Review and Herald, Vol. 93, No. 41. (8/17/1916)

Review and Herald

Aug 17, 1916

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D.C. · Aug 17, 1916

The Voice of Infinite Love

MANY and varied are the means and agencies employed by the Master to teach us needed lessons. He speaks to us through his written Word, and through the impressions of his Holy Spirit, through the counsels of friends, and even through the criticisms of enemies. He speaks to us in the book of nature. The smiling sunshine, the gently blowing breeze, the merry songsters in the leafy treetops, the variegated flowers and foliage,— all bring messages of the Father's love. And no less does he speak to us through the power of the elements and through life's bitter experiences. The judgments of God bring messages of warning to the impenitent. They proclaim in thunder tones his invitation to repentance. Life's sorrows are his pruning sickles. Bitter trials become his furnace of purification, burning out of the human heart the lust of envy and the corroding canker of malice and jealousy.

Let us seek to discern the voice of Infinite Love speaking to us in every experience which befalls us. Let us seek to learn the lessons which these experiences would teach. If rightly regarded, they will give us largeness of heart, tenderness of spirit, breadth of mind. They will soften, subdue, and ennoble. They will teach us lessons which we may pass on to others in ministry to their need. The songs which we learn to sing in the darkness and in the midst of trial, will represent in us an experience of grace which we could obtain in no other way.

Note and Comment

By L. L. C.

Of General Interest

A Bankrupt Europe

The present European war is threatening to bankrupt Europe, according to a statement which Francis W. Hirst made in his final article in the Economist, of which he has resigned editorship after nine years of service. He says:—

“In my view, the financial fabric of western Europe is in imminent peril, and in a few more months it will no longer be possible to disguise the bankrupt condition of several great nations.”

Placing Tradition above the Bible

It is generally understood by Protestants that the Roman Catholic Church is very much opposed to the work of the Bible societies. The recent centennial of the American Bible Society has brought praise from all quarters save one,—the Roman Catholic Church. In America (Roman Catholic), May 20, 1916, the position of the Roman Catholic Church is editorially stated in a concise way:—

“It is a cardinal Protestant principle that the Scriptures are the one and all-sufficient rule of faith, that the individual reading of the Bible, without assistance from notes or commentaries, is the sure guide to revealed religious truth. Not such is the doctrine of the church, which has always held that the Scriptures are a supplementary, not the primary, and much less the exclusive, source of revelation; that Christ’s doctrines, in the economy he himself established, were to be conveyed to the world by the preaching of the apostles and their successors; and that the Holy Writ is to be interpreted, not at the individual reader’s pleasure, but strictly, in accordance with the sense of living tradition which has come down unbroken from the apostles. This doctrine the American Bible Society denies; in its opinion each reader may interpret the Bible as he thinks best.”

One can but notice the frank statement that Catholics consider the Scriptures as “a supplementary, not the primary, and much less the exclusive, source of revelation.” Thus they place tradition not only on an equality with the Scriptures, but even above them.

Raising Church Funds

In these days of various methods for raising church funds, the position of a Roman Catholic priest of New Orleans, in refusing the offer of the members of his congregation to raise funds for the building of a church by means of a lawn party, is very striking indeed. This priest is reported in one of our exchanges to have said:—

“Churches should not be built with money derived from questionable pleasures. The Lord prefers to have his children give their money freely. My church will not be built from the proceeds of candy raffles, grab bags, wheels of fortune, and other forms of gambling. Neither does the Lord want his temple to be built from the proceeds of dances and other entertainments. The church sets a mighty bad example when it profits from gambling and entertainments.”

We most heartily approve of the position here taken. We, too, very much deplore the method of raising church funds which is in vogue in some of the popular churches, a method which has been called by A. J. Gordon the “cooking-stove apostasy”—concerts, chicken pie suppers, ice cream socials, bazaars, etc.

Who is Entitled to Damages?

It is a generally recognized principle of law that any one injured shall have the right to demand damages of the one who injures him. Would it not be well if this method were also applied to the liquor sellers? Those engaged in the liquor business are quick to ask for compensation for any loss that may come to them. William Jennings Bryan is quoted in one of our exchanges as saying:—

“If the people engaged in the liquor business ask for compensation for any pecuniary loss brought to them by prohibition, a very complete answer can be made to them. Do they give back to the wife the value of the husband drink has taken from her? Do they give back to the children the father whom drink has brutalized? Do they give back to the mother the son whom drink has ruined? Do they recompense society for the moral disease which they spread? Do they give back to government the purity for which they have substituted rottenness and corruption? . . . Why should the liquor interests, that make no effort to compensate, ask compensation? They live by sufferance; they must take their chances. They cannot complain of the wrath their business arouses.”

Number Slain in Papal Persecutions

Several readers have written to this office, asking for a statement as to how many persons have been killed by persecutions of the Roman Catholic Church. The following, appearing in Dowling’s “History of Romanism,” page 542, quoted from Scott’s “Church History,” may be of interest to our readers:—

“No computation can reach the numbers who have been put to death, in different ways, on account of their maintaining the profession of the gospel and opposing the corruptions of the Church of Rome. A million of poor Waldenses perished in France; nine hundred thousand orthodox Christians were slain in less than thirty years after the institution of the order of the Jesuits. The Duke of Alva boasted of having put to death in the Netherlands thirty-six thousand by the hand of the common executioner during the space of a few years. The Inquisition destroyed, by various tortures, one hundred and fifty thousand within thirty years. These are a few specimens, and but a few, of those which history has recorded; but the total amount will never be known till the earth shall disclose her blood and no more cover her slain.”

Of course, as this quotation itself indicates, there is no accurate account of the number of the victims of the Papacy. A favorite position of Roman Catholic apologists is that the church, as such, never killed any one, but that heretics were in past ages killed by the state as enemies of the public welfare. They fail to add, however, that the civil power did it at the command of the church.

Industrial Strife

In this present time of great prosperity, it seems strange that our country should be troubled with strikes. The public press, however, gives us recent news that in New York 60,000 workers refuse to ratify the proposed agreement with the Garment Manufacturers’ Association. The strike of these workers, which has tied up the garment-making industry for three months, was expected to be ended by this proposed agreement, but it now seems that it is to continue. We do not have at hand information to enable us to judge as to the merits of the case, even if we should so desire. We only wish to point to this strike as a fulfilment of the prophecy of the struggle between capital and labor which is to characterize the last days.

L. L. C.

Organizing the New Testament Church

By William A. Spicer

The unity of the church is one of its credentials from heaven: “That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.” John 17: 21.

This oneness is not merely an agreement as to doctrine, but a unity in “walk,” a maintenance of harmony that calls for the exercise toward one another of “lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love; endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Eph. 4: 2, 3.

It requires no “endeavor,” no lowliness, no devotion, to destroy the unity, and to walk independently of one another. But the endeavor and study of the members of Christ’s church is to “keep the unity.” The New Testament church, like the Old Testament church, is a unit. It is not a mass of detached fragments, but one people. No more closely are all the members of a local company of believers bound together in the local church, than all the churches are bound together in fellowship in “the church,” which is “his body.” “There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism.” Eph. 4: 4, 5.

Christ, the Good Shepherd, gave his life for the sheep; not to set them wandering each his own way, but to gather them. “Other sheep I have,” he said, “which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.” John 10: 16. It is the wolf only that “scattereth the sheep,” in order that he may destroy them. Verse 12. Whatsoever spirit tends to detach the members from one another and to separate them is of the enemy, and not of the Good Shepherd.

All the teaching of the New Testament emphasizes the organic unity of the church of Christ. It is “the household of God,” “built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets. Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; in whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto a holy temple in the Lord. In whom ye also are builded together for a habitation of God through the Spirit.” Eph. 2: 19-22.

In the architect’s plan of a building, every part has its organic relation to every other part in making up the one complete structure. So the church, made up of parts, is “framed together,” and “builded together,” and “together groweth” unto one holy temple in the Lord.

As needful for the building of the church and the maintenance of its unity to the end of time, the Lord set in it the spiritual gifts, “first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers,” and evangelists, pastors, governments (the gift of administration and direction), and others. 1 Corinthians 12; Eph. 4: 11-16. And the spirit given to all believers by the new birth from above was the same spirit of love for order and organization that reigns above.

The New Testament shows the Lord at times giving direct instruction by the Spirit of prophecy as to the development of organization according to the needs and conditions. Again we see the Spirit-filled body of believers counseling together in general conference to secure concert of action. We see apostles, upon whom was laid the responsibilities of general oversight, and field laborers, and believers praying together for wisdom better to organize, develop, and carry forward their work, all recognizing as a gift from heaven any plan agreed upon that brought increased efficiency and closer union. The spirit that the New Testament church received was, in short, the spirit “of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” 2 Tim. 1: 7.

Two things we find were ever before that church,—the maintenance of purity and unity in the faith, and the carrying of the witness to the world. And in all the New Testament story we see that while the loyal believers were seeking these ends, disloyal or disorderly elements were seeking to introduce error or to bring about divisions and separations.

The first step in organizing the church of the New Testament was taken when Christ set in the body of believers the office of apostles. Out of the number of disciples he chose twelve, “whom also he named apostles,” and ordained them to the ministry and apostleship. Mark 3 and Luke 6. The Spirit of prophecy says of this:—

“The first step was now to be taken in the organization of the church that after Christ’s departure was to be his representative on earth. . . . As in the Old Testament the twelve patriarchs stand as representatives of Israel, so the twelve apostles were to stand as representatives of the gospel church.”—“The Desire of Ages,” p. 291.

Thus their office was not local, but general, for the whole church. They were ordained to give themselves to the ministry of the word and to the general oversight of the work of the church. As the work enlarged, others were called to the office and work of apostles. Their office unified the work of the churches as the gospel was carried far and wide.

After the ascension of Christ, the eleven apostles, in council with the believers, and with earnest prayer for guidance, appointed and ordained one of their number to the office of apostle in place of Judas. Then came the blessings of Pentecost, and about ten thousand believers were gathered in Jerusalem. In the emergency there was need of means. Then those who had money brought it and laid it at the feet of the apostles, who were charged with the responsibility of guiding the work. Acts 4: 34-37.

A common treasury, from which orderly and systematic distribution might be made through regular channels, was recognized as the right plan of carrying forward the work of looking after the needs of the thousands who were gathered there.

And the point should be noted that the Spirit-filled church was ever seeking to do its work in the most systematic manner, recognizing divine authority in the gifts and offices placed in the church for the administration of its affairs.

W. A. S.

Destruction upon Destruction

By Francis M. Wilcox

It requires no prophetic utterance to tell us that we have reached the days of violence, destruction, and desolation. The very atmosphere itself pulsates with danger. We know not what a single day will bring forth. Eagerly we scan the papers every morning and every evening to determine what the last twelve hours have chronicled. War and bloodshed, famine and disease, political commotion and industrial strife, keep the nerves of the great multitude of earth’s inhabitants tingling with the continual excitement of the hour. How different these days from the days of our fathers!

Strange times have fallen upon us. The hearts of millions are oppressed with a terrible foreboding. Every new horror brings a fear which causes the heart to grow fainter.

Copyright by Underwood & Underwood, N. Y.

We live and move today in a world of unrest and disquietude. And while we need no prophetic vision to understand the character of these times, it is well for us to recognize that the very days in which we live and the events which we see taking place about us are subjects of prophetic delineation. We have reached the days foretold by the pen of prophecy, and the very conditions we see are significant signs of the times in which we live, signs of the approaching end of the age. Said the Master:—

“There shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.” Luke 21: 25-27.

The prophet Jeremiah, looking down through the long ages, describes the scenes now taking place around us:—

“My anguish, my anguish! I am pained at my very heart; my heart is disquieted in me; I cannot hold my peace; because thou hast heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war. Destruction upon destruction is cried; for the whole land is laid waste: suddenly are my tents destroyed, and my curtains in a moment. How long shall I see the standard, and hear the sound of the trumpet? For my people are foolish, they know me not; they are sottish children, and they have no understanding; they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.” Jer. 4: 19-22, A. R. V.

How strikingly is this pen-picture met in the wholesale destruction going on in the great European war! Locally, in various parts of the world, the words of the prophet are also meeting a striking fulfilment. An illustration of this was seen in the terrible destruction to life and property resulting from the unparalleled explosion which occurred in New York the morning of July 30. A great store of ammunition kept on Black Tom Island, a small strip of land jutting out into the bay from the New Jersey shore, exploded, causing a property loss of many millions of dollars. The number killed and injured will probably never be definitely known.

There was a series of terrific explosions, the detonations of which were felt in five States, and the thundering echoes of which roused people from their beds ninety miles from the great metropolis. The surrounding country and water for miles were literally showered with bursting shrapnel. Wild panic seized the people, and thousands rushed from their homes, some crying, “The end of the world is come.” In one locality people rushed to the church, hoping to find relief from destruction by prayers and intercessions. Newspaper reports speak in graphic utterances of this terrible catastrophe. From its New York correspondent the Washington Times of July 30 publishes the following account of the explosion:—

“The first explosion was followed by thirty minor explosions in railroad yards and terminals on the New Jersey shore.

“Hundreds of fragments of shells rained on the lower city, and bodies were hurled high in air in plain view of police and firemen, called frantically to the scene of the blazing warehouses.

“Rocked by the upheaval, Ellis Island immigrants ran screaming from

their beds, were hurried aboard barges and rushed away, as two lighters, loaded to the gunwales with explosives and blazing fiercely, bumped into the piers of the island.

“For ninety miles into New Jersey people were roused from bed by the thundering echoes of the catastrophe.

“In Manhattan and Brooklyn the first effect of the reverberating quake was amazing. People rushed to the streets half clad from hotels and homes.

“Windows in hundreds of stores were shattered, leaving the contents easy prey for looters, who gathered a harvest.

“Police headquarters flashed orders all over the city, bringing every available man on reserve duty to lower Manhattan to guard the prizes that had been exposed in Maiden Lane and other wealth-laden streets of that district.

“Reserves who had been detailed to car-strike duty were called off and scattered throughout the city.

“Broadway was a sea of glass. Signs were torn down and crashed to the gutters.

“Fulton Street, in Brooklyn, and even Bath Avenue, in Bensonhurst, were

strewn with fragments of broken windows.

“Broadway’s white-light district was terrorized. At first it was thought the subway had blown up or a building had collapsed.

“Frightened guests ran from the Astor, the St. Regis, the Waldorf, the McAlpin, the Biltmore, and a score of other hotels in Manhattan.

“On every lip was the frightened cry, ‘The world is coming to an end!’”

“Lower Manhattan, with its streets of great skyscrapers, seemed to rock like a tree in a gale. Behind the towering Woolworth building flared a ghastly light, adding to the terror of the thousands.

“Brooklyn bridge and Manhattan bridge seemed for a moment to swing uncertainly. Crossing trolley cars seemed to hop into the air for inches and then to stumble back to the tracks. Passengers were crushed against each other, and glass was shattered.”

The damage to plate glass alone, according to the New York Times, will exceed one million dollars. It was feared at one time that the force of the explosion had caused injury to the Statue of Liberty and to a number of large buildings in the city.

We would not be understood as holding up this terrible disaster as a judgment of the last days, but we do present it as a striking indication of the times in which we are living. It shows the utter disregard which men have for the safety of human life, and the greed for wealth which will lead them to pile up in the midst of a vast population such great stores of munitions. It indirectly presents a picture to this peace-preserved country of the terrible results of war. And it shows the terrible destruction which may be visited upon our great city centers at any time, not alone through

the elements, but through forces stored up within their own boundaries by the insatiable greed of men. And above all, what a picture, on a small scale, it presents of the world’s final destruction and the scenes of terror which will take place at the coming of the Lord. Men’s hearts will indeed fail them for fear in that great day.

There is an uncertainty in life’s existence, and not for a single moment is one safe outside of the protecting care of God. As never before, the human family is the prey of disease, of accident, of disaster by sea and land. The oppressive heat is bringing death to scores. The toll from flood and storm, from fire and earthquake, from railroad wreck and ocean disaster, mounts upward into the thousands yearly. The children of the Master are safe only as they rest under the shadow of his wing. They are safe only in the security which the protecting angels of God afford. Terrible scenes are being enacted today. They will grow more terrible as the days pass. May God help us to flee to our Rock of defense. In the shelter of that great Rock we may say, in the words of the Sweet Singer of Israel: “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof.” Ps. 46: 1-3. F. M. W.

Where to Attend Medical School

By I. H. Evans

This question must have been asked by many young people during the past few weeks, and it may be that this article will be read by some who must yet answer it. I want to help you give yourself a sane, safe, and reasonable answer. The question is vital. In many cases eternal life is at stake. It is not a trifling thing for a young person to put himself where there is constant temptation to break one of God's commandments. The worldly medical school exposes the student to a constant temptation to break the Sabbath day. Is a medical student justified in attending classes on the Sabbath? If he can do so with impunity, then why may not all students pursue their work on that day? Would any student go to a school where he was compelled to violate the prohibition against theft or falsehood?—No, indeed. Is Sabbath breaking a lesser sin than these others? Then how could our young people justify themselves were they to attend a medical school where they were compelled to break the law of God, or fail to get their proper credits?

In the first place, God has given to Seventh-day Adventists a special interest in medical work. Almost from the very inception of this message there has been connected with it, as an integral part of it, a medical department,—not always organized as such, but still it has been a real part of the third angel's message. For many years Seventh-day Adventists stood at the forefront in dietetic reforms and in rational remedies for the treatment of the sick. This people has had great light and much instruction along these particular lines. We have

not always faithfully followed the light. Many times we have neglected the messages that have been sent regarding healthful living. But from the very beginning, we have been interested in medical work, as demonstrated by the numerous medical institutions which have been planted not only in the homeland, but in many other parts of the world. Probably no other people in the world has established so many sanitariums, carrying out strict reforms and giving valuable instruction in healthful living, as have Seventh-day Adventists. Then, too, our young people believe the third angel's message, and medical work offers them special opportunities for service, and allows them to keep the Sabbath.

For these reasons, many of our boys and girls have given themselves to the study of medicine, or have gone to medical institutions to secure training as nurses. With high ideals, and with true temperance principles instilled into their minds, it is natural that they should be among the best class of medical workers, for they are conscientious, and have a standard not often found in the world. They believe in the reforms which have been taught by this people, and are always ready to do everything possible for the relief and restoration of the sick.

Until recently most of our young people have been compelled to get their medical training in worldly schools. But now it is different. Some years ago, instructed by the servant of the Lord, this denomination established a medical school where our young people could have the privilege of studying medicine under the instruction of Christian teachers who believe the third angel's message.

The college at Loma Linda, Cal., has now been in operation long enough to graduate physicians. A large number of these graduates have passed State board examinations and have qualified for registration. The graduates from our school have averaged a high per cent in the State board examinations which they have taken.

The teachers in our medical college are Seventh-day Adventists who not only believe but practice Christianity, and who are in full sympathy and accord with the third angel's message. Now that this college is equipped and in operation under the control and direction of Seventh-day Adventists, what reason would any young man or woman desiring to connect with the work of God and to complete a medical course, have for pursuing studies in a worldly school, where the teachers generally are not Christians, and where none of them believe in the third angel's message, unless it be for the superior advantages offered in equipment and more experienced instructors? Are these advantages in educational lines equal to the spiritual and moral advantages offered in our own school? It does not seem that it would be necessary for any young man or woman to study this point long before reaching the right conclusion. If eternal life is worth living for, there can be no question where a Seventh-day Adventist student should go to secure medical training.

Our school was not established as a money-making enterprise, but for the sole purpose of enabling Seventh-day Adventist young men and women to secure a medical education under Christian influences and where the Word of God is believed and obeyed. It is hoped that the graduates of this college may not drift into the world to practice medicine from a monetary standpoint. We want them to leave our medical school ready and willing to enter as heartily into the spirit of sacrifice and service for God and humanity, and under the same conditions, as our evangelists and other workers.

Fathers and mothers who have sons and daughters desiring to attend a medical school should not hesitate to send their children to our own denominational medical college at Loma Linda. It was not founded for the education and training of worldlings, but to give consecrated Seventh-day Adventist young people a medical training, that they may go into service without having their faith destroyed by the false teachings of unbelieving professors in worldly institutions.

We urge all our young people who contemplate taking a medical course, to patronize our own school. We earnestly advise all Seventh-day Adventist parents whose children consider fitting themselves for medical work, to use their influence in persuading these young people to get that medical training in our own institution. We believe that our people will never regret pursuing this course.

The first two years of the school work are conducted in the country, under the simplest and most natural surroundings possible. Here practical lessons of economy can be taught to our students. Here they can be in close touch with nature. Here they are protected from the temptations of city life. The last two years' work is to be taken in Los Angeles

but under conditions that will, we hope, be conducive to the growth of Christian life, and under influences that will safeguard the morals and ideals of our young people. This school should be filled to its utmost capacity; and we believe that in the end those who avail themselves of the opportunity afforded by this school, will always thank the Lord for having taken their course under Christian influences and associations.

We trust that if any of you who read this are attending outside medical colleges, you will pause, and if possible, reconsider. Ask God for light; counsel with men who fear God and love this truth, and we trust that you will see the wisdom of getting your education in our own denominational medical school.

I. H. EVANS.

God’s Presence Sweetens Bitter Experience

“THE bitterest human experience can be sweetened by the consciousness of God's presence and approbation.”

Continue reading: Statement of Twenty-Cent-a-Week Fund for Six Months Ending June 30, 1916