The Sabbath Services

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · May 20, 1909

The Sabbath Services

SABBATH, May 15, was a day long to be remembered by those in attendance at the General Conference. At the eleven o’clock service Mrs. E. G. White spoke to the encampment upon the theme of the Saviour’s discourse found in the fifteenth of John, dwelling chiefly upon the first ten verses, and of these ten verses chiefly upon verse eight: “Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.”

The burden of this aged servant of God seemed to be to lay upon those assembled representatives of the third angel’s message the importance of rightly representing Christ to the world in our speech, in our character, in all our dealings with our fellow men, in order that we shall not be found fruitless in the great day of harvest. To do this there is necessary a complete consecration to God, a constant abiding in Christ, while the ear listens attentively to the voice of the Father in his Word. That, in turn, necessitates a cutting loose from the customs, practises, and ideals of the world, without any regard to what the world may think about it. It means that we must by living faith daily lay hold upon our Redeemer if we would bear the fruit of the Christian.

Sister White, in this discourse, dwelt much upon the thought that our humanity must lay hold of his divinity. Otherwise we shall miss our chance of attaining that life which measures with the life of God. She spoke also of the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand, and said: “Jesus could work miracles because humanity and divinity were combined in him. That is what we need in our sanitariums, the faith that lays hold upon Christ, that will take up the cross of self-denial and self-sacrifice, that they may be united with Christ indeed as one with him. To every one of us he gives that privilege, if we will cut away our own wrong habits and practises.”

In view of this instruction from the servant of God, the choice of the afternoon topic was a very appropriate one indeed. Elder E. W. Farnsworth was the speaker. The theme of his discourse was the reception of the Holy Spirit. An earnest prayer by Elder R. S. Owen opened the meeting. This was followed by an impressive song, “Ashamed of Jesus,” rendered by a male quartet.

Elder Farnsworth’s text was John 14: 15, 16: “If ye love me, ye will keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever.” He dwelt upon the importance of the office work of the Holy Spirit in the life experience of every believer. Especially is this necessary for the man or woman who would go out to teach the truth of God. Our efforts when witnessed to by the Holy Spirit are truly effectual in the work of God. It was not his purpose to philosophize upon the identity of the Holy Spirit, he said, but it is of the utmost importance to experience in the soul all that the Holy Spirit has for the child of God. That representative of God on the earth is to take the place of our departed Lord. He is our official now to take charge of the work of God on earth, to be the overseer of all our missionary enterprises, to lead in all the work of the third angel’s message until the close of time. He is the representative of heaven, the true vicarius filii dei, the one who is to lead God’s people through all the dangers and trials and pitfalls and afflictions to the end of time.

The closing portion of the address was devoted to the theme of God’s power and willingness to bring healing to the physical frame as well as to the soul of men. “He is able,” said the speaker, “to take every miserable thing away from us in order that he may use us for the carrying forward of his great work.”

That the call to renewed consecration of the forenoon, and the call to the reception of the Spirit’s power of the afternoon service were timely and appreciated messages, was illustrated in the stirring testimony meeting which next followed. Hearts were melted to tenderness, and all felt that God had indeed begun to visit his people with special blessings.

These services of the first Sabbath of the Conference show that God is waiting to be gracious, and it is hoped and expected that the good work so auspiciously begun may continue with increasing power throughout the entire session.

Saturday evening a stereopticon display of views of our publishing houses and of the progress of the publishing work since the beginning of this movement was presented. This was greatly enjoyed by all, and served to illustrate much of the power and leadings of Providence attending the message since its small and obscure beginnings. The great increase in our publications, both of periodicals and large and small books, is an example of the advance of the cause in all departments.