Earlier text: Our Refuge and GuideMr. Baxter’s False Predictions
CONSIDERABLE space is being given in press reports to some recent fanciful predictions of certain time-setting Adventists in London, England, foremost of whom is the Rev. M. Baxter. Mr. Baxter has already achieved some notoriety as a pretended prophet, and now, unabashed by the failure of previous efforts, he comes forward with a new set of predictions relating to the end of the world and important intervening events. A familiar feature of such predictions,—that of a coming Antichrist, who is to be a Napoleon,—is not omitted. The Napoleon of Mr. Baxter’s latest prophecies is to arise in Syria, is to conquer France, and then extend his rule over the rest of Europe. The Bible statements referring to the worship of the “beast” and his “image,” the “mark” and “number of his name,” are applied to this imaginary figure. A definite date is set for the end of the world. Thus does the enemy of divine truth seek to cast discredit upon the work of those who are giving to the world the advent message which is due in this generation. He would give people the impression that Mr. Baxter is a fair representative of all those who are proclaiming the approaching end of the world, and that the whole subject is as fanciful and unworthy of serious attention as are his predictions. We must point out to the people the difference between the counterfeit and the genuine,—between predictions which are but figments of the imagination, and the “sure word of prophecy,” which rests upon the knowledge and the power of God. The Eastern Question and Prophecy
The present aspect of the Eastern question is arousing attention. An editorial on the subject in the New York Sun called out a statement from one of its readers which shows that some general knowledge exists of the relation between the expulsion of the Turk from Europe and the prophecy of Daniel II. The Sun’s reader notes that “students of the Scriptures (very many of them) are agreed that the prophecy of Daniel in the latter part of the eleventh chapter is now near fulfilment,” and states: “I have looked for a great many years to see such a condition of affairs as you describe in your editorial this morning.” He observes further: “It says in the forty-fifth verse that he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain, and then come to his end. This means that the seat of Turkish power and government will be transferred to Jerusalem from Constantinople for a short time, and then the Turk will fade away into the East from whence he came.” While this aspect of the Eastern question is attracting public attention, a splendid opportunity is presented to bring before the people the Bible truth on this important topic. Now is the time to circulate literature treating on this subject. Colorado Sunday Barber Shop Decision
The supreme court of the State of Colorado has rendered a decision affirming the validity of an ordinance passed by the city of Denver, closing barber shops on Sunday. The decision, after affirming that the suspension of secular work on “the Sabbath,” is necessary to the “general welfare” of the people, states:— The business of carrying on a barber shop is in every respect lawful and respectable; it is in no sense objectionable from any point of view; but these are not the tests to be applied to the ordinance in question. What, then, are the tests to be applied? As the business of barbering on Sunday fully stands the test of propriety from any secular standpoint, it is only a religious test under which it can be condemned. But what right has a State court to apply religious tests to anything? The decision proceeds to state that “the business is purely secular, and not a work of necessity or charity.” Hence it is condemned because of its secular character, which brings it in conflict with certain religious views held by a class of the people. The decision draws a line between the religious views of the people, condemning the class who hold to one view of Sunday, and approving those who hold to a different view. It is a decision based on religious grounds entirely, and does not profess to be anything else. It is an open step in the direction of church and state union. France's Church-State Separation Upheld
THE recent parliamentary elections in France reveal a strong public sentiment in support of the policy which has separated church and state in that country, and the result is viewed by many as a rebuke to the Catholic Church. The people, it is stated, want peace. The only thing that has recently disturbed the peace in France is the Roman Catholic attitude of opposition to the governmental measures for carrying into effect the abolition of the Concordat. The Catholic Church sought to provoke a revolution which would overturn the government that had severed its union with her; and when there was a prospect that the attempt might succeed, after there had been extensive riots, and even armed resistance to the government by Catholics in some places, the Catholic Church pointed to the Masonic order as being responsible for the disturbance. A prominent American Catholic journal, The New World (Chicago), said in its issue of May 5:— At this moment France, as a result of the unscrupulous and irreligious conspiracies of the Masonic sects which Speaker Cannon recently honored, contrary to the spirit of the Constitution, is on the verge of revolution. The church, the ever-vigilant and invincible guardian of social order, has been crippled, and the French republic, deprived of her aid and guidance, is drifting on the rocks of anarchy. It is inconceivable that a man with the sagacity and foresight of President Roosevelt should encourage this diabolical enemy of free institutions and social order in its efforts to triumph over the historic church that can alone guarantee the stability and permanence of social institutions. So far as the power of Rome can be used against them, stable and permanent institutions will not be permitted to exist in any government that is not conducted upon the principles of the papacy. That is Rome’s position both in theory and in practise. A Call for Greater Consecration
By Ellen G. White
All day yesterday a very heavy burden rested upon me, and last night I could not sleep after one o’clock. We seemed to be assembled in council meeting, where many things were being considered. The Spirit of the Lord came upon me, and I spoke very earnestly to those present. I will now endeavor to write out some of the things that have been burdening my mind. The Lord has preserved my life for some wise purpose, and has given me instruction upon many points regarding the past, present, and future history of Seventh-day Adventists. We are now passing through a crisis. This is not an ordinary period in our history. We need now to understand the leadings of providence. None of us should take ourselves under our own supervision, to follow our own desires. In this important time, we are to seek diligently to know the way of the Lord, and be sure that we are following our divine Leader. God is our counselor, and we are to follow the light that he gives in his Word. We see the conflict going on in Battle Creek, and we are to meet the situation in the right way. Every man and woman connected with the work of God is now, while manifold voices are heard, to ask for grace to discern the right way and to understand the Voice among voices. Christ says, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” Have we responded to his knock? Have we opened the door, and said, “Come in, thou blessed of the Lord;” wherefore standest thou without?” Are we desirous of the presence of the heavenly guest? Are we willing to be instructed as workers together with God, willing to be educated, trained, and disciplined in his way for his service? Are we willing to lay aside our individual preferences, in order to follow the Lord’s way and do the Lord’s will? Are we seated at his feet, as learners in his school? Do our lives express the desire, “Show me thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.” I am instructed to speak to all our ministering brethren, saying, Have you in faith asked God for that consecration that will lead to self-denial and self-sacrifice? Many do not move in the confidence of a living assurance that Christ is pleading before the Father as our Intercessor. Christ has identified himself with our necessities, and is able to supply every peculiar need of our weakness. During his life on this earth, he took the attitude of a suppliant, an earnest petitioner, seeking at the hand of the Father a fresh supply of strength, that he might be invigorated and refreshed, and come forth with words of encouragement and lessons of consolation to impart to human beings. His words are to brace every soul for duty and strengthen every soul for trial. As Christ, in his humanity, sought strength from his Father, that he might be enabled to endure trial and temptation, so are we to do. We are to follow the example of the sinless Son of God. Daily we need help and grace and power from the Source of all power. We are to cast our helpless souls upon the One who is ready to help us in every time of need. Too often we forget the Lord. Self gives way to impulse, and we lose the victories that we should gain. If we are overcome, let us not delay to repent, and to accept the pardon that will place us on vantage-ground. If we repent and believe, the cleansing power from God will be ours. His saving grace is freely offered. His pardon is given to all who will receive it. But the pride of unbelief often rises in the heart, and the sinner turns from the light, and loses the strength that God is so willing to bestow. If he continues in this course, his mind becomes full of criticism of others who do appreciate the light the Lord has given them. But will his criticism of others lessen the mistakes and errors that he in his self-sufficiency has committed? He is dissatisfied with himself, and every word that appears like a reflection on his course he resents. God will always accept confession, if the evil that has been done is repented of. Our Heavenly Father makes the declaration, “As I live, . . . I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked should turn from his way and live.” Over every sinner that repents, the angels of God rejoice with songs of joy. Not one sinner need be lost. Full and free is the gift of saving grace. Every one may have the salvation that the Lord Jesus will bestow abundantly on all who bring his love into their life-work. “Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.” We are living in the day of preparation. We must obtain a full supply of grace from the divine storehouse. The Lord has made provision for every day’s demand. Ministers and physicians, in your work you are bearing weighty responsibilities. Let not your thoughts become cheap or common or selfish, for want of the grace of Christ. Our preparation for the home above must be wrought out in this life. The grace of Christ must be woven into every phase of the character. I am to say to all who claim to be converted, Are your hearts truly changed, and are you watching unto prayer, preserving a thoughtful, consistent course of action, that you may have, not a semblance of religion, but the precious, genuine article? Ministers and physicians, when you accepted Christ, did you experience a deep sense of spiritual need? How much it means to you who are to be ministers of righteousness, to accept the heavenly gift of light and love and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. You are to be imbued with such love for Christ that you will yield to him your whole affections, surrendering your life to him who gave his life for you. Imbued with the love of Christ, you are to be constrained to perform acts of unselfish service until such acts become your life practise. Daily growth into the life of Christ creates in the soul a haven of peace; in such a life there is continual fruit-bearing. Brethren and sisters, we need the reformation that all who are redeemed must have, through the cleansing of mind and heart from every taint of sin. In the lives of those who are ransomed by the blood of Christ self-sacrifice will constantly appear. Goodness and righteousness will be seen. The quiet, inward experience will make the life full of godliness, faith, meekness, patience. This is to be our daily experience. We are to form characters free from sin—characters made righteous in and by the grace of Christ. Thus we shall reveal pure and undefiled religion to a world that has not now in the midst of it a Saviour in human form, constantly manifesting his power to heal others’ woes. Much depends upon our individual course of action. We should each live in the world the life of a true Christian, that our words and acts may be such as to win souls to Christ. Our hearts are to be cleansed from all impurity in the blood shed to take away sin. When ministers adorn the doctrine of Christ our Saviour, and when physicians reveal in words and works, and in their influence the healing grace of Christ, when the Saviour is revealed as the One altogether lovely, a great work will be done in behalf of other souls. God calls for truth in the inner sanctuary of the soul, that the whole being may be a representation of the life of Christ. This matter has been thus presented to9 me over and over again, and I am instructed to write the same. It is now daylight, and I must take up other matters that have been presented to me in connection with that which I have written. I entreat my brethren and sisters who are ministers or physicians, to work out in their lives the precious principles of truth, that others may take knowledge of you that you have been with Jesus, and have learned of him who is pure and holy and undefiled, without rebuke in a sinful and corrupt generation. Then many will be turned to the Lord through the earnest efforts made in their behalf by those who know the truth. Loma Linda, Cal., May 1, 1906. HAS some one seen Christ in you to-day?
Christian, look to your heart, I pray;
The little things you have done or said—
Did they accord with the way you prayed?
Have your thoughts been pure and your words been kind?
Have you sought to have the Saviour's mind?
The world with a criticizing view
Has watched—but did it see Christ in you? Has some one seen Christ in you to-day?
Christian, look to your life, I pray;
There are aching hearts and blighted souls
Being lost on sin’s destructive shoals,
And perhaps of Christ their only view
May be what of him they see in you.
Will they see enough to bring hope and cheer?
Look to your light! Does it shine out clear? — The Christian Guardian. An announcement has already been sent out through the columns of the REVIEW AND HERALD that on Sabbath, May 19, 1906, an opportunity would be given to our people in the United States to contribute to a fund for the relief of the Pacific Press Publishing Company of Mountain View, Cal., and other institutions located in San Francisco, upon which a great calamity has fallen. And indeed this is a great calamity, or at least it appears so to us, who can not always see deeply into God’s workings; though, from what we have already learned of God’s goodness and mercy, even when visiting heavy chastisements and afflictions upon us, we may confidently believe that, in his own good time and way, he will yet give to his people opportunities and blessings which will far outweigh the losses sustained from the great earthquake and fire. It seems highly fitting at this time that such a call as this should be made:— 1. For many years the Pacific Press Publishing Company has stood as a strong, self-supporting light bearer of the third angel’s message. Many years ago Elders James White and J. N. Loughborough, and other stalwart pioneers of this cause, crossed the Rocky Mountains, and, foreseeing by faith the possibilities before a publishing house located on the Pacific Coast, they set to work to establish the Pacific Press, and laid its foundations deep in sacrifice and labor. And now, while this institution, the second of our publishing houses, was in the midst of some of its heaviest financial struggles, a blow was permitted to fall upon it which certainly will appeal most eloquently to the sympathy and generosity of all who love the work which this institution represents. 2. About two years ago, in response to the Lord’s counsel that our large institutions move out of the cities, and seek country locations, the Pacific Press moved out by faith, and established its offices in Mountain View, a small town about forty miles southeast of San Francisco. This move was made at great expense and at a great sacrifice of the earnings of the institution. Two years of struggle, accompanied by considerable loss, much of which was the natural result of such a change, have passed since then, and the Pacific Press was, little by little, working up to a solid standing place, when suddenly out of the earth came this unexpected blow, which in a few seconds of time left the Pacific Press building very largely a wreck. 3. When this same blow fell upon the city of San Francisco and the adjacent towns, this great country, with its mighty resources, flew to their relief. In a few hours trains loaded with cooked food, clothing, tents, medical supplies, and nurses, were hurrying on their way from Los Angeles, Denver, Portland, Chicago, Boston, and, in fact, from nearly every great city in the United States. At Seattle a ship was quickly loaded with provisions, and with every blanket and tent that could be found in the city, and under steam and sail was rushed to the scenes of distress. It was surely fitting for the prosperous wealthy people of a great country like this to fly thus to the rescue of a once great metropolis which lay in ruins and in ashes, while her four hundred thousand people were scattered, homeless and hungry, in the parks and on the surrounding hills. When men of the world are moved with such generosity by the needs of a sister city, is it not even more fitting that the children of God should contribute of their abundance to the needs of these institutions which God has been using for many years as facilities for carrying the message to the world? God has blessed us with bountiful harvests for several years, and enabled many of his people to gather in an abundance to their storehouses. And now he opens before us a door of opportunity and privilege which enables us to contribute something from our abundance toward the relief of those in need. 4. We are not unmindful of the fact that, only a little more than one year ago, the General Conference was in serious financial distress, and a letter was written to the far West, to one of the members of the Conference Committee, setting forth the serious difficulties of the situation. One Sunday morning at chapel exercises, this letter was read in the Pacific Press chapel. From long training and practise in the art of giving, the employees of the Pacific Press had learned how to respond to such needs. Voluntarily from the company of workers came the proposition that a fund be started immediately at the Pacific Press office, and that these funds be forwarded immediately to the General Conference. And, further, it was proposed that this movement be extended to all parts of the United States, and that the gifts gathered should be sent in the hands of the delegates to the General Conference as a “surprise party” for that occasion. By quick movements the resolution was carried into effect, and many thousands of dollars were carried to the General Conference by the delegates. The One Hundred Thousand Dollar Fund was quickly made up, until it beautifully overflowed with the generous gifts. Now the Pacific Press is in need. The chapel where this generous movement started is badly shattered, and will it not be highly fitting for God’s people to send them a generous gift? This has already been set before you in various articles in The Signs of the Times, the REVIEW AND HERALD, and the State and union conference papers. At first, estimates could not be accurately given. And even now it is impossible to give the extent of damage, particularly in San Francisco, where the destruction was so complete, and where conditions are such as to make it difficult to secure reliable information. But the leading brethren of the Pacific Union Conference and the Pacific Press Publishing Company have studied the situation carefully, and a conservative estimate places the loss to the Pacific Press at twenty thousand dollars, to the San Francisco branch enterprises of the St. Helena Sanitarium, thirteen thousand dollars. There were losses to other enterprises, which can not be well estimated. But with the destruction of certain buildings, important business connections have been swept away, making it quite impossible to calculate the losses which will accrue through delays in the work, and the efforts to re-establish it upon a working basis. As these losses can not be definitely given, it has been suggested that all funds collected on this occasion be sent to the General Conference Treasury, through the proper channels, and that the Executive Committee of the Pacific Union Conference be asked to appropriate the money to the Pacific Press and to other institutions in proportion as their losses and most urgent needs may appear. It is probable that this course will be pursued in the distribution of these funds. An Appeal From the Pacific Coast
At the time of this disaster the majority of the members of the Pacific Union Conference were in southern California. Realizing the pressing need of the suffering institutions in the north, they held a council at which Brother and Sister White were present, and they decided to call a meeting in Mountain View on Wednesday, May 2, at which time they would draw up a formal appeal to the General Conference and to the Seventh-day Adventists in the United States, asking that liberal donations be sent to these institutions. This appeal was to be signed by Brother and Sister White and by the members of the Pacific Union Conference. As the mails from the West are very slow during these days of excitement and congested traffic, the appeal has not yet reached the General Conference office, and it is necessary to send out this reading for May 19 immediately, in order that it may reach all our churches in the10 United States. If the appeal arrives before this goes to the press, it will be inserted. If not, it will be published in the REVIEW AND HERALD as soon as it is received. Although we may not be able to insert this appeal here in its proper place, our brethren will be glad to know that this request for help is based upon a council of the leading workers on the Pacific Coast, including Brother and Sister White. That portion of the donations which can be sent immediately to the General Conference will be of the greatest service; but doubtless there will be many who will listen to this reading who have not come prepared to give as liberal cash donations as they would wish. Will all such kindly make pledges of their gifts, and pay them later at their convenience? Much more than a gift in money is needed at this important time. This catastrophe has aroused the people of the United States as nothing else has ever done. Men on every hand are inquiring, What do these things mean? What is coming next? Many are wholly ignorant of the signs of our times, and the things which are rapidly to follow in the closing scenes of this drama. But God has revealed their meaning unto us, and in this knowledge we hold a sacred responsibility, one which we can not fail to discharge except at the peril of our souls. The people must be made aware of the calamities that are coming upon the earth, and God will use his own people for carrying the message. In the midst of the appalling scenes of the great earthquake and fire, the Earthquake Special of The Signs of the Times was prepared. It is a thrilling number, calculated to do a work which has never been done by any other issue of our pioneer paper. Already God’s people are springing to the work, and hundreds of thousands are being ordered and sold. Never was there a greater opportunity given to us to spring to the front and do a valiant and splendid work for God. Let us do it with all our hearts. During the earthquake experience and the days immediately following, the people of San Francisco and its vicinity seemed to be divided into three very distinct classes. There were men of wealth and great business ability, whose fortunes had been suddenly swept away. These were men of the world, who saw in the rebuilding of San Francisco the possibility of re-establishing themselves again in business, and of rebuilding their lost fortunes. These men have united in creating a courageous sentiment after the manner of the world, and their words, as expressed in their resolutions and as reported in the public press, grate harshly upon the ears of those who know the meaning of such calamities. They say, “Let us arise and build a city which shall be the pride of the whole earth, a city as safe from fire as the bottom of the sea, a city which will not burn until the caves of the ocean burst forth into flames. In future we will build with steel frames anchored deep to the solid rock, and with stones laced into the frames, so that earthquakes can not shake them down.” These are determined business men, and they know that this spirit will, to some degree, revive the people, and invite capital from the East to assist them in rebuilding the city. But their words seem to be almost in defiance of the power of God. How little they know of what is coming upon the earth. How little they know of the time when even the bottom of the sea will not be safe from fire, and of that day when the caves of ocean will burst forth into flames. There is another class, paralyzed and almost speechless with fear. They had no hope in God, and were unprepared when the shock came. And when the earth trembled beneath their feet, they were unacquainted with any refuge in which they could anchor. During the first day after the earthquake, twenty-seven such persons were taken to the insane asylum, and many others were confined at home, raving maniacs, hysterical, or prostrated with fear. During the two weeks following the principal shock there have been thirty-nine lesser earthquakes, and many of these people have been kept in a constant state of wild excitement and terror. They have slept in tents, under the hedges, in sheds, on the verandas, and the future seems to hold for them neither hope nor consolation. There is a third class,—and we are thankful to God that many of our own dear people are among them,—who, during the scenes of distress, have been angels of mercy, and have reaped from the experience that which will be an everlasting blessing to them. Men and women who, by past faithfulness, had worked into the nerve and fiber of their beings a Christian experience, were able during those hours of trouble to cast their anchor by prayer within the veil, and find a power which upheld them. And these children of God, who aforetime had gone from house to house, laboring for the salvation of the lost, were now able to mingle among them, calm in their confidence, and minister to their needs. Like all other calamities of this kind, the terrible events which have occurred on the Pacific Coast should teach us many precious lessons. When the great shock came, there was no time for preparation. That which before had been solid earth was vibrating as though in the hands of a demon. There was no time for thought, and hardly time for a word of prayer. Men who had been unused to pray were wholly unable in the trying hour to find anchorage above. When Daniel was brought to the supreme test of his life in Babylon, and was forbidden to pray, it was said that he went to his chamber as “aforetime.” It was the “aforetime” which gave him his strength and power with God, and enabled him to stand unhurt amid the lions. When the crisis comes, there is no time for preparation. Happy is the man in such an hour who has made the Lord his daily refuge and his strength. Read the ninety-first psalm, and see how beautifully this lesson is taught. “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High”—that is, he who lives there from day to day; he who has a steady, strong experience, so constant that that experience may be called his dwelling-place. “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” Such an experience enables one to recognize God, and put away boasting. It enables him to trust in God, and put away fear. And when others are crying to God for mercy, and are needing the help of men, they are able to minister temporal comforts and the consolation of God’s grace. This is the work and ability of God’s children. Preparation for such work should not be put off. To-day is the accepted time. No one can tell when or where the next earthquake will come. One of the great astronomers of the West after the earthquake wrote a brief bulletin on the bulletin-board outside of the observatory, stating the most commonly accepted scientific explanations of an earthquake. People blocked the street in front of the observatory, and insisted upon learning from the astronomer when the next earthquake would come. In response he erased the bulletin on the board, and wrote the following: “The man in the street knows just as much as I do of the cause of earthquakes, and when the next one will come.” The previous great earthquake in this country was in Charleston, S. C., on the opposite coast. The next one may come in Washington, Chicago, or Kansas City. It may come just where you are. If so, will it find you unprepared? The work of the earthquake is the work of a few seconds. The preparation for it must be “aforetime.” May the Lord help his people to get ready for what is coming upon the earth. There have been more earthquakes during the past generation than during the previous history of the world. These are signs that the Lord of glory is soon coming. By earthquakes he is admonishing men to flee from sin, and turn to him. They are his voice of admonition to sinners,—yes, and to his people as well. They admonish us to separate from everything that binds to earth, and set our affections upon those things which can not be shaken. Astronomers give various reasons and theories as explanations of these great phenomena, but none of them will stand when brought to the test by God’s Word. In Second Peter, third chapter, verses three to eight, and in Patriarchs and Prophets, the first four pages of the chapter entitled, “After the Flood,” we are taught the origin and meaning of these things. In the beginning there were waters stored in the earth, and when the wickedness of the earth became great,11 and the Lord would destroy it by a flood, the waters from the earth burst forth and united with the waters that fell from the heavens, and the earth was deluged and destroyed. In like manner the Lord has stored within the earth coal, oil, and lime and magnesia, and many other fuels and combustible elements as agents for the next great destruction of the earth; so that when the time comes for all things to be destroyed the second time, the fires from within the earth will burst forth, and, joining with the fires that fall from heaven, the earth will be melted, and the works that are therein will be burned up. And now, as we approach the end, the fires increase, and the old earth upon the verge of destruction, shakes and groans, and emits fire and smoke as warnings to the world that the crisis of all things is rapidly approaching. Therefore when these things begin to come to pass, we should look up, and lift up our heads, for our redemption draweth nigh. And we who know the meaning of these things, should be able to tell an inquiring world the blessed message of salvation. Through the tender mercies of our God we are still spared. We have time to prepare for the things that are coming upon the earth, and finally to meet our Lord in peace. Let us be strong, and quit ourselves like men. Let us give of our means to help those that are in need. Let us spring to the work of warning our neighbors and friends. Let us renew our consecration by putting away all sin, and by severing the ties that bind us to the fleeting things of earth which can be shaken and destroyed so quickly. Let us all join in earnest prayer that God may bless our afflicted brethren in the West, and make this experience a source of strength to them, and to the cause of God throughout all the world. Holding What We Have Gained
By T. E. BOWEN
I do not refer to money, but to something more valuable. Victories that are real cost something. Sometimes it requires much courage and perseverance to hold the vantage-ground already gained. This was true in the time of the apostles. The living Messiah—the Desire of all the ages—had come and fulfilled the work prophesied of him in all the then known scriptures. The disciples had been witnesses of all these things. They had seen the life manifested, had handled the Word, and were sent forth into the world by Christ after his resurrection, to witness to these things. But long afterward, near the close of the life of that disciple whom Jesus loved, that one who was the longest to be honored with manifesting his glorious name to the world in persecution and labor, left on record these words: “And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment. That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it. For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have gained [margin], but that we receive a full reward.” 2 John 6-8. There was danger that the believers should fail to maintain the advance position to which they had attained by believing on the crucified One. It had become at this time an old story. Nearly a century had passed since the crucified Son of God had wrought out alone in the flesh the redemption of man. Many deceivers had entered in, denying the truth that the Messiah had “come in the flesh” at all. This leaven was in danger of permeating the whole church of believers. God through John exhorted. “Look to yourselves,” that you “lose not those things which we have gained.” These words are full of meaning to the people of God to-day. Deceivers have entered in among us who fail to see any special danger ahead, any great need of being particularly solicitous as to how things are coming out. They admit that the word of truth contained in the prophecies will come to pass “sometime,” but see no need of changing from the slow pace of the past decade or so. Let no one be deceived. The end hasteth greatly. With muffled tread it is approaching rapidly. Where is the earnestness of the early believers? Where is the first love we ourselves once had? Should not these things cause us alarm? Haven’t we lost something? God says we have. He tells us plainly what it is—“our first love.” “But,” says one, “what about it?” Well, in losing that, we have lost some of the reward; for our reward is to be according to our works. God wants us to lose none of that which we have gained, so that we may receive the full reward that he has for us. Verse 8. We are on the very borders of that time when rewards shall be given by Christ. Shall they be full, or incomplete? or the reward of that wicked servant that said in his heart,—and life,—“My Lord delayeth his coming”? There is nothing else so valuable in this world as the truth contained in the third angel’s message—that message that alone contains the commandments of God. We may lose our reputation among men; we may lose our worldly goods; we may suffer the loss of friends, but none of these things are to be compared to the loss sustained if we lose our love and interest in this precious truth of God. Dear pilgrim, are you holding that which in the past you have gained? God grant that we all shall. Sublime and Ridiculous
By A. E. Place
One day I strolled down the street to the ocean. The mighty waves of the old Atlantic, much higher than usual by reason of the storm of days, were rising from dark-blue and green valleys and cresting themselves with foam, as if in anger or in glee. They raced forward on the wings of the wind, and with tones of thunder they dashed upon the rocky shore. Still on they rushed, climbing the hill of sand, and at times wetting the skirts of a grassy lawn, supposed to be beyond the reach of these briny racers. Then, as if not satisfied with their efforts, and anxious to do still more, they hastened back to join and give force to other majestic waves already surging forward to their doom. The receding billow seemed anxious to help the incoming and unconquered one to give out its strength, its beauty, and its life, even more heroically and grandly than its rival had done. What a sight to look upon! Both sight and sound awakened the meditation and admiration of my soul. Suddenly a little dog appeared upon the scene. He came with loud barking, evidently intended to drown old ocean’s thunder. With menacing jumps which seemed to say as best they could, “O billows thus far shalt thou go and no farther; now shall thy proud waves be still!” he rushed at the bubbling, receding waters. As the next billow came marching grandly in to meet the little foe, he retreated, howling with anger, only to pursue again the receding tide. Thus the little fellow continued, not one minute, but five; not five, but ten; back and forth, back and forth, till his mouth foamed like the billows from which he ran. Duties called me away, but when I left, the tiny fellow was still barking, charging and retreating, only to charge and retreat again. The Atlantic still thundered on. As I walked slowly up the street, I fell to musing upon the scene I had witnessed. With a smile I finally said to myself, “What a foolish dog! How insignificant is he with his puny efforts! How ridiculous for him to bark at old ocean, or to think he can drown its voice, or stay the onward march of its billows!” I mused again, and somewhat timidly asked myself the question, Am I a little dog? and is this great ocean the sea of life before me? Awakening from my reverie upon the weakness of man to cope, single handed, with the giant forces of this world, I heard once more the subdued tones of the ocean far behind. Lifting my eyes and heart, in confiding trust to him whose hand controls all the surges of life, whose voice is the only one which can bid any troubled, angry sea, “Be still,” I cried, “O sea of life, roll on! Roll on thou dark, deep ocean! Roll on, thou mighty waves with thy lessons so divine! Thy Master and my Father is above thee! I’ll bark no more at thy waves; at thy bubbling, briny waters, no more I’ll charge in human weakness, but more I’ll trust, and more I’ll pray.”