p. 16 | Signs of the Times, Vol. 31, No. 43. (10/25/1905)

THE BLESSED HOPE

By Christian Index, Glasgow

Come, King of Glory, come! Earth's woes Thy healing crave; Its weary, wasted sum Of hopes but finds a grave In moaning hollows of distress, Or blank, abysmal nothingness.

O Christ, when shall again Thy presence Israel bless? We look for Thee to reign Thy reign of righteousness; We hold that promise sacred yet That angels gave at Olivet.

Did not Thy shining ones A light of life impart, Brighter than noonday suns, To cheer the church's heart? This Jesus ye have seen ascend Again to earth His steps shall bend.

Fulfil, O Christ, fulfil That hope of advent given! We hold that promise still A beam of light from heaven Thy church to cheer along its way To sunshine of a perfect day.

When, crowned with sevenfold crown, And garments dipped in blood, To smite oppression down And curb the restless flood Of human wrong, Thou'lt come again, The King of Kings on earth to reign. —Christian Index, Glasgow.

THE GREAT HISTORIC DARK DAY

THE 19th day of May, 1780, was a remarkably dark day. Candles were lighted in many houses. The birds were silent and disappeared. The fowls retired to roost. It was the general opinion that the Day of Judgment was at hand. The Legislature of Connecticut was in session at Hartford, but being unable to transact business, adjourned.—President Dwight, in (Connecticut) “Historical Collections.”

THE Dark Day, May 19, 1780, is thus described by Mr. Stone in his “History of Beverly:” “The sun rose clear, but soon assumed a brassy hue. About ten o’clock A.M. it became unusually dark. The darkness continued to increase until about one o’clock, when it began to decrease. During this time candles became necessary. The birds disappeared, and were silent; the fowls went to their roosts; the cocks crew as at daylight; and everything bore the appearance and gloom of night. The alarm produced by this unusual aspect of the heavens was great.”—Portsmouth Journal, May 20, 1843.

“FROM Robert Sears’ ‘Guide to Knowledge,’ published in New York, 1844, we extract the following: ‘On the 19th of May, 1780, an uncommon darkness took place all over New England, and extended to Canada. It continued about fourteen hours, or from ten o’clock in the morning until midnight. The darkness was so great that people were unable to read common print, or tell the time of day by their watches, or to dine, or transact their ordinary business, without the light of candles. They became dull and gloomy, and some were excessively frightened. The fowls went to roost. Objects could not be distinguished but at a very little distance, and everything bore the appearance of gloom and night. Similar days have occasionally been known, tho inferior in the degree and extent of their darkness. The causes of these phenomena are unknown. They certainly were not the result of eclipses.’”

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Behold, He Cometh with Clouds

“BEHOLD, He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see Him, and they also which pierced Him; and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him. Even so, Amen.” Rev. 1:7.

OUR NEXT SPECIAL

By Editor

WE really feel that our second Special is better than the one that preceded it. We believe that our third is better still. Let us name to you the articles which it will contain:

1. The Eternal Law and the Everlasting Gospel, by W. A. Spicer, Secretary of the General Conference. The article in a beautiful way shows the purity of the law, and the right relation of our Lord Jesus Christ to that law. It also reveals how the heart in which Christ dwells will regard that law.

2. The Bible Sabbath, by A. T. Robinson, President of the Nebraska Conference. This article is a consideration of the Sabbath in the light of all the ages from creation to creation restored. It is a very clear presentation of the great subject.

3. First Day of the Week, by Abdiel, is a consideration of every text which mentions the first day of the week. It is both brief and clear.

4. The Broken Hedge, or the Sabbath Changed in the Church, by J. O. Corliss. This article tells how God designed that His law and His truth should be used as a hedge to His people, what the purpose of a hedge is, how it has been broken down by apostasy, how there will be a call in the last days for its restoration.

5. The Character of Babylon, by C. M. Snow, of the SIGNS editorial staff, showing the very beginning of those principles of evil that brought confusion into the work of God for the earth.

6. The Principles of Babylon in Succeeding Ages, by R. C. Porter, President of the Missouri Conference. A striking article showing how the principles which actuated Babylon in the beginning have been continued down through all the ages, finding their last apotheosis in the greatest apostasy of Christendom.

7. The Reformation and America, by Prof. J. A. L. Derby, of the Washington Training College. A striking article on two of the great movements of the Christian ages, one in religious, one in civil government,—the Reformation which brought new light into the world dead in superstition, the American principle of free government which brought revolution into the civil life of the nations. An article both interesting and instructive.

8. Encroachments on Freedom, by K. C. Russell, Secretary of the religious liberty work in Washington, D. C. Surely every American ought to be interested in whatever power or influence there may be in the Republic which encroaches on that freedom given to the world through America. Mr. Russell points out just how these encroachments are coming in. This article should be read by every American.

9. The Great Field of Prophecy, accompanied by a diagram pointing out in the briefest possible way some of the tremendous events telling all that we are nearing the end.

10. "Signs in the Earth," by A. J. S. Bourdeau. Giving in the briefest form, because necessary, some of the striking omens showing that the Lord's coming is near.

11. The Investigative Judgment, by Mrs. E. G. White. A striking article on the very times through which we are passing, and the relation of the court of heaven to this time.

We have several striking poems and Bible-readings besides the illustrations which the papers will contain. Our cover page is designed especially for this number. Presenting as it does the law of God and Christ's relation thereto, it is of itself a sermon. Mrs. Stuttle's article, "Education in the Home," will be continued from the last Special, and there will be other things in the Home department of interest.

Surely this paper ought to receive a large circulation, and we believe that our readers will unite with us in giving it the very widest possible. It really is not too much to ask that each one of these Specials shall have a circulation of two hundred and fifty thousand. The prices of these sets will be found in the first column of the second page.

Understanding the Sanctuary Subject

By Editor

The reader will get a better idea of the sanctuary subject if he will begin at the first article and read the first five articles, together with the Bible-reading.

Prophecy and Heaven’s Sacrifice

By Editor

The great field of prophecy is represented in this issue by articles on pages 8 to 11 inclusive, and this subject will be continued in our next. Man's utter need is met by the climax of Heaven's sacrifice. See page 12.

To Our Readers

By Editor

To Our Readers.—The exigencies of our Special issues have crowded out a good bit of our Home department, our Outlook department, our Question Corner, and Editorial department. These are all interesting features to be found in our regular issues. Be sure to read our Home department in this number.

Our Cover-Page Drawing

By Editor

Our cover-page drawing is another from our New York artist, symbolical of the great subject of our paper. In the center we have a photograph of Keleher's Model Sanctuary, the original of which cost thousands of dollars. The side is taken down that we may see the two apartments, the holy and the most holy places, with the symbolical furniture. This furniture is shown in the margin, priests ministering at the altars of burnt-offering and of incense, the table of presence-bread, the golden candlestick, and the holy ark of the covenant. Above the center is the spotless victim in whom all the typical sacrifices centered. From the cleft rock of ages flows free the water of life; while at the top of the page is a suggestion of the City of God, where our Lord pleads as priest, and to which He will gather His people. The whole thing, worthy of a life-time's study, is summed up admirably in the text of Scripture quoted.

A Message of Preparation.

By Editor

We appeal to our readers to read the cogent appeal in "A Message of Preparation," on another page. Do not its statements of conditions tally with the great facts before us? Is there not need of a God-ordained, God-inspired message of preparation? The Lord sent one through Noah before the Deluge. He sent one by Moses to Egypt before the plagues upon that people. Nineveh was warned. Christ's first advent was heralded. John the Baptist, a voice crying for God in the wilderness, heralded our Lord's first advent, and warned the Jewish people. Just as truly, reader, is God sending to His professed people and the world a message of preparation for the last days. "Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in My holy mountain; let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; for the day of Jehovah cometh, for it is nigh at hand." Joel 2:1. "The lion hath roared, who will not fear? The Lord God hath spoken, who can but prophesy?" See Amos 3:7, 8. "Fear God, and give Him glory; for the hour of His judgment is come; and worship Him that made the heaven and the earth and sea and fountains of waters." Rev. 14:6, 7.

Is Your Peace Made with God?

Reader, is your peace made with God? If not, do not put off that all-important work. Yield to Him before your heart hardens forever. His mercy will still endure, but your hard heart will have none of it. You mean to be His some day? Why not today?

"We mean to do it, some day, some day, We mean to slacken the fevered rush That is wearing our very souls away, And grant to our goaded hearts a hush That is holy enough to let them hear The footsteps of angels drawing near.

"But the day that we dreamed of comes at length, When, tired of every mocking quest, And broken in spirit and shorn of strength, We drop at last to our door of rest, And wait and watch while the day vanes on, But the angels we meant to call are gone."

Is your peace made with God?—If not, yield to Him and accept the peace of Jesus Christ before too late.

The Priesthood of Christ

The Priesthood of Christ.—Jesus Christ our Lord is never said to be a priest after the order of Levi, but "after the order of Melchizedek." That is, He is not a Levitical priest, but a Melchizedek priest. The Melchizedek who met Abraham was not a type of Christ, in the sense of a shadow or figure, but he was a priest in that order as Christ is a priest in that order, preeminent, of course. The Levitical priest typified the priesthood of Christ in service for a sinful world, existing wholly because of man's necessities, having to do with the putting away of sin only, while the Melchizedek priesthood is adaptable to all conditions, times, and exigencies. It has respect, not only to the conditions that now are, but to all that are to come. Christ hath an everlasting, royal priesthood. His saved sons and daughters are kings and priests unto Him forever.

The Hour of His Judgment

No more solemn hour than this the world ever saw. The world may not so regard it, in their blissful ignorance of the times in which we live. The great world is rushing on in its path of destruction to certain doom, while human beings, involved in that doom, are, like children, amusing themselves with bubbles, oblivious of what awaits them. Angels of God must weep at the sight. It is sad to see a man starve with food before him. It is sad to see a man walk off a precipice with words of warning ringing upon the air. Yet that is what the great world is doing now. "Fear God, and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is come."

Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; a minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man. Hebrews 8:1,2