His Coming the Climax of Earth's History, and the One Great Desire
Why should the apostle describe the second coming of Christ as the hope of all the churches, past and present? He so declares it, and by inspiration:
“For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.” Titus 2:11-13.
It is because Christ’s second coming is the grand climax of the plan of salvation. Not till then are the saved ushered into the kingdom. As the apostle Paul fell in death, it was with his eyes upon that day.
“For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love His appearing.” 2 Tim. 4:6-8.
That is the Christian doctrine of the “blessed hope.” The crowns of life are bestowed when Jesus comes. The saved will go together, through the gates, into the city,—patriarch and prophet, apostle and reformer, and the child of God of this last generation. Of the ancient worthies it is written: “These all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.” Heb. 11:39, 40. We will share together and enter in together.
Taken to a Home Eternal
It is to take His children of all the ages to the saints’ eternal home, that Christ comes the second time. This was His promise to the disciples:
“I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” John 14:2, 3.
It is only by the resurrection that life and immortality are given to the saints who have fallen in death. True, Moses is in the kingdom; but Jude tells of his special resurrection (verse 9). Also at Christ’s own resurrection a handful of first-fruits of the coming harvest was given Him. When the earth quaked at His crucifixion, “the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, and came out of the graves after His resurrection.” Matt. 27:52, 53. But the general resurrection of the righteous is at the second coming of Christ.
“For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” I Thess. 4:15-18.
This, then, is why the second coming of Christ is the “blessed hope” of the church. Through all the ages, the eyes of the believers have looked forward to the day of His coming.
No Sense of Waiting
To those who “sleep in Jesus,” there is no consciousness. There will be no sense of waiting. It is as though the eyes but closed in death, and the next instant, to the children of God, will be the resurrection of the last day. And as Jesus comes in the clouds with power and great glory, He will send His angels to “gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” Matt. 24:31. Just a little while, and all this will come. And what a gathering that will be! Only to believe that at last the time is close at hand, is to have every spiritual impulse quickened, and the heart set beating with joyful anticipation.
The War Against Sin Is Over
But the second coming of Christ is the climax also of the warfare against sin. The same glory that bathes the righteous in splendor is a consuming fire to sinners who have refused the great salvation.
“When the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power.” 2 Thess. 1:7-9.
Now is the time to turn to God; now is the day of His salvation. Thank God, He wants us every one. He died to open for us the way of life, and by His tender Spirit He continually calls, “Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.” “Just as we are, Lord,” let us respond,—“just as I am, I come.”
In the last words of the Revelation, Christ describes the heavenly inheritance, the river of life, the shining city, the Paradise of God, where nevermore shall death be found, nor sorrow nor tears. And the Saviour, after telling of it, again pleads, “Come.” “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” Then as His closing promise, as a last word that comes ring down from heaven, the Lord Jesus says again, “Surely I come quickly.” Heaven is hastening the glad day. And by inspiration the response of the believer is given: “Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.” W. A. S.
CONSCIOUS OR UNCONSCIOUS
By G. B. T.
What Do the Dead Know?—Author of Immortal Soul Theory
The unscriptural doctrine taught regarding the inherent immortality of the soul, if followed to its natural and logical conclusion, makes the entire mission of Christ unnecessary. It endows man, all men, whether incorrigible or penitent, with life, eternal life, which even God Himself can not destroy even in the flames of hell through countless ages. It gives to the lost in the torments of hell everlasting life, and makes logically necessary either the expurgatory fires of the Catholic purgatory, or the endless tortures of the damned in the orthodox hell,—one of the most terrible and God-dishonoring dogmas taught in the world under the name of religion.
Would Have Lived Forever
Had man never sinned he would have lived forever. His home was in Eden; he had access to the tree of life, and could “eat, and live forever.” Gen. 3:22. But there was a penalty for transgression. “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” Gen. 2:17. This doubtless referred primarily to the “second death,” but must of course include the first death, which all die as a consequence of sin’s being in the world. “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” Rom. 5:12.
Webster defines death as “cessation of life,” and this is absolutely correct. So long as there is life, be the spark ever so feeble and flickering, the flame is not extinguished, and death has not taken place. So long as a man is conscious, and his mental operations continue, he is not dead. Thinking is an evidence of life. “Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help. His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.” Ps. 146:3, 4.
Is the Dead Man Conscious?
This is a description of man in death. He is not conscious. “The wages of sin is death.746Because of sin, man must yield up his life, cease to live, and pass into the fixed embrace of death. Nothing could possibly be plainer on this point than the following texts:
“For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast; for all is vanity. All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.” Eccl. 3:19, 20.
“For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not anything, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion forever in anything that is done under the sun. . . . Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.” Eccl. 9:5, 6, 10.
It is clear that there is no foundation in the Scriptures for the belief that man is conscious between death and the resurrection at the last day.
Would Nullify the Resurrection
If man is not dead, but in a state of consciousness, and enters upon his reward at the time of death, there is no need of a resurrection. The resurrection is the bringing back to life those who are dead.
“Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.” Isa. 26:19.
But if, as those teach who believe in the immortality of the soul, there is no such thing as death, there can be no such thing as a resurrection, when the dead live again. The doctrine of inherent immortality makes the resurrection unnecessary, and thus destroys the great truth of a future life through the resurrection from the dead. The hope of the dead is in the resurrection. “For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: and if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.” 1 Cor. 15:16-18.
Origin of Immortal Soul Doctrine
The question may arise as to the origin of the belief in the immortality of the soul and the consequent consciousness between death and the resurrection. In all the hundreds of instances where soul and spirit are mentioned in the Scriptures, they are nowhere said to be immortal, or deathless, or to live beyond the stroke of death.
The Bible clearly reveals the origin of the doctrine. It rests entirely on the statement of the serpent in Eden. The Lord plainly declared to Adam that if he should eat of the forbidden tree, he should “surely die.” Gen. 2:17. But Satan, in his effort to draw our first parents away from allegiance to God, denied this statement of the Creator.
“Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” Gen. 3:1-5.
God’s statement, “Thou shalt surely die.” Satan’s statement, “Ye shall not surely die.” This latter statement is a plain, unequivocal contradiction of the words of God, and is the foundation of the doctrine of man’s natural immortality. It finds its echo in the doctrine of the consciousness of the dead. “Ye shall not surely die,” said Satan. “They are not dead. The real man is the soul; the body is simply the house in which the real man lives. The house decays, but the real man, being immortal, can not die, and continues to live,” says modern orthodoxy. A clear echo this!
It could not be clearer that the dogma of inherent immortality rests upon the words of Satan, instead of the word of God, and strikes a vital blow at the plan of human redemption, whose Author came to give life to those who are “alienated from the life of God.” G. B. T.
GOD'S HUMAN FELLOWSHIP
By J. G. C.
Divinity and Humanity Brought into Direct Contact
When dedicating the Hebrew temple, the king of Israel asked, with apparent dimness of faith, “Will God in very deed dwell with men on the earth?” For many generations, his ancestors had attended upon the sanctuary services when the Shekinah—the sole symbol of Jehovah's presence among men—had appeared to those entrusted with high-priestly honors. But this was not entirely satisfactory to the Hebrew king, as is evident from the open query whether God would or could, in very deed, dwell among men.
Yet a promised Messiah had long been the hope of the house of Israel. After Jacob had won his notable victory at the ford of Jabbok, where he was in personal converse with the Lord Himself (Gen. 32:24-30), he was prepared to speak positively to his sons of the coming of Shiloh, as one to whom the gathering of the people would be. Gen. 49:10. A later prophet also saw in vision the coming to earth of David's Descendant, who would be so connected with Deity as to carry the names “Wonderful,” “Counselor,” “Mighty God,” and “Prince of Peace.” His appearance among men was to entitle Him to sit on the throne of Israel forever, and there reign in peace and equity. Isa. 9:6. Later a prophet even revealed that Bethlehem, in Judah, would be the birthplace of such a wonderful God-man, who would rule Israel, and be counted “great unto the ends of the earth.” Micah 5:2-4.
“GOD WITH US”
But with the formal training supported by the Jewish nation, these prophetic utterances did not properly weigh in their minds. After Solomon, they continued to question the possibility of God's dwelling anywhere but in heaven, His allotted habitation. They could not have pondered well the prophet's distinct enunciation of the heavenly sign—the Child's virgin birth, and the name “Immanuel,” “God with us,” by which He was to be called. Isa. 7:14. Had they done so, they would have grasped the thought of God's intention to dwell among men, as revealed in Matt. 1:23.
Even though these prophetic utterances were literally fulfilled before men, the profound mystery of God's actually dwelling in human flesh was at that time too much for the comprehension of carnal reflection. But the Saviour made it plain that in the course of events, the world's thought would be directed toward Him. Said He, “I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto Me.” John 12:32. Evidently this was to be by the surcharging of men so completely with the Saviour's own life-power and work, that the world would see in them Heaven's impelling stimulus toward spiritual deportment.
SHOWED FORTH IN A HUMAN BEING
The inspired record mentions the case of one specially called to this purpose. The apostle Paul said that the reason why he obtained mercy was that in him the Lord Jesus might first “show forth all long-suffering, for a pattern” to others who might believe in God's real earth-presence. 1 Tim. 1:16. In other words, it was designed to show, through the apostle, that God could and would live in ordinary mortals, to control their lives, even as He had dwelt in the earthly form of the Child of Nazareth.
This truth was really foreshadowed in the calling of that truly great apostle. “I will show him,” said the Lord, “how great things he must suffer for My name's sake.” Acts 9:16. We accordingly find this man suspected by his Jerusalem brethren, whipped and imprisoned at Philippi, mocked at Athens, stoned and left for dead at Lystra, and finally conveyed as a prisoner to Rome, his enemies hoping thus to rid the world of his presence. But amid it all, this man was able to say to the lifelong cripple, “Stand upright on thy feet,” and he obeyed. So wonderful, indeed, were the miracles he performed, that people touched his person with articles of clothing belonging to the sick, and returned them to their owners with healing virtue. This same man was able to say calmly, at the close of a most eventful life, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.” 2 Tim. 4:7.
He had indeed been crucified with Christ, even to filling up in his flesh that which he had lacked humanly of the afflictions of the Master. Col. 1:24. He underwent all that mysterious process of being moved by God's impulses, in order that he might truly reveal in his humanity the fellowship of that divine mystery. Eph. 3:9. In this, he died with Christ, that he might live; yet he declared that it was not he that lived (that is, acted), but Christ who lived in him, and that his earthly career was through the faith of the Son of God, who was his indwelling Instructor and Guide. Gal. 2:20.
This avowal was in perfect keeping with the promise of Christ, who said: “If a man love Me, he will keep My words; and My Father will love him, and We will come unto him, and make Our abode with him.” John 14:23. Such a fellowship of the divine with the human can not fail to effect wondrous changes in the life of one so highly favored. It must be the retirement of the human nature, and the reception of the divine nature in its stead. 2 Peter 1:4. It is indeed the rich result of the indwelling of God through747Immanuel, who is “God with us,”—the enjoyment of heavenly “fellowship with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.” 1 John 1:3. “Without controversy great is the mystery of godliness.” 1 Tim. 3:16.
We close the first epistle of John, and take up also the second and third epistles from the same apostle, and the epistle of Jude, and read four chapters in the Revelation.
The name of the book of Revelation in the Greek is “Apocalypse,” meaning a revelation, or disclosure. It is indeed a revelation of Jesus Christ as man's Sacrifice and Saviour, Priest, Captain, and everlasting King. It was written by the apostle John, somewhere about the close of the first century, and on the isle of Patmos, where he was banished by Roman cruelty. When the emperor Domitian shut John away from his kindred and friends on the bleak, lonely island, the apostle did not know that there would be opened to him more glorious visions than the world had yet seen, and revelations which would be of inspiration and strength and comfort to God's children until the Lord should come. Chapter 1 is the introduction; chapters 2 and 3 relate to a prophecy of the seven churches. There also come within our week's reading Ps. 119, verses 81-176, and Psalms 120, 121, 122.
Question Corner
WE can not answer repeatedly in the same volume questions upon the same scripture. The name and address must accompany question. It is well always to enclose stamp for reply.
4230 — Is It the Marriage Law?
Is that the marriage law referred to in Rom. 7:1? And if so, would that law require that a couple who were divorced should not marry again as long as both were alive? And if married before that time, would the man have two wives and the woman two husbands?
G. R.
The leading theme in the first part of the seventh chapter of Romans, without question, is the Ten Commandment law, for in the seventh verse the apostle says, “I had not known sin, but by the law.” We do not receive a full knowledge of sin from any marriage law, but rather from the Ten Commandment law. And then, to make it perfectly sure what law he is talking about, he speaks of the commandment against covetousness, which commandment is one of the ten. He uses the marriage ceremony as an illustration, and makes it clear that God’s arrangement of things is for a man and a woman to be joined in marriage for life. Sin is the only thing that breaks the divine order.
4231 — Serving Two Masters
Please explain Matt. 6:24. What is the difference between loving God and holding to Him?
F. A. A.
The text reads: “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye can not serve God and Mammon.” Read the text carefully, and you will see that there is no thought in it of contrasting the “loving” of God or the “holding” to Him. The plain truth is stated that we can not serve two masters at the same time. The God of the Bible, and also Mammon, the god of this world, are each seeking for our service. We can not serve both of them. We will either hate the one, and love the other, or else we will hold to the one, and despise the other. The repetition gives practically the same thought, and therefore emphasis is given to the fact that it is useless to try to serve God while holding to and loving the things of this world. God has something better for us than anything Mammon has to offer.
4232 — The Breaking of Bread
Some people infer that the breaking of bread mentioned in Luke 24:35; Acts 2:42, 46; 20:7; 27:35, and other scriptures, refers to the holding of the Lord’s Supper. Does this phrase not generally refer to a common custom at a meal?
R. E. R.
You are quite right in your conclusions regarding these texts. The principal object in trying to make it appear that such texts refer to the celebration of the Lord’s Supper, is that some excuse may be had for sacredly observing Sunday. For instance, Acts 20:7 says, “Upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.” The claim is made that this breaking of bread there was the Lord’s Supper, and that they had come together on the first day of the week to celebrate that ordinance, and furthermore, that they would not have been celebrating that ordinance on the first day of the week if they had not regarded it as a sacred day. This may sound very plausible, but the text is wanting in several important particulars. In the first place, it does not say that that breaking of bread was the Lord’s Supper. In the second place, it does not say that they had come together on the first day of the week because they regarded it as a sacred day. If the breaking of bread would make a day sacred, then, according to Acts 2:46, referred to in your question, they would have observed every day as sacred, because that text says, “They, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart.” They continued “daily” in breaking bread. But even if this was the Lord’s Supper which they celebrated, that would not necessarily indicate that it was upon a sacred day. The Lord’s Supper was not instituted on either Saturday or Sunday. They could observe the Lord’s Supper on any day; and they might have done it at this time because of Paul’s departure the next day,—they may have wanted to celebrate it with him before he left them. But even though this meeting recorded in Acts 20 was held in part at least on the first day of the week, there is strong evidence that it was Monday morning before they actually came to the breaking of bread.
The Sunday institution rests upon such a lame foundation that it has to resort to all kinds of devices to give it any semblance of support. The Sabbath of Jehovah has a very explicit command enjoining its observance. The Sunday institution rests only upon inference. And when you begin to build doctrines upon inferences, there is no end to the absurdities that may be promulgated.
4233 — Holy Dancing
Please explain the holy dance, and tell me where I can find it in the Bible.
A. S.
There are a number of texts of Scripture which speak of dancing, but we know of none which speak of the holy dance. In Ex. 15:20 we are told of the women who went after Miriam with timbrels and with dances. Other scriptures speak of the dancing of women. In fact, most of the scriptures which speak of the dance seem to present it as an exercise of joy and transport in which the women engaged. There is one exception, and that is where David danced before the Lord when the ark was returning; but there are no scriptures whatever that will warrant any of the forms of modern dancing in which men and women engage in the dancing together.
Jonah and the Whale
By L. A. R.
SOME are troubled over the idea of Jonah being preserved in the whale, and of being thrown out upon the dry land, to go on his way to Nineveh to preach the gospel to that wicked city. Prof. Luther T. Townsend, LL.D., editor of the Bible Champion, offers the following argument in confirmation of the truth of the Bible miracle:
“The infinite and eternal Author of life must have interposed, or the earth as we see it never would have been, or having been, would have remained forever desolate; there would have been no first oak to cast upon the earth its shadow, and no first man to walk its surface. But if God could interpose, then the earth could bring forth grass, and herb yielding seed after its kind, and every tree after its kind, the fish and the bird after their kind, and lastly man after his kind.”
“Hence it follows that the destructive critic, who decided a moment ago to abandon Christianity because its logic required him to believe in miracles, must not only abandon Christianity, but, to be consistent, must abandon himself, that is, must deny his own existence, for the origin of the human race requires supernatural interposition as much as did the preservation of Jonah in the stomach of the sea-monster. But the moment such interposition is admitted, that moment riddles are solved and all Bible miracles accounted for.”
“By such interpositions Israel could pass unharmed through the midst of the sea; Daniel could remain for a night in safety among the lions; Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego could walk unhurt ‘in the midst of the burning, fiery furnace’; and Jonah could remain unharmed for three, or, for that matter, for thirty days in the stomach of a sea-monster.”
“We may condense this part of the argument into two sentences: If God could create Adam, He could save Jonah. He did create Adam; therefore He could save Jonah.”
“This, then, is the evangelical confession of faith: We believe the Bible narratives and miracles because on scientific grounds they are possible; because they are supported by circumstantial, monumental, and other indisputable proofs; and because there were purposes of sufficient magnitude to justify divine interposition.”
L. A. R.
L. A. R
By L. A. R.
The Appeal to Reason is authority for the statement that “enough public money was spent last year on war equipment and maintenance of armies and navies to build a home for every homeless family on the face of the earth.” If this amount of money is spent every year, we ask the question, Shall God be blamed for the poverty and misery in the world to-day? It is very evident, from this statement, that God has made ample provision in this world to-day for all His creatures. Men who are stewards of God become servants of one who is antagonistic to God, and follow purposes in opposition to all the Creator’s work. Thus there is war and crime and sin and misery, but the cause of it does not lie with the Creator.
L. A. R
Pastor Harms’s Forty Years of Prayer
“PASTOR HARMS, of Hermansburg, prayed constantly, earnestly, expectantly, for forty years; and he prayed right into the mission fields three hundred and fifty missionaries. How God blessed his faithfulness!”
Working in Storm-Swept Districts, China
By George Harlow
EARLY in August, Dr. Law Keem and the writer left Macao to visit the stations in the Sun Ui district. We first went to Kong Moon, where Brother Wilbur opened the work several years ago, but was obliged to leave in order to care for the work in Canton. Here we found our people of good courage, and struggling hard to hold up the standard of truth. It is pitiful to hear the people beg for some one to be sent to help them. During our stay in Kong Moon the city was having its annual bath, and was covered to a depth of about four feet with water. However, our people came to meeting much the same as if the water had been low. There are several persons who are ready for baptism, and they desired us to administer the ordinance before we left; but on account of the danger caused by the high water, we thought best to wait until some other time.
August 17 we left Kong Moon for Sun Ning, but a strong typhoon so hindered us that we only went as far as Kung Yik Fau, a little place about seventy miles from Kong Moon. This is the only city that I have visited in China which has straight streets. It was built mostly by Chinese who have been abroad, and have returned with the idea of erecting a model city in China. Although we have no Sabbath-keepers here, there are interested ones who have read our paper, and they stand ready to help us if we will begin work in the city. During our stay in Kung Yik Fau, many houses were blown down, and several persons were crushed to death by falling timber and brick. We were safely sheltered, and felt to thank God for His protecting power.
After spending a few days at home, Brother Wilbur and I made a visit to Fatshan. We were very glad to find all the laborers of good courage, and hard at work. The Fatshan church is growing steadily. It did my heart good to see how systematic they are in their work, and how they all take hold to make the Sabbath-school interesting. At the time of our visit to Fatshan some of the streets were flooded to a depth of seven or eight feet, and we had to take a boat to get in and out of the city.
Recently I received another letter from Kwong Sai, asking that some one be sent there to teach the people the Word. For months they have been earnestly pleading for some one to come, and it seems a pity that we have no one to send. None of our workers have been there, but the people have read our paper, and are very much interested. They say there are already twenty-five keeping the Sabbath.
GEORGE HARLOW.
Announcement of Elder F. E. Stafford's meetings in progress in Shanghai, China. The poster tells that present-day conditions which are fulfilling prophecy will be studied.
Advancing in Face of Difficulty
By W. F. Hills
ALTHOUGH the enemy does his best to hinder the progress of the message here in Swatow [China], we see that the harder he works, the brighter the truth shines, and as a result many souls are turning to the Lord. We have a splendid interest, and Brother Ang, especially, is kept very busy. We are expecting a big harvest the coming year.
We have had three hard typhoons within the last six weeks. The last one was the worst, and much damage was done. Nearly the entire city was under water. The bund was washed out badly, and many walls were blown down, and roofs blown off in all parts of the city. New roads were just being completed, but the storm tore them all to pieces, and they were almost impassable. They are now being repaired. We thank the Lord that no damage was done to our home. Not even a wall was cracked. The sea water blew in torrents, and of course our garden suffered. It looks as if it had been scalded. They say this is the worst storm experienced here for many years. Our gospel boat was forty-five miles interior, with five workers on board. Although the wind upset the boat, no one was drowned, and the boat and all the belongings were recovered, with a loss of only about five dollars.
The plague has been very bad in Swatow this summer, and one of our best men died of it. He was a good worker, and it was with sad hearts that we laid him away. It was only a few hours from the time he was taken sick until we buried him. I believe this is the first Seventh-day Adventist to be buried in Swatow, and is also our first experience with the plague.
W. F. HILLS.
Heart Work in a Japanese Boy
By B. P. Hoffman
FOR some little time, I have been teaching a Bible class, which is composed of employees in government offices, teachers in government schools, etc. While it is true that the willingness on the part of the Japanese to study is usually prompted by a desire to learn English, still I believe in the promise that the word of the Lord shall not return to Him void. One of these young men, who is employed in the educational department of the government, came to my home once a week during the winter, and we studied all of the most important points of our doctrine. He has expressed his belief that it is the truth, and a desire to keep God's law and the true Sabbath, and accordingly has written to the minister of education for permission to be absent from his office on Saturday, giving his reason for making such a request. My prayer is that God will strengthen his determination to obey the truth.
B. P. HOFFMAN.
Beyond Our Narrow Vision
By Worthie Harris Holden
Encircled by its wall, our little life
Sees but a small horizon of God's sky.
Perplexities and tribulations rife
Obstruct the scenes that just beyond us lie.
Few stars appear to bless thy mournful night,
But on beyond are many suns unseen.
And for each star a constellation bright.
So are God's promises to us, I ween.
Or if the clouds o'erhead the sun may veil,
Elsewhere 'tis shining where thou canst not see.
The somber wall thy humble faith may scale,
And view the wondrous plan God hath for thee.
God's power sustains each moment of thy day.
His love is boundless as infinity.
Thy sight is dim. O, let Him choose thy way
Whose vision reaches to eternity!
Worthie Harris Holden.
Timidity Invites Denial
“He who asks timidly, courts a denial.”
“I Will Pour Out My Spirit”
By R. F. Farley
The work in Hanover, Pennsylvania, is onward. The crisis has come, but God is giving the victory. During the past week, the second and third angels’ messages of the fourteenth of Revelation have been studied, and the Holy Spirit has accompanied the words that have been spoken. Several have manifested their willingness to obey the message. One instance will serve to illustrate the way in which the people are stirred. A young woman had read our newspaper reports until they were stopped by the action of one of the Lutheran ministers. She was interested, but feared to attend the services. She stayed away until this past week, when she came and heard three sermons. One Sabbath morning, she went to work as usual in the factory, but the Holy Spirit impressed her so strongly that she had to stop. She came to the tent, and after a short talk with Elder Harter, surrendered completely to the Lord. Opportunity presented itself to give her many points of our faith. These she drank in, accepting God’s word as it came to her. Many people are hungry, thirsty, for the truth, and are receiving it gladly. A good harvest is anticipated.
R. F. FARLEY.
Don't Procrastinate
By U. Bender
The other day a man was telling of his experience in coming into the truth. Almost by accident he went to hear preaching at a tent pitched in his town. About the middle of the week, he heard the message; and he observed the next Sabbath. He said, “I have always been glad I did not let one Sabbath pass, but have kept every Sabbath I have known.”
What a difference from some of us! We hang back, hoping there may be some other way. We are almost sorry we know the truth, for it cuts across our ways and desires.
How glad we should be that God shows us the truth, that we might be free from sin, and from the darkness which has been heaped upon the word of God! It is a love of the truth that makes it a saving power. It is a lack of this love that leaves us to the delusions of Satan, so that we finally believe a lie to be the truth. See 2 Thess. 2:10-12. U. BENDER.
Old and Deaf, but a Happy Experience
By C. P. Lillie
We are thankful that the Lord has kept us well during the hot summer months, and now we are quite anxious to begin the fall work. The message is onward here in Chang-Sha, Hunan. The evangelists and canvassers are doing well, and some of the lay members are also doing good work. One of our faithful church-members, old and deaf, has interested three men in the gospel, and last Sabbath he brought them to the service. It would be difficult to describe the happiness of this man, that he, old and deaf, should be instrumental in leading others to a knowledge of the Saviour. C. P. LILLIE.
Literature Needed for Missionary Work
Emma Kincaid, 608 3d St., Lincoln, Ill., wishes to thank those who have supplied her with literature in the past, for missionary work, and wishes this favor continued. She can use Signs weekly and monthly, Watchman, Instructor, Life and Health, Protestant Magazine, Liberty, Our Little Friend, and tracts in English, German, and Jewish.
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