Earlier text: Profession and Zeal Not True PietyIt is a common remark that the best commentary on the evils of intemperance may be found in the columns of the daily newspapers. In support of this we submit the results of a personal examination of the columns of five or six of the leading dailies of the country, made during the space of seven days, with the view of noting all cases of crimes, casualties, etc., where strong drink was assigned as the producing cause. We have excluded all doubtful cases from the summary, and the record includes only those where the exciting cause is specially mentioned. The task of going through the shocking and often disgusting details of rum's doings was not a pleasant one, but the results are suggestive:— Murders . . . . . . 11
Murderous assaults . . . . . . 17
Suicides . . . . . . 13
Wife beatings . . . . . . 7
Affrays . . . . . . 19
Miscellaneous . . . . . . 41
Total . . . . . . 108 Under the head of miscellaneous we have included such cases as arrests for drunkenness, cases of delirium tremens, dismissal from employment and cases of destitution. We made no attempt at a general or exhaustive examination in collecting our statistics, but only inspected the columns of a few respectable dailies, and did not look into those publications that make a specialty of criminal news. It is evident that with the greatest care and widest research that we could possibly make, our record would be only a partial one. The great majority of cases of misery and suffering caused by strong drink in various ways never meet the public eye in print. One has only to walk through some of the tenement districts of such a city as New York and see the squalor and filth that abound there, and witness some of the sights that appear in those quarters daily among the drunken inmates of the "dives" and dens of infamy, to have a faint realization of what rum can do in debauching and ruining humanity. The visitor in the slums of the city will observe that vice and wretchedness are everywhere in direct proportion to the number of beer saloons and groggeries; the more abundant the latter are, the deeper the degradation and woe. In the course of our examination we were more deeply impressed than ever before with the proportion between the cases of crime, etc., attributed to drink and those for which other causes were assigned. While noting the one hundred and eight given above, we found just eleven cases of the same general character where strong drink was not mentioned in connection with them. In several instances there were the best reasons for believing that rum was really at the bottom of the trouble. The newspaper reports of these murders and other crimes are often very brief, but suggestive. One murder is recorded in three or four lines. It was a fight on the street. One man stabbed another fatally. The paragraph closes with three words—words of meaning: "Rum did it." So often does this phrase, or one of similar import, occur in the accounts of crime, that it suggests the thought that the newspapers might save themselves trouble and expense by keeping the words, "Rum did it," as a standing head-line for their criminal news. The cases are few that would not properly fall under that general head. Our week's record of rum's doings may properly be supplemented by what we saw in the Tombs Police Court one morning. The night before, the police had raided a "stale beer dive" in Mulberry Street, and had brought to the Tombs all the inmates they could capture. The next morning the whole crowd were brought into court for examination and committal. A more wretched and disgusting array of human beings never stood before a bar of justice. There were between thirty and forty of them, nearly all middle-aged women, some of them with gray hair. No pen could adequately describe the appearance of these miserable creatures. All were bare-footed, and only one wore anything that had the likeness of a head-covering. Their garments were indescribably filthy, and hung about their bodies in tatters. Their faces were swollen and blotched; their hair matted and frowzy, while several bore the marks of recent squabbles, in scratches and welts on head and face, from which the blood had flown down and dried in with the dirt. The most of them seemed too stupid and idiotic to realize their condition, while a few appeared to rejoice at the transient notoriety the event had given them. They were all charged with drunkenness and disorderly conduct, and were disposed of in a summary manner with sentences of from three to six months on Blackwell's Island. These creatures had subsisted chiefly on the dregs of stale beer. And they were the product of only one "dive" in a street lined for blocks with places quite as bad. With the foregoing facts yet fresh in mind, we read an interview with one of the officers of the United States Brewers' Association, in which he spoke of beer as "the people's drink" and a "health-giving beverage." The dregs of beer should be the very quintessence of healthfulness. We wish all who think so had seen and smelled the crowd of beer-drinkers in the Tombs Police Court that morning. But, as we have already said, the scenes that we have depicted are no worse than those that are constantly passing before the public eye. The papers come teeming day by day with harrowing tales of want and misery and crime, with rum written everywhere as the potent cause. All the testimony is on the side of the declaration that the rum power is the source of our country's direst woes to-day, that like a malignant cancer it is eating out the life of the nation, debauching its manhood, ruining its homes, and filling the hearts of thousands with sorrow unutterable. But the day of reckoning will surely come, for God is just, and the prayers of his people shall not pass unanswered.—N. Y. Observer. "W. S." is the oracle of the World's Crisis on time. In a recent number of that paper he said:— "To compute time incorrectly, and after it passes to insist that the time was right, but that the event was wrong, is a shocking error. Better a thousand times be mistaken in the time than in the event." We might safely admit the first part of this quotation, as it relates only to computing time "incorrectly." But he insists that whenever there is a mistake in regard to the event, the time is necessarily computed incorrectly. To this we do not assent. Nor can we agree that it is better to be mistaken in the time than in the event. Both may be fatal; the first certainly is. In the days of Noah, if the people had admitted that there was some great calamity impending, there might have been hope that they would learn the whole truth, inasmuch as they expected it at the right time. But if they had admitted that there was a flood coming some time—right in the event—but had not believed it was coming in the day of that generation, their case would have been quite hopeless. But this is only a supposed case. We have an actual case which is much stronger. The Saviour commenced his ministry when the appointed time was fulfilled. Mark 1:14, 15. And step by step in his life were the prophecies fulfilled by him and in reference to him, until the time came to fulfill Zech. 9:9. The disciples fulfilled this prophecy to the very letter; they saw Zion's king riding into Jerusalem on a colt, and they cried out in the very words of the prophecy. But "they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear." Luke 19:11. They gave the proclamation in the right time, but they were utterly mistaken in the event! Was their proclamation therefore "a shocking error"? It seems strange that, with this scripture before him, W. S. could write such a paragraph. Yet not so strange when we consider that he is so wedded to a theory that he utterly refuses to see the most evident truth, if it is not in harmony with his theory. The reader will remember our examination of his declaration that the application of blood in the Old Testament was for dedication, and not for cleansing; a declaration for which there is not the slightest warrant. His object was to disprove our faith in the cleansing of the sanctuary. He could find it clearly proved by reading Lev. 16. His assertion in regard to the time, as herein noticed, was made to discredit our faith on the message of "the hour of his judgment," in Rev. 14:6, 7. This is parallel to the case of the disciples in Luke 19. There is nothing in Zech. 9 to show that he would not set up his kingdom when the "shout" was given. They were entirely shut up to the fulfillment for the correction of their error. In 1844 people did not see anything to indicate that the event was not the Lord's coming, as they gave this message. But after the time passed it was easy to see—easy to all who are willing to see—that other proclamations were to be made after that of the hour of his judgment is come, and that, therefore, that message was not intended to usher in his advent, as they supposed it was. And so also with the early disciples. It was only after their sad disappointment "in the event," that they learned that "Christ must needs suffer" before he came in his kingdom. Truth is harmonious. It will always agree with itself. The word of God is not yea and nay. They who have the truth of the word need not deny any scripture to maintain their positions. It has been the rejoicing of our heart for years that the light of the Third Angel's Message, Rev. 14:9-12, sheds so great light on all the Scriptures, and tends to unity of faith. It is because the foundation is laid upon the commandments of God—the foundation of everything in the Government of the Most High. It is the rule of true morality—of holiness. Ex. 19:5, 6; Ps. 19:7; Eccl. 12:13, 14. And they who work by the same rule—and that the rule of Heaven—will build together in union, and the superstructure will be symmetrical and right. Let us all strive to build on the true foundation, and by the same rule, in unity of faith and spirit, and we shall be found workmen that need not be ashamed; 2 Tim. 2:15; for the Master will establish the work of our hands. Ps. 90:17. Punishment of the Wicked.
By Ellet Joseph Waggoner
THERE is one text that should have received attention in connection with the article concerning the "everlasting fire" into which the wicked are to be cast. Before introducing it, however, we will briefly review the points already made. 1. Those only who accept Christ receive eternal life; all others perish. John 3:16. That is, they will be blotted from existence. This is the penalty which was threatened in the beginning, before sin entered, and which is now simply delayed a little in order to allow mankind an opportunity to repent. Thus it is that "the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation." 2 Peter 3:15. 2. The agent by which the death penalty is to be executed, is fire—"everlasting fire." We saw that it was "eternal fire" that destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah (Jude 7), and that by means of "unquenchable fire" the walls and palaces of Jerusalem were devoured. Jer. 17:27; 2 Chron. 36:18-21. We learned also that the "eternal fire" that fell upon the cities of the plain turned them to ashes (2 Peter 2:6), and that this is what is always accomplished when fire is unquenchable. The wicked being likened to chaff, and stubble, it does not tax our imagination in the least to understand how, when cast into unquenchable fire, they will be burned up, and be ashes. Matt. 3:12; Mal. 4:1, 3. 3. We have also seen that the wicked go into "everlasting punishment." But this punishment is death (Rom. 6:23), so that Matt. 25:46 simply teaches that from the death which the finally impenitent suffer, there will be no resurrection. This point was still further shown by the statement in Ps. 2:12, that even a slight manifestation of God's wrath causes the one against whom it is directed to perish, and that since that wrath abides on the sinner (John 3:36) there will be no recovery from that perdition. The texts already cited are amply sufficient to prove the final utter destruction of the wicked; but we have no desire to evade any point, or to pass by any text which would seem to militate against the positions taken. We therefore turn our attention to Rev. 14:9-11: "And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb; and the smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever and ever; and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name." The question is, Does the expression, "the smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever and ever," necessarily imply that the torments of the wicked will never cease? If it does, then there is an unexplainable contradiction between it and those texts which speak plainly of the final extinction of the wicked. But this cannot possibly be; it cannot for a moment be admitted that there are contradictions in the sacred record. This text,697 then, must harmonize with the great mass of testimony already quoted. We might quote authorities on the meaning of the Greek word rendered "forever," but we shall let the Bible explain this text, just as we have all the others, for it is only when men take it by itself, without regard to other scriptures, that it presents any objection to the position we have taken in regard to the destruction of the wicked. In the twenty-first chapter of Exodus, the first four verses, we find the law in regard to the length of time a Hebrew might be kept as a servant. Six years was the limit; after he had served six years, his master was bound to let him go free, for nothing, and allow him to take away as much as he brought with him. If during his term of service he had married one of his master's servants, she and her children were to remain with the master. In such a case, however, it would often happen that the servant would rather stay with his wife and children than have his liberty; if so, the law made the following provision:— "And if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free; then his master shall bring him unto the judges; he shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an awl; and he shall serve him forever." Ex. 21:5, 6. Now will any one claim that the life of that servant, as well as that of his master, was to be prolonged to all eternity? Certainly not; no one can be found who would gather from the above text that either the servant or his master would live any longer than a natural life-time. The text simply teaches that under the special circumstances mentioned, the servant should remain with his master and serve him continuously, as long as he should live. So we find that "forever" does not necessarily mean "to all eternity." Take another instance: In Isa. 34:9, 10, we read concerning the land, here called "Idumea," as follows: "And the streams thereof shall be turned into pitch, and the dust thereof into brimstone, and the land thereof shall become burning pitch. It shall not be quenched night nor day; the smoke thereof shall go up forever; from generation to generation it shall lie waste; none shall pass through it forever and ever." In a similar strain the prophet continues to the close of the chapter; and then we read: "The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall be glad and blossom as the rose. It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing; the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon; they shall see the glory of the Lord, and the excellency of our God." Isa. 35:1, 2. These words are spoken of the same land from which, in the preceding chapter, it is said the smoke should ascend forever. So we see that there does come a time when the smoke does not arise from it; and that is when "the indignation of the Lord upon all nations" shall have been accomplished. Thus again we find that "forever," even "forever and ever," does not necessarily imply that there shall be no end. This text is the more important, as it has a direct bearing on Rev. 14:11. The time when the smoke shall thus ascend forever, is "the day of the Lord's vengeance, and the year of recompenses for the controversy of Zion" (Isa. 34:8), and the time when "the indignation of the Lord is upon all nations" (verse 2). This being so, and the fact having been proved that the land does afterward cease burning, and become renewed, we find that we are positively bound to admit that there will come a time when the smoke of the torment of the rebellious ones will cease; and that the statement that it shall ascend forever and ever, means, as in the other two cases cited, that it will ascend continuously, as long as there are any wicked in existence. There will be no reprieve in their case, nor relaxing of the punishment. The fire which causes the smoke is unquenchable; it utterly devours the sinners; but when they have been devoured, and have become ashes, then the fire will of necessity cease to burn, and likewise the smoke will cease to ascend. Read the verses (Rev. 14:9-11) once more. They (the rebellious ones) "shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture." In our last article we learned (Ps. 2:12) the effect of the wrath of God when it is kindled even a little against the people of the earth; it is to cause them to "perish,"—"to come to nothing." Now if the wicked are made to drink of the "wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture," certainly the result can be nothing less than their utter destruction. We are not attempting to fix the duration of the "tribulation and anguish" which the wicked shall suffer previous to their death, nor to limit it in any way. The statement that "they have no rest day nor night," implies that it will not be of short duration. That they will suffer anguish for a long time, there can be no doubt; neither can there be any more doubt that this anguish will eventually be terminated by death; "for the wages of sin is death;" "sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death." If we insist that the torments of the wicked never cease, then these texts have no meaning. Yet it must be borne in mind that there is no restoration to the favor of God. No; the wicked shall "go away into everlasting punishment," even "everlasting destruction." Rev. 14:10 is not the only place where the "wine of the wrath of God" is mentioned. In Jeremiah 25:15 we read: "For thus saith the Lord God of Israel unto me: Take the wine cup of this fury at my hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send thee, to drink it." The different nations that shall drink of it are then specified, and the list closes with these words: "And all the kings of the north, far and near, one with another, and all the kingdoms of the world, which are upon the face of the earth." Verse 26. This corresponds with Ps. 75:8: "For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup, and the wine is red; it is full of mixture; and he poureth out of the same; but the dregs thereof all the wicked shall wring them out, and drink them." Now what will be the result of their drinking of this cup? We turn again to the prophecy in Jeremiah:— "Therefore thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Drink ye, and be drunken, and spue, and fall, and rise no more, because of the sword which I will send among you. And it shall be, if they refuse to take the cup at thine hand to drink, then shalt thou say unto them, Thus saith the Lord of hosts: Ye shall certainly drink. For, lo, I begin to bring evil upon the city which is called by my name, and should ye be utterly unpunished? Ye shall not be unpunished; for I will call for a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth, saith the Lord of hosts." "A noise shall come even to the ends of the earth; for the Lord hath a controversy with the nations; he will give them that are wicked to the sword, saith the Lord." "And the slain of the Lord shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth; they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung upon the ground." Jer. 25:27-29, 31, 33. Thus we see that the drinking of the wine of the wrath of God produces death. They who drink it "fall, and rise no more." This is perfectly in harmony with what we have previously learned of the effect of God's wrath, when it abideth on the sinner. But there is one more text to be noticed in this connection, which settles the case absolutely. It is Obadiah 15, 16, which reads thus:— "For the day of the Lord is near upon all the heathen; as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee; thy reward shall return upon thine own head. For as ye have drunk upon my holy mountain, so shall all the heathen drink continually; yea, they shall drink, and they shall swallow down, and they shall be as though they had not been." What stronger language could be used to show the final utter extinction of the wicked? And let it be remembered that this language is used concerning those who drink of "the wine of the wrath of God," threatened in Rev. 14:9-11. Certainly all must agree, then, that this latter text, instead of teaching the endless torture of the wicked, plainly shows that they, after suffering for an unknown length of time the "tribulation and anguish" which is their just due, finally receive the full wages of sin, which is death. E. J. W. Meetings in Battle Creek.
By Editor
OUR general meetings in Battle Creek, Mich., are in progress. There have been meetings of the General Conference, International Tract and Missionary Society, Health Reform Institute, Sanitarium Improvement Company, Educational Society (B. C. College), Sabbath-school Association, and the Publishing Association. With the sermons delivered, and the social meetings, these have closely filled the time. Yet added to all these, Dr. Kellogg has delivered a series of lectures in the Tabernacle, five to this date. These have been exceedingly interesting and instructive. We think that at this Conference steps will be taken to give a new impetus to the cause of health reform. The General Conference has already transacted considerable business. A revision of the Constitution has been adopted. Also the Constitution adopted by the California Conference, with a few amendments, was recommended to all the State Conferences. The California Conference will adopt these amendments next year. Other business has been done; a resolution to establish a mission in Australia is now pending. Much interest is manifested in this subject, and we think that steps will be taken in that direction very soon. Also a missionary will probably be sent to Scotland, and additional laborers to England. Of the Publishing Association here it is almost unnecessary to speak. All our people are well acquainted with our parent printing-house, and "our church paper." It is in a flourishing condition, and is now almost entirely occupied with denominational work. It is a large establishment, and has facilities for doing an immense amount of work. The Sanitarium is increasing in dimensions and in usefulness. During the past year it has been full to repletion; some have been turned away for want of room. Dr. Kellogg is devoted to his work; and the atmosphere of the institution is healthy for the physical, moral, and spiritual constitution of man. Some idea of the extent of this work may be gathered from a few facts. Receipts from patients, during the past year, were $10,000 more than in any previous year. The profits of the year were about $24,000, beside giving "charity treatment" to the amount of $5,500. While more room was greatly needed, the debt carried by the institution was such as to prevent any additional outlay. In this emergency a "Sanitarium Improvement Company" was organized, which is erecting an extensive addition to the building, which will afford room for 250 patients, besides containing a splendid dining-room, thereby giving more room in the former building. The new building is first-class in every respect. The company will rent it to the Sanitarium for a little more than it was paying for outside rent, while the room will be of vastly more value. In every way the prospect before the Sanitarium is encouraging. The subject of missions is receiving the attention which its importance demands. At the time of this writing the International T. and M. Society is in session, discussing methods of carrying on the work. The Lord is blessing his people here, and all are of good courage. Sister White's health is quite good, and her counsel, especially given in the early morning meetings, is highly appreciated by all. The Lord’s Day.
By Ellet Joseph Waggoner
"I WAS in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice as of a trumpet." Rev. 1:10. Strange as the statement may appear, an examination of this text involves an answer to the question, "Who is the Lord?" Indeed, it may be said that this question covers a large portion of the ground at issue. This fact is not owing to any difficulty in the text itself, but solely to the position taken by those who have appropriated the term "Lord's day" to the first day of the week. They have made the settlement of the question as to what day is meant by the expression "Lord's day" depend on something which is not, or ought not to be in dispute at all. This fact will be more clearly seen by the following, from an article entitled "The Lord's Day," which was sent to us some time ago for review:— "To learn what day is the Lord's day, it is necessary to know who is the Lord. Adventists deny that Jesus is Lord, therefore they are prepared to deny that that day which gives Jesus most honor is the Lord's day." If the writer of the above knew anything at all about Seventh-day Adventists (for of course they are the Adventists to whom he refers), he well knew that he was penning a falsehood when he wrote it. It is a good sample, however, of the method of argument(?) by which Sunday has been exalted to, and maintained in, its present position in the professed Christian world. Instead of going directly to the point, and bringing proof—Bible proof—that Sunday is the Lord's day, its adherents attempt to turn the mind away from a consideration of the real question at issue. They erroneously assume that if Christ is Lord, then Sunday must be the Lord's day; then they assert that Adventists deny the divinity of Christ. The result is that, in the minds of those whom they can induce to believe their statements, a very natural prejudice is aroused against the Adventists; and in proportion as they become prejudiced against Seventh-day Adventists, they increase in devotion to any institution or practice to which Seventh-day Adventists are opposed. But there is no more reason in the assumption that, because Christ is Lord, therefore Sunday is the Lord's day, than there would be in the assumption that, because Noah built the ark, therefore he must have been the discoverer of America. And the statement that Seventh-day Adventists deny that Christ is Lord, is nothing less than willful falsehood. Such methods are adopted only by men who are conscious that they have no proof for their theory, yet are determined to sustain it at all hazards. Macaulay says that whenever people have made up their minds without knowing why, "discussion ends in scurrility, the last resource of the disputant who cannot answer, and who will not submit."
The inspired prophet exclaims: "O Israel, thy prophets [teachers] are like the foxes in the deserts." Eze. 13:4. The marked characteristic of the fox is craftiness. He will cover up his trail,698 and resort to various devices to throw the hunters off his track. His characteristic cunning is manifested in deceiving his pursuers as to his real location, causing them to think that he is in a certain hole when he is far distant. That the prophet, by this figure, aptly describes the supporters of the Sunday-sabbath, is evident to one who has studied their tactics. Take the case before us, for instance. They accuse us of denying the divinity of Christ in order to divert attention from the real question at issue, and also to conceal the fact that they themselves in reality deny his divinity. For proof of this last statement we offer the following:— It is readily conceded that the seventh-day Sabbath was appointed by God himself at Sinai; this is not denied even by those who will not allow that it was given at creation. Further, they do not claim that God ever appointed any other day. But they do claim that Sunday should be observed in honor of Christ, and that he sanctioned, if he did not institute, such observance. Thus they make the Father and the Son antagonistic to each other, or, to say the least, they have each one working on a plan of his own, and for his own pleasure. But this is utterly at variance with the truth uttered by Christ, "I and my Father are one." John 10:30. Unity with the Father is an essential part of the divinity of Christ; and therefore to claim that Christ engaged in anything that the Father did not, or that he has any interest separate from the Father, is to deny that perfect unity, and, consequently, to deny the divinity of Christ. Since the question of the divinity of Christ is made a prime factor in determining this matter of the Lord's day, the remainder of this article will be devoted to that point. Christ says, "I and my Father are one." This we must accept as an absolute fact in the sense in which he designed it. He prayed to the Father for his disciples, "that they may be one, even as we are one." John 17:22. The union between the Father and the Son is the same as should exist between brethren in the faith. It is a union of thought and purpose. See 1 Cor. 1:10. The will of one is the will of the other. The language of Christ was, "I delight to do thy will, O my God, yea, thy law is within my heart." Ps. 40:8. Again, "Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself; but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works." John 14:10. A closer union than this cannot be imagined. So close is the union that Christ is called God, as in Isa. 9:6, and Titus 2:13. In talking with the young man (Matt. 19:16, 17) he himself plainly showed his right to be called God. The apostle Paul, speaking of Christ, says that "in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily." Col. 2:9. This fact of the unity of the Father and the Son, must of necessity be true at all times, and under all circumstances. Let us see. Jesus is known as the Saviour, the Redeemer of the world. It is through his blood that we have redemption (Col. 1:14), and besides his name there is no salvation in any other. Acts 4:12. But if he and the Father are one, the Father must have had an equal share in the work of redemption. And so it is. The plan of salvation was not devised and executed by Christ apart from the Father. It is God's love, that is commended to us in the death of Christ. Rom. 5:8. "God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16. When Christ was on earth he was doing the Father's work, for he said, "My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work." John 4:34. And in harmony with this idea were his words to Mary, "Wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?" Luke 2:49. The message that he bore was from the Father. He himself said, "My doctrine is not mine, but His that sent me" (John 7:16); "For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak." John 12:49. And so Paul says that "God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself." 2 Cor. 5:19. Therefore whatever memorials of redemption are observed, must be in honor of God as well as of Christ. Again, God is best known as the Creator of the world. This, indeed, is that for which he would be remembered, for his creative power is that which distinguishes him from false gods. See Jer. 10:10-12; Ps. 96:5; 2 Cor. 8:5, 6; Acts 14:15. But if Christ and the Father are one, then Christ must have shared equally with the Father in his work of creation. And so he did. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. . . . All things were made by him, and without him was not anything made that was made." John 1:1-3. Of the One through whose blood we have redemption, Paul says that "by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers; all things were created by him and for him; and he is before all things, and by him all things consist." Col. 1:16, 17. And finally, Paul exhibits the unity of Father and Son in both creation and redemption, in these words: "God who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds." Heb. 1:1, 2. Thus we learn that it was through Christ that God made the worlds, and through Christ that God conveyed to lost man his message of mercy. In Christ God's will is made known and executed, and thus it is that he is called "the Word of God." When we say that all Seventh-day Adventists hold to the truths taught by these scriptures as cardinal points of faith, it will be readily perceived that a denial of the divinity of Christ is not one of their peculiarities. With Peter they believe that God hath made this same Jesus who was crucified "both Lord and Christ;" and they also gladly acknowledge the fact "that all men should honor the Son, even as they honor the Father." John 5:23. In what way they should honor him, will be shown next week. E. J. W. “Forbear Thee from Meddling.”
By W. N. GLENN
God’s people have no business with the controversies between worldly powers or factions. Their unavoidable conflicts with the world are all that they can possibly attend to, and they can only manage these by the help of the Lord, and by keeping aloof from unnecessary burdens. The Lord never approved of Israel making allies of other nations, or meddling in their affairs in any way other than positively directed as his instruments. So in all ages they have a specific mission, a direct line of policy from which they may not deviate without injury to themselves and their cause. The more complicated the world’s perplexities become, the more necessity for Christians to “seek unto their God.” Nothing would please Satan more than to get those who have a special work of reformation on hand to turn aside and take an interest in the political muddle of the present time in this country. He well knows that perilous times are close upon us, and that if he can get the followers of the Lord to come up to that time with their interest absorbed in worldly matters, they will fall an easy prey. A most striking illustration of the present danger is presented in the case of Josiah, king of Judah. Josiah came to the throne when only eight years old, succeeding the terribly wicked reigns of his father Amon and his grandfather Manasseh. But he was destined for a work of reform. At the age of sixteen years “he began to seek after the God of David,” and at eighteen he began to purge the land of idolatry, and to re-establish the worship of the true God. While repairing the temple at Jerusalem, a copy of the law was found, and the young king exerted every effort to spread a knowledge of it among the people. So successful was his work of reform that in the eighteenth year of his reign the people were ready to hold a great passover, such as had not been kept in Israel from the days of Samuel the prophet. But, a few years afterward, Josiah was drawn into a snare. The king of Egypt had a controversy with the king of Assyria, and went to make war with him; but Josiah went out with his army to intercept him. It was not his quarrel; he had no legitimate interest in it other than personal feeling. King Necho warned him, saying, “What have I to do with thee, thou king of Judah? I came not against thee this day, but against the house wherewith I have war.” But Josiah would not hearken unto the words of Necho, although “from the mouth of the Lord.” He was anxious for a worldly fight, perhaps through a desire to distinguish himself and his kingdom. So he disguised himself to fight with the Egyptians. Thus Josiah unnecessarily made an enemy of a powerful king who was disposed to be his friend. And the consequence was, his own life and usefulness were summarily cut off, his nation was humbled and brought under tribute, and his great work of reform for which he had been specially raised up was ignominiously thwarted. So much for “meddling” in worldly affairs, when the Lord had a special work for him to execute. Those now engaged in the work of the Third Angel’s Message may learn a profitable lesson from the fate of Josiah. The purpose of God may in some way be worked out through party strife (“Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee.” Ps. 76:10.) He may commission one political party to punish another; yet that party might justly say to those who are in charge of the oracles of God and his work of reform, “Forbear thee from meddling with God, who is with me, that he destroy thee not.” When God’s people go forth to a battle unsent, they are more liable to fight against the interests of his cause than for it. When they rush blindly into unnecessary conflicts, they are sure to make enemies where they might have had699 friends; they are sure to call down disaster upon the work which the Lord would have them build up. The excitement of political strife can in no way prepare the heart for the service of God, or prepare a people to stand in the Judgment. In view of the pending crisis, we can only cling to our message of warning, and “turn not to the right hand nor to the left.” The law of the harvest is to reap more than you sow. Sow an act, and you reap a habit; sow a habit, and you reap a character; sow a character, and you reap a destiny. Higher and Higher.
By George Whitefield
NEVER rest satisfied with present attainments. You cannot. If you do you will go back. Either forward or backward you are always going—never stationary. Spiritual blessings received and realized, will impart power to the soul, and that power will be shown in rising heavenward—in more abiding in Jesus, more entire surrender of ourselves and everything to him, more fruit to the Father’s glory, more of the mind of Jesus about us in all things. Yes, it will be a rising higher. As it is in nature, so it is in grace. As we rise, earth and earthly things look smaller and smaller, while Heaven and heavenly things grow to our view. O Christian, live near to God! Remember that a worldly Christian does far more harm than any unconverted man. A worldly Christian is the most miserable of all men. The “salt has lost its savor,” and, in Christ’s own words, is “henceforth good for nothing!” The baneful influence of such men on the souls of others, is fearful to think of. As in nature, so in grace—the flower once cultivated and then neglected is the worst of all thorns!—Whitfield.