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Review and Herald, Vol. 87, No. 1.

The Sweet Refrain

Review and Herald

Jan 6, 1910

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Jan 6, 1910

The Sweet Refrain

By Rose Trumbull

I hear it singing in the dawn— A world-old, sweet refrain— I hear its notes insistent drawn In music of the rain; It sings within the swaying corn, A canticle of cheer That glorifies the golden morn: “He loves thee: do not fear.”
I hear it singing in the noon When aging summer grieves, And fading maples sadly croon The farewell of the leaves; I hear it when mid shrouding snows The chanting winds intone A threnody above the rose: “Will He not keep His own?”
I hear it singing in the night When out across the bar The moonlight falls in shimmering white, And calls my bark afar; It sings to me when vesper bells Steal out upon the deep, And through all nature sings and swells: “He loves thee: rest and sleep.”
—Rose Trumbull, in Sunday School Times.

Encouraging Magazine Sales Reports

THE business manager of the Kansas Sanitarium sends in the following encouraging report: “We are enclosing our check for $18 to pay for Life and Health. We sell from 100 to 150 each evening. The people seem to buy them eagerly, and some of our nurses are having quite an experience. Some who have bought these papers before, when they see the nurses selling them on the street, come, unsolicited, and say they will take one. This is very encouraging to those selling the papers.”
THE following is a sample of many orders coming to us from those who have in various ways seen a copy of the Protestant Magazine: “Please mail your magazine to me, and oblige. I think this publication is O. K., and only wish every Protestant in the country had a chance to read it.”

Bell’s Bible Lessons

WE are again prepared to fill orders for the complete set of Bell’s “Bible Lessons for the Sabbath-School.” The continued calls for this series of Bible lessons made it necessary for us to print another edition. Doubtless no other series of Bible lessons has ever accomplished so much in giving to the children of Seventh-day Adventists a thorough knowledge of the principal historical events of the Bible from creation down to the time of the apostles. The events are studied consecutively, and when the child has completed the study of these eight books, he can not fail of having a splendid general knowledge of these important subjects. Note the following description of each book:—
No. 1. Creation to the Life of Joseph.— A series of studies so arranged as to include the principal events from the beginning of creation down to the sojourn of the children of Israel in Egypt, and so simplified that the little child can understand. 84 pages. Price, 15 cents.
No. 2. Egypt to Canaan.— A continuation of No. 1, in a style for pupils more advanced, and opening with a review of No. 1, for the benefit of pupils who have not studied that book. 120 pages. Price, 20 cents.
No. 3. Moses to Solomon.— Containing new and interesting features. 132 pages. Price, 25 cents.
No. 4. From the Beginning of Solomon’s Reign to the Rebuilding of the Temple After the Captivity.— 162 pages. Price, 25 cents.
No. 5. From the Rebuilding of the Temple by Zerubbabel to the Sending Out of the Twelve Disciples by Their Lord.— This number brings the student to the close of the Old Testament and the opening of the New, thus connecting the two dispensations, and showing their intimate relation. 172 pages. Price, 25 cents.
No. 6. From the Sending Out of the Twelve Disciples to the Week of Our Lord’s Passion.— 174 pages. Price, 25 cents.
No. 7. From Our Lord’s Last Passover to the Sending Out of Paul and Barnabas to the Gentiles.— 101 pages. Price, 20 cents.
No. 8. The Acts of the Apostles.— This book contains 69 lessons, adapted to advanced pupils. 131 pages. Price, 20 cents.
Order from your State tract society, or from the Review and Herald Publishing Association, Washington, D. C.

THE WORK — AND — THE WORKERS

HERE is another proof that the Protestant Magazine commends itself: “I bought a copy of your Protestant Magazine, and it is the best I ever saw in this country. Please send me the same for one year. I enclose 25 cents in stamps.”

A School-Teacher Praises the Youth’s Instructor

A SCHOOL-TEACHER'S opinion of the Youth's Instructor: “I can not afford to miss a copy of the Youth's Instructor. It is really all that its name implies,—a youth's instructor. I often find opportunity to use the excellent stories from the Instructor in my work with the children in the schools. They are delighted with them.”

Successful Sales of Liberty

GLENN SHELTON, one of our Liberty workers, writes as follows: “I had good success selling Liberty last week. I went to Bloomfield, Iowa, last Tuesday, and sold 100 copies of Liberty and took 12 subscriptions. You will find these subscriptions enclosed. I came over to Coal Mine to work, and in seventeen hours I sold $21 worth.”

Forty-Five Years a Reader of the Review

FORTY-FIVE years a reader of the REVIEW, and still not tired of it! “I would like to say that it is over forty-five years since I began reading the REVIEW, and although my eyesight is dim, and I can not read it as I used to, I still enjoy its weekly visits. Some of my friends here thought I ought to have a pension, but a pension would not take the place of the REVIEW.”

The Sabbath School Values the Instructor

THE Longmont (Colo.) Sabbath-school has learned the value of the Instructor. The secretary, in sending an order for a large club of the Instructor, says: “Our Sabbath-school members are much pleased with the Instructor. Every family in the school seems to demand a copy, even those who have no children, and some who are real old.” The Instructor is as good for old people as for the young folks.

Appreciation for Christian Education

THE editors of Christian Education are receiving appreciative statements in behalf of Christian Education. The following is a sample: “Dear Friends: Greetings and best wishes to yourselves and associates. I am pleased with the journal. I owe some of my best inspirations to its pages. I especially appreciate the Home School. It has given me more confidence in the education of my four-year-old ‘bundle of wiggle and twist.’ Wishing you God’s richest blessing, I remain.”

Your Foreign-Speaking Neighbor

WHAT are you doing to place the truth before your neighbors who speak and read foreign languages? Have you a supply of foreign tracts and leaflets on hand to give to them? Are you acquainted with the splendid line of literature published by us in languages other than the English? If not, send for our catalogue of foreign publications. It is free. In it you will find a description and prices of 698 publications in thirty foreign languages. These represent a most excellent amount of literature in foreign languages, with which all who have foreign-speaking neighbors should be familiar. Catalogue free for the asking.

Damaged Books Cheap

IN taking our inventory we find a few slightly damaged and shelf-worn books, which we can not send out to our agents as new stock, and which we will sell at the following greatly reduced prices, post-paid: “Best Stories,” board, 25 cents; “Daniel and the Revelation,” plain, old edition, 50 cents; “Daniel and the Revelation,” marbled, new edition, $1.40; “Daniel and the Revelation,” library, $1.75; “Great Controversy,” library, $1.75; “Home and Health,” cloth, $1.35; “Home and Health,” library, $1.75; “Story of Joseph,” board, 17 cents. Order of Review and Herald Publishing Association, Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C.

An Active Worker at Ninety

AGE does not seem to interfere with some individuals in their efforts with Liberty. We have just received a report from Benjamin Judson, of Yuba, Wis., who is ninety years of age. He has just sent us three subscriptions for Liberty, and an order for 25 copies of Liberty, No. 4, to sell. He says his health is excellent, and he is desirous of yet accomplishing a good work with Liberty.

Life and Health as an Entering Wedge

A PATIENT at one of our sanitariums, a reader of Life and Health, says: “I was at the sanitarium all last summer, and learned to love your journal.” This statement voices the sentiment of many of those who have been supplied with Life and Health at their homes month by month by our workers. This is the kind of work that never fails to net them favorable results. When will we fully appreciate our privileges, and use our opportunities with this effective “entering wedge” to the full message?

The Coming King

“THE COMING KING,” by J. Edson White, is full of vital, vivid facts, with graphic pictures to set them off, and it tells the story of the soon coming of Christ in a way which will hold the attention of every reader. The pages are printed and illustrated in colors. By recent revision the book has been brought into line with current events. You ought to have it on your table for constant reference. 321 pages, over 10 engravings, two styles of binding. In cloth, $1; full buckram, marbled, $1.50. Send for it.

Praise for the Protestant Magazine

THE following expression of appreciation comes from the State of Georgia, and really voices the sentiment of many others in all parts of the United States: “I am sending herewith 25 cents in stamps for a year's subscription to the Protestant Magazine, one of the best, soundest, and briefest little publications I have come across for a long time. It really ought to reach, and be read in, every home in the land. It is brimful of truth and sound doctrine, and is destined to accomplish great and lasting good. Long may it live, and its teachings echo, and re-echo, through all time.”

Editorial

By Editor

The 1844 Movement.—It was in the spring of 1844, the end of the Jewish year 1843, that those who first proclaimed the message of the judgment hour expected to see the Saviour coming in the clouds of heaven. At that time, they had held, the twenty-three hundred years of Daniel’s prophecy, beginning B. C. 457, would run out, when the sanctuary was to be cleansed. This cleansing was interpreted to mean the purging of the earth by fire at the second advent, as they thought this earth must be the sanctuary.
The Midnight Cry.—But the spring of 1844 passed, and the Lord did not come. They found consolation, as they waited, in the parable of the virgins who went out to meet the bridegroom, and who waited while the bridegroom tarried. Far into the summer of 1844 was the “tarrying time” in the story of that movement. Then it was noticed for the first time that the twenty-three-hundred-year period began in the autumn of 457 B. C., and “so must reach to the autumn of 1844.” Further, in the type of the earthly sanctuary and its cleansing, the tenth of the seventh month, Jewish time, was the day for the cleansing work. That would be Oct. 22, 1844; on that day the Lord would come, they said. As this word went out among the believers in the second advent, it electrified the movement. It was the “midnight cry” of the parable: “And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.” It aroused every sleeper, and swept through the land with a mighty power.
It was not mere emotionalism. There was a solemn restraint upon hearts; sinners were converted, wrongs were made right, and there was earnest preparation for the great judgment hour. The editor of the Midnight Cry, Joshua V. Himes, wrote in the issue of Oct. 3, 1844:—
“I take up my pen with feelings such as I never before experienced. Beyond a doubt, in my mind, the tenth day of the seventh month will witness the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ in the clouds of heaven. We are within a few days of that event—awful moment to those unprepared, but glorious to those who are ready.”
How the Judgment Hour Came.—On that eventful twenty-second of October, 1844, the eyes of the believers looked upward to the heavens for the sign of the coming of the Son of man in power and great glory. They were disappointed. No opening heavens revealed the shining glory. No trump was heard summoning the world before the Judge of all. But while they watched and waited for the judgment hour on that solemn day, the judgment hour actually came. Could their straining eyes have pierced the sky, they would have beheld the wondrous sight described by Daniel:—
“The Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.” Dan. 7: 9, 10.
The Word Fulfilled.—As that solemn hour came when Christ was to enter upon the final phase of his mediatorial work, the investigative judgment before the Father, in the most holy of the heavenly sanctuary, the message was to be proclaimed on earth, “The hour of his judgment is come.” That message was proclaimed in the 1844 movement; and all who received it were on that tenth day of the seventh month afflicting their souls and looking heavenward to the opening of the judgment hour. Those believers were mistaken in the expectation that their eyes would that day see the Lord coming to earth to execute judgment. But the angels in heaven that day beheld his coming into the most holy, to begin the cleansing of the sanctuary, the investigative judgment, according to the prophecy of Daniel: “Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.” Mistaken as to the nature of the event, the early advent believers had nevertheless proclaimed the judgment-hour message, and the prophecy was fulfilled. One hymn of advent history, in the first little collection published by our pioneers in 1849, sang thus of the experience of those who watched in 1844:—
“Our longing eyes were raised in vain, To meet him in the air, For ’twas not so the Bridegroom came, His bride’s not here, but there. There to the fair Jerusalem, Unseen by mortal eye, Jesus our King and Priest did come, Thus answering to the cry.”

The Story of a Chinese Convert

By W. A. S.

At once, on the beginning of our mission work in the province of Honan, the people remarked the fact that our missionaries observed the seventh day as the Sabbath. Looking up the reason for this in the Christian Scriptures, even the heathen saw plainly that our workers were following the instruction of the Bible. They therefore began to call our mission the “Mission of the True Doctrine.” It is a name that has clung to us in Honan, apparently.
Writing not long since from his present station, Hsiao Iao, Elder J. J. Westrup told an interesting story of a Chinese brother who received the truth at Shangtsai, where Brother Westrup had his first station in Honan. Speaking of a recent general meeting attended by this brother, Elder Westrup wrote:—
The six brethren who came up to visit us from Shangtsai, had to wade through water reaching to their waists for several miles (it having rained hard), and as a result two of them became ill; but they are well again, and out on the roads carrying the message.
The old brother, Chao Ming, told us the other day how he was led to find the truth.
“I had a dream,” he said, “in which I saw a white bird fly to Shangtsai, where it had its nest and its home. That white bird, to me, was a symbol of the Holy Spirit; and I thought, If the Holy Spirit abides in Shangtsai, then they must have the gospel truth there too.”
He continued his story: “I had heard people say that there was a church in that city that was called the ‘True Doctrine Church’ [Chen Tao Huei—a short name by which we are commonly known among the Chinese], and I said to myself, They call that church the ‘true doctrine church,’ and in my dream I saw the Holy Spirit descending and abiding there; I must go and find out what they teach.”
Then this man, who is over sixty years old, in company with another brother, started for Shangtsai—a distance of one hundred twenty-five li (nearly forty-two miles). That was a year ago, during the latter part of the hot season, when the roads were flooded; but they waded through water and mud.
After their arrival they listened to the teaching, and rejoiced that they had not plodded the wearisome journey in vain. They rejoiced in the new light received. Thus the truth came to this vicinity.
After telling us this story of the manner in which he was led into the light, this old brother told us about a dream he had just had. He saw a great many people in a wagon driving in water. As they were nearing a deep and dangerous place where they all would drown (they not knowing that the place was dangerous), he called out, “Stop! stop! rescue! rescue!” but they paid no heed and went on and fell into the water. Then he wept aloud, and that awakened him.
“That means,” he said, “that I must be out warning the people of their danger; some in my vicinity will listen.”
And now he is out seeking to bring the truth to those who will listen. God is good to us here in Honan, opening up the work on every hand, and true souls are continually coming into the truth.
More and more frequently, as we press into the unworked fields, where many millions must hear within a short time, we are cheered by these little tokens of the presence of the Lord in the missionary forward movement. The Lord has set his hand to finish the work, and his world-moving providence knows no barriers. “I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known; I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight.” Isa. 42:16.
W. A. S.

_Bartering for a Soul_

By F. M. W.

THE sun has just sunk to rest behind the hills of Judea. The last supper of our Lord with his disciples has just been celebrated. Depressed by the thoughts of the bitter cup of agony he must soon drink, our Saviour with his little band of followers seeks the cooling freshness of the evening hour in the quiet places of retreat in the garden of Gethsemane. Here it is he has so often enjoyed the communion with his Father his soul most craved, and here it is that floods of light from heaven above have so often filled his soul and strengthened him for the conflicts of his ministry.
Judas is not a member of the little band. A great purpose possesses his soul, but a purpose so evil in its conception, and so terrible in its execution, better would it have been for him had the day never dawned that linked him with its fatal destiny. While Jesus is wending his way to Gethsemane, Judas, with furtive glance and nervous step, is treading his way through the streets and alleys of Jerusalem to the palace of the high priest. In that palace the plan for the apprehension of the Saviour had been concocted, and the night had been chosen for its execution. And though the utmost secrecy had been observed, Judas in some way had received a knowledge of the plans of the chief priests to effect the destruction of Jesus.
Judas had joined himself to the standard of Jesus at what he deemed an opportune moment. The tide of enthusiasm and admiration over the works of the new Teacher in Israel was running high. It was pleasant to ride on the crest of the rising wave. But the praises of Jesus and his spotless purity had stirred the envy of his rivals. The tide seemed changing in its course. The noisy babble and vacillating multitude who had followed Jesus for temporal gain or idle curiosity had their minds poisoned against the Master. Expression of discontent, of envy, and of evil suggestion, fermented by the enemies of the Lord, had taken place of the wild adoration on the part of the great multitude.
Judas had noted the change. Should he continue longer with a cause that seemed absolutely doomed to oblivion? And even if the cause of Jesus were really of God, would it not be more profitable for him to stand in favor with both sides of the controversy? Could he not gain favor with the chief priests and serve his own temporal advantage, and still maintain his friendship for the Lord?
The Jews sought a man to betray to them the Saviour’s whereabouts. In what secluded spot could they find him that night, and before the morning dawned, place him upon trial for his life? Judas knows their desire, and is bent on the terrible mission of delivering his Lord into the hands of his enemies. Perhaps he thinks that Christ by that divine power he has so often seen him manifest, will deliver himself from the bars and chains of Roman imprisonment.
Who can tell the conflicting emotions that possess his soul as he silently wends his way from that quiet supper scene in the upper chamber to the rendezvous of the scheming, plotting men who seek the life of the One who by his spotless purity had rebuked their sinful doings? He enters the palace of the high priest. The plot is already formed, and they are only lacking now a guide to its fearful execution. The temptation for sordid gain is too great for the double-minded Judas. During all his associations with the Lord he had continued still to nurture in his heart the spirit of covetousness, and oftentimes from the Lord’s scanty store had this covetousness manifested itself in theft, to supply that which Judas desired above his fellows. Here was an opportunity to reimburse himself for a part of that which he had lost in joining himself to the standard of Jesus. The priests call him aside and propose their evil purpose.
“And he said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver.” O, what a value to set upon his precious Lord! Sixteen dollars and ninety-six cents, the common price of a slave, is the sum at which Judas values his Master.
Judas had loved his Lord, at least he thought he did; but here was the test of his love. Here was the test of his friendship.
The experience of Judas is not unlike that of thousands of others in the world to-day. How many there are who are betraying their Lord for something suited to their carnal desires! With some it is the exchange of the Christian’s hope for earthly possessions, for an earthly name, for that which will prove of temporal, personal advantage. Esau sold his birthright, with all the blessings it involved, for the lust of appetite. Peter denied his Lord through fear of ridicule and scoffing. Judas valued him at the price of a slave. Demas exchanged him for the riches and pleasure of this world. And that man or woman to-day who holds in reserve any earthly desire or sordid purpose, does so to the exclusion of God’s blessing, and counts that thing of more value than the Son of God.
At what price do you value him? To you is he the “chiefest among ten thousand, the One altogether lovely”? To you is he more precious than gold, even the fine gold of Ophir? Is his love the ruling passion of your life? And is the great purpose that possesses your soul to live for him, and to be sanctified by the indwelling of his Spirit? Be sure, if this is not the case, if you have not put on the Lord Jesus Christ, making no provision for the lusts of the flesh, there will surely come a time when this reserve will prove your weakness, and you will be found betraying your Lord in the market of your own carnal desires, for that which will prove your everlasting destruction, as in the case of the object-lesson before us.
The value of Jesus is the value of a soul; and the value of a soul is the value of an eternity of joy in the presence of God. May the priceless treasure of a Saviour’s love appeal to our hearts so sensibly that we shall count the things of this world of little moment, compared with the inestimable riches of his grace. F. M. W.

When Preachers Become Infidels

WHEN the devil wants to make an infidel, he prompts a preacher to preach his doubts.

Discharging an Obligation to the Roman Catholic Church

By W. W. P.

It is a fundamental doctrine among Roman Catholic writers upon the subject that although a distinction (not separation) is to be recognized between the church and the state, there is yet the same intimate connection and relation between the two as between the soul and the body. History demonstrates that wherever it has been possible to do so, the Roman Catholic hierarchy has put this principle into practise, and has either, through the instrumentality of concordats, established the exact nature of this relationship, or has assumed a sort of protectorate over the state by virtue of which the civil authority was made subject to ecclesiastical control. The recent experiences in France growing out of the annulment of the famous Concordat which had been in force for a century, illustrate the tenacity with which the Papacy clings to emoluments which it has secured from the state, and the turmoil which it is capable of creating when it is deprived of state aid.
In any country where Protestants are in the majority, the Roman Catholic Church never urges a concordat; but, adopting that principle of expediency which has characterized this organization from its beginning, it freely consents to the separation of the church and the state. In such circumstances this policy results more favorably to the Roman Catholic interests and prevents Protestants from gaining those supposed advantages which arise from an alliance with the state. As the power and influence of the Roman Catholic Church increase in any country, their tendency to exert a controlling influence in the affairs of state becomes more prominent, and their use of the solidarity of the Roman Catholic Church as a political power becomes more apparent. The members of all other denominations unite with political parties as individuals, and they look for political rewards, not on account of church connection, but as citizens who have served well their party. In marked contrast with this is the Roman Catholic method. As indicating the difference and as an illustration of the present Roman Catholic aggressiveness in political matters, we submit a portion of an editorial in the Western Watchman (Roman Catholic) of December 16 in which the appointment of Mr. Richard Kerens as ambassador to Vienna is discussed. We invite attention to these utterances:—
At the close of the November election, when it became evident that Mr. Kerens was not to be senator from Missouri, we demanded for him, in the name of the hundreds of thousands of Catholics who had supported Mr. Taft, because of his honorable course on every question where the Church was concerned, that he should reward him with a first-class ambassadorship. We were bold in making this demand, first, because the Catholics of the country deserved recognition from the President; and, secondly, because we were sure that the new President was conscious of the obligation. We assured him that he could in no better way discharge that obligation than by honoring with a first-class foreign appointment a man whom every Catholic, lay and clerical, in the land loved and honored. . . .
There was not one bishop in the United States who did not desire Mr. Kerens's appointment, and some of them so assured the President. . . .
We rejoice at it [Mr. Kerens’s appointment] for several reasons. We feel that Mr. Kerens has suffered very much politically for his pronounced and uncompromising Catholicity. He would be senator from Missouri to-day if he had been less of a Catholic. If there are any honors which a public man can receive because of his devotion to the Catholic Church, we feel it our duty to try to secure them for him. Then Mr. Kerens had deserved very well of the whole Catholic Church. He had given largely of his ample means to promote her charities and activities in all parts of the country; and always in the silent, modest, and unostentatious way characteristic of the man. . . .
He has many strong friends in and out of his party. But if his personal worth and the support of his friends proved inadequate to save him from neglect, the Catholics of the land came manfully to the front and saved the day.
The reasons given for demanding the appointment of Mr. Kerens and the frank avowal of the cause of the success of the effort in his behalf are worthy of note: (1) “The Catholics of the country deserved recognition from the President;” (2) “The new President was conscious of the obligation;” (3) All the bishops of the United States favored this appointment, “and some of them so assured the President;” (4) “Mr. Kerens had deserved very well of the whole Catholic Church;” (5) When considerations of personal worth and the support of his friends were not likely to prevail, “the Catholics of the land came manfully to the front and saved the day.”
In view of these remarkable declarations we are led to inquire: (1) For what reason did Mr. Taft feel conscious of any obligation to the Catholics of the country, unless he was conscious that the hierarchy had used their influence over their communicants to furnish a large block of votes for the Republican candidate for the presidency? (2) Why should the opinion of a bishop of the Roman Catholic Church be desired or sought concerning the appointment of an ambassador to a foreign court? (3) What bearing do the donations of Mr. Kerens to the Roman Catholic charities have upon the question of his fitness to represent the United States at the Austrian court? (4) How could Catholics save the day for Mr. Kerens unless they appealed to the power of the church as a voting factor in political contests? (5) Has it already come to this that the Roman Catholic Church in the United States can openly demand political favors and insist upon their being granted in return for the influence of the church in a presidential election?
Those optimistic writers and speakers who have no forebodings of evil because of the rapid growth of the Roman Catholic Church in America may find food for profitable reflection in this latest outburst of politico-religious zeal, and this self-confessed mixing of the Roman Catholic Church with politics. It forcibly suggests what we may expect in the future.
W. W. P.

The Gathering Call

By C. M. S.

God has been gathering a people out of the world through all the ages; but there comes a time when his work is to be finished. The world, in its swift race of sin, is not to go on forever. Concerning its end the prophet Jeremiah, after warning God’s people of the impending destruction, declares: “I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was waste and void; and the heavens, and they had no light. . . . For thus saith Jehovah, The whole land shall be a desolation; yet will I not make a full end.” Jer. 4: 23-27. God created the earth and the people for his glory. Isa. 43: 7. The people who are looking for his glory are few, and the earth is tottering to its close. All the creatures of his hand were formed for his pleasure. Rev. 4: 11. They are not all fulfilling that purpose now.
So in his Word he tells us of an earnest work to be done in the earth, a work increasing in intensity until the last stroke is accomplished, when the seeming endless grind of sin shall cease. This work does not go on to its culmination with no special call, no special message, to the world. There is a final summons given before the final decree which marks the fate of the world and of the people. We find it in both the Old and the New Testament.
Zephaniah, in telling of the approach of the day of the Lord’s fierce anger, gives this call: “Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, O nation not desired; before the decree bring forth, before the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of the Lord come upon you, before the day of the Lord’s anger come upon you. Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord’s anger.” Zeph. 2: 1-3.
The decree of which Zephaniah speaks is without doubt the decree recorded in Rev. 22: 11: “He that is unjust, let himbe unjust still; and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still; and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still; and he that is holy, let him be holy still.” That decree is immediately followed by the words, “And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.”
When that decree goes forth, the “day” of which Zephaniah speaks will have passed “as the chaff,” and the purifying fires of God will begin their work upon those found to be unjust, filthy, unworthy of reward, and upon the earth itself, in which they have wrought their wickedness.
But where is the New Testament call? The other was a call to the scattered to gather together; and this call also finds its hearers and its heeders in various places and in different folds. This is the call, and it is a call from heaven: “Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.” Rev. 18: 4.
Notice the direct appeal, “my people.” The kindness and love of God are woven into that text. It is not his desire that any should perish. Warning upon warning has been given, precept upon precept, admonition upon admonition; and now comes the last urgent, loving, fatherly call. The “her” out of which he calls them is the apostate church and all its offspring, where a few faithful souls, like Lot in Sodom, are still lingering and serving God according to the best light they have received. There is no alternative. They who will not hear, or, hearing, do not heed, this last call, will be counted “partakers of her sins” and will “receive of her plagues.”
That but few will heed this last rallying call to the standard of righteousness is evident from the fact that the Word itself calls them a “remnant;” but that some will hear and heed is also evident; for at the very time when the wrath of God is being poured out upon the wicked, the inspired writer says: “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” Rev. 14: 12. They have “come out of her,” triumphing through tribulation, and the Lord points to them as precious salvage from the wreck of a world, priceless jewels to shine forever in his crown.
The Lord’s promise to his people in this last rallying time is this: “In that day, saith the Lord, will I assemble her that halteth, and I will gather her that is driven out, and her that I have afflicted; and I will make her that halted a remnant, and her that was cast far off a strong nation: and the Lord shall reign over them in Mount Zion from henceforth, even forever.” Of that time Daniel speaks thus: “And the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom, which was to be “an everlasting kingdom,” “under the whole heaven.” Dan. 7: 22-27.
The call which is to gather out of all nations, kindreds, tribes, and people the company which is to possess the everlasting kingdom, is a call that is sounding in the world to-day, and honest souls in every nation under heaven are heeding it. In every great language in the world and many that are far from well known, men and women are now praising God for the truth of the third angel’s message. The call that has come to them is a call to keep the commandments of God, and they are yielding that obedience willingly. It is a warning against association or federation with that power which has sought to change or nullify God’s law, and which has belittled, or sought to prevent the keeping of, his commandments. Men and women in all lands are to-day heeding that warning. The issue is plainly marked — to keep “the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus,” or to transgress* them, and teach others so to do. There are only two classes; there is only one final rallying call. The choice is ours, and in that choice our destiny lies. Let us firmly settle it that we will choose God’s way, obey his call, and triumph with him in the overthrow of sin. C. M. S.
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