Earlier text: The Ideal LifeOne Hundred and Fifty Thousand Dollar Fund
By I. H. Evans
For Special Work at Home and Abroad Received on the $150,000 Fund
Atlantic Union Conference
Central New England ........ $ 2,635.61
Chesapeake .................. 456.34
Eastern Pennsylvania ........ 1,793.50
Greater New York ............ 462.07
Maine ....................... 364.77
New Jersey .................. 552.63
New York .................... 1,626.50
Southern New England ........ 1,138.50
Vermont ..................... 910.18
Virginia .................... 468.58
West Pennsylvania ........... 1,150.74
West Virginia ............... 336.64
Western New York ............ 1,302.67
Total .................... $13,198.73 Canadian Union Conference
Maritime .................... $ 317.43
Quebec ...................... 63.64
Ontario ..................... 682.31
Total .................... $1063.38 Colorado .................... $ 1,219.08
Iowa ........................ 3,930.12
Kansas ...................... 2,445.89
Missouri .................... 1,278.64
Nebraska .................... 5,379.82
Wyoming ..................... 740.94
Total .................... $14,994.49 Washington churches ......... $1,313.59 East Michigan ............... $ 1,824.77
Indiana ..................... 5,152.07
North Michigan .............. 421.57
Northern Illinois ........... 2,378.74
Ohio ........................ 3,714.44
Southern Illinois ........... 767.08
West Michigan ............... 3,574.34
Wisconsin ................... 2,617.19
Total .................... $20,450.20 North Pacific Union Conference
Conference not specified .... $ 362.96
British Columbia ............ 112.80
Montana ..................... 292.05
Upper Columbia .............. 1,722.87
Western Washington .......... 1,160.26
Idaho ....................... 854.90
Western Oregon .............. 1,420.47
Total .................... $5,926.31 Northern Union Conference
Alberta ..................... $ 156.10
Manitoba .................... 239.70
Saskatchewan Mission Field .. 34.85
Minnesota ................... 5,036.20
South Dakota ................ 2,645.47
North Dakota ................ 1,768.66
Conference not specified .... 73.82
Total .................... $9,954.80 Arizona ..................... $ 236.99
California-Nevada ........... 6,013.92
Southern California ......... 649.03
Utah ........................ 327.43
Total .................... $7,227.37 Southern Union Conference
South Carolina .............. $ 135.69
Alabama ..................... 264.05
Tennessee River ............. 723.55
Florida ..................... 551.77
North Carolina .............. 455.50
Kentucky .................... 30.36
Cumberland .................. 732.74
Louisiana ................... 390.61
Mississippi ................. 252.76
Georgia ..................... 357.89
Total .................... $3,894.92 Southwestern Union Conference
Not specified ............... $ 20.18
Arkansas .................... 373.86
Oklahoma .................... 1,849.73
Texas ....................... 1,198.91
Total .................... $3,442.68 Unknown ..................... $153.20 Algeria ..................... $ 13.33
Australia ................... 163.84
Bermuda ..................... 35.00
China ....................... 31.60
South Africa ................ 228.16
Jamaica ..................... 13.41
Yukon Territory ............. 10.00
England ..................... 256.32
West Africa ................. 14.06
Mexico ...................... 2.00
Costa Rica .................. 6.25
India ....................... 18.88
South America ............... 30.95
Switzerland ................. 9.69
Panama ...................... 19.00
Nicaragua ................... 4.00
Central American Mission .... 26.00
Trinidad .................... .34
Norway ...................... 25.00
Japan ....................... 12.50
Hayti ....................... 5.00
Egypt ....................... 51.55
Palestine ................... 2.00
Tobago, W. I. ............... 1.22
Cuba ........................ 4.00
Total .................... $984.10
Grand Total .............. $82,603.77 The following statement from the spirit of prophecy makes plain the necessity for the $150,000 fund. “I have written much in regard to the need of making decided efforts in Washington, D. C. An important work is to be done in this city. If there is any place in the world where the truth should be fully presented, it is in the city that is the very heart of the nation. Those who act a prominent part in framing laws for the nation should understand what is written in the law of God, which lies at the foundation of all right laws.” “It has seemed strange to me that in past years our work was not better represented at Washington. For many years I have been anxious to see a sanitarium established in this place. A medical institution in Washington will greatly help in opening the way for the truth to be presented. God has counseled us that, if the sanitarium work shall be carried forward in the right manner, it will be a means of doing great good.” ONE of the worst calamities of the year occurred at Quebec on August 29, when the southern section of the great ten-million-dollar Quebec bridge in process of construction collapsed and fell into the St. Lawrence River. Eighty-four workmen, including the chief engineer and three foremen, went down in the wreckage, and were either killed outright or drowned. This bridge had been seven years in process of construction, and was to have been completed in 1909. When completed, it would have been one of the most wonderful bridges in the world, containing the longest span of any cantilever bridge in existence. The Sunday Rest Association Movement
For years the Sunday-law advocates have sought to make it appear that the laboring men were earnestly seeking legislation in behalf of a Sunday of rest and worship. Declarations to that effect have been made and reiterated in spite of labor’s protest. Now a movement has been started in western Pennsylvania for which they are seeking to make the labor element stand sponsor. The Episcopal Recorder states that the movement was inaugurated by the working men of Allegheny County. The same journal, however, states that “the conference which inaugurated the Sunday Rest Association was presided over by Bishop Conevin of the Roman Church.” No one can doubt the appropriateness of the selection of the presiding officer in view of the nature of the movement and the relation of the Catholic Church to the Sunday institution. Neither can any one who looks beneath the surface doubt that the real inauguration of the movement was considerably farther back than the labor organizations. The City of God
By L. D. Santee
“I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself.” John 14: 2, 3. I AM waiting for that city
Where the pavements are of gold;
O the joys within its portals!
O the treasures they enfold!
And the feet whose weary journey
Climbed the rugged mountains steep,
Shall beside life's flowing waters
Find their resting long and sweet. I am waiting for those mansions,
And the mysteries they hold,
Waiting, while my heart is yearning
With a hungering untold;
And the Saviour's gracious promise
Fills my being more and more,
Till I long to know the secrets
Waiting on the farther shore. Some day will the veil be lifted,
Hiding mansions bright and fair;
Some day will the skies be rifted.
We shall see them “over there.”
There will come a day of resting,
When the pain and toil are done,
When the heartaches are forgotten
In the peace and joy of home. Loma Linda and Los Angeles
By Ellen G. White
Loma Linda and Los Angeles
MONDAY morning, May 13, we left Escondido, and in the afternoon were once more at Loma Linda. I found myself somewhat wearied with the efforts put forth in traveling and speaking, and was glad to be able to rest here for a few days. However, I was able to speak twice during the week to the students of the Loma Linda College of Evangelists. The students of this school are accommodated in the cottages that were erected on the property when it was purchased by our people. A building that was formerly used for recreation, now serves for the class work of both the college and the church-school. The work of the sanitarium and the school are closely united. Those who are training for medical missionary work are able to receive in the sanitarium practical experience in the giving of simple treatments, and in the college they may be educated in the Bible and the sciences. Thus in the union of the school with the sanitarium, there are facilities for the training of true medical missionaries. Sabbath Services at Loma Linda
On Sabbath, May 18, the members of the neighboring churches gathered at Loma Linda, and we held meetings under the pepper-trees on the lawn at the back of the sanitarium. In the forenoon I spoke for one hour, and the Lord blessed me in speaking from the fifty-eighth chapter of Isaiah. Before closing my remarks, I made a strong appeal to those who had means to help in the Lord's work, and I presented the needs of the Loma Linda Sanitarium. I urged them not to spend all their efforts merely in commercial lines, but to lay up treasure beside the throne of God. Among those present was a man who had been brought to the sanitarium in such a diseased condition that his case was thought to be hopeless. But he was carefully treated, and the crisis was safely passed. In response to my appeal for means he showed his appreciation of what has been done for him, by lending one thousand dollars for a year without interest. No collection was taken up, but some money was placed in Brother Burden’s hands after the meeting. After the morning service, a lunch was provided by the sanitarium for the visitors, and was served on the lawn. In the afternoon, Elder Luther Warren gave an excellent discourse. Brother Warren is an able worker, and we hope that he may labor for a time in this needy field. He was then resting somewhat, on account of his own and his wife’s health. After this service, the visitors left for their homes, and all were agreed that they had spent a pleasant day, and had been blessed by the discourses. I had promised to speak at Los Angeles on Sunday afternoon, so it was necessary for us to hasten away by the early train from Loma Linda. We had about sixty miles to travel. On our arrival at Los Angeles we went to our restaurant and treatment rooms on Hill Street, and while waiting there before the service, I prayed to the Lord for strength for the work before me. At the Carr Street church, we found a large number had gathered. Every foot of room inside the building was occupied, even the aisles being filled, and I was told that some were unable to find entrance to the building. Among those present were a number not of our faith. I presented the importance of obedience to the commandments of God, dwelling upon the instruction given in Exodus and Deuteronomy in connection with the proclamation of the law from Mount Sinai. Never before had these scriptures appealed to me so forcibly. I spoke for a full hour, and the interest was marked throughout. At the last I became somewhat hoarse, but I felt very thankful that the Lord had permitted me to speak so long and so distinctly. To us as verily as to ancient Israel the words of Jehovah are spoken. In awful grandeur the Lord manifested himself in the giving of his law. The impressions of that scene were never forgotten by those who beheld it. In his rehearsal of the experiences of Israel, Moses said concerning this law:— “Now, therefore harken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you, for to do them, that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the Lord God of your fathers giveth you. Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish aught from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you. Your eyes have seen what the Lord did because of Baal-peor: for all the men that followed Baal-peor, the Lord thy God hath destroyed them from among you. But ye that did cleave unto the Lord your God are alive every one of you this day.” “Behold I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the Lord my God commanded me, that ye should do so in the land whither ye go to possess it. Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. For what nation is there so great, who hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day?” Then follows the solemn warning: “Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons’ sons; specially the day that thou stoodest before the Lord thy God in Horeb, . . . and he declared unto you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even ten commandments; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone.” We can not afford to allow the spirit of commercialism to take such possession of us that we shall neglect the study of the requirements of God’s Word. O, if we as a people would study the Scriptures as we should, there would be seen among us such a reformation as we have never yet seen! Our children would be taught the ways of the Lord, and the enemy of souls would be unable to gain control of them. And we should be filled with energy and zeal to make known to others the great truths that God has revealed to us. Obedience to God’s law is the condition of salvation. Many declare that in giving his life to redeem the race, Christ abolished the law of God. It was because the law of God could not be abolished, that Christ died as the victim of the world’s transgressions. “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” The death of Christ on the cross of Calvary is the strongest evidence that could be given to the world that the law of God is an immutable law. Satan has tried through the working of his deceptive powers, to cause the great humiliation of Christ to exalt sin, and to invite rebellion in the world. He would have the cross of Calvary testify to a falsehood. The enemy has not gained his purpose. The truth stands fast forever. The law which God spoke in awful grandeur from the mount will9 endure throughout eternity, despite the efforts of Satan to counterwork the work of God by instituting the observance of the first day in the place of the Sabbath of the Lord. The law is God’s standard, from which there must be no swerving. The will and way of God must be made paramount. That no detail may be forgotten, we must constantly peruse the Word of God. It makes a great difference to men whether they receive or reject the precepts of Jehovah. It is because many are not real students of the prophecies and the requirements found in the Bible, that they are so easily diverted to the consideration of matters of but little importance. God has set us in the world to be light bearers. Our lives should be an acknowledgment of his holy precepts. We should bear to the world a living testimony of the possibility of spiritual growth. It is the good and faithful servant who is promised eternal life and an entrance into the joy of his Lord. The good and faithful servant is he who performs unselfish acts to those with whom he comes in contact, in his life representing the beautiful character of Christ. The Lord is coming soon. Let us repeat it over and over. What are we doing as those who profess to believe that the Lord is at the door, and that his judgments are already in the world? There are many who are so overwhelmed with temporal business cares that they can give but little heed to the solemn truths that are all-important. We must work for eternity; for we know not how long we shall have the opportunity to preach the gospel freely. We can not tell when in Los Angeles and in other cities, the heavy judgments of God may fall as they have in San Francisco. Wickedness, idolatry, drunkenness, self-indulgence, and corruption abound more and more, and God’s Spirit will not always strive with men. We must cultivate the spirit of self-sacrifice. It would seem sometimes as if we forgot that there are souls to be saved, and that God is calling for men and for means. Do you have money lying idle in the banks? It is God’s money, every dollar of it. You have only been made the steward of his means, and you are being tested. Shall we not follow the example of our Lord, and make large sacrifices for the salvation of souls? It is not commercialism that will ripen a people for the kingdom of God. The interests of the Christian will not be absorbed in the temporal things of earth. He will lay up for himself “treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal.” From every land come calls for the gospel. Doors are opening that have long been closed. We must as a people move rapidly to keep pace with the opening providences of God. May God help his people to arouse, and to buckle on the armor for the mighty struggle that is before them. The Blind — Where Are They?
By L. N. Muck
Much is being written to-day about the blind in the United States. Educators are at their wits' end to know what to do for this unfortunate class, and yet those who are deeply interested in the welfare of those who can not see realize that although many of the blind are capable, they are not given a chance to make a livelihood. Societies are organized to care for this class, much is being done in an industrial way to make the blind self-supporting, and we are encouraged to say that not a little has been accomplished. But listen! while the public in a measure is providing for those in double darkness, no provision is made to get the gospel to them. If the public is doing all it can to provide bread and butter or to make this class self-supporting, what is our duty? What are we doing to place before their minds the threefold message found in Revelation 14, which plainly states that the gospel is to be preached to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people? Again: the great commission is, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” Are we heeding this direct command from God to rescue the perishing? When these words were uttered nearly two thousand years ago, the Saviour understood the great need of carrying the gospel to a dying race. To-day the command to go is more important, the need is greater, than ever before since the gospel was given. In our eagerness to carry the gospel to far-away lands, we have overlooked the blind, and yet the souls of this neglected people are as precious in the sight of our Heavenly Father as are the souls of those who can see. Then why hesitate to give our substance to carry the message to this much-neglected people? Consider the sad condition of nearly one hundred thousand men and women who are in utter darkness regarding the truths of the third angel's message. We are to sound the notes of the last-day message clear and certain; we are to lift our voices as one body, and warn the world of a soon-coming Saviour. The message is sure, and we can not be mistaken. Three classes appeal to us for literature: First, the young boys and girls whose minds are not filled with the things of this world. They know nothing of care, they are not acquainted with Jesus, and few of them know anything about the Bible. The majority of these boys and girls enter school while very young, say, six years of age. And as few of the schools for the blind tolerate religious services, these young minds have little opportunity for Bible study. Where religious services are conducted in these schools, the Darwin and Spencer theory is taught. Hence many go out into the world believing that there is no God. They have no hope of eternal life, they can not look into the future with joy, the future outlook is dark and cheerless; but thanks be to God, there is an anchor and a salvation sufficient. We rejoice that the message can go to this class, and it must be given in their own language, through the columns of the Christian Record, and by sending out tracts in the New York and American braille systems. The second class are young men and women who have finished their education and gone out in the world to meet the problems of life. Not all are successful, because of the lack of confidence in their ability on the part of the public. Consequently they are forced to sit down and fold their hands in despair. O that the blind everywhere were given a chance! But while we can not better their physical condition, we can hold out the gospel to them, and tell them that Jesus died that they might live. Shall we do as the Saviour bids us—‘bring in hither the poor, the maimed, the halt, and the blind?’ Brethren and sisters, while you read, lift up your voice and heart that he may help you to see10 the needs of those who can not see the beauty of nature. The blind can not enjoy themselves as you do; they are left to themselves; society holds out little inducement to them. The third class is known as the adult blind, or men and women who have lost their sight in later years; they are the most helpless class. Few of them can read with their fingers, and yet they should hear the gospel. They are appealing to the public for aid; they desire instruction, and can be taught to read with their fingers. We wish to say right here that we have taught a goodly number from this office, by sending alphabet sheets and the necessary helps. Some day the blind eyes will be opened, the deaf ears will be unstopped, the dumb shall speak forth the praises of God, the lame shall leap as an hart. But before the thirty-fifth chapter of Isaiah is fulfilled, we have a mission to perform; we must hasten to the blind. The blind are but a handful when compared with the teeming millions of the world. But it is much harder to reach the blind. The conditions are not so favorable. But, “Go ye,” says Jesus, “into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” I believe that Jesus is speaking thus: “Go ye, and preach the gospel to the blind.” Shall we heed it? Many are in the poorhouse, with little or no employment; and a tract or a paper, placed in the hands of such a one, would bring light to his pathway. Many inquiries have come to this office during the past few months as to the financial condition of the work, and what we have accomplished, etc. At the close of last year we had a surplus of a few hundred dollars, and nearly fifty blind persons had embraced the truth, and were loyal to the message. These persons were not visited by Bible workers; they accepted the truth by reading the Christian Record and tracts. Already this year a goodly number have embraced the message, and many others are interested. Since the work started, about three hundred and fifty souls have accepted the third angel's message, and the majority of them are strong in the faith. Have we not much to be thankful for? With the limited means and workers, the Lord has accomplished much. But this is not all; since the office was transferred from Battle Creek, Mich., to College View, Neb., three years ago, and placed under the management of the Central Union Conference, the Christian Record has increased in circulation from four hundred copies monthly to fifteen hundred. And yet, hundreds are appealing to us for literature; and unless we have the co-operation of our people everywhere in a financial way, we must retrench. We know that the Lord does not approve of going backward. I, who am acquainted with the sorrows and the difficulties which confront those who can not see, appeal to you who read this article to assist with your means in the work for this needy class. You have many calls, it is true, but picture the blind if you please—without anything, helpless, and many of them outcasts. Consider yourself blind, and then ask the question, Do I appreciate sight? Would I exchange my life for that of a blind man or woman? Let me ask you a question: Would you give up your books and papers?—Ah, no! Then lift up your eyes and behold the fields white, ready for harvest. Do not turn these hungry souls away in despair; I bring them to you and ask you to unite with us in giving them what their souls desire. The Christian Record Publishing Company is under the management of the Central Union Conference, and Elder E. T. Russell is chairman of the committee. If any one desires to write to him about the work, I am sure that he would be pleased to give information. All donations and subscriptions should be sent to Mrs. Florence R. Emerson, Secretary of the Christian Record, College View, Neb., and all funds will be turned over to N. B. Emerson, treasurer of the Central Union Conference. The Seven Last Plagues
By A. L. Manous
“It was impossible for the plagues to be poured out while Jesus officiated in the sanctuary.”—Early Writings, page 280, tenth edition. “I was shown that the seven last plagues will be poured out after Jesus leaves the sanctuary.”—Ibid., page 52. “When our High Priest has finished his work in the sanctuary, he will stand up, put on the garments of vengeance, and then the seven last plagues will be poured out. I saw that the four angels would hold the four winds until Jesus’ work was done in the sanctuary, and then will come the seven last plagues.”—Ibid., page 36. No Mediator for Sin while the Plagues Are Falling
Some will be “left without a shelter from the burning wrath of God, in the seven last plagues.”—Ibid., page 44. “Those who refuse to be hewed by the prophets, and fail to purify their souls in obeying the whole truth, and who are willing to believe that their condition is far better than it really is, will come up to the time of the falling of the plagues, and then see that they needed to be hewed and squared for the building. But there will be no time then to do it, and no Mediator to plead their cause before the Father.”—Ibid., p. 71. “I saw that Jesus would not leave the most holy place until every case was decided either for salvation or destruction, and that the wrath of God could not come until Jesus had finished his work in the most holy place, laid off his priestly attire, and clothed himself with the garments of vengeance. Then Jesus will step out from between the Father and man, and God will keep silence no longer, but pour out his wrath on those who have rejected his truth.”—Ibid., page 36. Why Doubt God's Word ?
By A. C. Ames
“Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.” 2 Peter 3:3, 4. Let us consider for a moment how little the conditions on this earth would have to change to render it unfit for human habitation. If all the water on the earth were spread evenly over its surface, it would be nearly three miles deep. The amount of water taken up and poured out over the earth in the form of rain will average about thirty inches each year. This is less than one six-thousandth of the whole amount. If this amount is increased or diminished by half, it results disastrously to plant growth, and how very little change comparatively it would take to make a flood or a famine that would destroy all mankind! Yet scoffers say there never could have been a flood in the days of Noah, as the Bible records. “For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water; whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished.” 2 Peter 3:5, 6. It took only “the word of God” (verse 5) to bring a flood then, and it is only by the same “word of God” that the flood has not been repeated since. “And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.” Gen. 9:15. “But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.” 2 Peter 3:7. The range of temperature from liquid air to melted platinum covers about six thousand degrees. The range in which man can live with any comfort is only about the one hundredth of that amount; but let the average temperature of the earth be permanently lowered or raised sixty degrees, and he could not exist; for on the one hand, we would have the conditions that exist in the polar regions, and on the other hand, the temperature would be as far above the torrid condition as the torrid is now above the temperate. A change of one per cent in the temperature would wipe all life out of existence. The only reason we do not have such changes is because the world is held by “the word of God” every day, the same “word” by which it was at first created. The following quotation which we take from the Pathfinder (Washington, D. C.) is very pertinent upon this point:— “It takes but a little to upset the balance of nature which man has in his favor, and with all our boasted knowledge we would be powerless to preserve our position if some new element were to be brought into the case. The only reason for feeling any assurance is that things have held the even tenor of their way so long that there is little chance of any cataclysm now. Nevertheless it becomes man to be modest and not to forget that his whole race could be brushed off the earth like a fly, in a twinkle, if conditions which are absolutely out of his control should by any chance materially change. So far as our planet is concerned, everything depends on the sun. We know now that the intensity of heat given off by that orb varies considerably, and that our weather is largely influenced by solar weather; there is no scientific reason why some fiery cyclone in the sun should not any day reduce to ashes every trace of organic matter of every sort on our planet, so that life here would have to begin all over again. As we have said before, the only proof we have that this will not happen is that it has never happened in the few thousand years within man's ken—a mere tick of the clock, however, in the long day of creation.” The fact that this has never yet happened is no proof whatever that it never will happen. Just as well might I say that the fact that I have never died is a proof that I never shall die. We may be sure, however, that it will never happen “by chance,” but that it will happen by “the word of God,” for “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. . . . Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.” 2 Peter 3:10, 13, 14. When Doctors Disagree
By H. J. Edmed
In the great “Message to the Nation,” recently issued by the Bishop of Canterbury, the Archbishop of Westminster (R. C.), and the President of the Free Church Council, the statement is made that “sacred sanction . . . attaches to the Lord’s day” (Sunday). Some time ago, Canon Eyton, of the English Church, wrote: “There is no hint, no word, in the New Testament about abstaining from work on Sunday.” Dr. R. W. Dale added his testimony thus: “The Sabbath was founded on a divine specific command. We can plead no such command for the observance of Sunday.” The Catholic Mirror (the official organ of Cardinal Gibbons), says, “Of those who follow the Bible as their guide, the Israelites and Seventh-day Adventists have the exclusive weight of evidence on their side, while Biblical Protestants have not a word in self-defense for their substitution of Sunday for Saturday.” If the last three writers quoted are correct, whence do the representatives of the Christian church that sent that message, get their sacred sanction? When Protestants accept an institution of the papacy, as Sunday observance certainly is, does it not become true that they acknowledge the authority of the Roman Catholic Church, and accept its observances which are contrary to Scripture, as under sacred sanction? What then has become of Protestantism? This reminds me of a series of articles that has lately appeared in the St. Cyprian’s Parish Chronicle, Durban, Natal, South Africa, wherein I find the following:— “If our authority for keeping Sunday be the fourth commandment simply, just as it stands, without interpretation, without reservation, the whole Christian world lies convicted of a most serious breach of God’s law. Stay! this is not quite true. There is a curious sect, called, I believe, ‘Seventh-day Adventists,’ which literally obeys. They alone, then, of all Christians keep the whole of God’s commandments. . . . The obligation to keep Sunday rests completely on the authority of the church. Sunday is not the Jewish sabbath at all, but the weekly joyous festival in honor of our Lord’s resurrection. Those who deny the church’s authority, if they desire to be consistent, should keep Saturday, as the Jews do (in theory, at any rate), and refuse to have anything to do with an institution which is admittedly Catholic.” (Italics mine.) For many years the people who are represented by this paper have been contending that Sunday observance is a child of the Catholic Church, and has no Scriptural foundation whatever; and for this we have suffered all kinds of opprobrium and persecution at the hands of ministers and leaders of the various sects in the country. It is quite refreshing, therefore, to find a clergyman in South Africa who is bold enough to proclaim the truth on this matter. Men have said that Sunday-keeping is supported by the New Testament. Some have even gone so far as to twist a reason out of the Old Testament. But at last honorable men are beginning to admit our position, and to support the view that if one is to be a purely Bible Christian he should keep the Sabbath of the fourth commandment, which is the seventh day. This, however, is not the “Jewish sabbath” as suggested by my friend, but is the “Sabbath of the Lord thy God;” and that makes all the difference, because to be of any value at all, Sabbath-keeping depends solely upon the blessing of God.—H. J. Edmed, in South African Sentinel.