THE wisdom of the serpent is often mentioned, but wherein that wisdom lies is not so often made clear. One practical lesson taught from the wisdom of the serpent is given in Ps. 58:4, 5. Speaking of the wicked, the psalmist says, "They are like the deaf adder that stoppeth her ear; which will not harken to the voice of charmers, charming never so wisely."
Some dangerous animals can be charmed by certain kinds of music, and diverted from their purpose; but the "deaf adder"—not so by nature, but that "stoppeth her ear" when the danger from the charmer is present—pursues its course. Closing its ears, it hears nothing to divert it. The Saviour commended its wisdom to His disciples: "Be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves." Matt. 10:16.
It is said of Christ: "Who is blind, but My Servant? or deaf, as My Messenger that I sent? . . . seeing many things, but Thou observest not; opening the ears, but He heareth not." Isa. 42:19, 20.
"Deaf," "He heareth not." He saw many things, but He did not see. How can this be possible? — While surrounded by many voices, calling Him to worldly honor, fame, wealth, power — "All this power will I give Thee, and the glory of them," said one — yet He was attentive to but one voice. It was the Father's voice calling to duty. "Mine ears hast Thou opened," were the words of the Saviour. Ps. 40:6. Again, "The Lord God hath opened Mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back." Isa. 50:5.
THE CHARMS OF SIN AND REBELLION
Closed, by His own choice, to the voices "charming never so wisely," His ear was ever opened to the voice of His Father. It is only when we do not close the ear to the voice of charmers, that we become rebellious, or turn "away back."
Our first parents were not wise as the "deaf adder that stoppeth her ear." They harkened to the voice of the charmer, and ruin and death became the heritage of the human family.
Refusing to stop the ear to the tempter, brings more sorrow into the world to-day than all other curses combined. If men and women would heed the injunction of the Saviour to be "wise as serpents," closing the ear to all suggestions leading away from the one object to be attained, how different the world would soon become!
TAKE HEED TO THE HEARING
Rehoboam, son of Solomon, listened to the counsel of young and inexperienced men, and lost ten of the twelve tribes of Israel. 1 Kings 12:12-16.
Jesus laid strong emphasis on the proper use of the ear. "Take heed what ye hear." Mark 4:24. And "take heed . . . how ye hear." Luke 8:18. These injunctions are the sure path to safety and peace. "What ye hear" needs no comment. But "how ye hear" may be perplexing to some. This expression embodies the question of the spirit in which you hear, the intent for which you hear, the use you expect to make of that you hear.
One has well said, "If there be no hearers, there will be no speakers of evil."
There is great force in the simple Japanese figure of three images bound together, one with its hands over its ears, the next covering its eyes, the third covering its lips; the evident lesson being, Take heed what you hear, see, and speak. With these lessons learned and applied, no man will go far astray.
CLEANSED THE EAR FIRST
In ancient time, there was an offering made when a leper was cleansed. Lev. 14:14-18. In this cleansing, the ear was the first thing to be cleansed. The blood of a lamb, representing the blood of Christ, was taken by the priest, and touched upon the ear first, then upon the right thumb, and the large toe of the right foot. The ear must be cleansed until it will listen alone to the voice of the Master. Then there will be success in cleansing the actions, represented by the blood touching the hand and the foot.
After the blood had been applied to the ear, the hand, and the foot, oil, representing the righteousness of Christ, was taken by the priest, and first sprinkled seven times before the Lord, showing faith in the complete righteousness wrought out by the Saviour for the individual; then a part of the oil was touched upon the blood that had been applied to the ear, the hand, and the foot.
The righteousness of Christ is imparted only where the blood of Christ has cleansed. It commenced where sin entered this world, in the hearing, then was imparted to the actions.
Lastly, some of the oil was placed upon the head, the seat of the mind, in this way giving assurance of keeping power for time to come. "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts," is the counsel of God. Isa. 55:7.
With the fountain purified, the stream can bear life and health to all who come under its influence. The Christian life will be fragrant with blessing.
The One Important Thing
By M. C. W.
THESE are days of stress and trial, days of danger and evil. War has lifted its monstrous, cruel head, with its blood-dropping jaws, and glistening, murderous fangs, among the nations, till the larger part of humanity are engaged in internecine strife. The highest inventive skill has been used to devise and perfect instruments potent in slaughter; and the chief motive that moves millions to madness is to kill, kill, kill. Demons must laugh and angels weep at the fearful spectacle.
The outcome is uncertain, and the general uncertainty is emphasized by the certainty expressed by the partizans of either side. The wiser, more considerate onlookers are waiting. The victory of a single battalion, a chance shot on one man's part, the dropping of a single bomb, may decide the fearful conflict. Disease and pestilence are dreadful foes, sometimes mighty and gruesome allies.
In divine prophecy, we do not have full particulars, nor even complete outlines. The great general trend and the sure outcome are predicted. The wise expositor will be slow in particulars; "for we know in part, and we prophesy in part." Where God is specific, we may be. Where prophecy is not clear, we can wait, trusting Him. What is obscure to-day may be clear to-morrow. Then our dream of yesterday may be upset.
But we may not slight the warning voice of prophecy. We are to let the light of its "sure Word" shine; for He has given it to be a light "in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the Day-star arise." 2 Peter 1:19.
THE VITALLY IMPORTANT THING
But there is one thing more important than prophecy, more important than to try to follow the development of events in the world and to speculate as to their outcome; for we may do all this and yet miss the vitally important thing after all. That thing is the uniquely, transcendently important thing of harmony with God, of understanding and knowing Him, of having peace with Him, of being covered with His righteousness, filled with His life; for harmony with God means all this.
God has shown its importance by using the greater part of the Scriptures to teach it, impress it, emphasize it. Without that harmony, all else is failure. With it, all else contributes to ultimate success.
Our Lord has taken especial pains to emphasize this necessity of knowing God in a moral way, in spiritual life, in character preeminence, even in the great apocalyptic books, Daniel and the Revelation. Yet these books are little used otherwise than as a basis of prophetic exposition, sometimes fanciful, sometimes factual, but generally with little of the practically spiritual.
But note: Before we get to the great prophetic delineations and predictions of the character and power and extent of the great antagonistic kingdoms of earth, the great majesty and power, the great character and care of God are set before the children of men and rulers of nations.
It is of God as the one great preeminent Teacher of men, superior to all the best of earth's schools, that the first chapter of Daniel treats. His teaching includes the highest upbuilding of the physical, mental, and spiritual man.
It is of God the Revealer, in contradistinction to the genesis of the philosophies and vain wishes of men, that chapter two treats. The kingdom of man, not based in righteousness, comes to naught.
It is of God the Deliverer, in spite of foes, however strong, that chapter three tells us. He delivers the faithful righteous who may stand against the worshipers of world patriotism, the deification of human ambition.
He teaches the nations and their rulers, in chapter 4, that "the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever He will." Only those in harmony with that righteous rule can persist.
In chapter five, the dread realities of the judgment upon great Babylon, weighed in the divine balances of justice and found wanting, are set before us by a messenger from the throne of God the Judge.
And then in chapter six, with a new dynasty come to power, the Medo-Persian, God the Vindicator of the good and just of all the ages, vindicates the faith of His aged servant Daniel, who dares to worship God despite unchangeable decree. If men, if rulers who profess God's name, had heeded the lessons of God the Teacher, the light of God the Revealer, the power of God the Deliverer, the righteous law of God the Ruler, the great tribunal of God the Judge, histories of crime, wars, and fierce persecutions would never have been written. But because they would not, in the book of Daniel follow three great prophecies of coming kingdoms, the rise and fall of empire, cruel persecutions; and then back to the moral lesson and moral character, all-important, the prophet turns: "Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand." Dan. 12:10. And the wise are they who above all things else are in harmony with God; for "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom."
THE APOCALYPSE
In that other great apocalyptic book, the Revelation, there is a great seven times sevenfold drama of unfoldment of God's purpose in this sin-doomed world and the world's disregard of God. But the very first of these is His seven times sevenfold letter to His church of the Christian age, with ever the spiritual thought uppermost, that safety lies only in harmony with God, and the overcoming of all sin; and each division rings the appealing cry, "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches."
The next great prophecy, the seven-sealed book, throbs with the same great thought. It is only the One triumphant over all sin, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, who overcame that He might, that can break the seven seals which confine the secret of man's salvation. And this He does in sacrifice as a Lamb to bring men back to harmony with God. And in the opening of those seals, we hear the fourfold call, Come, Come, Come, Come. Then the very prophecy closes with the setting of God's seal upon those in harmony with Him.
And thus preeminent in every prophecy are not the great events, however mighty, which succeed one another, but the great moral truth of God, which makes or breaks mankind as they receive or reject its mighty power.
And finally that great book makes last appeal to all, of every land, of every tribe, of every condition, proud Pharisee or half-believing skeptic, self-righteous formalist or discouraged sinner, to come, come back to harmony with God. "And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." Rev. 22:17.
Dear heart, wherever you are, accept the invitation. You may not understand all prophecy. You may not be able to harmonize seeming or real differences of interpretation. Let them wait. But come into harmony with God now. Yield all to Him. Find in Him the Solver of all doubts, the Saviour from all sins, the Refuge from all ills, the restful Shadow of a great Rock in this weary land. Believe one who has at least tested Him in part, and found Him never to fail. Make the one important thing yours.
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By Editor
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SCRIPTURE QUOTATIONS
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54 — TORMENTED FOREVER AND EVER
By Editor
Please explain Rev. 14: 11; 20: 10. Do not these texts teach eternal punishment of the wicked? And will the devil be eternally punished?
Categorically we could answer, Yes. There is eternal punishment, without question, and the Bible teaches it. But eternal punishment indicates a completed process. Eternal punishing is quite a different thing. The texts do teach eternal punishment—that is, punishment that is completed for all eternity. They do not teach eternal punishing—that is, a continual torment, which will never end.
“The wages of sin is death,” and death is that which ends consciousness of being, and it does not denote a process continually going on and never completed. It is extinction of life; but you could not call that extinction of life, you could not call that death, which would keep life in a person, and continually torment him. The only difference between that and the reward of God’s people is that one is eternal life in happiness, and the other would be eternal life in misery. The Bible does not put it that way. It declares, “The gift of God is eternal life,” “the wages of sin is death”—just the opposite of life. See Rom. 6: 23.
Now, what is meant by this passage? The original word for “torment” is basanos. The verb is basanizo. The original meaning of this term basanos was simply “a test.” It comes from the Latin term lapis Lydius, a stone from Lydia, which was used anciently to tell whether there was any alloy in gold. When that stone was applied, it was supposed to show whether the gold was pure or whether it was mixed with alloy. The term widened in its meaning to include the testing of persons by trial, by examination. One of the means the ancients had of testing persons was by torment. That is, they placed them under conditions that would cause pain, thinking they would be more likely to tell the truth under such conditions. Consequently the word could be used in the sense of torment. But the Bible does not use it in that way. It uses it in the original and full and complete meaning of test.
The wicked will be eternally tested. This test will be final. The devil will be eternally tested, and his test will be final. He has deceived men into believing they are immortal, and that no material agency that can be brought to bear against them will destroy them. He told that first falsehood in Eden, “Thou shalt not surely die.” Men have believed it, and men are believing it still. Nevertheless, the last test that will be brought upon mankind will be a material test. Everything shall be tested by fire. We read in 1 Cor. 3: 13, “Each man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it is revealed in fire; and the fire itself shall prove [try] each man’s work of what sort it is.” That is the test that will be brought to bear at last. This earth will be kindled by the overpowering glory of God’s presence. Everything that is not of God will perish in the fires of the last days. Everything that is of God will be changed from glory to greater glory by His presence. That testing will be forever.
Those who are unworthy will be burned up,—the root, Satan; and the branches, the wicked who have identified themselves with sin. See the last chapter of Malachi. God’s people will endure the test the same as the three Hebrew children endured the fire in the fiery furnace as revealed in Daniel, the third chapter. Therefore we read in Isa. 33: 14, 15: “The sinners in Zion are afraid; trembling hath seized the godless ones: Who among us can dwell with the devouring fire? who among us can dwell with everlasting burnings? He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly.” That is God’s great test at last, and the righteous only will endure. For a full explanation of this, see No. 111 of the Bible Students’ Library, entitled “Tormented Forever and Ever.” It can be secured of the Pacific Press Publishing Association, Mountain View, California, or any of our regular depositories. It discusses this question quite fully, and gives many texts and references.
When will Ezekiel 38 be fulfilled—now, or at the end of the one thousand years? The plagues seem to be brought to view in verse 22.
There are many theories regarding Ezekiel 38 and 39. Some Bible scholars contend that the prophecy will be literally fulfilled before our Lord comes, and that it must signify that the children of Israel will people Palestine, because it speaks of God’s people in the land of Palestine, and of the great horde from the north that sweeps down upon the ones whom the Lord calls “My people Israel.” It is thought that the only way this can be brought about is that the Jews will return to the Holy Land and build it up again, and upon them will come down the great confederacy from the north, led by Magog. There are others who believe this will not occur until the end of the one thousand years, when Gog and Magog are raised from the dead. Rev. 20:8.
But this could not be, because there will be no such divisions of nations or aggregation of nations at the end of the one thousand years as are spoken of in Ezekiel 38 and 39. National judgments take place before Christ comes; and one has to stop and think but for a minute to know that when all the dead of all ages come up at the end of the thousand years, their national boundaries and distinctions will be completely eliminated.
There is another view which to us seems reasonable. There are conditional prophecies in the Old Testament; many of them. The conditions are stated in Jer. 18:7-10. God laid before His people wonderful blessings that would have been fulfilled to them at that time under the old covenant—that is, during the time of literal, fleshly Israel.
The sanctuary in the closing chapters of Ezekiel is an instance of that kind. Many of those who believe in the literal fulfilment of Ezekiel 38 before Christ comes, believe also that the sanctuary will be set up. But one can not consistently believe that; because sacrifices were to be offered in that sanctuary, and he who offers sacrifices makes of none effect the offering made once for all by our Lord Jesus Christ. The most reasonable explanation that can be made of the sanctuary prophecy in chapters 40-48 is that Israel never complied with the conditions; and consequently that sanctuary, with all its blessed fulness, was never built. The best thing they had was a shadow of it, the temple built by Zerubbabel, Ezra, and others.
It seems to us that the prophecies of Ezekiel from the thirty-sixth chapter are just as truly conditional, as a part of the last great prophecy; and if God’s children had been faithful to Him, He would have brought them back upon “the mountains of Israel.” The enemy, Edom and others, had said against them, “Aha,” and boasted of having possession of the high places; but the Lord said, “O mountains of Israel, ye shall shoot forth your branches, and yield your fruit to My people Israel; for they are at hand to come.” Verse 8. Verse 11 declares that God “will do better unto you than at your beginnings; and ye shall know that I am Jehovah.” He would cleanse them from their sins. He would make them great. What He asked of them was that they should “be ashamed and confounded” for their ways. Verse 32.
If they had yielded to God, then the resurrection that is described in the thirty-seventh chapter of Ezekiel would have taken place. All the enemies that would have come down upon them from the north, as depicted in chapters 38 and 39, would have been destroyed. Plagues would have fallen upon their enemies, and Israel would have been able to build that marvelous sanctuary, and the presence of God would have dwelt among them in overpowering glory. The name of that city henceforth would have been, “Jehovah Is There.” Eze. 48:35.
But Israel failed to meet God’s requirements, and the only thing He could do for them He did in the meager restoration from the Babylonian captivity. About 40,000 of His people returned, and a sanctuary was built that was far inferior to the glory of the temple of Solomon, to say nothing about that of Ezekiel. Nevertheless, all God’s promises of a glorious future will be fulfilled for His own people. This, while not stated in one passage, is given in others. Part of Ezekiel 38 and 39 will be fulfilled this side of the second coming of Christ, but in the clearer terms that are stated in the book of Revelation. Some of them will be fulfilled at the end of the thousand years, but we will understand this very much better if we take the unconditional prophecies given in the Revelation.
In reading Old Testament prophecies, it is well for us to remember what the apostle Paul says in Eph. 3:3-6. He declares there that the gospel contains a fuller revelation than had ever been given before, “which in other generations was not made known unto the sons of men, as it hath now been revealed unto His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit; to wit, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.” He who ignores these instructions, and attempts to make a conditional mixed prophecy like Ezekiel 38 and 39 a prophecy of those times or of later times in all its details, will certainly go far astray.
What is the meaning of the expression in Rev. 22: 2, "The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations"?
The query in the mind of our correspondent is, How could the leaves of the tree be for the healing of the nations, when the nations of the new earth will be all immortal? Here are two explanations:
1. When those nations come up from the grave, they will come up with the size and development with which they went down, simply made immortal; and through the wonderful powers of the tree of life, they will increase to the normal size that God made man in the beginning.
2. The term "healing" could as well be rendered "service." The leaves of the tree were for the service of the nations. For whatever particular use they might be put, they would be found serviceable.
SYSTEMATIC BIBLE STUDY
By Editor
DURING the remainder of the year, a part of our systematic reading of the Scriptures will be in the minor prophets. An interesting exercise is to find out how many of these prophets lived contemporaneously, and to know the condition in the Israelitish nation during the period of their prophecy. If we have access to good modern Bible dictionaries, we can ascertain most of these facts; and it adds a great deal to the interest, in reading the prophetic narrative, if we know the period in which the writer lived.
Read three chapters each week-day, and five on the Sabbath.
Zeal and Success
By Eliza H. Morton
THE man who has the most zeal is usually the man who has the best success in whatever he undertakes to do.
There is a zeal, however, that is not according to knowledge, and that borders on fanaticism. The quality of our zeal should be considered. In the Christian life, a zeal born of the flesh is of little value in the sight of God.
Dr. Bonar tells of a dream he once had. He saw angels weighing his zeal, and it reached the maximum at a hundred. Then they analyzed it, and his pleasure was turned to pain when he saw that it consisted of fourteen parts pure selfishness, fifteen parts sectarianism, twenty-two parts ambition, twenty-three parts love of man, and twenty-six parts love of God.
A zeal that is entirely of God will provoke many to good works, and should characterize those who have a message from the heavenly throne. ELIZA H. MORTON.
Among the Temne Villages
By T. M. French
Pioneering in West Africa — People Eager for the Message — An Old Fetish Tree
By T. M. FRENCH
IN harmony with an earnest invitation to visit Poh Lokkah and speak to the Temne people, a boat was waiting Sunday morning at the Waterloo wharf to take Mrs. French and me down the river.
Already the watchman bird was whistling loudly that the tide was turning, and we were soon winding our way down the river, hastened a bit by the lazy oars of the natives. The mangrove swamps that crowd down to the river on both sides shut out the view of the country, but now and then a monkey or an alligator added interest to the journey.
THE NATIVE INTEREST
We were met at Poh Lokkah by Mr. and Mrs. Brown, who had located among the Temne villagers, and were doing what they could to teach them the gospel. After visiting their home, we were taken to a grove of trees, where about fifty natives had gathered.
Fetish tree at Poh Lokkah, Sierra Leone, West Africa, where human sacrifices used to be offered. Elder French is shown in the picture.
I spoke to these people for nearly an hour on the glorious return of our blessed Saviour; and although I had to speak through an interpreter, I could see by their earnest faces, and their hearty hand-shakes after the service, that their hearts were touched by the Spirit of God. They insisted that they be visited again and again.
AN OLD FETISH TREE
We were deeply impressed, by a visit to an old fetish tree, with the condition in which these poor people had been engrossed. This tree seemed to be a freak of the palm-tree, having eight trunks instead of one. This is doubtless why it was regarded with such reverence. Fetish medicine bottles were strewed all about its roots; and here, in the deep jungle, human sacrifices had formerly been offered to it.
The gospel has broken and is still breaking the fetters of African heathenism. May the recipients of its many blessings in Christian lands give it ample support, and pray for its speedy triumph in dark Africa.
Thrilling Times for Young Men
By Meade Mac Guire
By MEADE MAC GUIRE
SOME young men have been so unfortunate as to be reared in homes where the Bible never was studied, and naturally, they have never become interested in it. Others have read the Bible and heard it read more or less during childhood, but have lost their youthful interest, and look upon the whole question of religion as abstract and unpractical moral teaching connected with the Sunday-school and the church, or spiritual emotions beyond the comprehension of any but the pious mother and the preacher.
But there is usually no lack of interest on the part of the candid, thinking young man, when he discovers some of the practical, twentieth century things revealed through prophets many centuries ago.
The Bible writers, beginning as far back as we have any authentic history, trace the four great universal monarchies, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Grecia, and Rome, down to the disintegration of the Roman Empire, in an amazingly brief space, and then take up special epochs in the history of France, Turkey, etc.
A graphic picture is drawn of the awakening of China and the far East, the fate of Egypt, the ambitious struggles of Russia; and a thrilling chapter discloses the quiet beginning, the mighty growth, and the final destiny of this great American republic.
Still other prophecies foretell the rise of the Roman Catholic Church, or the Papacy, to universal power, its decline and loss of temporal power, and its final triumph throughout the world; also the rise, progress, and end of Protestantism, with much of interest regarding ancient and modern spiritualism, Mormonism, and other false doctrines and theories.
In addition to all these incentives to an earnest study of the Bible, is the supreme consideration, that the prophecies, besides foretelling all these events, give definite dates by which we may know just where we are in the stream of time, and what we should do in view of the still greater events that are to occur in the near future.
Some reader may say, "If all this is true, why do not the great scholars, theologians, and philosophers see it and urge it upon the attention of the people?" I answer by asking, "Why did not the scribes and the lawyers and the doctors recognize Jesus Christ when He came?" — Simply because they were looking for something else, and were not prepared to recognize and accept Him in the form in which He came. So it was in the days of Noah, and so the Bible says it will be in this day when the second coming of Christ and the end of the world are at hand.
Outlaws as Champions of Liberty
By William Henry Smith
ONCE in England the highway robber was a sort of popular hero, and the sentiment in his favor was so strong that it was difficult for the king's officers to enforce the laws. Did this prove that the highways should have been given over to his activities, that he should have been "regulated"? Or did it prove that the people needed to be educated to a point where they would see that it was to their interests to support just laws? The case is somewhat similar to that of the liquor traffic at present.
Those robbers stood for the ideals of personal liberty against the excessive oppressions of the times, thus enlisting the sympathy of a people who yearned to realize these ideals in an orderly way. Yet they directly encroached on liberty, and made it unsafe to go alone, unarmed, or in the dark. The liquor trade imposes the same inconveniences through fostering alcoholism and the general offensiveness and criminality which accompany it.
The highwayman was often very generous in giving to the poor, and pretended to be their friend. Yet his depredations increased the risk of business, greatly hindering the general prosperity of all classes. The sponsors of liquor claim it as a friend to the worker; yet it lowers his efficiency and increases accidents, thus hindering business and decreasing means of happiness. The deceitfulness of the narcotic permits this to be done without exciting much malice in any quarter. That is the only difference.
Prohibiting the sale of intoxicants will increase both wealth and personal liberty in the long run, just as did the prohibition of organized outlaws. W. H. S.
Christ’s Righteousness Covers Our Sin
By Stephen N. Haskell
JESUS is the only one born of woman that is sinless. He alone, of all the family of Adam, will throughout eternity have an uncovered life record. Our life record, marred by sin, will be covered by Christ's righteousness. S. N. H.
Work and Workers
By W. H. S.
SINCE the organization of a Servian church in St. Louis, Missouri, recently, we have Seventh-day Adventist churches in the United States with a membership composed of each of the various nationalities now at war.
AFTER "Billy" Sunday's recent revival effort in Pittsburgh, thirty-six Bible study classes were formed in different parts of the city. Something like nine of these sought to have one of our Bible workers take charge.
THE possibly incomplete reports that have been received, give the number of baptisms of believers in the United States from the end of June through the first part of September as about 1,600. Possibly half of these were children of believers. About 500 others were reported as newly observing the Sabbath, but either already baptized, or not yet prepared.
The corresponding figures for Canada and Newfoundland were about 130 and 40 respectively.
Reports received during the last two months from Australia and the islands are probably incomplete, but give the totals as being about 140 baptized and 30 new Sabbath keepers. W. H. S.
Periodicals Wanted
By Editor
Back numbers of the Signs, monthly and weekly, are available at the price of one cent and one half cent each, respectively.
Mrs. Emma Kincaid, 2557A (rear) Herbert St., St. Louis, Mo., is especially desirous of receiving such back numbers of these periodicals and others similar, that interested persons may send, or order sent, to her address.
Late issues of the Signs, Watchman, Instructors, our magazines and tracts. Mrs. L. W. Myers, Stratford, Oklahoma.
Late issues of the Signs of the Times, Watchman, and tracts. W. Davis Burt, R. F. D. 3, Nicholson, Pennsylvania.
"Tormented Forever and Ever"
One of the most fearful utterances in the whole Bible regarding the wicked, a wrong conception of which has made men infidels. This tract presents an exposition of the text which is reasonable and just—a vindication of God's character. B. S. L. No. 111. Price $1.00 per hundred; single copies, 2 cents.
Four and sixteen-hundredths acres, set to a variety of five-year-old fruit, 2½ miles from Kennewick, Benton County, Washington. Two water systems, irrigation and domestic. Soil deep and rich. Will sell at half value to any one wishing to enter this locality in the interest of the message.
Address JOHN HULTBERG, Lucas, Washington.
The Rich Man and Lazarus
By Mrs. E. G. White
A clear, simple exposition of the noted parable of Dives and Lazarus, given in Luke 16:19-31. Reading it will help you. Price $1.00 per hundred; single copies, 2 cents.
