p. 16 | Loyalty by Editor

Pacific Press Publishing Company · MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA · May 1, 1907

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 33, No. 18.

Loyalty.

By Editor

There is no grander quality in the Christian than unswerving loyalty. He may be imperfect in his development of character, his knowledge may not be extensive, his education may be defective, his experience may be limited; but he may be loyal to his God, his King, and his Redeemer. Others may fail and desert the ranks, he will only gird the armor more closely and be unceasingly vigilant. Others will prove false when some great leader falls, but the loyal stands firmer to duty than ever. Others may follow the multitude, he remains loyal to the law of his Lord, tho he stands alone. O, for more zealous, loyal soldiers of God in these days of lukewarmness and treachery!

Peace Congress.

In our Outlook Department will be found a striking article on the peace question. This will be followed by reports direct from the great Peace Conference in New York. The Peace Conference in New York is a preliminary to The Hague. It has been thought by some that it will be of even greater importance than that of The Hague. Its discussions and actions will at least have a tremendous effect on The Hague Conference. Our readers will want to know what the great men of the country are saying, and the relation of all this to the prophetic word. Mr. John S. Wightman will send us exclusive reports, with photographs of the leading speakers, and other matters of interest. In connection with the Peace Conference it is well to note what some of the powers are saying. For instance, a cablegram from Paris, dated March 5, states that "while France is not opposed to joining Great Britain and the United States in a discussion of the limitation of armament at the approaching conference at The Hague, the Government nevertheless doubts the sincerity of England." A noted Dutch publicist, Professor J. M. W. Vander Poorten-Schwartz ("Maarten Maartens"), finds nothing in his investigations among the nations which looks toward armament limitations. Nothing, he thinks, will be accomplished in the cause of lasting peace.

Our New Cover Page.

Our new cover page is by the well-known artist, Mr. Chas. Mente, of New York. The design of the page is to cover in symbol to some extent the scope of the articles on prophecy which the SIGNS OF THE TIMES will contain for the next half year. Beginning on the left side of the page at the top under the title, we have the Tower of Babel, representing Babylon, "the beginning of kingdoms" in Biblical history. Next below is the winged, human-faced lion, the symbol of Assyria. After Assyria comes Egypt, represented by the sphinx and the pyramids, the camel and the desert. Then follow ruins of Persepolis, the ancient capital of Persia, and ruins of Tyre, the great merchant city of ancient times. The Propylaea of Athens where Paul spoke, the Arch of Constantine, representing Rome. All these ruins are symbols of the countries which they represent. They speak of human glory and its sad ending. On the right side of the picture we have the great symbolic image, the alphabet of all prophecies, Daniel 2, representing the rise and fall and deterioration of the kingdom of man until the time when the kingdoms of men will give place to the everlasting kingdom of Christ. At the foot of the picture we have a symbolic representation in various types of the great plan of salvation, laid in sacrifice: the ancient altar, the sanctuary with its surrounding tribes at the base of Mount Sinai, and the cross of Christ, from which flows the healing stream to the nations. Over the picture there is the suggestion of God's eternal city and kingdom of glory beyond. The picture will bear a vast amount of study and is suggestive of a great field of history and prophecy.

This issue is the first of the twenty-six special numbers covering the following subjects:

The Bible.
Prophecy.
The Coming of the Lord.
Our Sacrifice and Priest.
The Signs of the Times.
The Law and the Gospel.
Man and His Destiny.
Spiritual Gifts.
Election, Predestination, and Free Will.
The Great Threefold Message.
The Church.
Bible Temperance.
The Sabbath the Test of the Ages.
The Great Federation Movement.
Religious Liberty.
The Outpouring of the Spirit.

These include the great religious questions which are agitating the world to-day, questions upon which hang the issues of eternal life or eternal death. We commend them to our readers. We plead with them to not only read the papers themselves for the next six months, costing only the small sum of seventy-five cents, but to use them among friends and neighbors. These papers will not deal with theories, but with the great, eternal facts of God's word.

This paper assumes that this word is true and is believed by the majority of its readers. It also believes that there are thousands of others who are questioning whether it is true, but who are longing to find the truth upon which they may rest their souls. These articles in themselves demonstrate the truth of the word of God. This present issue is upon the word of God, the Bible. Our second issue is upon Prophecy. The field of prophecy will be covered in general. The object of prophecy, the fulness of prophecy as set forth in the great alphabetical lines of prophecy in Daniel and Revelation. Following that will come two issues discussing the various evidences of the Lord's coming. We shall try to make every issue better than the one previous. The price of the twenty-six issues is seventy-five cents, covering six months of the year. Do not put off your subscription, but subscribe now so you can get the whole set. Mrs. Stuttle's stories on the Christ-life begin in this issue. You do not want to miss a single number.

The Word Inspired, Not the Man.

The inspiration of the Bible is not of the man, but is of the word; it is not of the writer, but the writing. It is nowhere said that the man is inspired. We speak of "inspired" men in an accommodated sense, meaning those by whom God has spoken, but it is not a Bible expression. The word is inspired—God-breathed; the men are moved upon by the Holy Spirit. In the world the men are exalted, in the Scriptures it is the word which God breathed thru them. "The Spirit of Jehovah spake by me, and His word was upon my tongue." 2 Sam. 23:2. No, it was not David, but as we read in Acts 1:16, of a quotation from the Psalms, the words "which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake." The Spirit of Christ spoke thru the prophets. 1 Peter 1:11. The word is God-breathed.

Difference in Style.

"But if the word is all equally the word of God, what makes the difference in style of composition among the different writers?" is often asked. But we may ask, Why should the Spirit of God always use one style? Many of our most prolific writers do not write the same at different times of life, or even in the same periods. We have the grave, the gay, the solemn, the pathetic, the argumentative, the hortatory, the lively, the poetic, the prosaic, the long, loose sentence, the well-rounded period; yet it is the same mind speaking in each style or kind of writing. Here is a master musician. He plays readily the violin, the piano, the harp, the guitar, the organ, the cornet, the bagpipe, the fife, the jew's-harp. We find evidences of the superior mind and skill in them all. One instrument is loud and harsh, another is soft and sweet, but the touch of the trained hand, the soul of the artist, is revealed in each and all. So God has used all classes of men that He may reach men in every walk of life. These men have submitted oftentimes unconsciously, perhaps, their whole personality to God, and the Lord has used them to reach other personalities. The melody of heaven is heard in each and all. God's word is made flesh. Praise Him for His manifold truth, revealed in His manifold way.

"Under the Law."

Many indeed are the questions which are coming to us over such texts as Rom. 6:14, 15; Gal. 3:23, and others containing the expression "under the law." The thought is carried by many who desire to evade the obligations of God's law that it is not duty to keep the law because we are under grace. Perhaps there is no test brought forward more frequently than this in order to evade simple duty. To those who are in anywise troubled by the question, or who know of others who are, we commend the tract "Under the Law or Under Grace? Which?" It is No. 163 of the Bible Students' Library. Price of single tract by mail, two cents. Send to the Pacific Press, Mountain View, Cal.

Have our readers ever considered the wonderful message found in Rev. 14:9-12, called the third angel's message? Have they noted the term, "mark of the beast," there found, and contrasted that with the "seal of God," mentioned in Rev. 7:1-3? Do they wish an explanation of these terms? If so, let them send for tract "Seal of God and Mark of the Beast," No. 130, Bible Students' Library. It is a good one to circulate in quantities. Price two cents each. Five cents will secure two copies of the tract by mail.

There are some laws worth perpetuating, and among them is the great law of God's universe. One of the best things said upon that was in a sermon by the late C. H. Spurgeon, now published in tract form by the Pacific Press, Mountain View, Cal. Send two cents postage stamps and obtain the tract and read it. If you wish to let your neighbors and friends read it, obtain a large quantity at a much less proportional price.