Review and Herald, Vol. 81, No. 31. (8/4/1904)

Review and Herald

Aug 4, 1904

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Washington, D.C. · Aug 4, 1904

“The Greatest of These is Love”

By F. W. Robertson

Love is its own perennial fount of strength. The strength of affection is a proof, not of the worthiness of the object, but of the largeness of the soul which loves. Love descends, not ascends. The might of a river depends not on the quality of the soil through which it passes, but on the inexhaustibleness and depth of the spring from which it proceeds. The greater mind cleaves to the smaller with more force than the other to it. A parent loves the child more than the child the parent, and partly because the parent’s heart is larger, not because the child is worthier. The Saviour loved his disciples infinitely more than his disciples loved him, because his heart was infinitely larger. Love trusts on—ever hopes and expects better things; and this a trust springing from itself, and out of its own deeps alone.

It is this trusting love that makes men what they are trusted to be, so realizing itself. Would you make men trustworthy? Trust them. Would you make them true? Believe them. . . .

It is on this principle that Christ wins the hearts of his redeemed. He trusted the doubting Thomas, and Thomas arose with a faith worthy “of his Lord and his God.” He would not suffer even the lie of Peter to shake his conviction that Peter might love him yet; and Peter answered to that sublime forgiveness. . . .

Therefore, come what may, hold fast to love. Though men should rend your heart, let them not embitter or harden it. We win by tenderness; we conquer by forgiveness. O, strive to enter into something of that large, celestial charity which is meek, enduring, unretaliating, and which even the overbearing world can not withstand forever! Learn the new commandment of the Son of God—not to love, but to love as he loved. Go forth in this spirit to your life-duties; go forth, children of the Cross, to carry everything before you, and win victories for God by the conquering power of a love like his.

—F. W. Robertson.

Publishers' Page

By Editor

Conducted by the Department of Circulation of the Review and Herald Publishing Company

Last-Day Tokens—A Delay

The new edition of “Last-Day Tokens” has been delayed in publication.

To those who may not be acquainted with this interesting publication, we will say that “Last-Day Tokens” is a description of the many strange sights seen in the heavens during the past fifty years, and will contain twenty-four plates printed in colors, giving a vivid description of just how these scenes appeared. The printing of these plates is a delicate part of the printer’s art, and has consumed more time than anticipated.

This book will contain more than 200 pages, and is written by Elder J. N. Loughborough, who has been an eye-witness to many of the scenes he describes.

The book will be bound in paper. Price, 25 cts., postpaid. You may order now, and your order will be filled just as soon as stock is ready.

The Marvel of Nations

Of more than passing interest should be a book which treats of the past, present, and future of so great a country as the United States—not according to what men may think or say, or endeavor to make according to their ideas, but particularly as to what this country is to be, according to the Bible prediction. Kings of old were taught that the most high God rules in the kingdoms of men. He still rules, and will demonstrate his authority to the great republics and world powers of to-day.

In this book the author has given to the public the results of his deep study of Bible prophecies, and to any one interested in the United States and its destiny, or in the fulfilment of the predictions of the Bible, this book will especially appeal.

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Preparatory Course for Eternity

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Prepare the Way

By Editor

Editorial

Prepare the Way

THE urgent command is now given, “Prepare ye the way of the Lord.” Do you wish to hasten the day of the return of the blessed Master? “Prepare ye the way of the Lord.” Do you wish to see the King in his beauty as he descends from heaven to take his waiting people unto himself? “Prepare ye the way of the Lord.” Do you wish to join in the song of Moses and the Lamb? “Prepare ye the way of the Lord.” Do you wish to enter in through the gates into the city? “Prepare ye the way of the Lord.” Do you wish to enter speedily upon the enjoyment of all that awaits the redeemed in the heavenly kingdom? “Prepare ye the way of the Lord.” “Lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold, your God!” “Behold, the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world!”

Foretold — Fulfilled

THE general course of human history, so far as it relates to the kingdom of God in the earth, has been foretold in the prophecies of the Scripture; and in these closing years of the last generation we can write “fulfilled” upon nearly every one of these divine predictions. The prophecy of the four universal kingdoms has been fulfilled. The prophecies relating to “the man of sin” have been fulfilled. The prophecies in which are found definite periods of time have all been fulfilled. Our Lord’s great prophecy which covers the period from his own time to his coming in the clouds of heaven, has all been fulfilled up to the very last specifications. We are now living in the time of the seventh church, the sixth seal, and the seventh trumpet. The last message is being proclaimed. We are in the day of the Lord’s preparation. The prophecies which foretell the coming of the Son of man “on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” will be fulfilled in our time. In a very short time all the things which have been foretold will have been fulfilled, and the realities of the eternal world will be upon us. “Are you awake to these solemn realities? Do you realize the grand work of preparation that is going on in heaven and on earth? Let all who have received the light, who have had the opportunity of reading and hearing the prophecy, take heed to those things that are written therein; ‘for the time is at hand.’” Nearly all of that which has been foretold has been fulfilled, and the remainder will be fulfilled speedily. “Everything is now clothed with a solemnity that all who believe the truth for this time should realize. They should act in reference to the day of God.” Remember the foolish virgins.

Our Risen Saviour

WHEN the women sought Jesus in the tomb, they found him not, but they heard from the heavenly messengers the announcement, “He is not here; for he is risen.” On that day when the Son of man was lifted up on Calvary, death appeared to be the conqueror, but in reality it was only the introduction to that victory which followed on the third day. God raised him up, “having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.”

“Death can not keep his prey, Jesus, my Saviour! He tore the bars away, Jesus, my Lord!” “Up from the grave he arose, With a mighty triumph o’er his foes; He arose a victor from the dark domain, And he lives forever with his saints to reign: He arose! He arose! Hallelujah! Christ arose!”

We have a risen Saviour, who “ever liveth to make intercession” for us. He has said, “I am the resurrection and the life.” To John in vision he declared, “I am the first and the last, and the Living one; and I became dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.” This living conqueror over death is our Saviour, “able to save to the uttermost them that draw near unto God through him.” The resurrection power and the resurrection life are assured to every believer in Jesus. “The same power that raised Christ from the dead will raise his church, and glorify it with him, above all principalities, above all powers, above every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in the world to come.” This is the gospel of our risen Saviour.

Studies in the Prophecies “Babylon the Great.”—No. 2

The original dwellers in the plain of Shinar were not permitted to carry out their plan to build a city and a tower, but the signal mark of the displeasure of heaven at their undertaking did not prevent the building of Babylon. A short time after the confusion of tongues and the dispersion of the Babel builders, there was a new development of the spirit to exalt human power and to establish kingly authority in the earth. Nimrod, the grandson of Noah, “began to be a mighty one in the earth. He was a mighty hunter before Jehovah: wherefore it is said, Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before Jehovah.” The undoubted meaning of this passage, if not the literal translation, is thus given by Spurrell: “Cush begat Nimrod, who was the first to be a despot on the earth. He was an overbearing tyrant in Jehovah’s sight; wherefore the saying: ‘Even as Nimrod the overbearing tyrant in Jehovah’s sight.’” The spirit which prompted to the hunting and the destruction of animals developed into the spirit of hunting and destroying men. “There can be no doubt that it was by injuring his followers to the toils and dangers of the chase that he gradually formed them to the use of arms, and so prepared them for aiding him in establishing his dominion.” “And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in

the land of Shinar.” There is no doubt that this Babel “in the land of Shinar” is the same as the Babel of the tower-builders; in fact, “Josephus tells us that Nimrod lived at the time when the attempt was made to build the tower of Babel, and represents him as the prime mover in that impious enterprise.”

“With the setting up of Nimrod’s kingdom, the entire ancient world entered a new historical phase. The Oriental tradition which makes that warrior the first man who wore a kingly crown, points to a fact more significant than the assumption of a new ornament of dress, or even the conquest of a province. His reign introduced to the world a new system of relations between the governor and the governed. The authority of former rulers had rested upon the feeling of kindred, and the ascendancy of the chief was an image of parental control. Nimrod, on the contrary, was a sovereign of territory, and of men just so far as they were its inhabitants, and irrespective of personal ties. Hitherto there had been tribes—enlarged families—society; now there was a nation, a political community—the state. The political and social history of the world henceforth are distinct, if not divergent.”

“The earliest rulers whose names have been discovered in Babylonia did not bear the title of king at all. In every instance before the time of Nimrod the word used is one which signifies ‘viceroy.’ The god is king, and the ruler claims no higher authority than that of substitute or servant of his god who is really the king. . . . This points clearly to the time when God was recognized as the only King, and the true Ruler. And when false gods were put in place of the true God, they were yet recognized as the real kings, and men in places of authority were but their substitutes.”

These facts are of the greatest importance in enabling us to understand the real significance of the founding of the kingdom of Babylon. Those who will give this matter due consideration must be impressed with the thought that in Babylon, above any other earthly kingdom, there is represented the inspiration and effort of Lucifer, who formerly stood in the presence of God as the covering cherub, but later was cast out of heaven on account of his uncontrolled ambition to exalt himself,—an effort to establish a rival kingdom in the earth, and thus win to himself the loyalty and obedience which are due unto the God of heaven. In the first attempt to build the city a determined effort was made to counterwork the purpose of God, and to unite all the people of the world in open rebellion against him. The defeat and confusion of the Babel builders did not deter Nimrod from his purpose to establish a kingdom upon the earth with himself as absolute ruler,—a kingdom in which the king would acknowledge no authority above his own, and in which the subjects would all be slaves. Thus did the principles of Satan’s kingdom find expression upon the earth, and thus did “the god of this world” seek to establish his sovereignty through the co-operation of rebellious men. From that day until the present time, Babylon has been the synonym for rebellion against God’s authority as expressed in his law, and for that confusion which is the inevitable result of a rejection of the counsel of the King of heaven. Further study of this subject will serve to illustrate more fully the meaning of this statement.

There is no further mention in Scripture of the fortunes of Babylon for many centuries after the brief records in the book of Genesis. But in the reign of Hezekiah, the twelfth king of Judah, there is an occurrence of which the prophet Isaiah writes as follows: “At that time Merodach-baladan the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah; for he heard that he had been sick, and was recovered. And Hezekiah was glad of them, and showed them the house of his precious things, the silver, and the gold, and the spices, and the precious oil, and all the house of his armor, and all that was found in his treasures: there was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah showed them not. Then came Isaiah the prophet unto king Hezekiah, and said unto him, What said these men? and from whence came they unto thee? And Hezekiah said, They are come from a far country unto me, even from Babylon. Then said he, What have they seen in thy house? And Hezekiah answered, All that is in my house have they seen: there is nothing among my treasures that I have not showed them. Then said Isaiah to Hezekiah, Hear the word of Jehovah of hosts: Behold, the days are coming, when all that is in thy house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store until this day, shall be carried to Babylon: nothing shall be left, saith Jehovah. And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, whom thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.”

This prophecy and its fulfilment illustrate the experience of the people of God in falling under the power of the enemy when they fail to reveal the principles of the kingdom of heaven in their lives. Hezekiah the king was sick unto death, but in answer to his earnest prayer the Lord had restored him to health. A very remarkable sign had accompanied this miracle. The shadow of the sun-dial of Ahaz was caused to “return backward ten steps.” “An astronomical marvel, such as that of the going back of the shadow on the dial of Ahaz, would naturally attract attention in Babylonia, where the phenomena of the heavens were observed with the utmost diligence from a very remote period.” Hence the sending of the messengers from Babylon. All this was the working of providence preparing the way that the gospel message of life and health might be proclaimed in Babylon, for the Lord would have healed even Babylon. But Hezekiah attempted to make an impression upon the ambassadors by showing them earthly things instead of revealing the heavenly treasure. Thus appeared that weakness of character, that slavery of the mind to sin, which afterward brought Jerusalem in subjection to Babylon. And so the message which would not be given under favorable circumstances was declared by the captives in Babylon.

The first step in the fulfilment of the prophecy of Isaiah soon followed. Hezekiah was succeeded by his son Manasseh. “And Manasseh seduced Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that they did evil more than did the nations whom Jehovah destroyed before the children of Israel. And Jehovah spake to Manasseh, and to his people; but they gave no heed; wherefore Jehovah brought upon them the captains of the host of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh in chains, and bound him with fetters, and carried him to Babylon.” Manasseh repented, and was restored to his kingdom, but his experience marked the beginning of that long period of time, extending even to the present generation, during which the power of Babylon, ancient or modern, over Jerusalem, has not been permanently broken.

But of this and of the later experiences of Babylon we will learn more in our future studies.

Re-convening the Vatican Council

By L. A. S.

INTEREST is revived at the present time in a very important historical event by the announcement, which comes from the Rome correspondent of the New York Freeman’s Journal, of the rumored intention of Pope Pius

IX to call all the bishops of the Catholic world to Rome for the purpose of concluding the sessions of the great Vatican council of 1870. This historic conclave was that at which was proclaimed the dogma of papal infallibility, which marked the climax to the “great words” spoken by the “little horn” power of Daniel’s prophecy, because of which, as seen and described by the prophet, the “beast was slain, and his body destroyed and given to the burning flame.” The Vatican council called by Pope Pius IX was never officially concluded. Political events occurring at the time of its session, of a character very disturbing to the interests of the papacy, forced the suspension of the council before the work it had in view was completed; so that, technically, the council is still in existence. And now it is reported that Pius X has in mind to reassemble the ecumenical conclave in Rome for the purpose of finishing the session, begun with so eventful a sitting thirty-four years ago.

This Vatican council is “the first and only plenary council of the Latin church held since the close of the Council of Trent, in 1563.” It was called for the purpose of settling certain questions which were not disposed of by the Council of Trent, especially questions relating to the source and extent of pontifical authority. The Council of Trent concerned itself mainly with an attempt to deal with the causes and results of the Reformation, and was called at the instance of the papal states of Europe, rather against the will of the papal hierarchy. The Vatican council, on the other hand, was initiated solely by the papacy, and was neither demanded nor desired by the Catholic states and people.

Beginning with the breaking up of the old French Catholic church by the French Revolution and the substitution of a largely ultramontane episcopacy in France under the concordat between Pius VII and Napoleon I, the “moderate school” of the papacy went into a decline, while there was a corresponding elevation of the ultramontane faction, led by the Jesuits, who have always “unceasingly striven to centralize and concentrate ecclesiastical authority, to remove constitutional limitations upon its exercise, and to make it prompt, unfaltering, and trenchant in action.” To this end it was planned by this faction of the church to convert the papacy into an absolute monarchy.

With the accession of Pius IX to the papal chair in 1846, a favorable opportunity was presented for the realization of this purpose, Pius being known to entertain the loftiest ideas of the pontifical prerogatives. But the experiment was first tried of feeling the mind of the papal constituency in the matter by the promulgation of decrees emanating from the pontiff alone, without the sanction of any church council. Accordingly in 1854, Pius proclaimed the tenet of the immaculate conception, which met with but slight resistance, and in 1864, that of the Syllabus of Errors, to which there was no opposition at all. An Italian majority subservient to the will of the pope could be counted on, and the help also of a large number of Catholic prelates all over the world appointed by Pius IX during his long pontificate, from the ultramontane school exclusively. Still the ultimate purpose in view was approached cautiously, with many preliminary steps, and it was not until June, 1869, that the bull of convocation for the council was issued, appointing December 8 following, as the day of meeting. On that date the council convened, there being present seven hundred and forty-nine cardinals, bishops, abbots, and generals of orders, which number was increased later to seven hundred and sixty-four, comprising nearly three fourths of the whole Roman Catholic Episcopate.

It was found that a strong minority, amounting to about one hundred and sixty members of the conclave, were opposed to the infallibility dogma, this minority being composed of bishops from those countries which were in the lead in intelligence and education. But the dissenters were not united in their views touching the proper ground to be taken against the proposed decree, and their opposition was weakened accordingly.

The first and second sessions of the council, held December 10 and January 6, respectively, were merely formal so far as the transaction of business was concerned, but at the second session all the members present were required to renew the episcopal oath of feudal submission to the papacy. Previous to the third session, rules were issued by direct command of the pope restricting freedom of discussion on the part of any who might be in opposition to the measures brought before the council for ratification. The third session of the council was held in April.

The real business of the council was the adoption of the constitution on the church, into which the new dogma was to be incorporated. This constitution (usually designated by the title Pastor Aeternus) asserted the following propositions:—

That a primacy over the whole church was divinely conferred upon St. Peter directly and singly, and not mediately through any delegation to him of a primacy held by the church corporately.
That this primacy vests by divine right in the line of Roman pontiffs.
That the pope is the real bishop of every see, all other bishops being merely his deputies; so that to the pope’s authority, both in matters of discipline and government as well as of faith and morals, all Catholics everywhere are bound to submit themselves, individually and collectively.
That it is unlawful to appeal from the judgments of the Roman pontiffs to an ecumenical council, as though to a higher authority.
That the Roman pontiff, when he speaks ex cathedra, and defines a doctrine of faith or morals to be held by the universal church, is infallible.

This document was voted upon at the fourth session of the council, July 13, 1870, six hundred and seventy-one members being present. Of these four hundred and fifty-one voted in the affirmative, eighty-eight in the negative, sixty-two voted for it conditionally, desiring its modification, and seventy refrained from voting. The opposition included the bishops of many of the most populous Catholic dioceses, so that, considering the bishops as representing the laity of their dioceses, the opposition was much more important than its numerical size in the council would indicate. Five bishops among the opposition represented a constituency of six and one-half millions of Catholics, while sixty-two bishops who voted for the dogma represented less than a million altogether, and many others of the majority party had no flocks at all. Analyzing the vote in this way, it is stated that each vote cast for the dogma represented 142,500 lay people, while each vote cast against it represented 492,500 laymen. Besides this, the number and rank of bishops in the Oriental division of the church who stood with the minority, was such as to make the vote only a Latin one at best. By the canonical theory of councils such a division of opinion rendered the decision of the majority null and void.

Immediately following this vote the bishops of the minority almost without exception abruptly quitted Rome, moved by fears for their personal safety. They had been given to understand that each of them would have two papers tendered to him for his signature at the ensuing session, one being a profession of adherence to the infallibility dogma, the other a resignation from his diocese in case he should refuse adherence. The pope was a temporal sovereign of the territory of Rome, and they had good reason to expect that he would employ direct coercion in the event of their continued resistance. Only two of the opposition bishops were bold enough to remain, and their two negative votes were the only ones appearing in opposition to the votes of five hundred and thirty-five bishops favoring the dogma, at the next conclave, held July 18. The pope thereupon confirmed the decree, and the act was accomplished.

On that very day Napoleon III, of France proclaimed war against Germany, and the German armies were set in motion, whose victories quickly made necessary the recall of the French troops from Rome, the departure of which was immediately followed by the entrance of the Italian troops of Victor Immanuel, and the downfall of the pope’s temporal sovereignty. In just two months’ time from

the last meeting of the council, the troops of the Italian sovereign were in possession of the city. The council was prorogued by Pius on October 20, and is thus technically still in existence.

The matter of a reconvening of the council has, it is said, been recently discussed among Catholic ecclesiastics, who are agreed, says the Rome correspondent before mentioned, that the times are more propitious now than they have been since 1870. We can agree with them that the times are indeed propitious for the rapid making of history.

L. A. S.

The Washington Training College

By A. G. Daniells

WE are printing in this number of the Review the Articles of Incorporation and the By-laws of the “Washington Training College.” We have now launched in legal form the Review and Herald Publishing Association, the General Conference Corporation, the Washington (D. C.) Sanitarium Association, and the Washington Training College. The articles of incorporation and by-laws of each have been published for examination and use by our people. We have found the District of Columbia Acts for Corporations very favorable indeed for our purposes, and feel exceedingly pleased with the arrangements we have been permitted to make.

Each one of the four corporations we have formed here is a necessity in order to properly advance our work. Each has a definite purpose and place, and all are now active in aggressive work.

The buildings of the Washington Training College are being erected as rapidly as our staff of willing workers is able to do the work. The gentlemen’s dormitory is now well under way, the foundation of the dining-hall is laid, and excavating for the ladies’ dormitory is in progress. It is not the intention of the Board to attempt to erect the College hall this year.

These school buildings have been planned to accommodate from one hundred and twenty-five to one hundred and fifty persons. Each of the dormitories will accommodate forty-two students, and the lodging rooms over the dining-room will care for fifteen or twenty. This provides for about one hundred boarding students. The dining-room will seat one hundred and fifty, and the College chapel will have a seating capacity of about two hundred. If our present prosperity continues, we shall soon be able to print views of the buildings now being erected, and with them we shall give dimensions.

We are glad to be able to tell our people who are so cheerfully sending in donations for the Washington work, that since beginning to build we have been wonderfully favored by the providence of God.

We find that the sand in Sligo Creek, which runs through our tract of land, is just what we require for building purposes, and there is an abundant supply. Were we obliged to drive several miles to some sand-bank, or have the sand brought to the station by train, and then pay for the sand itself, we would realize a great difference in expense.

We find also a good supply of suitable stone on our land for foundations and cement work. To all appearances, we shall be able to secure all we shall need of this material without going off our own ground. This is a very great saving in expense.

But what seems to us the most remarkable providence in this department of our work is the great reduction at which we are able to purchase our lumber. Owing to the enormous quantities of lumber shipped to this section after the Baltimore fire, the market was greatly oversupplied. The lumber-yards and wharves were crowded; heavy wharfage dues, interest, etc., were levied; sales at ordinary prices could not be effected rapidly enough to relieve the situation, and as a consequence, prices dropped.

We were ready to begin operations, and by offering cash, were able to purchase the finest lumber on the market at a saving of from three to ten dollars per thousand feet. As we required hundreds of thousands of feet, this means much to us. This is as helpful to our work as so much cash.

From what has been presented regarding the size and plans of our buildings, our brethren will see that we are not establishing a large school at this place. We have a number of schools in other places, and we must provide educational facilities in other lands. It would be folly to establish a large institution at Washington that would cause us to injure other schools in order to meet its capacity. We have no desire to draw large numbers of young people to this place.

Much study has been given by the school board to the definite purpose for which the Washington Training College is established, and the character of the work it should do. Space will not permit of a full statement of these considerations in this article, but they will be set forth from time to time. The directors feel very keenly the need of arranging for thorough, efficient work to be done in this school. Our work must not be superficial, nor one-sided. Extremes should be avoided.

A practical, well-balanced, thorough education must be given our young people, in order to send them into the world capable of doing efficient work as ministers, teachers, physicians, Bible workers, and nurses. While we are warned by the spirit of prophecy against the usual long courses and the unnecessary features of popular education, we are not encouraged to cheapen our educational work by adopting superficial, one-sided, or ill-balanced methods. A Seventh-day Adventist training-school should be the synonym of piety, earnestness, culture, and efficiency.

A. G. DANIELLS.

Note and Comment

According to the Wall Street Journal there have been in the United States in the period between 1892 and 1904, 12,344 strikes and lockouts, affecting 3,551,492 men, and in Great Britain during the same period 7,603 strikes and lockouts, affecting 2,109,000 men.

Tibetan Buddhist Theology

THE theology of the Tibetan Buddhist, says a writer in Religious Intelligence, is “fearfully and wonderfully made.” “It is contained in a ponderous ‘Bible’ of 108 volumes of 1,000 pages each, divided into 1,083 books, and weighing half a ton. These are printed from hand-cut wooden type, kept by the lamas, and are of almost priceless worth. In addition to these, there are 225 volumes of commentaries.”

Demand for the Revised Bible

THERE is an increasing demand for the revised version of the Bible; so much so that the American Bible Society, whose constitution does not allow it to publish this version, has decided to amend its constitution so that it may be free to print the revised version hereafter. The society expects shortly to publish in one volume the New Testament revision published in 1881, the Old Testament revision published in 1885, and further revisions made by the American committee and published in 1901. It would seem that the time may soon come when the King James version will no longer be the version in common use.

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