Signs of the Times, Vol. 26, No. 14. (4/4/1900)

Signs of the Times

Apr 4, 1900

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Apr 4, 1900

THE LAW OF SICKNESS AND HEALING.

By L. A. Phippeny

THE Gospel of Christ is the power of God unto salvation. Salvation means saving, healing. To heal a physical wound or disease is to save from something worse. To heal the disease sin is to save the soul from spiritual death.

THE Gospel of Jesus Christ is a complete Gospel. It saves to the uttermost; therefore it means power to heal, to make whole everything that is wrong, disabled, enfeebled, poor, wretched, out of harmony with right generally, everywhere and forever, be the thing spiritual or physical, material or otherwise. That is the Gospel to-day. On God's part it is absolutely unlimited in its restorative and conservative powers. It is true that it is limited in this world, but only by man himself; for with man rests the power to limit it.

HUNDREDS, thousands, millions of poor folk, in and out of the church, are longing for healing of physical ills and infirmities. It is sad to think that physical sickness should exist among professed believers in an almighty and compassionate Saviour. But it does exist and will exist there until the law of spiritual healing and nature's laws of right living are understood and complied with. Many seem to think that there is something very mysterious about the question of divine healing. There is, and there is not. There is connected with it the "mystery of godliness," which ought not, however, to remain long a mystery, as mysteries are ordinarily considered, to the true seeker after a Saviour. Then, this is of itself a matter of practical, common-sense living, and includes every detail of the life in its application.

And when Jesus was come into Peter's house, He saw his wife's mother laid, and sick of a fever. And He touched her hand, and the fever left her; and she arose, and ministered unto them." Matt. 8: 14, 15.

AGAIN, while there are many who can testify to mighty works of divine healing for themselves and for others, there are probably more whose faith is weak because they do not see the sick restored to health even after many and earnest petitions to this end; or doubts exist because some who have been marvelously healed, or claim to have been healed, fall again under the attacks of disease. Now, doubting one, be assured of this one thing, that if the sick is not restored to health, or the healed one becomes sick again, there is a very good reason for it, which it is our duty and privilege to know.

It is time for the Lord to work mightily for and with His people. One evidence of this is the rapid rise of so-called faith healers and divine healers the world over. Satan always imitates the work of God, and his signs and wonders are proportioned to the importance of God's message for the time. But there can be, of course, only one divine process of healing, and, rightly understood, there can be in it no place for fanaticism. It is too bad that the subject has been so misunderstood, by even those who are honest at heart, as to cause doubts and ridicule to associate with it. But that is the work of the enemy, who is glad to see confusion and sickness and suffering spread abroad. The Lord has said that His people "are destroyed for lack of knowledge." But it need not be so; let it not be so in your experience.

It is not stating the matter at all too broadly to say that the Lord can not intrust great blessings of health to ninety-nine one-hundredths of those who seek Him for health, in their present attitude of mind. Speaking with reverence, the Lord is not less wise than is man. A worthy man is approached by his son with the request for a large sum of money. The first question the father asks is, Son, what

do you propose to do with it? A discreet answer may be given, but the father, knowing the temptations that come to the inexperienced, and recognizing also certain defects of character or judgment in his son, replies that he can not at once confer the desired object, since to do so would mean disaster to the young man's career. He recommends first a training in this business, or that industry, until experience has prepared him to handle wisely large interests.

HEALTH is a priceless treasure. It is great riches. But the greatest danger to the man rich in worldly goods is the tendency to rest in the earthly security and protection and comforts they are able to purchase for him. He forgets his dependence upon God for life and its blessings. So is the danger to the man intrusted with rich blessings of health. Unless he has learned well, and learns daily, he will glory in his physical powers, and apply these powers to the attainment of selfish ends rather than to the service of God. And so the Lord, in His infinite wisdom, knowing the real primary need of the petitioner, often says, Son, receive first a training; give up this or that injurious thing or practise, that you may rightly use the great blessing which you desire.

THIS leads to the law in question in particular. All manner of disease and sickness is the result of sin. These evils are not arbitrarily placed upon the race, but are the natural consequences of a misuse of that which was originally given for man's good. Sin has passed upon the whole of mankind, and in varying degree, due to differing hereditary conditions and other circumstances, all feel the effects of disease. Now the working of the power of God unto salvation will redeem men entirely from sin and all of its effects. But it is true that while sins are forgiven now, the seeds of death in the flesh will not be destroyed until the Lord comes. This body of flesh will be corruptible until it is fashioned like unto His glorious body. Nevertheless, the principle of entire salvation holds good, and the Lord's will concerning His people in all ages is that they shall be delivered from the diseases that injure mind and body, and which afflict those who know not the Lord.

THE law of disease and healing thus becomes a very practical matter. A familiar text tells us that as a man 'thinketh in his heart, so is he.' That is the principle operating in the question of disease and health. Sin is primarily of the mind, and we might appropriately say that as a man sins so will his sicknesses be. But it is not enough to say that a man's diseases are proportioned to the degree of his violation of nature's laws, meaning by these the physical laws of his being. Nature's laws in man are twofold,—spiritual, of the mind, and physical, of the body, and the spiritual law is the governing one. Then, as the mind controls the body, it follows that the intent of sin in the mind will find expression in the overt act when the opportunity offers, and in time the attendant diseases and sicknesses will make their appearance.

BUT there is still more in the working of this law. The relation between the purposes of the mind and the effects upon the body is a marvelous one, but it is one well recognized, and is also well expressed in the words, 'Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.' To avoid the consequences of an evil thought, it is not enough for an individual to say that he will refrain from the physical or outward demonstration that would naturally follow. That particular thing may not find an outlet, but the effect upon the mind is the same as if it did, for the mind is receiving a training in the wrong direction, and its evil purposes will find expression at other times and in other wrong ways. It is exceedingly dangerous altogether for the man to harbor even one bad thought.

IN the application of this law it might at first appear that all who are afflicted with sickness, professed believers or others, were great sinners. This statement would sound harsh; and it is pleasant to know, at least under these circumstances, that there are sins of ignorance, and that the Lord will correct these if the sincere believer will let Him do it. But this presents a very solemn subject for thought to every individual, to the professed follower of Christ in particular. Great as the demand may appear to be, it is nevertheless true that the Lord demands that His children shall be all they profess to be. He asks them to be perfect, to be pure, to be holy, even as is the Father in heaven. And, praise His name, it is their blessed privilege, as well as duty, to be all that, not by their own power or strength or wisdom, but by virtue of His grace, which is sufficient for all. It is the glorious privilege of the sons and daughters of God to live so close to Him, to be led to carefully and continually by His hand, that they will not make mistakes even. This means much prayer and meditation, constant walking with God. Is it too much? Will there be among the translated ones at Christ's coming one soul who will be less than that?

CAN you wonder now why it is that some one has fallen under the power of disease who was once wonderfully healed? There is no mystery about it, except the wonder, as the angels must look at it, why and how one can loosen his grip on the arm of the Lord. This grasp is a spiritual one, and when the mind wavers, when it lapses into carelessness, sickness of the body comes as the inevitable and natural outworking of law, and not as an arbitrary decree. We sometimes remark that the Lord permits the disease to come. True, simply because He does not interfere with the process; and He lets the evil come, as He did upon Israel of old, as a chastisement in order that it may have the salutary effect of arousing the wanderer to a sense of his condition, and bringing him back to his source of help and to his Redeemer.

DO YOU yet wonder why you are not healed in answer to prayer? Do not allow the thought to enter your mind that the Lord does not hear your honest petition. He does hear, but He is simply, in His wisdom, giving you experience, removing some defect of character, pruning here a little and there a little, until He can intrust you with what you desire, and what He longs to bestow upon you. Wait patiently for Him. If the time seems long and the way difficult, remember that this is often the course of faith's development. Wait in hope. 'Let patience have her perfect work,' which means your perfecting.

MANY can not or will not wait, and because the Lord can not teach them as He would be glad to teach them, they must endure the sickness and the suffering all their days. In such event the affliction acts as a continual corrector, to keep them humble and make them sensible of their dependence upon the Lord. Under all circumstances He is a faithful, merciful, all-wise, and loving Father. We are the ones who are so ignorant and blind and obstinate and stubborn that He can bestow upon us only so few blessings, lest we rise in our pride, and work our own destruction.

THEREFORE, look up, despondent one. There is power for all things with Israel's God. He has power for healing for you, of mind and of body. If the reformatory process is slow, remember it is not the Lord's fault, but rather that you are under a divine training, and be glad. Do not be discouraged if you can not at once see what is the hindering cause. The Lord will reveal it in His time, not necessarily in yours. First of all, above all, get right with God, keep right with Him every moment, and believe that He knows all about you, far better than you know yourself, and be willing to be led and to be taught by Him in all matters of holy and sensible living.

HIS promises of old are still true: 'If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in His sight, and wilt give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians; for I am the Lord that healeth thee.' 'And ye shall serve the Lord your God, and He shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee.' Ex. 15:26; 23:25. Bring 'into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.' The law of perfect healing means, first of all, nothing short of this. There is more to it. Are you ready to comply with the preliminary conditions?

L. A. PHIPPENY.

VICTORY OVER TEMPTATION.

By Mrs. E. G. White

"GOOD and upright is the Lord," says the psalmist; "therefore will He teach sinners in the way. The meek will He guide in judgment; and the meek will He teach His way. All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth unto such as keep His covenant and His testimonies. For thy name's sake, O Lord, pardon mine iniquity; for it is great. What man is he that feareth the Lord? him shall He teach in the way that he shall choose. His soul shall dwell at ease; and his seed shall inherit the earth. The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him; and He will show them His covenant."

The wilderness temptation which Christ endured was a personal conflict with the wicked one who had shown himself to be the author of sin. Satan was once a covering cherub in the heavenly courts, the angel next in power to Christ Himself. But he lifted himself up against God, and induced some of the angels to join him in rebellion. There was war in heaven, and Satan and his followers were cast out.

Expelled from heaven, Satan determined to set up a kingdom on this earth, and win man to his side. But Christ pledged His word that if man was overcome by temptation, He, the Son of God, would be his surety, that they might have a second trial.

Christ came to our world to stand where Adam stood, to endure the temptations which Adam failed to endure. In behalf of the beings He had created, who had through sin become a fallen race, He stepped from the throne which He occupied as Prince of heaven, and clothed Himself with the garments of humanity. He was to be tempted on every point on which man would be tried. After His baptism He went forth to the wilderness. For forty days and forty nights He fasted; then, when He hungered, Satan came to Him as though a messenger from the heavenly courts, and

tempted Him.

In this contest Christ was at a disadvantage, for His strength was reduced by His long fast. The plan of salvation was so arranged that when Adam was tested, temptation was removed from him as far as possible. When Adam was tempted, he was not hungry. He had the opportunity of satisfying every need. But when Christ was tempted, He was faint from want of food. He was to qualify Himself for the office of Redeemer by successfully resisting every assault of the enemy. His power of resistance was to be an example for all who would hereafter be placed in trying positions.

Satan came to the Saviour with the words, "If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread." As he tempted Adam on the point of appetite, so he tempted Christ. He knew that if he conquered here, he could gain the victory in any temptation he might bring. Pointing to the stones lying around them, which resembled loaves of bread, he said, "If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread." Christ answered, "It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God."

The enemy well knew the power of God's word. He knew that this word had supplied bread for the Israelites in their journeyings through the wilderness, and that the same word could supply the necessities of Christ. But this was not God's plan. He designed that Christ should be treated as man is treated. He was not to exercise miraculous power in His own behalf; for if He did, Satan would say that His test had not been a fair one, because He had made use of supernatural power; and that God should not require man to obey all His requirements if the effort to obey them would destroy life.

Satan had declared to his associate angels that he would overcome Christ on the point of appetite. He hoped to gain a victory over Him in His weakness. But Christ gained a complete victory over this temptation, thus placing men and women on vantage ground, where they can overcome as He overcame. Let those whose mental and moral power has become enfeebled by wrong-doing, seek the Lord earnestly, and they will gain the victory, even over long-established appetite. "God so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

By the power of God, man is to firmly resist every temptation. The temptations which Christ overcame cover all the temptations that come to man. Each of these temptations marks a special crisis in the life. If man is overcome, Satan has gained the victory, and man has weakened his own power of resistance. But if the tempted one will lay hold of the strength of the Conqueror, he, too, will overcome. Christ said to His disciples, "In the world ye shall have tribulation; but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."

All who put their trust in God will come off more than conquerors. "Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass. And He shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday. . . . The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord; and he delighteth in His way. Tho he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholdeth him with His hand. . . . The salvation of the righteous is of the Lord; He is their strength in the time of trouble. And the Lord shall help them, and deliver them; He shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in Him."

After Christ had successfully resisted the first temptation, "the devil taketh Him up into the holy city, and setteth Him on a pinnacle of the temple, and saith unto Him, If thou be the Son of God, cast Thyself down; for it is written, He shall give His angels charge concerning Thee; and in their hands they shall bear Thee up, lest at any time Thou dash Thy foot against a stone."

Satan desired Christ to become guilty of presumption by needlessly exposing His life. He did not repeat the whole of the scripture which he pretended to quote; he left out the words "to keep Thee in all Thy ways;" that is, to keep Thee in all Thy ways while Thou art in the path of duty. Had Christ presumed on God's mercy by risking His life to give Satan evidence of His Messiahship, He would not have been in the path of duty.

Satan knows that if he can persuade human beings to venture out of the path of obedience, he can lead them on and still on in his way. He knows that then he can induce them to follow his plans by presenting something to be gained by disobedience.

The second temptation also Jesus firmly resisted. "It is written again," He said, "Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God."

All should become familiar with God's Word; because Satan perverts and misquotes Scripture, and men follow his example by presenting part of God's Word to those whom they wish to lead in false paths, withholding the part that would spoil their plans. All have the privilege of becoming acquainted with a plain "Thus saith the Lord." God's commands and requirements are all calculated to promote industry, economy, temperance, and wisdom. When men yield to the temptation to disregard God's Word, they range themselves under Satan's banner. There are false shepherds who will say and do perverse things. Children should be so instructed that they will be familiar with God's Word, able to know when part of a scripture is read and part left unread, to make a false impression.

We are guilty of the sin of presumption when we defile our bodies. Paul declares, "If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are." Our bodies are a wonderful exhibition of God's incomprehensible skill and unceasing goodness. They are not to be trifled with. With all the power of a sanctified mind and a purified soul, they are to be consecrated to God.

Parents, warn your children against the sin of presumption. Teach them that it is presumption to educate an appetite for tobacco, liquor, or any hurtful thing. Teach them that their bodies are God's property. They are His by creation and by redemption. They are not their own; for they have been bought with a price. Teach them that the body is the temple of God, and that it is not to be made strengthless and diseased by the indulgence of appetite.

The Lord did not create the disease and imbecility now seen in the bodies and minds of the human race. The enemy has done this. He desires to enfeeble the body, knowing that it is the only medium through which mind and soul can be developed for the upbuilding of a symmetrical character. Habits which are contrary to the laws of nature, war constantly against the soul.

God calls upon you to do a work which through His grace you can do. How many sound bodies are there which can be presented to God as a sacrifice that He will accept in His service? How many are standing forth in their God-given manhood and womanhood? How many can show a purity of tastes, appetites, and habits that will bear comparison with Daniel's? How many have calm nerves, clear brain, unimpaired judgment? Instead, thousands are to-day health-destroyers, self-made invalids, because of their disregard of the laws of health.

In the Ten Commandments God has laid down the laws of His kingdom. Any violation of the laws of nature is a violation of the law of God. The Lord has given His commandments to be a wall of protection round His created beings, and those who will keep themselves from the defilement of appetite and passion may become partakers of the divine nature. Their perceptions will be clear. They will know how to preserve every faculty in health, so that it may be presented to God in service. The Lord can use them; for they understand the words of the great apostle: "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world; but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."

MRS. E. G. WHITE. (Concluded next week.)

THE FLAG WITH NINE STRIPES.

By Armory

THE chairman of the Boston school board, Mr. Gallagher, visited a school, and seeing an artistic drawing on the blackboard, asked what it was.

"Why, that is a flag," said the teacher.

"Of what country?"

"The United States flag, of course. It was drawn by one of our brightest boys."

"But," said the visitor, "I see there are only nine stripes on it. Now suppose you ask that bright boy to add four more stripes before you call it the United States flag."

A casual observer might not know the difference between a flag with nine stripes and one with thirteen, or between a flag with thirty stars and one with forty-five, but a flag is not the United States flag unless it conforms strictly to the United States law. It must be precisely according to the regulations that have been issued.

And if earthly governments are so strict and stringent in their requisitions and prescriptions and will allow nothing substituted for that which the army regulations prescribe, what shall we say of Christians who profess to change and alter and regulate the affairs of the church after their own will, mind, way, and fashion, without regard or respect to the commands, the precepts, the example of Christ and of His apostles?

To Moses it was said, when he was set to prepare a tabernacle, "See that thou make all things according to the pattern showed to thee in the mount." Ex. 25:40; Heb. 8:5. He was not to follow any whims or fancies of his own. The form, the shape, the dimensions, the materials, the methods, were all prescribed; nothing was left to chance, nothing to judgment. Everything must be done strictly according to the rules and patterns shown him in the mount.

Is it not possible that many a system which men have made may be no more the Gospel of Christ than a nine-striped flag is the flag of the United States? Is it not possible that men will find at last that many of their inventions have been mistakes, that many of their helps have been hindrances, that many of their improvements have been disadvantages, and that they will need to put them away before their work can be accepted of God?—Armory.

WHY SIN WAS PERMITTED.

By H. C. Giles

Number II.

THE time was when the monster sin was unknown in all God's domain. Its blighting breath had not withered, nor its crushing step marred, aught of beauty in any of the Creator's handiwork. The Almighty's fiat gave birth to world after world, each to take its appointed place in the great universe, and when the foundations of this world were laid, "the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy." Job 38:7. The sole thought of all created beings was, in their blissful innocence, to honor and glorify their great Benefactor by offering unquestioned obedience to all His righteous will. Among all the innumerable host that surrounded the throne of God, "angels that excel in strength, that do His commandments, hearkening unto the voice of His word," no note of discord or murmur of dissatisfaction had ever arisen, no envious or jealous spirit had ever ruffled any breast, no evil thought or dark design had ever cast its blighting shadow over any life; but all was peace and happiness in heaven.

But there came a time when the all-seeing eye discerned in the heart of one bright being an intent that, ere its enormity should be fully disclosed and its iniquitous career terminated, many a heart would be pierced with woe, and many a life would go out in darkness. Here was the origin of sin, and this being, within whose bosom the foul purposes were first given birth, was the originator and prince of evil, the father of lies. John 8:44; Eze. 28:12-17.

Why Sin Was Not Abolished in Its Beginning.

To many minds the existence of evil is incompatible with the goodness and beneficence of a God whose name is Love. The fact that God permitted sin, with its dire results, to enter this world, rather than to put it down, by force if necessary, in its incipiency, is regarded by many as an indication that the Lord is arbitrary, not looking to the happiness and comfort of His creatures. But it is because God's character and the principles which underlie His government are not rightly comprehended that this misconception holds in so many minds.

There are some things that God, almighty tho He be, can not do, because foreign to the infinite goodness of His character. "It is impossible for God to lie," because His character is Truth. It is likewise impossible for Him to force any of His subjects into obedience, because His character is Love. "God is love;" His government is a government of love, and all His requirements are the expression of love. It is because God is love and only love that He did not and, indeed, could not use violence to put down rebellion against His own government. Force and violence are not the instruments of love. "Love suffereth long and is kind." Hence if God should seek to use any other constraining motive than love toward any of His creatures—if He should attempt to move any to repentance save by His goodness—He would cease to be a God of love, and His law and government of love would at once be annihilated.

Probation Necessary.

God is love; His government rests on the principles of love, and His subjects must serve Him from motives of love. It is, therefore, not an arbitrary truth, but simply the statement of one of the essentially inherent principles of God's government, that "love is the fulfilling of the law" of God. And this love shown to God is simply the spontaneous response of love received from God. "We love Him, because He first loved us." Now, as love is the "bond of perfectness," and as our love is the same as God's, because received from God, and as His love is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, we are enabled by the almighty power of God, the Gospel, fully to keep the law of love, and to attain to the standard of perfection set forth by the Saviour when He said, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." Matt. 5:48.

Again: God being love, and His service being that of love, which can not be forced, but must spring from the free choice of the servant, it inevitably follows that the Creator must constitute as free moral agents those of His creatures whom He would make amenable to His moral government, angels in heaven as well as men upon earth, sufficiently instructed in the right, but free to choose the wrong at any and every step of the way. Created thus, free to choose the right or the wrong, it necessarily followed that they must be placed upon a period of probation, that their loyalty to their Maker might be fully tested, after which, if faithful, their place in God's favor would remain eternally secured.

Thus all God's creatures who are answerable to moral law were not only at the creation constituted free moral agents, but also their happiness was conditional upon their loyalty to their Creator. Then as now the way of peace lay in the path of unswerving obedience to all God's righteous requirements—righteous only because they are right, and right simply because they afford peace, joy, and life.

In this unrestricted freedom of choice and action, and in no other way, could there be perfect happiness, not alone for the creature, but for the Creator as well. Man on his part could not be perfectly happy unless at all times he should do that which was the result of his own free choice. He could not be eternally happy unless he should always freely choose the right according to God's standard, which alone is right.

On the other hand, God, for whose glory man was created, would not be perfectly glorified unless at all times man should freely choose the service of love, or perfect obedience to all the requirements of God's law of love. Hence, for the success of God's government, His subjects must not only be free to choose, but they must freely choose the right. Thus would perfect harmony and perfect joy pervade all the universe of God.

But for God's creatures to be free moral agents, as free to choose the wrong as the right, the Creator must take the risk of the possibility of sin, or the wrong choice by some individual at some time. Sin having once entered, the only power that the God of love could use to reclaim the rebellious is the Gospel, for the Gospel is "the power of God" to save the lost. In this way would the Creator show His subjects that He does love them, even to the giving of His own life for their salvation; and when God thus makes known to all the beholding universe the riches of His grace in His kindness to us through Christ Jesus, thus proving to a demonstration that God is love, that "love seeketh not her own" but others' good, that love is "the bond of perfectness," the greatest of all attributes, and that obedience to God is but a service of love, then all created intelligences will forever freely and fully choose for themselves the service of God and the character of God.

Thus will be fulfilled the promise: "Affliction shall not rise up the second time." "Tho I have afflicted thee, I will afflict thee no more." Nahum 1:9, 12. Then will be realized the happy state, not simply of a world redeemed from sin, but of a universe forever secure from all approach of evil. Well then may be described the rapturous sound: "And every created thing which is in the heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and on the sea, and all things that are in them, heard I saying, Unto Him that sitteth on the throne, and unto the Lamb, be the blessing, and the honor, and the glory, and the dominion, for ever and ever." Rev. 5:13, R.V. But this will not be then in prophetic strain by an exiled seer in an island solitude, but it will be the swelling anthem of praise from the redeemed host of all ages, as they stand before the throne of God, saved,—forever saved. H. C. GILES.

[The next article in this series will be entitled "The Father of Lies," a consideration of Satan.]

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