To MEDITATE upon a thing is to fix the mind upon it, to consider it thoughtfully, to think with a view to planning or acting.
Prayer is the offering of reverent petitions, specifically to God; it is to make request earnestly or repeatedly, to implore.
Meditation on heavenly things turns our thoughts Godward, and leads us to pray for those things we most desire or need. God speaks to us by His Holy Spirit through His Word, and we speak to God by prayer. Sometimes we forget to meditate on heavenly things, and neglect communion with God. Then God, in His mercy, permits things to come upon us that will lead us to stop and reflect, that we may see how helpless we are without God, and that our minds may be drawn back to Him.
It is sometimes for our best good that we are brought into such circumstances that no human help can aid us. If we should have all smooth sailing while rebelling against God, perhaps we never would turn our faces toward Him. But God never permits trouble to come to us without first sending us some truth that would have saved us, had we only accepted it. It is only through disobeying the voice of God that we fall under the power of the enemy. Satan can not exercise his power over us until we have disobeyed God and forfeited His power. But failure here always results in loss.
There was once a man who refused to heed the voice of God, and he was swallowed by a great fish, but miraculously kept alive. He was in a strange, dark, horrible place, and he says of it, “Out of the belly of hell cried I.” But was his cry of any use?—Yes; we read: “Thou heardest my voice. . . . My prayer came in unto Thee, into Thine holy temple.” Wherever we may be, under whatever circumstances, in whatever trial we may be involved, if we will call on the Lord, He will come to our rescue, as He rescued Jonah when he called.
When, drawn away by our own lusts, pride, and selfishness, we are tempted to do wrong, we may still know: “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” The Saviour has told us how we may be delivered when our “adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” It is by watching and prayer that we are to be delivered from his snares. We are to “pray without ceasing.” Not that we should be constantly bowed in prayer; but after communion with the Father, the mind should be kept in a prayerful mood, even when walking by the way, or engaged in the duties of life.
“The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” For “the Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart, and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.” “The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.” And through the prophet the Lord says: “To this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at My word.”
The petition of one earnest child of God can shake Satan’s kingdom to the foundation. Through one humble servant the Lord can defeat the whole host of the enemy, while a multitude of half-hearted, careless servants will only strengthen the foe. So it was not without reason that Mary of Scotland declared that she feared the prayers of John Knox more than an army of ten thousand men.
Prayer is by no means a mere talisman through which we substitute our will for the will of God; but it is more truly that communion with God through which our will becomes at last merged into His will.
Then we shall say with David: “My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise Thee with joyful lips; when I remember Thee upon my bed, and meditate on Thee in the night watches.” “Because Thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of Thy wings will I rejoice.” “I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live,” and “my meditation of Him shall be sweet.”
Alma, Neb. EMMA L. RUNCK.
How They Became Convinced
[Believing it would be of interest to our readers, the editor of the SIGNS OF THE TIMES has asked Sabbath-keeping ministers and evangelical workers to tell in a few words the scripture or scriptures, the truths and principles, which constrained them to accept the unpopular truth of the seventh-day Sabbath. These testimonies must not exceed 500 words. Let us hear from all.]
XVII.
I WAS brought up in the Lutheran Church. My parents left the State Church for they did not believe that the priest could forgive sins. Because I did not believe in confirmation that was brought into the church by King Christian VI. of Denmark, in 1736, some of the church members called me a heathen. So for a few years I did not attend the church. In the spring of 1877 I hired out to work for a Sabbath-keeper who lived at Hundred Mile Grove, Wis. Here my attention was called to the truths held by the Seventh-day Adventists. There I began to study the Bible by subjects, with the aid of “Cruden’s Concordance” and a few other books.
After my day’s work was done my main study was the Bible, till 10 o’clock and later. This I kept up earnestly for over two months, when I took my stand to keep all of God’s commandments. It was a struggle, but God gave me the victory, and I have never been sorry that I took this step.
When I found out that Jesus Christ all His life kept no other day for the true Sabbath than the seventh day of the week; that Christ taught that the seventh day would be binding on the disciples seventy years this side of the Christian era, as Matt. 24:20 plainly states; that all His apostles kept the same Sabbath before His resurrection and after, as the Gospels and Acts plainly show; that the holy women kept the same Sabbath after Christ’s death, as recorded in Luke 23:50-56; that this was after the new covenant had been sealed and confirmed by the blood of Jesus; and that Christ is my only Pattern and Example,—this decided me in keeping the seventh day instead of the first, or Sunday. What convinced me the most was the fourth commandment itself; for, if this commandment could be changed, then all could be changed, and no dependence could be placed on anything.
Christ says, in Matt. 5:17-20; Luke 16:17: “It is easier for heaven and earth to pass than for one jot or tittle of the law to fail.” This shows clearly that the seventh day is still binding. God has settled it in heaven that the seventh day is His holy rest day still. Ps. 119:89. And His word can not be broken. John 10:35.
So all the authority for Sunday-keeping is by the Catholic Church, as their own works plainly show.
Mather, Wis. SWIN SWINSON.
XVIII.
I WAS entirely unacquainted with the Bible two months before the Sabbath truth came to me. In reading the Bible for the first time I was struck with amazement at the great number of times it spoke of the Sabbath, and its utter silence about the Sunday, or so-called “Christian Sabbath.”
I saw that the Saviour always observed the seventh day, and taught it for the whole of the “Christian age.” I will give the texts that most forcibly impressed this thought upon my mind. Matt. 24:20. I thought, If He commanded it to be observed at the destruction of Jerusalem, thirty-nine years this side of the cross, why does it not come all the way? In Matt. 5:17 He said He did not come to destroy the law—that not a jot or tittle would be changed so long as heaven and earth stand. Then I remembered, and the Holy Spirit led me to associate with this, Hebrews 8, where it is said that this law (fourth commandment and all unchanged) is by the new covenant placed in the heart of the believer. And I soon became acquainted with a scripture that impressed this upon my mind indelibly. Isaiah 56 convinced me that it was the Lord’s will that all converts in the Gospel age should keep the day that was then called the Sabbath, and it pronounced blessings upon those who would do so.
I soon heard Rev. 1:10 applied to Sunday, and the statement was made that history showed that the term “Lord’s Day,” from the authority of this text, had, from the beginning, been applied to the first day of the week. Those who have learned what I learned can appreciate the surprise and astonishment, my joy and satisfaction, too, when I learned from Mark 2:28 and Ex. 20:10, that the seventh-day Sabbath was the Lord’s day referred to in Rev. 1:10.
I was also surprised to learn that Dan. 7:25 referred to the Papacy, and there was a plain prophecy that that power would attempt to change that part of God’s law that refers to God’s time, the Sabbath, and that the time allowed him in which to keep it under his control had passed, and now it was time for God’s people to keep it again. I was almost dumbfounded to learn that the Papacy claimed the right, and attempted to exercise the power, to change God’s law at will, and boasted of having done so. I felt that Christ’s church had been defrauded, and I resolved to help restore the Sabbath to its place.
Sanitarium, Cal. E. W. WEBSTER.
ALWAYS LIGHT.
By Edison Driver
ON the wall of my room just by the door there hangs a match-holder. In the daytime it is very much like any other match-case; but at night when everything else is dark and gloomy, it shines and glows.
Some people are like that. Whenever it is bright and cheerful they gather in the sunshine and store it up; and when they find themselves in the gloom they give out the stored light to help some one else find the brightness. To everybody God has given this power of storing up sunshine, and he has also left them the work of giving it out. Some never learn to give it out, however. They think it isn't there. But there! of course it is! No one but remembers the brighter days and the sweeter words; and no one but can learn to lighten dark places if he will, with these same little storings of light. Edison Driver.
ECHOES OF GOD'S WARNING VOICE.
By S.
For many months before the eruption of the death-dealing volcanoes in the West Indies, there had been destructive and almost continuous seismic activity in Central America and the islands adjacent. The disturbance of the normal conditions in those regions is now persistent and continuous. The volcanoes continue their eruptions, and the earth in the disturbed regions continues to tremble.
Since that time the inhabitants of the Japanese island of Toroshima have been blotted out of existence, and the island has been changed out of all semblance to its former appearance, its vegetation seared, and its surface covered with a rain of ashes, sand, mud, and boulders. The island has subsided noticeably, and the volcano continues active.
Repeated violent earthquakes occurred throughout the eastern portion of Turkestan from August 26 to September 3. Numerous houses were destroyed in Kashgar and in neighboring villages, and a number of persons have lost their lives.
A new crater has opened in the Soufriere volcano, St. Vincent Island, and is sending out clouds of black smoke, while the old crater continues to send out dense clouds of white steam.
On August 17 a severe earthquake shock was experienced on the western coast of Alaska, breaking glass in wooden houses and shaking down an unfinished7salmon factory. Innumerable tons of ice were shaken off from glaciers, literally choking the inlets by which the icebergs found passage to the sea.
A special dispatch from Naples, dated September 7, states that large volumes of flame are issuing from the crater of Mt. Vesuvius.
The volcano of Kilauea, on Hawaii, has broken out again. It was preceded by sharp earthquake shocks which were felt thirty miles away. A lake of molten lava 400 feet in diameter had formed in the crater. It was within 600 feet of the rim of the crater and was steadily rising. Streams of lava would dart high into the air to fall back in spray on the boiling mass below. Hundreds of excursionists are rushing to the scene to witness the phenomena.
The volcano on the island of Stromboli, near the coast of southern Italy, is in full eruption, and is throwing up torrents of stones and columns of fire. It has been moderately active for many years, but has not given the inhabitants of the island particular cause for fear until now.
The admiral commanding the French naval division in the Atlantic has sent word to his government of the sudden disappearance of the island of Bermeja in the Gulf of Mexico. No reefs, even, have been discovered on the spot formerly occupied by this island. This admiral reports the volcanoes of Mexico, Yucatan, and Guatemala more than ordinarily active.
Passengers who arrived recently from Alaska report having seen the three volcanoes of Western Alaska, Redoubt, Iliamna, and Augustine, in active eruption at the same time. They were throwing clouds of steam and smoke miles high.
Reports from Manila, P. I., bearing date of September 16, state that the Macien, Taal, and Balusan volcanoes are unusually active. The latter has been inactive for years. The people in the vicinity are alarmed for their safety.
The above are taken from the news columns of the daily press of one week. Is there not a striking likeness between the condition of this earth as here portrayed and the condition which Christ said would exist just prior to His coming? In answering His disciples and pointing out to them the signs by which His followers might know when His return was nigh at hand, He said: “There shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles; these are the beginnings of sorrows.” Mark 13:8. We are certainly seeing the earthquakes in divers places, and they are increasing with astonishing rapidity. He tells us in Matthew that we shall hear the sea and the waves roaring. The roaring of the tidal wave was never so frequent as now. “And there shall be famines and troubles.” We have read of the most terrible famines in India; millions have died from this cause. There have been famines in Russia in which thousands of persons have perished. There have been famines and floods in China recently in which thousands upon thousands (some have said millions) of persons have lost their lives. Drought in Australia has ruined thousands of farmers and caused the death of millions of sheep and cattle.
The scripture quoted states there are to be “troubles” in addition to the famines. There never was as much unrest in the world as there is at the present time; and the great strikes caused by this unrest and discontent are brewing trouble on every hand. They are troubles in themselves. Spain has her internal troubles; Belgium has hers; Russia is a seething pot of discontent; France is furious over the question of closing the unauthorized religious schools; in Austria the peasants and police are in frequent conflict; eastern Prussia is goaded nearly to desperation over the Germanizing of her speech and customs; China still stands in tremulous dread of another Boxer uprising; and South Africa is now in constant fear of a war between the whites and the blacks. In addition to these internal difficulties, nations are intriguing against nations, thus adding to all the unrest and fears which the other causes had produced. “These are the beginnings of sorrows.” These are omens of the end.
But notwithstanding all that we now see in the earth indicative of the last days, men of the world and uncertain religious professors are advising the people that “all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation,”(2 Pet. 3:4) and that there is no cause for unusual alarm. The editor of an influential daily speaks as follows in an effort to quiet the fears of the people and lead them to think that these signs of the earth's dissolution are but common, every-day occurrences with no significance whatever: “It is misleading to assume that volcanic activity is more general or more pronounced than usual. The present activity of volcanoes is not a sign that the earth is about to be visited by universal disaster.” And yet authentic records show that these phenomena are increasing in frequency in a constantly increasing ratio. To such an extent has this increase gone on that the earth's crust is trembling or quaking in some portion continually, and the universal activity in volcanoes is unprecedented. That something unusual is taking place below the surface of the earth is shown in the forcing of crude petroleum to the surface. It is manifest in places where it was not known before by the seepage of the oil. The editor above referred to heads his article “The Earth Is in No Danger.” The multitude will believe it, being, as Peter says, “willingly ignorant,” not knowing or believing that this earth is “kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.” 2 Pet. 3:4-7.
The earth is in danger because it is nearing the climax of its career. The people upon it are in danger, because every possible implement of deception will be used to blind their eyes to the truth of the situation. It is the purpose of the enemy to hush the people of this world to sleep, and keep them slumbering right up to the time when the fate of every man has been fixed and judgment is being poured out upon the world. Every calamity that is visiting the world now is telling its own story of the nearing cataclysm. Let us not be blind to what these things mean; let us not sleep as others are sleeping; let us not refuse to believe the only warning voice that can not deceive us, God's Word. In believing that, there is trust, hope, confidence, and life. If we refuse to believe, there is nothing for us but a part in the destruction which these calamities foretell. S.
Between Us and God.
The following are solemn words, conveying truths worthy of remembrance, which J. Fenimore Cooper puts into the lips of one of his heroes. He is speaking of keeping word with the Indians, which a companion considered better broken, because it involved personal danger:—
This furlough is not, as you seem to think, a matter altogether atween me and the Mingoes, seeing it is a solemn bargain made atween me and God. He who thinks that he can say what he pleases in his distress, and that, ’twill all pass for nothing, because ’tis uttered in the forest, and into red men’s ears, knows little of his situation and hopes and wants. The words are said to the ears of the Almighty. The air is His breath, and the light of the sun is little more than a glance of His eye. Farewell, Harry; we may not meet ag’in; but I would wish you never to treat a furlough, or any other solemn thing that your Christian God has been called on to witness, as a duty so light that it may be forgotten according to the wants of the body, or even according to the cravings of the spirit!
Every moral question is a matter between ourselves and God.
THE TITHE.
By G.
The tithe, or tenth, of one's income is holy unto the Lord. Lev. 27:30-34. It is designed for the sustenance of the ministry. Num. 18:21-24. The obligation to return a tithe to the Lord was recognized by Abraham (Gen. 14:18-20; Heb. 7:1-9) and by Jacob (Gen. 28:20-22). Christ said paying tithe was a duty that ought to be performed. Luke 11:42. God challenges His people to prove Him by faithfulness in the payment of tithes and offerings, promising special blessing in return. And unfaithfulness in these respects is declared to be robbery, carrying with it the curse of God. Mal. 3:8-12.
The tithe, being holy to the Lord, comes under the head of “devoted” things; and “no devoted thing, that a man shall devote unto the Lord of all that he hath, both of man and beast, and of the field of his possession, shall be sold or redeemed; every devoted thing is most holy unto the Lord.” Lev. 27:28. Now there is not a principle enunciated in all the Bible that is not illustrated by an object lesson. So the sin of appropriating to private use that which is the Lord’s has been most strikingly illustrated for our instruction and warning. When Israel made the attack on Jericho, under the Lord’s direction, Joshua said to the people:—
“The city shall be accursed [margin, “devoted”] even it, and all that are therein, to the Lord; only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all that are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent. And ye, in any wise keep yourselves from the accursed [“devoted,” R.V.] thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed, when ye take of the accursed [“devoted,” R.V.] thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it. But all the silver, and gold, and vessels of brass and iron, are consecrated unto the Lord; they shall come into the treasury of the Lord.” Joshua 6:17-19.
Everything else in the city was to be destroyed. The Lord had ordered the place to be devoted to Him; it was the first fruits of the great campaign against the inhabitants of the land of Canaan, in which the Lord had promised that He would fight the battles for His people if they would be faithful to Him. Deut. 1:30, 31; 3:21, 22; 20:1-4. The Lord was the judge of what to do with that which was devoted to Him by His special order. It would not have been wise to allow the people, on winning an easy victory over a wealthy city, to indulge a spirit of avaricious plunder. They must first learn to manifest a spirit of faith in God, and be taught to recognize their dependence upon Him for success, and His first claim upon all that was acquired in the campaign.
But one man allowed his covetous spirit to get the better of him, and took to himself a part of that which was “holy to the Lord,” having been “devoted” to Him by express command. “Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed [“devoted,” R.V.] thing; and the anger of the Lord was kindled against the children of Israel.” Joshua 7:1. A few days afterward the people presumed to exercise their own judgment, and to go against the city of Ai in their own strength. One man’s sin in appropriating to himself that which the Lord claimed as His own, that which was “devoted” to the Lord and therefore “holy,” had caused the Lord to withhold His Spirit from the whole camp, and allow them to take their own way and suffer the consequences. It cost the lives of thirty-six of the brethren, brought disgrace upon the cause, and humiliated all Israel in the presence of a people who had thought Israel’s God was invincible. It is no wonder that Joshua and the elders of Israel “put dust upon their heads” and “fell upon their faces” before the Lord. Their great humiliation of mind was thus expressed by Joshua:—
“O Lord, what shall I say, when Israel turneth their backs before their enemies! For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land shall hear of it, and shall environ us round, and cut off our name from the earth; and what wilt Thou do unto Thy great name?” Verses 8, 9.
Remember that this was caused by but one act of but one individual in withholding that which the Lord had declared was “devoted” to Him. And here is the Lord’s judgment as concerning the responsibility of the whole people:—
“Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed [“devoted,” R.V.] thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff. Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed; neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed thing from among you.” Verses 11, 12.
“And it shall be, that he that is taken with the accursed [“devoted,” R.V.] thing shall be burnt with fire, he and all that he hath; because he hath transgressed the covenant of the Lord, and because he hath wrought folly in Israel.” Verse 15.
This is sufficient to illustrate how God regards the act of appropriating to private use that which He has devoted to Himself and to the support of His cause. What Achan took was gold and silver devoted to the Lord’s treasury, and a Babylonish garment of elegant design. Now the Lord says that He changes not. A thousand years later we have His declaration, “I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.” Mal. 3:6. After the object lesson given in the destruction of Achan, to illustrate the principle involved and the final consequences of breaking His covenant, the people were penitent, and sought forgiveness. The Lord was very merciful to them. They were spared from becoming habitually of the same covetous spirit. But they are here reminded that it was because of His mercy. Yet with this reminder they are shown that a curse rests against them for robbery in withholding His tithes and offerings, that which He had reserved for Himself and had pronounced holy. See verses 8, 9. His mercy is shown in the command to return to Him, take up anew these neglected duties, and receive the consequent blessing. Verses 10-12.
Now God has not changed, either in the longsuffering character of His mercy or in the exactitude of His requirements. He is just as particular concerning that which is to be devoted to Him to-day as He was in the case of Achan; but men who profess to serve Him are presuming upon His mercy and keeping back the “devoted,” “holy” tithe. “Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.” Eccl. 8:11. Because they love gold and silver and goodly raiment, that which is holy to the Lord is withheld. They think that God changes, that He is such a one as themselves (Ps. 50:21). But with Him “is no variableness, neither shadow of turning” (James 1:17), and the day of reckoning will reveal the whole account of “devoted” things unlawfully withheld from Him.
WHAT does “justify” mean?—It means making just, counting righteous, bringing into conformity with a just rule or standard; forgiving sins.
Who justifies?—“It is God that justifieth.” Rom. 8:33. The great Judge of all, the One whose law is transgressed, justifies the transgressor. Nay, more, He freely justifies. Do you need justification?—You may go to Him and obtain it. He holds it for you, and freely gives it, if you will accept it.
Justifies who?—“Justifieth the ungodly.” Rom. 4:5. God justifies only the ungodly. The ungodly are those unlike God. To be just is to be like God. God counts the ungodly to be like Himself.
How many are included among the ungodly, for whom God has justification?—“All have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God.” Rom. 3:23. All, then, are ungodly. If a man does not know that he is ungodly, he is ignorant, blind, deluded, and will fail of the great justification. Rom. 3:23 does not put man’s sinful condition in the past; it is present. “For all have sinned, and fall short,”—present tense. Man in himself always falls short. God may justify, may forgive all man’s sins; but still man of himself is sinful; he falls short. This is easily illustrated. The sinner is well represented by a dark room, having no light in itself. If the door or window is opened heavenward, the light of the sun shines in and floods the whole room. It is filled with light, leaving no part dark. But if the window be closed, the light is not retained. The room is again dark. It has no light in itself. Its continued light must be light through open channels from the sun. So the Christian must keep open heart for the continued power of God’s grace upon his life. God, in His goodness, counts the sinner righteous, but the sinner counts himself saved only by God’s grace.
Justified by what?—“Justified freely by His grace.” By God’s unmerited favor alone are men saved, are sinners justified. It can not be purchased. The coin of dead works is not current in the mart of Heaven. What God gives He does not sell, nor can man buy it. If he obtain it at all, he must accept it as it is given, and all the glory is God’s.
Justified through what?—“Through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” Christ paid the price. God “gave His only-begotten Son.” The Son “gave Himself,” and it was all for undeserving men. The Innocent “gave Himself” for the guilty. The Sinless “gave Himself” that the sinful ones might become sinless. The Living One died that the dying ones might have life. O how great is His grace! how loving His redemption!
How is that justification received?—“Through faith in Jesus Christ.” Verse 22. “Through faith of Jesus Christ.” Margin. By the same simple faith that dwelt in Him. Through the faith in Him that lives in you because He lives in you.
O who would not be justified, now, always now, and hence forever, by such wonderful justification! Cleansed from all sin by His grace! Counted by Him as tho we, the sinful, had never sinned! And who, receiving such salvation, would not give all honor, praise, glory, to God to all eternity, and let God work out in us the same character and goodness that was manifest in Jesus our Lord! Are you justified? Why not? There is no hope elsewhere.
UNWARRANTED OPTIMISM.
By G.
There is an optimism of Christian profession abroad, as expressed in religious papers, that is not warranted. One journal, while admitting a decline in the ratio of church membership to the population, consoles its readers with the statement that “there is as yet no sign of decay of the influence of Jesus.” To this it adds that “never was the power of the Founder more manifest than in our age.” Again it says, “never was the army of faith larger,” and numerous like expressions. But the evidence adduced is far from convincing. For instance: “We see this in the spread of popular education, . . . in our colleges and universities and their splendid ‘settlements’ and ‘extensions,’ . . . in the multiplication of hospitals, . . . in prison reform, in social amelioration,” etc. It is true that everything that tends to truly enlighten the world is due to the influence of Him who is “the Light of the world;” and everything that tends to ameliorate the condition of men is due to the influence of Him whose mission was and is to “proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound.” But the temporal blessings that incidentally attach to the spiritual mission and influence of Christ are far short of soul salvation, and are no indication of real Gospel progress. Notwithstanding the great light that shines upon earth, it is still true that “men love darkness rather than light.” They pervert the light of truth into “sparks of their own kindling.”
The education of the great colleges and universities is subversive of the Word of God to an alarming extent. Much of their “scientific” instruction is “science falsely so called,” against which the Word of God directly warns us. How then can their “extensions” be regarded as evidence of an “era of spiritual expansion.” The presence of Gospel light, and temporal blessing as an accompaniment of that light, are not proof that men are being prepared for the kingdom of God. Where is the evidence that men are receiving the light of truth in their hearts to an increasing extent, and manifesting it in keeping the commandments of God? When Christ was on earth He preached righteousness as no other ever did before or since, and spread the Gospel of healing wherever he went, but the masses rejected Him. The outward touch of Christian influence is not salvation. There were ten lepers healed on one occasion, but only one returned to give glory to God. The light of truth may shine never so brightly, but it will not save those who refuse to walk in the light. “Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” G.
SNARES FOR LITTLE FEET.
Not long ago there were found on one street in Chicago twenty kindergarten saloons. These places were fitted up with small furniture, toys, hobby horses, and picture books, and the children were enticed to come in and play. They were at first given sweetened wine to cultivate a taste for liquor, and were induced by the proprietors to coax other children into the trap.
How many other such snares for little feet are running in Chicago is only a matter of conjecture; how many others are running in other parts of the world can not be known. But it is certain that this is the carrying out of a concerted scheme of the great liquor interests to debauch the children of the rising generation, and make them its slaves practically from the cradle to the grave. Some time ago a warning was thrown out at a great convention of the liquor interests that unless something was done to create an appetite, a taste, for strong drink in the boys and girls that are now coming up to young manhood and young womanhood, the trade would lose heavily; it was pointed out that in schools and in the home many of the children were educated away from liquor, and something must be done to overcome this. Sprinkling refuse liquors on the sidewalks in front of saloons is an old device to fire the appetite of those who had already learned to drink. But that did not particularly reach the children. This new device of Satan is for the undoing of the children in particular. Thus for the sole purpose of increasing business, little girls and boys are lured into these ante-chambers of ruin. It is a cold-blooded and deliberate design to carry the contamination of the liquor evil down to the unsuspecting babe, so that the first pennies he earns may flow into the saloon-keeper's till, gradually increasing in volume as his ability to earn becomes greater. It is hard to conceive of a more dreadful conspiracy against babyhood than the discovery of the kindergarten saloon has brought to light. This alone condemns the whole liquor business, from the vats in which the liquor is brewed to the bar and the dive where it is retailed to the victims of that slavery. Parents should make note of this new conspiracy against the bodies and souls of their children.
Going Too Far.
The Cornice Makers' Union recently called a strike of the employees of the Eagle Cornice Works, No. 333 E. Second Street,—, and the men obeyed, altho they were perfectly satisfied with the treatment they were receiving, $3.50 a day for eight hours' work. The conditions in the shop are the same as have prevailed for the last three years. The walk-out is the result of the work of the hired labor agitators.
The pretended grievance is that four of the proprietors of the Eagle corporation insist upon the privilege of working in their own shop. The president of the firm has charge of the office work, while his three partners work at the bench alongside the hired journeymen. The rules of the union permit only one boss to work in a shop; also they do not admit of an employer joining the union. So the only way out of the trouble was for the three partners to get out of their own business and join the union. And this demand was actually made upon these employers. Of course, it was refused, and the strike was on. The shop had been a strictly union shop for three years, and there had never been any dissatisfaction either with the wages or hours.
The inconsistency of such demands is too apparent to need calling attention to; but they are becoming more clamorous, more insistent, more unreasonable, and are encroaching more and more upon the rights of those who risk their means in business enterprises. We can not for a moment uphold the employer who oppresses or underpays his hands; but there are demands which labor agitators have made and are making that are as unreasonable and unjust as the acts of many an oppressive capitalist in dealing with his employees. Let reason and justice rule; let each look upon the other as a brother man whose rights and liberties are as sacred as his own. In other words, let the Golden Rule be followed by all parties, and the vexing problems of life will cease to vex; for the problems will then be solved.
