[From Jonathan Crowther’s “Portraiture of Methodism,” 1811]
No pious people ever became inimical to the government under which they lived, but through cruel treatment. It has only been when their lives have been made bitter by reason of cruel bondage or unmerited affliction, like Israel in Egypt, that they have ever been brought to breathe the spirit of the posterity of that people, when they said, “What portion have we in David? neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse: to your tents, O Israel: now see to thine own house, David.” 1 Kings 12: 16.
The case of the family of the Stuarts is exactly in point here. This family was hurled from the throne of Britain, and obliged to take refuge in foreign countries, after oppressing the people, and cruelly persecuting them, especially on account of religion.
An Impolitic Cause
It is impolitic in the civil government of any country, to indulge in any species of persecution. The perpetuity of governments depends upon their ruling in equity, without respect of persons, and in dealing out their protection with impartiality. This will secure the esteem and attachment of the subjects; whilst persecution, under whatever name, becomes the most criminal and dangerous, when directed against a righteous, praying people, or what the Bible terms the people of God.
It is worthy of observation, that scarcely any government ever treated these with cruelty, and remained long without some signal proof of the displeasure of Jehovah. Pharaoh and the taskmasters, the first government persecutors we read of in the Bible, were overwhelmed in the Red Sea. The rich and powerful government of the Babylonian empire was suddenly destroyed, and that in the midst of the greatest security, after capturing the posterity of Jacob, and keeping them in bondage; and while this government, at a drunken feast, was triumphing over the Hebrews, and insulting their God. When heated with wine, Belshazzar commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple at Jerusalem; that the king and his princes, his wives and his concubines, might drink therein. And while they drank out of those vessels, which had been dedicated to the only true God, as if in triumph over Him, they praised their own idol gods, which were made of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone. But in that hour, the visible hand of an otherwise invisible agent wrote over against the candlestick, upon the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace: “God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it. . . . Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.” And in that same night was Belshazzar slain; and Darius, the Median, took the kingdom. By this memorable transfer of power did the Almighty open the way for the restoration of His chosen people to the enjoyment of liberty and their religious privileges.
The most powerful of all governments that ever existed, that of the Romans, did not stand long after it persecuted, afflicted, and tormented the church of God. At the time the church of Christ was founded, that mighty and extensive empire had been growing in size and splendor, for more than seven hundred years; but when it set itself against the truth and the people of God, it was afflicted with many calamities, and was soon destroyed by cruel barbarians.
And what is the present state of popedom, which has shed the blood of so many of God’s saints? Where is that Spanish government that maintained uniformity in religion, or rather in superstition and error, by the Inquisition, tortures, and death? And where is the power of the family of the Capets, or Bourbons, which so long and so grievously oppressed and slaughtered the Protestants in France? The fall of that persecuting house has been almost as tragical and memorable as have been its cruel oppressions of the people of God.
Gibbon and other infidels may endeavor to assign other causes for “the decline and fall of the Roman Empire;” half-papists may see no hand of God in the humiliation, or even annihilation, of the popedom; the French Revolution may be wholly ascribed, by mere politicians, to the deistical disciples of Voltaire, and republicanism; the dethronement of the king of Spain may be imputed to the boundless ambition and matchless treachery of the present ruler of France. But every man who fully believes and properly considers the Bible, will be prepared to acquiesce in a declaration similar to that of our Saviour to Pilate; namely, that the instruments of such revolutions and dethronements could have no power to do these things, except it had been given them from above. John 19: 11.
No One Reached Heaven by Drifting
“No ONE ever reached the harbor of heaven by drifting.”
For Free Speech
By Editor
THE first amendment to the Constitution of the United States reads thus:
Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
From the Constitution of the State of California, Article I, section 9, we take the following:
Every citizen may freely speak, write, and publish his sentiments on all subjects, being responsible for the abuse of that right; and no law shall be passed to restrain or abridge the liberty of speech or of the press.
Section 10 declares:
The people shall have the right freely to assemble together to consult for the common good, to instruct their representatives, and to petition the legislature for redress of grievances.
Surely it would seem, in the light of these utterances, that there should be no local laws enacted to restrict freedom of speech; but San Diego, for some reason, has felt it necessary to place restriction upon free speech and upon the right of the people to assemble. In brief, the story is as follows:
On December 8 last, a petition was filed with the common council of San Diego, asking for the prohibition of street speaking "within a district seven blocks square," in the heart of the city, including forty-nine blocks. This petition was signed by eighty-five persons, who called themselves property owners. A counter petition opposing the petition of the first named, signed by 250 persons, was filed with the council. On December 13 the council invited arguments on the matter of street speaking. One person appeared on behalf of the property owners, an attorney. The signers of the counter petition were well represented, by delegates from labor-unions, Industrial Workers of the World, Single Tax League, Salvation Army, and other religious bodies, and some individual citizens, who for two hours pleaded for the continuance of a twenty-year-old custom. The arguments of all were directly and specifically against the prohibition of free speech. Nothing was done by the council until January 8, when an ordinance was passed, made also an "emergency ordinance," for the "immediate preservation of the public peace, health, and safety," taking effect at once, making it "unlawful for any person to address any assemblage, meeting, or gathering of persons, or hold or conduct any public meeting, or make or deliver any public speech, lecture, or discourse, or sing any song or songs, or take part in any public debate or discussion, in or upon any public street or alley within that certain district in the city of San Diego which is bounded as follows: on the north by the north side of C Street, on the east by the east side of 6th Street, on the south by the south side of F Street, and on the west by the west side of 4th Street." And this district was named by the council in the same ordinance the "central congested district" of said city. The fine to be visited upon those who transgressed the ordinance was from $25 to $100, or imprisonment in the city jail not exceeding thirty days, or both fine and imprisonment.
It was adopted, as before stated, January 8. And yet, tho enacted as an "emergency ordinance," no effort was made by the police department to enforce it until one month after, the night of February 8. On that night, thirty-eight men and three women were arrested, charged with criminal conspiracy, bail fixed at $750 cash or $1,500 in bonds for each person. The extreme penalty for this offense is one year in the county jail and a fine of $1,000. February 9, fourteen more persons were arrested; February 10, fourteen more were arrested for the same offense; and on February 11, twelve persons were arrested. And the arrests went on. Sometimes those arrested were treated brutally, badly beaten, clubbed, and kicked, and in one instance taken miles away from the city in an auto, beaten, and threatened with death if he returned. And he a citizen of San Diego! The reports state that the county jail of Santa Ana was filled with them. Thirty-six were thrust into a room in jail, 16 x 16 feet, with but two small windows half open for ventilation. One man fainted, and after much persuasion was allowed to be taken out into the open air, and the door was immediately closed. In one instance several men had to be taken out of a cell to allow those who were in there to lie down on the steel floor.
This is from a photograph of San Diego's attitude toward free speech. The lady just above the cross is Mrs. Wightman speaking.
As one newspaper has stated it, these men were not robbers, nor murderers, nor did they exceed the speed limit with automobiles; they were not sneak-thieves; they were not denizens of the red light district, which is said to be running full blast; they were not vagrants. Reputable witnesses, who were in San Diego at the time, told us that they did not use foul, abusive, vulgar, or profane language. The only crime they committed was the disobeying of an unlawful ordinance, or simply doing what had been done at the same place for years. As one writer has remarked, the corner where this speaking was done was not a congested corner. It was such a corner as speakers desire, a quiet place where people can listen without being interrupted by constant traffic or automobiles.
Finding that beating by policemen's clubs, kicking, jailing, did not stop the matter, the fire department was called out, and the hose turned on the crowd. Two women,—Mrs. Wightman, who we understand was not in the restricted district, but on the other side of the street, and a Mrs. Emerson,—were both thrown to the pavement by the force of the water, and thoroly drenched to the skin. Accounts tell us of a woman's being struck in the breast, and knocked down, and kicked after she was down, the policeman saying with an oath that she was not the first woman he had kicked. In a parade to protest against it, there were representatives of the Socialist Party, American Federation of Miners, various labor-unions, Industrial Workers of the World, Single Taxers, and Daughters of the American Revolution, as well as those who belong to no organization.
Surely it would seem that Americans would cry out against this wherever they are, to whatever party or organization they may belong. If a government, or city, or people are pursuing a course that will not stand the light of open discussion and free speech, it ought to perish. If conditions are what they ought to be, all the utterances that are made by agitators will not affect the good sense of the majority.
Not many months ago we were in England. One Sunday afternoon we went over to the Nelson monument, in the very heart of London. On the four sides of the great structure there is rostrum and room for four large audiences with speakers. Some of these speakers were tremendously radical in their utterances. Frequently the police themselves were abused; but outside of those vast throngs, policemen were in attendance keeping order and quiet, so that the speakers could be heard; and when it was over the crowd dispersed to meditate upon the things that had been said, and the policemen stayed on duty. No uprising; no disturbances; nothing to mar the peace.
San Diego is losing by the course that she is taking. She could well call to mind at this juncture the effort that has been made by the cities of Missoula, Montana; Spokane, Washington; Fresno, California; Kansas City, Missouri; Aberdeen, Washington. Entirely apart from policy, such ordinances are unconstitutional and wrong. And yet we wondered, as we listened to the earnest, strong, and yet very temperate protests made by labor-unionists and Socialists in Los Angeles against the action of the San Diego council, whether these men would allow the liberty which they are asking for themselves, to non-unionists, or "scabs," as they are pleased to call them. Would they allow ardent non-unionists to come before union headquarters and speak as freely as they desire to speak, always and everywhere11that is proper? That is the real test of our love of free speech, not for ourselves, but the other man, who may be opposed to us. We wish that it were so; that these labor men who are so ardently pleading for free speech in San Diego, would plead for it just as heartily for non-unionists, for "scabs," for strike-breakers. The principle demands the one as truly as the other, and the "Signs of the Times" believes in free speech for all. If there is criminal libel, the transgressor is responsible to the law; but apart from this, let constitutional rights be maintained.
NOTE.—We were informed by one who had closely observed the matters from the beginning, that the real cause of this effort to suppress free speech had a religious basis. Socialists and Roman Catholics are deadly enemies. Socialism has been conducting a successful propaganda in San Diego, seemingly winning not a few Catholics; and when a Catholic becomes a good Socialist, he becomes a bad Catholic, and the uprising against them was instigated by sympathizers with the church. This surmise may be correct, or not. It has nothing to do with the real merits of the question. The Constitution of the United States declares both for free speech and the right to assemble, and that no law shall be made suppressing the one or preventing the other. We are not in this expressing sympathy with the Socialistic propaganda, or with the principles and methods of the I. W. W., or labor-unions.
These must stand on their own merits, but we do stand for free speech for all.
Temperance Gains in California
By Editor
DURING recent weeks the temperance people of California have been very active in numerous localities, conducting local option prohibition campaigns. Something over two hundred towns have had the question before them as to whether they would continue to license the saloon.
Some very energetic work has been going on. Platform speaking and the circulation of thousands of pages of leaflets and other literature have been the chief means of educating the people to see the absurdity and uselessness as well as the curse of keeping the licensed saloon among us. There is absolutely no good thing that can be said in favor of the saloon, while there are enough things that can be said against it to fill page after page.
The election in many of the towns was held on April 8, and twelve of them that we have heard of voted the saloons out on that day. We are glad to be able to announce that our own home town of Mountain View is among the number. An educative campaign was vigorously conducted here for about two months before the election. All personalities and bitter attacks were excluded by common consent of the temperance workers, but we did all in our power to make plain the destructive work that the saloon is doing. The various churches of the community, as well as many citizens who were not affiliated with any religious denomination, worked in the campaign with a unanimity that was good to see. The pastors of the Methodist and Presbyterian churches gave much of their time to the work, and the editors of the SIGNS OF THE TIMES gave several addresses and otherwise helped the good work along. The Pacific Press did considerable printing also, to help the fight for a clean home town. When the campaign was started by the Anti-saloon League, there were many business men, as well as others, who thought there were business reasons why the saloons should stay with us. But as the work of education went on, one after another of these joined us, until when election day was reached, the majority of votes cast against the saloon was a great surprise to the community.
After the conflict was all over, even the saloon men themselves were compelled to say that we had voted them out fairly, but that we had not abused them in doing it. Let the good work go on all over the grand old Golden State, as well as throughout our great republic and the world at large. May many of the other towns which have their elections on later dates, get rid of these moral pests known as saloons.
Japan and Mexico, and the United States
FOR the last two or three years there has been a great deal of discussion concerning the probability of a war between Japan and the United States. But the Government has sought to quiet every one's feelings by assuring us that there was no danger. It would seem, however, from present developments, that our diplomats have had more to contend with in this direction than it would have been wise for them to admit.
From present despatches that appear to be well authenticated, it appears that Japan has been working with determination for several years to get a naval base on this Pacific coast. Her last move was to purchase about 5,000,000 acres of land bordering on Magdalena Bay. The purchasing company had enough American names in their list that they evidently hoped to avoid suspicion. But it has come out clearly that Japan is behind the purchase, and she has been sending men into Mexico so rapidly during the last few years that it is now estimated that she has fully 200,000 of her best citizens there. It is stated that the majority of these Japanese have a distinct military bearing, and many of them are known to be veterans of the Russo-Japanese war.
Piercing the last wall in the great Jungfrau tunnel, in Switzerland, over nine miles long. Its terminal at Jungfraujoch is 11,410 feet above sea-level. Its object is to open up for travelers some of the sublimest scenery of the Alps. The upper station lies between two great mountains, the Jungfrau, 13,672 feet high, and the Mönch, over 13,465 feet. February 21 the dynamite shot was fired which opened the tunnel. Great hotels are built at the highest station, and all winter sports may be held in midwinter.
Russia and Japan have so far forgotten their troubles of a few years ago that they are allies in this move in Mexico, which really means a move against the United States. It is also feared that some other nations may be backing Japan in order to break down the "Monroe Doctrine," to which the United States has held so tenaciously. The control of the Panama Canal also has its bearing in the case.
Japan has added about $200,000,000 to her national debt during the last two years, and this vast sum has been expended on her navy and merchant marine. She has recently put a number of the most modern merchant ships upon the Pacific as trading vessels. But it is said that each and all of these can be turned into swift cruisers and transports within about thirty days' time.
In the meantime the revolution in Mexico has been kept up for the last year and more. Diaz was overthrown, and the world was assured that Madero would establish peace. But things in Mexico are now in a worse condition than ever; and from the view-point of a statesman, it would seem that the United States would be compelled to intervene for her own safety, and to protect her citizens that live along the borders of that country, as well as those who are doing business inside.
While this condition of things is confronting our nation, it also appears that Japan is becoming very active around Magdalena Bay, and furthermore that she is seeking to form an alliance with Mexico, as well as with some of the South American republics, with the hope of bringing about a combination that could defeat the United States in case of war.
The situation has become sufficiently serious to cause United States Senator Lodge to have introduced a resolution in the Senate on April 2, calling upon the President for all the information and correspondence at his command upon the subject. It is also stated that some 200,000 United States troops are being mobilized and got in readiness for action in case conditions demand it.
Senator Lodge's resolution in Congress, if there were no other evidence, is sufficient to show that there is some real trouble brewing between this country and Japan. And the facts of the hour warrant the conviction that all that has been said upon the subject during the last two or three years has not been merely newspaper talk. It is to be sincerely hoped that a war between two such powers as Japan and the United States may be averted. For such nations as these, with modern weapons in their hands, would create scenes of bloodshed that would go beyond description.
Lowering war-clouds of the darkest and most foreboding character continue to hover over the world. Yesterday it was in Europe or else somewhere in Asia, and to-day it is in America. But somewhere and all the time there are these danger-signals that show the war-storm that is coming on. The great mass of the people are so intent on their various pursuits, that they do not realize that Armageddon lies just before us. The prophecies of the Bible are clear upon the subject, and world conditions to-day show that these prophecies are being fulfilled right before our eyes.
Will we take the time to look at the evidence and see that this is so? T.
A Stormy Condition in the World
During the heat of England's coal miners' strike, the German war party urged very strongly that the opportune time was reached for the supremacy of the seas to be wrested from the Britons. The German bankers, however, were of the opinion that the time was not ripe for it, and hence the war was not declared. And almost immediately following this the Germans found occasion to turn warmly toward England because of their own internal difficulties with the Socialists and other disquieting parties. In both a social and a political way this old world is getting to assume a very stormy condition.
Hudson Maxim, who has done so much to increase the efficiency of powder and other explosives, thinks that we are not far from the time when the power and rapidity of gun-fire will be such that armor-plate on vessels will be as obsolete as the coat of mail of the knight of the Middle Ages.
The seventh World's Sunday-school Association convention will be held in Zurich, Switzerland, July 8-15, 1913. This city was the home of Zwingle, the great Swiss Reformer, and the birthplace of Pestalozzi, the noted educator.
The Victory
By Mrs. Earle Albert Rowell
By Mrs. Earle Albert Rowell
O, weary soul, when crushed with earthly
woes,
Hope on! Hope on!
Think'st thou not that Jesus knows
Thy heart was pierced by angry foes?
Then why prolong the day,
When Jesus longs to say,
"Give thou Me thy heart of grief,
And I will give thee sweet relief"?
O, weary one, when bent beneath the load,
Smile on! Smile on!
Fret not thy soul of injuries done.
Thy cries and anguish, hid from mortal
view,
Shall pierce the heavenly mansions through,
Where dwells in lofty majesty's abode,
The King of Kings, the Lord of Light.
He shall judge thy soul aright.
O, vanquished one, no more thy soul must
pine.
Strive on! Strive on!
E'en tho the fight be hard, the battle long.
No laurels worn, less victories are won.
Fight on! Fight on!
The Responsibility of Parents
By Mrs. E. G. White
By Mrs. E. G. White
HE training of children is one of the most solemn responsibilities ever committed to mortals. Children are the Lord's heritage, and He would have them educated to be coworkers with Him. He has a special interest in this work; for in children He sees talent and influence, which, when controlled by His Holy Spirit, will become a power for good, and bring glory to His name. Christ died to save children, and He is ready to do a great work for them if parents will coöperate with Him by training and educating them according to the instructions He has given. This should be the first work of all parents.
God holds us responsible for every ray of light that He has permitted to shine upon us. We are to reflect His light to others in clear and certain rays. "As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God." These are made the depositaries of truth. This truth they hold in trust, and it is their duty to make it known to all, especially to the children. But too often our neglect to fulfil our responsibilities as God requires, leaves us in an uncertain position. Few can bear the light of God's Word without a feeling of self-reproach because of a defective performance of duty.
As the child is in habits and manners, so the man will be. What earnest work, then, should be bestowed upon the character-building of children! When very young, children are susceptible to divine influences. The Lord takes these children under His special care; and when they are brought up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, they are a help and not a hindrance to their parents. But too often the indifference of parents leads them to neglect their children; they have little idea of how to train them for the Master.
Those who deal with children, need a large supply of the grace of Christ. God would have them dealt with wisely, tenderly, and yet firmly, that their feet may not stray over the boundary, to the side of the enemy. Those parents who realize their God-given responsibility in this matter, will have faith in God, and will work with travail of soul for their children, that their minds, their hands, and their hearts may be consecrated to the service of God.
The character and experience of John the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ, should be an encouragement to parents in the training of their children. John did not make his home in the cities and villages. From childhood to youth, and from youth to manhood, he lived in the wilderness. But he did not live thus for any selfish purpose. In his time the Jewish religious teachers had well-nigh lost all spiritual life. Nothing in their teaching stood out clear and convincing. They had so enclosed themselves within themselves, and were regarded as possessing such sanctity, that none of the people disputed what they said or taught.
But the life of John was a special life; and it was the will of God that he should separate from the busy haunts of men, and learn his life lessons from nature and from nature's God, receiving his impressions from Him alone. His work was to prepare the way for the Messiah. He looked upon his mind as belonging to God, and he brought his thoughts into obedience to Christ. He trained his mind to contemplate the great and important truths of the Word of God, and insensibly it broadened, and acquired an expansion that enabled him to comprehend spiritual things.
So it will be now. The mind that is given to God, to be molded and fashioned after the divine similitude, will grow in power. As we work in God's lines, recognizing our accountability to do the work He has given us to do, we continually receive a supply of grace to impart to others.
It is important that the standard God has set for us be not lowered. We feel alarmed at the discrepancy seen between our obligations to God and the manner in which we meet them. But we can not cure this evil by lowering the standard, in order that our deficiencies may pass. With the example of John and of Christ before us, can we do less than elevate the standard of purity and holiness?
God has honored the young. He chose Joseph in his youth to do a special work for His people. He called Samuel, and committed to him a solemn message. By a solemn vow, before his birth, Hannah had given Samuel to the Lord. After his birth, true to her vow, she took him to the tabernacle. "But Samuel ministered before the Lord, being a child, girded with a linen ephod. Moreover his mother made him a little coat, and brought it to him from year to year, when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice." How many prayers the mother stitched into this token of love for her child! Of Samuel it was said, as of John the Baptist and of Christ, "And the child Samuel grew on, and was in favor both with the Lord, and also with men." From this we see that the Lord watches over children, noting with intense interest the characters which they form.
When parents have the Word of God before them, defining what He approves and what He disapproves, they have no excuse for following a wrong course. But notwithstanding this, there is a neglect to teach children in the way of the Lord,—a fearful, terrible neglect; and many children are lost to Jesus for want of careful training. Parents have neglected their God-given responsibilities, and Satan has taken possession of their children. Under his direction, by their evil communication they corrupt other children. Thus Satan has the children, even of professed Christians, under his control. But still the parents pass on indifferently, as if they were not neglecting one of the most solemn responsibilities ever given to man.
Parents, if you wish the minds of your children to be evil, let them have their own way. There will then be such a development of wrong that the heavenly angels will look down with grief and sadness upon parents and children.
God has given parents a warning in the history of Eli's family. Eli neglected the duty resting upon him as a parent. He indulged his sons, failing to restrain their wrong habits and practises. "The sons of Eli were sons of Belial; they knew not the Lord." Yet in spite of this, tho utterly unfitted for the work of God, they served in holy office; and God was dishonored.
Eli remonstrated with his sons, saying, "Nay, my sons; for it is no good report that I hear: ye make the Lord's people to transgress." But he took no decided measures to restrain them, and "they harkened not unto the voice of their father." The Lord held Eli responsible for the terrible example set by his sons. He was judge in Israel, but he neglected the duties resting upon him.
God sent a messenger to Eli, to unfold to him what He had done for him by exalting him to the most honorable position in the kingdom, making him priest and judge, and connecting him with Himself as the one who was to carry out His mind; the messenger was to tell him also of the punishment to come upon himself and house because of his sin. "Behold, the days come," He said, "that I will cut off thine arm, and the arm of thy father's house, that there shall not be an old man in thine house. . . . And this shall be a sign unto thee, that shall come upon thy two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas; in one day they shall die both of them."
The Lord came no more to Eli. By failing to judge his own sons, by neglecting to separate them from the Lord's service, he dishonored God. The Lord spoke no more to him. Calling the youthful Samuel, He revealed to him what was to come upon Eli.
How much might have been averted had Eli followed the counsel of the Lord, and carefully trained his sons in their childhood and youth! Let parents take this lesson to heart, and instead of allowing their children to indulge and gratify self, educate them to control themselves, and to keep God's glory in view.
Parents should teach their children to work for Christ; they should school them for actual service. O, that I could make my voice heard and my influence felt nigh and afar off, that parents might realize their responsibility in this matter! Your children are the Lord's heritage; and He will one day ask of every parent, "Where is the flock that was given thee, thy beautiful flock?"
Parents, take your children with you into your13religious exercises. Throw around them the arms of your faith, and consecrate them to Christ. Do not allow anything to cause you to throw off your responsibility to train them aright; do not let any worldly interest induce you to leave them behind. Never let your Christian life isolate them from you. Bring them with you to the Lord; educate their minds to become familiar with divine truth. Let them associate with those that love God. Bring them to the people of God as children whom you are seeking to help to build characters fit for eternity.
Of Abraham the Lord declared, "I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment." Abraham made straight paths for his feet, lest the lame should be turned out of the way. He faithfully discharged his duty, and the Lord blessed him, and made him a blessing. This is the path in which the Lord would have all parents walk. Parents, study this example which has been left on record for you, and strive earnestly to follow it. When you fulfil your God-given duties, as did Abraham, God will commend you in the heavenly courts, as He did Abraham.
