Review and Herald, Vol. 77, No. 21. (5/22/1900)

Review and Herald

May 22, 1900

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · May 22, 1900

THE CAMP-MEETING IN VICTORIA.

By Ellen G. White

MRS. E. G. WHITE.

The camp-meeting for the Central Australian Conference was this year held at Geelong, Victoria. This city is about fifty miles southwest from Melbourne, on the same bay, and can be reached from Melbourne by either boat or cars. It ranks third in Victoria for population, and is a prosperous and beautiful town.

For several years there have been a few Sabbath-keepers in Geelong, and they have occasionally been visited by our ministers. About two years ago, in company with Elder A. T. Robinson and others, I spent a few days here, and held meetings with the little company of believers. We also had two public meetings in a large hired hall; but no extended effort has been made in presenting the truth in this place.

Our camp-meeting opened Thursday evening, March 8. The ground is a five-acre paddock, centrally situated, and well sheltered. There were about fifty tents in the encampment, besides the large pavilion, one hundred and four by fifty feet. This was seated to accommodate about fifteen hundred persons, and it was well filled at the opening service.

The meetings have been conducted by Elders Daniells, Farnsworth, and Starr. From one thousand to fifteen hundred persons have been in attendance at the evening services. The word of the Lord has been presented with power, and the people have listened with intense interest.

I have spoken once each Sabbath and Sunday, and have attended some of the morning meetings. At these I have dwelt especially upon faith, the necessity of our taking God at his word, and the duty of cultivating cheerfulness and gratitude. Our voices should be oftener heard in praise and thanksgiving to God. His praise should continually be in our hearts and upon our lips.

This will be a benefit to ourselves. It is the very best way to resist the temptation to indulge in idle, frivolous conversation. We are represented as bearing the insignia of heaven, and by our offerings of prayer and praise we are to show that we are guided and controlled by the Holy Spirit.

Why do we keep so silent in regard to the goodness of the Lord? Why is there so little praise and thanksgiving? How heaven must look upon our ungrateful silence, so like the sullenness of peevish children! All heaven is interested in our salvation. The Lord God himself is our helper. “Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem.” “The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.” This is the testimony the Lord desires us to bear to the world.

Such a testimony will have an influence upon others. As we seek to turn men from their errors, we must show them that we have something better. If more joy were revealed in our religious experience, a much more favorable impression would be made. Unbelievers would see the consistency of our faith. If we praised God’s name as we should, the flame of love would be kindled in many hearts.

On the Sabbath, March 10, few outsiders came to the camp-ground. But there were present over a hundred of the workers from the Echo publishing house at North Fitzroy, and a goodly number of our brethren and sisters from the suburbs of Melbourne, from Ballarat, and from Adelaide in South Australia. We had excellent meetings. A meeting for the youth and another for the children were held in some of the larger tents. These were continued every day during the week.

On Sunday a large number attended the six o’clock morning meeting. I united with the people in prayer for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. I then dwelt upon the necessity of believing that we do receive the blessings for which we ask. “Ask, and it shall be given you,” is the promise. Our part is to rest on the word with unwavering faith, believing that God will do according to his promise. Let faith cut its way through the shadow of the enemy. When a questioning doubt arises, go to Christ, and let the soul be encouraged by communion with him. The redemption he has purchased for us is complete. The offering he made was plenteous and without stint. Heaven has a never-failing supply of help for all who are needy.

It is the Saviour’s delight to see his followers co-laborers with God, receiving bountifully all the means of fruit-bearing, and giving bountifully, as workers under him. Christ glorified his Father by the fruit he bore, and the lives of his true followers will produce the same result. Receiving and imparting, his workers will produce much fruit. “Hitherto,” Christ said to his disciples, “have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.”

On Sunday morning a Sabbath-school convention was held. I spoke in the afternoon on the subject of temperance, taking the first chapter of Daniel as my text. All listened attentively, seeming surprised to hear temperance presented from the Bible. After dwelling on the integrity and firmness of the Hebrew captives, I asked the choir to sing,—

“Dare to be a Daniel, Dare to stand alone! Dare to have a purpose firm! Dare to make it known!”

The inspiring notes of this song rang out from the singers on the stand, who were joined by the congregation. I then resumed my talk, and I know that before I had finished, many present had a better understanding of the meaning of Christian temperance. The Lord gave me freedom and his blessing, and a most solemn impression was made upon many minds.

In our work, more attention should be given to the temperance reform. Every duty that calls for reform involves repentance, faith, and obedience. It means the uplifting of the soul to a new and nobler life. Thus every true reform has its place in the work of the Third Angel’s Message. Especially does the temperance reform demand our attention and support. We should call attention to this work, and make it a living issue. We should present to the people the principles of true temperance, and call for signers to the temperance pledge. In other churches there are Christians who are standing in defense of the principles of temperance. We should seek to come near to these workers, and make a way for them to stand shoulder to shoulder with us.

On Tuesday I was attacked with influenza, and was unable to attend meeting again until the next Sabbath. This was a holiday, and

there was a large attendance from the city. I was still suffering from the influenza, but the Lord gave me his sustaining grace, and my voice was clear and strong as I spoke from the first chapter of Second Peter.

On Sunday afternoon the audience was very large. I spoke from Isaiah 58, explaining every verse, but dwelling especially upon the words, “They that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in. If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable; and shalt honor him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.”

Sunday evening the tent was crowded, and hundreds were standing outside. Elder Farnsworth gave a most powerful discourse on the subject of the Sabbath and Sunday. Then he asked for an expression from those to whom the claims of the Sabbath had been made clear. A large number rose to their feet. When the meeting closed, the people gathered in little groups to discuss what they had heard. Our ministers were in the midst of these gatherings, and talked with the people. Some were expressing their astonishment at the truths presented, some with trembling hands were trying to find the Scripture proof for Sunday-keeping. Others declared that the things which the minister had read were not in their Bibles. They felt that the people who had turned the world upside down had come to Geelong. Many seemed to realize their need of Bible instruction. Never before had the gospel of truth come to their ears as they had heard it at this meeting.

The meeting this last Sunday evening surpassed anything we have before witnessed. In some respects it resembled the meetings held in 1843 and 1844.

In the work at our camp-meetings we should give prominence to the truths of the Third Angel’s Message. We are in danger of giving this message in so indefinite a manner that it does not impress the people. So many other interests are brought in that the very message which should be proclaimed with power becomes tame and voiceless. While the professed Christian world claim to believe in Christ, they are violating the law which Christ himself proclaimed from Sinai. The Lord bids us, “Lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and show my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.” The trumpet is to give a certain sound. Lift up the standard, the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. Make this the important theme. Then by strong arguments wall it in, and make it of still greater force. Dwell more on the Revelation. Read, explain, and enforce its teachings.

Our warfare is aggressive. Tremendous issues are before us, yea, and right upon us. Our prayers should ascend to God that the four angels may continue to hold the four winds, that they may not blow to injure or destroy, until the last warning has been given to the world. Then let us work in harmony with our prayers. Let nothing lessen the force of the truth for this time. The Third Angel’s Message must do its work of separating from the churches a people who will take their stand on the platform of eternal truth.

Our message is a life-and-death message, and we must let it appear as it is, the great power of God. We are to present it in all its telling force. Then the Lord will make it effectual. It is our privilege to expect large things, even the demonstration of the Spirit of God. This is the power that will convict and convert the soul.

From the first of our meeting in Geelong, we have been treated in the most kind and courteous manner by the people of the city. Among the crowds that have come to the camp-ground no disrespect has been shown. Even among the children and youth there has seemed to be no disposition to create disturbance. Our audiences have not been made up of men and women of the baser sort. They have been persons of intelligence. And they have not come in order to gratify curiosity. Very few have been seen strolling about the grounds, observing the homes of the campers. The people made their way directly to the tent. All were quiet, and appeared reverential. There seemed to be as great solemnity as if we were within the walls of a church. The people listened as if for their lives. We have never attended a meeting where there was better order or a greater interest than there has been here.

After the evening meetings the people would linger for half an hour, and often longer, talking together of the things they had heard. Some of our workers would engage in conversation with them, and answer the questions and objections that arose in their minds. Our ministers make it a point, as far as possible, to meet the people at the close of the evening service. They take their hands in a friendly grasp, expressing pleasure at meeting them, and the hope that they will come again. Thus is woven a thread in the tie that binds heart to heart. The social hand-clasp brings a warmth to the heart, and a sense of relationship. “All ye are brethren.”

To these advances the people are ready to respond. They promise to come again, saying, “We have never heard such sermons: and all the teaching is from the Bible.” Many hearts are stirred, and they are asking, “What must I do to be saved?” “How can I come into harmony with God?”

It was proposed to continue our meeting on the camp-ground over the third Sabbath and Sunday. But there was an appearance of rain, and knowing that the equinoctial storm would soon be due, we decided to transfer our services to a large hall in the city. This hall is the one in which Elder Robinson and I spoke when we were here two years ago. It is well seated, and will accommodate a larger number than the tent. The regular rent is one pound per night, but it has been secured for our meetings as long as we desire it, for half this sum. And we have the hall, free, for Sabbath and Sunday afternoons. We thank the Lord for the use of this large hall in which to continue the work so favorably begun.

Our camp-meeting closed free from debt. Economy has been exercised in all the arrangements, and by earnest effort, sufficient means has been raised to meet expenditures; so there will be no debt from this source to burden the hearts of the workers for the coming year. And a hundred pounds has been pledged for the new Sydney Sanitarium. This is a good donation to come from the little company of believers assembled at this meeting. They have done what they could.

The precious blessing of God has attended our meeting from the beginning to the close. Every meeting has been a victory. We have had evidence that the Lord Jesus and his army of angels were with us. Their presence has been in our tent, and they have encompassed us round about. The peace of heaven has invaded our encampment. The softening, subduing influence of the Holy Spirit has been upon human hearts, and not an inharmonious note has been heard.

Had we needed greater evidence as to the ministry required for giving the last message of mercy to the world, we have had it at this meeting. Thousands of all classes of people have had the word of God opened to them. But for the camp-meeting many of these might never have been reached. Such a solemn awakening has never before been witnessed in this place. Of a truth it could be said, “The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.”

HIS CROSS AND MINE.

By Mrs. Worthie H. Holden

MRS. WORTHIE H. HOLDEN.

One look at Calvary,—my heart of stone Gave homage to its King before unknown; One look,—the deadly serpent-wound was healed,— Methought my soul for aye salvation sealed,

But Calvary's mount still stands for you and me, Moriah will fore'er an offering see; Each day by faith I view the Crucified Else were new life unto my soul denied.

None else for us could open heaven's door; No one save He could bear the cross he bore; Yet “he who would my true disciple be Must daily take his cross and follow me.”

No deed of might or valor known to fame, No martyr's laurel, nor a hero's name, But daily, hourly, midst the strife of sin To prove that Love Divine abides within.

That which doth vex my life, threatening its joy, My neighbor might not in the least annoy; No heart can know another heart save He, Who, knowing all, bestows his sympathy.

Let naught obscure thy cross, O Lord, from view,— Each day may hope and faith thy love renew; And ever may I fully follow thee E'en here and now, and through eternity.

NO TIME.

By H. E. S. Hopkins.

H. E. S. HOPKINS. (Battle Creek, Mich.)

Is there not danger of many becoming so absorbed in the active duties of life that prayer and the study of God's word and the Testimonies of his Spirit, will be sadly neglected, and result in spirituality dying out?

Why not forever abandon this continual excuse (by actions if not by words), “No time for the Master”? Now comes the word to study the books of Daniel and the Revelation as for our lives. Do we intend passing them by as of no importance, and follow our own way? Soon, very soon, we shall be obliged of leave our pleasant homes. Then how much to the books of Daniel and the Revelation shall we have stored away in our minds to carry with us when persecution comes? Shall we have to look back and exclaim, “Oh! how I wish I had let some of these trifling things go, and had studied more”?

We have been so accustomed to work, work, from morn till night, digging out some corner, scrubbing, cleaning, and polishing, or working at some ornament to beautify our homes and make them look just so, that we do not know where to stop. Perhaps it is not an easy matter to cease this daily routine. But there is a remedy: Seek God to help us overcome this habit, and to ever keep before our minds the first commandment, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” Why not change this order of things, and let Him to whom we are indebted so much, be first in all our plans, and let other things come secondarily? Are we not instructed to “seek . . . first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness”?

If we are not careful, we shall be so drunk with the cares of this life that that day will overtake us unawares.

Some may plead that they can not study though they have ever so much time; they find it a difficult task to center the mind on any lesson. The Lord never tells us to do what is an impossibility. “Ask, and ye shall receive.” “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” That means you and me just as much as anyone. “God is no respecter of persons.”

In our study we of course need to be determined to “stick to it,” as well as to give ourselves to constant, earnest prayer; for Satan will do his best to hinder us.

He is not at all pleased to have us enter upon this study: he would rather we would be absorbed in our household affairs, or anything that would hinder us in divine attainments. He knows his time to work is short, and he is anxious to get as many on his side as he can.

What a beautiful lesson we can learn from Jesus’ remark to Martha, who “was cumbered about much serving.” Luke 10:38–42. Here the Saviour makes it plain who chooses “that good part.” Like Mary, is it not a wise decision when we choose to sit at the feet of Jesus and learn of him, thus heeding the warning, Get ready, get ready?

A VITAL QUESTION.

By William P. Pearce

WILLIAM P. PEARCE. (Goshen, Ind.)

The usurper and hypocritical Joab when meeting General Amasa allowed his dagger to fall out of its sheath. Snatching it up quickly and with the words: “Art thou in health, my brother?” he buries the naked knife in his body under the fifth rib. 2 Sam. 20:9.

HEALTH.

“Art thou in health?” This is a vital question which should concern all of us. It is the—

“Chiefest good Bestow’d by heaven, but seldom understood.”

What is health? It is not man at his best, for at the best he may be an invalid. The definition of character is widely different from the definition of health. Health is “a sound and healthy state of all parts of an organized being, when all the organs perform their natural functions freely and properly.” Please note the words: “sound;” “all parts;” “all the organs;” “perform;” “freely and properly.” Health is humanity’s fortune, so freely squandered and so hard to regain. Few there are who enjoy it, and those few are the careful who watch over it as the capitalist does his largest investments. A good recipe for health: Prov. 3:7, 8.

HOW TO SECURE AND KEEP HEALTH.

A common remark often heard is, “People are getting weaker and wiser.” In some respects this is true; in others, false. Few people exist but who have some ailments, which, in spite of knowledge, they persist in feeding because of the pleasant sensations derived. The wise are the careful; the careful, the strong. In order to secure and keep health, let us notice five necessary things:—

First, Cleanliness. If the adage “Cleanliness is next to godliness,” is an unbiblical quotation, it has, nevertheless, much truth in it. Spurgeon said there were three D’s he shunned: “Dirt, debt, and the devil.” Dirt is the breeding pen of disease. It creeps from one’s clothes into one’s brain; it will work from under his finger nails into his thoughts; it will assassinate virtue, and convert a home into a malarious pest-house. Just as wheat can not grow in blazing deserts, or oranges and pineapples ripen beside arctic icebergs, no more can a good constitution with good thoughts and lofty aspirations flourish in dirt or dirty surroundings. The secret of gospel cleanliness is in John 15:3.

Second, Temperance. Gluttony is little better than drunkenness. The kinds of food, irrespective of their acidity or sweetness, the methods of cooking until the nutriment has been destroyed, and the indulgence practiced at dinners and banquets, are nothing less than dissipation. Just as the toper wants the throat of a giraffe to taste the beverage a long way down, too many whose “god is their stomach,” remind me of the boy who was told to wish for something and he would get it. “A box of chocolates,” said the boy. “What else?” asked the generous friend. “Another box of chocolates.” “Oh, but wish for something else. Your little stomach could n't hold all those chocolates.” “Well, then,” answered the boy, “another stomach.” It is true, the way some people eat and drink, they want another stomach, and it is a fact that by and by they will need one, if they don’t want it. Benjamin Franklin said: “Be sober and temperate, and you will be healthy.” See what Paul says to back up the assertion in 1 Cor. 9:25.

Third, Abstinence. Ten years ago medical statistics showed that eighty-one per cent of the adult population of the United States were suffering from dyspepsia. To-day the record states ninety-four per cent. Think of it! What is the cause?—Ravenous and careless eating as regards what, when, and where.

Dyspepsia is the disease that is destroying the life of ninety per cent of our people in some form or other, just as the minute worms of East Africa drill holes through the casks of oil and extracts, thereby robbing them of their precious liquids. Think of it! Thousands crippled physically and morally when they should be in the prime of life, and thousands ruined by religious controversies and errors, which, if Beecher is to be believed, have their origin in indigestion. What is the cause? I ask again. Stuff like tobacco; narcotics like coffee and tea; astringents like pepper, mustard, and vinegar; diseased stale meats; late suppers; “death-in-the-pot” banquets, which make the throat a sewerage pipe and the stomach a charnel house. Would to God all would abstain as Paul suggests (Acts 15:29), and feed upon the True Bread. John 6:22.

Fourth, Exercise. An athlete is usually quick, strong, upright. Not that he was so born, or grew thus as a poplar beside the river bank; but because he has so trained himself. He runs, he works, he walks, with shoulders thrown back. Said Aleyn:—

“No body’s healthful without exercise: Just wars are exercises of a state: Virtue’s in motion, and contends to rise, With generous ascents above a mate.”

More exercise means less consumptives; more exercise, less bent backs, or round shoulders, or lazy gaits. Gladstone knew the worth of it when he resorted to the ax. The Sanitarium physicians know the good derived from it when they order one to the gymnasium, or to the lake to row, or to the saddle to ride, or to the open air to walk and run. Fresh air, by the way, is one of the best tonics in God’s medical laboratory. “What a blessed thing to breathe the fresh air,” said Count Struerisee, on quitting his dungeon to be led to the place of execution. Open-air exercise is like fuel thrown under the boiler,—it increases the power and pressure of life’s steam. Get all you can, but in getting it, do not fail to exercise as God would have you do. Eccl. 9:10; 1 Cor. 10:31.

Fifth, Rest. Underresting is as bad as underexercising. Weary brains, tired muscles, strained eyes, need rest. Rest is called by Plutarch “the sweet sauce of labor.” In India the natives have the “rest stones,” where the weary traveler can rest his burden. A quiet retreat, an easy chair, a couch, or bed are good things for a “breathing spell.” To lie down, however, relaxing every muscle and closing the eyes, is much better. Every woman should aim daily to have a rest hour, and every person should bear in mind that God made the night, not for dissipation or pleasure, but for rest. But the best rest that the writer knows of is found in Matt. 11:28.

WHAT HEALTH BRINGS.

Money carefully invested brings revenue. “Unto every one which hath shall be given” (Luke 19:26) is the law of compound interest. A little learning, rightly used, brings culture; a grain of wisdom carefully sown brings satisfaction; an unselfish action in the name of Jesus brings a dividend on the morn when men shall be rewarded according to their works (Rev. 20:12), and health brings what?—Out of the many things there are two that make life worth living:—

First, Happiness. There may not be an abundance of this world’s goods, and if there were, happiness does not make them its foundation. Without health the palace is a prison, existence a curse, the gorgeous earth a Golgotha, and life an era of despondency. With health there’s music in the rattle of machinery, the beauty of God is seen everywhere, and living becomes enchanting. Why?—Because the stomach promptly digests the right kind of food, the rich blood carries its nourishment to the organs, nerves, muscles, and tissues, as they need it, and the brain creates inspiring thoughts. Such an existence leads to the life Paul mentions. Gal. 2:20.

Second, Hope. The Arabian proverb says: “He who has health has hope, and he who has hope has everything.” Ruined bodies have curtained windows to their souls, and the sun always shines behind somber clouds. But with health there is hope, which “springs immortal in the human breast.”

To the healthy, hope is the pinions which aid the individual to rise above annoying circumstances and cry, “Victory;” it is the fins which assist the individual to swim through seas of trouble; it is the unseen electric power which casts light in dark places, gives locomotion to hand and foot; which gives endurance to the soldier, fortitude to the laboring man, and stimulates the persevering to cry, “It shall be done.” The best hope, however, is found in Ps. 42:5.

HOW TO USE HEALTH.

If there are misers of gold, there are misers of health. That is, they hoard it up, and in its use have a selfish motive. Many a man would rather tramp ten miles to shoot an innocent rabbit, or kill a pretty songster, than walk a mile to minister to another’s need. Many a woman would rather go to a ball with insufficient clothing, waltz for hours in a stifled room, and walk home afterward in the bitter cold, than do an errand for Jesus or wait on the ministrations of his Word. Such is the abuse rather than the use of health. Health is given for service. It is a blessing bestowed that the recipient might be able to aid others who have it not. It should be an evidence of what God can do (Ex. 15:26), and it should be used judiciously, practically, and always for the Master’s glory. God wishes us to be strong. Jer. 30:7. John wished Gaius health (3 John 2), and in the midst of disease and death I exhort you—

“Talk health. The dreary, never-changing tale Of mortal maladies is worn and stale. You can not charm, or interest, or please, By harping on that minor chord, disease. Say you are well, or all is well with you, And God shall hear your words and make them true.”

Guarding Health and Character

“The health should be as sacredly guarded as the character.”

THE GREATEST SIGHT IN THE WORLD.

By H. E. Simkin

H. E. SIMKIN.

(Battle Creek, Mich.)

In looking back through the records of humanity many events and achievements stand out with striking force and remarkable attraction. Those receiving the greatest attention are the ones in which the most power is manifest. The tower of Babel, the temple of Solomon, and the lighthouse of Pharos all showed great skill in construction, and gave evidence of the surprising power in the combined strength of men. But as the power of God exceeds the strength of men, so do the events of sacred history in which are shown the special power of God without man’s efforts, eclipse all monuments of human skill.

The coming of the flood was the greatest scene of the antediluvian world, and the breaking up of “the fountains of the great deep” showed a power exceeding the united power of the race in building the tower of Babel, by which men thought to escape the destruction of another possible deluge. But this was a punishment on a wicked generation, of which but eight souls escaped, and it is not pleasant to view. The sight of the brazen serpent in the wilderness by which many—yes, all who would comply with the conditions—were healed of a plague, is one which the people saw with gladness, and which we can contemplate with pleasure. But the serpent was only a figure of the great Healer who should be lifted up for mankind.

The crucifixion of Christ was an event never equaled in the history of the world. Think of the great darkness which covered that scene! Consider the words of assurance and comfort to the dying and repentant thief by the Saviour even while he himself was undergoing such inconceivable sufferings! And above all look at the prayer of the Lord for his murderers! Nothing in the universe can compare in importance with the event of that Friday eighteen hundred and sixty-nine years ago, but it was seen by his followers with terrible sorrow, and by all others with fearful forebodings for the future. A few weeks later, as the disciples accompanied him to the Mount of Olives and across its grassy summit to a familiar spot near the historic Bethany, a thrill of joy must have passed over each of them as he affectionately gathered them around him, and slowly ascended to his Father. The scene was one which but few were permitted to behold; and while they undoubtedly rejoiced for his sake that he was again to enjoy his heavenly abode, their joy was tinged with sorrow because he would no longer be with them in his familiar form.

His departure was to them the greatest sight in the world, but they were not long left to so consider it. While they were still trying to prolong the scene and catch a further glimpse of their Lord, two heavenly messengers turned them from their object by asking a reason for their upward gaze. These angelic beings, clothed in white, had been sent to earth to call the attention of the disciples, and through them to call our attention, to a sight that will soon be seen, which will so far surpass any or all of these we have mentioned that it can not be compared. “This same Jesus . . . shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go.” In two respects only will this sight be just like the last one noticed. “This same Jesus” will come again, and he will “come in like manner” as he went. But beyond this the comparison ceases.

None of the events to which we have alluded, in anywise equals this. Instead of only eight souls being saved, as in the time of the flood, one hundred and forty-four thousand will look up with joy as they recognize their deliverer, and untold numbers will come forth from their graves clothed in immortality. This scene is no figure like the brazen serpent, but it is the antitype of all the Old Testament figures. In contrast with the time of the crucifixion and the ascension, there will be no sorrow for any who have put their trust in the Saviour on this occasion. All such will then experience the greatest joy of their existence. This event is the culmination of the six thousand years’ conflict between sin and righteousness in this world’s history.

This will without question be the greatest sight in the world. Many even of the Lord’s professed followers spend much time and money to see the great sights of this world. How many will be prepared to view with joy this greatest of all sights?

WHAT IS THE UNPARDONABLE SIN?

By Elmer F. Otis

ELMER F. OTIS.

(Chicago, Ill.)

God’s salvation is eternal. Heb. 5:9. So also you recall that his love, mercy, and long-suffering shall be attributes of his character throughout eternity. We must then conclude that if a man is lost, it is entirely due to his unwillingness to be saved. “I am come that they might have life.” John 10:10. “And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.” John 5:40.

Then the only question is as to whether man will surrender his own will to be used of God. If he absolutely refuses, then he by that act places himself beyond the reach of the gospel call. “I gave her space to repent; . . . and she repented not;” or, as the Rotterdam Translation puts it, “I gave her time to repent; . . . but she does not choose to.” Rev. 2:21.

The same thought is expressed in Eze. 24:12–14: “She hath wearied herself with lies. . . . I have purged thee [allowed you to reap your evil sowing. Gal. 6:7], and thou wast not purged. . . . According to thy ways, and according to thy doings, shall they judge thee, saith the Lord God.” Having fully rejected God’s only means of reproving them, there was left no hope of salvation. In other words they had committed the unpardonable sin by rejecting the Holy Spirit—the power that unites humanity to divinity.

Every one who shall be lost will be in this same condition. They all will have held their wills where God could not get access to them. Finally every individual will come to a place where he will fully decide either to obey or disobey God. The decree that goes forth announcing the close of probation simply says, “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still; and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still.” So also, “he that is righteous, . . . and . . . holy, let him be . . . still.” Rev. 22:11.

We therefore conclude that each one individually closes his own probation. Whether he is found on the right or on the wrong side depends, not on where he happened to be at that time, but on where he deliberately chose—willed—to be. Like Ananias and Sapphira, the one act did not settle their doom; but it indicated a long course of such actions. To show that no one might accidentally have been lost who wanted to be saved, we read that “the first thought of every one who arises in the second resurrection is to unite with Satan against God.” This is perfectly natural because they had fully decided to do so, before they died.

Many Christians look upon the “close of probation” as some dreadful event that might suddenly happen when the arbitrary time of God’s appointment had arrived. It is to correct this idea that I make these suggestions.

One additional thought that I wish to impress is this: Would it not be better to spend less time wondering just how many days or years will elapse before the close of probation, and more time in seeking that living connection with God whereby he can fully use us to do his bidding, and whereby we shall be saved and safe whenever probation may close. We are thus prepared for the fullness of the Holy Spirit’s power. Then when we are fully used of God, “the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord [margin, “by knowing the glory of the Lord”],” as the waters cover the sea.” Hab. 2:14.

HEAVEN

This world is all a fleeting show For man's delusion given; The smiles of joy, the tears of woe, Deceitful shine, deceitful flow: There's nothing true but heaven!

And false the light on glory's plume, As fading hues of even; And love and hope and beauty's bloom Are blossoms gathered for the tomb: There's nothing bright but heaven!

Poor wanderers of a stormy day, From wave to wave we're driven, And fancy's flash and reason's ray Serve but to light the troubled way: There's nothing calm but heaven!

— Selected.

The Evil Servant

“THAT evil servant who said in his heart, ‘My Lord delayeth his coming,’ professed to be waiting for Christ. He was a ‘servant,’ outwardly devoted to the service of God, while at heart he had yielded to Satan.”

HE IS COMING.

The King's Messenger.

The coming kingdom is nearing, the coming King is coming, while the Comforter has come, and all appliances of every kind are to be used to the hastening of the coming of the kingdom—and of the King. We live in these times. We face the future, we stand not in dreamland, but awake, and endued with power from on high. We are the temples of the indwelling Holy Ghost. We are the inheritors of all past development. We are responsible for present conditions, and are to be the actors of the glorious future.

The Executive of the Godhead has had us in training for these times, and we stand ready to do his bidding. What we need is “understanding of the times.” Temptations to indolence, half-heartedness, and indifference will be ours. Fears of overdoing, of fanaticism, of loss of place in church, or business, or community will confront us; difficulties, dangers, and disappointments will make themselves sorely and sadly felt; but his grace is sufficient, and his strength is made perfect in our weakness.

We lack wisdom, but he will give; we need sound minds, clean hearts, and consecrated powers. We need tact, and intelligence, and enthusiasm; we must have emotion, and that ardent; we require strength and courage and continuity; but above and beyond all we must have the endowment of power that comes when the Holy Ghost comes upon us. He and he only, through us, can meet the exigencies, the wants, and demands of the times.

The times require the Holy Spirit, and the times are his times, and in these times his need is for us to measure up, and not be of double heart or of wavering mind; but wholly given up to him to do his work, and ready to go anywhere, to run on any errand at his bidding. The times, and the people of the times, are his. His is the work, and his is the power and the glory. Amen.

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