I am filled with sadness when I think of our condition as a people. The Lord has not closed heaven to us, but our own course of continual backsliding has separated us from God. Pride, covetousness, and love of the world have lived in the heart without fear of banishment or condemnation. Grievous and presumptuous sins have dwelt among us. And yet the general opinion is that the church is flourishing, and that peace and spiritual prosperity are in all her borders.
Yet few are alarmed or astonished at their want of spiritual power. . . . Let each put the questions to his own heart: “How have we fallen into this state of spiritual feebleness and dissension? Have we not brought upon ourselves the frown of God because our actions do not correspond with our faith? Have we not been seeking the friendship and applause of the world, rather than the presence of Christ and a deeper knowledge of his will?” Examine your own hearts, judge your own course. Consider what associates you are choosing. Do you seek the company of the wise, or are you willing to choose worldly associates, companions who fear not God, and obey not the gospel?
Are your recreations such as to impart moral and spiritual vigor? Will they lead to purity of thought and action? Impurity is to-day wide-spread, even among the professed followers of Christ. Passion is unrestrained; the animal propensities are gaining strength by indulgence, while the moral powers are constantly becoming weaker. Many are eagerly participating in worldly, demoralizing amusements which God’s Word forbids. Thus they sever their connection with God, and rank themselves with the pleasure-lovers of the world. The sins that destroyed the antediluvians and the cities of the plain exist to-day—not merely in heathen lands, not only among popular professors of Christianity, but with some who profess to be looking for the coming of the Son of man. If God should present these sins before you as they appear in his sight, you would be filled with shame and terror.
And what has caused this alarming condition? Many have accepted the theory of the truth, who have had no true conversion. I know whereof I speak. There are few who feel true sorrow for sin; who have deep, pungent convictions of the depravity of the unregenerate nature. The heart of stone is not exchanged for a heart of flesh. Few are willing to fall upon the Rock, and be broken.
No matter who you are, or what your life has been, you can be saved only in God’s appointed way. You must repent; you must fall helpless on the Rock, Christ Jesus. You must feel your need of a physician, and of the one only remedy for sin, the blood of Christ. This remedy can be secured only by repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. Here the work is yet to be begun by many who profess to be Christians, and even to be ministers of Christ. Like the Pharisees of old, many of you feel no need of a Saviour. You are self-sufficient, self-exalted. Said Christ, “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” The blood of Christ will avail for none but those who feel their need of its cleansing power.
What surpassing love and condescension, that when we had no claim upon divine mercy, Christ was willing to undertake our redemption! But our Great Physician requires of every soul unquestioning submission. We are never to prescribe for our own case. Christ must have the entire management of will and action.
Many are not sensible of their condition and their danger; and there is much in the nature and manner of Christ’s work averse to every worldly principle, and opposed to the pride of the human heart. Jesus requires us to trust ourselves wholly to his hands, and confide in his love and wisdom.
We may flatter ourselves, as did Nicodemus, that our moral character has been correct, and we need not humble ourselves before God, like the common sinner. But we must be content to enter into life in the very same way as the chief of sinners. We must renounce our own righteousness, and plead for the righteousness of Christ to be imputed to us. We must depend wholly upon Christ for our strength. Self must die. We must acknowledge that all we have is from the exceeding riches of divine grace. Let this be the language of our hearts, “Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth’s sake.”
Genuine faith is followed by love, and love by obedience. All the powers and passions of the converted man are brought under the control of Christ. His Spirit is a renewing power, transforming to the divine image all who will receive it. It makes me sad to say that this experience is understood by but few who profess the truth. Very many follow on in their own ways, and indulge their sinful desires, and yet profess to be disciples of Christ. They have never6submitted their hearts to God. Like the foolish virgins, they have neglected to obtain the oil of grace in their vessels with their lamps. I tell you, my brethren, that a large number who profess to believe and even to teach the truth, are under the bondage of sin. Base passions defile the mind and corrupt the soul. Some who are in the vilest iniquity have borrowed the livery of heaven, that they may serve Satan more effectively.
“Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin.” He feels that he is the purchase of the blood of Christ, and bound by the most solemn vows to glorify God in his body and in his spirit, which are God’s. The love of sin and the love of self are subdued in him. He daily asks: “What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits toward me?” “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” The true Christian will never complain that the yoke of Christ is galling to the neck. He accounts the service of Jesus as the truest freedom. The law of God is his delight. Instead of seeking to bring down the divine commands, to accord with his deficiencies, he is constantly striving to rise to the level of their perfection.
Such an experience must be ours if we would be prepared to stand in the day of God. Now, while probation lingers, while mercy’s voice is still heard, is the time for us to put away our sins. While moral darkness covers the earth like a funeral pall, the light of God’s standard-bearers must shine the more brightly, showing the contrast between heaven’s light and Satan’s darkness.
God has made ample provision that we may stand perfect in his grace, wanting in nothing, waiting for the appearing of our Lord. Are you ready? Have you the wedding garment on? That garment will never cover deceit, impurity, corruption, or hypocrisy. The eye of God is upon you. It is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. We may conceal our sins from the eyes of men, but we can hide nothing from our Maker.
Experience is knowledge derived from experiment. Experimental religion is what is needed now. “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” Some—yes, a large number—have a theoretical knowledge of religious truth, but have never felt the renewing power of divine grace upon their own hearts. These persons are ever slow to heed the testimonies of warning, reproof, and instruction indicated by the Holy Spirit. They believe in the wrath of God, but put forth no earnest efforts to escape it. They believe in heaven, but make no sacrifice to obtain it. They believe in the value of the soul, and that ere long its redemption ceaseth forever. Yet they neglect the most precious opportunities to make their peace with God.
They may read the Bible, but its threatenings do not alarm or its promises win them. They approve things that are excellent, yet they follow the way in which God has forbidden them to go. They know a refuge, but do not avail themselves of it. They know a remedy for sin, but do not use it. They know the right, but have no relish for it. All their knowledge will but increase their condemnation. They have never tasted and learned by experience that the Lord is good.
To become a disciple of Christ is to deny self and follow Jesus through evil as well as good report. Few are doing this now. Many prophesy falsely, and the people love to have it so; but what will be done in the end thereof? What will be the decision when their work, with all its results, shall be brought in review before God?
The Christian life is a warfare. The apostle Paul speaks of wrestling against principalities and powers as he fought the good fight of faith. Again, he declares, “Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.” Ah, no. To-day sin is cherished and excused. The sharp Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, does not cut to the soul.
Has religion changed? Has Satan’s enmity to God abated? A religious life once presented difficulties, and demanded self-denial. All is made very easy now. And why is this?—The professed people of God have compromised with the powers of darkness.
There must be a revival of the strait testimony. The path to heaven is no smoother now than in the days of our Saviour. All our sins must be put away. Every darling indulgence that hinders our religious life must be cut off. The right eye or the right hand must be sacrificed if it causes us to offend. Are we willing to renounce our own wisdom, and to receive the kingdom of heaven as a little child? Are we willing to part with self-righteousness? Are we willing to give up our chosen worldly associates? Are we willing to sacrifice the approbation of men? The prize of eternal life is of infinite value. Will we put forth efforts and make sacrifices proportionate to the worth of the object to be attained?
“He that saith he abideth in him, ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked;” and “if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.” This conformity to Jesus will not be unobserved by the world. It is a subject of notice and comment. The Christian may not be conscious of the great change; for the more closely he resembles Christ in character, the more humble will be his opinion of himself; but it will be seen and felt by all around him. Those who have had the deepest experience in the things of God, are the farthest removed from pride or self-exaltation. They have the humblest thoughts of self, and the most exalted conceptions of the glory and excellence of Christ. They feel that the lowest place in his service is too honorable for them.
It is such workers that are needed in the cause of God to-day. The self-sufficient, the envious and jealous, the critical and fault-finding, can well be spared from his sacred work. They should not be tolerated in the ministry, even though they may, apparently, have accomplished some good. God is not straitened for men or means. He calls for workers who are true and faithful, pure and holy; for those who have felt their need of the atoning blood of Christ and the sanctifying grace of his Spirit.
I am deeply solicitous that our people should preserve the living testimony among them; and that the church should be kept pure from the unbelieving element. Can we conceive of a closer, more intimate relation to Christ than is set forth in the words, “I am the vine, ye are the branches”? The fibers of the branch are almost identical with those of the vine. The communication of life, strength, and fruitfulness from the trunk to the branches is unobstructed and constant. The root sends its nourishment through the branch. Such is the true believer’s relation to Christ. He abides in Christ, and draws his nourishment from him.7
The Jews had always regarded the vine as the most noble of plants, and a type of all that was powerful, excellent, and fruitful. “The vine,” our Lord would seem to say, “which you prize so highly, is a symbol. I am the reality; I am the true vine. As a nation you prize the vine; as sinners you should prize me above all things earthly. The branch can not live separated from the vine; no more can you live unless you are abiding in me.”
The Father is the vine-dresser. He skilfully and mercifully prunes every fruit-bearing branch. Those who share Christ’s suffering and reproach now, will share his glory hereafter. He will not be “ashamed to call them brethren.” His angels minister to them. His second appearing will be as the Son of man, thus even in his glory identifying him with humanity. To those who have united themselves to him, he declares, “Though a mother may forget her child, yet will not I forget thee. I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands. Thou art continually before me.”
O what amazing privileges are proffered us! Will we put forth most earnest efforts to form this alliance with Christ, through which alone these blessings are attained? Will we break off our sins by righteousness, and our iniquities by turning unto the Lord? Skepticism and infidelity are wide-spread. Christ asked the question, “When the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?” We must cherish a living, active faith. The permanence of our faith is the condition of our union.
My brethren, you are disregarding the most sacred claims of God by your neglect to consecrate yourselves and your children to him. Many of you are reposing in false security, absorbed in selfish interests, and attracted by earthly treasures. You fear no evil. Danger seems a great way off. You will be deceived, deluded, to your eternal ruin, unless you arouse, and with penitence and deep humiliation, return unto the Lord.
It is God who holds in his hands the destiny of souls. He will not always be mocked; he will not always be trifled with. Already his judgments are in the land. Fierce and awful tempests leave destruction and death in their wake. The devouring fire lays low the desolate forest and the crowded city. Storm and shipwreck await those who journey upon the deep. Accident and calamity threaten those who travel upon the land. Hurricanes, earthquakes, sword and famine, follow in quick succession. Yet the hearts of men are hardened. They recognize not the warning voice of God. They will not flee to the only refuge from the gathering storm.
Again and again has the voice from heaven addressed you. Will you obey this voice? Will you heed the counsel of the True Witness, to seek the gold tried in the fire, the white raiment, and the eye-salve? The gold is faith and love, the white raiment is the righteousness of Christ, the eye-salve is that spiritual discernment which will enable you to see the wiles of Satan and shun them, to detect sin and abhor it, to see truth and obey it.
FIRST SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH BUILDING IN AUSTRALASIAN UNION CONFERENCE, BISMARCK, TASMANIA; SURROUNDED BY EUCALYPTUS TIMBER
The Merited Blessing
By Eugene Clay Ferguson
Not to the sinful pleasures,
Not to the lustful thought,
Not to the evil-minded,
Is the benediction brought;
Not to the wild and wayward
Who trample their brother down,
Not to the angry-hearted,
Cometh the blessing down.
But to the one who loveth,
Whose spirit knows no guile,
Who feels for the poor and lonely,
That treasure his welcome smile;
Who gives his life and labor
To thwart misfortune’s frown,
Whose every act is kindly,
Cometh God’s blessing down.
—Eugene Clay Ferguson.
Our Time and Work From the Prophetic Standpoint
By W. W. Prescott
W. W. PRESCOTT
(Reading for Sunday, December 12)
We are identified with a world-wide movement, whose purpose it is to prepare the world for the second advent of our Lord. It is, therefore, fitting that we should frequently review the grounds of our faith, and renew in our own minds the confidence that this movement is of God, by careful examination of the Scriptural evidences which establish the certainty of our faith. As a result of such study, we may be able to bear our part in the work with greater courage and efficiency.
In this reading we shall consider, under four divisions, some of the reasons for believing that this second-advent movement is what it purports to be—the closing work of the gospel on earth in co-operation with the closing work of redemption in heaven: (1) The time of the movement; (2) the place where the movement had its rise; (3) the nature of the message given; (4) the result of the message.
The Time of the Movement
When the final proclamation of the gospel is made to the world, all time prophecies of the Scripture must have been fulfilled. The prophetic utterances which have outlined the history of the world-kingdoms must have been converted into history. Daniel’s foreview of the rise and fall of Babylon, Medo-Persia, Grecia, and Rome, and the division of Rome into ten kingdoms, must have been realized in the onward march of events, so that there would be no place for another world-kingdom. The whole prophetic outline must have been entirely filled in, so that the impending event would be the setting up of the fifth kingdom, “which shall never be destroyed : . . . but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.”
In history must be found the fulfilment of all other prophecies which enter into more minute details concerning the rise, and the divinely revealed work, of the little horn described by Daniel; the man of sin concerning whom Paul wrote; and the composite beast from the sea delineated by John. These phases of counterfeit Christianity, extending over a period of many centuries, must have been fully wrought out before the final warning against the beast and his image could consistently be given.
It is also certain that we must be able to show that every time-period in prophecy has found its application, before we can proclaim with certainty that the people of this generation will “see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” These leading periods, as given in the Scriptures, began with the time of Noah, and ended in our own day. The 120 years during which the warning of the coming flood should be given (Gen. 6:3); the 400 years during which the seed of Abraham should be afflicted in Egypt (Gen. 15:13); the 65 years, at the end of which Ephraim should be broken (Isa. 7:8); the 70 years of captivity in Babylon (Jer. 25:8-11); the 1260 years, during which saints, times, and the law should be under the power of the little horn (Dan. 7:25); the 2300 years marking the limit for treading down the sanctuary and the host (Dan. 8:13, 14); the 1290 years, and the 1335 years “from the time that the continual burnt-offering shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up”—all these definite divisions of time must have found their place in the world’s calendar, when the time has come for the closing of earthly history.
Not only this, but what the prophets have foretold of general conditions at the time of the end must be an accurate description of current events while the closing message is being given. The situation in the political world, in the social world, in the religious world, must answer clearly to the prophetic delineation of the very last days. Furthermore, the advent movement itself must begin at such a time, and be carried forward in such a way, as to fulfil the prophecies relating to this last work of the gospel. Any movement which does not meet these demands could not be the closing work of God in the earth; but a movement which does meet these requirements could be no other than the true work of God, preparing the way for the second advent of Christ.
The Place Where the Movement Had Its Rise
Inasmuch as a leading characteristic of the final threefold message is to be a warning against the worship of the beast and his image, it would seem clear that this message should have its rise in that country where the beast is most aggressive during the last generation, and where the image of the beast is formed. That this is the United8States is sustained by the most convincing proof. America is the hope of the Papacy, as shown by the following quotations from Roman Catholic publications:—
“There has never been a period in American history when the Church’s opportunity has been so close to her. To a great extent, the ancient antagonisms have died. Protestantism is disintegrating before our eyes. . . . The moment is ripe to build a Catholic America, broader and stronger, nobler and truer, than any empire the world has yet seen, and strong men are now laying the foundations.”—The New World (Chicago), Oct. 21, 1905.
IN NEWLY ENTERED AN-HUEI PROVINCE
“But it is to the Catholics of the United States that Pius X’s heart goes out. He is amazed at our material and spiritual progress. The Church is making advances only in America. Churches are multiplying here with wondrous rapidity. New dioceses are being formed every few years, and the dioceses already in existence are becoming cumbrous with the number of their clergy and people. Few bishops in Europe ever laid a corner-stone. It is a ceremony almost unknown. The church over there is growing weaker by dissension and emigration. The outlook across the water is very discouraging to any but those of the strongest faith. In the midst of the gloom, abandoned by those who should stand by him in his agony, the Holy Father appeals to this country for comfort and support. And he appeals not in vain. American shoulders are to-day holding up the Vatican. Its revenues are largely derived from this country; and what is now a steady stream will soon be an on-flowing river.”—The Western Watchman (St. Louis), Oct. 29, 1908.
Much other evidence of the same character might be given, but this is sufficient for the purpose. The United States, the first nation of the world ever established upon the Christian principle of the separation of church and state, which has influenced the world toward freedom of conscience and equal rights of man, will be a spectacle to the world when it repudiates these principles, and by the union of church and state will influence the world toward persecution for conscience’s sake. This is, therefore, the appropriate place in which the warning against such a combination should arise. Such a movement in such a country would occupy vantage-ground such as it could not find in any other country of the world.
The Nature of the Message Given
Not only must the time and the place of this movement be such as to meet the Scriptural conditions, but the nature of the message given must be such as is foreshadowed by the prophecies. The outline of the genuine message is given in Rev. 14:6-12, and from this outline it appears that it is the proclamation of the “everlasting gospel” to all the world, with such an application of its vital principles as is required to constitute a warning against the perversion of truth by the beast and his image. The real essence of this perversion of truth is set forth in a specific way by the prophet Daniel; and from his description of it, we may learn more definitely of the setting which should be given to the gospel message in order that it may reveal the counterfeit and establish the truth.
In the seventh chapter of the book of Daniel we learn that the little horn, representing the Papacy, in order to establish a political kingdom, would take away three other kingdoms. In the eighth chapter of the same book we learn that the Papacy, symbolized by the later phase of the little horn, in order to establish itself as an ecclesiastical power, would take away the true worship of God. This fact, and the limit set to this blasphemous work, are both given in these words, which we quote from the American Revised Version: “Yea, it magnified itself, even to the prince of the host; and it took away from him the continual burnt-offering, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down. And the host was given over to it together with the continual burnt-offering through transgression; and it cast down truth to the ground, and it did its pleasure and prospered. Then I heard a holy one speaking; and another holy one said unto that certain one who spake, How long shall be the vision concerning the continual burnt-offering, and the transgression that maketh desolate, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot? And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred evenings and mornings; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.” Dan. 8:11-14.
The simple reading of this prophecy as here given makes it plain that the Papacy would set aside the true service of God carried on by our High Priest in the heavenly sanctuary, would tread under its feet both God’s sanctuary and God’s people, but that in the divine plan a limit was set to this work—the end of the 2300 days or years. A study of the ninth chapter of Daniel in connection with this prophecy indicates that the seventy weeks, or 490 years, and the 2300 years, commenced at the same time—when the commandment went forth to restore and rebuild Jerusalem. This was in the seventh year of Artaxerxes, the king (Ezra 6:14; 7:8), which from history we learn to have been B. C. 457. The period of the 2300 years would, therefore, expire in A. D. 1844, a date which would mark the limit of that treading down of the sanctuary and host, as foretold by the prophet.
In order to obtain a more clear understanding of the meaning of this prophecy, it will be helpful to draw a brief comparison between the experiences of the people of God with literal Babylon in olden times and the experience of the people of God with mystical Babylon in modern times. Because of their transgression and their substitution of forms and ceremonies in the place of heart religion, the people of God in ancient Jerusalem were given into the hand of the king of Babylon (compare 1 Chron. 9:1 with Dan. 1:1, 2), the temple was desecrated, and the true service of God was taken away by the destruction of both the city and the temple. At the close of the predicted period of captivity, God moved upon the kings of Persia to permit his people to return to their own land that they might rebuild Jerusalem and restore the true worship and service of the Lord. The threefold decree which made this restoration possible was completed by Artaxerxes, in the seventh year of his reign, B. C. 457.
MISS MIMI SCHARFENBERG AND HER TWO KOREAN BIBLE GIRLS
The complete parallel to these experiences is found in modern times. Even in the time of the apostle Paul the mystery of iniquity had commenced its work, and modern Babylon began to rear its temple of false worship. Because of transgression and the substitution of forms and ceremonies for heart religion, the people of God were given into the hand of mystical Babylon, and both the host and the sanctuary were trodden under foot. Instead of directing the attention of the people to the heavenly sanctuary, where our great High Priest ministers in behalf of the repentant and believing sinner, the Papacy substituted a sanctuary of its own, a priesthood of its own, and a form of its own, and by these means it took away, as far as it9was concerned, the true service and worship of God.
For many centuries the man of sin occupied the place in the temple which belonged to Christ, and shut away from the world the knowledge of the true service in the heavenly sanctuary. The limit of the period of this perversion was indicated by measuring from B. C. 457, when the people of God had full opportunity to restore the true worship in the earthly temple, to 1844, when the people of God were again privileged to restore the true service of God in the heavenly temple. The length of the measuring rod (the 2300 years) is, therefore, of special significance. It connects two experiences, one of which is typical of the other. Ancient Babylon is typical of modern Babylon. The captivity of Israel in ancient Babylon is typical of the captivity of modern Israel in modern Babylon. Ancient Israel is typical of modern Israel. The ancient temple was typical of the modern or heavenly temple. The ancient service was by divine direction, and is typical of the modern service in the heavenly sanctuary. The deliverance from ancient Babylon is typical of the deliverance from modern Babylon. The 2300 years measures the time between these two experiences.
Without entering into further particulars, it should be evident to those who have followed this study that the message to be given to the world at the end of the 2300 years should be a message of deliverance from Babylon, and that it should restore what the Papacy had taken away in fulfilment of Daniel’s prophecy. A central feature of this message should be the restoration of the knowledge of the heavenly sanctuary and the work of our great High Priest therein. This would give the right form to the gospel truth, and would make known what it is essential that the people should know in order to co-operate intelligently with heavenly agencies in the work of preparation for the coming of the Lord.
In view of these facts, it is of striking significance that it was the light concerning the heavenly sanctuary and the true service of God therein which explained the disappointment of those who expected the advent of our Lord in 1844, and established upon a firm basis this present second advent movement. As the restoration of the true service anciently was made possible by a threefold decree, which was, after all, but one decree, so the restoration of the true service in this time has been accomplished by a threefold message, which is, after all, but one complete message.
Marked results have followed the restoration to the people of the knowledge of the true service of God in the heavenly sanctuary. We can make only a brief mention of them. It was at once seen that the law of God contained in the ark in the most holy place was the objective point in the whole service. Every part of the ministry was performed with reference to the sinner’s relation to that law. This led to the discovery that the fourth commandment was being disregarded, and there immediately followed a proclamation of a Sabbath reform. By the study of the prophecies, it was learned that our great High Priest was accomplishing his final work of atonement, and that very soon he would return to this earth. The nearness of the second advent was, therefore, again announced with great confidence. In the same way, other truths which have been neglected or perverted were brought to the attention of the people, and the original gospel, as taught by Christ and the apostles, was again preached. The central theme of this whole message, however, was the heavenly sanctuary and its services.
The Result of the Message
From the beginning of the great controversy between Christ and Satan, the main point at issue has been the authority of God, and the righteousness of his character. Since the fall of man, it has been the aim of the gospel to restore man to the right relation with God, by supplying the power necessary for obedience to the law of God. During all this time it has been Satan’s effort to turn man away from the law, and inspire him with a spirit of disobedience. In the closing work of the gospel, which is to prepare a people for translation at the second coming of Christ, this question of man’s relation to the law of God must be in the forefront, and the result of such a proclamation of the gospel must be seen in a people in whose hearts the law of God is written—an exact copy of that law deposited in the earthly sanctuary and found in the ark of the testimony which John saw in the heavenly sanctuary. All this is briefly set forth in these words, which describe the people who accept the last message: “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.”
Such a result as this is the only one which could meet the requirements of the prophecies. The Papacy has changed the law of God, and has set forth its own traditions as more clear and more safe than Scripture; and as evidence of its power to do this, it appeals to the world-wide observance of Sunday, in harmony with its own commands, in place of the observance of the Sabbath of the Lord, in harmony with the fourth commandment. A message, therefore, which is to expose these perversions of the truth, and restore to the people the pure Word of God, must exalt the commandments of God above the commandments of man, and call all to that obedience of faith which is manifest in a life in complete harmony with the written law of God. Those who are at all familiar with the history of this second advent movement know full well that it has met these requirements in the nature of its teaching, and in the results which have attended it.
It is not possible in this reading to draw all the conclusions which follow from the facts which have been here set forth; but it seems to us that what has been given ought to increase the faith and strengthen the hope of those who have received this message, and who have risked their all upon it. And surely it ought to convince those who have not yet yielded to the claims of this advent movement that this is the closing proclamation of the gospel, that the final work of atonement is now being accomplished, and that very soon the Saviour will return for his people. Now is the time to receive this message in its fulness; now is the time to obtain that experience which it is designed to impart to every believer; now is the time to make sure work for eternity, so soon to break upon us.
The foundation of character is laid in childhood. All about us little people are laying foundations for life. Some build on rock, some on sand.
(Make a picture of a foundation marked in squares, and let the children name the things that will help in forming a good character; and as they are named, write them in the open squares.)
One of the best stones to place in the foundation of life is prayer. This is the week of prayer. Shall we not begin to-day to pray as we have never done before?
(Let the children give an example of answered prayer of which they have known, as this will make the lesson more practical.)
The Lord has not given away all his blessings. He has one for each of us to-day. “Ask, and it shall be given you.”
