; power to be willingly maligned and willfully misrepresented; power to suffer the loss of all things if only Christ may be preached and the Comforter may be received. Power to carry eternal light into Africa's densest darkness, and everlasting life into her deadliest abodes.
Power to break the chains of sin and eternal death, and set captive souls free. Power to turn fiendish abodes into homes of peace and delight; power to bring men from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God.
Power triumphantly to watch and wait for Christ's return while we work; and power to meet him in the air at his appearing. The world awaits our action, and the Holy Ghost awaits reception, to this end; and he who gave the marching orders from Olivet said, “Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.”
YOUR CROSS.
By Ella Wheeler Wilcox
SEEK not to drop the cross you wear,
Or lay it down; for if you do,
Another shall be built for you
More difficult and hard to bear.
The cross is always made to fit
The back which bears it. Be content;
Accept the burden which was sent,
And strive to make the best of it.
Think not how heavy is your load;
Think not how rough the road, or long;
Look up, and say: “Lord, I am strong,
And love makes beautiful the road.”
Who toils in faith, and knows not fear,
Shall live to find his cross some day
Supported all along the way
By angels who are walking near.