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Review and Herald, Vol. 88, No. 3.

Jesus, Lead On

Review and Herald

Jan 19, 1911

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Jan 19, 1911

Jesus, Lead On

By Zinzendorf

Jesus, still lead on Till our rest be won. And although the way be cheerless We will follow, calm and fearless: Guide us by Thy hand To our Fatherland.
If the way be drear, If the foe be near, Let not faithless fears o'ertake us, Let not faith and hope forsake us; For, through many a foe, To our home we go.
When we seek relief From a long-felt grief, When oppressed by new temptations, Lord, increase and perfect patience; Show us that bright shore Where we weep no more.
Jesus, still lead on Till our rest be won; Heavenly Leader, still direct us, Still support, console, protect us, Till we safely stand In our Fatherland.
— Zinzendorf.

A Centenary Review of the Sunday Law Agitation

Liberty

No. 1, 1911

A Centenary Review of the Sunday Law Agitation

1811-1911
Washington, D. C.
Washington, D. C.

The Spirit of Sunday Laws Exposed

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A Sunday law is demanded to shut off competition in trade; to enable a man to “keep the sabbath” without losing any business; to be religious without costing him anything. But the religion which costs nothing is too cheap to be worth anything.
Many of the strongest positions taken during the past one hundred years by prominent men, and established by acts of Congress, against the principle of the union of the church and the state, are contrasted with present-day demands for religious legislation.
These leading features of this issue, strongly supported by pithy, convincing editorials and solid-shot articles completely answering the arguments of National Reformism, and making plain the true principles of religious liberty, render this issue THE MOST EFFECTIVE EVER PUBLISHED.
He who reads this number of LIBERTY can not remain in ignorance of the principles violated in enacting and enforcing any religious law. It is clear, convincing and conclusive.

A Strong Campaign Number

A history of the past and a warning for the future, which ought to be read by every American citizen, and heeded by the lawmakers of the States and the nation.
If our liberty-loving readers recognize their opportunity, and do their full duty, they will place hundreds of thousands of copies of this issue in the possession of the people.

A Century’s Record by Congress

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Giving the noble record of a hundred years’ refusal to enact a national Sunday law or to change the Constitution.
All orders should be sent through

Conference Tract Societies

The Present Demands Upon Congress

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For a national Sunday law and a change in the Constitution—the tendency of the times to alter the attitude of the government toward religious affairs.

Precepts Concerning One Another

By J. L. Shuler

J. L. SHULER

With Reference to Personal Work

1. SERVE by love. Gal. 5:13.
2. Be forbearing in love. Col. 3:13.
3. Forgive one another. Eph. 4:32.
4. Be kind and tender-hearted. Eph. 4:32.
5. Be subject one to another. 1 Peter 5:5.
6. Have compassion one of another. 1 Peter 3:8.
7. Pray for one another. James 5:16.
8. Bear one another’s burdens. Gal. 6:2.
9. Use hospitality. 1 Peter 4:9.
10. Comfort one another. 1 Thess. 4:18.
11. Live in peace. 2 Cor. 13:11.
12. Follow that which is good. 3 John 11.

With Special but Not Exclusive Reference to Church Fellowship

1. Have fellowship one with another. 1 John 1:7.
2. Receive one another. Rom. 15:7.
3. Exhort one another daily. Heb. 3:13.
4. Admonish one another. Rom. 15:14.
5. Prefer one another in honor. Rom. 12:10.
6. Esteem others better than yourselves. Phil. 2:3.
7. Edify one another. Rom. 14:19.
8. Consider one another. Heb. 10:24.
9. Minister to one another. 1 Peter 4:10.
10. Submit to one another. Eph. 5:21.
11. Be of the same mind. Rom. 12:16; 15:5.
12. Care for one another. 1 Cor. 12:25.
13. Confess your faults to one another, and pray for one another. James 5:16.
Flora, Ill.

God's Love for Sinners

By Ellen G. White

MRS. E. G. WHITE
The parable of the straying sheep should be treasured as a motto in every household. The divine Shepherd leaves the ninety and nine, and goes out into the wilderness to seek the one that is lost. There are thickets, quagmires, and dangerous crevices in the rocks, and the shepherd knows that if the sheep is in any of these places, a friendly hand must help it out. As he hears its bleating afar off, he encounters any and every difficulty that he may save his sheep that is lost. When he discovers the lost one, he does not greet it with reproaches. He is only glad that he has found it alive. With firm yet gentle hands he parts the briers, or takes it from the mire; tenderly he lifts it on his shoulders, and bears it back to the fold. The pure, sinless Redeemer bears the sinful, the unclean.
The Shepherd carries the befouled sheep, yet so precious is his burden that he rejoices, singing, “I have found my sheep which was lost.” Let every one of you consider that your individual self has thus been borne upon Christ’s shoulders. Let none entertain a masterly spirit, a self-righteous, criticizing spirit; for not one sheep would ever have entered the fold if the Shepherd had not undertaken the painful search in the desert. The fact that one sheep was lost was enough to awaken the sympathy of the Shepherd, and start him on his quest.
This speck of a world was the scene of the incarnation and suffering of the Son of God. Christ did not go to worlds unfallen, but he came to this world, all seared and marred with the curse. The outlook was not favorable, but most discouraging. Yet “he shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth.” We must bear in mind the great joy manifested by the Shepherd at the recovery of the lost. He calls upon his neighbors, “Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.” And all heaven echoes the note of joy. The Father himself joys over the rescued one with singing. What a holy ecstasy of joy is expressed in this parable! That joy it is your privilege to share.

Working With Christ

Are you, who have this example before you, co-operating with him who is seeking to save the lost? Are you co-laborers with Christ? Can you not for his sake endure suffering, sacrifice, and trial? There is opportunity for doing good to the souls of the youth and the erring. If you see one whose words or attitude show that he is separated from God, do not blame him. It is not your work to condemn him, but to come close to his side to give him help. Consider the humility of Christ, his meekness and lowliness, and work as he worked, with a heart full of sanctified tenderness.
“At the same time, saith the Lord, will I be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people. Thus saith the Lord, The people which were left of the sword found grace in the wilderness; even Israel, when I went to cause him to rest. The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love; therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn thee.”
“How think ye?” the Saviour said; “if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray? And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray. Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heav’n, that one of these little ones should perish.”
My brethren and sisters, let this instruction make your hearts tender, and help you to understand your duty toward those who need your help. In every place, angels of God are watching to see what kind of spirit is exercised in behalf of souls.
If the lost sheep is not brought back to the fold, it wanders until it perishes. There is many a poor soul who is full of distress and agony,—a lost, straying sheep. His mind is beclouded; he can not find God; yet he has an intense, longing desire for pardon and peace. Many souls go down to ruin for want of a hand stretched out to save. These erring ones may appear hard and reckless; but if they had had the advantages that others have had, they might have revealed far more nobility of soul and a greater talent for usefulness. Angels pity these wandering ones. Angels weep, while human eyes are dry, and human hearts are closed to pity.
There are many who err, and who feel their shame and folly. They look upon their mistakes and errors until they are driven almost to desperation. These souls we are not to neglect. When one has to swim against the stream, there is all the force of thecurrent driving him back. Let a helping hand be held out to him, as was the Elder Brother’s to the sinking Peter. Speak to him hopeful words, words that inspire him with courage. Tell him of an almighty hand that will hold him up, of an infinite humanity in Christ that pities him. It is not enough for him to believe in law and force, things that have no pity, and never hear the call for help. He needs to clasp a hand that is warm, to trust in a heart full of tenderness. Keep his mind stayed on the thought of the divine Helper ever beside him, ever looking upon him with pitying love. Bid him think of a Father’s heart that ever grieves over sin, of a Father’s hand stretched out still, of a Father’s voice saying, ‘Come unto me, . . . and I will give you rest.’

Heavenly Helpers

As you engage in this work, you have companions unseen by human eyes. Angels of heaven were beside the Samaritan who cared for the wounded stranger. Angels from the heavenly courts stand by the side of all who do God’s service in ministering to their fellow men. And you have the co-operation of Christ himself. He is the Restorer; and as you work under his supervision, you will see great results.
Thy brother, sick in spirit, needs thee as thou thyself hast needed a brother’s love. He needs the experience of one who has been as weak as he, one who can sympathise with him and help him. The knowledge of our own weakness should lead us to help others in their need. Never should we pass by one suffering soul without seeking to impart to him the comfort wherewith we ourselves have been comforted of God.
Christ draws aside the veil that conceals God’s glory from view, and shows us the Most High surrounded by ten thousand times ten thousand angels, who wait for their commission to communicate with the inhabitants of this earth. ‘Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?’ God is not regardless of our world. He hears every sigh of pain, and sees every tear of sorrow. He marks every action, approving or condemning. Those who strive to bring the wanderers back to the fold are very precious in his sight.
Christ has instructed us to call God our Father, to regard him as the fountain of affection, the source of the love that has been flowing from century to century through the channel of the human heart. All the pity, compassion, and love that have been manifested in the earth have had their source in God, and, compared to the love that dwells in his heart, are as a fountain to an ocean. His love is perpetually flowing forth to make the weak strong, and to give courage to the wavering.
When on this earth, Christ did not make God’s power and greatness the chief theme of his discourses. He speaks of him oftenest as our Father, and of himself as our Elder Brother. He desires our minds, weakened by sin, to be encouraged to grasp the idea that God is love. He seeks to inspire us with confidence, and to lead us to heed the words, ‘Let him take hold of my strength, that he may make peace with me; and he shall make peace with me.’
The father of the prodigal son is the type that Christ chooses to represent God. This father longs to see once more the son who has left him. He waits and watches for him, yearning to see him, hoping that he will come. When he sees a stranger approaching, poor and clothed in rags, he goes out to meet him, thinking that it may perchance be his son. And he feeds and clothes him as if he were indeed his son. By and by he has his reward; for his son comes home, on his lips the beseeching confession, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.’ And the father says to his servants, ‘Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: and bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry.’
There are no taunts, no casting up to the prodigal of his evil course. The son feels that the past is forgiven and forgotten, blotted out forever. And so God says to the sinner, ‘I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgression; and, as a cloud, thy sins.’ ‘I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.’ ‘Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.’ ‘God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’
Satan declared that there is no forgiveness with God; that if God should forgive sin, he would make his law of no effect. He says to the sinner, You are lost.
Christ came to this world to prove the falsity of this statement, to show that God is love, that like as a father pitieth his children, as the Lord pitieth them that fear him. Follow the Saviour from the manger to the cross, mark his life of unselfish ministry, his agony in the garden, and his death on the cross; and know that with God there is plentious forgiveness. He abhors sin, but with a love that passes knowledge he loves the sinner.

Its Work in the Temple

By J. O. Corliss

History of the Jewish Priesthood—No. 8

Its Work in the Temple

J. O. CORLISS
Seventy years before the establishment of Israel’s monarchy under Saul, and before the sanctuary was at Shiloh, Eli, a descendant of Ithamar, was high priest and judge over the people. His two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were serving in the priesthood. At that time the priests had come to share in the wild, licentious spirit of the age, with but here and there an exception to rise above it. In this state they betokened no approach of a better time, and the people complained in bitterness of the priestly profligacy. 1 Sam. 2:17.
Eli scarcely restrained his unruly sons except in case of their open adulterous acts, and then but mildly said: “Why do ye such things? for I hear of your evil dealings by all this people.” Under the circumstances the priestly office was but empty parade, profaning the name of Jehovah, and obscuring Heaven’s design in behalf of mankind. The time had come for divine protest, and a messenger was sent to rebuke Eli. He was told that from that time on no old man would be found among his posterity, and that he would see “affliction of the tabernacle, for all the wealth which God would have given Israel.” 1 Sam. 2:32, margin.
A certain sign was then announced: Hophni and Phinehas, the unrestrained offenders, were both to die in the same day. This word followed: “And I will raise me up a faithful priest, that shall do according to that which is in mine heart and in my mind: and I will build him a sure house; and he shall walk before mine anointed forever.” Verse 35. From such references as 2 Sam. 7:11, 19, 25-29; 1 Kings 11:38; Ps. 89:3, 4, and many others, it would seem that King David was the “faithful priest,” or judge of the people, whom God had in mind. It is quite evident that David so understood it; and upon this reliance alone, he remodeled the services of the sanctuary, and regulated the duties of the priesthood. 1 Chron. 24:3; 6:31, 32; 13:7, 8.

David a Type

The fact that David, of the tribe of Judah, being king, was appointed to stand at the head of the earthly priesthood of his day, makes him a beautiful type of, and prelude to, the heavenly Prince of Peace, whose earthly pedigree is traced back on the one side to David, through kings, and to the same source through priests on the maternal side. And yet many vicissitudes awaited the priesthood after the days of David and Solomon, before it was to merge into that heavenly service, through the person of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The temple at Jerusalem was planned by David, but was left to be built by Solomon. Every detail of its service was clearly provided for (1 Chron. 28:2, 11), in all probability under the direction of divine prompting. Verse 19. In time.however, the example of Solomon, especially in the matter of polygamy, bore baneful fruit. In common with other Oriental monarchs, the kings of Judah indulged in this hateful sin. 2 Chron. 24:2, 3. It spread to every class of people, and the priesthood became a center of superstition and vice. The prophet states the condition thus: “A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land; the prophets prophesy [belch forth, Hebrew] falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means [that is, by false prophesying]: and my people love to have it so.” Jer. 5:30, 31.
Among the plural wives of that time some were from among the pagan nations, and their presence tended to paganize the religion of the Jews. Heathen impurities were introduced until Jerusalem was described as “the pot whose scum is therein, and whose scum is not gone out of it.” Eze. 24:6. A temple of Baal rose almost, if not directly, within the precincts of the Hebrew temple. 2 Kings 11:18; 2 Chron. 23:17, 18. Thus pagan worship was permitted side by side with the ancient rites.
Superstition was the order of the day. Gold and silver statues were erected everywhere. Altars stood at the corners of the streets. On the roof of the temple were erected little altars where the heavenly bodies were worshiped. Sacred white horses were also dedicated to the sun, in imitation of Persian and Assyrian customs.
King Ahaz, while in Damascus, saw an altar that pleased him, and sent the pattern of it to Urijah the priest, with orders to duplicate it. The high priest did as he was told; and when Ahaz returned from Damascus, he viewed the new altar with great pleasure, and offered sacrifices upon it. He then rearranged the furniture of the temple, placing the altar of David in an obscure place, and removed a Sabbath booth, another part of the furniture, and sent it to the king of Assyria. 2 Kings 16:10-18. Near the end of the reign of Ahaz, the great doors of the temple were closed, the lamps were not lighted, and no incense was offered. The temple was neglected, and high places were erected in all the cities of Judah, upon which was burned incense to false gods. 2 Chron. 28:24, 25.

In the Days of Herod

Passing over much that doubtless would be interesting, we come to the days of Herod and his reproduction of the temple. The succession to the high priesthood had been broken, never to be renewed. That office was open to the highest bidder, and was at one time ministered by the obscure Hananel from Babylon. Others of the same sort followed, as Joshua, son of Phabi, and the sons of Boethus. The functions of the priesthood were at last in the hands of those who could not, if they had so desired, point the worshiper to Him who “taketh away the sin of the world.” The true design by which to point men to Christ was lost. It is not strange, therefore, that when the great antitype of those ordained sacrifices came to the world, he was looked upon as out of place among the Jewish people, who were really “his own.” Having lost sight of the real purpose of their ministry, the priests of Christ’s day were easily persuaded to reject the object of their entire system, and unite with the civil power in putting him to death.
In this they did more than they knew. They offered the one great sacrifice which was to restore and perpetuate the true sanctuary service. It would not be strange if another earthly priesthood should afterward arise in an attempt to rob the heavenly High Priest of his claim, and his people of their rights, thus casting the truth to the ground, to the detriment of all the world.
Mountain View, Cal.

Trust Christ in Trials

“THE present circumstance, which pressed so hard against you, is, if you are surrendered to Christ, the best-shaped tool in the Father's hand to chisel you for eternity. Trust him, then. Do not push away the instrument, lest you lose also its work.”

Building Foundations Under Air Castles

IF you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is clear where they should be: but put foundations under them.—Thoreau.

Bring Ye All the Tithes Into the Storehouse

By T. E. BOWEN

T. E. BOWEN
This scripture does not read, Bring ye some of the tithes into the storehouse; but, “Bring ye all the tithes in.” All means all. No portion of all will meet the requirements of this text. The tithe is all the Lord’s, whether we believe it or not, or whether or not we bring it all in. It is not ours, even though we may keep it. “All the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or the fruit of the tree, is the Lord’s: it is holy unto the Lord.”
God’s message is being delayed because, like Achan, somebody covets and retains God’s tithe, by which he carries forward his work. This is the very thing Achan did. Hidden away from man’s sight is much tithe belonging to God. It is in somebody’s tent, carefully concealed lest it be found. God is displeased when the tithe is thus covetously kept; while his heavenly blessing might be upon it were it brought to the treasury, where it belongs, and spent in the support of workers hunting for souls at home and abroad.
During the recent General Conference Council, when the subject of sharing the tithe with mission fields was under discussion, one conference president after another arose, and expressed himself as in favor of turning over a portion of the tithe to the Mission Board treasury; also that another portion of it be devoted to the support of aged and infirm workers, whose lives had been spent in building up this cause, also widows and orphans of such workers. “But,” they would say, “I do not see how we can do this, and maintain our present work at home.”
This sounded logical. Yet there is one feature we are liable to overlook. What about those believers—nearly one half our church-membership—who actually pay no tithe at all? And further, what about another class, who pay some tithe, but not all? It would seem that something might be done to help by giving some attention to this question.
And here lies the great difficulty. It is not the tithe-payers who are delaying the work of God. There are many devoted, self-sacrificing tithe-payers, who would not knowingly retain one cent belonging to the Lord. God knows every one of them, and his blessing is upon such. But it is those—and there is quite a large list of them in nearly every church and conference—who bring in only a portion of the tithe, or who pay no tithe at all, who are retarding God’s work in the earth. If these would only reform, and turn square about, there would be no lack of funds for carrying this message to the very ends of the earth.
“In Africa, in China, in India, there are thousands, yes, millions, who have not heard the message of the truth for this time. They must be warned. . . . The Lord has made us his stewards. He has placed his means in our hands for faithful distribution. He asks us to render to him his own. He has reserved the tithe as his sacred portion, to be used in sending the gospel to all parts of the world.”—Testimonies for the Church, Vol. IX, page 51.
If those who are paying no tithe at all would now nobly come forward with it, many thousands of dollars would be added to the annual income of the treasury for sending the truth to the “uttermost parts of the earth.” And this would certainly be quite a help just now.
Let us all, then,—ministers, church officers, and people,—work together for the bringing in of this money belonging to the Lord. We have God’s word that it should be done; for he says, “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse.”
Takoma Park, D. C.

Conditions of Salvation

By M. E. STEWARD

M. E. STEWARD
“What is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” Matt. 16:26.
THE foundation of the Christian’s hope:—
1. The unmistakable evidences from his Word and his works that there is a God.
2. The existence of a Saviour: “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16.
3. His all-sufficiency: “He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him.” Heb. 7:25.
The first principles of the doctrine of Christ: Faith, repentance, baptism. Heb. 6:1, 2.
1. Faith is “nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith.” Rom. 10:6-8. The Lord gives it to the little child, so that he, without any effort, believes his mother. “Faith is . . . the evidence of things not seen.” Heb. 11:1.
2. Repentance springs from a recognition of the goodness of God (Rom. 2:4), and the conviction of one’s own sinfulness. This produces sorrow for sin, and a determination to put it away. But the natural heart can not sensethe Lord’s goodness and its own depravity. “The true Light . . . lighteth every man that cometh into the world.” With this light, all can repent who desire to. John 1:9; Acts 5:31. Let the seeker ask the Saviour to make him repentant, and believe his prayer is granted, though he may not feel it, because God has promised to receive all who turn from their sins. 2 Cor. 6:17, 18.
Confession, consecration, and conversion:—
1. “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.” Prov. 28:13. Secret sins should be confessed to God, and all others to those whom we have injured.
2. Consecration wills to do God’s will. Matt. 7:21. The Lord requires right-doing, without any compromise with wrong. The consecrated soul, who in his heart resolves to be right, has this promise: “The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him.” 2 Chron. 16:9.
3. “Look unto me,” says the Lord, “and be ye saved.” Isa. 45:22. This is not a casual look; it recognizes that Christ is the Saviour. “As soon as we look to Jesus for help, his work of transformation begins in the heart.” Jesus is the one who saves his people from their sins. Matt. 1:21. We are to believe it; for he says so. This is conversion. Bible conversion is in harmony with the principles of the law of God. Ps. 19:7.

Baptism

Baptism follows repentance and conversion. Acts 2:38. Baptism is a figure. 1 Peter 3:21. It signifies a death to sin, and a resurrection to newness of life. Rom. 6:3, 4. It is an acceptance of the death of Christ as a sacrifice for our sins, and a pledge to live entirely for God. Verse 11. “As a Christian submits to the solemn rite of baptism, the three highest powers in the universe, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, place their approval on his act, pledging themselves to exert their power in his behalf, and to furnish all the assistance required.”—Mrs. E. G. White. There is but one baptism (Eph. 4:5); that is a burial. Rom. 6:4. As Christ was buried in the tomb, not sprinkled or poured with the earth, so his followers are to be wholly covered in the liquid grave. Rom. 6:3, 4.

Sanctification

Sanctification carries on the work of transformation of character; it is a continuous thing; it is being cleansed and kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation. 1 Peter 1:5. Day by day the soul comes to Christ in surrender (1 Cor. 15:31) for a new cleansing; day by day it appropriates the promises of acceptance; thus growing up into Christ in all things (Eph. 4:15), till the whole being is changed into “the same image from glory to glory.” 2 Cor. 3:18.

Election

“God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth.” 2 Thess. 2:13. If one ceases to believe the truth and to live for God, he loses the conditions by which he is elected to be saved. “Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience.” 1 Peter 1:2.
Sanitarium, Cal.

Doubtful Revival Methods

By A. SMITH

A. SMITH
On this point Wm. R. Moody, in an article published in the Home Herald of Feb. 4, 1909, says:—
“The two most serious evils in present-day evangelism are the spirit of sensationalism and of commercialism. Unless a preacher can count his converts by the hundreds, or even by the thousands, he deems that his efforts have failed. In consequence, every effort must be exerted ‘to draw’ a crowd, and then desperate attempts made to induce as large numbers as possible to sign cards, or rise, or make some outward manifestation of desire to be a Christian. We are deeply sensible of the value of some act which may record the decision of the will. Any one who has any experience in personal work will readily assent to the wisdom of such a method. But when the audience is urged and even teased to rise, and then the invitation is modified and broadened, every wile being employed to get men and women to their feet, it is far from being the ready response to an appeal that it should be. Telling pathetic, not to say impossible, stories, and continually widening the basis of appeal, often results in a multitude of ‘decisions’ which have in reality decided nothing. On the other hand, many a valuable and permanent work has been done where there have been few visible results at the time. But the work has been none the less important. If, however, the spectacular is always to be the criterion of success, there must result sensationalism that will hinder the truest work rather than help it. In this the churches are equally responsible with the evangelists.”

The Church and Politics

In the same issue of the Herald, Arthur T. Pierson, D. D., says:—
“Sometimes an evangelist promises to all who sign his converts’ roll some helpful book of his own. Even such a promise, however unselfish on his part, he has to guard carefully, lest some give their names for what they get. And the more spiritual a man’s methods are, and the more exalted his conception of his work, the less will he rely upon apparent results, or make a display of numerical success. He will ever remember how that first divine Evangelist never paraded numbers. In Matthew 18, where in twenty verses he refers seven times to numbers, they never exceed one, two, three. And to attach importance to revival statistics, risks superficiality of method, lust of human approbation, mistaking extensity for intensity, as well as deceiving souls into a false hope, and one’s self into a false persuasion of success. Surely this must be the devil’s snare to catch the unwary.”
“Sometimes we fear that modern evangelism gets mixed up also with secular affairs and political issues, so that money collected in evangelistic campaigns goes to further political propaganda. In one such case at least we have it on competent authority that many thousands of dollars have been so diverted. If an audited account should be rendered of funds so gathered and dispersed, it would be at least more fair to the public. Zeal in politics may not be amiss, and some political issues may be important even to the church’s unfettered service; but an evangelistic campaign is hardly the time and way to secure funds for such ends. If evangelism is to be above suspicion, it must be kept clear of side issues, and soul-saving by gospel preaching be kept as its one grand aim. The ‘Father’s business’ demands the single eye of undivided devotion, and the reward of such absorption in the one supreme object is sure.”

Are They Converts?

In the Herald of March 31, 1909, appeared the following editorial:—
“Many revivalists, when leaving a town where they have been at work for several weeks, announce through the papers the number of converts they have made. It is the custom with some to prepare a statement in which the exact number of those who have become Christians is stated in round numbers. One man, after a series of meetings lasting over six weeks, says, ‘The whole town was shaken; 927 converts is the glorious result.’ But how are these ‘converts’ reckoned?—Every person who holds up his hand at any meeting in response to a request from the evangelist; every person who stands on his feet when the question is asked if any one wishes to have prayer offered for him; any one who in any degree, by a gesture, or by standing up, replies to a question made by the evangelist, is counted. Then the evangelist moves out of town, and in many cases these converts are not followed up. How does he know they are ‘converts’? A convert is one who becomes a disciple; who changes his life, if it was wrong, until it begins to be right; who does the thing that Jesus commanded; who joins a church and goes to work. This is not a criticism of the evangelist as such, but of the methods employed by some; and the question is raised, Are they ‘converts,’ if they are counted in the way described?
“It does not dignify the religion of Christ to say that men are converts simply because they hold up the hand and stand on their feet at a religious meeting; and it would be far better for the evangelist never to count, and afterwardclaim, the number of those who showed interest by raising the hand or standing up during the meetings.”
Grandville, Mich.
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