Earlier text: Preach the WordThe Salvation Army.
By Ellet Joseph Waggoner
SEVERAL weeks ago we copied from an editorial in the Holiness Evangelist a few sentences descriptive of an all-night meeting of the Salvation Army. The editor, although expressing a mild doubt as to the strict necessity for all their antics, was very enthusiastic in his praise of the meeting, telling how much good he had received, and advising everybody to attend the next one. One has just been held in San Jose, and a delegation of about seventy-five went down from Oakland. From the report of it in a paper published in Oakland, by members of the Salvation Army, we make the following extracts:— “On the way down the drums and brass instruments, the tambourines, and human lungs and voices were strained to their utmost. The psalmist, if he had been there, would have been reminded of his old days when men rejoiced before the Lord with all their might.” If incoherent screeches, and a jargon of confused sounds constitute praise to God, then a minstrel show must be a very pious place, and a gang of hoodlums must be devout beyond all computation. Lest any should think that our comparisons are unjust, we quote from their own description of what took place after they reached the place of meeting in San Jose:— “The Salvationists filled the platform full. Then commenced a meeting that is perfectly inconceivable to those who haven’t seen it,—a meeting into which is brought into combination all the amusing features of a minstrel show, and the earnestness and solemnity of the day of Judgment. There was levity without license; unbounded fun, without a thought of sin in it; faces laughing in every feature with unmeasured glee, yet all radiant with the glory of God. Here was war in Heaven sure enough. Any one who has the idea that fighting sin is going to be a long-faced business had better go to an all-night meeting of the Salvation Army.” That one of the participators could be serious and write stuff like the above, is sufficient evidence of the terrible delusion into which these people have fallen. To imagine that the solemnity of the Judgment can be associated with fun, levity, and the amusing features of a minstrel show, argues an amount of moral blindness that would be incomprehensible in professed Christians, were it not for certain texts of Scripture to be noticed hereafter. If any think that we publish such things for the729 purpose of holding them up to ridicule, they greatly mistake our purpose. It is too serious a matter for ridicule. We do it simply to call attention to the nature and tendency of the Salvation Army, and kindred organizations. We have held that the Salvation Army, and the so-called "Holiness Bands," which are the same thing only less boisterous, are but feeders for Spiritualism; that they are, in fact, forms of Spiritualism; and that the leaders are simply in training, unconsciously, for Spiritualist mediums. Before we give a Scriptural reason for this judgment, we will present two or three paragraphs more, which may, perhaps, cause some to read with more interest and attention that which follows. In defending the statement that there is a Spiritualist gate to the heavenly city, the paper says:— “Every Christian must see that Spiritualism has in it a great truth mixed with much error. This truth is the resurrection of the dead, but the Spiritualists are not out half far enough yet. This work cannot be complete till they can materialize the dead, and keep them materialized, so that they shall put on incorruption and retain it.” Again, in another article we find this:— “When God shall have prepared us, and when we know Christ, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death” (Phil. 3:10), then shall we attain the resurrection of the dead, that is, we shall have power to call forth the dead, and, by virtue of the God power in us, assist them to put on incorruption.” One specimen paragraph from an article, “The Vail Taken Away,” will suffice to show to what extent some who profess Christ, are even now given over to a “mind void of judgment:”— “Through the past dispensation men have preached ‘Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness’ (1 Cor. 1:23), but this stumbling block, this vail, is to be taken away.” These extracts indicate the tendency of this movement. If it should be urged that no respectable number of people will ever accept such foolishness and error, we reply that there are tens of thousands of Spiritualists who seriously hold to error even worse than that which we have quoted. What is to hinder all members of the “Salvation Army” and the “Holiness Bands” from accepting the same and worse, even if they do not at present go to such great lengths? In their present attitude there is nothing to hinder it, but everything to favor it. Let us examine the guide book and see. In Rom. 1:28, the apostle speaks of the heathen, whom God gave over to a “reprobate mind,” or, as the margin has it, to “a mind void of judgment.” The reason for this was that “when they knew God they glorified him not as God,” and “did not like to retain God in their knowledge.” Again, in 2 Tim. 3:8, the same apostle speaks of others who are “of no judgment [margin] concerning the faith.” These are not heathen, but professing Christians, men who have “a form of godliness.” In their case, also, their lack of judgment concerning spiritual things, is due to the fact that, though they are “ever learning,” they are “never able to come to the knowledge of the truth,” and the reason for this is that they “resist the truth.” Such a condition of mind as this,—the individual being unable to judge correctly concerning the truth,—is the legitimate result of resisting it. The Saviour said: “Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you; for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth.” John 12:35. From this we can learn nothing else than that light will not remain with a person forever, unless used. “The path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day;” but if one rejects light, darkness comes, and then he will not know whither he goeth. “If the light that is in thee be darkness,” said Jesus, “how great is that darkness.” Matt. 6:23. The greater the light a man has, the greater will be the errors into which he will fall if he turns away from it. The case of Saul is an illustration of this. Called of God to rule over his people, and enjoying the favor of God, he rejected the word of the Lord, and was left to himself. The consequence was that he deliberately went for counsel to a woman who was in league with the devil, although he had previously strongly condemned all such practices. Numerous other instances might be cited to show how enlightened Christians may, by rejecting certain truth, fall to a condition where an outrageous sin will appear to them to be an act of righteousness. Now how is it with these people? Do they exalt the law of God, and require of their “converts” obedience to it? By no means. The law of God is the last thing thought of. The quotations made above show the looseness of their teaching. The “holiness” people, who are more conservative than their brethren of the “Salvation Army,” also repudiate the law. Nearly three years ago a “holiness” paper published in this city, stated that one of the most effectual methods of checking the spread of holiness among the people was to “imbue them with the idea that they are to be holy by striving to do right, to keep the law of God.” We have never seen this statement repudiated by any so-called “holiness” paper, and we have kept close watch of those published on this coast. It was only recently that the editor of the principal Pacific Coast “holiness” paper, and the leader of the movement in this city, when asked concerning the duty of man to obey the law of God, and keep his Sabbath, said that he had no patience with anybody that would ask such a question. Of course not. His mission is to spread “holiness,” and obedience to the law would check it entirely. For our part we profess no sympathy with “holiness” that is opposed to God’s law, and we shall do all in our power to check it. We have said that this movement leads directly into the follies and wickedness of Spiritualism. We repeat the statement. Give this thought careful attention: There is no intermediate ground between truth and error. Said Christ: “He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.” Matt. 12:30. If a man does not believe the truth, he must believe its opposite—error. But error, owing to the natural deceitfulness of the human heart, rapidly propagates itself. As one falsehood leads to another, so one error accepted leads to the acceptance of another, and this, to many more. This is in harmony with the words of Christ, that if light be not accepted, darkness will come in its stead, and the unfortunate one will not know where he is going. By his own acts he places himself where he cannot control himself, and is led captive by Satan at his will. The Bible, however, speaks plainly on this point. We read (2 Thess. 2:9-12) that just before the coming of the Lord, the devil will work among certain people with “all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness.” This indicates nothing less than complete Satanic possession. How is it that Satan acquires such complete control of them? “Because they received not the love of the truth.” “Strong delusion, that they should believe a lie,” is allowed to come upon all “who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” Now when we remember that the law of God alone is truth and righteousness (Ps. 119:142, 151, 172, etc), and that these “holiness” people do not profess to believe it nor have pleasure therein, how can we doubt that they are opening the door for Satan to take possession, or, in other words, running into Spiritualism? As a matter of course, they all hold to that foundation doctrine of Spiritualism, natural immortality, or, the conscious existence of the dead. We would not be understood as saying that all members of these “bands” and “armies” have so fully rejected truth that they cannot be reclaimed. We only show the tendency of the movement. Many of them have never seen the light in its clearness; all such will have ample opportunity to accept it if they will. There is great danger, however, that these will become too infatuated to even see the light when it comes. They are educated to believe that feeling is faith, and that self-satisfaction is the evidence of the approbation of God. We write in no spirit of harsh criticism. We pity the poor souls who are ensnared by this terrible delusion. But we feel that we would be recreant to duty if we did not sound a note of warning to those who may be looking upon the movement with favor. We make no apology for plain words concerning Spiritualism itself, and we know not why we should not be equally zealous in warning people against its advance guard. To all those not yet deluded, we would say, Give no countenance, either by word or by presence, to this counterfeit religion. You cannot afford, for the sake of gratifying your curiosity, to run the risk of falling under its power. Do not be misled by loud professions, and fervent prayers and exhortations, while the power of the “truth,” and even the profession of it, are wanting. Remember that the Lord has said: “To this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.” E. J. W. A RECENT number of the Saints' Herald proposed to test some of the doctrines of the Seventh-day Adventists by the Bible; and commenced by quoting Isa. 8:20: “To the law and to the testimony; if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” It then took up our claim on the change of the Sabbath, and gave a quotation from the “History of the Early Church,” by Sewell, and one from the “Church History” of Mosheim, neither of which says a word about the change of the Sabbath, and, without noticing a single text of Scripture, declared it had fully disproved our position! Now it is very evident that there is no light in the Herald, because it rested its case on human authority, and not on the law and the testimony. Or, is its law by Sewell, and its testimony by Mosheim? This would be quite consistent in those who put the senseless jargon of the “Book of Mormon” on a level with the word of God. How wondrously alike are the Mormons and multitudes of others when they treat on the Sabbath question. They promise to make the Bible the test, and then, turning from the Bible, trust in tradition only. How well the word of the Lord has pointed out their course in its rebuke to “the foolish prophets, that follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing:— “They have seen vanity and lying divination, saying, The Lord saith; and the Lord hath not sent them; and they have made others to hope that they would confirm the word. Have ye not seen a vain vision, and have ye not spoken a lying divination, whereas ye say, The Lord saith it; albeit I have not spoken? Therefore thus saith the Lord God: Because ye have spoken vanity, and seen lies, behold I am against you, saith the Lord God.” Eze. 13:1-8. The Lord gave the holy Scriptures to make us wise unto salvation, and therein are we “thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” 2 Tim. 3:15-17. If the keeping of the Sunday were a good work, it could be proved from the Scriptures, and then its advocates would not have to fall back on church history and ignore the Bible. But the Bible has almost entirely ceased to be the standard or textbook with many professed servants of God. We once preached in a certain city, proving from the Bible that the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord, that it is the only weekly Sabbath resting on divine authority, and that church history could not be depended on to prove doctrines and duties, inasmuch as it was discordant and contradictory, and was never given as a foundation of faith and practice. And then a minister, preaching against us, said he did not wonder that there were infidels in the land, when men were around denying the reliability of church history! That he denied the plain teaching of the commandment of God, did not seem to him anything amiss; that did not tend to infidelity at all. In the scheme of such people, and the Saints' Herald is of that class, it is made to appear that faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of church historians. See Rom. 10:17. But in the day when God shall bring every work into judgment he will vindicate his commandments, and opposers will be put to shame. Eccl. 12:13, 14. Meetings in Battle Creek.
By Editor
THE General Conference closed its meetings Nov. 20, and most of the delegates have gone to their homes, and the ministers to their fields of labor. The work has been arduous, especially to those who had many burdens to bear. An unusual amount of work has been done. If the work increases on our hands at the present rate (and it ought to increase at a much greater rate), some plan will have to be devised to relieve the General Conference of some branches of its present work. The present session occupied three full weeks, and some more time might have been profitably employed. Very important steps have been taken, some of which have been briefly noticed; and amid all the changes and removals which have taken place, excellent feeling prevails, and all are encouraged and animated with new hopes for the future and new zeal in their labors. The cause in all its branches is prospering—not that all is being done that should be, but in every direction the work is enlarging, and prosperity seems to attend every well-directed effort. First of all, the publishing house in Battle Creek is rising above all apparent chance of embarrassment; it is extensive, and has facilities for doing an immense amount of work; and, to the satisfaction of all who are interested in present truth, is pressed to its utmost with denominational work. We hope the time may come when there will be more of this class of work demanded than can be done here, and we shall be able to use our complete machinery in our printing house in Oakland for the same purpose. The Sanitarium was never so prosperous as it is now. The College is well attended, and there is considerable interest among the students for the cause and work of God. There is good prospect that missionary work will be done by them, even before they leave the school. We believe the College is in a healthy condition, with every prospect that it will accomplish the work for which it was founded. We also hear very favorable reports of the school at South Lancaster. It would give us great pleasure to visit the Academy, and see for ourselves, but our time in the East is too limited. The weather has turned quite cold, and we begin to appreciate the climate of Oakland. But “there is a better land” to which we are looking with longing eyes. “No chilling winds, nor poisonous breath, Can reach that blissful shore; Sickness and sorrow, pain and death, Are felt and feared no more.”
“Oh, how unlike the present world, will be the one to come!” And who will be there? We may all say, we want to be there; but it is an easy matter to want to be there. The important question is, Who will be there? Who, by patient continuance in well-doing, will make his calling and election sure? It is a great work, but the grace of God is sufficient for every one. Battle Creek, Mich., Nov. 24. The Lord's Day.
By Ellet Joseph Waggoner
FROM the Bible we have fully identified the Lord's day. Following is a brief summary of the means by which it is done: The title Lord is applied to both Christ and the Father. Since these two are one, that which belongs to one must be the property of the other also; there can be no division between them. In Isa. 58:13 we learn that the Lord's day is holy, and that it is the Sabbath; and this at once caused us to turn to the fourth commandment, where we found that the seventh day is declared to be the Sabbath. Now since the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord (Ex. 20:10), and the Sabbath is the Lord's holy day (Ex. 20:10, 11; Isa. 58:13), it necessarily follows that the seventh day is the Lord's day. Lest any one should think that this is not definite enough, we have it stated that the women who rested on the "Sabbath day, according to the commandment" (Luke 24:56), did so upon the day before the first day of the week, or in other words, upon the seventh day of the week. In the naming of the days of the week, the name "Saturday" was given to the seventh day (see Webster's Dictionary, Cyclopedias, etc.), and since the names are now used more frequently than the numerals, it may be more clear if we say that from the Bible we find that the day now called Saturday is the Lord's day. So confident are we of the correctness of our deductions that we defy anybody to show from the Bible that any other day than Saturday is entitled to the designation "Lord's day." Although the fact that the seventh day—Saturday—is the true Lord's day has been established, we will carry our investigation further, and show that there is no chance for even the supposition that any other day was elevated to the position of Lord's day. In the second chapter of Mark, we find that on a certain occasion the Pharisees reproved Christ for allowing his disciples to satisfy their hunger on the Sabbath day, by eating the wheat which they plucked as they walked through the field. It will not be disputed that the day here called "the Sabbath day" was the seventh day of the week,—Saturday,—because it was the day which the Pharisees recognized as the Sabbath. Let this be borne in mind while you read the words of Christ, "Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath." Mark 2:28. In the face of this, can any one deny730 that the seventh-day Sabbath is the Lord's day? The fourth commandment plainly declares that it is so, and Christ has added his testimony to the same effect. It is sometimes claimed that the text last quoted, "The Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath," shows that, as Lord of the Sabbath, Christ had the authority to do with it as he pleased, even to changing it, or dispensing with it entirely. We will not discuss the question of his right or power; the only question that can affect the case is, Did he, as Lord of the Sabbath, violate it, or give any individuals license to do so? He did not, as we shall see; then, of course, his being Lord of the Sabbath day, does not alter our relation to it. He was its Lord from the beginning, and we cannot show our allegiance to him as our Lord, without honoring the day which he specially claims as his own. We will now examine some texts to show how Jesus regarded the Sabbath day. In Luke 4:16 we read as follows concerning an act of Christ very soon after his baptism: "And he came to Nazareth, where he was brought up; and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up for to read." Webster's definition of the word "custom" is this: "Frequent repetition of the same act; way of acting; ordinary manner; habitual practice; usage." So we learn that it was his habitual practice to observe the seventh-day Sabbath as a day of public worship. This is in perfect harmony with his declaration in John 15:10: "If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love." If he kept his Father's commandments, he must have kept the fourth commandment, which enjoins the observance of the seventh day of the week; and so we learn from Christ's own statement, made the very night of his betrayal, that he had always kept the Sabbath. John 5:18 is sometimes quoted as proof that Christ did not regard the Sabbath as sacred. His own testimony should certainly be taken in preference to that of the Pharisees. They said that he had broken the Sabbath; he said, some time after the event recorded in John 5, "I have kept my Father's commandments." We must believe, then, that he did not break the Sabbath. It is true he went directly contrary to some of the Rabbinical traditions, but that amounts to nothing. Had he followed their traditions, he could not have kept the law, for by their traditions they transgressed the law. Matt. 15:3. What had Jesus done that the Pharisees accused him of Sabbath-breaking? He had on the Sabbath day healed a man of an infirmity of thirty-eight years' standing, and had told him to take up the little mat upon which he was lying, and walk. John 5:1-9. Now was this a good act? Most certainly it was. Well, Jesus himself declared, on another and similar occasion, that "it is lawful to do well on the Sabbath days." Matt. 12:12. He is Lord of the Sabbath, and, as such, was competent to declare the law of the Sabbath. The charge that Jesus broke the Sabbath comes now, as it did then, from a narrow and mistaken idea of the Sabbath commandment. He said that his act was lawful, and so it was, for the fourth commandment forbids only our own, or secular work. Work that is done in the service of God, as was that performed by the priests in the sanctuary, work that does not in any way benefit the worker, but is solely for the glory of God, is not forbidden by the commandment. Thus the Saviour is vindicated from the charge of Sabbath-breaking. How serious a charge this is, and how blindly wicked are those who make it, will be shown next week. E. J. W. The Missionary.
By Alonzo T. Jones
Australia—Our New Missionary Field.
AUSTRALIA lies south of the equator, between the 10th and 40th parallels of latitude, and between the 113th and 153d degrees of longitude. It measures 2,500 miles from east to west, and 1,950 from north to south. Take away West Virginia, Delaware, Rhode Island, and the District of Columbia, from the United States, and then Australia and the United States are within eight square miles of being exactly the same size. It is nearly 8,000 miles from San Francisco, and the passage requires about a month. The mainland was known as Great Jova, to the Portuguese, early in the 16th century. In 1606 Torres sailed through the strait, which now bears his name, between New Guinea and the northeastern point of the mainland, while in the same year a Dutch ship named the Duyfhen (Dove) touched the mainland at what is now Cape York. Ten years afterward another Dutch ship, commanded by Dirk Hartog, sailed along the west coast a distance of nearly 250 miles, and left on an islet at Shark's Bay, a record of his expedition engraved on a tin plate, which was found there in 1801. In 1618 two Dutch vessels explored the great gulf on the north, and named it Carpentaria, in compliment to Peter Carpenter, who was then governor of the Dutch East India Company. Nine years afterward (1627) another Dutch ship, the Guldene Zeepard, sailed along in sight of the whole southern shore. The first Englishman that ever visited the island was a buccaneer, Captain William Dampier, who spent five weeks ashore near Roebuck Bay, in 1688. Again, in 1699, Dampier made a voyage to the same place, not now as a buccaneer, however, but with a commission from the English admiralty. He wrote a narrative of his voyage, giving an account of the trees, birds, and reptiles that he saw, and of his encounters with the natives. Nothing more of importance was done for nearly a hundred years. In 1770 Captain Cook coasted along the whole length of the eastern side of the island, from Cape Hicks (named after Lieutenant Hicks, who first sighted it) to Cape York, and through Torres Strait to New Guinea. In his second voyage (1773) he went to New Zealand, 1,200 miles southeast of Australia, and in 1777 he visited both Tasmania (140 miles south of Australia) and New Zealand. The island is divided into six colonies, viz.: New South Wales, North Australia, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria, and West Australia. Of these, however, the three on the eastern coast, Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria, with the extreme southern part of South Australia, are the principal ones. The government in each colony is by a legislature of two houses, the council and the assembly, and by a governor nominated by the queen of England, and all enactments of the legislature must be approved by the queen before they are legal. Is the oldest of the Australian colonies. Eighteen years after its discovery by Captain Cook, the British Government appointed it as the place where all their convicts should be sent; so it was first a penal colony. It then (1788) embraced about half of the whole island. In 1836 South Australia was cut off and erected into a new colony. In 1851 another division was made, and the colony of Victoria was established. In 1859 it was again divided, and the northern part was made a colony and named Queensland; so that now New South Wales is only about 500 miles square. It remained a penal colony till 1840, when England ceased to send its criminals there, and since that time it has increased very fast in population, so that now it has over 700,000 inhabitants. Its chief article of export is wool. It has extensive gold fields also, and is the richest part of the island in coal. It has three lines of railway, aggregating about 700 miles, and telegraph lines amounting to more than 8,000 miles. Sydney is the capital, and is a city of about 150,000 inhabitants. As before stated, was set off from New South Wales in 1859. The first settlers in this colony were also convicts sent from the home government. Its population is about 220,000. The principal products are corn, wheat, barley, and sugar-cane. It, too, has rich gold mines, also copper, coal, and tin, and in the north some pearl fisheries. It has over 400 miles of railroad, and nearly 5,000 miles of telegraph lines. Its capital is Brisbane, 500 miles north of Sydney, and has about 35,000 inhabitants. Ipswich is the second town in size, having about 8,000, about 35 miles from Brisbane. Rockhampton, 400 miles northwest of Brisbane, is next in size; it has about 7,000. Warwick is considered the "prettiest and healthiest inland town in the colony;" it has a population of over 4,000. Is the second colony in size, and has a population of about 250,000. Its principal mineral is copper; it has some gold, a little silver, and large quantities of iron. Its chief products are wheat, oats, barley, and wine. Adelaide is the capital, and has about 35,000 inhabitants. Does not amount to much. It has only about 30,000 inhabitants, only 78 miles of railroad, and its principal products altogether are wool, lead ore, and pearls. Is the most southern part of Australia, and is the southeastern corner of the island. The first settlement was made there in 1835, when Melbourne was founded. It was separated from New South Wales, and made a colony, in 1851. It is a little larger than Idaho, and by far the richest part of Australia. Fruit and vegetables of all kinds grow in abundance. Its mineral wealth is said to be unparalleled in any place of equal size. There are the richest gold fields in Australia; also copper, silver, antimony, zinc, cobalt, manganese, coal, iron, kaolin, bitumen, and other minerals, are all found in great abundance. The leading products are wheat, barley, and oats. Melbourne is its capital, and is also the largest city in Australia. Its population is over 200,000. The total population of the colony is nearly 900,000. It has more than 1,000 miles of railroad, and nearly 3,000 miles of telegraph lines. Victoria has the finest climate in all Australia; indeed, it has been set down as "delicious." The coldest weather ever recorded in Melbourne was only five degrees below the freezing point (27° Fahr.), and the hottest 111 degrees, but that was caused by a hot wind, called "brickfielder," which sometimes blows for a few hours in summer. The mean annual temperature for fourteen years was 57.6 degrees at Melbourne, and for the whole colony, 56.8 degrees. Being on the other side of the equator from us, of course their seasons are directly opposite to ours. That is, there spring is in September, October, and November; summer is December, January, and February; fall is March, April, and May; and winter, June, July, and August. This makes January and February the hottest months, when the thermometer marks from 100 to 108 degrees in the shade; and July the coldest month, when the temperature at the lowest is only two or three degrees below freezing. Besides Melbourne, Victoria has the following cities, with their respective populations: Geelong, 16,000; Ballarat, 48,000; Sandhurst, 27,000; Castlemaine, 7,000; Beechworth, 3,000; and Portland, 2,600.731 Of these, Geelong is 40, Ballarat about 60, Castlemaine 77, and Sandhurst 100 miles from Melbourne. Beechworth and Portland are about 140 miles in opposite directions from Melbourne. The total population of Australia is about 2,500,000. Of these about 252,000 are Catholics, 5,500 Jews, and 42,500 Mohammedans and pagans, or about 300,000 in all, which would leave about 2,200,000 of what might be termed Protestants. Of these about one-half are supposed to be of the Church of England. There are nine bishops of the Church of England there, and of the Catholic Church one archbishop, and ten bishops. Statistics of the colonies are very scanty, but it appears that Victoria is far ahead of all the others in these interests as well as in everything else. The number of public schools in Victoria is 1,664; instructors, 3,906; average attendance, 116,608; enrolled, 231,169. Number of private schools, 596; instructors, 1,700; scholars, 37,582. The total number of children receiving education in all the institutions of the colony is about 190,000. In the colony of Victoria there are over 700 clergymen, 2,815 church edifices, with sittings for 420,051 people; the usual attendance is estimated at 293,772, and the approximate number of services during the year, 226,343. This gives an average church attendance of about one in every three of the total population of the colony. This is a remarkable showing, but Mr. Forbes, the famous war correspondent, informs us that it is a common thing for the people to walk fifteen miles, or even more, to attend a single lecture. And if they will do that to hear a common lecture, what will they not do when the splendor of the Third Angel's Message shines unto them? We look forward to grand results of the Australian missionary work. May the Lord send his angels to prepare the way; may they accompany those who go; and may they stir up all who remain, and help us to cheer and hold up the hands of those who go.
ALONZO T. JONES. It Is Time for Thee, Lord, to Work
"It is time for thee, Lord, to work; for they have made void thy law." Ps. 119 : 126. General Conference.
By Editor
THE report of the General Conference is all at hand, and we give below the principal resolutions that were passed, which embody the actions of the Conference. The decisions in regard to the change of laborers from one field to another were given last week:— Resolved, That, in view of the difference of opinion existing in regard to ministers paying tithes, we express it as the sense of this Conference that it is the duty of ministers in this respect, as in all others, to be ensamples to the flock; that they should pay tithes, and urge upon all others to do the same. Resolved, That in view of the perils of the last days upon which we are entering, we deem it to be the duty of all believers to keep themselves free from all worldly entanglements; and as such we would especially designate all secret organizations. Resolved, That we approve of the action of the California Conference in opening a mission in the Sandwich Islands; and we view with gratification the indication that in other places, also, our brethren are partaking largely of the missionary spirit. Resolved, That, in our judgment, steps should be immediately taken to open a mission in Australia. WHEREAS, The Third Angel's Message has been committed to us to give to the world, and we now have but three laborers in Great Britain, where there are forty millions of English speaking people; therefore, Resolved, That, in consideration of the magnitude of the work to be done in Great Britain, it is our duty to send two more able ministers to engage in the work in that mission. Resolved, That the urgent need of the publishing interests in Switzerland and Norway demands that special efforts be made to raise funds for their relief. And we urge upon the Presidents of the Conferences the duty of raising money on the pledges made in their respective fields, knowing that the cause must suffer in respect to their publishing work unless the buildings in Bâle and Christiana are soon erected. Resolved, That we hail with great pleasure the publication of Vol. IV of "The Great Controversy;" that, while we anxiously looked for it, expecting that it would give important information concerning the closing scenes of this world's history, we can freely say that it more than meets our most sanguine expectations; and that we earnestly urge all our people to read it carefully and prayerfully, and to use all proper means to place it before the world. Resolved, That we regard the pamphlet entitled "Honor Due to God," as one giving much light upon the Bible teaching on the subject of tithes and offerings, and that we recommend its careful study by all. Resolved, That this Conference recognize the duty of individuals in changing their place of residence; to transfer their membership, and to pay their tithes to the churches with which they thus unite. In addition, the Constitution of the General Conference was revised, a copy of which, as revised, appears in the "Year Book," and steps were taken to legally incorporate, so that property might be held in this and foreign countries. The officers of the Conference for the coming year are as follows: President, Elder Geo. I. Butler; Secretary, Elder U. Smith; Executive Committee, Elders G. I. Butler, S. N. Haskell, J. Fargo, W. C. White, O. A. Olsen. Elder Uriah Smith was elected Editor of the Review, and Elders J. H. Waggoner and G. I. Butler corresponding editors. Missionary Notice.
By J. D. Rice
AT the last session of the California Conference, I was appointed director of District No. 2, which under the present arrangement includes the following counties: Siskiyou, Modoc, Shasta, Lassen, Tehama, Plumas, Colusa, Butte, Sierra, Sutter, Yuba, Nevada, Placer, Yolo, Solano, Sacramento, El Dorado, and Amador. Miss Libbie Saunders, of Woodland, Yolo County, Cal., is appointed district secretary. Librarians and isolated members in the district, doing Tract and Missionary business, will direct all communications to her, as she will attend to the business promptly, and fill all orders with the greatest possible dispatch. Members of the local societies should do business through their librarians. To avoid confusion, and the imposing of undue labor upon the State secretary, let everything be done "in order," as given above. We hope to see advance steps taken in the missionary work, all along the line. What are you doing, my brethren and sisters, to carry out the good impressions received and resolutions formed at our late camp-meeting? Have you a zeal that stimulates you to an increase in "love and good works," as the greatness of the harvest opens before you, and the night hastens in which none can work? Does your love for souls and the Master increase? or do you do so little that you are rusting out, becoming engrossed with the cares of this life and wrapped up in selfishness? "If any man have not the spirit of Christ, he is none of his." Remember his work and labor of love, and let us arise and "do likewise" while we may. Shall we see an advance in the missionary work in our district? Let each one answer for himself. Shall we not all say, by word and deed, "Surely the Captain may depend on me"? Read again the resolutions passed at our late meeting and ask yourselves, What am I doing to carry them out? Let us not be idlers, but put our hands to the oar and pull with a steady purpose and a strong desire to save souls, and soon the precious cargo of truth will be borne to its destination, and accomplish the purposes of God, who sent it, and each worker will receive his reward "according to that he hath done." Let us seek to accomplish for our brethren in other parts of the field, what those of Achaia did for theirs (2 Cor. 9: 2, 8-10). Let each do his best and it will be done. I hope to visit the churches in my district shortly. In the mean time let me hear from you,—what you are doing, your needs, etc. Address me at Williams, Colusa County, Cal. J. D. RICE, Director Dist. No. 2.
Etna Mills, Cal., Nov. 20, 1884.