The prayer offered by Solomon at the dedication of the temple breathed the sentiments of loftiest piety blended with deepest humility.
In all that was said during the dedicatory services, Solomon sought to remove from the minds of those present the superstitions in regard to the Creator that had beclouded the minds of the heathen. He told them that the God of heaven is not like the gods of the heathen, who are confined to temples built for them, but that the true God would meet with his people by his Spirit when they should assemble at the house dedicated to his worship. The Lord visits his people in their homes, or wherever they may be, and cheers them by special revelations of his goodness. And in every place God's children have the privilege of worshiping their Heavenly Father.
Centuries later, Paul taught the same truth in these words: “God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; neither is worshiped with men's hands, as though he needed anything, seeing he giveth to all nations of menlife, and breath, and all things; . . . that they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of11us: for in him we live, and move, and have our being.”
And the psalmist declares:—
“Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord;
The people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.
The Lord looketh from heaven;
He beholdeth all the sons of men;
From the place of his habitation he looketh forth
Upon all the inhabitants of the earth.”
“He hath looked down from the height of his sanctuary.”
“The Lord hath prepared his throne in the heavens;
And his kingdom ruleth over all.”
“Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary: who is so great a God as our God? Thou art the God that doest wonders: thou hast declared thy strength among the people.”
Although God dwells not in temples made with hands, yet he honors with his presence the assemblies of his people. He has promised that when they come together to seek him, to acknowledge their sins, and to pray for one another, he will meet with them by his Spirit. But those who assemble to worship him should put away every evil thing. Unless they can worship him in spirit and truth and in the beauty of holiness, their coming together will be of no avail.
If God's people, when they assemble, will let him speak to them through his appointed agencies, all will be united in his service. “Give ear, O my people,” he pleads, “to my law: incline your ear to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old: which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children, showing to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, and his strength, and the wonderful works that he hath done. For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children: that the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children: that they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments: and might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation; a generation that set not their heart aright, and whose spirit was not steadfast with God.”
Words of Approval and of Warning
After the close of the dedicatory ceremonies, “the Lord appeared to Solomon by night, and said unto him, I have heard thy prayer, and have chosen this place to myself for an house of sacrifice. If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people; if my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place. For now have I chosen and sanctified this house that my name may be there forever: and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually.”
If Israel had remained faithful and true to God, this glorious building would have stood forever, as a perpetual sign of God's especial favor to his chosen people. “The sons of the stranger,” God declared, “that join themselves to the Lord, to serve him, and to love the name of the Lord, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant; even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called a house of prayer for all people.” And the Saviour himself, in referring to this scripture, declared that the temple was to have been known as “a house of prayer for all nations.”
In the night vision given Solomon, the Lord made very plain the path of duty before the king. “As for thee,” he declared, “if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked, and do according to all that I have commanded thee, and shalt observe my statutes and my judgments; then will I stablish the throne of thy kingdom, according as I have covenanted with David thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man to be ruler in Israel.”
How full are God's promises! Had Solomon continued to serve the Lord in humility, his reign would have been a powerful influence for good over the surrounding heathen nations,—nations that had been so favorably impressed by his father David's reign, and by the wise words and magnificent works of the earlier years of his own reign. God, in his mercy, foreseeing the terrible temptations that attend prosperity and worldly honor, tenderly warned Solomon against the sin of apostasy, and foretold the awful results of sin.
“If ye turn away,” the Lord plainly declared, “and forsake my statutes and my commandments, which I have set before you, and shall go and serve other gods, and worship them; then will I pluck them up by the roots out of my land which I have given them; and this house, which I have sanctified for my name, will I cast out of my sight, and will make it to be a proverb and a by-word among all nations. And this house, which is high, shall be an astonishment to every one that passeth by it; so that he shall say, Why hath the Lord done thus unto this land, and unto this house? And it shall be answered, Because they forsook the Lord God of their fathers, which brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, and laid hold on other gods, and worshiped them, and served them: therefore hath he brought all this evil upon them.”
“Let Us Kneel Before the Lord Our Maker”
The prayer offered by Solomon during the dedication of the temple, was not made while he stood upon his feet. The king knelt in the humble position of a petitioner.
Herein is a lesson for God's people to-day. Our spiritual strength and our influence are not increased by conformity to a worldly attitude during prayer. In these perilous times, those who profess to be God's commandment-keeping people should guard against the tendency to lose the spirit of reverence and godly fear.
The Scriptures teach men how to approach their Maker,—with humility and awe, through faith in a divine Mediator. Let man come on bended knee, as a subject of grace, a suppliant at the footstool of mercy. Thus he is to testify that the whole soul, body, and spirit are in subjection to his Creator.
Both in public and in private worship, it is our duty to bow upon our knees before God when we offer our petitions to him. Jesus, our example, “kneeled down, and prayed.” And of his disciples it is recorded that they, too, “kneeled down, and prayed.” Stephen “kneeled.” Paul declared: “I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” In confessing before God the sins of Israel, Ezra knelt. Daniel “kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God.” And the invitation of the psalmist is: “O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.”
“What doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul?” “Fear ye not me? saith the Lord: will ye not tremble at my presence?” “Unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of Righteousness arise with healing in his wings.”
“Let all the earth fear the Lord: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. . . . The eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy.” “By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, and honor, and life.”
“Wherefore . . . let us have grace, whereby we may offer service well-pleasing to God with reverence and awe.”
Time to Finish
By W. J. STONE
How rapidly many of our laborers and older brethren and sisters are dropping into their graves! Must this continue until we who have reached the half-century period of our lives have all passed off the stage of action, and the finishing of the work be given to our children to accomplish? For one, I desire to help in its completion; I do not wish to lay down the armor until the work is done. I wish to live to see Him who died to redeem me coming in the clouds of heaven, with all his holy angels, to gather his people to those mansions he is now preparing for the faithful.
But to accomplish that which the Lord has for us to do in this generation, we must have a new experience—a new life and power greater than heretofore possessed. Shall we not, during the week of prayer, seek the Lord with all our hearts for a preparation that will cause us unitedly to arise in the strength of the God of Israel and finish the work? Shall we act like men who wait for their Lord when he shall return from the wedding? Shall we not make the carrying of this message to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people the one great purpose of our lives? Shall we not, in fact, become a part of the third angel’s message—the literal voice, as was John the Baptist in his day?
May this week of prayer be to this denomination what the ten days of tarrying at Jerusalem were to the disciples before the day of Pentecost. May this be a time when we shall be greatly endued with power from on high; and may the hearts of all God’s people be greatly enlarged, and made willing to supply every needed assistance for the conclusion of the work quickly.
W. J. STONE, of Indiana.
The Altered Question
VOICES, sad with sin and suffering,
From the lands beyond the sea,
Ever came in pleading accents,
Till they seemed a call to me;
But I strove to answer “No”
As I questioned, “Must I go?”
Still I mused, till growing pity
Touched and filled my inmost soul.
I could tell the “old, old story”
Of the Love that maketh whole;
Yet I wavered to and fro,
Pondering always, “Shall I go?”
Then I saw, as in a vision,
One who stood with outstretched hands,
And a face of tender yearning
Turned toward those heathen lands;
At His feet I bent me low,
Whispering softly, “May I go?”
There I leave it—anxious questions
Are for evermore at rest,
Here or there, or work or waiting,
His the choice, and that is best.
For I know that, day by day,
He himself will show the way.
—Quarterly Notes, of the Australian Board of Missions.
The Groaning Earth
By T. H. JEYS
T. H. JEYS
“For we know that the whole creation groaneth, . . . even we ourselves groan within ourselves.” Rom. 8: 22, 23.
When one groans, it is because there is some condition that is painful. This is why the earth groans at the present time. For six thousand years the fatal experiment of sin has had time to do its baleful work. The wickedness of man rests heavily on the earth, and causes this mighty cry of anguish to go up from all nature.12
Men of God of all ages, patriarchs and prophets, priests and people, have earnestly longed for the fulfilment of the promises made to the fathers. Enoch, the seventh from Adam, looking down through the ages, saw in the far distance the time when the Lord should come with ten thousand of his saints. Abraham, when viewing the future, was overcome with a horror of great darkness as he thought of the long years to elapse before his seed should inherit the promise. When the prophet Daniel was shown the dark, bloody career of the persecutor, he fainted, and was sick certain days. To him it was likewise a revelation of a horror of great darkness, because the time was so long. To the loved disciple on lonely Patmos was revealed the sanguinary conflict and final triumph of God's elect. But even then the finishing of the work was distant. There was to be years, decades, centuries of weary waiting. The wilderness was still to be passed through.
No more do we look at this great work from the view-point of Abraham, Daniel, Paul, or John. Not with prophetic, but with our natural eyes we see the deepening of the conflict, the marshaling to battle of Satan's hosts. The shout of the enemy is heard as charge after charge is made upon the advancing host of God. The last stern conflict is here. The battle is set. The lines are drawn. Closer and still closer draws the last mighty struggle. Through all, the voice of nature is heard groaning to be delivered. God's people cry day and night for help, and that call will not be long neglected.
O brother! soon the mystery of God is to be finished. Shall we rise to the opportunity and smite the enemy? Shall we move in harmony with the angels who are longing to strike the strategic blow, but are retarded because they must needs wait for human co-operation? Just a little longer must the faithful soldier of the cross endure hardness, and then the promises made to the fathers will be realized.
Yonder is the city. Its towers and battlements shine with the added distinctness of a nearer view. Almost by sight now, rather than by faith, we see the closing up of the long, sad conflict. Courage, my brother! Rise to finish the work.
“River of God, I greet thee,
Now not afar, but near.”
Spero, N. C.
“Amen!”
By J. W. HIRLINGER
J. W. HIRLINGER
The Spirit of God tells us that “the church of God below is one with the church of God above. Believers on the earth and the beings in heaven who have never fallen constitute one church. Every heavenly intelligence is interested in the assemblies of the saints who on earth meet to worship God. In the inner court of heaven they listen to the testimonies of the witnesses for Christ in the outer court on earth, and the praise and thanksgiving from the worshipers below is taken up in the heavenly anthem, and praise and rejoicing sound through the heavenly courts because Christ has not died in vain for the fallen sons of Adam.
“While angels drink from the fountainhead, the saints on earth drink of the pure streams flowing from the throne, the streams that make glad the city of God. O that we could all realize the nearness of heaven to earth! When the earth-born children know it not, they have angels of light as their companions. . . . Let us all bear in mind that in every assembly of the saints below are angels of God, listening to the testimonies, songs, and prayers. Let us remember that our praises are supplemented by the choirs of the angelic host above.
“Then as you meet from Sabbath to Sabbath, sing praises to him who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. ‘Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,’ let the heart’s adoration be given. Let the love of Christ be the burden of the speaker’s utterance. Let it be expressed in simple language in every song of praise. Let the inspiration of the Spirit of God dictate your prayers.
“As the word of life is spoken, let your heartfelt response testify that you receive the message as from heaven, we This is very old-fashioned, I know; but it will be a thank-offering to God for the bread of life given to the hungry soul. This response to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit will be a strength to your own soul and an encouragement to others. It will give some evidence that there are in God’s building living stones that emit light.”—“Testimonies,” Vol. VI, pages 366, 367.
How shall we let our heartfelt response testify that we receive the word of life as from heaven?—“Let all the people say, Amen. Praise ye the Lord.” Ps. 106: 48. “I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also. Else when thou shalt bless with the spirit, how shall he that occupieth the room of the unlearned say Amen at thy giving of thanks?” 1 Cor. 14: 15, 16.
It is “very old-fashioned” to respond by saying, “Amen! Praise ye the Lord,” as the word of life is being spoken. Yes, it is as old-fashioned as Christ himself, for he is called “The Amen.” Rev. 3: 14. It is as old-fashioned as Num. 5: 22; 1 Kings 1: 36; 1 Chron. 16: 34. “O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good; for his mercy endureth forever. And say ye, Save us, O God of our salvation, and gather us together, and deliver us from the heathen, that we may give thanks to thy holy name, and glory in thy praise. . . . And all the people said, Amen, and praised the Lord.” Just so the Lord would have us do. Men and women?—Yes, “all the people.”
Why are there not as many hearty amen responses to the word of God spoken in our congregations as there were years ago? Is not our salvation nearer? Is not that “blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ,” a more real, living, precious truth now as we stand on the very border of the heavenly Canaan? My inmost soul can not refrain from responding “Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.” Rev. 22: 20. “Even so” “let all the people” who love his appearing say “Amen!”
The minister of God can deliver the messages of inspiration with more freedom and courage, and the lay member can pray and testify better, when they are encouraged by hearty “Amens.” So let us all be Aärons and Hurs to hold up and steady the ministers’ and one anothers’ hands by our amen props.
However, we ought not to say amen from the lips only, but have the amen spirit in our hearts; then out of the abundance of the heart the mouth will speak, and we shall get a blessing by so responding.
As the minister or other person is giving to the flock meat in due season, speaking the truth as it is in Jesus, let our response testify that we receive the message as from heaven, and in this way strengthen our own souls, and encourage others. “Quench not the Spirit” by resisting its promptings. The Lord tells all the people to “say Amen.” So when we fail to obey him in this respect, we hold back the blessing of God. “If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.” “He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.” “Amen, and Amen.”
Lancaster, Pa.
Something Gives Way
A CHRISTIAN woman in a town in New York desired to obtain a schoolhouse for the purpose of starting a Sabbath-school, but was refused by a skeptical trustee. Still she persevered, and asked him again and again.
“I tell you, Aunt Polly, it is of no use. Once for all, I say you can not have the schoolhouse for any such purpose.”
“I think I am going to get it,” said Aunt Polly.
“I should like to know how, if I do not give you the key.”
“I think that the Lord is going to unlock it.”
“Maybe he will,” said the infidel, “but I can tell you this; he will not get the key from me.”
“Well, I am going to pray over it, and I have found out from experience that when I keep on praying, something always gives way.”
And the next time she came, the hard heart of the infidel gave way, and she received the key. More than this, when others opposed the school, he sustained her, and great good was done for perishing souls.
“Something gives way.” Sometimes there is a funeral. When God’s Spirit inspires a prayer in a believing Christian’s heart, Omnipotence stands ready to answer it. “Something gives way.”—Christian Secretary.
Austrian Mission Field
By M. H. WENTLAND
M. H. WENTLAND
Austria, without Hungary, is about the size of the State of Wyoming, having an area of one hundred and seventeen square miles, and a population of over twenty-six million. The southern part of the empire is very mountainous. It also has mountain chains on nearly all of its borders. The chief ranges are the Alps, in the southwestern part, which in some places rise about twelve thousand feet in height.
A VILLAGE IN THE AUSTRIAN ALPS
Austria is chiefly an agricultural country. Its mineral treasures, which are rich, largely await development. It is not important as a manufacturing nation, though the provinces of Bohemia, Moravia, and Lower Austria are rapidly developing their textile and metal trades.
The Austro-Hungarian crisis is indeed a very critical one. The emperor, who has heretofore tried to settle matters in a peaceable way, but failed to reach the mark, has of late taken stronger measures, and has directly opposed the move of the Hungarian party leaders. He says, If hostilities should break out, it would mean a great deal to the peace of other nations. We can not see how this trouble will end, but the Lord, who “removeth kings, and setteth up kings,” knows what is best for his cause, for which but comparatively little has been done in Austria.
This country is one of the strongholds of Romanism. We have six workers in this field at present, but the work is progressing slowly. This is due to the fact that foreign missionaries are not tolerated by the authorities. This necessitates our working largely in secret. As yet we have permission to hold public meetings in only one city, and those must be conducted by a native worker. The prejudice is so great that some foreign workers have had to leave the country, having been ordered out by the authorities. A native worker of was lately brought before the courts, and the case is still pending. All these things, and many other difficulties, hinder the progress considerably.
Last spring I started the work in the province of Styria, in the southern part of Austria. We have been living in the city of Gratz, the capital of the province. This city has one hundred and forty thousand inhabitants. Of these only about six thousand are Protestants. The Catholic church is losing quite a number of its members to the Protestant church in this city. During the past two years, five hundred and eighty-seven left the Catholic church. The great majority of these, however, have not experienced the change of heart by doing so. They have not left their superstitions behind them, but have brought them into the other church. The language spoken is German.
The dear Lord, who has said, “Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land,” and, “The Lord knoweth them that are his,” has some precious, blood-bought souls in this city, to whom he says, “Come out of her, my people.” He has guided our steps to such souls, who were glad to receive and accept the sealing message. One was baptized at the camp-meeting in Germany, last July, and another was baptized here by Elder Mathe last September. It was not very easy to find a place for this rite where no one would look on. If it were seen, it might bring the authorities after us. These souls love the truth dearly, and take part in bringing it to others. We hope that the Lord will convict some others whom we are instructing now.
Several weeks ago I was led to a man who seems interested in present truth, and who reads all the literature I can give him. After reading it himself, he goes to his friends, and reads it to them. Thus he has awakened an interest, which I can follow up by Bible studies. It is too bad that we can not supply more of these perishing souls with literature of the third angel’s message. We are not permitted to canvass or sell papers. We are of good courage in the Lord and his work, knowing that he will soon come to gather his faithful ones.
News From Haran—3
By Z. G. BAHARIAN
Z. G. BAHARIAN
Our third trial was on February 13. A letter was read which had been written by me to Brother Enoch Ayvazian when I had heard of his arrest. The following words were taken against me, for which I had to give an explanation:— “May God forgive the officers of the government, because they do not know what they do. Had they known that their own life is in the message you give, they would have you sit on throne.”
The president first asked, “What is this sitting on throne?” I answered that in my letter I encouraged Brother Enoch, presenting to him the case of Joseph, how he was sold by his brothers, was taken to Egypt, was in prison for years; but when Pharaoh saw in him a wisdom which was to be the life of all the land of Egypt, he took him to his own throne, and Joseph taught his elders wisdom. This being so, I advised Brother Enoch not to speak harsh words against the officers, but to be kind, patient, and enduring, and to bless them.
Then I told him that if he had known that his own life was in the message, he would not have put Brother Enoch in jail, but would rather have him sit on the throne he sat on then, as Pharaoh did Joseph, and would urge him to go soon to deliver his message to all the people at Ourfa and the villages. But now he had put him into prison, and prevented him from giving his message. In so doing he cut off his own life, and determined to slay all the people of Ourfa. But as he did this unknowingly, I prayed God to forgive him this sin. This was what I had written Brother Enoch. There was nothing political or civil.
The president asked: “What is this message in which is our life, and that, preventing, we determine to slay all the people of Ourfa?” This important question brought upon us the critical time. I was especially brought there to give the last message of mercy, and now I sought to deliver it faithfully. We knew that this might mean our death, because Moslems have great zeal for their religion. But we committed our lives to God, who raised our Lord from the dead. I was strengthened to speak. I opened my Bible, and read Rev. 14: 14-16, which tells of the coming of our Lord to reap the harvest, before which event God sends the three messages to all the peoples and nations of the world, Moslems included.
I read the first message distinctly—“The hour of his judgment is come.” The president inquired, “Is not God a judge always?” I replied, “Yes; he is always a judge; but he has appointed a day in which he will judge the world, separating the just from the unjust, to give to each according to his works. Now that day has come, and we proclaim it to all the nations of this world.”
He asked again, “How do you know that that day has now come?” I opened14to the eighth and ninth chapters of Daniel, and very plainly showed that in the year 1844, October 22, the hour of God’s judgment began in heaven, and that for nearly sixty-one years we have been in the judgment.
I was next asked, “How did this message begin to be proclaimed?” I was glad for this question. I gave a brief but full history of the message with its disappointment. Then I told how God made known what was the sanctuary and its cleansing, and how this truth was preached in America and in other lands, and how it was brought into Turkey. It took me about an hour and a half to tell it all. There were many listeners—a mixed multitude of Armenians, Assyrians, Kurds, and Arabs. We thanked the Lord for this opportunity. This part of the message was made known to them, and they were told that their own lives were in this message; that is, they would live should they accept it, and would perish should they refuse it.
This message had a different effect upon different persons. The Moslem party of the court became angry; but the Christian party were glad because we so courageously preached the gospel. The listeners also seemed very satisfied, some admiring our courage, and some rejoicing because of the preaching. Soon they went out and proclaimed it abroad. The trial for that day was closed, and we were sent down to our jail. A few days later our lawyer called, and told us that the Moslem party of the court were thinking of sentencing me to a heavy punishment, and the Christian party said they could not oppose them. He proposed to us a way of compromising; but I dismissed him, because we could not work that way. We put our trust in the Lord, and waited for the next trial.
Aintab, Turkey.
Church Purity and Power
“PURITY in the church at home gives power to the church abroad.”
