Review and Herald, Vol. 80, No. 36. (9/10/1903)

Review and Herald

Sep 10, 1903

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Washington, D. C. · Sep 10, 1903

Foreign Publications

TRACTS AND PAMPHLETS

Holland

Pamphlets

God's Covenant with Men .......... .10 Here and Hereafter ............... .60 Matthew Twenty-four .............. .15 The Fourth Commandment ........... .20 The Hope of the Church ........... .10 The Sabbath of the Moral Law .... .10

Tracts

Alcoholic Poison ................ .01¼ End of the Wicked, The .......... .02½ Full Assurance of Faith, The .... .01 God's Memorial .................. .01 Hundred Bible Facts ............. .01 Immortality of the Soul, The .... .02 Is Man Immortal? ................ .01½ Law and the Gospel, The ......... .01 Living by Faith ................. .01 Lord Cometh, The (maranatha) .... .02 Millennium, The ................. .02½ Our Answer ...................... .01 Our Nation's Curse .............. .01¼ Present Truth ................... .02½ Sabbath of the Bible, The ....... .01½ Sabbath Made for Man, The ....... .01 Sanctuary of the Bible, The ..... .01 Second Advent, The .............. .02½ Seven Reasons for Sunday-Keeping     Examined ..................... .01 Sleep of the Dead ............... .01¼ Spiritualism .................... .02½ Sufferings of Christ ............ .03½ Two Laws, The ................... .01 What Has the Gospel Abrogated? .. .01½ Which Day Do You Keep? .......... .01½ Who Changed the Sabbath? ........ .01½ Wine and the Bible .............. .02½

Italian

Tracts

Three Messages (pamphlet) ....... .25 Appeal on Immortality ........... .01 Can We Know? 8 pp. .............. .01 First Message. 16 pp. ........... .02 Immortality. 14 pp. with cover .. .02 Millennium. 16 pp. .............. .02 Sabbath of the Bible ............ .04 Sabbath of the Lord. 32 pp. ..... .02 Sanctuary of the Bible. 16 pp. .. .02 Sleep of the Dead ................ .01 Sufferings of Christ ............ True Sabbath .................... .04 Two Laws. 16 pp. ................ .02

Polish

Tracts

Blessed Hope. 8 pp. ............. .01 Full Faith. 16 pp. (with cover) .. .02

Bohemian

Tracts

Children of the Light. 8 pp. .... .01 Full Faith. 16 pp. with cover .... .02 Bible Readings .................. .01 Blessed Hope .................... .01 Helps to Bible Study ............ .10

Swedish

Pamphlets

Bible Sanctification ............ .10 Canright vs. Canright ........... .10 Civil Government and Religion ... .25 Helps to Bible Study ............ .20 Life and Immortality ............ .15 Marshaling of the Nations ....... .10 New Earth, The .................. .25 New Testament Sabbath, The ...... .10 Saints' Inheritance ............. .15 Saints' Reign with Christ a Thou-     sand Years, The ............... .25

Tracts

After Death ..................... .02 Alarm of War .................... .02 Appeal and Remonstrance ......... .01½ Can We Know? .................... .01½ Causes and Cure of Intemperance . .01½ Christ and the Pharisees ........ .02 Christ and the Sabbath .......... .03

Civil Sabbath, The .............. .01 Columbian Year, The ............. .03 Departing and Being with Christ . .01 Drunkard's Argument Answered, The .01 End of the Wicked, The .......... .01 First Angel's Message ........... .01 Forbidden Ground ................ .01¼ Fundamental Principles .......... .01½ Heavenly Meeting, The ........... .01¼ Is Man Immortal? ................ .01½ Is the End Near? ................ .01½ Judgment, The ................... .01 Justification by Faith .......... .02½ Last Day Tokens ................. .03 Law and Gospel .................. .01 Law of God ...................... .01½ Lost Time Question, The ......... .01 Millennium, The ................ .01 Our Answer ...................... .01 Perfection of the Ten Command-     ments ........................ .02½ Present Truth, The .............. .02 Redemption ...................... .02 Religious Intolerance in the Repub-     lic ........................... .01 Rich Man and Lazarus ............ .01 Rome's Challenge ................. .02½ Sabbath of the Lord ............. .01 Sanctuary, The ................. .01 Scripture References ............ .02 Seal of God and Mark of the Beast .02 Second Advent .................... .02 Second Angel's Message .......... .01 Seven Reasons for Sunday-Keeping . .01 Seventh-day Adventists .......... .02 Sinner's Fate ................... .01½ Sleep of the Dead ............... .01½ Sufferings of Christ ............ .02 Sunday Laws in the United States . .01½ Thoughts for the Candid ......... .01½ Tithing ........................ .02 True and False Bible Interpretation .01 Two Covenants, The .............. .02 Two Laws, The ................... .01 Two Thrones, The ............... .02 Twofold Apostasy ................ .02 Use of Tobacco, The ............. .01 Waldenstrom on the Sabbath Ques-     tion .......................... .01 Who Changed the Sabbath? ........ .01½ Wine and the Bible .............. .01 Without Excuse ................. .01½

Swedish Library

1. Seal of God and Mark of the     Beast ........................ .02

Marshaling of the Nations ..... .10
Twofold Apostasy ............. .02
True and False Bible Interpreta-

    tion ........................ .01 5. Last Day Tokens .............. .03 6, 7. Canright vs. Canright ...... .10 8. Present Truth ................ .02

Danish

Pamphlets

Bible Sanctification ............ .10 Civil Government and Religion ... .25 Great Controversy, The .......... .20 Life and Immortality ............ .15 Marshaling of the Nations ....... .10 Saints' Inheritance ............. .15 Scriptural Baptism .............. .10 Tent Hymn Book .................. .10 The New Earth ................... .25 The New Testament Sabbath ....... .10 The Punishment of the Wicked .... .10 The Saints' Reign with Christ a     Thousand Years ............... .25

Tracts

After Death ..................... .02 Alarm of War .................... .02 America's Crisis ............... .02 Answers to Objections for Not Keep-     ing the Seventh Day .......... .01 Bible: Its Inspiration and Pur-     poses, The ................... .01

Bible Questions and Answers Con-     cerning Man .................. .01 Both Sides of the Sabbath Question .01 Can We Know? .................... .01½ Causes and Cure of Intemperance . .01½ Christ and the Pharisees ........ .02 Christ and the Sabbath .......... .03 Coming of the Lord, The ......... .01¼ Departing and Being with Christ . .01 Drunkard's Arguments Answered,     The .......................... .01 Effect of Coffee and Tea ....... .01½ First Angel's Message ........... .01 Forbidden Ground ................ .01¼ Great Threefold Message, The .... .01 Is the End Near? ................ .01½ Is Man Immortal? ................ .01½ Judgment, The ................... .01 Last Day Tokens ................. .03 Law and the Gospel, The ......... .01 Law of God, The ................. .01½ Millennium, The ................ .01½ New Testament Sabbath ........... .01 Our Answer ...................... .01 Personal Questions and Answers     Concerning the Sabbath ....... .02½ Pork ............................ .01½ Present Truth, The .............. .02 Redemption ...................... .02 Reign of Righteousness ......... .01½ Rich Man and Lazarus, The ....... .01 Rome's Challenge ................. .02½ Sabbath of the Lord, The ........ .01 Sanctuary, The ................. .01 Scriptural Answers .............. .02 Scripture References ............ .01½ Sinner's Fate, The .............. .01½ Sleep of the Dead, The .......... .01½ Spiritualism, Its Source and Charac-     ter .......................... .01 Sufferings of Christ ............ .02 Three Worlds .................... .02 Tithing ........................ .02 True Conversion .................. .02 Two Laws, The ................... .01 Two Covenants, The .............. .02 Two Thrones, The ............... .02 Twofold Apostasy Twice Repeated . .02 Use of Tobacco, The ............. .01 Which Day Do You Keep? .......... .01½ Who Changed the Sabbath? ........ .01½ Wine and the Bible, The ........ .01

Danish Library

Reign of Righteousness ........ .01½
Last Day Tokens ............... .03
Marshaling of the Nations ..... .10
The Bible: Its Inspiration and

    Purposes ..................... .01 5. Twofold Apostasy Twice Re-     peated ....................... .02

Scriptural Answers ............ .02
Three Worlds .................. .02
Alarm of War .................. .02
Is the End Near? .............. .01½
Present Truth ................ .02

German

Pamphlets

Civil Government and Religion ... .25 Exposition of Matthew 24 ........ .15 Helps to Bible Study ............ .15 History of the Sabbath (Biblical     part only) ................... .40 Last Day Tokens ................. .15 Ministration of Angels .......... .20 Sabbath of the Moral Law ........ .10 The Rich Man and Lazarus ........ .10

Tracts

Alarm of War .................... .02 Are You in Darkness? ............ .01½ Bible Conversion ................ .02 Bible: Its Origin and Importance . .01 Bible Symbols ................... .01 Brief Thoughts .................. .01½ Can We Know? .................... .01½ Christian Sabbath, The .......... .01½ Departing and Being with Christ . .01

Order of State Tract Societies, Review and Herald, Battle Creek, Mich.; Review and Herald, Washington, D. C.; Pacific Press, Oakland, Cal.; Kansas City, Mo.; Southern Publishing Co., Nashville, Tenn.

A Free Gift

By Editor

Editorial

A Free Gift

THE salvation of God is an absolutely free gift. “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son.” “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” We can not buy salvation either for money or for good works. It is a gift, and can only be had as a gift. To attempt to treat it as a purchase is to lose it altogether. The terms are “without money and without price.” “Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” It is clear that life and salvation can not possibly be purchased, since they are in themselves worth more than all other things combined. There is nothing so valuable to give in exchange for them. If we possess them at all, we must acquire them as a gift. They have cost so much that they can not be sold. To one who offered to buy the gift of God, Peter said: “Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money.” To those who are willing to acknowledge that they need this gift, and are willing to receive it as a gift, it is as free as the air that we breathe. “Ask, and it shall be given you.”

Taking the Gift

To know of this gift, and even to know that it is absolutely free for the asking, is not sufficient. It is necessary for us to go further, and actually take the gift. The air which surrounds us is of no benefit to us unless we breathe it. The water which flows so abundantly from the spring does not quench our thirst unless we drink it. The food which is provided for us will not nourish our bodies unless we eat it. So likewise the salvation of God brings deliverance only to those who take hold upon it. And just as the body is provided with organs and members for dealing with the air, the water, and the food, so the Lord has imparted to us the gift of faith with which to receive the gift of salvation. We reach up the hand of faith and take it. We receive it by believing. This is the simplicity of the gospel of Christ. Why should any one reject it?

The Kingdom First

IT is natural for us to put forth our most earnest efforts to secure that which we prize the highest. The thing upon which one has set his heart is the thing to which he gives his best energies. It has always been the plan of Satan to present the things of this world before us in such a desirable light that we shall be induced to make them the first object of our effort. Men wear themselves out in the pursuit of material wealth, but give little thought to eternal realities. The divine teacher recognizes our temporal needs, assures us of the Father’s knowledge of these necessities, but says, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” It requires faith in God and his promises to withdraw from the pursuit of the wealth of the world, and to wait for the coming inheritance. It requires loyalty to principle to forego all the apparent benefits which arise from following the maxims of the world in business affairs, and to do unto others as you would that they should do unto you. It is a test of our confidence in the reality of the Lord’s thought of our daily needs when we place the matter of food and clothing and houses and lands secondary, and give our first thought to seeking the kingdom of God. But there is nothing so valuable in all the universe as righteousness. There is no treasure to be compared with the knowledge of God. There is no possession to be so highly prized as that wisdom which is from above. “She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her.” In these last days there is special danger lest our hearts should be overcharged “with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life,” and so that day should come upon us unawares. We must now apply in a practical way the injunction to seek first the kingdom of God.

A New Day

WE confidently believe that we have come to the dawn of a new day in this movement to warn the world of the soon-coming Saviour. We may now expect to see a new life and power manifested in the giving of this message, and in this new life and power every true believer may share. We have waited and hoped and prayed for this time, and our hearts rejoice at the evidences that it has come. How thrilling and comforting is the thought that the Lord has set his hand to finish this work in our day, and that we may be “laborers together with God” in this closing work. This new day which is now dawning will not close in a night of darkness, but will usher in for the faithful servants of God that perfect day when the promise will be fulfilled, “And there shall be no night there.” Before this new day closes, we shall witness the consummation of all our hopes and expectations, and we shall have the unspeakable joy of seeing face to face “him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood.” The light of this new day will grow brighter and brighter until the earth is lighted with the glory of this message, and the way of the coming King is fully prepared. Blessed prospect! Glorious hope! But the dawning of this new day brings with it added responsibilities, and there is a solemn significance attached to our attitude toward the Lord’s revealed purpose at this time. It is always dangerous to dally and to delay when God’s providence indicates

that we should go forward, but it is doubly so now. It is always perilous to reject any ray of light or to decline any opportunity for service for the Master, but it is doubly so now. This new day of light and glory may become thick darkness to those who fail to recognize the meaning of our present experiences. After years of warnings and entreaties the Lord has spoken by his judgments, and is now calling for a response from those who recognize and fear him. We are beginning to experience the meaning of the promise, “There shall be delay no longer,” and it applies to our relation to God, as well as to his relation to us. Happy are those who recognize this, and hasten to follow in the way of the Lord’s leading. At this dawning of the new day let us each watch for the glory of the soon-coming King.

Delivered From a Jesuit Conspiracy

By W. A. S.

For centuries the Jesuits held absolute control of the Madeira Islands, that group under Portuguese rule, lying off the Morocco coast. The people, of mixed Portuguese, Moorish, and negro race, were trained in all the superstitions and prejudices of Romanism at its worst. As modern commerce brought the islands more in touch with Europe, Madeira came to be quite a winter resort for invalids. Thus the leaven of Protestantism was introduced. In the last annual report of Methodist Missions, Bishop Hartzell tells the story of the work and the deliverance from death of the man who pioneered the way in Funchal, the capital city of the Madeiras:-

Sixty years ago a Scotch Presbyterian physician did a remarkable work among these Portuguese Roman Catholics. Besides his work as a physician, he had schools, and taught the people to read the Bible in their own tongue. Twelve or fifteen hundred became Protestants in the course of a few years, and insisted on reading the Bible themselves, and worshiping God according to the dictates of their own consciences. A great persecution arose, and the day was fixed when Dr. Kalley, the missionary, and all his followers were to be exterminated. On that very day, while the signal bell was being sounded in the tower of the cathedral, God sent an English ship into the harbor, and the leader, disguised in clothing as a sick woman, was carried in a hammock to the beach and to ship by men who would have murdered him had they known who he was. All the Protestants, it was thought, were driven from the island. But a little precious seed remained, however, and only a short distance from where Dr. Kalley had his wonderful work in the mountains, we have our Mount Faith Mission, with nearly fifty men and women recently converted, and who testify to God's love, and as many more youth in our Sunday and day schools. Down in the city, opposite a beautiful park, we have our church house.

The Presbyterians and the Church of England also have churches in the city. Funchal has a population of sixty thousand, while its harbor is a port of call for about two thousand ships every year. The Scotch physician labored not in vain. Other islands of the group are now also open to Protestant effort. W. A. S.

The Menace of Intemperance

By L. A. S.

ALCOHOL as a world power and world-wide menace to civilization, was the cause of a recent international anti-alcohol congress which was held at Bremen, Germany. The inroads of intemperance in all civilized countries are exciting profound alarm on the part of public men. Of the conditions in Germany growing out of the drink evil Herr Stoermer, a member of the German Reichstag, said:—

Excessive drinking among the masses in general and among workers in particular is the most serious bar to the emancipation of the lower classes. It undermines the mental capacities and energies of those who would otherwise be capable of attaining efficiency and culture. While it continues, the aims of social democracy—the destruction of social barriers and the equalization of the burdens and joys of civilization—will not advance an inch.

Le Figaro, a prominent Paris newspaper, speaks thus of the condition of France:—

There is no choice given us in France; whether we like it or no, we must go ahead and fight this matter, or we shall disappear as a nation. These are not mere inventions nor mere forms of speech. Ask Dr. Le Gendre and Dr. Debove and inquire of any doctors, and they will say it is simply a matter of a few generations more.

Another Frenchman, a physician of prominence, Dr. Brunon, says:—

The alcoholism of the working classes threatens to put an end, and that shortly, to existing society. . . . Those who are indifferent may shrug their shoulders to-day. The question of alcohol will very soon take the first place of all questions affecting the state.

The situation in England was referred to not long ago in a public speech by Lord Roseberry, who said:—

I am not a fanatic in temperance reform. I am, I hope, a sensible and level-minded politician on that and all other subjects, but I can not but be struck by the pathetic urgency with which the appeals for dealing with this question come from every part of England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales; and though I say I am not a fanatic on this question, I view the uncontrolled condition of our liquor traffic as a serious danger. . . . It is becoming too great a power in the state. I go so far as to say this, that if the state does not soon control the liquor traffic, the liquor traffic will control the state.

In America the situation is much the same. Intemperance, not only in the use of alcoholic liquors, but of various nerve destroying drugs, is breaking down the barriers of reason and self-control which safeguard civilized society. The use of intoxicants by women is rapidly on the increase. In some cities in the United States appearances indicate that almost as much liquor is consumed by the women as by the men.

Is it any wonder that in the forefront of God's great reform message of to-day, now being given to the world, the principles of healthful and temperate living have their place? L. A. S.

Delivered From Cannibals

By W. A. S.

THE China Inland Mission, under the direction of J. Hudson Taylor, has accomplished a great work in the evangelization of the interior provinces. But twenty-five years ago whole provinces were without a missionary. In some, no foreigner was allowed to do evangelistic work. To meet the great need of a progressive policy that should quickly reach the interior with the gospel invitation, the Inland Mission was formed in faith, and has been wonderfully sustained and blessed. As an illustration of the power of prayer for specific needs, this enterprise has been in the missionary field very much what Muller's orphanages, in England, have been in the field of home benevolence.

On his first voyage out to China, as a youth, Hudson Taylor had an experience in the power of prayer for specific deliverance. It was in 1853, when the China seas were infested by pirates, and the islands of the Malay Archipelago inhabited by cannibal savages. The story is told as follows:—

By the way, the ship was becalmed on one occasion in the tropics, and an unfavorable current began to carry them rapidly toward an unfriendly shore. There was not enough wind to move the listless sails, and as the long, hot afternoon wore away, they drew nearer and nearer to what they found by the chart to be a cannibal island. The natives, seeing the straits they were in, lighted their fires, and began to dance around on the beach in eager prospect of the feast they expected so soon. On that boat there were but four Christians—the captain, the carpenter, the colored steward, and Mr. Taylor. Mr. Taylor suggested that each of them should go to his cabin and wait on God for a wind to carry them away from the impending and horrible fate. After a short time of prayer, Mr. Taylor felt that the petition was granted, and coming up on deck said to the first officer,

who was then in charge: “Won't you let loose your mainsail, for a breeze is coming?” With an oath the man replied: “I would rather see a breeze than merely hear of one.”

“And don't you see, away up in the top-sail, a breeze is coming?”

“O, it's nothing but a cat's paw,” the mate replied, as his eye followed Mr. Taylor's upward.

“Cat's paw or not, we might as well take advantage of what there is.”

And as the breeze continued to freshen, the officer very gladly let out his clewed-up sails, and in a short time they were sailing away from the disappointed cannibals at a good many knots an hour.

It was another modern illustration of the fact that “He delivereth and rescueth, and he worketh signs and wonders in heaven and in earth, who hath delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.”

W. A. S.

Note and Comment

SPEAKING of the development of the idea that Sunday observance rests on the fourth commandment and other Sabbath precepts of the Old Testament, which is a feature of the religious history of the reigns of the English sovereigns Elizabeth and James the First, the Church Standard says it is an interesting problem to account for the rapid growth and predominance of this sentiment at that time, since “certainly the English reformers did not claim that the Sabbatical observance of the first day of the week was divinely required by the fourth commandment. Indeed, the appearance of a tendency of opinion in that direction called forth from William Tyndale and others some extravagant remonstrances.”

What was afterward known as the “Puritan Sunday” was not a doctrine of the Reformation at all, but arose from another quarter where faith was not distinguished from fanaticism. The Reformation was right so far as it carried into effect the doctrine of salvation by faith, but it did not go far enough to apply this all-important doctrine to the matter of Sabbath observance; otherwise the sabbath of Rome would have been rejected along with other anti-Biblical institutions of the apostate church. The reviving Sabbath sentiment which followed the Reformation was based upon tradition rather than faith, with the result that a new institution, the Puritan Sunday, was adopted into the church in the place of a return to the Sabbath of the decalogue, the seventh day.

A NEW plague of an alarming character is menacing Cuba, according to reports from the province of Santiago. It is described as a disease which combines the worst symptoms of all the dreaded tropical and coast fevers, and is considered far worse than the bubonic plague. Very few of those attacked survive, and then only when the treatment is prompt and thorough. The only treatment known to be of any avail is to administer frequent large doses of quinine. So virulent is the nature of the disease that those stricken survive only a few hours, during which time the victim suffers extremely. The disease appeared first in Daiquiri, in the province of Santiago, where much American money is invested in iron mines. It has hitherto been unknown to the physicians there, and the people are panic-stricken, and have appealed to the United States for help. By its spread and contagious character the disease now menaces the entire island, and the mainland of America as well. The United States and Cuban governments will, it is said, act together in attempting to cope with this new and unknown peril.

According to the Church Standard, the reign of the late Pope Leo, which the American press has called so brilliant, is not considered so by the Italian church, because “every year of Leo’s pontificate was characterized by the loss of thousands to the church in Italy.” According to this authority the Italian church is becoming more and more opposed to the enforcement of the rule of celibacy; besides which there is “an increasing opinion that confession ought to be made voluntary,” since “one of the least evils” of the confessional “is where a bad or foolish priest endeavors to learn all family affairs, and then uses such knowledge to further his own comfort or schemes.”

In Italy and other Catholic lands the people have a view of the papacy at close range, with the result that in those countries that church is steadily losing ground. In America “distance lends enchantment to the view,” and the result is otherwise. But what the papacy has been in those lands which are now ridding themselves of its yoke, it will prove to be in this country when its hold upon the nation has been made sufficiently secure.

A RAILWAY project has been set on foot in this country, which, if realized, will more than parallel the British project of a “Cape to Cairo” railway. It is proposed to build a line extending from Port Nelson, Hudson’s Bay, south to Galveston, Tex., thence through Mexico, the Isthmus, the United States of Colombia, Ecuador, and through Peru and Argentina to Buenos Ayres, branch lines being contemplated to Rio de Janeiro and Valparaiso. The estimated length of the line is 10,000 miles, and its estimated cost $250,000,000.

J. HUDSON TAYLOR, who has been compelled to retire from the work of general director of the China Inland Mission, on account of failing health, pays this tribute to God’s faithfulness: “If spared to see the autumn of the present year, I shall look back on fifty years since I sailed from Liverpool to China, with grateful acknowledgment for all the way God has led me and for his sustaining and providing bounty, and be able to testify that in no good thing that he has ever led me from his Word to expect has he failed me.”

The Way Into Macedonia

By W. A. S.

So often we meet souls in distress because some cherished plan in the work can not be carried out. The worry and perplexity about the thing that can not be done is sometimes allowed to unfit one for the work that can be done. The world is full of open doors to service. If the way is blocked for a cherished plan, do the next thing.

Paul was meeting success in Phrygia and Galatia, but suddenly the Spirit forbade him to preach in Asia. Then he "assayed to go into Bithynia; but the Spirit suffered them not." He was held back and prevented from carrying out his plan. We are not told what circumstances blocked the way. The apostle might easily have unfitted himself for any service by fretting and worrying about the hedging up of the way, if he had been that kind of man. But when he could not do the thing he had in mind to do, he knew there must be some next thing for him.

Then it was that the call came to go over into Macedonia, and a new and marvelous work was begun in Europe. It is well to remember that the way in Macedonia was opened after other ways were shut up. Is the way closed in one direction? Don’t worry about it. Do the next thing. You will find a Macedonia of need somewhere. The blocking of the path may be but to turn your feet into the road to wider service. W. A. S.

The Company We Keep

“Our success in life depends in large measure upon the character of the men and women we gather about us.”

The Writing on the Wall

“Many a Belshazzar has seen the ominous handwriting on the wall as he made merry over the wine cup.”

God Is Near

Though the way be dark and dreary, God is near; Near to bless, and guide, and keep thee, Do not fear. 'Tis a sweet thought, comfort-giving, What betide, He is present, ever-living, At thy side.

What though cloud and storm o'ertake thee In the night? He'll not leave thee nor forsake thee; He is light! Like a child, thyself confiding In his care, Follow him, in him abiding, All is cheer.

Give thyself entirely to him, Do his will; And thy life the highest mission Will fulfil. Then pursue thy journey onward At his call. 'Tis the path that leads thee homeward After all!

—Christian Intelligencer.

The Work Before Us

By Ellen G. White

MRS. E. G. WHITE

THE people of God are now to pray, and humble their hearts before him. Then they will see all things clearly. It is a heart humiliation that is needed by the people who have in trust so great and important a truth,—a truth that if received and believed, will cleanse the life from all defilement. God's people need to draw near to him, and love as brethren. If Satan can keep at variance those whose hearts should ever be full of kindness and love, on whose lips there should ever be the law of kindness, how pleased he is!

O that God's people had a sense of the impending destruction of thousands of cities, now almost given to idolatry! But many of those who should be proclaiming the truth are accusing and condemning their brethren. When the converting power of God comes upon minds, there will be a decided change. Men will have no inclination to criticize and tear down. They will not stand in a position that hinders the light from shining to the world. Their criticism, their accusing, will cease.

The powers of the enemy are mustering for battle. Stern conflicts are before us. Press together, my brethren and sisters, press together. Bind up with Christ. “Say ye not, A Confederacy, . . . neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid. Sanctify the Lord of hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offense to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken.”

The world is a theater. The actors, its inhabitants, are preparing to act their part in the last great drama. God is lost sight of. With the great masses of mankind there is no unity, except as men confederate to accomplish their selfish purposes. God is looking on. His purposes in regard to his rebellious subjects will be fulfilled. The world has not been given into the hands of men, though God is permitting the elements of confusion and disorder to bear sway for a season. A power from beneath is working to bring about the last great scenes in the drama,—Satan coming as Christ, and working with all deceitfulness of unrighteousness in those who are binding themselves together in secret societies. Those who are yielding to the passion for confederation are working out the plans of the enemy. The cause will be followed by the effect.

Transgression has almost reached its limit. Confusion fills the world, and a great terror is soon to come upon human beings. The end is very near. We who know the truth should be preparing for what is soon to break upon the world as an overwhelming surprise.

John writes: “I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.”

Are we as a people asleep? O if the young men and young women in our institutions who are now unready for the Lord's appearing, unfitted to become members of the Lord's family, could only discern the signs of the times, what a change would be seen in them! The Lord Jesus is calling for self-denying, self-sacrificing workers to follow in his footsteps, to walk and work for him, to lift the cross, and follow where he leads the way.

Many are readily satisfied with offering the Lord trifling acts of service. Their Christianity is feeble. Christ gave himself for sinners. With what anxiety for the salvation of souls we should be filled as we see human beings perishing in sin! These souls have been bought at an infinite price. The death of the Son of God on Calvary's cross is the measure of their value. Day by day they are deciding a question of life and death; deciding whether they will have eternal life or eternal death. And yet men and women professing to serve the Lord are content to occupy their time and attention with matters of little importance. They are content to be at variance with one another. If they were consecrated to the work of the Master, they would not be striving and contending like a family of unruly children. Every hand would be engaged in service. Every one would be standing at his post of duty, working with heart and soul as a missionary of the cross of Christ. The Spirit of the Redeemer would abide in the hearts of the laborers, and works of righteousness would be wrought. The workers would carry with them into their service the prayers and sympathies of an awakened church. They would receive their directions from Christ, and would find no time for contention or strife.

Messages would come from lips touched by a live coal from the divine altar. Earnest, purified words would be spoken. Humble, heart-broken intercessions would ascend to heaven. With one hand the workers would take hold of Christ, while with the other they would grasp sinners and draw them to the Saviour.

Work is what the churches need. They need an unreserved consecration to service. Jesus wept over the obduracy of Jerusalem. Whose hearts break to-day because of the peril of those in darkness? Who among those that have received such great light and such rich gifts mingle their tears with the tears of their Redeemer?

Never can the church reach the position that God desires it to reach until it is bound up in sympathy with its missionary workers. Never can the unity for which Christ prayed exist until spirituality is brought into missionary service, and until the church becomes an agency for the support of missions. The efforts of the missionaries will not accomplish what they should until the church-members in the home field show, not only in word, but in deed, that they realize the obligation resting on them to give these missionaries their hearty support.

God calls for workers. Personal activity is needed. But conversion comes first; seeking for the salvation of others, next.

Spiritual despotism is to lose its hold on souls. Each one is to awake to the necessity of having personal holiness and a personal, living faith. Then will God's work be done. Then will reformations take place. Souls will be rescued from the grasp of selfishness, and in love, patience, and Christian forbearance, will help one another to work for those perishing out of Christ.

Continue reading: Power to Finish the Work