Earlier text: Publishers’ Page“Brethren, Pray for Us”
By I. H. Evans
Down the ages these words have echoed since the eventful days when the apostle Paul sent that heart-cry to the brethren at Thessalonica, arousing many a dear saint to remember the servants of God in their prayers. What child of God in a distant land has not felt his soul quickened and his energies aroused when he became conscious that the church of God was praying for him? The most of the battles that have ever been won for Christ have been gained by prayer. A genuine revival was never known till some one had a burden of prayer, and who ever heard of a great harvest of souls till there was all-night wrestling with the Angel? When Paul sent that message to the brethren at Thessalonica, he felt a great need. From the truth-loving Bereans he had gone to Athens, where controversy was the game, and sophistry was a substitute for the truth. He longed for souls; but when he saw how few received his message, he wrote to the church which had come to the light through his efforts, “Brethren, pray for us.” Paul found strength in the prayers of his brethren. Not only of the Thessalonians did this disciple of the Master ask for prayers, but also of many other companies of believers. To the Colossian brethren he wrote: “Withal praying also for us, that God would open7 unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds: that I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.” To the church at Ephesus he wrote: “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; and for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.” Even the Master knew the help that comes from the prayers and sympathy of others. On the eventful night of his betrayal in the garden he said, “My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed.” Of the experience of the church after Herod had put Peter in prison, we read: “Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him. And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison. And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands. And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals . . . and follow me. . . . And when he had considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John . . . where many were gathered together praying.” When the wicked Haman had planned the destruction of all the Jews, and had a Persian decree with which to carry out the project, what saved that doomed people but the prayers of the servants of God? What saved Nineveh from its threatened doom but the united prayers of all its people? There is no power on earth so strong as the power of prayer. It has accomplished miracles. It has healed the sick, raised the dead, quenched the fiery furnace, closed the mouths of lions, and brought hope and comfort to many a fainting pilgrim. The promise is, “If two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” Those who stand at the head of God’s work, and are trying to direct the energies of his people to accomplish a great work, need the prayers of every child of God. Not only should we remember the cause as a whole, but the leaders in that cause should often be named before the throne of grace. Oftentimes these servants of God are sorely tempted and in great perplexity. Sometimes has not the thought come into your heart that these men need your prayers? “Perhaps, just there, the one has fiercer fight,
A more appalling weakness, a decay of courage, darkness, some lost sense of right—
And so, in case he needs your prayer, pray!” In our public assemblies from Sabbath to Sabbath why not name these men before God in earnest prayer? The president of our General Conference carries many a heavy load. Bear him up before the throne of God. Pray that the gifts of the Holy Spirit may rest richly upon him in all wisdom, and patience, and courage. Let us remember the General Conference Committee and our ministry in all our petitions. Nor must we forget the servants of our Lord in distant lands. Day by day let us remember them in our prayers, that they, too, may have opened before them a door of welcome, and that utterance may be given them to make known the mystery of the gospel. “Come, let us pray! ’Tis sweet to feel
That God himself is near;
That, while we at his footstool kneel,
His mercy deigns to hear.
Though sorrows cloud life’s dreary way,
This is our solace—let us pray.
“Come, let us pray! The burning brow,
The heart oppressed with care,
And all the woes that throng us now,
Will be relieved by prayer;
Our God will chase our griefs away;
O glorious thought! come, let us pray.”
I. H. EVANS. A Child’s Interest
By W. A. S.
A SISTER in Ontario reports the remark of a little grandson. “Grandma,” he said, “do you know of what I would do with a thousand dollars if I had it?” “I would send it all to the Mission Board.” For the sake of the children it ought to be a serious business in every home to remember the needs of the mission fields. A child’s heart is quick to see the relation between genuine missionary interest and liberal missionary giving. This missionary cause appeals to the hearts of the children. In every school and in every home it may be made one of the strongest ties to bind the children to God and the work of this message in these days of strong temptation for youthful feet. W. A. S. Note and Comment
By Editor
THE Northwestern Christian Advocate says, in discussing the position taken by Mr. J. M. Harlan, a candidate for mayor of Chicago, in favor of open saloons on Sunday:— The open saloon on Sunday is one of the greatest perils which face workingmen. It is breaking down the sacredness of Sunday as a day of rest from labor. When saloons are permitted to be open on Sunday as on week-days, Sunday will become a day for work as are week-days. We have certainly nothing to say in favor of an open saloon on Sunday or any other day, though the alleged connection between open saloons and labor is not obvious to us. We have always regarded the saloon as the foe of labor, generally speaking. But is that not a greatly mistaken policy which would have the saloon, which is by nature an outlaw, clothe itself with an appearance of respectability by “keeping the Sabbath,” and thus pose as a law-abiding institution, entitled to the protection of the law? Russia After the St. Petersburg Massacre
THE seriousness of the present situation in Russia can be appreciated only in the light of the fact that the terrible affair of Sunday, January 22, in St. Petersburg, is understood by the people to have been a deliberate massacre. The volleys that mowed down the hapless victims also shattered forever the traditional sentiment which had enshrined the czar in the hearts of the Russian people as the “little father.” “The patient, loyal, devoted Russian people,” says one paper, “no longer possess a czar in the traditional, tender, venerable sense of the name.” And will there be any longer “a patient, loyal, devoted Russian people” to carry out the will of an autocratic government? This is the paramount question, and many observers in Europe and in this country are answering it in the negative. The Beef Trust and Government Authority
By L. A. S.
A CONTEST is now in progress before the public view which will determine the question whether the American beef trust, said to be the greatest and most powerful of all trusts, is subject to the authority of the United States government. A temporary injunction against this trust was granted recently by Judge Grosscup, of Chicago, which has now been made permanent by the United States Supreme Court; and Attorney-General Moody, behind whom stands the forceful personality of President Roosevelt, is ready to begin proceedings against the trust in accordance with the provisions of the federal law. The Washington Post of February 1 says:— It can be said by authority that unless corporations constituting the alleged “beef trust” shall heed the injunction made permanent Monday by the decision of the Supreme Court of the United States, the government will institute proceedings against the individual members of the corporations to enforce the decision of the court. The proceedings will be under the criminal law, if such can be instituted. The minds of the president and members of his cabinet are made up fully on the question. They have determined that the “beef trust” shall obey the law, and, now that the highest court in the land has upheld the hands of the administration, it is said they will permit no further “dilly-dallying” with the subject. The real question, of course, is not whether the beef trust will be able to openly and directly defy the authority of the government, for no trust would attempt that; but whether the trust may not, by the judicious use of its wealth and influence, be able to find some refuge in the labyrinth of legal technicalities where it will have the protection of law while continuing its career as a law-breaker.
L. A. S. Chicago to St. Helena
By Ellen G. White
LEAVING Battle Creek on the morning train, we spent Monday afternoon, October 3, in Chicago, visiting some of our institutions there. In company with Dr. Paulson and Elder Sadler, we visited the Life Boat Mission and the Working-men’s Home. I was much pleased with the report of the work being done in this place. The workers assured me that the Lord was giving them success. I rejoiced with them, but I was so weary that I could not enter into the details of the work as fully as I should have been glad to. The Lord is pleased with the efforts made to gather people to a place where they can hear his praises sung and his Word explained in the simplicity with which Christ explained it as he went through Palestine from village to village and from city to city. Those engaged in this work may take courage. As they walk and work humbly with God, he will certainly impart his grace to them, that they may impart it to others. I shall ever encourage any work that brings souls to Christ. How large a number of our cities might hear the truth if the people of God would put their talents out to the exchangers. From the Life Boat Mission we drove out to see the newly established Swedish Mission on Oak Street. There we were shown a building which our Swedish brethren, under the leadership of Elder S. Mortenson, have recently purchased for the headquarters of their work in Chicago. The building presents a good appearance. In the basement they have a well-equipped vegetarian restaurant. On the first floor there is a pleasant, commodious hall for meetings, comfortably seated for a congregation of about one hundred and fifty, and the two upper stories are rented to lodgers. I was indeed glad to see this evidence of progress in the Swedish work in Chicago. There is a great work to be done for the people of all nations in the large cities of America, and such rallying points as this may be a great help in the matter of gaining the attention of the people, and in the training of workers. In every large city in America there are people of different nationalities, who must hear the message for this time. I long to see evidence that the lines of work which the Lord has marked out are being disinterestedly taken up. A work similar to that which is being done in Chicago for the Swedish people should be done in many places. Time is fast passing. The day of the Lord’s reckoning is approaching. Seventh-day Adventists are not to colonize. We are to work as Jesus has given us an example. Of the work of Christ we read: “And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the seacoast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim; that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan Galilee of the Gentiles; the people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.” “And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness, and all manner of disease among the people.” This is the work that will open doors for the truth. “And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatic, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them. And there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judea, and from beyond Jordan.” Thus was the time of the Great Missionary occupied. I think of the work that might be done if those held in Battle Creek and a few other favored places, were carrying forward the work in the villages and towns and cities in which there are no memorials for the truth. We are to do all in our power to fulfil the commission given by Christ to his disciples just before his ascension. Of the giving of this commission we read: “Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And when they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you; and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” When the eyes of the members of our large churches are anointed with the heavenly eye-salve, they will arise, and go forth to fulfil this commission. When their hearts are imbued with the Holy Spirit, they will worship the Lord their God, and him only will they serve. The Lord is calling upon those who are congregated in congested centers to go forth into the places where the truth has never been proclaimed. They are to teach the things that Christ has commanded, leaving alone the various suppositions born of erratic theories. False teachers will come in, teaching for doctrine the commandments of men. Satan will bring forward fables to militate against the principles of Christ’s teaching. God calls upon his faithful messengers to search his Word, and to teach only those things that Christ has commanded. To give all nations the message of warning,—this is to be the object of our efforts. A way will be prepared for the faithful worker to labor at all times and seasons for the conversion of souls. Upon all who have received the word of God there rests the burden of doing this work. From city to city, and from country to country, they are to carry the publications containing the promise of the Saviour’s soon coming. These publications are to be translated into every language; for to all the world the gospel is to be preached. To every worker Christ promises the divine efficiency that will make his labors a success. There is too much hovering round our institutions; too much ease-loving. The commission of Christ is to be carried out to the letter. God’s people must consecrate to him their means and their capabilities. The faithful soldiers of the cross of Christ are to go forth without9 the camp, bearing the reproach, and following in the path of self-denial trodden by the Redeemer. The ministers who are hovering over the churches, preaching to those who know the truth, would better go into places still in darkness. Unless they do this, they themselves and their congregations will become dwarfed. Our religion has become weak and sickly because the members of the church have left their first love. They might be strong men and women in Christ if they would obey the Lord’s directions. I am commanded to lift my voice in warning, and to call upon our people who are gathered together in Battle Creek to go forth and take up the work appointed them by God. The world is perishing in sin. How much longer will you allow yourselves to be held from the great, needy vineyard, when the history of this world is so near its close? “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent ye, and believe the gospel.” This is the message that we are to proclaim at this time. Men and women are turning from obedience to the law of God, and are perishing in transgression. They must reap the sure consequence of their abuse of the laws of nature. By habits of intemperance, they lay the foundations of disease, and crime after crime is the result. Under the influence of poisoned liquor, men lift the hand of murder, and bring dishonor upon themselves, and want and wretchedness upon their families. Obedience to the law of God would save those who are perishing in defiance of truth and righteousness. The Call
By W. R. PATTERSON
“What mean all these open doors in every land, if it is not God's call to action on the part of his people?” Go forth, ye sons of Emmanuel's legions
(None of your number should now be found sleeping),
Each wind bears a sigh from the sin-fettered regions
Where death, the reaper, his harvest is reaping. Sad, sad are the sounds that are borne on the wave,
Thrice bitter the waiting as time’s onward sweeping,—
Waiting, still waiting the light that will save,
While death, the reaper, his harvest is reaping. Sin's banner dark, o'er the nations unfurled,
Waves on triumphant from many a land.
Man is thy brother, “the field is the world;”
Go scatter thy seed with an unsparing hand. Lift up the cross where the long, weary night
Holds minds of millions forever enthralled;
Onward, go swiftly and herald the light,
And think not of rest till the message is told. The isles are awaiting the tidings we bear;
Love for the dying constrains us to go;
Loud as a trumpet love's story declare,
Fearlessly invade the lands of the foe. Turn to the lands where night, like a pall,
Hangs dark o'er the pris’ners who sigh to be free;
Each beckoning hand, each plaintive call,
Is mutely appealing to you and to me. Christianity a Mighty Bulwark of Omnipotence
By D. T. BOURDEAU
To a mind harassed with doubt, the strength of Christianity is discernible through candidly and prayerfully considering the plain evidences of the Christian religion, rather than through frequent and long-continued attempts to solve its mysteries. The evidences of Christianity are seen in the purity and ennobling power of its doctrines, in the fulfilment of its prophecies, in its miracles, and in what it does for those who receive it with childlike faith. Many stumble and give way to unbelief and infidelity when they see the inconsistencies of some who profess Christianity, and, disgusted at their course, they say, “There is nothing to the religion of Jesus Christ.” But this is a rash and illogical conclusion. Better and more consistent would it be to consider what Christianity does for those who exemplify it in their lives. Would it be fair to take Judas as a representative of the Christian religion? It would be but a part of the same logic that judges of Christianity by the inconsistencies of the lives of many who profess it, and yet disgrace it by their lives. The strongest evidence we have in favor of Christianity is that which is seen in the purity and elevating character of its doctrines, and in its power to transform the thoughts, dispositions, and character of a sinner, so that they will answer to those of Jesus Christ, our perfect model. This is a creation (Eph. 2:10), a work that could not be produced by the philosophical and religious theories of ancient writers, and which no man has ever been able to produce. Yet it is performed through genuine Christianity. And, thank God, it is multiple, being wrought for many even in our day. And those for whom it is wrought have the illuminating influences of that Spirit which guides into the truth. They may be naturally skeptical, as many honest souls and deep thinkers are; but, by persevering prayer and reliance on Christ, skepticism, with them, may be replaced by strong faith, so that their weakest point may become their strongest. This has been the experience of many honest souls who have suffered enough to die several times under the dense clouds of skepticism and infidelity; and what has already been experienced by many of this cast of mind, may be experienced by others of the same cast of mind; and God may use them to help others who need to be helped by those who have passed through the same fiery ordeal that they are passing through, and have come off conquerors over doubt and infidelity. The writer once knew a man whom God designed to use as an effectual messenger of the cross of Christ, but who suffered extremely through skepticism. The point on which he was sorely tried was the divine origin of the Scriptures. He did not yield to doubt, but suffered as words can not tell. With him everything seemed to be at stake. If the Bible was not of divine origin, there was no plan of salvation, and his hope was confined to this life. He opened his mind to a devoted Christian lady who was at the head of a mission. She got an able man to talk on infidelity before the tried soul, then asked the man especially concerned how he now viewed the subject. He replied, “The victory is gained; but it is not due to the effort of the pompous, self-conceited young man whom you secured to deliver this discourse, but to the virtue I found in wrestling for victory in secret places.” If any reader of these lines is troubled through a skeptical turn of mind as to the genuineness of Christianity, let him try this remedy. There is nothing that helps on this point like communion with God and intimacy with Christ, the Great Teacher, that is of such a character that one feels as if he were in the very presence of the Saviour. This intimacy with Jesus through his truth and Spirit as the result of earnest, importunate prayer, is a sure antidote against doubt and infidelity. He who experiences it unconsciously forgets his doubts, and acquires implicit faith in the divinity of the Bible and in the genuineness of Christianity. What a bulwark of Omnipotence, of infinite wisdom and love, is Christianity! It is that subject which, above all others, will, through endless ages, engross the minds of the redeemed and of unfallen angels, and be to the universe an eternal safeguard against doubt and infidelity, and against the repetition of another fall with its sad consequences. May we contemplate genuine Christianity, digging for truth as for hidden treasures, enjoying the acquisitions of new truths brought out of the inexhaustible mine of truth, and pouring out gratitude and adoration to Christ, “the Way, the Truth, and the Life,” in this mortal state, that it may be ours to enjoy this delightsome occupation during the endless ages of a blissful eternity. God's Gifts to Man
By R. A. UNDERWOOD
Man was given a beautiful home, a kingdom containing everything pleasant to the sight and good for food. Gen. 2:9. He was crowned with glory and honor, and given dominion over the earth and all therein. Heb. 2:6-8; Ps. 115:16. God put all things in “subjection” to man, and left nothing that was not put under him, except the restrictions God made concerning the use of the Sabbath day and the tree of knowledge of good and evil, which he reserved to himself. With these exceptions Adam was given absolute dominion. Gen. 1:26-28. Among the gifts the Creator had bestowed upon man was the power of choice. From eternity the purpose of God has been that man should be happy. “I alone know the thoughts that I entertain respecting you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a happy future and hope.” Jer. 29:11, Jewish Version. Every bounty bestowed upon man, and every requirement made of him, has ever been with this purpose in view in all the dealings of God with men. The endowment of power to choose life or death, righteousness or sin, was essential to man's liberty and happiness. To refuse created intelligences the power of choice, meant bondage, discontent, and unhappiness; therefore heaven prized liberty of sufficient value to bestow this unspeakable gift upon man, although it involved the possibility of the fall. It was when the counsels of eternity had decided that man and created intelligences should be free (Deut. 30:19; Lev. 25:10; John 8:34, 36) that Christ became man's surety, that the purpose of God concerning man should not fail. 2 Tim. 1:9; Heb. 7:22; 1 Peter 1:20. “Ye have sold yourselves for naught.” Isa. 52:3; Rom. 7:14. In this transaction Adam lost his dominion, and became a slave to Satan; “for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.” Thus the dominion of this world, with its treasures of wealth, power, and glory, passed into the hands of man's conqueror.10 Christ, having become man's surety, stands ready to purchase man and his lost estate at an infinite price. A pledge was given to Adam, on the very day of man's failure, that the price would be paid for man's redemption. Gen. 3:15. When Christ is about to make good his promise and set man free once more (Isa. 61:1), Satan presents to Christ the crowning act of his temptations: “The devil, taking him [Christ] up into an high mountain, showed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me, and to whomsoever I will I give it. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.” Luke 4:5-7. Christ spurns the tempting offer with these words, “Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.” By the power of the Holy Ghost Christ could say, “The prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.” Of all the gifts of God to man, most to be cherished is the gift of the Holy Ghost,—“One given in Christ's place to act in his stead. . . . The Holy Spirit furnishes the pure motive, the living, active principle that sustains striving, wrestling, believing souls in every emergency and under every temptation.” Christ bids us, “Receive ye the Holy Ghost.” By His power, Adam could have met his foe with victory. Christ, the second Adam, could do nothing of himself. John 5:30. But in the power of the Holy Spirit, Christ met the devil and conquered, even as every believing saint of God may conquer in Christ. Luke 4:1-7; Rev. 3:21. Spiritual Affinity
By C. S. LONGACRE
The doctrine of spiritual affinity is not a new one, yet it is new to many people because they are ignorant of the history of the past. Never did the devil devise a doctrine that was more deceptive in its consequences. The human family has been disgraced by its baneful fruits in every nation and age of the past. But, strange as it is, many of whom we would expect better things are falling into its seducing meshes to-day, and as I have seen some of its terrible fruits, I wish to expose the doctrine in its hideousness before the unwary are seduced to wear this spotted mantle. Mr. Pierre Rosier writes from Paris as follows: “When Victor Hugo, old Dumas, and George Sand wrote, the belief prevailed that for every loving heart there was one of the opposite sex. These two hearts, when they met, exercised an irresistible attraction. When they failed to meet, there were vague, unsatisfied longings that made for matrimonial misery. Romance of this sort is now dead, save at the old-fashioned court of Austria. There the influence of romantic literature and its sub-products is yet active. Hence the plunges of the imperial family into morganatic matrimony, elopements, suicides, and undignified tragedy.” The law courts of Austria are being disgraced at present, from the imperial throne to the lowest peasant huts, in vulgar matrimonial fights between husbands and wives, endeavoring to set aside the civil claims of previous unsuited marriages. By a careful study of the history of nations, we find that all were permeated with this doctrine of spiritual affinity, and after they learned the sad lesson of its fearful results by a costly experience, they unanimously set it aside by proper legislation. There are a few oriental nations that teach and practise it still. But that such a doctrine should find advocates in Christendom is, indeed, a marvel. Many professed Christians imagine, because they do not get along agreeably with their companions, and each have his or her own way, that they did not get the ones the Lord intended for them, and they begin looking around to see if they can not find the ones intended—the so-called spiritual ones. Many who come into the truth, but whose companions do not, and who even persecute them, jump at once to the conclusion that they made a mistake in their marriage,—that they are unequally yoked together. Under these conditions many are tempted to accept the doctrine of spiritual affinity, and regard their marriage as a mere civil contract subject to human legislation. If such ideas will not lead to legal divorce, they will lead to heart estrangement. There is no doubt that God guides individuals when they consult him in this matter. He never makes a mistake. He always makes a selection of adaptation. But in cases where he was not consulted, and where the parties find they are unequally yoked together, what is to be done? Is there a remedy?—Yes; for the Saviour said that no one was to separate save for “fornication,” and that “the wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth;” and he is bound to her likewise, so there must be a way of getting along together under all other conditions without hunting for a spiritual affinity. While civil law may grant a divorce for many causes, yet God has made the tie indissoluble, and placed it far above human legislation, save for the cause of adultery. Many acts which are not punishable in civil courts, are sinful in the sight of God. If you have made a mistake, there is still a remedy. Become thoroughly converted, and with your renewed nature you will be enabled to bear all things. If the theories of spiritual affinity were correct, then Paul was wrong when he said, “Let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.” When God started the human race, he started it right. “What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.”