Review and Herald, Vol. 88, No. 18. (5/4/1911)

Review and Herald

May 4, 1911

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · May 4, 1911

Live Only One Day at a Time

By Adelbert Clark

O, why do you strive to bring your whole life To the space of one little day, And shut out the sunshine, laughter, and song? Don’t you know that life must have play? ’Tis true there are many battles to fight, And wills to subdue as we climb; But there are, also, both brightness and bloom— So live but one day at a time.

The clouds in the sky are darkened with storm, And awful for us to behold, While yet around us the morning is sweet, And flooded with sunbeams of gold; So wait till the storm in its fury shall break, Ere you worry and fret all the day, Despoiling the sunshine, the gladness, and song That brighten the flowers by the way.

The tempest of trials that each day brings Is only to strengthen our power, Just as the storm-clouds of darkness and rain Strengthen the shrub and the flower. So look not for the days of clouds and of storm— But listen to nature’s sweet chime; Fret not for the things that are far from your reach— Live only one day at a time.

— Adelbert Clark.

The Temperance Instructor

FOR 1911 IS NOW READY

Is It Needed?

Let the misery, the moral, physical, financial waste, and the shocking loss of life in all lands, caused by intemperance, answer.

THE PURPOSE OF THIS ISSUE IS TO INVITE ALL TEMPERANCE PEOPLE TO JOIN

UNCLE SAM

in a

Thorough House Cleaning

The startling fact that enough money is spent every year, for drink alone, in the United States to buy the $91 worth of groceries shown in the above cut for 16,239,797 families, ought to be enough to impel every lover of temperance to put forth his best efforts to suppress this individual, home, and national enemy.

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Out of Egypt

By W. R. Uchtmann

W. R. UCHTMANN

“I LOVED him, and called my son out of Egypt.” Hosea 11:1. “We must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.” Acts 14:22. Paul had an experimental knowledge of this. Trials and tribulations may be compared to either a carriage or a juggernaut,—to help us on our way or to crush us,—and it lies with us which they shall be. If we keep above them, through absolute faith in a loving Saviour, and actually rejoice in them, we are brought nearer him at every trial; but if we get beneath them, and lose sight of God, despair will finally crush us, like the juggernaut, and we shall lose all. In prophecy, both Babylon and Egypt stand for the sinful world; and at the present time, so near the end, all should heed the last warning message: “Come out of her [Babylon], my people.” In Psalm 114 we read what happened when Israel of old came out of Egypt. The sea fled; Jordan was driven back; every opposing element and power gave way before the Lord. The last part of the psalm refers to the second coming of Christ, which is so near, and has been retarded long because the Israel of to-day has not yet answered the call in its fulness: “I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.” We must now either come out of the world or go down with it. Let the words of Joel 2:17 be our prayer: “Spare thy people, O Lord.”

The Deliverance of Peter

By Ellen G. White

(Concluded)

MRS. E. G. WHITE

On this last night before the proposed execution, a mighty angel is sent from heaven to rescue Peter. The strong gates that shut in the saint of God open without the aid of human hands. The angel of the Most High passes through, and they close noiselessly behind him. He enters the cell; and there lies Peter, sleeping the blessed, peaceful sleep of innocence and perfect trust. The light that surrounds the angel fills the cell, but does not waken the apostle.

Peter is not aroused until he feels the touch of the angel’s hand, and hears his voice saying, “Arise up quickly.” He sees his cell illuminated by the light of heaven, and an angel of great glory standing before him. Mechanically he obeys the word spoken to him, and in rising, lifts his hands, and finds that the chains have fallen from his wrists. Again the voice of the heavenly messenger is heard, “Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals;” and again Peter mechanically obeys, keeping his wondering gaze riveted upon his visitor, and believing himself to be dreaming or in a vision. Once more the angel commands: “Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me.” He moves toward the door, followed by the usually talkative Peter, now dumb with amazement. They step over the guard, and reach the heavily bolted door, which of its own accord swings open and closes again immediately, while the guards within and without are motionless at their post.

The second gate, also guarded within and without, is reached. It opens as did the first, with no creaking of hinges, no rattling of iron bolts. They pass through, and it closes again as noiselessly. In the same way they pass through the third gateway, and find themselves in the open street. No word is spoken; there is no sound of footsteps. The angel glides on in front, encircled by a light of dazzling brightness, and Peter, bewildered and still believing himself to be in a dream, follows his deliverer. Street after street is threaded thus, and then, the mission of the angel being accomplished, he suddenly disappears.

As the heavenly light faded away, Peter felt himself to be in profound darkness; but as he became accustomed to this, it gradually seemed to lessen, and he saw that he was alone in the silent street, with the cool night air blowing upon his brow. He now realized that it was no dream nor vision which had come to him. He was free, in a familiar part of the city; he recognized the place as one which he had often frequented, and had expected to pass on the morrow for the last time. He tried to recall the events of the last few moments. He remembered falling asleep, bound between two soldiers, with his sandals and outer garments removed. He examined his person, and found himself fully dressed and girded.

His wrists, swollen from wearing the cruel irons, were now free from the manacles; and he realized that his freedom was no delusion, but a blessed reality. On the morrow he was to have been led forth to die; but lo, an angel has delivered him from prison and from death. “And when Peter had come to himself, he said, Now I know of a surety that the Lord hath sent his angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews.”

The apostle made his way at once to the house where his brethren were assembled, and where they were at that moment engaged in earnest prayer for him. “As Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a damsel came to harken, named Rhoda. And when she knew Peter’s voice, she opened not the gate for gladness, but ran in, and told how Peter stood before the gate. And they said unto her, Thou art mad. But she constantly affirmed that it was even so. Then said they, It is his angel. But Peter continued knocking: and when they had opened the door, and saw him, they were astonished. But he, beckoning unto them with the hand to hold their peace, declared unto them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. . . . And he departed, and went into another place.”

Joy and praise filled the hearts of the believers because God had heard and answered their prayers, and had delivered Peter from the hands of Herod.

In the morning the people gathered to witness the execution of the apostle. Herod sent officers to the prison for Peter, who was to be brought with a great display of arms and guard, in order to insure against his escape, to intimidate all sympathizers, and to show the power of the king.

Meanwhile, when the prison guard found that Peter had escaped, they were seized with terror. It had been expressly stated that their lives would be required for the life of their charge; and because of this, they had been especially vigilant. When the officers came for Peter, the soldiers were still at the door of the prison, the bolts and bars were still fast, the chains were still secured to the wrists of the two soldiers within; but the prisoner was gone. The God of heaven had thwarted the purpose of the wicked king, and had delivered his servant.

When the report of Peter’s escape was brought to Herod, he was exasperated and enraged, and he charged the prison

guard with unfaithfulness. They were accordingly put to death. Herod knew that no human power had rescued Peter, but he was determined not to acknowledge that divine power had frustrated his design. Refusing to humiliate himself, he set himself in bold defiance against God.

Not long after Peter’s deliverance from prison, Herod went to Caesarea. While there, he made a grand festival designed to excite the admiration and applause of the people. This festival was attended by pleasure-lovers from all quarters, and there was much feasting and wine-drinking. With great pomp and ceremony, Herod appeared before the multitude, and addressed them in an eloquent oration. Clad in a robe sparkling with silver and gold, which caught the rays of the sun in its glittering folds, and dazzled the eyes of the beholders, he was a gorgeous figure. The majesty of his appearance and the power of his well-chosen language swayed the assembly with a mighty influence. Their senses were already perverted by feasting and wine; they were dazzled by Herod’s decorations and charmed by his deportment and his words; and wild with enthusiasm, they showered adulation upon him, declaring that mortal man could not present such an appearance, nor command such startling eloquence. They further declared that they had ever respected him as a ruler, but from henceforth they would worship him as a god.

Some of those whose voices were now heard glorifying a vile sinner had but a few years before raised the frenzied cry, “Away with Jesus! Crucify him! Crucify him!” The Jews had refused to acknowledge Christ, whose garments, coarse and often travel-stained, covered a heart of divine love, rich with the inward adorning of a meek and quiet spirit. Their eyes, blinded by sin, refused to see, under the humble exterior, the Lord of life and glory, even though his power was revealed in works that no mere man could do. But they were ready to bow down and worship as a god the haughty king, whose splendid garments of silver and gold covered a corrupt, cruel heart.

Herod knew that he deserved none of the praise and homage offered him, yet he accepted the idolatry of the people as his due. His heart bounded with triumph, and a glow of gratified pride was on his countenance as he heard the shout ascend, “It is the voice of a god, and not of a man.” But suddenly a terrible change came over him. His face became as pallid as death, and was distorted with agony. Great drops of sweat started from his pores. He stood for a moment as if transfixed with pain and terror; then, turning his blanched and livid face to his horror-stricken friends, he cried, in hollow, despairing tones, “He whom you have exalted as a god is stricken with death.”

Suffering the most excruciating anguish, he was borne from the scene of wicked revelry and display. A moment before he had been the proud recipient of the praise and worship of that vast throng; now he felt that he was in the hands of a Ruler mightier than himself. Remorse seized him; he remembered his relentless persecution of the followers of Christ, his cruel command to slay the innocent James, and his design to put to death the apostle Peter. He remembered how, in his mortification and disappointed rage, he had wreaked an unreasoning revenge upon the prison guards. He felt that God was now dealing with him, the relentless persecutor. He found no relief from pain of body or anguish of mind; and he expected none. Herod was acquainted with the law of God, which says, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me;” and he knew that in accepting the worship of the people, he had filled up the measure of his iniquity, and had brought upon himself the just wrath of Jehovah.

The same angel who had come from the royal courts to rescue Peter had been the messenger of wrath and judgment to Herod. The angel smote Peter to arouse him from slumber. It was with a different stroke that he smote the wicked king, laying low his pride, and bringing upon him the punishment of the Almighty. Herod died in great agony of mind and body, under the retributive judgment of God.

This demonstration of divine justice had a mighty influence upon the people. The tidings that the apostle of Christ had been miraculously delivered from prison and death, while his persecutor had been stricken down by the curse of God, were borne to all lands, and were the means of leading many to believe on Christ.

The Life of Christ

By Mary Valliant Nowlin

MARY VALLIANT NOWLIN

The Sabbath-school studies on the life of Christ are now in the past; but it will be well for us to remember the things which caused our hearts to burn within us as we walked by the way with the Master, not only from Jerusalem to Emmaus, but from Bethlehem to the ascension from Olivet. This study gave a new view of the wonderful love of God, far beyond finite comprehension, in giving his only begotten Son to the world, that whosoever believeth in him might have everlasting life. In following the Christ of God from Bethlehem’s manger to Calvary’s cross, there has been a going from strength to strength, from faith to faith, from glory to glory.

O the wonderful revelations in the Christ-life of the mystical connection of divinity with humanity! What hope there is in such a connection,—a real hope of becoming a real Christian, a real follower of Christ; what certainty of conquering as he conquered, if, like Paul, we can say: “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me.” What lowliness, what holiness, what simplicity, what grandeur, met in the Saviour of men! With what unfathomable depths of love and pity for the erring we come in contact in contemplating his life—God-life, man-life—lived among men, tempted and tried as no man can ever be, never failing, always triumphing, because he ever depended on his Father! Through the prophet Isaiah, he declared: “I was not rebellious, neither turned away back. . . . For the Lord God will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded; therefore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed.” Through the psalmist he said: “I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.”

We see him as a child thoughtful of others, helpful, kind, obedient to his parents, firm and unyielding when temptations were to be met. As a man, he was a perfect example of manhood in every respect, “in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” Reach up higher, sinner, backslider, saint; Jesus can save from all sin, and bring on higher ground the one who reaches out for the divine-human hand.

“But still I’ll pray till heaven I’ve found, Lord, lead me on to higher ground.”

We see him in the garden, blood-drops of agony staining his raiment, and marring his visage more than the sons of men; we hear the thrice-repeated cry, “If it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.” Thank God, he drank it. We bow our heads in humility, all vainglorying hushed as we hear that cry, and see the cup tremble in his hand. For him to refuse to drink it would have meant our eternal ruin. But he gave up all, that we might have all, that he might give us the life that measures with the life of God.

We see him again, as the mob, led by Judas, approaches. No trace of agony is now visible on his face, calm as the moonlight bathing the mysterious mountainside with silvery radiance, yet bearing the glory of the mighty angel who strengthened him, that idle curiosity might not see the throes of suffering it could not comprehend. With what patience he greets Judas! He does not refuse the traitor’s kiss. What a lesson for pharisaism, that holds aside even the hem of its garment, lest it touch what it calls defiled. Behold him before his persecutors, bearing their cruel, senseless taunts with perfect serenity, seeking even now to draw them to him by cords of love. We find him on his cruel march to Calvary, hungry, weary almost unto death, yet not discouraged. No self-pity, no seeking of sympathy, but giving all; even now speaking tender words to the wailing women who follow him: “Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me.”

At last behold him on the cross, our martyr King,—Barabbas set free,—hanging between the heaven and the earth, forsaken even by him who said, “Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended.” In his agony we hear the Son of God saying to one who had faith in him, “Thou shalt be with me in paradise;”

and again, in filial love committing his mother to the beloved John, and breathing out that prayer of all prayers, in divine love and compassion, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” And now ring out, in omnipotent triumph, the words that startle the gaping multitude with wonder: “It is finished.” In a vague way it dawns even upon the minds of the Roman soldiers that more than man is dying by the cruel hands of men. His work is done. All that the Father committed unto him, he has faithfully performed. Perfect victory crowns the cross of Calvary.

In the resurrection morning, when Jesus comes forth conqueror, the Roman seal snapped by the power which death could not hold, nor powers, nor principalities of darkness, his first thought is for the bereaved ones. He greets her first who has been forgiven much, and who, therefore, loves much. He does not forget Peter, who is likely to sink under shame and discouragement for his base denial of him. The risen Christ is the same tender, loving Saviour, with his “Peace be unto you.” Working, loving, forgiving—this was the Christ-life. Let it be ours. And it can be; for he says: “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. . . . And, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.”

The simplicity of his life was its wonder; his goodness was his glory. And when we see him coming in triumph, sitting on the white cloud, and all the angels of heaven with him, I believe the splendor of that scene will be the glory of his goodness still. Words fail when we contemplate this wondrous Christ, Saviour, Brother, Friend. No wonder, at sight of such sweetness, such goodness, such glory, such majesty, the islands flee away, the mountains are removed into the sea, and sinners call for the rocks to fall on them, and hide them from the face of Calvary’s slain Lamb! No wonder that at last all are constrained to say: “Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord”!

“Jesus, thou joy of loving hearts! Thou fount of life! thou light of men! From the best bliss that earth imparts, We turn unfilled to thee again.

“We taste thee, O thou Living Bread, And long to feast upon thee still; We drink of thee, the Fountainhead, And thirst our souls from thee to fill.

“Our restless spirits yearn for thee, Where’er our changeful lot is cast; Glad, when thy gracious smile we see, Blest, when our faith can hold thee fast.

“O Jesus, ever with us stay; Make all our moments calm and bright; Chase the dark night of sin away, Shed o’er the world thy holy light.”

Washington, D. C.

The Example of Christ

By D. E. Robinson

A Study of Principles—No. 9

The Example of Christ

D. E. ROBINSON

“In that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succor them that are tempted.”

Jesus Christ alone is qualified to act as our High Priest and Saviour, because, however difficult it may be to understand, he only has passed through such experiences of test and trial as enable him to know how to meet the needs of every tempted soul.

Those who belong to “this generation,” which “shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled,” must meet an issue which involves strong temptations. But we may be assured that our perfect Saviour and Pattern has met and triumphed over similar temptations.

Jesus was the Word made flesh. Men may differ as to the meaning of some of the written words of Scripture relative to our duty under certain conditions; but we may always know the true meaning, when his example furnishes a living interpretation. By a study of his methods of encountering opposition, we may learn principles to govern us in our relation to those who oppose the truths that we have to proclaim to the world.

Christ came to this world for a purpose,—to perform a divine mission. Every other consideration was subordinated to the fulfilment of this work. “My meat is to do the will of him that sent me,” he declared, “and to finish his work.” John 4:34. And knowing that the opposition to his labors would wax stronger until finally he must cease, he said, further: “I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.” John 9:4. And when the sad hour came that cruel hands were laid on the Son of God, on that same night when to the emissaries of the great adversary the words were spoken, “This is your hour, and the power of darkness,” Jesus “lifted up his eyes to heaven,” and could say to his Father, “I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.”

Undoubtedly, behind the opposition of men, there lay the instigation of Satan, whose purpose it was to hinder the work of Christ, and, if possible, to cut it short. In our day it is well, in meeting opposition, to remember that “we wrestle not against flesh and blood.” And we should fear lest by an unwise course we place ourselves where our work will be cut short unnecessarily.

We read that at one time “Jesus walked in Galilee: for he would not walk in Jewry, because the Jews sought to kill him.” In Galilee he could carry forward his work, whereas at that time in Judea he would have been forced to meet fierce opposition. But by this withdrawal he laid himself open to a charge of weakness by his brethren, who did not believe in him. They considered merely the act, without understanding the motive that actuated him. They urged him tauntingly to go up to the feast of tabernacles. “There is no man that doeth anything in secret,” they said, “and he himself seeketh to be known openly. If thou do these things, show thyself to the world.” His reply to their taunts and insinuations was, “My time is not yet come.” Commenting upon this incident, Mrs. E. G. White says:—

“The world for Christ was not a place of ease and self-aggrandizement. He was not watching for an opportunity to seize its power and its glory. It held out no such prize for him. It was the place into which his Father had sent him. He had been given for the life of the world, to work out the great plan of redemption. He was accomplishing his work for the fallen race. But he was not to be presumptuous, not to rush into danger, not to hasten a crisis. Each event in his work had its appointed hour. He must wait patiently. He knew that he was to receive the world’s hatred; he knew that his work would result in his death; but to prematurely expose himself would not be the will of his Father.”—“Desire of Ages,” page 451.

After his brethren had left for Jerusalem, Jesus did go up to the feast of tabernacles, but he went, “not openly, but as it were in secret.” John 7:10. He chose “an unfrequented route by which to go, in order to avoid the travelers who were making their way to the city from all quarters. Had he joined any of the caravans that went up to the feast, public attention would have been attracted to him on his entrance into the city, and a popular demonstration

in his favor would have aroused the authorities against him. It was to avoid this that he chose to make the journey alone.”—“Desire of Ages,” pages 451, 452.

It was a part of the work of Christ to preach the gospel in the cities of Galilee. See Luke 4:43. Therefore, when he would have been hindered in Judea, he could do effective work in the northern division. But at the time of the feast of tabernacles, the great multitudes that gathered at Jerusalem gave him such an opportunity for teaching that no fear for the consequences would keep him from attending. Suddenly he appeared before them in the very temple.

Divine Protection

It is worthy of note that Jesus had given as the reason for his withdrawal from Judea the fact that his hour had not yet come; and yet, when he returned and taught openly, the record is that though “they sought to take him,” yet “no man laid hands on him, because his hour was not yet come.” John 7:30. It would seem that although when he could carry on his work elsewhere, he himself took wise precautions to shield himself from the wrath of his enemies, yet when duty called him to the place of danger, his Father restrained wicked men from laying hands on him. Yet this divine protection did not lead him to act presumptuously; for when, as a result of his plain teaching, his enemies were angered, and took up “stones to cast at him,” he “hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.” John 8:59. And when they again sought to take him, “he escaped out of their hand, and went away again beyond Jordan into the place where John at first baptized; and there he abode.” There he could work quietly with the many who “resorted unto him.” John 10:39-41.

The example of Christ in meeting opposition was in harmony with the instruction given to his disciples when he sent them on their mission of service. “When they persecute you in this city,” he said, “flee ye into another.” Well did he know how sorely they were to be tried when bearing witness of his earthly life, and of his triumph over the forces of evil.

“So bitter would be the enmity to the gospel that even the tenderest earthly ties would be disregarded. The disciples of Christ would be betrayed to death by the members of their own households. ‘Ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake,’ he added; ‘but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.’ But he bade them not to expose themselves unnecessarily to persecution. He himself often left one field of labor for another, in order to escape from those who were seeking his life. When he was rejected at Nazareth, and his own townsmen tried to kill him, he went down to Capernaum, and there the people were astonished at his teaching; ‘for his word was with power.’ So his servants were not to be discouraged by persecution, but to seek a place where they could still labor for the salvation of souls.”—Id., page 355.

In John 11:47-53, we read of the plots of the priests against Jesus, after the resurrection of Lazarus. “Jesus therefore walked no more openly among the Jews; but went thence unto a country near to the wilderness.” Verse 54.

“The Saviour understood the plotting of the priests. He knew that they longed to remove him, and that their purpose would soon be accomplished. But it was not his place to hasten the crisis, and he withdrew from that region, taking the disciples with him. Thus by his own example Jesus again enforced the instruction he had given to his disciples, ‘When they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another.’ There was a wide field in which to work for the salvation of souls; and unless loyalty to him required it, the Lord’s servants were not to imperil their lives.”—Id., page 541.

At times in his ministry in Galilee where he had been driven by the opposition at Jerusalem, emissaries from the religious leaders came to him seeking to entangle him in some way, and to engage him in a controversy. One such instance is recorded in the fifteenth chapter of Matthew. After he had spoken to these opposers plain truths that would naturally arouse feelings of resentment in their unconverted hearts, and lead them to take steps against him, the simple record is that “Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon.” Verse 21. After his return, once more the Pharisees came, “tempting” him. Matt. 16:1. After a straight reply to their questions, “he left them, and departed.” On another occasion, he “departed, and did hide himself from them.” John 12:36.

Other instances might be cited, but these are sufficient to show Christ’s manner of carrying forward his work amid opposition that, if antagonized by a defiant, hostile spirit, would have resulted in a shortening of his opportunities for service.

A Lesson From the Example of Paul

The labors of the great apostle Paul are an example of burning zeal for the salvation of souls. In order to be successful in his labors, he willingly yielded many things which the natural man is prone to contend for as his rights. “I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in distresses for Christ’s sake,” he declared. “Even as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.” 1 Cor. 10:33. “Though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more. And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; to them that are without law, as without law, . . . that I might gain them that are without law. To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.”

The apostle adapted himself to the customs and to the prejudices of those for whom he labored. This is illustrated by his course in the circumcision of Timothy. Paul was at that time on a mission to the churches, carrying with him the decision of the council at Jerusalem that this rite should not be urged upon the Gentile converts. But when he decided to take with him Timothy, whose father was a Greek, he “took and circumcised him because of the Jews which were in those quarters.” Acts 16:3. Had this not been done, he would have found no opportunity to preach the gospel to the Jews, who were so zealous for the ceremonial law that at one time they sought to kill Paul, merely because they thought he had taken a Greek into the temple.

Later, under different circumstances, the same apostle wrote, “Neither Titus, who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised: and that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Jesus Christ, that they might bring us into bondage.” Gal. 2:3, 4.

These two actions were not inconsistent. The mere act of circumcision was not in itself inherently wrong. “Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing.” Yet it was wrong to trust in this rite as a means of salvation; for this would make of no effect the grace of Christ. Gal. 5:4. On the other hand, it was right for one, where no divine principle was involved, to make a concession in this matter, to allay a prejudice among the Jews, in order that the gospel might be preached to them. The circumstances determined whether this action, indifferent in itself, was right or wrong.

May not this same general principle be applied in determining the attitude that should be assumed by individual believers, under varying circumstances, toward the question of Sunday labor? To refrain from ordinary, secular labor on Sunday is not in itself inherently wrong. It is certainly commendable to concede our just rights in this matter, when no divine principle is involved, in order to engage in missionary work, when such a course will allay prejudice and keep open doors that would otherwise be closed to the entrance of the truth. But when circumstances are such that refraining from such secular labor on Sunday is necessarily coupled with a violation of the law of God, then there can be no question as to the duty of those who desire to remain loyal to the divine Ruler.

The Lord is the hope and strength of his people; and those who trust fully in him will have wisdom under changing circumstances to discern their duty from day to day. In times of trial and test, when called upon to render homage to that which God has forbidden to honor, they will be given the fortitude and the courage necessary for maintaining their allegiance to the divine Sovereign.

Nature’s Wonderland

By George E. Tack

GEORGE E. TACK

O WONDROUS and grand are the mountains fair, That range away in the distant air, Bright touched with the sun’s own colors rare, In the sky-fields of eve and morn.

And Alp-like some their summits raise, Their pinnacles and crowns ablaze With glory beams and purest rays, As on temples old and grand.

And others, hill-like, range afar By golden seas, whose rippling bar Reflects, perhaps, the morning star, That beams so pure and mild.

And here and there, the mountains through, Are placid lakes of deepest blue, And opaline and crystal, too, That waveless, tideless, gleam.

Then over all there softly glows A crimson light, perchance, or rose, That flushes mount and lake, and glows Through all the cloudland fair.

And oft through wonderland away I go, at eve or break of day, Where nature holds her wondrous sway, And charms my very soul.

Thus God doth grant me, here at home, By mountain, sea, and lake to roam, Till to Mount Zion’s sea I come, And view his wonders there.

Baltimore, Md.

Seeing Others as Ourselves

“If we could see others as we see ourselves, what splendid men and women would inhabit the world.”

Continue reading: Christ the Power and Wisdom of God