p. 15 | Signs of the Times, Vol. 30, No. 1. (1/6/1904)

SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS

LESSON 3.—JANUARY 17.—BAPTISM AND TEMPTATION OF JESUS.

Lesson Scripture, Matt. 3:13 to 4:11, A. R. V.

(13) "THEN cometh Jesus from Galilee to the Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. (14) But John would have hindered Him, saying, I have need to be baptized of Thee, and comest Thou to me? (15) But Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then He suffereth him. (16) And Jesus, when He was baptized, went up straightaway from the water: and lo, the heavens were opened unto Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming upon Him: (17) and lo, a Voice out of the heavens, saying, This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. (4:1) "Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. (2) And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He afterward hungered. (3) And the tempter came and said unto Him, If Thou art the Son of God, command that these stones become bread. (4) But He answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. (5) Then the devil taketh Him into the holy city; and he setteth Him on the pinnacle of the temple, (6) and saith unto Him, If Thou art the Son of God, cast Thyself down: for it is written, He shall give His angels charge concerning Thee: and on their hands they shall bear Thee up, lest haply Thou dash Thy foot against a stone. (7) Jesus said unto him, Again it is written, Thou shalt not make trial of the Lord thy God. (8) Again, the devil taketh Him unto an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth Him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; (9) and he said unto Him, All these things will I give Thee, if Thou wilt fall down and worship me. (10) Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve. (11) Then the devil leaveth Him; and behold, angels came and ministered unto Him."

Golden Text.—"And lo, a Voice out of the heavens, saying, This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." Matt. 3:17.

SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS.

(1) Whence did Jesus come? To what place? For what purpose? Verse 13. (2) How did John receive His application for baptism? For what reason? Verse 14. Note 1. (3) How did Jesus press the matter? Verse 15. Note 2. (4) What did Jesus do immediately after His baptism? Then what manifestation appeared from above? And what came down upon Jesus? Verse 16. Note 3. (5) What word came also from heaven? Verse 17. Note 4. (6) Where, then, did the Spirit lead Jesus? Into what experience? Ch. 4:1. Note 5. (7) What physical trial did He undergo? With what result? Verse 2. Note 6. (8) Who came to Jesus in the wilderness? With what suggestion did he come? Verse 3. (9) How did Jesus answer this attack? Verse 4. (10) Who was this tempter? What next was he permitted to do? Verse 5. (11) What did the devil there say to Jesus? Verse 6. (12) With what scripture did Jesus meet this suggestion? Verse 7; Deut. 6:16. (13) Where next was Jesus taken? What was then shown to Him? Verse 8. (14) What tempting offer was made to Him? On what condition? Verse 9. (15) What final rebuff was given to the tempter? On what scripture was this decision based? Verse 10; Deut. 6:12, 13; 1 Sam. 7:3. (17) What was the result of this implicit faith in the Word of God? Verse 11. Note 7.

NOTES.

1. John evidently recognized in Christ a Man superior to himself. Altho their mothers were cousins, they had both lived retired lives, one in Judea and the other in Galilee, having little or no acquaintance with each other. John must have known of the circumstances of Jesus' birth, and the prophecy of the angel concerning Him; but the Lord had given him a definite sign by which he should know the One he was to announce as the Saviour, and this knowledge was to be imparted in connection with baptism. See John 1:33, 34.

2. Baptism of Christ.—Christ came not confessing His own sins; but guilt was imputed to Him as the sinner's substitute. He came not to repent on His own account, but in behalf of the sinner. As man had transgressed the law of God, Christ was to fulfil every requirement of that law, and thus show perfect obedience. By the mouth of the psalmist He says, "I delight to do Thy will, O My God; yea, Thy law is within My heart." Ps. 40:8. Christ honored the ordinance of baptism by submitting to this rite. In this act He identified Himself with His people as their representative and head. As their substitute, He takes upon Him their sins, numbering Himself with the transgressors, taking the steps the sinner is required to take, and doing the work the sinner must do. His life of suffering and patient endurance after His baptism were an example to converted sinners of what they should endure and patiently suffer in consequence of their transgressions.—"Spirit of Prophecy," vol. 2, p. 59.

3. From Luke, chapter 3:21, we learn that Christ was engaged in prayer when the Spirit descended upon Him. This was becoming, in view of the great conflict just before Him, which He must have realized more keenly than any one else had done on being baptized. Those who decide to go forward in this ordinance are too apt to think that now the conflict is over, and they are free; but, as in the experience of Jesus, they generally find that the enemy, for a time at least, assails them more bitterly than ever. But John tells us (John 1:32, 33) that the Spirit abode upon Jesus, it never left Him; hence His final victory. He began the new phase of His career with prayer, and continued it to the cross; and in His example is the secret of successful overcoming.

4. The announcement, "This is My beloved Son," etc., was not delegated to any one, not even to an angel; the Father, with His own voice, proclaimed His indorsement of the act of baptism, and His acknowledgment of Christ as the One whom He had sent to save sinners. On at least two other occasions (Luke 9:35; John 12:28) the Son was likewise acknowledged by a Voice from heaven.

5. Of the experience of being led by the Spirit, to be "tempted" (rather, to be tested, or tried), Prof. A. B. Bruce says: "The divine Spirit has to do with our darker experiences as well as our bright, joyous ones." Be it remembered that while the Spirit led Jesus out to the terrible ordeal in the wilderness, it did not leave Him alone. As noted before, it abode upon Him. Nor did He ever do anything to grieve it away. In this also let Him be our example.

6. The fast of Jesus was absolute as to physical food. Luke says, "He ate nothing." On another occasion, when He had not eaten ordinary food, He said to His disciples, "I have meat to eat that ye know not." John 4:32. "My meat is to do the will of Him that sent Me, and to accomplish His work." Verse 34. The "meat" here referred to, as indicated in verse 4 of the lesson scripture, was the Word of God.

7. "The devil leaveth Him."—In this experience of Jesus is demonstrated the truth of James' words (ch. 4:7), "Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." Christ has left us without excuse for being overcome by the adversary, no matter what the circumstance.

LESSON III.—THE PAPACY AND ITS WORK.

(Study for Sabbath, January 16.)

QUESTIONS.

1. Repeat Dan. 7:24. What was to arise after the ten horns on the fourth beast, in this line of prophecy? How was this power to compare with the first ten?—They were political powers; this, then, to be diverse, must be religious. What religious power, claiming sovereignty, arose in the territory of the Roman Empire?—The Papacy. What was this little horn first to subdue? Tell what three kingdoms, out of the ten, were subdued.—The Heruli, Vandals, Ostrogoths. See Note 1.

2. What attitude was this power to assume toward the Most High? Repeat Dan. 7:25. Tell how the Papacy has fulfilled this specification. See note 2. How were the saints of the Most High to be treated by this power? What blasphemous attempt was to be made by this power against the law of God? What New Testament description do we have of this same power? 2 Thess. 2:4.

3. What apparent change in the law of God is acknowledged by nearly the whole Christian world?—The substitution of the first day for the seventh as the day of the Sabbath.

4. Was there to be a limit to the time that the little horn power would have dominion over the saints, times, and laws of the Most High? Dan. 7:25, last clause. Note 3.

5. Give historical dates and facts, marking the beginning and the termination of the temporal supremacy of the Papacy. Note 4.

6. Repeat Dan. 7:26. How long will it be before this power will be consumed? Compare 2 Thess. 2:8.

7. How will the fate of this fourth beast differ from that of the three which preceded it? Verses 11, 12. Note 5.

8. Who will then appear upon the scene as the rightful ruler of the kingdom which for a time had been usurped by Satan? Verse 27.

NOTES.

1. Following the Council of Nicea, called by Constantine in A. D. 325, the Arian powers were uncompromisingly opposed to the claims of supremacy put forth by the bishop of Rome. The Heruli, in Italy, were the greatest foe of the Papacy. The pope's successor could not be chosen without their consent. In A. D. 490 Theodoric the Great, king of the Ostrogoths, desiring more territory, obtained a commission from Zeno, emperor of the East, and a friend of the pope, to take possession of Italy. After a three years' war, the Herulian kingdom in Italy was overthrown. Thus the first of the three opposing powers to the establishment of the papal supremacy was "plucked up by the roots," in the year 493. Yet the Ostrogoths were also Arian, and still the bishop of Rome was in a measure restrained, while the Vandals in Africa defied the power of Rome. Next the Vandals fell before a conquering army sent by Justinian, emperor of the East (534), and, later, the Ostrogothic power was forever broken in Italy (538). Thus was the way prepared for the exaltation of the Roman bishopric.

2. The Papacy has indeed spoken great words against the Most High, by assuming titles and prerogatives which belong only to God. The following are samples of many quotations that might be given:—

"The most holy and most happy, who is the arbiter of heaven and the Lord of the earth, the successor of St. Peter, the anointed of the Lord, the master of the universe, the father of kings, the light of the world."—Titles assumed by Pope Martin V., in despatches to his ambassador to Constantinople.

"The pope is all in all, and above all, so that God Himself and the pope, the vicar of God, are but one consistory."—Hostiensis Cap., etc.

"Given in Rome from our palace, the 20th of February, 1817, the XIV. jurisdiction of the most holy pontiff and father in Christ, and Lord our God the pope, Leo XII., etc.—Conclusion of Dr. Giustianni's ordination letter."

3. In Hebrew usage a time means a year. (See Dan. 11:13, margin.) The period given would therefore be a "time" (1 year), "times" (plural, 2 years), and a dividing, or half a time (½ year), all together, 3½ years. In the reckoning of Bible times 360 days to the year, the period would be 1260 days. We are dealing with symbolic prophecy, however, in which one day stands for a year (see Num. 14:34; Eze. 4:6), so that the duration of the prophetic period would be 1260 years.

4. The last of the opposing Arian powers was plucked up in 538, when the Roman Papacy was free to assert its sovereignty. Just 1260 years from this date bring us to 1798, in which year the French troops took the pope prisoner, and for a time it appeared as tho the Papacy had received a death blow.

5. When Babylon, Media-Persia, and Grecia came to the end of their existence as empires, the people who composed those kingdoms passed down and became merged into the successive kingdoms. Thus "they had their dominion taken away; yet their lives were prolonged for a season and a time." But when the fourth beast shall be "slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame," then shall "the kingdoms of this world . . . become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign forever and ever."

Selling E-Z Washing Tablets

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Items from our Book and Periodical Department

By Editor

A BOOK FOR HOME WORKERS

The following letter is a sample of those received at our office concerning that remarkable book, "Power for Witnessing."

"PACIFIC PRESS PUBLISHING COMPANY, "Oakland, Cal. "Dear Friends: I have been reading 'POWER FOR WITNESSING,' by A. F. Ballenger, and although I have not yet completed it I am satisfied that it is the book for this time. I am anxious to canvass this city for it as soon as I can. I have done some canvassing for the SIGNS, and expect to keep on doing what I can in that direction. I do not know what this book costs or what terms you can allow to canvassers, but would like a copy at once with which to work. I have faith in the book selling, for we can not afford to be without it. I believe the Lord wishes me to do this. Yours very truly,"

We have informed this party that the prices are 75 cents in cloth and 25 cents in paper. Also that there is a discount of 40 per cent to those who will take up such a canvass as the one she has in mind.

Dear reader, have you read this wonderful book? If not, we earnestly advise you to do so. If you have, you will probably be just as anxious to have others read it as she is.

AT THE DOOR

We will soon have a stock of the booklet "AT THE DOOR." Price in paper is 15c; in board, 25c.

TESTIMONY, VOL. 8

"Testimony for the Church," Volume 8, will be ready for our patrons in a few weeks. Price will be 75c in cloth, and $1.25 in limp leather.

EARLY WRITINGS

We are resetting "Early Writings," as the old plates have been too often used to make another edition from them advisable. A limp leather edition at $1.25 will be bound up in addition to the regular cloth style.

FOLLOW UP

Such is the title of a beautiful booklet we are publishing. It will help missionaries to do effective work around home. Ask for it with a two-cent stamp.

THE NEW TRACTS

Following are the titles and prices of our new tracts: Apples of Gold Library, No. 78. THE TRUE SEVENTH DAY.....1½c each; $1.00 per hundred. Apples of Gold Library, No. 79. ONE MAN POWER...................1½c each; 1.00 per hundred. Apples of Gold Library, No. 80. THE DEMON'S COUNCIL.........½c each; .35 per hundred. Apples of Gold Library, No. 81. CHARGED WITH MURDER.........½c each; .20 per hundred. Bible Students' Library, No. 178. PERPETUITY OF THE LAW.......1c each; .70 per hundred. Bible Students' Library, No. 179. THE WORLD'S FAIR.................1c each; .70 per hundred. Bible Students' Library, No. 180. WHY THE EARTH WAS MADE..½c each; .35 per hundred. Bible Students' Library, No. 181. SUGGESTIONS TO THOSE HOLDING MISSIONARY CONVENTIONS.........................................................1½c each; 1.00 per hundred.

Alcoholism

The Liquor Question, more especially the Medicinal Use of Alcoholic Preparations. THE JANUARY NUMBER OF THE

PACIFIC HEALTH JOURNAL

Is devoted to this important subject. Among the articles are the following: IS ALCOHOL A FOOD? By T. D. CROTHERS, M. D., superintendent Walnut Lodge Hospital, Hartford, Conn. (an institution established for the care of alcoholic, opium, and other drug inebriates), and a well-known writer on the medicinal use of alcohol. IS ALCOHOLIC MEDICATION NECESSARY? By N. S. DAVIS, A. M., M. D., LL. D., of Chicago, for many years president of the American Medical Temperance Association, and a prolific writer on the subject of alcohol. Dr. Davis has been engaged in the practice of medicine successfully for more than fifty years in Chicago, using no alcohol whatever in his practice. PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF ALCOHOL. By C. E. STEWART, M. D., professor of physiology, American Medical Missionary College of Chicago, and assistant editor of Modern Medicine. MENTAL, MORAL, AND SOCIAL ASPECTS OF ALCOHOLISM. By W. S. SADLER, whose well-known work in the slums of Chicago has eminently fitted him to prepare this paper. Price 5c per copy or 2½c in lots of 10 or more.

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Terms of Subscription.

By Editor

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Sample copies sent on application.

CO-OPERATION CORNER.

By Editor

SOME time ago we asked for donations from those who desire to help in sending special SIGNS to the editors of the United States. In addition to action taken by a great many State conferences, the following donations have been received for that purpose:—

J. Schornhoff . . . . . . . . . . . . . $8 50 Jacob Arnold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 00 Mrs. M. A. Conrad . . . . . . . . . . . 1 50 W. E. Whitmore . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 10 L. W. Baylies . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 00 LeRoy Palmer . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 00 Mrs. Coleman . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 A Friend . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 00 A Friend . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 95 Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $22 55

There may be others who would like to swell this amount. If so, the opportunity is still open. Three dollars will send the paper to one hundred names. Address, SIGNS OF THE TIMES, Oakland, Cal.

Readers Welcome the Signs of the Times

By Editor

A FEW weeks ago we sent out a letter to those of our readers who had allowed their subscriptions to lapse, inviting them to once more unite with the SIGNS OF THE TIMES family. A great many of these have done so. The following letter is a sample of many others which have been received, and indicates the warm place the SIGNS OF THE TIMES has in the hearts of those who have been long acquainted with it:—

DEAR SIGNS OF THE TIMES: It has been a long, lonesome time since you visited me, but I have not had the money to send to you. My husband and myself are old and our health is not good. I have passed my sixty-seventh birthday, but am thankful it is as well with me as it is, and I do not wish to complain, but how often I have wished that the SIGNS and Review and Herald might always come into our family. I am thankful that I have at last saved money to send for you, dear SIGNS, and will be glad indeed when you come to cheer and comfort me again.

Yours truly,

Help Continue Subscriptions

By Editor

We have written this lady that if she will let us know when her present subscription is about to expire, we will see that her paper is continued, even altho she is unable to renew herself.

Are there any of our readers who desire to assist us in sending this paper to such persons as the above? Address, SIGNS OF THE TIMES, Oakland, Cal.

The Law and Its Scope.

"Sin is the transgression of the law." 1 John 3:4. "Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law." Rom. 7:7. "All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." Rom. 3:23. All, therefore, are amenable to God's law, and subject to its demands. There is no escape from this conclusion.

"Under the Law."

"Whatsoever is not of faith is sin." Rom. 14:23. "But before faith came, we were kept in ward under the law." Gal. 3:23. Those without faith are in sin, and therefore under the law. Again, "If any man hath not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His." Rom. 8:9. "If ye are led by the Spirit, ye are not under the law." Gal. 5:18. Therefore those who are under the law have not the Spirit and are not Christ's. The same truth is taught in Gal. 4:4, 5: "God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, that He might redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons." He who knew no sin became sin for us, that we might become righteousness in Him. Only those subject to death through sin need redemption; and therefore again we are taught that to be "under the law [hupo nomon]" is to be in a sinful condition, condemned by the law. The law shuts the sinner up in prison. It condemns him to death. He is beneath the law.

"Under the law" in Rom. 3:19 comes from a different Greek term, en tō nomō, literally, "within the law," within its demands, amenable to it. "We know that whatsoever the law says, to those in the law it speaks, that every mouth may be stopped, and under judgment be all the world to God." (Hind's Interlinear Translation.) It is the duty of all the world, therefore, to obey God, to observe His law; but as all have sinned, all are condemned by the law, and hence are "under the law," as well as amenable to the law. The distinction is very clear. It is the duty of every intelligent, responsible creature in God's universe to obey God's law; all are within its jurisdiction. But it is not necessary that every creature should be "under the law," nor is this true. Jesus of Nazareth was not, only as He became so by being man's substitute. The holy angels are not. They have acknowledged their duty to be faithful to God, and hence are not condemned by the law.

SPECIAL TERMS

By Editor

Some Encouraging Items Concerning Our Special "Signs."—One of our workers in Nebraska accomplished this in his work for the "Special." He says:—

Enclosed please find $5.00 for one year's subscription to the following. [Here follows the names and addresses of the five persons.] While selling the special number of the SIGNS I received the above subscriptions. Hope I can add more to the club.

The regular subscription list of the SIGNS OF THE TIMES should be greatly increased by the circulation of the "Special," and it will be if our workers will follow up the interest as they should.

Will not you, dear reader, carefully think of this brother's experience and do likewise? The following encouragement is given to those who send us the subscriptions of friends in addition to their own:—

SPECIAL TERMS.

1. One new yearly subscription and one renewal, or two new yearly subscriptions, sent at one time, $2.50.

2. Two new yearly subscriptions and one renewal, or three new yearly subscriptions, sent at one time, $3.25.

3. Three new yearly subscriptions and one renewal, or four new yearly subscriptions, sent at one time, $4.00.

California has thus far led in the number of "Specials" taken, up to the present date (December 27), nearly 50,000.

One company of workers in Philadelphia have disposed of 3,550, selling all the way from thirty to five hundred copies each. Only good words do we hear from the paper. Push it along. It tells what the great conflict between antagonistic forces means, and presents the only true and effective solution of the great problem. Price 5 cents, single copy.

Human Organizations

Human organizations can not save humanity; for it is humanity which has brought humanity where it is. Like begets like. Man may change the form of selfish human effort, but the nature is the same. There must a life from above enter into and possess the human, if deliverance from sin comes; and this life must come to the individual. That life is in Christianity, and it can be found nowhere else. But, praise God, every one may obtain it by faith in Christ Jesus.

Sonship

Sonship.—Christ redeemed us from under the law "that we might receive the adoption of sons." Gal. 4:4, 5. But the Son of God said, "Lo, I am come; . . . I delight to do Thy will, O my God; yea, Thy law is within My heart." Ps. 40:7, 8. And for those who would be made sons of God through the Son it is said: "If ye love Me, ye will keep My commandments." John 14:15. Read these four passages: "Neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature." Gal. 6:15. "Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing; but the keeping of the commandments of God." 1 Cor. 7:19. "For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision; but faith working through love." Gal. 5:6. "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not grievous." 1 John 5:3. We know of but one kind of mind opposed to this conclusion: "The mind of the flesh is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can it be." Rom. 8:7. O soul, let Christ Jesus make the heart new, and then will you delight yourself in the blessed law of God.

Pope Daily Calendar.

When the great combination and trust fever raged so fiercely a few years ago, the Pope Bicycle Manufacturing Company, makers of the Columbia and Hartford wheels, was forced into the combination. The trust felt that as they practically controlled, no advertising was needed. The result was a loss to the trust, and its final dissolution and sale. That meant the reorganization of the Pope Manufacturing Company, Hartford, Conn., and they greet their old patrons with a neat, new calendar, one leaf for every day (with some sentiment from an eminent man in favor of wheeling or good roads, in which movement Colonel Pope is a pioneer) and blank space for memoranda. It may be obtained for five 2 cent stamps by sending to the company.

The Golden Rule in Labor Disputes

The Employer's Association is meeting the labor unions on their own ground. The association is said to have won signal victories in Denver and some other towns. Organization strikes, and boycott will invite organization strike, and boycott. The Golden Rule is better.

The Law in Us

The Law in Us.—But God requires more of us than to be within the scope of the law, amenable to its requirements. As His creatures, we are made thus. Born in sin we find ourselves condemned as sinners—under the law. God would not have us remain in this condition. Christ Jesus died to redeem us from this condition, "that we might receive the adoption of sons." "Freely by His grace" He forgives the sins of all those who believe, and so brings them in harmony with the law. Rom. 3:20-26. "There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus." "For sin shall not have dominion over you; for ye are not under the law, but under grace." Rom. 8:1; 6:14. But what is our relation to the law? "Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid; yea, we establish the law." Rom. 3:31. Where do we establish it? Nowhere as respects God's jurisdiction; for "His throne ruleth over all," and "forever, O Lord, Thy word is settled in heaven;" but we establish it within our own heart, where it is written by His Spirit. "Saith the Lord, I will put My laws into their mind, and on their heart also will I write them." Heb. 8:10. Why?—"That the righteousness ["ordinance," the very thing the law ordains] of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." Rom. 8:4. To be "under grace" is therefore to be in harmony with God's law, neither under it nor above it, but the law within us, the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus.

ARTICLES TO COME.

By Editor

WE shall begin in a few weeks some articles which will be of great interest and profit in the home-life, by Mrs. L. D. Avery-Stuttle. These articles will be short, pithy, suggestive, helpful, full of Christian sweetness. Here are some of the topics treated:—

Love in the Home,

Family Prayer and Its Importance, The Influence of Family Prayer, Bedtime Talks with the Children, Sympathy with the Children, Companions in Books, Good and Pure, The Bible First of All, Reading History and Biology, Reading Poetry, Memorizing, Sunshine in the Home, Order in the Home, Economy in the Home, Thrift in the Home, All a Part in the Home Work, Gentleness and Tenderness in the Home, Helpfulness in the Home, Soft Answers Turn Away Wrath, Conversation in the Home, Evils of Gossip, Narrowing, Poisoning, Talking of Things, not Persons.

These form only a rough outline of a series of home articles which are needed and will be helpful in many homes. Will you not help to give the paper a wider circulation because of them.

In this issue begins the valuable series on "The History of Government." You will need to read them for the information and instruction they give; you will want your neighbors to read them.

The allegory on "The Builders," of which the first article was printed last week, will be withheld for a time, and then the first article reprinted. When reprinted, we are sure our readers will be better pleased with them.

We shall soon begin a series on the great issue between Capital and Labor, or rather between the classes for which these terms stand.

Dear reader, you can not afford not to read the SIGNS OF THE TIMES this year; and your neighbors and friends ought to know the great truths it teaches.

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