THE RELIEF OF THE SCHOOLS.
By Percy T. Magan
Perfect Commandment-Keeping.
It has ever been the proud profession of us Seventh-day Adventists that we are the commandment-keeping people. Oftentimes upon our lips has been the well-known text, “Here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” This verse calls for the keeping of all the commandments. It calls for the keeping of all the commandments perfectly. There is no room for qualification, nor for allowances for failure. It is written: “Here are they that KEEP—” What is perfect commandment-keeping? A rich young man once came to Christ, saying: “Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?” To this the Lord made reply: “Keep the commandments.” “Which?” “Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Honor thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” And now the young man answers: “All these things [commandments] have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet [in commandment-keeping]?” “Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect [in commandment-keeping], go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.” Perfect commandment-keeping, then, is to sell all that we have, and to lay the proceeds on the altar of God. Whether or not we will do this will yet be, and even now is, one of the supreme tests through which Seventh-day Adventists will be called upon to pass. The call to do this will come to us in what may seem to be quiet, ordinary, commonplace ways,—ways so ordinary and commonplace that there is danger, unless our eyes have been anointed with the heavenly eye-salve, that we shall not see them. Money may be needed for some foreign field. Money may be required to open the work in some destitute part of the Southern States. A plea may come for gold and silver, in order that the financial relief of the schools may be effected. Any one of these needy causes may constitute God’s request and invitation to us to SELL. Christ was the perfect commandment-keeper. And the wondrous thing in the work of Christ was that he gave up all that he had for the sake of the poor. He left the magnificent mansions of heaven;11he left the garden of God in paradise; he gave up the glory and the luxury of the palaces of his paternal home. Then he came to earth, and sojourned here a homeless wanderer. He never owned a house, nor a city lot, nor a farm, nor stocks, nor bonds, nor property of any name or nature. He himself said: “The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.” Yea, and at the hour of his crucifixion he did not even have the poor, travel-stained garments, which had covered his sacred form; for it is written: “They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots.” All the hoarded wealth of eternity was laid upon the altar by the Master. All the material, property, and pleasures of the better world were relinquished by the Master for the benefit of the sinner. The doing of this constituted his commandment-keeping. Giving up all these things made him the perfect commandment-keeper. “Master, which is the great commandment in the law?” “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” Christ loved us sufficiently to leave all that he had, for our sakes. For our sakes he dwelt in the earth without promise of salary of any kind, and devoid of property from which to support himself. Such was the faith of Jesus. Now the remnant church are to keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. The two things blend inseparably into one. The time will soon come when we must have the faith of Christ, so that we, too, shall be willing to live for a while in the earth with no salaries or property of any name or nature. When men and women reach the place where, in Christ’s name and for his sake, they are doing this, it can then indeed be truly said of them that they keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. Many are even now being tested by the Lord on this point. God is pleading with many to do more than simply give of their abundance. He yearns for gifts of sacrifice from his professed followers. Gifts of sacrifice are for the most part those which require that we “sell” what we possess, in order that we may give. Many times such gifts require not only that we sell, but that we sell at a sacrifice. How many are doing this? An earnest plea is now being made to our people to arise and set free the schools. Awake, O Spirit of God, thy slumbering people, that in this matter we may have perfect love. Set free thy suffering cause, that our lives may be true to our watchword, and that we may indeed, in the doing of these things, KEEP THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD AND THE FAITH OF JESUS. Here are the names of those who have paid money for the RELIEF OF THE SCHOOLS since the last report:— Chas. J. Rider, New Salem, N. D. .......... $100 00
Chas. A. Burman, Milbank, S. D. ........... 100 00
A. N. Heligso, Webster, S. D. ............... 5 00
L. D. Randall, Sioux Falls, S. D. ............ 5 00
W. J. Hazeltine and wife, Rogers, N. D. ..... 4 00
Hulda and Emily Thornlund, Bue, N. D. ...... 5 00
S. A. Hill, Sioux Falls, S. D. ............... 5 00
Alfred Carlson ............................... 4 00
Mrs. J. C. Pease, Sanborn, N. D. ............ 2 00
E. Erickson, Fulda, Minn. ................... 50 00
S. A. Anderson, Troy, Idaho. ................ 50 00
A. J. Carpenter, Port Gamble, Wash. ......... 4 00
D. Nettleton and family, Dakota. ............ 50 00
Simon Bowman (note surrendered) ........... 500 00
Lou Somers .................................. 50 00
Josephine Pence ............................. 60 00
H. L. Hahn .................................. 25 00
R. P. Hoff .................................. 25 00
D. P. Ziegler ............................... 25 00
J. B. Green ................................ 25 00
Mary E. Zener ............................... 50 00
Laura E. Young .............................. 50 00
Smaller sums ................................ 12 25 All money for the RELIEF OF THE SCHOOLS should be sent to A. G. Adams, Review and Herald, Battle Creek, Mich. P. T. MAGAN.