THOU "shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His father David." Luke 1:31, 32. Since B.C. 588 there has been a vacant throne in this world. Then, a kingdom of heavenly rule, a throne called "the Lord's," tumbled into the dust, for lack of a suitable king. First, a theocracy became obsolete. 1 Sam. 8:7. Then, a throne became perpetually vacant.
"And thou, profane wicked prince of Israel, whose day is come, when iniquity shall have an end, thus saith the Lord God: Remove the diadem, and take off the crown. . . . I will overturn, overturn, overturn, it; and it shall be no more, until He come whose right it is; and I will give it Him." Eze. 21:25-27. God offered them a representative on the throne of David forever if they would reverence His holy Sabbath, but their disobedience in this respect filled their cup of iniquity and sealed their ruin. Jer. 17:24, 25.
The rejected theocracy ended in the overturned throne. This throne has been without a lawful occupant for 2,487 years. Since Zedekiah's discrowning not another king has sat on it, or ruled in it. Who is the rightful king?—Jesus. Where is He?—On the Father's throne. "To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with Me in My throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with My Father in His throne." Rev. 3:21. This Jesus is the next King to sit on the overturned, but restored, throne. He is the king in David's line, of Israel's stock, of Judah's lineage, and of God's begetting.
He is the only true heir to the vacant throne. The absent King declares Himself to be "the Offspring of David." Rev. 22:16. I will "give unto Him the throne," God replies (Isa. 9:6). He shall occupy David's throne, declares the angel (Luke 1:32). There are two thrones, the throne of the Father is now in heaven, and the other, yet in prospect, is to be occupied by the Son on the earth redeemed. Read again carefully Rev. 3:21. The Father's throne is in heaven. "The Lord is in His holy temple, the Lord's throne is in heaven." Ps. 11:4; Isa. 66:1; Rev. 4:2. "The Lord hath prepared His throne in the heavens, and His kingdom ruleth over all." Ps. 103:19.
Then the throne of God is in existence, and is located in heaven. It is not the Father's throne of the universe that is promised to the overcomer. Jesus sits in it to-day, and through this age, at the right hand of God. Acts 2:34, 35. His own throne is in prospect, and He now waits for it. "From thenceforth expecting," says Paul.
The throne of Christ is to be on the earth. Rev. 3:21 tells us that we are to sit with Christ in His throne. In Rev. 5:10 we read: "And hast made us unto our God kings and priests; and we shall reign on the earth." Again, Prov. 11:31: "Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth." Dan. 7:27 declares that the kingdom is "under the whole heavens." In 2 Peter 3:13 it is called the "new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness." Rev. 11:15 tells of a time when the kingdoms of this world are to "become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign forever and ever."
In Matt. 13:41 we learn that the Son of Man shall "gather out of His kingdom all things that offend." Surely, the offenders are not in heaven. Let us compare the kingship of David with that of Christ. David was divinely chosen; so was Christ. He was anointed many years before coming to His throne; so was Christ. He had his throne in Jerusalem; so will Christ. He reigned over the whole house of Israel; so does Christ. His throne was to be established forever. 2 Sam. 7:16. Of Christ it is said, "He shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of His kingdom there shall be no end." Luke 1:33.
The title of Christ to the throne of David is undisputed. It was a God-man that was to claim it. "Of the fruit of thy body will I set upon thy throne." Ps. 132:11. The occupant was to be David's offspring, but come out of God, and be as God. Immanuel (God with us) was a born King, and given for this object. "The Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His father David." Luke 1:32. This was one of the grand purposes of our Lord's resurrection. God swore with an oath to David, that of the fruit of his loins He would raise up Christ to sit on David's throne, and David, who understood this, "seeing this before, spake of the resurrection of Christ." Acts 2:30-32. Again, "This Jesus hath God raised up." What for?—To sit on the throne of David.
He also holds the key of David, a symbol of right and of authority. Rev. 3:7. The proof of a divine king on a throne on earth is unanswerable, and the promise absolute and imperishable. At present this throne is vacated by God's decree. The royal seat is unoccupied. The King "whose right it is" has not come. His coming and kingdom is the hope of the pious dead, it is the hope of the righteous living. It is the hope of the true Israel. It is the hope of all the ages; and the prayer, "Come, Lord Jesus," is the cry of animate and inanimate nature.
THE "SPELL OF THE GOAL."
By Louise A'hmuty Nash
[Louise A'hmuty Nash, in Woman's Tribune.]
THERE'S a spell of the goal
On us all in these days.
Does it come from the soul,
Or from more earthly ways?
Is it joy of endeavor; love of creating;
Delight of the mastery; pride of the doing?
What, then, is our goal?
Is it madness for gold,
Or success, with its rush,
Slaving to keep fast its hold,
Trampling men in the push?
Ah, how soon will true nature reveal her re-volting?
Find a foe in results, in the man's higher being!
Is this our true goal?
Let the spell of the goal
Be the true end of life,
To the home of the soul
At the end of this strife.
Anchored and sure in eternity's haven,
Begun here below, and continued in heaven!
Ever blessed this goal!
A Step Toward Christ
"A STEP toward Christ is a step away from the world."
THE WILL OF GOD
By W. A. Sweany
God's Right to Rule.
GOD had, in the wonderful deliverance of Israel from Egypt, and again at the Red Sea, demonstrated to them His wisdom, love, and power, His ability and right to rule, and their obligation to obey. Yet they must needs be tested and tried, to prove whether they would walk in His law or no. Psalm 105; Exodus 6 to 14; 16:1-5. Once more, therefore, Moses rehearsed to them the principles of the ancient, but long-neglected and well-nigh forgotten, Sabbath institution, instructing them concerning the proper application of its prohibitions and requirements to the existing circumstances and conditions. Then and always, before and since, the Sabbath commandment called for daily labor for the supply of daily needs, with a preparation on the sixth day for complete rest throughout the seventh day.
In Egypt they had murmured and complained most bitterly under the added hardship heaped on them by their oppressors because of their attempt at Sabbath observance. Exodus 5. But no such excuses or complaints could now be made, for those cruel conditions had been swept away with their oppressors. But altho there was given them daily a sufficient supply of "the corn of heaven" for the needs of the day, with a double portion on the sixth day for the needs of the Sabbath, some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather it, and found none.
This entirely needless and unreasonable disregard of divine direction called forth from the Lord
The Significant Question
"How long refuse ye to keep My commandments and My laws?" Intelligent, candid minds can not fail to discern in this expression that their disregard and disobedience of divine law and especially of the Sabbath precept, was of "long" standing. Ex. 16:1-29. And altho constrained for the present to conform to the command of God (Ex. 16:30), they were soon murmuring and complaining again (Ex. 17:1-7), until the Lord wearied of their oft-repeated refusal to recognize the authority of His Word when transmitted to them through human agencies. Then He said unto Moses, "Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud, that the people may HEAR when I speak with thee, and believe thee FOREVER." Ex. 19:9.
The thoroughness and significance of the preparation they were required to make, and the precautions requisite for their safety, were calculated to convince them that the impending event was to be one of unparalleled importance. Ex. 19:10-15. And so, indeed, it proved to be; for fire, lightning, and glory, flashing and shining through smoke, clouds, and darkness, while the thunder tones of Jehovah's voice caused the earth to quake, combined to create a scene of sublimity and grandeur which must forever stand unequaled and unapproached in the annals of earth's history until the Lord Himself, in the plenitude of His power and unveiled glory, with "all the holy angels with Him," "shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel, and with the trump of God." Ex. 19:16-19; 20:18; Deut. 4:11, 12, 32, 33; Heb. 12:18-29; 1 Thess. 4:16, 17.
Even tho no word of explanation had been given, it would seem that the meaning of that mighty event could not be misunderstood or misconstrued. But its visible, unmistakable significance was emphasized by the plainest possible declarations that the doings of that day were designed to demonstrate to all men, henceforth and forevermore, the enduring nature and binding obligation of Jehovah's "Ten Words." Deut. 4:9, 10, 36-40.
And so, while the sacrificial, ceremonial, sanitary, dietary, and civil statutes were, as before, communicated to Moses in private, and by him written in a book to be read and taught to the people, the Ten Commandments alone were spoken by the lips of the Lord Himself, in the hearing of all the people, and written with His own hand on tables of stone, and kept in the ark, separate from the subsidiary laws. Ex. 20:1-22; Deut. 5:1-22; 4:1-19; Ex. 25:16, 21; 40:20; Deut. 10:1-5; Neh. 9:13, 14; Deut. 31:9, 24-26. Thus in origin, form, object, location, and application, the difference between the fundamental and subsidiary commandments was plainly set forth, leaving entirely without excuse those who persist in trying to combine the temporal and the eternal. Compare Leviticus 23, especially verses 37, 38, with Colossians 2, especially verses 14-17, and then read and heed 2 Tim. 2:15. It is well to remember that combining what God has separated is as dangerous and destructive as separating what He has united. Matt. 19:3-6.
The Spirit of Prophecy.
The significant and sublime testimony of Sinai to the importance and necessity of obedience to God's law was continually emphasized by the ministry of the prophets, it being the primary and paramount purpose of every true, Heaven-sent prophet to exalt Jehovah's "Ten Words." 2 Kings 17:13; 1 Kings 18:17, 18; 2 Chron. 15:1-8. The gift of prophecy and the law of God are inseparable; they flourish or fail together. "Where there is no vision, the people perish; but he that keepeth the law, happy is he." Prov. 29:18. When the law is no more, prophets "find no vision from the Lord" (Lam. 2:8, 9), and when there is no vision, the law disappears and is "precious," or scarce. 1 Sam. 3:1; 2 Chron. 15:3. And even to the end, the commandments of God and the Spirit of prophecy go hand in hand. Rev. 12:17; 19:9, 10. Attitude toward the law of God is therefore an infallible test of the claims of every prophet. "To the law and to the testimony; if they speak not according to this Word, it is because there is no light in them." Isa. 8:20.
Where Israel Failed.
But Israel did not learn the lessons of Sinai; so they mocked the messengers of the Most High and sinned exceedingly until there was no remedy, and the rod of affliction and punishment fell heavily upon them, and exile, captivity, and bondage overtook them. 2 Kings 17:1-23; Jer. 17:15-27; 2 Chron. 36:1-21. And even worse than their downright disobedience was the misinterpretation, perversion, and additions of their own devising—the doctrines and traditions of men—which "caused many to stumble at the law," rendered their worship vain, and made void the commandments of God. "Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be ye very desolate, saith the Lord. For My people have committed two evils; they have forsaken Me the Fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water." Mal. 2:7, 8; Matt. 15:1-9; Jer. 2:12, 13.
The Gospel Remedy.
Into the midst of all this confusion and contention, discord and debate, God sent His Son to expound, illustrate, and emphasize the requirements of His law. The life of God is His law for His creatures. Matt. 5:48; 1 Peter 1:15, 16. "God was in Christ," "manifest in the flesh." 2 Cor. 5:19; 1 Tim. 3:16; John 14:6-11. The law was written in His heart; "the Word was made flesh," and thus He was a living edition of the law and word of God. Ps. 40:7, 8; John 1:1-14. Moreover, as our pattern and example, He is an illustration of what we become as we fully enter into new covenant relation with Jehovah, and His law is written in our hearts and lived in our lives by the baptism of the Holy Spirit, as it was in Him. Jer. 31:31-33; Eze. 36:25-27.
Let us, therefore, look unto Jesus, for "we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." 2 Cor. 3:18; Heb. 12:1-3; 3:1, 2; Acts 3:19-26; Matt. 17:1-5.
"My blest Redeemer and my Lord,
I read my duty in Thy Word;
But in Thy life, the law appears,
Drawn out in living characters.
"Be Thou my Pattern; make me bear
More of Thy gracious image here;
Then God, the Judge, shall own my name
Among the followers of the Lamb."
THE NAME OF JESUS.
By John Kastner
WHAT is it to pray in the name of Christ? Millions ask in the letter of His name, and millions are disappointed. Every Christian church should be first in righteousness and love, and plead continually for some distinction. In this practical age it would be the discovery of discoveries if some one could delineate a faith, a course of conduct, or a love that would always be heard, answered, and would grant what the disciple thereof asks.
"Thy will be done," does not satisfy us. What we want is very hard to get. What God desires always comes to pass. Not a sparrow falls without His will. And, it so often happens, that we receive what we ask to our sorrow and rebuke. Then again, we so frequently have cause to give thanks for not being heard.
But, what is the name of Jesus, the name that is salvation to all who believe? There can be but one intelligent answer: Divine Love crucified, hated, betrayed, despised of all, and exalted of God to reign supreme.
To ask in His name is ever to ask in harmony with God's will. "Nevertheless, not my will, but Thine be done." Such a prayer is ever answered. JOHN KASTNER.
TRUSTING CHRIST. No. 2.
By Ellen G. White
THE cry of the soul should be, Give me the bread of life. Lift up a full cup of the water of life to my parched lips, that I may be revived and refreshed. Let me see Thee as my helper, the Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. Thou wast wounded for my transgressions, and bruised for my iniquities. The chastisement of my peace was upon Thee, and with Thy stripes I am healed.
The Lord does not want His children to worry and fret over things that they can not help. He wants them to go on from strength to strength. Let us learn a lesson of trust from the miracle of feeding the five thousand with five loaves and two fishes. There were five thousand men, besides women and children, to be fed, and five loaves and two fishes were all that Christ had. Yet, after all had been satisfied, there were gathered up twelve baskets full of fragments.
When Christ is formed within, the hope of glory, that which before seemed but a meager supply will prove to be a rich feast. You will be satisfied yourselves, and you will have something to give to others. Walk humbly with Christ, daily learning His meekness and lowliness. Thus your heart will become a temple for God's presence.
Do not look on the dark side. When the Israelites were content with the portion of manna that God gave, they found it sweet and full of nourishment. When they became dissatisfied, it was loathsome to them. Content is a blessing; discontent, a curse.
God wants your mind to be clear, your temper sweet, your love abounding. Then the peace that passes all understanding will fill your heart. The atmosphere surrounding your soul will be refreshing. Your words will be fragrant. Christ came to this world to shed upon you His brightness and peace. Close the windows of your heart against the atmosphere of unbelief, and open them heavenward. It is your privilege to face the light, to talk hope and faith and courage.
Be kind and compassionate. Let your countenance reflect the joy of the Lord. Speak of His goodness and tell of His power. Then your light will shine more and more clearly. Above your trials and disappointments will be revealed the reflection of a pure, healthy, religious life. In the out-working of the inner life there will be a wonderful peace and joy. You may reflect the beauty of the character of your risen Lord, who, tho He was rich, yet for our sake became poor, that through His poverty we might be made rich.
It is possible for us to reveal the likeness of our divine Lord. We can know the science of the divine life. We can glorify God. Do we do it? O, what an illustrious example we have in the life that Christ lived while on this earth. He has shown us what we can accomplish through co-operation with Him. We are to seek for the union of which He speaks when He says, "Abide in Me, and I in you." This union is deeper, stronger, truer, than any other union. The heart must be filled with the grace of Christ. His will must control us, moving us to weep with those who weep, and to rejoice with those who rejoice, to feel a deep tenderness for every one in weakness, sorrow, or distress.
Being partakers of the divine nature will make us willing always to reach forth a helping hand to those in need of relief. Christ's heart was ever touched with pity at the sight of human wo. He died on the cross of Calvary to lift from man the penalty of transgression. He came to our world to make it possible for sinful human beings to obtain salvation. He wept over the sorrow and suffering that He saw on every hand. He groaned in spirit in behalf of the tried and tempted, but He would not fail or become discouraged. He must press forward in order to make it possible for them to gain eternal life.
Be strong and of good courage. In order to fight successfully, a soldier must have courage and strength. Of ourselves we are weak and feeble. But we have the promise, "They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."
Mrs. E. G. White.
A LITTLE CHILD SHALL LEAD THEM.
By T. E. Bowen
THEOLOGIANS, learned and profound, discourse vaguely upon the question of the soul of man. Leaving the simple statements of God's unerring Word concerning this subject, they wander far from the truth, ending in skepticism and the bewildering fogs of uncertainty.
A little child was asked by his Sunday-school teacher the direct question, "Do you know that you have a soul?" "'Course I do," replied the little fellow, placing his hand over his heart, "'Cause I can feel it tick."
This little item was placed in the joker's column of a newspaper, taken for a little bit of fun at the expense of the little fellow who of course did not yet understand that he was possessed of a "something," nobody can tell just what, that at death takes a sudden flight to the unseen world, either to rejoice in glory or writhe among the damned in torment. Of all this the little fellow was happily ignorant, and so is the precious Word of God.
When God formed the soul the heart began its "ticking." That was life. God formed man out of the dust of the ground, and when He breathed into him the breath of life, man became a "living soul." This is the record.
Reversely, he dies. Life ceases, and man goes back into dust. God said if he sinned he would, and so it came to pass.
"But," says one, "surely there is something that at death goes back to God." O, yes, surely, but it is only the life—that "ticking" power of the heart that God gave when life began. "For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God." The life God gave, He reserves unto Himself. No one can bestow that wonderful phenomenon—life—but God only. Life without the body is impossible. God formed muscles, veins, nerves, sinews, brain, and bones by the power of His Word from the dust of the earth, then put life into all these, and man became a living, thinking, active being—a living soul.
When the heart ceases "ticking," all there is of man dies. His thoughts cease, his muscles are powerless to respond to the call of nerve for action, all is still in death. "Man lieth down, and riseth not; till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep." Job 14:12.
All there is of man lieth down. Man lieth down. This was true of Jesus Christ. If it can be shown that the soul of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ went into Joseph's new tomb, then surely this problem is made plain.
Peter on the day of Pentecost, speaking as moved of the Holy Spirit, said, quoting from the Psalms concerning Christ, "Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope; because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell [the grave], neither wilt Thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption." His soul was not left in the tomb, but this passage says it went in there. Otherwise, no sacrifice has been made for man. Jesus died. Life ceased, and for three days the Son of God lay in state on earth, cold and silent in death—all this the result of your sin and mine. He committed His life into His Father's hand on the cross, and perished. Nothing hard to understand about this. Life is simply life, and death, life's opposite, is death.
"Got a soul?" "Sure, 'cause I can feel it tick."
THE TRUE COMPANION.
By Charles Mackay
Give me the man, however old and staid,
Or worn with sorrow and perplexity,
Who, when he walks in sunshine or in shade,
By woodland bowers, or bare beach of the sea,
O'er hill-top, or in valleys green, with me,
Throws off his age and gambols like a child,
And finds a boyish pleasure in the wild,
Rejuvenescent on the flowery lea;
Him shall the years press lightly as he goes;
The kindly wisdom gathered in the fields
Shall be his antidote to worldly woes;
And the o'erflowing joy that nature yields
To her true lovers shall his heart enclose,
And blunt the shafts of care like iron shields.
—Charles Mackay
WAR AND PEACE.
1. What is the natural heart, or mind, of man?
"Hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders." Gal. 5:20, 21.
2. To what do such dispositions and passions lead?
"From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?" James 4:1.
3. To what have these things always given rise among the nations of earth?
"Wars and rumors of wars; . . . these things must come to pass; . . . nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom." Matt. 24:6, 7.
4. As we near the end of the age, what does the Lord say will take place?
"Proclaim ye this among the nations; prepare war; stir up the mighty men; let all the men of war draw near, let them come up. Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning-hooks into spears; let the weak say, I am strong. Haste ye and come, all ye nations." Joel 3:9-11. See also Jer. 25:15-35.
5. What will stir men's passions up to this universal war?
"They are the spirits of demons, working signs; which go forth unto the kings of the whole world, to gather them together unto the war of the great day of God, the Almighty." See Rev. 16:13-16.
6. Yet notwithstanding all this war preparation, what false cry will be heard?
"And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord. . . . And He shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more." See Isa. 2:3-6.
7. Of what are we warned when this false cry of "many people" shall go forth?
"For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them; . . . and they shall not escape." 1 Thess. 5:3.
8. When will there be peace?
When Christ "shall reign in righteousness" (Isa. 32:1), then "the work of righteousness, shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever" (Isa. 32:17.)
GREAT CHANGES IN CHINA.
By Edwin H. Wilbur
GREAT changes are taking place in Canton, as well as in all China. This city has in the past been the educational center for South China. Under the old system pupils received their instruction in private schools or by private tutors. In these schools there was no classification of pupils, no one being kept back by another, but each allowed to advance as rapidly as he might. When the student reached a certain grade of proficiency, he was allowed to take the public examinations, which were held annually. All male students, young or old, rich or poor, could take these examinations, and those who showed a sufficient knowledge of the ancient classics were granted degrees. Now all this is changed. By Imperial decree, the great public examinations are a thing of the past. All over the empire public schools are being opened. The course of study is changed. Less attention is paid to ancient classics, and more to modern sciences. An especial feature of the new schools is military training. Every one of these new schools is a training garrison. In many places old temples are stripped of their idols, and the buildings are remodeled for school purposes.
But such radical changes can not take place without opposition, as many of the people are slow to take up new ways. While it is not the Christians who are opening the schools above referred to, yet they and their books receive the blame, and consequently a strong anti-foreign feeling is manifesting itself in some quarters, especially among the ignorant classes. While there is no doubt that the presence of more than three thousand European Protestant missionaries, together with their schools, and the circulation of millions of copies of the Scriptures, have had a strong influence, yet there are other mighty forces at work.
The victory of the Japanese in the late war, and the American boycott, have had a tremendous influence upon the Chinese. What Japan has done, she can teach China to do, and her teachers are received with open arms. America, by her unfair treatment of the Chinese, has closed her own door of usefulness and another power has taken her place. Again and again the boycott notices have been posted up.
The movement is well organized, and there is a strong determination not to buy American goods until they shall receive fair treatment at the hands of the United States. This boycott has been a strong factor in unifying China, as the people of the North and South have been united in the common cause. The opening of the public schools is another means to the same end. As we see these school boys, from eight to seventeen years of age, marching in uniform and drilling, and the little children in the streets imitating them, we can not but see the fulfilment of Joel 3:9-14. "Proclaim ye this among the nations; prepare war; stir up the mighty men; let all the men of war draw near, let them come up. Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning-hooks into spears; let the weak say, I am strong. Haste ye, and come, all ye nations round about, and gather yourselves together; thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O Jehovah. Let the nations bestir themselves, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat; for there will I sit to judge all the nations round about. Put ye in the sickle; for the harvest is ripe; come, tread ye; for the winepress is full, the vats overflow; for their wickedness is great. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! for the day of Jehovah is near in the valley of decision."
At the present rate it will not be long before China will have hundreds of thousands of trained soldiers, able to cope with any army in the world. Like other nations her plea is for self-defense, but like them also she is preparing for the last great battle.
While the powers of darkness are working so mightily in preparing elements of destruction, it is time for the people of God to wake up and do all that is possible to save men. In the past few years great progress has been made in Christian missions in China. Yet not a hundredth part has been done that might have been done. O, that the people of God knew the day of their opportunity, then would we see believers going everywhere preaching the Word. "This Gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come." Matt. 24:14.
EDWIN H. WILBUR.
Canton, China.
MEDICAL WORK IN INDIA.
By W. W. Miller
[By W. W. Miller, in Welcome Visitor.]
A POOR native woman was very sick and needed medical attention to save her life. Her cruel husband said, "Let her die; I can get another wife." But the poor old mother, bent and gray, and with a spark of love that comes from above in her heart, replied, "But I can not get another daughter, so I will do all I can to save her life." She had heard about Sister Whiteis and her work for the sick, so she laid her daughter on a rude bed, and four men carried her eight miles to Karmatar. They took shelter in a cow-shed as they had no other place to go.
Dr. Ingersol, our sanitarium physician, was sent for, and, on examination, it was found that an operation was necessary. When all arrangements had been made, we bowed in prayer, and asked God to direct us all in that we had to do. The patient was brought in and laid on a board. Mrs. Miller administered the anesthetic. Dr. Ingersol performed the operation, assisted by Sisters Whiteis, Burroway, Mackey, and myself. Altho the poor soul had only one lung she took the anesthetic well and was soon unconscious.
Government Military School, Canton, China,
As I watched the doctor use the knife, a feeling of responsibility, such as I had never felt before, came over me. I thought, What if she should die in our hands, and be unprepared, would we be responsible? Then I prayed the Lord to spare her life until we could tell her more about Jesus, and my confidence in the Lord grew strong, and my faith looked up. I felt confident that she would come out from the influence of the anesthetic alright, and so she did, for which we all felt thankful to the Lord. She was placed on a bed in Sister Whiteis' room where she remained until she was ready to be taken home.
As I think of this poor woman and her dear old mother, the scripture comes to me, "As oft as ye do it unto the least of these, my brethren, ye have done it unto Me." With much love to all of like precious faith, I remain as ever, your brother in that blessed hope.
6 Royal St., Calcutta, India.
A CRY FROM AFRICA.
By Eliza H. Morton
BY ELIZA H. MORTON.
"Ethiopia shall haste to stretch out her hands unto God."
FROM a land that's dark as night—
Africa—few stars its light,
Comes a native's pleading cry,
"Help my people ere they die!
O my people! my people!
Help my people!
They are perishing in sin,
O, my heart is sad within.
Millions waiting just to hear
That a Saviour strong is near.
O my people! my people!
Help my people!
Teachers in America,
Love has power to hearts unbar.
Dark our skins, yet blood the same,
Come and teach in Jesus' name.
O my people! my people!
Help my people!
Jesus's coming; coming soon—
Jesus, bright and glorious One—
His salvation is for all
If they heed His tender call.
O my people! my people!
Help my people!
Help my people in their need,
To the message they'll give heed;
Glad its notes, yea, sweet its sound,
Safe the refuge to be found.
O my people! my people!
Help my people!
Ye Shall Be Witnesses Unto Me
"Ye shall be witnesses unto Me."
A Baptist in the Philippines
A Baptist in the Philippines.—The Record of Christian Work says that the American Baptist Missionary Union has had in its service at the Philippines a very successful worker who came thither from Spain. This gentleman, Rev. E. Lund, has been sought out by Bishop Aglipay, the head of that large body of seceders from the Roman Catholic Church which calls itself, “the National Philippine Catholic Church.” The bishop sought the friendship of Mr. Lund, and their first interview was closed with prayer, the bishop repeating word by word, like a little child, the words of the Baptist preacher. Aglipay has opened his churches to Mr. Lund, and encouraged his followers to hear his preaching. He has even taken the largest theaters in different islands, bearing the expenses, and thousands have pressed into them to hear Mr. Lund preaching the true Gospel, denouncing sin, whether of life or worship, in the plainest language, and in language equally plain announcing salvation through Jesus Christ. Such was the power of the preaching that sometimes the people burst into applause.
OUR WORK AND WORKERS.
By Editor
THE post-office address of Brother M. H. Brown will be Morganhill, Cal., till further notice.
Six converts to the faith at St. Johns, Newfoundland, are reported in the Canadian Union Messenger by Brother C. H. Keslake.
IT has been decided to add a medical department to Union College, at College View, Neb. The spring term began February 28.
THE New York Indicator notes the death of Brother D. A. Ball, a faithful servant of the cause in that conference, on the 12th of February. Further particulars are promised.
WRITING to the South Dakota Worker, Brother R. E. Harter notes, in connection with his meetings at Willow Lake, that two leading Methodist families have accepted the Sabbath "according to the commandment."
OF the Avondale School at Cooranbong, N. S. W., the Record says: "There is a total enrolment of 120 students in the senior department, and of these ninety-five are living in the school home. There are thirty children in the primary department."
REPORTING to the Record, Brother R. Hare mentions a good work in Stawell, Victoria, Australia. At the last quarterly-meeting seven members were added to the church. A week previous, a baptismal service was held in the mountains sixteen miles from there, when seven candidates were buried with their Lord.
THE Religious Liberty Bureau has issued a 32-page pamphlet, large page, from headquarters, Takoma Park, Washington, D. C. It contains strong articles by several of the leading brethren in that city, setting forth not only the principles of religious liberty, but gives important information concerning the religious legislation pending in Congress. It ought to be widely circulated. Price 5 cents. Every one should be thoroughly posted on this important subject at the present time.
AFTER being in Manila ten days, Brother E. H. Gates writes to the Union Conference Record (Australia), December 12, as follows: "I see no good reason why we should wait any longer before entering the Philippines with a missionary worker. The place is as ready as it will ever be, and there will be nothing gained by waiting. We ought to have been here at the close of the war. I am feeling much better than when I left Australia. This is the best time of the year to be here; in fact, it is quite comfortable now. The worst thing is the humidity of the climate, combined with the poor drainage, making it somewhat enervating. I am making some interesting acquaintances."
WANTED FOR MISSIONARY WORK.
(Always prepay postage.)
ANY of our religious liberty literature. Address, M. Davis Smith, Hazel, Ky.
THE NORTHWESTERN LINE RUSSIA-JAPAN ATLAS.
Send ten cents in stamps to R. R. Ritchie, No. 617 Market Street, San Francisco, for Russo-Japanese War Atlas, issued by the Chicago & Northwestern Railway, three fine colored maps each 14x20, bound in convenient form for reference. The Eastern Situation shown in detail with tables showing relative military and naval strength and financial resources of Russia and Japan.
SUNSET MAGAZINE
By Editor
DESCRIBES
California
Not only California, but all the great West, is truthfully described in the beautifully illustrated pages of this virile Western monthly. Its fine half-tones make you SEE the country, while its descriptive and industrial articles TELL YOU EXACTLY what is to be found there. It is
"Opportunity"
in visible form, for it shows the wonderful chances for success now open in the new West for wide-awake people.
If your news dealer doesn't carry SUNSET, send us his name and address and write for sample copy.
HOME OFFICE: 431 California St. San Francisco, California.
"COTTON OR PIG?"
A valuable booklet to all interested in good health from pure food. FREE on request—or better still, send 10 cents in stamps to pay postage, and we will mail you sample of the modern Cooking Oil.
