The local camp-meeting to be held at Santa Rosa, Cal., will begin on the 18th inst.
At Scott’s Bay, Nova Scotia, Elder H. J. Farman reports the addition of four new members.
ELDER J. W. COLLIE and company have removed their Louisville (Ky.) tent to Parkland, a suburb of the city.
ELDER W. W. STEWARD reports fourteen converts at Winona, Wash. Also the baptism of five at Myers Falls.
At Jersey City, on the evening of May 27, three persons were baptized and added to the church, Elder O. O. Farnsworth officiating.
ELDER W. M. HEALEY, who has been reelected president of North Pacific Conference, attended the California state camp-meeting in Alameda.
THE Knoxville, Tenn., Sentinel of recent date contains a lengthy report of the first of a series of discourses in that place by Elder Grant Adkins.
ELDER S. S. SHROCK reports the organization of a small church at Sherwood, Ohio. Also the addition of nine members to the church at Lagrange.
THE officers of the California Tract Society for the ensuing year are as follows: President, A. J. Breed; vice president, R. S. Owen; secretary, G. W. Rine; treasurer, J. J. Ireland.
LAST week Elder O. A. Olsen, president of the General Conference, Elder G. A. Irwin, superintendent of General Conference District No. 2, and Prof. W. T. Bland made a visit to Graysville, Tenn. Professor Bland will take charge of the academy at that place when the next term opens.
THAT must be a happy tent company where a father being in charge, has for assistants his son and daughter and the son’s wife. They do colporter and canvassing work and lead the singing in the tent. Such is the situation of Elder R. M. Kilgore and family at Rockwood, Tenn.
THE Review of June 2 says: “Additions are being continually made in membership to the Battle Creek church, which is now approaching the seventeen-hundred figure. Last Sabbath eleven were baptized. We do not note all the baptisms which take place. They occur usually every two or three weeks.”
At the recent annual meeting of the California Sabbath School Association, the following officers were elected: President, George W. Reaser; vice president, Baxter Howe; secretary and treasurer, Mrs. M. T. Poston (reelected); Executive Committee, in addition to these three officers, A. J. Osborne and M. H. Brown.
THERE comes to us the sad intelligence that Elder A. E. Place, president of New York conference, and his wife, were recently stricken with pneumonia, both on the same night. At last report they were still in a critical condition, but prayers and hopes were for their recovery, and in these we heartily join. Elder P. Z. Kinne has charge of the conference work during Elder Place’s illness. His address is 317 W. Bloomfield Street, Rome, N. Y.
ELDER URIAH SMITH, senior editor of the Review and Herald, after a vacation of several months, during which time he was engaged in special literary work, has again assumed the responsibilities of the editorial chair. Elder Tenney, his associate, will now take a nominal “rest,” and attend the Wisconsin camp-meeting, and do some other “visiting” labor in the northwest. These camp-meeting “rests” are often more wearing than ordinary work, and it is encouraging to see the editorial brethren physically able to do such “resting.”
THE California state camp-meeting, held in Alameda, closed on the night of the 7th inst., with the ordination to the Gospel ministry of the following brethren: George W. Rine, Baxter Howe, G. W. Reaser, and L. P. Jacobson. This service had been preceded by a discourse by Elder Alonzo T. Jones. The last day of the meeting was a busy one; in addition to sessions of the conference, tract society, and sabbath school association, there were three discourses, all of which were attended by large numbers of people from the vicinity of the camp.
HUMAN nature and human quibbling seem to be the same in Great Britain that they are in the United States. A laborer in Plymouth, England, gives some specimen interrogations about our work, and the truth we proclaim, which sound quite familiar here, and no doubt they are everywhere familiar to our workers. He gives this specimen of oft-recurring colloquy: “Who is running this business?” “The Lord.” “Yes, but who engineers it in this world?” “The Lord.” “O, I see! Well, are you strong?” “O, yes, we are very strong—‘strengthened with all might,’ you know! Our number is small, but there are no stronger people in the world.” “How old is your faith?” “Well, it goes back to creation—the oldest faith there is.” “So you keep the Jewish Sabbath, do you?” “No, we keep the Lord’s Sabbath.” “You mean you keep Saturday for Sunday?” “No, we keep neither Saturday nor Sunday; we keep the Sabbath of the Lord, the seventh day of the week, ‘according to the Scriptures.’” In explanation of the last remark, it should be remembered that in the Scriptures the days are reckoned from sunset to sunset; so the seventh-day Sabbath is not Saturday, but is from sunset on Friday evening to sunset on Saturday evening. Saturday is from midnight to midnight.
HERE is missionary work: A Davenport, Iowa, sister reports that since last November she has assisted a lady in her washing early Monday morning, and from that and the sale of papers each week has more than paid for her club of twenty-nine SIGNS, with the postage on those sent away. To this she adds, “I have enjoyed the work, and have enjoyed some rich experiences.”
AS IN other mission fields, so in Matabeleland, Africa, all is not smooth sailing. A scourge of locusts, an epidemic disease among cattle, and a hostile uprising of the natives, all coming at once, are, from the standpoint of temporal prospects, somewhat discouraging. But God’s care is over the work in Matabeleland, as elsewhere, and our handful of missionaries, at the latest account, were hopeful, altho uncertain as to what would happen next.
A CANVASSER in Ireland reports as follows: “Baileboro, where I commenced work, is a town of about three thousand population, located in a thickly settled farming district, and is about six miles from a railway station. The masses of the people are Catholics, scarcely one-fourth Protestant. The Lord blessed in taking orders for ‘Prophetic Lights’ and selling ‘Glorious Appearing’ in both town and country. This aroused the enemy on both sides. One minister openly preached against my work, but this only helped to advertise the truth, and I never had a better delivery.”
ELDER C. L. BOYD, of Tennessee, says, “A commendable zeal is manifest among some of our young people to fit themselves for places of usefulness.” Let this statement be specially noted by the young people everywhere. Says the apostle John, “I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one.” This is the privilege of every young person, and is a qualification for great usefulness in the work of the Lord. That they may continue in such condition the apostle adds: “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”
THE great Presbyterian body has officially taken its stand in favor of the persecution of our people and other seventh-day observers. In the General Assembly at Saratoga, N. Y., May 22, Elder L. P. Main, of Kearney, Neb., introduced a resolution expressing “lack of sympathy with the criminal prosecution of those persons who honestly and conscientiously observe the seventh day of the week instead of the first.” But the motion was promptly tabled. We might add, however, that such resolution would amount to nothing unless the Assembly would proclaim against the entire principle of Sunday laws. Whoever favors Sunday laws at all virtually indorses persecution, for all enforcement of Sunday laws is persecution pure and simple.
FROM JERUSALEM.
From a dear Christian friend in Jerusalem, we have received a letter from which we take the liberty to present before our readers the following facts:—
Dear Brother: Your kind letter is received. I wish I had some good news to write to you. It is quiet just now; but every one is expecting more trouble. We are in a state of anarchy, with but little hope of improvement. During the month of March there were robberies every night. The poor Jews suffered the most. Whole shops were cleaned out, houses entered, and all the household goods taken away. One man, a Greek, was robbed and murdered on the Jaffa road. Another, an American, in the same way. One poor Jew was found in a cistern after three days’ disappearance.
Miss——, at the little —— mission in Bethany, was assaulted and her throat cut, but not fatally. The lady who was with her had her hand cut nearly in two, and was beaten terribly—all for money. One of the robbers was apprehended, as he jumped out of a window and broke his leg, and he could not escape.
Last week all the consuls met to consider the matter. A committee was appointed to wait upon the pasha to see what could be done to save the poor Jews; and he has agreed to light the streets and put watchmen there well armed. The people must pay, each family about twelve cents a month.
There is quarantine in Egypt now, and we hear that many are dying of cholera. Our mails are thus delayed, and tourists who visit Egypt must go into quarantine. There are many German tourists here now, and next week three hundred and fifty French people will arrive.
Father Hyacinth left Jerusalem this morning. He has been on a crusade trying to unite all the sects, Jews included, but he seems to have wasted all his powers in the desert air.
The Germans are building a splendid church on the land which was presented to the Emperor Frederick some years ago. The present Emperor William will be present, it is expected, at the dedication next year.
Yesterday was the anniversary of the opening of Simon’s Tomb. He is called Simon the Just, and is greatly honored by Jews, Christians, and Moslems. He was the last of the Sanhedrin, and came from Babylon. His tomb is in the Valley of Jehoshaphat, where there are thousands of old Jewish tombs. There were many thousands of people there yesterday, representing all nations and all religions. This old tomb contains a spring of cool water, from which all the people crave a drink. [Would they might all crave a drink of the Fountain of Life.—Ed.] It is a Jewish yearly festival, and they make the day pleasant for all.
We hear this morning that Baron Hirsch is dead. It is a day of mourning for the poor Jews; he was so good to them, and there is no one to take his place.
May the dear Lord reward and bless all your labors of love for him.
And may God bless all those in Jerusalem who are endeavoring to hold up the light of life in the prevailing darkness.
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LESSON XIII.—SABBATH, JUNE 27, 1896
“Study to show thyself approved unto God.”
LESSON XIII.—SABBATH, JUNE 27, 1896
THE FAMILY GATHERED HOME.
1. Who is the one around whom all the people are to be gathered?
“The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.” Gen. 49:10.
2. What earnest petition did Jesus make the night of his betrayal?
“Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me; for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.” John 17:24.
3. What does Isaiah say of our comprehension of the character of our reward?
“For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, besides thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for Him.” Isa. 64:4.
4. What does Jesus say will take place at the end of the world?
“And they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God.” Luke 13:29.
5. How is the gathering to take place?
“The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; and shall cast them into a furnace of fire; there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.” Matt. 13:41–43.
6. When is this to be done?
“When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory; and before him shall be gathered all nations; and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats; and he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” Matt. 25:31–34.
7. For what did Jesus say he was going away?
“In my Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.” John 14:2.
8. What does he say he will do when the place is prepared?
“And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” Verse 3.
9. In view of this how does he tell the people to feel?
“But be ye glad and rejoice forever in that which I create; for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy.” Isa. 65:18.
10. How does he say he will feel?
“And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people; and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying.” Verse 19.
11. What does he say shall never be heard again?
—Ibid., last clause.
12. What does Jeremiah say the Lord will do?
“Hear the word of the Lord, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock. For the Lord hath redeemed Jacob, and ransomed him from the hand of him that was stronger than he.” Jer. 31:10, 11.
13. What is said of the enjoyment of the people?
“Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow together to the goodness of the Lord, for wheat, and for wine, and for oil, and for the young of the flock and of the herd; and their soul shall be as a watered garden; and they shall not sorrow any more at all.” Verse 12.
14. With what does he say he will satisfy his people?
“And I will satiate the soul of the priests with fatness, and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness, saith the Lord.” Verse 14.
15. When does David say he will be satisfied?
“As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.” Ps. 17:15.
16. When God’s people are gathered home, what is said of the condition of the earth?
“For the Lord shall comfort Zion; he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.” Isa. 51:3. See also 35:2.
17. How will this transformation affect the animal creation?
“The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” Isa. 11:6–9. See also 65:25.
18. What does John say he saw?
“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.” Rev. 21:1–3.
19. What did he say God would do?
“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things are passed away.” Verse 4.
20. How large was this city, and what was its name? See Rev. 21:10–21.
Ans.—The name of the city is the New Jerusalem, the Bride, the Lamb’s wife, the capital city of the new earth. The size of the city is, according to the ancient mode of measurement, 12,000 furlongs, or 1,500 miles around it, or 375 miles square. This would make its area 140,625 square miles, or nearly three times as large as the state of New York. A most worthy city indeed! The height of the wall is 144 cubits, or about 250 feet high, proportional to its exceeding breadth and marvelous beauty of every hue and brilliance of the most precious stones. Worthy capital of a worthy kingdom and King!
21. What did he see in the city?
“And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.” Rev. 22:1.
22. What did he see on either side of the river?
“In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.” Verse 2.
“The leaves of the tree were for the healing [service] of the nations.” Rev. 22:2.
26. And what shall be said of God’s people then?
“And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.” Isa. 35:10.
“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things are passed away.” Rev. 21:4.
INTERNATIONAL SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
“Take heed unto thyself; and unto the doctrine;” that thy profiting may appear to all.”
LESSON XIII.—SUNDAY, JUNE 28, 1896.
REVIEW.
Golden Text: “Repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations.” Luke 24:47.
LESSON 1.—Warning against Sin. Luke 13:22–30. Golden Text: “Strive to enter in at the strait gate.” Luke 13:24. Three pictures illustrate the sinner’s lot in this lesson,—the strait gate, the shut door, and those who see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and themselves left out. The principal point is to strive, agonize, to enter in.
LESSON 2.—Parable of the Great Supper. Luke 14:15–24. Golden Text: “Come; for all things are now ready.” Luke 14:17. When those that were bidden to the feast made excuses, the call went forth to the poor, lame, halt, and blind to come. Primarily, the Jews were referred to as being the first invited guests. The application is just as pertinent to all who slight the message of salvation. But the Gospel is for every one. There is room for all in the Father’s house.
LESSON 3.—The Lost Found. Luke 15:11–24. Golden Text: “Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.” Luke 15:10. This is the story of the prodigal son. Adversity brought him to his senses, as it does many who imagine the pleasures of the world preferable to the Lord’s way. But in the sequel behold the mercy and joy and love and forgiveness manifested by the Father.
LESSON 4.—The Rich Man and Lazarus. Luke 16:19–31. Golden Text: “Ye can not serve God and mammon.” Luke 16:13. From this allegory we learn three things: that the wicked are often rewarded by riches in this life, simply because they serve mammon; that the righteous, the poor here, will receive eternal riches hereafter; and that the word of God with its revelations is all sufficient to point men to Christ, and, in fact, no other means will be used if this be rejected.
LESSON 5.—Faith. Luke 17:5–19. Golden Text: “Lord, increase our faith.” Luke 17:5. The story of the ten lepers is here told, and reference is made to that faith with power even as a grain of mustard seed. Such faith, be it never so small, will save a man.
LESSON 6.—Lessons on Prayer. Luke 18:9–17. Golden Text: “The publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.” Luke 18:13. In the words of the text, “he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others.” True humility is what God wants, and the trust and confidence displayed by the children whom Christ blessed.
LESSON 7.—Parable of the Pounds. Luke 19:11–27. Golden Text: “He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much; and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.” Luke 16:10. Two lessons are taught: (1) That the kingdom of God was future when those words were spoken, and (2) that of his servants the Lord would expect faithful service, diligent work, with that committed to them, until his returning.
LESSON 8.—Jesus Teaching in the Temple. Luke 20:9–19. Golden Text: “The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner.” Luke 20:17. The parable of the vineyard, the husbandmen, the rejected messengers, and the Son whom the husbandmen slew, is the subject of this lesson. Primarily spoken of the Jews, it applies to the church of all times. Not alone to the church, but to each individual.
LESSON 9.—Destruction of Jerusalem Foretold. Luke 21:20–36. Golden Text: “Heaven and earth shall pass away; but my words shall not pass away.” Luke 21:33. Study carefully the prophecy here given, foretelling the destruction of Jerusalem and also the end of the world. Note the signs preceding each, and the nearness of the latter event as revealed by the signs in sun, moon, and stars, as well as on earth. Note the manner of the Lord’s coming.
LESSON 10.—Warning to the Disciples. Luke 22:24–37. Golden Text: “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.” Phil. 2:5. The disciples disputed as to who should be greatest. Perhaps similar thoughts come to others in regard to position in this life. Jesus’ mind then is the example, which was one of entire unselfishness and devotion to others. He became a servant; so let us, for the greater glory. Just where he places us is where he wants us.
LESSON 11.—Jesus Crucified. Luke 23:33–46. Golden Text: “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.” 1 Cor. 15:3. Study the narrative of the last supper, the agony in Gethsemane, the betrayal, trial, mockings, scourgings, and crucifixion. Note that Christ’s promise to the penitent thief was in response to the request to be remembered when he came into his kingdom, and see Dan. 7:13, 14; Luke 21:27; 2 Tim. 4:1; 1 Thess. 4:16.
LESSON 12.—The Risen Lord. Luke 24:36–53. Golden Text: “The Lord is risen indeed.” Luke 24:34. The special thought is the reality of Christ’s resurrection. Note the proofs, by seeing, handling, and by his eating, also the change that came over his disciples’ conception of his mission after this event. He truly came to bring repentance and to remit sins, and in the near future he will come again to abolish all sin and re-create the earth for an eternal, actual, tangible dwelling-place for his saints. Do you want to be an inhabitant there?
