In order to succeed in any undertaking it is necessary for us to consider its nature, value, and the best methods of procedure. “Consider the lilies how they grow.” Here is a beautiful object lesson, taught by the first and greatest Teacher of mankind. Let all consider it well. In this the Infinite would reveal to the finite the perfection of His wonder-working power and the necessary attitude on the part of those who would “know the exceeding greatness of His power to usward who believe.”
Man with his limited capacity can not comprehend the perfection of that power by a general survey of the wonderful works of God. One particular object in creation is sufficient to engage his attention at one time. He will learn much of God by thinking upon the works of God closest to him; yet it is profitable to take an occasional glance at the glory of the heavens, and the greatness of his Creator as displayed on land and sea, that he may ever keep in mind the majesty of the One who requires implicit obedience from all His creatures. “When I consider Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which Thou hast ordained; what is man, that Thou art mindful of him?”
“Consider the lily.” Consider how it grows. The lesson, then, which we are to learn is the conditions necessary to growth; and growth in the spiritual life is aptly illustrated here by reference to growth in plant life. There are many species of the lily, one differing from another, yet all growing by the same power. One grows upon the dry land, watered by the dew and rain from heaven; another can live only when in water; there it thrives with its roots in the midst of filth at the bottom of the pool. Silently yet securely it grows until its leaves are unfolded, and soon the delicate flower discloses its beauty to the eyes of the passer-by. This fragrant blossom is the product of the life of God. His hand brought it forth from its seclusion in the slimy deep. “And yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.” Luke 12:27.
As was His custom, the Saviour referred to objects with which those to whom He was talking were familiar. If He were speaking to those who had never seen a lily, He would in all probability have called to their attention something which they had the opportunity to study. In either instance the lesson taught would be the same; but our Lord chose a plant some kind of which grows in nearly every clime. Thus He would teach us that as these lilies differ one from another, yet manifesting forth the same life, and speaking in unison to the praise of their Author, so those in whose hearts that beneficent power should operate, would differ one from another, and thereby reveal some different phase of the character of God.
All the works of God are perfect, and will bear the closest scrutiny; the more carefully they are examined, the more do they reveal the wisdom of their Maker. If with reverence we pursue this study, our hearts are drawn out to the One upon whom our existence, like that of the lily, depends. We love the beautiful, and this is one reason why we are inclined to despise ourselves because of a consciousness of inner impurity which continually manifests itself in selfishness. But let us stop a moment. God would have us know that that power which produced the tender lily can also produce a tender heart, and create it anew in Christ Jesus; and as the lily grows up out of the mire, revealing its glory upon the quiet waters, so the life of Christ in human flesh will cause us to grow up into Him, and in this flesh will be unfolded the glory of that life. Then consider the lilies, and be content with the place God has given you.
“Consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus.” Heb. 3:1. Of Him we have often sung—
“He’s the Lily of the Valley,” etc.
And the Word says, “And Jesus increased [“advanced,” R.V.] in wisdom and in stature, and in favor with God and man.” Luke 2:52. Of Israel it is said, “I will be as the dew unto Israel; he shall grow [margin, “blossom”] as the lily.” Hosea 14:5. This will be true of the children of God when they “consider Him that endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself.” Unless we do this, we must become weary and faint in our minds, and, like the flower, must wither, being separated from the “root.”
If we would consider Christ, we must do so in the way and by the means that God has appointed—even His Word. In this way we may all become acquainted with the different phases of that life that was given for man. We consider Him. We learn to love Him. We are drawn to Him; and being drawn to Him, He imparts to us His own life. Thus to know Him is life eternal. Thus to be acquainted with Him is life and peace. Being united to Him, we grow up “unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.” This is man redeemed. This is man glorified. It is man in the blossom, and this blossom shall never fade away. It is all brought about by beholding Jesus in the Scriptures of truth, and by our considering Him there. This last thought is couched in the words, “Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things.” 2 Tim. 2:7.
J. E. EVANS.
New Orleans, Louisiana.
Activity and Indolence
“ACTIVITY is liable to commit some injuries; but indolence is sure to do no good.”
CREATOR, LAWGIVER, AND EXAMPLE.
By O. E. Jones
1. In the Scriptures the Son is often called God.
“But unto the Son He saith, Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Thy kingdom.” Heb. 1:8.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:1.
2. As the Son inherits the name of the Father, so Christ’s name by inheritance is God.
“Being made so much better than the angels, as He hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.” Heb. 1:4.
3. By Him were all things created.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made.” “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only-begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth.” John 1:1-3, 14.
“In whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins; who is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of every creature; for by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers; all things were created by Him, and for Him; and He is before all things, and by Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church; who is the beginning, the first-born from the dead; that in all things He might have the pre-eminence. For it pleased the Father that in Him should all fulness dwell.” Col. 1:14-19.
4. The Son of God created in six days the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made.
“And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it; because that in it He had rested from all His work which God created and made.” Gen. 2:3.
5. This same Lord, the Creator, is the One who came down on Sinai, and in thunder tones spoke the law.
“Thou, even Thou, art Lord alone; Thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host; the earth, and all things that are therein; the seas, and all that is therein, and Thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshipeth Thee. . . . Moreover Thou leddest them in the day by a cloudy pillar; and in the night by a pillar of fire, to give them light in the way wherein they should go. Thou camest down also upon Mount Sinai, and spakest with them from heaven, and gavest them right judgments, and true laws, good statutes and commandments; and madest known unto them Thy holy Sabbath, and commandedst them precepts, statutes, and laws, by the hand of Moses Thy servant.” Neh. 9:6-14.
6. Christ’s example of honor and perfect obedience to the law should be valuable to us. Through the psalmist He says:—
“Then said I, Lo, I come; in the volume of the Book it is written of Me, I delight to do Thy will, O My God; yea, Thy law is within my heart.” Ps. 40:7, 8.
7. On earth He declared:—
“And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail.” Luke 16:17.
8. Here are His words to us:—
“Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven; but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” Matt. 5:19.
O. E. JONES.
College View, Neb.
“WHAT MUST I DO TO BE SAVED?”
From the time that the poison of sin entered earth’s borders, and the human family yielded to its seductive, deadly influence, to the present day, human hearts have in longing expectancy asked the above question. Thousands who are living in the bondage of sin and the fear of death are asking it to-day. “What must I do to be saved” from condemnation, from judgment, from death, from destruction, from sin, which brings all these?
There is but one place where it is answered authoritatively and certainly, and that place is the Word of God.
When asked by the Philippian jailer, the ambassador of God answered, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.” Acts 16:31.
It is a wonderfully brief and comprehensive answer. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Who is He?—He is the Creator of the heavens and the earth, one with the eternal God. John 1:1–3; Col. 1:16, 17. He “is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.” 1 Tim. 4:10. He is “the power of God, and the wisdom of God.” 1 Cor. 1:24. And He possesses infinite love for the sinner, dying for us while yet we were sinners. Rom. 5:6–8. Having then these threefold attributes of infinite wisdom, power, and love, what more can we ask in a Saviour? He is not only able but willing “to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him.” Heb. 7:25.
Who is He?—He is the revelation of God to men. All that was manifest in Jesus was the revealing of the Father. He could say, “He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father.” John 14:9. “All things are delivered unto Me of My Father; and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and He to whomsoever the Son will reveal Him.” Matt. 11:27. This is the One in whom we must believe, to be saved—the Way, the Truth (the Word), the Life. John 14:6.
What is it to believe?—It is to accept what He says; and to truly believe, is to do. Our ways by nature are not His ways. “They are all gone out of the way.” “The way of peace have they not known.” Rom. 3:12, 17. To believe in Christ is therefore to renounce our way and to choose His way, at all times, in all places, under all circumstances. That is not Christian belief which merely assents. “For with the heart, man believeth unto righteousness.” Rom. 10:10. Righteousness is right being and right doing, and the belief which stops short of right doing is a spurious belief. True belief accepts Jesus Christ, and with Him it obtains the righteousness of God, “even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe; for there is no difference.” Rom. 3:22.
In the courts of heaven there is no charge against Jesus Christ. If we renounce our way, give up ourselves, and receive Him by faith, God forgives all our sins, and accepts us as tho we had not sinned, accepts us “in the Beloved.” Blessed exchange of our way for His way, of our sins for His righteousness! Belief therefore includes all. It will give up all sin, it will accept of Jesus Christ, listen to His voice in His Word, receive His Holy Spirit, and walk as He walked. “What must I do to be saved?”—“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.”
“BEHOLD, THE HIRE OF THE LABORERS.”
By T.
The attention of the readers of this paper has recently been directed to those remarkable utterances in the fifth chapter of James concerning the “heaping” together of “treasure” in the “last days.” And not only does this scripture tell us that treasure is to be “heaped” up in the last days by “rich men,” but it also tells the method by which it is accomplished. The field of literature is being flooded with books, pamphlets, magazine articles, and newspaper comments and dissertations on the “capital and labor” problem. There have been discussions of this subject at different times and in different countries, but never was it so world-wide as now. Never were the discussions so intense, and never did thoughtful men tremble in the presence of their immediate future as they do to-day.
But of all that is being written upon this important subject, there is nothing that begins to equal the terse, clear statements of the brief fifth chapter of James. Altho it was written over 1,800 years ago, yet it states the case more clearly than any modern writer has done. It tells us the exact facts just as they actually exist; for He who inspired these wonderful statements makes no mistakes. He looks at things as they are, and not as they appear to finite men. Our God knows no sin. Hence, He stands infinitely above and apart from any of the sordid and selfish motives that may influence men in either their discussions or acts in this capital-and-labor controversy.
And while we invite all to carefully consider this prophecy, it is not from the standpoint of the popular theories of either the capitalist or the laborer that we approach it. Both capitalist and laborer are in great peril. Both are faithfully warned of their danger by the prophetic utterances under consideration. And so in discussing this question we do not argue the merits or demerits of either side of the case as it is being presented from the platform and press to-day. We simply call attention to the statements of the Word of God. And since God has so plainly spoken, we may know the truth and do the right by heeding what He says. To take any other course is to become bewildered in the errors of a self-centered controversy, and finally be lost at the general destruction of the “last days.”
The statement is positively made by James that “ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.” James 5:3. This part of the prophecy has received attention in previous issues. And while the statement about the “heaping” together of treasure is direct and clear, the apostle, in language that is equally plain and forcible, proceeds at once to say:—
“Behold, the hire of the laborers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth; and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.” James 5:4.
It is useless for men to spend their time in discussing whether or not the laborer is being properly rewarded in these “last days.” There are honorable and notable cases where the employer takes a personal interest in his men, paying them liberally, and treating them as fellow-creatures of the common human family. But the general rule is to pay the laborers as little as possible, and treat them with a corresponding indifference.
“But this is a debatable question,” I hear you say. Well, you may debate it if you like. You may discuss it as you will. You may seek to cover up the facts as best you may. But standing over against you all the time is clearly written, not the words of men, and not by the will of man, but the Word of the living God, telling you to “behold, the hire of the laborers,” “kept back by fraud.” Human tribunals may be corrupted or deceived. The verdict of selfish, grasping man, guided by his perverted and blinded personal desires, may lead him to warmly, yes, even hotly, contend that he is giving his laborers their just due. But that Judge before whose court corruption would be consumed by the withering brightness of unalloyed purity and justice; that Judge who views things as they are, and who is infinitely too great to make a mistake, even He who is the Eternal, has spoken. Who will set aside His Word?
“Behold, the hire of the laborers,” says the Infinite One, “who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth; and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of Hosts.” Is this scripture being fulfilled right before our literal eyes to-day? In your very soul you know that it is. You have read of the gaunt destitution in our cities, and you know of the complaints of the country farmer. From every section the cry of distress is heard.
In our cities may be found the miserable tenements where men, women, and children of all ages herd together—much more like swine than human beings. From 150 to 200 persons will occupy a single building, stored away in every nook and corner. In warm weather they sleep on the landings, the stair steps, and every place where a bit of room can be found. Several families will rent a large room together, and chalk marks on the floor instead of board partitions serve to outline the boundaries of each. Such abodes are more like the dens of beasts than the dwellings of mankind. Where is the chance for persons to rise above the level of the brutes when they are born and reared under such circumstances? A knowledge of the fact that our cities have block after block of such human dens should cause the hot flush of shame to rise on the cheek of any one who boasts of the civilization of the nineteenth century. Why, even the “cultured” city of Boston, the boasted “center of learning and refinement,” has her full share of these dens, where human beings, for whom Christ died, are forced to live.
“But,” you say, “why do they not get out of there? why do they continue to live in such places?” You have not reflected, or you would not ask such a question. Persons born and7reared under such circumstances do not have a knowledge of the outside world that would inspire them with the thought of bettering their condition. And, beside, if they knew ever so much better, what could they do? For these tenement houses are the much-talked-of “sweat shops.” And certainly the name is an appropriate one. The employer “sweats” the last bit of work that he can out of these unfortunate souls, and pays them the least mite that will suffice to perpetuate their existence. As a sample of their wages, they are paid forty-five cents a dozen for making knee pants. They are paid for other work that they do in proportion.
Notwithstanding the low wages paid, their landlords exact the highest rents for these miserable tenements. They are not satisfied unless they can make from twenty to thirty per cent. on what they have invested. And so these pitiable fathers and mothers, with their little children, have to rise early and work till ten, eleven, and twelve o’clock at night in order to get enough for the barest existence. Talk about their furniture! They have none. They use such old broken-down tables, together with boxes and old benches, as they may be able to pick up.
What is the endearing word “home” to such people?—It is meaningless. What is life to such?—It is nothing but a dreary and a weary confinement between barren walls, where there is not a single ray of cheer or hope. Can a mortal help pitying such persons, filled as they must be with nothing but forlorn despair? Yet in these “last days” there are thousands so cruel that nothing—not even such pitiable and soul-appealing want—can touch them. One man was asked to fix the roof of his tenement, where a lot of these fellow-creatures were herded together. The building was made unhealthful by the dampness, and the inmates were afflicted with rheumatism, hard colds, consumption, etc. The landlord, who was “heaping” his twenty to thirty per cent. on his investment, very coolly said: “I can not fix the roof. Men are cheaper than shingles. As soon as one goes, a dozen more apply for his place.”
We can only touch upon this destitution. And perhaps it is unnecessary that more should be said. You can not be ignorant of the fact that there are thousands of these heart-sickening cases of suffering affliction crowded into our cities all over the world. And things are getting worse and worse. Is it any wonder that the Bible says that “the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth”? God, who is infinite in kindness as well as justice, is looking on, and soon must the world be brought to account. The men who can so heartlessly “heap treasure together,” even “sweating” it from the helpless widow and hollow-chested consumptive, are the ones above all others to be pitied. What can be done to help them?
But the answer to this question will have to be left till next week. And in the meantime, may a realization of the fact that the evidence that we are in the “last days” is so overwhelmingly great, lead us to careful thought as to our duty. This is no time to be devoting ourselves to the “heaping together of treasure.” Neither should we be quarreling with those who are rich. God will soon destroy every wrong, and our time should be given to a preparation to meet our soon-coming Saviour.
T.
Question Corner
“Enquire and make search and ask diligently.”
[From time to time we will reply under this head, if deemed advisable, to such candid inquiries as may be sent us. Correspondents wishing a reply to their questions must give their full name and address, not for publication unless they wish, but as an evidence of good faith on their part, and to give us opportunity to reply by letter if deemed best. It is always well to inclose stamps. Let the questions be short and pointed, and such as may be answered in limited space. The questions will be numbered continuously.]
759. The Church and Christ
WILL you explain how “the symbols in brief in Revelation 12 are as follows: The woman is the church of God;” “the man child is Christ. Rev. 12:5.” (See present volume, page 165)—when Christ brought forth the church instead of the church bringing forth Christ. W. E. P.
Both are true. How was Christ David’s Son when David himself called Him Lord? See Matt. 22:41–45. Jesus Christ had an existence before He was born in Bethlehem. It was the King born in David’s line that the church, the daughter of Zion, was looking for. See Micah 4:10 to 5:3. The church of all ages has been begotten of God through His Son; but when that Son became man, He was, in the symbolic language of prophecy, brought forth by the church.
760. A Question of Authority.
Who and what authority ordained Wm. Miller and Mrs. E. G. White? P.
1. God, who called them to do His work, and witnessed to its fact in the souls saved. 2. As for the human side, William Miller was authorized by the Baptist Church, and Mrs. White by the Seventh-day Adventist. We do not know the names of the persons who ordained them.
761. Elijah or John the Baptist.
Was it Elijah, or John the Baptist, who appeared on the Mount of Transfiguration? C. E. W.
The Bible says it was Elijah. The transfiguration was a representation of the second coming of Christ in glory and the kingdom of God. Luke 9:26–30; 2 Peter 1:16–18. Elijah was there representative of that class who should be translated without seeing death.
762. The Turk out of Europe.
WHEN the Turk is driven out of Europe and makes Jerusalem his headquarters, does that take place at the sixth plague? INQUIRING SISTER.
The destruction of the Turkish power is evidently symbolized by the drying up of “the great river Euphrates,” under the sixth plague, foretold in Rev. 16:11, 12, but the prophecy says nothing of that power cumulating its waters into the city of Jerusalem.
“By which also He went and preached unto the spirits in prison.” Who?—“Christ.” Verse 18. By what?—By “the Spirit.” Through whom?—Through Noah, a “preacher of righteousness,” “the righteousness which is by faith.” 2 Peter 2:5; Heb. 11:7. When did He so preach by the Spirit through Noah?—“In the days of Noah, while the ark was a-preparing.” 1 Peter 3:20. What was the condition of these souls?—“Disobedient.” The Gospel was then and at other times preached to men that are now dead. 1 Peter 4:6. It does not mean that it is preached to dead men, but to men who were alive when the Gospel was preached to them, but who are now dead.
764. Fulfilling of Prophecy.
HOW MANY prophecies are yet unfulfilled, or are there any?
There are many; we could not undertake to name them. Many of the prophecies reach over into the eternal state, and eternity alone will fulfil them. There are prophecies yet to be fulfilled this side of the close of probation, such as the closing work of the message (Rev. 18:1–4); and of the powers of earth (Rev. 13:11–18; and chapters 16 and 17).
“Enquire and make search, and ask diligently.”
“THE ANGEL OF THE LORD ENCAMPETH.”
By T.
“THE angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear Him, and delivereth them.” Ps. 34:7. How good are these words! It is the Lord’s own promise, and He fulfils it. Did you know of this promise? If not, you know it now. Turn to your own Bible and read it there for yourself. Now that you know that God has given us such a wonderful promise, do you know by actual experience that it is really true? You may never have seen this angel with your literal eyes, but still you may know that he is with you all the time.
“The angel of the Lord encampeth round about.” He does not take up a permanent abode, from which he can visit you every hour or so. No, that would not do. The wily enemy might overthrow you again and again if the angel was not there all the time. So the heavenly messenger just “camps.” He is ever “round about” you. He is a faithful sentinel, on duty all the time. Do you believe this? It is God’s promise, then why doubt it for a moment?
And “delivereth” them. What a blessed assurance! He not only “encampeth,” but he “delivereth.” The world is in a terrible turmoil. Storm and tempest, the bold and cruel murder, the alarm of war, and a whole train of evils are arising in our day, and naturally they would fill us with dread. Did you know that the “angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear Him, and delivereth them”? Neither calamities by sea or land, nor armies and navies, yea, nothing that can be devised by Satan’s greatest cunning, will terrify the soul that knows this great promise of the Lord.
But you say, “O, if only I could surely know this!” Well, dear friend, you may know it. Just believe that the “angel of the Lord encampeth round about” you to “deliver” you from that bad habit, from that ugly temper, and from all the rest of the sins that you are constantly guilty of. When you are tempted to do wrong, just say to yourself, “The angel of the Lord” is here. Call upon him to deliver you. And every single time that your faith lays hold of that promise, you will realize that the deliverance has come. And knowing the truth of the promise by a daily experience of this deliverance from sin, you will never have any dread of the robber, the murderer, the storm, or anything else that would do you bodily harm.
Just try God’s promises and you will learn from experience that they are true. T.
Church Membership and Sanctified Life
THE Christian Work wishes that it might be realized “that the church-membership needs the preaching of a saving Gospel just as much as outside sinners do. Assuredly, it does need it. We do not know what is seen by the eye of Omniscience, as He scans the membership of the churches. But we do know that church-membership and a sanctified life are not interchangeable terms.” And the Christian Work quotes two “noted evangelists” as saying: “Not one church-member in ten will ever get to heaven;” and “only one church-member in seven is a genuine Christian.” Read in connection with these utterances, the Lord’s predictions of these times in Matt. 24:12; 2 Tim. 3:1-5.
A NEW DEMAND FOR MONEY.
By W. N. G.
If the controversy between the United States and Spain should stop right now, without a blow being struck, it would still be a very expensive incident. The money already appropriated is only a kind of first instalment. When the war spirit is once aroused in a people, it does not down all at once. The army and navy, and a majority of the present Congress—to say nothing of the State Legislatures and the masses of the people—are becoming strongly imbued with the European idea of competing with other nations in great military preparations.
As a nation the people of the United States have always had a tendency to boast of their military prowess, and seem to feel that no foreign nation would dare to attack them. But when an emergency arose, it was soon made apparent that the government barely rated in naval preparation with one of the well-nigh obsolete nations of the Old World. It was also made apparent that, compared with other great nations, our coasts were decidedly vulnerable, and neither army nor navy in any sort of condition for a sudden altercation.
This condition of things has been a source of humiliation to the pride of our would-be military classes, and especially to our naval pretensions. And now has come the reaction; war or no war, the war spirit must needs have vent in some direction; if in no other way, it will be in the lavish expenditure of money in preparation for future emergencies. The work of building war vessels, of manufacturing great guns, of erecting fortifications, of piling up stores of destructive missiles, etc., will go on.
Already large appropriations are asked for building up the naval academy at Annapolis, and putting it in condition as a first-class, up-to-date naval school. It is claimed, and perhaps correctly, that naval cadets can not now be trained there for handling the modern war vessels. One congressman says: “There was a time, in the days of old wooden ships, when the cadet at Annapolis could prepare himself for the duties connected with the naval service by acquiring knowledge merely of navigation and the handling of a few of the old-time guns. To-day the man who goes upon one of our war vessels must be an expert in every line of scientific knowledge.” It is estimated that not less than $6,000,000 will be necessary to reconstruct the institution; and this, as usual, will be a mere bagatelle as compared with the actual cost.
The same principle prevails in the matter of keeping up the army. But this feature of the prospective expense which the people will have to bear is not confined to the regular army. The war spirit now aroused must be gratified in the States also. The State militia, or National Guard, as the home military forces are now generally designated, are making fresh demands in the way of outfits in general that will add enormously to the general expense. And all these combined demands will have to be met to please the would-be military heroes, and cater to the martial spirit that has now received a new impetus. The politicians understand the trend of the times, and they will be slow, even if conviction so incline them, to stand in the way of the popular military wave.
Even the children are being reared to partake of this spirit of tinsel glory. They are taught it in the public school, in the Sunday-school, and in the home. Moreover, the popular ministers emphasize it in flights of oratory in the pulpit. From almost every quarter the spirit of military emulation has received an impulse from this Cuban incident that will cost the people millions and millions of dollars every year from this time forth, even if Spain and the United States should bury the hatchet before their navies come in sight of each other.
And all this prospective expense is in face of the fact that we profess to be a “Christian nation;” in face of the fact that “the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.” Men are just now being awakened to this latter fact, and the adversary of souls has very artfully raised the war cry to turn their minds in a different channel. He would fain draw their attention to the glittering honors of worldly military renown, and cause them to spend their money in the unholy work of destroying men’s lives, instead of the preparation for the coming King to set up His everlasting kingdom. “Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labor for that which satisfieth not!” W. N. G.
THIS TIME OF PEACE.
By T.
Much has been spoken and written in these days about the peace that the world is destined to enjoy. Religious papers and the various pulpits of the land have been special champions of this doctrine of peace. And why should not the Christian minister and the religious press stand staunchly for pacific principles? For do they not profess to be representatives of the Prince of Peace? And all who are such in fact and not merely in name will ever raise their voices against the brutalities of war.
But it is sad to note that so many of these who so loudly proclaimed peace when there was no special provocation for war, are now joining in the clamor for vengeance on Spain. There is nothing that seems more out of harmony with his work and what should be his character, than for a minister of the Gospel of Christ to use his pulpit or his church paper as a channel through which to encourage the use of the sword and cannon. And yet how many ministers are now the foremost ones in calling for war!
How hollow is this delusion that war is a thing of the past! When even the professed minister of Christ does not restrain his bellicose feelings, but contradicts the precepts of his Master, where is the evidence that war is no more? It is well to consider these things. God’s Word tells us plainly of a time when “peace, peace” is talked, but the Lord says of the same that “there is no peace.”
Great issues are summed up in these things that are taking place about us to-day. Are you studying the Bible to see what they portend? T.
FLOCKING TO THE CITIES.
By T.
The following figures taken from the Scientific American Supplement of April 9, may be studied with profit:— “While the population of Europe, which was estimated at 175,000,000 in the beginning of the century, rose to 216,000,000 in 1830, 300,000,000 in 1870, and is now nearly 370,000,000, there has been a still more remarkable increase in the number of towns with over 100,000 inhabitants. There were only 21 of these in 1801 (with 4,500,000 inhabitants), 42 in 1850, 70 in 1870 (with 20,000,000 inhabitants), and 121 in 1896 (with about 37,000,000 inhabitants). In 1801 France had three towns with over 100,000 inhabitants, while England and Germany had two each; but in 1870 the figures were: England, 18; Germany, 10, and France, 9, while in 1896 they stood: England, 30; Germany, 28, and France, 10.”
The people are flocking to the towns and cities. They say they can get better wages in the city than by following agriculture. But when times become hard and the factories close, then there is no work at all for those who have thus deserted the farm for the “better wages,” as they supposed. Then follows the suffering incident to being out of work and cooped up in town, where it is impossible to till the soil and raise food supplies.
In the troublous times that we have entered and that promise to get worse and worse, but few realize what terrible riots will be inaugurated by these persons who are herding in multitudes in the cities, and without any permanent means of support. Where it is possible to do so at all, migrate to the country. The atmosphere, both physical and moral, is better, and painstaking tho pleasurable effort will at least give you a good living from cultivating the soil. Husbandry is the natural pursuit of mankind; anyway. T.
A TRULY CHRISTIAN CAPTAIN.
The following is from the Army and Navy of March 26:—
“There is a case on record of an officer resigning his commission on account of religious convictions against ‘blood-guiltiness.’ In January, 1825, Captain Thomas Thrush, R. N., an officer who had seen service in the great war and served afloat as a commander in that period, from 1806-9, in charge of H. M. S. Avon on the Jamaica station, resigned his commission ‘on the ground of the unlawfulness of war,’ at the same time publishing the fact and his views in a pamphlet entitled ‘A Letter to the King.’”
When Captain Thrush was serving in the war, he may have professed Christianity, and boasted that he belonged to a “Christian nation.” But when the real and not the professed Christianity takes possession of the man, his conscience arouses him to the enormity of the sin of “blood-guiltiness.” He no longer looks upon the words of Christ, his Master, as something that can be interpreted into meaningless phrases. He hears and respectfully and literally obeys the divine instruction, “Put up again thy sword into his place; for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.” Matt. 26: 52.
STORM AND FLOOD.
By T.
No year passes now without its record of storms and floods. The Ohio River breaking over its embankments and submerging the village of Shawneetown, Illinois, is an incident the like of which now occurs every year in some part of the Ohio or the Mississippi Valley.
Cyclones and hurricanes are very common, and are no longer confined to any particular part of the country or season of the year. Our grandfathers took us on their knees and very confidently assured us that earthquakes were confined to the seacoast. We can not give the same assurances to our children to-day, when their anxious and startled inquiries desire from us an explanation of all these disturbances in nature.
This increase of storm and flood, earthquake and tidal wave, means something. Has it ever occurred to you that the answer is in the Word of God? Search and see what you will find. T.
