“They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.” Jer. 6:14. Here we have brought to our notice a false healing, a healing that promises a harvest of health without the sowing of obedience; a kind of teaching that says to a man who is suffering with dyspepsia or stomach trouble, “Your disease is the work of the devil. You are under the power of the evil one. Just break away. Assert your liberty, and you are well.”
The cause of disease may have had its origin with the evil one; but the disease itself is an effort of our loving Father to save from the direful results of the transgression. In the language of affliction, God is speaking to man, asking him to correct his wrong habits of eating and living, pleading with him: “Oh, do not this abominable thing that I hate.” Jer. 44:4. Is it right to pray God to heal such a man?—Certainly. But let the prayers ask for the healing of the CAUSE as well as the effect of his transgression; for God can not oppose himself to remove the effects while the transgressor knowingly permits the causes to remain.
The will power of many is weak, and this is why they are so easily led to transgress the laws of health, and spend their money for that which is not bread. Thousands will never recover unless their weak wills are strengthened by the power of God to resist temptation and live above transgression. We can not expect to begin to reap life while we are yet sowing to the flesh. False shepherds may say, “Peace, peace,” and assure us that we have been healed if we only believe it, notwithstanding the cause of the disease has not been removed. Nevertheless, the Lord has said that such a course heals “the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly.” The thing is not permanent. It is not true healing. In the following verse the Lord more fully describes those who have sought healing without repentance and obedience, saying: “Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore they shall fall among them that fall: at the time that I visit them they shall be cast down, saith the Lord.” Jer. 6:15.
Here is a class who claim to be healed, and yet they are not ashamed of (have not forsaken) their abominations. They go right on in the same careless and unhealthful way. They do not even blush when their transgressions are pointed out, and yet they may not only claim to be healed themselves, but may even profess to be special channels of divine healing in the earth. The Lord says of all such: “Therefore they shall fall among them that fall: at the time that I visit them they shall be cast down.” This kind of so-called divine healing is a delusion and a snare. It is a masterpiece of the devil’s deception, and the Lord says that those who depend upon it shall fall among them that fall. Although apparent temporary improvement may be experienced, yet they will in no wise be exempt from the overflowing scourge when “a thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand.”
SATANIC MIRACLES
It is possible to go into some religious gatherings at the present time, and present the most searching and soul-stirring truths without arousing any considerable interest or enthusiasm on the part of the audience. But let some one get up and begin to talk in a fluent manner about divine healing; let him tell of some supposed miracle of physical healing; and almost the entire congregation will at once seem thoroughly aroused. Christ almost invariably admonished those upon whom He had wrought a miracle, to remain silent concerning the wonderful thing that He had done for them. In contrast with, and contrary to, this, it seems to be the studied purpose of Satan to advertise as widely as possible, and give the greatest possible prominence to, the signs and wonders and apparent miracles that he works through his agents upon the earth.
Satan does not have the power really to heal; for healing is a manifestation of creative power; it is the giving of life, and this the devil is unable to do. True, our adversary has power to influence the human imagination and take advantage of those who are weak in will power; and at any time when it will better serve his satanic purpose, he willingly relinquishes his control over the subjects whom he has bound with the fetters of depression, doubt, and despair. It is in this way that Satan performs what appears to be great and marvelous miracles of restoration and physical healing.
HYPNOTISM
The human mind was intended by the Creator to be a counterpart of the divine mind; to be so yielded to God that all its activities should simply be expressions of divine thoughts. But the human mind may be yielded to the satanic mind, or to another human mind, just as truly as it may be yielded to God. And in yielding the mind to another human mind, the same principles apply as when it is yielded to God. There is this difference: when the mind is subject to God, the reflex influence results in a great blessing to the individual; but when the mind is subjected to another, it results in a curse.
The one heritage that has come down to us through all the ages, is the power of choice. A person can not be hypnotized without his consent. As we yield our minds more and more to God, He has a greater and greater opportunity to influence us for right. The more frequently a patient is hypnotized by a physician, the easier the process becomes, until some persons can be hypnotized when they are scarcely aware of it. The success of Paul’s ministry was that he forgot those things which were behind; he pressed toward the mark; he concentrated his whole attention upon the great object of his life, and so none of these things moved him. In other words, neither favorable nor unfavorable surroundings could distract him. His mind was fully yielded to God. The perversion of this great experience is hypnotism.
In order to be hypnotized, the patient must have his mind concentrated upon some person or thing so intently that all else is lost sight of. It may be nothing but a bright object, upon which the eyes are so intently fixed that in a few minutes the patient closes them, and perhaps becomes more or less unconscious. In this condition, he can be made to do anything that he is asked to do. Only from five to ten per cent of people can be successfully hypnotized. When a person is in the hypnotic state, ideas can be put into his mind which remain with remarkable persistency after he comes out of that condition. Imaginary ills may be dispelled, and at such a time it is also very easy to instill into the mind a suggestion to commit some wrong act.
So while hypnotism is based upon a scientific principle, yet that principle perverted, that principle in the hands of wicked men, becomes of great service to the enemy of souls. A razor may be a useful instrument, but in the hands of a child it is only destructive. There is no doubt that hypnotism is a razor which the devil is using to cut the moral throats of many. For the Christian, the greatest lesson there is in the subject of hypnotism is this: If the human mind can be so thoroughly surrendered to another, how much more can it be surrendered to the Great Master Mind! so that such can truly say: “It is not I that work, but the Father that worketh in me.” The day is not far distant when every person will have yielded his mind to be controlled either by satanic agencies or by the Spirit of God. Thus there will be a sharp line drawn between those whose minds are yielded to Satan and those whose minds are yielded to God.
MIND CURE
The influence of the mind over the body is great. There is not a function of the body that can not be more or less influenced by intently fixing the mind upon it for a time. If the arm is put into a delicate instrument that exactly measures its size, and the mind is fixed intently upon that arm, it will increase slightly in size, showing that the blood vessels have enlarged. A few years ago in France, the sign of a cross was drawn with a crayon on the arm of a very superstitious girl, and she was told that within a week there would be a real cross there. She looked for it, studied over it, thought upon it constantly every waking moment; and when the crayon marks were washed off a week later, there was a dark discoloration of the skin, a distension of the blood vessels, in just the shape of a cross. This illustrates the remarkable extent to which it is possible for the mind to influence the body.
A large amount of sickness has about it much that is imaginary; so we need not be surprised at the fact that disease is greatly influenced by the condition of the patient’s mind. There are thousands of persons who have been sick, and who, although they have recovered, are not conscious of it. Their minds still hold them down, and any one who will break the spell will naturally get the credit for having performed a great miracle of healing. When it can serve the devil’s purpose, he may break this spell just as easily as could one of God’s agents.
Some persons who have good stomachs, constantly imagine they are suffering with some disorder, and by fixing their minds upon it, are constantly cultivating that idea. They are finally rewarded by actually securing a disordered digestion, and no amount of proper diet can ever cure them until the stomach disorder in the mind is removed.
An influence that has such a potent power for evil can also be used for good; and every Christian worker should avail himself of it. But he must do so in the right way. The physician who attracts a patient to himself, and builds up confidence in his supposedly marvelous powers, can accomplish something by so doing; but if, instead of this, he should fasten the patient’s mind upon the living Christ, wed his confidence to life-giving principles, then the patient would have something to sustain him all the time, not simply when the doctor is in the room.
The essence of true mind cure is, in the Spirit of Christ, first, to fix the will on the right side; second, to encourage cheerfulness of mind, which has a reflex influence for good over the whole body; third, there is healing in doing good. As we deal our bread to the hungry; as we bring to our houses those who are cast out, etc., God has promised that our health shall spring forth speedily. The class of persons who are able to go out and do this kind of work, but neglect to do it, staying at home and pining over their supposed difficulties, are the ones who would reap a great harvest of health if they would only carry out the instruction found in Isaiah 58. Of all213mental influences, the most efficient and the only true one is the heavenly influence of the Spirit of God upon the mind that is perfectly yielded to Him. The devil may imitate the first two principles in mind cure: he may influence the will, and, to a certain extent, may be able to impart cheerfulness; but he is not likely to inspire any one to go about doing good, and he certainly can not fill the soul with the sweet influence of the Spirit of God.
CONTRITION
By C. H. Keslake
C. H. KESLAKE
(New Brunswick, N. J.)
THREE most precious assurances are given us in God's word for the encouragement of those who are filled with contrition. Through Isaiah the Lord says: “For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.” Isa. 57: 15.
Through the psalmist the Lord also says: “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.” “The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.” Ps. 51: 17; 34: 18.
Taken separately, either one of these contains joy enough to last the believer through all eternity; but, taken together, they express the very fullness of the gospel, which is not exceeded in any other three texts of the whole Bible. “Line upon line, line upon line,” the Lord seeks to impress upon our hearts the blessedness of His love and the completeness of His salvation.
Bearing in mind that repentance for sin is a gift from God (Acts 5: 31),—an absolute necessity to genuine contrition,—in the texts referred to we can see why it is that God grants repentance to us. Notwithstanding our sins and waywardness, the great heart of Infinite Love yearns toward us, for He can not do without us. There are other beings, unfallen, pure, and holy, whom God loves very dearly, but He is not content to love them and to receive in turn their love; He wants us! He will not be satisfied until He can dwell with us. “Hearts that have been the battle ground of the conflict with Satan, and that have been rescued by the power of love, are more precious to the Redeemer than are those who have never fallen.” There is no abode so precious to Him as the heart of the contrite soul. “If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.”
We lose much by undertaking to define the terms that God uses, or by being content with only a surface understanding of them, even if such understanding may so far be correct. Great errors have crept into the Church by her refusal to let God define His own terms. Who can measure the harm that has been wrought by that colossal error popularly known as the “return of the Jews”? And this because God's own definition of what an Israelite is, is not accepted.
In reading the scriptures under consideration, one is apt to lose the very marrow of the texts by being satisfied with the common understanding of the word “contrite.” Let us try to get God's thought contained in this word. If we look in the dictionary, we shall find that one of the definitions given of this word is, “A rubbing to powder.” It is also said to mean “bruised, crushed.” These definitions put us on the track of a fuller understanding of the word as found in the Bible.
In Ps. 90: 3 we read: “Thou turnest man to destruction; and sayest, Return, ye children of men.” The marginal rendering in the Revised Version reads: “Thou turnest man to dust.” But in Leeser's Hebrew translation, we read it thus: “Thou turnest man to contrition.” Each of these renderings is correct, and the original word is precisely the same as that rendered “contrite” in the texts first quoted.
Frequently the ninetieth Psalm is made to do duty on funeral occasions. This is largely because of what is said in verse 3, which is supposed to refer to the time when a person dies. It is true, of course, that the body after death returns to dust, but that was not what God had in mind primarily when He spoke these words. He had in mind death to sin by sincere repentance and godly sorrow. Let it be remembered, however, that the idea as to physical death is not to be eliminated, but only to be regarded in a secondary sense. Had God meant only the return of the body to the original element whence it was taken, doubtless He would have used the same word that is found in Gen. 3: 19: “Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.” But God in His wisdom used a word which meant a great deal more than that.
“The wages of sin is death.” That penalty has never been removed from the sons of Adam; and inasmuch as all have sinned, all must return to dust. This is as true of the saint as of the sinner; of those who shall be saved eternally as of those who shall be lost eternally, and it is as true of the saint who shall be translated without seeing death as of those who sleep in Jesus.
How this can be is revealed in the texts under consideration. God gives us repentance for sin by causing His goodness to pass before us. Rom. 2: 4; Ex. 33: 19. This is accomplished through the cross of Christ. The love of God revealed thus makes us heartily sorry for our sins, and we are filled with contrition. When we are in this state of mind and heart, we are turned to “dust,” “crushed” to “powder;” for, as we have seen, that is the meaning of the word “destruction” in Ps. 90: 3. We are, then, in God's sight just where man was when he was created originally from the dust of the ground. And that being so, God can do His work of creation over again, and thus make us new creatures. “If any man is in Christ, there is a new creation.” 2 Cor. 5: 17, R. V.
Contrition involves the surrender of the will. The one in that condition is just as passive in God's hand as if he were simply unorganized dust of the ground, as in the beginning.
All this is made possible for the sinner, because Christ has for him passed through this contrition; and it is all expressed in Isaiah 53, particularly in verses 7 and 10. This will be understood perfectly when it is remembered that the word “bruised” in the two texts just referred to is from the same word that is rendered “contrite.” And so we read again, in Leeser's translation: “But the Lord was pleased to crush [to powder or dust] Him through disease.” But Christ could bear our diseases only as He bore our sins.
As the mind contemplates the thought that Christ throughout His life was being “crushed to powder,” it stands subdued, and the heart becomes filled with love and emotion when it is remembered that such a sacrifice was made in the sinner's behalf; and from that sacred, holy “dust” there springs forth the new creation, which shall cause the great heart of infinite Love to swell with joy and singing, and which shall be a suitable habitation for the high and lofty One.
“O the depths of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out!”
— Priscilla Leonard, in the Churchman
By Priscilla Leonard
Sixty questions make an hour,
One for every minute;
And Neddy tries, with all his might,
To get more questions in it.
Sixty questions make an hour,
And as for a reply,
The wisest sage would stand aghast
At Neddy’s searching “Why?”
Sixty questions make an hour,
And childhood’s hours are brief,
So Neddy has no time to waste,
Nor pauses for relief.
Sixty questions make an hour,
Presto! why, where’s Ned?
Alas! he’s gone, and in his place
A question point instead!
— Priscilla Leonard, in the Churchman
HAVE YE RECEIVED THE HOLY GHOST?
By L. E. Sufficool
L. E. SUFFICOOL
(Merrill, Wis.)
“Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” The influence of the life of Christ is in itself magnetic. For one to live with Jesus and not experience a change of heart is impossible. Connect a piece of steel with a magnet. The very moment they are connected, the steel partakes of the nature of the magnet, and at once begins to attract other bodies. This power is not its own; it simply comes as a result of the connection with the magnet. When once this connection is broken, the steel returns to its former inactive state.
The usefulness of man is dependent on his connection with Christ, the great magnet. Educational attainments, human ability, and man's capability can not save the soul. When the human soul is connected with Christ, the life partakes of the divine nature. It is just as impossible for man, when united with Christ, not to partake of the divine nature, as for the steel to connect with the magnet and not be magnetized.
When connected with Christ, the life becomes a power to draw souls to Him; when separate, the life is a power to drive souls to destruction. Steel may be manufactured into a sledge hammer, then used to do an effectual work. Each blow leaves its impress on the recipient as it is driven downward into the ground. So it is with the human soul. If the life is not in that living connection with Christ, if the soul does not reflect the character of Christ, its work consists in driving souls to the acceptance of theory. Theory can never save the soul. It may be based on the word of God, yet if it lacks the power of salvation, it falls short of the gospel; for “the gospel . . . is the power of God unto salvation.” Not until Christ is accepted into the life, can any soul keep the commandments. Anything outside of this is justification by works.
The sad feature of the work of this life separated from Christ, is that in consequence of its manner of labor it is ruinous to the soul as well as to the Church. Like the dead sledge, it works by the pounding process, every blow leaving a mark on the character, and driving the soul downward, into the earth. This manner of labor, instead of drawing the soul heavenward, will drive it away from the Church into the world of sin. It is a sad fact that many of our youth have been driven away from our churches by this harsh, unloving spirit. The Church is dying for love. The home needs it; and sinners are dying in their sins for want of it.
The Spirit of God says, “Come.” Rev. 22: 17. Workers in the Lord's harvest field, have you received this spirit of “Come”? Parents, does this spirit, made manifest in your home and in the world, say, Come? Churches, does your influence in a lost, perishing world say, Come?
“Have ye received the Holy Ghost?”
Exact Obedience Required
“ ‘If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: but if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword.’ These words are true. Exact obedience is required, and those who say that it is not possible to live a perfect life throw upon God the imputation of injustice and untruth.”
The Power of Little Things
“A LITTLE bit of patience often makes the sunshine come,
And a little bit of love makes a very happy home;
A little bit of hope make a rainy day look gay,
A little bit of charity makes glad a weary way.”
WASH DAY
By Mrs. S. N. Haskell
MRS. S. N. HASKELL
THE very name brings to mind a scene of busy activity, and too often of confusion and impatience.
In the hurry and bustle, morning worship is often neglected, or perhaps the mother is absent, attending to the washing. The peace and quiet of the home seem to be invaded by an enemy. Too often, after the work is finished, the good housewife is so weary that, as she expresses it, she “can not help being fretful and impatient.” All the family draw a sigh of relief when “wash day” is over.
My dear sisters, did you ever, as you stood over your washing, hear the Saviour saying to you, “Lo, I am with you ALWAY, even unto the end of the world”? He meant it when He said that He is always with you. “Always” includes the time spent at the washtub. In His word He has linked precious lessons with the commonplace work of washing clothes, in order that, as you do the work, you may think of the lesson.
God himself at Sinai gave the command, “Let them wash their clothes.” Ex. 19:10. Don’t you think He was interested in that “wash day,” when all Israel were washing their clothes, that they might be prepared to meet Him? Is it not just as pleasing to-day to God for you to wash your clothes that you may be clean before Him?
As you gather your clothes, and prepare for the washing, hear the Lord speaking to you, “Let them wash their clothes.” Do the work in obedience to His command, and you will find that love will lighten the labor.
Anciently, when the Levites were consecrated for service in the priest’s office, among other things the Lord said: “Let them wash their clothes, and so make themselves clean.” Num. 8:7. Why not look upon your regular washing as a weekly re-consecration to the office of the “royal priesthood,” to which God has called you? 1 Peter 2:9. This work is necessary in order to keep your households in a condition pleasing to God. Consider you are serving and obeying God just as much at your washtub as in going to service on the Sabbath day. The command, “Be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the Lord,” includes outward cleanliness as well as inward.
There are many verses in the Bible that speak of washing, connecting it with spiritual truth. If these verses were committed to memory and kept for wash-day meditation, you would find that, like Cleopas and his companion, you could say, at the close of the day, “Did not our heart burn within us, while He talked with us by the way, and while He opened to us the Scripture?” Jesus would manifest Himself to you as you wash your clothes. I remember one sister, a Mary by character, who sat at the Saviour’s feet. She would take a text and keep it in mind while washing, and would often tell of the precious light she received from it.
As we wash the clothes, let us hear the Saviour saying to us, “Wash thine heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved.” Jer. 4:14. If the dirt is obstinate and hard to remove, remember the Lord compares it to vain thoughts, which have lodged long in our hearts, although He longs to wash them away. He says to us, “Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil.” How well the linen of our households represents ourselves! We place it on the shelf, clean and white; but it is soon soiled. So we come to the Lord, and though our “sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” Alas! how soon the purity is marred, and we need to return again to the Master to be cleansed!
God has compared the cleansing of sins to the removing of dirt from our garments, so that washing our clothes would keep before our minds our own degraded condition if we were not washed and kept by His cleansing power.
As the work begins each wash-day morning, remember that God gave the command, “Let them wash their clothes.” When you find a garment that washes easy, let a prayer ascend that you may be like it in the Lord’s hands. If a garment is hard to wash, and you spend much work upon it, pray that you may not cling to evil and keep vain thoughts, and thus frustrate the Lord’s work.
Let the constant prayer of your heart be, “Wash ME throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. . . . Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash ME; and I shall be whiter than snow.”
(To be concluded:)
EXTRACTS FROM CORRESPONDENCE
I HAVE been canvassing for “Christ’s Object Lessons,” and for “Best Stories,” and God has blessed my efforts. I sold eleven copies of the first book, and eight of the latter. I expect to canvass again soon.
Here is a sister who has been canvassing for “Christ’s Object Lessons.” She had taken one order, when she had to stop on account of sickness in her family. She is not discouraged, however, but says:—
I am sorry I was so hindered, but if you will send me a book to fill my one order, I will continue to try. I take the papers and tracts with me to give to those who I think will read.
I have a little boy three years old in April. I have been taking him and his sister to prayers every noon, and now every time he hears the mill whistle blow at twelve o’clock, he says: “Mother, let us have prayers.” It does not matter where we are, he remembers it just the same. One day in church he heard the whistle blow, and said, out loud, “Let us have prayer.” I had to say, “All right,” before he would be still. It is strange that he can think of prayer, when older ones forget it.
“A little child shall lead them.”
There are many ways in which we can be helpful to one another, and thus help along in the home life and in the cause of God. I am glad of the Woman’s page in our good church paper. The time is near at hand for the collection for the Haskell Orphans’ Home, in April. I wish to tell you what we three are doing to earn something to help this worthy cause. It may suggest a thought to others, which they, too, will be glad to improve. Sister —— makes holders and sometimes aprons to sell. I make corn or graham bread. I then write a note explaining the object for which we are working, and my little daughter goes from house to house selling the bread and aprons or holders. We, too, do some of the selling. It is a blessing to us, and is a good way of earning money with which to help care for our children in the home. We live in a small village, and have an almost helpless invalid to care for. For the October collection, those who have the apples, and can make nice jelly, will find it a good plan to make crab-apple jelly, which, put up in glasses, which can be bought very cheap, will sell readily. We have also tapped our few maple trees, and sold the syrup, and we had a perfectly miraculous yield. I feel sure there will come to the mind of many of the dear sisters some thoughts as to what they can do, and I am sure the Lord will bless them in their work.
BEAN OR PEA GRAVY
1 pint broth.
½ cup cream.
2 tablespoonfuls browned flour.
Salt to taste.
One-half cup of sifted beans or peas, added to one pint of water, may be used instead of broth. A little cream or milk will add to the flavor, but it can be made without either.
REQUESTS FOR PRAYER
“BOTH my parents, two sisters, my father-in-law, and one sister-in-law, are not in the truth, and I ask an interest in the noontide hour of prayer for them.”
“I ask you to remember my father in prayer. He makes no profession, but he says the seventh day is the Sabbath, and always has been. I also ask prayer for my sister, whom I long to see come into the truth.”
A young woman in poor health, who is making an effort to get an education that her usefulness in the Lord’s work may be increased, requests prayer that she may persevere in spite of the many hindrances she has to meet.
“I request prayer for my husband, who is eighty-two years old, and is not a Christian. He has a great many doubts, and I long to see him free in Christ. Pray also for our two daughters and our son, and their families.”
Remember in prayer a sister whose husband drinks, uses tobacco, and manifests no interest in spiritual things. He ordered the REVIEW AND HERALD stopped which was coming to his wife; and she writes that she has not seen but one paper since July. Pray that his heart may be touched, and that this sister may have strength to stand true to principle, and may win her husband to the Lord.
“Will the dear sisters kindly remember to pray with me that my husband and three sons may put away the pleasures of this world, and accept the glorious truth? Please pray that my husband may be led to live the truth before his boys, who kept the Sabbath when they were young, but, through the influence of their father, have been led to give it up. I am very anxious about my boys. They have never fallen into bad habits, and I did the best I knew by them when they were young.”
NOTICE!
By Editor
We request all our sisters to sign their names very plainly when writing to us. We have had considerable trouble in making out some of the signatures, and if we make a mistake, you may not receive our answer. So please be very careful to write your name distinctly.
Homes Wanted for Two Babies
HOME WANTED.— For a baby boy, four months old, with blue eyes, light hair. He is strong and healthy, but the mother is in poor health. Also for a baby girl, two months old; has light hair and blue eyes, and is strong, bright, and good natured.
THE FIELD IS THE WORLD
By Estella Houser
ESTELLA HOUSER
In no mistaken terms the Saviour has repeatedly stated that “the field is the world.” “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” “Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you; and ye shall be witnesses unto me . . . unto the uttermost part of the earth.” “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations.” “And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people. . . . And there followed another angel. . . . And the third angel followed them.”
The same message comes to us through the Testimonies of God’s Spirit: “We have a work to do which but few realize. It is to carry the truth to all nations. There is a broad field for laborers in foreign lands as well as in America.” “Missionaries are needed to go to other nations, to preach the truth.” “The gospel is to be preached to all nations. The Bible is to be opened to the people. A knowledge of God is the highest education, and it will cover the earth with its wonderful truth as the waters cover the sea.” “Our world is a field of missionary toil.” “Those who enter the work later to find things ready to their hand should at least attempt to pay the debt they owe the Lord, and the workers who went before them, by carrying the truth into new territories, until it has gone to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people.” “The work all over the world is to receive consideration. New fields are to be entered.” “The Third Angel’s Message is to go to all parts of the world.”
Surely, our work will not be completed until we have fulfilled our Saviour’s last commission to the letter. Not until then will the end come. What has been accomplished gives courage. The very fact that the Christian Church everywhere is becoming aroused, is increasing her force of laborers, and laying broader and more comprehensive plans to prosecute her work in foreign lands, is evidence that the Lord is going before us and gathering out a people to whom the closing message will be due. With few exceptions, every country has been entered by the gospel.
The Third Angel’s Message has made some progress during the last twenty-five years. A review of the field shows a large number of countries entered. Without considering the vastness of these countries and the meagerness of our efforts, we are almost led to conclude that already we have encircled the globe. But some of the most extensive fields have only one or two mission stations at the most; while many are yet to be entered, and our work in every place needs re-enforcements. For more than a year we have been studying the field. The progress, the difficulties, and the needs have each been considered. Many times our hearts have been drawn out to exclaim, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?
We have now reached a crisis in our work. Laborers—the best that can be supplied—are needed in almost every field. Those who have studied the past year will readily call to mind the need of a superintendent for Japan, one for India, and one for the Mediterranean field. They will remember Elder Munson’s plea for two teachers in Sumatra, and Elder Mead’s urgent call for at least two families to join the force in Matabeleland. They will also recall the need on the west coast of Africa, where the few native Sabbath-keepers have been left for more than three years without help, Elder D. C. Babcock’s appeal for British Guiana, and the dearth of laborers in Argentine. These fields ought to be supplied at once, besides others that might be materially strengthened if help could be provided. We have said nothing of the fields unentered, for it seems necessary that the work already begun be first strengthened.”
What can we do?—With the needs before us, we can seek the Lord earnestly during the General Conference, that He may lead in the deliberations, and that He may especially direct in its relation to the foreign work and in the selection of laborers. We have thought to devote our second Sabbath service of April 13 to prayer for the General Conference, and especially for the selection of workers for these needy fields. Among the very few instances where the Saviour told His disciples definitely for what they should pray, we find Him telling them, in view of the plenteous harvest and the dearth of laborers, to pray the Lord of the harvest that He will send forth laborers into His harvest.
Thus He placed within our reach the power that will secure the necessary re-enforcements to carry forward His work. From the beginning, the progress of the gospel has been marked by prayer. All the possibilities of the Church are hidden there. It is the key that will unlock the storehouse of heaven. It had a prominent place in the early Church. Pentecost was ushered in by prayer. Workers were appointed only after prayer. When they were sent forth, the Church assembled for special prayer. The first work among the Gentiles was inaugurated by prayer. If persecution came, the Christians met to pray. The more carefully we study the subject, the more apparent it becomes that what was accomplished in the apostles’ day was largely due to the fact that they knew and employed the omnipotent power of prayer.
If we are to continue the work begun by the disciples, how necessary that our every effort be permeated with prayer! A larger, deeper, wider spirit of prayer should be cultivated among us. This alone will give impetus to the work which is to culminate in the closing up of earth’s history. “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He would send forth laborers into His harvest.”
APRIL STUDY OF THE FIELD
Articles for Study in the April Missionary Magazine: The Gospel in the Malay Archipelago; The Religions of India; In the Zenanas.
(April 7-13)
THE GOSPEL IN THE MALAY ARCHIPELAGO
1. How is Java divided? Where was the first missionary work undertaken? By what society?
2. Mention other societies that have labored in West Java. With what results? What led to the organization of the School with the Bible?
3. Tell something of the work of the Association for Encouraging Malay Christian Literature. Of the Missionary Training-school.
4. What tends to limit the success of evangelistic work in Middle Java? What can you say of the railway service and of the charitable institutions in this part of the island?
5. When and by whom was missionary work first undertaken? With what results? Mention later missionary societies, and tell something of their work.
THE RELIGIONS OF INDIA
6. What per cent of the inhabitants of India are Hindus? How has Hinduism affected India?
7. At one time what rival system seriously threatened Hinduism? What is the central thought of the Hindu religion? In what does it differ from Catholicism?
8. What is Hinduism? How did it originate? Mention one of its strongest elements.
9. Describe briefly the ancestor worship. Aside from this, what is the strength of Hinduism?
10. Describe the caste system and its hold upon the people of India. What effect has it had upon the Indian women?
11. What can you say of Mohammedanism in India? In a few words, sum up the religions of India.
IN THE ZENANAS
12. What condition of women in India makes them welcome the Christian worker?
13. Describe the state of the girls and women. What is the position of the wife?
14. How must she act when her husband’s name is mentioned, or when in his presence? How do the women look upon their condition?
15. What class suffer even more than the Hindu wife?
16. How many widows are there in India? How many child-widows? What per cent of these are under five years of age?
17. Describe the life of the widow. What alone will bring relief?
SUPPLEMENTARY QUESTIONS.
18. How many churches have we in Jamaica? Describe the last dedicatory service. Tell something of those who first accepted the truth in this company.
19. What items of progress are reported from Tonga?