“He hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he hid me; and said unto me, Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified. . . . Is it a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel; I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the ends of the earth.”
This is the word of the Lord to those who are engaged in the ministry of his word. They are in his special service, and they are not to esteem this as a light thing. Proportionate to their position of trust should be their sense of responsibility and devotion. Cheap, common talk, and light, trifling behavior should not be tolerated. Their highest desire should be to offer Christ perfect service.
The object of preaching is not alone to convey information, not merely to convince the intellect. The preaching of the word should appeal to the intellect, and should impart knowledge, but it should do more than this. The words of the minister should reach the hearts of the hearers.
Neither is it the object of preaching to amuse. Some ministers have adopted a style of preaching that has not the best influence. It has become a habit with them to weave anecdotes into their discourses. The impression thus made upon the hearers is not a savor of life unto life. Ministers should not bring amusing stories into their preaching. The people need pure provender, thoroughly winnowed from the chaff. “Preach the word,” was the charge that Paul gave to Timothy, and this is our commission also.
The minister who mixes story-telling with his discourses is using strange fire. God is offended, and the cause of truth is dishonored, when his representatives descend to the use of cheap, trifling words.
My brethren, you are required by our Saviour to take heed how you witness for him. You need to go deeper and still deeper in the study of the Word. You have all classes of minds to meet, and as you teach the truths of the Sacred Word, you are to manifest earnestness, respect, and reverence. Weed out story-telling from your discourses, and preach the word. You will then have more sheaves to bring to the Master. Remember that in your audience there are those who are constantly harassed by temptation. Some are wrestling with doubt, almost in despair, almost hopeless. Ask God to help you to speak words that will strengthen them for the conflict.
Read and study the fourth chapter of Zechariah. The two olive trees empty the golden oil out of themselves through the golden pipes into the golden bowl, from which the lamps of the sanctuary are fed. The golden oil represents the Holy Spirit. With this oil God’s ministers are to be constantly supplied, that they, in turn, may impart it to the church. “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.” God’s servants can obtain victories only by inward purity, by cleanness of heart, by holiness.
It is of the utmost importance that ministers set a right example. If they follow lax, loose principles, their example is quoted by those who are doing wrong, as a vindication of their course. The whole synagogue of Satan is watching for defects in the lives of God’s representatives, and the most is made of every defect.
Take heed lest by your example you place other souls in peril. It is a terrible thing to lose our own soul, but to pursue a course that will cause the loss of other souls is still more terrible. That our influence should be a savor of death unto death is a terrible thought, and yet it is possible. With what earnestness, then, we should guard our thoughts, our words, our habits, our dispositions. God calls for personal holiness. Only by revealing the character of Christ can we co-operate with him in saving souls.
God’s ministers can not be too careful that their actions do not contradict their words. A consistent life alone will command respect. If our practise harmonizes with our teaching, our words will have effect; but a piety that is not based upon practise is as salt without savor. It is of no use for us to strive to inculcate principles which we do not conscientiously practise.
Do not try to work in your own strength; for then the angels of God stand back, leaving you to carry on the warfare alone. Our preparation to meet opponents or to minister to the people must be obtained from the throne of grace. Here we see and acknowledge our own incompetence, and receive the divine efficiency. The Holy Spirit takes the things of God, and shows them to us, leading us into all truth, and giving us the faith that works by love and purifies the soul.
My brethren, in his great mercy and love God has given you great light, and Christ says to you, “Freely ye have received, freely give.” Let the light bestowed on you shine forth to those in darkness. Let us rejoice and be glad that Christ has not only given us his Word, but has given us also the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of God, and that in his strength we may be more than conquerors.
Christ is saying, “Come unto me. To me belong right counsel and sound judgment. I have understanding and strength for you.” By faith we must rest in Christ, remembering the words of one who was inspired of God to write, “Thy gentleness hath made me great.” Ask God to give you much of the oil of his grace. Carefully consider every word, whether it be written or spoken.
“Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.”
Light That Is Not Light
By G. B. THOMPSON
G. B. THOMPSON
IN Matt. 6:23 we read, “If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!” But how can light be darkness? The terms are opposites, and appear contradictory. However, the statement is in the Bible, and there are no contradictions in the Scriptures of truth. Inasmuch as this is an age18of so-called light, and on every hand are those who come forth and challenge attention with their claims concerning new light, a study of the preceding text is of interest.
It seems clear from this paradoxical expression that there must be a kind of light which is not really light, but darkness. Satan, before his fall, was the covering cherub above God's throne of light. He was the light-bearer of the throne. He had charge of the light department of the universe, and, though fallen, he is an angel still. Because of sin, this angel of light has become the angel of darkness. Though a ruler, he is shut in with chains of darkness.
But though the king of the dark, bottomless pit of unrighteousness, he has power, nevertheless, to transform himself “into an angel of light.” He has ministers and apostles also, transformed into apostles of light. 2 Cor. 11:13-15. And may it not be possible that this mighty cherub of darkness, transformed into an angel of light, can still dispense light,—not the true light, of course, but a light which appears to be real light, though in reality it is darkness? And should we foster this deceptive light under the delusion that it is the true light, how great indeed would be the darkness! To cherish this so-called light in the soul, thinking it is the true light, would be a terrible, well-nigh fatal delusion.
While we are in a boasted age of light, gross darkness covers the people. From every quarter the cry is heard, We have light. And on a casual examination in some instances it may really have the appearance of light. It is therefore well to be on our guard lest we be deceived. God's Word is light, and we need to compare with this great, unerring detector everything claiming to be light, that we be not deceived.
In the history of this message there have arisen at various times those who, while claiming to have advanced light, have rejected the messages the Lord has entrusted to his people. Most of those have gone into total and everlasting eclipse. The others grope on in darkness, barely alive.
In the onward progress of the message, there should, without doubt, be such a thing as additional and advanced light, and furthermore there undoubtedly is and ever has been among us increased light. The message grows clearer. “The path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.” Prov. 4:18. To cease to receive more light is to stop growing, wither up, and die. To advance, we must receive continually more light.
The messages of Revelation 14 are light from heaven; and when any additional light comes, its tendency will be to strengthen and reveal more clearly the immovable pillars of the messages which the Lord is sending to the world, and which were given to his people three-score years ago. In “Early Writings,” page 10, we read: “While praying at the family altar, the Holy Ghost fell upon me, and I seemed to be rising higher and higher, far above the dark world. I turned to look for the advent people in the world, but could not find them, when a voice said to me, ‘Look again, and look a little higher.’ At this I raised my eyes, and saw a straight and narrow path, cast up high above the world. On this path the advent people were traveling to the city, which was at the farther end of the path. They had a bright light set up behind them at the beginning of the path, which an angel told me was the midnight cry. This light shone all along the path, and gave light for their feet so they might not stumble.”
We have here the light of the first angel's message brought to view as it focused in the “midnight cry,” which shone with such brilliancy that its piercing rays reach to the very end. This is the thought that we wish to impress. That message was light, and it shines till the Lord comes, and the true path of God's people will lie in the light of this message till the end. Now if that comes to us claiming to have the credentials of light, and yet its tendency is to discredit the light of the message of the past, it can not be light. It may look like light, it may be presented by a so-called apostle of light, but it is darkness. The second and third angels' messages are but a further unfolding of this same light, making the path of God's people more clear till the end. It will be well to study the messages of this hour in the light of the midnight cry.
The Three
MARY of Nazareth, loving and kind,
The mission of Him she bore divined
Vaguely and dim, with a wondering mind.
Mary of Bethany, gentle and fair,
Gave him what cheer her home could spare,
And smiled with the peace of quiet prayer.
Soiled with the dust of the gazing street,
Stealing in where he sat at meat,
Mary of Magdalene kissed his feet.
Mary the virgin marveled with fear,
Mary the listener lent him her ear,
But Mary the prodigal faltered near.
Though wonder and loathing filled the place,
And Simon counted her touch disgrace,
She bent o'er the Master her tear-stained face;
And her wealth of warm, dark hair, unbound,
About his feet she wound and wound;
Her sobbing was the only sound.
Mary the hostess made him her guest,
He had lain on Mary the mother's breast,
But the Magdalene's gift was costliest:
She brought her past, its bliss and shame,
Strange sins, wild memories fierce as flame—
And in her tears was washed from blame!
One sat with patient joy at his side,
One stood by the Roman cross where he died,
One gave herself and her broken pride.
—Love Triumphant.
The Sanctuary
By S. N. Haskell
(Continued)
In the law there were many offerings,—the sin-offering, the trespass-offering, the peace-offering, the thank-offering, and the various offerings, and every offering centered in Christ. The different ceremonies illustrate how the sinner is met in the varied circumstances in which he finds himself in this world. Christ was the antitype of every offering; all were fulfilled in him. Each offering represented different phases of the work of the gospel. I wish to take one offering, and if possible in a few words show you how sin was transferred to the sanctuary.
I read, “For if he were on earth, he should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law: who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things.” Heb. 8:4, 5. Then the work of the priest represented the work done by the Saviour in heaven for us.
“If any one of the common people sin through ignorance, while he doeth somewhat against any of the commandments of the Lord concerning things which ought not to be done, and be guilty; or if his sin, which he hath sinned, come to his knowledge: then he shall bring his offering, a kid of the goats, a female without blemish, for his sin which he hath sinned.” Lev. 4:27, 28. Notice that there are several things omitted in this record that are mentioned in those of other offerings that were made. For instance, “He shall bring his offering, a kid of the goats, a female without blemish.”
Now I will put another expression with this, “If his offering be a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish: he shall offer it of his own voluntary will at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the Lord.” Lev. 1:3. The people were to be perfectly free to do as they chose. This is the way Christ deals with the human family. He does not force any one, but he sets before us the true light, and those that are saved will voluntarily accept him. We must choose, believe, and accept him, with all the sacrifices and afflictions it will bring. Then joy will beam out in our souls because we can suffer for him and with him.
“And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the sin-offering, and slay the sin-offering in the place of the burnt offering.” Lev. 4:29. Compare this with Num. 5:6, 7: “Speak unto the children of Israel, When a man or woman shall commit any sin that men commit, to do a trespass against the Lord, and that person be guilty: then they shall confess their sin which they have done: and he shall recompense his trespass with the principal thereof, and add unto it the fifth part thereof, and give it unto him against whom he hath trespassed.” At the same time he was to confess his sin on the head of the offering, not to the priest, but on the head of the offering, and “he shall bring the trespass-offering at the same time.”
When God does something for men, it will cause a spirit of liberality to spring up in their hearts, and they will want to do something. They will manifest some appreciation. This was shown in the offering. They were to pour the blood at the bottom of the altar, thus typifying the blood of Christ, which would from the cross fall upon the sin-cursed earth. The blood of Christ has purchased the earth, and through the merits of that blood it will be redeemed.
When a man sinned,—broke the commandments of God,—he was to bring an offering, and laying his hands on the head of it, confess his sins over it. The sinner slew the animal, and after the blood was presented by the priest, the sinner with his own hands removed all the fat from the offering, and gave it to the priest, and the priest burned it upon the altar. Why did the sinner do this? What did the fat represent? David tells us that the fat is as the enemies of the Lord: “they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away.” Ps. 37:20. The fat represents sin; and when the sinner took his knife and separated that fat, it represented the work of the people of God in separating themselves from sin by the word of God. There must be an examination of the heart, an earnestness of soul to discover what there is in9the life that is not in harmony with God’s law, his will, and his work. Paul refers to this when he says, “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow.” The Word of God will do this; that is, the Spirit in the Word. We need to examine the Word to see if our lives are strictly in harmony with it.
In Isa. 43:23, 24, this thought is brought out still more distinctly: “Thou hast not brought me the small cattle of thy burnt offerings; neither hast thou honored me with thy sacrifices. I have not caused thee to serve with an offering, nor wearied thee with incense. Thou hast bought me no sweet cane with money, neither hast thou filled me with the fat of thy sacrifices; but thou hast made me to serve with thy sins, thou hast wearied me with thine iniquities.” Because they had not separated the fat, they made the Lord serve with their sins. Do you grasp the force of this expression, “Thou hast made me to serve with thy sins, thou hast wearied me with thine iniquities”?
“I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins. Put me in remembrance: let us plead together: declare thou, that thou mayest be justified.” If we would have our sins blotted out, they must be confessed. There must be no fat remaining on the offering that is brought, but the fat must be removed, the sin must be taken away. There must be an earnestness on the part of the child of God to go to the very depths of his heart and discover what there is there that is not right with God. This will give peace. “If in anything ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.” It is not a fanciful idea that we have a Saviour who has made these promises: he is in the heavenly courts to take all our sins, and finally bring them out and lay them on the head of the scapegoat. But he can never bring them out unless we voluntarily confess every sin. To those who take no special interest in studying the Word, the Lord will never discover many things that are in their hearts. There must be a revival of the study of the Bible by every one of us. God takes the Word, and sends it home to the heart by his Holy Spirit. I can trust in God if I make the Word my daily study. If I do that, then the Lord will do his part, and will discover to me what stands between me and God.
As in the type the priest stood ready to receive the fat from the hands of the sinner, so Christ stands ready to take our sins as soon as we are ready to separate from them. In the type the ashes that accumulated at the altar were removed by the priest into a clean place. Can you see any connection between this and the text that says, “They shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this”?
You can see by this service that even the children were taught. Ashes are always thrown among the refuse, and seeing them placed by the priest carefully in a clean place would call forth questions from even the children, and in explaining why they were in a clean place, the beautiful lesson of the earth finally cleansed from all sin would be taught. Everything redounds to the glory of God.
(To be concluded)
The Rise of the Movement
By J. O. CORLISS
History of the Early Advent Awakening in China—No. 1
The Rise of the Movement
J. O. CORLISS
FROM history we learn that China has not always been so deeply dyed in heathenism as it now appears to Christian nations. According to the records of the Celestials themselves, during the three dynasties which preceded the second century before Christ, the Chinese nation believed in and trusted the God of heaven. Then for some centuries following that, people were deluded by belief in the genii, or supposed good or evil spirits which preside over men's destinies from their birth. But as early as A. D. 58, the Han dynasty brought in the institutions of Buddha, and “set up temples and monasteries to the great injury of the country.”
Notwithstanding the malign influence of this form of heathenism, which has prevailed in China for centuries, there have been, at times, those who sincerely longed for a faith which could give genuine comfort. To such the Lord has revealed himself through some remarkable means, and although many thus honored have not always used their benefits in the best way, God has continued to reveal his truth to such for a witness of his faithfulness in meeting the needs of those sincerely desiring it.
An illustration of this is brought to our notice in the great religious awakening in China that began the same year that William Miller began to stir the world with his message of the near coming of the Lord. So mysterious, indeed, was that movement in the far East, both in point of time and in the rapidity with which its influence extended, that one can hardly help believing it to have been in fulfilment of the angelic message which was to go to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, calling on them to “worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.”
In order that the reader may get a clear idea of this movement, it will be necessary here to refer to a Chinese custom of that period. The time-honored usage was to fill all the civil offices in the government, except a few of the highest, from the ranks of those who had excelled at the periodical examinations for literary degrees. There came from the district of Hwa to one of these examinations held in the provincial capital of Canton, in October, 1833, a sixteen-year-old youth named Hung-sew-tseuen. He possessed extraordinary ability, having devoted his whole previous life to study; but, as often happens, he was refused the honor he so earnestly sought, and another, less competent than he, was permitted, through powerful influence, to reap the reward which properly belonged to Hung-sew-tseuen.
Stung with a sense of the injustice done him, the young aspirant for honors felt deeply humiliated, and, in meditating upon his severe disappointment, he concluded that a knowledge of Confucian doctrines could not give him the desired distinction. Just then he met a strange-looking man, with a long beard, who gave him a book entitled “Keuen-she-leang-yan,” meaning “Good Words Exhorting the Age.” Turning its pages carefully, he soon gathered its teachings, which were that men ought to believe in God and Jesus Christ, to obey the ten commandments, and not worship devils.
The old man from whom the disappointed student received the book was a native preacher named Leang Afa. He and two companions usually made their way to the city at the time of these examinations, and distributed portions of Scripture and tracts among the multitudes of students who assembled from the towns and villages within the radius of a hundred miles or more.
Hung-sew-tseuen embraced the new doctrines thus placed before him, with all the ardor of a young and active mind. Returning to his home district, he gave himself over to meditation in the new religion. So absorbed did he become in it, and so earnestly did he study it, that a period of sickness followed. During this experience (in the year 1837), he had a vision through which he was instructed in doctrines corresponding to those found in the book he had received. This so strongly impressed him that he immediately began public speaking, and in his own life rigidly adhered to the teaching he had so strangely received.
But his task of instructing others was not altogether the smoothest. A few received the new faith, others hesitated. Some who were controlled by iconoclastic zeal were persecuted by the adherents of idolatry. This persecution scattered the believers, and they carried a knowledge of their doctrines to the villages of adjacent provinces. In a few years, more than two thousand persons embraced Christianity, and multitudes of others sympathized with it. But as the new faith grew among the people, the magistrates opposed it, and persecuted its adherents and abettors.
Two of their preachers were put to death. Two others were sent back to their homes under military escort. On the journey they had to pass through a village where dwelt many converts. These attempted a rescue, bringing on a collision in which blood was spilled. A spark was thus kindled, which grew into a civil war, and branded the movement under Hung-sew-tseuen as rebellion.
So much for the general history of the10movement referred to. In another paper the doctrines and practises of these people will be dwelt upon.
Praying and Giving
By E. K. SLADE
E. K. SLADE
It is very fitting that our gifts for the advancement of the work be accompanied and followed by our earnest prayers. This season set apart for praying and giving will prove a wonderful blessing to all who enter into it heartily, and it is bound to bring light and power and progress to the cause in the needy fields.
At no time are we so well prepared to give of our means to the work as when we have unitedly sought God for a rich blessing from heaven. At such a time, when we have more fully consecrated ourselves to the work, and our hearts have been touched and tendered by the Spirit of God, and feelings of love and sympathy have been awakened for the hundreds of millions who are now in darkness, we shall feel to pray that every dime and dollar that we are permitted to give may be richly blessed of God in its appointed mission.
While we “ought always to pray,” it is needful that we unite in this special season with a definite object in view. A special season of prayer was often called for in ancient Israel. It is most fitting that the voice of a whole people shall ascend to God for a special blessing, that this message may go with mighty power to the uttermost parts of the earth. The work has been so really placed upon us that it has been possible for us, by our relation to it, to hinder or hasten its advancement. The most sublime mission ever entrusted to angels or men has been subjected to the possibility of delay through our inactivity and unfaithfulness. Have we been true to the trust? Have we fully appreciated the privilege thus granted to us? It is a great privilege to be permitted to “hasten” that event that means so much to all the universe. Equally great will be the condemnation for causing the delay of that event.
It is not enough for us merely to feel an interest in the progress of the work, with a desire to be among the saved when it is finished, and then assume a sort of passive, irresponsible attitude, feeling that the Lord is mighty, and that he will bring it to completion in his own time and way without our efforts. It is to be accomplished through human agencies. He has rolled the work upon us. The infinite resources of heaven are at our disposal. The united, faithful prayers of this people, in every conference, church, and family, accompanied with Christian living and giving, will bring great effectiveness to all our plans and efforts.
Receiving and giving places us between God, the giver, and the needy world. Unsaved millions are reaching out to us for Heaven’s gifts. They know nothing of eternal riches, and are acquainted only with earth’s poverty and woe and unsatisfying wealth. Shall we not give as we have received? God’s gifts are bestowed upon us as he sees that we are willing to bestow them upon others. This is true of financial matters, as well as spiritual gifts. We are not made poorer by giving of our means, for that is heaven’s way to riches. To live is to give up life, to be wise is to become a fool, strength is made perfect in weakness, to be exalted is to become a servant. So it is with riches; it is very different from the world’s way, and apparently paradoxical. “The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.” “There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing: there is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great riches.”
Surely the work before us is deserving of better service than we can give, but we may be thankful that God will bless our efforts and gifts, and will accomplish much by them. But little time remains. Delay shall be no longer. The work is to be finished in this generation. Let us work and pray, and give accordingly.
Looking Backward and Forward
By T. H. Jeys
T. H. JEYS
Another year of probationary time has almost run its course. Soon we shall have come up to the beginning of another year of privilege and opportunity. As we look back through the months, we shall see many mistakes, many weaknesses, many failures. Our hearts will be made sad as we contemplate the defeats and sorrowful endings of many enthusiastically laid plans. And yet our minds should not be wholly given up to the retrospective. We are not only to look backward, but “forgetting the things that are behind,” we are to look forward with hope and faith and courage. We are to ask for strength for future conflicts, wisdom for coming perplexities, ability for the battles that lie still beyond.
We may view the past only that we may avoid its mistakes in the coming days. We may contemplate our sins and weaknesses only that we may give them to one who has bought them. We may look at our own broken plans, only that we may lay them down at the feet of him who doeth all things well. Concerning the future we may not take counsel by the past. New experiences, new achievements, new victories, are to be prayed for, hoped for, expected.
We are to pray the Lord of the harvest to send forth laborers into his harvest. We are to labor earnestly to see that our own prayers are answered. We are to give our means and ourselves that the work may be done. We are to shake ourselves free from the lethargy of the enchanted ground. We are to cease to be harrassed by the old doubts and fears. We are to pray that wisdom may be given for every trial, strength for every temptation, power for every struggle. We are to look out on the world lying in wickedness, and cry mightily to God to finish the work and cut it short in righteousness. Then we shall nerve ourselves for the mighty struggle, and go forth to the last great conflict conquering and to conquer.
— THE — MISSIONARY CAMPAIGN
By E. R. Palmer
The Mission of Our Large Books
Our large books, “The Desire of Ages,” “Great Controversy,” “Patriarchs and Prophets,” “Thoughts on Daniel and the Revelation,” “Bible Readings,” etc., in various languages, are the pillars of our denominational literature. Smaller publications each have their place. Tracts may be scattered by hundreds of thousands. Everybody, even the children, can scatter these little leaves of truth. Their mission is as wide as the earth, and they will gather many sheaves for the harvest. Small books, also, have their place, even though some of them may do little more than introduce the Lord’s workers, or teach the little children to read the Bible stories.
But it remains for the large books to lay out before the world the broad, beautiful system of truth in the third angel’s message. They were not prepared in haste. They are the best ripened fruit of many years of toil and prayer. A half century of earnest labor by Sister White reached its best results in “Great Controversy” and “The Desire of Ages.” “Thoughts on Daniel and the Revelation” was the fruit of one of the rarest and choicest gifts God has given to this people.
These books are the best that our most gifted laborers could produce, and they are the best we have to offer to the world. They have their mission, and they will discharge it in their own quiet, powerful way. In thousands of homes they are working. Day after day and year after year they are telling the good news of the soon-coming Lord. Although their work is silent, and much of it will not be known till the harvest is gathered,11yet enough of the results come to us to make our hearts rejoice in the assurance that the good books we have labored so hard to sell are doing a great work.
A stranger once came to my office, searching for literature on the second coming of Christ and the Sabbath. This was his story: “Two or three years ago my wife bought a copy of ‘Bible Readings’ from an agent. She read it, and then hid it away, fearing that I would find fault with her for buying it. A few weeks ago, when in the city reading-room, I came across one of your papers, and became interested in the subject of the second advent and the seventh-day Sabbath. I tried to find more literature on those subjects, but could not. One day I told my experience to my wife. ‘Why,’ said she, ‘I have a book in the house which explains all about those things.’ ‘You have!’ said I, ‘well, I think you had better bring it out.’ She did ‘bring it out,’ and the result is we have been keeping the Sabbath four weeks.”
In that same town a gentleman bought a copy of “Great Controversy,” and on finding that the book overturned much of his bad theology, which he had been trying hard for many years to keep right side up, he became very angry. He could not be angry enough all alone, so he gave the book to his son, expecting he would help him be angry. The son accepted the truth. How often the devil swings the pendulum too far for the safety of his own cause!
An urgent call once came to a conference committee to send a minister to a country town to present the message where an interest had been aroused by the sale of books. A minister was sent, and he found that a gentleman who had purchased a copy of “Bible Readings” had become interested in the truth, and had taught what he had learned to his neighbors. Fourteen had accepted the message before the minister arrived, and in two weeks he organized a church of thirty members.
About fifteen years ago two canvassers were sent with “Great Controversy” to a beautiful, fertile valley, many miles from the railroad, and accessible only by boat. They sowed abundantly, and went their way. Five years later two other agents were sent to that territory. They found the people so interested in the truth that they felt compelled to tarry with them and hold a few Bible readings. Seven accepted the truth at that time. This little company remained faithful, and kept pleading for a minister. After about five years more a minister was sent, and he soon organized a church of fifty members.
Several years ago a devoted Christian lady, living in a secluded though prosperous farming section, became deeply interested in the prophecies of Daniel and the Revelation. She read them many times, and prayed daily that the Lord would send her light. One night she dreamed that a colored man, riding a bicycle, came to her house and explained the prophecies to her. In the morning she told her dream to her daughter, and said that she believed God would send some one, and she would look for the man she saw in her dream. A few days later, the daughter saw a colored man approaching the house on a bicycle, and she called, “Look here, mother, here is your colored man on a bicycle.” “No,” said the mother, “that is not the man.” He proved to be an Indian peddler. Soon another man came, and the daughter said, “Mother, surely this is your man.” But the mother said, “No.” After several weeks of waiting, one day the mother saw a well-dressed colored man wheeling up the drive. “My child,” she said, “that is the man.” He came to the door and introduced himself, and his book, “Great Controversy,” which he was selling. When he had finished showing it, the lady said, “Have you nothing else for us? I have been praying for months for light on the prophecies. Can you tell us anything about them?” The canvasser recognized the call of God in this inquiry, and he stopped to give a Bible reading. In the midst of the study the lady stopped him, and said, “Now, you must stop. This is what we have prayed for. Many of our neighbors are as interested in these subjects as we are, and you must stay with us to-night. This evening we will call in our neighbors, and have a Bible reading.” The canvasser decided to stay. That study created a demand for others, and the agent found himself unexpectedly transformed from a canvasser to a Bible worker, with all he cared to do. In two weeks he wrote as follows to the conference president: “You must come at once and help me. I have been holding Bible readings here for two weeks, and have fourteen new Sabbath-keepers, and many others are interested.” The president went to his aid, and in two weeks more organized a church of twenty-eight members.
These are only a few among many illustrations of the great work being done by our large books; and who can tell what the harvest will be when all these gospel sickles have gathered in their sheaves?
More earnest attention should be given to the sale of the large books. Our publishing work enjoyed its greatest prosperity when all the conferences united in a strong effort to send out many agents with large books, and the work has declined as rapidly as our faith and courage have retrograded from the sale of large books to the cheaper literature; but prosperity has been maintained in every conference where courage and faith have kept up a strong, high standard. With hardly an exception it may be safely stated that our publishing work in every country where the subscription book work has been established has prospered directly in proportion to the grade of books sold. Large books have meant a large business, and small books have meant a small business. The publishing work in these United States afford the most striking illustration of this.
In Australia the canvassing work began with large books, and prospered wonderfully till the cry was raised, “The sale of large books is done.” Then the work went down. When the work was reorganized on its original basis, it returned to more than its original prosperity. The same has also been true in England. In Ireland, where the population is largely Catholic, and a large per cent of the people are poor, the sale of large books had been dropped for years, and agents stoutly contended that no books could be sold in Ireland successfully for more than seventy-five cents a copy. But two years ago two men who believed that large books could be sold began to work in Ireland, and they had splendid success. This is the universal experience. “As a man thinketh in his heart so is he.” If he thinks he “can’t” sell large books, he can not. If he knows he can, and knows the source of his power, and therefore knows why he can, his success is assured. If he is a creature of circumstances, and subject to external conditions, he will fail. If, under God, he is master of circumstances, he can not fail. May God grant that the time will soon come when the canvassers, and State agents, and general agents, and conference committees, and publishing houses will unite in a strong subscription book work upon the only basis which has ever succeeded, or is ever likely to succeed; and may our blessed Lord, who has never failed nor been discouraged, put his own spirit of courage into the hearts of many as they engage in this missionary campaign, so that we may see in the near future our subscription book work restored to its proper place in the message.
E. R. PALMER.
Noble Service
We can not all be preachers and sway
with voice and pen,
As strong winds sway the forest, the
minds and hearts of men;
But we can be evangels to souls within
our reach;
There is always love’s own gospel for
loving hearts to preach.
We can not all be heroes, and thrill a
hemisphere
With some great daring venture, some
deed that mocks at fear;
But we can fill a lifetime with kindly acts
and true;
There’s always noble service for noble
souls to do.