p. 735 | Signs of the Times, Vol. 41, No. 46. (11/24/1914)

Earlier text: THE MYSTERY UNFOLDED

THE THREE BEST WAYS

BETWEEN

California and the East

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All rail or via the palatial Southern Pacific steamers between New Orleans and New York

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Via Portland or the North

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MR. C. S. FEE

General Passenger Agent San Francisco, California

SOUTHERN PACIFIC

THE GOSPEL OF HEALTH

By L. A. HANSEN

Salvation for the Body as Well as the Soul—The Relation of Health to Spirituality—Christ the Great Physician—Would Have Us Employ Rational Methods

By L. A. HANSEN

Secretary of the Medical Department of the General Conference

When David said, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases,” he expressed a truth that is not generally realized or appreciated; namely, that our physical life is just as much the object of God’s care as is the spiritual.

The expression quoted is a good example of a well-balanced sentence, one of the best of all that David has written. It has fine rhythm and beautiful poetic measure. It is a nice thing to quote. It fits well into one’s testimony of praise as appropriately covering all the blessings of God in general.

But it is more than poetry or fitting language. It is the statement of a fact that may and should be used in its broadest material meaning, in practical application to all conditions of spiritual and physical need.

HEALS OUR DISEASES ALSO

While most believers grant that it is the Lord who forgives our iniquities, not every one realizes that it is He who heals our diseases. It is rather natural to look to God as the source of spiritual life and blessing, though even here the fullest enjoyment of these is hindered only because of our failure to look to Him as fully as we should; but when it comes to what appear as the temporal needs of life, we are quite likely not to see beyond the material things.

SIN AND DISEASE ASSOCIATED

By what right we divide the truth expressed in our text, does not appear. Certainly nothing in the Bible gives us cause for separating the blessings mentioned. The forgiveness of sin and the healing of disease are associated in Ps. 103:3, and in many other scriptures, for that matter, because they are so in fact. Restoration of the soul and recovery of the body may be regarded as a double blessing from the same source, one the complement of the other.

We might go a little further even in associating these blessings, and say that they are really but the double expression of one work that God does for man. In other words, God’s complete work for us is seen when our sins are forgiven and we are healed of disease—when it can be said to us: “Thou art whole. Sin no more.” The fullest sense in which we are to understand the word “heal” is in the restoration of the whole man, spirit, soul, and body. Its use is almost without distinction as applied in the Bible to the healing of sin or disease. Viewed in this way, one phase of healing is incomplete without the other.

UNNECESSARY MYSTERY

There is a great deal of unnecessary mystery attached to the question of the cause of disease. Heathen superstition attributes it to devils, and leads to many barbarous practices of exorcism in attempts to drive out the evil possessor. In Christ’s time, those who professed to know the truth believed that a man's infirmities were the result of the curse of God. Many to-day speak of the “mysterious providence” that brings sickness into their midst, followed by the “angel of death.”

The Bible presentation of the matter is altogether different, clearing it of all that is mystical, and showing that God’s attitude to sickness is not causative, but restorative.

HEALTH ABOVE ALL THINGS

The inspired message is, “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.” 3 John 2. Health and soul prosperity may be understood as parallel, or interdependent, the one advancing as the other does, or failing in proportion as the other fails.

The fifty-eighth chapter of Isaiah makes it clear that personal health and spiritual prosperity follow the performance of practical religious duties to others. The promised answer to the prayer of faith in behalf of the sick is, “The Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.” James 5:15.

HEALTH IS CONDITIONAL

The enjoyment of health is conditional, the same as is spiritual favor; and for both, the condition is obedience to God’s law.

BLESS the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases,
Ps. 103:2, 3. — BLESS the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases, Ps. 103:2, 3.

This brings us to a recognition of natural law as being of God, equal with the Decalogue in its immutability, surety of reward, and certainty of penalty. The laws written upon the nerves, muscles, and fibers of our being were placed there by God, with the implied promise of blessing in their obedience. Through these laws, by the agencies of nature, God is constantly working to keep us alive and in full possession of health. If injury occurs to the body, the healing processes set to work toward recovery. But it is the life-giving power of God, working in harmony with His own laws, that brings health. He said to Israel,—and it is just as true to-day,—“I am the Lord that healeth thee.” Our part is to place ourselves in obedience to His laws.

THE CAUSE OF SICKNESS

In making Himself known to ancient Israel as their Healer, the Lord told them that if they would do right, and observe His laws, they would be free from the diseases known to them. Ex. 15:26; Deut. 7:15. A refusal to walk in His commandments would result to the contrary; and some of the diseases enumerated as a consequence of disobedience are known to-day, such as consumption, fever, inflammation, and extreme burning. Deut. 28:22. The great prevalence of tuberculosis, many kinds of fever, various forms of “itis,” which means inflammation, and diseases of burning, tells too plainly that man has not walked altogether in the path of obedience.

Sickness is the result of transgression, either our own or some one’s else. Where a health law has been violated, the direct relation between cause and effect is seen in an abnormal development or condition. Christ warned some of those whom He healed to sin no more, lest a worse thing should come upon them (John 5:14), thus teaching that the disease was the result of transgressing God’s law, and that health could be retained only by maintaining obedience.

Any habit or indulgence that injures the physical, mental, or spiritual well-being of a man is sin, and he must repent of it and forsake it if the guilty one would enjoy wholeness. Pardoning grace will be shown the repentant one, and every healing virtue will be free to work in his behalf. It would be difficult to draw a defining line between the forgiveness of sin and the healing of disease in this restorative work of God.

“WITH HEALING IN HIS WINGS”

The prophetic promise that the Sun of righteousness shall “arise with healing in His wings” may well be accepted as glad tidings by those who are physically unsound, as well as by those who are spiritually sick. When Jesus spoke of Himself as a Physician, it was more than a figure of speech. His invitation to come to Him and find rest reaches to others than those who feel unrest of soul, including, as it does, also those who are disturbed physically or mentally.

We need take no man’s word as to the interest Jesus has in the sick, and His willingness to remove all disease. His personal example fully demonstrated that. Let it be borne in mind that He represented the Father in all He did, speaking His words and doing His work, so that what He did, demonstrated also the Father’s interest in the sick. Thus we have the grace of God, through His Son, working in behalf of our needs, spiritual and physical.

HE ALONE FREES THE SOUL

Fulness of blessing, either spiritual or physical, is ours only as we receive the grace of Christ. The power of habit, of appetite or passion, that makes bondage, can be broken by Jesus only. He alone can free the soul from any guilt, with all its attending sorrow and suffering, of mind and body. Only through Him can full healing come. His love is vitalizing, giving healing to all it touches.

MUST COMPLY WITH NATURAL LAW

The healing work of God is not accomplished in an intangible, indefinite way. The immediate miraculous restoration that He sometimes gives is a manifest witness of what He can do and of what He does for all who are healed. It is no less a miracle and the work of His power when the recovery is more prolonged. In either case, there must be a compliance with the conditions set by His law of obedience. He does not operate contrary to His own laws. He does not give health to the one who continues violating the very conditions upon which health may be enjoyed.

One of the steps to health is to stop any hurtful practise. Another is to adopt such measures as will make for health. This will have to do with the things of every-day living,—our eating, drinking, sleeping, exercise, dress, and all that pertains to our physical life, as well as the observance of moral law.

Our resources of strength and life-giving force will be utilized. The natural recuperative powers of the body, assisted by curative measures, may be used in the process of restoration that God will work in behalf of the sufferer. This makes the healing no less of God. To avail ourselves of every possible natural remedy or means of recovery is not a denial of faith or trust. It is a recognition of God’s own means.

The proper recognition of God’s place in the laws governing our beings will lead to a more careful regard of them. A sense of their sacred requirements will lead to greater conscientiousness in living. This will mean more thought as to what is right, and more planning to conform thereto. It will help us to heed the injunction, “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” 1 Cor. 10:31.

THE TIME DRAWS NEAR

To some Christians, this date is full of religious significance; to others, it means nothing at all. Whatever our attitude toward it may be, the fact remains that at this time most people, actuated by good impulses, make gifts to relatives and friends. Millions of dollars is wasted, and inappropriate presents are given, at the holiday season, for the lack of a suggestion.

HERE IS ONE

Instead of giving a boy or a girl some red, yellow, and blue toy, or brightly colored and nonsensical story-book, either of which is forgotten before a week end, give one of the moral books listed below. They are attractive, the stories fascinating, the impressions lasting.

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Gospel Primer No. 2. Cloth ............................................ .50
House We Live In. Cloth .............................................. 1.00
Making Home Happy. Cloth ............................................. .75

Making Home Peaceful. Cloth ......................................... $ .75
New Testament Primer. Board, 25c; cloth ................................ .50
Our Paradise Home. Board, 25c; cloth ................................... .50
Steps to Christ. Paper, 25c; cloth ..................................... .75
Those Bible Readings. Cloth ........................................... .75
Uncle Ben’s Cobblestones. Cloth ....................................... 1.00

Nos. 1, 4, and 8 are especially suited to the smaller children; Nos. 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 11, and 12, to the older children and youth; and Nos. 9 and 10, to adults.

AGENTS WANTED

More than 2,000,000 of these small books have been sold. There is a demand for them. If no one is selling them in your neighborhood, and you care to do so, arrange with our depository in your state or the publishers at once for samples. It will cost you but $1.00 to get started. Previous experience is not necessary. Ask for a copy of the short story “Alice Goes to Work.”

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Joy of Winning Souls

Dr. Cook, of Uganda, writes: “O, if one's fellow practitioners at home could realize the joy of leading one soul from the darkness of heathenism into the light of the Christ life, surely some would leave the overstocked ranks at home to seek sheaves in the regions beyond.”

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OLIVES AND DRIED FRUIT

By A. R. Crist

Lowest producers' prices. In 50-lb. boxes. ½c extra in less quantities. Peaches, bleached, 5½c a pound; prunes, 8c; pears, 6c; apricots, 11c; almonds, 20c; figs, 6c; honey, extracted, 8c; honey, combed, 10c; olives, large, 50-gal. bbl., 60c per gal.; 25-gal. bbl., 70c; 5-gal. can, 75c; 1-gal. can, 80c; medium-size olives, 10c less a gal. All prices f. o. b. Chico. Write for information. A. R. Crist, Chico, Cal.

OUR LITTLE FRIEND

By OUR LITTLE FRIEND

Mountain View, California, November 24, 1914.

Dear Friend:

Thousands of boys and girls love me because I bring good cheer to their homes every week. They enjoy my interesting, instructive lessons and stories. Parents say that I am a most desirable companion, because I put good thoughts into the minds of children. My sole purpose in life is to help boys and girls grow into strong, noble men and women.

It would please me so much if you would send me an invitation to call on you every week for a year. All I ask is that you send me 70c to pay my way. Write soon.

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OUR LITTLE FRIEND

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The Spirit of Hate Engendered by War

By Editor

IN the November number of Boys' Life, the Boy Scouts' magazine, Dr. David Starr Jordan says, “When this hideous war is over, all the nations will be filled with the spirit of hate, for without hate there could be no war.” One of the never-failing consequences of war is this spirit of national hatred. It becomes fixed in the minds of the people, and will last for generation after generation.

The facts that are brought out in regard to the two Balkan wars, which were concluded shortly before this great European war, show that a spirit of national hatred was stirred up there that led men into barbarism which it would seem ought to shame the faces of savages. And now that so large a portion of the world is involved in war, men should be able to see that the situation is hopeless.

If this world were permitted to stand, several generations of profound peace would be needed to wipe out the feelings of hatred and bitterness that have been engendered. Old grudges between the various nations of Europe are woven into the very nerves and flesh of the populace.

The Bible prophecies, as we have abundantly pointed out during recent weeks, make clear beyond a peradventure that these last days will be days of the bitterest war and strife. Not only does the record say that the nations are angry, but the spirits of the very demons themselves are stirring men to war. This shows that the most frightful barbarities will be the order of the day. And so from the standpoint of the common sense that men ought to exercise, and also from the further fortified standpoint of what the divine record foretells, we should see that the days upon which this world have entered constitute a period of continued hatreds and strifes. These will lead to Armageddon, the great world-wide war foretold by the prophets, as inevitably as unconfined water flows down hill.

The Bible story is clear; and if men will regard its pages, and exercise even a reasonable amount of common sense, they will know what the future of this world is. It can not be a time of peace; and yet men will arise who will undertake to patch up these conditions, and who will not only deceive themselves into believing that they will secure peace, but just before Armageddon breaks they will say they have peace. It is a fearful thing for men and women to allow themselves to overlook the strongest kind of evidence, while they plunge headlong into the delusions that end in universal destruction.

Municipal Epidemics of Crime

The charge is made, by a leading attorney, that “everybody knows that graft and political corruption dominate the city administration of Oakland and the county administration of Alameda. The recent election frauds in Alameda County furnish proof enough that that was only a tithe of the things that could be uncovered by vigorous and aggressive investigation.”

The city of Oakland, in Alameda County, California, has come to be one of the great centers of population on the Pacific coast. It is separated from San Francisco by nothing more than a comparatively narrow strip of the bay; hence these two great cities, for all practical purposes, are one. It would seem, from these charges, that Oakland at least ought to have an investigation to try to uproot her grafting.

Charges of even more deep-rooted iniquity have recently been made by an Illinois state attorney concerning conditions in the city of Chicago. So we may go the rounds from one city to another, year after year, in observing the efforts to clear out the grafting, frauds, and criminality of various kinds.

We are told that the world is getting better, but the conditions are not in harmony with the statements about the general uplift of society. The Master, who perfectly knows the hearts of men, has given us no other assurance than that “strait is the gate, and narrow is the way” that leads to life, and only the few are going that road, while the many are passing through the broad gate into the wide way that leads to destruction.

The evil conditions of the time have become not only an international problem, but an international peril; for what is true of the conditions in the great cities of this nation is equally true of conditions in the great cities of the other portions of the world. There is a splendid outward veneer of respectability, but the core of society is rapidly bringing the world to those depths of corruption and degradation that will call for the visiting judgments of the almighty God, as in the days of Sodom and Gomorrah of old.

Clamoring for More Battle-Ships

MANY of the strongest men of this nation, such as Vice-President Marshall, Ex-President Roosevelt, Admiral Dewey, and others of similar prominence, are calling for more battle-ships and a greater army. Some of these men, like Vice-President Marshall, are in hopes that the nations of the earth can be led to agree to disarm; but he says that if such an agreement can not be reached, it is inevitable that we must not only greatly increase our coast fortifications, but we must build many more great battle-ships. Mr. Roosevelt thinks it is a foregone conclusion that we should prepare in the most vigorous manner to defend ourselves. He believes that it would be the height of folly for us not to do so.

A program is in preparation for the United States to enter upon the building of at least four of the great super-Dreadnoughts each year, and it is suggested that five ought to be built. In connection with these, it is also proposed that a dozen or more of the large submarines of the most modern type be built each year; and incidentally it might be remarked that the submarine is very rapidly approaching battle-ship proportions. The first ones were comparatively very small affairs, but they are increasing in size quite as rapidly as was the case with the battle-ships and the battle-cruisers.

The absurdity of building all these monsters with which to destroy men and to waste property and absorb useful labor, is pointed out vehemently by some of the strongest, the best, and the truest men and women of this world. The world is flooded with literature upon the subject; but the demons of war are in control, and are driving men like cattle ahead of them. The good sense of the leading men of the age causes them to cry earnestly against these wars and these preparations for war, but their influence is drowned in the mad maelstrom of strife.

Overshadowed by the Supreme Issue

If we did not have so much news in regard to the strife of the Old World to engage our attention, there would perhaps be many columns of the papers filled with the presentation of the facts and theories in regard to the twenty-one men, leaders in the financial world, who have recently been indicted by a federal grand jury for their crookedness. This item is a striking illustration of the dishonesty among the men who stand in high places in the field of commerce. It is only one of many that have occurred during recent years.

Furthermore, but for the all-absorbing attention given to that big war, we would also be scanning many more columns of news in regard to the clash, in some three or four states, between the capitalist and the laborer, as manifested in strikes, occasioning the calling out of federal troops.

We must keep our eyes open to the conditions in this world. We must study their meaning. We must not allow the great adversary of souls to deceive us. The Master said that this old world would grow worse and worse; and He not only knew, but has also foretold the facts accurately. Many are deceived because they turn away from the living fountains of God's clear truth, but it is not necessary that we should be thus deluded. God's warnings are specific and clear; and we may know, if we will, that from the human standpoint the conditions in this world are absolutely hopeless. But, O, we may also know, if we will, that the brightest hope of all the ages is just before us, even the glorious hope of the soon appearing of our blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! And when He comes, in that glorious and near-by day, He will save each and every one who has accepted His great salvation.

Reforming the Calendar

By W. H. S.

At an international council for this purpose, held at Liege; some time ago, the French astronomers proposed that one change should be the omission of one day from the numbering both of the week and of the month, once a year, and two days in leap-years. This would have the effect of making the same day of the week fall on the same day of the month in every year. It would also disarrange the succession of weeks which has been marked by regularly recurring Sabbaths ever since creation.

Observers of a weekly religious rest will naturally object to having the change, and probably their protest alone would be sufficient to prevent it. None the less, if much were to be gained by the reform, adjustments could be easily made. The Sunday rest, for which only the sanction of the church can be claimed, might, by a similar church ordinance, be conformed perfectly to the new calendar. Those who observe the Sabbaths of creation, and all others who believe that the command is for the strict observance of some seventh day, could easily maintain their custom, even as the former now ignore the Roman practise of beginning the hours with midnight. The inconvenience would not be serious except in case the civil day were enforced as a rest day and holiday by law. W. H. S.

Money or Morals

By M. C. W.

WHEN the late General Bidwell saw two men reeling drunk from his premises one Sunday, where wine grapes grew and wine was made, his decision was formed. The great store of wine on hand was donated to hospitals, but only for medicinal purposes. The vines were dug up. His vineyards were worth $500,000, but he owed $300,000. But he did not hesitate. He planted his vineyards to raisin and table grapes. He lost money, but morals are worth more than money. Men need not lose so much now. M. C. W.

Government Bulletins and Public Resources

THE Department of the Interior, through its Geographical Survey, is sending out some very interesting bulletins in regard to the undeveloped mineral resources of the United States. Many things that have previously been imported from various parts of the Old World are now shut off because of the war; and even if the war should close immediately, the supply would be limited for some time to come. Many of these minerals are daily used in the manufacture of electric lamps, as building materials, and in other important lines of industry; and it will therefore be to the advantage of the nation and of the world to have our resources developed while this unsettled condition exists in the Old World. Persons who may be desirous of information along any of these lines should state their wants to the Department of Geology, care of the secretary of the interior, Washington, D. C. The information that our government gives out is very carefully prepared, and is therefore reliable.

THE October number of Toki No Shiraushi, our new Japanese paper, has come to hand. The price is five cents, or fifty cents a year. It is a neatly printed sixteen-page monthly that would be a good thing to circulate among Japanese friends. Address communications to Toki No Shiraushi Sha, 601 Hobart Street, Oakland, California.

THE Agricultural Department of the University of California has recently issued a very interesting circular on potato growing. It deals with preventable diseases of the potato, and how the crop may be kept up to the standard. Persons interested should address Agricultural Department, University of California, Berkeley, California.

A SCHOOL is not ashamed of its best and finished product, nor an automobile factory of its best machine. But a saloon-keeper is ashamed of his best customer, and kicks out of his premises with disgust the finished product of his business. Ought such an institution to exist?

If a big dog is challenged to a fight by a small one, and pays no attention to it, that is no sign that the big dog is afraid or wanting in courage. He feels he has something more important to attend to at the time.