Earlier text: The Great Standard of RighteousnessYour hands may be small, but every day
They can do something that's good as play;
They can help mother, and she'll be glad,
For all that's done by her lass or lad. If all the children would think to-day
Of helping mother, as all of them may,
They'd bring in water and wood, and do
A dozen things she would like them to. For, though hands are small, and years are few,
There's always something that they can do
To help their mothers and make them glad;
Remember that, little lass and lad. So help your mothers about their work;
Don't wait for asking; don't try to shirk.
Do just the best that you can, and she
Will say, “What a help are my dears to me!” THE END DRAWS ON
By F. R. Richards
F. R. RICHARDS
(Atchison, Kan.) At the late Kansas Conference (December 24-28) the oft-repeated testimony, “This is the best Conference I ever attended,” was current among the delegates. How well this plain, simple statement, though often used, expresses the freshness of true Christian experience. In contrast with abounding error, how bright and clear-cut appear the outlines of God’s truth for this time. Unlike the confusing, discordant notes of the false prophet, how reassuring is the voice of each servant who gives “the trumpet the certain sound.” How timely the instruction that forbids all trust in the arm of flesh, and points to God, the Rock of ages, the eternal refuge, who is our shelter in the time of storm. Now of all times must individual connection with God be maintained. The powers of darkness are about to begin their final onslaught upon the citadel of the Christian’s hope. Soon every stronghold of religious freedom will be swept from the field or trampled beneath the feet of relentless persecution. By reason of the shortness of human vision, mists of misapprehension sometimes tend to retard spiritual intercourse between brethren, hindering their co-operative support and fellowship until all come to the unity of the faith. This condition must soon be remedied; but until this is accomplished, no sense of loneliness or neglect must be suffered to depress and deter those souls stayed on Christ. By similar lessons God would prepare many for the final ordeal, when each must pass through the refining blast, where the last vestige of dross will perish, and only the pure gold — the character of God — will come forth from the crucible of His law. Let none shrink from the final test. How soothing in the danger-fraught present, and how inspiring for the future, is the precious promise of Jesus: “Behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me.” Lord, hasten the glad day when the living redeemed shall say, “Even so, come, Lord Jesus.” Prayer Strengthens Believers in Trial
“EVERY prayer offered in faith lifts the suppliant above discouraging doubts and human passions. Prayer gives strength to renew the conflict with the powers of darkness, to bear trials patiently, and to endure hardness as good soldiers of Christ.” MAKE IT INTERESTING
By Lulu T. White
Do YOU sometimes wonder why your children take so little interest in the study of the Bible; why, after all your efforts to instruct them in the Scriptures, they have no intelligent idea of the principles of our faith, and can scarcely remember the Sabbath-school lesson from Friday till Sabbath? Do you sometimes feel discouraged, and think that your children are uncommonly dull, or born with an aversion to religious study? I wonder if the manner in which you teach them is accountable for this. There is a right and a wrong way of doing everything, and this is nowhere more manifest than in teaching the gospel to the little ones. Are you making the lesson attractive to them, presenting it in such a form that their young minds can appreciate it? or are you trying the old method of pouring it in, forgetting that the mind is a leaky vessel, which will retain only so much, and that of material that is especially interesting to it? I know of families where the parent gathers the children around him, and from the lesson pamphlet hurls a question first at one child then at another. Often the child does not understand the language of the question; and upon his failure to answer at once, it is thrown back in a louder tone of voice, while the face of the parent plainly shows his irritation. This is continued until all present are literally worn out; and when a heartfelt prayer is offered that the children may become interested in studying the Scriptures, they wonder in their inmost hearts how they possibly can be interested in anything so dull and tedious. Think of the sermons preached by Christ when on earth. Can you find one in which He sought to teach the people by giving them a set of questions and answers to be learned?—No! In the attractive guise of a story He presented the truths of the gospel, while the multitudes listened spell-bound, forgetting to eat or sleep. By the scattered grain of the sower, the leaven of the bread, and other familiar objects and scenes, He represented the nature of the kingdom of heaven. Think also of the many devices of Satan to lead the young astray. At the theater, the dime museum, the circus, and similar resorts, all is life and motion. The seeds which shall bring forth a harvest of sin and sorrow are subtly woven in with pleasing pictures, interesting exhibits, and anything that will interest the mind and hold the attention. Shall we be less wise than the adversary of our children’s souls? In teaching we forget that a child is not prepared to grasp abstract ideas, and that these ideas must be associated with concrete things many times before he can appreciate them alone. Connect the lesson with life on the farm, at the store, or at school, so interweaving the blessed truths with practical and familiar things, that these things can not be seen without recalling the lesson. It is a law of the mind that interest will wane if the attention is directed toward one object for too long a time. This applies to a young mind in a greater degree than to a mature one. Therefore the study must be varied, and not continued too long at one time. It is not necessary to go through the lesson every day. Better have an interesting, animated study for five minutes than to leave every one tired at the end of half an hour. Talk about the lesson in a simple, conversational fashion, until the children forget that they are studying, and become eager to tell all they know about it. A few thoughts that have been clearly associated in the child’s mind will be of much more value than a whole lesson lost in a haze of indistinctness. Do not become discouraged. If, after you have done your best, your children do not manifest all the interest you desire, you must ask God more earnestly to make you truly a teacher, and to assist you in adapting the lesson to the capabilities of each child. Remember it is “precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little.” Learn to look through the eyes of the children, to hear with their ears, to become truly “a little child.” Then enter the lesson with a cheerful face, close it before the interest has abated, and you will be surprised to see that your children have really become interested in that which has been made interesting. The Dark Day of the Revolution
THE Dark Day of the Revolution has been frequently described, to many yet living, by ancient people who were eyewitnesses. This account was given by a Rhode Island lady, a cousin of General Nathaniel Greene:— “The sky was clear until nearly noon, when the sun began to fade, as if its light were withdrawn, until it needed very keen eyes to mark its position in the heavens. At first there was a sort of greenish twilight, then everything became as dark as midnight. The stars came out. The fowls went to roost. People looked at their clocks, sure that they must somehow have mistaken the time. The churches and meeting-houses were open. The bells tolled mournfully. Some men stood upon the corners, preaching that this was the last day, foretold by the evangelist. Some sat at open windows or on roofs, singing hymns. But just before sunset the sky cleared. I remember that my mother and father embraced each other, then kissed me, and seemed overjoyed, and the street was full of people running to and fro, and shouting that the world was safe.”— New York Sun. *“Ask not what to-morrow will be: to-morrow’s need will bring with it to-morrow’s God. Trust and be still.”* IN THE WORLD OF TEMPTATION
By Ida M. Clark
“The beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safety by Him; and the Lord shall cover him all the day long.” This is the privilege of the child of God, but too often, like little children, we drop the hand of our Father, and seek to run ahead, or else lag behind. We are not placed beyond the reach of temptation; but when we realize and live up to our privilege of living and moving in Christ, then Satan can not intrude; for we are indeed “hedged about.” When we have gained a victory, we are apt to congratulate ourselves that we have been successful, forgetting the Source of our strength, and leaving the gate as it were unguarded. The enemy, finding us unprepared, marches in; and then we brood over our failure, thus living the up-and-down life of the average Christian. And oh, the precious moments we waste, golden opportunities lying unimproved while we grieve over past failures! How blind we are, and how prone to cry out against our lot, when it is of our own making. Too often we forget that God does not promise us ease and indulgence. We are to go from “strength to strength”—strength to do and to suffer for His sake, and to “endure hardness, as a good soldier.” He puts us where our characters will best ripen. He knows just what is needed to make the graces thrive and mature. We dare not be off guard a moment. When self is our first interest, when our trials and losses occupy the mind, then it is that Satan has a fruitful field in which to labor; and, unlike us, he does not lose his opportunities. Full well he knows the time and seasons. His work goes forward while we sleep. How it behooves us to be careful and prayerful! One writer has truly said: “No one can honestly and hopefully ask to be delivered from temptation, unless he has honestly and firmly determined to do the best he can to keep out of it.” But it is not the greatest nor the bravest who never fail. The days of sadness are for a wise purpose. Were our lives all sunshine, and the pages of life's book all free and spotless, we should not know how to comfort and sympathize with those on whom the shadows are fallen. As the star that guided the wise men of old to the place where the Christ-child lay, so is the life of one who has been tossed in the storms of life and has come off conqueror, to the soul who is passing through the same. It is a star of hope to such a one, and he can press forward, knowing that hitherto the Lord has helped, and will help. Thank the Lord, then, for the trials; “glory in tribulations,” for herein do we gain our strength. As time goes on, the way will be more rugged and steep; but if we faithfully overcome each step of the way, we shall find our strength renewed to meet each new trial and temptation, which will prove a stepping-stone to heights before unattained. And the Lord shall truly cover us all the day long. Faithful to Present Duties
“If we are faithful to the duties of the present, God will provide for the future.” MISSIONARY WORK IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD
By Ellen G. White
BEFORE His ascension to heaven, Jesus, with hands outstretched in blessing His disciples, gave them their commission: “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” “Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” Repentance of sin was to be preached in His name among all nations, but the work was to begin at Jerusalem. Before going out into new fields of labor, the disciples of Christ were to give the message to their own people. Home missions were to receive their first attention. Wherever the people of God are placed, in the crowded cities, in the villages, or among the country byways, there is a home mission field, for which a responsibility is laid upon them by their Lord’s commission. They are to take up the duty that lies nearest. First of all is the work in the family; next they should seek to win their neighbors to Christ, and to bring before them the great truths of this time. This work places a responsibility upon us to recommend by our daily life the faith which we profess. The piety of its believers is the standard by which worldlings judge the truth. In all your associations with unbelievers, be careful to give them no occasion to misjudge your faith, or to reproach the cause of truth which you advocate. Many hedge up the way by their own course of action. There is some indiscretion on their part. They are easily provoked. Little difficulties arise in trade or in some other temporal matter, which lead them to think themselves misjudged or wronged by their neighbors. These things are allowed to create coldness or ill-feeling, and thus to close the door of access to those who might be reached by the truth. We should never allow matters of temporal interest to quench our love for souls. Brethren, be kind and courteous on all occasions. Never be sharp, critical, or exacting in your deal. If there is any advantage to be gained, give it to your neighbor, whom you are required to love as you love yourself. With the patience and love of Jesus, watch for opportunities to do him a kindness. Let him see that the religion that you profess does not close up nor freeze over the avenues of the soul, making you unsympathizing and exacting. Let a well-ordered life and a godly conversation testify to your sincerity and piety; and when you have thus gained his confidence, the way is open for you to reach the heart by introducing the truth. If these matters, which may appear of minor consequence, are neglected, you may present the most convincing arguments in favor of the truth, but they will have no weight. If your family government is not according to the Bible rule, if your children are not brought up with habits of order and industry, if they are selfish, proud, disobedient, unthankful, unholy, be sure that your unbelieving neighbor will see and remark upon your neglect. “They would better spend their labor at home,” he will say, “teaching piety and good behavior to their children, instead of trying to convert me.” Very many have been caused to stumble by the inconsistencies of professed Christians, and have been led to reject the precious truths of the Bible. “The look of sympathy, the gentle word,
Spoken so low that only angels heard,
The secret act of pure self-sacrifice,
Unseen by men, but marked by angel’s eyes,—
These are not lost.” “The kindly plans devised for others’ good,
So seldom guessed, so little understood,
The quiet, steadfast love that strove to win
Some wanderer from the woeful ways of sin,—
These are not lost.” AN EXPERIENCE
By Mrs. M. V. Erkenbeck
FROM the first, I have been greatly interested in the Woman's department of our good REVIEW AND HERALD. It is usually the first thing I look for after reading the last page. Our dear Sister Henry's death was a shock to the women of our denomination, but I knew the work she had started among us was of the Lord, and that He would find some one to take her place, and He has not disappointed us. I have been glad to see so many requests for prayer, and have rejoiced of late to see that so many can testify to answered prayers. I know by blessed experience that God answers prayer, and that He loves to answer prayer in healing the sick. Much is being said for and against “divine healing,” and I feel impressed to give my experience, though a part of it is so painful that I seldom mention it:— Sixteen years ago I was raised up in answer to the prayer of faith, after an illness of two years. I had been treated by the best medical help at our command, and there seemed to be no help for me in man. Our daughter, eighteen years old, who had been an invalid for a year, was healed soon after. We received a most wonderful spiritual blessing, and I know it was of the Lord. The Bible was a new book to us, and we found it blessed to walk with God. Soon after this the Sabbath of the Lord was brought to us, and to me especially it seemed so plain that, for a few days, I felt that to be obedient I must keep the seventh day instead of the first as the Sabbath; but I hesitated. It meant so much to us as a family, and I tried to walk by sight instead of by faith. Satan took advantage of this, and used the mistake of one of God's servants to turn us away from the Third Angel's Message entirely for a time. Oh, I wish I had power to cause every one to see, as I see, the danger of turning against one ray of light. In the instruction we received on divine healing we were taught (and it looked reasonable), that if we were to take Jesus as our physician, we must discard all means. Jesus did not need any help, and it was denying our faith in Him to use means. This is a grievous error. I believe that much of the reproach upon true divine healing comes from this error. The Lord healed and blessed us in our ignorance, and brought light to us, which, if we had walked in it, would have corrected this error, and have delivered us from the terrible trial that came to us. We went on, using pork and unwholesome combinations, and after a short time our daughter was taken sick. We had no thought of using the simple remedies which our people are taught skillfully to use, but, remembering what the Lord had done for us, we said: “No; Jesus will take care of us. We can trust him to deliver us from all sickness.” But the difficulty, which might easily have been removed at first, became more and more serious. Still we refused all means, believing that victory was ours in the Lord. Though she was wonderfully sustained by her childish faith and trust in her Saviour, after a few years of suffering we laid her away to rest in Jesus till the first resurrection. No one can ever know what I suffered, for I felt that the whole responsibility rested upon me, and yet I could not see how I could have done differently. But how long-suffering and full of mercy and love is our God. He did not leave us in the dark, but brought us again the Third Angel's Message, and, praise His name, we accepted it fully. Again I was laid upon a bed of sickness, I used means, went to the Sanitarium, and had an operation, in which the Lord was preciously near, and restored me to comfortable health. After two years, through foolishly overdoing, I was brought to a condition where, even at the Sanitarium, nothing could be done for me. The subject of divine healing was ever before me; for I knew that I had once been healed by a direct miracle from the Lord. It was very plain to me that we have no right to expect the Lord to keep us in health unless we are willing to obey all the laws of healthful living; but I still felt that if we took the Lord for our physician, we could not use means at the same time. I think Dr. Kress will remember how she labored with me, also Elder O. A. Olsen, to whom I owe much in the Lord for their patience in showing me that the rational means, such as water and electricity, are God in nature, hence are in perfect harmony with God in divine healing. It took me a week to see this after I thought I was ready to be healed. But I praise the Lord for the lesson. When I learned it, I was free. I could use any remedy or help that is in harmony with the Lord without any hindrance to my faith; for it is in the Lord. Brethren Olsen, Durland, and Nicola prayed with me. The promise in Mark 11, “What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them,” was my promise. I believed it, and was instantly healed. The spiritual blessing I received at the time seemed even more blessed than the healing. This was four years ago. I have been in comfortable health and have worked hard ever since. “Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto Him be glory in the Church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end.” EXTRACTS FROM CORRESPONDENCE
I received a blessing during the Week of Prayer. My husband and I had meetings in our little sitting-room, where we would sing a hymn, have prayer, and then the reading. I will be glad to remail my REVIEW to any sister desiring to read the blessed message. I have one neighbor who wishes to read my paper, but we can arrange so that both can read it in one week. I think I have the back numbers from the latter part of November, which I can send.263 I enjoy taking all the difficult things to Jesus, for I know He is sufficient, and will make them all right in His own good time. Please send me more pledges, and I will do all I can with them. One young man to whom I presented the pledge, has quit using tobacco. Since we studied the book of Galatians, I have thought that I do not have faith enough, not that I doubt the Lord's power or goodness, but I need more faith in Him as my personal Saviour. I went to town one day, taking a bundle of Signs of the Times, which I asked the Lord to help me sell. Not a man refused to buy. I could have sold more if I had had them with me. Yesterday two women came to see me, and I sold each a copy of “Christ's Object Lessons,” and to-day I sold a copy to a young man. I accepted the truth six years ago, and since that time have labored to bring others to a knowledge of it, and the Lord has blessed my efforts. To His name be all the praise. I have at times been engaged in canvassing. Some time ago I wanted to get some copies of the Signs of the Times to mail to ministers of other denominations, but I did not have the money to do so. I took it to the Lord in prayer, and told Him that if He would send me an order for the things I was selling, between that time and Christmas, I would give Him half, for the spreading of the truth in this way; and in the time allotted, I received an order for $5.20. The Lord will surely hear and answer our requests when we come to Him in faith. DAILY READING FOR APRIL 28 TO MAY 4
Sunday, “Thoughts on the Revelation,” verses 1-3.
Monday, “ “ “ “ 4-10.
Tuesday, “ “ “ “ 11-15.
Wednesday, chapter 41 in “Great Controversy.”
Thursday, “ “ “ “
Friday, article on Revelation 20, this page. Verses 1-3. — What does the angel have in his hand? What is the bottomless pit? Who is the dragon? Where is he placed? How is he made secure? How long is he confined? What takes place at the end of one thousand years? What is he deprived of during this time? Verses 4-6. — What was shown the prophet? Who sat upon them? What work was given them? What class of people engage in this work? How long does it continue? Who will be judged during the one thousand years? When are the righteous raised to life? What is their resurrection called? When will the wicked be raised? Who is beyond the power of the second death? Verses 7-10. — When is Satan loosed? Who are on the earth at that time? What does Satan immediately do? For what purpose does he gather them? How many are there? Where are they gathered? How are they punished? How complete is their punishment? What is Satan’s fate? Verses 11-15. — What was seen? Who stood before the throne? What books were opened? How were the wicked punished? From what three places are the dead said to be gathered? What is the second death? Who suffers the second death? In this chapter we have the millennium, or the thousand years. It is especially stated that the first resurrection includes only those who sit in the judgment with Christ during the thousand years. The first resurrection takes place when the Lord comes. 1 Thess. 4:16, 17. So the thousand years here referred to is between the first and second resurrections. At the close of the thousand years the city of God comes to the earth. It is then that Satan will be loosed out of his prison. He was bound to this desolate earth; the wicked were in their graves, and the righteous had gone to heaven, so there were none for him to deceive. He who has been so active a destroyer of souls for six thousand years is now left to contemplate the work he has done, and his future destiny. When the wicked are raised, he gathers them from the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to battle. They surround the city of God, and, inspired by Satan, they think it can be taken. Christ and the saints appear above the city, and there, in full view of the lost, are the Ten Commandments, which have been trampled under foot by the wicked. Language can not describe that scene. There are the deceived and the deceiver; there are the false shepherds and the flocks that they have deceived, and it is then there will be a full realization of the first step taken that caused them to wander from the path of rectitude and righteousness. It is then they behold the reward of the righteous and the reward of the wicked. Ps. 112: 8-10. They have one final view of each other; and then, when it comes over Satan and the wicked that they are lost, there comes up one bitter wail of agony, the earth opens and swallows them up, and the fire in the earth connects with the fire that comes down from heaven, and the earth is burned, and from its ashes will come forth a new heaven and a new earth. The wicked are no more. This is the last act of the judgment. “The revelator foretells the banishment of Satan, and the condition of chaos and desolation to which the earth is to be reduced; and he declares that this condition will exist for a thousand years. After presenting the scenes of the Lord’s second coming and the destruction of the wicked, the prophecy continues: ‘I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, and cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled, and after that he must be loosed a little season.’”—“Great Controversy,” page 658. During the thousand years between the first and the second resurrection, the judgment of the wicked takes place. The apostle Paul points to the judgment as an event that follows the second advent. “Judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts.” Daniel declares that when the Ancient of days came, “judgment was given to the saints of the Most High.” At this time the righteous reign as kings and priests unto God. John in the Revelation says: “I saw thrones, and they sat upon them;” “They shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.” It is at this time that, as foretold by Paul, “the saints shall judge the world.” In union with Christ they judge the wicked, comparing their acts with the statute book, the Bible, and deciding every case according to the deeds done in the body. Then the portion that the wicked must suffer is meted out according to their works, and is recorded against their names in the book of death. Satan also and evil angels are judged by Christ and His people. Paul says, “Know ye not that we shall judge angels?” And Jude declares that “the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, He hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.” At the close of the thousand years the second resurrection will take place. Then the wicked will be raised from the dead, and appear before God for the execution of “the judgment written.” Thus the revelator, after describing the resurrection of the righteous, says, “The rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished.” And Isaiah declares, concerning the wicked, “They shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited.” See “Great Controversy,” page 660. “Please pray for my only son. He is an amiable youth, but is not a Christian, and has no love for religious reading or meetings. My heart aches for my dear, loving boy.” “I ask an interest in the prayers of God’s people for my daughter, an only child, that she may be converted to God; also for a niece who has become entangled in the meshes of Satan, that she may be led out of darkness into the marvelous light of God’s truth.” “It is my earnest desire to have prayers offered in my behalf. Oh, I must have help soon! Please pray earnestly that the Lord will heal me of all my infirmities, especially that He will heal me spiritually. Also pray for my husband and children. I believe that the prayers of God’s children avail much.” A sister who has been a widow fifty-nine years, and whose children are now grown, and have left home, with the exception of one son, requests prayer for her children, that they may be converted and accept the truth. The son who is at home with her has been a Sabbath-keeper, but has become discouraged, and does not attend religious services. This sister is carrying a heavy burden for her family; let us share it with her by earnest prayer. My dear husband is unconverted. When we were married, he hardly believed there was a God, but now I have reason to think that he believes differently. He is, however, very unconcerned, and laughs when I say anything about the end of all earthly things. The other day he said that we should never live so long as that. I realize to some extent the shortness of time. My father is an observer of the Sabbath, but uses tobacco, and is not converted. I also have a sister and three brothers unsaved. I do want to see them converted. Please pray for them. “Inasmuch as I believe that the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much, I most earnestly desire your prayers in behalf of my family. Both my husband and my son have known what it is to enjoy the presence of Christ in our hearts, but have turned again to the world. Pray that they may yield to the Spirit of God, for I know that my husband is often under conviction of sin, but Satan has blinded his eyes to the truth in regard to the health reform, and, too, he is full of criticism. I, too, need your prayers for a clean heart and a right spirit, that under trial I can maintain meekness and patience, also loving forgiveness toward the offender.” NOTICE !
By Mrs. George A. Irwin
LETTERS received at the office of the Woman’s Gospel work, just before and during the Conference, will be answered as soon as possible after its close. MRS. GEORGE A. IRWIN. Strengthening One’s Gifts for Others
“THE constant duty of every man to his fellows is to ascertain his own powers and special gifts, and to strengthen them for the help of others.” ITEMS FROM GENERAL CONFERENCE
MRS. E. G. WHITE: “Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me; and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to His temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, He shall come, saith the Lord of hosts. But who may abide the day of His coming? and who shall stand when He appeareth? For He is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap.” Consider what that means. Fuller’s soap makes a garment shrink into a much smaller compass. We want to stand in that position of humility where the life is hid with Christ in God. We claim Him; He is our righteousness; therefore, our lives are hid with Christ in God, we shall not shrink into nothingness. To us has been given the work of preparing ourselves for the mansions. And this we can do through the help that is waiting for us. When God gave His Son to our world. He gave all heaven, all the facilities and powers of heaven. Those who fail to improve the glorious opportunities granted with the gift of God’s Son will be without excuse. Christ declared that all power in heaven and earth has been given to him, and He gives this power to those who truly believe on Him, to His disciples, that they may go forth to proclaim the message of hope and salvation to a fallen race. He takes His position at the head of humanity, covering humanity with divinity. In Him humanity and divinity are combined, and He can accomplish for the human race all that is necessary to enable them to overcome as He overcame, and sit down with Him in His Father’s throne. All the sufferings, all the distress, that came to Him who was equal with the Father, was borne that He might bring people to himself. For this purpose He laid off His royal robe, His royal crown, laid aside His high command, and stepped down to humanity. He who was the majesty of heaven, the King of glory, died for sinners. We breathe because God takes charge of the human machinery. Day by day He keeps it in working order, and He wants us to think of the infinite sacrifice He has made for us in suffering with One equal with himself.—His only begotten Son. He consented to let Him come to a world all seared and marred with the curse of sin, to stand at the head of humanity as a sin-bearing, sin-pardoning Saviour. God has pledged himself to receive sinners; for He “so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Everlasting life,—this is what we want. Shall we be satisfied to live in this poor world without a hope of a better life? God forbid. Let us lay hold of the power that has been provided to make it possible for us to gain eternal life. Let us take hold of the blessings heaven has given us that we may fit ourselves for the higher grade, fit ourselves for the mansions which Christ is preparing for us. He said, “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”