Earlier text: Important PublicationsSunday-Breakers as Traitors
In a recent sermon at Lansing, Mich., an Episcopal clergyman, according to the press report, branded as traitors those who neglect to observe Sunday. The following paragraph is from an abstract of the sermon printed in the Lansing Republican of May 25:— Rev. Hicks appealed not to the religious sentiment of his parishioners so much as to the patriotic sentiment, believing that the observance of Sunday is essential to a nation's life and prosperity. . . . The great nations of the world have been Sunday-observing nations, and no nation, Rev. Hicks stated, can disregard the day without inviting the same consequences as those of the French Revolution. A person by neglecting to observe the sabbath day, Rev. Hicks believes, is a traitor to his country. Sunday has often been called “the American Sabbath,” and “a national institution,” and on that basis it may seem appropriate to appeal to the spirit of patriotism in order to secure its observance. It is certainly useless to appeal to the Bible, as Sunday is not the Sabbath of the Bible, and there is no authority in that book for its observance. There is, however, great significance in the suggestion that those who do not keep Sunday are traitors. It implies a state religion with Sunday-keeping as the mark of loyalty, and the death penalty to be inflicted upon those who refuse to acknowledge the sovereignty of the state in the realm of conscience. Thus it was in ancient Babylon, when the three worthies were consigned to the burning fiery furnace. Thus it was under Darius the Median, when Daniel was cast to the lions. Thus it may be in this country; for John, the Revelator, saw concerning the two-horned beast (the symbol of the United States) that “he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.” Jesus was condemned on the ground that his teaching did not tend to preserve the nation, and the followers of Jesus may be condemned in this day for a similar reason; but woe to the nation when this is done. What the Word of God Is to Us
By Ellen G. White
God has given us his Word as a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. Its teachings have a vital bearing on our prosperity in all the relations of life. Even in our temporal affairs it will be a wiser guide than any other counselor. Its divine instruction is the only way to success. There is no social position, no phase of human experience, for which the study of the Bible is not an essential preparation. The Bible is the great standard of right and wrong, clearly defining sin and holiness. Its living principles, running through our lives like threads of gold, are our only safeguard in trial and temptation. The Bible is a chart, showing us the waymarks of truth. Those who are acquainted with this chart will be enabled to tread with certainty in the path of duty, wherever they may be called to go. The Bible contains a simple and complete system of theology and philosophy. It is the book that makes us wise unto salvation. It tells us how to reach the abode of eternal happiness. It tells us of the love of God as shown in the plan of redemption, imparting the knowledge essential for all,—the knowledge of Christ. He is the Sent of God; he is the Author of our salvation. But apart from the Word of God, we could have no knowledge that such a person as the Lord Jesus ever visited our world, nor any knowledge of his divinity, as indicated by his previous existence with the Father. The Bible is not written for the scholar alone; on the contrary, it was designed for the common people. The great truths necessary for our salvation are made as clear as noonday, and none will mistake and lose their way except those who follow their own judgment instead of the plainly revealed will of God. The Word of God strikes at every wrong trait of character, molding the whole man, internally and externally, abasing his pride and self-exaltation, leading him to bring the spirit of Christ into the smaller as well as the larger duties of life. It teaches him to be unswerving in his allegiance to justice and purity, and at the same time always to be kind and compassionate. The appreciation of the Bible grows with its study. Whichever way the student may turn, he will find displayed the infinite wisdom and love of God. To him who is truly converted, the Word of God is the joy and consolation of the life. The Spirit of God speaks to him, and his heart becomes like a watered garden. A Strengthener of the Intellect
There is nothing more calculated to strengthen the intellect than a study of the Bible. No other book is so potent to elevate the thoughts, to give vigor to the faculties, as the broad, ennobling truths of the Bible. If God's Word were studied as it should be, men would have a breadth of mind, a nobility of character, that is rarely seen in these times. No knowledge is so firm, so consistent, so far-reaching, as that obtained from a study of the Word of God. If there were not another book in the wide world, the Word of God, lived out through the grace of Christ, would make man perfect in this world, with a character fitted for the future, immortal life. Those who study the Word, taking it in faith as the truth, and receiving it into the character, will be complete in him who is all in all. Thank God for the possibilities set before humanity. “Whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.” “Meditate upon these things: give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.” “For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away; but the word of the Lord endureth forever.” The time devoted to a study of God's Word and to prayer will bring a hundredfold return. The Word of God is the living seed, and as this seed is sown in the mind, the human agent must give diligent care to the successive stages of its growth. How is this to be done?—After the Word has been prayerfully received, it is to be cherished, and practised in the daily life. It is to spring up and bear fruit, putting forth first the blade, then the ear, then the full corn in the ear. It is not enough to study the Bible as other books are studied. In order for it to be understood savingly, the Holy Spirit must move on the heart of the searcher. The same Spirit that inspired the Word must inspire the reader of the Word. Then will be heard the voice of heaven. “Thy Word, O God, is truth,” will be the language of the soul. The mere reading of the Word will not accomplish the result designed of heaven; it must be studied and cherished in the heart. The knowledge of God is not gained without mental effort. We should diligently study the Bible, asking God for the aid of the Holy Spirit, that we may understand his Word. We should take one verse, and concentrate the mind on the task of ascertaining the thought which God has put in that verse for us. We should dwell on the thought till it becomes our own, and we know “what saith the Lord.” There is but little benefit derived from a hasty reading of the Scriptures. One may read the Bible through, and yet fail to see its beauty, or to comprehend its deep and hidden meaning. One passage studied until its significance is clear to the mind, and its relation to the plan of salvation is evident, is of more value than the perusal of many chapters with no definite purpose in view, and no positive instruction gained. Keep your Bible with you. As you have opportunity, read it; fix the texts in your memory. Even while you are walking the streets, you may read a passage, and meditate upon it, thus fixing it in mind. The life of Christ, that gives life to the world, is in his Word. It was by his word that Jesus healed disease and cast out demons; by his word he stilled the sea, and raised the dead; and the people bore witness that his word was with power. He spoke the word of God, as he had spoken to all the prophets and teachers of the Old Testament. The whole Bible is a manifestation of Christ. It is our source of power. As our physical life is sustained by food, so our spiritual life is sustained by the Word of God. And every soul is to receive life from God's Word for himself. As we must eat for ourselves in order to receive nourishment, so we must receive the Word for ourselves.9 We are not to obtain it merely through the medium of another mind. Yes, the Word of God is the bread of life. Those who eat and digest this Word, making it a part of every action and of every attribute of character, grow strong in the strength of God. It gives immortal vigor to the soul, perfecting the experience, and bringing joys that will abide forever. Thou Sun of Righteousness
By WORTHIE HARRIS HOLDEN
JESUS, the Christ,— thou Light of all the
world,
Enshrouding all who breathe the breath
of life,
Illuminating every mind to know
Of right and wrong, which was by
nature blind,—
Thy radiance floods our souls, and yet
so still
We scarcely sense its coming and its
power,
Just as the dawn that shineth more and
more
Until the perfect day. And like the sun
That shineth o’er our world, thou dost
delight
The souls of men,— the simple and the
wise,—
For all may joy alike who share thy
light,
And bask within the sunshine of thy
love. Yet to the soul who yearns to know the
depths
Of knowledge hid therein, thy Word
unfolds
Through its prismatic crystals more and
more
Its varied beauty. Ne’er can we discern
Its heights and depths, nor fathom nor
explore. Immanuel, we glory in thy light,
And glorying are glorified thereby. Full brightness of the glory of our God
We can not now endure, but in thy
courts,
Wherein the Lamb shall be the light
thereof,
There we shall dwell in its effulgent day.
Darkness and sin fore’er shall flee away.
Though now we dim behold, as through
a glass,
We then shall see his face, and know
his will
Even as we are known,— and dwell for
aye
Within the splendor of eternal day. Thanksgiving
By G. B. Thompson
THE Word admonishes us to give “thanks always for all things . . . in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father.” Eph. 5:20, A. R. V. We are here exhorted to live in such a frame of mind that from the heart there will be continually springing up thanksgiving to God. Not much room given for murmuring, complaining, faultfinding, backbiting, or gossiping. All these are to be put aside, and we are instead to give thanks “always.” But who does this?—Surely everybody ought to, and if we had anything like a true conception of our Father’s mercy and protection for us, we would do so. Yet many, even when they pray, fail to mingle any thanksgiving with their petitions,—always asking for something and giving no thanks for that which they are continually receiving. Surely this is supreme selfishness. And, further, we are to give thanks for “all things.” Mark the words, “All things.” Whether things go as I want them to, or think they should, I am to thank God just the same. It is altogether likely that if I saw as God sees, I would be thankful that I did not have my own way. When afflicted, or pressed with care, or perplexed, or despairing of success, if persecuted and apparently forsaken, or in danger, or delivered from all appearance of danger, in any and all the varied circumstances of life, “always,” and for “all things,” we are to thank God and be happy. When mocked, scoffed at, and lied about, we are not to get the blues, and seek revenge. All we have to do is to thank God that things are as good as they are, and be happy. What a different world this would be if all would heed this injunction! Of course we all, if Christians, give thanks at times. If we are in an earthquake, and escape the débris alive, we have a period of giving thanks. But why should we not be even more thankful if we escape the earthquake altogether? Yet we seldom think of this. We are on a railroad train, a terrible wreck occurs, and a score or more of our fellow passengers are maimed and killed. We escape, and are so thankful to our Heavenly Father for his merciful care. But we take a long journey in a train and escape a wreck altogether. Are we as thankful then as if we had been wrecked and barely escaped with life? Or are we more thankful when we are wrecked, than when we are not? If so, why so? We are aroused from a burning building at night, and barely escape before the structure collapses. We are very thankful for the care and deliverance of our Lord. But we sleep all night, being shielded wholly from fire during the night. Are we as thankful in the morning as if the house had been burned over our head, and we barely escaped? But should we not be? We are sick and recover. We feel thankful to the Great Physician for healing us. But many go for months in robust health, and fail to be thankful. Should we not be as thankful for escaping sickness altogether as we are when restored to health when sick? But are we? Let us learn to remember constantly that it is in Him that we “live, and move, and have our being;” that each moment that we live we have something for which to thank the Lord, that he hears our prayers and answers them, and we should therefore continually thank him for all his mercies. Shall we not be real Christians, and give thanks always for all things? Warming the Cities
By Clarence Santee
There is no branch of the work that has caused more perplexity than the problem of successfully warning the cities. There is no part that calls more loudly in its pressing need. To enforce what I would say in regard to city work, I will first give to you, in brief, some of the conditions that make the call most imperative that this matter be considered now. We were told years ago of the conditions that would prevail just before the close of this message, and how the restraining hand would be removed. Speaking of the different elements of destruction, the “Spirit of Prophecy,” Vol. I, pages 82-85, says:— “These wonderful exhibitions will be more numerous and terrible just before the second coming of Christ, and the end of the world, as signs of its speedy destruction.” “These fiery issues have been and will be his agents to blot out from the earth very wicked cities.” “Greater wonders than have yet been seen will be witnessed by those upon the earth a short period previous to the coming of Christ.” “In the day of the Lord, just before the coming of Christ, God will send lightnings from heaven in his wrath, which will unite with fire in the earth. The mountains will burn like a furnace, and will pour forth terrible streams of lava, destroying gardens and fields, villages and cities. . . . The earth will be convulsed, and there will be dreadful eruptions and earthquakes everywhere.” This was written more than fifty years ago. Coming down to six years ago, I read in “Testimonies for the Church,” Vol. VII, page 83: “The time is near when large cities will be visited by the judgments of God. In a little while, these cities will be terribly shaken. No matter how large or how strong their buildings, no matter how many safeguards against fire may have been provided, let God touch these buildings, and in a few minutes or a few hours they are in ruins. The ungodly cities of our world are to be swept away by the besom of destruction.” Some say that the Testimonies tell of things after they have come, but not before. But since that was written, six years ago, or more, men have witnessed its fulfillment in the shaking of cities, and their destruction by fire, in a manner that has never before been witnessed. The prophet Jeremiah says: “Thy way and thy doings have procured these things unto thee; this is thy wickedness, because it is bitter, because it reacheth unto thine heart.” “Destruction upon destruction is cried; for the whole land is spoiled; suddenly are my tents spoiled, and my curtains in a moment.” Jer. 4:18, 20. They have reached this point; and we see San Francisco, Valparaiso, and Kingston shaken down; while a city of thirty thousand at the foot of Mount Pelee was laid silent in death with one blast of the sulphurous vapors of the burning mountain. Many thousands who inhabited these cities, are now beyond reach of help. These things did not happen this way. The cities are ripe for the judgments of God. You will remember the article from the pen of the servant of the Lord in which this statement occurs: “The destroying angels are to-day executing their commission. Death will come in all places. This is why I am so anxious for our cities to be warned. There is a work to be done by canvassing in our cities that has not been done. . . . Now is our time to work.” If God would warn those living on the other side of the flood by Noah, Sodom by Lot, or Nineveh by Jonah, he will as surely warn the honest in these wicked cities in these last days. He has a way that it can be done. There must be faith in the breast of him who undertakes it. How can it be done the most quickly and successfully? Concerning the city work, we read, in “Testimonies for the Church,” Vol. VI, page 32: “The Lord has instructed us that the camp-meeting is one of the most important instrumentalities for the accomplishment of this work.” But this will accomplish little unless thorough house-to-house work is done. The best results follow when faithful house-to-house workers take a package of tracts inclosed in an envelope, and one of our missionary papers, and leave one at every house where they will be taken, giving out a paper, and saying that they will call and get the package unless, after reading, the person with whom it is left desires to keep it; if so, he can have it for five cents. The next week these workers should go over the same ground with the next issue of the paper, and a second package of tracts, taking up the first. People are not so likely to destroy the packages if they know that you will10 return for them. The third week do the same, and ask those who show interest if they would like to subscribe for the paper, at the same time giving them the third number, and calling attention to different articles. Sell packages of tracts when you can. Continue this work from week to week, broadening your route. Many will tell you that they do not desire reading after the first week; so take package No. 1, and go on with it to others, and take a new paper. One of the best Bible workers we have had in Texas has been using a club of Watchman for months. As soon as two or three workers have all they can visit of interested readers, place a tent in the locality, the workers going to all who have stood by them in reading, and inviting them to come and hear. Unless the Bible worker takes up the paper work, she will find it slow work warning the cities, as she can hold but from one to two readings a week with each person, taking months to give a short line of this truth, and reaching but few families. Giving readings, interesting the people, and getting permanent reading into their hands, will reach many more. Where a paper route has been successfully established, it will accomplish much good, but there are few who have the qualifications that make this permanent. Where we have persons who succeed here, they should feel that it is the work to which the Lord has called them, and should yield it for no other unless the call is unquestionable. I have found few who were successful in that alone. You may ask, Have you tried the plan you have marked out?—I have. Encouraged by the president of a conference several years ago to enter an ultra-Catholic city of sixty-eight thousand inhabitants, I took some young people, untrained, for house-to-house workers, and quite thoroughly tried this plan. In connection with the house-to-house work, we had a tent-meeting. Every house in that city, almost nine miles in length, was offered reading. Many took it. Twenty-nine accepted the truth that summer, seven the next winter, and fifteen more the next spring. It was largely those who accepted reading who came into the truth later. These young workers became canvassers and did not know it. They sold many books. We have left the paper work largely to the churches or to individuals. But I do not know any better way to use conference means than to supply the workers sent into our cities with our papers. I read in Vol. VIII, page 31, of the Testimonies these words: “Let not the fields lying in the shadows of our doors, such as the great cities in our land, be lightly passed over and neglected. These fields are fully as important as any foreign field. God’s encouraging message of mercy should be proclaimed in the cities of America.” In addition to our papers and tracts, different books treating on present truth should be placed in as many homes as possible. “Thoughts on Daniel and the Revelation” is a book that convicts if read. Scholars are attracted to it, and the uneducated find in it a key to open to their understanding the hard parts of the Bible. Our papers, tracts, and books must do the larger part in preparing the way in the cities; and the minister and Bible worker must watch and water the seed, and care for the tender plants. The Book of Daniel
By Editor
Character Revealed in Loyalty to Principle
But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the king's dainties, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. Now God made Daniel to find kindness and compassion in the sight of the prince of the eunuchs. And the prince of the eunuchs said unto Daniel, “I fear my lord the king, who hath appointed your food and your drink: for why should he see your faces worse looking than the youths that are of your own age? so would ye endanger my head with the king.” Then said Daniel to the steward whom the prince of the eunuchs had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: “Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink. Then let our countenances be looked upon before thee, and the countenance of the youths that eat of the king's dainties; and as thou seest, deal with thy servants.”
So he hearkened unto them in this matter, and proved them ten days. And at the end of ten days their countenances appeared fairer, and they were fatter in flesh, than all the youths that did eat of the king's dainties. So the steward took away their dainties, and the wine that they should drink, and gave them pulse. Dan. 1:8-16. As we now begin the study of the personal experiences of Daniel and his companions in Babylon, it may enable us to enter more fully into the spirit of the occasion, if we recall the circumstances surrounding these captives from Jerusalem. A great disaster had overtaken the Jewish nation. The army of a heathen king had been victorious at the very gates of Jerusalem, and Judah's king was now the vassal of a foreign prince. The explanation of this signal misfortune was found in the one word “transgression.” Led on by kings who had done evil in the sight of the Lord, the people had “transgressed the laws, violated the statutes, broken the everlasting covenant,” and they were now reaping the fruit of their doings. Their lack of devotion to principle, their failure to distinguish between the service of the Lord and “the service of the kingdoms of the countries,” and their refusal to be God's messengers to the nations,—their transgression of the revealed will of the King of heaven, flagrant and long continued,—had reduced their religion to forms and formularies, had transformed their temple service into an abomination, and had deprived them of that fellowship with God which was their glory and their protection. They first became the servants of sin, and then the servants of the king of Babylon. When the people by their evil course made Jerusalem as Babylon, the Lord permitted the king of Babylon to take control in Jerusalem. There were, however, exceptions to the general rule, and some were loyal to God and maintained their religious experience in the midst of the almost universal decline of true piety; but they were not sufficient in number to avert the national disaster and to save Jerusalem from destruction. The innocent suffered with the guilty in the general calamity, but they were honored as the messengers of the true God to the kingdom of Babylon. Among these faithful few, the only ones whose experiences are recorded in this book are Daniel and his companions. Hardly had these youth arrived in Babylon when their character and devotion to principle were tested. Having been selected for service in the royal palace, “the king appointed for them a daily portion of the king's dainties, and of the wine which he drank,” according to the usual custom under similar circumstances. To partake of this food and drink might mean transgression in three particulars:— The king's dainties might have been prepared from food which was in itself unclean according to the Levitical law: “This is the law of the beast, and of the bird, and of every living creature that moveth in the waters, and of every creature that creepeth upon the earth; to make a distinction between the unclean and the clean, and between the living thing that may be eaten and the living thing that may not be eaten.” By disregarding these provisions the people would “be defiled thereby.” Or eating of this food might have been regarded as an expression of sympathy with one form of idolatrous worship, as will be clear from the following quotation: “Among the heathen, before commencing a meal, the meat was first offered or dedicated to the Lares, or household gods, and a portion of the wine was poured out as a libation to the idols whom they adored. What we call ‘saying grace,’ or, to use a much more Christian phrase, ‘asking a blessing,’ was among them performed by offering a portion of the meat and a portion of the wine to the presiding divinities of their houses. The apostle Paul, in his epistle to the Corinthians, reasons thus upon the subject: ‘It is nothing to you, of course, that he has done so; but if he means to entrap you into an expression of sympathy with his idolatry, by eating of his food thus dedicated to an idol, then you must abstain from it.’ Daniel acted on this principle: and he preferred the pulse and water to the daintier cheer of the royal table; because he would rather have, what I trust you would rather have, the smiles of your God from heaven, than the patronage of the mightiest king that ever swayed a scepter upon the earth.” But in the third place, and doubtless as the most important consideration, the food prescribed by the king of Babylon was not such as a Christian should choose who desired to conform to the11 laws of life and to keep himself in the best condition for acceptable service. This reason has been well stated in these words: “Why did Daniel and his companions refuse to eat at the king's table? Why did they refuse his meats and wines?—Because they had been taught that this class of food would not keep the mind or the physical structure in the very best condition of health to do God's service. These youth urged most earnestly that the one who had charge of their food should not compel them to partake of the king's luxuries, or drink of his wine. They begged him to try them ten days only, and then examine them, and decide by their physical appearance whether their abstemious diet would be to their disadvantage. When they came in for examination, the result was decidedly in their favor. “It was otherwise with the youth who had eaten of the luxuries of the king's table, and drank of his wine. The clear sparkle of the eye was gone, the ruddy, healthful glow had disappeared from the countenance. The four Hebrew captives were thereafter permitted to have the diet they had chosen. What effect did it have upon mind and character? They had conscientiously refused the stimulus of flesh and wine. They obeyed God's will in self-denial, and he showed his approval. He desired his servants to honor him by their adherence to steadfast principle in all their habits of life. Their countenances would be a certificate of physical soundness and moral purity.” “Daniel's parents had trained him in his childhood to habits of strict temperance. They had taught him that he must conform to nature's laws in all his habits; that his eating and drinking had a direct influence upon his physical, mental, and moral nature, and that he was accountable to God for his capabilities; for he held them all as a gift from God, and must not, by any course of action, dwarf or cripple them. As the result of this teaching, the law of God was exalted in his mind, and reverenced in his heart. During the early years of his captivity, Daniel was passing through an ordeal which was to familiarize him with courtly grandeur, with hypocrisy, and with paganism. A strange school indeed to fit him for a life of sobriety, industry, and faithfulness! And yet he lived uncorrupted by the atmosphere of evil with which he was surrounded. The experience of Daniel and his youthful companions illustrates the benefits that may result from an abstemious diet, and shows what God will do for those who will co-operate with him in the purifying and uplifting of the soul. They were an honor to God, and a bright and shining light in the court of Babylon.” Whether we base the reason for Daniel's decision concerning his diet upon either of these three considerations, or upon all three combined, it is important to note that his test came upon the matter of appetite. He declined the king's dainties and asked for pulse and water. And the significance of this choice will appear more plainly when we consider that it was through an appeal to appetite that our first parents were led into sin, and that in the temptation in the wilderness our Saviour won his victory over Satan by resisting the suggestion that he should manifest his divine power by miraculously providing food to satisfy the cravings of his appetite. It is thus evident that there is a very close connection between the physical and the moral, and that victory over sin involves victory over the appetites and passions. It might be claimed that as Daniel was a captive and subject to the authority of the king of Babylon, there was no sufficient reason for him to decline the bill of fare provided by royal command, and that it was a small matter in any case not worth making a stir about. So it might have been said that it was a small matter for Peter to eat with the gentiles until certain straight-laced Jews appeared on the scene, and then to change his conduct and decline to mingle with those of the uncircumcision, but Paul did not view the occurrence in that light. He discerned in that simple act a violation of the fundamental principle of the gospel, and he resisted Peter “because he stood condemned.” Daniel's case is a parallel one. A great principle was involved in an apparently small act. He refused to swerve from the right principle even under circumstances which to many would have seemed to be a sufficient excuse for so doing. The sequel proved the truthfulness of the statement of the Scripture in his experience: “He that is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much.” The argument of the prince of the eunuchs has been repeated from that day to this: a diet of plain food will not keep one in a good condition; meat, dainties, and wine are necessary in order to make one strong and to give him a healthful appearance. This is a reflection upon the wisdom of the Creator, who gave neither flesh nor wine to man in the beginning as any part of his bill of fare. It is true that the eating of certain kinds of flesh was afterward permitted, but this was due to man's sinful course and not because such a diet was more healthful or would prolong life. “In the beginning it was not so.” The result of the ten days' trial of the simple diet of pulse and water was an emphatic testimony in favor of the divine way of living. It was a remarkable, and perhaps miraculous, witness of the physical nature to the benefits arising from faithfulness to moral principle. It showed that something more than ceremonial uncleanness was involved in the matter of eating the Babylonish dainties and drinking the wine of Babylon. It meant a departure from the instruction of the Lord, the rejection of light already received, as well as a compromise with idolatrous practises. In order to become messengers of the gospel to Babylon, Daniel and his companions must themselves remain loyal to divine truth. In order to call others out of Babylon, they must themselves not be of Babylon although they were in Babylon. The application of this lesson to our time is very clear. Loyalty to principle is always an essential part of Christian experience, but in this last generation, in giving the final call out of Babylon, there is the same special application of this general proposition as in Daniel's time. The laws of our physical being are the laws of God, and a wilful disregard of these laws reveals the spirit of disobedience, just the same as the disregard of what is termed the moral law. A movement which is to prepare for the coming of the Lord a people who shall “keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus” will necessarily emphasize obedience to the instruction which God has given for the preservation of health, both for its own sake and because of its intimate relation to the whole question of Christian experience. The indwelling presence of Christ with the believer, “Christ in you, the hope of glory,” is the fundamental truth of the gospel. “Know ye not that ye are a temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man destroyeth the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.” And again: “What agreement hath a temple of God with idols? for we are a temple of the living God; even as God said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore, Come ye out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be to you a Father, and ye shall be to me sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. Having therefore these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” To this experience the temple with its services at Jerusalem was designed to bear witness, but the spiritual truth had been largely overlooked, and while maintaining with much strictness the outward forms of the service of the temple, the people refused to submit themselves as the servants of God to do his will. Although far separated from the temple and its services, Daniel and his companions were loyal in their service of God, revealing the reality of the temple service by treating their bodies as the temple of the living God, consecrated to holy service. God honored those who thus honored him, and brought them to honor even in Babylon. The same loyalty to principle and the same faithfulness in service will bring similar results in this time of general apostasy from God and his truth. The Lord Thinketh Upon Me
In those seasons of loneliness that come to most persons now and then when the fogs hang low over the soul, when the harp of song is silent, and the pulses of life beat heavy and slow, it is blessed to remember that “the Lord thinketh upon me,” and that he will never forget, never forsake, his trusting child.—Selected.