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Signs of the Times, Vol. 12, No. 50.

General Articles

Signs of the Times

Dec 30, 1886

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Dec 30, 1886

General Articles.

By Ellen G. White

Intelligent Faith.

BY MRS. E. G. WHITE.
“Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world; he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” John 8:12.
THE Jews rejected Christ; but they were self-deceived. They hated his teachings, because he exposed the secrets of their hearts and reproved their sins. They chose darkness rather than light, and would not come to the light, fearing that their deeds would be manifest. “This is the condemnation,” said Christ, “that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” The Jews rejected Christ until their eyes were so blinded by the moral darkness that they thought they were doing God service in crucifying the Son whom he had sent unto them to be a messenger of light and hope.
Very many are in danger of a similar deception. God does not compel men to believe. He sets light before them, and Satan presents his darkness. While the deceiver is constantly crying, Light is here, truth is here; Jesus is saying, “I am the truth; I have the words of eternal life. If any man follow me, he shall not walk in darkness. If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine.”
Sufficient evidence is given to balance our minds on the side of truth. If we love God, and desire to do his will, we shall choose the light and reject the darkness. But if we desire to carry out our own plans, and maintain the independence of the natural heart, like the Jews we shall refuse to submit to God; and we shall be in danger of as great deception as came upon them, and in our blind infatuation we may go to as great lengths as they did, and yet flatter ourselves that we are doing the will of God.
Minds that are submitted to Satan’s control are led farther and farther from the light of truth into error and darkness. He has great power to entangle souls by confusing the minds of those who do not walk in the light which a kind Providence permits to shine upon their pathway. If he gains the least advantage, he will push it to the utmost; he will watch every opportunity to advantage his cause and ruin human souls.
Christ warned his disciples: “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.” Here is a test which all may apply if they will. None need be left in uncertainty and doubt. There is always sufficient evidence upon which to base an intelligent faith, but God will never remove from any man all occasion for doubts. Those who love to dwell in the atmosphere of doubt and questioning unbelief can have the unenviable privilege. He who turns from the weight of evidence because there are a few things that he cannot make plain to his finite understanding, will be left to the cold, chilling atmosphere of unbelief and skepticism, and will make shipwreck of faith.
It should not be considered a virtue to be on the side of the doubting rather than on the side of the believing. Jesus never praised unbelief, never commended a doubting, questioning spirit. He gave to his nation evidence of his Messiahship in the miracles he wrought; but there were some who reasoned these evidences away, and in every good work found something to question and censure.
The centurion who desired Christ to come and heal his servant felt unworthy to have Jesus come under his roof; but his faith was so strong that he entreated him just to say the word, and the work of healing would be done. “When Jesus heard it, he marveled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven; but the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the self-same hour.”
Jesus here exalts faith in contrast with doubt. He shows the cause of stumbling on the part of the children of Israel. Their unbelief would lead to the rejection of light and would result in their condemnation and overthrow.
Thomas would not believe unless he could put his finger into the prints of the nails, and thrust his hand into the side of his Lord. He received the evidence he desired; but Jesus reproved his unbelief: “Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed; blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.”
When Christ sent out the twelve, he commanded them: “And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter inquire who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go thence. And when ye come into a house, salute it. And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you. And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of Judgment, than for that city.”
Jesus warned those whom he sent out to preach the gospel to beware of men; for they would be delivered up to the councils, and scourged in the synagogues. Men’s hearts are no softer to-day than when Christ was upon the earth. They will scourge with the tongue of slander and falsehood. They will, with their evil surmising, see fraud and dishonesty where all is right, and where perfect integrity exists.
Noah preached to the men of his time that God would give them one hundred and twenty years in which to repent of their sins and find refuge in the ark. This was abundant time in which to turn from their sins, overcome bad habits, and form righteous characters. But they refused the gracious invitation to repent and be saved. They denounced the preacher of righteousness as a visionary character, a fanatic, and an alarmist, and laughed to scorn what they termed his superstitious fears and forebodings. But though the merciful warning of God was rejected with mockery and derision, their unbelief did not hinder the predicted event. They were left in darkness to follow the curse that their own sinful hearts had chosen; but the flood came, and great was the wrath of God which was seen in the general ruin.
“As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.” This is the attitude of the world to-day. Men reject the truth of God, as they did in Noah’s time.
God’s word is our standard; but how few follow it. And yet we are responsible for our influence. Many lose their interest in the truth of God, because they have taken unbelief into close connection with themselves. They breathe the atmosphere of doubt, of questioning, of infidelity; their faith is imperceptibly undermined, and finally destroyed. The influence of the world and of selfishness is carried about by many who profess to be following the Bible. They are like a cloud, chilling the atmosphere in which others move. The baleful influence of sin poisons the life of the soul, and our only safety is in separation from those who walk in its darkness.
Our religion will be of little worth to our fellow-men, if it is only theoretical, and not practical. We must be steadfast in the faith; we must not be movable. We have our work before us, which is to cause the light of truth, as revealed in the law of God, to shine in upon other minds, and lead them out of darkness. This work requires determined, persevering energy, and a fixed purpose to succeed.“If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.” The greatest triumph given to us by the religion of Christ is control over ourselves. Our natural propensities must be controlled. Few realize what this is. They do not know their own weakness; and the natural sinfulness of the human heart often paralyzes their best endeavors. There must be a coming out from the world, and a nearness to God, if we would be adopted into the family of Heaven as children of the great King. We must walk by faith. When we do the will of God, we shall know of the doctrine. Our feet will be planted on the rock of eternal truth, and we shall not be swept away by the doubt and skepticism of an unbelieving age.

AS PANTS THE HART.

By Mrs. M. J. Bahler

BY MRS. M. J. BAHLER.
As pants the hart for cooling stream 'Mid desert's burning sand, So pants my soul for God's sweet love And for his guiding hand.
And as when once the thirsting hart The cooling stream doth taste, Its longings bring it oft again In eager, panting haste,
So would my thirsting spirit oft Seek for the strength divine; To-day's sweet help is for to-day; To-morrow's is not mine.
As when the morrow's rising sun Streams o'er the desert wide, The bounding hart in eager haste Seeks quick the cooling tide,
So when the morrow's pressing toil Before my hands shall lie, Then I again will ask for strength, For sure is the supply.
Oakland, Cal.

The Sabbath as a Memorial.

The reason usually given for the observance of the first day of the week as the Sabbath is, that it is a memorial of the resurrection of Christ. This reason necessarily implies that this memorial is a Christian institution, and, like those institutions ordained by Christ, baptism and the Lord’s Supper, is designed exclusively for Christians. Hence, in this country, the day is often called the Christian Sabbath. None but those who profess faith through Christ are permitted the rite of baptism. None are asked to partake of the Lord’s Supper but those who profess to be Christians. Unbelievers, and those who have no interest in the death of Christ, are not invited. So those who have no interest in the death of Christ can have no interest in his resurrection.
There can be no justifiable reason, therefore, why one who does not profess salvation through the death of Christ should be asked to celebrate his resurrection by the observance of Sunday any more than he should be asked to celebrate the death of Christ by the observance of the Lord’s Supper. If the “Christian Sabbath”—as Sunday is called—be a Christian institution, as that name implies, it is wrong that others should be asked to join with Christians in its observance. There are those, however, who would have laws and penalties to compel those who are not Christians to observe a Christian institution! Could they not, with as much propriety, compel such to partake of the Lord’s Supper or be baptized? The application of the word Christian to the Sabbath, is of itself sufficient to lead those who do not profess to be Christians, to have little interest in its observance.
As God rested from his labors, in the creation of the world, on the seventh day, so he blessed and sanctified the seventh day of the week, commanding men to observe it as a memorial of his creative works and rest. Gen. 2: 2, 3; Ex. 20: 8–11. It is not a Christian institution; it is not a Jewish institution; but an institution to be observed by the whole human race. To take this memorial which God has set up for a specified purpose, and make of it a memorial for another purpose, is very much like robbing God. But the observance of the first day of the week as a memorial of the resurrection of Christ does not, and cannot, in any way lessen our obligation to observe the memorial of God as creator, and his rest from his creative works. It is not a matter of surprise that people should cease to observe Sunday, a man-made memorial of the resurrection, as a holy day, and make it a mere holiday. The greater surprise is that so many people in this country continue to consider Sunday a holy day when there is no biblical reason for it.—Light of Home.

Literal Eternal Life, and Literal Death.

By Epsilon

THE Bible clearly teaches that the reward of the saved will be literal eternal life, or immortality, with all its attendant blessings; and that the sufferings of the lost will terminate in literal death.
In Rom. 6:23, we have eternal life and death in antithesis. "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." If we can show that the words eternal life are used with their literal meaning, it follows that the antithetic word death is also literal in meaning.
In consequence of sin, the Lord passed sentence of literal death upon our first parents, Adam and Eve. For nothing can be plainer than, "Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return." Gen. 3:19. On the very day that they sinned, they received sentence of literal death and were driven from the tree of life. The whole tenor of Bible teaching is that the Son of God stepped in between an offended God and offending man, and the sentence of death was not immediately executed upon our first parents. Says one, "The sentence of death could not reach farther than to Adam's body; for his soul, being immortal, could never die." What is the soul? Any one who will lay aside traditional teaching and carefully study the scriptures in which the word soul occurs, will arrive at the conclusion that the word soul in the Bible is variable in meaning, and refers either to the whole man, or else to some attribute of the man, as life, mind, etc. When used in relation to something else than the body, it often means the attribute life. Is the Bible soul immortal? No. We read in Ezk. 18:4, 20, "The soul that sinneth, it shall die." The invention, "the death that never dies," is equal to a sight that never sees, a motion that never moves, or a cessation that never ceases. A better invention would be, a dying that never reaches death; but it would only be an invention after all.
In Ps. 89:48, we read: "What man is he that liveth, and shall not see death? shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave?" In Rev. 16:3, we read: "And every living soul died in the sea." According to the Bible the soul is as mortal as the body.
Beginning at Abel's lamb and tracing the plan of salvation, we find that "the wages of sin is [literal] death." All those animals that were slain for sin offerings died a literal death. Their blood could not atone for sin, but they serve as so many indexes pointing to "the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." Christ, "the Lamb of God," never sinned, but he was made "to be sin for us." "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the [broken] law, being made a curse for us." Gal. 3:13. On the cross, he paid the penalty of our transgressions of God's law. The death of Christ speaks in thunder tones, "The wages of sin is death." "But," says one, "the son of Mary died a literal death on the cross, but the Son of God went with the thief's soul to Paradise." But the soul of Jesus did die. In Isa. 53:10, we have the words, "When thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin," and in verse 12 we have, "Because he hath poured out his soul unto death." In Matt. 20:28, we read: "Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life [Greek, psuche; English, soul] a ransom for many." Psuche is the only Greek word that is anywhere translated soul in the New Testament. Again, in John 10, Jesus repeatedly speaks of laying down his life (psuche, soul) for his sheep. Verse 11, "The good shepherd giveth his life [psuche, soul] for the sheep." Verse 15, "I lay down my life [soul] for the sheep." Verse 17, "Because I lay down my life [soul], that I might take it again."
Does he say that he will lay down his body, that he may take it again? No; he did lay down his body, but he laid down his life (soul) also. But people sometimes object to the Greek Testament and insist upon the English. Let us look closely at the English. "Because I lay down my life, that I might take it again." Does the life belong to the body, or to the soul, or to both? Will any one say that the soul has no life? Place the life in the body, or in the soul, or in both, and this scripture declares that he lays down his life. Jesus has paid the penalty, literal death, for our sins. "Who was delivered [to death] for our offenses, and was raised again [to life] for our justification." Rom. 4:25. Then the saved will rise in the resurrection justified from all sin. They will then, and not till then, have literal eternal life with its attendant blessings. That the saved will not have eternal life, or immortality, till they are raised from the dead, is easily proved. In 1 Cor. 15, Paul first gives a synopsis of the gospel and goes on to show that the resurrection is the hope of the gospel. In verse 19, he says, "If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable." He evidently did not believe in the popular theory of the soul, but put all his hope in the resurrection. In verse 32, he deals a death-blow to this heathen doctrine, and looks to the resurrection as his only hope of a future life: "If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me, if the dead rise not? let us eat and drink; for to-morrow we die." A heathen philosopher would have reminded Paul that his soul would go to Elysium at death, and that the resurrection was of no consequence. In verses 52 to 56, we learn that the saved will get the victory over literal death at the resurrection: "For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality." Now if one should claim that the incorruption, immortality, or eternal life, is not literal, it would follow that the resurrection will not be literal. Paul does not here use the words eternal life, but Dan. 12:2 does, and Luke 20:36 says, "Neither can they die any more; for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection." The proof is conclusive that the words, immortality, incorruption, and eternal life, are all literal or primary in meaning: "For thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just." Luke 14:14.
In Ezk. 18:26, we have the first death and the second death mentioned in the same connection: "When a righteous man turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and dieth in them; for the iniquity that he hath done shall he die." We know that this first death is literal, and the language itself conveys the idea that the second death is also literal. In Matt. 16:25, we read: "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it." The Greek word here translated life is psuche, meaning soul, or individual life. The same word, psuche, is used in Matt. 10:39, Mark 8:35, and in John 12:25. But in John 12:25, we have both the present and the future life in the same sentence; "He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal." What can be plainer than these words of him who spoke as never man spoke.
Reader, which would you rather believe, the words of the Lord Jesus, or the teachings of heathen philosophy from the mother of harlots? Remember, dear reader, that Babylon has corrupted the whole Christian world. Look here, "Because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication." Rev. 14:8; 18:3. What is the matter with the people? Why are so many different doctrines taught? Because the people are drunken with the wine (false teachings) of Babylon. The Bible, the Bible, is for the instruction of Christians.

The Pleasure of Doing Good

The pleasure of doing good is the only one that never wears out.—Sel

The Spirit of God and Its Fruits.

By W. A. Blakely

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance; against such there is no law." Gal. 5:22, 23.
MAN, the noblest of God's earthly creatures, was made in the image of his Creator, and endowed with reason and affection, and the moral faculties which give him a position far above the rest of the animal kingdom. The whole earth was placed under his control; and with everything pleasant around him, he might himself have lived happily and insured happiness to his posterity. Angels were his companions, and, having none of the imperfections caused by sin, he could study nature in all its beauty.
But he sinned. Then down, step after step, went man, until, in some cases, he has sunk to the very lowest depths of degradation. Yet as soon as he sinned, and brought upon himself the condemnation of death, the plan of salvation was offered by which his lost inheritance could be regained. The "seed" (Christ) is to bruise the "serpent's" head (Gen. 3:15), and everything, even the enemies of Christ, are to be brought in subjection to him, even as it is written, for saith the Father to him, "Sit thou on my right hand, until I make thy foes thy footstool." Acts 2:34, 35; Heb. 1:13. "And thou, O tower of the flock, the strong hold of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, even the first dominion; the kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem." Micah 4:8. Over and over again is the "dominion" promised to Christ, and through him to those who are heirs of the promise.
As an earnest, or pledge, of the inheritance, the Holy Spirit is given (Eph. 1:14) and it acts an important part in the plan of salvation. Its first work is to convince the world of sin (John 16:8) and then if cherished by the individual it will produce in him the fruits spoken of in Galatians 5:22, 23.
The first of these is love,—that love which ennobles man, makes him more like his Creator, and constitutes the real distinction between the true Christian and the unbeliever. This love is manifested only by the true people of God; they who abide in the Vine and allow the Spirit to work through them. In such it can be seen in all its beauty. It is one of the attributes of true moral character; and just to the extent that an individual is in harmony with the law of God, just to that extent will this love be exemplified in him.
But this love which is the fruit of the Spirit should not be confounded with natural love, or that which is characteristic of all the animal creation, both man and beast. We find natural love in families, between husband and wife, parent and child, friends and associates, and in the patriotic citizen for his country. Such love may be developed to a very high degree and yet the possessor be almost destitute of the Spirit of God. It is never a sure evidence that because a man is a good husband, father, and citizen, that he is a Christian. These characteristics may be seen in the lives of the ungodly, but they also must be seen in the lives of true Christians. The presence of natural love does not prove that any one is a child of God, but its absence does prove that he is not one. But that this natural love has no direct connection with the Spirit of God is made evident by the fact that our domestic animals, and, indeed, all of the animal creation, have the same feelings more or less perfectly developed.
But the higher love is set forth in the law of God, and is the very essential of morality. God, being the author of all morality, "is love," and the law being the complete expression of this morality, it "is the love of God, that we keep his commandments." 1 John 5:3; 2 John 6. The only way that this love can be perfected in us is by keeping the law, which is a transcript of the character of God, or his righteousness. Ps. 119:172; Isa. 51:6, 7. It is this that makes the difference between the Christian and the worldling.
"Those who love God cannot harbor hatred or envy. When the heavenly principle of eternal love fills the heart, it will flow out to others, not merely because favors are received of them, but because love is the principle of action, and modifies the character, governs the impulses, controls the passions, subdues enmity, and elevates and ennobles the affections. This love is not contracted so as merely to include 'me and mine,' but is as broad as the world, and as high as heaven, and is in harmony with that of the angel workers. This love cherished in the soul sweetens the entire life, and sheds a refining influence on all around. Possessing it, we cannot but be happy, let fortune smile or frown. If we love God with all the heart, we must love his children also. This love is the Spirit of God. It is the heavenly adorning that gives true nobility and dignity to the soul, and conforms our lives to that of the Master. No matter how many good qualities we may have, however honorable and refined we may consider ourselves, if the soul is not baptized with the heavenly grace of love to God and one another, we are deficient in true goodness, and unfit for Heaven, where all is love and unity."
Only those who are "led by the Spirit of God" (Rom. 8:14) can bear the fruits of the Spirit, and they are the children of God. This "earnest of our inheritance" worked in the Jewish dispensation the same as it does now. David prayed, "Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free Spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy way; and sinners shall be converted unto thee." The Spirit of God is mentioned over sixty times in the Old Testament, and the same work is ascribed to it that it performs in this dispensation.
Wherever the fruits of the Spirit are manifest, there are children of God; and wherever true heavenly love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance are seen, we may know that they are the result of the Spirit's work.
There are many who believe and teach that all that is necessary to salvation is to be affectionate in the family, and live a "moral" life. Do not even the Pharisees and publicans so? This can be, and often is, done by men of the world. They may live as did the young man who came to Christ (Matt. 19:16-22) and still fail of obtaining eternal life. But he that studies the moral law and by the aid of the Spirit makes his life conform to the life of Christ, which is the perfect pattern of the law, will reflect its beauty, and in him the fruits of the Spirit will be manifest in their perfection.
W. A. BLAKELY.

Trust and Work.

By Archdeacon Farrar

Do your work, but do it in quietness and confidence; do your duty, but do it without this corroding anxiety; and he who even in the desert spreads his table for the birds, who clothes the flowers in their embroideries of beauty, will feed and clothe you. That trust which, unconsciously, God's humbler creatures show, that do ye show reflectingly and consciously. Trust in God for these lower things, because he gives, and will give, and has given to you, higher things than these. Do not degrade and drag down your life in the mire by the spirit of mean, selfish, grudging, untrusting accumulations. If you seek first the kingdom of God, all these other things, or things transcendently better than these, shall be added unto you.
There is nothing wrong in your trade or your merchandise, and your daily work to earn your own living; that is altogether right; so far from being a rival business to these, the seeking of the kingdom of Heaven is a divine law which should regulate, a divine temper which should pervade and transfigure them. Only for the sake of all that make your life worth living, for the sake alike of your temporal and eternal happiness, do not seek the dross of earth more, and love it better, than the gold of Heaven.
Let conscience and faith enter into every necessary act of your daily life. Learn to discriminate the transcendent. Learn to feel habitually that the life, the true life, the spiritual life, is more than food, and the body than raiment. Let justice, goodness, kindness, purity, be your aim; not the selfish scramble of scheming competition, not the brutal appetences of sensual desire. Do not let your daily necessities blunt the edge of your ideal aspirations; do not sink into groveling appetites or money-making machines. Man lives indeed by bread, but he does not live by bread alone.—Archdeacon Farrar.

Serious Reflection Necessary.

THE recent severe earthquake shocks in the South produced at least a temporary religious impression on many minds, and persons previously addicted to profanity were observed to become reverent and serious in their language, and others unused to sacred things were found attentively perusing God's word. Many persons smile at what they consider the weakness of these persons, who permitted their fears to produce such a change in their behavior.
There is no cause for any one to be amused at this. The apostle appeals to the instability of material things, which is very impressively illustrated in the quaking of the earth, as an incentive to holy living. "Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness?"
It is only fools that trifle with solemn things. When men are made to feel that the solid earth is insecure, it is natural and rational enough for them to think of the necessity of seeking "a kingdom that cannot be moved." God appeals to our fears—to our sense of danger—as a means of leading us to reflection and turning our feet into the paths of obedience. Hence the exhortation, "In the day of adversity, consider."—Methodist Recorder.

Christ Restores the Erring

By Robertson

CHRIST, and Christ only, has revealed that he who has erred may be restored, and made pure and clean and whole again.—Robertson.

"Pray Unceasingly."

"I WAS lately in the company of one of our older ministers," said a young minister the other day, "one who has labored long and with much success in some of the most difficult fields of the church. The object of my interview was to learn from him the secret of success with which it had pleased God to crown his ministry in positions and places where others had failed. Instead, however, of directly giving me the information I desired, he told me with great sorrow the reason why he had accomplished so little, and said with unaffected sadness, 'My young friend, the mistake of my life has been that I have not prayed more. I fell into the error of most ministers. I studied and preached. I worked and worried too much, and I prayed too little! Could I live my life over again, I would be more with God and less with men. I see it all now—what wasted years of unrest I have passed, how much of my life was my own doing, and how little of God has been in my active ministry! I can now, in the evening of my days, only ask God to forgive my shortcomings, and to aid me in spending my few remaining years differently from the imperfect way in which I have served my Master.'"—Christian at Work.
Continue reading: The Ten Kingdoms in the Dark Ages