Earlier text: GUIDE ME“THE CURSE, CAUSELESS, SHALL NOT COME.”
By David Paulson
Instead of considering in detail the various errors of popular cookery, it will suffice for the purpose of this article to study briefly the principle that underlies the proper preparation of the starches, which constitute nearly four fifths of the ordinary dietary. To assist in grasping the subject, let us imagine an ordinary stepladder with five steps. Put on the first step a glass of common flour. This represents ordinary raw starch, which is entirely unsuitable for digestion, and needs, as all readily recognize, some further preparation. Place on the next step a dish containing kettle-cooked starch, such as the well-known oatmeal mush. If you rub some of it between your hands, they will stick together like two sheets of fly paper; and when you pull them apart, the noise that is produced may be heard a hundred feet. Such substance is good material for the paper hanger, but has no business to be placed inside the human stomach. Job raised the question, “Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean?” And the inspired answer is, “Not one.” It certainly requires a great stretch of the imagination to suppose the digestive process can in some way transform this paste into healthy blood. Why should we eat it in this form when a proper preparation, which will be described later, can change it into something that is wholesome and good? Take down a half loaf of bread from the pantry shelf. It appears attractive on the outside, but its interior is virtually a “whited sepulcher.” Pick out a bit of that middle portion and roll it between your fingers for a moment, and you have a dough ball, which, when tossed against the floor, will surprise you by bounding back half a dozen feet. No human record can ever satisfactorily compute the number of boys that have been driven to the saloon because of such improperly prepared food materials souring in their stomachs, producing an irritated and stuffy feeling in the head, which they imagine nothing but liquor can effectually clear up. Who can estimate how many are to-day in the graveyards because of a persistent attempt to subsist largely on paste and dough; which, because of their indigestibility, really pave the way for many serious and obstinate diseases. The piece of doughy bread should be placed on the same step of the ladder as mush, for it belongs there, being chemically the same form of starch. On the next step of the ladder, place a piece of bread that has been so thoroughly baked that when an attempt is made to roll it up and make dough balls of it, it simply produces crumbs. This form of starch is known as erythrodextrine, while paste and dough are known as amylodextrin. But there is something that is far superior even to this bread that will crumb, and that is a slice of bread which has been placed in the oven at a slow heat until it is thoroughly re-baked. This does not mean to burn it on the outside, and then allow it to remain wet and doughy in the middle, but it should be nicely browned all the way through. What is more tasty and palatable than such a piece of nice, crisp toast? Even if it has to be soaked in cream, fruit juice, or soup for the benefit of those whose teeth are defective, it does not return to dough. It has passed beyond that stage, and is now chemically known as achroödextrine. Wafers, crackers, etc., should all be subjected to the same process. Ordinary rice may be put in the oven until it is slightly brown; if it is then soaked overnight in water, it can be as readily cooked as before, but it is now food that can be readily digested, even in an invalid’s stomach. Potatoes, instead of being placed on the table kettle-cooked, soggy, and unpalatable, as they ordinarily are, should be thoroughly baked, or if this is not desirable, after being cooked, they may be mashed and spread out on a bread tin, or made into balls, and baked until a nice brown crust forms; and thus, instead of souring and fermenting in the stomach, as is often the case, almost setting up a distillery within, they are converted into an ideal food. Those who wish to eat mush made from oatmeal or any other grain, should make the same quite thick, cook it a short time, and then sprinkle bread crumbs over the bottom of a bread tin, spread the mush out in a layer about an inch thick, and put it into the oven and let it bake until a brown crust forms on the top and on the bottom. In this way the objectionable mush is transformed into an acceptable article of diet. There are prepared grains and cereals upon the market, such as granose and granola, which embody this same idea almost to perfection. This browning of the starches changes them into what is known as “dextrinized foods.” They all belong on the third step of the ladder.587 On the next step of the ladder may be placed a dish of luscious fruit, which represents a line of food in which nature has, independently of artificial heat, transformed for us the starch even beyond the stage of dextrine. A green apple contains a large amount of raw starch of much the same nature as that found in a potato, but under the beneficent influence of the sun it is so thoroughly “cooked,” as the Mexicans term it, that the starch is changed not only into dextrine, as in the case of the toasted foods, but into sugar, thus making fruit a diet, par excellence, for fever patients and others who do not have power to digest even dextrinized starch. The delicious fruit, which comes to us almost perfect from the hand of nature, should not be spoiled by pouring over it a combination of cream and sugar. If either is to be used, let it be used separately, as milk and sugar is an ideal combination for the encouragement of fermentation in the stomach. Upon the top round of the ladder may be placed a dish of honey, as it represents the last stage in the digestive process of starch. Just as the sugar passes through the intestinal walls into the blood, it is transformed into that form of sugar known as levulose, or, practically speaking, honey. Honey is a valuable food, although while the bees are gathering the same, it is likely to be more or less contaminated with dust, germs, etc. It is amazing that in this age of progress so little attention is given to the study of practical dietetics. Thousands of girls are graduated from our higher institutions of learning perfectly conversant with a number of more or less useless ancient and modern arts, but unable to prepare a wholesome meal. With such a situation, it is not surprising that fresh recruits are daily being added to that already vast number of dyspeptics, and that thousands of our boys are tempted to resort to the saloons to drive away, even temporarily, the dreadful “all gone” feeling which invariably results from trying to subsist upon an improperly prepared dietary. The third fundamental cause of Sodom’s destruction was “abundance of idleness.” When Adam fell, the Lord arranged it so that he would have to work hard enough to sweat. This was not a curse, but a blessing, and was essential to his happiness while in this wicked world; but there never was a time when honest labor was so much despised as at present, and when there was such a desperate attempt to get through the world without working. The country boy reads about his city cousin becoming rich in a night, and abandons the farm in the vain attempt to secure a livelihood without earning it by the sweat of his brow. Every rescue worker of any considerable experience will substantiate the fact that a large proportion of the ever-increasing army of fallen girls comes from homes that had in them pianos and the various comforts which modern life produces; where the mother frequently said: “Mary, you will never have such a time as I have had. I am going to see that you have a chance in the world;” and so the gray-haired mother drudges from morning till night in the kitchen and over the washtub, while Mary enjoys the curse of “abundance of idleness.” Contempt for honest labor increases until she would rather barter her womanhood for bread than earn it legitimately. The aged father says to his boy: “Johnnie, I don’t want you to have to do as I did early in my life; I want you to have a chance.” And so Johnnie uses up his surplus energy while in college by playing pranks upon his fellow students, and squanders some of his useful activity, which should have been expended in wholesome work, in the wine rooms in the evenings; and the poor father, with commendable pride, thinks he is giving his boy a “chance.” By and by Johnnie discovers that the shortest way of getting through the world without working is by gambling or forgery. Some one has said that “an idle brain is the devil’s workshop.” It may be as truly said that it is his camping ground, and the best foundation for just such a life as Sodom represented. The remedy consists in inculcating from earliest childhood the true dignity of labor, in giving industrial training equal prominence in the school curriculum with higher mathematics and the fine arts, in recognizing that the girl who faithfully performs the kitchen work belongs on the same social plane as her wealthy sister who never toiled, provided she otherwise possesses the necessary character and qualifications; she should be afforded the same standing as the young woman who fritters away her time in idleness, and perhaps possesses no special qualification except the fact that she “never had to work.” This may, in some instances, necessitate some re-casting of fossilized ideas, but the sooner the erroneous notion that work is degrading is broken up, the better. Just so long as society closes its social doors to boys and girls on the ground that they are toilers, while at the same time the dens of iniquity are extending their arms to them, society need shed no tears over the prosperity that these institutions are enjoying while sapping the life-blood of the nation. The “ax” must be laid at the “root of the tree,” instead of being used in hewing off small twigs. “Neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.” The last source of Sodom’s difficulty was utter neglect of the poor and unfortunate. But some will say that this certainly does not apply at the present time, for there never was a period in the world’s history when so much money was expended for charity. However, it is well to bear in mind that much of this money is disbursed through boards and bureaus and institutions, often in a cold-hearted, professional way, thus lacking the inspiration that comes from the benefactor and the benefited grasping each other’s hands, each feeling the pulse-beat of the other. In one of the large Eastern States, for every five dollars that is given for charity, four dollars is actually expended for the salaries of the secretaries and boards and committees who devote their time to the disbursement of the other one dollar. In fact, personal, individual charity, where heart is brought in contact with heart, and face looks into face, is being discountenanced and frowned upon by many charity bureaus, and regarded as “misapplied charity.” The Master did not operate through bureaus, boards, and committees. He “went about doing good,” and the great masses, individually, were inspired by His personal presence. The ever-increasing tendency of modern charity to transfer efforts from the individual to the community is robbing it of the blessing that accompanies personal and individual effort in assisting the poor and suffering. The saloon keeper, the cheap politician, the managers of gambling hells, all recognize the value of personal efforts, and the Christian worker must not overlook the fact that it is just as true of human souls as it is of fruit, that the hand-picked varieties are always the best. True reformatory efforts will be successful just to the extent that they are directed to the removal of causes rather than to the cure of effects; and just to the extent that the correcting power of the gospel is applied to the taproots of the fundamental defects of society,—namely, pride, fullness of bread, abundance of idleness, and failure to help the poor and needy,—just to that extent, we shall see that it has in it the same power to inspire and uplift humanity that it possessed when it was enunciated by the lowly Nazarene on the hills of Galilee. THE TEST OF OUR DISCIPLESHIP.
By G. B. Thompson
Many professed Christians are unsettled in their minds whether or not they are in a saved condition. A sister recently told me that for years she has been a member of the church, has realized that at any moment her life might be cut off and her probation ended, and yet she has never been really sure that she was a saved child of the Lord. Possibly there are others in the same wretched condition. Surely there is something in religion more satisfactory than an experience of uncertainty. It is possible to know day by day that we are accepted in Christ, children of the Lord, saved by His grace. There is one text in the Bible by which each of us may settle for himself this important matter. With this one text before us, we can decide, can determine beyond a peradventure, whether or not we are living in a saved condition. The text is 1 John 3:14: “We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.” Notice, it says that we “know.” Know what?—That we have “passed from death [the unsaved state] unto life [the saved state].” But how do we know it?—Why, “because we love the brethren.” That is plain. Do you love the brethren? “Yes, I love most of them.” But that is not what the Lord says. Do you love all the brethren? “Well,” you say, “I love all of them but one or two, and they have not treated me as they should, and there is a little hardness in my heart toward them.” But are they not your brethren?—“Yes; we are members of the same church.” Then the test of your religion is that you love them also. “But they have talked about me.” Possibly; but it is altogether likely that they have never said half as many bad things about you as the Lord knows about you. “But they have lied about me,” you say. This may be; but you should rejoice and be exceedingly glad that all the truth about you has not been spread abroad. Which, think you, would be the worse—to have the whole truth of your life blazed abroad, or a few false statements circulated? Which would suit you the better? Suppose some brother or sister, through the weakness of the flesh, has done wrong and talked about you, and you turn a cold shoulder toward them, remain away from meeting on Sabbath, and refuse, perhaps, to take part in the ordinances at quarterly meeting. This is wrong; Jesus did not do so when He was here; for when in the garden, He called Judas His friend after Judas had sold Him for thirty pieces of silver, and at the ordinance of humility Jesus washed Judas’s feet. Jesus loved all, even the ungodly and those who evil entreated Him and spit upon Him. And if we are Christlike, we shall do the same. So if we know that we love all, and that no root of bitterness is in our hearts, we may know that we are saved children of the Lord. But if there is somebody against whom we have a sort of grudge, and take pleasure in pointing out his weaknesses when opportunity offers, we may be sure that we have something in our heart that can never enter heaven. We have the same thing in our heart that Satan allowed to enter into his when he was the covering cherub, and which resulted in his expulsion from heaven. It will do the same for us, unless we gain the victory over it. The wicked thing is there just the same, whether it leads us to hate one or a score. “Whoso hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.” 1 John 3:15. My brother, my sister, do you love all the brethren? If so, you are a child of the King. I HAVE SEEN HIM.
By Llewellyn A. Morrison
“Thine eyes shall see the King in His beauty; they shall behold the land of far distance.” “Mine eyes have seen the King.” I have seen Him at the midnight
Moving over stellar spaces,
And the white stars glowed to greet Him,—
Their Beloved,—passing by;
All His myriad, matchless beauties
Mirrored in their shining faces,
While pavilioned in His pureness
By the splendor of the sky. I have seen Him in the dawning,
When the day was at its fairest,
In the dew-pearls on the lilies,
In the flowers that crowned the sod:
On the crimson-banded cloud-way,
Toned with loveliness the rarest,—
In the landscape, on the rivers,
I have caught a glimpse of God. I have seen Him, by His sunbeams,
On the mountains and the meadows,
And His presence made the perfectness
And brilliance of the scene;
In the moonlight I have seen Him,
Down amid the vales and shadows,
And His harmony and sweetness
Stored the silences, between. I have seen Him by the wayside,
Where the children laughed and gamboled,—
Painting dimples, smiles, and roses
On the face, and in the heart;
I have walked the way beside Him
Where the old man tottering, trembled;
And His wings were nestling over
When He called him to depart. I have seen Him in His fullness
And divineness at the even,
Watching, wooing, winning mortals
From the under-moil and strife,
Outward, onward, upward, homeward,
Into light, love, peace, and heaven,
And the glory, rest, and blessing
Of the everlasting life. OUR DOOR.
By M. Edith Sapp Speedie
“No one raps at my door except the Father sends him,” was a motto I found pinned on the wall of a patient’s room when I was at the sanitarium. It has helped me much in my own home. To our dear sisters who are blessed with homes in the country the knock at the door may not come so often, but in the city it is different. “Father, whom hast thou sent now?” I ask many times a day as I respond to the door bell. Sometimes it is a friend or a sister, and such calls always help me. Sometimes it is a poor cripple or a penniless woman. I know how to help those; but more often it is an agent or peddler. “Father, what wouldst thou have me give them?” If they have nothing I care to buy, or if it is on the Sabbath, still I can drop some seeds of truth. I think it an excellent plan to give them a tract or a periodical. The Lord will direct and bless the effort, for He sent them, if not to benefit you, to be benefited by you if you are truly His. VITALITY OF DEADLY GERMS.
By L. A. S.
Disease germs are often very tenacious of life. It is known that many of them will survive freezing, and even immersion in liquid air, and it appears also that some varieties will survive almost indefinitely in places that seem in no way adapted to their propagation; as, for example, upon the surface of children's toys. Toys that have come in contact with a child sick with a contagious disease would better be destroyed if they will not survive through sterilization. The New York Sun calls attention to a case in which diphtheria germs proved to be alive and of deadly virility, fifteen years after the occurrence of the sickness from which they took their origin. We quote:— “Indianapolis, Ind., Aug. 26.—Irene Keck, daughter of Bert Keck, of Marion, is ill of diphtheria, and a playmate of the same age was taken with the disease at the same time, and neither is expected to live. In the investigation which was made to discover in what manner the disease was contracted, it developed that the two children had made their way to an attic, and had there opened an old trunk and played with toys that belonged to a child who had died of diphtheria fifteen years ago. “There was no other way in which the disease could have been contracted, and the local health authorities are convinced that the diphtheria germs have existed in the toys for fifteen years, and that the two children contracted the disease by playing with them.” L. A. S. One day my father, sister, and I were out in the garden, watching a little toad. My father took a little stick, and very, very gently scratched one side of the toad and then the other. The toad seemed to like it, for he would roll from side to side and wink. I was so interested that when they went in, I took the stick, and did as my father had done. I thought, if he rolls from side to side as I touch him, what would he do if I ran the stick down his back? I did so; and what do you think happened? His skin, which was thin and dirty, parted in a neat little seam. There was a bright, new coat below. Then my quiet little toad showed how wise he was. He gently and carefully pulled off his outer skin. He took it off his body and legs first, and then, blinking it over his eyes, till—where had it gone?—He had rolled it into a ball and swallowed it.—Adapted from Our Dumb Animals. Thorough Bible Reading Strengthens Piety
“NOTHING will give sinew and bone to your piety like the thorough reading and thorough digestion of the Bible. All the giants in the history of the Church have been large and hungry feeders on the Bible.” “THEREFORE the Lord thy God commanded thee to keep the Sabbath day.” Deut. 5:15. These are among the words spoken by Moses to the children of Israel at the end of their forty years’ wandering in the wilderness; and the opponents of the seventh-day Sabbath fly to this text as proof that the Sabbath was given to the Jews alone, and is not binding, in any other country, or in any other age, upon any other class of people. Hence they say it is not binding upon so-called Christians, and not binding upon us, which is the point they wish to prove. But this text does not prove it. Does not the word “therefore” denote that that which is said gives the reason for what is stated?—Very true; and what is stated?—“The Lord thy God commanded thee to keep the Sabbath day.” But this is not giving the reason for the Sabbath; that is, it is not the reason for the law of the Sabbath itself. Here is a distinction that men generally lose sight of: the text does not tell why men should keep the Sabbath, but only why God gave to Israel a reason why they should keep the Sabbath. Read the whole passage: “And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the Lord thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore [for this reason, on account of this interposition in thy behalf, which ought to arouse thy highest gratitude] the Lord thy God commanded thee to keep the Sabbath day.” The Sabbath commandment existed apart from, and independent of, this. But this is why God gave them the commandment to keep the Sabbath; He appealed to the gratitude they should cherish toward God, in view of what He had done for them, as a motive which should lead them to keep His commandments. But if we give this as a reason for the commandment itself, we must consider what conclusions must follow. It would make the Sabbath verily a most limited and short-lived institution. It would be confined not to the Jews, or to the Jewish nation only, but to that particular and specific generation of that people which had just come out of Egypt; for the Jews who were born and raised in Canaan could not be included in the specifications, any more than those who were born in America in the nineteenth century. Mark the language: “And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the Lord thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore the Lord thy God commanded thee to keep the Sabbath day.” Applying this, as our friends do, we say it must be confined to those who were actually delivered from Egypt. But nearly fifteen hundred years of Sabbath-keeping by the Jews in the land of Palestine, and over nineteen hundred years more of the same practice by the same people in all the world, give the lie to such a groundless conception. Therefore that application is not correct. But even if correct, it proves too much. This is seen by such texts as Deut. 24:17, 18, which forbids perversion of judgment, and oppression of the widow. “But thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in Egypt, and the Lord thy God redeemed thee thence: therefore I command thee to do this thing.” Again: Deut. 10:19; 11:7, 8: “But your eyes have seen all the great acts of the Lord which He did. Therefore shall ye keep all the commandments which I command you this day, that ye may be strong, and go in and possess the land, whither ye go to possess it.” This language could apply only to that generation to which Moses spoke; for it was not true of those who were afterward born in the land of Canaan that their eyes had seen the great works of the Lord, as had those of the people in the days of Moses. But shall we, therefore, conclude that they only were under obligation to obey the duties referred to, as our friends reason?—Not by any means. This argument proves too much. The obligation does not rest upon the facts referred to. They only state the reason why the duties were enjoined upon them. And the emotion of gratitude which was aroused in their breasts should also be aroused in the hearts of their posterity as well, just as every one to-day should be prompted to love and obey God because He has shown such love to us as to provide a way of salvation, as He did in the days of Adam, of Noah, of Abraham, of Lot, and of Israel in Egypt, in the case referred to, and as He has provided, in a larger sense, salvation for all men by the gift of His dear Son. He might say to us, “Therefore I command thee to love and serve me,” and the gratitude of our hearts in view of His goodness should prompt us to do it. But now to take God’s dealings with Israel and urge them as an excuse for turning away from God and breaking His commandments, borders hard upon the domain of crime. U. S. GOD'S WAYS NOT OUR WAYS.
By L. A. S.
AMONG the inspired petitions left on record for our instruction and hope, we find these words of the psalmist: “For thy name’s sake, O Lord, pardon mine iniquity; for it is great.” Ps. 25:11. Who ever heard of man asking pardon of his earthly superior for his transgression because it was great? If his offense is but slight, the transgressor dares to hope for pardon, and in his petition aims to make transgression appear as light as possible. The hope of pardon is lessened in proportion to the gravity of his crime. But God’s ways are not our ways; and well is it for us that they are not. God delights to pardon transgression, and the fact that our sins are as scarlet, does not one whit lessen His desire to make them white as snow. The greater our sinfulness, the greater our need of divine pity and help from the throne of all power; and it is our misfortune and our need that appeal to the heart of our Creator. And therefore He has placed in our mouths the wonderful petition, “For thy name’s sake, O Lord, pardon mine iniquity; for it is great.” L. A. S. The call of God to His chosen people has ever been, “Come out.” If it were good for them to remain in “Babylon the great,” He would never have called them out. These are days when it is popular to be a nominal Christian. The names of many of the worst criminals and greatest sinners—those who dress well and sin legally—are on the church rolls. The popular church of to-day, be it Catholic or Protestant so-called, is a faithless church. The majority of its members have no faith in God, nor in the religion which they outwardly profess. Lacking this faith, church-members do not feel like giving of their means for the support of an institution in which they have no real faith. Accordingly, when pressed for means, the church leaders are obliged to resort to entertainments and various other schemes, to secure money. All this is because these adherents of the popular church are, as Paul says, “lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof.” 2 Tim. 3:4, 5. It will not take very many illustrations from popular church life itself, to prove the truth of the foregoing statements. For instance, the following clipping taken from the columns of a Chicago newspaper recently received at this Office, is but one of scores that might be cited: “An international beauty show, composed of young men dressed to represent girls from various parts of the world, will be the feature of the North Shore Congregational Church entertainment at the St. Paul railway depot, Thursday night. There will be living pictures also, consisting of representations of the Gibson girls. Twenty young women of Buena Park, led by Mrs. Henry A. Allen, will take the parts. Other features, such as Oriental booths, are billed, but it is the beauty show that is attracting the most attention. “Arrayed in the costumes of the country which589they are supposed to represent, the young men will sit on a platform. The beauty from the Isle of Guam, it is said, will be represented in all the airiness of her native costume. Clothed in the regulation tights of their calling, French danseuses will have their place in the exhibition. Turkish and Egyptian dancing girls also will be there.” Immediately following this, may be found a detailed description of “a county fair with real cattle, red lemonade,” etc., to be given “at Rogers Park, under the auspices of the St. Jerome Roman Catholic Church on August 22, 23, and 24.” The promoters of this fair were to have “the privilege of guessing as follows: Politicians on the weight of hogs only, women on lambs, and members of Masonic organization on goats.” Statistics gathered by Rev. William Bayard Hale, of Middleboro, Mass., and published in that reputable magazine, the Forum, show that in just one year his “record of entertainments given by religious societies in the United States” included “more than five hundred of these occasions,” which, as he says, “is, of course, the merest fraction of the whole number given during the year, and yet . . . furnishes a fair index of the remarkable labors of American religious organizations in this direction.” Continuing, he states that “it is with a feeling of wonder touched with awe, that a student turns the page of this chronicle of a year’s activity by the churches; that he discovers with what increasing ardor the institution, founded not to be ministered unto but to minister, is giving itself to the duty of providing fun at a minimum cost; with what unexampled philanthropy it is placing within the reach of the humblest and poorest of Christian people, the Female Minstrel, the Dog Show, the Dance of the Wood-Nymphs, the Brownie Drill, and kindred joys.” Coming, as they do, from such a source, no one can safely dispute the veracity of these statements. Among the many church amusements in vogue among the various denominations, may be mentioned poverty sociables, wishbone parties, progressive whist parties, hay-seed parties, baby-rattle and spoon drills, yule-tide markets, weigh socials, “What Is It?” marches, in which “the young ladies wear their hair over their faces, and masks on the back of their heads,” poker parties, dude drills, husking bees, boxing matches, feats of legerdemain, songs and dances, girls in fleshings, Trilby parties, foot socials, ankle auctions, Tom-Thumb weddings, and mock marriages. It would be unfair to say that there are no cries of protest raised against this drift of things, even in the popular churches. Many honest pastors have tried to stem this tide of church desecration. In the words of Rev. E. P. Marvin, of Lockport, N. Y., “the Church has gone into the amusement business. In the days of primitive simplicity, it was thought that the world and Satan had a monopoly in that line. This, however, is ‘an age of progress,’ and the Church has entered the market, and is in competition with these great caterers. The discovery has been made that the Church, in order to hold its young people to its altars, must provide for the natural craving for amusements. . . . Judging from the new order of things, Jesus is not equal to the occasion: a little amusement must be thrown in. In order to keep the people from the theater and opera, our churches must be made into semi-theaters and semi-operas. The royal ordinance of preaching retires before the popular ordinance of entertainment. Pagan, papal, and patriotic holidays furnish convenient seasons for these unblest practices. . . . What shall we say of the Church of God peddling out small wares and fun to the world, or getting up a variety show of Mother Goose, a Fan Flirtation, a Donkey Social, or a Punch and Judy Show to replenish her treasury? How belittling to the Church, how dishonoring to God, how contemptible in the eyes of the world! Said an infidel to me: ‘I think your God must be in great need of money, by the tricks the churches practice to get it for Him.’ Among such church rubbish it would be hard, indeed, to find even the form of godliness, to say nothing of its power.” Need more be said to prove that the popular churches of the day have, to an alarming extent, identified themselves with the world, with that “Babylon the great” concerning which John, in vision, heard a voice from heaven saying: “Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues”? Is it not against these that Paul gives the warning: “From such turn away”? Speaking of these last days, Jesus said: “When the Son of man cometh, shall He find faith on the earth?” Luke 18:8. The only church that will have faith when He comes will be the one composed of those who “keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus,” who have heeded the threefold message of Revelation 14, and God’s call to “come out.” A. J. B. HELP FOR THE HELPLESS.
By Uriah Smith
THAT “man’s necessity is God’s opportunity,” is a saying that is as true as it is trite. In Isa. 59:16 we read: “And He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore His arm brought salvation unto Him; and His righteousness, it sustained Him.” Thus the Scriptures represent that the very reason why the Son of God gave himself to humility and sacrifice, for man’s salvation, was the fact that man had reduced himself by sin to a state of utter helplessness. There was no man who could save, and therefore Christ appeared for our redemption. The Laodiceans (Rev. 3:15–17) are represented as being in a state of wretchedness and helplessness, which, it seems, would appeal in the same way to the compassion and help of the Lord. So it has, and Christ for the same reason has offered us the assistance we need. But Christ undertook man’s redemption before man had felt his need or sought His help. Will He not therefore send help when we do feel the need of it, and seek Him for it? And if His love and compassion were so great, may not every one who seeks divine aid be sure it will be granted? The True Witness, therefore, comes forth and offers us all that we need—gold, white raiment, eyesalve—if we will accept it, without money and without price, at His hands. U. S. CHANGED INTO ANOTHER MAN.
By L. A. S.
“And the Spirit of the Lord will come upon thee, and thou . . . shalt be turned into another man.” 1 Sam. 10:6. “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” 2 Cor. 5:17. We are saved from sin by a new creation. A new man is created, which is perfect and righteous, as was the first man when God made him. By a new creation we escape the sword of divine justice; for the new man is not held accountable for the sins of the old carnal man who has passed away. It will be worth everything to us in the day of Judgment if we can say to Justice, “I am not the man whom you seek; those sins recorded in the books, for which you have drawn your sword, were committed by that other man, who was carnal, and not by me. I am not the guilty party.” Thus has God, though just, provided for us a way of escape. But there is no escape for the old carnal man; that man must die. Hence it is written: “I am crucified with Christ.” Gal. 2:20. Also: “Nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me.” The crucifixion of Christ was not to let the “old man,” the sinner, escape, but to provide for a new creation, in Him who rose from the dead. “If we be dead with Him, we shall also live with Him.” Christ, who rose from the dead, liveth in us. It was to provide for a death that would not be eternal, but would be followed by a resurrection. It was necessary that Christ should die, in order that man might die unto sin without remaining forever dead. Those who die unto sin without Christ will die eternally. L. A. S.