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Review and Herald, Vol. 92, No. 34.

His Loving-Kindness

Review and Herald

Jul 8, 1915

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Jul 8, 1915

His Loving-Kindness

By W. B. Robertson

When evening choirs the praises hymned In Zion’s courts of old, The high priest walked his rounds and trimmed The shining lamps of gold; And if, perchance, some flame burned low, With fresh oil vainly drenched, He cleansed it from its socket, so The smoking flax was quenched.
But Thou who walkest, Priest Most High, Thy golden lamps among, What things are weak and near to die Thou makest fresh and strong; Thou breathest on the trembling spark, That else must soon expire, And swift it shoots up through the dark, A brilliant spear of fire.
The shepherd that to stream and shade Withdrew his flock at noon, On reedy stop soft music made In many a pastoral tune; And if, perchance, the reed were crushed, It could not more be used, Its mellow music marred and hushed, He brake it when so bruised.
But Thou, Good Shepherd, who dost feed Thy flock in pastures green, Thou dost not break the bruised reed That sorely crushed hath been; The heart that dumb in anguish lies, Or yields but notes of woe, Thou dost retune to harmonies More rich than angels know.
— W. B. Robertson.

For the Finishing of the Work

By E. R. Palmer

Our Churches and Literature for the Millions

Possible Results

SINCE the Present Truth Series was begun, we have often thought of the possibilities in connection with the circulation of this series—of what it would mean in the finishing of the work if every believer in this message would become so thoroughly imbued with the spirit of the message that he would go to work in a systematic way with this series.
If only a few copies were used every week by each member in America, say five copies, representing a cost of only two and one-half cents, in one month’s time 1,472,100 copies would be circulated, and reach, according to the estimation of five persons reading each copy, 7,360,500 people. In one year, at this very conservative estimate, 17,665,200 copies would go out, and reach 88,326,000 people—and this by our membership in the homeland only. If it were possible for our people in all lands to join us in even this very limited amount of missionary work, 20,905,200 copies would go out and reach 149,526,000 people in one year.
But all will agree that for a people who are looking for the coming of the Lord, and who know the time is short for the finishing of the work intrusted to them, our estimate of the amount of work in the circulation of this message-filled series is far too low; that it should be at least doubled, which would mean reaching 299,052,000 people every year, and giving them one completed phase of the full message, which would be likely to create a desire for further investigation.

The Plans Demanded

For more than twenty years our people have been admonished through the spirit of prophecy to provide simple plans by which the churches can become the strong factors the Lord intended them to be in giving the last message to the world. It was in attempting to comply with the instruction given in the Testimonies that the Present Truth Series developed, and the plans made for its circulation seem to meet the requirements of the following counsel:—
“The very simplest modes of work should be devised and set in operation among the churches. If members will cooperate with such plans, and perseveringly carry them out, they will reap a rich reward; for their experience will grow brighter, their ability will increase through exercise, and souls will be saved through their efforts.” “God expects his church to discipline and fit its members for the work of enlightening the world. But let no one feel that because he is not educated he cannot be expected to take part in the work. God has a work for you to do. He has given to every man his work. Well-organized work must be done in the church, that its members may understand the manner in which they may impart light to others, and thus strengthen their own faith and increase their knowledge. As they impart to those in darkness the light which God graciously bestows upon them, they will be confirmed in the faith. A working church is a living church. The Lord God of heaven would have the entire church devising ways and means whereby high and low, rich and poor, may hear the message of truth.”

Simple Plans for Circulation

The three plans for circulation already given through the REVIEW embody systematic personal delivery from house to house, personal delivery at hall and tent meetings, and delivery by workers in advertising tent meetings. The fourth plan provides for work by correspondence. Those who cannot get out with the papers may procure a select list of names to which, with but little expense, they can mail the papers regularly as they are published, and occasionally write letters to interested readers. Those who live in places where our conference tract societies are located can take the papers, when ready to mail, to the tract society office, and have them sent out at pound rates—one cent a pound. Where this cannot be done, and any do not care to assume the task of preparing the papers for the mails, or cannot afford the extra prepaid postage, arrangements may be made with the tract societies or publishers to mail the papers for them at the rate of eighty-five cents a hundred, per issue. Or, if the addresses are permanent, and the orders cover the entire series, the papers will be mailed direct by the publishers, upon the order of the tract society, for one cent a copy, per issue, provided the entire term is paid for when the order is made. At this price a list of ten copies of the series of twenty-five numbers (250 papers in all) would be wrapped, mailed, and postage paid for only $2.50, whereas the same amount of matter in tract form purchased and mailed to single addresses, would cost three cents a copy,—two cents for the tract and one cent for the postage,—or $7.50 for the 250 tracts mailed in single wrappers.

Miscellaneous Missionary Work

In addition to the advantages of systematic missionary work by personal delivery, the different issues of the series will be effective in miscellaneous missionary work. It having the advantage of being mailed at pound rates, any issue upon any special subject may be selected and ordered sent by the tract society or publishers at pound rates. Different issues of the series may be, therefore, successfully and economically used in miscellaneous missionary work by mail.

Testimonials

Though the Present Truth Series is only one-half year old, it now has a subscription list of over 60,000, and a total general circulation of 1,075,000 copies. This speaks more emphatically of its approval than can be expressed in words. This result comes from an interest in the field, represented in part by the following statements:—
“I think the Present Truth Series is an excellent little paper, and I shall be pleased to do all in my power to have our tent companies use it. It certainly presents the truth in a clear-cut manner, and I believe will be instrumental in winning souls to the truth.”—F. H. Robbins, President West Pennsylvania Conference.
“In my tent effort this summer, I have planned to use all the Present Truth Series issued. I only regret that the whole series is not finished, so that we could use all this summer. To my mind, the Present Truth Series is the best thing out for reaching the masses with this message. The articles are excellent and up-to-date, and the illustrations are fine; besides, the papers are so cheap that it is within our means now to give to the people the message in printed form. We trust that you will not stop with the subjects as outlined in the leaflet. I believe it will mean that many will have the knowledge of this message and accept the truth who otherwise would not, because of limited means.”—Chas. F. Ulrich, a minister in Pennsylvania.
“I am heartily in accord with the idea of our tent companies’ using the Present Truth Series, and I shall bring this matter to their attention. Some are already using it. We hope that a large number can be used in this way. I think there is nothing better for the price.”—E. Harris, secretary Kansas Tract Society.
“I am thoroughly convinced that the Present Truth Series will become a very effective factor in our city work. We have just ordered three thousand for our work here in Boston, and expect that this will be only a drop as compared with the shower that is to follow. We are planning here to find the best means of reaching the people in a house-to-house canvass of the city. Quite a large number of brethren and sisters have volunteered to devote time to this work, and we hope to be able to keep them employed as much of the time as possible, and also to add to the number from time to time.”—Allen Moon, President Massachusetts Conference.
“Inclosed find one dollar, for which please send me two hundred copies of your Extra No. 5, The Signs of the Times. I congratulate you. It is an extraordinary concentration of information. I may send for two hundred more later.”—R. M. Barton, lay member.
E. R. PALMER.

CHEAP LITERATURE

For the Finishing of the Work

Special “Review” Extras

  • The War Extra, or the Coming Conflict.
 What Do These Things Mean?
  • The Eastern Question Extra, or God's Message for Today. Approaching Armageddon.

The Present Truth Series

Extra No.
1 * The Bible and the Word of God.
2 * The Origin of Sin and the Plan of Salvation.
3 * The Great Image of Daniel 2.
4 * The Second Coming of Christ.
5 * The Signs of the Times.
6 * The Millennium.
7 * The Home of the Saved.
8 The Four Great Beasts of Daniel 7 and the Work of Antichrist.
9 A Great Prophetic Period—the 2300 Days.
10 The Sanctuary.
11 The Judgment and the Judgment-Hour Message.
12 The Law and the Gospel.
13 The Bible Sabbath.
14 The Change of the Sabbath.
15 Conversion, or the Way to Christ.
16 The United States in Prophecy.
17 Christian Liberty.
18 The Seal of God and the Mark of the Beast.
19 The Threefold Message of Revelation 14.
20 Life Only in Christ.
21 Spiritualism.
22 Spiritual Gifts.
23 Health and Temperance.
24 Support of the Gospel Ministry.
25 Synopsis of Present Truth.
The prices of all the above Extras, post-paid are as follows:—
15 copies ................ $ .10 25 “ ...................... .15 50 “ ...................... .30 100 “ .................... .50 1000 “ .................. 4.00

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Note.—Those numbers preceded by a star (*) are already published. Others will be published in their order at the rate of one copy each month.

Manasseh and Josiah

By Ellen G. White

MRS. E. G. WHITE
THE kingdom of Judah, prosperous throughout the times of Hezekiah, was once more brought low during the long years of Manasseh's wicked reign, when paganism was revived, and many of the people were led into idolatry. “Manasseh made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to err, and to do worse than the heathen.” 2 Chron. 33: 9. The glorious light of former generations was followed by the darkness of superstition and error. Gross evils sprang up and flourished,—tyranny, oppression, hatred of all that is good. Justice was perverted; violence prevailed.
Yet those evil times were not without witnesses for God and the right. The trying experiences through which Judah had safely passed during Hezekiah's reign, had developed in the hearts of many a sturdiness of character that now served as a bulwark against the prevailing iniquity. Their testimony in behalf of truth and righteousness aroused the anger of Manasseh and his associates in authority, who endeavored to establish themselves in evil doing by silencing every voice of disapproval. “Manasseh shed innocent blood very much, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another.” 2 Kings 21: 16.
One of the first to fall was Isaiah, who for over half a century had stood before Judah as the appointed messenger of Jehovah. “Others had trials of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: they were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.” Heb. 11: 36-38.
Some of those who suffered persecution during Manasseh's reign, were commissioned to bear special messages of reproof and of judgment. The king of Judah, the prophets declared, “hath done wickedly above all . . . which were before him.” Because of this wickedness, his kingdom was nearing a crisis; soon the inhabitants of the land were to be carried captive to Babylon, there to become “a prey and a spoil to all their enemies.” 2 Kings 21: 11, 14. But the Lord would not utterly forsake those who in a strange land should acknowledge him as their Ruler; they might suffer great tribulation, yet he would bring deliverance to them in his appointed time and way. Those who should learn to put their trust wholly in him, would find a sure refuge.
Faithfully the prophets continued their warnings and their exhortations; fearlessly they spoke to Manasseh, and to his people; but the messages were scorned; backsliding Judah would not heed. As
an earnest of what would befall the people should they continue impenitent, the Lord permitted their king to be captured by a band of Assyrian soldiers, who “bound him with fetters, and carried him to Babylon,” their temporary capital. This affliction brought the king to his senses. “He besought the Lord his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers, and prayed unto him: and he was entreated of him, and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord he was God.” 2 Chron. 33: 11-13. But this repentance, remarkable though it was, came too late to save the kingdom from the corrupting influence of years of idolatrous practices. Many had stumbled and fallen, never again to rise.
Among those whose life experience had been shaped beyond recall by the fatal apostasy of Manasseh, was his own son, who came to the throne at the age of twenty-two. Of King Amon it is written: “He walked in all the way that his father walked in, and served the idols that his father served, and worshiped them: and he forsook the Lord God of his fathers” (2 Kings 21: 21, 22); he “humbled not himself before the Lord, as Manasseh his father had humbled himself; but Amon trespassed more and more.” The wicked king was not permitted to reign long. In the midst of his daring impiety, only two years from the time he ascended the throne, he was slain in the palace by his own servants; and “the people of the land made Josiah his son king in his stead.” 2 Chron. 33: 23, 25.
With the accession of Josiah to the throne, where he was to rule for thirty-one years, those who had maintained the purity of their faith began to hope that the downward course of the kingdom was checked; for the new king, though only eight years old, feared God, and from the very beginning “he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in all the way of David his father, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left.” 2 Kings 22: 2. Born of a wicked king, beset with temptations to follow in his father's steps, and with few counselors to encourage him in the right way, Josiah nevertheless was true to the God of Israel. Warned by the errors of past generations, he chose to do right, instead of descending to the low level of sin and degradation to which his father and his grandfather had descended. He “turned not aside to the right hand or to the left.” As one who was to occupy a position
of trust, he resolved to obey the instruction that had been given for the guidance of Israel's rulers; and his obedience made it possible for God to use him as a vessel unto honor.
At the time Josiah began to rule, and for many years before, the true-hearted in Judah were questioning whether God's promises to ancient Israel could ever be fulfilled. From a human point of view, the divine purpose for the chosen nation seemed almost impossible of accomplishment. The apostasy of former centuries had gathered strength with the passing years; ten of the tribes had been scattered among the heathen; only a feeble remnant remained in the land of Judah, and even these now seemed on the verge of moral and national ruin. The prophets had begun to foretell the utter destruction of their fair city, where stood the temple built by Solomon, and where all their earthly hopes of national greatness had centered. Could it be that God was about to turn aside from his avowed purpose of bringing deliverance to those who should put their trust in him? In the face of the long-continued persecution of the righteous and of the apparent prosperity of the wicked, could those who had remained true to God hope for better days?
These anxious questionings were voiced by the prophet Habakkuk. Viewing the situation of the faithful in his day, he expressed the burden of his heart in the inquiry: “O Lord, how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear! even cry out unto thee of violence, and thou wilt not save! Why dost thou show me iniquity, and cause me to behold grievance? for spoiling and violence are before me: and there are that raise up strife and contention. Therefore the law is slacked, and judgment doth never go forth: for the wicked doth compass about the righteous; therefore wrong judgment proceedeth.” Hab. 1: 2-4.
God answered the cry of his loyal children. Through his chosen mouthpiece he revealed his determination to bring chastisement upon the nation that had turned from him to serve the gods of the heathen. Within the lifetime of some who were even then making inquiry regarding the future, he would miraculously shape the affairs of the ruling nations of earth, and bring the Babylonians into the ascendancy. These Chaldeans, “terrible and dreadful” (Hab. 1: 7), were to fall suddenly upon the land of Judah as a divinely appointed scourge. The princes of Judah and the fairest of the people were to be carried captive to Babylon; the Judean cities and villages and the cultivated fields were to be laid waste; nothing was to be spared.
Confident that in this terrible judgment the purpose of God for his people would in some way be fulfilled, Habakkuk bowed in submission to the revealed will of Jehovah. “Art thou not from everlasting, O Lord my God, mine Holy One?” he exclaimed. And then, his faith reaching out beyond the forbidding prospect of the immediate future and laying fast hold on the precious
promises that reveal God's love for his trusting children, the prophet added, “We shall not die.” Hab. 1: 12. With this declaration of faith he rested his case, and that of every believing Israelite, in the hands of a compassionate God.
This was not Habakkuk's only experience in the exercise of strong faith. On one occasion, when meditating concerning the future, he said, “I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me.” Graciously the Lord answered him: “Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry. Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.” Hab. 2: 1-4.
(To be concluded)

I Am the Vine

By Mary Williams

MRS. MARY WILLIAMS
THOU art the vine,—the strong and sturdy vine, Whose loving tendrils round my heart entwine; Warmed by Thy genial, elevating ray, I rise to higher altitudes each day.
Thou art the vine. What would my efforts be, Without the strength that emanates from thee, This heart to rule—satanic hosts control, Surmount each obstacle, and reach the goal?
Thou art the vine. Sheltered and fed by thee, From early bloom to ripe maturity; So shall this life devoted to thy praise, Reflect thy image through the passing days.
Thou art the vine. In thee would I abide; So shall the Father's name be glorified, This heart's fair fruitage ever freely flow, In loving ministration here below.
Thou art the vine, and I the tender branch; Thus having constant growth and sure advance, I hope, some day, some glorious, blissful day, Rich, ripened fruit before thy feet to lay.

The Divine Law in Music

By J. S. Washburn

J. S. WASHBURN
By a glorious vision of angels, with a song ineffably sweet, and the night air aquiver with the grandest chorus earth ever heard, was heralded the tender, sweet story of the lowly birth of the Lord of heaven in the humble stable at Bethlehem. The Scripture says that there was “a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”
Amid all the jarring discords of sin and strife and hate, in a world where man wages war against his Maker, we may still hear the soothing, rhythmic melody, the perfect, heavenly harmony of God’s own music. Yes, we may not only hear, but we may join in the anthem, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”
Since sin came into Eden and brought all our woe, we have lost the keynote, lost the divine purity of voice; but all, without money and without price, may come to the Master Musician of the universe, learning of him the divine harmony. All sin is discord; I almost said, All discord is sin. We may be sure there are no discords in heaven. God himself establishes the keynote. He is the author of every lovely sound. He is the fountain of melody, the center, the soul, of harmony.

Perfect Mathematical Order

Sound is caused by the vibrations of matter in the air. If a body is unequal, imperfect, the vibrations are irregular. The result is noise. If the vibrations are equal and perfectly regular, the result is a musical tone. The more rapid the vibrations the higher the tone; and conversely, the slower the vibrations the lower the pitch of the tone.
In the upper C, the note in the third space of the treble clef, there are in standard pitch 128 vibrations a second. In what is called by Sir William Herschel the natural pitch, which was adopted at Stuttgart, Germany, in 1830, and is the accepted Continental pitch, there are 512 vibrations in a second. In the C an octave lower there are just half the number of vibrations, 256; in the C an octave below, the ordinary bass C, 128; in the very low bass C, 64; in the octave below that, 32; in the octave still lower, 16. In tones below that the vibrations are so slow that the human ear fails to recognize the tone as music. In the C an octave above the standard C, whose vibrations are given as 512, there are 1,024 vibrations in a second; this is the very high soprano C. An octave higher we have 2,048 vibrations; another octave, 4,096; another, 8,192; and still another, 16,384; above this our ears cannot distinguish tone; the vibrations are too rapid.
But there is a great difference in ears in this matter; some are able to distinguish tones of a much higher pitch, the shrill sounds produced by insects being plainly audible to them, while the ears of other men will detect no sound at all. Observe the simple, mathematical law, that double the vibrations produces an octave. Surely a divine hand is here,—the hand of Him who has arranged all things in perfect mathematical order. In all the intermediate tones also there is perfect, absolute law, and any departure from it will produce discord. There is a divine hand in music; no work of chance in this holy art.
I have noted that the human ear is able to perceive about eleven octaves of sounds; but when God restores man to perfection, we shall hear sweetest music now wholly inaudible to human ears, for all of man’s powers are limited now. A few years ago if any one had said that it is possible to see through a wooden box to count the coins in it, to see through the flesh of the hand and count the bones and detect the presence of any foreign body, men would have said, “Impossible!” But now God has permitted the veil to be drawn aside, and the wonderful X rays have made all this very simple. X stands here, as in algebra, for the unknown quantity, the unknown power. This unknown power is the “unknown God” of Athens, the Author of light and of sound. Some day we may hear the loveliest, richest harmony where now no sound is audible.

Relation of Color and Sound

Color as well as sound is simply the result of vibrations of different velocity. But while in sound the ear perceives about eleven octaves, the eye perceives only about an octave and one third in colors. The spectrum is an instrument which resolves a white ray of light into all the colors of the rainbow, and it has been clearly demonstrated that the colors differ in direct proportion to the velocity of their vibrations, just as in music. An instrument has been prepared which produces a different note as the different-colored rays of light fall upon it. The tenor C, 264 vibrations, being taken as the center, the colors are as follows: G below C is red; G sharp, another tint of red; A, still another tint of red; A sharp, orange red; B, orange; C, yellow; C sharp, green; D, greenish blue; D sharp, cyanogen blue; E, indigo blue; F, violet; F sharp, violet; G, ultra-violet; G sharp, another tint of ultra-violet; A, another tint of ultra-violet; A sharp, still another tint of ultra-violet. Thus does the glorious beauty of the rainbow sing aloud an anthem of sweetest melody and loveliest harmony to him who by his own musical voice called all color into being. When our ears are open, we may hear the rainbow’s chorus. Every lovely flower, the glorious blue heavens, and all the various colored stars in heaven, may actually sing to us. O, the glorious chorus in which we may all join when is fulfilled this blessed word: “And every creature [“every created being,” R. V.] which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb forever and ever.” Rev. 5: 13.

The Word the Cause of All Things

All things that exist came because of the voice of God. “By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. . . . For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast.” Ps. 33: 6, 9. God said, “Let there be light: and there was light.” Hear his word: “Be still, and know that I am God.” Hear the still, small voice. Listen to the very tone that brought you into being. If you will but hear his voice, if you will but respond to the touch of the Master Musician, you may be in harmony with him again.

The Keynote

When a quartet was singing in a room where there was a piano standing unused, a full, strong chord was sung and the piano suddenly answered as if struck by an invisible hand; the very same chord sounded and resounded on the piano. This was a revelation to me; we were singing in exactly the piano pitch. We struck the exact chord, and the dumb instrument joyously responded; there was sympathy. Again, a note was sung in a hall which was the exact tone of the deep hall; the very walls trembled with joyous recognition of unity and harmony. The inanimate structure seemed to respond instantly, yet almost with reverence. The effect was startling. Again, the same day, the same powerful, resonant bass note caused the empty hall to sound a reverent yet triumphant “Amen.”
If this be true of instruments of music and structures erected by man, how much more so of every creature of God. How happy is he who has heard God’s voice, and who has been willing to respond, “Here am I.” How blessed to be in true harmony with the Author of music, that he may strike through us the chord that shall be the very one that will reach the heart of the sinner, and to know the unutterable joy of a part in the heavenly choir forevermore! O the power for good or evil in this blessed gift of music! Let it be consecrated, with every power of our being, to the divine Author of “every good and perfect gift.”
Philadelphia, Pa.

A Call to Greater Consecration

By T. W. Thirlwell

(Concluded)
T. W. THIRLWELL
If our people would only lay hold on the promises of God, and earnestly seek for a deeper work of grace in their hearts, with one voice pleading for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, a wonderful change would take place among us. We think that we are now experiencing much of the Spirit, but we have not yet begun to receive this power. O that we could be aroused to realize this, and to pray more earnestly for this baptism of power! The church is not receiving the power of the Almighty that will attend the proclamation of this message, that will swell it into the loud cry, and close earth’s history. If ever God’s people needed an awakening, it is now. We are not half awake to the time in which we are living, and to the issues right before us. If ever there was a time when God’s people needed to give attention to their own message, it is now. Too many have come to the place where the message has lost its effect upon themselves. Many are asleep with the message sounding in their ears, and the most fearful feature of it all is that they do not realize their true condition. It seems almost impossible to get them to see the precarious place they are standing in. If ever a thorough work of reform was needed by Seventh-day Adventists, it is now.
The spirit of prophecy has given a strong call for a complete reform. “The time has come for a thorough reformation to take place. When this reformation begins, the spirit of prayer will actuate every believer, and will banish from the church the spirit of discord and strife.”—“Testimonies for the Church,” Vol. VIII, page 251. While it is true that there has been a work of reform going on among us, yet it has only just begun. It has not penetrated deep enough yet. It has not done as thorough and complete a work as it should. If ever the words of the apostle Paul should be given a certain sound, given with a tone of alarm, it is now. “And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof.” Rom. 13: 11-14. If ever the message of John the Baptist, “Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand,” should be given with clearness and power, it is now, and right among the people who are professing to be looking for the soon return of their Lord, and the setting up of his kingdom. This message should sound throughout our ranks until every soul is quickened, and this work of reform is complete. God’s people are asleep to their own spiritual needs.
“In visions of the night, representations passed before me of a great reformatory movement among God’s people. Many were praising God. The sick were healed, and other miracles were wrought. A spirit of intercession was seen, even as was manifested before the great day of Pentecost. Hundreds and thousands were seen visiting families, and opening before them the Word of God. Hearts were convicted by the power of the Holy Spirit, and a spirit of genuine conversion was manifest. On every side, doors were thrown open to the proclamation of the truth. The world seemed to be enlightened with the heavenly influence. Great blessings were received by the true and humble people of God. I heard voices of thanksgiving and praise, and there seemed to be a reformation such as we witnessed in 1844.”—Id., Vol. IX, page 126.
This reform movement has not yet reached this stage. It has not come to the place where as one great wave it sweeps over God’s people. When will this reform reach its full height?—When God’s people turn to him with the whole heart. The Lord is sounding a definite call: “Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fellow ground: for it is time to seek the Lord, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.” Hosea 10: 12.
The place where the greatest impetus and power will be given this reform movement is in the pulpit. The ministers must lead forth in this work. When this work of reform definitely takes hold upon the ministers, and their lips are touched with the live coal from off the altar, there will be a return to the straight testimony of the Lord; but first their lives must be purified from all sin, and then they will give a living message, which will burn its way into the hearts of the people with convicting power. What we need is the preaching of the straight testimony. This was what brought such heart searching in 1844, when men were expecting the Lord’s soon return. Not until the church is thoroughly purified can we expect the complete outpouring to come upon it. “Men are needed who move under the inspiration of the Spirit of God. The sermons preached by some of our ministers will have to be much more powerful than they are now, or many hearers will carry a tame, pointless message, which lulls people to sleep. Every discourse should be given under a sense of the awful judgments soon to fall on the world. The message of truth is to be proclaimed by lips touched with a live coal from the divine altar. My heart is filled with anguish when I think of the tame messages borne by some of our ministers, when they have a message of life and death to bear. The ministers are asleep; the lay members are asleep; and the world is perishing in sin.”—Id., Vol. VIII, pages 36, 37.
The question may be asked, Where shall this work of seeking to arouse God’s people to see their true condition begin? No doubt every mind will turn to the camp meeting season for the opportunity of the ministry to accomplish this work. But have the ministers nothing to do to prepare themselves for this solemn and urgent work that must be done?—Yes, most emphatically.
“I saw what these yearly gatherings might be, and what they should be,—meetings of earnest labor. Ministers should seek a heart preparation before entering upon the work of helping others, for the people are far in advance of many of the ministers. They should untiringly wrestle in prayer until the Lord blesses them. When the love of God is burning on the altar of their hearts, they will not preach to exhibit their own smartness, but to present Christ, who taketh away the sins of the world. There are many flippant talkers of Bible truth, whose souls are as barren of the Spirit of God as were the hills of Gilboa of dew and rain. But what we need is men who are thoroughly converted themselves, and can teach others how to give their hearts to God.”—Vol. V, pages 166, 167.
There is also a great work of preparation to be done upon the part of the members who are expecting to attend these camp meetings. It is not sufficient to prepare for the outward appearance; there should be a thorough heart preparation. In the early days of the message, weeks before the time of the camp meeting the people earnestly searched their hearts to see if any sin was lurking there; and when found, there was agonizing and pleading with God until it was put away. But this spirit has been absent to a great extent of late. There seems to be more or less confusion in getting ready; and the most needful preparation is almost if not entirely neglected, or is entered upon in a half-hearted way. It seems strange that time can scarcely be taken for heart searching. We dwell upon what a nice time we shall have, how we shall see old acquaintances; and to a great extent we forget the very purpose of the meetings. While it is pleasant to meet the brethren and sisters, yet this should be a secondary matter. It is because of these things that a great many do not come prepared spiritually to enter into the meetings. Then, again, many come in an indifferent, careless way; they come for a good time. It is through these things that the Spirit of God is held back. “I have been shown that some of our camp meetings are far from being what the Lord designed they should be. The people come unprepared for the visitation of God’s Holy Spirit. Generally the sisters devote considerable time before the meeting to the preparation of garments for the outward adorning, while they entirely forget the inward adorning, which is in the sight of God of great price. . . . While preparing for the meeting, each individual should closely and critically examine his own heart before God. If there have been unpleasant feelings, discord, or strife in families, it should be one of the first acts of preparation to confess these faults one to another and pray with and for one another. Humble yourselves before God, and make an earnest effort to empty the soul temple of all rubbish,—all envyings, all jealousies, all suspicions, all faultfindings. . . . The Lord speaks; enter into your closet, and in silence commune with your own heart; listen to the voice of truth and conscience. . . . Make a covenant with God to yield yourselves and all your powers to his service. Do not carry this undone work to the camp meeting. If it is not done at home, your own soul will suffer, and others will be greatly injured by your coldness, your stupor, your spiritual lethargy. . . .
“Here is a work for families to engage in before coming up to our holy convocations. Let the preparation for eating and dressing be a secondary matter, but let deep heart searching commence at home. Pray three times a day, and, like Jacob, be importunate. At home is the place to find Jesus; then take him with you to the meeting, and how precious will be the hours you spend there! But how can you expect to feel the presence of the Lord and see his power displayed, when the individual work of preparation for that time is neglected? For your soul’s sake, for Christ’s sake, and for the sake of others, work at home. Pray as you are not accustomed to pray. Let the heart break before God. Set your house in order. Prepare your children for the occasion. Teach them that it is not of so much consequence that they appear with fine clothes as that they appear before God with clean hands and pure hearts. . . . O, how much is lost by neglecting this important work! You may be pleased with the preaching, you may become animated and revived, but the converting, reforming power of God will not be felt in the heart, and the work will not be so deep, thorough, and lasting as it should be. . . . The same work of humiliation and heart searching should also go on in the church, so that all differences and alienations among brethren may be laid aside before appearing before the Lord at these annual gatherings. Set about this work in earnest, and rest not until it is accomplished; for if you come up to the meeting with your doubts, your murmurings, your disputings, you bring evil angels into the camp, and carry darkness wherever you go. I have been shown that for want of this preparation these yearly meetings have accomplished but little.”—Id., Vol. V, pages 162-165.
Let these words of instruction sink deep into every heart, and let them be carried out in every detail; and when the people gather upon the camp ground, they will feel that they are coming in the way the Lord would have them, and that they will receive the blessing of the latter rain in a more marked manner. We should have such meetings as have never been seen among us, and the Lord would come and rain righteousness upon his people. Now is the time to prepare for the coming camp meetings, and let it be a complete and thorough work.
Clarksburg, W. Va.
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