Earlier text: A PILLAR IN THE TEMPLE OF MY GOD“HIS GLORY SHALL BE SEEN.”
By Ellen G. White
FROM a race of slaves the Israelites were exalted above all peoples, to be the peculiar treasure of the King of kings. God separated them from the world, that He might commit to them a sacred trust. He chose them as depositaries of priceless treasures of truth. He purposed, through them, to preserve among men a knowledge of Himself. Thus the light of heaven was to shine out to a world enshrouded in darkness, and a voice was to be heard appealing to all peoples to turn from their idolatry to serve the living God. God’s purpose for His people is expressed in the words that Christ spoke to them through Moses: “Thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God,” He said; “the Lord thy God hath chosen thee, to be a special people unto Himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth. . . . Thou shalt therefore keep the commandments, and the statutes, and the judgments, which I command thee this day, to do them. Wherefore it shall come to pass, if ye hearken to these judgments, and keep, and do them, that the Lord thy God shall keep unto thee the covenant and the mercy which He sware unto thy fathers; and He will love thee, and bless thee, and multiply thee. . . . Thou shalt be blessed above all people.” “Behold,” said Moses, “I have taught you5 statutes and judgments, even as the Lord my God commanded me, that ye should do so in the land whither ye go to possess it. Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the Lord our God is in all things that we call upon Him for? And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law which I set before you this day?” God desired to make His people Israel a praise and a glory. In obedience to His law they would find their wisdom and understanding. He told them that the keeping of His commandments would bring to them an elevation of life and character that even the heathen world would recognize and commend. But Israel did not fulfil God’s purpose. They forgot God, and lost sight of their high privilege as His representatives. Through disobedience, they developed a character exactly the opposite of the character He designed they should develop by obedience to His law. While the people were firm in their allegiance to God, His commandments were not grievous; but when they separated from Him and gave their powers to the service of the prince of evil, they became aware of their inability to execute the holy enactments of heaven. The law that had once been their delight, became an unendurable weight. The Israelites placed their own mould and superscription upon the truths entrusted to them. Their minds were quickened into activity by selfish ambition. Inspiring them with a power from beneath, Satan infused their minds with subtle sentiments derogatory to God’s character. He invented theories by which he ensnared the minds of all classes. Gradually the law of God was lost sight of, the minutiae of formalism taking its place. The Jewish religion became a religion of rites and ceremonies. The religious leaders, laying great stress on their own opinions, and teaching for doctrine the commandments of men, filled the minds of the people with theories and doctrines that were contrary to the law of God. Amid the confusing din of voices there was need of a teacher direct from heaven to declare with inspired lips the testing truths so important to every human being. And it was at that time that Christ, seeing the condition of the world, chose to change the order of things. The Commander of all heaven, laying aside His glory, His kingly crown, His royal robe, came to our world, His divinity clothed with humanity, that in His humanity He might touch humanity. As a Teacher sent from God, Christ’s work was to explain the true significance of the laws of God’s government. His work was important; for He sought to present truth in contrast to the many false theories so destructive to the salvation of all who entertained them. He came, not to abrogate the law, but to be in His life a correct expositor of the character of God, which the law revealed. To remove the confusion of opinion existing everywhere concerning the meaning of the law, He Himself lived the law in its purity. Christ came as One able to expound the law of God, so long misunderstood and misinterpreted by priests and leaders. He tore away the gloomy framework of error and doubt, tradition and superstition, with which men had surrounded truth and obscured its brightness. Resetting the jewels of truth in the framework of God’s law, He caused them to shine in their original, heavenly luster. He taught a religion entirely different from the religion taught by the Pharisees. He showed that true happiness springs from purity of heart. True religion is not a mere theory; it affects the heart, and is expressed in the life by good works. If the Jewish nation had received the Teacher sent from God, they would have given up the traditions and maxims handed down from rabbi to rabbi, and accumulating from age to age. If they had hidden God’s law in their hearts, if they had given due respect to its sacred principles, it would have exerted a corrective influence on the entire life, and would have remodeled their selfish, avaricious dispositions after the character of God. But instead of following the Great Teacher, they chose to follow their own way. By sinful indulgence they expelled from the heart the love of God and the love of the principles of His holy law. The love of the world filled their hearts, prompting them to disobey. With His chosen people the Lord dealt as a loving father deals with a disobedient son. For a thousand years He gave to them blessings and responsibilities, privileges and opportunities. But as a people the Jews failed of fulfilling His purpose; and to others were entrusted the privileges they had abused, the opportunities they had slighted. The glorious possibilities set before Israel could be realized only through obedience. The same elevation of character, the same fulness of blessing,—blessing on mind and soul and body, blessing on house and field, blessing for this life and for the life to come,—is possible for us only through obedience. In all ages those who have rendered obedience to God have been transformed in character; and in these last days, when iniquity abounds on every hand, our wisdom and understanding before all people will consist in our obedience to the standard of righteousness. The favor of God is promised only to those who obey. “If ye keep My commandments, ye shall abide in My love,” the Master declares. Not in great talents, not in great possessions, not in grand appearance, but in humble service to our Maker, is our strength, wisdom, and understanding. God has committed a work to His people. Both at home and in the regions beyond, there is work to be done. The truths of the Bible have again become obscured by custom, tradition, and false doctrine. The erroneous teachings of popular theology have made thousands upon thousands of skeptics and infidels. Multitudes have been led to cherish an erroneous conception of God, as the Jews, misled by the errors and traditions of their time, had a false conception of Christ. “Had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.” If we have the Spirit of Christ, and are laborers together with Him, it is ours to carry forward the work that He came to do, ours to reveal to the world the character of God. And His hand is stretched out to save His people in this age from sinking into the formal, Christless state into which the Jewish nation sank. As the Israelites were set as a light to the surrounding nations in the darkness of heathenism, so to-day every follower of Christ is to be as a light to those whose minds are darkened by sin. To His people Christ is now saying: “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. Lift up thine eyes round about, and see; all they gather themselves together, they come to thee; thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side. Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee.” “For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.” EVERY one of us knows how painful it is to be called by malicious names, to have his character undermined by false insinuations, to be overreached in a bargain, to be neglected by those who rise in life, to be thrust on one side by those who have stronger wills and stouter hearts. Every one knows, also, the pleasure of receiving a kind look, a warm greeting, a hand held out to help in distress, a difficulty solved, a higher hope revealed for this world or the next. By that pain and by that pleasure let us judge what we should do to others.—Dean Stanley. THE WAYSIDE CROSS.
By Edward G. Wheeler
[Edward G. Wheeler, in April Success.] Across the blue of a summer sky
The storm-king urges his coursers black;
His rumbling chariots roll on high,
And the lightning flashes along their track. Facing the blast and the blinding rain,
From a wayside cross the Christ looks down,
His eyes of compassion filled with pain,
His temples torn by the cruel crown. But, safely sheltered amid the storm,
And twittering softly, as in a nest,
Beneath an arm of the sacred form,
A bevy of sparrows has flown to rest. They have no knowledge of rite or creed,
They raise no question of whence or why;
They know that here, in time of need,
Are shelter and peace when the storm is high. I look, and ponder: “Were it not best,
When the storms of life obscure the sky,
To turn from reason’s unending quest,
And on as simple a faith rely?” But lo! a rift in the cloud appears,
A gleam of heaven’s abiding blue,
And, like a rapture that shines through tears,
A flood of glory comes sweeping through. The bow of promise its beauty flings
Above the stricken and sullen earth;
Again, with flutter of eager wings,
The little birds flit joyfully forth. What now, to them, is the wayside cross
When skies are clearing, and earth grows gay?
With lives unaltered for gain or loss,
They chirp and chatter upon their way. Then to my heart there comes a prayer,—
“Not like the birds would I come to Thee,
O Lord, for shelter from strife and care,
From the pain and peril of life to flee. “Didst Thou seek shelter, when o’er Thy head
The clouds of muttering hatred burst?
When friends were fleeing, and, in their stead,
Came cross and spear and the raging thirst? “I ask not shelter, but ask to be
With Thine own resolute soul endowed,
In time of trial to stand like Thee,
To front the tempest or face the crowd. “And, when the glory regilds the sky,
Thy spirit of service to me still give,
For I would be able Thy death to die,
Were I but able Thy life to live.” WHERE ARE YOU STANDING?
By T. E. Bowen
Often professed Christians place themselves in the way of temptation. By the very act of taking their position, an index is made as to their true inward feelings. During the trial of the Saviour, both John and Peter were with their Lord. One fell into temptation and denied his Lord, while the other remained true, and was strengthened by the experience. It is written of these two disciples thus: “And Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple; that disciple was known unto the high priest, and went in with Jesus into the palace of the high priest. But Peter stood at the door without.” John then obtained permission for Peter also to come in, which he did; but instead of seeking a place near Jesus, as we feel sure that other disciple did, it is written of him, “And the servants and officers stood there, who had made a fire of coals; for it was cold; and they warmed themselves; and Peter stood with them, and warmed himself.” John 18:15–18. Yes, Peter stood with those whom he knew loved not his Saviour and Lord. It was while he stood there, that he denied his Lord again. There are always two companies with whom to stand, both among angels and men. With which are you standing? Whose company are you seeking? that of the pure loyal angels and those among men who are seeking the heavenly treasure? or are you taking your stand among those who have no love nor interest in eternal things? Judas was selected as a disciple. Jesus loved him, and sought to rescue him from covetousness and ruin. Little by little he let into his heart evil, until it is written of him on the night of betrayal, “Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come upon Him, went forth, and said unto them, Whom seek ye? They answered Him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am He. And Judas also, which betrayed Him, stood with them.” Here was a band of murderers, robbers,—avowed enemies of Jesus. On the other hand was the company of disciples with Jesus. Judas was not with this little band in their secluded place of worship, but he chose to stand with the mob. We are not to shut ourselves away from those who need our help. We are not to gather ourselves away in selfishness from even enemies of God, but are to labor for their salvation in seeking to win them to Jesus; but, dear friends, this is a much different position from leaving off this ministration of helping them into better paths, and deliberately, from choice, taking our stand with them. The ball-room, the popular places of amusement, and the like, are not the places for Christians to be found standing. Jesus and holy angels are not found in these companies, only to take down with their holy pens the unholy thoughts, words, and actions; or to lead ensnared souls to a place of safety. Take heed, dear reader, where you stand. Let the sure foundation of the principles of righteousness be your standing place now, then “ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass [on the earth], and to stand before the Son of Man” when “He shall appear the second time without sin unto salvation.” T. E. Bowen. A PLEA FOR MEXICO.
By Editor
For years the publishers of the SIGNS OF THE TIMES have been considering the advisability of opening a branch office in Mexico, where religious books and periodicals would be published in the Spanish language. Pastor Dan. T. Jones, who at one time was connected with the business management of this paper, and afterward engaged in medical missionary work in Guadalajara, Mexico, long urged that this be done. Just before his death he wrote this office a long letter entirely devoted to a plea for the people of that country, and to suggestions as to how and where an office for the circulation of literature in their own language could be opened to the best advantage. Prof. G. W. Caviness, formerly president of Battle Creek College, but for several years engaged in missionary work in Mexico, has strongly emphasized the reasons for establishing such an office. In his plea for Mexico, made at the General Conference held one year ago, he said as follows:— “We need literature. I hope to see the time when we shall have a printing-press established in Mexico, and when we can have the truth presented in clear, simple language, so that the people can understand and learn it. They are beginning to read. There are public schools now throughout the land.” At the same General Conference the following resolution was unanimously adopted:— “That the Pacific Press Publishing Company be encouraged to establish a small branch printing-office in Mexico, also to print such denominational literature for that field as they can handle to advantage.” At still later dates letters have been received from various missionary workers in Mexico, all indicating that action should be taken at once. In a talk given by Mrs. E. G. White to the Board of Directors of the Pacific Press Publishing Company, under date of August 21, 1901, the following statement was made:— “I am glad to hear you speak of Mexico. I am sure that God has a work to be done in that field. It may be hard to see that much advancement is being made; but as in faith you sow the seeds of truth, you will reap a harvest. It is in God’s order that the work should be started in Mexico. Let this work advance. When doors are opened to us, God wants us to enter at once.” From a letter just received from Bro. A. G. Bodwell, who has been for some time laboring in Mexico, we quote the following:— “During the month of February I traveled about 420 miles on horseback. The most of this trip was through the mountains, and I had to travel quite slowly. But during that time I received from cash sales and subscriptions for our paper (a small Spanish paper now being published in Mexico City) $152.49. I took 129 paid subscriptions, and sold about $25 worth of papers. The rest was from the sales of various books. By this you can see how hungry the people are for truth. I started in to sell the paper, knowing only a few words of the language, and the Lord has blessed me. I am now within a few miles of the line between Guatemala and Mexico, and expect to return by the way of the Atlantic coast. All through the country through which I have passed, the people are hungering for reading matter; and if a printing-house could be established in Mexico City, it would help to solve the problem of not only reaching people in Mexico, but in the other Spanish-speaking countries also. These people are prepared for the message. They are hungering and thirsting for the printed page, and some of them almost shout for joy to think they can obtain it. We can not afford to wait until others occupy the territory, for then we will find it much harder to reach the people than now.” It might be well to state right here that Mexico has some thirteen millions of people, while there are between seventy-five and eighty millions who speak the Spanish language. This gives an idea of the work to be accomplished through this agency. In view of all this, a careful business man, well acquainted with missionary publishing methods, has been secured, and is now at this office familiarizing himself with the details connected with the manufacture and circulation of our literature. Another missionary worker—a young man who has been studying Spanish in connection with his regular course in Walla Walla College, and who has had experience as a canvasser—is also ready to go. The plan of the publishers is to send a man there to assist the workers in building up the circulation of the paper referred to in the letter from Brother Bodwell, and then to publish needed books as necessities may demand and money is received for that purpose. Further than this, it has been decided to give the “Signs of the Times” readers the privilege of sharing in the blessings to be derived from carrying on the work in this great field. To that end they are invited to send in gifts to the address given below. Reports of advancement will appear in these columns from time to time, together with the names of those making donations. Every cent will be carefully used, and no steps will be taken until money is received. No debts will be incurred in any stage of the establishment and carrying on of this work, and all profits will be used in the further circulation of literature. Who will be the first to respond? Address SIGNS OF THE TIMES, Oakland, Cal. THE WONDERFUL REVELATION.
Before us lies a modest book of nearly 400 pages with the romantic title, “The Mystery of the Golden Cloth.” The title page bears an additional suggestion, “The Riven Veil.” It is written and published by Jasper Seaston Hughes, of Chicago, Ill., a clergyman in the Methodist Episcopal Church. The title would indicate that the book was a romance or a novel; and in a way it deals with a wonderful romance in a novel way. It is not, however, a modern romance; but a commentary, a series of meditations, a study, on the book of “The Revelation.” The title was chosen to escape prejudice and cynicism “against all attempts to interpret the book,” held chiefly, we believe, by theologians. The author sets aside all other expositions of the book as failures, and thinks he found the vision “sealed, ‘dead as a stone ready to be struck into fire.’” But let us assure him that to many it has proved a living stone, upon which God has erected living pillars in His temple of glory. The author still further believes that “the vision will never again fall back upon its old plane, and that no interpretation will find currency that does not take into account the facts my work has set forth for the first time.” This edition contains an Introduction, suggestive in some ways, and yet after reading it one feels that it would have been better for the book if it had not been written. Who is he that will measure the work, the writings, the influence of God’s servants? What likeness is there in the Roman Church to Peter the apostle, not Peter the unconverted? Peter the apostle is taken as the type of Romanism, Paul of the Reformation, and John of the latter-day Christianity. To us the parallelism is not alone weak, but very unfortunate. It is a pity we can not hear the voice of Mr. Hughes’ antitype of Peter using the words of 2 Peter 3: 15, 16. Another illustration of this unfortunate comparison is in this sentence: “Paul saw faith the highest faculty in man, John saw love as the highest attribute of God.” As to Paul, see 1 Cor. 13; Gal. 5: 6; Rom. 8: 28-39; et al. Twelve pages of the book are used to relate the author’s personal experience in deep affliction, and how he came to study the Revelation as a relief from sorrow. Of the exposition, it is well written; a little too much, however, in the technical terms of the scholar, the logician, the theologian, to be readily comprehended by the common people. Even when you do not agree with the book, it is rich in suggestion. The correlations, the congregating, of facts and similar symbols, the noting of departure from ordinary forms and usages in the language of the Revelation, the suggestions concerning the symbolism of the various numerals used, are all stimulating to thought and research. One who has studied the Book, who has read its prophecies in the light of historic fulfilment, who has tasted of its wondrous stream of life-giving waters, feels, as he reads Mr. Hughes’ exposition, that the author would have given us much more truth, however, if he had not been so fearful of the suggestions offered by those whose explanations and historical parallels he pronounces failures. For instance, Mr. Hughes rightly concludes that the seven churches in Asia symbolize all churches then present, concerning things then present; but why should they not as fully represent the whole church for all time, the church from John’s day to the end of time, inasmuch as the letter comes as truly from the Omega, the Finisher, the One-Who-is-to-Come, as it does from the Alpha, the Author, the One-Who-Is? The sevenfold letter is of little interest to us if it pertains to those churches then, of things then present; but read in the light of all the churches in all the ages it is of infinite importance. With what seems to us a forced parallelism Mr. Hughes uses Peter, Paul, and John as symbols of the early church, the reformation church, and the latter-day church; with how much more reason are the seven churches a symbol of the whole church for the Christian era. The very characters of the past used in this sevenfold letter strengthen this application. His parallelism of the early giving of the Gospel, with the events of the seals and trumpets, and others to quite an extent, seems to us to be more far-fetched than those of any historical expositor. While it is true that the Book “can not be studied with a view to bolstering any theory and ever give forth its true oracle,” the same result will follow if it is studied for the purpose of finding a way to combat a theory against which the student may be prejudiced. But we are glad that Mr. Hughes has written his book; it will set some to thinking, studying, praying, longing for the hidden manna, the viands from the celestial table, the true riches, the divine anointing, the water of life; and it is to hungry hearts God will disclose His truth. is an epitome of the entire Word of God, of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is supplementary to all the other books, historical and prophetic, of the Bible. It fills all the void places. In its wonderful language is set forth in word and symbol the great plan of salvation more vividly, more strongly, than in any other book. In its historic-prophetic phase it sweeps the entire field from the “old serpent” in Eden to his destruction in the lake of fire; from Babylon, the typical great world-empire, to the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and His Christ. Yet, highly symbolic tho it is, there is no stronger, clearer homily ever given the church than the Apocalypse. It surpasses all other books in its eschatology, its wonderful revelation of final issues, the results of the seed-sowing of the ages, the harvest of eternity. In its wonderful disclosures of the future, the wicked is indeed warned, and the faithful comforted. How it lights up the Old Scriptures! Ezekiel’s and Daniel’s and Zechariah’s visions shine with new meaning in its incandescent glow. Old Testament characters of persons and empires and cities stand in clear outline as types of what shall come afterward, as warnings to every soul who would follow like principles, as helps and encouragement in the life struggle. Balaam and Jezebel, the tribes of Israel and the seven churches; Babylon, and Sodom, and Egypt, are all types of what should be afterward, all great object-lessons to men, to churches, to nations and rulers. With what wonderful sublimity and force and beauty does it reveal the phases of character and7 work of the great central Figure—Jesus Christ. How tenderly, sweetly, and winningly are His love and watchcare revealed! How His individual tenderness and assurance touch the heart! How the glowing prospects of the future cheer the lonely pilgrim and light up his dark way! What a wonderful poem, with the series of dramas in it all ending with the glad home-coming to the city of God, the New Jerusalem; to the holy Mount Zion, which can not be moved; to the water of life from the throne; to the tree of life with its healing fruit and leaves, which will restore the children dwarfed by sin and sorrow to full-grown men of God; to the innumerable company of angels; to the general assembly and church of the first-born, where the good of all ages will meet and greet each other with glad song and praise; and more than all else to the warm, blest, loving presence of the great loving Father of all and His Son, our adorable Saviour Jesus Christ. Praise God for the Revelation. The Bible would not be complete without it, and no church will attain completion or perfect full growth that neglects or slights its life-giving mysteries. WAS SAMUEL RESURRECTED AT ENDOR?
People who are inclined to credit the delusions of Spiritism are prone to cite the assumed calling to life of the prophet Samuel by the witch at Endor. A few facts and Scripture principles will show the unreasonableness of the theory that Samuel appeared at all. Samuel was dead, and buried at Ramah. 1 Sam. 25: 1; 28: 3. Now the Scriptures positively assert that “the dead know not anything;” that “their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished.” Eccl. 9: 5, 6; also Ps. 146: 3, 4. Therefore there could be no possible way for any communication with Samuel, excepting by a resurrection of the dead. The power of raising the dead lies with the Lord and His recognized servants to whom He may choose to delegate such power. Then the question arises, Would the Lord work through the medium of a witch? We think the Word is quite clear on this point. The Lord positively forbade any kind of witchcraft among His people. “Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.” Ex. 22: 18. “There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the Lord.” Deut. 18: 10-12. Surely no reasonable person will suppose for a moment that the Lord would thus positively forbid all communication with such mediums, and then deliberately make use of one of them Himself. Moreover the Lord had utterly cast off Saul, and had refused to have anything more to say to him at all. Being confronted by a great host of Philistines, he was very much alarmed; but when he inquired of the Lord, “the Lord answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets.” 1 Sam. 28: 6, 7. In great desperation, in utter despair, “Saul said unto his servants, Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit, that I may go to her, and inquire of her. And his servants said to him, Behold, there is a woman that hath a familiar spirit at Endor.” Verse 7. Then Saul disguised himself, and took two men with him, and when he had found the woman, he asked her to bring up whom he should name. This request was after the regular modern Spiritism style. But the woman was wily; for Saul had been trying to regain favor with the Lord by putting away those that had familiar spirits, and the wizards. Verse 3. So she expressed a suspicion that the men were laying a trap for her to put her to death. But “Saul sware to her by the Lord” that no punishment should come to her. Then the woman asked, “Whom shall I bring up unto thee?” assuming, in the common medium fashion, that she could “bring up” any one whom a patron might desire. “And he said, Bring me up Samuel.” Then the devil appeared, and the woman saw Samuel. Note that no one but the woman saw anything. It was one of those “dark seances,” in which no one but the medium sees anything. When the woman saw the impersonation of Samuel, immediately her fears were again aroused for her own safety, and her former suspicions were renewed. She would of course associate the prophet with the king, and be more than ever certain of a plot to entrap her. She “cried with a loud voice,” saying to Saul, “Why hast thou deceived me? for thou art Saul.” “And the king said unto her, Be not afraid; for what sawest thou?” And the woman said, “I saw gods ascending out of the earth.” Surely no thoughtful person is credulous enough to believe that the woman really saw any such thing. It must be clear to any reasonable mind that the Bible is telling what the woman saw in imagination, just what she said she saw; that the devil, who had control of her mind, and therefore of her tongue, was deluding her, and deluding Saul through her. He had forsaken the Lord, and in turn was given up to “strong delusion” (2 Thess. 2: 10-12). Then Saul asked, “What form is he of?” And the woman answered, “An old man cometh up; and he is covered with a mantle.” And “Saul perceived that it was Samuel.” Why not? He had called for Samuel through the medium; he did not see anything; but when she gave a description that any one might have given, he was ready to believe it. The rest was easy. The Lord, who had refused to let Samuel speak to the king while he was yet alive, would hardly bring His servant up from the grave to repeat what had already been repeated, and then send him back to the grave. So the remainder of the account is simply a record of the conversation that passed between the deceiver (the devil) and the deceived king, through the medium, or witch. It was easy for the devil, or any one, for that matter, to know that Saul and his army could not stand in the pending battle when the God of Israel had forsaken him. Such a thing never had been known in all the history of Israel. That Satan knows what is going on in the world, and can control the minds and speech of those whom he can overcome, is amply illustrated by instances that occurred during our Saviour’s ministration. See Mark 1: 23-26, 34; Matt. 8: 28, 29. That he can personate individuals is shown by the fact that he can make himself appear as an angel of light. 2 Cor. 11: 14, 15. If men would believe the word of God concerning the condition of the dead, and heed His warnings against tampering with the various forms of Spiritism, they would not be deceived by the seance at the hiding-place of the witch of Endor. That incident was recorded for our learning (Rom 15: 4), and not for our deception. The Lord never gave a condemned witch the power to bring up the dead. A CONDITION WITH A MEANING.
By S.
Religious and secular journals have recently been discussing the question of whether a certain new and popular parlor game was a wicked game. One journal declares that it “is rapidly bringing in its train other evils than mere inane waste of time. Gambling has taken it, and innumerable young people are speculating money they can ill afford on the results of the games. Here young women and girls are affected more than young men, for they can speculate with a show of respectability which does not attach to other forms of gambling.” Now there is no game ever played, there is no event in life, but can be made to serve as an instrument of the gambler. The wickedness is not in the game or the event, but in the heart that uses them to waste precious moments, squander money, or win from another that to which we have no just claim or right, and in so doing form for ourselves a worse than useless character. The game can not possibly harm those who do not play it. The wickedness is in the heart of those who make use of the game to a useless or wicked purpose. The different games give different and various opportunities for accomplishing certain results; but they are but sets of rules devised by men. It is a fact that every individual in the world can find something better to do than to play any of them. Around certain games there hangs the very odor of wickedness, because of the wickedness that has been done in connection with their playing, by the ones who did the playing. Such games seem to have been specially devised for the accomplishment of wicked purposes, and he who has a wicked purpose in his heart will find in such games a chance to work it out. He who has learned the rules of these games has with him a continual temptation to employ them as they have come to be employed by wicked men. There are better rules to incorporate into one's life than the rules governing the games of chance. The suddenness with which this new parlor game has become an instrument of the gambler only goes to show the prevalence of the gambling spirit in the world. It shows also to what an alarming extent the gambling mania has permeated the homes of the people; for this new game is a parlor game. It is also noted that it finds its devotees among the girls and young women of the family. There is in this a revelation of the vital dearth of Christian principles in the homes of the land. The heart that is surrendered to Christ can never stoop to take that which is another's by any set of rules or by any kind of game. Vital godliness in the heart could never permit participation in games of chance for money; and a true sense of what the business of Christianity demands of us would never permit us to squander in such a way that which is of so much more value than money—our time. The mania for frivolity and gambling is eating into the lives of the people of this generation like the most virulent cancer. It is a sign of the times, and a most striking one, and with all the other unmistakable signs of these days, is pointing to the one great event, the day of this earth's visitation, when God will put an end to sin, and establish the rule of righteousness. S. Please explain Gal. 3:1. Was it not by faith they saw Christ crucified? B. W. O. It was. “Before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you;” the living truth as preached by Paul. Christ died in the beginning, the “Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” He gave Himself for all time, all generations. Abel and Abraham received Him by faith as crucified for them. The Galatians received Him then; and the soul who embraces Christ Jesus takes Him now as a present sacrifice offered and dying and living for him now. The same faith makes us crucified with Him. See Rom. 6:6; Gal. 6:14. 1234.—Samuel and the Woman of Endor. D. C. R.—For explanation of 1 Sam. 28:11–21 see SIGNS of March 26, Question No. 1219, also article on this page. J. B. B. 1235.—Fraternal Societies and Bible Reasons. The following reasons from the Bible are given for every one to join the numerous fraternal beneficiary societies so energetic at the present time: “But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel” (1 Tim. 5:8); and that Christ belonged to a secret order (Heb. 7:11)—order of Melchisedec. F. O. O. In the first place, what has secret societies or benevolent orders to do with the first text, or the duty enjoined therein? The text does not refer to a future provision, but for present. A man should provide for his own house, but always legitimately of course. This is his duty, if possible, whether there are a million such societies or none; and none are needed. The best in the world is the living church of Jesus Christ. And (2), What has the second text to do with secret societies? The order of Melchisedec pertains to no society, but to a priesthood. Melchisedec was a king-priest. Aaron was a priest alone. Christ was both king and priest also; and so, was a priest after the order or arrangement of Melchisedec. 1236.—“Serve with thy Sins.” Who is meant by “thou” and “thy” in Isa. 43:24? W. T. T. Read the context. The Lord is addressing the people who profess His name, Jacob, Israel. Instead of honoring God by pure offerings and faithful service, they had, by bearing His name, made the Lord serve with their sins. One who does not profess God’s name does not make the Lord responsible for his sins. A parallel text is in Rom. 2:24, where the apostle tells the Jews who professed to be God’s people, “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written.” The Septuagint reads (Isa. 43:24), “Thou didst stand before Me in thy sins;” Leeser’s Jewish translation, “Thou hast troubled Me with thy sins;” Spurrell, “Hast burdened Me with thy transgressions;” Polychrome, “Burdens, nothing else, hast thou given Me by thy sins;” Boothroyd, “Thou hast burdened Me with thy sins.” Similarly Lowth, and others.