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Review and Herald, Vol. 87, No. 30.

Denial

Review and Herald

Jul 28, 1910

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Jul 28, 1910

Denial

By Susan Coolidge

Not only Peter in the judgment-hall, Not only in the centuries gone by, Did coward hearts deny Thee, Lord of all! But even in our time, and constantly; For feeble wills, and the mean fear of men, And selfish dread, are with us now as then.
To-day we vow allegiance to Thy name; To-day our souls, ourselves, we pledge to Thee; Yet if a storm-wind of reproach or blame Rises and beats upon us suddenly, Faltering and fearful we deny our Lord, By traitorous silence or by uttered word.
We close our lips when speech would wake a sneer; We turn aside, and shirk the rougher path; We gloss and blink as if we did not hear The scoffing word which calls for righteous wrath. All unrebuked we let the scoffer go, And we deny our Lord and Master so.
Come Thou, as once of old Thou camest in And “looked on Peter” in the judgment-hall; Let that deep, grieved gaze rebuke our sin, Questioning, recalling, wakening, pardoning all, Till we go out and weep the whole night long, Made strong by sorrow as he was made strong.
—Susan Coolidge.

The August

Life & Health

THE NATIONAL HEALTH MAGAZINE
This magazine is now read by more than a quarter of a million wide-awake Americans every month. It is a recognized authority on healthful living.

Read in the August Number:—

The Schenectady Conference
How to Live Out-of-Doors
Care of the Teeth, by an Experienced Dentist
Food and Clothing in Camp
“How to Live Out-of-Doors,” by George Wharton James, is one of the most practical and helpful articles ever written for the instruction of those who wish to live the simple life.
Of the recent conference of mayors at Schenectady, it has been stated that no conference in recent months equals it in importance, aside from the great conference of governors on the conservation of national resources. The protection of public health formed the leading topic at this conference. It is reported by Dr. George H. Heald, editor of “Life and Health,” in this and the succeeding number of this magazine.
The subject of Boys’ Clubs, and what they are good for, is discussed in this number by H. T. Musselman, in a way that gives plenty of food for thought for parents, teachers, and club leaders.
Dr. Alphonso Irwin’s article on the care of the teeth, entitled “Pearls,” is one which, if widely read and considered, would mean healthier mouths and fewer dentists’ bills. It also gives good advice for the care of babies.
Agents are making heavy sales. Inexperienced workers are given free training. Success practically assured. Write for our proposition.
Sanitarium and Treatment-Room Managers: We have a special proposition for those who are looking for a new way to increase patronage. We should like to write you regarding it.
LIFE AND HEALTH - Washington, D. C.

What Does It Mean?

By Anna J. Granniss

IT does not matter what it means, poor heart! The dear Lord knows; to bear it is your part; Nor think some strange thing happens unto you, Which he would not allow so if he knew. He does know. In his all-wise Fatherhood, He knows it, and allows it for your good.
He is not hard; you do not think he is When, in the dark, you find your hand in his. When it was light, you tried to walk alone, And thought the strength he gave you all your own. You did not question what the blessing meant, Just smiled and took it, satisfied, content.
You did not think it strange; you thought he knew, And planned the sweet surprise that came to you. Tried one, then do you take life's sweet and good, Yet can not trust the tender Fatherhood, But think he makes mistakes whenever he sends Some hindrance, which your eager haste offends?
Or when he lets the wicked plot your harm, And stirs a whirlwind when you seek a calm, You think it strange, this trial, swift and keen, And in your weakness ask: “What does it mean?” I think the language of God’s heart would read: “I love my child; I note his slightest need; “I long to prosper him in all his ways, To give him quiet nights and peaceful days; But if I do, he’ll loose himself from me, My outstretched hand he will not wait to see. I’ll place a hindering wall before his feet; There he will wait, and there we two will meet.
“I do it not in wrath for broken laws Or wilful disobedience, but because I want him near me, and I can not wait For him to come; for he might wander late. My child will wonder, will not understand; Still, half in doubt, he’ll clasp my outstretched hand; But when at last upon my heart he leans, He will have ceased to wonder what it means.”
— Anna J. Granniss.

How the Lord Sees Us

By C. P. BOLLMAN

C. P. BOLLMAN
It is sometimes said, with a view to giving encouragement, that “the Lord does not see us as we are, but as we shall be, saved in the kingdom of God.” In a sense this is true, and the thought, properly understood, may be encouraging and helpful; but, misunderstood or misapplied, a grave danger lurks in it. It should never be forgotten that while the Lord sees some redeemed in the kingdom of God, he sees others—even some who profess present truth—finally lost, and forever outside that kingdom.
Perhaps the real truth of the way the Lord sees us can not be better illustrated than by an incident which is said to have occurred in the life of Michael Angelo. It is related that, upon one occasion, the great sculptor visited a quarry, and seeing there a block of marble which the workmen had rejected as of little or no value, asked that it might be given to him, remarking that he saw in it a beautiful angel. His request was granted, and from that rejected block the artist chiseled one of his masterpieces.
But while this genius among men saw in that despised block of marble a beautiful angel, he saw also the work to be done ere that angel could be developed. In like manner, while God sees the possibilities there are in each of us, he sees also the work that must be done to fit us for a home in his kingdom. He sees the cutting and chiseling, the chastening and polishing, necessary to each individual to bring out and develop the character which His law demands. The stone, even though it be a living one, must be fitted for its place in God’s great spiritual temple.
The wise human parent sees more clearly than can any one else the imperfections in his child, and his every effort is directed to the end of correcting the faults and imperfections that would otherwise permanently mar the character of his offspring. We must believe that in like manner, but to a much greater extent, our Heavenly Father notes our imperfections, reveals them to us, and, if we have the spirit of obedience, enables us to overcome them, to the end that they may not prove our eternal ruin.
Read the several messages of the second and third chapters of Revelation, and note how the Lord not only commends the good, but how he points out and reproves the evil. To the church of Ephesus, the church in the days of the apostles themselves, he says, after commending them for their faithfulness: “Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.” Rev. 2: 4, 5.
And so in each of the messages to the churches we find reproof and exhortation, mingled with whatever of commendation is deserved, until we come to the last message, that to the Laodiceans. In these two important chapters we find the sharpest rebuke, the most solemn threatening, and the most earnest exhortation.
Brethren and sisters, we are living in the Laodicean period of the church. The message of Rev. 3: 14-22 is especially for us. And down deep in our inmost hearts we know that it has not yet wrought in our lives the transformation the Lord sees must be wrought in us. “I saw,” said the servant of the Lord, “that the testimony of the True Witness has not been half heeded. The solemn testimony upon which the destiny of the church hangs, has been lightly esteemed, if not entirely disregarded. This testimony must work deep repentance; all who truly receive it, will obey it, and be purified.”—“Early Writings,” page 132, edition of 1900.
God forbid that we should deceive ourselves with the thought that the Lord is too benevolent to take account of our sins, that he is blind to our faults, or that he looks upon our lukewarmness with indifference. “Whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye bewithout chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. . . . Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.” Heb. 12: 6-11.
Therefore, instead of hardening our hearts against reproof, let us say, with the psalmist, “Let the righteous smite me; it shall be a kindness: and let him reprove me; it shall be an excellent oil, which shall not break my head.” “Mine eyes are unto thee, O God the Lord: in thee is my trust; leave not my soul destitute.” Ps. 141: 5, 8.
Nashville, Tenn.

J. N. LOUGHBOROUGH

By John Norton Loughborough

The Two Thrones—No. 8

J. N. LOUGHBOROUGH

HAVING seen from the Scriptures that the earth is to be desolated at the coming of Christ, and that the wicked will not live again until the end of the thousand years, it is evident that there is no basis for the claim of a probation on earth during that period, and that every such claim is in opposition to the facts, the whole theory being based only on inferences from certain Scriptural expressions. As before stated, to draw inferences contrary to plainly expressed facts is not a proper way to use the Bible.
As an illustration of this way of drawing inferences by Age-to-come reasoners, we will note one of the cases which they cite. They refer to Christ’s words concerning Tyre and Sidon: “Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you. And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shall be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee.” Matt. 11: 21-24.
The advocates of this theory claim that this “toleration” means salvation. Let us see what the Lord himself has said with reference to the extent of toleration in the execution of the judgment: “And that servant, which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes.” Luke 12: 47, 48. The wages of sin is death, but the suffering preceding that death is graduated according to the magnitude of the guilt of the individual.
As to the case of Sodom, the apostle Peter says: “Turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an example unto those that after should live ungodly.” 2 Peter 2: 6. How this will be fulfilled is very plainly stated by the prophet Malachi: “Behold, the day cometh that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.” Mal. 4: 1.
Being defeated at this point, the Age-to-come advocates quote Ezekiel’s testimony respecting Sodom, Samaria, and Jerusalem: “When I shall bring again their captivity, the captivity of Sodom and her daughters, then will I bring again the captivity of thy captives in the midst of them.” Eze. 16: 53. How one can call captivity probation and salvation, we can not comprehend. The second captivity of these mentioned must be at the second resurrection, at the end of the thousand years, when they are raised from the dead, and with all the wicked meet the doom so vividly portrayed by Malachi.
But, ask the defenders of the theory under consideration, does not Ezekiel say they will be reinstated when he declares, “When thy sisters, Sodom and her daughters, shall return to their former estate, and Samaria and her daughters shall return to their former estate, then thou and thy daughters shall return to your former estate”? Eze. 16: 55. But in Jeremiah’s illustration of the potter’s bottle, the Jewish people were never to be made whole again. The “former estate” of Sodom was “pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness, . . . neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and the needy.” Verse 49. When raised to life again, the thoughts of Sodom’s inhabitants will doubtless be the same as in their “former estate.” There is no resurrection promised to the wicked until the end of the thousand years; and those then raised will meet their doom in the fire coming down from heaven upon them, as foretold in Rev. 20: 5, 9.
Some of the advocates of the future-probation theory next quote and apply to that time the words of Zechariah, when speaking of the house of David: “And they shall look upon me whom they have pierced.” Zech. 12: 10. But the prophecy declares of that time: “In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness.” Zech. 13: 1. That fountain was opened when the blood of Christ was shed upon the cross. John, the evangelist, in recording that event, positively declares that this prophecy was then and there “fulfilled.” “These things were done, that the Scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken. And again another scripture saith, They shall look on him whom they pierced.” John 19: 36, 37.
Others call our attention to the words of the prophet Isaiah: “It shall come, that I will gather all nations and tongues [the work among the Gentiles]; and they shall come, and see my glory. And I will set a sign among them [see the words of Simon to the mother of Christ respecting the sign. Luke 2: 34], and I will send those that escape of them unto the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, that draw the bow, to Tubal, and Javan, to the isles afar off, that have not heard my fame, neither have seen my glory; and they shall declare my glory among the Gentiles.” Isa. 66: 18, 19.
One of the Age-to-come advocates said to me, “Here is a positive proof that the gospel is to be preached in the future age to those here mentioned.” He was somewhat baffled, on comparing an ancient and a modern map, to find that the very countries here mentioned were the exact locality of the labors of Paul and the apostles, and that Great Britain was Javan. The language of the text is a direct prophecy of the gospel age instead of a future age.
We may now say, in concluding these articles, that a theory based simply on inferences, speculations, and conjectures, especially when it is contrary to plainly stated facts and principles of the gospel of Christ, must be of the character which the apostle Paul, writing to the Ephesians, called “every wind of doctrine.”
Lodi, Cal.

The Sabbath the Test of Loyalty

By R. M. KILGORE

R. M. KILGORE
In working out the problem of evil, degrees of guilt are found in the transgressors of God’s law, according to the degree of light or knowledge possessed, and the motives which prompt the act. The heathen, without the written law, can not be equally guilty before God with the peoples of civilized nations. King David’s sins made a darker record, and have given greater occasion for the enemies of God to blaspheme, even to this day, than did those of his less responsible subjects. The proud, pretentious Pharisee, who brought the weeping, repentant Mary to the Master, was under far greater condemnation before God than was she, and his garments were far more spotted with the flesh than were those of the one he so eagerly accused.
“Sin is the transgression of the law,” and “by the law is the knowledge of sin.” The law by which God defines sin is the law of ten commandments. Scanning these commandments, we see that some of them are of such a character that they may be broken without previous thought or intention. Thus the third, sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth commandments may be violated in a fit of passion, an abrupt and unexpected trial, or a strong, unusual temptation.
When these extenuating circumstances are known, earthly courts extend clemency, and temper the degree of punishment accordingly. But when a crime is committed, and it is found that it was premeditated, deliberately planned, prepared for, and that the deed was executed in cold blood, it is known as“malice aforethought,” and is regarded as the darkest offense in the calendar of crime, meriting the severest punishment that man can legally inflict.

The Sabbath Law

The terms of the fourth commandment cause it to stand out from all the others, and its provisions are such that it can not well be violated on the spur of the moment. He whose intellect is within the range of moral accountability, having his attention called to its plain, simple language, and carefully considering its import, can not fail to understand its meaning.
In this commandment God has given to every one an opportunity to stop and think. The Sabbath comes only once in seven days; so all may have ample time to decide what they will do when it comes,—whether they will, or will not, obey God. Again, and in addition to the plain and unmistakable language of the commandment itself, and lest men should forget their obligation, God calls out, in love and kindness to all, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” Thus no room is left for any palliating circumstances; no fit of passion, no sudden and unexpected trial or temptation, can enter into the sinful act of Sabbath-breaking.
Therefore when man is given seven full days in every week in which to reflect, to calmly deliberate, and to make his decision; when, knowing what God requires, he, with an air of indifference and with head erect, dons his working garb, and walks out on the Sabbath to his daily vocation; when, at the close of the day, he enters upon another week with the avowed purpose and full determination that when the six days are passed, he will not keep the Sabbath; when, in an attitude of defiance he says, by that which speaks louder than words, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice? . . . I know not the Lord,”—when he thus challenges the authority of the Lawgiver, and offers the greatest possible indignity to him who created all things in six days, and gave the Sabbath that all men might know him (Eze. 20:12, 20), he commits an offense of no small magnitude against God and his government. Thus the Sabbath truth becomes the great test of loyalty for these last days.
Dickson, Tenn.

Godliness

By G. D. BALLOU

G. D. BALLOU
GODLINESS is an experience. Ever since sin entered this world, our Heavenly Father has been having an experience with sinners. So far as this world is concerned, the way he conducts himself toward a lost race constitutes the life of God; and this is godliness, or God-like-ness.
This being so, let us inquire how God regards sinners, even his enemies. The answer is given in the words, “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son.” And if God loves sinners, what must his children do?—“I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you: that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven.”
How does God regard sin?—“Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity.” God hates sin; therefore what must his children do?—They must love good and hate evil; they must be able to say, with the psalmist, “I hate vain thoughts: but thy law do I love.” Because our Lord Jesus Christ loved righteousness and hated iniquity, he was anointed with “the oil of gladness” above his fellows. If we, his children, would live a life of gladness, we must have the elements of godliness wrought into our being through Christ’s power and glory.
What does our God do with sin that is brought to him by confession?—He casts it behind his back: he sinks it in unsounded depths of forgetfulness; he removes it from us as far as the east is from the west. Does he find this a hard task?—“Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger forever, because he delighteth in mercy.” Now if God forgives sin, what must his children do? He tells us plainly, “Forgive, and ye shall be forgiven.” “For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you.” Is our God long-suffering, patient, and kind with the erring? Surely otherwise we would not still feel the drawings of his Spirit. What gentleness, what forbearance, then, should possess us until we can exclaim, with the psalmist, “Thy gentleness hath made me great.”
Consider the sacrifice that God has made for us, giving his only begotten Son, that whosoever would believe on him might have everlasting life. “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” What sacrifices, then, are required of us?—First of all, the heart must be yielded to God. “My son, give me thine heart.” We are exhorted, “Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove [demonstrate before men] what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.” Thus all our life energies, and all the products of our life energies, will be a continual sacrifice to the cause and work of Christ.
And here comes in another and a neglected phase of godliness. Do you suppose that our Saviour, the Lord Jesus, ever for one moment becomes doubtful of the results of the gospel, and the final outcome of the plan of salvation?—Never. “He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth.” Do angels ever worry, think you, over events that are occurring in connection with the work they are doing for fallen men? Will God’s true children, then, worry and fret and agonize over the affairs of life in the church or in the world? “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you”—this must become the motto of all who work with and for the Master. “Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him.” “Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.”
Brother, do not these thoughts place godliness among the active, practical realities of every-day life? Can we any longer look upon it as an unattainable, idealistic religious condition, for some one else but not for us to reach? Is not godliness as much a concrete reality as any other course of conduct in life? Can we longer look upon it as something so far beyond us that we are not to be blamed for falling short of it? Godliness is the experience of our Saviour in dealing with this lost, sinful world. This experience is written out fully in his Word, that we may find in it the true elements of character-building, and grow into being children of God here and now, through living over again his experience in our lives.
Los Angeles, Cal.

Keeping the Child Heart

J. E. CHAMBERLAIN believes that to be a really successful grown-up, one must have brought with him something of the artless candor, the unmarred freshness, the “trailing clouds of glory” of his childhood days. “Heaven,” he says, “has lain about us a little longer than it would otherwise have done. Friends have been easier to get, and even to keep, because of some honorable infantile quality. One thing that helps me to believe that our present methods of education are better than the old ones is that nowadays we let the child heart stay in the little one longer than our fathers did, and even encourage it to stay there all through the man’s and the woman’s life.”

The Sunny Side of the Street

THERE are two kinds of people in the world—those who live in the shadow and gloom, and those who live on the sunny side of the street. These shadowed ones are sometimes called pessimists, sometimes they are said to have a melancholy temperament, sometimes they are called disagreeable; but, wherever they go, their characteristic is that their shadow always travels on before them. Such persons never bear their own burden, but expose all their wounds to others. They are all so busy looking down for pitfalls and sharp stones and thorns on which to step that they do not even know that there are any stars in the sky. These folks live on the wrong side of the street. And yet it is only twenty feet across to the other sidewalk, where sunshine always lies.—Newell Dwight Hillis.

Things You Leave Undone

By Margaret E. Sangster

It isn't the thing you do, dear, It's the thing you leave undone, That gives you the bit of heartache At the setting of the sun.
The tender word forgotten, The letter you did not write, The flower you might have sent, dear, Are your haunting ghosts to-night.
The stone you might have lifted Out of a brother's way; The bit of heartsome counsel You were hurried too much to say; The loving touch of the hand, dear, The gentle and winsome tone, That you had no time nor thought for, With troubles enough of your own.
For life is all too short, dear, And sorrow is all too great, To suffer our slow compassion, That tarries until too late; And it's not the thing you do, dear, It's the thing you leave undone, That gives you the bit of heartache At the setting of the sun.
— Margaret E. Sangster.
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