Review and Herald, Vol. 90, No. 15. (4/10/1913)

Review and Herald

Apr 10, 1913

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Washington, D. C. · Apr 10, 1913

Climb Though the Rocks Be Rugged

By Charles M. Snow

CHARLES M. SNOW

I would not sing of the joys of life In a world like this of ours Where souls are weary and woes are great Though the graves are strewn with flowers. There’s joy for you and there’s joy for me In the land of fadeless day, But there’s work to do for me and for you Till sorrow is wiped away.

We’ll climb, we’ll climb toward the heights of day, Toward the land of joyous song, With a heart to bless and a hand to help The whole rough way along.

Then climb toward the hills, the hills of God, Though the way is rough and steep; There is no time in this day of ours To loiter and dream and sleep. Our Master bids, and we hasten on With our hands tight clasped in His; For the gate to life in that better realm Is service for Him in this:

We’ll sing, we’ll sing as we journey on, And we’ll labor gladly here To speed the day when the task is o’er And Jesus shall appear.

We’re comrades all in this battle grand ’Gainst darkness, grief, and sin; We’ll bravely strive for the good and true Till He bids us enter in. The road may be steep, the rocks be rough, And the rugged way be long, But the day will come when the way is done, And we’ll sing the victor’s song.

We’ll work, we’ll work till the set of sun, Till our Master calls us home, Then praise His name in that land of bliss Where sin can never come.

WHY A VEGETARIAN?

By Editor

Do You Belong to the “Meatless” World Majority, or the “Meat-Eating” Minority? Read the Startling Revelations in This Number!

THESE HEADLINES FROM THE NEW YORK “GLOBE” TELL THEIR OWN STORY

BELOW are only a few of the article headings telling of the New York “Globe’s” recent campaign against filthy and diseased meats. Note the revelations made by this newspaper’s PRIVATE INSPECTORS. This number of LIFE AND HEALTH tells not only what foods to AVOID, but also how to prepare SOMETHING BETTER.

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A FEW MAY FEATURES

Law of Heredity My Lady’s Complexion Campaign Against Diseased Meat Vegetarian Salads Dental Hygiene of the Child How to Make a Family Garden Questions and Answers

Friedmann Tuberculosis Treatment Is Castoria Injurious? Cure for Tapeworm Asthma Laxative Tablets Artificial Baby Foods Substitute for Coffee

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Not Ashamed

By Worthie Harris Holden

WORTHIE HARRIS HOLDEN

My people ne’er shall be ashamed, E’en when derision may have sway And for their loyalty to right Their foes are friends of yesterday.

Not e’er ashamed, they wait for Me, Their King of kings beyond the sky, And for their faithfulness I claim Them mine, within the court on high.

When as a scroll the heavens depart, In glory robes, all cleansed from sin, These loyal ones still my delight, Through triumph gates shall “enter in.”

An Address to Young Men

By Ellen G. White

(Concluded)

MRS. E. G. WHITE

Our churches are languishing for the want of whole-hearted, self-denying workers. Our smaller churches are losing their vitality because their members do not seek to work for those around them. God can work with few as well as with many, but personal responsibility does not seem to be comprehended as it should be by the members of our churches. Can God bless the church that is indolent and selfish? O rouse, my brethren and sisters, and come to Christ, and he will give you life. God has given to each one his work, and hours are as precious jewels to be treasured and improved for the glory of God. Although we should not move rashly, we must not stand in idleness, but go forward as light-bearers for Christ. God would have his followers men and women of undaunted determination and resolution. They are to be as lights in the world, making those with whom they come in contact wiser, purer, happier.

Young men should have broad ideas, wise plans, that they may make the most of their opportunities, catch the inspiration and courage that animated the apostles. John says, “I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one.” An elevated standard is presented before the youth, and God is inviting them to come into real service for him. True-hearted young men who delight to be learners in the school of Christ can do a great work for the Master if they will only give heed to the command of the Captain as it sounds down along the lines of our time, “Quit you like men, be strong.” You are to be men who will walk humbly with God, who will stand before him in your God-given manhood, free from impurity, free from all contamination from the sensuality that is corrupting this age. You must be men who will despise all falsity and wickedness, who will dare to be true and brave, holding aloft the blood-stained banner of Prince Immanuel. Your talents will increase as you use them for the Master, and they will be esteemed precious by him who has bought them with an infinite price. Do not sit down and neglect to do anything, simply because you can not do some great thing, but do whatever your hands find to do, with thoroughness and energy.

We each have some power of influence. Men are led to change their plans in temporal matters by the influence of others who approach them in a judicious manner, presenting reasons for such a change. Men lead others to confide in them, to trust their judgment, and to shape their course of action in a different way from what they would otherwise do, simply because of personal influence. Why not use this power of influence to persuade them in matters that pertain to their eternal interests? Use your influence in persuading men to believe the truths of the Bible. Work for God as earnestly in this matter as in things that concern this life; as you exercised your power in society in earthly things, now exercise your power to stay the tide of corruption that is flooding the world. You can save your fellow men from leading a life of sin and unhappiness. Do not wait for better opportunities; work now, while it is called to-day. Just where you are, take hold of your opportunities. Those who have a heart to work will find openings all around them; for such will be praying and watching for opportunities, and when these appear, they will seize upon them, and make the most of them. The faithful improvement of small openings will prepare the way for a larger work.

Christ is calling for volunteers to enlist under his standard, and bear the banner of the cross before the world. The church is languishing for the help of young men who will bear a courageous testimony, who will with their ardent zeal stir up the sluggish energies of God’s people, and so increase the power of the church in the world. Young men are wanted who will resist the tide of worldliness, and lift a voice of warning against taking the first steps in immorality and vice.

But first the young men who would serve God and give themselves to his work, must cleanse the soul-temple of all impurity, and enthrone Christ in the heart; then they will be enabled to put energy into their Christian effort, and will manifest enthusiastic zeal in persuading men to be reconciled to Christ. Will not our young men respond to the invitation of Christ, and answer, “Here am I; send me”? Young men, press to the front, and identify yourselves as laborers together with Christ, taking up the work where he left it, to carry it on to its completion.

We have a most solemn message to bear to the world, and how circumspect should be our conduct, how unblamable our example. If through our influence souls are led astray, the loss will be placed to our account. We shall not only suffer because of our own rejection of Christ, but because our impenitence encouraged others to continue in transgression. The Lord will help all who feel their need of help, who seek him earnestly for strength and divine guidance. Those who will purify their hearts by obeying the truth will be used of God in accomplishing great good. Those who have the love of God in the heart will show it by corresponding works; for they will let their light shine forth in deeds of truth and goodness. “A city that is set on a hill can not be hid.” I appeal to you, my brethren and sisters, have root in yourselves. Let your souls be riveted to the eternal Rock. God is not mocked; he knows those who are his. Our profession of truth will not save

us; we must be sanctified through the truth. Christ said, “Thy word is truth.” We must study the Bible, comparing scripture with scripture. A mere reading through of the Bible will not be sufficient. The heart must be opened to understand what saith the Scriptures in regard to duty. We must have a calm, steady faith, and that moral courage which Jesus alone can impart to us, that we may be strengthened for trial and prepared for duty. We need living faith that we may be closely united with God; for only in this way shall we be able to make a success of the Christian life and be a blessing to others.

The Sabbath of the Pharisees

By K. C. RUSSELL

K. C. RUSSELL

FROM a work by the late A. H. Lewis, D. D., LL. D., of the Seventh-day Baptists, entitled “Spiritual Sabbathism,” page 114, I quote the following, which shows the terribly perverted conception that the Pharisees possessed concerning the observance of the Sabbath:—

“On the Sabbath a Jew must do no work! But how shall we know what work is? The rabbis tell us. There are thirty-nine kinds of work, and each of these may be endlessly divided: Sowing, plowing, reaping, binding sheaves, thrashing, winnowing, sifting, grinding, riddling, kneading, baking, shearing wool, whitening, carding, dyeing, spinning, warping, making two spools, weaving two threads, hoisting, loosing, sewing two stitches, tearing thread for two sewings, hunting the gazel, slaughtering, skinning, salting, curing its skin, tanning, cutting up, writing two letters, erasing to write two letters, building, demolishing, quenching, kindling, hammering, carrying from private to public property. Lo! these are the principal works—forty less one. Such are the thirty-nine articles of Pharisaic taboo.

“A word or two must be said about the innumerable subdivisions of things prohibited and permitted. A man who stood outside the house and handed something in was a Sabbath-breaker, but he who received it within was blameless. But if a man reached his hand into the house and the householder placed a gift therein, the man might withdraw his hand and be blameless. A tailor might not carry his needle on the Sabbath nor inscribe his pen.

“Rabbi Shammai said that wool set for dyeing on the sixth day must not be allowed to absorb dyestuff on the Sabbath; but Rabbi Hillel disagreed with him on this point and others like it. We must confess to a certain admiration for Shammai; if a man must absolutely and utterly desist from ‘work,’ why should he not insist on the correct behavior of the wool he had put into the dye-tub?

“Logic is a terrible idol, but if we are to throw ourselves before this Juggernaut, why offer merely a foot to be crushed? It is hardly remarkable that King Jannaus warned his wife against the ‘dye Pharisees.’ The anxiety of a strict pharisaic household to observe the Sabbath must have been pathetic. An egg must not be placed near a boiler lest accidentally it be cooked. It must not be left on hot sand lest the same disaster follow. A hundred similar household duties left little time for mothers in Israel to rest and to meditate on the joyous psalms of David. Dressing for church was a very serious matter to the Pharisee. A man might wear garters on the Sabbath, but no anklets. He must not wear nailed soles, for to carry nails is to carry burdens. Burdens! as if this dead body of taboo were not almost as heavy as that sinful ‘body of his death,’ concerning which Paul speaks with a groan!”

With this background it is not difficult to understand why Jesus took occasion to perform some of his most remarkable miracles on the Sabbath. It was evidently his purpose to teach by precept that it was lawful to do good on the Sabbath, and also show by his example that he utterly disregarded the pharisaic method of observing the Sabbath. However, it is not difficult to understand when we analyze the question why the Pharisees went to such extremes in prohibiting the doing of certain things on the Sabbath day. They did not possess any true conception of genuine Sabbath-keeping because they had never experienced the new birth, which goes beyond a mere outward observance of the law. It will be remembered that even Nicodemus, leader in Israel, did not know the meaning of the new birth, and so came to Jesus by night to learn. If he, a ruler in Israel, did not understand what it was to be born again, the ordinary Pharisee would be much less likely to be able to comprehend it. Their city had been destroyed because they had not kept the Sabbath, and fearing a repetition of such a manifestation of God’s wrath upon their city and nation, they thus put forth every effort possible against what they regarded as the slightest external disregard of the Sabbath. Had they known what true Sabbath-keeping involved,—a real heart-service, a resting from sin, as well as an outward observance of the day,—they would never have adopted the extreme and fanatical methods they did in observing the Sabbath.

Since they did not know the spiritual significance of the Lord’s day, in order to preserve the sanctity of the day they adopted the only means known to their carnal minds, which, of course, would be to require of all a strict regard of every outward detail in its observance. Since they possessed no spiritual power to enable them to keep the Sabbath, the only alternative left was to require the strict observance of the Sabbath by law.

Likewise to-day, those who know nothing of the power of the Spirit to enable them to keep the Sabbath will resort to human power to require the observance of the day they regard as the Sabbath. What the world needs most of all is to get in possession of the power of Christ in the inner life, and then the observance of the Sabbath and other gospel requirements will not be a difficult or perplexing task.

Chicago, Ill.

Hating Sin; Obedience

By G. B. Thompson

The Holy Spirit — No. 13

Hating Sin; Obedience

G. B. THOMPSON

7. A FURTHER step in Spirit filling is to hate sin. “Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows,” Heb. 1:9.

Christ’s love for righteousness and his hatred of sin are here set forth as a reason why he was anointed with the Holy Spirit and with power. It is not enough merely to abstain from wrong acts. We must reach a deeper Christian experience than this. We must come to the place where we shall hate the sin. The things that are questionable, over which the conscience has been perhaps long troubled, must be surrendered; even more, we must reach the point where we shall refrain from the sin, and not hanker after it, wishing it were not wrong, but hate the thing.

“There must be a relinquishment, honest and entire in its character, of all that the Word of God in conjunction with conscience condemns. Any controversy in this matter means unanswered prayer. A great difficulty with many is that they want power without purity, and happiness without holiness. When God puts his finger upon unclean and unlawful things, they shrink from the cost of renouncing them, and thus make it impossible for their prayer to be answered. There are in most lives mountains to be leveled, valleys to be exalted, crooked things to be made straight, and rough places to be made plain before the glory of the Lord can be revealed; and it is just here that so many fail. This renunciation of what is revealed as iniquity, often means a very serious matter, involving changes in many realms of life; possibly touching the sphere of the affections or the possessions, the inner habits of life or the outward details of conduct. But it is a much more serious thing to continue a controversy with God, and to thus prevent the Holy Spirit from possessing his own temple. It is an actual impossibility to receive the Holy Spirit while grasping anything that God has banned and conscience has already judged. The hand of faith must be empty in order to receive the gift.”

“There can be no bestowal of the Holy Spirit where there is an unwillingness to obey God in any matter about which he has already made his will known. There are in many lives questions of long standing about which conscience has often been troubled, but with regard to which the heart has been disobedient to the heavenly vision. These are the hindrances which make all prayer for the Spirit’s power non-effective; and until they are willingly dealt with, and the long-deferred obedience yielded, his fulness will never be received.

It often happens that when souls are eagerly seeking this blessing from pure motives, there are revealed in them hitherto hidden acts and attitudes of disobedience, sometimes trifling in themselves, and about these points the whole controversy rages.”—“The Price of Power,” pages 70, 73.

In his sermon on the mount the Saviour said, “If thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee,” and “if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee.” Matt. 5: 29, 30. This is hardly to be understood as teaching that eyes are to be literally plucked out, or arms amputated. But it does teach, as the context shows, that anything in the life which may be as dear to us as the eye or the hand, if it endangers our being “cast into hell,” is to be cast from us.

We are further admonished to “abstain from all appearance of evil.” 1 Thess. 5: 22. This goes, if possible, still deeper. Even though a thing might not be wrong in itself, if it does not look right, is open to suspicion, may be misunderstood, and would furnish an example which might be used as a stumbling-stone to others who are weak, or furnish an opportunity for sinners to blaspheme, we are to abstain from even this.

Young people, and older ones, too, for that matter, sometimes debate in their minds concerning certain places of amusement and certain forms of entertainment. Is it right? What harm is there in it? Before perplexing the mind with these and similar questions, we can first ask, How will it look for a Christian? If it does not look right, that should settle the matter without further parley. The dove-like Spirit is often grieved by appearances, as well as by open sin.

8. We shall notice one further step in the receiving of the Holy Spirit. It is that of surrender. “And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.” Acts 5: 32.

Obedience means unconditional surrender. This is the one supreme condition of being filled with the Spirit of God. Full surrender is the pivot upon which the gate of his fulness swings open.

It is not a question in the life of a Christian as to whether the Spirit has entered the heart. He knocks for admission at the door of every heart; and he has entered in some measure the heart of every Christian. But the question is, Has he had full possession? or has he been only a joint tenant? Has he had all the heart, or only a corner in our affections? “Yield yourselves unto God,” is the exhortation of Paul. This does not mean in part, but wholly. The question is, Have we done this?

“It is as if the sweet, fresh air of spring-time should enter a ten-room house full of foul odors. You open up one chamber to it, but leave the rest closed and in possession of the old, fetid atmosphere. Truly the pure air has entered, but how can it fill the house until you yield that house wholly to it, throwing open every nook and cranny to its fragrant breath?”

This places the question of surrender squarely before us. The Spirit has entered the temple of our bodies. But how much room has he been permitted to occupy? Has he been obeyed, and fully yielded to? Have we turned over to him the key of every room? or have we retained the key to one room? Is there a closet somewhere in the heart in which some grinning skeleton is hidden, to which we hold the key? Have we turned over to the Spirit every key, and bidden him open every room, every closet, and take full possession of the soul? This is the pivotal point upon which is determined whether or not we shall share the fulness of the Spirit. The fulness of surrender precedes the fulness of power. Whether it takes a day or long years to reach this, the consecrated child of God knows that it is the supreme step in securing the power of the Spirit.

“There is no substitute for your act of surrender. When God states a condition of blessing, no other condition, however good elsewhere, can be substituted. This is why all your crying, and waiting, and petitioning—yea, even agonizing before God—have accomplished naught but to leave you grieved, disappointed, and dazed at lack of answer. You have been praying instead of obeying. Prayer is all right with obedience, but not instead of it. ‘To obey is better than sacrifice.’ So it is better than prayer if it is the thing God is asking. We are not petitioning God; he is petitioning us. Hear him through his servant Paul: ‘I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice.’ Have you done this? When we petition God to do something for us, we expect him to act. When God petitions us to make him a present of our bodies as a living sacrifice, he expects us to act. But, lo, we turn to and begin to pray, for, we say, is not prayer a good thing? Forsooth, it is, but not well spent if used to dodge obedience! How subtle the flesh is! How in our blindness we do play at cross-purposes with God! ‘Abraham,’ said God, ‘because thou hast done this thing, . . . I will bless thee’ (Gen. 22: 16, 17). What was this thing upon the doing of which the blessing of God came to him as never before?—It was the yielding of his all to God in the surrender of his son. Child of God, have you done this thing? No other thing will avail. Constant prayer, importunate entreaty, wearisome waiting, attempts at believing, reckoning it done,—all these are of no avail if you will not do this thing. This unyielded life is the very citadel of self. God will not force it. But when its key, the will, is voluntarily handed over to him, then he floods the life with his fulness of blessing. Would you know his ‘I will bless thee’? then do this thing. Absolutely, unreservedly, confidingly, yield yourself, your life, your all into his hands for time and eternity.

“It will not do, in lieu of this, to give money, to give time, to give service, only. Thousands are trying thus to silence conscience and rob God. We must needs give ourselves. How grieved would that true lover be whose betrothed would answer his petition for her heart, herself, by proffering her purse, houses, or lands! How much more must God be grieved by our poor attempts to bribe him by giving him everything else except the one thing he wants—ourselves! ‘My son, give me thine heart.’ There is a giving which is instead of ourselves; and there is a gift of ourselves.”—“Threefold Secret of the Holy Spirit,” pages 51-53.

This is true repentance, and entire change of all the desires and affections of the flesh. And to those who repent, the promise of the Spirit is safe. “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” Acts 2: 38. When all is surrendered and on the altar, we shall assuredly not have to wait long for the fire to descend.

“Breathe on me, Breath of God, Until my heart is pure, Until with thee I will one will. To do and to endure.”

A. G. DANIELLS

By A. G. Daniells

Does the History of Turkey and Egypt Since 1798 Fulfill the Prophecy of Dan. 11:40-44? — No. 12

A. G. DANIELLS

The victory of the French over the Turkish army of thirty thousand in the region of Nazareth and the Jordan confirmed Napoleon and his generals in their assurance of victory, not only in the siege of Acre, but over the whole empire of Turkey. Although they had thus far made little headway in the siege, Napoleon was resolutely bent on taking the town. Pointing to it one day, he said to General Murat:

“The fate of that contemptible town and its fall is the object of my expedition, and Damascus will be its fruit.”—“History of the Egyptian Revolution,” Vol. I, chap. 23, page 277.

After routing the great Turkish army at the Jordan, Napoleon returned to Acre to press the siege with new vigor.

Pressing the Siege of Acre

“No pen can describe the desperate conflicts and the scenes of carnage which ensued. Day after day, night after night, and week after week, the horrible slaughter, without intermission, continued. The French succeeded in transporting, by means of their cruisers, from Alexandria, a few pieces of heavy artillery, and the walls of Acre were reduced to a pile of blackened ruins. The streets were plowed up, and the houses

blown down by bombshells.”—“The Life of Napoleon Bonaparte,” Vol. I, chap. 12, page 220, by John S. C. Abbott.

“The vigor and resolution of the garrison increased with every hour the siege continued. Napoleon, by a desperate effort, for a time succeeded in effecting a lodgment in the ruined tower; but his men were soon driven out with immense loss, and the Turks regained possession of all their fortifications. The trenches had been open and the breach practicable for nearly two months, but no sensible progress was as yet made in the reduction of the place.”—“History of Europe,” Vol. IV, chap. 26, page 207, by Sir Archibald Alison.

“There were occasional lulls in this awful storm, during which each party would be rousing its energies for more terrible collision. The besiegers burrowed mines deep under the foundation of walls and towers, and, with the explosion of hundreds of barrels of gunpowder, opened volcanic craters, blowing men and rocks into hideous ruin. In the midst of the shower of destruction darkening the skies, the assailants rushed, with sabers and dripping bayonets, to the assault. The onset, on the part of the French, was as furious and desperate as mortal man is capable of making. The repulse was equally determined and fearless.”—“The Life of Napoleon Bonaparte,” Vol. I, chap. 12, page 221, by John S. C. Abbott.

“The siege was now beginning to assume a somber aspect for the French. The skilful chief of engineers was no more. One able officer after another had shared his fate. The besieged, instead of quailing before the intrepidity and skill of the new French school of conquest, showed an unflinching audacity which had no previous parallel in the Syrian or Egyptian experiences of the army.”—“History of the Egyptian Revolution,” Vol. I, chap. 23, page 279, by A. A. Paton.

“The eyes of Europe were turned with eager interest to the spot where the greatest conqueror of modern times was brought to a standstill. . . . Every scrap of news was wafted as rapidly as the means of locomotion then admitted to the obscurest villages of Europe—from the Pillars of Hercules to the gelid waters of Archangel.”—Id., page 280.

Arrival of a Turkish Fleet

“One afternoon in May [the seventh], a fleet of thirty sail of the line was descried in the distant horizon, approaching Acre. All eyes were instantly turned in that direction. The sight awakened intense anxiety in the hearts of both besiegers and besieged. The French hoped that they were French ships conveying to them succors from Alexandria or from France. The besieged flattered themselves that they were friendly sails, bringing to them such aid as would enable them effectually to repulse their terrible foes. The English cruisers immediately stood out of the bay to reconnoiter the unknown fleet. Great was the disappointment of the French when they saw the two squadrons unite, and the crescent of the Turk and the pennant of England, in friendly blending, approach the bay together. The Turkish fleet brought a reinforcement of twelve thousand men, with an abundant supply of military stores.”

“Napoleon’s only hope was to capture the place before the disembarkation of these reinforcements. Calculating that the landing could not be effected in less than six hours, he resolved upon an immediate assault. In the deepening twilight a black and massy column issued from the trenches, and advanced, with the firm and silent steps of utter desperation, to the breach. The besieged, knowing that if they could hold out but a few hours longer deliverance was certain, were animated to the most determined resistance. A horrible scene of slaughter ensued. The troops from the ships, in the utmost haste, were embarked in the boats, and were pulling as rapidly as possible across the bay to aid their failing friends. Sir Sydney himself headed the crews of the ships, and led them, armed with pikes, to the breach. The assailants gained the summit of a heap of stones into which the wall had been battered, and even forced their way into the garden of the pasha. But a swarm of janizaries suddenly poured in upon them with the keen saber in one hand and the dagger in the other, and in a few moments they were all reduced to headless trunks. The Turks gave no quarter. . . .”

“Column after column of the French advanced to the assault, but all were repulsed with dreadful slaughter. Every hour the strength of the enemy was increasing; every hour the forces of Napoleon were melting away before the awful storm sweeping from the battlements. In these terrific conflicts, where immense masses were contending hand to hand, it was found that the simitar of the Turk was a far more efficient weapon of destruction than the bayonet of the European.”—“The Life of Napoleon Bonaparte,” Vol. I, chap. 13, pages 223, 224, by John S. C. Abbott.

The Siege Abandoned

“Success was now hopeless. Sadly Napoleon made preparations to relinquish the enterprise. He knew that a formidable Turkish army, aided by the fleets of England and Russia, was soon to be conveyed from Rhodes to Egypt. Not an hour longer could he delay his return to meet it.”—Id., page 224.

“Meanwhile, the baggage, sick, and field-artillery were silently defiling to the rear, the heavy cannon were buried in the sand, and on the twentieth of May, Napoleon, for the first time in his life, ordered a retreat.”—“History of Europe,” Vol. IV, chap. 26, page 208, by Sir Archibald Alison.

“On the twentieth of May, Napoleon, for the first time, relinquished an enterprise unaccomplished. An incessant fire was kept up in the trenches till the last moment, while the baggage, the sick, and the field-artillery were silently defiling to the rear, so that the Turks had no suspicion that the besiegers were about to abandon their works. Napoleon left three thousand of his troops, slain or dead of the plague, buried in the sands of Acre.”—“The Life of Napoleon Bonaparte,” Vol. I, chap. 13, page 228, by John S. C. Abbott.

“This was the first serious check that Bonaparte had received in his wonderful career.”—“History of the Egyptian Revolution,” Vol. I, chap. 24, page 288, by A. A. Paton.

“Awake and Sing”

By H. I. Morse-Farnum

H. I. MORSE-FARNUM

From the omnipotent Ruler the summons eventually goes forth, “Awake and sing, ye that dwell in the dust.” Like all divine commands, that glad, long-looked-for, and long-listened-for behest is for eternal ages. No more awakening to pain, tears, or soul anguish!

Anxieties, forebodings, disappointments, sad partings, and loneliness are all over. An endless life of joy and gladness is begun; the scars which time and its mutations have imprinted are all effaced, and tear-drops never fall, for God himself shall wipe them all away. Christ, the God-man, has purchased for us the eternal bliss, and still is calling, “Come ye to the waters, . . . yea, come.”

Who in this precarious world is not athirst for something reliable, something permanent? Vainly it is sought where one who destroys the earth is still prince. That usurped dominion is to be wrenched away, and He whose right it is shall reign, even our elder Brother, the Prince of Peace.

The blessed Scriptures, letters from heaven bearing the imprint of divinity and humanity, make the mysteries all plain, opening vistas of light and glory beyond the tempests, toils, and trials of a brief sojourn on earth.

How many in this infidel age are scorning the only Anchor, just to drift hopelessly upon the fathomless ocean of doubt!

May not all who have tasted the “powers of the world to come” lift up their heads rejoicingly, even in the narrowest passes, because of ability to declare emphatically, “I know that my Redeemer liveth”? Can they not quaff of Marah water cheerfully when one who bought for them the future bliss drained its fullest cup?

When his children are alone, sinking amid life's surges, again he treads the billow with extended hand and gently chiding word, “Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?”

When human help availeth not, when the final foe is faced, hear the precious whisper, “Fear thou not; for I am with thee.”

Peterboro, Ontario.

Seeking God with a Broken Heart

“THE man who seeks God with a heart-break will not be long in finding him.”

Continue reading: Character of the Coming General Conference