Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jan 9, 1900
“COME OUT FROM AMONG THEM, AND BE YE SEPARATE.”
By Ellen G. White
MRS. E. G. WHITE.
Provision has been made whereby the communication between heaven and our souls may be free and open. Finite man can place himself where rays of light and glory from the throne of God will be given him in abundance. The light of the knowledge of the glory of God which shines in the face of Jesus Christ may shine upon him. He may stand where it can be said of him, “Ye are the light of the world.” Were it not for the communication between heaven and earth, there would be no light in the world. Like Sodom and Gomorrah, all men would perish beneath the just judgment of God. But the world is not left in darkness. The long-suffering mercy of God is still extended to the children of men, and it is his design that the rays of light which emanate from the throne of God shall be reflected by the children of light.
The love revealed in Christ’s life of self-denial and self-sacrifice is to be seen in the life of his followers. We are called “so to walk, even as he walked.” The cause of our weakness is our refusal to obey this command. On every side opportunities are given us to work for our fellow men, in supplying not only their temporal wants, but also their spiritual necessities. It is our duty to lead souls to “the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” It is important that we fill aright our position in the world, in society, and in the church; but in order to do this, we must have a firm hold upon righteousness. Our faith must reach within the veil, whither our Forerunner has for us entered. If we would take hold of the eternal promises of God, we must have a faith that will not be denied, a steadfast, immovable faith that will take hold of the unseen.
It is our privilege to stand with the light of heaven upon us. It was thus that Enoch walked with God. It was no easier for Enoch to live a righteous life than it is for us at the present time. The world in his time was no more favorable to growth in grace and holiness than it is now. It was by prayer and communion with God that Enoch was enabled to escape the corruption that is in the world through lust. We are living in the perils of the last days, and we must receive our strength from the same source. We must walk with God. A separation from the world is required of us; for we can not remain free from its pollution unless we follow the example of the faithful Enoch. But how many are slaves to the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. They are not partakers of the divine nature, and therefore they can not escape the corruption that is in the world through lust. They live to serve and honor self. Their constant study is, What shall I eat? what shall I drink? and wherewithal shall I be clothed? You talk of sacrifice, but you do not know what sacrifice means. You have not tasted its first draught. You talk of the cross of Christ, you profess the faith; but you have had no experience in lifting the cross and bearing it after your Lord. If you were partakers of the divine nature, the Spirit that dwelt in Christ would dwell in you. His tenderness and love, his pity and compassion, would be manifested in your life. You would not then wait to have the needy and unfortunate brought to you. You would not need to be entreated to feel for the woes of others. It would be as natural for you to minister to the needs of the unfortunate as it was for Christ to go about doing good.
Those who profess the religion of Christ should understand the responsibility resting upon them. They should feel that this is an individual work, an individual preaching of Christ. If each would realize this, and take hold of the work, we should be as mighty as an army with banners. The heavenly Dove would hover over us. The light of the glory of God would be no more shut away from us than it was from the devoted Enoch.
The command is given, “Come out from among them, and be ye separate.” But it is not for you to say, I have nothing to do with my neighbor. He is buried in the world; I am not his keeper. For this very reason you should have something to say to him. The light given you, you are not to hide under a bushel. It was not given you for yourself alone. Let your light shine before men, is the command. Will you let it shine? It may be understood that you believe the seventh day is the Sabbath, that you believe in the Lord’s soon return; but what good will this do your neighbor unless you carry your belief into your daily life? You may talk of being a follower of Christ; but this will not benefit those around you unless you imitate the great Example. Your profession may be as high as heaven; but this will not save you or your fellow men unless you are Christlike. A pure example will do more to enlighten the world than all your profession. In this way your light will shine, and others, seeing your good works, will glorify your Father who is in heaven.
Oh that the Lord would lead us to feel as we have never felt before! If you knew that you had but one hour more of probation, you would change your course. You would not dare to stand in the position you are in to-day. And yet you do not know that you will live one day longer. You can not call one hour your own. We know not how soon death may feel for our heart-strings. We know not how soon the ax will be laid at the root of the tree, and the sentence go forth, “Cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground?” Will you pass on in your sinful state, with envy and jealousy and hatred in your hearts? If you think you can lay down the oar, and still make your way up stream, you mistake. It is only by earnest effort that you can stem the current.
How many there are as weak as water who might have a never-failing source of strength. Heaven is ready to impart to us, that we may be mighty in God, and attain to the full stature of men and women in Christ Jesus. What increase of spiritual power have you gained during the last year? Who among us have gained one precious attainment after another, until envy, pride, malice, jealousy, and selfishness have been swept away, and only the graces of the Spirit remain,—meekness, forbearance, gentleness, charity? God will help us if we take hold of the help he has provided.
These words are true, and you need them. Oh that you would arouse, and wrench your souls from the grasp of the enemy! Oh2that you would engage in the battle of life in earnest, putting on the whole armor of God that you may war successfully! Satan is already weaving his net about you. He does not wait for his prey to be brought to him. He goes about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. But does he always roar?—No; when it serves his purpose, he sinks his voice to the softest whisper, and, wrapped in garments of light, appears as an angel from heaven. Men have so little knowledge of his wiles, so little understanding of the mystery of iniquity, that he outgenerals them almost every time.
Many who have lived under the blazing light of truth act as if they had nothing to do. God calls upon every one of you to take up life’s burdens, to engage in the warfare as you have never done before. You who love to speak of the faults of others, arouse, and look into your own hearts. Take your Bibles, and go to God in earnest prayer. Ask him to teach you to know yourself, to understand your weakness, your sins and follies, in the light of eternity. Ask him to show you yourself as you stand in the sight of heaven. This is an individual work. Every man is to build over against his own house. You have nothing to do with the sins of others, but you have much to do with yourself. In humility send your petition to God, and do not rest day nor night until you can say, Hear what the Lord hath done for me,—until you can bear a living testimony, and tell of victories won.
Jacob wrestled with the angel all night before he gained the victory. When morning broke, the angel said, “Let me go, for the day breaketh.” But Jacob answered, “I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.” Then his prayer was answered. “Thy name shall be called no more Jacob,” said the angel, “but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.” We need the perseverance of Jacob, and the unyielding faith of Elijah. Time after time Elijah sent his servant to see if the cloud was rising, but no cloud was to be seen. At last, after seven times, the servant returned with the word, “There ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man’s hand.” Did Elijah stand back and say, I will not receive this evidence; I will wait till the heavens gather blackness?—No. He said, It is time for us to be going. He ventured all upon that token from God, and sent his messenger before him to tell Ahab that there was the sound of abundance of rain.
It is such faith as this that we need, faith that will take hold, and will not let go. Inspiration tells us that Elijah was a man subject to like passions as we are. Heaven heard his prayer. He prayed that rain might cease, and there was no rain. Again he prayed for rain, and rain was sent. And why should not the Lord be entreated in behalf of his people to-day? Oh that the Lord would imbue us with his Spirit! Oh that the curtain might be rolled back that we might understand the mystery of godliness!
God calls upon you to put all your strength into the work. You will have to render an account for the good you might have done had you been standing in the right position. It is time you were co-workers with Christ and the heavenly angels. Will you awake? There are souls among you who need your help. Have you felt a burden to bring them to the cross? Bear in mind that just the degree of love you have for God you will reveal for your brethren, and for souls who are lost and undone, out of Christ.
Behold the Man!
By Mrs. L. D. Avery-Stuttle
Mrs. L. D. Avery-Stuttle.
He sat upon the judgment seat,
Proud Pilate, at whose royal feet
The howling, scowling rabble surged,
And their unjust petition urged.
They rent the heavens with their cry:
“Away with Jesus! Crucify!”
Before him stands, with humble mien,
A Man—the lowly Nazarene.
A crown of thorns is on his brow,
A purple robe he weareth now;
His look is godlike, while around
His sacred hands a cord is bound.
But pray, what evil hath he done?
Day after day, from sun to sun,
They say these hands have blest mankind;
Have healed the sick, the lame, the blind;
Have fed the hungering multitude,
And satisfied the poor with food.
Behold the Man! What hath he done?
The harmless, sinless, spotless One!
No man can lift his hand, I ween,
Against the mighty Nazarene,—
Mighty, for ah, the shades of death
Are driven backward by his breath.
Behold the Man! behold him die!
High stretched between the earth and sky.
The very sun grows black with dread,
As the meek Sufferer bows his head;
The veil within the temple grand
Is rent as by a bloodless hand.
Behold the Man! death can not hold
With cruel grasp and fingers cold
The mighty Prince of David, him
Before whom angels bow the knee;
Two seraphs cleave the shining skies,
And bid the mighty One arise.
And he will come once more,—the same
Who once in love and pity came.
O glorious hope! he'll come again!
Take heart, ye weary sons of men;
His blessed, longed-for advent nears,—
Then joy and everlasting years.
TRUE ECONOMY.
By L. A. Reed
L. A. REED.
(Jacksonville, Ill.)
WHATEVER spiritual truths or principles we learn we should be able to apply in the natural world; for the spiritual and the natural are built upon the same plan. One is not entirely different from the other. The natural is not to be understood and interpreted by principles that have no bearing upon things spiritual. The natural and the spiritual are but different aspects of TRUTH. And truth, though many-sided, is still a UNIT. TRUTH, though all-embracing, is but one, not two. Perhaps we may call the natural but the form, and the spiritual the essence, of truth; but even then there can be no variance between the two.
“The natural and the spiritual are to be combined in the studies of our schools. The operations of agriculture illustrate the Bible lessons. The laws obeyed by the earth reveal the fact that it is under the masterly power of an infinite God. THE SAME PRINCIPLES RUN THROUGH THE SPIRITUAL AND THE NATURAL WORLD.”—“Special Testimonies on Education,” pages 215, 216. Theological truth should lead us to an understanding of natural truth. The operations of nature should help us to understand the operations of the Spirit. One assists the other. “Rightly understood, science and the written Word agree, and each sheds light on the other. TOGETHER they lead us to God, by teaching us something of the wise and beneficent laws through which he works.”—Id., page 57. “God has, in the natural world, placed in the hands of the children of men the key to unlock the treasure-house of his word. THE UNSEEN IS ILLUSTRATED BY THE SEEN; divine wisdom, eternal truth, infinite grace, ARE UNDERSTOOD by the things that God has made. Then let the children and youth become acquainted with nature and nature’s laws.”—Id., page 61.
Nearly two hundred years ago, Maupertuis, the mathematician, grasped at this truth. Seizing upon a theological dogma, he assumed it to be a fundamental principle of mechanics. He maintained that the divine Being, being unerringly wise, would waste no energy; that everything in nature must therefore be done with perfect economy of force. This theological dogma is called, in mechanics, the principle of least action, or the law of least time. In science, it becomes an invaluable and fruitful principle.
Looking at this principle from the theological side, we find it most forcibly taught in connection with the multiplication of the loaves and fishes. Jesus said, after he had fed the multitude, “Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.” John 6:12. With five barley loaves and two small fishes, Christ had just fed about five thousand persons. And when the fragments had been gathered up, the disciples filled twelve baskets with the remnants. The divine power that gave the manna for forty years, the power that for a year replenished the widow’s cruse of oil and barrel of meal, could have continued the miracle of the loaves and fishes to this day, filling the world with stores of food.
But such a course would not be in harmony with the character of God. To simply supply food to a few hungry beings was not all, nor the full, meaning of that miracle. It “was a sudden putting forth of the Almighty arm from behind the veil of his ordinary providence, to show once for all by a great and lasting sign the DIVINE SOURCE OF THE COMMON BLESSINGS OF LIFE.” In the bread that you and I eat to-day, there is as much of a miracle of God as was that yonder by Capernaum. True, the miracle of to-day is wrought by the wheat and the barley of the broad acres of the farmer, coupled with toil and labor. But that of two thousand years ago was wrought through five loaves and two fishes, and that is all the difference. God did that then by his supernatural and omnipotent power, and God does this to-day in the same manner.
And as the farmer now by diligent economy receives the gift of God, so they then so far as was possible exercised the same economy. But the purpose of that economy in each case was and is the same. To be wasteful and extravagant is to despise the GIFT of God. And to despise, to esteem lightly, the gift, is to despise and lightly esteem the Giver. True economy is nothing but a right appreciation of the blessings of God. And that we may be truly economical, God has left us the words of Jesus, “Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.” And in addition to this, in everything that he has done, he has linked the most lavish generosity with the most rigid economy. But this last thought we must leave for later consideration.
Aid for Russian Quakers in Canada
PHILADELPHIA Friends (Quakers) have shipped to the Russian Quakers (Dukhoborts) in Canada, food, four tons of clothing, wool, barley, and two cars of corn meal. Three hundred spinning wheels will be sent later.
HOW DARK THIS WORLD WITHOUT THEE.
By Thomas Moore
How dark this world would be
If, when deceived and wounded here,
We could not fly to Thee!
The friends, who in our sunshine live,
When winter comes, are flown;
And he who has but tears to give,
Must weep those tears alone.
But thou wilt heal that broken heart,
Which, like the plants that throw
Their fragrance from the wounded part,
Breathes sweetness out of woe.
When joy no longer soothes or cheers,
And e'en the hope that threw
A moment's sparkle o'er our tears
Is dimmed and vanished too,
Oh, who would bear life's stormy doom,
Did not thy wing of love
Come, brightly wafting through the gloom
Our peace-branch from above?
Then sorrow, touched by thee, grows bright
With more than rapture's ray;
As darkness shows us worlds of light
We never saw by day!
— Thomas Moore.
Personal Work.
By A. L. Hollenbeck
A. L. Hollenbeck.
The Lord says to us, “Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.” Luke 14:23. Much is comprehended in this command. There is a great work to be accomplished by personal labor. The Bible is to be read to those who will hear it. The Lord calls upon his people to go forth and teach the truth in families. Those who engage in this personal work, drawing close to the people with earnest prayer, are co-operating with God, and he will clothe them with spiritual power. Those who do not engage in some way in this personal work for souls, are not keeping pace with the message, and can not be intrusted with the power that is in the message.
Remember, brethren, the Holy Spirit is given only for service. He who opens the Scriptures to others will surely receive the promised blessing. Those who make the necessary effort to do something for the salvation of perishing souls, will receive the power that will enable them to exert a drawing influence for Christ. When we begin to work earnestly for souls, then, and not till then, shall we receive the “latter rain.”
Coal Discovery in Eaton County
A vein of coal of great promise has been discovered in the western part of Eaton County, Mich., and leases covering twelve thousand acres of land have been secured by a syndicate of Battle Creek capitalists.
THE REMNANT PEOPLE.
By George B. Starr
G. B. STARR.
“Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; and to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.” Eph. 3:8, 9.
“All things.” After creating all things, and laying the plan that Christ should be the Creator of the heavens and the earth, our world was selected as the object-lesson by which God is to reveal through Jesus Christ to all other worlds the manifold wisdom of Christ.
Now let us try to get hold of that thought. It seems to me it wonderfully exalts our position in the universe of God. This world doubtless has suffered more than all other worlds, in having Satan here, in this being the theater of the fall of man, and the spot, the one world, where Satan was to set up his kingdom, and exhibit his object-lesson. Satan is to show in this world how he would conduct a kingdom without law, order, or restraint. He would lead men and women to violate the law of God, and, as a result, have a world such as this world is for the most part at the present time. But on this same little world God is to meet Satan, Christ is to set up his cross, God is to be revealed in his true character, and he is to gather out a people and train them here for his kingdom, which is to be established in this world. And this operation of God on the hearts and lives of men here is to be the object-lesson for all other worlds.
Verse 10: “To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God.”
Christ is the one who created all things, and upon this earth he is to manifest the wisdom of God to all other worlds. Will not the closing chapter in this lesson book be one of the most intensely interesting of all chapters? Was the opening chapter—the creation of this world—an interesting one?—Yes; that was interesting. All the angels of God shouted for joy. All through the history of the world, chapter after chapter in this lesson book has been opened with great interest. The first advent of Christ was heralded by angels, and was one of the most interesting chapters in this world’s history. But few persons were ready to receive him. How will it be at his second coming? Will no one be ready, no heralds of the coming of Christ be sent forth, and no response?—No; the closing chapter will prepare a people for the Redeemer’s coming. “Unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.”
God has brought to view in his word the remnant people. He has told us what they will believe, what they will practice—that they will keep the commandments of God. He has told us what he will do for his people,—that he will bestow upon them all the riches of the treasures of his grace, so that before all worlds, at the very time that it would appear that the apostasy of man was complete, that the whole world had decided to disobey God, and that the very atmosphere was filled with the spirit of evil and of disobedience,—at that time the remnant people of God will be keeping the commandments of God, and looking for the coming of Christ in the clouds of heaven.
In that people will be seen the character of Jesus Christ himself. He will reveal his glory and character in them, and he will take them from one end of this earth to the other, and in a public manner reveal that he has a people, and that his grace is sufficient to enable men and women to obey God just as Christ did. He will have that people known throughout the earth. And when they have had their training here, and have finished their work; when he has taken them from place to place throughout the world, then he proposes to translate them, and take them from world to world in the ages to come. That is what we are in training for. Is it not of sufficient interest and importance to awaken our interest,—a people in training to be the body-guard of Jesus Christ as long as eternity lasts? To be trained on this earth, in training now, for such a station! Think of it!
“The last shall be first.” Whose is it to sit at God’s right hand, and at his left hand?—“It shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father,” said Jesus; and in the Revelation he says of the one hundred and forty-four thousand, who are translated: “These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth.” Always with him! It would seem that an honor so great, so exalted, would fill us with aspirations that would drown everything beneath it, and sink it all into insignificance! Well may we consider our high calling. Called to be the representatives of heaven; to show forth the manifold wisdom of God to all worlds; to fill up the closing chapter of the great lesson book; to be trained here in this world, as the trophies of the redeeming love and power of Jesus Christ, to exhibit what he can do, and then to continue that ministry to other worlds! It would seem that we would forget everything else in the thought of co-operating with God and the holy angels, in being fitted for such a holy position.
As I think about it, I feel at a loss to find words to express the thought. It seems to me that it is beyond the expression of human language. God certainly has called us to an exceedingly high calling. Peter expressed it in the following words: “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” 1 Peter 2:9. Can we get hold of this idea?—I believe the Spirit of God will awaken it in us if we will permit him to do so.
Now come back just a moment to Ephesians 3. “Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ.” Tell everything about Christ that you can, and the riches of God are still unsearchable. You can keep finding more and more riches, but you have not found all. The gospel, the mystery mentioned in these verses, is to be the science and the song of heaven through eternal ages.
“To make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.” Is it not a comfort that we have one for our Redeemer who is able to create? It is our only hope of everlasting life. We have nothing in us, absolutely nothing, to qualify us to occupy the high position to which we are called. Our hearts are not right, our minds and thoughts are wrong, but Jesus Christ can create, on this very spot, and at this very moment, new hearts, new men and women. There is sufficient power in the gospel, exercised even upon Satan’s territory, to create men and women anew, just as Christ created them in the beginning.
Have you been struggling with weakness all your life? Then turn to God, and let us see some of the creating power of God here in this camp-meeting. You have a Father, who always causes those who trust in him to triumph.
If you wish to talk about the power of Satan, and of his victories over you, and tell of the fall of others, you can be as weak as you like. If you wish to talk of God, and obtain the great victory he gives to every person who will seek him, you can have power and strength, and life and victory. Let other men talk as they like, but let us decide that we will talk of the wonderful power of God, the unsearchable riches of Christ. If you talk of these things and believe them, you will possess them, and others will know it. They can not help but know it. And when they find out that you possess them, they will come to you to be instructed in the way of the Lord, that they may obtain them for themselves.
Do you wish to read a description of lightness and cheapness among the professed people of God? Read Isa. 3:16–24. Oh, I am sorry when I see Seventh-day Adventists, those who expect soon to wear a crown upon their heads studded with jewels representing souls that have been saved through their labors,—I am sorry when I see them using any of the things mentioned in that scripture with which to decorate themselves. If you find yourself in that list, may the Lord help you to get out of it. Such are not the people of God. God’s people have the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit. They have in their characters the life of God, and the things mentioned here appear to them as mere gloss and tinsel. If it looks to angels as much worse than it looks to some of us as I imagine it does, it must be a very sorrowful sight to them to see the daughters of Zion, or a son either, decorating themselves as described here. There is a decoration that will bring light into the eyes, life to the mind, and joy and peace to the heart—the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit.
If we will contemplate our high calling, get hold of the very spirit of it, it will elevate our thoughts and life. We must not drink in the spirit of cheapness of this age. This is a cheap age, but the religion of Jesus Christ is not cheap. God will have a people that in their hearts, in their conversation, in their lives, will rise above cheapness; for they are called to a high and ennobling calling, a position that can not descend to this cheapness. You know how the tastes will change on a reform diet; how we now desire that which is good and nourishing, and how, if we for a moment let ourselves down and partake of that which we have condemned, we condemn ourselves for it. So it is in religion. You get a taste of that which is high and elevating and ennobling in the religion of Christ, and you lose your taste for that which is cheap.
Do we believe that the closing chapter of this book will be the most intensely interesting in it? We have been told by the Spirit of God that the one object in this world upon which Jesus bestows his supreme regard and affection is his remnant church. If we are really in love with Christ’s coming, there is one thought uppermost in our minds, and that20is Christ and his coming. What do you suppose is uppermost in his mind all the time? Do you think that it is his coming and the salvation he is to bring to his people at that event? Is it not his people that are preparing to meet him then? We are thinking of him, and he is thinking of us. All the time his heart is toward us, and he sends his angels to help us. They are commissioned to co-operate with us. As we respond to their ministry toward us, the mind of Christ is toward us; he is thinking about us, and we are thinking about him and his coming. Do you not think that he is intensely interested that we should be ready? Do you imagine that when he sees a spot on one of his children, he does not work and plan to set influences at work that will result in the removal of that spot? You could not think of anything else different from that. “I want this people ready when I shall appear. I want this man and woman to be ready. I will set in motion operations that will prepare them.” Such are his thoughts.
And other worlds are watching. Satan and his host are working with all their might against Christ. But oh, what little power they have, compared with the power of Christ. I am indeed thankful that my mind is being raised above the thought of the power of Satan.
Are we going to have victory?—Certainly; but it depends on the position we each take. If we take a position as the men and women whom God has sent forth for victory, victory will be on the side of God. The only thing that can give Satan one inch of advantage, is our unbelief. Then let us shut him out. There is victory for us. The power that Enoch and Elijah had, God designs shall be with his remnant people. See Joel 2:28–32.
Where will God’s salvation be seen in the closing chapter of this world’s history?—Among the remnant people of God. Read the description of them in Rev. 14:12. “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” Are there others the remnant?—No. God will find these, and gather them together under his standard. We wish that banner held high.
There will be just two classes of people when Jesus comes,—the remnant people, who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus; and those who do not. The remnant people are not those who teach others to break the commandments of God. Those do not claim to be the remnant. It would not be true if they did. But there is a people, and they are small, yes, a remnant, who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. God says they will be here, and they will be here. God designs that this truth shall go to every corner of this land and every other land.
Read Rev. 14:6–8. Has the announcement been made, “The hour of his judgment is come”? Is it being made now all over the world? Is Babylon fallen yet? When did it fall?—Just about the time that this message began to come, in 1844. What has been the condition of God’s professed people since then?—Falling, falling, falling. “Babylon is fallen” will finally be sounded throughout the entire length and breadth of the earth. God is preparing a people to give that message with a clear, distinct sound, and to call out his faithful children from Babylon to rally around his standard, the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. I understand that an angel flying in the midst of heaven indicates activity awakened by angels of God. Angels of God have charge of this work, and they will go from nation to nation to carry the message.
There is work beyond us that we have not yet touched, which must be done. We must think fast, we must plan fast, and work fast all the time. We must not go back. We must be ready for work all the time. We are in the last chapter, we are in the rapid movements of this work; we must be ready to move rapidly, we must learn how to do the work, and do it well.
We talk about the power that Enoch and Elijah had. Those men were representatives of the people that will be translated. In the power that attended their lives they were representatives of this remnant people. They were translated as this remnant people are to be translated. The power that was with them is the power that will be with the remnant people. “Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.” Isa. 60:1. We are not to look for it in the future; it has come already. God has committed to us a great light. In Revelation it says this angel that accompanied the third angel lightened the whole earth with his glory.
“Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.” Isa. 60:1–3. Then the last message of mercy will rise. Has it been rising the last twenty or thirty years?—Yes; steadily rising. Never before has it occupied the position that it occupies to-day. Next year it will occupy a position as far beyond this as this is beyond the past. God has said that the light of the glory of God shall be upon this people who honor him by keeping his commandments. Verses 4, 5.
He says that they shall come from all the different parts of the earth, and the eighth verse says, “Who are these that fly as a cloud, and as the doves to their windows?” Where do they come from?—“Surely the isles shall wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring thy sons from far.” What shall we do, when this work increases, for funds to carry it forward? How are we going to carry on this work?—Oh, the scripture says they shall bring “their silver and their gold with them.” God is not going to send them among us empty-handed. No! We need to buy lots upon which to build churches and sanitariums, and God will raise up men and women who have the money to help carry forward the work. Is that not good?
Shall we not then arise and shine? Shall we not move forward in the work, and have confidence in the Lord that the work will go forward? I think we ought to be the happiest people in this world. God is going to make the place of his feet, this earth, this footstool, “glorious.” This chapter is going to wind up splendidly. I hope we shall realize this high calling to which we are called, and with all our hearts co-operate with God in the closing chapter of the lesson book of the universe.
Catholic Centrists and Germany’s Naval Bill
The following illustrates the great political power of the “centrist” party (Catholic) in Germany. Those desiring to pass the naval bill find themselves opposed by this party, and unable to secure the needed legislation without bringing “the centrist party to terms by hook or by crook.” At present there exists a law forbidding Jesuits, Lazarists, and the Order of the Holy Heart of Jesus, to settle in Germany. This law was favored and brought about by the influence of the late Prince Bismarck. Now it is stated that the federal council will shortly take into consideration a resolution allowing the Lazarists and Order of the Holy Heart to settle in the country, thus “yielding with respect to two of the three religious orders whose reinstatement has been demanded almost every year by the centrists, which action it is supposed will induce the clericals to give up their opposition to the naval bill.”
— Myrta Lockett Avery
By Myrta Lockett Avery
WHENEVER love knocks at the door,
Lord, love shall enter in,
And patience, and all holy things,
But never hate nor sin.
And thus my body shall be pure,
The host of guests divine,
And from the windows of my eyes
Love on all things shall shine.
— Myrta Lockett Avery
THE PRESENT TIME.
By George B. Wheeler
GEORGE B. WHEELER.
(South Lancaster, Mass.)
“A CRISIS is to be revealed in the great and prolonged controversy in the government of God on earth. Something great and decisive is to take place, and that right early. Every movement in the universe of heaven is to prepare the world for the great crisis.”
These statements are startling enough to awaken any who are asleep. The conditions that are declared to hasten the crisis are already upon us in so marked a manner as to excite comment by those who do not understand their meaning. “Intensity is taking possession of every earthly element.” In proof of this, I quote the following from the Paris Temps:—
America is fast becoming a nation of hysterics. Everything is done on the spur of the moment, and under stress of the greatest excitement. This same hysteria brought on the war against Spain. It is responsible for the horrible lynchings. The people have evidently adopted the policy of acting in haste and repenting at leisure. Popular excitement is mistaken for public sentiment, and the national lawmakers frequently allow themselves to be frightened into action which their calm judgment condemns.
The Boston Herald, in replying to this, declares that the same conditions are true of France and also of other nations.
This state of intensity, which is moving the world, accounts for the rapid development of the sentiments that now move the nation, which would not have seemed possible a short time ago; for instance, the repudiation of the principles of a republic, and the toleration of the extreme cruelty and brutality shown in the lynchings in various parts of the country. The cause of all this is that “a new life is being diffused, and is springing up from beneath, and taking fast hold of all Satan’s agencies, preparatory to the last great conflict and struggle.”
This is seen in the character of the sentiment that is now moving this country and the world. It is antagonistic to every principle of liberty, justice, and truth. The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, the most perfect guardians of liberty and human rights that were ever framed, are now derided, and are declared to belong to a past age; and prominent religious journals and clergymen are now publicly declaring, without rebuke, that measures ought to be taken to suppress those who oppose Sunday observance; and that those who will not keep Sunday sacred ought to be put to death.
Under these rapidly changing sentiments for the worse, how long will it take to bring about the fulfillment of the prophecy “that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed”? Rev. 13 : 15.
Surely, a great crisis is just before the people of God, and “while a new life is springing up from beneath,” it is also true that “a new light, and life, and power is descending from on high, and taking possession of God’s people who are not dead, as many now are, in trespasses and sins.” And as “every movement in the universe of heaven is to prepare the world for the great crisis,” it follows that all heaven is ready to assist those who are awake to the duties that now rest upon them. In the light of this let us take courage.