Egypt was one of the very first nations to attain to great power and civilization. At one time she was the strongest nation in the world. Read what God said of her:
“Thus saith the Lord God: I will also make the multitude of Egypt to cease by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. He and his people with him, the terrible of the nations, shall be brought to destroy the land; and they shall draw their swords against Egypt, and fill the land with the slain. And I will make the rivers dry, and sell the land into the hand of the wicked; and I will make the land waste, and all that is therein, by the hand of strangers; I the Lord have spoken it. Thus saith the Lord God: I will also destroy the idols, and I will cause their images to cease out of Noph; and there shall be no more a prince of the land of Egypt; and I will put a fear in the land of Egypt.”
1. “In B.C. 344, Ochus of Persia invaded the land with three hundred and forty-four thousand troops, while the Egyptian king, Nectanebo, had an army of only one hundred thousand with which to meet him, and twenty thousand of these were Greek mercenaries. The king of Persia was wholly successful. ‘All Egypt submitted to Ochus, who demolished the walls of the cities, plundered the temple, and after rewarding his mercenaries, returned to his own capital with an immense booty.’ ‘Nectanebo in despair quitted the country and fled southward to Ethiopia,’ and from that day till this there has been no native ruler of Egypt. Nectanebo was the last Egyptian king that Egypt ever had.
“Thus miserably fell the monarchy of the Pharaohs after an unexampled duration of nearly three thousand years. . . . More than two thousand years have since passed, and tho Egypt has from time to time been independent, not one native prince has sat on the throne of the Pharaohs. ‘There shall be no more a prince of the land of Egypt,’ was prophesied in the days of Apries as the final state of the land.”—‘Encyclopedia Britannica,’ Art. ‘Egypt.’
Even so has the “more sure word of prophecy” been literally fulfilled that “there shall be no more a prince of the land of Egypt.”
2. “I will also destroy the idols, and I will cause their images to cease.”
“This is also a remarkable prediction, for of all nations that have ever lived on the earth, the Egyptians were the most abundantly idolatrous. Bodies heavenly and bodies earthly, bodies animate and bodies inanimate, real and imaginary, fish, flesh, fowl, and vegetable, all were worshiped as gods in Egypt; and it was literally true that in Egypt it was easier to find a god than a man. The idols have been totally destroyed and the images have ceased utterly.
3. “I will make the land waste, and all that is therein, by the hand of strangers.”
“All history from the conquest of Egypt by Ochus, before mentioned, till this day, bears continuous testimony to the fulfilment of this prophecy. From the day that King Nectanebo fled into Ethiopia till now, strangers have spoiled Egypt of her wealth and drained her of her treasures.
“A hundred years ago, Gibbon, in describing the condition of Egypt under their rule, gave the best statement in existence of the fulfilment of the prophecy. He said: ‘A more unjust and absurd constitution can not be devised, than that which condemns the natives of a country to perpetual servitude under the arbitrary dominion of strangers and slaves. Yet such has been the state of Egypt above five hundred years.’
“And that is exactly as the prophet of God nearly twenty-five hundred years ago said it would be.”
Of the First Advent of Christ.
Among the most remarkable prophecies which, by their detailed fulfilment, have proven that “there is a God in heaven” who foretells new things “before they spring forth,” those relating to the coming and to the work of the Son of Man stand out with special prominence.
“When Alexander the Great was in the full tide of his career of conquest, he stood at the temple of the Most High in Jerusalem, and heard the witness of God concerning him read from the Hebrew Scriptures. And thru the Greek language, which the career of Alexander was instrumental in spreading throughout all the eastern world, God chose to give witness of Himself in the salvation wrought for man in the death and resurrection of His own dear Son.”
It was prophesied nearly eight hundred years before the advent of Messiah, that a virgin should conceive, and bear a Son, and call His name Immanuel. Matthew and Luke bear full witness to the literal fulfilment of this prophecy.
The place of His birth was clearly designated, and when Herod demanded of the chief priests and scribes what place should have the distinction of His nativity, they replied, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophets.”
The time of His anointing and also of His crucifixion were positively fixed by the prophecy of Daniel, while Zechariah described the scene of His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, and Isaiah gave minute details of His death and burial.
It is said that full three hundred prophetic utterances were fulfilled to the very letter in the life of our Saviour, during the brief period of His incarnation, and these specifications of prophecy could have been fulfilled in no other person born to the human family.
It is worthy of our serious consideration that while nearly all of the prophetic portions of the word have found their fulfilment in the past, yet at this present time some of these predictions are in process of fulfilment, and others are to come to pass in the very near future. Of these latter, all center in one event, paramount to all others that can possibly transpire; namely, “the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.”
It has been true in the past, that individuals have even themselves fulfilled prophecies which foretold their own destruction and endless ruin, and were not cognizant of their fatal mistake until too late. Judas was one of this class, as also were those who crucified the Lord of glory. It is written of the latter, “They that dwell at Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew Him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets which are read every Sabbath day, they have fulfilled them in condemning Him.” “And when they had fulfilled all that was written of Him, they took Him down from the tree, and laid Him in a sepulcher.”
It has been well said that “the miracles of Christ are a proof of His divinity; but a stronger proof that He is the world’s Redeemer is found in comparing the prophecies of the Old Testament with the history of the New.”
“The time would fail us to tell of all the testimonies that God bore by Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, and Joel, and Amos, and Obadiah, and Zephaniah, and Zechariah, not only to Assyria, and Babylon, and Egypt, and Medo-Persia, but also to Edom, and Moab, and Ammon, and Tyre, and Sidon, and Syria, and Arabia, and all the nations round about,” as well as concerning the nations that are now upon the stage of action. It is literally true that God has “left not Himself without witness” unto “all nations” in all ages.
“The revelations of prophecy are facts which exhibit the divine omniscience. So long as Babylon is in heaps; so long as Nineveh lies empty, void, and waste; so long as Egypt is the basest of kingdoms; so long as Tyre is a place for the spreading of nets in the midst of the seas; so long as Israel is scattered among all nations; so long as Jerusalem is trodden underfoot of the Gentiles; so long as the great empires of the world march on in their predicted course—so long we have proof that one Omniscient Mind dictated the predictions of that Book. ‘Prophecy came not in old time by the will of man; but holy men of old spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.’”
Persons to whom God temporarily lends His vision, are called prophets, or see-ers. And are they not see-ers as compared with other members of the human family? Without this vision, and without the acceptance of it as recorded, no matter how great our desire, we can not see a single day into the future. To-morrow is dark and blank, except for the light shining from the prophetic page.
All the light of past generations, thru the medium of prophecy, is focused by the greatest telescope in the universe—the all-seeing eye of God—upon the generation in which we are living. Men in our own day will have part in the fulfilment of “things written aforetime,” which will mean their eternal destruction, but thru their unwillingness7to heed the “sure word of prophecy,” will not recognize the part which they act in the great drama of eternity, till too late for repentance. Well did Peter say, “We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts.”
Men may deny the existence of God and Christ; they may scoff at the idea of the Holy Spirit; they may fail to read of God and recognize Him in the book of nature; they may misapply the witness written in the rocks, but fulfilled prophecy is overwhelming, unanswerable evidence of the existence and unlimited knowledge of the Supreme Being who declared the end from the beginning. With such abundant fruit to testify to its efficiency, surely divine prophecy must be an important factor in the plan of salvation, and one whose truthful admonitions can not be ignored by the human family, except at the peril of their souls.
[The next article in this series is entitled, “God’s Messengers.”]
"THE LOVE OF THE TRUTH."
By C. L. Taylor
THE basis of all true character, the very foundation of all divine workmanship in the lives of men, is the love of the truth. Inspiration has declared this concerning the Lord Jesus: "Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even Thy God, hath anointed Thee with the oil of gladness above Thy fellows." The triumphs of truth revealed in the life of the Man of Nazareth were but the out-springings of this glorious principle.
Before entering upon His earthly work, the Son of God by prophetic tongue announced this same love of truth as the very essence of His being: "Then said I, Lo, I come; in the volume of the book it is written of Me, I delight to do Thy will, O My God; yea, Thy law is within My heart."
The absence of the love of truth is a striking characteristic of the professed Christian world. The great question, "What is truth?" has given place to this: What is convenient? This is a fulfilment of the word of the apostle which foretold a time when men would "turn away their ears from the truth." And the strange part of it is that those who do this will still continue to profess the name of Christ and think themselves the children of God. "Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name? and in Thy name have cast out devils? and in Thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you; depart from Me, ye that work iniquity."
But how is it possible that people can come to the last day, expecting to receive the reward, and yet be so terribly disappointed? The scripture gives answer: "Because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved."
There is a vast difference between receiving the truth and receiving the love of the truth. One may know the truth in form as did the Jews (Rom. 2:17-24), and in actual life be wholly unaffected by it.
In other words, it is entirely possible to be intellectually acquainted with truth and yet hold it down in unrighteousness, giving it no place in the affections, no opportunity to sanctify the life.
The love of the truth is the blessed gift of God to the child of faith. It is the love of God shed abroad in the heart by the Holy Spirit. The lover of truth loves all truth, whether it come sweet or bitter, as a comforter or as a reprover. He loves truth for truth's sake—simply and solely because it is truth. It may crush all his earthly hopes and ambitions, deprive him of home and friends and business, ostracize and disfranchise him; yea, it may rob him of life itself, but he loves it just the same. "Tho He slay me, yet will I trust Him." "They loved not their lives unto the death."
The apostle Paul was a lover of the truth. The story of his labors and sufferings in the cause of truth abounds with incidents miraculous, but from first to last the story is but the outshining of this glorious principle. Speaking of bonds and afflictions, he said, "None of these things move me." And when his time came to die, he was still calm and peaceful and joyful in God, "ready to be offered." That he should be made a sacrifice was to him but a part of the truth which he loved, and therefore he counted it a matter for rejoicing. Thus it was with God's martyrs of all the ages.
The truth for to-day is most testing in character. As a part of that truth, the Sabbath of the Lord stands forth prominently. Thruout all the world, men and women and children are now having opportunity to accept or reject God's command to "remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy." But tho testing it is, this truth is being joyfully received by thousands. They love it better than life. It cuts them off, perhaps, from all that was dear; it deprives them of nearly all the privileges that are counted of value; but it is truth, and truth carries within itself great reward.
Dear friend, do you love truth? In the days of the Saviour "many believed," but they did not "confess," did not take an open stand for the truth, "lest they should be put out of the synagog; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God." God forbid that you should make this mistake.
The great need of the hour in which we live is that men pray most earnestly the words of the psalmist: "Cause me to know the way wherein I should walk. . . . Teach me to do Thy will." May the Author of truth, He who is the truth, discover to every needy one the blessing of truth, grant him the love of truth, sanctify him thru the truth, and thus prepare him to meet the God of truth in the day when truth finally triumphs.
SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES.
By F. D. Starr
James.
THE name of this book in the Spanish version is Santiago. The introduction begins: "Santiago, servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ." The name Santiago, with which most of us have become so familiar in recent years, is merely the Spanish for James, or rather, Saint James.
This book was written about A.D. 60, nearly thirty years after the commencement of the new dispensation, and it will be noticed that the twelve tribes were then still recognized as the people of God. All the faithful belong to the Israel of God, and are, in God's estimation, genuine Jews, as is stated in Rom. 2:29: "He is a Jew which is one inwardly, . . . whose praise is not of men, but of God." Inasmuch as the twelve tribes are all recognized here, it would be useless to talk about searching for the ten lost tribes, as some do, for none of these tribes are lost, but are all accounted for here as well as in Rev. 7:4-8. "If ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." Gal. 3:29.
There were at least two apostles by the name of James, as will be seen by the enumeration given in Matt. 10:2-4; Mark 3:16-19. James the brother of John was executed by Herod sixteen years before this epistle was written. So James the son of Alphæus who wrote this epistle was without doubt the person who presided at the notable council held in Jerusalem, which event occurred just midway between the death of James the son of Zebedee, and the writing of the letter now under consideration. At that council James gave the sentence, as appears from Acts 15:19. If Peter was pope at that time, as is claimed by so many millions, it seems strange that at that time, more than a score of years after the time that he is said to have taken the papal chair, not Peter, but another apostle should be the one chosen to give sentence at this universal church council. The supremacy of Peter certainly does not rest upon a very scriptural basis.
The supreme thought in this letter of James' seems to be that faith without works does not avail anything. Some think there is some discrepancy between the words of James and the teachings of Paul on the subject of faith and works. But this is a misconception. While James shows us how vain it is to hope to be saved by an inactive faith, Paul, on the other hand, proves to us how unsafe it is to trust to works for salvation. Another has aptly stated the matter thus: "Some may say it is exalting our own merits to expect favor from God thru our good works. True, we can not buy one victory8with our good works; yet we can not be victors without them." "True grace, which is of inestimable value, and which will endure the test of trial and adversity, is only obtained thru faith, and humble, prayerful obedience." "There is no other way, but to trust and obey."
There is a dead faith, such as demons possess, and there are dead works, such as are performed by the unregenerate. Heb. 9:14. But we want neither the one nor the other, "but faith which worketh by love." Gal. 5:6. What a striking lesson on mortality is given us in chapter 1. "As the flower of the grass he shall pass away." That is the sentence written on every brow. O, that we could all realize how short is our brief stay here in this world. The same thought is taken up and emphasized in chapter 4: "What is your life?—It is even a vapor that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away." Mortals listen! Do you realize how fast this vaporous existence is evaporating? How suddenly some of our fellow creatures have been snatched away from before our eyes! But how reluctant we are to perceive that the same might easily be our fate.
In chapter 2 we read: "If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself, ye do well." Some say to fulfil means to abrogate, to set aside as no longer binding. This is the application they make to our Saviour’s words in Matt. 5:17, claiming that He, by fulfilling His Father’s law, did set it aside as no longer binding upon us. If this is so, then the golden rule mentioned by James is to be set aside too. And he says we will do well if we fulfil that law. But will we be doing well, doing a good work, if we set aside the command to love our neighbors as ourselves? Think of it! What a diabolical suggestion! But that is the exact equivalent to setting aside the Father’s law, the Decalogue. In Gal. 6:2 we are told to "fulfil the law of Christ." Does that mean that Christ’s law is to be made obsolete, no longer binding? It does if fulfil has that meaning in Matt. 5:17. Strange perversion of truth!
Let none of us pass carelessly by the instruction of chapter 3 in regard to the tongue, and let us learn to be more careful in the use of that little member. How true it is that "death and life are in the power of the tongue." Prov. 18:21. Our tongues should not be silent, however, for "a word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver." Prov. 25:11.
That this is an epistle for the last days is seen by chapter 5. The rich have "heaped treasure together for the last days," or, as the Revised Version renders it, "in the last days." How the accumulation of wealth by a few men looms up before us as a prominent sign of the times. Who can fail to understand from this where we are in this world’s history? On the other hand, the poor are oppressed, and in many instances, defrauded of their rightful earnings by the hands of Greed and Luxury. What shall we do about it? "Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord." James 5:7. Do you believe "the coming of the Lord draweth nigh"? Verily so it is written, and so it becomes our duty and privilege to believe and to prepare for that grand and solemn event.
The book of James is indeed one replete with practical instruction on practical points of vital godliness. Let it receive the careful study that it so richly merits.
TRUST.
By Max Hill
I HAVE trusted in Thy mercy,
In Thy wondrous love to me;
I have tasted Thy salvation,
Which Thou gavest full and free.
Let my heart rejoice in Jesus,
Let me sing unto the Lord;
May Thy mercy guard and keep me
Worthy of the great reward.
I am weak, and O how little
I have done to gain Thy love!
But Thy word bids me keep striving
For a home with Thee above.
MAX HILL.
WHERE TRUE HAPPINESS IS FOUND.
By John Harvey Kellogg
WORRY and anxiety are detrimental to health, while thankfulness, peace, and happiness promote health. All are in search of happiness, but few know where to find it. It is not found in amusements or in a life of idleness, for “in the world ye shall have tribulation.” It is found only in a life of cheerful obedience. Such a life may be lived anywhere, therefore happiness may be found anywhere.
“Great peace have they which love Thy law; and nothing shall offend them.” Here we have the secret of true happiness. Peace of mind does not depend on where we are, but on what we are. Each has within himself the choice of true happiness or wretchedness. Circumstances and surroundings have but little to do with the experiences of the soul. How many feel as did David when in trouble, “O that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away, and be at rest.” How many think that they would be happy if only their surroundings could be a little different. Sooner or later all such will discover that happiness can never be gained by a change of surroundings; the only change that can ever bring it is a change within.
Hagar, Sarah’s maid, evidently made this mistake. The record tells us, “Her mistress was despised in her eyes.” Naturally this led her mistress to treat her unkindly. “And when Sarah dealt hardly with her, she fled from her face.” But Hagar discovered she was no happier away from Sarah than she was with her. In her extremity she plead with God for a way out of her difficulty, “and the angel of the Lord found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness.” “And he said, Hagar, Sarah’s maid, whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarah. The angel of the Lord said unto her, Return unto thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands.” Hagar had an experience to gain which could not be gained by fleeing from what she supposed to be her unfavorable surroundings. It was not a change of surroundings that was needed. Hagar needed a change of heart. The angel said unto her what he is saying to every one who is trying to secure happiness by fleeing from supposed unfavorable surroundings, “Whither wilt thou go?” “Return . . . and submit thyself.” It is only in this way that we will be able to secure happiness.9When our surroundings are disagreeable and every one seems unkind, frequently it is due to some fault in us that needs to be confessed and overcome. Had Hagar not despised her mistress, no doubt Sarah would not have dealt hardly with her. The Lord permitted Sarah to deal hardly with Hagar for Hagar’s sake. “It must needs be that offenses come.” Not until we have overcome on every defect of character shall we be entirely free from offenses and trials. Offenses that injure one prove a blessing to another. Whether we are injured or not depends upon our attitude toward them. The water that proved a well of protection to Israel, swallowed up the Egyptians. The same flame of fire that slew the men that cast Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego into the fiery furnace only consumed the cords that bound the usefulness of these three Hebrew captives. There was not even the smell of fire on their garments.
Satan watches closely the lives of all; he makes a careful note of our words and actions; he understands every weak point in our characters. He always assails us on our weakest point, hoping to destroy. God permits this to reveal to us our weaknesses, that we may confess our faults one to another and pray one for another that we may be healed. Thus God would make the wrath of man to praise Him.
If we see the real aim of our trials, etc., we shall regard them as blessings; then they will develop character and bring peace within which will be always followed by peace without. Whenever Israel did right they had rest around about from all their enemies, when they sinned, the Lord permitted their enemies to assail them. When they cried for help, humbled themselves, confessed their sins, and overcame, the Lord gave them rest again. This experience was repeated over and over again in their experience just as it is in ours.
Of Solomon the Lord said, “I will be his father, and he shall be My son. If he commit iniquity, I will chastise him with the rod of men.” Solomon saw this fulfilled in the experience of his life. This led him to say, near its close: “When a man’s ways please the Lord, He maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.” The troubles from without are designed to correct the trouble that exists within. To take up arms in self-defense or in self-justification, or to flee from the supposed disagreeable surroundings, means a moral defeat. The better way is to make the confession made by the thief on the cross, “We receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man [Christ] hath done nothing amiss,” and He is the only one of whom this can be truthfully said. The one who recognizes this is not far from the kingdom of happiness. Those who know that all things work together for good, to them all things work together for good; while those who do not know this, but see evil in that which is designed for their good, to them it results in evil. It is our privilege to find happiness where we are. If we are unable to find it where we are, we shall never find out. Never try to find out of Christ that which can only be found out in Him. At His “right hand there are pleasures forevermore.”
D. H. KRESS, M. D.
THE MASTER OF MY BOAT.
By Joseph Addison Richards
I OWNED a little boat a while ago
And sailed a morning sea without a fear,
And whither any breeze might fairly blow
I’d steer the little craft afar or near.
Mine was the boat, and mine the air,
And mine the sea, not mine a care.
My boat became my place of nightly toil.
I sailed at sunset to the fishing ground,
At morn the boat was freighted with the spoil
That my all-conquering work and skill had found.
Mine was the boat, and mine the net,
And mine the skill and power to get.
One day there passed along the silent shore,
While I my net was casting in the sea,
A Man who spoke as never man before;
I followed Him—new life began in me.
Mine was the boat, but His the voice,
And His the call, yet mine the choice.
Ah, 'twas a fearful night out on the lake,
And all my skill availed not at the helm,
Till His asleep I waken, crying, "Take,
Take Thou command, lest waters overwhelm!"
His was the boat and His the sea,
And His the peace o'er all and me.
Once from His boat He taught the curious throng,
Then bade me let down nets out in the sea;
I murmured, but obeyed, nor was it long
Before the catch amazed and humbled me.
His was the boat and His the skill,
And His the catch, and His my will.
—Joseph Addison Richards.
A SERMON FROM LUTHER.
By C. S. Longacre
What the Great Reformer Had to Say of Church and State Union.
THAT professed Protestants may see how far they have apostatized from the original Protestant platform in regard to Church-and-State cooperation in religious matters, I will quote some extracts from Luther’s first sermon delivered after his return to his home church in Wittenberg, from his captivity in the Wartburg. The reason why Luther preached his first sermon on Church-and-State separation was not because Rome was united, but because the friends of Protestantism were urging Luther to accept the aid and protection of civil magistrates. Luther protested vigorously against such an unholy union, and told his friends in no uncertain tone that such a course would mean the utter defeat of the Reformation.
Luther wrote thus to the Elector who offered him aid:
“I have no thought of soliciting the assistance of your highness; so far from desiring your protection, I would rather give you mine. No sword can give any aid to this cause. God alone must do all, without human aid or co-operation. . . . Your electoral highness has already done too much, and ought to do nothing at all.”
These words were sent by Luther to the Elector on the very day he arrived at Wittenberg from the Wartburg.
The next day he ascended the old Wittenberg pulpit, and “he stood up like a lion goaded on to battle, and shaking his bushy mane, he said: ‘Now is the time to trample Satan underfoot, and combat the angel of darkness.’” Having gained their attention, he continues his remarkable sermon which laid the basic platform of the Reformation, thus:
“It is by the word that we must fight; by the word overturn and destroy what has been established by violence. I am unwilling to employ force against the superstitious or the unbelieving. NONE OUGHT TO BE CONSTRAINED. Liberty is of the essence of faith.”
Exposing an erroneous practise of the church, he continues:
“But let nobody be driven from it by violence. The affair must be committed to God. His word must act, not we. And why? you will say. Because I do not hold the hearts of men in my hand, as the potter does the clay. We have a right to speak, but not to act. Let us preach; the rest belongs to God. If I employ force, what shall I obtain? Grimace, appearances, apishness, human ordinances, hypocrisy . . . but there will be no sincerity of heart, no faith, no charity. . . . Any work in which these three things are wanting, wants everything, and I would not give a pin for it.”
“The first thing to be gained from people is their heart, and for this it is necessary to preach the Gospel. Then the word will descend on one heart to-day, and on another tomorrow, and operate in such a way. God does more by His mere word than you and I and all the world could do by uniting our utmost strength. God takes possession of the heart; and when the heart is taken, everything is taken.
“Paul, having one day arrived at Athens, a great city, found altars erected to false gods. He went from one to another, viewed them all, but touched none. But he quietly repaired to the market-place, and declared to the people that all their gods were only idols. His words took possession of their hearts, and the idols fell without being touched by Paul.
“I wish to speak, to preach, to write; but I wish not to constrain any one, FOR FAITH IS A VOLUNTARY MATTER. See what I have done! I have withstood the pope, indulgences, and the papists; but without tumult and violence. I have put forward the word of God, have preached, have written; but this is all I have done. And while I was asleep . . . the word which I had preached overthrew the Papacy, assailing it more effectually than was ever done by prince or emperor. I have done nothing—the word alone has done all. Had I chosen to appeal to force, perhaps Germany might have been bathed in blood. But what would have been the consequence?—Ruin and desolation to soul and body. I therefore remained quiet, and allowed the word itself to have free course in the world. Do you know what the devil thinks when he sees recourse had to force in order to speed the Gospel among men?—Seated, with his arms across, behind the flames of hell, Satan, with malignant leer and frightful smile, says: ‘Ah! HOW SAGELY THESE FOOLS ARE PLAYING MY GAME!’ But when he sees the word running and wrestling alone on the field of battle, then it is he feels uneasy, and his knees tremble, he mutters and swoons with terror.”
If Luther should rise from the dead today and attend a convention of the “Federation of Churches,” and hear the Protestant ministers clamoring for the aid and co-operation of the civil government to compel unwilling subjects to obey certain church dogmas, what would be his consternation? He would not know the Protestant churches, and he would repudiate every last one that would accept the cooperation of the State. What a shame and a travesty upon the Protestant platform is the present cry from Protestant ministers for Sunday laws, for the civil magistrate to whip every opposing element into subjection. The Reformation succeeded gloriously without the cooperation of the State and without a Sunday law. Professed Protestantism is digging its own grave in this country by sending petitions to the halls of legislatures instead of to the throne of God, just as verily as did the Catholic Church in France when she formed that unholy union with the State. While the French Government is seeking a separation from the church, why should not this government heed the lesson and keep out of the trouble which is sure to come? “Render therefore unto Cæsar the things which are Cæsar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.”
GRATITUDE.
By Susan Birdsall Roberts
THANK God, thank God, He brought me low,
And humbled all my pride;
I thought indeed my heart was fixed
On Christ the crucified.
But O, I found 'twas full of pride,
And self-conceit, and sin;
I sought Him much and long, and thought
My earthly aims to win.
But O, I've found 'twas better far
That I should fail to keep
Earth's treasures, than recede from Him,
And in my blindness sleep.
I thank Him for the discipline,
That some would call severe;
Ah! no, 'tis but the loving hand
To draw His children near.
SUSAN BIRDSALL ROBERTS.
The Sabbath: Institution and Purpose
By Asa Smith
THE SABBATH.—No. 1. Institution and Purpose.
1. When was the Sabbath instituted?
“On the seventh day.” Gen. 2:2, 3.
2. For whom was it made?
“The Sabbath was made for man.” Mark 2:27.
3. How should it be observed?
“Keep it holy.” Ex. 20:8.
“Honor Him, not doing thine own ways.” Isa. 58:13.
4. What important knowledge comes only thru keeping the Sabbath?
“That ye may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctify you.” Ex. 31:13.
7. How are we sanctified?
“Sanctify them thru Thy truth; Thy word is truth.” John 17:17.
8. How much power is in the word?
“He spake, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.” Ps. 33:9.
9. What is Sabbath-keeping for?
“That ye may know that I am the Lord your God.” Eze. 20:20.
10. What is the character of God?
“God is love.” 1 John 4:16.
“Merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty.” Ex. 34:6, 7.
True Sabbath-keeping turns our minds to our Creator who is so loving and merciful, and forgives our sins, who has such power that when He speaks the thing is done, and who sanctifies and keeps us by that same all-powerful word. Truly, then, can we “call the Sabbath a delight.” Isa. 58:13, 14.
Reiswig, B. C. Asa Smith.