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Signs of the Times, Vol. 6, No. 7.

GENERAL ARTICLES

Signs of the Times

Feb 19, 1880

Pacific Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Oakland, California · Feb 19, 1880

GENERAL ARTICLES.

By Ellen G. White

MOSES.

BY MRS. E. G. WHITE.
WHEN Moses was forty years of age, an event occurred which seemed to change the whole current of his life. His soul was deeply stirred with a sense of the wrongs done to his people, and he would often leave the royal courts, to visit his brethren in their servitude, and encourage them with the assurance that it would not be always thus, that God would open the way for their deliverance. One day, while thus abroad, he saw an Egyptian beating an Israelite. Moses sprang forward and slew the Egyptian. He had taken the precaution, even in this sudden burst of wrath, to see that he was unwatched, and he buried the body hastily in the sand. But the man whom he had rescued failed to keep the secret, and Moses soon found that it was known to others. The next day he saw two Hebrews contending, one of them clearly in the wrong. When Moses reproved the wrong-doer, he at once turned his rage upon his reprover and basely cast against him his previous act: “Who made thee a prince and a judge over us? Intendest thou to kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian?”
There could be no further hope of concealment. The whole matter was made known to the Egyptians by the envious Hebrew, and, greatly exaggerated, soon reached the ears of Pharaoh. The monarch was informed that Moses designed to make war upon the Egyptians, to overthrow their government, and make himself king. Pharaoh was exceedingly angry. He thought that this act of Moses meant much, and that there was no safety for his kingdom while the offender lived. He therefore commanded that Moses should be slain. But the servant of God became aware in season of Pharaoh’s intent on his life, and he hastily left the palace and fled toward Arabia.
The Lord directed his course, and he found a home with the priest of Midian, Jethro, a man who worshiped God, and who was highly honored by the people of all the surrounding country, for his far-seeing judgment. After a time, Moses married one of the daughters of his benefactor; and here, in the service of his father-in-law, as keeper of his flocks, he remained forty years.
Moses was too hasty in slaying the Egyptian. He supposed the people of Israel understood that God’s special providence had raised him up to deliver them. But the Lord did not design to accomplish this work by warfare, as Moses thought, but by his own mighty power, that the glory might be ascribed to him alone. Yet even this rash act was overruled by God to bring about his purpose.
Moses had become, in every sense, a great man. As a writer, as a military leader, and as a philosopher, he had no superior. Love of truth and righteousness had become the basis of his character, and had produced a steadfastness of purpose which no fickleness of fashion, opinion, or pursuits, could influence. Courtesy, diligence, and a firm trust in God, marked his life. He was young and vigorous, overflowing with energy and manly strength. He had deeply sympathized with his brethren in their affliction, and his soul had kindled with a desire to deliver them. Surely, it would appear to human wisdom that he was in every way fitted for his work.
But God seeth not as man sees; his ways are not as ours. Moses is not yet prepared to accomplish this great work, neither are the people prepared for deliverance. He has been educated in the school of Egypt, but he has yet to pass through the stern school of discipline before he is qualified for his sacred mission. Before he can successfully govern the hosts of Israel, he must learn to obey, he must learn self-control. For forty long years he is sent into the retirement of the desert, that, in his life of obscurity, in the humble work of caring for the sheep and lambs of the flock, he may gain the victory over his own passions. He must learn entire submission to the will of God, before he can teach that will to a great people.
Short-sighted mortals would have dispensed with that forty years of training amid the mountains of Midian, deeming it a great loss of time. But Infinite Wisdom placed him who was to be the mighty statesman, the deliverer of his people from slavery, in circumstances, during this period to develop his honesty, his forethought, his faithfulness and care-taking, and his ability to identify himself with the necessities of his dumb charge. Those to whom God has intrusted important responsibilities have not been brought up in ease and luxury; the noble prophets, the leaders and judges of God’s appointment, have been men whose characters were formed by the stern realities of life.
God does not select for his work men of one mold and one temperament only, but men of varied temperaments. The human element is seen in all who have been chosen to accomplish a work for God. They have been men of intellect, of depth of feeling; men who would do and dare, whose powers could be directed in the right channel, and who would learn wisdom from God. Said Christ, “If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine.” Those who, by earnest, anxious inquiry, seek to learn the will of God, who seize upon and improve every ray of light shining upon their pathway, God will lead. They will not be left to walk in doubt and darkness. Connected with God, the source of all wisdom, man may reach any hight of moral excellence.
But inspiration will not come to man in darkness, while he makes no effort to press toward the divine light. Moses must realize his great weakness and deficiency, and his soul must be drawn out for special help from Him who can help. Moses must closely apply his mind to the great change to be wrought in himself. Had he taken matters in a listless, easy, and indifferent manner, shunning care, hardship, and disagreeable responsibilities, as do many young men of today, God would never have intrusted him with a sacred and important work. He was aroused to the highest kind of thought, and to his great want of experimental knowledge of God; and his prayer came forth from a soul burdened with a sense of need and poverty. He hoped, he longed, he prayed, for close connection with God.
Moses had been learning much which he must unlearn. The influence which had surrounded him in Egypt,—the love of his adopted mother, his own high position as the king’s grandson, the enchantments of grandeur in art, the dissipation on every hand, the imposing display connected with the idolatrous worship, and the constant repetition, by the priests, of countless fables concerning the power of their gods,—all had left deep impressions upon his developing mind, and had molded, to some extent, his habits and character. These impressions, time, change of surroundings, and close connection with God, could remove. Yet it must be by earnest, persevering effort, a struggle as for life, with himself, to uproot the seeds of error, and in their place have truth firmly implanted. At every point, Satan would be prepared to strengthen error and dislodge truth; but while God designed that Moses should be self-trained by severe discipline, he himself would be his ever-ready helper against Satan when the conflict should be too severe for human strength.
With the wild mountains surrounding him, alone with God, Moses had a precious opportunity to learn himself, to discern his pride and self-exaltation, and to overcome the habits formed amid the luxury, ease, and indulgence of court life. The magnificent temples of Egypt were no longer before his eyes, impressing his mind with their superstition and falsehood. Amid the towering rocks and everlasting hills he could behold the evidences of the Creator’s greatness and majesty, and power, and contrast with the insignificance of the gods of Egypt. Every where the Creator’s name was written. Moses was surrounded with his presence, and covered with his overshadowing glory. God himself was speaking to his servant through these mute representatives of his power.
The light of nature and that of revelation are from the same source, teaching grand truths and always agreeing with each other. As Moses saw that all God’s created works act in sublime harmony with his laws, he realized how unreasonable it is for man to array himself in opposition to the law of God. The conflict was most trying, the effort long, to bring heart and mind on all points in harmony with truth and with Heaven; but Moses was finally a victor. He came forth from the proving of God, mild in spirit, patient in temper, generous toward the erring, kind, reverent, and humble, one of the meekest of men in his intercourse with the world. Every child of God will have a similar experience. It is only after sore discipline and severe instruction that man, in obedience to Christ an heir of glory, can learn to wear divine honors with grace and dignity becoming to his position as a member of the royal family.
As year after year passed by, and left the servant of God still in his humble position, it would have seemed to one of less faith than he, as if God had forgotten him; as if his ability and experience were to be lost to the world. But as he wandered with his silent flocks in solitary places, the abject condition of his people was ever before him. He recounted all God’s dealings with the faithful in ages past, and his promises of future good, and his soul went out toward God in behalf of his brethren in bondage, and his fervent prayers echoed amid the mountain caverns by day and by night. He was never weary of presenting before God the promises made to his people, and pleading with him for their deliverance.
Those prayers were heard. Could his eyes have been opened, he would have seen the messengers of God, pure, holy angels, bending lovingly over him, shedding their light around him, and preparing to bear his petition to the throne of the Highest. [The long years spent amid desert solitudes were not lost. Not only was Moses gaining a preparation for the great work before him, but during this time, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he wrote the book of Genesis and also the book of Job, which would be read with the deepest interest by the people of God until the close of time.]

TO THE DOUBTING.

Doubting one! sunshine is hidden above thee, The clouds will disperse when thy vision is clear ; Pray! God is willing, is waiting to love thee, Prayer is the spy-glass that brings Heaven near. Ere led from the garden to Calvary's tree, Jesus, thy Saviour, was praying for thee.
Tempted one! Jesus has measured thy sorrows, Strength shall be thine as thy day to endure ; A way of escape he will surely provide thee, Cling to the Rock, and thy conquest is sure. Ere led from the garden to Calvary's tree, Jesus, thy Saviour, was praying for thee.
Mourning one! seeking the gift of the Spirit, Then through the truth shalt sanctified be ; Perfection of love, even thou may'st inherit, Love in its fullness is offered to thee. Ere led from the garden to Calvary's tree, Jesus, thy Saviour, was praying for thee.

THE LAW AND THE TESTIMONY.

By J. H. Waggoner

BY ELDER J. H. WAGGONER.
IN detecting certain systems of error now prevailing, the Lord, by his prophet, gave the following test:—
"To the law and to the testimony; if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them." Isa. 8:20.
In verse 16 the order is given to "bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples." We cannot imagine that God left so important an instrument as his law without a seal, and then required man to affix one to it. The Lord sealed his own law, but man has removed it, and it is now to be restored. It must be sealed among his disciples, for among them it has been removed, and as with the law, so with "the testimony." Violence has been done to both in the professed church of Christ. The work of restoration is pointed out in the prophecies of the New Testament. But this is not accomplished without opposition. For thus speaks the prophet:—
"And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ." Rev. 12:17.
An explanation of the last expression is given in Rev. 19:10, which says, "the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of prophecy."—Hence in the last days there will arise those who have these peculiarities; they will keep the commandments of God, which have been rejected or dishonored—they will restore the seal to the law, and thus present it to the world a perfect and complete instrument, and they will have the testimony of Jesus, which is the Spirit of prophecy—they will "bind up the testimony," which has been torn from its place in the church of Christ.
This relation of the law and the testimony is noted in the Scriptures in many places, and presents to us some interesting features of Acts 2:28, 29. Those religionists who deny the power of the Spirit and the perpetuity of its gifts through this dispensation, usually take antinomian ground, namely, that the ten commandments are abrogated, and the gospel is substituted for them. Close observation of the ground causes us to remark that antinomianism and the Spirit of God do not go together. Therefore it is not surprising that they who oppose the law oppose also the doctrine of the gifts and the power of the Spirit. In developing this truth it is necessary to offer a few remarks upon the harmony of the law and the gospel.
The gospel cannot be substituted for the law. They are different in nature, and neither one can answer the purpose of the other. The object of the law is to form a good character; that of the gospel is to reform a bad one. The law is a rule of right action, and the gospel is a remedy for wrong action. Where no wrong exists no remedy is needed. Therefore had the law been kept and never violated, no gospel would have existed, for it would not have been needed. This shows that Paul's words are true without any qualification: "The doers of the law shall be justified." And thus is proved that the law contains all the elements of justification. The law is right, but man is wrong. Says Paul:—
"For we know that the law is Spiritual; but I am carnal, sold under sin." Rom. 7:14.
The law is a rule; the gospel is a means. As such they cannot be interchanged. Again the apostle says:—
"Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law; that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight; for by the law is the knowledge of sin." Rom. 3:19, 20.
As the law is not the means whereby a sinner is justified, so the gospel is not the rule by which sin is pointed out—by which men are proved guilty before God. But some treat it as if it were such a rule, and reject the law. Yet no one can read the Scriptures to suit such a belief; no one will accept the following version of Rom. 3:20; "Therefore by the deeds of the gospel there shall no flesh be justified in his sight; for by the gospel is the knowledge of sin." Both truth and justice require that they shall renounce their cherished premise, as they will not consent to accept the necessary conclusion.
As the gospel cannot be substituted for the law, and as it would not have existed had there been no transgression of law, so it cannot now exist without law. If the law be abrogated the gospel becomes a nullity, as no one would ask for a pardon where there was no possibility of conviction. Speaking of the redemption through Christ the apostle says:—
"Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; to declare, I say, at this time his righteousness; that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus." Rom. 3:25, 26.
The harmony of the law and the gospel is precisely the harmony of justice and love in the divine character, and it is represented by the union of the Father and the Son. The Son saves only those who return to allegiance to the Father. Faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ is of no avail without repentance toward God. Acts 20:21. The will of the Father is a test of the doctrines of the Son. John 7:16, 17. And in vain they cry to Jesus, Lord, Lord, who do not the will of his Father. Matt. 7:21.
In Rom. 3:25, 26 it is shown that the sacrifice of Christ was necessary to vindicate the justice of God in justifying or pardoning the believer. God cannot suffer his justice to be trampled upon; his law and his government must be honored. Had it not been necessary to preserve his justice, he could have saved all sinners without a sacrifice and without condition. The violated law, which is holy, just, and good, has a claim on the transgressor which cannot be set aside—it must be satisfied. Infinite love could devise, and infinite mercy could execute only such a plan of salvation as infinite justice could approve, for these are attributes of God, and they must act in perfect harmony.
When we have learned to "honor all the name" of God, and to respect alike all his attributes, we shall know what it means to "serve him with gladness and fear," and to "rejoice before him with trembling." And thus shall we unite the commandments of God with the faith of Jesus our dear Mediator. Rev. 14:12.
With these few remarks on the harmony of the law and the gospel we pass on to consider the connection between the law and the means of perfection in the gospel—the gifts of the Spirit.
The following text is often quoted in part, but the whole in connection is seldom considered:—
"Where there is no vision, the people perish; but he that keepeth the law happy is he." Prov. 29:18.
The method of this statement is worthy of remark. The use of the disjunctive places the keeping of the law in contrast with the absence of a vision or of the gifts of the Spirit of God. Where there is no vision, the people perish; but where the law is kept, there is happiness or blessedness—they do not perish. The evident conclusion is that where the people keep the law visions of the Spirit are vouchsafed to them. God by his Spirit leads his people to love and obey him, and where the gifts of the Spirit are acknowledged and received, there the law will be kept, and thus the people will be blessed and God is glorified.
And this connection of the law and the Spirit is recognized by another prophet who thus speaks of the desolation of Jerusalem:—
"Her kings and her princes are among the Gentiles; the law is no more; her prophets also find no vision from the Lord." Lam. 2:9.
By the same prophet the Lord has threatened to destroy Jerusalem and to burn up her gates if her children profane the Sabbath. Jer. 17. And accordingly when the law was no more among them, when it ceased to be respected, her prophets found no visions from the Lord. This was always received as evidence that the Lord had forsaken them, for he always gave answers to his people by his Spirit when they drew near to him. Saul knew that the Lord had departed from him when he could get no answer "by the hand of prophets." Another prophet thus speaks of Jerusalem's destruction:—
"Mischief shall come upon mischief, and rumor shall be upon rumor; then they shall seek a vision of the prophet; but the law shall perish from the priest, and counsel from the ancients." Ezekiel 7:26.
Thus again it is shown that when the priests and the people depart from the law, they shall seek in vain for a vision from the prophets. This is a position which was always deeply deplored by holy men of God, because it was regarded as an evidence of the displeasure of God. Therefore it was written by the prophet:—
"Therefore night shall be unto you that ye shall not have a vision; and it shall be dark unto you, that ye shall not divine: and the sun shall go down over the prophets, and the day shall be dark over them. Then shall the seers be ashamed, and the diviners confounded; yea, they shall all cover their lips; for there is no answer of God." Micah 3:6, 7.
And again the deplorable condition of Israel was thus described:—
"Now for a long time Israel hath been without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law." 2 Chron. 15:3.
Against all this it cannot justly be claimed that this was true in Old Testament times, but is not applicable in the gospel age; that in the darkness of past ages it was necessary that the Lord should constantly remind them of their duties, their failures, and their danger, by the hand of seers and prophets, but in the light of the gospel dispensation it is not necessary. For the declension of piety hardly ever was among the Jews than it has been among professed Christians. For centuries the gospel was almost hid from the face of the earth. Since the Reformation there has been less "unity of faith" with the followers of Christ than among the people of the world; and in no other age have the gifts of the Spirit been so generally repudiated, which were given to perfect union of faith among Christians. So greatly does this diversity prevail that unbelievers are bewildered, and they think the gospel has no power to unite believers in faith and spirit. The world is led to conclude that the prayer of the Saviour for the union of his followers, such as exists between the Father and the Son, and the exhortation of the apostle to be perfectly united in mind and judgment, and to speak the same thing with one accord, are impossible of accomplishment. The gospel is derided as an impracticable theory, not suited to the present condition of mankind. And all because Christians reject or neglect the means whereby God designed that this "unity of the faith," of heart, and mind, and judgment, should be accomplished. Spiritual pride takes the place of meekness and self-denial; worldliness is substituted for cross-bearing, "science falsely so called," is expected to do more for the church than the interposition of divine providence; and direct answers to prayer are neither sought for nor expected.
If it were designed that there should be more manifestations of the spirit's power in the former dispensation than in the present; if it were God's plan to light up the darkness of that age by the gifts of his Spirit, and to withdraw them from his people in this, in what sense, and with what propriety, is this called "the dispensation of the Spirit" in contrast with that? Both promises and facts show that the glory of this age was to consist in the out-pouring of the Spirit "on all flesh," that is, on all the church, "even as many as the Lord our God shall call;" while this heavenly illumination was confined to a few in the ages past. Alas for the day when the Holy Spirit is grieved, restrained, and rejected; when human wisdom exalts itself in the churches above the light and power of the Spirit of God.
We say that both the promises and the facts are in favor of the idea that God intended to bestow the largest measure of his Spirit in this age. The promise was that that which was shed on the apostles on the day of Pentecost was to be poured out on all flesh, or on all the called of God. The facts on this subject are two-fold: 1. the Spirit was poured out and its gifts were distributed in all the churches where the gospel in its purity and power was accepted. 2. The evidence stands on record that the Spirit and the law of God stand together in this dispensation as they did in the past, and in that connection the gifts of the Spirit are recognized even unto the end of the world.
"Here is the patience of the saints; here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus." Rev. 14:12.
Examining the context we find that this declaration, which is located in time by the adverb, here, is made after the proclamation, "the hour of his judgment is come," and just before the Son of man appears on the white cloud to reap the harvest of the earth. This proves that the text applies near to the end of time: near the close of the dispensation.
The faith of Jesus is united with the commandments of God,—not substituted for them. The faith of Jesus is a comprehensive phrase, and must include the whole gospel system in its duties and promises. For there can be no duty nor benefit in the gospel which is not embraced in "the faith of Jesus." And therefore "the commandments of God," in distinction from the faith of Jesus, must refer to God's moral law, which is the basis of the gospel, and without which the gospel were a nullity. "By the law is the knowledge of sin;" and the gospel is the remedy.
In point of time the following text is parallel with the one quoted, Rev. 14:12; and it is explicit in its testimony on the connection of the law of God with the gifts of the Spirit:—
"And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ." Rev. 12:17.
As "the remnant" of the seed of the woman—the church—can be no other than the last part or last age of the church, this text must also be fulfilled near the close of the dispensation.
The circumstances of the people of God are the same in the two texts. In Rev. 13:11-17 they are revealed under persecutions because they will not worship the beast, nor his image, nor receive his mark. In chapter 14:9-12 they who do thus worship the beast are threatened with terrible plagues. They who do not worship the beast—who escape the plagues, are found keeping the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. Of them it is said, "Here is the patience of the saints." Now as "tribulation worketh patience," Rom. 5:1-3, we have in this text reference to the persecutions of chapter 13:11-17, or the war which is made against the remnant of chapter 12:17, who "Keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ."
We give again the explanation of the position of "the remnant" as found in the following text:—
"I am thy fellow-servant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God; for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." Rev. 19:10.
According to the scriptures the remnant of the seed of the woman—the last state or last part of the church of Christ—keep the commandments of God, and have the Spirit of prophecy; that is, the gifts of the Spirit are restored to them before the Lord Jesus comes to reap the harvest and gather his saints to himself. And this is confirmed by the words of Paul to those who are looking for this second coming of the Lord, as follows:—
"Even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you; so that ye come behind in no gift, waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Cor. 1:6, 7.
Here we may safely rest the argument that in the last days of this dispensation, when the true church is waiting for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, the testimony of Jesus—the spirit of prophecy—will be confirmed in the believers, so that they shall possess its gifts and powers. But there is more evidence in the Scriptures to be presented on this subject, equally decisive with that which is here offered.
The evidence on the relation of the law of God and the gifts of the Spirit we have given only in part. It deserves further examination.

THE FINAL WARNING.

By Roswell F. Cottrell

BY ELDER R. F. COTTRELL.
In all the past it has been invariably the case that, when God was about to bring some great evil upon a people, he has given them a warning of what he was about to do. There are numerous instances of this on record. Some of these instances are seen in the warnings given to the antediluvians, the Sodomites, the Ninevites, and the Jewish people before their final dispersion among all nations by the destruction of their city and temple. And, in fact, God has promised that he will not depart from this rule. "Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secrets to his servants the prophets." Amos 3:7.
Of all the evils that God has ever brought upon men, none have equaled those that are to come in the great day of the Lord, emphatically called the great day of his wrath. See Isa. 13; 6-9; Zeph. 1:14-18; Rev. 6:17. According to all his past dealings with men, and according to his promise quoted above, we have a right to expect that God will send a warning to herald the approach of that great and terrible day. And this is clearly promised through the prophet Joel: "Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain; let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand." This is a prophecy in the form of a command. It signifies that when that day is near at hand, the trumpet will be blown, the alarm will be sounded. And the people of God living at that time are to be the agents by which the warning is to be given. The command of God to them is, "Blow ye the trumpet," etc.
We have an illustration of the fulfillment of a prophetic command on record. It took place when Christ rode into Jerusalem. Hundreds of years before the event, God had said by his prophet, "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem; behold thy King cometh unto thee; he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass." Zech. 9:9. When Jesus thus entered Jerusalem, the people did shout and rejoice greatly. And it was imperative—there must be shouting—accordingly Jesus said, "If these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out." It was a necessity, for the promise of God must be fulfilled. Even so the warning must be sounded by the people of God, just before the coming of the day of the Lord. God has promised it, and his word cannot be broken.
The terms of the promised warning are more fully given in Rev. 14:6-12. Here are given in detail the promised "gospel of the kingdom," which should be preached in all the world for a witness, immediately before the coming of the end. Matt. 24:14. The burden of the first proclamation of the everlasting gospel is, "Fear God and give glory to him, for the hour of his Judgment is come." Such a message must be heard by the inhabitants of the earth at the time when the coming of the Lord is at hand. Can this be done, and yet the day of the Lord come upon men as a thief in the night, that is, unexpectedly? Yes, it can, to those who do not believe the warning; and the Scriptures assure us that this will be the case.
These last messages of probationary time will be preached by men, though they are foretold under the symbol of angels. God has chosen men as his agents to preach the gospel; and when he commissioned his disciples to preach the gospel he said, "Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." Men will therefore be the agents through whom the closing messages of the gospel will be preached. And it is certain that those who proclaim these warnings will be believers in the advent of Christ at hand. Those who do not believe that the Judgment, the coming of Christ, and the resurrection, are at hand will never preach these messages. This is self-evident.
And now the question arises, Do the signs of the times warrant us in believing that we are in the last days? Those who make the study of the prophecies a specialty, universally believe that the end is at hand; and the impression is growing in the popular mind that the day of the Lord and the battle of Armageddon are at hand. The fearful corruption of our times has called forth the acknowledgement from some who do not profess to be Adventists that the present state of society answers to the prophetic description of the last days, as given by Paul in 2 Tim. 3, and in other scriptures. If we are in the last days, and the coming of the great day of the Lord is at hand, then it is time that these promised warnings should be heard. When God's promises become due, they never fail of their fulfillment. Where are the promised messages of warning? Who are proclaiming them? There are about two hundred thousand Adventists in the world; and if the predicted warnings are being given, it is evident that they are being given by those who believe that the second coming of Christ is at hand.
But the grand test of these Advent, or Judgment, messages is upon the commandments of God and the faith of Christ. Those who proclaim and heed these warnings are described as those "who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus." Now it is a fact that Adventists are not all agreed in respect to the commandments of God. Some hold that the ten commandments are not now binding; that they have been abolished, and superseded by the faith of Jesus. Do they fill the prophetic description? Not at all. To apply to them, it should read, "Here are they that are released from the commandments of God by the faith of Jesus." They differ from the apostle Paul in that they make void the law through faith. See Rom. 3:31.
Dear reader, the prophetic description of those who heed the last message of probation, and are to be translated at the coming of Christ, is, "Here are they that keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus." Is it possible for any to be so deceived as to think that they are the people, while they break the commandments of the moral law and teach men so, holding that the commandments written by the finger of God have been superseded and done away by the faith of Christ?
Who are proclaiming the promised warning? It must be heard before the end, and the end is most evidently near. It is impossible that it should be preached by any but believers in the advent near; all others will be far from preaching it. And of Adventists none can be the people described but those who keep the commandments of God as well as the faith of Christ. And is there a class who teach the perpetuity of the whole moral law, in connection with the soon-coming of Christ? There is. And as John the Baptist understood his mission to be the fulfillment of the predicted "voice of one crying in the wilderness," so these believe it to be their special work to proclaim the last warning to mankind, to prepare a people for the second advent,—a people who, instead of following the beast and his image, will "keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus." And this message is going to "many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings."
Who believes the prophetic word of God? Who believes that God still lives, and is fulfilling his word of promise? The day of the Lord is at hand; and the Lord will do nothing, but he revealeth his secrets to his servants. He has promised a warning before the great and terrible day of the Lord shall come; and he is fulfilling his promise. Ancient prophets foretold these things; and the Spirit of the living God is moving his people to fulfill these predictions. He reveals these things to his servants; and those who believe his word and providence understand the work he has called them to do. By the aid of the Spirit they will fulfill their mission.
Already this message is being published in seven different languages. Several presses are employed in spreading the news, the good news, the gospel of the everlasting kingdom. In America it has spread from ocean to ocean, and several missionaries in Europe are sounding it forth by the voice and by the press. Oh! solemn thought. The trumpet of the final warning is being sounded. God has called upon his people to sound an alarm, and it is being sounded. He foretold these things by his ancient prophets and by his apostles, and he is fulfilling his word; consequently, unbelievers are left without excuse. The great white throne will remain immaculate, though we should not heed the warning, and so be lost. "The lion hath roared, who will not fear? the Lord God hath spoken, who can but prophesy?"

COUNTERFEITS.

SOME persons maintain that since there are so many different kinds of religion, all claiming to be best, it is impossible to determine which is the right one, and therefore it is just as well to do without any. But these persons never refuse to negotiate business because there are so many counterfeit bills afloat, but rather on this account put forth more sagacity to discern the sound ones.
If wicked men employ their powers to produce false coin as much like the genuine in appearance as possible, we ought not to wonder that evil spirits should do the same in the matter of religion. No one ever doubted the existence of a pure diamond because there were many imitations. When Moses wrought miracles, the magicians did the same in appearance, but the test of time finally settled which was genuine, as some powerful acid reveals the pure coin. It was foretold that false Christs should arise, but the same test, viz., time, has put beyond doubt which is the true one. We must try them and know them by their fruits.— Watchman and Reflector.

Wisdom, Storms, and Godliness

Wisdom quietly prepares, then waits the coming storm; foolishness does not believe that a storm is coming.
Godliness in the heart, produces a strong character; godliness worn as a cloak produces a weak one.
Continue reading: THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST