p. 13 | Signs of the Times, Vol. 43, No. 23. (6/6/1916)

THE PASSING OF EMPIRES

By M. N. C.

Another Universal Empire About to Be Established

SIX centuries before the birth of Christ, Nebuchadnezzar reigned over the Babylonian empire. Success had crowned his military ventures, until the world was at his feet, and he sat upon the throne of world dominion. Among the nations that had fallen before the victorious march of his

armies was Israel — the chosen people. Continued apostasy had separated this people from the Source of their strength, and they were finally given over into the hands of their enemies, and the seventy years of Babylonish captivity began.

As a nation, they were removed from the sacred hills and vales of the promised land, and carried off to Babylon, where for long years they mourned for the land of their fathers, hanging their harps on the willows, and weeping for Zion, the city of their solemnities.

Counselors of the Empire

AMONG those taken captive from Israel by Nebuchadnezzar were Daniel and his three companions, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, all youths of tender age. Soon after their arrival in Babylon, the king decided to choose the most promising of the youth of his dominion, and give them an education that would qualify them to be the leaders and counselors in his empire. Daniel and the three young Hebrews were among those chosen. Their training, which covered a period of three years, was completed with honor, and they were judged worthy to be numbered among the wise men of Babylon.

About this time, the incident occurred which is recorded in the second chapter of Daniel.

King Nebuchadnezzar retired one night reflecting upon the uncertainty of human greatness, and wondering if the mighty empire that had been built up by his prowess would sink to insignificance after his death. Naturally he hoped that his dynasty would continue from one generation to another for time. With this thought uppermost in his mind, he fell asleep, and dreamed a dream, which, upon his awakening, he felt was in some way connected with the burden of his thoughts. But the substance of the dream faded away as his eyelids opened; and try as he would, he could not recall it.

His inability to remember the dream gave him deep concern and evident dismay. But he had in his courts men known as magicians, astrologers, and soothsayers, who professed ability to unearth hidden mysteries; and they were called in. He told them he had dreamed a dream which had gone from him completely, and he asked them to use their occult powers to bring the matter before him again.

Duped by Deceivers

THIS was a just proposal, in view of their pretentions; but it was one which exposed the fact that they were frauds and impostors. They told the king that if he would tell them what he had dreamed, they would interpret it for him. To this he replied that if they did not in this instance prove their claims to supernatural powers by telling him the dream, they would be slain. Then they admitted that they could not do it; and the king, furious over having been duped by these deceivers, ordered all the wise men to be put to death.

The captain of the guard, setting out to execute the king's decree, called first on Daniel and his three friends, to slay them. To Daniel had been given the gift of prophecy by the Lord; and upon hearing from the executioner the cause of the trouble, he asked to be taken in to the king. Nebuchadnezzar granted Daniel time in which to seek his God for help in this crisis. On his return to his lodgings, he and his three companions prayed most earnestly for help from on high; and in response to these petitions, the Lord revealed to Daniel the dream that had been given to and taken from Nebuchadnezzar.

Events of the Latter Days

DANIEL returned to the king, and unfolded before him that which had been shown in response to prayer. In reply to the question of the king as to whether he could reveal the dream, he said:

"The secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, show unto the king; but there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these; as for thee, O king, thy thoughts came into thy mind upon thy bed, what should come to pass hereafter: and He that revealeth secrets maketh known to thee what shall come to pass." Dan. 2: 27-29.

It is evident from these words:

(1) That the dream was prophetic in its nature, for it foretold "what shall be in the latter days." (2) It was given in response to the thoughts which the king was entertaining in his mind the night the dream was given him.

Daniel then proceeds to narrate the dream:

"Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible. This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, his legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth. This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king." Dan. 2: 31-36.

The World's Advance History

It would not be difficult for the reader to imagine the astonishment of King Nebuchadnezzar as he listened to this recital, and recognized in detail the very thing he had dreamed, and concerning which he had felt such anxiety. Daniel not only related the dream, but proceeded to make plain the interpretation of it:

"Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory. And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath He given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold. And after thee shall rise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth. And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise. And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters' clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay. And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken. And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay. And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure. Then the king Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face, and worshiped Daniel, and commanded that they should offer an oblation and sweet odors unto him. The king answered unto Daniel, and said, Of a truth it is, that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldest reveal this secret." Dan. 2: 37-47.

In the explanation, Daniel declared that the image, in its metallic divisions, represented the four great world kingdoms that should successively bear rule over the earth. The head of gold represented Nebuchadnezzar in his capacity as ruler of Babylon. This mighty nation was then in the zenith of its power and glory.

Throne of World Empire Transferred

BUT the king's countenance doubtless fell as Daniel proceeded with the explanation, "And after thee shall rise another kingdom inferior to thee." He had hoped that his kingdom would last forever; but this interpretation, which he could hardly dare gainsay, indicated that his kingdom would pass away, and be succeeded by another of inferior glory.

Babylon was overthrown by the Medes and Persians on that fatal night when Belshazzar was holding his impious feast described in the fifth chapter of Daniel. Two brief verses tell the story: "In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain. And Darius the Median took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old."

The Medo-Persian kingdom succeeded to world empireship in 538 B. C., continuing until 331 B. C., and was represented by the arms and breast of the image. But this kingdom also was to give way to another. The rise of Alexander the Great marked the decline and fall of the Medo-Persian kingdom. In the battle of Arbela, in which the Grecians under Alexander were far outnumbered, a crushing defeat was administered to the Persians, and the throne of world power was transferred to Grecia. The silver of the breast and arms gave place to the brass of the thighs.

Mistress of the World Broken

FOR a short time only did Grecia pose as mistress of the world. Then the iron monarchy of Rome came upon the stage of action, and thereafter claimed world-wide authority. This power is fitly represented by the iron legs in the image. The infidel historian Gibbon uses the symbolism of Nebuchadnezzar's dream in describing the rise of Rome:

"The arms of the republic, sometimes vanquished in battle, always victorious in war, advanced with rapid steps to the Euphrates, the Danube, the Rhine, and the ocean; and the images of gold, or silver, or brass, that might serve to represent the nations or their kings, were successively broken by the iron monarchy of Rome."

Continuing his explanation of the dream, Daniel said:

"And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters' clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay. And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken. And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay." Dan. 2: 41-43.

The Roman Empire began to disintegrate, and was divided into a number of smaller kingdoms. The present divided state of Europe is in direct fulfillment of prophecy. Efforts have been made, from time to time, to weld these nations into one great empire again. Charlemagne, Charles V, Napoleon, and others, each tried it; but the unfailing prophecy had said, "They shall not cleave one to another," and the plan has never succeeded, and moreover, it never will until "He come whose right it is."

All Kingdoms to Crash

BUT the most stirring part of this prophecy is yet to come. The prophet declares:

"And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure." Dan. 2: 44, 45.

The head of gold, representing Babylon, passed away long ages ago. The breast of silver, symbolizing Medo-Persia, has followed Babylon into oblivion. Grecia played her brief part in the world's drama, and is also off the stage of action. The long, bloody history of Rome, represented by the legs of iron, is a thing of the past. We are now living in the divided state of the Roman Empire, represented by the mixture of iron and clay in the feet and the toes. What next? — The ushering in of the kingdom of God; the destruction and extinction of earthly kingdoms; the resurrection of the dead; the glorious reign of the King of kings, and Lord of lords.

The kingdoms of this world are about to become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ.

THE STAR OF HOPE

By L. E. F.

FRIEND, have you lost your way? Has the night of sin fallen upon your soul? Has the serpent of intemperance coiled its slimy form about you? Are you down and out, friendless and forsaken? Listen: Some one cares for your soul. Christ loves you. He has proved His matchless love by His death on the cross. What greater evidence could you ask? Do not doubt Him. If you loved another enough to die for him, how would you feel if he doubted your sincerity? Christ will set you free. His love will be your everlasting shield.

Hear this: "Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord." Ps. 31: 24. Courage, then! Look up, and see the star of Hope. There is a way of escape from the pit of despair into which you have fallen. No one concerned about his salvation has gone too far in sin to be saved. He who is willing to meet the conditions will find pardon, peace, and power. "For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee." Isa. 41: 13.

L. E. F.

THE DIVINE TOUCH

By J. E. F.

THE Master touched the fever-stricken woman, and immediately the fever left her. He touched the deaf man's ears, and the deaf heard. He touched the tongue of the dumb, and the dumb spoke. He touched the sightless eyes, and the blind saw. He touched the leper, and the leprosy was cleansed.

A woman in great timidity, conscious of her need, came up behind Him, and said, "If I may but touch His garment, I shall be whole." Matt. 9: 21. Of others it is said, "As many as touched Him were made whole." Mark 6: 56. There is virtue in the Master's touch. His hand is strong to save. His sympathy is the same to-day as when He was here in the flesh. But He waits for the human touch. He quickly discovers, even amid the jostling throng, the heart longing for His help; and as many as thus touch Him with this touch of faith are made whole. J. E. F.

HEAVEN TO BE ON EARTH

By H. A. Weaver

By H. A. WEAVER

The millennium, so far as this earth is concerned, is to be a time of desolation and chaos, not a time of peace and happiness, when all who have not accepted the gospel will have a second chance to be saved.

The term "millennium" is not, as many suppose, found in the Bible, but is a Latin phrase of two words, mille, meaning a thousand, and annus, meaning a year. But while the word itself is not found in the Bible, its equivalent is used therein a few times. The millennium is a period bounded by two resurrections. It begins at the second coming of Christ in glory with His angels.

The events during the period show that God's people of all ages will be with Him in heaven, while at the same time all the wicked of all ages will be in their graves or lying dead upon the surface of the earth. The earth itself will be a vast charnel house of desolation, ruin, and wreckage. Chaos will reign supreme, while Satan and his wicked angels will be left on the earth to wander about, beholding what their rebellion against God has wrought.

Jerusalem the World's Capital

At the end of the millennium, there will be a resurrection of the wicked, and they will live "a little season," after which they will be entirely annihilated in the lake of fire. Then the earth, purified and cleansed from sin and sinners, including Satan and all his angels, will be renewed by the creative power of God. The New Jerusalem will become the capital of the new earth, and the Lord's people will receive the earth in its Edenic restoration for their inheritance. Thus will be fulfilled the promise made by the Saviour in Matt. 5: 5, which says, "Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth."

In Rev. 20: 1-3, we are told that Satan is to be bound, and cast into the bottomless pit for a thousand years, and after that he loosed a little season. It is not to be understood that Satan is to be bound with a literal chain, for the language employed is symbolic. He is to be bound by a chain of circumstances, the links of which are: (1) the second coming of Christ; (2) the resurrection of the righteous dead; (3) translation of the righteous dead and living; and (4) the destruction of all the wicked inhabitants of earth. These links form a chain that removes from him the power to deceive, for it takes from him all upon whom he could possibly practice his deception.

The bottomless pit is simply this world in its wild and desolated condition. Indeed, the term "pit," as here used, is translated from the same original word that appears in Gen. 1: 2, and is there called "deep,"—"Darkness was upon the face of the deep." It refers, throughout the Bible, to any barren, desolate, and uninhabited region.

A word picture of the earth during the millennium is given by the prophet in Jeremiah, chapter 4, verses 23 to 27: "I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light. . . . I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled. I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the Lord, and by His fierce anger. For thus hath the Lord said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end."

If the binding of Satan is the taking away of his subjects from him, then the loosing of Satan is the giving back into his hands of at least a portion of them. And this is precisely what is to take place; for Rev. 20: 5-8 says: "But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. . . . And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall go out to deceive the nations." This shows that the wicked will have a resurrection, and that as soon as they are raised to life, Satan goes forth to his old work of deceiving them, and is thus loosed from his prison.

The Wicked Burned to Ashes

MEANWHILE the holy city descends from heaven, as foretold in Rev. 21: 2; and in it are the saved of all ages, who were translated to heaven at the first resurrection, at the beginning

of the millennium. Then Satan and his deceived followers of all past ages attempt to capture the city, as stated in Rev. 20: 9; and at that time fire from heaven descends upon them, and devours them all, Satan with the rest.

The same fire that destroys the wicked, also purifies the earth of all sin, and of all traces of the curse as seen now in the decay of nature. Then are fulfilled the words of Malachi 4, verses 1-3, and the wicked are reduced to ashes. The Lord will then and there, before the admiring gaze of His people, speak the words, "Behold, I make all things new." And from out the chaos and ashes will spring a new earth, "and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind." All tears will be forever wiped away.

God's throne will be removed from its present location, and set up on this earth, and here will be the center of the universe forever. Heaven will be on earth. Christ will come forth and say, "Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." Eden will become the New Jerusalem, and the plan of salvation through Christ will be accomplished in the "restitution of all things."

A CHEERING REPORT FROM THE MALAMULO MISSION

By W. C. Dunscombe, M. D.

Jottings from a Tour of Our Mission Stations in Africa

A FIVE hours' ride on the train took us from Port Herald, at the head of the navigable portion of the Shire River, to Luchenza, which is the station nearest to the Malamulo Mission. Here Brother Robinson was waiting for us with a ricksha, and eight native boys to push it, and others to carry our baggage. We soon found that eight boys were none too many for the ricksha, for the country is very hilly, and four boys relieved the other four at frequent intervals. In this way, we traveled the twenty-five miles to the mission, walking up all the hills, as we felt very uncomfortable at the idea of human beings puffing and blowing to push us up hills. We arrived at the mission station about eight o'clock at night.

Brother and Sister Rogers have gone far north, to establish a new station in the northernmost part of Rhodesia, near the Kongo.

From the time we left the river, we had been gradually ascending, until at the mission the altitude was nearly four thousand feet, and the evenings were so cool that a fire in the fireplace felt very good. When we awoke the next morning, we were enchanted with the view from the front veranda. We were surrounded with beautiful wooded hills and green valleys, and in the distance the mountain M'Lange.

Successful School Work

THE mission station consists of two thousand acres and several well constructed buildings, — two dwelling houses, a church and school building capable of holding three hundred people, a building containing extra classrooms and store, boys' dormitory and dining room, a stable for the mules, and cattle sheds and kraals.

A hospital building is planned, and will probably be erected soon. This mission is perhaps the best equipped, as far as buildings are concerned, of any of our stations. Yet, because of the conditions here, they have cost very little. The hospital building and the dispensary will cost only $150, as the bricks are all made on the place, the labor costing only about $50. There is plenty of wood on the mission land for shingles, doors, door frames, and furniture. This, with cheap labor, makes the problem of building a light one.

The farming operations here consist in merely raising enough to supply the needs of the mission family. To do more than this would be waste, for there is no market for grain or other produce. They have about two hundred head of cattle, however, and the income from butter making is an appreciable help to the mission finances. But the outstanding feature of this station is the very successful school work that is prosecuted here.

120 in the Baptismal Class

THERE are over two hundred native boys and girls in the school, and about one hundred twenty in the baptismal class. Twenty-four were baptized during our visit; and in the course of a few months, the remainder will be ready for baptism. Besides the school work at this, the central station, nearly forty out schools are taught by natives who have been trained at Malamulo. With all these out schools, a goodly number of students for the future seems assured.

While the study of the Bible forms a large part of the curriculum, the students are carried as far as the fourth grade standard. In addition to this, the teachers come in from the out schools at the close of every term, for a further course of instruction. It is planned this year to send out some of the most experienced boys as evangelists.

Only a small area around the mission can be covered by our out schools, as the territory beyond is occupied by other missionary societies. But the news of Christ's soon coming must be carried to every part of Nyasaland; and we look forward with confident expectancy to the time when we shall be able to send out more and more evangelists from this school until the glad news shall be heard in every part of this section of the Dark Continent.

As we met in our council meetings, the ideal continually held before us was, how to plan our work so as to make this an efficient training school for evangelists. It was voted to ask for a small printing plant, to be used in getting out small books for the various school classes, and especially to get out, in this language (N'yamja), literature dealing with different Bible topics. When this plant is installed, we shall be able to supply the evangelists with literature to carry from village to village. The boys throughout Nyasaland are being taught to read and write, and thus in God's providence they are being prepared for the everlasting gospel, which shall be preached in all the world.

The social service on Sabbath morning was conducted by Pastor White, and the working of God's Spirit was markedly manifested. Many consecrated their lives to God's service, and several gave their hearts to God for the first time. Our hearts are filled with gratitude to the Master for the work that has been so well begun here.

Brother and Sister Rogers, in their years of faithful labor, built strongly and well; and Brother Robinson, and Brother and Sister Ellingworth, and Sister Eadie are laboring efficiently to carry on the work so well begun. Brother and Sister Rogers have gone far north, to establish a new station in the northernmost part of Rhodesia, near the Kongo. Brother and Sister Konigmacher, after laboring faithfully for some years at Mantandane, a large out station about one hundred miles from Malamulo, are about to go to Rhodesia to relieve Brother Anderson.

When the hospital is built, a nurse with a dispensary training is to be called to take charge of it. This will greatly increase the efficiency of the work here, and will enable the native boys in the school to get a medical missionary training along with their evangelical training.

HOUSE FOR SALE

By Frank Dickson

On account of constantly traveling, and desiring to leave Mountain View, will sell house with half acre, six rooms, bath, pantry, and all modern improvements. Thirty-two assorted fruit trees suitable for family use, also walnut and almond trees, grapes, and blackberries. All young and bearing.

House in excellent condition. Good lawn. Good church and church school privileges, also public and high schools. Price $2,850. For terms, address Frank Dickson, Mariposa Avenue, Mountain View, Santa Clara County, California.

Bible Mottoes, Post Cards, and Cooking Oil

A. J. Iden & Company is headquarters for Bible mottoes, Bible post cards, and fine vegetable cooking oil. Bible mottoes, 200, size 12 x 16, $7.00; 200 post cards, $1.50. Write for prices on cooking oil. We prepay all express on mottoes and post cards. Oil is f. o. b. Nevada, Iowa. Address A. J. Iden & Company, Nevada, Iowa, Lock Box 403.

SIGN-BOARDS on the ROAD to DISEASE

By D. H. Kress, M. D.

The Folly of Treating Symptoms Instead of the Disease

By D. H. Kress, M. D.

IN order to know how to treat disease rationally, it is necessary to understand what disease is. The following is probably a definition that will cover most of the diseases to which humanity is subject: "Disease is the retention or accumulation of foreign products or poisons in the system."

The presence of these products gives rise to a great many symptoms. To these symptoms names are given, such as rheumatism, gout, neurasthenia, neuralgia, etc. When we speak of disease, we mean merely so many symptoms of disease. Understanding the nature of disease, it is not difficult to apply rational remedies; without this knowledge, the treatment will be wholly symptomatic. As a rule, people want to get rid of symptoms. They do not feel so much concern about the disease.

To illustrate this more fully, we will represent the human body by a circular figure, attached to which, on one end, is an inlet for the food, the air, and the drink, and at the other end, an outlet for the carrying off of body wastes. The skin, the lungs, and the kidneys may be called the sewer outlets of the body. As long as people live in a natural way, these organs experience no difficulty in eliminating the wastes that are normally formed. But if additional wastes are introduced in food or drink, or are formed in the alimentary canal through errors in eating, accumulations result, and symptoms arise which bring discomfort.

Wastes Pile Up in the System

IN Bright's disease, among the first questions the physician asks are these: "Do you feel weak in the knees? Do you have a dull pain in the back of the head? Are you troubled with confusion of thought, or specks before the eyes? Do you experience difficulty in adding up columns of figures?" The physician recognizes that these are some of the prominent symptoms of this disease. But these symptoms are present in other conditions than Bright's disease, for they are merely symptoms of self-intoxication.

The kidneys are able to eliminate a certain amount of the acid waste that is formed within the body; but in subsisting upon flesh, we are introducing an excess of the same kind of body waste, formed in the body of the animal. The kidneys will in time become diseased, and unable to do their work, and then these wastes will pile up in the system. This piling up of body wastes is not at once felt; but if it goes on day after day, for five, ten, or perhaps twenty years, at the age of forty or fifty, pains will appear in the muscles, the joints, or the nerves.

The physician is then sought, and the patient is informed that the trouble is an excess of uric acid. The physician's advice is, "Abstain from the use of flesh foods."

It took time to accumulate these wastes, and it will take time to get rid of them. The habits of eating have to be reformed. The person has to commence to eat pure food, breathe pure air, and do everything in his power to assist nature in her effort to dispose of this accumulated waste. By persistent efforts, they may be entirely eliminated.

Knocking Down the Danger Signals

THE difficulty is, however, that people do not treat disease in a rational way. As a usual thing, when troubled with a headache, they think only of stopping the headache, the disagreeable symptom. An opiate may be taken — something that paralyzes the nerves. When the headache disappears, the particular preparation is applauded and recommended as a wonderful remedy. After a time, another bad spell comes on, and again there is recourse to an opiate or to a patent medicine containing such. The system is gradually becoming overwhelmed with impurities, and finally death results.

When we speak of neuralgia, or neuritis, or megrim, we speak of them as diseases; but they are merely symptoms of diseases. For instance, a deposit of waste or foreign products around the muscles, we call gout. If this deposit is in the joints, we call it rheumatism; if around the nerve sheath, as for instance in the face, we speak of it as neuralgia; if around the membrane of the brain, we term it sick headache, or megrim. We might name a great number of symptoms, all of which indicate the presence of disease products in the system. Merely to get rid of the symptoms accomplishes no good while the diseased products that are responsible for the symptoms remain. To treat merely the symptoms of the disease could be compared to knocking down signals which notify of danger. Dangerous bicycle roads frequently have boards projecting, warning the cyclists that there is danger ahead, cautioning him to slow up. The pains felt in various parts of the body are signals, warning of the danger ahead, and calling upon us to slow up. Anything that merely knocks down these signals is not a friend. While palliative measures should be employed, the principal treatment should consist in assisting in the elimination of the accumulated products. Combined with this must be a correction of the habits of life which are responsible for the accumulated poisons.

A Cause for Every Disease

SICKNESS does not come without a cause. The violation of natural law and sickness bear to one another the relation of cause and effect. The effect is right, and the cause is wrong, and needs to be removed. There is but one way of getting rid of disease; that is to cease to do evil, and learn to do well.

Elimination must be encouraged. The skin should be put into a good, healthy, active condition. The lungs should have pure air. Uric-acid-free diet should be provided. By breathing pure air, eating properly, and only the purest kinds of food, we aid nature in her efforts to restore health. The Lord is doing the best He can for us all; but the difficulty is, we do not always coöperate with Him. We often neutralize His efforts. God, by calling our attention to the laws we have been transgressing, calls upon us to remove the obstacles we have created. Just to the extent that we come into harmony with the laws ordained for the government of our bodies, will we see the disagreeable symptoms disappear. This is the only rational way to get rid of disease.

Diseases considered incurable can often be overcome when the nature of the disease is understood, and the coöperation nature calls for is granted her.

The Bible and the Bible Only on the Sabbath Question

By Bernard P. Foote

"AND on the seventh day God ended His work which He had made; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it He had rested from all His work which God created and made." Gen. 2: 2, 3.

"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it." Ex. 20: 8-11.

"My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips." Ps. 89: 34.

"It is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail." Luke 16: 17.

"Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep His commandments: for this is the whole duty of man." Eccl. 12: 13.

"Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city." Rev. 22: 14.

ARRANGED BY BERNARD P. FOOTE.

The Peace of Christ

By James L. McElhany

THE peace of Christ is more than a condition. It is a gift. "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." John 14:27. The reception of this gift of peace does not depend upon external conditions. It is not governed by circumstances. Christian, accept this gift of peace from Christ, and let your troubled, fearful heart be at rest. J. L. MCELHANY.

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