Earlier text: Day by DayA Sound Argument for Religious Liberty
By L. A. S.
— In a recent issue of the United Presbyterian, the Rev. William Robertson presents an argument on “Man’s Right to Labor,” which might be read with profit by the class of latter-day reformers who talk as if the right to rest were superior to all other rights, and that in order that one person may enjoy this right, another person may properly be forced to surrender the right to labor. Mr. Robertson presents six reasons growing out of duty and necessity and of man’s relation to God and to his fellow man, in proof of the inviolable character of the right to labor. He has in mind the denial of this right by the labor unions, but his argument is no less applicable to the question of the justice of general compulsory rest on Sunday. “The labor question,” says Mr. Robertson, “is the question of man’s God-given and inalienable right to work, or to an opportunity to work on just and reasonable conditions. That right,” he continues, “is included or implied, it is believed,”— 1. In the right to live. A right to live without a right to an opportunity to labor for the necessities of life would be a cruel mockery which it would be blasphemy to ascribe to our infinitely just and benevolent Creator. 2. In the right of all men to the earth as a means of subsistence and well-being. This right is conferred in the very first chapter of Genesis, twenty-ninth verse: “And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat,” or for food, as in the revised version. Thus our benevolent Creator has given the earth to the whole human race as a means of subsistence and well-being. A similar right is conferred upon every beast of the field. Gen. 1:30. See also Gen. 9:2, 3; Ps. 104:14; 115:16. 3. In man’s duty and necessity to labor. Ex. 20:9; Gen. 1:28; 2:15; 3:19; 2 Thess. 3:10. As no man can labor without the means or opportunity, it is evident that either God has granted all men a right to the necessary means of labor, or he has commanded them to do what is absolutely impossible. No such command could ever proceed from an infinitely righteous and benevolent God. 4. In the Sabbath law. That law requires men to rest from their labor on the Sabbath day, which plainly implies a right to an opportunity to work on the other days of the week; as no man can rest from his labor on the Sabbath day if he has no labor to rest from on any day. Thus the fourth commandment, with its divine law of secular labor and sacred rest, carries in its benign bosom man’s God-given right to an opportunity to labor on the other six days of the week. 5. In the moral law as summarized by our Lord. In that divine summary the whole law is summed up in love to God and love to man. To love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our strength, and with all our mind, and our neighbor as ourselves, is therefore the sum of all moral obligation. But no man can love his neighbor as himself so long as he denies his neighbor a right to an opportunity to earn his living. Neither can he love God as he ought, “for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?” Thus love to either God or our neighbor is rendered impossible by the denial of our neighbor’s right to labor. Such a denial of human rights is as far from conformity to the holy and righteous law of God as the east is from the west. 6. Man’s right to labor is inferred, also, from the justice and benevolence of our Creator. “A God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.” “The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.” But what could be more cruel and unjust than to command and necessitate men to labor, and yet deny them a right to the only means by which labor can be performed? No such an unrighteous command was ever given on earth, even to the most abject slaves. Even Pharaoh, that embodiment of cruelty and oppression, never issued such a command. His command to the Israelites to make bricks without straw only added to their labor by requiring them to gather the straw for themselves, instead of having it brought to their hand. But what would have been thought of Pharaoh if he had commanded his slaves to make bricks without any material whatever! That would have been exactly the same thing as a command to labor without the necessary means. In other words, it would have been a command to men to do what is impossible as the condition of their life and welfare, as no man can labor without the necessary means. No such command could ever be given by our infinitely just and benevolent God and Father, hence the right of all men to labor is as evident and certain as that God is just and benevolent. Of the enjoyment of that right men may be deprived for a time, but of the right itself no power on earth can deprive them. The denial of man’s right to labor is therefore virtually a charge of cruelty and injustice on the part of God our Saviour, who is the very fountain and source of justice and benevolence. We commend this argument written by a Presbyterian and published in a Presbyterian journal, to Presbyterians and all others who would, in the name of Him who bestowed human rights, interfere with the God-given right to labor on six days of the week, making not only this right, but the sacred right of conscience in the matter of observing a weekly rest day, dependent for their exercise upon the will of the religious majority. The human conscience is not subject to majority rule. Christianity Cannot Be Put On
THE English princess Ena, of Battenburg, is to be married to the young king Alfonso, of Spain. Being a Protestant, the princess must change her religion and become a Catholic before the sanction of the pope can be obtained for the marriage, and it has been prominently announced in the papers that the princess would take this step. Incidentally, the nature of the Catholic religion is revealed in the fact that it can be put on like a garment, to suit the exigency of circumstances, and as a matter of policy. The Catholic religion is a religion of submission to human authority and guidance in the place of that which is of God, and requires no change of heart. Christianity can not be acquired in this way, but comes only by the operation of divine agencies on the heart, in response to repentance and the exercise of faith by the individual. A person can become a Christian only by the co-operation of God with his efforts, which co-operation will not be given because it is desired by the individual in order to attain some other end, but only as the individual recognizes salvation as the end superior to all others, and makes every other consideration secondary to it. Christianity is an armor, but not a cloak. In the Thoroughfares of Travel
By Ellen G. White
Lessons From the Life of Solomon—No. 19
In the Thoroughfares of Travel
UPON the Israelites God bestowed great privileges, blessing them richly from his abundant goodness. He looked for them to honor him by revealing the principles of his kingdom. In the midst of a fallen, wicked people—a world in which violence and crime, greed, oppression, and the most corrupt practises were indulged without restraint—the Israelites were to represent the character of God. In the holiness of their lives, in their mercy and loving-kindness and compassion, they were to show that “the law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul.” Through the Jewish nation it was God’s purpose to impart rich blessings to all peoples. Through Israel the way was to be prepared for the diffusion of his light to the whole world. The nations of the world, through following corrupt practises, had lost the knowledge of God. Yet in his mercy God did not blot them out of existence. He purposed to give them opportunity for becoming acquainted with him through his church. He designed that the principles revealed through his people should be the means of restoring the moral image of God in man. The Lord’s vineyard, his own chosen possession, was planted in the land of Canaan. And as the tower in the vineyard, God placed in the midst of the land his holy temple. In the temple his glory dwelt in the holy Shekinah above the mercy-seat. In the days of Solomon, the kingdom of Israel extended from Hamath on the northward, to the border of Egypt on the southward, and from the Mediterranean Sea to the Euphrates River. Through this territory ran many natural highways of the world’s commerce. Caravans were constantly passing to and from distant lands. Thus there was given Solomon and his people a most wonderful opportunity to reveal the character of the true God so clearly that men of all nations would be taught to reverence and obey the King of kings. To all the world the gospel invitation was to be given. Through the teaching of the sacrificial service, Christ was to be uplifted before the nations, and all who would look unto him should live. All who, like Rahab the Canaanite and Ruth the Moabitess, turned from idolatry to the worship of the true God, were to unite themselves with his chosen people. As the numbers of Israel increased, they were to enlarge their borders, until their kingdom should embrace the world. But Solomon lost sight of God’s high and holy purpose. He failed of improving the magnificent opportunities for enlightening the representatives of all nations who were continually passing through his territory and tarrying for rest at the principal cities. A selfish use was made of the strategic points along the well-traveled highways. Solomon sought to strengthen his position by building fortified cities at the gateways of commerce. He rebuilt Gezer, near Joppa, and lying along the road between Egypt and Syria; Beth-horon, to the westward of Jerusalem, commanding the passes of the highway leading from the heart of Judea to Gezer and the sea-coast; Megiddo, situated on the caravan road from Damascus to Egypt, and from Jerusalem to the northward; and “Tadmor in the wilderness,” along the route of caravans from the East. All these cities were strongly fortified. The commercial advantages of an outlet at the head of the Red Sea were developed by the construction of “a navy of ships in Ezion-geber, . . . on the shore of the Red Sea, in the land of Edom.” Trained sailors from Tyre, “with the servants of Solomon,” manned these vessels on voyages “to Ophir, and fetched from thence gold,” and “great plenty of almug trees, and precious stones.” The missionary spirit that God had implanted in the heart of Solomon and in the hearts of many true Israelites, was rapidly supplanted by a spirit of commercialism. The precious opportunities afforded by contact with many nations, were misused for personal aggrandizement. The revenues of the king and of many of his subjects were greatly increased, but at what a cost! Because of the cupidity and the short-sightedness of those to whom had been entrusted the oracles of God, the countless multitudes that thronged the thoroughfares of travel were allowed to remain in ignorance of the true God. To the church of to-day God has given the care of his vineyard. The workers of to-day are called to do the work that Israel failed of doing. The salvation of God must be made known to all the people living on the face of the earth. God’s glory is to be revealed, his word established, and Christ’s kingdom set up to give deliverance to the world. His followers are now to arise and shine. Those who, in response to the call of the hour, have entered the service of the Master Workman, may well study his methods of labor. During his earthly ministry, our Saviour took advantage of the opportunities to be found along the great thoroughfares of travel. It was at Capernaum that Jesus dwelt in the intervals of his journeys to and fro, and it came to be known as “his own city.” This city was well adapted to be the center of the Saviour’s work. Being on the highway from Damascus to Jerusalem and Egypt, and to the Mediterranean Sea, it was a great thoroughfare of travel. People from many lands passed through the city, or tarried for rest on their journeyings to and fro. Here Jesus could meet all nations and all ranks, the rich and great as well as the poor and lowly, and his lessons would be carried to other countries and into many households. Investigation of the prophecies would thus be excited, attention would be directed to the Saviour, and his mission would be brought before the world. In these days of travel, the opportunities for coming in contact with men and women of all classes and of many nationalities, are much greater than in the days of Israel. The thoroughfares of travel have multiplied a thousandfold. God has wonderfully prepared the way. The agency of the printing-press, with its manifold facilities, is at our command. Bibles and publications in many languages setting forth the truth for this time, are at our hand, and can be swiftly carried to every part of the world. We are to give the last warning of God to men, and what should be our earnestness in studying the Bible, and our zeal in spreading the light! Let every soul who has received the divine illumination, seek to impart it. Let the workers go from house to house, opening the Bible to the people, circulating the publications, telling others of the light that has blessed their own souls. Let literature be distributed judiciously on the trains, in the street, on the great ships that ply the seas, and through the mails.9 Christians who are living in the great centers of commerce and travel have special opportunities. The believers in these cities can work for God in the neighborhood of their homes. They are to labor quietly and in humility, carrying with them wherever they go the atmosphere of heaven. If they keep self out of sight, pointing always to Christ, their influence will be felt. The truth is not to be hidden in the corners of the earth. It must be made known; it must shine in our large cities. Like Christ, the messengers of the Most High to-day must take their position in the great thoroughfares of travel, where they can meet people from all parts of the world. Like him, they are to give the true light; they are to sow the gospel seed; they are to rescue truth from its companionship with error, and present it in its original simplicity and clearness, so that men may comprehend it. The third angel’s message is a world-wide message. It is to be given to all cities, to all villages; it is to be proclaimed in the highways and the byways. In the world-renowned health resorts and centers of tourist-traffic, crowded with many thousands of seekers after health and pleasure, there should be stationed ministers and canvassers capable of arresting the attention of the multitudes. Let these workers watch their chance to present the message for this time, and hold meetings as they have opportunity. Let them be quick to seize opportunities to speak to the people. Accompanied by the power of the Holy Spirit, let them meet the people with the message borne by John the Baptist: “Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” The word of God is to be presented with clearness and power, that those who have ears to hear, may hear the truth. Thus the gospel of present truth will be placed in the way of those who know it not, and will be accepted by not a few, and carried by them to their own homes in all parts of the earth. A great work is to be done, and those who know the truth should now make mighty intercession for help. The love of Christ must fill their own hearts. The Spirit of Christ must be poured out upon them, and they must be making ready to stand in the judgment. As they consecrate themselves to God, a convincing power will attend their efforts to present the truth to others. We must no longer sleep on Satan’s enchanted ground, but call into requisition all our resources, avail ourselves of every facility with which Providence has furnished us. The last warning is to be proclaimed “before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings;” and the promise is given, “Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” “Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. . . . I will make thee an eternal excellency, a joy of many generations. . . . Thy people also shall be all righteous: they shall inherit the land forever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified.” A Pilgrim and Stranger
By P. H. Cady
A PILGRIM and stranger here sadly I
roam,
But I look for a kingdom which is soon
to come;
A home in that kingdom, a mansion
secure,
If I but prove faithful, hold fast, and
endure. A pilgrim and stranger! Though foes
should arise
To hinder my way to my home in the
skies,
I'll meet them with courage, and ne'er
be afraid;
While Jesus is with me, I'll ne'er be
dismayed. A pilgrim and stranger! I'll seek but to
know
The will of my God, and thus daily
show,
By example and precept, by word and by
deed,
I'm striving his counsel and precepts to
heed. The shaking is coming; O who'll be
prepared
To stand in the battle in the day of the
Lord?
None but the true pilgrim, the stranger
to earth,
Shall enter those mansions of heavenly
worth. A pilgrim and stranger, O then let me
be,
And patiently suffer, my dear Lord,
with thee!
Then with Abram and Isaac, those pil-
grims of old,
I shall reign with the Lamb in the city
of gold. The Canon of the Later Reformed and Anglican Churches
REPEATED endeavors were made during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries to have the apocryphal books removed from the Scriptures. The Synod of Dort (1618-19), Gomarus, Deodatus, and others sought to accomplish it, but failed. The only success achieved was in getting them separated from the truly canonical writings and grouped by themselves. The Puritan Westminster Confession went further, and declared that they were of a purely secular character. The various new versions of the Bible, then being made, likewise placed them by themselves, apart from the acknowledged books, as a kind of appendix. The first English version to omit them altogether was an edition of King James’s Version, published in 1629; but the custom of printing them by themselves, between the Old and New Testaments, continued till 1825, when the Edinburgh Committee of the British and Foreign Bible Society protested that the society should no longer translate these apocryphal writings, and send them to the heathen. The society finally yielded, and decided to exclude them (May 3, 1827). Since then, Protestants in Great Britain and America have given up the practise of publishing the Apocrypha as a part of Sacred Scripture. In Europe, also, since 1850, the tendency has been in the same direction. The Church of England, however, and the American Episcopal Church do not wholly exclude them; certain “readings” being selected from Wisdom, Ecclesiasticus, and Baruch, and read on week-days between October 27 and November 17. Yet, when the English Revised Version appeared in 1885, though it was the special product of the Church of England, there was not so much as a reference to the apocryphal writings. The Irish Church, likewise, removes them; and the American Revised Version ignores them altogether. The Apocryphal Writings Self-Condemned
From the discussion up to this point it becomes obvious how far apart Catholics and Protestants stand in reference to the size of the Bible. The natural question which arises in the reader’s mind must be, What is the intrinsic value of these deutero-canonical writings which have stood so long upon the border land, and which have become at last fully canonized by Rome, but are usually rejected by Protestants? What are their merits? What their defects? Why accepted by some and rejected by others? There is no doubt but that they contain many good moral teachings; that they supplement the history of Judaism and bring it down to the Christian era; and that many of the doctrines in the canonical Scriptures are to be found also in them. On the other hand, they contain practically nothing of value which could possibly assist in furthering the interests of Christianity. By their contents they are self-condemned. Here are a few only of the blemishes that might be enumerated:— 1. The Book of Tobit teaches the meritorious value of almsgiving; and is infused with quackery and puerility. 2. The Book of Judith approves of deception and falsehood, and treats a breach of the ceremonial law as a deadly sin. 3. The Book of Wisdom teaches the doctrines of purgatory, the pre-existence of the soul, and that the body is a clog upon the soul. 4. The Book of Ecclesiasticus forbids giving bread to the wicked, and advises to torture a malicious slave. 5. The Book of Baruch teaches that God hears the prayers of the dead, and predicts that the captivity shall last seven generations instead of “seventy years.” 6. The First Book of Maccabees practically identifies Simon with the Messiah, and sees in the Maccabean rule the fulfilment of the hope of Israel. 7. The Second Book of Maccabees relates how the sacred fire upon the temple altar was miraculously preserved till Nehemiah’s time; and how Jeremiah, when Jerusalem was destroyed, hid the tabernacle, the ark, and the altar of incense. It also describes an apparition which prevented Heliodorus from invading the sanctity of the temple, and teaches the doctrine of sacrifices for the dead. It even justifies, tacitly, the sin of suicide, and in conclusion lays no claim to inspiration. In view of such blemishes, are we not forced to allow that these books are not only not equal in authority to the true canon, but that they are positively contradictory to the spirit of the Bible’s teaching? Concluding Remarks on the Canon
In conclusion, it has been shown that our Lord and his apostles used only the strictly canonical books of the Greek Version and none of the Apocrypha; that the canon of the Jews in Palestine corresponded exactly to the strict Protestant canon of to-day; that the early church taught theoretically the same view, but used a larger canon; that as an argument, however, usage proves too much; that Jerome advocated most strenuously a strict canon; that Augustine, while he wavered, distinguished, nevertheless, between the inspiration of the proto- and that of the deutero-canonical books; that down to the sixteenth10 century there was a growing tendency to elevate the apocryphal writings to the rank of authoritative Scripture; and that the Council of Trent, for the first time in history, placed them on a level with Holy Scripture, as to both inspiration and authority. It has further been shown how the Reformed Churches gradually discarded them, and how the Lutheran and Anglican Churches have always inclined to give them an intermediate position; in fine, it has been shown how that, on the basis of both history and of intrinsic worth, the apocryphal writings are not entitled to a place of equal honor in the canon of Holy Scripture.—Prof. George L. Robinson, Ph. D., in The Bible Record for October, 1905. An Admonition for All Time
By R. R. KENNEDY
“WE need not say, The perils of the last days are soon to come upon us. Already they have come. We have no time to lose. We know not how soon our probation may close. Eternity stretches out before us. The curtain is about to be lifted. Christ is soon to come. Let the thought, the aptitude, the keen exercise of the brain power, be given to the study of the thoughts of God.” Sin darkens the mind, and dims the perceptions. Man is in great danger of being self-deceived. Alienation is the result of this condition, the fruits of which will manifest themselves in all the evils of insubordination and confusion. When these things obtain, how can all things be done decently and in order? “Lucifer became dissatisfied because all the secrets of God’s purposes were not confided to him. By arousing the same discontent in the angels under his command, he caused their fall. Now he seeks to imbue the minds of men with the same spirit, and lead them to disregard the direct commands of God.” It is his plan to bring into the church unregenerate elements that will hinder all who desire to see the work of God advance by the co-operation of his saints on right lines. Methods will be instituted and plans carried out to advance the third angel’s message which will be a reproach to the cause of truth. The church will be confused, and many caused to stumble and to become discouraged. These poor struggling souls must be sought out and instructed. Thus much valuable time is taken that should be given to those who have not received the light of the gospel message in its setting for the last days. Christ designs that heaven’s order, heaven’s plan of government, heaven’s divine harmony, shall be represented in his church on the earth, and to despise the authority of the church is to despise the authority of Christ himself. “Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth [pruneth] it, that it may bring forth more fruit.” The pretentious foliage of the barren fig tree led our Saviour to search its branches from the lowest bough to the topmost twig for ripe fruit. Finding none, he uttered against it a withering curse. “While this was a symbol of the Jewish nation, yet the warning is for all time, to all churches and to all Christians.” “Prejudice is even stronger in the hearts of men now than in Christ’s day.” And to-day the servant of Christ, the reprover of sin, meets with scorn and rebuffs. “Satan can present a counterfeit so closely resembling the truth that it deceives those who are willing to be deceived.” “He is an expert in quoting scriptures and placing his own interpretation upon passages by which he hopes to cause us to stumble.” Likewise his followers, who are unstable, wrest the Scriptures to their own destruction. Beloved, let us beware lest we be led away with the error of the wicked, and fall from our own steadfastness. “Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump.” “A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.” “If ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.” “Cast out the scorner, and contention shall go out; yea, strife and reproach shall cease.” “The followers of Christ and the servants of Satan can not harmonize.” Evil men, like their leader, misconstrue and pervert the Scriptures to accomplish their object. As Satan endeavored to cast reproach upon Christ, so do his agents seek to malign God’s people. “The tempter often works most successfully through those who are least suspected of being under his control.” “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.” “God is not the author of confusion, but of peace.” If confusion has manifested itself, it is evident that Satan has had his agents among us to harrass, perplex, and discourage the Lord’s people. To distinguish between the agents of Christ and Satan we have but to consider the fruit they bear. “Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree can not bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.” “The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies; neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouths.” “In their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.” “I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.” “Father, glorify thy name,” was the keynote of Christ’s life. If we follow him, this will be the keynote of our lives. If we submit ourselves to God, he will make our lives consistent with the truth. He then will impart the power to glorify him. This power will not be given to glorify us, nor even to vindicate us. The question that will most concern us will be, Is it I? Charity for our brethren will hide a multitude of sins. We shall show by our works that we have entered into a covenant relation with God. Accountability
By WM. COVERT
THOUGH men are careless, yet none can be independent. All who come into the world must in some way pass the judgment bar. God claims jurisdiction over all. “All souls are mine” (Eze. 18:4) was written relative to the universal responsibility of men. Their actions are observed, and an account is kept in behalf of all. “As the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine.” Each will be called to an account over his own record as an individual responsible to God for his conduct. The son may be saved and the father lost, or the father may be saved and the son lost, as one does not live or die in the other’s stead. “The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.” Eze. 18:20. The apostle says, “None of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself.” The reason given for this statement is that “whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s.” Rom. 14:7-9. Man can not escape responsibility while he lives, nor does he settle his account with reference to the things he has done in his life by dying. For after death comes the judgment. “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” Heb. 9:27. These scriptures teach that every man who either lives or dies, must be accounted for, and his destiny settled in the judgment. “So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.” Rom. 14:12. We therefore conclude that no man comes into the world or goes out of the world unnoticed by the Lord. The Lord has a care for all, and loves all. He wishes all to come to repentance and be saved. The Lord alone can pass an intelligent and impartial judgment upon all, for he only knows the full significance of all the things, great and small, that have influenced a life. His view is the only complete and perfect one—the view that sees all sides and all parts at the same time. It should encourage us when we understand that the Creator, while knowing all with reference to us that has been, all that now is, and all that is to come, has done so much to save all. Surely not one should fear to trust his case with the One who knows all things, and who will do all things well. In saying these things, no attempt is11 made to define what future rewards and punishments will be. These must be left entirely with the Lord. It is enough for our present purpose for us to know that the Judge of all the earth will do right. But we do insist on the thought that none will be forgotten. We are also sure that no future probation will be necessary for any one, in order to provide a basis for the Lord to pass a righteous judgment upon any people or person. The case of each individual is in the hands of him whose understanding is infinite, and whose love and justice are perfection. What more can any one desire? Printing for the Blind
By L. N. MUCK
AGAIN we wish to call the attention of the people of God to the publishing work for the blind. The past summer we have been privileged to meet with a number of the churches in the Central Union Conference in behalf of the blind in this country. Wherever the work has been presented, the people of God have responded liberally, and have expressed a desire to see the work move on and to see thousands of our blind friends accept the message. But while some have responded to this particular branch of the Lord's work, yet, my brethren and sisters, we are sorely in need of funds with which to carry on the work for the blind. The work is enlarging. Demands for literature are increasing. The blind everywhere are appealing to us for something to read. And we, in turn, bring them to you, and entreat you to unite with us in giving them the message due the world. Thousands are starving for the gospel, and yet we are compelled to retrench, to draw the line, and to refuse them that which would save them from the power of the enemy. We quote the following from the pen of Sister White, which should stir us to quick action, and cause us to sense the times in which we are living:— “Unmistakable evidences point to the nearness of the end. The way must be prepared for the coming of the Prince of Peace. Let not our church-members complain because they are so often called upon to give. What is it that makes the frequent calls a necessity? Is it not the rapid increase of missionary enterprises? Shall we by refusing to give, retard the growth of these enterprises? Shall we forget that we are laborers together with God? From every church, prayers should ascend to God for an increase of devotion and liberality. My brethren and sisters, do not plead for retrenchment in evangelical work. So long as there are souls to save, our interest in the work of soul saving is to know no abating. Not all can go as missionaries to foreign lands, but all can do the work waiting for them in their own neighborhoods; and all can give of their means for the carrying forward of foreign missions. “There are new fields to be entered, and we must have your help. Shall we ignore the commission given us, and thus forfeit the fulfilment of the promise accompanying the commission? Shall the people of God become careless and indifferent, and refuse to give of their means for the advancement of his work? Can they do this without severing their connection with him? They may think thus to economize; but it is a fearful economy that places them where they are separated from God.” There are honest souls in every State in the Union perishing without a knowledge of the threefold message found in Revelation 14. We are told that there are many localities in this country which have not yet been worked. Yes, there are two hundred and fifty thousand blind people who have been overlooked. And yet this threefold message is to go to “every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people.” I believe that God is calling upon us to be eyes for the blind. We can do this only by giving them the everlasting gospel. I ask you, dear reader, not to turn a deaf ear to the cries of the blind. I plead for my people of like affliction. Opportunities to work for the blind are presenting themselves to us. Thousands are willing to study. Finally, dear reader, let us fulfil the precious words of Isa. 35:3-6: “Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense; he will come and save you. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb shall sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.” Those wishing to donate funds to be used in carrying the message to the blind, may send their contributions to Miss Katie Coleman, the secretary of this work, at College View, Neb., and all funds will be turned over to the treasurer of the Central Union Conference. “Without Ceasing”
By H. F. PHELPS
The writer once had the privilege of reading the “Memoirs of Sister Hannah Moore,” who was a missionary for the Baptists, in Africa. In later years she accepted present truth, and died a Seventh-day Adventist. Her experience in praying “without ceasing” was very interesting. As it has been a help to me, and may be to others who are preparing for the coming of Christ, I will mention some things which show how her heart was constantly uplifted in prayer. She tried to mingle prayer with every act in life. I am sure it must have been a help to her in her Christian experience. Suppose we also try to do this. The fruit will be good, the result highly satisfactory. How did she do it? In this manner: In going for a walk, she would pray the Lord to walk with her. In washing her hands and face, she prayed the Lord to wash her in his precious blood. In disrobing, she would ask God to take away from her everything that was displeasing in his sight. In dressing her feet, she prayed that they might be “shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.” At one time she had the care of a very trying, worrying child. In this experience she would say: “Lord, let patience have her perfect work.” This serves to illustrate. It can be enlarged upon at our pleasure. It will prove a blessing. Try it. In these days of peril we must pray more. By this we shall be prepared for the still more perilous days that are surely coming. Am I a Christian?
By W. H. H. INGLE
WE all shall do well often to ask ourselves the question, Am I a Christian? not, Do my brethren and neighbors think me to be a Christian? but, Am I one? Is my experience in the things of God a genuine one? In my home, is it known that within me there is an abiding presence able to keep me when tempted to speak impetuously, and to help me to properly represent him whose name we bear? The Lord has made it possible for us to reveal in all our acts the divine nature. He partook of ours, that it might become possible for us to share in his. He can accept of no counterfeit. His divine life is genuine, and only genuine. The apostasy of much that goes under the name of Christianity today may be known by the following marks: worldly schemes for work, instead of free-will offerings (1 Cor. 13:3); worldly schemes for finances, instead of God's financial plan; worldly choirs to entertain, instead of saved people singing to edify; worldly fairs and festivals, in place of heavenly communions; worldly hilarity, instead of spiritual joy; worldly unity among members, instead of spiritual fellowship. These are the awful marks which demonstrate spiritual harlotry too wicked to name. Woe unto the watchman who does not warn of it. Rev. 18:1-5. God teaches men through his Word, and it is the duty of those who study and learn that Word to communicate it to others. The things which they have heard and received are to be committed to faithful men who are able to teach others. 2 Tim. 2:2. Persons can not teach what they do not know; and as many Christians, and even professed ministers, know very little of the Word of God, they are not properly prepared to teach it to others. But people greatly need to be taught “publicly and from house to house.” Patient Suffering for Christ
“PATIENT suffering for Christ’s sake is one of the highest possible tests of loyalty to him.”