p. 5 | Review and Herald, Vol. 93, No. 48. (9/28/1916)

Apostasy and Rebellion in the Church

By G. B. T.

The apostle Paul, in a farewell visit with the Ephesian elders, imparted to them some admonitions which the church of God will do well to keep in mind till the end of time:—

“Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.” Acts 20: 28-31.

Wolves would prowl, entering the fold to destroy. This danger is from without; but the greatest danger would be from within, from men who would arise, not to build up and establish anything, but to tear down, or draw away some

of the flock after themselves. All of this, of course, would be done in the name of Christ. It is of this class that the apostle speaks in another place, who by “good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.” Their words are beautiful, they talk of heaven, of Christ, of the truth, of their hope. Their speeches are as smooth as oil, they smile, and talk in soft and subdued tones. Some of the flock are thus deceived. They conclude that these persons are misunderstood and misused, and sympathize with them. In this way these deceivers are able to secure a following, lead astray some disciples who have been quarried from the world by some one else’s efforts, and divide the flock. This, in brief, is the danger against which the apostle has warned the church.

In apostolic times, after Paul and other laborers chosen and blessed of God, had, at great sacrifice and the peril of their own lives, built up and established organized churches among the heathen in different places, “false brethren” came in to “spy out” the liberty of the people. They claimed, of course, to have great light for the churches in Galatia and elsewhere. We do not read, however, that they used the light they claimed to have in saving the heathen. It is much easier to come into the fold, and create confusion, deceive, divide, and tear down that which some one else had built up, than to quarry from the world a church. It requires no fasting and prayer to sow discord and divide a church that has been built up by earnest toil and sacrifice. Division, strife, and discord have appeared in the church in all ages. It was seen in the church at Corinth. There seemed to be some Paulites, some Apollosites, some Cephasites, and some who were for Christ,—real, true Christians indeed. 1 Cor. 1:12. “False brethren” led away many in Galatia. While thinking they had received greater light, they had really departed from the true gospel.

Troubles, too, have also perplexed the church through those in the church who are not amenable to any regulations of the church. They want to dictate to the whole body. And if their opinion upon what ought to be, and what ought not to be, is not accepted, they accuse the body of having departed from the right, and of countenancing evil. General plans and regulations made for the orderly and aggressive action of the church are denounced as popish. Anything which does not harmonize with their ideas is denounced as tyrannical. They are right, and the whole body is wrong.

A very striking and instructive illustration of this is seen in the case of Diotrephes, who is referred to but once in the Scriptures. “I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preëminence among them, receiveth us not. Wherefore, if I come, I will remember his deeds which he doeth, prating against us with malicious words: and not content therewith, neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them that would, and casteth them out of the church.” 3 John 9, 10.

From this brief history, we gather a number of instructive points:—

1. “I wrote unto the church.” John, the beloved disciple, was the writer. John was a “pillar” in the church. He was one of those who gave to the great apostle Paul and to Barnabas “the right hand of fellowship.” He was one of the chosen apostles of the Lord, and was ordained to the work of the apostleship to which he was called. And, moreover, he had the Spirit of prophecy; he was a prophet of God. Rev. 19:10; 1:9-19. Now, in his old age, with many years of rich experience in the past, and the light of God shining in his soul, this apostle and prophet of God writes to Gaius concerning some worthy laborers, and bids the church receive them. It would seem that a communication from such a source would have been respected and heeded. But Diotrephes did not do this; he was a law unto himself. He was amenable to no one’s rule or counsel. Great as was John’s position in the church, he was greater—in his own estimation. The exhortation of God to “submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another,” and “obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves,” had no weight with Diotrephes. He did not believe that any one should have rule, or write directions to the church; yet the Lord had so ordained it.

2. John wrote to the church. This communication seems to have been lost, so we cannot now ascertain its contents. But it was concerning the receiving of these brethren by the church. God has put order and system into his church. It is an organized body of believers to carry forward his work. It was John’s prerogative as apostle and prophet to send instruction to the church. But Diotrephes was not subject to the counsel sent to the church. While rejecting the counsel and rulership of others, though only a member, he ignored the whole body of believers. He ruled, regardless of organization.

3. We do not know just who Diotrephes was, nor what official position he held in the church. Evidently, however, he had influence in this church, and probably was a leading officer. John, however, was a leading apostle and prophet of God, and in rejecting the counsel sent to the church from this venerable seer, Diotrephes arrayed himself against the spirit of prophecy. He may have thought, as some do now, that all who have the Spirit of God have the spirit of prophecy, so he had the spirit of prophecy as well as the aged John, and he decided to follow his own. This according to his view, would be consistent, of course.

4. “Prating against us with malicious words.” Barnes tells us these words mean “to overflow with talk.” From this we gather that Diotrephes was quite a talker. Evidently he did not have brotherly love for John and the other brethren. Hatred seemed to be at the bottom of the opposition against the counsel sent the church. He was malicious. There was an old grudge somewhere. It may have been that he had been reproved by the venerable seer.

5. Diotrephes did not “receive the brethren.” They visited the church with the consent and approbation of the aged prophet, who counseled the church to receive them. But Diotrephes did not care for the counsel of the prophet of God. Neither the advice of John nor the wishes of the church itself were of any consequence to him. He knew best. When the brethren came to the church, fully indorsed by the body, this man deliberately set them aside. He was the despotic head of a local church. These brethren were not allowed to preach or give any counsel. This is a clear case of rebellion against the organized work of God in apostolic times. Instead of this being an example of the evils of organization in the church, it is an example of those who array themselves against the organization established by the Lord.

6. Diotrephes did not believe in being under the rule of any one, for he loved “the preëminence.” He would rule or ruin. He was zealously opposed to any headship, unless he was the head. No doubt he could see visions of the Papacy being formed all around him in any plan that would make any one a “pillar,” or leader, in the church, except himself. He was not opposed to leadership, provided he was the leader, for he loved to be first. It was so with Lucifer. He, too, loved the preëminence. He coveted the highest place in heaven. The Son of God having been assigned to this position by the Father, Lucifer instilled in the minds of the angels the idea that a tyranny had been enthroned, and in order to be free, they must contend for their rights, and oppose the organization of heaven. Satan would have had no contention about leadership had he been placed at the head. This spirit still works in the church of the Most High.

7. “Casteth them out of the church.” Diotrephes refused to receive these brethren, forbade others to do so, and cast them out of the church. Whether he cast out those who wished to receive

these brethren, or the brethren who came to the church, we need not discuss, as the spirit of domination is the same in either case. Diotrephes, it appears, took the responsibility in this matter, and assumed the power to cast them out of the church of God. Organization prevents this spirit of despotism. Where organization prevails, if members are disfellowshipped, it is by the church itself, and not by some Diotrephes in the church.

We may expect to see similar experiences in the church in these days. It will be well to study the picture of apostolic days presented to us, that we may be able to recognize its duplicate when it appears in the church at the present time. There are persons like Diotrephes in the church in these days. They hate any organization, or system of conducting affairs, that allows the people a voice in the management of the church.

But in the midst of all these things the foundation stood sure. The church triumphed. The gospel was carried everywhere. Sooner or later these disturbing elements dropped out, were left behind by the onward march of the truth, and were lost sight of. It will be even so in the history of the church in the last days.

G. B. T.

Our Educational and Literature Work

By George Ide Butler

G. I. BUTLER

Education

After the great disappointment of 1844 the advent believers felt that the coming of Christ must be very near. They believed that they were in the “waiting time.” (See parable of ten virgins in Matt. 25: 1-13.) And knowing full well how unpopular they had become, they shrank from sending their children to the schools where they would be made fun of and ridiculed. They realized that the majority felt great opposition to the ideas of Adventists, and they feared the effects upon their children spiritually. For these reasons many ceased to send their children to school. The whole question of what they ought to do about educating their children was a great perplexity.

The public schools are of great value to our population generally; yet there are some features in them which are not conducive to Christian life. As the message progressed year after year, and our numbers greatly increased, it became evident that steps must be taken to provide educational advantages and facilities for the young people of our denomination. In Battle Creek, Mich., which was the center of our work, and the home of our largest church, a school was provided. Prof. G. H. Bell, a teacher of experience and ability, had come to the Health Institute for treatment, and had become a believer in the message. About this time Prof. Sidney Brownsberger was graduated from the University of Michigan. He had recently accepted the truth. Providence seemed to be providing us with men qualified to teach in a high school or college. So our people, represented by our General Conference, decided to erect a college in Battle Creek.

Elder S. N. Haskell and the writer, at that time strangers to each other, one from New England, the other from Iowa, were elected members of the General Conference Committee, which at that time consisted of three persons. Elder Haskell and I were young and full of zeal, and to us the responsibility of raising the funds to build this college was given. Well does the writer remember this effort. We strongly appealed to our people in behalf of our college, and they responded nobly. Our numbers at that time were fewer than five thousand, to the best of my remembrance. We raised in money and pledges more than $50,000. The college was built, and our splendid system of education was begun.

In our efforts to impress our people with the importance of Christian education, we were greatly aided by the light given through repeated visions to the servant of the Lord, elucidating this whole subject of education. We doubt if this undertaking could have been made a success without the Testimonies.

How greatly all true and loyal Seventh-day Adventists rejoice that Christian education has received so much attention and has accomplished such a grand work among us. The larger number of our ministers today are such as the result of this educational movement. We firmly believe that there is no system of education in our world that equals or compares with the system among us of combining education with the teachings of the blessed Scriptures.

Of course we do not claim that so far as mere literature or knowledge of the sciences is concerned our schools excel or even equal the great educational institutions of the world. But the result of the training in those schools is the production of many skeptics and infidels. Many of the ministers trained in such schools are tinctured with unbelief. How great a portion of them believe the Bible to be the Word of God? How many of them believe in the Biblical account of creation? Evolution and higher criticism, so called, have largely permeated the mass of the clergy graduated from these institutions. We have no desire for such results. The Holy Bible is made paramount in the teaching of the schools of this denomination. Our young people are made acquainted with the blessed Book. Our students come forth believing in it.

What a contrast this feature is to the results in worldly schools, or even in the denominational schools of the popular churches. But the moment we admit the Bible to be the Word of God, as our people believe it to be, why should it not have this prominence? Is not the Word of God more important than the words of man? The religious atmosphere of our schools is a feature of the very greatest importance. Because of this feature our young people are saved to the cause of God. The skeptical influences permeating many schools breed unbelief and infidelity. We as a people all know that the light from heaven which has come to us through the Spirit of prophecy has been the salvation of our schools so far as their religious influences are concerned. What a great blessing this has been to us!

The Creation and Circulation of Our Literature

Our literature is one of the greatest sources of our success. In the very feeble beginning of our existence as a people, Elder Bates wrote a little pamphlet on the Sabbath question; and as a result of a vision given Mrs. White, the little paper was begun which finally became the REVIEW AND HERALD, the honored church organ of our people.

Our publications increased at a rapid rate. Books, pamphlets, and tracts were written on almost every phase of our faith. The great incentive to progress has been the statement of Holy Writ that this message must go to “every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people” in the world. How could this be brought about? Some means must be found by which it could be circulated in the broadest manner possible. Of course many preachers would proclaim it by word of mouth, but they could not possibly proclaim it everywhere; for some would never come out to hear.

But people who could not preach could circulate literature. Colporteurs were needed; but how to get people to leave their homes and go forth to circulate the printed page was the great problem; and here was seen the rallying influence of Sister White. The most stirring, forceful, and powerful appeals came forth from the servant of the Lord for our people to engage in this branch of the work. Not only were some to go forth as colporteurs, but the rank and file of our people everywhere were to feel that the circulation of our literature was their solemn duty. Through belief in this prophetic gift, the mass of our people accepted these appeals. And this is why, dear brethren and sisters, our publications are going forth to our fellow men in carloads from our publishing houses, and their circulation is rising into millions of dollars’ worth. We have been told that they are to be “scattered like the leaves of autumn.”

The world must be warned that the great day of the Almighty is upon us, that time is now closing, and that the end of the world is impending. This is our message. And who can estimate the effects of the circulating of our literature? Through it large numbers of people have been brought into the truth and converted to God. Never could this work have been made such a success as it is today without the instruction which has come through the Spirit of prophecy. As a people we should be most thankful to God for this blessed gift of his Spirit.

Bowling Green, Fla.

Save the Jew

By L. L. C.

THOUGH it sometimes seems difficult to help the Jews, yet we have been urged through the Spirit of prophecy to do very much more for them. We have a Jewish Department organized, with Elder F. C. Gilbert as secretary, which is struggling hard to help this needy people. In view of the statements of the Spirit of prophecy, it is interesting to find others also recognizing that the Christian church is not doing for the Jews what it should. In answer to an inquiry sent to the Questions and Answers department, the Christian Herald, of July 26, 1916, says:—

“You are perfectly right in inferring that the Christian church has never even begun to realize its responsibility to the Jews and the power it might have in winning them to Christ. You are right also in stating that many Jews—particularly is this true of the younger generation—are ignorant of their own Scriptures. The most successful Christian Jewish workers are those who emphasize the fact that when a Jew becomes a Christian, he does not by that act become any less a Jew. Christianity is the fulfilment of all the hopes of Judaism. Christianity is the best and only interpretation of the Jewish Scriptures. The writer of every book of the Bible was a Jew. The Founder of Christianity was a Jew; the arguments are unanswerable which show him to be the Jewish Messiah. All his apostles and all the original members of the first Christian communities were Jews. The church should indeed, just at this time of world upheaval, make a new, direct, vigorous campaign to reach and save the Jew.”

L. L. C.

Caleb and Joshua

By R. D. Quinn

In the Conquest of Canaan

R. D. QUINN

The conquest of Canaan under Joshua occupied seven years, and during the whole of that time there is but one record of defeat and loss of men in battle. The story of this defeat is told with great minuteness in the seventh chapter of Joshua, because it involved lessons of the greatest moment to Israel, and of incalculable value to the people of God today. With Jericho in ruins, and nothing to fear from the rear, Joshua pushed on into the interior, and the next city they encountered was Ai. Two things were responsible for their defeat at that place: the undetected presence of sin in the camp, and the self-confidence of the men of Israel in recommending only a few men to go up to take the city.

After their humiliating experience, and the turning of their backs before their enemies, they carefully investigated the cause of their defeat, and traced back its genealogy to Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah; and Achan and his house were taken to the valley of Achor and utterly destroyed. The record is that the valley of Achor became the door of hope. See Hosea 2:15. The basis for hope was a cleansed and purified camp.

There is no doubt but that God would have revealed the presence of sin in the camp just as certainly before the march on Ai as afterward had Joshua and the leaders been living in that abiding fellowship of God's Holy Spirit which would have given them the spiritual discernment to detect the presence of sin.

It was so in a similar case recorded in the book of Acts. What Achan was to Israel, that Ananias and his wife were to the early church. Instead of the fifth chapter of Acts recording a great revival, as it does, and multitudes of men and women being added to the Lord, possibly it would have recorded a great defeat, such as came to Israel at Ai, had it not been for the manifest presence of the Holy Ghost, and Peter's spiritual insight and discernment which enabled him to detect sin and put it away before undertaking a great work for God.

“Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.” Whenever there has been perpetual failure in our lives or labors, we may be sure that some cherished sin hidden in the heart or life is responsible for it. We may wonder why God does not deal as definitely and severely with sin today as he did in the past; but the answer is that God seldom repeats himself, and these great object lessons of his abhorrence of sin, in both the Old and New Testaments, are sufficient for all time. Great victories for God invariably follow great reformations of heart and life.

The putting away of sin is what brought Christ to this world to die. All else he could have done for us and remained in heaven. Let the church once more return to apostolic purity and power, and by diligent searching put away the accursed thing from its midst, and again we may count on the manifest workings of God, and multitudes flocking to the light.

“So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the Lord said unto Moses.” Joshua 11:23. Following this, all the tribes met at Gilgal to divide the land by lot. The country had been only nominally conquered, and there were still many walled cities held by the giants, and much land yet to possess. But the time had come to divide the land by lot, and then every man of every tribe could go back and drive out the enemies that should chance to be still on that particular plot that by lot had fallen to him. And just here is where the test of individual responsibility comes in.

The same is true in the conquests of our divine Joshua. He said after his last work was finished, “Be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” But while that was perfectly true, we have to fight over again in our own lives these same battles, and on the very same battle ground. How to win the victory is the great message to us of the whole story of Joshua and Caleb. The secret of their success lay in that oft-repeated sentence, “They wholly followed the Lord.”

It would perhaps be difficult to find in the writings of the Old Testament a more beautiful testimony than that of Caleb as he addressed Joshua at Gilgal, at the time of the division of the land. No language or comment could be more impressive than the exact wording of the Scriptures:—

“Then the children of Judah came unto Joshua in Gilgal: and Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite said unto him, Thou knowest the thing that the Lord said unto Moses the man of God concerning me and thee in Kadesh-barnea. Forty years old was I when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh-barnea to espy out the land; and I brought him word again as it was in mine heart. Nevertheless my brethren that went up with me made the heart of the people melt: but I wholly followed the Lord my God.

“And Moses sware on that day, saying, Surely the land whereon thy feet have trodden shall be thine inheritance, and thy children's forever, because thou hast wholly followed the Lord my God. And now, behold, the Lord hath kept me alive, as he said, these forty and five years, even since the Lord spake this word unto Moses, while the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness: and now, lo, I am this day fourscore and five years old. As yet I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me: as my strength was then, even so is my strength now, for war, both to go out, and to come in.

“Now therefore give me this mountain, whereof the Lord spake in that day; for thou heardest in that day how the Anakims were there, and that the cities were great and fenced: if so be the Lord will be with me, then I shall be able to drive them out, as the Lord said. And Joshua blessed him, and gave unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh Hebron for an inheritance. Hebron therefore became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite unto this day, because that he wholly followed the Lord God of Israel. And the name of Hebron before was Kirjath-arba; which Arba was a great man among the Anakims. And the land had rest from war.” Joshua 14:6-15.

“Caleb drove thence the three sons of Anak, Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai, the children of Anak.” Joshua 15:14.

“Of all the Israelites that received their inheritance in the Land of Promise, Caleb appears to have been the only one who succeeded in perfectly expelling the native occupiers of the country. The Israelites generally seem to have made but poor headway against their

strong and mighty foes, with their chariots of iron and fenced walls. Repeatedly we encounter the sorrowful affirmation, they were not able to drive them out. But Caleb was a notable exception.”

What though Arba was the greatest man among the Anakim! Joshua 14:15. What though his three grandsons, Sheshai and Ahiman and Talmai, the sons of Anak, were prepared to yield their lives rather than give up possession! Joshua 15:14. Yet Caleb drove them out—not he indeed, but the Lord, who was with him, and gave him a victory that must have otherwise eluded even his strong hands. The man who wholly followed the Lord was alone wholly victorious.

“How precious and searching is the conclusion! Our failures in expelling the giants of the heart, in dealing with inbred corruption and the assaults of Satan, are almost entirely due to some failure in consecration. We have not wholly followed the Lord. There has been some secret flaw, some leakage, some drainage away of strength. This must be put right before the other can be secured. But when, so far as we know, we are entirely yielded to God, then no sin can stand before us, because nothing can stand before him. We humbly and trustfully put the matter in his hands, and believe that he will go forth against our foes in the chariots of salvation.”

If we would in our day seek and obtain the blessing that made those men mighty for God, we must follow the Lord fully. This was the secret that lifted them preeminently above their fellows, and made them so mighty in their conquests for God. The same power is waiting our demand and reception, and the need of Calebs and Joshuas is just as great now as when these men by faith took possession of their promised inheritance.

South Lancaster, Mass.

Conditional Pardon

By L. H. CHRISTIAN

L. H. CHRISTIAN

Is the forgiveness which the Lord gives the honest, penitent sinner conditional or unconditional? If, for instance, a man who has lived in sin for sixty years turns to the Lord and obtains forgiveness, is he forgiven on the condition that he remain faithful to the end? We know that if this man should serve God five or six months and then backslide into his former life of sin, he would be lost. But in the judgment will that forgiveness which he had received for the sixty years of sin stand, or will he be punished for these first years of sin just as much as for the last? This is not an idle question. A clear understanding of it is needful for the children of God.

The Scriptures teach that there is a difference between the forgiveness of sin and the blotting out of sin. A child of God needs a daily forgiveness. Whenever he confesses and forsakes any sin, this sin is forgiven. The Lord is merciful and willing to forgive at once. But the blotting out of sin is a future act. The sins are blotted out in the final judgment.

God forgives a man’s sins and writes his name in the book of life on certain conditions. In the eighteenth chapter of Matthew we find a parable which clearly informs us that God’s children are forgiven on conditions. A certain servant owed his master ten thousand talents. As he was unable to pay, the master commanded him to be sold, and his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. But when the servant fell down and worshiped the king, saying, “Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all,” the master was moved with compassion and forgave him the debt. However, this forgiveness was not absolute and final. When the man who had received forgiveness, refused to forgive a fellow servant that owed him one hundred pence, his own master took back the forgiveness which he had already freely granted him. “His lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due.” Concerning this the Saviour says, “Likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you.”

That the forgiveness which we receive from the Lord is conditional is also taught in other scriptures. “If we walk in the light,” the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins.” “When I shall say to the righteous, that he shall surely live; if he trust to his own righteousness and commit iniquity, all his righteousnesses shall not be remembered; but for his iniquity that he hath committed, he shall die for it.” Eze. 33:13. Notice the statement that the person who turns from righteousness to a life of sin shall die “for his iniquity” which he has committed. He does not die for a part of the sin which he has committed; but his whole life of sin calls for punishment and his final death.

As far as we know, God does not give a single blessing without conditions. He promised Adam and Eve this world and a continuance of life, with final immortality to themselves and to their posterity, on condition of obedience. He promises us immortality on precisely the same condition, only that the obedience which we must render is the obedience of the Christ-life in us through faith.

This subject of conditional pardon is clearly taught in the sanctuary services. Throughout the year the Israelites who confessed their sins received forgiveness. But the final blotting out of their sins did not come until the great day of atonement. On that day the sins of the people which had been confessed and for which they had been forgiven, were taken out of the sanctuary and placed upon the scapegoat, and finally destroyed. In like manner the sins of the righteous will not be blotted out until the great day of atonement in heaven. God would not be dealing justly with mankind if he granted unconditional pardon to the penitent.

To every child of God it should be a serious and solemn consideration that he is forgiven freely and fully only on condition that he daily surrender all to Christ. The Lord will “speak peace unto his people, and to his saints; but let them not turn again to folly.” Ps. 85:8. Chicago, Ill.

Sowing Beside All Waters

By Mrs. H. E. Sawyer-Hopkins

MRS. H. E. SAWYER-HOPKINS

He who gave this last message of mercy has commissioned the humble and faithful among his servants to carry the words of life to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people. It is to be presented in every country, city, and town; in the byways, hedges, and wherever darkness and error reign. Relatives and friends are not to be passed by,—it matters not whether they are near by or far away,—and we should not forget the companions of our youthful days, for possibly we could reach them more readily than strangers.

Let us persevere in sowing “beside all waters,” even though at times we may see no fruit of our labor; for we know not which shall prosper, this or that. We may always claim the promise of the Lord, “My word . . . shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” It is also a comfort and strength to know that heavenly angels are sent to coöperate with human instrumentalities, for nothing can be accomplished in winning souls without divine help.

We cannot all go to foreign fields, but there are opportunities for gospel work on every side. Scattered throughout our country are thousands from distant lands who do not know of Christ’s soon coming; and in our zeal to serve the Master, let us not forget that to each has been given his appointed work, and “not more surely is the place prepared for us in the heavenly mansions than is the special place designated on earth where we are to work for God.” Some may be called to work in a public way; others must be content to serve in the humbler walks of life. But giving a cup of cold water, speaking a kind word, helping the sick, comforting the sorrowing, are just as acceptable to the Master as the preaching of a sermon, for each is bidden to serve “according to his ability.”

The heart of the true, loyal Christian will be so filled with love for the Master that there will be no room for criticism, coldness, or bitterness, and he can say, “Anywhere, any time, anything, for the Son of God and the sons of men.”

Loma Linda, Cal.

Fearlessness to Do What Is Right

“THE fear of the world influences more lives than the fear of God. How many regulate their action and their conduct by what the world will say; how few ever say, What will God say? How much admiration we should have for a man who measures his life by what God will think! Ask God every day for this spirit of fearlessness—fearlessness to do what is right.”

A Young Anglo-Indian Student

By Arthur Grosvenor Daniells

A. G. DANIELLS

Our foreign mail brings us a copy of a letter written by a young man who has recently accepted the truth in Madras, and who is on his way to the Pacific Union College, in California, to complete his education, preparatory to returning to India as a missionary. We give this letter, believing that many of our young people and others will be glad to read of the earnest desire that takes hold of some heathen hearts.

“Dear Brother James: I am writing you to tell you of my plans and desires. First of all, I should like to express my gratitude to you as well as to Mr. Foley and Mr. Peugh for helping me to see the light. I am feeling happier than I have ever been, conscious that God is pleased with me. The ostracism which is now my lot, together with the ridicule that some are meeting me with, makes me rejoice. This seems to be a part of the burden which God’s remnant must bear before his approaching advent. An opinion being expressed about me now is that I am going mad, as people cannot believe my former pro-Catholic views have undergone such a radical change; but they cannot realize what a joy is now in my possession,—a joy and a trust I am trying to communicate to the worldly members of our family. At the same time, as I look on the godlessness of the people around me, I feel a deep responsibility for them. I wonder if there will be time left me to do my little part in preaching the third angel’s message. Every day seems to be completing the fulfilment of the latter-day prophecies, and I have a conviction that the end is at hand sooner than when the Adventists anticipate.

“Regarding my plans, I have not very much money to help me; and after paying my passage and poll tax, I shall not have much more than 1,000 or 1,200 rupees to count upon. Still I hope, by working half my keep, that I shall be able to remain in college two or three years. I should like to start upon a ministerial course as quickly as possible. I have studied into the B. A. honors class of the Madras University, taking history in its various branches as my subject. I passed the preliminary B. A. honors examination, but soon after had to discontinue my studies on account of typhoid fever. Since then for the past eighteen months I have been a schoolmaster and saved part of the money, which I had determined was to take me away and prepare me for holy orders. Now that I have accepted the truth, I must continue to live for this my ideal, and I hope that the misfortunes that have balked a prosperous worldly career, have but prepared me for this greater and more important work.

“I hope to sail from Bombay the first week in July, but may possibly do so later. One cannot tell what may arise before then, but I shall live on in Christian trust, accepting future afflictions as the lot of Christians and a good soldier of Jesus Christ.”

May this young man, while in this country, have our prayers. We must give him the very best that is possible in this land of opportunity.

Northwestern Rhodesia

By S. M. KONIGMACHER

S. M. KONIGMACHER

As I write, it is high noon, and the sun is hot, cruelly so. The corn is drying up, and unless we get some rain soon there will be no crop of corn, and this means a great deal of suffering to the natives. There are a number of boys in school. Most of them are working in the cornfield. They work very fast in the morning, so they can have the rest of the time for themselves.

There has been a great deal of sickness. One of our boys who went out as an evangelist has returned, and has been sick most of the time since. On learning his symptoms, the doctor thought his illness was caused by the bite of a bug, and that his fever would simply have to run its course.

Last night while I was teaching the advanced boys their Bible lesson, I explained to them that it was just as hard for the Jews to receive the truth for their time in regard to the resurrection as it is for the people of our time to receive the truth of Christ’s second coming; that some teach that all will be good just before he comes, but that we read in Matthew that as it was in the days of Noah so shall it also be in the days of the coming of the Son of man.

Our descriptions of things in America puzzle the boys. When we tell them that some of our cities are so large that they would get tired walking from one side to the other, and that the houses are closer together than the compounds, there is great wonder in their eyes. The white man is looked up to. The native cannot think of a white man as being poor. Even the poor missionary is counted a prince of fortune by him.

It is wonderful to see the blessings that have attended the teaching of the Bible, and the great pall of darkness that has overtaken those nations and people who have not allowed it a place among them. These boys are different when under the influence of the Bible, and one can easily see the change that comes over them when they go away from it. The boys see a difference in the teaching at this mission and that at other missions. The Sabbath truth will be the great test here as well as elsewhere.

It is so hot and sultry that I can scarcely finish this. These houses are not so cool as the houses with grass roofs, but they are far more safe from fire. I have had to go out in the hot sun too much in the middle of the day, and it has made me sick. I was taken ill in the cornfield, and did not know whether I could get to the house or not; am some better now, but still have fever. [Brother Konigmacher has since gone to the Cape for rest.]

Oh, it will be a happy day when the work is finished! For a long time we thought that the home mail had gone to the bottom of the sea, but we received some letters today. We hope our papers will come soon.

God is with us and provides for us, and we are truly thankful to him. Remember us in your prayers.

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