In the three preceding articles of this series an excellent physiological basis for an understanding of the principles of hydrotherapy has been outlined. With a clear and definite comprehension of these principles, it will be much easier to understand how certain and definite results can be produced by the scientific application of hydrotherapy.
Water as a therapeutic agent owes its value, in addition to its universal distribution and ready accessibility, to three distinct physical properties, as follows:—
Its ability to communicate heat to the body, and to abstract heat from the body.
Its solvent properties.
Its ready conversion from a liquid to a solid or gaseous condition.
To consider these properties a little more in detail, it may be said that a pound of water is capable of absorbing more heat than a pound of any other substance. For example, a pound of water is capable of absorbing five times as much heat as an equal weight of glass; about ten times as much as the same weight of iron, zinc, copper, or brass, and thirty times as much as the same quantity of lead.
Water is also a fairly good conductor of heat. It is much better, for example, than air. It is for this reason that the application of water feels hotter or colder than air at the same temperature coming in contact with the body.
The solvent properties of water is an important consideration. Water is the medium by which the foods are transferred to the various parts of the body. Food taken into the alimentary canal in solid form is first dissolved in the process of digestion; is absorbed and carried in liquid form to different portions of the body, and is again converted into solid material, such as muscle, bone, nerves, etc., where it thus remains until it has served its purpose, when it is again dissolved, and as tissue waste, it is carried in solution to the various excretory organs of the body, and eliminated.
Water is used as a remedial measure in liquid form chiefly, but frequently in the form of ice; hence the third physical property renders it of special value. Steam, as such, is practically never used, owing to its extremely high temperature, which would destroy the tissues. The vapor of condensation from steam is useful in certain conditions, in the form of a Russian bath, for inhalation, etc.
The result produced from any application of water depends, first of all, upon the temperature which is used. The range of temperature varies from 32° to 140°. Temperatures above this point are sometimes used, principally for the checking of hemorrhage, when it is possible to use a temperature of 160°. For the sake of convenience, the following classification of the temperatures may be given: Very cold, 32° to 55°; cold, 55° to 65°; cool, 65° to 80°; tepid, 80° to 92°; neutral, 92° to 95°; warm, 92° to 98°; hot, 98° to 104°; very hot, 104° and above.
As water at different temperatures produces such widely differing results, it is essential that exact temperatures should be determined. This, of course, is a simple matter, with an ordinary thermometer ready at hand. A thermometer is not, however, absolutely essential, as it is possible, within reasonable limits, to secure the temperature desired, by using given quantities of water at known temperatures. For example, the boiling point of water is 212° F. at sea level. Deep well water remains practically at a temperature of 53° the year round. Knowing these temperatures, by simple calculation it is an easy matter to secure water at almost any desired temperature; for instance, two quarts of deep well water and one quart of boiling water would equal three quarts of water at a temperature of 106° (53 × 2 + 212 = 318 ÷ 3 = 106). Two and one half quarts of water at 53° and one quart of boiling water equals 98°. This might be carried out to almost any desired degree. The cold water should be placed in the vessel first, as the hot water, if put in first, would rapidly lose its heat. It should be borne in mind that the boiling point of water varies according to the altitude. There is practically a difference of 2° for every one thousand feet. The effect of a given application, in addition to the temperature, depends upon the duration of the procedure and the mode of application.
A very large proportion of the applications of water made to the surface of the body depend for their efficiency upon the fact that the skin is connected by means of nerves with the interior of the body, as mentioned in the preceding studies. Through the mechanism of these nerve filaments it is possible to produce the same result upon an internal organ as is produced upon the surface of the body where the application is made. The result thus produced is designated as a reflex effect.
When water is applied to the body in the form of a spray or douche, or accompanied by friction or percussion, there is an additional influence exerted by means of the impact of the water or hand upon the skin, which is known as a mechanical effect. Hence the result produced is the sum of the reflex and mechanical effects. In general, the predominance of either of these effects depends upon the area involved in the application; for example, if the area is small, the reflex effect will predominate. If an ice bag is applied over the region of the stomach, it will cause the blood vessels both of the skin and of the stomach to contract, greatly lessening the amount of blood in both areas; but if the application be general, such as a cold immersion bath, there will be a general contraction of the blood vessels of the skin, which will cause a displacement inward of so large a quantity of blood that the blood vessels of the internal parts will be mechanically dilated, and thus the reflex effect of cold is quickly overcome by the mechanical effect or fluxion of blood to the internal parts of the body.
For a clear understanding of the subject, it will be necessary to obtain a more complete knowledge of the distinct physiological effects of cold and heat. Cold is a vital depressant. This is its primary effect under all conditions, and in all methods of application. Cold lessens cell activity. As illustrations of this may be mentioned the common use of a refrigerator for the preservation of food. The cold prevents the growth and multiplication of germs. If the ameba, a single cell organism, be observed carefully under the microscope, it will be noted that its activity is greatly diminished, and practically ceases, when cold is applied, but that it quickly revives and becomes very active when heat is applied.
The effect of cold upon the skin is to produce, first, a pallor or coldness of the skin, due to contraction of the small blood vessels. If the application is long continued, the surface becomes blue. This is the so-called primary effect of the cold. When the application is withdrawn, if it has not been too greatly prolonged, the pallor or blueness of the skin quickly gives place to redness, which is the secondary effect of the cold. We thus have a primary, or action, effect, and a secondary, or reaction, effect.
Another effect produced by a cold application to the skin is a decreased or entirely suspended perspiratory activity. General perspiration may be checked by a mere local application of cold, as, for example, immersing the feet or the hands in cold water will cause immediate suspension of general perspiration. This sudden checking of perspiration by the application of cold is injurious only when the body is in a state of fatigue, or when the perspiratory activity is the result of an effort on the part of the system to antagonize high fever, as in typhoid, malaria, and other diseases.
Cold slows the circulation, and diminishes the frequency of the heart-beat. The contraction of the surface vessels, resulting from cold application, lessens the amount of blood in the skin, and consequently the elimination of heat through the skin is greatly diminished. In the reaction which occurs, following a short application of cold, the blood vessels of the skin dilate, and the pallor gives way to redness; heat is eliminated from the body more rapidly, and the perspiratory activity may be renewed.
The body recognizes cold as an enemy, and sets in operation such mechanisms as will counteract the depressing influence of the cold upon its cell activity. It is to this arousing of the bodily activities to resist the influence of cold that the beneficial results of cold applications are due. This point will be elaborated more fully later in speaking of the tonic effects of cold. It might at first seem a contradiction to speak of cold as being always a depressant, and then to mention its tonic effects, but these results will be apparent when it is recognized that following a cold application there are two effects; a primary and a secondary, or an action and a reaction, effect. In its primary, or action, effect cold is a depressant, but in the reaction an exciting or stimulating effect is apparent. The tendency to reaction from cold diminishes as the application is prolonged. Too prolonged an application of cold entirely prevents reaction, and results in the destruction of tissue. Freezing of the extremities from too long exposure is an example of this effect. As before mentioned, the primary, or action, effect of cold is to produce a contraction of the small blood vessels of the skin, with mechanical dilatation of the internal vessels when the application is general. In the reaction there is dilatation of the blood vessels of the surface, with contraction of the internal vessels.
Again: the cold first produces pallor, with goose-flesh appearance and roughness of the skin, also a sensation of chilliness, trembling, shivering; but in the reaction these give way to a redness of the skin, the skin becomes soft and smooth, and there is a sensation of warmth, comfort, and well-being.
Prolonged cold lessens the activity of the muscles, which is well illustrated in the stiffness and clumsiness of the fingers as the result of exposure to a low temperature.
Goose flesh is caused by the stimulation of the involuntary muscles of the skin as a result of the cold application.
Shivering is an effort on the part of nature to produce an excessive quantity of heat to compensate for the increased loss of heat, and is due to the involuntary action of the voluntary muscles. Shivering occurs as soon as the bodily temperature begins to lower as the result of an application of cold.
Nearly all the phenomena arising from applications of cold water are illustrations of the effect of cold upon the nervous system, whereby the special effects are produced in various organs.
In the reaction from a short application of cold to the head there is an increase in brain activity. A prolonged application of intense cold to the head decidedly lessens brain activity, and if continued for a sufficiently long period, results in drowsiness, or even absolute unconsciousness. For centuries a knowledge of this has been made of practical use in prisons, for subduing refractory prisoners, by pouring cold water upon the head for a considerable length of time.
(Continued next week.)
QUESTIONS FOR STUDY
To what three physical properties does water owe its therapeutic value?
How does water compare with other substances in its ability to absorb heat?
What is the range of temperatures used?
Give a classification of temperatures.
In addition to the temperature, upon what other features does the effect of an application depend?
What is the difference between a reflex and a mechanical effect?
What is the primary effect of short cold applications upon cell activity?
What effect does prolonging the cold application have upon reaction?
What is the effect of prolonged cold upon—
(a) Muscular movements?
(b) Brain activity?
The Task Beside Thee
“Take the task that beside thee is lying:
It waits for thy strenuous trying.
Though it taxes thy skill,
It will yield to thy will.
The brave heart is conqueror ever;
Then make but an earnest endeavor,
And do what the Master commands
With loyal heart and diligent hands,
And goodness and mercy shall follow.”
Pure Blood Through Pure Food
By John Harvey Kellogg
By various processes of infection, by sedentary habits, wrong diet, and other injurious practices, our bodies have become saturated with diseased matter. In order to remove this rubbish, it is necessary to send a stream of pure blood through all parts of the body to wash them and make them clean. A garment washed in dirty water does not become clean. The body of the chronic invalid that is polluted and poisoned cannot be washed clean with dirty blood. The blood, in order to purify the body, must be cleaner than the body. It must be absolutely clean, immaculately clean, if the body is to come out white and spotless, and full of life and health; and this requires pure food, abstinence from meats, animal fats, tea, coffee, condiments, and all irritating and indigestible foods.—J. H. Kellogg.
Pointed Paragraphs
Selected from the Writings of Mrs. E. G. White
It is of the highest importance that men and women be instructed in the science of human life, and in the best means of preserving and acquiring physical health.
The Lord will not work a miracle to preserve any one in health who will not make an effort to obtain knowledge within his reach concerning this wonderful habitation that God has given.
Awake and Arise
By William Warren Prescott
“Let me not die before I’ve done for Thee
My earthly work, whatever it may be;
Call me not hence with mission unfulfilled,
Let me not leave my space of ground untilled.
Impress this truth upon me—that not one
Can do my portion that I leave undone;
For each one in thy vineyard hath a spot
To labor in for life, and weary not.”
“AWAKE, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion.”
“Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.”
This is the Lord’s call to His people; and there is both reproof and encouragement in the call. Only those who have been asleep can properly be called upon to awake. Only those who have failed to give out the light as they should can properly be told to shine.
There is great meaning in the providential circumstances which are now taking shape in connection with the Lord’s work. It is a testing time for all. Many of the so-called “workers” had ceased to be workers. The funds from the Lord’s treasury were being absorbed without any adequate results. The power of the Holy Spirit was largely lacking in the ministry. It was high time for a change.
The Lord himself had His own eye upon all this, and He has adopted His own means for revealing this situation in its true light, and for bringing in a better condition of things. His reproof always means help. It is the token of His love. “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten.” As many as listen to His reproof and counsel will receive rich gifts to be ministered to others, and will themselves be blessed in this ministry. “He that watereth shall be watered also himself.” God’s way of blessing a man is to make him a blessing to another man. He who becomes the connecting channel between the sinner and the Saviour receives the full benefit from the current of life which passes through the channel.
Those who fail to respond now to the Lord’s call will suffer great, and perhaps irreparable, loss. It is a time of privilege and a time of peril. Destruction came upon Jerusalem because she knew not the time of her visitation. Our situation is in many respects like that of the Jews when Christ came the first time. They had the form of knowledge and of truth in the law, but they lacked that love which is itself “the fulfilling of the law.” O how much we need to have the love of God shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost! But the Lord’s call to awake and to shine is the assurance that He will supply all our need. Our response to His call will bring the blessing of Abraham upon us, just as Abraham’s response brought the blessing upon him. And this means the successful accomplishment of the work which is undertaken. “They went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came.” When we start in the way of God’s leading, He will bring us to the end of the journey. The main thing is to start. When the prodigal son said, “I will arise and go to my father,” the whole case was settled; “and he arose, and came to his father.” The Lord is now calling upon His workers to be workers indeed, “laborers together with God.” He is calling upon His people to come up to His help against the mighty. It is really the call to the experience necessary to personal salvation, for a lack of interest in the salvation of other souls shows the lack of the experience of real salvation in our own souls. How dwells the love of God in one who sees his brother in need, and does not seek to minister to him? “If any man have not the spirit of Christ, he is none of His.” Come, brethren, come, sisters, come, all the people, let us heartily respond to the present call to the service of love for the Master. Do something, and do it now. Begin to-day. W. W. P.
The True Sayings of God
By Uriah Smith
“And He saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.” Such were the words which John heard spoken by a voice from heaven, as recorded in Rev. 19: 1-9. They included all that preceded them in the chapter. They included (1) what is embraced in the “great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honor, and power, unto the Lord our God;” (2) the judgment of the great apostate church; (3) the glorious and eternal reign of Christ, with His saved ones in His kingdom.
These make up the substance of what the Lord has declared in reference to human history, as set forth in both the Old and New Testaments.
And these are “the true sayings of God.” They are calculated to give us a right estimate of the true value of the Holy Scriptures. Their statements are free from all error, are certain, infallible, and able to make us wise unto salvation; for they are not the words of men, “but as it is in truth, the word of God.” 1 Thess. 2: 13.
The word of God is composed of “true sayings,” not too severe nor too terrible to be uttered by a God of love, as some dare to hope; nor too old to be true, as novelty-hunters affirm; nor too simple to be divine, as the worldly wise insinuate.
What have we to guide us? If we had no sure revelation from God, how could we discriminate between truth and error, on subjects so much beyond our understanding?
But believing the Scriptures to be “the true sayings of God,” we will listen to them with attention, and judge of what others may say, by this infallible standard. We will receive these words with great assurance, and they will produce confidence in the understanding, and rest of heart. We will believe and obey their teachings, and value their prophecies and promises. We will expect the fulfillment of their predictions. We will cling tenaciously to revealed truths, and proclaim them with boldness.
There is singular majesty and power in these revealed words of God. They are spirit, and they are life. This we see when the gospel is preached with the power of the Spirit sent down from heaven.
There is a marvelous omniscience in the Scriptures. This is perceived by us, when this word of God, which is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart, unveils to us our inmost souls.
How often have they proved themselves true to us! They have warned us of the bitter fruit of sin; and how often have we tasted it.
They have told us of the evil of the heart, that it is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; and how often have we been made conscious of it!
They tell us of the peace-giving power of the blood; and the truthfulness of this we have proved by faith in Jesus.
They tell us of the purifying energy of divine grace; and have we not seen many instances of it?
They assure us of the efficacy of prayer, and affirm it by unquestioned examples.
They assure us of the upholding power of faith in God; and have we not been upheld by faith in trial?
They assure us of the faithfulness of God to His people; this is shown by His providence; and have we not seen instances of it?
All things, according to His promise, work together for good to them that love God.
The witness of the Holy Spirit in our hearts confirms our faith in the Holy Scriptures. We believe, and are saved from sin by believing.
Words which have wrought in us, and before us, such gracious results, must be “the true sayings of God.”
Believing all these scriptures, we can accept as “the true sayings of God” the proclamation that our Lord is soon coming again in the clouds of heaven, with healing in His wings, for the restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began. We can believe that at His coming His voice will call from their dusty beds all the righteous dead who are sleeping in Jesus. We believe that then His reward will be with Him, to give every man according as his work shall be; that is, to declare the results of the investigative judgment, saying to those who have passed the test, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world, and to the wicked, Depart from me, ye workers of iniquity, I never knew you. U. S.
The Message in This Generation
By W. W. P.
THE apostles gave the message of the Messiah's advent in one generation. They went forth under a commission from their Lord, and in the experience of His promise, “Ye shall receive power, when the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” They were simply to be witnesses to the things which they had seen and heard, and the Lord would use their testimony as the means of telling the world of the great salvation in Jesus the Messiah.
But their experience began with Pentecost, and their testimony was given with pentecostal power, and the results were such as can only come through the abiding Spirit. Their work was done in the power of the Spirit, as “they were all filled with the Holy Ghost.” Men were convicted of sin, and cried out, “What shall we do?” “And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.”
But this experience cost those men something. They had no settled homes; they were not assured of any fixed income; everything was sacrificed to the one purpose of being witnesses for Jesus. They were arrested and imprisoned; they were driven from city to city; they were made “as the filth of the world,” and as “the offscouring of all things.”
But in the fellowship of their Lord they were sustained, and by the greatness of their commission they were urged on to give their message to the world. And so they prayed, and so they labored, going from country to country as the heralds of the truth that “the promise which was made unto the fathers” had been fulfilled in the coming of Jesus. And God honored the faithfulness of these men. The gospel was preached “with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven;” and before that generation passed away, the good news “was preached to every creature which is under heaven,” and those very men were witnesses “unto the uttermost part of the earth.”
We must think of our own work in the light of these experiences. The Lord is calling upon us to give “the advent message to the world in this generation.” It can be done. It must be done. It will be done. “There shall be delay no longer.” There will be those who will accept the great commission again. There will be those in this generation who will be witnesses “unto the uttermost part of the earth.” The light of this message will shine in all lands, and penetrate even the dark parts of the earth. But it will not be done by committees on plans and resolutions. It means personal consecration. It means personal sacrifice. It means personal work. It means a cutting loose from the world. It means a mighty faith in this message as the truth which the world must have. It means153that burden of soul which inspired the prayer, His “Give me Scotland, or I die.”
Away with all controversy as to when “this generation” began, or how long it may last. Its length is to be measured by zeal, and not by years. A consecrated Church can shorten the time. Every report of progress in planting the truth in new fields marks a hastening of the time. Every unentered field is a reminder that “the end is not yet.” Fifty thousand men and women who really believe the message which they profess, and are filled with the Spirit, could stir the world in a few short years. There would be no lack of workers, for all would be workers. There would be no lack of means, for no one would say “that aught of the things which he possessed was his own.” And God would not fail to co-operate with the human instrumentalities, and the work would be cut short in righteousness. May the Lord lay a burden for His work upon the hearts of His people. May there be a consecrated, working ministry, burning with the purpose to carry the advent message to every unsaved soul. May the pentecostal power energize every effort. And while the Lord says, “Behold, I come quickly,” may the Church by its sacrificing devotion to duty answer, “Even so, come, Lord Jesus.” W. W. P.
Note and Comment
Spread of Hypnotism
An evil thing spreads most rapidly in this world when disguised as a blessing to mankind. This is a guise which has been assumed by that baneful thing, hypnotism. It is extolled as a beneficent agency in which are wrapped up the most wonderful possibilities for the mental and moral improvement of the human race. An example of this teaching was noted recently in New York City, in an address given before a training school of nurses, by one Professor Quackenbos. The New York Weekly Witness makes this mention of it:—
“In it he sets forth ‘Hypno-Science’ as almost a new creative agency. It is a remedy for ‘functional disorders, nervous diseases, delusions, and imperative conceptions, moral obliquity and dis-equilibration, backwardness, and arrested development.’ By it ‘high purpose and noble endeavor have been substituted in character for carnal propensities and sordid aims, worthy ideals for bestial standards, intellectual brilliance and living interest for obtuseness154and indifference.’ It is, in fact, capable of regenerating society, for ‘through the transmission of automatic impulses to right for a few generations, it is possible by concerted philanthropic effort perceptibly to diminish crime.’
“As to education,” says the Witness, “hear this apostle of the newly discovered hope of humanity:— “In educational work the value of suggestion can hardly be overestimated. Not only may dull minds be polished, unbalanced minds adjusted, gifted minds empowered to exploit their talents, but the expanding intellect of the schoolchild may tread that royal road to learning which ancient philosophers sought for in vain; the matured mind of the scholar may be clothed with perceptive faculty, with keenest insight, tireless capacity for application, unerring taste; and the imaginative mind of painter, poet, musician, discoverer, may be invested with creative efficiency in the line of ideals which are high and true.”
Wonderful things were claimed for alcohol as a panacea for human ills, by those who first introduced its use in the distilled form. It received the name aqua vitæ, “water of life,” and was given the highest place among drugs. But what ruin it has wrought in the world, while the enthusiastic predictions made for it have remained unverified! So will it be with this new agency which claims the regenerative power that belongs alone to the gospel of God. It is a disguised agency of the evil one, brought forward for use in his final work of deception.
Hastening the Coming of Christ
By Arthur G. Daniells
THE greatest controversy in the world to-day is the controversy between Christ and Satan. The greatest movement in this world is the work of God; the most important questions for each one to ask himself are, How do I stand related to this controversy? What is my influence in the work of God? Am I advancing that work, or am I retarding it?
The Scriptures plainly teach us that it is our privilege to hasten the work of God, and so hasten the coming of the day of God. “Looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God.” 2 Peter 3: 12, margin. This shows that it is in the power of humanity to hasten the coming of Jesus Christ. The converse of this is also true. What is our attitude toward this work? What is our influence on this work? Is it such as to hasten the day of God?
When we think what the coming of Christ means, we shall get some idea regarding the great responsibilities that rest upon us who have power either to hasten or to delay the event. The coming of Christ means the end of the reign of sin, and the beginning of the universal and eternal reign of grace. It means the end of human suffering, sorrow, and woe, and the beginning of the unspeakably glorious reign of joy and peace and love in the hearts of men. Am I contributing toward the progress of this work, or am I blocking the wheels, and hindering it? O that the Spirit of God would make this a searching question with each one of us!
In “Testimonies for the Church,” Vol. VI, pages 437, 438, there is a paragraph on this subject: “The upbuilding of the kingdom of God is retarded or urged forward according to the unfaithfulness or fidelity of human agencies. The work is hindered by the failure of the human to co-operate with the divine. Men may pray, ‘Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven;’ but if they fail of acting out this prayer in their lives, their petitions will be fruitless.” “Ye churches of the living God, study this promise, and consider how your lack of faith, of spirituality, of divine power, is hindering the coming of the kingdom of God. If you would go forth to do Christ’s work, angels of God would open the way before you, and prepare hearts to receive the gospel. Were every one of you a living missionary, the message for this time would be speedily proclaimed in all countries, to every people, nation, and tongue. This is the work that must be done before Christ shall come in power and great glory.”
One may ask, How can mortal man hinder the work of God? Is it not written, “None can stay His hand, or say unto Him, What doest thou”? or on the other hand, What can a man do that will hasten the work of God, and thus hasten the day of God? Men are hindering the work of God by failing to co-operate with Him in the work.
Who Is Responsible for the Delay?
It is not the open sinner that is hindering the work, or that is delaying the coming of Christ. There is not an infidel on this earth who can do that. No band of men can rise up in positive, open opposition to God, and stay His hand, or delay His work. A nation cannot do it. No power can rise up and make human laws that of themselves, or by the power of the nations, can hinder the work of God, and delay that great day. No; it is the professed follower of God alone that has power to do that.
The Lord has chosen men and women through whom to teach the principles of heaven to this fallen world. He does not send angels in their glory and power and wisdom as the visible agencies in teaching the gospel. He chooses human instrumentalities, and commits the work to them, and He says to them, You go and teach the gospel of the kingdom, and I will go with you and bless you.
The Lord has sent out angels into all parts of the world to exercise a controlling influence over the nations of the earth. They are commissioned to check these nations and hold them under control, that they may not bring the final crisis before it ought to come. While they are holding the nations, another angel is seen bearing God’s last message to the world, to prepare its inhabitants for the final crisis. This last call is represented in the seal of the living God: “Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.”
When every person in the world has taken a decided stand for or against the work of God, then the angels will cease to hold the winds, and the controversy will be quickly ended. “All over the world men and women are looking wistfully to heaven. Prayers and tears and inquiries go up from souls longing for light, for grace, for the Holy Spirit. Many are on the verge of the kingdom, waiting only to be gathered in.” God will not let the end come while there are honest souls abroad in the world, looking up to heaven, stretching out their hands, praying for light. These seeking ones will find what they long for, and God sends us to search them out.
“And 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. When Christ shall be made King of all, He will set aside the kingdoms of this world. He will smite them with a rod of iron, and in the territory He will establish His own kingdom. The whole world shall be full of the glory of God.
“And when He was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, He answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation [“not with outward show,” margin]; neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.” Luke 17: 20, 21. The fact is, the kingdom of God must be in a man before that man can preach the gospel of the kingdom as a witness to other men. That is the secret of the delay in the proclamation of this message. The kingdom of God is not established within us as it must be to make us true witnesses of that kingdom to the world.
“I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” There is the capital of that kingdom. “And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God himself will be with them, and be their God.” There is the King. “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” There is the kingdom of God. But do you know that every person who becomes a subject of that kingdom must have that whole experience in himself? The throne of his heart must be the throne of the King.
A Complete Surrender Is Necessary
The difficulty is that it is so hard for us to surrender and let God be all in all. The flesh wars against the spirit, so that we may not do the things we would. We want to be both lord and servant. Are you willing to make the unqualified surrender of yourself to God? Are you willing to give up your own way and let Him have His way altogether? He asks that every passion of the flesh be surrendered to Him, to be destroyed. Let each one say, Lord, take the foolish pride out of my heart; give me the love and gentleness of Jesus.
Many people are to-day holding on to a cruel, wicked temper because they are not willing to surrender to God. How many homes are darkened, how many hearts are broken and sad, because of irritability in the family! How many children’s lives are made wretched and like a frightful nightmare because they are scolded by father and mother! As God’s own people, we must be delivered from these things. There is nothing that will more quickly betray the shallowness of a Christianity that is only a veneer than a manifestation of bad temper, impatience, or fretfulness.
“Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God, and knowest His will, and approvest the things that are more excellent, being instructed out of the law; and art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law.” Rom. 2: 17. This is certainly a high position for anybody to occupy. “Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself?” What does one’s personal experience do for what he teaches?—If it is a bad experience, it nullifies his best efforts. On the other hand, let a person’s teaching be the experience of his heart, be truly the expression of himself, and there is power in his preaching.
The peace, hope, and gladness that will fill your heart when you make a complete surrender are worth ten thousand times all the things that your heart longs for in this world. It does not matter what you are aspiring to, if it is wrong, God will sweep it away when you submit to Him, and He will give you something unspeakably better in its place. What does your heart say to you on this question? Do you not hear it saying to you, Submit to God; consecrate all to His service? What do you say?
A. G. DANIELLS.
Wisconsin
By T. B. Snow
LAST DECEMBER I had the pleasure of visiting our brethren and sisters of the Oneida Reservation. Elder Matthew Hill has labored among this people for some time, and has been instrumental in raising up a church of about twenty-five members. Church officers were elected, and a building belonging to the government, formerly used for a schoolhouse, was purchased, and converted into a meeting-house. Here these sons of the forest gather every Sabbath to listen to the story of salvation, to relate their experiences, and to tell of the love of God to them.
I arrived at Oneida, Friday evening, in time for a service. I found the audience seated and quietly waiting. The house had been tastefully decorated with cedar boughs. The singing was in the Mohawk tongue, as the Oneida is not a written language. The testimonies were in the Oneida tongue.
I was never in a meeting where the deep movings of the Spirit of God were more marked. The young people were all absent, as they are compelled to attend school. The United States government maintains a school at Oneida, and all who do not attend some other school are required to attend this one. Two of these young people have attended school at Woodland Academy. One of these is now at the sanitarium at Madison, taking the nurses' course, while the other is still at Woodland.
These brethren have all discarded the use of tobacco, and many of them are anxious to have their children brought in contact with our people and schools. Any one wishing to know more about the work here may obtain the desired information by corresponding with Elder Matthew Hill, West Green Bay, Wis. Many of these Indians are manifesting a good degree of interest in the message for this time, and if those who have already accepted the truth remain steadfast, there will soon be a large ingathering of fruit from this part of the Lord's vineyard. There are two thousand Indians in this reservation, and about seven thousand in the Menomonee Reservation, which is located farther north. Brethren, pray for the work among these Indians. The message must go to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people. T. B. Snow.