ALL false religions are more or less defective in the following respects: They ignore morals as an essential part of religion, as in the rude polytheisms of Africa and Asia; or they depreciate them to a secondary or inferior position by the prominence given to ritual or ceremony, as in Hinduism; or they give them a high place in sentiment, and ignore them in practise, from various causes, as in Buddhism; or they adopt a partial code of morals, and weaken even it by false principles and sentiments, as in Mohammedanism. The poverty, unrest, and suffering prevalent in every non-Christian country are indescribable.—E. Storrow.
Mohammedanism, Brahmanism, Buddhism, Taoism, Shintoism, and Confucianism are the principal false faiths with which Christianity has to contend. They have many characteristics in common, the most prominent of which is that they offer their followers salvation by works alone. They are all alike religions of fear. They are only to a slight degree ethical. They are destitute of the missionary spirit. They do not furnish a sufficient basis of general integrity and public confidence for the carrying out of extended schemes, benevolent or financial, or for the administration of justice. They make on their followers large demands of time and money, and give them back practically nothing. They have fallen far below the standard which they themselves set up in the beginning. The best forms of heathen religion, as they now stand, are lifeless and impotent.—Christian Missions.
Bible Society Work in Cuba and Porto Rico
DECEMBER 31, the American Bible Society (New York) issued a statement to its constituency, based on a recent visit to Cuba and Porto Rico by the Rev. John Fox, D. D., one of its secretaries, in the interests of the society. Dr. Fox expresses himself as greatly encouraged by his observations of the social and religious conditions on both islands, as affording an open door for Protestant Christianity. In Porto Rico, he says, there is a wonderful readiness to hear American Protestant ministers, and in both islands abundant opportunities for the circulation of the Scriptures, for which there is an increasing demand.
The efforts of the American civil and military authorities have manifestly resulted in a great improvement both in sanitary and moral conditions, making all other forms of effort both safer and more likely to be successful. Dr. Fox visited several of the schools established through government authority, and was very much impressed with the thoroughness and admirable character of the work done.
The Rev. Dr. Donald McLaren is now to take up the work of the American Bible Society in Porto Rico, and it will be pushed more vigorously than ever in both islands.
Make Thy Garden Fair
By Robert Collyer
Go, make thy garden fair as thou canst,
Thou workest never alone;
Perchance he whose plot is next to thine,
Will see it, and mend his own.
—Robert Collyer.
26 “But an angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down 27 from Jerusalem unto Gaza; the same is desert. And he arose and went: and behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was over all her treasure, who had come to Jerusalem for worship; and he was returning and sitting in his chariot, and 29 was reading the prophet Isaiah. And the Spirit said unto 30 Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot. And Philip ran to him, and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and 31 said, Understandest thou what thou readest? And he said, How can I, except some man shall guide me? And he besought Philip to come up and sit with him. Now the place of the Scripture which he was reading was this,
He was led as a sheep to the slaughter;
And as a lamb before his shearer is dumb,
So He openeth not His mouth;
33 In His humiliation his judgment was taken away:
His generation who shall declare?
For His life is taken from the earth.
34 And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other? 35 And Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this scripture, preached unto him Jesus. And as they went on the way, they came unto a certain water; and the eunuch saith, Behold, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? 37 And Philip said, If thou believest with all thy heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the 38 Son of God. And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they both went down into the water, both Philip and the 39 eunuch; and he baptized him. And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip; and the eunuch saw him no more: for he went on his way rejoicing. 40 But Philip was found at Azotus: and passing through he preached the Gospel to all the cities, till he came to Caesarea.”
Golden Text.—“With the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”Rom. 10:10.
SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS.
(1) What message came to Philip at Samaria? Verse 26. (2) How did he respond? Whom did he meet on the way? Verse 27. Note 1. (3) In what was this man specially engaged? Verse 28. Note 2. (4) What further message did Philip have from the Spirit? Verse 29. Note 3. (5) Then what did Philip do? What did he hear? What did he say? Verse 30. (6) What was the man's reply? Verse 31. Note 4. (7) In what place in the Scripture was he reading? Verses 32, 33. Note 5. (8) What question did the eunuch ask Philip? Verse 34. (9) How did Philip reply to this inquiry? Verse 35. (10) How did the man manifest his acceptance of the truth? Verse 36. Note 6. (11) What did Philip present as a condition of baptism? Verse 37. Note 7. (12) How did Philip show a recognition of this man's confession of faith? Verse 38. (13) What was done by the Spirit after the baptism? What was the result to the new disciple? Verse 39. Note 8. (14) What more is said of Philip's labors? Verse 40; ch. 21: 8, 9.
NOTES.
1. “He arose and went.” Philip had been instrumental in arousing a great interest in Samaria. There had been a great revival in the city under his preaching. Most men would have argued that he was especially adapted to city work, to great revival work, and would have thought there was some mistake about the call to go off into a desert region. But Philip obeyed, going some three days’ journey on foot. “and behold, a man”—one man to be instructed. But that is God’s way, not man’s.
2. This man was searching for truth. He had come a long journey to Jerusalem to worship, and to learn of the Jewish teachers, recognizing them as the people of God. But he had been disappointed, and was searching the Scriptures for himself.
3. The Spirit again spoke to Philip, and in quick obedience he ran to the carriage. The man was reading aloud, for Philip heard what he was reading, and asked if he understood it.
4. It would be difficult for one who had been instructed from the standpoint of the rabbis to understand the fifty-third chapter of Isaiah. So the same Spirit that had sent Philip to him now prompted him to urge Philip to ride with him.
5. “His judgment,” that is, the justice due Him at His trial, or “humiliation.” Everything pertaining to His arrest, trial, and execution was illegal and unjust. On the expression, “His generation who shall declare,” Denton says: “His generation can not be declared, for His divine nature is incomprehensible. His human nature, as conceived by the Holy Ghost, is beyond the understanding of man. His spiritual generation, the multitude of the faithful, are known only to God.” Surely they are not confined to any particular nation, or kindred, or tongue, or people.
6. Philip did not neglect the important subject of baptism in his brief interview, for the man suggested it at the first opportunity.
7. According to Philip’s theology, the only requirement of a candidate for baptism is to believe with all the heart that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And according to the same Scriptures of truth faith is substantiated by obedience.
8. Verses 38 and 39 leave no doubt of the mode of this baptism under the express guidance of the Spirit. The mission of Philip was so well performed that there was no longer any need of his labors there.
LESSON 12.—MARCH 22.—THE LABORERS IN THE VINEYARD
NOTE.—In the preparation of these lessons all Scripture references, and the pages of “Christ’s Object Lessons,” should be thoroughly studied first, then the questions. The questions are not the lessons. They are only for the purpose of finding out what we have observed while studying. More of the preciousness of these lessons will be obtained if the lesson is studied each day throughout the week. In the parables of Jesus there is salvation from sin for every type of sinner—from the Pharisee to the prodigal. The notes are wholly selected from such portions of “Christ’s Object Lessons” as apply to each lesson.
LESSON 12.—MARCH 22.—THE LABORERS IN THE VINEYARD.
27 “Then answered Peter and said unto Him, Lo, we have left all, and followed Thee: what then shall we have? And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, that ye which have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit on the throne of His glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And every one that hath left houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or children, or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit eternal life. 30 But many shall be last that are first; and first that are last. 1 “For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is a householder, which went out early in the morning to hire laborers into his vineyard. 2 And when he had agreed with the laborers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing in the market-place idle; and to them he said, Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. 4 And they went their way. Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did likewise. 5 And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing; and he saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle? 6 They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard. 8 And when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the laborers, and pay them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first. 9 And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny. 10 And when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received every man a penny. 11 And when they received it, they murmured against the householder, saying, 12 These last have spent but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat. 13 But he answered and said to one of them, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny? 14 Take up that which is thine, and go thy way: it is my will to give unto this last, even as unto thee. 15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? or is thine eye evil, because I am good? 16 So the last shall be first, and the first last.”
SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS.
1. What circumstance opened the way for the parable of the laborers?
2. Unto what did Jesus liken the kingdom of heaven in this parable?
3. What is the householder represented as doing?
4. When did he hire the first laborers? What agreement did he make with them?
5. At what other hours of the day did he hire laborers? What reward did he offer these?
6. What did he say to those whom he found idle at the eleventh hour? What was their reply?
7. How did his offer to these compare with the promise made to those who began earlier in the day?
8. When even was come, what instruction did the Lord of the vineyard give his steward?
9. How were the laborers rewarded? What complaint was made by those who had labored all day? What reason did they give for this?
10. What reply did they receive? What application did Jesus make?
By reading carefully the last fifteen verses of Matthew 19, the event which led up to this parable is made very plain. A rich young man, coming to Jesus, had been told, “If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven; and come and follow Me.” The disciples were amazed at Jesus’ comments concerning the rich, as they had been taught to look upon this class as favorites of heaven.
Peter immediately connected the action of the young man and Christ’s words with their experience as disciples, and asked what they, who had forsaken all and followed Him, were to receive.
After a promise which breathes hope to every true disciple, Jesus illustrates by the parable of the laborers in the vineyard the true motive that should prompt all sacrifice. The reward is not of works, but of grace. “To him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.” Rom. 4:5. “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us.” Titus 3:5.
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Farm Manager Wanted
WANTED.—By energetic married man, work of any kind—among Seventh-day Adventists—would like the management of a farm. Address, C. T. Bliss, No. 1200, twenty-ninth Street, Washington, D. C.
Living by Faith
“Living by Faith.” (Spanish.) A translation of Bible Students’ Library No. 75; 16 pp.; price, 2 cents. Address, PACIFIC PRESS PUBLISHING CO., Oakland, Cal.
Eggs for Hatching
By C. H. Tyrrell
From BARRED PLYMOUTH ROCKS and BLACK LANGSHANS at reasonable prices. Illustrated circular of valuable information free.
C. H. TYRRELL, Sioux Rapids, Iowa
TO APPEAR IN THE March Number of the SENTINEL of CHRISTIAN LIBERTY
By Editor
THE CATHOLIC THEORY OF THE RELATION OF CHURCH AND STATE will be the subject of a series of articles which will commence in the March number. These articles will be the reproduction of an essay on this subject by an able Catholic writer, originally published by the authority and under the editorial direction of Cardinal Manning. No friend of religious liberty who really desires to serve that cause at this time should fail to read these articles carefully, for he who does read them will realize better than he has before, the striking similarity between the theories now developing in the religious world outside the church of Rome and that which has been the very genius of the papacy throughout her history.
THE FRONTISPIECE will be very timely and suggestive in view of the present widespread agitation of the Sunday question. It will be entitled, “The Modern Diana—Its Genesis and Evolution.”
OUR NATIONAL CHRISTIANITY is not to be one of the “exhibits” at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition at St. Louis. W. N. Glenn has a ringing article on this subject.
THE marked aggressiveness of late throughout the United States and Canada for the compulsory Sunday closing of all places of business, amusement, etc., will cause the SUNDAY ENFORCEMENT DEPARTMENT to be especially full. This department will keep you informed as to what is being done in this direction. Applying the principle of the trade-mark laws to the present live Sunday question will be the theme of one article. It deals with a fact that has a most vital bearing on this question.
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FOR THE Unconverted
Jesus Died for You
A GRACIOUS invitation to all to consecrate themselves to their Saviour without delay. It is brief, but breathes forth a message of love. A good tract for general missionary work.
Apples of Gold Library No. 63
A Living Saviour
“You will see Him in the streets and lanes, in the highways and hedges, in the prisons and penitentiaries, where are souls who need to be saved and who long for a Saviour. You will see Him in the wild, wind-swept moors of sin, seeking the wanderers. You will see Him on the bleak, barren mountains of destruction, seeking the torn and wounded and lost sheep, and when finding it, gently bearing it home. In all these places, Christian brother and sister, you will see Jesus, ever going on before, ever asking you to follow, living His life, doing His will. O soul, will you not break from all human bondage and follow Him?”
From Apples of Gold Library No. 60
Salvation in Jesus Christ
How we may obtain it. Positive proof when we have it.
Apples of Gold Library No. 64
Some One Cares for Your Soul
“Yes, God loves you, no matter what your condition is. He gave His Son, Jesus, to die for you, just as you are; so if you will only believe in Jesus, you can come to Him right now, just as you are. Jesus, the Saviour of sinners, will receive you with outstretched and loving arms. Will you not come?”
It is by W. S. Sadler, until recently engaged in missionary efforts in the slums of Chicago. The tract is very practical throughout, and can not fail to make an impression.
Apples of Gold Library No. 69
Why Are You Not a Christian
The following are among some of the questions considered in this tract: Is it because you do not believe God? Is it because you do not believe you are a sinner? Is it because you do not believe in a future life? Is it because you think God has no care for you personally?
Apples of Gold Library No. 65
What Must I Do to be Saved
This is a practical question, and one that comes to the minds of many. We believe it is fully answered in this tract.
Apples of Gold Library No. 17
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It Ought Not So to Be.
By Editor
—Mr. Patterson, a Colorado senator, one of the Philippine Committee, in a speech in the Senate February 20, took issue with some of the statements of Governor Taft. “He asserted, says the Despatch, that if the 6,000,000 Christians in the Philippines were Protestant Christians, the cruelties practised on them by the American authorities would have to stop, as no member of Congress would be able to withstand the wrath of the Methodists, Baptists, and Presbyterians of this country.” But this ought not so to be. We have no sympathy with Catholic doctrine or belief, but Roman Catholics are entitled to the same rights and privileges as other men, whatever may be the religious belief of those men, but no more. Every man is entitled to even and exact justice, not because he is a Catholic man or Methodist man or Baptist man, or Seventh-day Adventist man, but simply because he is a man. And every religious man ought to demand that the same liberty and justice be granted his most antagonistic co-religionists that he asks for himself. If we believe in true liberty, it will surely be for the other man.
The Necessity of Pure Air.
Many are invalids for want of pure air. They stay in closed houses, sleep in unventilated bedrooms, breathe over and over again the same air, which becomes at each breathing more heavily charged with carbonic acid gas and the poisonous effluvia thrown off from living bodies, and then wonder that they are ill. People more frequently “take cold” in an unventilated house than they do out of doors. Here is an item of interest in support of that statement: A correspondent to that valuable paper, the Sunday School Times, asks the editor if Jesus and His disciples “slept in the open air with none of a sleeper’s usual conveniences, and if this was, and is, common in Palestine.” To this the editor, Mr. Lyman Trumbull, replies: “Of course, apostles, like shepherds, and like Jacob (Gen. 28:11) and many others in his day, and before and since, in Palestine, slept on the ground in the open air. It is often so in other lands than Palestine. During our Civil War, soldiers from the North and from the South often slept in the open air, without any tent or other covering above them. The writer has thus slept on the ground without any covering, even in a snowstorm or in a cold rain. Indeed, on his first visit home after months of such experience, he slept one night in a house for the first time in months. The result was he actually took cold, as a new experience. Comforts and luxuries have their dangers, as well as do privations.” Do not be afraid of pure air. It is one of God’s greatest common blessings.
Restoration from Babylon
By Editor
Next week we begin, the Lord willing, an interesting series of articles entitled, “Restoration from Babylon,” covering that period of time in the world’s history from the Jewish captivity by Babylon to the first advent. This history is also prophecy, and contains instructive, mighty, and helpful lessons for to-day. They are written by Alonzo T. Jones. You must not miss them.
A Poem on Niagara
The little poem on Niagara on our first page, by J. C. G. Brainard is said to be the finest ever written on that great natural wonder. It was composed in a printing office by Mr. Brainard when a young man (he died at the age of thirty, 1828) while the compositor was waiting for copy. It is averred that he had not at this time seen Niagara. This is doubtful. If he had not with physical sight, he had in his imagination; and he expresses beautifully the measureless difference between the works of nature and their Author.
Battle Creek Sanitarium Fire
Battle Creek (Mich.) papers that have come to hand since the Sanitarium burned tell us that both Sanitarium and Hospital were a total loss, together with several smaller buildings close by, among them a house belonging to Mrs. Salisbury, a well-known dealer in hygienic clothing for ladies. The insurance was $149,000. Of the more than 300 guests, more than one hundred still prefer to stay, and are accommodated in other buildings owned by the Sanitarium Company. The loss is the least of the important things. The workers remain, and the principles are incombustible. And workers with principles will build again.
Putting You in Remembrance
The disciples of Christ are well named “children.” It is necessary often to repeat instruction to children, in order fully to imbue their minds. It is not only “line upon line, precept upon precept; here a little and there a little;” but it must be given over and over again. So with the children of God; and the minister of the Word must not fail to recognize this need, and minister to it with patience. Peter, in giving the instruction found in the first chapter of his second epistle, says: “I will not be negligent to put you in remembrance of these things, tho ye know them, and be established in the present truth. Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance.” The Christian life is a school, as well as a warfare and a field of labor.
Much Smoke and Little Fire.—
Some American papers which can see no good in anything British, had much to say when Dr. Anthony was arrested and charged with treason. They were sure he would be executed or condemned to severe punishment unless this government acted promptly and strenuously. Treason is a serious charge, but we were sure that the British courts would act justly. Well, here is a report from a Natal paper by Reuter's despatch, giving account of Dr. Anthony's trial:—
A Treason Trial.
The Accused Dismissed.
Graaff Reinet, Jan. 8 (Reuter).—Dr. Anthony, of Cradock, before the Military Court, was charged with assisting the enemy with clothing in July last, whilst Theron's commando was in Cradock district. Kissen swore that Wessels, a medical student fighting with the Boers, sent him with a letter to Anthony, who is Wessel's brother-in-law. On receipt of the letter, Anthony sent him to purchase £10 worth of clothing, which was taken out by Anthony and witness, who met Wessels and the clothes were carried off by the Boers to the laager. Wessels and Anthony were very friendly. Witness admitted in cross-examination by Advocate Gardiner, that he was under arrest for aiding the enemy. Dr. Anthony denied Kissen's statement in toto, but acknowledged having met Wessels as a pleasant surprise, and tried to induce him to surrender. He went out with Kissen to visit a patient for whom clothes were bought, but they were commandeered by the Boers. The case was dismissed.
