Earlier text: One More Offering for ChristianiaJ. S. WASHBURN
By J. S. Washburn
“Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.” John 8:34. Jesus here states a truth which every man has proved to his sorrow. Sin is a cruel taskmaster, a merciless slave driver, who pays no wages but pain, sorrow, shame, and at the last, death. In ourselves there is no escape, no remedy. “His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins.” Prov. 5:22. Haman built a gallows fifty cubits high, on which to hang Mordecai. But God delivered just Mordecai, and the very rope prepared for him took proud, cruel Haman and brought him to the painful, shameful death he had planned for another. Thus with remorseless literalness was the wicked taken, destroyed by the cords of his own sin; and not less surely will every unrepentant man find himself some day held in bonds, dying in agony and shame because of his own sin. Do you think you will escape? “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” “Be sure your sin will find you out.” You cannot hide it so deep but it will hunt you to your death. For, listen! sin is within you, a part of yourself. You cannot run away, you cannot escape from it. While you live, it will abide with you, poisoning and destroying you. You cannot cover yourself with falsehood, with denials. “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.” Prov. 28:13. Others may be deceived, but God knows, and you cannot forget. Resisting the Spirit for a time, the sting may seem to be gone, but when in trouble or danger, when you are least able to endure it, then it will face you, taunt you, mock you, crush you, like the hissing, venomous serpent it is, this self-same sin you thought forgotten by yourself and all others. O helpless, wretched one! is there deliverance from this loathsome, clinging serpent with its death-poison fang?—Yes, thank God. Christ can, will deliver. He who can raise the dead can utterly forgive sin, but there is one condition. “What can that be?”—Simply this, confession. Confession and forgiveness are married. God hath joined them together. No man can put them asunder. Read Prov. 28:13 again, also Ps. 32:3–5. While David concealed his sin, he knew only a terrible unrest that was consuming his very life. He confessed his sin, and then found peace and rest. “When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long. For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgression unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin.” “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” All sin is against God; therefore all sin must be confessed to him. But we are also to confess our faults to those whom we have wronged; and then, thank God, we are as free as if we had not sinned. The blessed proclamation of “liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound,” is an actual experience. “Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers: the snare is broken, and we are escaped.” Psalm 7. We are free. There is no condemnation. Sin has no dominion over us. Christ is our Master, and his rule means liberty, life, and peace. Thank God for the “glorious liberty of the children of God.” Even while still in this body, there is liberty from sin and sinning. Peace with God, perfect love which casts out all fear, now gives us boldness and power with God and with men. And then when he comes and changes this body of humiliation, and fashions it like unto the body of his glory, he gives us the actual, literal freedom of the universe. O, shake off the bands! go free in the Lord. “God’s almighty arms are round me,
Peace, peace is mine;
Judgment scenes need not confound me,
Peace, peace is mine.
Jesus came himself and sought me,
Sold to death, he found and bought me,
Then my blessed freedom taught me,
Peace, peace is mine.” EVERY kind of plant and animal has its own limits of growth. Its size is a help in judging of an unfamiliar species. The botanist will tell us to what height a given herb or tree will reach; the zoologist can tell us the measure of an animal. Variations there may be, but within comparatively narrow bounds. The limits of man's bodily stature are fixed quite definitely. The limits of the attainments of the minds of mortals are recognized. The great dignity, the unique blessing of mankind, is the standard set for the true growth of all alike, because it alone is unlimited—“the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.”—Christian Endeavor World. What Constitutes Heathenism?
THERE is more to this than appears on the surface. We are not aware how often we proclaim ourselves heathen. Consider this very apparent distinction between the heathen and the worshiper of the true God:—The heathen is not content without a god that he can see; while the Christian trusts the God who dwelleth in the light which no man can approach unto, whom no man hath seen, neither can see. 1 Tim. 6:16. In short, the heathen cannot trust his god out of sight, while the Christian has as much confidence in his God when he cannot see him as when he can. Now no one would ever complain if he could see all that he desired ready to hand. It is when we cannot see how we are to get on, that we begin to murmur or grow anxious. Yea, it is often then, a murmur, in that the desponding one says, “God has forsaken me.” Because he cannot see God, he thinks that he does not exist. We doubt God, because we cannot see him. We cannot endure that he should work behind a veil. Thus we proclaim ourselves heathen. People may think that it is not a very great thing to believe in God, but really to believe in God is everything. Real belief in God means freedom from all worry, because God tells us to cast all our care on him.—Present Truth. Practical Hydrotherapy
By John Harvey Kellogg
Lesson XVI—Hydrotherapy in Hot Weather
COLD is a universal antidote for heat, as heat is for cold. We use water to put out fire, and fire to warm water. There are no disorders or morbid conditions which so readily respond to the use of water, and which are so radically and readily benefited by hydriatic applications as those especially incident to hot weather. The public generally have found this out, and hence it is the custom in many countries, particularly in England and Scandinavia, and even in lands where the use of water is not so well understood, for those who can do so to leave their business, and make a trip to the seaside to get the benefit of the hydrotherapy of the sea. We must remember, however, that what is good for one person is not always good for another, and perhaps as many are injured as are benefited by sea bathing. Very frequently people are made sick at the seashore because they overdo. They spend hours in the surf, and when they come out, they are completely exhausted. If one is unaccustomed to sea bathing, the bath at first should not be longer than two or three minutes; the next time it may be a little longer, and may be gradually lengthened, until one can safely stay in it ten or fifteen minutes. If the water is rather cold, one should not remain in it more than five or ten minutes; if it is very cold, not more than three or four seconds,—just long enough to get the impression of cold upon the skin. If one exercises vigorously by13 swimming hard, he can stay in longer. Fleshy people can remain in the water longer than thin people, and adults longer than the very young. The benefit to be derived from sea bathing is due, first of all, to the low temperature of the water, the temperature of sea water seldom being above 70° or 75°. Water at that temperature very rapidly extracts heat from the body, so that if a person remains in water at that temperature a very great length of time, he loses considerable heat. So large an amount of heat might be carried off in this manner that one would suffer from shock, and the next day he might feel a great depression as the result. Fresh water is usually warmer than salt water; and in soft water, reaction occurs more quickly than in salt water, so that one may remain in it a little longer. Cold has the marvelous property of increasing vital work of all kinds. When cold water is applied to the skin, impulses are sent inward that awaken every organ of the body. Let us see what takes place: When a person dashes into cold water, the first thing he does is to draw a deep breath; the lungs swell out, a deep inspiration is taken, and the heart begins to pound away with wonderfully increased vigor and strength. This deep breathing is purely involuntary, just as is the jerking of the leg when the bottom of the foot is titillated; it is one of the organic functions carried on by the bodily forces entirely independent of the will. This deep breathing increases lung activity, thus bringing in more oxygen; it increases heart activity, so that the blood is circulated with greater force; hence we have more blood and purer blood carried into every tissue of the body. The result is a stirring up of the bodily forces, and a distribution throughout the system of a larger amount of highly vitalized and oxygenated blood. Thus we see that the blood-making powers of the body are increased by sea bathing or by the application of cold. When a hot wave comes, every one is subject to its depressing influence. The babies suffer most, but adults often suffer greatly. Sometimes the mortality is enormous. But cold water comes in as an antidote for these bad effects. One cannot cool the atmosphere, but he can get into a tub of cold water, and sit down; he can get into a cool medium. One of the ways by which we can antagonize hot weather is by the neutral bath, which is a full bath at a temperature of from 92° to 95°; one can live in that kind of bath indefinitely. In cold weather a little warmer water may be used than in summer. The neutral bath is good for children as well as adults. If a warm bath is taken in summer, the bather may be overheated; and if a cold bath is taken, it will cause a reaction, and one will be hotter than before; but the neutral bath (92° to 96°) produces no reaction, so one can take it at night, go to bed, and be comfortable. The neutral bath lowers the temperature, and at the same time is not exhausting; it dilutes the blood, and aids absorption; it increases the action of the kidneys, and soaks the skin full of water. Suppose the baby is restless and wakeful. Put him into a neutral bath; make a sort of hammock of a sheet by pinning the corners or tying them down below the tub, and then place the baby on the sheet, and let it sink into the tub. One of my little girls showed me this method of preparing the bath for the baby, and I think it is very practical and original. If the temperature is 94°, the baby may stay in this bath a week, being taken out occasionally. The neutral bath is also good for old people and invalids. Any man or woman, no matter how hot the weather is, can take the neutral bath with advantage, and not fear overheating. Sunstroke and Overheating
Suppose one has been overheated, or has had an attack of sunstroke; what is to be done? Water is the life saver, the best means in the world of saving people from the effects of sunstroke or overheating. When sunstroke is about to occur, there is an elevation of temperature, the skin is dry, and the man stops sweating, so that there is no evaporation. But perspiration, the evaporation of which is constantly cooling us off, carries away the heat of the body so rapidly that the temperature does not ordinarily rise above 100° (98½° in the mouth, or 100° in the interior of the body). This is the temperature at which the vital processes are naturally carried on, and if the temperature rises above that, there is usually disease. At a temperature of 107°, death occurs quickly; at 110°, very quickly. If we apply cold water to the skin, it will have a tendency to drive the blood into the body, and to lessen the cooling off; but if at the same time we rub the surface vigorously, this brings the blood into the skin, and keeps it there, thus encouraging the cooling off; so, together with the cold water, there should be vigorous rubbing. The application of hot water would elevate the temperature still more, and cold water is dangerous, because the tendency is to drive the blood inward; but the cold bath, accompanied by vigorous rubbing, will save life, after sunstroke, in the majority of cases. Sunstroke is a very dangerous accident, and without proper treatment, is likely to prove fatal; but with a cold-water pour from a height of five or six feet, the water being about 60° or colder (ice water if you can get it), and with two or three people rubbing the patient vigorously, we may expect a cure in almost every case. Especial pains should be taken to wet the head and the back of the neck, and to keep these parts cool. Hydrotherapy is the best remedy for the stomach and bowel disorders so prevalent in the summer. Cold applications to the abdominal surface are almost a panacea for excessive activity of the bowels. The reason is that the blood vessels of the congested parts are made to contract. A hot enema should be given for cleansing the bowels and stimulating the circulation. A cold compress to the abdomen, changed every hour or two, affords great relief. If there is pain, a fomentation should be applied for fifteen minutes, followed by the cold compress, to be changed every ten or fifteen minutes; it must be allowed to warm up, and then be changed. This keeps a current of vitalizing blood flowing through the part. By the cold application there is a contraction; and then as the blood warms up, there is a reaction and a crowding out of the blood. When the cold compress is applied again, there is another contraction; then as the compress becomes warm, reaction again takes place, and another crowding out of the blood; at each time fresh blood comes in, and the white corpuscles are enabled successfully to combat the parasites and to carry them off. Some people complain that the cold morning bath is disagreeable in hot weather, that their skin becomes overheated. In such cases apply a hot sponge bath or shower bath, at from 110° to 120°, or as hot as the patient can bear it, for fifteen or twenty seconds. This is to be followed by a cooling off; after the cold water a douche of hot water should follow,—a short douche, while one can count ten, perhaps, of hot water, or water at 110°,—and then one will be cooled off for all day. One has only to stay in the hot water long enough to make an impression of heat upon the surface; this notifies the body that hot water is coming, and the body prepares for it by diminishing heat production and lowering all the activities which increase heat; the vessels of the skin are dilated, the blood is more rapidly cooled, and all the bodily functions are carried on at a little lower tide, the heat elimination being increased at the same time, so that, if there is a tendency to febrile action, it may be checked by this means. If one is exhausted by a hard day's work, what is the best thing to give cold relief and to secure a comfortable night's rest? — A hot bath, at a temperature of from 104° to 110°, at bedtime, quickly cooled to 92°. Lie in this neutral bath till you feel sleepy, then rouse yourself and get into bed, and you will have a comfortable night's rest. A hot bath refreshes the system, stimulates the elimination of fatigue poisons, relieves irritation, and secures a comfortable condition for sleep. Without Spot or Wrinkle
By Ellen G. White
Order is heaven’s first law, and the Lord desires his people to give in their homes a representation of the order and harmony that pervade the heavenly courts. Truth never places her delicate feet in a path of uncleanness or impurity. Truth does not make men and women coarse or rough or untidy. It raises all who accept it to a high level. Under Christ’s influence, a work of constant refinement goes on. Special direction was given to the armies of Israel that everything in and around their tents should be clean and orderly, lest the angel of the Lord, passing through the encampment, should see their uncleanness. Would the Lord be particular to notice these things?—He would; for the fact is stated, lest in seeing their uncleanness, he could not go forward with their armies to battle. He who was so particular that the children of Israel should cherish habits of cleanliness, will not sanction any impurity in the homes of his people to-day. God looks with disfavor on uncleanness of any kind. How can we invite him into our homes unless all is neat and clean and pure? Believers should be taught that even though they may be poor, they need not be uncleanly or untidy in their persons or in their homes. Help must be given in this line to those who seem to have no sense of the meaning and importance of cleanliness. They are to be taught that those who are to represent the high and holy God must keep their souls pure and clean, and that this purity must extend to their dress, and to everything in the home, so that the ministering angels will have evidence that the truth has wrought a change in the life, purifying the soul and refining the tastes. Those who, after receiving the truth, make no change in word or deportment, in dress or surroundings, are living to themselves not to Christ. They have not been created anew in Christ Jesus, unto purification and holiness. Some are very untidy in person. They need to be guided by the Holy Spirit to prepare for a pure and holy heaven. God declared that when the children of Israel came to the mount to hear the proclamation of the law, they were to come with clean bodies and clean clothes. To-day his people are to honor him by habits of scrupulous neatness and purity. Christians will be judged by the fruit they bear. The true child of God will be neat and clean. While we are to guard against needless adornment and display, we are in no case to be careless and indifferent in regard to outward appearance. All about our persons and our homes is to be neat and attractive. The youth are to be taught the importance of presenting an appearance above criticism, an appearance that honors God and the truth. The mother’s dress should be simple, but neat and tasty. The mother who wears torn, untidy clothes, who thinks any dress good enough for home wear, no matter how soiled or dilapidated it may be, gives her children an example that encourages them in untidiness. And more than this, she loses her influence over them. They cannot help seeing the difference between her appearance and the appearance of those who dress neatly; and their respect for her is weakened. Mothers, make yourselves attractive, not by wearing elaborately trimmed garments, but by wearing those that are neat and well fitting. Let your appearance teach a lesson of neatness. You cannot afford to lose the respect of your children. From their infancy, children should be taught lessons of purity. Mothers cannot too early begin to fill the minds of their children with pure, holy thoughts. And one way of doing this is to keep everything about them clean and pure. Mothers, if you desire your children’s thoughts to be pure, let their surroundings be pure. Let their sleeping rooms be scrupulously neat and clean. Teach them to care for their clothing. Each child should have a place of his own for his clothes. Few parents are so poor that they cannot afford to provide for this purpose a large box, which may be fitted with shelves and tastefully covered. To teach children habits of order will take some time each day; but this time is not lost. In the future, the mother will be more than repaid for her efforts in this direction. See that the children have a daily bath, followed by friction till their bodies are aglow. Tell them that God does not like to see his children with unclean bodies and ragged garments. Then go further, and speak of inward purity. Let it be your constant effort to uplift and ennoble your children. We are living in the last days. Soon Christ is coming for his people, to take them to the mansions he is preparing for them. But nothing that defiles can enter those mansions. Heaven is pure and holy, and those who pass through the gates of the city of God must here be clothed with inward and outward purity. They must be without “spot or wrinkle, or any such thing.” The charge to us is, “Come out from among them, and be ye separate, . . . and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, . . . and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” It Must Be Settled Right
By Ella Wheeler Wilcox
HOWEVER the battle is ended,
Though proudly the victor comes
With fluttering flags and prancing nags
And echoing roll of drums,
Still truth proclaims this motto
In letters of living light,
No question is ever settled
Until it is settled right. Though the heel of the strong oppressor
May grind the weak in the dust,
And the voices of fame with one acclaim
May call him great and just,
Let those who applaud take warning,
And keep this motto in sight:
No question is ever settled
Until it is settled right. Let those who have failed take courage,
Though the enemy seem to have won,
Though his ranks are strong; if he be in
the wrong,
The battle is not yet done;
For sure as the morning follows
The darkest hour of the night,
No question is ever settled
Until it is settled right. Little by Little: Fashioning Our Future
“LITTLE by little, sure and slow,
We fashion our future of bliss or woe,
As the days are passing away.” God Heals Those Who Know Simplicity and Truth
By William Allen Wood
God will heal his children when they know The vanity of idle wish and empty show; That his strict laws of life are love and truth, And simplicity's the fount of endless youth.
—William Allen Wood.