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Review and Herald, Vol. 80, No. 15.

Publishers' Page

Review and Herald

Apr 14, 1903

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Apr 14, 1903

Publishers' Page

By Editor

Conducted by the Department of Circulation of the Review and Herald Publishing Company

English Damaged Books

WE still have some of each kind of the English damaged books advertised in late issues of the REVIEW. As long as they last, we will mail them for the prices quoted.

Special Sale of Bibles

We have a few copies of the American Standard Edition of the Revised Bible, printed in long primer quarto, a very large, plain print, especially desirable for impaired vision, or for reading by gaslight. Size, 8¾ by 6¾ inches; bound in cloth board, red edges. As long as they last, we will sell them for $1.25, postpaid.

The Nelson Bible

We have a few of three very popular styles of the “Nelson Bold Type Series,” which we offer at special reduced prices. This series is printed on fine India paper, with maps and index, only ⅛ of an inch thick, and about six by four inches in size, a very popular size for ladies and young people.
Number 3258X, French morocco, divinity circuit, linen lined, silk sewed, round corners, red under gold edges; regular price, $2.50; reduced to $1.75, postpaid.
Number 3108X, Egyptian seal, divinity circuit, linen lined, round corners, red under gold edges; regular price, $2; reduced to $1.35, postpaid.
Number 3265X, levant, divinity circuit, calf lined to edge, silk sewed, round corners, red under gilt edges; regular price, $4.50; reduced to $3.25, postpaid.

Special Sale of Foreign Books

THIS special sale of slightly damaged books will open the way for many to secure a good collection for missionary work. The prices at which these books are offered render this a rare opportunity. Perhaps there will never be another chance to secure our foreign books so cheaply.
The books we offer at reduced prices are about as good as new. Scarcely any one would notice the slight imperfections.

Bible Readings

German, Danish, Swedish, French, and Holland

Cloth, marble, reduced from $2 to $1.
Cloth, gilt, reduced from $2.50 to $1.25.
Library, marble, reduced from $3 to $1.50.
Half morocco, gilt, reduced from $3.50 to $1.75.
Full morocco, gilt, reduced from $4.25 to $2.15.

Great Controversy

German and French

Cloth, marble, reduced from $2.25 to $1.15.
Cloth, gilt, reduced from $2.75 to $1.40.
Library, marble, reduced from $3 to $1.50.
Half morocco, gilt, reduced from $3.50 to $1.75.
Full morocco, gilt, reduced from $4.50 to $2.25.

Danish

Cloth, marble, reduced from $2.25 to $1.15.
Cloth, gilt, reduced from $2.75 to $1.40.
Half morocco, gilt, reduced from $3.50 to $1.75.
Full morocco, gilt, reduced from $4.50 to $2.25.

Swedish

Cloth, gilt, reduced from $2.75 to $1.40.
Library, marble, reduced from $3 to $1.50.
Half morocco, gilt, reduced from $3.50 to $1.75.
Full morocco, gilt, reduced from $4.50 to $2.25.

Patriarchs and Prophets

German, Danish, and Swedish

Cloth, marble, reduced from $2.25 to $1.15.
Cloth, gilt, reduced from $2.75 to $1.40.
Library, marble, reduced from $3 to $1.50.
Half morocco, gilt, reduced from $3.50 to $1.75.
Full morocco, gilt, reduced from $4.50 to $2.25.

Holland

Cloth, marble, reduced from $2.25 to $1.15.
Cloth, gilt, reduced from $2.75 to $1.40.
Library, marble, reduced from $3 to $1.50.
Full morocco, gilt, reduced from $4.50 to $2.25.

Marvel of Nations

Our Country, Its Past, Present, and Future, and What the Scriptures Say of It

Published in German, Danish, and Swedish, neatly and substantially bound in cloth, plain and gilt edges. The cloth binding, plain edge, is reduced from $1.25 to 65 cents, and the gilt is reduced from $1.50 to 75 cents.

From Eden to Eden

German and French

Printed on heavy calendered paper, from new electrotype plates made especially for this book, and contains 264 pages. It is illustrated with numerous full-page engravings, and furnished in two very attractive styles of cloth binding, at the following reduced prices:—
Cloth, marble, reduced from $1 to 50 cents.
Cloth, gilt, reduced from $1.50 to 75 cents.

Life of Christ

German and French

This book has 576 pages, and is beautifully and substantially bound in the following styles:—
Cloth, marble, reduced from $2 to 80 cents.
Cloth, gilt, reduced from $2.50 to 90 cents.
Library, marble, reduced from $3 to $1.
Half morocco marble, reduced from $3.50 to $1.20.
Full morocco, gilt, reduced from $4.25 to $1.50.

Christ Our Saviour

German, Danish, Swedish, Holland, and Spanish

Beautifully bound in cloth and board covers. The cloth binding is reduced from 75 cents to 35 cents, and the board, with the cloth back, is reduced from 50 cents to 25 cents.

Daniel and the Revelation

Contains 757 large pages, exclusive of its numerous full-page illustrations, and is beautifully and substantially bound.

German

Cloth, sprinkled edges, reduced from $2.50 to $1.25.
Library, marble, reduced from $3 to $1.50.

Danish

Cloth, marble, reduced from $2.50 to $1.25.
Half morocco, gilt, reduced from $3.75 to $1.90.
Full morocco, gilt, reduced from $4.50 to $2.25.

Swedish

Cloth, marble, reduced from $2.50 to $1.25.
Library, marble, reduced from $3 to $1.50.
Half morocco, gilt, reduced from $3.75 to $1.90.
Full morocco, gilt, reduced from $4.50 to $2.25.

Holland

Cloth, marble, reduced from $1.50 to 75 cents.

Steps to Christ

German, Danish, Swedish, Holland, Spanish, and Portuguese

Cloth, plain, reduced from 60 cents to 30 cents.

French, Bohemian, Italian, Welsh, Rumanian, Polish, Finnish, and Hungarian

Cloth, plain, reduced from 75 cents to 40 cents.

Early Writings

German

This work is neatly bound in cloth, plain edges, and the price is reduced from 75 cents to 40 cents.

Christian Temperance and Bible Hygiene

German

A rare and valuable book. Long out of print in the English. Cloth binding, reduced from 40 cents to 25 cents.

Heralds of the Morning

German

Cloth binding, marble edges, reduced from $1.25 to 65 cents; and the gilt edge from $1.50 to 75 cents.

History of the Sabbath

German

This book contains 548 pages, and is substantially bound in cloth. The price is reduced from $1.50 to 75 cents.

Mount of Blessing

German

The sermon on the mount. A companion volume to “Steps to Christ.” Beautifully bound, profusely illustrated, reduced from 75 cents to 35 cents.

Book Orders

MAKE all orders for the books described above, on the Review and Herald Publishing Co., Battle Creek, Mich.

Coming as a Thief

By Editor

Editorial

Coming as a Thief

“BEHOLD, I come as a thief.” “The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night.” “As a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.” “Soon an awful surprise is coming upon the inhabitants of the earth. Suddenly, with power and great glory, Christ will come.” To be taken by surprise is proverbially a thing to be dreaded. To have the coming of that day take us by surprise would be the most dreadful thing that could befall us. And that fate may befall, will befall, many who know the truth; for they who hold the truth in unrighteousness will fare no better than the unbelievers. We may have a knowledge of all the prophecies of Christ’s coming, yet if our hearts be overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness and the cares of this life, that day will come upon us unawares. Some of us may not stand in great danger from surfeiting and drunkenness, but let us look out for the cares of this life. These may prove a snare to us, and defeat our prospects for eternity. Our returning Lord does not design to come upon any as a thief. He comes to us now, not as a thief, but as a friend seeking to engage our attention. “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock; if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” Rev. 3:20. A thief does not knock on the door, nor call to the one within, and ask admission. It is by hearing the Saviour’s knock and his voice and opening unto him, now, that we shall effectually guard against the possibility of any surprise. If he comes to us by our own will now, he will not come to us against our will by and by.
L. A. S.

The Power of the Spirit

God’s final message of mercy to the world is to be given in the power of the Spirit. “We have a message from the Lord to bear to the world—a message that is to be borne in the rich fullness of the Spirit’s power.”—“Testimonies for the Church,” Vol. VII. Until the fullness of the Spirit’s power is received, the work can not be done. The power of the Spirit is unlimited, and those upon whom the Spirit is poured out in full measure possess unlimited power. But only those can be given unlimited power whom God can trust with such power; and only those can be trusted with this power who have severed every connection between themselves and the powers of evil. Any cherished wrong in the heart is an avenue through which the prince of evil may gain access to the soul, and no such soul can be safely trusted with power. Hence, none can share the refreshing, the latter rain, but such as shall have obtained the victory over every evil besetment. Above all, the blessing of God can not be poured out upon the spirit of strife and disunion. The spirit that is to characterize the closing work of this message is a spirit of unity,—a spirit which turns the hearts of the fathers to the children and the hearts of the children to the fathers, and binds the hearts of all believers together, as was the case with those who received the first refreshing, on the day of Pentecost. No more grievous mistake can be made than that of promoting the spirit of strife and discord at such a time.
L. A. S.

No More Delay

THE message of no more delay has gone forth from our divine Leader. There has been delay heretofore—the work of God has moved much more slowly than he has desired that it should. He has been ready, and the world has been ready, but we have not been ready. He has been waiting for us to get ready. Now “there shall be delay no longer;” he has ceased waiting. What more solemn admonition could come to us to delay no longer in the work of getting ready? No safety is assured to stragglers on the march to Canaan..

The Time and the Work

“ONE calleth unto me . . . Watchman, what hour of the night? Watchman, what hour of the night?” “And I saw another angel flying in mid heaven, . . . and he saith with a great voice, Fear God, and give him glory; for the hour of his judgment is come.” “And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud One sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle.”
Our present position in prophetic history, and the call to this people to finish in this generation the work of preparing the way for the coming King,—this is our theme. When the voice sounds to the watchman, “Watchman, what hour of the night?” it is time for him to take up the words for this hour, and say, “The hour of His judgment is come.” And every teaching of God’s truth, and every plan for the advancement of his work, every thought entertained concerning our relationship to his work at this time, should be inspired by that one thought, The hour of his judgment is come; and the next event for which we may look is the coming of the King.
In the olden time, the watchman had neither watch nor clock to mark the passing of the time, and the watchmen upon the walls of a city became accustomed to watching the face of the sky, and by observing the rising and the setting of those constellations which come above the horizon and pass below it, and by watching the location of those constellations which always remained above the horizon, the watchman was able to tell with distinctness the hour of the night; and when one called unto him, and said, “Watchman, what hour of the night?” he could give a distinct answer. It was not by use of the telescope to examine particularly some planet or star, but it was because of the general situation; it was because his eye took a sweep of the whole sky, and, observing all together, he could determine the hour of the night.
It is sometimes valuable for us to study in detail specific portions of prophecy; but I wish to invite you to take with me one of those sweeping views that shall note the general fulfillmentof prophecy,—the prophecies which give a general view of our present situation. The prophecies may be naturally divided into four classes: prophecies which deal with definite time; prophecies which deal with national life,—the rise and the fall of kingdoms; prophecies which deal with the condition of the church; and the prophecies which deal with the general conditions in the world. Let us think of these prophecies. We can do little more than just to glance at them.
Prophecies of definite time. The first prophecy of definite time after the flood was when the Lord spoke these words to Abraham, and said, “Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;” and this prophecy, expiring in 1491 B. C., found God’s people in bondage; and with a high hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with wondrous working, God brought out his people, so that “in the selfsame day” the hosts of the Lord went out of Egypt, and that time-prophecy was fulfilled. And when they had passed through the Red Sea by the miraculous working on the part of God, their Leader, they sang that song of Moses on the other shore; and, so far as any definite prophecy was concerned, they were ready to go into the land and possess it. Centuries passed by, and because of the failure to follow out God’s purpose fully, the time of the promise was still delayed; and the next time-prophecy we find spoken through the prophet Jeremiah, when God told his people that he would bring Nebuchadnezzar against them, and that they should serve the king of Babylon seventy years; and down into Babylon they went, according to the prophecy, and for threescore and ten years they were a captive people in Babylon. At the close of that period, 536 B. C., God stirred up the heart of Cyrus, king of Persia, and the way was opened for them to return to their land. Those that were so minded came back, and, under the guidance of God and the leadership of the priests, they built again the wall of Jerusalem, and established themselves again in the holy city; the worship was restored, and God’s people were again in their place with God.
It was during that seventy years of captivity that God gave definite prophetic periods to the prophet Daniel, in these words, “Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks,”—Sixty-nine weeks, four hundred and eighty-three days, four hundred and eighty-three years, from the going forth of the commandment to restore and rebuild Jerusalem, 457 B. C., unto the revelation of the Anointed One, the Messiah, 27 A. D.; and at that very time the Messiah was manifested; he was baptized of John the Baptist, the Holy Spirit descended in the form of a dove, and rested upon him; the Spirit of the Lord was upon him because he was anointed to preach the gospel—the prophecy was fulfilled. Seventy weeks were determined upon God’s peculiar people; seventy weeks were cut off in a special manner as devoted to them; seventy weeks, four hundred and ninety years, beginning from the same date, expired in 34 A. D.; and then they went everywhere preaching the word; and they did what they were forbidden before to do,—they preached in all the villages of the Samaritans. The seventy weeks, the four hundred and ninety years, were fulfilled.
In the same way, the time, times, and dividing of time, the thousand two hundred and threescore days, given to Daniel the prophet, were fulfilled. Dating from the time of the supremacy of the papacy over the kingdoms, marked in 538 A. D. by the uprooting of the last of the three horns which were to be overthrown by this power, the twelve hundred and sixty years bring us to 1798 A. D., the beginning of the end, the beginning of the day of preparation.
In the same way, the thousand two hundred and ninety years closed with the same period. The two thousand three hundred days, or years, of Daniel’s prophecy, reaching to the time when the sanctuary was to be cleansed, beginning at the same point, 457 B. C., bring us down to 1844 A. D., the last date of prophetic time, the close of the longest prophetic period, the time beyond which no prophecy reaches, and we have reached the end of the definite periods of prophetic time as set forth in the Scripture.
There is one other period mentioned in time-prophecy, and that is the five months of the fifth trumpet, and the hour, the day, the month, and the year, or three hundred ninety-one years and fifteen days of the sixth trumpet. Beginning with the 27th day of July, 1299, when Othman, leading his forces, invaded the territory of Nicomedia, and began that final course of attack which resulted in the overthrow of the Eastern Empire of Rome, these two periods reach to Aug. 11, 1840, marked by the loss of the supremacy on the part of that power which is the subject of the prophecy. Aug. 11, 1840, and the tenth day of the seventh month, the 22d day of October, 1844,—landmarks in advent history!
Now all those periods are in the past, and they closed in this generation.
Prophecies that mark national life; that mark the rise and fall of kingdoms. It was when Daniel was in Babylon that God gave to him the interpretation of that dream which Nebuchadnezzar had and lost, and he set before him the meaning of that image which he saw in the night vision, that image whose form was terrible, and told him that he as king of Babylon was the head of gold; that after him should arise another kingdom inferior to him, and then a third kingdom of brass, that would bear rule over all the earth; then the fourth kingdom, strong as iron,—Babylon, Medo-Persia, Grecia, Rome. The prophet calls attention to the fact that the fourth kingdom would be divided, and then he said: “In the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.” And in that general sweep of history, the time was covered down through all these periods of prophetic time, down to this generation.
There is something worthy of note in the prophecies of the fifth and sixth trumpets. While it is true that the first four trumpets mark the downfall of the Western empire of Rome, it is also true that they mark the setting up of ten kingdoms that remained, and out of these ten kingdoms have come the nations which dominate the history of to-day.
The fifth and sixth trumpets, it is true, mark the downfall of the Eastern empire of Rome; but they also mark the setting up of a power which has continued with us until this day,—a power which for generation after generation has held successfully in the same dynasty a sway over that territory embraced in what we speak of as the territory of the king of the North. And while the first four trumpets marked the setting up of those ten kingdoms, it also marked the rise and establishment of that apostasy from genuine Christianity which has been the great enemy of the setting up of the kingdom of God in the earth for these centuries.
And the fifth and sixth trumpets not only marked the setting up of that political power which has continued with us, but it also marked the establishment of that other apostasy which has remained in the earth until to-day. The apostasy established in the Western empire of Rome has for its motto, “There is but one God, and the pope is his prophet;” and the apostasy established in the Eastern empire has for its motto, “There is but one God, and Mahomet is his prophet.” To meet both of these apostasies from the religion established by Jesus Christ, there must be a preaching of the gospel which says, “There is but one God, and Jesus Christ is his prophet.”
Prophecies which mark the condition of the church and its relation to the world. Follow those prophecies in the second and third chapters of the book of Revelation, beginning with that purechurch, as established by Christ, soon losing its first love; falling under the “ten days,” or ten years, of persecution; passing into that time of apostasy when the papacy began to rise, through the persecutions and trials of the Dark Ages; emerging into the light of the Reformation of the sixteenth century; going back into the shadows of the papacy until our very time and our own generation, when that message goes to the church, that Laodicean message, that they are poor, and wretched, and miserable, and blind, and naked, and know it not; and that counsel comes with redoubled force: “Be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.” A church facing a seat upon God’s throne, and yet unprepared, because lukewarm, lacking the preparation, and knowing it not; a church to whom a mighty message must come, awakening them out of sleep, arousing them out of lethargy, and calling upon them to repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand.
Prophecies that deal with the relation of the church to the world. The six seals come before us, with the white horse, the red horse, the black horse, and the pale horse,—the experiences of the church in its relation to the world,—until we are brought down to the sixth seal, introduced by that earthquake of 1755, and reaching down to the time when the heavens are rolled back as a scroll, and every mountain and island flees out of its place, and the rich and the poor, the bond and the free, call upon the rocks and the mountains to hide them from the face and from the wrath of the Lamb; “for the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?” And at that time there must be a message that shall go forth, saying, “Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come;” and every act of man, every thought and intent of the heart, must be brought to view and judged in the light of the judgment, in preparing the way for the coming King.
Prophecies that deal with the general condition of the church and the world. Prophecies which say that “in the last days perilous times shall come;” that say, “The Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.”
Prophecies that say, “As it came to pass in the days of Noah, even so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.” Prophecies that say, “As it was in the days of Lot, . . . thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed,”—the ordinary affairs of life going on, and absorbing the whole attention of the people,—things good in themselves and in their place, getting out of their place, and demanding the whole attention of the people, while the solemn time and solemn hour, according to the prophecies of God’s Word, are not heeded by the people. And in that time there must be a special message that shall go forth, that shall make it evident where in the world’s history we are.
Prophecies that say, “There shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.”
Prophecies that say that in this last generation there shall be those who have professed to be servants of God, professed believers of his truth, who shall begin to say in their hearts, “My Lord delayeth his coming.”
Prophecies that say that the rich shall heap up treasures; that the cries of the poor come up into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.
Prophecies that speak of oppression. Prophecies that speak of violence in the land. Prophecies that speak of bands banded against bands. All these are prophecies of general conditions, and all one needs to do to know where we are in this present prophetic history is to let his eyes sweep from horizon to horizon, and take in the situation. (Congregation, “Amen.”)
Now, dear brethren and sisters, these are not cunningly devised fables. I have just put this in review before your eyes, not because you do not know it, but that you may be reminded anew, and that we may have before our minds at this hour a complete picture, as it were, of these prophecies, and that it may be impressed anew upon our minds, and hearts that this is the last generation!
(To be concluded)

New Interest in Spiritualism

By L. A. S.

ALL at once the doctrines of spiritualism have been brought again into prominence before the nation. All the papers have been discussing the purported communication from Henry Ward Beecher to Dr. I. K. Funk, the well-known and highly respected clergyman and author of New York City. At a recent spiritualist seance in Brooklyn which Dr. Funk attended, the alleged spirit of Mr. Beecher, speaking through the “spirit” of another dead man named Rakestraw, spoke to Dr. Funk about a coin called the “widow’s mite,” which the latter had borrowed some years before from a friend named West, a college professor, and which he had forgotten to return. The location of the coin was made known through the spiritualist medium through whom the “spirit” of Rakestraw was talking with Dr. Funk, and a search being instituted, the coin was found in the exact spot designated. Professor West, to whom the coin belonged, has been dead about two years.
But more than this: Dr. Funk is quoted as saying positively that some time ago, at another seance, he saw Mr. Beecher himself, and talked with him. “Dr. Funk” (to quote from the press dispatch) “asserts that he saw the clear outline of Mr. Beecher’s head and shoulders, and the ghost told the man in the flesh that he had work to do, and that it would be made clear to him in time.”
The interest aroused by these statements from Dr. Funk has stirred up the Society for Psychical Research, and Dr. Richard Hodgson, head of the American branch of the society, which has headquarters in Boston, has undertaken to investigate the matter. Dr. Hodgson is the author of a recent book entitled “Human Personality and Its Survival of Bodily Death.”
To an interviewer Dr. Hodgson stated that he had received from Dr. Funk an extended report of his experience, together with sworn affidavits from witnesses in the case. He said there were four possible sources from which the communications might have come, which were these: (1) the affair might have been a fraud, a piece of trickery; (2) the information might have been derived from “telepathy,” the alleged unconscious transference of thought from one mind to another; (3) it might be explained by “clairvoyance,” in which state the medium discovers the facts by means of his, or her, “secondary personality;” (4) the information might have been derived from the “spirits of the dead,” speaking through the human medium. These four hypotheses were in his view—the only ones possible in the case.
It will be seen that the real hypothesis, the true one in every genuine communication through spiritualist mediums, has been overlooked. No account has been taken of what the Scriptures say about the “spirits of devils, working miracles,” and which are able to impersonate the dead, and speak with their familiar voices. Nor has attention been given to plain statements from the Word of God regarding the state of the dead, and the evil of seeking to hold communication with them. “The dead know not anything.” Eccl. 9:5. “And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead? To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” Isa. 8:19, 20. Between seeking to “the living God” for knowledge and seeking to dead mortalsfor it, there is a difference as vast as the world, one which no Christian should ever think of disregarding.
Are we on the eve of a revival of spiritualism? Certain it is that much remains to be done by it in the fulfillment of prophecy, and this is to be accomplished in the brief time that remains before the end.
L. A. S.

“As a Little Child”

By W. A. S.

THE kingdom of heaven is open to the little child. And “whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.”
None can ever become so aged or so wise that they may not be as God’s little children. “As one whom his mother comforteth,” says the Lord, “so will I comfort you.” I remember a little one who used ever to come running into the house with bump or bruise, saying, “Kiss it, mama,” and immediately the kiss upon the very spot healed the grief and dried the tears. Just so, stricken and bruised by sin, the human heart can find comfort only in bringing the hurt to a personal Father in heaven, into whose presence we may come by faith.
We must be left as little children with God. We need no explanation, professedly scientific or otherwise, of the way in which prayer operates. The little child, with clasped hands, talking to a heavenly Father, knows the secret of the Lord which the worldly wise can never know. We would teach the little one that when he reads the Bible, God is talking to him; and that when he prays, he is talking to God. And who of us does not wish to be left a little child with God?
New-thought literature is full of discussions of God’s personality and of prayer. As the old errors are being revived, science, falsely so called, is making again the effort to explain God and divine things. Thus in old time the truth of God was turned into a lie, and heathenism came in. We must know that when science attempts to explain Christianity upon what is called a rational basis, we can have nothing else as a result than Christian Science, whether it comes truly labeled, or whether in the phraseology of this truth. Not to the clever head, but to the loving, childlike heart is the discernment of the truths of the kingdom of heaven.
And, thank the Lord! our prayers as we talk with God, actually go somewhere. John, in the Revelation, saw the prayers of all saints coming up before God in the temple in heaven. The prayer of faith is a real thing in heaven. And there are not enough evil angels in this dark world to shut away the simplest, feeblest cry of one of God’s little children. The prayer of faith will wing its way upward, straight to the throne of grace, straight to the heart of a loving heavenly Father.
Many a man has been robbed of the sweet and vivid reality of the kingdom of heaven by listening to the philosophy that in these days must put everything into the crucible of vain human reason for analysis. But he may get it all back again — as a little child.
W. A. S.
Continue reading: The Bible and “Patriotism”