Earlier text: Encyclical Letter of Pope Leo XIIIThe Missionary.
By W. C. White
ONE week after the close of the missionary council in Basel, we went to Copenhagen, Denmark. Here we met Elder Matteson, who for some months has resided in this city, where he expects to labor during the winter. There are already a dozen or more in Copenhagen who are keeping the Sabbath. Some of these can do good work as colporters, and in holding Bible-readings from house to house, if they will devote themselves to the work. Copenhagen is a proud and beautiful city, one of the most beautiful we have seen; but its people are very indifferent to religious matters. The pursuit of wealth and pleasure engrosses their attention. Atheism is popular. Eating and drinking, dancing and merry-making, are the subjects of thought and conversation. Attendance at the churches is small, except on the occasion of some pompous ceremony. In such places we cannot expect large congregations to come and listen to unpopular truths; and if the message of warning is given to these people, it must be carried to their homes. A few of our people came in from the adjacent churches, so that on Sabbath and Sunday there were about fifty Sabbath-keepers assembled. Elder Matteson spoke twice, and held several Bible-readings; and mother spoke twice to our people, and Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday evenings to congregations of about two hundred. At Stockholm, Sweden, there is much more interest in religion. The churches are more generally attended, and there is a more general interest to investigate the prophecies and Scripture doctrines. As the result of Elder Matteson's labors and some colporter work, there is a church of seventy members in Stockholm. This church seemed to prize very highly the privileges afforded by the meetings. Their hall, which had seats for some over two hundred, was crowded every evening. Every foot of standing room was occupied. We believe that there are many souls in Stockholm who will yet obey the truth. Elder Matteson intends to return there in March to hold another series of meetings, and to instruct the members of the church how to hold Bible-readings and how to labor for others. From Stockholm we went to Grythyttehed, a small country place where Elder Rosqvist labored for a long time, and where he was arrested at the instance of the priest, examined, and forbidden to preach in Sweden. Here is one of the oldest companies of Sabbath-keepers in Sweden. They number about sixty. Here, too, the greatest interest was manifested in the meetings. We saw in this company several brethren who we believe could do good work as colporters and missionaries. We think that Sweden is one of the best fields in Europe for missionary labor. On our way from Grythyttehed to Christiania, we stopped two days at Örebro, where there is a small company of Sabbath-keepers. This is a place of fourteen thousand people, and is one of the oldest cities in Sweden. Here we visited the prison where Elder Rosqvist was imprisoned for preaching after being forbidden by the authorities. Two evening meetings were held here, but the room used was so small that only one hundred could attend. Friday morning, October 30, we reached Christiania, Norway, and were met at the train by Brother L. Hansen and Elder A. B. Oyen, and we were soon at the home of Brother Oyen, where the household language was our own familiar English. At Christiania we have a church of one hundred and twenty members, and here is located our Scandinavian publishing house. The mission printing-house and meeting-hall is now nearly completed. It is built of brick, two stories, with high basement, about forty by sixty-five feet in size. The basement and first floor will be used for the publishing work, and the meeting hall above will seat a congregation of four to five hundred. Brother H. W. Kellogg is now at work putting in the engine, boilers, and heating apparatus, and it is hoped that both the meeting-hall and the printing department will be ready for use in January. Part of the old building which Elder Matteson bought six years ago, and in which were the printing-office and meeting-hall, having been torn down to give place to the new building, we had no hall of our own that was suitable for meetings. But the Good Templars very kindly gave the free use of their hall, which would seat over three hundred. This is the oldest and largest church of Sabbath-keepers in Scandinavia, and we were glad to see a well-organized and efficient Sabbath-school. Although we could not understand the recitations, we could see that some had given earnest and profitable study to the lessons. We believe that much would be gained by the more perfect organization of the Sabbath-schools in our small churches in Scandinavia. About two hundred attended the meeting Sabbath forenoon, and in the afternoon about one hundred assembled to celebrate the ordinances of the Lord's house. A large hall had been hired for Sunday forenoon, where mother addressed an attentive congregation of about twelve hundred. Tuesday we went to Drammen, a city of several thousand inhabitants, about thirty miles from Christiania, where there is a church of twenty members. Here, as in all the cities of Scandinavia, it was difficult to secure a good hall. But the best in the place was secured, a dance hall about thirty-six by eighty feet in size, with a narrow gallery on each side and a huge stove in each end. There was no pulpit, nor place for one. But something must be provided, and that without delay; so we brought six beer tables from an adjoining room, and with them made a platform. A square carpet was thrown over this platform, and another table set on top for light-stand and pulpit, and with chairs and stools steps were made to this platform. We doubt if the dance hall or the beer tables were ever put to so good use before. The people came, and filled the seats, the gallery, and all the standing room, and listened with the best of attention while mother spoke of the love of Christ and his life of sacrifice. Wednesday and Friday evenings another hall was secured in Christiania, and mother spoke to about five hundred each evening. On Friday a request was made by the president of the temperance society that she should speak on the subject of temperance, in the Soldiers' Military Gymnasium, the largest hall in the city. At the time appointed, there were about sixteen hundred assembled. From the secretary's opening remarks it was evident that they expected a regular campaign address, full of statistics and stories about the crusade; but when they saw that the matter was to be argued from a Bible standpoint, they were at first astonished, then interested, and finally deeply moved, as fathers and mothers were appealed to to educate their children to overcome temptation and thus secure the overcomer's reward. At the close of the address, Dr. Nisson, president of the society, made a few pointed remarks, calling attention to the fact that the great prosperity of the temperance movement in America was due to the fact that it was supported by religious zeal and Bible truth. He appealed most earnestly to parents to act upon the matter of training their children to temperate habits. Each evening of the following week was devoted to meetings with the Christiania church. These meetings were seasons of deep interest. Some who had become backslidden and discouraged renewed their vows to keep all of God's commandments. In all these meetings in Scandinavia, as in Switzerland, mother's sermons were spoken in English, and translated, sentence by sentence, into the language of the people. And although this is hard work for the speaker, yet the interest of the hearers was sufficient encouragement, it being equal to that of any congregation we have seen in America. On some occasions, hundreds who could not find seats would stand for an hour without any sign of weariness. From Christiania I came to America to attend the General Conference, and November 16 mother and Sister McEnterfer, who accompanied her on this Scandinavian trip, returned with Brother H. W. Kellogg to Basel, where they arrived safely November 17.
Battle Creek, Mich. W. C. WHITE. The date of the events connected with this lesson is about 607 B. C. Jehoikim was king of Judah, having been made king by Pharaoh-Necho, king of Egypt. About 610 Necho had gone out against the king of Assyria; but he went no farther than the River Euphrates, being delayed there by the siege of Carchemish. As he was on his way toward the Euphrates, Josiah, king of Judah, went out to stay him. Necho tried to persuade him to let him pass unmolested, as he was not the one against whom Necho was going. Josiah would not listen, but persisted in his resistance to Necho, and a battle was brought on, in which Josiah was killed, and thus perished the last good king, and the last stay, of the nation of Judah. “And Jeremiah lamented for Josiah.” By the death of Josiah, the nation of Judah fell into the power of Pharaoh-Necho, and when the people of the land made Josiah’s son, Jehoahaz, king in his father’s stead, he was suffered to reign only three months, when Necho “put him in bands at Riblah,” and made Eliakim, another son of Josiah’s king, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. Shortly after he began to reign, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came to Carchemish, and defeated Pharaoh-Necho’s army, and drove him back to his own country. “And the king of Egypt came not again any more out of his land; for the king of Babylon had taken from the river of Egypt unto the River Euphrates, all that pertained to the king of Egypt.” A. T. J
By Alonzo Trevier Jones
This lesson is of just as much importance to us as it was to the men of Jerusalem; because Paul in writing specially of this time says that the people’s ears will be turned away from the truth, and turned unto fables—made-up stories, the sayings of men, the traditions of our fathers—and in view of this it was that he gave that solemn charge to the ministry: “I charge thee before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom: Preach the word.” 2 Tim. 4: 1-4. There is a disposition in man11to follow the precepts and example of men, rather than to obey the word of God. For the reason, no doubt, that the precepts of men are not so straight as are those of God; for not all the precepts of men are as righteous as this one of Jonadab, that his people should drink no wine. The precepts of Mahomet are obeyed by thousands where there is one to obey the precepts of Christ. The doctrines of the papacy are honored likewise by thousands where there is one who will follow faithfully the word of God. Los Angeles and Santa Barbara, Cal.
By H. A. St. John
BECAUSE of sickness and the long, heavy rain, I was able to hold but few meetings in Los Angeles, although detained there more than three weeks. At Santa Barbara I found that some who had signed the covenant, had apostatized; but the majority were holding on, and manifestly growing in grace and knowledge. The subjects considered in our meetings were the troublous times coming and the needful preparation, duty to each other, tithing, spiritual gifts, etc. The good Spirit of the Lord was in our meetings, and all seemed enlightened and much encouraged. We confidently expect that ere long an organization can be effected here. Progress from Present Ground
By Interior
The man who will make most progress into new realms is the one who can plant his foot firmest on his present ground. NOTES ON THE INTERNATIONAL LESSON.
THE Rechabites were of the people of the Kenites, and of the house of Rechab. The Kenites were the descendants of Moses’s father-in-law. When the children of Israel were in the wilderness, Moses’s father-in-law came with Moses’s wife and his two sons to visit him in the wilderness, shortly after they had left Egypt. After remaining a while with Moses, he departed, and "went his way into his own land." Ex. 28. But "Moses said unto Hobab, the son of Raguel the Midianite, Moses’s father-in-law, We are journeying unto the place of which the Lord said, I will give it you; come thou with us, and we will do thee good; for the Lord hath spoken good concerning Israel. And he said unto him, I will not go; but I will depart to mine own land, and to my kindred. And he said, Leave us not, I pray thee; forasmuch as thou knowest how we are to encamp in the wilderness, and thou mayst be to us instead of eyes. And it shall be, if thou go with us, yea, it shall be, that what goodness the Lord shall do unto us, the same will we do unto thee." Num. 10 : 29-32. By this Moses prevailed on Hobab to go with them; for when we come down to the book of Judges, we read: “And the children of the Kenite, Moses’s father-in-law, went up out of the city of palm trees with the children of Judah into the wilderness of Judah, which lieth in the south of Arad; and they went and dwelt among the people.” Judges 1: 16. In 1 Chron. 2: 55, we have the first mention of Rechab, the father of the Rechabites. “And the families of the scribes which dwelt at Jabez; the Tirathites, the Shimeathites, and Suchathites. These are the Kenites that came of Hemath, the father of the house of Rechab.” The next mention we have of any of the house of Rechab, is in 2 Kings 10: 15, 23. When Jehu was on his way to execute judgment on the house of Ahab, “he lighted on Jehonadab the son of Rechab coming to meet him; and he saluted him, and said to him, Is thine heart right, as my heart is with thy heart? And Jehonadab answered, It is. If it be, give me thine hand. And he gave him his hand; and he took him up to him into the chariot.” After this there is no more mention of any of the house of Rechab till this time which is the subject of the lesson for to-day,—a period of about two hundred and seventy-seven years,—but here we find that this Jehonadab who accompanied Jehu was the one who had given the directions which the Rechabites had observed all these years, which the Lord adopts as the means of teaching an important lesson to his people. The Lesson of the Rechabites
At this time, wickedness was rife in Jerusalem, and Jehoiakim showed no disposition to check it. “He did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord.” And when the Lord sent him a message direct by the hand of Jeremiah, when Jehudi had read to him “three or four leaves, he cut it with the penknife, and cast it into the fire that was on the hearth, until all the roll was consumed in the fire that was on the hearth.” Jer. 36 : 23. Then the Lord said to him, “He shall have none to sit upon the throne of David; and his dead body shall be cast out in the day to the heat, and in the night to the frost.” It was to this man, and to a people who were scarcely better than he, to whom the Lord sent the lesson that forms the subject of our lesson to-day. When Nebuchadnezzar had come over the Euphrates against Pharaoh-Necho, the Rechabites had bundled up their tents and equipage, and had gone into Jerusalem for fear of the Chaldean army. The Lord told Jeremiah to go to the house of the Rechabites, and bring them into the house of the Lord, and set wine before them to drink. Jeremiah did so. The Rechabites’ Obedience
“But they said, We will drink no wine; for Jonadab the son of Rechab our father commanded us, saying, Ye shall drink no wine, neither ye nor your sons forever; neither shall ye build house, nor sow seed, nor plant vineyard, nor have any; but all your days ye shall dwell in tents. . . . Thus have we obeyed the voice of Jonadab the son of Rechab our father in all that he hath charged us, to drink no wine all our days, we, our wives, our sons, nor our daughters, . . . and have obeyed, and done according to all that Jonadab our father commanded us.” Obedience and Disobedience
“THEN came the word of the Lord unto Jeremiah, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Go and tell the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, Will ye not receive instruction to hearken to my words? saith the Lord. The words of Jonadab the son of Rechab, that he commanded his sons not to drink wine, are performed; for unto this day they drink none, but obey their father’s commandment; notwithstanding I have spoken unto you, rising early and speaking; but ye hearkened not unto me. . . . Because the sons of Jonadab the son of Rechab have performed the commandment of their father, which he commanded them; but this people hath not hearkened unto me; therefore thus saith the Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will bring upon Judah and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the evil that I have pronounced against them; because I have spoken unto them, but they have not heard; and I have called unto them, but they have not answered.” The Furniture of the Sanctuary.
(Lesson for Sabbath, Jan. 16.) 1. AFTER the general instruction in regard to building the sanctuary, what seems to have been the first article of its furniture that Moses was instructed to make? "And they shall make an ark of shittim wood; two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof." Ex. 25:10. 2. Where was this ark placed? "And thou shalt put the mercy seat upon the ark of the testimony in the most holy place." Ex. 26:34. 3. Describe the mercy seat, and give its position. "And thou shalt make a mercy seat of pure gold; two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof. And thou shalt make two cherubim of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat. . . . And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee." Ex. 25:17-21. 4. What was the testimony? "And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon Mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God." Ex. 31:18. 5. What was written upon these tables? "And the Lord spake unto you; . . . and he declared unto you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even ten commandments; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone." Deut. 4:12, 13. 6. Where was this testimony placed? "And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee." Ex. 25:21. 7. Where was the altar of incense placed? "And thou shalt put it before the vail that is by the ark of the testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the testimony, where I will meet with thee." Ex. 30:6. 8. For what was this altar used? "And Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense every morning; when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn incense upon it. And when Aaron lighteth the lamps at even, he shall burn incense upon it, a perpetual incense before the Lord throughout your generations." Ex. 30:7, 8. 9. What were the people doing without while the priests were burning incense within the sanctuary? "And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense." Luke 1:10. 10. What beautiful allusion does David make to this service? "Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice." Ps. 141:2. 11. What other articles of furniture did the first apartment, or holy place, contain? "Thou shalt also make a table of shittim wood; two cubits shall be the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof." "And thou shalt make a candlestick of pure gold; of beaten work shall the candlestick be made; his shaft, and his branches, his bowls, his knops, and his flowers shall be of the same." Ex. 25:23, 31. 12. For what was the table used? "And thou shalt set upon the table showbread before me always." Ex. 25:30. 13. How did Moses know how to make all these things? "And look that thou make them after their pattern, which was showed thee in the mount." Ex. 25:40. 14. Of what was this sanctuary a pattern, or figure? "For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into Heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us." Heb. 9:24. 15. Why was this structure erected? "And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them." Ex. 25:8. 16. How was God's presence manifested in this sanctuary? "And the Lord said unto Moses, Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not at all times into the holy place within the vail before the mercy seat, which is upon the ark; that he die not; for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat." Lev. 16:2. 17. What place in the sanctuary did God especially choose where he would thus manifest himself? "And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel." Ex. 25:22. 18. Did he ever meet with them in the first apartment? "This shall be a continual burnt-offering throughout your generations at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the Lord, where I will meet you, to speak there unto thee. And there I will meet with the children of Israel, and the tabernacle shall be sanctified by my glory." Ex. 29:42, 43. "Written for our Learning."
By Alonzo T. Jones
THE apostle says that "whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning." We may draw a very useful lesson from the case of the Rechabites, who were commendably tenacious of the commandment of their father. There is always a disposition in man to do as his ancestors did, without ever inquiring whether it is right or wrong. If among professed Christians there was the readiness to obey strictly what the word of God commands that there is to be content with barely doing what our fathers did, or what is enjoined by tradition and the precepts of men, it would be only a little while till the earth would be full of the glory of God. God commands that we shall be baptized, but the majority of professed Christians are willing to do almost anything in the world but to render faithful obedience to the word. The Lord commands that men shall do no work on the seventh day, but the great majority of professed Christians are willing to do anything at all but to obey the plain commandment of God in this matter. In honor of a wholly man-made institution, they are willing to do all that would be required by the Lord in honor of his own Heaven-born institution. This choice has been made, and is being made, by thousands as the days go by. If there were about this man-made institution the merit of the precept of Jonadab, there might be some shadow of excuse, but about this there is no one redeeming quality; it is wholly iniquitous, erected in defiance of the commandment of God. And the children of Jonadab, the son of Rechab, will arise in the Judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they obeyed the commandment of their father, and these will not obey the plain commandment of God. The Lord has given his commandments, precept upon precept, and line upon line; he now sends a message to all nations saying with a loud voice, "If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation. . . . Here is the patience of the saints; here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus." Rev. 14: 9-12. How many of the people of our day are going to be condemned by "the faithful Rechabites," as were the people of Jerusalem of old? How many will still refuse to obey the commandments of God? And upon how many in our day will come all the evil that the Lord has pronounced, "because I have spoken unto them, but they have not heard; and I have called unto them, but they have not answered"? "Examine yourselves whether ye be in the faith." Truth and Error
By Charles Neil
By all means, let narrow and partial views of truth be discarded; let wrong interpretations of Scripture be resolutely put aside. But let us take care that we do not throw away the gold in our zeal to remove the dross.—Charles Neil. Excuses to God
By Congregationalist
We do not need to make excuses to God; for he knows everything; and commonly it is not worth while to make them to our fellow-men. THE SANCTUARY, ITS SERVICE, ETC.
(Lesson for Sabbath, Jan. 9.) 1. WHAT command did the Lord give Moses in Ex. 25:8? 2. Did Moses have it in his heart to do such a work as this? Ex. 15:2. 3. Why did the Lord desire a sanctuary built? 4. What is the meaning of sanctuary? A sacred place; a consecrated spot; a holy, inviolable site.—Webster. 5. What method of instruction did the Lord use in teaching Moses how to make the sanctuary? Ex. 25:9, 40. 6. Name the materials used in its construction. Verses 3-7. 7. How were these materials to be furnished? Verse 2. 8. From whom were these offerings to be accepted? 9. How did the people respond to the call? Ex. 36:5-7. 10. How does God regard such a spirit in this dispensation? 2 Cor. 9:7. 11. Who did the Lord say should perform the work of making this structure? Ex. 35:10. 12. Whom did he especially call by name? Ex. 31:1-6. 13. What other qualification did these men possess besides being skillful workmen? Ex. 35:34. 15. Describe the roof, or coverings, of the sanctuary. Ex. 26:1-14. 17. What work corresponding to this was seen in the temple built by Solomon? 1 Kings 6:29. 19. What were these two apartments called? Ex. 26:33. 21. How does the apostle Paul speak of this vail? Heb. 9:3. 22. What purpose did the first vail serve? Ex. 26:36. "The Lord send thee help from the sanctuary."