Earlier text: A. G. DANIELLSGod's Kingdom in the Heart
By C. M. S.
It is more than a coincidence that in the services carried on in the sanctuary of old the sinner and the law he had trampled upon should come face to face. That sacred structure was built under the eye of God. He furnished the plans and the specifications; and he laid upon his chief human agent this solemn charge: “And see that thou make them after their pattern, which hath been showed thee in the mount.” Ex. 25:40. God designed that the services carried on in the sanctuary should work out a certain object. It was therefore necessary that the pattern God gave to Moses should be followed with exactness; otherwise the sanctuary and its appurtenances would not lend themselves to the accomplishment of that object. Toward that structure the spiritual thoughts of Israel constantly turned. Within that enclosure were slain the creatures whose shed blood typified the blood that was to flow on Calvary for the remission of the sins of the world. In the inner apartment of that structure was a representation of the throne of God, and in the foundation of that throne—the ark of the covenant—reposed the law of God. Over that law lay the covering, the mercy-seat, with an angel standing upon either end of it as guardians of the throne of God, and between them the bright shining Shekinah, representing the presence of the Almighty. In that emblematic arrangement God is teaching us that in breaking the law of God, men do despite to the very throne of God, of which that law is a part; and that, in so doing, they must deal with him who sits upon that throne. But in the covering of that ark we see the type of him who is the hope of the world. That covering God named the mercy-seat. It stands between the sinner and the broken law, and thus is a type of Christ, who paid on Calvary the penalty of man's transgression of the law of God. It teaches also that mercy and justice mingle in the throne of God; that while he is the lawgiver and the ruler of the universe, he is still our Father, the God of love. Where God dwells there is his throne. “Let them make me a sanctuary,” said he, “that I may dwell among them.” They built the sanctuary, and the glowing Shekinah, the symbol of his presence, took up its station above the mercy-seat, upon the ark, over the law, in the most holy place. That place became the “holy of holies,” made so by the fact that it was the throne-room of God himself. In that sacred place, that throne-room of the Almighty, and inside that very throne itself, God had caused to be placed the tables of his law, that code by whose principles the universe is governed. That law there deposited was written upon the tables of stone, and all the services of that sanctuary circled around and had their occasion in that law and man's attitude toward it. If man had never sinned, there would never have been a sanctuary in this world. Sin, the transgression of the law of God, made necessary the sacrifice of the One whose blood alone could save the race from extinction; and the services of that sanctuary in the wilderness and of the temple which followed it were designed to keep ever before the mind of mankind the reason for the fall and the way to life through the promised Redeemer. Now when that promised Redeemer was come, there came also in its fulness and its actuality that “better covenant” “enacted upon better promises.” The sacrifice toward which all other sacrifices had pointed from that of Abel down had been made. The types and shadows had vanished in the substance itself. What was that better covenant? Was it an arrangement by which the law was abolished and something else was put in its place? Was it an arrangement by which mankind can claim holiness while trampling upon the only true test of holiness—the law of God?—No. “This is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and on their heart also will I write them: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people.” Heb. 8:10. The new covenant, then, does not abolish the law, but puts it in the mind and writes it in the heart of the individual, and of every individual who is a child of God indeed. The literal sanctuary of type and symbol has ceased to be. The “ark of the covenant” is no longer to be seen, and the tables of stone with the law engraved upon them have now no visible existence. But that law is still in force, is still a written law, written upon the hearts of the loyal followers of Christ, and, wherever so written, is doing its office work of bringing the lives and characters of individuals more nearly into harmony with the will and purpose of God than could otherwise be the case. It makes known the standard of God's will; and the power and grace of Christ, freely bestowed upon submissive and obedient souls, helps them to “walk even as he walked.” Upon such souls will be bestowed that righteousness of Christ which robes them for the marriage supper of the Lamb. Without that robe of righteousness none will witness that event; and that robe can not be bestowed upon those who maintain a spirit of enmity toward the law of God or are hostile toward any of its requirements. The translated ones must have the spirit of Christ, who declared: “I delight to do thy will, O my God; yea, thy law is within my heart.” Where the law of God is, there the throne of God is, and there God is. Said Jesus: “If a man love me, he will keep my word: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.” John 14:23. His earnest desire for his followers was this: “I in them, and thou in me, that they may be perfected into one.” John 17:23. “We are a temple of the living God; even as God said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them.” 2 Cor. 6:16. The child of God has the law of God written in his heart, and the Son of God and God himself make their abode with him. In that spiritual sense he is a temple of God, his heart an “ark of the covenant” with the law of God written upon its fleshly tables. Then in the heart of such an individual the throne of God is set up, God is the only recognized ruler there, and that much of this world is won back to the sovereignty of heaven again. In view of these considerations, how important that we maintain a right attitude toward the law of God! C. M. S. The Interest in the Coming General Conference an Encouraging Omen
By A. G. Daniells
As the time approaches for the General Conference to convene, increasing evidence comes to us of a deepening interest among our people everywhere in that important meeting. This interest is expressed in conversations, correspondence, good wishes, earnest prayers, and a great desire to attend the conference. As far as one can discern, this interest is of the right stamp. There is an earnest desire that this Conference shall in some way bring a great spiritual blessing to our cause, giving a new impetus to the work everywhere. This is an encouraging omen, for if rightly directed and developed, this solicitude in behalf of the Conference will contribute much to its success. All should understand that it is not possible for man to make the Conference the inspiring, uplifting occasion it should be. We may make the most perfect arrangement and preparation of the material features, and carry through an interesting program, but all this will not make just the meeting we want.12 Perhaps the most any one can do to help make the Conference all that it should be in this closing work is to pray the Lord most earnestly to be signally present in the meeting. Only the Lord's presence, instruction, and blessing will make the Conference what so many earnestly long that it shall be. With prayer there must be self-surrender, consecration, and obedience. When the people of God unitedly take this attitude, every needed blessing will be given them. The believing, trusting, obedient followers of the Lord are the objects of his supreme love. In his infinite wisdom he knows all their needs and freely supplies them from his inexhaustible resources. The coming Conference will be the largest we have ever held. Every conference in North America will be fully represented by accredited delegates. The most of the foreign conferences will be more largely represented than at any former Conference. Nearly all the mission fields throughout the world are sending delegates, and large numbers are coming at their own personal expense. Some who are paying their own way are coming from parts of the globe the most distant from Washington. May all these dear, loyal believers receive help that will fully repay them for the sacrifice they are making. There is one thing for which we should all continually pray—that the Lord will make very clear to those gathered at this Conference just what steps should be taken now to quickly finish the work of God and bring the end. The last warning message we are proclaiming to the world has now been sounding sixty-nine years. It is to do its full work in a single generation. We must surely be near the close, and now we should have clear vision regarding the finishing of the work. We all need the baptism of the Holy Spirit for personal victories over evil, and for power to win the lost to Christ. O, how greatly we need the wisdom and love and power of the Saviour to reach the great masses around us who are unprepared to meet God! This is more vital to the triumph and consummation of the cause of God than anything else. For this all should pray. ADVANCE sheets of the official Roman Catholic Directory present some interesting figures for study. According to this report the United States now ranks as one of the countries in which Roman Catholicism has reached its highest numerical strength, 23,329,000 persons in this country being recorded as members of the Catholic Church. Of this number upward of seven millions are found in the Philippines. Of the Catholic countries of the world Italy heads the list, with a sum total of 30,500,000 souls who nominally adhere to that faith. Austria and Germany have but a few more than are found in the United States, while Spain has four million and the British Empire ten million less than this country in Catholic population. Referring to this, the Christian Advocate of March 27 says:— In so far as these figures indicate the growth of a body aiming at political supremacy and the subordination of the state to the will of a church, we deprecate this multiplication of adherents. We have been accused of bigotry because of criticisms we have uttered against the politico-ecclesiastical machinery of Romanism. We shall probably be compelled to repeat many times what we now put down in all candor, namely, that we have no quarrel with the Roman Catholic Church as an institution seeking to redeem the lives of men and women from destruction by the offices of a religion which teaches the doctrines of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Our only contention is with that influential element in the Roman Catholic Church which is trying to make religion an agency by which political supremacy shall be secured, and which would use that supremacy, when obtained, as a means of substituting ecclesiastical control for civic and national authority.
In the Western Recorder of March 27, A. C. Dixon quotes Sir Beerbohm Tree as saying that the church and the stage have now come together and are on friendly terms. To this Dr. Dixon truly replies: “If so, it is not because the stage has been lifted to the level of the true church, but rather because the church has fallen to the level of the stage.” He then contrasts the difference between these two institutions as follows:— The difference between the church and the stage is an impassable gulf. The purpose of the stage is to teach people how to act a part; the purpose of the church of Christ is to teach them how to be real. The purpose of the stage is to amuse; the purpose of the church is to save. The symbol of the church of Christ is the cross; the symbol of the stage may well be the baby’s rattle. The purpose of the stage is to make money, and managers are not slow to do it, even at the expense of good morals; the purpose of the church of Christ is to make character, and good morals are not for sale at any price. The stage gives what the people want, and, sad to say, the worst plays often draw the biggest crowds; the purpose of the church of Christ is to give what people need, regardless of its popularity. The stage ministers to “the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, which is not of the Father;” the purpose of the church of Christ is to crucify these things. The stage is a caterer; the church of Christ is a prophet. The stage in its tragedies glorifies revenge; the church of Christ teaches forgiveness of enemies and the patient endurance of wrong. The tendency of the stage is to make people childish in their feverish desire for diversion; the work of the church is to make people childlike in their faith and love and simplicity of character. The tendency of the stage is to keep the race in its childhood of self-gratifying amusement; the work of the church is to lead the race into the manhood of self-sacrificing achievement. A Campaign Against Mormonism
AN active campaign has recently been inaugurated by the Chicago Journal against Mormonism. It calls the people not to a war on the church as such, but a war against a “cabal of treacherous and criminal bosses in politics.” Petitions have been prepared and circulated, addressed to the Attorney-General of the United States, the Postmaster-General, and to the President and members of the Senate at Washington. According to the Continent of April 3,—the Attorney-General is asked to prosecute the Mormon Church under the Sherman act for maintaining combinations in restraint of trade, chiefly in the13 beet-sugar industry. The Postmaster-General is desired to deny the privilege of the mails to the authorities of the Mormon Church because they continue defiantly to practise and teach the crime of polygamy. And finally, the United States Senate is petitioned to reopen the case for the unseating of Senator Smoot, the Mormon apostle, as the case against Senator Lorimer was reopened. IN its issue of March 22, the Standard declares, “The rush of modern conditions has made continuous seven-day toiling a necessity.” It quotes John Fitch as follows:— Sunday laws do not and can not deal adequately with the situation. Stop all trains, all street-cars, all heating and lighting plants, all delivery of milk, and all garbage removal, on Sundays, and the great cities will suffer as under a pestilence. Stop the blast-furnaces, smelters, and other industries which for technical reasons require continuous operation, and those industries will be paralyzed. From this the Standard argues:— A new type of law is needed, based on a new principle,—a law that will forbid an employer to work his men seven days a week, and yet permit an industry necessarily or desirably continuous to operate seven days a week. We believe, however, that a one-day-rest-in-seven law construed upon this liberal basis would be used in the end for the promotion and protection of the Sunday institution. The means for accomplishing religious legislation are many and varied, and are based many times upon apparently the most plausible reasons. It is well to regard with suspicion any law which takes from an individual the inherent right bestowed upon him by his Maker to use every hour of his time fully and freely as he shall elect. A DESPATCH from Belgrade, Servia, states that the Servian government, yielding to the advice of Russia, will withdraw all her troops now cooperating with the Montenegrins against Scutari. The Russian government has issued a long statement relative to its course in agreeing to the program of the other powers in reference to Albania. Russia considers that to allow Montenegro to take and hold Scutari would be a cause of continual irritation and always a menace to the peace of Europe. Montenegro has not desisted in her efforts to take Scutari, and the international blockade of the coast of Montenegro continues. All ships at the Montenegrin ports were given forty-eight hours to take their departure. Djavid Pasha, formerly the Turkish commander of Uskub, is reported to have captured the Albanian city of Avlona, imprisoned the members of the Albanian provisional committee, and hoisted the Turkish flag. The European powers agree to Bulgaria’s demands concerning the line to divide what is left of Turkey from the territory to the west. There still remain differences between the powers and the allies over the disposition of the Ægean islands. The allies wish to dispose of these according to their own plans, while the powers will not consent to such a program unless it shall be in harmony with their plans. They fear that the possession of some of these islands by one or more of the allies might give them control of the Dardanelles. The question of a war indemnity is to be reserved for settlement by a financial commission to meet in Paris. It is reported that in case the powers use force against Montenegro, the king of Montenegro will abdicate, remove his family to Servia, and that Montenegro and Servia will be united. Industrial Unrest
By C. M. S.
ONE of the most unique strikes in the history of the world is now in progress in Belgium. The strikers are demanding the right of the franchise for all men. “Manhood suffrage” is the slogan of the striking workmen. This particular strike is more political than industrial, and is a movement engineered by the socialists. It is a strike against the government. To most of the world it would not seem that the strikers are asking much, the right to vote on an equality with the more favored classes. But if strikes for political ends become the fashion throughout the world, it can readily be seen into what a dangerous and threatening condition the world will be plunged. If the socialists win this campaign in Belgium, it may logically be expected that their brethren throughout the world will be stimulated to use similar means to accomplish the purposes which they have in mind. The government of Belgium feels that it dare not put the franchise into the hands of 300,000 men oath-bound to revolutionize the instrumentalities of civilization. The strikers are sending their children out of the country, and many others are going away in order to be out of danger. The government is making no move to meet the demands of the strikers, but is posting the divisions of its army in the various industrial centers where trouble would be likely first to occur. While the strikers declare for a peaceable strike, it is expected that the strike will completely paralyze the industries of the nation. This strike puts a new complexion upon the struggle between organized government and the forces which are working to overthrow the present system. The first reports indicate that 200,000 workmen have joined the strike, and 100,000 more are expected to do so. In West Virginia conditions are still unsettled, practical war existing between laborer and capitalist. The threatened strike of telephone girls in Boston was only averted at the last moment by a compromise agreement. The strike of street-car operators in Buffalo, N. Y., has come to a close after riotous scenes, an almost general suspension of street-car traffic, and much bloodshed. About 400 cars have been more or less seriously damaged since the strike began, and the hospitals have had many patients to care for as a result of clashes between the strikers and the police and militia. At Auburn, N. Y., a situation has developed which is new in the history of these industrial conflicts. A branch of the International Harvester Company, a $150,000,000 concern, has been experiencing a strike for about one month. On April 5 this branch of the company warned its 700 employees that unless they returned to work within three days, the entire plant would be dismantled and shipped to Germany. The strikers ridiculed the idea, and the time was allowed to pass. The company has now begun to dismantle its plant. In view of the fact that many of the employees had erected homes which were only partially paid for, and depended for their occupation upon the company, its decision is arousing the most intense animosity. Public meetings of protest are being held, and legislation is demanded which will prevent, in future, the removal of such plants under such conditions. C. M. S. Recognition of China Delayed
THE great nations of the world have declined to act upon the suggestion of the United States government in reference to the recognition of China. Recognition by the United States will be withheld until after the Chinese assembly attains a complete organization. It is expected that a few of the nations will join with the United States in recognizing China at that time. Woman Suffrage in England
THE militant campaign in the interests of votes for women in England continues unabated. Mrs. Pankhurst, the head of the movement, has been released from jail on account of her physical condition due to her hunger strike, and an American suffragette who had been imprisoned in London for the same cause is also released for the same reason, and is now under the care of physicians. The reckless attempts to destroy property, and seemingly without regard to the danger to human life, continue. An empty car on a passenger-train was set on fire by a bomb, and destroyed, endangering the lives of all the passengers on the train. A close guard is being kept around Nottingham Palace and other public buildings. A can filled with gunpowder and connected with an electric fuse was found in front of the Bank of England. The can with its lighted fuse was thrown into a fountain. REPORTS from various places along the Mississippi River indicate that the greatest danger is passed, and that the levees in the main are holding the flood waters. A few breaks at unimportant places have somewhat relieved the strain upon the embankments at places where greater damage would have resulted. Conditions, while still grave, are more hopeful. At places farther down the Mississippi preparations are being made for a hard fight to hold the water within the embankments. Figures now published in reference to the sections devastated by the flood place the number of drowned at 500, the number of those rendered homeless at 100,000, and the financial loss at $250,000,000. A proposition is now before Congress to establish a permanent federal fund of $100,000,000 for relief and construction work in localities laid waste by fire, flood, earthquakes, and other catastrophes. Kalyan, India
By M. D. Wood
[In a communication written aboard ship just before reaching Calcutta, Brother M. D. Wood gave a very interesting account of their journey from College View, Nebr., out to their old mission field, India. This appeared in the Second Sabbath Readings for January, 1913. The following article continues their experience in locating near Bombay, in the vicinity of their old field of labor, and will be of interest to all the brethren and sisters in the home land.] THE brethren requested me at the Calcutta conference to come to Kalyan and look over the field thoroughly, and then tell them if I thought this would make a suitable place for a permanent mission station among the Marathi-speaking people. Consequently I came to Kalyan December 1. I left Mrs. Wood and the two children with some of our old Methodist friends, of whom many, I am glad to say, are still very kind to us. When I came to Kalyan the only stopping-place I could possibly find was the government bungalow. I obtained permission to stop in this bungalow erected for the convenience of government officials when on tour through the district. I had to pay one rupee a day for this home. The house contains a few chairs, tables, and two couches on which one may repose at night. I had to retire with the chickens. I had no lamp with me, and the servant could not furnish one; so I got my bed ready before dark and retired early. During the day I would spend all my time inspecting the town and its surroundings, on foot. A few days later Pastor Geo. F. Enoch came to Kalyan, and together we hired a tonga, a two-wheeled pony-cart, and we drove all about the place together in search of a house in which to live. When we had failed completely, we decided to call upon a Parsee gentleman, on the very outskirts of town. This man had a large house, something after the style and construction of a two-and-one-half-story house in the United States. He was very kind to us indeed, but said he did not really want to rent his house, as he and his family lived in it. He wanted an exorbitant rent, but after a few kind words he consented to move out in a few days, and let us have the house for any length of time at the rate of fifty rupees a month. The house has four rooms and two bath-rooms on the first floor, five rooms and two bath-rooms on the second floor, and a large finished attic on the third floor. In the compound is a large well, about twenty feet in diameter. The compound contains various kinds of roses that are watered from the large well, and are continually in bloom. In fact, the landlord cuts at present about one thousand roses a day for the Bombay market. These roses are not cut with long stems, as in America, but are nipped just back of the blossom, and are sold for offerings to the idols of Bombay. The upper-caste Hindus usually purchase them. There is also a large banana orchard in the compound. December 10 Mrs. Wood and the children joined me, and thus we began our life at Kalyan. The Parsee lent us a few chairs and a table, lamp, etc. Igatpuri friends sent us a few pieces of furniture also. We found our small oil-stove we brought with us a great help. The first month we spent practically all our time tramping the fields to select a suitable building site. But Kalyan has two rivers running through it, and the most of it is on low land. The salt water from Bombay backs up with the tide and the water is not good; in fact, the people are afflicted with guinea-worms and ringworms from the use of foul water. For health’s sake we sought high ground. This station is at the junction of two important railroads, and within a year several hundred Europeans will be settled here. Hence the price of land is enormous near the town. After we had become almost discouraged, we took a walk out on a road. We saw just at sunset a most beautiful spot up on a hill, away from all the dust and smoke of the town. We climbed this elevation, and got one of the most beautiful views of palms, green groves, and silvery streams we had ever seen. Back of it all are high mountains, with broken peaks of rock, and mother earth dotted with large green trees. We said “Sunset Ghat,”—ghat means hill, —and the die was cast. In a day or two we brought the Hindu magistrate up with us, and he immediately said, “Mr. Wood, we will call this spot No. 1.” Not long after this the West India Committee, with Prof. H. R. Salisbury and Pastor J. L. Shaw, met at Kalyan, and then we all visited Sunset Ghat together, and all pronounced it a most beautiful spot indeed. So we thanked God that our prayers had been answered, and that he had directed us to select this place. The owners were two elderly Hindu farmers. They seemed quite willing to sell. In town no land can be purchased for less than one thousand rupees an acre. This land we got for two hundred rupees an acre. An engineer in Bombay has drawn up plans for a mission bungalow to be erected on this spot. A Bombay contractor is to have the job. The well, which is an absolute necessity, has been started, and we hope to find water soon. In a few days ground will probably be broken for the foundation of the new structure. The house is to be made of local dark-gray stone. The roof will be of red tiles. The bungalow will contain a large front veranda, two offices, three bedrooms, two bath-rooms, a sitting-room, dining-room, and store-room. The outbuilding will consist of kitchen, wood-room, cook’s house, and storeroom. The house will face the north and afford continual shade on the front veranda,—a thing to be greatly appreciated in this hot and sultry climate. Another pleasing feature is that the sea breeze often blows over Sunset Ghat. A very interesting point is the fact that on all sides from the top of Sunset Ghat may be seen the thatched brown roofs of the homes of the people in many little villages. We are as a city on a hill. The people are all about us. O, what an opportunity! The population of Kalyan is twelve thousand. Here, within one hour’s ride of the large city of Bombay, lies not only the town of Kalyan, but many towns and hundreds of villages, where the gospel herald has never gone, where the people are ignorant, without clothing and without the knowledge of the Christ we love. You may ask what we are doing for these people. First, we have established a medical dispensary, where we reach at present about five hundred persons a month. We have a school for boys and a school for girls at Kalyan. Here the Bible is read, Christian songs sung, and prayer to God in the name of Jesus Christ is offered. We also have a school for low-caste children not far from the railroad station. We are just about to open another school for children in a near-by village. We had tried to enter two villages, but Hindu influence closed the doors. However, all these villages and towns are open to the preaching of the gospel, and we hope after a while to plant the gospel standard in every one of them. The darkness of heathenism all about us is like that of Egypt,—it may be felt. Please, my good brethren at home, pray much for us here in the darkness. We have also established three Sabbath-schools for these people, and already some of these heathen children bring little offerings of grain and pice [money] for the Lord. It would do your hearts good to hear them repeat the ten commandments, the twenty-third psalm, the Lord’s prayer, and other portions of the Word of God. Yes, the seed of truth is being sown and God will water it and give the increase, I am sure. The people here are composed of three classes: the Hindus, the Mohammedans, and the Parsees. The Parsees have been15 exceedingly kind to us ever since we came to Kalyan. The Mohammedans also have been very friendly, and many of the Hindus as well. The Mohammedans have many large and small masjids, or mosques. The Hindus also have a number of idol temples. But there is as yet no house of worship erected to the true God. At present we meet for our weekly prayer-meeting every Wednesday at 5 P. M. at the schoolhouse, and at 5 P. M. Sabbath afternoons for preaching service at the mission home. All our workers are with us, carefully studying the message of present truth. Since I began this letter one of our schoolmasters has called to say that he has a house for himself and a school in a near-by village. It is a rather difficult task for the missionary to get into close contact with the villagers; but when we have a village school the missionary may daily go there to inspect and say a few words, and thus he gradually gets the confidence of the people, and they are not so shy of him. Here is where the medical missionary may also perform an important service for the Master and for the people. At present Mr. and Mrs. Kelsey are with us at Kalyan. Besides our family there is only one European family in town. How do you think you should feel to be thus cut off from all your accustomed surroundings or associates? Well, it’s a blessing in itself. Here one proves the power of prayer as he does not at home; here one learns to rely upon God alone, and not to lean upon the arm of flesh. The one who said, “Go ye into all the world,” is the one who also said, “And, lo, I am with you alway.” We daily find it so, thank God!