It is essential for an efficient organization to have uniform regulations and a working polity for all its parts. At the late Autumn Council, a strong committee of some of our leading men worked out a series of resolutions, which are submitted herewith as adopted by the council, to be followed by all the churches in the North American Division Conference. It would be well for the officers of each church to have these recommendations preserved in some form for reference whenever they are needed in the future. These church regulations have not been in print for some years, and many will be glad to read and preserve them.
We trust that all our churches will follow these recommendations regarding the election of officers, the transfer of church membership, the keeping of church records, and the handling of funds, so that all will be working on the same plan.
The recommendations are as follows:—
“WHEREAS, There are some questions of church order, in regard to which there has grown up a difference of opinion, because of the passing out of memory of actions taken long ago by the General Conference, we offer the following as a suggestive plan to be followed in church order:—
“1. That the church officers be elders, deacons, deaconesses, clerk, treasurer, missionary secretary, Sabbath school superintendent and secretary, with such additional officers as may be called for on account of the size of the church.
“2. That the elders, deacons, and such other persons as may be chosen by the church, constitute the church board.
“3. That these officers be elected by the church on the following plan:—
“That the church appoint a committee on nominations, or authorize the church board to make such appointment, to suggest to the church names for these offices; that the vote of the church elect the officers; and that they serve for one year in all cases except the Missionary Volunteer officers, who shall hold their offices for six months.
“4. That officers requiring ordination be ordained as soon after the election as possible; that they do not administer the ordinances until they are ordained.
“5. That the jurisdiction of a local elder, or his authority to administer the ordinances, be confined to that church which elected him elder, except where the conference committee under special circumstances deems it advisable to instruct him to go to another church.
“6. That if he be reelected, or properly elected elder of another church, his ordination shall stand good; he need not be reordained.
“7. That in case of his removal to another conference, the fact that he has acted as elder over one church should not be considered a ground for calling him to act as elder again. The church should consider his qualifications just as they would if he had never been an elder; and if there be any doubt, inquiry should be made of the officers of the conference7from which he came, to ascertain whether he filled the office acceptably; and if he has been faithful to his church covenant, he need not be reordained.
“8. That all offerings taken in the church be handed each week to the treasurer, who shall keep an account of them; that the treasurer remit all foreign and general offerings to the conference treasurer at the close of each month; that he pay over to the missionary secretary the offerings for the local missionary work; that he disburse the church expense fund as he may be directed by the church board.
“9. That all expenditures from the expense fund and the poor fund be considered by the church board and authorized before being made.
“10. That members be transferred on the following plan:—
“a. That letters of transfer received from other churches, and requests to join on profession of faith, as a general rule, be presented to the church one week before being acted upon.
“b. That members transferring be received only by letters of transfer sent direct from the church clerk issuing them to the clerk of the church to which they wish to be transferred; that personal applications from members for letters be made to the clerk of the church which they wish to join.
“11. WHEREAS, For some years there has been a tendency on the part of many of the members of our churches to remove from the church to which they belong without transferring their membership, thus causing confusion in the matter of keeping accurate records of membership; therefore,—
“We urge all the members of our churches everywhere to be more careful in respect to the transfer of their membership to the church where they reside; and, further,—
“We believe it would be advisable, in cases where members do not report to their church for a period of two years, that after due efforts have been put forth by the home church, their names be dropped from the church record.
“12. That we discourage the disbanding of churches in order to discipline unfaithful and troublesome members, but urge that the Bible plan of dealing with unworthy members be followed; that by patience and love, many prayers and earnest entreaties, we put forth untiring and persevering efforts to reclaim those who may have lost their spiritual perception; and that in cases where, after following the plain instruction laid down by the Master, members refuse to respond to the efforts put forth, they be disfellowshipped by vote of the church.
“13. That before a church is organized, those expecting to join be carefully and thoroughly instructed in all matters of doctrine, and in the relation which should exist between members; that the organization of churches be effected in counsel with the executive committee of the conference; and that, if possible, the president of the conference be present and assist in the organization.”
J. H. EVANS.
The Power for Christian Living
There is a science of salvation. There are many phases of this subject, many viewpoints from which it may be considered. I ask you to consider with me one phase this morning, not as an abstract theory, but as a practical concrete subject—the power for Christian living. I ask you to note especially four divisions:—
1. The source of this power. We read in the sixty-second psalm, the eleventh verse: “God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God.” Then God is the source of all power.
2. The assurance that this power will be given. Isa. 40: 28, 29: “Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.” “Power belongeth unto God,” and “he giveth power to the faint.”
3. How this power may be secured, how it may come to us. Turn to the book of Acts, the first chapter, and the eighth verse: “Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you; and ye shall be witnesses unto me.” “Ye shall receive power, when the Holy Spirit is come upon you.”
4. The result of receiving this power. Acts fourth chapter and thirty-third verse: “With great power gave the apostles their witness.”
If you forget everything else that may be said, I hope you will cling to these central points: First, all power belongeth unto God, who is the source of power; second, God giveth power unto the faint; third, the assurance that we shall receive the power through the gift of the Holy Spirit; and fourth, the use of this power for witnessing.
In a certain sense the whole Bible may be spoken of as a story of power. Beginning with creation, in Genesis 1, we read: “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” The whole first chapter of Genesis is a testimony to God’s creative power, a statement to us from the Source of all power of the action of that power. In Rom. 1: 16 we read: “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation.” This is the power revealed in the first chapter of Genesis, the power of God unto salvation; and the triumphant declaration is made in the closing book of the New Testament: “After these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honor, and power, unto the Lord our God.” Rev. 19: 1. We are told repeatedly that all power and glory belong to God. The whole Scripture is a study of this power in its application in the gospel of salvation,—how we may receive this power, and how we may be among those who join finally in this wonderful experience, ascribing all glory and power unto God.
In the first chapter of Genesis, where we have the first revelation of this power, we note that it is revealed through the Spirit and the Word, not as separate from each other, but as inseparably connected. We read in the second verse: “The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” This first chapter of Genesis is but an exposition of the thirty-third psalm, the sixth and ninth verses: “By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.” “For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast.”
We have this revelation of power expressed in a very concrete way in the deliverance of Israel out of Egypt, and this is set before us not as mere history, but as instruction concerning salvation. We read of this in the fourth chapter of Deuteronomy, the thirty-seventh verse: “Because he loved thy fathers, therefore he chose their seed after them, and brought thee out in his sight with his mighty power out of Egypt.” And in the thirty-second verse of the same chapter we read: “Ask now of the days that are past, which were before thee, since the day that God created man upon the earth, and ask from the one side of heaven unto the other, whether there hath been any such thing as this great thing is, or hath been heard like it?” This deliverance of the children of Israel from Egypt was the second great concrete example of this creative power, and from the time of creation till this deliverance nothing like it had been seen. From that time forth the deliverance of Israel from Egypt stood as the greatest expression of God’s power to deliver from bondage, no matter though the bondage be rigorous, the power of the oppressor never so great.
The deliverance from Egypt and the wonderful working of God’s power in the crossing of the Red Sea and the Jordan also stand as a revelation of redemptive power to deliver us from the bondage of sin. In the song of Moses, as recorded in Ex. 15: 13, this deliverance is spoken of as redemption: “Thou in thy mercy hast led forth the people which thou hast redeemed: thou hast guided them in thy strength unto thy holy habitation.” This is considered as8redemption not only from literal bondage, but from spiritual bondage as well.
This same power is revealed in our redemption. We read of it in the first chapter of the book of Luke, in the prophecy of Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, given about the time of John’s birth: “His father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying, Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; for he hath visited and wrought redemption for his people, and hath raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David (as he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets that have been from of old), salvation from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; to show mercy towards our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant; the oath which he sware unto Abraham our father, to grant unto us that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies should serve him without fear.” Verses 67-74. The same power that wrought redemption to Israel of old, the same power revealed in those miraculous workings of old, is the power of salvation, the power of redemption, the power of regeneration, unto every believing Christian.
Let us consider briefly what the Scripture says concerning the original creation of man and our experience and hope for the future. We read in this revelation of the power of God in creation, that “God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him.” Gen. 1: 27. God created man in his own image. Further statements enlarging upon this are found in the eighth psalm. Let us read the fourth and fifth verses: “What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him but little lower than God, and crownest him with glory and honor.”
A crown implies kingship. Man was made in the image of God, but a little lower than God; and crowned. What was the nature of his crown? Not a material crown of gold and jewels,—a crown giving arbitrary authority to a person to reign as king,—but a crown of glory and honor. By the Father’s own word he was created king, for he had dominion over the earth and the things on the earth, not because of arbitrary power or position bestowed upon him, but because he was capable of exercising dominion by virtue of his being created in the image of God, but a little lower than God. That means kingship. That implies dominion and authority. But man forfeited all this.
In Rom. 3: 23 we read: “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” Man was crowned by the Creator, but through sin he lost his crown. He lost his character of righteousness in which he had been created; so now he is not crowned. He lost his dominion, and as indicated in our own experience and the experience of others, with that loss came inability to control, lack of power, lack of dominion over the earth, lack of power over ourselves, lack of the power with which man was endowed in the beginning. We have lost our crown, because we are fallen in sin; lost the righteousness of God with which our first parents were crowned, because we have sinned.
Now into what position does this bring us? Deprived of our crown, of position, authority, and dominion, we become slaves. By one man’s sin all are brought under bondage. Every experience in which we are overcome by sin is a testimony to the fact that we have lost our crown. Instead of occupying that high place for which we were created, we are bondmen. Now what is promised? In John 8: 31-36, we read: “Jesus therefore said to those Jews that had believed him, If ye abide in my word, then are ye truly my disciples; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” They answered unto him, We are Abraham’s seed, and have never yet been in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Every one that committeth sin is the bondservant of sin. And the bondservant abideth not in the house forever: the son abideth forever. If therefore the Son shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
This is the restoration of the crown. This is deliverance from that condition of hard, rigorous service. This is the reversion again to the original position. The kingdom lost is restored by the work of Christ. He makes man free from the bondage of sin; he restores man to the position he had originally been created to fill—the position of king. It is for this reason that Christ himself is not spoken of merely as king. We read in the sixteenth verse of the nineteenth chapter of Revelation: “He hath on his garment and on his thigh a name written, King of kings, and Lord of lords.” He is not only king, but King of kings; and we are to be kings under the reign of him who loved us with an everlasting love, who redeemed us from the bondage of sin, and made us to be kings and priests unto God. And while he is King of kings, we are to be his cheerful, obedient subjects, rejoicing in the restoration of that crown of glory and honor conferred upon us originally at creation, when we were made in the image of God. This is God’s great gift—the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth: “for the invisible things of him since the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead.” “He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.” This is the power that sets us free. This is the power that delivers us from being bondservants, and brings us into the glorious liberty of the sons of God, to be kings and priests unto God.
We see abundant evidence of this power on every side, and yet this power is not conveyed unto us through nature. It is worth while to notice this point and emphasize it. We know that it is by the word of God—the power of God—that the stars are kept in place; that the planets move across space. We see on every side evidences of the working of God’s mighty power. We see that mighty power working under conditions of utmost weakness. If you have ever noticed in your garden the tender shoots springing up, you have seen this. Sometimes after a rain the surface becomes somewhat hard, and you wonder if what you have planted will come up through the crust of earth. A little later you see a piece of hard earth moved to one side by a tender green shoot, something you could crush with the slightest effort. This is a manifestation of the mighty power of God in weakness. Have you ever thought how much power is used in holding up the arms of the trees? Stand with your arms up for a while, and you will begin to see how much power it takes for the trees to hold up their arms, day and night, year in, year out. That is simply this same power revealed so abundantly. But it cannot be conveyed unto us for salvation through material objects.
We, in a certain sense, as we look out over the created world, behold God in the evidences of his power working in the world; but when we say, Behold your God unto salvation, we must say, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world;” for that is necessary for the deliverance of the soul and for successful Christian living. This is not accomplished through the law; “for what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh.” Rom. 8: 3. Law-power is not sufficient for this experience.
Human power is not sufficient for this experience. Let us read in the nineteenth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, verses 24 to 26: “Again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.” When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible.
The first chapter of First Corinthians, the twenty-fourth verse, reads: “Unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God.” Here is revealed the channel of the power of God unto salvation. The power of the law is not sufficient. The power of the flesh is not sufficient. Christ, the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth,—this is the revelation of the power that saves; this is the climax of all gospel experience; this is the power to which the apostle Paul referred when he said, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”
This power is a personal power—not an abstract power—revealed to us through a personal Christ; and when we receive the power for salvation, we receive it only as we receive Christ, our Saviour, our Redeemer, our King, and enter into the experience of taking him9as our righteousness, wisdom, sanctification, and redemption.
I know this subject often appears to be very abstract, removed from our experience, a vague something. Whenever I attempt to deal with the subject, I am impressed with its importance and with the value of thinking upon it and meditating upon it. Its realization comes not merely from hearing a sermon on this subject, or thinking of it once in a while, but it comes by association, by fellowship. It comes through that channel which God has given us for dealing with these things—the mind. When the mind is filled with everything else, we cannot enter into this experience. When our minds are open toward heaven, and when we receive through the channel of his Word and the fellowship of his Spirit that experience of power, then we shall know its reality and be able confidently to claim it as our own.
And let me say a word here about the reception of this power, and how it shall be used. This power is not given us to store up. One is not endowed with this power, then we shall know its reality and it up for tomorrow. He is not endowed with it before the trial in order that he may be prepared to meet the trial when it comes. Before the trial comes, before the hard experiences of tomorrow, we must live today in fellowship with that power; and only in that close fellowship will be found power to meet the trials of tomorrow—in communion with and fellowship with the One who is the source of all power, yea, and the power itself. That power is not imparted to keep in storage, but it is a keeping power, present when needed, gone when not needed, never laid up for the future, and never left in the possession longer than the need for it exists.
We cannot tell what this power is; we cannot explain it; but we know its results. We meet this same question every day. We do not stop running the presses because we cannot explain how the motor furnishes power. We cannot tell what the power is, but it works. We turn on the current, and it works. We need not spend our time and energy in an effort to define what this power in the life is. We know it works; it serves. In trial it helps; in sorrow it comforts; in hard places it carries us over. But to have that experience in times of trial and special need, we must know in the daily life a fellowship with that power, and must have a connection with him who is himself that power.
This power, as already indicated, is set forth in the Scripture as the power of God. We read in the book of Zechariah, chapter four, verse six: “This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.” “Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and long-suffering with joyfulness;” “to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man,”—these expressions convey the same idea to our minds, the practical way in which the power for Christian living may come into the daily life.
There is one illustration of this power that carries with it a very important lesson. In Ephesians, the first chapter, Paul, writing to the church at Ephesus, desired them to know “what is the exceeding greatness of his power to usward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead.” This is resurrection power. How shall we know resurrection power?—Only by dying; by that death which means a giving up of all that pertains to ourselves as completely as if physical life became extinct; only by this means can the resurrection power enter our experience. It is not because of lack of power, but because we do not appropriate power, that we are not delivered every day from the bondage of sin and made victorious in the Christian life.
Christ instructed his disciples, when he left them, to tarry in Jerusalem until Pentecost; until they were filled with the Holy Spirit and with great power for witnessing. What was this power? “With great power gave they their witness,” because the Spirit of power had rested upon them; because they had received power from on high.
Now what is the purpose of this power? What is the result of receiving this power? The Lord sent the message to Pharaoh of old: “Let my people go, that they may serve me.” This indicates deliverance from bondage, and we are delivered from this rigorous service that we may serve the Lord, that power may be revealed in our lives. This was Christ’s experience when he was here among men. He made himself as one of us. He put himself in our place absolutely; for he said, “I can of mine own self do nothing.” The Scripture says that after the temptation he returned “in the power of the Spirit.” He returned from that place of trial in the power of the Spirit. So we may return in the power of the Spirit after every severe trial.
We cannot meet temptation in our own power, but by the power of the word, “It is written.” When Satan quoted the word of Christ, saying that he could cast himself down from the temple on the assurance of the promise, “He shall give his angels charge concerning thee,” Christ answered, “It is written again.” Here we have brought out in a very clear way the difference between the use of that powerful word to deliver from sin, and the use of the word of God as an excuse for sin. Satan cited the word as an excuse for sin. Christ, the Son of man, answered him with the word as power to keep from doing something contrary to the will of God.
There is just another view of this matter to which I wish to call your attention. In John 10: 27, 28, we read: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.”
“I give unto them eternal life.” I read this text especially to call attention to that statement. It is for the present time, not for the future. It does not say, I will give unto them eternal life, but “I give unto them eternal life.” That is the eternal Spirit. You cannot separate between them. The indwelling Spirit in the heart is eternal life. That is the power imparted to them that receive Christ; therefore we read in 1 John 5: 11, 12: “This is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.”
That is the living power that works in us,—that power of the Spirit; the indwelling Christ, who is himself the power of God; that power which we must have for successful Christian living. And the purpose of all this is service. The life in the plant builds up the plant. The life in the fruit tree is shown in the fruitage. We may have ever so much power, but it will be revealed only through the channel of service. My arm may be ever so strong, but I cannot show that strength unless I lift; when I lift, the power is revealed. The daily life, gaining victory over every evil besetment, keeping the heart pure, speaking no guile, being able to rule the spirit, keeping the temper under trying circumstances, revealing the spirit of Christlikeness,—by these manifestations the presence of power in the life is revealed. Or we may be called to some special service, speaking a word in due season, helping the poor, comforting the sorrowing, bearing public testimony; in any of these ways he can reveal through us the power for right action, the power of Christian living.
And whatever else may slip away from you in the lesson this morning, I hope you will remember these four points:—
The source of this power is God. “Power belongeth unto God.”
The assurance that this power will be given. “He giveth power to the faint.”
How this power may be secured. “Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you.”
And the result of receiving this power. “With great power gave the apostles their witness.”
“Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.”
Do the Duty That Lies Nearest
“Do the duty that lies nearest thee. Do it with a loving heart. Do it in confidence that God will assign the highest and most useful tasks that are possible to those whom he can trust.”
The Secret of Winning Souls
“We all wish to be loved. We may not confess it, but it is true, and is nothing to be ashamed of. Well, then, let us be worthy of being loved, and let us love. This is the secret of winning souls into the kingdom.”
Tomorrow
TOMORROW with its cares despise,
And make the present hour your own;
Be swift to catch it as it flies,
And score it up as clearly won.
— Horace.
The Danger of Skepticism in Our Youth
By Ellen G. White
MRS. E. G. WHITE
(From the Signs of the Times of April 21, 1890.)
THE words of Jesus addressed to this generation may well be regarded with sorrow and awe. He asks, “When the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?” Christ looked down the ages, and with prophetic eye marked the conflict between the antagonistic principles of truth and error. He saw how real Christianity would become almost extinct in the world, so that at his second advent he would find a state of society similar to that which existed before the flood. The world would be engaged in festivity and amusement, in theatrical shows, in the indulgence of base passions. Intemperance of every grade would exist, and even the churches would be demoralized, and the Bible would be neglected and desecrated. He saw that the desperate revelries of the last days would only be interrupted by the judgments of God.
Society is now in a state of demoralization, and this will ripen until the nations become as lawless, as corrupt, as were the inhabitants of the world before the flood. The degradation that is found in the world today is largely due to the fact that the Bible no longer exerts a controlling influence upon the minds of men. It has become fashionable to doubt. The law of God has been made void by those in sacred office, and what can be expected of those who have listened to their sophistry and error? What can be expected of the youth who have come under the influence of those who have cast away the law of the Lord of hosts and have despised the word of the Holy One of Israel? It is no wonder that the Bible has come to be lightly regarded.
Infidelity is increasing in our land. Our youth are sent to college, and are brought into association with those who hold skeptical views; for even well-educated young men now boast of their unbelief in the Word of God. Who is chargeable for this state of affairs? Is it not chargeable to those who from the sacred desk have belittled the claims of the law of God? Is it not chargeable to those who lead men away from the path of truth by terming the law of God a yoke of bondage, and who thereby picture transgression as a state of liberty? Oh, if those who make light of the requirements of God’s law did but know what they are doing, if they did but realize that they are undermining the faith of our youth in the Bible, sending them adrift without anchor or compass on a shoreless sea, they would recoil with horror from their fearful work!
I feel the most intense anguish for our youth. I warn you, as one who knows the danger, not to be entrapped by Satan through the little knowledge of science which you may have acquired. It is better to have a pure and humble heart than all the knowledge you can possibly gain without the fear of the Lord. The youth of today will be likely to meet skeptics and infidels wherever they may go; and how necessary that they be equipped so that they may be able to give a reason of their hope with meekness and fear! Thomas Paine has passed into his grave, but his works live to curse the world; and those who doubt the truth of God’s Word, will place these infidel productions in the hands of the young and inexperienced, to fill their hearts with the poisonous atmosphere of doubt. The spirit of Satan works through wicked men to carry on his schemes for the ruin of souls.
We are living in an age of licentiousness, and men and youth are bold in sin. Unless our youth are sacredly guarded, unless they are fortified with firm principles, unless greater care is manifested in choosing their associates and the literature which feeds the mind, they will be exposed to a society whose morals are as corrupt as were the morals of the inhabitants of Sodom. The appearance of the people of the world may be very attractive, but if they are continually throwing out suggestions against the Bible, they are dangerous companions; for they will ever seek to undermine the foundations of your faith, to corrupt the conscientiousness of old-fashioned, gospel religion.
The youth often come in contact with those of skeptical tendencies, and their parents are in ignorance of the fact until the terrible work of evil is consummated, and the youth are ruined. The young should be instructed diligently, that they may not be deceived in regard to the true character of these persons, and not form friendships with this class, or listen to their words of sarcasm and sophistry. Unless our young people have moral courage to sever their connection with these persons when they discover their unbelief, they will be ensnared, and will think and talk as do their associates, speaking lightly of religion and the faith of the Bible.
Could the eyes of deluded youth be opened, they would see the exultant leer of Satan at his success in ruining souls. In every conceivable way he seeks to adapt his temptations to the various dispositions and circumstances of those whom he wishes to entangle. He will try every device, and if the subjects of these temptations do not seek God, they will be blinded to his deceptions, and will be self-confident, self-sufficient, and in ignorance of their condition and danger. They will soon come to despise the faith once delivered to the saints. I speak to the youth as one who knows, as one to whom the Lord has opened the perils that attend their pathway. Self-confidence will lead you into the snare of the enemy. The youth do not ask counsel of God, and make him their refuge and strength. They enter society with all assurance, confident that they are fully able to choose the right and to comprehend divine mysteries, because of their powers of reason, as though they could discover truth for themselves. We fear more for those who are self-confident than for any others, for they will surely be entangled in the net that has been set by the great adversary of God and man. Some associate who has been chosen as a familiar friend, who has been tainted with the corruption of doubt, will instil his leaven of unbelief into the minds of this class. By fulsome flattery of their talent, their intellectual superiority, by inciting in them an ambition for high position, their attention will be gained, and moral blight will fall upon them. Those who are exalted in their own opinions will despise the blood of the atoning sacrifice, and will do despite to the Spirit of grace.
The children of Sabbath-keeping parents, who have had great light, and who have been the objects of the tenderest solicitude, may be the ones who will leave a heritage of shame, who will sow to the wind and reap the whirlwind. In the judgment the names of those who have sinned against great light, will be written with those who are condemned to be separated from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power. They will be lost, lost, and will be numbered with the scorners of the grace of Christ. I should rather see my children laid in the grave than see them taking the path that leads to death. The terrible fact that I had nurtured children to fight against the God of heaven, to swell the ranks of apostates in the last days, to march under the black banner of Satan, would indeed be a thought of horror to me.
Our youth will meet temptations on every hand, and they must be so educated that they will depend upon higher power, higher teaching, than can be given by mortals. There are despisers of our Lord everywhere who habitually throw contempt upon Christianity. They call it the plaything of children, invented to impose on the credulity of the ignorant. Those who have not moral power cannot stand in defense of the truth; they have not courage to say: “Unless such conversation ceases I cannot remain in your presence. Jesus, the world’s Redeemer, is my Saviour; in him is centered my hope of eternal life.” But this is the very way in which to silence them. If you argue with them, they will have arguments with which to meet you, and nothing you may say will11touch them; but if you live for Christ, if you are firm in your allegiance to the God of heaven, you may do for them that which argument will fail to do, and convince them of the fallacy of their doctrines, by the power of godliness.
There is no sadder spectacle than that of those who have been purchased by the blood of Christ, who have been intrusted with talents wherewith they may glorify God, turning to jest the messages graciously sent to them in the gospel, denying the divinity of Christ, and trusting to their own finite reasoning and to arguments that have no foundation. When tested with affliction, when brought face to face with death, all these fallacies they have cherished will be melted away like frost before the sun. How terrible it is to stand by the coffin of one who has rejected the appeals of divine mercy! How terrible to say, Here is a life lost! Here is one who might have reached the highest standard, and gained immortal life, but he surrendered his life to Satan, became ensnared by the vain philosophies of men, and was a plaything of the evil one!
The Christian’s hope is as an anchor to the soul, both sure and steadfast, and entereth into that which is within the veil, whither Christ the forerunner is for us entered. We have an individual work to do to prepare for the great events that are before us. The youth should seek God more earnestly. The tempest is coming, and we must get ready for its fury, by having repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord will arise to shake terribly the earth. We shall see troubles on all sides. Thousands of ships will be hurled into the depths of the sea. Navies will go down, and human lives will be sacrificed by millions. Fires will break out unexpectedly, and no human effort will be able to quench them. The palaces of earth will be swept away in the fury of the flames. Disasters by rail will become more and more frequent; confusion, collision, and death without a moment’s warning will occur on the great lines of travel. The end is near; probation is closing. Oh, let us seek God while he may be found, and call upon him while he is near! The prophet says: “Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord’s anger.”
A Blessed Trinity
By H. A. ST. JOHN
H. A. ST. JOHN
"Now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity." 1 Cor. 13:13. A blessed trinity indeed! The first is faith, faith in God, faith in his word. So important is this precious faith that it is impossible for us to come to God or to please God without it. And who can estimate the importance and value of that "blessed hope" that is anchored in Christ, our forerunner, within the veil, where he has gone for us? This blessed hope will be realized when he shall come for us and take us to the place prepared for us. And who can measure the value of the love of God? Charity is love, and is so translated in the Revised Version.
The apostle says, "Now abideth faith, hope, love, these three." "Now" means now, just now. This blessed, ever-blessed trinity, are abiding, always abiding, somewhere. Reader, what is your answer? Have you made them welcome? Do they abide with you? If so, then you have implicit, living faith in God's Holy Word, and in his exceeding great and precious promises; you are always rejoicing in the blessed hope, and are never discouraged; you are always cheerfully obedient to all his commandments, for love is the fulfilling of the law: and all such abide in God's most precious love.