Earlier text: Walking in the Same Footsteps.—History Repeats ItselfWHEN God commends a person, it is important to make sure what it is in that person that He commends. For there is likely to be plenty that is not commendable even in those who win God’s approval. This way of looking at it may help to solve an old puzzle now propounded anew by a Pennsylvania reader: “I know God does not want any one to tell a lie to help even His people, and yet it looks to me as if Rahab had told a deliberate lie in Joshua 2:4, 5.” Yes, Rahab lied. She lied repeatedly, elaborately, and artistically, piling lie upon lie in careful attention to the plausibility of the facts that she rapidly manufactured while her callers waited. And there is not a syllable of approval of her lies in the Old Testament or in the New; only the condemnation of dead silence regarding them. Rahab was saved, as many a liar before and since her day has been saved, by the forgiving love of the Father of truth, who is the eternal foe of all lies. She was not saved because of her lie, nor because of any merit that was in her; and in that respect her salvation was on the same terms as the salvation of all other sinners. She was saved because of her expressed confidence, or faith, in the God of Israel; in her own blundering, sinning way, she gave expression to that faith in an act that saved Israel’s spies while it endangered her own life. God honored the woman’s spirit, and forgave her sins. He will do the same for us; but He expects us to have higher standards in truth-telling than did a Canaanitish harlot.—Sunday School Times. The Ultimate Nation.
By Richard Benton
[By Richard Benton, in January (1908) “Century.”] ONE Babylon, by beauty tenanted,
In pleasure palaces and walks of pride,
Like a great scarlet flower reared her head,
Drank in the sun and laughed and sinned and died. Where Tyre and Sidon teemed with ships aload,
The wharves are idle and the waters lone;
And to the temple that was His abode
In vain Jerusalem recalls her own. Brooding the bygones from her sculptured seats,
In living rock her mighty memories hewn,
Along the Nile, wonder of water streets,
Old fertile Egypt is a stranger’s boon. Mark Athens, breathed upon by breath of gods,
With bards and sages to reveal her signs,
Leap like a flame above life’s iron clods,
To fall in ashes upon vacant shrines. And Rome, firm-founded in a wide emprise;
Her laws and legions, her imperial goal,
Avail not when her sometime honor dies,
Smothered in shows that kill the mounting soul. Such names of pride and power have been brought low,
Lapsing alike into the cavernous years;
Out of the grayness of the long ago
Their ghosts flit homeless and we guess their tears. The destiny of nations! They arise,
Have their heyday of triumph, and in turn
Sink upon silence; and the lidless eyes
Of fate salute them from their final urn. How splendid-sad the story! How the gust
And pain and bliss of living transient seem!
Cities and pomps and glories shrunk to dust,
And all that ancient opulence a dream. Must a majestic rhythm of rise and fall
Conquer the people once so proud on earth?
Does man but march in circles, after all,
Playing his curious game of death and birth? Or shall an ultimate nation, God’s own child,
Arise and rule, nor ever conquered be;
Untouched of time because, all undefiled,
She makes His ways her ways eternally? ENVY, like a cold poison, numbs and stupefies; and, conscious of its own importance, folds its arms in despair.—Collier. UNSELFISH and noble acts are the most radiant epochs in the biography of souls.—David Thomas. Practice More, Philosophize Less
“A LITTLE practise of religion cures a lot of philosophy about it.” The Law in the Heart.
By John Orr Corliss
WHEN looking forward to the first advent of Christ, and describing His work in the earth, the psalmist said of Him: "I delight to do Thy will, O My God; yea, Thy law is within My heart." Ps. 40:8. To be one with the Father (John 10:30), Jesus must have kept His Father's commandments from the heart. (John 15:10). In order to have His disciples be like Himself, the Lord confirmed God's everlasting covenant upon them. This is how He did it. Quoting from Jeremiah, He said: "This is the covenant; . . . I will put My laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts; and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to Me a people. . . . All shall know Me, from the least to the greatest. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more." Heb. 8:10-12. All this will we experience when we receive the law into our hearts. We are, then like Christ, and our sins are all forgotten before God. J. O. CORLISS. The Home of the Redeemed.
"WE'VE no abiding city here,
Sad truth were this to be our home;
But let this thought our spirits cheer,
We seek a city yet to come." 1. What promise of the Saviour encourages the desire for a home?
"Let not your heart be troubled. . . . In My Father's house are many mansions; . . . I go to prepare a PLACE FOR YOU. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and will receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also." John 14:1-3. 2. When will this longing be realized?
"The Lord Himself shall descend from heaven, with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first; then we that are alive, that are left, shall together with them be caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord." 1 Thess. 4: 16-18. 3. How long will the redeemed remain in heaven?
"They lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years." Rev. 20:4. 4. What will be the condition of the earth during this period?
"Behold, Jehovah maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof." Isa. 24: 1-3, 5. 5. Beyond this what did the prophets see?
"I saw a NEW HEAVEN AND A NEW EARTH: for the first heaven and the first earth are passed away." Rev. 21:1.
"According to His promise, we look for NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH, wherein dwelleth righteousness." 2 Peter 3:13. 6. At this time what takes place?
"I saw the holy city, NEW JERUSALEM, COMING DOWN OUT OF HEAVEN from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband." Rev. 21:2.
"His feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives shall be cleft in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south." Zech. 14:4. 7. What will become of sin and sinners?
"When the thousand years are finished, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall come forth to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth. . . . And they went up over the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down out of heaven, and devoured them." Rev. 20: 7-9. 8. How will this fire affect the earth?
"The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up." 2 Peter 3:10. 9. What Old Testament prophecy will thus be fulfilled?
"Behold, I CREATE NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH; and the former things shall not come into mind." Isa. 65:17. 10. For how long, how far-reaching, and how secure will this inheritance be?
"Jehovah knoweth the days of the perfect;
And THEIR INHERITANCE SHALL BE FOREVER." Ps. 37:18.
"He shall have dominion also from sea to sea,
And from the River unto the ends of the earth." Ps. 72:8.
"But the meek shall inherit the land,
And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace." Ps. 37:9. 11. In this restoration of the earth for the abode of man, what is accomplished in the purpose of God?
"Thus saith Jehovah that created the heavens, the God that formed the earth and made it, that established and created it not a waste, that formed it to be inhabited: I am Jehovah; and there is none else." Isa. 45:18.
"The heavens are the heavens of Jehovah;
But the earth hath He given to the children of men." Ps. 115:16. NOTE.—For one thousand years after the resurrection, according to these scriptures, the saints of God will live in heaven, where they reign with Christ in the capital city of the new earth, the New Jerusalem. At the end of that time they come again to this earth, the holy city descends, the wicked are destroyed, the earth is purified, and becomes the eternal abode of the ransomed. H. Magnify Whom? or What?
By H. A. St. John
LUCIFER, altho highly magnified in heaven, was not satisfied with his position in glory, and conceived the idea of magnifying himself, a thing so disastrous that he can never reclaim himself from the depths of his fall. David says that whenever he made a slip, his enemies magnified themselves against him. Ps. 38:16. Mankind are prone to magnify themselves, to become wise in their own conceit, and this is always a sure precursor of a fall. The Lord ofttimes magnifies human beings in order to give them an influence for good as leaders in His work. He thus magnified Moses to such a degree that it is written that all Israel were baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea. Israel went into the sea full of doubts and murmurings against Moses. They came out full of confidence that he was the chosen of God to lead Israel to Canaan. When Joshua was chosen as Moses' successor, the Lord told him that He would magnify him before all the people. Joshua 3:7. And this He did not once only, but many times. When a man magnifies himself, he will take all praise to himself; but if the Lord lifts him up, he will give God all the praise. The "little horn" of Dan. 8:25, the world's greatest antichrist, magnified himself against the Prince of princes, and the people of the Prince, the saints of God. As a result, this power became drunken with the blood of the saints. All the fearful doings of the man of sin during the long Dark Ages, were the sure sequel of self-exaltation above God, His word, and His law. And still the evil work goes on. In Rom. 11:13, Paul says, "I am the apostle of the Gentiles; I magnify mine office." Observe, the apostle does not say that he magnified himself, no, no. He magnified his office. As he had received his commission from the Lord, he ever held it in high esteem and tried in every way to so fill his office that many souls might be gathered to Christ. The disciples were magnified before the people, that they might turn many people unto the Lord. The children of God in this world, whatever their calling, or wherever they may be, are magnified by the Gospel of salvation, that they may let their light shine for the salvation of others who sit in darkness. If we arise and shine, as we are bidden to do, Christ will be lifted up, magnified; before the world, and the whole earth will be lighted with His glory. When Jesus was in the world, the prophet says that He magnified the law and made it honorable. Isa. 42:21. He did not abolish the law, or reduce it to nine commandments, but by precept and example He constantly revealed its breadth and holiness. If we magnify Christ we will be like Him, and in and through us God's holy law and word will be magnified — made flesh, and dwell among men. Then will the beautiful and glorious life and character of Christ become beautiful and glorious in the earth. Lord Jesus, magnify Thyself, and Thy word, and Thy law in me. Eternal Spirit of the Chainless Mind.
By Lord Byron
ETERNAL spirit of the chainless mind!
Brightest in dungeons, Liberty! thou art;
For there thy habitation is the heart —
The heart which love of thee alone can bind; And when thy sons to fetters are consigned —
To fetters, and the damp vault's dayless gloom —
Their country conquers with their martyrdom,
And Freedom's fame finds wings on every wind.
— Lord Byron. "Don't ring the bell of prayer and run away—wait." “What a wilderness of wo this world would be without love and memory.” Indifference Leads to Error
To BE indifferent whether we embrace falsehood or truth, is the great road to error.—Locke. "The Beauty of the Lord."
ONE of the petitions in the "Prayer of Moses the Man of God," is, "Let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us." Ps. 90: 17. What is more beautiful than light, the revealer of all beauty? It is Sabbath afternoon. The rain of the morning has passed away with the thick, overhanging, dripping clouds. Hanging over the mountain tops may be seen some floating cloud-banks, their centers yet suggestive of the rain of the morning, but with borders beautifully white and fleecy. High up in the blue vault of heaven, radiantly white in the strong sunlight, float a few islands, so frail and lacy that they scarce can hold together in their passage across the sky. Into our great window the sun pours a perfect flood of radiance, in which we bathe while we write. Boughs of trees and vines, swinging and swaying in the breeze, cast fantastic moving shadows upon the wall. The lace curtains at the window flutter in the breeze, and shimmer the inflooding light. Through the beveled glass at the top of the window the pure white light separates into the beautiful colors of the rainbow, and the opposite walls are sprinkled all over with the softest of variegated hues. All those beautiful effects were in the white rays of light which struck the glass from the outside. All together, compounded of God, they made the pure white ray. The polished, beveled glass received it, and transmitted its exceeding beauty in the varied colors. Just so Christ Jesus is "the Light of the world." In Him in purest whiteness shines the light of truth, the light of life, the light of love. It shines through the perfectly submitted human element, and divides, separates, and scatters its beauty in various colors upon different human characters. Each has a peculiar shade and beauty of his own; all together they reflect the perfect light. We look without. Overhead is the great arched sky. All the rays of light are absorbed save one, and the great dome above reflects the unfathomable, irreproducible, soft, always beautiful blue. Upon the earth, far and near, spreads a carpet of growing, living green, dotted with the darker spots of live oaks and other evergreens, while the ghost of the vernal hue hangs over the deciduous trees. Geraniums lift their heads, and the scarlet, maroon, and white proudly tell us of the rays of light stolen from the sun, while the modest violet reveals its deeper kisses from the sky, while near by is displayed the gold of the lemon and orange. These trees and plants and flowers and fruits not only reflect the beauty of the light, they refract it. It has entered their willingly yielded tissues and left there some of the virtue of light. Even so the light of God shines upon us through His word and Christ the Incarnate Word. If we refuse it and withdraw into ourselves, we shall decay in our own corruption. If we will willingly, aye, gladly, receive it, and let it shine in, and on, it will transform us into His image and place upon us some manifestation of His wondrous beauty which we can reveal and, in a degree, transmit to others, while in us, unconsciously to ourselves perhaps, will be answered our prayer, "Let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us." IT was not to multiply words that the equality of men under Christ Jesus is so often and in so many ways given us in the New Testament. Jesus knew that as men became successful in His work, with gifts divinely bestowed, they would take honors and assume authority over their brethren which did not belong to them. This was manifest in His work from the beginning. An outcropping of this spirit is recorded in Luke 9: 46-48. The disciples were arguing among themselves "which of them was the greatest." Ancestry, time of call, place of abode, age, educational qualifications, success in other fields, and other things, perhaps, came into their argument. Jesus rebuked the self-assuming spirit by the little child, and declared, "He that is least among you all, the same is great." Then John thought that while it might be wrong to cherish such a spirit among themselves, it was proper to exercise it toward those without: "And John answered and said, Master, we saw one casting out demons in Thy name; and we forbade him, because he followeth not with us. But Jesus said unto him, Forbid him not: for he that is not against you is for you." Luke 9: 49, 50. It is sometimes seen in the church of Christ, that if some are not disposed to follow counsel given, they are counted enemies and outside of the field of cooperation, altho their way may be one of faith and is not antagonistic to God's work in any way. If the Master's advice should be heeded regarding those outside, how much more should it be regarding those within. The rebukes of God do not fall upon multiplied activity for Him. He has bestowed a variety of gifts, directly through His Spirit, that men may work under Him, the Head of the church. He has exhorted to unity, to lowliness of mind, to cooperation, but above all else, to loyalty to Him, our Head, and to His great Gospel message. His rebukes and reproofs and censures come because of sin, of disloyalty to God. Paul, who keenly rebuked the sin of the Corinthians, and declared concerning that sin that he had already "judged him that hath so wrought this thing," and declared that the sinning one should be "put away" (see 1 Corinthians 5), also writes to the same church, "Not that we have lordship over your faith, but are helpers of your joy; for in faith ye stand." 2 Cor. 1: 24. And in Peter's exhortation rings out the strain, "Neither as lording it over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock." 1 Peter 5: 3. There is danger, gone to seed, bearing evil fruit in the Papacy; and the danger lingers and is leavening the nations. There is danger in the Federation of Protestant churches, just come to full bloom, and read clearly in the light of past ages. There is danger, great danger, that the same evil shall be manifest in God's remnant people. Heed the lessons of the Head of the church, "One is your Master, even Christ, and all ye are brethren." They Want Laws to Compel Sunday Observance. Why?
AT the present time there are fourteen Sunday bills of various kinds before the state Legislature of New York. These bills deal with baseball, theatrical and other public performances, closing of canals, the opening and closing of certain places of business, etc., and also there are amendments to the present clause that exempts certain people and classes of work on Sunday. Among other things, there is a proposed act to have a commission appointed to investigate the present Sunday laws, and to inquire into how they are being enforced and observed in the different parts of the state. This commission is to suggest amendments to the next Legislature. At the opposite side of the continent, in California, there is a very determined effort being made in the Legislature to secure both a statute and a constitutional amendment in favor of Sunday. This has already been quite fully set forth in our columns. Oregon has a Sunday-law agitation going on in her law-making body; Idaho also has the subject under discussion; Colorado is discussing it; Missouri has but recently passed through a big siege on the subject; the national Congress at Washington is also laboring with the Sunday-law problem, and so the list goes on. In addition to this agitation that is being carried on in assemblies of state, it will be noted that one of the prominent tasks that the Federation of Churches has set before itself is to secure concerted action in behalf of Sunday observance, and especially to secure laws that will compel it. The thought seems to be that it is necessary to have some particular day for rest, and that particular day must be Sunday, and then to compel all by civil law to observe it. It is believed and taught that such a procedure would do away with the lawlessness and godlessness of the age. But What Is Real Sabbath-Keeping?
Is it merely to abstain from physical labor? Can true Sabbath-keeping be separated from the worship of the true God? A careful tho brief study of the principles underlying Sabbath-keeping ought to convince any one that the highest form of delight is found in the Sabbath rest. This delight comes through intelligent, interesting, and16 soul-charming worship. Let the prophet tell of this in the language of the Lord Himself: "If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on My holy day; and call the Sabbath a delight, and the holy of Jehovah honorable; and shalt honor it, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words; then shalt thou delight thyself in Jehovah; and I will make thee to ride upon the high places of the earth; and I will feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of Jehovah hath spoken it." Isa. 58: 13, 14.
In the foregoing is one of the richest and choicest promises of the Bible, and it is made to him who will "turn away" his "foot from the Sabbath" and from doing his personal pleasure on God's "holy day." In thus taking his foot from the Sabbath of Jehovah and from doing his own pleasure on the Lord's day he will find "delight." He will have joy in his Sabbath observance, and delight himself in Jehovah. This is the plain statement of the text. Any one who will read it with even the most ordinary care will see plainly what it teaches, for there is not one single breath of obscurity in it. These verses already quoted from Isaiah tell what Sabbath-keeping really is, and it is told in the language of Him who is the Author of the Sabbath. Now let the question be asked, Can not the great God Himself tell us what He expects of us in Sabbath observance? And since He says that the Sabbath is a "delight" to the one who really observes it, can there be any compulsion in it? If a man is made to be idle on some particular day of the week for fear that he will be fined or imprisoned, can it be said that there is any delight in that sort of thing? Sabbath observance is an essential part of the worship of the true God. Sabbath observance is commanded by Him in the very heart and center of His moral law. Sabbath observance is commanded for the purpose of giving us each seventh day as a time when we worship Him who made "heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is." True Sabbath observance, according to the terms of the Sabbath commandment itself, keeps the true God in our minds. For if we worship the Being who is the great Creator—Him who actually created the heaven and the earth and all they contain—we would be forever completely removed from idolatry. And so it is that as we follow the history of ancient Israel we find that their apostasy from Sabbath-keeping was followed by their departure from the worship of the Creator, and in its stead they were giving homage to the inanimate and man-made images of the heathen nations. But let it ever be kept in mind that the Sabbath-keeping which is acceptable to Jehovah has "delight" in it. And no man can have delight in a thing that he is compelled to do against his will or desire. True Sabbath-keeping is a "delight," for God Himself says so, and there are multitudes of people who can testify that His words are true. Enforced rest, or rather enforced idleness, on a particular day, may produce long-faced hypocrisy that appears on the surface as Sabbath-keeping; it will also be more than likely to produce blasphemy, some of it in the open, but more of it under cover; but such enforcement can never result in the Sabbath-keeping that is a "delight." Let these undeniable facts stand forth strong and clear. T. The Ubiquitous Sunday-Law Promoter
By Editor
The February number of the Monthly is exhausted. There have been calls for more than 3,000 copies which could not be filled. The March number will soon be out, and let those who wish it order early. There begins in this issue a series of five articles on "The Great Day of the Lord." We hope they will be read. The subject is a purely Biblical topic, and the writer has treated it very clearly, very simply, and very forcibly. There is a vast amount of information found in these five articles. The latest that we have heard of Mr. Taft's Cabinet, and some of these are only guesses, is, for Secretary of State, Philander C. Knox of Pennsylvania; Secretary of Treasury, Geo. M. Reynolds of Illinois; Secretary of War, Luke E. Wright of Tennessee; Attorney-General, Geo. L. Wickersham of New York; Postmaster-General, Frank H. Hitchcock of Massachusetts; Secretary of Navy, George Von L. Meyer of Massachusetts; Secretary of Interior, Richard A. Ballinger of Washington; Secretary of Agriculture, James Wilson of Iowa. There has come to hand "The World Almanac," for 1909. It is really an encyclopedia which we could ill afford to do without. It presents in its more than 700 pages a vast amount of up-to-date information, national and international. We know of no American Year Book which equals it. Bought at news-stands it costs 25 cents, by mail, 35 cents. The address is "The World," New York City. We have to record the death of another faithful laborer in the cause of present truth. Eliza J. Burnham was for many years connected with the Review and Herald Publishing house of Battle Creek, Mich., as chief proof-reader. She became more than proof-reader; she was an epitome of facts, a good counselor, an excellent English scholar. She spent several years in Australia, on the Bible Echo, in the capacity of acting as both proof-reader and editor. She was for some time connected with this office in the preparation of Mrs. White's great work, "The Desire of Ages." For several years she has been on the Southern Watchman, doing editorial work much of the time, as she was able. She fell asleep in Jesus, February 11. Her works follow her. The "Signs of the Times Monthly" for March has as its special topic, Spiritualism. It presents before the reader not only the present progress which Spiritism in various forms is making, but it gives us the Bible view of Spiritualism; just what Spiritualism means, and just what it is. That there are spirit communications, there can be no question. This is evidenced by the testimony of ages, and especially by the testimony of men of science who have, under the most exacting tests, demonstrated spirit communication. But who are these spirits, and what are they? The Signs of the Times Monthly for March will give very much information upon this question. Among the striking articles in the magazine are "Victory—Complete, Absolute, and Forever," by Mrs. E. G. White; "Satan: His Origin, Work, and Doom;" "Great Deceptions Predicted," by R. A. Underwood; "Spiritualism as Predicted by the Prophets, and the Facts of Fulfilment," by W. A. Spicer; "Spiritualism and the Progress of the War Spirit, a Striking Parallel," by the editor; "What Is Death?" by C. L. Taylor; "Ministration of Good Angels," by Max Hill; "Christ's Promised Coming," by Allen Moon; "Course of Empire," by E. J. Hibbard, a consideration of the second chapter of Daniel; Bible-Reading on the condition of the dead, by Mrs. H. W. Cottrell; an excellent health article, "The Dyspeptic," by Dr. D. H. Kress. The Ubiquitous Sunday-Law Promoter.
From Texas, Nebraska, Maine, Massachusetts, Colorado, Oregon, Idaho, our own Golden state, New York, and others, comes the news of agitation of Sunday laws. Legislatures in many states have before them Sunday bills of some sort. Nebraska, we believe, has four; New York has fourteen before its two branches. Some of these bills are so clearly religious that there can be no question about it. Oregon's, for instance, is identical with the original presented by the proponents of that measure in California, with the one exception, that it does not hide the religious phase. The California bill simply puts it the first day of the week, but the Oregon bill names it for "the Lord's day, commonly called Sunday." The one element behind all these bills is the Reform Bureau, operated by Mr. Crafts, of Washington, who is himself a National Reformer, and believes in religious legislation. Mr. Tufts, who is operating in the West, is one of his chief lieutenants. The religious idea is characteristic of all the Sunday bills. It can not be hidden. Some of them are very mild; some of them are almost negative; some of them admit of common labor performed anywhere on Sunday, unless it disturbs somebody at worship, yet under these same Sunday bills men have been prosecuted who were doing work miles away from any place of worship, on the ground that they disturbed somebody's worship and rest, and that the legislators could not be clear, in the light of past history, what such harmless-looking pleas for Sunday legislation mean. They would see in the camel's nose the whole brute beast occupying the tent and putting out the rightful institution, let it die. If a religious institution has not enough vitality to live, if it has not connection enough with the Throne of the Universe to live in the hearts of those who love it and believe it, it is not worth saving. Regarding Mr. Roosevelt's legal proceedings against the New York World, the Detroit Journal, a staunch Republican paper, says that the action of the President "has reached a station where it is time to stop laughing. . . . When personal vanity and personal power menace the freedom of the American press, the situation ceases abruptly to be amusing." The district attorney who is pressing the case is doing it on the ground that a newspaper can be criminally prosecuted for libel "in a number of distinct and independent jurisdictions." An Eastern paper has figured out how many of these distinct and independent jurisdictions the United States Government has in this country, and we are told that there are no fewer than 2,686 of them, in which editors and publishers could be prosecuted, each locality presenting a distinct charge and crime against the community in the published libel. We can not believe that there is any court in the United States that could sustain such a thing, and if it were upheld, as the Milwaukee News says, it would destroy liberty of speech and press, and bring an end to popular government. It is a good time in these days of praise of one of America's greatest and most eminent Presidents, Lincoln, to recall his closing words in his Gettysburg speech, "That government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth;" but in order that it may not perish from the earth, individual tyranny and concentration must be suppressed on the one hand, and government by the trust on the other. Government by the trust is one of the great evils which has not only been menacing this country for years, but has seized the republic in its grip. Mr. Roosevelt's action is swinging to the other extreme, and that government which persists can endure neither of them. Among the trusts working for domination now is the great religious trust; and while making the highest profession, it has ever been the wickedest of them all. Many inquiries come to us over the Sabbath question, and we would like to suggest to our readers that one of the most comprehensive and condensed publications upon this subject is "The Lord's Day the Test of the Ages, or the Sabbath from Eden to Eden in the Light of the Dispensations." In fact, we know of no other book which has attempted in the same space so much ground and yet it is placed in such a form that it is not difficult to comprehend. It notes the position of the Sabbath, its relationship to each dispensation, at both the opening and the close. It considers the various objections which are raised by the Antinomians, and traces the Sabbath through the Christian dispensation, and gives attention to the actions being taken at the present time to legalize a religious rest-day. The price is only ten cents. Address this office. One of the great prophecies in that marvelously prophetic book, the Revelation, is that of the great Threefold Message found in Rev. 14:6-12. The vast number of commentators give very little explanation; almost never do we hear any reference to them in the sermons of the great teachers; and yet their message is a part of the revelation of Jesus Christ to the children of men. A blessing is pronounced upon those who study the book and do it, but to do it we must know it. That we may help our readers to know it, a series of articles has been prepared by Prof. R. S. Owen, for many years Bible teacher in Healdsburg and Fernando colleges, and now connected with the missionary training-school at Loma Linda. A series of eight articles on this important Scripture will, we are sure, be of great interest to our readers. These will begin in two or three weeks, or perhaps at the close of the articles on the Great Day of the Lord. News comes to us that the Sunday law before the Oregon Legislature has been indefinitely postponed by the Senate, which probably means its destruction until the next session of the Legislature. It ought to have been brought before the legislative body and unanimously killed. "The Religion of Babylon and Assyria, especially in Its Relations to Israel." By Robert William Rogers, Ph.D., Litt.D., LL.D., F.R.G.S. Illustrated. Price, cloth, $2.00, net. Eaton and Mains, New York. This book is the reprint of five lectures delivered in Harvard University in 1908. Dr. Rogers has for fifteen years been a diligent Assyrian investigator. In brief, the book covers: (1) "The Recovery of a Lost Religion," in which he tells us anew, but more briefly than in his larger work, "The History of Babylonia and Assyria," the wonderful story of the discovery and decipherment of the records left by those ancient peoples. This is illuminated by many illustrations of the cuneiform text. (2) "The Gods of Babylonia and Assyria," a very instructive chapter. (3) "The Cosmologies," the beliefs of these ancients regarding the origin of things. Many extracts are taken from the ancient tablets. (4) "The Sacred Books," from which copious extracts have been made. (5) "The Myths and Epics," in which is considered the great hymns of praise, their songs, and incantations, very few of which have come to us save in title. It seems strange to us, with the facts revealed, how scholars can conclude or even suggest that the laws and theology and cosmology of the Bible came from the Babylonians or Assyrians. One needs but to compare the sublime simplicity of the one to the fanciful and preposterous legends of the other to see the almost infinite superiority of the Bible record. The perversion of the original true is seen in all these idolatrous systems. God preserved the true through Israel, and archeology is demonstrating the truth of the Bible. "The Bible and Spiritual Life." By Arthur T. Pierson, editor Missionary Review of the World. Cloth, $1.50, net. Gospel Publishing House, 54 West 22d St., New York. The object of this volume is to show that "for all the cravings and crises in man's moral and spiritual life, this Book of God, [the Bible] is the exact provision, satisfaction, and guide; that only He who, having made man, knows what is in man, could have made a book which so anticipates and answers all the needs of his higher nature." The Bible as God's Book, as Man's Book, the Problems of the Family, of Salvation, of Faith, of Prayer, of Service, of Suffering, of Providence, are all considered. There are valuable analytical diagrams. Many of our readers will not agree with Dr. Pierson in his theology on the return of the Jews, the Millennium, and some other things, but all will find many, many helpful thoughts, inspiring suggestions, and uplifting spiritual food. There are several illuminating diagrams. "Panseron's A B C of Music; a Primer of Vocalization," containing the elements of music. Revised and extended by N. Clifford Page. Price, $1.00. Oliver Ditson Company, Boston, Mass. Panseron (1796-1859) was a noted French professor, who gave special study to singing and style, holding the position for many years at the Paris Conservatoire. His long experience resulted in valuable text-books. This is a thoro revision, adapted to and made comprehensive to beginners without a teacher, but in no way lessening the value of the teacher. We are not a skilled musician, but in our judgment the book will prove a valuable instructor, simple, clear, and comprehensive. "Boy's-Eye Views of the Sunday School." By Pucker. Price, 60 cents, net. The Sunday School Times Company, Philadelphia. This little book, in the free style of a live schoolboy, we suspect is written by a live experienced superintendent. It is a helpful little book, viewing all phases of the school in a way which brings out its defects. And it suggests a better way. It gives "Pucker's" views of Vacations, Beginners, the Superintendent, the Secretary, Blackboards, Review, Saloons, Getting New Scholars, Singing, etc., twenty chapters in all. Bibles.—Remember that we are headquarters for anything in the Bible line. We shall be pleased to send you our catalog of Bible selections on application. Pacific Press, Mountain View, Cal. Avoid the snow, cold, and chilly blasts of the rainy season. No better or more comfortable way than the Between San Francisco and New Orleans • Through the orange groves of Southern California, the cotton and rice fields of the balmy South. • Drawing-room sleepers, berths, sections, drawing-rooms. Dining service unequaled. Observation car, open-air rotunda, ladies' parlor, gentlemen's cafe, library. • Personally conducted Tourist Excursion Parties to Chicago, St. Louis, Cincinnati, New Orleans and Washington every week. • Write for "Wayside Notes Along the Sunset Route." Tells in detail of the attractions of the Southern Route. An Act of Kindness.
By American Messenger
It was blue Monday at the manse when a book-agent rang the bell. He had set out with high hopes of earning some money for a college course, but had lost money instead, and homesick, heartsore, disheartened, he came that rainy day to the house where the minister was wearied with his ministry, and the mistress of the manse was suffering with a nervous headache. They could not spare the money for his book, but they did keep him by them for three days, and sent him out with a springy step and a refreshed spirit. The sequel came some years later when, at a meeting of the Synod, the minister introduced to his wife one who had thrilled the audience with his eloquent presentation of the truth, and who told her that the treatment he had received at the manse made him desire to be what seemed to him the noblest thing he had ever known, a Christian pastor. THE RELIGIOUS LIBERTY BUREAU
AN illustrated, 48-page, quarterly magazine, published as an exponent and advocate of true religious liberty; defending Christianity and the rights of conscience; upholding the Bible as the infallible word of God; recognizing the church and state as ordained of Heaven for specific and distinct purposes, but vigorously protesting against the alliance of the church with the state in the attempt to advance religion and to promote the state. Price 25 cents per year. Liberal terms to agents. Address, LIBERTY, Takoma Park, D. C.