CONTAINED IN THIS NUMBER by Editor

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · May 24, 1899

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 25, No. 21.

CONTAINED IN THIS NUMBER

By Editor

We send no papers from this office to individuals without pay in advance.

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CONTAINED IN THIS NUMBER.

Poetry. Himself for Me . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 "Come, for All Things Are Now Ready," HOPE ONSLOW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Hear, Hear, O Earth, URIAH SMITH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 General. "This Man Receiveth Sinners," MRS. E. G. WHITE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Progress—Educational Work, PROF. E. A. SUTHERLAND . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Progress in the Publishing Work, URIAH SMITH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Progress in Sanitarium and Health Work, MRS. E. H. WHITNEY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8, 12 Twenty-five Years of Work, GEORGE A. IRWIN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 The Threefold Message, A. SWEDBERG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Editorial. All of God, All from God, All to God . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Increasing Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 This Issue—Why Published . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Rapid Developments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Question Corner.—Nos. 929, 930 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 The Home.—Mattie Lee's Rag Carpet, MRS. ROXANA C. BAKER—One Million Slaughtered—How George Muller Sought God's Will—The "Cycle Stoop" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10, 11 International Sabbath-school and Sunday-school Lessons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Outlook.—The Kirksville Tornado—Rome the Gainer—Abounding Trusts, a Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14, 15

Our next special issue will be "Independence Number," dated July 4. See announcement on second page of cover.

There are twoscore and one illustrations in this paper, several of which have naught to do with the special subject of this issue.

Sabbath-School Lesson.—The Sabbath-school lesson for this issue was printed in last week's issue. That contained two lessons.

Christian brother, the infinite resources of the Word of God are not yet exhausted by the exploration of puny mortals. God may have new, precious light for you. Do not limit Him by past human research.

The group of pictures on page 13 was promised and prepared for the Quarter-centennial Number of the SIGNS, but was crowded out of that issue, and is here given in fulfilment of that promise. The majority of the pictures represent those who, under God, have been especially connected with the paper in its conduct and history, while all have had much to do with our publishing work.

Position in this issue does not in any way indicate the prominence accorded any article by the editor; each reader will judge that for himself. Distribution of cuts and exigency of make-up has guided to some extent. Of our progress articles we have in order articles on education, publishing, and health and sanitarium work. These are followed by a wonderfully-concise review article for the last twenty-five years of the work among this people, by President George A. Irwin, a picture of whom we wish we could present, but overlooked it till too late.

There are many good buildings and beneficent institutions mentioned in this issue. There are others which we could not illustrate because we had no suitable photographs, or none at all, and time did not permit us to obtain any. But these institutions are not as precious as one soul saved from sin. More than this, unless these institutions are carrying out their purpose in God to save souls, they exist in vain. And the soul saved is not saved by virtue of the institution, nor by the virtue of the people who labor there, but solely by His grace. He uses these institutions, for which we praise Him. He uses men and women. All these are needed in His plan, but the grace is all of Him, and to Him be all the glory.

Word comes to us just as we are about to go to press from Dr. F. E. Brauch, our medical missionary in Samoa, that in the rebellion in the islands they and their property have been spared. We will give fuller particulars in our next. A small cut of the Samoan Sanitarium will be found on page 8 of this paper.

There are institutions illustrations of which we would have been glad to secure for this issue, but were unable so to do. Among these are the schools in Avondale, Australia; Claremont, South Africa; Graysville, Tenn.; sanitarium at Honolulu, and Calcutta, and publishing house in Cape Town, South Africa, and Calcutta, India. The SIGNS would be glad to receive good, clear, late photographs of all our institutions.

We have other photographs of the fearful work of the Kirksville cyclone, which we will present in a later issue. Our special agent found it almost impossible to obtain any views at all. Photographers and the great dailies had formed a sort of trust or combine to raise the price, but they were not wholly successful. Our thanks are due Mr. B. R. Nordyke, of Kansas City, for his assistance in securing views and information.

"Except the Lord build the house, They labor in vain that build it; Except the Lord keep the city, The watchman waketh but in vain."

Faith.—Says the apostle, "So then faith cometh, by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God." Faith is based on the Word of God. That is not faith which is based on opinion, or error, or the belief of the church, or the comments of the "fathers." Belief in all those various things does not connect a man with God vitally. Faith is such confidence in God's Word that it establishes a living relationship between the soul and God. It is not only believing that God is, but that "He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him." This establishes personal relationship; for men do not diligently seek God in companies unless they do it as individuals. Faith is individual confidence that God will do just what He says; that His Word will perform all that it commands or implies. It receives that Word as a living thing, in which dwells Christ, the wisdom of God and the power of God; and the power of God in that living Word creates, recreates, molds, changes, transforms, and fashions men after the Divine Image.

Waning Faith.—But this faith, the very faith which Jesus had, is waning among the professed followers of Christ. Too often the shepherds of the flock, instead of preaching the Word as the living Gospel of Jesus Christ, sit in judgment upon it, criticize its manner, its style, its teaching, repudiate its miracles, and condemn its science of salvation. Professing to believe in Jesus Christ, they proceed to undermine the very foundation on which Christ builded. The story of creation is a myth. The world is of evolution, not of creation. By parity of reasoning, man is of evolution not of creation. And, reasoning a step further, "the new man" is a product of evolution, instead of regeneration, re-creation, by the mighty power of the Word of God received by faith. Surely such men should not look for Bible conversions. They can not expect them. Yet if evolution be true, the Word of God is of none effect, and all the great reformations of God were deceptions.

Needed Faith.—God's Word is still effectual. Infinite power is still within it. Faith may still unlock its dynamic resources. The old patriarchs did not believe in vain. The prophets of God spoke not lying visions or false messages. The mission of Jesus Christ, founded in the Word of God, is not a myth. The apostles were not deceived. God's reformations in various ages were not lies. This faith is needed to-day. Noah had, so far as we know, no written word, but he believed and preached God's message, and by it "condemned the world," and through it God saved him and his house. Elijah could believe God, tho he thought he stood alone. The Word sustained him, and translated him. Nehemiah and Ezra preached the Word, and tho from temporary pulpits of wood, it was mighty in God in restoring Jerusalem and the temple, and in effecting a transformation among the people. They might have reasoned, The great mountain of difficulties in our path will sometime wear away, and then we will build. But God's message was the message of now, and receiving that message, bearing that message, living in that message, working out that message, the great mountain before the servant of God became a plain. The reformation wrought through John the Baptist, through Jesus and His apostles, was based on the Scriptures as the Word of God. There was no questioning or grumbling. Has God said it?—That is sufficient. Martin Luther and his coworkers, John Wesley and his associates, preached God's Word. God wrought through them all, and souls were regenerated and saved. O, for more of the faith of Jesus and His reformers to-day!

The Panacea for the Pulpit.—The Independent, in speaking of a recent sermon by Dr. Storrs, well remarks:—

"There is only one true panacea for any or all the ills and wrongs and ignorances of men, and that is instruction, the earnest teaching of men who can teach. It is a slow process but the only vital one. What is put deep in the soul develops the character; laws and prisons will not do it."

"Of course the pulpit will lose its strength if it has not truth to tell, no matter how much faith it may put in the untruths which it preaches. It is the one who has truth to tell that will have the power of true teaching. The man who contradicts the growing knowledge of his generation will lag superfluous behind; and that is right. The people may be more intelligent than the pulpit; and when the pulpit tries to bear back the advance of new truth, it becomes something else than the power of God."

Some of the above we have italicized. But the new truth is not to be found by the preacher in the growing knowledge of the world, but in the ever unfolding Word of God. God has truth in that Word for this time, this generation. Christ is coming. The warning message must be given. It can not be kept back by any power. The strength of the pulpit is in bearing God's present message.

A "Christian Flag."—A field of white, a blue square in the upper inside-corner, on which is a red cross, is what many are now urging for adoption as the "Christian flag." It has been well remarked that a flag is an emblem of force; and if recognized by a government, as it is hoped this will be, it will become emphatically so. God commands His watchman, "Lift up a standard for the people." But the standard is God's, for the prophet declares: "He shall set up an ensign for the nations" and the Lord says, "I will . . . set up My standard to the people." "When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against Him." And so the banner, the standard, the flag, the ensign, that the Lord's people have is spiritual, given by Him; is: "Thou hast given a banner unto them that fear Thee, that it may be displayed because of the truth." But "His banner" is "love" and the Christian will only commit pagan folly to endeavor even to crystallize into any sort of an image his conception of God's truth and love.

If the Christian be not a missionary he is nothing for Christ. He has one object in gathering out a people. Here it is: "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar [purchased] people that ye should show forth the praises [virtues, excellencies] of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous light." Are you showing forth in your life Christ's praises, excellencies, virtues? It is your mission to do this, and if you are doing it, you are a Christian missionary. Do you recognize the mission? Are you fulfilling it? If not, why?—

God's Love Is Infinite.—It reaches to the very depth of human wo and misery and sin. Even Satan would find pardon at God's hand did Satan desire the purity and love and unity of God. He can not be pardoned because he does not wish that which the pardon implies,—unselfish purity and absolute submission to God; and he has so set himself against God that he can never desire it. This is man's danger—in himself, not God; in sin, not mercy. The time to accept His mercy is just now.