Your ShelfYour Projects

Signs of the Times, Vol. 13, No. 5.

The Duty of Christian Conferences

Signs of the Times

Feb 3, 1887

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, Cal. · Feb 3, 1887

The Duty of Christian Conferences

By Ellen G. White

THE faith of most Christians will waver if they constantly neglect to meet together for conference and prayer. If it were impossible for them to enjoy such religious privileges, then God would send light direct from Heaven by his angels, to animate, cheer, and bless his scattered people. But he does not propose to work a miracle to sustain the faith of his saints. They are required to love the truth enough to take some little pains to secure the privileges and blessings vouchsafed them of God. The least they can do is to devote a few days in the year to a united effort to advance the cause of Christ, and to exchange friendly counsel and sympathy.
Many devote nearly all their time to their own temporal interests and pleasures, and grudge the few days spent and the expense involved in going a distance from their homes to meet with a company gathered together in the name of the Lord. The word of the Lord defines covetousness as idolatry; then how many idolaters are there, even among those who profess to be the followers of Christ!
It is required that we meet together and bear testimony to the truth. The angel of God said: "Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another; and the Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name. And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him."
It will pay, then, to improve the privileges within our reach, and, even at some sacrifice, to assemble with those who fear God and speak for him; for he is represented as hearkening to those testimonies, while angels write them in a book. God will remember those who have met together and thought upon his name, and he will spare them from the great conflagration. They will be as precious jewels in his sight; but his wrath will fall on the shelterless head of the sinner. It is not a vain thing to serve God. There is a priceless reward for those who devote their life to his service.
John the Baptist was a man filled with the Holy Ghost from his birth, and if there was anyone who could remain unaffected by the corrupting influences of the age in which he lived, it was surely he. Yet he did not venture to trust his strength; he separated himself from his friends and relatives, that his natural affections might not prove a snare to him. He would not place himself unnecessarily in the way of temptation, nor where the luxuries or even the conveniences of life would lead him to indulge in ease or to gratify his appetite, and thus lessen his physical and mental strength. By such a course, the important mission upon which he came would have failed of its accomplishment.
He subjected himself to privation and solitude in the wilderness, where he could preserve the sacred sense of the majesty of God by studying his great book of nature, and there becoming acquainted with his character as revealed in his wonderful works. It was an atmosphere calculated to perfect moral culture and to keep the fear of the Lord continually before him. John, the forerunner of Christ, did not expose himself to evil conversation and the corrupting influences of the world. He feared the effect upon his conscience, that sin might not appear to him so exceedingly sinful. He chose rather to have his home in the wilderness, where his senses would not be perverted by his surroundings. Should we not learn something from this example of one whom Christ honored, and of whom he said, "Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist"?
The first thirty years of Christ's life were passed in retirement. Ministering angels waited upon the Lord of life, as he walked side by side with the peasants and laborers among the hills of Nazareth, unrecognized and unhonored. These noble examples should teach us to avoid evil influences, and to shun the society of those who do not live aright. We should not flatter ourselves that we are too strong for any such influences to affect us, but we should in humility guard ourselves from danger.
Ancient Israel were especially directed by God to be and remain a people separate from all nations. They were not to be subjected to witnessing the idolatry of those about them, lest their own hearts should be corrupted, lest familiarity with ungodly practices should make them appear less wicked in their eyes. Few realize their own weakness, and that the natural sinfulness of the human heart too often paralyzes their noblest endeavors.
The baleful influence of sin poisons the life of the soul. Our only safety is separation from those who live in its darkness. The Lord has enjoined upon us to come out from among them and be separate, and to touch not the unclean thing, and he will receive us, and will be a Father unto us, and we shall be his sons and daughters. If we wish to be adopted into the family of God, to become children of the heavenly King, we must comply with his conditions; we must come out from the world and stand as a peculiar people before the Lord, obeying his precepts and serving him.
Lot chose Sodom for his home because he saw that there were advantages to be gained there from a worldly point of view. But after he had established himself, and grown rich in earthly treasure, he was convinced that he had made a mistake in not taking into consideration the moral standing of the community in which he was to make his home.
The dwellers in Sodom were corrupt; vile conversation greeted his ears daily, and his righteous soul was vexed by the violence and crime he was powerless to prevent. His children were becoming like these wicked people; for association with them had perverted their morals. Taking all these things into consideration, the worldly riches he had gained seemed small and not worth the price he had paid for them. His family connections were extensive, his children having married among the Sodomites.
The Lord's anger was finally kindled against the wicked inhabitants of the city, and angels of God visited Sodom to bring forth Lot, that he should not perish in the overthrow of the city. They bade Lot bring his family, his wife, and the sons and daughters who had married in wicked Sodom, and told him to flee from the place. "For," said the angels, "we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the Lord, and the Lord has sent us to destroy it."
And Lot went out and entreated his children. He repeated the words of the angel, "Up, get you out of this place; for the Lord will destroy this city!" But he seemed unto his sons-in-law as one who mocked; for they had lived so long in Sodom that they had become partakers of the sins of the people. And the daughters were influenced by their husbands to believe that their father was mad. They were well enough off where they were. They were rich and had great possessions; and they could not believe it possible that beautiful Sodom, a rich and fertile country, would be destroyed by the wrath of a sin-avenging God.
Lot returned sorrowfully to the angels, and repeated the story of his failure. Then the angels commanded him to arise, and take his wife, and the two daughters who were yet in his house, and leave the city. But Lot was sad; the thought of leaving his children and his wife, for she refused to go without them, almost broke his heart. They would all have perished in the terrible ruin of Sodom, had not the Lord, in his great mercy, sent his angels to the rescue.
Lot was paralyzed by the great calamity about to occur; he was stupefied with grief at the thought of leaving all he held dear on earth. But as he lingered, the angels of God laid hold upon his hand, and the hands of his wife and two daughters, and brought them out of the city, and charged them to flee for their lives, neither to look behind them, nor to stay upon all the plain, but to escape to the mountains.
How reluctant was Lot to obey the angel, and go as far as possible from corrupt Sodom, appointed to utter destruction! He distrusted God, and pleaded to remain. Living in the wicked city had weakened his faith and confidence in the justice of the Lord. He pleaded that he could not do as he was required, lest some evil should overtake him, and he should die. Angels were sent on a special mission to save the lives of Lot and his family; but Lot had so long been surrounded by corrupting influences, that his sensibilities were blunted, and he could not discern the works of God and his purposes; he could not trust himself in his hands to do his bidding. He was continually pleading for himself, and this unbelief cost him the life of his wife. She looked back to Sodom, and, murmuring against the dealings of God, she was changed to a pillar of salt, that she might stand as a warning to all those who disregard the special mercies and providences of Heaven. After this terrible retribution, Lot no longer dared to linger by the way, but fled into the mountains, according to the directions of the angels. The sinful conduct of his daughters after leaving Sodom, was the result of wicked associations while there. The sense of right and wrong was confused in their minds, and sin did not appear as sin to them.
The case of Lot should be a warning to all those who wish to live godly lives, to separate themselves from all influences calculated to lead them away from God. Lot remained so long among the wicked that he was only able to save himself and two daughters, and even they were corrupted in morals by their sojourn in Sodom.
God means what he says, and he will not be trifled with. Oh! how many short-sighted, sinful mortals plead with God to induce him to come to their terms, while if they would only yield themselves unreservedly into his hands, he would compass their salvation and give them precious victories.

THE DAY OF GOD.

By E. L. Wentworth

BY E. L. WENTWORTH.
THE earth moves on her varied course, Day after day, year after year; And many say, “So shall it be,” And yet the day of God is near.
Our lives pass onward hour by hour, A sorrow there, a pleasure here; Some laugh and mock at Christ and his, And yet the day of God is near.
They scorn his messages of love, His pleading calls not forth a tear; They follow their own wicked lusts, And yet the day of God is near.
Oh, listen to the Saviour’s call, And serve him with a heart sincere; Eternal life shall soon be yours, For, hark! the day of God is near.
South Windham, Me.

General Articles.

INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL SURROUNDINGS.

THE HOPE OF FALLEN MAN.

By Frank Burg

"What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the Son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honor." Ps. 8:4, 5.
WHEN God placed man in his Eden home he was upright. God made man a little lower than the angels, and crowned him with glory and honor. But Satan, the arch-deceiver, came to our first parents, and through his subtlety caused Eve, the mother of the human race, to partake of the forbidden fruit. Adam also was tempted, and partook of the same; and by this act of disobedience sin, death, and misery passed upon all mankind. That man might not again partake of the fruit of the tree of life and become an immortal sinner, God, in his infinite wisdom, placed cherubim to guard the way of the tree of life. And from that time until now the history of the human race has been one of pain, death, and misery.
But is man to be forever separated from God, and live in his present state of misery? Is he never again to enjoy the society of holy angels, and partake of the fruit of the tree of life, and possess immortality? God has not left us in darkness in regard to this point. He has, in his infinite love and mercy, provided a way of escape for fallen man. His love for the world was so great that "he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16.
Who, in the history of man, has witnessed an act of greater love and mercy than was manifested in the sacrifice of the Son of God? It has not been seen. The Saviour himself declares: "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." God loved his beloved Son; yet his love to man was made manifest, in that, "while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Rom. 5:8.
Let us mark the fact that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. While man was yet living in direct opposition to the laws of the Creator, a way of escape was provided. Christ died and rose the third day, and thus loosed the bonds of death. He died to "destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil." Heb. 2:14. Soon Satan is to be taken out of the way, no more to deceive the nations. Soon Jesus, the spotless Lamb of God who taketh away the sins of the world, will come and execute judgment on Satan, his arch-enemy, and upon all who live ungodly. But to his faithful ones he will give a crown of life. He will raise his sleeping saints to incorruption and immortality. 1 Cor. 15:53. "Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord." 1 Thess. 4:17.
What a blessed hope! Oh, glorious day when the blood-washed throng meet around the feet of him who died to save all those who put their trust in him.
FRANK BURG.

GRACELESS GIANTS.

ONE of the most popular preachers of the day, and one especially blessed to young men, is the Rev. Thain Davidson, of London. Preaching from the giants of the early days (Gen. 6:4) he says:—
“It is a grand thing, no doubt, to have a stalwart frame, a robust physique; but there is just a little tendency in certain quarters to worship mere animal force, and to go in for what is called a muscular Christianity. A gymnasium is an excellent thing, but it won't do much for the soul.
“You want to be developed all round. A broad chest, a tall figure, and a stalwart arm are excellent in their way; but I have in my mind's eye certain young fellows whose ambition seems to reach no higher; and, therefore, I think it as well to remind you that, amongst the biggest giants that have trod the earth, have been some of the most depraved and unmitigated scoundrels ever known.
“I want to know what those giants of the olden time did for the human race? In what respect was the world the better for their existence? What memorials have they left behind them on the earth to awaken our gratitude? I know of none. Where mere corporal magnitude and animal strength have been worshiped, there has generally been a corresponding short-coming as regards mental and moral proportions; even as the fabled Titans of Grecian and Egyptian mythology were not more distinguished for their stature than they were for their imbecility and cruelty.
“‘Were I so tall to reach the pole, Or grasp the ocean with my span, I must be measured by my soul; The mind's the standard of the man.’
“Behold Goliath of Gath, with terrific form and swaggering mien, stepping forth to defy the armies of the living God: and lo! a pebble hurled by a shepherd boy lays the monster low. ‘Fling but a stone, the giant dies!’ And then look at Paul, a little, feeble man, pale and puny in physique, but grand in moral majesty and intellectual strength, causing the Roman Procurator Felix to tremble in his presence!
“Saul of the Old Testament, the first king of Israel, was a man of goodly physical proportions—standing head and shoulders above all his fellows, he must have had a portly and commanding presence. Yet who can read his history without perceiving that in character, in all that constitutes real manhood, he was a poor weakling? Jealous, pusillanimous, and irresolute, he was kingly in nothing but in bodily figure. Why, little Zaccheus, of Jericho, turned out a better man than he.“Now the Christian church should be a manufactory of men. Here all the elements of a true and noble manhood should be developed. The normal type of manhood can never be reached except in Christ Jesus. I assert that no man can be a man, in the full sense of that splendid and magnificent monosyllable, who is not a Christian. Till you come to this you are dwarfed, you are pinched, you are belittled; only from the moment of conversion do you really begin to grow up towards perfect men, and the stature of the fullness of Christ.”—N. Y. Observer.

No Arrows in Your Quiver

If you have no arrows in your quiver, go not with archers.—Selected.

HUNGERING AND THIRSTING.

A state of complete satisfaction is not by any means a desirable attainment. It is not found among scriptural beatitudes. On the other hand, it was our Lord himself who said, "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst." Thus the beatitude is one of dissatisfaction. It is mind-hunger that impels the student in all his quests and researches; if he becomes satisfied with his knowledge, his progress is at an end. Satisfaction with attainments in any sphere marks the limit of attainment.
Hunger of soul, the desire for more of God, for holier life, for deeper communion, for fuller transforming of character, is the only hopeful state; the want of these desires tells of a perilous spiritual state. Longing is the heart's cry for greater nearness to God. It is the hand held out empty for Heaven to fill. It is the very spirit of faith impelling always to new ventures, to more heroic struggles.
Satisfaction sits down at the foot of the mountain, while longing boldly climbs to its summit. Satisfaction is content to stand on the shore and wonder what is beyond; longing pushes out upon the unpathed waters, and discovers great continents. It is longing alone that makes us grow. It transforms us into its own spirit. What we long for intensely and continuously, we become. It is like the lamp in Goethe's tale, which, placed in the fisherman's rude hut, changed it to silver. The lamp of heavenly longing, lighted in our hearts and burning there, will transform our poor, dull, earthly lives into the beauty and brightness of Heaven.—Selected.

A WARLIKE OUTLOOK.

By Editor

THERE is a widespread uneasiness in Europe, and the most careful observers of current events are convinced that a great war is at hand. The possible causes of such a struggle have been pointed out again and again in our columns; they are suggested in almost every week's record of news. In more directions than one a conflict between races and opposing systems is apparently speedily developing. Inflammable material was never so widespread as to-day, and although most of the diplomats and military leaders are probably averse to war, they feel, as von Moltke evidently feels, that there is an element of fatality in the situation which no device of diplomacy and no precautions of war departments can neutralize. As things are to-day, it is difficult to see how a war between France and Germany can be long postponed; nor how the Eastern question can be settled without a great struggle; nor how the relations of England and Russia in Asia can be adjusted without an appeal to arms; nor how the race antagonism between the Slavs on the one hand and the diverse nationalities under the Austrian rule on the other can be averted. From all these directions war may come at any time.
But that which gives immediate alarm is not so much these general facts in the situation, which have long been recognized, as the steps which are just now being taken by the various governments, which indicate a universal apprehension of the speedy breaking out of war on the part of most of the governments on the Continent. There is very little doubt but that the German Government wants peace. . . . But it is clear that, however strongly Germany may desire peace, she does not expect it. As our readers know, the Government, in the face of a pledge given when the present organization of the army on the peace footing was conceded by the German Parliament, and more than a year before the expiration of that arrangement, has asked for its renewal and for an addition of 40,000 men to the present peace footing. The German Minister of War and Count von Moltke have expressed with the utmost frankness their apprehensions, and the committee having the bill in charge have had some secret statements from the Government which are probably still more definite and decisive.
Of seven great governments, six at least are making preparations for war. The Austrian Government, which has continually to struggle with deficits in its budgets, and is particularly conservative in adding to its financial burdens, is spending $15,000,000 upon its army, chiefly to equip it with improved rifles. The Russian Government, practically bankrupt, goes on lavishing its funds on the improvement of its army, especially in the commissary department, where it has been weakest, and is steadily concentrating troops on its southwestern frontier. In Italy the mobilization of the army has been pushed forward so rapidly that it is now declared to be finally completed. Turkey has collected 150,000 soldiers in Macedonia alone, and is conscripting right and left and draining all its resources of men and money to strengthen its forces in the field. England has just witnessed the retirement of a Cabinet Minister whose secession involved great peril to his party, rather than lower the estimates on the army and navy so as to fulfill promises made on the accession of the ministry to power.
The activity of France is no new thing; it has been going on for several years past, and, whatever may be said of General Boulanger, it is certain that he has radically improved the character of the French army. His growing popularity, in spite of the recent disclosures of his correspondence with one of the Orleans princes, is probably one of the disquieting signs to which Germany attaches great weight. The new French army is probably the best in point of discipline and efficiency which France has ever possessed. It is largely made up of men who have not forgotten the horrors of the great battles of seventeen years ago, and who are only desirous of revenging upon Germany the suffering inflicted upon France. The officers are burning with military ambition, and General Boulanger himself has plenty of inflammable material in his composition. No one seems to know precisely what the condition of the Tsar is, although the air is full of rumors. It lies within his power to precipitate a tremendous struggle almost at a day's notice, and it is also possible that the struggle may be precipitated in spite of the Tsar. Another danger of the situation lies in the fact that the Emperor of Germany has become a very old man, and his disappearance from the scene, which may be looked for at any time, will undoubtedly open a new chapter of complications. Altogether, it is clear that there is good ground for the apprehension which seems to be felt in all directions.—Christian Union.

NEGLECT OF THE BIBLE.

By Clericus

THE Bible comes to us claiming to be the word of God. And it bears abundant evidence that its claim is just. Such a book could not have been written by uninspired men. This has been acknowledged by the wisest and greatest of men. They have been firm believers in the inspiration of the Holy Scriptures.
This book treats of most important subjects. It reveals to us God in all his infinite and glorious perfections. It makes known his Son, Jesus Christ, who came down from Heaven to be the Saviour of the world. It satisfactorily answers that most important question, "If a man die, shall he live again?" And also that not less important question, "How shall a man be just with God?" It gives perfect rules for the regulation of our lives, and it abounds with exceeding great and precious promises. It infinitely surpasses all other books that have been written. It is a lamp unto our feet, and a light unto our path in our pilgrimage through this dark world.
And yet by large numbers it is a neglected book. There are many that seldom or never read it. They spend much time in reading other books, and in the perusal of secular newspapers and periodicals, but they find little or no time for this best of all books, that would make them wise unto everlasting life. It has a secondary place even with many that profess to be the people of God. There are days and weeks in which they do not open it; or if they do, only for a hasty, careless perusal of it. And it is no wonder that their souls pine and starve. If the Christian would be a growing Christian, he must partake freely of the sincere milk of the word. He must feed and feast on this bread of life. Those that have been eminent for Christian attainment, have been in the habit of much meditation on the divine word. It was the prayer of the Saviour for the disciples, "Sanctify them through thy truth; thy word is truth." If we would become holy, we must habitually bring our souls into close contact with God's holy truth. Thus shall we be quickened in the divine life, and go on from strength to strength in the Christian course.—Clericus, in N. Y. Observer.

A HUNDRED-FOLD.

By Obadiah Oldschool

In my Bible reading, the other day, I came to these verses in the gospel according to Mark:—
"And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's, but he shall receive a hundred-fold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life."
I had read that passage often. I knew what the commentators said about it. But I stopped and thought. Why does Jesus declare so emphatically that we are to have here, "in this time," a hundred-fold of the very things that we surrender for his sake? The declaration is specific. If I give up my house he promises me a hundred houses. If I give up my brothers, he promises me a hundred times as many brothers in their place, etc. I dare not say that this is a strong but general statement of the facts that following Christ will promote our present happiness, no matter what sacrifices of worldly good it involves. That is true, but if that was all, why repeat the words, "houses, brethren, sisters, mothers, children, and lands"? Our Saviour never spoke at random. He always meant all that his words convey.
Pondering the passage, I concluded to test its literal accuracy in the case of the apostle whose words (see verse 28) suggested the statement. Peter, we are told, forsook all and followed Jesus. What did Peter forsake? His home in Capernaum, his boat, and his business as a fisherman. He became a friendless wanderer with the Man who had not where to lay his head. But what was the result? A few years later we find Peter welcomed at the house of Mary, the mother of Mark, in Jerusalem. We find him an honored guest in the house of Simon, the tanner, at Joppa, and in that of Cornelius, the centurion, in Cæsarea. He was the spiritual father of thousands all over Galilee and Judea, and hundreds of homes were his by the holiest and best of titles—his because those who occupied them were glad to entertain and to serve him. And since his death, how many churches and cathedrals have been named for him! Christ did not promise the hundred-fold during the life of his followers, but "in this time." The reward is cumulative as the ages roll on. Who would have heard of Peter, the fisherman, if he had not forsaken all and followed Jesus? But because he did, and thus became a "fisher of men," he is one of the most widely-known and honored of the race.
Take a modern instance,—John Wesley. He was a homeless wanderer during nearly all of his long and laborious life. Yet no man in Great Britain had so many homes. Wherever he went there were Wesleyans who opened their doors and their hearts to welcome him. Long before he died he was the father of the largest family in the land. He was rich in the filial love of tens of thousands who were enrolled in classes and conferences as his spiritual children. . . .
No men on earth are so rich in friends as those who have forsaken all human kindred and severed all human ties for the sake of Christ. God loves them; Christ loves them; all the good people on earth love them; the angels in Heaven love them. They are happy now in the knowledge that since they belong to Christ, the King of kings, all things are theirs; and that he who is Lord of the world will make all things work together for their good. . . .
If, then, God rewards so bountifully those who make sacrifices for his sake, why are not all Christians happy? The answer is easy—they don't forsake anybody or anything to follow Christ. They stumble after him, carrying all of the world that they can in their arms. They want the rewards of the service without its toil and self-denial—the harvest without sowing the seed. No wonder they are disappointed. But yet it is as true now as in apostolic times that for all cheerful, loving sacrifices in his cause, Christ will repay us a hundred-fold, even in this present time. If we do not live to reap all the blessed results, they will be the priceless heritage of our children. —Obadiah Oldschool, in Interior.

THE COMINGS OF CHRIST.

By Mrs. H. E. Hadnen

THERE are different views entertained by the people of God with reference to Christ's second coming. Some think that his second coming has already taken place; that his kingdom is a spiritual kingdom, and is now set up in the hearts of his children. But "he was a Lamb slain from the foundation of the world;" and his spiritual kingdom began among the first inhabitants of our world, instead of being set up during the glory of the Roman Empire, as some suppose.
When Jesus ascended from the top of Mt. Olivet, in the presence of his disciples, two angels came down from Heaven and announced his second coming in these words: "Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven." Acts 1:11. He went up in the body; if he comes in like manner, he will come in the body, personally. John, the beloved, in looking forward to his second coming, said: "Behold he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him; and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him." Rev. 1:7. He went up in the clouds, he will come in the clouds. I would ask those who believe his coming is spiritual and has already passed, when has this passage been fulfilled? When did he come in the clouds? and when did all the kindreds of the earth wail because of him?
But there are some marked differences between his first and second personal appearing. First he came in poverty. He said of himself, "The Son of man hath not where to lay his head;" now he comes arrayed in all the rich habiliments of Heaven. On the mount of transfiguration a miniature representation of his coming kingdom was seen, and it is written of him, "His face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light." Matt. 17:2. First he came as a servant. He said to his disciples, "I am among you as he that serveth;" now he comes as King of kings and Lord of lords. First he came to be judged and condemned by man at an earthly tribunal; now he comes to sit on the judgment seat himself. It is written in Acts 17:31, "He will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained." Paul says, "For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ." Rom. 14:10.
First he came to the sinner as a suppliant, beseeching him to be reconciled to God. Will he come as a suppliant the second time? No. He will come "in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ." 2 Thess. 1:8. First he came in tears. He wept over Jerusalem, and over a lost world, because they would not turn and live. Now he comes to wipe away tears. Isaiah says, "And the Lord God shall wipe away all tears from off all faces."
Then he came to be despised. It is written, "He is despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief." Isa. 53:3. Now he comes to be glorified. Paul says, "When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe." 2 Thess. 1:10. Then he came veiled in humanity, and all the earth did not see him; his second coming shall be like the lightning that "cometh out of the east and shineth even unto the west." Then he manifested his divine power by healing these poor bodies of ours; when he comes again will he mend up these bodies so that they can last a little longer? No; he will give us glorious, immortal bodies, like unto his own. Paul says, "For our conversation is in Heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change our vile body; that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body." Phil. 3:20, 21.
Then he came to suffer for and redeem his people; now he comes to gather his people that they may reign with him. It is written, "If we suffer with him we shall also reign with him." Again, Paul says, "If so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." Rom. 8:17, 18. First he came to offer man salvation. On the last great day of one of the Jewish feasts, "Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink." John 7:37. Will he come again to press the cup of salvation to the sinner's lips and urge him to drink? No; he will come to shut mercy's door. Christ says in Luke, "When once the Master of the house is risen up and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without and knock," etc. Paul, in speaking of his second coming, says, "So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation." Heb. 9:28. Now if he came in the person of the Holy Ghost on the day of Pentecost, at the time when the Roman Empire was as strong as iron, as some suppose, would Paul tell the church to still be looking for his appearing?
Who are coming with him? "He shall come in the glory of his Father with the holy angels." Jude says, "Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousand of his saints." Did he come with the angels on the day of Pentecost?
What kind of a reception will the Lord of glory have when he comes? The righteous will exclaim with joy, "Lo, this is our God, we have waited for him." The wicked will cry for the rocks and mountains to "fall on them and hide them from the face of him that sitteth upon the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb?"—Mrs. H. E. Hadnen, in Christian Cynosure.

SUNDAY LAWS AND PROHIBITION.

By C. P. Bollman

As MIGHT be expected, both from the very nature of the case and from the testimony of the word of God, the Sunday-law agitation is by no means confined to this country, and from Europe comes the news that "a law prohibiting Sunday work has been passed in Vienna, and is so rigorously enforced that no morning paper can appear on Monday, as the printers are not allowed to work Sunday." Commenting upon this fact, the San Francisco Chronicle says:—
"The report of a stringent Sunday law at Vienna, which compels the suspension of publication of newspapers on Monday morning, will be read with amazement by Americans. The Continental Sunday has always been a synonym for exceeding freedom from any restraint, and if this movement continues, we may expect to hear of the prohibition of beer drinking in Germany."
While such things may amaze those who look at them from a merely human standpoint, the intelligent student of prophecy will recognize in them the fulfillment of God's word. For while the Bible nowhere teaches that Sunday is the Sabbath, it does teach that it will be rigidly enforced as such. But even aside from the teaching of the Scriptures, it is not easy to see why anybody should be surprised at the strict enforcement of the first day of the week in Roman Catholic countries; when even in "Protestant America" conscientious Sabbatarians are fined and imprisoned for doing ordinary labor upon Sunday, after having "rested the Sabbath day according to the commandment."
The Sunday festival is the child of Rome by adoption; it is the badge of her power to ordain festivals of precept (see Catholic catechisms) and "to command men under sin," and it is little wonder that "the church" protects her own. But it is strange that professed Protestants exhibit so much zeal for an institution which is confessedly without scriptural authority. There is, however, every prospect that the movement will continue, not only in Europe, but in America as well.
Nevertheless, it does not follow that we shall hear of the prohibition of beer-drinking in Germany, or anywhere else. It would be a good thing if we could not only hear of prohibition in other countries, but if we could see it in our own borders. But even though Sunday laws were rigidly enforced everywhere, the cause of temperance would not necessarily be materially advanced thereby; for there really is no connection between the two. There are thousands of good temperance people who do not believe in Sunday; and, on the other hand, there are very many Sunday people who are not prohibitionists. Roman Catholics favor Sunday to a man—though many of them do not keep it very strictly—but very few of them are prohibitionists. And in every city there are hundreds and even thousands of Protestant church members who habitually use liquors. Such people may be very zealous for the Sunday, but they will naturally be rather lukewarm in the cause of temperance reform.
But "in union there is strength," and so it is not strange that the advocates of Sunday laws are showing the Woman's Christian Temperance Union and other temperance organizations the most obsequious attentions;nor is it strange, in view of the efforts which are being made to unite these two questions, that they should appear to many as a common cause, though in truth one rests only upon the tradition of men, while the other is founded in the very principles of the law of God. C. P. BOLLMAN.

OBEY THE TRUTH NOT THE MAJORITY.

If we follow the practices of a majority of those who profess Christianity, we are not sure that we follow the commands of God. If we follow the practice of the majority of Christians in the ordinance of baptism, we shall be Pedobaptists rather than Baptists. If majorities be the rule of our faith, we should, as Christians, adopt the faith of the Church of Rome; outside of Christians, we must adopt the Moslem, or the Buddhist faith. Had people in the days of the apostles adopted the rule of majority, paganism would still rule the world. Had majorities governed our faith, Protestantism would have been unknown.—Light of Home.
Continue reading: FIGHTING AGAINST GOD