THE text upon which my remarks will be based is found in the 127th Psalm, the first verse: "Except Jehovah build the house, they labor in vain that build it." The words are the words of King Solomon, and doubtless were inspired by the great temple that he was building for the Lord.
My brethren who have spoken here this afternoon have talked to you of the material building of the house in which we ourselves are to-day; but while the material building is itself important, that is only a part, a necessary part, but the smallest part, after all. The material is simply used for the moral. It is only a means to an end. It is only an incident for an object. The incident, the material, the means, is this building in which we are to-day. The moral, the end, is something beyond that.
What do we mean by the Pacific Press? Our townspeople evidently include in that to quite an extent the very building itself. It means something to a town to have such a building as this erected. I am sure they felt something of the loss when the other structure was burned to the ground. This certainly does not look as imposing as the first building, and we feel that the town suffered a loss; but I am sure that our townspeople feel that there is more in connection with this institution than the building itself.
What do we ourselves understand by the Pacific Press? Of course we include the building, but we believe that there is more to the building than that. Every one of our employees and friends when they talk of the Pacific Press think of the object for which this building is established, as well as of the building. Sometimes the building occupies a large share of their thoughts, because they are working here. They have to do with the material work; and yet this material work is not the end itself, only the means. And when they stop to think of this, they always look beyond the building and beyond the material to the work itself.
What do our brethren and our friends out in the field think of when they speak of the Pacific Press? They look further still. A great majority of them have never seen the building at all. They are thinking of the work that is being done here, of the publications that are issued from this place, of the work that this Pacific Press is set to do; and it is upon this, dear friends, that I wish to talk this afternoon in the little while I am to address you. It is what this building stands for, not the building itself.
Laws to Be Followed.
There are certain laws that are followed in building, in the erection of the great structures that are going up in all the large cities. Certain things must be considered, the foundation, the materials that enter into the building: the brick, the stone, the timber. Certain tests must be brought to bear upon these materials. We want to know whether they will stand the strain and stress. We want to know whether these trusses that cover over large spaces are going to stand the pressure that is brought to bear upon them. Whether the beams and girders are solid and will maintain the force that is brought to bear upon them. In all scientific building these things must enter into the question. If not, those who build are disappointed. A large bridge that was in process of construction across the St. Lawrence River fell the other day, and eighty-four men went with it to their death because the laws of building were not regarded. Unless a man regard the laws by which he builds he certainly will be disappointed. This is true in any material building.
Business is established on certain laws. These laws must enter into the establishment of a good permanent business. That is recognized by business men. There must be honesty, probity, integrity, faithfulness, accuracy, courtesy, and a good many other things that enter into the very best kinds of business. I know that sometimes we think that men do a great deal of business, like some of the great trusts, and do not always follow the best kind of principles in business, but sooner or later it will be demonstrated12that these men have not built wisely. There will come a time such as I saw illustrated to-day by a cartoon representing Socialism as a mighty Samson, pushing down the walls of industry and dropping the great temple which had been reared by the Captains of Industry to the earth. The business has been conducted in such a way that it has stirred up animosity and hatred thruout the entire world. It has not been conducted on right principles, and, unless a man regard the laws of the right kind of business, he builds in vain and sooner or later it will be demonstrated.
Building for God.
God's work has certain laws in its establishment. Behind these laws is God Himself, and the man who disregards the laws in the building up of God's work will just as surely find some time sooner or later that he labors in vain when he attempts to build.
It has been intimated by Brother Jones and others that we did not build the wisest. We thought when we erected our first building that it was all right in the building up of this work to connect with it more or less of the world's work; but that meant that some of our best and brightest minds were giving themselves to the world's work instead of to the work for which the building itself was erected. It meant, also, that we were antagonizing men out in the field who were doing the same kind of business that we were—notably the printers' union. But now that we have turned to our own work, these difficulties have passed away, and the minds that were successful in building up a large work outside are now engaged in God's work as God designed it should be in the very beginning. We built not wisely in that building. We have learned better. Building contrary to the laws which God has Himself established has always meant division, weakness, defeat, discouragement, and disaster. It is marked all thru the history of the Christian Church. Just as soon as that early Church departed from the laws by which Christ designed to establish His Church, weakness came in, division came in, the Church lost sight of God and turned to the world, and brought disaster upon the nations of the earth as well as the Church itself, and she is still divided on account of that first departure in the early centuries.
What It Stands for.
This building, dear friends, as remarked by our chairman in the beginning, stands for a definite work for God—stands for the giving of a definite message to the world. We may be considered old-fashioned for standing for that which I mention here to-day, but, nevertheless, we are willing to place ourselves among those who are old-fashioned for these things, some of which I am going to mention before you:
First of all, we stand for the Bible as the word of God. We believe the Bible to be the word of God. We believe that all the true building of the Christian Church has been built upon the word which God Himself has given. We believe the words of our Lord Jesus Christ when He prayed: "Sanctify them thru Thy truth; Thy word is truth." So this office stands here to-day among the institutions in the world for the whole Bible, which presents the great message of life to men who need life; the great message of righteousness to men who need righteousness; the great message of salvation to dying men who need saving. This office stands for that.
Secondly, it stands for the law, the standard of righteousness which God has given men in His word. It stands for the very law that was given thru Christ, the Son of God, on Mount Sinai, which was kept by the Son Himself as He walked here upon earth, our Example and Recreator. We do not know any reason, we can not find any reason in that word, for departing from that standard; and all of us who are here to-day, except those who have been born of Seventh-day Adventist parents, have themselves seen the error of law-perversion, and have turned to that law as our Lord Jesus Christ interpreted it. We do not believe we can be saved by that law; but we do believe that God has erected that standard in the world by which men may know what sin is, and know it so certainly and so definitely that they shall flee from sin and the wrath that awaits the sinner.
Thirdly, this office stands for the atonement thru our Lord Jesus Christ. "Higher criticism" and perverted theology may reject that atonement, may not believe in a Saviour who died for men, a Saviour who by His own creative power recreates men and recreates character; but, dear friends, this office stands for that, for just such a Saviour as that to-day—just such a One as took the ignorant Galilean fishermen and made them men thru whom He has molded the world since then; who has gathered men from every condition in life, from the very lowest, and made them characters that the world has admired, those whom He has used to bring others to the same blessed condition of existence here, a blessing in the world; and has given them a hope for the world hereafter.
The "Sure Word of Prophecy."
Fourthly, this office stands for the prophecy that God has given in His word. Almost every book in the Bible has something to do with prophecy—predicts facts that are to take place. It is the great time-table of the world's events. There is no book in all the world to-day that is so up-to-date in regard to facts that are taking place among the nations of the world as is the Old Book of God in which our fathers and mothers trusted, and in which we learned to trust at the knee of the mother. All the kingdoms of the world of any account whatsoever, every kingdom and nation that has had a molding influence upon this world's life, is outlined in the "more sure word of prophecy;" and the very time in which we are living, with all its multiplied phases is also clearly predicted in that same word.
Fifthly, this building, dear friends, stands for the prophetic word of God, and because it does stand for the prophetic word of God, it stands for the second coming of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. That prophetic time-table God has given us tells us that that coming is near. It tells us that in connection with that, the world is to be warned of that coming. This earth belongs to God. In His own inscrutable wisdom He has allowed sin to run its course, not simply that men here may know what sin means, but as an object-lesson for the entire universe, that men may know that following their own ways and departing from God ends in death. God has revealed to us that there is coming a time when the Lord Jesus Christ will come into His own; His glory will be manifest; and then thru the brightness of that glory sin and all trace of sin will be destroyed, and there will be set up a kingdom, His own kingdom, upon this renewed earth, where His own shall serve Him forever and know no death, no decrepit forms, no sorrow, no tears; but where Christ the Lord shall reign in righteousness thruout all the ages of eternity. And in order that just as many as can be saved out of the world may be saved, God is giving a message of preparation which is to call souls from every nation and kindred and tongue and people, calling them to make them better men and women here to serve their fellows, and to make them characters worth the saving thru-out all eternity. This office stands for that truth and it is publishing that truth to the world to-day.
Sixthly, it stands for clean men and clean women—clean in conversation, clean in life, clean in morals; a temperate people who believe in temperance in all things, and yet not fanatical men.
Seventhly, it stands for religious liberty. While we hold just as firmly as we know how to what we believe this office is set for, we would not for one moment seek to coerce any one to believe as we believe. Every man has a right to his own belief. That lies between himself and God. We do not put ourselves in the judgment-seat. Our business is to give God's message to the world. It is man's business to accept that or to reject that, but the One to whom final judgment belongs is the Lord God of hosts, and God forbid that one of us should place ourselves, or assume to sit, in His seat. Judgment rests with Him alone; but we stand for the liberty of every soul in the world to believe and to act as his conscience dictates.
Eighthly, we believe in missions. The map that hangs here on the wall shows how wide our field is, and publications are going out from this office to almost every country in the world wherever the English language is spoken, and publications in other tongues are going out to foreign fields. This office was definitely erected, built, established to publish this message, and here are some of the laws that govern this message. If we prove false to them we build in vain. If we prove false to them we turn from the Lord whose servants we are. If we prove false to them, we prove false to the very community in which this office is located. We can not afford to do it for the community's sake. Whether they ever believe one single thing that this office publishes or not, we, to be13honest men and women must stay by the work that God Himself has given us.
Dedicated Hearts.
Another very important thing: Those who stand in this publishing-house, who stand by these type-cases, who are over these stones where the forms are made up, who have to do with the molding of plates in the foundry, running pages in the press, folding and binding of books, must themselves have this message in their own hearts except they build in vain. God asks before His children shall teach His word that it shall be in their own hearts. "And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart; and thou shalt teach them." Paul tells us that it was necessary that God must reveal His Son in him before he could preach Christ among the heathen. Then he taught men the saving message of God.
So, dear friends, my fellow workers, let this day be not simply the dedication of this building, this means to a great end, but let our own lives also be dedicated to God, so God's work may be wrought in us; for unless that shall be, we ourselves shall build in vain. There will come a time when this means, this building, this structure which is erected, will crumble, and crumble into nothingness, before the coming of that great and terrible day. But there will be some things that will survive at that time, and these some things that will survive are characters—characters in which God is placing His own righteousness, His own integrity, His own purity, His own strength to resist all temptation, all worldly blandishments; and God wants those who are working here not to be mere scaffolding in the erection of His great building of truth, not like the mere materials with which they are doing the work, but to be characters like the Lord Jesus Christ which shall stand forever. "Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it."
May God bless all these, my dear fellow workmen here to-day, and may they so live before Him that their very mechanical work shall tell not less for God than the words spoken from this platform to-day.
May He bless our friends here from other places. And may His rich blessing rest upon our fellow townsmen and the community in which this building is erected. Amen.
Brief Remarks by Others on the Occasion.
ELDER J. N. LOUGHBOROUGH, first president and manager of the Pacific Press, said:
Perhaps first there is due an apology for my tardiness of arrival. As those intimately acquainted with me know, I have been suffering with a cough since January when I had la grippe for a whole month. Just as I had disposed of my home here, an invitation came for me to go to Colorado to attend a yearly meeting. I said to my daughter, "Let's make that a subject of prayer." I had been coughing and raising from the lungs about every night from a half hour to an hour, but I said, "If the Lord wants me to go He can stop that." I haven't had one spell since. For nine days in succession I spoke to large audiences of from 1200 to 1500 people.
Then I made the journey back, and, as usual, the train was late, so I did not get back until Thursday afternoon. Upon returning, I was given a letter inviting me to come down here and take part in these exercises. Yesterday and last night I was under treatment. I did not expect to be here at all. This morning when I arose I said to my daughter, "I am going down to that dedication. I must be there." And I am glad I came.
I call to mind this afternoon when this Pacific Press business started in Oakland. For several months we had a room that was twelve by fourteen. I had a mattress that I used at night, during the day rolling it up and keeping it in a clothes-press, and I slept there among the type for three months. I wasn't much of a printer, but they had me manage, so I did the best I could. Sometimes we had a paper once in two weeks, sometimes oftener. And, as I often tell the people, something has happened since that time. As I look around and see what has been done, and see the way things are going, it gladdens my heart. I thank God I am here and that this institution is here; and God's blessing will rest upon it just as long as these principles are carried out that have been presented before us to-day.
When I decided to come here to-day, I said, "I will get there at 1:08, and will have time enough to talk to the brethren and get all arranged,"—but the train was only one hour and fifteen minutes late. It got nine miles out from San Francisco in an hour and a half. There were about fifteen cars, and back of us another train of six cars more. All of San Francisco was going somewhere. A woman on the same car with me said she did not believe the train would ever get to her destination, and she didn't care whether it did or not. She was going to meet a man to look at some real estate, but said she knew he would not be there and she would take the next train back. When we got to the station, there stood the man ready to meet her. I said to the young man sitting with me, "That proves the old saying, 'Borrowed trouble never comes out as we expected.'"
I thought that I would not get here,—I didn't borrow any trouble about it particularly, for I thought if the Lord wanted me to get down to Mountain View, I would get there. I got here at last, all right, thank the Lord.
WILLIAM SAUNDERS: I know most of your faces, and most of you know me. It is by the grace of God that I have been privileged to be connected with this institution for more than twenty-one years; and I will mention the reason for my being connected with it. I had become a Seventh-day Adventist before my connection with the Pacific Press. I had been a publisher for a number of years, and when I disposed of my business in order to conform my life to my profession, I was requested by the manager, Brother Jones, to connect with the Pacific Press, and did so. I have occupied most of my time as a representative of the Press in San Francisco.
In the early part of our manager's report was mentioned the London branch. I was requested to go over and assist in establishing that branch. I see in the audience Brother and Sister Covell who were there at the same time. I remained there until the work was thoroly established, and then returned to my family in Oakland, Cal. I am glad of the prosperity of this institution. I am extremely glad of the change in its methods—that is, in the cutting away from the commercial work. Instead of working for the world it is working for the cause, and for God, and for the salvation of souls. I congratulate you on having this institution in this place. I think it is an honor to a town or to any community to have such an institution. While we regretted its being removed from Oakland, yet it is doing a grand work, and we hope it will be fully appreciated. I understand the community here do appreciate this institution in its midst. I thank God for its prosperity, and hope it may be the means of winning many souls to Christ.
JUDGE BURNS: After listening to what has been said and learning how matters are progressing, I feel I would not be able to say anything that would add to the interest of the remarks that have already been made. I feel a deep interest in the progress of this institution, and believe that it will ultimately, as it is doing now, redound to great and glorious good, and I believe that my fellow citizens voice this sentiment.
PROFESSOR AMES: I did not come here with the expectation or preparation of saying anything, but I will endorse most heartily what Judge Burns has said; and I will state that I have been intensely interested and gratified by the remarks to which I have listened this afternoon, and like the venerable gentleman [Elder Loughborough] who had so much trouble in getting here, I am glad I have come.
ELDER W. T. KNOX: My remarks will be very few. I have taken great pleasure in hearing the reports that have been submitted. I am sure that all, whether their acquaintance with this institution has been for a number of years or only a short time, are pleased to hear of the success that has been attending it since the calamity that destroyed the previous factory. I feel confident, also, that just so long as the Pacific Press stands, and will stand, for those things, those principles, enumerated by the speaker, that just so long she will continue to enjoy the smile of God and prosperity and success shall be hers, and this is my earnest wish.