Earlier text: IN THIS ISSUEThe Great Day of the Lord
The expression "the day of the Lord" or "the day of Jehovah," as given in the American Revised Version, is found in a number of places in the Bible. Some very impressive things are said of "the day of the Lord," and it might be well to raise the question, What does this "great day" signify? What is the day of the Lord, and what takes place in that time? The Scriptures, speaking of the event, are our only source of information, and so a few texts will be presented. One from Isaiah reads thus: "Wail ye; for the day of Jehovah is at hand; as destruction from the Almighty shall it come. Therefore shall all hands be feeble, and every heart of man shall melt; and they shall be dismayed; pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman in travail; they shall look in amazement one at another; their faces shall be faces of flame. Behold, the day of Jehovah cometh, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger; to make the land a desolation, and to destroy the sinners thereof out of it. For the stars of heaven and constellations thereof shall not give their light; the sun shall be darkened in its going forth, and the moon shall not cause its light to shine. And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogance of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. I will make a man more rare than fine gold, even a man than the pure gold of Ophir. Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth shall be shaken out of its place, in the wrath of Jehovah of hosts, and in the day of His fierce anger." Isa. 13: 6-13. Iniquity, sin, crime, in all of their multiplied forms, have had their sway in the affairs of this world. Oppression and cruelty have stained the records with untold and indescribable suffering and by the shedding of vast oceans of blood. It has thus been made plain to all the universe what the results of wrong-doing are. And the time comes, according to the foregoing scripture, when the mighty Creator will take things in His own hands to "punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity." He "will cause the arrogance of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible." Then the "day of the Lord" covers the judgment period when wickedness shall meet its doom. In harmony with the foregoing are the following words from the prophet Joel: "Alas for the day! for the day of Jehovah is at hand, and as destruction from the Almighty shall it come." "Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in My holy mountain; let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; for the day of Jehovah cometh, for it is nigh at hand." It is perfectly apparent to all that there are many things in this world that are grossly wrong and wicked, and that they need to be destroyed. This scripture points us to the time when Jehovah shall arise in His majesty to visit "destruction" upon every thing that is out of harmony with the standard of divine righteousness. And note also that our God has ordained the decree that an alarm shall be sounded in regard to that approaching day that will cause "all the inhabitants of the land" to "tremble." Men’s Minds Impressed by the Judgment Decree.
This decree has been blazing out from the word of God in a strikingly strong manner before the men of this generation. And there is a deep impression made by it upon the minds of all. Not merely the ignorant and the naturally superstitious class have been affected, but the most educated and enlightened have an inner consciousness that can not be shaken off that the "great day" is one of the assured events that will certainly occur. Let any unusually great disturbance of nature’s course occur, and immediately is heard the instinctive utterance, "The judgment day is at hand." The God of power has issued the decree, "Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble!" and you may seek to disguise it as you will, yet there is the indisputable fact that this trembling is in the hearts of all men. And, incidentally, this is one of the strongest evidences to you, reader, that God is true, and that His Bible is true, and that He is giving you a message in this very time to prepare for the great judgment day, which is one of the important events in the "day of the Lord." Another scripture upon the subject of the "day of the Lord," giving more of the detail of the events to occur, is the following: "But forget not this one thing, beloved, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness; but is long-suffering to you-ward, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall be dissolved with fervent heat, and the earth and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing that these things are thus all to be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy living and godliness, looking for and earnestly desiring the coming of the day of God, by reason of which the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? But, according to His promise, we look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness." 2 Peter 3: 8-13. In the foregoing text the apostle refers to the "promise" the Lord has made. That this promise is the promise of the "day of the Lord" that will put an end to sin and misery, is made plain by the fact that "the day of the Lord" is immediately referred to as the event that will surely come. Even tho the Lord gave the promise concerning it thousands of years ago, the great day will surely come. The promise of the Lord that is a thousand years old is just as good as the one that is but one day old. The "Lord is not slack concerning His promise." His apparent delay is all for the purpose that men should not perish, but come to repentance. The Earth to Be Dissolved.
In the "day of the Lord," observe that the "heavens shall pass away with a great noise;" observe also that "the elements shall be dissolved with fervent heat, and the earth also," and "the works that are therein shall be burned up." This text from Peter makes it clearly strong that the "earth" and the "heaven" are to "melt," to be "dissolved;" the term "heavens" signifying the atmosphere that surrounds the earth. Such are some of the momentous things that are to take place in the great "day of the Lord." And it is evident upon the face of it, that the term "day" here signifies a period of time. "Abraham rejoiced to see my day," is an expression that the Master used in addressing the people of His time, and any one knows that He had direct reference to the whole period of His life and ministry on earth. The many events to occur in the "day of the Lord" would also show that it covers a period of time. The Earth Not to Be Annihilated.
The earth is to "melt" and to be "dissolved;" "but, according to His promise, we look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness." The dissolving of the earth, then, does not mean its annihilation. This melting, dissolving process reduces the earth to a gaseous condition that burns up all the sin connected with it, and, sin and sinners being thus destroyed, the heavenly Father brings forth the new heaven and the new earth for the dwelling place of the righteous. Another very interesting event is connected with the "day of the Lord." This important event is the millennium. And hence we should inquire, What Is the Millennium? Where Does It Fit into the Great Day of the Lord.
A very plain scripture tells us what we may know of the millennium, and it reads: "And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, the old serpent, which is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and cast him into the abyss, and shut it, and sealed it over him, that he should deceive the nations no more, until the thousand years should be finished; after this he must be loosed for a little time.6"And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them; and I saw the souls of them that had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus, and for the word of God, and such as worshiped not the beast, neither his image, and received not the mark upon their forehead and upon their hand; and they lived, and reigned with Christ a thousand years. The rest of the dead lived not until the thousand years should be finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection; over these the second death hath no power; but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years. Rev. 20: 1-6. Note especially the following points in the foregoing scripture: - An angel lays hold on Satan, binds him, and casts him into the abyss for a thousand years.
- Satan will deceive the nations no more till the thousand years are finished.
- At the close of the thousand years, Satan is loosed for a little season.
- Those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Christ, and who had refused to obey the powers of darkness that sought to lead them into rebellion against God, are seen on judgment thrones, and they live and reign with Christ in this capacity during the thousand years that Satan is bound.
- "The rest of the dead," or those who are not thus reigning with Christ, and who did not have a part in the first resurrection, live not again till the thousand years are finished.
The word rendered "abyss," and that is rendered "bottomless pit" in the Common Version, is the same one that the Septuagint translators chose to give the Greek version of the expression "waste and void," in Gen. 1: 2. The expression in Genesis refers to the earth when it was first spoken into existence; when it was still an unorganized mass of matter, and before God formed it into the thing of beauty that it was when He pronounced His work completed. Hence it would seem that the earth will be shaken back to chaos by the upheavals predicted as signs of the last days and by the further mighty manifestation of power at the coming of Christ that will shake not only earth, but heaven also; and into this chaotic "abyss" Satan will be cast for a thousand years. And there will not be a soul for him to visit or tempt in all that time, for the wicked have all been destroyed by the brightness of His coming (see 2 Thess. 2: 8), and the righteous dead have been raised and the living translated and taken to the New Jerusalem. "The rest of the dead," or those who were wicked, and who were not fit to live and reign with Christ, "lived not till the thousand years should be finished." Satan is also released from his prison at the end of the thousand years, showing that the resurrection of the wicked dead is what releases Satan by giving him back his subjects that served him during their lives; he at once takes charge of them, and, as shown in verses seven to ten of this same chapter from Revelation, he arouses their instincts for war that he had so prominently implanted in their minds during the period of their probationary lives, and proceeds to march against the "camp of the saints." The saints of God, as the Scripture teaches, return to earth along with the New Jerusalem when the wicked dead are raised to life, and thus it is rendered possible for Satan to march his forces against their camp. During this thousand years, the saved of Christ are sitting with Him on thrones of judgment. It would be absurd to say they are judging themselves; and, besides, they have already passed the judgment and are safe with their Lord in glory. Hence the only persons left for them to judge during this period are the wicked who are locked in death, awaiting the second resurrection, and Satan and his evil angels who are aimlessly roving in the abyss of this chaotic earth. If it seems strange to you that the saints of God should be engaged in this sort of judgment work, read the following from the Bible, and think upon the reasonableness of it: "I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the Most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom." Dan. 7: 21, 22. The Scriptural interpretation of the foregoing prophecy has been frequently set forth in the pages of this journal, and it will suffice for the present to call attention to the fact that the text directs us to a time when judgment is given to the "saints of the Most High," and this at a time when they are about to take their eternal kingdom. Another text reads: "Know ye not that the saints shall judge the world? And if the world is judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more, things that pertain to this life." 1 Cor. 6: 2, 3. The saints shall judge both the world and angels, as this text plainly states. And the text already quoted from Revelation shows that they will sit on these thrones of judgment during the thousand years of the millennium, and while the wicked are all in their graves awaiting their call to life in the second resurrection. The Confidential Plan of the Judgment
How reasonable and how considerate is this plan of our divine Father! The wicked people with whom His children in all the ages have come in contact are not called to their eternal doom until the righteous are allowed to examine their judgment record. The true and accurate account of all the inner life of each has been kept under the direction of the Lord Himself, and His saints, or righteous ones, are called to examine this record, and to see for themselves just why the Lord has judged as He has in not calling any of the wicked to the honors and joys of the "first resurrection." And even farther than this does our Father take His people into His judgment counsels, Satan and his fallen angels are made to pass before this court review, and the intricate depths of his rebellion and plottings of evil are all exposed before the open tribunal of the redeemed and immortal host. And it will be with the earnest thrill of intelligent enthusiasm that all the redeemed throng will finally in united voice acclaim, "Great and marvelous are Thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are Thy ways, Thou King of saints." Rev. 15: 3. The "day of the Lord" is ushered in by the second coming of Christ in the clouds of heaven. The righteous dead are brought out of their graves in the thrilling joys of the "first resurrection,"—the resurrection to immortality and eternal life,—and the righteous living are immortalized and translated without having to taste death. The wicked, living at the second advent, are slain by the brightness of Christ's coming, and, along with all the wicked who have died before, they remain in the tomb till the second resurrection. And during the thousand years that intervene between these two resurrections, the saints of God sit on thrones of judgment to learn from the records of the court of heaven why the sentence of death is passed upon wicked men and fallen angels. And when this vast tribunal arises from its completed work, and when the wicked dead are brought forth to meet the judgment that has been passed upon them, then are we brought to the grand finale, the kingdom of Christ, upon which the following article briefly treats. T. The Appearing of the Kingdom of Christ in the New Earth
By Asa Oscar Tait
We have the promise that "evil-doers shall be cut off; but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth. For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be; yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be. But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace." Ps. 37: 9-11. And one of the opening utterances of the Master in His Sermon on the Mount was, "Blessed are the meek; for they shall inherit the earth." Matt. 5: 5. The earth is the promised inheritance of the followers of Christ. But it has been temporarily polluted by sin, and so, as seen in the preceding article, it will pass thru its baptism of fire to cleanse it and make it a fitting abode for the righteous. A text from Revelation and another from the epistle of Peter throw additional and corroborative light upon the subject: "And when the thousand years are finished, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall come forth to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to the war; the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they went up over the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city; and fire came down out of heaven, and devoured them." Rev. 20: 7-9. The words from Peter on the same subject read: "For this they wilfully forget, that there were heavens from of old, and an earth compacted out of water and amidst water, by the word of God; by which means the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished; but the heavens that now are, and the earth, by the same word have been stored up for fire, being reserved against the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men." 2 Peter 3: 5-7. The foregoing scriptures taken together are perfectly plain in their statements. They show that it is the Lord's plan to have the righteous inhabit this earth. They show that the earth in its present condition is being reserved for its baptism of fire at the time that ungodly men are to be destroyed. The thorn and the thistle, the disease-laden germ, and every other thing that has cursed this earth because of sin, will all be swept away in the ocean of fire. And when sinners, together with all the effects of sin upon the earth, are burned away, there will come forth, under the masterful power of the Infinite, a new earth, embellished in all the beauty of immortal perfection. For we read following the description quoted from the prophet, in the article preceding this in which he tells of the fire that comes down to devour the hosts of Satan as they encompass the saints, that his view shifts and he says:7 "I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth are passed away; and the sea is no more. And I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of the throne saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He shall dwell with them, and they shall be His peoples, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God; and He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and death shall be no more; neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, any more: the first things are passed away. And He that sitteth on the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And He saith, Write; for these words are faithful and true." Rev. 21: 1-5. What a grand climax this is! The great "day of the Lord," with all its sublime events, has swept away every vestige of sin; the tyranny that has wrought oppression; the violence that has spread terrors; the desolations of wars that have filled heart and home with sadness and wo; the pain-racking sickness; and all the rest of the multitude of evils that have distressed and saddened the hearts of men are forever gone. And unfolded before the redeemed of the Lord is "a new heaven and a new earth." The most beautiful spot that artistic taste has ever developed on this sin-laden earth is but a very feeble conception of the unsullied beauty that shall adorn all that wide domain of the immortal sons of God. In this brief article only a few of the many statements and promises of God concerning the new earth home that He will give His people could be noticed. But it is hoped that enough has been said to set every heart who reads this athrill with an unconquerable desire to be among those that will enter into the possession of our Father's estate. For when that great climax is reached, eternal joy will be upon every head. Mark it! that joy will not be for a brief, passing moment to be followed by days and nights of disappointment and pain, but age upon age will roll on and on and on to swell deeper and higher and stronger the immeasurable emotions of satisfying joy that is vibrant in every soul. Search the Scriptures
By F. D. Starr
THIS epistle is "short and sweet." Of its sweetness we take only a taste. David says: "How sweet are Thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!" 2 John 8 is a sweet morsel of this kind. "Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward." To begin a work and not be able to finish is a sad experience. How unwise to expend all in a line of work, in some enterprise, and then lose all. Thru Christian diligence and earnestness this may be avoided and "we receive a full reward." Happy thought! This epistle is very familiar to those who are interested in the subject of health, for perhaps there is in the entire Bible no more pointed declaration on this subject than is found in verse 2: "Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth." Health, then, is not second in importance to any other blessing. This is a matter too much overlooked by professors of religion today. Christianity includes the proper care of the body as well as of the spirit, and those who are preparing to meet their Lord in peace will seek for a physical as well as a spiritual preparation, that the "whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Thess. 5:23. In Isaiah 58 we are told how that health shall spring forth speedily as a result of benevolence, and obedience to God's commandments, especially the command concerning the Sabbath. The Sabbath was given to man to be a spiritual and physical benefit. The subject of health is a vast one indeed, and if the timely message concerning it, found in this book, may but awaken an interest in this vital question, the reader will be abundantly rewarded for the attention given it. The restoration of health, healing of the body, was inseparably connected with the forgiveness of sins in the work of our Lord when He was upon earth. The matter of diet has much to do with our health. "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." This will go far toward insuring health. F. D. STARR. At a time of great danger Napoleon once gave an order to the pickets stationed at the outposts of his camp not to allow anything to pass them. The long, dark hours of the night wore slowly away, and the faithful sentinels kept close watch for the appearance of an enemy, when, just before daylight, a large dog was seen approaching one of the guard. The animal was ordered back, but, with every demonstration of affection, he persisted in passing the forbidden boundary. True to his trust, the soldier raised his gun and fired, and the poor creature fell dead. The report of the shot echoed along the lines, and the camp was awake in an instant to meet the impending danger. But when it was found to be only a dog, and the missing dog of one of the officers, do you think that sentinel regretted obeying his order?—No, indeed; and when a dead spy was found nicely concealed beneath the skin of the animal, he was doubly thankful that he did his duty. So it may be hard to withstand the temptations that approach in friendly guise but conceal deadly foes; but the only safe way is to meet them with the same firm and unwavering principle which prompted Napoleon's sentinel to do his duty.—Selected. Shall We Know Each Other.
By Bishop Mant
AND shall I e'er again thy features trace,
Beloved friend; thy lineaments review?
Yes: tho the sunken eyes, and livid hue,
And lips compressed, have quenched each lively grace,
Death's triumph; still I recognize the face
Which thine for many a year affection knew:
And what forbids, that, clothed with life anew,
It still on memory's tablet holds its place?—
Tho then thy cheek with deathless bloom be seen,
And rays of splendor wreathe thy sun-like brow,
That change I deem shall sever not between
Thee and thy former self; nor disallow
That love's tried eyes discern thee thru the screen
Of glory then, as of corruption now.
—Bishop Mant. Straight Up Before.
By Max Hill
"AND the people shall go every man straight up before him." Thus the Lord instructed Joshua to do when the walls of Jericho were to be sealed. Not a man was to advance upon the walls, not a man was to shout until just the proper time, when as one man their voices were to be raised in a mighty shout of victory. Then as the walls fell, every man was to go "straight up before him." No one was to look for an easy way. No one was to seek a way that seemed to him to be the better way, but straight up before him, to certain victory. "The wall fell down flat." Nothing else might be expected, for the people had followed the instructions of Jehovah. Having thus followed Him, they found the way miraculously opened before them, and "the people went up into the city, every man straight before him." The record continues, "And they took the city." In this experience are at least two great lessons: a lesson in faith and trust, and a lesson of practical work,—"Go up, every man straight before him." A city has been encompassed many days; the time has come to shout, to shout victory. Walls of superstition, of doubt, of sin, are falling before the shouting band. Go up, every man straight before him. Victory lies before! But victory comes only in God's own way, and tho to us His way may not seem the best, and tho the way our brother may find before him may seem easier than our own, for us there is but one true way—God's way, "every man straight before him." MAX HILL. Dirt, Sunshine, and Water
“Dirt, sunshine, and water make a beautiful rose; when this process can be explained, then we can explain how God can take a piece of useless humanity, which is stumbling along, and by and by translate it into the kingdom of God.” "THE religion of Jesus calls men not to the higher, but to the highest things; . . . He wants our best—He gives His best." HE who was called Jesus the Christ in the flesh was with the Father “before the world was.” John 17:5. His “goings forth have been from of old, from the days of eternity.” Micah 5:2, margin. By Him were created the glorious suns and systems of suns, and countless worlds, wheeling their endless cycles in illimitable space. From His hand came forth all the creatures of intelligence which people these worlds; “without Him was there not anything made that was made.” He not only made all these things, but the same word which called them into being upholds them in their varied paths; “for by Him do all things consist,” and He upholdeth everything “by the word of His power.” In all this He was only exercising His own royal prerogatives,—infinite wisdom, love, and power,—received by inheritance from the Eternal Father. All this was the Godhead manifested thru God the Son. But one of the shining worlds which came forth from His hand in perfection marred that perfection by sin, and from sin came its inevitable results, wo, misery, and death. Man yielded to the Dark One who had rebelled against Heaven, and united with him against God. It would seem, faintly as we can comprehend even “the parts of God’s ways” which are visible to the eye, faintly as we can comprehend the wisdom and love which ordered and established such a home for men, that God’s wisdom and love were exhausted in the creation. But no; their most wonderful manifestation is yet to be revealed. Infinite Pity stooped down to poor, fallen humanity, saw and was touched by his weakness, his wo, and his misery; and Infinite Love became a substitute to die for man, an enemy. Christ “emptied Himself” that God might fill Him with His own fulness, in order that He might show to the rebel world how much God loved them, how terribly they had sinned against that love, and how earnestly God wanted them to return and share that love. All this and more was revealed by our Lord Jesus Christ. His death was but the climax of the sacrifice of all that had gone before. Love and sacrifice marked every step of the way from the first giving of Himself before Christ came to this world, to His words upon the cross, “It is finished,” and His life was offered a ransom for guilty man. But Jesus is not a dead Saviour. His death marked the measure of His love. The mighty Creator of the universe dies for sinful, rebellious man. But He has power as well as love. In emptying Himself He gave room for God to work. “For it pleased the Father that in Him should all fulness dwell.” “For in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.” He laid down His blameless life, but the grave could not hold Him. Acts 2:24. The mightiness of His righteousness triumphed over death, and He arose, a living Redeemer. And now His infinite wisdom, power, and love are exercised for all who will trust Him, who will walk in His paths. Such is the wondrous wisdom of that plan that it can not be overthrown by art, deceit, or subterfuge of all the craft opposed to it, and yet it is so simple that the little child may grasp it. Its wondrous power has triumphed supreme over the prince of opposers. His love transcends all love. Where sin abounds, grace does much more abound. All that He asks is that we shall do as did the eternal Son of God,—yield ourselves, renounce self, and choose Christ, give up the sins, the ambitions, the temptations, the all in all of self, and accept in its stead Christ Jesus. For your best garment, which is “filthy rags,” He will give you His own spotless robe of righteousness; for the ashes of humiliation and disappointment He will give His glorious beauty; for mourning He will give the oil of joy; for the spirit of heaviness He will give the garment of praise; and the crown of thorns we may here wear for His sake will be transformed into a crown of life and glory. “For in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in Him.” “Not in ourselves?”—No; not in ourselves. In ourselves must be emptiness. We can do nothing, we have nothing, we are nothing. In Christ is the fulness, the completeness. All we can do is to believe and choose Christ in preference to self. This is all He asks. All can meet His requirements. What more do we wish? What more can we ask? Wisdom infinite, riches untold and eternal, power all-triumphant, are found in Him. Will you not choose Him? He longs to be all in all to you; will you not let Him? THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES stands for the “old paths.” It knows no other guide to life save the Holy Scriptures. It can find no other moral standard than that spoken of God by His own voice, engraved with His own finger on tables of stone, the Ten Words of His government. Prophets, apostles, and Jesus Christ found that standard sufficient, why is it not sufficient now? THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES knows no other salvation than that of Jesus Christ, the atoning Sacrifice for men, the Saviour of men. Redeemed by His blood, saved by His life, kept by His power—He is an all-sufficient Saviour. In His preexistence, in His incarnation, in His vicarious atonement, in His literal resurrection, in His effective priesthood, in His coming again to gather His own, and to take to Himself His great power and reign, we find “the old paths,” “the good way.” “The old paths” were paths of life to those who walked in them. They developed great, strong, glorious characters. They led from the slime of sin and want and wretchedness and wo and misery of this world to the glorious upland heights of the kingdom of God, where glows the eternal sunshine of His love. They have borne the test of the ages, and not one trusting soul has been deceived. It is God’s living, vitalized truth still, able to create, if necessary, all things needful to the doer of God’s will. “Thus saith Jehovah, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls.” The good way is found in these days, as of yore, in “the old paths.” Blessed are they who heartily respond to the Master’s call. Peaceful, Wise, Harmless.
By T.
IN His commission to His followers, the Master says to them, “Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.” Matt. 10:16. If ever in the history of the world this injunction of the Master was needed, that time is right now. The world is rapidly filling with violence. Men are becoming more and more turbulent and hot-tempered, and their irritable dispositions are making the times perilous. In view of this situation, Christians must learn to walk in the light of the Lord’s words with particular carefulness. To have the wisdom to stand firmly, unyieldingly, and yet have the docility of the sheep and the harmlessness of the dove, is the clear problem before the follower of Christ. It is very easy to get into heated discussions about the right and wrong of strikes and other broils that the warring factions of society are engaged in. These discussions, dissensions, and strifes may seem very necessary for the men who are wholly of the world, or even for the Christian who has not studied the prophecies of the Bible that he may know the meaning of this turbulence. But the Bible student that has stood under the lamp of prophecy until he knows the meaning of these things and what they will ultimately result in, will see a striking significance in the Saviour’s admonition to seek the wisdom that will enable him to stand with harmless self-possession in the midst of wolfish conditions. The peace of God that passeth all understanding is the only thing that will enable a person to be peaceful and harmless in the midst of warring and violent conditions. And this peace of God can only be secured by a close study of His word, and by carefully and prayerfully and resolutely doing the things that we learn from the study of the inspired Book. The exercise of the fierce destructive instincts of war is the world’s great ideal of the highest type of manly courage and greatness. But that which the Christian seeks to attain is a vastly different and broader courage. His is the courage of gentleness—the gentleness that is so conspicuous in the life of power lived by the Master. The beautiful poetry of the psalm expresses it in9this way: “Thou hast also given me the shield of Thy salvation; and Thy gentleness hath made me great.” The greatness of gentleness must ever be the Christian’s lofty aim. This has always been the only right course; and in these times of extreme peril it is doubly true that it is the only safe course. T. The California Sunday-Law Advocate Again.
By Editor
Is it ignorance or blindness or misunderstanding? We have taken occasion at different times to notice some of the arguments or reasons of the California Christian Advocate for its advocating of a Sunday law. We have endeavored to do this courteously and Christianly. We have pointed out some of the gross errors and mistakes which that paper has made, not in theories which the editor would probably in nowise admit, but in facts. It has seemed to us that Christian courtesy, to say nothing of ordinary journalistic ethics, would have led him to say that he was probably mistaken in the statements which were made, and that the alleged facts were utterly denied; but not one word of this; in no way has he attempted to answer the arguments against a Sunday law. With colossal egotism he represents Seventh-day Adventists who have opposed the law as being "childishly stubborn." In the issue of April 18 it declared, "We can't make out these good people. We can not see how they can line up with all the saloons, the race tracks, the gamblers, the toughs, the hoodlums, and exploit all rascaldom for signatures against a day of rest and religious education and have the face to ever mention the 'Gospel of Jesus Christ.'" In the first place, all rascaldom has not been exploited "for signatures against a day of rest and religious education." Not one single thing has been done in any way against the editor or his friends and associates keeping Sunday and educating the people so far as the people will listen to them. We would not use one single grain of force to compel them to do otherwise, but we do deny their right to compel others who do not believe their way to act as tho they did. In the second place, the signatures sent by the opponents of the recently defeated Sunday amendment in the California Legislature were from all classes of citizens. They included first-day keepers almost wholly, members of churches of all kinds. Presumably there were among them Methodist ministers. There certainly were Baptist ministers. There may have been saloon-keepers' names. No special effort, however, was put forth to secure them, nor any class as a class. We do not know of any persons at all who signed the petition who were saloon men or race track habitues or gamblers. Many of this class belong to the Roman Catholic Church, however, from whom the Advocate received its Sunday, a purely pagan institution, baptized into a perverted Christianity. Thirdly, the Gospel of Jesus Christ which we preach has first of all to do with truth. He Himself was incarnate truth. He Himself observed the seventh day. He Himself taught that there was no connection between God and Cæsar, that civil government had nothing to do with religion. He Himself was charged with being the friend and associate of publicans and sinners. Judging from what He did when here upon the earth, we can easily understand that He would be placed in durance vile very quickly by some of the rigid Sunday laws as an enemy of the State if He walked the earth now as He did eighteen centuries ago. The editor of the Advocate need not worry. There will come a time when sufficient pressure is brought to bear, that will bring all the toughs and hoodlums and similar classes with him on the Sunday-law question. Men without conscience are bound to take the path of least resistance. We hope by that time the editor's conscience will lead him to follow Christ.