Earlier text: The Empty TombThe Independent of July 18 has an editorial in reference to the work of the American universities, which forcibly presents some of the evils of present-day education. Among other questions at the opening of the article it asks, “Is a real man hindered more than he is benefited by his four years of undergraduate study?” He continues:— The first significant fact to be observed in certain large universities is that outside interests are primary, and university work proper is secondary—from the standpoint of the student. Athletics and social affairs of different kinds demand so much time, and the students keep such late hours, that they are unable to do good work, even when they7have a desire to do so. One instance will illustrate: A professor of national reputation gives a course during the year to seniors. A large number of the class have been absent as much as one third of the time. A much larger number have failed to do the assigned reading and to take the work at all seriously. A student who shows his interest either by asking questions or by answering them is laughed at. The student prominent in university life is not often the one doing good class work from day to day, but is a member of one of the many athletic teams, debating teams, or is prominent in fraternity circles for some reason entirely apart from good scholarship. The professor mentioned above remarks that he does not object to play as such, but does object to making play the primary object of college life. He then shows up the evils of college fraternities in this manner:— Not a few fraternities are an evil. They foster idleness, false and abnormal attitudes toward work and life. They breed all sorts of immoral life and practise. They are reputed to foster college spirit, but it is not a spirit that will do a college any good. In some cases the spirit manifests itself chiefly in noise, drunken carousal, fighting policemen, and breaking out car windows. During the past year many drunken, disorderly students have been arrested and fined in the city courts. The final banquet of one of the upper classes was a drunken brawl. Pandemonium reigned; dishes and articles of food were thrown about. They are not all drunkards, of course. But certain fraternities are largely responsible for the attitude that sanctions such actions. As to the responsibility for this sad condition of affairs, the article says:— Too many of the students are sent there. They do not know what manual labor means. If they were sent to the farm and workshop and compelled to work, and in their places were put serious, hard-working boys from the farms, the university and society would certainly be benefited by the exchange. This is a well-deserved tribute paid to wholesome work. It is further stated that— a large number of the students at the university have no business there. They will derive no benefit from a college education. The only thing that can save them is good, hard work, preferably manual labor—something many of the students have never known. The trouble is our system is wrong. Few people should be sent to college. Young men who are ambitious, have a serious purpose, know what they want, know why they are going to college, should perhaps have financial help from their parents or from society, for it is in the interest of society for such people to be educated. Earning one's way in a scholarship or otherwise will prove beneficial to many a young person. If we substitute the word “church” for “society” in the above quotation, it will sound very much like instruction long since given to this people. While these things are said of the universities, many of these evils are prevalent, though perhaps to a lesser degree, in the smaller colleges and high schools of the country. Do we properly appreciate the instruction that has been given this people with reference to the manner of educating our youth? Surely the time has come when we should be a separate and peculiar people in matters of education as well as in other practises of life. Laborers and the Sunday Rest Crusade
At last the combined efforts of Catholic and Protestant churchmen have succeeded in making the laboring man believe that he is being robbed of his liberties when accepting work on Sunday; or so an editorial in the Episcopal Recorder would seem to indicate. It reads, in part, as follows:— A thorough, businesslike effort is being made by the people at the western end of our State [Pennsylvania] to secure Sunday as a day of rest. The working men of Allegheny County have inaugurated a movement with this object in view. The work originated among the working men who found themselves being more and more compelled to toil seven days, and under their deepening sense of bondage they turned to the churches for aid in their efforts to find relief. Catholics and Protestants have united in the effort, and the conference which inaugurated the “Sunday Rest Association” was presided over by Bishop Conevin, of the Roman Church. Four hundred religious organizations, a hundred societies and brotherhoods, the Pittsburg Chamber of Commerce, and thirty labor organizations, have all united in the movement. . . . The petition rightly expresses it when it declares that the petitioners “are performing a most important religious and patriotic service, and acting in a matter fraught with tremendous consequences to this community, and even the whole country.”
For years religious societies have been seeking to make the laboring man stand sponsor for the Sunday-law crusade; but up to the present time at least there has been no evidence that he was a willing sponsor. Clergymen have pleaded for the Sunday law in the name of the laboring man, and the laboring man has been there to protest that he did not want it. While it is stated in the above that the laboring men have inaugurated this movement, it is worthy of note that the most prominent part in it is being taken by the combined forces of the Catholic and Protestant churches. Here is a union of the two for the legal establishment of Sunday sacredness. It is very appropriate therefore that the Catholic bishop should preside at the meetings of the conference. There is another point worthy of note, and that is that they are making the observance of Sunday a matter of patriotic service to the country. With the course of events moving in this direction as rapidly as they are, we need not expect it to be long until the cry of treason is raised against all those who choose to obey God rather than man in the matter of Sabbath observance. ONE of the greatest destroyers of moral stamina at present known is the cigarette. It dulls every aspiration for good, and yet is so insidious in its work that its devotees seem unable to realize the devastation which it is working in their system until so completely under its control that there is no escape from its toils. The Sunday School Times, prints the following letter from the general superintendent of the Pittsburg Railway Companies, Mr. John Murphy:— Being an officer of a company that carries, and, of course, is responsible for the safety of, over two hundred and twenty-five million per year, it becomes my moral and legal, as well as my public duty, to use all reasonable means to protect the lives and further the comfort of this large number of passengers. Having for some time back noticed that our accidents were increasing, upon investigating the cause I satisfied myself that the standard of our men who did not use liquor or tobacco (the latter in the form of cigarettes) was much above that of those who used either. I therefore deemed it my duty to abate the evil, so far as lay in my power to do so, and tried to uproot it and cast it out through discipline, but found this method inadequate and ineffectual. I then went further, and concluded the desired end could be attained only by removing from the service or refraining from employing all men addicted to the objectionable habits alluded to. It is my aim and intention to pursue this policy without abatement, since I have by it proved beyond all doubt that it has raised the standard of our men. I have been criticized for the stringency of the order, especially the prohibition of the use of cigarettes; but, on the other hand, I have the assurance of our division superintendents (of which we have twelve), aided by my own observations, that persons addicted to the use of cigarettes, especially young men, are the most careless in their duties and less able to perform them than men using liquor in moderation. I may also mention that in seventeen years' experience as manager of public utility corporations, I have had occasion to promote many of our men from the rank of conductors and motor-men to officers, and in no case has a man using whisky come up to the requirements.
The plain observations made in the above letter by one in a position to render impartial judgment should carry the greatest weight, and it would be a kindness to any cigarette user to have such a statement placed in his hands. THERE has been much dissatisfaction expressed in various parts of the earth over the lack of beneficial results from the deliberations of The Hague Peace Congress. Especially unsatisfactory has been the stand taken by so many of the nations upon the proposition advanced by the United States representatives that private property at sea be immune from capture by the vessels of the belligerent nations. Twenty nations voted with the United States, and eleven against; but a vote must be unanimous to be binding, and so this was lost. Atlantic Union Conference
By I. H. Evans
Received on the $150,000 Fund up to July 30, 1907
Atlantic Union Conference
Central New England ................$ 2,634.61
Chesapeake ........................ 456.34
Eastern Pennsylvania .............. 1,412.85
Greater New York .................. 462.07
Maine ............................. 364.77
New Jersey ........................ 552.63
New York .......................... 1,114.42
Southern New England .............. 1,138.50
Vermont ........................... 910.18
Virginia .......................... 276.67
West Pennsylvania ................. 1,142.74
West Virginia ..................... 294.87
Western New York ................. 1,301.67
Total .............................$12,062.32 Canadian Union Conference
Maritime ........................$316.43
Quebec ........................... 33.78
Ontario .......................... 353.48
Total ............................$703.69 Colorado ........................$ 892.69
Iowa ............................. 2,936.09
Kansas ........................... 1,739.37
Missouri ......................... 929.31
Nebraska ......................... 5,124.18
Wyoming .......................... 412.87
Total ............................$12,034.51 Washington churches .............$1,317.09 East Michigan ...................$ 1,416.71
Indiana .......................... 4,952.85
North Michigan ................... 131.51
Northern Illinois ................ 2,188.74
Ohio ............................. 3,614.44
Southern Illinois ................ 767.08
West Michigan .................... 3,574.34
Wisconsin ......................... 2,328.56
Total ............................$18,974.23 North Pacific Union Conference
Conference not specified ........$ 362.96
British Columbia ................. 112.80
Montana .......................... 292.05
Upper Columbia ................... 1,622.87
Western Washington ............... 1,144.26
Idaho ............................ 844.90
Western Oregon ................... 1,420.47
Total ............................$5,800.31 Northern Union Conference
Alberta ........................$ 156.10
Manitoba ........................ 239.70
Saskatchewan Mission Field ...... 34.85
Minnesota ....................... 4,944.08
South Dakota .................... 2,645.47
North Dakota .................... 1,767.41
Conference not specified ........ 73.82
Total ............................$9,861.43 Arizona ........................$ 177.87
California-Nevada ............... 5,199.16
Southern California ............. 502.16
Utah ............................. 205.46
Total ............................$6,084.65 Southern Union Conference
South Carolina ..................$ 135.19
Alabama .......................... 242.92
Tennessee River .................. 703.50
Florida .......................... 342.85
North Carolina ................... 268.36
Kentucky ........................ 30.36
Cumberland ....................... 585.26
Louisiana ........................ 388.61
Mississippi ...................... 194.66
Georgia .......................... 355.89
Total ............................$3,247.60 Southwestern Union Conference
Not specified ...................$ 20.18
Arkansas ......................... 222.64
Oklahoma ......................... 1,762.89
Texas ............................ 1,157.26
Total ............................$3,162.97 Unknown ........................$153.20 Algeria ........................$ 13.33
Australia ......................... 137.06
Bermuda .......................... 35.00
China ............................ 20.60
South Africa ..................... 128.16
Jamaica .......................... 13.41
Yukon Territory ................... 10.00
England .......................... 256.32
West Africa ...................... 14.06
Mexico ........................... 2.00
Costa Rica ....................... 6.25
India ............................ 12.48
South America .................... 23.35
Switzerland ...................... 9.69
Panama ........................... 9.00
Nicaragua ........................ 4.00
Central American Mission ........ 17.00
Trinidad ......................... .34
Norway ........................... 25.00
Japan ............................ 12.50
Hayti ............................ 5.00
Egypt ............................ 51.55
Palestine ........................ 2.00
Tobago, W. I. .................... 1.22
Cuba ............................. 4.00
Total ............................$813.32 Grand Total ........................$74,215.32 All remittances should be made to the treasurer of the State conference wherein the remitter resides. If, for any reason, this is not possible, then remittance may be made to I. H. Evans, Treasurer, Takoma Park, Washington, D. C. One Hundred and Fifty Thousand Dollar Fund
By J. S. Washburn
For Special Work at Home and Abroad PROBATION is almost over. The Spirit of God is being withdrawn from the earth. There is but a little time to labor, a little space, O so brief! in which to do the mighty work that God calls upon us to do. Have we done too much? Are we giving too much? Is $150,000 too much for our people to raise? In an article written by Mrs. E. G. White on the subject of cheerful giving, I find the following stirring statement:— “The judgments of God are in the earth, and, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, we must give the message of warning that he has entrusted to us. We must give this message quickly, line upon line, precept upon precept. Men will soon be forced to great decisions, and it is our duty to see that they are given an opportunity to understand the truth, that they may take their stand intelligently on the right side. The Lord calls upon his people to labor—labor earnestly and wisely—while probation lingers. “Among the members of our churches, there should be more house-to-house labor, in giving Bible readings and in distributing literature. A Christian character can be symmetrically and completely formed, only when the human agent regards it as a privilege to work interestedly in the proclamation of the truth, and to sustain the cause of God with means. The treasury must not be allowed to become empty, when there are such urgent calls for help from every part of the world.” Some of the Greatest Things
By GEO. W. WELLS
The greatest truth in this world is the final message of the everlasting gospel, which is to prepare earth's inhabitants for the return of Christ as king. The greatest enterprise ever inaugurated in this world is that of the proclamation of this last message to every nation, kindred, and people. The greatest mistake one can make is that of knowing this truth and failing to meet its requirements. The greatest victories that ever came to mankind will come to those who believe in this advent message and stand loyal to its demands. The greatest sum of money ever called for at one time to aid in giving this glorious message is now before us in this $150,000 fund. Many connected with this cause delight to read of its success, and are cheered to see the rapid progress made, but do not realize what it means from a financial standpoint. Some are becoming hardened by the frequent calls, and are binding their means closer to themselves; investing money, not giving it. Such sustain a loss that eternity alone will reveal. Giving is divine. Giving originated in heaven. God gave his only Son. Jesus gave himself. Our service to God calls for self-denial and self-sacrifice. We must never grow weary in giving to the cause of God, or turn a deaf ear to the multiplied appeals for help. They will continue until the work is closed. Where do we find in our past experience that our giving has impoverished us? or who of us, if it were possible, would withdraw any of the means we have deposited in the bank of heaven? O the joy of giving, cheerful giving! Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Every feature of this work appeals to this people to raise this large fund. It is needed. The call is made. It is indorsed by the Lord. Every dollar will be raised. It is high time that we rise to a plane of larger giving. This greatest and most glorious enterprise, to which we are called upon to contribute our gold and silver, to consecrate our sons and daughters, to devote our best services—our lives—will soon bring large returns. Soon the greatest of all events will come—that to which all of us look forward with glad hope—the glorious appearing of Jesus. He comes to gather his saints—those that have made a covenant with him by sacrifice. GEO. W. WELLS. Visit to Paradise Valley
By Ellen G. White
WEDNESDAY, May 1, we left Loma Linda for National City, to visit the Paradise Valley Sanitarium. Brother and Sister P. T. Magan accompanied us as far as Santa Ana, where they stopped to visit relatives. At Orange we met Elders H. W. Cottrell and G. W. Reaser, and Prof. E. S. Ballenger, who were on their way from Los Angeles to attend a meeting of the Paradise Valley Sanitarium Board. Brother L. O. Johnson, another member of the Board, joined us at Oceanside. At the sanitarium we received a hearty welcome from Brother J. J. Wessels, who has recently accepted the management, and from the other members of the sanitarium family. Wednesday afternoon and Thursday were spent by the members of the Board in laying plans for the future work of the institution. At their request I met with them on Thursday afternoon, and made a few remarks relative to the mission of our sanitariums. I said in part:— In the building of our sanitariums, we must guard carefully against any unnecessary extravagance in our outlay of means. It is our duty to study simplicity. Yet there are a few places of special importance and influence where better accommodations and more room are needed than for sanitarium work in other places. The impression that we desire to be left upon the minds of the patients is that of the truths we teach rather than of the grandeur of the buildings. We have none too many sanitariums. There is in our world a great field for true medical missionary work. Our sanitariums are to be as lights shining amid the moral darkness. In them the sick and suffering are to behold the miracle-working power of Christ as revealed in the lives of the workers. “Let your light so shine before men,” says Christ, “that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Let the lamp of light from the Word of God shine forth unmistakably. Let everything connected with the sanitarium and its surroundings be kept orderly and neat, that the work may stand high in the esteem of the people, and may exert constantly an uplifting influence. The Paradise Valley Sanitarium may exert a decided influence for good in National City, in San Diego, and in Coronado. The truth must be proclaimed in these places; for there are some who have not yet heard the last message of warning. An educational work should be carried on in connection with all our sanitariums. There is a close relation between the work of our schools and our sanitariums, and wherever it is practicable, there are decided advantages in having a school in close connection with a sanitarium. There would be in such an arrangement decided advantages to both lines of work. Let us not discourage one another. Let us take hold unitedly to make every line of the Lord's work a success. If some one comes to you and talks discouragingly about the work in one or another of our institutions, telling you that they are extravagant beyond measure, say to them, “I am sorry if that is so, but let us help them out, if they are in difficulty.” If you will speak thus, you may avoid much of the evil that might result were you to withdraw your sympathy, and should refuse to help those who, possibly, may have been misrepresented. Let us never discourage even those who have done wrong, by treating them as if they had committed against us an unpardonable sin. Let us rather encourage them in every way possible, and if we see that they are lifting hard in a worthy enterprise, let us lift with them. I feel of good courage regarding the future of the Paradise Valley Sanitarium. If all who are connected with the institution will place themselves upon the platform of eternal truth, and will work unitedly and sympathetically, they may exert an influence that will increase in its uplifting power. Talks to Patients and Helpers
During the week which we spent at the Paradise Valley Sanitarium, I spoke twice in the parlor to the patients and helpers. I recounted before them the mercies of God in securing the property for sanitarium purposes, and his providences by which we had been led step by step in the opening up of the institution. I also spoke to them of the great privileges that are ours through Christ, and of the blessings that will follow harmonious action. We need to be instant in prayer. It is our great privilege to hang our helpless souls upon Jesus Christ, and to rest for our salvation upon his merits. Let us speak words that will elevate and ennoble, and that will make pleasant impressions on the minds of those with whom we converse. The Lord wants us to be sanctified, and to walk in humility of mind before him. If we are obedient to his commandments, not a reproach can fall on us justly. Others may talk about us, they may spread evil reports concerning us, but these reports need not be true. In our institutions, where many persons of varied temperaments are brought together, it is necessary that each should cultivate a spirit of unselfishness. Let no one feel that it is his place to mold others to his individual mind or opinions. While each will manifest an individuality, yet it should be an individuality that is under the control of the Holy Spirit. If we are kind and Christlike, there will be a blending of hearts and of interests that will be beneficial to all alike. Our sanitariums are to be agencies for imparting to the sick a health that is maintained in happiness and peace of soul. Every worker is to co-operate with the physician; for by the manifestation of kindness and tenderness, he may bring to the suffering ones a healing balm. Every one is responsible to God for the use he makes of his abilities. He is responsible for making a daily growth in grace. Let no one feel, even though he may theoretically be established in the present truth, that he makes no mistakes. But if mistakes are made, let there be a readiness to correct them. And let us avoid everything that is likely to create dissension and strife; for there is a heaven before us, and among its inhabitants there will be no strife. We are to live, not to elevate ourselves, but that we may, as God's little children, do to the very best of our ability the work that he has committed to us. It is our business to give a right impression to others. We are preparing for eternity, for the sanitarium above, where the Great Physician shall wipe away the tears from every eye, and where the leaves of the tree of life are for the healing of the nation. Let us all take hold of Christ Jesus by a living faith, and walk in humility of mind. Then the grace of God will be revealed in us, and we shall see of his salvation. We shall greet the holy family of the redeemed, and hear the words of Christ, “Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” We shall touch our golden harps, and heaven will ring with rich music. We shall cast our glittering crowns at his feet, and give glory to him who has overcome in our behalf. There may be some things here that we do not understand. Some things in the Bible may appear to us mysterious, because they are beyond our finite comprehension. But as our Saviour leads us by the living waters, he will make clear to our minds that which was not before clearly understood. As I think of the future glory of heaven, I feel an intense desire that every living soul may know about it. I often wish that I might have the vigor and strength of younger years, and that I might go from place to place, speaking the truth as it is in Jesus. I long to hold him up as the mighty Healer, and to present his eternal life insurance policy. It means much to us whether we are in pursuit of the heavenly things, or of10the earthly. The earthly will soon pass away. In these days, there is great destruction of earthly treasures. There are “earthquakes in divers places,” and trouble and difficulties are seen on every hand. But it is our privilege to be preparing to become members of the heavenly family, children of the heavenly King. Let us strive to overcome. “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my father in his throne.” Let us overcome the hasty words which mar the happiness and peace of mind of those about us. Let us overcome our impetuous tempers. Let us be kind and patient, accommodating, pleasant, thinking evil of no one. If we resist the devil, he will flee from us. Around every tempted soul there are angels of God, ready to lift up the standard of righteousness, if the tempted one will only show a spirit of resistance to evil. Each may be an overcomer. Christ has, in our behalf, withstood the fiercest temptations of the enemy. He “was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” He is our Pattern. Through his virtues and his grace, we may be sure of an entrance into “the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” ’Tis but a Step
By G. Milner
SAY not that we from heaven are far,
When holy thoughts thereto may run,
And every breath of faithful prayer
Brings answer ere our words are done. Say not that life is dark or lone—
That here unseen, unheard, we lie,
When stooping from his glorious throne,
The Eternal hears our meanest cry. Say rather, God and heaven are near,
And we, by golden links of prayer,
Are bound, with every human fear,
To him, the highest, holiest there. Social Services at Camp-Meeting
By William Covert
THE prayer and social services at our camp-meetings rank high as matters of importance. The spiritual condition of the campers is always indicated by the testimonies they bear in these meetings. But even the testimonies are more largely under the control of the leader than many suppose. In the preaching service one person talks, but in the social service one directs many people in their talk. The leader suggests the topic for the meeting, and the spirit that influences him has a manifest effect upon the entire service of the hour. The man who is appointed to take charge of a social meeting, should feel that the life of the camp is to be given into his keeping for the time of that service, and that camp should, in his secret pavilion, be presented to the Father in heaven, before he dares to present himself before the people as their leader. Social-meeting topics properly embrace faith, gratitude to God, the joy of obedience, answers to prayer, the work of the Holy Spirit, the worth of a soul, the progress of the message, the soon coming of Jesus, the love of God, and many other themes of Christian experience and gospel work. The time allotted to each speaker, where the congregation is large, must, of necessity, be very short. Those well-timed testimonies, made rich and mellow by the Spirit of God, which occupy a minute or less, are greatly appreciated by most of the listeners. Long talks, a repetition of set phrases, sharp thrusts, cold arguments, tedious recitals, reference to gossip, criticism, murmurings, reference to troubles, expressions of doubt, words of darkness, efforts at sermonizing, and things belonging to these classes should be studiously avoided in our social meetings. The enemy will endeavor to work these topics into a social meeting, but a wise pilot will avoid these dangerous icebergs which unfriendly currents carry into the way. Our social meetings are designed to give all the people an opportunity to announce publicly their faith in God and the truth. In them, testimonies of success regarding lessons learned and victories won, are always in place. The apostle gives a summary of the social-meeting work at our assemblies, when he says we are to exhort one another to love and good works, and to do this so much the more as we see the end approaching. Heb. 10:24, 25. It sometimes happens that the one given charge at the hour for social worship takes advantage of the situation that he may preach to the people. His talk may be good, or it may not be good; but as the time was intended for the people to use in offering prayer and in giving testimonies of praise and exhortation, the appointed leader was unkind when he took the time which had been allotted to the people. On such occasions the people are tempted to think that better balance is needed. Perhaps one hundred and fifty persons have presented themselves at the early morning service which has been announced as the special service of the day for the people to tell what blessings the Lord has given to them. At this hour, the minister in charge, after fifteen minutes have been consumed in opening exercises, occupies twenty-five or thirty minutes of the remaining time in talking or sermonizing, leaving fifteen minutes for the people to express themselves. This leaves a period of six seconds for each person in the congregation to use in bearing testimony. As the leader comes to that point where he announces that “the order of the meeting will now be changed,” he looks at his watch, and says to the waiting people, “There are fifteen minutes of the hour left; remember the golden rule,—be short so as to give your neighbor an equal share of the time with yourself.” But when there has been a tedious opening of this kind, the testimonies often partake of the same tedious spirit. In this way it sometimes comes to pass that the camp-meeting receives a serious wound. The leader who has made this mistake will sometimes trespass upon the breakfast hour, by protracting the service beyond the appointed time for closing, and thus a second injury is inflicted upon the rights of the people. It is plain that careful organization of the camp and its work is essential to success, and that the details of the plan be conscientiously observed by all who speak and all who lead in the different departments. It requires the conscientious, intelligent co-operation of all concerned in the camp-meeting work, to make these gatherings what the Lord would have them to be. The Power of the Message
By T. E. BOWEN
THE first angel's message was based upon time. That dreadful “hour” of God's judgment, traced by true servants of God from the prophetic charts so unerringly, showing that time would end in 1844, moved men with mighty power. The whole world was stirred. Men and women in all walks of life, in all quarters of the globe, were discussing this question. Many truly believed, and turned to God with all their hearts, through repentance of sin, and were accepted of him. Those who did not thus make peace with heaven stood in awe, fearing that the things preached might be so, and no one felt sure that the end of the world would not come, until after the time set for it had passed. It all depended upon time. The message concerning the hour of God's judgment was true, and still is true; but the real test for men in 1844 was based upon literal time. Another message followed—a most solemn warning to men not to disregard God's holy law. Connected with this message there is no test of time. But while this is true, there are, nevertheless, still greater tests of character accompanying the third and last message now going to the world than that of time in the first message of 1844. Men and women are brought face to face with God's law. The inconsistency and futility of worshiping a power usurping the place of God, with its man-made traditions and laws, instead of worshiping the God who made heaven and earth in six days, resting the seventh, and keeping his words and commands, is also pressed home to the consciences of men in this message which follows the time message of 1844. It is, therefore, charged with a power stronger than any preceding it. It is to go everywhere, and end in triumph and power. Not having originated upon earth, but in heaven, no earthly power can stop it. Of the time test of the first angel's message, and the inherent power of the third angel's message to do its work prior to Christ's coming, we read in “Early Writings,” page 64: “Time has not been a test since 1844, and it will never again be a test. The Lord has shown me that the message of the third angel must go, and be proclaimed to the scattered children of the Lord, but it must not be hung on time. I saw that some were getting a false excitement, arising from preaching time; but the third angel's message is stronger than time can be. I saw that this message can stand on its own foundation, and needs not time to strengthen it; and that it will go in mighty power, and do its work, and will be cut short in righteousness.” But this is not all. Those who accept this message need look for no help outside the power coming from heaven, as it is doing its finishing work in the earth. All human help will be cut off. “In the last great conflict of the controversy with Satan, those who are loyal to God will see every earthly support cut off.11Because they refuse to break his law in obedience to earthly powers, they will be forbidden to buy or sell. It will finally be decreed that they shall be put to death.”—“Desire of Ages,” page 122. This time of trial and testing to God's children, which is just before us, is foretold by Jeremiah: “For thus saith the Lord: We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace. Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child? wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness? Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.” Chapter 30: 5-7. Thus God brings the nations of earth, as well as his own people, to the mighty test of obedience to his law, through the third angel's message. But the blessed assurance from the Lord is, his people shall be “saved out of it.” Jacob was. That awful night of wrestling was the turning-point in his life. It was then God changed his name from a “supplanter” to “Israel,” or a “prince.” And so at the time of this final trial for God's people, this time of testing, Jesus actually comes, and delivers his people, taking them “out of” the earth itself to himself, from every nation, kindred, tongue, and people. And he has promised to cut this work “short in righteousness.” Blessed promise! but “who shall be able to stand?” is a question each will do well to take home to his own heart.