Review and Herald, Vol. 44, No. 8.
Spiritualism Exposed at San Jose, CaliforniaPage 1
Spiritualism Exposed at San Jose, California.
By M. E. Cornell
In our course of lectures here, we made spiritualism a specialty, and put out 1000 bills, of which the following is a copy:— “Spiritualism Exposed. An Explanation of the Wonders of Rapping, Table-tipping, Trances, and Haunted Houses. The Mystery Solved! A Candid and Critical Examination in the Light of Reason and Revelation. Permission given for Questions and Objections from the Audience.” The result was that our audience was more than doubled, there being a pretty general turnout of the spiritualists. Their speaker, Mr. Ferree, was also present. During the lecture, they were considerably excited, and interrupted us several times. Mr. Ferree wished to announce that he would reply on Sunday evening at Music Hall. We then tendered to him the use of the tent for his reply, on Monday evening, which was accepted, and a large audience listened to Mr. Ferree and Prof. Chaney for about two hours. At the close, we appointed to review both speakers the next evening. As there are some new ideas and a report may be of interest, we give the main points from our notes with our replies in dialogue form. Mr. Ferree opened with a poem from a spirit which referred to the devil as follows:— “I don’t see what we can do without him.” REPLY.—In all the references to Satan in the papers, books, and lectures of spiritualists, we never see anything against the devil, but very much against the God and Christ of the Bible, and never a word in favor. This fact not only stamps them as Antichrist, but shows that they are of their father, the devil. Indeed they admit it. In answer to the question, “Do you know of any such spirit as a person we call the devil?” the spirit, through the medium, Mrs. Conant, answered, “We certainly do. And yet, THIS SAME DEVIL IS OUR GOD AND OUR FATHER.” Banner of Light, Nov. 4, 1865. And Miss Lizzie Doten, a celebrated trance lecturer, made a regular prayer to the devil, beginning with, “O Lucifer, we lift up our voices to thee. From the depth of thine infamy stream forth divine truths,” &c. Dr. Child says, “What is called the devil is the Spirit of God in nature.” “It is the mission of the devil, yet unthought of by men, to carry them through the hell of earth, and prepare them for the heaven of the spiritual world.”—Better Views of Living, pp. 39, 41. Ferree. What if Judge Edmunds and Dr. Child’s were deceived by the spirits, and admitted it, Did they give it up? No; they grew stronger and stronger all the time. REPLY.—This admission confirms the application we have made of the scripture which declares that Satan shall work “with all deceivableness,” and that because men would “believe a lie,” they would have “strong delusion.” 2 Thess. 2: 10, 11. No wonder then if their eyes are not opened by the deception which they acknowledge. It is because their delusion is strong. Ferree. The God of the Bible deceived men. Eze. 14:9: “If the prophet be deceived when he hath spoken a thing, I the Lord have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand upon him, and will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel.” REPLY.—In the 7th verse, we see why the Lord deceived (or abandoned them to a deception), for he says of them, “Which separateth himself from me, and setteth up his idols in his heart,” &c. When men turn away from God, he sends them deception and strong delusion by leaving them, and so they are deceived. Ferree. They are not dead, they still live! REPLY.—Here we have the same old lie of Satan, “Ye shall not surely die.” Spiritualists take the side of the devil every time. They ever claim to be teaching just what the devil said, and they believe it is truth. Is it not true, then, that they are “left to believe a lie,” as the apostle says? The following is an extract from a verbatim report of what Mr. Pope said in the last National Convention of spiritualists at Chicago, Ill.:— “As an individual, I have learned within the experience of thirty years what to me is an invaluable revelation—that I am a plant, and not a creature made out of nothing, and that, as a plant, I am subject to the conditions of growth. I am further convinced by my inspiration that whereas the devil, in the garden of Eden, declared if man, in his compound condition of Adam and Eve, would disobey the prohibition against eating of the tree which was adapted to his tastes and his conditions, he should become as God, knowing good from evil, that voice has gone on until, in the latter days, we hear it repeating ‘Ye are gods;’ and we have found that this God is not concentrated upon his throne as an almighty, powerful and avenging judge, but is disseminated. We are now seeking him in the face of our brother men. We know that this divinity is in humanity; that this God is manifest in the flesh; that this infinite intelligence and power, this love and benevolence and ingenuity, inhabits, not only the region where virtue dwells, but the base of the brain, and that it is as absolutely good as infinite wisdom and an absolute, pure God can make it. I have fought against the idea that laws and those conditions which proceed from the base of the brain are illegitimate; that they are the cause of the fall; that they are the product of man’s depravity. I insist that they are not. I assert that they are as legitimate as the functions of the coronal region; that they are God’s revelation to man; that man must commence with the inferior conditions and advance; and in this day we have the inspiration and ability to create a new heaven and a new earth. When we know that we are gods, and that we have the power, we shall advance to that position in which we shall become judges.” The same idea stands out prominent in all spiritualistic literature. Nothing can be more certain than that the spirit now speaking to spiritualists is identical with him that spoke to Eve in Paradise. Ferree. Lucretia Mott, one of the best women God ever made, said, “The Bible contains the words of God, and the words of man, and the words of the devil.” REPLY.—Exactly right. I believe that is true. The devil said, “Ye shall not surely die.” And spiritualists endorse what Satan said and constantly find fault with the words of God! Ferree. Some can see the spirit leave the body at death, because their optic nerve is sufficiently refined to see spirits. They appear as a gray mist, and are seen to organize into form. REPLY.—This agrees with A. J. Davis, who saw the spirit of a man, at death, appearing like condensed steam—a cloudy, wavy substance trembling to reorganize into form and life. This, then, is their immortal soul, which they say is a god. It is a “gray mist,” a cloud of steam—a foggy kind of ghost quivering and trembling to resurrect itself. [Here Mr. Ferree arose to explain. He did not hold that this gray mist was the spirit, for that could not be seen, but it was only the particles of the spirit’s body.] Worse and worse. If the body of the spirit is only a foggy mist, what must the spirit itself be? The little end of nothing whittled to a point would fitly illustrate its immateriality! Ferree. Refers to many good words and deeds of the spirits, and at the end of each anecdote or narrative concludes with, “That was a very good devil!” REPLY.—This is not a safe conclusion, for oftentimes things in themselves good are said and done for an evil purpose. A man and his wife and an only child, a lovely daughter, lived retired in a small country town, with every earthly comfort to make them happy. He had several thousand dollars which he kept out on interest most of the time. A stranger came into the place and gained admittance into that family as a boarder, and by his winning manners and great kindness to the family, he became a great favorite. There was nothing too hard for him to do for them, and they came to regard him as a son. In sickness, he watched over them constantly day and night, and it seemed as if he could never do enough for them. But when he saw that he had gained their entire confidence, he seduced the unsuspecting daughter under the promise of marriage, and stole three thousand dollars and left the country. The family was completely heart-broken and ruined. Now what about all those good deeds? The devil is sometimes transformed as an angel of light. He knows how to do good that evil may come. [Here Prof. Chaney takes the stand.] Prof. Chaney. About one-tenth of my time I am in doubt of having an immortal soul. REPLY.—Very likely, for the most of men do at times think soberly and rationally. And a man would have to be very far gone in such a delusion never to have any doubts of it. Prof. C. A vegetable has a soul. A grain of corn was planted and grew after being buried with a mummy for over two thousand years. It has an undying germ. REPLY.—The life of the germ was preserved by being incased so that no particle of moisture could affect it. But when found, suppose they had put it in the stove and baked it, where, then, would have been the life of the germ? Just so with the soul of man. It has no immortality that cannot be baked out of it very easily. Prof. C. Tries to degrade the body of man. The primates were found in most of the lower animals, especially the hog! REPLY.—If I remember rightly, the gentleman’s spirits have been pretty intimately connected with that animal. He claims that ancient and modern spiritualism are the same. Now take a case of ancient spiritualism. The man in the tombs was with a great medium. There was a legion of spirits around him. And when Jesus commanded the spirits to leave him, they begged to be allowed to go into the hogs. It was granted, and the result was that the whole herd of 3000 swine were developed as mediums! And the poor hogs, being enraged by the demons, or because they preferred death to mediumship, plunged into the lake and committed suicide! Rather sensible hogs those! Prof. C. The majority of the world do not believe in the God of the Bible. REPLY.—Very true. But the majority of the world are in heathenish darkness. They are uncivilized. How was it with infidel France when the devil and his faithful servant, Rousseau, inspired the people with madness against the Bible? Such a state of anarchy and corruption followed that even infidels themselves prayed for the restoration of the Bible! Prof. C. Not one first-class scientist credits the Bible account of creation. REPLY.—How does the Professor judge first-class scientists? Does he ignore such as Hitchcock, Haven, Lord Humphrey, Patterson, and a host of others? Assertions and denials without proof seem very cheap with the Professor! Prof. C. The God of the Bible is a whimsical God, has freaks, gets mad, and destroys the people. The God of nature never does so. REPLY.—The Creator has a right to destroy those who do not answer the end of their creation. He destroys in mercy to the creature. But has the gentleman never heard of the freaks of Dame Nature—how mad she gets in the earthquake and the whirlwind and the flood, the pestilence and the famine? Has he never read in history of the millions of innocent victims ruthlessly cut down by the God of nature? Will he now renounce his God as a tyrant and say with the fool, “There is no God”? O consistency, whither hast thou fled? REFLECTIONS.—That spiritualists are progressing no one could doubt after hearing Prof. Chaney’s blasphemous tirade against the Bible and its divine Author. The apostle Paul’s language, “waxing worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived,” describes them exactly. There is no fear of God before their eyes, and they boast of their majorities both in and out of the churches. Their system is a negation of all that is pure and good. Of all the Bible, nothing is indorsed but Satan’s lie to Eve in the garden of Eden! The Bible never looked more precious than now. It shines brighter for this scourging, and all its friends here rejoice in the triumph of the word of God over all its foes. Truly, the Bible is more precious than gold. “Nay, were the skies one chrysolite,
This earth a golden ball,
And diamonds all the stars of night,
This book were worth them all.” San Jose, Cal., July 17, 1874. FAR away in the land of the pure and bright
Is the city of God with its golden light.
How I long to be there, and forever to stand
With the shining ones of that better land. CHORUS:—
Oh, beautiful home! Oh, beautiful home!
Where beautiful saints surround the white throne.
How I long to be there, and forever to stand
With the shining ones of that better land. Oh! that beautiful home we're nearing now,
Where a crown of bright glory encircles each brow,
Where the tree of life grows on that beautiful shore,
Where flowers will freshen to fade no more. CHORUS: Oh, beautiful, &c. With palms and bright crowns and their robes of light
We shall roam the fair fields with eternal delight,
We shall join in the song of the purified band,
With the shining ones of that better land. CHORUS: Oh, beautiful, &c. Then come, brother pilgrim, let love freely flow,
As on to that beautiful land we shall go;
For Jesus hath said we must go hand in hand,
If ever we enter that better land. CHORUS: Oh, beautiful, &c. Oh! my soul is now weary of living below;
To the home of the purified saints I will go,
With Jesus my Saviour forever to stand
With the shining ones of that better land. CHORUS: Oh, beautiful, &c. During the war in Crimea, a chaplain newly arrived in the camp inquired of an English officer how he could best set about his work, in order to do it effectively. The soldier, by way of reply, took his friend to the top of a neighboring hill, and bade him mark the scene. There were the enemy's lines, here the English were advancing, and yonder were the French earth-works. What energy and determination appeared to be on that marred landscape! How perseveringly did flash answer flash! The boomings and roarings of one side seemed only to draw forth a shower of iron and fire from the other side! “Sir,” said the officer to the minister of peace, “You must be in earnest. An earnest man always makes his way. IF WE DO N'T CONQUER THE ENEMY, THEY WILL CONQUER US.” Cheerfully Surrendering to God
WHATEVER God demands, should be cheerfully surrendered. The Temptation of Christ.
By Ellen G. White
CHRIST had entered the world as Satan’s destroyer, and the Redeemer of the captives bound by his power. He would leave an example in his own victorious life for man to follow and overcome the temptations of Satan. As soon as Christ entered the wilderness of temptation, his visage changed. The glory and splendor reflected from the throne of God which illuminated his countenance when the heavens opened before him, and the Father’s voice acknowledged him as his Son in whom he was well pleased, was now gone. The weight of the sins of the world was pressing his soul, and his countenance expressed unutterable sorrow, a depth of anguish that fallen man had never realized. He felt the overwhelming tide of woe that deluged the world. He realized the strength of indulged appetite and of unholy passion that controlled the world, which had brought upon man inexpressible suffering. The indulgence of appetite had been increasing, and strengthening with every successive generation since Adam’s transgression, until the race was so feeble in moral power that they could not overcome in their own strength. Christ, in behalf of the race, was to overcome appetite, by standing the most powerful test upon this point. He was to tread the path of temptation alone, and there must be none to help him, none to comfort or uphold him. He was to wrestle with the powers of darkness. As man could not, in his human strength resist the power of Satan’s temptations, Jesus volunteered to undertake the work, and bear the burden for man, and overcome the power of appetite in his behalf. He must show in man’s behalf, self-denial and perseverance, and firmness of principle that is paramount to the gnawing pangs of hunger. He must show a power of control over appetite stronger than hunger and even death. When Christ bore the test of temptation upon the point of appetite, he did not stand in beautiful Eden, as did Adam, with the light and love of God seen in everything his eye rested upon. But he was in a barren, desolate wilderness, surrounded with wild beasts. Everything around him was repulsive, and from which human nature would be inclined to shrink. With these surroundings he fasted forty days and forty nights, “and in those days he ate nothing.” He was emaciated through long fasting, and felt the keenest sense of hunger. His visage was indeed marred more than the sons of men. Christ thus entered upon his life of conflict to overcome the mighty foe, in bearing the very test Adam failed to endure, that, through successful conflict, he might break the power of Satan, and redeem the race from the disgrace of the fall. All was lost when Adam yielded to the power of appetite. The Redeemer, in whom was united both the human and the divine, stood in Adam’s place, and endured a terrible fast of nearly six weeks. The length of this fast is the strongest evidence of the extent of the sinfulness and power of debased appetite upon the human family. The humanity of Christ reached to the very depths of human wretchedness, and, identified itself with the weaknesses and necessities of fallen man, while his divine nature grasped the Eternal. His work in bearing the guilt of man’s transgression was not to give him license to continue to violate the law of God, which made man a debtor to the law, which debt Christ was himself paying by his own suffering. The trials and sufferings of Christ were to impress man with a sense of his great sin in breaking the law of God, and to bring him to repentance and obedience to that law, and through obedience to acceptance with God. His righteousness he would impute to man, and thus raise him in moral value with God, so that his efforts to keep the divine law would be acceptable. Christ’s work was to reconcile man to God through his human nature, and God to man through his divine nature. As soon as the long fast of Christ commenced in the wilderness, Satan was at hand with his temptations. He came to Christ, enshrouded in light, claiming to be one of the angels from the throne of God, sent upon an errand of mercy to sympathize with him, and to relieve him of his suffering condition. He tried to make Christ believe that God did not require him to pass through self-denial and the sufferings he anticipated; that he had been sent from Heaven to bear to him the message that God only designed to prove his willingness to endure. Satan told Christ that he was only to set his feet in the blood-stained path, but not to travel it. Like Abraham he was tested to show his perfect obedience. He also stated that he was the angel that stayed the hand of Abraham as the knife was raised to slay Isaac, and he had now come to save his life; that it was not necessary for him to endure the painful hunger and death from starvation; he would help him bear a part of the work in the plan of salvation. The Son of God turned from all these artful temptations, and was steadfast in his purpose to carry out in every particular, in the spirit and in the very letter, the plan which had been devised for the redemption of the fallen race. But Satan had manifold temptations prepared to ensnare Christ, and obtain advantage of him. If he failed in one temptation, he would try another. He thought he would succeed, because Christ had humbled himself as a man. He flattered himself that his assumed character, as one of the heavenly angels, could not be discerned. He feigned to doubt the divinity of Christ, because of his emaciated appearance and unpleasant surroundings. Christ knew that in taking the nature of man he would not be in appearance equal to the angels of Heaven. Satan urged that if he was indeed the Son of God he should give him evidence of his exalted character. He approached Christ with temptations upon appetite. He had overcome Adam upon this point and he had controlled his descendants, and through indulgence of appetite led them to provoke God by iniquity, until their crimes were so great that the Lord destroyed them from off the earth by the waters of the flood. Under Satan’s direct temptations the children of Israel suffered appetite to control reason, and they were, through indulgence, led to commit grievous sins which awakened the wrath of God against them, and they fell in the wilderness. He thought that he should be successful in overcoming Christ with the same temptation. He told Christ that one of the exalted angels had been exiled to the world, and that his appearance indicated that, instead of his being the king of Heaven, he was the angel fallen, and this explained his emaciated and distressed appearance. He then called the attention of Christ to his own attractive appearance, clothed with light and strong in power. He claimed to be a messenger direct from the throne of Heaven, and asserted that he had a right to demand of Christ evidences of his being the Son of God. Satan would fain disbelieve, if he could, the words that came from Heaven to the Son of God at his baptism. He determined to overcome Christ, and, if possible, make his own kingdom and life secure. His first temptation to Christ was upon appetite. He had, upon this point, almost entire control of the world, and his temptations were adapted to the circumstances and surroundings of Christ, which made his temptations upon appetite almost overpowering. Christ could have worked a miracle on his own account; but this would not have been in accordance with the plan of salvation. The many miracles in the life of Christ show his power to work miracles for the benefit of suffering humanity. By a miracle of mercy he fed five thousand at once with five loaves and two small fishes. Therefore he had power to work a miracle, and satisfy his own hunger. Satan flattered himself that he could lead Christ to doubt the words spoken from Heaven at his baptism. And if he could tempt him to question his sonship, and doubt the truth of the word spoken by his Father, he would gain a great victory. He found Christ in the desolate wilderness without companions, without food, and in actual suffering. His surroundings were most melancholy and repulsive. Satan suggested to Christ that God would not leave his Son in this condition of want and real suffering. He hoped to shake the confidence of Christ in his Father, who had permitted him to be brought into this condition of extreme suffering in the desert, where the feet of man had never trod. Satan hoped to insinuate doubts as to his Father’s love that would find a lodgment in the mind of Christ, and that under the force of despondency and extreme hunger he would exert his miraculous power in his own behalf, and take himself out of the hands of his Heavenly Father. This was indeed a temptation to Christ. But he cherished it not for a moment. He did not for a single moment doubt his Heavenly Father’s love, although he seemed to be bowed down with inexpressible anguish. Satan’s temptations, though skillfully devised, did not move the integrity of God’s dear Son. His abiding confidence in his Father could not be shaken. THE LEGEND BEAUTIFUL.
By Henry W. Longfellow
“Hadst thou stayed, I must have fled!”
That is what the vision said. In his chamber all alone,
Kneeling on the floor of stone,
Prayed the monk in deep contrition
For his sins of indecision,
Prayed for greater self-denial,
In temptation and in trial;
It was noonday by the dial,
And the monk was all alone. Suddenly, as if it lightened,
An unwonted splendor brightened
All within him and without him
In that narrow cell of stone;
And he saw the blessed vision
Of our Lord, with light elysian
Like a vesture wrapped about him,
Like a garment round him thrown. Not as crucified and slain,
Not in agonies of pain,
Not with bleeding hands and feet,
Did the monk his Master see;
But as in the village street,
In the house or harvest field,
Halt and lame and blind he healed,
When he walked in Galilee. In an attitude imploring,
Hands upon his bosom crossed,
Wondering, worshiping, adoring,
Knelt the monk in rapture lost.
Lord, he thought, in Heaven that reignest,
Who am I, that thus thou deignest
To reveal thyself to me?
Who am I, that from the center
Of thy glory, thou shouldst enter
This poor cell, my guest to be? Then amid his exaltation,
Loud the convent bell appalling,
From its belfry calling, calling,
Rang through court and corridor,
With persistent iteration
He had never heard before. It was now the appointed hour,
When alike, in shine or shower,
Winter’s cold or summer’s heat,
To the convent portals came,
All the blind and halt and lame,
All the beggars of the street,
For their daily dole of food
Dealt them by the brotherhood;
And their almoner was he,
Who upon his bended knee,
Rapt in silent ecstasy
Of divinest self-surrender,
Saw the vision and the splendor. Deep distress and hesitation
Mingled with his adoration.
Should he go? or should he stay?
Should he leave the poor to wait
Hungry at the convent gate,
Till the vision passed away?
Should he slight his heavenly guest,
Slight this visitant celestial,
For a crowd of ragged, bestial
Beggars at the convent gate?
Would the vision there remain?
Would the vision come again? Then a voice within his breast
Whispered, audible and clear
As if to the outward ear:
“Do thy duty; that is best;
Leave unto thy Lord the rest!” Straightway to his feet he started,
And with a longing look intent
On the blessed vision bent,
Slowly from his cell departed,
Slowly on his errand went. At the gate the poor were waiting,
Looking through the iron grating,
With that terror in the eye
That is only seen in those
Who amid their wants and woes
Hear the sound of doors that close,
And of feet that pass them by;
Grown familiar with disfavor,
Grown familiar with the savor
Of the bread by which men die:
But to-day, they knew not why,
Like the gate of Paradise
Seemed the convent gate to rise,
Like a sacrament divine
Seemed to them the bread and wine.
In his heart the monk was praying,
Thinking of the homeless poor,
What they suffer and endure;
What we see not, what we see;
And the inward voice was saying:
“Whatever thing thou doest
To the least of mine and lowest,
That thou doest unto me!” Unto me? but had the vision
Come to him in beggar’s clothing,
Come a mendicant imploring,
Would he then have knelt adoring,
Or have listened with derision,
And have turned away with loathing?
Thus his conscience put the question,
Full of troublesome suggestion,
As at length, with hurried pace,
Toward his cell he turned his face,
And beheld the convent bright
With a supernatural light,
Like a luminous cloud expanding
Over floor and wall and ceiling. But he paused with awe-struck feeling
At the threshold of his door,
For the vision still was standing
As he left it there before,
When the convent bell appalling,
From its belfry calling, calling,
Summoned him to feed the poor.
Through the long hour intervening
It had waited his return,
And he felt his bosom burn,
Comprehending all the meaning,
When the blessed vision said,
“Hadst thou stayed, I must have fled!”
—Henry W. Longfellow. Prophecy.—No. 4.
By W. H. Blaisdell
“We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day-star arise in your hearts.” 2 Pet. 1:19. Although but little attention is given to the study of the prophetic scriptures even, by very many who claim to be Bible students, yet we find the subject of prophecy occupies a very prominent position through all the sacred writings, from the first part of the book of Genesis to the close of the book of Revelation. It would require a very extensive work in which to refer to all the prophecies that have been fulfilled in the past, and the events and facts which furnish the proof of their fulfillment, and also to them which are now in process of fulfillment, together with them which are yet to be fulfilled in the future history of this world and the world which is to come. Though we have not proposed to enter upon a work of such magnitude as this, yet we would continue to invite attention to a few of the prophecies, and notice the events that have occurred in fulfillment of some of them. Every prophecy that can be shown to have been fulfilled furnishes additional evidence of the truthfulness of the Bible, and also of the fact that the Bible is given to us in language that we can comprehend. And if we can learn how the prophecies have been fulfilled in the past (whether literally or spiritually), then we may expect that those relating to the future will be fulfilled in the same manner. Gen. 9: 12–17 contains the prophecy to which we will next refer. It reads as follows:— “And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you, and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud: and I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth. And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.”
This prophecy is like the one last referred to in several respects. - It seems to have been given directly by God himself.
- It is given in plain language without the use of figures or symbols.
- It has an application in all parts of the world and in all generations since it was uttered.
- It is also like the other in the fact that we are personal witnesses of its fulfillment.
It is not necessary for us to listen to the testimony of others, or to read the history of ancient cities and nations, or to visit foreign lands, to ascertain whether this prophecy has been fulfilled or not; for all who have ever seen the rainbow have been, themselves, personal witnesses of its fulfillment. And though it is so frequently seen as to be regarded as an event of usual and common occurrence, yet it continues year after year to hold out before the inhabitants of earth, its unimpeachable testimony in witness of the fact of the inspiration of the Bible. Though it may be said that the rainbow is produced by natural causes, yet that fact is no argument against its being a fulfillment of the prophecy, for we do not learn that these natural causes existed prior to59the flood, immediately after which this prediction was given. We have no proof that the earth was watered before that time by the rain from the clouds as it has been since. It seems from the record given us in Gen. 2: 5, 6, that it was watered in a very different manner. So we see that God, who well knew what the laws of nature would henceforth be in the earth, the sea, the air, and the sunlight, and what the workings of those laws would produce, could readily predict that when the cloud should pass over the earth the bow would be seen in the cloud. And when we see in the rainbow the fulfillment of the prediction, it is evidence to us that the scripture which contains this prophecy is of divine origin, and that it is given in language that can be understood. God says: “I do set my bow in the cloud,” and that is just the name which mankind applies to the phenomenon when it appears in the cloud. Plain language, literally fulfilled! Suppose a man reads in the morning before his family the ninth chapter of Genesis written so long ago, which contains this prophecy, and then before the close of the day they behold the brilliant rainbow spanning the beautiful arch above them, and pouring its halo of light upon the scenery around, producing in their hearts a peculiar feeling of silent awe and wonder (as is usually the case when looking upon a bright rainbow), truly it is evidence to them that God has spoken to man through the book from which the prediction was read in the lesson of the morning. But as has been stated in a previous article, unless a person becomes acquainted with the prediction itself, he might witness its fulfillment and yet not be aware of the fact that the event had been foretold in the Bible. But if we give attention to the study of the Bible and the prophecies contained therein, with a desire to give heed thereto, we may learn that events which are almost continually transpiring in the world on every hand, and many of them in our own midst, within hearing of our own ears, and before our own eyes, have been long ago predicted and their history foretold by that Being who knows not only the history of the past, but that of the future also.