We read in the Scriptures that God only hath immortality, 1 Tim. 6:16. If this is true, how can you harmonize the expression with Luke 20:36 and 2 Tim. 1:10? W. H. F.
This is all easily understood by remembering that immortality is possessed in two ways. Immortality means “incorruptibility.” This God has absolutely and inherently. He never was otherwise than immortal; just the same as he never was otherwise than omnipotent. He never could be otherwise, and therefore he only hath immortality in that sense. He has it in himself. To those who meet his requirements and by faith develop a righteous character, he gives immortality. A righteous character is an incorruptible character, and an incorruptible character demands an incorruptible body in which to dwell. The incorruptible body is God’s stamp of the incorruptible character. The angels did not have immortality until they bore the test and developed the character. So it will be with all human beings, but they do not have it by nature, they have it by God’s bestowing it. He bestows it just the same as he does righteousness. The righteousness and immortality are all of him, and Christ has brought them to light, and revealed to us how we may obtain them through the Gospel.
No. 378. The Sun and the Earth.
I wish you would explain Eccl. 1:5. I have always understood the earth revolved around the sun. L. M.
The language of Eccl. 1:5, “The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down,” is simply the language of appearance. All the scientific men of the day use the same expression in speaking of the “sunrise” and “sunset.” The scientists of our day tell us that neither the sun nor the earth stands still, but that both are moving on through space, the sun with all his attendant planets; while, relatively, that is, in their relation to each other, the sun stands still and the earth revolves around it. In the humble opinion of the writer, eternity will solve many of these problems over which science is still prattling in its infantile imaginations.
No. 379. Melchizedek.
PLEASE explain how Melchizedek can be a type of Christ when a type does not pass away until it meets its antitype, nor the shadow until it reaches its substance. Melchizedek’s priesthood did not reach to Christ. What authority have you that Melchizedek was a type of Christ? T. A. H.
By what authority can our querist say that a type does not pass away until it meets its antitype? A shadow naturally reaches to its substance, but a shadow is one figure, and a type is another. The first Adam was a type of the second Adam, but the first Adam has long passed away. So also Moses was a type of Christ. “The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me.” Deut. 18:15. But Moses passed away 1,500 years nearly before Christ came. He was a type of Christ as regards prophet and teacher. So Joshua was a type of Christ; the words “Joshua” and “Jesus” both mean Saviour. Joshua led the children of Israel into the promised land. So Christ leads the faithful into the antitypical promised land. David was a type of Christ, in the conquering and casting out of his foes. Solomon was a type of Christ, in his reign of peace; and there are others. So also Melchizedek was a type of Christ, as stated in Ps. 110:4: “Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.” See also Heb. 5:5, 6; 6:20, and 7:17–21. Melchizedek was a priest-king. Levi was only a priest; David was only a king. Each of these were types of Christ in respect to one thing; but Melchizedek combined them both. He was a priest-king. So also Christ is a priest-king on his Father’s throne. See Zech. 6:12, 13; 1 Cor. 15:24–28; Heb. 8:12; Rev. 3:21. If we had the predecessor of Melchizedek and the one who succeeded him, he could not have been taken as a type of Christ; but so far as the records go, his priesthood began with himself and closed with himself. So also with Christ; he has an age-lasting priesthood. It began with him and closes with him. When that priesthood is over, there will be no other. He takes to himself his own kingdom and throne, and reigns forever.
“One man esteemeth one day above another; another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. He that regardeth the day regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks.”
Note that the subject of the chapter is that we should not judge or condemn our brother whom the Lord has received. Verses 1–4. He may hold to some things which to us are of doubtful propriety, but for that reason we are not to condemn him. These matters are between his soul and God. In the church at Rome some had been Jews, some gentiles. Doubtless some of the Jews still partook of the old feasts, such as the Passover with its bitter herbs. Some observed the various yearly feasts, fasts, and sabbaths. Others, looking at it more broadly, saw no obligation in these things, and counted all these ceremonial days just like all other days. The admonition of the apostle is that there shall be no judging of the brethren in these things. If one eats or does not eat, if he keeps the day or does not keep the day—leave all these things with him and the Lord. It may be thought that the expression “every day” would include the weekly Sabbath, but it includes only those days placed in man’s keeping, “the six working days.” Eze. 46:1. See Ex. 16:4, where “every day” is used in this way. The Hebrews were to gather “every day,” but this did not include God’s day, the Sabbath. Compare with verses 26–28.
2. Isa. 11:6–9 is a picture designed to present the condition of things on the new earth under Christ’s reign, as contrasted with what they are here. Here the savage wolf devours the defenceless lamb; there the wolf would be as docile as the lamb. Here the leopard, the young lion, the bear, the lion, the asp, the cockatrice, are all savage, cruel, treacherous, venomous, but there all will be peace, so that if a “sucking child” were there, it could with impunity “play on the hole of the asp.”
PLEASE explain 1 Cor. 3:14, 15. What are the works and fire spoken of in the text? In what sense are we saved by fire? C. J. M.
The text reads as follows:—
“If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss; but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.”
Read from the beginning of the chapter. The “man” is one of the builders in God’s temple. His work is to save souls, to fit them as living stones for God’s living temple. If his work is effectual, if he gathers those whose characters may be likened to gold, silver, and precious stones, he will be rewarded by seeing them forever saved, through his instrumentality in the kingdom of God. But if his work is not effectual, even tho he labors with a sincere heart, if his work gathers those who are like wood, hay, and stubble, his work will be lost. The “day” that shall determine what a man’s work has been is the day of God. The fire is the burning presence of God, which will devour the wicked, but in which the righteous will be preserved. See 2 Thess. 2:8; Heb. 12:29; Ps. 50:3; Isa. 33:14, 15. And yet it is possible that a builder may not have done effectual work, and still be saved. Conybeare and Howson render: “He whose building stands unharmed, shall receive payment for his labor; but he whose work is burned down, shall forfeit his reward; yet he shall not himself be destroyed; but shall be saved as one who scarcely escapes through the flames.” What all ought to desire is what Christ has made possible, “an abundant entrance” into God’s kingdom.
The True Standard
By W. W. Prescott
THE LAW IN CHRIST. NO. 3.
BY PROF. W. W. PRESCOTT, A.M.
(Concluded.)
The True Standard.
But if God’s law has been changed or abolished, there is no longer any standard by which to test the character of the righteousness which men claim to have received by faith. Each one is then at liberty to erect his own standard, to suit his own inclinations. Such teaching as this is now bearing its legitimate fruit in the world. God’s holy law is not brought to bear upon the consciences of men to convince of sin, as in former days; hence the need of the Saviour is not felt to the same degree; and without a standard with which to test their professed righteousness, the counterfeit passes for the genuine, and religion is reproached. It is universally acknowledged that there is need of having a standard in all the transactions between man and man, and so we have the standard of weight, the standard of measure, etc. Without these standards there would be the utmost confusion in the business world. Moreover, these standards must not be variable. A variable standard is no standard at all. But is man wiser than God? “Were men free to depart from the Lord’s requirements, and set up a standard of duty for themselves, there would be a variety of standards to suit different minds, and the government would be taken out of the Lord’s hands. The law of self would be erected, the will of man would be supreme, and the high and holy will of God—his purpose of love toward his creatures—would be dishonored, disrespected.”
God’s Mirror.
The office of the law in making known sin, and in witnessing to the righteousness obtained through faith in Christ, may be illustrated by the way in which a mirror is6 (454)used. A man may learn by looking into it that his face is smirched with smut. The mirror did not put the smut there, neither can it take it away. It simply reveals its presence. Some other means must be used to remove the dirt; but when this is done, the same mirror testifies that his face is clean. But suppose the man should destroy or throw away the mirror because it revealed the presence of the dirt, and yet, not fully satisfied with this course, should endeavor to make himself clean, what will now satisfy him of the success of his efforts? He may feel better because he has made some effort to be clean; but at the same time he may have done only an incomplete work, or he may have made matters worse. So we are defiled by sin. The law reveals that fact, yet can not cleanse; but there is “a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness,” in which we may wash and be clean. The law testifies to the character of the work wrought for us by “Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood.” But if the law is variable or has been abolished, we are left in uncertainty. Then self-righteousness may pass for righteousness, because one feels satisfied in trying to meet the standard which he himself has set up.
The fact that the law of God is not done away, is the pledge of our security in heaven. “So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.” That law is the standard in the judgment. Harmony with the law of God is the condition of entrance into the kingdom. Every one who applies for admission is tested by it. The law is a transcript of God’s character. Every one must meet this standard in its perfection; and those who do not reach it are shut out of the kingdom. We can not, however, meet the standard except as we receive Christ; but when we have received Christ, we know we have that which will meet the test. If any one could be admitted to the kingdom who was out of harmony with God’s law, sin would be transferred into the world to come. The very fact that the law of God is neither changed nor abolished is our safety in the eternal kingdom, the pledge that “affliction shall not rise up the second time.”
Two Aspects of Law.
Observe the difference between the law of God as a rigid code and the same law coming to us in Christ. A command which out of Christ is a rigid code, in Christ becomes a living promise. The law out of Christ, simply a rigid code, says, “Thou shalt,” and “Thou shalt not.” But the same law in Christ becomes a living promise. “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises,” “In every command or injunction that God gives, there is a promise, the most positive, underlying the commandment.” When we read, “Blessed are the meek; for they shall inherit the earth,” that is clearly a promise. When we read in the law, “Thou shalt not kill,” we read it out of Christ simply as a command, or we may know it in Christ as a living promise. That is, he in his life promises each one, “Thou shalt not kill.” I can not of myself help hating, which is breaking the sixth commandment. I am trying not to do it, and yet I do it. I turn about, and find that that same command in Christ, written by the Spirit of the living God on the fleshy tables of the heart, has brightened into a promise, and it says: “I have a promise to make to you. You have received me; you shall not kill.”
Outside of Christ, as a code, the law says, “Thou shalt not steal;” but I can not help it. Then I turn about, and find that that law in Christ has brightened into a promise, and it reads to me: “You are the one that has been stealing. I have a promise to make to you. You shall not steal.”
Partial obedience is a very thorny path; full obedience is the easy yoke promised us. When we tell the Lord that we will keep all his commandments, he immediately takes possession of us, and says we shall. We do not abolish the law through faith; on the contrary, “It is faith, and faith only, that makes us partakers of the grace of Christ, which enables us to render obedience.” But this is accomplished, not by commanding the believer, “Thou shalt,” but by shedding abroad in his heart the love of God, which gives him the blessed assurance of, “Thou wilt.” Not, “Thou must fulfil the law, else thou canst not live;” but, “Because thou art living in ‘the Living One,’ thou wilt fulfil the law.” This is righteousness by faith. This is the Gospel.
The same standard of righteousness has been set before man in all ages. In olden time the instruction was: “Fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man.” And the death of Christ did not make any change in this teaching; for “circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God;” and “this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments; and his commandments are not grievous.” Furthermore, the provision has been the same in all ages for meeting this standard of righteousness. The Lord said of old through the prophet: “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you; and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.” The same ground of hope for success in the Christian life is held out to us in the inspired prayer of the great apostle: “Now the God of peace . . . make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ.”
Summary.
We are now prepared to summarize the results of our study upon the relation between the law and the Gospel. We have found that the law reveals sin by defining the standard of righteousness, and that in the Gospel the righteousness required by the law is revealed. We have found that the Gospel is the Gospel of Christ, and that the righteousness which is revealed in it is the righteousness wrought out for us by Christ through a life of perfect obedience to the law of God. Thus the Gospel is God’s provision not merely for fulfilling the requirements of the law for us in Christ, but also for fulfilling the requirements of the same law in us through Christ; and this is accomplished by receiving Christ, the very embodiment of the law, into our hearts by faith, so that “it is no longer I that live, but Christ liveth in me.”
The fruit of such a union with Christ is seen in a life which is in harmony with that same law which was the inspiration of his life; and the law which at first revealed sin now bears witness to the genuine character of that righteousness “which is by faith of Jesus Christ.” And thus what the law could not do in that it was weak through our flesh, has been done for us by putting that same law into the flesh in Christ, and through him into our flesh, “that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”
This brings us to the conclusion that the Gospel is simply the law in Christ, and therefore an attempt to abolish the law is an attempt to abolish Christ and the Gospel, and an attempt to change the law is an attempt to change the character of Christ, and to thwart the purpose of the Gospel. A heart filled with love to Christ and the Spirit of truth will seek no such results, but will thankfully say, “Abundant peace have they who love thy law; and it is no stumbling-block to them.”
FUTURITY
By Eliza H. Morton
BY ELIZA H. MORTON.
THERE are depths in the surging, foaming sea
That no fathom line can sound;
There are stars in the far-off azure sky
That no mortal eye hath found.
There are thoughts in the restless mind of man
That no language can express;
There are dreams in the quiet hours of life
That are more than happiness.
There are prints in the shifting sands of time,
There are signs of changes grand;
There are flashes of light in the gloomy night,
There are signals o’er the land.
We may strive in our frailty here to grasp
What the future has in store,
But the heights and the depths, the thoughts and dreams,
Are a part of evermore.
We shall know in their fulness by and by
What are shadows now and dim;
We shall see in his beauty Christ the Lord,
And forever worship him.
North Dearing, Me.
ANTIQUITY OF THE SABBATH.
By John Urquhart
BY JOHN URQUHART.
Perhaps the most striking confirmation of the creation history which Babylonia has furnished is that touching the Sabbath. It has been confidently stated that the institution owed its rise to the Mosaic legislation, and that the account in Genesis is a mere shadow thrown back into the past, a prejudice which the writer took with him, and for which he scooped out this historical niche. That ghost has now been effectually and finally laid, and the Sabbath has been proved to be one of the very oldest, if not the oldest, of the institutions of humanity. A Babylonian calendar was discovered which shows that the seventh-day rest was observed in ancient Babylonia with more than Pharisaic rigor. Each day is sacred to some divinity; but the seventh, the fourteenth, the twenty-first, and the twenty-eighth are Sabbaths, on which no manner of work must be done. They are dies nefasti, the Assyrian terms applied to them having this distinct meaning. The monarch himself is rigidly bound by these most stringent of all known Sabbath regulations. He “must not,” says the calendar, “eat flesh that has been cooked upon the coals or in the smoke, must not change the clothes of his body, must not wear white robes, must not offer sacrifices, must not ride in a chariot; the prophet may not mutter in a secret place; medicine must not be applied to the body.”
The rigidity of the Sabbath law proves that the institution in Babylonia must have been invested with a hoar antiquity. But the inscriptions enable us to get behind even that far-off time. The Babylonian creation tablet—“the Chaldean Genesis”—names the seventh day “the Sabbath.” The institution was, therefore, embalmed in that tradition, which led man’s thought back to the beginning of all things. And, better still, there is an Assyrian dictionary explanation of the word Sabattu, which explains it as “a day of rest for the heart.” That epithet takes us away beyond the Pharisaism of ancient Babylonia and sets us down amid the brightness and peace of the primeval time. There has7never been a sweeter name for the Sabbath than that—“a day of rest for the heart.” It has the fragrance about it of the time when the Sabbath witnessed the soul’s home-coming to God, and when man’s heart bathed in the infinite ocean of God’s love, and the weary were rested and the despairing grew strong again in renewed hope.
Another explanation of the name in an Assyrian dictionary adds further testimony to the Scripture. Sabattu is there explained as “yum salumi,” “the day of completion” (of labors). There we have an echo of the truth recorded for us in these words of Genesis: “And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it; because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.” Gen. 2: 2, 3.—New York Observer.
“COME UNTO ME, AND DRINK.”
By Ellen G. White
BY MRS. E. G. WHITE.
“In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.” The solemn and joyous ceremonies were carrying the people to the highest state of enthusiasm, when the clear, melodious voice of Jesus was heard among that immense throng of all classes and grades of society. Some, the priests and rulers, the scribes and Pharisees, were full of prejudice and bitterness. Some were scoffing, and some planning how they could compass the death of Christ; yet this great and wonderful ceremonial had been instituted by himself, and was a representation of his mission.
“If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink.” “Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst.”
As Jesus looked upon that vast congregation, he read the heart sorrow beneath the outward display of joyous exultation. He saw many whose souls were parched as the desert, many overwearied by participation in the great ceremonial pointing to himself. How he longed to pour into their heart the current of his love! Many were almost fainting from weariness, but that voice, unlike any other, fell upon the air in soothing accents, “If any man thirst,” for assurance of truth, for restful hope, for deliverance from sinful propensities, “let him come unto me, and drink.” He need not go to the priests or rabbis, but let him come unto me. “He that believeth on me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive; for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)” When he should ascend to the Father, then the Comforter which the Saviour promised to send would come. Jesus promised to manifest himself through the Holy Spirit to every individual who shall seek him and believe on him.
The attention of the people was arrested. That clear, penetrating voice conveyed his words to the farthest bounds of the congregation. What effect did they have?—“Many of the people therefore, when they heard this saying, said, Of a truth this is the Prophet.” Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some said, “Shall Christ come out of Galilee?” The belief arose in many minds, because they were reasoning upon false pretenses. In their ignorance they had received hearsay, and supposed that Jesus had been born in Galilee. But he was born in Bethlehem. Some of the priests and rulers would have taken him, but they dared not lay hands on him in so public a manner. The people were not of the same mind as the priests and rulers. The latter sent officers to take Jesus, and stop that voice which was awakening so great an interest in that immense gathering. The officers came into the Saviour’s presence; they heard his words, they looked upon his face, and it was as if glorified. His words spoke directly to their hearts, and they forgot their errand, and returned without Jesus. The priests and rulers asked, “Why have ye not brought him?” The answer came promptly, “Never man spake like this man.”
It seemed to them that a halo of light was round about him, as tho he was surrounded by the glory of God. They stood in his presence filled with awe and reverence. Take him?—No; impressions were made on the minds of these hardened officers that were never effaced.
The Pharisees on first coming into the presence of Christ had felt all this reverence, all these convictions; their minds and hearts were deeply moved. With almost irresistible power the conviction was forced upon them that “never man spake like this man.” Had they yielded to the Spirit’s influence, they would have received Jesus, and would have advanced from light to a greater light; but they wrapped their robes of self-righteousness about them, and trampled down the convictions of conscience. The Pharisees answered the officers with scorn and contempt: “Are ye also deceived? Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed on him? But this people who knoweth not the law are cursed.” Here was one who was the very foundation of the Jewish ceremonies, one who made the law, one who on Mount Sinai proclaimed the law, one who knew every phase and principle of the law. But he was unrecognized and unacknowledged by the leaders in Israel.
Nicodemus, who went to Christ by night, had received light. The lessons of Christ were as seed dropped into the heart, to spring up and bear fruit. A light had been kindled that would increase and shine brighter and brighter to the perfect day. The words of Nicodemus carried weight with the rulers and Pharisees; for he was chief ruler among the people, and stood high in the Sanhedrin. He said, “Doth our law judge any man, before it hear him, and know what he doeth?” They answered him with bitter derision, “Art thou also of Galilee? Search, and look; for out of Galilee ariseth no prophet.” Had he not been searching the prophecies? had he not heard Christ himself? He could have testified, with the officers sent to arrest Jesus, “Never man spake like this man.” The lesson given that night to Nicodemus was for him as a light shining in a dark place until the day dawn, and the day star arise in the heart. Who were the deceived ones?—The men who stifled conviction, who turned away their ears from hearing the truth, and were turned unto fables.
History is being repeated. In our day we meet the same false reasoning among the rulers and the ministers as the people met when Christ was upon the earth. We need to consider the words of Christ, “Take heed that no man deceive you.” The Jews were deceiving themselves. It was not because of a lack of light and evidence that Christ was not received, and believed, and honored as the Messiah; it was the malignity and jealousy and prejudice that bound so large a number with its cruel power. Minds clouded with prejudice, warped with envy and unholy passion, will not come to the word of God for their decision. Those who sat in Moses’ seat instilled into the minds of the people their false interpretations of Scripture. The truth was buried beneath their own doctrines and maxims and traditions. They taught the people that Christ was to appear as a great conqueror to break the Roman yoke from off the nation. They could not bring their proud hearts to believe the prophecies.
It was too humbling to their proud hearts to accept one who was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. They received that part of the prophecy which foretold one who was to shine before his ancients gloriously, who was to reign from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth. As there was no outward show of a conqueror in Jesus, they turned their faces from him, they resisted his words, and worked by every conceivable means to counteract his influence. Thus they fulfilled the very prophecy that pointed to him as a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
Jesus did the works of God, healing the sick, feeding thousands by a miracle, treading the white-capped billows to reach his disciples8in the tempest-tossed boat. When Peter, looking away from Jesus to the waves, was sinking, the cry of distress was heard, “Lord save, or I perish.” That imploring cry reached the ears of him who is infinite in compassion. Jesus would save to the uttermost the poor, trembling, imperiled soul. In the night storm on the Sea of Galilee, Jesus was awakened by the cry of his disciples, “Master, carest thou not that we perish?” O, if at the beginning of the storm they had only awakened to the fact that Jesus was on board, they need not have worked so long with terror-stricken hearts! But when they cried to him for help, how quickly his word of power, “Peace, be still,” quieted the storm. Prophecy was fulfilling in all the events of the life of Christ, from the manger to the cross. The conviction is forced upon the unprejudiced student of the Bible that Jesus in human flesh is the only-begotten Son of the Father. He is that rock which was smitten in the desert by the rod of Moses, and from which streams of pure water gushed forth.
And on the last great day of the feast he addressed the weary, the homesick, sin-sick souls, many longing to understand the Lord and his ways, many disappointed and perplexed—to them comes the musical voice of invitation, clear, decided, positive, and with convincing power of love, “If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.”
As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so has the Son of man been lifted up, that whosoever looks unto him in faith, may not perish, but have everlasting life. Look to Jesus, uplifted on the cross. When the serpent was lifted upon the pole in the camp of Israel, the proclamation went forth that all who were bitten by the fiery serpents were to look to that brazen symbol; and whoever looked was immediately healed. The people were not to reason how this was possible, not to question wherein was the virtue to make them whole. They were to do exactly as they were bidden. Those who stopped to reason, died. Just so we are to look to Jesus; sinful, erring, weak, unworthy, we are to take the word of God, the invitation of Christ: “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
GOD'S HOLY REST DAY.
By Mrs. C. J. Butterfield
BY MRS. C. J. BUTTERFIELD.
SANCTIFY means set apart; the seventh day of creation week was the Sabbath made and set apart for man; it thus became a holy day—a place of time—set apart from the rest, into which, between heaven and earth, as it were, man may always go, ever certain to find it full of the presence of God, in which man is sure of receiving spiritual growth. Here it is that God imparts blessing and rest to his obedient children. He has set apart no other day for this special work; no other of the seven is made holy by his presence and sanctifying power. Jesus, who made the day, declares that “the Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.”
Man is not to do his work on the Sabbath, but God will in that day do his work for man, by instructing and blessing him in eternal things. How fitting the time when, all man's work for the week being done, his whole being may be subject to divine influence! How it fits him for the six days when his interests are centered in secular labors!
God made all things, man included, for his own honor and glory. We are to desire and yield to fulfil the very purpose for which he formed us. Then is he honored, and he says, “Them that honor me I will honor.” It is surely a greater honor to man to be approved of God than to be honored of his fellow-men, who all depend upon the goodness of God for the very breath used often in cursing God and in applauding “that man of sin” whose honor should be only in obedience to that law his life defies, but who instead claims power of God, that he may destroy that law.
Now we know that God is changeless. We know also that his law was made to bring man into harmony with himself, to shape man into his image, his character, which is his glory and man's highest glory, if kept. Jesus Christ came that we might keep the law. God can not change; his law, too, which is his glory, the transcript of his perfect character, is also immutable or changeless, as Christ by his example and precept has declared.
Hokah, Minn.
A WORLD-WIDE SUNDAY LAW.
When nearly fifty years ago Seventh-day Adventists declared that Sunday laws would be used as engines of religious persecution in this country, and that such laws would finally become world-wide, people laughed at them. But the prediction, based on God’s “more sure word of prophecy,” is in process of fulfilment in rapidly increasing ratio, and all may know it.
One organization which has been formed for the purpose of bringing all this about is the International Federation of Lord’s Day Societies, composed of as many of the smaller and local organizations as could be induced to band together, and which is also making sentiment which crystallizes in other local organizations. This federation of societies reports progress all over the world.
In France, until lately, regardless of Sunday, the Paris League for Sunday Rest numbers over four thousand members. The French army now regard Sunday as a day of rest. One thousand shops have been entirely closed in the city of Lyons on that day.
A Sunday-Rest Commission is investigating the operation of laws governing factory labor on Sunday in England and Germany.
Austria has made it unlawful for all unnecessary labor to be performed on Sunday.
Nearly every canton in Switzerland has passed, or strengthened already existing, Sunday laws. Postal and telegraph services in the republic have been reduced one-half; no goods trains run on Sunday, and goods depots are closed.
In Norway and Sweden all workshops are closed, and even the baking of bread is prohibited.
A new Sunday law is in preparation in Russia, which is hoped will be acceptable to the government.
Of the 600 Japanese periodicals and newspapers, not one is now published on Sunday.
Even India is aroused on the subject, and the9Christian Literature Society is doing all in its power to bring about compulsory Sunday rest.
It will not be long before the nations, deceived by turning to man and tradition instead of to God and his word, will cry, Great is the Sunday; and wo worth the wight who in faithfulness unmasks the deception and proclaims the truth. He will be considered a traitor not only to Judea, but Rome. Good men are in the movement, and that makes the error so much the worse. We have had but the merest taste, in Tennessee, Maryland, Arkansas, etc., of what Sunday laws will mean. These are but the few drops before the coming storm.
Memory, Happiness, and Character
“WHAT we allow memory to dwell upon does much to determine happiness and shape character. Let us think of the good and the joy, and forget the evil and sorrow. Let us cultivate hope, and give our hearts and hands to righteousness.”
Unthankful for Daily Mercies
As the Dead Sea drinks in the river Jordan, and is never the sweeter; and the ocean drinks in all other rivers, and is never the fresher, so are we apt to receive daily mercies from God, and still remain insensible to them, and unthankful for them.—Bishop Reynolds.
Step by Step to Christlike Character
It is not with a rush and a spring that we are to reach Christ’s character, and attain to perfect saintship, but step by step, foot by foot, hand over hand, we are slowly and often painfully to mount the ladder that rests on earth and rises to heaven —T. Guthrie, D.D.
