DR. SAMUEL KINNS, the author of "Moses and Geology," has for some little time past been giving a series of lectures in the drawing-rooms of the aristocracy of England on "The Marvelous Scientific Accuracy of the Bible." The last took place at the Earl of Shaftesbury's, and was attended by a large and very distinguished company. Dr. Kinns, in carrying his audience through his course of reasoning, described the various geological strata and the story told by the fossil plants and animals of the earth's condition during the various epochs of its history. He especially interested them, however, in his description of fifteen creative events which he showed were placed by Moses in the correct order of sequence according to the latest discoveries in science. These events, which are very concisely stated in "Moses and Geology," were summarily described in the review of "Moses and Geology," which appeared in the Record of March 22, 1882. Dr. Kinns then proved that the number of changes that can be made in the order of fifteen things is more than a trillion—viz., 1,307,674,368,000—and, therefore, if Moses placed fifteen important creative events in their proper order without the possibility of traditional help, . . . it is a very strong proof of his inspiration, for, group them as one may, and take off a further percentage for any scientific knowledge possessed by him, still the chances must be reckoned by hundreds of millions against his giving the order correctly without a special revelation from God. To lead his auditors to appreciate this, Dr. Kinns mentioned that a clock beating seconds would take over thirty thousand years to tick a billion times; and that if any fifteen different events could be written down once in every ten minutes, it would take twenty-four millions of years to write all the variations that could be made in their order, writing them day and night without intermission; and to further illustrate it, he distributed slips of paper for each to write down the first fifteen letters of the alphabet in an order known only to himself, something in this order:—
g m h d a j b k c f e n i o l
And not one corresponded with his. He told them that if all the people in the world were to try to imitate his unknown order, there would be still a thousand chances to one that the whole twelve hundred million attempts would be incorrect.
Or, in other words, if all the people in a thousand worlds, each having a population equal to our own, were to try, there would still be a probability that not one list would agree in sequence with the unknown list. After this he asked, How will the skeptic explain the marvelous, nay, miraculous, accuracy in sequence of the Mosaic cosmogony? —London Record.
Guard Your Character
Young man, think well of your character. Guard it against dishonor and shame. Allow no appetite or passion to be your master. Be sober, honest, and industrious. Love and fear God, and keep his commandments, and he will bless you and make you a blessing to the world.—Selected.
UNBELIEF BORN OF FAMILIARITY.
By Dr. Alexander Maclaren
WE owe to Mark alone the notice that Jesus actually wrought at Joseph's handicraft. Apparently the latter was dead, and, if so, Jesus would be the head of the house, and probably the "bread-winner." One of the Fathers preserves the tradition that he "made plows and yokes, by which he taught the symbols of righteousness and an active life." That good Father seems to think it needful to find symbolical meanings, in order to save Christ's dignity; but the prose fact that he toiled at the carpenter's bench, and handled hammer and saw, needs nothing to heighten its value as a sign of his true participation in man's lot, and as the hallowing of manual toil. How many weary arms have grasped their tools with new vigor and contentment when they thought of him as their pattern in their narrow toils.
The Nazarenes' difficulty was but one case of a universal tendency. Nobody finds it easy to believe that some village child, who has grown up beside him, and whose undistinguished outside life he knows, has turned out a genius or a great man. The last people to recognize a prophet are always his kindred and his countrymen. "Far-away birds have fine feathers." Men resent it as a kind of slight on themselves that the other, who was one of them but yesterday, should be so far above them to-day. They are mostly too blind to look below the surface, and they conclude that, because they saw so much of the external life, they knew the man that lived it. The elders of Nazareth had seen Jesus grow up, and to them he would be "the carpenter's son" still. The more important people had known the humbleness of his home, and could not adjust themselves to look up to him, instead of down. His equals in age would find their boyish remembrances too strong for accepting him as a prophet.
All of them did just what the most of us would have done, when they took it for certain that the man whom they had known so well, as they fancied, could not be a prophet, to say nothing of the Messiah so long looked for. It is easy to blame them; but it is better to learn the warning in their words, and to take care that we are not blind to some true messenger of God just because we have been blessed with close companionship with him. Many a household has had to wait for death to take away the prophet before they knew him. Some of us entertain angels unawares, and have bitterly to feel, when too late, that our eyes were holden, that we should not know them.—Dr. McLaren, in S. S. Times.
"For the wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; because that which may be known of God is manifested in them; for God hath showed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse."
We have already seen how men "hold the truth in unrighteousness." By their own wicked lives they hinder the progress of the truth in themselves and others. For their unrighteousness the wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against them. That God will punish the ungodly is as evident from Scripture as that there is a God. "The Lord will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies. The Lord is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked." Nahum 1:2, 3.
But God does nothing rashly. He will not punish men for the commission of deeds which they had no means of knowing were wrong. He is righteous, and never will this be more manifest than when his judgments shall have been executed upon the heads of the wicked. Then will the redeemed be constrained to say: "Great and marvelous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints. Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy; for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest." Rev. 15:3, 4.
That God is righteous in executing judgment upon the ungodly, is shown by the apostle in the statement that he has revealed himself to all men. This has been done independently of written revelation, so that none can make lack of education an excuse of not knowing God. In nature God is seen. Rom. 1:20 may be paraphrased thus, to make the meaning more apparent: "For ever since the creation of the earth, the invisible things of God, that is, his eternal power and Godhead, are clearly manifest, being revealed in the things which he has made; so that men who do not acknowledge him are without excuse."
The psalmist says: "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, without these their voice is heard." Ps. 19:1-3, margin. Here is evidence that is open to everybody. "There is no speech nor language," therefore their silent yet powerful testimony is borne alike to all nations. Even the poor Indian
"Sees God in clouds and hears him in the wind."
Everybody who sees the heavens must know that they were created by some power, and that that power must be greater and more glorious than the things created; so that the possession of the natural senses should be sufficient to show anyone the folly of worshiping inanimate nature.
In the forty-fourth chapter of Isaiah the prophet shows the folly and blindness of those who worship graven images. Read verses 9-20. A very similar idea is conveyed by the tradition concerning Abraham when he was at home among his heathen relatives. It is told that Abraham's father was a maker of images, and that one day when he was absent Abraham destroyed all that were made, with the exception of the largest one, and in the hands of that one he placed a large stick. Of course Abraham was taxed with having destroyed the gods, but he said that the largest god had done the mischief in a fit of anger. "How can you mock me?" retorted Terah. "Have idols reason?" Then Abraham answered, 'Do not your ears hear what your mouth speaks?' But Terah, infuriated at him, took him to Nimrod, that he might be punished. 'If you will not worship the gods of your father,' said the king, 'then worship fire.' 'Why not water,' replied Abraham, 'which puts out fire?' 'Well, then, worship water.' 'Why not, rather, the clouds which hold the water?' 'Very well, worship the clouds as well.' 'But why not, rather, the wind which blows the clouds away?' 'Well, worship the wind.' 'Why not, rather, men, who can resist the wind?' But now Nimrod lost patience, and told him that he spoke only folly. Fire was his god, and he would throw him into it—'and,' added he, 'may your God come and save you from it.'—Hours with the Bible.
Of course this is simply tradition, and may never have taken place; but the same ideas must have presented themselves to more than one thoughtful mind among the heathen. Everyone who, like Abraham, turned from his father's idols to serve the Maker of heaven and earth, must have first seen the folly of worshiping objects which had no power of will.
It was to the visible creation that the apostle first directed the minds of the heathen when attempting to teach them the way of life. When the men of Lystra were about to sacrifice to Paul and Barnabas, the apostles cried out: "Sirs, why do ye these things? We are also men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein. Who in times past suffered all nations to walk in their own ways. Nevertheless he left not himself without witness in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness." Acts 14:15-17.
Still later, when Paul stood upon Mars' hill, he said to the Athenians: "God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; neither is worshiped with men's hands, as though he needed anything, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things. . . . For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device." Acts 17:24-29.
This appeal to the things that are made, was the only way that the heathen could be convicted of the folly of idolatry. But how could they from nature learn righteousness? They could not; but when their minds were awakened to the fact that there is a God above all things that are made, the next thought would naturally be, "What must we do in order to please him?" And when a soul in sincerity asks that question, God will not leave him in ignorance. As Paul said to the Athenians, "He is not far from every one of us." God will send a messenger with the revealed word to those who accept all that is taught them by the revelation of nature. Or he can work independent of human agency, by his Holy Spirit, applied to them directly, as in the case of Abraham. This much we may be sure of, that God is not cramped for means to carry on a work that he has begun. And since he has given a revelation of himself that speaks a universal language, he can easily bring the one who heeds that silent voice into circumstances where he can learn the way of God more perfectly.
The first chapter of Romans should of itself be sufficient to show all those professed Christians who teach what they call the "larger hope," the baselessness of their scheme of probation after death. They say that such a probation is necessary in order that the heathen who have not had a chance in this life, may have a fair chance, not realizing that in so saying they are charging God with injustice. God has given all men a chance. He has made a revelation of himself in language that can be understood by the most ignorant of the heathen; and the fact that some among the heathen have turned to God simply from the force of this evidence, shows that all might if they would. God did not arbitrarily choose Abraham from among the heathen, to make him the father of the faithful, but he chose him because he already acknowledged God, and in the midst of idolatry was faithful to all the light and knowledge that he had. "To him that hath shall be given, and he shall have more abundantly; but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath." The truth of the first part of this statement is attested by many instances recorded in the Bible, from Abraham down; the last part will be more apparent as we consider the next verses in the book of Romans.
One thought more. If the heathen are without excuse for their wickedness, what shall be said of those who dwell in a land where the gospel is preached, and where the Bible is within reach of everyone? They cannot say that they have not been called, for on every side there is the voice of God calling, "Turn ye, turn ye, for why will ye die?" When at last they stand before God, not having on the wedding garment of his righteousness, which he offers freely to all, they can utter no word of excuse; they will be speechless.
THE DIVINITY OF CHRIST.
By W.
CHRIST AS LAWGIVER.
Since all must honor the Son even as they honor the Father, they must honor him not only as Creator, but as Lawgiver. Says Isaiah: "The Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; he will save us." Isa. 33:22. The statement of Christ, that "the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son; that all men should honor the Son, even as they honor the Father" (John 5:22, 23), is in itself evidence that Christ is lawgiver. Only the power that makes the laws can provide for their execution. We shall now proceed to give proof that the law was given by Christ, even as it is his righteousness.
Christ was the leader of the children of Israel from Egypt to Canaan. Perhaps there is no one who does not believe this in a general way; but it is susceptible of very clear proof. We quote first 1 Cor. 10:4, which says that the fathers "did all drink the same spiritual drink; for they drank of that spiritual Rock that went with them [margin]; and that Rock was Christ." This of itself is sufficient to settle the matter. Christ is the Rock upon which the church of God is built, and the Rock that shall grind the enemies of God to powder. Matt. 16:18; Eph. 2:20; 1 Peter 2:4-8; Luke 20:17, 18. He is the Rock upon which those who are lifted from the horrible pit of sin have their goings established. Ps. 40:1, 2; 1 Cor. 3:11. It was he whom Israel rejected when he "lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation." Deut. 32:15.
This is still more clearly shown by a comparison of Num. 21:5, 6 and 1 Cor. 10:10. The first text tells that "the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread. And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died." Here we see that the people spoke not only against Moses, their visible leader, but also against God, their invisible leader. Now in 1 Cor. 10:9 Paul tells plainly against whom they were murmuring. He says: "Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents." So it was Christ who, with the name of God, was leading Israel, and it was against him that they murmured.
Heb. 3:5-11 also teaches the same thing very plainly. One has only to read it with care to see that Christ is the one whose voice the Holy Ghost warns us not to reject as did the fathers who tempted him forty years in the wilderness. We quote:—247"And Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after; but Christ as a Son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end. Wherefore as the Holy Ghost saith, To-day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness; when your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do always err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest."
Since Christ was the leader of ancient Israel from Egypt to Canaan, it follows that Christ was the Angel of the Lord who appeared to Moses in the burning bush, and said:—
"I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. . . . I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their task-masters; for I know their sorrows; and I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey." Ex. 3:6-8.
If any should object to this most natural conclusion, on the ground that the one here speaking calls himself "I AM THAT I AM," the self-existent One—Jehovah—we have only to remind him that the Father hath given to the Son to have life in himself (John 5:26), that Christ asserted the same thing of himself when he said, "Before Abraham was, I am" (John 8:5, 6); for which supposed blasphemy the Jews attempted to stone him; and that by the prophet he is most plainly called Jehovah, in the following passage:—
"Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David, a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely; and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS;" literally, "Jehovah our righteousness." Jer. 23:5, 6.
But to return to the main point, which is that Jesus was the leader of Israel from Egypt, the Redeemer of his people from bondage, as shown by the texts cited. Now connect the introductory words of the decalogue: "And God spake all these words, saying, I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me." Ex. 20:1-3. This scripture positively identifies the leader of the children of Israel from Egypt, as the giver of the law from Sinai. If it is said that in the transaction we cannot separate the Father and the Son, we reply that that is just the point we are making. The Father and the Son cannot be separated in any transaction, for they are one. But just as the Son was the one by whom all things were created, so was he the one who declared to the people the law of Jehovah. Thus he is the divine Word. The Son declares the will of the Father, which is also his own will.
The fact that it was the voice of Christ that declared the law from Sinai, may be demonstrated in another way, as follows: After speaking of the giving of the law, in Heb. 12:18-21, the apostle says: "See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from Heaven; whose voice then shook the earth; but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven." Heb. 12:25, 26.
This tells us that the same voice which shook the earth at the giving of the law from Sinai will once again shake the earth, and the heavens also. Now note the following texts, which show what takes place in connection with the second advent:—
1 Thess. 4:16: "For the Lord himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel, and with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first."
That it is Christ's voice that is then heard is shown by John 5:26-29:—
"For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; and hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. 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; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation."
So it is the voice of the Son of God that opens the graves. Now we will compare a few more scriptures. In Ps. 2:6-8 we learn that Christ is to rule the heathen with a rod of iron, and to dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. Isaiah says that "he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked." Isa. 11:4. In Rev. 19:11-21 we have a description of the going forth of Christ with the armies of Heaven to contend with and destroy the wicked nations of earth; and in Jer. 25:30, 31 this battle is thus described:—
"The Lord shall roar from on high, and utter his voice from his holy habitation; he shall mightily roar upon his habitation; he shall give a shout, as they that tread the grapes, against all the inhabitants of the earth. A noise shall come even to the ends of the earth; for the Lord hath a controversy with the nations, he will plead with all flesh; he will give them that are wicked to the sword."
Compare with this Rev. 19:15 and Isa. 63:1-6, and read Joel 3:16: "The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake; but the Lord will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel." These texts are sufficient to show that the shaking of the heavens and the earth is done by the voice of the One who has the controversy with the nations, and who is to destroy them and deliver his people. We have already seen that the voice that is to shake the heavens and the earth is the same voice that shook the earth at the giving of the law. But it is Christ who is to dash the nations in pieces, and so it is his voice that will shake the earth and also heaven. Therefore it was the voice of Jesus that spoke the ten commandments from the top of Sinai. The law is the truth (Ps. 119:142), and Christ says, "I am the way, the truth, and the life." John 14:6. The ten commandments are God's righteousness (Isa. 51:4-7), and his will (Rom. 2:17, 18); but they represent the righteous will of Christ as much as they do that of the Father; for he and the Father are one. W.
FAITH.
By C. P. B.
FAITH is the first essential to the Christian life, for without faith it is impossible to please God. Heb. 11:6. But faith means far more than simple belief upon evidence; it means a settled conviction that purifies the heart, moulds the life, and incites its possessor to acts of righteousness. It is, however, not the end of the Christian life, but that which makes such a life possible, and it is valuable only for its results.
One man may believe every fact stated in the New Testament concerning Christ, just as he believes any other matter of history, and yet if his belief has no effect upon his life, he is in no better case than the man who believes not one word of the Scriptures. Though such a man may believe, he has no faith, or he has at most a dead faith, for we are told by the inspired word that "faith, if it hath not works, is dead." But faith must accompany, or rather precede, works if they are to be acceptable to God; indeed, throughout the Scriptures faith and works are always and everywhere coupled together, except in the matter of justification for past transgressions; that is an act of divine grace, and is received by simple faith without works (Rom. 3:28); but from that point forward the Christian will show his faith by his works.
But while faith is a settled conviction that governs the life, not every such conviction is entitled to be called faith. Bible "faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Rom. 10:17), therefore, that only is faith which has for its foundation a statement, or promise, of the word of God.
C. P. B.
"LOOK ON THIS PICTURE, AND ON THIS."
By Alonzo T. Jones
THE California Christian Advocate of March 20 has the following choice editorial item:—
"The Seventh-day Baptists, Seventh-day Adventists, and the Personal Liberty League party unite to prevent any effective Sabbath law—that is, these supposed Christians, the worst class of infidels, and the saloon keepers are perfectly agreed in breaking down the Sabbath-day."
Now, neighbor, be honest. Did you mean just what you said? Did you design to convey to your readers just what your words imply? You say these "supposed Christians;" can you give any reason why Seventh-day Baptists and Seventh-day Adventists are not just as much real Christians as are Methodists or Roman Catholics? They believe the Bible, they believe that by nature all men are sinners, that the only hope of mankind is faith in our Lord Jesus Christ as a personal Saviour, which comprehends forgiveness of sin, regeneration, a new life patterned after the divine Example. They hold, with Methodists, that "no Christian whatsoever is free from the obedience of the commandments that are called moral;" and they hold that it applies to the day of the fourth commandment, which is especially named, as well as to the proportion of time, which is only implied. But for the observation of the fourth commandment they take no glory to themselves any more than for the keeping of the sixth. To God be all the glory for the power of his gospel through our Lord Jesus Christ, which enables them so to do. They believe it a duty, as followers of Christ, to cry aloud and spare not (Isa. 58:1, 13), and to lead men back to the keeping of the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. Rev. 14:12. They dare not neglect this work at the peril of their souls. Loyalty to Christ demands that they bear his revelation to the world.
They are a most thorough temperance and temperate people, and wherever they can support legal prohibition separate from other issues of a wrong character, they always do so. But they do not believe in compulsory religion. They not only cheerfully accord to Methodists, and to all, the privilege of observing Sunday, or any other day, but they strenuously demand it as a right which belongs to Methodists, a duty which lies between Methodists and God, fully believing that God can vindicate his own law. They also demand that equal rights should be accorded to themselves. They demand that Methodists and all should have the right of working whatever days they will in every legitimate business. They demand the same rights for themselves. Are not these the principles of the golden rule, neighbor?
Seventh-day Adventists, and we believe Seventh-day Baptists, never united with the Personal Liberty League, nor with saloonists, "in breaking down the Sabbath-day." They are doing all they can to build up the Sabbath of the Lord, and they find sufficient means for this in the armory of God's word, in the weapons not carnal. They have opposed Sunday laws always on their merits, and the Advocate knows this, or might know it. Some notorious infidels and saloon men opposed slavery, but that did not compromise the character of the Christians who opposed it.
In all the opposition to the Blair bill before the Senate Committee, the Liberals and Seventh-day Adventists and Seventh-day Baptists opposed the bill on materially different grounds, each class opposing for themselves alone. The second class certainly stood on the principles of the golden rule, and the words of Christ, "Render to Cæsar the things that are Cæsar's, and to God the things that are248God's." Will the Advocate show in what respect they did not?
On the other hand, Methodists were conjoined in the support of that bill with the greatest foe of true Christianity that ever existed, namely, Roman Catholicism. They united with a system which has put to death more of the people of God, caused more suffering and infidelity, than all other systems put together,—the Papacy. Cardinal Gibbons signed the petition as an individual, and the "American Sabbath Union," which is indorsed by the Advocate, immediately multiplied that one name by 7,200,000, so anxious were these orthodox friends of Sunday to count in Roman Catholics. Not satisfied with that, they counted many more the second time among the Knights of Labor.
But many, it is probably safe to say one-half, of the saloon keepers and whisky dealers are Roman Catholics, while many more who are connected with the nefarious traffic are members of other churches. Granted that some of these signed petitions opposed to the Blair bill, petitions signed by Seventh-day Adventists, which is worse, neighbor, to obtain the actual signatures of these individuals, or to count them as signing a petition when they had never seen that petition and did not believe in its sentiments? The American Sunday Union counted as signing petitions favoring the Blair bill 7,200,000 Roman Catholics when only one of the 7,200,000 had given his name. Many of this same faith, not a few of which are priests, have signed with their own hand the opposing petition, and this is also true of other churches. The petition circulated by the American Sunday Union was to favor a certain class, while the opposing petition was for equal justice to all. For, while it was against all Sunday laws, it does not interfere with anyone who desires to keep Sunday. All have that privilege.
Now, neighbor Advocate, "look on this picture, and on this," and say whether your remarks quoted above were just, not to say Christian. Is it not better, neighbor, to meet our arguments with arguments than to meet them with mean insinuations and reflections? In the words of our Master, If we have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil, but if well, why smitest thou? Now, neighbor, do you not think as a "Christian" Advocate that you ought to apologize for the above, or give your reasons therefor? We wait for reply. M. C. W.
ARE MISSIONS A FAILURE?
By C. P. B.
"ARE Christian missions a failure?" is a question which has been discussed considerably of late, and figures have been freely used on both sides, the one party to the discussion seeking to show in the most impressive manner what has been accomplished by missions, while the other party naturally dwell on what has not been done, and enlarge upon the rapid increase of the heathen population, and the spread of unbelief. But the question is not one to be settled by statistics alone, for a correct solution depends not on one, but on two things; first, What is the purpose of missions? and second, What have they accomplished?
As the question relates to Christian missions, we must seek the answer as to their purpose in the word of God. A mission is a duty or work to which one is sent, and the work for which Christian missionaries are sent out is to teach the gospel. Of course they may also teach other things, for instance, the arts of civilization, etc., but the purpose of it all is the teaching of the Scriptures of truth, which are able to make men wise unto salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. Missions established for any other purpose are not Christian missions.
Now as the object of missions is to give to the world a knowledge of the gospel, what they have accomplished in spreading the truth, and not the number that have received the truth, must be the measure of their success. In this view of the case, Christian missions have been a success. The gospel commission given by our Saviour is, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned." Such is the mission of the minister of Christ, and the measure of his faithfulness is the measure of his success. Jesus nowhere promised that all who heard should believe, or that the time would ever come when all the world should be converted. The Scriptures nowhere teach any such thing. The Saviour did say that the gospel should be preached in all nations for a witness, and if not already accomplished is near its accomplishment. Missions have not failed in carrying the gospel to the ends of the earth.
But it is not in this that it is claimed that missions have failed; the failure it is claimed has been in bringing about the millennium, that fabled era when all the world will be converted. But as we have already said, the Scriptures not only do not teach any such thing, but they teach that the last days shall be perilous because of unbelief, and that instead of being converted wicked men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. 2 Tim. 3:1-5. And the Saviour himself testified that as it was in the days of Noah so also shall it be in the days of the coming of the Son of man. Matt. 24:37, 38. The people in Noah's time were warned of the coming flood, and they were exhorted to turn from their wickedness, but they perished in unbelief, and so will it be with the world in the last days; they will have the warning, but they will refuse the warning and perish in their wickedness. God is, however, taking out of the nations a people for his name. Christian missions are not a failure. C. P. B.
The Sabbath-School.
Old Testament History.
UNSANCTIFIED SERVICE, AND THE RESULT.
(Lesson 18, May 4, 1889.)
1. WHAT article of furniture was just before the vail of the most holy place in the sanctuary?
"And he put the golden altar in the tent of the congregation before the vail; and he burnt sweet incense thereon; as the Lord commanded Moses." Ex. 40: 26, 27.
2. How often was incense to be offered on it?
"And Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense every morning; when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn incense upon it. And when Aaron lighteth the lamps at even, he shall burn incense upon it, a perpetual incense before the Lord throughout your generations." Ex. 30: 7, 8.
"Lord, I cry unto thee; make haste unto me; give ear unto my voice, when I cry unto thee. Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice." Ps. 141: 1, 2.
5. While the sacrifice and incense were being offered, what did the people do? Luke 1: 8-10.
6. What was signified by the incense?
"And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and the four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of incense, which are the prayers of saints." Rev. 5: 8, margin.
7. What commandment did the Lord make concerning the offering of incense upon the altar?
"Ye shall offer no strange incense thereon, nor burnt sacrifice, nor meat-offering; neither shall ye pour drink-offering thereon." Ex. 30: 9.
8. Who violated this commandment?
"And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the Lord, which he commanded them not." Lev. 10: 1.
9. How were they punished?
"And there went out fire from the Lord, and devoured them, and they died before the Lord." Verse 2.
10. What special instruction did the Lord then give Aaron? Verses 8, 9.
11. From this what must we conclude was the cause of the error of Nadab and Abihu?—That they had been drinking wine, and did not fully realize what they were about.
12. Why was it that their perceptions should not be clouded by strong drink?
"And that ye may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean." Verse 10.
14. What other instance can you name where God showed, in a special manner, the difference between holy and common things?
"And when they came to Nachon's threshing-floor, Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen shook it. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah, and God smote him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God." 2 Sam. 6: 6, 7.
15. If God could make one portion of fire and one article of furniture holy, could he not also make one day holy above all others?
17. Did the fact that Nadab and Abihu used the strange fire in the service of the Lord, make that fire holy?249
18. Then can men by devoting a certain day to religious uses make it holy if God has not hallowed it?
"Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not?" Lam. 3: 37.
19. What curse has God pronounced upon those who put no difference between common and holy things? Isa. 5: 20-24.
Giving Thanks Unto the Lord
"It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O Most High; to show forth thy loving-kindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night." Ps. 92:1, 2.