Review and Herald, Vol. 46, No. 19. (11/11/1875)

Review and Herald

Nov 11, 1875

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Nov 11, 1875

THE GREAT COMMISSION

By Joseph Harvey Waggoner

THE GIFTS AND OFFICES OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.—NO. 8.

BY ELD. J. H. WAGGONER.

THE GREAT COMMISSION.

“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you; and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” Matt. 28:19, 20.

“Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe: In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.” Mark 16:15–18.

These texts are parallel, and they cast light upon each other. We admit that the expression, “the end of the world,” might be rendered, “the end of the age,” but it refers, of course, to that age in which the gospel is to be preached, that is, the gospel dispensation. And this is proof that the commission was not designed for the apostles alone, nor yet for their immediate successors, as is often claimed; for they could not preach the gospel to the end of the age or dispensation. This commission is as extensive as the preaching of the gospel was designed to be.

Now, as the passages quoted are parallel, the expression, “I am with you,” in one is the equivalent of the manifestations of the power of the Spirit, or the signs to follow, in the other. When Jesus said he would be in the midst where two or three are gathered together in his name, all understand that he meant, not personally, but by the Spirit. We learn from the Scriptures that, as the Son represented the Father, even so the Spirit represents the Son. As Jesus came in his Father’s name, John 5:43, so did the Spirit come in his name, John 14:26. And he promised to be with them to the end of the world. The evidence that he is with them, that the promise is fulfilled, is found in the signs of the Spirit’s presence and power, which were to follow them that believe. This is made very plain in Acts 2, where the promise first commenced its fulfillment.

When the commission was given, they were told to tarry at Jerusalem until they were endued with power from on high. Accordingly they remained at Jerusalem, and did not preach any until the day of Pentecost, when the promised power came. It cannot be disputed that their labor under this commission commenced on that day of Pentecost.

And we can trace an exact parallel between the commission of the Saviour and the preaching of Peter on that day. By this parallel the application of this subject is made clear and certain. Jesus in the commission said that believers should be baptized, and these signs should follow them that believe. Peter, acting under this commission, said, Repent and be baptized, and, ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. We have seen by an examination of Acts 2 that the promise of the Holy Ghost which was offered to believers on the day of Pentecost was the same promise that was fulfilled to the apostles on that day. This also is made sure by the parallel which we have pointed out between the commission and the preaching of Peter on that day of Pentecost. Peter, in opening the work under that commission, commanded them to be baptized, because the Saviour, in giving the commission, said believers should be baptized. In like manner, Peter said they should receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, because the Saviour said, “These signs shall follow them that believe.” Therefore the gift of the Holy Ghost, which Peter promised to them who received the gospel, is the exact equivalent of the signs which the Saviour said shall follow them that believe.

This conclusion cannot by any means be avoided, and it is decisive as showing the scope of the promise set forth by Peter on that day of Pentecost. It proves most conclusively that the signs were to follow them that believed even unto the end of the world, and were matters of promise to as many as the Lord our God should call.

And with this agree the history of the early church and the instruction given by the apostles. These gifts were in the church in the apostolic age; and they were not confined to the apostles nor to the ministers of the gospel. Agabus was a prophet. Philip the evangelist had four daughters who had the gift of prophecy. This was according to the promise made by Joel, as quoted by Peter: “Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,” and “on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit.” The promise of the Saviour in the commission is the same; for “them that believe” embraces males and females, sons and daughters, alike. In the instruction of the apostles to the churches they make such reference to the gifts as to confirm the view that the gifts were quite general among the believers.

Paul wrote to the church of Corinth to “covet earnestly the best gifts,” but rather the gift of prophecy as being most useful to the whole body for their edification. He said:—

“I would that ye all spake with tongues, but rather that ye prophesied.” 1 Cor. 14:5. This statement is not consistent with the idea that the gifts were to be confined to the laborers in the ministry. This whole chapter contains instruction to the church at large in regard to the operations of the Spirit among them. Of the benefits of the gift of prophecy he says:—

“But if all prophesy, and there come in one that believeth not, or one unlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all. And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest; and so falling down on his face he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth.” Verses 24, 25.

Thus Paul has stated, first, his desire that they might have the gift of prophecy; then, the usefulness of this gift, both to the church and to the conversion of unbelievers; and, finally, he speaks of what actually existed among them, thus:—

“When ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine [or instruction], hath a tongue [i. e., a gift of tongues], hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.” Verse 26.

Paul did not disapprove of these things, but gave such directions in regard to the use of their gifts as seemed necessary for their growth, and that the gifts of God’s Spirit might not be abused nor perverted. For he had before exhorted them to desire spiritual gifts, and to covet earnestly the best gifts. And again he said:—

“Forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church.” Verse 12.

In furtherance of this object he directs that he that hath a tongue, or the gift of tongues, shall keep silence in the church unless there be an interpreter, because others would not be edified by his speaking if it were not interpreted. But upon the gift of prophecy in the church no such restraint was laid. Of that he said:—

“For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted.” Verse 31.

In like manner he instructed the church at Rome. We observe that his argument in 1 Cor. 12, concerning the various members of the body, has respect to the gifts of the Spirit set in the church. And so to the Romans, carrying out the same idea, he says:—

“For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office; so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; or ministry, let us wait on our ministering; or he that teacheth, on teaching; or he that exhorteth, on exhortation,” &c. Rom. 12:4–8.

The mutual dependence of the gifts, one on the other, is shown in this text as it is in 1 Cor. 12. In that he says one member may not say to another, I have no need of thee; and those least esteemed are often most useful and necessary. So in Rom. 12:5 it is said, Ye are members one of another. That is, to have a perfect and efficiently active body the members must all be perfectly united together. The hand is confessedly one of the most useful members of the body; but its connection with the head, and consequent usefulness, depends entirely on its connection with the wrist, arm, &c. Were it connected directly with the head, without the intervention of other members, it would be of no use, and mostly an incumbrance. In all this we are taught that we should receive with humble reverence whatever God has set in the church; for he who formed the body knows best the wants of the body, and best understands the proper order of its members.

James, writing “to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad,” directs that prayer be offered for the sick, with the assurance that “the Lord will raise him up.” There is no force nor reason in the objection often urged that answers to prayer in that manner are not now given. If that were true (but it is not), it would argue nothing against the certainty of the promise; for we might possibly find a reason for it in the following scripture:—

“Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy that it cannot hear; but your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.” Isa. 59:1, 2.

The duty and privilege of prayer are greatly abused. While things which God has never promised are made subjects of prayer, to pray for the things which he has promised is often to subject ourselves to ridicule and reproach. As faith is not without the word of God, Rom. 10:17, so there is no genuine hope unless it is fixed on the promise of God; Heb. 6:12–19. The custom now prevailing of praying all over the world, and concerning everything upon which the fancy chances to rest, and of slighting and neglecting those blessings which we immediately need and which God has promised to bestow, is practical infidelity in regard to the faithfulness of God. It is no test of faith to pray for things which we do not immediately need, or which, if granted, are so far removed from our personal experience and observation that we could not realize the answer. To pray for the heathen in a distant land, for the restoration of Israel, or for the conversion of the world, may gratify general religious feelings and satisfy the conscience in regard to the duty to pray; but that will never satisfy our consciousness that God is a present help in time of need, and that he exercises an immediate providential care over his people.

They who think lightly of praying for the Spirit of God, which Jesus assures us will be given in answer to prayer; or for the sick, whom James says the Lord will raise up in answer to prayer; or for any other blessing which is directly promised, really reproach God as if he would not fulfill his word. They are of those who are reproved because they “say in their heart, The Lord will not do good, neither will he do evil;” Zeph. 1:12; or of the perverse ones who say, “The Lord hath forsaken the earth.” Eze. 8:12; 9:9. They think the Lord has no care for our wants, and will not regard our petitions. But he who hears the cry of the young ravens, and notices the fall of the sparrow of the field, and numbers the hairs of the heads of his children, will not turn away from their cry when they are in affliction.

No reason can be given to show that this promise of James is not of general application and for all time. The frequent references in this chapter to the coming of the Lord prove that it may be claimed by those who live in the last days (see Jas. 5:1–8), who have the assurance that “the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.”

Nor can it in truth be said that to claim answers to prayer in such manner begets egotism and self-confidence in religion. The reverse of this is truth. Nothing so makes a person feel his insufficiency—his entire dependence on God—as to be brought before him as a petitioner for a present-needed blessing. General blessings, or things afar off, may be prayed for with the unconcern of a formalist, or the self-complacency of a Pharisee; but to ask for a present blessing with the expectation of a present answer, is calculated to greatly humble the petitioner, to give a sense of entire dependence, and to produce exalted views of the faithfulness of God and trust in his providential care. Thus there is practical utility of great importance in the acceptance of these precious promises of direct answer to prayer, and in relying upon the gifts which God has graciously set in the church “for the edifying of the body of Christ.”

And thus it is shown that, 1. The commission embraces faith, obedience, and the signs or gifts of the Spirit. 2. The first preaching under the commission, on the day of Pentecost, embraced the same points; the same duty and the same blessing were presented to those who believed the gospel. 3. The history of the church shows that these continued in the church. 4. The instructions of the apostles prove that they looked upon the gifts as belonging to the church for all time. 5. The promise in the commission runs “to the end of the world,” or gospel age, which proves that the commission was intended to cover the entire age; while not a sentence can be found to show that it was limited by any time but the end of the world.

LOOKING FOR PEARLS.

AN ORIENTAL LEGEND.

The Master came one evening to the gate Of a fair city; it was growing late, And sending his disciples to buy food, He wandered forth intent on doing good, As was his wont. And in the market-place He saw a crowd, close gathered in one space, Gazing with eager eyes upon the ground. Jesus drew nearer, and thereon he found A noisome creature, a bedraggled wreck— A dead dog with a halter round his neck. And those who stood by mocked the object there, And one said, scoffing, “It pollutes the air!” Another, jeering, asked, “How long to-night Shall such a miscreant cur offend our sight?” “Look at his torn hide,” sneered a Jewish wit, “You could not cut even a shoe from it,” And turned away. “Behold his ears that bleed,” A fourth chimed in, “an unclean wretch indeed!” “He hath been hanged for thieving,” they all cried, And spurned the loathsome beast from side to side. Then Jesus, standing by them in the street, Looked on the poor, spent creature at his feet, And, bending o’er him, spake unto the men, “Pearls are not whiter than his teeth.” And then The people at each other gazed, asking, “Who is this stranger pitying this vile thing?” Then one exclaimed, with awe-abated breath, “This surely is the Man of Nazareth; This must be Jesus, for none else but he Something to praise in a dead dog could see!” And, being ashamed, each scoffer bowed his head, And from the sight of Jesus turned and fled.

—Atlantic Monthly.

Defining a Violation of the Ninth Commandment

This, on the whole, is a very good definition of what a violation of the ninth commandment consists in: “It is when nobody did anything, and somebody else told of it.”

The Seven Trumpets of Rev. 8 and 9.

By J. Sawyer

In examining the trumpets of Rev. 8 and 9 in former articles in the REVIEW it was the intention to consider only the first four. We will now add a few thoughts by way of concluding the subject.

The four trumpets already examined complete the history of those forms of the Roman government under which Rome succeeded so remarkably. Her emperors, consuls and senate, are no more. Three out of the ten nationalities into which the Roman power had merged, were removed by the civil-religious power which arose. The dominant powers, after A. D. 538, were the Huns, Visigoths, Burgundians, Suevi, Franks, Anglo-Saxons, Lombards, and the civil-religious power, the papacy, which grew out of the eastern part of the empire after its tripartite division.

According to prophecy, these powers were to govern the world. They were not only to rule the world then, but their authority was to affect the nations as long as the world should stand. But how is this? It appears from the fact that the very beast of Dan. 7, after having three horns plucked up by the roots, was the identical beast which was given to the burning flame. That beast, after A. D. 538, had eight horns, and it was in this condition when the prophet watched it, until it passed into the burning flame. The other beasts representing the Medo-Persian and Grecian kingdoms, which had formerly had a governing influence in the world, merely continued to exist. They were not to have a governing influence among the nations while the papal beast existed. The prophet says, Dan. 7:12, “They had their dominion taken away.”

Historians have not lost sight of this fact which prophecy here specifies. Mitchell says: “About the end of the fourth century, barbarous nations from the North and East commenced inroads on the Roman Empire, and in the course of the succeeding hundred and fifty years overthrew the Roman power.”

“About the last of the eighth century, the various little tribes which rose on the ruins of the Roman Empire, gradually merged into a few great monarchies, which, in general outline, have continued till the present day.” Ancient Geography, pp. 143, 149.

Here, then, we have a standard author, with whom many a school boy is familiar, who corroborates our assertion that certain powers were to exercise a controlling influence in the world. But you may say, We cannot identify them; nations are too much intermingled. Can you identify the papacy? You answer, Yes; the papacy has stood out prominently. You will also admit that this power will exist until it is destroyed by the brightness of the coming of the Son of God. Now, what became of the other seven horns which had crowns? Did the prophet see them without crowns? Did he lose sight of them? No, but some suppose these powers are mixed up with other nationalities, so that their identity is lost. But the material of which they were composed forbids such a conclusion. They were represented under the figure of clay and iron. You may mix clay and iron and remix them, and the clay still appears and the iron also, just as they did before you attempted to form the compound.

The Huns, who threw off the Roman yoke, A. D. 356, and soon enlarged their kingdom until it embraced a territory nearly as large as Russia proper, under whose banners the Scythian, Slavic, Bulgarian, Avar, and Finnish tribes served, are people of the same lineage as those who occupy Russia to-day. Their government has never been interrupted, and their aggressive character has continued the same. They have the same fierce and warlike spirit that characterized the rude troops of Attila in A. D. 451. This same character to-day makes Russia control the broadest territory of any nation beneath the sun. If that Scythian power has ever been subdued, who did it? Napoleon I. came the nearest to succeeding; but he failed, and the most of the vast army which he marched into Russia perished.

Smith, in his “History of the World,” Vol. iii. p. 740, says: “The Huns were Scythians, and like them a collection of family tribes or hordes.”

Again, p. 743, he says: “The power of the Huns was revived in its old seats, under other names, by the Bulgarians, the Avars, and the Khazars; and to the present day the Hunnish blood is still abundant—in some cases predominant—in Bulgaria, Hungary, the Danubian principalities, Volhynia, Podolia, Cherson, Taurida, and the Crimea.”

It seems that the original Burgundians were Germans. The people who now occupy the territory which constituted a part of the Burgundian kingdom in A. D. 407, are, as near as we can learn from history, still of German descent and belong to the Germanic Confederation.

Another power was the Suevic, the modern Portuguese. This nationality had its rise in A. D. 407. They have since retained their identity, and the Portuguese language is spoken by many millions in Europe, Africa, and South America; and the influence of the Portuguese government has a great bearing, especially in the commercial and naval affairs of the world.

The Visigoths merged into what is called the Spanish kingdom, and have had an uninterrupted governing influence since A. D. 407. The Spanish government influences and controls many millions in Europe and America.

The French, whose kingdom first had its rise A. D. 407, have sustained a separate position and have ever exercised a strong governing influence.

The Anglo-Saxon power, which had its rise A. D. 476, has ever since retained its identity; and its language and laws bear sway in every quarter of the globe. The sun is always shining upon English possessions, and none will attempt to deny the controlling influence of the Anglo-Saxon race.

The Lombards became a distinct people in A. D. 483. In their posterity the Italians are classified. History shows a successive line of Lombard supremacy in the Italian government. To-day a Lombard prince is heir to the Italian throne, or rules on it, and the Italian power is one of those which were to possess uninterrupted dominion till the destruction of all earthly kingdoms. See “Hayden’s History of Dates,” p. 269.

The papacy completes the number of powers which were to rule mankind and determine the bounds of empires and the fate of battles, until He whose right it is to reign shall come and dash the wicked nations to pieces and take the kingdom unto himself.

The peculiarity of these powers is, that their monarchical forms have been uninterrupted, and will continue so, until probation closes. We therefore do not expect to see the Portuguese submit to the king of Spain; nor the people of England subject to a French monarchy; nor will the Italian people ever be subservient to the crown of Russia. Efforts may be made through war, diplomacy, and marriage, to effect a union of these kingdoms, but it never can be done; for the prophecy declares that they shall not cleave one to another.

The papal power may consume away; but it will be in existence when Jesus comes: “And then shall that wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming.” 2 Thess. 2:8. “I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake; I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame.” Dan. 7:11.

But some may say that there are other powers in the earth holding a greater prominence than these we have mentioned, why may not they be more properly called great or ruling powers? We say, 1. Other powers have had an interrupted dominion since their rise. 2. They did not arise soon enough. 3. All the other powers of the earth have been, or are, governed, directly or indirectly, by these eight specified governments. It has never been possible to fully break up these governments and destroy their identity. Charlemagne tried it; the Arabian Caliphs attempted to do it; Napoleon I. felt sure of accomplishing the project; but he utterly failed, and became an exile for presuming to thwart the fulfillment of the prophecy which says: “They shall not cleave one to another.”

It was folly for Napoleon to attempt to do what God said should not be done. The combined nations of the earth never have dismembered these nationalities nor can they ever efface these specified ruling powers from the earth; for God declares that it is this beast that is to be given to the burning flame; and these very powers have, as we understand, fulfilled the specifications of the prophetic symbol.

When the world is fully ripe for destruction, then will their identity cease. Then they shall become like the chaff of the summer-threshing floor which the wind drives away so that no place is found for it. The threatening storm that is looming up in the East need not alarm us. Europe, with her 5,000,000 of soldiers ready to give battle, cannot in any emergency invalidate the word of God. We yet behold, according to the words of the prophet, the divided form of Daniel’s metallic image; and as we see the armies and navies of the Old World stand in awe of each other, we are certain that out of the great controversy there shall come forth a remnant people who will be unscathed and unaffected by political conflicts. The call that gathers them is going forth. Out of every nation, tongue, kindred and people is being collected a company whose union will be complete. They will present a formidable array. They will appear like an army with banners. They are to march together, and not break their ranks. They shall see eye to eye. They have perfected a holy character. They shall have become so blameless and faultless that they are without rebuke. They reflect the true image of the Refiner. We long to see the victory turn on Zion’s side.

J. SAWYER.

Battle Creek, Mich.

Hygienic Cookery and Cook Book.

By Stephen N. Haskell

The importance of wholesome food and good cooking cannot be overestimated. Common sense teaches the farmer that if he has a likely Durham steer which he wishes to grow into full development of his breed, he must feed him with something besides bog hay. How much pluck and spirit will a horse get out of a ton of rye straw? Every man of intelligence should know that any food that tends to stimulate one portion of the system more than another will cause friction in nature's machinery, and cannot be well for the system; and it is because of this stimulating food, with indigestible masses of stuff, that is put into the human stomach—and a large proportion is made so by cooking—that we are a nation of dyspeptics to-day. Says Mr. Holland, “If I were to be charged with the special mission of degrading a nation in mind and body, stunting the form, and weakening in the same proportion the mental and moral nature, there is no way in which I could so readily accomplish my object as through food. No nation can preserve its vitality, and its tendency to progress, with a diet of pork and potatoes.” Nothing but grains, fruits, and vegetables, properly prepared, will do this. How important, then, that we have some guide in the manner of cooking, as well as to what should be cooked.

There is no hand-book of practice which has more difficulty in gaining a reputation than a hygienic cook book. To cook well, not only requires practice, but some degree of aptness or adaptation in the culinary department. Any one can stir up meal and water, put it into an oven, and bake it; but it is not every one that can do this in a manner so that it will come out light, wholesome bread. Much depends upon the quality of the grain or fruits which are used. Much depends upon the oven in which it is baked. The matter of the fire is of no little importance, whether a steady heat is kept up, or whether the stove is to be cooled off from one to three times while in the process of baking; and good cooks think that the condition of the wood is a matter of some importance, whether it be wet or dry. Then the putting of the ingredients together in a proper manner has very much to do in cooking food so it will be palatable and wholesome.

What I have here said, refers to cooking in general, but when applied to the hygienic method of preparing food, much more importance is attached to this matter. To introduce a new method of cooking, we not only have to meet all the general difficulties of the culinary department, but we are to meet the long-established habits of the people. To change customs which have grown with our growth, and become a part of our nature, will be found to be no small task. Food highly seasoned with pepper, salt, vinegar, and a thousand and one condiments which irritate the stomach, prevents digestion and causes dyspepsia. This course has created unnatural tastes and perverted the appetite. We also have the public sentiment against anything that takes people out of the old cart-ruts of usage; and were many of our good mothers and sisters to find themselves out of the old beaten track of mothers, grandmothers, and great grandmothers, they would think themselves on the road to ruin.

It cannot be expected that any will use the recipes in a hygienic cook book, many of which may be wholly new to them, and make a success the first time. One thing can be set down as a fact, that all these recipes (to which we shall refer) have been used by proper persons and pronounced good. Therefore, if you do not make a success the first time, try again, and then again; and if any should think that food is tasteless without salt, do not condemn the book. Try another recipe with a little salt, and commence to educate the taste by degrees. The writer could once eat salt by the spoonful; but now most kinds of food taste brackish with salt. The reason is simply that the taste has been educated to do without salt. Were our old habits and ways all right, we should not need to reform. We are in an age of enlightenment and improvement. Old things pass away, new things take their place. It is by experiment and practice that the better way is learned. A man would be called a fool who would recommend old stage-coaches instead of the iron horse which will carry him fifty miles per hour through the country. It was a long trial of experiments that effected this change, and Fulton, who launched the first steam-boat, died in the poor-house. Therefore, we urge upon all first to settle these questions: Do we need a reform in our diet? Are the principles here set forth correct? Settle these points, then turn over a new leaf and remember the old song, “If at first you don't succeed, try, try again!” By thus doing, you will find that these recipes are practicable.

The Hygienic Cook Book has been revised, and somewhat enlarged. It contains much practical, useful matter for every family. Having been acquainted with every hygienic cook book, as nearly as I can ascertain, which has been published in this country for the past twenty-five years, I can unqualifiedly say that this is the best of its size which I have ever seen.

The remarks touching eggs, milk, butter, cheese, spice, sugar, wine, time for meals, change of diet, etc., etc., are worth the price of the book. The reader is not obliged to go through a long treatise to get at the gist of the matter, but the very pith of the truth is presented in a few words. Then comes a short chapter upon the art of cooking, philosophy of making wholesome bread, etc., which is valuable.

The sixty recipes for making bread and cake, and over eighty recipes for general cooking, to say nothing of the three and one-half dozen puddings, and thirty varieties of pies; in all making over two hundred and fifty recipes for cooking, ought to convince the most fastidious that there is a supply in nature to furnish an ample variety without the ham, beef, or salt pork.

Then comes the bill of fare for each month in the year, and each day in the week, where, to the old, oft-repeated question, “What shall I get for breakfast?” or “What shall I get for dinner?” is found a ready answer.

The remarks upon drinks, and preserving fruits and vegetables, closing up with twenty-five “household hints,” make it a book which will be of value to any family in the country. We say to every person who is interested in these principles of reform, whether in the city or country, Get “Healthful Cookery,” published at the REVIEW Office, which will be truly a “Hand Book of Food and Diet.” Get one for your own use, and one to lend to your neighbors.

S. N. HASKELL.

False Science.

By C. Green

When men seek to account for the creation of matter in some other way than that taught by the Spirit of God through his word, such teachings are denominated false science by the inspired writer.

At the present day, much thought is given to an attempt to prove the creation of our world by a process founded upon the eternal duration of matter; and many lengthy treatises are written, and intricate propositions are brought forward, to account for the creation on these principles. Much attention is also given to a discussion of the probable changes which would take place in matter during long periods of time, and by which the earth became fitted for the support of vegetable and animal life. In order to unite this theory with the Bible testimony of creation, each day in the creation week is made to equal a myriad of years. When through the process of constant agitation a change was about to take place, in which a higher state was to be developed, the Almighty’s fiat went forth, and light beamed upon the darkened mass, producing what scientists term the first day.

The waters yet enveloped the earth wherein hideous monsters dwelt. Another lengthy period must pass, and wonderful changes take place, before another command from the Creator could separate the waters, allotting to the earth and the heavens their respective shares, and the second day of the first week of time be placed upon the calendar.

The earth now assumed a globular form, having been freed from water and mists which had heretofore held it without shape or order, and awaited, during another period of time, the word of God whereby the waters were to be gathered together, and the dry land made to appear. When this was done, its barren surface was ready for a higher state and a new order of things. The necessary changes take place in their proper order and at the proper time, and prepare for the ushering in of another creation day.

But why go on presenting this theory of creation, in which a natural cause for the formation of matter and the worlds is given a primary place, and the authority of God becomes a secondary consideration? We will suppose this theory to be true; that ages are required to produce certain changes; and that when a change takes place a period denominated a day is passed. Six of these periods are required to effect the creation of our planet—for, according to this theory, the sun, moon,

and stars, had long shone in all their brilliancy, but the darkness and mist enveloping the earth, had prevented their rays from reaching its surface—then comes Jehovah’s rest; for this must be included in the weekly cycle or the Bible testimony of this event must be set aside. Can this seventh day compare for length of time with the preceding ones? It should, in order to keep up the harmony; but if it does, Jehovah’s rest is not yet ended. And the testimony given declares that that day ended, and was blessed and set aside, to be observed by man ever after as sacred.

We can see in this scientific theory of creation nothing but infidelity and confusion. When men will set aside the plain narrative of the manner in which the worlds were “created by the word of God,” and “seek out many inventions” of their own, they expose their own weakness, and confirm the declaration that “the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God.”

Are men made better morally by such teachings? Are these teachers themselves patterns of piety, zealous for the honor and glory of God? Are they reformers? Are any affected by their teachings and converted from the error of their ways? We fear not. Yea; we can see in them that which goes to destroy faith in the Bible, and in the plan of salvation through the sacrifice of Christ, our Saviour and Redeemer.

C. GREEN.

Battle Creek, Mich.

Continue reading: If Thou Hadst Known