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Signs of the Times, Vol. 12, No. 23.

General Articles

Signs of the Times

Jun 17, 1886

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Jun 17, 1886

General Articles.

By Ellen G. White

The True Standard of Christian Excellence.

BY MRS. E. G. WHITE.
"As He which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy." "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect."
It is the design of God that improvement shall be the life-work of all his people, and that in all their aims they shall be guided and controlled by Christian principle and correct experience. But many fail to understand the true object of life; and under the influence of cherished errors, they sacrifice all there is of life that is really valuable. The true man is one who is willing to sacrifice his own interest for the good of others, and who forgets himself in ministering to their happiness. Intellect is a mightier force than wealth or physical power. If sanctified and controlled by the Spirit of God, it can exert a powerful influence for good. Yet intellect alone does not make the man, according to the divine standard. When made a minister of vice, great intellect is a curse to the possessor and to all within its influence.
One's claim to a true manhood must be determined by the use of the powers which God has given him. Lord Byron had rare intellectual gifts; but he was not a man, according to God's standard. He was an agent of Satan. His passions were fierce and uncontrollable. He was sowing seed through his life which ripened into a harvest of corruption. His life-work lowered the standard of virtue. This man was one of the world's distinguished men; still the Lord acknowledged him only as one who had abused his God-given talents. Many others whom God endowed with giant minds, and whom the world called great men, rallied under the banner of Satan, and used the gifts of God for the perversion of truth and the destruction of the souls of men. Nero was acknowledged by the world as a great man; but did God regard him as such? No! he was not connected by living faith to the great heart of humanity. He and others like him in the world ate, and drank, and slept, as men of the world; but they were Satanic in their cruelty. Wherever went these monsters in human form, bloodshed and destruction marked their pathway. They were lauded while living, but when they were buried, the world rejoiced. In contrast with the lives of such men, is that of Martin Luther. He was not born a prince. He wore no royal crown. From a cloistered cell his voice was heard, and his influence felt. He had a noble, generous heart, as well as a vigorous intellect, and all his powers were exercised for the good of humanity. He stood bravely for truth and right, and breasted the world's opposition to benefit his fellow-men.
That which will bless humanity is spiritual life. If the man is in harmony with God, he will depend continually upon him for strength. "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect." It should be our life-work to press forward continually toward the perfection of Christian character, ever striving for conformity to the will of God, remembering that the efforts begun upon earth will continue throughout eternity. God has set before the human family an elevated standard, and he who is true to his God-given manhood, will not only promote the happiness of his fellow-creatures in this life, but will aid them to secure an eternal reward in the life to come.
Nor should any duty be regarded as small and unimportant. It is difficult for human beings to give attention to lesser matters while the mind is engaged in business of greater importance. But should not this union exist? Man formed in the image of his Maker should unite the larger responsibilities with the smaller. He may be engrossed with occupations of overwhelming importance, and neglect the instruction which his children need. These duties may be looked upon as the lesser duties of life, when in reality they lie at the very foundation of society. Happiness of families and churches depends upon home influences. Eternal interests depend upon the proper discharge of the duties of this life. The world is not so much in need of great minds, as of good men who will be a blessing in their homes.
The members of the human family are entitled to the name of men and women only when they employ their talents, in every possible way, for the good of others. The life of Christ is before us as a pattern, and it is when ministering, like angels of mercy, to the wants of others that man is closely allied to God. It is the nature of Christianity to make happy families and happy members of society. Discord, selfishness, and strife will be put away from every one who possesses the Spirit of Christ.
Those who are partakers of Christ's love have no right to think that there is a limit to their influence and work in trying to benefit humanity. Christ did not become weary in his efforts to save fallen men; and our work is to be continuous and persevering. We shall find work to do until the Master shall bid us lay our armor at his feet; and we must wait and watch, submissive to God's will, ready and willing to respond to every call of duty.
Angels are engaged night and day in the service of God, for the uplifting of man in accordance with the plan of salvation. Man is required to love God supremely, that is, with all his might, mind, and strength, and his neighbor as himself. This he cannot possibly do unless he shall deny himself. Said Christ, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me."
To deny self means to rule the spirit when passion is seeking for the mastery; to resist the temptation to censure and to speak fault-finding words; to have patience with the child that is dull, and whose conduct is grievous and trying; to stand at the post of duty when others may fail; to lift responsibilities wherever and whenever duty requires it, not for applause, not for policy, but for the sake of the Master, who has given each of his followers a work to be done with unwavering fidelity; when one might praise himself, to keep silent and let other lips praise him. Self-denial is to do good to others when inclination would lead us to serve and please ourselves. Although our fellow-men may never appreciate our efforts, we are to work on.
Fellow-Christians, search carefully, and see whether the work of God is indeed the rule of your life. Do you take Christ with you when you leave the closet of prayer? Does your religion stand guard at the door of your lips? Is your heart drawn out in sympathy and love for others outside of your own family? Are you diligently seeking a clearer understanding of Scripture truth, that you may let your light shine forth to others? These questions you may answer to your own souls. Let your speech be seasoned with grace, and your demeanor show Christian elevation. "Blessed is the man that endureth temptation; for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him." Ever remember that the moral nature needs to be braced with constant watchfulness and prayer. As long as you look to Christ, you are safe; but the moment you trust to yourself, you lose your hold upon God, and are in great peril.
Many limit the divine Providence, and divorce mercy and love from his character. They urge that the greatness and majesty of God would forbid him to interest himself in the concerns of the weakest of his creatures. But from the lips of Jesus we have the assurance: "Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows."

A PILGRIM SONG.

By London Christian

OUR God is faithful! Time moves on, to find us Still singing of the mercies left behind us— Still taking, as we sing, of some fresh store, And looking trustfully for those before.
How can we doubt, with memories to cheer us? How can we sorrow, with his love so near us? How can we faint, while he has strength to give, And we, by faith, his proffered grace receive?
Like as a father, pitying, he leads us, And daily with some heavenly morsel feeds us; Sees to our ailings, hushes our alarms, And bears us, weary, in his loving arms.
He who has led thus far will never leave us, Until he at his heavenly home receive us. There we shall see his face, and there adore, And tune our harps to praise him evermore.
There sorrows shall be lost in joy forever, Where trouble, sin, and want can never enter; Where, in a day that knows no coming night, We'll bless the faithfulness that kept us right.
—London Christian.

A Holy Life Has a Voice

By Hinton

A holy life has a voice. It speaks when the tongue is silent, and is either a constant attraction or a continual reproof.

No Work Is Overlooked

“THERE is no work so mean, no corner of the earth so obscure, no worker so humble, but that God's eye notes what is done.”

A Life of Love

By President Bascom

NOTHING short of a life of love is permanently worth living, or will be recognized as permanently possible.—President Bascom.

Two Masters.

“No MAN,” says our Lord, “can serve two masters.” And yet how to do this is the problem that multitudes are attempting to solve. The effort in this direction has, in all ages, culminated in a false spirituality which has been a curse to those attempting it, to the church in which it is developed, and to the world at large. The word of the Lord is that there shall be an absolute break with the god of this world, who rules through the flesh, and an entire and utter consecration to him who rules through the spirit. “If the Lord be God, follow him.” There can be no middle ground. God will accept no compromise on this point. By this, we do not mean that God accepts no one in whom there is any sin, no one who is not perfectly and utterly separated from the lusts of the flesh; for that would cut every man off who is trying to serve him. There is a vast difference between imperfect service and a deliberate purpose to serve two masters,—a deliberate compromise with the world, the flesh, and the devil. This double-mindedness in the service of God, this spirit of compromise, this false spirituality, has been the object of God’s wrath in all ages, and under every dispensation. Moreover, it is the way of death to all who walk in it. It deludes and deceives in life, and the end thereof is death.
The attempt to combine and harmonize the worship and service of God with our own natural desires and worldly plans is characteristic of a false spirituality. Men who are but half-hearted always attempt to please two masters. They desire to secure the favor of God, and at the same time to save and gratify the flesh. The Bible affords abundant illustrations of this principle. Cain was the first example of those who try to combine natural and spiritual worship,—to serve God and yet to protect and gratify the flesh. He brought of the fruit of the ground instead of the flock. He did not refuse to sacrifice, but he did not see the necessity of offering up a life. It seemed to him that fruit was as good as life. Thus he acted according to his own thought and desire rather than in accordance with God’s word. It is this intrusion of our own ideas and thoughts into the revelation of God, or rather the substitution of our thoughts for God’s word, that lies at the bottom of all false spirituality.
When the earth was well peopled, and there was a clear line between the worshippers of the true God and the unbelieving class, the sons of God began to intermarry with the daughters of men. Thus they tried to gratify their desires among those who were fair to see, and at the same time continue in the service of God. The result was the worst apostasy the world ever knew. God found it necessary to call Abraham out of his country and away from his people in order to train him and his descendants in a separated and spiritual life in which he should be seen and worshiped as the one supreme Master of all. Lot failed in maintaining a purely spiritual life by first pitching his tent toward Sodom, and finally going into the city to live. No doubt he thought he would be able to maintain a loyal service to God even while he was profiting after the flesh by a partnership in the well-watered plains round and about the commercial advantages and worldly honors of Sodom. No wonder he “vexed his righteous soul,” and was saved from that place of sin and compromise only “so as by fire.”
Moses saw the impossibility of holding a feast to the Lord in Egypt; for to do so would be to sacrifice to the abomination of the Egyptians; so he insisted on an entire separation, and went out of the land of Egypt, not leaving a hoof behind.
Balaam, on the other hand, is a perfect illustration of the double-minded man, who tried to preserve standing with God, and at the same time accommodate Balak and fill his own coffers with the gold of God’s enemy. Fear of God and covetous desire after this world contended for the mastery, and he tried to arrange a compromise. He desired the favor of God, and yet was unwilling to forego the advantages and pleasures of this world. He saw the advantages of righteousness, but did not have the courage to go over entirely to the Lord’s side. He desired to live like a sinner, and yet die like a saint. This was an effort to solve the problem of how to serve two masters. We know how he fared.
Moses, on the other hand, saw that if he was to serve God at all, he must forego not only Egypt, but the pleasures of sin and the riches of his Egyptian inheritance. He did not hesitate to make the choice as soon as he saw the issue. Joshua dealt with this same question in his farewell address to the children of Israel, “Choose ye this day whom ye will serve.” This was the ground of Elijah’s controversy with Ahab on Mount Carmel. Baal and God could not both share the throne of Israel’s heart. If the Lord was God, then he must be served and Baal cast off; if Baal was God, then serve him and cast off Jehovah altogether. Since the days of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, Israel had tried to worship God, and yet serve Baal. It was this persistent tendency in Israel to compromise the pure service of Jehovah with the worship of Baal that, after long and patient effort to recover them, led God to give them over to captivity. We do not read of their return to idols after the captivity, but the principle of double-minded service and mammon worship appeared in the Phariseeism and formalism which our Lord found in Jerusalem when he came, and which he so unsparingly denounced. There was a great pretense of serving God; but underneath it and along with it was the “evil eye,” the covetous and carnal ambition after the wealth, the pleasures, and power of this world.
Dare we say that this false spirituality, this attempt to serve two masters, has been eradicated from the purer and more spiritual constitution of the Christian church? Is it not this double-mindedness as to God and mammon that is our curse and paralysis to-day? “The light of the body is the eye; if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. . . . No man can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”
What shall we say to these things? Mammon enriches his thousands, and damns his ten thousands. Far be it from any servant of him who came “to destroy the works of the devil” to attempt to compromise with the devil for any portion of the world.—Independent.

No Corrupt Communication.

By Mrs. M. J. Bahler

"Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption." Eph. 4:29, 30.
I CANNOT help wondering sometimes if some who profess to love God and represent the life of Christ, know that there are such words as these in the Bible. And it seems to me it might be well if those words of holy admonition could be placed in illuminated text in every home, thereby if possible to check the retailer of news so corrupt that it can never minister grace to the hearers in even the smallest measure. It would be better, I grant, could we all have them graven upon our hearts and illuminated by God's Holy Spirit.
Not long since I met a stranger. She was earnest and zealous for the cause of Christ, but we had not continued in conversation ten minutes when my heart was sickened by a recital of news which made me wish I could have guessed the horrid repast which was to be placed before me, guessed at it just enough to have remained a stranger. I could but think of the words of Paul, "For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret."
Is it any less a shame now to speak of the corrupt actions of wicked men than it was in Paul's day? The cheek is made to burn with the blush of shame in some places at the things which are done openly in public. Then, oh, for pity's sake do not serve up to your listeners a dish of the carrion of some sickening, secret horror!
If you love to feast on such things because they are evidences of the world's filling up its measure of iniquity, then take your feast alone, I beg of you. There is evidence enough in public without the details of something of which Paul would tell you it is a shame even to speak. Besides, do not you remember that by "beholding we become changed"? This is just as true one way as the other. If we would become like Christ, let the mind dwell upon his life. If we wish God's righteous character to become ours, we must study to know what that character is.
Let the mind feast on purity, and it will become pure. Let it feed upon scenes of impurity and, although at first they sicken it, if these scenes are tolerated, the mind will become changed. The poison will be absorbed, and this is why Paul says again, "If there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." And Peter exhorts thus:—
"Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance; but as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation." 1 Peter 1:13-15.
Do not let the mind run loose upon any and every subject that may be presented. And if circumstances are such that you cannot avoid a knowledge of the existence of some soul-harrowing crime, do not, please do not, defile yourself by becoming a channel through which it shall be conveyed to others. Put away its memory as quickly as possible by a vigorous effort of the will, and say to yourself, I will not be a medium to transmit to others a knowledge of things of which "it is a shame even to speak."
Oh, would that we could realize the foul influence of this by far too prevalent habit! I have only touched upon its worst feature. It broadens and branches, and sends its poisonous miasma everywhere.
"By beholding we become changed"—changed like unto that we behold. Alas! could we know the cause of the first deviations from right in the lives of hundreds around us, we should find that it was in beholding sin—looking upon it instead of turning away.
If you are a moral vulture and love to feast upon putrid characters and loathsome acts, do not bring your sickening carcasses to my door. Do not take them to any one. Feed upon them if you will, but feast in solitude until you are joined by others who may relish your chosen food and join you of their own will.
Mrs. M. J. Bahler.

Raising Children in Reverence

By Margaret E. Sangster

It depends upon fathers and mothers to bring children up in an atmosphere of reverence for God's authority and of obedience to law, and this from the first. The mother's work begins with the babe in her arms.—Mrs. Margaret E. Sangster.

Loss and Its Consequences

Fortune lost, nothing lost; courage lost, much lost; honor lost, more lost; soul lost, all lost.—Sel.

What Is Religion?

By Prof. E. S. Gallup

It is the growth of piety in the soul; the working of the love of God shed abroad in the heart; or, as the apostle says, “Seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him.” Along what lines is this new man developed? “Add to your faith virtue; and to virtue, knowledge; and to knowledge, temperance.” Here is the line of development. And by “virtue” is meant those large qualities of mind and heart which go to make a hero; for that is the idea which lies at the root of this word—a hero in largeness of soul and greatness of endeavor, free from debasing faults and petty weaknesses—above all, prejudice and narrowness of mind—but in all the struggle of life bearing himself manfully, heroically, and at all points a victor in the name of the Lord. Such is the Pauline virtue, which knows how to be brought low and how to abound; how to be full and to be hungry; to have plenty and to be in want; through Christ, equal to all trials and emergencies. Such is the type of a full-orbed manhood, in which greatness and littleness, sufficiency and great deficiency, do not go hand in hand, but the weakness is gone, and only the strength remains.
To virtue, knowledge. This new man is a being of intelligence; and there is a wondrous union between these qualities, virtue and knowledge, and they mutually support each other. The practice of virtue surely leads to knowledge, and knowledge, in time, will broaden and refine the virtue. It is painful to think that so much of the knowledge for which the world is eager, is really of little account in its bearing upon human character. . . . But there is a knowledge of one’s self, of the universe as a revelation of God to men, and of the way of life, which endures, which makes the wise man wiser and the strong man stronger, and lies at the foundation of that knowledge that the soul will acquire in the ages to come. And truth is one. Error is ever changing, many-hued, manifold in form, and always shifting her ground. Truth, ever the same, drops her anchor in the soul, and there abides.
To knowledge, temperance. And by this is meant the largest and fullest self-control,—master of one’s self and of the situation; no yielding to any weak indulgence, no hungering of the soul for that which is not bread; no wild, imperious lust or appetite allowed to forge its fetters and hold the man captive; but he is God’s freeman, in a world of evil, but above it,—tempted and tried, but at all points a victor by virtue of his own self-restraint. This is something quite different from that special form of temperance which legislators are importuned to force upon man with bit and curb, and the strong arm of the law. The man is taught to rise above the temptation, and master it. The outward forms of evil are not annihilated to keep men from it; but the new man, with a self-poise never disturbed, and an understanding never dimmed, puts the evil from him and tramples it under foot.
The song of the old prophet was: “When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee; when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.” That is, the flood shall not be dried up or turned back for your relief, but you shall be strengthened to bear up against it. Let the waves rise and the floods come and beat against you, as they did against the Master—your head shall be kept above the waters; and the fires which burn and crackle shall not kindle upon you nor your good works. “Fear not.” Here is a victory, grand in its proportions, in which the man triumphs over these deadly foes which threaten him.
“I asked them whence their victory came; They, with united breath, Ascribed their conquest to the Lamb, Their triumph to his death.”
It is right along these lines, thus drawn by the apostle, that Christian life is to grow and be developed till “the fullness of the stature of a perfect man in Christ Jesus” is reached.—Prof. E. S. Gallup.

The True Test of Love.

THE real hope of the Christian is a far more attractive thing than the indefinite future that many who profess Christianity set before them. There are many whose idea of the world to come is a simple hope of freedom from evil; others have the idea of a constant joining in a magnificent chorus of praise to God. But something more attractive to a human being than that is revealed to us. It is a condition of things precisely suited to exercise all the healthy faculties of body, mind, and spirit. Only let this be realized, and from the inmost depths of your heart you may plead with God, “thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.”
But let us recollect that if our study of the future thus produces such an intensity of longing worthy of the name, it will be a longing that will improve our daily character now. All truth sanctifies, but there is no portion of truth that is more thoroughly suited to sanctify than that which suggests to men what the home of the perfect may be, and that their perfection will be in the midst of that home. It will be a perfect population, ruled by a perfect King.
Just in proportion as the sanctifying power of the Spirit is felt now, there is, indeed, a true and genuine affection toward Him, who will then be the glorious King, adorned and praised by all, so that the crowns that he has won for them shall be cast at his feet, with the everlasting song, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing.”
How do we know we are ready for the Lord’s appearing but by having experience of present affection towards him? “If a man love me, he will keep my words.” Just in proportion as we find that, out of love to Christ, and drawing out of the power of his grace from day to day, we have our lamps trimmed and burning, and our loins girt, like men waiting for their Master, and are striving to be found diligent in doing his work when he comes; just in that proportion we have the proof that we are amongst those who really love his appearing.—London Christian.

The Moral Leprosy of Our Times.

By Rabbi Jacobs

Is it not noticeable that there is a growing dissatisfaction with a sturdy simplicity of life—a dissatisfaction which is tempting men to seek success by extraordinary and hazardous methods? They cannot seemingly be made to believe that the straight road is the shortest and best whereby to reach the goal of prosperity, and that every deflection from integrity and plain dealing is not only a crime but a senseless blunder. Hence we read and hear so much of the shattered reputations of those who stood high in our community, but who could not resist the burning demand of the itching palm of corruption in offices of trust; of men placed in authority on whom public responsibilities rested who have basely yielded up integrity and principle; of men who stand charged before the world that they “contaminate their fingers with base bribes and sell the mighty space of their large honors for so much trash as might be grasped thus.”
You ask why so many have trespassed. Look below the surface and find the reason. It is because there has grown up with the growth of our country a mania for riotous extravagance, a disposition to dazzle the eye with lavish expenditure, a love for meretricious display to be maintained at any and every cost. This is the corroding leprosy which is destroying principle and honesty. The public trust is thus made to minister to private greed, and office becomes a thing of personal traffic.—Rabbi Jacobs, New York.

Origin of a Barbarous Fashion.

By Nation

SOME seven years ago there appeared in Paris, at a ball of the demi-monde, a woman wearing on her head-dress a dead bird. The bird had artificial eyes, and its wings and tail were spread out so as to give it a life-like appearance. It was a small, stuffed bird, not a bird’s skin stretched on wires. Its introduction as an ornament in fashionable bad society was not received with much favor at first, although the wearer succeeded in attracting attention to herself by the singularity of her adornment. This was all that she desired or intended to accomplish by fastening a bird’s corpse to her head-gear. She had not the slightest expectation that she would be imitated even by her immediate companions, still less that the whole world of fashionable good society in France, England, and America would “fall into line” at her heels. Probably her only thought was that the oddity of her costume would serve as a striking advertisement, like “S. T., 1860, X.,” and cause her to be talked of among the males and females of her kind.
Strange, indeed, are the caprices of fashion. Seven years have passed by; and we find the eccentricity of a woman of the town becomes the craze of millinery,—so great and deadly a craze that State legislatures are considering bills to prevent the extinction of our song birds and of all birds not too large to be worn on the bonnets of women and children. Nothing more revolting to good taste can be imagined than the “remains” of an animal fresh from the dissection of a taxidermist as an adornment for a lady’s forehead. The very suggestion ought to excite horror and disgust, as well as pity for the slaughtered songsters of the grove.—Nation.

Teach Us to Pray.

By Methodist Recorder

“Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples,” was the request which one of Christ’s disciples presented to him on a certain occasion. We do not know whether the request referred to the form, or to the spirit of prayer, or to both. There is certainly nothing improper in the request, in whichever of these senses we may understand it. We should address God in a becoming manner, as well as in a proper spirit. Prayer should contain thanksgiving for blessings received, confession for sins committed, and supplication for blessings desired. This is about all that is necessary and all that is proper in addressing our heavenly Father.
In attempting to address God we should never address the people. Our business in prayer is not with the people, but with our Father in Heaven. We should forget the people in our approaches to God, except so far as we make them the subjects of our supplication. Preaching, and exhortation, and the repetition of the same thing in various forms, are out of place in prayer, and if these were excluded, most prayers would be shortened at least one-half. It is not necessary to tell God in our prayers what he knows far better than we do. After thanking him for his mercies, and confessing our sins, which we cannot do in detail, we should present to God the desire of our hearts in simplicity and godly sincerity. Without any circumlocution, we should ask him for what we want.

Gladness and Praise

“I WILL be glad and rejoice in thee; I will sing praise to thy name, O thou Most High.” Ps. 9: 2.
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