Earlier text: The Great Guest CameThe first verse of the first chapter of the Bible reads thus: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” The last verse of the last chapter of the last book, barring the benediction, reads thus: “He who testifieth these things, saith, Yea; I come quickly.” “Come, Lord Jesus.” The first verse of the Bible introduces us to God as the Creator of the heavens and the earth. The last verse of the Bible leaves us facing the personal second coming of Jesus Christ, and with the prayer that he should come. These two ideas, these two revelations, span all the way from the beginning to the ending of the gospel, because the first chapter of Genesis is the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and the closing verse, the second advent of our Lord, is the consummation of the gospel. Neither is complete without the other. The original creation involved the new creation. The power of God in the original creation was the power in the new creation. The old heavens and the old earth pass away, but we, “according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.” If any attack is to be made effectively upon the gospel of Jesus Christ, it must be made upon the foundation. And the foundation is creation,—God as the Creator. There can be no adequate conception of God except it be as a personal being, who brought into existence the things that are, who existed before these things, who was not dependent upon things that are; for “by faith we understand that the worlds were framed, not out of things that do appear.” Therefore, when we have come to the last generation, the generation that was to hear the message of the second advent of our Lord, the final attack has been made upon the gospel of Christ by beginning with the first chapter of Genesis. This attack upon the first chapter of Genesis began in an apparently innocent way, by simply claiming that investigation had shown that the days mentioned in the first chapter of Genesis, instead of being days of twenty-four hours' time, were long, indefinite periods. That attack, which began in that apparently simple way, involved everything that has been developed since, down to the denial of the second personal advent of Christ. He who shaped that attack from the beginning, the enemy of truth, had in mind, without doubt, to defeat the message of the second personal advent of Christ, and the preparation for that event. A people have arisen during this generation who are called Seventh-day Adventists. This people, by the very name which they have taken, in their teaching, in the platform upon which they stand, are a living protest against these perversions of Scripture, either through an infidel science or through a denial direct, or a misinterpretation of Scripture. It would be impossible in one brief hour to show to what extent this movement and this people are a living protest against all this perversion. I shall emphasize two things that stand out in the very name Seventh-day Adventists: (1) keepers of the seventh day; (2) believers in the near advent of our Lord. First, the Sabbath day. A great deal more is in it than the mere question of choice between two periods of time, each of equal length: a great deal more is in it than the questions, “Shall we stop work, and attend public service on the seventh day of the week?” or, “Shall we stop work, and attend public service on the first day of the week?” In this question of the Sabbath of our Lord is involved this whole question of apostasy. No true observer of the seventh day should ever apostatize from the truth of the gospel, because the very observance of the seventh day is his testimony to his belief in the original gospel, as revealed in the Scripture. Notice, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work; but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man servant, nor thy maid servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day; wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.” No one can truly believe this commandment without believing in a personal God, the Creator. That which distinguishes between the true God and false gods is the fact that he is the Creator. We worship him because he is the Creator. He is worthy of our worship. We may worship him, and not be abased thereby. We may worship him, and be lifted up thereby, because he is the Creator. Read his own invitation: “O come, let us sing unto Jehovah: let us make a joyful noise to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and let us make a joyful noise unto him with psalms. For Jehovah is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In his hand are the deep places of the earth: the height of the mountains are his also. The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land. O come, let us worship, and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.” “It is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves.” “All the gods of the nations are idols; but the Lord made the heavens.” The gods of the other nations were falsehoods; they were lies. But God is not so. He is the former, the maker, of all things. Now see how this foundation has been struck at, and, with many, absolutely overthrown, until, in place of a personal6 God,—a God who has a dwelling-place in the heavens, a place where he may be found in a sense in which he is not found elsewhere, a God everywhere present by his Spirit, and yet a personal being,—see how this whole idea has been perverted and cast aside. In the old times the out-and-out pagans made visible gods, and fell down and worshiped them, and they had gods many and lords many. In these modern days, men have not made in this country visible gods, they have not fallen down to images of wood and of stone; but they have made false gods just the same. For that God who is designated as an infinite power merely, that God who is simply designated as an impersonal essence, is just as much a false god as was Jupiter of the Romans, or Zeus of the Greeks, or Ra of the Egyptians. It makes no difference whether man's idea of God takes a visible form, before which he bows, or whether his idea of God is kept in invisible form (in his mind), he worships a false god just the same. When that god is the god of his own imagination, his own imagining, or image-making, it is a false god just the same. Now what is the basis of the attack, and how is it presented? It is presented on the basis that creation was not a special act, but a development; that according to certain laws, beginning with the fire-mist, and ending with man, there has been, through untold ages, a development, step by step,—a development from within, rather than a special creation by a God from without. Originally, this idea was confined merely to the material creation; but here is what it covers now, as set forth by one who has given it some study, and endeavors to refute it. He says:— Every scientist understands, as do also intelligent teachers of the Scriptures, that the theory of evolution is not simply a question of the origin of species, but, in its present-day application, proposes to account for everything material, from fire-mist to the perfected frame of the universe; everything animated, from the sterilized cell of lowest life, to the Man of Nazareth; and everything moral, from the sensations of the ameba, to the sacred communion between God and man. There is not an idea in the whole range that evolution has not laid its hand upon, to change it, and to pervert it. At first it was thought, “Ah, we can accommodate the Bible to these things; we can grant that those days in Genesis were simply periods; that does not really affect the Bible or the gospel.” So that was granted by many professed believers in, and teachers of, the Scripture; but when they granted that claim, they granted the whole question; they granted a principle which, when developed, set aside the whole plan and revelation of the gospel; and in place of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and salvation through his atoning work, it established a principle which, when developed, made man, as it were, his own creator and his own savior, and has ended in dispensing with the revelation of the Scripture, in putting reason in the place of revelation, in putting self-salvation in the place of salvation by grace through our Lord Jesus Christ. Now see how this has worked. Here is another statement by one who believes in evolution:— It has been difficult to reconcile geology with the first chapter of Genesis, but not impossible. By making the Mosaic “day” an epoch of undefined duration, and by tracing what really is a remarkable, though not a scientifically exact parallel between the order of creation in Genesis and the order in geology, the theologian was able to make geology confirm Genesis. But it was impossible to reconcile Darwinism with the third chapter of Genesis. The “Origin of Species,” and Milton's “Paradise Lost,” can not be harmonized; and “Paradise Lost” is a great poet's interpretation of the philosophy of life once universally accepted in the church. That philosophy may be epitomized in a sentence thus: Man was created perfect; he fell; in his fall he involved all his descendants in ruin; to recover man from that ruin and restore him to the primitive state of innocence, Jesus Christ has come into the world. Darwinism denied that there was any historic fall, and by necessary implication denied that there was or could be any process of recovery from a fall, and restoration to a lost state of innocence. For the fall and redemption of man, Darwin substituted the gradual development of man.—The Outlook, Feb. 20, 1909, page 378. Sometimes we can get a view of such a thing as this by looking at it a little from the ridiculous side. Here is a new translation of the first chapter of Genesis, or certain portions of it, adapted to modern science and modern conclusions:— 1. Primarily the Unknowable moved upon cosmos and evolved protoplasm. 2. And protoplasm was inorganic and undifferentiated; containing all things in potential energy; and a spirit of evolution moved upon the fluid mass. 3. And the Unknowable said, Let the atoms attract, and their contact beget light, heat, and electricity. 4. And the Unconditional differentiated the atoms each after its kind; and their combination begat rock, air, and water. 5. And there went out a spirit of evolution from the Unconditioned, and working in protoplasm by accretion and absorption produced the organic cell. 6. And cell by nutrition evolved primordial germ, and germ developed protogene; and protogene begat eozon, and eozon begat monad, and monad begat animalcule. 7. And animalcule ephemera: then began creeping things to multiply on the face of the earth. 8. And earthly atom in vegetable protoplasm begat molecule, and thence came grass and every herb of the earth. 9. And animalculæ in the water evolved fins, tails, claws, and scales; and in the air wings, beaks; and on the land they sprouted such organs as were necessary, as played upon the environments. 10. And by attrition and absorption, came the radiata and mollusca, and mollusca begat articulata, and articulata begat vertebrate. 11. Now these are the generations of the higher vertebrata in the cosmic period that the Unknowable evolved the bipedal mammalia. 12. And every man of the earth, while he was yet a monkey, and the horse, while he was yet the hipparion, and the hipparion before he was an orebon. 13. Out of the ascidian came the amphibian, and begat the pentadactyle, and by inheritance and selection, produced the hylobate, from which are the simiade in all their tribes. 14. And out of the simiade the lemur prevailed above his fellow and produced the platyrhine monkey. 15. And the platyrhine begat the catarrhine monkey, and he begat the anthropoid ape, and the ape begat the longimanous orang, and the orang begat the chimpanzee, and the chimpanzee evolved the what-is-it? 16. And the what-is-it went into the land of Nod, and took him a wife of the longimanous gibbons. 17. And in the process of the cosmic period were born unto them their children, and the anthropomorphic primordial types. 18. The homunculus, the prognathus; the troglodyte, and the autochthon, the terragon,—these are the generations of primeval man. 19. And primeval man was naked and not ashamed, but lived in quadrumanous innocence, and struggled mightily to harmonize with the environment. 20. And by inheritance and natural selection did he progress from the stable and homogeneous, to the complex and the heterogeneous; for the weakest died, and the strongest grew and multiplied. 21. And man grew a thumb, for that he had need of, and developed capacities for prey. 22. For, behold, the swiftest men caught the most animals, and the swiftest animals got away from the most men; wherefore the slow animals were eaten, and the slow men starved to death. 23. And as the types were differentiated, the weaker types continually disappeared. 24. And the earth was filled with violence; for man strove with man, and tribe with tribe, whereby they killed off the weak and foolish and secured the survival of the fittest.—The Bible Student and Teacher, for July, 1908, pages 39 and 40. Now that, in ridiculous form, is simply the science of evolution. We are asked to accept unproved theories, unprovable theories, which deny the inspiration of the Scriptures, which set aside the gospel of creation, which remove the very foundations from under our feet. We are asked to accept those on the authority of men, on the authority of reason, on the authority of imagination in place of the living Word of God. Now there is7 no reconciliation between evolution and the gospel of Jesus Christ, and the man who attempts to harmonize the two is doing that impossible feat of riding two horses going in opposite directions. But those who have attempted it in the past have either given up the one or the other, or have been left in the dust of the arena. Now let us see what further is involved in this. We say, What difference does it make about protoplasm and all that? The difference is in just this one vital principle, and that is the question of special creation by the power of the Word of God. Now look (Gen. 1:1), “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth;” and again (John 1:1), “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made.” Now it is true that God, through the living Word, the Word his Son, the Word spoken, created all things; for “by the Word of the Lord were the heavens made, and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.” “He spake, and it was; he commanded, and it stood fast.” This teaching is the very foundation of the gospel of salvation, and that is here; it is the first chapter in the Bible. Now see how it extends. Because God created the heavens and the earth through Jesus Christ, therefore we are invited to put our trust in him, because he promises to recreate us through the same power and the same living Word. Let us read it, as expressed in the Scripture, the first chapter of the epistle to the Colossians: “Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: for by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: and he is before all things, and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church.” The head of creation is the head of the church. When you take away the headship of Christ in the creation, you take away the headship of Christ in the church; and when you take away Christ as the head of the church, what is a headless church but a dead church?—a form of a body without a living head, weak, powerless, inefficient. That is what the professed church is without Christ as the living head. Now note it says here, “In him all things consist.” That is to say, things in themselves, apart from him, can not endure. “In him all things consist.” But what does science say in this generation? “Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.” What need of God, what need of his Son, Jesus Christ? What need of any second advent, since all things continue? The Scripture says, “In him all things consist.” The scientist says, “All things,” not mentioning him, “all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.” Ah, but he says, this they wilfully forget, because it is revealed in the Scripture that all things have not continued as they were from the beginning of creation. What an effort has been put forth to discredit the flood! What volumes have been written to prove such a thing ridiculous, impossible, contrary to science, contrary to all the laws of evolution, that there should come upon the earth such a catastrophe as is spoken of in the Scripture! This they wilfully forget, because it is revealed in the Scripture. Things have not continued as they were. There has been a catastrophe; the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished. That same God presides over the world to-day. Another catastrophe is pending. The heavens and the earth are “reserved unto fire.” But now what has this to do with the protest of Seventh-day Adventists, so far as it relates to the question of the Sabbath? When God had given the Sabbath, the seventh day, he made it a sign. We read of this in various scriptures. I read one from Eze. 20:20: “And hallow my Sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between me and you, that ye may know that I am the Lord your God.” The Sabbath was made a sign immediately after it was pronounced from Sinai to the people. It was a sign to them that they were delivered out of Egypt. Why?—Because, first and foremost, it was a sign of God's creative power. And in bringing these people out from the land of Egypt, it was by a great manifestation, the repeated manifestation of creative power, that they were delivered. Therefore, the Lord took that which had previously been a sign of his creative power in creating the heavens and the earth, and made it to them a sign of that power which delivered them from the bondage of Egypt. Yes, and further, their experience was simply a typical experience. Egypt was the land of sin and darkness, and the deliverance of his people out of the land of Egypt is the type of the deliverance of every Christian from this land of darkness and sin. The Sabbath, which was a sign of the original creation, which became to Israel a sign of the literal deliverance from the literal land of Egypt, has become to every true Israelite a sign of that same creative power which delivers him, through Jesus Christ, out of sin. In the beginning God created man in his image, and man lost that image. When David had committed that great sin, he prayed, but he did not pray to an unknown force. He said, “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” Man can do great things. This generation is an evidence of that. The wonders of this generation, the conquests that man has made upon the earth, in the air, and in the water, are wonderful; but man has never learned to change his own heart, he has never learned to create within him a right spirit. So in the Gospels we read concerning this work of creation that we are created in “Christ Jesus unto good works;” and in “Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.” If any man be in Christ, there is a new creation. And what is the sign of the new creation?—It is that same Sabbath that is the sign of God's creative power, revealed through Jesus Christ. And in this generation, when science has made this attack on the Scripture, to set aside the whole idea of special creation, the whole idea of a personal God, there has arisen, under God's providence, a mighty voice protesting against it. That voice is being heard from the East to the West, from the North to the South, in the islands of the sea, in Europe, Asia, and Africa, a mighty protest against this perversion of the gospel of Jesus Christ; and wherever there is an observer of the seventh-day Sabbath, there is a living protest against infidel unbelief. May these voices multiply in every land. MANY a delegate coming in from the fields to the General Conference has felt the heart-pain of leaving the work and the needs that pressed, in order to come to the meeting. But there is no loss of time in such a conference of workers from the world-wide field, once in four years. There is no time lost when the director of a chorus, instead of giving the signal to sing, turns for a moment and strikes the key-note on the instrument. It is time well used. In this Conference, workers representing the cause of God in every part of the world have caught anew the key-note of the message for the hour, and the warning cry will be lifted higher than ever in one harmonious strain. Acquaintance and fellowship in seeking God and in counsel, beget confidence and co-operation, and bring into the work the strength that is ever in unity. Throughout the Conference the workers saw eye to eye in every essential. They separated to work together, to help every man his brother in the service, till the work is done. “Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the Lord shall bring again Zion.” The Lowly Ones
By F. M. W.
THE world recognizes its heroes and heroines. It sings the praises of the men and women of great achievement. In science, music, and art; in letters, statesmanship, and philosophy; in invention and discovery; and in the great religious and reform movements of the age, the world looks on and applauds the leaders, forgetting the while that back of these men, and perhaps associated with them in their efforts, were other earnest workers, who by their faithful, painstaking care of the details, made possible the great success achieved. In sounding the praises of Nelson and Farragut and Paul Jones, we are prone to forget the sweat and toil of the men behind the guns, the firemen in the holds, the sailors at the masts, who by8 their careful adherence to duty, their loyalty in standing at their posts, made possible some of the great naval victories of the world. In the field of church work we think of Carey, and Moffat, and Paton, and scores of others who have done great things for God. It is well that we should gratefully acknowledge their noble work. But let us not forget the wives and mothers, the sons and daughters, the humble lay worker associates, who, though perhaps unknown to the world by name, had no small part in the accomplishment of the grand results attained. But while we sometimes forget, God holds in remembrance all service done for him, whether great or small. To the humble ones the apostle Paul says: “For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love, which ye have showed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.” God remembers to-day as in the days of Paul. He remembers every child and every service. He remembers you, faithful brother, as you have put your all into his work. He has noted all these years the offerings to his service. Many times when the load was heavy and the road rough and rugged, you have put your shoulder to the wheel, and helped this cause of truth through straitened places. God saw the sacrifice you made when you gave that sturdy son, just reaching the age where he could be of help on the farm or in the shop, to go out into the canvassing field or to some foreign land, to garner souls in heaven’s ripening harvest-field. God will reward you for your sacrifices. God remembers you, weary mother. For long years you have been shut up within four walls, and day after day have labored and toiled and prayed for those you loved. You have felt at times that no one cared for you, or appreciated your efforts. But God has cared, and your loved ones have cared more than they have expressed. Sometime you will realize that your labor was not in vain; and as you have sought to send forth your children better fitted for the Lord’s work, you will see in the kingdom the fruits of your labor. Do not repine, but be patient and hopeful. God has seen all, heard all, felt all. He has marked down in the book of heaven your labor of faithfulness. And you, loyal wife, God does not forget your self-sacrifice. Perhaps your husband is a missionary, and stands in the sacred desk to proclaim the gospel to perishing men, or goes from house to house to invite men to God. To you may be left the cares of home, and the training of the children. You weary of the toil, the loneliness, the tedious waiting. Sweeten your experience with the consciousness that God recognizes your labor. In the home and among your neighbors you have a great missionary field. Endure the toil, be brave to do and dare, be faithful to your charge, and God will not forget. He has engraved your name on the palms of his hands. Sometime the darkness will turn to day, and you will rejoice that God counted you faithful, and took account of all your labors. “He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much.” “And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.” When God makes up his great roll of honor, it will not necessarily be the names of the great of earth which will be engraved thereon. It will contain, and that, too, in letters of light, the names of some of the humble toilers in God’s service. Loyalty and faithfulness will find in the day of final accounts just and proper acknowledgments. The annual session of the United States Brewers’ Association was held at Atlantic City, N. J., on June 3. One of the topics which received the most careful consideration of the meeting was the “proper regulation of the liquor traffic and the strict enforcement of the laws governing saloons.” The recent sweeping victories of the temperance forces in various parts of the country have thoroughly frightened the strongest men of the liquor interests, and they have determined to eliminate what they regard as the most offensive features of the liquor traffic, that by this means they may forestall the complete ruin of their business. They propose to “assist the authorities in wiping out the low dives,” in “eliminating vice from the business,” in “regulating the saloons,” and in “the enforcement of the law.” But those features which have made the saloon a reprobate in the estimation of a multitude of the people are as natural to it as the thorn is to the shrub that bears it. They are the fruit of the saloon, and not merely its companions in evil, which can be dispensed with at will. The efforts of the brewers to eliminate the worst features of their business are not instigated by a desire to enhance the welfare of the community, but to save from ruin a business which never ought to have had an existence. A CONFERENCE of German anarchists convened in Leipsic on June 2. The antagonism of that organization toward religion was shown in a resolution adopted by the conference on that date. That resolution declared that membership in any church or religious sect was incompatible with the principles of anarchy, and all members of the organization who had not already done so, were ordered to withdraw from the churches. Anarchy, which means antagonism to law, has, in that resolution, taken a consistent position; for Christianity stands for obedience to the highest of all laws, the law of God. The one represents the purpose of Satan carried to its ultimate; the other represents the purpose of Jesus Christ carried to its ultimate. The two never have coalesced, and never can. It has been demonstrated over and over that wherever and whenever the state and religion join hands, the tendency is to trample upon the religious rights of men. A religious instructor appointed by the state, soon forgets the impelling power of the gospel, and begins to look to the impelling power of the state and of his official position to make his ministry of the word effective. The chaplain of the Fourteenth United States Calvary, for instance, unsatisfied with his success in ministering the gospel of peace to men of war, expresses himself as desiring legislation which would attain to “a realization of present conditions, and take off the tariff in hell upon a soldier’s soul.” This can mean nothing less than a desire for laws which will make compulsory the attendance of military men at religious services. Concerning this matter the Washington Herald of April 24, 1909, makes the following editorial remarks:— Of course, no form of religion can be imposed by legislation, and the most abiding faith in the efficacy of law will stop far short of any such expectation. The enthusiasm of the ardent chaplain may account for his desire to compel by Congressional enactment the attendance of enlisted men and officers at the divine services, but it does not furnish any reason why such a chaplain should entertain the belief that religion anywhere, in or out of the military establishment, may be created or maintained by law. If the cavalry chaplain is correctly quoted and was serious in his comment, the remedial legislation is required more for the repression of such weird notions than in behalf of the service he is employed to guide and help. Correctly interpreted and understood, the national Constitution guarantees against the enactment of such legislation; for when Congress shall pass a law making compulsory the attendance of any individual or class at the services presided over by any Christian clergyman, it will have established that form of religion by law. But in spite of the lessons of American history, and of the history of the rise of soul-freedom in other lands, there are in this country many who would hail with delight such legislation as this chaplain desires. [The following is a report of a sermon by Mrs. E. G. White at the General Conference, May 19.] THERE is a very great and important work for our conferences in America to do. We are to carry the work in America in such a way that we shall be a strength and help to those who are proclaiming the message in distant countries. Every nation, tongue, and people is to be aroused and brought to a knowledge of the truth. Something is being done, but there is much yet to be done, much to be learned right here at this Conference, in order that the work may go forward in a way that will honor and glorify God. My soul has been so burdened that I have not been able to rest. What line can we dwell upon that will make the deepest impression upon the human mind? There are our schools. They are to be conducted in such a way that they will develop missionaries who will go out to the highways and hedges to sow the seeds of truth. This was the commission of Christ to his followers. They were to go to the highways and the byways bearing the message of truth to souls that would be brought to the faith of the gospel. I felt deeply in earnest as I saw how much needs to be done in the places I have recently visited. We must stand in the strength of God if we are to accomplish this work. In his labors each worker is to look to God. We are to labor as men and women who have a living connection with God. We are to learn how to meet the people where they are. Let not such conditions exist as we found in some places when we returned to America, in which individual church-members, instead of realizing their responsibility, looked to men for guidance, and men to whom had been committed sacred and holy trusts in the carrying forward of the work, failed of understanding the value of personal responsibility and took upon themselves the work of ordering and dictating what their brethren should do or should not do. These are things that God will not allow in his work. He will put his burdens upon his burden-bearers. Every individual soul has a responsibility before God, and is not to be arbitrarily instructed by men as to what he shall do, what he shall say, and where he shall go. We are not to put confidence in the counsel of men and assent to all they shall say unless we have evidence that they are under the influence of the Spirit of God. Study the first and second chapters of Acts. Light has been given me that our work must be carried forward in a higher and broader way than it has ever yet been carried. The light of heaven is to be appreciated and cherished. This light is for the laborers. It is for those who feel that God has given them a message, and that they have a sacred responsibility to bear in its proclamation. The message of present truth is to prepare a people for the coming of the Lord. Let us understand this, and let those placed in responsible positions come into such unity that the work shall go forward solidly. Do not allow any man to come in as an arbitrary ruler, and say, You must go here, and you must not go there; you must do this, and you must not do that. We have a great and important work to do, and God would have us take hold of that work intelligently. The placing of men in positions of responsibility in the various conferences, does not make them gods. No one has sufficient wisdom to act without counsel. Men need to consult with their brethren, to counsel together, to pray together, and to plan together for the advancement of the work. Let laborers kneel down together and pray to God, asking him to direct their course. There has been a great lack with us on this point. We have trusted too much to men's devisings. We can not afford to do this. Perilous times are upon us, and we must come to the place where we know that the Lord lives and rules, and that he dwells in the hearts of the children of men. We must have confidence in God. Wherever you may be sent, cherish in your hearts and minds the fear and love of God. Go daily to the Lord for instruction and guidance; depend upon God for light and knowledge. Pray for this instruction and this light until you get it. It will not avail for you to ask, and then forget the thing for which you prayed. Keep your mind upon your prayer. You can do this while working with your hands. You can say, Lord, I believe; with all my heart I believe. Let the Holy Spirit's power come upon me. If there were more praying among us, more exercise of a living faith, and less dependence upon some one else to have an experience for us, we would be far in advance of where we are to-day in spiritual intelligence. What we need is a deep, individual heart and soul experience. Then we shall be able to tell what God is doing and how he is working. We need to have a living experience in the things of God; and we are not safe unless we have this. There are some who have a good experience, and they tell you about it; but when you come to weigh it up, you see that it is not a correct experience, for it is not in accordance with a plain Thus saith the Lord. If ever there was a time in our history when we needed to humble our individual souls before God, it is to-day. We need to come to God with faith in all that is promised in the Word, and then walk in all the light and power that God gives. I felt very deeply when our brethren who have come from foreign fields told me a little of their experiences and of what the Lord is doing in bringing souls to the truth. This is what we want at this time. God does not want us to go on in ignorance. He wants us to understand our individual responsibilities to him. He will reveal himself to every soul who will come to him in all humility and seek him with the whole heart. There are schools to be established in foreign countries and in our own country. We must learn from God how to manage these schools. They are not to be conducted as many of them have been conducted. Our institutions are to be regarded as God's instrumentalities for the furtherance of his work in the earth. We must look to God for guidance and wisdom; we must plead with him to teach us how to carry the work solidly. Let us recognize the Lord as our teacher and guide, and then we shall carry the work in correct lines. We need to stand as a united company who shall see eye to eye. Then we shall see the salvation of God revealed on the right hand and on the left. If we work in harmony, we give God a chance to work for us. In all our school work we need to have a correct understanding of what the essential education is. Men talk much of higher education, but who can define what the higher education is? The highest education is found in the Word of the living God. That education which teaches us to submit our souls to God in all humility, and which enables us to take the Word of God and believe just what it says, is the education that is most needed. With this education we shall see of the salvation of God. With the Spirit of God upon us, we are to carry the light of truth into the highways and the byways, that the salvation of God may be revealed in a remarkable manner. Will we carry forward the work in the Lord's way? Are we willing to be taught of God? Will we wrestle with God in prayer? Will we receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit? This is what we need and may have at this time. Then we shall go forth with a message from the Lord, and the light of truth will shine forth as a lamp that burneth, reaching to all parts of the world. If we will walk humbly with God, God will walk with us. Let us humble our souls, and we shall see of his salvation.