Signs of the Times, Vol. 32, No. 39. (10/10/1906)

Signs of the Times

Oct 10, 1906

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Mountain View, California · Oct 10, 1906

GOD'S POWER AND GOODNESS.

Praise ye Jehovah. Praise Jehovah, O my soul. While I live will I praise Jehovah; I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being. Put not your trust in princes, Nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help. His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; In that very day his thoughts perish. Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, Whose hope is in Jehovah his God; Who made heaven and earth, The sea, and all that in them is; Who keepeth truth forever; Who executeth justice for the oppressed; Who giveth food to the hungry. Jehovah looseth the prisoners; Jehovah openeth the eyes of the blind; Jehovah raiseth up them that are bowed down; Jehovah loveth the righteous; Jehovah preserveth the sojourners; He upholdeth the fatherless and widow; But the way of the wicked He turneth upside down. Jehovah will reign forever, Thy God, O Zion, unto all generations. Praise ye Jehovah.

PSALM 146.

FROM THE MAIL.

By Editor

"Enclosed find $5.00 for which renew the SIGNS OF THE TIMES, extending subscription until amount is exhausted. May God prosper with wisdom and power."

"I have just received the SIGNS for last week, September 12, and it is so full of the good truths for to-day. I want more numbers, so will enclose stamps for a number. I wish I could send them to many who would gladly read and subscribe for the paper."

The following order from an attorney:

"As a reader of the SIGNS OF THE TIMES, I recognize its sterling worth in the cause it represents. Find enclosed my check for $3.00, for which please send it one year to the following addresses: (Two names and addresses.)"

"Enclosed find post-office order for $5.40. Use the forty cents to renew my subscription to the SIGNS for another three months; the rest for the building of a new home for the SIGNS, the very best paper I ever read."

"Enclosed find $5.00. Take out $1.50 for my subscription for another year, and put the rest into the treasury for the loss from the fire. I am glad you have started up again. Thank God for the SIGNS."

"Enclosed find $6.00. We send $5.00 to help you rebuild, $1.00 for new subscription. We were so sorry to learn of the great loss by fire. May many hearts respond with generous gifts to help you."

SIGNS OF THE TIMES BOOKLET.

By Editor

CONTENTS.

1. What the "Signs" Has Accomplished. (a) Number of its Converts in One Conference. (b) Five Noteworthy Examples. 2. Club Rates for Churches. Showing Exact Cost of Any Club —5 to 100 Copies—For Any Period—One Week to One Year. 3. "Signs" Rates. (a) Single New Subscriptions. (b) To Foreign Countries. (c) Renewal Subscriptions. (d) In Clubs. (e) To Agents.

Who are Agents?
How to Organize and Pay for a Church Club.
How to Use the "Signs."

This booklet is filled with encouraging items and valuable suggestions.

Your State Tract Society will be glad to send you a copy free; or address SIGNS OF THE TIMES, Mountain View, Cal.

Copies will be sent free on request. Order from your State Tract Society, or address the SIGNS OF THE TIMES, Mountain View, Cal.

BIBLES

A FRESH, NEW STOCK

FOR CHURCH SCHOOLS

All Bibles under This Heading Have References and Gold Edges

03008—Pearl type; size of book, 5¾x3¾ inches. This is a small facsimile, leather-covered Bible, with overlapping edges. Contains self-pronouncing dictionary of Scripture proper names, harmony of the Gospels, maps, etc. This book is one of our best sellers and has always given satisfaction. It is especially adapted to church-school purposes ......$1.00

03028x—Pearl type, but black faced. Size, 5⅛x3⅞ inches. Binding same as above. It is printed on the celebrated "Oxford India paper," and being only ⅝ of an inch in thickness, is a very light and convenient book to carry ....................................................$1.70

03028—Same as 03028x, but printed on heavier paper .....$1.00

03108x—Ruby type. Size, 5¾x4 inches, and only ¾ of an inch in thickness. Leather cover, overlapping edges. Contains self-pronouncing dictionary, harmony of the Gospels, chronological tables, maps, etc. This is the lightest and most compact reference Bible made. India paper ............................................................................$1.75

For some of the older students in our church schools who require a concordance, we recommend the following:

03271—Minion type, size, 7¼x5 inches. Leather cover with overlapping edges. Concordance and maps ..................................................................................$1.50

NOTE: All Bibles marked "Facsimile" contain just 1,000 pages of text, and any particular verse will be found exactly in the same position on the page of all Bibles thus described.

TEXT BIBLES

07—Pearl type; size, 5½x3½ inches. This is a small, limp, leather-covered Bible, with round corners and gold edges. A good book for the money. Suitable for Sabbath-school teachers to use for gift purposes ..........................................................$0.55

012—Same as above, only the binding has overlapping edges ........................$0.75

FOR HOME STUDY

A VERY LARGE TYPE BIBLE

01603—Small pica type. Size, 9¼x5¾ inches. Plain, limp leather cover with round corners. It contains a Family Register and twelve maps. It contains the largest and blackest type found in any hand Bible. Just the thing for night study ....................................................$2.00

POCKET BIBLES

We believe the following styles of pocket Bibles are the very best to be found on the market, and from our experience we know they give satisfaction. We know of copies which have been in continual use for seven to ten years.

All Bibles under This Heading Have References and Gold Edges

02003x—Brilliant type; size, 3½x2½ inches, and only about half an inch thick. Leather cover, with overlapping edges. Weight only four ounces. It is the very best Bible for the price we have ever seen ..........................................................................$1.75

02005x—Diamond type; size, 5x3¾ inches. A better bound book than the above. Leather lined, silk sewed, and overlapping edges. Facsimile series ........................................$2.25

02020x—Diamond type; size, 5x3¾ inches. Bound in best grade morocco leather, calf lined, overlapping edges, silk sewed. It is the most durable and beautiful cover known. Facsimile series ..................................................................................................$3.75

03020x—Pearl type; size, 5¾x3¾ inches. It contains self-pronouncing dictionary, harmony of the Gospels, maps, etc. Binding same as 02020x. It is very flexible, and altogether a handsome book. Facsimile series ................................................................................................$4.00

All of the above styles are printed on the celebrated "Oxford India paper," and are therefore very light and durable.

Write for complete catalog.

These Bibles may be obtained at the following agencies:

PACIFIC PRESS PUBLISHING COMPANY.

Mountain View, California

1109 East Twelfth Street, Kansas City, Mo. 285 Salmon Street, Portland, Ore.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA TRACT SOCIETY, 257 S. Hill Street, Los Angeles, Cal.

CALIFORNIA TRACT SOCIETY, Mountain View, Cal. UPPER COLUMBIA TRACT SOCIETY, College Place, Wash.

HAPPINESS.

THE secret of happiness is not the size of one's purse, or the style of one's house, or the number of one's butterfly friends; the fountain of peace and joy is in the heart. Some professed Christians pinch and starve themselves into walking skeletons, says Dr. Cuyler, and then try to excuse themselves on the plea of ill-health or "constitutional" ailments. The medicines they need are from Christ's pharmacy. A large draught of Bible taken every morning, a throwing open of the heart's

windows to the promises of the Master, a few words of honest prayer, a deed or two of kindness to the next person whom you meet, will do more to brighten your countenance and help your digestion than all the drugs of the doctors. If you want to get your aches and trials out of sight, hide them under your mercies.

—Ram's Horn.

BEHOLD YOUR KING!

By Frances Ridley Havergal

BEHOLD your King! Tho the moonlight steals Through the silvery sprays of the olive tree, No star-gemmed scepter or crown it reveals, In the solemn shade of Gethsemane. Only a form of prostrate grief, Fallen, crushed, like a broken leaf! O, think of His sorrow! that we may know The depth of love in the depth of wo!

Behold your King! Is it nothing to you That the crimson tokens of agony From the kingly brow must fall, like dew, Through the shuddering shades of Gethsemane?

Jesus Himself, the Prince of Life, Bows in mysterious mortal strife; O, think of His sorrow! that ye may know The unknown love in the unknown wo!

Behold your King! With His sorrow crowned, Alone, alone in the valley is He! The shadows are gathering round, And the cross must follow Gethsemane. Darker and darker the gloom must fall; Filled is the cup, He must drink it all! O, think of His sorrow! that we may know His wondrous love in His wondrous wo! —Frances Ridley Havergal.

OUR GREAT TREASURE-HOUSE

By Ellen G. White

By MRS. E. G. WHITE

XIX. BLESSED ARE THEY THAT DO.

THE Bible teaches the whole will of God concerning the sons and daughters of Adam. It is the rule of life, teaching us what characters we must form for the future life. We need not the dim light of tradition to make the Scriptures comprehensible. As well might we suppose that the noonday sun needs the glimmering torchlight of earth to increase its glory. The utterances of priest or minister are not needed to save men from error. Those who consult the divine oracle will have light. In the Bible every duty is made plain. Every lesson reveals to us the Father and the Son. The Word is able to make all wise unto salvation. In the Word the science of salvation is plainly revealed. Search the Scriptures; for they are the voice of God speaking to the soul.

Christ and His Word are in perfect harmony. Received and obeyed, they open a sure path for the feet of all who are willing to walk in the light as Christ is in the light. If the people of God would appreciate His Word, we should have a heaven in the church here below. Christians would be eager, hungry, to search the Word. They would be anxious for time to compare scripture with scripture, and to meditate upon the Word. They would be more eager for the light of the Word than for the morning paper, magazines, or novels. Their greatest desire would be to eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of God. And as a result, their lives would be conformed to the principles and promises of the Word. Its instruction would be to them as the leaves of the tree of life. It would be to them a well of water, springing up unto everlasting life. Refreshing showers of grace would refresh and revive the soul, causing them to forget all toil and weariness. They would be strengthened and encouraged by the words of inspiration.

Weariness would be forgotten in the sunlight of Heaven. Truth would be interwoven with their lives, and its heavenly principles would be as a fresh, running stream, constantly satisfying the soul.

The Lord's Philosophy

is the rule of the Christian's life. The entire being should be imbued with the life-giving principles of heaven. The busy nothings which consume the time of so many shrink into their proper position before a healthy, sanctifying, Bible piety.

The Bible, and the Bible alone, can produce this good result. It is the wisdom of God and the power of God, and it works with power in the receptive heart. O what heights we might reach if we would conform our wills to the will of God. It is the power of God that we need, wherever we are. The frivolity that cumbers the church makes it weak and indifferent.

The whole Bible is a revelation of the glory of God in Christ. Received, believed, obeyed, it is the great instrumentality in the transformation of character. And it is the only sure means of intellectual culture.

Causes of Falling.

The reason why the youth, and even those of mature years, are so easily led into temptation and sin, is that they do not study the Word of God and meditate upon it as they should. The lack of firm, decided will-power, which is manifest in life and character, results from their neglect of the sacred instruction of God's Word. They do not by earnest effort direct the mind to that which would inspire pure, holy thought and divert it from that which is impure and untrue. There are few who choose the better part, few who sit at the feet of Jesus, as did Mary, to learn of Him. Few treasure His words in the heart and practise them in the life.

The truths of the Bible, received, will uplift the mind from earthliness and debasement. If the Word of God were appreciated as it should be, both old and young would possess an inward rectitude, a strength of principle, that would enable them to resist temptation.

Let men teach and write the precious things of the Word of God. Let the thought, the aptitude, the keen exercise of brain power, be given to the study of the thoughts of God. Study not the philosophy of man's conjectures, but study the philosophy of Him who is truth. Other literature is of little value when compared with this.

The mind that is earthly finds no pleasure in contemplating the Word of God; but for the mind renewed by the Holy Spirit, divine beauty and celestial light shine from the sacred page. That which is to the earthly mind a desolate wilderness, to the spiritual mind becomes a land of living streams.

The Agency of Transformation.

The Scriptures are the great agency in the transformation of character. Christ prayed, "Sanctify them through Thy truth; Thy Word is truth." If studied and obeyed, the Word of God works in the heart, subduing every unholy attribute. The Holy Spirit comes to convict of sin, and the faith that springs up in the heart works by love to Christ, conforming us, soul, body, and spirit, to his own image. Then God can use us to do His will. The power given us works from within outwardly, leading us to communicate to others the truth that has been communicated to us.

The truths of the Word of God meet man's great practical necessity—the conversion of the soul through faith. These grand principles are not to be thought too pure and holy to be brought into the daily life. They are truths which reach to heaven and compass eternity, yet their vital influence is to be woven into human experience. They are to permeate all the great things and all the little things of life.

Received into the heart, the leaven of truth will regulate the desires, purify the thoughts, and sweeten the disposition. It quickens the faculties of the mind and the energies of the soul. It enlarges the capacity for feeling, for loving.

THE GREAT SALVATION

By Geo. W. Reaser

By GEO. W. REASER.

I. ITS AUTHOR, SCOPE, AND POWER.

"To you is the word of this salvation sent."

WHAT is the greatest plan ever devised for fallen humanity? Make diligent research of the history of the world from completed creation till the present moment, and determine what deep-laid plan has been the most far-reaching and uplifting in its influence; the most all-embracing in its benefits; the most magnanimous and unselfish in its conception and execution; and which will be the most enduring and happy in its ultimate results.

We will not attempt a comparison of our present theme with the plan of Jehovah in creating the glittering spheres which bedeck the heavens, and in hanging them all "upon nothing," yet keeping them all in perfect adjustment, for the finite can not measure infinity. Suffice it to say that both plans have the same Author, and the same power is pledged to assure the success of each.

When the inhabitants of this world in which we dwell had

Plunged Headlong in Sin

and rebellion against their Creator; when every "imagination of the thoughts" of the majority of mankind "was evil and only evil continually;" when corruption and injustice held all but universal sway; when nearly all members of the human family were enslaved by sin; when an appalling percentage of Adam's posterity had lost their mental balance and reasoning powers; when Death, with his sharp sickle, was reaping down the teeming millions of earth; when the cities of the dead had become vastly more populous than the cities of the living; when, to all outward appearances, Satan was triumphant; at such a crisis as this, the power that could effectually lay hold of the general state of ruin and desolation, and rescue the sin-defiled earth from its death-breeding condition; restore loyalty and love, harmony and peace, wherever rational beings dwell; fill all surviving minds with thoughts of purity and holiness; firmly seat justice and righteousness; break every band of sin; enthrone reason, never again to lose its delicate balance, in the mind of every soul "accounted worthy;" arrest grim Death, with sickle in hand, in his mad pursuit of men, and destroy him evermore; loose every captive from the grave; heal all sickness and infirmity; plant the bloom of health and perpetual youth upon every form and face; banish all suffering and wo; establish happiness complete, where hitherto, misery reigned; and thus achieve a glorious triumph over sin, death, and Satan—such a plan must be indeed great. All of this, and much more, will be accomplished by the scheme of redemption. Inspiration denominates this plan, the "great salvation."

The Greatness of the Plan.

Than this plan of salvation, nothing can have a broader sphere of usefulness, for it clasps the whole universe and eternity in its embrace; nothing can be more uplifting in its influence, for it takes members of a race, who, defiled by sin, were condemned to death, and places them upon an equality with unfallen angels. No scheme can be more all-embracing in its scope, for its provisions are ample for every member of the human family, and even the loyal angels are unmeasurably benefited by it. All was magnanimity in its conception and execution, for its author is self-existent and could have blotted this world from existence and have spoken a sinless world into existence. Only infinite love prompted it and amazing, super-abounding grace, made it effectual. Its results will be as enduring as eternity and as blissful as the capacity of all beings in the universe for pure enjoyment.

That we may have a mutual understanding of terms, let us inquire the meaning of "salvation." Salvation means to save, or having the power to save, from sin and all of its direful results. This salvation is called

the "Great Salvation"

because it saves from the greatest depths of sin and wo and misery to the greatest heights of righteousness, well-being, and happiness. It saves those who are in the greatest need of help and who are utterly unable to save themselves.

A physician, applying some of nature's remedies, may thus save his patient from death; an arm extended to help a drowning man may save his life; a stream of water applied to a burning building may save the structure from ruin; a skilful captain may guide the stately ship, with its precious burden of humanity, safely through the raging storm; a loyal and valiant army may save a city or a nation from destruction at the hands of a cruel foe, but none of these deliverances can compare with the "great salvation."

When a whole race, comprising countless millions are doomed to eternal destruction unless help is provided, the saving power that can grapple with the calamity and save, even to the "uttermost," from the impending gulf of misery and oblivion, reclaiming all that was lost by the Fall, this must be the "great salvation."

What It Will Do.

This salvation, if appropriated, will take the proud and arrogant, and make him humble and submissive; the sinner, and transform him into a saint; the man of violent temper, and make him mild and gentle; the ill-natured and cruel, and make him kind and affectionate; the one "dead in trespasses and sins" and, quickening him, give him a seat "in heavenly places" with the Saviour of men; the thief, and make him an honest man, "willing to distribute to the necessity" of others; the habitual liar, and make him love the truth; the profane, and cause him to reverently praise the God of his salvation; the cursing man, and inspire him to bless; the wandering mind, and bring every thought into captivity to Christ; the adulterer, and make him pure in thought, word and deed; the covetous, and make him generous; the Sabbath-breaker, and cause him to reverence God's holy day and delight therein. It has ample power to take the drunkard, and, lifting him from the gutter, wash him without and within, and make him a sober, industrious man, an ornament to society, and a praise to his Deliverer. It can take the Satanic man, and, if he be willing, make him Christlike. It can transform a home of misery, strife, and cruelty, into a miniature model of heaven upon earth. It has inherent power to break every chain of evil habit and every hereditary tendency toward sin, and "set the captive free," and thus, laying hold of sin's victim, it will take him, and in the ultimate, make him fit to associate with the elect angels who have never known the contamination of sin. It is capable of taking the heathen and causing him to abandon his idols and worship his Creator; the soul-destroyer, and, making of him a soul-winner, place him among that blessed company of whom it is written, "How beautiful upon the mountains is the feet of him that publisheth peace, that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation." It is in its ultimate results,

a Perfect and Complete Antidote

for all of the ills and woes known to the human family.

The supernatural power which makes this salvation effectual, laid fast hold upon Lazarus and wrested him from the tomb. It brought Dorcas to life. It has cleansed lepers and healed all manner of infirmities. It caused the Philippian jailer, who at nightfall cruelly lacerated the backs of Paul and Silas, to tenderly wash them, ere the light of morning came. It made Peter, the profane at the trial of the Saviour, the loyal and fearless on the day of Pentecost, and by its re-creative power, three thousand souls were converted on the same occasion. It conquered Saul, the persecutor, and made him Paul, the martyr. It firmly grasped Moses, the deceased leader of Israel, and, regardless of Satan's opposition (Jude 9), parted the earth asunder, and, lifting him from the grave, transported him to the third heaven. It took Enoch and Elijah and translated them to Paradise, without tasting death.

When the Lord applied this power to the deliverance of His people from the spiritual and physical bondage of Egypt, He made this appeal to them: "Ask now of the days that are past . . . since the day that God created man upon the earth, and ask from the one side of heaven unto the other, whether there hath been any such thing as this great thing is, or hath been heard like it?" Surely it is well named,

'The Great Salvation.'

Reader, seeing that this great salvation was planned for your personal benefit,—for "to you is the word of this salvation sent,"—may I ask if you have availed yourself of its manifold blessings? if you are to-day saved from past sins and from the "dominion" of sin? and if you are standing in such a relationship to this scheme of redemption that you are ready to enjoy its full benefits, when the Author of the plan bestows them upon its happy recipients?

Life is of no real value to mankind if the "great salvation" is not attained. It would have been far better never to have been born, than, having had life, to lose this salvation. Every misspent life, every shipwreck of human existence, will be because "they trusted not in His salvation." "How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation?" Why not "take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord?" "And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." "Free was the offer, free to all, of life and of salvation."

“COME UP ON THE MOUNTAINS.”

By Uthai Vincent Wilcox

AWAY off in the cosy little republic of Switzerland, far-famed for its industrious workers, its hardy peasants, and the unsurpassed scenery of its mountains—for Switzerland is all mountains—there is a peak of the Alps which travelers and adventurers from the four corners of the earth seek; for if they are there at the right moment they may behold from the lofty summit of Mount Pilate the magnificent and sublime grandeur of a panorama of the Alpine system.

Mount Pilate. City and Lake of Lucerne in Foreground.

Their eternal snows covering their rocky peaks, their dark and awful cliffs, their rivers of ice, and their far-reaching views of mountain range beyond mountain range, to the north, to the south, to the east and west, as far as eye can reach, till the beholder marvels at the greatness and majesty of it all.

But not all can behold this wondrous scene. Nay; it is he only who is there when the clouds and fog lift for a brief time, that is permitted to gaze upon such sublimity. It is for him who waits after his struggle to the summit, who beholds by faith on his upward toilsome journey the reward

of persistence. Yes, it is a reward, even for the brief space of time that he may behold it; he feels satisfied for his spent energy in looking upon one of the most magnificent pictures of earth.

Is it not so, in figure, in that humble, every-day life of ours? Are we not content, even satisfied, with ourselves in the lowlands of life; too content to ever know the infinitude of grandeur and glory that await us on the mountain-top?

Our fellow men toil and slave in the swamps of life, down among the loathsome, sickening bogs. Like the man of Bunyan, continually digging the filth with his muck-

rake while the shining crown hung over his head, so they stir the miasmatic dregs of the stagnant pools rather than look up and behold their reward in the pure, inviting mountain.

And there are also the vale and plain-dwellers, shut in by the narrow horizon of their own small dwellings. It is somewhat as the narrow sectarian prayed, who was evidently a vale-dweller, “God, bless me and my wife, and my son John and his wife; us four, and no more.” Yes, they toil and labor, and work and grind, but to what effect? Still dwellers of the plains, no higher do they strive. Why?—They are content with their efforts such as they are; their success comes to them in proportion to their endeavor

and energy; it seems to offer no incentive to better things and higher steps. They are satisfied living and dying without the knowledge of the hill country and its greater opportunities.

The invitation is, “Come up higher”—up to the mountains, the mountains of hope and salvation, where there is room to expand, to live and breathe. Come, ye swamp-dwellers, from your poisoned, miasmatic, lifeless atmosphere of the lowlands. Come, ye dwellers of the plain and valley, from your narrow, limited, fenced habitations. Come, ye cave-dwellers, whose strength has failed in the days of adversity, one and all, up from the lowlands of sin to the limitless expanse of the mountains, nearer heaven, where you may look with undimmed eye over the immeasurable immensity of the Creator’s domain, to the great, vast perspective of the Divine, over to the gleams of the Eldorado of glory, the golden gates of Paradise which lie just beyond for the mountain climber who perseveres. Dear friend,—

“Are you tenting on the lowlands Of the faded flowery plain, Are you nearing life’s high mountains As the night comes on again?”

Do the petty trials and conflicts of life ennerve and discourage you? Do you often think, “What’s the use anyway?” Then it is to you that the evangelist must point out the path upward, even as in the days of Christian; where amid trials and temptations you must overcome the difficulties and surmount the obstacles, that you may be guided to that blessed land “where the wicked cease from troubling, and the weary are at rest.”

“To the mountains of salvation, Hear the angel Mercy call, Do not tarry, look not backward, Hasten on ere vengeance fall. “Keep tenting toward the highlands, Each evening nearer home; Keep tenting toward the highlands, Keep tenting nearer home.”

THE PAPACY IN PROPHECY

By Abdiel

By ABDIEL.

MACAULAY, the great Englishman, has truly said:

"There is not, and there never was, on this earth, a work of human policy so well deserving of examination as the Roman Catholic Church."—Von Ranke, par. 3.

This is true from its history, its greatness, its influence, its principles.

Surely an organization, an institution which has survived the vicissitudes and ravages of time from the days of Constantine to the present, stronger to-day in many respects than ever before in its history, an institution which brings within its control and influence so many millions of souls in the civilized countries of earth, an institution which has had so much influence—an influence now awaking and extending with more than pristine vigor—in moulding the affairs of nations and governments, an institution that assumes to be the mouthpiece of God for the world, without whose pale lies at the best but little hope, such an institution is worthy of examination.

More than this: It is worthy of examination in the light of the great Book of Christian Revelation and Principle—the Bible. Only in the light of the Bible can it be rightly examined. Only by comparing its principles and history with that "more sure Word" can we rightly understand the meaning and power and character of the Papacy.

"But what has the Bible to do with all these?" one asks. Simply this: In that Book God has traced with the unerring pen of Inspiration the rise and fall of all the great powers of earth which have to any extent had a moulding moral influence upon the world.

In the face of the great facts that God is our Father, that the Bible is His Revelation to us, that our welfare is seriously affected either for good or ill by such a mighty power as the Papacy, making the high claim it does, it is demanded either that God shall exhort us to flee to its fold to find refuge, or to warn us against its principles and influence.

Surely when God has foretold the career and fate of cities so comparatively insignificant as Damascus, Bozrah, Tyre, Sidon, Capernaum, Bethsaida, and a score of others greater and lesser, He must tell us of a power sweepingly world-wide in extent and influence over the consciences of men and the policies of nations.

We believe that the Papacy is a subject of divine prophecy; that it is there set forth as regards its principles, its influence, its power, its work, its end.

In this series of articles I wish to examine it in the sure light of that Word, calmly, dispassionately, kindly. The writer has naught against one single Roman Catholic in this world from Pope Pius X. to the last convert to that church in New Guinea. He believes there are honest, faithful, devoted souls in its communion, noble men and noble women who are sacrificing much, laboring faithfully for God and humanity. He does not believe that its priests are all lecherous scoundrels or its sisters of charity and nuns all harlots. To no such examination as this does he invite his readers.

Rather, our examination is respecting the Papacy rather than the Roman Catholic Church, the great controlling system rather than the mere ecclesiastical body.

I begin our study, therefore, by asking my readers to go with me to a prophet indorsed by our Lord Himself as recorded in Matt. 24:15, and be assured from his own Word that it is also now, as then, the privilege of "him that readeth" to "understand."

The seventh chapter of Daniel is a divine prophecy of great world-powers which have exercised, or may exercise, a dominating influence in church-and-state affairs from the days of the prophet unto the end.

The vision was given two years before Babylon reached the close of her career. The first year of Belshazzar was B.C. 540.

Under the symbols of a winged lion, a cruel bear, and a four-headed, winged leopard, the empires of Babylon, Medo-Persia, and Grecia are depicted. There are no differences of opinion as regards this application of the prophecy, so far as the writer is aware, by those who profess to believe the prophecy. The beasts of the prophecy, the angel declares, are symbols of kingdoms, to be superseded by the everlasting kingdom of God. Verses 17, 18. Other scriptures liken Babylon to a lion, a figure often seen upon her monuments. Jer. 4:7; 5:6. The bear is parallel to the two-horned ram of chapter 8:3, 4, 20; and the leopard to the rough goat of chapter 8:5-8, 21, 22.

Babylon was near her end. Her lion heart had departed. Medo-Persia was already entering the dominion of Chaldea as a conqueror. Grecia, starting as a single monarchy, was to be divided into just four. And all the definite specifications were met in history.

Following Grecia came Rome, a world-power to a greater extent than any that preceded her, symbolized by "a fourth beast, terrible and powerful, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth; it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with its feet; and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns."

This symbol can apply to none other than Grecia’s successor in world-empire, namely Rome.

"Rome, an empire far renowned, Tramples on a thousand states."

Gibbon tells us that when Rome ruled, the world became a safe and dreary prison; one could not fly, and it was impossible to escape. The ten horns denote ten kings, or kingdoms (the words are used interchangeably). Dan. 7:24.

How literally was this fulfilled! Between the years of A.D. 351 and 476 Rome was divided into just ten kingdoms, as follows: Alemanni, Franks, Vandals, Ostrogoths, Visigoths, Suevi, Burgundians, Heruli, Lombards, Anglo-Saxons. The prophecy is specific. Rome should be divided into ten kingdoms, no more, no less. History records that between the years A.D. 351 to 476, Rome was thus divided. The "ten kingdoms" have been a stock expression in history ever since.

Among these horns arose another, a little horn. The work and character of this horn is specifically outlined. There are not less than twelve specifications in the prophecy concerning that horn, ten of which have already been fulfilled. These will be given in the next paper.

Virtue Cannot Bring Us Nearer Heaven

By Trumbell

No MAN gets any nearer heaven by standing on an inventory of his own virtues.

Continue reading: IF" AND "WHY