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Review and Herald, Vol. 91, No. 19.

WHAT TO DO FIRST

Review and Herald

May 7, 1914

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · May 7, 1914

WHAT TO DO FIRST

To Abort a Felon

Cover the end of the finger with a cloth or with absorbent cotton saturated with alcohol,

Measles and Scarlet Fever

THE following treatment of measles (and also of scarlet fever) has been used with ex-

Special Exercise, Recreation, and School Gardens Number

The Proverb, "All Work and No Play Makes Jack a Dull Boy," Should Be Heeded by Old as Well as Young; for It Expresses a Great Physical Law
OTHER MAY FEATURES
The Shrunken School Ground — Function of Play — Frequent Cause of Back Strain — Mountain Climbing as an Exercise — The Nerve Garden — Menus for a Week in May — Disease Transmission — Spread of Infectious Diseases — Animal and Vegetable Fat — Tuberculosis From Milk — Indigestion — Questions and Answers Department, etc.
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LIFE AND HEALTH • Washington, D. C.

A FREQUENT CAUSE OF BACK STRAIN

DELILA B. DERRICK
Get That "Johnnycake" Recipe, Page 221
A FEW OF THE HELPFUL DEPARTMENTS IN THE MAY "LIFE AND HEALTH." SELLING FAST!

The Health Institute

By Ellen G. White

Early Counsels on Medical Work—No. 6

The Health Institute

MRS. E. G. WHITE
IN the vision given me Dec. 25, 1865, I saw that the health reform was a great enterprise, closely connected with the present truth, and that Seventh-day Adventists should have a home for the sick, where they could be treated for their diseases, and also learn how to take care of themselves so as to prevent sickness.
I saw that our people should not remain indifferent upon this subject, and leave the rich among us to go to the popular water cure institutions of the country for the recovery of health, where they would find opposition to, rather than sympathy with, their views of religious faith. Those who are reduced by disease, suffer not only for want of physical but also of mental and moral strength; and afflicted, conscientious Sabbath keepers cannot receive as much benefit where they feel that they must be constantly guarded lest they compromise their faith and dishonor their profession, as at an institution whose physicians and conductors are in sympathy with the truths connected with the third angel's message. . . .
I saw that a very extensive work could not be accomplished in a short time, as it would not be an easy matter to find physicians whom God could approve, and who would work together harmoniousy, disinterestedly, and zealously for the good of suffering humanity. It should ever be kept prominent that the great object to be attained through this channel is not only health, but perfection and the spirit of holiness, which cannot be attained with diseased bodies and minds. This object cannot be secured by working merely from a worldling's standpoint. God will raise up men and qualify them to engage in the work, not only as physicians of the body, but of the sin-sick soul, as spiritual fathers to the young and inexperienced. . . .
As to the extent of the accommodations of the Health Institute, . . . I was shown, as I have before stated, that we should have such an institution, small at its commencement, and cautiously increased, as good physicians and helpers could be procured and means raised, and as the wants of invalids should demand; and all should be conducted in strict accordance with the principles and humble spirit of the third angel's message. And as I have seen the large calculations hastily urged by those who have taken a leading part in the work, I have felt alarmed, and in many private conversations and in letters I have warned these brethren to move cautiously. My reasons for this are that without the special blessing of God, there are several ways in which this enterprise might be hindered, for a time at least, any one of which would be detrimental to the institution, and an injury to the cause. Should the physicians fail, through sickness, death, or any other cause, to fill their places, the work would be hindered till others were raised up; or should means fail to come in when extensive buildings were in process of erection, and the work stop, capital would be sunk, and a general discouragement would come over all interested; also there might be a lack of patients to occupy present accommodations, consequently a lack of means to meet present expenses. With all the efforts in every department, put forth in a correct and judicious manner, and with the blessing of God, the institution will prove a glorious success, while a single failure in any one direction might sooner or later prove a great injury. . . .
The health reform is closely connected with the work of the third message, yet it is not the message. Our preachers should teach the health reform, yet they should not make this the leading theme in the place of the message. Its place is among those subjects which set forth the preparatory work to meet the events brought to view by the message; among these it is prominent. . . . Our people should furnish means to meet the wants of a growing Health Institute among us, as they are able to do without giving less for the other wants of the cause. Let the health reform and the Health Institute grow up among us as other worthy enterprises have grown, taking into the account our feeble strength in the past, and our greater ability to do much in a short period of time now. Let the Health Institute grow, as other interests among us have grown, as fast as it can safely, and not cripple other branches of the great work which are of equal or greater importance at this time. . . .
The health reform is a branch of the special work of God for the benefit of his people. I saw that in an institution established among us, the greatest danger would be of its managers departing from the spirit of the present truth, and from that simplicity which should ever characterize the disciples of Christ. A warning was given me against lowering the standard of truth in any way in suchan institution, in order to help the feelings of unbelievers, and thus secure their patronage. The great object of receiving unbelievers into the institution is to lead them to embrace the truth. If the standard is lowered, they will get the impression that the truth is of little importance, and they will go away in a state of mind harder of access than before. . . .
God would have a health institution established which will in its influence be closely connected with the closing work for mortals fitting for immortality; one that will have no tendency to weaken the religious principles of old or young, and which will not improve the health of the body to the detriment of spiritual growth. The great object of this institution should be to improve the health of the body, that the afflicted may more highly appreciate eternal things. If this object is not continually set before the mind, and efforts are not made to this end, it will prove a curse instead of a blessing, spirituality will be regarded as a secondary thing, and the health of the body and diversion will be made primary.

The Harp of Life

By Worthie Harris Holden

WORTHIE HARRIS HOLDEN
Perhaps if life were one glad, blitheful day, The sun ne'er clouded with a veil of sorrow, Our centered self would while its hours away Without a thought or care of the tomorrow.
So God in love permits the storms to rise, And, brooding o'er the chaos of our grieving, He forms a world of beauty to surprise The hearts that fain earth trials would be leaving.
Then from the harp of life the chords resound Of sympathy and love for fellow being; The minor tones of heart compassion found Exceed the gleeful notes of pleasure-seeing.
And heaven lends a Pilot and a Star To guide us in our dismal-day endeavor, Cheered by the vision of the land afar Where sorrow nevermore our joys can sever.
Portland, Oregon.

Oneness Must Precede a Revival

By W. R. Uchtmann

W. R. Uchtmann
"And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one." John 17:22.
The first indication of an answer to this prayer was at Pentecost. This was the former rain. The full answer will be the latter rain, the manifestation of which will be witnessed by the remnant church in the condition of oneness.
While Peter, James, and John were in the mount with the Lord, when he was transfigured before them, the other nine disciples tried to heal a young man possessed of a devil. They were unsuccessful. We read in "The Desire of Ages" that this was because they were jealous because Jesus had not invited them to go up into the mountain with the other three; and they began to strive among themselves for the highest place. How could God give healing power to men in this condition?
The first step to oneness with Christ is into death, before there can be any resurrection power. Paul knew this well, when he wrote as follows: "I am dead;" "I am crucified;" "I die daily," etc. This was a real experience with him, and he demonstrated that the beautiful resurrection plant only grows on the grave of its possessor. The oneness is in the resurrection with Christ, and one another.
There is a very instructive lesson in Ezekiel 37. After the prophet viewed the dead bones, and God's divine plan of raising them, he was told to take two sticks. These showed the divided state of Israel. Sticks, or scepters, were used by rulers as a sign of their kingly authority. It was so in Esther's day, and it is so now. Each king has his scepter. But in Gen. 49:10 we read both a promise and a warning: "The scepter shall not depart from Judah." Christ came through Judah. The two sticks were next seen in the hand of the prophet, and lo, they became one. In verse 19 we see that the church in the hand of God will become one. This is the very work the remnant church is doing; namely, bringing the true believers back into the good old paths, under the banner of Prince Immanuel, which means the keeping of the commandments, and having the spirit of prophecy, for the two sticks first became one in the hand of the prophet. Compare Eze. 37:19-24 with John 10:16. Let us pray earnestly for the hastening of this event.
Boston, Mass.

The Biblical Doctrine of Predestination

By L. L. Caviness

L. L. CAVINESS
THE recent study of Romans in the Sabbath school lessons has many times brought to mind that which Peter said of Paul's writings: "In which [Paul's writings] are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction." 2 Peter 3:16. One of the scriptures of which this is very true is Rom. 8:29, 30: "For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified." To interpret this scripture to mean that God predestinates some people to be saved, and that he predestinates others to be lost, is certainly to wrest the scripture to one's own destruction; for one is led to decide either that God has predestined him to be saved, so that no matter what he may do he will be saved anyway, or that he is predestined to be lost, and so gives up all hope and plunges recklessly into sin. Either interpretation is to the interpreter's own destruction.
Let us therefore consider the real meaning of this text. One of the best ways is to consider the real meaning of the five Greek words here translated "foreknow," "predestinate," "call," "justify," "glorify." We should first, however, consider the context of the scripture we have before us. We have been told that the Spirit of God in us prays in us more than the words we are led to utter in prayer. Verse 26. It prays that God's will be done in us; and God, knowing this, understands the prayer though not expressed in words. Verse 27. We know, as we love him, that all that he wills to send us is for our good. Verse 28. The context suggests that the next verses should tell what God's will is. Let us see.
The Greek word here translated "foreknow" is προγινώσκω. To find the meaning of this word, it is not altogether safe to be satisfied with consulting a Greek dictionary or with reading what some commentator says the word means.
The commentator may have some theological dogma to uphold, and the Greek dictionary may give the usual classical Greek meaning for the word, but that may not be the way it has been used in the Bible. We all recognize that the meanings of English words have changed with time and environment. It is equally true of the Greek.
We shall, then, consider how the word is used in the Scriptures. It occurs in the following five places, which we quote: (1) 1 Peter 1:20: "Who [Christ] verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you." Yet we understand that Christ, though foreordained as a Lamb, was free to refuse to be slain, even to the very last; (2) 2 Peter 3:17: "Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness." Here believers foreknow but are warned that they may be led away and fall; (3) Rom. 8:29, which is the text under discussion; (4) Rom. 11:2: "God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew." Certainly no one would claim that every Jew will be saved, even though God did "foreknow" the whole nation; (5) Acts 26:5: "Which [all the Jews] knew me from the beginning, if they would testify, that after the most straitest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee." Truly the Jews' foreknowledge of Paul's carefulness as a Pharisee, in no sense bound Paul to continue to be a Pharisee, either strict or not strict.
The Greek word translated in our text "predestinate" is προορίζω. This word occurs in the following four places: (1) 1 Cor. 2:7: "But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory." Here it is not persons but wisdom that is "predestinated;" (2) Acts 4:28: "For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done." The twenty-seventh verse shows that what is referred to is the method of Christ's death; (3) Rom. 8:29, 30, which is again the text under discussion; (4) Eph. 1:5-11: "Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, . . . in whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will." But we know that he wills that every one should be a free moral agent, able to receive or reject the salvation that he offers.
Let us next consider whom God calls. In John 1:9 we are told that Christ comes as the true light to "every man that cometh into the world." Again, in Rev. 3:20 we read: "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." Ezekiel is commanded: "Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord God,I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways." Eze. 33:11. Paul himself says in another epistle: "For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth." 1 Tim. 2:3, 4. Many other texts might be cited to show that God's call is to every one, and only those who refuse to hear it will be lost. It almost seems a blasphemy against God to suggest that he predestinates any to be lost, or fails to call every one.
Next, for how many does God provide justification? John the Baptist said, "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." Paul in this very book of Romans says, "By the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life." Rom. 5:18. Of course not all accept this justification, but God provided it for all. Christ bore the sins of all the world on the cruel tree. By Christ's death the penalty of the sins of all was met, and they have but in faith to claim the justification thereby provided.
Now the fifth word, glorify, comes from the Greek δοξάζω. This word is used more than fifty times in the New Testament. Of these more than thirty refer to man glorifying God. Paul uses the word ten times.
In none of these cases does the word glorify refer to giving eternal life; it rather seems to give the general idea of showing honor. In most of the instances this is honor shown by men to God. Now in what way does God show men honor? I think all will agree that the greatest honor that God has shown humanity is in giving his own Son to be our elder brother, and to remain one of us, a man yet God, through all eternity; even as expressed in our text, "That he might be the first-born among many brethren." If all would only accept this relationship to Christ! He died that all might become children of God and joint heirs with himself.
To summarize in conclusion: God knows all things and all persons before they come into existence. The goal or destiny he prearranges for all is a conformity to the image of his own Son. After bringing them into existence, he calls each one to consent to the working out of this plan. Christ died to provide justification to every one. In doing so he honors men by becoming a man and our brother, while still the Son of God. Will not all be led to exclaim with Paul, "What shall we then say to these things?" If God has this plan for all, who can hinder any from being saved if only of his free will he accepts the plan?

The Righteousness of Christ

By C. P. WHITFORD

C. P. WHITFORD
ThE righteousness that will be accepted when the Lord comes is the "righteousness of God," and God's righteousness can only be obtained by faith. The gospel is "the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth;" it is the gospel that makes manifest the righteousness of God, and by the gospel the fruits of righteousness (which is right doing) are made to appear in the life of the believer.
He that is born of God overcomes the world through faith. It is faith that lays hold of the mighty power of God; and his power alone does the work; or, in other words, we are enabled to do that which only the power of God working through us can do. How the power of God can work in a man accomplishing that which he could not possibly do for himself, no one can tell. It would be as easy to tell how God can give life to the dead. How the Spirit works in a man to subdue his passions, and to make him victorious over pride, envy, and selfishness, is known only to the Spirit. It is sufficient for us to know that it is done, and will be done in every one who wants, above all things else, that work wrought in him, and who trusts in God for the performance of it.
It is not within any man's power to do righteousness, even though he wants to. Listen to Paul: "For I know that in me . . . dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do." Paul here tells us that it is utterly impossible for him to do good. He also teaches, in Rom. 7:17, that when he did that which he did not want to do it was not he himself that did it. Do you ask me who it was that did the evil? Paul answers this: "If then I do that which I would not, . . . it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me." Was it sin, then, that did the works, or was it Paul? Accepting Paul's word, we must acknowledge that it was sin which did the works, and not he himself. In view of Paul's deplorable condition, trying to do righteousness but failing every time, he exclaims, "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" Is there no deliverance from the bondage of sin?—Yes, there is complete deliverance. Where can it be found?—Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Rom. 7:25.
Paul had been a servant of sin. His members had been used as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin. He was the servant of Satan, whom he obeyed (Rom. 6:16); he was free from righteousness (Rom. 6:20), and yet he was blameless touching the law. But when he came to believe in Christ—accept of Christ as his Saviour—when he had lost all confidence in himself and his ability to keep the commandments of God, and looked away from self to Jesus as the one who was able to keep them perfectly for him, then it was that he became justified by faith. "His faith is counted for righteousness." Rom. 4:5. Doing the law himself, the reward would be of debt, and not of grace. "Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith."
"Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law." Rom. 3:27, 31. To make the law void is to show by the life that it is considered of no consequence. To make the law of God void is to break it; but the law itself remains the same, whether it is kept or not. Making it void affects only the individual. Therefore, when the apostle says that we do not make void the law of God by faith, he means that faith establishes the law in the heart. It is faith itself that obeys or keeps the law. "Faith is the substance of things hoped for." If the thing hoped for be righteousness, faith establishes it.
Paul said that it was sin dwelling in him that caused him to do the things he would not. He said that he himself could not do the things he wanted to do. Then what power was it in Paul that caused him ever to do good? Listen to this extract taken from his letter to the Hebrew brethren, as recorded in Heb. 13:20, 21: "Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, . . . make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory forever and ever."
We must all acknowledge, with Paul, that it is not in us to do good works, "for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I." Rom. 7:15. It is manifestly impossible for us to do good works, and yet we must do good works, for we are to be judged by our works. Do you say this is a contradiction, that it is paradoxical, that you cannot understand it? Who can understand the mystery of godliness, Christ manifest in the flesh? The whole plan of salvation is a mystery that none of us can fathom, yet there are many who profess to believe it. But, alas! where is the faith that actually works by love?
For many years we have been wanting to do good, trying to do good, and all these years there has been a law in our members that when we would do good, evil was present with us, and so we have concluded that if we do the best we can, such doing will satisfy the requirements of God. But is this true? Will it be safe to settle down upon the belief that if we do the best we can we shall be saved? The promise of a home in the kingdom of God depends upon implicit obedience to all the commands of God. "Here are they that keep the commandments of God." Rev. 14:12. "Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city." Rev. 22:14. "Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in." Isa. 26:2. "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my father which is in heaven." Matt. 7:21.We are in an utterly lost and ruined condition. We are not able to help ourselves, and yet we must avail ourselves of the means provided for our salvation. We must do that which only the power of God working through us can do, and in so doing we are doing better than we can do. We are doing the impossible. It is impossible for a man to walk on water, yet Peter did it when he exercised faith in Jesus. Since all power in heaven and earth is in the hands of Christ, and this power is at our disposal, even Christ himself coming to dwell in the heart by faith, there is no room for finding fault with God for requiring us to do the impossible. For the things which are impossible with men are possible with God. Luke 18:27. Therefore we may boldly say, "The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me." Heb. 13:6.
What remains for us to do?—Simply choose whether or not we will let God work in us that which is good. God never invades the freedom of the will. I, as an individual, am left free to choose whether I will yield my members as instruments of righteousness unto God, or as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin. Rom. 6:13. If I have completely emptied myself of self, if I have surrendered every power of my being unto God, then, and not till then, will he come in and take full possession of my very being. When he does this, then he can use me to do righteousness, so it is proper for me to say, Now if I keep the commandments, it is no more I that keep them, but Christ that dwelleth in me. See Rom. 6:20. The fruits of righteousness, or right doing, are the result of my having yielded all that I am, have, and are, to God, and so the power is all of God and not of me. Through me he has kept the commandments. I can say as did my blessed Saviour, "I can of mine own self do nothing" (John 5:30), "but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works." John 14:10. Thus it is that God lives in us to will and to direct all our understandings, and thus it is that God himself does the work through us.
This gives to Christ all the glory of our salvation. We have no part of the purchase price to pay. It is only when we understand this that we can catch the inspiration of Paul, and say with him, "God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ." The apostle realized what his words meant when he said, "For I am determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ and him crucified." He knew that it meant the surrender of every power of his being to the service of God.
When we as completely yield ourselves to God as we have in the past yielded to Satan, then definite results will be seen in our characters and lives. We well may be compared to an instrument. What it will do depends entirely upon the one in whose hands it is. There is, however, this difference between us and an instrument: We have the will or power to choose who shall use us. But it is not in our power to do the work, and yet we are commanded to keep the commandments of God, and we must keep them if we are saved, and all this time we are helpless to do the very thing we are commanded to do. If I am an instrument in the hands of God, he cannot use me to do evil works, nor can he permit me to do evil as long as I remain in his hands. If I am kept from doing evil, he must keep me, because I cannot keep myself. But he wants to keep me from evil, for he has shown his desire, and also his power to fulfill his desire in giving himself for me. Therefore as long as I keep my eyes upon him I shall be kept from evil.
"Now unto him who is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen." Jude 24, 25.
Orlando, Fla.

Talking in Unknown Tongues

By Eliza H. Morton

ELIZA H. MORTON
MUCH is being said in these days about the gift of tongues, and there are many manifestations of what is unmistakably supernatural, and on the surface appears to be from God.
The Bible clearly states that devils have the power to do miracles; that they sometimes cause men to speak in unknown tongues has been manifest. A writer in a well-known periodical says in describing missionary work in the Orient, "We have positive proof that demons as well as the Spirit cause speaking in tongues." He then relates an instance of a man thus speaking, never mentioning the name of Christ, and becoming very angry when his words were tested by the Bible.
Some of these Spiritualistic mediums, for they are such, even though denying the name, use vile and profane language, interspersed with exhortations to holiness and confession of sin; others are more careful in their verbal expressions, and acknowledge that Christ came in the flesh, even as did some of old times. A hypnotic power usually accompanies these manifestations.
When one comes in contact with what claims to be this gift, it is well to inquire,—
1. How was it obtained—by personally agonizing and struggling to obtain it, or did it come through the instrumentality of the Spirit itself? 1 Cor. 12:11.
2. Was it given for service (Acts 2:11), and is it of use in foreign lands?
3. To what does it call attention—to the gift or to a special message? John 1:23.
4. Is it manifest when many unbelievers are present? 1 Cor. 14:22.
5. Are its teachings in harmony with those of the Bible? Isa. 8:20.
6. What is the daily life of the one who speaks the unknown tongue? Matt. 5:13.
The answers to these questions will help the investigator to determine the source and origin of the gift manifested.

Maryland, the Land of Religious Liberty

By C. E. HOLMES

C. E. HOLMES

It is plainly taught by encyclicals of the popes that freedom to believe whatever the conscience dictates is a serious error. Whenever anything is said questioning the position of the Roman Church in regard to religious liberty, Catholics immediately refer to the early history of Maryland. It is claimed that Lord Baltimore, a Roman Catholic, was the first to give religious liberty in this country. As a contribution to this controversy, we quote the following statement from a man who was in a position to know whereof he spoke:—
“Even in Maryland, so loudly praised for freedom of opinion in religion, this worse than Draconian code was enacted in 1649, in ‘An act concerning religion:’—
“ ‘Be it ordained and enacted by the Right Honorable Cecilius, lord baron of Baltimore, with the advice and consent of the General Assembly, that whatsoever person within this province shall blaspheme God, that is, curse him, or shall deny our Saviour Jesus Christ to be the Sonne of God, or shall deny the Holy Trinity, the Father, Sonne, and Holy Ghost, or the Godhead of any of the said three persons of the Trinity, or the Unity of the Godhead, or shall utter any reproachful speeches, words, or language concerning the said Holy Trinity, or any of the said three persons thereof, shall be punished with death, and confiscation of all his land and goods to the Lord Proprietor and his heires.’
“This act proceeds to provide that if any one shall disturb or molest any person professing to believe in Jesus Christ, for or in respect of his religion, or the free exercise thereof, such offender shall pay treble damages to the person so wronged or molested, besides the sum of twenty shillings sterling in money, one half to the lord proprietor and the other half to the party wronged or molested.
“Thus we find this so-called ‘act of toleration,’ which punished by fine any one who interfered with another’s free exercise of his religion, also punished with death any one who preferred to doubt the doctrine of the Trinity, or the Godhead of Christ. It gave religious freedom with one hand, and took it away with the other [italics mine]. Need we wonder that it was called by some ‘a cursed intolerable toleration’?”—Ainsworth R. Spafford, LL. D., librarian of Congressional Library (1864-97). Read before the Washington Academy of Sciences, April 15, 1899, and printed in the Proceedings Washington Academy of Science, January, 1900. Printed in the government report of the “Celebration of the One Hundredth Anniversary of the Establishment of the Seat of Government in the District of Columbia, 1800-1900,” page 232.

All the Members Suffer

By C. M. S.

THE unity of the whole family of heaven as well as of the household of faith on earth is beautifully expressed by many scriptures, but perhaps by none more distinctly than by this: "And whether one member suffereth, all the members suffer with it; or one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now ye are the body of Christ, and severally members thereof." 1 Cor. 12: 26, 27.
Paul uses the illustration of the human body to impress more strikingly the vital connection between the several members of the household of faith. The hand is hurt, and in that hurt the body is injured. A limb is crushed, and in that crushing the whole physical organism suffers. An internal organ ceases to function properly, and at once the body is sick.
So with the body of Christ on earth, and so with the family of God in heaven and throughout the universe. When one of our physical members is injured, we do all we can to restore it. If it is a vital organ, we may even expend all our substance to bring it back to the condition it was in before the injury took place.
When the human race, members of God's household, fell into the pit of sin and received the fearful injury which came therewith, the whole family of heaven suffered. This race was a member of God's household; and as this member suffered, all the members suffered with it. At once Heaven set about it to do all that even Heaven could do to bring about restoration. How close home it came to the divine Head of the heavenly family must be judged by what was done to restore the injured member and "heal the wound that sin had made." And "God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life."
And did not Heaven suffer?—Heaven not only suffered in the injury to the race, but gave life—the life of God's own Son—to mollify the wound and heal the hurt. God could have said, Cut off that rebellious race and cast their world out into the blackness of nothingness. Or he could have spoken the word, and man and the world that was given him for his abode would have been consumed in the fires of his vengeance. But no; he preferred restoration rather than destruction. It is to the eternal glory of his name that he chose to win man back rather than cut him off in his folly and blot him out of existence.
This effort of the Almighty to save his universe from disruption and to save man from the consequences of his own unwise choosing ought to fill our hearts with love; ought to make us feel that heaven is near; that God has not turned his face away from us, but instead is reaching out after us to encircle us in the arms of his love.
And that is why Inspiration beseeches us "by the mercies of God" that we present our bodies a "living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God," which is our "reasonable service." That is why Inspiration urges that we "be not conformed to this world" but be "transformed" by the renewing of our mind, and "prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." Rom. 12: 1, 2.
The mind of him who has been "sold under sin" must needs be transformed if it would express in any degree the purpose of the sinless and sin-hating but sin-pardoning God. To be conformed to this world means either to love the ways of the world and walk in them, or to walk in the ways of the world because of a desire in our hearts to stand well in the eyes of the world.
But being transformed is something entirely different. That takes hold ofthe very life of an individual. It means such a change in the individual that he will hate what once he loved, and love what once he hated. It is accomplished by the renewing of the mind through the work of the Holy Spirit. It means letting "this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus," who humbled himself; who made his life a sacrifice; who took our sins upon him that we might take his righteousness upon us; who was formed in the image of man that we might be re-formed in the image of God.
When that work has been wrought in us, then we prove what is "that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God," by expressing that will in our lives. We do what God would have us do, because our will is surrendered to God's will, and God's will is operating our members to accomplish his purpose, instead of our own will operating our members to oppose and thwart his purpose.
When we are in that condition, there is no breach between us and God; the injured member has been restored, and Heaven ceases to suffer on account of the injury of that member. That puts us in the channel of God's purpose, and he can use us to his glory.
When all have been saved who will accept the salvation offered by the Saviour of men, the wound that sin has made will be healed. And when this world has been purified by fire, and, in all the splendor of its restoration, has become the eternal home of the redeemed, the wounded race will have been restored, and the injured world itself will have been healed of its hurt. The open sore of sin will be healed forever. No member of the body of Christ, no member of the family of heaven, no member of God's household of inhabited worlds, will be suffering or causing others to suffer with it. That is the glorious prospect that looms bright before the faithful follower of our God. In the hope of that healing we find hope and peace and comfort which the world cannot give and cannot take away.
C. M. S.
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