Signs of the Times, Vol. 32, No. 49.
PACIFIC PRESS PUBLISHING COMPANY, MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALPage 1
Earlier text: PACIFIC PRESS PUBLISHING COMPANY, MOUNTAIN VIEW, CAL"THAT THEY ALL MAY BE ONE."
By Mrs. E. G. White
CHRISTIAN unity is a mighty agency. It tells in a powerful manner that those who possess it are children of God. It has an irresistible influence upon the world, showing that man in his humanity may be a partaker of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. We are to be one with our fellow men and with Christ, and in Christ one with God. Then of us can be spoken the words, "Ye are complete in Him." In the plan of redemption a place is allotted to every soul. To each man is given his work. No one can be a member of Christ's body and yet be inactive. Different lines of work are committed to different men, according to their several ability. The work of God's people may and will be varied, but one Spirit is the mover in it all. All the work done for the Master is to be connected with the great whole. The workers are to labor together in concert, each one controlled by divine power, putting forth undivided effort to draw those around them to Christ. All must move like parts of well-adjusted machinery, each part dependent on the other part, yet standing distinct in action. And each one is to take the place assigned him and do the work appointed him. God calls upon the members of His church to receive the Holy Spirit, to come together in unity and brotherly sympathy, to bind their interests together in love. Nothing so manifestly weakens a church as disunion and strife. Nothing so wars against Christ and the truth as this spirit. "By their fruits ye shall know them." "Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? Can the fig-tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh. Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him show out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom." "Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; and make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed. Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord; looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled." As long as we are in this world we must be linked with one another. Humanity is interlaced and interwoven with humanity. As Christians we are members one of another. The Lord has made us thus, and when disappointments7 come, we are not to think the worse of one another. We are individual members of the general body. In helplessness and disappointment we are fighting the battles of life, and the Lord designs us, as His sons and daughters, whom He calls His friends, to help one another. This is to be a part of our practical Christian work. Who is my neighbor? Read and understand. It is the very one who needs help the most. Thy brother, sick in spirit, needs thee as thou once needed him. Christ Is the Only True Center.
When He draws us to Himself, we are hidden with Him in God, and we show to the world that God loves us as He loves His Son. God imparts His Spirit to us. Truth, with its divine power and influence, takes possession of us, making of believers one harmonious whole, of which Christ is seen to be the soul. Every element is working in right lines. Every worker who fills his appointed place is helping to uplift the cross of Calvary. This is the unity God requires in His service. When God's chosen people are of one mind, barriers of selfishness will disappear as by magic, and many, many more souls will be converted because of the unity which exists among believers. "There is one body and one spirit." He in whose heart Christ abides recognizes Christ abiding in the heart of his brother. Christ never wars against Christ. Christ never exerts an influence against Christ. Christians are to do their work, whatever it may be, in the unity of the Spirit, for the perfecting of the whole body. The church is to be purified, refined, ennobled. The members are to cast from their hearts the idols which have hindered their advancement in spirituality. By the influence of the Spirit, the most discordant may be brought into harmony. Unselfishness is to bind God's people together with firm, tender bonds. There is a vast power in the church when the energies of the members are under the control of the Spirit, gathering good from every source, educating, training, and disciplining self. Thus is presented to God a powerful organization, through which He can work for the conversion of sinners. Thus heaven and earth are connected, and all the divine agencies co-operate with human instrumentalities. MRS. E. G. WHITE. PENITENCE AND SONG.
By Max Hill
LONG, long I kept silent, my sins did I hide,
The grievous afflictions pressed down on my head;
The offers of mercy and love I denied,
Till low at the Saviour's bruised feet was I led. I cried to the Saviour, "Transgression is mine,
O cleanse from iniquity, Lord, nor impute
The sins of my wandering; Thy mercy divine
For me interposing, the tempter refute." Wide then was my heart's door to let Him come in,
For penitence guided my tongue to confess,
And God in His mercy forgave me my sin,
His hand was upon me to heal and to bless. The sorrows shall compass the wicked about,
A song of rejoicing in my lips is placed;
The righteous and upright His goodness may shout
Whose mercy the record of sin has effaced.
MAX HILL. THE PAPACY IN PROPHECY
By Abdiel
THE MARK AND ITS ENFORCEMENT.
READ once more the prophecy of this government and nation in Rev. 13: 11-17: “And I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like unto a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. And he exerciseth all the authority of the first beast in his sight. And he maketh the earth and them that dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose death-stroke was healed. And he doeth great signs, that he should even make fire to come down out of heaven upon the earth in the sight of men. And he deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by reason of the signs which it was given him to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast who hath the stroke of the sword and lived. “And it was given unto him to give breath to it, even to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as should not worship the image of the beast should be killed. And he causeth all, the small and the great, the rich and the poor, and the free and the bond, that there be given them a mark on their right hand, or upon their forehead; and that no man should be able to buy or to sell, save he that hath the mark, even the name of the beast or the number of his name.” It has been clearly shown, we think, that “the mark of the beast” is the change which the beast power, the Papacy, has made in God’s law. That law enjoins that men should “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy,” and expressly declares that “the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God.” Ex. 20: 8-11. This is not a seventh day after six of work, but the seventh day of the weekly cycle, the day of the cycle on which the Creator rested, which He blessed, which He sanctified, known and acknowledged by all reputable authorities to be the present Saturday, from sunset Friday night to the succeeding sunset. But the Papacy teaches that the Sabbath commandment of the Decalogue enjoins to “sanctify the Sunday,” or first day. Of course, the Papacy knows that the Decalogue does not teach this; but the Roman Catholic Church does teach it, and puts forth Sunday-keeping as the mark of her power, her demonstration that she has power to change the times and the law of the Most High. Dan. 7: 25. This we have proved from her works. have, through the centuries past, observed Sunday. They have believed it to be taught of God. They thought it had Scripture sanction behind it. Shall they be counted as having the mark of the beast?—By no means. All they did, they did in loyalty to God; and God accepts the purpose, and counts the purpose for the deed. They are loyal to the light, and are accepted, not because of Sunday-keeping, but in spite of it. But in God’s providence a solemn three-fold message goes forth in these days warning men against beast-worship and calling them back to the worship of God, to the keeping of the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. Rev. 14: 6-14. He who in the light of God’s message, in the knowledge that there is no divine law for Sunday sacredness, in view of the confession of the apostate power that it has done this very work, even as the prophecy declared it would; in view of the further fact that it is proposed to enforce this spurious sabbath upon men’s consciences—if, in view of all these things, men turn from God and His Word and law to the human institution of apostasy, they must receive in that very thing the mark of the beast. who wear that mark; that rests with God alone. We may say in the light of His Word what that mark is and what it is to receive it. Its reception goes with rebellion against God and the worship of that which is opposed to His worship. There may be, and doubtless are, those outwardly observing the seventh-day Sabbath, who are possessed of the very spirit of the beast and what the mark stands for. If they are not converted, they will sooner or later receive the mark. There are doubtless many outwardly observing Sunday and trampling God’s Sabbath underfoot, but with a heart to do His will, who sooner or later will see the light and bring the outward conduct into harmony with the heart. These hearts God knows, and we leave it with Him. But in the present progress of the Sunday-law movement, it will not be long before it is universal. From every so-called Christian nation comes the news of Sunday-law agitation. It is especially active throughout the United States. Earnest men are engaged in it. Mistakenly zealous and successful, many are. Combining religious organizations, they control votes, and the controller of votes controls politicians.8 Increase of Papal Prestige.
Together with the increased demand for Sunday laws, there is a constant increase in papal influence in political circles. Roman Catholic prelates dominate the daily press to-day sufficient to dictate its policy in religious matters. The Catholic boycott influences great publishing houses; any book, however true, which is inimical to the Catholic faith can scarcely find a well-known publisher. Few, if any, of the great magazines would dare advertise such a book. Historical facts are suppressed in the histories studied in our schools, and Catholic critics sit at the entrance gate of our great encyclopedias, to see that important facts in papal history are not allowed to enter and be recorded. The national government is rapidly falling under papal influence. What effect will such a course have upon the world? Just what the opposite course of this government had one hundred and thirty years ago. When America turned from the “old order of things” and started a “new order of things” in civil and religious liberty, she turned the faces of the governments of the Old World “fronting to the dawn.” Tyrannical laws faded from statute books; the auto de fé became a thing of the past; dungeon doors were flung open; shackles melted; bonds of church and state union were weakened and became dead letters; the whole world looked libertyward, led by the young giant of the West. But now that this nation has turned her face backward to the Dark Ages, has said, We must here also enforce religion by law; we must go back in principle, ever ripening toward fact, to the ideas of church-and-state union which made the decadent nations of the Old World what they are, she will virtually say to those nations of the Old World, “I am wrong; you were right. After a century and a quarter, I find that we must return to the union of religion and the state, which cursed the world for centuries.” And the result will be that the nations will follow this nation back to the Black Forest of intolerance as truly as it was leading them a few years ago out of its cruel and dark superstitions. Therefore is it written in the prophecy: “And he deceiveth them that dwell on the earth.” “And he maketh the earth and them that dwell therein to worship the first beast whose deadly wound was healed.” But will the Papacy again be restored? A few considerations upon this in our next. A KAREN woman offered herself for baptism. After the usual examination, I inquired whether she would give up her ornaments for Christ. It was an unexpected blows. I explained the spirit of the Gospel. I appealed to her own consciousness of vanity. I read to her the apostle's prohibition. She looked again and again at her handsome necklace,—she wore but one,—and then with an air of modest decision, that would adorn, beyond all outward adornment, any of my sisters whom I have the honor of addressing, she quietly took it off, saying, "I love Christ more than this."—Dr. Judson. HE KNOWS.
By Flora E. Yergin
HE knows the way; the pitfalls hidden low
'Neath cooling shade, where we would rest
to-day;
The tangled briers—where the blessings lay
Below. He knows the heart of man—its childish cry
For glittering crown, for earthly power and
dross,—
That Judas-like would count His gain a loss,—
To die. He sees the end of all—the bitter wo
Of him who treads the earth with haughty
mien;
The joy that simple faith—tho now unseen—
Will know. Then when His barriers rise, shall we not say,
"Thy will be done," the darkness 'round us
close,—
And trust His tender mercy? for He knows
The way.
FLORA E. YERGIN. How commonly the world mistakes the Christian's profession of need for a profession of goodness! A Christian woman, recently writing to a friend, well exposes this error: "A few weeks ago our pastor was speaking in the Bible class of some one who went to God even in the smallest trifles. One of the members said, 'I am afraid I am not as good as that!' To me it is not a proof of goodness, but of weakness and want and dependence. But it proves God's goodness that He stoops to listen to such little things." There is the whole argument for Christianity in a nutshell. Because of our utter loss of self-confidence, brought about by many a humiliating failure in even the smallest things, we confess our need of a personal Saviour, not only for eternal life in the future, but for success in the "trifles" of present-day life as well; and we find such a Saviour only in Jesus Christ. Man's confessed need, met only in God's goodness, is the privileged profession of the Christian.—Sunday-School Times. EARTHQUAKES.
By Cyrus Simmons
What a Lawyer Has to Say.
WHAT is the cause of earthquakes? The answer of this inquiry seems to be enshrouded in mystery. Those who have addressed themselves to the study of this subject do not come to the same conclusion. The falling of subterranean rocks and vast proportions of earth is given by some as the reason. Others state that it has been demonstrated that the earth is constantly vibrating, and when the wave motions are severe enough to be shocks they are observable. This information necessarily calls in question the reasonableness of the falling theory. Others, again, attribute earthquakes to the formation of gases produced by combustion beneath. This class of theorists look upon volcanoes as the earth's safety valves, and they associate the occurrence of the shocks near their vicinity and in mountainous regions. This position has its misgivings when we consider that earthquakes are recorded to have taken place on plains far removed from both volcanoes and mountains. Violent tremors have shocked the earth and the people for many years; learned minds have been put to the stretch in studying the mysteries surrounding them; still the enlightenment of the twentieth century has availed nothing that can be relied upon with confidence toward revealing the cause of earthquakes, or toward giving any premonitory advice or warning that would indicate their approach. Yet immediately preceding these terrible events we are told the dumb brutes run to the houses and barns for protection; the wildest birds will fly on the nearest trees to the dwelling and scream in notes of alarm; the snakes, rats, and moles will come out of their holes and run hither and thither in despair, but man is unadvised until the shocks are upon him. There is a book that tells many things about earthquakes to which if we refer, and study, we will find a great deal of enlightenment on this subject. When reasoning from effect to cause we see there has been times in the world's history when earthquakes denoted the presence of God. When the Lord descended on Mount Sinai and spoke His law midst the enveloping fires "the whole mount quaked greatly." Ex. 19:18. When Christ expired on Calvary, accompanying the gloom that settled over the land, the record shows that "the earth did quake, and the rocks rent." Matt. 27:51. Statistics reveal the fact that earthquakes are becoming more frequent and violent. The signs of the times are pointing to the soon coming of Christ. Is it not reasonable to associate these two events together? Earthquakes will play an important part in the finality of things. "The foundations of the earth do shake. The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly. The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard." Isa. 24:18-20. "I beheld the mountains, and lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved to and fro." Jer. 4:24, A. R. V. "And there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great." Rev. 6:18. The most notable earthquake on record is that of Lisbon, which occurred Nov. 1, 1755. It extended over 4,000,000 square miles of land pervading Europe, Africa, and America. In that city of 150,000, ninety thousand people perished. Of this number 60,000 were killed in six minutes. Adding to the catastrophe was the tidal wave that rolled in a liquid mountain over the city to the height of fifty feet. This earthquake is referred to in Rev. 61:2. It preceded the universal sign given in the sun, moon, and stars that immediately follow in the text, and about which the Saviour particularly spoke in the 24th9 chapter of Matthew in answer to the question propounded by His disciples: "Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of Thy coming, and of the end of the world?" In the twenty-fourth chapter of Isaiah, the fifth verse, the Lord tells us why the visitation of His judgments are coming upon the earth and the inhabitants, among which are the great and mighty earthquakes. "Because they have transgressed the laws, violated the statutes, broken the everlasting covenant." A. R. V. The earthquakes spoken of in this chapter are evidently the result of sin. Sin is the transgression of the law. The "everlasting covenant" is the new covenant explained in the eighth chapter of Hebrews. To become a party to this sacred contract we must be made "epistles of Christ" (2 Cor. 3:3), by letting the Spirit of Christ write the Ten Commandments "in the fleshy tables of the heart." This can not be done if we do not believe in every precept of the ten. Many are now being deceived about the fourth commandment. The Lord says, "But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God." Ex. 20:10. Instead of the seventh day, Sunday, the first day of the week, is being generally observed by religionists, and the Sabbath is openly violated. The "everlasting covenant" is part of the "everlasting Gospel" that is to-day being preached "to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people," (Rev. 14:6), some of the burdens of which are the restitution of the down-trodden Sabbath in the hearts of the people (Isa. 58:13), and warning them against receiving the mark of the beast (Rev. 14:9, 10, 11) which is shown to be Sunday enforced by law, a counterfeit rest day, instituted by the Papacy. The earthquakes here foretold are sure to come. We need no other sign or warning than the "more sure word of prophecy." If we are among the covenant breakers we will be "broken down" with the earth. If we do the will of God, keep His everlasting covenant, and make Him our habitation (Ps. 91:5-9) neither the judgments, the plagues, nor the great and mighty earthquakes will harm us, tho every hill of the earth will "move to and fro." This is the ark God wants the Noahs of this generation to build.
CYRUS SIMMONS.
Knoxville, Tenn. COMING AGAIN.
By F. A. Lashier
On Olive's brow there stood two unknown men
"Why stand ye gazing to the sky?
He'll come again. (Acts 1:11) "Not as a Babe to all the world unknown,
But with a holy angel band,
Upon a throne." (Luke 2:7; Matt. 25:31) And soon He comes again with kingly power,
And we may know the time is near,
Tho' not the hour. (Luke 21:29-33; Matt. 24:33) Like servants who with precious gifts to keep
Improve each swiftly passing hour,
We must not sleep. (Matt. 25:14-29) "Behold," said He, "the word I speak is true;
Fair mansions I will build, and then
I come for you. (John 14:1-3) "Watch, therefore, for the signs that I shall send
In sun and moon and stars and earth
Before the end. (Luke 21:25-27) "The sun at midday shall be black as night,
The moon as blood shall seem to men,
Refuse her light. (Matt. 24:29) "The stars shall fall as from a shaken tree
Tossed by the gale; the waves shall roar
Upon the sea. (Rev. 6:13) "Men's hearts shall fail from unrest and from fear;
Have thou no fear but watch and pray,
The end is near." (Luke 21:25-31) Earth, waxing old, shall tremble, groan, and shake,
And death shall reign, but soon our Lord
His saints shall wake. (Rev. 6:14; 1 Thess. 4:16) Then free from wasting sorrow, death, and pain,
The saints shall greet their Saviour King,
With glad refrain. So shall the saints of God, a ransomed throng,
Forever be with Him, and sing
Redemption's song. (Rev. 21:1-7) Freed from all sin, in pastures green to roam,
The saints shall know the joy of,
"Home, sweet home." (Rev. 22:3-5)
Healdsburg, Cal. F. A. LASHIER. SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES.
By F. D. Starr
TIMOTHY was by no means the only young man whom Paul enlisted in the Gospel ministry. The venerable apostle to the Gentiles seems to have been very successful in encouraging the youth to engage in work for the Master. Paul calls Titus his own son in the common faith. He was not afraid to place upon this young worker in the cause grave responsibilities. Titus was left in the island of Crete, where he and Paul had labored together, to set in order the things that were wanting, or, as the margin of Titus 1:5 reads, "left undone." So Titus was left in Crete to set in order the things that Paul had left undone. But the question may arise, Would such a thorough worker as the apostle Paul leave anything undone? It seems he did, for he knew it would be better to have the important matters of church organization, etc., attended to by younger and less competent persons than himself, than to have the work done prematurely. In this again he set a good example for Gospel workers in future generations. It would be quite natural for those of experience to think that it would be better for important matters to be settled by themselves rather than leave them to others, even tho the proper time had not come. But that is a mistake. Better trust to God and less experienced persons than to do a thing before the proper time. The qualifications of church elders are given in the latter part of the first chapter. This, taken in connection with the instruction in 1 Timothy 3, forms a very clear outline of what kind of persons should be selected for such a sacred trust. Doubtless Titus himself was a model in this respect. Like Timothy, he was of Greek descent, and is thought to have been the first Gentile convert who was not circumcised. His experience in this respect was the opposite of Timothy's, as is seen by comparing Gal. 2:3 with Acts 16:1-3. It seems that Paul took Titus with him to the Jerusalem council as a test case in the matter of circumcision, but even after this he found it prudent to circumcise Timothy. An incident connected with the last verse of the first chapter illustrates how careless persons can be in reading the Scriptures. I remember in my youth hearing a minister in the desk read this first chapter of Titus for the scripture lesson of the morning. He thus read verse 16: "They profess that they know not God, but in works they deny Him," etc. The preacher never noticed his mistake, altho the sense was exactly reversed. Thus often the Bible is read so carelessly that no notice is taken of the meaning of the words of Holy Writ. But this is not the way that we should handle the Word of God. The omission or addition of such a simple little word as not makes a vast difference in the meaning. In 1632 an edition of the Bible was published that was called the Wicked Bible. (See Webster's Unabridged Dictionary.) The entire edition was condemned to be burned, and the publisher to pay a heavy fine. What was the matter with this "Wicked Bible"? Simply this: the word not was left out of the seventh commandment, by carelessness no doubt. If it is so wicked to take one word from the Decalogue, what must it be to make void the entire law? And again, would it be any worse to take the "not" out of the seventh commandment than to take it out of the fourth commandment? Pause and consider, and never dare to make void the fourth or any other commandment either by precept or practise. Titus 3:3 gives us a very correct photograph of the natural human disposition. "We ourselves also were sometimes [formerly] foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice, and envy, hateful, and hating one another." Whose photograph is this? Who used to act so hateful, and also hate others? Is it I? Who wishes to demolish the mirror, the law of God, that exposes these defects? The daughter of a chieftain of a savage tribe had always been told that she was extremely beautiful. After procuring a looking-glass and for the first time viewing her homely features, she was so enraged that she dashed the mirror to pieces. Is it not for a similar reason that many wish to destroy the law of God? Let us be careful how we reverse the sense of God's holy commandments. "The kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man," changes our disposition in this matter. That is the key-note of this epistle as well as of the entire Bible. Titus 3:4. F. D. STARR. The Source of True Happiness
“How many take a wrong view of life, and waste their energies and destroy their nervous systems in endeavoring to accumulate wealth, without thinking of the present happiness they are throwing away! It is not wealth or high station that makes a man happy—many of the most wretched beings on earth have both—but it is a sunny spirit, which knows how to bear little trials and enjoy comforts, and thus extract happiness from every incident in life.” APPLAUSE is the spur of noble minds, the end and aim of the weak ones.—Colton. AT THE DOOR.
By Thoro Harris
THE Son of Man is at the door;
Proclaim the joyful story
That He who once our sorrows bore
Shall come in clouds of glory. The Saviour's advent draweth near,
Ten thousand saints attending;
Heav'n's blissful day will soon appear,
And earth's dark night is ending. He comes, He comes! O wondrous sight!
Prepare, ye saints, to meet Him;
With lamps all trimmed and burning bright,
Arise, go forth to greet Him. We'll work and wait till He appear,
The tokens all discerning;
His glorious advent draweth near—
We'll watch for His returning. O blessed hope! O glorious day!
The great event is nearing;
With earnest faith we watch, and pray,
"Lord, hasten Thine appearing."
THORO HARRIS. High Ideals and Iron Will
`You should be men and women of high ideals, and put your faith in the will of iron, the heart of gold.' Stand for the right always, for what seems to you to be the right, even tho you stand alone, and fearlessly wait for results.'' IV. THE CHANNEL OF HEALTH AND HEALING.
By W. S. Sadler, M.D.
Christ Heals Through His Creative Word.
"Their soul abhorreth all manner of meat; and they draw near unto the gates of death. Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and He saveth them out of their distresses. He sent His word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions." Ps. 107: 18-20. DIVINE healing comes to the race from Christ through a single channel—the divine word, the divine laws. When the transgressor draws nigh unto the gates of death, and there cries unto the Lord in his trouble, and God, in mercy, delivers him, He does it by sending His healing Word. So when you discover that those who claim to be special representatives of divine healing in the earth, are knowingly and consciously trampling underfoot the teachings and requirements of God's Word, you are warranted in doubting and questioning their claims. The word of truth, in all its forms, has in it healing power, whether written in the Book, sketched in the skies, or traced upon the fibers of muscle and nerve in the human frame. Wherever recognized and co-operated with, God's word of light and truth brings health to mind and body. To obtain the healing which the divine Word brings, it is necessary that we receive the Word; and in order to receive the Word, we must bring our lives into harmony with that life which is in the Word—even the life of the Christ. We must yield up to the Word that which is to be healed, and thus put ourselves in harmony with its divine Author, and in willing obedience to its just claims. In the Gospel commission, Christ enjoined the preaching of the Word,—the teaching of truth,—and stated that signs and miracles would follow as a consequence. The minister of the Gospel was never commissioned to preach miracles, wonders, signs, or even divine healing, apart from the divine Word. The Word, Christ Jesus, is to be the key-note of the Christian's message to a dying world, and it is this Gospel that has in it saving and healing power for all who accept it in faith. It is the disposition to be in harmony with God, and the sincere effort, by the help of divine grace, to obey His laws, that brings man into that attitude where it is consistent for God to manifest Himself as his special Healer. It is by recognizing God as our Creator and our Redeemer,—by recognizing ourselves as His creatures, subject to His laws, as sinful, utterly unable to help ourselves, and wholly dependent upon Christ,—that we are prepared to recognize God as the Divine Healer, as the Giver of health to both soul and body. "When the even was come, they brought unto Him many that were possessed with devils; and He cast out the spirits with His word, and healed all that were sick." Matt. 8: 16. To preach divine healing in a way to benefit those who hear seems nothing more nor less than to preach obedience to the divine Word, by faith—by the grace and faith that Jesus gives. It is the word of the Master that casts out evil spirits, cures bad tempers, and of old "healed all that were sick." God is a healer because He has power to create, and as healing is nothing more nor less than creating, God must first be acknowledged as a Creator before He can be recognized as a Healer. Yet to-day we find thousands who are trampling underfoot the Sabbath, the very institution the Lord gave men to point out Himself as Creator, yet claiming to be special channels of God's healing power on earth. "Moreover also I gave them My Sabbaths, to be a sign between Me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord that sanctify them." Eze. 20: 12. Notwithstanding their antagonism to the laws of the Creator, and His memorial of creation, these bogus healers are found preaching the wonders of divine healing, and claiming to be the sources and centers of this power in the earth. "To the law and to the testimony; if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them." Isa. 8: 20. "Remember the word unto Thy servant, upon which Thou hast caused me to hope. This is my comfort in my affliction; for Thy word hath quickened me." Ps. 119: 49, 50. Preach the Word, and divine healing will surely accompany the message in the lives of those in whom it arouses a spirit of obedience. The word that quickened David will quicken all who receive it as David received it. If the divine Word is not preached, it is absolutely useless to preach divine healing. "Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to Thy word." Ps. 119: 9. "Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you." John 15: 3. "My son, attend to My words; incline thine ear unto My sayings. . . . For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh." Prov. 4: 20-22. The words of wisdom are declared to be "health to all their flesh." The margin renders it, "medicine to their flesh." There is a physical reward for moral rectitude; there is a physical reaction from spiritual obedience. The comforting ministry of God's Spirit not only brings peace to the mind, but also health to the body. As we conscientiously obey the life-giving truth of God's Word, that is, actually make it a part of our character, we obtain the healing benefits that accompany the creative word. By compromising or antagonizing divine truth, we array ourselves in opposition to divine healing, for the only way that God heals either soul or body is by the light and life and truth that are in His Word. "It is the Spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing; the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life." John 6: 63. To neglect or reject light means separation from God. Separation from God means divorcement from the fountainhead of life and health and healing. So the one who knowingly persists in manifesting a spirit of disrespect for the teachings of the Word of God can not expect to enjoy the fulness of life and health which rewards those who walk in humble obedience to the light of heaven. The laws of God are a transcript of the character of the Divine Healer, so the man or woman who presumes to disobey or antagonize these laws, either physically or spiritually, is fighting, opposing, yes, rejecting, the very source, essence, and channel of divine healing. Is it reasonable to expect that in manifesting Himself as a Healer, God will either deny His own character or place His seal of approbation upon those who do so? Those who are special channels for the communication of either physical or spiritual healing to a dying world will be individuals who, so far as they have had light, are obedient to the teachings of God's Word. Man needs healing because he is out of harmony with God and His laws. Can we consistently expect God to disregard and do violence to His own laws, either physical or spiritual, in the manifestation of His power to heal man, while the one who seeks healing continues to transgress those laws? One of the most effective ways to preach divine healing is to preach the everlasting Gospel. The spirit that is in truth is the spirit of the Divine Healer. By pointing out the cause of moral or physical affliction, we can lead the sufferer away from transgression into the path of obedience, and thus place him in contact and co-operation with healing power. As to just how, when, or under what circumstances, the healing shall be bestowed, the Divine Healer must decide, not we. "Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." John 8: 32. Bible light teaches us how to think and live so as to receive life. Truth is indeed a message of life to all who receive and obey it. FATHER, TAKE MY HAND.
By Speed Mosby
A LITTLE bed stands close to mine—
I reach it with extended arm—
And there the clust'ring curls entwine
A golden head, secure from harm. And when my darling goes to rest,
But ere she seeks the dreamer's land,
Upon my hand are fingers press'd,
Their tiny tips within my hand. Then, sweetly, as the melting strain
Of music from a spirit band,
Or soft dripping of the rain,
She lisps, "Please, papa, take my hand. "It's dark, papa, I can not do
To sleep alone!" The angels stand
To guard her bed 'gainst ev'ry foe
Still baby lisps, "P'ease take my hand." And even I, in time to come,
When greets my gaze the portal grand
Of that far-off eternal home,
May ask, "O Father, take my hand!" When 'round about the billows roll
And beat upon the farther strand,
While dark'ning tempest veil my soul,
E'en I may ask, "O Father, take my hand!"
—Speed Mosby. The Joy of California Sunshine
at the California Sanitariums
Where your wants are anticipated by Christian physicians and nurses. Country Life
Best of Food
Ideal Climate
Skilled Physicians
Trained Nurses The same methods are used as at the Battle Creek (Mich.) and other Sanitariums. OPEN EVERY DAY IN THE YEAR
COURAGE, considered in itself or without reference to its causes, is no virtue, and deserves no esteem. It is found in the best and the worst, and is to be judged according to the qualities from which it is conjoined.—William Ellery Channing. Grand Trunk-Lehigh Valley Route
GRAND TRUNK-LEHIGH VALLEY ROUTE to New York and Philadelphia—Double track—Splendid scenery—Solid trains—Convenient terminals—Excellent diners. For full particulars write Geo. W. Vaux, A. G. P. & T. A., Grand Trunk Railway System, 135 Adams Street, Chicago.