Earlier text: New Testament Indorsement of the Perpetuity of God's LawA Statement of Facts Concerning Our Present Situation—No. 4
By A. G. Daniells
THERE is no good reason why there should be trouble between the evangelical and medical missionary workers of our denomination. The highest purpose of the work to which each class is called is the same—the salvation of sinners. The two lines of work are only different ways of accomplishing the same great end. The very nature of the work calls for union and harmony, instead of strife and division. And we know that union is possible. The Lord's ways are consistent, harmonious, and possible of accomplishment. In some parts of our great field of operations, it is known by blessed and continued experience that preachers, physicians, Bible workers, and nurses can work together in Christian union and harmony. And of course they have enjoyed the best of success in their different lines of work while laboring in harmony with each other. What is possible for some, is possible for all, if they will follow the way marked out by the great Leader. When, therefore, disunion and controversy exist among these workers, it is because some or all of them have departed from the Lord's way and followed their own way. A departure from God's way by some, if not all, of us, has been pointed out over and over again by the Testimonies of the spirit of prophecy for many years. The failure to heed the warnings and instruction given has prevented harmony from being established. One of the wrongs in our midst against which we have had repeated and positive warnings, has been a plan of administration that was designed to bring our medical missionary work in all parts of the world under the control, to a greater or less extent, of one central board, and under the domination of a single individual. The evils of this policy of centralization in connection with this line of work have been pointed out from time to time for years. A few quotations will be sufficient to indicate the nature of the warnings given through the spirit of prophecy to the leaders of our medical work:— The leaders in our medical work at Battle Creek have endeavored to bind our medical institutions fast, in accordance with their plans. Notwithstanding the many warnings given them that this should not be done, they have desired to bind up these institutions in some way so that all our medical work shall be under their control.—'Testimonies for the Church,' Vol. VIII, page 231. I am instructed to say that not all the arrangements connected with the management of the medical missionary work are to originate in Battle Creek. The medical missionary work is God's work, and in every conference and every church we are to take a decided stand against allowing it to be selfishly controlled.—Ibid., page 231. The idea gained favor that the medical missionary work would be greatly advanced if all our medical institutions and other medical missionary interests were bound up under the control of the Medical Missionary Association at Battle Creek. I was told that I must lift my voice in warning against this. We were not to be under the control of men who could not control themselves, and who were not willing to be amenable to God.—Ibid., page 217. The light came to me clear and distinct that the medical missionary work was absorbing too much, while a more definite work in special lines was being neglected; that you are gathering into your arms a class of work that is never-ending, which was eclipsing the work that needs to be done in every city,—the proclamation of the soon coming of Christ. The third angel's message was being blanketed, and you were not altogether straight on these things. There was danger in several ways that you did not discern.—From an unpublished Testimony to the Superintendent of the Battle Creek Sanitarium, March 24, 1899. It has been presented before me distinctly that there is not to be a submerging of interests or a binding up of all the sanitariums with the Battle Creek Sanitarium, so that they shall all be amenable to your control. These things are not of God's devising, but are the result of human planning. . . . It is an error to tie up everything possible with the powers at Battle Creek. All are required to work in perfect harmony. Each has a part to act, the high and influential, and also the lowly ones. They can work in harmony without being bound with human cords, as they were being bound to Battle Creek as their great center and power. God has not left his people7 to become the sport of Satan's temptations, and thus turn to a curse the blessings which he designed for them. Meanwhile the impression rests upon some minds that I am in harmony with all these things.—Ibid., July 28, 1901. From the foregoing it is perfectly plain that the leaders in the medical work were made fully acquainted with the results that would come from the course upon which they had entered. These messages of instruction were not heeded, however, but instead there was manifested a determination to continue this policy. In order that the readers of the REVIEW may have fully before them the definite steps taken in this matter of binding our sanitariums, treatment rooms, and medical missionary enterprises in all parts of the world to the Medical Missionary Association at Battle Creek, I will here present the following statements made by the president of that association, and record of action taken in a meeting of the Medical Missionary Association, at the General Conference of 1901, reported in the General Conference Bulletin, pages 316 and 317:— In order to bind our different sanitariums together, the Medical Missionary Board has devised this plan, that instead of creating an entirely independent corporation wherever a sanitarium is organized, as at Spokane, etc., there shall be auxiliary associations established, tied to this central body. And there are two knots that are tied: One is that the persons elected to these offices are nominated by this association at its biennial or annual meetings, and elected by its elective body. And no person can be a member of the elective body of one of these smaller institutions unless he is nominated by this body for that purpose. Then the board of trustees, in some instances at any rate, are nominated by this body, the Medical Missionary Board. So there are two great ties. It is impossible for these institutions to exist without this body, and to maintain their corporate life without this corporation. The reason I have explained so fully in reference to the matter is because I want to ask this body to take a vote adopting this mode of procedure, and recommending that it shall be continued, and that all the sanitariums organized and incorporated shall be incorporated on a similar plan, so that they shall be tied to this body, and thus prevent their starting off on a tangent, and becoming absorbed into any purely local or selfish interest. After a vote had been taken recommending “that this plan be adopted universally,” the chairman said:— I am very glad to see this vote taken. It will back up the Medical Missionary Board, and make it feel a little stronger in carrying out this principle. Thus by formal action the Medical Missionary Association was committed to the policy of centralization and of attempting to control our medical missionary enterprises in all parts of the world; but the warnings from the spirit of prophecy against following this course were still continued, a few of which will serve to make clear to the reader the fact that the results were fully stated, and could have been avoided if there had been a disposition to heed the counsel given:— I advise that the document you sent me, which you said was to be presented to the managers and physicians in our sanitariums, shall not be urged upon any one. . . . It is not to be accepted by our people; for it means oppression to all who sign it.—From an unpublished Testimony to the Superintendent of the Battle Creek Sanitarium, dated Oct. 15, 1901. God would have you make a decided change. You are not to feel that you are the only one who can steer the medical missionary bark into safe channels, that you are the only safe captain and pilot. You have for years been making mistakes, and it is because you grasp altogether too much. You have not sensed that God himself is the ruler, but have taken the scepter in your own hands. To carry out your plans, to serve the schemes that you suppose are the supreme things to keep the work in motion, you sacrifice the interests of many.—Ibid., Dec. 30, 1901. I am instructed to say to you that if you carry on the sanitarium and medical missionary work as you are now doing, you will bring in a state of things that will be according to the wisdom of human minds, but not as God requires his work to be carried on. You must not feel that wherever there is a sanitarium established, it is your work to investigate, criticize, and condemn, unless in all respects it meets your ideas. You are not to stand in a position to require every one to understand and carry out your mind, while you discourage and condemn unless you choose to favor. The Lord would have the medical missionary work established in different places.—Ibid., Dec. 30, 1901. Many can testify from sad experience that the attempted enforcement of this centralizing policy brought division, heartburnings, and separation into our ranks. Many ministers, a few physicians and leading nurses foresaw the evil results of binding institutions by legal documents, and medical workers by formal declarations, to the Medical Association, and remonstrated. Their position was right, the spirit of prophecy spoke in plain protest, and the whole scheme has been abandoned, and is no longer a cause of controversy. But the plan created trouble, and laid the foundation for wider differences. A Great Evil and Its Remedy
By L. A. S.
DELEGATES from forty-one States and the District of Columbia have assembled in Washington to consider the question of securing a uniform divorce law in this country. The aim of the congress will be, as stated at the opening meeting, “the securing as nearly as possible of uniform statutes upon the matter of divorce throughout the nation.” It is a well-known fact that divorces in this country have become very common, that the proportion of such decrees granted to the number of marriages has of late years rapidly increased, and that in many States the marriage tie is now severed with but little effort and slight concern. It was stated at the convention that “the dissolution of the marriage tie has become so common as to be regarded as an ordinary event, awakening no comment, and meeting with little or no disapproval. There are more divorces granted annually in the United States of America than in any other country upon earth, except Japan. A writer who has investigated the subject declares that at the time of the census of 1900 there were 198,914 divorced persons living in the United States; that there were nearly seventy thousand divorces granted in 1903, and that the proportion of divorces to marriages is increasing with alarming rapidity.” Such a state of things is unquestionably evidence of serious moral disease in the nation, but it may be well to inquire whether the divorce evil constitutes the disease itself, or is only a symptom of the disease. If it is the latter, something more than a uniform divorce law will be necessary to produce any marked improvement in domestic relations. The symptoms of a disease often require some attention, but the successful physician is the one who has learned to look beyond the symptoms to the disease itself, and to apply the remedy to the causes of the trouble rather than to the effects. The absence of stringent divorce laws is certainly not the cause of the domestic unhappiness which so often leads to the dissolution of the marriage tie. The cause is doubtless to be found in the moral degeneracy of the times, aided no doubt by conditions which are peculiar to this era of rapid and strenuous living. From this source a stream of domestic infelicity is constantly flowing, which it may or may not be wise to dam up by stringent legislation against divorce. More caution about entering the married state and more uprightness, and stability of character are the things most needed to cure the divorce evil, and without these the trouble, in one form or another, must be perpetuated. If the disease does not break out in the form of divorce, it will show itself in some other and perhaps no more desirable way. What is wanted is a cure that goes to the heart and character, and this points us to the great truth that the most truly reforming agencies in the world are spiritual, and not political. Moral degeneracy can not be cured by legislation. Christ, the “desire of ages,” is still the one great need of the world. “Rest in the Lord!” I calmly wait;
My cross points to the pearly gate.
E’en though I deeply mourn, heartbroken,
Yet shall hope’s trustful words be spoken:
“My Loved is mine!” (Cant. 2:16)
whate’er he send
Will prove a blessing in the end. He loves me deeply, tenderly,
He came, from sin to rescue me,
Sprang into death’s dark, yawning portal,
To bring life’s light to me, the mortal.
Faithful is he, and ever kind,
In him I full abundance find. I know thy love, my faithful God!
And should I suffer cross or rod,
Were all my days consumed in anguish,
Or if my flesh and heart must languish:
Thy will, my Lord, is always best,
In thy love let my soul find rest. — From the German, by H. Meyer, Author Unknown. Go Ye Into All the World, and Preach the Gospel
By Ellen G. White
THE truth for this time is to be proclaimed to all peoples, all nations. The question before us is, How shall this work be done? Shall we take hold of it listlessly and indifferently, doing it as a routine, or shall we enter into it with the same spirit in which Christ entered into it, putting into its accomplishment every power of mind and body? If we take up this work as drudgery, failing to remember that it is the Lord's work, which we are to do to his name's glory, to bring light to those in darkness, we shall not find much satisfaction in the doing of it. Such service is a mere form. The hand and mind work in a formal way, but the heart is not in it. Such service brings no refreshing to the worker; for he feels no real interest in it. My brethren and sisters, take up this work as the Lord's work, doing it with thoughtfulness and patience. This is real service, which the Master will approve. Work with a clear sense of the obligation resting upon you, knowing that angels of God are present, to set the seal of heaven to faithfulness, and to condemn unfaithfulness in any form. Taking hold courageously of the work that needs to be done, and putting the heart into it, makes the work a pleasure, and brings success. Thus God is glorified. We each have a work to do. We may be of different nationalities, but we are to be one in Christ. If we allow peculiarities of character and disposition to separate us here, how can we hope to live together in heaven? We are to cherish love and respect for one another. There is to be among us the unity for which Christ prayed. We have been bought with a price, and we are to glorify God in our bodies and in our spirits. When you are given a duty to perform, do not ask whether it will glorify you, or whether it will show your wisdom and judgment to be superior to that of your fellow workers. Take up the duty with an eye single to the glory of God, in living sympathy with the object to be gained. Hold communion with Christ in God, knowing that the work in which you are engaged has been given you by the Master, and that by its faithful performance you are to glorify him. As you faithfully do your work, your mind will be assimilated to the mind of Christ. By prayer and supplication seek for the promised blessing. Ask God to give you a true comprehension of the work to be accomplished. Do not allow yourself to be drawn away or hindered by any counter-influence. Act faithfully your part in bringing blessing to your fellow men. Praise God for the privilege of co-operating with him in his work. As you put your whole heart into the work to be done, you will enter into true companionship with your fellow workers. You will see Christ in your brethren. God does not mean you to look upon any work that he has given you as drudgery. Lift your hearts and voices in praise to him. All duties are irksome into which the heart is not brought. There is a great work to be done, and into the doing of this work we are to put our whole hearts. The duties that the Lord places in our way we are to perform, not as a cold, dreary exercise, but as a service of love. Bring into your work your highest powers and sympathies, and you will find that Christ is in it. His presence will make the work light, and your heart will be filled with joy. You will work in harmony with God, and in loyalty and love and fidelity. We are to be sincere, earnest Christians, doing faithfully the work placed in our hands, and looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. Our reward is not dependent upon our seeming success, but upon the Spirit in which our work is done. As canvassers or evangelists, you may not have had the success you have prayed for, but remember that you do not know and can not measure the result of faithful effort. Let the fear of God influence you, not the fear of man. Use all the tact and skill at your command in giving the truth to those who know it not. Remember that all around you there are souls perishing in sin. Be as true as steel to principle, and put your whole heart into the work of winning souls to Christ. Speak and act in such a way that at the last great day Christ can say to you, “Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things; enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.” An advance work is to be done in our conferences. Our churches are to be aroused to take up aggressive warfare. We are to consecrate soul and body to God. We are to hunt and fish for souls. We are God's witnesses, and every power of the being is to be put to use in his service. Sing his praises. Pray with and for souls. So order your life and conversation that through association with you souls will be convicted and converted. Do not forget that every worker needs a daily conversion, a daily fitting up for service. Let Christ dwell in your hearts by faith. Give back to God his treasures. Distribute his bounties. Learn daily of Christ, that your hearts may be meek and lowly. Remember that the Lord has rich blessings for all who will lay hold upon him. “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself.” The powers of the whole being are to be employed in unselfish service. Every talent is to be used. Improve the future better than you have the past. Put your talents out to the exchangers; for Christ is hungry for souls. The Lord's workers are now to exercise every capability in preparing for his coming. We are to work while the day lasts; for the night cometh, in which no man can work. Let every one seek to prepare the King's highway. Take up the stumbling-blocks. Show that you are God's property. The heart is to be purified from all dross. The thoughts and affections are to be brought into obedience to the Lord's will. I speak to our church-members in every place. You must reach a higher standard of consecration to God. If you will seek the Lord, putting away all evil speaking and all selfishness, and continuing instant in prayer, the Lord will draw nigh to you. It is the power of the Holy Spirit that will give efficacy to your efforts and your appeals. Humble yourselves before God, that in his strength you may rise to a higher standard. We have no time to lose. Every moment is precious. We know not how soon our cases may pass in review before God. Brethren and sisters, for Christ's sake purify your souls by obeying the truth, that you may have clear spiritual discernment. Leave not one duty undone. Arise and move forward on your upward march. Can you afford to be careless and indifferent, at the risk of losing heaven? Wake up, wake up! You need keen perceptions, that you may understand how to be laborers together with God. Let there be no uncertainty. Postpone no duty. Work to the point. Error of every species will come in, and unless your mind is clear, unless you know and practise the truth, Satan will take advantage of you, and you will be led away by his sophistries. You must know the meaning of practical godliness. Our only safety is union with Christ. If you are abiding in him, the fruit you bear will be unto righteousness. There is to be deep searching of heart. Ask yourselves, “On what foundation9 am I building?” We are to live Christ-like lives. Not a thread of selfishness is to be woven into the pattern. Christ is to be our all and in all. By the sanctification that he gives, we are to bear witness to the world that we are children of God. Take deep drafts of the water of life. Then you will flourish in the Lord. A great work is to be done in a short time. Arouse the energies of your soul, and work for time and for eternity. Put all that you have and are into this glorious enterprise, saying, “This one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Lay aside every weight, and the sin that doth so easily beset, and run with patience the race set before you. Press on toward perfection. Then you will have success in your service. The message that you bear will be a living message; for you will be filled with the earnestness of the Spirit. The Day of Pentecost
By Frederick C. Gilbert
Much labored effort has been and is being put forth to show that the Pentecost of Acts 2 occurred on the first day of the week, commonly called Sunday. In fact, there is a growing tendency to believe that Pentecost and the other feasts given to the Israelites, always occurred on the same day of the week. One special reason for this doubtless is a desire to prove that the first day of the week, commonly called Sunday, is the day that Christians should observe for the Lord's day, or Sabbath, instead of the seventh day, which the Lord gave originally, and which was confirmed by the Lord Jesus both in his life and by his death. John 15:10. Now all the feasts which God gave to Israel occurred annually, and were to be observed only at the time when they were due, save the Passover, which was allowed to be kept the same day of the month in the second month, by those who, on account of ceremonial uncleanness, were unable to keep it in the first month. Num. 9:1-14. The origin of the feasts is given as follows: “Three times thou shalt keep a feast unto me in the year. Thou shalt keep the feast of unleavened bread: . . . and the feast of harvest, the first-fruits of thy labors, . . . and the feast of ingathering.” Ex. 23:14-17; 34:23; Lev. 23:4, 5, 10, 26-32, 33, 34, 37. Thus it is clear that the Passover, feast of first-fruits or feast of weeks (Deut. 16:16), and the feast of harvest occurred but once a year. Ex. 13:10; 23:16. The Bible recognizes twelve months to the year. See 1 Chron. 27:1-15. The months were regulated by the new moons. In fact, the Hebrew word for month is the identical word for new moon. There is but one Hebrew word, Cho-desh, which means new moon, and which also means month. To this very day the orthodox Jews observe the Rosh Cho-desh, beginning of the new moons, otherwise called months. Therefore, these feasts, whenever they came, were regulated not by the days of the week, but according to the times of the new moons, or months. It is evident to every thinking person that the new moons could not fall on the same day of the week as they came one by one; therefore the months could not begin the same day of the week, month by month, as they came. Consequently the yearly feasts could not come on the same day of the week, year by year, as they came. The Bible plainly says they are annual feasts, governed by the revolutions of the year. Ex. 34:22, margin. The word “end” in this last verse referred to, is Te-koo-fa, the identical word which in Ps. 19:6 is translated circuit. It literally means “revolution.” Now with this in view, let us examine what the Scripture says concerning the “Pentecost,” or “feast of weeks,” “feast of first-fruits.” Acts 2:1; Deut. 16:16; Lev. 23:9, 10; Ex. 23:16. It is also known as the “feast of the fiftieth day,” the “feast of the conclusion,” the “season of the giving of our law.” See Josephus, “The Jewish War,” book 2, chap. 3, par. 1. All these terms of this feast are recognized by the Jews even to the present day. The command concerning this feast is given in Leviticus 23, as follows: “And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the first-fruits of your harvest unto the priest: and he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it. And ye shall offer that day when ye wave the sheaf an he lamb without blemish of the first year for a burnt offering unto the Lord. . . . And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven sabbaths shall be complete: even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the Lord.” Verses 9-16. Here the Lord states that they were to count to them seven sabbaths complete, which literally is seven full weeks complete (verse 15. Hebrew Sheva Shab-bathos T’me-moth, seven perfected or completed weeks), from the day they brought the wave sheaf. This seventh full week, which was begun the day after the sabbath, was to reach to Pentecost. Now the question involved is, What does this sabbath in verse 15 refer to? By reading verses 7, 8, and comparing them with verses 34, 35, 38, 39, it will be seen that the first and last days of every feast were to be days of holy convocation, also said to be sabbaths. The people were to perform no servile work in them; but they were to rest on those days from their labors. Thus the first day of the Passover was a sabbath, a day of rest from toil, irrespective of the day of the week. The Passover began on the fourteenth day of Abib, afterward called Nisan. Deut. 16:1; Esther 3:7. The lamb was slain on that fourteenth day, between the two evenings, between twelve and six. Ex. 12:6, margin. The night following was to begin the first sabbath of the feast, for the day in the Bible begins at sunset. Gen. 1:5, 8, etc.; Deut. 16:6; Mark 1:32. The lamb being offered on the fourteenth day in the afternoon, the evening following would begin the fifteenth day of Nisan, or the first sabbath of the Passover. This would continue till the evening of the next day. When the sun would set this next day, irrespective of the day of the week, three men with baskets in their hands, and with sharp sickles, would cut down the sheaf, after they had asked several questions of the bystanders, in order to bring out the distinctiveness of the ceremony. Now the Lord Jesus Christ, just before he was crucified, said to the disciples that after two days was the Passover. Matt. 26:1, 2. He greatly desired to eat this last Passover with them before he suffered. Luke 22:15. So the disciples came to him, at the proper time, and asked him where he would like to have them prepare for him to eat the Passover. Matt. 26:17. He gave them their instructions, and they made ready the Passover. Verse 19. When the proper time came, he sat down with the twelve. Verse 20. It is therefore evident that the Saviour ate the Passover at the proper time with his disciples. The disciples knew when the Passover had to be slain, even though they did not then recognize that Christ was to be offered as the paschal lamb to fulfil the type. The typical lamb was killed, therefore, according to the law, on the fourteenth day of Nisan. But this was on Thursday, for the next day, the day he was crucified, was the preparation for the Sabbath of the Lord. Luke 23:54, 56. It was always allowable that when the Sabbath of the Lord immediately followed any festival sabbath, necessary preparations be made on this festival sabbath for the rest of Jehovah. This was universally recognized among the Jews at the time of Christ, and is extant to this present day. The Saviour ate the Passover on the fourteenth, and was crucified on the fifteenth, which was the first sabbath of the Passover. About the time the Saviour was taken down from the cross, at the beginning of the Sabbath of the Lord, the wave sheaf was cut, thus showing that he was a type of the wave sheaf also, the first-fruit. The next day therefore, the sixteenth of Nisan, was the beginning of the counting of the Omer, or the seven weeks, which culminated on the last day of the seventh week from this time. The first day of the seven weeks was the seventh-day Sabbath; the Sabbath of Jehovah; the day after the last day of the seven weeks must also have been the Sabbath of Jehovah. Lev.10 23:15, 16. Therefore it is perfectly clear that the wave sheaf, or Omer, was offered in the temple on the Sabbath of the Lord; and, therefore, the Pentecost, or the fiftieth day, must also have come on the seventh day of the week. Pentecost, therefore, the year the Saviour was crucified and rose, was on the seventh day, or Saturday, the Sabbath of Jehovah. Acts 2. This is evident according to the Word of God. There are many reasons which might be given to show why Pentecost should fall on the Sabbath of Jehovah, but we will submit just one. It was a universal belief at the time of Christ that the ten commandments were given on Pentecost. Exodus 19. In fact, the Jews never considered the Passover was fully ended until Pentecost was reached. For the whole fifty days of the Omer which were counted between the Passover and Pentecost bore the same relation to the Pentecost as the days of the week do to the Sabbath. Their exodus from Egypt was on the Passover; its climax was reached when they heard the voice of God at Sinai. Therefore as Jehovah gave his law in flaming fire and with blazing glory on the day which was to be observed ever after as the feast of first-fruits, or Pentecost (Deut. 33: 2), to the people who were to be the representatives of his glorious truth, so again on Pentecost he poured out the Holy Spirit upon those men who were to be the representatives of his blessed message of salvation. The glory of Christ shone at Sinai at the giving of the law; for he was Jehovah the lawgiver (James 4: 12); and the glory of Christ shone at Pentecost, because by his sacrifice he showed the glory of the law. He sent the fire upon those men that they might go everywhere and proclaim this majestical truth. Fitting time indeed, the blessed rest of Jehovah Jesus, to fulfil so glorious a plan and purpose. Jesus has always honored the holy Sabbath; he always will. “If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.” John 13: 17. Be Courageous
By H. W. Cottrell
The Lord, speaking by the mouth of the prophet Isaiah of his “only begotten Son” and of his work on earth, when his divinity was to be clothed upon with our sinful flesh, said, “Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth. . . . He shall not fail nor be discouraged.” Paul said, “When he bringeth in the first-begotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him. . . . But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever.” Heb. 1: 6, 8. “He was God in human flesh, and he could not but work the works of God. Unbelief, prejudice, and jealousy beat about him, and if his humanity had not been united with divinity, he would have failed and become discouraged. At times his divinity flashed through humanity, and clearly he stood forth as the Son of God, his veil of flesh too transparent to hide his majesty. But the men who claimed to be the expositors of the prophecies refused to believe that he was the Christ. Satan had control of their minds, and they utterly refused to acknowledge the divinity of Jesus of Nazareth.”—Mrs. E. G. White, “Lessons from the Christ-Life,” Review and Herald, March 26, 1901. We are now facing this very critical period in our history, that of denying the divinity of Christ Jesus, who bought us. Our Saviour was not to be discouraged, and thank the Lord, he never was discouraged in his undertaking for us. He was “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” His mission to earth was to carry out to completion, in our sight and presence, the gift of his life which was tendered from the foundation of the world. “Before the world was made, it was arranged that the divinity of Christ should be enshrouded in humanity.” Thus he introduced to our vision the gift of that eternal life which can be received only through faith in Christ, the divine Son. The pledge of heaven is given that whosoever is willing may receive “eternal life.” Praise his name for the gift of such life to poor, dying humanity. He wrestled with the discouragement of discouragements in taking our sinful flesh with all its susceptibilities to sin, and conquered it. He wept over the sinful condition of Jerusalem, but was not discouraged. In his human nature he was tempted in all points as we are, but sinned not. He met the foe at every turn, and conquered him. He unfurled his banner of victory over the tendencies to yield to temptation or discouragement, and it is still waving aloft over the heads of his children. Do not become faint hearted or a sentimentalist, my brother, “at such a time as this,” and thus besmirch the royal banner under which we should bravely stand. The Lord wants Calebs and Joshuas in experience to-day. Christ our commander knew the strength of the wiley foe he came to earth to conquer for us in sinful flesh, for he had met and conquered him in heaven. Therefore “we are more than conquerors through him.” In him we should face rejoicingly a frowning world; for him endure misrepresentation in word or act, in the home, church, or world, and rejoice despite it; through him be the master, each in his own life, of the passions of appetite, temper, lust, and pride; in a word, permit him to subdue self in our flesh, though the conflict be fierce and the trial sore, and rejoice, knowing that our foe is vanquished, and that we are victors in Christ. Each soul should exercise the courage of an educated conscience—Christian conviction. Stand true to the message that has made us a people, if need be alone with him. Jesus said, “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” “Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not.” The Truth Will Triumph
By E. K. Slade
The truth, as contained in the Word of God, is being put to a special test. False doctrines and errors of all ages are being brought to the front in these days, and will be arrayed against the revealed will of God, between which every soul has the responsibility of choosing. No one can safely maintain a careless or indifferent attitude in reference to the decision he must make. It will be fatal to take a non-committal position in relation to truth and error, for condemnation is sure to come to one who disregards and disbelieves the truth. The destiny is certain in the case of the one who chooses and believes error. The enemy has most artfully brought to the front teachings of error and falsehood that are most fitted to captivate the mind of any one who will resort to resenting rather than receiving the plain declaration of God's Word. He would have it appear that it is humiliating and weak to believe without seeing, and consequently the conclusion that is arrived at is that which one sees with his own feeble mind to be the truth. He can not ignore the fact that seeing by believing is God's means of revealing the truth to his children. Truth is not vitiated by coming to us through the medium of humanity. “Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” The never-erring Spirit is responsible for that which is revealed, and thus every word of God is pure. Our only safety in a time like this is to hold firmly to ardently receiving, believing, and obeying the truth which God has seen fit to reveal to us. We can not too strongly emphasize holding to the simplicity of the truth and the simplicity of the Word. I believe that the enemy is much pleased at the treatment the work of God is receiving at the hands of those whose duty it is to make known the word of God to humanity. The interpretations given, and so-called higher criticism, the consideration of certain portions as obsolete, the thought that certain narratives are but the opinions of good men, and every other plan than the careful consideration of what God says, are helping to make the Word ineffective, and are obscuring the truth so much needed at this time. The Lord is looking for loyal believers of his truth. Notwithstanding the fact that error seems to have such general acceptance, the truth can stand, if it must stand alone. It is no less the truth, though held by few, and looked upon by many with contempt and disregard. The day is not far distant when truth will triumph. Do you wish to triumph with the truth? If you do, now is the time to cherish it and obey it. Send Them to Bed With a Kiss
O MOTHERS, so weary, discouraged,
Worn out with the cares of the day,
You often grow cross and impatient,
Complain of the noise and the play;
For the day brings so many vexations,
So many things going amiss;
But, mothers, whatever may vex you,
Send the children to bed with a kiss! The dear little feet wander often,
Perhaps, from the pathway of right;
The dear little hands find new mischief
To try you from morning till night;
But think of the desolate mothers,
Who'd give all the world for your
bliss,
And, as thanks for your infinite blessings,
Send the children to bed with a kiss! For some day their noise will not vex
you,
The silence will hurt you far more;
You will long for the sweet children
voices,
For a sweet childish face at the door,
And to press a child's face at your
bosom,
You'd give all the world for just this;
For the comfort 'twill bring you in
sorrow,
Send the children to bed with a kiss! — The New Orleans Picayune.