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Signs of the Times, Vol. 20, No. 19.

The Truth Not with the Majority
Earlier text: SABBATH HYMN

CHURCH SERVICES.

By Editor

All of our churches, especially on this coast, who desire their regular weekly services announced in this column, may have it done by reporting through the proper officers.
Oakland.—Church at corner of Twelfth and Brush Streets. Regular preaching services or Bible study. Sunday at 7:30 P.M., Friday at 7 P.M., and Sabbath at 11 A.M. Sabbath school at 9:30 A.M. Sabbath. Prayer and missionary meeting Wednesday at 7:30 P.M. All are cordially invited.
San Francisco.—Church at 914 Laguna Street. Regular preaching services at 7:30 P.M. Sunday and 11 A.M. Sabbath. Sabbath school at 9:45 A.M. Prayer meeting Wednesday 7:30 P.M. Missionary meeting Thursday 7:30 P.M. Seats free.
Los Angeles.—Church at 143 Carr Street. Preaching service Sunday evening 7:30. Missionary meeting Wednesday evening 7:30. Sabbath school on Sabbath at 9:45, and preaching service at 11 A.M. All are welcome.
East Portland, Oregon.—Church, No. 507 East Ankeny St. Services every Sabbath 11:30 A.M. Sabbath school 10 A.M. Missionary meeting evening after Sabbath 7 P.M. Prayer meeting every Wednesday evening 7 o'clock. All welcome. Seats free.
Washington, D. C.—Church on Eighth Street between F and G Streets, N. E. Regular preaching service at 11 A. M. Sabbaths. Sabbath school 9:15 A. M. Sunday, 7:30 P. M., Bible study. Prayer meeting Friday at 7:30 P. M. All are welcome. H. W. HERRELL, Clerk

The Saints' Inheritance and Bible Election

"The Saints' Inheritance." (Spanish.) Contents: 1. The Inheritance of the Saints. 2. The Millennium, or the Reign of a Thousand Years. 3. The End of the Wicked. 4. Immortality through Christ. 5. The Importance of the Prophecies. 6. The Hope of the Christian. 7. The Judgment. Paper; price, 5 cents. Address, PACIFIC PRESS PUBLISHING CO., Oakland, Cal.
BIBLE ELECTION. By M. C. Wilcox. A brief presentation of God's plan and purpose concerning man, showing that the doctrine of election, or predestination, according to the Bible, is full of comfort and instruction. It throws new light on old controversies. Bible Students' Library, No. 67; 24 pp.; price 5 cents. Address Pacific Press Pub. Co., Oakland, Cal.

LITERARY NOTICES.

By Editor

[The Signs of the Times holds itself under no obligation to notice any publications sent it by publishers. Those considered worthy of notice, or which are deemed profitable to its subscribers, will receive such notice as time, space, and value will permit.]
"THE TEACHER'S TOOL CHEST." By Silas Farmer. Published by Silas Farmer & Co., 13 Monroe Avenue, cor. Farmer Street, Detroit, Mich. Postpaid, 6 cents. This is a neat little tract illustrating by architecture and the various tools used therein just how teachers ought to build, just what they ought to be, and the qualities they should possess. Unique, suggestive, and interesting.
"The Advance Almanac for 1894 and Manual of Congregationalism." Advance Publishing Co., Chicago, Ill. Postpaid, 5 cents. This little pamphlet of 66 pages contains much information concerning Congregationalists. It is a multum in parvo.
Astronomy and Astro-Physics for February has, among other prominent articles, the following: "On the Physical Constitution of the Planet Jupiter, by G. W. Hough; Light Waves and Their Application to Metrology (illustrated), by A. A. Michelson; West Indian Hurricanes and Solar Magnetic Influence, by H. A. Hazen. The editor, Wm. W. Payne, has an article in favor of Free Public Observatories." The department on Astro-Physics is well filled. It notes the fact that Prof. S. W. Burnham has been awarded the gold medal of the Royal Astronomical Society for his discoveries and micrometrical measures of double stars.
Childhood for January has several interesting and suggestive articles on How Early Children Should Be Corrected, Suggestions about Training Babies, Should Children Be Governed? Handicrafts for the Home, and many other suggestive articles. Of course it is only suggestive, for that is all that instruction to parents can be. But Childhood offers valuable suggestions. Price, $1.00 a year. Childhood Publishing Co., 78 Maiden Lane, New York City.
"No. 2. A 'Novel Proposition,' Showing How the Rate of Wages and the Demand for Unskilled Labor Is Influenced by the Cost of Transportation on Farm Products." By David Lubin, Sacramento, Cal. Free. It advocates a plan for the more equitable distribution of wealth, containing opinions and criticisms of men in different walks of life. Mr. Lubin believes in carrying freight as mail is carried, the same price for all distances, within certain limits, to market centers.
"Vick's Floral Guide for 1894" is a "thing of beauty," and so it has been for years in the past, but this year it is more beautiful still. The first page of cover is a beautiful white branching aster of natural size in a field of gold. The last page is equally lovely. Floral Guide is free to all new customers for 10 cents, deducted from first order. Vick is reliable. James Vick's Sons, Rochester, N. Y.
"Fish and Game Laws of California," compiled by F. P. Deering, attorney for the Board of Fish Commissioners, under whose authority the pamphlet is published. State office, A. J. Johnston, Supt. of Printing, Sacramento, Cal.
"Poems of the Christ Life." By Mrs. L. D. Avery-Stuttle (author of "Satan's First Lie" and other poems), is the title of a little pamphlet which has come to our table. These poems are arranged in a series of recitations for use in Sabbath school entertainments. There are twenty-eight different poems on different events in the life of Christ from his birth to his ascension. It is a worthy little book apart from its purpose, and would be of profit to children. Beacon Publishing Co., Lansing, Mich.

International S. S. Lessons.

"So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading." —Neh. 8:8

LESSON XII.—SUNDAY, MARCH 25, 1894.

[NOTE.—The questions which follow are merely suggestive for the student on the leading points of the lesson; it is presumed that the thorough student will think of many more as he studies the subject. References, where verses alone are given, always refer to the lesson scripture printed above. All other references are given in book, chapter, and verse. The text printed is that of the Revised Version, not because it is especially preferred, but because it is not found in every family, as is the common version.]

THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST.

Lesson Scripture, Mark 16:1-8.

  1. AND when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices, that they might come and anoint him.
  2. And very early on the first day of the week, they come to the tomb when the sun was risen.
  3. And they were saying among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the tomb?
  4. And looking up, they see that the stone is rolled back; for it was exceeding great.
  5. And entering into the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, arrayed in a white robe; and they were amazed.
  6. And he saith unto them, Be not amazed; ye seek Jesus, the Nazarene, which hath been crucified; he is risen; he is not here; behold, the place where they laid him!
  7. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, He goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him, as he said unto you.
  8. And they went out, and fled from the tomb; for trembling and astonishment had come upon them; and they said nothing to anyone; for they were afraid.
Golden Text: "Now hath Christ been raised from the dead." 1 Cor. 15:20.

SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS.

  1. When Jesus was taken down from the cross, where was he laid? Note 1.
  2. How did the holy women spend the next day, the Sabbath?
"And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments. And on the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment." Luke 23:56.
  1. When the Sabbath was past, what did these women do? Verse 1.
  2. When did they come to the sepulcher? Verse 2. Note 2.
  3. What did they say among themselves as they were going to the tomb? Verse 3.
  4. When they reached there, what did they find? Verse 4.
  5. Why would it not be an easy task to roll away the stone? Same verse.
  6. What did they find on entering the tomb? Verse 5. Note 3.
  7. How did they feel upon seeing the angel?
  8. What did he say to them? Verse 6. Note 4.
  9. What did the angel tell the women to do? Verse 7. Note 5.
  10. How did they obey this injunction of the angel? Verse 8. Note 6.

NOTES.

1. Our lesson has to do with the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Full accounts are given in the gospels of his crucifixion and burial in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea. Within the darkest time of Christ's cause upon earth, this Joseph, a counselor of honorable estate, went boldly in unto Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. This body was wound in a clean linen cloth and laid in a tomb hewn out of a rock; and Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses beheld where he was laid.
2. "When the Sabbath was past, . . . very early on the first day of the week."—This lesson will, to the candid student, forever settle at least which day of the week is the Sabbath. It does not leave us any attempt whatever to conjecture or to guess as to what day of the week the Sabbath comes on. When the Sabbath was past, the first day came. The Sabbath is therefore the day before the first day of the week, and as there are seven days in the week, the Sabbath must therefore be the seventh day of the week. Another thought: The term "Sabbath" is never applied to any other day of the week except the seventh. Mark wrote something like thirty years after the resurrection of Christ. Then, in the year 30, the seventh day was the Sabbath still, and there has been no change since that time.
3. Entering the tomb.—This does not mean thatthey entered the very sepulcher where the body of Jesus was placed, but a cave. The sepulcher was cut into the rock from the side of the cave. Luke says that there were two angels or two men seen in the sepulcher, while Mark says there was one. There is no contradiction between them. Mark does not say there were not two; he simply mentions only one of them.
4. He is risen.—This is one of the great truths of the plan of salvation. It was the demonstration of the power of righteousness over sin, of life over death, in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ. Christ triumphed over death simply and solely because he had no sin. He could not be holden of death (Acts 2:24), because death had no claim upon him. Death comes in consequence of sin. Christ took upon himself the sins of the world, but he had no sins of his own. In him is no sin. He was wholly righteous. There is no unrighteousness in him. But righteousness is life (Rom. 5:17, 18; Prov. 10:16; 11:30), and therefore in the righteousness of God, which was upon Christ, was the life of God, which was in Christ; and that life was eternal life. The resurrection of Christ was therefore a pledge that all those who were his should live again. For he who believes in Christ obtains by that belief the righteousness of God. Rom. 3:22. And as the righteousness of God is found upon him at the last day, eternal life is his also. The great memorial which God has given us of this resurrection is baptism, the union of Christ with the believer, and the power of the new life, which the believer from henceforth manifests in lifting him above sin. Compare Rom. 6:3-5; Gal. 3:27; Rom. 7:4. If the church of God had faithfully carried out baptism as the Lord gave it, they never would have demanded, or even suggested, that the first day of the week be kept as a memorial of the resurrection of Christ.
5. And Peter.—How much is revealed to us by these two words! Jesus said go tell his disciples and Peter, but Peter was one of the disciples, and yet Jesus knows that message is not complete without the mention of the name of Peter. Peter had denied his Lord, and because of this was filled with bitter sorrow and discouragement, but Jesus sends the message to him to cheer his heart and to remind him that he was not forgotten.
6. Said nothing to anyone.—That is, they said nothing to anyone on their way to tell the disciples, because Luke tells us, in the twenty-fourth chapter and ninth verse, that "they returned from the sepulcher and told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest." And yet the eleven disciples did not believe the women. Their words seemed to them as idle tales. Still we are told that the disciples had met together to observe the first day of the week, whereas, the simple fact is that the whole of that first day went by before the majority of the disciples would believe that Jesus was risen. The fact of Christ's resurrection is not designed to bring to us particularly the remembrance of any day, but of his mighty power to save us from all sin; and the only day that is a special memorial of that power is the day of the Lord's Sabbath. Those who believe that may really rejoice in the resurrection of Christ.

"THE STORY OF THE PITCAIRN."

By M. H. B.

THE International Sabbath School Association has on hand quite a stock of this beautiful souvenir, which ought to be in the hands of our people, and of those who are interested in missionary work. In order to extend its circulation and have it accomplish more fully the object of its publication, the price has been reduced from fifty cents to twenty-five cents. This places it within the reach of hundreds who will be glad to read it, and have it as a memento of our first missionary ship, while some may want to make a present of one to a friend.
A brief description of this interesting and artistic work will enable our readers to understand something of its nature and value. It is dedicated "to the members of our Sabbath schools everywhere; to all those who have contributed to the building of the Pitcairn, and to the friends of missionary work in all parts of the world." A paragraph from the preface says: "The events which led to the building of the Pitcairn are given at length in the body of the work, so that it is needless to speak of them here. Suffice it to say that he who believes in the God of the Bible can see the tracings of the Master Builder's hand in all the incidents of the way from the mutiny of the Bounty to the sailing of the Pitcairn from the Golden Gate."
The table of contents indicates topics of deep interest. Among them are the following: "Historical Sketch of Pitcairn Island," "The Story of the Pitcairn" (this includes an account of John I. Tay's visit to the island), "Action of the California Conference," "Action of the General Conference," "Action of the International Sabbath School Association," "Attempts to Send a Minister to Pitcairn," "Attempt to Reach Pitcairn a Second Time," "The Rift within the Lute" (the loss of Brother A. J. Cudney), "Dedicatory Exercises," with a program which includes a Scripture reading, report of Building Committee, contract for building the Pitcairn, address, and the dedicatory prayer. The book also gives "The Clearance Papers of the Pitcairn."
This work also contains the following fine illustrations: "The Pitcairn" (sails spread), "The Pitcairn" (at anchor), "The Pitcairn on the Evening before the Launch," "Diagram of the Pitcairn" (deck and interior), "Pitcairn under Full Sail," "At the Dedication," "Missionaries," "Officers and Crew," "A Scene on Pitcairn Island" (church in the foreground), "Adamstown, Pitcairn Island."
In addition to the above features the last edition contains a valuable "Appendix," which gives interesting particulars concerning the first cruise of the Pitcairn.
Those desiring one or more copies of this attractive souvenir should address the International Sabbath School Association. Stamps may be sent in payment. All orders will be promptly filled. Remember the price is only twenty-five cents.

Apples of Gold Library

By Editor

ENVELOPE SERIES

Published monthly. Subscription price, 10 copies of each number for one year, postpaid, $1.00.
This Library is designed especially for use in daily, personal correspondence. Each number will contain from four to eight pages, of a size convenient to go into a number six envelope without folding. It is printed on thin super-calendered paper, and two or more numbers can be put in with an ordinary letter without increasing the postage.
The leading themes of the gospel will be presented in such a way as to arrest the attention and be helpful to all. These little leaflets should be circulated by the thousands.
The numbers now issued bear the following titles:
  • No. 1.—Looking unto Jesus.
  • No. 2.—The Christian's Privilege.
  • No. 3.—The Sure Promises of God.
  • No. 4.—How to Get Knowledge.
  • No. 5.—The Church and the World (poetry).
  • No. 6.—The Elect of God.
  • No. 7.—How Esther Read Her Bible.1
  • No. 8.—The Thief on the Cross.
  • No. 9.—The Eleventh Hour.
These will be sent to any address at the rate of 50 cents per hundred, assorted numbers, or $4.00 per thousand, postpaid.
Pacific Press Publishing Co., Oakland, Cal.

BIBLES

[[FIGURE]] A Large and Varied Stock. Send for Catalogue TO Pacific Press Pub. Co., Oakland, Cal.

LESSON XII.—SABBATH, MARCH 24, 1894.

HONORING THE SABBATH, AND PRONOUNCING BLESSINGS.

Lesson Scripture, Luke 6:1-26.
  1. Now it came to pass on a Sabbath, that he was going through the cornfields; and his disciples plucked the ears of corn, and did eat, rubbing them in their hands.
  2. But certain of the Pharisees said, Why do ye that which is not lawful to do on the Sabbath day?
  3. And Jesus answering them said, Have ye not read even this, what David did, when he was an hungered, he, and they that were with him;
  4. How he entered into the house of God, and did take and eat the showbread, and gave also to them that were with him; which is not lawful to eat save for the priests alone?
  5. And he said unto them, The Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.
  6. And it came to pass on another Sabbath, that he entered into the synagogue and taught; and there was a man there, and his right hand was withered.
  7. And the scribes and the Pharisees watched him, whether he would heal on the Sabbath; that they might find how to accuse him.
  8. But he knew their thoughts; and he said to the man that had his hand withered, Rise up, and stand forth in the midst.
  9. And he arose and stood forth. And Jesus said unto them, I ask you, Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good, or to do harm? to save life, or to destroy it?
  10. And he looked round about on them all, and said unto him, Stretch forth thy hand. And he did so: and his hand was restored.
  1. But they were filled with madness; and communed one with another what they might do to Jesus.
  2. And it came to pass in these days, that he went out into the mountain to pray; and he continued all night in prayer to God.
  3. And when it was day, he called his disciples and he chose from them twelve, whom also he named apostles;
  4. Simon, whom he also named Peter, and Andrew his brother, and James and John, and Philip and Bartholomew,
  5. And Matthew and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon which was called the Zealot,
  6. And Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, which was the traitor;
  7. And he came down with them, and stood on a level place, and a great multitude of his disciples, and a great number of the people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, which came to hear him, and to be healed of their diseases;
  8. And they that were troubled with unclean spirits were healed.
  9. And all the multitude sought to touch him: for power came forth from him, and healed them all.
  10. And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed are ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God.
  11. Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh.
  12. Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of Man's sake.
  13. Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the same manner did their fathers unto the prophets.
  14. But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation.
  15. Woe unto you, ye that are full now! for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you, ye that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep.
  16. Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for in the same manner did their fathers to the false prophets.
BEFORE beginning the sixth chapter, we must be sure that we have a pretty good idea of the fifth. The following outline of topics will help us: (1) Jesus teaching from the boat, and the miraculous draught of fishes; (2) cleansing the leper; (3) healing the palsied man; (4) the call of Levi, and the feast at his house. In this lesson we have, first, the charge that the disciples broke the Sabbath, and Christ's defense of them; second, the healing of the man with the withered hand, on the Sabbath; third, the choosing of the twelve; fourth, the healing of the multitudes; fifth, pronouncing blessings. As verses 1-11 pertain to the Sabbath, we could say, The Sabbath; disciples chosen; multitudes healed; blessings.
  1. As the disciples passed through the fields on the Sabbath, what did they do?
  2. What charge did the Pharisees bring against them?
  3. What case did Jesus cite in their defense?
  4. What did Jesus say of his own relation to the Sabbath?
  5. As he was teaching in the synagogue on the Sabbath, who was present?
  6. For what purpose were the scribes and Pharisees watching?
  7. Did Jesus know their purpose?
  8. What did he say to the man with the withered hand?
  9. When the man arose, what did Jesus say to the Pharisees?
  10. What did he then say to the man?
  11. What took place as soon as the man stretched forth his hand?
  12. How did this manifestation of power and mercy affect the Pharisees?
  13. How did Jesus show his dependence on God?
  14. What did he do as soon as it was day?
  15. Whom did he choose?
  16. When he came down to the plain, who came to him?
  17. For what purpose did they come?
  18. How many of them were healed?
  19. By what were they healed?
  20. As he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, what did he say of the poor?
  21. What of those who hunger?
  22. What of those who weep?
  23. Is it a terrible thing to be persecuted for Christ's sake?
  24. How are we to feel at such times?
  25. What conditions are deplorable?

NOTES.

1. THE Sabbath is a memorial of God's power, and consequently of his mercy and goodness, for none of his attributes can be separated. It is evident that God's love to his creatures is shown in creation. This would ever have been manifested if there had been no sin. Since the fall, God's love is still shown by the things that are made, for they manifest God's power to redeem. In the same place where we are told of the greatness of God's works, and that he has made them to be remembered (literally, "He hath made a memorial for his wonderful works"), we are told that "the Lord is gracious and full of compassion." Ps. 111:3, 4. The measure of God's power is the measure of his mercy. The Sabbath was made for man in his innocence, but it is no less an institution of mercy to him in his fallen condition. By it we know God's power to sanctify us to himself. Eze. 20:12. Since, therefore, the Sabbath is the memorial of the merciful God, it is evident that acts of mercy are always proper on it. Therefore the Jews, who would even endanger life rather than do anything that looked like work on the Sabbath, did not keep the Sabbath at all. They violated the very essence of the commandment.
2. "AND he said unto them, That the Son of Man is Lord also of the Sabbath." What does this mean?—Simply that the Sabbath is the Lord's day. Let it be borne in mind that the day here called the Sabbath was the seventh day of the week, the day which the Jews professed to keep. The Holy Spirit inspired this writing, therefore "Sabbath" is the inspired name of the seventh day of the week. Christians know no religion except that of the Bible, and they know nothing of the Christian religion except what the Bible tells them; therefore they must call the seventh day, and it only, the Sabbath. But how did it become the Lord's day?—He made it. It was Jesus that created all things. See John 1:1-3; Col. 1:13-17. Now the One who created the heavens and the earth in six days must necessarily have been the One who rested on the seventh day, and who blessed and sanctified it. Gen. 2:1-3; Ex. 20:8-11. Therefore Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath, by virtue of his power as Creator. The Sabbath—the memorial of his wonderful works—is the mark of his power, and consequently it is the mark of his right and power to redeem. Notice in Col. 1:13-17 that we have redemption through his blood, because by him were all things created. Redemption is creation (see Ps. 51:10; 2 Cor. 5:17; Eph. 2:10); therefore, as long as redemption is a thing to be remembered and rejoiced in, so long must the Sabbath be kept and delighted in.
3. "THEN said Jesus unto them, I will ask you one thing: Is it lawful on the Sabbath days to do good, or to do evil? to save life, or to destroy it?" They did not answer, because they could not without convicting themselves. For of course they could not say it was lawful to destroy life; and if they said it was lawful to save life, they would acknowledge that Jesus was keeping the Sabbath, and that they were not obeying the law of the Sabbath.
4. THE law of God is his righteousness. Isa. 51:6, 7. But Christ is the righteousness of God. God's righteousness is inseparable from his life, for his life itself is righteousness. His life is the standard of right, and whatever is out of harmony with the life of God is wrong. Paul says of the heathen that they are "alienated from the life of God." Eph. 4:18. So that God's life is the law for man. But God was in Christ. Christ came to this earth simply to reveal God to men, to show them how God lives. Therefore the life of Christ, being the life of God, is the law of man. This the Father showed when he said, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Matt. 3:17), and again on the mount of transfiguration, "Hear ye him." And yet the Pharisees were presuming to measure Christ's life by the law, and to condemn him. He, the Author of life, the Giver of the law, and the living embodiment of it, was condemned by men, because he did not live according to their perverted ideas of it. What presumption! There are lessons in this that may be studied a long time with profit.
5. "He said unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he did so; and his hand was restored whole as the other." In the very act of stretching it forth it was healed. Faith is shown in acting before the thing is done as though it was done, and the faith that so acts makes it a reality. "Faith is the substance of things hoped for." Heb. 11:1.
6. The mercy of God, which leads to repentance, only hardens some people. The Pharisees, although they would not answer Jesus when he asked them if it was lawful to save or to destroy on the Sabbath day, showed what they actually thought of the matter, by exhibiting anger when they saw the man healed. When men's hearts are set to pursue an evil course, they hate those whose correct conduct contrasts with theirs.
7. "THERE went virtue out of him, and healed them all." It was actual power and vitality that went out from Christ to heal the people. No one can explain it, yet the fact remains. What thosepeople lacked was vitality—life. What he gave them was life,—just what they needed. But his life is our only hope of life. All men have sinned (Rom. 3:23), and therefore are counted as dead, because they have forfeited their lives. See 1 John 5:12; John 3:36; Eph. 2:1; Rom. 8:6. Therefore our only hope of righteousness and life is to have the life of Christ. See John 6:51, 53, 57; 3:36; Rom. 5:10. Christ is our righteousness and our life. 1 Cor. 1:30; Col. 3:4. We cannot know how he gives us this life of righteousness, any more than we can know how he could give of his life for the restoration of life to the poor afflicted ones whom he healed when he was on the earth. Those miracles of healing were recorded so that we might be able to grasp the fact that we have life through him. John 20:30, 31. He is as really present with us as if we could see him. Matt. 28:20. Therefore we can as really take of his life now as could those who were healed by him. Christ is not a myth. Belief in Christ is not a mere sentiment: it is the grasping of a fact. His life is a reality, which may be proved by all who will accept it by simple faith.

News and Notes.

By Editor

FOR THE WEEK ENDING MARCH 5.

RELIGIOUS.

—A religious congress is to be held in San Francisco April 16-21. There will be afternoon and evening sessions, and all papers are to be limited to thirty minutes.
—It is said that Hon. E. D. White, recently appointed to the U. S. Supreme Court bench, is a devout Roman Catholic, and was educated in a Jesuit college. He is the only Catholic on the bench.
—Dr. Talmage has again withdrawn his resignation as pastor of the Brooklyn Tabernacle, it is said at the instance of the mortgage holders, who declared their intention to foreclose if Talmage left.
—A Pittsburg dispatch notes considerable commotion in regard to nuns teaching in the public schools and wearing their religious garb. The Riverside school board has decided to continue the nuns and their garb until the courts decide that it is illegal—which is virtually saying that the nuns and the garb are a fixture.
—A converted criminal is said to be creating a sensation in Jersey County, Ill. On being released from his third term of imprisonment for burglary and horse stealing, he surprised the people by calling a meeting in a village schoolhouse, and preaching a powerful sermon. He is continuing the work in different localities, and scores of conversions are reported.
—The Board of City Trustees of San Bernardino, Cal., have passed an ordinance closing nearly all places of business on Sunday. The Butchers' Union of Stockton have decided to close all their shops on Sunday. The Kings County supervisors have also passed a Sunday-closing ordinance. Thus the investment of "the mark" is being gradually but surely drawn over the State.
—It has been requested that ministers and churches make the observance of the so-called Lord's day (Sunday) the topic of special instruction and prayer for April 1 and the week following. The recommendation is signed by representatives of the Philadelphia, New York, New Jersey, Ohio, Iowa, and Massachusetts Sabbath Associations, the Sabbath Observance Department of the W. C. T. U., and by J. H. Knowles, secretary of the American Sabbath Union.
—The First Baptist Church of this city has had another stirring up, because its pastor, Rev. C. H. Hobart, is disposed to give practical exhortations to his people. This time he has aroused opposition because of his warnings against the influences of a personal devil. The one who leads the opposition, however, is of a skeptical turn of mind, and his objection to the scriptural doctrine of the personality of the great adversary of souls is not to be wondered at when we hear him asserting that "there is some trash in the Bible." Such men generally object to practical religion.
—On the 2d inst. the pope was 84 years of age. On that occasion he removed quite a large piece of mask as to "the work of carrying on the beneficent action of the church," being accredited with this significant utterance: "The need of this is great, for all the old conceptions of honesty, justice, authority, liberty, social rights, and social duties have been overthrown. The church must seek to recall nations to the principle of moral faith, to point out the true causes of existing evils, to denounce the designs of Free Masonry, imbue the different classes of society with a feeling of equity and charity, inspire rulers with rectitude and to govern with submission, and instill in all the ardor for peace."
—There is said to be quite a missionary effort now on foot in California, conducted by the old-line polygamist Mormons, of Utah, although the work is pursued in a very quiet manner. They advocate the righteousness of polygamy, but do not practice it. The reason for not practicing it is President Woodruff's "revelation" forbidding a plurality of wives; but it is well understood that the revelation was conveniently promulgated about the time the Edmunds Anti-polygamy Law was declared constitutional by the Supreme Court. Their principal footholds in this State are San Francisco, Oakland, Sacramento, and San Bernardino.
—A weekly paper, edited and published by the inmates of the State prison at Stillwater, Minn., is entitled The Prison Mirror. It is a rather bright sheet and gets many complimentary notices. One journal says of it, "Many of the articles contributed show very deep thought." It would seem that when a man gets into the State prison, it is high time for him to think very deeply. But, by the way, the criminals are not all in the penitentiaries. Every person not converted to Christ, not born again, is a criminal before God, "condemned already," and under sentence of death. Reader, in or out of the State prison, if you are one of these criminals, it is time for "very deep thought" on your part.
—Dr. Harper, the celebrated teacher of theology, now president of the new University of Chicago (Baptist), appears to be another example of a learned biblical exponent falling into the downward road of skepticism in the matter of biblical inspiration. He is reported to have said in a recent lecture that "the prophets under the old dispensation did not mean to tell future happenings in the way it is generally believed, but they could tell from the way people lived how things would turn out." Speaking of the "sons of God" taking wives of the "daughters of men" (Gen. 6: 2), he says, "If this story be true historically, it would prove ruinous to religion, and play havoc with our belief." If any man has a belief with which any plain Bible statement plays havoc, he would better seek a belief in harmony with the Bible. The Harbinger truthfully says, "There seems to be a mania among would-be critics to say something novel and startling about the Bible."
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