Signs of the Times, Vol. 42, No. 31. (8/10/1915)

Signs of the Times

Aug 10, 1915

Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, California · Aug 10, 1915

The Promising Punjab Country

By Arthur G. Daniells

A Great Alluvial Plain—Saluted with Bombs—An Itinerating Physician and His Success

By ARTHUR G. DANIELLS

THE Punjab province is one of the greatest in all India. It is one great alluvial plain; and since the British government has completed a system of irrigation for the province, this plain has been turned into one of the most productive spots on the earth.

The Punjabis are a progressive people. A report made public by a large, influential committee while I was in that part of the country, takes strong ground for the education of women, the removal of the purdah, the destruction of the caste system, etc. It is in the Punjab that the great mass movements toward Christianity are now taking place.

EXTENSIVE AND PROMISING FIELD

The Northwest Indian Mission was set off at the biennial conference held in Calcutta, December 18-28, 1914. It embraces the Punjab province and its states, the Northwest Frontier province, Kashmir, and Sind. Occupying the extreme northwest corner of the Indian Empire, it extends from the Himalayas southward along the eastern boundaries of Afghanistan and Baluchistan to the Arabian Sea. The population is given at 33,000,000, divided as follows: Punjab and its states, 24,000,000; Northwest Frontier province, 2,000,000; Kashmir, 2,000,000; Sind, 4,000,000. Delhi, the capital of the empire, and Simla, the summer headquarters of the government, both lie within the boundaries of this mission. The scope of the territory, the number of people, and the variety of races all combine to give almost boundless opportunities for missionary endeavor. The conditions in the Punjab make that part of India a very promising field.

The circumstances connected with our entering the Punjab are most interesting and encouraging. These were related by Pastor Wellman at the Calcutta conference as follows:

“In the fall of 1913, while traveling down to Lucknow from Simla, I met on the train an Indian preacher, Mr. S. Samuel, of the Plymouth Brethren Mission of the Gajranwala district of the Punjab. We became acquainted, and for the eight hours we traveled together, a constant conversation on the points of our message was continued. When we parted, Mr. Samuel asked for literature, and pressed me to visit his district and tell his people the views I had explained to him.

“In December, I made a brief visit to the Punjab, and spent a part of two days in these villages. I was impressed by what I found here, and felt that we might make a beginning in this most promising province. Returning to Lucknow, I explained the situation to Professor Salisbury, and it was decided that we would visit these people as soon as we could find the time to do so. In March, 1914, we carried out our plan, spending two full days in the villages, visiting several places. We were deeply impressed that we should not delay to enter this field that seemed to have opened so providentially.

“Brother Frank Loasby was immediately called to this field, and with Sister Loasby, located in Lahore in May, 1914. In October, Dr. L. V. Mann and his family joined Brother Loasby, and together these brethren have been working among the villages the best they could under the circumstances.”

As Professor Salisbury was anxious that I should visit the Punjab, we went from Simla to Lahore, where we met Dr. Mann and Brother Loasby. From Lahore we went into the country to spend a few days among the villages. Our first stop was at Dhaban Sing, forty-five miles distant, where we

arrived at 9:30 P. M. Here we were met by Brother Samuel, who had first invited us to this district. With him were fifteen or twenty men who had gathered from a number of surrounding villages to welcome us.

SALUTED WITH BOMBS

They surely gave us a rousing reception. According to native custom, twenty or more homemade bombs were exploded at intervals of about one minute, as a salute. We were then placed in a two-wheeled vehicle, and taken some distance from the station. To do us full honor, the horse was taken from the cart, and four men drew us back to the station. This was a new kind of reception to me, one I would have objected to under ordinary circumstances; but the brethren acquainted with Indian ways assured me that the better course would be to keep still and let our hosts have their way.

I must say that my heart was touched by the simple, whole-hearted earnestness of these people, who wanted to tell us how glad they were to have us come to see them. I felt deeply impressed that God would hold us responsible for the influence we exerted over them.

The reception proceedings ended with a light repast of rice and fruit, which they had prepared for us. When all was over, and we were allowed to retire, it was midnight, and we were a weary lot.

We were up early the next morning for a strenuous day's work. When breakfast was over, we were requested to meet a company of about fifty who had gathered in an open lot near the station for a religious service. Native hymns were sung, a Scripture lesson was read, and prayer was offered. Then Brother Samuel read an address to us from those who had gathered to meet us.

In responding to their address, Professor Salisbury and I explained to them, the best we could, the meaning of our message, the object of our missionary enterprises, and our methods of work. We also told them we believed the providence of the Lord had brought us to them in much the way it took Paul to Macedonia, and that we sincerely hoped that a great blessing would come to us all by our association together.

The meeting having ended, Professor Salisbury and I started off with Dr. Mann and Brother Loasby to visit some of the villages near. In order to transport the dispensary and stereopticon outfits, we were obliged to get some of the men to draw them in a one-horse wagon we secured. After going a mile, we came to a place where the vehicle could be taken no farther. Then the men carried the boxes another mile on their heads.

The doctor set up his dispensary outfit on an open plot of ground. Quicker than one would think it possible, the whole village seemed to have been notified, and the people with ailments of all sorts began to flock around the dispensary. This was a revelation to me of the terrible condition and needs of these villagers, and the untold amount of good a medical missionary can do for them. The doctor seemed quite at home, and by his every act showed his love and tender sympathy for these unfortunate, suffering people.

Thus we tramped about until it was too dark to do more, and then found our way back to the railway station, where we were able to sleep for the night.

THE WHOLE VILLAGE PROFESSES CHRISTIANITY

Early the next morning, we left for another large center thirty or forty miles south. The particular village we wanted to visit was a Christian village in which there was not living one professed heathen. This is a rare thing to find in India. Brother Samuel, with a large circle of relatives, lives in this village. We found Mrs. Samuel to be more than an ordinary Indian woman. We were especially impressed with the superiority of his uncle and aunt. They had a good house, a nice little farm, and well kept cattle. They received us with manifestations of Christian love. Tears were in the old man's eyes as we bade them good-by. We believe that these people are not far from the kingdom.

What may ultimately be found by weeks of visiting among these villages, no one can tell; but we do feel that “a great door and effectual” has been opened to us in the Punjab, and that no time should be lost in prosecuting the work. Dr. Mann and Brother Loasby are thoroughly interested in this field and the work they find to do. They are seriously crippled, however, by the conditions in which they are placed. Their homes are from thirty to fifty miles from these villages. There is not a dwelling nearer in which they can place their families. But they are planning to erect buildings in the district as soon as possible.

SELECTING HEADQUARTERS

They showed us the town, on the railway line, which they believe will make a great center from which to work. In every direction are to be seen villages in which thousands of people are living. It is proposed to erect a hospital in this center, from which the doctor and the nurses can go out to the villages, and to which a certain class of the seriously ill can be brought. There is not a hospital, nor a dispensary, nor a doctor, nearer than Lahore, forty miles distant. We shall have an advantageous position there. While Dr. Mann carries on the medical work, Brother Loasby will push forward with the evangelistic work. These brethren have a clear vision regarding what is needed and how to proceed. It did my heart good to see their faces turned from the city to that forest of villages.

BIG FIELD FOR MEDICAL MISSIONARIES

Now is the time for our movement to be pushed in the Punjab. What a work could be done if the Mann-Loasby combination were multiplied a hundredfold? Here indeed is a field for medical missionaries. May the Saviour of men lay the burden of this work on the hearts of those who will count it a joy to go to these suffering, hopeless, groping millions with the light of life.

INTERIOR VIEW OF “PRIVATE HALL OF AUDIENCE,” DELHI, INDIA

Why a Stranger?

By A. M. Dart

“THE hope of Israel, the Saviour thereof in time of trouble, why shouldest Thou be as a stranger in the land, and as a wayfaring man that turneth aside to tarry for a night?” Jer. 14:8.

To the most of the human family, Jesus is an entire stranger; and to too many of us who profess to know Him, He is “as a wayfaring man that turneth aside to tarry for a night.”

We enjoy His presence for a little season from time to time; but why these off-and-on visits? Perhaps these “stranger visits” account for our up-and-down Christian experience.

There must be a reason for His tarrying only for a night. Are we sure that we have made it pleasant for Him? Perhaps the conversation has not been suited to His atmosphere of love and purity. He wishes to abide. “Abide in Me, and I in you.”

Earth’s darkness is daily deepening; and there is nothing you need so much, dear reader, as the abiding presence of Jesus.

“Abide with me! Fast falls the eventide; The darkness deepens. Lord, with me abide.”

A. M. DART.

No Need of Christ

By A. S. Booth

“SIN is the transgression of the law.” 1 John 3:4. “Sin is not imputed when there is no law.” Rom. 5:13. “Where no law is, there is no transgression.” Rom. 4:15.

We read concerning the work of the Master, “Thou shalt call His name Jesus; for He shall save His people from their sins.” Matt. 1:21.

If there is no law, as some would teach, then there is no sin; and thus there would be no need of Christ. A. S. BOOTH.

Satan and Our Appetites

By Ellen G. White

The Devil’s Strongest Hold on Man — Irritating the Stomach and Weakening the Brain — A Way of Escape Provided — All Heaven Looking On

By the late MRS. E. G. WHITE

“BESEECH you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” Rom. 12:1.

In the ancient Jewish service, it was required that every sacrifice should be without blemish. We are God’s workmanship; and we are “fearfully and wonderfully made.” Ps. 139:14. There are many who are educated in the sciences, and are familiar with the theory of the truth, who do not understand the laws that govern their own being. God has given us facilities and talents; and it is our duty, as His sons and daughters, to make the best use of them. If we weaken these powers of mind or body by wrong habits, or indulgence of perverted appetite, it will be impossible for us to honor God as we should.

SATAN’S STRONGEST HOLD

We meet intemperance everywhere. We see it on the cars, the steamboats, and wherever we go; and we should ask ourselves what we are doing to rescue souls from the tempter’s grasp. Satan is constantly on the alert to bring the race fully under his control. His strongest hold on man is through the appetite, and this he seeks to stimulate in every way possible. All unnatural excitants are harmful, and they cultivate the desire for liquor.

I appeal to parents to begin with their children, and give them a right education. Seek to bring them up so that they shall have moral stamina to resist the evil that surrounds them. The lesson of self-control must begin with the child in its mother’s arms. It must learn to restrain passionate temper, to bring its will into subjection, and to deny unhealthful cravings.

Teach your children to abhor stimulants. Do not place luxurious dishes before the children,—spiced foods, rich gravies, cakes, and pastries. This highly seasoned food irritates the stomach, and causes a craving for still stronger stimulants. Furthermore, children are allowed to eat between meals; and by the time they are twelve or fourteen years of age, they are often confirmed dyspeptics.

Under the irritating influence of fiery spices, as well as under that of strong drinks, the stomach becomes of a fiery red color. With the stomach in such a state, there is a craving for something more to meet the demands of the appetite, something stronger, and still stronger. Next you find your sons out on the street learning to smoke. It is a grievous lesson; it makes them deathly sick. Yet they press the matter through with a perseverance that would be praiseworthy in a better cause.

Tobacco weakens the brain, and paralyzes its fine sensibilities . Its use excites a thirst for drink, and in very many cases, lays the foundation for the liquor habit. Its use is an inconvenient, expensive, unclean habit. The teachings of Christ, pointing to purity, self-denial, and temperance, all rebuke this defiling practice. When we think of the long fast that Jesus endured in the wilderness of temptation in order to break the power of appetite over man, we marvel that those who profess to be His followers can indulge in this habit. Is it for the glory of God for men to enfeeble the physical powers, confuse the brain, and yield the will to this narcotic poison? What right have they to mar the image of God?

A great responsibility rests upon us. We cannot render to God true service unless we present our bodies a living sacrifice. No one can be justified in marring this wonderfully intricate human organism. If we do this, not only do we suffer ourselves, but the evil is transmitted to our children. Can we wonder that the children who have such a legacy do not fear God?

WRONG EXAMPLE OF SOME MINISTERS

How often do we see boys not more than eight years old, or younger, using tobacco! If you speak to them about it, they say, “My father uses it; and if it does him good, it will me.” They point to the minister or the Sunday school superintendent, and say, “If such good men as these use it, surely I can.” How can we expect anything else of the children with their inherited tendencies, while the older ones set them such an example? God pity the poor slave to these indulgences!

Some urge that a man is not responsible for what he does under strong drink. When he places the cup to his lips, he makes himself responsible for all the deeds he commits while under its influence.

It is important that those who make and execute the laws of our great nation should have their faculties unclouded. What about the judges and jurors, in whose hands rests the disposing of human life, and whose decisions may condemn the innocent, or turn the criminal loose upon society? Do they not need to have full control of their mental powers? Are they temperate in their habits? If not, they are not fit for such responsible positions. When the appetites are perverted, the mental powers are weakened, and there is danger that men will not rule justly.

We can understand the value of the human soul only as we realize the greatness of the sacrifice made for its redemption. The word of God declares that we are not our own, that we are bought with a price. It is at an immense cost that we have been placed upon vantage ground, where we can find

liberty from the bondage of sin wrought by the fall in Eden. Adam’s sin plunged the race into hopeless misery; but by the sacrifice of the Son of God, a second probation was granted to man.

A WAY OF ESCAPE PROVIDED

In the plan of redemption, a way of escape is provided for all who will avail themselves of it. God knew that it was impossible for man to overcome in his own strength, and He has provided help for him. How thankful we should be that a way is open for us, by which we can have access to the Father; that the gates are left ajar, so that beams of light from the glory within may shine upon those who will receive them!

Christ began the work of redemption just where the ruin began. His first test was on the same point where Adam failed. It was through temptations addressed to the appetite that Satan had overcome a large proportion of the human race, and his success had made him feel that the control of this fallen planet was in his hands. But in Christ he found one who was able to resist him, and he left the field of battle a conquered foe.

Jesus says, He “hath nothing in Me.” John 14:30. His victory is an assurance that we too may come off victors in our conflicts with the enemy. But it is not our heavenly Father’s purpose to save us without an effort on our part to coöperate with Christ. We must act our part; and divine power, uniting with our effort, will bring victory.

Who will enter in through the gates into the city?—Not those who declare that they cannot break the force of appetite. Christ has resisted the power of him who would hold us in bondage; though weakened by His long fast of forty days, He withstood temptation, and proved, by this act, that our cases are not hopeless. I know that we cannot obtain the victory alone; and how thankful we should be that we have a living Saviour, who is ready and willing to aid us!

RECLAIMED FROM HIS HOPELESS CONDITION

I recall the case of a man in a congregation that I was once addressing. He was almost wrecked in body and mind by the use of liquor and tobacco. He was bowed down from the effects of dissipation, and his dress was in keeping with his shattered condition. To all appearance, he had gone too far to be reclaimed. But as I appealed to him to resist temptation in the strength of a risen Saviour, he rose tremblingly, and said, “You have an interest for me, and I will have an interest for myself.”

Six months afterward, he came to my house. I did not recognize him. With a countenance beaming with joy, and eyes overflowing with tears, he grasped my hand, and said, “You do not know my name, but you remember the man in an old blue coat, who rose in your congregation, and said that he would try to reform.” I was astonished. He stood erect, and looked ten years younger. He had gone home from the meeting, and passed the long hours in prayer till the sun arose. It was a night of conflict; but, thank God, he came off the victor. This man could tell, by sad experience, of the bondage of those evil habits. He knew how to warn the youth of the dangers of contamination; and those who, like himself, had been overcome, he could point to Christ as the only source of help.

THE MIGHTY, UNFAILING HELPER

Intemperance is on the increase, in spite of the efforts to control it. We cannot be too earnest in seeking to hinder its progress, to raise the fallen, and shield the weak from temptation. With our feeble hands, we can do but little; but we have an unfailing Helper. We must not forget that the arm of Christ can reach to the depths of human woe and degradation. He can give us help to conquer even this terrible demon of intemperance.

But it is in the home that the real work must begin. The greatest burden rests upon those who have the responsibility of educating the youth, of forming their character. Here is a work for mothers, in helping their children to form correct habits and pure tastes, to develop moral stamina, true moral worth. Teach them that they are not to be swayed by others, that they are not to yield to wrong influences, but to influence others for good, to ennoble and elevate those with whom they associate. Teach them that if they connect themselves with God, they will have strength from Him to resist the fiercest temptations.

NOT REGISTERED AS A MAN

With every facility which has been placed within reach, he who does not resist temptation, is not registered in the books of heaven as a man. The Lord never places men in positions so trying that it is beyond their power to withstand evil. Divine power is ever ready to protect and strengthen him who has been made a partaker of the divine nature.

Temptations to the indulgence of appetite possess a power which can be overcome only by the help that God can impart. But with every temptation, we have the promise of God that there shall be a way of escape. Why, then, are so many overcome?—It is because they do not put their trust in God. They do not avail themselves of the means provided for their safety. The excuses offered for the gratification of perverted appetite are therefore of no weight with God.

ALL HEAVEN IS WATCHING

We want a share in the eternal inheritance. We want a place in the city of God, free from every impurity. All heaven is watching to see how we are fighting the battle against temptation. Let all who profess the name of Christ so walk before the world that they may teach, by example as well as by precept, the principle of true living.

The New Jerusalem

By L. D. Santee

By L. D. SANTEE

“Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God.” Ps. 87: 3.

SWEET as the notes of the angels’ songs, And as pure as the hush of the southern sea, Is the rapturous joy that to heaven belongs; But its cadence of gladness comes down to me, And echoing over the space between, Across the sea, and adown the sky, Tells of the mansions by us unseen, Where none of the dwellers ever die.

The city of jasper has waited long The time when its joy shall be complete, When its walls shall echo the voice of song, And the musical march of the children’s feet; When the glorious, shining pearly gates Shall open wide for the white-robed throng; Where gladness and peace and joy awaits The victors who battled with hate and wrong.

And sounding sweet through eternal day Is a song the angels never can sing; For redemption’s story is heard for aye, And the blood-washed worship creation’s King. And the loved and lost we have laid to rest Shall live in the smile of God once more; And kisses are given, and hands are pressed, In the rare delights of the farther shore.

The Unseen Messengers of God

By H. E. Sawyer-Hopkins

By H. E. SAWYER-HOPKINS

ANGELS existed before man was created. They are God's messengers, or officers, stationed around His throne, to be sent forth to oversee His affairs on earth,—to minister to the needs of His children, and defend them from the adversary, the devil, who is going to and fro, up and down the earth, seeking whom he may devour.

Angels are not spirits in the sense of being phantoms, as some suppose. Isaiah describes them as real, personal, material beings, though not of the same nature as man, for man is lower than the angels.

These angel messengers have appeared upon the earth, and conversed and eaten with man. We read of Abraham and Lot providing food for these angelic visitors.

There is an innumerable company that comprise this angelic host. Christ mentions twelve legions—a bout fifty thousand—that He might pray the Father to send to His help if needed. John, in his view of heaven, saw ten thousand times ten thousand—one hundred million; and the prophet adds, “and thousands of thousands”—a vast multitude indeed, that constitute the heavenly family, to be dispatched by God in carrying out His commands in any part of His dominion.

They are swift to carry messages. Ezekiel informs us that they come as a flash of lightning. They are also of great strength. We read that a single angel slew in the camp of the Assyrians 185,000.

When one appeared at Christ's tomb to roll away the stone, there followed a mighty earthquake, and soldiers fell as dead men. When Peter was in prison, bound with chains, between two soldiers, an angel simply touched the chains, and quickly they fell from Peter's hands. The angel passed on ahead, and the great iron gate opened, and Peter went out.

As we think of this innumerable company, clothed in garments of dazzling brilliancy, with which those of no earthly monarch can compare, is it any wonder that when they appeared on earth at times, those who saw them fell as dead men?

Every child of God has a guardian angel. David tells us, “For He shall give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.” In any conflict with the wily foe, “the angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear Him, and delivereth them.” What a privilege that we can have the companionship of these heavenly visitors to comfort, to guide, and to protect us from danger, both seen and unseen!

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